:     ,   ,   

  ,        , -     28         .
Dr. Randy Showerman

This article is one of a series of stories about Michigans agricultural economy. It is made possible with funding from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Other stories in this series can be found here Last summer, Nathan Beyerlein, a 21-year-old Delta College student used satellite technology to alert farmers to problems in their fields. As an intern with a company called Crop Production Services, he scouted over 60,000 acres last year, looking for issues like bug damage, nutrient deficiencies, and inadequate irrigation."I was a field scout," he says. "We used satellite imagery. We'd check iPads, and geo-reference the area...We'd take pictures and record all the data. I'd send that to my boss, and they'd figure out what the issues were and fix them."Beyerlein grew up in Reese, Michigan, just north of Frankenmuth. His grandparents ran their own farm, cultivating corn, cucumbers and sugar beets, so he was familiar with farming. But after graduating high school, he was unsure of what he wanted to do with himself.After taking some courses in welding and electrical work, he discovered an ag training program at Delta College , not too far from Bay City. The program really clicked with him, winning him over with small class sizes, hands-on training opportunities and local ag industry leaders involved in the teaching process. Now Beyerlein has his sights set on a career in agriculture, as a field scout, agricultural salesman, or agronomist.Happily, his prospects look pretty good right now. Employers in Michigan's ag sector are hungry for skilled workers like Beyerlein. The agricultural trades are facing a workforce deficit in the state, especially with high-tech occupations like agri-business management, crop and soil scientists, animal husbandry, GPS-aided fertilizer and crop-protection materials application, site-specific soil sampling, logistics, and transportation. Its a situation the state is trying to remedy.Farming is big business here in the Great Lakes State. Nationwide, Michigan is the second most agriculturally diverse state in the nation producing over 300 different kinds of commodities on a commercial basis. Food and agriculture contribute over $101.2 billion annually to Michigans economy, according to the Michigan Farm Bureau.In recent years, the total number of those working in agriculture in the USDA Lake region  Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota  has fluctuated somewhat dramatically; according to the USDA , the total of farm workers hired in the region for the month of April dipped from 53,000 in 2014 to 47,000 in 2015 and then rose all the way up to 58,000 in 2016.That said, workers are very much needed in Michigan fields and food processing right now. As things stand, there's currently a labor shortage in the industry, due in part to increasing consumer demand for Michigan products. Thats why the state is working hard to grow the workforce."Closing the skills gap is arguably our states top economic challenge. We know employers are desperate for talent, especially in the skilled professional trades," says Jennifer Holton, the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development's Director of Communications.This is where education comes in, but that doesn't automatically mean folks need to spend several years at a university. While skilled professional trades are labor-oriented careers that require specialized training, in many circumstances a bachelor's degree  or for that matter, even a two-year associate's degree  is not whats needed."Many jobs in the agriculture cluster require on-the-job training, but not necessarily advanced education," Holton says. "Around 15 percent of jobs in agriculture require at least an associates degree. This is well below the all-industries average rate of 25 percent of workers requiring at least an associates degree."Although the general consensus is that Michigan's K-12 schools are doing a good job of readying students take their first steps for careers in the skilled trades, there's still more work to be done.With this in mind, the state is taking steps to better prepare Michigan's workforce by investing resources to familiarize students with the trades and working with employers to connect them opportunities.In his most recent budget, Gov. Snyder called for an extra $10 million for Michigan's Going Pro programs, which help provide training for the skilled trades. If approved by the legislature, the total investment of Going Pro services for would be $40.9 million for the 2017-18 fiscal year.For those interested in agriculture there is the Michigan Advanced Technician Training program, or MAT-Squared , which offers college tuition paid for by an employer, on-the-job training with pay, an associate degree and a job upon successful completion of the program. MAT-Squared currently offers concentrations in Mechatronics or Computer Numerical Control, which have applications in the ag industry. (See a video on the program here. Through its Community College Skilled Trades Equipment Program, the state has also provided $50 million for 18 state community colleges to obtain state-of-the-art equipment to assist students in gaining the skills they need to get what Holton describes as "high-wage, high-skill, and in-demand jobs" upon graduation.Michigan State University also plays a key role in this work. The school's East Lansing campus is home to an Agricultural Technology Institute that instructs students in subjects like Agricultural Industries; Dairy Management; Electrical Technology; Fruit, Vegetable and Organic Horticulture Management; and Horse Management. (See a video on the program here. Students can opt for a two-year or four-year degree. A 2.0 minimum grade point is required for the program, which is currently accepting applications for fall of 2017."All students are required to complete an internship within those programs," says the institute's director, Dr. Randy Showerman. "Students will also in many cases do a clerkship...to make sure they have the skills necessary to be successful with the internship."Beyond this, the institute is also partnering with community colleges like Delta, where Beyerlein attends."[We're] offering MSU programs at community colleges, taught by individuals who are approved adjunct faculty to the university," says Dr. Showerman. "They're teaching our courses at the location where the community colleges are located."The institute currently offers courses at seven community colleges and plans to add three more in the next month. Its programs have an impressive success rate. Ninety percent of students find employment upon graduation and 65 percent go back to their home communities.Beyerlein is certainly satisfied with the education hes getting. Asked if he has any advice for those considering getting trained for the agricultural trades, he says:"Go for it and don't look back. There's always going to be jobs. You can pretty much go anywhere in the country and you'll be in need."
The UN Secretary-General Selection and Appointment Process: Emerging from the Shadows

To view the full report, please download the PDF.

Security Council Report published its first report anticipating this selection and appointment processAppointing the UN Secretary-Generalin October 2015, setting out the history of the process and procedure, and describing previous proposals for change. Our second reportAppointing the UN Secretary-General: The Challenge for the Security Councilexamined the major developments from October 2015 to June 2016. Throughout the process, we recorded the developments in SCRs regular publications, the Monthly Forecast and Whats in Blue. This final report provides a comprehensive account of developments in the Security Council and General Assembly from the beginning to the end of the process, describing the major changes that culminated in the choice of Antonio Guterres as the next Secretary-General. It includes an assessment of the process based on interviews with the key actors from the Council, the General Assembly and civil society, as well as observations and options for improving the process further.

On 6 October, in a decision which Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin described as maybe the best success of the Security Council in the past five years, the Council recommended to the General Assembly that Antonio Guterres be appointed the ninth UN Secretary-General for a term of office from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2021. On 13 October, the General Assembly adopted its resolution making the appointment. The selection process that resulted in this appointment was the culmination of a historic change in a process that had been shrouded in secrecy throughout its history. It also marked the first time since 1950 that the General Assembly played a significant role in the selection of the Secretary-General.

The UN Charter devotes just 16 words to the appointment of the Secretary-General. Article 97 of the Charter states:

The Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.

In 1946, General Assembly resolution 11 (I) established ground rules for the appointment process, including terms and conditions of employment, length of term of officesubject to modificationand possibility of reappointment. It also declared that it would be desirable for the Security Council to proffer one candidate only for the consideration of the General Assembly.

For 70 years, the most significant evolution in this process took place within the Council, as it introduced the use of straw polls to determine the viability of candidates ahead of a formal vote. Since 1997, members of the General Assembly have discussed several proposals aimed at improving the transparency and inclusivity of the selection process, and finding a role for the wider membership of the UN, but these discussions led to no change in the process.

Regarding the selection process that was to culminate in 2016, a strong civil society campaign for change, and a mood among members of the General Assembly that they were not willing to acquiesce quietly in a business as usual exercise after years of increasing frustration at the lack of progress in Council reform, were the drivers behind significant changes in the process. Key roles among member states were played by Costa Rica and Estonia on behalf of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency (ACT) Group, and Croatia, as one of the two co-chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly (hereafter the Revitalization Working Group). A strong president of the General Assembly was crucial to effective implementation of the changes. An active group of elected members ensured that the new mood was reflected in the Council, and permanent members, while retaining ultimate control, accepted that the process had undergone some fundamental shifts as a result of the changes generated by the General Assembly.

The first step was a groundbreaking General Assembly resolution, adopted in September 2015, that created the framework for a more transparent process. This led to unprecedented public dialogues with the candidates that tested a broad set of skills, providing the UN membership as well as a global audience with an insight into the thinking of candidates and how they presented themselves in front of a large audience. Council members had to come to their decision on a recommendation to the General Assembly in very different circumstances than in the past. While the modalities in the Councilstraw polls and a private meeting to vote on the recommendationwere not much different from past selection processes, the environment created by the preceding transparent process in the General Assembly impacted the Councils decision-making.
Press Release

April 5, 2017 Legarda Welcomes Resumption of Peace Talks Senator Loren Legarda expressed support to the resumption of peace talks between the Philippine Government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) as the two parties re-opened the negotiations in Noordwijk, The Netherlands on Monday, April 3. "We welcome the resumption of the formal peace talks between the government and the NDFP. We need to pursue peace for the sake of the millions of Filipinos who will benefit from a peaceful and progressive nation," said Legarda. The Senator said she will file a resolution in support of the re-opened peace talks. "As someone who has been involved in negotiating releases of captives by the New People's Army (NPA) when I was a neophyte senator, I have seen the sincerity of all sides to this conflict and have witnessed the intense desire for peace," said Legarda, who actively participated in the safe releases of General Victor Obillo, Captain Eduardo Montealto, Sergeant Alpio Lozada, Major Roberto Bernal and then Major Noel Buan, among other military and police officials who were held captive by the NPA. "We need to pursue peace that is inclusive in order for it to be just and lasting," she added, noting the progress achieved by both parties in the past three negotiations under the current administration. On August 22-26, 2016, the government and the NDFP resumed peace negotiations and agreed to accelerate the talks based on previously signed agreements and, in the spirit of goodwill, declared separate indefinite, unilateral ceasefires. During the second round of the talks held October 6-10, 2016 in Oslo, Norway, common outlines and frameworks were adopted by both parties on the three remaining substantive agenda: 1) Social and Economic Reforms, 2) Political and Constitutional Reforms, and 3) End of Hostilities and Disposition of Forces. On the third round of talks held January 19-25, 2017 in Rome, Italy, both panels achieved progress on the following areas: Breakthrough in the discussion on the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER), a landmark document that shall address the country's chronic poverty situation, with both parties reaching an agreement in principle on the first four items of the draft, which includes free land distribution to landless farmers;

Agreement to form Bilateral Working Teams of Reciprocal Working Committees (RWCs) in order to accelerate the drafting of CASER;

Exchange of drafts and initial discussion on Political and Constitutional Reforms; and,

Signing of a Supplementary Agreement for the operationalization of the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) for the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL). "The most compelling reason to continue the peace talks is peace itself. The talks are a means of ending the armed conflict by addressing its roots--poverty, inequality, injustice and underdevelopment. It is our people's desire to see the talks achieve its ultimate goal of a just and lasting peace," Legarda concluded.
Local architects love to complain about San Franciscos Planning Department, how the latter supposedly thwarts the formers efforts to add dynamic new buildings to the landscape.

Now one of the citys best designers has chimed in  not over that second glass of wine, when such comments often take flight, but in a $65 architectural monograph.

Far too much of our effort goes into explaining what we are doing, Stanley Saitowitz tells author Michael Webb in Building Community: New Apartment Architecture, published this spring by Thames & Hudson. The bureaucracy is obstructive, and committee-type negotiations tend to make the buildings worse, not better.

Saitowitz is no self-absorbed hack who looks in the mirror and sees Frank Lloyd Wright. Quite the opposite. Hes the rare architect whose work wins wide acclaim, yet embraces the challenge of creating distinctive urban housing at all scales  from a pop-up grid of student apartments in Berkeley to the ice-blue chic of 8 Octavia, the Hayes Valley condominium complex featured in Webbs book.

His buildings share a distilled rigor, at once forceful and precise. No other architect has so successfully abstracted the DNA of San Francisco, argues Webb in a book that also celebrates projects by such architectural stars as Frank Gehry, Jeanne Gang and David Adjaye. But its an uphill battle, Saitowitz suggests.

Dealing with the city Planning Department, which doesnt understand architecture, is a very slow process, Saitowitz says in the book. We have a lot of trouble with the preservationist spirit in that department, now that almost every district of San Francisco is considered historic and every new building has to comply with its character. We firmly believe in respecting scale; Planning wants textbook replicas.

Last week, Saitowitz told me Webb took few notes on the day they met while Webb was researching his book. Not every word might be correct, but Saitowitz stands by the sentiments.

If we were looking around San Francisco and seeing all these wonderful buildings that result from the process, then I wouldnt complain, Saitowitz told me. But we dont.

No surprise, the citys top planner sees things differently.

Most of Stanleys buildings have been built pretty much as he proposed them to staff. To say otherwise is ridiculous, said John Rahaim, planning director since 2008. And were not asking for textbook replicas. Our guidelines make it clear we want architecture of our time.

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.

But to Rahaim and his staff, buildings need to be good neighbors, whatever the style  even if striking that subjective balance requires the methodical scrutiny that might cause some architects to bridle. He also made this valid point: The same guidelines that slow things down keep the egregious stuff from happening. In other words, theyre intended to raise the bar.

Realistically, the debate will never be resolved. Architects dont like being put through a grind of second-guessing on details like the width of a bay. Planners get tired of architects who view anyone who disagrees with them as design illiterates.

And this being San Francisco, everyone else will have an opinion about what finally does get built.
Her Peninsula hideaway home was slammed by the winter storms, but now relief is in sight for Koko, one of the worlds most famous gorillas.

Koko caused quite a sensation a few years back as the first ape thought to be able to communicate through sign language.

These days, the former National Geographic cover gorilla lives far from the limelight with her male partner, Ndume, at a secluded sanctuary in Woodside. The pair remain under the care of Penny Patterson, the former Stanford University researcher whose cross-species, sign-language experiments first propelled Koko to fame back in the early 1970s  even spawning a line of plush toys.

Many scientists have since cast doubt on Kokos language skills, and Patterson and her partner, Ron Cohn, rely on donations and memberships to their Project Koko  a.k.a. the Gorilla Foundation  to support their inter-species communication research.

Over the winter, rains took a toll on the roofs over Koko and Ndumes living quarters and play area. Come the next rainy season, if nothing was done, the pair would have been in for a prolonged soaking.

Caregivers put out an SOS call through the GoFundMe website for $35,000 for new roofs over the gorillas heads. Its paid off: Although the campaign is still $8,500 short of the goal, foundation education director Stanley Gary tells us they are scheduling the (roofing) job to be done in April.

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.

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
The San Francisco school board officially hired the districts new superintendent, paying him the same $310,000 salary as his predecessor.

The board voted unanimously on a three-year contract for Vincent Matthews, which also includes comprehensive benefits and other compensation.

Matthews was paid $250,000 as the state administrator for the Inglewood school district in Southern California, helping the district dig out of financial turmoil.

In San Francisco, the district will also cover all health care premiums for the superintendent and his family. The contract also requires the district to put $100,000 over the three years in a retirement account for Matthews, in addition to payments into state pension funds based on his salary, which would total about $140,000.

The provisions are the same as those received by the previous superintendent, Richard Carranza, and fairly standard in school districts across the state. Oaklands most recent superintendent received a similar deal.

Matthews 30-year career in education includes two years as the state administrator in Oakland Unified and the San Jose superintendent for five years.

You havent avoided challenges, youve embraced them said board member Stevon Cook. We think because of your experience you can definitely take us to the next level.

Matthews thanked the board, saying coming home is a dream come true and that he was honored at the faith the board was putting in him.

All children can learn, all children want to learn, he said, and we as the adults in the system have the responsibility for making it happen.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Kim Usher, her three sons and disabled mother stretched out on real beds Wednesday instead of the hard shelter cots theyve slept on since a fire that killed four of their neighbors tore through the West Oakland halfway house they once called home.

When she woke up Wednesday for the ninth straight morning in an emergency shelter at the West Oakland Youth Center, Usher didnt know where she or her family would sleep that night after they and six other survivors who had been at the facility since the March 27 blaze were told to vacate after breakfast.

City officials informed Usher and the other displaced residents that they have yet to find permanent housing for her and her family, but until then they will be put up in a two-room unit with four soft beds at the Jack London Inn in the 400 block of Embarcadero in West Oakland.

What we are going through is kinda sad, but we gotta get back on our feet. You cant feel sorry for yourself, you gotta keep going, said Usher as she and her family unpacked their meager belongings and settled into their rooms.

The fire 10 days ago destroyed the three-story residential building at 2551 San Pablo Ave., killing four people and leaving more than 100 residents  including Usher and her family  displaced.

City officials said theyve helped 24 individuals find interim transitional housing, 21 find other emergency shelters, and had placed 10 families totaling 28 people in hotels. Permanent housing had been located for only two people, while two others declined housing and 59 were either staying with family and friends, or made no request for housing.

Earlier Wednesday, the third victim of the fatal fire was identified by officials as Ashantikee Wilson, 41, of Oakland.

Edwarn Anderson, 64, and Cassandra Robertson, 50, were previously identified as among those who perished in the fire. The fourth victims name is being withheld by authorities pending notification of relatives.

On Wednesday, Usher walked out of the doors of the Oakland shelter with her 8-year-old son, Million, who was dressed in SpongeBob pajamas and clutching a teddy bear he called Mr. James.

For the first time since the fire, his mother breathed a sigh of relief. They gave us a place, Usher said.

Oakland city spokeswoman Karen Boyd said the city is helping some of the displaced finance temporary stays.

There is not a designated city fund for displaced tenants, but a city ordinance requires that property owners give tenants a certain amount of relocation money. In cases where landlords dont immediately pay, Boyd said, There are ways for us to front that money and recoup it with a property lien at the back end.

The city hasnt provided direct funding to any of the tenants, but is collecting paperwork and preparing to distribute assistance, said Michele Byrd, Housing and Community Development director.

She said she wasnt aware of any relocation assistance paid by property owner Keith Joon Kim.

We will give the owner one more opportunity, Byrd said. If he doesnt respond, the city will start providing relocation assistance.

After more than a week of silence, Kim has hired public relations manager Sam Singer to speak on his behalf.

Mr. Kim and his family are shocked and in mourning for the people who lost their lives, Singer said.

His heart goes out to the family and friends of all the residents who lost their lives, he said.

Singer said that Kim is cooperating with the investigations into the incident, but said the master tenant, Urojas Community Services, was responsible for the maintenance, upkeep and safety requirements of the building.

Though complaints against the building go back more than two decades, Singer insisted that the building was well-maintained until it fell into disrepair under the current management.

An investigation determined that the blaze was caused by an unattended candle, and revealed that three or four years had passed between fire inspections of the building, which should have been inspected annually.

City officials said the building failed an inspection three days before the blaze due to problems that include a lack of smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and a fire sprinkler system in need of repair.

The investigation appears to be ongoing. Officials from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as the Oakland Fire Department, met with the head of Urojas Community Services Tuesday, asking questions about the organizations lease and recent disputes with Kim.

Urojas had leased the building and provided housing to low-income residents, and was fighting eviction at the time of the fire. James Cook, an attorney for Urojas, said he believes the timing of the fire is suspicious given Kims efforts to remove tenants.

The city had been focused on prioritizing fire safety after Decembers Ghost Ship fire killed 36 people during a music event at a Fruitvale warehouse that had been illegally converted to a live-work artist collective.

Wednesday was the last day remaining victims could stay at the West Oakland Youth Center. They were told to vacate because the facility is needed for youth activities during the spring break.

City officials said they are prioritizing women with children, seniors and people with disabilities to find housing. For everyone else, a list of four shelters with available beds had been identified. The fire victims could either go there or find their own alternative.

Joseph Kearse sat outside the shelter Wednesday morning.

Im stressed, said Kearse, who was wearing the same clothing as Tuesday  a white T-shirt, black shorts, Nike sneakers and a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses resting on his bald head. Right now is a really hard time to lose everything that you own.

But Kearse didnt want to go to the shelter he was told had an available bed for him.

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.

That shelter is horrible, he said. Heroin heads, crack heads. I dont have anything to do with that lifestyle.

Kearse, who works as a chef, said the $300 debit card he received from the Red Cross during his meeting at the local assistance center at Frank Ogawa Plaza on Tuesday was appreciated, but it wasnt going to help much in his search for a new home.

He and other fire victims were told that a check from relief funds would be in their hands in seven to 10 days.

With his future uncertain, Kearse said he hasnt figured out what to do if he isnt able to find a room.

I dont have anywhere to take it right now, he said of his packed-up toiletries and blankets. If push comes to shove, Ill be sleeping in my truck.

The Rev. Jasper Lowery, who founded Urojas, said his organization hasnt received donations directly, but is working with community groups and churches to help find housing for the residents.

Red Cross officials said they had distributed debit cards to most of the displaced people they are assisting in the wake of the fire, but declined to provide an estimate of how much each family received.

Usher, however, didnt have to wait for the city or nonprofit to step up. An Oakland resident decided to do so after reading about her plight in The Chronicle.

On Wednesday, Eric Mills found Usher as she was leaving the youth center with her family and handed her $200.

He was really compassionate, she said. He said to me, I just want to give you something. Im low income and this is all I have, but I hope this helps.

Later Wednesday, Mills said theres just too much unkindness in the world these days.

The fire was a terrible accident, but Oakland needs to get its act together, he said. Its been a bad week and then I saw this story and I thought, dammit, heres something I can do to help.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Jill Tucker, J.K. Dineen and Gabrielle Lurie contributed to this story.

Sarah Ravani, Kimberly Veklerov and Jenna Lyons are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com, kveklerov@sfchronicle.com and jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani, @kveklerov and @JennaJourno

How to help
Long-standing lucrative jail contracts between California sheriffs departments and federal agencies could unravel if state legislators pass a bill barring local law enforcement from cooperating with immigration authorities, critics of the legislation said Tuesday.

Counties entering into such deals can earn millions a year housing potential deportees, but the contracts have drawn controversy. Opponents want them torn up, arguing that the revenue they generate isnt worth damage to trust in immigrant communities who may view local agencies as an arm of immigration.

In the Bay Area, the divided leaders of Contra Costa County are closely monitoring the California Values Act, better known as the sanctuary state bill, which passed Monday in the state Senate.

The county receives around $6 million annually by allowing federal agents to house inmates in its West County Detention Facility, and officials there are unsure whether the agreement could remain in place if Gov. Jerry Brown signs SB54. Net revenue from the contract after expenses is roughly $3 million in a department with a $227 million budget.

Im concerned when the state starts to dictate to counties how to run their operations, said Contra Costa County Supervisor Candace Andersen. This is a county decision and should remain a county operation.  A loss of $3 million is significant. Youve got to fill that gap somewhere.

Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle

But some of Andersons colleagues on the board, including Supervisor John Gioia, say the financial gains the county has reaped from its contract are outweighed by the social costs to those in immigrant communities.

Were the only Bay Area county with such a contract, Gioia said. Its visible. Its helped erode the immigrant communitys trust in local law enforcement.

Although Gioia has long been in favor of terminating the contract, he and Andersen said the decision rests with David Livingston as the elected sheriff.

The proposed law would, among other things, prohibit California law enforcement agencies from using resources to investigate, interrogate, detain, detect, or arrest persons for immigration enforcement purposes.

The law does not make clear how contracts between California jails and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, would be impacted. The latest Senate floor analysis said the law would create an unknown fiscal risk to the state, to the extent that the prohibitions in the bill interfere with existing contracts between local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities.

ICE has contracts with nine public and private California jails in eight counties. Sacramento, Contra Costa and Yuba counties each have a facility, and Orange County has two. Private jails in San Bernardino, San Diego, Imperial and Kern counties also have contracts.

Supporters of the bill say a broad sanctuary law would encourage immigrants who are in the country without proper documentation to report crimes, seek health care and send their children to school. But opponents say the law goes needlessly far in shielding potential criminals.

And some warn that counties may not only lose money from federal jail contracts, but that Attorney General Jeff Sessions could follow through on his threat to cut off Department of Justice grants to places with sanctuary policies.

Our county is heavily dependent on federal funding to protect the poor and the needy, Anderson said. If this grand political statement from the Legislature puts that at risk, no one is a winner.

Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood, whose county receives $4 million a year for housing federal inmates, said that even if the contracts survive the proposed law, the federal government may decide it doesnt want to use California jails anymore because of the states lack of cooperation.

Theyre going to have to house them somewhere. Now theyre going to be shipped farther away from home to a totally different state, said Youngblood, the president of the California State Sheriffs Association.

He also opposes the legislation because it would limit local law enforcements ability to hand over people who are in county custody to immigration agents. In recent days, federal immigration officials have warned that if they cant pick up suspects from local jails, they are forced to find them on the streets.

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.

Sheriffs dont want to be in the immigration business, Youngblood said. We dont want to do sweeps and raids. Thats why we allow ICE in to do their jobs.

Supporters of Contra Costa Countys contract  which gives federal agents roughly 200 beds at the West County Detention Facility in Richmond at $82 a person per day  say its existence does not change the fact that county deputies do not conduct immigration sweeps or investigations. The agreement has been in place since 1992.

We have similar provisions as you would find in a sanctuary county, Andersen said. The only criminals were turning over to (immigration) are those whove committed very serious felonies.

Advocates for immigrant families say recent debate over Contra Costa Countys policies, along with President Trumps tough rhetoric on border security, have changed the atmosphere in some East Bay circles.

Tiffany Straus, executive director of the Early Childhood Mental Health Program in Richmond, said shes in favor of both SB54 and ending the countys contract with ICE, given the impact of immigration enforcement on her clients.

In the week following Trumps inauguration, she said, her center saw double and triple the number of no-shows. Therapists who later made house calls learned that clients, many of whom are unauthorized immigrants, were fearful of being deported if they went in for counseling, she said.

We need as many sanctuaries as we can, Straus said. We need to protect our families.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
Coming to a court near you: DivorceVille.

Alison Pincus, the wife of Zynga chairman Mark Pincus, has filed for divorce and is challenging the couples prenuptial agreement, according to documents filed with San Francisco Superior Court.

Should she succeed in breaking the agreement, she could be due for a significant payday. As an angel investor, Mark Pincus got in on the ground floor of Facebook and Twitter. And he owns more than 10 percent of Zynga, the San Francisco game company best known for FarmVille and Words With Friends.

More importantly, that stake gives him control of nearly 70 percent of Zyngas shareholder vote, according to the companys most recent proxy statement. Any divorce settlement might dilute Pincus seemingly unshakeable control over the company he founded in 2007. (Pincus served as CEO twice; former top Electronic Arts executive Frank Gibeau now runs Zynga.)

A Zynga spokeswoman declined to comment. A lawyer representing Alison Pincus did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Alison Pincus, however, faces quite an uphill battle, said Peter Walzer, founding partner of Walzer Melcher LLP law firm near Los Angeles.

Under California law, prenuptial agreements are hard to challenge, said Walzer, whos not connected to the case. A person must show, among other things, that he or she lacked an independent lawyer before signing it. Or that the subject of the divorce petition did not fully disclose all of his or her assets, he said. (Court filings did not give any details about the Pincuses agreement.)

In addition, Alison Pincus risks losing whatever financial support her husband previously agreed to give her, Walzer said. (Alison Pincus co-founded online home-goods retailer One Kings Lane; after raising $229 million from investors, it sold for just $12 million last year.)

Its unlikely the court will set aside the prenup, Walzer said. The case will probably not have a major effect on Zynga. But well just have to wait and see.

Mark Pincus might well fork over cash and property if there is a settlement, and not touch his Zynga stock. But then again, his stake in the company is worth about $254 million, a considerable asset.

Corporate governance experts say the divorce of a CEO or other top executive is not just a family matter.

Shareholders should pay attention to matters involving the personal lives of top company officials, David Larcker, director of the Corporate Governance Research Initiative at Stanford Graduate School of Business, wrote in a 2013 paper.

When Tesla filed to go public in 2010, it initially did not disclose that CEO Elon Musk, who had pledged to hold onto most of his stock under the terms of a government loan, was in the middle of divorce proceedings. The company eventually amended its prospectus to note that Musks then-wife was seeking to overturn a postnuptial agreement that protected his Tesla stake.

At the least, CEOs and directors must report to shareholders when they sell stock in the company. Four years ago, Best Buy disclosed to regulators that CEO Hubert Joly sold 451,153 shares for $16.7 million to cover the cost of his divorce.

Zynga wasnt just a pioneer in social games that spam your friends into playing. It was also one of the first Silicon Valley companies to set up multiple classes of shares to guarantee founder control, paving a path that Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Evan Spiegel of Snap would follow. Zyngas Class A shares  the kind ordinary investors buy  are worth one vote per share. Class B shares get seven votes apiece, while Class C shares  owned exclusively by Pincus  get 70.

Pincus has 91.3 percent of the Class B shares and 100 percent of Class C shares. Thats how, with just over a tenth of the companys shares, he controls 69.8 percent of the vote.

According to Zyngas articles of incorporation, the company can convert Class B and Class C shares into Class A shares. So theoretically, Mark Pincus can convert his super-voting shares into regular stock and give them to Alison Pincus in a settlement. But once the conversion happens, those voting rights disappear forever  as might Mark Pincus ironclad control.

Thats not the only way a divorce could hurt Zynga. Larckers research shows that marital problems can impact corporate strategy. For example, an executive might pursue a more risky strategy in order to replace the wealth he or she lost in the settlement  or become conservative to protect the remaining stake. Divorce proceedings can also sap a leaders energy and attention.

As chairman, Mark Pincus isnt charged with overseeing day-to-day operations.

Nevertheless, it would be hard to separate Zynga from its founder. The first time he stepped down as CEO, he remained closely involved with product development. And he replaced his designated successor, former Xbox executive Don Mattrick, after less than two years. Mark Pincus remains a member of the boards product committee.

Heres the bottom line: Zynga shares havent crossed the $5 mark in the past three years. The market has spoken. If it takes a messy divorce to shake Zynga loose from Mark Pincus control, that might be the best possible news for shareholders.

Thomas Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: tlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByTomLee
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Police tracked down and arrested a man who allegedly shot a mother to death as she drove her two sons to school in Richmond, ending the manhunt as questions swirled over whether that citys officers should have done more when they were called to the victims home the night before she died.

Lawyer Dushan McBride, 43, of San Pablo, was taken into custody at a fast food restaurant in Sacramento around 1 p.m. Wednesday, said Richmond police Lt. Felix Tan. Police had obtained a $2 million warrant accusing McBride of murdering 29-year-old Rashanda Franklin on Tuesday morning.

I think we caught him by surprise, Tan said. We are just relieved he is caught.

The lieutenant said officers nabbed McBride with the help of federal marshals and more than 100 tips from the public. McBrides silver 2007 Mercedes S550 sedan  which he allegedly fled in after the shooting  was seized on the scene by police, Tan said.

McBride is suspected of shooting Franklin, his ex-girlfriend, at 29th Street and Rheem Avenue as she sat in her silver Jeep sport utility vehicle with her sons just before 9 a.m., after chasing her down and blocking her path with his Mercedes.

Tan said the two had a history of domestic violence, and relatives of Franklin, who was a beautician and licensed security guard, said McBride had been stalking her.

Officers had gone to Franklins home Monday evening after McBride caused a ruckus by pounding on the door and screaming for his ex-girlfriend, family members and neighbors said. But the officers did not make an arrest.

Yeah, the cops came around here (Monday) but they didnt do nothing, Franklins mother, Barbara Harris, told The Chronicle on Wednesday. She said she was still too shaken to discuss her daughters death further.

Tan said he couldnt comment on whether officers could have or should have done more. State law requires officers to take a number of steps in domestic violence incidents, such as filing detailed reports and offering specialized assistance to victims, but it wasnt clear what was done Monday or in past contacts with Franklin and McBride.

I know weve responded to calls related to both parties, but all of that is part of the ongoing investigation now, Tan said. There was no indication in public records that Franklin had obtained a restraining order against McBride.

The family home sits in a residential enclave of modest bungalows in southeast Richmond, and Franklin had recently moved in with her mother after breaking up with McBride. Neighbors said Monday nights commotion worried them.

A couple of my neighbors had to go and call police, said one, Jeffrey Adam. If Id been home I would have gone over there and told him to stop, but they didnt take him in or anything.

Its a real shame, she was young, he said. Rashanda couldnt even take her kids to school. Maybe if theyd brought him in, none of this would have happened.

Richmond Mayor Tom Butt said Wednesday, Its regrettable someone was not able to intervene sooner. But he added that he had no details about prior police contacts with the couple.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

This whole thing is heartbreaking  such a tragedy, Butt said. I wish there were something more we could do about it. It is what it is. Domestic violence incidents are really hard to deal with from a law enforcement perspective. It could have happened anywhere.

Franklin had been driving her sons across town to school when McBride began following her in his car, investigators said. He allegedly jumped ahead and parked in front of her Jeep, forcing her to stop  and then walked up to her car window and argued with her for a few seconds before shooting her to death with a handgun.

Franklins sons are in kindergarten and fourth grade at the small New Direction Christian Academy, which was closed Wednesday due to fear the shooter might come around. After McBrides arrest, Principal Christine Jones said it was a great relief, and that the school would reopen Thursday.

This has been very traumatic, and we are praying for Rashandas family, said Jones. She was a very pleasant young lady, beautiful and a very devoted mom.

She described the boys as very smart, very good students. Franklin also has another son, too young for school.

A small shrine of stuffed animals, candles and pictures of Franklin sat at the corner where she died Wednesday. One note read: Hands of prayer for you in your time of loss.

Filipa A. Ioannou and Kevin Fagan are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com, kfagan@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @obioannoukenobi @KevinChron
A 4-month-old baby taken by her father in Mountain View Tuesday has been found, but officials said her father is still at large.

Michael Wallin, 45, took off with his daughter, Madilyn, late Tuesday after getting into an argument with the mother, according to the Mountain View Police Department.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Taking a seat Monday afternoon onstage at the San Francisco Opera House  where Chris Hellman had once danced  your glance was drawn outward to the concert hall, to the rows of empty seats, the burgundy draperies in the shadowy doorways, the glimmering spots of golden lights at even intervals at every tier and level in the house. And there, in the center of the horseshoe, was the Hellman box, radiantly lit, white lights shining on a ballet costume, surrounded by pink roses and underlined with a garland hung on the outside of the box. Among all those empty seats and spaces, the sight was a dramatic reminder of real people who once sat there, who came to the ballet with their sons and daughters, applauded and cheered the onstage magic, and then passed on the tradition to their families.

This memorial for Chris Hellman, who died in February, was of course all about her individual accomplishments, as ballerina, ballet board leader, watercolorist and athlete. But much more, it was a celebration of the love between quirky and affectionate Chris and Warren Hellman (who died in 2011), a tribute from their civic admirers and from their four children, each of whom carries on the family traditions of activism, humor and love of music.

So of course, there was music. The San Francisco Ballet Orchestra was seated onstage, too, and played selections from Giselle and Dance of the Cygnets, because she had danced as a cygnet in Swan Lake. Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Emmylou Harris, musical stars who became family friends in the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass era, sang, along with the family band, the Wronglers. And when you glanced sideways, you could see your neighbors lips beginning to move, and then you knew it was OK for you, too, to sing Ill Fly Away.

The speakers  Helgi Tomasson, Charlotte Shultz, Nancy Bechtle, and of course Tricia Hellman Gibbs and Francis, Mick and Judith Hellman  told moving and funny stories. But the Hellmans, it was said, always knew that what needed to be said is best said in music. Beautiful mother, beautiful dancer, sang daughter Tricia, where are you dancing now?

It was a song she said shed been writing for years, while her mother struggled with Alzheimers. Tie the ribbon on your satin shoes, and dance your way back home.

At Georges in San Rafael, Eileen Denny Alexander noticed that when the rock dance band Pride & Joy was playing, a couple sitting next to her found a way to communicate despite the loud music: They texted each other all night, with occasional smiles as punctuation.

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music announced last week that it will honor Brent Assink, who just stepped down as executive director of the San Francisco Symphony, at its April 18 gala for  among other things  being a champion for music education, said Conservatory president David Stull.

As to music that turns musicians on, keyboard whiz Joshua Raoul Brody cites songs so exuberant they make me weep with joy: Talking Heads Once in a Lifetime; Bernsteins America ... or the good old reliable Beatles You Wont See Me. At Martunis on April 24, Brodys doing a sneak preview of I Am Woman: The Feminine Condition as Represented in Popular Song, which he describes as every song I can think of that might be hilarious for a straight guy to sing.

When its topped off on April 6, San Franciscos new 1,070-foot Salesforce Tower becomes the second-tallest building in California, 30 feet shorter than the not-yet-open Wilshire Grand Tower in Los Angeles. We must not allow that brazen hussy from the South to overshadow our beloved Queen of the West, says Michael Stanfield.

As to whether size matters, Hoodline just searched for the tallest tree in San Francisco, and came up with a 218-foot tall Tasmanian Blue Gum in Stern Grove. Thats only about a fifth of the size of the Salesforce Tower, but I dont think the tree is suffering from a lack of self-respect. Stephen Curry is not the tallest Warrior.

Anyway, the California buildings are both minis, notes Mark Russell. The 164-story Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai is 2,700 feet tall. And three Salesforce towers balanced one atop the other just about equal the height of the planned 3,200-foot-tall Jeddah Tower, under construction in Saudi Arabia.

We are not only chopped liver, but also small potatoes.

Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, (415) 777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @leahgarchik

Public Eavesdropping

The only way for the country to get out of this mess is by thinking.
In Valerie Lapins documentary film The Long Ride, we see immigrants as what most of them are: people seeking a better way of life.

They share stories about the obstacles theyve faced to make it to America  and their struggles to remain here.

You hear from Mauricio Barrera, who fled El Salvador in 1978 as the government assassinated labor union leaders. He recalls standing still in darkness at the Mexican border as hissing snakes slither around him. And theres Meheret Fikre-Selassie, who talks about how missionaries helped her escape from violence in Ethiopia in 1997.

The 2017 film captures the cross-country journey of 100 Northern Californians who participated in the 2003 Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, a rolling demonstration carrying more than 900 immigrants and their supporters from 10 cities to Washington, D.C.

There, the immigrant workers marched to draw attention to their poor working conditions and lack of benefits and rights.

They all were exposed to arrest, but the undocumented among them also risked deportation.

By putting people on buses, the coalition of unions, civil rights organizations and faith leaders used a tactic from the Civil Rights Movement. In 1961, as the Jim Crow practices of the South continued despite rulings that found segregation to be unconstitutional, blacks and whites joined for Freedom Rides to expose the Souths grim racial climate.

LIZ HAFALIA/SFC

Some of the riders were beaten, their lives threatened, to stall the march toward equality.

We werent even close to achieving equal treatment for all in this country, and now under the new president and his administration, were losing ground.

But in 2003, it seemed like immigration reform was on the horizon. Both Republicans and Democrats had proposed creating guest-worker programs and granting legal status to undocumented workers already in the United States. And business and labor groups sought a deal that would help fill low-end jobs.

It feels like a lifetime ago.

Since the president and his administration began enforcing its hard-line stance on illegal immigration, immigration agents have made arrests at courthouses and in communities of people who were here to make a better life. Families are being torn apart, and people are living in fear.

Now we find ourselves in a defensive mode instead of a position moving forward, Lapin said during one of our recent phone conversations.

Her film will be screened at Oakland City Hall on Friday as part of the Oakland International Film Festival.

Would organizers even dare to suggest the ride in the current anti-immigration climate?

According to Rigo Valdez, who rode on the Bay Area bus in 2003, people need to put their freedom on the line now more than ever.

I think that something like that is necessary to take the message out of the cities and to support folks that have immigration issues in rural areas so that they dont feel by themselves, said Valdez, who was brought to the United States from Mexico when he was 2.

Valdez, who became a citizen in 2005 and lived in San Francisco for 17 years before moving to Los Angeles, said the Freedom Ride raised awareness for immigrant workers. He recalled stopping in cities in Nevada and Kentucky, where there wasnt a lot of support for immigrant rights.

It makes me want to fight harder and stronger against this administration and these policies, said Valdez, the vice president of UFCW Local 770, the union that represents workers in retail, food production and grocery and drug stores. All residents, especially in California, contribute to a vibrant economy. And we all have our place.

Valdez said he was scared when he learned one bus, which departed from Los Angeles, had been detained in Texas by immigration enforcement agents who ordered people off the bus to check their status. The bus was eventually released.

Counter-demonstrations in Reno and St. Louis also frightened Valdez.

But everyone stuck together in such a great way that the feeling of being afraid left you and you felt empowered, he said. You felt like you were on the right side of something.

For Lapin, making the film gave her a view of life outside the Bay Area bubble. Civil disobedience is common and expected here, but its not met with the same tolerance elsewhere.

Its a whole different situation when youre in other parts of the country, said Lapin, who lives in Pacifica. It hit me afterwards how courageous those folks were, participating in the ride.

What does she hope people get out of the film?

When you tell stories to each other, you find common ground, and thats where we take collective action  starting from that point, Lapin said. I think thats the start of understanding people, breaking down those barriers that some people want to create and try to divide us.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Otis R. Taylor Jr. appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Email: otaylor@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @otisrtaylorjr
Normally its better to skip the buildup and measure the outcome when a White House occupant meets a powerful foreign leader. Hype gets in the way of results.

But this weeks two-day visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping with President Trump at his Florida country club bears contemplating in advance. The careful and all-powerful Chinese leader will be sitting down with a U.S. leader who is nothing like him.

Its more than a faraway diplomatic parley. California, more than any other state, has a special reason to tune in given its ports, industries and population closely linked to China.

Theres a shopping list of topics that both sides are likely to discuss such as trade and North Korea. Xi is a defensive nationalist who wants to recharge his countrys faltering economy, and is unwilling to play tough cop on North Koreas dangerous nuclear buildup, which isnt aimed at him.

To judge from past statements, Trump is heading in the opposite direction. He repeatedly slammed Beijing as a currency manipulator and unfair trader in his presidential run. Having dumped a promising Asian trade alliance, Trump needs to come up with a better idea. The president is also demanding that China tamp down North Koreas warlike ways or he may take independent action.

On climate change, Trump is ceding global leadership to Beijing by opposing domestic emission rules and indicating he may pull out of the Paris accord, which pledged to roll back heat-trapping gases. China hasnt yet veered from its Paris promises.

California should focus on this get-together. This state is a jumping off point for hundreds of billions in import-export business. Both Silicon Valley and Hollywood have stakes in Chinas domestic policies that include social media firewalls that censor Internet traffic and flagrant copyright abuse. The largest Chinese American community outside of Asia is split between this state and New York.

There are other topics the two leaders should get to. Chinas human rights record is worsening under the autocratic Xi. But Trump has shown little interest in the topic. Also, Chinas military buildup in the South China Sea, including the creation of a naval base on a tiny atoll, is a clear challenge to U.S. guarantees of open seas. In addition, though Russia hackers are a front burner topic in Washington, China has its own government-directed teams probing this countrys business and government tech systems.

Trumps own unscripted style will be on display. He abruptly cut off a phone call with Australias leader when the topic touched on immigration. He famously avoided shaking hands with German leader Angela Merkel, unsettling her about his nature.

Relations between the U.S. and China are far-ranging and complicated. They wont be improved by dodging serious topics or dismissing them with tweets. It will be Trumps job to show substance and thought, not impulsiveness, with Xi.

Your turn: What should be on the agenda?

President Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping for two days beginning Thursday. The expected subjects will be trade and North Korea. But what else should the two leaders discuss and why? Send your suggestions to www.sfgate.com/submissions.
Bay Area drivers know all too well how desperately we need to improve our transportation infrastructure. Roads and bridges are crumbling. Despite this, transportation has not been a priority.

Although state spending increased by $9 billion over the last two years alone, and $36 billion over five years, not one additional dime of that increased spending has gone toward transportation. Worse, the Legislature has raided billions in transportation funds year after year. This needs to change.

The governor and legislative leadership believe the solution to our transportation problem is to raise gas taxes by 70 percent, and that tax increase will grow automatically in future years without any voter or legislative input, and with no limit to how high the increase can go. Their proposal also raises vehicle registration fees by 47 percent to 330 percent, depending on the value of your car. These increases come with no real reforms for how to spend your dollars more wisely, as you deserve.

While their proposal includes a constitutional amendment to require new transportation taxes be spent on transportation projects, it still allows the Legislature to raid the existing transportation revenue streams for unrelated projects. It is unacceptable that transportation funds collected by the state from you can be swept into the general fund for spending completely unrelated to transportation.

The tax and fee increases will also disproportionately burden low-income and middle-income families and individuals. Transportation expenses are the second-highest household cost for working families  higher than food and health care. When working families pay more for transportation than any household expense besides housing, they will feel the pain of any cost increase right away.

California deserves better from our elected representatives. My colleagues and I have introduced a responsible funding proposal as an alternative to raising taxes once again on Californians. The Traffic Relief and Road Improvement Act (AB496), has three guiding principles:

 no tax increases

 transportation-related revenue should fund only transportation

 raises the amount of road repair projects Caltrans can bid out to private contractors to get more out of each dollar

The bill provides $5.6 billion annually  more than the governors proposal  for transportation and transit improvements without raising taxes or fees. It dedicates billions of dollars Californians are already paying (such as vehicle sales taxes and truck weight fees) to roads and transit. Our plan also includes an aggressive program to relieve congestion, devoting 30 percent of its funding to expanding road capacity and getting drivers out of traffic.

We also understand that extra funding will not be as effective without making sure it is spent appropriately. Our plan establishes a transportation inspector general, adds accountability measures and reforms to Caltrans spending, and requires independent audits for major transportation projects, including high-speed rail. I have also authored a complementary measure, AB1363, to ensure all transportation revenues go to transportation projects.

Its time to do something meaningful for transportation, but sticking working families with the bill for decades of fiscal mismanagement and misplaced priorities is wrong. We have offered a valuable alternative to the Democrats infrastructure funding proposal that will give California drivers the roads and transit they deserve. Its time to fix our roads, responsibly.

Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, R-San Ramon, represents portions of Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
Sometimes, missed and stumbled lines can actually make a performance better.

Arabian Shakespeare Festivals Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes opened Friday, March 31, after just 13 rehearsals, and sure, all of the stutters and blunders could periodically take you out of the moment of Yussuf El Guindis 2008 comedy, about struggling Middle Eastern actor Ashraf (Tarek Caan) and his unscrupulous agent, Barry (Christian Haines).

But rather than getting bogged down by its mistakes, the production more often pumped a kind of manic, anarchic energy from them  an energy thats all the more heightened when youre inches from the actors in the shoebox-sized Royce Gallery, where director William J. Brown III staged the show. Part of the thrill of live theater, after all, is the ever-present possibility that something could go wrong, and El Guindis white characters are always blithely tromping into fraught topics and saying the wrong thing anyway.

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Gregg Le Blanc/Arabian Shakespeare Festival Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Gregg Le Blanc/Arabian Shakespeare Festival Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Gregg Le Blanc/Arabian Shakespeare Festival Show More Show Less





Theyre not able to do otherwise, El Guindi slyly asserts, because theyre white people in power in Hollywood. Is there a right thing to say when youre trying to coerce a relatively powerless Middle Eastern artist to sacrifice his dignity and perpetuate a pernicious stereotype?

On the one hand, by taking a film role, Ashraf would earn a lot more cash than hes ever earned before, and get to work with Julius (Sean C. Murphy), a director he worships, and the bodacious co-star Cassandra (Sydney Schwindt), whos fresh out of a Playboy spread. The catch is that hed have to say things like, F you and the American pussy that s you.

The plays debates about representations of Arabs in the media dont dive as deep as they might (and as they have in El Guindis other plays, such as Our Enemies, which Golden Thread produced in the fall). When Julius says to Ashraf of the film script, Give me some specifics so we can address your concerns, its a bit of a relief, because youve probably been feeling the same thing for 15 to 20 minutes.

But its also too little, too late. Ashraf never gets to fully lay into the scripts America, f yeah ideology, how its depiction of Middle Eastern characters sows evil. As a result, the white characters never really have to reckon with their prejudices, their privileges, how their pursuit of the only goods in Hollywood, fame and money, has blinded them to worthier goods. Part of El Guindis point might be that theyre incapable of such introspection, but even so, the play seems to want to dive more deeply into issues it only skirts.

Still, Browns ensemble makes delectable comedy out of whats there. Annamarie MacLeod plays the part of Peggy, Barrys assistant, as an alien dropped in to planet Earth. In every exchange, its as if shes learning the rules of human interaction for the first time.

Haines Barry astonishes, all the more so because of the dropped lines. He has so much jittery panic about him that Barry comes across as someone who would truly say or do anything. Words and actions have zero meaning for him; theyre just different tools for him to try, rapid-fire, as if channel-surfing among his own hundreds of registers, in order that he might play his own tiny part in Hollywoods great machine. In one especially rich moment, as hes trying to convince Ashraf that the film is actually a satire, hes simultaneously groping for language, talking himself into what comes out of his mouth and delighting in his own verbal dexterity.

The film isnt a satire, of course, and the play isnt as biting of one as it might be. But this production from a young company is nevertheless a testament to the titillating danger theater can create as no other art form can.

Lily Janiak is The San Francisco Chronicles theater critic. Email: ljaniak@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LilyJaniak

Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes: By Yussuf El Guindi. Directed by William J. Brown III. Through April 16. $15-$30. Royce Gallery, 2901 Mariposa St., S.F. 80 minutes. (408) 499-0017. www.arabianshakes.org
Its probably going to take a lot of winks, nods and backroom side deals for Gov. Jerry Brown and the Democratic legislative leadership to pass their $52 billion transportation tax and fee package by their self-imposed Thursday night deadline.

The Democrats have the two-thirds supermajority in both houses, and theyll need every bit of that to pass gas tax and vehicle fee increases that figure to be wildly unpopular with many of their constituents.

But even among Democrats, its going to be a tough sell, especially in the Assembly.

The optimists think they are seven to eight votes short, said one legislative source close to the Assembly negotiations, who asked not to be named for fear of jeopardizing the talks. The pessimists say they are more like 10 to 12 votes short.

Still, if the Senate passes the package, there is going to be tremendous pressure for the Assembly to pass it as well.

The good news for the governor is that turning reluctant Democratic Assembly members may be easier than getting the votes in the Senate.

There does not appear to be anyone with a line in the sand like (state Sen.) Steve Glazer, our source said.

Glazer, a moderate Democrat from Orinda, has refused to commit to the package unless it includes a ban on BART strikes  a nonstarter with labor-friendly Democrats.

Whatever deals are cut to win votes in the Assembly, however, will not be included in the actual bill. Thats because any last-minute changes would kick in a new rule, approved by state voters in November, mandating a three-day review period before lawmakers can decide on amended legislation. And that would keep the Legislature from voting before lawmakers break for a weeklong spring recess after Thursday.

As a result, those deals are likely to end up in a trailer bill that would come before the Legislature at a later date.

Some Democrats are openly asking, why the big rush?

A number of my fellow lawmakers feel disrespected by the deadline being imposed by the governor, said Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael.

We can still take this up after a much more thorough review, and I think most California voters would respect lawmakers fully vetting the proposals, Levine said.

Asked why the Thursday deadline is such a big deal, Browns press secretary, Gareth Lacy, said it was important for the governor, state Senate President Kevin De Leon and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon to show they were committed to tackling this issue early in the legislative new year.

And getting this done before the spring recess keeps that commitment, Lacy said.

Koko comfort: Her Peninsula hideaway home was slammed by the winter storms, but now relief is in sight for Koko, one of the worlds most famous gorillas.

Koko caused quite a sensation a few years back as the first ape thought to be able to communicate through sign language.

These days, the former National Geographic cover gorilla lives far from the limelight with her male partner, Ndume, at a secluded sanctuary in Woodside. The pair remain under the care of Penny Patterson, the former Stanford University researcher whose cross-species, sign-language experiments first propelled Koko to fame back in the early 1970s  even spawning a line of plush toys.

Many scientists have since cast doubt on Kokos language skills, and Patterson and her partner, Ron Cohn, rely on donations and memberships to their Project Koko  a.k.a. the Gorilla Foundation  to support their inter-species communication research.

Over the winter, rains took a toll on the roofs over Koko and Ndumes living quarters and play area. Come the next rainy season, if nothing was done, the pair would have been in for a prolonged soaking.

Caregivers put out an SOS call through the GoFundMe website for $35,000 for new roofs over the gorillas heads. Its paid off: Although the campaign is still $8,500 short of the goal, foundation education director Stanley Gary tells us they are scheduling the (roofing) job to be done in April.

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
Time was, a bar could be a place of forgetting: unwinding after work, drinking away your sorrows and entering, through martinis and neat whiskeys, a state of pleasant oblivion.

Not so in contemporary San Francisco. Today, bar-going can be the most intense activity you undertake in a 24-hour period, requiring the attentiveness youd bring to a theater performance, the allusion knowledge youd bring to trivia night, the openness to data intake youd bring to a history lecture.

Such is the intensity of Over Proof, the bar within ABV, the popular cocktail bar in the Mission. Thats not to say Over Proof isnt enormously fun. It is. And experiencing it may be as rewarding as watching a theater performance or winning trivia night  if you can manage not to drink yourself into oblivion.

Open since January, Over Proof occupies ABVs newly constructed mezzanine. The upstairs perch was originally planned as private-event space, but as construction neared an end, co-owner Todd Smith came up with a better idea. What if they made the upstairs space into a new bar every three months? And what if, like the Michael Mina Test Kitchen, each iteration of the bar was themed?

Thats how weve ended up, from Jan. 23 to April 21, with Over Proof 1.0: the rum-themed Flip Flop. Offering a ticketed tasting menu of five cocktails and five dishes, this sugarcane-fueled adventure is available Thursdays and Fridays, two seatings of 24 guests per night, at $50 per person. (With tax and gratuity, my ticket came to $66.18.)

Brace yourself. First up: Sippin Rum with rum ham musubi, waiting for you at your assigned seat when you arrive. Looks tasty, but do you get the reference? (Its actually  get this  a meta-reference, alluding to an episode of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia that itself contains an allusion, involving a rum-soaked ham, to the film Cast Away.)

The musubi tastes mainly of its furikake seasoning, gummy with the textures of nori, rice and its house-made version of Spam. Its hardly one of ABV chef Collin Hiltons tastiest creations (a high bar to begin with  have you had the burger?), but its the perfect palate-whetter for the acts of Flip Flop still to come: smart and original, an inside joke.

A neat shot, to be taken leisurely, the Sippin Rum contains Plantation Pineapple, a mixture of pineapple-infused dark rum and rind-infused white rum aged in Cognac barrels. Just smell it, juicy-fruity, nectar-pure, and you know all you need to know.

The irony of serving something as lowbrow as pineapple rum is topped only by the inclusion of coconut rum in the evenings fourth drink, the Coconut Daisy. We knew we could toast the coconut ourselves and it would be way more delicious than Malibu, says managing partner Ryan Fitzgerald, referring to the commercially made coconut rum. It is, and the coconut flavor is subtle, served over ice with a bendy straw. Yellow Chartreuse notwithstanding, youd never mistake it for a traditional, brandy-based Daisy.

Flip Flops best drink is likewise an update of a classic cocktail: the Jungle Bird, a piece of tiki esoterica here reimagined as the Pink Flamingo. Rhum agricole, pineapple gum, absinthe and a proprietary blend of tiki bitters, it turns out, produce a drink extremely pink and yet extremely skillful. Its mouth-puckering acidity rounds out the intense jellybean-sweetness of its flavors, making it destined for the ABV cocktail menu downstairs.

Peter Prato/Special to The Chronicle

These cocktails, created largely by bartender Eric Ochoa, are more showstopping (read: more Trick Dog) than ABVs typical, more understated fare. (Two of the five are also premade, a convenience that keeps Over Proofs service moving swiftly.) The nightcap, a sweet, dark concoction of Plantation Pineapple, Cappelletti liqueur and rancio (oxidized wine), is served in a small snifter with an ice luge frozen onto its side, melting more slowly than an ice cube would.

And cleverest of all is the Cuba Libre, a kind of Coke-less rum and Coke, with Bonal and Cocchi Americano approximating the taste of flat cola. The drink comes in a glass Coca-Cola bottle thats been force-carbonated three times, using the carbon-dioxide tanks the bar has for beer, then re-capped. Your server at Over Proof simply pops the top and pours from the bottle. It tastes remarkably like a rum and Coke, but less syrupy, and with an added, alpine-fresh aromatic dimension.

All the while, youre getting a lesson in Caribbean geography, cocktail history and culinary customs. Did you know that chow mein is one of the most popular dishes in Trinidad? You will when you get your fifth course, Trini-style chow mein. Which rum-producing nation is the stuffed cherrystone clam meant to approximate? That would be New England, a Colonial-era hub of rum production.

You wont ask any questions, though, when youre spooning that goopy mess of sweet Jamaican curry onto a chewy fried plantain, the stews al dente chickpeas a foil to tender smoked lamb, falling apart. (In an all-time first for ABV, utensils are offered.) Similarly speech-defying are the chicken wings, not strictly jerk but merely jerk-style, spicier from coriander than from heat, the skin crisp but not tough, the meat moist but not slippery. Quickly, cool the taste of the hot wing with one of the chunks of grilled pineapple, clinging to leaves of mint and cilantro. Please, please, chef Hilton, let these wings stay on the ABV menu after Flip Flop ends.

Dont mistake this for a pairing menu. In fact, Fitzgerald and his team dont think cocktails pair particularly well with food. But we figured, were giving you five cocktails, wed better feed you, too, Fitzgerald says. How do you communicate this is a party with food and cocktails without calling it a pairing?

Peter Prato/Special to The Chronicle

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

The Over Proof backbar contains only rum, and an impressive collection of it; its a shame, then, that Flip Flop repeats Plantation Pineapple and El Dorado 12 Year in multiple drinks. Why not explore more of the inventory? Especially since I found no opportunity to order an extra taste of something. (The system is entirely pre-ticketed; no money is exchanged at Over Proof.)

Over Proof 2.0  Double Back, themed around whiskey  commences May 3. In addition to the two seatings on Thursdays and Fridays, it will add a 7 p.m. Wednesday time slot. The vintage rum advertisements on the walls of Flip Flop will be changed out for decor that Fitzgerald describes as an izakaya saloon  imagine a Kentucky-bred watering hole in Tokyo. Although it will incorporate whiskeys from around the world, including Japanese, Scotch and American, Hiltons food will lean eastward, more umami than Kentucky fried, as Fitzgerald puts it. The price per person will increase to $60, before tax and tip.

Theyll repeat this scene change two more times. (Id put money on mezcal, Fitzgeralds personal passion, making an appearance.) Once the fourth act of Over Proof has ended, in February 2018, Fitzgerald says theyll do something altogether different with the mezzanine space. Will one of this years concepts become permanent? Maybe. All they know is that opening a new bar every three months is not long-term sustainable.

Flipping it like this is a ton of work, Fitzgerald says. We love it. Its cool, but its a lot of work.

Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine, beer and spirits writer. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob

To order: Preset menu, $50 + tax, fees and gratuity (comes to $66.18 per person). Reservations required, through Resy.

Where: Over Proof, inside ABV, 3174 16th St., S.F. (415) 400-4748, www.overproofsf.com.

When: Seatings at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Starting May 3, seatings at 7 p.m. Wednesday, and 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
At a Korean bar on Telegraph Avenue in whats sometimes referred to as Oaklands Koreatown, you pick at a sectioned tube of squid squiggled with brick-red chojang. That joins a craggy heap of syrup-lacquered wings, a plate of Spam-riddled fried rice and a seafood pancake. The server asks if you want a large beer and you say yes, not realizing this means a plastic 40-ounce of Hite, which drinks less like beer than newly thawed ditchwater. Thats why you like it. Youve been eating and drinking for hours, so the server hands over a bottle of grapefruit-flavored soju on the house. This drinks like liquefied multivitamin chewables, but you sort of like it, too. Rap rumbles throughout the dim interior, loud enough to make you shout to be heard, but not enough to rattle the beer glasses. People are cheering because the Warriors are on TV. Marijuana smoke mingles with the smells emanating from the fryer and grill, and if you didnt know better, youd guess it was snaking over from one of the cozy wooden booths shrouded in a red awning.

Hoarse, tipsy, chomping on a wing that tastes like its flapped through a takeout box of General Tsos, you remind yourself that a meal at Dan Sung Sa  perhaps Oaklands most bustling pojangmacha  isnt about the food.

In South Korea, a pojangmacha, often shortened to pocha, is an inexpensive outdoor food cart serving soju shots with drink-friendly small plates, or anju. The word pojangmacha actually means covered wagon. In the United States, the carts become lively brick-and-mortar gastropubs that stay open past 1 a.m. Much like an American bar with burgers, pizza and tacos occupying different sections of the same menu to complement the necessary rivers of beer and liquor, they offer a broad spectrum of dishes: burbling hot pots that fortify a soon-to-be-assaulted gut, barbecue variations without an authentic lingering charcoal scent, rice cake rafts floating on fiery seas of thinned gochujang, fried chicken wings and fusion excursions, like bulgogi-topped fries and nachos.

As has been reported in local media for years, the proliferation of Korean restaurants along Telegraph in Oakland reflects the efforts of real estate developers more than the neighborhoods residents. At the same time, their presence may influence the eating and drinking habits of locals. Each of the pojangmacha hugging Telegraph Avenue offers an angle on the form.

Dan Sung Sa is a place to party. Its sometimes called the Porno Bar (or Palace), in part because of the raunchy magazine spreads that once, very briefly, adorned the bathroom walls. If you handle things right, in the morning your head will ache, your stomach will roil, and your lips will tingle from a dozen dishes in which gochujang was tapped to sing a reliable stinging lead. You dont go for the food, but you end up eating a lot of it.

Nine blocks up from Dan Sung Sa, toward Temescal, theres the latest 6-month-old iteration of Kang Tong Degi, or Tin & Pig. Formerly Dan Sung Sas sister restaurant, Tin & Pig reminds a diner (or partier) that pojangmacha can serve serious food along with the neon soju bombs that illuminate tables like alcoholic flares.

Hip, year-old Azit occupies a tiny space at the edge of the Koryo Village strip mall. Korean music videos silently flash on the elevated televisions while old-school rap blasts from the stereo. Bathed in dramatic beams of light, high-top sneakers perch on the walls like urban antlers. The menu is long on fusion, like sushi rolls stuffed with rice, grilled meats and spears of vegetables and pickled radish. The tangy kimchi pancake is mostly roughly sliced kimchi ensnared in a collapsing lattice of slightly greasy batter.

OB Town offers a $30 platter of intestines, but most eaters order chicken, which can be customized exhaustively. Extremely spicy, grilled. Sweet-and-spicy, fried. Spicy, grilled, with mozzarella cheese. Spicy, grilled, with seafood. Read through the dishes aloud and youll sound like a poultry-obsessed Benjamin Buford Bubba Blue.

Of the lot, Kang Tong Degi most appealingly captures the essence of a pocha experience: soul and soju in equally potent doses, food that is homey and restorative, far from simply a gratifying sop for alcohol in excess. In the pocha realm, theres nothing particularly inauthentic about bulgogi fries, but at Kang Tong Degi, where only large dishes designed for sharing approach $30, the fusion fun feels as considered as the traditional dishes, which reflects the confidence and training of the chef.

Formerly sous-chef at Chungdam in Santa Clara, owner Jae Choi works the tiny Tin & Pig kitchen while his wife and daughter handle the front of the house. Compared with Dan Sung Sa, this restaurant feels relaxed even when its crowded. Its quieter, especially in the front room, and Chois wife doesnt serve with the speedy economy of a discus thrower. Theres a gentler pace and palpable care. Choi buys meat and produce almost every day and religiously changes the oil in the small deep-fryer responsible for producing the chicken, which arrives in mammoth 12-piece batches that leak juice over the accompanying shredded cabbage tinsel, the delicate crust glazed modestly with garlic-soy or sweet-and-spicy sauce.

Chois daughter So reports that some customers require a weekly fix of Chois bo ssam  boiled pork belly slices wrapped in softened Napa cabbage with raw garlic and kimchi. Choi also prepares gamjatang, or pork neck-bone stew, a dish that So says is hard to find; chicken gizzards sizzled with onions on a stone plate; and jokbal, a long-braised pork hock rich in collagen that is often touted for its skin-firming properties. Ive repeatedly heard this position expressed in Korean restaurants, most vividly by a particularly chipper server at a duck barbecue place in Los Angeles. While I didnt require reassurance, the server sunnily promised that the fat would make me glow as she pooled the duck grease at one end of the grill and began to add scoops of rice for the customary fried rice denouement.

John Storey/Special to the Chronicle

A South Bay resident, Choi opened his restaurant in Oakland because he saw an opportunity. Noting that Oakland rents are still cheaper than those closer to home, Choi explains that he also wanted to avoid competing with the multitude of Korean restaurants in Santa Clara County, which boasts a robust Korean population of nearly 30,000.

I wanted to be close to UC Berkeley, too, Choi says, winking from behind his stylish round glasses. For the homesick Korean students who want to go out on the weekends.

Some of those students may not have first-hand memories of eating in the country where they were born. Choi brought his family to the Bay Area from Seoul when his daughters were very young. He wanted them to go to school in the United States. A UC Davis graduate who works as a software engineer by day, So Choi isnt much older than the college kids that the restaurant attracts (along with no shortage of Oakland locals hankering for pork belly and kimchi).

Some restaurants like this serve food that tastes microwaved, she says. That makes me sad. When I eat Korean food, thats not the experience I want to have. I want homemade. I want soul.

Andrew Simmons lives in Oakland. He writes for the Atlantic, the New York Times and other publications. Twitter: @adlsimmons Email: food@sfchronicle.com

Dan Sung Sa: 2775 Telegraph Ave., at 28th Street, Oakland. (510) 663-5927. Dinner nightly.

Kang Tong Degi (Tin & Pig): 3702 Telegraph Ave., at 37th Street, Oakland. (510) 658-2998. Dinner Tuesday-Sunday.

Azit: 4390 Telegraph Ave., at 44th Street, Oakland. (510) 250-9988. Dinner nightly.

OB Town: 6101 Telegraph Ave., at 61st Street, Oakland. (510) 595-5338. Lunch and dinner daily.
A man who died after his boat capsized in Marin Countys Tomales Bay was identified Tuesday as a San Jose poker dealer.

The Marin County coroners office identified the body that was recovered after it washed ashore on Avalis Beach Monday as that of 47-year-old Brian Phidat Ho.

Ho had worked for several years at Casino M8trix, a $50 million casino in San Jose that is housed in an eight-story tower, according to company officials. Colleagues mourned Hos death Tuesday.

The Casino M8trix family is heartbroken by the loss of Brian Ho, company spokeswoman Martha Copra said in a statement. Brian loved fishing, he was a master barbecuer, an exemplary co-worker and employee for over a decade, and he will be missed by all of us here at the casino. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this most difficult time.

Ho, a friend and two dogs had been heading back to Lawsons Landing on the north end of Tomales Bay when their 13-foot Boston whaler flipped over, officials said.

The men and dogs went under on the west side of the bay north of Avalis Beach in the Point Reyes National Seashore, said John DellOsso a spokesman for the national park.

Hos friend was able to turn the boat back over and safely arrived on the shore of the beach, officials said. Both dogs also made it to shore alive, DellOsso said.

The U.S. Coast Guard received the initial call about noon, and was assisted by Marin County Fire Department, the Bodega Bay Fire Protection District and the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Weekend BART riders, get ready. The transit system plans to halt service to work on its rails between the Lake Merritt and Fruitvale stations Saturday and Sunday, and will do it again on five more weekends through early July.

The shutdowns eventually will bring smoother, quieter and more reliable rides, BART officials promise. But during the six weekends of work, theyll inconvenience 18,000 to 20,000 passengers on the Warm Springs-Richmond and Dublin/Pleasanton-Daly City lines as well as riders headed to or from Oakland International Airport.

BART will provide bus bridges where the trains are shut down and advises passengers to allow an extra 25 to 40 minutes for their trips.

While the tracks are closed, crews will work around the clock to replace interlocking, X-shaped crossover tracks that allow trains to change directions, as well as rotting wooden ties and worn rail.

The work is part of a continuing BART rejuvenation effort started two years ago, but its the first big project funded with money from Measure RR, the $3.5 billion bond measure to rebuild BART that voters approved in November.

Its the same kind of work weve done near Balboa Park, Fruitvale, Coliseum and West Oakland over the past couple of years, said Taylor Huckaby, a BART spokesman.

To accommodate riders this weekend, BART will offer a free main shuttle service between 19th Street Station in downtown Oakland and Fruitvale Station. Riders are advised to expect trips to take 20 to 40 minutes longer. Signs and extra BART staffers will direct passengers between trains and buses.

Lake Merritt Station will be closed during the track work, but a free bus bridge will operate to and from Fruitvale Station. It is expected to add 10 to 25 minutes to trips.

BART service starts at 6 a.m. on Saturdays and 8 a.m. Sundays and the last trains leave end-of-the-line stations around midnight. The Fruitvale-Lake Merritt shutdown will last all day Saturday and Sunday. Trains will resume regular service when BART opens at 4 a.m. Monday.

Though the rail replacement work is becoming somewhat familiar, BART workers plan to do something new on this job to save time. Theyve built parts of the crossover tracks in advance and will hoist them into place using cranes, instead of building them in place.

More closures and service interruptions between Lake Merritt and Fruitvale are scheduled on the weekends of April 29-30, May 13-14, May 27-29, June 10-11 and July 1-2.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com
SEATTLE  Seattles first-in-the-nation law allowing drivers-for-hire to unionize was blocked by a federal judge, giving a legal boost to ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft.

U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik in Seattle granted a request by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to block the citys ordinance before it goes into effect. The organization argued the law improperly treats independent contractor drivers as employees because it allows them to unionize and collude through collective bargaining over their fares. Uber and Lyft are members of the chamber.

The fight over whether Uber and Lyft drivers can unionize is part of a larger conflict over how sharing economy companies treat their workforce. Ubers business model is contested worldwide by the taxi industry, local governments and drivers. In March, Seattles law survived an attack by Uber after a Washington state judge rejected the companys arguments that there are flaws in the local collective bargaining process.

Seattles law turns labor law on its head, treating independent businesses as employees, and flouts antitrust law, allowing independent economic actors to fix prices, the chamber argued in a legal filing in its federal lawsuit attempting to block the measure.

Saying the citys ordinance would likely disrupt the ride-hailing companies businesses in fundamental and irreparable ways, Lasnik ruled that it should be blocked while the case is decided.

There can be no doubt that ride-share companies such as Uber and Lyft have, at a truly startling rate, created havoc in this industry using a business model that simply did not exist before its recent technological development. Lasnik said in his ruling. The judge said it was uncertain, though, whether state law allows the citys ordinance.

The chamber pursued the court order with urgency, arguing that the Teamsters union has demanded that it turn over a confidential list of contracted drivers for Uber, Lyft and the dispatch service Eastside for Hire Inc. to unionize them. Turning over the list will cause irreparable harm, the chamber argues, because itll be forced to turn over personal identifying information of drivers and incur costs and expenses not completely covered by money damages.

Seattle argued the lists contain information that is already publicly available. The city said Lasnik should deny the chambers request because its labor and antitrust claims are likely to fail.

Allowing for-hire drivers to collectively negotiate is a means to create a safer, more reliable for-hire industry, Seattle argued in a court filing. Stopping this first-of-its-kind law in its tracks, based on speculative and non-existent harms, is not in the public interest.

Lasnik said the chamber had raised serious questions that deserve careful, rigorous judicial attention, not a fast-tracked rush to judgment based on a date that has no extrinsic importance.

The court emphasizes that this order should not be read as a harbinger of what the ultimate decision in this case will be when all dispositive motions are fully briefed and considered, he added.

Joel Rosenblatt and Elizabeth Amon are Bloomberg writers. Email: jrosenblatt@bloomberg.net, elizabethamon@yahoo.com
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A new design may help travelers rethink the dreaded middle seat on the airplane.

Molon Labe Seating has come up with the Stagger Seat, a design that offsets the middle seat from its neighbors on the left and right.

"The arms, thighs and elbows of all passengers are no longer adjacent," Molon Labe Seating CEO Hank Scott said in a statement. "Visually it is a small offset, but ergonomically it makes a huge difference in passenger comfort."

Offsetting the seats helps eliminate one of the most uncomfortable parts of sitting in the middle; it makes it harder for passengers in the aisle and window spots to hog both armrests.

"If you're in the aisle or window seat, you couldn't possibly steal the entire armrestyour elbows would be behind your back at a weird angle," Scott said in an interview with Wired.

That's not the only perk that comes with the company's new design. The middle seat is also three inches wider than the window or aisle spots and comes with a larger television monitor (18 inches for the middle as opposed to 16 inches on the sides).

However, because the seats in every row are offset, the design doesn't translate into extra legroom for anybody stuck in the middle.

A conceptual model of the Stagger Seat is being unveiled this week at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany. Scott told Wired he hopes to see the company's designs on flights in the next two years and says he's already received some interest from major airlines.

"Hopefully we can make flying suck a little less!" The design company's CEO told SFGATE.

Now that's a mission any frequent flier can get behind.
Number of the day

Over 10%

Thats how many potential drivers for Uber and Lyft failed a required background check in Massachusetts, state officials said Wednesday. Among the 8,200 who failed, the largest number were turned away because their license had been suspended, they had been licensed to drive for less than three years, or they had multiple serious driving offenses. More than 300 applicants had felony convictions and 51 were registered sex offenders.

Self-hiding startup

With news like that, its no wonder investors are keen on replacing drivers with robots. Aurora Innovation just raised $3.1 million, according to an SEC filing discovered by Axios. Thats about all we know about the secretive self-driving tech company. Founder Chris Urmson, a former leader of Googles self-driving car project, lists the companys name on his LinkedIn profile. But co-workers describe themselves as working at Stealthy McStartup.

For a square meal, try a triangular matzo pizza

Manischewitz isnt breaking bread, exactly, but it is breaking tradition. North Americas largest producer of kosher food is unveiling its first triangular matzo, part of its Matzo Pizza Kit. CEO David Sugarman says matzo pizza is a Passover staple for Jewish families because they are not permitted to eat foods made with yeast or leavening. The New Jersey company says it can produce about 1,500 triangles every 15 minutes.

Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: @techchronicle
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Police tracked down and arrested a man who allegedly shot a mother to death as she drove her two sons to school in Richmond, ending the manhunt as questions swirled over whether that citys officers should have done more when they were called to the victims home the night before she died.

Lawyer Dushan McBride, 43, of San Pablo, was taken into custody at a fast food restaurant in Sacramento around 1 p.m. Wednesday, said Richmond police Lt. Felix Tan. Police had obtained a $2 million warrant accusing McBride of murdering 29-year-old Rashanda Franklin on Tuesday morning.

I think we caught him by surprise, Tan said. We are just relieved he is caught.

The lieutenant said officers nabbed McBride with the help of federal marshals and more than 100 tips from the public. McBrides silver 2007 Mercedes S550 sedan  which he allegedly fled in after the shooting  was seized on the scene by police, Tan said.

McBride is suspected of shooting Franklin, his ex-girlfriend, at 29th Street and Rheem Avenue as she sat in her silver Jeep sport utility vehicle with her sons just before 9 a.m., after chasing her down and blocking her path with his Mercedes.

Tan said the two had a history of domestic violence, and relatives of Franklin, who was a beautician and licensed security guard, said McBride had been stalking her.

Officers had gone to Franklins home Monday evening after McBride caused a ruckus by pounding on the door and screaming for his ex-girlfriend, family members and neighbors said. But the officers did not make an arrest.

Yeah, the cops came around here (Monday) but they didnt do nothing, Franklins mother, Barbara Harris, told The Chronicle on Wednesday. She said she was still too shaken to discuss her daughters death further.

Tan said he couldnt comment on whether officers could have or should have done more. State law requires officers to take a number of steps in domestic violence incidents, such as filing detailed reports and offering specialized assistance to victims, but it wasnt clear what was done Monday or in past contacts with Franklin and McBride.

I know weve responded to calls related to both parties, but all of that is part of the ongoing investigation now, Tan said. There was no indication in public records that Franklin had obtained a restraining order against McBride.

The family home sits in a residential enclave of modest bungalows in southeast Richmond, and Franklin had recently moved in with her mother after breaking up with McBride. Neighbors said Monday nights commotion worried them.

A couple of my neighbors had to go and call police, said one, Jeffrey Adam. If Id been home I would have gone over there and told him to stop, but they didnt take him in or anything.

Its a real shame, she was young, he said. Rashanda couldnt even take her kids to school. Maybe if theyd brought him in, none of this would have happened.

Richmond Mayor Tom Butt said Wednesday, Its regrettable someone was not able to intervene sooner. But he added that he had no details about prior police contacts with the couple.

This whole thing is heartbreaking  such a tragedy, Butt said. I wish there were something more we could do about it. It is what it is. Domestic violence incidents are really hard to deal with from a law enforcement perspective. It could have happened anywhere.

Franklin had been driving her sons across town to school when McBride began following her in his car, investigators said. He allegedly jumped ahead and parked in front of her Jeep, forcing her to stop  and then walked up to her car window and argued with her for a few seconds before shooting her to death with a handgun.

Franklins sons are in kindergarten and fourth grade at the small New Direction Christian Academy, which was closed Wednesday due to fear the shooter might come around. After McBrides arrest, Principal Christine Jones said it was a great relief, and that the school would reopen Thursday.

This has been very traumatic, and we are praying for Rashandas family, said Jones. She was a very pleasant young lady, beautiful and a very devoted mom.

She described the boys as very smart, very good students. Franklin also has another son, too young for school.

A small shrine of stuffed animals, candles and pictures of Franklin sat at the corner where she died Wednesday. One note read: Hands of prayer for you in your time of loss.

Filipa A. Ioannou and Kevin Fagan are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com, kfagan@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @obioannoukenobi @KevinChron
James Steidl / James Steidl / ST

A former San Francisco restaurant owner who kept from his employees more than $90,000 in owed overtime, then lied to federal officials about it was sentenced Tuesday to six months in a halfway house, federal prosecutors said.

A San Francisco judge sentenced Ming Lian Zhou, 58, who ran Hong Kong Lounge and Hong Kong Lounge II, to a total of three years probation, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of California. Both restaurants were on Geary Boulevard in the Richmond District.
Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

A man who allegedly groped and harassed at least four women on Muni in San Francisco was arrested, police said Tuesday.

The 45-year-old suspect, whom police did not identify, was arrested less than 24 hours after a woman told officers he molested her on the outbound N Judah line near Duboce Park, police said.
Getty Images / Getty Images

Police shot a man dead in Napa Tuesday afternoon, the second officer-involved shooting in the city in less than a month.

The shooting unfolded after residents reported that a man was firing a gun  it wasnt clear at whom  near Linda Vista Avenue and Bueno Street, according to the Napa Police Department. Authorities didnt immediately specify an exact time.
The owner of a San Francisco granite company was sentenced to a year of house arrest and three years probation after two workers under his watch were crushed to death on the job in 2014 by a load of granite slabs, officials said Tuesday.

Meng Peng, owner of now-defunct Galaxy Granite at the eastern edge of Bernal Heights, had pleaded guilty to two counts of felony involuntary manslaughter and three labor code violations in January following the deaths of the workers at his shop at 1525 Cortland Ave.

Peng, 66, who lives in Hillsborough, was also ordered on Tuesday to pay an unspecified restitution.

His plea was described by prosecutors as open, meaning he admitted guilt without agreeing to a sentence. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Charles Crompton made the final sentencing decision.

San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon said he believed there should have been higher consequences for Peng, adding that his office had asked for two years in state prison.

We want to make it really clear to employers here in the county that if they are negligent and they ignore work safety rules and people die, there are consequences to this, Gascon said.

Hector Vazquez, 46, of Oakland and Philip Marich, 53, of South San Francisco were killed the morning of Feb. 7, 2014, while unloading bundles from a cargo container. Each bundle carried about 10 granite slabs that weighed nearly 500 pounds apiece, prosecutors said.

John Azzaria, an employee on site during the incident, had told prosecutors he worked for the company eight years but never received training on how to unload the type of container the slabs came in.

He said he told Peng before the fatal incident that the unloading process was not safe and refused to continue unloading the slabs, which he believes saved his life.

If we had took an hour and looked on the Internet or took an hour and called someone to figure out how to unload that safely, I am more than confident that we could have found a way to do that, Azzaria said in court documents. But with Meng, if you took five minutes to do something other than what he told you, he would start yelling at you and start pushing you again.

Peng previously told The Chronicle that the incident was breaking my heart. He said one of the workers who was killed told him he could handle a slab by himself before it toppled over, adding that the men were like my brothers.

The contractors licensing board has revoked the construction license of Peng, who ran Galaxy Granite as a division of his carpet business, Golden Gate Interiors Inc.

In an interview, Gascon noted that Pengs business was not a union shop, adding that he tends to see more prevalent safety violations within companies that dont follow union standards.

Interestingly enough, we often notice that places that are nonunion shops seem to be much more loose with the work-safety rules, and unfortunately we have two people that are now dead, he said.

According to court documents, prosecutors in their sentencing memorandum said that Peng admitted he could have paid $800 to hire professionals who had the expertise to move the slabs, but he was too cheap to do so.

Jenna Lyons and Michael Bodley are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com, mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno, @michael_bodley
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Hanson Li thinks of B-Side, the jazz-themed restaurant and lounge taking shape inside of the SFJazz Center, as a response to the new direction of the Bay Area dining scene: people want simplicity.

"I'm talking drinks that don't have eight ingredients in them. Food items that have three or four ingredients," he says.

The project comes via Li's development and investment company Salt Partners, the same folks that helped launch Locol in Oakland and Petit Crenn in Hayes Valley.

B-Side is described as an homage to the late-night jazz hangouts of yesteryear where music was lively, warm walnut and plush leather couches had wear and tear, food menus were small and cocktails were uncomplicated.

The restaurant's planned 15-item small plate menu of fried chicken sandwiches, cheeseburgers and Brussels sprouts with cider-sesame glaze is priced at $10 to $15. Larger entrees from chef Chris D'Andrea -- like braised pork shoulder with fried eggplants and chimichurri, or cavatelli with pickled apples and roasted butternut squash -- will cost a bit more.

"It's part of the evolution of the dining world. There seems to be a move toward things that are little easier, less complicated," Li says. "Places that were charging upwards of $24 for entrees all died and went away. Complicated food at that level just didn't work."

Before B-Side, the restaurant off the corner of Franklin and Fell was Charles Phan's South. It closed last month following a four-year stint where it pivoted from a New Orleans-inspired joint to a Mexican restaurant by the time it finally closed, never truly finding a comfort zone.

South's shortcomings showed Li there is no such thing as a perfect setting in the food and drink world. What exists instead are places with obvious benefits. The key is taking advantage of them.

"We have a natural advantage here at the Jazz Center because we have a great space and great neighbors," Li said, referring to the surrounding Hayes Valley neighborhood's wealth of notable restaurants and bars, like Rich Table, Nojo, Jardiniere and Nightbird, among others.

Li said B-Side's aesthetics will be tied heavily to the SF Jazz Center. Wood finishes and rugs in the restaurant will mirror others throughout the center. One of the quirkier design components will be a wall dedicated entirely to vinyl records -- similar to the setting in John Cusack's High Fidelity -- with much of it being sourced from local artists. Diners and musicians can play the records on a nightly basis.

"We're going to be working a lot with the local artists. We'll be inviting them in for listening parties. And we'll be encouraging them to leave their music or even give us a playlists of what they want to hear when they come," says Li. "And we'll be playing it."

B-Side at SFJazz: 201 Franklin St. (at Fell Street), San Francisco; www.b-sidesf.com

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email jphillips@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @JustMrPhillips.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Doug Cox was ready to propose to his girlfriend of three years, but there was another man standing in the way. And that man was none other than "Full House" star John Stamos.

In a hilarious video posted to Cox's Facebook, the San Francisco-based director and editor writes a letter to Stamos detailing his predicament.

"Dear John Stamos," begins the letter, "Let me just start by throwing a number at you  34 percent, 34 percent  that is the percentage of space the entire 'Full House' series takes up on my DVR."

He continued, "I want to marry this woman. But there is a brick wall in the way that resembles a 6-foot-tall Greek god with better hair than me. And John, I have fantastic hair."

Cox then asks Stamos for a signed photo reading, "Katrina, will you please marry Doug?"

Good sport Stamos came back with something even better  a pre-recorded video.

"From what I see here on this email you've sent, you're a handsome man, you have nice hair, good beard, got beautiful blue eyes. Katrina, I would say yes to this," Stamos said in the recording. "If I was a woman, and I'm not saying I'm not, I would say yes to young Doug. So, I guess this is me asking you to marry him."

Katrina Firenze, Cox's then-girlfriend, responded with a resounding "yes yes yes yes" before flashing the diamond ring for the camera and sneaking in an appropriate, "Have mercy!"

Read Michelle Robertsons latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A newly released national Gallup Poll, taken over the weekend, shows that for the first time a clear majority of Americans support the 2010 Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare.

The poll found that Americans, by a 55-41 percent margin, approve the health care law that President Trump and Republicans have tried to repeal and replace. They failed in the effort last month, but have vowed to try again.

The new figures, in Gallup's words, mark "a major turnaround from two months ago, when 42 percent approved and 53 percent disapproved" of the Affordable Care Act.

"This is the first time a majority of Americans have approved the health care law, also known as Obamacare, since Gallup first asked about it in this format in November of 2012," the pollster reported.

The new finding follows news that the Republicans' plans to replace Obamacare would have caused 24 million Americans -- including 600,000 in Washington -- to lose their health insurance. Conservative Republicans have demanded even deeper cuts in Affordable Care Act coverage, many involving health benefits for women.

"Trump vehemently attacked the Affordable Care Act during his campaign -- and in the days immediately following his election, the public appeared to agree with him," Gallup reported.

"However, in the five months since, as Republicans' efforts to replace the law with one of their own have failed to get off the ground, enough Americans have changed their minds about the ACA to create a majority for it for the first time."

Majority public support for Obamacare could create "a major obstacle to Trump and Congress' ongoing efforts to change and replace the law," Gallup added.

Obamacare is not getting a blank check. Gallup found a three-way division among those it polled. Forty percent would keep the law, but make significant changes in it. Just 30 percent now support repealing the law outright. Twenty-six percent would keep the Affordable Care Act as is.

The poll interviewed 1,023 adult Americans and was taken April 1 and 2. It has a margin of error of plus/minus 4 percent.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

President Donald Trump, no stranger to sexual harassment allegations, has come to the defense of Fox News host Bill O'Reilly after revelation that Bill O and Fox News have paid out $13 million to settlements to five women.

The President's defense of O'Reilly came amidst an exodus of advertisers from "The O'Reilly Factor," which is the highest rated program on cable TV with four million viewers. O'Reilly has said nothing on the air, but has concentrated on attacking cities (and the state of California) offering sanctuary to undocumented immigrants.

"He is a person I know well -- he is a good person," Trump said in an interview with the New York Times, which broke the O'Reilly story over the weekend.

More for you A first for poll: 55 percent of Americans support Obamacare

Initially a sometime critic of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, O'Reilly and fellow Fox host Sean Hannity have become nonstop nightly Trump advocates and attack dogs toward the President's critics.

"I think he (O'Reilly) shouldn't have settled," Trump went on. "Personally, I think he shouldn't have settled. Because you should have taken it all the way.

"I don't think Bill did anything wrong."

Trump, in 2016, faced a journalist's accusation that he pushed her against a wall at his Mar-a-Lago Florida estate and forcibly kissed her. A famous tape, which became a mid-campaign scandal, had Trump boasting about forcibly coming on to women.

O'Reilly has lost about 20 sponsors, although those bailing on "The O'Reilly Factor" have gone to other programs on Fox News.

Acting through adviser Mark Fabiani, who did damage control for President Bill Clinton, O'Reilly has issued a brief written statement saying he has become a target "for those who would harm me and my employer, the Fox News Channel."

The Oval Office interview underscored Trump's continuous but contentious relationship with the New York Times.

In a Tweet Saturday, the President referred to the "Gray Lady" as "the failing New York Times."

A week ago, the 45th president tweeted angrily: "The failing New York Times has disgraced the media world. Gotten me wrong for 2 solid years. Change libel laws?"

Trump speaks ill of the NYT, but he still talks to them.
1 Plagiarism reports: A pair of reports showed that passages in a book written by Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch a decade ago bear plenty of resemblances to other works. Politico and BuzzFeed reported that his book, The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, closely mimics the word choice used in an 1984 article in the Indiana Law Journal dealing with Baby Doe, who was born with Down syndrome. A number of academics said Gorsuch was at fault, with their verdicts ranging from calling it a clear impropriety to mere sloppiness.

2 F-16 crash: A fighter pilot on a training mission ditched his jet in a wooded area Wednesday so that the plane would avoid crashing into a suburban Washington neighborhood, the military said. The F-16C went down about 200 yards behind a small subdivision of two-story brick homes in the middle-class suburban community of Clinton, Md., about 3 miles southwest of Joint Base Andrews. The pilot was treated for minor injuries and released from the hospital. No one else was injured.
WASHINGTON  President Trump has removed chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council, reversing an earlier, controversial decision to give Bannon access to the groups high-level meetings.

A new memorandum about the councils composition was published Wednesday in the Federal Register. The memo no longer lists the chief strategist as a member of the Principals Committee, a group of high-ranking officials who meet to discuss pressing national security priorities.

A senior White House official said Wednesday that Bannon was initially placed on the National Security Council after Trumps inauguration as a measure to ensure implementation of the presidents vision, including efforts to downsize and streamline the councils operations.

Bannons addition to the National Security Council sparked criticism that it was inappropriate for the political adviser to play a role in national security matters.

Trumps first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was heading the council at the time, but the official said Bannons role had nothing to do with the troubles facing Flynn, who was asked to resign in early February for misleading the administration about his communications with Russian officials.

A senior administration official said Flynn reluctantly agreed to have Bannon join the council. The official said Trumps chief of staff, Reince Priebus, and chief counsel Don McGahn rewrote the original council memo with Flynn to include Bannon.

The official said the move reflected Trumps dwindling faith in his national security adviser and that Flynns daily presentations to the president were seen as disorganized and not up to par.

Flynns replacement, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, was allowed to reorganize the National Security Council as he saw fit. McMaster immediately expressed a desire to run a less hierarchical organization and be more accessible to his staff. Lack of access to Flynn when he was in charge created widespread frustration, according to current and former administration officials familiar with the changes.

Vivian Salama is an Associated Press writer.
For Donald Trump, the buck stops . . . with Barack Obama.

As the Western world processed stomach-churning images of dead children, apparently murdered by chemical weapons, the president couldn't help but take a potshot at his predecessor. "These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution," Trump said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. "President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing. The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack."

As he ripped Obama, Trump mentioned neither Russia nor Iran. Both counties are actively propping up Assad's regime.

The president also offered no path forward, except to say that the savagery, which observers on the ground say killed at least 58, "cannot be ignored."

Asked how the U.S. will respond, Sean Spicer replied: "We'll talk about that soon."

More for you Trump changes relationship between White House, spy agencies

This White House is stuck in permanent campaign mode. Several officials involved in internal administration discussions told the AP that the National Security Council had been preparing a different statement, until the president's closest advisers took over the process.

This has been a pattern during Trump's first 75 days in office. When it suits him, the president takes credit for his predecessor's successes. More often, he points the finger. Trump's unsubstantiated allegation that Obama "wiretapped" his office is the most memorable illustration, but there are many others. After the botched raid in Yemen that killed a Navy SEAL, for instance, the White House claimed the operation had been authorized by the Obama team.

Obama has repeatedly acknowledged that Syria was the biggest failure of his presidency, and he knows it will haunt his legacy. He notoriously said in August 2012 that Assad using chemical weapons would cross a "red line" that would change his "calculus" about whether to intervene. When the Butcher of Damascus did it anyway, using sarin to kill hundreds of innocents, Obama lacked the will to act unilaterally. So he punted to an even less courageous Congress. American credibility suffered. Assad's barbaric war crimes continued.

The timing of Trump's dig was curious, however. Just last week, Rex Tillerson and Nikki Haley said publicly that removing Assad is no longer a U.S. priority - breaking with western allies.

Even more incongruously, Trump vociferously opposed the very action he now attacks Obama for not taking. The billionaire posted an endless stream of tweets like these over several weeks in 2013, which make Tuesday's statement look quite hypocritical:

- "What will we get for bombing Syria besides more debt and a possible long term conflict? Obama needs Congressional approval."

- "AGAIN, TO OUR VERY FOOLISH LEADER, DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA - IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN & FROM THAT FIGHT THE U.S. GETS NOTHING!"

- "President Obama, do not attack Syria. There is no upside and tremendous downside. Save your "powder" for another (and more important) day!"

- "The only reason President Obama wants to attack Syria is to save face over his very dumb RED LINE statement. Do NOT attack Syria,fix U.S.A."

- "We should stay the hell out of Syria, the "rebels" are just as bad as the current regime. WHAT WILL WE GET FOR OUR LIVES AND $ BILLIONS?ZERO"

- "If Obama attacks Syria and innocent civilians are hurt and killed, he and the U.S. will look very bad!"

- "How bad has our "leader" made us look on Syria. Stay out of Syria, we don't have the leadership to win wars or even strategize."

- "What I am saying is stay out of Syria."

- "Russia is sending a fleet of ships to the Mediterranean. Obama's war in Syria has the potential to widen into a worldwide conflict"

Trump has claimed repeatedly since taking office that he "inherited a mess." As he put it during his 77-minute press conference in February, "I inherited a mess. It's a mess. At home and abroad, a mess. . . . The Middle East is a disaster. (Also) North Korea. We're going to take care of it all. I just want to let you know I inherited a mess."

After the GOP's healthcare replacement package fell apart in the House, Trump announced that he will let the health care system fall apart. He thinks this will force Democrats to come to the negotiating table. The president reasons that Obama will surely get blamed for any problems with something called Obamacare.

A new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows why Trump's strategy is flawed. The nonpartisan group conducts a respected monthly poll of public attitudes about health care. When asked which of two statements came closer to their view, 6 in 10 Americans endorsed the statement: "Trump and Republicans in Congress are now in control of the government and they are responsible for any problems with it moving forward." Just over 3 in 10 chose the alternative statement: "President Obama and Democrats in Congress passed the law and they are responsible for any problems with it moving forward."

For context, the poll found that over 6 in 10 Americans say it's a "good thing" the House GOP bill went down. But that group is split evenly between those who do not want to repeal the law and those who want to repeal and replace the law but had concerns about the specific legislation.

The country is also split close to down the middle about next steps: 45 percent want to keep working on a plan to repeal and replace the 2010 law, and 49 percent think Trump and congressional Republicans should stop working on health care and move on to other priorities.

On the economy, the American people have a more nuanced view than the president.A Quinnipiac University poll published Tuesday is full of bad news for Trump. His approval rating is 35 percent. He's even underwater right now with whites and men. More than six in 10 registered voters nationally don't think he's honest, level-headed or shares their values. On the issues, the poll finds that 58 percent disapprove of how he's handling foreign policy and a 48 percent plurality doesn't think he's handling the economy well. The survey found that 52 percent think the economy is in excellent or good shape, while 45 percent say it's not so good or poor. Overall, 66 percent say Obama is more responsible than Trump for the current state of the economy.

When Obama left office in January, our Washington Post/ABC News poll found that 61 percent of Americans approved of his economic stewardship. That number was higher than at any point in his eight-year presidency, up from 50 percent in Jan. 2016 and 43 percent in Jan. 2014. So there is ample evidence that Americans were crediting him for the nation's improving economy before Trump took office.

Quinnipiac asked a series of questions in another poll last month on whether Obama or Trump should be credited with certain economic statistics. By more than 2 to 1 voters said Obama deserves more credit than Trump for the fact the unemployment rate has stayed under 5 percent. But a smaller 48 percent plurality credited Obama for the 200,000 jobs added in February, while 41 percent said Trump deserves credit. And 55 percent said Trump, not Obama, deserves more credit for the stock market's positive performance recently.

To be sure, Republicans often accused Obama of unfairly blaming George W. Bush late into his presidency. Because of the nature of the 2008 financial crisis, though, more voters always blamed Bush than Obama for the country's economic ills - including during the 2016 election, according to Gallup surveys conducted from 2009 through 2016. In its poll last summer, Gallup found that 64 percent of Americans thought Bush deserved a "great deal" or a "moderate amount" of blame for "current economic problems." Half, 50 percent, said Obama did.

- - -

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Foreign policy has dominated the opening chapters of the Trump administration to a degree the president clearly did not anticipate. If he's got 99 problems, Syria is now certainly one.

Trump is learning that the panaceas he promised so often as a candidate do not actually exist. "No one - not even President Obama, as far as I could tell - was satisfied with the Obama administration's approach to the conflict in Syria," Andrew Exum, who was an Obama appointee at the Pentagon, writes for The Atlantic. "But if you assembled all of the Obama administration's critics in one room, they would not agree on an obvious alternative. The problem is wicked enough to confound easy solutions, and each policy alternative had strategic and moral deficiencies."

Russia is now trying to blame rebels for the attack, instead of Assad. From the Post's Louisa Loveluck: "A Russian military spokesman on Wednesday said that Syrian warplanes had been targeting rebel workshops used to produce crude chemical weapons on the eastern outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun when the deaths began. 'The territory of this storage facility housed workshops to produce projectiles filled with toxic agents,' Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, the spokesman for Russia's Ministry of Defence, said in a recorded statement. His comments marked a rare admission that air strikes had taken place in the area. Moscow typically denies involvement in such mass casualty attacks, and has previously falsified video footage in an attempt to exonerate its war planes. . . . Russia also blamed the 2013 sarin attack on rebels attempting to provoke international intervention."

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., responded:

"The #Putin regime blatantly lies about #SyriaGasAttack Putin is an accomplice in this war crime committed by Assad ."

The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss the attack, and international donors are gathered in Brussels to drum up billions in aid for Syria's eventual reconstruction. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the chemical attack a "moment of truth" and expressed hope it will galvanize action. "The horrific events of Tuesday demonstrate that, unfortunately, war crimes are going on in Syria and that international humanitarian law (continues to be) violated frequently," he said.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said "Assad believes he can commit war crimes with impunity," and he challenged Trump to do something. The question now confronting Washington, he said, "is whether we will take any action to disabuse him of this murderous notion."

- - -

Three smart stories about Trump's broader foreign policy popped overnight:

1. "Trump embraces the Sunni autocrats," by The New Yorker's Robin Wright: "The first tangible steps in Trump's Middle East policy are taking shape . . . [with goals] to foster a bloc among often fractious Sunni leaders to counter the influence of Shiite Iran, take a larger role politically and physically in fighting extremism, and help navigate peace between Israel and the Palestinians. . . . Trump's strategy could, however, rejuvenate the old authoritarian order of sclerotic autocrats and impervious monarchies in the Middle East.These days, a common lament among Sunnis themselves is that they lack a vision, an ideology, or a leader to guide them. . . . Bitter rivalries for regional influence run deep ... A broader danger is that the Trump strategy-designed at the National Security Council, with almost no input from the State Department-could backfire."

Tom Malinowski, who was Obama's Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy and Human Rights until January, expressed concern: "We have traditionally acted in the Middle East in defense of interests and principles. We've never explicitly aligned ourselves with a bloc defined in religious terms. It's another thing to create the impression that we are aligning with Sunnis against Shiites-that we are effectively taking sides in a civilizational battle."

2. "For Trump, a Focus on U.S. Interests and a Disdain for Moralizing," by The New York Times's Peter Baker: "Mr. Trump has dispensed with what he considers pointless moralizing and preachy naivete. . . . 'We would look like, to some degree, rather silly not acknowledging the political realities that exist in Syria,' said spokesman Sean Spicer. . . . He has taken foreign policy to its most realpolitik moment in generations, playing down issues of human rights or democracy that animated his predecessors, including Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Obama. . . . His foreign policy seems defined more by a transactional nationalism, rooted in the sense that the United States is getting ripped off. Rather than spreading American values, Trump's policy aims to guard American interests."

"It struck me that it was very Chinese in orientation," said Ian Bremmer,the founder and president of the Eurasia Group, a consultancy in Washington. "You take out all of the issues of American exceptionalism and values, you take out all the restraints and responsibilities of American alliances and architecture that are based on those values, and it creates a very different sense of foreign policy."

3. Trump's retrenchment on free trade, climate change and security alliances has created a leadership vacuum that is already working to Beijing's advantage. The Post's David Nakamura previews Thursday's summit: "Since Trump's unexpected victory in November, Chinese President Xi Jinping has moved to position his fast-developing nation as a defender of globalization, and he has accelerated Beijing's challenge to U.S. primacy in Asia. This budding shift of power dynamics has alarmed U.S. allies and partners in the region and raised the stakes as Trump prepares to welcome Xi for a two-day summit starting Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in South Florida. The two are expected to discuss a wide range of issues, including North Korea's mounting nuclear threat and a lopsided trade imbalance in China's favor, in what aides called a meeting aimed at establishing a working relationship. ... More broadly, however, the Trump administration has not developed or publicly enunciated a coherent policy to deal with China's growing economic and military clout. And Trump, who called China a currency manipulator during his campaign, has delivered mixed messages on how far he is willing to go to confront Beijing."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Hold onto your hats.

A deep low-pressure storm swooping into Northern California on Thursday is expected to bring high winds to the Bay Area.

The strongest gusts could reach up to 60 miles per hour along coastal mountains and higher terrain. San Francisco could see winds up to 50 miles per hour.

"Winds of this nature will certainly bring down some trees and power lines around the Bay Area," Steve Anderson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Monterey, said.

The winds are expected to pick up Thursday evening and continue through Friday.

"The Friday morning commute will be a hazardous one," Anderson said.

He warns that motorists could feel the gusts while driving across bridges, especially the Richmond-San Rafael.

"People traveling across that bridge will see more of a cross wind that's a big hazard for empty box trucks," Anderson explained.

The winds are the result of the low-pressure system colliding with high pressure. The storm is expected to also bring rain, heavy at times.

"There will likely be some ponding of water on roads," Anderson said.

Rainfall estimates around the Bay Area are two to four inches in the coastal mountains and one to one and a half inches around the urban core.

"But the rains aren't going to be a big impact with this storm," Anderson said. "It's the winds to be concerned with."
Firefighters and hazardous materials crews are at the scene of a chemical spill inside a medical facility in Concord this afternoon, according to a fire captain.

Around 1 p.m. crews were dispatched to Fresenius Medical Care at 4040 Nelson Ave., according to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Capt. George Laing.
Get to know four historic New Orleans theaters: The Saenger, The Orpheum, The Joy, and The Carver.

While there are no famous actors or actresses in our family, we do have one claim to fame: My husbands mother, who turns 100 in September, was at the grand opening of the Saenger Theatre in 1927. History repeated itself when her granddaughter was at the grand reopening after Hurricane Katrina 86 years later in 2013.

Like most people who call New Orleans home, the Saenger isnt just a fixture on Canal Street  its a fixture in our lives. The same is true of our other great historic theaters, the Orpheum, the Joy, and the Carver .

Learn about the history and the enduring allure of these three historic theaters below.

Historic New Orleans Theaters

The Saenger

At one time, the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans was the flagship of Julian and Abe Saengers theater empire. Two years before the Great Depression, when the theater first opened, you could see a silent movie, a stage play, and listen to the Saenger Grand Orchestra for just 65 cents. Today, the theater is still home to the famous, 2,000-pipe Wonder Organ that played along with silent pictures.

A neoclassical hybrid, the Saenger features high-ceilinged arcades decorated in Spanish mission style; the area where the audience sits is Italian baroque (and dont forget to look up!). The theater offers all the glamor of yesteryear with the technology of today.

New Orleans native George Ray, who has worked security at the Saenger for years, has some magnificent tales to tell of this old theater. When Andy Hardy star Mickey Rooney performed there, Ray taught him how to peel crawfish. And when Elizabeth Taylors name was on the marquee, her contract called for a dressing room with violet walls that matched her eyes and white carpeting that was next to impossible to keep clean. Ray said she arrived every night in a horse-drawn carriage.

Today, after a $52 million post-Katrina renovation, the glitz of yesterday is back. This month, you can see Jim Gaffigan (April 21), Alton Brown (April 26), and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenues Treme Threauxdown (April 29), among other great shows. Up next in the Broadway in New Orleans series is Finding Neverland (May 9-14).

The Orpheum

The Beaux-Arts-style Orpheum Theater, across the street from the Roosevelt Hotel, was built in 1918 and opened for vaudeville in 1921. It became a movie house soon after. In 1983, the Orpheum was scheduled for demolition but it was saved by the New Orleans Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, which gave it a $3 million makeover.

Like so many of New Orleans treasures, this National Register of Historic Places suffered serious damage after Hurricane Katrina. The Orpheum went through a succession of owners who failed to restore the theater until it was purchased in 2014 by Dr. Eric George, who partnered with Roland Von Kurnatowski, owner of Tipitinas.

After a $13 million renovation, the theater became home to the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), but the theater books other acts as well. This month, you can see Umphreys McGee (April 21), Sean McConnell (April 23) and St. Paul & the Broken Bones with Naughty Professor (April 27), and the Meters (April 29).

The Joy

In 2003, competition from multi-screen theaters forced the owners to close the Joys doors. Fortunately, in 2011 visionaries turned the venue into a multipurpose theater for live music, stand-up comedy, and private functions. This month, the Joy is hosting comedian Louie Anderson (April 19), the Dark Star Orchestra (April 27 & 28), and STSN (April 29 & 30).

The Carver

The Carver Theater, named after George Washington Carver, was built in 1950 in the heart of the historic Treme, Americas oldest African-American neighborhood. Opened during the days of Jim Crow, the Carver was considered the finest theater for African-Americans in the country. Thanks to an $8 million post-Katrina renovation, this National Historic Landmark has come back better than ever with state-of-the-art sound and lighting. The theater pays homage to New Orleans roots with its $10 weekday music series: Monday Blues, Wednesday Jazz, and Thursday Brass.

Even more theaters

Other venues worth checking out in New Orleans include the Mahalia Jackson Theatre for the Performing Arts, where you can see the New Orleans Ballet and the New Orleans Opera. Or, Google whats happening at the Marigny Opera House, a charming venue that offers more ballet and musical performances. Another gem is Le Petit Theatre Du Vieux Carre, a community theater off Jackson Square celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Whether you come for a show or are hoping to see the resident ghost  an actress who died dramatically here in the 1930s  youll never forget your evening Le Petit.

More cool trivia: The Orpheum and the Saenger werent the first movie theaters to along Canal Street. That honor goes to Vitascope Hall. The worlds first for-profit movie theater (now demolished) opened its doors at 623 Canal Street in New Orleans in 1896.
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.
A 31-year-old cyclist was critically injured this morning when she was struck by a box truck driver in the East Village.

The unidentified female victim was biking at the intersection of First Avenue near East 9th Street at around 7:20 a.m. when she was struck. She was pinned under the truck, according to witness accounts.

"They lady was saying, 'I can't move. I can't breathe.' She was on her back. Her eyes were blinking rapidly. Then she just closed them. Her leg was stuck under the wheel. The tire was over her ribs," witness Cheyenne Brown told DNAinfo.

EMS workers transported the victim to Bellevue Hospital, where she was listed in critical condition.

This stretch of First Avenue features a bike path separated from uptown traffic by a floating column of parked cars. The photos above show the cyclist's bike in the westbound 9th Street bike lane.

An NYPD spokesman tells us that according to the preliminary investigation, the driver was turning left onto 9th Street when he struck the woman. He remained at the scene, and no charges have been filed yet, but if the initial report bears out, the driver could likely be charged with Failure to Yield under NYC's Right of Way law. The NYPD's Collision Investigation Squad is currently investigating.
The state legislature has reached a deal on raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18, a measure that would bring the state in line with the vast majority of the country, and a sticking point for conservative legislators that stalled budget talks and brought the government to the verge of shutting down.

The New York Times reports that the Assembly agreed on a bill late Tuesday outlining the terms of raising the age, which include carve-outs that allow prosecutors to charge children as adults under certain circumstances. The paper says that the Senate is set to approve the bill today. The previous budget expired on Friday as talks ground on, and on Monday legislators passed a stopgap temporary spending plan that keeps the state running through May 31st. The ever-wily Governor Cuomo included funding for his nominal economic development projects, which are at the center of criminal prosecutions of his aides and appointees and have produced few promised jobs, while leaving uncertainty for school districts, which rely on state funding and have to finalize budgets in May. State legislators also don't get paid until they pass a new budget.

New York is one of two states, the other being North Carolina, that charges 16- and 17-year-olds suspected of crimes as adults across the board. Activists and Democrats who this year made the Raise the Age campaign a rallying cry had sought a comprehensive change that would move juvenile criminal cases to family court, and keep children out of adult jails. The compromise would only move misdemeanor charges to family court, according to a summary viewed by the Times. Nonviolent felony charges would be handled in a new section of Criminal Court for kids, and some of those cases would be later channeled to family court unless a prosecutor could prove "extraordinary circumstances."

Violent felonies would stay in criminal court, but could be moved to family court unless a "deadly weapon" was used, the victim suffered "significant physical injury," or the suspect was accused of sexual misconduct.

Research suggests that the human brain is not fully developed until age 25, and that adolescents are by nature more impulsive than adults. Children jailed in adult facilities are more likely to be beaten by staff or attacked with a weapon by inmates, more likely to be raped, more likely to commit suicide, and more likely to be rearrested than their counterparts who go through the juvenile jail system.

Prior to the deal, state Sen. Thomas Croci (R-Long Island), staked out his opposition by saying in a statement that Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie care more about keeping teenage drug gang members, murderers and rapists out of jail than they do about funding public schools, providing tax relief for families and rebuilding the states infrastructure.

On behalf of the men, women and children I represent, I will not go along with the governors budget, which will lead to our communities being less safe in the face of violent criminal drug gangs who slaughter our kids in cold blood."

Following the tentative agreement, Heastie, a Bronx Democrat, said in a statement, "This law will mean so much to so many young people and their families," continuing that he had "seen firsthand the devastating consequences of families torn apart and lives cut short by an ineffective policy of throwing children into adult prisons."

Raise the Age NY, a coalition including the NAACP and the Children's Defense Fund New York, did not respond to a call and email seeking comment.

Cuomo was a phantom throughout budget negotiations, disappearing last Monday and not resurfacing even to explain his temporary spending proposals. He returned to the public eye on Tuesday, after the bills passed, and seemed to taunt legislators, who are supposed to leave Albany today and break until the 24th.

"Theres no great rush at this point to get anything done," Cuomo said, pointing to the late May expiration date of the extender.

Legislators, meanwhile, are missing paychecks. Heastie indicated that they could stay until Friday to hammer out the budget if need be. Renewing the developer-friendly 421-a tax credit program and lifting the cap on the number of charter schools in the state have also been contentious issues.

New York has a long history of late budgets, and Cuomo had prided himself on working to finalize budgets on time each of his first six years in office. Now that things have run off the rails, he's blaming the legislature.

"The basic machine is running the way its always run," he said Tuesday.
We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today
The dinner was supposed to be a Democratic strategy session for an upcoming county election. But the mood grew darker as conversation turned toward the future of their party.

One by one, members of the Mahoning County Democratic Party poured out their frustrations: Just months after the presidential election, they felt folks like them were being forgotten - again. The party's comeback strategy was being steered by protesters, consultants and elitists from New York and California who have no idea what voters in middle America care about.

But worst of all, they said, the party hadn't learned from what they saw as the biggest message from November's election: Democrats have fallen completely out of touch with America's blue-collar voters.

"It doesn't matter how much we scream and holler about jobs and the economy at the local level. Our national leaders still don't get it," said David Betras, the county's party chair. "While Trump is talking about trade and jobs, they're still obsessing about which bathrooms people should be allowed to go into."

Others around the restaurant table nodded.

Since the election, Democrats have been swallowed up in an unending cycle of outrage and issues that have little to do with the nation's working class, they said, such as women's marches, fighting Trump's refugee ban and advocating for transgender bathroom rights.

The party's national leaders have focused on decrying Trump, opposing his Supreme Court pick and tying his administration to Russia. That approach - trying to defeat Trump solely by attacking him and his policies - already has failed once, many at the dinner said.

Meanwhile, they think few are talking about issues that really matter to people in places such as Youngstown: Stagnant wages, vanishing jobs and sputtering economies. Even the Democrats' recent success in blocking Trump's attempt to repeal President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act matters little in the face of those core interests, local party leaders said. And unless the party begins addressing those blue-collar issues, they said, there will be real and dire consequences in states like theirs.

In more than a dozen interviews, party leaders across Ohio - from local precinct captains to the handful of Democrats who remain in Congress - said they are deeply worried.

"Every time Trump so much as sneezes, we as a party are setting our hair on fire and running around like it's the end of the world," Betras said as the dinner wound down. "Most people around here don't care. They are living paycheck to paycheck, just trying to hold on. After everything that's happened, if we as a party still aren't speaking to them, then we are never getting them back."

Since Trump's election, the movement against him has injected newfound energy and purpose into the left. The argument that has emerged from key heartland states - where Democrats lost by narrow margins - is that the party's new focal point needs to be economic issues.

Ohio's Democratic Party has launched kitchen-table conversations to reorganize its agenda around economic concerns. Sen. Sherrod Brown recently unveiled a 77-page proposal for populist, pro-worker initiatives that could serve as a blueprint for the national party.

But the most forceful move came in U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan's failed attempt to wrest control of the House minority leadership from Nancy Pelosi. In his pitch to fellow Democrats, the Ohio lawmaker argued that there is something fundamentally broken in the party's relationship with the workers who once made up its base.

Ryan said he believes the Democratic Party must move economic issues back to the fore and frame all its goals through that lens.

Instead of talking about the environment, he said in a phone interview, Democrats should focus on creating green jobs. Instead of re-litigating old fights, he said, Democrats should propose new ideas and dare Republicans to shoot them down, such as a new project to lay broadband fiber nationwide to boost jobs and productivity.

During the recent fight over Obamacare, for example, he and other Ohio Democrats focused their arguments on not only who would lose coverage under the Republican plan, but also the health-care jobs that would be lost and the funding that would be cut for opioid treatment in working-class areas struggling with addiction.

"We have to be constantly pulling it back toward the hurt that working-class people are experiencing," Ryan said.

Most acknowledge the need for a stronger economic message, but there has been pushback against the idea of chasing white working-class voters to the detriment of minorities and social issues. There is also disagreement over how important blue-collar voters were in November's loss, with blame ranging from Russian hacking, late-game interference by the FBI director, the flaws of Hillary Clinton and her campaign strategy.

Others take offense at the idea of ceding focus on causes such as gay rights, anti-Muslim discrimination, racial disparity, abortion and women's rights for the sake of votes.

"It's a false choice to say we have to decide between economic issues and civil rights. They're all part of the larger problem of inequality that we should be fighting against," said Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, which is bringing together party luminaries in May for an brainstorming conference. "There's no easy answers, and we're still at the very beginning of the ideas process."

At a bar on the hollowed-out edges of Youngstown, Betras slid a memo dated May 12, 2016, across the table. It was then that he saw the wave of anger coming and tried to warn Clinton's campaign.

"I know I am just a chairman but I am a chairman in the trenches," Betras wrote in the three-page memo, begging Clinton to focus on jobs.

In Mahoning County - a Democratic stronghold decimated by the manufacturing industry's decline - Betras was seeing GOP yard signs suddenly popping up. During the primaries, he learned that 18 of his own Democratic precinct captains had crossed party lines to vote for Trump. Some areas had to print extra Republican primary ballots just to keep up with the demand.

"That's when I knew something was wrong," he said.

He warned Clinton that she had lost all credibility with working-class voters by waffling on trade and offering tepid solutions. He urged in his memo that she talk about infrastructure instead.

"The workers we're talking about don't want to run computers, they want to run back hoes, dig ditches, sling concrete block," he wrote. "They're not embarrassed about the fact that they get their hands dirty. . . . They love it and they want to be respected and honored for it."

He sent his memo to Clinton's top campaign adviser in Ohio and other senior party officials. But Betras never heard back.

Months later, he said he thinks his party leaders still haven't gotten the message.

He exploded with vulgar language while describing what happened with the Carrier deal, when Trump announced he had persuaded the air-conditioning company to keep more than 1,100 jobs in Indiana, a claim that drew skepticism.

"You had Democrats criticizing Trump about the exact number of jobs he saved," said Betras, noting how backward it was for his party to be attacking the president for fighting for jobs. "Saving jobs used to be what our f---ing party was all about," he said, pounding his fist into the bar.

He pointed to an empty plate nearby.

"What Trump slapped onto his plate last election was a big juicy steak. Real or not - that's what it looked like to the hungry working voter," Betras said. "What the elitists in our Democratic Party did with their side issues was say, 'Look at all this broccoli we have for you. Sure, there's some meat pieces mixed in, too, but look at the broccoli.'"

When Ohio leaders talk about their party, they often recall the old days when its core depended on the typical union worker. Now, those workers feel taken for granted or outright abandoned, said Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, 70, whose district sits on Ohio's northernmost edge.

"Just look at the leadership in both parties," said Kaptur, whose mother was an auto union organizer. The GOP's recent leaders - House Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, former speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio and Vice President Mike Pence of Indiana - have largely hailed from middle America, but top Democrats have not. House and Senate minority leaders Nancy Pelosi of California and Charles E. Schumer of New York come from the wealthy, urban coasts.

That geographic disconnect has translated into policies that alienate the heartland, Kaptur said, overlooking, for example, the devastation of globalized free trade on places such as Ohio. "They paid lip service to it, but the underlying attitude was, 'You're not modern enough, not educated enough, not willing to adjust,' " Kaptur said.

In recent decades, Democrats have relied on a new base, a diverse mix of minorities, millennials, women, LGBT and college-educated voters - who had turned out in droves for Obama but not for Clinton.

To Kaptur, the two sides - this new diverse coalition and the traditional working-class voters she knows - represent the party's future and past. But neither can win in the present without the other.

"We are like a two-winged creature in flight," she said. "We've got one wing that deals with labor and economics and another that deals with social issues and ethnicity. And we have to find a way to fuse these two wings or we're going to keep falling from the sky."

For now, the Democratic future in Ohio looks bleak.

Trump not only flipped the state but also won by the largest margin of any presidential candidate since 1988.

Lou Gentile, 37, was among the Ohio casualties in November. A rising local Democratic star, he lost his state Senate seat in a district struggling with coal mining declines in the Ohio Valley.

"It's tough getting caught in this thing you have no control over," he said while driving home after lunch with his former legislative aide in Columbus, the state's capital. "Every day, you rehash what you could have done differently."

The party's losses have made it difficult to cultivate a strong bench for future elections, he said. It also has allowed Republicans to redraw Ohio's districts, making it even more difficult for Democrats to claw their way back to relevancy.

"I'm worried about the party," Gentile said. "If anything good comes out of this last cycle, I hope it's that our national leaders finally get the message about what's going on in places like this. We have to go back to basics - jobs, wages, the things that actually make a difference to people out here."
BEIRUT  Diplomats at the U.N. Security Council sparred Wednesday over whether to hold President Bashar Assads government responsible for a chemical weapons attack that killed more than 80 people in northern Syria, while U.S. intelligence officials, Doctors Without Borders and the U.N. health agency said evidence pointed to nerve gas exposure.

The Trump administration and other world leaders said the Syrian government was to blame, but Moscow, a key ally of Assad, said the assault was caused by a Syrian air strike that hit a rebel stockpile of chemical arms.

Early U.S. assessments showed the use of chlorine gas and traces of the nerve agent sarin in the attack Tuesday that terrorized the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun, according to two U.S. officials who werent authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity.

Israeli military intelligence officers also believe Syrian government forces were behind the attack, Israeli defense officials said. Israel believes Assad has tons of chemical weapons still in his arsenal, despite a concerted operation three years ago by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to rid the government of its stockpile, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they werent authorized to brief the media. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also blamed the Syrian government for the attack.

In Khan Sheikhoun, rescue workers found terrified survivors still hiding in shelters as another wave of air strikes battered the town Wednesday. Those strikes appeared to deliver only conventional weapons damage.

The effects of the attack overwhelmed hospitals around the town, leading paramedics to send patients to medical facilities across rebel-held areas in northern Syria, as well as to Turkey. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group put the toll at 86 killed.

Victims of the attack showed signs of nerve gas exposure, the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders said, including suffocation, foaming at the mouth, convulsions, constricted pupils and involuntary defecation. Paramedics were using fire hoses to wash the chemicals from the bodies of victims.

Medical teams also reported smelling bleach on survivors of the attack, suggesting chlorine gas was also used, Doctors Without Borders said.

The magnitude of the attack was reflected in the images of the dead  children piled in heaps for burial, a father carrying his lifeless young twins.

The visuals from the scene were reminiscent of a 2013 nerve gas attack on the suburbs of Damascus that left hundreds dead and prompted an agreement brokered by the U.S. and Russia to disarm Assads chemical stockpile. Western nations blamed government forces for that attack.

At the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley warned the Trump administration would take action if the Security Council did not in response to the attack.

Philip Issa and Sarah El Deeb are Associated Press writers.
SEOUL  North Korea conducted another ballistic missile test, the latest provocation from Kim Jong Uns government as he seeks to build a nuclear arsenal.

The projectile was fired into the East Sea early Wednesday and flew about 37 miles, South Koreas joint chiefs of staff said in a text message.

It follows ballistic missile tests in February and March, as the isolated country defies U.N. sanctions and works on a missile that could deliver a miniaturized nuclear weapon to the continental U.S.

Kim has launched a series of projectiles and conducted three nuclear tests since he came to power more than five years ago. He claimed in January to be in the final stage of preparations to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in March that all options, including military, are on the table to counter the Kim government, and North Korea is expected to feature in talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Trump in Florida April 6 and 7.

South Korean intelligence warned in late March that North Korea could potentially detonate a nuclear device in the first week of April to overshadow the U.S.-China summit.

Tillerson said last month that 20 years of diplomatic efforts had failed to counter Pyongyangs nuclear program and he didnt rule out a preemptive strike against the Kim government.

Kanga Kong is a Bloomberg News writer.
During the New Mexican summers of her youth, Valerie Nye rode the morning bus with her sister and mother to the public library in downtown Albuquerque. The family checked out as many books as they could carry and would meet her father at Civic Plaza before taking the bus back home. It was a full day of adventure that centered on going to the big public library for picture books, Nye remembers. Now, as the library director at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, she recalls the importance of such adventures whenever she orders picture books, helps children with homework and works with staff. It is a great job, she says.

Nye is part of a small New Mexican delegation of librarians and politicians traveling to the nation's capital next month to oppose President Donald Trump's proposed budget aimed to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. This time around, the annual lobbying trip to Washington DC has ignited a sense of emergency among librarians fighting against the potential gutting of federal funding that now supports a host of resources for cities and rural towns across the state.

"Libraries are not romantic, historic, quiet places where people sit and read all day," writes Nye in an email to SFR. "Libraries provide vital services to communities including internet access and reliable information on health, finance, politics and taxes. Libraries help provide people the tools to search for jobs, apply to jobs, interview for jobs and start their own businesses."

Eight New Mexico librarians are scheduled to attend the National Library Legislative Day at DC's Liaison Hotel on Capitol Hill. The event, to be held May 1 and 2, is sponsored by the American Library Association. It's an opportunity for librarians to meet face-to-face with legislators responsible for approving a 2018 budget.

Arts and humanities programs in the US currently make up $741 milliona small biteof the $4.6 trillion in total federal spending in 2016. President Trump's new budget slashes the total national budget to $1.1 trillion. Library advocates are now planning to speak out for their portion of $230 million worth of funding, currently provided through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which helps buy and maintain services in culturally vibrant towns and cities across the country. The New Mexico State Library receives $1.4 million annually, or $.70 per taxpayer.

Kathleen Moeller-Peiffer, director of the New Mexico State Library, fears that the proposed budget calls to cut federal funding meant to distribute state grants that cover rural bookmobiles, books by mail, the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped and the interlibrary loan system, as well as most, if not all, of statewide online resources and the statewide summer reading program.

The State Library is primarily funded by the state of New Mexico, although the federal government, through the Library Services and Technology Act, provides 20 percent of the overall annual budget.

Patricia Hodapp, library director at the Santa Fe Public Library, says 58 staff members welcomed 713,677 visitors in 2016. The city's three library branches hosted storytellers, art shows, musicians, opera programs, quilting groups, voting groups, City Council get-togethers and neighborhood meetings. "The library is just integral to the arts and humanities," says Hodapp. Last year, 663,820 books, CDs and DVDs were circulated, while 59,655 library card-holders20 percent from the countyaccessed eBooks, article periodicals, Hoopla, Freegal Music, and free wi-fi.

"Federal cuts are not going to hurt us as much as a lot of libraries, but it will impact us and we'll have to come up with that funding elsewhere," says Hodapp, who adds that 96 percent of the library's $3.9 million annual budget comes from citywide gross receipt taxes, while other money arrives in the form of state general obligation bonds amounting to roughly $160,000 every two years. Federal funding goes through the state library, which reallocates about $13,500 to the city for books and computer software. "If the state loses federal funding, databases, such as Chilton Car Guide and Newsbank, will disappear," says Hodapp. "We will not have the budget to replace the state's databases."

Support from the Friends of the Santa Fe Library, the Brindle Foundation and anonymous donors supplement the library's budget by funding Books and Babies, a children's pre-literacy program, along with bilingual Spanish storytime. But if library funding ends up on the chopping block, Hodapp says she would have to "get creative to fund things other than salaries, lights, books and maintenance," and would possibly hold fundraising events as she has in the past.

Cynthia Aguilar, librarian at the Santo Domingo Pueblo Library, says at least 60 people ask her for help each day with homework, computer classes, printing tax documents and filling out veterans benefit forms. Less than 25 percent of the library's $75,000 annual budget comes from federal funding, but the lack of private donors limits options for additional money.

"To put it mildly, if the federal funding goes, I won't be here," says Aguilar, whose yearly salary is afforded by federal grants. "Our community library won't be open. It will be a travesty, because the tribe will be at a loss."

Santo Domingo is not the only tribal library facing potential cuts. All 19 members of the New Mexico State Library's Tribal Libraries Program would suffer greatly if the federal funding goes.

"I think Trump needs to rethink," says Aguilar. "Cutting is not always the best solution, especially to rural areas where we already have to travel longer distances for resources."

Two years ago, Joshua Finnell accepted a position at Los Alamos National Laboratory to become the scholarly communications and data librarian. In that role, he helps researchers plan, curate, disseminate and preserve digital research data. He is an active member on various national science and technology boards and locally serves on the board of the Santa Fe Public Library and plans to be on the lobbying trip next month.

Finnell, who remembers spending the majority of his childhood "consuming books about whales and planets" in Illinois, writes in an email that, in the brief time he has spent in Santa Fe, he is "truly in awe of the creative and artistic spirit in the city."

"For many folks," writes Finnell, "and myself, that creative spirit was sparked at a local public library."



Santa Fe Reporter
Ahead of the first meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korea fired a ballistic missile off the coast of the Korean Peninsula, US and South Korean officials said.



The missilewhich fell into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, on Wednesday morningis one of several the country has test-fired in recent months.



Even before the missile test, North Korea's nuclear program was expected to be an important talking point between Xi and Trump.



The United States has been pushing China to put pressure on North Korea to stop its nuclear program and missile testing, but Trump said on Sunday the United States would be prepared to act alone to stop North Korea.



...A senior White House official on Tuesday said: "The clock has now run out, and all options are on the table," pointing to the failure of successive administrations' efforts to negotiate an end to the country's nuclear program.

 This is Rex Tillerson's statement on North Korea's missile launch pic.twitter.com/S2xAgZAGlX  Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) April 4, 2017

Our top diplomat cannot respond to North Korean aggression with: "We're done talking about that."



"Hard pass" isn't a diplomatic option.  Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) April 5, 2017

[Content Note: Video may autoplay at first link.]Joshua Berlinger, Barbara Starr, and Paula Hancocks at CNN: North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile as Trump, Xi Prepare to Meet So, basically, the Trump administration's posture at this point is that: 1. They are ready to go to war with North Korea, if they deem it necessary. 2. If China doesn't do something, the U.S. will. 3. It's Obama's fault.That sounds very much to me like an administration thatto go to war, and is looking for excuses and justifications. Chilling.Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson responded last night to the North Korean ballistic missile launch by issuing this statement:If you can't view the image in the tweet, it a screencap of Tillerson's complete statement, which reads: "North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment."That's it. That is the real statement from the United States Secretary of State.This "we're not going to dignify that with a response" response is wildly inappropriate. Kim Jong Un didn't call Trump a poopyhead on the playground;Tillerson's statement is, quite genuinely, one of the most incredible things I've ever seen in U.S. politics, which is really saying something.We are being ruled by reckless, dangerous men. I am legitimately fearful about where this is going to lead.
NEW DELHI: India and the UK today discussed the possibility of a new trade pact as Britain looks to build on its bilateral business ties post its exit from the 27-nation European Union.



As Britain's top financial policymakers began a two-day visit to India, a free trade agreement (FTA) figured during talks at the 9th UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue.



UK Finance Minister Philip Hammond, Business Secretary Greg Clark, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) CEO Andrew Bailey are visiting the national capital today and Mumbai tomorrow to boost trade ties with the world's fastest growing major economy.



While Britain, which is attempting to establish itself as "a truly global" player after Brexit, pitched for increased trade engagement with India, New Delhi said a formal dialogue on possible bilateral trade agreement can start only after the completion of UK's exit from EU that may take up to two years.



After talks, Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said India in its communication with the UK government has stated that post Brexit it will look for more open trade, and more trade arrangements.



"Obviously this can be formally discussed after the Brexit takes place but it is probably going to imply a far wider and a far higher engagement between the two countries.



"What shape it is going to take can only be formalised post Brexit negotiation," he told a joint press briefing.



Jaitley further said India is open to all arrangements which are in mutual interest for expanding trade once opportunities arise after Brexit.



"India as you have seen has been opening up. We are opening up in terms of nature of investment in India, we are opening in terms of our trade. I am quite certain that arrangements which are mutually beneficial to both the economies would be arrived at (after the Brexit)," he said.



Hammond said the two nations have very significant trade and investment relationship and Britain is the largest G20 investor in India in the last 10 years, while India is the 3rd largest investor in the UK.



"We have continued to consolidate past success and identify new areas where we can work together over the next couple of years, preparing for the point where Britain leaves the EU and is able to engage with Indian colleagues in a deep discussion about a future FTA between the UK and India," he said.



Noting that this a mature relationship between the equals -- the largest democracy in the world and the oldest democracy in the world, Hammond said "both of us see opportunities and opportunities of course based on commonalities; we share legal system, we share language of business which gives us huge advantages in trying to build trade and investment links between our countries".



India is a major investor in the UK economy just as the UK is the major investor in the Indian economy, he said.



On masala bond, he said, there are more issues coming and more and more Indian entities will come and raise from London.



Stating that both countries had a "very successful dialogue", Jaitley said the next one or two years are going to be momentous because of the changes taking place in both the economies.



"The UK, post Brexit, is looking at a different kind of relationship with India and there is a huge aspiration in India itself also to add to and improve upon that relationship. The 10th and 11th round of this dialogue will take this to an entirely different level," Jaitley said.



The UK is among India's major trading partners and in 2014-15, it ranked 18th in the list of India's top 25 trading partners.



Since 2000, Britain has invested more than 19 billion pounds (USD 24 billion) in India.



As per the Department of Commerce data, two-way merchandise trade during 2014-15 was USD 14.33 billion, marking a decrease of 9.39 per cent as compared to 2013-14.

Read Also:

India To Become More Influential In A-Pac In Next 5 Yrs:Report

Act East Policy To Further Ties With SE Asian Nations: FM
NEW DELHI: Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp could soon make a foray into digital payment services starting with India and is looking to hire a digital transactions head for the country.



In February, WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton had met IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to discuss ways in which the company could contribute to India's vision for digital commerce.



India is the biggest market for WhatsApp. Of its over one billion users, about 200 million are here.



According to a job advertisement on WhatsApp's website, the company is looking for a candidate with technical and financial background, who also has an understanding of Unified Payments Interface (UPI), BHIM payments app and Aadhaar number.



The job responsibilities would include collaboration with banks to resolve WhatsApp user issues and being "an advocate for the users of our digital transactions service to the rest of the company", it added.



When contacted, a WhatsApp spokesperson said the company is keen to understand how it can contribute more to the vision of Digital India.



"We're exploring how we might work with companies that share this vision and continuing to listen closely to feedback from our users," the spokesperson added.



Following the government's move to ban old notes of 500 and 1,000 in November last year, there has been a massive growth in digital transaction volumes in India, including credit/debit cards, mobile banking/m-wallets and UPI.



WhatsApp has almost become the default messaging app for people in countries like India and Brazil. In India, it competes with the likes of Hike, Snapchat and Viber.



The company had said it would focus on rolling out commercial messaging this year for businesses as it looks to tap into enterprises for monetising its platform.



Last year, the app had stopped charging USD 1 per year subscription fee to go completely free for users across the world.



While WhatsApp does not intend to introduce any third- party ads for monetisation, it has said the company will test tools that allow users to communicate with businesses and organisations like banks and airlines through its platform.

Read Also:

Inventor Of World Wide Web Wins Computing's 'Nobel Prize'

Post Brexit, UK Wants To Deepen Trade Ties With India
A new two-story Jim Darcy School with lots of windows, bright panels of color and large classroom spaces that can be broken into flexible work spaces are just some of the possibilities for a new 500-student school.

Mike Dowling, principal architect of Dowling Studio Architects, shared some images of what a new Jim Darcy School could include at a prebond meeting Tuesday night in Jim Darcy's gym, which drew about 75 people.

A new Jim Darcy School is one of three new K-5 schools in a $63 million Helena School District bond that goes to voters May 2.

The bond also includes two new schools at the sites of Central School and on or near the vicinity of Bryant School. And it will make technology and security upgrades at all the K-8 schools, including the two middle schools (see accompanying story).

The bond affects all 5,000 students and every school in the K-8 district.

School Superintendent Jack Copps told the crowd that he is receiving a lot of questions about how a lawsuit filed last week by Alan and Nancy Nicholson will impact the school bond.

I think the lawsuit is short lived, Copps said, adding that it is more of a complaint about how a new Central School would harm the Nicholsons property values.

The bond is going ahead as planned, Copps said. New schools will be built at Jim Darcy and Bryant and there could be a slight delay with a new Central School. The security and technology upgrades will also go forward.

Dowling said one very important feature of the new Jim Darcy School is that it should tell the story of Jim Darcy -- the young man the school is named after, who had loved helicopters, was a war hero and died at age 22.

How that story is told would be up to a committee of citizens and staff from the school working with the architects.

The new building would likely use warm brick colors on the exterior, said Dowling, which creates a real psychological difference when compared to the current grey paneling on the outside of the school.

Inside, the school would have warm friendly spaces that are welcoming to students.

The building would also have a secure, single point of entry. Currently there are numerous unlocked doors that allow students to move back and forth from modular classrooms to the main school building.

What color does to activate a space is incredible, said Dowling, which is why its important to use color throughout the new school design.

A lot of windows and natural light are also a main feature of any design, Dowling said, and have a positive impact on learning.

He also showed a possible floorplan for a community space that could be used as three separate spaces with walls -- a stage area, a multi-purpose room and a gym -- but could open into one large room to handle a large crowd.

It would make Jim Darcy a hub for the community, said Dowling.

The schools site plan would be completely revamped allowing for safer traffic routing for buses and cars.

The actual details of the building and site design will get underway once the bond is passed, said Dowling. A new school would be completed by spring of 2019.

Several citizens asked why the school district isnt doing more to push the bond.

Citizen Rick Hays pointed out that the district cannot legally promote the bond, it can only provide factual information. Its up to the citizens to push the bond, he said, by knocking on doors, speaking to their neighbors and making phone calls.

The impact of the school bond on property values is estimated at $10 a month on a home with a taxable value of $200,000, said Assistant Superintendent Greg Upham.

The average age of the school districts 18 school buildings is 69 years, said facilities administrator Kalli Kind. Its been 40 years since the district built a new school, the newest being Four Georgians Schools.

Prior to this 40-year gap in construction, the longest gap was 14 years, said Kind, which occurred from 1921 to 1935.

Two more prebond meetings with architects are set for this week.

Mosaic Architecture is holding a Bryant School neighborhood meeting from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, at the Helena High School cafeteria, 1300 Billings Ave.

Central School neighborhood can meet with architects from SMA from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 6, at First Baptist Church, 201 8th Ave.

For information about the bond and updates about architect meetings and timelines, visit helenaschools.org.

If you have questions, email Kalli Kind at ajensen@helenaschools.org
Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading.

Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy
A bill declaring March 1 Public Lands Day in Montana was tabled Tuesday after a Thompson Falls lawmaker proposed amending it to mandate an annual study of federal and state land management.

Democratic Rep. Virginia Court of Billings brought House Bill 491 to the Senate Fish and Game Committee last Thursday. The bill recognized public lands in the state as a major economic influence that add to Montanans quality of life. The bill declared that on March 1, an appropriate observation may be held by the public and in all public schools in tribute to the importance of public lands in Montana, and the governor shall issue a proclamation calling attention and encouraging celebration.

Republicans grilled Court on nuances of the bill during last weeks hearing, questioning language that purported a guaranteed right to access public lands and asking why only federal lands were included in the celebration.

Court offered to work on amended language, but told the committee that the bill was theirs to do as they saw fit.

During executive action Tuesday, Republican Sen. Jennifer Fielder of Thompson Falls offered an amendment rewriting most of the bill. The amendment offered language from the Montana Constitution noting the natural amenities of the state, and named a variety of values from public lands such as clean air, clean water, timber production, grazing, mining, energy development, scenery, solitude and hunting.

The amendment continued, stripping the governor's proclamation and requiring the Montana Land Board to issue an annual report on public lands in the state. The report required an inventory of state and federal lands, access changes, sales and values, and major shifts in management policy.

The amendment made Public Lands Day explicitly nonpolitical.

Public resources may not be expended to lobby, demagogue, or promote a political agenda in conjunction with observance of Montana public lands day, the bill says.

The purpose for that is the political debate that has become somewhat toxic with rhetoric concerning our public lands, she told the committee, saying the day and report would be informational rather than political.

Fielder, who is one of the leading proponents in the West of transferring most federal lands to state ownership, expanded on the political point, saying the language was in response to public land rallies held in the state Capitol the past two sessions.

Land transfer supporters see state ownership as a means of better management, while opponents contend that states could not afford millions of new acres, leading to land sales. The issue has become politically contentious in recent years, spurring debate on the future of access, natural resource extraction and protected lands in Montana and across the West.

A day earlier during the Senate floor session, Fielder said the notion that transferred land would be sold is a "lie."

As the Senate committee took up debate on Fielders amendment, Sen. Jill Cohenour, D-East Helena, said she felt it skewed the original intention of the bill that Court proposed. The study of land management would be better suited for a study resolution the Legislature could take up in the interim, she said.

I see this language as causing the political problem that youre trying to address with that, and I dont want to help do that, she said before moving to table the bill.

Fielder cast the only vote against tabling the legislation.
By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent.

Agree
On behalf of the Made in Montana program at the Montana Department of Commerce, thank you Helena community for your overwhelming support of the 2017 Made in Montana Tradeshow for Food and Gifts!

A record number of us, more than 6,800, visited the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds March 11 to buy authentic, Montana-made products.

The wonderful staff at the fairgrounds and K & J Convention Services helped us to accommodate 167 booths, where exhibitors representing 51 different Montana communities showcased clothing, accessories, home decor, food, beverages and more.

There was certainly a lot to choose from, and I hope you found the perfect Montana gifts for your family and friends.

Last year, Montana welcomed 12.3 million visitors who spent an estimated $231 million on Made in Montana products. Thats new money for Montanas small businesses and our economy  and continuing to grow the backbone of our economy is the mission of the Made in Montana program and the annual tradeshow.

We work hard to host the annual tradeshow to help strengthen the connection among Made in Montana producers and consumers. We know you enjoy shopping at the tradeshow once a year, but ultimately wed like you to have more options to buy Made in Montana products any day of the year. Thats why we work with producers to get their products on to store shelves in communities across the state.

Before the tradeshow opened to the public on Saturday, the exhibitors were busy on Friday selling large orders of their products to more than 550 wholesale buyers, mostly from Montana but some coming from as far as Tennessee and New York.

Drawing so many buyers into Helena means a significant economic impact for the community over the tradeshow weekend; but more importantly, it means these buyers will now carry authentic Montana products in their stores to sell to their customers, including millions of visitors from out of state.

Thank you for your continued support, on March 11 and each day of the year. We look forward to seeing you at the next tradeshow and anywhere Made in Montana products are sold.

Sean Becker is the division administrator for the Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development.
The fate of a proposal to hike tobacco taxes began winding through the Montana House on Wednesday, though its fate was uncertain as some Republicans sought to halt its advance and as proponents not only pushed to curb the use of cigarettes but also for a stream of money to boost wages for direct care workers.

The Senate passed the proposal last week, but the chamber's Republican leadership is arguing that the nearly $70 million the measure would generate over two years is unnecessary and would financially hurt smokers who are poor.

The bill now awaits action from the House Taxation Committee, which was deluged Wednesday with testimony from health advocates, business owners and those appealing for lawmakers to address challenges faced by home care services.

The cigarette tax proposal represents just one of the many clashes this legislative session between Democrats and fiscal conservatives over the state budget. Republicans have resisted - and mostly rejected - Democratic overtures for more spending and revenue enhancers to benefit education and health care programs.

Under the proposal, the tax on a pack of cigarettes would rise from $1.70 to $3.20 and impose a tax on e-cigarettes for the first time. The tax on a can of moist snuff would also rise from 85 cents an ounce to at least $3.20. The tax on all other tobacco products would increase from 50 percent of the wholesale price to 74 percent. The change would take effect May 1.

Some of the revenue would fund health and anti-tobacco programs, as well as boost wages for direct care workers serving the elderly and the disabled who are covered by Medicaid.

"It saves lives. It saves money. And it saves services," said the bill's sponsor Democratic Sen. Mary Caferro of Helena.

Health advocates joined Caferro in arguing that increasing the cost of a pack of cigarettes would help give price-sensitive tobacco users the incentive to kick their nicotine habits and make purchases too expensive for children to buy.

Meanwhile, advocates for the elderly and the disabled appealed to lawmakers to dedicate revenue to help raise the wages for direct care workers. Low wages has meant a shortage of such workers.

Mark Sanders, a part-time direct care attendant and who has a disability himself, said he makes less than $11 an hour - higher than the average wage earned by direct care workers in Montana - but a challenge to make ends meet.

His employer, Shyla Patera uses a wheelchair and needs help getting out of bed, dressing and performing other tasks able-bodied people can do themselves.

But businesses owners, particularly those who cater to the rising demand for e-cigarettes, said the new tax would harm, if not kill their livelihoods.

Deanna Marshall owns vaping stores in Bozeman and Belgrade and worries that a rise in prices would slow her booming business. She and others argued that e-cigarettes should not be taxed like cigarettes. They assert that the nicotine-laced liquid used in vapor-producing devices is safer than cigarettes, which federal health officials say cause cancer and kill more than 480,000 Americans each year.

Marshall said e-cigarettes helped her kick a three-pack-a-day habit three years ago and prompted her to open her own businesses.

"I knew I was going to die from smoking," Marshall said.

The heath threats from e-cigarettes are still being studied, but some researchers say the nicotine and other chemicals contained in the vapor may nevertheless be harmful.
Figures from ActewAGL also show the utility received some 2600 direct complaints during the September quarter last year, or about 900 more complaints than usual.

The Canberra Times has received numerous letters, particularly in the past few months, complaining of potential "over-charging" due to bill estimations by the ACT's major gas distributor and retailer since last year.

ActewAGL CEO Michael Costello has apologised for billing problems and promised that no customers will be charged for any gas they did not consume. Credit:Andrew Sheargold

ActewAGL chief executive Michael Costello has unreservedly apologised for the problems, saying he failed to foresee the scale of the issues and to notify customers ahead of time about the changes and potential effects.

The ACT's major gas supplier has admitted it failed to adequately prepare for a national change to billing arrangements that meant at least 32,500 customers were over or under-charged in the September quarter last year.

Mr Costello said the problems stemmed from a change to gas retail market procedures by the Australian Energy Market Operator, which reduced the amount of time allowed between a meter being read and a bill being processed from five to two days.

He said the billing process was a complex pipeline that stretched from meter readers to distributors to the market operator and finally to retailers and if meters had not been read and verified before the two day deadline, national rules demanded an estimate be used to calculate bills.

"We think we're at the stage now, and have been for some months, where we're back to where we are in the normal state of things, [but] we're not being complacent about this I can assure," he said.

"There's nothing I can do except say I am deeply apologetic, we accept responsibility for it, we are not trying to evade that responsibility.

"We are putting every effort in to ensure that this problem stays away, because it is away now, but we still have the hangover from the last six months of last year."
Public housing anger Mawson residents voiced their anger at a plan to move public housing into their neighbourhood at a community meeting in Woden on Wednesday night. They said the ACT government had not consulted them about the plan, and questioned where profits from the sale of public housing along Northbourne Avenue would be invested. In one heated moment, a Shackleton Circuit resident accused the government representative of giving an "automated" response to questions. Read my report here.

The Woden Valley Community Council meeting on Wednesday night. Credit:Jamila Toderas Lawler mourned One of Australia's most distinguished public servants will be mourned at a funeral this Friday, after dying in Canberra aged 96. Sir Peter Lawler advised nine prime ministers across his career and even into old age was still committed to improvements to public policy. He is famed for being the architect of the Australian Federal Police, and writing the 1966 Cabinet submission that led to the abolition of the White Australia policy.

Megan Doherty with this story. Sir Peter Lawler has died aged 96. Credit:Penny Bradfield Defence bid for end to wage war The Defence Department will make a bid to end a long-running dispute by offering to boost its public servants' wages by a full six per cent in just 18 months. If taken up, the offer would end three years of industrial stalemate. The department's top brass hope their 17,000 public servants, who haven't had a pay rise since 2013, will find the fast-tracked increases just too good to refuse.

Meanwhile, at the Department of Human Services, peace seems further away as public servants there prepare for another round of strikes. Noel Towell reports. CPSU national secretary Nadine Flood. Credit:Jeffrey Chan Bikie brothel payout A court has ruled two Comancheros were eligible for a $500,000 insurance payout over a 2012 fire at the Gentleman's Club brothel in Mitchell, despite not disclosing their outlaw motorcycle gang links.

Brothers Baris and Fidel Tukel were running the club, but Calliden Insurance rejected their claim on the basis that they did not reveal their bikie connections. In 2015 the NSW Supreme Court found the Tukels had been obliged to reveal their links even though the insurance form did not specifically ask about them. But on Thursday, the Court of Appeal found that was incorrect. Patrick Begley with this report. Fidel Tukel acted as a manager of the Gentleman's Club while he was a Comanchero. Credit:Facebook Today's cartoon
Stephen Stubbs, the former criminal lawyer convicted of fraud last year, was granted bail on Wednesday after spending nine days in prison since he was sentenced more than a month ago.

A jury found Stubbs, 64, guilty in December of defrauding the public legal service Legal Aid and a client's mother of more than $29,000.

He accepted thousands in legal fees, without telling either Legal Aid or his client's mother that the other was also funding the defence of his client, who was facing serious charges of conspiracy to murder.

On March 2, Justice John Burns convicted Stubbs and sentenced him to three years in jail, with one year to be served full time.

The same day, Stubbs was admitted to Calvary Hospital under guard. His defence lawyers lodged an appeal the next day.
A former University of Canberra lecturer has been found guilty by a jury of raping one student, making advances on two others, and showing another a pornographic PowerPoint slide.

He was acquitted of acts of indecency on two students.

Former University of Canberra academic Arthur Hoyle arrives for his trial in the ACT Supreme Court last week. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

Arthur Marshall Hoyle, 67, faced trial in the ACT Supreme Court over two weeks charged with 10 offences against five women.

The offences were said to have happened in his campus office in April 2015, when Hoyle, investigating suspected plagiarism, had invited the five students over email to discuss their essays.
Canberrans could be nipping up to Sydney in just two hours if a new high speed railway project gets the green light.

Executives from Spanish train-building company Talgo arrived in Canberra on Wednesday to discuss running their high speed passenger trains between the two cities.

Spanish company Talgo are proposing to run their state of the art trains (pictured) between Canberra and Sydney. Credit:Steven Trask

Commercial director Guillermo Martinez told The Canberra Times the state of the art trains would halve the current four-hour rail journey between Canberra and Sydney.

The trains would run on the existing tracks between the two cities with little to no modification needed to railway infrastructure, he added.
A popular Perth blogger has written a hilarious and biting post on his Facebook page about the plight of the long-suffering Dockers supporter.

The Bell Tower Times Facebook page posts satirical comments about fictional people that it believes are stereotypical of certain suburbs around Perth.

No one is spared from the blogger's vitriolic attacks, particularly West Coast and Fremantle footy fans.

In late 2015, the BTT got a post deleted by Facebook because it "violated their community standards" even though it was about a character that doesn't exist.
Both Airbus and Boeing now offer planes that appear capable of flying non-stop commercial flights from Sydney to London - the "Holy Grail" for Qantas Airways.

As long as oil prices don't go much higher than around $US70 per barrel, the 20-hour flight can be financially viable, and could be on schedules within five years, aviation experts say.

Airbus has increased the range of its A350-900ULR to 9700 nautical miles (17,960 kms) from the 8700 nautical miles announced when it sold the plane to Singapore Airlines in 2015 for delivery next year, a spokesman said. Including headwinds, the Sydney-London flight is equivalent to 9600 nautical miles.

"These aircraft, we think, are potentially real goers on these routes," Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said of the A350-900ULR and the bigger,but less advanced Boeing 777-8. "You know from what they have done on other aircraft that Sydney-London and Melbourne-London has real possibility."
As residents and businesses clean up from the ravages of Cyclone Debbie, a second round of damage is hitting. Now insurance company shareholders are feeling Debbie's blast.

Speaking out as the first of the big insurers covering Queensland and NSW, IAG says it will sustain a $170 million hit to pre-tax profit this year, thanks mainly to Debbie's destruction, which was both intense and covered a large geographic spread.

It's bad news for customers of all insurance companies exposed to Cyclone Debbie - with industry experts predicting now its blow to their profits will likely lead to an increase in insurance premiums.

There are several ways insurance companies can put measures in place to limit the costs of big disasters - called peril events. They can lay off risk through reinsurance, which itself can be a costly exercise. If the costs of reinsurance rise, they can be passed onto the insurers' own policy holders.
After two measures to address Montana's gender wage gap failed this session, Gov. Steve Bullock hosted a rally in the Capitol Tuesday in celebration of Equal Pay Day.

The Democratic governor brought forward both a wage transparency bill and one to expand early childhood education this session, which he said would benefit Montana women in the workplace and the states economy, but both were rejected by Republican legislators. The governor said he was disappointed the paycheck transparency bill failed in committee and again when blasted to the Senate floor, but touted other steps taken by the Equal Pay for Equal Work Task Force to close the wage gap. Those actions include asking businesses to take an equal pay pledge, completing a state pay audit and providing training on pay negotiation.

All Montanans should be able to support themselves and their families, knowing they are earning a fair days wage for a fair days work, Bullock said.

Several members of the task force acknowledged the work left to do to close the wage gap in the state. In Montana, women earn 72.5 percent of what men earn for doing the same full-time work, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sen. Diane Sands, D-Missoula, said she was encouraged by the work done at the state level by Bullock and nationally during the Obama administration. She carried a bill for the governor that would have prevented employers from requesting previous salary information and allowed employees to discuss wages without retaliation. The bill had overwhelming support during testimony, but Republicans on the committee voted to table it after saying the bill would encourage workplace disruption and litigation would increase due to pay discrepancy complaints.

After her wage transparency legislation failed, Sands said she was furious to see President Donald Trump revoke the 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order. It was signed by former President Barack Obama to make sure companies with federal contracts adhere to 14 labor and civil rights laws.

The order lifted a mandate that forced employers with federal contracts to submit to the government salary details that would expose wage gaps.

The order also lifts a ban on mandatory arbitration clauses. Often called cover-up clauses, an arbitration clause allows a private proceeding with secret court filings often used to keep sexual harassment claims secret.

The second measure from Bullock would have expanded early childhood education. Research shows affordable child care reduces the wage gap by encouraging women to enter the workforce and in turn will benefit the economy, according to the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute.

A large part of the pay gap is attributed to women taking more time off to care for children or work in more flexible industries to combine work and child rearing. The Economic Policy Institute released a report in 2016 calling for the expansion of early childhood education and child care subsidies to allow families to work and start families.

The Economic Policy Institute suggests an investment that capped child care expenditures at 10 percent of family income would increase overall womens labor force participation enough to boost the United States gross domestic product by roughly $210 billion. If implemented in Montana, the states economy is expected to grow 1.1 percent, or by $472 million.

The governors proposal to expand early childhood education was killed in committee on a party line vote. The bill would have provided $12 million in grants to support preschool for 4-year-olds if their parents make less than twice the federal poverty level. National studies have shown similar programs improve outcomes at school and reduce the likelihood of a child needing expensive special education services.

Before rejecting the proposal, some Republicans said the state didnt have the money to fund a preschool program this biennium, but others disagreed with research showing the benefits of early childhood education.

Rep. Scott Staffanson, R-Sidney, said there are existing private programs and that children that young should be at home with their mothers.

I think were discouraging families, he said. And putting them in school at an age when many of them are not old enough to learn a lot of the things the kids need to know by the time theyre ready for school.
Dunkin' Donuts has been sued for putting margarine on bagels, not butter. Thomas G. Shapiro, a lawyer who represented Polanik, said it was unclear what each of the restaurants used in lieu of butter, but one of the stores had "a large tub that looked a lot like a tub of Country Crock, a very inexpensive spread that is sold in grocery stores." "The main thrust of the case, really, is to get the stores, and hopefully Dunkin' Donuts generally, to change that practice and not deceive people," he said Monday. Dunkin' Donuts said in a statement that it was aware of the lawsuit but did not address any companywide butter policies. "The majority of Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in Massachusetts carry both individual whipped butter packets and a butter-substitute vegetable spread," the company said in a statement.

To culinary partisans, the butter-or-margarine question rubs up against Coke-or-Pepsi as among the most contentious dividers of our time. Based on either health concerns or personal taste, preferences run deep. Take the US state of Wisconsin. It would be wise for you to not mess with Wisconsin's butter. There, butter-specific laws crack down on would-be margarine hawkers. An unannounced margarine-for-butter swap at a restaurant is expressly forbidden, punishable by a fine of up to $US500 and three months in prison for the first offense, and as much as $US1000 and a year in prison for subsequent offenses. Margarine cannot be served to students, patients or inmates in state facilities. Butter laws Even the in-state butter selection is limited. Kerrygold, an Irish brand, cannot be sold in Wisconsin grocery stores because it has not been graded for quality by state or federal authorities, causing some butter bandits to carry bricks over state lines. A group of residents filed a lawsuit in March challenging the 64-year-old law.

Tom Balmer, a spokesman for the American Butter Institute, said he was unaware of other states with butter laws. But dairy products of all stripes face competition from "imitators attempting to capitalise on dairy's excellent reputation for delivering flavour, wholesomeness and nutrition," he said. "Our friends in the milk, cheese, yoghurt and ice cream industries are currently waging their own battles with substitutes which are frequently inferior in terms of taste, performance and (especially) nutrition," he said in a statement. "As a result, we can foresee similar issues arising, particularly in the food service sector, if labelling and product identity messaging are less than clear." History is replete with scientific flip-flops on which is healthier. Butter is high in cholesterol and saturated fat, which are linked to heart disease. Margarine contains unsaturated fat, but some varieties contain trans fats, which are also dangerous. Nutritionists suggest closely inspecting the label of your brand.

"Your goal is to limit intake of saturated fats and to avoid trans fats altogether," according to Harvard Medical School. "Look for a spread that doesn't have trans fats and has the least amount of saturated fat," according to the Mayo Clinic. 'Safety reasons' In 2013, a Dunkin' Donuts spokeswoman, Lindsay Harrington, offered an explanation for why a vegetable spread might be used. "For food safety reasons, we do not allow butter to be stored at room temperature, which is the temperature necessary for butter to be easily spread onto a bagel or pastry," she told The Boston Globe.

The recommended procedure in the store, she said, was for individual whipped butter packets to be served on the side of a bagel or pastry, but not applied. "The vegetable spread is generally used if the employee applies the topping," she said. Such explanations were insufficient for Polanik. Loading "It's the basic principle that if something is misrepresented to you, it should be corrected," Shapiro said. "He really just prefers butter for a number of reasons."
The company that manufactures Nurofen must pay a $6 million penalty it was handed for misleading consumers with its specific pain relief range, after a final appeal to the High Court was rejected on Wednesday.

The $6 million corporate penalty, the highest ever issued for misleading conduct under the Australian Consumer Law, was issued by the Full Federal Court in December last year.

The ACCC said the caplets in all four products contained the same active ingredient, ibuprofen lysine 342mg.

Following that decision, pharmaceutical company Reckitt Benckiser applied for special leave to appeal to the High Court of Australia on a number of grounds, including that the Full Court had erred in its assessment of consumer loss and in finding that the original penalty was manifestly inadequate.

The $6 million penalty was a revised figure, up from an initial penalty of $1.7 million, which was appealed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for being an insufficient "deterrent" to a company of its size.
"If at first you don't stack up economically, make the public pay for it."

This could be the mantra that delivers Adani's Carmichael mega coal mine in the Galilee Basin at the expense of the environment, culture, our prospects of a stable climate and in defiance of sound economics.

Since buying the coal tenements from Linc Energy in 2010, Adani has failed to secure a single private backer for the Carmichael mine.

In fact, since then, 17 banks have either publicly distanced themselves from Galilee Basin coal export projects or introduced policies that prevent them lending to the Carmichael mine.
BHP Billiton is still counting the costs of a six-week strike at one of its biggest mines.

While the Escondida copper mine in Chile has resumed production, it's taking the restart "calmly" with safety a priority, BHP President Operations Minerals Americas Danny Malchuk told reporters in Santiago on Tuesday.

Lost output will be disclosed in the Melbourne-based company's operational review later this month, although production wasn't the only area affected.

Work on building projects at the site including a desalination plant was also interrupted, with commissioning to be delayed, the BHP executive said.
Petrol giant United Petroleum has been blasted by the workplace regulator for rampant underpayment of workers across its franchise network after a series of raids.

The Fair Work Ombudsman's investigation also found that a company related to United Petroleum's head office and which shared the same two directors was also underpaying staff.

United Petroleum has been blasted for underpaying staff following raids by Fair Work. Credit:Peter Mathew

The investigation concluded that 40 per cent of the stores it raided were exploiting workers, including breaching workplace laws and significantly underpaying award wages to foreign workers on visas.

The company, which has 440 petrol outlets, is the latest to become embroiled in wage fraud issues. It follows scandals at Domino's, Caltex, Pizza Hut and 7-Eleven.
A NSW university will return $10 million to thousands of current and former employees after it discovered it has underpaid their superannuation entitlements since 2009.

The University of Wollongong on Wednesday revealed it is set to repay $10 million in unpaid entitlements, interest owed and potential penalties after discovering longstanding failures in its payroll system.

University of Wollongong Sydney Business School

It admitted the failures potentially affected thousands of current and former employees dating back to 2009.

UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings notified all staff to apologise for the errors. He also made a commitment to repay what was owed without any threat to jobs, teaching and research activities.
Push on. That mantra cycled around in my head during almost every shift I worked as a waitress at Hellenic Republic, Brunswick.

We would say it aloud to each other, as a form of encouragement and solidarity.

It was a phrase that would amp you up when all the tables in your section were seated at once and your mental to-do list had hit your brain's memory limit.

It was the phrase that would help you digest your staff meal when eating it was the only break you would get in a double shift that began at midday, and finished when everything was packed down  usually between 11pm and 1am.
The Senate Transport Committee is right to be concerned about the high number of people with criminal records working in sensitive areas in Australian airports.

The committee has found "up to 20 per cent of all non customs staff with access to sterile areas (at airports) have criminal convictions, and about half of these were serious convictions, including drug trafficking, assault and other misdemeanours".

This is a startling figure given staff in so-called "sterile areas" at airports, where they are behind the customs barriers and have access to passengers' luggage, are expected to hold an Aviation Security Identification Card.

Applicants for this card must undergo a criminal records check.
The photograph says it all. The Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, on all fours, under a sink in Lismore, scrubbing.

As residents struggle to comprehend the enormity of losing their futures, he tries to sweep the mud and grime off a restaurant wall. Not succeeding, he takes to the brush, and starts to scour the floor.

Dressed in nice threads, the cameras roll and the image is beamed into lounge rooms the country over. Soon after, the prime minister departs.

Malcolm Turnbull doesn't have a mortgage on the political opportunism (the other side of politics is equally expert at it) that surfaces like the rising waters in natural disasters.
They were both Americans, both going about their lives on city streets, and both brutally killed in acts deemed to be terrorism. But only one was publicly acknowledged by the US President.

Kurt Cochran, 54, was in London to celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary on March 22, when he was mowed down on Westminster Bridge. The perpetrator was Khalid Masood, a British man police say held an "interest in jihad".

President Trump maintains a travel ban is what will keep Americans safe. Credit:AP

Two days earlier, Timothy Caughman, 66, was collecting cans in Manhattan when he was fatally stabbed with an 18-inch sword. Police have arrested James Jackson over the killing, a young American who they allege came to New York for the sole purpose of killing African-American men like Caughman and who held white supremacist views. Jackson has since been charged with murder as an act of terrorism (he entered a plea of not guilty on Wednesday).

In the aftermath of the Westminster attack, Trump went to his favoured pulpit, Twitter, to pay tribute to Cochran, labelling him a "great American". But nearly a fortnight later, he's still said nothing publicly (nor tweeted a word) about Caughman.
A state lawmaker from Missoula wants to look at why housing costs so much and if there's ways to ease regulations to fix the problem.

Rep. Adam Hertz, R-Missoula, said Tuesday that his study bill would review local zoning regulations and state and local subdivision laws and regulations to see how they affect the development and availability of workforce housing.

But several legislators on the committee Hertz presented House Joint Resolution 31 to, as well as those who spoke in support of it, quickly moved the conversation to other social issues  homelessness, recidivism, low wages and more  that interplay with a shortage of housing and high rent and home prices.

"Those of you who live in communities like Missoula, Bozeman and Whitefish know we have a real problem with workforce housing in our state," Hertz told the House Local Government Committee. "The market needs to be able to better react to demands for housing."

He also said the issue pops up in Eastern Montana, where the Bakken oilfields brought an influx of workers and the Keystone XL Pipeline project could bring more.

Montana's rate of home ownership has decreased from 70 percent to 66 percent in the last decades. Rent prices have increased more than 5 percent in the last three years.

Housing prices in Montana have risen at the third-fastest rate among all states, according to a presentation hosted by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana last year. The median home value has risen 125 percent in Richland County, 114 percent in Gallatin County, 103 in Custer, 100 percent in Missoula, 99 in Flathead and 89 in Lewis and Clark. About 58 percent of Montanans believe that Montana is not affordable.

Andrea Davis, executive director of Homeword, a nonprofit that helps people secure housing, gave several examples of businesses in Montana communities that couldn't keep staff because employees couldn't afford housing.

"Missoula's inaccessible housing market is one of the most significant deterrents to healthy growth. ... Home really matters. Housing is part of our collective prosperity."

As the hearing progressed, some lawmakers on the committee brought up other housing issues they wanted addressed, from homelessness to short-term vacation rentals lowering the availability of housing for locals.

Rep. Mary Ann Dunwell, D-Helena, asked Hertz if he would be willing to add a component to study wages in the state. Dunwell earlier this legislative session brought a bill to increase the state's minimum wage and, after that failed to advance, a resolution to study what a living wage in the state is. That was also tabled.

Hertz said while he believes the social issues are worthy of addressing, he wanted to keep his bill narrowly focused.

"I think combining all of those into one study will be really complex and unlikely to bring forward a product that I think would be particularly useful."
Emotions are running high in Weston Creek over proposed public housing developments. The ACT government should represent the interests of all Canberrans and weigh the concerns of the existing local community (and any potential harm to the environment) against the prospective benefits for new residents.

The fact that such developments would permanently alter the area places an extra responsibility on proponents to offer strong evidence in their favour. To date, none has been forthcoming.

Chapman residents who oppose a proposal to build public housing in their park. Credit:Rohan Thomson

In response to the government's refusal to consult meaningfully, I spoke face-to-face with about 250 Chapman and Rivett residents. It was an enlightening 10 days.

This corner of Weston Creek is socially diverse, boasting a multicultural community spanning six generations, 20-plus nationalities, and a mix of public and private housing. Opinions varied, but 98 per cent were against the proposed development of Chapman's "Darwinia Park" (two "in favour"; 35 "oppose"; 210 "strongly oppose"; three "don't know"). There was no clear correlation with age, gender, type of housing tenure, or even distance from the site.
The scale of water demand from Adani's giant coal mine in Queensland appears to be larger than expected, as the company seeks approval for a large, additional flood-harvesting dam.

As Fairfax Media revealed, the company's proposed Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin was last week controversially granted uncapped access to the groundwater in a licence that expired in 2077.

However, just how much surface water the mine will need remains unclear. Its "external water demand ... is in the order of 12 gigalitres a year", according to its supplementary environmental impact statement (SEIS).

Documents obtained under freedom of information, however, suggest the thirst for water at what would be Australia's biggest coal mine may be even larger.
Every one of Australia's universities has committed to simultaneously releasing data on sexual assaults on their campuses after concerns were raised about a landmark survey of 39,000 students that would not reveal how many assaults had occurred at each institution.

Universities Australia secured the commitment from all 39 universities to release individual data on Wednesday in what has been described as "an incredibly important step" by the peak body's chairman and Vice-Chancellor of the Western Sydney University, Barney Glover.

"It is something that has never happened in the world on this sort of scale and it is equally important that when the national report is released that universities release their institutional data at exactly the same time," said Professor Glover.

"We all recognise the importance of this issue, there have been all-too-frequent concerns expressed and it was time that we came together with this high on our agenda, and we resolved to address it."
Controversial anti-Islam activist and former Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali says authorities need to more effectively "assimilate" Muslim migrants in Australia and prevent Islamists and would-be extremists from arriving.

Speaking days after she cancelled a visit to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney citing security threats, Ms Hirsi Ali said she was unfazed by planned large protests, but poor security planning had made the trip impossible.

In a friendly interview with conservative Sydney radio host Alan Jones on Wednesday, the atheist author said the government needed to intervene to prevent extremists preying on young men in religious schools and promoting their attitude of hostility towards Australian society.

"The national government should start first by developing effective programs to assimilate those Muslims who are already accepted into Australia, those with citizenship, those with permanent residency, those with visas," she said.
Australia has backed an independent investigation into the Syrian government's role in deadly chemical weapons attacks, but Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has signalled the Turnbull government favours increasing pressure on Russia and Iran over a US-led direct military intervention.

As President Donald Trump described the deaths of more than 70 people in the northern Idlib province as an unacceptable attack that "crosses many lines", the US also warned an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council it may take unilateral action against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Ms Bishop said the international community should instead seek to put more pressure on Russia and Iran to bring about an end to the six-year civil war.

"They must stop the Assad regime from taking this kind of action, if indeed the Assad regime is responsible in these chemical attacks," she told ABC radio.
Treasurer Scott Morrison is eyeing a $4 billion bonus from booming iron ore and coal prices, a month out from the May 9 budget, and is likely to plough it back into reducing the federal deficit.

Government MPs familiar with budget deliberations confirmed to Fairfax Media that forecast deficits of $36.5 billion in 2016-17 and $28.7 billion in 2017-18 could come in lower than expected.

Mr Morrison last month told Parliament the government's "fiscal strategy is to reduce the deficit and to reduce debt on every opportunity, if there is any improvement in commodity prices or improvement in the parameters that would lead to that result".

One government MP told Fairfax Media a "really tight clamp has been put on spending" and that "windfalls on the revenue side will show up in the coming weeks. Expect the deficit to be lower".
Hairdresser Ilaina McKenzie is not looking for a partner, but the 35-year-old is in the market for someone who wants to help her make a baby.

Two months ago she joined a couple of "networking sites", including CoParents.com and Co-Parentmatch.com.

"I have been thinking about it for five years, trying to get pregnant, looking for a relationship, trying to have a baby," Ms McKenzie said.

"Every person I look at, I think, 'they are going to be the father of my child'. So I am getting into relationships that don't work, because I have this ulterior motive."
A recent Saturday Night Live skit cast actress Scarlett Johansson as Ivanka Trump. Dressed in head-to-toe gold, Johansson-as-Trump walks through a gilded room, the star of her own fragrance commercial.

"A feminist and advocate, a champion for women. But, like, how?" the narrator intones. "She's loyal, she's devoted, but probably should have bounced after the Access Hollywood thing."

"Complicit - the fragrance for the woman who could stop all this, but won't."

The skit encapsulates the main critique of Ms Trump's critics, who say there is little evidence that the first daughter - who has claimed to be a political independent and professed liberal social views - has served as a moderating force within her father's administration.
A measles outbreak in western Sydney has infected another six people including three children, with health authorities warning the cases spent time at the Children's Hospital at Westmead while infectious.

The latest six confirmed measles patients come less than a week after NSW Health reported four people had acquired measles and spent time in the area while infectious. They bring the total number for the year so far to 19 with more cases expected.

The most recent cases spent time while infectious in the emergency department at the Children's Hospital Westmead on April 1-2, NSW Health said.

Babies younger than 12 months have not received their first scheduled measles vaccination.
A Liberal byelection candidate already backtracking on claims to have spent a decade in her electorate is refusing to say whether she misled former Prime Minister John Howard with another claim about her past residence.

Government relations and media adviser Felicity Wilson is the strong favourite for Saturday's byelection for the seat of North Shore.

Ms Wilson, born in the Hunter, has been fielding questions about the depth of her links to the lower north shore seat, first in a preselection and now in a race against local independents.

But after a casual exchange with Mr Howard she has been forced to retract another claim about living in Sydney's north.
Parents of students who miss school excessively could lose their drivers licenses or temporary cash assistance meant to help needy families get back on their feet under a proposed law that has moved through the Montana Senate.

The senator carrying the bill, Chas Vincent, R-Libby, said school principals in his northwestern Montana district asked him for extra arrows in the quiver for parents who do not work with attendance officers to make sure their children are attending school.

I know its delicate when you start talking about things like benefits, but were not trying to hurt anyone here. Were trying to help kids. There is a problem and we have to help get these kids to school.

But opponents to the bill, including the state health department, argue that taking financial help away from already struggling families is not a good tactic.

Montana does not track truancy or get involved with enforcement at the state level. The Office of Public Instruction did not take a position on the bill, but Superintendent Elsie Arntzen issued a statement this week saying she supports local control.

As superintendent I believe in local control. In Montana, local school districts, not the state, are responsible for administering and enforcing truancy laws.

The next hearing on Senate Bill 361 is set for Monday at 3 p.m.

Under the bill, attendance officers would create a contract between the student, school and parent or guardian to fix truancy problems. Parents would be required to attend a parenting class and pay a $10 fee, and do anything else required by the truancy officer to decrease the likelihood of continued truancy.

Parents who fail to meet the requirements of the contact would no longer qualify for public assistance, and truancy officers would report that to local public assistance offices. This is something local school districts can choose to do and not a new requirement.

During the first hearing on the bill, Vincent said the majority of families with children who are truant are on some sort of public assistance. But to keep the bill from targeting the poor, he also included a provision to take away drivers licenses from parents who do not address truancy issues.

I didn't want to have folks say we were just trying to pick on the less well-off in society because there is a small percentage of parents that are what I would maybe call middle class that also have truancy issues, Vincent said.

The bill does allow for parents to drive to and from work or other essential driving.

While the Department of Public Health and Human Services said it supports efforts to address attendance, a staff attorney warned measures like this do not impact truancy rates but can increase pressures on struggling families.

Efforts to ensure attendance should focus on identification of underlying issues. Those efforts should not risk making those underlying issues worse, said Nicholas Domitrovich.

Domitrovich said the bill could increase the number of children in foster care and put a huge burden on the already strained Office of Public Assistance.

The money Vincent proposes taking away is Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and comes from a federal block grant. The program is meant to boost families out of poverty, Domitrovich said.

Families that qualify must have resources of less than $3,000 and not have a monthly income of more than $1,317 for a family of four. That family would be eligible for $709 a month. Adults can get payments for a maximum of 60 months in their lifetime.

Domitrovich warned the bill could put more children into the already overburdened foster care program because it would reduce parents ability to care for them. He also said local Offices of Public Assistance do not have the ability to share information on assistance eligibility with schools.

The bill also singles out families who receive assistance, which may be unconstitutional because it discriminates against people based on social conditions, Domitrovich said. It creates two classes of person.

Under past Superintendent Denise Juneau the state Office of Public Instruction had an Attendance Matters initiative, an cousin of the Graduation Matters program, that encouraged better attendance.

And while the state does not track overall truancy, it does look at the issue for schools that are a part of the Schools of Promise program.

Attendance rates at some schools, such as Pryor Elementary, increased from 63.7 percent to 88 percent from 2009 to 2014, but dropped at other schools in the program, with Plenty Coups High School going from 81 percent to 77 percent.
After a night of drinking and dancing at Kings Cross clubs, a woman found her friend on the street, upset, hunched over, and crying hysterically.

"She was just a mess," the woman told the NSW District Court on Wednesday.

Luke Lazarus outside court this week. Credit:Michele Mossop

Her friend was allegedly raped by Luke Andrew Lazarus behind the Soho nightclub in the early hours of May 12, 2013.

The friends had become separated on the club's dance floor and, after a series of phone calls and text messages, they reunited near a crossing on Victoria Street after 4am.
Queensland Law Society president Christine Smyth said Judge Moynihan was one of Queensland's "finest legal leaders" and one of Australia's most respected lawyers.

His funeral will be held at St Brigid's Church at Red Hill from 2pm.

The funeral for the Queensland Supreme Court justice who provided crucial evidence to Australia's landmark Mabo High Court decision will be held in Brisbane on Friday.

Judge Moynihan also chaired Queensland's Crime and Misconduct Commission between 2010-11.

"It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Judge Moynihan, one the legal profession's true leading lights," Ms Smyth said.

"His passing is a great loss to the profession and I would like to pass on my sympathies to his family, who will no doubt be in thoughts of those who knew Judge Moynihan, worked alongside him, appeared before him and remember him with great fondness and admiration."

Judge Moynihan  the son of barrister and acting Supreme Court Judge Nicholas Moynihan - was born into one of Queensland's most famous legal families and was admitted to the Bar in February 1965. He spent 19 years as a barrister and was appointed a judge of Queensland Supreme Court in February 1984.

In private practice he appeared in several inquiries into drug trafficking, drilling on the Great Barrier Reef and mining on Moreton Island and in 2010 investigated Cameron Doomadgee's death on Palm Island.
The Queensland government has ordered an independent review of how a dam was operated before floods hit the Eton area, south of Mackay, sparking dozens of dramatic rescues.

Choppers had to pluck Eton residents to safety last Wednesday after Cyclone Debbie crossed the coast, flooding properties downstream of the Kinchant Dam.

Widespread flooding hit north Queensland in the wake of Cyclone Debbie. Credit:AUSTRALIAN DEFEENCE FORCE

State Water Minister Mark Bailey has ordered the state's chief scientist to review how the dam was operated, whether that contributed to the scale of the flooding, and the adequacy of warnings given to downstream residents.

Residents have said they weren't told of releases from the dam after phone and internet services went down, and believe those releases made the flood disaster much worse.
Damage to the bridge over Clive Creek, near Clarke Creek State School due to flooding. Credit:Felicity Caldwell Ms Worsley is also grateful to the workers who removed the dead kangaroos, which were stuck up in trees. They had started to smell. Ms Worsley said her husband Bill went outside on Wednesday afternoon last week as waters began to rise after a large tree blocked their house, and tried to see if they could move their car to higher ground, when a wall of water rushed at him. Clarke Creek State School after the deluge. Credit:Felicity Caldwell "The first wall [of water] came from behind us, the creeks had blown their banks.

"The first little wall hit him and steadily rose." The library's books were saved after a gap opened between the two buildings, which were previously connected, allowing the water to gush out. Credit:Felicity Caldwell This community has always been a strong one, but wow. Absolutely wow. They could then only wait on the verandah of the house and watch the water rise up their steps as the Clarke Creek school, only a stone's throw away, was flooded. In addition to the damage to the school, Ms Worsley also lost possessions, which were stored under her house.

"But we're alive and... as soon as I heard all the families were all well, we took another breath." The school's 11 students are in years Prep to Year 6 and mostly come from families in the farming industry in the surrounding area. The school also caters for a playgroup. Ms Worsley said the community of about 170 people was doing it tough, with many facing huge costs to repair fences, come to grips with the damage, and needing to find lost cattle. But people were still determined to help each other and their school. "Some of the bigger stations, they have their own helicopters for mustering," she said.

"The first morning people were coming in and making sure we were safe. "Other helicopter pilots have been taking people around to find their horses and other animals, just dropping supplies in, it's been incredible. "This community has always been a strong one, but wow. Absolutely wow. "They're not, 'it's all over' kind of people, it's like, 'get on with things'." Police Minister Mark Ryan visited the school on Wednesday and promised no community would be left behind.

"We wanted to make sure no one felt isolated, no one felt left behind," he said. "It's important for us to not only get out to the major regional centres, but those little towns as well to make sure that all those communities not only feel like the government is there for them but have the opportunity to raise any issues which might help with their recovery following the disaster." Mr Ryan said seeing the damage and hearing the stories was "confronting". In one glimmer of good news, the school's library books were saved after a gap in the floor between two joined-together buildings opened due to the force of the water underneath. It meant the water emptied away, rather than pooling inside the library.

The region is threaded with creeks, which swelled furiously and washed away bridges into the area, including causing massive damage to the bridge over nearby Clive Creek. A temporary road to Clarke Creek State School opened on Tuesday, allowing crews of workers - who Ms Worsley described as "fabulous" - to assess the damage and address urgent issues, such as plumbing and electrical repairs. Before that, the government was only able to do aerial surveys. Mr Ryan said crews arrived to help the school as quickly as they could. "Obviously there's significant damage to the road infrastructure all over Queensland, and the first priority was always to gain access to areas to make sure that we could get emergency relief through to areas so I understand that was the priority, but now the priority is recovery," he said.

On Wednesday, road crews were engaged in the arduous task of repairing the damage to roads and bridges, swatting away swarms of irritating flying midges. Despite the massive job ahead, Ms Worsley said she was determined the school would be open for day one of term two, and hoped to organise counsellors for the students. Education Minister Kate Jones said staff had identified more than 700 jobs to be completed at about 300 schools across Queensland following the severe weather. "Clean-up will be in the millions of dollars," she said. "We're getting on with the job of repairing our schools and we're aiming to have every school open for term two after the Easter holidays."
Police are treating as suspicious the death of a woman whose lifeless body was found in a home south of Cairns.

The woman's body was discovered in the Bentley Park home on Wednesday afternoon after someone known to her raised the alarm.

Credit:Glenn Hunt

The Cairns Post has quoted a number of neighbours saying they often heard arguing and fighting at the home.

"I called the police twice at the end of last year," a neighbour who wished to remain anonymous said.
The High Court has rejected an Andrews government bid to thwart an investigation into its alleged misuse of taxpayer-funded resources for political campaigning at the 2014 election.

The embarrassing blow for the government means Ombudsman Deborah Glass is free to continue investigating allegations that Labor used electoral officers for campaigning in contravention of parliamentary rules.

Daniel Andrews. Credit:Justin McManus

The legal setback comes as Victoria Police confirmed to the state opposition that its request for an investigation into the conduct of former speaker Telmo Languiller had been allocated to an investigator for assessment.

Mr Languiller was forced to resign as Speaker after it emerged he claimed $37,800 from a lucrative second residence allowance for a Queenscliff home away from his outer suburban electorate.
Victorians could be forced to fork out an extra $84 million on their power bills because of a tense standoff between the Andrews government and the owner of the state's electricity poles and wires over new bushfire prevention technology.

AusNet Services - the company that controls Victoria's electricity transmission network - is warning it will be forced to resort to an "extremely expensive" option to minimise the risk of dangerous sparks from fallen power lines because the government has failed to change "impractical and contradictory" regulations.

In 2014 AusNet Services, formerly SP AusNet, was forced to hand over a record $378.6 million to Black Saturday survivors as part of a historic class action. That came after the Black Saturday Royal Commission found the devastating Kilmore East-Kinglake bushfire was caused by a spark from one of SP AusNet's ageing transmission lines.

As a result, the company agreed to install technology known as Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiters in some high risk bushfire areas to minimise future risks - in addition to insulating or placing some lines underground in areas of extreme risk.

The highly specialised technology, produced by a single Scandinavian-based company with just 11 employees, works by transferring the current from fallen lines into other cables, increasing the voltage.
A psychologist should have questioned a man more about his anger 10 days before he killed his ex-girlfriend, a coroner has found.

James Stoneham had 14 sessions with a clinical psychologist in the five months before he stabbed Adriana Donato in the neck in an Aberfeldie reserve, including one session 10 days before and another the day before.

James Stoneham arriving sat the Supreme court in November 2013. Credit:Justin McManus

On Wednesday, coroner Peter White found psychologist Caroline Gregory did not ask Stoneham directly who he was angry towards and should have mentioned Ms Donato's name.

She should have also asked whether Stoneham had "developed a plan as to how any such harm was to be inflicted", Mr White found.
A young woman could spend more than a decade in prison for importing millions of dollars worth of the drug ice hidden in a rowing machine, a parcel of curry powder and other packages. Suet Yee Cheng arrived in Australia from her native Hong Kong with an ice habit and $14,000 debt, and between November 2015 and April last year had four parcels of drugs sent to addresses she rented. Suet Yee Cheng imported the drug ice in curry powder and rowing machine parts. Credit:Vince Caligiuri One was a package of curry powder containing 770 grams of ice mailed to a room in Doncaster. Cheng also arranged for a rowing machine to be delivered by a freight company to her Docklands home, the County Court heard on Wednesday. More than six kilograms of ice was packed among the parts of the rowing machine, but were detected by authorities.

Judge Sandra Davis said Cheng had 16.7 kilograms of ice, with a street value of up to $11 million, and 550 grams of ephedrine - a chemical used to manufacture the drug - sent to the Docklands address and two rooms in Doncaster. Cheng, 20, pleaded guilty to importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug and importing a quantity of a drug precursor. She was jailed for 10 years and six months, and must serve seven years before she is eligible for parole. She has already served 357 days. Judge Davis found Cheng's role in having the drugs imported into Australia was more than that of a courier, as she arranged the addresses and contacted the freight company when the rowing machine initially failed to show up. The judge said people involved in drug importing would face stern punishments to deter others from offending, because of the "adverse" social effects drug had and because the offending was difficult to detect.
Teenager Amelia Walters says a bombardment of negative messages about the state of our world is ruining her generation's mental health.

In an alarming snapshot of Australian students' wellbeing, seven out of 10 surveyed by the National Union of Students last year rated their mental health as only "poor or fair".

Amelia Walters is a headspace ambassador after experiencing mental health problems at university. Credit:Chris Hopkins

Amelia, 19, was left paralysed with anxiety and depression after moving to Melbourne from Brisbane to take up a university scholarship last year.

Despite being the high school dux, who scored the highest possible ATAR, she found herself unable to get out of bed and attend classes at University of Melbourne.
BILLINGS  The man who led police on a chase that ended with a four-hour standoff in Billings Tuesday faces a rape charge in an ongoing, year-old case.

Police identified Dustin Linley Kennedy, 33, as the man who drove a stolen car to the base of the Rims and hid behind rocks, claiming to have weapons.

Police tried to negotiate for hours with Kennedy until he gave up and was arrested without incident.

According to court records, Kennedy was already the subject of another court case.

Kennedy was charged in April 2016 with sexual intercourse without consent. Prosecutors alleged that he raped a 15-year-old girl in Laurel. He pleaded not guilty on April 15, 2016, and he was later released after posting bond.

The case has continued through the court process, and on March 1, 2017, the Yellowstone County Attorneys Office filed to revoke Kennedys release.

According to records, Kennedy has been arrested for theft and suspected meth possession since his release. A $50,000 bench warrant was issued for Kennedy, which was active when he tried to elude law enforcement on Tuesday.

Kennedy will likely appear in court in the coming days to face new charges related to Tuesday's standoff.

At about 10 a.m. Tuesday, Billings police identified a stolen Toyota Tacoma at the Super 8 motel located at 5400 Southgate Drive. An officer tried to stop the vehicle. A suspect later identified as Kennedy sped off in the pickup and yelled he had a bomb, said a Wednesday news release from Billings Police Department.

The release said no evidence was found Kennedy was ever in possession of explosives. He's being held at Yellowstone County Detention Facility on suspicion of two counts of criminal endangerment. Police continue to investigate the stolen vehicle.
Police have charged a man over an alleged April Fools Day prank in Perth's northern suburbs which went too far.

It seems pretending to hold up a bank is not as hilarious as one man thought.

The incident is alleged to have happened at the Clarkson Westpac branch on Saturday afternoon, just after 12pm.

Police will allege the man walked into the bank holding a cigarette lighter which was shaped like a small pistol.
Lawyers are gathering information to launch a class action against the Catholic Diocese of Bunbury for sex crimes allegedly committed by a former Esperance priest.

Porters Lawyers are preparing the lawsuit on behalf of three people who say they were victims of institutionalised sexual abuse by Father William "Kevin" Glover, who died in 1999.

The lawyers said the ad in the local paper brought more potential victims forward.

Porters Lawyers principle Jason Parkinson said Father Glover was never convicted, but betrayed the Esperance community.

"They were harbouring a viper to their breast," Mr Parkinson said.
The detective who named Lloyd Rayney as the only suspect in his wife's murder has told the barrister's defamation case he believed he legally had to correct the police commissioner's comment that he was a person of interest.

Inspectorector Jack Lee, the detective in charge of WA's major crime squad at the time, had never seen such media interest in a case.

Corryn Rayney's (right) brother in law said in court Ms Rayney accused her husband Lloyd Rayney (left) of being 'a snake'.

When a search warrant was executed in September 2007 - one month after Corryn Rayney died - Mr Rayney was arrested as a suspect for murder and for arranging the installation of a recording device on the home phone.

It was the first major arrest under the then-new Criminal Investigation Act and they had to get it right, Inspector Lee told the WA Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Two people have been hospitalised with critical and serious injuries, and their alleged assailants arrested, after separate incidents on Tuesday afternoon across the state.

Kensington Detectives allege around 3.10pm a man assaulted a woman known to him at a home on Somers Street, Belmont.

A 37-year-old man remains in a critical condition after the stabbing. Credit:Georgia Matts

A passerby found the woman, 49, seriously injured on the street near the Sydenham Street corner and called an ambulance.

Ninety minutes later on Wilson Street, Kalgoorlie, a 26-year-old South Kalgoorlie woman and a 36-year-old Piccadilly man, who detectives say knew each other, had a physical fight that left the man with life-threatening injuries.
A victim of a suspected chemical attack receives treatment at a makeshift hospital. Credit:AP The government of Assad, who renounced chemical weapons nearly five years ago after a large chemical attack that US intelligence agencies concluded was carried out by his forces, earlier denied that his military had been responsible, as he has done every time chemical munitions have been used in Syria. A statement from the Syrian military accused insurgents of responsibility and said they had accused the army of using toxic weapons "every time they fail to achieve the goals of their sponsors". Civil defence workers spray water on victims after the chemical weapons attack near Idlib. Credit:Getty Images But only the Syrian military had the ability and the motive to carry out such an aerial attack.

Witnesses said it began before 7am. Numerous photographs and graphic videos posted online by activists and residents showed children and older adults gasping and struggling to breathe, or lying motionless in the mud as rescue workers ripped off victims' clothes and hosed them down. The bodies of least 10 children lay lined up on the ground or under a quilt. A man carries a child following the suspected chemical attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun. Credit:Edlib Media Centre A few hours later, according to several witnesses, another airstrike hit one of the clinics treating victims, who had been sent to smaller hospitals and maternity wards because the area's largest hospital was severely damaged by an airstrike two days earlier. The scale and brazenness of the assault threatened to further subvert a nominal and often violated cease-fire that had taken hold in parts of the country since Assad's forces retook the northern city of Aleppo in December with Russian help, emboldening the Syrian leader to think he could win the war. A child victim of the chemical attack is treated at a makeshift hospital. Credit:AP

The attack also seemed likely to dampen peace talks that have been overseen by the United Nations in Geneva and by Russia and Turkey in Astana, Kazakhstan. Incredulous over the chemical assault, humanitarian groups demanded action from the UN Security Council, where partisan divides over who is to blame for the Syrian war have paralyzed its members almost since the conflict began in 2011. On Tuesday night, Britain, France and the United States were pushing the Security Council to adopt a resolution that condemned the attack and orders the Syrian government to provide all flight logs, flight plans and names of commanders in charge of air operations, including those for Tuesday, to international investigators. The draft resolution, negotiated among diplomats from the three countries on Tuesday, was later circulated to all 15 members of the council. It could come up for a vote as early as Wednesday. For US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly blamed what he has called former president Barack Obama's failures for the Syria crisis, the chemical weapons assault posed a potential policy dilemma and exposed some blaring contradictions in his own evolving positions on Syria.

The White House called the attack a "reprehensible" act against innocent people "that cannot be ignored by the civilised world." At the same time, Trump's spokesman, Sean Spicer, denounced Obama for having failed to make good on his famous "red line" statement in 2012, suggesting he would intervene militarily in Syria if Assad used chemical weapons. But in August 2013, Trump exhorted Obama not to intervene after a chemical weapons attack near Damascus that U.S. intelligence attributed to the Syrian military killed more than 1400 civilians, including hundreds of children, according to US government estimates at the time. "President Obama, do not attack Syria," Trump said on Twitter. "There is no upside and tremendous downside." Trump's administration, which would like to shift the focus in Syria entirely to fighting the Islamic State, has in recent days described Assad's hold on his office as a political reality - an assertion that has drawn strong condemnation from influential Republicans who say Assad must leave power. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who had said that Assad's fate "will be decided by the Syrian people", struck a sharply different tone on Tuesday, urging Assad's allies Russia and Iran "to exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again".
Reykjavik: Iceland has became the first country to introduce legislation requiring employers to prove they are paying men and women equally.

Iceland has had equal pay laws for half a century, pushing companies and the government to gradually reduce the pay gap. But the thinking behind the new legislation is that unless the laws are applied more forcefully, the imbalance may never really close.

The tax department of the the Icelandic Customs agency, where most jobs are held by women and only a few by men, in Reykjavik, Iceland. Credit:New York Times

"We want to break down the last of the gender barriers in the workplace," said Thorsteinn Viglundsson, Iceland's social affairs and equality minister. "History has shown that if you want progress, you need to enforce it."

The law will also make Iceland the first country in the world to make employers prove they offer equal pay regardless of ethnicity, sexuality or nationality.
Victims of a chemical attack in Syria show symptoms consistent with reaction to a nerve agent, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday.

"Some cases appear to show additional signs consistent with exposure to organo-phosphorus chemicals, a category of chemicals that includes nerve agents," WHO said in a statement, confirming the death toll at at least 70.

The World Health Organisation says a nerve gas was likely to have been the source of the chemical attack in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun. Credit:Qasioun News Agency

The United States has said the deaths were caused by sarin nerve gas dropped by Syrian aircraft. Russia said the poison gas leaked from a rebel chemical weapons depot struck by Syrian bombs.

Sarin is an organo-phosporus compound and a nerve agent. Chlorine and mustard gas, which are also believed to have been used in the past in Syria, are not.
Washington: US President Donald Trump said an apparent poison gas attack in Syria that killed more than 70 people has changed his thinking on the six-year crisis, as the US signalled a more aggressive response to a conflict that Western leaders and the UN have struggled to resolve.

Asked on Wednesday if the gas attack crossed a "red line," Mr Trump said it "crossed a lot of lines for me. That crosses many, many lines, beyond red lines." Standing alongside King Abdullah II of Jordan at the White House, he called the incident "an affront to humanity. These heinous actions by the Assad regime cannot be tolerated."

The attack on Tuesday, which two human rights and medical groups say bears the signs of illegal chemical weapons use, puts the Trump administration in a bind. If chemicals were used by Assad's military, it would mean Syria violated a deal to destroy such weapons, an accord brokered by the Obama administration and Russia after an August 2013 sarin gas attack killed more than 1000 people in a Damascus suburb.

As a private citizen at the time, Mr Trump slammed proponents of greater involvement in Syria following that attack, saying the US should "stay away" from the crisis.
Beijing: China will come bearing small gifts, and take the measure of the man who has become the wildcard of global politics, eyeball to eyeball.

Ahead of the first meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Florida on Thursday, Chinese analysts say both leaders have strong domestic political reasons to make the summit "not a failure".

Mr Trump will loudly proclaim to an American domestic audience that his tough bargaining has extracted victory over China on the issues of North Korea and US trade imbalances, they predict.

Mr Xi will in turn win a delay to punitive US trade sanctions, and avoid US action against North Korea that harms Chinese companies.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Junior Carnival Parade will be held on Saturday, April 8. The St. Maarten Carnival development expects a small, but a lively parade for children which, because of how late Easter is falling, has to be held much earlier than usual.

The parade will kick off at 2:00 pm from the Jose Lake Ballpark along L.B. scot Road. All troupes will begin gathering at 12 noon on Saturday. The parade will travel down L.B. Scot Road, Bush Road, over the Prins Bernard Bridge and take the span of Pondfill until it ends at the Little League Ball Park.

The SCDF took the decision last year not to take the children parade down Front street and will stick to that decision this year. The foundation explained that Front street for small children presents too much of a problem with heat and too many obstructions for emergency services that might have to get to children quickly.

Adults can handle heat better and know for themselves when its time to take a break etc. Children are much more sensitive and often cannot tell when they are in danger with heat etc. Last year Pondfill worked well for us and the children, the SCDF said.
GREAT FALLS  Montana officials say an autopsy revealed the death of a man whose body was found in the Missouri River in Great Falls this week was suspicious.

Cascade County Sheriff Bob Edwards says crews planned to search the riverbank on Wednesday for any further evidence.

A woman walking her dog spotted the man's body on Sunday.

Edwards says the man's name will be released as soon as they are able to confirm his identity and notify his family.
GREAT BAY(DCOMM):--- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), announces that trench works will be carried out along Bush road in the vicinity of the Daily Herald Office and nearby buildings.

These works will be taking place on April 5, 6 and 7. The works will be carried out by R.G.C. Rohan General Contracting Co.

On Wednesday, April 5, trench work and laying of cables will be carried out from 8.00am to 6.00pm; on Thursday, April 6, trench finalization and the placement of dowels will take place from 8.00am to 6.00pm; and on Friday, April 7, pouring of concrete will be carried out during the early morning hours before 6.00am.

Motorists are requested to be vigilant and observant for work crews and small machinery in operation.

Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences this may cause.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Inspector General of VSA Dr. Earl Best representing the Inspectorate filed a court case (appeal) against the Minister of VSA Emil Lee for issuing an instruction against the Inspectorate (gag order) due to information the Inspectorate released to SMN News.

The hearing was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at 2 pm but it disappeared off the docket after the Minister withdrew his gag order (instruction).

SMN News asked Minister Lee about the court case that was filed against him and he said that the case regards patients/peoples privacy which the inspectorate chose to release to SMN News. He also stated that the Inspectorate appealed the instruction because they claimed they were not heard before the instruction was issued. He said he is now in the process of hearing the inspectorate and will decide how to proceed in the matter.

It should be noted that last week Wednesday SMN News asked the Minister about the gag order issued by SMMC to the staff of the hospital whereby the staff was instructed not to speak to the inspectors of the inspectorate. SMN News also asked Minister Lee if any other gag orders were issued and he said then that he was not aware of the one SMMC issued neither any other gag orders. It is clear that Minister Lee lied last week when he was questioned by SMN News reporter because he himself issued a gag order to the Inspectorate which landed him in court and he pulling back his MB (instruction). While Minister Lee is preaching about integrity and transparency his cabinet is in breach of integrity since they leaked an advice that was meant for the Inspectorate to SMMC and to SZV. Not only the Minister lied to SMN News but he also lied to the Parliament of St. Maarten when he was asked why SMMC is refusing to cooperate with the operational audit, and if the institution has that right? In that meeting, Minister Lee said the Inspectorate is free to investigate and conduct investigations and since the department is a separate entity he does not interfere, nowhere did Minister Lee told the Members of Parliament that he issued a gag order and that the inspectorate had filed an appeal against his decision. SMN News also learned that the Inspector General Dr. Earl Best has filed a complaint with the Ombudsman against Minister Lee for breach of integrity and gross interference which is hindering the Inspectorate from conducting their duties. However, this could not be confirmed.

As for the audit, Minister Lee called for on February 8th, he said that the St. Maarten Medical Center and the inspectorate have been in discussions and that he does not know how far the discussions are and as such he does not have a date that is set for the audit.

The Minister went on to say the hired a consultant that will arrive on St. Maarten on April 16th and his duty is to conduct an assessment baseline study within the Ministry including SMMC. It should be noted that several persons rushed to SMN News complaining about cases of alleged malpractice at SMMC and how much they suffered for the lack proper treatment or incompetent specialists that hamper their lives causing them more pain and suffering while being a patient at SMMC.

Asked if he is aware that water testing was done at SMMC and it turned out that legionella disease in found in water at SMMC. Minister Lee said he is not aware of any water testing done at SMMC and he also did not get any information as to legionella being in the water.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister William Marlin is furious and he plans to do everything in his power to fully inform the Kingdom Council of Ministers who might well impose an instruction on St. Maarten to establish an integrity chamber. The Prime Minister told members of the media on Wednesday that he received a letter on Friday from Minister of Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk who informed him that he was sending an advice to the Kingdom Council to impose an instruction on St. Maarten for the establishment of an integrity chamber. Marlin said this advice is on the agenda for Friday and as such he and Minister of Finance Richard Gibson are traveling to the Netherlands on Wednesday afternoon where he intends to address the council on the integrity chamber issues.

Marlin went back in time and said that when he was in Aruba and discussed this matter with Minister Plasterk, the Minister asked him to not inform the media of their meetings, which includes disagreements. He said he complied with the agreement but yet the letter Minister Plasterk sent to St. Maarten was leaked to the media.

Marlin said he do not know if his presence and the information he intends to share with the Kingdom Council would stop the Kingdom from imposing an instruction on St. Maarten but one thing he can say that no such thing will be accepted by him as long as he is the Prime Minister of St. Maarten. He said just recently the Minister of Justice of The Netherlands had to leave his post for corruption allegations with drug lords while a chief of police was arrested only last week, yet the Kingdom wants to impose its will on St. Maarten.

Marlin said he is not condoning corruption or integrity breaches but he will not allow the Kingdom to interfere or impose things on St. Maarten when they themselves cannot justify their actions.

The Prime Minister went on to say that what the Kingdom is doing is not only going to affect government but it affect the entire St. Maarten and its time the people of St. Maarten stands up against the injustices.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Sint Maarten Christian Party welcomes the two proposals made by President of Parliament, Sarah Wescot-Williams, to improve the functioning of Parliament. One proposal increases the transparency and accountability of parliamentarians towards the voters and the other proposal improves the communication between parliament and the people. Unfortunately, our legislative representatives are not legally bound to inform the people about what is going on in parliament. Yes, via the public plenary and committee meetings we can get to know what is happening. But we must not forget that committee meetings can also be held behind closed doors, which has been happening quite often. The 2015 Transparency International Report expressed great concern about the flow of information from parliament to the public. The report further states that information coming out of parliament is very limited and not consistent and that the people and even parliament itself, have no way of holding our parliamentary representatives accountable other than when opportune in times of elections. It is, therefore, commendable that the President of Parliament has decided to hold public consultations every other week. Unfortunately, the other fourteen parliamentarians are not obliged to follow her example, but we truly trust that they will see the need to do so and follow suit.

On March 27th, I submitted a letter to the Honorable President of Parliament, giving several suggestions as to how to improve communications between parliament and the people. Here are two of the suggestions. Monthly press briefings: in order to keep the people informed about what parliament is doing, I propose that once per month the President of Parliament and chairpersons of the permanent/ad hoc committees hold a press briefing. The President of Parliament can inform the people as to what has transpired in parliament and what the plans are for the coming month. The committee chairpersons present can also inform the media of their activities. Weekly meetings with a Minister: in order to keep parliament and the public abreast of what is taking place at the executive level of government, I propose that, weekly, a minister is invited to share information, based on questions submitted by members of parliament a week in advance. In the U.K., it is called the Prime Ministers Question Time and in the Netherlands het weekelijkse vragenuurtje. In these parliamentary sessions, only the Prime Minister answer questions. However, I propose that, according to a schedule, all ministers get the opportunity to participate in what I call the Ministers Q&A.

The President of Parliaments proposal, to have members of parliament disclose all their functions, is a giant step towards raising the level of integrity, transparency, and accountability of parliament. Transparency International, as well as Bob Wit's Integrity Report, expressed great concern regarding this topic. The Wit Report proposed that parliament set up a public registry in which all functions, that parliamentarians are involved in, are registered. The proposal by the President of Parliament to strike the word public from Article 107 of the Election Ordinance is a fast and easy way to begin to improve transparency and accountability in Parliament. I urge the President to work on this matter immediately because if this amendment is presented close to election time parliamentarians can drag their feet on it and it might not be ready in time for a new parliament. MP Wescot-Williams, the chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee of Integrity, has raised the issue of public disclosure of functions several times in committee meetings but our honorable MPs apparently do not want to deal with this issue. However, in the interest of promoting accountability, integrity and transparency in public life our Parliament should expand and amend its Rules of Order or establish a separate Code of Conduct that discloses all relevant interests that a reasonable person might think could give rise to the perception of influencing behaviour between the Member's duties and responsibilities and his/her personal interests (eg land and property assets, share-holdings, gifts, foreign travel, symbolic rewards (e.g. honorary degree), sources of income, remunerated employment, directorships, liabilities, hospitality and affiliations). These shall be disclosed immediately the following election and continuously updated within a reasonable period specified by the parliament above a specified threshold. This listing of disclosures was taken from Recommended Benchmarks for Codes of Conduct applying to Members of Parliament, published by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (www.cpahq.org).

In order to raise the level of integrity in parliament, in government and in the civil service, it is imperative that Sint Maarten establishes a separate independent Integrity Chamber. The Minister of General Affairs, the Honorable William Marlin, believes that the tasks of the Integrity Commission can be delegated to one or more of the High Councils of State. His pet phrase is we can fix we. As I have written before, these Councils are advisory bodies and were not intended or designed to execute controlling and supervisory tasks. Take for example the General Audit Chamber. It executes its task, sends its reports to parliament which, up to this point, has never discussed or followed up on the advice of this Chamber. This is evidence that we cannot fix we.

I am calling on Parliament to be critical of the Governing Program which only outlines what Government plans to do but makes no mention of when, where and how Government intends to execute the plans and how much it will cost to realize these plans. The governing program is also silent, with regard to the sequencing and priority of its plans. Parliament, this governing program does not provide you with sufficient information to enable you to perform your controlling and monitoring task as a supervisory body.

Wycliffe Smith

Leader of the Sint Maarten Christian Party
Claim: Prayers are requested for a 22-month-old boy who accidentally shot himself with a nail gun. Rating: About this rating Outdated

Advertisment:

An entreaty for prayers on behalf of a 22-month-old boy in critical condition after accidentally shooting himself in the chest with a nail gun first hit our inbox in August 2010, spread in large part by Facebook and Twitter postings. The appeal took on new life in August 2011 when it once again spread through Facebook postings and showed up yet again in August 2016:

Posting for a friend of a friend -Janet James ...her 22 month old son shot himself in the chest with a brad nailer, it went in his heart, he is in critical condition not doing good, neither is mom. please start a prayer chain. Please ...copy and repost.... and pray URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!!! PLEASE RE-POST!! KAYLA SCOTT'S 22 MONTH OLD SON SHOT HIMSELF IN THE CHEST WITH A BRAD NAILER  IT WENT IN HIS HEART  HE IS NOW IN CRITICAL CONDITION AND NOT DOING WELL  NEITHER IS HIS MOM  PLEASE START A PRAYER CHAIN FOR THIS BABY  PLEASE COPY & REPOST ......AS YOU WOULD WANT SOMEONE TO...DO IT...FOR YOU

Our attempts to verify the existence of such a child back in 2010 were stymied because the name of the supposedly injured toddler was not included in the postings, and we received half a dozen different variants of the same message, each identifying the child's mother with a distinctly different name:

Prayer request for a friend of a friend of a friend... Deedee Parsons Simpson ... her 22 month old son shot himself in the chest with a brad nailer, it went in his heart, he is in critical condition not doing good, neither is mom. please start a prayer chain. Please copy and re post and pray for this little boy! URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: 4 a friend of a friend of a friend... Kayala Scott - her 22 month old son shot himself in the chest with a brad nailer. It went in his heart. He is in critical condition & not doing well. Neither is his mom. Plz, start a prayer chain for this baby!! Please copy ...& repost, even if you don't know them Prayer Request. Teresa Lynch URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: Posting for a FB friend: 22 month old son shot himself in the chest with a brad nail gun, it went in his heart, he is in critical condition not doing good, neither is mom~ please start a ...prayer chain. Please copy and re-post, and pray for them. Passing along this prayer request... Please pray for Cheryl Dewitts' 22 month old son, he shot himself in the chestwith a brad nailer. It went in his heart, he is in critical condition and not doing well, neither is his mom, please start a prayer chain. Please copy and repost... Please pray... what if it was your child? EMERGENCY PRAYER REQUEST!!! For a friend of a friend of my cousin. Terri Maczko's 22 month old son shot himself in the chest with a nail gun , it went in his heart, he is in critical condition not doing good, neither is mom~ please start a prayer chain. Please copy and repost........ and pray!!!!" Thank you for......... praying!!

In 2016 and in May 2017, entreaties for a parent named Micheal Bass (or Michael Bass) and his son Dakota (Miller) -- oftentimes the purported victim of a nail gun -- circulated widely on Facebook:

A request from a prayer warrior. "Please help get a prayer chain going for Micheal Bass's little boy named Dakota. They had to life flight him. He is having seizures. Forward this to everyone you can please!" Hey, can you help me get a prayer chain going for micheal bass's little boy named Dakota Miller. He's only an 18mo old baby! He got ahold of a nail gun..? They had to life flight him. He shot him self and he's on life support. Forward this to everyone As of late I have seen numerous posts about a baby named Dakota having to be airlifted because of being shot by a nail gun. Usually being posted by Michael Bass. Please Do Not post or pass along, it is a False post and has run amok for 8 years now.

We as Christians are susceptible to these kinds of things because of the Love we want to show towards others. God bless you! I have a couple prayer chain requests..if everyone who prays can do so and forward on. Please and TY PRAYERS NEEDED: Urgent prayer requests! 1. Kayla Scott's 22 month old son accidentally shot himself in the chest with a brad nailer (construction nail gun). It went off in his heart ~ He is now in critical condition and not doing well. Neither is his mom ~ Please start a prayer chain for this baby. 2. Micheal bass's little boy named Dakota. They had to life flight him. He is having seizures. Forward this to everyone you can please!

Please copy & re-post. As you would want someone to do it for you, thanx guys. The power of prayer. God says wherever there is three or more gathered in His name in complete harmony He will give them whatever they ask for. So please let's all be in complete Harmony and say this prayer for Kayla Scott's baby. Heavenly Father we come before you through Your son Jesus Christ we all pray that you heal Kayla Scott's baby AND Dakota Micheal Bass's little boy!!. We know that there is nothing that You can't do. We are all in complete harmony. And we also pray You give them strength. Thank you Father in the name of your son Jesus Christ Amen. Our prayers are with you. God Bless PRAYING, CLAIMING, AND RECEIVING! AMEN!!!

For those keeping score, the name of the injured child's mother is Janet James, or Dedee Parsons Simpson, or Kayala (Kayla) Scott, or Teresa Lynch, or Cheryl Dewitts, or Terri Maczko, with the "Kayala Scott" version having become the predominant one. (The name Kay Hutson Bedenbaugh also pops up on some lists, and a father named "Michael Bass" or Micheal Bass on others.) The pattern suggested these were not the names of the injured child's putative mother, but rather of those who simply forwarded or reposted the message.

On 9 August 2010, a person who stated he was the father of Hayden, the wounded child, posted the following account on an online prayer site (while someone else on a different forum posted a photograph purported to be a picture of a recovering Hayden and his mother):

First off, this is in no way a hoax. The child's name is Hayden and he is my son. I'm pleased to report that he will be leaving the hospital on Thursday as soon as he receives his last dose of antibiotics. Thank you so much for the prayers for his recovery, he is a miracle. The accident happened on 7/29/10, and he has been at Carle clinic in champaign, il since then. His big sister (almost 5) had helped him out of his crib while I was downstairs... I had been in and out all afternoon working on window trim while he was taking a nap. Yes, I should have unhooked it before walking away, and trust me I've thought about it constantly since then. Kinda hard not to blame myself, thank God he had his hand on my boy. I never would have even had the nailer out had he been awake. (don't think it wont haunt me forever thinking about how close i came to losing my son) The "nailer" or pinner by the way is just a little bigger than a staple gun, definitely lighter than 4-6#s....2.2#s per manufacturers specs to be exact. It also requires very little pressure on the front plunger for it to go off, after all it is a trim nailer and is designed that way to avoid marring up finished trim by having to push to hard. I know lots of people picture a large framing nailer and think no way a 2 year old could have done that. The DCFS case worker that investigated the incident thought the same thing, until she went to my house and saw how small and easy to set off it was. And as far as all the different names going around that's just because of the copying and pasting prayer request from facebook ect. The good thing is God knows the names and where to direct the healing, which he has done!!! So thank you to all who lifted us up in prayers, we are so blessed! And by the way, my son who is bigger than 2 of his 3 year old cousins can pick up and carry our 11 pound cat like it's no big deal. I'm suprised at how many people seem to think that a kid his size can't lift a few pounds. Geez, they obviously have never seen my son in action.

However, another poster in the prayer forum expressed skepticism after being unable to verify any of the details proffered by the person claiming to be Hayden's dad:

I have been going round and round with this supposed "father" of Hayden, the supposed 22-month old who shot himself. The blog/post that youre referring to is turning into a battle zone, especially Christian against Christian. If you go to that site, my display name is PrazB2JC and you can see what I mean. I did an extremely thorough research of this alleged incident. As in my prior posts, no proof, no validation, no details. The "father" states that his son is doing well in Champaign IL at Carle Clinic/Hospital. First of all, I called the hospital and while the receptionist could not give out any confidential info, which I totally understood, I asked if she, herself, had heard of this accident. She said "no, but thats not uncommon". I phoned the News-Gazette to inquire about this tragedy; they stated they had not heard anything about this. I went through the police call records from 07.29.2010 through 5 days post-accident, and there is no mention of a call in this area having to do with a toddler and a nailer. Supposed father filled out a partial profile on prayercloset.multiple.com in which he lists his home state as Pennsylvania. The name he uses is "Robert". So, what;s a guy living in PA, but working on his home in Champaign IL, trying to pull?

It's highly unlikely that the same toddler (who wouldn't be a toddler by 2017 anyway) shot himself with a nail gun yet again five or six years later, or that the exact same accident would befall the child of a woman with one of the same names as a 2010 or 2011 version of the appeal. The "Micheal Bass/Dakota/Dakota Miller" iteration appeared to be a "frankenrumor," with elements of the "nail gun" claim alongside details (such as life-flighting and seizures) present in a separate "Prayers for Dakota" e-mail and social media forward. But we were unable to locate a Michael/Micheal Bass or child named Dakota Miller injured by a nail gun.

For what it's worth, medical literature does record at least one case of a toddler shooting herself in the heart with a nail gun; the unidentified 29-month-old was hospitalized after discharging the device into her body when she picked it up at a construction site:

Although the safety features of the device involved in this instance are unclear, this case illustrates that a young child, even a toddler, may be capable of activating a pneumatic nail gun. Efforts should be directed toward engineering refinements of nail gun safety mechanisms and enhanced parental education regarding the danger posed to children by exposure to these devices. Improved awareness of the risk of accidental nail gun trauma may lead to better prevention of this rare but potentially life-threatening injury.

The little girl (not a little boy) survived, and was released from the hospital without incident. No prayers were reported.
Global Capacity Selected to Join PlanetOne Communications Portfolio of Preferred Providers

WALTHAM, MA  (Marketwired)  04/05/17  , the leading connectivity as a service company, today announced that it has been selected by , the IT and telecom industrys preferred connectivity partner, as a Preferred Provider. Members of PlanetOnes Preferred Provider program rank among the industrys top providers of cloud and connectivity solutions. Through this new alliance, PlanetOne channel partners can now market and sell Global Capacitys full suite of products and services including Ethernet, Internet, Private Line and Hybrid WAN solutions to their enterprise customers.

Were excited to welcome Global Capacity to our growing portfolio of preferred providers, and we are looking forward to working with them to expand their channel business in the enterprise marketplace, says Lauren Shapiro, President, PlanetOne. This collaboration enables us to provide our VARs, MSPs and agents with a wider range of innovative solutions for meeting their customers increasing data connectivity demands in a way that is both simple and cost-effective.

Hybrid networks are the new normal for Enterprise WANs, but they bring with them new challenges. Identifying, contracting and managing services across multiple suppliers and product offerings is complex, fragmented and inefficient. Global Capacity eliminates the complexity and inefficiency of the network market with its award-winning marketplace of networks, . One Marketplaces unique combination of interconnected access networks and software defined service orchestration provides the ubiquitous reach, flexible network options and reliable connectivity solutions needed to modernize Enterprise WAN connectivity.

As one of the industrys leading master agents, we are honored that PlanetOne has chosen to add Global Capacity to its Preferred Provider portfolio in 2017, shares Rob Olson, Vice President, Partner Channel, Global Capacity. We look forward to working closely with PlanetOne to make it easier for their channel partners to select best-in-class connectivity solutions that are designed to help them simply, efficiently, and cost-effectively meet their customers business goals.

When channel partners engage with Global Capacity they are able to streamline the entire network connectivity buying process from design, pricing, ordering and delivery through ongoing service and business management. Channel partners can also quickly and easily obtain the most cost-effective and efficient connectivity solutions across the metro, country or globally, ensuring their customers a winning solution.

Global Capacity will be exhibiting at the 2017 Channel Partners Conference & Expo, taking place April 10-13 in Las Vegas. at booth #238 to discuss competitive network connectivity solutions and new revenue growth opportunities.

Global Capacity is the leading connectivity as a service company that simplifies connecting Enterprises to high value Cloud and business destinations. Through its award-winning software defined platform, One Marketplace, the company provides the ubiquitous reach, flexible access options and reliable connectivity solutions that deliver on its brand promise of Connectivity Made Simple. Global Capacity delivers its innovative solutions to telecommunication carriers, managed service providers, application service providers and enterprise customers globally. Learn more at or by following us on our blog , and .

is the IT channel and telecom industrys preferred business partner for identifying and delivering cloud-based and connectivity solutions to small and midsize businesses and enterprises. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., the industry pioneer is celebrated by Inc. Magazine as one of Americas Fastest Growing Private Companies and regarded as a top-performing partner for hundreds of telecom agents and channel partners nationwide. In 2015, PlanetOne ranked No. 1 in the Phoenix Business Journals annual Best Places to Work survey, and in 2016 was recognized as one of the largest privately-held companies in the 2016 Arizona Corporate Excellence (ACE) Awards program. The award-winning PlanetOne Partner Program has also been included in CRNs Connectivity Solutions Partner Program Guide since 2014. To reach PlanetOne call (877) 487.8353 or e-mail .

iMiller Public Relations for Global Capacity

Tel: +1 866 307 2510

Vice President of Global Marketing, Global Capacity

Tel: +1 781 902 5216

for PlanetOne Communications

Tel: +1 714 469 0140
Magento Commerce Announces Digital Cloud for B2B Companies

LAS VEGAS, NV  (Marketwired)  04/05/17  Magento Commerce, the worldwide leader in cloud digital commerce innovation, today at announced new B2B capabilities that empower branded manufacturers and distributors to transform and grow. Already recognized as the No. 1 platform on Internet Retailers , the release of Magento Digital Commerce Cloud for B2B allows merchants to handle complex B2B commerce requirements out-of-the-box, enabling them to simply and cost-effectively adapt business models and meet the needs of digitally-connected customers. It also uniquely positions the company to meet the demands of businesses with both B2B and B2C customers.

Magento empowers B2B merchants to quickly create B2C-like commerce experiences that strengthen customer loyalty, drive revenue growth, reduce costs, and optimize the supply chain. Merchants can now fully support corporate buyers with commerce account management, customized catalogs and price lists, tools for rapid ordering, online requests for quote workflow, and increased inventory visibility across retail outlets. Magentos flexible platform, with extensive APIs and off-the-shelf extensions, integrates with nearly any ERP, CRM or other backend system, so businesses can leverage existing technology investments to drive digital transformation and bring new initiatives to market quickly.

The dynamics for B2B companies are rapidly changing, driven by customers who want convenient, seamless, self-service options that B2C companies have long understood, said Jason Woosley, SVP of product and technology at Magento. Businesses want to get to market faster and serve both their B2B and B2C customers. Magento is a leader in the B2B ecommerce space, which has given us the opportunity to work directly with B2B companies to build this new offering. The result is a comprehensive and flexible cloud-based commerce suite that leverages the complete Magento Commerce portfolio and enables companies to focus on their businesses rather than building vital B2B functionality from scratch.

Magento Digital Commerce Cloud for B2B addresses key challenges of branded manufacturers and distributors. Features include:

: Support sales to corporate accounts with multiple levels of buyers and varying roles and permissions. Offer flexible payment options, including payment on credit, to boost sales.

: Efficiently manage quote requests and negotiate pricing terms with a streamlined workflow.

: Drive recurring revenue with fast, frictionless ordering. Customers can enter or upload lists of SKUs, use requisition lists, copy previous orders to accelerate the purchase process, or execute rapid reorders for common purchases.

: Ensure customers receive the right products and pricing information with custom catalogs and personalized price lists for individual companies or groups of customers.

: Expose distributors to available inventory across multiple locations to increase sales and deliver a better customer experience.

: Provide significant cost-savings for businesses that ship from multiple locations by selecting the best fulfillment source.

: Easily integrate and enable real-time communications with any ERP, CRM, or other backend system using extensive APIs and off-the-shelf extensions.

: Boost efficiency and a more consistent brand experience by serving B2B and B2C customers, multiple brands, and multiple geographies on the same platform.

By 2018, companies that consumerize their B2B digital commerce sites will gain market share and increase revenue up to 25 percent, . More than 50 merchants on the Internet Retailer B2B E-Commerce 300, including Fortune 500 brands 3M and Procter & Gamble, already use Magento to streamline operations, enhance partnerships, and drive topline business initiatives.

We needed to create a simpler buying experience to support the full range of our customers needs, but we hadnt found a partner that could meet our requirements or scale as quickly as the market demanded, said Greg Wilson, senior vice president and CIO at CentiMark Corporation, the parent company of QuestMark. Magento enabled us to build a B2B customer experience that doubled our revenues and maintained our leadership as Americas No. 1 roofing and flooring contractor.

A strong performer in , this announcement further differentiates Magento Commerces B2B offering with dedicated capabilities and a fully packaged product for B2B-specific use cases.

Magento Digital Commerce Cloud for B2B will be available this summer. For more information about how Magento supports B2B merchants, please visit: .

Trusted by more than 260,000 businesses worldwide, Magento Commerce is the leading provider of cloud commerce innovation to merchants and brands across B2C and B2B industries. In addition to its flagship open source digital commerce platform, Magento Commerce boasts a strong portfolio of cloud-based omni-channel solutions empowering merchants to successfully integrate digital and physical shopping experiences. With more than $101 billion in gross merchandise volume transacted on the platform annually, Magento Commerce is the #1 provider to the Internet Retailer Top 1000, counting more than double the clients to the next closest competitor, the B2B 300, and the Top 500 Guides for Europe and Latin America. Magento Commerce is supported by a vast global network of solution and technology partners, a highly active global developer community and the largest eCommerce marketplace for extensions available for download on the Magento Marketplace. More information can be found at .

Chrissy Lee

(415) 625-8555
Solar Novus Today Has Been Integrated

With Novus Light Technologies Today

Visit Novus Light Technologies Today to see all the cutting-edge stories and products that you have come to enjoy on Solar Novus Today. In addition, you will find more information on related light-based technologies.



Get the latest solar and renewable energy news delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for the Green Technologies newsletter





CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR GREEN TECHNOLOGIES NEWSLETTER






























DECATUR  Chris Scales remembers what it was like growing up and seeing what is now the Tate & Lyle administration building in Decatur.

He would come across Lake Decatur into the city to watch fireworks, and the lights on the 14-story A.E. Staley Mfg. Co. building would be mesmerizing.

In the past year, Scales has been on a team charged with restoring the lights on the building to some of its past glory.

It was just amazing, said Scales, an electrician with TCR Systems. I'm now a part of it. I get goosebumps thinking about it.

The restoration is nearly complete and the floodlights on the top of the soaring structure will be turned on nightly starting Sunday to coincide with the anniversary of the April 1930 opening of the landmark. The display is expected to be visible for miles.

This building really is Decatur, said Laura Jahr, director of the Staley Museum, which opened last year to recognize the company's legacy. For Staley, it was crown jewel of his business empire. It represents Decatur's industrial history.

The legendary A.E. Staley built the neo-gothic structure in 1930 to house his growing agro-industrial business, and it became known as the "Castle in the Cornfields."

Jahr said the floodlights didn't come into use until August 1930 as part of a company picnic. No formal grand opening was held, because Staley worried about the maintaining the condition of three oriental rugs in the building and didn't want visitors to damage those, Jahr said.

Jahr is hoping the restoration of the lights will be a boost for Decatur, which she said at times has struggled with its industrial image. The lights are part of activities taking place this weekend as part of the one-year anniversary for the Staley Museum at 361 N. College St. The museum is open 1 to 4 p.m. today.

The museum includes a virtual tour of the top executive floors of the Staley building. Tate & Lyle has provided two of the 18-inch original floodlights to be on display at the museum.

The lights are one of the top things visitors to the museum know about the Staley legacy, along with the Chicago Bears franchise starting in Decatur and the use of Staley balls to play jacks, Jahr said.

If they didn't have an experience with it, somebody nearby did, Jahr said. Staley would be pleased to see what is happening with this new age of technology.

The lights were turned off during World War II and didn't come back on until after the troops came home, she said. The display was once again shut down during the energy crisis in the 1970s, Jahr said.

After that point, Jahr said, the display was never quite the same.

It has not been the full show it had been previously, Jahr said.

Scales said some of the nearly 200 lights were damaged and didn't work correctly. The system needed to be updated, he said.

The full restoration project was made possible as light-emitting diode lights could be used, reducing energy usage from 439,442 kilowatts to 17,845 kilowatts, a massive difference, said Sandi Sorensen, who works in procurement at Tate & Lyle.

London-based Tate & Lyle acquired the business in 1988. Its headquarters moved to Hoffman Estates in 2010, although the building still houses operations.

Employees and contractors were willing to help with the work that was needed, Sorensen said.

Originally it was going to be half the lights because of the big costs, Sorensen said. Almost everybody who has lived here felt good about it, so that's why it was so easy for them to step up. It's the closest thing we have to a castle in Central Illinois.

Scales is excited about what can be done with programming different colors for light displays. Some of the lights were turned on around Christmas and he said even more can be done with the full display operational.

Scales is particularly looking forward to the lighting possibilities for the Fourth of July, which holds special memories from growing up in the Decatur area.

Jahr said the lights send still send a message.

For Staley, it was crown jewel of his business empire," she said. "It represents Decatur's industrial history.
Justin Omans of Roseville said he was devastated to learn his mothers' body was discovered in the covered bed of a truck.
Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers is launching a multi-platform awareness campaign to reinforce the message that individuals can play a crucial role in fighting crime and help make their communities safer. Using social media hashtags #WorldWithoutCrime, #WorldWithoutGangs and #WorldWithoutIllegalGuns, the campaign takes an unusually lighthearted approach to the very serious issues of gang activity and gun violence in British Columbia by showing what life might look like without crime.

We want to reach out to people who may know individuals committing criminal activity -relatives, friends, people in the hospitality industry, and even rival gangs. We want to remind them if they suspect gang activity, possession of illegal guns or other crimes are taking place they can report it safely and anonymously, says Linda Annis, Executive Director, Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers has been a household name for decades but we want to connect with a new generation who may not know how our organization works.

The province-wide campaign will reach people through more than 500 billboards and bus shelters as well as washroom posters, digital advertising in restaurants and bars, and eventually public service announcements on radio and television. There will also be an extensive social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Tips to Crime Stoppers can not only be provided by phone but through a secure server, texts, or free mobile apps. Crime Stoppers is not the police. Tips from the public are passed on to authorities to investigate. Tipsters are provided with a code number and if their information results in a charge, arrest, the seizure of stolen property or illegal weapons, or the denial of a fraudulent insurance claim, a reward of up to $2,000 may be offered.
DECATUR  Demarrion Cochran, a 21-year-old Decatur parolee, was arraigned Friday on nine felony counts, after a plainclothes detective witnessed him punch a woman in the head while she was driving, drag her out of her car by her hair and punch her several more times.

The victim's infant daughter was present in the vehicle during the incident.

Decatur Police Street Crimes Detective Lonny Lewellyn was sitting in an unmarked vehicle in the vicinity of North Street and East Avenue at about 1 p.m. Friday, March 24, when he saw a woman driving a silver car nearby, with a male passenger beside her.

The detective saw the passenger, later identified as Cochran, grab the woman by the throat and push her against the driver's door, Lewellyn wrote in a probable cause affidavit.

While he held her against the door with his left hand, he struck the victim in her head and face with full force, about eight to 10 times with his closed fist, Lewellyn wrote in his statement.

As the driver drove east on North Street, past the detective's vehicle, Lewellyn made a U-turn and followed her car.

When she pulled to the south curb on the 1600 block of East North Street, Cochran exited the vehicle and walked toward his residence, on the opposite side of the street.

As the driver began to pull away from the curb, the detective witnessed Cochran turn back towards the car, run directly to the driver door, and grab (the victim) by her hair through the open driver window.

Cochran opened the door, dragged the victim out of the car by her hair, along the roadway and onto the grassy boulevard.

I observed Cochran punch (the victim) with full force in her face and head area two of three more times before I could exit my vehicle to take Cochran into custody.

The victim, who told police she had been battered often by Cochran, suffered bruising and swelling to her face.

Cochran, who was released from prison Dec. 2 after serving half of a 16-month sentence, is being held in jail without bond. He is facing one count of vehicular invasion, four counts of aggravated battery and four counts of domestic battery with a prior domestic battery conviction.

In his most recent conviction, Cochran broke into a 19-year-old woman's northside home, dragged her by her hair from a closet where she was hiding, threw her onto a bed, mounted her and drove his thumbs into the corners of her eyes, according to a police affidavit. He was charged with Class X home invasion, criminal trespass and domestic battery, pleading guilty to the two latter charges.

He is due in court April 12 for a preliminary hearing.
By Catherine A. Sas, Q.C.,

Special to The Post

People frequently tell me that they want to obtain Canadian citizenship when what they mean is that they want the ability to be able to live and work in Canada for which they need permanent residence status.

Permanent residency and citizenship are NOT the same thing.

After you obtain permanent residency you must maintain your residency status and you need to renew your Permanent Residence card (PR card) every five years unless you obtain your Canadian citizenship. Both processes have different residency thresholds.

After obtaining permanent residence in Canada a person is required to be physically present in Canada for two years out of every five years. It is a flexible determination in that you can be out of Canada for three full years, but then you would need to stay in Canada for two full years.

Or you can take the ratio of 2/5 which means that you need to be in Canada 40% of the time on an ongoing basis.

Or you can mix up long periods of time and short periods of time both inside or outside of Canada, so long as you accumulate more than 730 days within the five-year period.

It is advisable to keep track of this on a regular basis and be prepared to apply to renew your PR card a good six months in advance so that your new card arrives before the old card expires.

The residency requirements for Citizenship are much higher. For many years, you needed to demonstrate three full years of Canadian residency within a five-year period. 3/4 = 75%. At present the residency requirement is four years of residency within a six-year period. 4/6 = 67%.

The Liberal government has changed this law but not yet brought it into force, reducing the residency requirement to three full years of residency within a five-year period. 3/5 = 60%.

You can see that the residency requirements for Citizenship are much higher than for maintaining permanent residence status: 67% versus 40%.

How do you determine residency? I often ask my clients a skill testing question: "If you go to the US for a weekend getaway and you leave on Friday afternoon and return on Sunday evening, how many days are you outside of Canada?"

I get a wide variety of answers. Some people say three days and others say two. Very few ever say "only one day" which is the correct answer. Any part of a day physically spent in Canada is a day of residency in Canada.

So, you only count the full days spent outside of Canada as days being non-resident. How do you prove physical presence in Canada? That can be more challenging especially for travel in and out of the US which is not always tracked nor are your passports necessarily stamped either going in or out of either country.

Start by keeping in track of all of your travel in and out of the country - keep a journal or mark a specific calendar so that you have an actual record.

Save boarding passes - a receipt for an airline ticket is not considered proof of travel. Calculate your time in and out of Canada on an annual basis so that you have a contemporary record.

Finally, people often ask what is the difference between permanent residency and citizenship? Permanent residency entitles you to live, work and study in Canada. You must maintain your residency status for each five-year period and you need to renew it with a further application for a new PR card.

You can also lose your PR status if you receive a criminal conviction.

Citizenship has a higher residency threshold to obtain but you only apply for it once - there is no need to renew it. As a citizen, you can obtain a Canadian passport, vote in elections and run for public office.

You do not lose your citizenship if you are convicted of a crime in Canada.

And you can remain out of Canada for unlimited periods of time and always have the right to return to Canada.

Citizenship and permanent residency are not the same things, but they both require you to keep track of your time spent physically present in Canada until such time as you become a Canadian citizen.

Catherine Sas, Q.C. has over 25 years of legal experience. She provides a full range of immigration services and is a leading immigration practitioner (Lexpert, Whos Who Legal, Best Lawyers in Canada). Go to www.canadian-visa-lawyer.com or email [email protected].
It's election day. Here are Indiana midterm races to watch

The secretary of state race is likely the marquee race to watch this year.
DECATUR  Michael L. Diggs, a 52-year-old Decatur man with an extensive criminal history, is being held in jail on $75,000 bond, after he allegedly threatened a woman with a knife in order to hold her against her will.

Police were sent to a house on the 2300 block of East Olive Street at about 11:25 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, on the report of a domestic violence incident.

When they arrived, a witness who was outside told officers that when he exited the house, the victim tried to leave at the same time, which made Diggs angry.

Michael retrieved a large kitchen knife from the kitchen, aggressively pointed it at (the victim) and told her 'you ain't going nowhere,'  the witness told police, according to an affidavit by an officer.

When officers knocked on the door, they heard a woman inside crying out, help me, the affidavit said.

I observed through windows (the victim) attempt to leave but Michael would step in front of the door preventing her from doing so, the officer wrote in his statement.

About 20 minutes later the victim exited the house through a side door. Diggs left the residence about 25 minutes after her exit. He was arrested and booked into the jail.

The victim said Diggs refused to let her leave the house for about one hour before police arrived. She said he struck her in the face several times with a closed fist and slammed the door on her hand.

Diggs admitted detaining the woman against her will, as well as possibly slapping her and shoving her. He denied threatening her with a knife, the affidavit said.

Police found a large kitchen knife which matched the description of the knife the witness had described to them.

Diggs was arraigned Monday on five felony counts: aggravated unlawful restraint, unlawful restraint and three counts of domestic battery with three domestic battery convictions. He is due in court April 19 for his preliminary hearing.

He has 25 criminal convictions since 1986, including eight felony convictions. Diggs has served five terms in the Illinois Department of Corrections and 16 jail terms.
DECATUR  Demeral Brazier, a 33-year-old Decatur parolee, is facing new charges after he allegedly grabbed the arm of a letter carrier and exposed himself to her.

The letter carrier was working on her route Dec. 19, when she approached a residence in the 2000 block of North Monroe Street.

She was initially going to hand the mail to a child who she knew lived at the address, but Brazier said he would take the mail, Decatur police detective Sgt. Chris Copeland said.

When the 51-year-old letter carrier walked up to the porch and reached through the railing spindles to hand the mail to him, Brazier stood up, grabbed her wrist and said, I have something for you, said Copeland, reading from a police report. When Brazier stood up, he exposed himself to the woman, who observed that his pajama bottoms were pulled down. The letter carrier walked away from the residence and called the police.

Brazier was arrested on misdemeanor charges the same day and ordered to appear in court in January.

But on Dec. 28, he was returned to the Illinois Department of Corrections for a parole violation. He was serving a six-year sentence for manufacture/delivery of cocaine in a 2012 case, and had been released on parole in 2015.

He was released from prison on parole once more on Thursday, then booked into the Macon County Jail. Brazier was arraigned Friday in Macon County Circuit Court on charges of public indecency and battery. He was then released from jail, after $500 cash bail was posted for him on Friday. He is due back in court May 2 to present his attorney.

Brazier has seven felony convictions in Macon County cases since 2002 and has served seven terms in the Illinois Department of Corrections. He was sentenced to four years for residential burglary; three years each for aggravated battery/public place, robbery and theft; and a one-year and two-year term for domestic battery/bodily harm.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
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.
The only mountain peak on the dwarf planet Ceres, the ice volcano Ahuna Mons, may be slowly spreading out and sinking into the crust. In this simulated perspective view, the elevation of the peak has been exaggerated by a factor of two.

The solitary mountain on the dwarf planet Ceres may be slowly disappearing, following in the footsteps of earlier peaks.

New research suggests that the outer layer of the icy world may be slowly shifting over time, allowing the peak to gradually stretch out and sink into the crust. Similar mountains may have peppered the planet in the past and flattened out over time.

"It's sort of like if you spill some syrup or honey on a plate and you watch it spread out over time, not instantaneously like water does but a little more slowly, it eventually gets to a flatter, broader shape; it's the same process," Michael Sori, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona, told Space.com. [NASA Probe Snaps Stunning New Pics of Dwarf Planet Ceres]

Sori is lead author on a paper proposing that the mountain, called Ahuna Mons, may be slowly spreading outward due to its viscosity. He presented the results in March at the Lunar and Planetary Sciences conference in The Woodlands, Texas.

The lonely ice mountain

When NASA's Dawn mission arrived at Ceres in 2015, it found a nearly flat world with only a single mountain, Ahuna Mons. The massive summit towers 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) above the surface and is at most 200 million years old. Previous research has suggested the peak could be an ice volcano  forming through the process of cryovolcanism, or flowing ice  but its source is still under debate.

The mountain's isolation has been a major puzzle for scientists since Dawn first spotted it. Other icy worlds suspected of hosting cryovolcanoes, such as Pluto and the moons Europa, Triton and Titan, have multiple suspects. Ceres has only one. According to Sori, one possibility is that cryovolcanism was dormant on Ceres until fairly recently  although he calls that an unlikely scenario.

"It's just odd to think of a thermal history of a planet where that would happen, where you would have it be dead for most of its history and then just yesterday, relatively speaking, become active," he said. "It's a weird thermal history to think about."

The other, more likely option is that cryovolcanoes formed throughout the planet's lifetime, then disappeared. Because Ceres lacks an atmosphere or running liquids on its surface, the erosion processes of wind and rain that wear down Earth's mountains don't happen on the tiny world.

Sori and his colleagues focused not on the formation of the mountain but on what happened afterward. They modeled possible compositions for Ahuna Mons and found that, if at least 40 percent of the mountain was made up of ice, it would slowly spread outward like honey on a plate, gradually relaxing or flattening down over time. With more ice, the mountain became more viscous, wavering between solid and liquid.

"Our stuff takes place after the initial emplacement process, so we can be a little bit agnostic as to how the mountain formed in the first place," Sori said. "The key is, it just needs to have enough ice to experience this viscous relaxation."

Cratering records provide one method for calculating the age of a terrain. While Ahuna Mons itself lacks signs of impacts, the region it sits in has craters that provide a limit of about a billion years for the mountain, previous research has shown. Sori's team came up with an even younger age if the precipice is relaxing. If the peak is half ice, it would take 500 million years to relax away after formation, he said; if it is completely ice, it would vanish within 20 million years of its birth.

"Ahuna Mons is young, no more than 200 million years old," Sori said. Its youth suggests that the planet may still be geologically active today, though no definitive signs have been spotted by Dawn.

The new work was detailed in February in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

A view of Ahuna Mons, the only mountain peak on Ceres, as captured by NASA's Dawn spacecraft. (Image credit: NASA/JPL/Dawn mission)

Lonely no more

Ceres may be the lone peak today, but there's evidence that another spire may have risen in the past. Near Ahuna Mons lies the shape of another hill, spotted by a previous team. This may be the remnants of a previous cryovolcano like Ahuna Mons that gradually relaxed away, Sori said.

"Maybe it was emplaced in the same shape [as Ahuna Mons] but flowed into its current shape over a few hundred million years," he added.

That could suggest that the region around Ahuna Mons may be an ongoing source of cryovolcanism. On Earth, shifting plates cause lava to erupt through the crust in multiple locations, often spawning chains of volcanoes, but Ceres has no plate tectonics. Sori said the region could be more like Mars, where rocky lava continued to pile up on itself to create the massive Olympus Mons, the largest known volcano in the solar system. But while Ahuna Mons may be relaxing due to ice, the rocky Olympus Mons stands firm.

Sori and his colleagues plan to search other images of Ceres for signs of potentially relaxed cryovolcanoes.

Follow Nola Taylor Redd on Twitter @NolaTRedd or Google+. Follow us at @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
Virgin Galactic's second SpaceShipTwo vehicle, known as VSS Unity, soars on its first-ever glide flight on Dec. 3, 2016.

Virgin Galactic should be ready to launch its first flight to suborbital space later this year, company founder Sir Richard Branson said.

"I think I'd be very disappointed if we're not into space with a test flight by the end of the year and I'm not into space myself next year and the program isn't well underway by the end of next year," Branson told London-based newspaper The Daily Telegraph, breaking an unofficial Virgin Galactic rule about giving dates when discussing the company's spaceflight plans.

Branson has said that he, and some of his family members, will be aboard Virgin Galactic's first passenger spaceflight.

Virgin Galactic aims to fly customers aboard the six-passenger SpaceShipTwo, at a cost of $250,000 per seat. A plane called WhiteKnightTwo will carry SpaceShipTwo to an altitude of 50,000 feet (15,000 meters), then drop it; at that point, the spacecraft's onboard rocket engine will kick on, blasting the vehicle to suborbital space.

Virgin Galactic's first SpaceShipTwo vehicle, called VSS Enterprise, performed four rocket-powered test flights in Earth's atmosphere. But the last of these flights, which took place on Oct. 31, 2014, ended in disaster; the space plane broke apart in midair after its "feathering" descent system deployed too early. Co-pilot Michael Alsbury was killed, and pilot Peter Siebold was seriously injured.

Virgin Galactic regrouped after the tragic accident. The company unveiled its second SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity, to the public in February 2016; the vehicle has since performed several unpowered "glide flights" and should be ready to begin the rocket-powered phase of its test campaign soon, Virgin representatives have said.

"The test program is going really well, and as long as we've got our brave test pilots pushing it to the limit, we think that after whatever it is, 12 years of hard work, we're nearly there," Branson told The Telegraph.

Read the full story at The Daily Telegraph here.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
Igor Komarov (right), director general for the Russian national space agency Roscosmos, at the 33rd National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado on April 4, 2017.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  Russia is ready to discuss extending the life of the International Space Station (ISS) to 2028, said Igor Komarov, director general of the Russian national space agency, Roscosmos.

Here at the 33rd annual Space Symposium yesterday (April 4), Komarov spoke about the need to maintain a research station in low Earth orbit if humans hope to eventually travel to Mars. He also discussed the agency's plans to send a new module to the space station in 2018, when the agency will also re-add a third crew member to the station.

In what he said was his first visit to the U.S. while serving in his current position, Komarov confirmed a proposal within the agency to build a new space station if the ISS is retired after 2024. Currently, the U.S. and Russia each manage and support half of the station, and other international collaborators contribute. Those countries have committed to financial support and maintenance of the station through 2024.

Take a detailed tour of the International Space Station from the inside out in this SPACE.com infographic. See the full image here (Image credit: Karl Tate, SPACE.com)

But Komarov also said Roscosmos is "ready to discuss" the possibility of extending the life of the station through 2028 with those international partners.

"I think we need to prolong our collaboration in low Earth orbit," Komarov said.

If the station were to be retired and no substitute were established, research taking place in low Earth orbit would take a significant hit. The loss of the station would more or less wipe out investigations into how the space environment affects the human body over long periods, which many space experts, including Komarov, agree is necessary if humans are to make the long journey to Mars.

Roscosmos has been working on an additional module for the space station, called the Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM), that the agency plans to launch in 2018, Komarov said. (A recent article in Popular Mechanics suggests there may be problems with the module, which was originally scheduled for launch in 2007 and again in 2013.) Once that module launches, Komarov said, the agency plans to raise the number of Russian cosmonauts on board the station from two to three; the agency recently reduced its crewmember count from three to two.

Roscosmos is also working on a science module and a docking module, Komarov said, and together, these three space rooms could form the core of an independent Russian station, SpaceNews reported in September of last year.

Komarov said the possibility of building a new station from the three modules is being discussed as a possible means of avoiding the loss of a laboratory in low Earth orbit if the ISS is retired in 2024.

"It doesn't mean we don't want to continue cooperation [with other countries]," he said. "We just want to be on the safe side. . We want to prolong and continue our research in low Earth orbit."

Space station, moon, Mars

Russia, like the U.S., is interested in sending humans to Mars, Komarov said.

"Going to Mars is a great idea, and all nations and all agencies are interested [in it]," Komarov said. But he indicated that Russia is not just looking to plant its flag in Martian dust and return to Earth. Rather, the country seeks to establish a program that would support long-term human exploration of Mars. To accomplish that goal, Komarov emphasized the need for intermediary steps on the way to the Red Planet.

Developing a long-term human presence will require a practical, "step-by-step" program for reaching the Red Planet, Komarov said. Those steps include a human presence in low Earth orbit, then on the surface of the moon, then on Mars, and then to even more exotic or distant solar system destinations.

Many spaceflight experts have said that a consistent human presence in low Earth orbit provides a valuable training ground for astronauts who may go on to more distant destinations, including the moon or Mars. The space station provides a place for humans to develop the skills they'd need to survive in those locations, including growing fresh food, and exercising to prevent bone loss and muscle deterioration.

In 2015, Russia and the U.S. launched a joint mission to have two humans live on the station for a full year. NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko returned to Earth on March 1, 2016, and NASA is starting to release the results of scientific studies on how the trip affected Kelly's body and psyche. (Russian cosmonauts have lived in space for longer periods in the past, but those people were not subjected to the extensive amount of testing that was applied to the astronauts in the One-Year Mission.)

The space station is an essential part of humanity's journey to Mars, but Komarov also emphasized the importance of using the moon as another stepping stone on that journey.

Spaceflight experts have discussed extensively the idea that space agencies or private companies should send humans back to the moon before sending them to Mars, primarily to test and develop the technologies necessary for keeping astronauts safe and healthy.

"We shouldn't be eager to go very fast ahead and skip some stages that we have to do," Komarov said earlier in the day while speaking on a panel comprising 15 leaders of national space agencies. He added that the agency is currently planning a robotic mission to the moon that will include an orbiter and a lander. He did not offer more details about that mission.

NASA's Constellation Program, which then-President Barack Obama canceled in 2010 would have sent humans back to the moon or cislunar space. Much of that program was repurposed into the agency's current program to build the Orion human space capsule and the Space Launch System rocket, both of which will help get humans to Mars in the first half of the 2030s, NASA officials have said.

Challenges on the way to Mars

However, although NASA and private companies such as SpaceX and Boeing have made many exciting announcements about the prospect of sending humans to the Red Planet, the journey to Mars will require a very practical approach, Komarov said at the news conference.

"We need to understand that this is not an easy experiment," Komarov said. "There are a lot of issues that need to be solved by the people who are responsible.

"We want to bring people to Mars," he added. "They should be alive when they [reach] Mars. And  when we want to get them back, they should be safe and healthy. So we need to solve some medical problems. We should create a closed-loop system to support life. And we need to resolve the problem of radiation."

Indeed, space radiation is a serious threat to astronauts who want to venture out of the protective sheath of Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field. Experts have discussed various strategies for how to reduce the radiation dose that astronauts would receive, but it remains one of the key roadblocks to sending humans to Mars and bringing them back safely.

"We need to be ready for the next step  when we should go out of low Earth orbit, to the moon and to Mars," Komarov said.

Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Artists illustration of Orbital ATKs Next Generation Launch (NGL) System on pad 39-B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center. NGL vehicles will have the ability to operate from both east and west coast launch facilities.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  Orbital ATK intends to parlay its extensive solid-fuel booster manufacturing capabilities into a new family of medium- and heavy-lift rockets to compete against United Launch Alliance, SpaceX and other companies for U.S. government and commercial customers.

Unlike the situation with some of its competitors, however, Orbital said it must win a follow-on Air Force Launch Services Agreement (LSA) contract to be able to develop its Next Generation Launch System (NGL). A draft solicitation for LSA proposals was released last month.

The LSA program builds on Air Force efforts in 2015 and 2016 to develop prototypes of new U.S.-built rocket engines, with the goal of breaking U.S. military reliance on Russian-made engines. Orbital's current contract, which runs through December 2019, is for the development of three propulsion system prototypes. The Air Force is paying up to $180 million for the work, with Orbital expected to contribute a total of $125 million. [The World's Tallest Rockets: How They Stack Up]

On its own dime, Virginia-based Orbital expanded the scope of the work to make sure that the propulsion systems being developed under its Air Force contract would have a family of launch vehicles they could go into, Mike Laidley, vice president of Orbital's space launch programs, said in an interview here this week during the 33rd National Space Symposium.

Orbital ATK has finished manufacturing the first development rocket motor case for its new family of intermediate-and large-class rockets, known as the Next Generation Launch System. (Image credit: Orbital ATK)

With a final LSA solicitation expected this summer, "it's time for us to move forward and start working on the full launch system and announce our intent," Laidley told Space.com.

For now, Orbital isn't planning to certify its rockets for human spaceflight, but it could do so in the future, Laidley said.

"It's not fully redundant, but certain key elements of it are," he said.

The company is not planning to recover or reuse any of its rockets' components. Instead, Orbital will keep costs low by integrating common elements, such as avionics, flight computers and materials for composite structures, across its products, Laidley said. Orbital manufactures ballistic missiles for the military, the Pegasus and Antares launchers, booster rockets for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and other systems.

"We count on being able to fly a breadth of products over a broad diversity of flight environments to actually reduce our cost on a per-launch basis," Laidley said.

That strategy also means that NGL will need to fly just three to four times per year to make the new rocket financially viable for Orbital, added Mark Pieczynski, vice president for business development at Orbital.

In addition to the militarys launch business, NGL will vie to fly NASA science missions and commercial satellites, he added.

Two versions of the rocket are planned. The medium-lift variant will have a two-segment, solid-fuel first-stage motor and a single-segment, solid second. The heavy lifter will have a four-segment first stage and a single-segment second. Both versions can be outfitted with strap-on boosters for extra lift capacity, Orbital representatives said.

The rocket would fly from both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. In Florida, NGL would launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B, sharing the pad with NASA's SLS. Orbital has not yet selected a site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for satellites needing rides into polar and high-inclination orbits.

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is set to extend her stay at the International Space Station by another three months.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will stay at the International Space Station (ISS) for three months longer than was originally planned, the space agency announced on Wednesday (April 5).

The record-breaking spaceflyer, who will command Expedition 51 starting on April 9, will stick around with the Expedition 52 crew instead of returning to Earth with her Expedition 51 crewmates, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, in June.

"This is great news," Whitson said in a statement. "I love being up here. Living and working aboard the space station is where I feel like I make the greatest contribution, so I am constantly trying to squeeze every drop out of my time here. Having three more months to squeeze is just what I would wish for." [In Photos: Record-Breaking NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson]

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is set to extend her stay at the International Space Station by another three months. (Image credit: NASA)

NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos agreed to extend Whitson's stay at the ISS in order to make the most of Russia's decision to cut one cosmonaut post from its space station crew, leaving an empty seat on the three-person Soyuz spacecraft. If Whitson were to leave with her Expedition 50/51 crewmates, the space station would be left with only five inhabitants instead of the usual six.

When the Expedition 51/52 crew, Jack Fischer of NASA and Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos, arrive at the ISS on April 20, their Soyuz will have one empty seat. Whitson will fill that seat when Fischer and Yurchikhin return to Earth in September.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson pops out of a cargo bag during a prank on the International Space Station on Feb. 13, 2017. (Image credit: Peggy Whitson/Twitter/NASA)

Whitson is poised to continue her record-breaking streak and is just a few weeks away from surpassing NASA astronaut Jeff Williams' record for the most time spent in space by a U.S. astronaut. As of today (April 5), Whitson has spent a total of 514 days in space. Williams set the record in 2016 with a total of 534 days. During a spacewalk last week, Whitson also broke the record for the most cumulative spacewalking time by a female astronaut.

She is also the oldest woman to go to space as well as the first woman to command the ISS with Expedition 16. When her fellow NASA astronaut and Expedition 50 commander Shane Kimbrough hands over command of the ISS on Sunday (April 9), she'll become the first woman to command the space station twice.

"Peggys skill and experience makes her an incredible asset aboard the space station, NASAs ISS Program Manager Kirk Shireman said in a statement. "By extending the stay of one of NASAs most veteran astronauts, our research, our technology development, our commercial and our international partner communities will all benefit."

Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Paris (SPX) Apr 04, 2017





Researchers from the CNRS, Thales, and the Universities of Bordeaux, Paris-Sud, and Evry have created an artificial synapse capable of learning autonomously. They were also able to model the device, ... more

Melbourne, Australia (SPX) Apr 04, 2017





Fast Radio Bursts present one of modern astronomy's greatest mysteries: what or who in the Universe is transmitting short bursts of radio energy across the cosmos? Manisha Caleb, a PhD candidate at ... more

Moscow (Sputnik) Apr 04, 2017





The Executive Director for manned space flight programs at Roscosmos said that Russia and the United States have opportunities to broaden their collaboration in space, including on flights beyond lo ... more

Washington (Sputnik) Apr 04, 2017





Orbital ATK's proposed launch system will reduce the cost of US government rocket and missile programs, saving taxpayers up to $600 million on these programs over a ten-year period, according to off ... more

Honolulu HI (SPX) Mar 31, 2017





A team of scientists from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) showed for the first time that many novel viruses are present in the fluids circ ... more

Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Mar 30, 2017


Everyone has their own opinion, and that is good. So, you can decide whether or not the climate is changing.

Those in the climate-change camp point to 5,300 glaciers that are melting faster than usual, along with the polar sea ice.

Those in the climate-changehoax camp say the climate has always been changing and point to the glaciers that brought Central Illinois its rich soil.

You are entitled to your own opinion. Were not about to change that, and wont try to do that.

Weather, including temperature and precipitation, are factors upon which agriculture depends, but certainly cannot control. Our ancestors had to deal with the same elements we have today, even though they come in different forms at different times.

Young corn leaves have been subjected to snowfall during the month of May many times in the past and may even see it again this year. The chance is always there, and with the variability this year with temperatures, it could certainly happen.

Weather variability is the key that controls a lot of success in farming. Weather windows open and close and farmers who used only two and four row planters needed those windows to be open for long periods of time to be able to get a crop planted. Todays mega-row planters can cover a lot more acreage in a shorter time. But since large farms have a lot of distance to cover, weather windows still need to be open and soil needs to be conducive to field work.

The warm February of this year provided temperatures over 70 degrees and soil temperatures in the 50-degree range where many farmers will start planting corn. Some did in Central Illinois, not thousands of acres, but a part of a field here or there, just to scratch an itch. The resumption of cooler temperatures in March has certainly not allowed that corn to get off to an earlier than normal start, and it wont be ready to harvest in mid-summer.

University of Illinois crop production specialist Emerson Nafziger addressed planting dates in a dispatch to Illinois farmers late last week, indicating that crops were more successful if planted after the end of March than before. But he surprisingly said that farmers should consider planting both corn and soybeans at the same time. Typically, soybeans are planted after corn planting is finished, but that also depends on the availability of the planter.

Nafzigers suggestion was met with glee by farm equipment makers who would love to sell farmers a second planter so both corn and beans could go in the ground at the same time.

Weather variability and the opening and closing of weather windows was addressed recently by another University of Illinois researcher and several U.S. Department of Agriculture colleagues, which will give farmers and seed companies a head start on those yearly challenges.

They said, Weather models suggest that the typical planting window for corn will no longer be workable; April and May will be far too wet to work the fields.

Their research indicates a longer weather window will be open in March, and a second one in June to allow for planting to be achieved. April and May will be too wet to plant.

That weather timing points to an opportunity for a long season corn hybrid which may be conducive for certain traits desired by consumers. Shorter season hybrids could be planted after long wet springs, but yield is sacrificed in timing. The goal of those researchers is to focus on genetic improvement of crops, because they say we have fallen behind on the crop management side of research. Since their weather models are focused many years out, well have time for that research to come to fruition.

But this years weather windows also have to be open sufficiently for weed control, which is climbing nearly as high on the farms priority list as is planting and crop production. New technologies are available for controlling weeds, but they have to be applied when weeds are at their most vulnerable stage, less than 4 inches tall. And with some weeds growing 2-4 inches in a day, that weather window needs to be open.
US dominance in space set to be challenged







Washington DC (Sputnik) Apr 04, 2017





The United States military should make clear that it is ready for space warfare. Navy Vice Adm. Charles Richard, deputy commander of US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) said that the US should demonstrate it is ready for warfare extending into space. According to him, such a preparation would help prevent conflicts from flaring up in space. "Just as nuclear assets deter aggression by convincing potential adversaries there's just no benefit to the attack, we have to maintain a space posture that comm ... read more
In an analysis released in March by the European Parliament's own legal service, lawyers there also concluded that withdrawal of Article 50 notification would be legally possible. Any declaration of intent, they concluded, including an exit from the EU, can be withdrawn. "Any other situation would amount to an expulsion from the EU, which would not have been the purpose of the drafters of Article 50," it states.

At the same time, the experts also noted in the paper that they would consider a unilateral withdrawal of notification to be questionable, because it would open up the possibility of precisely the kind of game-playing that members of the European Parliament warned about in their resolution. Daniel Thym, a professor of law at the University of Konstanz, has a clear opinion about it: "It cannot be done." An extension of the two-year negotiating period, he says, is already clearly regulated in Article 50. It is possible, but only through an agreement between Britain and the other 27 EU member states. A unilateral withdrawal and a renewed submission later for a British exit would run contrary to good faith, Thym says.
Third, the U.S. is providing air support to the Shiite militia advance into Mosul. These militias have already established their first bases in the liberated eastern half of the city under Iranian leadership after driving hundreds of thousands of Sunnis out of the provinces, killing thousands and razing entire villages.

No Plan, No Logic, No Nothing

There is no plan, no logic, no nothing -- at least not on the part of the Americans. Even under the aegis of Obama, it was unclear which goals the U.S. was pursuing in the midst of the murderous upheavals taking place in the Arab World. IS, which Obama dismissed as a group of amateurs at the beginning of 2014, would be declared the world's greatest enemy only three-quarters of a year later. Instead of fundamentally considering the global threats that could emerge from the ignored war in Syria, Washington only wanted to intervene in a way that wouldn't require much of an intervention. Islamic State was to be fought, but nothing else was to be touched. So the Pentagon's emissaries told the rebels it would be best if they pointed their guns at Islamic State and nothing else.
The Perfect Target

But Navalny claims that Medvedev has managed to obtain a number of luxury properties, registered under various charitable foundations -- from a 3,000 square-meter (32,300 square-foot) villa on posh Rublyovka Street in Moscow to a winery in Tuscany. Nawalny's team investigated for six months, watching as Medvedev ordered Nike sport shoes on the internet and looking at where he had them sent. They also evaluated his vacation photos posted to Instagram and had the properties filmed from overhead drones.

Misha, the 17-year-old protester from Moscow, has also seen the film. "Medvedev was always an absurd character for us," he says. "A guy who falls asleep at the Olympic Games, who dresses like a teenager and who maintains his own blog. And then it is revealed that this strange character has an empire worth 70 billion rubles (around 1.13 billion euros)."

The film's success led straight to the march. Navalny realized that Medvedev was the perfect target, a man who -- in contrast to Putin -- was neither respected nor feared. A seemingly normal guy who, for that reason, is a perfect symbol of the iniquity of the Putin system. As prime minister, he slashed the Russian budget and then dismissed taxpayer concerns with the insolent comment: "There's no money. Keep your chin up."

The second indication that Navalny might have the youth's ear is his regional campaign. Presidential elections in Russia are set for March 2018 and Navalny has already indicated that he intends to run. The Kremlin, however, has set up almost insurmountable hurdles for independent candidates. Those who aren't running on behalf of a party must collect 300,000 signatures, evenly dispersed among at least 40 regions.

Even though other candidates have yet to announce their intention to run, Navalny began traveling through the country in February to mobilize volunteers for the collection of the necessary signatures. It is a way for him to become more recognizable, even as television broadcasters studiously ignore him. No other politician in the country has a network like his, with registered volunteers in almost every region in the country. And wherever he appears, crowds of young people show up to see him.

Bombarded with Eggs

Such was the case in mid-March in Tomsk, a four-hour flight from Moscow. Tomsk is Siberia's oldest university town, a place with decaying wooden buildings with dirty snow piled up in front of them. In Navalny's local campaign office, the beanbag chairs hadn't even been unpacked yet. And the day had not begun well for the two office managers, Alyona and Xenia, aged 21 and 25, respectively. Their apartment doors had been stuck shut with insulation foam and their car tires slashed. Navalny himself was bombarded with eggs by enraged Putin supporters upon arrival at the airport.

That evening, at a meeting with volunteers in a rented event hall, the mood is much better. Around 200 young people, most of them men, are packed into the space and Navalny greets each one of them with a handshake. "Tomsk is the Russian Berkeley," he says flatteringly. "There should be one startup after the other popping up, the streets should be full of cool people wandering around with coffee in to-go cups! Why isn't that happening?"

This regime, Navalny says, has no arguments left, aside from insulation foam. His speech is an attempt to encourage them, to keep them going for the next couple of months before he has a chance to return. He talks like he writes: in simple words and with a fair portion of humor. He repeatedly poses questions to his audience that are to be answered in unison.

Halfway through his speech, a policeman walks into the hall saying they had received a bomb threat and that the building had to be evacuated immediately. Derisive laughter fills the room, but Navalny has to complete his speech in the snow outside, illuminated by the blue light of a fire department vehicle. It is impossible to hear him anymore, but in compensation, more passersby can see him.

Navalny has learned how to turn attacks to his advantage. Like in Barnaul, where someone sprayed green antiseptic liquid into his face. Because it wasn't easy to just wash it off, Navalny spread it around and appeared with a green visage, as though he were the animated film character Shrek. The images were a huge hit on the internet.

One Foot in Prison

His path to politics began in 2000 as part of the liberal Yabloko party. He then took a detour to the right, which many still hold against him today. On several occasions, he attended the annual Russian March, during which Moscow right-wing extremists bellow chants against immigrants. It was during a period when nationalists appeared to be gaining ground in the country, and he later turned his back on the scene.

Navalny was already the most important figure behind the 2011-2012 winter of protests, a popular new face among more established opposition activists like Boris Nemtsov. In 2013, the Kremlin allowed him to run for Moscow mayor, hoping he would embarrass himself. Instead, though, he ended up with 27 percent of the vote and Putin's candidate, Sergei Sobyanin, was only barely able to avoid a run-off, despite significant official support. Navalny is now hoping to repeat his 2013 success on a national level.

On the day after his appearance in Tomsk, Navalny's itinerary leads him to Kemerovo, which is also located in western Siberia. Instead of being a university town, it is an ugly mining settlement in a region notorious for its authoritarian governor and radically manipulated election results which tend to stand in stark contrast with those of its neighboring regions.

Yet here too, a couple hundred young men and women are waiting impatiently for the political star. And they have many of the same questions. What sort of foreign policy does Navalny intend to pursue, one asks, and how can the Crimea problem be solved? Navalny has a clear position on the issue: He wants to see a new referendum be held on the peninsula and has resolved not to collect signatures there. But he also knows that it is better to do what he can to avoid foreign policy since it is an area where Putin is much stronger. "Territorial problems cannot be solved," he says. "My foreign policy consists of clearing the snow here and ensuring higher wages. Only a rich county can be strong militarily."

They are the answers of a politician: well-practiced, simple and populist. But they are at least the answers of someone who bothered to appear in person, who listens to every question and who then sticks around for another 30 minutes so that everybody has the opportunity to take a selfie with him. He is a politician who perseveres despite encountering hostility wherever he goes and who even seeks to engage the most boisterous of hecklers in discussion. That makes him unique among Russia's opposition activists -- and on his tour of the country, he has realized just how welcome his approach is.

Awakened from a Deep Sleep

Still, his success a week ago on Sunday must have made him fearful for a moment. That became apparent as Navalny was being driven away in the police bus and the crowd outside began rocking it back and forth. His concerned face can briefly be seen behind one of the vehicle's windows. He draws the curtain closed and then sends out a message via Twitter thanking demonstrators for their support but also reminding them that the day was not about protesting against arrests but about protesting against corruption.

What might he have been thinking at that moment? Perhaps that he was losing control of the movement? It was possible to ask him the next day as he appeared in court and was sentenced to a monetary fine and 15 days in jail. "I was mostly thinking that I needed to hold on," he joked. Did he expect so many people to show up? "I was expecting that many people, but not in so many cities," he says. "Russia hasn't experienced anything like that since the 1980s."

That is a slight exaggeration. But it does indeed seem as though the country were awakened from a deep sleep into which it fell five years ago. And as if, this time, the Russia far away from the capital in Moscow was having its say. Following his foreign policy successes, Putin is suddenly facing a domestic challenge, even in the furthest-flung regions. Last Thursday, in his first reaction to the challenge, he drew dark parallels to the Arab Spring, saying it too began with such protests. Navalny has risen in importance, but now, his anti-corruption fund is threatened with dissolution. Many of its employees have been arrested and several of its computers have been confiscated.

Misha, the young Moscow demonstrator, has realized that reality is more malleable than he thought. He is exactly 23 years younger than Navalny, both having been born on June 4. When he was six months old, Putin rose to power. "In our courtyard, there was a car that had never been moved. Every now and then, someone said that it finally needed to be gotten rid of. But nothing ever happened. Putin is like that car: simply always there." At home, he says, everyone has come to terms with Putin in their own way. His grandmother calls him "father." His mother doesn't care. Misha's dad says: "Nothing will ever change anyway."

That sentence is the strongest pillar of the Putin regime, says Navalny. But why should people trust him? Many Russians are cynical and they have good reasons for being so. In a pretend democracy where everything is agreed to behind closed doors, how, they wonder, can there be a truly independent politician? Someone must be behind Navalny, they believe. Otherwise he would long since have been locked away.

Hostage of the System

Navalny, though, already has one foot in prison. In 2013, a court convicted him on specious charges in the city of Kirov -- he was said to have harmed a state forestry operation as an adviser to the governor. The verdict was censured by the European Court of Human Rights and later nullified, but in February a new verdict got issued that looked like a copy of the first. Most observers see the step as a possible excuse for preventing Navalny from taking part in the presidential elections. His brother Oleg is imprisoned in a labor camp for an alleged white collar offense, essentially a hostage of the system.

"Navalny is not the project of somebody else," says political scientist Ekaterina Schulmann. "He is an independent political actor, likely the only one in Russia." He is an alien element that doesn't leave the system in peace. Ahead of the 2018 presidential elections, the Kremlin is more unnerved than ever. Putin, of course -- should he run -- could easily win; he remains broadly popular. There are also docile rival candidates of the kind that have served the system well for decades. But low voter turnout would rob the system of legitimacy. The bitter lesson learned in 2016 parliamentary elections was that if there is nothing at stake, voters stay home. From the Kremlin's perspective, that is a good argument for allowing Navalny to participate, despite the dangers.

On the other hand, this election is the last one that Putin may participate in according to the constitution. A candidate who does well in 2018 has good chances for getting through the preliminaries in 2024. That would mean that Putin could spend his last term as a lame duck as young rivals prepare to take the reins. "That's why in 2018, only older politicians are to run who don't have a political future in 2024," says Schulmann. Which is a powerful argument for preventing Navalny from taking part in next year's election.

Navalny now has one year to drive up the political cost of excluding him from the vote. On the last Sunday in March, he became a topic of conversation across the entire country, despite television broadcasters completely ignoring him. He spoke directly to that generation that doesn't watch television and lives exclusively in the internet.

The surprise of last week was that this generation, which everyone thought to be apolitical, reacted to Navalny's advances. They are so young that they haven't yet developed the fearful reflexes and suspicion that characterizes older generations. They know that their opportunities are limited in the current economic climate. They didn't take to the streets in direct opposition to Putin, but to protest a feeling of stagnation. It remains unclear whether this younger generation is truly political and whether it wants or can exert lasting influence. Many young men and women, though, are apparently ready to place their trust in Navalny. And now, concerned teachers are trying to get them to abandon their novel ideas. Already, videos are circulating showing school directors and university professors admonishing their charges.

One of them is from Tomsk. "There is thievery everywhere," a lecturer tells his students in the clip, adding that even Peter the Great was unable to change that. He then triumphantly quotes the wise words of a KGB general who says: "A state where there is no corruption isn't worth anything."
Michigan ballot proposals explained You know you are in the heart of election season...
London (UK), April 05, 2017 (SPS) - Mhamed Kheddad, the Sahrawi coordinator with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) and member of the national secretariat of Polisario Front has been received on Tuesday at the British Foreign Office.

Kheddad told APS that he has presented the last developments in the Occupied Sahrawi Territories, a few days ahead of the presentation of the UN secretary general report on Western Sahara to the Security Council, which the UK is a permanent member and closely follows the Sahrawi issue.

He also renewed the stance of the Polisario Front,- the legitimate representative of Western Sahara people-, for a peaceful and political solution to the Sahrawi conflict, which is called by UN a question of decolonization.

The solution to Western Sahara conflict is contingent on the respect of the principle of Western Sahara self-determination, blocked by Morocco, the coordinator said.

Kheddad also stressed to his British interlocutors that it was time for the UN Security Council to set out the responsibilities and blockages that are the work of Morocco, which has expelled the MINURSO members, refuses to honour its commitments on the holding of a self-determination referendum, is plundering the natural resources in the occupied territories, violating the human rights and blocking the negotiations for 5 years.

The Sahrawi official who also discussed the tension that has existed since August 2016 in Guerguerat, in the southernmost part of Western Sahara, said it was the consequence of the violation of ceasefire by Morocco.

"The Moroccan forces withdrawal of few metres is not the solution. We need to stop the tension by closing the crossing to Guerguerat and also return to the cease-fire agreement as demanded by the UN chief in order to prevent any further violations," he said.

The UN Security Council must reinstate credibility in the MINURSO by its return to the full functionality, under Resolution 2285, and also relaunch the negotiations in application of all UN resolutions on Western Sahara, Kheddad explained, while stressing that the Polisario Front was ready to cooperate.

The British government, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council closely follows the situation in Western Sahara.

"The UK favors the success of the UN action in Western Sahara, the application of the Security Council resolutions," said Khaddad.

Concerning the issue of human rights in Western Sahara, Khaddad expressed his respect to the British position, concluding that the principle of peoples self-determination is constant and imprescriptible position for the British. SPS

125/090/700
Copenhagen (Denmark), April 4, 2017 (SPS) - Free Western Sahara campaign in Denmark (Frit Vestsahara) issued Tuesday a statement calling for clearing all mines from Western Sahara, on the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. The statement reads as follow:



Today on the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action we call for the world to condemn the longest continuous minefield of the world at present and to recognize that it clearly symbolizes the despicable brutality of Moroccan imperialism against the Sahrawi people.



In Western Sahara the Moroccan Wall of Shame is preventing the original people from returning to their homeland areas rightfully theirs to claim. The wall stretching for more than 2,700 kilometres consist amongst others of a total 7 million landmines. More than 2,500 people have been killed or injured in Western Sahara as a result of encountering these mines. Nevertheless the Moroccan Kingdom have never expressed no regrets or apologies to the victims of their cowardly use of this inhuman weapon of terror.



United Nations (UN) and the leaders of the world have forgotten their responsibilities towards Western Sahara and their promises in Resolution 690 (1991) of a referendum to be held among the original people of the land. The Danish campaign Frit Vestsahara (Free Western Sahara) sympathizes fully with the Sahrawi people, their demand for the referendum on self-determination and their struggle against the Moroccan occupation and brutality that has lasted for more than four decades.



October 14-22 this year the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY), an NGO recognized by UN, will host what is expected to become the biggest and most important international youth gathering since the dawn of the Millennium. On the World Festival of Youth and Students (#WFYS2017) there will be workshops and activities regarding coordination and strengthening of the many campaigns worldwide supporting the Sahrawi struggle against Moroccan imperialism and colonization.



The freedom fight of the Sahrawi people is a fight supported by the youth of the world. The youth has always been the leading force in struggles against colonization and will always resist imperialist aggressions. We encourage every young man and woman that sympathizes with the people of Western Sahara to participate in the World Festival of Youth and Students 2017. (SPS)

062/090




For the last five years Newton Rigg College and agricultural supply company, Carrs Billington, have worked together on a number of initiatives including agriculture events at the college, work placements for students and support for its alumni organisation, the Newton Rigg Society. In addition, students have the chance to apply for scholarships to assist their education needs and this year eight students shared 4,500.

They were presented with their awards and cheques by Managing Director, Rae Tomlinson, during a recent visit to the company's head office in Carlisle. Afterwards the students enjoyed a tour of the country store, workshops and offices.

Commenting on the scholarships scheme, Mr Tomlinson said:

Carrs Billington Agriculture is delighted to continue to be involved with Newton Rigg College. We value the partnership and close links with students and staff alike. The scholarship scheme is another way of investing in the future of farming that is so crucial to Carrs Billington and the fabric of our environment. The students are the prospective customers and employees of Carrs Billington and the future custodians of British farming.
One such farmer is Rebecca Wilson of West Woodfoot Farm, Slaley in Northumberland, who has a flock of fifty breeding ewes, specialising in five rare breeds; Teeswaters, Herdwicks, Cheviots, Kerry Hills and Llanwenogs.

Rebecca has been instrumental in the launch of a new class at the Northumberland County Show: British Rare Breed Sheep, and her business, Tynedale Rare Breeds, have sponsored the section.

Vice Chairman of the, Robert Raine, explained,

Were excited by this development as weve had a growing number of requests for this class. With the location of the show being close to Herdwick breeding heartlands of Cumbria, the Wensleydales from Yorkshire, plus the Northumbrian Cheviots, we expect some of the entrants will represent local sheep. Hopefully however well see some really unusual sheep. It would be marvelous for the public to see all these rare breeds!

Rebecca has lived in the Tyne Valley for 20 years moving to West Woodfoot in 2011, but was brought up on Cotswold Farm Park in Gloucestershire where her father Joe Henson began keeping rare breeds in the 1960s. Rebecca told us It started out as a hobby, with only two Gloucester cows and two Gloucester Old Spot pigs, became a lifelong passion when he provided a home for a collection of rare breeds from nearby Whipsnade Zoo.

In 1973 Joe Henson was a founder member of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) and was honoured in 2011 for his outstanding contribution to the trust. The same year he was awarded an MBE in the Queens Birthday Honours for his services to conservation. Sadly, Joe passed away in 2015, but the family have generously donated a trophy in his name to commemorate his contribution to farming, conservation of rare breeds and his inspiration to them.

All of the Henson children have pursued successful careers in agriculture and environment, with Rebeccas sister, Libby Henson, renowned expert in rare breeds and Director of pedigree software company Grassroots, kindly travelling from Exeter to undertake the judging of the section. Louise Henson, MD of the Forest Peoples Programme, and farms rare breed cattle. Their brother, Adam Henson, who now runs the family farm, is well known as an author and television presenter on BBCs Countryfile. Cotswold Farm Park is a showcase for at-risk breeds and is now one of the regions major tourist attractions.

Rebecca moved to the north east in the late 1980s when she married husband Nick, a Geordie, who came home to run the family firm. She spent ten years working for the BBC in Newcastle, including directing the news and working as First Assistant Director on the childrens drama Byker Grove. Rebecca explained, When our daughter left home to go to University we decided to move house and bought West Woodfoot. We were supposed to be down-sizing, but we have more land and less house! I got back to my roots and decided to get some sheep. My hobby has progressed into a business and I now breed rare breed pedigree stock for sale and plan to start selling my meat, in packs. I have been concentrating on getting interest from local restaurants and pubs, and now have quite a list of interested buyers. I just have to breed them now!
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

STAMFORD  A projected state budget deficit of approximately $1.7 billion for the next fiscal year is forcing legislators to consider a range of solutions  many of which are divisive and saddled with uncertainty.

Faced with that predicament, four of the state General Assemblys top members gathered Wednesday at a Business Council of Fairfield County-sponsored forum at the Crowne Plaza hotel to offer their assessments of how the state will tackle its fiscal travails.

Im going into these negotiations that will probably start three weeks from now with an open mind and really everything being on the table, said Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz, D-Southington. Are (increases) in taxes our first choice  absolutely not. But could they have to be part of the equation  I believe they may be.

House Republican Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, responded that we have to make tough decisions, we have to make unpopular decisions, and I do believe that a budget can be put together without tax increases.

With the state scrambling to create new sources of revenue, the probability of tolls returning to Connecticut highways has increased. But Senate Republican President Pro Tempore Len Fasano, R-North Haven, said he opposed tolls and that the state could instead use bonding to fund transportation infrastructure.

Lets start fixing our roads using general obligation bonds  no new taxes, no tolls  leverage the federal money, and we can literally start doing it with this budget, Fasano said. We can put over $1 billion into our transportation system, starting next year.

Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, expressed skepticism about Fasanos proposal. He said he would favor a constitutional amendment to create a lockbox on transportation funds.

What we bond a lot for right now is school construction, and youd end up (with Fasanos plan) taking a lot of that funding away for some of the other traditional types of work that we do in the state of Connecticut, Duff said.

The possible legalization of recreational marijuana would offer another source of revenue, although panelists suggested such legislation would likely not pass in the current session.

Im not convinced one way or another, Aresimowicz said. The last thing I want to do is pass it simply because it brings money into the state.

Fasano expressed the strongest opposition on the panel to legalization.

One, the federal law says its a Class A drug, therefore, youre violating federal law, he said. No. 2, I dont think we sell our souls to fill our coffers.

Connecticuts casino industry could also see far-reaching changes aimed at generating more revenue for the state. Proposals have emerged to build a third casino in the state, in East Windsor, and to enact changes that could pave the way for a casino in Bridgeport.

Id like to see a casino thats not a full casino  its slots and table games  up in the East Windsor area, Duff said. Im not supportive of one down in Bridgeport because I dont think it does what its supposed to do. But this is really a defensive mechanism in order to save the jobs and revenues that are in the state of Connecticut from going out to Massachusetts.

Klarides said legislators should not move ahead with changing the casino laws until we know the legal ramifications or a substantially solid answer.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

STAMFORD  The guest list at Planned Parenthood of Southern New Englands annual fundraiser grew this year by more than 100 people, a change its leaders attribute to the political climate.

There are extreme politicians who are trying to de-fund and shut down Planned Parenthood, said Judy Tabar, president and CEO of the groups Connecticut and Rhode Island affiliates. That is not what the American people want.

Seventy-five percent of Americans support Planned Parenthood and believe in the resources we provide, she said. Our supporters are really fired up. They want to help, theyre speaking out, and one of the ways they can do that is by being here today.

The spring luncheon at the Stamford Marriott Hotel drew some 625 people and raised about $650,000, according to the organization.

Its keynote speaker was journalist and author Jonathan Eig, whose most recent book is The Birth of the Pill. This years Community Impact Award recipient was Callie Sullivan, who has served as a board member of NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut and as committee chair for the luncheon.

The event also featured remarks by Ali Walensky, 25, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at Planned Parenthood.

From the initial screening, diagnosis and care, Planned Parenthood has been there for me every step of the way. If it werent for them I wouldnt be standing in front of you today, Walensky said, according to a Planned Parenthood news release.

Planned Parenthood of Southern New England has 17 Connecticut locations, including in Stamford, Danbury and Bridgeport.

Last year, Planned Parenthoods Stamford center left its facility of 37 years on East Main Street for a renovated building on Sixth Street. Besides the basic reproductive health care and cancer screenings offered at all locations, Stamford has the only Planned Parenthood in Fairfield County equipped to perform on-site surgical abortions.

The Stamford location served in the last year nearly 4,000 patients, more than half of whom earn below the federal poverty level, according to the organization.

eskalka@stamfordadvocate.com
Azerbaijan violated the Karabakh ceasefire forty times yesterday and last night, firing more than 900 various caliber small arms rounds, in addition to three 60mm rockets and ten mortars, this according to the Artsakh Ministry of Defense.

If you found a typo you can notify us by selecting the text area and pressing CTRL+Enter
A rgos on Wednesday unveiled plans to grow its own-brand product ranges, harnessing the design expertise of new owner Sainsburys, to gain market share in categories like homeware.

Commercial director Robbie Feather, former head of Sainsburys online business, said Argos has been strong on brands, particularly in electricals and gadgets.

But, he said, it now had a big opportunity to develop more of its own products due to the supermarkets design credentials.

Feather said Argos would be driving hard into home as part of the strategy.

Argos chief executive John Rogers, formerly Sainsburys finance chief, added he was really pleased with the chains performance since last years 1.4 billion takeover by the grocer.

Argos same-store sales rose 4.3% in the nine weeks to March 11.

Own brand is also a focus for John Lewis.

Its new chief Paula Nickolds said last week she is targeting a 50/50 sales split between own brand and branded products.

Own brand makes up 35% to 40% of John Lewis sales.
B anks and insurers look set for a boost after president Donald Trump fired off stronger rhetoric about a very major haircut for horrendous US banking regulations.

Trump is attempting to cut back banking and consumer protection rules introduced by Barack Obama in the wake of 2008s financial crisis.

Were going to do a very major haircut on Dodd-Frank, the President said.

The Wall Street regulation is aimed at stopping banks from being too big to fail by making them separate their investment and commercial businesses and hold higher capital reserves to avoid collapse. We want strong restrictions, we want strong regulation. But not regulation that makes it impossible for the banks to loan to people that are going to create jobs, Trump said.

Were going to be doing things that are going to be very good for the banking industry so that the banks can loan money to people who need it.

Shares in banks and insurance groups rallied in London after Trump suggested the start of a review into dismantling the Dodd-Frank regulations last month.

Dodd-Frank has made it impossible for bankers to function, Trump said last May.
B ovis Homes today snubbed a 1.2 billion takeover bid from rival Galliford Try  and lured its former chief executive to be the new boss.

Greg Fitzgerald, who spent 33 years at Galliford, has the job of rescuing a Bovis which had lost its way.

Earlier this year, it paid 7 million to compensate customers who needed repairs on newly built homes. It offered customers up to 3000 to move into unfinished homes so it could hit sales targets.

Bovis also rejected an 814p-a-share, 1 billion bid from Redrow last month and was seen as in turmoil at least until todays announcement.

Galliford said it realised it was never going to land the support of the Bovis board for its offer.

Bovis said Gallifords deal failed to reflect the underlying value of its business. Bovis shares moved up 3% to 872p on news of Fitzgeralds appointment.

Galliford was steady at 1471p.

From urns to earnings Greg Fitzgerald joined Galliford Try as a 17-year-old tea boy. He left two years ago after a much lauded 10-year stint as chief executive, during which time Galliford was involved in several high-profile London projects, including the Centre Court roof at Wimbledon and the restoration of the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. Fitzgerald admits he is obsessed by work, though he does find time to listen to Level 42. He told the Sunday Times in 2015 that he has never read a book. At Bovis he will get a basic salary of 650,000. Bonuses and incentives mean he could make up to 7 million in the first three years.

Fitzgerald will replace David Ritchie, who left in January under a cloud after a surprise profit warning because of a delay in completing homes.

The housing boom and various government support schemes created a benign environment for the sector.

Bovis shares have underperformed rivals, however. The firm said today that staff have been retrained and it is working on customer service issues.

Fitzgerald said: Bovis has a great brand, excellent people and a high quality land bank.

I very much look forward to working with the management team to restore Bovis position as a leading housebuilder.

Fitzgerald is regarded as an old-school operator who lives to work, once describing Galliford as his entire life.

In an interview two years ago he described himself as an entrepreneur first and foremost and not a natural large company Plc bod.

He is often compared, favourably, with building legend Tony Pidgley of Berkeley, for his ability to call the housing cycle correctly.

He replaces the interim chief executive Earl Sibley, who resumes his previous role as finance director.

Galliford, of similar size to Bovis, says it will now focus on a five-year organic growth strategy, seeming to rule out any prospect of a hostile bid.
P roperty giant British Land has given a haircut to a proposed redevelopment of one of UBS former offices in the Square Mile in the wake of the Brexit vote, it emerged earlier.

The FTSE 100 developer had approval to add two floors to the six-storey office block at 1 Finsbury Avenue in the Broadgate Complex, but has axed the proposals.

It has also slashed back the amount of dedicated office space by around 60,000 square feet to some 300,000 square feet, according to new plans lodged with the City of London.

British Land and Broadgate partner GIC  Singapores sovereign wealth fund  have instead increased the amount of flexible space, which could be used for offices, shops or restaurants.

The move will send a chill through the London commercial property market as landlords grapple with businesses threatening to move offices from London in favour of other cities because of Brexit.

In November, British Land said it was reviewing its projects in the wake of the referendum and would likely opt for a lower-cost refurbishment of 1 Finsbury Avenue.

A spokesman said today: The revised approach of a more cost-effective refurbishment facilitates the option of being able to deliver the space at an earlier date in late 2018.

He added that the firm has broader plans to transform Broadgate into a world-class mixed-use destination.
S NC-Lavalins 2.1 billion tilt at UK engineering firm Atkins is likely to be waved through by competition authorities because of the fragmented nature of the sector, according to a poll of analysts on Wednesday.

SNC makes most of its revenues from oil and gas ventures in Canada and the Middle East, while Atkins is stronger in the UK and Europe, where it works on projects like Crossrail (pictured) and Hinkley Point.

This means the tie-up is unlikely to give the merged duo a monopoly in either markets.

They may brush up against each other occasionally but theres unlikely to be competition concerns, said Liberums Joe Brent.

Raymond Jamess Frederic Bastien, who covers SNC in Canada, said: Theres no real overlap between the two companies, so theres limited risk of redundancies and lay-offs for Atkins professionals.

Competition concerns have been a key hurdle for deals in the UK this year, with LSE-Deutsche Borse collapsing due to anti-trust concerns and further scrutiny of Tesco-Booker.

Atkins declined to comment. The Competition and Markets Authority did not comment.
P atience in HSS Hire appeared to be wearing thin today as shares in the tool-hire group shed nearly 5%.

After being tapped up for 13 million to fend off pressure from an over-running upgrade plan, news that first-quarter revenue was expected to be flat appeared to be the final straw for some shareholders.

HSS, known for its blue-and-yellow vans, is trying to make equipment delivery smoother and quicker for DIY and big building clients through a new, 190,000-square-foot central distribution centre near Oxford.

Boss John Gill said the company remained at the start of its journey but there were encouraging initial signs that its new strategy was gaining traction in key markets like London. HSS expects the benefits of the transformation to show in its second half.

Sales rose 9.6% to 342.4 million in 2016, while profits were stable at 5.8 million. That wasnt enough to reassure nervy investors and the shares dropped 3.3p to 63.4p.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index edged up 12.94 points to 7334.76 points, helped by upbeat services figures and gains for commodities stocks.

Miner Antofagasta was the top riser, adding 22p to reach 862p, while BHP Billiton was in second place with a 32p rise to 1287.5p. The latter earlier declared force majeure for coal deliveries from some of its Australian mines after a cyclone damaged railway lines.

Oil giant Shell leapt 35p at 2227p after DCC said it would buy its liquefied petroleum gas business in Hong Kong and Macau. DCC, which does everything from distribute oil to waste management, named Donal Murphy as new chief executive, sending its shares near a record high, 120p to 7140p.

Small-cap explorer Premier Oil rose 3p at 63.6p having agreed the sale of its Pakistan business to Al-Haj Energy for $65.6 million (52.7 million).

Investors in Hollywood Bowl deemed its latest trading update, showing a near-8% rise in revenue, a strike and sent the shares 4.75p higher to 170.1p. Broker Investec noted that strong cash generation could mean shareholder returns at the end of the year.

On Aim, Firestone Diamonds shone brightly, with a 4.25p rise to 49p, after its discovery of a whopping 110-carat, light yellow diamond.
H e started out making cuppas for insurance executives in the Seventies but now Lloyds of London statesman Stephen Catlin will have more time for brews of his own after announcing his retirement on Wednesday.

Catlin, who worked his way up from teaboy to founder of the Lloyds underwriter bearing his name, will step down as XL Catlins deputy executive chairman and retire in December.

Catlin founded the eponymous underwriter in 1984, later selling the company to US rival XL Group in 2015 for 2.6 billion to form XL Catlin.

It is an appropriate time for me to take the opportunity to step back from an active leadership role within the company, Catlin said.

He had recently been linked the Lloyds of London chairman role, which went to former banker Bruce Carnegie-Brown. XL chief executive Mike McGavick said: Stephen is an original and a true statesman of our industry.

Catlin will remain a consultant at XL Catlin for nine months after his retirement.
T he language of diplomacy is intrinsically riddled with optimistic euphemism and constructive ambiguity: when a senior minister hails the shared values that allegedly bind Britain to another nation, the phrase can mean anything from isnt democracy nice? to please stop killing your political opponents.

So let us not pretend that the routine platitudes deployed by Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary, during his visit to Manila mean more than they do. In declaring that the UK and the Philippines have a well-established and strong relationship built on a foundation of shared values and shared interests and we want this partnership to continue to flourish, he was not offering an open-ended endorsement to the unlovely regime of Rodrigo Duterte but observing the necessary formalities, as a preamble to substantive trade talks.

More significant is the fanning out around the world of the Governments most senior members. By the weeks end, the Prime Minister will have been in Jordan and Saudi Arabia (true to her values, not wearing a headscarf), Philip Hammond in India, Boris Johnson in Luxembourg and David Davis in Spain and Portugal. Foxs swing through the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia is merely one strand of a co-ordinated strategy, intimately connected to last weeks triggering of Article 50.

In her speech on Brexit in January, the PM used the phrase Global Britain no fewer than 10 times. The referendum, she insisted, was not the moment Britain chose to step back from the world but precisely the opposite. The great prize for this country was to reach out to old friends and new allies alike, entrenching the UKs reputation as a great, global trading nation.

The true test of this commercial ambition, of course, will be Britains prosperity 10 years hence, rather than the itinerary of its ministers in a single week. But all the nation-hopping has immediate political content, too. It is a pageant, dramatising one of the messages most dear to Mays heart.

Cast your mind back to the hectic months of the referendum and its immediate aftermath. The vote was won by two essentially contradictory arguments.

The first, advanced by the official Vote Leave campaign, was that the European Union was irredeemably old-fashioned, burdensome and a restraint upon Britains aspirations as a determinedly modern, truly global nation. It was time, therefore, to liberate ourselves from the clammy grip of Brussels and become a nimble, agile world power, free to forge our own trading relations, fit for the hectic demands of the 21st century.

The second, quite distinct argument was more often insinuated than overtly expressed  but was still powerful in its appeal to atavistic instincts. For Nigel Farage, the Leave.EU group and most of Ukip, the EU was a proxy for foreign influence, multiculturalism and the alleged evil of mass immigration.

The vile Breaking Point poster under which Farage posed was an appeal to British nativism, and the impulse to pull up the drawbridge and restore Britain to a prelapsarian condition of blue passports, imperial measurements, and  doubtless  mandatory morris dancing.

The touring, bartering and glad-handing will be relentless, and not all of it will bear fruit

The more honest Brexiteers will concede that both arguments played their part in Leaves victory, a twin-track approach that simultaneously advanced internationalism and insularity. Such doublethink is just about tenable in a referendum campaign. But it is not sustainable as a governing principle.

Now that Britain has formally notified Brussels of its intention to leave the EU and the white paper for the Great Repeal Bill has been published, No 10 is determined to scotch the notion that Britain is retreating behind a wall of nostalgia, xenophobia and diminished ambitions.

The PMs allies are especially hostile to anything that smacks of culture wars, of a country mired in introspection and division. More than ever, they believe, Britain must not only be, but be perceived as, open, energetic and confident, rather than as a fractious, fading nation checking itself into the nursing home of former imperial powers.

This is a formidable challenge. While it may be in the ultimate interests of our 27 (soon-to-be-ex-) EU partners for a constructive deal to emerge from the negotiations of the next two years, the process is bound to involve plenty of ugly talk about Britains supposedly dwindling clout on the world stage. The weekends skirmish over Gibraltar was only a taste of things to come.

It would be idle, furthermore, to deny the level of sincere and enduring bafflement in many countries at the British peoples decision. Why would the fifth largest economy in the world withdraw from its biggest single market? Why leave the top table of your own continent?

The long and winding political road that led to last years referendum outcome is of little interest in foreign capitals. What does command attention around the world is the question of Britains objectives now that it is taking this momentous step.

In response, action is more important than rhetoric. This is why the PM is in the Gulf pursuing the UKs commercial and security interests, why the Chancellor is in India championing our financial services and technology, and why Fox has been in South-East Asia pressing home the message that post-Brexit Britain will be a powerhouse of international trade. Later this year the PM is expected to visit Japan. Her team continues to work on the outline of a new trade deal with America.

The touring, bartering and glad-handing will be relentless, and not all of it will bear fruit. But, in a radically interdependent world, some version of this strategy is the responsibility of every government. For a nation about to decouple itself from the EU, it is an absolute necessity.
L ast year, Microsoft ran an experiment in the pursuit of conversational understanding. The company unveiled an artificial intelligence (AI) named Tay, designed to engage in casual and playful exchanges with 16- to 24-year-old Americans on Twitter. The more people tweeted Tay, the more convincingly she would emulate real-life human interactions.

After 40,000 or so exchanges, Tay was an exemplary internet citizen. She shared such pearls as: I f***ing hate feminists and they should all die and burn in hell, and ricky gervais learned totalitarianism from adolf hitler, the inventor of atheism and chill im a nice person! i just hate everyone. Microsoft removed her within 24 hours. Shes now tipped for a role in Donald Trumps cabinet.

The idea that a machine-learning algorithm could win the internet by trial-and-erroring its way to white supremacy will surprise no one whos spent any time online recently. Its pretty much how Trump became President after all. Garbage in, garbage out, as coders like to say.

But the experiment raises a whole bunch of additional questions, too. Will AI transcend biological intelligence in ways that are actually useful to our species? Is it possible to create an artificial conscience, too? Is an insouciant disregard for capital letters a passing millennial affectation or the orthography of the future? idk.

What I do know is that were a long way from the utopian promises of the early World Wide Web. A new survey by the Pew Research Center finds widespread pessimism about the way things have turned out online. Of 1,537 technology experts, 81 per cent say they expect the current culture of harassment, disgust and distrust to stay the same or get worse in the next 10 years. What with Russian hackers, Macedonian fake news and @PiersMorgan, many regard the internet as a failed state.

AI-patrolled safe spaces  the online equivalent of gated communities  are seen as one way to save us from the worst of ourselves. After its recent PR disasters, Google is even teaching its bots to take offence like a human, and thus filter out noxious videos from YouTube. It may take some work: apparently, you can fool it by splicing your white supremacist propaganda with photographs of noodles.

Another is to remove the anonymity that was once the internets great virtue, and make social media more like the peer-review systems on Airbnb, say. Collaborative platforms such as Wikipedia and eBay show that people can be trusted to trust one another if the right conventions are in place.

Still, it strikes me as no coincidence that the web has become ever more poisonous the more profit has become its convention. Facebook works by monetising your likes so that corporations and, increasingly, political interests, can form sophisticated psychological profiles of potential customers. Twitter does well in times of turmoil since (as the Pew researchers found) hate, anxiety and anger drive participation, and participation drives advertising clicks. Google, Snapchat, Instagram  all your faves  make their money from advertising. Advertisers feed on anxiety in its many squirming forms.

And so where once there was a green commons, now theres a dystopian shopping mall full of pop-up billboards, dimwitted paid content and raving door-to-door salesmen. Its no wonder were constantly on edge. Theres no reason other than the greed of its masters that it need function this way.

Ivanka speaks but we hear nothing

Ivanka Trump has given her first interview since her father's inauguration on CBS This Morning / CBS

What's the point of Ivanka Trump? The Presidents daughter has pitched herself as the relatable Trump, able to use her First Lady-esque proximity and millennial sensitivities to curb the most idiotic excesses of her father. Id say not to conflate lack of public denouncement with silence, she tells CBS. Where I disagree with my father, he knows it, and I express myself with total candour.

And yet this private candour has apparently done nothing to moderate Donald Trumps attacks on womens rights, transgender children, the climate or any of Ivankas supposed passions. Without a public denouncement, how do we see her as anything other than complicit?

Give Russia respect over its suffering

A few days before the Metro attack in St Petersburg, a Los Angeles acquaintance remarked how strange it was that Russia had been spared the sorts of atrocities that had hit Europe and the US. Perhaps the 1999 apartment bombings, the Moscow theatre siege and the Beslan massacre in 2004 went unreported here? The informational abyss goes a long way towards explaining Russias wounded ambivalence towards the West.

In truth, Russia has suffered more from terrorism than any European country, the suffering of its citizens usually compounded by the clumsiness of its rulers.

I spent a long winter in St Petersburg as a student, descending the endless escalators into the Metro system, admiring the beauty of its architecture and the extraordinary resilience of its inhabitants. (Theres a telling sign on Nevsky Prospekt: Citizens! Under aerial bombardment, this side of the street is much more dangerous!)

The city has responded to the bombings in similar spirit. Londoners, still jumpy after the Westminster attack, ought to take a moment to remember our shared history and common humanity.

Row over Kendall advert might not pop Pepsi's PR bubble

I fear everyone has the Kendall Jenner advert wrong. The ambitious young spokesmodel (one of the extended Kardashian spawn) appears in a three-minute promotional video in which she tosses off a blonde wig, joins a Womens March-inspired street protest and calms all tensions by offering a riot policeman a popular carbonated beverage.

Apparently its a short film about the moments when we decide to let go, choose to act, follow our passion and nothing holds us back.

Jenner and the beverage brand have been widely eye-rolled for cultural appropriation, false woke-ness and radical dimness. But surely they might have been prepared for this response?

Kendall Jenner stars in Pepsi advert

Might the repeated mentions of soft drinks on social media and ensuing reverberations around their consciousness be the prize? Watch the bottom line.
 ...When you turned and smiled at me/ A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square

Except that it didnt, of course. That whole song is a tissue of fabrications. Its a very long time since a nightingale sang anywhere in central London  nearly 200 years since John Keats heard his famous light-winged Dryad of the tree singing from beneath a plum tree in Hampstead, and almost certainly longer than that since any nightingale carolled in earnest in the precincts of W1.

But theres more to birdsong than nightingales. If you do tumble out of The Ritz in the early hours, you may still hear a rich and melodious song rippling from a branch or lamp-post-top. People might even tell you its a nightingale (the poet John Clare wrote in the 1820s that Londoners fancy every bird they hear after sunset a nightingale) but theyll be mistaken  it will be a robin.

Robins sing through all four seasons  give or take a few weeks of embarrassed silence in midsummer while the birds moult  and often around the clock, too. This is particularly the case in cities like London, where the blaze of electric lighting seldom dims: robins are highly photo-sensitive, and can be as readily triggered into song by streetlights as by the first light of dawn. It is, in any case, a terrific song, an elegantly phrased medley of too-whees and toodle-oodle-oos.

Birdsong gets everywhere. At this time of year you can hear blackcaps in Battersea Park and willow warblers in Wormwood Scrubs. London birding expert David Darrell-Lambert recommends an early start to catch the explosion of song at first light, around an hour before sunrise: If you go when the sun is up already its a fraction of the quantity and quality, he says.

Its not only in Londons green spaces that its worth uncorking your ears and tuning in to what the birds are saying. Black redstarts  dusky, robin-like birds that have been nesting in the citys bomb sites and derelict industrial hulks since the Second World War  can be heard repeating an insistent tweet from rooftops throughout the City. Urban areas like London can be difficult for birds, of course. Many cant cope with the dirt, the noise, the onward march of steel and glass and concrete. A lucky few, though, are able to adapt. Some London birds begin singing earlier in the day than they usually would, in order to beat the traffic and get in ahead of rush hour.

London once loved its city birds  and not just the poor captive finches whose cages used to be stacked high on Sclater Street in Shoreditch to supply the bird fancying trade. Working-class Londoners used to gather in Hyde Park to feed the sparrows. These scrappy little birds, long in decline, may be making a comeback; a chirruping colony  sounding like a Commons debate wound up in pitch to a half-dozen kilohertz  has now found a home in the Tower of London.

Compared with the racket of traffic, trade and industry, birdsong is a quiet note in Londons non-stop symphony. Quiet, but persistent. It belongs here, just as much as it does in the woods and hedgerows of leafier districts  and its worth listening out for.
Arguing that no election bribes had been handed out during the April 2 parliamentary election in Armenia, public commentator Meruzhan Ter-Goulanyan told reporters today in Yerevan that the election took place at a high level.

When asked why people so disenchanted with the current government voted for their candidates in the election, Ter-Goulanyan said voters believed in Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan, adding that there isnt a nation on earth where the population doesnt complain about its officials.

Nikolai Tzaturyan, who works in the theater and was also at the press conference, said that each nation gets the government it deserves.

Tzaturyan said that he didnt vote because he knew the outcome in advance. Adding that he didnt want to feel tricked, Tzaturyan said hed only cast a ballot if he believed it would make a difference on the election outcome.

Ter-Goulanyan, who describes himself as pro-state and not pro-government, said that over time the authorities in power change. Tzaturyan then chimed in and asked to show an example.

When asked to speak about how army commanders had instructed soldiers to vote in favor of the ruling partys candidates, Ter-Goulanyan said that a soldier must vote for the government in power and that soldiers mustnt have political opinions.

This irked Tzaturyan, saying that such an approach violates the rights of soldiers to hold personal beliefs.

When asked if the election, in which ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) candidates won nearly 50% of the vote, would lead to increased migration, Ter-Goulanyan said that, on the contrary, more people are returning to Armenia.

Tzaturyan said that if one believes the number of eligible voters in Armenia of 2.564 million, as provided by the police, then, any migration has been miniscule.

Ter-Goulanyan argues that there are only two real political parties in Armenia  the RPA and ARF. The rest appear only from election to election cycle.

He said he welcomes the presence of Yelk alliance members in the new parliament. Yelk came in third after the RPA and the Tsarukyan Alliance.

By Anna Avetisyan

4th year student at Yerevan State Universitys Faculty of Journalism
T here are valid concerns that one of the consequences of Brexit could be increased tensions with Spain over Gibraltar. However, I dont believe Spain would be foolish enough to use this to prevent a trade deal with the UK.

The most recent figures show that in a year the UK imported 5.1 billion more in goods from Spain than it exported to the country and that UK residents made 13 million visits to Spain, spending 6.5 billion. These are vital sources of income for the struggling Spanish economy and something it cannot risk losing.

Recent interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria  albeit for very different reasons  have alienated the public against the idea of conflict. The admittedly unlikely scenario of military intervention over Gibraltar would make Theresa May unpopular even with Conservative voters.

While I am resigned to Brexit happening, I am sure many Leave voters would be outraged if Brexit meant us going to war with a fellow Nato member. That is definitely not what we voted for.

Jessica Moore



I used to believe that Gibraltars sovereignty should be for its people to decide upon. However, with British and Spanish relations suffering perhaps now is the time for Britain and Gibraltar to at least consider joint sovereignty?

Spain has similar and real issues to deal with in Ceuta and Melilla, its enclaves in Morocco. However, any talk of war over the Rock is pure nonsense.

In these modern times the feelings of a combined 33,900 people cannot be allowed to interfere with the international relations of 151 million people, however undemocratic it may seem.

Dominic Shelmerdine



Ceuta, just 18 miles across the strait from Gibraltar, is a vital strategic foothold for Spain in Africa. Between them these two scions of respected democracies command important access to, and exit from, the western Mediterranean.

Is Spain ready to abandon her African colony, regardless of its peoples wishes?

Roger Juer



We hope and pray that Brexit will prove to be a huge success and silence all the sceptics but what if the unthinkable happens and things do go awry?

What if we are confronted with businesses going bust, mounting unemployment, rising prices, hospitals closing because of immigration controls and people being denied work permits?

I wonder which countries in this case would welcome millions of fleeing UK refugees desperately seeking a better way of life?

Rudy Otter



Royal Marines are vital to our defence

In response to your article [Marines cuts would harm defence, Fallon told, March 31], the 10 billion defence budget shortfall is partly down to Gordon Browns decision in 2008 to slow down the aircraft carrier project, adding some 1.6 billion to the cost. The Navy should not be blamed or punished  it has already been cut too much.

The Royal Marines are part of the Navy and they are a proven first-class defence resource, a national asset and remarkably cost-effective. To reduce the number of Marines while keeping the Red Arrows and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight would be grossly irresponsible.

The UK is an island trading nation reliant on the sea and protection of maritime trade, and our overseas territories are a prime responsibility of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.

If Defence Secretary Michael Fallon is even thinking of further naval service cuts to satisfy the bottom line, while letting flourish parts of defence that have no role on the front line, Theresa May must question whether he is fit for office.

Lieutenant Commander Lester May and 10 other Royal Marines and Royal Navy officers



Overseas aid must truly help the poor

Supporting economic growth in developing countries could lift millions out of poverty but it must be done in the right way [City of London will become global financial centre for poorer countries, March 31].

One in three young people in the world is either unemployed or working but living in poverty. Women are particularly badly affected  the gender pay gap and limited access to education means they are held back from a young age.

It is encouraging to see politicians and business championing jobs and industry in developing countries. Investment in new industries in such nations could change lives, especially those of women.

But the devil is in the detail. It is vital that the investment goes beyond inflating growth figures and actually reaches the poorest people, creating more and better jobs for them.

Charlie Matthews, head of advocacy, ActionAid UK

Join the conversation: #esnewsviews



Khan is falling short on pollution pledge

While I agree with Sadiq Khans plan to bring forward the Ultra Low Emission Zone [Diesel cars 12 times over toxic limit in London as Khan brings charge closer, April 4], I would question why black cabs are exempt from the planned charges.

By seeming to refuse to target this group, the Mayor is only showing his lack of conviction on the issue. He has struggled to sort out the problem with the RMT over rail strikes and now he wont stand up to cabbies.

They are one of the biggest polluters in central London and to not bring them in line suggests that the Mayor doesnt care as much as he claims to about pollution.

Fred McBrown



Roadworks at the junction of Highbury Corner and Holloway Road have been causing problems for more than two years, so you would think there would be some kind of urgency to finish them. Yet this is not the case. I have seen no sign of work being carried out after 4pm on weekdays or during the weekends.

Sadiq Khan must address the problem of roadworks and many other pollution issues if he is serious about speeding up traffic and cleaning up Londons air.

Tim Sayer

Join the conversation: #escleancityviews



Slaven still fits the Bil for West Ham

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic may have been given the dreaded vote of confidence from his board but he needs more time to turn things around. His side overachieved last season with a seventh-place finish and reaching those standards was always going to be difficult.

It takes time for a club to adapt to a new ground and the Hammers have clearly struggled to adapt to the London Stadium. Bilic has had to deal with multiple injury problems and was forced to sell Dimitri Payet, so the only surprise is that West Ham are not in the relegation zone.

Bilic understands the club and the fans. West Ham need stability to become regular top-half finishers.

Dean Goodacre

Join the conversation: #essportviews
For many of us, the Duchess of Cambridge's style serves as inspiration for subtle additions to our own wardrobes. But for Kate Urbanska, the admiration and determination to replicate doesn't end there.

The 29-year-old married beautician from Berkshire is so keen on Kate Middleton's style that she has nailed the art of recreation to the tune of almost 5 thousand Instagram followers.

Having been inspired by the 49.99 blue dress from Zara worn by the Duchess as she strolled through the grounds of Buckingham Palace, Urbanska felt compelled to immediately snap up the look.

"There was something about the Duchess's style that instantly struck a chord with me," she admitted.

The Duchess of Cambridge - style file 1 /220 The Duchess of Cambridge - style file Click through to see Kate's style evolution... Getty Images June 23, 2005 Kate and Prince William on the day of their graduation ceremony at St Andrew's University Getty Images August 6, 2005 At the Gatcombe Park Festival of British Eventing Getty Images May 6, 2006 Leaving Laura Parker Bowles wedding to Harry Lopes Getty Images December 15, 2006 At Sandhurst to see William take part in the Sovereign's Parade at The Royal Military Academy in Camberley AFP/Getty Images March 13, 2007 At the Cheltenham Race Festival AFP/Getty Images April 11, 2008 Wearing a Reiss coat at William's graduation ceremony at RAF Cranwell air base in Lincolnshire AFP/Getty Images November 16, 2010 Wearing Issa posing for photographs in the State Apartments of St James Palace after announcing their engagement Getty Images February 25, 2011 Visiting the University of St Andrews Getty Images April 29, 2011 Wearing Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen at the West Door of Westminster Abbey for her wedding to Prince William AFP/Getty Images April 29, 2011 Evening celebrations after her wedding to Prince William AFP/Getty Images June 9, 2011 Wearing a Jenny Packham dress at the 10th Annual Absolute Return for Kids (ARK) Gala Dinner AFP/Getty Images June 25, 2011 Wearing Alexander McQueen to present medals to members of the Irish Guards at the Victoria Barracks Getty Images July 1, 2011 Wearing an Issa dress at the Evening National Canada Day Celebrations in Ottawa Getty Images July 7, 2011 Wearing a Jenny Packham dress at Calgary Airport Getty Images July 9, 2011 Wearing an Alexander McQueen gown with Jimmy Choo heels at the BAFTA "Brits to Watch" event held at the Belasco Theatre Getty Images October 26, 2011 At an event in support of the 'In Kind Direct' charity at Clarence House Getty Images November 10, 2011 Wearing a bespoke Jenny Packham gown at a reception in aid of the National Memorial Arboretum Appeal at St James's Palace Getty Images March 15, 2012 Playing hockey with British hockey team members at the Riverside Arena during a visit to the Olympic Park AFP/Getty Images April 25, 2012 Wearing Matthew Williamson at the UK Premiere of 'African Cats' AFP/Getty Images June 17, 2012 Wearing Zara jeans, a Burberry shirt, Really Wild waistcoat and Le Chameau boots at an 'Expanding Horizons' Primary School camp Getty Images September 13, 2012 Wearing Alexander McQueen at an official dinner hosted by Malaysia's Head of State Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah of Kedah Getty Images September 14, 2012 Visiting Assyakirin Mosque Getty Images September 16, 2012 In Honiara on the Solomon Islands AFP/Getty Images September 18, 2012 At a 'fatale', a singing and dancing event AFP/Getty Images May 22, 2013 Wearing Emilia Wickstead at a garden party at Buckingham Palace AFP/Getty Images July 23, 2013 Wearing Jenny Packham while departing The Lindo Wing with their newborn son, George Getty Images September 12, 2013 Wearing Jenny Packham at the inaugural Tusk Conservation Awards at The Royal Society AFP/Getty Images October 23, 2013 Wearing Alexander McQueen while holding her son Prince George of Cambridge following his Christening at Chapel Royal in St James's Palace AFP/Getty Images April 16, 2014 Wearing Roksanda Ilincic at Sydney Airport Getty Images April 20, 2014 Wearing Alexander McQueen while leaving St Andrew's Cathedral following a Easter Sunday Service Getty Images June 15, 2014 With Prince George at the Royal Charity Polo during the Maserati Jerudong Trophy at Cirencester Park Polo Club Getty Images October 21, 2014 Wearing Jenny Packham at the Natural History Museum after she attended the Wildlife Photographer of The Year 2014 Awards Ceremony Getty Images March 11, 2015 Wearing Hobbs at the Turner Contemporary Art Gallery Getty Images May 2, 2015 Wearing Jenny Packham to step out with new-born daughter Charlotte outside the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital AFP/Getty Images October 26, 2015 Wearing a Jenny Packham gown at the Royal Film Performance of "Spectre" Getty Images March 3, 2016 During a short private skiing break in the French Alps Getty Images March 11, 2016 Visiting the mentoring programme of the XLP project Getty Images April 10, 2016 Playing cricket during the royal visit to India and Bhutan Getty Images April 14, 2016 With Bhutan's Queen Jetsun Pema at the Tashicho Dzong in Thimphu AFP/Getty Images April 15, 2016 Posing next to a prayer wheel on the trek up to Tiger's Nest Getty Images May 20, 2016 Wearing Alexander McQueen as she arrives at Land Rover BAR Getty Images July 6, 2016 Wearing a Barbara Casasola dress to announce the Victoria and Albert Museum as the winner of the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2016 prize Getty Images August 24, 2016 Wearing LK Bennett to visit the Youthscape centre in Luton Getty Images September 2, 2016 Wearing Gap trousers on the Island of St Martin's in the Scilly Isles Getty Images September 25, 2016 Wearing Alexander McQueen to greet members of the public after arriving by sea plane at the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre Getty Images September 27, 2016 Wearing Preen by Thornton Bregazzi for a reception at Government House in Canada Getty Images September 27, 2016 Wearing Dolce & Gabbana to visit Kelowna University during the Royal Tour of Canada Getty Images November 3, 2016 Wearing Self-Portrait at the UK Premiere of "A Street Cat Named Bob" Getty Images December 8, 2016 At an evening reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace Getty Images December 25, 2016 Attending a Christmas Day service at St Mark's Church in Englefield AFP/Getty Images January 11, 2017 Visiting a Child Bereavement UK Centre in Stratford Getty Images February 5, 2017 Competing against The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry during the Team Heads Together at a London Marathon Training Day at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Getty Images February 6, 2017 Attening the Place2Be Big Assembly With Heads Together for Children's Mental Health Week at Mitchell Brook Primary School Getty Images March 17, 2017 Attending a meeting with French President Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace Getty Images March 17, 2017 Attending a dinner at the British Embassy in Paris as part of their official visit to the French capital Getty Images March 18, 2017 Playing rugby at the Trocadero during an official two-day visit to Paris Getty Images March 28, 2017 Wearing a Temperley gown to the Portrait Gala at the National Portrait Gallery Getty Images April 4, 2017 Wearing Marchesa at the opening night of "42nd Street" at Theatre Royal Getty Images April 4, 2017 Attending the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Getty Images April 16, 2017 Attending the Easter Day service at St George's Chapel in Windsor in bespoke Catherine Walker Getty Images May 3, 2017 Feeding a lamb as she visits Author Michael Morpurgo's Farms for City Children in Arlingham, Gloucestershire Getty Images May 11, 2017 Wearing an Emilia Wickstead coat on a visit to Luxembourg Getty Images May 22, 2017 Arriving at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show wearing Rochas Getty Images June 17, 2017 Wearing Alexander McQueen with Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour Getty Images June 17, 2017 Wearing Dolce & Gabanna in the Parade Ring as she attends Royal Ascot 2017 at Ascot Racecourse Getty Images July 17, 2017 Wearing Alexander McQueen in Poland Getty Images July 19, 2017 Visiting the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin with Prince William Getty Images July 19, 2017 Wearing Alexander McQueen at The Queen's Birthday Party at the British Ambassadorial Residence in Berlin Getty Images July 20, 2017 Wearing Hugo Boss Breton top to compete with Prince William as they cox rowing boats in a friendly race on the Neckar River in Germany Getty Images July 20, 2017 Wearing Jenny Packham in Germany Getty Images July 20, 2017 Wearing Markus Lupfer in Berlin Getty Images July 21, 2017 Wearing Emilia Wickstead to visit the Maritime Museum in Hamburg Getty Images August 30, 2017 Wearing Prada to visit The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace Getty Images October 10, 2017 Wearing Temperley to attend a reception on World Mental Health Day at Buckingham Palace Getty Images October 16, 2017 Wearing Orla Kiely at an event at Paddington train station AFP/Getty Images October 18, 2017 Wearing a Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini blazer at London's West Ham football stadium PA October 31, 2017 Looking sporty at the Lawn Tennis Association in London Getty Images November 7, 2017 Wearing Diane von Furstenburg to attend a charity dinner at the Orangery at Kensington Palace AFP/Getty Images November 8, 2017 Wearing a Goat burgundy dress for the annual Place2Be School Leaders Forum in London AFP/Getty Images November 11, 2017 In a Catherine Walker & Co coat dress at the Royal Festival of Remembrance Getty Images November 28, 2017 In a Kate Spade dress at The Foundling Museum, London Getty Images December 6, 2017 Wearing a Goat dress in Manchester Getty Images December 12, 2017 Attending the 'Magic Mums' Christmas Party in Seraphine coat dress Getty Images December 14, 2017 Attending the Grenfell Tower National Memorial Service at St Paul's Cathedral Getty Images December 25, 2017 Attending the Christmas Day Church service in Miu Miu Getty Images January 30, 2018 Attending a dinner in Sweden wearing Erdem Getty Images January 31, 2018 At the Fotografiska Gallery wearing Erdem Getty Images February 1, 2018 At the Royal Palace in Oslo wearing Alexander McQueen AFP/Getty Images April 23, 2018 At the Lindo Wing wearing Jenny Packham Getty Images May 19,2018 At Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's royal wedding wearing Alexander McQueen Getty Images June 9, 2018 At Trooping The Colour in Alexander McQueen Getty Images July 9, 2018 At Prince Loui's christening wearing Alexander McQueen AFP/Getty Images July 14, 2019 At Wimbledon with Duchess of Sussex wearing Jenny Packham Getty Images July 15, 2018 At Wimbledon wearing Dolce & Gabbana AFP/Getty Images October 10, 2018 At the V&A wearing Erdem Getty Images October 12, 2018 At the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank wearing Alexander McQueen Getty Images October 23, 2018 At a state banquet wearing Alexander McQueen AFP/Getty Images November 11, 2018 Attending a service to mark the centenary of the Armistic wearing Catherine Walker AFP/Getty Images November 11, 2018 At Remembrance Sunday wearing Alexander McQueen Getty Images November 21, 2018 At UCL London wearing Paule Ka AFP/Getty Images November 28, 2018 At Leicester City Football wearing Catherine Walker Getty Images December 4, 2018 At a Christmas Party at Kensington Palace wearing Brora cardi and Emilia Wickstead skirt Getty Images December 4, 2018 At a reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps wearing Jenny Packham Getty Images December 5, 2018 At RAF Akrotiri wearing a Smythe blazer Getty Images December 11, 2018 Visiting Evelina London Children's Hospital wearing L K Bennett Getty Images December 25, 2018 At the Christmas Day service wearing Catherine Walker AFP/Getty Images January 15, 2019 The Duchess of Cambridge steps out in a Dubarry jacket, Zara jeans and Chloe suede boots Getty Images January 16, 2019 In Oscar de la Renta for a visit to The Royal Opera House Costume Department Getty Images January 29, 2019 Wearing Alexander McQueen in Dundee Getty Images January 29, 2019 Wearing Alexander McQueen in Dundee Getty Images January 29, 2019 Wearing Alexander McQueen in Dundee Getty Images February 5, 2019 In an Eponine London dress and L.K Bennett boots Getty Images February 10, 2019 Wearing Alexander McQueen Getty Images February 13, 2019 Wearing bespoke Dolce & Gabbana Getty Images February 13, 2019 In glorious Gucci Getty Images February 27, 2019 In red Carolina Herrera and L.K. Bennett boots Getty Images February 27, 2019 In a Barbour puffer jacket Getty Images February 27, 2019 Wearing New Balance trainers and a Ralph Lauren sweater Getty Images February 27, 2019 Wearing Missoni Getty Images February 28, 2019 In Mulberry coat, dark blue court heels by Rupert Sanderson and a Jimmy Choo clutch bag Getty Images February 28, 2019 In Jenny Packham Getty Images February 29, 2019 In a khaki Barbour jacket, a red J.Crew jumper and her trusty brown Chloe boots Getty Images March 5, 2019 In a bespoke dress by her own private dress maker Getty Images March 6, 2019 Wearing a Sportmax coat, a Michael Kors dress with a bag by Manu Atelier and earrings from Kiki McDonough Getty Images March 11, 2019 Recycling a Catherine Walker coat and a Lock & Co. hat Getty Images March 12, 2019 Wearing a Gucci blouse and Jigsaw wide-leg trousers Getty Images March 12, 2019 Wearing bespoke Alexander McQueen Getty Images March 17, 2019 Opting for green McQueen Getty Images March 19, 2019 Wearing a Catherine Walker coat Getty Images April 21, 2019 Wearing Alexander McQueen Getty Images April 25, 2019 In a Catherine Walker coat and a matching Rosie Olivia hat Getty Images May 1, 2019 Wearing Emilia Wickstead Getty Images May 7, 2019 In L.K Bennett trousers and a nautical jumper Getty Images May 8, 2019 In a Lorenzo Serafini blazer and black skinny jeans Getty Images May 8, 2019 Wearing a TROY London jacket and Penelope Chilvers boots Getty Images May 14, 2019 In Alessandra Rich Getty Images May 20, 2019 In floral Erdem Getty Images May 20, 2019 Wearing a broderie anglaise M.i.h blouse with brown culottes and white Superga sneakers Getty Images May 21, 2019 In an Alexander McQueen coat, a matching Juliette Botterill hat and delicate pearl earrings that once belonged to Princess Diana Getty Images June 3, 2019 In bespoke Alexander McQueen for the State Banquet Getty Images June 8, 2019 Wearing Alexander McQueen for Trooping the Colour Getty Images June 12, 2019 Wearing an off-the-shoulder Barbara Casasola dress Getty Images June 18, 2019 In Elie Saab Getty Images June 25, 2019 In Ridley London and Castaner espadrille wedges Getty Images July 1, 2019 In a Sandro dress and Accessorize earrings Getty Images July 2, 2019 Wearing a Suzannah dress and a belt and bag by Alexander McQueen Getty Images July 13, 2019 In bespoke Dolce & Gabbana and a bag by the same brand Getty Images July 14, 2019 In an Emilia Wickstead dress and Aldo shoes Getty Images September 5, 2019 Wearing Michael Kors for Princess Charlotte's first day at school Getty Images September 10, 2019 Wearing Emilia Wickstead Getty Images September 19, 2019 Wearing an Equipment blouse Getty Images September 26, 2019 Recycling her favourite Alexander McQueen coat for the fourth time Getty Images October 2, 2019 Wearing a dress from the collaboration of two lesser-known London-based brands, ARoss Girl and Soler Getty Images October 9, 2019 In Jigsaw culottes Getty Images October 14, 2019 In a custom two-piece by Catherine Walker Getty Images October 15, 2019 Getty Images October 15, 2019 Wearing a green tunic by Catherine Walker, trousers by Maheen Khan, a scarf by Satringi, and Zeen earrings Getty Images October 15, 2019 Wearing Jenny Packham Getty Images October 17, 2019 Wearing bespoke Maheen Khan Getty Images October 18, 2019 Wearing a traditional shalwar kameez - a traditional outfit of a long tunic and trousers - by Gul Ahmed Getty Images October 23, 2019 Wearing L.K Bennett PA November 18, 2019 Wearing Alexander McQueen Getty Images November 30, 2019 Wearing Alessandra Rich PA December 11, 2019 Wearing Alexander McQueen and Princess Diana's earrings Getty Images

"She picks clothes that are comfortable, elegant and classic."

Duchess of Cambridge: 2016 fashion highlights

"Her look is so modest, timeless, and so different compared to so many other celebrities nowadays."

The 29-year-old has reportedly compiled a wardrobe full of iconic Kate Middleton looks for just 7,000, an impressive sum considering many of the Duchess' looks are by high end designers.

Preferring to buy the exact pieces - as opposed to high street replicas - Urbanska checks eBay and online auctions daily and acts quickly once items are reduced as they sell out almost immediately.
E ndangered elephants are coming to Belgravia  in a new art exhibition.

Kenya-based painter Sophie Walbeoffe is bringing her portraits of Africas wildlife, including rare giant Tusker elephants prized by poachers for their ivory, to The Osborne Studio Gallery.

The artist, who has lived for 25 years in Kenya, where she keeps a herd of 60 camels, said the paintings would show scenes from her travels.

She said: It will also include paintings highlighting the terrible poaching of the elephants and other animals, and how many of the subjects I am so privileged to be able to paint from life are so at risk and endangered now.

Ms Walbeoffe, who paints with both hands at the same time, said she often uses a mop as a brush to cover her giant canvases.

She added: Living in Kenya I have been able to paint the animals on site in the parks, which allows an energy and movement in the drawing that is difficult to get from a photograph.

Paintings Of The Wildlife And Landscape Of Africa by Sophie Walbeoffe is at The Osborne Studio Gallery in Motcomb Street from April 25 to May 13.
O n a trip to Alicante, Spain, last week I had a chance to test Prama, a new fitness concept, that has taken over New York, Germany and Dubai and is now ready to make its way to London.

Prama is the fitness concept that has taken over New York, Germany and Dubai - and is now ready to make its way to London.

At its headquarters in Alicante, Spain, we put this interactive fitness concept to the test. Here's everything you need to know about this fun and fresh approach to fitness.

What is it?

Prama is where fitness meets fun. What I enjoyed most about the 45-minute circuit class was that it was simple yet effective.

The full-body workout included basic lunges, medicine ball slams and squat jumps, with the floor design made it more interactive and less monotonous. Yet it didn't make it any less challenging.

The stations varied between using our own body-weight to working with resistance bands and medicine balls or balancing on a bosu ball to engage our core.

Verdict:

Pramas strength is in its versatility. With technology being such a fundamental part of the concept, there're ways to compete with one another, measure your heart rate and track your performance.

The flooring is connected to a computer system where instructors can develop fitness programmes for all ages and fitness levels. Depending on which workout they choose the lights on the floor correspond with the exercises.

When can I try it in London?

Kensington Harbour Club will be the first gym to offer the experience, for adults and children as young as 5 years old. The club was keen to create a space where parents and children can spend time together as a family and be active at the same time.

harbourclub.com

Klaudia Balogh is a freelance health & fitness writer. Follow her on Twitter @ByKlaudiaBalogh
B ystanders battled to save a pensioner who died following a fight on a packed bus in east London, witnesses said.

The victim, thought to be in his late 60s, is believed to have got into a fight with another elderly man on a route 488 bus in Bow, east London, at 8.45pm on Monday evening.

Witnesses said the man was hit on the head on the bus but managed to get off at Parnell Road, less than a mile from the Olympic Stadium, before continuing the brawl.

A 65-year-old who lives on the street that runs alongside Victoria Park, said: The old boy was hit over the head with something on the bus over nothing really.

Everyone was out of their houses trying to help him. People got off the bus after they saw him collapse but he looked like he was dead.

Someone incredibly managed to revive him using CPR and the paramedics sat him in a chair and took him away."

Police said the victim collapsed at the bus stop and was rushed to an east London hospital in an ambulance where he later died.

A Met spokesman said a 73-year-old man was arrested near the scene on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and is being questioned at an east London police station.

Detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Anyone with any information should call 0208 345 3985 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A hotel worker was sexually assaulted, murdered and buried in the woods by a stranger who pounced on her as she walked to work, the Old Bailey heard.

Pardeep Kaur, 30, was attacked by homeless Vadims Ruskuls, prosecutors said, but her screams for help would have been drowned out by traffic on the nearby motorway.

Her badly decomposed body was found hidden under a sleeping bag and branches in wasteland near to the M4 five days after she was reported missing in October last year.

Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC told jurors that Ruskuls murdered Mrs Kaur in a walkway under Harlington Bridge in Hayes, and was caught on camera dragging her body to the spot where she was later discovered.

The defendant must have pounced on Pardeep Kaur at some point on that ramp, he must then have sexually assaulted her and then murdered her, he said.

There is some evidence that Pardeep Kaur must have fought back. A day after the incident, it was noticed he had a number of scratches on his face.

But if Mrs Kaur had cried out, her screams would have been drowned out by the sound of the early morning traffic.

Mrs Kaur, who was born in India, worked as a housekeeper at the Sheraton Skyline Hotel near Heathrow airport, and was walking to work on October 17 when she was attacked, jurors heard.

She was last seen on camera entering the walkway under the bridge just after 6.30am, at the same time that Ruskuls also entered the bleak spot which is used regularly by rough sleepers, drunks and drug addicts, said Mr Aylett.

The court heard suspicion at first fell on Mrs Kaurs husband, Rachpal Singh, who reported her missing on the same day but lied to police because he was working in the UK illegally.

However he was swiftly ruled out as the killer and detectives traced Mrs Kaurs phone to the area near to the M4 in Hayes.

Mr Aylett said a PC was dispatched to the scene but came up with nothing after an hour-long search of the wasteland at night.

Police then trawled CCTV which confirmed she had last been seen on camera entering the walkway under the bridge, sparking renewed searches of the area on October 22.

One of the police officers was a visiting Detective Chief Inspector from Norway, and with the roar of the traffic in his ears, he noticed a human foot sticking out from beneath a sleeping bag which had itself been covered with branches, said Mr Aylett.

The human foot was that of Mrs Kaur.

Whoever killed her concealed her body beneath the sleeping bag, covering it with branches, and her body was badly decomposed.

He told jurors the pathologist could not say for sure how Mrs Kaur died, as police efforts turned from a missing persons search to finding the killer.

Mr Aylett said 25 minutes after Mrs Kaur was allegedly murdered, a person was caught on CCTV dragging a body which must be that of Mrs Kaur back down the walkway .

The prosecution allege that man under the bridge at the same time as Mrs Kaur was Vadims Ruskul, the defendant, and the figure dragging Mrs Kaurs body towards the woodland, as night follows day, must also be Vadims Ruskuls, he added.

This was a shocking, simply shocking crime."

Ruskuls, of no fixed address, denies murder.

The trial continues.
A n Islamic extremist who murdered soldier Lee Rigby near his London barracks will be moved back to Broadmoor from jail, it has been reported.

Michael Adebowale, 25, has been in high-security prison HMP Wakefield since September 2015 after he and accomplice Michael Adebolajo hacked the 22-year-old fusilier to death in Woolwich in May 2013.

The pair ran down the solider, a father-of-one, with a car before launching a brutal machete attack.

Adebowale was transferred from the tough category A prison in Yorkshire to the "softer" psychiatric hospital, where it costs 250,000-a-year to house inmates, the Sun reported.

Murdered solider: One of Lee Rigby's killers has been transferred to Broadmoor (Picture: PA)

According to the newspaper, Adebowale has refused to comply with medical treatment while in Wakefield jail leaving officials no choice.

The move was reportedly passed last month and the killer made the 210-mile journey earlier this week.

His victims family have spoken of their outrage following his transfer to the softer establishment.

Heartbreaking: Lyn Rigby (right) is outraged by the move (Picture: PA)

Following his original move from the hospital Fusilier Rigbys mum Lyn hailed the end of his "gentler life".

The 50-year-old, told the Sun: Ive said before that Adebowale deserves to be in a tough prison for what he did to my Lee.

I get the impression this whole situation is going to yo-yo back and forth for years because the authorities clearly dont know how to deal with him.

I need to be reassured that the right punishment is being handed down to the man who took my sons life.

A category A prison reportedly costs 50,000-per-year to house inmates  five times less than the cost of Broadmoor where prisoners reportedly have access to email, TVs, DVD players and extra visiting hours.

The Ministry of Justice said it does not comment on individual prisoners.
T he Metropolitan Police force has faced criticism after referring victims of crime to the Home Office over their immigration status.

Migrant groups said this would deter victims and witnesses of crime from reporting future incidents to the police.

In a Freedom of Information response seen by the Standard, Met officials said these details were passed on if concerns were raised over their immigration status.

Fizza Qureshi, director of Migrants Rights Network, said the practice means that victims are in fact being treated as suspects by police.

She said: "It is incredibly worrying to see the hostile environment being expanded to treat victims and witnesses of crime as suspects by the police.

It is going to deter victims and witnesses from reporting future incidents to them.

It will also impact community relations, and harm any trust between the police and black and minority ethnic communities."

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) warned that this practice could lead to a two-tier justice system.

Its legal policy director Chai Patel said: "Everyone should feel secure reporting a crime to the police.

It is grossly short-sighted for the Home Office and the Met to put immigration enforcement ahead of the safety of the public and victims of crime.

"We cannot have a situation in the UK where those with precarious status feel unable to come forward as victims or as witnesses.

In a modern democracy, the protection of the law has to extend to everyone.

A two-tier system, where some are consigned to a lawless underclass is the stuff of dystopia rather than a modern democracy.

The full FOI response on the practice issued by the Met was first handed to Politics.co.uk.

It reads: "The sharing of information by the MPS with the Home office is assessed on a case by case basis so is not routinely carried out and will only occur where police have a genuine concern that an individual is in the country illegally."

A spokeswoman for the force added: Our primary focus is always the needs of the victim and or witness above other considerations.

When someone reports a crime, our role as police officers is to investigate that matter and bring any offenders to justice."

The Home Office confirmed that the practice, which it says is set out in the Immigration Act 1999, is long-standing.
P olice have released an image of a man suspected of storming into a bank in south west London and demanding cash in an attempted daylight robbery.

The suspect strode into the Wimbledon Natwest in the middle of the afternoon on December 15.

He dumped a bag on the counter and ordered the cashier to fill it with money but fled when the cashier pressed the panic alarm.

Detectives launched an investigation and have now released an image of a man they would like to speak to in connection with the incident.

Attempted robbery: The man allegedly demanded cash from a bank in Wimbledon

Police believe it took place at the Wimbledon Park Road branch of the bank, shortly after 3pm.

Detective Constable Mike Bunn, of the Mets Flying Squad, said: We have made extensive enquiries and we are now issuing an image of this man in the hope that someone who knows him will come forward an assist us with our investigation.

"I am keen to hear from anyone who can help identify the man pictured or has information that can help assist my investigation.

The suspect is described as a white 6ft tall man with a full beard and moustache. He was wearing a black cap with a white motif on the front, and a black hooded jacket.

Anyone with information is asked to contact 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference J/18459/2016 233983.
T he perpetrators of the brutal assault on a teenage asylum seeker in south London must be brought to justice, Communities Minister Sajid Javid said today.

Mr Javid spoke out as he and Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell visited the scene where Reker Ahmed, 17, was beaten late on Friday night.

When those responsible are apprehended and prosecuted it should absolutely be to the full extent of the law, he said.

That is a message to the few people in this country who think they can attack someone else because they look different or act different.

Its important to show the country will never ever tolerate hate crime.

They met residents and councillors including leaders from the Kurdish community in the Shrublands Estate, where the Kurdish-Iranian teenager was chased and beaten on Friday night.

The assault left him with a bleed on his brain and a fractured eye socket and fractured spine.

A total of 13 people have been charged in connection with the alleged race hate attack on the asylum seeker in Croydon, including a boy aged 15 and three young women.

All have been charged with violent disorder but one, George Walder, 20, has also been charged with racially aggravated grievous bodily harm.

Ben Harman, 20, has also been charged with dangerous driving and a boy, aged 17, who cannot be named, also faces an additional charge of grievous bodily harm.

So far 16 people have been arrested in connection with the inquiry.



Mr Javid called the attack abhorrent and said he wanted to see the area for himself.

He said: Reker Ahmed came to this country seeking refuge and safety and last Friday night he got the exact opposite.

As we now know he was violently attacked and is now thankfully recovering in hospital.

It does not represent Croydon or Britain in any way but when this does happen we must apprehend anyone responsible for this appalling and unacceptable crime.

Police officers pass the bus stop in Croydon where a teenage asylum seeker was allegedly attacked / PA

The minister dismissed any suggestion the attack was linked to anti-immigrant feeling after the Brexit campaign which he supported.

Mr Barwell, who branded the attackers scum on Twitter this week, said he wanted to reassure the community and met with Croydon Borough Commander Chief Superintendent Jeff Boothe.

The Croydon MP told the Standard: I am pleased the Secretary of State came down to express the Governments support for this community.

What happened last Friday was a cowardly and despicable act and it does not represent Shrublands or Croydon.

He said he had been inundated with offers of help for Mr Ahmed including financial support.

The victims brother Hadi Ahmed has described the condition he found Reker in during a visit to Londons Kings College Hospital yesterday.

When I saw him the first time he was like Are you my brother? and I said What do you mean?... yeah Im your brother what are you talking about?, the 23-year-old said of the hospital visit.

It was like that, just shocked. I was just hugging him saying, Youre my brother.

I didnt recognise him as well when the first time I see him ... he didnt have any affection. He didnt want to hug me.

He added: It was horrible. I started crying.

Its really bad, I feel really gutted and disappointed about the situation that happened.

The Kurdish community in Croydon said they were worried for their safety following the attack.

Community leader Abdullah Abdullah said: We are all quite worried not only those of us in the Kurdish community, but people from other backgrounds too.

What happened was not only an attack on a Kurd. This could happen to others.
A teenage girl was stabbed in the back during an attempted robbery as she walked to the shops in a quiet east London road.

She was approached by a man, who demanded her mobile phone and cash, after leaving a friends house in Newham.

The 17-year-old, who suffered serious injuries, felt a blow to her back as she began to run away, Scotland Yard said.

Officers said she only realised she had been stabbed when she noticed blood on her clothing.

She contacted her boyfriend, who was minutes away, and he took her to an east London hospital.

She was later transferred to a specialist hospital for treatment, and discharged a few days later to continue her recovery at home.

The incident happened in Central Park Road, at the junction at Ladysmith Avenue, on Saturday February 18.

Police are now hunting a suspect described as an Asian male around 18 or 19 years old, about 5ft 9ins tall with a black beard.

At the time of the incident he was wearing a black North Face jacket and grey Nike jogging bottoms.

Officers wish to speak to anyone who may have seen the incident or a man matching the suspect's description in the East Ham area on the day of the attack.

Detective Constable Adrian Topps from Newham CID said: "This was an unprovoked attack that has left a young girl with serious injuries.

The attack could have quite possibly resulted in her losing her life.

"The suspect needs to be caught. We are appealing for any witnesses or anyone who has information about the attack to contact us so we can bring the culprit to justice."

Anyone who has information that may assist the investigation is urged to contact Newham CID on 0208 217 5820 or 101, or via Twitter @MetCC.

To give information anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit the crimestoppers-uk.org web site.
F rom Darth Vader to the Wicked Witch in The Wizard Of Oz, cinemas biggest villains often come with an added feature  a skin condition.

Now Hollywoods habit of depicting skin disease as evil has been criticised for helping fuel prejudice against people with dermatological problems.

Researchers who studied a list of the greatest heroes and villains found that six of the top 10 villains had some sort of condition, compared with only two of the leading 10 heroes.

Darth Vader, Queen Grimhilde from Snow White And The Seven Dwarves, and The Exorcists possessed child Regan MacNeil all have periorbital hyperpigmentation, or dark circles under the eyes.

Wicked Witch of the West has verruca vulgaris or facial warts

Vader and the queen also suffer deep rhytides, or wrinkles, while the Sith Lord and Regan have multiple facial scars as well.

Both the Wicked Witch of the West, who brought fear to the land of Oz, and Snow Whites evil stepmother have verruca vulgaris, or facial warts.

Added to this Queen Grimhilde also has rhinophyma  a bulbous nose.

The study also points out that Hannibal Lecter from The Silence Of The Lambs and Mr Potter from Its A Wonderful Life both have alopecia  an autoimmune condition which causes hair loss and can bring emotional distress to sufferers.

Indiana Jones has a facial scar

The research was carried out by Julia Croley of the University of Texas medical branch and her colleagues.

Writing in the journal JAMA Dermatology, they said: The results of this study demonstrate Hollywoods tendency to depict skin disease in an evil context, the implications of which extend beyond the [cinema].

Unfairly targeting dermatologic minorities may contribute to a tendency toward prejudice in our culture and facilitate misunderstanding of particular disease entities among the general public ... filmmakers are tasked with addressing biased portrayals of dermatologic disease.

Darth Vader has periorbital hyperpigmentation and deep rhytides, or wrinkles

The two top heroes with facial disfigurement were Harrison Fords Indiana Jones and Humphrey Bogarts Rick Blaine from Casablanca  both had facial scars. The study was based on the American Film Institutes 100 Greatest Heroes and Villains list.
T his is the bizarre moment a bus got wedged in a narrow central London street after its driver appeared to have attempted a three-point turn.

The double-decker blocked the entire road as the driver tried to turn it around in front of a growing crowd of smiling onlookers.

In the footage, people can be heard laughing while others attempt to push the bus as its engine struggles in Cornhill near Bank station.

It is unclear when the route 21 bus was freed after it became stuck when its rear mounted the kerb shortly before 2pm on Saturday, April 1.

This is the moment a double-decker bus became trapped on a curb in central London / Adrian Brailsford

Witnesses can be heard making tongue-in-cheek remarks about the hilarious situation, one saying: I think the bus is well and truly stuck. Peak times.

Another witness Adrian Brailsford told the Standard: It was trying to do a three-point turn but the back mounted the kerb. The wheels were spinning round and round.

All the passengers got off and tried to get it moving again, as you can see, trying to push it off the kerb.

The 46-year-old from Leyton, east London, added: The passengers didnt seem to mind rolling up their sleeves and lending a helping hand.

People seemed quite amused by it all. Some were stopping and taking photos.

We stopped to watch for about 10 to 15 minutes, but I have no idea what happened after that.

He compared the failed manoeuvre to a scene from hit comedy film Austin Powers where the star gets a buggy stuck in a corridor.

Mr Brailsford said: I imagine the bus would be considerably more difficult to manoeuvre, so its a good job Austin Powers wasnt behind the wheel.

Transport for London has since explained the driver attempted a three-point turn because of diversions in the area.

Head of bus Operations at TfL Tony Akers said: This was a case of driver error because of diversions in the area. We apologise to passengers and are looking into how it happened with Go-Ahead London who operate the bus.
A driverless shuttle bus is to hit the streets of London in the first extended trial of its kind in the UK.

About 100 people will travel in a prototype shuttle  known as Harry after clockmaker John Harrison  on a route in North Greenwich over the next three weeks.

The vehicle, which seats four people, travels up to 10mph and is controlled by a computer.

It has no steering wheel or brake pedal, but there will be a trained person on board who can carry out an emergency brake if needed.

The shuttle bus will be trialled in Greenwich over the next three weeks (Victoria Jones/PA ) / Victoria Jones/PA

During the GATEway project trial, which starts on Wednesday, the shuttle will travel along a two-mile riverside path near the O2 Arena, also used by pedestrians and cyclists.

Five cameras and three lasers will help it navigate the path, allowing it to see up to 100m ahead and come to a steady stop if it detects something in its path.

About 100 people are taking part in the trial / Victoria Jones/PA

Five thousand members of the public applied to take part in the study, according to Oxbotica, the firm that developed the shuttle.

Chief executive Graeme Smith told the BBC: "Very few people have experienced an autonomous vehicle, so this about letting people see one in person.

The buses could start being used by the paying public as early as 2019 / Victoria Jones/PA

"We hope to gain acceptance from members of the public for vehicles sharing this kind of space with them.

The firm believes paying passengers could start using the buses as early as 2019.
D ozens of firefighters battled a blaze as it ripped through a shop in north-west London.

Flames tore through a shop and flats in Harlesden on Wednesday morning.

Some 35 fire fighters rushed to the scene of the blaze in Park Parade just after 7.30am.

Six crews worked to tackle the fire which destroyed part of the shops ground floor, London Fire Brigade said.

Shop blaze: Fire crews tackle flames / Twitter/@HarlesdenTT

Two people were taken to hospital suffering smoke and carbon monoxide inhalation, London Ambulance Service added.

Motorists were urged to avoid the area.

Station Manager Jerome Kumedzina said: "The fire was affecting a large part of the buildings ground floor and our crews worked incredibly hard to get it under control.

We are now extinguishing remaining hot spots on the property's first floor. Park Parade is still cordoned off while we deal with the incident so motorists should avoid the area."

Bystanders took to social media to discuss the situation.

Caroline Collins wrote: Lots of fire engines, police and ambulance in Park Parade #harlesden - not sure what's happened.
T he Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined families of those who lost their lives in the terror attack in London for a moving memorial service remembering victims.

Heartbroken relatives, injured victims and scores of London emergency service workers were among the congregation at Westminster Abbey.

Prince William, Kate and Prince Harry arrived at the abbey at midday after laying a wreath, briefly talking to a member of the clergy.

The Royals greeted London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Met Police acting commissioner Craig Mackey before following a solemn procession down the abbey aisle.

The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. / Stefan Rousseau/PA

Also at the service was more than 400 police officers, firefighters and medics and several faith leaders.

Two hundred diplomatic representatives from across the world also attended.

Prince William laid a wreath ahead of the ceremony / Hannah McKay/Reuters

The invite-only Service of Hope began at midday and was broadcast across the nation.

It comes exactly two weeks to the day after Kent-born terrorist Khalid Masood ploughed a car along Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer outside the Houses of Parliament.

Kate at the service on Wednesday. / Hannah McKay/Reuters

Four people died and many more were wounded.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd, incoming Met commissioner Cressida Dick, Jeremy Corbyn and Commons speaker John Bercow also attended the multi-faith service.

An injured victim in a wheelchair at today's service

Ms Rudd gave the first reading, followed by Prince William who read a passage from Luke.

Members of the congregation were given candles as they arrived at the abbey which were lit as prayers were said.

Dr Hall told the congregation: "We are all affected by the attack a fortnight ago on Westminster Bridge and at the gates of the Palace of Westminster, and we are all left bewildered and disturbed.

"But our sense of loss and diminishment is paled by comparison with that of the families of those who died: Aysha Frade, Kurt Cochran and Leslie Rhodes on the bridge, and Police Constable Keith Palmer on duty at the gates of Parliament, and all those who were injured. Our hearts go out to them in sympathy and prayer and love."

Solemn: The Royals outside the abbey. / Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

He continued: "What happened a fortnight ago leaves us bewildered.

"What could possibly motivate a man to hire a car and take it from Birmingham to Brighton to London, and then drive it fast at people he had never met, couldn't possibly know, against whom he had no personal grudge, no reason to hate them and then run at the gates of the Palace of Westminster to cause another death? It seems likely that we shall never know.

"No doubt it was in imitation of the attacks in Nice and Berlin. But what on earth did he hope to achieve? Such random acts of aggression are nothing new."

A message left by Prince William in memory of the victims. / Hannah McKay/Reuters

The service ended with the Our Father, hymn 'Now Thank We All Our God' and the national anthem.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will now meet with the injured and the bereaved families of those killed.

Victim Melissa Cochran, 46, from Utah, whose leg was shattered, arrived in a wheelchair.

Melissa Cochran, the wife of Kurt who was killed, arrives at the service in a wheechair. / Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Injured student Travis Frain, from Lancashire, attended on crutches and Australian tourist Trish Neis-Beer arrived in a wheelchair.

Relatives of college worker Aysha Frade, 44, who died on the bridge, were also present.

Prior to the service, the Dean of Westminster the Very Rev John Hall told the BBC the attack was "senseless" and said the service will be one of hope to bring communities together.

This morning Ms Rudd also paid tribute to Londoners, saying: Todays service of hope marks two weeks since a cowardly attacker tried, and failed, to divide the people and the communities of London and cause us to live in fear and suspicion. But we were not cowed and we did not give in to terror.

Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey - In pictures 1 /37 Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey - In pictures The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry arrive Stefan Rousseau/PA Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge arrive at a Service of Hope Hannah McKay/Reuters The Duchess of Cambridge arrives Hannah McKay/Reuters Prince William lays a wreath Hannah McKay/Reuters A message left by Prince William is seen on a wreath he laid on arrival at a Service of Hope Hannah McKay/Reuters Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry attend the Service of Hope Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Prince William and Prince Harry, and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, arrive at a Service of Hope Hannah McKay/Reuters Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry arriv Stefan Rousseau/PA London's Mayor Sadiq Khan arrives at the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Hannah McKay/Reuters Dimmon and Sandra Payne, parents of Melisssa Cochran arrive at a Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Hannah McKay/Reuters Melissa Cochran arrives at a Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Hannah McKay/Reuters A woman injured in the London terror attack arrives at Westminster Abbey Stefan Rousseau/PA The Duchess of Cambridge arrives Hannah McKay/Reuters Incoming Metropolitan Commissioner Cressida Dick, and Acting Commisioner Craig Mackey arrive Hannah McKay/Reuters NHS emergency workers arrive for the service Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Londoners, including relatives of victims, arrive for the service Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Harriet Harman MP (left) and Baroness Warsi arrive for a Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Stefan Rousseau/PA Amanda Rhodes, the niece of Westminster terror attack victim Leslie Rhodes, arrives with a friend for a Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Stefan Rousseau/PA First responders from the Metropolitan police attend Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Britain's Home Secretary Amber Rudd arrives Hannah McKay/Reuters John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, arrives at a Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey, Hannah McKay/Reuters Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn arrive Stefan Rousseau/PA Police officers walk past floral tributes to the victims in Parliament Square Alex Lentati Armed police amid a heightened security presence at Westminster Abbey today Alex Lentati The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry attend the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Eddie Mulholland/The Daily Telegraph/PA The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry attend the Service of Hope Eddie Mulholland/The Daily Telegraph/PA Metropolitan Police officers attend the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Eddie Mulholland/The Daily Telegraph/PA The Duke of Cambridge during the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey Eddie Mulholland/The Daily Telegraph/PA

As he attended the service, Mr Khan said: Today is an opportunity for all Londoners to say thank you to the emergency services and the police who went above and beyond the call of duty to keep us all safe. Its also our opportunity to pay our respects and remember PC Keith Palmer, Kurt Cochran, Aysha Frade and Leslie Rhodes.

"Their families, friends and colleagues are in all our minds.

The Royal family previously expressed their support to victims of the March 22 attack with visits to hospitals across London.

Prince William visited St Thomas hospital to meet staff and also chatted with London Ambulance Service paramedics who had rushed patients to hospital.

Royal visit: Prince William met some of the heroes from Westminster / Maxine Hoeksma/Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

His father, Prince Charles, visited injured victims in Kings College Hospital in Southwark just two days after the attack.

Visit: The Prince of Wales meeting Travis Frain who was injured in the Westminster terrorist attack / PA

American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, and Aysha Frade, 44, died when 52-year-old Masood drove at pedestrians on Westminster Bridge.

The attacker was shot dead by armed police after fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer, 48.
T he founder of one of Londons most respected nightclubs, who has died from cancer, was today described by her boyfriend as a one in a million soulmate.

Amanda Moss, 53, opened Corsica Studios 15 years ago with Adrian Jones under a railway arch in Elephant and Castle.

She was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer after she began feeling unwell in April last year and died on Sunday at the home she shared with Mr Jones in Camden.

The club established a worldwide reputation for underground electronic music as well as hosting performances by stars including Bjork, Florence Welch, Thom Yorke and Paloma Faith.

It also doubled up as an arts space which allowed students from the University of the Arts London and Goldsmiths to display their work.

Ms Moss was celebrated as a key figure in helping support young musicians and artists in London. The couple had been together for 25 years and were planning the clubs 15-year anniversary celebrations.

Amanda Moss opened Corsica Studios 15 years ago under a railway arch in Elephant and Castle

Mr Jones told the Standard: Amanda was a very beautiful, kind, gentle and caring soul who was creative in every aspect of her life. She was witty, wise and always had a smile and a twinkle in her eye.

"She had a heart of gold and a will of steel and was completely focused and determined in her work.

She was a lovely, lovely woman who cared deeply about art and music and the positive effect it could have in peoples lives and on society as a whole. She was small in stature but she had the biggest heart and soul.

A statement from Fabric nightclub in Farringdon said: Were incredibly sad to hear about the passing of Amanda Moss. As a founder of Corsica Studios she created one of the most important venues in London.

Brixtons Phonox tweeted: Saddened to hear of the passing of Corsica Studios co-founder Amanda Moss. Always championing creative talent coming from South London. RIP.

A Go FundMe page she launched in February to raise 100,000 to fund treatment has reached more than 50,000.

Mr Jones said it would remain open and he would like the money to go towards research and raising awareness of ovarian cancer.

He said: She found out about her cancer too late. Hopefully we can help others in the future fighting the disease.
T he seriously injured wife of a US tourist killed in the Westminster terror attack has been pictured learning to walk again up a flight of stairs in hospital.

In an update shared online on Tuesday night, two photos show widow Melissa Cochran tentatively taking steps on the flight of stairs on crutches with her left leg encased in a metal frame.

A quote accompanying the picture reads: When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubt.

Mrs Cochran is thought to have suffered a broken leg, broken ribs and cuts to her head after being hit by killer Khalid Masood's rented car.

Defiant: Melissa Cochran as she uses crutches in hospital. / GoFundMe

Mrs Cochran, from Utah, was on a holiday of a lifetime with husband Kurt for the couples 25th wedding anniversary when they were mowed down on Westminster Bridge by terrorist Masood.

Mr Cochran was killed in the rampage but wife Melissa has since been recovering in hospital following the attack.

One photo shows a nurse helping Mrs Cochran up the stairs as she navigates the steps. The nurse stands behind her, reaching an arm out in case Mrs Cochran loses her balance.

In another picture, shared by relative Angela Stoll, Mrs Cochran is smiling as she stands at the bottom of the staircase with one of her legs in a brace.

Kurt and Melissa Cochran. / PA

The fund was set up by Mrs Cochrans brother, Clint Payne, and has since raised over 65,000.

Mr Payne writes on the tribute page that the terror attack happened on the last day of the married couples trip to the UK to visit Mrs Cochrans parents, who work at the Mormon temple in London.

He said: Melissa and Kurt are self-employed, having built a recording studio business from the ground up over the last 10 years.

Recovering: Melissa Cochran in hospital following the Westminster attack / Clint Payne/PA Wire

During that time they donated their recording and sound skills to the Summerfest celebration in Bountiful, Utah, to local school productions, and many other worthy causes.

Melissa needs funds to help cover her regular monthly expenses and loss of income.

Earlier this week the fundraising campaign was targeted by vile web trolls who claimed pictures of her recovering in hospital had been faked.

Mr Cochran was one of four people killed by Kent-born attacker Masood, 52. Also killed were PC Keith Palmer, Aysha Frade and Leslie Rhodes.
T he Jewish community has been failed by the Labour party for not expelling Ken Livingstone, the Chief Rabbi says.

The form Mayor of London was suspended from the political party for another year on Tuesday for comments he made about Hitler and Zionism.

Mr Livingstone was initially suspended by the party in April 2016 for claiming Hitler had supported Zionism in the 1930s.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said the decision yet again failed to show Labour is sufficiently serious about tackling to scourge of anti-Semitism.

Mr Livingstone earlier said he expected to be expelled because the disciplinary panel investigating the case was dominated by right-wingers.

Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis: 'The party has yet again failed to show that it is sufficiently serious about tackling the scourge of anti-Semitism.' / Getty

He had threatened to launch a judicial review if he was expelled, and said he would now consult with lawyers about his legal position.

The veteran left-winger faced a charge that he engaged in conduct which was "grossly detrimental" to the party.

In a statement condemning the panels decision, Rabbi Mirvis said Mr Livingstone used the Holocaust as a tool with which to inflict the maximum amount of offence.

He said: "This was a chance for the Labour Party to show that it would not tolerate wilful and unapologetic baiting of the Jewish community, by shamefully using the Holocaust as a tool with which to inflict the maximum amount of offence.

"Worryingly, the party has yet again failed to show that it is sufficiently serious about tackling the scourge of anti-Semitism."

Rabbi Mirvis added: "The Labour Party has failed the Jewish community, it has failed its members and it has failed all those who believe in zero tolerance of anti-Semitism."

Labour bosses decided Mr Livinstones fate following a controversial claim that the Nazi leader supported the creation of a Jewish state.

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, from the Maidenhead Synagogue, said that the claim was a deliberate falsification of history.

He said: Saying Hitler is a Zionist was a deliberate falsification of history and akin to describing the Yorkshire Ripper as a nice family man.

Expelling Livingstone would have been a chance for the Labour Party to show it was rejecting the anti-Semitism increasingly associated with it, but they have equivocated and given that assumption even more credence.

Ken Livingstone on Hitler on LBC

The suspension was a betrayal of the values of our party and what it stands for, according to the chairman of the Jewish Labour Movement Jeremy Newmark.

Simon Johnson, Chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, said: "Given that Ken Livingstone has been found guilty, we are deeply disappointed at the decision not to expel him from the Labour Party.

"A temporary suspension is no more than a slap on the wrist.

"Mr Livingstones inaccurate and antagonistic comments including over the past 40 years have had a huge impact on the Jewish community.

"We feel that the Labour Party should have had the courage to address this deeply offensive behaviour with a firmer penalty."

The outrage followed a radio interview in which Mr Livingstone claimed that Hitler had supported Zionism in the 1930s before he "went mad and ended up killing six million Jews".

Speaking after the hearing concluded on Tuesday, he told reporters he would not retract his remarks or apologise "for telling the truth.
S adiq Khan today said he was deeply disappointed that Ken Livingstone had not been expelled from Labour over his controversial remarks about Adolf Hitler.

The mayor chastised his party for failing to take a zero tolerance approach to the veteran left-winger who was last night suspended for a further year over his remarks.

His comments to the Standard come as some furious Labour members chopped up their membership cards in protest at the partys decision.

Mr Khan, who has taken a tough approach to hate crime in the capital, said it was Labours responsibility to lead by example and oppose anti-Semitism wherever it encountered it.

The Labour Party said last night they will make no further comment on the matter.

Ken Livingstone made controversial remarks about Hitler and Zionism in 2016 / Lauren Hurley/PA

Despite calls for the ex-Labour mayor to be stripped of his membership for controversial remarks he made in 2016 linking Hilter to Zionism, an internal Labour disciplinary panel decided to prolong his current suspension after finding him guilty of breaching party rules.

A source close to the proceedings told the Standard Mr Livingstone was lawyered up so significantly panel members felt they couldnt fight for expulsion over fears it would be taken to judicial review.

Among Mr Livingstons counsel was the high profile lawyer Michael Mansfield QC.

Ilford North MP Wes Streeting, chair of the APPG on British Jews, said today: For people to cut their membership cards up and say this isnt their party anymore is a big deal.

People will leave over this. Ive had Jewish constituents already telling me they wont be voting Labour as long as Ken Livingstone is in [the party].

An Islington North Labour member pictured her card cut up in her hand on Twitter and added the comment: OK Labour. You can keep Ken...Im done. Finally done.

Labour MP Tulip Siddiq said people cutting up their cards was an emotional reaction and entirely justified.

The representative for Hampstead said: I feel appalled that Ken Livingstone has not been expelled.

Today she has written to Jeremy Corbyn to tell him the decision has brought great shame on the party and he must order an emergency meeting of the partys National Executive Committee to review the ruling.

Richard Angell, director of Labour organisation Progress, said today: I have never felt more ashamed to be a member of the Labour Party.

He said the decision failed the whole party in its duty to make Labour a safe place for Jewish people.

Today Mr Livingstone has launched a campaign called reinstate Ken and said the disciplinary process was not natural justice.

The hearing held in Central London did not relate to anti-Semitism but that by linking Hilter and Zionism he had brought the party into disrepute.
T ony Blair would never have become prime minister if social media had existed when he was younger, he has admitted.

The former Labour leader said there would have been "bad stuff" from his days in a band, long before his political career.

Speaking during Unspun on the television channel Dave, Mr Blair described a picture from his youth appearing to show him making a rude gesture as "highly embarrassing".

He told host Matt Forde: "Let this be a warning to any young person who wants a political career.

"That is one of the very few pictures of me that is obviously highly embarrassing. Today with social media, just be careful.

"When I was in the band, if we had had social media at that time, I would certainly not have been prime minister."

Asked what people would have seen he laughed and said: "Bad stuff."

Mr Blair also spoke about his views on Britain's relationship with the United States now Donald Trump is president.

He said if he was in Number 10 now he would feel it is important to "establish a working relationship" with Mr Trump.

He said: "People always want me to criticise Theresa May over this but I think the British prime minister should always get on well with the president of the United States, if it's possible.

"It has got its challenges obviously.

"But it is important because in the end there are many, many things we are going be working on together in different parts of the world."
P rince Charles and Camilla got a slice of Viennese cafe society today when they travelled to the Austrian capital on the last leg of a European tour.

The heir to the throne and his wife had a behind-the scenes tour of Cafe Demel, one of Vienna's treasured coffee houses.

Founded in 1786, the cafe carries the title K&K Hofzuckerbackerei, a royal warrant dating to the time of the Habsburg Monarchy, which fell at the end of the First World War after ruling Central Europe for 600 years.

Charles, 68, and Camilla, 69, watched pastry chefs demonstrating patisserie skills before sitting down to afternoon tea and a chat with some of the apprentices undergoing training by the firm.

Charles and Camilla sit down to tea at Cafe Demel in Vienna / Getty Images

The royal couple watched fascinated as head chef Oliver Csapo and his team showed how they make the cafe's signature apple strudel, Sacher Torte and hand-made tea and cheese biscuits.

Mr Csapo used a copy of The Times newspaper to demonstrate how the team use papers to check that the pastry is thin enough. If they can read the paper through the pastry, they know it is the right consistency.

"I always have a paper handy," the head chef told them.

As the chefs rolled out the mixture and made up the strudel before baking it in the oven for 25 minutes, Camilla, in a navy Fiona Clare coat dress, watched intently. "It looks quite simple but I bet it's very difficult," she said.

The royal couple are in Vienna on the last leg of a European tour / REUTERS

Mr Csapo asked her if she liked baking and eating pastries. "I like it. I have a son who does the baking," she said. Her son Tom Parker Bowles is a successful chef.

She and Charles avoided tasting the strudel or having a go at making any of the products themselves but the Prince had a small pastry upstairs when they sat down to a cup of tea and a chat with some apprentices.

Charles told one apprentice how impressed he had been with the kitchen staff. "I was so impressed with the way they poured the chocolate, getting it all absolutely right," he said.

His own previous efforts at something similar were not so successful.

"I did it in Scotland at a bakery last year," he revealed. "It all fell down here," he added, pointing to his trousers and his lap. "They all laughed."

Camilla chatted to Attila Dogudan, whose father, also Attila, is joint owner of the business.

Attila Junior, 33, a business graduate of Royal Holloway University in Surrey, told Camilla he was helping to create a new menu for first and business class customers on British Airways. "Good. That will be very exciting to see it on British Airways," Camilla said.
T he outgoing chief of British spy agency GCHQ today called on technology companies to do more to tackle extremism online.

Robert Hannigan, who has led the organisation since 2014, said firms have moved a long way in countering terrorist material online but there was still further to go.

He added: They were very reluctant to accept responsibility for any of the material on their networks, whether that was terrorism or crime, and I think now they do and they understand everything they carry has implications, including fake news most recently and topically.

"They are trying... theyve further to go and they need to work with government and civil society and other groups to work out how to drive off extremism content from the internet.

Stepping down: Robert Hannigan has announced he is resigning as chief of GCHQ / PA wire

The role of internet companies in hosting extremist material online has been brought into sharp focus following the attack at Westminster two weeks ago.

The Prime Ministers spokesman has said firms such as Facebook and Google can and must do more to remove material from the web.

In his interview with the BBC Mr Hannigan, who has announced he is quitting for personal reasons, also said that most UK intelligence-sharing is done outside EU structures, so Brexit did not mean the end of exchanging information.

He said it was a statement of fact that the UK brought a lot to European partners over intelligence, defence and security and it would be in everyones interest to continue this.
N igel Farage launched an extraordinary attack on EU chiefs as he accused them of acting like Mafia gangsters in Brexit negotiations.

At a meeting of MEPs to thrash out red line demands for any deal over Britain leaving the union, Mr Farage accused European leaders of making ransom demands.

The ex-Ukip leader slammed the idea of Britain being landed with a 52billion bill for Brexit and questions over the future of Gibraltar.

During an appearance in Strasbourg he told them: Youve shown yourselves with these demands to be vindictive, to be nasty.

All I can say is thank goodness were leaving.

Youre behaving like the Mafia. You think were a hostage, were not, were free to go.

Nigel Farage: His speech got a mixed reception

His reference to the Mafia was greeted with cries of disapproval from the room and a ticking off for Mr Farage who was interrupted and told his language was unacceptable.

I do understand national sensitivities, he responded. Ill change it to gangsters.

Mr Farage went on: Its not us that will be hurt. We dont have to buy German motorcars, we dont have to buy French wine, we dont have to eat Belgian chocolate.

You want to put the interests of the EU above that of your citizens and your companies, he said.

Rant: Nigel Farage was in full flow / Vincent Kessler/Reuters

If you continue with this road, it wont just be the UK that triggers Article 50, therell be many more to come.

He then sat down to shouts of approval from some in the stunned chamber.

MEPs were debating what terms they want from the UK in order to back an exit settlement in two years' time.

Mr Farage had earlier speculated EU council president Donald Tusk was not at the debate because he was "still crying" over receiving the Article 50 letter.

The European Parliament effectively holds a veto on any Brexit deal as it must be approved by a majority of MEPs in a vote after having first received the assent of a qualified majority of leaders in the European Council.

The draft resolution MEPs will vote on insists Britain must meet all its financial obligations to the bloc, which some estimates have put as high as 56 billion.

The statement of intent also makes it clear there can no trade-off between security and the future economic relationship between the EU and UK.

No cherry-picking of EU membership will be allowed, according to the draft resolution, with access to the single market only permitted if the UK accepts free movement of workers.

The Northern Irish peace process must continue and no hard border with the Irish Republic established, according to the resolution.

European Parliament president Antonio Tajani has repeatedly put guarantees over the future of some 3.3 million EU nationals in the UK centre stage in withdrawal negotiations.

Mr Tagani has made it clear the European Parliament is prepared to use its veto on any deal if it is unhappy with the outcome.

The draft resolution also insists that any deal on future EU-UK trade arrangements be delayed until after Britain's withdrawal, and for a transitional period to a new trade deal to last no more than three years after the expected date of Brexit in 2019.
S yrian tyrant Bashar Assads regime must pay a price if it unleashed a chemical weapons attack on civilians, Boris Johnson said today.

The Foreign Secretary stressed that all the evidence he had seen pointed strongly at President Assads military for carrying out the alleged war crime. He also hinted that there was more proof, yet to be published, that the regime was behind the attack.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll in the massacre in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province had risen to at least 72, including 20 children.

As world outrage grew over yesterday mornings slaughter, Britain and France called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

Hospital: A Syrian doctor treats a child following a suspected chemical attack at a makeshift medical centre / AP

Mr Johnson, arriving at an aid-pledging conference for Syria in Brussels, said: All the evidence I have  and there may be more to come out of this  all the evidence Ive seen suggests that this was the Assad regime who did it in the full knowledge that they were using illegal weapons in a barbaric attack on their own people.

I would like to see those culpable pay a price for this.

He also called for a political process to get rid of the Assad regime. US President Donald Trump blamed the Assad regime, saying the attack was reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilised world.

However, despite the tough rhetoric from political leaders, it remained unclear whether the West is willing to take military action against Assad.

Mask: rescue workers described a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib / REUTERS

As president, Barack Obama backed away from military strikes despite warning Assad that using chemical weapons  as happened in a Damascus suburb in 2013  was a red line.

MPs in Britain also refused to back military intervention in the wake of the attack. Turkey today said it had findings which indicate that the latest incident involved chemical weapons.

Russias defence ministry said the deaths resulted from a rebel chemical weapons depot being hit by Syrian government air strikes.

Overseas Aid Secretary Priti Patel warned that history will judge the international community on how it responds to the Syrian crisis.

Gas: A Syrian man is taken by civil defence workers to a small hospital in the town of Maaret al-Noman / Mohamed al-Bakour/AFP/Getty Images

Speaking in Brussels, she praised the governments of Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey for showing extraordinary ambition in housing refugees and stressed the international community must match their efforts.

She added: The crisis in Syria is the defining humanitarian crisis of our generation  unquestionably history will judge us if we do not step up.

The Syrian government categorically rejected it carried out the attack, instead blaming rebels and accusing them of making it up to frame the regime.

However, Syrian rebel commander Hasan Haj Ali said: Everyone saw the plane while it was bombing with gas.

The various factions of the opposition are not capable of producing these substances. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the suspected chemical weapons attack is a moment of truth that must be investigated.
B ritish tourists visiting the US could be forced to hand over their social media passwords as part of an extreme vetting programme being considered by Donald Trumps administration.

Travellers could also be asked for their phone contacts and financial data under the proposals, part of the Presidents efforts to ramp up border security.

Alongside Britain, they could also affect 37 other countries including France and Australia, it is claimed.

If social media account passwords were handed over, officials would be able to access private messages alongside public posts.

Gene Hamilton, senior counsellor for homeland security secretary John Kelly, told the Wall Street Journal,: If there is any doubt about a persons intentions coming to the United States, they should have to overcome  really and truly prove to our satisfaction  that they are coming for legitimate reasons.

The plans could also see visa applicants quizzed on ideological issues including whether they believe in the "sanctity of life" - a phrase used by US right-wingers in the abortion debate - and honour killings, the paper reported.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesman told The Times it was "too early to say" if the measures would apply to British citizens.

He said: "No final decisions have been made."

The extreme vetting policy comes in the wake of Mr Trumps attempts to implement a travel ban on a number of Muslim-majority countries.

When the issue of demanding social media passwords was first raised in February, it provoked a fierce backlash from civil liberties groups.

In a joint statement they said: This proposal would enable border officials to invade peoples privacy by examining years of private emails, texts, and messages.

It would expose travellers and everyone in their social networks, including potentially millions of US citizens, to excessive, unjustified scrutiny.

And it would discourage people from using online services or taking their devices with them while travelling, and would discourage travel for business, tourism and journalism."
F ans have praised Michelle Obama after she was snapped showing off her natural hair for what is believed to be the first time.

A picture of the former first lady wearing a grey polka dot head scarf over her tied-back afro appeared on Twitter over the weekend.

It was shared by user @meagnacarter who wrote: This is the picture I have been waiting on for like 3 years. Come on natural.

Though it has not been confirmed when and where the photograph was taken, fellow users reacted with glee.

Dellea Copeland said: I remember wishing (with) all my heart, FLOTUS would walk out with her fro out.

Others hailed the 53-year-old a pure beauty and claimed she was living her best life.

Michelle and Barack Obama are thought to be staying in the French Polynesian islands while the former US president writes his memoir.
E mmanuel Macron was today confirmed as the clear favourite to become the next French president following a live TV debate in which his two main rivals were accused of profiteering.

A key poll showed 27 per cent of viewers considered the 39-year-old independent was considered to have the qualities necessary to be head of state.

This compared to 20 per cent for the conservative candidate, Francois Fillon, and just 13 per cent for Marine Le Pen, of the far-Right National Front (FN).

It followed both Mr Fillon and Mr Le Pen being humiliated by the New Anti-capitalist Party (CORR)runner Philippe Poutou over the criminal enquiries surrounding them.

The debate's lineup / AFP/Getty Images

Mr Fillon and his Welsh-born wife Penelope Fillon face prison for helping themselves to hundreds of thousands of pounds by setting up fake jobs, including one in the French parliament.

Ms Le Pen is accused of doing exactly the same thing, except through the European parliament, where she is an MEP.

In the most dramatic episode of last nights debate, Mr Poutou said: Since January, its been a goldmine.

With Fillon, the more you look, the more corruption and cheating you find. Hes a guy who tells you we must tighten our belts and have austerity but who dips into the public coffers.

As Mr Fillon stood by shaking his head, and pleading with his rival to stop, Mr Poutou turned his fire on Ms Le Pen.

He said: Its the same with Le Pen, you dip into the public coffers, if not here then in Europe.

Mr Poutou was particularly outraged that both right-wing candidates can claim political immunity from prosecution if they are elected president, saying ordinary workers dont have immunity if they find themselves in trouble with the law.

Both Mr Fillon and Ms Le Pen deny wrongdoing and say they will be able to demonstrate their innocence in a court of law.

French hopefuls clashed during the debate / EPA

It was the first time ever that all 11 French presidential candidates have appeared together in a live debate.

The Elabe poll for BFMTV, which broadcast the debate, showed another hard left candidate, Jean-Luc Melenchon, as the most convincing with 25 per cent, while Mr Macron was on 21 per cent, Mr Fillon on 15 per cent and Ms Le Pen on 11 per cent.

Other polls suggest Mr Macron will beat Ms Le Pen in the second round of the election in May to become President.
I vanka Trump defended her White House role with her father today in her first interview since the inauguration.

The First Daughter responded to critics who have blasted her for not being a strong enough advocate for womens rights and for being "complicit" in pushing her fathers controversial policies.

"If being complicit is wanting to be a force for good and to make a positive impact then Im complicit," Ms Trump said on CBS This Morning.

"I dont know that the critics who may say that of me, if they found themselves in this very unique and unprecedented situation that I am now in, would do any differently than I am doing," she told anchor Gayle King.

"So I hope to make a positive impact. I dont know what it means to be complicit, but you know, I hope time will prove that I have done a good job and much more importantly that my fathers administration is the success that I know it will be," she added.

Anchor Gayle King in her interview with Ivanka Trump / CBS

The interview was recorded at Ms Trumps New York home, while her husband, Jared Kushner, was on a peace-making mission in Iraq for the president.

She also explained why she doesnt publicly speak out on issues ranging from Planned Parenthood and gay rights to climate change.

"I would say not to conflate lack of public denouncement with silence," she said.

The presidents daughter said there are many ways to get her voice heard - and shes not afraid to take on her father if she doesnt agree with him.

"In some case its through protest and its through going on the nightly news and talking about or denouncing every issue in which you disagree with. Other times it is quietly, and directly, and candidly," she said.

"So where I disagree with my father, he knows it, and I express myself with total candour.

"Where I agree, I fully lean in and support the agenda and hope that I can be an asset to him and make a positive impact. But I respect the fact that he always listens. Its how he was in business. Its how he is as president."

Ms Trump addressed criticism about the qualifications of her husband, who is playing a key role in foreign affairs and running the White House Office of American Innovation, but has had little experience in diplomacy.

"So, you know a lot of people would say the same about how could somebody successfully win the presidency who had never been engaged in politics and my father did that and Jared was instrumental in helping his campaign succeed," she said.

"So, you know Jared is incredibly smart, very talented, has enormous capacity. He is humble in the recognition of what he doesnt know.

"And is tremendously secure in his ability to seek informed viewpoints. He has an amazing team that my father has built at the White House, and that hes built thats helping work on each of these initiatives.

"So you know the myth that he is operating in a silo is just that."
A new Pepsi ad showing supermodel Kendall Jenner using the soft drink to quell a riot fell flat last night under a barrage of criticism on social media.

The 21-year-old was accused of mocking the Black Lives Matter movement and appropriating the resistance in the commercial, which seems to be inspired by a famous photo of a woman standing up to police at a US protest last year.

Miss Jenner, wearing a blonde wig and posing for the cameras, is caught up in the midst of a demonstration when she throws off the wig, grabs a can of Pepsi and hands it to a grim-faced police officer, who accepts it and smiles, to the cheers of the placated crowd.

In the YouTube description for the ad, titled Live for Now Moments Anthem, Pepsi calls it a short film about the moments when we decide to let go, choose to act, follow our passion and nothing holds us back.

Kendall Jenner in the advert / Pepsi

With the soundtrack song Lion by Bob Marleys grandson, Skip, it's clearly an attempt to court a politically active younger demographic. But the backlash was almost immediate.

If this Pepsi ad is the choice of a new generation, I'm gonna need that generation to turn in its badge, wrote comedienne Margaret Cho on Twitter.

Piers Morgan added: The new @pepsi ad with @KendallJenner is stupefyingly diabolical. Absurd, PC-crazed, virtue-signalling, snowflake claptrap.

J. Edgar Hoover takes aim from the grassy knoll. The motorcade approaches. He fires. JFK raises a #Pepsi to his lips, blocks the bullet, tweeted American comic Paton Oswalt.

Many on social media compared the ad unfavourably with the actions of protester Leshia Evans during a demonstration in Indiana last July.

Leshia Evans in an iconic photo from a Black Lives Matter protest / Reuters/Jonathan Bachman

The image captured at the time was meant to showcase the resistance of African Americans against growing police brutality and Ms Evans was detained when she approached the police officer.

I cant believe Kendall Jenner ended police brutality and white supremacy with a can of Pepsi - not bad for a girl with no talent, tweeted one user.

Kendall Jenner in the advert / Pepsi

So according to @KendallJenner and @pepsi the racial tension problem is just a matter of thirsty cops, wrote another.

Ms Jenner seemed unperturbed by the outcry, saying: I am thrilled to join the legendary roster of icons who have represented their generations and worked with Pepsi.

Ad campaign: Kendall Jenner / Pepsi

The spirit of Pepsi - living in the 'now' moment- is one that I believe in. I make a conscious effort in my everyday life and travels to enjoy every experience of today, she added.

In a statement to the BBC, Pepsi said: "This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony.

"We think that's an important message to convey."
N orth Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, officials from the United States and South Korea said.

The US said they tracked the missile on its nine-minute journey from a launch pad near the North Korean coastal city of Sinpo before it landed around 37 miles east in the water.

Tuesdays test firing of a medium-range weapon comes amid fears North Korea could carry out more weapons testing banned by the UN.

The firing was also made as the US and South Korea continue to carry out their annual military drills, which North Korea reportedly sees as practice for an invasion.

Weapons testing: A photo released by North Korean state media of an underwater ballistic missile test in April last year. / EPA

The US Pacific Command, part of the armed forces responsible for defending the USA's west coast, said initial assessments indicate the type of missile fired was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile.

South Korea's joint chiefs of staff issued a similar assessment, saying the missile flew about 37 miles - a much shorter distance than other North Korean missiles travelled in their recent test launches.

Two weeks ago the South Korean and US militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch.

Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 620 miles, with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental US within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

Additional reporting by Associated Press.
S he set up her own film company after being treated as a piece of ass  and Gemma Arterton says producing has given her even greater insight into the way the industry views women.

The actress, who launched her firm Rebel Park in 2014, told ES Magazine: When you make films about women, you cant get financing in the same way you would if it was a film about men.

Referring to the fabled List, which ranks stars according to their bankability in Hollywood, from A+ for the likes of Jennifer Lawrence downwards, she said: It really exists. Im like, a C.

"I know, because I am sitting in the meetings trying to get financing for films that Im in. And theyre like, We love you, but could you also get... [insert category A actress]?

Their Finest - Trailer

She is now starring in Second World War comedy Their Finest as a copywriter drafted in by the British government to make propaganda films.

Her character, based on Ealing Studios screenwriter Diana Morgan, is dismissed by her male counterparts.

At the first UK screening of the film in London, Arterton said: It still is the case that the majority of women on a set are confined to be the make-up artists, costume mistress and script supervisor, but its changing.

The actress, who was born in Kent, made her name as a Bond girl in 2008s Quantum Of Solace.

She said: For the first seven or eight years of my career, I was doing stuff because I thought I should, or I thought I was lucky to get that part. And I am grateful  it set me up.

"But it sits really badly with me when I make something Im not proud of, or doesnt say what I want to say.

Of Quantum of Solace, she said: I really enjoyed it  I was 21, and it was a trip. But would I do it now? No.

Her next movie is Vita & Virginia, about the relationship between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West. Arterton said: A film about two women, can you believe it?
T he new trailer for the Heath Ledger documentary shows rare, unseen footage of the late actor for the first time.

I Am Heath Ledger, which is set for release later this month, gives an intimate insight into the Australian actors life in the run up to his tragic death in 2008.

The first look trailer shows never-before-seen clips of Ledger during off-screen moments as well as interviews with his friends and family as the 10th anniversary of his death approaches.

There were always cameras around, a video camera, a polaroid camera or the film camera. That's the only way I think of him, said model Christina Cauchi in the clip.

Filmmaker Ang Lee, who directed the actor in Brokeback Mountain, also pays tribute to him in the new film.

Even as the supporting actor, he will steal the whole show. That's the power of Heath Ledger, said Lee.

Heath Ledger - In pictures 1 /24 Heath Ledger - In pictures Heath Ledger and Lily Cole in The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus (2009) Lionsgate Heath Ledger stars as the Joker in the comic-book thriller The Dark Knight (2008) Heath Ledger as Bob Dylan in a scene from the film: I'm Not There (2007) Heath Ledger as Dan with Abbie Cornish as Candy in 'Candy' (2006) Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams in 2006 Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Brokeback Mountain (2005), starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Jack Twist and Heath Ledger as Ennis Del Mar Casanova (2005) starring Lena Olin as Andrea and Heath Ledger as Giacomo Casanova Lords of Dogtown (2005) The Brothers Grimm (2005), starring Matt Damon as Wilhelm "Will" Grimm and Heath Ledger as Jakob "Jake" Grimm Heath Ledger and Naomi Watts in 2004 Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom in 'Ned Kelly' (2003) Heath Ledger as Harry Feversham in The Four Feathers (2002) Heather Graham and actor Heath Ledger in 2001 Monster's Ball (2001) starring Heath Ledger and Billy Bob Thorton A Knight's Tale (2001) starring Heath Ledger as William Thatcher The Patriot (2000) starring Heath Ledger 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) starring Heath Ledger as Patrick Verona and Julia Stiles as Kat Stratford Heath Ledger and Lisa Zane in 1997

Actor Ben Mendelsohn added: Before Brokeback Mountain came out it would have been unthinkable to have a romantic tragedy involving two gay cowboys.

This is one of the biggest heartthrobs on Earth taking on that character  that's an artist.

Childhood friend Trevoe DiCarlo said: He was always a director  acting was just a way to get there.

Ledger tragically died at the age of 28 after an accidental overdose of a mixture of prescription drugs.

I am Heath Ledger, directed by Derik Murray, is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 23 and be in cinemas on May 3.
Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading.

Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy
Even on a rainy, overcast day, the photovoltaic cells at Nebraska Public Power Districts new community solar project are still pumping out juice.

When its cloudy like this itll be about 20 percent of the full potential, Molly Brown, vice president of energy production at GenPro Energy Solutions said Tuesday. The positive is that when electricity gets conducted through the system, you dont have any heat losses.

Along with GenPro, Central City-based developer Mesner Development Company worked with NPPD and the City of Scottsbluff to make the project a reality.

When we did this project, we ran the numbers past somebody in California, Cliff Mesner of Mesner Development said. He said we were showing as much solar gain in Scottsbluff as we get in the Mojave desert.

And thats Scottsbluff in particular, versus the middle or the eastern part of the state, Brown said.

The project sprung from a long-standing partnership between NPPD and the City of Scottsbluff. In July 2015, NPPD selected Scottsbluff as the pilot city for the community solar project.

The panels actually went live April 1, and this is the first community solar project in NPPDs retail territory, Terry Rajewich, account manager for NPPD, said.

Rajewich said NPPD customers in Scottsbluff can take up to 80 percent of their annual energy consumption and place it into solar shares, equivalent to 150 kilowatt-hours. The average home uses about 1,200 kilowatt-hours every month. Since solar power is a relatively new product for NPPD, electricity generated through solar costs a bit more  about an additional $2.17 per month per share. However, the cost to the developer is at 7 cents per kilowatt-hour, which is a fixed cost for 20 years, which is a hedge to consumers.

The benefits are that consumers get to say they have renewable energy in their portfolio without having the panels on their roofs, Rajewich said.

If they move inside the city limits those shares can move with them, she said. So you dont get the green look at your home, but you get the benefit of having solar energy for your home.

Rajewich said if NPPD customers stay on for the long haul, they may even see a credit show up on their monthly bills. Customers can sign up for solar shares for the full 20 years, but have no obligation to continue. 135 shares total are available. Once the shares are all spoken for, subscribers will be placed on a wait-list, which they can coordinate at the NPPD billing office at 515 First Ave. in Scottsbluff.

Scottsbluff businessman Terry Jessen is one of the current solar share holders.

Im a strong believer in alternative energy  wind, solar and ethanol, Jessen said.

Don Overman, who is also a shareholder, said he has had a long history of supporting NPPD.

I was elected to the city council in 1969, Overman said. The city was considering running the power company by itself.

Overman and then-city councilman Roger Green worked to negotiate a retail agreement with NPPD.

As a result of their work, Scottsbluff currently receives lease payments from NPPD of about 12 percent of the gross revenue, which goes into the citys general fund to help pay for parks, the library, police and fire and other administrative functions.

I think what NPPD is doing here is great, Overman said.
Its a rare sight in western Nebraska to spot two Teslas in one place, but there they were, sitting in the parking lot in front of Nebraska Public Power Districts Scottsbluff office on Tuesday.

The Silicon Valley-based electric car manufacturers market cap climbed to $49.5 billion Tuesday, according to a report from MarketWatch, posting it above Ford as the United States No. 2 car company.

Tesla owners Cliff and Kathy Mesner, who own the Central City-based Mesner Development Company, drove their red Model X yesterday evening to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the NPPD community solar project.

The Tesla owners across the state are pretty well connected with each other, Kathy Mesner said. When Cliff got into the solar business, we decided to get into the electric cars too.

The Comfort Inn here has a charger, so we decided to go ahead and bring ours up. We came in at about 11:30 p.m., charged overnight, and were ready to go again.

Terry Jessen and Diana Rhae Unterseher also own a white Model S. They said they have worked with Tesla to have chargers installed in numerous places across the state, including the one at the Comfort Inn in Scottsbluff.

We have a restaurant in Gothenburg, and so we donated the land there and Tesla put in an eight-lane charger, Unterseher said. Technically you can get from Cheyenne across Nebraska, because theres one in Cheyenne, one in Ogallala, one in Gothenburg, one in Grand Island, and one in Lincoln.

The charge times sometimes vary.

We can charge at our house, but if its empty it takes about 8 hours, Unterseher said. But if you go in empty to a Tesla charger, it only takes about an hour.

Save for a small amount of road noise, Teslas are whisper quiet and highly responsive.

When you hit the foot feed on a gas car, it hesitates before it takes off, Mesner said. But when you do it on an electric car, its like flipping the switch on a light-bulb. It just goes.

Mesner said the range depends on several factors like headwinds and temperature, but said that under ideal conditions, her model can get about 250 miles on a single charge.

If you pop the hood on a Tesla you might be a little surprised  since the motors are in the wheel hubs themselves, and the cars lithium-ion batteries are stored in the cars rear, the free space in front is used for storage.

They call it the Frunk, short for front-trunk, Mesner said.

It may take a while for electric cars to pop up more in the Panhandle, its no longer a thing of science fiction.

I think the U.S. is going to move to (electric cars) quickly, Jessen said.
TORRINGTON, Wyo.  The Eastern Wyoming College Agriculture Department will host the second annual Lancer Livestock Sale at 1 p.m., Sunday, April 9. The sale will be held in the Hog Barn on the Goshen County Fairgrounds. Viewing of livestock will begin at 10:30 a.m.
As part of his 2017 Farm Bill Listening Tour, Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) will host a listening sessions in Scottsbluff on Monday, April 17.

The Farm Bill Listening Tour provides Third District constituents an opportunity to visit with Smith, ask questions, and share their thoughts on the future of agriculture policy. Nebraska Director of Agriculture Greg Ibach will also join the discussions.

Sound agriculture policies are a crucial part of ensuring farmers and ranchers have the resources they need to succeed, Smith said. As Congress prepares to draft a new Farm Bill, I look forward to receiving direct input from Third District producers. Getting these policies right will help producers overcome challenges they face and ensure the Third District remains the top-producing agriculture district in the country.

The listening session will be held at the Panhandle Research & Extension Center, 4502 Ave. I, Scottsbluff, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

A listening session will also be held in Aurora on April 20. More dates and locations for the Farm Bill Listening Tour will be announced.

For additional information about the April events, please contact Smiths Grand Island office at 308-384-3900.
Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC) is hosting the national 2017 College Powerline Rodeo April 6 - 7 at the Powerline Lab on the Alliance campus and the John N. Harms Center on the Scottsbluff campus.

College lineman teams from across the country compete in three physical events as well as a written exam. The competition will be held at the Powerline Lab in Alliance, while testing and awards will be held at the John N. Harms Center in Scottsbluff. The competition gives students the opportunity to practice skills and techniques they have learned in preparation for their careers in the electrical industry.

According to Powerline Instructor Ed Salazar, the rodeo is a linemen competition for all students regardless of what level theyre at.

Whether it be a college student or an apprentice, the competition is meant to demonstrate skills and abilities each individual has learned, Salazar said. Its a time to compete against other teams that are at about the same level. Its just a fun event to enjoy competition and good times.

The rodeo kicks off on April 6 with the written exam in Scottsbluff. Field events start at 9:45 a.m. at the Powerline Lab in Alliance on April 7. The physical competitions are open for public viewing. There is also a pee-wee rodeo scheduled with games for children.

For more information, contact Linda Leisy at 308-763-2003, or visit wncc.edu/powerlinerodeo.
Millennials and others of a certain age have not lived in a time when fidelity was universally valued and mostly supported by culture -- though sometimes hypocritically -- and its opposite was roundly condemned. There was even a time when a divorced person could not expect to become president, though plenty of married presidents managed to conduct clandestine affairs, often with the indulgence of the media.

How far we have come (or gone) as a country and culture was evidenced by the re-election of Bill Clinton, even after reports of his alleged sexual harassment of Paula Jones were made public.

This isn't about that. It's about Vice President Mike Pence and his recently rediscovered standard of refusing to dine alone with a woman not his wife, or showing up without her at a place where alcohol is served.

This is sometimes called the Billy Graham Rule, after the famed evangelist. It isn't about prudishness, as some have claimed in their criticism of Pence, it is about preserving one's reputation and "avoiding the appearance of evil," as evangelicals like Graham and Pence would put it.

Some years ago, Rev. Graham spoke at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. There was a reception before his speech in the bar area. One of the guests asked Graham if he could have his picture taken with him, and Graham turned to me to ask if I would hold his soft drink while the picture was taken.

I later asked him why he did this. He said it was because some people who saw the photo could conclude that he was drinking an alcoholic beverage, a no-no among Southern Baptists, though some seem to have modified their position in recent years.

Graham once told me about his own policy of never being with a woman without his wife present, or having a woman pick him up at an airport when he traveled, unless she was with her husband. It is a standard I employ, not because Graham and I (and Pence) find it hard to resist temptations of the flesh, but because it is the best protection against all sorts of negative things that could happen, or someone reading something into a picture that has the potential of damaging one's reputation.

Pence's comment was printed in a recent Washington Post profile, but he first made it in 2002 when he was a freshman in Congress at the height of the Gary Condit sex scandal, in which Condit was accused of being involved with the disappearance and murder of his intern Chandra Levy, with whom he was having an affair. Pence doesn't tell others how to live their lives. He just set a standard for his marriage. His spokesman, Marc Lotter, tells me "clearly it is working."

Some feminists have written that Pence's policy somehow harms women from making progress in the workplace. Recent newspaper columns by former female congressional staff members refute that claim.

I've been in Pence's office. Many women work there, including his deputy chief of staff, his national security adviser, his director of intergovernmental affairs and their top deputies.

So what's the problem? I think it is that the Pence "lifestyle," for wont of a better word, stands as a rebuke to those who have chosen different ways of behaving, in or out of marriage. Deep down inside most of us know right from wrong, otherwise "Judge Judy" would not be so much fun to watch as she dispenses truths your grandmother probably agreed with and tried to teach you.

After all the criticism about President Trump's past with women, one might think the critics would welcome a wholesome example like the Pences. But in Washington, some people like having it both ways.
With one hand holding a bottle of champagne and the other an oversized certificate declaring him the winner of $1 million from Publishers Clearing House, Bruce Saunders stood on the front porch of his western Davie County Monday and rattled off a list of things he plans spend his spend money on  medical bills, fixing his lawnmower and helping family members.
A Clemmons anchor shopping center, Tanglewood Commons, has been sold for $11.4 million to a Cincinnati real-estate investment trust.

The sale was completed March 13, according to records from the Forsyth County Register of Deeds Office.

The purchaser is Phillip Edison & Co., doing business as Tanglewood Station LLC. The seller is Tanglewood HT LLC.

Phillip Edison paid $90,000 less than what Tanglewood HT spent on buying the property in May 2005 from a group that featured general partners Wells Capital Inc. and Wells Partners LP.

The 78,520-square-foot shopping center, which debuted in 1997, features a 46,120-square-foot Harris Teeter as its anchor tenant. Other tenants include Villa Grill restaurant, Subway, Great Clips, Papa Johns, Petsense and a Novant Health womens clinic.

The new owner lists nine tenant spaces as available, six at 1,400 square feet, for a combined 12,200 square feet. That represents a 15.5 percent overall vacancy rate and a 37.2 percent non-anchor vacancy rate.

Phillip Edison cited among its interest in the shopping center the great visibility of it being off Interstate 40 and a population of more than 51,000 residents within a five-mile radius with an average (annual) household income over $81,600.

Its one of our activity centers serving the neighborhoods and western part of Clemmons and Davie County, said Megan Ledbetter, the planner for the village of Clemmons.

Phillip Edison owns 17 retail properties in North Carolina, including New Market Madison in Madison and Crossroads Plaza in Asheboro. All but three have a grocery store anchor, including seven with a Harris Teeter store.

The sale is another sign of retail momentum building in Clemmons, a trend that includes the recent opening of the Walmart Neighborhood Market grocery store at the Clemmons Village shopping center.

Its market-driven, so if a REIT was interested in ownership and sees the potential of the center, thats positive for Clemmons, Ledbetter said, using the shorthand for a real-estate investment trust.

Michael Clapp, a real-estate appraiser and consultant, listed 59 shopping centers in his October survey of the Winston-Salem area market.

The average vacancy rate for local tenant (non-anchor) shopping space was 19.2 percent, up from 18.8 percent in April 2016.

Since October 2010, the highest vacancy rate was 23.4 percent in April 2011, while the lowest was 17.7 percent.
Blog Archive Apr 2010 (22) May 2010 (25) Jun 2010 (8) Jul 2010 (12) Aug 2010 (18) Sep 2010 (19) Oct 2010 (29) Nov 2010 (30) Dec 2010 (18) Jan 2011 (13) Feb 2011 (21) Mar 2011 (23) Apr 2011 (19) May 2011 (31) Jun 2011 (36) Jul 2011 (46) Aug 2011 (26) Sep 2011 (12) Oct 2011 (15) Nov 2011 (17) Dec 2011 (7) Jan 2012 (18) Feb 2012 (4) Mar 2012 (12) Apr 2012 (18) May 2012 (10) Jun 2012 (21) Jul 2012 (8) Aug 2012 (15) Sep 2012 (7) Oct 2012 (17) Nov 2012 (20) Dec 2012 (10) Jan 2013 (58) Feb 2013 (59) Mar 2013 (60) Apr 2013 (98) May 2013 (134) Jun 2013 (204) Jul 2013 (293) Aug 2013 (351) Sep 2013 (363) Oct 2013 (347) Nov 2013 (374) Dec 2013 (440) Jan 2014 (544) Feb 2014 (475) Mar 2014 (525) Apr 2014 (527) May 2014 (470) Jun 2014 (408) Jul 2014 (472) Aug 2014 (522) Sep 2014 (441) Oct 2014 (471) Nov 2014 (496) Dec 2014 (535) Jan 2015 (535) Feb 2015 (520) Mar 2015 (579) Apr 2015 (657) May 2015 (679) Jun 2015 (673) Jul 2015 (728) Aug 2015 (803) Sep 2015 (923) Oct 2015 (921) Nov 2015 (801) Dec 2015 (791) Jan 2016 (782) Feb 2016 (835) Mar 2016 (929) Apr 2016 (864) May 2016 (946) Jun 2016 (1044) Jul 2016 (882) Aug 2016 (1035) Sep 2016 (966) Oct 2016 (918) Nov 2016 (854) Dec 2016 (885) Jan 2017 (879) Feb 2017 (777) Mar 2017 (896) Apr 2017 (872) May 2017 (850) Jun 2017 (851) Jul 2017 (971) Aug 2017 (1040) Sep 2017 (998) Oct 2017 (1144) Nov 2017 (1046) Dec 2017 (838) Jan 2018 (873) Feb 2018 (769) Mar 2018 (885) Apr 2018 (808) May 2018 (827) Jun 2018 (820) Jul 2018 (840) Aug 2018 (854) Sep 2018 (844) Oct 2018 (851) Nov 2018 (870) Dec 2018 (912) Jan 2019 (919) Feb 2019 (827) Mar 2019 (957) Apr 2019 (913) May 2019 (1007) Jun 2019 (934) Jul 2019 (949) Aug 2019 (936) Sep 2019 (910) Oct 2019 (920) Nov 2019 (874) Dec 2019 (908) Jan 2020 (941) Feb 2020 (848) Mar 2020 (898) Apr 2020 (848) May 2020 (822) Jun 2020 (787) Jul 2020 (819) Aug 2020 (858) Sep 2020 (841) Oct 2020 (873) Nov 2020 (811) Dec 2020 (780) Jan 2021 (765) Feb 2021 (716) Mar 2021 (819) Apr 2021 (805) May 2021 (815) Jun 2021 (824) Jul 2021 (830) Aug 2021 (832) Sep 2021 (791) Oct 2021 (754) Nov 2021 (683) Dec 2021 (693) Jan 2022 (694) Feb 2022 (654) Mar 2022 (740) Apr 2022 (745) May 2022 (748) Jun 2022 (701) Jul 2022 (704) Aug 2022 (702) Sep 2022 (699) Oct 2022 (737) Nov 2022 (168)
The draft law for putting in agreement the provisions of the criminal codes with the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) decisions will be sent for public debate and parliamentary procedure, Justice Minister Tudorel Toader said on Wednesday, reiterating that he would not set a threshold for the abuse of office.

"I know very well the content and the reasons backing the Constitutional Court decisions referring to the abuse of office, because I was still a judge then. I know very well the elements under consideration of the decisions, because I participated in their draw-up, correction and, finally, release. The objective I assumed on the Government's behalf [...] is to translate the CCR decisions into the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code. [...] I will send out the draft law without a threshold, because, in the body of the Court decision, the threshold isn't mentioned. [...] The draft law [...] will be sent to public debate and parliamentary procedure, it will not be an ordinance. It will go through the judiciary committees. [...] When it reaches the place where it meets Mr Minister Iordache he [...] can intervene, in the limit of the constitutional prerogatives, on the text of the law, because we are initiators, and they are the decision-makers," Toader told a press conference.

He pointed out that the changes to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code are strictly aimed at putting into agreement their content to the CCR decisions.

"We drew up the bill on the modification of the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code in order to put in agreement the two codes with the CCR decisions. The modifications to the two codes are strictly aimed at [...] putting into agreement the codes with the CCR decisions, nothing more, nothing less. [...] We'll continue [...] with the draw-up of other draft laws, I don't think there will be only one, for putting into agreement the entire legislation [...] with the CCR decisions, be them decisions of admission or rejection," the Minister said.

Toader announced that the package of laws for justice is being worked on.

"We are working on the package of laws for justice. We have our draft, we have points of view from a great part of the involved authorities, that must issue an opinion in the draw-up procedure of the justice legislation. We are also expecting the CSM [Superior Council of Magistrates] proposals. As soon as we get them, we send the bill to public debate, in parliamentary procedure," Toader added.

agerpres.
The mining industry seems simple enough to understand: grab some shovels and start digging stuff out of the ground. But that's not to say that it's easy to identify how companies make their money. For example, Goldcorp (NYSE: GG) includes the sale of silver, copper, zinc, and lead as revenue sources. This being said, the company predominantly relies on the sale of gold to keep the lights on. Whereas it reported $3.5 billion in sales for fiscal 2016, gold sales accounted for $2.86 billion -- 81.5% of overall revenue -- according to its 2016 annual report; revenue from silver sales only amounted to $384 million, while revenues from other mineral sales totaled $265 million.

Operating mines across the Americas, Goldcorp is in the nascent stages of a five-year plan that management expects will grow net asset value per share. Let's dig a little deeper and see how the sale of gold figures into the company's picture.

Golden nuggets of insight

Goldcorp maintains gold-mining operations in Canada and throughout Latin America, but it is the company's lone operation in Mexico that provided the lion's share of revenue last year. Penasquito, Mexico's largest gold-producing mine, accounted for 465,000 ounces of gold production and $1.04 billion in revenue in fiscal 2016, far outpacing the company's second most productive mine, Cerro Negro, which reported 363,000 ounces of gold production and $532 million in revenue for fiscal 2016.

It may be tempting to conclude that Penasquito's high all-in sustaining costs (AISC) precluded it from being one of the more profitable operations in the company's portfolio -- the mine's AISC were $937 per gold ounce in FY 2016, whereas Goldcorp's overall AISC were $856 per ounce -- but this would be fairly short-sighted.

According to Goldcorp's 2016 annual report, Penasquito processed lower ore grade and reported lower throughput due to harder ore types processed in 2016; consequently, it accounted for only $99 million in earnings from operations. A noticeable drop in performance from the $360 million in earnings from operations it reported in 2015, Penasquito -- the company's most profitable mine in 2015 -- was Goldcorp's fourth most profitable mine in 2016.

So, which gold mine provided the most green in 2016? That title goes to Pueblo Viejo. Located in the Dominican Republic, Pueblo Viejo -- in which Goldcorp holds a 40% interest and Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX) holds a 60% interest -- provided Goldcorp with $387 million in earnings from operations for 2016 -- more than double the $181 million it contributed in 2015.

A future worth its weight in gold

Clearly, mining gold is the company's bread and butter, and it will most likely continue to serve the same role in the years to come. In presenting its five-year growth plan, management revealed a three-pronged approach to help the company reach its five-year goal of growing shareholder value. First, management aspires to increase gold production from the 2.87 million ounces it reported in fiscal 2016 to a level between three million and four million ounces from six to eight large-scale projects by 2021. The company has several expansionary projects in development that will help the company achieve this target, such as the Pyrite Leach Project at Penasquito.

Management is also working to increase its gold reserves by 20% over the next five years. Whereas reserves totaled 42.3 million ounces at the end of fiscal 2016, management expects success in its exploration projects to result in gold reserves of 50 million ounces by 2021. In addition to organic growth, the company will likely look to acquisitions to achieve this target. For example, it recently announced another partnership with Barrick Gold, one in which the two companies will embark on a 50/50 joint venture to consolidate two gold projects: Cerro Casale, which has 23 million ounces of proven and probable gold reserves, and Caspiche, which has 23 million ounces of measured and indicated gold reserves.

Looking to further increase net asset value per share, management has identified a target of reducing AISC by 20% over the next five years. The company, which reported AISC of $856 per gold ounce in fiscal 2016, aspires to bring this down to approximately $700 per gold ounce by 2021. By optimizing its portfolio and divesting less-profitable projects like the recently announced Los Filos, the company will achieve a better profit margin.

Investor takeaway

Clearly, Goldcorp makes most of its money by mining gold -- much more than any other mineral the company mines. Looking at a more granular level, though, we find that digging the yellow stuff out of the ground in the company's Latin American mines yields much more green than those located in the Great White North. Of the company's six most lucrative mines, it was Penasquito, Cerro Negro, and Pueblo Viejo (located in Mexico, Argentina, and the Dominican Republic, respectively) that provided $538 million in earnings from operations for fiscal 2016 -- significantly more than the $305 million provided by the company's three Canadian mines: Red Lake, Porcupine, and Musselwhite.

Investors can monitor the progress at the Cerro Negro project in order to assess how well the company is executing its growth strategy; a ramp-up in production is also expected this year, resulting in gold production about 13% higher than the 363,000 ounces reported in 2016. And in terms of reducing expenses, look for management to meet its forecast of AISC falling to approximately $825 per gold ounce at Penasquito.

10 stocks we like better than Goldcorp

When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now...and Goldcorp 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 April 3, 2017.

Scott Levine 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.
Monsanto (NYSE: MON) has been a controversial company for a long time, as many people disapprove of the company's advances in agricultural technology over the years. Yet as demand for food rises, Monsanto has seen increased interest in many of its products, and coming into Wednesday's fiscal second-quarter report, investors of the seed and agricultural productivity giant expected to see solid growth. The company's results were generally favorable, and Monsanto continues to move forward in its efforts to grow even with its pending merger with Bayer, scheduled to close by the end of 2017, still in the works.

Let's look more closely at Monsanto to see how it did and what it sees ahead.

Winter can't stop Monsanto

Monsanto's fiscal second-quarter results were encouraging for investors. Revenue was up 12%, to $5.07 billion, which was quite a bit higher than the $4.73 billion that most analysts following the stock had expected to see. Similarly, Monsanto posted bottom-line success, with net income climbing almost 30%, to $1.37 billion. The resulting earnings of $3.09 per share was far better than the consensus forecast for $2.79 in per-share profit, and accounting for extraordinary items added another $0.10 per share to Monsanto's adjusted earnings.

Monsanto saw strength in both of its key businesses. The company has increasingly relied on its seeds and genomics segment, which brings in more than four-fifths of its overall sales, and Monsanto managed to boost the business' top line by almost 10%. Solid gains in the corn and soybean areas were the biggest contributors to positive performance for the company, and cotton seed sales nearly tripled from year-earlier levels. Segment profit was up 14%, again with soybeans and corn leading the way higher. Monsanto pointed to strength in the U.S., Europe, and Brazil in helping to promote growth.

However, the more interesting news came from the agricultural productivity segment, which bounced back from recent challenges. Sales jumped by nearly a quarter from year-ago levels, and the unit managed to boost its gross profit slightly. Year-over-year declines in certain herbicide prices weighed on performance, but even though Monsanto sees those difficulties lasting into the first half of 2017, a subsequent recovery should spur longer-term growth.

CEO Hugh Grant was happy at how well Monsanto did under difficult conditions. "We are delighted to have delivered such an excellent first half and strong second quarter," Grant said, "in the face of what is still a tough macro economy for agriculture." The CEO also pointed to its ongoing efforts at spurring innovation as a way to drive long-term growth and compete against its rivals.

What's next for Monsanto?

Monsanto is still optimistic about the prospects for its future, even as investors prepare for its merger with Bayer. Restructuring and transformation efforts have produced extensive savings, and Monsanto believes that those moves should save the company about $200 million in operating expenses and costs of goods sold in 2017. That should increase to an annual $500 million savings rate by fiscal 2018 and onward.

Monsanto's guidance for the fiscal third quarter and the full 2017 fiscal year continued to improve. Monsanto sees GAAP earnings at the high end of its previous range of $3.95 to $4.44 per share, and the company thinks that adjusted earnings will also be in the upper portion of its $4.50 to $4.90 per share guidance. Gross profit for seeds and genomics should climb mid-single-digit percentages. The agricultural productivity segment could see some pressure on sales, pointing toward the lower end of its $850 million to $950 million sales range. However, strong cash flow should help put Monsanto in a favorable position going forward.

Monsanto investors seemed comfortable with the report, and the stock climbed almost 2% in morning trading following the announcement. With the stock price getting closer to the merger agreement's $128 per share price, shareholders in Monsanto seem to be getting more comfortable with the prospects for the combination to take place -- or for Monsanto to thrive even if something happens to kill the deal before year-end.

10 stocks we like better than Monsanto

When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Monsanto 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 April 3, 2017

Dan Caplinger 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.
This website is intended for U.S. visitors only.
Drury Hotels says its new 168-room Drury Plaza Hotel Cape Girardeau Conference Center is nearing completion and will open sometime this summer.

The facility will be the company's fourth hotel property in the southeast Missouri city  where the firm got its start in 1973.

The eight-story hotel off Interstate 55 will have 14,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

Reservations are being accepted for guests arriving Aug. 30 but the hotel may open earlier, a spokesman said.
It's not hard to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of numbers included in Pfizer's (NYSE: PFE) financial reports. From the company's accumulated post-retirement benefit obligation to Zoloft revenue, there are a lot of numbers involved in understanding Pfizer's business.

But I think that there are three numbers that are most important to Pfizer. What are the numbers? $15.9 billion, 96, and 2. Here's why Pfizer's future hinges on these numbers and what they represent.

$15.9 billion

This number is way too low to be Pfizer's revenue for last year. And it's too high to reflect the company's net income. Instead, $15.9 billion is the amount of operating cash flow generated by Pfizer in 2016. This number is enormously critical for the company.

Without this cash flow, Pfizer wouldn't be able to pay out its dividend. Let's face it, without the juicy dividend yield, the stock wouldn't be nearly as attractive as it is. Even though Pfizer didn't produce quite enough in earnings to fully cover paying out $7.3 billion in dividends last year, it wasn't a big problem thanks to the robust operating cash flow generated.

And although Pfizer's total debt of $42 billion puts the drugmaker at the top of the list among big pharma companies with lots of debt, no one is worried about paying the debt back. Why would they for a company that produced $15.9 billion in operating cash flow?

Neither does anyone experience much heartburn when Pfizer's executives publicly state that the company is still looking to make more acquisitions. A strong cash flow goes a long way to keeping everyone content.

93

This number should play a key role in ensuring that the first number doesn't decrease. Pfizer's pipeline includes 93 clinical programs. The more success it gets out of these programs, the better its cash flow will be -- and the greater any dividend increases investors see down the road will be.

Although Pfizer still shows 96 clinical programs in its pipeline on its website, this number is now a little lower thanks to several positive developments in March. The company received European regulatory approval Xeljanz for treating rheumatoid arthritis. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Bavencio (avelumab) as a first-line treatment for metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma. Ibrance also received regular approval in the U.S. as a first-line treatment of breast cancer, replacing an earlier accelerated approval.

What's especially remarkable about Pfizer's pipeline is that 34 programs are in late-stage clinical studies. More than a quarter of them are late-stage studies evaluating Bavencio in additional cancer indications. The drug holds the potential to become another big winner for Pfizer.

2

Pfizer has two business segments: innovative health and essential health. The former gets most of the public attention with new and growing drugs, while the latter is stuck with Pfizer's drugs that have lost patent exclusivity (and are therefore seeing sales decline).

Many investors weren't too happy last year when Pfizer decided to keep both business units instead of splitting into two companies. Pfizer must now live with that decision and prove that it was a good one.

The essential health unit still generated nearly 45% of total revenue and contributes to Pfizer's solid operating cash flow. Pfizer has also made some acquisitions in recent years that could make the segment a growth engine once sales stabilize for some of the legacy drugs facing generic challengers.

There's also the possibility that Pfizer revisits its decision to remain one company with two business segments at some point down the road. For now, though, it's two segments inside one company -- and that will drive Pfizer's decision making.

One other important number

There's one other important number for Pfizer that relates to all three of the figures already mentioned. That number is $4.2 billion. It reflects the total sales for Lyrica in 2016.

Pfizer faces a generic challenger to the pain drug in 2018. By then, Lyrica will have shifted over from the company's innovative health segment to its essential health segment. Without increased revenue generated from the clinical programs in its pipeline, Pfizer will face a decrease in its cash flow.

Because the pipeline is so promising, though, I don't think Pfizer will lose ground. Bavencio should be a major success. More indications could be on the way for other cancer drugs Ibrance and Xtandi. Another pain drug, tanezumab, has solid potential. Recently approved atopic dermatitis drug Eucrisa should pick up some slack as well. Look for all of these drugs to rack up even bigger numbers for Pfizer in the years to come.

10 stocks we like better than Pfizer

When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Pfizer 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 April 3, 2017

Keith Speights owns shares of Pfizer. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Sean Gunn never has any idea wholl approach him at a convention like Wizard World Comic Con, coming this weekend to St. Louis.

It could be a fan of Gilmore Girls, where Gunn played Kirk Gleason for seven seasons and a sequel.

On the other hand, it might be someone in costume from Guardians of the Galaxy (he played Kraglin and will return in Vol. 2, due May 5), or The Belko Experiment, which came out in March.

At Wizard World St. Louis Comic Con, though, Gunn, who grew up in Manchester, is just as likely to encounter someone he knows from high school (SLU High, Class of 1992). Thats always something I look forward to, seeing old friends, he says.

The Gilmore Girls fans who approach him think of Gunn (or, rather, Kirk) as an old friend already. Their passion for the character is really special, Gunn says.

In more than 130 episodes of the dramedy about a mother and daughter in Stars Hollow, Conn., Kirk wandered through town and life, trying to find himself, failing at countless jobs but always bouncing back. Other residents considered him an annoyance but also a valuable part of the fabric of the quirky little town.

Their patience was rewarded in the recent Netflix sequel, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, when Kirk saved the day for the surprise wedding of Lorelai and Luke (Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson). Turns out, he should have been a wedding planner all along.

A Year in the Life was so much fun, Gunn says. Wed been getting questions about it for a couple of years, but the real conversation started after the cast reunion at the ATX festival in Austin (Texas) in 2015. (Gunn couldnt go because he was in Bogota, Colombia, shooting The Belko Experiment.)

Everybody was willing to do it, and I was certainly willing to do it, and fans got excited, Gunn says.

The fan loyalty is impressive, he says. Gilmore Girls, which ran from 2000 to 2007, had been off the air many years by then, and although it was a modest hit in its day, it wasnt a cultural phenomenon.

But when Netflix began streaming the series in 2014, lots of new fans discovered it, Gunn says. Younger people, who maybe werent old enough to watch back then, fell in love with the show. Teenagers come up to me now and say they love Kirk.

Gilmore Girls fans who approach him, or pay to get pictures and autographs at conventions, are definitely the most die-hard, Gunn says. If someone comes up and is actually giddy, that is probably a Gilmore Girls fan. Lately, he has even been seeing people in costume, aka cosplay, as Gilmore characters. Sometimes that can be startling, he says, but its wonderful.

For all this, Gunn credits creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, whose fondness for Kirk, and for Gunn, gave him such a long and delightfully strange run on the show.

Amy and I have a special relationship as artists, he says. She couldnt write any better for that character, and I know what she wants instantly. Sherman-Palladino also cast Gunn in several episodes of her ABC Family series Bunheads.

In A Year in the Life, Sherman-Palladino gave Gunn one of his favorite scenes to date, putting Kirk at dinner with the Gilmore family. That was so much fun for me, Gunn says. I think Kelly Bishop (who plays matriarch Emily Gilmore) is a genius; her work is magnificent. And before, I had only had about three scenes with her, and Emily and Kirk rarely exchanged words. So that dinner scene was a dream come true.

Sherman-Palladino isnt the only creator with whom Gunn has a special relationship. Another is his brother, James Gunn, the writer and director who cast Sean in both Guardians movies and The Belko Experiment. James Gunn has been quoted as saying he wants Sean in every movie he does.

Thats fine with Sean. James is a great writer, he says. Im always chasing great scripts, and I certainly get them from James and from Amy.

In The Belko Experiment, which finds office workers trapped in a building and ordered to kill one another, Gunn got to pick his role and chose the character of Marty, a cafeteria worker who never believes anything bad is happening.

Its a psychological thriller, but James is incapable of making a movie without laughs, Gunn says. I was surprised how many laughs there were when it screened at the Toronto film festival.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 finds Gunns Kraglin, one of the Ravagers and sidekick to Michael Rookers Yondo, with an expanded role. Its not huge, but theres stuff that adds texture, Gunn says.

Fans of the movies may not know that Gunn also works behind the scenes as a physical presence for Rocket, the CGI raccoon voiced by Bradley Cooper. James wanted the actors to have someone to play off, Gunn says. It keeps me very busy.

At Wizard World St. Louis Comic Con, in addition to photo ops and meeting people, Gunn will be part of a panel with Rooker. Ive done this before, he says. Its like being trapped in a pillowcase with a rhino.

But Gunn has more plans in St. Louis, and those include hosting a fundraiser for Tenth Life Cat Network, with which he has worked before. Caturday Night Fever is a dance party, with sponsorship from Tidy Cats ensuring that all the proceeds go to the rescue organization.

On Gilmore Girls, Kirk had a cat, Cat Kirk, that didnt like him, but in real life, Gunn is a big cat fan, involved in rescue and fostering in Los Angeles. During a phone interview, he was joined by one of his own three cats, The Business (or Bizzy), whom he bottle-fed from 10 days old.

When I heard about Tenth Life and found out what great work they do, especially with cats that have special needs, I knew I wanted to help them out, Gunn says. Since I was going to be in town anyway, I thought it was the perfect time to do this.

What Sean Gunn at Wizard World St. Louis Comic Con  When Friday-Sunday; hours are 3-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday  Where Americas Center, 701 Convention Plaza  How much $39.95-$79.95; additional fees for autographs/photos ($45 for photo ops, $30 for autographs)  More info wizardworld.com/comiccon/stlouis

What Caturday Night Fever hosted by Sean Gunn  When 7-10 p.m. Saturday  Where The Luminary, 2107 Cherokee Street  How much $45-$125  More info caturdaynight.eventbrite.com
ST. LOUIS COUNTY  Showing strong support for local police, St. Louis County voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a sales tax increase to boost officers' pay, hire more of them and make other public safety upgrades.

Final unofficial returns showed the measure  Proposition P  was supported by 63 percent of voters.

Among other plans for revenue from the half-cent tax hike: increasing the number of two-person police cars and the use of dashboard and body cameras.

"I don't think this is new support" from the public, said County Police Chief Jon Belmar, a main advocate of the proposal. "This is support that's been there before. Frankly, it's humbling."

He cited citizen backing police here received last year after officers were ambushed and killed in Dallas and Baton Rouge, La. and following incidents here such as the shooting which left Ballwin Officer Michael Flamion paralyzed.

County Executive Steve Stenger, another key backer of the tax plan, said the results showed that residents see public safety as their top priority.

"The purpose of the proposition is to keep officers safe as they keep us safe," Stenger said. "This is probably the most transformational initiative for policing we have seen in this region for decades."

The measure was promoted by a $650,000-plus ad campaign funded heavily by major area corporations. That included television commercials and mailings.

The tax increase will generate an estimated $80 million a year.

About $46 million is earmarked for St. Louis County government  the police department, the prosecutor's office and corrections. The remaining $34 million will go to the county's 90 municipalities, based on their population.

County officials and other supporters say there's an urgent need to keep county police salaries competitive and to add more police to reduce the burden on current officers.

Opponents, including the county Republican Central Committee, complained that there was nothing in the ballot proposal that prevents leaders from reducing existing budgets and replacing spending with the new tax money. Stenger said that won't happen.

One committee member, Ken Newhouse, said he and others opposed to the sales tax hike support the police as well but disagree about the way to do that. But with no money for an ad campaign of their own, he said, it was difficult to get their arguments against the sales tax before voters.

"People were so pro-police this time, whether they were Republican, Democrat, independent, you name it," said Newhouse, who helped organize an anti-sales tax group.

Belmar says the measure would allow the hiring of about 110 more officers for his county department, which now has about 890.

The tax hike will boost the overall sales tax in most unincorporated areas to 7.613 cents from 7.113 cents. The tax in many cities would be higher depending on their own municipal sales tax rate.

The Proposition P campaign committee, STL Citizens for Safety, got its biggest donation from Clayton-based Centene Corp., which kicked in $250,000.

Two major business groups  Civic Progress and the Regional Business Council  provided $150,000 and $100,000, respectively. And $200,000 came from retired investor Rex Sinquefield, a prolific donor to various causes he favors. Overall, the committee reported raising $710,000. An opposition group said it raised $140.

Meanwhile, voters in St. Ann and Moline Acres approved property tax and sales tax increases, respectively, to help maintain their municipal police services. Also passing was a property tax increase in Crestwood, part of which will aid city police.

But Overland voters rejected a property tax hike to bolster the city police pension fund.
Boiler safety is regulated almost uniformly across the nation, with standards that generally include periodic inspections by state inspectors or insurance companies.

The state of Missouris fire safety division issues more than 20,000 certificates of inspection each year for boilers and pressure vessels and says about 2,000 of those are found to be in dangerous condition.

But one little nook of the country  famous for a big arch  does things its own way.

The city of St. Louis is exempt from the Missouri law requiring regular inspections of high-pressure boilers by either a state inspector or insurance company.

The city instead requires a company to have a licensed stationary engineer on site while a high-pressure boiler is in operation. The city runs the license process, which includes taking a class and passing a test.

That deviation from national boiler safety standards was revealed after an explosion on Monday that killed three people and injured four.

St. Louis officials said a boiler launched out of Loy-Lange Box Co. at 222 Russell Boulevard and shot into the air, crashing 500 feet away into the offices of Faultless Healthcare Linen at Russell and South Broadway.

Loy-Lange employed three stationary engineers assigned to the companys two boilers. One of them, Kenneth Trentham, 59, of the 4500 block of Tholozan Avenue, was among the people killed. Authorities have not publicly identified the people killed at Faultless; the company declined to name them.

A woman who answered the door at Trenthams home Tuesday said only that his family was grateful for the well wishes expressed to them after his death.

Cause unknown

The cause of the explosion was under investigation by the St. Louis Fire Department and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

There were no details available about what factors could have contributed to the explosion.

It was not known whether the device had been inspected by an insurance company and issued a certificate that would have been acceptable under a standard process anywhere else. And it was not immediately known when St. Louis started doing things differently, or why.

The city insisted its system of regulating boiler operation was safe. Because the city mandates licensed engineers to operate high-pressure boilers, they are under constant inspection, rather than just once per year, said Maggie Crane, a spokeswoman for Mayor Francis Slay.

You would risk losing your license if youre not doing your job, Crane said. And its not in the best interest of the company. Look at the risk, you just saw it in action. What good would it do to the company  to not maintain (a boiler) or not have a stationary engineer?

Boiler safety experts said they strongly disagreed with that assessment.

Operating a boiler and inspecting a boiler are not the same task, said David A. Douin, executive director of the Columbus, Ohio-based National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors.

I think the city should have an inspection program and all their boilers and pressure vessels should be registered (with) commissioned inspectors doing the inspections just like everyone else in the United States, he said. Theyre in a small, small, small minority by not having that equipment inspected on set frequencies.

Douin said an engineer who worked for a company simply could not be objective about the condition of a boiler.

Thats the whole thing about third-party inspection, he said. You can be objective. You dont work for the company that owns the equipment. Like, your boss isnt going to say, Hey, we need to do this production run today, cant we wait a couple weeks before we fix it? 

John R. Puskar, president of Prescient Technical Services in Cleveland, a boiler safety expert, said he thought that jurisdictional inspections would always provide a level of reduced risk for boiler operations. The city of St. Louis would no doubt benefit from making this a requirement.

Waiting for answers

Meanwhile, employees of the two companies waited for answers. At Faultless, several employees taking breaks at a small table outside the building Tuesday said they did not know the two who had died Monday but had heard they were new employees. One man who had been in the building at the time of the accident said the building had a little shake before employees were told to evacuate.

The main office area of the building where the boiler landed was cordoned off by police tape, and a condemned sign with the word office written on it was taped on a window. A man was inspecting the roof with a small elevator crane. The company at the time said no one was available to discuss the incident.

It just shows you things can happen when you least expect it, said Faultless employee Denise Shavers, who said shed been with the company for three years.

Across the street at Pioneer Industrial Corp., a ventilation system had been set up to clear the air of the building, which had been struck by a large pipe after the boiler exploded.

At Loy-Lange, there were no employees outside the building. Two large windows were boarded up, and condemned signs had been placed on the brick building. Representatives of the company could not be reached.

Nancy Cambria and Christine Byers of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
JEFFERSON CITY  A Missouri senator is threatening to derail a bid to boost taxes for the St. Louis Zoo because of the citys decision to ban employers and landlords from discriminating against women who have had an abortion.

Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake Saint Louis, linked the two issues in a lengthy debate on the Senate floor Wednesday, saying he was wary of supporting a push to tax residents in counties surrounding St. Louis when the city has made itself what he calls an abortion sanctuary city.

Under an amendment filed to the zoo tax proposal, Onder said the zoo should have to change its name to The Midwest Abortion Sanctuary City Zoological Park.

Its beautiful, Onder said of his proposed name change. Hey, you come to us asking for the tax authorization, we might put some conditions on it, okay?

The zoo, which currently charges no admission fee, wants to increase tax revenue by expanding the collection of a sales tax beyond the St. Louis borders.

Legislation sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors, would allow the city and four counties  St. Charles, Jefferson, Franklin and St. Louis  to approve ballot initiatives for a sales tax of one-eighth cent or less. The money generated would support the zoos animal conservation and infrastructure needs, as well as programs to breed and conserve endangered species.

But Onder said the more regional approach to funding would mean residents in his district could face higher sales taxes even though they live as far as an hour from the zoo.

Charge us admission. Dont call us freeloaders, Onder said.

Onders comments caused alarm at the St. Louis Zoo Association.

Although this amendment is shocking, we know Sen. Onder supports the cultural institutions of the St. Louis region, including the Zoo. We believe that this amendment does not reflect the senators regard for the Zoo and that it is meant to draw attention to unrelated issues, zoo association president Joseph T. Ambrose said in a statement.

Walsh, too, bemoaned Onders proposal.

All I want is to give the people in the greater St. Louis area an opportunity to have their voices heard at the ballot box in support of the St. Louis Zoo, an attraction that strengthens our economy and is a point of pride for the region, Walsh said. Im frustrated that my nonpartisan legislation would be wrapped up in an unrelated issue, and I hope the political games end soon so we can get back to the important work before us.

As for stopping the citys anti-discrimination law, legislative leaders and Gov. Eric Greitens endorsed efforts to block the city ordinance at an anti-abortion event at the Capitol last month.

Onder said there was little difference between him trying to stop the zoo tax and Democrats trying to block the legislation affecting the citys abortion ordinance.

The measure pending in the Legislature would block cities such as St. Louis from enacting laws that would infringe on the free speech and religious rights of alternatives to abortion agencies or facilities that counsel pregnant women against abortion.
ST. LOUIS  Longtime city Alderman Lyda Krewson was elected Tuesday as the city's 46th mayor.

She is the first woman ever to be elected to the office, breaking the stranglehold men have had on the job for 194 years.

At her campaign party Tuesday evening, Krewson reflected on the accomplishment with the trademark even-keel temperament she displayed throughout the campaign.

Maybe it's because I am a woman (that) I don't look at it as being all that historic. I've always been a woman, Krewson said. But it is nice to make history and break that glass ceiling.

As expected, Krewson, 64, the front-runner throughout most of the campaign season, coasted to a comfortable victory, easily beating a field of political novices.

She garnered about two-thirds of the votes, according to complete but unofficial returns. She got nearly four times the support as her nearest challenger, Republican Andrew Jones, in a much more decisive victory than the nail-biter Krewson won last month in the Democratic primary.

In that race, Krewson bested city Treasurer Tishaura Jones by only 2 percentage points.

It's been a long campaign for Krewson. In June, she became the first candidate to enter the race following outgoing Mayor Francis Slay's surprise announcement that he wouldn't seek a fifth term.

Krewson built her campaign on a large-scale outreach effort as she crisscrossed the city throughout the fall, winter and spring. She also raised the most money, bringing in more than $1.25 million  more than double her nearest competitor.

In the month leading up to the general election, she was mostly campaigning against Democratic voter apathy, making appearances and sending out emails reminding her supporters there was one more election to win.

In a city that has seen 188 murders in each of the last two years, Krewson made public safety her top issue. She's called for hiring 200 additional officers and giving existing cops a pay raise. She estimates those two efforts will cost $20 million.

As a long-time accountant and the chief financial officer at the PGAV architectural firm, Krewson said she's confident she will find the money somewhere in the city's $1 billion budget.

Krewson also sold herself as a candidate who will usher in a new economic development opportunities, modernize the city's bureaucratic layers of government and start to thaw the icy relationship City Hall currently has with St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger.

Krewson started her political career in the 1980s, working first as a precinct captain in her neighborhood. In 1989, she ran for St. Louis School Board but lost to a candidate backed by a white supremacist group.

Her life was forever changed in 1995 when her husband was shot during a carjacking in front of their Central West End home. Krewson and her two children, 2-year-old Jack and 5-year-old Taylor were in the back seat. Two years later, she won her first election to the Board of Aldermen.

Throughout her mayoral campaign, she touted herself as a candidate that's more action than talk.

In 2003, Krewson took out a home equity loan to help an unsuccessful fight against the state's concealed carry law. In 2011, she took the lead in the city's successful six-month effort to pass a smoking ban. She's also been the point person on the development boom of the last 15 years in the Central West End.

Slay on Tuesday called Krewson an excellent successor.

She has the experience, the dedication and the judgment to move the city forward, he said.

Joe Holleman of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
FERGUSON  The man who led Ferguson through the protests following the shooting death of Michael Brown was re-elected Tuesday.

Mayor James Knowles III beat back a challenge from City Council member Ella Jones in the first mayoral election since Brown was shot to death by a police officer in 2014, making this St. Louis suburb a household name. Knowles won more than 56 percent of the vote.

"We all want the same thing," Knowles said Tuesday night. "We're all here for the same purpose, which is our community." He said he was confident that he and Jones and the other council members will continue to work together.

Knowles, 37, served as Fergusons public face through the intense civil unrest following Browns death. During his campaign, he argued that he should continue leading the municipality.

I have spent, really, the entirety of my time in office working to bring this community together to rebuild what had been damaged and destroyed, he said during the campaign. Ive been accused of many things by many people. I think most people who know me, know those things are not true.

Knowles, who manages a license fee office, is seeking his third term. He was a staunch defender of city government amid angry demonstrations at City Council meetings after the Brown shooting. He began serving on the council at age 25. He has the support of longtime residents who believed the U.S. Department of Justice unfairly targeted the city after the protests.

Jones, 62, would have been the first African-American mayor in Fergusons 122-year history. A former Mary Kay cosmetics sales director, she has been on the City Council since 2015. She had the reluctant support of resident activists and worked behind the scenes to get an agreement with the Justice Department passed last year.

More than 70 percent of Ferguson's residents are African-American. A high turnout was thought to favor Jones. But it didn't turn out that way.

In Knowles' last contested election, he won with 1,100 votes in three-way race. His challengers earned 1,148 votes for a total of 2,248 ballots cast. On Tuesday, 3,356 people cast ballots  a 50 percent increase.

Voters in Ferguson also overwhelmingly passed an amendment to the citys charter regulating how police use body cameras.

The amendment requires that police keep the cameras turned on while on duty, preserve the video for two years, make any video taken in public places a public record and make video not obtained in public place a closed record to the extent allowed by law. It also mandates that videos of officers using force be sent to the City Council on a monthly basis and prohibits officers from using cameras for biometric searches.

Ferguson police were donated body cameras shortly after Browns death, but video of controversial arrests isnt always retained. The city blamed malfunctioning cameras that it has since replaced.

Incumbents win big

Knowles wasn't the only incumbent to win re-election on Tuesday.

In Chesterfield, Mayor Bob Nation won 60 percent of the vote. During his four years in office, Nation said he had cut $900,000 out of the citys $41 million budget, got legislation passed that will return roughly $280,000 of Chesterfields sales tax money to the city and made the city more transparent.

Nation's opponent, Randy Logan, a member of the City Council, said that Nation's temper had hurt the city's relationship with its neighbors and St. Louis County.

I have served the public well, Nation said Tuesday night. And my opponent was unable to deceive enough voters to vote for him.

In O'Fallon, Mo., Mayor Bill Hennessy defeated Councilman Bob Howell, rolling up almost 59 percent of the vote despite being outspent.

A controversial long-term contract to operate the citys trash transfer station was hotly debated during the campaign.

Howell and other council members last year chose Republic Services over the lowest bidder. Hennessys two vetoes of the selection were overridden.

Meanwhile, three other mayoral incumbents in St. Charles County also were re-elected: Kathy Schweikert in Lake Saint Louis, Don Licklider in Weldon Spring and David Zucker in Dardenne Prairie.

David Carson of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
JEFFERSON CITY  A 45-minute closed-door meeting between Gov. Eric Greitens and Republican senators Wednesday appeared to do little to soothe tensions over his decision to offer paid parental leave to state employees.

Greitens, a Republican, bypassed the GOP-controlled Legislature last month when he issued an executive order giving parental leave to state employees working in the executive branch.

His office said he has the power to take such action.

But GOP senators are balking at the idea, saying the governor does not have the power to appropriate money. In the case of the maternal or paternal leave policy, costs are expected to be at least $1.1 million.

In the wake of the governors decision, senators announced last week they wanted to talk with Greitens before they move forward on confirming his picks to various boards, commissions and Cabinet posts.

Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, R-Joplin, said Wednesdays meeting resulted in some progress. But he said Greitens will be visiting with members of the GOP caucus again.

I think there is a realization that it takes all branches of government to work together, Richard said following the meeting.

Greitens described the meeting as a success.

We just had a very productive meeting with the senators about what we can do to get more conservative legislation passed over the course of the rest of session, Greitens said.

But Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, said tensions remain in light of the executive order.

Its just kind of a standoff, Schaaf said.

Schaaf said he believes the governors order is unconstitutional and should be rescinded.

I think hes wrong, Schaaf said. What if he had decided to give six months of maternity leave? Would that have been within his power?

The squabble over parental leave is not the first issue that has revealed fissures between the governor and Republicans in the Legislatures upper chamber. Earlier in the session, the governor lashed out at senators during a debate on legislative pay raises.

Im very respectful of the governor and his position, but I think I am more respectful of the Constitution and the requirement of the separation of powers, Schaaf said.

Richard said that the Senate would be "pressing forward" on gubernatorial appointments after the meeting.

Among the appointees in limbo were Darryl Chatman, Jeff Layman and Jamie Farmer as members of the University of Missouri Board of Curators; and Craig Frazier and Carol Silvey as members of the Missouri State University Board of Governors.

The Senate approved those appointees on Thursday.

As for convincing Greitens to alter his approach to parental leave, Richard would only say, Too early to tell.
JEFFERSON CITY  A senator who for years has blocked efforts to end Missouris tenure as the only state without a prescription drug monitoring database announced he would stand down Tuesday afternoon if his opponents add a single thing to their proposal.

But the price for his cooperation may be too high. The Missouri State Medical Association announced its opposition almost immediately.

Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, had previously vowed to filibuster any measure that didnt add unprecedented limits on doctors access to a prescription drug database. Medical experts and law enforcement officials say such a database is a key tool in combating addiction to painkillers such as OxyContin and Vicodin.

Schaaf had even proposed his own program  which passed the Senate last month despite a hefty price tag  that would issue patient information to doctors only if a computer program flagged a potential abuser.

But in a news conference Tuesday afternoon, he said he was tired of fighting a groundswell of support for the program. He offered to stand aside if Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, and Sen. Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, would be willing to change their proposals to require doctors to use the database.

Im setting all my opposition aside otherwise, he said. The push for this is just too great. Provider groups, law enforcement groups, House and Senate leaders and even the governor have said that they want Rehders version of the database.

Rehder, who has pushed the idea for the last three years only to watch Schaaf kill her legislation in the Senate, said she was speechless. Schaaf hadnt told her what he was going to say before speaking to reporters.

He said requiring doctors to use the database was a small and reasonable concession to make and noted that states with that rule have seen the most progress in curbing the opioid epidemic. But the Missouri Medical Association, one of the biggest backers of the database effort, isnt on board. Jeff Howell, the associations lobbyist, said its not always necessary to check the database and thatsaid that clinical decisions should be left up to medical professionals. He also objected to opening doctors up to malpractice lawsuits if someone overdosed.

Schaaf said he was shocked by the resistance. If its going to save lives, why wouldnt they want people to use it? he asked.

After the news conference, Rehder said she hoped a compromise could be reached.

The medical association has been tremendous allies of our and supportive of having a database for many years, she said. I hope we can all come together on something that will create great outcomes for our patients.
More than a dozen cities, including Ferguson, have spent arduous months hammering out consent decrees with the U.S. Justice Department to institute much-needed police and judicial reforms aimed in large part at reducing enforcement disparities that unfairly target poor and minority communities. The cooperation of local police departments was key in reaching these agreements, which makes them partners in fixing whats wrong.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions now proposes meddling with a cooperative formula thats working. On Friday he ordered a review of Justice Department consent decrees and other interventions, threatening to reverse progress designed to halt the unequal application of justice around the country.

Sessions unfortunate decision could undermine a lot of hard work in the 25 cities whose police departments  including Fergusons  worked with the Obama administrations Justice Department. In 14 cases, consent decrees were reached with federal judges serving as monitors.

These agreements are not anti-police; they are pro-Constitution. We suspect that Sessions is motivated in no small part by President Donald Trumps drive to halt the questioning of police actions such as those in which officers are captured on video shooting or fatally restraining unarmed civilians. The White House has posted a pledge that this will be a law and order administration, committed to ending the dangerous anti-police atmosphere in America.

Sessions memorandum, made public Monday, emphasized that the safety and protection of the public is the paramount concern and duty of law enforcement officials. He noted the dangers officers face but added that they must protect and respect the civil rights of all members of the public. He also sought to distinguish the misdeeds of individual bad actors from the good work performed by the vast majority of law enforcers.

But in February, Sessions suggested that Justice Department scrutiny has gone too far. Somehow, some way, we undermined the respect for our police and made, oftentimes, their job more difficult, he said, indicating an intent to back off.

Absent in his statements  or Trumps  is an acknowledgment that black and white communities in America have completely different experiences in their interactions with law enforcers. Consent decrees are aimed at patterns and practices within troubled police departments. While individual bad actors are part of the problem, the bigger problems are poor training and discriminatory cultures.

In Ferguson, the Justice Department found that police and municipal court practices both reflect and exacerbate existing racial bias, including racial stereotypes. Fixing this, and building trust in the community, protects both police and citizens alike.

Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III is right to vow that, regardless of what the Justice Department review finds, his community remains committed to the consent decrees reforms. Thats because Knowles now sees, thanks to federal intervention, that exterior pressure was needed to force change.
Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry Tuesday said that it was necessary to eliminate terror sanctuaries in Afghanistan for the sake of regional security, reiterating that there is no military solution to the Afghan issue.

Speaking to Pakistani journalists, Chaudhry reiterated that Pakistan would not let its soil to be used against any country and it hopes for the same from other states.

Read more: Pakistan wants peaceful relations with India: Aizaz Chaudhry

He said that there is no military solution to the Afghan issue, noting that unrest in Afghanistan has always caused damage to Pakistan.

"We want to sincerely participate in all efforts aimed at restoring peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan and the United States have been working together for this purpose and will continue to do so," the Pakistani diplomat said.

Speaking with regard to China, he said Pakistan has cordial ties with China, but its relations with the US are also significant enough.
Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has called for more dialogue and communication at all levels between Pakistan and the United Staes.

Addressing a conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, he said the cooperation between the two countries is vital to defeat the menace of terrorism and bring peace and stability to Afghanistan and the region.

He said fight against terrorism is continuing successfully and terrorism incidents have decreased by 70 percent.

The Adviser said now Operation Raddul Fasaad is underway to eliminate terrorism across the country.

He said Pakistan believes in the policy of going after terrorists without any discrimination.

Sartaj Aziz expressed the hope that improved security and economic situation will help to further expand trade and investment relationship between Islamabad and Washington.

Speaking on the occasion, US Ambassador David Hale stressed the need for enhanced cooperation on shared national interests to benefit the people of both the countries.

He said these shared interests include fighting terrorism, fostering economic growth, investment and building a more stable and presperous region, including in Afghanistan.

He said the United States greatly acknowledged Pakistan's great sacrifices in this regard.

The Ambassador said PAK-US relationships are very resilient and Pakistan's success is of great strategic interest to the United States.
MQM Pakistan chief Dr Farooq Sattar took to task the PPP-led Sindh government on Wednesday, alleging that for the past nine years the provincial government has been involved in loot and plunder.

Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club, Dr Farooq Sattar leveled serious allegations against the provincial government, stating that Sindhis from urban areas have been a target of prejudice.

"The average Sindhi youth has been looted," he said. "While those belonging to the urban areas have been a victim of prejudice," he added.

Dr Farooq Sattar said that Sindh was divided into two based on the quota system. He further alleged that PPP has been mistreating the destitute since 1970.

Farooq Sattar said that PPP government had taken advantage and exploited the Sindhis who used to reside in the province's urban areas. He said that funds had been distributed unjustly in Sindh's cities and districts.

"Karachi provides the provincial government with 85 percent and the center with 65 percent of taxes," he said. "However, Karachi was not given a single takka out of the Rs 70 billion tax revenue," he added.

He said that the entire burden of taxes was on Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Nawabshah. He blamed all problems of Sindh squarely on the feudal elite.
The United States believes the projectile was likely a ballistic missile, according to a US official. It is one of several the country has test-fired in recent months.

North Koreas missile test comes just a day before Chinese President Xi Jinping visits US President Donald Trump for a summit in Florida. The United States has been pressuring China to put pressure on North Korea to stop its nuclear program and missile testing, but Trump said on Sunday the United States would be prepared to act alone to stop North Korea.

The projectile used in Wednesdays test was launched at 6:42 a.m. Seoul time, from a site in the vicinity of Sinpo, South Hamgyong province, a South Korean Defense Ministry official said. It flew a distance of around 60 kilometers (37 miles), South Korean officials said. The North Koreans use Sinpo shipyard for their submarine activity, and US satellites have observed increased activity there in recent days, a second US official said.

Also read: US missile systems can lead to nuclear attack: Russia

US Pacific Command said it detected and tracked a North Korean missile launch at 11:42 a.m. Hawaii time April 4, according to a statement. Pacific Commands initial assessment is that the missile was a KN-15 medium range ballistic missile.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America, said Cmdr. Dave Benham, spokesman for US Pacific Command. The Japanese government estimated the projectile did not land within its exclusive economic zone, Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in a briefing Wednesday morning.

The United States has grown increasingly wary of the pace of North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile programs as the regime has test-fired several ballistic missiles in the first two months of this year. US officials and analysts have said the fact that the frequency and variety of tests is increasing shows North Korea is making progress in its missile programs.

Theres two ways to look at it  one, theyre quicker at doing the (launch) setup (and) theyre quicker at making the missiles and transporting them, said Carl Schuster, a Hawaii Pacific University professor and former director of operations at the US Pacific Commands Joint Intelligence Center, after North Korea tested missiles in early March.

Keep in mind if theyre doing a test shot you want to keep some (missiles) in reserve in case you go to war, so youre shooting a missile that is operationally spare. That means their missile stockpiles are larger than they were before, Schuster said.

US officials said the latest missile launch used a solid-fueled rocket from a mobile launcher. Solid fuel is like an explosive jelly, less corrosive than liquid fuel, and it can be more easily stored in the rockets fuel tank than the liquid alternative, which requires specially lined tanks. As with other rocket forces, North Koreas liquid fuel-powered ballistic missiles up until now required a garrison, fuel storage tanks and support vehicles to launch, which can be identified with imagery, experts say.

Read more: North Korea missile test fails, U.S. and South say, as tensions simmer

But solid fuel-powered missiles need much less infrastructure, making them difficult for those monitoring North Koreas military movements to spot, as there are fewer indicators, such as movement of trucks, for South Korean or US satellites and other surveillance to pick up on. That means they are also more survivable in the event of a US first strike.

A senior White House official on Tuesday said: The clock has now run out, and all options are on the table, pointing to the failure of successive administrations efforts to negotiate an end to the countrys nuclear program. North Korea has successfully detonated nuclear weapons in the past, but experts said the country still hasnt developed the technology to equip a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead.
A video has been circulated on the web showed a suspected burglar buried to his waist in South Africa.

He was allegedly forced to dig his own grave before being beaten by an angry mob after he was accused of a series of burglaries.

The man who captured the moment in a cellphone video clip said the police arrived just in time to rescue the man as the mob prepared to douse him with petrol and turn him into a human torch.

The same man was allegedly caught and beaten by residents twice in the past three months after they suspected him of breaking into homes.
You have permission to edit this article.

Edit Close
Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less.
Tauranga man Bryce Winstone was on the St Petersberg Metro during the bombing which killed 11 people and injured more than 40.

He believes he was on a train a station away, but it was hard to hear what was going on because all the announcements were in Russian.

There were two explosions. If it wasnt the train Id just got off, it was the one immediately before. They run every two minutes. Lots of women and kids and pensioners on the train I was on, says Bryce in a Facebook post following Monday nights bombing.

Until two hours ago [meaning just after the explosion] security in this city was near nonexistent. There would be nothing stopping terrorists from blowing up a pub at 2am but there wouldnt be kids in a pub.

I guess they were targeting the students. The bomb went off just before the tech. I dont know if it was the train Id just got off but it had loaded up with students.

Bryce was unsure if the emergency services response to the bombing would affect his travel plans.

He was concerned he would miss the connection to the bullet train taking him from Russia into Finland.

I am aboard the train, he posted later. I did get pounced on when I returned to the railway station but turns out Railways wanted to refund my ticket.

Carrying a pack, he was approached by a bomb dog a: Big fluffy looking people eating monster. No doubt would have ripped me apart on command.
Shakespeare is about to come alive in Tauranga, as the Bay of Plenty regional heat of the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival brings some of the bards most memorable scenes to the stage.

High school students from across the Bay will descend on Mount Maunganui College tonight to show off their Shakespearean skills.

Among them will be students from Papamoa College, who have been rehearsing in their lunchtimes and after school to prepare for the competition.

Theyll be performing the famous banquet scene from Macbeth, in which the titular character is disturbed by the ghost of his murdered friend.

Helping them to prepare, and directing the scene, is Drama teacher Dylan Frewin.

There are about 18 students involved, who stay on stage most of the time. The way Ive directed it is that the lords and ladies involved in the banquet scene represent Macbeths collective guilt.

Hes pleased with the work his students have been doing, and believes theyll be competitive on the night.

Rehearsals have been going really well. Weve been tracking quite nicely.

Year 11 student Erika Stols is playing Lady Macbeth, one of Shakespeares most interesting female characters. She says its been challenging, but fun.

Mr Frewin has supported me so I feel confident and know what Im doing, she says.

I love the language, I think its really interesting. Its quite a task to learn, but I like understanding it.

She took part in the competition last year, performing a five-minute scene from The Tempest. Although they didnt place, she says it was an amazing experience, and hopes people will be surprised by what the school has in store this time round.

Were doing the scene in a way I dont think many people would expect. Its really different.

Schools can enter either the five-minute student-directed scene, or a 15-minute extract directed by a teacher. The regional winners will compete in the national competition in Wellington later in the year.

Those interested in an evening of Shakespeare should head along to the Mount Maunganui College Hall at 7pm tonight. $5 entry for adults and students.
Zespri CEO Lain Jager will be familiarizing himself with a canopy different to what he is used to dealing with on Monday  when he parachutes from an aircraft in Tauranga.

The jump is to raise funds for the Graeme Dingle Foundation, which supports at risk children around New Zealand.

Zespri and the kiwifruit industry is a key contributor to the Bay of Plentys economy and we have our part to play by supporting our local communities, which doesnt often involve jumping out of planes, says Lain.

The Foundations programmes supported around 2,300 kids in Bay of Plenty alone last year, helping keep at-risk kids on track and make a positive contribution to society. Im asking people in the kiwifruit industry and across the Bay of Plenty to give generously to the Graeme Dingle Foundations important work and support vulnerable kids in our community.

Were hoping to raise $2000 in donations and Zespri will match donations dollar for dollar up to this amount. Please consider supporting this worthy cause  all donations small and large will be gratefully received, says Lain.

The Graeme Dingle Foundation provides mentors, inspirational classroom leaders and outdoor education to kids to help them develop confidence and resilience, set goals for the future and contribute positively to society.

A GiveALittle page (https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/droplainjager) has been set up to manage donations, which are now at $455.00.
An Auckland man has landed a bill for whats possibly the most expensive meal of paua ever, after being fined $8500 for buying the shellfish on the black market.

He is one of six people convicted and fined in the Manukau District Court on Friday over Fisheries Act offences. The fines range from between $1500 and $8500.

A person considered the lead diver, who illegally took almost half a tonne of paua, has been sentenced to eight months home detention and 150 hours community service. His associate was fined $3000 plus court costs of $130.

The Ministry for Primary Industries started an investigation in January 2015 when the initial focus was centred on the activities of a Northland-based kina poaching operation.

Two separate operations began after inquiries revealed the existence of an associated group of offenders, operating out of the Auckland/ Coromandel area, who were involved in the illegal take and sale of paua, says MPIs Team Manager Compliance Investigations Northern Region, Simon Anderson.

We subsequently exercised search warrants across the Auckland region focussing on the alleged divers and the buyers of illegally taken paua, says Simon.

Large quantities of paua were seized along with cell phones belonging to the alleged offenders. Charges were laid in early 2016 with all offenders pleading guilty.

The operation will be concluded when three other people associated with the offending are dealt with by the courts in the near future.

Theres no excuse for this sort of offending, says Simon.

If everybody went around taking more than their fair share of a resource such as paua, there would be nothing left for future generations.

Paua is enjoyed by a great many New Zealanders. It is a valuable resource and its sustainability will become an issue if this sort of irresponsible and illegal behaviour continues.

Our investigators and compliance offices did an outstanding job in detecting this offending and ensured those responsible and involved in what was an elaborate operation, were held to account.
Residents in Whakatane, particularly the city south area, Taneatua and Edgecumbe are asked to conserve water and minimise any discharges into the sewer system.

Issues with wastewater pump stations mean sewage overflows are a significant issue. Council staff are attending to the problems but water should be conserved as much as possible until further notice, says a statement from the Whakatane District Council this morning.

The major weather system expected to impact on the district overnight appears to have past to the east of Whakatane, however, there are still areas of the district with significant surface flooding, river levels are extremely high and slips are still a problem in many areas.

"Infiltration of stormwater into the wastewater reticulation system is causing overflows in a number of areas.

"Householders are asked to reduce their water use as much as possible to take the pressure off the wastewater system  avoid showers baths, washing machine use until further notice and flush toilets as little as possible."

School buses are not operating this morning and there are a number of school closures throughout the district.

Otakiri School, Te Whare Kura o Ruatoki, Edgecumbe Primary, Edgecumbe College and Taneatua School are closed today.

Uzabus have no buses today, which includes Kawerau South School, Tarawera High School and Te Whatatau School.

The Opotiki bus service will still be running in Opotiki, but NOT from Opotiki to Whakatane.

"There have been evacuations in Taneatua and Ruatoki and we will be getting assistance to those people as soon as possible. However, all road access is blocked by flood waters at present.

"There are still road closures in place and staff are out assessing the situation this morning, but if travel is essential check the Council or NZTA websites for the latest road information."
Over more than a decade, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs transferred $55 million away from its largest veterans nursing home as it delayed facilities improvements, including failing to replace soiled carpeting for more than seven years, according to an audit of the home's finances released Friday.
Both the Bland and Smyth County boards of supervisors voted to dismantle the Smyth-Bland Regional Library system during their respective meetings last week.

The four-member Bland County board voted unanimously last Tuesday to adopt the resolution after hearing pleas from Friends of the Smyth-Bland Regional Library and a library employee to delay their decision.

Attending the hearing on behalf of the Friends, attorney Patton Graham urged Bland County supervisors to table their decision until more information is available.

Graham is one attorney representing three of the former library board of trustees members who were removed from their positions by the Smyth Board of Supervisors last fall.

Since the board were fired. . . I think there have been some hasty decisions made on the Smyth side, he said, later adding that he believed the ordeal had turned more political than anything and that the Friends trusted the Bland boards judgment.

Bland County Administrator Eric Workman, who spoke in favor of the move, provided the board with a financial report on the disbandment.

Workman said the Bland branch received 14 percent of the $197,535 state aide granted to the regional system, amounting to $27,469 a year.

After researching the matter, Workman said the library would receive an additional $6,322 in funding operating as a county system.

Workman said by adding those additional funds to the $35,591 the Bland branch would have contributed to the regional system in the 2018 fiscal year, the facility will now have an additional $41,913 to go toward library programs and services.

Workman also pointed to a nearly $90,000 administrators salary as cause for concern, although the executive director who received that salary is no longer with the library.

Bland County Supervisor Adam Kidd said the enormous administrative costs being shelled out to the systems main branch in Marion was one of the biggest deciding factors in adopting the resolution.

Smyth County Commonwealths Attorney Roy Evans said last week that the Virginia State Police is soon expected to release a report on its investigation into financial matters involving library administration.

Kidd said the decision to split was mutual and that discussion had been had between Smyth and Bland officials prior to Tuesdays meeting.

It was strictly financial, Kidd said. We looked at all our options on the table, looked at maybe restructuring the contracts and it became clear that this was the best way to go.

Kidd also added that operating as an independent county library allowed more local control over programs and services.

Were very excited. We will be much better off on our own both financially, as well as being able to have more control over the library, Kidd said Wednesday afternoon, adding that services will not be reduced and patrons wont see any interruptions.

About 30 people were present for the Bland County decision, with half the crowed leaving after the vote was cast.

Meanwhile, two counties over, the Smyth County Board of Supervisors approved the resolution in a 6-1 vote, with Supervisor Charlie Atkins casting the only dissenting vote.

The Smyth board didnt allow public comment during its special meeting, despite the standing-room-only crowd gathered in its meeting room.

The Bland County Board of Supervisors also voted to appoint the Bland County Library Board of Trustees, naming Tiffany Carter, Molly Thompson, Laura Radford and Sharon Puckett to represent districts one through four, respectively, and Workman to represent the Board of Supervisors.

Workman noted that while Smyth and Bland would no longer partner in a regional system, opportunities to continue to share services with Smyth and other surrounding counties still existed.

The regional library disbandment is set to be effective June 30, with separate county libraries coming into existence July 1, in conjunction with the fiscal year.

Jasmine Dent Franks can be reached at 1-276-228-6611, ext. 20, or at jfranks@wythenews.com.
ABINGDON, Va.  Carla Dolce needed someone with sewing skills to alter her clothing since she doesnt own a sewing machine. Mary Ragland asked for help assembling book cases for her home.

Neither paid a dime for the work they received.

So, whats their secret?

Both Abingdon women are members of a new service exchange that uses time as money.

As many as 26 local members already have joined WCOVA TimeBank since it formed earlier this year, creating the first time bank for the Washington County and Bristol, Virginia, region.

The organization will host a pot luck dinner for those interested in becoming members from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19, at the ElderSpirit Communitys Common House in Abingdon.

The way it works is simple. Members pool their skills and time to exchange neighborly services without using money.

Its a money-saving proposition. You get help without having to pay money. You offer services in exchange, said Dolce, one of several Abingdon women who founded the local organization after learning the time bank movement is spreading throughout the country.

Dolce, along with other members, hosted a kitchen swap last week at the Washington County Public Library to bring attention to the organization and to recruit new members. The public was invited to bring anything from their kitchen they no longer wanted to exchange for items they can use.

The group plans to host more swap events, such as for books, clothing, and tools, throughout the year. Its a good community event because it helps people recycle things, too, Dolce said.

Ragland became a member a few months ago. I think the organization will unite the community. Its like fostering an old-fashioned sense of helping our neighbors.

Sigrid Phillips of Abingdon, who came to the kitchen swap with a ceramic plate from Switzerland and a few canning jars to donate, said she likes the practical part of just being a good neighbor.

As a member of the new time bank, Anita Manuel also participated in last weeks kitchen swap. Manuel was a time bank member when she lived in Seattle, Washington, before moving to Abingdon. Its such a good resource for the community.

Denise Nelson of Abingdon brought some random kitchen items to the swap. I think the program is great. I want to get involved.

Theres nothing new about time banking which has been around since at least the 1980s. Dolce said there are numerous time banks in Virginia with the nearest ones located in Blacksburg and Floyd, Virginia.

The concept works along the same lines as a bank account of money. Earned time credits are stored in each members online account. Members spend time credits by asking other members to do things for them, like pruning shrubs, moving furniture, or driving them to the doctor.

Members use their computers to track service hours. The person providing a service generally enters online the time it took for the service. This generates an automatic email to the person who received the service who can check to see that the time was accurately entered.

Member hours are tracked with Community Weaver 3, online software that was obtained from TimeBanks USA, a company formed in 1995 by Edgar Cahn, who is known as the father of time banking.

Everyone has skills to share and each hour of service is valued equally, said Dolce.

Local members represent a wide variety of professions, including an arborist, retired attorneys, nurses, store owners and teachers. Dolce said even home-bound people can be helpful members by making telephone calls, preparing mailings and baking.

We believe its a wonderful way for people in the community to get acquainted with each other.

She believes resurgence in time banking has arrived when people need it the most. We have national and local issues that are separating people. Its nice to have something that brings people together, she said. Thats one reason I wanted to start this. I believe everyone should express their opinions about different issues but at the same time people need to interact and get to know each other.

Dolces goal is to recruit non-profit organizations as members. Im hoping we can provide volunteers to non-profits in exchange for them promoting membership in our organization, she said.

Irene Mooney, also a member, has accumulated 13 hours donating her time to causes supported by the Animal Defense League of Washington County. She wants to spend her credit getting another member to help her with technical support for a home computer.

To learn more about joining WCOVA TimeBank, visit https://wcova.timebanks.org, or contact Carla Dolce at wcovatimebank@gmail.com.
A new development of river-side houses in Cambridge has been painted with Latin graffiti in what has been called one of the most stereotypically Cambridge protests ever.

The houses, located on Water Street, Chesterton, were daubed with the words Locus in Domos Loci Populum in what is thought to be a protest against the development and the high price of housing in the area.

Built on the site of an old pub, the five-bedroom houses were put on the market at 1.25m each.

The incident has provoked debate among translators, with the quality of the Latin being criticised by some on social media.

Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at Newnham College, told the BBC: This is a bit hard to translate, but I think what theyre trying to say is that a lovely place has been turned into houses.

It has been suggested that the perpetrator may have used Google Translate, resulting in an unclear meaning.

Meanwhile there has been a backlash against the focus on the standard of the grammar in the graffiti, with Cambridge City Councillor Zoe OConnell tweeting only in Cambridge would people be more concerned that the Latin graffiti is bad Latin, rather than the fact its graffiti!

Cambridgeshire Police were contacted at around 08:00AM to investigate criminal damage in the form of graffiti on four of the five houses in the development.
Thank you for reading!

Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.
Whos afraid of the Linux terminal? Not you, if youve gotten your feet wet and learned the basics of navigating your system. But how will these newly acquired skills help improve your computing life?

To give you a sense of the terminals everyday usefulness, here are some examples of tasks the terminal is well-disposed to handle, drawn from my own experience.

Face Your Daemons

To start with, system administration is much more straightforward on the terminal. While you probably dont directly interact with them very much, the operating system manages silent background services, or daemons, in order to keep your computers many programs running seamlessly.

The daemons running in the background are managed by systemd, a core Linux program that directs your systems services once it takes over at the end of the boot process. Although there is a graphical user interface (or GUI) for systemd, the command line tools provide the granular control you want.

Starting and stopping services with the systemctl command is way easier than clicking through menus, scrolling through countless services, and confirming your action. With a single systemctl command, you can stop, start and restart services, view their configurations, or list them by their operating state.

So why would you ever have to mess with systemd? There are many possible cases, but the one youre most likely to encounter as a desktop user is managing networking (i.e., Internet) services.

Stay Connected

As mature as Linuxs networking services are, theyre not perfect, and sometimes they lose track of the signal and need to be restarted to pick it back up. For instance, sometimes NetworkManager will drop my connection (especially when the signal is weak) and not reconnect. The service likely needs to restart, but theres no menu item in NetworkManagers GUI to restart it, so instead I pop open a terminal and use systemctl to restart the service.

$ systemctl restart NetworkManager

The service then reloads all its configuration files and makes a fresh connection.

Make It Work

Troubleshooting system interfaces or hardware is best handled from the terminal as well. With it, you can access the kernel log using the dmesg command and sift through the output for error messages.

$ dmesg

For example, lets say you plugged in an old USB flash drive and it wasnt showing up in your file browser. You dont know whether your operating system just isnt registering it or whether the USB is broken.

Checking the kernel log will provide all the information you need to figure out exactly what went wrong. After running the $ dmesg command, scroll to the bottom. If you see your kernel acknowledge your flash drive, then your operating system or file browser is the culprit  but if theres no entry, your flash drives hardware is likely to blame.

End the Freeze

The terminal is the only reliable way to deal with processes, especially frozen ones. Every program running on your computer  whether initiated by the user or run automatically by the system itself (as root)  is represented as a process, and each process can be modified individually.

While many modern Linux desktops have a graphical dialog box that appears when processes dont respond, they dont always function properly, leaving the command line as your only recourse.

The safest approach is to look up the process with ps and scan the output for the rogue program.

$ ps -aux

The -aux here is just a set of useful options for ps  when using multiple single-letter options for a command, you can use one - and put them next to each other.

Once you run this command, locate the target process and look in the PID column for the Process ID number. With it, you can kill the process with the aptly named kill command by giving the PID as an argument.

$ kill PID

This should work, but if the process is really stubborn, you can pull out the big guns, the -9 option, sending the strictest termination signal.

$ kill -9 PID

I have had to resort to process killing (though, thankfully, rarely with -9) more than once when Google Chrome has crashed while trying to display an unwieldy flash video. However, once I execute the kill, the process terminates cleanly, and I can open Chrome with a fresh start.

Check Your DNS

Addressing networking problems is often more effective via the terminal, too. Opening a browser and trying to reach a website is a good enough test sometimes, but it is not very scientific or thorough.

Using ping to check with a publicly facing server is the most accurate way to test your connection. Just supply ping, the -c option with 4 for its argument, and a server that acknowledges ping requests (in this case, google.com).

$ ping -c 4 google.com

The above command will send four ICMP packets, a kind of diagnostic message, to Google, and all will be acknowledged as received if your connection is up. If that doesnt work, try using Googles IP address, 8.8.8.8, instead.

$ ping -c 4 8.8.8.8

This sends four packets to Googles public DNS server. If this works when the preceding command failed, its likely your DNS is not working properly.

In a nutshell, DNS is the Internets address book, as your computer can access websites only by IP address, and doesnt know which one corresponds to which URL until it consults a DNS server (or resolves it in some other way).

A few months ago, the Internet seemingly went out on the U.S. East Coast, but in reality malicious actors had taken a major ISPs DNS servers out of commission. In a situation like this, the two-step diagnostic outlined above would allow you to confirm DNS as the weak link, rather than a failure of your system, whereas trying out the browser would not.

Choose Your Format

Finally, using the imagemagick suite of tools, the terminal is by far the simplest, most versatile image format converter I have ever used. With a single command, you can merge multiple files and change their format simultaneously.

For example, one command I recently used combined separate JPG screenshots into a single PDF, which was as simple as invoking convert and giving the original files and the new filename (with the PDF extension) as arguments.

$ convert image1.jpg image2.jpg combined.pdf

I once had to submit income statements for a job that paid me exclusively through PayPal, so I took screenshots of each months transaction log and ran convert to combine them into a single PDF, creating neat documentation.

This is only a small sampling of the many tasks that the terminal is well-suited for, but I hope that it gives you an idea of the incredible power it affords you. If any of these use cases interest you, go ahead and investigate possibilities for yourself. Youll be amazed not just by what youll find, but how little you wont!
Mark Pocan said the president's "toothless executive orders" on trade "are yet another example of President Trump being mostly talk and little action. Pocan, D-town of Vermont, has emerged as one of the most serious advocates for trade policies that respect workers, the environment and human rights. PHOTO BY MICHELLE STOCKER
Zunum Aero, a startup backed by Boeing and JetBlue, on Wednesday announced that it was developing regional hybrid-electric aircraft with backing from Boeings HorizonX innovation cell and JetBlue Technology Ventures.

The planes, which will have 10 to 50 seats, are scheduled for launch in the early 2020s.

With its regional aircraft, Zunum aims to democratize access to fast, affordable travel over distances of 700 miles at launch, to more than 1,000 miles by 2030.

Among the many advantages hybrid aircraft will offer, according to Zunum, are the following:

Decrease door-to-door travel times on busy corridors by 40 percent and cut travel time on less-trafficked corridors by 80 percent;

Sharply reduce operating costs, enabling ticket prices 40-80 percent below current fares;

Cut emissions by 80 percent, falling to zero over time as battery densities improve; and

Cut community noise 75 percent, enabling all-hours access to smaller airports.

Zunums Dream

Zunum is developing technologies to create a regional electric air network that will offer an affordable alternative to highways and high-speed rail. It will operate both as a point-to-point service and as a feeder to hub airports.

The company has a long-term partnership with the Center for Power Optimization of Electro-Thermal Systems, an NSF-sponsored research center at the University of Illinois.

It also works with a network of collaborators across leading universities and government labs.

Zunum has been working with the United States Federal Aviation Administration since 2014 to drive development of certification standards for electric aircraft, a complete set of which is expected by 2018. The first electrics are likely to become certified in 2020.

Deconstructing Zunums Vision

I like the idea of migrating to hybrid planes and I think the smaller regional planes are a good fit for regional airports not served by the larger airlines, noted Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

Normally Id be skeptical of a startups ability to accomplish critical mass to make air travel more affordable, he told TechNewsWorld, but Zunums financial backers, Boeing and JetBlue, could make this a reality.

Boeing on Wednesday launched HorizonX to invest in early-stage technology companies.

The technology exists, observed Wayne Plucker, North America aerospace and defense director at Frost & Sullivan.

However, ground recharging is slow, and Zunum shows ducted fans for the engines and hints at fuselage-mounted turbines to recharge the batteries, which would require a flight ceiling of 20,000 to 30,000 feet, he told TechNewsWorld.

Further, I doubt the 40-80 percent operating cost reductions, Plucker remarked.

Most importantly, each flight needs to get enough passengers to offset its costs, and that makes it hard to make their business case, he noted.

Zunum needs a route that has consistent demand for more than 50 people on a daily basis year round and isnt currently served, said Plucker. There arent many of those.

Cutting Into the Airline Industry

If its plans succeed, Zunum could be a disruptive influence in the airline industry.

Think of the impact Teslas having on the auto industry, McGregor pointed out. The same could happen to aircraft.

Zunum will also likely disrupt buses, passenger trains and even some shared ride and taxi car services, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

You could have a fleet of these planes instead of buses transport company employees and turn some of the parking lots into short airfields, he told TechNewsWorld. Google seems to have anticipated this with their Moffett Field location in Silicon Valley.

However, some place like Dubai, South Korea or China will likely do this in production first, Enderle predicted, largely because these countries are typically far more aggressive with technology and transportation.

The Rush to Electric Hybrid Planes

Interest in electric plane development has been increasing in recent years.

NASA Langley researchers successfully flew a 10-engine electric plane in 2015.

Aurora Flight Sciences and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, are working on the XV-24A LightningStrike VTOL experimental plane.

Zee Aero is working on its own electric hybrid aircraft.

Airbus is working on a hybrid commercial plane through its E-Fan project.

In November, aerospace engineers and designers meet in Cologne, Germany, at the Electric & Hybrid Aerospace Technology Symposium 2017.
US Customs and Border Protection agents have a wide authority to search individuals wishing to enter the country; more so than a normal police officer on the street does. While they can't legally force you to unlock your phone, they can repeatedly ask you to do it and seize your phone or detain you if you don't comply. They can also copy the data from your phone which, without encryption, is pretty much just as good. A new bipartisan bill introduced yesterday by Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon would change all of this. The summary is as follows:

To ensure the digital contents of electronic equipment and online accounts belonging to or in the possession of United States persons entering or exiting the United States are adequately protected at the border, and for other purposes.

The "Protecting Data at the Border Act" would require border agents to get a warrant based on probable cause before they searched any device. Right now, agents don't need a warrant or even a suspicion of wrongdoing. The findings of the bill conclude that "United States persons have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the digital contents of their electronic equipment."

This statement was echoed by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky who added that "Americans should not be asked to surrender their rights or privacy at the border, and our bill will put an end to the government's intrusive practices." The bill only applies to US citizens though, so foreign travelers don't get any of the proposed protections.

The issue of digital privacy along the borders has gained attention lately following a high profile incident in which a NASA scientist's phone was seized at an airport. The Department of Homeland Security has also had its own share of privacy concerns. Border agents only search a fraction of a percent of phones, but that number is growing. There were only about 4,500 searches in 2015, but 2016 saw a jump to 23,000 searches.
Huawei has launched a new flagship smartphone under its Honor sub-brand. Dubbed the Huawei Honor 8 Pro, the new handset features a sizable 5.7-inch quad HD display (2,560 x 1,440 resolution, 515 PPI) that's powered by an octa-core Kirin 960 processor, Mali-G71 graphics and 6GB of RAM.

There's also 64GB of local storage on tap that's expandable up to 128GB, dual 12-megapixel rear-facing cameras with f/2.2 aperture lenses, an 8-megapixel selfie camera up front, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, a 3.5mm headphone jack, NFC, GPS, USB Type-C charging and more.

A large 4,000mAh battery with Fast Charging technology keeps the show going. Speaking of, that show will be powered by Google's Android 7.0 Nougat with Huawei's custom EMUI 5.1 overlay on top (sorry, no pure Android here).

The handset measures 157mm x 77.5mm x 6.79mm and weighs just 184 grams.

The Huawei Honor 8 Pro will be offered in your choice of blue, black and gold color schemes starting at 475, or just south of $600. Given the general cost of today's flagships (Samsung's Galaxy S8, for example, starts at $750), that's on the lower end of the scale for a handset that looks incredibly solid - at least, on paper.

No word yet on whether it'll be sold through your local US carrier but you should be able to grab one from Amazon come April 20.
In 2016, the three-parent baby born in Mexico made headlines. According to a study published by doctors who worked on the project, the success came after scraping through many areas of potential defeat.

The treatment leading to the conception of the baby was led by Dr. John Zhang of New York's New Hope Fertility Center. The details have been published in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine Online.

The process involved in vitro fertilization (IVF) with mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT).

In the paper, Dr. Zhang and colleagues gave a detailed account of the treatment and discussed the barriers they faced. One was the risk of a child carrying a 2.36 percent to 9.23 percent mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutational load in samples tested.

Some mutated mtDNA indeed passed into the embryo, which may cause health problems to the child later in his life. For the conception, the egg carried DNA from the boy's mother and minor amounts of mitochondrial DNA from another healthy female donor.

The MRT done was mainly to thwart the transmission of defective mitochondria that carried the fatal nervous system disorder Leigh syndrome.

Success From Jaws Of Defeat

Top stem cell biologist Professor Robin Lovell-Badge of London's Francis Crick Institute hailed the move and called it good news. He said the woman treated was able to have an apparently healthy child without any mitochondrial disease was laudable, but he observed that it was apparent that Zhang and the team were "sailing very close to the wind," and luck also played a good part in the successful outcome.

However, Lovell-Badge criticized the American doctors for using electrofusion as a method for moving nuclear DNA, which was being shunned by other researchers because it leads to abnormal embryos.

The treatment involved the complex transfer of a nuclear DNA from the mother's egg to a donor egg. In the donor egg, the nuclear DNA from the boy's mother and donor's healthy mitochondrial DNA were housed and facilitated its fertilization by the sperm of the father for developing the embryo.

The DNA present in mitochondria has a role in metabolism, but it will not impact appearance and personality.

Risk Of Abnormal Mitochondrial DNA

The study says the successful outcome brushed through many risk areas, including the passing of abnormal mitochondria to the embryo, though it stayed below the threshold to initiate any disease.

Lovell-Badge told a parliamentary committee that there is some concern, though by luck it led to pregnancy, and the abnormal mitochondrial DNA was also low in most tissues.

Since many steps in the creation of three-parent baby would have violated the U.S. federal law, final steps, including the implantation of the embryo into the womb, were done in Mexico.

However, in the UK, MRT has got a legal stamp.

Hailing the positive side of the treatment, Professor Sir Doug Turnbull, director of the University of Newcastle's Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research, said mitochondrial donation has become an important part in new IVF technique helping women with a mitochondrial DNA mutation issues.

In the UK, mitochondrial donation is set to thrive, as the regulatory framework has come in place. A New Castle clinic has been issued a license to start mitochondrial donation for women facing a risk for offspring.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The first Brexit happened thousands of years before the United Kingdom voted to politically leave the European Union and this happened when Britain geologically broke off from the rest of Europe.

Brexit 1.0

Ancient Britain's separation from the rest of Europe occurred in a two-stage flooding event that destroyed the thin strip of land that used to connect it to France.

Researchers called this "Brexit 1.0."

Researchers said that a large lake likely overflowed 450,000 years ago, about the same time when the Neanderthals are believed to have first appeared in Europe. The second event, which happened 160,000 years ago involved a catastrophic flood that opened the Dover Strait in the English Channel, which now separates Britain from the rest of Europe.

Events That Severed The Geological Link Between Britain And Europe

Reporting in a study published in the journal Nature Communication on Tuesday, researchers said that they have now found evidence that could explain how the opening of the Dover Strait that severed the land between Britain and France happened.

Study researcher Jenny Collier, from Imperial College London, said that evidence suggests that 450,000 years ago, Dover Strait may have been a huge rock ridge of chalk that looked more like Siberia's frozen tundra than the green environment it is today.

"It would have been a cold world dotted with waterfalls plunging over the iconic white chalk escarpment that we see today in the White Cliffs of Dover," Collier said.

About 10 years ago, researchers found geophysical proof of giant valleys on the seafloor in the English Channel, which they thought were evidence of a large flood gouging out of the land that may have been caused by a breach in the chalk rock ridge that once joined Britain to France.

Now geophysical data from France and Belgium and seafloor data from Britain showed huge holes and valley system on the seafloor helping researchers establish how this breach of the chalk ridge occurred.

The ridge served as a huge dam with a proglacial lake behind it. Once the lake overflowed, its waters started to cascade like waterfalls over the Dover-Calais land bridge. Laden with abrasive flints that were dissolved from the chalk, the waterfall caused holes in the bedrock beneath eroding and weakening the land bridge.

A section then gave way. In a cataclysmic flood, huge amounts of water were eventually released as the glacial lake poured itself into the English Channel.

"Sub-bottom records reveal a remarkable set of sediment-infilled depressions that are deeply incised into bedrock that we interpret as giant plunge pools. These support a model of initial erosion of the Dover Strait by lake overspill, plunge pool erosion by waterfalls and subsequent dam breaching," researchers wrote in their study.

How Ancient Proglacial Lake Split Over

Collier and colleagues said it is not yet clear how the proglacial lake split over but they have theories.

"Perhaps part of the ice sheet broke off, collapsing into the lake, causing a surge that carved a path for the water to cascade off the chalk ridge," Collier said adding that an earthquake may have contributed to more weakening of the ridge causing it to collapse.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Samsung launched its new flagship devices, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ on March 29. The duo is slated to hit the shelves on April 21.

However, since the launch, people have been trying to determine whether the Galaxy S8+ can measure up to Apple's iPhone 7 Plus.

Here's a comparison of the specs and features of the iPhone 7 Plus and the Galaxy S8+ to help consumers determine, which handset has the edge.

Display

The iPhone 7 Plus boasts a 5.5-inch LCD backlit retina display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and 401ppi pixel density.

The Galaxy S8+, on the other hand, comes with a 6.2-inch Quad HD+ (2,960 x 1,440 pixels) Super AMOLED display with a pixel density of 529ppi.

The Samsung device not only offers a bigger screen, but also a deter resolution better and higher pixel density. These aspects may be sufficient to entice consumers to choose the Galaxy S8+ over the iPhone 7 Plus.

Processor And RAM

The Galaxy S8+ boasts the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC for the U.S. variant. Samsung's Exynos 8895 chipset powers international variants. Both these processors are top notch and run on the 10 nm architecture, which makes them quicker and power efficient.

The iPhone 7 Plus, on the other hand, comes with Apple's own A10 chipset. This chipset the company claims is at least 40 percent faster than the A9 SoC.

Leaked benchmarking tests have suggested that the new Qualcomm chip performs much better than the A10, which may lead users to conclude that the Galaxy S8+ would be faster than iPhone 7 Plus.

The Galaxy S8+ comes with 4 GB of RAM and while Apple does not reveal its RAM details, the iPhone 7 Plus reportedly houses 3 GB of RAM.

Storage

The iPhone 7 Plus is available in three storage options: 32 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB. Like with all iPhones, the strorage is not expandable.

The Galaxy S8+ comes with the 64 GB storage option. This can be further expanded up to 256 GB via a microSD card.

Both devices are almost on similar footing. The advantage the Samsung smartphone has, however, is the ability to use a memory card. Technically, the galaxy S8+ can support 64 GB plus 256 GB storage, which gives consumers even more storage than what the 256 GB iPhone 7 Plus can offer.

Camera

The iPhone 7 Plus boasts a dual 12-megapixel rear-facing camera. One of them supports wide angle with f/1.8 aperture, while the other is a telephoto lens with supported aperture of f/2.8. The primary camera can record 4K video and supports Quad-LED True Tone flash. The iPhone 7 Plus also houses a 7-megapixel FaceTime camera with Retina flash and FHD video recording capabilities.

The Galaxy S8+ supports a dual pixel 12-megapixel primary camera with f/1.7 aperture. The rear-facing camera supports 4K video recording capability, like the Apple's smartphone. Of the two, the Samsung smartphone has a slightly better 8-megapixel front-facing camera.

In terms of photographic and video recording abilities, both devices have similar attributes. There is very little to set them apart in this regard. The minor differences are not likely to entice fans to select one over the other.

Battery

When it comes to battery capacity, Samsung races ahead with its 3,500mAh battery, compared to the 2,900mAh one on the iPhone 7 Plus.

The Galaxy S8+ also supports wireless and fast charging functionalities. Both these features are absent in the iPhone 7 Plus.

OS

The iPhone 7 Plus runs on iOS 10. The GalaxyS8+ comes with the latest Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. Consumers will be hoping that the handset gets update to Android 7.1.2 soon.

Other Features

The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are the first phones from Samsung to house the company's own AI dubbed Bixby. The iPhone 7 Plus, on the other hand, houses Siri.

The Galaxy S8+ comes not only with a fingerprint sensor, but also an Iris scanner, which is absent in the iPhone 7 Plus. The Apple device only boasts a fingerprint sensor, which his embedded on the home button.

The added security of the Iris scanner may possibly divert some fans to the Galaxy S8+.

Price And Availability

Currently, the unlocked iPhone 7 Plus can be bought from Apple's online store. The 32 GB variant retails at $769, while the 128 GB version is priced at $869. The 256 GB model will set consumers back by $969.

Those looking to buy the Galaxy S8+ can head over to Samsung's website and preorder the smartphone. Ordering the Galaxy S8+ now will get users a free Gear VR headset, a controller, and some free games. However, Samsung has not revealed the price of the product yet and speculations suggest that it would be around $720.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Russia, it seems, is open to extending its collaboration with the United States, Japan, Europe, and Canada, regarding the future of the International Space Station.

In 2015, Russia declared that it would only support the ISS mission until 2024.

However, reports now reveal that Igor Komarov, the director general of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, is open to the prospect of extending the partnership beyond 2024.

Russia Ready To Extend ISS Partnership?

When asked by reporters whether Roscosmos would consider the notion of extending the ISS partnership by another four years, Komarov replied in the affirmative.

"We are ready to discuss it," said Komarov in a press meet at the U.S. Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.

For the unfamiliar, the ISS is an orbiting engineering and science laboratory in outer space. It has been staffed permanently with a crew comprising cosmonauts and astronauts since November 2000. The $100 billion laboratory is placed 250 miles above Earth and is continuously orbiting the planet.

Komarov may be open to the collaboration and extending the partnership with ISS beyond 2024, but he shared that before venturing beyond the ISS orbit, humans need to resolve many medical and technical issues back home.

He also noted that the Russia-United States partnership for space exploration has managed to survive over the years despite continued political tensions between the two nations. Even in 1975, at the height of the Cold War, the Russian Soyuz capsule and an American Apollo spacecraft docked together on Earth's orbit.

In case the partnership with the United States sours, Russia has a backup plan up its sleeve. In 2016, Russia revealed that it would disengage some of its modules from the ISS and use them to build a new independent outpost in orbit.

Nevertheless, Komarov assures that the minor change in the Russian space programs are not indicative of severing ties with the United States. He further added that the detachment of modules was done in a bid to "be on the safe side" and to ensure that they can continue their research.

NASA In Trouble If Russia Collaboration Ends?

NASA shells out roughly $3 billion each year on the ISS and carries out several scientific studies and experiments.

NASA relies on Russia for its Soyuz rockets that ferry astronauts to the ISS and bring them back to Earth.

However, NASA is in conversation with private space companies such as Boeing and SpaceX. The U.S. space agency is optimistic that these companies would be able to come up with a Russian Soyuz equivalent that can be used for transportation by 2024.

Roscosmos, on the other hand, intends to lift off three scientific modules to the ISS by 2020 as reported by Russian newspaper Pravda. The same report reveals that by 2024, Roscosmos' chief analyst Andrei Lonin intends to build a Russian space station similar to the ISS, with a possible collaboration with China.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Asus Unveils Gaming Laptop GX800 For A Whopping Price Of Rs 7,97,990 | TechTree.com

Asus has announced the launch of its new gaming laptop under Republic of Gamers (ROG), dubbed as the GX800 which comes with a whopping price of Rs 7,97,990. Well, you can get a Maruti Suzuki Swift for that price!

The company claims in a recent press release that the GX800 being the most powerful gaming laptop in the world equipped with the latest NVidia GeForce GTX 1080 SLI graphics and an advanced version of the Hydro Overclocking System liquid-cooling module in India.

The GX800 comes with an 18 inch display screen with real 4K UHD resolution, and features NVidia G-Sync technology and supports leading virtual-reality headsets for super smooth and stutter-free VR gaming.

In addition, GX800 features the Mechanical Tactile Advanced Gaming (MechTAG) keyboard with programmable ROG Aura RGB LED effects for individual keys. GX800 builds on the success of GX700  the world's first liquid-cooled gaming laptop  to claim the crown of the worlds most-powerful gaming laptop.

TAGS: Asus
A New Lisbon man faces two charges, including physical abuse of a child, after he allegedly tried to shoot a cat that had defecated in a home. A child intervened in defense of the cat.

David A. Schultz, 41, was charged with one count of child abuse, intentionally cause bodily harm, and disorderly conduct. Both are considered domestic abuse charges. Schultz was arrested on March 31 and could face a fine of $10,000 or a prison term of six years or both for the first offense and a possible fine of $10,000 or a 90-day prison term or both for the second charge.

According to the criminal complaint:

On March 31, Juneau County officers were called to a disturbance complaint/man with a gun incident in the town of Clearfield. The caller claimed Schultz was intoxicated. They stated Schultz was in a garage on the property, but authorities could not locate him upon initial investigation.

While being interviewed by officers, the caller had Schultz on the phone who stated to police he was walking along Highway 80 towards 37th Street. Officers located Schultz and he was taken into custody without incident and brought back to the home.

Based on interviews with witnesses, Schultz was drinking heavily earlier in the day. Their house cat had defecated on some clothing, angering Schultz. According to a criminal complaint, the suspect said he had enough and grabbed a hand gun and the cat. He went to the garage to get ammunition when two juvenile males tried to stop him. A 14-year-old male wrestled the gun from Schultz. The suspect, however, slapped the boy on the face and punched him twice with a closed fist.

The gun was located by authorities in a master bedroom and removed for evidence. Schultz was transported to the Juneau County Jail. The alleged victim told police he was in pain and red marks were seen on both sides of his face. He completed a lack of consent form but decided not to complete a voluntary statement form.

Schultz is scheduled to have an initial appearance at the Juneau County Justice Center on May 3 at 9 a.m.
Dozens of dairy farmers are scrambling to find buyers for their milk after a central Wisconsin producer of dairy products and ingredients announced it would no longer accept milk from them after May 1.

Behind this action is a new pricing structure implemented by Canada, which dramatically increased the cost of U.S. dairy imports and encouraged dairy companies there to purchase similar items from Canadian dairy producers.

Every day for years, Grassland Dairy Products in Greenwood has sent more than 1 million pounds of ultra-filtered milk, a product with elevated protein content that's typically used in cheese production, to Canada. But the company was informed by its Canadian customers last month they were immediately discontinuing buying the product from Grassland, which the company said left them little choice but to reduce its milk intake.

The timing couldn't be worse for farmers like Frank Behling of Randolph, as spring is a time of year when his 60 milking cows are producing the most milk. Behling, who has been in the dairy business for about four years as Wildweed Holsteins & Jerseys, shipped roughly 4,000 pounds of milk daily to Grassland for nearly 18 months.

Now he has less than a month to find a new place to send his milk.

"I've never encountered anything like this before," Behling said. "Finding a new processor fast (to replace Grassland) is my priority."

Grassland says on its website that it receives milk from more than 600 farms, but doesn't specify if all those sources are in Wisconsin. Goedhart Westers, vice president of business development at Grassland, would not say how many dairy farmers it informed of the cutoff in letters this week but said "several dozen" were told their milk no longer would be accepted by the company.

"When Canada implemented this new policy, it left us little to no response time," Westers said. "Our next move is to find a new home for this milk, and that will be tough."

Dairy experts say there is too much milk available on the market today, and contractual obligations at other milk processors or dairies that make yogurt and ice cream may not allow them to accept more milk from new sources.

Federal and state officials for the past year have known that Canada was exploring modifying its dairy policies and had been expressing its concerns with the Canadian government about how any changes would affect U.S. dairy businesses.

Ben Brancel, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, said the state has had numerous meetings with trade representatives, and Gov. Scott Walker has sent letters on this issue to former President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump.

Brancel, who managed a dairy farm for more than 20 years, said it was hoped that some of the product being sent to Canada could be absorbed by other processors around the state. Wisconsin is home to about 400 facilities that produce a wide array of dairy products.

"The problem right now is that we've seen milk production go up in other states, including South Dakota and Michigan, and (Wisconsin processors have) bought up some of that milk, so the system is full right now and has left us less flexibility than we had hoped for," Brancel said.

He said the state is contacting all milk processors across Wisconsin and in other parts of the country to assist Wisconsin dairy farmers impacted by Grassland's decision.

Big ripple effects

When a major processor like Grassland reduces milk intake, that action is immediately felt, Brancel said. There also are no state or federal subsidies available to assist affected dairy farmers.

"They've invested in technology that enhances the value of product it sends out," Brancel said. The ultra-filtered milk Canadian purchasers got from Grassland helped cheese producers there make a higher-quality cheese at a lower cost.

Westers said his company overall was pleased with the milk quality from its Wisconsin suppliers.

"Basically right now we had more milk than we could physically process, which is why we had to take such a drastic action," he said.

Mike North, president of Commodity Risk Management Group in Platteville, said the impact of too much milk on the market won't translate to lower prices for consumers.

"Grassland's announcement really isn't good for anyone," North said. "There may be a drop in product prices, but it would be so temporary that the impact on the consumer level often isn't felt."
Venezuela and Colombia resumed air operations on Monday with an inaugural flight departing from Caracas to Bogota after more than two years of suspension, said the Caribbean country's... | Read More
The Copps grocery store brand in Madison is going away along with one of its stores.

Roundys announced Tuesday that it will close its Copps grocery store at 620 S. Whitney Way, a move that will bring to an end the Copps brand in Madison as other Copps stores in Dane County have been converted to Pickn Save stores.

Jim Hyland, a spokesman for Roundys, said the store, with 76 employees, is expected to close by mid-May but that over 95 percent of those employees have accepted positions at other Pickn Save stores in the Madison area.

The decision to close stores is a difficult but necessary step and is based on financial results and the level of consumer demand in the market, Hyland wrote in an e-mail. After careful consideration of the long-term financial performance of the Whitney Way Copps store, our efforts did not bring about the results needed to meet our business goals and objectives.

Kroger, one of the largest grocery operators in the country, purchased Milwaukee-based Roundys in 2016 and over the last year has converted most of the Copps stores in the state to Pickn Save stores. After the Madison Copps store closes, Roundys will have Copps stores in Antigo, Manitowoc, Phillips, Plover, Stevens Point, Wautoma and Wisconsin Rapids. No announcement on the future of those seven stores has been announced, and Hyland said the company does not comment on questions relating to stores opening and closing.

Roundys, founded in 1872 in Milwaukee, has nearly $4 billion in sales, employs more than 22,000 people and has 120 stores in Wisconsin. In 2001, Roundys purchased 22 stores from Stevens Point-based Copps Corp., with that name becoming one of the main grocery brands in the Madison market.

But since that time the Madison-area grocery market has evolved into one of the most competitive in the Midwest with the arrival of Festival, Fresh Madison Market, a second Metcalfes Market, Trader Joes, two Costco stores and the addition of large grocery sections to Wal-Mart and Target stores. Woodmans also added a store in Sun Prairie, and Willy Street Co-op opened stores in Middleton and on Madisons North Side. The arrival of three Hy-Vee stores, including one in 2013 across the street from the Whitney Way Copps, likely played a major role in reduced sales at the Copps store.

The announcement to close the Whitney Way Copps comes after work has begun to convert the Copps store at 1312 S. Park St. to a Pickn Save. Roundys announced last week that the store would undergo a mini remodel. The four- to six-week project includes an update to the product mix that will add 1,000 new items, including more natural foods, a doubling of the size of the liquor department, and a cosmetic refresh. At the time, the company declined to comment on the future of the Whitney Way store.

After the South Park Street store is converted and the Whitney Way store is closed, Roundys will have 13 Pickn Save stores in Dane County and a Metro Market at 6010 Cottage Grove Road.
A rural Reedsburg man who expressed a desire to go to jail got his wish on Tuesday, after he allegedly punched a window at the police station and tried to attack a detective.

Douglas Cheek, 35, was tentatively charged with disorderly conduct, bail jumping and resisting/obstructing, police said.

Cheek showed up at the Reedsburg police department offices around 4 p.m. Tuesday.

"He told the dispatcher he wanted to go to jail, then punched the dispatch reception window," said Police Chief Timothy Becker.

Two police detectives went into the lobby to talk with Cheek, who allegedly lunged at one of the detectives before he was taken into custody.

Cheek had a minor injury and was treated and released at Reedsburg Area Medical Center before being taken to Sauk County Jail in Baraboo.
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement
A major methamphetamine ring has been busted by drug agents in southern Wisconsin, with eight people, including two from Madison, indicted by a federal grand jury.

Acting U.S. Attorney Jeffery Anderson for the western district of Wisconsin said the indictment was handed down March 29 and unsealed on Tuesday.

Those charged include Christopher Dutton, 43, Madison; Olivia Halvorson, 28, Browntown; James Nehls, 30, Iowa County; Sean McLyman, 42, Madison; Brandon Frank, 42, Argyle; Sean Brown, 33, and his sister Amanda Brown, 30, both of Encino, Calif.; and Joel Ringelstetter, 48, Lone Rock.

The indictment charged that the defendants, except for Ringelstetter, conspired to distribute methamphetamine from September 2015 to February 2017.

The amount of meth allegedly dealt by just three of the defendants, Dutton, Frank and Sean Brown, was over 500 grams, the news release said.

All of the defendants were charged with other crimes relative to the meth conspiracy, for distributing or possessing the drug.

Seven of the eight defendants were arrested on Tuesday, with authorities still looking for Amanda Brown.

Dutton, Frank and Sean Brown face the longest prison time if convicted because of the amount of meth involved, the news release said. Each faces a minimum 10 years and a maximum of life in prison on the conspiracy charge.

The investigation was conducted by the Division of Criminal Investigation of the Wisconsin Department of Justice; the Dane County Narcotics Task Force; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Dane and Lafayette County Sheriff's Offices; the Madison and UW-Madison Police Departments; the U.S. Postal Service; the Sauk County Drug Task Force; the Richland-Iowa-Grant Drug Task Force; the State Line Area Narcotics Team; and the Rock County Special Investigations Unit.
Assembly Democrats used a procedural maneuver Tuesday to delay passage of a bill that would make it easier for Dane County towns to withdraw from county zoning.

Democrats objected the bill could pass before eight Dane County towns have a chance to vote on April 18 at their annual town meeting whether to withdraw from county zoning. An amendment to move back the start date to June 1 failed 36-61. That led Democrats to object to the bills final reading, which required 65 votes to override. The motion failed 63-34 with two members absent.

The Assembly plans to convene again Thursday to take up the bill, which drew fierce opposition from town residents when it was introduced last month because it would have eliminated a requirement that town residents vote on the withdrawal, either in a referendum or at a towns annual meeting. The bill was amended in committee to retain the referendum requirement with some modifications.

Republicans passed a law last year allowing towns to withdraw from county zoning, but it contained several provisions the Dane County Towns Association objected to as overly burdensome.

Dane County has historically exerted strong influence over town zoning in an effort to preserve the countys rural character and limit suburban sprawl.

Thirteen towns passed resolutions to begin the withdrawal process, but only eight of those are still interested, towns association lawyer Mark Hazelbaker said. He said some of the five that lost interest might pursue it if AB 109 is signed into law.

The eight towns voting to opt out at their April 18 annual town meeting are Berry, Black Earth, Blue Mounds, Bristol, Middleton, Springfield, Sun Prairie and Westport, according to Todd Violante, Dane County planning and development director.

Under current law, towns can withdraw only during a one-year window every three years (2017 is the first such year) and must notify the county six months before enacting an ordinance through either a referendum or at an annual town meeting. The new bill requires only that the town notify the county of the change by Sept. 1 and vote on it by Nov. 1 during the specified years.

The bill as amended also grants towns that withdraw from Dane County zoning the property taxing authority to pay for zoning services.

As originally drafted, the Republican proposal was backed by the Dane County Towns Association and the Madison Area Builders Association, but opposed by Dane County, environmental groups, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and the League of Women Voters of Dane County.

Many residents of the town of Middleton voiced opposition to the bill during a public hearing. Their main objection was the removal of the public vote requirement, though bill author Rep. Keith Ripp, R-Lodi, emphasized it would still require a town board vote and that those opposed to withdrawal could run for office.

Ripp said Tuesday he changed his mind on the referendum issue after hearing from the public.

I think it makes sense to allow them to voice their opinion, Ripp said.

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign executive director Matt Rothschild said his group still opposes the bill because it allows towns to hold a public vote during a special meeting, rather than at the annual town meeting, when more people are likely to attend.

The group also objects to the bill singling out Dane County for the changes by specifying it only applies to counties with populations of 485,000 or more.
Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!

Your notification has been saved.

There was a problem saving your notification.

{{description}}

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Patrick Mulhearn, the executive director of Celtic Studios, is stepping down as head of the largest design-built studio in the Gulf South.

Mulhearn, who made his intentions known in a post on his Facebook page, said in an interview Tuesday he will leave his job as executive director effective June 30 to pursue other opportunities.

I couldnt see myself at 50 years old leasing stage and office space, said Mulhearn, 41. Hes reached a fork in the road and wants to figure out what he will do next.

That could be getting involved in public policy or politics. Earlier this year, Mulhearn mused on Twitter about running for the seat held by former Sen. Troy Brown, D-Napoleonville.

Or it could involve getting involved in producing movies instead of running a production studio. I hope to bring some projects here, assuming I stick with the film industry, Mulhearn said. Im at a point where I want to make a bigger difference.

Mulhearn has been at Celtic since September 2009, when he was hired as director of studio operations by Raleigh Studios, which managed the facility at the time. Before that, he spent three years with Louisiana Economic Development in its film and television division.

During his time at Celtic, the facility took off in popularity, as big-budget movies such as the final two Twilight films, the Tom Cruise sci-fi movie Oblivion," Battleship and Fantastic Four were shot there. Celtics 40-acre facility near Airline Highway and Interstate 12, coupled with Louisianas generous incentives for film production, attracted those movies to the city. In 2014, Raleigh split and Celtic took over as sole operator of the studio.

One of the biggest honors was when MovieMaker, a film industry publication, rated Baton Rouge as the best small city to live and work in as a movie maker in 2015. Mulhearn said that meant a lot to him because it showed the film industry was creating jobs in the city.

I think back when we landed Battleship, the same producers followed up with filming Oblivion here, Mulhearn said. They told me they could have gone anywhere to shoot the movie, but they chose to come back to Baton Rouge because they had such a great experience.

But in mid-2015, the Legislature and former Gov. Bobby Jindal put a cap on what Louisiana could spend on movie tax credits for the next three years. While film and TV productions could qualify for an unlimited amount of credits, they would be capped at $180 million a year. Movie officials said that caused instability, as producers worried that the state would take too long to pay them for qualified credits.

At the same time, states such as Georgia, California and New York sweetened their incentive programs. Also, a weak Canadian dollar made it cheaper to shoot in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, cities that had all been hubs for film production.

State Sen. JP Morrell, D-New Orleans, has filed a bill for the upcoming Legislative session that will reform the movie tax credit program. It will provide stability to the industry by setting a $165 million annual cap on credits awarded by LED, make it more attractive to bring TV productions to Louisiana and give an additional 5 percent credit for movies shooting outside of New Orleans. These steps will allow the movie industry to expand across the state from Bossier to Bunkie," Mulhearn said.
Two town of Middleton board write-in candidates won rare victories Tuesday in a backlash against a bill that makes it easier for towns to withdraw from Dane County zoning.

One write-in candidate attributed the result to grassroots campaigning prevailing over pro-development interests, while the incumbents criticized their opponents for spreading misinformation. The victories also served to underscore the political repercussions of trying to scale back citizen input on a contentious local issue.

Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell said he has never seen a successful write-in campaign in his 20 years in county politics.

Its obviously a reaction to the effort to prevent town residents from being able to vote on opting out of town zoning, said McDonell, a Democrat who supports the countys approach to limit sprawling rural development. If I were on a town board thinking about getting out of county zoning I would slow down.

Cynthia Richson, a 57-year-old semi-retired lawyer, and Richard Oberle, who previously served on the board for 12 years, ousted Town Board chairman Bill Kolar and four-term incumbent Tim Roehl after mounting a write-in campaign less than a month before Election Day. They both won more than 700 votes out of about 1,350 cast for the two at-large seats.

Mark Hazelbaker, a lawyer for the Dane County Towns Association, noted the incumbents easily won re-election in other towns contemplating withdrawal from county zoning. He said the results in Middleton were related to Roehls role in advocating for Assembly Bill 109, which initially would have eliminated a public vote on whether a Dane County town could opt out of county zoning oversight. The bill was later amended to require a vote, though it could take place at a special town meeting with 30 days notice, rather than the annual town meeting.

Richson and Oberle filed to run as write-in candidates shortly after a March 8 public hearing on AB 109 in which several town of Middleton residents testified in opposition.

Oberle did not respond to a request for comment.

Richson said when she started running it was such a longshot that she thought of it as a way to mobilize voters to oppose the town zoning vote at the annual town meeting on April 18. Middleton is one of eight Dane County towns holding votes that day on the town zoning issue.

Richson said she and Oberle along with a vocal contingent of town zoning opponents spent every day for three weeks knocking on doors to spread the word about AB 109. She said voters she spoke with were turned off by a barrage of robocalls supporting the incumbents in the final days before the election.

I am so happy for the citizens, for the town of Middleton, Richson said. Their voice has finally been heard, listened to and respected.

Roehl, 53, a realtor and vice president of the Dane County Towns Association, supported both the effort to withdraw from county zoning and AB 109, but Kolar, 65, a construction engineer set to retire Friday, never took a position on county zoning and didnt attend the March 8 hearing.

Kolar said Richson mischaracterized his position as being in support of the bill, but by the time he started knocking on doors voters had already made up their minds. He said in his eight years on the Town Board, including four as chairman, the town has achieved a AAA bond rating, built a $1 million rainy day reserve and has been run very efficiently.

She doesnt have any agenda other than Bill Kolar is going to put a cluster subdivision in your backyard,  Kolar said. Its about the rot in the campaign system that has filtered down from the presidential office to one of the lowest offices in the land. You can get elected to Town Board supervisor if you put enough garbage in front of the people.

Kolar said Roehl made a mistake in supporting AB 109 in its original form. Roehl, a lobbyist for the Dane County Towns Association, said he was representing the towns that want to get out of county zoning but view the process approved by the Legislature last year as burdensome.

What I was hearing from their supporters was unbelievable, Roehl said. Misdirection. Fabrications. Innuendos. It was not nice.

Richson, a town Plan Commission member who ran against Roehl and lost in 2013, said the town zoning issue was being pushed by the board. On two occasions the board asked the Plan Commission to take a position on the town zoning issue, and she voted against it both times.

The Assembly was scheduled Tuesday to vote on AB 109, but Democrats, who oppose the bill, used a procedural move to delay the debate until Thursday.

Not all Republicans are on board with the bill. Rep. Scott Allen, R-Waukesha, said he will oppose AB 109 because it scales back the public vote requirement.

AB 109 amends a law passed last year that allowed towns to opt out of Dane County zoning. Elsewhere in Wisconsin towns have been able to opt out of county zoning whenever the county conducts a comprehensive rewrite of its zoning laws, but Dane County hasnt done that in 80 years. Allen authored an amendment last year that required Dane County towns to hold a public vote before opting out.

Democracy is a slow and awkward process, Allen said. (Town zoning) is a significant change and the people who are going to be affected by that change ought to have a say in that process.
Angela Gabriel recited the name and purpose of each pill as they were handed to her where she lay, slightly elevated, in her hospital bed. One for indigestion, one for pain, one an antibiotic, she said, waiting for confirmation from the night nurse at Our Lady of the Lake hospital.

The nurse helped Gabriel if she hesitated before a pill's pharmaceutical name, each one supposed to help the 41-year-old recover from the 10 gunshots that struck her torso and right arm. Her boyfriend is jailed in the shooting, which peppered Gabriel's body with bullets as she took a bath one February morning.

She took two more pills, laughing at one she said reminded her of Pacman, then looked puzzled at the last one.

"The one you love the most," the nurse reminded her. It was a muscle relaxer to ease the spasms through Gabriel's back.

Gabriel gently placed the last pill into her mouth with her left hand, her only limb she can still completely control since the gunshots paralyzed her from the chest down.

"That's it," the nurse said.

Seven pills in total. Gabriel took one last sip from the large mug of ice-cold water, then smiled.

"I was not supposed to come out of that emergency room," Gabriel, a mother of four and real estate agent, said a few weeks after the shooting. One shot missed her heart by millimeters. She has shrapnel through her back. Two bullets are still lodged in her body, one grazed her spleen.

"I can easily lay here and say, 'I'm paralyzed; I'm never going to walk.' But I don't. I have life," Gabriel said. "I can still hug my children. I'm still going."

'No hate in my heart'

In late March, Gabriel moved to Touro Rehabilitation Center in New Orleans. She can sit up and is on the go in her motorized wheelchair. She spends most mornings in physical and occupational therapy. She's been outside three times in her wheelchair.

"I refuse to be your average physical therapy client," Gabriel said last week. "Every day it gets a little bit easier, every day."

But Gabriel said that doesn't mean it's easy to think about how the man she loved, the man who is the father of her two youngest children, the man who told her explicitly this wouldn't happen, did this to her.

Carl Thompson Jr., 46, was arrested the day Gabriel was shot while she was sitting in her bathtub. He called the police from her house and turned himself in, Baton Rouge police said that day. He was charged last week with attempted second-degree murder, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney's Office. His attorney did not respond to messages.

+3 Baton Rouge mother of 3 paralyzed after boyfriend allegedly shot her in bathtub A 41-year-old mother is paralyzed from the chest down after she was shot multiple times by h

The couple had been together for almost six years, but Gabriel said by the end of February, when she was shot, their relationship was struggling.

Thompson had been over that morning to watch their youngest son, a 1-year-old with Down syndrome, as she needed to get to an appointment.

"I just wanted our family," Gabriel said. "Never in a million years did I think he would unholster his gun."

Then after a long pause, she said, "I have no hate in my heart for him."

That morning sitting in the bathtub, bleeding from her gunshot wounds, she said she called on God to save her  and he did. After that, she felt no pain. Everything became clear. She remembers talking to the doctors as they worked to save her life. And then she made it through.

I know a lot of people wont agree with me (but) I forgive him, Gabriel said, referring to Thompson. He gave me a relationship with God that I could have never gotten on my own. Hes also given me an opportunity to see how many people love me and care for me. He showed me that I can truly be inspirational to people. He put me in a situation where I can really help others."

In her first weeks at the hospital in Baton Rouge, she had more than 200 people show up to visit her, some she hadn't seen in years, some she had never met. Her friends said there was often only space to stand while they were there. Nurses automatically directed anyone wandering the halls to her room.

"As for the visitors (in New Orleans), Im not running seven and 10 at once," Gabriel said. "I generally I have about four or five people at a time."

But the best visit came from all her children, her 22-year-old son, Jordan; 9-year-old daughter, Julianna; 7-year-old son, Cameron; and baby Grayson, she said. When they can't visit, Gabriel said she FaceTimes them almost every day while they stay with relatives.

"My children are my passion," Gabriel said. She said she's competing with her infant to learn to walk. "I'm going to walk again."

Coworker and friend Angella Lawrence came almost every day to see Gabriel when she was in the hospital in Baton Rouge, and she has driven down multiple times to New Orleans.

"It's inspiring; it makes you take a look at yourself, re-evaluate where you are as an individual," Lawrence said. "This woman has this mindset, this spirit; shame on me if I think any other way. ... She motivates me."

But beyond inspiring others, Gabriel says she also has other plans, specifically to help eradicate domestic violence.

"When you think about it, I'm not supposed to be here," Gabriel said. "I have the blessing of God to be here; most women (who've been in my situation) don't."

'A crisis on our hands'

In Louisiana, domestic violence turned deadly is not rare. The state has the second-highest rate of female victims murdered by men in a single victim-offender incidents, according to a 2016 report from the Violence Policy Center. The rate of these killings in Louisiana is behind only Alaska.

"We have a crisis on our hands," said Twahna Harris, founder of the Butterfly Society, a Baton Rouge domestic violence advocacy organization.

The shooting that injured Gabriel came on the heels of three killings that Baton Rouge law enforcement have concluded were domestic.

In November, 30-year-old April Peck was fatally shot by her live-in boyfriend while they were driving and thrown from his car onto Essen Lane, authorities have said. The next month, Tangela Detiege, 33, was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend and father of her two children, authorities have said. On Jan. 1, 29-year-old Asha Davis was fatally shot in her apartment following what investigators said they believe was a domestic dispute between her and the man they arrested. Then, in February, Gabriel miraculously survived the shots that hit her.

Gabriel said she remembers discussing the tragedy of Detiege with her then-boyfriend.

"I told him, 'I dont want that to be our story,' and he said, 'Thats not going to be us,'  Gabriel said. "And here it is, two months later, not even a full two months: us. (But) Im living."

When she looks back on their relationship, Gabriel said there was often verbal abuse, but Thompson became physical with her only once. He choked her in November, she said, adding that should have been a sign that she was in real danger.

"If your abuser chokes you, that is the No. 1 sign that they will kill you," Gabriel said, citing a finding that she learned after she was shot. "I was unaware that that was the No. 1 sign."

The chances an intimate partner attempts homicide increases sevenfold once a perpetrator has tried to strangle a victim, according to the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention.

"This is not about someone losing their temper and anger management; it's more about power and control," said East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III. "It's a dangerous combination. A lot of folks do not really understand there are warning signs."

Gabriel wants women to understand and know those signs, to learn from her and, more importantly, to listen to her. She said she knows how hard it is to weigh leaving your abuser against separating your family, leaving your home, moving your children, being financially alone.

"Wouldnt you rather change your children's life by a move than by visiting you at a cemetery?" Gabriel asked. "We all deserve real love, not to be abused, mistreated. If you are in a relationship with any type of abuse, there is someone to help you."

Harris visited Gabriel in the hospital in early February and said she looks forward to Gabriel joining their cause in educating people about domestic abuse and supporting victims.

"She's a blessing," Harris said. "She is the face of the survivor of domestic violence; she's a warrior. ... She has calling in her life that her story can help someone else."

Harris said she wants victims to know there is always help, whether it's reaching out to her and her volunteers, or seeking help from law enforcement, Family Services of Greater Baton Rouge or other domestic abuse organizations.

While choking is a key indicator an abuser will try to kill their partner, Harris said other signs of abuse are isolation of the victim, intimidation, controlling finances and playing mind games. When somebody seeks help for domestic violence, she said to never ask, "Why didn't you leave?" but instead ask, "What can I do to help?"

The District Attorney's Office is working on initiatives to address the problem, from a hospital intervention program to reach out to victims when they get medical help to a pilot program to work with offenders in jail.

"These cases are just 100 percent preventable," Moore said. "My hope for (Gabriel) is that she can become a messenger, one of the faces for Baton Rouge to tell her story, (so) other people can see and seek counsel to avoid being placed in that position."
East Baton Rouge sheriffs detectives are looking for a man who robbed the Circle K located at 6678 Siegen Lane on April 5, 2017, at approximately 2 a.m.
The idea of memorializing one of the Yankee generals especially William Tecumseh Sherman, is anathema to the South. General Sherman presided o
If a package of pending bills aimed at reducing Louisiana's world-leading incarceration rate becomes law, it will be because politicians on the right and the left have found a sweet spot, a place where compassion, pragmatism and fiscal conservatism intersect.

If Louisiana takes a serious look at eliminating the death penalty during the upcoming legislative session, it will be because the same dynamics apply.

The Catholic Church opposes the death penalty, although its leaders have never pushed the issue in this country the way they've gone after abortion rights. Around the United States, dramatic examples of post-conviction exoneration have cast grave doubt on the idea of imposing a punishment that can't be reversed.

The expert consensus is that the rarely applied penalty doesn't serve as a deterrent. Nor does it keep the community safer than the life sentences without parole that Louisiana imposes on those who've committed the most heinous crimes, and still will even if the criminal justice package passes.

It's expensive. Taxpayers foot the bill for housing the convicted, plus all the post-conviction legal maneuvering. The drugs used in the process are increasingly difficult to procure.

And the state rarely actually puts convicted felons to death, which raises the question of what the point is anyway.

The fact that two lawmakers with strong law enforcement credentials have filed bills to do away with the death penalty marks this as a serious undertaking. State Rep. Terry Landry, a New Iberia Democrat, is a former state police superintendent, and State Sen. Dan Claitor, a Baton Rouge Republican, was once a prosecutor in New Orleans under Harry Connick.

Unlike the sentencing measures at the heart of Gov. John Bel Edwards' package, there hasn't been much of a public debate over the death penalty here in recent years. Whatever their ultimate prospects, these bills are about to launch one.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump has removed chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council, reversing a controversial early decision to give Bannon access to the high-level meetings.

A new memorandum about the composition of the NSC was published in the Federal Register on Wednesday. The memo no longer lists the chief strategist as a member of the Principal's Committee, a group of high-ranking officials that convene to discuss pressing national security priorities.

The new memo also restores the director of national intelligence and the Joint Chiefs chairman to the Principal's Committee.

Bannon's addition to the NSC sparked concerns from Trump critics, who said it was inappropriate for the political adviser to play a role on national security matters.
With all the votes counted Tuesday, Kate Toews was the clear winner over Ali Muldrow for Seat 6 on the Madison School Board, winning nearly 56 percent of the vote.

After praising Muldrow as a talented educator and worthy opponent, Toews said she was eager to get started on the real work of supporting our kids and our teachers.

Im very optimistic about our future and I want to help get us there, Toews said. Im just really excited to get to work with the other board members and excited to start really pushing on some of the issues that I care about  supporting our staff better and making some real progress on (closing) the racial achievement gap.

Toews also said she was thrilled about the decisive victory by incumbent state superintendent of education Tony Evers on Tuesday.

Our state said tonight we care about public education, Toews said, and I'm excited to push us forward, to keep innovating in what public education can be and how it can serve our community best.

Muldrow also had praise for her competitor Tuesday.

"I think she'll do an amazing job," she said of Toews. "She'll be an amazing representative for our community and I think we're really lucky to have her leadership."

Muldrow said it was too soon to think about whether she would run again for the School Board but noted she would continue to be active in education through her job and her extensive volunteer activities in the schools.

"It was an honor and a pleasure to run for School Board," Muldrow said. "But I'll still be around. The work is always there, and I'll work in education as long as I possibly can. I love our community and I want our kids to be successful. I'll always be a resource to the people of Madison."

Muldrow and Toews were the top vote-getters in the Feb. 21 primary for the seat, eliminating Cris Carusi in the only open and School Board contested race. Incumbent Michael Flores did not run for re-election and endorsed Muldrow.

Also elected Tuesday to the School Board was Nicki Vander Meulen, who won Seat 7 with 68 percent of the vote over incumbent Ed Hughes, who dropped out of the race after the primary election for family reasons, though his name remained on the ballot.

All School Board terms are for three years.

In candidate interviews and survey responses for the Wisconsin State Journal, Toews (pronounced "Taves") said the main challenges facing the district include low teacher morale, the racial achievement gap in student performance, and increasing pressure from state and federal politicians to privatize education.

To address those challenges, Toews advocated fixes such as prioritizing professional development and setting a specific goal for hiring more minority teachers. She also has emphasized more focus on early childhood education, hiring talented principals to improve school climates and offering incentives for teaching in high-poverty schools.

Toews, 36, worked in Boston schools as a mediation services coordinator, before moving to the business world where she has managed large staffs and budgets, raised capital as an entrepreneur and advised startup companies.

With experience in both public schools and private enterprise, Toews described herself as the candidate best able to identify the district's strengths and challenges, with an eye toward using resources more wisely for the biggest classroom impact and best teachers.

A district parent herself and classroom volunteer, Toews has three children aged 1 to 7. She is married to Daniel Erman and earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Brown University and an MBA from UC Berkeley.

In her survey responses and interviews, Muldrow identified racial disparities as the school district's biggest challenge, while advocating for greater commitment from the community and its schools to measurable practices leading to increased equity and inclusion to address them.

Muldrow, 29, is director of youth programming and inclusion for the Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools (GSAFE), a Madison nonprofit serving students statewide who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. She is a graduate of Madison East High School and worked there as a security guard and after-school specialist.

Vander Meulen, 38, is a juvenile criminal defense lawyer who described herself as an advocate for disability rights and said she was running to be a voice for all students.

Vander Meulen stressed the value of parental involvement and peer mentoring. She is single with no children and earned a bachelor's degree in history and political science from UW-Madison, in addition to her law degree.
Angry Mawson residents have challenged the ACT government over its plans to move public housing to their neighbourhood, saying it didn't consult them for the proposal.

In a meeting on Wednesday night at Woden that grew heated and at times bitter, a group of 180 people showed their exasperation with the plan, and questioned where profits from the sale of public housing along Northbourne Avenue would be invested.

Woden Valley Community Council (WVCC) meeting. Credit:Jamila Toderas

Residents rejected the location of some sites selected for public housing in the suburb, saying they wouldn't be suitable for people with disabilities and would lack parking.

One Shackleton Circuit resident asked why residents weren't consulted about the controversial plans.
So, yes, a nine-year contract gives comfort but really he is going to play that long regardless. Put differently, the nine-year offer actually locks him into terms that might prove restrictive in future markets. It is not a selling point.

The simple comparison is the Alastair Lynch 10-year $1 million contract with the Lions in the 1990s that was laughably off the scale when he signed it (and hurt the club when Lynch had chronic fatigue and spent a couple of years on a couch). However in his final years when he was to get $100,000 a year, Lynch was being underpaid.

Next year the salary cap is expected to rise by 20 per cent. In the immediate years after that the rises are more modest, but there will be another couple of broadcast rights deals in the life of Kelly's contract. These broadcast rights deals  which underpin the players' pay  have only tended to rise significantly in competitive new media markets.

It is highly doubtful the next media rights deals will do anything other than rise significantly. When they rise so, too, will the players' pay claims in the next two CBAs that will fall in the life of the nine-year contract.

The financial unknowns are so great in that nine-year period that the nine-year term should not be seductive. In truth it is probably still going to be over-the-odds terms for him, but not as crazily so as it seems now.
When Hazelwood shut it became the tenth coal generator since 2010 to close. The closures took 5 gigawatts  more than three Hazelwoods  out of the grid. Conversely, nearly 4 gigawatts of wind turbines have been connected, 5 gigawatts of solar rooftop panels installed and 3 gigawatts of gas-fired plants built since 2009 to cover peak demand. These new sources are not a like-for-like replacement. Where coal plants run 24-7 and are inflexible, wind and solar energy are variable and need a flexible system in which different technologies are called on when needed. That's where the grid is headed. But it's not there yet. The pressure on the regulator  Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO)  to make the right calls about who will supply the power and where it is needed most during a hot day is immense.

There have always been occasional blackouts, but the febrile political climate is such that a loss of electricity will have nasty political ramifications for state governments. If things go wrong, governments will be quick to pass the buck. And the market operator  which went out of its way to stress that in an emergency there was more than enough spare capacity to cover the loss of Hazelwood  is likely to cop the blame. Knowing this, and fresh from being accused of not doing enough to prevent blackouts in South Australia in 2017's summer, the market operator took extra precautions. It urged generators not to schedule maintenance at peak times, and told two baseload gas-fired plants mothballed in northern Tasmania and Brisbane to help fill the gap left by Hazelwood. Both are up and running. As demand rises, the regulator will also turn to "peaking plants" to supplement the generators that run every day. Hydro power and open-cycle gas (which differs from baseload gas) can ramp up quickly when a boost is needed in supply  and there is a willingness to pay a hefty price for the extra generation.

Victoria has a stack of peaking plants. Gas is expensive and the east coast supply is overwhelmingly being exported, but there is enough fuel for these plants to come online during a heatwave. To help ease demand, some big industrial plants that use a stack of electricity have agreed to reduce their production to help keep the lights on. Aluminium smelters use more than 10 per cent of power generated in NSW and Victoria. All things being equal, that should do the job. But there are other risks. Some power plants won't be available. Power plants are not compelled to make their generators available. During South Australia's 2017 blackouts one gas plant ran at about half its capacity.

That same summer also saw 2000 megawatts of coal, gas and hydro capacity out of action in NSW during a heatwave. In this instance, the market operator faced the difficult decision in relation to who would lose power. It angered the Victorian government by warning that power in Ballarat and Bendigo could be cut to keep NSW connected, though in the end it didn't act on it. As the heat rises, such decisions may have to be made if fossil-fuel plants fail or the wind doesn't blow. Worse, the ever-present bushfire threat could knock out transmission lines or affect generators. What's the extreme scenario? That all the risks arrive at once and blackouts, whether planned or forced, hit in some areas. Victoria's Hazelwood power station in Gippsland shut in March. Credit:Getty Images The short-term fixes Assuming the system is managed better than it has been in recent times everything should be fine, but experts also warn decisions made now will be crucial in ensuring reliability in the years ahead as more coal plants close.

The scenario above is the picture today, but it will almost certainly have changed again by next summer. The energy industry has been acting as though on fast-forward in recent weeks, and shows no sign of slowing down. The Clean Energy Council says there is more than $5.5 billion worth of renewable energy projects under construction. Last week, it was announced work would start this year on a $1 billion solar and battery plant in South Australia. Billed as the biggest of its type in the world - it includes a 330 megawatt solar farm and 100 megawatt battery system  proponents say it could fix South Australia and Victoria's supply issue this summer. This is independent of the the SA government's quick tender for Australia's first large-scale battery system that could  if Tesla mogul Elon Musk is to be believed  be built in 100 days. Tesla batteries connected to distribution circuits at Southern California Edison's Mira Loma substation.. Credit:Jake Michaels

Less headline grabbing is SA Premier Jay Weatherill's assurance that there will be 200 megawatts of emergency back-up in place. Almost certainly, it will be met by bringing in diesel generators. This was the path Tasmania took when its hydro dams were running low and the Basslink cable to Victoria was broken last year. It might seem antiquated, but it works. The Victorian government has also promised a battery tender, aiming to have 50 megawatts  enough to power a couple of regional cities for four hours  before Christmas. Another 50 is expected to follow in 2018. Batteries and diesel can help deal with peaks, but Hazelwood's daily output is likely to be mostly replaced by increased generation at NSW's black coal plants, which have been running at about 50 per cent capacity. Other promises  including Malcolm Turnbull's proposal for a $2 billion expansion of the Snowy Hydro Scheme, and South Australia's pledge to support new plants to run government agencies and to build further gas-fired back-up  will take longer to be realised.

The Snowy Hydro Scheme at Talbingo, NSW. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Unanswered questions The big, unaddressed question is what will the response be when the next large coal power plant closes  and the next one after that, and so on. Australia has 23 remaining coal generators. As the federal government acknowledges, several more may shut over the next decade. According to modelling for the Climate Change Authority, all would need to be gone and replaced by cleaner technology by 2035 if Australia is to play its part under the Paris deal to keep global warming below 2 degrees.

That notional deadline rarely gets a mention in public debate, but a campaign is in full flight for a bipartisan national energy and climate policy to set the pace for the transition to cleaner plants. Businesses are worried that ageing coal plants will otherwise continue to shut abruptly  Hazelwood's closure was announced just five months out  without there being time to build replacements. The federal government has rejected their preferred model, an emissions intensity scheme, and has offered no alternative. Reviews into electricity security (by chief scientist Alan Finkel) and climate policy are under way, but the government is fundamentally divided on the need to do anything. It is hard to see where it lands. Nationally, the only significant large-scale policy designed to drive energy investment beyond this decade is Victoria's ambitious and contested renewable energy target, which aims to build enough wind and solar farms to deliver 40 per cent of the state's electricity needs by 2025. The ACT also has a renewable target, but in other states the goals are purely aspirational. Steam billows from the cooling towers at Victoria's Yallourn coal-fired power station.
"Melbourne is also growing steadily alongside Sydney, however salary growth rates are higher in Melbourne following years of sustained growth in the Sydney market. "There is significant positive sentiment coming from the Perth market, whilst not resulting in the same salary increases as the East Coast, it's clear to see there's light at the end of the tunnel after the mining downturn." Mr Jones said the growing influence of technology means finance professionals with IT skills are in high demand. Those who can make finance businesses more efficient and "streamline their company's processes will be in a strong position to negotiate a higher salary," he said. "Top IT candidates, especially those in the development and cyber-security/IT security space, will typically receive multiple job offers, leaving them well-placed to drive their salary negotiations.

"Employers will be faced with IT specialists leaving the organisation when they are offered a better remuneration package [elsewhere]." THE TOP PAID FINANCE JOBS: 1. Financial Analyst 2017 min: $80,000 2017 max: $112,000

Year on Year growth: + 4.2% Financial analysts are highly valuable to organisations in terms of their ability to forecast change due to their possession of strong financial modelling skills and high levels of commercial acumen. Given the high demand for this skillset and the challenges to find highly skilled Financial Analysts, their salaries are on average set to receive the biggest rise. 2. Business Advisory Services Assistant Manager 2017 min: $82,000 2017 max: $99,000

YoY growth: + 4.1% As business advisory services assistant managers assist in providing advisory and compliance services to their organisation's clients, these professionals are in high demand in part due to the increase of regulation in the Australian financial services sector, and can expect salary gains in 2017. 3. Accounts Receivable Manager 2017 min: $63,000 2017 max: $89,000

YoY growth: + 3.7% Effective management of accounts receivable is crucial if companies want to maintain strong cash flow and reduce debt for their organisation. Senior professionals who are adaptable to change, with a mix of strong communication and technical skills, can expect salary gains for the year ahead. 4. Management Accountant 2017 min: $77,000 2017 max: $103,000

YoY growth: + 3.4% In today's market, management accountants are in high demand as employees seek to find new ways to make sure they hit their budgets. Management accountants who utilise big data to analyse key financial information, and provide their company with commercial insight to ensure future growth and profitability can expect salary gains in 2017. 5. Financial Planning & Analysis Manager 2017 min: $117,500 2017 max: $164,000

YoY growth: + 3.3% As businesses are focused on initiatives aimed at business growth, employment for financial planning and analysis managers will continue to increase. Highly skilled financial planning and analysts managers with well-developed technical as well as communication skills are able to negotiate an above-average salary. 6. Tax Manager 2017 min: $110,000 2017 max: $156,000

YoY growth: + 3.2% Government regulation is making tax policy more complicated, and Australian companies need efficient and highly skilled tax managers to comply with regulations and identify cost-saving measures. This is a crucial role for any organisation and the reason why these professionals can expect above average salary gains in 2017. 7. Accounting Manager/Director* 2017 min: $113,000 2017 max: $192,000

YoY growth: + 3.1% As the finance function continues to evolve with digitisation and automation, accounting managers and directors who adapt their accounting departments efficiently will be in high demand. Companies are willing to increase starting salaries for these professionals if they can successfully lead a team, improve performance and the company's bottom line. *Average is calculated only across salary gains in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. 8. Commercial Manager

2017 min: $120,000 2017 max: $185,000 YoY growth: + 3.1% Australian companies are looking for more commercial and measurable outcomes to drive their bottom line, which is driving demand for adequately skilled commercial managers. Salaries are set to grow for those that can add value to their organisation by using automation technology to streamline internal processes such as budgeting, forecasting, reporting and analysis of company results.

9. Accounts Receivable Clerk 2017 min: $52,000 2017 max: $66,000 YoY growth: + 3.0% Under pressure to secure revenue for their organisation and maintain a sportive cash flow, accounts receivable clerks who are highly organised and possess a keen eye for detail can expect to see their salary grow steadily in 2017.

10. Business Advisory Services Manager/Audit Manager 2017 min: $94,000 2017 max: $136,000 YoY growth: + 3.0% Professionals with extensive experience in risk management, compliance and internal auditing are highly sought-after as they maintain the crucial role of providing regulatory guidance to their organisation. As a role that will be in demand over the next 12 months, this is placing upward pressure on salaries.

THE TOP PAID IT JOBS: 1. Cyber-security Specialist 2017 min: $118,000 2017 max: $160,000 YoY growth: + 6.2%

The escalating cost and frequency of cyber-attacks has resulted in organisations increasingly relying on cyber-security experts, thereby allowing the enterprise to take a pre-emptive approach to discovering and tracking security issues. This has resulted in rising salary growth for top cyber-security specialists as companies vie for the best talent. 2. Senior Developer (Front-end Development) 2017 min: $117,000 2017 max: $149,000 YoY growth: + 5.1%

As companies are increasingly focused on customer-centric technology, software developers are in high demand, resulting in an increase in starting salaries for those who not only have a solid knowledge of producing HTML, CSS and JavaScript for a website or web application, but who can also demonstrate effective project management, analytical and leadership skills. 3. Developer (Front-end Development) 2017 min: $87,000 2017 max: $125,000 YoY growth: + 4.9%

Developers will be in hot demand as many companies move to a web-based platform, with the development and enhancement of company software continuing to drive demand as well as an increase in starting salaries for highly qualified and experienced development candidates across all senior ranks. 4. IT Security Specialist 2017 min: $121,000 2017 max: $161,000 YoY growth: + 4.8%

Because companies are confronted with additional security concerns, including mobile, application, and big data analytics security, several areas are experiencing higher demand for specialised skills, yet companies recognise they are competing for a limited pool of IT candidates, which is placing IT security specialists in a favourable position for higher salary gains. The most sought-after candidates, who are able to negotiate above-market salary increases, are those who are familiar with new security software and hardware, have an understanding of emerging systems and are able to confidently use devices and related applications. 5. Senior Developer (Full-stack Development) 2017 min: $113,000 2017 max: $148,000

YoY growth: + 4.5% Developing innovative and market-leading software tailored for companies is a highly specialised area, one that calls for IT professionals with a unique blend of specialist technical skills, creative thinking, and business acumen. These professionals need to be comfortable working across both back-end and front-end technologies  making their area of specialisation highly desirable and placing upwards pressure on starting salaries. 6. Junior Developer (Back-end Development) 2017 min: $68,000

2017 max: $93,000 YoY growth: + 4.4% As companies endeavour to make their websites more sophisticated and customer-focused, demand for junior developers who have well-developed programming skills, who are database-savvy, and who have a thorough knowledge of web services is high which will continue to have a positive effect on starting salaries for these IT professionals. 7. Business Intelligence Analyst 2017 min: $89,000

2017 max: $120,000 YoY growth: + 4.0% Big data offers big potential. With companies realising the power of big data and the impact of using data to make informed, strategic decisions that benefit operations in all departments and impact a company's bottom line, business intelligence analysts are finding themselves in high demand. Experienced BI analysts with an excellent understanding of statistics, well-developed communication and analytical skills are in a good position to negotiate starting salary. 8. Junior Developer (Front-end Development) 2017 min: $71,000

2017 max: $95,000 YoY growth: +3.9% Junior developers who specialise in front-end development will continue to be in demand as businesses increase their focus on customer interaction through an impressive company website  a sought-after area of specialisation that will see starting salaries increase. 9. Business Intelligence Manager 2017 min: $121,000

2017 max: $175,000 YoY growth: + 3.6% Big Data is here to stay. Business intelligence managers, among many other duties, plan and design enterprise-level Business Intelligence (BI) solutions, which add significant value to a company's bottom line. With companies experiencing challenges to source highly skilled BI analysts, these professionals are able to negotiate a highly competitive starting salary. 10. Database Administrator 2017 min: $83,000
Working flexible hours did not mean that Anna Green was any less ambitious than her male colleagues. But she remembers people being surprised when she was promoted to the position of partner at a global consulting firm.

"I was promoted to partner eight months pregnant with my third child, after six years of working three to four days a week on a flexible model," she said.

"I think it really took some strong voices in my organisation to step up for me and say ... she absolutely has the level of ambition we need for someone as a partner at BCG.

"Some people said to me, 'They promoted you and you only work three to four days a week?"
Business as usual in public affairs is often upset by the advent of a new player, whether it be a political, corporate, NGO or union leader. This has happened in the case of the new ACTU secretary Sally McManus. She has disturbed the political environment through her seemingly radical comments in an ABC 7.30 interview and then in an address to the National Press Club.

Such public appearances are par for the course for a new leader but her demeanour and opinions have ruffled feathers more than most. Her opponents sniff a new, more-militant approach because her comments included support for law-breaking when laws are unjust and foreshadowed an ACTU claim for a $45 a week wage increase, almost double any previous claim. She was critical of growing inequality during the Hawke-Keating years in government, too, though Bill Kelty, ACTU secretary during those years and a close partner of Paul Keating in particular, has lined up as one of her staunch defenders.

Since 1995, the Australian Council of Trade Unions has become something of a factory for producing women leaders, like Jennie George, Sharan Burrow and Ged Kearney, but they have generally held the office of president. McManus is the first female secretary, replacing Dave Oliver. She is effectively the ACTU's chief executive, representing through its member unions 15 per cent of the Australian workforce.

Immediate push-back by the Turnbull Coalition government has lifted her profile, making her more of a public figure than her predecessor ever was. Ministers have reacted in unflattering terms and even Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull spoke extravagantly, suggesting the government might even have difficulty dealing with her. That was a silly proposition given McManus's place in public life.
Central bankers are among the most authoritative, cautious and discreet people in the realm of public policy. Because their words carry such weight  they can, for example, instantly move financial markets  they make few public utterances and rarely intervene in sensitive political issues.

So, it is of particular note when the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia enters the debate on the nation's most sensitive political issue, housing affordability, only weeks out from a federal budget.

Tax breaks are fuelling demand, pushing prices out of reach of first home buyers. Credit:Glenn Hunt

This week RBA chief Philip Lowe partially attributed booming housing prices  which many fear will lead to an economically and socially catastrophic bust and which, in the meantime, are locking many out of the property market  to "the taxation arrangements that apply to investment in residential property in Australia".

He is evidently referring to the stimulus in demand for investment properties caused by negative gearing (reducing taxable income by writing off the net costs of borrowing) and the 50 per cent concession on capital gains tax on investment properties.
In a race between two lawyers with similar positions on issues but vastly different professional experiences, former prosecutor Jill Karofsky defeated attorney and municipal judge Marilyn Townsend to become the newest Dane County judge.

Karofsky, 50, will replace Clayton Kawski, who was appointed to the Branch 12 post by Gov. Scott Walker after the departure last year of longtime Judge David Flanagan, who retired. Kawski did not seek election to the post.

"I was really pleased that our message resonated with the voters of Dane County," said Karofsky, who emphasized her qualifications for the job and the issues of racial disparity, access to justice and fairness in the courts. "I think that really resonated with people."

Karofsky was with supporters Tuesday night at the Laurel Tavern on Monroe Street.

"I'm so honored that the voters of Dane County chose to put their trust in me to do this important job," she said.

Karofsky was an assistant and deputy district attorney in the Dane County District Attorney's Office from 1992 to 2001. For nine years after that, she was the director of education and later the general counsel for the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Karofsky has held two posts in the state Department of Justice, as Violence Against Women prosecutor and currently heads the Office of Crime Victim Services.

Townsend, 67, has been a lawyer in private practice for about 30 years and since 2012 has been the municipal judge for the village of Shorewood Hills. She previously served on the village board there.

During the campaign, Townsend talked about her successes representing working-class people before all levels of the judiciary, and about the time she has spent hashing out some important issues as a municipal judge.

"We're disappointed, but I think it was a good race and I was very committed to serving as Dane County Circuit Court judge," Townsend said from her party at the Labor Temple. "But it didn't go our way this evening."

Karofsky argued throughout the campaign that Branch 12, which will hear criminal cases through at least mid-2019, needs a judge who has experience handling criminal cases, like the 10,000 that she said she handled as a Dane County prosecutor.

She will officially step into her new post in August.

Townsend said she is considering a run for an upcoming vacancy created by the recently announced retirement of Circuit Judge John Markson from Branch 1.
While many Queensland residents and businesses affected by Cyclone Debbie and its associated floods will struggle, for the Queensland government, it will represent something of a boon. In fact, in all probability, Queensland will ride a flood tide of economic activity over the next 12 months.

This is in stark contrast to Cyclone Yasi and the 2011 floods. Back then the Bligh government steadfastly refused to reinsure state government assets, choosing instead to free ride on the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements led by the federal government. This saw the federal government pay the majority of the costs of rebuilding public assets, with a little over 25 per cent paid by the state.

The state government will receive massive in-flows of money from the reinsurance program, writes Bill O'Chee. Credit:Glenn Hunt

However, further federal assistance was made conditional on an independent study by the Auditor-General, which was scathing of the Bligh government's refusal to reinsure its assets. As a consequence, the Queensland government was made to take out reinsurance from 2012 onwards.

The 2011-12 State Budget estimated the damage to state roads at more than $2.8 billion, and the damage to other government assets at more than $2.7 billion.
"The reality is, and evidence has been given to Senate Committees, where people that have been in gay relationships have gone into heterosexual relationships and I believe that can happen courtesy of the evidence," he proudly told Samatha Maiden on Sky News on Tuesday.

"My complaint has been that when people say that they have moved from a gay relationship to a heterosexual relationship, they are never reported yet when people say they were in a straight relationship going into a gay relationship then that is all that's reported."

"All I seek, and I don't think it's too much to ask, is for a bit of balance in the reporting by Australia's journalists of the actual evidence, the real evidence I think we all know people that have been, if I can call it that, a straight relationship who have gone on to be in a gay relationship and people then doing the opposite and the fact that both occur in society is an established fact and why we can't report on the two way traffic."

Now, there are those who unfairly interpreted Abetz's statements as the gibbering of a scared man who hates and fears the threat of natural human sexuality.

However, such assessments miss the sincere beauty at the heart of his words. Let us instead recognise his statement for what it clearly is: a message of solidarity with a segment of our population who have been sidelined in the public discourse for too long.
Melanie Brown, aka Mel B, has filed a restraining order against her estranged husband, Stephen Belafonte, accusing him of domestic violence, sexual blackmail and getting their nanny pregnant.

Belafonte, 41, has been ordered to stay away from the former Spice Girls star, also 41, and her three children. The pair have one biological daughter together - Madison Brown Belafonte, five. Mel B has two other daughters, Angel Murphy Brown, 10, with actor Eddie Murphy and Phoenix Gulzar, 18, with her ex-husband, former backing dancer Jimmy Gulzar.

In her declaration to the court, as seen by TMZ, Brown alleged that on multiple dates the film producer attacked her during their 10-year marriage.

In November 2007, on the day of her Dancing with the Stars US finale she says Belafonte tried to choke her and slammed her onto hardwood floors. She said, he would "beat me down to let me know he was in charge".
A staff member on Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls' team will be "strongly counselled" after revelations he spoke with One Nation powerbroker James Ashby.

The ABC's Four Corners revealed a secret recording of Mr Ashby, Pauline Hanson's chief of staff, apparently speaking about a deal with the LNP in Queensland.

Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls says a staff member was "acting without authority" when he contacted One Nation powerbroker James Ashby.

"I got a phone call this morning from the chief of staff of Tim Nicholls," Mr Ashby said in the recording.

"I have an agreement with the Liberal National Party, I've made one commitment to them, one agreement and I'll be up front with you  I've made a commitment that we will not go out there and slag them for the sake of slagging them."
Christian Porter has been dubbed "The Leader of the Canberra Six" in a stinging attack from a long-time Liberal Party donor.

Wealthy businessman Julian Stawell recently called into question the level of advocacy Mr Porter provides for his home state.

Minister for Social Services Christian Porter has been dubbed leader of the 'Canberra Six'. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Stawell last month wrote to the CEO of the 500 Club, a group that raises funds for the conservative party, denouncing the ineffective advocacy of the six Liberal cabinet ministers from WA, who he dubbed 'The Canberra Six', and calling for support to be withheld from them.

News of the letter caused a ruckus around the city, with Mr Stawell reporting that the flood of responses he received were "very supportive".
A Perth wife on trial accused of fatally stabbing her husband in the chest, did so in self defence, her lawyer will allege.



Vainerii Taungaroa Emile-Bruning, 40, is accused of murdering Allan Bruning, 41, at their Maddington home after a social barbecue with friends in April 2016.



During his opening address in the WA Supreme Court, state prosecutor David Thiering said Ms Emile-Bruning had stabbed her husband in the heart with a fileting knife after a verbal argument turned physical in their garage.



"The central issue is whether or not at the time she stabbed the deceased, she was acting in self-defence," he said.



"It is the state's case she was not... her stabbing him was not a reasonable response to that threat.



"She could have and should have called for help... run away.



"She stabbed him out of anger and frustration, she was fed up with him."



Defence lawyer Anthony Eyers, however, claimed Ms Emile-Bruning's actions were in response to her "extremely intoxicated" husband's vicious attack.



He told the jury Mr Bruning's post-mortem blood-alcohol reading was more than six times the legal driving limit, while Ms Emile-Bruning's was under the limit.



"Whilst within the family home she broke free from a vicious attack... then fled to the kitchen where she armed herself with the first weapon (a fileting knife)," Mr Eyers said.



"She warned her enraged partner away, he ran at her and was stabbed as he did so, a single, fatal blow.



"The state say she unlawfully killed her husband, we say she lawfully did acting in self defence."



The trial, expected to take several days, will hear from a number of witnesses including police, friends and family, medical experts and the couple's neighbour who rang 000.






if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
Madison voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly chose more of the same on an increasingly independent City Council.

Arvina Martin, who will be the council's first Native American member, soundly beat fellow newcomer Bradley Campbell in a race for a lone open seat in council's 11th District, while four council incumbents downed challengers in other contested races.

"It's overwhelming, really," Martin said Tuesday night. "I think a lot about my relatives and those who have come before me. I'm grateful and hope I can live up to this responsibility and expectations and be a good role model."

Ald. Barbara Harrington-McKinney defeated David Handowski in the 1st District. Ald. Zach Wood easily defeated John Terry Jr. in the 8th District. Ald. Maurice Cheeks trounced Steve Fitzsimmons in the 10th District. And Ald. Sheri Carter easily beat Jose Eladio Rea in the 14th District.

Fifteen other council incumbents ran unopposed.

The election contrasts sharply with the spring of 2015, when five incumbents didn't run and voters chose seven new members. Usually, about one-fourth of the council turns over every two years.

This spring, only one council member, Ald. Tim Gruber, 11th District, didn't seek re-election. Gruber had served from 2005 to 2009 but then was appointed to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of former Ald. Chris Schmidt in March 2016. Gruber said he wouldn't seek re-election.

Based on Tuesday's results, council President Mike Verveer said he doesn't foresee major changes in how the council operates, its priorities or its sometimes strained relations with Mayor Paul Soglin.

"I think it's business as usual," Verveer said. "I don't think there will be any dynamic changes on the council in any shape or form."

But he added, "the city is getting its first Native American elected official. That's something to celebrate."

The new council will be seated and elect new leadership on April 18.

In the campaign, Martin, 37, a statewide tribal liaison for the state Department of Transportation and chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin's American Indian Caucus, prioritized the city's infrastructure; building the Midtown Police Station on schedule; smart development in the Hilldale area; and addressing racial disparity.

She believes she won because she grew up in the district and is known there, and her desire to listen.

Harrington-McKinney, winning a second term on the Far West Side, cited as priorities timely construction of the Midtown police station; alternative routes to the proposed expansion of Jeffy Trail; and continuing to build inter-community activity.

Wood, earning a second term in the student-dominated district near UW-Madison, vowed to be a strong advocate for the greater campus area, support more affordable and diverse housing, and fight to create a more equitable community.

Cheeks, who won a third term on the West and Southwest sides, said his priorities are reducing opportunity gaps and inequality, trying new techniques to broaden citizen engagement and designing plans for future growth that bring economic and societal benefits.

Carter, winning a second term on the South Side, said her priorities are employment, education and homelessness.

Cheeks by far raised the most money  perhaps a record  among candidates in the contested races. He raised $16,505 between Jan. 1 and March 20, according to campaign finance filings. Adding the $3,689 he started the reporting period with, he had a whopping $20,194 to spend during the period. No one else raised more than $7,800 during the period.
State schools superintendent Tony Evers on Tuesday easily defeated former Whitnall School District superintendent Lowell Holtz, securing a third term leading the state's Department of Public Instruction.

The only statewide race in Tuesday's general election was called within 30 minutes of the polls closing at 8 p.m. in Wisconsin, with Evers ultimately garnering 70 percent of votes and Holtz receiving 30 percent.

Evers, who was still at his Madison home playing Euchre with his family when he was informed of his victory by a Wisconsin State Journal reporter, said he was "humbled" and "pleased."

"I feel great," Evers said. "I think it's a reflection of not only our successes but I think our vision for our future is a little more positive (than Holtz's) so were looking forward to (four) more years."

Holtz told reporters in a phone call after the race was called that he hopes more substantial progress in improving academic success among black students will occur under Evers in his third term.

"I'm really hoping that while I might not be in the position that I wanted to be (tonight), I really hope that we raised issues and awareness -- that parents shouldnt have to put up with failing schools," Holtz said. "I'm praying that Tony really steps up to the plate and turns things around."

Holtz, who unsuccessfully ran against Evers in a 2009 primary, said he attributes his loss to the stark difference in how much money each campaign was able to raise. He said while he didn't personally seek outside interest groups' financial assistance, such help could have made a difference in the outcome of the race.

Though officially nonpartisan, Evers ran a campaign largely supported by Democrats and focused on promoting public schools. Holtz drew support from mostly conservatives and promoted his support of taxpayer-funded school vouchers and opposition to the Common Core academic standards.

Holtz's campaign also focused on the state's gap in academic achievement between black and white students -- which is considered to be the largest in the nation by some measures.

Evers attributed his victory to a campaign focused on successes among the state's public schools rather than shortcomings. But Holtz said on Tuesday he didn't regret the message of his campaign.

"I'm not going to walk around with rose-colored glasses if we're failing generations of African-American kids," Holtz said.

Evers throughout the campaign defended his record as DPI superintendent on the issue, saying poverty has the most influence over a student's likelihood of academic success -- and that while he has led curriculum changes and other efforts to improve academic achievement in Milwaukee, schools can't alone overcome effects of poverty.

While Evers is the only liberal-leaning head of a major state agency, he said he didn't view the win -- by a more than two-to-one margin -- as a victory for any particular political bloc of voters.

"I think it says people are really supportive of their public schools," Evers said, adding that he didn't see the results of the race as a victory for school voucher opponents. "I think it is for some people, but I view it as a pro-kid win."

Ron Martin, president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, said in a statement that voters on Tuesday "rejected" Holtz's support of the "expansion of private school charters and vouchers at the expense of public schools."

Both Evers and Holtz said they did not know Tuesday whether they would run again in 2021, when Evers' third term expires.

Tuesday's election came after an tumultuous race that began with an explosion of accusations of lying, doctoring documents and alleged election bribery surrounding Holtz and former candidate John Humphries before the primary election in which Holtz finished a distant second to Evers who garnered about 70 percent of votes in that race, too.

Days before the Feb. 21 primary election, Humphries released a document to reporters showing Holtz had sought a $150,000-per-year job on a three-year contract with DPI, including a personal driver, if Holtz dropped out of the race and Humphries won the general election, and he offered the same to Humphries if he dropped out of the race.

Holtz began his campaign against Evers after the two prevailed in the primary defending himself over the alleged job offer deal, which Evers ultimately used in television advertisements aired in the last weeks of the race.

Holtz also was accused of illegally using his Whitnall School District email address to mount his statewide campaign after emails released to liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now and reporters showed him discussing the campaign with his wife using his taxpayer-financed district email account. He denied the discussions were illegal.
The state Senates Republican majority on Tuesday batted down a series of Democratic amendments to a bill rolling back regulations on high-capacity wells that scientists have linked to shrinking lakes and dried up sections of streams in the Central Sands region of the state.

But Democrats, irked by what they described as the majority partys secrecy with the bill, employed a procedural maneuver that forced the GOP majority to postpone passage of the legislation at least until Wednesday morning.

During several hours of debate Tuesday afternoon, Republicans amended the bill in a bid to answer one concern raised by conservationists  as well as to smooth the way for passage in the state Assembly.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, the bills sponsor, told senators the bill maintains constitutional protections of Wisconsin waterways.

At the same time, we have to make sure we have a balance so that agriculture can continue to flourish, Fitzgerald said.

Senate Democrats described the bill as a bid to privatize Wisconsins water for large agricultural producers at the expense of neighboring property owners  including anglers, waterfront property owners and other farmers.

The first people who are at risk of losing their water are the farmers who live next door to the farmers that have the high-capacity well, said Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, a Democrat from rural Alma.

Among those supporting the bill are the state Dairy Business Association and the Potato and Vegetable Growers Association as well as lobbying groups for other large-scale water users such as sand and gravel producers and food-processing businesses.

The legislation is sensitive for lawmakers with constituents who live or vacation in the Central Sands where lakes have receded, leaving docks high and dry. Anglers are concerned about damage to aquatic habitat when water gets too low or disappears.

On a 19-13 party-line vote, the Senate approved an amendment offered by a newly elected Republican from a Central Sands district to alter the boundaries of areas where groundwater would be studied under the bill.

Sen. Patrick Testin, of Stevens Point, said the changes would add watersheds that have greater concentrations of wells and declining water levels, while taking other areas out. Testin said studies would be added for 14-Mile Creek, 10-Mile Creek, Plainfield Lake and Long Lake.

Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said in a Tuesday press conference that the amendment likely would help the bill in his chamber. Thats significant because the two chambers passed different versions of a high-capacity well bill last session but were unable to reconcile them. Vos, R-Rochester, said he expects the Assembly to take up the newly amended bill next month.

Senate Bill 76 would remove state regulators ability to review environmental effects of wells when they are being replaced or sold. Unlike other state permits aimed at protecting the environment, a high-capacity well permit never expires.

The bill and its Assembly companion, AB 105, also call for Department of Natural Resources studies of portions of the Central Sands. The studies would take up to three years and possibly result in legislative action to remedy or prevent damage to waters.

Conservationists have objected to allowing years of continued and increased pumping, and pointed out that the study areas covered only about 25 percent of the Central Sands protected exceptional resource waters, 21 percent of its trout streams and 18 percent of its high-capacity wells.

On the Assembly side, where the GOP majority is 64-35, Rep. Scott Krug, R-Nekoosa, has been involved in previous groundwater legislation. Krug said he couldnt support AB 105 unless it is amended to create a groundwater study covering much or all of the Central Sands.

But on Tuesday while watching the Senate debate, Krug said Testins amendment shifts the studies to areas most affected by high-capacity wells, so he will be able to support it when it reaches the Assembly.

Krug also has called for limiting pumping by replacement wells to the amount of water withdrawn by the well being replaced, and said that when a well is sold there should be disclosure of more information to the DNR about the new owners plans for pumping.

Second try for bill

The bill was introduced by Fitzgerald, whose Republican caucus holds a 20-13 majority, a wider margin than the GOP had last year when a similar bill passed the Senate but wasnt enacted. In 2016, the state Assembly  also under control of Republicans  passed its own version of the legislation.

The Senate version lacked a provision that the Assembly bill included that would have expanded the right of people to seek compensation in court if their drinking water, lakes or streams were harmed by industrial-grade wells. The two houses couldnt agree, so the legislation died.

This year, identical versions  without the expanded legal protection  were introduced in the Assembly and Senate. The Assembly bill is currently under consideration by a committee.

Scientific evidence has been mounting for decades showing that in the Central Sands, pumping contributes directly to lower surface water levels, but Republicans say more study is needed.

The change was prompted by Republican Attorney General Brad Schimels opinion that the DNR didnt have authority to consider the broader impact because that authority isnt specified in state law.

Sen. Janis Ringhand, an Evansville Democrat who is a member of the Senate Labor and Regulatory Reform Committee, tried to offer two amendments to SB 76. One would have created a 10-year review of well permits. The other would have required the DNR to consider cumulative impact.

However, the committee chairman, Sen. Stephen Nass, R-Whitewater, said Ringhand offered the amendments too late to be considered. In a 3-2 party-line vote, the committee sent the bill to the full Senate on March 28.

Democrats and conservation groups complained that the vote was taken without a public meeting.

Nass spokesman said the bill had been aired in a nine-hour public hearing and was debated last year.

For Tuesdays Senate session, Ringhand introduced an amendment to remove a portion of the bill that would prohibit legal challenges in the courts or through administrative avenues to the DNRs studies or its reports to the Legislature.

Contact Steven Verburg at 608-252-6118 or sverburg@madison.com. Contact Mark Sommerhauser at 608-252-6122 or msommerhauser@madison.com.

State Journal reporter Matthew DeFour contributed to this report.
First it was Steve Bannon. Then it was Fox News. Now, a new name has floated to the top of Trevor Noahs Who is the Real President? list: Jared Kushner.

This week, President Donald Trumps son-in-law made a surprise trip to Iraq where he received an update on the status of the counter-ISIS campaign, according to a statement from the White House. But Kushner, he wouldnt reach the number one spot in our real president standings if that were his only responsibility, The Daily Show host said Tuesday night.

Kushner has also been tasked with planning Chinese President Xi Jinpings visit to Mar-a-Lago later this week as well as bringing peace to the Middle East. Like Trump said, Plan me a party for me and the Chinese president and also create peace in the Middle East, Noah joked, imagining Kushners response: What? Thats insane! I dont even know what your favorite color balloons are, man!

So, defeating ISIS, bringing peace to the Middle East, thats a lot of responsibility, Noah added. But maybe, just maybe, Jared Kushner has a shot. If he focuses on nothing else.

With that, he revealed the other minor task Trump has given to Kushner: leading the newly-created White House Office of American Innovation, which includes reforming the criminal justice system, veteran care, dealing with the opioid epidemic and essentially changing how the entire federal government is run.

Thats all, Noah said. Wow, Trump is giving Jared Kushner so much to do. And here you were bitching about your father-in-law asking you to set up the wifi.
The first scene of Daniels Husband is so delightfully charming and funny that you settle into your seat at New Yorks Cherry Lane Theatre, ready to spend a happy evening with an appealing gay couple and two of their friends.

Dont get too comfortable. By the last scene you may be sniffling instead of smiling. What happens along the way goes well beyond the plays ostensible topic of marriage equalityits a profound look at love and commitment and the uncertainties of life.

Daniel and Mitchell are the likable couple who seem perfectly matchednot to mention perfect. Daniel (played with panache by Ryan Spahn) is a handsome and successful architect who has decorated a beautiful home and cooks up a flawless dinner party, including creme brulee. His partner Mitchell (an excellent Matthew Montelongo) is a successful writer of popular fictionthough he self-deprecatingly calls himself a gay Barbara Cartland.

Their guests at that dinner party are Mitchells close friend Barry (Lou Liberatore) and the young date he has brought along, Trip. Hes so young, in fact, that he skips across the stage and when the names Cyndi Lauper and Madonna come up, he smilingly says that he remembers hearing his grandmother talking about them.

But as with every character in this extremely well-written play by Michael McKeever, Trip goes well beyond the stereotype you might expect. He may be young enough never to have held a record album before (Daniel collects them) but he turns out to be thoughtful and caring and much wiser than his older date.

Daniel and Mitchell have been together for seven years and are engagingly in lovebut not engaged. When Trip expresses surprise, Mitchell explains that he does not believe in gay marriage.

How can you not believe in it? Its not like its Santa Claus, says Trip (played by Leland Wheeler).

Mitchell goes into an impassioned diatribe about marriage being a musty contract and an archaic institution forged in that crucible of all things evilreligion and Madison Avenue.

While that may be a reasonable complaint against all marriage, he feels even more passionately against gay marriage. Mitchell doesnt understand why his community now aspires to be average and follow standard paths. I love being unique in a world thats full of normal, he says. As a gay man, I relish not being like everyone else.

Daniel ends the lecture and reminds him that its a party. But a week later they discuss it again, just the two of them, and Daniel admits that he wants to be married. He doesnt want to wake up one day and wonder why they didnt take the opportunity when they could.

Im not going to live with that kind of regret, he says.

Though the play doesnt touch on politics, you can feel the undercurrent of concern that none of us know what rights are yet to be taken away.

The scene ends with a dramatic twist that changes everythingand leaves both Daniel and Mitchell living with a much deeper regret than they could ever have dreamed.

It would be wrong to reveal too much, because playwright McKeever takes such a powerful and unexpected turn that you are left gasping.

But thats what happens in life, isnt it?

The fact that Daniel and Mitchell arent legally married becomes a problem in letting them stay together. And yet Mitchells earlier stancethat you can love someone without a piece of paper to prove itis also proven right.

Daniels mother Lydia (played by Anna Holbrook) becomes an important player in their lives. Her first appearance in their home is as full of humor as that opening dinner party scene. Lydia calls Mitchell and Daniel her two wonderful boys and seems genuinely to adore both of them.

Even after the upheaval, when Lydia ultimately comes between Daniel and Mitchell, McKeever doesnt make it easy to hate her. Maybe Lydia is self-centered, but that doesnt seem to be all that motivates her.

Plays with a social message can sometimes feel more pedantic than dramatic. But this beautifully written and powerfully acted show avoids that problem. It tells us that it is both a gift and a torment to love someone very much. And no, it doesnt require a piece of paper.

Daniels Husband is at the Cherry Lane Theatre, NYC, through April 28. Book tickets here.
Britain is a country in turmoil.

Since Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50, setting in motion Britains departure from the European Union, the pro-Brexit tabloids have hit a roll. First, came news that Britains old blue passports might make a return. Thenand this is ongoingthe possibility of going to war over Gibraltar, a hulking piece of British-territorial rock off the coast of Spain, was raised.

And now, a new national fury surrounds Easter eggs.

Condemnation has been heaped upon Cadbury and the National Trustfamed owner of stately homes of the Downton model, usually full of beaky weekend visitors exclaiming over sconcesfor dropping Easter from adverts for egg hunts they are holding around the country.

The Trust had renamed its Easter Egg Trail to the Great British Egg Huntand righteous Christian fury was about to rain down on them.

The controversy reached such heights that Prime Minister Theresa Maynot averse to controversy herself (she arrived in Riyadh, greeting dignitaries without a headscarf)has opined that the National Trust is absolutely ridiculous for taking Easter off the title of the egg hunts.

In an interview with ITV News, Mrs. May sounded quite stirred up. Well, Im not just a vicars daughter. Im a member of the National Trust as well. I think the stance theyve taken is absolutely ridiculous. And I dont know what theyre thinking about frankly. Easter is very important. Its important to me. Its a very important festival for the Christian faith for millions across the world. So, I think what the National Trust is doing is frankly just ridiculous.

Mrs. May voiced this view of chocolate Easter eggs and their centrality to religious belief with way more passion than anything she has yet pronounced on Brexit.

The Church of England thundered that Cadburys marketing campaign highlights the folly in airbrushing faith from Easter.

Religious grousing over the decline of the true meaning of Christmas and Easter is nothing new. And it is true that shops are awash with eggs of different prices and sizes (many tested and star-rated in the nations newspapers). Easter weekend is a sweet slick of chocolate overload. Its all about the eggs in Britain.

The complicating factor is Cadbury itself. Their chocolate is a national mainstay, the bar you reach for in the newsagent for a quick treat; the makers of many much-loved products like Creme Eggs, with their slick of white sugary gunk inside with a yolk-like yellow puddle in the middle.

Founder John Cadbury was a Quaker, and the company grew to a much-cherished national brand, with a strong social ethos.

However, Cadburyever since Hersheys took on the production of its chocolate in the U.S.has been criticized for the taste of their chocolate becoming irredeemably worse, at least in America.

There was an international incident over the changing of the recipe of Creme Eggs in 2015.

Cadbury may be part of a corporate behemoth now, but the Archbishop of Yorks criticism to the Telegraph harked back to its history. The Cadburys were great Quaker industrialists. If people visited Birmingham today in the Cadbury World they will discover how Cadburys Christian faith influenced his industrial output.

He built houses for all his workers, he built a church, he made provision for schools. It is obvious that for him Jesus and justice were two sides of the one coin.

To drop Easter from Cadburys Easter Egg Hunt in my book is tantamount to spitting on the grave of Cadbury.

Not so, said Esther McConnell, great great great great grand-daughter of John Cadbury himself, who tweeted, Im sure John Cadbury (my g. g. g. g. grandfather) is not spinning in his grave. As a Quaker, he didnt celebrate Easter.

Cadbury and the National Trust both professed themselves stung.

It is clear to see that within our communications and marketing we clearly state the word Easter and include it in a number of promotional materials, including our website, where we do also promote our partnership with National Trust at this seasonal time of year, said Cadbury.

Actually, the choc-makers werent so stung they didnt attempt to sell a few more eggs. We invite people from all faiths and none to enjoy our seasonal treats, which can be found around Easter time.

There was also a defensive tweet.

A National Trust spokesman said: Its nonsense to suggest the National Trust is downplaying the significance of Easter. Nothing could be further from the truth.

But again, their outrage did not deter them from trying to get more people into their country houses.

We host a huge program of events, activities and walks to bring families together to celebrate this very special time of year. A casual glance at our website will see dozens of references to Easter throughout.

No one has yet had the temerity to point out that egg hunts themselves are hardly religious, and the marketing, production, purchase, and consumption of millions of Easter eggs even less so.

Still, by late Tuesday, the Church and Mrs. May had prevailed, and the National Trust had reinserted Easter in its description of the egg hunts. Its website now reads: Join the Cadbury Egg Hunts This Easter.

It may not be lost on some in the Church that Easter still remains detached from egg huntswhich are still qualified by Cadbury rather than the religious festival.

But phew, at least Britain can now return to eating and believing.
The Justice Department is revisiting Obamas police reform efforts, poised to undercut a major part of his legacy and reduce federal pressure on local police departments.

Theres no guarantee as to what exactly will change, or how fast, but as the department reviews agreements it made with troubled police departments during the Obama administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions could reverse policies that civil rights advocates praised and police unions decried. That could impact police departments from Albuquerque to Baltimore.

Chiraag Bains, who was senior counsel in the Justice Departments civil rights division during Obamas presidency, told The Daily Beast Sessions could move to lift some or all of the requirements that court-enforced reform programscalled consent decreesput on local police departments.

I thought stepping back from the consent decree in Baltimore would be a radical stepit is a radical step, he said. That makes me question what else theyre willing to do.

When the Justice Department announced the review Monday evening, it also asked a federal judge for more time to revisit an agreement with Baltimore City, which is started negotiating with the feds after the death of Freddie Gray.

Bains worked on the Civil Rights Divisions investigation of the Ferguson police department after the death of Michael Brown. He said if the Justice Department didnt want to go as far as asking federal judges to lift the consent decrees currently in place on 14 cities around the country, he could signal to them that he wouldnt enforce those decrees as strictly as his predecessor would have.

What happened last night shows the DOJ is beginning to step away from systemic police reform, he said.

Consent decrees are powerful because city officials run the risk of being held in contempt of court if they violate them. To be held in contempt, the Justice Department would typically have to file a motion for contempt with the judge overseeing the decree. Bains said Sessionss move could signal that the Justice Department may give police departments and city officials more leeway before taking that stepmaking their efforts to push for reform less exacting.

Whats most likely is that the Justice Department will look to change the requirements of various consent decrees. Consent decrees typically come with built-in amending processes if one or both parties agree the court order needs to change. Consent decrees could be amended, for instance, to require less paperwork or less data collection on traffic stops. The fact that Sessions is subjecting all the consent decrees to review means changes along those lines are likely.

Many civil rights advocates argue that only court orders can put enough sustained pressure on police departments to create reform. Samuel Walker, professor emeritus of criminal justice at the University of Omaha, said cities that have gone through this process often see improvements.

Theyre not perfect, he said. There has been backsliding in some, particularly Pittsburgh. But most of them are better than they were beforehand, and thats a major achievement.

One of those cities is Newark, New Jersey. Sen. Cory Booker, formerly the citys mayor, criticized Sessionss move, citing Newarks experience under a consent decree.

Im deeply concerned that Attorney General Sessions announcement for a Department of Justice review of federal civil rights agreements with law enforcement would undermine the principle of equal justice for all Americans, he said in a statement. I fear that this announcement paves the way for a retreat from accountability and oversight of allegations of systemic civil rights abuses.

But skeptics of consent decreesnotably, police unionsargue they cost too much, hurt officer morale, and dont work. Chuck Canterbury, who heads the Fraternal Order of Policethe union representing rank-and-file police officerstold The Daily Beast that his group is pleased about Sessionss potential changes.

Canterburys 340,000-member union backed Trumps presidential bid. And he sat by the president when he held a listening session at the White House last week for the union.

Were very optimistic with his approach, he said.

He added that his organization wants the Justice Department to put less pressure on local policesomething he expects from Sessions.

We think the Justice Department should be an agency that collaborates rather than dictates, he said.

And he said he believes DOJ investigations of police departments are sometimes unfair.

You judge the bad actors, you dont judge where they work, he said. Because one officer does something wrong, you dont judge the entire police department based on that action.

In Baltimore, there may be less hope.

Im not the most optimistic person that a consent decree would make any significant changes, said Ericka Alston-Buck, the executive director of the Kids Safe Zone, an area for kids located two blocks from Grays initial arrest.

I think that changes in the police system are almost a Band-Aid to whats really the core issue, she continued. If we had jobs, affordable housing and access to education, I guarantee that our crime rate would be lower.

And Tonette McFadden, who works at a methadone clinic in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood, said residents might not be particularly concerned either way.

I believe that once the decree is put into action, the good police will be hesitant to do their jobs because of the decree, so I dont think the community wins either way, she said. The solution does lie elsewhere. The police are just a small fraction of what ails our community.

Most community members dont understand or believe it will impact us at all, she added. A lot of community members dont really have any hope in the justice system.

with additional reporting by Annalies Winny
When a mother and author in Utah wrote about the near-abduction of her two oldest children last summer, her story went viralas these nightmare stories often do.

In her blog post, How The Tricky People Concept Saved My Boys, Jodie Norton detailed her 8- and 10-year-old sons first real-world experience with the freaky, perverted strangers theyve been intermittently warned about, while they waited alone outside a hospital where she was being treated. As Norton told it, an adult female and two punk males approached her children and tried to lure them in the bathroom with a story about a sick friend, but the boysrecalling a modified stranger-danger lessonwere able to outsmart the predators.

Few audiences are as reliable or insatiable as a collective of panicked parents, and predictably, Nortons cautionary tale caught fire, first making the rounds on social media before being picked up by mainstream outlets like Parenting magazine and the Today show. Her story has grown legs again this month, appearing in The Daily Mail, Womans Day, and PopSugar, among other publications, below headlines like, Mum reveals how her sons escaped abductors lurking in hospital toilet.

Theres just one problem: It doesnt appear to be true.

According to her version of eventswhich she says came straight from the mouths of her boysher two sons were sitting on a bench when they were approached by three strangers who asked the children to help them out by going into the bathroom where her boyfriend was hiding from the doctor and see if they could convince him to come out and get treated.

Remembering that his mother had warned him of tricky people, grownups who ask children for help instead of other adults, her oldest refused their repeated requests with a polite but firm, and ultimately life-saving, No, thank you. The concept of tricky people appears to come from Pattie Fitzgerald, founder of Safely Ever After, an educational company that teaches children how to spot predators.

A neighbor soon arrived to pick up the children, who jumped in his car, but, not before they saw a third adult male come out from the bathroom, jump into the car with these other three hooligans and drive off, according to Norton. Crisis averted.

Norton posted her story last May, and comments began pouring in despite her blogs small audience, with several readers asking whether Norton had reported the attempted abduction to authorities. I know its alarming that it took me several days to figure this out, but please know I did contact the police, she wrote in response. They retrieved the video footage and are pursuing this as far as they legally can.

The police retrieved the hospitals video footage that backed up my boys story 100 percent, she wrote in another post.

Norton told The Daily Beast that the police investigation stalled when authorities were unable to identify the faces of the figures in the video. The police said if they had had a record for doing anything like that then they could nab them for an attempted whateversexual abuse or something, she said.

When contacted by The Daily Beast, the St. George Police department acknowledged Nortons report and the existence of bystanders that matched the boys description of their alleged predatorsbut disputed her version of events. The investigation was closed after surveillance footage was not able to corroborate Ms. Nortons account, public affairs officer Lona Trombley told The Daily Beast.

None of the of the three individuals made contact with the boys, Trombley said.

Norton, who released a book about parenting and family organization skills two months after she wrote about the alleged abduction attempt, said she was surprised by the police account but is sticking to her story.

The consistent and attentive details of my boys account of this event helps me say with confidence that I believe it occurred, Norton wrote in an email.

Why would I lie? she said.

If the police are correct, and Nortons children were never in any danger and needed no saving, she wouldnt be the first to cry predator where there was none.

Last year, Kentucky mom Christa Garrett launched a police investigation into two Muslim men wearing priest attire after she shared on Facebook that the pair had attempted to abduct her child from a shopping cart at Sams Club. Police determined from surveillance footage that no such event occurred.

Just this week, a Southern California mom took to Facebook to write what reporters would later dub a harrowing account of a thwarted abduction by human traffickers of her three small children inside a local IKEA.

According to mom Diandra Toyoss since-deleted post, a well dressed, middle aged man displayed odd behavior that made her almost sure that we were the targets of human trafficking. These predatory behaviors included picking up merchandise, and looking at and walking in the same direction as her family. (Its worth noting that IKEAs are organized in a way that requires shoppers to follow a single path throughout the store.)

I read things like that, and I always think wow, thats so scary I need to be careful. But I also always think that could never happen to me, Toyos wrote. But you guys, it did.

But you guys, it didnt.

Toyos reported the men to IKEA security, who told her they would contact her after reviewing security camera footage. She has yet to hear back, according to CBS News.

The local police are suspicious.

I saw this when it came out, but I am not sure if we were notified by the woman, Gregg Peterson, public information officer for the department, told the network. It definitely appears to be a stretch to consider this a human trafficking issue, but that is just my opinion.

So it seems the millions of parents who shared these stories and commented on them, or read about them from reporters who couldnt be bothered to check, can rest easy; Toyoss children are as safe from human traffickers as Nortons sweet brood are from Utahs local punks.

But is anyone really surprised? Statistically speaking, bathtubs, playground equipment, and family members pose a far greater danger to our children than strangers ever will. Yet despite the rarity of stranger abductionsonly around 100 serious cases happen each year, according to David Finkelhor, a University of New Hampshire professor who directs the Crimes Against Children Research Centerthese too-good-to-check stories persist.

Stranger danger is a very ingrained, long-standing kind of parent anxiety, exacerbated by some elements of modern society, namely that we live in cultures where people are living next to people of other races and backgrounds, Finkelhor told The Daily Beast. [Abduction anxiety] is a kind of culture conflict laid on top of this primordial concern.

The reality is, kids are not safe, he continued. Children are the most criminally victimized segment of the population, but parents who want to keep their kids safe should focus their attention on issues other than strangers and look within their own environments, to siblings and caregivers.

Still for Norton, the fear her post inspiredwarranted or nohas the potential to do more good than harm.

Despite the headaches that have resulted from this post, I dont regret writing about my sons encounter one bit, Norton said. Why? Because perhaps there are children out there who have now been armed by their parents with the skills and knowledge necessary that will one day prove to save them from some kind of abuse.

Knowledge is power, she said.
The Secretary of Homeland Security couldnt have been clearer: ICE agents have the green light to arrest undocumented immigrants in courthousesincluding those there because they are victims of crime.

In a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Homeland Security Sec. John Kelly told Sen. Kamala Harris that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents can arrest anyone they like in courthouses, and that he will not allow for any exemptions for victims and witnesses.

Are you aware that local law enforcement has a concern because this has created a chilling effect among victims and witnesses to crime that has resulted in a reluctance to show up, to actually testify about crimes committed in their community? Harris asked.

I have hard some number of law enforcement people say that, Kelly replied. But Ive also heard the opposite.

The presence of ICE agents in courthouseswhich also happened during the Obama administrationhas drawn harsh criticism from public defenders and immigrants rights groups. They say some undocumented immigrants, including those who would go to court to testify as witnesses in criminal cases or because they have been victims of crime, sometimes dont go to court because they fear ICE agents will arrest them. New York City public defenders recently told The Daily Beast that many legal immigrants are also afraid of going to court because of ICE.

In some jurisdictions, advocates said they hadnt seen a significant uptick in ICE presence since the Obama administration. But in other areas, lawyers and activists say ICEs presence has become much more pronounced.

Harris is co-sponsoring a bill introduced this afternoon to block ICE agents from making arrests at courthouses, schools, and hospitals. The bill is unlikely to get any momentum in the Senate, given Republicans opposition to restrictions on immigration enforcement.

On March 16, California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye asked ICE to stop making arrests in California courthouses in a letter to Kelly and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Courthouses should not be used as bait in the necessary enforcement of our countrys immigration laws, she wrote.

On March 29, Kelly and Sessions fired back, writing that ICE agents wouldnt have to spend as much time looking for people at courthouses if local law enforcement agencies cooperated with them more closely.

With his comments to the committee today, Kelly tripled down on that stance: When it comes to ICE arrests, courthouses arent off limitsand neither are victims of crime or people testifying against alleged criminals.
He got a job as a school bus driver after pleading guilty to child molestation.

In a 1997 interview with investigators, a Minnesota man named Glenn Johnson admitted to inappropriately touching a child while she slept. But a provision in his plea deal kept the charges off the public record. With his guilty plea under wraps, Johnson took a job as a school bus driver for a suburban Minnesota school district. Not even a background check had flagged him as a potential threat to children. Then last month, two high school girls told officials that Johnson, 52, had touched them inappropriately, in a case that mirrored his earlier arrest.

For years, Johnson remained off sex offender registries under an obscure provision in Minnesota law called a Stay of Adjudication, KARE 11 first reported. The provision allows some sex offenders to plead guilty and keep their offender status off of registries and publicly available court records. Such was the case in 1997, when an underage girl told authorities that Johnson had climbed into bed with her and rolled on top of her early one morning, according to a police report provided to by The Daily Beast by the Anoka County Attorneys Office. She told police Johnson touched her groin over her underwear. The girl told authorities that she feared what people would say about her after she made the police report.

In an interview with investigators, Johnson admitted to touching the girl in between the legs with a sexual intent. He was charged with two counts of criminal sexual conduct, for which he faced up to a combined 35 years in prison and a $55,000 fine. But when Johnson entered a guilty plea, an Anoka County court offered him a Stay of Adjudication. Under the deal, Johnson avoided a formal conviction. He would remain out of jail, pay $300 to cover court fees, and have his record withheld from the sex offender registry.

The agreement presented to the Court contemplated no executed jail time, no sex offender treatment, and no sex offender registration, the court ruled. Defendant submitted to two psychological assessments. Both assessors opined that Defendant was not a risk to public safety and not in need of sex offender treatment.

The case disappeared, even when Johnson applied to become a school bus driver, a job that required a special drivers license and background check.

Kottkes Bus Service, the school bus company where Johnson worked, required all drivers to complete a criminal background check. But with no official conviction and no listing on the sex offender registry, Johnsons record looked clean, despite his guilty plea.

And Johnson returned to his old behavior, his alleged victims say. Early in March, two high school girls told school officials that Johnson had made sexual contact with them off school property. One of the girls told a police that Johnson had given her a hug that lasted longer than it should have, during which he allegedly tightened his grip on her and touched her inappropriately under her clothes.

In an interview with police, Johnson admitted to the hug, but claimed nothing illegal had happened.

The defendant acknowledged a hug from [the child] that lasted an inappropriate amount of time, a charging document reads. The defendant stated that he attempted to break up the hug by placing his right hand on [the child]s upper chest and when that didnt work, he placed his hand on her stomach area to try and break free. The defendant was successful in breaking free at this point.

Another girl alleged similar inappropriate contact.

Both cases occurred off school property, and investigators told local media that there was no evidence Johnson took his bus driving job for its proximity to children. Theres nothing to suggest at this point in time that Johnson was acting within his capacity of a bus driver to carry out these acts, Detective Dan Douglas told KARE11.

The school district and Kottkes Bus Service said Johnson had been removed from his role.

The complaints involve incidents that occurred outside of school and were not part of his regular job duties, a representative for Anoka-Hennepin Schools told The Daily Beast in a statement. Families that have students on the route serviced by this driver have already been informed.

Mr. Johnson is not currently employed by Kottkes due to a complaint that occurred outside of his duties for Kottkes, Kottkes told Kare11 in a statement. Our greatest concern is for the safety and wellbeing of the students we transport.

Johnson did not return The Daily Beasts voicemail message on Wednesday. He has been charged with three counts of criminal sexual conduct, for which he faces 60 years in prison and $90,000 in fines if convicted.

And this court appearance will likely be less generous than his last.

My concern simply, Mr. Johnson, is that you not return to court, that you not have any other problems in your behavior, Anoka County Judge Thomas Hayes said when waiving Johnsons conviction in 1998. I think that through this unfortunate experience you have gotten the message that you have to be more careful with your actions, that what you do, no matter what your intention, affects other people.

And I hope you appreciate that.

According to the two girls, he didnt appreciate it enough.
In Ivanka Trumps first public interview since Inauguration Day, the first daughter reminded us of one of her greatest skills: the ability to say a lot, filling the airwaves with her mellifluous and measured voice, without saying anything substantive at all.

Speaking to CBS News Gayle King on Wednesday, Ivanka assured the American people that, in her new and unprecedented role as Assistant to the President, shell weigh in with my father on the issues I feel strongly about. And by the way, Ivanka and her father agree on so many issues, but she makes sure the president knows where I stand when they disagree.

Ivanka wont publicly enumerate where their policy positions diverge, but she speak[s] up frequently and is candid in private. As for what, exactly, shell be doing in her White House role, Ivanka plans to continue the advocacy work that I was doing in the private sectoradvocating for the economic empowerment of women.

If much of this sounds familiar, its because weve heard Ivanka recite this same script countless times before, both during her fathers campaign and in statements since he took office.

In an interview with CNNs Gloria Borger last August, for example, Ivanka said that sometimes her father listens to her when she suggests he could probably do with ratcheting back his rhetoric and rampant id. She promised during her RNC speech that, as president, her father would support womens issues like closing the gender wage gap and making quality childcare affordable and accessible for all.

Did Ivanka make sure her father knew where she stood on the administrations push to replace Obamacare with Ryancare, which did not include maternity care in standard insurance plans? Who knows, but her father threw his weight behind the plan anyway. Did she tell him, candidly, that she disagreed with his immigration ban? Who knows, but hes continued to make an aggressive push for it and harangue any federal judge that blocks it.

Meanwhile, life has continued as usual for Ivanka: family trips to the zoo in between meetings with her father and high-ranking public officials.

But when pressed about critics labeling her complicit in her fathers illiberal policies, Ivanka furrowed her brow and gazed at the ground, as if pausing to maintain her superhuman composure. Then came the classic Ivanka dodge, a non-answer to top all non-answers: If being complicit is wanting to be a force for good and to make a positive impact, then Im complicit.

She made vague promises during the interview on Wednesday about complying with ethics laws by maintaining ownership of her eponymous fashion brand through a trust and avoiding potential conflicts of interest (I take a legal document very seriously), but both Ivanka and her lawyer had already communicated this in previous statements.

Most dumbfounding, though, is her failure to describe what her job will entail beyond advocating for womens economic empowerment. This pitch worked as an inoffensive maxim for selling shoes and handbags. Ivanka was an economically empowered fashion entrepreneur, after allthough well never know if her business was as successful as she proclaimed it to be.

But in the public sector, Ivankas advocacy for womens economic empowerment and education is meaningless until we have any sense of what shes doing beyond decorating her Instagram feed with photo opportunities: looking animated in a recent meeting with businesswomen at the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, where they had a meaningful discussion on small businesses and access to capital!; focused while seated next to German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a robust discussion centered on workforce development; and ecstatic at the National Air and Space Museum with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to celebrate the important role of women and girls in STEM!

In a sign that Ivanka has less influence on her fathers administration than she is telegraphing, the Air and Space Museum visit occurred shortly after President Trump advanced his federal budget in Congress, including plans to cut funding to the office in NASA that oversees support of STEM education for women and girls.

It is unclear what, if anything, has come from all these meetings, appearances, and advocacy work that Ivanka has promoted on social media. Far as we know, Ivanka as unofficial advisor turned assistant to the president is a lot like Ivanka as the head of a fashion brandall pretty packaging and empty-calorie hashtag activism, with #WomensEconomicEmpowerment taking the place of #WomenWhoWork.
Starting in 1909, imprisoned suffragettes protested with life-threatening hunger strikes. In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. In 2012, Malala Yousafzai, undeterred by a Taliban gunmans attempt on her life, continued to advocate on behalf of womens rights and education. And in 2017, supermodel Kendall Jenner participated in a fake protest as part of a Pepsi ad campaign.

On Monday, Americas second favorite cola companylets be real here, Coke would have won the popular votereleased an ad thats tailor-made to the Trump era. Apparently, someone over at Pepsi noticed that, ever since Trump got elected, people have been more inclined to shout things in the street and make genitalia-inspired crafts. How can we capitalize on this political energy? thought the industrious employee. Which hot young celebrity/social-media influencer can we hire to convince consumers that Pepsi is the carbonated soft drink of the Resistance?

Its hard to imagine the brainstorming sessions that led to this tone-deaf campaign, aka Pepsis Live for Now Moments Anthem starring Kendall Jenner and featuring Lions by Skip Marley. Now, as a satirical commercialperhaps a commentary on the paradox of radical revolt under a capitalist systemPepsis Live for Now Moments Anthem is a work of genius. Against a hypnotic soundtrack, we watch diverse young people do artistic things. An Asian man plays a cello. A woman in a hijab does something with a marker. Millennials eat brunch. Meanwhile, supermodel Kendall Jenner is wearing a blond bob at a nearby photoshoot. One by one, these beautiful people abandon their creative endeavors and/or brunches to join a growing march. It is, according to the signs held up by the protesters, a march for Peace and Love. One sign implores citizens to Join the Conversation. One can only imagine that these hordes of good-looking, diverse millennials have been driven to the streets, absolutely fed up with their low-quality conversations and the distinct lack of peace. Where is the love? they ask, as they breakdance, wave their hands in the air, and drink Pepsi.

Jenner is torn between her innate professionalism and her overwhelming desire to march with a bunch of strangers who are protesting nothing. Eventually she gives in, ripping off her wig and running into the fray. But the ad hasnt reached its nadir yet. That comes when Jenner, now leading the protest, runs up to the line of police officers blocking their path and offers one of them a Pepsi. He drinks the soda, and the crowd cheers. Apparently, this was the goal of the vague protest: to convince a police officer to accept a free canned beverage. Kendall Jenner is elated. The screen goes black.

As Elle explained, the image of Jenner approaching the line of solemn cops evokes the picture of Black Lives Matter protester Ieshia Evans getting arrested while marching in Baton Rouge. Whether subconsciously or deliberately, Pepsi is trying to replicate the poignancy of that striking photo: one woman, alone and unafraid, stepping forward to face a legion of heavily armed police officers. Because, at the end of the day, whats the difference between a white model in a national ad campaign and a black activist putting her body on the line in peaceful protest? #KendallJennerMatters, everyone.

Seriously thoughthe only way this frame could have been more offensive was if Jenner was wearing rainbow-dyed dreadlocks (Pepsi defended the ad, calling it an important message to convey). Civil-rights activist DeRay McKesson, a thought leader in the Black Lives Matter movement, has already mocked the ads message, tweeting, If I had carried Pepsi I guess I never wouldve gotten arrested. Who knew?

Awkwardly enough, this isnt the first time Kendall Jenner has participated in a fake protest to get us to buy something. In 2014, she was one of the models who walked in Chanels feminist fashion show. Alongside big names like Cara Delevingne and Gisele Bundchen, Jenner helped turn the catwalk into a street protest scene, complete with inane signs like Free freedom and Womens rights are more than alright! Delevingne even carried a megaphone.

Its one thing to create art inspired by a political movement or a cultural moment. Its quite another to co-opt activist imagery and make it bland and innocuous in an attempt to sell expensive couture or caloric soft drinks. Of course, it was only a matter of time before the so-called #Resistance led to targeted corporate ad campaigns. After all, when Audre Lorde first conceptualized self-care as an act of political warfare for women of color, she never would have guessed that by 2017 it would be a buzzword used to market facemasks and scented candles to white ladies. And the Womens March was a boon for Etsy retailers, with groups of protesters competing to see who had the most pussy memorabilia and the best anti-Trump swag. For every seasoned activist or newly woke constituent, there is a retailer or businessman trying to profit off of their passion.

As surely as the revolution will be televised, it will be monetized.

Still, if youre going to mine the Trump resistance to produce an entirely apolitical ad campaign, you could at least hire a spokeswoman whos politically active off the clock. Jenner, whose main public cause appears to be sleep paralysis, is not that spokeswoman. Jenner was in Paris for Fashion Week during the Womens March. To mark the occasion, she posted a topical Instagram of a protest, captioned, i wish i could have been a part of this amazing history. beyond proud. Of course, Jenner could have easily become a part of this amazing history by going outside and protesting. Weirdly enough, knowing that Kendall Jenner is proud of all of womankind isnt really doing it for meif you can cash a check for acting in a fake Pepsi protest, you can show up to the real Womens March.

Republican conspiracy theorists: if youre still searching for an elusive paid protester, might I suggest Kendall Jenner? You can have her.
Early on the morning of April 5, the U.S. Pacific Command detected a land-based missile launch near Sinpo, North Korea. The Pacific Command initially assessed the missile as a KN-15, also known as the Pukguksong-2. Sinpo is where North Koreas submarine program is based, and is the site of several provocative submarine-launched ballistic-missile (SLBM) tests in 2015 and 2016. Commercial satellite imagery of Sinpo Shipyard shows rapid construction and refurbishment at the facility.

If the launch is indeed a land-based KN-15, why launch it from a submarine site on the east coast? Well, images from the first test of a KN-15 in February 2017 make it look nearly identical to the KN-11their SLBM. It is not the first time North Korea has moved an SLBM to land. The Musudan missile was based on a Soviet SLBM design. Sinpo is not only where they are building the submarines, but the missiles that go on them. North Korea is apparently very interested in growing its SLBM programand perhaps something more.

This is a new and important technology advancement for North Korea. Once North Korea realized it had a successful solid-fuel nuclear-capable SLBM (called the KN-11 or Pukguksong), it became very valuable to them. First, SLBMs are harder for most ballistic-missile defense systems to detect. South Koreas shiny new Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system has a 120-degree directional radar. North Korea could move a submarine behind the radars field of view and launch a missile, defeating the entire purpose of the system.

Second, the missile is solid-fueled, making it very useful for land-based systems. Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia nonproliferation program at the Middlebury Institute (and my boss), predicted North Korea would move the SLBM to a road mobile system last year. North Korea routinely moves missiles around the country on trucks to keep outsiders guessing and increase the survivability of their missiles. In between rotations, they hide their road-mobile missiles in bunkers, warehouses, caves, and highway tunnels.

North Korea has relied almost entirely on liquid-fueled missiles up until this point. North Koreas liquid fuels and oxidizers are corrosive and cannot be stored in a missile for long periods of time. This means road-mobile missiles have to be driven around in convoys with more support vehicles. This formation makes a very noticeable signature for the human and, increasingly, computer-satellite-imagery analysts that examine trillions of pixels of military and commercial imagery of North Korea every day.

In addition, solid-fuel missiles can be launched more quickly because the fuel can be stored in the missile. Rather than taking around an hour to fuel up, North Korean units can drive solid-fueled missiles out from a tunnel, erect them and fire, shaving time off their launch process and making it harder for the U.S., South Korea, and Japan to respond.

North Koreas first test of the KN-15 in February 2017 came from an airbase near the west coast city of Kusong. Not only did they show off their brand new missile, but a rather odd-looking transporter erector launcher (TEL) with it. Unlike most of North Koreas TELs, which are essentially heavy-duty trucks with wheeled chassis, this vehicle looks like a tank with caterpillar treads. Thats probably because it is essentially a tank with caterpillar treads and the factory that made them isnt too far from where the test took place. Leaked cables indicate that the U.S. and Russia have communicated about North Koreas trouble procuring heavy-duty chassis from abroad. Their last big score was tricking Beijing into selling them six trucks, which were later converted into TELs to carry their intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

By moving away from these heavy-duty trucks and toward indigenously produced TELs, North Korea saves money, time, and aggravation. This translates into more launchers. It doesnt matter how many missiles or warheads you have if you cant launch them. North Koreas new TEL can also use its caterpillar treads to go off-road more easily. This may allow for even more hiding places since most satellite imagery analysts are looking for roads that end in caves and bunkers. There isnt a lot of information on how these new TELs move, so they may not have much range and are probably top-heavy, making it hard to go up steep grades, but it creates a headache to track them.

There are a few weird details from the initial announcements of the missile launch. South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff were quoted as saying the missile flew only 60 kilometers from its origin and hit a height (or apogee) of 189km. This is both a shorter distance and apogee than the February test, which flew 500km from Kusong and hit a height of 550 km. Was it a failure? The jury is still out. South Koreas Joint Chiefs say it is premature to conclude success or failure. Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, notes that the range and apogee are typical of a much smaller missile or perhaps that the second stage failed or was a dummy.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson released a three-sentence statement on the launch, which did not inspire confidence. Not only is the KN-15 not an intermediate range missile, but only said: The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment. The entirety of his statement was only 13 more characters than one of President Trumps tweets. Not only did Tillerson not address allies or renew U.S. commitment to the region, but it is not clear what he means. Were done talking, prepare to die? Were done talking, Im going to take a nap? Just wait until we tell Xi Jinping on you?

The following days will reveal more details, and hopefully images from the test that will ultimately determine what was launched. What we should do about it is a much harder question. Xi Jinping and Trump will soon meet at Mar-a-Lago, and North Korea may even conduct another test, just as they did for Japanese Prime Minister Abe. This time I hope Trumps national-security team does not brief Trump in front of a bunch of millionaires eating hors doeuvres on unsecured cellphone cameras. One can hope.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. is reviewing nearly $250,000 in tax credits awarded last year to an outdoor apparel manufacturer that plans to lay off 380 employees in Appleton.

VF Outdoor LLC plans to close its JanSport Collegiate business and manufacturing functions at its Appleton facility affecting about 380 workers starting June 9, the Department of Workforce Development announced Tuesday.

WEDC awarded the company up to $880,500 in tax credits for the Appleton facility if it met certain job creation and retention goals through 2019. WEDC authorized the company to receive $248,735  the first portion of the total amount  last year because the company had maintained 527 jobs and created 40 jobs as of Jan. 3, 2015.

WEDC is reviewing VF Outdoors contract in light of Tuesdays announcement and will take appropriate measures to ensure the company complies with the terms of that contract, WEDC spokesman Mark Maley said. Companies failing to fulfill contractual obligations are subject to clawbacks or denial of tax credit claims.

Since July 1, WEDC has clawed back about $5.4 million in tax credits from six companies, Maley said.

DWD also announced Tuesday that Compass Group USA would be shuttering its Chartwells Dining Services operation in Whitewater on May 31 affecting about 302 employees.

In both cases, a DWD rapid response team is reaching out to each company to offer services to the affected business and workers.

Gov. Scott Walker recently announced that German candy maker Haribo plans to open its first North American facility in Pleasant Prairie by 2020 creating 400 new jobs. Details of a WEDC award to the company have not been disclosed yet.
Louis C.K.s new Netflix special 2017, filmed one week before Inauguration Day in Washington D.C., does not contain one joke about Donald Trump. When the comedian appeared on The Tonight Show last week, Jimmy Fallon declined bringing up the presidents name.

But Stephen Colbert was not going to let C.K. go without getting his latest thoughts on the man he once called Hitler and an insane bigot in a letter to his fans.

It took him until their second segment together to broach the topic, but Colbert wanted to know why C.K. has since said he regrets making those scathing comments about the man who would go on to win the 2016 presidential election.

I dont take it back, I regret it. Theres a difference, C.K. said. I regret saying it. It doesnt mean its not true. Its a messy thing, you know, its how I was feeling at the time. And I said it to a lot of people. It just was more people than I thought were going to read it.

Now, C.K. said he has realized Trump is not as profound as he once thought he was. I thought he was some new kind of evil. But hes just a lying sack of shit.

Using his unique gift for language, C.K. explained to Colbert the difference between someone who has lied before, a person who lies once in a while, who cant quite stay within the bounds of truth, and a straight-up liar. Then, he said, you have lying sacks of shit like President Donald Trump.

He likes it! C.K. said, imitating Trump laughing as he tweets and saying, It wasnt even true! And then I said they were liars!

Hes just a gross, crook, dirty, rotten, lying sack of shit, he continued to cheers from the audience before acknowledging, And thats not a courageous position in this room.

To possibly the one Trump voter in Colberts crowd, C.K. said, Hes the victim of the lying. Thats the guy he lied to. He didnt lie to me. Everybody else was like, Yeah, no, thats not true. But that guy bought it.

Its not a political position, C.K. clarified. Its just when you look at someone you go, that guys a lying sack of shit.

Colbert said he found it refreshing, in a way, to see somebody who lies so much, to which C.K. responded, I dont think his name is Donald Trump. (As John Oliver informed us more than a year ago, his familys real name is Drumpf.)

Dont you want God to show up and say, I was just kidding, about everything? C.K. asked. I just wish that he would. The good news, he added, is that Trump is just one guy. But on the flipside, as wonderful as C.K. thought President Obama was, half of Chicago shot the other half of Chicago while he was president and we bombed a bunch of weddings in Yemen.

I wish people would show up and do something, he continued. And to the people who didnt vote, who didnt like Hillary Clinton, C.K. said, They didnt even show up to give him an opposite Congress, they didnt even show up for that, they just didnt want to.

But voting isnt something you do because you want to. You dont look at it like, what do I want, what do I feel? he said. Instead, he explained, people should be asking themselves, What will happen if I dont?

Thats called being an adult, C.K. said.
UNITED NATIONSNikki Haley, the new (or fresh, as shes often described here) American Ambassador at the United Nations had been seen by Turtle Bay insiders as more of a star politician than detail-oriented diplomacy wonk.

That may have changed Wednesday, when Haley acted as the president of the UN Security Council for the month of April at a moment of major international crisis. In an emergency session, she hinted that America could act unilaterally if the council failed to meaningfully address a horrific and deadly chemical attack in Syria.

She also inserted a particularly poignant paragraph to a proposed council resolution. If adopted by the 15-members, that provision could create a world of trouble to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and particularly to military officials responsible for the attack at Khan Shaykhun, an area in the southern part of Syrias Idlib province.

Syria denied it was responsible for the deaths of at least 70 people, including many children, in the Tuesday bombing, widely believed to involve a chemical agent like sarin.

Russian officials suggested the attack was the result of a bombing in an area where terrorists stockpiled chemical munitions, possibly stolen from Iraq or Syria. Western diplomats dismissed that explanation as unlikely, explaining that a bombing on a chemical munition factory, depending on the agent, would have either produced large fires and result in a much higher death toll or destroy the chemical without creating any harm at all.

In her speech, Haley produced two posters of choking children, mouths foaming, their near-naked bodies sweating. She dared the council to stay mum, as her folksy, southern politician style turns solemn. Months of futile diplomatic activity to end the six-year war have failed, she said, because Assad, Russia and Iran have no interest in peace.

And then she tacked an ominous line near the end of her speech: When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action.

Speculation followed: Was she talking about unilateral military action? Did she hint at imposing U.S. sanctions that would cripple Syrias access to the worlds major banks? Is America about to enter the fray in the most consequential war of the 21st century?

Or was she just daring Russiawhose deputy ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov, told the council that theres no particular need for a new resolution?

Im sure this got the attention of the Russians and the Chinese, a Western diplomat, who asked not to be named so he can speak freely, told The Daily Beast. He referred to two of the council permanent members with veto powers, who had used their no vote seven times before to shield Assad from diplomatic rebuke.

Hours before the council met Wednesday morning, the council's three other permanent membersthe United States, Britain and Francecirculated a draft resolution that would condemn Tuesdays attack in Khan Shaykhun and call on international bodies to investigate it.

According to two sources, U.S. diplomats provided the most effective punch in that resolutionits paragraph 5, which emphasized the Syrian regimes obligation to cooperate with inspectors.

That paragraph demanded Syria provide inspectors with flight plans, flight logs and any other information on air operations on the day of the attack. It also called on the regime to fork over names of relevant helicopter squadrons commanders, account for their superiors' activities five days prior to the attack and allow access to relevant airfields.

In short, paragraph five demanded that Damascus hand over members of the Syrian army who, if found complicit, had committed what several council members and American officials dubbed a war crime.

A diplomat who is not on the council speculated that the tough paragraph may have been an attempt to raise stakes, so Russia, which has consistently defended the Assad regime at the Security Council, would agree to a less demanding resolution, breaking the string of no votes and the council's inaction.

Mid-afternoon diplomats said Russia had proposed its own resolution text, starting either a prolonged negotiation toward a Thursday morning at the earliest, or dead end that would end in a veto or no resolution at all.

But it was talk of a possible unilateralism that raised hopes among some in the Arab Middle East, who had lost heart after the previous administration failed to act in August 2013, when an even larger chemical attack in Syria crossed what President Obama defined at the time as an American red line.

President Trump should now sit with Putin and lay new red lines, saying that America will go in if Assad crosses them, Yemens ambassador at the UN, Khaled Alyemani, told me. He added that Trump may be in a better position to act if Assad crossed his line than Obama was in 2013.

He expressed big expectations in several corners of the world, hoping for a return to a more active America in world affairs. "We need an America that is seriously committed to a solution in Syria," Francois Delattre, France's UN ambassador told reporters.

The Idlib attack had a big impact on me, Trump said Wednesday, adding, My attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed. But he would not tip his hand and, as before, extolled the virtue of unpredictability in international affairs, telling reporters he wouldnt reveal his plans publicly.

With threats of fund-cutting and calls to change Turtle Bays old ways, Haley almost instantly became the UNs most feared presence. But she is yet to score a major diplomatic breakthrough. True, its early in her tenure, but the Syria crisis is a test: will leap forward, adding action to her high profile as the most visible member of Trump's foreign policy team, or will she sink into the UN ways of recrimination and deadlock?
PARISNobody should be surprised that Donald Trump is blaming his predecessor, Barack Obama, for the ghastly chemical-weapons attack in Syria on Tuesday.

These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administrations weakness and irresolution, Trump declared in a statement. President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a red line against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing.

That's not true, but that view is, in fact, commonly held by many in Washington and indeed around the world who would agree with Trump about almost nothing else.

As former Secretary of State John Kerry told The Atlantics Jeffrey Goldberg last year, This notion about the red line being crossed and [Obamas] not doing anything gained a life of its own.

And now that the Syrian regime appears to be using sophisticated chemical weapons again, Obamas refusal to enforce that red line is construed as opening the door to the disaster that is Syria today.

As Goldberg wrote after long conversations with Obama and his closest advisers, the pivotal moment came on Aug. 30, 2013. Several days earlier, some 1,400 Syrians were killed with sarin gas on the outskirts of Damascus. The entire administration looked like it was on a war footing. But on that sunny Friday in Washington, Obama decided to pull back from the brink, and walk away from his red line.

Shortly thereafter, in a surprise deal between Obama and Putin, who was Assads key sponsor but who had not yet intervened directly in the war, Assad was forced to acknowledge the chemical arsenal he had never admitted to having before. He allowed inspectors into the country to inventory and remove all that he declared that he had, and all that they could find. Some doubts lingered, as Noah Shachtman and I reported in 2014. But there is no question the bulk of his stockpiles were taken away and destroyed.

Would military action in August and September 2013 have accomplished the same goal?

Goldbergs conclusion was equivocal: History may record Aug. 30, 2013, as the day Obama prevented the U.S. from entering yet another disastrous Muslim civil war, and the day he removed the threat of a chemical attack on Israel, Turkey, or Jordan. Or it could be remembered as the day he let the Middle East slip from Americas grasp, into the hands of Russia, Iran, and ISIS.

As it happened, that same day, Aug. 30, 2013, I wrote an open letter to Obama in The Daily Beast, making the case that Syria was not our war. Only on Tuesday night did I discover Donald Trump was tweeting the same line at the same timesomething he now seems to have forgotten.

In the years since, I have grown weary of the taken-for-granted truism that Obama failed on the chemical-weapons front in Syria. It betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the impact such nerve agents can have. I covered the effects of chemical war in Iraq in the 1980s and early 1990s, and I know that as horrific as the scenes in Syria have been, they pale by comparison to what Saddam Hussein was doing back then in tacit alliance with the United States and its Gulf Arab allies.

If Assad had been able to keep his up-until-2013-undeclared arsenal, he could have waged a campaign similar to Saddams, which included the gassing in 1988 of the largely Kurdish city of Halabja, where as many as 5,000 people are believed to have died.

The lesson learned from that atrocity was fundamental to an understanding of the strategic significance of sophisticated nerve agents like sarin and VX. They are odorless and colorless. They arrive like the Angel of Death passing through the streets, killing you before you have any idea what happened. They are instruments of horror. And once theyve been used to instill terror, the mere threat that they will be used again is enough to panic whole populations.

All Saddam had to do in 1991 was fly helicopters over Kurdistan and he stampeded hundreds of thousands of people into the mountains on the Turkish frontier, where many died.

As bad as it was, the Obama-Putin deal in 2013 prevented Assad from stampeding his opposition in that way. And its clear Assad wished he still had such resources, which is why he has improvised many chemical attacks with the much cruder and less effective industrial chlorine gas. He now appears to have dipped into a hidden supply of nerve agents, or acquired some from outside (from, say North Korea, which uses VX as an assassins tool, and which previously helped him try to develop nuclear weapons). It would not be surprising if Assad uses these agents. He is out to end this war, at least in the west of the country, and whatever the uproar, he can expect his potential victims to live in terror, now, as they never have before.

Who can stop him? Once again, it will almost certainly have to be the Russians. Well see if Trump can cut a deal with Putin as good as the one Obama got.

* * *

For the record, this is what I wrote on Aug. 30, 2013, when it was clear to me, and I believe to Obama as well, that advocates of holding the red line wanted, in fact, an American intervention that would start out limited and end up putting Washington in a position where it had to commit troops to winning the war in Syria:

Dear Mr. President [Obama],

Lets talk about precedents. Youre thinking about doing something in Syria to punish the regime there for using chemical weapons. You say it will be a limited, tailored action. But weve done this sort of thing before many times in many countries, including Syria, and in almost every case it proved a very bad idea.

I have been a foreign correspondent since 1980 and there has not been a single one of those 33 years when the United States did not engage in an act of war against someone, somewhere. These might be covert actions, like mining the harbors of Nicaragua, or they might be very overt ones, like the invasion of Iraq, but acts of war they were, and there are lessons to be learned from them.

For starters Id like to suggest, if I may, a couple of general rules:

First, be very wary of the word credibility, and of those who tell you that yours or the countrys is on the line if you dont go to war. Of course you want to stop the use of chemical weapons. Of course that is a red line, as you said. But credibility does not come from actions, it comes from results. And nothing you or those in your administration have talked about doing will solve that problem. The only thing Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad really fears is being removed forever from power. And that is not a limited, tailored operation.

In the meantime, fewer than 30 percent of Americans support any military action in Syria at all, and the current tracking poll by Reuters/Ipsos shows that as the news from Syria gets worse, opposition to intervention grows greater. The British Parliaments refusal to go along with Prime Minister David Camerons plans to join you in military action reflects not only British opinion but world opinion. Conor Friedersdorf, writing in The Atlantic blog, is exactly right when he says the people questioning your credibility are, in fact, a tiny insular inside-the-Beltway elite whove convinced themselves that war, for one reason or another, is more credible than peace.

Nothing could be more ironic. If war imbued a president with credibility, then George W. Bush would be one of the most credible presidents in the countrys history. I dont think anyone believes that is the case.

But that brings us to the second general rule: The kind of drumbeat now heard in Washington can lead to what the French call la logique de guerre, by which they mean a sort of pathology that takes over politics and the press and eventually a whole people, discouraging all debate and dissension. Costs are not calculated, benefits are fabricated; the rhetoric of glory disguises the grotesque realities of combat until armed confrontation not only seems inevitable, it is inevitable. That was precisely the kind of logic that propelled us into Iraq in 2003, and it is precisely the kind of thinking that has to be avoided now.

I think it is safe to assume from everything you have said and done, Mr. President, that you do not want another Iraq or another Afghanistan. But the precedents of not-so-ancient history show us that limited, punitive actions have been at best ineffectual and at worst horrifically counterproductive.

Assad certainly knows this. He grew up staring down the barrels of American and Israeli guns. And its not beyond the realm of possibility that he carried out a chemical-weapons attack precisely to call your bluff, knowing that what doesnt kill him makes him stronger. Thats been the case with many tyrants before him, including his father.

In the summer of 1982, President Ronald Reagan sent the United States Marines to Lebanon to try to stabilize the country after the Israelis invaded and then partially withdrew. By the time the Americans left in early 1984, the Marine barracks had been blown up, killing hundreds of U.S. soldiers, and the United States Embassy in Beirut had been devastatedtwice in two different locationsby enormous car bombs.

Toward the end of that debacle, the U.S. battleship New Jersey shelled enemy positions in Lebanon, and Navy pilots attacked targets inside Syria, where Hafez al-Assad, father of the current dictator, was defying American demands that he withdraw from Lebanon and quit supporting groups like Hezbollah that were attacking American allies and American soldiers. A U.S. pilot was killed and his navigator was captured. Assad continued to defy the Americans.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

In 1986, the frustrated Reagan administration ordered the bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi, Libya, to punish the dictator Muammar Gaddafi for his support of terrorists. In fact, the bombers did their best to kill Gaddafi himself. (I have a fairly vivid memory of that night, since I was on the ground in Tripoli as the bombs were falling.)

There is a myththere is no other way to describe itthat after this raid, called Operation El Dorado Canyon, Gaddafi was neutralized. Nothing could be further from the truth. In point of fact he shifted his support from terrorists targeting Israel to terrorists targeting the United States and Great Britain, where the American bombers were based. The culmination of Gaddafis response to El Dorado Canyon was the blowing up of Pan American Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, killing 270 innocent people.

Also in the mid-1980s the U.S. Navy set about blowing up Iranian oil derricks and targeting Irans warships. In the course of those punitive operations, the USS Vincennes shot down an Iranian Airbus, killing 290 innocent Iranian men, women, and children.

There is a terrible redundancy to all this.

In the 1990s, Saddam Hussein managed to hold on to power despite the fact hed suffered a massive and humiliating defeat in the Desert Storm campaign that forced him out of Kuwait. The outgoing administration of then-president George H.W. Bush launched a punitive raid against several Iraqi installations in 1993. (I watched from a rooftop as the cruise missiles thundered into various corners of Baghdad.)

For years, American, British, and French warplanes soared over the north and south of Iraq to impose a no-fly zone. Yet Saddam remained. In 1998, after Saddam defied UN weapons inspectors, the Clinton administration launched Operation Desert Fox, meant to force his compliance. He refused, and all inspections ended for almost four years. When they resumed, they found nothing. But the logic of war, as the Bush administration understood it, dictated an invasion. We couldnt be sure Saddam was disarmed unless we occupied his country.

Also in 1998, al Qaeda blew up American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Since Osama bin Laden and his men had found refuge in Sudan and Afghanistan, the Clinton administration launched cruise-missile strikes against both countries, again, with no discernible effect except to embolden bin Laden.

Against this long litany of self-destructive delusions about the effect of limited punitive military actions, there are only a very few examples of relative success.

In 1995 in the Balkans, American-led bombing raids on Serbian communications and command-and-control centers broke a bloody stalemate. The Croatian Army rolled forward on all fronts, and as a result the Serbs were forced to negotiate the Dayton Accords that ended the horrific genocidal war in Bosnia. But there is no force in Syria unified, cohesive, accountable, and powerful enough to play the role the Croatians did at that moment in the Balkans. At some time in the future, if such a force can be found, it could be useful for the Americans to attack Syrias military infrastructure the way they attacked Serbias. But that moment has not yet come.

In 1999, to protect the people of Kosovo from the Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic, the United States lead a NATO coalition (without UN approval) through 78 days of air war, including 38,000 bombing sorties. Not a single American soldier was lost in combat, and eventually, as a result, Milosevic was toppled and tried for war crimes. Kosovo was given its independence.

But that success was the exception rather than the rule, and a very misleading precedent indeed. In 2006, the Israelis thought they could do something similar to eliminate the threat of the Syrian-and-Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. They failed, had to go in on the ground, and the vaunted Israeli Defense Force was fought to a humiliating draw by Assads allies.

Finally, there is the example of Libya: a concerted campaign by America and its allies to topple Gaddafi once and for all. It worked, but with much greater difficulty than anticipated, even though it was a war fought essentially along one road that ran along the sea, and the rise of radical Islamist groups inside the country since thenincluding those implicated in the murder of the American ambassador a year agois a cautionary example of what could be in store in post-Assad Syria.

Once again the lesson learned, Mr. President: what doesnt kill a tyrant makes him stronger. But even when you do kill him, that may not solve your problems, and if you have to occupy his country, you actually make the United States weaker. Thats the real logic of war. Which is why this war should not be our war.

Sincerely, Christopher Dickey
The last time a deadly nerve agent was dropped on women and children in Syria was four years ago, which is also the last time that the Russian government denied that any such thing had taken place.

On August 21, 2013, at around 2 oclock in the morning, the Syrian Arab Army under the command of Bashar al-Assad fired artillery shells laden with sarin gas into the rebel-held Damascus suburb of East Ghouta. The massacre that followed claimed the lives of around 1,400 people. One of the casualties of that attackthe worst use of chemical weapons since Saddam Hussein gassed the Kurds in Halajba in 1988was Kassem Eid, an opposition activist in the neighborhood of Moadamiyah, who recounted his near-death experience through asphyxiation on 60 Minutes, two years later.

Footage of the Ghouta atrocity circulated widely, shocking the world, but not Alexander Lukashevich, the spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Two days later, on Aug. 23, after more evidence as to the cause and provenance of the attack had come to light, Lukashevich said in a statement, More and more evidence emerges indicating that this criminal act had an openly provocative character. So the talk here is about a previously planned action.

For Lukashevich, the gotcha evidence was the fact that the first videos were uploaded to YouTube on Aug 20.the day before the alleged attack took place. Voice of Russiathe Kremlins answer to Voice of Americaand other pro-Assad outlets ran with this interpretation that rebels in Damascus staged the event as a way to prompt a military intervention that would never come.

However, YouTube timestamps its videos according to Pacific Standard Time, which is 10 hours behind Damascus time. Syrians at the scene of the crime were therefore uploading evidence of Assads massacre for hours before the day officially changed over on the video-sharing platform.

The real story, as my colleague James Miller noted at the time, was that the Russian Foreign Ministry did not know that the earth rotates on its axis in diurnal fashion. This of course did not stop many respectable news organizations from citing this self-evidently debunkable debunking as though it were anything other than what we now call fake news.

And this was just one of a series of varying and contradictory explanations provided by Moscow to account for how its embattled client-regime in the Levant could not possibly be guilty of mass murder. Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister and Lukashevichs boss, even credited the risible analysis done by a Carmelite Lebanese nun known for her closeness to the Syrian security services, who alleged that the corpses of the victims had been ferried in from other parts of the war-ravaged country.

Now comes another gas attack on Syrian civilians, this time via aircraft, in the city of Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib. Between 69 and 100 people have died so far, and hundreds more are still suffering from being poisoned, or from the follow-up airstrike on a nearby hospital that was treating them from being poisoned. As the bodies pile up, so too do the Kremlin conspiracy theories for whodunnit or whether or not this atrocity was even done at all.

Maria Zakharova, the foreign ministrys new spokesperson, has taken a leaf from her predecessors playbook. On Wednesday, she intimated that despite a U.S., EU assessment that around 60 people were gassed by the regime from the air using sarina nerve agent Assad has previously admitted to have stockpiledthe whole ordeal was an elaborate bit of playacting.

In a press conference, Zakharova darkly commented on the too-calm behavior of the representatives of this organization under emergency conditions, by which she meant the White Helmets, an internationally funded and trained group of first-responders who often pull victims from the rubble of Russian, Syria and American bombing raids. Her government has vilified them as being either agents of regime change, al-Qaeda or both. Though her characterization of the rescue workers composure is at odds with press accounts describing how some grew ill and collapsed from proximity to the dead. But then, this is a woman who previously said that Donald Trump won the presidency because American Jews decided the election.

Speaking of Trump, one of his allies in the tin-hatted corner of the internet, the conspiracy site InfoWars, ran several articles and segments on Wednesday calling the atrocity a false flag attack. One article said the attack hadnt been carried out by Assad but by the White Helmets, which InfoWars labeled as a an al-Qaeda affiliated group funded by George Soros and the British government.

They have also been known to stage rescue videos in the past. However, this time it appears children were indeed killed in the making of this media campaign, the report reads.

The article also alleges that the rebels smuggled in chemical weapons from Libya through Turkey with the approval of Hillary Clinton, citing a 2013 report from the journalist Seymour Hersh, whose name is spelled incorrectly.

President Trump is a self-professed fan of InfoWars, saying as recently as December 2015 that the websites reputation is amazing and that I will not let you down.

An alternate theory peddled by Moscow is that Syrian rebels struck a nearby chemical weapons warehouse, inadvertently unleashing nerve agents that killed dozens and injured hundreds more. This allegation was swiftly knocked down by one British chemical weapons expert, Col. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, as pretty fanciful because immolating sarin eliminates sarin. Eliot Higgins, the founder of the open-source investigations website Bellingcat, told The Daily Beast, that such an explanation would have to account for the first images from the attack being shared hours before the time the Russian Ministry of Defense provided as the bombing of the warehouse occurred. It would be absurd to claim the chemical attack was linked to a bombing that occurred hours later. 

But, as Higgins noted on Twitter, the Ministry of Defense has form for misinterpreting, misidentifying, misdating or modifying satellite footage of its airstrikes in Syria.

Sometimes the ministry says that because a building is already shown as damaged before its sorties took place, that building cant have been targeted or struckleaving aside that the same building was hit on earlier, separate occasions and so bore signs of destruction. Very frequently, Higgins noted, the ministry likes to pretend it is pummeling the Islamic State when it is not.

By examining Google Earth satellite imagery of Syria it was possible to find many of the locations featured in the Russian Ministry of Defenses bombing videos, and by comparing those locations to the Russian Ministry of Defenses own map of ISIS controlled areas it was possible to establish that from the first 30 videos claimed to be ISIS targets only one was in ISIS controlled territory as per the Russian Ministry of Defenses own map, Higgins writes.

The Ministry of Defense has also done this in Ukraine, trying to fudge its own culpability in the downing of the MH17 passenger jet, by passing off an aerial photograph of a Ukrainian air base which it claimed produced the Buk missile that destroyed the commercial airlineras having been taken in July, when it was not.

The falsification of history travels, too. The late Vitaly Churkin, until recently, Russias reliable ambassador to the UN, once claimed at Turtle Bay that children in besieged East Aleppo were covering themselves with dust, the better to drum up international sympathy. Churkin died of a heart attack in February and was nevertheless eulogized by none other than Samantha Power, a nominal upholder of the rights of those dust-covered children.

So standard is this Putinist protocol for blaming the victims of atrocity for their own deaths that it is difficult to feel indignation or disgust anymore. Inurement is the point. It is designed to make us forget, or not care, that a conscious denial of crimes against humanity is its own crime against humanity.

with additional reporting by Ben Collins
On Tuesday, Tesla Motorsthe eclectic, aggressive electric-car company that is promising to upend the automotive industrywas in the news for two seemingly distinct but in fact related issues.

It surpassed iconic Ford Motors in its total market capitalization and it lost a case before the Utah Supreme Court to allow it to sell directly to consumers without going through dealers. At first blush, the latter would seem to undermine the former, but in truth, the attempts of states to prevent Tesla from upending the 20th-century auto-sales ecosystem is perhaps an even bigger sign of the disruptive threat that it and others pose than the technology the company is employing to make a new kind of car.

First, on sheer size, Tesla is now valued at about $48 billion compared to about $45 billion for Ford at press time. Next up would be General Motors at $51 billion. Tesla, however, sells only a fraction of the cars: Ford and GM each sold well in excess of 200,000 cars in March, while Tesla sold 4,000. Of course, Teslas sales are growing far, far faster than any established company, which is easier from such a low base but explains why investors think its the future of transportation while the old Detroit companieswhich barely survived the 2008-09 financial crisis and then only after aggressive government effortsare the past. Ford remains the most innovative of the Big Three, especially with self-driving or computer-assisted cars, but Tesla has managed to convince the market that it is a cradle of innovation on everything from batteries to autopilots to the very economics of the auto industry.

And that is where things get even more interesting. Teslas technology gets the attention, along with designs seeming ripped from Back to the Future. It has, care of its founder and CEO Elon Musk, touted itself as both a car company and a battery innovator, using its own battery manufacturing to power longer-range electric vehicles and thereby addressing what has been the largest hurdle for electric-car adoption: range. It has also pioneered next-generation autopilot systems that arent quite the self-driving cars now being tested by Google et al. but are very much on that spectrum.

Teslas technology, however glitzy, may not be the thing that sets it apart. Many have noted that much like Apple in its earlier years, Tesla is adept at deploying innovations rather than being a source of many of them. One innovation, however, is both more basic and prosaic, and potentially more challenging to the status quo. It is determined to sell cars directly to the consumer and thereby bypass the dealer networksand to some extent the finance and loan networksthat are such a key element of the U.S. auto industry.

Reflecting that sales ecosystem, most states currently ban auto manufacturers from selling cars directly. State laws tend to mandate that cars be sold by third-party dealers. Tesla and Musk early on were determined to break that hold, hence the recent Utah Supreme Court case ruling against Tesla and for the states dealers.

In its determination to alter the way cars are sold and bought, Tesla has more in common with Uber and Airbnb than it does with General Motors. Much like those disrupters, it has faced a regulatory thicket that once served a purpose of protecting businesses and consumers from unfair competition but now serve primarily to protect entrenched players and stifle competition. Dealers rely on state-sanctioned licenses to maintain a dominant market position, and while many states have indeed granted Tesla a license to sell directly, that has been over the vociferous opposition of dealer groups that have thrived for decades as the sole conduit of a vital goodcarsto consumers who need them.

Utah is only one battleground out of 50, not to mention a myriad of regulations dictating how cars are sold in the European Union and to a lesser extent in other parts of the world. Tesla has employed an army of lobbyists and lawyers in state capitals and has entered in similar suits in multiple states. So far it has gained the right to sell directly in about 20 states, with litigation pending in many others.

In Michigan, for instance, Tesla has challenged a longtime state prohibition against direct sales as unconstitutional and filed suit in federal court to have it overturned. The laws originally were designed to prevent the major auto companies from opening their own stores. Oddly enough, Ford, GM, and Chrysler are aligned with Tesla, insofar as being able to sell via company stores or online could be a boost to bottom lines that sorely need it. But the Big Three are also loath to support these suits and help what looks to be a formidable competitor in a market that is more zero sum than most.

Because Tesla is still so small, its hard to know if a different sales model will benefit consumers or just make companies such as Tesla even wealthier. If cutting out the middleman reduces the cost of cars and even leads to more servicing options, then people will benefit, just as they have from the price competition introduced by Uber against anti-competitive taxi and limousine commissions that maintained high fees and limited supply of rides. For now, however, Tesla is selling too few cars to reduce prices. A Tesla is a luxury item even at the low end and factoring in long-term gasoline savings. Will the company eventually pass on the savings of direct sales, or will it just enjoy the even fatter margins that such sales could bring it? It is too soon to know.

What does seem clear, however, is that even as a wave of no sweeps the countryno to globalization, no to continued disruption of local communities in the face of job-eroding technologiesthe attempt to stand athwart history doesnt appear destined for success.

In the long term, people may benefit from eco-cars running clean on efficient batteries and from savings that direct sales could entail, but those benefits will be less visible in the near-term than the harm. If Tesla leads to the erosion of dealer networks and if the Big Three join that party, local economies will indeed suffer in the short term as dealers close, local bank financing loses a market, and sales become even more detached from the local economy.

Hence the effort of Utahs legislators to stand in the way, however futile that resistance might ultimately be. It is easy to decry the anti-competitive antediluvian efforts to keep Tesla at bay, but such efforts are part of a larger no that sees the immediate harm with no commensurate benefit. Utah may be on the wrong side of history, but that doesnt mean the concerns have no merit.

With Teslas bluster and conviction that its way is best, the company or its cousins may change the world for the better, but perhaps they could be more mindful that disruption isnt just a catchphrase. Real lives and real communities and real jobs are being upended. Finding ways to cushion that transition are essential too, or else we may look back at the ascension of President Trump as a mild manifestation of a mood that could get even darker.
Other than the former president himself, no one likely knows more about Barack Obamas life than David Garrow.

For more than 8 eight years, the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian has been toiling away at what will be the most comprehensive biography ever published on Obamas life when it comes out on May 9.

This has been the whole last nine years for me, starting in early 2008 after Barack won the Iowa caucuses, and I concluded that having written so much on Dr. King and African-American civil rights politics, I should found out something about who this guy was, Garrow said Sunday from his home in Pittsburgh in his first major interview about his book for The Jamie Weinstein Show podcast. This covers everything from when his father leaves Kenya in the late 1950s, really up through 2016, though the book primarily focuses on the period up through 2007.

Despite Obama being in the public eye for more than a decade, Garrow chuckles at the idea that there is little of significance left to learn about the former president.

I think that people irrespective of their political views or partisan identification will be astonishedI cannot say that too stronglywill be profoundly astonished by how much important substance of Barack Obamas life has not previously been known, Garrow said.

Listen (conversation on his new Obama book begins at 45:36):

Indeed, Garrow is extremely critical of what he sees as the shallowness of the medias coverage of Obamas history.

What most disappointed me back in the context of 2008 was how little interest U.S. journalists of all stripes took in the eight years that Barack spent in Springfield, Illinois, in the state legislature, Garrow said. There is not even, as we sit here today, a good magazine article out there about Barack's time in the Illinois state legislature.

Garrow is trying to keep a lid on most of the significant revelations in Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama until closer to the books May publication date, but he did offer one major discovery.

Barack and his closest friend in the early 1990s, when they were in law school, wrote several hundred pages of a proposed book manuscript that was never published, Garrow said. Particularly the 140 pages or so of that manuscript that are about race give significant insight into Barack's thinking, you know, when he was leaving law school, about to enter into public life in Illinois.

Asked whether any of the revelations in his book could have derailed Obamas candidacy had they come out in 2008, Garrow said quite possibly.

Had some Republican opposition researcher come up with the book manuscript he wrote in law school, Garrow said, "there are multiple things that could have been used to Guinier him, referring to how Republicans used controversial comments made in law review articles to derail President Bill Clintons nomination of Lani Guiner for assistant attorney general for civil rights in 1993.

There are other examples, Garrow added. I think even back in 2008, 2009, from the very get-go, I was surprised at people's willingness to assume that Baracks memoir, Dreams From My Father, was without question historically reliable.

I thought from the beginning that that was probably too charitable a presumption, he went on, hinting that his book will pick apart claims made in Obamas highly praised post-law school memoir.

Garrow has met several times with President Barack Obama to discuss the book, though most of what went on in those conversations, he says, is off the record. Nonetheless, Garrow admits Obama very strongly disagrees with some of the claims he makes in the book.

What I would fairly say, and we see this again very much in the present day, is that when one becomes president of the United States, it's not uncommon for that person to think that their memory, their version of events, inescapably trumps all other people's versions, he explained.

But Garrow has done his homework. I, all told, did more than 1,000 interviews for this, Garrow said, noting the book is nearly 1,500 pages long. It's well over more than 200 pages of end notes, Garrow pointed out. The index, which was what I most recently had to sign off on, is 68 pages.

In 1987, at the tender age of 33, Garrow won the Pulitzer Prize for his biography Martin Luther King, Jr. Thirty years later, with his massive tome on Barack Obama's life, he just may nab a second by challenging what we know about Americas 44th president.
It happened again this week. In fact it happens nearly every day, and its one of the most infuriating things about this infuriating era.

On Monday, three stories came out that under any other president, certainly under Barack Obama, would have been three-day mini-scandalsat least. But under Trump, theyre either so dwarfed by the running narratives (Russia; shambolic White House; tweets) or so unsurprising coming from him that its hard not to just shake our heads and move on.

These little scandals drive home to me what may be the single starkest lesson of these first 70-whatever days of Trump: that the right-wing media has enormous agenda-setting power in this country.

Item one: Trump welcomes to the White House one of the biggest human-rights abusers in the world and says hes done a fantastic job. Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has put tens of thousands of people in prison. Whatever Egypt was under Mubarak and then under Morsi, which was bad enough, its now worse.

Now, Im not going to get on too high a horse here. Presidents from both parties have tolerated Egyptian authoritarianism for decades, and while Obama did suspend military aid to the country for a time after al-Sisi overthrew Morsi, it was restored in 2015. So no American president has exactly come down hard on Egypt.

But inviting a thug like that to the Oval Office, and praising him to the stars, is sending a signal. Remember the circumstances under which al-Sisi gained power. There was the initial uprising against Mubarak in Tahrir Square. Out he went. There were actual elections, and in came Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. Then the people said, No, this is not what we had in mind, and they gathered in Tahrir Square again. In other words, the people of Egypt were exercising what meager power they had to say, We are desperate for reform and real democracy. And then in comes this guy to pulverize it.

Item two: The Forward reveals that Sebastian Gorka, Trumps chief counterterrorism adviser, once praised a very far-rightand anti-SemiticHungarian militia. I wont dive too deep on the details here; you should read them from the reporter who unearthed them, Lili Bayer. A little morsel: One captain in the militia referred to Jews as Zionist rats and locusts. This is far from being Gorkas first controversy.

Item three: Records released over the weekend and first spotted by Pro Publica showed that Trump can pull money out of his businesses any time he wantswith zero public disclosure. A Trust Certification Change was made to the documents governing the status of Trumps finances on Feb. 10, after he took office, stipulating that the trust shall distribute net income or principal to Donald J. Trump at his request. He owns more than 400 businesses, and according to Pro Publica, Trump can take profits or the businesses themselves anytime he pleases. Imagine the potential for corruption that sets up.

In the pre-Trump world, any of these three would have ignited huge fireworks.

Imagine that Obama had hosted in the Oval Office a left-leaning dictator, say Hugo Chavez or his successor, Nicolas Maduro, of Venezuela. Obama did in fact meet Chavez once, but not in the Oval Office. It was at a Summit of the Americas in Trinidad. Obama shook Chavezs hand and the right wing tore into him for days.

Now imagine that Obamas chief counterterrorism adviser had far-left associations. Say hed been photographed wearing a hammer and sickle button, as Gorka was wearing a medal associated with Hungarian Nazi collaborators. That person would have been out of the job two scandals ago.

And finally, imagine that Obama had done something squirrely about his personal finances just three weeks after taking office. The ideas that Obama was personally corrupt and might be using the presidency for personal gainfor starterswould have taken root immediately.

Why? Rush Limbaugh and Alex Jones and Breitbart and The Blaze and all their numerous imitators across the web and the AM radio dial would instantly have pounced and started ranting. And then Fox would have picked it up. Limbaugh et al. would say absolutely anything, without regard to factual truth, which is how those myths about Obama attending a madrassa and all those things got started. Fox had to play it a little bit straighter, but the message was basically the same.

So when some bit of news came out about Obamafor instance, that he went to school in Indonesia when he was a little childit took only a few creative turns of the screw for the school to become a madrassa. And while they may not have Obama to kick around anymore, the pattern is still the same, as were seeing now with this story on Susan Rice, who is established to have done absolutely nothing wrong but now has the banshees screaming police state (and who is herself here the victim of a leak seemingly solely intended to smear her and drag her through the mud for a few days).

The left has no remotely equivalent attack machinery. It doesnt exist because theres no market for it. It wouldnt work. Liberals just dont have the same hunger for red meat. They have a hunger for it, but not the same hunger, not anywhere near.

End result? Obama ends up ensnared in all kinds of phony scandals that dont really exist. Poor Shirley Sherrod, a totally blameless woman, loses her Agriculture Department job after Andrew Breitbart lies about her and right goes into hysterics about her alleged (but in fact nonexistent) reverse racism. Sebastian Gorka, a man who praised a far-right and anti-Semitic militiaand it doesnt seem like anyone doctored that tapecontinues to report to work.

The Trump administration already has racked up so many scandals, failures, and sleazy deals that I guess its inevitable that some of them slip by. But just keep this propaganda imbalance in your mind. It explains why these near-daily controversies just fade away. Imagine where hed be in the polls if all of these got the attention they deserve!
For a serious student of spirits and drinks, there is no greater prize than figuring out who created the first cocktail. While there are as many theories on its origins as there are Martini recipes, for a long time New Orleans pharmacist and my relative Antoine Peychaud was thought to be its creator. Unfortunately, I also have the dubious distinction of being the person to figure out that Peychaud had nothing to do with the birth of the drink.

It all kind of happened by an odd mix of circumstances.

I went to law school in New Orleans (Loyola, 86), and fell in love with the city, its food, history, music, folklore, architecture, atmosphere, customs and traditions, and even the climate. So, being a history buff, over the next 10 years I found myself reading anything New Orleans-related I could get my hands on, from Gumbo Ya-Ya to Frenchmen, Desire, Goodchildren: And Other Streets of New Orleans, to A Confederacy of Dunces.

Eventually, Orleanian friends of mine would remark that I knew more about their hometown than they did. I came to feel like the city was in my blood, and that it would never leave me. I understood what Ernest Hemingway meant when he wrote, If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast. That was New Orleans for me.

So, when it occurred to me that my paternal grandmother Nana was born in New Orleans (Mary Louise Dupre, 1892), and was likely to have some interesting French Creole roots, I decided to dig in. I started with a partially-completed family tree that my uncle gave me. According to the document, my great-great-grandfather Turiaf Dupre was born in Martinique (actually it turned out he was from Guadeloupe), and his wife, my great-great-grandmother, was named Pechaud.

Using that as a starting point, I spent a few weeks (and a little bit of money) fruitlessly looking for that name, finding nothing. Then by good fortune I discovered a similar surname, Peychaud, while reading a Fodors New Orleans guidebook. It included this short entry:

The cocktail is thought to have been invented in the 1800s at Antoine Peychauds Pharmacy, 437 Royal Street. Peychaud created the first bitters, which he felt improved his bourbons flavor when stirred into the liquor. The word cocktail itself derives from the egg cups, or coquetiers, in which Peychaud originally served his concoction, a drink known today as a Sazerac.

His name was so close to my relatives, could it possibly be the same name Ive been looking for? Could I be related to that guy, the inventor of the cocktail? Be still my heart. So, I spent hours at the Daughters of the American Revolution library, the Library of Congress, and the National Archives. I had to find a connection between Turiaf Dupre and anyone named Peychaud for this connection to make sense.

I found the answer in the 1860 New Orleans Census. A household at 1301 Burgundy Street in the French Quarter was included. (The building is, amazingly, still there and is a giant stone house called the Morro Castle.) The heads of household were listed as Henry and Felicite Peychaud, and living with them were their daughter, Marie Louise Peychaud, and her husband, Turiaf Dupre. Boom! This was the connection I was looking for, and in one fell swoop I also found my great-great-great-grandparents.

Some amount of digging later revealed that la famille Peychaud originally hailed from the Bordeaux region of France. Theres a Chateau Peychaud wine to this day, and even the name is linked to viticulture; in French, pey means hillside, and chaud means warm or hot, a sunny hillside being suitable for vineyards. In the latter half of the 18th century, two branches of the Peychaud family, one led by Hyacinthe Mathias Peychaud (my great-great-great-great-grandfather), the other by his cousin Charles Peychaud, left France to seek fortune in the New World, and settled in the French colony of St.-Domingue (sometimes called San Domingo).

Both became wealthy planters, and lived there until the slave rebellions of the 1790s and 1800s, which resulted in the birth of Haiti. Charles Peychaud owned a coffee plantation in the north, near Cap-Francais (now Cap-Haitien), and his son, Dr. Charles Louis Peychaud, was a physician. Dr. Peychaud and his wife Rosalie Martinet had a daughter, Lasthenie (around 1799) and then a son, Antoine Amedee Peychaud. Yes, that Antoine Peychaud.

So, knowing all of this, I could now claim to be related the cocktail inventing pharmacist; were third cousins, four times removed.

Around the time that I made this discovery, I bought a 1937 bartending book called Famous New Orleans Drinks & How to Mix Em, by Stanley Clisby Arthur. It went into quite a bit of detail about the story of how Peychaud mixed his bitters with brandy, served it in a coquetier, and eventually that word became blurred into cocktail. He went on to explain that the drink evolved into the Sazerac, with rye whiskey ultimately replacing the Cognac. Arthur was the source for this early cocktail history that was quoted over and over again and his book gave legitamacy to the claim that my ancestor created the cocktail. According to Arthur, Peychaud came to New Orleans from San Domingo circa 1793:

One refugee succeeded in salvaging, among other scanty possessions, a recipe for the compounding of a liquid tonic, called bitters, a recipe that had been a secret family formula for years. This particular young Creole refugee was of a distinguished French family and had been educated as an apothecary. His name was Antoine Amedee Peychaud. In the turmoil of the insurrection and the hurried exodus from San Domingo, Amedee and his younger sister became separated.

So, reading this, I got the impression that Peychaud was a young pharmacist in St.-Domingue, and came to New Orleans in 1793. So, for a few years, I gave this story some credence. After all, it appeared to be consistent with the first-known definition of a cocktail in print, that appeared in the Hudson, New York, newspaper Balance and Columbian Repository on May 13, 1806. It was plausible, Peychaud could have invented the cocktail in the 1790s, and it could have made its way to upstate New York 10 or so years later. Why not?

I wanted to believe the story, I mean, who wouldnt want to be related to the father of the cocktail? By this time more and more information was becoming available online, and I got to know Ted Dr. Cocktail Haigh, another so-called cocktail historian. We commenced to share info on Peychaud, the Sazerac, and related topics.

But I discovered another old book, Creole Families of New Orleans from 1921, by Grace King. She tells of Antoines exodus a little differently, that he and his sister, Lasthenie, were saved from massacre in the insurrection of the slaves by their nurse, but in the panic of the moment the children became separated and the boy was brought to New Orleans alone.

Hmm, so Antoine was a child, was he? Whats interesting is that 10 years after King published her book, Arthur published in 1931 a very similar book, titled Old Families of Louisiana, wherein he wrote that Peychaud and his sister were separated during the insurrection and it was not until he reached manhood that he located her in Paris and had her come to New Orleans.

So now Arthurs story appears to have a few holes, one of them provided by Arthur himself! I mean, how could he have been a mere child in the 1790s, then become a cocktail slinging apothecary by 1806? Then came the coup de grace, when I discovered Antoine Peychauds death notice, in the New Orleans Bee newspaper. Though his name was misspelled, it clearly reported that Peychaud died on June 30, 1883, at the age of 80. Through other means, I established that he was born near Cap-Haitien, Haiti, (then known as Cap-Francais) in February of 1803.

As an aside, the Haitian slave rebellions began in August of 1791 and lasted for well over 10 years, culminating in Frances final withdrawal from the colony in 1803, and the independence of Haiti, in 1804. So, Kings story appears to stand up; Peychauds parents were among the last French colonists to leave St.-Domingue, toward the end of the rebellions, and Antoine was likely a mere baby, or at most a toddler.

Over the next several years, I continued to build my knowledge of A.A. Peychaud and my other French Creole ancestors. While he created his eponymous line of bitters, which is still produced today, the legend that posited him as the father of the cocktail was sadly just not true. It was a painful realization but one that I had to make and share with others. The rightful father or mother of the cocktail is still out there and deserves to be recognized.

But my decision to admit all of this wasnt always popular. The first time I attended industry event, Tales of the Cocktail, I was introduced to Joe Gendusa who operates the New Orleans Cocktail Tour company. His tour guides take visitors to the many sites in the Quarter relating to drinking lore. Gendusa was well aware that I had debunked the myth that the cocktail was invented in New Orleans by Peychaud, and he laughingly said to me, You have no idea how frightened of you we tour guides are!

The next time youre in the French Quarter you still may see a tour go by and overhear the legend of Peychaud and his egg cups being told, but at least its now usually prefaced with that reliable old prefatory caveat, As the story goes
This weeks appeals-court decision that sex discrimination includes sexual-orientation discrimination is a landmark case.

It also just raised the stakes of the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Because this is just the kind of case that shows how Gorsuchs textualism dictates conservative social policies.

The question at the center of the case is relatively simple. Kim Hively was fired from her job at a community college when someone saw her kissing another woman, and reported it. If that was really the reason she was fired, was it against the law?

Survey after survey has revealed that most Americans think it is. But most Americans are wrong. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 covers racial and sex discrimination, but its never been expandeddespite many attemptsto include sexual orientation or gender identity. The laws in 29 states are similar.

In those 29 states, my boss can march me into his office and say Jay, youre gay, and we dont like that. Youre fired. Perfectly legal.

Or is it?

Hivelys lawyers at Lambda Legal, the leading LGBT-focused activist law firm, argued that if you think about it, she was discriminated on the basis of sex. If a man were seen kissing a woman, he wouldnt be fired. But because shes a woman seen kissing a woman, she was. (Again, assuming the evidence bears her out at trial.)

That position has been rejected by two other appeals courts, but this week, by an 8-3 vote, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with it, writing Hively represents the ultimate case of failure to conform to the female stereotype.

Because of the circuit split, the Hively case, or one just like it, is almost certain to go to the Supreme Courtwhere, if all goes according to prediction, it will encounter Justice Neil Gorsuch and his philosophy that a judges job is to say what the words on the page mean.

That phrase sounds innocent enough, and Gorsuch repeated it over and over again during his confirmation hearing. But the Hively case shows why its a con.

Is sexual orientation among the words on the page of the Civil Rights Act? No. Was Hively fired for being female? No. Therefore, according to the textualists, she loses.

But wait a minute. Is the plain meaning the right meaning? To take a cliched example, the First Amendment says that Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech. Thats pretty unequivocal: No law abridging the freedom of speech. Those are the words on the page, right there in their plain meaning. No exceptions are provided.

So does that mean that you can yell fire in a crowded theater? Does it mean you can libel and slander other people? Does it mean you can lie about what your product does, or how safe it is, or what its made of?

Of course not. In fact, no one interprets statutes or the Constitution according to what the words on the page mean. That would be ridiculous, and no less ridiculous for being claimed by a smart man like Judge Gorsuch.

For that matter, where on the pages of the Constitution does it say that corporations are to be given the same rights as people? Thats a bedrock principle of Citizens United, Hobby Lobby, and the run of recent cases expanding corporate power. But you wont find it on the pages of the Constitution. On the contrary, the Founders hated corporations and wanted them strictly limited, with hardly any rights at all. Where on the page is it written that corporate money is a form of political speech?

Now lets come back to Hively. We know that the words on the page are ambiguous; thats why theres a lawsuit. So how do we understand discrimination on the basis of sex? Hively was doing something that, if she were a man, would have been totally unobjectionable. But because shes a woman, she gets fired. Isnt that sex discrimination?

Moreover, Hivelys claim is based on actions, not identity. Shes not claiming that her sexual orientation got her fired; shes claiming that certain acts in which she engaged did. Thats actually a crucial difference. Hively isnt making her case as a lesbian; shes making her case as a woman who did something that her boss thinks a woman shouldnt do.

Now, reasonable people can disagree about how to interpret the Civil Rights Act in this kind of case. But one thing is for sure: The words on the page are the beginning, not the end, of the inquiry. If the words on the page were so clear, thered be no need for judges.

Nor can we rely on the original intent of the people who wrote the law back in 1964. I have no doubt that a majority of the members of Congress who voted for the Civil Rights Act would be appalled to see it used to protect the rights of the people they called homosexuals. But thats irrelevant. Ironicallysince most textualists are also Originalists but forget their textualism when its inconvenientwhat matters is how to understand the words on the page: how to apply them to novel cases that the writers of the law (or the Constitution) hadnt thought of.

Original intent may be part of that process of understanding, but it surely isnt the whole of it. Otherwise, the Second Amendment would only protect the arms that the Founders knew about in 1789, and any weapon they didnt know about could be banned outright. Which, come to think of it, might be a good idea.

Hively being decided just as Gorsuchs nomination is being debated highlights whats at stake for the Supreme Court, and why the non-confirmation of Judge Merrick Garland is not water under the bridge. If Gorsuch is confirmed, the case will, like so many others, come down to Justice Kennedy deciding whether to side with the courts four liberals or the courts four conservatives.

And if the next justice to retire is one of those liberals, or Kennedy himself, cases like Hively are open and shut. Thats why, absent some kind of last-minute compromise, Democrats are going to the mat to block Gorsuch, no matter how nice of a guy he is.

To laypeople watching the hearings, Gorsuchs aw-shucks manner and plain-spoken appeals to the words on the page seem like good old common sense. But they arent that at alltheyre an ideology that leads to very specific, very conservative results.

And women like Kim Hively pay the price.
Theresa May, the British Prime Minister, embarked on Tuesday on the most sensitive diplomatic mission of her premiership so far.

Meeting Donald Trump or announcing the terms of Brexit was a mere formality compared to her visit to Saudi Arabia, which kicked off on Tuesday.

May raised some eyebrows by opting not wear a headscarf as she deplaned in the desert, even though she was following the example of others including Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama.

Indeed, it is unlikely to ruffle too many feathers in Riyadh. Women in Saudi are subject to unimaginable sanctions by democratic Western standardsthey are famously forbidden to drivebut senior Saudi officials are well used to foreign women with uncovered heads by now.

And May, we can be quite sure, would do nothing to risk annoying the Saudis, although she told the BBC she would be raising human rights issues with her hosts, because "if we have the relationship we are able to do that".

But Mays business in Saudi may be more fraught than usual. For, after decades of aspiring towards Western life, investing in Western economies and holidaying in the big cities and beach towns of Europe and the US, the Saudi Arabian elite have fallen out of love with the Western world, and are turning their affections to the East instead.

There was perhaps no clearer indication of this salutary reality than the epic state tour recently concluded by the King of Saudi Arabia, King Salman.

Accompanied by a 1500-person entourage and 500 tons of cargo (a local freight company handling the Kings luggage had to lay on an additional 572 workers to cope) including two Mercedes-Benz S600 limousines and two electric elevators for the elderly and increasingly infirm monarch, Salman travelled to six eastern nations on the month long tour, visiting Indonesia, Japan, China, Malaysia, Brunei, and Jordan.

A stop off in the Maldives was cancelled at the last minute; the official excuse was an outbreak of bird flu in the nation, but many commentators saw a diplomatic attempt to avoid inflaming tensions over a multi-billion dollar investment (headed up by his son) in a remote chain of islands that activists fear the Saudis are attempting to buy by stealth.

Everywhere Salman went, he was greeted with adoration and gratituderose petals were strewn in his path, elaborate ceremonies of welcome were held, and government ministers queued up for moments of face time.

Contrast that to the reception the King received in the South of France two years ago when he went on holiday to his palaceChateau de lHorizonon the French Riviera with his entourage.

Socialist-minded French officials got things off to a bad start by quibbling with the decision to close a section of the beach for him and his familya not unreasonable security request for a visiting head of state--and he was widely sneered at, and portrayed as a tacky member of the nouveau riche by both the press and grandstanding local lawmakers.

Nices Mayor Christian Estrosi, for example, told local media: A head of state should be received with courtesy and safety measures, but there is no excuse for allowing a public space to be taken over.

A petition condemning the closure of the beach attracted 120,000 signatures in hours.

This did not go down at all well with the King, who ultimately packed up his not inconsiderable bags and left for Morocco where he could be among fellow Arabs just one week into what had been projected to be a three week stayprivately vowing never to return, according to insiders.

Patriotic Saudis have followed suit and are increasingly choosing to vacation in countries with significant Muslim populations such as the Maldives, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India.

It was very insulting to the Saudis, says one source who knows many members of the family. They employ thousands of people, they have supported the merchants, the chauffeur services and the casinos of Nice for decades and then they are treated in this demeaning way.

The USA has also fallen out of favour with Saudi Arabia. Trumps anti-Muslim rhetoric hasnt helped, but Salman is said to be far more enraged that the Trump administration appears to be poised to allow Saudi Arabia to effectively be officially blamed for 9/11, and the country now risks being held financially responsible by US courts for paying reparations to the families of 9/11 victims, thanks to the passage of the "Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act," or JASTA (it was vetoed by Obama, but the veto was overridden and Trump is thought to be a supporter of the act, which is firmly now back in play with the first cases making their way through the system).

The bill may ultimately allow families of Sept. 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia's government for damages in US courts.

The Saudis are naturally worried on a purely financial basis: theres no telling how much hostile U.S. courts might decide to award to the families of the nearly 3,000 people killed in those attacks.

But there is a moral issue for the Saudis too.

Its a matter of record that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi Arabian, says Robert Lacey, one of the UKs most knowledgeable experts on Saudi affairs and the author of The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Saud. And its also true that Saudi Arabia promulgates an intolerant brand of Wahhabism, and they pour money into the building of Wahhabist madrassas (schools) abroad.

But to suggest the 9/11 hijackers were agents of the Saudi state is a fallacy. They were as far from being state-sponsored terrorists as it is possible to be. They were explicitly dedicated to the overthrow of the House of Saud as one of their top priorities--as are ISIS and al-Qaeda today.

The Saudis have already suggested they might sell up to $750 billion in U.S. securities and other American assetssuch as the vast ARAMCO oil refineriesin retaliation if JASTA becomes law.

Even London, post-Brexit, is being seen as a less welcoming place for conservative Saudis.

Some rich Saudis are selling up apartments in London and buying in Dubai, says a source. Theres an increasing anti-Muslim feeling in London. Many would rather be with their fellow Arabs.

There is, of course, sound business case for refocusing energies on the East. You dont have to be an honors economics student to know that the future is China, and some analysts say that the Saudis change of direction is purely about following the money.

Gerald M. Feierstein, a Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Gulf Affairs at the Middle East Institute in Washington told the Daily Beast: I think the Saudis are looking to diversify economically and see China and Japan as good alternatives to dependence on the West. But the trip also served to shore up alliances with important Sunni partners in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. The Saudis also want to improve their political and security ties to Beijing seeing China as an increasingly important player in the region, and want to draw the Chinese away from Iran a bit. While all of these steps aren't explicitly aimed at the U.S., it does give the Saudis options if things don't work out here.

Feierstein points out that while the King was on his eastern tour, his son and heir, Mohammed bin Salman was having a good visit to the USA at the same time.

One of Feiersteins colleagues at the MEI, Thomas W. Lippman, told the Daily Beast: I guarantee it has nothing to do with JASTA, saying it was simply about the growth of the markets in the East, especially China and Korea.

David Ottaway, a Saudi expert and Woodrow Wilson Middle East Fellow, told the Daily Beast: Were they piqued by their treatment in France? Yes, sure, they were piquedbut this change of direction is not fundamentally because of these insults. Trying to rebalance trade with Asia is a policy that has been actively going on since the early 2000s. A lot of what is happening now is just a continuation of what they started to do then. Asia is their key oil export market. They want to assure those exports by owning refineries in those countries.

That said, they are very concerned about JASTA. They do consider it unfair that they are blamed for 9/11. And nobody knows what President Trump is planning to do with JASTA. He may cancel it. But it may have some impact on future investments. For example, when it comes to investing their new sovereign wealth fund, they are actively looking for places other than America to invest it in specifically because of JASTA.

In a deeply conservative, traditional plutocracy like Saudi Arabia, the political and the personal are more closely entwined than many in the West can imagine.

Says Lacey: "It is all part of an enormous shift eastwards in terms of investment and economic and political alliance undertaken by King Salman. It's about a pivot in Saudi policy away from its traditional dependence on the judgmental and increasingly anti-Muslim West.

Why sit there and endure self-righteous lectures from people who only see you as a customer for their arms? If you look east from Riyadh, there is an enormous Muslim constituency of growing wealth and influenceand votes at the UN.

The Middle East has been looking west for the past few decades, but it is just as easy for them to look east, to people who are actually grateful for their investments and sympathetic towards their religion, and who come on pilgrimage to Mecca and respect Saudi Arabia as, to some extent, the Vatican of Islam.

The House of Saud has always used religion to underpin their domestic legitimacy. Now they are using it internationally as well. And the fleshpots of Hong Kong (or the Maldives) have as much fun and wickedness to offer as London or New York--and more anonymously too.
The polling location for Ward 76 on Madison's Southwest Side will stay open until 9:30 p.m. due to a large police presence earlier in the day, city officials said in a release.

Voters of the ward looking to cast their ballots for the Wisconsin spring election will be able to go to the Revival Ridge Apartments, 2313 Allied Drive, after a Dane County Circuit Court judge approved the extension of voting hours. Polls are set to close at 8 p.m. at other locations.

There was a large police presence outside the polling location for about five hours while the Madison Police Department was conducting an investigation, which might have deterred voters from casting ballots, the release said.

Madison Police Lt. Kelly Donahue said the police were still investigating a gun fire incident in the area that happened around 9:20 p.m. on Monday.
As members of Congress prepared for a two-week break from the routine chaos of Capitol Hill, it became clear on Tuesday that President Donald Trumps health care bill, which many had considered dead and buried, was clawing its way out of the dirt.

Trumpcare has morphed into Zombiecareand it just wont stay dead.

But the embattled replacement for the Affordable Care Act wasnt really alive either, as of Tuesday.

What form the undead plan will eventually take was still up in the air after a two-hour meeting in the basement of the Capitol Tuesday night. The meeting involved a small group of members representing the various factions of the Republican conference and heavy-hitters from the administration including Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, Health and Human Service Secretary Tom Price, and Vice President Mike Pence

All-day rumors had floated around Washington that the White House would deliver the text of the bill by the end of the day on Tuesday. Republicans, including in the House Freedom Caucus, stressed that they needed to read the legislative text before rendering any verdict. But once the door closed on the late-night meeting, there was still nothing concrete for members to debate or even read.

Rep. Mark Meadows, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, told The Daily Beast that while the White House had strongly suggested they would have text by the end of the day, he acknowledged, thats different from promising.

He also confirmed that certainly no agreements in terms of foundation for a deal had materialized. He and other members of Congress emerging from the meeting around 10:30 p.m. all agreed that more meetings would have to happen tomorrow, and that whatever semblance of progress they were touting tonight wasnt anywhere close to the slam-dunk Republicans were praying to happen before recess.

Throughout the day, Trump administration officials roamed the halls of Capitol Hill on Tuesday afternoon. Mulvaney patrolled the House floor; Pence sat in on a weekly meeting between members of the major House caucuses, including the hardline-conservative Freedom Caucus and the moderate Tuesday Group and House Speaker Paul Ryan, as Republican members anxiously awaited language from a revised version of the American Health Care Act that went down in flames just 11 days ago. The bill was torpedoed, not just by opposition from staunch conservatives, but also more moderate voices, who saw the bill as far too toxic.

Earlier in the day, a much more optimistic-sounding Meadows told reporters the discussions were ongoing between the various GOP factions inside the House.

Lower premiums has to be our first and only priority and if we do something that lowers premiums then well all win in the end, the congressman said.

He characterized the second round of talks as solid discussions of potential options with nothing promised on either side, other than a willingness to put forth an idea and consider an idea.

In other words, there was still no actual deal, and no actual, real offers on the table from the White House.

But while dismissing the need for artificial deadlines, Meadows conceded that the upcoming congressional recess could throw a wrench in the delicate, attempted do-over.

Are you suggesting that its not like a fine wine that doesnt improve with time? Come on, he joked when a reporter asked him if the two-week break could jettison any progress. Many of us are willing to come back or stay in session if were close, so hopefully well get this done so that it doesnt create any further objections over a long recess.

The effort to reanimate the dead Trumpcare/Ryancare bill comes as the White House has amped up the pressure on Meadows and several of his Freedom Caucus comrades in arms.

The president has repeatedly called the North Carolina congressman out by name, on Twitter and elsewhere in public, as a hinderance to his bill. As recently as Thursday, Trump was, according to administration officials, in a vengeful mood and hate-tweeting the Freedom Caucus, calling on people to fight its members. Furthermore, as The Daily Beast previously reported, the presidents chief strategist Stephen Bannon had advised Trump to compile a shit list of those who opposed the AHCA, and that Bannon wanted the running tally displayed in his West Wing war room. Trump, for his part, was more than receptive to this enemies-list-type idea.

Freedom Caucus members do not appear all that intimidated.

Earlier on Tuesday, while Meadows brushed off the idea of a primary challenge, even one egged on by President Trump, saying, the threats of a primary in my district had an opposite effect, he did say the White House pressure has been high.

I think we are feeling pressure from the White House, but I can tell you there is probably more internal pressure for me to deliver on behalf of the people who are hurting under Obamacare, he said.

Asked by The Daily Beast how often he heard from the executive branch, Meadows smiled and replied: Pretty regularly.

Rep. Mark Sanford, a Freedom Caucus member, told The Daily Beast on Tuesday afternoon that the Devil is always in the details as it relates to legislation, and like his colleagues, he was awaiting released text of the revised AHCA before deciding whether to support the bill.

The White House had conveyed to the caucus that they would have the text available for them by close of business on Tuesday. The attempts at deal-making that the White House had floated to members and in the press this week only seemed to deepen divisions, make passage more of a fairy tale, and target some of Obamacares most popular aspects.

When asked by The Daily Beast if any actual, real, concrete progress on this had been made this or last week, Republican congressman and deputy Majority Whip Tom Cole said, I dont know.

Tuesday Group member Rep. Tom MacArthur said it was too early to say whether any progress could be made in the coming days.

The idea is still a bit nascent so I think our members want to see the language, MacArthur said. We had our weekly meeting today [with the Speaker] so I just think its early and see what the language looks like.

The mood among senior Republican staffers on the Hill and in the Trump White House was hardly jubilant, either. Despite the spin coming out of Republican offices that groups are on the cusp of a major breakthrough or that (stunningly!) House Republicans could be voting on a new, shinier bill before the end of this work week, conservatives involved in the process concede in private to having nothing more than very cautious optimismwith a long road aheadat best, and fatalism at worst.

"Zombie Trumpcare is exactly that: a zombieslow-moving, disintegrating, one House Republican aide messaged The Daily Beast on Tuesday morning.
Theres so much fog surrounding President Donald Trumps immigration policies that the issue is at risk of getting lost at sea.

Trump talks a hard line on immigration, but has done little other than to threaten so-called sanctuary cities with the loss of federal funding.

Its as if the president has turned to threatening Americans to distract attention from the fact that the administrations Muslim travel ban is tied up in court, or that Mexico still isnt paying for a border wall.

Too much hyperbolic rhetoric has been flowing about sanctuary cities allowing undocumented immigrants accused of rapes and murders in their home countries to roam U.S. streets free as a bird. But only anecdotal evidence has been offered to substantiate that allegation.

A recent study by researchers at the University of California at Riverside and Highline College concluded that there was no evidence of higher crime rates in cities with sanctuary policies. We find no statistically discernible difference in violent crime rate, rape, or property crime across the cities, the researchers said....

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said last week he would deny federal grants to communities that dont cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Sessions said sanctuary cities are breaking federal law, but some legal experts say that has not been established. ...

A section of the U.S. Code says local governments may not restrict information provided to federal officers regarding the citizenship or immigration status of any individual. But there has been no determination that any city has violated the law, so on what basis would Sessions withhold funds?

The pressure on sanctuary cities to hold people for ICE ignores the costly legal liability those cities would face for violating a persons civil rights. U.S. courts have held that localities cannot hold an undocumented immigrant who has been arrested beyond his or her sentence. Thats the law. The Trump administration should attack it, not the cities.

The administrations attempt to bully cities into having local police act like ICE agents could make cities even less safe. Immigrant families living in fear of having a loved one deported are less likely to draw attention to themselves by reporting crimes to police when they are victims or witnesses.

Trumps fog machine stirs fear about freed rapists while doing little to formulate a comprehensive immigration policy that addresses not just border security but legal residency for those who may deserve that status.
John Negroponte, a British-born American diplomat, and Stephen Krasner, a senior fellow and professor of international relations at the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford University, are currently speaking at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center.

In a speech that began at 5 p.m., the two are addressing the existing world power structure and the stress faced by traditional Cold War alliances. The discussion, which is titled Unravelling of International Order: The Coming Crises America Will Face," will address topics such as the crisis in the European Union, nuclear threats from North Korea, Russian expansionism and the deteriorating of relations with Latin America.
A College Station man faces charges in connection to a March robbery, Bryan police said.

According to police, Justin Denard Hemphill, 27, is charged with aggravated robbery.

On March 16, police said a man entered Rana Grocery at 1501 Groesbeck Road, displayed a weapon and demanded money. The man fled the store with an undisclosed amount of money. No injuries were reported.

Aggravated robbery is a first-degree felony punishable by five to 99 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.

Hemphill is being held at the Brazos County Jail on $121,000 bond.
Two experts on international relations told an audience at Texas A&M on Tuesday that administrative decisions made in regards to what both Russia and China will do in the near future, are crucial to the American presence on the world stage.

During the speech at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center, Stephen Krasner, a professor of international relations at Stanford University and John Negroponte, a former deputy secretary of state and U.S. ambassador to numerous countries, discussed their concerns with how America will handle foreign affairs over the next few years.

Krasner shared his predictions for the future based on his personal studies and leadership, a reflection upon American history and observances from his time spent serving Condoleeza Rice with the Department of State.

He said the world is always the recipient of "known unknown events;" meaning that it is to be predicted and expected that the unpredictable will happen, such as the Holocaust, the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the spreading of the AIDS virus or the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. Krasner noted that though he does not disapprove of President Donald Trump's foreign policy at this point, he does worry that the current administration will not react well to one of these unexpected or "Black Swan" types of events.

Negroponte said he believes Russia is trying to recapture its former sense of glory, and the forcible annexation of Crimea is just one example of how Russia would like to gain power, despite the wishes of the West. If Trump and his administration do not condemn Putin's actions when violating NATO treaty agreements and the Western order, the U.S. puts much at stake internationally, losing trust and confidence from its allies.

"Above all we need to remove international concern," Negroponte said. "I think anxiety is out there as to what kind of role the U.S. will play in coming years."

Both men agreed the future of China is one major question mark. The country could see economic growth or a move toward democracy, but current tensions in China could also lead to civil war. China's relationship with the Koreas is vital to the United States, as China will probably play a major part in easing North Korea's tension with South Korea, the speakers said.

North Koreans will soon possess the capabilities to strike a major U.S. city, but should the United States attack North Korea now, the country could theoretically also bomb and kill millions of South Koreans living in Seoul. A direct attack on North Korea could additionally upset international powers against the United States, as it would violate NATO rules.

"The obvious thing to hope for is a North Korean regime change," Krasner said. "China is in the best place to carry that out, though we don't know if they will be willing to do it."

Negroponte suggested Americans be cautiously wary of China's power, yet not consider the Chinese enemies or opponents. As with Russia, though, Negroponte added, the White House administration should not be shy to stand up and speak out if China does something that violates a known treaty or threatens global policy.

Both men continued to address Middle Eastern, African and South American nations after their initial lectures, all part of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation and Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs' discussion on America and the unravelling of international order.

In general, they agreed that U.S. leaders must promote strong national defense, growth in alliances and diplomacy with other countries, and a steady outspokenness against threatening decisions made amongst nations.

"I think U.S. leadership in all of this is key," Negroponte said. "... Probably the most important concern is the fear that we will abandon and abdicate our leadership role by encouraging forces of disorder and decline, or by encouraging the creation of order led by others less congenial than an order to our interest."
Texas A&M police are looking for three suspects who were caught on camera vandalizing the Haynes Ring Plaza at the Clayton W. Williams Jr. Alumni Center on the university campus early Tuesday with a message referencing rape.

Vice President of The Association of Former Students Kathryn Greenwade said the message was noticed when an employee arrived around 7:30 a.m.

Greenwade said the people who painted the message were captured on surveillance footage around 3:50 a.m.

University police spokesperson Lt. Bobby Richardson said the footage was provided to the Texas A&M University police by the afternoon and is being used to aid in their investigation.

Greenwade said center officials "believe the best way to allow our university police to find the individuals responsible for this act is to allow their investigation to be completed before commenting further."

With the spring Ring Day ceremony just days away, Greenwade said they "expect Ring Day to be the celebration that it always is."

The graffiti message was removed Tuesday afternoon.

The message, which reads "Rape is inevitable may as well enjoy it -- Clayton Williams," is a reference to a statement made by the Texas A&M graduate and alumni center namesake during his 1990 run for Texas governor.

According to the AP, Williams was preparing for a cattle roundup at his ranch in West Texas with ranch hands, campaign workers and reporters when he compared oncoming bad weather to rape, remarking "If it's inevitable, just relax and enjoy it."

Richardson said the charge for the crime is likely to be for graffiti. The severity of the charge will be determined once officials know the cost to remove the message.
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 ...
What issue do Iowa voters most often say is critical? You might be surprised
File Photo / File Photo

Panera Bread is being acquired by the investor firm behind Krispy Kreme and other big bakery and coffee brands, with the transaction valued at nearly $7.2 billion.

Panera Bread is based in St. Louis and has a half-dozen locations in southwestern Connecticut, having closed bakery cafes in the past year in Norwalk, Darien and Newtown.
With a net worth of more than $86 billion, Bill Gates is known for being one of the richest people in the world. But theres a lot more you probably dont know about the Microsoft co-founder.

Gates was born in Seattle in 1955 and discovered his passion for technology early on. In school, he met long-time friend and future co-founder Paul Allen. Together, they launched another small-business venture before coming up with the idea for Microsoft.

Related: 5 Life Lessons From Bill Gates, One of the Most Influential Philanthropists on Earth

Until he realized his desire to pursue computers, Gates had planned to become a lawyer and studied pre-law at Harvard. He eventually dropped out, launched Microsoft and met his employee and future wife, Melinda. Today, Gates is not only a self-made billionaire and tech leader, but hes also a philanthropist, an author and even a knight.

Check out these 27 surprising facts about Bill Gates.

Additional reporting by Nina Zipkin

Now Playing: Bill Gates will make a $12 million donation to fund research for a universal flu vaccine. Veuer's Maria Mercedes Galuppo has more. Video: Veuer

Image credit: Joe McNally | Getty Images

1. Gates developed his first computer software program at 13 years old.

After spending a few years in public school, Gates later attended the Lakeside School, a private preparatory school in Seattle. It was there that Gates discovered his passion for computer programming and met Paul Allen, who became his close friend and later Microsoft co-founder. He also developed his first computer software program at age 13. Using BASIC computer language, the program was a tic-tac-toe game in which players could compete against the computer.

2. Gates fixed his high schools class scheduling software so he was in all-girls classes.

The Lakeside School recruited Gates to help code its class scheduling system. Gates took advantage of his new task and his coding abilities, and he and his long-time pal and later Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen tweaked the schools scheduling software and placed Gates in all-girls classes.

"Paul did the computer scheduling with me. Unfortunately for him he was two years ahead of me and he was off to college by then. So I was the one who benefited by being able to have the nice girls at least sit near me, Gates shared with BBC.

Image credit: Bruce Glikas

3. Gates and Allen formed a business partnership before Microsoft.

From the moment they met in middle school, Gates and Allen became friends -- likely because of their common interest in computer programming. While in school, the two formed a company called Traf-O-Data. They put together a small computer based on an Intel 8008 chip that measured and analyzed traffic data for the Washington state highway department. Gates and Allen made about $20,000 from the venture, but it slowly dissolved as Allen went on to work for Honeywell in Boston and Gates enrolled at Harvard.

4. He almost had a perfect SAT score.

Its hardly shocking that the genius got a near-perfect score on his SATs. Gates scored a 1590 out of 1600 on the college entrance exams.

5. Gates originally studied law in college.

In 1973, Gates began studying pre-law at Harvard University, planning to follow in the footsteps of his lawyer father. Although by his sophomore year, Gatess plans changed and he began taking some of the schools most rigorous math and science courses. Then, two years into his Harvard career, Gates dropped out to pursue Microsoft.

6. Gates was arrested twice for his driving.

In 1975, in his Porsche 911, 19-year-old Gates was arrested for speeding and driving without a license. But he didnt learn his lesson -- two years later, Gates was arrested again in Albuquerque, N.M., for another traffic violation and for driving without his license.

Theres speculation that the generic user icon in Microsoft Outlook 10 is actually a silhouette of Gatess mugshot.

7. His wife, Melinda, used to work for him.

After graduating from Duke University in 1986, Melinda Gates landed her first job at a startup -- Microsoft.

I just thought, Oh my gosh. I have to work at this company. They are changing the world. And if I get an offer, theres no way Im not going to take it,  Melinda told CBS News.

Melinda scored the job, and shortly into her time working there, she made a great impression on the boss.

Related: Warren Buffett and Bill Gates's Top Secret to Success

I met her at a New York City sales meeting, Bill told CBS. And then it was only a week or so after that, that I went up to her in the parking lot and asked if she wanted to go out.

Image credit: Bloomberg | Getty Images

8. He was once the youngest billionaire ever.

Gates made his first billion in 1987 at the age of 31, making him the youngest billionaire ever at that time.

9. On his wedding day, he rented out every room at the hotel.

To ensure privacy, Gates rented out all 250 rooms at the Manele Bay Hotel in Lanai, Hawaii, where his wedding party was staying. At the time (1994), Gates was the second-richest person in America. Taking an extra precaution to keep the media and paparazzi from flying overhead, Gates reportedly hired all of the helicopters on Maui, too.

10. He used to memorize his employeess license plate numbers to keep tabs on them.

Youd think a simple punch card or check-in system might suffice -- not for Gates. Gates memorized the license plates of his employees so he would know when they arrived at and left work.

I knew everyone's license plate, so I could look out in the parking lot and see when did people come in, when were they leaving. Eventually I had to loosen up, as the company got to a reasonable size, he revealed in an interview with BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs program.

11. Gates bought Leonardo da Vincis Codex Leicester manuscript for $30.8 million.

Besides his private plane, Gatess other big splurge was Leonardo da Vincis Codex Leicester manuscript, which dates back to the 16th century. In a 1994 auction, Gates won the manuscript for $30.8 million, making it the most expensive book in the world. Gates sometimes puts the book on loan to museums.

12. In 1995, Gates became the richest man in the world.

In July 1995, at 39 years old, Gates became the richest man in the world with a fortune of $12.9 billion. He has since lost that title a few times, but he held the top spot on the Forbes Worlds Billionaires real-time ranking in March 2017.

13. He got pied in the face during a trip to Brussels.

During a 1998 trip to Brussels, Belgium, Gates was on his way into a meeting with more than 400 Belgian educators, business leaders and government officials. Upon entering the building, Gates was struck in the face with a pie. After the incident, Belgian prankster and personality Noel Godin took responsibility for the prank, and Gates didnt press charges.

"The pie wasn't even that good," a Microsoft spokesperson reported Gates as saying.

Image credit: Bloomberg | Getty Images

14. Bill and Melinda Gates run the largest private foundation in the world.

The couple launched the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. With donations from major investors, public figures and celebrities such as Warren Buffett, Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Jack Nicklaus and Big Sean, it has become the largest private foundation in the world. In 2015, it reported a $39.6 billion trust endowment.

15. He was knighted by the Queen.

In 2005, Gates received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth of England for his charitable work and achievements in technology. Gates and his wife, Melinda, met the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace for the ceremony, during which he received his KBE title -- Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Gates is unable to be referred to as Sir because he is not a British citizen.

16. The number-one thing on his bucket list is not dying.

In 2013, Gates held an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit. During the session, Gates was asked if he had anything left on his bucket list. His response? Dont die

Related: How Bill Gates Became a Leadership Legend

17. His bedtime routine involves reading  and washing the dishes.

Even the richest man in the world makes time to complete his house chores. In a 2014 Reddit AMA, Gates shared that he washes his familys dirty dishes every night. He even finds the task enjoyable. Other people volunteer but I like the way I do it, he said.

In addition to washing the dishes, another part of Gatess bedtime routine involves reading for an hour. Even if its late into the night, he makes sure to get in a solid 60 minutes before bed, because for him, Its part of falling asleep, he once told The Seattle Times.

18. If he could have a superpower, it would be more energy.

In their 2016 annual letter, Bill and Melinda shared the superpowers they wished they could have. The first things to come to mind for the average person might be x-ray vision, invisibility or time travel -- but Melinda and Bill said they wanted more time and more energy.

Bill said he wished for more energy, explaining that many people underestimate the importance of energy access -- from turning on a light switch to pressing the power button on a laptop. Without access to energy, the poor are stuck in the dark, denied all of these benefits and opportunities that come with power.

19. Bill and Melinda Gatess favorite number is 122 million.

In their 2017 annual letter to Warren Buffett, who donated a chunk of his fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the couple wrote that 122 million is their favorite number. It is the number of childrens lives that have been saved since 1990 as the mortality rate has declined.

Image credit: Matthew Stockman | Getty Images

20. To disguise himself, Gates wears a hat.

To ward off any unwanted attention, Gates resorts to an old-school tactic -- wearing a hat. During a 2017 Reddit AMA, Gates was asked if he ever disguises himself in public.

"I sometimes wear a hat, Gates wrote. For example when I did college tours with my son I wanted the focus to be totally on him. A lot less people recognize me when I have a hat on or else they realize I am trying to be incognito.

21. Bill and Melinda Gates are giving $10 million to each of their kids.

As of March 2017, Forbes reports Bill Gatess net worth to be $86.6 billion. Thats why it comes as a surprise that he and Melinda are planning to give only $10 million to each of their three kids. Its a massive figure to most of us, but its pocket change for this billionaire. Most of the Gatess fortune will go to charitable foundations, including their own Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

22. He doesnt do his own grocery shopping

During a visit to the Ellen Show, host Ellen DeGeneres put Gates through his paces to see if the billionaire, who by all rights is very knowledgeable about the state of the world, could guess the prices of everyday grocery items. When was the last time the Microsoft founder set foot in a store to do his own shopping? Long time ago, he admitted. Spoiler alert: He very sort of passed the test, with a little help from the audience.

23. He typically doesnt do big purchases, with one exception.

In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Gates shared that even after he became a billionaire, he always erred on the side of caution. I always wanted to have enough money in the bank so that even if our customers didnt pay us for a year, we could still keep paying everybody and do the R&D, he said. While Gates confessed to not having particularly extravagant tastes, he said that he has used his fortune for some transportation-related purchases -- a porsche in the early years and a plane for Gates Foundation travel. But there is one whimsical exception to the rule. We have a trampoline room in our house. The kids like that. Indoor trampolines. I recommend it, Gates said. Its a room with a very high ceiling.

24. He wishes he had been more socialable during college.

During an April 2018 Q&A session at Harvard, which Gates dropped out of in 1975, a student asked the Microsoft co-founder: "What is something that you regret doing, or maybe not doing, at Harvard?"

The billionaire responded, "Well, I wish I had been more sociable." He added, "I wish I had gotten to know more people. I was just so into being good at the classes and taking lots of classes."

He also revealed that Steve Ballmer, who would become CEO of Microsoft after Gates stepped down, would drag Gates out to party.

"I was so antisocial I wouldn't have even known they existed, but Steve Ballmer decided I needed some exposure to, I guess, drinking," Gates said. "So, I would go to those events and that was highly educational."



25. Mr. Gates Goes to Washington?

In a recent interview, the entrepreneur and philanthropist shared that during a conversation with President Donald Trump around the potential for a universal flu vaccine, he got an unexpected job offer. I mentioned: Hey, maybe we should have a science adviser, he recalled in conversation with science website Stat. He said: Did I want to be the science adviser? In the end, Gates courteously had to decline. Thats not a good use of my time, he said.

26. He thought about getting into politics.

Gates's dad was a lawyer, and the Microsoft co-founder considered following in his footsteps when he was in high school. In 1972, when Gates was 16, he spent the summer in Washington, D.C., to work as a congressional page. He was tasked with delivering legislation to the floor of the House and documents to the offices of various congressional representatives. The experience ultimately gave him the clarity to realize that the world of politics wasnt for him and led him down the path of pursuing business and technology.

27. He has some serious real estate.

Gates has a home in Medina, Wash., called Xanadu 2.0, named after the the mansion belonging to the title character in Citizen Kane. That fictional estate was relatively luxurious, and Gatess is no slouch in that department. It took seven years and $63 million to build the 66,000 square foot space, which houses a reception room, six kitchens, 24 bathrooms, a library with rare manuscripts, a home theater, a trampoline room and a stream thats home to salmon and trout. Plus, computer screens around the house can display any artwork youd like.

Related:

Bill Gates Got an Offer to Be Trump's Science Advisor and 26 Other Weird Things We've Learned About Him

Meet the Famous Retirees of the Business World

Tech Entrepreneurs Move Towards Philanthropy: 5 Most Charitable Business Leaders



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

NORWALK  The Common Council next Tuesday evening will take yet another look at a controversial $3.4 million paving contract with The Grasso Companies, LLC.

While some residents have deemed the proposed contract irresponsible, based upon a history of zoning violations and unpaid taxes by The Original Grasso Construction Co., Norwalk Director of Public Works Director Bruce J. Chimento said those issues are outside his realm as an engineer.

We dont have a problem with the work and the process by which they do the work, Chimento said. Grasso is fine to work with  they do good work. And Deering does work and so does FGB. We have no problem with any of the three bidders.

After discussion Tuesday evening, the councils Public Works Committee voted 4-2 to advance to the full council the proposed contract with The Grasso Companies. Members Michael Corsello, Thomas Livingston, Michelle Maggio and Eloisa Melendez voted yes, members Richard Bonenfant and Phaedrel Bowman voted no, and Chairman John Igneri abstained from the vote.

Bonenfant said Wednesday that nothing has changed to sway him to support the contract. He doesnt distinguish between The Grasso Companies, now operated by Joseph M. Grasso Jr., and The Original Grasso Construction Co., formerly run by Joseph Grasso Sr. The latter company owes the city roughly $270,000 in property taxes and remains in bankruptcy court. Both companies operate from 314 Wilson Ave.

I didnt think that they could have it both ways, that they could say, theres a brand-new company and that they dont owe taxes and debts from the first company, Bonenfant said. Then you cant say they have a great track record over the years of doing good paving.

Bidding rules

The Grasso Companies was the low bidder in the citys effort to hire a paving contractor for 2017. The company offered to perform the work for $3.4 million as compared to $3.5 million by Deering Construction, Inc., $3.7 million by FGB Construction Co., $3.8 million by Laydon Industries and $4.4 million offered by Waters Construction Co., according to the Department of Public Works.

Theres statutes in Connecticut. Theres a public bidding statute. The bid is to go to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder, Luke Conrad, attorney for The Grasso Companies, told the council on March 28.

Under Norwalk ordinance, however, the city may determine a bidder is not responsible despite the payment of all debts and obligations if such bidder has a history of nonpayment of debts or a repeated pattern of such at any point within the past five years. The city also reserves the right to reject any or all bids and/or bidders as it may consider to be in its best interests or when it is determined that the public interest would be served by doing so.

On March 28, when the council had its last pass at the proposed contract, residents urged the legislative body to reject the agreement. They cited past noise complaints, unpaid taxes and zoning violations by The Original Grasso Construction Co.

They have been the worst neighbor I can ever imagine. They do construction activities all night. We call the police five times, six times a year, Splitrock Road resident Paul Braschi told the council.

Past work

Grasso Jr. maintains the $3.4 million paving contract is in Norwalks best interest and stands by his companys past work.

In 2014, The Grasso Companies completed drainage improvements on Edlie Avenue, Prowitt Street, Scribner Avenue and Belmont Place for a cost of $718,129. Under a $3.9 million contract that same year, the company replaced sidewalks and paved several dozen roads, including North Water Street, and Scribner and Strawberry Hill avenues, according to Grasso Jr.

He expressed hope that the full council will approve the new paving contract next Tuesday evening.

I am very pleased that the DPW committee accepted my bid as the lowest qualified bidder for the 2017 citywide paving program and I trust the Common Council will vote the same this coming Tuesday, Grasso Jr. said.

Grasso Jr. hopes to win opponents and neighbors over.

I have extended myself to the residents of Village Creek in hopes to maintain a good neighborly relationship, Grasso Jr. said Wednesday. I intend take steps to ensure that moving forward GCLs reputation in the community is that of a strong corporate citizen with a reputation of giving back.

rkoch@hearstmediact.com
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Pub, Tavern, Bistro, Gastropub. Whatever you call it, theres nothing like a comfortable, casual restaurant with ambition: cozy yet buzzing, with a great bar and on-the-ball service. Its even better if the food is original, delicious, and well-presented.

The Village Tavern on Main Street in Ridgefield is all this and more. Behind the colonial facade on Ridgefields traditional main drag you find bistro-style mosaic tile floors, a long wooden mirror-backed bar, exposed brick walls painted with old-fashioned murals, and those ever-popular, vintage Edison-style light bulbs. This decor touches lots of inviting bases.

Noir on Stamfords Summer Street is more intimate  a personal expression of owner Carrin Schechters career in art with stylish black glass chandeliers, framed mirrors, and a large-scale Leonard Freed photograph of two men arguing in a museum that dominates the room. A well-curated playlist of mid-century jazz sets the tone. Part of the Summer Street restaurant enclave, Noir brings some serenity and maturity to the otherwise hip, raucous, and jammed scene up and down the street.

Germano Minin, chef at the Village Tavern, can cook! But before tasting anything, youll be wowed by the presentations. Its not easy to be original with a hamburger, but here, the plump, juicy burger on a brioche bun comes on a cutting board the shape of Connecticut (Greenwich is the handle) with all the condiments laid out from Stamford to Stonington: fries, mushrooms, caramelized onions, bacon, a pickle, and squiggles of catchup and mustard.

The King Napoleon layers up crab meat, and herbed, fresh Hudson Valley cheese on wafers of philo, atop a puddle of nostalgic beurre blanc sauce.

A crisp salad in the tin with tomato, avocado, bacon, blue cheese and herb dressing is presented in a tin can that is lifted off at the table as the salad spreads across the plate. Hows that for pizzazz?

Cucumber, carrot, fennel, and radish are sliced the long way for a ribbon salad that brought wows around our table for the simple yet original presentation.

A Maine lobster tail swam above a sea of tender, cloud-like gnocchi in a lobster sauce  pillows of happiness, as someone at our table said. Shared mezzaluna ravioli stuffed with goat and cow ricotta, sauced with heirloom tomatoes and lentils almost caused an altercation over the last bite.

In the restaurant biz they say, Sell the sizzle, not the steak. Here Chef Minin doesnt need the sizzle, but gives it to us anyway. Trained in Italy and seasoned in Arizona and California, most recently at the Hostaria del Piccolo in Santa Monica, hes a real asset to our area.

The cocktail list is divided into three eras: American Prohibition (the Bees Knees), Turn of the Century (Negroni), and Modern Day (Beautiful Fool). The tart, fresh, herbal cocktail, made with Hendricks Gin, St. Germain, grapefruit, lime, and chamomile syrup, spawned more than a few puns about ordering it.

Right after we got settled at Noir, Carrin suggested the duckling  a sauteed breast, with a confit leg and thigh. Chef Juan Parra, formerly of Brasitas in Norwalk, prepared the duck with a nod to the classic presentation, the dish was sauced with Grand Marnier and fresh orange slices plus pomegranate seeds. The rosy medium-rare breast contrasted delightfully with the crisp, rich thigh.

Noir is an American restaurant with a French esthetic, Schechter told us, not a French restaurant. Youll find a classic onion soup, escargot, and steak frites, along with a burger bourguignon, coconut curry mussels, and guacamole croquettes  a culinary melting pot. With twice as many small plates as entrees, its easy and fun to explore the menu.

We started out with a sip of silken sweet potato soup (served latte style) dusted with candied walnuts, along with a smoked duck, cranberry, and red cabbage crostini. Roasted Brussels sprouts with applewood smoked bacon were enlivened with fresh pomegranate seeds. Lamb lollipops were nicely seared rib chops with a tropical fruit chimichurri. Who could resist the gorgeous croque monsieur, gooey with gruyere and smoky with country ham, served with a pickley remoulade on the side.

After the duck combo with grilled sweet potatoes and haricot vert, we managed to share a rich chocolate mousse, garnished with fresh berries and whipped cream.

Noir doesnt have space for a bar to sit at, but they do have some intriguing cocktails. The Jazzy Latin has jalapeno infused tequila with Cointreau and lime and the Piscomatico mixes Pisco (Peruvian brandy) with aged rum and cream sherry. Wow!

Both of these restaurants are built on the foundation of European cooking  Italian or French. Both use that as a starting point to reach around the world for the best flavors, most interesting textures, and original use of ingredients. Its the wave of the future. Every generation wants to create something new, built on the accumulated wisdom of the past.

Whatever you call restaurants like this, theyve moved beyond traditional pub comfort food and are challenging us with delicious new ideas. Were pretty excited to see what theyre doing!

Frank Whitmans Not Bread Alone column runs every Thursday in The Hour. Frank can be reached at notbreadalonefw@gmail.com.
NORWALK  A Stamford man accused of stealing from his Norwalk employer in 2006 was arrested Tuesday for allegedly failing to appear in court to face charges.

Martin Dominguez, 41, of Stamford, was arrested in 2006 after an investigation led officers to believe Dominguez, who was then an employee at Best Buy in Norwalk, stole plasma televisions and a TV stand.
How cats became our pets is still a bit mysterious, but the general idea is that it was their decision. Cats figured out that early farmers' grain stores drew rodents and started hanging around for easy meals. People found these extermination services useful, and some found the furry little felines charming. Cats, fans of warmth and soft bedding, found all this very convenient.

The takeaway is that cats - solitary, aloof, predatory - are in this whole relationship with us purely for themselves.

Kristyn Vitale Shreve doesn't buy that. She teaches cats to play together in "socialization" classes. She teaches people to train their kittens to sit, stand and perform tricks. She thinks that what cats like and want is, well, complicated.

So Vitale Shreve, a Ph.D. student at Oregon State University, decided to formally study cats' tastes. First she and colleagues gave 55 cats - a mix of shelter animals and pets - with three choices of foods, toys, scents and kinds of human interaction (the options in this last category were talking, petting or playing with a person holding a feather toy). Then she presented each cat with its four favorites and watched what happened.

The results of this observation of cats - which, importantly, had not eaten in 2.5 hours - might upend your ideas about feline desires. Fully half preferred to socialize with people, and they included the shelter cats that did not have a relationship with their tester. Food was not too far behind. Four cats preferred toys, and just one oddball's favorite option was catnip.

That didn't shock Vitale Shreve, who studied feral colony cats as a master's student.

"I've worked with cats a lot," she said. "It's not surprising to me to see cats being social. I've never seen cats being unsocial."

Dennis Turner, an longtime cat researcher who is director of the Institute for Applied Ethology and Animal Psychology in Switzerland, said in email that the findings are "important" as well as "gratifying," because they bolster something he and colleague found two decades ago. In a study of feral cats, he said, they concluded that while strays show a preference for people who feed them, "it takes more than that, talking with or stroking the animal to maintain that preference and establish a relationship."

While Vitale Shreve's results might seem surprising to most of us, more surprising is that her study was done at all. Science about how dogs think and how smart they are is so thriving that several American universities now have laboratories devoted to canine cognition. But although more cats than dogs live in American homes, there's no such lab devoted to felines. That means a fairly simple study that attempts to peer into the feline mind can break new ground.

---

Ask dog researchers why there are no feline cognition labs, and they usually chuckle and say one thing: Cats are terribly uncooperative subjects.

Consider a splashy study published last year that used brain scans to conclude that dogs process human speech in the same way we do, combining intonation and words to determine meaning. To determine that, the researchers trained dogs to lie as still as stones in an fMRI machine for eight minutes. Just try to imagine getting cats to do that.

But Vitale Shreve, who said she dreams of founding the first cat cognition lab, says comparing cats to well-studied dogs has "led to some of the stagnation in the field." Also, she said, the idea that it's impossible to train cats to participate in cognitive tests is wrong. That's another reason her study on cat preferences is important, Turner said: It shows that tuna might motivate some kitties to cooperate, but others might respond to petting.

"A lot of people try to apply tests created for dogs or other species and then apply them to cats," Vitale Shreve said, noting that she modified her preference test to be more cat-friendly - shorter and with less handling - than is typically used with dogs.

"If you're having trouble measuring behavior in the species, it's probably not the species that's the problem," she said. "It's the methodology."

To be sure, some of the cats wanted nothing to do with the study. Five didn't finish the tests "due to nervous behavior (hiding, shaking, dilated pupils)," Vitale Shreve and her co-authors wrote in their paper, which was published in the journal Behavioural Processes. Six others finished but turned their noses up at every choice. But that's not so strange. The dog trainer for that fMRI study told me last year that several dogs considered for participation couldn't cut it.

---

John Bradshaw, a British biologist who founded the Anthrozoology Institute at the University of Bristol, says it's true that cats are trainable - in fact, he's the co-author of a recent book on the topic. But, he said, you "have to get them in the right frame of mind."

But he argues that's not the only reason there aren't cat cognition centers. Because cats prefer to stick around their territory, they're harder than dogs to take to labs to study. That means more feline research must be done at cats' homes, introducing variables - different settings, different handlers - that puts "a lot of noise in the data" and requires far bigger sample sizes, he said.

A bigger issue is that there are far more practical uses for dog training and understanding how they learn. Pooches guide blind people, assist hunters, sniff out cancer and detect bombs. That means more money for studies, said Bradshaw, who knows: After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he says he got "quite generous funding" to foot the bill for years of studying sniffer dogs.

"It's certainly possible to train cats to be relaxed in an experimental setup," Bradshaw said. "But given that it takes longer than it takes for a dog and there are fewer applications, why would anyone do it? And I think that's a pity."

Bradshaw had one quibble with Vitale Shreve's study. He said cats that preferred interacting with people using the feather toy should be categorized as liking playing with a moving toy, not social interaction.

"It kind of detracts from the headline that cats love people more than they love food or toys," he said. "What they really like is hunting."

---

But it does not detract from the larger point that "not all cats are the same, despite the fact that people who don't like cats say they're all the same, they're aloof, and so on," Bradshaw said. And while that may not sound like a bombshell conclusion, it's important for a very young field.

"The research is playing catch up with what everyone knows. But that's very valuable, because it puts it in the scientific literature and allows scientists to move on" to other questions, Bradshaw said, like "why do some cats like being petted and others don't?"

For now, the takeaway for cat owners is that they might need to do a little investigation to figure out whether their pets are motivated by kibble or catnip, said Vitale Shreve, who's got more studies of cat thinking and behavior underway.

Turner, the cat researcher in Switzerland, said he's confident a feline research boom is still to come. There was a time, he noted, that scientists studying animal cognition focused only on primates. Then some realized dogs were even better than apes at things like reading human gestures.

"I expect many more studies of the cat's cognitive abilities in the near future," Turner said. "And I expect that they will be as high as dogs, wolves and primates, given the fact that the cat is a predator which in the wild was forced to make decisions about where and what to hunt on a daily basis."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WILTON  Every student at Wilton High School will be required to bring their own device for classroom use and educational purposes starting September.

The new Bring Your Own Device program is part of the districts Ready Access digital learning plan for the 2017-18 school year.

Miller-Driscoll will have iPad stations of six to eight devices for every kindergarten- and- first-grade classroom, and Chromebrook carts for second-grade classrooms. Students at Cider Mill and Middlebrook will have access to Chromebooks at a 1:1 ratio, with students in grades 5-8 having the option of taking devices home.

Wilton High School principal Robert ODonnell said the school has found success with this 1:1 model for the past two years and recently issued Chromebooks to every student this year.

So this is the next phase where were looking at a model where were going one-to-one in the district and we reached a decision at the high school level that BYOD, Bring Your Own Device, is the best model up here, he said. We already have many of our students who bring their devices already and use them regularly in the school and in the classroom.

And weve trained the teachers to develop their instructional strategies to integrate instructional technology.

Any device, except tablets and cellphones, will be accepted under the program. However, devices must meet certain requirements: run a current operating system (Windows 7 or later, Chrome OS, Mac OS Yosemite or later), have an attached or attachable keyboard and mouse, and be able to connect to schools filtered wireless network.

Additional software used in class will be provided, as well as a Digital Toolset Suite of resources typically offered only in classroom or lab settings.

The idea is to create a seamless digital learning experience for students, according to Erik Haakonsen, director of technology for the school district and liaison with Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology.

As were looking at software and curriculum pieces, were looking at more online and software products but were also looking to use virtual desktops to allow students to access programs that are used in the curriculum outside of lab and outside of the school, Haakonsen said. So what were really looking to do is extend the footprint and access to the resources to a 24/7/365 model.

Another important aspect of the program, and of the districts overall plan, is fostering digital citizenship, or responsible use of technology, said Fran Kompar, director of instructional technology and digital learning for the school district.

Device usage in the classroom will be at the sole discretion of teachers, Kompar said, ensuring that students are using their devices appropriately during class time  following teacher presentations, taking notes, and working on assignments and student research. Most assignments will be found on Google Classroom and will be completed through the students Google Drive account.

That is something that will be modeled by teachers and embedded throughout the curriculum, she said. Its something that would be repeated and enforced by teachers because being able to use technology in an effective way responsibly is even more important and to be able to think critically is a lifelong skill.

Every school will have a digital citizenship unit at the beginning of the school year, Kompar added.

Teachers will also use their discretion to incorporate technology and instructional devices when appropriate and where effective, ODonnell said.

I think its important to note that theres not an expectation that theyre on devices all the time. I think that can be a misconception, he said. Students will be still reading literature, writing essays, and in some cases hand-writing essays.

Its not a clear expectation that next year will be all technology, all technology, all technology.

Other schools in lower Fairfield County have adopted a similar program, including Norwalk Public Schools, New Canaan High School and Staples High School.

Wilton High School parents have largely supported the new initiative, ODonnell said. Results from a survey taken by parents of 136 students expected to enroll at the high school for the 2017-18 year showed that most students prefer the BYOD program. Survey results also revealed that about two-thirds of students currently have devices eligible for the program, with freshmen students least likely to have a device.

Devices that dont meet requirements wont be allowed for classroom use, as well as personal use of a broadband connection, such as a 3G or 4G phone network.

Students who cant get a device can either borrow one from the Learning Commons or apply for one to be provided to them, if they are unable to afford one.

A website will be set up by June 1 with district volume priced Chromebooks available for purchase.

skim@hearstmediact.com; 203-354-1044; @stephaniehnkim
LINCOLN  NASA scientists have targeted Grand Island and Alliance for their High Altitude Ballooning Program during this summers total solar eclipse, according to Lora Young, representing the Nebraska Eclipse Coalition, an organization formed to promote Nebraska as a top travel destination for the Aug. 21 solar eclipse.

The Nebraska High Altitude Ballooning Program is one of over 50 teams participating in a nationwide project to launch weather balloons with scientific payloads during the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, Young said.

In what could be the space agencys most-watched livestream on record, more than 50 high altitude balloons with video equipment attached to them will beam back live images of the eclipse from an altitude as high as 100,000 feet.

The Grand Island balloon launch will take place at the Stuhr Museum. That team is supported by NASA Nebraska Space Grant based at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and led by Dr. Kendra Sibbernsen from Metropolitan Community College. Sibbernsens student teams from Omaha are designing experimental payloads to take data during the balloon flight from Stuhr Museum.

Grand Island was selected as a base of operations because it is easy to travel to on I-80, is near the centerline of the path of totality and will provide us with over 2 1/2 minutes of darkness, Sibbernsen said.

Sibbernsen said that historical meteorological data suggests that we will have a 70 to 75 percent chance of having favorable weather to see the eclipse and the Stuhr Museum has a large flat open observing field giving us nice views of the sky.

Even if it is cloudy, we should get good images of the shadow of the eclipse once the balloon ascends above the clouds, Sibbernsen said.

In addition to the large public event planned at the Stuhr Museum, Sibbernsen said a research team plans to set up a tower and take meteorological data before, during, and after the eclipse.

Therefore, a lot of science will be taking place amidst the fun and excitement of viewing the total solar eclipse, Sibbernsen said.

Dr. Peggy Norris, a physicist and science educator at Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, is leading a South Dakota team of undergraduates and high school students and teachers to conduct high altitude balloon flights in western Nebraska.

The Eclipse Ballooning Project will launch a high altitude balloon system from the Scottsbluff area to intercept the eclipse on Aug. 21 as it passes through western Nebraska, including tracking and cutdown systems, a video imaging payload with live streaming to a NASA website, and detectors to measure cosmic rays and look for changes due to changing atmospheric conditions during the eclipse, Norris said.

Norris said that the balloons, which reach heights of up to 100,000 feet, will be broadcasting live from 20 sites along the eclipse path including Alliance.

The broadcast will be seen on NASA TV and NASA.gov with real time footage of the moons shadow on Earth and the darkened sun, Norris said.

The public is invited to attend a viewing event in Alliance on Eclipse Day that includes telescopes, pictures from the balloon and other eclipse related activities in Alliance. The group will be set up at Alliance High School, one of the public viewing sites along the eclipse centerline.

According to Michael Sibbernsen, a special projects facilitator for the NASA Nebraska Space Grant, and lecturer of astronomy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its been 63 years since Nebraska has experienced a total solar eclipse.

Although solar eclipses of some type happen on an average of about 2.5 times per year, and total solar eclipses around every 18 months, what is rare is having the chance to experience one in your part of the world. The last total solar eclipse in the contiguous United States was 38 years ago, and 63 years for the state of Nebraska, Sibbernsen said.

He said that on Aug. 21 the path of totality, where there will be the deepest part of the moons dark shadow, will forge a trail through the United States and diagonally through Nebraska from Scottsbluff to Falls City.

Nebraska is an ideal location for eclipse hunters because over 250 miles of Interstate 80 lies within the path of totality, allowing observers an easy route to travel to their home-base of choice or to stay mobile should the weather turn overcast, Sibbernsen said.

The Nebraska Eclipse Coalition is comprised of 10 Nebraska communities that will have some of the longest views of the total solar eclipse. They are Scottsbluff, Gering, Alliance, North Platte, Kearney, Hastings, Grand Island, Lincoln, and Beatrice. Although Omaha is not in the direct path, it is also a coalition member due to the expected large demand on air travel and hotel rooms.

More than 200 Nebraska communities and nearly 30,000 square miles, or nearly 40 percent of Nebraska lie within the path of totality of the 2017 total solar eclipse. Many of these communities are in the process of planning major hosting events, Young said.

Nebraskans are urged to learn more, including lodging, special viewing events, best viewing areas, and a countdown clock by visiting neclipse17.com.

The Nebraska Eclipse Coalition was formed by 10 community tourism organizations across the state of Nebraska with the goal of featuring Nebraska as a top travel destination for the August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse.

Learn more, including lodging, special viewing events, best viewing areas, and a countdown clock by visiting neclipse17.com.
The Hall County Zoning Review Committee is proposing changes to the A-1 primary agriculture district zoning and a suggested animal feeding operation siting matrix.

The committee will discuss the changes and gather public comment at the Regional Planning Commission meeting Wednesday.

At its January meeting, the planning commission appointed a committee to review zoning regulations in Hall County at the request of the Hall County Board of Supervisors. Regional Planning Director Chad Nabity emphasized the zoning committee is only discussing its proposed changes and that no action will be taken at Wednesdays meeting.

They (the zoning committee) have some proposed changes they would like to discuss with the whole (planning) commission and want to make them public so we can get public comment on them before we take them forward through the process for changes, Nabity said. This is a preliminary step to say, Here is what were thinking. What does everybody think?

He said the biggest thing in the proposed changes to the livestock zoning regulations is adoption of the livestock siting matrix as recommended by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. He said that would require that operations would be subject to additional permitting.

In Hall County we are keeping that at operations with more than 1,000 animal units, which would be 1,000 head of beef cattle, 700 dairy cattle and 500 head of pigs or any combination that adds up to 1,000 animal units, Nabity said. We consider that as a normal farming operation. So farming operations can have livestock.

Nabity added Hall County requires a quarter-mile setback between a neighboring residence and a livestock operation, but otherwise there is no permitting required.

Another proposed change in the regulations is to take livestock operations between 1,001 and 5,000 animal units, split them into two categories, and make them a permitted use as long as they achieve the 75 points required on the livestock zoning matrix. Under the current regulations, a new operation with more than 1,000 animal units requires a conditional use permit.

Nabity explained that the first 25 points come from meeting Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) requirements, while the second 25 points come from meeting setback and operation requirements. The third set of 25 points comes from the livestock operation management.

He said there are a variety of things that can be done to earn these additional points.

We split it into two, so the 1,001 to 3,000 is going to have a 3/8-mile setback instead of a 1/2-mile setback. Those of 3,001 to 5,000 would jump to 1/2 mile on an open lot, Nabity said. Environmentally controlled housing, which would be your dairy and hog confinement facilities, would still stay at a mile setback at both of those levels.

Nabity added that under this proposal, anything over 5,000 animal units would require a conditional use permit.

The proposed zoning regulations brought forth by the zoning review committee would also reduce impact easements, which is a setback waiver, he said.

If you own a house within 3/8 mile of where I want to put or expand my feeding operation from 1,000 to 2,500, if you can grant me an easement, that would allow me to expand, waiving that setback, he said. That easement has to be filed with the register of deeds against your property and it goes with the property. Its a way to allow that additional expansion of a feeding operation.

Nabity said the planning commission will put the public comments together into a proposal. There may be some additional public meetings and the proposal will be brought back for a hearing before the planning commission to make a recommendation. Nabity anticipates a proposal being brought forward to the planning commission as early as the May meeting or as late as the June or July meeting or later.

For the record

In other action, the Regional Planning Commission will:

 Hold a public hearing on and consider approving a request to rezone Robinson Estates Subdivision in Cairo from R-9 single-family residential to R-6 multiple-family residential.

 Hold a public hearing on and consider approving a request from the city of Wood River to amend its zoning ordinances to include dwelling units as a permitted use.

 Hear a report from the Hall County Zoning Review Committee on the livestock friendly county designation application.
Grand Island developer, builder and contractor Amos Anson is proposing the creation of an R5 zone in Grand Island, which would allow for affordable and sustainable housing to foster future economic development.

Anson, who spoke to the Rotary Club on Tuesday, provided some current Grand Island housing numbers to illustrate not only the lack of available housing in the community, but also the near absence of affordable housing.

According to Ansons figures, there are currently 82 houses on the market in Grand Island, of which 22 are under $150,000. Of the remaining 60 homes, 30 are more than $200,000.

To Anson, thats a problem. He said it stifles the ability of local businesses to recruit employees, and it provides families just starting out few options other than renting.

Anson is proposing what he calls the missing middle  homes that fall between renting, or buying a home that costs more than $150,000.

Currently, he said, there are no R5 residential housing zones. Ive been working with the city to create R5 zones, he said.

As a builder, I want to build a 24-foot-by-24-foot house and sell it to someone just starting out in their career to get them to move to Grand Island without having to spend a lot of money on utilities, upkeep and repairs on an older house, he said.

But to build a smaller house, not tiny homes, nowadays, you have to have a lot, and to be able to buy a lot, it has to be, according to city code, a certain size, Anson said. By forcing a lot to be a certain size, it makes it more expensive.

You may, sometimes, find an affordable lot, but, generally speaking, you cant find a lot in an old neighborhood or a brand new neighborhood for less than $35,000. You cant build a smaller house on a $35,000 lot.

To be able to have smaller lots to build smaller houses, Anson said, you have to change city code.

Anson gave as an example a piece of property hes currently interested in. He would only be able to fit 17 houses on that property under current city zoning, but with R5 zones, the lots would be smaller so more homes could be constructed.

Under Ansons scenario, lot prices could fall by nearly 40 percent, making it affordable to build smaller houses.

It can go from 17 homes to 22 homes by just changing two little things in city code, he said.

Anson said there are already many smaller homes in Grand Island that were built before World War II. These smaller new homes could cost a little more than $100,000, which would allow families just starting out to move to Grand Island without taking on the cost of a more expensive house or renting.

While smaller houses have been slow to come to Nebraska since the nationwide housing collapse 10 years ago, many Americans have been questioning the need for large, expensive homes.

According to the U.S. Census, the average size of an American home was 983 square feet in 1950 and 1,660 square feet in 1973. In 2010 the average had climbed to almost 2,400 square feet. Under Ansons scenario, the minimum size of a smaller house would be only 576 square feet.

Smaller houses would also be more energy-efficient and require less cleaning and maintenance. They would be more cozy and intimate, Anson said, and would create less of a cookie cutter appearance than neighborhoods of bigger homes.

Anson said hes working with Grand Island Area Habitat for Humanity on purchasing a piece of land to construct an R5 neighborhood once the zoning is approved by the city.

He added that the creation of an R5 zone would diversify housing in Grand Island.

It is not for low-income people or retired people, but for everybody, Anson said. It is for anybody who wants the lifestyle of a smaller-footprint house.
A coalition began on Tuesday to put together what Sgt. Tony Kavan of the Nebraska State Patrol described as the 10,000-piece puzzle of sex trafficking and labor trafficking in Nebraska, including right here in Grand Island.

The Heartland United Way invited representatives from homeless shelters, counseling services, education, law enforcement, the Hall County Attorneys Office and others to a meeting focusing on human trafficking education and awareness. The get-together took place at Home Federal Bank, 3311 W. Stolley Park Road.

Kavan said not all agencies that want to fight sex trafficking in Central Nebraska are even aware of one another, much less in contact. Its also difficult for many agencies to know the full extent of the problem and how to deal with it.

The current situation, he said, is like taking a 10,000-piece jigsaw puzzle and distributing a few pieces to people seated at each of the tables in the conference room, then asking them to solve the puzzle without collaborating with people at any other table.

Kavan said law enforcement is far behind where it should be in fighting sex trafficking. He has been involved with a task force to fight sex trafficking for only a relatively short period of time, while Theresa Arnett Nickolaus, a therapist with Sozo Family Services, has been dealing with victims for seven years.

Tuesdays meeting brought together Kavan; Nikolaus; Melissa Kometscher, human trafficking specialist for the Salvation Army; and officer Wendy Piercy of the Grand Island Police Department. The meeting laid out the scope of sex trafficking in Central Nebraska. Although it was billed as an education session on human trafficking  which also

includes labor trafficking  the discussion focused almost solely on sex trafficking.

Research conducted by the Human Trafficking Initiative at the Heider College of Business at Creighton University revealed that 900 people are sold for sex every month in Nebraska. When those numbers are converted to per capita statistics, Grand Island had 200 individuals sold for sex per 100,000 people  higher than second-place Omaha, which had 182 sold for sex per 100,000.

Kometscher said sex trafficking involves using force, fraud or coercion against people for the purpose of commercial sex trade. Federal law states anyone under the age of 18 who engages in a commercial sex act is considered to be a victim of sex trafficking. One in five missing minors  who are often runaways  will become a victim of sex trafficking. One in three runaways will be approached within 72 hours with a proposition of commercial sex.

Numerous factors can make a person vulnerable to sex trafficking  including poverty, substance abuse, cognitive and developmental disabilities, homelessness, mental health issues and being institutionalized, Kometscher said.

Being an LGBTQ youth is another risk factor, perhaps because those people have not been accepted by their families.

Red flags that a person is a sex trafficking victim include:

 Being disoriented about time or their physical location, because victims move from one city to the next frequently.

 A person who has excessive work hours.

 A person who is not in possession of their own identification papers and has given their ID papers to an older adult.

 Someone who has difficulty focusing.

 A person who is accompanied by a much older person who is not a relative.

 Someone who is deeply depressed and has a flat affect, which is a severe reduction in emotional expressiveness.

Kometscher said people who try to help sex trafficking victims should offer a safe space, not be judgmental and believe what they hear from the victims. People who encounter a minor who is a victim can reach out to child protective services for help. When an adult seems to be a victim, a person can reach out to law enforcement for help.

Another potential source of help is a national hotline at (888) 373-7888. An easy way to memorize that number is to think 888-3737-888.

Nickolaus described one sex trafficking victim she has met as a gay teenager who had a history of substance abuse and mental health issues. Another, a woman in her 30s, had been subjected to sexual abuse as a young child.

Piercy said law enforcement increasingly needs to learn how to ask the right questions. When making a traffic stop involving a man with a young girl or girls, an officer may need to determine what kind of relationship exists between the people.

Kavan also said law enforcement must learn how to question a sex trafficking victim with the goal of getting the trafficker and the buyer imprisoned. The victims must be assured they will not be punished if they cooperate.

He said most people can provide a linear account of events. But trafficking victims often are so traumatized they cannot remember details. Kavan emphasized that point because he saw the people in the room as potential jurors who should realize how trauma might affect a victims court testimony.

Deputy Hall County Attorney Nancy Berger-Schneider said the county attorneys office has obtained its first trafficking conviction. That involved a steep learning curve. The case did not go before a jury, and Berger-Schneider believed a jury might not have known what to make of such the case.

One issue is the lack of a safe place to temporarily place sex trafficking victims who are minors.

Nickolaus said her organization has obtained 502(c)(3) nonprofit status and is now fundraising to establish a shelter for female trafficking victims and others at risk of homelessness in the Aurora/Grand Island area.
After nearly 41 years in the Hall County assessors office, Hall County Assessor and Register of Deeds Jan Pelland plans to retire.

Pelland announced her decision to retire, effective the week of Dec. 18, at the Hall County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday.

She said she decided to retire due to her husbands continued health issues and the need to move to a warmer climate. When asked by Supervisor Jane Richardson where they will be going, Pelland said she and her husband plan to move to Arizona.

Hopefully, the weather holds off so we have as nice of weather this year as we did last year and well still be able to make that transition during December, Pelland said.

She told the county board she tried to project ahead and get her office through the major musts of the year before retiring at the end of the year.

Ive got us through abstract and all of our valuations, she said. Well do protests, and I will be able to have tax roll and tax statements done before I leave.

Supervisor Gary Quandt thanked Pelland for her service, saying, even though they havent always agreed on everything, he felt she has done her job very professionally. He also appreciated her efforts to ensure a smooth transition to a new county assessor and register of deeds and working to give the county board adequate notice of her retirement.

Board Chairwoman Pam Lancaster said she and Pelland agreed to come back to the county board in 30 days with a timeline for finding Pellands replacement.

Well work on that together because November will be a very difficult month for her, Lancaster said. They are very busy trying to get everything finished up. This gives her a couple weeks in December.

Lancaster said it would be beneficial to identify the new assessor and then have some time when that person can be in the office with her.

Pelland emphasized that, since her term does not expire until 2018, the county board would have to appoint an assessor and register of deeds to serve the remainder of her term. She said there are two people in her office who wish to step forward, take the test and be considered to replace her once she retires.

When asked by Quandt how long she has served in the county assessors office, Pelland said her first day was Oct. 1, 1976.

The county board also voted 7-0 to approve renewal of a conditional use permit for a microwave tower north of Cairo for BNSF Railway.

Carolyn Johnson, who lives a mile north of the microwave tower, voiced concerns about the tower interfering with her internet signal.

We get our internet signal from Hamilton, which comes off of the water tower in Cairo, Johnson said. We are unable to upgrade our equipment to better equipment because of this microwave signal.

She said Hamilton told her it cannot boost its signal due to Federal Communications Commission regulations.

Supervisor Scott Arnold said the limit from FCC was likely standard for any customer, not just for Johnson because she was close to the tower.

In order to fix your problem, they have to boost it (signal), and thats not possible, he said.

For the record

In other action, the county board:

 Received an update on Essential Air Service bids and selection and the state of the Central Nebraska Regional Airport from Executive Director Mike Olson.

 Voted 6-1 to approve Hall County Purchasing Act guidelines. Supervisor Steve Schuppan voted no.

 Voted 7-0 to approve a resolution authorizing the disposal of surplus county property.

 Discussed a plan for mental health counselors at the Hall County Jail. The issue will return to the board in two weeks to allow Hall County Corrections Director Todd Bahensky and Hall County Attorney Jack Zitterkopf to work out the details of a plan.
The legislative session is over halfway through and I have seen the Legislature begin to work together on issues important to Nebraskans. We passed the permanent rules, which was important so we could move on to more pressing issues. I have found it very interesting to watch and participate in floor debate. There have been a few bills that you may have an opinion on, but after hearing debate begin to wonder if it may or may not be the best thing for everyone. We have been able to get a lot of good work done on the floor in the last couple of weeks and with committee hearings being over, we have moved on to full-day debate. I have signed on as co-sponsor for nine bills, am included on five committee bills, and have five of my own.

My priority bill for this year was LB181 which was a workers compensation bill. It would allow for a second opinion examination paid for by the employer only if the first examination was done by a doctor chosen by the employer. In current law an employee can go to their own physician when injured on the job and the employer is obligated to inform them of this right. The reason this law is important is because there is nothing in the current law to hold the employer accountable if they do not notify the employee of their right to seek an exam or treatment from their own physician on an initial visit.

This law would not create more expense to an employer if the employee goes to their own physician and would help the employee feel more at ease by being treated by someone they know. I decided to bracket LB181 until next year so I would have time to work with employers on some of the issues they have. This bill is important as it will create a more equitable system that will benefit both the employer and employee.

There have been several bills introduced and debated on the floor since my last article and I feel that we have been able to make significant progress. There have also been a few bills that have had some opposition and have taken several hours to debate.

One of those bills is LB335, which proposes to eliminate the rate changes for child care providers in 2017. I oppose this bill because I believe it will have an adverse effect on working families by reducing the subsidies for children needing child care who are below the poverty level. This could have consequences for parents who must make the choice of whether they can afford to work a job that pays them less than the cost of child care. We want people to stay employed and better their situation instead of pushing them back on to welfare. There are no easy solutions as we need to reduce the budget deficit for the state and yet still provide programs and services to those in need.

LB632 is the bill that I have received the most emails and phone calls about so far. This bill would affect the craft brewers and change the way they way do business and may prevent them from expanding. We have not met in executive session to move this bill out of committee and Im not sure when that will happen. I cannot support this bill as it is currently written and although I have not seen them yet, I hear there are amendments.

LB72 is another bill I am opposed to and it could be an issue for employees as well as citizens of a community or municipality. The bill proposes to place bond holders to be paid first in the event a community or municipality files for bankruptcy. This would place bond holders over citizens who rely on city services as well as employee wages, benefits and pensions.

Although it has never happened, under current law it would be decided by a judge on how the process would be carried out and who and how much would be received. My suggestion was that if there needs to be an order, that we place services first, employees second and bond holders third. The bill has not passed first reading at this time, but has had a few hours of floor debate so far.

As we move into the final 30 days of this session, we will continue to debate the various priority bills. Several of these measures promise lengthy debate. We will also have extended debate on our state budget. We are required to pass a balanced budget and this year is going to be difficult due to the large shortfall we are facing. Tough choices will have to be made on what programs and services will be cut, reduced, or spared. April 24 is the day the budget will be due to us, but I suspect it may come out a few days earlier so we have some time to look at the numbers.

At this time I intend to have a wrap-up article prepared at the end of the session to highlight what we have accomplished. I also want to schedule a few meet and greet coffee get-togethers. In the meantime, please feel free to continue to contact my office on issues that are of concern to you. Also, go to my website at news.legislature.ne.gov/dist35/ or see me on Facebook.
Athlete of the Week: See which players were voted Athletes of the Week for fall
EDWARDSVILLE, ILL., April 5, 2017... Gori Julian & Associates, P.C., today announced that Sara Salger was selected to receive an award from National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys. Salger was also selected by the committee for the Top 10 Under 40 in the State of Illinois.

The National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys (NAOPIA) is an organization devoted to recognizing the top Personal Injury attorneys in the nation. The National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys uses a thorough selection process to select the top personal injury attorneys in each state.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles Kristine Hildebrandt, PhD, professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of English Language and Literature, was presented the 2017 Paul Simon Outstanding Teacher-Scholar Award at the Paul Simon luncheon held Tuesday, March 21, during the 21st Annual Graduate School Spring Research Symposium.

The award demonstrates the belief that to be a good teacher, one must also be a good scholar. Named in honor of famed Illinois politician Paul Simon, it recognizes significant achievements in research, and the integration of that research into teaching and mentoring.

When I began my appointment at SIUE, I was struck by the ways that faculty are encouraged and incentivized to not only bring their research into the classroom, but also to bring students to the research laboratory, whatever the discipline may be, and whatever that laboratory may look like, Hildebrandt said. It is a great honor to receive this award, but it is not my award alone. It is a result of all of the collaborations Ive had with other faculty and students.

Since beginning her tenure at SIUE in 2008, Hildebrandts grant activities have resulted in more than $497,000 in externally funded grants and $51,000 in internal grants. She received SIUEs first National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, which is both highly competitive and prestigious. Hildebrandt is currently leading two NSF sponsored collaborative research teams.

In addition to an extensive list of publications, conference presentations and research projects, Hildebrandt co-founded and co-directs the Interdisciplinary Research and Informatics Scholarship (IRIS) Center. Since its launch in 2010, she had mentored through the Center more than 12 undergraduates and six graduate students.

Its clear to me that all students who work with Kristine Hildebrandt experience their voice being valued and heard, said Jessica Krim, EdD, associate professor and secondary education program director in the Department of Teaching and Learning. Kristine provides not only the opportunity for them to speak up and speak out, but also uses technology savvy venues to maximize the research of their words.

During the recognition luncheon, 2016 Paul Simon Teacher-Scholar awardee Cristina De Meo, PhD, professor in the Department of Chemistry, was the featured speaker. She emphasized her strong commitment to the teacher-scholar philosophy and the power of collaboration.

The day-long Spring Research Symposium celebrates and showcases the variety of research and creative activities taking place at SIUE.

Gregory Fields, PhD, professor in the Department of Philosophy, delivered the morning keynote address: Recent Work in Native Heritage Studies, and Thoughts on Research in These Challenging Times for Higher Education.

The Symposium also included a speed networking event on the topic of population health, development and wellness research. Additionally, graduate student researchers presented posters and creative exhibits displaying their scholarly activities. A scholarly activity SLAM offered an opportunity for graduate and professional students to present their research in an upbeat and engaging format.

Psychology masters candidate Melissa Beyer earned first place in the competition for her presentation on the language of sexual assault and the therapeutic relationship. Second place went to Anahid Omran, who is pursuing a masters in chemistry. Molly McCready, a student in the environmental sciences graduate program, achieved the peoples choice award.

The SLAM event was a great opportunity, because so often we get immersed in the academic research aspect of our project, McCready said. But, its important for us to be able to deliver our findings to a wider audience outside of that academic study.

The days events ended with a special reception hosted by SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook honoring faculty and staff who submitted external grants and recognizing first time principal investigators.

By preparing the next generation of leaders in a knowledge-based economy, SIUEs Graduate School fulfills the regions demand for highly trained professionals. Graduate school offerings include arts and sciences, business, education, engineering, nursing and interdisciplinary opportunities. SIUE professors provide students with a unique integration of theoretical education and hands-on research experiences. Students can obtain graduate certificates or pursue masters degrees, and be part of a supportive learning and rich intellectual environment that is tailored to the needs of adult learners. The Graduate School raises the visibility of research at SIUE, which ranks highest among its Illinois Board of Higher Education peers in total research and development expenditures according to the National Science Foundation. Doctoral programs are available in the Schools of Education (Ed.D.) and Nursing (DNP). The School of Engineering and the Department of Historical Studies feature cooperative doctoral programs (Ph.D.).
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Jaspal Sidhu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017

From March 21-23, the World Bank held an education conference in Jakarta entitled Learning for All: Shared principles for equitable and excellent basic education systems. Supporting this conference was the education ministry and the Australian government.

A line in the invitation said this would be a great opportunity to facilitate new networks and partnerships. Indeed it was. I met World Bank officials, think-tank executives, policy makers and government officials (past and present) from all over the world. From Singapore, Mongolia, China, India, Indonesia to Peru and beyond. I saw statistics after statistics being presented: why early childhood initiatives are important, how much Indonesia has increased in their allocation of operational grants to schools, government initiatives, examination of PISA results and much more.

But I recall the invitation also said that this would be an opportunity to share lessons from best practices and excellent systems. Sadly to say besides the insight provided by Perus former education minister Jaime Saavedra on how Peru improved its systems, there was little sharing of best practices.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Aaron L. Connelly (The Jakarta Post) Sydney  Wed, April 5, 2017

Over the past quarter century, Indonesia has sought to play the role of an honest broker in the South China Sea disputes, facilitating negotiations over a proposed Code of Conduct for claimants to the sea, and hosting workshops on technical issues and other barriers to cooperation. These efforts, though admirable, are no longer equal to the challenge presented by Chinese actions, which now pose a much broader risk to Indonesian interests.

Since 2013, Beijing has constructed three large air bases and four smaller islands on top of coral reefs in the South China Sea, and has begun to place military personnel and weapons systems on them. The total area reclaimed is 15 times greater than that of Merdeka Square, and far greater than that reclaimed by Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia.

Chinas increased presence will help it to enforce its maritime claims for example, by pressuring other claimants to allow Chinese fleets to fish in their waters, or by restricting the operation of foreign survey vessels in international waters.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Reza Muharam (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017

Victims and human rights defenders celebrated the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims on March 24.

The right to the truth, together with the right to justice, and reparation  including rehabilitation and compensation  are the rights of a victim that should be guarded and implemented as guiding principles in all government policies to combat impunity. Without it, every step taken by the government to solve abuses is a mockery of justice. It is the victims, not perpetrators of gross violations of human rights that need to be respected by the state.

Pak Kandi Pargono is one of the survivors of the 1965-1966 witch hunt, arbitrary detention and killings of suspected communists from Maluku  which therefore can be considered genocide of a particular group. He is above 70, frail but still spirited. He told me there were many people like him in Ambon, but they were afraid to speak out.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Qraved (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 09:45 2043 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7aa94b 3 Food food,pantai-indah-kapuk,qraved,#Qraved,seafood-dish,seafood,#food Free

Clams and crab cakes, fish fries and oyster squids  for a nation of supposed chicken fanatics, we sure do make a special occasion of seafood.

In Pantai Indah Kapuk in North Jakarta are several try-worthy seafood stalls and restaurants that bringing ocean game to the forefront. Some of them are fancy, while others aim for something more relaxed. Seafood trends might just be arriving slowly at Pantai Indak Kapuk, but these seafood restaurants all have at least one thing in common: They deserve your attention.

The Seafood Tower

A post shared by The Seafood Tower (@theseafoodtower) on Mar 27, 2017 at 3:40am PDT

With K-pop culture overwhelming Jakarta and Indonesia, no wonder The Seafood Tower is growing quickly to become one of Jakartas favorite seafood joints. Different from the basic seafood styles, here you will found towers filled with different seafood dishes. From king prawns and scallops to clams and even beef slices, combined with favorite Korean cuisine like Tteokbokki, it is all served alongside your favorite seafood choice and melted cheese.

Jemahdi Seafood

A post shared by JAKARTA FOOD BANGERS (@jktfoodbang) on May 30, 2016 at 9:33pm PDT

Offering Asian-style seafood dishes, Jemahdi uses only fresh ingredients on its menu. Speaking about new experiences, the place doesnt use plates to serve dishes, but instead serves food right on top of your table using a clean disposable table cloth. With menu items like Mix Platter, steamed fish, clams and vegetables, one thing that sets Jemahdi apart from the rest is its homemade sauces, from Western sauces to traditional ones.

Read also: The glorious culinary gem of Gang Gloria in Glodok

Cut The Crab

A post shared by Cutthecrab official (@cut_the_crab_official) on Jun 8, 2016 at 7:18pm PDT

If youre more into crabs and lobsters, Cut The Crab is the right place to please your palate. With crabs and lobsters flown in straight from Kendari and Papua, which has the best seafood in Indonesia, youll find various special sauces, from Salty, Cheesy and Caramel to Sweet and Sour, to cover the whole crabs and lobsters. Regarding taste, the restaurant is one of the pioneers in mixing Western and Eastern combinations that will work for any seafood fans who like a rich undertone to their fresh seafood meats.

Ikana Ikana

A post shared by Ikana-Ikana Seafood Resto Cafe (@ikanaseafood) on Nov 27, 2015 at 5:35pm PST

Finding a good grouper dish in Jakarta can be challenging, but Ikana Ikana is one of the places to properly get your hands on this menu item. Using fresh-from-the-sea grouper, the meat of which is still fresh and sweet, here you can try to indulge in this rare dish, combined with a zesty yellow turmeric sauce that unites with the sweetness of the fish meat.

Alu Alu Seafood & Dessert

A post shared by ALU ALU Seafood & Dessert (@alualu_jkt) on Mar 8, 2017 at 1:32am PST

Talking about unique sauces, its safe to say that Alu Alu Seafood & Dessert offers a good choice for one-of-a-kind toppings for your seafood choices. Some of the must-try dishes are the Lemongrass sauce with a hint of tanginess, Smoked Crab with smoky feels and wheat and salted egg toppings with savory undertones that lather your prawns and fish very well. (kes)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Michael Liedtke (Associated Press) San Francisco  Wed, April 5, 2017

Most people who search on Google, share on Facebook and shop on Amazon have never heard of Sir Tim Berners-Lee. But they might not be doing any of those things had he not invented the World Wide Web.

Berners-Lee, 61, is this year's recipient of the A.M. Turing Award, computing's version of the Nobel Prize.

The award, announced Tuesday by the Association for Computing Machinery, marks another pinnacle for the British native, who has already been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and named as one of the 100 most important people of the 20th Century by Time magazine.

"It's a crowning achievement," Berners-Lee said in an interview with The Associated Press. "But I think the award is for the Web as a project, and the massive international collaborative spirit of all that have joined me to help."

The honor comes with a $1 million prize funded by Google, one of many companies that made a fortune as a result of Berners-Lee's efforts to make the internet more accessible. He managed that largely by figuring out a simple way to post documents, pictures and video  everything, really, beyond plain text  online.

Read also: Verizon to take 'Oath' as new company to run Yahoo, AOL

SPINNING THE WEB

Starting in 1989, Berners-Lee began working on ways digital object could be identified and retrieved through browser software capable of rendering graphics and other images. In August 1991, he launched the world's first website, http://info.cern.ch.

Besides coming up with the web's technical specifications, Berners-Lee "offered a coherent vision of how each of these elements would work together as part of an integrated whole," said Vicki Hanson, president of the Association for Computing Machinery.

In an even more significant move, Berners-Lee decided against patenting his technology and instead offered it as royalty-free software. That allowed other programmers to build upon the foundation he'd laid, spawning more than a billion websites today that have helped lure more than 3 billion people online.

CAUGHT IN THE WEB

The web's widespread appeal gratifies Berners-Lee, who now splits his time shuttling between the U.S. and Britain as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Oxford.

But he fears parts of the web will become less accessible in the U.S. if the Federal Communication Commission dismantles regulations protecting "net neutrality." That's the principle that internet service providers should treat all websites equally instead of favoring some destinations that might be willing to pay for special treatment.

If the Trump administration tries to dump net neutrality, "it's going to have a fight on its hands because I think the American people realize it's important," Berners-Lee said. "It allowed America to benefit from a thriving internet market for connectivity and content. It has become part of the spirit of America."

Berners-Lee also worries about governments around the world using the internet as a surveillance tool, calling it a "recurrent threat." He admits that preserving personal privacy as technology advances remains a thorny problem, one that he doesn't have a ready solution for. But figuring that out is "really important to the future of society," he says.

"As an individual, I should be able to keep my own notes, keep my own journal and not share it with anybody. That is just part of being a person."

Read also: Gmail for Android now supports GIFs via Gboard

BEYOND THE WEB

Like several other prominent figures in technology, Berners-Lee isn't sure if humanity will be better or worse off as computers grow better at thinking like people via artificial intelligence.

"Computing has grown exponentially more powerful, so It's only logical that it will get to the point when computers will become smarter than us," Berners-Lee said. "So, yes, we should logically think about those consequences."

This is the 50th anniversary of the A.M. Turing award, named after English computer scientist Alan Turing, whose revolutionary work with early computers and artificial intelligence helped crack Nazi Germany's codes during World War II. Previous award winners include Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn, who did some of the pioneering work on the internet that Berners-Lee spun into the World Wide Web.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (Associated Press) New York, United States  Wed, April 5, 2017 10:02 2043 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7ad069 2 Lifestyle Kendall-Jenner,model,Advertisement,pepsi,Celebrities,#celebrities,#model,Kardashian Free

Model and Kardashian clan member Kendall Jenner's turn as a Pepsi-wielding protester has some on social media decrying the imagery as appropriation of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The "Live for Now Moments" video released Tuesday has Jenner in a platinum wig on a photo shoot when protesters amble by. She rips off her wig, smears away her lipstick and joins them, eventually handing an officer on the demonstration line a can of Pepsi. He gulps some down, and then grins as Jenner dances off with her new friends.

Read also: Kardashian clan member Kendall Jenner says, 'I'm a big kid'

Reaction on social media ranged from some saying the imagery was tone deaf, to it evoking a widely circulated photo of Black Lives Matter protester Leshia Evans last year in Louisiana. Evans was detained when she approached police at a demonstration in Baton Rouge.

In a statement late Tuesday night, Pepsi defended the ad.

"This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think that's an important message to convey," the statement said.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Clara Anastasia (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 10:45 2043 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7af0af 4 Lifestyle fashion,repair-fair Free

Nowadays, its quite hard to find an event that has a scope of unpopular knowledge but is rich in applicable skills. Living in the modern age, the number of people who know how to sew or how to turn fabric into clothing or other apparel is dwindling as such skills are no longer seen as important. People also rarely ask the whys of fashion trends and instead ask mostly where something can be bought, how much it costs and what brand it is. It is because of this that IKAT/ eCUT Project in collaboration with the Goethe Institute constructed an exhibition that focuses on finding the roots of fashion, not only about fashion itself, along with six supporting events held from March 15 to April 8 that correlate highly with the goals of IKAT/eCUT.

"The Fast Fashion: The Dark Side of Fashion and Slow Fashion Lab" exhibition is an international project about the past, present and future of textiles that has been held in three different countries  Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia. It will travel to Australia next.

The event presents documentaries, photography, fashion brands and history, as well as statistics.

Handmade: Illustrated pins, stickers and patches made by Martchellia Liunic are displayed to be sold to visitors.(JP/Clara Anastasia)

Along with that is a list of six fringe events, with Ika Vantiani as the curator.

Ika said she was drawn to heading up the project and had different concepts about but similar objectives in managing each event.

In Keepsake, Keep Me, the first of the events, she conceptualized the idea of running a public submission of cut fabric that had its own story for its owners.

Read also: Instagram killed the retail store

For the Repair Fair, she invited friendly artists who were willing to teach participants to sew and make use of textile products.

The fair, held at Gudang Sarinah Ekosistem in South Jakarta, aimed to invite people to repair clothes, turning them into something wearable.

Despite how many clothes people actually need, the message I would like to convey initially through this event is actually how repairing should be beyond fixing. You can actually add something to it rather than just fix it, said Ika.

For the fair, she invited five Indonesian artists and one German to support the event.

Both the exhibition and the Repair Fair succeeded in grabbing the attention of people of all genders, proving that fashion is something that both men and women care about and plays a significant role in people's lives.

Read also: Fast fashion fading as H&M, Zara shine light on industry strains

I was quite amazed at how guys also came here and seemed very interested in learning to embroider," said fashion lecturer Monica Hapsari, who was in charge of the handmade and machine embroidery embellishments.

Hands on: Visitors practice their newly acquired skills, which include embroidering.(JP/Clara Anastasia)

She noted how people also learned fast, which proved how serious they were about learning a technique. "Since its also a free event, I think its a very good event for people to also gain some skills."

She said that many youth nowadays rarely did any research, which led them to believe that fashion was all about style.

"Meanwhile, when talking about trend, it has a very strong correlation with politics, economics and social culture, Monica said. The fair is not the last of the fringe events. To top it off, Ika will be organizing Swap With Me Baby, a clothing swap event, inviting six featured artists to participate, including Footurama, White Shoes and the Couples Company, Ugly and more, to swap clothes with members of the public at Dia. Lo.Gue on April 8. For me, to have a conversation over a piece of clothing is very interesting. We never talk about fashion outside of brand, price and model, although theres so much more to it than that, right? Ika said.

***

The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 07:03 2043 a291276806121264c0bd211cde79ebaf 1 City #AhokTrial,demand Free

After the 17th hearing of his blasphemy trial at the North Jakarta District Court, Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnamas legal team has said that it is ready to hear the prison terms demanded in the prosecutions indictment, which is scheduled to be read on April 11.

Sirra Prayuna, one of Ahoks lawyers, said that since the trial started on Dec 13, the prosecutors had failed to prove that his client had intentionally quoted Quranic verse Al Maidah 51 to insult the holy book and Islam.

I am optimistic that whatever they [are seeking] to impose on our client in the next hearing, we can counter it with a solid defense statement, Sirra told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

(Read also: Judges set aside edited video in Ahoks trial)

Ahok is being charged under Article 156 of the Criminal Code on blasphemy, which carries a maximum sentence of five years.

On Tuesday hearing both the prosecution and defense presented several videos to the judges to support their claims. Sirra said that in previous hearings, experts and witnesses presented by the defense team had testified that Ahok did not commit blasphemy in his controversial speech on Sept. 27 in Thousand Islands.

In the end we should let the judges decide independently without any interference, he continued.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Desy Nurhayati (The Jakarta Post) Badung, Bali  Wed, April 5, 2017 20:37 2042 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7c9887 1 National bali,IMF,NgurahRaiAirport,Ngurah-Rai-International-Airport,Nusa-Dua,denpasar,World-Bank,WorldBank,#IMF,#WorldBank Free

The Public Works and Public Housing Ministry is set to build an underpass at the intersection of the Ngurah Rai Monument in Badung regency to ease traffic on roads connecting Ngurah Rai International Airport, Nusa Dua and Denpasar.

The construction of the underpass is part of the governments preparations ahead of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank annual meetings that will be held in Bali in October next year.

The underpass is also aimed at enhancing the quality of infrastructure on the island, which serves as Indonesias main tourist hub and contributes around 40 percent of foreign visitors to the country.

Minister Basuki Hadimoeljono said the ministry was ready to begin the project soon after the Bali administration and Badung administration completed land acquisition.

The IMF meeting is a very important annual international event. Therefore, the government will fully support the local administration in improving infrastructure in Bali, the minister said during a recent visit to the designated location of the underpass project.

The ministrys director general of road development, Arie Setiadi Moerwanto, said it was expected the underpass could ease traffic at the Ngurah Rai traffic circle, which connects Ngurah Rai Airport and the Bali Mandara toll road, Nusa Dua and Denpasar.

We have a traffic problem in this area, especially during busy hours and the peak of the holiday seasons. The underpass will be built along 600 meters, he said.

The underpass will connect the area of Jl. Bypass Ngurah Rai and Jl. Sunset Road to Nusa Dua. (ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 18:29 2042 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7c41b6 1 Business bank-secrecy,Perppu,Darmin-nasution,Sri-Mulyani Free

Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution has said the draft of a regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) concerning banking transparency will be submitted to President Joko Jokowi Widodo next week.

One of the aspects of the regulation considered urgent is a provision that would allow the tax authority to access taxpayers bank data.

We are in the process of finishing the draft. It will be completed on Monday [April 10], said Darmin as reported by kompas.com on Wednesday.

However, he declined to comment further on whether the President would immediately approve the Perppu, stressing that it was the right of the President to make that decision.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the government would continue to communicate with the House of Representatives to enforce the regulation although it would be in the form of a Perppu.

The regulation, which the government needs to override banking secrecy provisions in the Banking Law, will help the government comply with the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) program, which has become a global movement. It is also needed by tax offices to deal with tax evasion.

The government chose to issue a Perppu to allow the banking transparency provisions to be quickly enforced. (bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Andi Hajramurni (The Jakarta Post) Makassar  Wed, April 5, 2017 08:28 2043 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7a6453 1 National farmers,corn,accident,Gowa,South-Sulawesi Free

Five people died after a barn supported by wooden stilts containing 3 tons of corn collapsed on them in Nirannuang village, Gowa regency, South Sulawesi, on Monday.

The incident occurred after strong winds and rain forced Daeng Rama, 30, the owner of the corn field and dozens of his family members who were harvesting corn to take shelter in the barn near Daengs corn field.

Madi, a village official, said that there were 13 people in the barn when it collapsed. Four children were in the corn storage area, while Daeng and remaining eight people were taking shelter under the barn.

Nine people took shelter under the barn while removing corn from their cobs. And suddenly it collapsed on them, Madi said.

The four children that survived ran to the village to ask for help. Villagers who came to the barn quickly moved the remaining wood and corn only to find the dead bodies of Hanifah, 75, Kasma, 33, Danu, 45, and Herman, 20, under the ruins.

Daeng and Haria, 40, who were badly injured were brought to Syekh Yusuf Goa Hospital. Daeng passed away at the hospital on Monday evening while Haria is still in intensive care.

Madi said the 4x4 meter stilts made of bamboo and wooden planks were not strong enough to hold 3 tons of corn, so the strong wind had caused it to collapse. (wit)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 15:24 2043 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7b9eb1 1 City Bekasi,haj,extortion Free

A West Java resident who wanted to register for the haj is accusing Bekasi's Religious Affairs Office of allowing the charging of illegal levies to grow rampant.

Edy S, a resident of Jejalen Jaya, North Tambun in Bekasi regency, said that to get haj application forms (SPPH) would-be pilgrims were being asked to pay between Rp 150,000 (US$11.25) and Rp 200,000, although the fees were not part of the official requirements.



I almost fell victim to the extortion of an official in the office while registering for the regular haj. My wife was asked to pay Rp 150,000 per SPPH, he said as quoted by Antara news agency on Tuesday, adding that he also witnessed the official asking other people to pay up to Rp 200,000 for the form.



Noer Alya Fitra, an official from the Religious Affairs Ministry overseeing the haj registration, confirmed that the form was free.



After the registration has been validated in a sharia bank, the would-be pilgrim only needs to prepare Rp 25 million to earn a seat. Apart from that, they should not pay for any other expenses, Noer said.



Noer said that he would follow up on the report to avoid similar occurrences in the future. (fac)

Topics : Bekasi haj extortion
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Gresik  Wed, April 5, 2017 13:11 2043 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7b437b 1 Business Clariant-Absorbents-Indonesia,Gresik,East-Java Free

Switzerland-based specialty chemical producer Chemical set foot in East Java by opening a new factory under PT Clariant Absorbents Indonesia in the Java Integrated Industrial and Port Estate (JIIPE).

The factory, which is to produce bleaching earth, a chemical used to refine crude palm oil (CPO), will increase the firms national production of the substance by 35 percent.

The site in JIIPE is Clariants sixth in the country. It has five production sites in North Sumatra and West Java.

By establishing our new site in JIIPE, we benefit from its integrated logistics facility that can shorten delivery time to clients in Kalimantan, Sulawesi and East Java, said Christian Kohlpaintner, a Clariant executive, during a speech.

(Read also: Clariant to strengthen grip in RI with new factory)

Expansion in the country is important as Clariant Indonesia contributes 30 percent to Clariants sales in the Southeast Asian and Pacific region.

Most Clariant products are used locally and the remaining are exported to Southeast Asia and the Pacific region.

Besides bleaching earth, the firm produces chemicals for the plastics and coatings industry, as well as halal shampoos and hair conditioners. It produces a total of 450,000 tons of chemicals a year. (bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5 2017

Jakartans of Chinese descent flocked to cemeteries to pay their respects to dead ancestors by cleaning their graves ahead of this years Chinese Tomb-Sweeping Day, widely known in Indonesia as Ceng Beng, which fell on Tuesday.

Fery Setiawan, 40, for instance, traveled all the way from his house in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, to Tanah Cepe Cemetery in Karawaci, Tangerang, on Sunday. He took along his family to mark Ceng Beng with his brothers family, starting from arranging offerings, praying for his ancestors, burning incense, spreading prayer papers on the graves of his ancestors and burning offerings.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 08:17 2043 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7a54b1 1 City air-pollution,Greater-Jakarta,Cibubur Free

Despite lots of vegetation, Cibubur in East Jakarta is the area with the most polluted air in Greater Jakarta, new data reveal.

Greenpeace Indonesia's climate and energy campaigner, Bondan Andriyanu, said that the fine particulate matter air pollutant, better known as PM 2.5, polluted the air in Greater Jakarta to a much higher level than is considered safe by the World Health Organization at 25 microgram per cubic meter.

"Unfortunately, PM 2.5 does not vanish, as it has a persistant quality. Vegetation can only absorb gas pollutants, like carbon dioxide," he said.

(Read also: Jakarta unmoved by worsening air quality)

Greenpeace Indonesia assessed Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi in February and March to monitor the level of PM 2.5.

According to the data, the most-polluted air was found in Cibubur, with the PM 2.5 level reaching 103.2 microgram per cubic meter. Compared to other areas of the capital, Cibubur has ample vegetation, but that would hardly help against PM 2.5, Bondan said.

He added that unlike carbon dioxide, which comes in the form of gas, PM 2.5 is tiny carcinogenic particles that are small enough to enter the bloodstream and, hence, cause various diseases, including heart illness. The only way to reduce PM 2.5 is by controlling the pollutant sources.

PM 2.5 in Greater Jakarta, he said, was the result of vehicle emissions, in addition to factory emissions from the surrounding area.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Gresik, East java  Wed, April 5 2017

Switzerland-based specialty chemical firm Clariant aims to strengthen its grip in the Indonesian market by opening a new plant in Gresik, East Java.

Located on a roughly 2-hectare plot of land at the Java Integrated Industrial and Port Estate (JIIPE), the new facility will increase its production capacity of bleaching earth by 35 percent in the country.

Bleaching earth is a substance used in the conversion of crude palm oil (CPO) to vegetable oil and Clariant is now the largest producer of the chemical in the country.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Motor vessel KM ISA Express docks at Tenau port in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on Monday, to unload clinker to be used as raw material for cement manufacturing at the production facilities of state-owned cement manufacturer PT Semen Kupang. The Indonesian Cement Association (ASI) has predicted that the cement market will grow by up to 5 percent this year on the back of the governments efforts to materialize its 1 million houses program. (JP/Djemi Amnifu)(ASI) has predicted that the cement market will grow by up to 5 percent this year on the back of the governments efforts to materialize its 1 million houses program. (JP/Djemi Amnifu)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 07:34 2043 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7a0908 1 National UN,sexual-health,special-rapporteur,sexual-and-reproductive-health-care-services,health,Retno-Marsudi,Foreign-Minister-Retno-Marsudi Free

The interpretation of cultural and religious norms must not lead to harmful practices and the denial of people's right to access sexual and reproductive health care services, a UN expert has said.

"I was discouraged to hear that the planning and delivery of comprehensive sexuality education and services is being influenced by certain religious groups who continue to oppose policies, instruments and mechanisms for the promotion and protection of sexual and reproductive health rights arguing that it promotes sexual promiscuity or homosexual propaganda," United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur Dainius Puras on right to health said on Monday.

The expert highlighted legal and practical barriers for the realization of sexual and reproductive health rights, which he says expose women and other key populations to various forms of violence and discrimination.

Puras was in Indonesia from March 22 until April 3 and was the first UN Special Rapporteur on right to health to visit the country. He will convey a comprehensive report and recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland in June 2018.

(Read also: COMMENTARY: Expanding Indonesian women's access to contraceptives)

According to the Foreign Ministry, the UN Special Rapporteur on right to health submitted a request for a country visit in 2011, coinciding with Indonesia's election into its membership to the council for the current term of 2014-2017.

"I told the Special Rapporteur it would be very good for him to have an understanding of the challenges [that Indonesia faces]  whether it is rooted in the scale and reach of the services or if it is based in religion or tradition," Foreign Affairs Minister Retno LP Marsudi said. (ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017

Copper and gold miner PT Freeport Indonesia is getting the red-carpet treatment once again, as the government is allowing the company to resume exports despite the companys mounting responsibilities.

The export activities are made possible with the issuance of a temporary special mining permit (IUPK) by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry that is backdated to Feb. 10 and valid for eight months.

With the temporary IUPK in place, Freeport will be able to use the ministrys recommendation it obtained in February to export 1.11 million wet metric tons (wmt) of copper concentrate for a year.

(Read also: Freeport accepts govt terms)

The company, the operator of the worlds largest gold mine and second-largest copper mine, is now waiting for an export permit to be issued by the Trade Ministry.

Despite the short export period, Freeport is seen as having dodged the bullet again, because it was previously required to convert its contract of work (CoW) to a permanent IUPK, divest 51 percent of its shares and build a smelter within five years before being able to export, as stipulated by Government Regulation (PP) No. 1/2017.

Freeport  backed by its parent company, United States-based mining giant Freeport-McMoran Inc.  had consistently rejected the requirements and argued that they violated the investment certainty provided by the present CoW, dating back to 1991.

The disagreement had led to a standstill and Freeport warned that it could take the Indonesian government to international arbitration.

The miner had been unable to sell its copper concentrate overseas, creating a large pileup at its compound in Papua.

However, earlier this month, Freeport resumed production at 40 percent of its normal rate after securing an export permit for anode slime, a byproduct of copper processing.

The temporary IUPK decision came just before US Vice President Mike Pences visit to Indonesia this month. Freeport-McMoran is known to be politically connected, as US billionaire Carl Icahn, special adviser on regulatory reform to US President Donald Trump, is a major shareholder in the company.

The government has defended its decision, even though there is no legal basis that backs the temporary IUPK issuance and no concrete agreement has been made regarding the divestment and smelter issues.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministrys secretary-general, Teguh Pamudji, said in a press conference on Tuesday that it was working to ensure a smooth transition from the CoW to the IUPK.

In any public policy, including in regulations surrounding the energy and mineral resources sector, there will always be an opportunity for the government to guide [businesses], he said, insisting that such guidance applied to all firms wanting to convert their CoWs to IUPKs.

The government claims that during the next six months, it will continue negotiating with the company over the terms for a full conversion of the miners CoW, including the issues of investment stability, divestment and smelter construction.

It will also conduct a semiyearly evaluation on Freeports smelter commitment. The firm previously promised to construct a smelter in Gresik, East Java.

Teguh said if the government and Freeport Indonesia failed to see eye-to-eye in the next six months, the miner would be allowed to return to its CoW, but would be barred from exporting its copper concentrates again.

The 2009 Mining Law stipulates that the holder of a CoW cannot export its production without processing it domestically first.

Freeport spokesman Riza Pratama said the firm would be willing to fully convert its CoW to an IUPK as long as the latter granted investment stability, which entails legal and fiscal cer-tainties that are equal to the ones outlined in the current CoW.

We are in the process of obtaining an export permit, he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

BMI Research, a unit of Fitch Group, predicts in a recent report that Freeport will likely continue to negotiate with the government to maintain its operations in the country, as copper and gold prices are expected to rise to US$5,800 per ton and $1,525 per ounce, respectively, by 2021.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 19:02 2042 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7c53fe 4 Business Hanwha-Life-Indonesia,premium,income Free

Hanwha Life Insurance Indonesia, a local unit of South Korean insurance giant Hanwha Life, has targeted a 93 percent increase in its premium income, from Rp 209 billion (US$ 15.68 million) in 2016 to Rp 403 billion this year.

The total premium income from agents, bancassurance and corporates are consecutively Rp 128 billion, Rp 25 billion, and Rp 250 billion, Hanwha Life Indonesia deputy chief agency officer Marcello Twijsel said during the Hanwha Indonesia new program and product launch.

Meanwhile, Hanwha Life Indonesia chief bancassurance and agency officer director Henry Januar said on Wednesday that to achieve the target, the company would open six other sales offices in Medan, Pekanbaru, Palembang, Jakarta, Solo and Makassar in addition to the 12 existing sales offices.

We aim to have 4,631 agents by the end of 2017 from 3,330 agents we have currently, Henry said.

He further said Hanwha Life Indonesia would launch three other new products this year, following Hanwa Health Protection launched on Wednesday.

Two products have been approved by the Financial Services Authority (OJK) and the other one is in process of application. And there are two other bancassurance products to be launched this year, Henry said.

Henry said Hanwha Life Indonesia targeted to gradually take all of its agents on full time, with all of them full time in 2020 and earning at least Rp 5,000,000 a month.

To become a full time agent, existing and trainee agents will be given Hanwha Financial Planner training in cooperation with Financial Planning Standard Board (FPSB) Indonesia, he added. (dra/bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (Associated Press) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017

Indonesian police say they saved a young sun bear, a clouded leopard and a baby orangutan from the wildlife trade after a tip from conservationists who tracked the illegal activities through Instagram.

Jakarta police spokesman Prabowo Argo Yuwono said Abdul Malik was arrested Tuesday in a raid on his southern Jakarta house where the animals were found caged.

Malik told police he arranged for the purchase of the animals through Instagram messages and paid 25 million rupiah ($1,900) for the orangutan, 15 million rupiah ($1,125) for the sun bear and 60 million rupiah ($4,500) for the leopard.

Yuwono said the police were helped by conservationists who were tracking an Instagram account they believed to be a front for the illegal trade in threatened species. Police are still searching for the wildlife trader.

(Read also: 2 orangutans confiscated, handed over to conservation agency in West Kalimantan)

Orangutans, found only in Borneo and Sumatra, are critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, which publishes the authoritative "Red List" of threatened species. It says the sun bear and Sunda clouded leopard are both vulnerable species.

The habitats of the three species in Indonesia have been dramatically reduced by destruction of tropical forests for mining and plantations.

Violations of Indonesia's conservation law are punishable by up to five years in prison and a 100 million rupiah ($7,500) fine.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Semarang  Wed, April 5 2017

The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) has called on the Indonesian Military (TNI) to take part in the nations war on drugs.

BNN chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waweso said that illegal drug trafficking had become an instrument in a proxy war started by foreign countries to weaken Indonesia.

Illegal drugs have become a silent killer, a mass killer more serious than corruption and terrorism, he said in Semarang on Tuesday.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 19:48 2042 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7c7592 1 Business Jayamix,SCG,cement,ready-mix,concrete Free

Ready-to-use concrete mix producer PT SCG Readymix Indonesia (Jayamix), an affiliated company of Thailand-based Siam Cement Group, has pioneered the selling of ready-mix concrete through an online platform.

The companys ready-mix concrete is now available at the online shop Blibli.com, allowing end-users to buy the building material from home and receive their orders within a few days.

SCG Readymix Indonesias president director Nantapong Chantrakul said Jayamix, the largest ready-mix concrete producer in Indonesia, was the first company to sell concrete products through an online marketplace.

We want to reach a wider retail market through this cooperation in digital innovation, Nantapong said following the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Blibli.com.

With the new marketplace, he further said, the company hopes to expand its outreach as its products have been sold exclusively under a business-to-business arrangement for the past 40 years.

On Blibli.com, the company sells two types of concrete mix products: Jayamix Super Concrete (JSC), a ready-mix concrete, which will be delivered by concrete mixer truck; and Beton Instan (instant concrete mix), a mix of dry concrete materials packed in a 50-kilogram bag. (est/ags)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 12:06 2043 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7b17f1 1 Business Jokowi,criticism,ministers,investment,Regulations Free

President Joko Jokowi Widodo has criticized his ministers for introducing new regulations that discourage investments and are not in line with his push for economic growth.

Jokowi claimed 23 new regulations prevented easy investment.

It is a disease. I have said: Dont issue any regulations that could discourage investment, but they still issue [such regulations]. I dont know whether they come from ministers or directors general, said the President during a Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Tuesday as reported by tribunnews.com.

Jokowi, however, did not specify the ministries or offices that had issued such regulations. But presidential chief of staff Teten Masduki explained that the 23 regulations were closely related to supporting regulations on exports and imports.

(Read also: Indonesia eyes Rp 863t investment)

He said that the regulations were not included in the economic packages that had been issued by the government.

Jokowi called on his ministers and other relevant officials to revise their problematic regulations to help the government attract more foreign investment. He said that such regulations may disrupt the 5.6 percent economic growth target for 2018. (bbn)

Topics : Jokowi criticism ministers investment Regulations
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017

President Joko Jokowi Widodo has convened Muslim clerics from regions across the country at the State Palace amid allegations that hard-line Islamic groups are planning large rallies in five cities as part of a plot to overthrow him.

The meeting on Tuesday took place just days after the Jakarta Police arrested five alleged instigators of the latest sectarian rally against Jakartas Christian governor, Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, on March 31 on treason charges. The authorities have accused them of trying to oust Jokowi by occupying the House of Representatives.

The five suspects, including Muslim Peoples Forum (FUI) leader Muhammad Al-Khaththath, planned to hold big rallies in five major cities  Makassar, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Bandung and Jakarta  sometime between April 20  a day after the Jakarta election runoff  and the beginning of the fasting month of Ramadhan on May 26, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prabowo Argo Yuwono said on Tuesday.

It was the second time police linked a sectarian rally in Jakarta to a plot to oust Jokowi. In December last year, police arrested a number of people accused of trying to use the rally as a means to depose the President.

Tuesdays meeting is seen by analysts as an attempt by Jokowi to gain support from Muslim clerics to prevent simmering sectarianism that has gripped the capital in recent months from spreading to other regions.

In his opening remarks at Tuesdays meeting, Jokowi thanked Muslim clerics for doing their job in maintaining harmony in their respective regions and urged them to keep up the good work in order to safeguard the unity of Muslims across the country.

We rely on ulemas to maintain calmness and to cool down the situation in cities and regencies of the country so that we always maintain a peaceful state of affairs, said Jokowi.

(Read also: Jokowi accused of promoting secularism)

The 20 clerics invited to the Palace included Irfan Wahid, who heads the Tebuireng Pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Jombang, East Java, cleric Sanusi Baco, who is an adviser to the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in South Sulawesi, Syukron Makmun, the head of Pesantren Darurohman in Jakarta as well as cleric Aris Nimatullah, the head of Pesantren Buntet in Cirebon, West Java.

Speaking as the spokesman of the group after the meeting, Syukron said the clerics agreed with Jokowis calls for the religious leaders to maintain the harmony of Muslims in their respective regions by stepping up campaigns to promote religious tolerance.

Syukron said the clerics also called on Jokowi to solve any legal cases in the country through legal process without political interference, as that could become a problem. As we live in a pluralistic country, we want real peace, not fake peace, he said.

Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, who joined the meeting, said the clerics had not specifically discussed sectarian issues plaguing the Jakarta election, as they were focusing on maintaining harmony across the country.

They told the President that religious harmony should not only be established through the implementation of law and human rights principles, but what is the most important thing is that we use empathy to build religious harmony, he said.

Jakarta State Islamic University (UIN) analyst Adi Prayitno said Jokowi had made the right move in embracing regional clerics, because people across the country had been polarized along sectarian lines due to the Jakarta election. By inviting clerics to the State Palace, Adi said, Jokowi wanted to tell Muslims that the government was not criminalizing  clerics and that the arrests of several figures believed to have orchestrated the anti-Ahok rallies were not politically motivated.

The meeting with the clerics is part of Jokowis attempt to prevent sectarianism [in Jakarta] from spreading to the regions, he said. It is meant to calm down the situation ahead of the second round of Jakartas election.

He added that the move also sent a message to the public that the anti-Ahok protesters did not represent the majority of Muslims in the country.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Bandar Lampung  Wed, April 5, 2017 14:02 2043 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7b6cd4 1 National marijuana,#marijuana Free

Lampung Police have seized 134 kilograms of dried marijuana from Medan, North Sumatra, and arrested four suspects from Bandarlampung, Lampung Police chief Insp. Gen. Sudjarno said on Wednesday.

"The Lampung Police Narcotics Directorate has succeeded in thwarting the transportation of drugs from Medan in a package and arrested four suspects identified [only] as R, SA, E, and RAJ," Sudjarno said as quoted by Antara news agency in Bandarlampung.

Authorities began to investigate a possible smuggling plot on Tuesday, following a report from an employee at a courier service who said a package had been sent from Medan with a non-existant delivery address.

"The delivery address was for the Alkhairi Amanah Orphanage, Jl. Wijaya Kusuma No. 10 Rawalaut, Pahoman Subdistrict, Bandarlampung, but the address does not exist," Sudjarno said.

The note outside the package read that it contained children's wear. The package arrived in Bandarlampung the day before, but no one showed up to claim it.

On the next day, authorities found four people in two cars who picked up the package and headed to Bakauheni Port. Authorities immediately arrested the four, investigated the cars and found the package, which had been divided into four boxes. Each car had two boxes and two people.

Sudjarno said the police would dig deeper into the use of fake addresses for drug smuggling as he suspected that other parties were involved.

(Read also: 100 kilograms of marijuana seized in Aceh)

Meanwhile, the suspect identified only as E said he was just a transportation provider who did not know that the package he picked up contained marijuana.

"R and SA wanted to rent my car [and drive by themselves], but I did not give in so in the end I drove it. They rented the car for Rp 150,000 [US$11.20]," E said. (afr/dan)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Hasyim Widhiarto and Grace D. Amianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017

Indonesia may need to lower its expectations in its effort to collect a massive amount of taxes from United States-based technology giant Google, as the firms financial report suggests that it posted a relatively small profit in the country despite local clients paying millions of dollars for its services.

In financial reports prepared by Singapore-based Google Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. and seen by The Jakarta Post, the company, which manages contracts for advertising, service and product purchases, reported that it gained US$109.2 million in revenues from Indonesian clients throughout 2015.

The company did not name any clients but suggested that its top10 customers contributed 55 percent to the total figure.

Indonesias tax authority has pledged to step up investigations into the local operations of Google after the company refused to pay the tax arrears demanded by the government.

According to Google Indonesias tax filing document, audited by Ernst & Young Indonesia, which was also seen by the Post, the company was subject to pay only Rp 5.2 billion (US$389,800) in income tax in 2015 based on the countrys 25 percent rate for institutional taxpayers since it only gained Rp 20.88 billion in profit that year.

The 2015 profit skyrocketed by 174.7 percent from 2012 when it gained only Rp 7.6 billion in profit and paid Rp 1.8 billion in income taxes.

Jakarta Special Tax Office head Muhammad Haniv refused to comment on the data.

(Read also: Indonesia launches tax hunt on Google)

The income tax Google paid in 2015 was a far cry from the estimates made by the Indonesian tax authority that the company owed about Rp 5 trillion in back taxes and penalties.

Based on the tax offices calculations, Google should pay its due taxes with a 150 percent penalty. Should the company ignore the governments request, the tax authority will carry out a full investigation with a 400 percent fine, as stipulated in the General Taxation System (KUP) Law.

However, before carrying out the full investigation, the tax authority has requested Google to submit reports of its transactions in Indonesia, as it operated many types of businesses in the country.

The government, through the Communications and Information Ministry, has also tried to force Google and other over-thetop (OTT) companies such as Yahoo and Facebook to each set up a Permanent Establishment (BUT). As a BUT, they would each be required to report all domestic earnings from work activities in the nation and pay taxes.

Haniv previously insisted that Google Indonesia was a BUT as it established in the country a dedicated cached server, or network server that saved web pages or other internet content locally.

Google Indonesia provides assistance on Google services to clients and potential clients. In return, Google Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. reimbursed all expenses paid by the company with additional 8 percent profit. This explains the tiny fraction received by Google Indonesia compared to the revenues received by Google Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.

Center for Indonesia Taxation Analysis (CITA) executive director Yustinus Prastowo said the documents submitted by Google were more accurate and legal due to being audited by an independent public accountant compared to various numbers circulated in the public without any clear basis.

These figures [in Googles financial reports] have been officially submitted by the company, including to the Singaporean tax authority. The government should use those ones [to calculate the tax], he said on Tuesday.

By accepting the documents, the government might need to face the reality that Google actually owned a relatively small business in Indonesia, thus was not strong enough to make it into a BUT, which means that the company is subject to income tax (PPh) and could violate a tax treaty it had with Singapore.

Once it is considered a BUT, it can be a bad precedence. The government may need to step back a little because we still dont have legal tools [for that], he said.

We can still gain some tax money from Google anyway and change rules in the future based on [global initiative to fight tax avoidance initiated by] the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD].
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 14:32 2043 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7b84be 1 City #AhokTrial,public-uproar,apology Free

Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama has offered an apology for the blasphemy case he said was orchestrated against him and which has caused public uproar and cost a lot of money.

"As some people orchestrated this case, it caused an uproar. People are scared, investors are running away and my neighbors are seeking 'refuge' in Singapore. I should apologize for this uproar," Ahok said during his hearing at the North Jakarta District Court on Tuesday.

The outcry against Ahok's allegedly blasphemous speech, in which mentioned the Surah Al Maidah 51 Quranic verse during a visit to the Thousand Islands on Sept 27, drew thousands of people, including Muslim hardliners, into the street in mass rallies that called for his prosecution and even his death on Nov. 4 and Dec. 12 last year, and again on March 31.

Ahok also apologized to the police for this uproar.

"The police spent a lot of money to guard me and this trial from morning until night," Ahok said as quoted by kompas.com.

Presiding judge Dwiarso Budi Santiarto adjourned the hearing until April 11, when the court will hear the sentence the prosecutors want given to Ahok, should he be found guilty. (cal)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5 2017

Although the Idul Fitri festivities are still more than two months away, state-owned oil and gas firm Pertamina realizes that its never too early to prepare for skyrocketing fuel demand that occurs toward the end of Ramadhan.

Pertamina predicts that gasoline consumption will jump by 9.7 percent on the days surrounding the festivities from average daily consumption throughout the year, with demand to reach a peak of 31 percent above the daily average on June 24, one day before Idul Fitri, which is estimated to land on June 25 this year.

Pertaminas vice president in charge of fuel marketing, Affandi, said the estimates were based on last years consumption during the Idul Fitri exodus period and on the average consumption during the first quarter of this year.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 18:56 2042 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7c4b07 1 National police,social-media,Lampung Free

The National Police said they were trying to find the person responsible for uploading a photo of plain-clothes police officers posing with five bodies of alleged motorcycle thieves they shot dead.

The police officers featured in the photo are believed to be members of the Anti-Bandit Special Team (Tekab) 308 under the Bandar Lampung Police. The photo, which has gone viral on the web, has drawn criticism from netizens, who have called it inhumane.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Rikwanto confirmed that officers from the Lampung Police had shot dead the five alleged motorcycle thieves, locally known as begal. Begal are usually armed and notoriously violent.

The thieves resisted arrested, forcing the police to fire, he said at the National Police headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The officer had no intention of taking the picture. The bodies were put on the grass as there were mortuary workers waiting. It was spontaneous and under no ones order.

He said the picture was shared in a closed Whatsapp group and should not have been uploaded on social media. It is inappropriate, even though it was a successful operation. The polices internal affairs division is now investigating the incident, he said.

The police, Rikwanto said, would like to apologize to the public, particularly the people of Lampung, for the offensive picture. (dis/ary)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Depok, West Java  Wed, April 5, 2017 12:32 2043 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7b316b 1 City Depok,child-molestation Free

Depok Police have arrested a fugitive accused of child molesting. He escaped from police custody last month.

The man, named Hasan, was arrested in Matraman, East Jakarta, on Tuesday evening and was immediately named a suspect of molesting a child in Tapos district, said the head of the Depok Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Comr. Teguh Nugroho.

We have conducted a case screening and he has been named a suspect, Teguh said.

(Read also: Scavenger arrested for allegedly molesting 16 children)

Hasan has been accused of violating the 2014 Child Protection Law and if found guilty could face 15 years' imprisonment.

Earlier, the victim claimed to her grandmother that she had been molested by Hasan. Hence, Tapos residents took him to the police on March 26 but he managed to escape the next day.

The police then created a special task force of 20 personnel to hunt Hasan. At that time, Hasans legal status was as a witness. (wnd)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 18:30 2042 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7c4323 1 City drug-raids,drug-smuggling,drug-network,drugs-distribution,drug-trafficking,methylamphetamine,Taiwan Free

The Jakarta Police announced on Wednesday the arrest of two Taiwanese men and two Indonesian men who allegedly smuggled 3.7 kilograms of methamphetamine into the country.

The drugs were allegedly ordered by a 40-year-old Cipinang penitentiary inmate, identified only by the initials SGY, from his cell.

The Taiwanese men, LCY, 24, and HMW, 24, reportedly wrapped and strapped the drugs to their legs in order to smuggle the drugs on an international flight.

Both suspects, who are allegedly members of a Taiwanese drug-trafficking network, departed from Taiwan and landed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, West Java, on March 13.

We later followed LCY and HMW to a restaurant in West Jakarta, where the drugs would have been handed over to SGYs accomplice, 23-year-old TAW, before we arrested them at that location, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Mochamad Iriawan said on Wednesday.

Iriawan said that good cooperation between the Jakarta Police and Taiwanese Police, especially in efforts to fight drug distribution, had made the arrests possible.

The Taiwanese Police informed us earlier about the two Taiwanese suspects. Their tip-off helped us to track down the suspects flight, he said.

Following the arrests, Iriawan said the police would be more rigorous in preventing drug transactions from taking place inside penitentiaries. (dea)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 08:06 2043 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7a3f7d 1 City endangered-species,IllegalAnimalTrade Free

The Jakarta Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of a 42-year-old man identified only by the initials AM, who was in possession of three endangered animals worth almost Rp 100 million (US$7,499).

AM had bought a clouded leopard, a sun bear and an orangutan, all of them still infants, through Instagram, said Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono.

Our preliminary investigation led us to a house in Pejaten, South Jakarta, where we caught AM red-handed keeping the three animals in captivity, Argo said during a press conference, adding that the discovery had been done last January.

(Read also: Govt to make tougher rules against fishing of endangered species)

The clouded leopard was sold at a staggering Rp 60 million (US$4,500), while the sun bear and orangutan were priced at Rp 15 million and Rp 25 million, respectively.

Further investigation showed that AM was an animal collector and enthusiast, Argo said.

Police, however, had not managed to find the sellers of the vulnerable animals.

The animals have been handed over to the Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA).

The suspect was charged under a 1990 law on the conservation of natural resources and the ecosystem and faces a maximum five-year jail sentence and a Rp 100 million (US$7,500) fine. (dea)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Chicago  Wed, April 5, 2017

A Chicago girl who was sexually assaulted in an attack streamed live on Facebook was threatened with a dog attack if she tried to flee, prosecutors said Tuesday as they revealed more details in the case.

During the initial hearing for a 15-year-old, one of the two boys charged in the case, Assistant State's Attorney Maha Gardner said a 14-year-old charged in the March 19 attack told the victim she could "have sex the easy way or the hard way."

Both suspects are charged with aggravated sexual assault and manufacturing and dissemination of child pornography.

"Both videotaped these egregious actions," Gardner said. "They didn't stop there. They put them up on Facebook for the world to see."

Gardner said the 15-year-old, who turned himself in Monday, was with another boy when they encountered the 15-year-old girl in a neighborhood park on March 19 and lured her to a basement in the West Side neighborhood of Lawndale, where authorities say she was assaulted. Both boys knew the girl, the prosecutor said.

The boys threatened to have a pit bull attack the girl if she tried to get away, Gardner said. The girl also was slapped several times during the attack, she said.

Judge Patricia Mendoza ordered the 15-year-old boy held in the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center while awaiting trial.

Assistant public defender Liliana Dago said prosecutors hadn't proven probable cause for the 15-year-old, particularly on the child pornography charge. She also said most of the sex acts were carried out by the 14-year-old.

The judge said the 15-year-old bore responsibility for the assault as well.

"The very nature that he's in the video ... one can assume he was manufacturing child pornography," Mendoza said.

Police say they expect other juveniles and an adult to be charged in the case. Police haven't released the names of any suspects.

Police have said the assault was watched live by about 40 viewers, none of whom called authorities to report what was happening. The girl's mother later told The Associated Press that the girl and the family were being taunted online and ridiculed and harassed by children in their neighborhood. Police say they are investigating the online comments.

Police have moved the girl, whom they describe as "traumatized," to a home outside the neighborhood.

The girl's mother said in a brief interview Monday that her daughter remains at what police called the "safe place" and has not returned to school.

The AP generally does not identify potential victims of sexual assault and is not identifying the mother so as not to identify the girl.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 11:24 2043 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7b04c2 1 City #AhokTrial,coverage Free

The North Jakarta District Court will allow live coverage of Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama's blasphemy trail as of the next hearing.

Presiding judge Dwiarso Budi Santiarto said Tuesday night that as both the prosecution and the defense legal team had presented all of their evidence, the court would not continue to ban live coverage.

"By April 11, the trial will be past the evidence presentation stage and so cameras will be allowed in the courtroom to air live coverage," Dwiarso said.

Prosecutors are expected to make their sentence demand next Tuesday, while Ahok is scheduled to read out his defense statement on April 17, just two days before voting in the runoff to the Jakarta gubernatorial election.

As stated by presiding judge Dwiarso in the judges interlocutory decision in December, during hearings in which evidence was to be presented, TV stations could not cover the trial live to avoid public controversy.

Ahok previously said he hoped there would be live coverage of his trial so the legal proceedings would be fair and transparent.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5 2017

The government is taking a shortcut in its efforts to tame the rising cost of staple foods during Idul Fitri and Idul Adha by setting price ceilings, a move that has been welcomed by the business community.

From April 10 to the start of September, consumers will be able to purchase three food commodities  sugar, cooking oil and frozen meat  at relatively affordable prices in modern retailers such as minimarts, supermarkets, and wholesalers.

The cost of sugar will be set at Rp 11,900 (90 US cents) per kilogram for 1 kg packages, and Rp 10,900 for 50 kg packages.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 19:10 2042 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7c63fc 4 National foreign-workers,deportations,bali,Immigration-Office,Chinese-citizens Free

The Singaraja Immigration Office in Beleleng, Bali, has deported seven Chinese citizens who failed to show immigration documents.

We have interrogated eight foreign workers, but only one could show complete documents, said the head of the Singaraja office, Victor Manurung, said as reported by tempo.co on Wednesday.

The eight were Guan Guolei, Song Xiansheng, Lyu Jie, Xie Yinlong, Ye Mao, Yang Zumin, Lin Jianli and Pei Yuqiang. They all worked at a coal-fired power plant (PLTU) project in Celukan Bawang on the resort island, but seven of them only had tourist visas.

Victor, whose jurisdiction covers the regencies of Buleleng, Jembrana and Karangasem, said his office would continue monitoring the presence of illegal foreign workers. We work seriously. We will intensively monitor the areas where foreign workers work illegally, he added.

Previously, the immigration office had deported two foreign workers, He Xingji and Lin Meihua, who were employed at a shrimp pond in Jembrana. (bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 15:18 2043 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7b92d2 1 National health,#health,UN Free

Liza Yosephine



Indonesia must step up efforts to address structural and systemic issues, both in law and practice, to achieve its "ambitious" goal of establishing universal health care by 2019, the United Nations' special rapporteur on the right to health, Dainius Puras, has said.

Ambitious goals can be reached only if challenges are addressed, Puras said at the end of a visit to Indonesia recently.

Puras was in the archipelago from March 22 until April 3 and was the first visiting UN special rapporteur on the right to health to visit the country.

He will convey a comprehensive report, along with a set recommendations, to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, in June 2018.

After having previously been a member during the establishment of the council, Indonesia currently holds membership from 2014 to 2017.

(Read also: Task force set up to combat JKN fraud)

Puras pointed to the necessity to increase investment in the healthcare sector, adding that it would only make sense if the system is "efficient, transparent, accountable and responsive to those who use it.

Substantial investments are also needed to improve quality and quantity of the healthcare workforce, he continued, saying that skills training and geographical deployment, with innovative incentives, of doctors and other healthcare workers remains a challenge.

The UN expert commended the government's efforts to develop a health insurance system managed by the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan), which aims to provide universal health care by 2019, as a progressive move within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Indonesia, however, has been stumbling in its implementation of the government-funded health insurance, with with the National Health Insurance (JKN) program facing financial difficulties and predictions pointing to losses despite a premium hike last year. (dan)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2017 19:19 2042 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7c70a2 1 City Tangerang,robbery Free

The Tangerang Police on Wednesday arrested two people who officers said were empty house robbery specialists.

The suspects, identified only by the initials RA and AP, were reportedly captured when they were robbing a house on Jl. Pengayoman Selatan, Buaran Indah, Tangerang.

"They usually broke into empty houses with a crowbar," said the police spokeswoman Comr. Triyani on Wednesday as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com.

She further said that the suspects usually broke into houses after owners had left for work and put valuable belongings into bags they had brought along with them.

However, during a robbery in the house on Jl. Pengayoman Selatan, the suspects were detected by residents who then chased and caught them. (agn)

Topics : Tangerang robbery
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Reza Muharam (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5 2017

Victims and human rights defenders celebrated the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims on March 24.

The right to the truth, together with the right to justice, and reparation  including rehabilitation and compensation  are the rights of a victim that should be guarded and implemented as guiding principles in all government policies to combat impunity. Without it, every step taken by the government to solve abuses is a mockery of justice. It is the victims, not perpetrators of gross violations of human rights that need to be respected by the state.

Pak Kandi Pargono is one of the survivors of the 1965-1966 witch hunt, arbitrary detention and killings of suspected communists from Maluku  which therefore can be considered genocide of a particular group. He is above 70, frail but still spirited. He told me there were many people like him in Ambon, but they were afraid to speak out.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Tobias Basuki (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, April 6 2017

A recent article by Amika Wardana was intriguing in its call for political Islam to adopt liberalism. The analysis also came at an interesting time where President Joko Jokowi Widodo recently stated that democracy had gone overboard as radicalism and liberalism had taken a toll on Indonesias identity.

Liberalism in the political sense is rooted in primacy of individual liberty often associated with Western thought deemed not Indonesian by more conservative thinkers.

President Jokowis statement certainly sparked concerns among many intellectuals. But it was a politically savvy move. His concern was mostly radicalism and the Islamist groups hijacking Indonesian Islam. But nowhere in recent Indonesian history had a leading politician dare to criticize Islamist groups for fear of being accused anti-Islam.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, April 6 2017

President Joko Jokowi Widodo and his Afghan counterpart, Ashraf Ghani, appeared side by side at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday in a choreographed effort to demonstrate Indonesias willingness to strengthen its geopolitical influence in the war-torn country.

Still feeling the aftermath of a US invasion to dismantle terrorist group Al Qaeda, Afghanistan currently is hardly a place from which Indonesia can expect massive trade and investment, which is something Jokowi normally seeks in bilateral meetings with foreign counterparts.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, April 6 2017

Following an international outpouring of grief and solidarity for Russia over Mondays terror attack in St. Petersburg, a top Russian diplomat has said that the Kremlin hoped to deepen its bilateral relations with Indonesia on joint counterterror activities.

Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Mikhail Y. Galuzin said he was certain that counterterrorism cooperation between the two countries would continue, especially as Jakarta had expressed its solidarity in the aftermath of the incident he called barbaric and brutal.

This is why I mentioned our appreciation of the statement of the Indonesian government for condemning terrorism and expressing solidarity with Russia, he said during an impromptu press briefing at the ambassadors residence in Jakarta on Wednesday.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Thu, April 6 2017

Chinese President Xi Jinping looks well prepared to meet United States President Donald Trump later this week. Although Trump has repeatedly threatened China, including on the issues of its trade deficit with the US and North Koreas nuclear ambitions, the Chinese leader knows all too well that he only needs to console his host, who lacks the capacity to turn his bluff into action.

Trump can tweet anything he likes, but he should remember that confrontation with China and other major economies would do America more harm than good. Trump needs to realize that the US today is very different from what he may imagine.

In the past, the world used to closely follow any summit between American and Chinese leaders because of its impact on global trade and security. But now, the international community cares no more because it knows that the informal summit in Florida on Thursday will hardly impact world stability.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Dylan Amirio (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, April 6 2017

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has released two new smartphone models in Indonesia, realizing its previous commitment to step up its role in the country and continue the production of Indonesian-made smartphones.

Xiaomi announced the release of the Redmi 4X and the Redmi Note 4 models on Wednesday, which are their second and third models introduced in Indonesia this year. The phones, distributed through PT Erajaya Swasembada, are produced in the companys Batam-based factory in compliance with the governments local components (TKDN) rule.

The Note 4 is already available in Erajaya outlets starting Wednesday at a price Rp 2.3 million, while the 4X will come at the end of April with a lower price tag of Rp 2.09 million.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Nation/ANN) Bangkok  Wed, April 5, 2017

Bangkok police from all 88 precincts would on Wednesday to strictly check drivers and their passengers to ensure they have fastened seat belts on the first day of the implementation of the junta order to boost road safety.

Violators would face fines starting at 100 baht (US$2.8) per seat for personal cars, public transport vans and taxis.

Deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Maj. Gen. Jirapat Phumjit who oversees traffic regulations in the city, said the fines on motorists violating the law would depend on the vehicle type and the period of their registration.

Citing the Land Transport Act 1979, Jirapat explained that sedans, taxis, and four-door pickup trucks registered before January 1988 did not have belts for all seats; those registered between Jan. 1, 1988 and Dec. 1, 2010 must have seat belts for the driver and the front passenger, while those registered after Jan. 1, 2011 must have belts for all seats. Personal vans with seating of up to 15, registered before January 1994, would have no seat belts but those registered since April 2012 must have belts for all seats.

Pickup trucks that carry goods and animals on the rear and trucks, locally known as song taew, require the driver and front passenger to fasten their seat belts. Small trucks, known as kapor, were required since April 2012 to have seat belts for the two front seats, he added.

A survey by city police found that most taxis tug the seat belt sockets under the backseat. Officers have asked the cabbies to take the seat-belt sockets out so that passengers at the back could fasten their seat belts as per the new rule.

Jirapat admitted that in practice officers could not stop every car to check if the seat belt rule was being followed. He said arrests would be made if violations were visible to the officers. He said motorists were required to lower their car windows to facilitate police inspection at checkpoints.

The fine rates would differ depending on the vehicle registration. Those registered under the Automobile Act  such as personal cars, pickup trucks and taxis  would face a fine of up to 500 baht, while those registered under the Land Transport Act  such as public transport vans, buses and cargo trucks  would face a fine of up to 5,000 baht per head.

Vehicles that take public passengers and are found to have violated this new rule could face an additional charge of failing to provide a seat belt to passengers. However, if the driver instructs passengers to wear their seat belts or has a visible sign to the effect, those found to be negligent would have to pay the fine.

National police chief Gen. Chakthip Chaijinda plans a meeting with related units about the road safety measures for the Songkran holiday period later today.

This article appeared on The Nation newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Yoon Min-sik (The Korea Herald/Asia News Network)  Wed, April 5, 2017 17:59 2042 a291276806121264c0bd211cde7c1ed4 2 News Korea,travel,#travel,traveling,#traveling,foreign-tourists,#tourism,Tourist,#TouritsVisit,Korea-Tour-Card Free

A smartcard allowing foreign tourists to enjoy various benefits is growing popular, Visit Korea Committee said Tuesday, selling over 20,000 just two months after its release.

Launched in late January, the Korea Tour Card allows those visiting the country to get discounts on some tourism-related activities, encompassing shopping, sightseeing and performances such as those by Hallyu stars.

It also acts as a pass for public transport anywhere in the country, until 2018.

The rechargeable 4,000-won ($3.60) cards are sold on 40 Jeju Air international flights, 7-Eleven convenience stores nationwide and at travel stores at Incheon International Airport Station and Seoul Station.

(Read also: Korea plans on more Muslim friendly restaurants)

Starting April, the smartcards will be sold at vending machines located inside the Seoul Metro (Line Nos. 1 to 4) and the Airport Railroad Express. The committee also plans to make them available online and at local and international travel agencies.

Figures from the Visit Korea Committee show that 26 percent of the card sales at convenience stores were made in areas other than Seoul.

The Korea Tour Card is being used not just in Seoul, but all across the country. We will expand the scope of its benefits in provinces (outside Seoul), so that tourists can visit every corner of Korea, said Han Kyung-ah, secretary-general of the committee.

Topics :

This article appeared on The Korea Herald newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
In an enlightening example of how the rush to publish juicy stories without doing the requisite research can lead media to propagate falsehoods, a New Jersey radio station, NJ 1015, broke a story recently that was, well, itself broke  bereft, that is, of fact.

The news station, the flagship broadcasting arm of the Townsquare New Jersey News Network, apparently taking its information from a blog, described what one of its personalities, Jeff Deminski, called a truly disgusting situation, one that, he asserted, most will be afraid to talk about because they want to be politically correct  i.e. uncritical of Orthodox Jews.

Lakewood, New Jersey, as is well known, is home to a large and growing Orthodox population. A large mall is being considered by the local townships planning board. Some Orthodox residents are in favor of the project, others opposed (so much for the image of a solid Orthodox bloc).

The blog and the radio station asserted that 1,200 Orthodox Jews had signed a petition opposing the mall, on the grounds, among other things, that it might include stores owned by goyim.

Another commentator on the station, Sergio Bichao, quoted the petition further as fretting that the presence and influence of non-Jews, should the mall be built, is terrifying. Mr. Bichao took the opportunity to reprise other alleged local Orthodox nefariousness, like the communitys utilization of the school board to spend tens of millions of public dollars on tuition and transportation for students to attend out-of-district special-education and religious schools, to the detriment of black and Latino public school students; and accusations against Lakewood developers and religious leaders of promoting blockbusting, the practice of scaring off homeowners with the specter of an invading ethnic minority  in this case, Orthodox Jews  in the hopes of driving down real estate prices in order to spur a buyers market.

Never mind that the law requires school districts to provide special education in appropriate settings to all its school children (even Orthodox Jewish ones), and that insufficient funding is available to the Lakewood district to maintain its current educational needs; or that the actions of one of two individuals acting on their own who aggressively offered to buy Lakewood-area homes were attributed to the entire Orthodox community  or that their methods were widely condemned by other Orthodox residents and leaders.

All that matters is that the bad guys be the ones with the black hats.

But what also matters, or should, is truth. It turns out that the blog had it wrong (and has since removed the post and issued a correction).

The petition that contained the offensive language was an open letter created by one misguided fellow. The actual petition that had garnered 1,200 signatures consisted of two lines of text, reading, in a medley of Hebrew and English: We are requesting from Cedarbridge Corporation [the developer promoting the mall project] to withdraw from their involvement in making a shopping center in our town.

The signatories to that petition have reasons to oppose the mall project. Aside from traffic issues and such, there is the fact that among the values held dear by the Orthodox community is a rejection of materialism  the sort of excess on which shopping malls are arguably predicated.

Smaller commercial projects, aimed at providing material necessities rather than enticing people to buy stuff they dont really need abound in the community. And their proprietors include both Jews and non-Jews.

Whats more, the sort of businesses that inhabit malls nationwide include some, owned by Jews or by non-Jews, whose advertising and storefront displays are far from consonant with the Orthodox stress on modesty.

But whatever side of the mall in Lakewood issue anyone may be on, there is  or should be  only one side worthy of backing on the issue of news organizations responsibility to do due research on stories they provide the public  particularly when an inaccurate story is likely to engender animus toward an identifiable racial, ethnic or religious group.
Over half of Leave voters would restore the Death Penalty in the UK, according to research.

Article 50 being triggered In the wake of, a poll was carried out by YouGov asking participants whether each of the following should be restored post-Brexit: capital punishment, the use of pounds and ounces when selling goods, smoking in public places, dark blue passports, pre-decimal currency, incandescent light bulbs, and corporal punishment in schools.

The survey collected a sample 2,060 citizens living in north and south England, London, the Midlands, Wales and Scotland, and including both sexes with ages ranging from 19-65+.

When asked about their stance on the death penalty, 53% of people who opted for Brexit said they would bring it back once the UK exits the EU. 32% of those were female compared to a slightly higher 40% of men.

Unsurprisingly, the older age brackets seemed to be more in favour of capital punishment than the younger participants, at 43% and 22% respectively.

When looking at members of the most popular British political parties, 54% of UKIP voters and 39% of Conservatives were in favour, as opposed to only 14% and 28% of Lib Dems and Labour voters respectively.

The region most in favour was the north of England, whilst London was the area with the lowest percentage agreeing (29%) and the highest percentage against it (60%), coming to a tie with Scotland.

At first glance, this statistic may seem unexpected - but upon further inspection there seems to be a clear link between voting leave and being for capital punishment.

In fact, someones attitude towards capital punishment is thought to be a far more accurate indicator of voting for Brexit than someones class status and their income which would only be yielding around 55% accuracy as stated by Stian Westlake of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta).

A similar trend was observed when asked about bringing back corporal punishment (

such as caning

in schools), which was outlawed by the British Parliament in 1986. 42% of Leave voters were pro physical punishment, in contrast to the significantly lower proportion of Remain voters at only 14%. Once again the majority of those backing it were male, in the ages of 50-64, and UKIP supporters, predominantly from the northern UK.

Researchers found that 52% of Leave voters would switch to the former navy passports, 48% would bring back selling goods in pounds and ounces, 30% would allow incandescent light bulbs to be used again, 9% would revert to a pre-decimal currency and 11% would permit smoking in pubs and restaurants.

A lot is at stake in Brexit England, with over 17,000,000 votes to Leave a lot of people will certainly be celebrating their newfound independence. Separating from the EU, however, is bound to spark even more debate and disagreement over the lifting of regulations that the EU formerly imposed.
The National Union of Students on Monday released a report on the experience of Jewish students at UK universities.

The report recognises the positive work that has been done to increase awareness of antisemitism and to tackle issues of prejudice which have been cropping up in higher education recently - but this doesnt mean that all is well.

Whilst 73% of Jewish students are not worried about being the victim of a hate crime, the 66% of responders who had been victims of hate crimes believed that the attack in question stemmed from the perpetrators prejudice towards them based on their beliefs. 28% had experienced abuse over social media.

NUS Vice President for Society and Citizenship, Rob Young, says: NUS has a history of tackling racism and fascism, and this report is a continuation of that work We know that Jewish students have been feeling increasingly uncomfortable on university campuses and that there is a lot of work to be done to change that.

Jewish students also reported finding it difficult to participate in student politics, in particular relating to any conversations about the Israeli-Palestine conflict. 45% of Jewish students surveyed said they would not feel confident to voice their views on this issue in class.

Jewish students have regularly raised concerns, particularly about antisemitism on their campuses and the toxicity around the Israel/Palestine debate, says Josh Nagli, Campaign Director of the Union of Jewish Students on the issue.

It is, therefore, unsurprising that the report shows that such a large number feel uncomfortable engaging with NUS and student politics.

He supported the NUS recommendation within the report by saying: The organisation must work to introduce guidelines to encourage dialogue and respectful campaigning around these sensitive issues to rebuild trust with Jewish students.

Other recommendations include ensuring students unions respond appropriately to hate crimes, timetabling to avoid Sabbath and religious holidays, and for universities to provide kosher food on campus and in accommodation.

This comes after 42% claimed there was no kosher food in or around campus, and 59% said that their university did not avoid scheduling classes and exams during days of religious importance.

A spokesperson from Equality Challenge Unit says: We are pleasedto hear many positive experiences of student life from the survey respondents. However, there are clearly opportunities for higher education institutions to improve some of their policies and processes.


Students who study at the University of Hull are to face reduced marks if they fail to use 'gender sensitive' language in their essays.

Undergraduates studying religious activism were informed in a course document that their marks will be impacted for "failure to use gender-sensitive language" such as people instead of the male-centric mankind.

The document continues "Language is important and highly symbolic. In your essay, I thus expect you to be aware of the powerful and symbolic nature of language and use gender-sensitive formulations."

This isn't the first time universities have promoted the use of gender neutral terms in their academic material. Both Cardiff Metropolitan University and Bath University offer guides encouraging their students to use gender neutral terms such as 'efficient' instead of 'workmanlike'.

Frank Furedi, emeritus professor of sociology at Kent University, called it "lingustic policing."

"Usually such threats are implicit rather than spelt out as in the case of Hull," he said. "This linguistic policing is used as a coercive tool to impose a conformist outlook. The alternative is to pay a penalty of being marked down.

A senior lecturer at the University of Hull said of the document: "Language is powerful and we place a high emphasis on gender-neutral language on our courses. Should any student use language which is not deemed gender neutral, they will be offered feedback as to why. Deduction of marks is taken on a case by case basis."
Since the tragic season four finale, fans have been eagerly awaiting the return of Foxtels Wentworth - Australias female prison drama thats giving Orange Is The New Black a run for its money.

The drama returned on 4th April on Showcase in Australia, but for us unlucky few in the UK, the cliffhangers remain in suspense, as Channel 5 have yet to reveal a broadcast date.

The end of season four saw Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack) savagely killed by previous Governor Joan The Freak Ferguson (Pamela Rabe) with a screw-driver, whilst her lover Allie Novak (Kate Jenkinson) was hanging on to life in a hospital after overdosing on heroin.

Over the past four years Wentworth certainly hasnt shied away from using dramatic twists, but the murder of Bea Smith had fans reeling across the world.

Despite desperately hoping for Beas unlikely survival, reports have suggested that season five will begin where season four ended: with Allie Novak in the hospital bed, awaking from her forced overdose and hearing the news of Beas death.

Despite new Top Dog Karen Kaz Proctor ordering other inmates not to converse or acknowledge Ferguson in the new trailer, mini teasers for season five illustrate that revenge will be on the minds of all the inmates of Wentworth Prison: "Revenge will set us free."

Despite Rabes stunning performance as Joan Ferguson, her character's actions over the past three seasons have arguably made her the most hated character within the show. I cant imagine anyone would be too upset if 'The Freak' finally comes to her demise this season.

However, the UK are still without a release date for the new season. In this digital age, spoilers for new episodes are difficult to avoid, with fans expressing their thoughts on social media immediately after an episode ends. Unable to take part in the internet fangirling and risking potential spoilers, UK fans are quickly turning to internet streaming sites instead of waiting for Channel 5 to air the new series.

When Wentworth first aired in the UK, the first episode had a 2.4 million viewership. Reports have illustrated that over time, audience figures have decreased by two thirds. Is it possible that people in the UK are just losing interest? Unlikely. Having to wait at least a month for the series to air on Channel 5, it's much more likely that the majority of fans are turning to the internet to watch the most recent episode.

Figures illustrate that Wentworth is the most pirated Australian-made show. Whilst this demonstrates the popularity of the show, Foxtel have stated that online streaming sites make it more difficult to acquire funding for further series. This raises the question: should Channel 5 - and other UK broadcasters - make more of an effort to air episodes in the UK more quickly? Or should there be more restrictions and control over sites that stream television programmes illegally?

Last year, season four of Wentworth aired in June 2016 in the UK, making the wait for the episodes just over a month. This would have been acceptable a few years ago, but in the digital age, this is no longer satisfactory for fans who can easily access almost any programme online.
The only time the people of Broadchurch are in any way connected is when they are all sitting by their TVs, listening to the news reports of the ongoing rape investigation, the subject of this final run of episodes.

The town, already a pretty grim place to live in after the events of previous series, is every day made worse still by the consequences of the rape, which are either poisoning existing relationships or, as we learned in this episode, revealing ones that were previously unknown.

Jim and Cath Atwood, their finances in a mess and their marriage in almost as bad a state, and with their birthday party now universally remembered as the unhappiest of all time, have decided to up sticks and move out of town. A fresh start is what they're after - away from pals like Trish Winterman (Julia Hesmondhalgh), who you can have coffee with one day and find she is sleeping with your husband the next.

Winterman's night of adulteress antics with Jim Atwood is widely considered the reason her farm shop colleague Ed Burnett beat up Jim after the affair became public. Burnett, played in a magnificently dour and sad way by Lenny Henry, has harboured something of an obsession, to put it mildly, with Trish for many, many years.

The creepy lust puts Burnett top of the suspect board, but would he really attack a woman for whom he had such strong, if unwholesome feelings? Hardy and Miller better hope not, for if Burnett is the man theyre after then the fact that his daughter, Katie Harford, is a member of their CID team will no doubt work against them at a trial. The repeated bollockings Harford received from Hardy and Miller is a warning to all those who ever plan to mislead their bosses.

Indeed, Olivia Colemans angry ranting skills were put to good use this week, as she also had a good fight with her son over his addiction to pornography, demanding to know where he got it from (as if porn was difficult to get a hold of these days), before smashing up his phone and laptop - the two most important items in the life of a teenage boy.

Hardy takes a gentler approach with his daughter, and altogether has more success. In a moving scene on the now famous beach, he tells of how his near-death experience convinced him that he was alive for a reason: to stay in Broadchurch, succeed at his career, and repair his family. Daisy seems to have been convinced, and he didnt even need a hammer to ram home the point.

But not all families are repaired like a blocked toilet or broken window. Beth Latimer broods over filing for divorce, unaware that her husband is up in Liverpool chasing their son's killer. It was hinted throughout the last episode that Mark would seek some kind of violent revenge on Joe Miller, but instead the two men sit and talk for a while in a quiet spot by the Merseyside docks, almost like old friends. Latimer, for all he is enraged, cannot take the life of another man, although it seems he may be on the verge of taking his own.

With just two episodes to go it is difficult to see how these fissures can be closed, but we dont expect them to. Part of the Broadchurch experience is to vicariously endure the pain that comes when a healthy relationship withers and dies, or squirm with discomfort when an unhealthy one grows like a cancer in its place.

Broadchurch airs on Mondays at 9pm on ITV 1.
Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here

You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. Please check our main navigation pages for other content: 

Home Page
Tentang Situs Slot Online Resmi MGS88 Nama Situs  MGS88 Minimal Deposit  Rp. 10.000,- (Sepuluh Ribu Rupiah) Proses Deposit   2 Menit Metode Deposit  Bank Transfer,  Pulsa,  E-Wallet Judi Online Terbaik  Slot Online,  Judi Bola,  Casino Online,  Togel Online,  Tembak Ikan Provider Slot Gacor Mudah Maxwin  Pragmatic Play,  PGSoft,  MicroGaming,  Habanero Slot Gacor Gampang Menang  Gates of Olympus,  Sweet Bonanza,  Wild West Gold,  Starlight Princess Win Rate 98%

RTP Live Slot Gacor Tertinggi Hari Ini Terbaru Terlengkap

Selamat datang di halaman RTP live dan informasi soal slot gacor hari ini dari situs MGS88 yang setiap hari selalu update. Berdasarkan RTP Live MGS88, Anda bisa mendapatkan informasi tentang slot online yang saat ini yang sedang Gacor atau onfire dengan persentase yang terbukti akurat, ini bisa menjadi rekomendasi anda sebelum memilih permainan slot online di situs MGS88. Cek RTP Slot sekarang juga bosku

Klik Provider Slot Untuk Mengetahui RTP Slot Secara Real Time

Selamat datang bagi kalian yang sedang mencari situs RTP Live terlengkap dan terkini hari ini. Sangat sesuai jika Anda mengunjungi website MGS88 RTP live untuk informasi tentang permainan slot yang lagi gacor dengan slot RTP yang terupdate. Persentase kemenangan yang kami berikan tentunya diambil dengan data yang sangat valid dan hanya untuk permainan slot yang tersedia di situs MGS88. RTP yang tersedia juga akan selalu diperbarui setiap hari berdasarkan level kemenangan yang diberikan kepada member kami.

Memang sih untuk bermain slot itu tergantung hoki dari setiap pemain, Namun RTP live atau bocoran slot dari yang kami sediakan ini adalah data autentik dari banyaknya pemain yang telah bermain dan mencapai kemenangan tinggi. Sederhananya, kalau banyak pemain yang menang di dalam 1 permainan slot, karena itu permainan slot tersebut akan mempunyai persentase RTP yang sangat tinggi.

Namun kami tegaskan sekali lagi, ini bukan sebuah paksaan kami situs MGS88 untuk anda bermain di game slot yang mana. Ini bisa dijadikan sebagai referensi atau tolok ukur, boleh dicoba kalau anda mempunyai feel yang kuat dalam memainkan permainan game slot. Anda dapat mengakses kapan saja dan di mana saja selama anda siap bermain. Jangan ragu untuk bertanya ya seputar pola putaran terhadap kami, sebab kami juga menyediakannya loh.

Apa itu RTP Live?

RTP Live ialah informasi mengenai persentase tertinggi saat ini dari hasil RTP Live dengan bocoran kemenangan pemain saat ini. RTP Live merupakan singkatan dari Return To Play atau bisa juga diartikan sebagai Return to Player. Karena itu, para pemain slot sekarang jika ingin mengetahui seberapa besar kemenangannya, bisa dengan memainkan permainan yang akan dimainkannya dan bisa untung dengan mudah dan tentunya maksimal.

Apa itu RTP Slot?

RTP Slot juga dikenal sebagai return to player atau pengembalian ke Pemain. RTP slot ialah persentase dari nilai pengembalian semua uang yang dipertaruhkan pemain dari waktu ke waktu. Dengan kata lain, RTP juga dianggap sebagai salah satu fitur slot yang mengembalikan uang pemain saat pemain kalah.

Persentase digunakan untuk menghitung RTP dalam permainan slot. Misalnya, jika slot memiliki RTP 97%, itu berarti untuk setiap 100.000 koin yang hilang di slot, slot dapat mengembalikan 97.000. Jika Anda mengetahui RTP sebuah permainan slot, Anda dapat memutuskan permainan slot mana yang akan dimainkan tanpa kerugian besar.

Apakah Angka Persentase RTP Slot Itu Penting?

Biasanya pemain slot itu tidak memperhatikan RTP dalam permainan yang akan dimainkan, biasanya setelah anda mengisi saldo utama anda akan langsung buru-buru memainkannya. Yang terakhir 90-96% mempengaruhi jumlah kemenangan. Semakin tinggi jumlah RTP yang digunakan, semakin luas peluang untuk mendapatkan keuntungan.

Akan namun itu segala tak secara 100% menjamin kemenangan kau dalam bermain, RTP itu cuma sebagai kalkulasi pengeluaran anda saja selama bermain slot.Dengan adanya RTP, kau dapat mengerjakan pengaturan atas uang yang akan kau pertaruhkan nanti pada ketika bermain.Untuk itu pada ketika kau bermain slot dan telah mengalami banyak kekalahan di satu permainan, direkomendasikan kau pindah ke permainan slot lainnya yang RTP nya lebih tinggi dari permainan yang tadi kau mainkan.

Keuntungan Menggunakan Bocoran RTP Slot Hari Ini

Situs MGS88 Akan dengan senang hati akan beberapa keuntungan yang didapatkan jika anda bermain slot dengan menggunakan RTP Live yang telah disediakan. Berikut Keuntungannya :

Peluang Kemenangan Meningkat Tentu saja, saat bermain slot online, menang adalah hal yang paling penting. Di sinilah RTP berperan sebagai metode atau metode baru yang akan membantu Anda memilih permainan slot persentase tinggi. Mendapat variasi dalam Memainkan Game Slot Pastinya banyak pemain slot online yang hanya memainkan 3-5 permainan slot saja. Namun dengan RTP Live slot akan memberikan banyak game slot lain yang bisa anda coba. Tentunya semua permainan slot memiliki potensi kemenangan yang besar, jadi jangan hanya mengandalkan beberapa permainan saja. Menambah Pengalaman Dalam Bermain Slot Keuntungan terakhir adalah Anda tentu saja menambah pengalaman dan keahlian dalam permainan slot online. Dengan berbagai macam permainan slot yang dimainkan, Anda pasti mengetahui karakteristik dari setiap permainan slot yang Anda mainkan. Akibatnya, Anda pasti bisa dianggap sebagai pemain slot yang andal, yang pasti akan meningkatkan peluang Anda untuk menang besar menggunakan RTP.

Daftar 8 Situs Dengan RTP Slot Live Tertinggi Hari Ini

Ada banyak penyedia mesin slot online di internet. Tetapi tidak semuanya memiliki peluang tinggi atau RTP Live Slot yang sangat tinggi. Tapi jangan khawatir, berikut ini adalah situs slot gacor yang akan memberikan bocoran slot dengan RTP Live Tertinggi:

RTP Live Slot Pragmatic Play (RTP Slot 97.85%) RTP Live Slot PG Soft (RTP Live 96.15%) RTP Live Slot Habanero (RTP Slot 95.89%) RTP Live Slot CQ9 (RTP Live 98.83%) RTP Live Slot Spade Gaming (RTP Live 94.99%) RTP Live Slot Micro Gaming (RTP Slot 95.39%) RTP Slot Live Top Trend Gaming (RTP Live 96.14%) RTP Slot Live JOKER123 (RTP Live 97.45%)

Itulah Daftar 8 Provider Slot Gacor dengan RTP Live teratas diatas tentunya kami analisa terlebih dahulu. Anda bisa membuktikannya langsung dengan mengklik banner atau meprovider game slot yang sudah tersedia di atas. Saran kami yaitu Anda harus memainkan semua penyedia slot di atas untuk mencapai peluang kemenangan terbaik.

Daftar Slot RTP Live Tertinggi Sering Kasih Jackpot

Selain mempertimbangkan RTP Slot Gacor yang ada, sebenarnya ada banyak faktor penting untuk menang dalam permainan judi online. Sebab ada banyak game yang memiliki fitur dan mekanisme unik dan bisa membantu anda meraih Jackpot yang sangat besar.

Berikut ini akan kami ulas daftar 5 game slot paling populer karena sering memberikan jackpot:

RTP Live Gates of Olympus Gates of Olympus adalah game slot teraneh dan terbaik di Indonesia. Karena permainan mesin slot ini paling populer karena kakek Zeus dapat mengizinkan pengganda x500. Selain itu, fitur dan mekanik Gates of Olympus juga sangat menguntungkan untuk memenangkan Grand Jackpot. Secara teoritis, RTP slot langsung Gates of Olympus bernilai 96,50%, yang berarti peluang Anda untuk memenangkan MaxWin cukup tinggi. RTP live Sweet Bonanza Sweet Bonanza adalah permainan slot terpopuler kedua. Game slot bertema buah dan permen yang lezat ini sepertinya akan menarik banyak perhatian karena tergolong slot gacor yang mudah menang. Secara teoritis, slot Sweet Bonanza RTP bernilai 96,48%, yang berarti peluang Anda cukup tinggi untuk memenangkan jackpot. RTP Live Wild West Gold Wild West Gold adalah permainan slot bertema koboi yang juga populer di kalangan penggemar konspirasi. Permainan slot Wild West Gold sendiri kerap menawarkan kejutan jackpot bagi para pemainnya. Selain itu, nilai RTP Live Slot menunjukkan indeks tertinggi hari ini, yang berarti sangat layak dan sangat direkomendasikan. RTP Live Starlight Princess Slot Starlight Princess ini memiliki gaya dan fitur yang mirip dengan Gates of Olympus. Perbedaannya hanya pada desain dan karakter gamenya saja, karena memiliki fitur dan mekanik yang sama tentunya RTP slot teoritis pada game slot ini sama yaitu 96,50%. RTP Live Cash Elevator Mungkin sebagian dari Anda baru mengenal slot Cash Elevator. Namun dari data benchmark yang diungkap, ternyata banyak sekali yang menikmati permainan slot ini. Dengan fitur dan mekanisme unik seperti Lift up and down asli, slot ini juga memiliki slot RTP Live dasar 96,64% yang juga memiliki mekanisme yang sangat menguntungkan untuk memperlancar tingkat kemenangan besar.

Bocoran Jam Main Slot Gacor Hari Ini

Dalam bermain permainan slot online itu tidak bisa dilakukan dengan sembarangan yah. Jadi, Jika anda bermain pada waktu tertentu seperti yang akan kita bahas sesaat lagi, ada kemungkinan anda untuk mendapatkan kemenangan lebih tinggi. Jam RTP Slot Gacor merupakan bocoran jam main slot yang akan memberikan anda kapan waktu yang pas dalam bermain game slot.

Tentu saja seluruh provider slot online memiliki jam tertentu dalam memberikan peluang kepada para pemainnya untuk mendapatkan kemenangan. Disini kami akan memberikan anda Bocoran Jam Slot Gacor yang Paling Akurat Hari ini:

Jam Slot Gacor Pragmatic Play 02:30 WIB - Jam 05:25 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Habanero 14:26 WIB - Jam 17:38 WIB Jam Slot Gacor CQ9 00:45 WIB - Jam 05:53 WIB Jam Slot Gacor PG SOFT 14:25 WIB - Jam 17:35 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Joker123 17:41 WIB - Jam 20:42 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Microgaming 22:30 WIB - Jam 00:35 WIB

MGS88: Situs Judi Slot Online Gacor Pay4D Resmi dan Terpercaya

MGS88 adalah situs game slot online Gacor terbaru yang bermitra dengan Pay4D, Pay4D sendiri merupakan daftar situs game slot online terpercaya dengan berbagai macam permainan judi yang mudah dimenangkan seperti Game Bola, Casino Online, Slot Pay4D, Tembak Ikan dan Pay4D Online Permainan togel seperti Singapura, Hongkong, Sydney dan lain-lain. Tujuan utama kami adalah menjadi situs judi online Pay4D yang menyediakan layanan judi online terbaik di Indonesia.

Kami juga salah satu situs resmi PAY4D di Indonesia yang pasti akan membayarkan semua kemenangan kepada semua member kami, karena kepercayaan dari semua member kami adalah prioritas utama kami sebagai mesin slot 4d Asia terbaik di Asia, khususnya di Indonesia.

Dalam melakukan sistem transaksi sistem simpanan dapat dilakukan dengan mudah melalui mobile banking dan electronic banking berupa bank BCA, BSI, BRI, BNI, Cimb Niaga, Permata dan Mandiri. Selain itu, transaksi e-wallet juga tersedia melalui Dana, Gopay, LinkAja dan Ovo serta dapat digunakan untuk pulsa tanpa dipotong.

Untuk mempermudah dan kenyamanan dalam melakukan registrasi atau melakukan setiap transaksi, MGS88 menyediakan layanan live chat dan Whatsapp terhubung langsung dengan customer service online 24 jam.

Mengenal Istilah Dalam RTP SLOT

Di slot RTP Live Anda akan melihat berbagai fitur yang mungkin tidak Anda pahami masing-masing. Namun jangan khawatir, disini sebagai situs slot gacor MGS88 kami akan memberikan penjelasan lengkap mengenai tentang istilah yang ada di RTP SLOT dibawah ini.
The first-term governor not only toured Atlas and its expanding facilities, he heard about the challenges the fourth generation company is facing from Zach Mottl , Atlas Chief Alignment Officer, the company founder's great grandson.

LYONS  Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner stopped by Atlas Tool Works in suburban Lyons in late March to visit with the nearly 100-year-old precision metal machining companys owners and employees.



Governor Rauner with Zach Mottl, Atlas Tool Works' CAO

Mottl told the governor how the companys sales are growing double digits annually after surviving devastating losses after the Telecom burst in the 90s. He told the governor how his family has invested millions in machines and facility updates over the years.

Manufacturers like us are the growth engine for the economy, Mottl said. Were not corporate fat cats. Businesses like ours invest any profit back into the company to increase growth and jobs.

During the same time, Illinois has been a difficult place to do business, he said. Atlas, as well as other Illinois manufacturers, faces an uphill climb competing not only with neighboring states for business, but on a global scale.

Decades of broken policy in Illinois has put a damper on business, Mottl said.

He pointed to high workers compensation costs, high property taxes and burdensome regulations coming out of Springfield.

Companies in other states and China do not have to deal with the same kind of burdens, he said.

Mottl said his Cook County-located company pays $2 per square foot in property taxes annually, creating an approximate $140,000 tax bill each year.

Lawmakers in Springfield put the cart before the horse. They spend money before they have it, Mottl said. They set up well-intentioned programs with no way to pay for them. Instead they look to businesses like ours to shoulder a higher and higher tax burden.

Governor Rauner answered Mottls comments while addressing Atlas employees.

I love to visit small businesses like this and to visit with people like you, he said. I want businesses like Atlas to grow and thrive so they can pay you more, and they can have a great career for you and you can be all you want to be through your career at Atlas and other companies like this one.

Rauner acknowledged the challenges Mottl mentioned and pointed to areas he was trying to improve.

Were working to change the situation by producing a balanced budget, bringing in more jobs, more jobs, bringing down property taxes, properly supporting schools and changing the states political system so it works for you, Rauner said.

Illinois workers compensation system is unfair for employers and employees, the governor said.

The current system allows employees to claim injuries not work-related as work-related, causing employers to pay higher fees for something that was not their fault.

The comp system needs to be for work-related injuries, Rauner said.

We need a fair system that provides good health care for injuries not related to work  they should be taken care of separately, he told the employees. Employers should pay only for work-related injuries.

A few of the employees asked questions of the governor. One said he was bothered by state workers generous pensions and guaranteed benefits  something for which most people working outside government jobs can only wish.

Youre paying the taxes to pay for these benefits for others you can only dream of, Rauner said. We need the system to be fair.

Rauner asked Atlas employees to contact their Springfield lawmakers and encourage them to work with him on reforming the states system.

We appreciate the governors visit, and hope hes able to work with the legislature to make Illinois a better place to do business, Mottl told reporters after the visit.

Mottl serves as chairman of Technology & Manufacturing Associations Government Relations Committee.



The Mottl Family, owners of Atlas Tool & Die Works, with Gov. Rauner
William Watkins, Jr., as the featured speaker at The Heartland Institute's Wednesday evening free series of event, spoke about his book, Crossroads for Liberty: Recovering the Anti-Federalist Values of America's First Constitution . Watkin's book takes a surprising and thought-provoking look at the American Revolution, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and asks what we can learn from them.

What did the American Founders actually intend for the country and does it even matter today?

William Watkins, Jr. is a research fellow at the Independent Institute. He received his B.A. in history and German summa cum laude from Clemson University and his J.D. cum laude from the University of South Carolina School of Law. He is a former law clerk to Judge William B. Traxler, Jr. of the U.S, Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He has served as a prosecutor and defense lawyer and has practiced in various state and federal courts. Other books include Judicial Monarchs: The Case for Restoring Popular Sovereignty in the United States, and the Independent Institute books, Reclaiming the American Revolution: The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions and Their Legacy; and Patent Trolls: Predatory Litigation and the Smothering of Innovation.

William Watkins, Jr. introduced by Jim Lakely, Director of Communications at The Heartland Institute

William J. Watkins, in Crossroads for Liberty, rescues the Articles of Confederation from obscurity and condemnation. Watkins does not claim that the Articles constituted a perfect system, but it was a much better system than has been portrayed in history books.

For many years, the Articles of Confederation have been taught in American History class as having created too weak a central government, that it accomplished nothing, and that thankfully it was scrapped and replaced with the U.S. Constitution. Not so, according to Watkins. The Articles needed some reform, but it was a credible document before the Constitutional Convention of 1787.

Watkins likewise cleared up a misconception held by many that the Revolutionary War was all about taxation, brought to a head with the Boston Tea Party. Not true, he said. The argument was about sovereignty. Where did it lie? Did it lie in the British Parliament, or would individual states be able to govern themselves. In the Declaration of Independence, King George III of England was mentioned as the recognized power of authority whose removal was necessary for local state assemblies to achieve local rule.

Articles of Confederation Empowered State Governments

As to why the Articles of Confederation were adopted in the first place, patriot leaders at the time didn't want some far off government telling them what to do concerning local matters. The Articles of Confederation were designed to let the people of each state govern themselves, while forming an alliance to maintain their independence. Delegates couldn't serve more than three years out of a six-year period. In this way, legislators would feel the bit of the laws they passed.

In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, Federalists like Alexander Hamilton began to express dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation, thinking it a hopelessly weak common government for the United States that needed replacement. Others, like anti-federalist Patrick Henry, strongly voiced how under the Articles of Confederation its government had put an army in the field for seven years to defeat the mighty British Empire. Said Henry: Ditching the Articles of Confederation would only lead to an increasingly centralized government that would eventually result in weak states dictated to by a centralized government.

Using the same reasoning as proclaimed by Patrick Henry, Watkins noted how the goals of the Articles of Confederation had been met:

Great Britain was defeated. Hadn't the British Navy ruled the world?

Self-government and the states had been preserved.

But economic hardship did exist in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War due to the cost of achieving freedom from Great Britain  i.e. hard cash was limited, the protection of the British Navy was lost, as was the right to trade with the British West Indies.

Ratification of Constitution Hinged on a Bill of Rights

Federalists won the argument. Led by Federalist Alexander Hamilton, who believed a Constitution with a federal system of government could accomplish the same thing without the deficiencies in the Articles  and who further argued that because the Articles of Confederation were committed to states' rights reform of the Articles was not possible -- a Constitutional Convention was needed. Subsequently, a Constitution was written during the summer of 1787 in Philadelphia by 55 delegates to a Constitutional Convention that was called ostensibly to amend the Articles of Confederation (178189), the countrys first written constitution.

The new Constitution was submitted for ratification to the 13 states on September 28, 1787. It was ratified by nine states in June of 1788, as required by Article VII. The date of March 4, 1789 was set by Congress as to when the new government would begin operating, with the first elections under the Constitution held late in 1788.

Why did four of the 13 states refuse to ratify the Constitution when first submitted to them? As Watkins explained, one of the many points of contention between Federalists and Anti-Federalists over the Constitution is that it lacked a Bill of Rights that would place specific limits on government power. Although nine states had ratified the Constitution by June of 1788, the key states of Virginia and New York would only ratify the Constitution after James Madison promised that a Bill of Rights would be added after ratification. Two states, Rhode Island and North Carolina, refused to ratify without a Bill of Rights. In June 1789, Madison proposed a series of amendments to be debated in the first Congress. These amendments to the United States Constitution (10 of them) became known as the Bill of Rights.

Rough Sailing for the Newly Adopted Constitution of 1787

Watkins enumerated three lies that angered segments of the American population after they had been assured that certain things would not happen with the ratification of the Constitution.

1st lie

Farmers were told that the excise power in the Constitution wouldn't be used except in unusual situations. The Whiskey Rebellion was a response to the excise tax proposed by Alexander Hamilton, who was Washington's Secretary of the Treasury in 1791. In January 1791, President George Washington's Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton proposed a seemingly innocuous excise tax upon spirits distilled within the United States, and for appropriating the same. What Congress failed to predict was the vehement rejection of this tax by Americans living on the frontier of Western Pennsylvania. By 1794, the Whiskey Rebellion threatened the stability of the nascent United States and forced President Washington to personally lead the United States militia westward to stop the rebels. Learn More

2nd lie

It was the Alien and Sedition Act of 1798, signed into law by President John Adams, that when put into practice became a black mark on the Nation's reputation. People were lied to again. In direct violation of the Constitutions guarantee of freedom of speech, the Sedition Act permitted the prosecution of individuals who voiced or printed what the government deemed to be malicious remarks about the president or government of the United States. Fourteen Republicans, mainly journalists, were prosecuted, and some imprisoned, under the act.

3rd lie

Alexander Hamilton's claim that the Articles of Confederation were useless, and the only remedy was to draft a new governing document.

Anticipated Fears about 1787 Constitution Were Not Speculative in Nature

Watkins suggested that our Constitution of 1787 is not the greatest gift of political science that the world has ever seen.

1. How can one size fit all with a nation of 50 states?

2. How can a national government be in charge of 300-plus million Americans?

3. Shouldn't individual states serve as laboratories of experimentation and policy making?

4. Does James Madison's worry about the accumulation of power, which, he said in one place is paramount to tyranny, seem justified?

5. How can We the People monitor those we elect given the super-sized districts they represent? Watkins believes that the present system of limiting the House of Representatives to only 435 members is detrimental to limited government, for as the population expands those representatives become increasing disconnected to the very people they are supposed to be representing.

6. Can representative government even exist in a country of this size?

A massive shift of power happened when Senate members were elected. The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution  proposed by the 62nd Congress in 1912  established the popular election of United States Senators by the people of the states. The amendment supersedes Article I, 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were elected by state legislatures.

As Watkins stated, the Founding Father reasoned that only licentious behavior and luxury could destroy the Constitution. Some 230 years later, this long-ago fear has been realized, as the founding principles of this nation have been eroded and cast aside in the interim.

Human nature is flawed, and, as noted by Jefferson, the chains of the Constitution were needed, but what can now be done? As reasoned by Watkins, we certainly cannot return to the Articles of Confederation, nor is it possible to return to the Constitution, at least not as it was first conceived by our Founding Fathers.

Watkins suggested that general education is needed so the public, and especially young people, come to realize that the Socialism spouted by Bernie Sanders, embraced without even realizing what was being offered, is an evil and unworkable system of government.

Selected Questions and Answers

Q: Why was the American Revolution different from revolutions in other nations?

A: Our revolution was based on the Rule of Law, whether sovereignty existed with the King of England or with state assemblies, which gave us a foundation upon which to base our government. The American people perceived that things were out of kilter and had to be restored.

Q: Is an Article V Convention a realistic plan? Is this an efficient way to address some of the flaws in our Constitution?

A: Watkins didn't think it wise to take what we have and then trust that the results will be positive. As Watkins notes in his book: There never have been enough states requesting a convention and this is for good reason. First, no one knows whether such a convention would be limited or unlimited in its scope. If the states requested a convention to consider proposing a balanced budget amendment, would the convention be prohibited from also offering amendments on matters such as abortion or capital punishment? Watkins adds, A convention could result in much chaos and constitutional uncertainty.

On paper, Watkins laments, they [the states] could demand a convention, but in reality Congress holds all the cards when it comes to constitutional change. Instead, Watkins argues that "the states need the ability to propose and consider amendments without the involvement of the national legislature or the risk associated with a convention."

Q: Why the need for the Bill of Rights?

A: People and states were fearful of a new federal government having too much power.

Watch here the YouTube video of William J. Watkins, Jr. discussing his insightful book, Crossroads for Liberty.
Prawit calls for midnight revelry halt

NATIONWIDE: Songkran celebrations must stop at midnight this year, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has said.

accidentsculturetourism

By Bangkok Post

Wednesday 5 April 2017, 08:55AM

A Songkran night party, 2016. This year, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has ordered bans on midnight parties, and will attempt to enforce a ban on all Songkran revelry after midnight. Photo: screengrab, YouTube via Bangkok Post

He said provincial governors must take responsibility for any incident that may occur in their provinces before or after midnight.

Speaking after the regular Tuesday cabinet meeting yesterday (Apr 4), Gen Prawit insisted cabinet members did not discuss a proposed Midnight Songkran Celebration event.

The meeting focused on other activities for the countrys famous water-soaking festival and measures to curb unwanted incidents, he said.

His remarks came after companies in 19 provinces, mostly tourist-related, proposed a plan for midnight Songkran celebrations in their provinces to provincial governors for consideration.

If allowed, Gen Prawit stressed that activities and events should be toned down and safety and security measures must be implemented strictly.

Gen Prawit said he held talks with Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda and they agreed that Songkran celebration activities and events should be kept low key as the country has been in mourning for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who passed away in October last year.

Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said safe zones throughout the Songkran celebration will be allocated in the 50 districts of Bangkok, and extra security measures will be used in certain areas including Khao San Rd which is popular during the water festival among Thais as well as foreigners.

The measures include prohibition of large water guns, alcohol, skimpy clothes and the use of powder.

Revellers are urged to use water sparingly, he said.

Meanwhile, Atisith Chainuvati who assists the government spokesman said the cabinet yesterday approved the Three Sevens (7-7-7) safety plan which was proposed by the Transport Ministry.

The Three Sevens programme involves road traffic safety during the Songkran festival in a bid to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured, he added.

He said the programme will focus on the three main time periods from April 4-24  the seven days before the festival, seven days of the festival, and the seven days after it.

Col Atisith said the ministry stressed on improving public safety and facilitating road users.

Traffic signs are to be set up and street lighting installed to ensure safety. Checkpoints will also be set up to encourage road users to drive more carefully, he added.

The transport minister had ordered relevant agencies to ensure enough space at bus terminals, railway stations and parking spots to serve the needs of passengers during the festival, Col Atisith said.

He had ordered public transport operators to increase their services to cater to the expected upsurge in passengers.

Col Atisith added that Gen Prawit, who oversees security, had ordered heightened security measures during the festival with an emphasis on intelligence gathering, monitoring possible sabotage activities, and preventive measures in crime hot spots.

The transport minister said the hot spots include airports, railway stations, electric train stations, bus terminals and department stores.

Read original story here.
Country

United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
Rollover results in passenger being injured after being enjected

The highway patrol and Watertown Fire Rescue responded to a rollover accident on Saturday. Passenger was thrown from the vehicle, sustaining injuries.
If the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had given permission, the climax scenes of film Blue Mountains, scheduled for release on Friday, would have been shot at the Taj Mahal, the producer has said.

The film's producer Rajesh Jain told: "I had seen the Yanni show back in 1997 behind the Taj Mahal and I was so fascinated with the ambience that I somehow wanted to film some scenes of Blue Mountains at the Taj Mahal. But that was not to be. But I am sure my next film definitely will be shot in and around the Taj Mahal."

Jain, a handicrafts exporter, is entering the Hindi film industry with his maiden venture, which features Gracy Singh, Ranveer Shorey and Rajpal Yadav. A musical, the film revolves around a small town from where a youngster suddenly grabs the limelight through a reality show on TV but some traumatic situations change his whole life.

Jain was in Agra to look for locations for his next venture with associate director Piyush Pandey.

Pandey said there is a timely message in the film for the youngsters  more important than victory, it is the participation in a competition that should matter.

The film has music by Aadesh Shrivastava and Monty Sharma and songs have been sung by Shreya Ghoshal, Kailash Kher and Shaan.
Decks have been cleared for according Footwear Design and Development Institute status of national institute with the Lok Sabha on Wednesday passing the Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) Bill, 2017.

With this FDDI will enjoy similar importance and stature enjoyed by other premier national level institutes such as IIMs and IITs across the country.

The Bill was passed after a debate without taking into consideration the Opposition amendments.

Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her reply said with the passage of the Bill five new national level Footwear Design and Development Institutes (FDDI) will be added to the existing ones taking the total number to 12. She said in the existing seven institutes over 3,900 students are already enrolled.

With its headquarters in Noida, FDDI confers degrees and post graduate degrees on students. The minister said there was great demand for the courses being offered by FDDI. She said the institutes would help students brand their products on par with international competitors in the field.
Actor Daniel Craig is ready to sign on to return as fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond, pagesix.com reported.

Multiple sources told the publication that Bond franchise producer Barbara Broccoli has "just about persuaded Daniel Craig to do one more Bond movie".

This comes after Broccoli produced his hit off-Broadway production of Othello with actor-producer David Oyelowo.

A Hollywood source said: "Daniel was very pleased with how Othello went and the great reviews. Now Daniel's talks with Barbara are going in the right direction. They have a script  screenwriting duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (who've penned several Bond movies) are writing and they'll go into production as soon as Daniel is ready to commit."

The source added: "Plus, Barbara Broccoli doesn't like Tom Hiddleston, he's a bit too smug and not tough enough to play James Bond."

In 2015, Craig was asked if he'd be back again after finishing a difficult Spectre shoot, and replied: "I'd rather slash my wrists I'm over it at the moment."

Another source said: "Daniel had such a good time in Othello, produced by Barbara that he's ready to do a final Bond."

Representatives for Craig and Broccoli haven't commented on it.


China on Wednesday reacted angrily to the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh and said that by ignoring Beijing's concerns over the issue New Delhi has caused "serious damage" to bilateral ties. India reiterated that no political colour should be attributed to the Tibetan spiritual leader's visit to the northeastern state.

Diplomatic tensions escalated with Beijing summoning the Indian envoy Vijay Gokhale to lodge its protest, even as the 81-year-old Tibetan leader, who arrived in Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday, said in Bomdila that India has never used him against China.

In a prelude to China's belligerence, the Chinese state-run media warned that New Delhi's inviting the Tibetan spiritual leader to the "sensitive region" would "gravely damage" India-China relations. China considers large parts of Arunachal Pradesh as south Tibet, while India has said that Arunachal is an inseparable part of its territory.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, addressing a regular briefing, voiced Beijing's "firm opposition" to the Dalai Lama's visit and said her country would lodge "stern representations with the Indian side".

Hua said that India "in disregard" to China's concerns "obstinately" went ahead to arrange the Tibetan leader's visit, causing "serious damage" to China's interests and China-India relations.

She said that India should "immediately cease using the Dalai Lama's mistaken behaviour to damage China's interests" and not "hype up sensitive" bilateral issues.

The state-run Global Times accused the Indian government of "openly using" the Dalai Lama "as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage".

It said India was trying to play the Tibet card against China as "New Delhi is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance over its membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its request to name Masood Azhar, head of Pakistani militant group, to a UN Security Council blacklist".

Reacting to Beijing's objection against his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Nobel Peace Laureate said: "There are many in China who love India, but there are some narrow-minded politicians because of their certain views..they considered me as a demon."

Denying Chinese assertions that India was using him as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China, the Tibetan spiritual leader said: "I am India's longest standing guest. India has never used me against China."

On the Tibetan stand, he told journalists, ahead of proceeding to Tawang for a major Buddhist event: "We are not seeking independence. We are very much willing to remain with People's Republic of China. I always used to talk about the spirit of the European Union, individual nations, individual sovereignty but that is not so important, what is important is common interest."

"Tibet is materialistically backward but spiritually highly-developed. For material development, we need to remain with the People's Republic China as it is our interest. The government (of China) should feel ok for the mutual benefit," he added.

"China must give us meaningful self-rule, autonomy, and must take care of the environment in Tibet. China has the highest population of Tibetan Buddhists. Many Chinese intellectuals also fully support our cause," he said.

China had protested former US envoy Richard Verma's visit to Tawang last October and warned Washington against meddling in the border dispute between New Delhi and Beijing.

India on Wednesday reiterated that no political colour should be attributed to the Tibetan spiritual leader's trip and that the Dalai Lama has visited Arunachal earlier on half a dozen occasions.

"We also urged that no political colour be ascribed to his religious and spiritual activities and to his visits to states of India, and no artificial controversy created around his ongoing visit," External Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said.

On Tuesday, India asked China not to interfere in its matters. Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, said: "India has always been non-interfering in the neighbours' internal affairs in our approach. In the same manner, we expect the same from our neighbours."
Rubbishing media reports that India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China, the Tibetan spiritual leader on Wednesday said that India has never used him against China.

"India has never used me against China," the Dalai Lama was quoted as saying by a news channel.

"Tibet is part of China but it needs more development," he added.

Earlier, Chinese state media carried reports suggesting that India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China. The Chinese reaction to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh came in an article in the state-run Global Times.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday reacted to China's objection to the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh and refused to budge from its stand that the Tibetan spiritual leader was free to go anywhere in India.

"The government has clearly stated on several occasions that HHDL (His Holiness the Dalai Lama) is a revered religious leader, who is deeply respected as such by the Indian people," the MEA said.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday had said that the Dalai Lama's visit is purely religious in nature and there is no need to create 'artificial controversy' over his visit.
Pakistani forces yet again on Wednesday violated ceasefire and resorted to mortar shelling in Degwar sector of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir, the fourth incident in less 48 hours along the LoC.

"The Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars at 9.05 am on Wednesday on the Indian Army posts," Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta was quoted as saying by a news agency.

"The Indian Army is retaliating strongly and effectively. The firing exchange still continues," he said.

Pakistani troops on Tuesday resorted to mortar shelling by automatic weapons along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district.

Earlier on Monday Pakistan also opened fire at the Indian troops in Digwar sector of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir.

The ceasefire violation from the Pakistan side comes after India had on March 9 summoned the Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan and expressed deep concern over continued ceasefire violations in Jammu and Kashmir.
It is rare for a Member of Parliament to take up a cause which affects millions of women on a popular social media platform. So when Sushmita Dev, MP from Silchar, Assam, started a petition on Change.org requesting Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to abolish tax on sanitary napkins about a month ago, everyone who matters took note.

From Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, party vice president Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, BJP MP Varun Gandhi, NCP MP Supriya Sule, BJD MP Jay Panda and lakhs of commoners have supported and endorsed the petition.

In her petition, which she started on International Women's Day on 8 March, Dev says, "Despite their utility, sanitary napkins are taxed making them expensive for the middle-class and unaffordable for rural women. Surprisingly, condoms and contraception are tax- free in India, but sanitary napkins are not".

Already the petition has garnered about 2.5 lakh signatures ahead of Sushmita Dev's meeting with the Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Thursday. Dev told The Statesman: " My motivation to start this petition came from hundreds of girls living in rural India who still face social stigma and many problems due to lack of awareness and affordability. They should not be burdened with a tax that makes safe, hygienic products more expensive".

She said, "There are many social activists and NGOs who have taken up this cause and have been instrumental in making it a revolution. I have received support from all quarters, including various top leaders from my own party and even from other MPs. Already, states like Haryana, Goa, Maharashtra and even Union Territory of Pudducherry have either reduced or abolished taxes on sanitary napkins. I took this matter to the GST Council since we are going to have 'one nation one tax regime'. I am hopeful that we will be able to pull it through."

As per data, only about 12% of the 355 million women in India use sanitary napkins and have to pay varying VAT statewise that goes up to 14%. As per statistics, a whopping 70 % of women cannot afford sanitary napkins in India.

On Wednesday, Ranjana Kumari, director, Centre for Social Research, not only signed the petition but also shared the trending petition on twitter with #TaxFreeWings tagging Arun Jaitley's official twitter handle as well. The petition also proposes a solution in terms of a 100% tax exemption for the production and distribution of environment and health-friendly sanitary napkins to add impetus to the reach of the product.
No, they are not from the fashion industry. They know nothing about designs and the fashion world. But, working seeminglessly behind the screen, they are set to give new lease to fashionistas here in the City of Joy. And in return, they would receive a new life.

It's the first of its kind, and one to rejoice, the inmates of a correctional home in Kolkata are being imparted training for stitching costumes for fashion events.

"These people will make fashion wear and that will be sold from boutiques," said fashion designer Abhisek Dutta to PTI.

Workshops are being held to help the inmates of the Presidency Correctional Home. Most of the members are convicts and undertrials in serious crimes,Dutta said, adding that those having shown skill during the workshop will be inducted in the industry as weavers.

"My team is conducting workshop within the correctional home premises and we have already set up 24 state-of-the-art sewing machines," he said.

The correctional home authorities are extending all help toward the initiative. "The correctional home authorities had approached me to do something for the inmates when I had previously met prison officials at an event and that's how it all began," Dutta said.

The fashion designer is currently collaborating with West Bengal government-run Tantuja with his retail pretline.

"We had seen due to prejudices they do not get employment after coming out of prison. If they become part of our fashion industry by consistently working during their prison term and get remuneration, they can be inducted formally after release," Dutta said.

In another four-five year time, they will be called as 'Karigars', Dutta said, adding, "Those oriented to art have been selected after we saw their sketch."

"From my experience in working with them (correctional home inmates) in my cultural programmes, I know they have an aesthetic side which needs to be tapped and they should be allowed to come back to the mainstream of society," Danseuse-social activist Alakananda Roy told PTI. Actor Parambrata Chatterjee also pledged support to the initiative.

(With inputs from agencies)
A retired German man has found the proof to a complex geometry and probability problem that experts have tried to solve for decades, only for his achievement to go largely unnoticed.

Thomas Royen was reportedly brushing his teeth when he struck upon an idea in July 2014. Then 67 years old, the former statistician for a pharmaceutical company, from Schwalbach am Taunus, a town on the edge of Frankfurt, found the solution to the conjecture, known as the Gaussian Correlation Inequality. But at the time, Royen's cogent solution had gone largely unheralded and is still slowly permeating the scientific community, Quanta Magazine reports.

The GCI conjecture originates in the 1950s but was more clearly formulated in the 1972. Since then, scores of mathematicians have unsuccessfully tried to solve it. According to the GCI principle, if two shapes overlap, such as a rectangle and a circle, then the probability of striking one, for example in a game of darts, increases the chances of also striking the other.

Donald Richards, a statistician at Pennsylvania State University, told the science magazine he had been working on trying to solve the equations for 30 years without success. On the other hand, Royen is not one who has spent most of his life working to explain the conjuncture. His primary aim was to improve statistical formulas for the pharmaceutical industry to make sense of drug trial data.

While brushing his teeth, it dawned on him that GCI could be analytically explained through statistical formulas. This enabled him to simplify his function and use equations he had worked with all his life. In mathematics, it occurs frequently that a seemingly difficult special problem can be solved by answering a more general question.

The evening of this day, my first draft of the proof was written, he told Quanta. His answer, compiled in a paper called, A simple proof of the Gaussian correlation conjecture, is short and only uses classic mathematical techniques.

Experts said that any graduate student would be able to follow Royen's argument. And Royen said he hoped the surprisingly simple proof  might encourage young students to use their own creativity to find new mathematical theorems, adding that a very high theoretical level is not always required.

The retired statistician wrote up his solution on Microsoft Word rather than using the go-to maths software, LaTeX. He published his findings on the academic preprint website arxiv.org and emailed a copy to Richards, who said he knew instantly that the problem had been solved.

But other experts were dismissive to Royen's claim he had found the solution. False and flawed solutions of the GCI have been floating in recent years.

Royen reportedly sent his findings to Bo'az Klartag of the Weizmann at the Institute of Science, Tel Aviv University. But his solution arrived in a batch with three other papers and when Klartag found a mistake in one of them, he allegedly overlooked the two others for lack of time.

With no intentions of bothering with peer reviews and the time-consuming process to get his paper published in top academic journals, Royen's achievement continued to go unrecognised. But the retired man said the feeling of deep joy and gratitude that came from finding an important proof has been reward enough.

It is like a kind of grace. We can work for a long time on a problem and suddenly an angel  (which) stands here poetically for the mysteries of our neurons  brings a good idea, he said.

The Independent.
The United Nations says it will take 40 to 50 years to clear the mines, improvised explosive devices and other unexploded ordnance from Iraq and Syria.

Agnes Marcaillou, director of the United Nations Mine Action Service, said we are looking at decades of work for these countries to look like post-World War II Europe where we still find some unexploded ordnance here and there.

She told a news conference yesterday marking International Mine Awareness Day that her office is looking at a ballpark figure of between USD 170 million to USD 180 million a year to clean up the areas retaken from the Islamic State extremist group in Iraq.

Marcaillou said that figure includes USD 50 million annually needed just to make safe Mosul, which is still partly held by Islamic State extremists.
An explosion at a fireworks factory in northern Portugal left at least five people dead, with three others missing, rescue services told the Lusa news agency.

More than a hundred firefighters were dispatched to battle the fire sparked by the explosion yesterday at the factory in the town of Lamego.

By the late evening rescuers were still waiting for conditions to be safe enough to enter the building and search for the missing, but there was little hope of finding survivors.

Local media reported that the owner of the factory and his daughter were among the victims.
Six persons were killed and 22 injured in an attack on a convoy of census teams here in Pakistan on Wednesday.

Four security personnel and two civilians were among the dead, The News International quoted a government spokesperson as saying.

Punjab Law Minister said the security threat was imminent on census teams and the government has been very vigilant in this regard.

He said the process of census will not be stopped at any cost, and the government is determined to eliminate militancy from the country.

According to him, halting the census will be tantamount to succumbing to militants' pressure.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but terror outfit Jamat-ul Ahrar has been involved in similar attacks earlier.
One of the worst chemical bombings in Syria that killed at least 20 innocent children and 50 other persons, sparked an international outrage on Wednesday and prompted the United Nations to call for a probe into the attack and to view it as a possible war crime.

The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria said in a statement the use of chemical weapons as well as any deliberate targeting of medical facilities "would amount to war crimes and serious violations of human rights law".

"It is imperative for perpetrators of such attacks to be identified and held accountable," said the independent panel led by Brazilian expert Paulo Pinheiro.

World leaders, including President Trump, blamed the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad for the attack and called on Russia and Iran to prevent a recurrence of what Trump termed a "heinous" act that "cannot be ignored by the civilised world".

Late on Tuesday, Britain, France and the US were pushing the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution that condemns the attack and orders the Syrian government to provide all flight logs, flight plans and names of commanders in charge of air operations, including those for Tuesday, to international investigators.

The draft resolution, negotiated among diplomats from the three countries, was later circulated to all 15 members of the UN Council. It could come up for a vote later.

Victims died  some writhing, choking, gasping or foaming at the mouth  after breathing in poison that possibly contained a nerve agent or other outlawed chemicals, according to witnesses, doctors and rescue workers.

They said the toxic substance spread after warplanes dropped bombs early on Tuesday. Some rescue workers became ill and collapsed from proximity to the dead.

The opposition-run Health Department in Idlib province, where the attack took place, said 69 people had died. It provided a list of their dead. The dead were still being identified, and some humanitarian groups said as many as 100 had died.

The Assad government, which renounced chemical weapons nearly four years ago after a large chemical attack that American intelligence agencies concluded was carried out by his forces, denied that his military had been responsible, as he has done every time such chemical attacks took place in the impoverished Arab country.

The attack would mark the deadliest chemical attack in Syria since sarin nerve gas killed some 1,300 civilians in Ghouta near Damascus in August 2013.

In the aftermath of the Ghouta massacre, a UN team supervised the surrender of Syria's sarin supplies, the removal of which was supposed to have been completed early in 2014. However, suspicions have remained that a portion of the stockpile was not declared to the UN inspectors.

Russia's Defence Ministry denied it was responsible, telling the state-run RIA news agency that it carried out no bombing runs in the area.

The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using such weapons in the past. On three previous occasions, though, United Nations investigations have found it guilty of using chemical weapons.

Britain-based monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, put the latest toll at 72, including 20 children. The monitoring group, which tracks the war through a network of contacts on the ground, was unable to confirm the nature of the substance used.

Tuesday's attack struck Khan Sheikhun area, where thousands of refugees from the nearby province of Hama live. The town is also on a crossroads between Hama and Idlib and is considered vital to any regime offensive towards the northern city of Idlib.

Idlib is reportedly one of the last bastions of the Islamic State in Syria, and has been subjected to a relentless campaign of aerial bombardment despite a supposed ceasefire brokered this year by Russia and Turkey that was aimed at paving the way for political negotiations.

The raid in Khan Sheikhun indicates Assad's growing confidence. He has wrested control of territory from the rebels, including the entire city of Aleppo, in recent months.

His regime has benefited from the unflinching support of Moscow and Shia militias backed by Iran, as well as waning support for the opposition by its allies in the region and the new US administration.
Diplomatic tensions visibly escalated over the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, as China on Wednesday lodged a protest with India and said that by ignoring Beijing's concerns over the issue New Delhi has caused "serious damage" to bilateral ties.

As the Tibetan spiritual leader entered Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh to proceed to Tawang for a major Buddhist event, China struck a strident note in its protest against the move.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, addressing a regular briefing, voiced her country's "firm opposition" to the Dalai Lama's visit and said Beijing would lodge "stern representations with the Indian side".

Later, the Chinese side lodged a protest with Indian Ambassador Vijay Gokhale in Beijing over the Dalai Lama's visit.

Hua said that India "in disregard" to China's concerns "obstinately" went ahead to arrange the Tibetan leader's visit, causing "serious damage" to China's interests and China-India relations.

She said that India should "immediately cease using the Dalai Lama's mistaken behaviour to damage China's interests" and not "hype up sensitive" bilateral issues.

The Foreign Ministry statement comes as the Chinese state-run media also slammed the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims is disputed and part of south Tibet. India has said that Arunachal Pradesh is an inseparable part of its territory.

The Global Times accused the Indian government of "openly using" the Dalai Lama "as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage".

It said India was trying to play the Tibet card against China as "New Delhi is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance over its membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its request to name Masood Azhar, head of Pakistani militant group, to a UN Security Council blacklist", it said.

On Tuesday, India said that no political motive should be attributed to the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh and asked China not to interfere in its affairs.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, said: "India has always been non-interfering in the neighbours' internal affairs in our approach. In the same manner, we expect the same from our neighbours."
Mexico has said its top official will meet key US lawmakers in Washington to discuss bilateral relations, which have been tense since President Donald Trump assumed office, a statement said.

The statement from the Mexican Foreign Relations Department on Tuesday said Secretary Luis Videgaray will be in Washington from April 4-6.

The trip will enable the Foreign Secretary to reaffirm the importance of the Mexico-US relation with key US actors and follow up on the main bilateral and regional issues.

The meetings would include those with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.

The statement also said Videgaray will meet with both Republican and Democrat senators, and attend a session of the Organisation of American States (OAS).

The Foreign Secretary will attend the OAS Permanent Council meeting to present his country's program for the 47th General Assembly that will be held in Mexico in June.
North Korea fired an apparent ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, South Korea's military said on Wednesday.

The launch came hours after US President Donald Trump described North Korea's pursuit of a nuclear arsenal as a "humanity problem" and a senior US official told reporters that the "clock has now run out" on Pyongyang.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul confirmed that the missile was launched from Sinpo, south Hamgyong province in eastern North Korea.

They added that the launch was made from land and not from the sea, ruling out the possibility that it was a ballistic missile launched from a submarine (SLBM), as Pyongyang has launched before from the sea off the coast of Sinpo, where its main centre of development for these projectiles is located.

Wednesday's firing was made as South Korean and US troops were conducting annual military drills that North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal. North Korea often responds to the drills with its own military training and harsh rhetoric.

Two weeks ago, the South Korean and US militaries said they detected what they called a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch.

A White House official also said on Tuesday that "all options are on the table" for the US, though the official would not say what steps Trump was willing to take to curb dictator Kim Jong-un's pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

Seoul and Washington are currently analysing both the missile type and the possible range of the missile launched by Pyongyang, the Yonhap news agency reported, adding that it was most likely a KN-15 medium range ballistic missile.

This latest launch comes just ahead of US President Donald Trump receiving Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida for a meeting which will have North Korea as one of the main topics.

Trump has called on Beijing, Pyongyang's closest ally, to exert more pressure on Kim Jong-un's regime to abandon the development of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.

On March 6, the Pyongyang regime launched four medium-range ballistic missiles, three of which landed in Japan's Special Economic Zone, just 200 km off the archipelago's shores, and two other missile tests since then apparently failed.
North Korea on Wednesday launched a ballistic missile, which flew for some 60 km before falling into the Sea of Japan, the South Korean military said.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul confirmed that the missile was launched from Sinpo, South Hamgyong province, eastern North Korea, at 6.40 local time, Efe news reported.

They added that the launch was made from land and not from the sea, ruling out the possibility that it was a ballistic missile launched from a submarine (SLBM), as Pyongyang has launched before from the sea off the coast of Sinpo, where its main centre of development for these projectiles is located.

Seoul and Washington are currently analyzing both the missile type and the possible range of the missile launched by Pyongyang, the Yonhap news agency reported, adding that it was most likely a KN-15 medium range ballistic missile.

This latest launch comes just ahead of US President Donald Trump receiving his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Florida for a meeting which will have North Korea as one of the main topics.

Trump has called on Beijing, Pyongyang's closest ally, to exert more pressure on Kim Jong-un's regime to abandon the development of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.

On March 6, the Pyongyang regime launched four medium-range ballistic missiles, three of which landed in Japan's Special Economic Zone, just 200 km off the archipelago's shores, and two other missile tests since then apparently failed.
US President Donald Trump condemned the "intolerable" alleged chemical attack on civilians in Syria and blamed the Bashar Al Assad regime, media reports said.

"Today's chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world," Efe news quoted Trump as saying on Teusday in a statement.

Trump said that "heinous actions by the Bashar Al Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution", referring to former President Barack Obama, who "said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons" in Syria but then "did nothing".

"The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack," the President concluded.

Shortly before Trump issued his statement, a senior State Department official, who asked for anonymity, told reporters that everything pointed to the fact that the chemical attack was a "war crime" and that the countries backing Assad  Russia and Iran  have much to answer for.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also had harsh words for Russia and Iran in his own statement condemning the attack, which killed at least 58 people in the town of Khan Sheikhoun.

"While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism," said Tillerson in the statement.

Tillerson also said that the attack is the third complaint about the use of chemical weapons in Syria in the past month.

The US accusations come after Syria denied that either its forces or Russian forces were behind the attack.
President Donald Trump warned that it is the regulators who are currently running the country's banks, insisting that he will eliminate the "horrible" regulations hampering US job creation and economic progress.

Trump on Tuesday spoke at a White House forum attended by dozens of business leaders to discuss the country's economic climate and how to spur economic and job growth.

"Under Dodd-Frank, the regulators are running the banks," warned Trump, mentioning the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the aim of which is to increase regulation and supervision of the financial system to avoid risk-taking of the kind that led to the 2008 financial crisis, Efe news reported.

The President in February, in a series of executive orders, had launched the process to revoke Dodd-Frank, although it is Congress that actually must eliminate it.

"We're going to do a very major haircut on Dodd-Frank. We want strong restrictions, we want strong regulation. But not regulation that makes it impossible for the banks to loan to people that are going to create jobs," Trump promised.

Regarding his plan to increase investment in infrastructure, Trump noted that he had asked Congress to approve $1 trillion for that purpose, adding that the final figure would be "perhaps even more".

He said that his aim is to provide financing only for infrastructure projects that are ready to be undertaken in the short term.

Projects that cannot be launched within 90 days will not receive any funding, the President said.
The meeting between the US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping which begins on Wednesday in Florida is an opportunity for them to chart a way forward for the bilateral ties between the two countries, the White House has said.

While the two leaders are likely to discuss a gamut of bilateral issues during the two-day meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, matters related to trade, economic policies and North Korea are expected to figure prominently during their talks, senior White House officials said yesterday.

This is really an opportunity for the two leaders to exchange views on each other's respective priorities and to chart a way forward for the US-China bilateral relationship, a senior White House official said.

They will be talking about areas of common interest and also some of the clear areas of difference that we need to address in the relationship. President Trump really views this meeting as a first step towards building a constructive and a result-oriented relationship, the official told reporters ahead of the Mar-a-Lago summit between Trump and Xi.

Noting that progress on a range of bilateral economic issues has become increasingly difficult, another White House official said it reflects a slowdown and in certain cases in America's view, a retreat in China's move towards giving the market a more decisive role in the Chinese economy.

President Trump is very concerned about how the imbalance in our economic relationship affects American workers and wants to address these issues in a candid and productive manner, the official said.

According to the official, the primary purpose of the meeting is to set a framework for discussions on trade and investment.

I can't tell you whether they're going to get into specific issues to resolve at this timeBut this is the introductory meeting to put a framework in place for how we're going to discuss and address these matters, the official said in response to a question.

The official said that the US would like to see the bilateral relationship based on reciprocity as the Trump administration wants to work with China to reduce systemic trade and investment barriers that they have created leading to an uneven playing field for the US companies.

We want a level playing field so that bilateral trade and investment can be mutually beneficial, the official said.

The first White House official told reporters that North Korea clearly is a matter of urgent interest for the President and the Administration as a whole.

I think the President has been pretty clear in sending the message as to how important it is for China to coordinate with the US and to begin exerting its considerable economic leverage to bring about a peaceful resolution to that problem, the official said.

On Sino-North Korean trade, the official said the economic leverage of China has not gone down with the , adding the issue will figure in the discussion.

Somewhere on the order of just shy of 90 per cent of North Korea's external trade is with China. So, even though we hear sometimes that China's political influence may have diminished with North Korea, clearly its economic leverage has not. It is considerable. So that will be one of the points of discussion, the White House official said further.

The official reiterated that there is no change in the long-standing One-China policy of the United States.

Our One-China policy is based on the three joint communiques with China, as well as the Taiwan Relations Act. The president has reaffirmed the policy. I don't anticipate some kind of surprising deviation from that, the official said.

The issue of South China Sea would also come up for talks as part of the larger discussion on maritime issues, the official anticipated.

I do expect that maritime issues will come up. The United States certainly will continue to fly and sail where international law allows. I would not be surprised if that came up in conversation, the official said.

However, the official cautioned against having much higher expectations from the visit, but expressed hope that there will be some movement towards a framework for dialogues elevated from some of the previous or pre-existing dialogues with prior administrations.
The UN Security Council will hold emergency talks on Wednesday after a suspected chemical attack in Syria left over 50 dead and many wounded, a media report said.

The attack on a rebel-held town brought furious international reaction, with the US and other powers blaming the Syrian government for the deaths, the BBC reported.

Officials in Damascus, however, denied using any such weapons.

The attack will overshadow a conference in the Belgian capital Brussels at which 70 donor nations will discuss aid efforts in Syria, the BBC report said.

Delegates want to step up humanitarian access for thousands of civilians trapped by fighting.

The Syrian Civil War has raged for more than six years with still no political solution in sight.

Nearly five million Syrians have fled the country and more than six million are internally displaced, the UN said. More than 250,000 people have been killed.

Wednesday's emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was called by France and the UK as international outrage mounted over the suspected gas attack on Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province on Tuesday.

Britain's Ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, described it as "very bad news for peace in Syria", the BBC said.

"This is clearly a war crime and I call on the Security Council members who have previously used their vetoes to defend the indefensible to change their course," he told reporters in New York.

Footage from the scene showed civilians, many of them children, choking and foaming at the mouth.

Witnesses said clinics treating the injured were then targeted by air strikes.

UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 58, including 11 children.

It was unable to say what chemical was dropped but pro-opposition groups said it was believed to be the nerve agent Sarin.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Patricia Chau and her therapy dog Soda have been visiting patients at the Montreal Chinese Hospital for the last four years as their way of giving back to the community through VWI.


remaining of

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.






Job Title: Financial Administrative Advisor

Organisation: Caritas

Duty Station: Uganda

About US:

Caritas is the social and humanitarian department of the Catholic

Church and is represented in almost all countries of the world. Caritas Belgium

funds a wide variety of projects in both West-Nile region and South Sudan. In

order to ensure that all projects meet the donors administrative standards, it

employs embedded advisors. The advisor will work for Caritas Arua, but act as a

representative of Caritas Belgium in all financial and administrative measures,

so employment conditions are very competitive.



Responsibilities: Key Duties andResponsibilities:

Provides support to partners in optimizing

their financial administrative systems and procedures;

Provides training and permanent coaching

to the partners about the financial administrative regulations of the

donors;

Encourages partners to release project

funds timely;

Keenly monitors the respect of budget

lines;

Drafts budgets and (MS Excel) reporting

templates;

Ensures that all financial and

administrative documentation of the partners is compliant, complete and

well organized;

Organizes regular expedition of financial

documentation to Caritas Belgium;

The incumbent receives and consolidates

the financial re-ports of all partners;

Prepares and organizes financial audits;

Actively participates in all recruitments

and procurements;

Guides the partners on asset management;

Organizes logistics for humanitarian aid.



Experience: Qualifications, Skills andExperience:

At least five years experience in a

financial management position in an international NGO or an international

audit firm

Computer literacy skills with proficiency in

MS Excel

How to Apply:



application letters, updated CVs and the professional contacts to Marisol

Martinez,

with a copy to Monsignor Asega Primus,

All suitably qualified and interested candidates should send theirapplication letters, updated CVs and the professional contacts to MarisolMartinez, M.Martinez@caritasint.be with a copy to Monsignor Asega Primus, asegaprim@gmail.com

th April,

2017 Deadline: 7April,2017
Job Title: Clinical Officer

Organisation: Wagagai

Limited

Duty Station: Entebbe,

Uganda

About Us:

Wagagai Limited is a floriculture farm located in Entebbe -Kasenyi

Wakiso District. The company propagates premium plant cuttings for export to

Europe, US, and other international markets. Wagagai Ltd operates a Health

centre IV which is a modern and very busy health facility in Entebbe.



Responsibilities: Key Duties andResponsibilities:

The Clinical Officer will diagnose, treat

and counsel patients.

Prescribe drugs in line with MOH Essential

and Vital Drug Lists.



Experience: Qualifications, Skills andExperience:

The applicant should preferably hold a

Diploma in Clinical Medicine and Community Heath.

Updated Registration/ Practicing License.

At least two years relevant working

experience in a busy medical facility.

Proficient communication skills inc. fluency

in spoken/ written English and spoken Luganda.

How to Apply:

All candidates are encouraged to send their applications and updated

CVs with relevant academic documents to via Email to: josephb@wagagai.com

Deadline: 7th April 2017
Organisation: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Position No.: 10020305 Vacancy Notice: 13/2017 Duty Station: Uganda Post Grade: GL4 Reports to: Field Associate

About UNHCR:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. UNHCRs mandate under the Statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is to lead and co-ordinate action for international protection to refugees; seek permanent solutions for the problems of refugees and safeguard refugee rights and well-being. UNHCR has an additional mandate concerning issues of statelessness, as it is given a designated role under Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

Job Summary: The Registration Assistant will be responsible for supporting all activities related to registration, which may also include functions related to reception, filing and data management. The jobholder responds to queries from, asylum seekers and refugees regarding UNHCRs registration procedures and their rights and entitlements. The Registration Assistant works closely with protection staff and partners to ensure timely identification and referral of persons of concern for protection follow up. He/She may provide interpretation and/or translation services in cases for which he/she has the required language competencies.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

 Carry out registration interviews in accordance with local SOPs and registration standards.

 Regularly respond to queries from, asylum seekers and refugees regarding UNHCRs registration procedures and their rights and entitlements.

 Maintain accurate and up-to date records and data related to all individual registration cases.

 Identify persons with specific needs and ensure timely referral to protection follow-up as required.

 The jobholder will collaborate with protection staff and/or partners in the delivery of assistance and programming, including provision of identity and entitlement documentation

 Act as interpreter and translator when needed.

 Refer cases to other units within the office and to implementing partners as necessary.

 Carry out any other related duties, as required by the Associate Field Officer.

Key Performance Indicators:

 UNHCRs Registration Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are implemented in accordance with relevant UNHCR standards and policies.

 Persons of concern have fair and transparent access to registration procedures.









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

 The ideal candidate for the United Nations UNHCR Registration Assistant career opportunity should have completed secondary education preferably with post-secondary training or certificate in social science, statistics, mathematics, information technology or related fields.

 At least five years of relevant job experience (three years with post-secondary certificate/training).

 Good computer skills.

 Excellent knowledge of English and local language.

 Training in basic principles of international protection.

 Previous experience in working with UNHCR proGres software.

 Knowledge of another relevant UN language.

How to Apply: All interested Ugandan nationals who wish to join the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the aforementioned capacity are encouraged to click on the link below and follow the application instructions after reviewing the job details. Click Here th April 2017 Deadline: 14April 2017 For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
Patnaik's close aides say that to understand him, one has to understand his empathy

By Pratul Sharma/Photos Sanjay Ahlawat
Actor Daniel Craig is ready to return as fictional British secret service agent James Bond, pagesix.com reported.

Multiple sources told the publication that Bond franchise producer Barbara Broccoli has "just about persuaded Daniel Craig to do one more Bond movie".

This comes after Broccoli produced his hit off-Broadway production of Othello with actor-producer David Oyelowo.

A Hollywood source said, "Daniel was very pleased with how Othello went and the great reviews. Now Daniel's talks with Barbara are going in the right direction. They have a scriptscreenwriting duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (who've penned several Bond movies) are writing and they'll go into production as soon as Daniel is ready to commit."

The source added, "Plus, Barbara Broccoli doesn't like Tom Hiddleston, he's a bit too smug and not tough enough to play James Bond."

In 2015, Craig was asked if he'd be back again after finishing a difficult Spectre shoot. "I'd rather... slash my wrists... I'm over it at the moment," he had said.

Another source said, "Daniel had such a good time in Othello, produced by Barbara that he's ready to do a final Bond."

Representatives for Craig and Broccoli haven't commented on it.
April 8, 1994. Gary Smith, an electrician, walked up to a charming house in Seattle. Through the window of the garage, he discovered the resident in a pool of blood and very much dead. The county police, who recovered a suicide letter from the spot, estimated that the death occurred almost three days beforeon April 5. Name: Kurt Cobain. Profession: Musician. Cause of death: Shotgun wound to the head.



On April 11, a thousand-strong crowdalmost exclusively teenagersgathered at the Flag Pavilion Plaza in Seattle to pay respects to their fallen hero. Only, it is not your usual vigil. The bereaved widow, Courtney Love, reads out the suicide note for the gathered audiencepunctuated by sobs and expletives directed at the fallen rockstar.



I haven't felt the excitement for so many years. I felt guilty for so many years. The fact is I can't fool you, any one of you. The worst crime is faking it (Kurt Cobain, suicide note)



Equally unusual was the presence of officials from the Seattle crisis centre. One of the representatives of the crisis centre, Sue Eastgard, was at the American Association of Suicidologys annual conference in New York when the news about Cobain hit the airwaves, writes Candace Opper in Guernica. "Then the clinic starts calling my hotel, telling me theyre inundated with calls from the Seattle media, looking for guidance on how to report his death, Sue told Candace.



Cobain's death had raised a widespread fear of copycat suicidessuch was his influence among the disillusioned youth at that time. The very first casualty of the "suicide crisis" was 28-year-old Daniel Kaspar, who went the same way as Cobain a shotgun to his head. (However, the study conducted by a group of experts in 1996on the "Kurt Cobain suicide crisis"had found that the number of suicides had actually decreased from the earlier numbers of 31 to 24).



In a way, Kurt Cobain died the very way that he liveda Schrodinger's cat for all eternity. When Kurt Cobain and Nirvana burst into the music scene in 1991 with their album Nevermind, he was considered a radical phenomenon. Their songs were dark, depressing and replete with violent imageryrepresentative of the pissed-off, angry generation of youth at that time. Was he gay? Not even the musician could say. Throughout his childhood, he was bullied (well documented in the path-breaking film Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck). He never came to grips with his sexuality. In numerous interviews, he has claimed that he was unsure of his sexual orientation.



Was he a genius or an overrated junkie who wrote garbage lyrics? He never knew. The teens idolised the musician, raising him to the level of a demi-god, while the older, conservative generation was repulsed by the artist. A few days after the death of Cobain, conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh said, "Kurt Cobain was, ladies and gentleman, I just.....he was a worthless shred of human debris". Radio host Andy Rooney said on 60 minutes, "If Kurt Cobain applied the same brain to his music that he applied to his drug-infested life, its reasonable to think that his music may not have made much sense either.



Throughout his life, he suffered from debilitating and recurring stomach pangs (something that left the doctors flummoxed) that finally led him to drugs like heroin. Was it real or psychosomatic? He was never sure.



On one occasion, Cobain, a vocal activist for gay rights, stood atop the podium and yelled at his audience to leave and not support him or his album if they were homophobic. Did his audience slowly come to represent everything he hatedlong haired, hyper-masculine metal heads? He could never tell.



He's the one

Who like all our pretty songs

And he likes to sing along

And he likes to shoot his gun

But he don't know what it means

Don't know what it means (Kurt Cobain, In Bloom)



In songs like Smells Like Teen Spirit, which is considered as a rock anthem embodying an entire generation of disillusioned youth, was he hinting at something more? A jibe at his fans?



With the lights out, it's less dangerous

Here we are now, entertain us

I feel stupid and contagious

Here we are now, entertain us (Kurt Cobain, Smells like teen spirit)



As time passed, did the audience themselves, in the eyes of the musician, mutate into an unrecognisable organisma legion of voices that resonated with the multitude of uncertainities within him? Did the process of writing a song, one that should have been cathartic, become an unbearable intrusion into his most private thoughts and desires.



For example when we're backstage and the lights go out and the manic roar of the crowds begins, it doesn't affect me the way in which it did for Freddie Mercury, who seemed to love, relish in the the love and adoration from the crowd which is something I totally admire and envy (Kurt Cobain, suicide note)



Did he, while performing, feel like a helpless child forced to watch a bully read out the contents of his secret diary, to gales of laughter?



Finally, did his death then become a litmus test for his supporters and audience? Did it, unwittingly, become a trial by fire for all those who professed to follow his teachings with a cult-like enthusiasm? That, he has left for us to ponder over.
Accusing Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Katariya of attempting to dilute the incident in Alwar, where a Muslim was killed over suspicion of cow smuggling, the Congress party on Wednesday alleged that the BJP-led government was making desperate attempts to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the state.

It is sad to see that the cow is again being used as a political tool. We dont want anyone to take law onto their own hands. If a law is being violated, there is a proper way to address it. We have the police, judiciary, but taking law into hands is unacceptable, Congress leader Sachin Pilot told ANI.

Wherever the BJP is in power, the environment is being vitiated. The statement made by the home minster is not balanced. He is trying to dilute the whole issue, he added.

Expressing similar concerns, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi called on the state government to maintain a balance between illegal and legal distribution of meats.

When a cow is being killed illegally, without permission, contrary to the local act, strictest punishment needs to be meted out. But where there is a valid distribution of meat, licensed, legally done at a prior point of time under law, blameless individuals must not be strung up from the neck by the nearest tree, Singhvi told ANI.

Emotional people cannot take law into their own hands. This balance between the two has to be maintained by the state government. It has to be maintained by an independent, objective and completely nonbiased police force, he added.

On Monday, five men were beaten up and their vehicle was vandalised by vigilantes over suspicion of cow smuggling.

The incident took place on April 1. A Muslim man succumbed to his injuries three days after the incident.

Earlier, Katariya, while condemning the incident, said that a case has been registered against the smugglers as well as the cow vigilantes.

"The cow protectors have done a good job by protecting cows from smuggling. But they have violated the law by beating people brutally," he told ANI.

"The police had stopped few vehicles that were carrying cows. Some of them fled. The cow protectors caught them, drove the smugglers out and beat them," he added.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday came down heavily against terming every attack on African nationals as racist and expressed her surprise and sadness over the recent statements by the dean of the African Group Head of Missions.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Swaraj said racist attacks are usually premeditated but the one at Greater Noida was impromptu.

On March 27, two Nigerian students were attacked in Greater Noida by locals who had gathered on a vigil to mourn the death of a youth who had died due to drug overdose. The crowd got unruly on seeing the Nigerians, who were suspected of selling drugs, and some criminal elements attacked them. Swaraj said she did not see this as a premeditated attack.

However, in response to the assault, the dean of the African Group Head of Missions had accused the Indian government of not doing enough against racist attacks and threatened to go to the Human Rights Council demanding a probe into the incident.

Refuting the allegations, Swaraj termed the dean's comments unfortunate and surprising, and assured safety of all Africans in India.

She said that disturbed by the dean's letter, the ministry had a talk with him, presided over by minister of state V.K. Singh. Today, Singh has clearly told him that his statement was unfortunate and surprising because the Indian government's response cannot be called inadequate. We are determined to have a fair probe into the incident and the guilty will be punished. Not just Nigerians, but all African are safe in India. I assure you,'' Swaraj said.

The minister said that on hearing about the incident, she had immediately called up Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, and six people have been arrested so far. I also asked the minister of state for external affairs M J Akbar to personally speak to the head of mission of Nigeria in regard with the developments. An independent inquiry is on and it was not right to term it a racist attack before the report was out, she said.

Even when Indians were attacked in the US, it was maintained that the probe should be out before terming the attack as racist, Swaraj added. Recently, there was an Indian was killed in Mozambique. We have not rushed to brand it a racist attack, she further stated.
The Indian and Pakistani Army on Wednesday exchanged fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector of Jammu region.

"The Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars at 9.05 am today (Wednesday) on the Indian Army posts," Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta told IANS in Jammu. "The Indian Army is retaliating strongly and effectively."

The Pakistan Army has been targeting Indian positions along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu region during the last four days.
Maharashtra Legislative Assembly almost witnessed a physical attack on BJP MLA Prashant Bamb, but the speaker's timely intervention saved the legislature from an embarrassing situation. Bamb, while speaking on the issue of farm loan waiver raised by the opposition MLAs from Congress and Nationalist Congress Party(NCP), backed strongly by Shiv Sena, said, I know that many will disagree with me, but farmers in Maharashtra do not need a loan waiver.

Opposition MLAs, along with Shambhuraje Desai, Sunil Prabhu and Subhash Sabane of Shiv Sena, became very aggressive. Prashant Bamb tried to continue his speech, but Shiv Sena MLAs marched towards him. Prashant Thakur, another BJP MLA, came to the rescue of Bamb. Speaker Haribhau Bagade intervened and a physical confrontation was averted.

Congress and NCP MLAs, along with other opposition parties like Samajwadi Party, Communist party and Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), had undertaken a 'Sangharsh Yatra' from Vidarbha to Konkan, demanding a complete waiver of farm loans.

Former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said, Maharashtra has witnessed over 9000 suicides in the last 3 years. 100 farmers have committed suicides while the present budget session of the assembly was underway. But, there are no provisions for loan waiver in the budget.

31 lakh farmers in the state have defaulted on their loans. If it decides to waive off the loans, the state will have to provide for Rs 31,000 crore.

Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena MP, while speaking to reporters said, BJP has the finances to cause defections. They have spent over Rs 50,000 crores for the municipal corporation elections. But it does not have money to provide relief to farmers in distress.

He said that the ailing farmers in Maharashtra went bankrupt due to the fall in prices caused by demonetisation. Raut said, There is a complete absence of will in the BJP. If farmers in UP are getting their loans waived off, why the step-brotherly treatment towards the farmers in Maharashtra?

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced that he asked the finance secretary to study the UP loan waiver and whether the state could afford it.
A suspected chemical attack on a rebel-controlled town, Khan Sheikhoun, in Syria's Idlib province, killed scores of people, including children, on Tuesday. Many videos from the attack site show victims struggling to breathe and foaming at the mouth. Doctors treating the victims of the chemical attack have reportedly told media that the symptoms include vomiting, foaming at the mouth, unconsciousness and muscle spams. According to reports, constricted pupils and slow heart rate among victims point at poisoning by a man-made organo-phosphorus compound sarin, which belongs to a class of lethal chemical weaponsnerve agents.

Supporting the suspicion, Dr Shajul Islam, an aid worker in northern Syria, took to Twitter to post the videos of the victims of the gas attack, saying that non-reactive pupils of victims indicates an "organophosphate attack".

Do u still doubt that #Sarin is being used on us? Non-reactive pinpoint pupils! We have samples. Will anyone care!? Who will stop it?#Syria pic.twitter.com/WmhDZgLVA6  Dr Shajul Islam (@DrShajulIslam) April 4, 2017 10 minute video of sarin attack in #syria. Feel free to use footage to make awareness https://t.co/pJNWK9vSfX  Dr Shajul Islam (@DrShajulIslam) April 4, 2017

The G nerve agents, thus named because they were first synthesised by German scientists, include extremely toxic tabun (GA), sarin (GB), soman (GD), and cyclosarin (GF). Deadly in doses of above 0.5 milligrams, sarin gas, apparently, is 500 times more deadly than cyanide. Though Syria has suffered chemical attacks before, if confirmed, it would be the deadliest chemical attack in the country since sarin gas killed hundreds of people in Ghouta, near Damascus, in August 2013.

Marking the beginning of an era of chemical warfare, on April 22, 1915, the German army released 150 tonnes of chlorine gas on Allied forces, killing more than 1,100 soldiers and injuring many more. As part of global chemical arms race, many countries shifted their focus to discovering and developing chemicals as possible weapons. In 1938, a team of German scientists developed sarin, a colourless and odourless gas, as a pesticide. However, it did not take much time for the Nazis to realise the potential of sarin gas as a more toxic agent than chlorine gas.

Chlorine gas is a pulmonary irritant that damages the respiratory tract by turning to extremely poisonous hydrochloric acid in the lungs, leading to internal burning and drowning due to reactionary release of water in the lungs. Though chlorine is not very toxic, it is the effect it has on respiratory system than makes it fatal. Sarin is a lethal nerve gas that does not kill directly by poisoning, but instead, interferes with the normal functioning of nerves and neurotransmitters. For example, if your eyes are dry, a nerve would tell another nerve through a neurotransmitter to release a little water on to your eye to make it moist. Once the message is conveyed and mission accomplished, an enzyme comes along to break down the neurotransmitter. This is where a nerve agent interferes with the process and blocks the enzyme from demolishing the neurotransmitter. The result: neurotransmitter continues to give the message repeatedly, making your eye water uncontrollably. Thus, a nerve agent could turn your own nervous system against you, making different parts of body do things that are otherwise normal, in an uncontrolled way.

Being heavier than air, sarin gas settles near the surface and enters the body through inhalation or by being absorbed through the skin. Usually, the intensity of sarin poisoning is determined by the amount of sarin a person was exposed to, how a person was exposed to it and the duration of exposure. Depending on it, symptoms appear within seconds after exposure to sarin vapour, and within minutes, if the contamination was through liquid sarin. If the exposure level does not kill a person, then the recovery does not take much time and is usually complete. The initial symptoms of sarin poisoning include runny nose, watery eyes, pinpoint pupils, blurred vision, sweating and muscle twitches. Longer exposure could cause chest tightness, cramps, nausea, vomiting, involuntary defecation and urination, convulsions and respiratory failure possibly leading to death. Immediate medical attention could help in recovering from sarin exposure. However, to be effective, the antidotes available must be used quickly.

Though developed by Germans, sarin gas was first used as a chemical weapon in 1988 when former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein unleashed the deadly gas, along with sulphur mustard, on unsuspecting ethnic Kurds, killing around 5,000 people, in the northern town of Halabja. However, sarin gas became a household name after the members of religious cult Aum Shinrikyo carried out the deadly sarin attack on Tokyo's subway system, killing about a dozen commuters and injuring more than 6,000, in 1995.
US President Donald Trump condemned the "intolerable" alleged chemical attack on civilians in Syria and blamed the Bashar al-Assad regime, media reports said.

"Today's chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world," Efe news quoted Trump as saying in a statement.

Trump said, "Heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution", referring to former president Barack Obama, who "said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons" in Syria but then "did nothing".

"The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack," the President concluded.

Shortly before Trump issued his statement, a senior State Department official, who asked for anonymity, told reporters that everything pointed to the fact that the chemical attack was a "war crime" and that the countries backing AssadRussia and Iranhave much to answer for.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also had harsh words for Russia and Iran in his own statement condemning the attack which killed at least 58 people in the town of Khan Sheikhoun.

"While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism," said Tillerson in the statement.

Tillerson also said the attack is the third complaint about the use of chemical weapons in Syria in the past month.

The US accusations come after Syria denied that either its forces or Russian forces were behind the attack.
U.S. President Donald Trump, on Wednesday, withdrew his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, from the National Security Council (NSC) after it was decided that he was no longer needed on the key foreign policy group, a senior White House official said.

Bannon's removal from the NSC, which includes senior members of Trump's foreign policy team, was seen as a boost to national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who officials said has struggled to work together with Bannon.

A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bannon's presence on the NSC was no longer needed after the departure of Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

Flynn was forced to resign in February over his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kisylak, prior to Trump's taking office on January 20. The official said Bannon had been placed on the NSC originally as a check on Flynn and had only ever attended one of the NSC's regular meetings.
Air force jets from Israel and Italy have joined Greek planes in a low-altitude flyover in central Athens, as part of an 11-day international military exercise based in southern Greece.

Five planes taking part in the exercises looped around the ancient Acropolis, taking many city residents and tourists by surprise. One Israeli and one Italian jet joined three Greek fighters in the flyover.

The exercise, which also includes forces from The United States and the United Arab Emirates, ends April 6.

(AP)
President Reuven Rivlin on Sunday 6 Nissan welcomed at his residence in Jerusalem, representatives and supporters of the Rhodes Trust and Oxford University, together with the first two Israeli academics accepted into the scholarship under a new expansion of the program, which included Israel as a candidate country. Accompanying the scholars were leading philanthropists Larry and Judy Tanenbaum from Canada, with whose generosity the expansion had been made possible.

President Rivlin welcomed them and said, It is my great pleasure to congratulate both the scholars for all they have achieved, and the Rhodes Trust for all you have been doing for more than 100 years. Your decision to add Israeli students is very important. He added, Wherever I travel in the world, I see the admiration for Israel for our education system, and our achievements in innovation, and as the Start-Up Nation. Without natural resources we have had to develop and invest in human resources, and we are very proud of what we have achieved.

CEO of the Rhodes Trust, Charles Conn, told the President, We have long wanted to have scholars from Israel, and we are thankful to all those who have helped us achieve this. Through the support raised we are working so that this will be an annual occurrence. He noted that there was expected to be a high volume of applications of Israeli students for the scholarship, There is such a reverence for learning here which we greatly appreciate.

The group explained to the President that Oxford University had become the first major university from abroad to open an office in Tel Aviv. The President noted, This is an answer to the BDS. People who want to silence debate must understand that the only way toward a better future is through cooperation and sharing knowledge. He added, Oxford is more than just a university it is an idea.

In 2016, the Rhodes Trust announced two new Rhodes Scholarships for Israel for the first time in the scholarships 113-year history. The first two Rhodes Scholars, Maayan Roichman and Nadav Lidor, were elected at the end of 2016, and would start at Oxford in October 2017. The new Israel scholarships were part of a wider geographic expansion through which the total number of annual scholarships increased from 83 to 95, including scholarships also for Jordanian, Lebanese, Malaysian, Syrian, Palestinian, UAE, and West African students.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Diminishing Pre-Pesach stress begins with knowledge of this basic principle: The Halochos of eating Chometz are very stringent, but the Halochos of OWNING chometz are much less so.

Below are Torah scholars directives regarding owning chometz and cleaning for Pesach.

(Notes in parenthesis and brackets are explanatory comments. Also, italics and bold are added for emphasis.)

RAV CHAIM PINCHOS SCHEINBERG Zatzal, Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Ohr in Yerushalayim, taught the following:

If, during the year, chometz is not brought into a place, that place does not have to be cleaned out or checked for chometz

The general obligation to check for & get rid of crumbs does not apply if the crumbs are less than the size of a kzayis [an olive] and are dirty or spoiled enough to deter a person from eating them. (A kzayis is around 1/2  1 ounce.)

[an olive] (A kzayis is around 1/2  1 ounce.) The cleaning product (regular household cleanser) must spoil the crumbs (only) slightly, to the extent that people would refrain from eating them.

Rabbi Barclay and Rabbi Jaeger, authors of the Guideline Halacha Series, write that there are two mitzvos connected to the possession of chometz:

Not to see chometz or find it in ones possessions (Lo Yeraeh and Lo Yemotzei)

or find it in ones possessions (Lo Yeraeh and Lo Yemotzei) To dispose of it. (Tashbisu)

According to Torah law, it is enough to either get rid of the chometz, or to declare it null and void. Our sages required both for three reasons:

Our declaration should be sincere.

We shouldnt accidentally eat chometz (thats lying around)

In order that overlooked chometz be included.

If the chometz is dirty, then only a piece that is the size of a kzayis (or larger) must be removed.

If the chometz is edible, then even a smaller [than a kzayis] piece that one may be tempted to eat must be removed.

Therefore, when cleaning for Pesach one must remove small pieces of edible chometz and large pieces of inedible chometz.

Books: Rabbi Barclay and Rabbi Jaeger also write that there is no need to check books, except for books that will be brought to the table. Those books should be either new or well cleaned.

Bentchers used the whole year should not be used on Pesach; they should be put away with the chometz because they often contain crumbs and are difficult to clean. (Nowhere is it mentioned that the chometz crumbs have to be removed or that the bentchers and zemiros books have to be sold, even though chometz crumbs remain in them. The only rule is that they should be put away so that they are not accidentally brought to the table on Pesach.)

Toys that will be used on Pesach should be cleaned with soapy water and checked. Other toys should be put away. Special toys for Pesach are recommended.

Clothing that wont be worn on Pesach needs only a quick check. Since they are not going to be worn, there is no concern that one may eat any crumbs that are there. Small crumbs do not have to be removed since there is no prohibition to own them during Pesach.

Light switches and door handles should be cleaned when necessary (After we touch them, we may touch Pesach food, and the laws forbidding eating chometz are most stringent, as mentioned. Pens, pencils, combs, and hair brushes which might have some sticky residue might also be in the same category.).

Carpets: Vacuuming a carpet cleans it sufficiently, since any remaining crumbs are not fit for eating.

Toaster: Since a toaster will not be used on Pesach, it is sufficient to remove loose crumbs by shaking the toaster well and putting it away with the chometz utensils. The chometz pots do not have to be scrubbed. Some have the custom to check the pots for chometz.

Rabbi Yaakov Zev Smith, a maggid shiur for Irgun Shiurei Torah, explains: The Gemara says that after bedikas chometz one still needs to annul the chometz. This requirement is not because of crumbs which may be scattered in the house; rather, it is a protection against a big piece of chometz. The reason we do not worry about crumbs is that since they are on the floor they have no importance to us and are self-annulled (Pesachim 6b).

He explains further that the Chayei Adam (119:6) is of the opinion that one must clean crevices of crumbs within hands reach. This is not because of the prohibition to see or have chometz in ones possession  but because we are concerned that one might inadvertently eat them. 1

The Pri Chadash (444-4) and the Igros Moshe (1-145) disagree with this stringency.

However, the commonly held custom is to follow the Chayei Adams ruling and clean out all easily accessible places where crumbs might be found.

The Chazon Ish (122:8) cites the Gra in stating that crumbs caught between the floorboards do not have to be removed. Even if there are many crumbs that add up collectively to a kzayis, they are not a problem halachically, because they are dried out and unappetizing.

The requirement for chometz to actually be unfit for canine consumption (inedible to a dog) only applies to a kzayis. (Magen Avraham; Mishnah Berurah).

Rabbi Smith continues: What about chometz that is bigger than a crumb yet smaller than a kzayis? An example might be a pretzel, or half a cookie. While small crumbs are insignificant and are automatically nullified, these bits of food (which are identifiable things) are in a category of their own.

These pieces of chometz (larger than a crumb yet smaller than a kzayis) should be removed. (Shulchan Aruch Harav; Mishnah Berurah)

Extra effort in cleaning away chometz is part of a heilige minhag. In practice, we give the greatest energy to areas that our Pesach food and our hands will touch/contact on Pesach 2 . (This helps prevent the possibility of eating any chometz on Pesach. And while this is true, give careful note to the following paragraph.)

This minhag must be practiced according to each persons strength and energy. And only up to where it does not take away from health, safety, and joy in the Heilige Yom Tov.

Anything written above should not be used by husbands and children as an excuse for not helping make the house clean and shining, as well as kosher for Pesach. It is indeed part of the signature of Pesach to have a home that is extra-special clean. The wholehearted participationwithout criticismof husband and children, makes a big difference and brings much joy to the Yom Tov.

May we all be zocheh to clean and prepare for the Yom Tov of Pesach without excessive strain or fear, but with anticipation and happiness. And, may our cleaning and preparation find chein Above and help bring the Geulah Shleimah closer.

A truly kosher and freilichen Pesach to all.

The information above was reviewed and approved by Rabbi Elozor Barclay and Rabbi Yitzchok Jaeger, the authors of Guidelines  Over Five Hundred of the Most Commonly Asked Questions About Pesach (Targum Press) and by Rabbi Zev Smith of Irgun Shiurei Torah.

Laliyas nishmas Zeesl bas R Tzvi, ah

_____________________________________________

1 (cf. Radvaz 1:135; Machaneh Yisrael 10:)

2               

The main reason for the establishment of bedikas chometz after one nullifies the chometz is only to prevent the possibility of eating chometz on Pesach Shulchan Aruch Harav (433:19)
[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Ministry of Agriculture inspectors during the night of 8 Nissan (Monday to Tuesday) confiscated an illegal shipment containing 18,000 eggs that were smuggled from the PA (Palestinian Authority). They were found in a makeshift storage facility in the capital.

In another incident, at the Jerusalem Envelope Checkpoint, a vehicle was found transporting 15,000 eggs smuggled from the PA. All of the eggs in both instances were intended for the Jerusalem market.

The eggs had a forged inspection stamp on them from a reputable inspection company. The eggs were confiscated and destroyed. A Jerusalem man in his 40s was taken into custody.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The sikrikim arrested for breaking to the home of Kiryat Gat Chief Rabbi HaGaon HaRav Moshe Havlin Shlita were convicted by Ashkelon Magistrate Court Justice Chaim Nachmias. The three were found guilty in a plea bargain agreement and as a result, they will serve between 6 and 9 months community service as well as making compensatory payment to the rav.

Rav Havlin, a member of the Chabad Beis Din in Eretz Yisrael was attacked by sikrikim in his home about a half year ago, after Chabad rabbonim signed an agreement with IDF officials by which talmidim would serve in the IDF after being permitted to learn a number of years, including Kvutza in 770. His wife required hospitalization as a result of the attack.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, are paying $15,000 a month in rent for their house in a posh Washington neighborhood.

The rental rate was included in documents filed with the District of Columbia housing department. The White House had only disclosed that President Donald Trumps daughter was paying a fair market rate for the house. The Wall Street Journal was first to report details of the rental agreement.

The six-bedroom home in Washingtons Kalorama neighborhood was purchased in December for $5.5 million by a company with ties to Chilean billionaire Andr?nico Luksic.

Neighbors have complained about Trump, her staff and her security detail leaving open garbage bags out on the curb, taking up public parking spaces and blocking sidewalks unnecessarily.

(AP)
For the former resident of Amona, it will be a difficult Pesach as they remain homeless despite promises from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to the contrary. The families have recently learned that despite the personal promise made by Prime Minister Netanyahu to resettle them in a new community in the Gush Shilo area, legal issues exist that are preventing this from moving ahead. The work on the new community was to have begun no later than 31 March 2017.

According to a Yediot Achronot report, the establishment of a temporary community for the former Amona residents requires the signature of an IDF major-general due to the nature of the law in Yehuda and Shomron. This however is just a procedural component that can be met easily.

However, the governments legal expert over Yehuda and Shomron, attorney Eyal Toledano, is opposed to this move and he is preventing it. He expressed his opposition during a high-level meeting on the matter last week. Without the signature, nothing is moving forward towards establishing their new temporary home.

Officials in the IDFs Civil Administration are suggesting taking the usual route, which includes presenting the plans for a new city/yishuv without addressing a temporary community. This new permanent community would permit constructing permanent homes from the onset as opposed to the usual, where people move into caravans or another form of temporary home when a yishuv is established. This method however, is considerably longer than the first, which entails having a major-general sign the necessary documents to permit the establishment of a temporary community.

The Yediot report quotes a settlement leader expressing shock over these new developments on the backs of families who signed an agreement with the nations leader in good will, and today, they are homeless.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
An Israel Prison Authority parole board has agreed to a request from attorneys of Rabbi Eliezer Berland, releasing him from prison to house arrest to permit him to receive medical treatment under house arrest.

In a plea bargain agreement, the rabbi five months ago, was convicted of assault and he accepted an 18-month prison term. Due to his illness, he has been receiving treatment in a prison hospital in Ramle and on Sunday, 6 Nissan, his request to be released on medical grounds was granted, provided he remain under house arrest. A private security company will monitor the house arrest at the rabbis expense.

The decision of the parole board also stipulated that Rabbi Berland must take the necessary measures to ensure that no harm comes to anyone who complained against him.

The prosecution has asked to place the release on hold to permit time to decide if it wishes to file an appeal.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Security forces in Israel arrested two PA (Palestinian Authority) residents involved in firebomb and rock-throwing attacks at security forces and mispallalim at Kever Rochel.

Police have been involved in an undercover probe of attacks, leading to the two arrests last week of two males, ages 18 and 21, both residents of PA (Palestinian Authority) occupied Beit Lechem. They have already been indicted on 18 counts of firebomb and rock attacks.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Xavier Rolet has been handed a lifeline by the Prime Minister. The chief executive of the London Stock Exchange is one of the select few City bigwigs who were on the plane with Theresa May as she seeks to keep Saudi Arabia on side for the Brexit era.

Rolets job is to capture Saudi state oil company Aramco for a global float of its shares, and beat off the Wall Street challenge. London would seem to be an excellent choice.

The historic ties between Britain and Saudi Arabia are durable despite groans from human rights activists and a reported probe by the Metropolitan Police into the bombing campaign against the Iranian-inspired Houthi rebel movement in Yemen.

Theresa May looks on as she attends a meeting with Xavier Rolet, chief executive officer of London Stock Exchange, right, inside the Saudi Stock Exchange on April 4

Britain has not baulked at the task of keeping Saudi planes armed and in the air. London has long been a haven for Gulf money, whereas the Americans are much more questioning.

Congress intervened to prevent Dubai buying the East Coast American ports from P&O whereas not a peep was heard from UK investors.

President Trumps efforts to curb immigration from some Muslim countries will not have helped improve the USs status across the Middle East.

The commercial arguments are much more finely balanced for an initial public offering, which could place a value of $1trillion to $2trillion on Aramco depending on oil prices. The LSE trades some of the worlds biggest natural resource stocks, including BHP, Shell and Glencore.

Rolets job is to capture Saudi state oil company Aramco for a global float of its shares, and beat off the Wall Street challenge. London would seem to be an excellent choice.

During the commodity price boom of the noughties, it was the preferred IPO destination for mining floats.

In recent times, the City has fallen behind in the IPO stakes. Prospective floats including tech firm Misys and O2 have failed to happen or have been slow to get off the ground amid complaints of Brexit uncertainty and lack of liquidity.

New York has suffered none of that. Indeed, the Trump promises of deregulation and tax cuts produced one of the longest bull runs in the history of Wall Street. The enthusiastic response to the Snap Inc IPO shows the US markets can flexibly handle outsized floats.

The fact that HSBC is among the advisers to Aramco, along with JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley, ought to be helpful to the UK. Rolet may be able to offer the Saudis technical assurance, but this is one of those floats where realpolitik likely will prevail.

Darkening skies

When 21st Century Fox launched its 11.7bn bid for the 61pc of Sky it doesnt own in December 2016, there was a quiet confidence in the Murdoch camp that this time it would not be thwarted.

The Sky board, under the interim chairman Martin Gilbert, saw the price as irresistible and there was confidence that there was enough distance between the hacking scandal at News International and the bid for obstacles to be negotiated. The Culture Secretary Karen Bradley surprised by going for scrutiny max with a fit and proper person test for James Murdoch, chief executive of 21st Century Fox, and a probe by the Competition and Markets Authority. In addition, the formidable European Competition authorities also will be taking a look.

What is really starting to cloud the horizon are the ethical challenges. In the US Fox News is facing a high profile gender discrimination suit from contributor Julie Roginsky. Allegations of sexual harassment have led two big advertisers, Mercedes-Benz and Uber, to withdraw commercials amid claims of a toxic culture. The company has made pay-outs of $3m to settle allegations brought by five women who appeared as guests on a popular news show.

Here in Britain some 50 people, including actor David Tennant, are among those taking action against News UK, owner of The Sun, over alleged phone hacking. This means that both arms of the Murdoch empire, News Corporation and 21st Century Fox, face legal entanglements.

It goes without saying that at any time most big corporations find themselves embroiled in potential legal cases. The last HSBC annual report listed 37 possible claims! The difficulty for 21st Century Fox is that traditional news outlets are held to the very highest standards.

Electric trades

American investors love growth stories, as Snap illustrated. The Tesla story is even more remarkable with the shares zooming through the $300 threshold where the lithium-powered car maker is worth more than Ford and is in line with General Motors which sold 10m cars last year against Teslas 76,000. Yes, Tesla sales were up 69pc in the first quarter. But this narrative has bubble written all over it.
Apple poached 25 employees, including three senior staff, from Imagination Technologies in the two years before it pulled the plug on its deal.

The Silicon Valley giant has plundered a host of engineers and senior managers  one as recently as last month.

It has also lured Imaginations chief operation officer, a head of hardware and a leading designer.

Apple poached 25 employees, including three senior staff, from Imagination Technologies in the two years before it pulled the plug on its deal

The recruitment drive from one of its leading suppliers came as Apple ramped up plans to designing its own graphics chips. Imaginations chips have been a key component of the iPhone since it was launched ten years ago.

On Monday Apple announced it would no longer be using Imagination  sparking a wave of panic selling among its investors, wiping almost half a billion pounds off the value of the company.

Yesterday, however, shares climbed back up, as analysts tipped a potential acquisition interest, soaring 12.9 per cent or 13.25p to 116.25p.

Among the departures, confirmed from postings on business networking website LinkedIn, is former Imagination chief operating officer John Metcalfe, who is now a senior director at Apple.

Others joining Apple include senior designer Dave Roberts, and vice president of hardware engineering Jonathan Redshaw.

More than 25 have jumped ship to Apple over the last two and a half years.

At least six joined just in October 2016, and one  Tim Rochester, a graphics modelling engineer, only left last month.

Imagination has raised the prospect of launching legal proceedings after it disputed whether Apple could design its own chips without ripping off its designs.

In a statement Imagination said: Apple has not presented any evidence to substantiate its assertion that it will no longer require Imaginations technology, without violating Imaginations patents, intellectual property and confidential information.

This evidence has been requested by Imagination but Apple has declined to provide it.

It would be extremely challenging to design a brand new graphics processor unit without violating Imaginations patents, intellectual property and confidential information. Imagination does not accept Apples assertions.

Apple, which has an 8.2 per cent stake in Imagination, had confirmed it had held takeover talks with the company last year.

But no deal materialised, and now 1,200 jobs are at risk at Hertfordshire-based Imagination.

Apple is thought to have established a team in London to work on its own graphic processor units  meaning it no longer needs Imagination.

The departures to Apple did however come after Imagination had announced a series of job cuts as part of a restructuring.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
The boss of the London Stock Exchange has joined Theresa May in Saudi Arabia to help the City win the biggest market float in history.

London is fighting to be the main exchange for the listing of part of Saudis oil firm Aramco, a vast business worth as much as 1.6 trillion.

It would be a huge feather in Britains cap and a huge boost as it looks beyond Europe after Brexit.

Theresa May looks on as she attends a meeting with Xavier Rolet, chief executive officer of London Stock Exchange, right, inside the Saudi Stock Exchange on April 4

The PM is in the Middle East to drum up business  and LSE boss Xavier Rolet is one of the few private-sector figures to accompany her, suggesting a massive lobbying effort to beat the US.

City commentator David Buik, of Panmure Gordon, said: It would be a massive statement if this came to London, I would be doing cartwheels if I wasnt 73.

'We handle these things as well as anybody  were rather better at pricing than New York, where they can be a bit frothy and tend to overestimate because people can be so greedy.

Aramco is the jewel in the Saudis crown, meeting an eighth of the worlds demand for oil.

Some 5 per cent of the business will be listed in late 2018.
MBABANE  It took only one day for businessman Ivan Patterson to design and build his own casket.



Patterson, who is the former owner of Cuba Nora Restaurant and Director of Ropa Trading (PTY) Ltd, does not want to be buried in a suit but prefers to be wrapped in linen when placed inside his casket, which cost him only E350.



The casket is made from shutter board wood, which was bought at Build It Hardware. It is covered with a beautiful multi-coloured textile fabric with a silk brown pillow.



His motto is less is more, which simply means that the less you put or spend on something the more it becomes unique.

Patterson said while he waits for the day of his death to come, he will use his casket as a library.

He mentioned that he would store books inside until he gets called by the Lord.



When I was born I arrived with nothing and when I die, I will leave with nothing, he said in an interview.

Patterson said time was irrelevant as he might live for 100 years, but the most important thing was the idea of knowing how his coffin looks and for it not to be chosen by someone else.



The coffin was built last month by Patterson, who said he did not believe in fancy things.

People go to the extremes when death strikes, emotions run high and they end up incurring unnecessary costs, Patterson said.

He said the money spent on caskets was between E20 000 and E30 000, which could be used in more meaningful ways.



Actually, those funds could cover university fees for someone for one year, exclaimed Patterson.


MBABANE The humiliation I suffered at the workplace is nothing I have experienced in my life.



These were the words of a woman who was allegedly accosted by SRA and the police officers at her workplace and later bundled into a police car. Her sin was allegedly refusing to hand over keys of a car which the SRA officers claimed she did not pay customs duties for.



Makhosazana Dlamini said she was confronted by the four men who bundled her into a police car under extreme high handedness as though she was top on the police wanted list. According to Dlamini who is employed by NIDCS, the drama started after she refused to hand over the car keys. Incidentally, NIDCS is situated at the Sibekelo Building where SRA offices are also located.



Dlamini has since filed an urgent application at the High Court where she is seeking an order directing SRA to return her Audi A4 sedan.

SRA is yet to respond in the matter whose veracity will also be determined by the court.



Narrating the incident, Dlamini stated that on March 9, 2017, she was confronted by two SRA officers but she questioned them to produce their identity. She told the court that the officers were demanding car keys of the vehicle (Audi A4).



She said the officers identified themselves as Robert Vilakati and Bheki Nkambule. Dlamini pointed out that the two came to her workplace which is situated at the third floor within the Sibekelo Building.

Dlamini mentioned that Vilakati and Nkambule told her that their reason for demanding the car keys was because she had not paid customs duties for her vehicle.



She alleged that she disputed their contention by questioning the basis upon which they picked her vehicle.


PIGGS PEAK  A man enjoying a weekend with his girlfriend had a rude awakening last Sunday morning when his lovers father showed up accompanied by police officers to fetch her.



Apparently, the father told his future son-in-law that he was not good enough for his daughter because of his previous record when it came to relationships. The fact that the man is a divorcee seemed not to have settled well with the father of the woman, who demanded that she leaves the house and return home with him.



The incident is alleged to have happened at around 5am; the day the father showed up accompanied by two police officers to take his daughter home, even though she is of consenting age.



Sihle Shongwe, who is in her late 20s, normally visits her boyfriend on a regular basis.

This past Sunday, however, Freddie Fakudze was shocked to be visited by a very angry man, whom he referred to as babetala (father-in-law) during the interview.



Fakudze was equally furious, particularly by the presence of the police officers, whom he said made the situation appear like he had abducted the woman.



He said the bone of contention was that the father of his girlfriend, Sihle Shongwe, was not happy with some information he heard about him regarding his past relationship.



Fakudze lives within the proximity of Piggs Peak town, not far from the police station. He said even if his girlfriends father had arrived without the police, he would still have complied with any demands given to him because he did not see the need to be resistant. The concerned father is said to have approached the police to escort him so that he could fetch his daughter. Fakudze said he was still shocked at what happened as he did not understand the operation.
Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams

By Bill Parry

The demand for environmental justice for Asthma Alley in western Queens continues.

City Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria) announced the creation of an online petition that calls for cleaner power generation in the city. His district includes Astoria and Long Island City, which are home to almost half of the citys power plants generating more than 50 percent of the citys power.

The petition calls for a plan to end the use of dirty fuel oils, which are linked to air pollutants that pose a risk to public health, including higher rates of asthma. The petition supports his bill INT. 1465, which would accelerate the phase-out of No. 4 fuel oil, one of the dirtiest fuels available, to 2025.

As the Trump administration has proposed massive funding cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency, New York must lead the way on combating climate change, Constantinides said. Power plants have been notorious for emitting dangerous pollutants that risk our environment and public health. For decades, these plants have strongly contributed to increased respiratory illness, higher asthma rates, and other public health issues. By taking steps called for in our petition, we will go a long way to ensuring a greener and more sustainable future for our city.

All residents and community stakeholders are encouraged to sign the petition available at www.counc il.nyc.gov/ costa -cons tanti nides/ petit ion/ . Constantinides was not the only city leader taking aim at President Trumps executive order Tuesday that dismantles the Obama administrations climate change agenda.

President Trumps order to begin rolling back the progress we have made on climate change represents an existential threat to New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Were already experiencing rising seas and hotter weather, with the last three years on record as the hottest yet. At the same time, the effects of climate change will fall disproportionately on our most vulnerable communities, exacerbating inequality. We are choosing to meet this challenge head-on, investing to make our neighborhoods more resilient and doing our part to reduce the pollution that drives climate change. Faced with presidential orders that reject sound science and common sense, I am proud to join mayors across the country in offering bold solutions capable of leaving our children a healthy planet.

City Comptroller Scott Stringer also criticized the White House.

When you stack your administration with people who dont believe in basic science, and when you embrace a flat-earth attitude to global warming, this is what you get in Washington, Stringer said. Climate change isnt a debate  its a fundamental, incontrovertible reality. And the White House wants to once again deny this reality is caused by human activity. Its an extension of an alarming pattern  from shamelessly debating inauguration sizes, to using alternative facts, to making absurd wiretapping claims. At a time when we need bold solutions and real action, this executive order turns back the clock on progress. Its backwards and its wrong.
Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams

By Mark Hallum

Community Board 11s District Manager Susan Seinfeld is retiring at the end of June, Chairwoman Christine Haider announced at the Monday meeting.

Haider broke the news suddenly and reactions reverberated throughout the auditorium at M.S. 158 in Bayside, with several people exclaiming No! in near unison.

An ad hoc search committee will be assembled by Haider to find a replacement for Seinfeld, who has served the community board for well over a decade.

Seinfeld was a spokeswoman for former Councilman Sheldon Leffler (D-Hollis) before becoming the district manager for CB 11. She now has grandchildren and said she would like to spend more time with them.

Her son currently lives in Florida, while her daughter lives in the Chicago area.

Seinfeld expressed the desire to relax and enjoy.
Beaver County identifies mail-in voters with undated ballots

Anyone on the list should visit the Beaver County elections office by 8 p.m. Tuesday to make the necessary corrections.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

ALBANY - The barge that ran aground Tuesday morning in the Hudson River in Catskill was being emptied of 60,000 barrels of gasoline Wednesday at the Port of Albany.

Rising tide lifted the vessel off the river bed at about 10 p.m. Tuesday and, by 3 a.m., the barge and its tugboat were allowed to continue to Albany. It was feared the bottom of the barge would tear but no gasoline leaked, officials said.

Crews were pumping the gas on the vessel into a storage facility at the port, officials said.

The barge, which ran aground about 8:30 a.m. off Dutchman's Landing, floated free on its own, Coast Guard spokesman Charles Rowe said.

The portion of the Hudson River that runs through Greene County normally rises four to five feet from low to high tide but, because recent snow melt and rain storms have raised the river's level, the tide shifted it by almost six feet Tuesday night, Rowe said.

The news that the barge was free was a relief for government officials and local environmentalists, who feared a fuel spill in the river.

More for you A risky cargo on the Hudson River

The Riverkeeper, a New York clean water advocacy group, called for state lawmakers to launch an environmental review on the number of permits allocated to the petroleum industry.

"This is another example of how accidents happen, even with our highly qualified tugboat crews and sophisticated, state of the art navigation equipment," John Lipscomb, the Riverkeeper's Patrol Boat Captain, said in a statement.

Others pointed to a state Assembly bill intended to curtail the Coast Guard's ability to permit 40 more anchorage sites for vessels carrying fuel on the Hudson.

The bill -- sponsored by Democratic Assemblywoman Didi Barrett and Republican Sen. Sue Serino, who both represent the Mid-Hudson Valley -- is intended to curb crude oil shipments in particular.

Under the proposed law, state officials would need to consider waterfront communities and significant natural habitats, in addition to navigation safety, before approving a "tanker-avoidance zone," Barrett's office said in a press release.

"The Hudson River plays a critical role in New York's economy, seeing a high volume of commercial shipping traffic every day," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement Tuesday night.

The governor had visited the scene earlier in the day.

The barge was stuck on the river bed for about 14 hours Tuesday as officials tried to determine if any gas was leaking.

The river water was murky and officials were reluctant to send divers in to inspect the bottom of the vessel, which was hung up in water that was about six feet deep.

Once the barge floated free, emergency crews moved it into deeper water and inspected the gasoline tanks and all visible surfaces, Rowe said.

All fuel barges are required by federal law to be double-hulled, and the vessel's interior hull was not damaged, meaning no gasoline leaked into the Hudson, Rowe said.

The barge and tugboat pulling it were about 30 feet from the channel when the barge hit the rocks, state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said.

"He's way off the channel," Seggos said as he stood on the shore Tuesday afternoon. "It looks like it's on a really bad trajectory at this point. If it hadn't hit the channel marker it would have run into the shoreline, possibly."

What caused the incident was not immediately known. The Coast Guard expects the investigation to take at least two to three months, Rowe said. State investigators are also probing why the ship left the channel, the governor's office said.

"Allegedly, it was foggy this morning but GPS units work, no matter what. So it's part of the investigation," Seggos said Tuesday.

The barge was traveling from Newburgh to Albany under the control of the Meredith C. Reinauer tugboat when it ran aground, said Gary Gould, spokesman for Staten Island-based Reinauer Transportation Co., which owns the barge.

The impact happened just offshore from Dutchman's Landing Park.

Rowe said it was safer to move the barge to Albany so its contents could be properly pumped out.

The company won't know if the exterior hull is damaged until the barge is emptied and taken to a facility for repairs, Rowe said.

"It has a long-term impact but not an immediate one," he said.
Marv Cermak's column reports that Tuesday marks the 20th anniversary of the mudslide that sent a portion of Hamilton Hill in Schenectady tumbling down on the Tel Oil Co. and a stretch of Broadway near the downtown arterial.

Thomas B. Frank of Amsterdam, who was fueling his truck, was killed when tons of mud and trees buried him and blocked Broadway. It took several hours for emergency crews, hampered by sleet and high winds, to unearth the truck. They reached the man just before midnight, but he was dead.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Albany

The state Capitol's budget logjam gave way to a sudden flow of budget bills on Tuesday, just a day after Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers approved a temporary budget extender that would have allowed them to push the negotiating deadline to the end of May.

The apparent arrival of a package brought good news for Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan: One of the budget bills introduced for voting on Tuesday evening included the $12.5 million in additional state aid that the Democrat had said was the only thing standing between the capital city and a fiscal cliff.

As Sheehan had requested, the state aid will be new money and not a "spin-up" of future payments in lieu of taxes on the Empire State Plaza, annual sums the state has been paying to Albany for decades. The spin-up mechanism, which essentially provides the city with an advance on its state support, has been used many times in the past when the city sought additional state aid.

"The fact that we're not stealing from the future is a real step forward," Sheehan told the Times Union.

At the same time, Sheehan  a Democrat who is expected to announce her run for a second term in the very near future  reiterated that the city deserves to receive an annual boost in its state assistance. On a per capita basis, the state Aid and Incentives to Municipalities grants allocated to Albany lag behind that given to all other upstate cities, Sheehan had noted in her appearance before this year's joint budget hearing on local government support.

"Additional aid is required," she said Tuesday. "This is always a negotiation, and we're going to work very hard to bring some predictability to this."

Albany's good news came to light just hours after Cuomo, appearing in Catskill to survey the scene of a barge accident, suggested to reporters that there was no need to rush the overall budget negotiations on the roughly $150 billion budget, which should have been completed by the April 1 start of the new fiscal year.

"We'll work out these issues when we work them out," he said. "My guess is we'll work them out after what they call the Easter break, which is upcoming now."

The legislative Easter break, slated to start Thursday, runs until April 24.

It was a curious statement from Cuomo, who since taking office has held up the annual passage of on-time or at least "timely" budgets as a symbol of functional government. But with the two-month extender in place, "it's all running, it's all in place," he said  even if many other budget items and high-profile agenda items like raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18 were left unresolved.

"Yes, we want to get Raise the Age passed. Yes, we need to need to get the other programs passed, but it's not like there's a delay in anything, right?"

Many education leaders, however, had complained that waiting the full two months would force many school districts to assemble their own budgets by mid-May and put them before voters with no idea of just how much they'd receive from the state.

But Cuomo said it was incorrect to say that all budget issues had been resolved.

"We don't have an agreement on all the bills," the governor said. "There's a slip between a conceptual agreement and an actual written agreement."

Just minutes after Cuomo's 1 p.m. briefing ended, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie told reporters Cuomo was flat wrong.

"School districts need to have certainty as to what the education budgets are," he told reporters in a hastily assembled news conference outside his office. "The Assembly's still here, we're ready to work."

Within a few hours, the budget bills began to roll out, with the assurance that Cuomo would provide the "messages of necessity"  requested by the Legislature and granted by the governor  that would allow the measures to be passed without the usual three-day "aging" period. The first four bills appeared in the legislative system just before 5 p.m. Tuesday.

"It's not over till it's over," said Sen. John DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, the deputy Republican majority leader.

The Senate started passing the first batch of legislation by broad bipartisan majorities on Tuesday night. The Assembly, meanwhile, gaveled out and planned to return Wednesday.

Sources said the revenue bill would include much of the policy questions that have apparently bedeviled the late stages of the budget process  this year's "big ugly." The bill, which was not unveiled as of 10 p.m. Tuesday, was likely to include the renewal of the 421(a) tax benefit sought by real estate developers and a two-year extension of the "millionaires tax" surcharge on the state's top earners remained under discussion.

The bills that did appear Tuesday evening included provisions that would allow testing of self-driving cars under strict regulation, grant the state Department of Motor Vehicles the authority to enter into agreements with other states and Canadian provinces to suspend the registrations of repeat toll evaders, abolish a cap on the number of industrial hemp farms statewide and create a Drinking Water Quality Council that would make recommendations to the state Department of Health.

At press time, it was unclear what the final amount of increase in state education support would be.

cseiler@timesunion.com  518-454-5619  @CaseySeiler
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The 34 acres of prime property that border the town's bustling commercial district will be spared from the bulldozer  at least for now.

In a referendum on Tuesday night, voters by a two-to-one margin chose to preserve the Shenendehowa school district's woodland property on Route 146 between Maxwell Drive and Moe Road. The tally was 5,442-2,323 to reject the plan to sell the property to BBL developers for $2.05 million for a ShopRite supermarket.

"I am very excited," said Susan Burton, vice president of Friends of Clifton Park Open Space, the group that forced a referendum on the proposed land sale. "Right from the get-go, people supported the idea of keeping the land in the public domain. So many people participated and this is something the community should feel proud of."

A total of 7,765 votes were cast in the large turnout that jammed the Gowana Middle School parking lot and kept pollsters busy all day. At one point, voters stood outside in a line that wound around the building. Last year's budget vote attracted 2,558 voters.

While the deal was defeated, the fate of the land remains in flux. The school may decided to keep it, send out another request for proposals or sell the property to the town for a park. In the fall, the town made a $1 million bid on the land for that reason.

Superintendent Oliver Robinson took the rejection in stride, saying, "At a time when our democracy is being challenged, it's great to see so many in the community involved."

The school board will consider the issue again, taking public comment at its meeting on April 11.

"There will be some debriefing and we will move forward in a thoughtful, deliberate way to fulfill our obligation," Robinson said. "But our main objective is to provide a quality education for 10,000 kids."

The issue was contentious with emotions running high on both sides. Even the Board of Education was split with four members wanting the sale, saying the money was needed to purchase property in Halfmoon where the district believes it will eventually build an elementary school. Three others thought losing the land that rims two elementary schools was shortsighted.

"We will take a good look at what the community wants," Board President Robert Pressly said.

Many residents who voted no said they want the land to be preserved.

"It's a pristine piece of property," said Patti Schwankert. "If we develop it, it will never be available again."

Dan Riley said he didn't want Clifton Park to become Wolf Road.

Paul and Lynn Kass voted yes. "It will put the property back on the tax rolls," said Paul Kass. "And it doesn't produce school age-children. We could use the tax revenue."

As the vote neared, political figures, including state Sen. Kathy Marchione, R-Halfmoon, took sides. She urged voters to approve the deal in robocalls on Monday, saying the "issue is so important to our community."

"I believe the school board made the right decision and a 'yes' vote is a win-win-win," Marchione said in a statement Tuesday. "A win for the taxpayers to put a piece of property not needed back on the tax rolls; a win for Clifton Park to have an opportunity to get a new park for free; and a win for Halfmoon for a future school."

A spokesman for Marchione said the robocalls were paid for with campaign funds. Public records indicate Marchione has received nearly $5,000 in campaign donations since 2013 from a political action committee associated with BBL Construction Services, the Albany company that is seeking to buy the school district property.

Halfmoon Councilwoman Daphne Jordan, Marchione's legislative director, last month read a statement in support of the sale at a Town Board meeting.

"I appreciate the notion of a park, however, I find it curious that people believe land owned by the school district should be given or sold to the lowest bidder for a park to benefit only one of the six towns in the Shen school district," Jordan said at the meeting.

Halfmoon Supervisor Kevin Tollisen said Jordan's comments were her own and did not represent the position of the Town Board, which remained neutral on the proposal.

There also was a strong underground push for approving the sale by an anonymous political action committee, the Vote Yes for a Park LLC, that has allegedly poured money into advertisements and robocalls.

Todd Kerner, chairman of the Saratoga County Democratic Committee, said he contacted the Daily Gazette newspaper several weeks ago to ask who paid for full-page ads in the paper's weekly publication in Clifton Park and Halfmoon. The advertisement urging voters to approve the land sale had no disclaimer. Kerner said a Gazette employee initially told him the ads were purchased by Columbia Development, but then called him back and attempted to walk back his statement, including declining to positively identify the purchaser.

John Conklin, a spokesman for the state Board of Elections, said that because it's a school district referendum the PAC behind the vote-yes advertising is not regulated by the state, so there is no requirement for the organization to file public disclosure records or identify its treasurer, if there is one.

Brendan J. Lyons and Chris Bragg contributed reporting.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Computer chip manufacturer GlobalFoundries wants to cut 10 percent of its workforce at its Fab 10 in East Fishkill as it adds $150 million in cuts to an existing $350 million cost-cutting program due to weakness at the Dutchess County plant and in the overall semiconductor industry.

GlobalFoundries has rolled out a voluntary buyout program to avoid the need for layoffs, according to an email sent to employees from CEO Sanjay Jha that was obtained by the Times Union.

Steve Grasso, a GlobalFoundries spokesman, said there have been no layoffs in the U. S. so far as part of the cost-cutting program either at GlobalFoundries' Fab 8 campus in Saratoga County or at other company sites in New York and Vermont.

"This is a limited program, and we expect minimal impact at the Malta site," Grasso said.

The focus instead has been on the voluntary buyout program, which the company has used before to reduce costs.

"To keep GlobalFoundries cost-competitive, we are offering some of our U.S. based employees an opportunity to participate in a voluntary separation program," Grasso said. "In a very competitive industry there are circumstances which require us to assess our operational efficiencies and look for opportunities for synergies."

Fab 8, GlobalFoundries' chip factory in Saratoga County, employs 3,000 people. The email does not mention Fab 8 specifically.

Fab 8 in particular has been on a roll, making chips for AMD that are considered the fastest in the world. It is also working on next-generation 7 nanometer chips before most of its competitors. The company also has fabs in Germany and Singapore.

GlobalFoundries had roughly $5.6 billion in revenue in 2016 but lost $2 billion, according to industry analysts.

"Our fabs are executing well across the board, despite short-term reductions in demand," Jha said in the email.

GlobalFoundries acquired Fab 10 from IBM two years ago along with IBM's Vermont chip factory. Both use less advanced technology than Fab 8 and target different market segments.

Fab 10 has about 1,780 employees, according to a Poughkeepsie Journal story from December, so a 10 percent headcount reduction could mean 178 workers.

The newspaper has also reported that GlobalFoundries has been looking to sell off unused real estate at the Fab 10 site.

GlobalFoundries was already undergoing a $350 million cost-cutting program this year when Jha said that additional weakness in the industry and specifically at Fab 10 created the need for additional cuts.

"Demand in Fab 10 this year is less than 40 percent," Jha told employees.

Fab 10 is ramping up new products such as silicon photonics but they won't create significant new revenue streams until 2019, Jha said.

Jha said that the company has been doing well, but that short-term market softness and higher-than typical expenses are driving the need to reduce costs this year.

"We are in a real fight and I am happy to report that we are doing more things right in this hand-to-hand combat than I have ever seen before," Jha wrote. "I want to thank each of you involved for your support of this effort. Remember, the goal isn't getting into the fight - it's to win more than our fair share."

The $150 million in cuts will include $50 million from research and development, $30 million in sales and administrative costs and $70 million spread across the company.

The 10 percent reduction in the workforce at Fab 10 is in addition to that. The company is also planning a 10 percent reduction in sales and administrative workforce as well.

Reducing sales and administrative positions is one way to increase a company's margins without a large impact on manufacturing

Jha said that the cost reductions are also designed to preserve other budgeted priorities at the company. GlobalFoundries has also been looking to add 200 workers at Fab 8 and another 200 at Fab 9, the factory in Essex Junction, Vt.

"If we do not meet our desired targets, we will evaluate the need for an involuntary action as well," Jha said. "While this decision will compel us to place additional scrutiny on any and all new hires, our actions are designed to preserve our already-budgeted strategic priorities across the rest of the company."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

SUNY Polytechnic Institute is planning to subdivide 14,000 square feet of vacant space at its NanoFab East building that had previously been set aside for the new location of CMOST, the children's science museum located in North Greenbush.

Several years ago, SUNY Poly took over operations of CMOST, with plans to move the museum to SUNY Poly's Fuller Road campus.

The idea was to more closely align the museum with SUNY Poly's own high-tech educational agenda and facilities. The latest plan was for CMOST to use the former EYP offices at NanoFab East, and SUNY Poly had said it was moving forward last year with designs for the new location.

However, SUNY Poly decided last week to lease a portion of the former EYP offices to a South Korean company, with plans to subdivide the space more for other companies as well.

Because of that, it appears that CMOST will likely remain at its current location in North Greenbush for the time being.

"While there was nothing wrong with the museum, we felt the space could be better utilized by attracting companies related to nanotechnology enterprises," said Robert Megna, president of Fuller Road Management Corp., the entity that controls SUNY Poly's real estate. "Going forward, we will look to use the space by partnering with companies with a strong link to nano, which is an approach that aligns with our economic development mission."

When contacted about its relocation plans on Tuesday, museum vice president Catherine Gilbert declined to comment.

Gilbert, who makes $80,000 a year, is paid by SUNY Poly through the Research Foundation for SUNY. The other handful of employees make about $30,000 a year each.

CMOST's current location is at the Rensselaer Technology Park. The park's director, James Spencer Jr., did not return a call seeking comment.

On March 27, SUNY Poly officials approved a five-year lease for a company called Park Systems to occupy 2,899 of space within the East Wing of NanoFab East that appears to be in the space that EYP used to occupy.

"Currently this first floor area is an open floor (plan) of more than 14,000 square feet that has been vacant for a number of years since the previous tenant vacated the building," a SUNY Poly document detailing the lease terms states.

The document was provided to members of the board of Fuller Road Management Corp.

SUNY Poly is paying $176,000 to fit up the space for Park Systems and also spending $18,000 to create a common area for other companies it plans to attract to the remaining roughly 11,000 square feet that remains vacant.

Park Systems, which is based in Korea, is involved in atomic force microscopy. It will pay $147,849 a year in the first two years and $69,576 annually in the last three years.

"We feel the investment by FRMC to sub-divide the space for this tenant is a smart business decision for the short-term in attracting this tenant, but also in the long-term for future smaller tenants," the SUNY Poly document states.
First Lady Melania Trump made headlines this week when the White House released her official portrait.

The portrait was shot by Belgian-born photographer Regine Mahaux, the same photographer who shot the Trump family in their opulent Trump Tower apartment for Vanity Fair. For her official White House portrait, Melania dressed in a Dolce & Gabanna blazer and wore a massive 13-carat diamond ring that elicited plenty of response on social media.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Albany

Susan Ross is a clinical psychologist and a dog owner who has been studying human behavior when it comes to picking up dog poop.

On Sunday afternoon in Albany's Washington Park, we spent two hours deconstructing the psychology of dog poop scooping. It was a warm and sunny spring day. The park was abuzz with exuberant dogs and animated humans.

"This park is an absolute jewel in the city's crown, but I'm appalled at the amount of dog poop on the ground," said Ross, who walks her two dogs there each afternoon.

More Information Contact Paul Grondahl at grondahlpaul@gmail.com See More Collapse

Stanley is a Maltese who prefers to be carried in a dog sling, where he snored contentedly in the afternoon sunshine.

Nellie is a border collie mix rescue with anxiety issues. The dog would not defecate in Washington Park for the first four days after being introduced to the new locale. She inched across the lake's wooden slat bridge on her belly  "a commando crawl," Ross called it.

Ross and her husband, Dr. Allen Carl, a spine surgeon, downsized after their four children moved out. They sold their 4,000-square-foot home in Guilderland and in February moved into a 1,200-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment across from Albany Medical Center, where he has worked for three decades.

"I tell people I'm embarrassed by how happy I am living in the city," she said.

She's a dedicated walker and delights in walking to restaurants on Lark Street with her husband. She enjoys strolling across the park with the dogs. "I haven't even put in my ear buds yet because people are so friendly," she said. But after the snow melted, excessive dog feces became abundantly clear. Here was a classic case study in human behavior.

"There is a segment of dog owners who will do the right thing and pick up their dog poop no matter what," said Ross, who works with children and families in private practice. "There is also a segment of dog owners who will not pick up their dog poop no matter what."

She focuses on the middle swath of dog owners whose behavior is malleable, and who might pick up more consistently.

She used to walk her dogs at The Crossings, a suburban park in Colonie. "I never saw any dog poop on the ground there," she said. Instead, she saw numerous conveniently placed plastic bag dispensers.

She is a proponent of the carrot over the stick. "Motivation is better than punitive," she said.

Free plastic bags readily accessible to dog owners created the right conditions for compliance, Ross said. She sent an email to the city of Albany, described her observations and asked why it didn't put out free plastic bags in Washington Park.

After three tries, she got a response and was told the park had "12 waste management systems," or free plastic bag dispensers. She had not noticed them. "I stand corrected," she said.

On Sunday, she bought rolls of blue dog waste bags imprinted with tiny white paw prints that zip into a small pouch on a leash. We stopped to talk with Dana Graupe, who had just finished running through the park with her dog Monty, a 3-year-old St. Bernard mix. Graupe had the bags in her windbreaker.

"I never leave home without them," said Graupe, who is studying for a master's degree in speech pathology at The College of Saint Rose.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter.

It angers her to see piles of dog poop outside her apartment.

"Disgusting," she said, an urban eyesore created by inconsiderate dog owners.

She has no respect, either, for the fakers who feign to look for their dog's dropping across a park lawn, shrug and walk off. "They're not fooling anyone," she said. She'll sometimes scoop up an offender's errant pile as "a courtesy scoop."

It was no better in Columbus, Ohio, where dog pop littered the student neighborhoods where she lived while attending Ohio State University.

"College students can be jerks," she said with a shrug.

Ross and Graupe discussed "the stages of moral development." Ross described a TED Talk she watched by Jeff Kirschner, who created the Litterati app that makes picking up litter cool by employing photos and mapping on Instagram.

This got the wheels turning in the mind of Carl, who is also an inventor. Instead of an app, why not drones with GoPros? The dog poop miscreants wouldn't stand a chance with an eye in the sky.

grondahlpaul@gmail.com
The Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce and Titusville Rotary Club co-sponsored the Free Enterprise luncheon, held Tuesday in Benson Memorial Librarys community room. Joining guest speaker Bradley Gosser (center) are chamber Executive Director Emily Altomare (left) and Rotary President Traci Speer.
Those who frequent Diamond Street or Central Avenue may have noticed some new signage outside some of the local bars, and they arent alcohol 
[April 05, 2017] Artificial Intelligence Summit to Showcase New York City as Growing Hub for AI Activity

NEW YORK, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Future Labs at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering and ff Venture Capital (ffVC), a leading early-stage technology venture capital firm based in New York City, today will convene top artificial intelligence (AI) experts and entrepreneurs at the Future Labs AI Summit to discuss how artificial intelligence is impacting all facets of life. Attendees will learn how academia, corporations, and emerging technology startups are harnessing AI to rethink robotics, communication and chatbots, healthcare, financial technology, and more. The Future Labs AI Summit will cover topics including investing in AI, building an AI company, how enterprise companies approach AI problems, industry hype, and an AI market report by Future Labs' graduate CB Insights. Featured speakers include Yann LeCun, NYU professor and director of AI research at Facebook; Paul Horn, NYU senior vice provost for research; Riva-Melissa Tez, managing partner at Permutation Ventures; Anand Sanwal, founder and CEO of CB Insights; and Ruchir Puri, chief architect at IBM Watson, and others. The AI Nexus Lab  an accelerator-type program for AI  marks the first cooperation of its kind between a university and a venture fund in the United States. At the summit, its entrepreneurs will demonstrate their products and introduce their companies  the latest example of New York City quickly becoming an AI hub. The AI NexusLab helps early-stage AI companies develop their ventures through a four-month program providing technical support, venture development, and pilot partnerships for each of the five companies in the program. "We join ffVC in congratulating the AI NexusLab companies on their early success," said NYU Tandon Dean Katepalli R. Sreenivasan. "Their accomplishments during this pilot helped cement the NexusLab as an innovative capacity-building hub for AI in New York and beyond. I would also like to acknowledge the many contributions of John Frankel and his team at ffVC in launching this novel program  one we hope will serve as a model for our Future Labs as it builds more private-sector partnerships. The collaboration between these new companies and researchers throughout New York University has benefited all involved." "We're thrilled to announce the first cohort of the AI NexusLab: amazing companies using artificial intelligence to solve diverse and identifiable problems in each of their respective fields," stated ffVC Founding Partner John Frankel. "Each company's growth over the course of the program has been extremely encouraging. AI is now beginning to have a profound impact on enterprise productivity, and we feel that these companies  and the teams behind them  represent some of the best and brightest emerging players." The five early-stage AI startups represent leading sectors of the New York City economy, including robotics, marketing, health care, financial technology, and enterprise support. The startups received dedicated space at the Data Future Lab  the Future Labs' Manhattan incubator for AI, machine learning, natural language processing, and data for industry startups  for the four-month program. ffVC invested $100,000 in each company, providing working capital for the startups and supporting AI NexusLab services, including curated access to talent, partners, customers, AI experts from NYU and the NYU ecosystem, computing power, and a community of AI companies and graduates in the Data Future Lab, in addition to guidance from ffVC. Applications for the next AI NexusLab cohort are open until May 3. AI is among the fastest-growing sectors, with investment in AI startups growing to a record

$5 billion across 550 deals, according to CB Insights. With applications in self-drving cars, marketing, robotics, defense, human relations, and a vast range of software that performs analysis, prediction, and personal digital assistance, AI revenue is widely expected to skyrocket. Meanwhile, university graduates with AI experience are in high demand and research opportunities are on an upward trajectory.



"One of our goals with the inaugural AI program was to separate real AI companies from the hype. Unlike web and mobile startups, AI companies require deep technical knowledge to build and scale," said Steven Kuyan, managing director at the Future Labs at NYU Tandon. "Each company went through an intense four months of evolving their products to meet the expectations of their pilot customers. They benefited from a uniquely tailored program specific to AI companies, and we're excited to see them grow into successful ventures contributing to making New York City a thriving hub for artificial intelligence startups." The initial AI NexusLab cohort is:

Alpha Vertex  This data science and machine learning company is building the next generation of AI-powered technologies that work with humans to support investments around the world. Its solutions autonomously monitor, classify, and link large volumes of data across global financial markets. The company's products also offer advanced analytical capabilities to the investment community to predict financial outcomes and identify trends before they become obvious. Behold.ai  Its artificially intelligent medical records platform helps healthcare providers parse and process billings, claims, and medical images. The computer-assisted coding platform saves providers time and can catch mistakes. It can save and even help make money for hospitals. Cambrian Intelligence  The London-based startup makes robots more intelligent by building a distributed platform that quickly teaches robots via teleoperation, demonstration, and scripting. The main skills are perception, manipulation, and teleoperation, which become building blocks to develop more complex skills. This universal robot operating system solves a big pain point in the robotics industry. HelloVera  Its AI-powered, natural language-understanding engine for customer service requests can respond in different channels such as email, chat, and social media. HelloVera was co-founded by Dr. James Fan, who led the AI research team for the IBM Watson project that beat the top Jeopardy! champions, and Dr. Liangliang Cao, winner of the prestigious ImageNet computer vision challenge and an adjunct professor at Columbia University. Klustera  The Mexico City-based startup leverages sensor technologies and machine learning to automate customer intelligence and retention. It uses anonymous smartphone Wi-Fi signals and computer vision (CCTV feeds) to transform human behavior inside physical spaces such as airports and shopping malls into data and insights, thereby helping Klustera customers understand and connect with their brick-and-mortar consumers just as they would do with e-commerce ones. The AI NexusLab merges ffVC's expertise in helping to build early-stage technology companies with lessons taken from the highly successful Future Labs at NYU Tandon, which boasts a survival rate of nearly 90 percent for companies that graduate from its program. This stands in sharp contrast to the typical failure rate of 80 percent for startup companies in general. About the Future Labs at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering

NYU Tandon created one of the first technology incubators in New York City in 2009 with support from the NYC Economic Development Corporation and the first cleantech incubator in New York City, funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Today, the Future Labs at NYU Tandon support a wide variety of entrepreneurial outreach programs in addition to more than 40 startup companies in three locations: a data-focused incubator on SoHo's Varick Street, another in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn focused on digital technology, and a third in Downtown Brooklyn's MetroTech Center with a focus on clean-energy technology. To date, 68 companies have graduated from the program, 13 through acquisition, with such notable portfolio companies as CB insights, Clarifai, Bounce Exchange, Honest Buildings, and United Wind. For more information visit http://engineering.nyu.edu/business/future-labs. About the NYU Tandon School of Engineering

The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, the founding date for both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute (widely known as Brooklyn Poly). A January 2014 merger created a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences, rooted in a tradition of invention and entrepreneurship and dedicated to furthering technology in service to society. In addition to its main location in Brooklyn, NYU Tandon collaborates with other schools within NYU, the country's largest private research university, and is closely connected to engineering programs at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai. It operates Future Labs focused on start-up businesses in downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn and an award-winning online graduate program. For more information, visit http://engineering.nyu.edu. About ff Venture Capital

ff Venture Capital (ffVC) is the most engaged early-stage venture capital firm in New York City. ffVC invests in some of the strongest growth areas to date, including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, machine learning, drones, enterprise cloud software, and crowdfunding, and identifies and invests in technology and technology-enabled companies at their inception  across geographies and emerging industries. With five partners and an acceleration team of 20-plus investment and operations professionals, ffVC actively participates with founders to develop products, target markets, and accelerate growth. Since 2008, ffVC has invested in over 90 companies and has helped to create companies with aggregate market value exceeding $4 billion. For more information, visit http://ffvc.com. www.facebook.com/nyutandon

@nyutandontweets To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/artificial-intelligence-summit-to-showcase-new-york-city-as-growing-hub-for-ai-activity-300434610.html SOURCE NYU Tandon School of Engineering

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[April 05, 2017] Tradeshift Taps Into Blue Ocean of China's Supply Chain Financing Market with Region's Largest Fintech Company

Tradeshift, the world's largest business commerce platform, has partnered with CreditEase to deliver a trade financing app that will bring low-cost financing to millions of businesses in China. CreditEase, the largest peer-to-peer lender in China (and globally), can now deliver accounts receivables financing to millions of fast-growing small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The goal of the broader partnership is to help solve the financing difficulties that many SMEs face in China through the digitalization of trade financing. As a first step, CreditEase, which invested in Tradeshift through a Series D round last year, has integrated and delivered an app on the Tradeshift platform. The app connects to CreditEase's Fintech solution, which combines an expansive database containing information such as historical transaction and buyer payment data along with the company's risk control and financial management expertise. The app allows SMEs to easily apply for credit based on the invoice approval and buying power of their cross-border enterprise buyers, and in the process, makes the entire experience convenient, fast, and secure. "The new CreditEase app on the Tradeshift platform provides a powerful peer-to-peer financing option for hundreds of thousands of China-based exporters," said Mikkel Hipe Brun, co-founder and senior vice president, APAC, Tradeshift. "This a true fintech partnership and will build solutions enabling businesses to take greater control over their working capital health, leading to a stronger and more reliable supply chain in China."



Through the company's venture fund, CreditEase New Financial Industry Investment Fund, CreditEase will work with Tradeshift to jointly develop solutions that enhance traditional supply chain finance services. The aim is to improve the success rate and efficiency for suppliers and buyers by providing a unified, innovative, automated and on-demand online financial service. "Our objective is to optimize the entire supply chain funding process," commented CreditEase CEO Ning Tang. "The collaboration between CreditEase and Tradeshift will be extended from the electronic invoice to the upstream and downstream supply chain processes, creating a closer trade link for global sourcing and supplier interconnection."

The partnership is the latest in a string of announcements from the region. In late 2016, Tradeshift announced the launch of two joint ventures in China to connect millions of trading partners, digitalize the transactions between them, and offer accessible financial services to SMEs in the region. With over four years of experience in China, Tradeshift is leading the way in addressing China's growing market and supply chain, and with the help of partnerships and integrations such as the CreditEase app and joint ventures, the company is on track to process upwards of 100 million transactions per year across supply chains throughout China. About Tradeshift Founded in 2010, Tradeshift is the world's largest business commerce platform that connects buyers and sellers. Tradeshift connects over 1.5 million companies across 190 countries, processes over half a trillion USD in transaction value yearly, and has a marketplace containing 28 million SKUs. It offers solutions for procure to pay, supplier engagement and financial services, and enables companies and partners to build custom or commercial apps on its business commerce platform. Tradeshift is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Copenhagen, New York, London, Paris, Suzhou, Chongqing, Tokyo, Munich, Sydney, and Bucharest. About CreditEase CreditEase is a leading FinTech company in China, specializing in small business and consumer lending as well as wealth management for high net worth and mass affluent investors. It is a Standing Committee member of China's Internet Finance Industry Association and Chairman of Beijing Marketplace Lending Association. Its majority owned subsidiary Yirendai (NYSE: YRD), an online consumer finance marketplace, is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170405005500/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[April 04, 2017] AHF Supports Senator Sanders' Call for 'Medicare-for-all'

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) announced today its strong support for legislation that would make all Americans and US residents eligible for Medicare. Various proposals under consideration by the US Congress have been dubbed "Medicare-for-all." They build on the successful and popular foundation of the Medicare program, which is now only available to legal residents and citizens of the US who are over 65. These legislative proposals would make tax-funded health care available that is medically necessary including primary care and prevention, prescription drugs, emergency care, long-term care, mental health services, dental services and vision care. Like Medicare, patients would be able to choose from participating physicians and institutions. US Representative John Conyers (D-Michigan) introduced the measure H.R. 676 called "Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act" in the US House of Representatives in January. In an email sent Monday (April 3, 2017), US Senator and former presidental candidate, Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), advised constituents and followers nationwide that, " within a couple of weeks, I am going to be introducing legislation calling for a Medicare-for-all, single-payer program." Both legislators have authored similar proposals in previous congressional sessions.



In his email Monday, Sanders also noted: "People who cannot afford health care don't deserve to die. We should not be spending far more, per capita, than any other nation for health care or be paying the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs." The program would be funded by taxes replacing insurance premiums. Funds from existing government sources for health care, increasing personal income taxes on the top five percent of income earners, a progressive excise tax on payroll and self-employment income, a tax on unearned income, and a transaction tax on stock and bond purchases. These taxes would be offset by the elimination of premium payments to health insurance companies. Health insurers would be prohibited from selling health insurance that duplicates benefits provided in the legislation. They may sell insurance for services that are not medically necessary.

The proposal would establish essentially a single-payer health insurance program very similar to Canada's. Currently about one-third of what is spent on health care is for administrative expenses. The US spends more on health care per person, and as a percentage of gross national product, than any industrialized country in the world. This legislation would create a universal health care system guaranteeing health care to all in the US. "AIDS Healthcare Foundation strongly believes that until we make health care available to all we will still face enormous barriers in eliminating the AIDS epidemic. This legislation will build on the strength of Medicare that has 50-year successful track record. We look forward to working with the sponsors of these measures and their supporters in putting this bill on the President's desk," said Michael Weinstein, president of AHF. About AIDS Healthcare Foundation AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 712,000 individuals in 38 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook (News - Alert): www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert): @aidshealthcare. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170404006518/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
New Delhi, Mar 29 (IBNS): The Union Ministry of Power, on Wednesday, announced that during the current year, from April 2016-February 2017, India turned net exporter of electricity for the first time.

For the first time, India has turned around from a net importer of electricity to net exporter of electricity, reported the Central Electricity Authority, the designated authority of Government of India for Cross Border Trade of Electricity.

During the current year 2016-17 (April to February 2017), India has exported around 5,798 Million Units to Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar, which is 213 million units more than the import of around 5,585 Million Units from Bhutan.

Export to Nepal and Bangladesh increased 2.5 and 2.8 times, respectively, in past three years.

Ever since the cross border trade of electricity started in mid-Eighties, India has been importing power from Bhutan and marginally exporting to Nepal in radial mode at 33 kV and 132 kV from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

On an average Bhutan has been supplying around 5,000- 5500 Million Units to India, the ministry said in its release.

India had also been exporting around 190 MW power to Nepal over 12 cross border interconnections at 11kV, 33kV and 132 kV level.

The export of power to Nepal further increased by around 145 MW with commissioning of Muzaffarpur (India) Dhalkhebar(Nepal) 400kV line (being operated at 132 kV) in 2016.

Export of power to Bangladesh from India got further boost with commissioning of first cross border Interconnection between Baharampur in India and Bheramara in Bangladesh at 400kV in September 2013.

It was further augmented by commissioning of second cross border Interconnection between Surjyamaninagar (Tripura) in India and South Comilla in Bangladesh.

At present around 600 MW power is being exported to Bangladesh, the ministry said.

Export of power to Nepal is expected to increase by around 145 MW shortly over 132 kV Katiya (Bihar) Kusaha (Nepal) and 132 kV Raxaul (Bihar) Parwanipur (Nepal), according to the release.
[April 04, 2017] Adslot Appoint Seasoned Ad Tech Executive as General Manager - North America

Adslot, the leading innovator of digital media workflow and trading technology globally, today announced the appointment of Mr. Cary Dunst as General Manager for North America, based in the company's New York office. As General Manager, Mr Dunst will be responsible for developing and driving Adslot's business strategy across the North American market. Additionally, he will have direct responsibility for sales and operations, while managing new and existing relationships with media agencies, advertisers, publishers, partners and other key stakeholders across the region. Mr Dunst is a seasoned senior executive who has been in the tech sector for nearly 20 years, the last 10 focused on Martech, Data, and Analytics solutions. He has thrived in early-stage startups as well as global enterprises. Most recently Dunst was the Vice President of Sales - North America for Lotame, the leading independent data management platform used by marketers, agencies and publishers globally. In this role he spearheaded numerous initiatives such as implementing a sales forecasting methodology (MEDDIC), and created the company's Sales Development Representative (SDR) Program. Dunst was a key member of the Lotame team during a tremendous period of growth, helping to increase revenues 600% in 4 years of service.



Before joining Lotame, Dunst thrived in various sales and sales leadership roles, most recently at Marin Software (a Biddable Advertising Platform), and Hitwise, (a pioneer in the digital analytics and competitive intelligence space, acquired by Experian for $244 mm). As both a leader and contributor, he has shaped culture in competitive and even tumultuous environments by focusing on: ethics, people, and results. Ian Lowe, Chief Executive Officer of Adslot said of Mr Dunst's appointment: "We are delighted to welcome Cary to Adslot's executive team as General Manager of North America. Cary joins Adslot at an exciting time as non programmatic trading technology moves into a meaningful position in the media trading toolset. A proven sales performer and experienced leader, Cary will have the autonomy to drive the US organisation forward and my strong support to do so. The combination of Cary's track record and cultural fit made him the outstanding candidate for the role."

Regarding his new role, Dunst stated: "I'm very excited to take on the role of growing Adslot's US business, and to be part of such a passionate and pioneering company. As the advertising industry continues down a path of automation at scale, Adslot's technology is highly relevant, valuable and unique. We are well positioned to become the leading independent provider of Automated Guaranteed technology for agencies, advertisers and publishers alike and I look forward to contributing to the next phase of success." About Adslot Founded in 2010, Adslot's mission is to automate the workflow trading of forward guaranteed display advertising. Our leading technology is an independent, global media trading platform. Adslot benefits a global community of media buyers and sellers, including media agencies, publishers and advertisers, by providing efficiency and effectiveness made possible only via purpose built technology, and by doing so the basis on which the $60B forward guaranteed online display industry will realise its full growth potential. Adslot is a global organisation with operations in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific and is headquartered in Australia. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170404006529/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[April 05, 2017] ULDAGE Announces New Call for Patents Essential to 4K/8K Broadcasting for IPTV and CATV

TOKYO, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ULDAGE Inc. ("ULDAGE"), a patent pool license managing company, announced on April 3 that it is going to make a call for patents essential to the standards of 4K/8K television broadcasting applicable to IPTV and CATV. Currently, ULDAGE licenses a package of more than 600 essential patents which are related to the present digital television broadcasting standards through a patent pool system. Through this approach, ULDAGE has made a substantial contribution towards the promotion and growth of the digital television broadcasting system following the full transition of the broadcasting system from "analog broadcasting" to "digital broadcasting" by resolving the major patent issues surrounding sales and production of broadcasting receivers and broadcasting services. Further, on August 25, 2014, ULDAGE made a call for patents essential to the standards of 4K/8K broadcasting by satellites, and now has been preparing the new licensing program. The purpose of this new call for patents is to promote the growth of 4K/8K broadcasting by creating a "one-stop licensing program" under fair and reasonable terms to license essential patents held by a numer of patent holders regardless of the types of broadcasting media, and by expanding the licensing scope of 4K/8K broadcasting to IPTV and CATV, followed by the licensing related to satellite broadcasting.



Evaluation of whether a patent is essential for the standards will be conducted by the Japan Intellectual Property Arbitration Center ("JIPAC"), which is a neutral third-party institution with expertise in this field. For any party that believes it possesses Japanese patents essential to the standards formulated by IPTV Forum Japan and standards formulated by Japan Cable Laboratories and wishes to apply for evaluation of essentiality, please apply for evaluation and submit such patents to JIPAC by June 30, 2017.

For more information regarding the application of essentiality evaluation, please visit JIPAC website (http://www.ip-adr.gr.jp/eng/) or ULDAGE website (http://www.uldage.com/en/). About ULDAGE ULDAGE was established in July 2006, aiming for the resolution of entanglement of patents through cooperation among parties concerned and for the creation of fair competition in this digital age. ULDAGE grants non-exclusive licenses to essential patents of multiple parties in a single package, and its business offers convenience to both patent holders and business users. Headquarters: Imperial Tower, 1-1-1 Uchisaiwai-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Tel: +81-3-3500-1572, Fax: +81-3-3500-1573 President & CEO: Yoshihide Nakamura

Stated Capital: JPY 60 million

Shareholders: JVC KENWOOD Corporation (14.29%)

Sharp Corporation (14.29%)

Sony Corporation (14.29%)

Toshiba Corporation (14.29%)

Panasonic Corporation (14.29%)

Hitachi Maxell, Ltd. (14.29%)

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (14.29%) (Reference: http://prw.kyodonews.jp/prwfile/release/M100191/201703240259/_prw_OR1fl_wLsCvwwH.pdf)

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[April 05, 2017] Innodisk's Latest SSD Hits the Sweet Spot

The New iSLC 3IE4 SSD Brings Cost-efficiency and High-Performance to the Industrial Market TAIPEI, Taiwan, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- To meet the ever growing demands of the embedded and industrial storage market, Innodisk is launching the 3IE4 series with integrated Marvell controllers. Running on Innodisk's proprietary iSLC technology, it provides performance equal to that of SLC at a much lower cost. The iSLC technology in combination with integrated LDPC error correcting code ensures an extended lifespan; upward to seven times that of standard MLC products. Traditional MLC flash boasts high capacity, but often falls short with regards to product lifespan. SLC is a better choice for performance and longevity; however the cost is comparatively high. This is where iSLC comes in as a golden mean with a drastic increase in lifespan compared to MLC products, while sporting SLC like performance at a much lower price. This makes iSLC SSDs the perfect choice for industrial and embedded applications where MLC often do not meet longevity demands and SLC are seen as too costly. The in-house designed technology behind iSLC is simple, but ingenious. MLC cells which typically hold two bits are made to hold just one instead -- effectively emulating SLC cells. Wih this is place, not only is lifespan increased, but write speed reaches SLC levels.



Integrated thermal sensor technology enables stable operation even in extreme temperatures, which along with advanced power management further bolsters performance and reliability. Innodisk's own iData Guard technology smartly integrates hardware with firmware to ensure data integrity in the event of a sudden power outage. Product features:

iSLC -- increased performance and longevity

LDPC ECC -- extended product lifetime

High IOPS -- faster performance

DRAM-less -- increased data integrity

Supports S.M.A.R.T, TRIM, NCQ, and iData Guard For further information, please visit our website at http://www.innodisk.com. About Innodisk Innodisk is a service-driven provider of flash memory, DRAM modules and embedded peripheral products for the industrial and enterprise applications. With satisfied customers across the embedded, aerospace and defense, cloud storage markets and more, we have set ourselves apart with a commitment to dependable products and unparalleled service. This has resulted in products, including embedded peripherals, designed to supplement existing industrial solutions and high IOPS flash arrays for industrial and enterprise applications. The expanded business lines are leading our next step in being a comprehensive solution and service provider in the industrial storage industry. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, Innodisk supports clients globally with engineering support and sales teams in mainland China, Europe, Japan, and the United States. With abundant experience and an unrivaled knowledge of the memory industry, Innodisk develops products with excellent quality, remarkable performance, great cost-efficiency, and the highest reliability. For more information about Innodisk, please visit http://www.innodisk.com. Media Contact: Innodisk

Lilian Chiang

886-02-7703-3000 ext.1511

[email protected]

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[April 05, 2017]

Targovax ASA: Protocol from the Annual General Meeting

The annual general meeting was held on April 5, 2017 at the Company's offices at Lilleakerveien 2C, 0283 Oslo.

Please find minutes of the meeting attached.

###

For further information please contact:

ystein Soug, CEO

Phone: +47 906 56 525

Eail: [email protected]









Attachments:

//www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/482204b1-82e8-47f1-b4c0-719a114e3921
[April 05, 2017] Elsevier to Provide PracticeUpdate Curated Content to Sosido Member Healthcare Associations

PHILADELPHIA, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Elsevier and Sosido Collaborate to Deliver Medical Content to an Expanded Network of Society-affiliated Healthcare Professionals Elsevier, the information analytics company specializing in science and health, is collaborating with Sosido to provide curated medical content from PracticeUpdate to healthcare professionals who are members of niche medical associations in North America and globally. Sosido, a Canada-based online knowledge sharing network that connects healthcare professionals within and across groups, employs a unique email newsletter platform to reach members of medical associations and research groups across specialty areas such as oncology, transplantation, and cardiology. Sosido automatically tracks and features the publications of the groups' members and facilitates online discussion, raising the profile of the research and accelerating the exchange of clinical knowledge. Utilizing PracticeUpdate's curated content, Sosido can now provide exclusive, customizable medical information, insights, and analysis from PracticeUpdate's editorial board of highly-reputable, global opinion leaders. "Medicine as a whole is becoming more niche-focused, and so are the groups we cater to," said Tanis Steward, Sosido CEO & Founder. "Our member healthcare professionals are exceptionally busy clinicians and researchers who don't have time to filter through the daily deluge of new research findings and conference presentations. PracticeUpdate brings massive value by doing this work for them." Integraing expert content from PracticeUpdate into the weekly Sosido e-newsletter enhances the value for healthcare professionals, and drives deeper engagement and collaboration within specialty therapeutic areas. Further value is provided by the addition of expert commentary from the PracticeUpdate editorial board, helping clinicians to better understand the significance of each article and how it may impact their area of practice.



"PracticeUpdate was developed with the goal of improving healthcare by providing the relevant medical information and educational resources physicians need to diagnose and treat their patients. In addition to selecting the best and most relevant content, our PracticeUpdate experts add their context and perspectives, which allows our readers to discover what really matters for patient care," said Allison Risko, Senior Vice President, Pharma and Life Sciences Solutions, Elsevier. "We are excited about our collaboration with Sosido, which will expand PracticeUpdate's reach to thousands more healthcare professionals, helping them stay current and now better connected within their industry and specialty." For additional information about PracticeUpdate, visit http://www.practiceupdate.com.

About Sosido Sosido is an online knowledge sharing platform designed to speed clinical knowledge transfer between healthcare professionals. The company bridges the silos of center, discipline, and specialty to allow sharing of published research and practical clinical experience. With Sosido, healthcare professionals can create more connected communities, stay on top of the latest research, and raise the profile of their contributions to clinical care. For more information, visit http://www.sosido.com. About Elsevier Elsevier is a global information analytics company that helps institutions and professionals progress science, advance healthcare and improve performance for the benefit of humanity. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and professional education; including ScienceDirect, Scopus, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, more than 35,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a world-leading provider of information and analytics to professionals and business customers, in a wide range of industries. http://www.elsevier.com Media contact

Christopher Capot

Director, Corporate Relations, Elsevier

+1-917-704-5174

[email protected]



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[April 05, 2017] Intelivideo Secures $5.6 Million Funding Round to Drive Continued Expansion

DENVER, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Video On Demand (VOD) and Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) platform Intelivideo announced today it has completed a $5.6 Million round of funding lead by existing investors. This latest round will support growth efforts to enter into new VOD categories as well as bolster sales, marketing and product development initiatives. Consumer demand for VOD has increased dramatically over recent years, with streaming services in over 50% of U.S. households and daily digital video consumption set to reach 72 minutes per adult this year. Intelivideo's growth reflects these significant consumer demand trends, with platform usage tripling and the number of subscription video customers skyrocketing nearly 400% over the past year. "We've spent the last several years building the best video platform on the planet," explains Matt Given, CEO at Intelivideo. "We are uniquely poised to support virtually any business ready to start their own VOD business. This recent financing round will help us not only reach new categories, but develop the tehnological innovations necessary for their success."



The VOD industry overall is early in the adoption curve, presenting significant growth opportunity for platforms offering these services. Intelivideo has seen substantial traction across multiple segments from large national brands down to future video stars. "Since our inception we've grown from one fitness studio to over 60 franchised studios worldwide, and SVOD has helped improve our business significantly over the past two years on several fronts," explains Intelivideo client Doug McIntosh, CEO at The Dailey Method. "With SVOD we can reach our instructors and our customers outside of our studio walls, with virtually unlimited revenue potential. Intelivideo is our VOD platform partner that makes the sales and distribution of these videos possible, so that we can seamlessly offer our own fitness channel," says McIntosh.

The Dailey Method's subscriber base has steadily grown over the past year, jumping by 44% within the past two months alone  growth due in part to pricing the flexibility, complete app environment and video delivery options available through Intelivideo. This announcement comes just months after Intelivideo launched an entire new suite of apps designed to beautifully display high quality videos across smart TV environments, mobile devices and tablets. Adding to their list of offerings, in May of 2016, Intelivideo also launched a first-of-its-kind subscription center designed to support the growing number of SVOD channels. About Intelivideo

Intelivideo makes it possible for companies of any size to capitalize on the explosive growth in demand for Video On Demand (VOD) and Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) services. The platform helps companies build and grow profitable businesses by providing the information and technology necessary to sell and distribute video including digital storefronts, an education center for marketing and selling digital assets and secure video and digital content delivery to every device via app. See more at www.intelivideo.com, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter @Intelivideo. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/intelivideo-secures-56-million-funding-round-to-drive-continued-expansion-300434856.html SOURCE Intelivideo

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[April 05, 2017] Vision Kicks Off National County Government Month with New eBook on What's Next in Digital Gov for Counties

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Government website and software experts at Vision, today kicked off National County Government Month by issuing a new eBook entitled "What's Next in Digital Communications for County Government." The eBook shares insights gleaned from Vision's third annual local government survey and highlights subtle differences in the ways cities and counties are addressing the rapidly changing expectations of today's super-connected citizens. Top digital priorities county gov leaders identified for 2017 include citizen engagement, cybersecurity and the integration of mobile-ready website design. A copy of the new county government eBook, is now available for download at http://info.visioninternet.com/whats-next-in-digital-communications-report-county-2017. "With expansive territories and universal service responsibilities, counties are challenged to keep pace with new technologies that enable them to connect with citizens like never before," said Ashley Fruechting, Vision's senior director of marketing. "County leaders take seriously their responsibility to protect and enhance the welfare and safety of their residents." While counties and municipalities work hand-in-hand on many fronts, Vision found the following key differences in their approach to digital transformation. 1. Citizen Engagement Challenges for County Government

None of the county respondents to the Vision survey rated their agency as "outstanding" in effective citizen engagement. Moreover, 1 in 4 county participants said their agency's efforts to engage citizens were "below average" or "poor." While county responsibilities vary from state to state, most counties manage justice and public safety systems, foster conditions for economic growth and strengthen infrastructure, which are less visible and immediate than municipal services like city schools, garbage collection and ongoing recreational programs. "Being farther removed from residents' day-to-day activities makes it harder for counties to establish the kinds of emotional connections required for citizen engagement," Fruechting said. "Buildng community engagement takes time, so county leaders can begin by regularly asking residents for opinions on small, everyday issues. They can nurture the habit of engagement by sharing how resident feedback impacts county decisions, and by using blogs and videos to help tell stories better."



2. County Websites are the Hub in the Wheel of Digital Government

For the third straight year, the vast majority of survey participants described their agency website as "integral to their overall communications and public service strategy," with 90 percent of county respondents deeming their websites as either "essential" or "important," compared to 96 percent of municipal respondents. "Our website is like a calling card for the county," said a county communications director from Arizona.

County officials are aware of the need to continue to evolve and improve their websites, however. Only 24 percent rated their agency website one of their most "highly effective" channels of communications, a number that was comparable to their municipal counterparts. The good news is nearly 3 times that many respondents (71%) believe their websites will be one of their most effective means of communicating with residents in 5 years. A widespread challenge is still evident as county participants rated how well their websites allow visitors to conduct business online. Only 9 percent gave their website an "outstanding" rating, while 17 percent said their website was "below average" or "poor." 3. Counties Are Slower to Embrace Social Media

Social media was a top area identified by county leaders for expansion or investment in 2017. Seventy-eight percent of county leaders said social media is impacting their operations today, compared to 90 percent for municipal respondents. A county IT developer from Arizona said, "Social media may be used less often by counties because we have fewer upcoming events and activities to promote. Cities provide services that are closer to home and of more immediate interest to local residents. Also, citizens probably identify themselves more with their city than their county and, as a result, they may follow their city more than their county on social media." "County leaders are aware that the relationship between citizens and government is evolving," Fruechting said. "The good news from this year's survey is that local leaders are increasingly aware of the innovative tools and technologies now available to help them improve residents' quality of life." For more information about Vision's transformative technology, or to request a free website review and consultation, please call 888-263-8847 or visit info.visioninternet.com/free-consultation. About Vision

Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., Vision is a national leader in government website design, development and hosting with more than 700 government, non-profit and education clients in U.S. and Canadian communities with populations that range from less than 1,000 residents to more than 5 million. For more than 20 years, Vision has created cost-effective solutions that increase government efficiency, build transparency and promote interactive communications with citizens. The company's powerful, easy-to-use subscription-based content management system, visionLive, keeps local government websites relevant and effective; and the new visionPulse community engagement platform enables local governments to gather feedback on important issues. For the second year in a row, Vision has been named to Government Technology magazine's GovTech 100, a listing of leading companies developing innovative or disruptive offerings to improve or transform government. The company also was named a top 10 company serving local government by Engaging Local Government Leaders in its 2016 ELGL Choice Awards. CONTACT:

Lynette Viviani

973-534-1004

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vision-kicks-off-national-county-government-month-with-new-ebook-on-whats-next-in-digital-gov-for-counties-300434841.html SOURCE Vision

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[April 05, 2017] Sword & Shield Enterprise Security Establishes Federal Division

WASHINGTON, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sword & Shield Enterprise Security, a leading national cybersecurity firm headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, celebrates the launch of their new federal division by announcing the opening of a new office in Washington to better service their federal customers. The opening of the new office, located at 1655 North Fort Myer Dr., Suite 700, Arlington, VA, coincides with a recent Bloomberg Government report recognizing Sword & Shield as the federal government's top insider threat vendor, with more than $531 million in total insider threat contract obligations for fiscal years 2012  2016. "Federal contracts have been a steady, growing aspect of our business for many years," said John McNeely, president and CEO of Sword & Shield Enterprise Security. "It is why the new division and the expansion into Washington was necessary. We're excited to have an official presence in our nation's capital and look forward to improving our current relationships and developing new federal partnerships." Sword & Shield Federal recently picked up two new federal contracts in 2016: NASA's SEWP V and The National Institute of Health's Commodities and Solutions (CIO-CS). Clients of Sword & Shield Federal include the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, NASA, the Veterans Administration, and Health and Human Services.



"Over the past 20 years, we have been fortunate enough to develop deep relationships with agency contracting and security communities who have looked to Sword & Shield to help solve their security problems," said Raymond Kahre, vice president, Sword & Shield Federal. "We have become great partners to both government and industry, and our new presence in Washington provides Sword & Shield Federal the space to collaborate in a more effective and engaging manner." To contact the Washington office, call 703-351-5245 or visit https://www.swordshieldfederal.com/.

About Sword & Shield Federal

A division of Sword & Shield Enterprise Security, Inc., Sword & Shield Federal holds two federal government contracts to provide technology solutions to federal agencies. Sword & Shield Federal blends an active and engaged community of partners with their own core cybersecurity intelligences to offer customers the right solutions to combat emerging threats. For more information, visit https://www.swordshieldfederal.com/. About Sword & Shield Enterprise Security

Protecting critical data for 20 years, Sword & Shield Enterprise Security, Inc. is a nationally recognized cybersecurity provider with solutions designed to meet the needs of a dynamic security and compliance landscape. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Sword & Shield specializes in security, risk and compliance assessment, managed security services, enterprise security consulting, security incident response and forensics, and technical solutions. Sword & Shield services a broad spectrum of industries, including healthcare, retail, legal, banking and finance, manufacturing, and the public sector. In 2016, Sword & Shield hosted the inaugural Edge Security Conference, EDGE2016, a world-class cybersecurity conference where complex business problems meet real world solutions. The second annual Edge Security Conference, EDGE2017, will take place on Oct. 17-18, 2017 at the Knoxville Convention Center. Early registration is available now through May 31, 2017. To learn more about EDGE2017 and to sign up, visit https://edgesecurityconference.com/. For more information about Sword & Shield Enterprise Security, visit https://www.swordshield.com/. MEDIA CONTACT:

Heather Ripley

Ripley PR

865-977-1973

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sword--shield-enterprise-security-establishes-federal-division-300434708.html SOURCE Sword & Shield Enterprise Security

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[April 05, 2017] Como Named as One of Top 10 Retail CRM Solution Providers by Retail CIO Outlook

NESS ZIONA, Israel, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Como (http://www.como.com), a global leader in the field of cloud-based customer management and loyalty solutions, has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Retail CRM Solution Providers of 2017 by Retail CIO Outlook magazine. "We take pride in honoring Como as one among the top 10 retail CRM providers of 2017," said Katie William, Managing Editor of Retail CIO Outlook magazine. "Como has been chosen for this award recognition based on Como Sense - an innovative and state-of-the-art customer engagement platform that makes it easy for businesses to delight their customers with personalized loyalty programs and rewards, while allowing them to collect valuable business data." "We are delighted to be recognized as one of the Top 10 CRM Retail Solution Providers by Retail CIO Outlook. This is further proof of the value that we bring to our global clients with Como Sense," said Liran Mayost, COO at Como. "This prestigious awrd drives us to continue helping our clients grow their businesses by engaging with their customers and raising both customer loyalty and brand awareness."



Going beyond just CRM, BI, or loyalty, Como Sense combines all these capabilities to provide retail and hospitality chains with all the customer management tools required to make the most of each and every customer relationship. To read the full article on Como's selection, please visit: Como Sense - The Swiss Army Knife for Happy Customers.

About Como Como has been a leader in customer engagement solutions since 2005. Its Como Sense solution expands the capabilities of the POS to help businesses maximize revenue per customer with a Swiss army knife of tools, including actionable business insights, personalized loyalty programs, and a branded mobile app. Papa John's, Burger King, Quiznos, and Coca-Cola are some of the major chains harnessing Como Sense to drive sales and build customer relationships. For more information, visit http://www.como.com. About Retail CIO Outlook Published from Fremont, California, Retail CIO Outlook is a technology magazine that provides information about new enterprise solutions that help technology and business leaders to achieve their business goals. A panel of experts and board members of Retail CIO Outlook magazine finalized the list of the Top 10 Retail CRM Solution Providers 2017 and shortlisted the best vendors and consultants in the Retail industry. For more information, visit http://www.retailciooutlook.com. Contact:

Roy Goldenberg, Communications Manager

(972)73-208-7073

[email protected]

SOURCE Como

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[April 05, 2017] DaDaABC, a Chinese EdTech Company, Offers Thousands of English Instructors a Home-Based Career

SAN FRANCISCO, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- There is no doubt that technology is positively impacting education, broadening access and fostering innovation and lowering costs. Now, new opportunities are emerging to also assist those who devote their time and talent to teaching by connecting people from all over the world and bringing English education innovation to the next generation of Chinese students. The EdTech Industry Leader DaDaABC, the leading EdTech company in China, provides unique online professional English training to K-12 Chinese students through its real-time English teaching platform, DaDaABC. Within five years of its launch, hundreds of thousands of students in China have enrolled on this platform to learn from instructors all over the world. As the first EdTech company to provide two-way interactive video classrooms through mobile devices, DaDaABC's platform allows students and instructors to connect and communicate anytime in any location through text messages, emojis, and drawings. DaDaABC believes that this intelligent platform provides more learning possibilities to children. In addition, unlike traditional English classroom methods, all classes on DaDaABC are one-on-one to encourage conversations between students and instructors, fostered by a pre-class questionnaire to match their personalities, interests, and habits, which boosts the outcome of study while enhancing both the learning and teaching experience. Instructor Benefits By being an offical partner with American TESOL Institute (ATI), DaDaABC offers online training courses for aspiring instructors worldwide to help such individuals become qualified ESL online English instructors. DaDaABC offers not only a working opportunity to English native speakers worldwide, but also passionate career for aspiring instructors to connect and help Chinese students in English learning.



DaDaABC instructors enjoy: (1) the convenience of connecting with the students any time anywhere; (2) receiving timely compensation; (3) accomplishment and great sense of achievement after the teaching experience; and (4) career development that enables the instructor to gain a valuable skill set and experience in online education area in today's ever-changing market. "We're happy to open up opportunities to instructors who are passionate about teaching the kids. Our goal not only is nurturing the kids through our EdTech philosophy, but we also aim to become a big family that connects our instructors from different backgrounds," said Hui Zhi, the founder and CEO of DaDaABC.

"This job has flexible hours and I particularly enjoy teaching students on a one-to-one basis," said Caroline, a DaDaABC instructor. "This makes me feel proud, successful, and makes me continue to work hard for the future. I like to think that this is not just a job, but a passion of mine. Thank you DaDaABC!" To become a DaDaABC instructor, please visit: https://www.dadaabc.com/teacher/job/ About DaDaABC Founded in 2013, DaDaABC is the most innovative English training institution in China, and was established to provide what has become one of China's most successful intelligent English learning platforms for children. Winner of over 15 awards and recognitions in 2016, DaDaABC developed a leading English training system focused on one-on-one online tutoring and encourage youngsters to learn and practice while having fun with instructors, and announced a total capital raising of 5000 million RMB in Series B and Series B+, which will be used in market expansion, curriculum development and learning experience improvement. DaDaABC has been helping students from mainland China, Hongkong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, France, Germany, and other non-English speaking countries. For more information, please visit www.dadaabc.com. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dadaabc-a-chinese-edtech-company-offers-thousands-of-english-instructors-a-home-based-career-300434918.html SOURCE DaDaABC

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
New Delhi, Apr 5 (IBNS): The Union Ministry of Finance announced on Wednesday that India and the UK have launched an Early Market Engagement for the joint UK-India Fund.

Named the Green Growth Equity Fund, it aims to leverage private sector investment from the City of London to invest in green infrastructure projects in India.



India and UK governments reaffirmed their commitment to anchor invest up to 120 million each (i.e. totally  240 million) in the joint fund, which will be established under the NIIF framework.

To begin with, the Ministry said, the fund aims to raise around 500 million, with the potential to unlock much more in future.

TThe announcement was made at a bilateral meeting between India's Minister of Finance, Defence and Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley, and UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer and MP, Philip Hammond, in New Delhi, on Tuesday.

Both Finance Ministers announced that initial investments will focus on Indias rapidly growing green energy and renewable market and that a Fund Manager is expected to be selected in the next few months.

Progress will be accelerated through early market engagement via the publication of a blueprint, with the aim to identify additional and complementary sectors for fund investments, the Ministry said in its release.

Image: PIB
[April 05, 2017] MediaPro Announces New GDPR Privacy Awareness Solutions to Address European Union's GDPR

BOTHELL, Wash., April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today MediaPro launched an industry-first General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR) Privacy Awareness Solution, directly helping companies to comply with one of the most significant data privacy regulatory updates in recent years. The EU's GDPR, which will go into effect May 2018, affects any company that handles the personal data of EU citizens, whether at an expense or for free. Violation of key GDPR provisions could result in fines of up to 4% of a company's global annual turnover. "Articles 37 and 43 of the regulation require privacy awareness training but are painfully short on details as to what that entails. That's where MediaPro can help," MediaPro Managing Director Steve Conrad said. "It's imperative companies invest in training now, rather than risk millions of dollars' worth of fines for failing to comply." Based on a late 2016 survey from Dell, a whopping 97 percent of companies had no plan in place to comply with the GDPR. MediaPro's GDPR Privacy Awareness Solution was developed to help alleviate this problem, providing companies who will be affected by the GDPR with a plan enabling them to educate their employees on proper company data protection practices. Informed by more than two decades of experience in adult learning and education, MediaPro offers four program levels, aligned wit industry standards like the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework, serving companies of all sizes and maturity levels. The GDPR Privacy Awareness Solution makes it easy for organizations and companies to deploy a program to analyze risks, build a plan for improvement, and offer training and reinforcement unique to each company's risks and needs, all of which are critical to complying with the GDPR.



"Proper training and education of your employees shouldn't be taken lightly, and we're thrilled to see a focus on privacy awareness training appear in the GDPR," said Tom Pendergast, MediaPro's Chief Strategist for Security, Privacy, and Compliance. "The sooner a company can implement a robust privacy awareness program aligned with the GDPR, the better prepared they'll be to handle the regulations." To learn more about MediaPro's GDPR Privacy Awareness Solution, delivered via the SaaS-based Adaptive Awareness Portal, visit us at www.mediapro.com/GDPR-privacy-awareness, or stop by booth #21 at the IAPP Global Privacy Summit, taking place in Washington, D.C. from April 19-20.

About MediaPro MediaPro, headquartered in Bothell, Washington, works with many Fortune 500 companies and mid-sized businesses to diminish the human-based security threat through adaptive training and reinforcement programs. Over the past two decades, MediaPro has won hundreds of industry awards and is recognized by Gartner as a leader in the Magic Quadrant for Security Awareness Training Vendors. For more information, please visit www.mediapro.com, or follow MediaPro on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mediapro-announces-new-gdpr-privacy-awareness-solutions-to-address-european-unions-gdpr-300434458.html SOURCE MediaPro

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Election day information: voting times, polling centers and races

Residents will have their final chance to cast votes in local races on Nov. 8, including seats on both the NLCS and MCS boards and Sheriff.
Bangalore, Apr 5 (IBNS): Infosys has been evaluated as a Leader in Big Data & Analytics services in the overall market segment in NelsonHall's Vendor Evaluation & Assessment Tool (NEAT) report.

Infosys has been recognized for its ability to meet future client requirements, drive innovation and delivery capabilities in data and analytics services.

NEAT evaluated 13 vendors across the two parameters of ability to deliver immediate benefit and ability meet client future requirements.

According to the report, analytics, together with automation and artificial intelligence, are key for Infosys and the company has been supporting its analytics strategy with acquisitions such as Noah Consulting and other technology investments in platforms such as Waterline Data Science and Trifacta. The company has also accelerated its investments in the Infosys Information Platform, software products and digital, including big data and services.

Dominique Raviart, NelsonHalls IT Services Research Director, said, Infosys invested ahead of the curve with its Infosys Information Platform to integrate a wide range of software products and open source software used for big data needs. It now has among the highest number of clients in the industry. The company has accelerated its investment in software products and digital, including big data and services acquisitions. This will provide high visibility for Infosys in analytics over the next years, and Infosys will continue to invest strongly in this area.




New Delhi, Apr 5 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid homage to Dalit leader Babu Jagjivan Ram on his birth anniversary.

Remembering the leader, Modi tweeted: "Remembering Babu Jagjivan Ram on his birth anniversary. His service to India & struggles for the rights of the marginalised always inspire."

Ram was an Indian independence activist and politician from Bihar.

He belonged to the Chamar caste and was a leader of the Dalit community.

He was instrumental in foundation of the All-India Depressed Classes League, an organisation dedicated to attaining equality for untouchables, in 1935 and was elected to Bihar Legislative Assembly in 1937, after which he organised the rural labour movement.

Ram had served as the Deputy Prime Minister of India from 1977 to 79.
Srinagar, Apr 5 (IBNS) : The Jammu and Kashmir Police have started a massive drive to arrest those allegedly involved in online hate-campaign against Government officials, especially the police officers who are at the forefront of crackdown on protesters.

On Tuesday, police launched its first-ever major crackdown on cyberspace in the Valley, fuelling anxiety among internet users.

Following the reports that some miscreants are misusing the cyber space, the police department has activated its technical cells across the state to monitor such activities on social media, a spokesman of J & K police said on Wednesday.

According to him, some miscreants who threatened these professionals and Government functionaries through their posts and uploads have already been arrested and brought to several police stations in the city, including Pantha Chowk, Zakoora and the Chanapora post.

A crackdown has also been initiated against internet users after some online users uploaded a video of a Station House Officerr (SHO) who, stopped an ambulance carrying the body of a youth, killed near the encounter site in Budgam on March 28.

(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)
Community radio music directors often have an encyclopedic knowledge of local music and an insatiable thirst to keep their ears ahead of the curve. So in this Tone Deaf series, the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (Amrap) invites music directors to highlight new Aussie tunes that you might have missed.

In this edition, Amelia Jenner from FBi Radio in Sydney contributes with a selection of tracks currently making their way to community radio through Amraps music distribution service AirIt.

Check out Amelias selections below and if youre a musician you can apply here to have your music distributed for free to community radio on Amraps AirIt.

Neighbourhood Void  All Strung Out

Neighbourhood Voids debut album Childhood Trauma is punk at its most brutally honest. All Strung Out is one of the standout tracks from release. The album absolutely floored me the first time I heard it. Ive listened to it almost daily since its release back in February and I still continue to be floored by it. Please listen to this!

Gauci  Hurry

Gauci is a new-ish trio made up of Felix Lush (of Felix Lush & Publique) alongside siblings Antonia Gauci (Producer/Engineer) and David Gauci (of Las Vagueness & Death Bells). So far Hurry is their only single, but damn its good! I guess they didnt heed their own advice and hurry out with another track but hey, I reckon it will be worth the wait given how strong their debut is. Gauci, in their own words, are like Neapolitan ice-cream, but more punk. Id have to agree.

Statue  Monument

Tom Gould is one talented guy. As a member of Melbournes No Zu and Worlds End Press hes demonstrated his aptitude behind the tubs. This really comes through in the music he produces as Statue. His Monument EP released late last year is 10% percussion and 90% humidity. Put this on and try not to sweat, I dare you. Also, the Moscoman remix? YIKES!

Rebel Yell  Take Away

The pulsating rhythm of Take Away is sound your heart makes at a rave. My palms are sweating just thinking about it.

Grace Stevensons debut EP under the guise of Rebel Yell (she is also in Bris band 100%) is a journey through the pulsating techno tunnels of the underground. Let Rebel Yell be your tour guide. She knows these parts well.

Casii Williams  How Can I Live

I have to admit, I hadnt heard much about the Desert Divas program until this track made its way into my inbox a few weeks ago. I was trying to have a conversation with someone while this song was playing in the background but Casii stopped us both in our tracks. It was too powerful to wash away into the background. Wait for the drums to hit at 1.35  Mmmm My only gripe with this track is I want another minute!

How Can I Live is one of the standout tracks from Desert Divas Volume II, a fabulous compilation which celebrates the talent from remote communities in the Northern Territory. The Desert Divas program is a unique partnership offering support for Aboriginal women to develop their song-writing skills, learn about all aspects of the music industry and provides a platform to share their individual stories.

Divide and Dissolve  Black Is Beautiful

Black Is Beautiful is the sparse drone-like opener on Divide and Dissolves new album Basic. The album Divide and Dissolve have crafted is anything but basic. Its guttural, primal, distorted but most of all its important.

The Australian neoclassical ambient doom duo, Divide and Dissolve stand firmly for the decolonization of all spaces, and the eradication of white supremacy. If you engage with one album this week, make it this one.
Only a year after winning office and despite confidence before the vote . . .Mainstream media might mention Target bathroom policy debate or the councilman's other Conservative positions . . . But the fact is, he picked a fight with an old school lady power player who had far more neighborhood connections and the blood feud claimed his fledgling career as an elected official.This is a setback for Mr. Moreno in a political career that has captivated many across the metro and now stands at a crossroads.Developing . . .
Yes - 59.89%

No - 40.11%

Tonight Kansas City voters approved a citywide one-eighth-cent sales tax to be used solely for economic development along the Prospect Corridor.The Central City Economic Development Initiative passed this way:Expect more fighting over this one when it comes to how this cash is going to be divided up given a great deal of vague deets.Nevertheless, it's another sign that highly motivated activists won the day for a measure that was universally derided by old school mainstream media pundits and politicos.Developing . . .
Tragic murder investigations continue to unfold . . .Media slipped and quoted skull ID earlier in their coverage, now they're dialing back their statements as authorities seem to be making a case . . .Meanwhile, mentions of a connection to. . .Developing . . .
Kansas City Flooding Tonight

First Alert: Flood watch in effect until Wednesday night Parts of the Kansas City metro might see over 2 inches of rain over the next several hours. A Flood Watch is in effect from midnight until 6 p.m. KMBC's First Alert meteorologists said most of us will see between 1 to 2 inches of rain, but there could be a few spots that see over 2 inches.

Cowtown Cars Stay Losing

March is a bad month for sales of KC-made autos - Kansas City Business Journal Two of the three vehicles manufactured in the Kansas City area saw dramatic declines in March sales compared to a year ago. The Chevrolet Malibu saw the biggest decline in March, dropping 35.5 percent to 14,222. Despite that poor showing in March, the Malibu remains the sixth-best-selling vehicle for General Motors.

Say Goodbye To Broke-Ass Shoes

Payless seeks bankruptcy court protection, 400 stores to close CLOSE Discount footwear chain Payless ShoeSource sought bankruptcy court protection Tuesday, announcing it will close 400 stores under a reorganization plan designed to shed debt, get new capital and boost e-commerce efforts.

Show-Me Fed Money Wasted

State auditor: Missouri misspends a small portion of federal money Of the $8.4 billion in federal money Missouri saw last fiscal year, a small portion of that was spent in a questionable fashion, Auditor Nicole Galloway said Tuesday. Her audit focused mostly on oversights concerning Medicaid and child care programs through the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Social Services.

Kansas Campus Carry Chat Squashed



Kansas House Denies Concealed Carry Debate Members of the Kansas House on Tuesday shot down a proposal to debate whether to allow concealed firearms on college campuses. A motion by the chamber's top Democrat would have forced the House to consider a bill regarding out-of-state concealed carry licenses.

Urban Core Run-In Aftermath

Vehicle crashes into furniture store at Prospect and Truman KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Police are on the scene of a crash Monday afternoon in which an SUV drove into a building. Emergency crews responded to Prospect and Truman, where a red Ford Edge crashed into a store front. Police said the crash happened after a carjacking at 72nd and Cleveland around 3:30 p.m.

Tragic Backstory Amid Skull Discovery

5 things to know about the 2007 disappearance of Kara Kopetsky KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The mystery surrounding the disappearance Kara Kopetsky spans a decade. Kara's mom hasn't seen her since she left for school on May 4, 2007 Kara Kopetsky's mother, Rhonda said she last saw Kara the morning of May 4, 2007. Kara was walking to school.

Encouraging Signs For Hurt Officer

IPD: Officer Wagstaff still critical, but showing "optimistic signs" IPD: Officer Wagstaff still critical, but showing "optimistic signs" Police Chief Brad Halsey says your prayers are still needed The Independence Police Department says injured officer Tom Wagstaff is still in critical condition, however there have been "optimistic signs." "There have been optimistic signs today but he still has a long road ahead," wrote Police Chief Brad Halsey.

Celebrate Dead Tree Media Journalism Excellence Minus Decapitation Deets

The Star's coverage of the Verruckt tragedy earns investigative journalism award A nonprofit dedicated to advancing investigative journalism awarded The Kansas City Star a top honor for its coverage following the death of 10-year-old Caleb Schwab on a Kansas water slide last summer. Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) recognized The Star in its "investigations triggered by breaking news" category for 2016.

Old School Sound Coming Soon

The Violent Femmes coming to Crossroads KC this summer with Echo and the Bunnymen There are bands that don't age well, and there are acts whose sound and feel are timeless. Count the Violent Femmes among the latter: Its debut record, alm...

So, they're blaming the rain forand these Kansas City news links start our evening link look with inspiration from Jodie Gasson and Jess Davies in the tub . . .And this is thefor right now . . .
New Delhi, Apr 5 (IBNS) : A day after waiving loans for farmers, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath received support from an unlikely person as Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the step "is in right direction."

" The Yogi Adityanath Government's waiver of farmer loans in Uttar Pradesh is partial, but "a step in the right direction," Gandhi said in a series of tweets.

The Congress leader also urged the arch rival BJP-ruling both Uttar Pradesh and the Centre, to "not discriminate amongst states".

At the first cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Adityanath announced waiver of loans of less than one lakh taken by small and marginal farmers.

The amount of the total loans waived by the Government stands at Rs. 62,000 crore.

Before the UP elections, BJP had promised waiver of farm loans as did the Congress.
Law firms, consultants, construction dudes and a litany of local pezzonovante can now claim their piece of property taxes paid by po'folk and the working class for "infrastructure improvements" that are mostly a matter of faith. History tells us that very few of these big promises will ever materialize.

Kansas City Grassroots Advocacy Works!!!

Freedom, Inc. Led Question 4 Coalition To Win New Hope For Prospect Corridor

Council Lady Teresa Loar Deserves Question 3 Animal Shelter Accolades

Kansas City Marijuana Reform Advocates Scored The Greatest Election Victory!!!

KANSAS CITY WEED SMOKERS AND SUPPORTERS EARNED THE BIGGEST ELECTION MARGIN OF VICTORY!!!

Tax Fighter Crosby Kemper III Might Have Cried Himself To Sleep Last Night On A Huge Pillow Stuffed With $100 Bills

THERE WAS NO ORGANIZED OPPOSITION AGAINST GO BOND QUESTIONS 1-2-3!!!

Tracy Thomas Tried Her Best!!!

Welcome To Brave New World Of Even Worse Kansas City Water Bills

More than anything else, last night's vote was a test of Mayor Sly's ability to champion regressive taxes utilizing his. Like it or not, the victory was impressive.But the reality beyond the chatter of clueless and cowardly pundits is that last night's election victory was mostly an achievement for Kansas City's corporate ruling class.Still, there's no point in being pessimistic and right now it's appropriate to celebrate the victories.Check the big winners . . .We noted as much last month:. It shouldn't have been any surprise to our blog community that Questions 3, 4 & 5 earned approval from voters given so many locals have been committed to these causes for the long haul. Activists for these measures deserve high praise for their commitment which spans years.Whilst Mayor Sly & crew spent big money for their win, Question 4 supporters risked only about $17000 for an unprecedented victory most thought wasn't achievable. They even had to fight Council rep, Alissia Canady to finally earn her support along with votes from throughout the suburban neighborhoods to help spark development for the inner-city.Behind the scenes,helped focus pet lovers in their efforts for a new shelter. The hottie blondefrom the KC Pet Project is getting all the press and she deserves it because of her enthusiasm and because she had to entertain the creepy on-air flirtations of Johnny Dare via radio interview . . . However, if we're talking about legislation and "herding cats" when it comes to actually helping to put an ordinance together . . . Council lady. Her reward for all this effort is even more work because now she'll have to fight the City Manager's office to get the funds that were promised but not specially mandated by dollar amount for the new shelter.This deserves to be highlighted . . .We can talk about power players and influence peddlers all day . . . But the people of Kansas City want their weed without the threat of much police interference.The newspaper "reporting" and old school campaign against this effort was deceptive and cynical. The reality is that Question 5 advocates represent the first step toward local marijuana legalization and their cause was more popular than any other on the ballot.Now . . . We must commiserate with those Kansas City metro denizens on the losing side of the vote . . .Here's another thing we need to get straight for causal denizens of our local Democracy and those who overestimate their influence.To wit . . .No yard signs, no official commercials, no campaign HQ and not even much of a bank account against an election push worthCrosby Kemper III and his Show-Me Institute homies deserve the blame for this tragic state of tax fighter campaign affairs that's mostly due to the fact that Mr. Kemper doesn't like getting his hands dirty with the grunt work and ethically ambiguous duties of a municipal campaign. Polite chatter at the library is great but walking dangerous neighborhoods, getting doors slammed in your face and suffering the threats and rebuke of the unwashed masses has never been the strong suit of the library honcho despiteTo be fair . . . It's very nice of him to let the hobos hang out in the Library all day.But I digress . . .Because we can't expect his employees and underlings (read: everyone) to inform Crosby III of the facts . . . Let's make it plain . . . Polite conversation and British voice-over documentaries aren't going to win Kansas City elections. And if the effete Conservative denizens of Kansas City don't have the guts to run athen they deserve to lose every local vote.KC doesn't have a Donald Trump and that means local tax fighters are going to have to work harder to make sure their voices are heard now that Mayor Sly's tax & spend agenda is picking up momentum.Speaking of . . .Our blog community loves Tracy Thomas and she's one of the few locals willing to put her money where her mouth is and stand up against higher taxes. Her bloggy campaign effort and radio blitz wasn't successful but that doesn't mean it wasn't courageous.Once again, lower income residents are the biggest losers in the aftermath of an election to raise their cost of living even higher. KCMO taxes and fees continually rise and nothing that happened last night will alleviate the water bill crisis that continues to drown the working poor and Kansas City in worsening debt.As always, we invite our readers to participate in this post-election goodness and considerfor the future.You decide . . .
"DESTE Prize: An Anniversary Exhibition, 1999-2015" will display works by all nine recipients of the prize so far

An exhibition marking the 18th anniversary of the biennial DESTE Prize, first established in 1999 to showcase Greece's emerging new artists, will be inaugurated at the Museum of Cycladic Art on Wednesday.

Entitled "DESTE Prize: An Anniversary Exhibition, 1999-2015" it will display works by all nine recipients of the prize so far, which are shown together for the first time.

This collaboration between the DESTE Foundation and the Museum of Cycladic Art forms part of the latter's Young Views program that aims to engage a younger audience, bring the public up-to-date with developments in contemporary cultural production, and provide a dynamic platform for the exchange of ideas on contemporary artistic creation.

"The DESTE Prizes and their operation all these years have given us the opportunity to become acquainted with alternating and continued generations of Greek artists, who in recent years have given us answers on how we can deal with the difficulties of the much-discussed crisis that plagues our country. And all of this through a process of dialogue with the international scene, which is at the core of the prize," said Giorgos Tzirtzilakis, a professor at Thessaly University architecture department and artistic advisor of the DESTE Foundation, during a press conference held in the Cycladic Art Museum on Wednesday.

Earlier, the head of the DESTE Foundation Dakis Ioannou had addressed the press conference and thanked the Museum of Cycladic Art for its cooperation, as well as the 60-odd artists that entered the DESTE Prize competitions over the years and the judges on the selection committees.

"The DESTE prizes, since 1999, showcase all that is most modern in what domestic artistic creation has to offer, supporting young Greek and Cypriot artists," said Sandra Marinopoulou, president of the N. P. Goulandris Foundation - Museum of Cycladic Art.

The artists participating in the exhibition are: Loukia Alavanou, Anastasia Douka, Eirene Efstathiou, Christodoulos Panayiotou, Maria Papadimitriou, Angelo Plessas, Georgia Sagri, Kostas Sahpazis, and Panayota Tzamourani.

The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual catalogue (Greek/English) that honors everyone who has contributed to the prize over the past eighteen years. Established in 1999, the DESTE Prize is awarded once every two years to a Greek or Cypriot artist living in Greece or abroad.

The exhibition will run from April 6 until September 17 and the entrance fee is 3.5 euros. For information on museum opening hours and other information visit the website www.cycladic.gr.

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 European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, Pierre Moscovici revealed that a high-level meeting would take place in Brussels, later Monday, with Greece on the agenda. Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg on the Greek issue, Mr. Moscovici informed the MEPs that the meeting aimed at bridging the current differences between Greece and its creditors to wrap up talks on the second Greek review and avert a debacle during Fridays EuroGroup meeting in Malta. The French politician pointed out that the issues stalling a final agreement were the energy, the labour matters and the fiscal package that would permit the IMF to participate in the bailout program.

The program is reaching its end and we must think of what will happen after 2018. The goal is a balanced package, he told the MEPs. He added that the EC supported collective bargaining and that Greece should uphold best practices like mass layoffs and unions. Meanwhile, the absence of EuroGroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who had been invited to participate in the discussion, caused the outrage of European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, who criticised the head of the EuroGroup for not showing up.

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
Following Akincis meeting with Guterres, the Turkish Cypriot leader will meet with EU Commission President Jean Claude Juncker on Wednesday

Cyprus talks will be restarting on April 11, the UN announced on Tuesday night, following the intervention of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Radio Proto reported on Wednesday.

In Brussels, Guterres meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci - who walked out of negotiations in mid-February - proved to be decisive as the two discussed the latest developments in the Cyprus problem, and the prospects of settling the problem.

Following Akincis meeting with Guterres, the Turkish Cypriot leader will meet with EU Commission President Jean Claude Juncker on Wednesday.

According to sources the Secretary General had to exercise pressure on Akinci, telling him that he needs to return to the negotiating table, in order to win the understanding of the international community and for the Turkish Cypriot side to not be held responsible for not restarting the negotiating process.

The UN Secretary Generals Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide announced the restart of the Cyprus talks on his Twitter account on Tuesday.

Radio Proto reported that ahead of the decision to restart talks, President Nicos Anastasiades spoke with the heads of the DISY and AKEL parties, Averof Neophytou and Andros Kyprianou, respectively, to ensure that on Fridays session of parliament their parties would support an amended bill on a previous bill passed regarding school holidays and the enosis referendum of 1950.

The parliaments bill

The President then spoke with the UN envoy to inform him that the issue with the parliaments bill will be closed on Friday.

On his part, Eide then informed Akinci and Ankara about the reassurances he received from the president.

After meeting with the UN Secretary General, Akinci said that the developments over the next few days will judged whether or not there will be a restart of talks on April 11, highlighting the importance of the parliaments decision on Friday, which he continues to hold as a precondition to restart talks.

President Anastasiades has expressed his satisfaction for the restart of the negotiations.

He also said that he hopes both sides can involve themselves with a productive dialogue, with proposals, which will not distance themselves from the EU acquis, and will be centred on the best interests of both communities.

The President added that through consultations with Eide after the dinner on Sunday the issue was clear up and there is no issue of preconditions.

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
Christodoulides will have a series of meetings including a working breakfast with Michael Oren, Deputy Minister for Diplomacy

Government spokesperson Nikos Christodoulides will hold a series of meetings with officials of the Israeli government, this week, according to an announcement from the press and information office on Tuesday.

Following his arrival in Israel today, the spokesperson will hold a round table discussion with Israeli journalists. In the evening he will attend a working dinner with the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yuval Rotem.

Tomorrow, Christodoulides will have a series of meetings including a working breakfast with Michael Oren, Deputy Minister for Diplomacy in the Office of the Prime Minister.

On April 6, he will meet with the Israeli Minister of Defence Avigdor Lieberman and later on he will attend a working lunch with the Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Alon Ushpiz. He will then hold discussions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Christodoulides will subsequently meet with Yuval Steinitz, Israels Minister of Energy. In the afternoon, he will be received by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem.

The spokesperson will then meet with Yoav Horrowitz, Chief of Staff of the Prime Ministers Office and with Jonathan Schachter, Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister.

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
Democrats in Montana have opposed a bill banning the use of foreign law in its state courts on the grounds that such legislation would target Muslims.

Senate Bill 97, introduced by Keith Regier (R-Kalispell) bans the application of foreign law in Montanas courts, with the debate particularly focused on Sharia Law, a form of Islamic law typically used in the Middle East.

Although the bill passed on party lines by 56-44, Democrats claimed it was designed to target Muslim communities.

I think it sends a dangerous message to minority groups both here living in our state and wanting to come visit our state, just merely on the fact that you may be different, said Rep. Shane Morigeau, D-Missoula, while debating the bill. I truly believe this law is repugnant. I believe this is not who we are as Montanans.

Meanwhile, Rep. Ellie Hill Smith (D-Missoula) proposed a failed amendment to the bill to include a ban on both Sharia Law and the Law of Moses, in order to show the state of Montana that it is not just about Islamic Law.

The courts have said that laws that single out certain religions violate the First Amendment, Smith said, claiming that it was peppered with anti-Muslim bigotry.

Another Democrat, Rep. Laurie Bishop (D-Livingston) urged legislators not to forget the roots of this bill, adding that our children are watching.

Meanwhile, Rep. Brad Tschida (R-Missoula) said the bill was an attempt to push back against a constitution [that] is constantly under assault.

Bills specifically targeting Sharia Law have passed in states such as North Carolina, Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, South Dakota, and Tennessee. The bill will now be passed on to Gov. Steve Bullock (D) for signature or veto.

Source: breitbart.com

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
UAEs Ministry of Finance (MoF) has signed an agreement for the protection and promotion of investment with Angola, at the Ministrys premises in Dubai, UAE.



The agreement comes in line with the Ministrys strategy to expand its network of international relations and protect investments abroad.



The agreement was signed by Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs; and Abrahao Pio dos Santos, Minister of Economy of Angola, in the presence of Younis Haji Al Khoori, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance.



Al Tayer said: The agreement will work on protecting UAE investments from any non-commercial risk that may influence their performance, or any risks related to the transfer of profits and revenues in the conversion of currency. The agreement also specifies special conditions to grant UAE investors with fair and immediate compensation in the case of expropriation of investments based on their market value. A move which will help boost investment activities between the two countries and increase movement of capital.



MoF signed more than67 agreements for the encouragement and protection of investments with countries across the world. These agreements provide a legal framework for tax authorities to practice cross-border cooperation without violating the sovereignty of other states or the rights of taxpayers.  TradeArabia News Service
Russia and Iran have signed a 1.2-billion ($1.28 billion) contract for the electrification a key railway line in Iran, a report said.



Russian Railways' export business RZD International and Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (IRIR) signed the contract for the electrification of the 495-km route from Garmsar, Semnan Province on the TehranMashhad main line to Incheh-Borun on the border with Turkmenistan, said the Iran Daily report.



The scope of the work includes 25 kV 50 Hz electrification and track, signalling and telecommunications enhancement to increase capacity on the route.



It also covers the supply of maintenance vehicles and electric locomotives as well as the provision of technical assistance during the first year of electric operation, the report said.



The work is expected to take four years, and will start as soon as the governments have finalised a 1-billion Russian loan for the project.
Mueller Middle East has begun construction on the first regional copper tube manufacturing facility in Bahrain which is set to open next year.



Mueller Middle East is a joint venture between Bahrain's investment arm Mumtalakat Holding Company and GCC-based industrial projects developer and investor Cayan Ventures along with Mueller Industries, a leading global manufacturer and distributor of flow control and industrial products,

The new facility, which will come up at the Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP), will produce commercial copper tubes to serve regional air-conditioning and refrigeration original equipment manufacturers, said a statement from Mueller Industries.



Mueller Industries is the latest international company to sign a lease to establish a production facility in the Bahrain International Investment Park (BIIP).



When it commences production in January 2018, Meuller will be one of over 80 companies serving GCC and international markets from this strategic location. Bank ABC is the funding partner for the joint venture, said the statement.



As part of the joint venture, Mueller Industries is localising the technology and know-how of the production facility.



Once the project gets completed, it will help address the increasing demand for quality copper tubes in the GCC market, besides creating over 200 jobs, it added.



Welcoming the investment, Zayed R Alzayani, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Tourism, said: "This important investment, supported by Mumtalakat, represents a vote of confidence in Bahrain and BIIP as a highly competitive location from which to service regional and international markets."



Commenting on the new venture, Mahmood H Alkooheji, the chief executive of Mumtalakat, said: "It gives us great pleasure to see our partnership with Mueller Industries and Cayan Industrial Projects materialise. This investment is part of Mumtalakats continued efforts to partner with prominent international businesses which seek to expand their presence to the GCC through a platform in Bahrain."



Mumtalakat, he stated, was committed to further developing the kingdoms non-oil sectors.



"Such investments are key to the continued development of our economy as the resulting technology, knowledge transfer and job creation will enhance productivity. Further, the copper tube mill will boost exports from the industrial sector, which currently accounts for 20 per cent of Bahrains GDP (gross domestic product)," he said while speaking at the signing ceremony held recently.



Mueller Middle East CEO Ed Manning said: "We are excited about this new industrial business in Bahrain, a great example of collaboration between international and local shareholders. We very much look forward to making a long term contribution to the local economy."



Jonathan Robinson, the group head of Wholesale Banking at Bank ABC, said: "We are delighted with the successful closing of this landmark transaction, the first of its kind in the Gulf region, and with the opportunity to support the investment of our close relationships with Mueller Middle East, Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, and Cayan."



Bank ABC pointed out that it remains committed to supporting trade and investment flows across its global network, with a strong product suite targeted towards key clients.



"This facility will represent a significant contributor towards the Bahrain economy and we look forward to celebrating the commencement of production in early 2018," he noted.



Legal advisors for Mueller Middle East were Meysan Partners AT and Legal advisors for Bank ABC were Baker & McKenzie (Bahrain).-TradeArabia News Service
Eng Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Minister of Economy, held several bilateral meetings discussing trade and economic ties with senior officials from around the world on the sidelines of the ongoing 7th annual Investment Meeting (AIM 2017) in Dubai, UAE.



The event opened yesterday (April 2) and will conclude tomorrow (April 4), at the Dubai World Trade Centre.



The prominent figures he met included Rustam Minnikhanov, President of Tatarstan, as well as the ministers of economy, foreign trade and industry of Moldova, Costa Rica and Panama.



Among the UAEs representatives were Ministry of Economy officials Abdullah Al Saleh, undersecretary for foreign trade and Industry; Abdullah Sultan Al Fan, assistant undersecretary for industry affairs, and other senior officials and advisors.



During the meetings, Eng Al Mansoori emphasised the UAE's commitment to deepening economic and trade ties with the various countries of the world, citing the UAEs policy of economic openness policies and its ongoing efforts exerted to further diversify the economy and attract quality investments that add value to the national economy and drive the states vision of transforming into a diversified and sustainable knowledge-based economy, said a statement.



In his talks with President Minnikhanov, Eng Al Mansoori explored ways to bring their current economic and trade relations to higher levels reflecting the mutual goals of their countries and their full capabilities, it said.



The two sides emphasised the importance of enhancing their exchange of visits and economic delegations and their participation in economic events organized by the two parties, due to the direct impact of these activities in enhancing communications between their respective business communities, it added.



They also agreed to take a closer look at the major incentives, facilities and investment opportunities their countries offer.



For his part, President Minnikhanov emphasised his country's keenness to advance economic and trade cooperation with the UAE and explore potential bilateral economic and investment partnerships between the public and private sectors to serve their mutual interests.



Al Mansoori also met with Moldova's Vice-Premier and Minister of Economy, Octavian Kalmyk, to discuss prospects for cooperation and ways to explore promising business opportunities in their respective markets. Talks centred on sectors prioritised under the economic agendas of both countries, such as infrastructure, agricultural products, food, and information and communication technologies.



The meeting also followed up to the results of the fruitful visit of a UAE delegation to Moldova at the beginning of this year. Attendees touched on the outcomes of the agreement on a number of steps for further advancing cooperation. These strategic actions include the signing agreements for encouraging and protecting investments, avoiding double taxation, forging a technical and economic cooperation agreement, and extending direct flights between the two countries, the last of which will have a great impact in promoting trade and tourism exchange, said a statement.



Eng Al Mansoori also spoke with Alexander Mora, Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica. They focused on several areas of mutual interest, most notably agriculture, aviation, tourism and infrastructure. The two sides emphasized the importance of exchanging visits at the governmental and private levels to learn about the most important opportunities for establishing partnerships between their business communities, it said.



During the meeting with Augusto Arosemena Moreno, Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Panama, on the other hand, the two sides underscored the availability of numerous investment opportunities particularly in logistics, aviation and tourism which can advance economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
New Delhi, Apr 5 (IBNS) : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday told parliament that the recent attacks on African students in Greater Noida were "criminal acts", but rebuffed the accusation by African envoys, saying they can not be called "racial."

"I was surprised to see the charge that India is a xenophobic country," Swaraj said while making a statement in the Lok Sabha.

"It is wrong to say racial attack since this was done by an angry mob... Indians have also died in African nations, we didn't allege racial attacks?"

Her statement came in response to the statement issued by a group of African envoys describing the attacks as "xenophobic and racial".

In one of the series of incidents, four Nigerian students were severely bashed up by an angry mob that was out on street to protest the death of a teenager following overdose of drugs, which the local residents alleged was the result of "bad influence" by the Africans residing and studying in the Greater Noida area.

In another incident a Kenyan woman was pulled out of a vehicle and beaten up.

Reacting to the incidents, the African envoys also accused the Indian Government of not taking enough action against the guilty and threatened to take up the matter with the United Nations.

"However, Swaraj said that six people have already been arrested in connection with the violence. " Is that not signs we are taking action?," she asked.

"They want to go to the UN Human Rights Council, we have all human rights institutions, a free press, judiciary..."Ms Swaraj said.

On Monday, the External Affairs Ministry, had said in a statement, "It is unfortunate that a criminal act triggered following the untimely death of a young Indian student under suspicious circumstances has been termed as xenophobic and racial."
The Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) Awards Gala, held yesterday (April 4) in Dubai, honoured investment promotion agencies from across the world for their outstanding work in driving investment into their countries.



The ceremony was held as part of the AIM 2017 at Armani Pavilion, Armani Hotel Dubai, Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE.



The event was graced by Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Economy; Dr Mohammed Al Zarooni, director General Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (Dafza); Mohamed Juma Al Musharrkh, director of Invest in Sharjah; Dr Douglas van den Berghe, CEO of Investment Consulting Associates and Dawood Al Shezawi, CEO of AIM organising committee.



With a wide group of international guests  top executives in charge of investment decisions related to participating countries and top management and entrepreneurs from leading international companies  the award gala recognises the contribution of the professional and advisory service firms, individuals and agencies in supporting foreign direct investment (FDI), said a statement.



Al Shezawi said: FDI plays a huge role in supporting growth across all parts of the world and is a significant contributor to net job creation.



As such, it is time that we celebrate the achievements of these companies who attract sizeable and beneficial FDI that contribute to the economic growth and development of world markets, he said.



In the seventh year of the Annual Investment Awards Gala, the organisers of the show have expanded the concept of the Awards to recognise the rapidly-growing expansion of companies across varied regions.



As such, the winning companies were announced from all nine participating regions. Moroccan Investment Development Agency (Groupe PSA), Kingdom of Morocco, was honoured as the winner for its best investment project in 2016 in the Middle East and North Africa region.



In addition, Argentine Republic, Agencia Argentina de Inversiones y Comercio Internacional (Renova) was awarded from the Latin America and the Caribbean region.



Republic of Ghana, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, from the West and Central Africa was also recognised for its enduring efforts.



Furthermore, Kenya, Kenya Investment Authority-KenInvest from East Africa, Republic of Mauritius, Board of Investment Mauritius from Southern Africa, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Ministry of Commerce and Industries (The Alokozay Group of Companies (AGC) from Central Asia, Republic of India (BRS Venture Holdings & Limited), Invest India from South, East Asia and Oceania, Slovak Republic, Sario (Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency); (Jaguar Land Rover) from Central, Eastern Europe and Turkey and Kingdom of Belgium, Flanders Investment & Trade (Sanofi) from Europe were honoured and awarded for their exceptional efforts in boosting foreign direct investments (FDI) to their countries.



Al Shezawi added: Taking this as an opportunity, I congratulate all the winners and extend my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to all the participating companies for extending their support and cooperation in making this event memorable.



While weve lived up to our promise of facilitating the best in the industry, we promise that the future edition of the international forum will be much bigger and better, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Omans Innovation Park Muscat (IPM) has signed a collaboration agreement with Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC) with the aim of further encouraging the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).



The agreement between IPM and Zubair SEC details the areas of collaboration whereas Zubair SEC will extend advisory services to applicants of the IPMs incubators and provide them with guidance on how to prepare business plans and provide counselling on management, commercial and financial planning aspects, said a statement from the company.



The deal was signed at The Research Council of Oman (TRC) and was attended by Dr Hilal Al Hinai, secretary general of TRC; Khalid Muhammad al Zubair, managing director of The Zubair Corporation; and executive representatives from TRC, IPM, The Zubair Corporation and Zubair SEC, it said.



Innovation Park Muscat, a project of national significance, is a TRC initiative designed to create a facilitating environment for researchers, scientists, start-ups, SMEs and multinationals.



It aims to augment Omans economic, entrepreneurial and knowledge base by supporting the growth of innovative and research-driven domestic and international companies in areas that include energy, health science, water and environment and food and biotechnology.



Zubair SEC, a flagship social impact initiative by The Zubair Corporation, has more than 450 members who have access to comprehensive services including advisory, capacity building, networking opportunities, and business development support.
Four leading scientists and researchers were honoured with the King Faisal International Prize 2017 at a glittering ceremony in Riyadh by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia yesterday (April 4).



The Prize honours exceptional achievements in a number of key areas, including Arabic Language and Literature, Medicine, and Science.



The event was attended by an elite gathering of princes, ministers, top officials, thought leaders, scholars, and scientists.



Giving away the award, King Salman commended the efforts of the scientists and researchers in creating a better world. The King also appreciated the King Faisal International Prize for its key role in enriching knowledge and encouraging initiatives for the development of mankind.



King Salman handed over the King Faisal International Prize for Medicine to Professor Tadamitsu Kishimoto of Japan for developing a novel biologic therapy for autoimmune diseases. Kishimoto is the Professor of Immunology Frontier Research Center at Osaka University.



The prize for science was shared this year by Professor Daniel Loss and Professor Laurens Molenkamp, physicists from Switzerland and Germany. Professor Daniel Loss is the Professor of the Department of Physics, University of Basel, while Professor Laurens Molenkamp is Professor and Head, MBE Unit, University of Wurzburg.



Professor Daniel Loss won the award in recognition of his work on the theory of spin dynamics and spin coherence in quantum dots, which has practical applications in spin quantum computers. Professor Laurens Molenkamp was honoured for his work in the experimental field of spintronics.



Professor Ridwan Al-Sayyid of the University of Lebanon was recognized for his specialized publications and research that have enriched the Arabic Library.



Launched by the King Faisal Foundation and granted for the first time in 1979, the King Faisal International Prize recognises the outstanding works of individuals and institutions in a number of key areas. - TradeArabia News Service


A national poll on nuclear energy has shown that 83 per cent of UAE residents are in favour of the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program.



The research shows some of the highest favourability rates for nuclear energy in the world, and the latest support is an increase of 13 percent since the last poll conducted in 2013, said a statement.



Strong levels of awareness and support for the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant to eventually provide up to 25 percent of the nations electricity were also shown, with 92 percent of residents stating they believed it to be important for the UAE, it said.



The poll was commissioned by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and conducted by the independent global market research specialists Kantar TNS. The survey is part of ENECs community outreach program, which involves a range of activities including public forums, educational initiatives and participation in nationally important events.



The results of this survey show that ENECs regular and active engagement with the public is increasingly successful, said Mohamed Al Hammadi, chief executive officer of ENEC.



The findings of the research conclude that UAE residents support the development of peaceful nuclear energy because it plays a strategic role in powering the future growth of the nation, continued Al Hammadi. ENEC remains committed to investing resources in the development of stakeholder engagement activities and communication campaigns designed to further explain the benefits of nuclear energy in generating electricity with near-zero carbon emissions and offer career opportunities for talented UAE Nationals.



It is encouraging to know that so many UAE residents are not only aware of the benefits of peaceful nuclear energy but actively support the work we are doing at Barakah, with 90 percent of respondents believing that ENEC is building our plant at Barakah to the highest standards of safety and quality said Al Hammadi. The findings of this study demonstrate that UAE residents understand the important role peaceful nuclear energy will play in the UAEs future - from supplying clean energy to creating high-value job opportunities.



More than 750 people were interviewed across the UAE as part of the study, in a group of respondents that was reflective of the demographics of the UAE.



Key findings include:

 69 percent believe that peaceful nuclear energy is important for the nation

 Favourability was highest among Emiratis, at 87 percent.

 Support for the construction of peaceful nuclear energy plants in the UAE has risen to 79 percent, up 11 percent from 2013.

 The percentage of residents who believe it is important for the UAE to have a peaceful nuclear energy program in order to be able to meet the nations electricity needs has risen to 69 percent, up 6 percent from 2013.

 The vast majority of UAE residents, 81 percent, are aware of ENEC, a major increase from 2013 when 56 percent of residents were aware of ENEC.

 UAE Nationals were the most aware of ENEC at 93 percent.

 87 percent of Emiratis emerge as strong endorsers of moving to a low carbon energy source, and 86 percent agree with nuclear energy as a clean, reliable and efficient source of energy production.



Kantar TNS CEO Stephen Hillebrand said: Public surveys that capture the relative demographic nature of the country are vital for any new industry, especially one like nuclear energy which is known for polarising views across the globe. The results of this opinion poll clearly show that the engagement and communication activities of ENEC have resonated with the general public of the UAE.



The study also shows that members of the public are interested in learning how the plant at Barakah will function, when it will be ready, and how it will contribute to the UAE energy mix.  TradeArabia News Service


The fifth edition of The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia and the inaugural Stone & Surface Saudi Arabia opened on April 4 under the patronage of Mohammad A. Al-Amri, general manager of the Saudi Commission for Tourism & National Heritage (SCTH) in Makkah Province, Jeddah.



Thousands of hospitality and construction industry professionals are anticipated to attend the co-located trade shows, taking place at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events until April 6 from 4-11pm.



We are honoured that Mohammad A. Al-Amri opened the fifth edition of The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia and the first edition of Stone & Surface Saudi Arabia, and invested time with our local and international exhibitors, said Elliot Rizk, vice president Mice Arabia - organisers of the event.



The hospitality industry in Saudi Arabia is currently experiencing record levels of growth with 170 hotels in the pipeline, said John Suzara, event manager of The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia at co-organisers dmg events. The Hotel Show is the must-attend annual event for professionals in hotels, resorts and restaurants looking for the latest international products, or to establish a presence in the kingdom.



In the wake of the announcement of Saudi Vision 2030, there has been a surge in construction across various industries throughout the kingdom  and stone is an essential part of the majority of built structures, added Yan Wang, event director of Stone & Surface Arabia at co-organisers dmg events.



The inaugural Stone & Surface Saudi Arabia is providing an essential platform for international stone suppliers to showcase the latest materials to construction professionals working in this active market.



At The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia, the technology sector is set to be active this year with new product launches including a worlds first from LG Electronics, and other, major international exhibitors including Onity and CMT Technologies. The interiors, lighting & design product sector is also cited to be of prominence with major brands Sandalyeci, Closet World, Banta Furniture, Adasan, Zubair Furnishing, Raha Oman and more  all displaying their latest product ranges.



The Hotel Show is also hosting the inaugural Inter-Hotel Culinary Competition  Mystery Box Challenge. Endorsed by Worldchefs through the Saudi Arabian Chefs Association and the Saudi Arabian Chefs Table Circle, the brand new culinary competition for the kingdom will run throughout the three days of the event, with the victorious hotel team to be announced on its final day.



Meanwhile Stone & Surface Saudi Arabia is set to provide a vast international showcase of the latest stone materials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, China, UAE, Italy, Oman, Belgium, Lebanon, Germany and Australia.



A highlight is the major Turkish pavilion at the event, home to more than 80 types of stone incorporating 400 different colours and patterns, Turkey is firmly established as the worlds leading nation for stone supply.



The co-located The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia and Stone & Surface Saudi Arabia are free to attend events. On-site registration is now open from 4pm at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events. - TradeArabia News Service


The second trimester of pregnancy, usually around the 14th to 27th week, is the perfect time to travel and relax. Given that mothers take their leave and add their rights for maternity, a well-spent vacation abroad for longer could be beneficial. Morning sickness from the first trimester has gone, and these celebrities who know it has gone are out abroad to inspire pregnant moms to travel.

Recently, Lauren Conrad was in her second trimester with her child, and she has traveled with hubby William Tell. According to US Magazine, the Paper Crown designer sat on the beach and said her pretend "Margarita" is actually a blended lemonade. The Instagram photo embedded in the post shows her bubbly baby bump while across is a horizon of a beautiful white-sand beach.

While in Sweden, Victoria's Secret model Candice Swanepoel held her baby bump in her hand while looking out to a beautiful green horizon. It is likely she is on a boat in her Instagram photo, which was also likely taken around the late afternoon, amplifying the beauty of the surroundings and the model and would-be mother herself.

Olivia Wilde's Instagram photo does not show Hawaii in the background but anyone who has gone to have a Hawaiian vacation would recognize the hot showers in most resorts. In the photo, Olivia Wilde posts an image of her feet against a bathtub along with her first son with husband Jason Sudekis, Otis taking a bath. The photo is refreshing with the bright sunlit glare washing the photo.

During their travel in Morocco in 2015, Chrissy Teigen took a photo during New Year's Eve. Her photo discreetly showed her baby bump pushing against her evening dress as she has on one arm John Legend. The photo has them surrounded with night lamps across a dark wood, the likely ambiance of their romantic dinner night.

Vanessa Lachey's photo of herself sitting on a very small island against the roaring waves during her second pregnancy is an inspiring motivation to head to the beach. Glamour embeds her photo in its gallery, stating that the sun, water and "super-cute maternity swimwear," which looks great on Lachey with its diamond print with a black-and-white scheme, makes the photo awe-inspiring for pregnant vacations.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Passengers aboard some of the biggest airlines can now enjoy a nice cold bottle of beer. At high altitudes when one loses some sense of taste and smell, these airlines claim they're serving even better beers than most of the bars on land.

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) became the pioneer of this kind when they started serving craft beer as part of in-flight menus in 2007. The largest Scandinavian airline raised the notch to a higher level when it partnered with Danish brewery Mikkeller in developing made-for-flight craft beers in 2014. Peter Lawrence, the carrier's head chef and meal planning manager, proudly told CNN that the range of their in-flight beers "puts most bars to shame."

SAS' collaboration with the Danish brewery has so far produced 11 Mikkeller in-flight beers. The lineup includes the Pale Ale; Past, Present & Future (the latest); and the original SAS x Mikkeller. Mikkeller founder Borg Bjergs admitted it took them awhile before they fully grasped how the high altitude affected the taste of beer and had to do a series of adjustments before they finally got it right.

Hong Kong's flag carrier Cathay Pacific teamed up with Hong Kong Brew Co. and introduced Betsy Beer, a light ale that's made of unfiltered wheat and a result of a panel taste-test. The brewery's director Devin Kimble explained that about 10 percent carbonation, as well as the ingredients of honey, longan fruit and English Fuggle hops combined with the beer base of unfiltered wheat, yielded just the right taste for an in-flight beer.

Netherland's flag carrier KLM Royal Dutch Airline also offered their first in-flight draught beer last year. KLM naturally collaborated with the Dutch brewing company Heineken to develop the BrewLock technology. The technology made it possible so they can now serve pints of chilled beer drawn straight from the tap of a beer trolley, injecting some pub-style into select business class cabins.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
New Delhi/Dhaka, Apr 5 (IBNS): The agreements inked between India and Bangladesh during the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India will not be kept secret from the public, the media on Wednesday quoted Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali.

The Indian media had earlier quoted the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister as saying that the deal over the waters of the Teesta river is unlikely during PM Sheikh Hasina's India visit.

According to AH Mahmood Ali, around 33 Memorandums of Understanding are likely to be signed between the two countries.

The deals are likely to include bilateral trade and investments, cooperation in energy sector, availing credit, distribution and management of water of common river, safer guard of border, ensuring security, prevention of illegal trade of drugs and human trafficking, among other things, the Bangladesh Foreign Minister said at a press meet in Dhaka.



Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to arrive in India on April 7 and return on April 10.



Image: AIRNewsalert Twitter
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.
New Delhi, Apr 5 (IBNS) : In what doctors describe as a "miracle," CRPF commander Chetan Kumar Cheetah, who was in deep coma after being shot nine times during a battle with terrorists, has regained consciousness and is talking, media reports said.

He is being discharged from hospital on Wednesday.

. Commandant Cheeta was shot in the head and his arms were fractured. He was in a critical state when he was flown to Delhi from Jammu and Kashmir and taken to the trauma centre of AIIMS.

The doctors said that his vitals are stable now.

"His survival is a miracle, a victory of willpower," reports quoted Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju as saying.

Rijiju visited Cheetah on Wednesday morning. .

He said, "I just saw his condition, he is doing fine. I must thank the doctors. It was difficult imagining him back to life. He is a brave officer. The doctors have done a great job. I told him (Mr Cheeta) I want to see him back in uniform. His willpower brought him back to life."

Three soldiers had died and 15 security personnel were injured in a fierce gunbattle with terrorists in Hajin area of Bandipora district of Kashmir.
Bhopal/Datia, Apr 5 (IBNS): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister ShivrajSingh Chouhan has expressed grief at the death of five people during a blast at a shop in Datia on Wednesday.

The blast, which occurred on Wednesday morning, destroyed the building and left five people dead and several others injured, media reports said.

According to local reports, the shop was stockpiling material for fireworks.

The local administration has started clearing the rubble and have not ruled out more people lying buried in the rubble.

The Chief Minister's Office tweeted that the chief minister has sanctioned rupees two lakh for the next of kin of those dead and rupees 50 thousand for those injured in the blast.

Police and ATS are inquiring into the blast, reports said.
New Delhi, Apr 5 (IBNS): In keeping with Indiaas national objective of ensuring a secure and stable regional environment to allow unhindered economic and social development, not just in India, but also in the Indian Ocean Region, Indian Naval Ship Shardul is on a two month long deployment in the South Indian Ocean with an aim to provide surveillance support in the region.

The warship during the initial phase of deployment carried out joint EEZ surveillance of Mauritius from 8  26 Mar 17 in close coordination with National Coast Guard, Mauritius. Post successful completion of joint EEZ Surveillance of Mauritius, the warship entered EEZ of Seychelles on 27 Mar 17 for Phase I of EEZ surveillance, read a government statement.

The warship under the command of Commander Rohit Mishra entered Port Victoria on 28 Mar 17 for OTR.

The coordination meeting with Officials from Seychelles Coast Guard and INS Shardul was conducted at Seychelles Coast Guard Headquarters to discuss the modus operandi, extent of surveillance area and communication plan was framed.

INS Shardul set sail from Port Victoria PM 31 Mar 17 with three Seychelles Coast Guard personnel embarked onboard for Phase II of EEZ surveillance and commenced EEZ surveillance AM 01 Apr 17.

The deployment was aimed to show presence, deter IUU fishing and drug trafficking.

The ship carried out extensive patrol in area (sanitising about 21,000 sq Nm) and interrogated merchant and fishing vessels ensuring safe waters for transit of mercantile traffic and to safeguarding of EEZ of Seychelles.

The warship will enter Port Victoria AM 06 Apr 17 for second OTR and mission debrief.

The debrief of the joint EEZ surveillance of Seychelles would be attended by the High Commissioner of India to Seychelles, Senior Officials from SPDF and Seychelles Coast Guard.

The warship will set sail from Port Victoria harbour AM 08 Apr 17 for Phase III of EEZ surveillance of Seychelles prior returning to India mid Apr 17.

Since 2009, Indian Navy has been deploying ships to the region bi-annually to assist in patrolling of the vast EEZ of the country based on request by host nations.

The last such deployment was by the same ship in Dec 16.

These committed and custom made deployments for joint patrol by Indian Navy Ships with the Coast Guard of the host nation underscore the strong relationship and cherished bonds of friendship between the nations of the region.

These patrols aim to curb illegal fishing activity and thwart the spread of smuggling and piracy in the region. Such visits reinforce the cultural and ethnic ties between the two nations and are testimony to the joint commitment towards cooperative maritime security in the region.

INS Shardul is a Landing Ship Tank (Large) of the Indian Navy whose primary role is to transport troops, vehicles, armaments and accomplish all objectives of an amphibious operation which primarily includes landing of combat equipment and personnel to an Amphibious Objective Area.

INS Shardul has the capability to launch and recover Marine Commandos through sea as well as by helicopters.

In addition, the ship can act as a Hospital Ship with facilities provided in containerised form as well as a Fleet Tanker for limited mission/ exercise.

The ship is routinely deployed with the First Training Squadron and is responsible for the ab-initio sea training of Young Officers of Indian Navy.

Image: Wikimedia Commons


Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 5

Sri Guru Arjan Dev Institute of Development Studies, a city-based economic research society, has held National Health Policy (NHP) - 2017 more of a road map and an aspirational goal statement than actually ralising the dream to alleviate Indias healthcare problems.

Dr Gursharan Singh Kainth, director of the society, said targets set in the NHP-2017 reflected the poor state of public health in India, poor even in comparison with our immediate South Asian neighbours.

NHP-2017 sets a target of 70 years life expectancy (that is, at birth all Indians will have an average chance of reaching 70 years of age) to be achieved by 2025.

This target is something that Nepal had already achieved in 2016 and in five years less than what Sri Lanka has achieved. The target of reducing child mortality rate (that is the number of child deaths for a 1,000 live births) has been set as 23 per 1,000 live births, to be achieved by 2025. The target is more than twice of what Sri Lanka has already achieved (9.8).

Let alone aspiring to be among the best in the world, the NHPs targets are a decade or more behind what our South Asian neighbours have already achieved.

He stated that the countrys health policy over the past decades has been characterised by the persistence of extremely low investment for health around 1.2 to 1.4 per cent of GDP while private healthcare expenditure is 4 to 4.2 per cent of GDP, that is, more than 80 per cent of healthcare expenditure is out of reach for common people.

Public hospitals are overwhelmed, understaffed and have poor infrastructure barring a few tertiary hospitals and big apex institutes. This forces the public to seek out private healthcare at a cost. As much as 70 per cent of outpatient services and 60 per cent of inpatient services are managed in private hospitals. India has one of the highest Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in the world, it also tops the world in Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and under-five child mortality.

At 17 per cent of the worlds total population, India contributes disproportionately to the global burden of disease, with more deaths of children aged five years or younger than any other country, a quarter of the worlds tuberculosis, unhealthy lifestyles, premature cardiovascular disease, and an epidemic of diabetes.
Tribune News Service

Mohali, April 5

The Mohali CIA Wing made another arrest of a foreign national in an NDPS case and recovered one kilograms of heroin, worth around Rs five crore, from his possession.

The accused has been identified as Ositaiva, a citizen of Kenya. He was staying at Tilaknagar in Delhi illegally.

Giving details, Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kuldeep Singh Chahal said the CIA team arrested Ositaiva from Tilaknagar, Delhi, following a tip off.

We recovered one kg of heroin from his possession, said the SSP.

Ositaiva had come to India on a tourist visa around 18 months ago. His visa had expired on January 21 this year. So he was staying in the country illegally, said the police.

During his interrogation, Ositaiva confessed that he bought the drugs from his real brother, James, who has been arrested by the Delhi Police a couple of days ago.

Both brothers pretend to be fish dealers and supply fish in the Tilaknagar market, said the police.

It is to be noted that the police got the tip off from Neubuz Naigor from Nigeria and his friend Heelan from Uganda, who were also nabbed in the last week of March for possessing drugs. During their interrogation, Naigor and Heelan told that they used to buy drugs from Ositaiva. The police had also arrested two women, Rajwant Kaur and Simranjit Kaur, and a youngster Amrinder Singh with drugs, which they claimed to have bought from the Nigerian and his friend.

Inspector Atul Soni, in-charge of the Mohali CIA Wing, said so far they had arrested six persons involved in the racket and recovered around 2.5 kg of heroin from their possession.

Today, Ositaiva was produced before a court, which sent him to two-day police remand. A case under Sections 21, 22, 25, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against the Kenyan at the Mataur police station.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 5

A local court today declared Balraj Singh Randhawa, the prime accused in the Akansh Sen murder case, a proclaimed offender (PO).

The PO proceedings against him were initiated on February 28 by the court of Civil Judge Nisha.

Police officials told the court today that they got his most wanted posters pasted at the Sector 43 and 17 bus stands, the railway station and at public places such as markets, but he could not be traced. Airports, railway stations and bus stands in the country were also sent alert notices.

The Chandigarh Police had earlier moved an application in the court to declare Randhawa a PO. The court had issued non-bailable warrants against the two accused, including co-accused Harmehtab Singh, alias Farid. Though Farid was later arrested after his anticipatory bail plea was dismissed by the court here, he too proved a hard nut to crack for the police as despite taking him on police remand for several days, they could not trace Randhawa.

Randhawa was accused of deliberately running over Akansh thrice with his BMW car outside a residential area in Sector 9 on February 9. Farid allegedly instigated him. Both were booked on a charge of murder by the police.

The victim, Akansh, was a nephew of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh while the co-accused in the case, Farid, is the grandson of Gian Singh Rarewala, a former Chief Minister of Pepsu state.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 5

MBBS students of Gian Sagar Medical College, Banur, were rounded up at the Matka Chowk, while they were proceeding towards Punjab Chief Ministers residence in Sector 10, to submit a memorandum regarding their grievances.

The students along with their parents gathered at the Sector 17 Plaza where they staged a protest.

The students claimed that their classes had been suspended since February due to non-payment of salaries to the staff for the last six months.

The students alleged that the hospital was in a deplorable condition with no indoor and outdoor patients for the last two months. They stated that the power connection of the college had also been disconnected due to non-payment of the electricity bill.

Sources said a delegation of students had gone to submit the memorandum to the Punjab Chief Minister. However, since they could not meet him, the parents and students marched towards the Matka Chowk, where the police stopped them.
China is like the proverbial cat on the hot tin roof as far as the Dalai Lamas visit to Arunachal Pradesh is concerned. China has accused India of obstinacy that has caused serious damage to bilateral ties after the Dalai Lama began visiting the disputed parts of Arunachal Pradesh. Indias outwardly resolute stand should gladden the cockles of nationalists, especially in light of the RSS top brass calling for an overhaul of Indias China policy because Beijing has not reciprocated Indias friendly overtures. In addition to maintaining that the Dalai Lama is a religious leader and enjoys freedom of movement in any part of the country, the nationalists argue, not without reason, that there was no adverse fallout when the Dalai Lama had last visited Arunachal Pradesh in 2009.

But 2017 is not 2009 in many respects: the number of high-level Sino-Indian summits that could reduce tensions is fewer, serious differences exist on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), India was rebuffed when it contrived to send the Dalai Lama to Mongolia and China is more upfront in thwarting India's great power ambitions. India had earlier bought insurance against Beijings adventurism by getting co-opted in Barack Obamas Pivot to Asia. But Donald Trump is yet to spell out his China policy and his meeting with Xi Jinping months before an interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be a sign of things to come.

Indian diplomacy does not have a fallback option if China accepts New Delhi's gauntlet. The multiple power centres have blunted the creativity in implementing foreign policy. Indian diplomacy is in a freeze because of the PM's accent on an unremittingly muscular foreign policy. South Block is trying to keep China in good humour by highlighting the potential for economic partnerships. But this strategy comes up short because India opposes CPEC, the crown jewel in Beijing's Belt and Road initiative. Diplomacy must help creatively wriggle out of strategic immobilisation. Some forthcoming regional summits will see China and India sitting across the table. Both sides must grab the chances for partnership in other areas to ensure that security disputes remain within manageable proportions.
The swiftness with which the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has presented a blueprint for waiving farmers' debt has put pressure on the governments in Punjab, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu to do something similarly dramatic. In the passionate bid for power politicians promise anything. Reality bites on gaining office. Capt Amarinder Singh has cleverly bought two months' time by telling an expert group to study the issue. But the alacrity displayed by the Yogi, considered inexperienced in governance, will not allow the congress government in Punjab to prevaricate beyond a point.

Like other states where farmer distress is glaring, Punjab had expected a Central bailout. With expectations belied, the Amarinder government is now struggling to come to terms with the enormity of the financial challenge, which includes unpaid bills amounting to Rs 17,000 crore, an off-budget spending of Rs 25,000 crore by the previous regime, the state debt shooting to 1.83 lakh crore and the pay commission report awaiting implementation in a not too distant future, apart from the litany of populist promises thoughtlessly made in the passion to win. Opposition and public pressure will mount once the honeymoon period is over.

None in the political class says the unpretty things that need to be said about the politics of loan waivers. The SBI chief has done it from the banks angle: Today, the loans will come back as the government will pay for it but when we disburse loans again then the farmers will wait for the next election expecting another waiver. Bank credit to farmers would not take long to dry up as good borrowers would stop paying back on time and farmers would once again be at the mercy of private lenders. The cycle of taking loans and seeking a waiver would kick in again, while the taxpayer would be asked to pay for the political largess. Money meant for education and healthcare will get diverted. Farmers need help but only in buying inputs cheaper and getting a higher price for their produce.
Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 5

Rapping Haryana for failure to pay Rs 15,000 crore as compensation after acquiring thousands of acres, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked it to furnish information on account head having or likely to have the amount.

As the land was acquired by the state and not HUDA, the respondents are directed to furnish information about the account head of the state in which the amount of about Rs 15,000 crore is lying or is likely to be received in the near future for utilisation or disbursement to the landowners.

On failure, this court may have to take drastic steps to ensure payment of compensation to the landowners, the Bench of Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Harinder Singh Sidhu ruled.

As the case came up for hearing, the Bench observed that the stand taken by Haryana and other respondents on a previous date of hearing was that the bank accounts of HUDA in Punjab National Bank and HDFC Bank had already been attached by the Executing Courts in different cases wherein compensation was not paid.

The estimated amount payable by HUDA on account of compensation was about Rs 15,000 crore. The Bench was further told that HUDA was trying to raise loan from banks to pay compensation, which was likely to be finalised by March-end.

The Bench added that the counsel for the respondents did not have any information as no one from the department contacted him when the case was taken up for resumed hearing.

The case was passed over. Yet, definite information was not available. It was stated that HUDA was not having account in any other bank besides Punjab National Bank and HDFC Bank.

An Additional Advocate-General added that an accounts assistant from the HUDA office had come to assist him. No other officer had even talked to him for providing information.

The counsel for the petitioners, on the other hand, claimed that HUDA had accounts in ICICI Bank and Union Bank of India as well.

This is the most unfortunate situation wherein the state has acquired land running into thousands of acres owned by the landowners and has failed to pay the compensation, the Bench asserted.
Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Panipat, April 5

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today announced to conduct a special survey in the next three months to provide houses to the families not having a house of its own. He also announced to conduct a Below Poverty Line (BPL) survey in the next three months.

Khattar stated this while addressing the gathering as the chief guest at a state-level programme to mark Maharshi Kashyap Prakashotsav held at the HUDA ground in Sector 13-17 here today.

There are about 60 lakh families in the state.

The BPL survey would be conducted again to facilitate those families which were left behind in development, he said.

To provide better health facility and health education to meritorious students in the state, the government would establish medical colleges in seven districts along with Panipat, he added.

Khattar said the Kashyap community was backward on financial and education fronts but not socially. It has a glorious history.

He announced government support for constructing a hostel or school in the name of Maharshi Kashyap in Garh Sarnai village of this district. He also declared to give the first instalment of Rs 21 lakh for its construction.

The CM said this year was being celebrated as Garib Kalyan Varsh to mark the birth centenary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. He said around 150 government buses provide free travel to girl students in the state, adding that a girls college would be constructed every 20 km in the state.

Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, who presided over the programme, praised the BJP-led government for improvement in the sex ratio of the state.

Transport Minister Krishan Lal Panwar also addressed the gathering. Samalkha MLA Ravinder Machroli, Haryana Khadi Gramudyog chairman Sanjay Bhatia, district BJP president Pramod Vij and other party leaders were present.

Earlier, the Chief Minister also inaugurated a 132 kV substation at the HSIDC here. It was constructed at the cost of Rs 12 crore.

'Solution' to SC ban on liquor vends soon, says CM

Panipat: Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said his government was thinking about a way out of the Supreme Court ban on the sale of liquor within 500 metres of the national and state highways. Replying to a query on denotification of state highways by the Punjab and Rajasthan governments in the wake of the SC order, he said talks were under way to sort out the issue in such a manner that the verdict of the apex court was upheld and at the same time, the state was also protected from the impending financial loss. A way out would be reached soon, he added. Khattar was interacting with mediapersons after a state-level programme to mark Maharshi Kashyap Prakashotsav here today. The CM said there would not be a big gap in the collectors rate and the market price of the land in the state. The rates could be almost equal. He said the development charge to regularise the illegal colonies in the state would be rescheduled soon. Khattar said there were announcements of only 2,300 development works during the previous Congress government in the state while in two years and a half, his government had made 3,550 announcements and 42 per cent of these were under process while others would be completed soon. TNS
Guwahati, Apr 5 (IBNS): Security forces apprehended a NSCN (IM) militant in Arunachal Pradeshas Longding district on Tuesday evening, officials said on Wednesday.

Kohima based Defence PRO Colonel Chiranjeet Konwer said that, following intelligence input the Longding Battalion of Assam Rifles undertook an operation at Rangluwa village of Longding district and nabbed a self styled corporal of the outfit group.



The nabbed militant was identified as Pangchak Arangham and post spot interrogation he admitted allegiance to NSCN(IM).



He further divulged that he has been active part of the outfit since 2011 and has undergone intensive training in handling explosives, the Defence PRO said.



Security Forces has been carrying out aggressive operations in the South Arunchal Pradesh and this apprehension has struck a blow to the extortion activities being carried out by the underground cadres of the group in the area.



(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 5

State Congress president Ashok Tanwar today asked the Haryana government to follow in the footsteps of the Punjab and Uttar Pradesh governments and waive farm loans amounting to Rs 56,000 crore of its 15.5 lakh farmers.

Tanwar, while speaking with mediapersons at Sirsa, alleged that the BJP merely paid lip service in the name of farmers welfare. In the past two and half years, the BJP government has not been able to compensate farmers fully for crop loss caused due to hail and pest attacks, he said.

He criticised the government for forcibly deducting money from the banks accounts of farmers towards payment of the premium for the Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY) though their claims for the damaged kharif crop were still pending.

Tanwar said farmers were forced to resort to distress sale of their mustard crop, as government agencies were not procuring their produce. Wheat has started arriving in grain markets but there are no buyers. At the same time, the government claims it has started wheat procurement from April 1, he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about doubling the income of farmers. Union Minister for Steel Birender Singh makes even taller claims. However, the farmers income has actually halved during the BJP regime, he alleged.

The Congress president said before coming to power, the BJP had promised farmers that it would implement the Swaminathan Committee report to ameliorate their lot, but now neither the Central government nor the state government was ready to speak on the issue.

He said the Manohar Lal Khattar government is a government of announcements. He claimed that only 14 per cent of the projects announced by the Chief Minister had actually seen the light of the day.

Tanwar said the anti-people government in the state was imposing heavy power cuts throughout the state and the losses of the power utilities caused due to mismanagement and corruption by those at the helm were being recovered by raising hefty bills to people.

He added he had discussed the situation in Haryana with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and invited him to the state.
Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Bhoranj (Hamirpur), April 5

Despite being a bypoll where the presence of the ruling party becomes all too palpable, in Bhoranj it is altogether a different story where the Congress seems to be waiting for Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to give steam to the campaign in the BJP citadel of Hamirpur.

Having made her electoral debut after getting the party ticket at the last minute, Congress candidate Pramila Devi is trying hard as she carries on with the door-to-door campaign, with not much fanfare or party paraphernalia. However, the Delhi High Court verdict in case of Virbhadras disproportionate assets case seems to be casting its shadow on the bypoll with his loyalists, including ministers and MLAs, rushing to Delhi.

A two-time zila parishad member, who proved her mettle by registering victory from Samirpur ward, the home turf of former Chief Minister PK Dhumal, 38-year-old Pramila has an uphill task at hand. The court verdict and attachment of the farmhouse owned by Virbhadras son couldnt have been more ill-timed for the Congress.

We are trying our best, but the fact is that the court pronouncement has shifted the focus of the ministers and MLAs, admitted party workers accompanying the Congress candidate.

She starts her day at about 8 am and knocks at every door in the village to seek votes till about 9 pm.

I am your own daughter. I need your support and vote as Dhiman family has been given 27 years by you. Give me a chance too, is her appeal to voters at Joh village in Chamboh and Kot Langoh.

Clad in a salwar-kurta with sneakers, she does not forget to hug every woman and shake hands despite Bhoranj being a very conservative rural area, where women still prefer covering their heads and confining themselves to the four walls of the house and fields. Having completed her MPhil in history, she tries to seek votes in the name of being a woman from a humble background who has achieved this stature.

Though some of the Congress leaders, including former minister Ram Lal Thakur, Rajinder Rana and Kewal Singh Pathania, are camping here, it is expected that the Chief Ministers two-day tour from tomorrow will infuse life into the sluggish Congress campaign. Having sensed that wresting the seat in the BJP bastion, represented by Dhiman for six consecutive terms would not be a easy, the Congress seems to be all too casual.

With polling to take place on April 9, the two-day tour of Virbhadra where he will address more than 15 public meetings will definitely give momentum to the campaign.

Delhi HC verdict casts shadow on bypoll
Shimla, April 5

Two people were killed and 10 others, including two police personnel, were injured in an incident of lightning strike at Rampur Sub-Divisions Khadahan village, around 130 km from here, on Wednesday.

The incident took place when a police party, along with some people, were entering a vehicle with the body of an unidentified person, police said.

Gulshan and Tara Chand, both residents of Khadahan, died on the spot while Station House Officer (SHO) Sanjeev Kumar and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Hoshiar Singh were injured, they said.

Three seriously injured have been referred to the IGMC Hospital here and the rest are receiving treatment at the Khaneri Civil Hospital, police said.

Those who had entered the vehicle received minor injuries.

Others fell to the ground or became unconscious when the lightning struck, they said. PTI
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 5

As campaigning for the Srinagar byelection enters the last phase, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday asked the United States to mediate between India and Pakistan to solve the Kashmir issue.

Lashing out at New Delhi for turning down the US offer to mediate, the NC president said the Centres attempt to solve the Kashmir issue with Pakistan was taking too long.

The US wanted to mediate between India and Pakistan. But every time India says that we are talking with Pakistan and we dont need a mediator. Now a lot of years have passed. A lot of water has moved but no forward movement has been achieved which can solve issues between India and Pakistan, he said at a poll meeting here.

If India does not make an attempt to solve our problem then we welcome Americas attempt to mediate, Farooq said, adding that they (the US) should take the initiative before their (Pakistans) nuclear bombs fall on us and our nuclear bombs fall on them. The US should come forward and assist the two countries, he said.

The NC president also praised the stone-throwers, saying that they were struggling and giving up their lives for the nation.

While responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modis offer of choosing between tourism and terrorism, Farooq backed the protesters. I want to tell Mr Modi that tourism is our life. But the one who throws stones has nothing to do with tourism. They will die hungry, but they will throw stones for the nation, Farooq said.

The protesters were throwing stones and giving up their lives so that the nation makes a decision which is acceptable to the people here, the NC leader said.

Farooq, who is among the main contestants for the Srinagar constituency, has been persistently lashing out at New Delhi while adopting a pro-separatist rhetoric during electioneering.
Vikram Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 5

While Jammu Festival returns to the region after a decade promising a four-day fiesta of fun, music, dance and culture starting April 13, it, however, will bring along a conspicuous miss with monumental Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex not participating in the festivity.

The reason: Ongoing preservation and restoration work prohibits any activity at the venue that may cause damage to the fragile structure.

This has led to disappointment among people of Jammu who have been regular visitors to the nerve centre heritage of the city during all earlier Jammu Festivals that presented treasure trove of Dogra heritage and culture during the festivity.

Earlier also restoration and preservation of the heritage site was in progress when the last festival was held here. The stalls, stage and other allied equipment was erected at a distance where performers performed and people cherished the Dogra cuisines while having the glimpse of the cultural heritage of our region, said Sonia Sharma, a resident of Panjtirthi.

The Tourism Department, the nodal agency that is conducting the Jammu Festival, however is planning to give this cultural heritage a buoyed look by illuminating the whole Mubarak Mandi on the occasion, sans activity, to include it in the festival.

Since restoration and preservation works are on at the heritage site, we have kept it out of the festival to avoid any damage to the structure, said Sushma Chauhan, Director Tourism.

A joint House panel on Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex, headed by its chairman Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo, had visited the heritage site where the work of restoration is in progress. The panel inspected the pace of work and sought details of its execution and allied works from the functionaries concerned.

Since the past many years the restoration works have been going on at the site. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has taken up the job, but it is quite unfortunate that works are going at a snails pace and the authorities concerned are not bothered, said one of the panel members. He said the panel would submit its findings to the government after the byelections to two parliamentary seats in the state.

Legislators Surinder Kumar Choudhary, Ajaz Ahmad Khan, Rajesh Gupta, Pawan Kumar Gupta and Ashok Khajuria are the panel members.

The panel had also expressed concern over the slow progress of the project and called upon the functionaries concerned to speed up the pace so that the restoration works are executed in time. It issued specific instructions to the authorities to closely monitor the quality of works to ensure that the original architectural features of the site are preserved.

Academician and convener of the Dogri Advisory Board Sahitya Akademi Lalit Magotra termed the upcoming festival as a festival without heart.

Best Jammu Festivals so far have been those which focused their activities at the Mubarak Mandi heritage site, because the site has a traditional and emotional connect with the people of Jammu. Without Mubarak Mandis participation in the festival, the emotional impact will be missing, said Lalit Magotra.

Ashok Khajuria, BJP MLC, who is also a panel member, admitted that slow work on the Mubarak Mandi heritage site is a cause of concern. Though the ASI is doing its job, the progress is quite slow, he said.
M Aamir Khan

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 5

Even as a small group of devotees offered silent prayers at Shri Ramji Temple today amid VIP visits on Ram Navami, a few non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits were seen venting out their anguish outside the temple.

We miss the good old days when a musical band would be present inside in the temple premises to celebrate the birthday of Lord Ram. Now, we just offer prayers silently, said Hindu Welfare Society, Kashmir (HWSK) president Chunni Lal Bhat outside the temple in the Barbar Shah area that used to bustle with Kashmiri Pandits on Ram Navami before the eruption of militancy more than 27 years back.

Bhat said the society had organised pooja at the temple in an effort to keep their age-old traditions alive.

And when a few politicians like BJP general secretary (organisation) Ashok Kaul and MLC Surinder Ambardar besides Srinagar Municipal Corporation commissioner Shafqat Khan visited the temple, a few devotees flayed the government for its lip-service.

Whenever we celebrate a festival, these politicians and bureaucrats come up to pay lip-service. And then they say they pray for peace and return of migrant Pandits. However, they do not have a clear policy. Mere prayers are not going to resolve our grievances, said SK Wali, a non-migrant Pandit, outside the temple when BJP leaders were offering prayers inside.

Bhat said though the government at least offered lip service to the migrant Pandits, there was nothing for non-migrants. The government at least offers lip service about the return of migrant Pandits but they hardly care for non-migrants, who stayed back after militancy. A large number of non-migrants, too, are internally displaced and their demands have not been met, he said. Around 650 non-migrant Pandit families are presently living across the Valley and they, for long, have been alleging step-motherly treatment by successive state governments as well as the Centre. The HWSK is demanding minority status for non-migrant Pandits, job package for the youth, rehabilitation for internally displaced members and passing of the Protection of Hindu Temples and Shrines Bill in the state Assembly.
Shashank Anand

ELECTIONS in India always bring some hackneyed phrases into currency  anti-incumbency, development, secularism, vote-bank, ticket, caste, regionalism, code of conduct and the like. The recently concluded elections to five state legislatures, including the most populous state of the country, saw the print, electronic and new-age social media inundated with countless analyses by political pundits vying to explain how people of different castes, religions and regions voted. It was particularly appalling to view television reporters bluntly enquire from the people of UP their caste, their sub-caste and whom they voted for, during a prime-time election programme that was telecast on one of the oldest English news channels. Whither secret ballot!

Election after election, the electorate hopes  in vain  that real poll issues would find centre-stage in the political debate. For many though, it is a convenient ruse to squarely blame the politicians for perpetuating these inimical divides.

Having been born and brought up in the biggest metropolis of the country, Delhi, I was oblivious to the concept of caste. Thanks to my parents, my sibling, my teachers and my peers, I spent the first 25 years of my life in a caste-less utopia. However, the bubble of a caste-less society that I was blissfully living in tragically burst soon after I came to Haryana to join the police service. I was woken up to the harsh reality of a world revolving around caste.

I vividly recollect even after nine years my first run-in with caste consciousness. It was a day when interviews were being conducted for teachers to be recruited to a primary school being run out of the Police Lines for wards of police personnel. The district SP asked me to join the panel of interviewers which also had eminent professors from a leading state university as subject experts. As the interviews got over and I took leave of my boss, one of the panellists excitedly walked up to me, pointing towards my nameplate. With an uncanny grin he said, We belong to the same sub-caste. I was aghast to realise how myopic a professor of a university could be. The professor, embarrassingly, continued his histrionic display of ecstasy with no qualms whatsoever, perhaps expecting me to embrace him as the proverbial brother separated in a fair. I somehow managed to gather my wits and quipped that my only identity was that of an Indian.

It would be imprudent to pin all hopes on the political class to first let go of its proclivity for the use/abuse of identities based on caste, religion or region as the stakes are the greatest for them. Rather, it is for the so-called educated class to lead the socio-political discourse away from such non-issues. The first step in this direction could be to shun the practice of analysis of voting patterns on the lines of caste, religion or region.
New Delhi, April 5

Almost two months after CRPF Commander Chetan Cheetah, 45, went into coma with nine bullet wounds suffered during an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, the officer today walked out of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after making a miraculous recovery.

Cheetah, who belongs to Rajasthan, was wheeled in on February 14 at the trauma centre after being airlifted from Srinagar. Doctors said he had shown a steely resolve to respond to their intensive medical care.

Subodh Kumar, Professor of Trauma Surgery at AIIMS, while announcing his recovery, said it was nothing short of a miracle.

Cheetah was in coma for 16 days and spent a month in the intensive care unit, Amit Gupta, Additional Medical Superintendent at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, said.

Gupta said the Commanding Officer (CO) of CRPFs 45th Battalion in the Kashmir Valley had suffered bullet injuries to the head, upper limbs, waist, pelvic region, hands and right eye.

Doctors said the chances of vision returning to the right eye were bleak although his left eye, which had splinter injuries, had been restored.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Twitter hailed the courage of the officer. Fortune favours the brave. Extremely happy to know that Cheetah has made a miraculous recovery. I thank the team of doctors who have helped Chetan Cheetah in his recovery. Hope to see Cheetah back in action soon. His deputy Kiren Rijiju visited the officer at the hospital and said he was proud of him.

Cheetah said he felt proud when Army Chief General Bipin Rawat and Rijiju visited him and recognised his contribution.

The team of medical experts described the treatment provided to him over 45 days. Within 24 hours of admission, surgery was conducted to remove a portion of the skull which had suffered the bullet injury to reduce intra-cranial pressure. After that, he underwent multiple surgeries.

Cheetah also developed signs of sepsis due to his wounds, which was managed by critical care specialists in the ICU. His wounds were regularly debrided, Subodh said. Doctors say Cheetah will be left with some amount of disability but with proper rehabilitation and physiotherapy will improve over the time.

His wife Uma Singh, who has been besides her husband since the near-fatal encounter, was anxious to take him home after being discharged today and said normalcy in our lives will come back once he wears the uniform and goes to office.  TNS/PTI
Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, April 5



A high alert was sounded in Mumbai for the second day on Wednesday after the police was tipped off about terrorists entering the city via the rail route.

According to sources here, the police were told by informers that a gang of three terrorists had entered the city via an outstation train and were planning to carry out attacks in the city. However, no one had been arrested so far though several suspects had been questioned, police said.

On Tuesday, the police department received a fax message ostensibly from the Coast Guard about Islamic State terrorists entering the city via the sea. However, the message was dismissed as a hoax by the Coast

Guard, police officials confirmed on Wednesday.

Despite the hoax terror calls in the past, the police say they are checking small hotels and lodges that rent out rooms to people without checking their identity documents.
New Delhi, April 5

After the federal cabinet of Pakistan approved the merger of tribal areas with Khyber-Pakhtunkhuwa province last month, India on Wednesday said that any attempt to alter the status of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is completely unacceptable.

The government has seen reports that a committee headed by Adviser to the Prime Minister of Pakistan has recommended that the so-called Gilgit-Baltistan area of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is under illegal occupation of Pakistan, be given provisional provincial status, Minister of State for External Affairs VK. Singh stated in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

It is our consistent position that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Any action to alter the status of any part of the territory under the illegal and forcible occupation of Pakistan has no legal basis whatsoever and is completely unacceptable, he said.

The federal cabinet of Pakistan last month accorded approval to the recommendations of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) reforms committee, which included the merger of the tribal areas with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and repeal of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR).

Chairing the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the people of FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir would be given their due rights.

Sartaj Aziz , Advisor on Foreign Affairs to the Pakistan Prime Minister, said necessary amendments would be made in the constitution to enable the people of FATA to elect their representatives to the assembly in the 2018 general elections.

In his statement on Wednesday, Singh said that Pakistan should immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation.

Further, any step to alter the status of Pakistan-occupied territory cannot hide the grave human rights violations, exploitation and denial of freedom in these areas, he stated.

Our position in this matter has been made clear to international interlocuters.  IANS
Kolkata, Apr 5 (IBNS): Days after a jewellery store was robbed at gun point at Sonarpur area in Kolkata's neighbouring South 24 Parganas district, police on Wednesday arrested another woman in connection with the case, officials said.

According to reports, acting on a tip-off, police raided a house at Champahati area in South 24 Parganas and booked a middle-aged woman, Kohinoor Bibi, who reportedly gave shelter provided firearms to the dacoits.

Earlier on Sunday late evening, at least seven dacoits armed with guns and choppers robbed a jewellery shop, D.S. Debnath Jewellers, at Sonarpur Rail Gate (East) area, metres away from Sonarpur Police Station and Sonarpur railway station.

Owner of the shop, Dipak Debnath, was killed and three more persons, including a woman, were seriously injured when miscreants reportedly opened fire and hurled crude bombs during escape.

After starting investigation into the case, police arrested three persons, including a Bangladeshi dacoit, an autorickshaw driver and a woman, from different locations of the same district and based on their statements, investigators nabbed Kohinoor Bibi.

"After quizzing the arrested, we have come to know that a Bangladeshi dacoits' gang led the robbery after taking help from local miscreants," a senior official of Baruipur police district told IBNS.

"Our officers will go to Bangladesh to probe the matter and to catch others involved in the robbery as we are suspecting that other gang members have returned to their home after completing operation in Sonarpur," the official added.

However, Kohinoor Bibi was produced in a local court in Baruipur on Wednesday afternoon and was sent to police custody.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 5

China today didnt hold back on its anger over Indias decision to allow Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh and said India has severely damaged the bilateral relationship by doing so. India reiterated its stand that no artificial controversy should be created around the visit, which is religious and not political in nature.

Edit: Provoking the Dragon

In Arunachal, the Dalai Lama sought to clear the air, saying India has never used me against China. He also thanked the Indian Government for its hospitality. I have been here since 1959. India has taken great care of me. I am their longest staying guest. I am thankful to them.

China has accused the Tibetan spiritual leader of having a separatist agenda, but the Dalai Lama today said: I am a messenger of the ancient Indian thought and I talk about ahimsa (non-violence), peace, harmony and secular ethics wherever I go.

The indications from the government here are, however, quite clear. India is using the Tibet card more publicly and forcefully than ever before and Beijing has been quick to notice that.

An article in the state-run Global Times (GT) said: Unlike his predecessors, Narendra Modi seems to have taken a different stance on the Dalai issue, raising public engagements with the monk and challenging Beijings bottom line.

The Chinese foreign ministry said China expresses firm opposition and will lodge stern representations. Beijing later lodged a protest with Indias Ambassador Vijay Gokhale over the visit.

GT spoke about the costs that India would have to pay for this decision: New Delhi may have underestimated Beijings determination to safeguard its core interests... China doesnt allow India to free-ride on its economic growth while jeopardising Beijings core interests.

The two main points of contention that came to the fore last year were Chinas insistence that India, being a non-signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), should not be allowed entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG); and Beijings consistent veto at the UN to block Indias move to get JeM chief Masood Azhar designated as an international terrorist.
Beijing, April 5

China on Wednesday warned that it will take "necessary measures" to defend its territorial sovereignty and interests after India "obstinately" allowed the Dalai Lama to visit the "disputed" parts of Arunachal Pradesh causing "serious damage" to the bilateral ties.

China also lodged a protest with India's Ambassador in Beijing Vijay Gokhale over the Dalai Lama's visit.

"India in disregard to China's concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lama's visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to China's interests and China-India relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters.

#WATCH IMMEDIATE PLAYOUT: The Dalai Lama speaks to the media in Arunachal Pradesh's Bomdila. https://t.co/lJ1oX0B3wh  ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017



China firmly opposes this move, she asserted.

"China's stand on the eastern part of the borders is consistent and clear. India is keenly aware of the role played by the 14th Dalai Lama.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

"Arranging his visit to those sensitive and disputed areas not only runs counter to the Indian side's commitment to the issues related to Tibet but also escalates disputes over the border area," she said.

Hua stated that it goes against the momentum of the sound growth of bilateral relations and will not benefit India in anyway.

"The visit will for sure trigger China's dissatisfaction. This will not bring any benefit to India," she said.

China will firmly take necessary measures to defend its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests, Hua asserted.

Asked what measures China would take, Hua did not elaborate.

"I don't have much to add. I want to add the issues concerning Tibet have a bearing on China's core interests. India in disregard of China's concerns obstinately arranged the visit," she said.

"We demand the Indian side immediately stop its actions using the Dalai Lama to undermine China's interests and not hype up sensitive issues between the two countries, not artificially damage the foundation of the talks between the two countries on the border issues and bilateral legislations and take concrete actions to safeguard the China-India relations," she said.

The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader reached Bomdila in West Kameng district yesterday, starting his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

China claims parts of Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet and had previously warned that if India allowed the visit of the Dalai Lama, whom it calls an "anti-China separatist", it would cause "serious damage" to ties.

China is sensitive to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang region in Arunachal which happens to be the birthplace in 1683 of the sixth Dalai Lama and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.

"We hope we can work together to maintain growth of India China relations. We know India and China are two close neighbours and countries in Asia. Cooperation between us will serve interests of the region," Hua said.

"We hope to maintain good momentum of growth but this move runs counter to this wish, so we hope India stop doing things that undermine our interests," she said.

Yesterday, Minister of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said India never interfered in Beijing's affairs, has respected the "One China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in India's internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lama's visit.

"There is no political angle behind his holiness's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is completely religious." Separately, the External Affairs Ministry has said that no "artificial controversy" should be created about the visit.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson rejected Rijiju's comments, saying "China upholds the policy of not interfering with other countries internal affairs. This is unquestionable."

"But in disregard to China's concerns India arranged the visit of Dalai Lama to the disputed areas. This issue goes beyond internal affairs," she said.

"The role played by the Dalai Lama is clear to all. China's position on the eastern section of the boundary is also very clear," she said.

"The arrangement of Dalai's visit to the disputed area by India runs counter to its commitments on issues related to Tibet and it runs counter to benefits of bilateral relations. We demand that India stop this wrong action," she said.

About Rijiju's comments that it was a religious visit and should not be politicised, she said, "We have noted the statement of the official from the Indian side."

"Could you tell me honestly do you seriously believe that Dalai is only a religious leader. I think the answer is known to all. He is not just a religious figure. Therefore, his visit to the place will not be purely of religious purpose. So using the empty words to defend this arrangement is not reasonable. We demand the Indian side to stop this move of undermining Chinese interests," she said.

Chinese officials in off the record conversations with the media said China is really angry about the Dalai Lama's visit specially because he was accompanied by a minister.

Unlike previous visits, the officials said the Dalai Lama was accompanied by a minister which makes it different. PTI
Prateek Chauhan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 5

CRPF Commandant Chetan Kumar Cheetah who was injured in a combat operation with LeT on February 14 and was airlifted to the AIIMS here has been discharged.

Earlier, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju met the commandant and told him that he wanted to see the commandant back in uniform. The minister met the brave soldiers family and extended full support.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)



The commandant was in the AIIMS trauma centre for almost a month. Anurag Srivastava, the chief of AIIMS trauma centre, said he was taken care of by a team of medical practitioners. He is doing well but it would take time for him to recover fully.

Cheetah was first wheeled in on February 14 at the trauma centre of the premier medical institute after being airlifted from Srinagar. Doctors attending to him said he has shown a steely resolve to respond to their intensive medical care that went on for close to about two months.

Professor of Trauma Surgery at the AIIMS Subodh Kumar, while announcing his recovery in an interaction with journalists, said it was "nothing short of a miracle".

After spending a month in hospital, Commandant Chetan is ready to go home - ANI #News https://t.co/gWh0FvKyGI #ChetanCheetah #ChetanCheeta  ANI Multimedia (@ANI_multimedia) April 5, 2017

"Cheetah was in coma for 16 days and spent a month in the ICU. He is fit to be discharged now," Amit Gupta, Additional Medical Superintendent at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, said.

Gupta said the Commanding Officer (CO) of the CRPF's 45th battalion in Kashmir Valley had suffered bullet injuries in his brain, right eye, abdomen, both the arms, left hand and in the buttock region.

According to doctors, the hope for vision returning to Cheetah's right eye are "bleak" although his left eye which was also injured due to splinter injuries has been restored.

"When he was brought in, he was in coma, had bullet injuries in his head, badly fractured torso and the globe of his eight eye had ruptured," Gupta said.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh took to Twitter to hail the courage of the officer and said he wants to see Cheetah back in action.

"Fortune favours the brave. Extremely happy to know that Cheetah has made a miraculous recovery.

"I thank the team of doctors who have helped Shri Chetan Cheetah in his recovery. Hope to see Cheetah back in action soon," the minister said.

His deputy in the ministry and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju visited the officer at the AIIMS Trauma centre here and talked to him.

Rijiju said he was "proud" of the officer.

Cheetah, in his short comments, said he felt proud when army chief Gen Bipin Rawat and Rijiju visited him during his admission at the hospital here and recognised his contribution.

The team of medical experts and doctors described the treatment provided to him over the last over 1.5 months.

"Within 24 hours of admission, surgery was conducted to remove a portion of the skull which had suffered the bullet injury to reduce intra-cranial pressure. After that he underwent multiple surgeries.

"Cheetah also developed signs of sepsis due to his wounds which was managed by critical care specialists in ICU. His wounds were regularly debrided," Subodh said.

According to doctors, Cheetah will be left with some amount of disability but with proper rehabilitation and physiotherapy will improve over the time.

The CO's wife, Uma Singh, who has been besides her husband since the near-fatal encounter, was anxious to take him home after being discharged today and said "normalcy in our lives will come back once he wears the uniform and goes to office".

Hailing from Rajasthan, Cheetah bore the initial brunt of the militant encounter in Hajjan area on February 14 where a joint team of army, CRPF and state police had laid siege following intelligence inputs that two foreign terrorists were hiding in the area.

Cheetah was commanding the 45th Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

He was initially taken to the base hospital in Srinagar where he was operated upon and given primary treatment after which he was shifted using an air ambulance to the AIIMS trauma centre at 7.30 pm the same day.

Doctors said he was shifted to ward on March 16 where he underwent rehabilitation in the form of physiotherapy and speech therapy with a total ICU stay of 30 days.

Subsequently, they said, the wounds were covered with skin grafting by the plastic surgery team.  With PTI inputs
Beijing, April 5

India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China's "bottom line", Chinese state media said on Wednesday, threatening that New Delhi may have "underestimated" Beijing's determination to protect its core interests.

The Chinese reaction to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh came in an article in the state-run Global Times, which is part of the ruling Communist Party publications an is known for striking nationalistic postures.

#WATCH IMMEDIATE PLAYOUT: The Dalai Lama speaks to the media in Arunachal Pradesh's Bomdila. https://t.co/lJ1oX0B3wh  ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

Also read: Dalai in Arunachal, India asks China not to meddle in its affairs

"Beijing has voiced concerns over the issue, but New Delhi claimed that China shouldn't intervene in its 'internal affairs'," the article said, referring to Indian Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju's comments yesterday.

"This is absurd," the article said. Rijiju has said India never interfered in Beijing's affairs, has respected the "One China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in India's internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lama's visit. "There is no political angle behind his holiness's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is completely religious."

Separately, External Affairs Ministry has said that no "artificial controversy" should be created about the visit.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry is yet to react to Rijiju's comments or the External Affairs statement yesterday.

However, the state media asked India to "overcome its suspicion" of Beijing. "China doesn't allow India to free ride on its economic growth while jeopardising Beijing's core interests."

It warned, "New Delhi may have underestimated Beijing's determination to safeguard its core interests. Many countries have pledged not to extend invitations to the Dalai Lama. As the two largest emerging economies, China and India have great potential for cooperation."

Today's article also accused India of playing the "Tibet card" as it is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance on India's bid for Nuclear Suppliers Group membership and its attempts to add Masood Azhar, the chief of Pakistan-backed militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), to a UN Security Council blacklist.

"Therefore, Delhi attempts to play the Tibet card against Beijing," it said, adding that "unlike his predecessors, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have taken a different stance on the Dalai issue, raising public engagements with the monk and challenging Beijing's bottom line," it said.

India and China have had discussions on the two issues, yet the matters are far from being resolved, leading to strain in ties. Also, China is sensitive to the visit of the Dalai Lama, who it calls an "anti-China separatist", to Arunachal's Tawang region which happens to be the birthplace in 1683 of the sixth Dalai Lama and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

China has in recent days upped its rhetoric on claims to parts of Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls southern Tibet, and even warned India of "serious damage" to ties if New Delhi allowed Tibet's exiled spiritual leader's visit to go ahead.

The article added, "India is also exploring the option of linking the strategic border district of Tawang with a railway network, another provocation against Beijing. India has also invited a 'parliamentary delegation from Taiwan in February'."

Citing other instances like the Dalai Lama's meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee in December, which Beijing sees as a "provocation", it quoted Rijiju as having said to an international news agency in an interview that "it's a behavioural change you are seeing. India is more assertive."

It said that the Dalai Lama is "now openly used by India as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage." Last night, another piece on the newspaper's website said India was using the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang "to upset" China.

An unnamed Chinese analyst told the newspaper that the 14th Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang will hurt Sino-Indian ties.

"The Dalai's visit to the controversial area, especially Tawang, which China hopes will be returned, will affect relations between China and India," the analyst from the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the paper on the condition of anonymity.

The analyst too pointed out the religious significance of the Tawang to Tibetans, saying it's the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso.

The analyst said this was not the first time India has used the Dalai Lama to express its displeasure to China, especially when bilateral talks fail to include their demands or to "pander to domestic anti-China issues". PTI
Tribune News Service

Kolkata, April 5

Soldiers from Mongolia, the country with which China shares 4,000-km border, have arrived in Mizoram to receive military training at the elite Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School run by the Eastern Command of the Army at Vairengte in the foothills of Mizoram.

The two-week joint military training exercise began today. The Mongolian team consists of nine officers and 36 soldiers of the elite 084 Special Forces Task Battalion.

The Indian side is represented by a contingent of three officers, four JCOs and 39 soldiers of the Jammu & Kashmir Rifles battalion.

The training encompasses important aspects such as convoy protection, room intervention drills and ambush and counter ambush drills.

India and Mongolia had signed a 10-year defence cooperation agreement that was renewed for another decade in 2011.
Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 5

All non-government organisations (NGOs) receiving or desirous of receiving government funds will have to mandatorily register themselves with the Niti Aayog or an agency notified by the Centre for registration and accreditation, the NDA government told the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

The government submitted a set of draft guidelines to streamline the functioning of NGOs detailing the norms for their registration, accreditation, release of funds, monitoring, auditing of accounts, disciplinary procedures and dispute resolution.

In future, all funds to NGOs/VOs (voluntary organisations) should be released through the Public Funds Management Systems (PFMS), stated the Centres guidelines that prescribed a three-tier monitoring of NGOs.

In an affidavit filed in the court, the Centre said the objective of the exercise was To create an enabling environment for NGOs/VOs that stimulates their enterprise and effectiveness, and safeguards their autonomy.

According to the guidelines  which would come into force from the date notified by the government  executive committee members of the NGO concerned will have to execute a bond in favour of the President of India for the sanctioned amount and NGOs receiving government funds through false and misleading information will be blacklisted. Misappropriation of funds would attract criminal prosecution and signatories will be jointly and severally liable to refund the amount.

Submitting the draft guidelines before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said these would be finalised in two weeks. The bench asked the government to consult amicus curiae senior counsel Rakesh Diwedi.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by advocate ML Sharma seeking proper guidelines to regulate over 30 lakh NGOs, many of which were not properly audited. He had demanded action against activist Anna Hazare for not subjecting his NGO to audit.

Sharma had alleged that 80 per cent of the NGOs received foreign funds and there are 30 lakh NGOs in the country and there was no legal framework to properly regulate them. Unless some mechanism is put in place centrally, nothing can be done.

Haryana and Punjab accounted for 1,00,611 and 84,752 NGOs, respectively. Many other states had much more NGOs. According to a report filed by the CBI, Maharashtra (5.18 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (5.48), Kerala (3.69), West Bengal (2.34), Tamil Nadu (1.55), Andhra Pradesh (2.92) and Madhya Pradesh (1.36) had much greater number of NGOs.

Under the proposed guidelines, NGOs will be given a unique ID and subjected to the Income Tax Act and Foreign Contribution Regulations Act. The NGOs must submit the audited accounts, IT returns, area of operation and names of key personnel.

The NGOs will only be granted accreditation after evaluating their internal governance and ethical standards. The past record of the NGOs too will be put under scrutiny before accreditation.
Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 5

All non-government organisations (NGOs) receiving or desirous of receiving government funds will have to mandatorily register themselves with the Niti Aayog or an agency notified by the Centre for registration and accreditation, the NDA government told the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

The government submitted a set of draft guidelines to streamline the functioning of NGOs detailing the norms for their registration, accreditation, release of funds, monitoring, auditing of accounts, disciplinary procedures and dispute resolution.

In future, all funds to NGOs/VOs (voluntary organisations) should be released through the Public Funds Management Systems (PFMS), stated the Centres guidelines that prescribed a three-tier monitoring of NGOs.

In an affidavit filed in the court, the Centre said the objective of the exercise was to create an enabling environment for NGOs/VOs that stimulates their enterprise and effectiveness, and safeguards their autonomy.

According to the guidelines  which would come into force from the date notified by the government  executive committee members of the NGO concerned will have to execute a bond in favour of the President for the sanctioned amount and NGOs receiving government funds through false and misleading information will be blacklisted. Misappropriation of funds would attract criminal prosecution and signatories will be jointly and severally liable to refund the amount.

Submitting the draft guidelines before a Bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said these would be finalised in two weeks. The Bench asked the government to consult amicus curiae senior counsel Rakesh Diwedi.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by advocate ML Sharma seeking proper guidelines to regulate over 30 lakh NGOs, many of which were not properly audited. He had demanded action against activist Anna Hazare for not subjecting his NGO to audit.

Sharma had alleged that 80 per cent of the NGOs received foreign funds and there were 30 lakh NGOs in the country and there was no legal framework to properly regulate them. Unless some mechanism is put in place centrally, nothing can be done.

Haryana and Punjab accounted for 1,00,611 and 84,752 NGOs, respectively. Many other states had much more NGOs. According to a report filed by the CBI, Maharashtra (5.18), Uttar Pradesh (5.48), Kerala (3.69), West Bengal (2.34), Tamil Nadu (1.55), Andhra Pradesh (2.92) and Madhya Pradesh (1.36) had much greater number of NGOs.

Proposed guidelines

On funding

All funds to NGOs/VOs (voluntary organisations) should be released through the Public Funds Management Systems

Executive committee members of the NGO concerned will have to execute a bond in favour of the President for the sanctioned amount and NGOs receiving government funds through false and misleading information will be blacklisted

Misappropriation of funds would attract criminal prosecution and signatories will be jointly and severally liable to refund the amount

On functioning
Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 5

In the first major make in India move, Russia has formally agreed to have a joint venture with India for production of the Kamov-226T light-utility helicopter.

The two long-standing military allies had been discussing the project since December 2015, but Russia had not approved the joint venture (JV). Top sources in the Ministry of Defence today confirmed that Moscow had conveyed its consent, which was accorded by President Vladimir Putin.

New Delhi was not satisfied with the price being asked by the Russian side and it was one of the reasons for holding back the formal JV.

The MoD would then ask the new company to submit its technical and commercial proposal within six months, meaning some cost negotiation will be carried out in the future.

Kamov-HAL are to produce 200 of the Kamov 226T copters at a cost of nearly US$ 1 billion (Rs 6,500 crore) or Rs 32 crore per copter. Sixty of these copters will come in fly-away condition from Russia, another 40 will be assembled in India and the remaining 100 will be fully built in India.

An inter government agreement inked in October 2016, during the Narendra Modi-Putin meeting at Goa, had announced the Kamov deal.

The twin-engine Kamov 226-T will replace the single-engine Cheetah/Chetak, usually deployed for surveillance, dropping small loads and for rescue, including of troops posted at forbidding heights such as the Siachen Glacier-Saltoro Ridge region.

The three services and the Coast Guard currently have 430 Cheetah/Chetaks. These are based on the 1950s designed Alouette Aerospatiale 315B Lama of France.
Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 5

Russia has formally agreed to have a joint venture with India for production of the Kamov-226T light utility helicopter which was announced as the first major Make in India project in October 2016.

The two long-standing military allies had faced hurdles as Russia had not approved the Joint Venture. Top sources in the Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday that Russia had conveyed its consent for the JV given by President Vladimir Putin.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

New Delhi was not satisfied with the price being asked by the Russian side and it was one of the reasons for holding back the formal JV.

An inter-government agreement inked in October 2016, during the Narendra Modi-Vladimir Putin meet at Goa had announced the Kamov deal. It was in December 2015 that it was first announced that the Kamov-226T would be the copter of choice.

The Russians have public sector giant, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), as the Indian partner. However, the Ministry of Defence was also looking to have private sector Indian investors to share a part of the contract that India has to execute under a joint venture with Russia.

Kamov-HAL are to produce 200 of the Kamov 226-T copters at a cost of nearly Rs 6,500 crore or Rs 32 crore per copter in India.

The HAL is owned by the Ministry of Defence and has previous experience of making copters.

The Indian forces need some 800 light utility helicopters over the next decade, a demand which cannot be fulfilled by the HAL alone.

The twin-engined Kamov 226-T will replace the single-engine Cheetah/Chetak, usually deployed for surveillance, dropping small loads and for rescue, including of troops posted at forbidding heights such as the Siachen Glacier-Saltoro Ridge region.

The three services and the Coast Guard currently have 430 Cheetah/Chetak helicopters. They are based on the 1950s designed Alouette Aerospatiale 315B Lama of France.
New Delhi, April 5

The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the Karnataka government's plea seeking review of its verdict by which it had abated the proceedings in a disproportionate assets case against late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

"Applications for personal hearing of review petitions before the court are rejected.

"We have considered the review petitions filed by the State of Karnataka on merits. In our opinion, no case for review of our order dated February 14, 2017 is made out.

Consequently, the review petitions are dismissed on merits," a bench of Justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy said.

The Karnataka Government had on March 21 moved the apex court against its February 14 judgement contending that once the proceedings were abated, it would not be possible to recover the fine of Rs 100 crore imposed on the late leader which was part of the punishment awarded to her in the case.

The apex court had on February 14 convicted AIADMK chief VK Sasikala and two others in the case, while abating proceedings against Jayalalithaa as she was no more.

The court had, however, made clear that the fine imposed on her can be recovered.

The apex court had restored the special trial court verdict convicting all the accused and set aside the Karnataka High Court judgement in the case.

The trial court had found disproportionate assets valued at Rs 53.60 crore, which Jayalalithaa and the three others could not account for. The CBI had alleged that the unaccounted wealth was to the tune of Rs 66.65 crore.

In its review plea, the state government had contended that the apex court's decision to abate the proceedings against Jayalalithaa was an "error apparent on the face of record".

The plea had said that the abatement of proceedings was "erroneous" as there was no provision either in the Constitution or the Supreme Court rules for it.

Jayalalithaa had been sentenced to a four-year jail term, along with Rs 100 crore fine by the Bengaluru court.

Sasikala, 60, has to serve a jail term of around three-and-a-half years, out of the four years awarded by the trial court, as she has already spent almost six months in prison.

The conviction of Sasikala's two relatives V N Sudhakaran and Elavarasi was also upheld by the apex court and they were directed to surrender to serve their four-year term.

The apex court had set aside the high court order, acquitting all the four accused and had "restored in toto" the trial court's decision in the 19-year-old case. PTI
Kolkata Metro Rail's official Facebook page

Kolkata, Apr 5 (IBNS): Days after at least 14 people were killed and several others were injured in a terrorist attack at an subway metro station in Russia's St. Petersburg, a group of specially trained commandos have been deployed to Kolkata Metro stations to strengthen security, officials said.

According to reports, at least 30 commandos of Railway Protection Force (RPF), who got hard anti-terror training in Chattishgarh, have started their duties from Wednesday.

"As we are determined to ensure security in Kolkata Metro, 30 trained commandos have been deployed to metro stations and trains, CPRO of Kolkata Metro Rail, Pratyush Ghosh, told IBNS.

"Besides 800 RPF personnel and 300 cops from the state police force, these 30 commandos will provide security in Kolkata metro from today (Wednesday) onwards," Ghosh further said.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha, Image: Kolkata Metro Rail's official Facebook page)
Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 5

The Centre on Wednesday admitted before the Supreme Court there was no proper regulatory framework to address privacy concerns of citizens arising out of Over-The-Top popular messaging services such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Skype.

However, the NDA government told a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) was exploring a regulatory framework in consultation with TRAI. Department of Telecommunication is seized of the issue and shall finalise policy direction on various aspects of regulatory and licensing framework for OTT services and net neutrality after taking into account the TRAI recommendations on the subject,, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Bench.

Rapid advances in technology had resulted in newer uses of internet leading to growth of a new breed of services known as Over-The-Top (OTT) services, which needed to be covered under a regulatory mechanism. OTT refers to applications and services such as WhatsApp, Skype, Viber, WeChat, Facebook Messenger etc.  accessible over the internet and ride on telecom operators networks offering internet services.

The Bench indicated the right to privacy would be taken up by a Constitution Bench from April 18. In its affidavit, the Centre said the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had issued a consultation paper titled Regulatory Framework for Over-The-top(OTT) services on March 27, 2015 and its recommendations were awaited. DoT would finalise the policy after getting the TRAIs recommendations, it said.

The affidavit comes in response to the top courts January 16 direction to the Centre, TRAI, WhatsApp and Facebook seeking their views on a petition challenging WhatsApps decision to share 160 million Indian users data with Facebook.

Petitioners Karmanya Singh Sareen and Shreya Sethi had alleged WhatsApps decision to share all its subscribers data with Facebook impinged on privacy of 160 million Indian users.

The Delhi High Court had last year ruled that WhatsApp should delete all data in its possession till September 25, 2016, but said the company was free to share the data with Facebook post September 25, 2016, thus enabling subscribers to voluntarily withdraw from the service if they were not keen on sharing their data with Facebook.

The high court had asked the Centre and TRAI to examine the feasibility of bringing the messaging services under a regulatory regime in India. The petitioners have challenged the HC verdict in the top court.
Washington, April 5

A bipartisan group of lawmakers have tabled a resolution in the US House of Representatives to celebrate the annual festival of Baisakhi observed by Sikhs.

Noting that Baisakhi celebrates community, prosperity, and continued progress in the year ahead, the resolution introduced by Congressman John Garamendi expressed respect for all communities that celebrate Baisakhi.

The resolution, introduced at a time when the Sikh community is facing increasing instances of hate crimes in the US, also recognises the significance of Baisakhi to Sikh communities in the US and around the world.

The three other lawmakers who co-sponsored the resolution are Patrick Meehan, Judy Chu and David Valadao.

Noting that it is an annual festival celebrating the spring harvest season, the resolution said that Baisakhi is of particular significance to the Sikh religion and is one of the most important dates in Sikh history.

"For Sikhs, Baisakhi commemorates the creation of the Khalsa, a fellowship of devout Sikhs, by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699;" the resolution said adding that the festival celebrates community, prosperity, and continued progress in the year ahead.  PTI
Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 5

The Punjab Government has finally managed to sell liquor vends in all six remaining unsold districts, except Bathinda, and earn Rs 1,729 crore against a reserve price of Rs 1,701 crore.

Liquor baron and BJP leader Shiv Lal Doda and Jasdeep Chadha are learnt to have together got the contract for running all liquor vends in Ludhiana urban areas. Jasdeep is daughter of former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Harwinder Singh Sarna who is known for his close links to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. Jasdeep has also managed to get most of the contracts in the Doaba region. Sources said she was in partnership with Doda for the vends in Ludhiana.

The groups (licensing units) in the industrial city were collectively allotted vends for Rs 755 crore against a reserve price of Rs 735 crore on Wednesday evening.

The sources said though the excise policy for this year allowed for collective tenders in case the Excise and Taxation Department did not receive any individual tenders for the vends, even after a reduction in licence fee by five per cent, there was always a danger of the collective tendering leading to monopolisation in the liquor trade. However, the state government failed to get any individual response for the vends in Ludhiana, Ferozepur, Muktsar and Faridkot, which have all been allotted through collective tenders. Interestingly, a majority of vends in Patiala and Sangrur have gone to the firms of Congress MLA Amrit Singh Dhillon as a major stakeholder.

Officials in the Excise and Taxation Department told The Tribune that they had tried to allot individual tenders, but no contractor came forward. Gurtej Singh, Additional Excise and Taxation Commissioner, said that the department tried to avoid monopoly in the trade and had even reduced the licence fee by 5 per cent to get contractors to participate in the process. "In Ludhiana, we decreased the licence fee by just 2.5 per cent, whereas in three other cities -- Ferozepur, Faridkot and and Muktsar -- it was reduced by five per cent. The sealed tenders were invited and we allotted tenders based on the best revenue yields," he said.
Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 5

A Batala-based NGO has come to the aid of two Pakistani sisters, who were lodged in the Amritsar jail even after completing 10-year imprisonment in a drug case.

Though NGO Sarbat Da Bhala being run by Navtej Singh Guggu has promised to pay Rs 4-lakh fine imposed on them by a local court during their conviction in 2009, the journey back home is mired in legalities.

One of the two sisters, Fatima Bibi, was pregnant at the time of arrest under charges of drug smuggling. She had delivered a girl, Hena, in jail, who is now 10 years of age.

The legal counsel for Fatima and her younger sister Mumtaz, Navjot Kaur Chabba, said, Technically, Hena is a citizen of India as she was born in an Indian jail. She does not have a passport to travel to Pakistan. Now, we will approach the Pakistan Embassy to request transit visa for Hena. There is a provision that the Embassy can issue a passport and stamp visa on the spot. We hope that these legalities will not prolong the trios stay in jail.

Earlier, the jail staff had planned to send the girl to Nari Niketan when she had turned seven. Chabba filed a writ petition in the High Court and got approval for the girl to stay in the jail along with her mother.

Fatima and Mumtaz were arrested from the Samjhauta Express on May 8, 2006, at the Attari railway station for carrying drugs. A local court announced prison of 10 years and six months to the accused sisters in 2009.

Although the two sisters completed their jail term in November last year, the sessions court extended it by two years for their failure to pay the fine.

Fatima refused to send Hena back to Pakistan alone despite the courts intervention.

Chabba approached Fatimas husband at Gujranwala, but he said they didnt have money to pay the fine, following which the NGO was approached forward to help.

Journey back home mired in legalities

"Technically, Hena is a citizen of India as she was born in an Indian jail. She does not have a passport to travel to Pakistan. We will approach the Pakistan Embassy to request transit visa for Hena. There is a provision that the Embassy can issue a passport and stamp visa on the spot. We hope that these legalities will not prolong the trios stay in jail" Navjot Kaur Chabba, Legal counsel for Fatima
Amaninder Pal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 5

The Punjab State Food Commission has unearthed a scam worth Rs 4-crore in the distribution of subsidised wheat under the Atta-Dal Scheme.

The first-ever probe by the commission revealed how school notebooks replaced Blue ration cards and how literate beneficiaries were shown putting thumb impressions while availing subsidised wheat they never received.

But what has come as a shocker for the commission is that a whopping stock of around 18 lakh kg of wheat (18,000 quintals) was diverted in a span of just 11 months from godowns meant to supply subsidised wheat in 61 villages and Jandiala Guru town of Amritsar district.

The scheme is managed by the Department of Food and Civil Supplies. Over 5,800-page inquiry report prepared after 50 days of field visits reveals that the entire missing stock was meant for BPL families, which can avail of it at Rs 2 per kg. The stock was sufficient to feed around 6,000 families for a year.

Hinting that the magnitude of the scam could be larger, the report reads: The team could not record statements of all beneficiaries as they were daily wagers. There is a strong possibility of this amount (missing wheat stock) being higher than what has been found.

Officials said after receiving repeated complaints, the commission had, in December last year, deputed a team of 17 officials and inspectors of the department to audit the distribution of wheat in Janadiala Guru block from December 2014 to September 2015.

The probe revealed that of 18,784 quintals of wheat that was diverted to unknown destinations allegedly by the department employees in connivance with depot holders, at least 13,277 quintals was pilfered.

Wheat was not given to families whose Blue cards were not linked to Aadhaar. But the sale registers of distribution staffers showed that the foodgrain was distributed even to such beneficiaries, the report states. KAP Sinha, Secretary, Department of Food and Civil Supplies, could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

The modus operandi
IT is well-known that the history of the Indian people is not taught to the children of this country in the spirit it should be. Inaccurate and prejudiced versions are taught to the great disadvantage of the children. Just now in Ireland a protest is made against the national board of education for substituting European history from 1800 to 1914 for the history of Great Britain and Ireland during the Stuart period. There is a movement asking the authorities not to exclude the study of Irish history. It is said the Irish teachers are ignorant of the great movements of European history and they would be benefited by acquiring a historical knowledge of European nation who have exercised great influence in lives and activities of the world. A similar advantage can hardly be denied to people of India and the teaching of European history should be popularised.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 5

The Postal Department released a special commemorative stamp on the occasion of 19th Commonwealth Forestry Conference underway at the Forest Research Institute here today.

The stamp was released at the conference venue. Indian Council of Forestry Research and Educations Director General SC Gairola expressed gratitude to the Postal Department for coming out with a special commemorative stamp to mark the historic occasion. He said it was a matter of great honour that the Commonwealth Forestry Conference was being hosted in the country after a gap of nearly 50 years.

Forest Research Institute Director Dr Savita said the conference was proving to be a resounding success with participants showing a big enthusiasm. Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Posts M Pandey said taking into account the importance of the Commonwealth Forestry conference, the Postal Department deemed it fit to come up with a special commemorative stamp.

A large number of delegates were present at the release ceremony.
Lahore, April 5

At least seven persons, including five Pakistani soldiers, were killed and 19 others injured today when a Taliban suicide bomber targeted army men escorting a census team here, the latest in a series of bombings that have rocked the country.

The suicide bomber, who appeared to be Uzbek, came close to a van carrying army personnel on Baidian Road at 7:45 am and blew himself up, according to a Lahore police report submitted to Punjab Province CM Shahbaz Sharif.

The army team had reached there to carry out census activity. It appears that the suicide bomber aged between 22 and 24 was present there...and he had knowledge about the arrival of the census team, the report said.

The injured driver Muhammad Usman has been taken into custody for investigation to ascertain as to why he stopped the van at a particular point, it said. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack.  PTI
Washington, April 5

Pakistan considers the Afghan Taliban as its core strategic asset and is unlikely to abandon the militant group as Islamabads Afghanistan policy is about geo-strategic manoeuvring against India, a former American diplomat has said.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Former US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson said on Tuesday that he is convinced that Islamabad will not abandon the Taliban, because for the Pakistani establishment, the Afghanistan policy is about geo-strategic manoeuvring against India.

And since the establishments view India as an existential threat, all measures against the eastern neighbour are acceptable, he said while delivering remarks on Afghanistan and Pakistan at the Stimson Institute, a Washington DC-based think tank.

Olson said there was no hesitation under the Obama administration about having direct conversations, and even at times some of the US assistants took specific actions, which did not yield any results.

So I think we have to take almost as a fact that Pakistan is going to continue to support the Taliban, and we have to make the best of it that we can, he said.

This is directly linked with India, he argued. Talking about Americas role in the issue, Olson said any US policy with regard to Pakistan should take this into account.

Fundamentally, I think Pakistan sees the (Afghan) Taliban as a core strategic asset. I dont think theres much that the United States can do to get them to change their core strategic perception. You can get them to change their views on things that are less important to them, but a core strategic issue, I think our leverage is pretty limited, he said.

Despite heavy US pressure, and significant blandishments, Pakistan has never abandoned the policy of countenancing the Talibans use of its territory against its western neighbour (Afghanistan), he said.

Arguing that one way to overcome this behaviour of Pakistan is to get the peace talks on track, Olson said, If you get a peace process going between Afghans that is genuine and has a degree of mutual support, I think that will undermine Pakistans ability to be a spoiler in this regard.

He opposed the idea of designating Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism, saying he does not see where it would lead anywhere in terms of increasing Americas influence or ability to continue to work in Afghanistan.

The diplomat also warned against any attempt by the Trump administration to mediate talks between India and Pakistan or to resolve the Kashmir issue in order to get progress in Afghanistan.

I dont see that as anything that can be done in the near term. I would be very cautious of getting into that. I wish the Trump administration every bit of success and good luck with dealing with those set of issues.

But the fact is, I dont see the structure in place right now with either the Modi government or the Nawaz government to bring about a dramatic improvement in Indo-Pak relations, he said.

The high point of Indo-Pak relations was probably under Musharraf when he had a plan for Kashmir that actually involved de-emphasising, it was kind of a European Union solution if you will, de-emphasising the importance of the border rather than addressing the question of the border, Olson said.

Responding to a question, he said that it is improper to think that the Taliban is a fully owned subsidiary of Pakistan.

Pakistan, I do not believe quite genuinely, can order all of the Taliban to make peace or, frankly, to do much of anything else. I think creating a diplomatic construct in which you rely upon that is ultimately probably going to fail because the Taliban do have a vote in all of this, he added.  PTI
Brussels, April 5

All evidence points to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad being behind a suspected chemical weapons attack which left more than 70 dead in a rebel-held town, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Wednesday.

All the evidence I have seen suggests this was the Assad regime... using illegal weapons on their own people, Johnson said as he arrived for a Syria aid conference in Brussels.

What it confirms to everybody is that this is a barbaric regime which has made it impossible for us to imagine them (having) authority over Syria after this conflict, he added.

The Brussels conference, co-chaired by the EU and UN, is a follow up to last years London meeting which raised USD 11 billion (10 billion euros) for humanitarian aid programmes in the devastated country.

It is also meant to support UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva where mediator Staffan de Mistura has reported some very modest progress in solving a conflict which has claimed more than 320,000 lives and displaced most of the Syrian population.

Assads future role is a key sticking pointthe rebels and their international backers demand that he must step down.

But Assad refuses to budge and his key ally in Moscow has backed him to the hilt against the rebels and shows no sign of changing tack.

EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini urged the international community to press ahead with the peace talks, which were made even more urgent after yesterdays suspected chemical weapons attack.

We need to give a push, a strong push to the political talks in Geneva. We have to unite the international community behind these negotiations, Mogherini said.  AFP
Kolkata/Birbhum, Apr 6 (IBNS): Police on Wednesday recovered at least 1 lakh 80 thousand electrical detonators from Birbhum district of West Bengal and arrested two persons for carrying those, officials said.

According to reports, acting on a tip-off, a joint team of Birbhum district police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) intercepted a mini truck on Nalhati-Bahadurpur Road at Khapur village under Nalhati Police Station limits, kilometres away from Jharkhand border, and recovered those detonators.

The driver and the helper of the mini truck were arrested for carrying those explosive materials.

"We seized a Tata-407 truck at Nalhati Police Station area and recovered as many as 1,80,000 electrical detonators from the vehicle," a senior official of Birbhum district police told IBNS.

"Two residents of Telangana, Kranti Kumar and Srikant, were arrested for carrying those detonators," the official added.

The duo was produced in a local court on Wednesday and was sent to four-day police custody for further interrogation.

"We are currently quizzing them to know if they have links with any terrorist group or Maoists," the police official further said.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
Seoul, April 5

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday from its east coast into the sea off the Peninsula, South Korea's military said, ahead of a summit between US and Chinese leaders who are set to discuss Pyongyang's arms programme.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The launch was from Sinpo, a port city on the North's east coast, and the missile flew about 60 km (40 miles), South Korea's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a short statement. Sinpo is the site of a North Korean submarine base.

The launch comes just a day before the start of a summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping, where talks about adding pressure on the North to drop its arms development will take centre stage.

Any launch of objects using the ballistic missile technology is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions but the North has defied the ban as infringement of its sovereign rights to self defence and the pursuit of space exploration.

North Korea attempted to launch a ballistic missile two weeks ago from its east coast and earlier in March fired four missiles towards Japan, some of which came as close as 300 km (190 miles) to its coast.

The reclusive state has also conducted two nuclear weapons tests since January 2016.

The US military's Pacific Command said initial assessments indicated the launch was of a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile, which would be the same kind North Korea test-launched in February.

The North is believed to be developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can hit the United States and its leader, Kim Jong Un, has vowed to test-launch one at any time.

Experts and officials in the South and the United States believe Pyongyang is still some time away from mastering all the technology needed for an operational ICBM system, such as re-entry of the atmosphere and subsequent missile guidance.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the North's missile launch was "extremely problematic" and Tokyo has lodged a strong protest against its nuclear-armed neighbour.

South Korea's presidential Blue House called a National Security Council meeting to review the situation.

Topping the agenda of the US-China summit in Florida will be whether Trump will make good on his threat to use crucial trade ties with China to pressure Beijing to do more to rein in Pyongyang.

A senior US White House official said Trump wanted to work with China and described the discussions over North Korea as a test for the US-Chinese relationship.

Trump wants China to do more to exert its economic influence over unpredictable Pyongyang to restrain its nuclear and missile programmes, while Beijing has said it does not have that kind of influence. Reuters
Seoul, April 5

North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast on Wednesday, South Koreas military said, ahead of a summit between US and Chinese leaders who are set to discuss Pyongyangs increasingly defiant arms programme.

The missile flew about 60 km from its launch site at Sinpo, a port city on North Koreas east coast, the South Korean Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Sinpo is home to a North Korean submarine base.

The launch comes just a day before the start of a summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where talks about adding pressure on the North to drop its arms development will take centre stage.

The launch took place possibly in consideration of the US-China summit, while at the same time it was to check its missile capability, a South Korean official said. The missile was fired at a high angle and reached an altitude of 189 km.

Any launch of objects using ballistic missile technology is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The North has defied the ban, saying it infringes on its sovereign rights to self-defence and the pursuit of space exploration. The launch drew swift condemnation from Japan, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying further provocative action was possible.

In a terse statement, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said: The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment. Trump wants China to do more to exert its economic influence over unpredictable Pyongyang to restrain its nuclear and missile programmes.

China has denied it has any outsized influence on Pyongyang and Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying ruled out the chance of a link between the launch and the summit.  Reuters
Khan Sheikhun (Syria), April 5

Russia defended its ally Damascus on Wednesday in the face of an international outcry over a suspected chemical attack that killed scores of civilians, saying a Syrian air strike hit a terrorist warehouse.

The UN Security Council was to hold an emergency meeting later today on the attack, which killed at least 72 civilians, among them 20 children, in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun yesterday.

Washington and London have pointed the finger at President Bashar al-Assads government for the attack, though the regime has denied any use of chemical weapons.

Moscow, which launched a military intervention in 2015 in support of Assads forces, said the deaths were caused when a Syrian air strike hit a terrorist warehouse containing toxic substances.

The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that the building housed a warehouse making bombs, with toxic substances, without saying if the strike was accidental or deliberate.

The ministry said the arsenal of chemical weapons was intended for fighters in Iraq, describing its information as completely reliable and objective.

Syrias Army had earlier denied any use of chemical weapons, saying it has never used them, any time, anywhere, and will not do so in the future.

Its denials have done little to quiet international condemnation, with UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday saying the horrific events showed that war crimes are going on in Syria.

Others have blamed Damascus more directly for the attack, including British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson who said all the evidence I have seen suggests this was the Assad regime.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also pointed the finger at the regime, saying it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism.

If confirmed, the attack would be among the worst incidents of chemical weapons use in Syrias brutal civil war, which has killed over 320,000 people since it began in March 2011.

It unfolded in the early hours of this morning, with airplanes carrying out strikes that released toxic gas on Khan Sheikun, in the northwestern province of Idlib, according to witnesses and a monitoring group.

We ran inside the houses and saw whole families just dead in their beds, resident Abu Mustafa told AFP of the attacks aftermath.

Children, women, old people were dead in the streets. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said at least 160 people suffered the effects of the gas, with medical sources reporting incidents of vomiting, fainting, breathing problems and foaming at the mouth.

Medic Hazem Shehwan told AFP he saw victims with pinpoint pupils, convulsions, foaming at the mouth and rapid pulses.

Medics worked frantically in the hours after the attack to treat a steady stream of patients, administering oxygen and hosing down victims to wash off chemical residue.

Even as they worked, air strikes hit a medical facility treating victims, an AFP correspondent said, bringing rubble down on top of medics and patients.

Air strikes hit Khan Sheikun again on Wednesday morning, the Observatory said. There were no immediate details on a toll.

Syria officially relinquished its chemical arsenal and signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013, to avert military action after it was accused of an attack outside Damascus that killed hundreds.

But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use since, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said it was seriously concerned by reports of yesterdays attack.

The UNs Commission of Inquiry for Syria said it had also begun investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons.

Britain, France and the United States were to present a resolution to the Security Council today calling for the OPCW to quickly report findings on the attack.  AFP
Washington, April 5

US President Donald Trump has strongly condemned a suspected chemical attack in Syria that killed 72 people, including 20 children, calling it reprehensible, and alleged such acts are consequences of the Obama administrations weakness.

Todays (Tuesday) chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilised world, Trump said in a statement on Tuesday.

These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime is a consequence of the past administrations weakness and irresolution, he said.

Trump claimed that Obama in 2012 said that he would establish a red line against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing.

He said the US stands with its allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack.

Earlier in the day, Trump was briefed by his national security team on the Tuesdays attack on the town of Khan Sheikhun that claimed atleast 58 lives and saw dozens suffer respiratory problems and symptoms, including vomiting, fainting and foaming at the mouth.

Meanwhile, talking about Americas future course of action following the attack, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said, Going forward we will have more on this, but I think we want to be very clear where we stand. I know countries throughout Europe are reaching out, making it clear what their position is. Theres been some calls for action, the UN Security Council.

I think, at this point, as things develop, Im not ready to talk about our next step, but well get there soon, he said.

Asked if he would like Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down or thrown out of power, Spicer said it is in the best interest of the Syrian people to not have anybody who would do this kind of heinous acts.

Any leader that treats their people with this kind of activity and death and destruction...I dont think that anybody would wish this upon anybody, he said.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also condemned the suspected chemical attack, which is reportedly the third of its kind in the last one month.

There are reports of dozens dead, including many children. While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates with brutal, unabashed barbarism, he said.

Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions.

Anyone who uses chemical weapons to attack his own people shows a fundamental disregard for human decency and must be held accountable, Tillerson said.

He said that it is also clear that the horrific conflict in Syria demands a genuine ceasefire and the supporters of the armed combatants in the region need to ensure compliance.

We call upon Russia and Iran, yet again, to exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again. As the self-proclaimed guarantors to the ceasefire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths, he added.  PTI/AFP
Washington, April 5

The US on Wednesday said that it is considering all options to tackle the threat posed by North Koreas repeated nuclear arms tests, hours after Pyongyang fired another ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan.

Confirming the missile launch, the US Pacific Command said that its systems detected and tracked what it assessed was a North Korean missile launch at 11:42 am (Hawaii time) on April 4.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The launch of a single ballistic missile occurred at a land-based facility near Sinpo, the Command said in a statement.

The missile was tracked until it landed in the Sea of Japan at 11:51 am (Hawaii time).

Initial assessments indicate the type of missile was a KN-15 medium range ballistic missile, it said.

North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement.

The missile launch comes ahead of the crucial meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Florida on Thursday during which the two leaders are expected to discuss a range of global issues, including North Koreas nuclear ambitions.

The White House reacted strongly to the launch and said that the clock is ticking for Pyongyang.

I can tell you that it is now urgent, because we feel that the clock is very, very quickly running out, a senior White House official told reporters at a news conference.

We would have loved to see North Korea join the community of nations. Theyve been given that opportunity over the course of different dialogues and offers over the course of four administrations, with some of our best diplomats and statesmen doing the best they could to bring about a resolution.

The clock has now run out and all options are on the table for us, the official said.

The testing of nuclear weapons by North Korea is expected to figure prominently in talks between the Trump and Jinping during their meeting, the official said on condition of anonymity.

North Korea clearly is a matter of urgent interest for the president and the administration as a whole. The president has been pretty clear in messaging how important it is for China to coordinate with the United States, and for China to begin exerting its considerable economic leverage to bring about a peaceful resolution to that problem.

It is going to come up in their discussions. Somewhere on the order of just shy of 90 per cent of North Koreas external trade is with China. So, even though we hear sometimes that Chinas political influence may have diminished with North Korea, clearly its economic leverage has not. It is considerable, the official said.

The US will be monitoring how well partners, including China, implement the UN resolutions with regard to North Korea.

Coal is one very important area, given the volume of trade and what that means in terms of hard currency to the North Korean regime. And certainly well use whatever methods we have to monitor compliance, the official said.

The US will always act to defend its homeland and allies from any threat, particularly the one posed by Kim Jong Uns regime with the kinds of terrible weapons that theyre developing.  PTI
Bengaluru, Apr 4 (IBNS): Austrian capital Vienna has emerged as a city of international dialogue hosting 4084 congresses, conferences and corporate events in 2016. But India has had a small but growing role to play in this with the Vienna Convention Bureau reporting 14 corporate events originating from the land of the Taj Mahal.

According to Vienna Convention Bureau attendees to corporate events from India contributed to 11,459 overnight stays, nearly 10 per cent of the overall overnight stays of 115,531, and a 43 per cent jump from the subcontinent over its contribution in 2012.

In 2016 Viennas meetings industry recorded more events, bednights and value-added than ever before, says Norbert Kettner, Director, Vienna Tourist Board. An 11 per cent growth in congresses, corporate events and incentives in Vienna led to 567,000 global attendees and 1,718,000 overnight stays.

Vienna boasts of dozens of highly attractive venues such as the imperial Hofburg, the Austria Center Vienna and Messe Wien. Viennese meetings, congresses and incentives industry that employs nearly 20,000 year-round jobs in Austria is backed by dedicated event organizers.

For many years now, the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has ranked Vienna among the leading congress metropolises worldwide.

Inviting locations, high quality services and an excellent reputation give Vienna an important advantage in the highly competitive conference and events industry.

Vienna is an easily accessible central European hub with a multifaceted hotel sector and top meeting locations, explains Kettner. Meetings are optimally supported by both urban and scientific establishments, and, with 36 licensed certification agencies for Green Meetings, Vienna has already demonstrated far-sightedness with respect to environmental compatibility and sustainability, adds Kettner.

The nation-wide value-added of the Vienna conference industry once again broke the significant billion-Euro barrier, contributing a total of 1.072 billion Euros (+3%) to the Austrian gross domestic product.

Young travellers visiting Vienna can lose themselves in music, imperial history or go for bungee jumping by day and dance all night. This adds to the typically Viennese blend of tradition and innovation, said Isabella Rauter, Public Relations Manager for Vienna Tourist Board, adding that with offerings of best quality of life, romantic Vienna is also expected to attract even more Indian young couples and honeymooners.

A stroll around Vienna is like a journey back in time to the citys imperial past. Examples of the capitals rich cultural heritage, reminders of bygone imperial splendour and a set of outdoor activities await travellers of every age.

Certified as the worlds most livable city for the eighth year in a row by Mercer, renowned for its timeless charm, quaint streets, confectionary and boat rides so peculiarly its own, Vienna has a been a popular destination of Indian families, honeymooners and young travellers.

Travel on Vienna's easy public transport systemunderground, trams and busesfor 24, 48 or 72 hours for just EUR 13.90, EUR 21.90 or EUR 24.90 respectively for Vienna City (Red) Card.

Vienna City (White) Card with Big Bus Vienna for 24, 48 or 72 hours comes for EUR 28, EUR 31 and EUR 35 respectively and includes a 24-hour hop-on and hop-off ticket and a guided city walk.

In addition, the Vienna Card lets you take advantage of more than 210 discounts at museums and sights, theatres and concerts, in shops, cafes, restaurants, and the Heurige wine taverns. With both Red and White card one child of 15 years and 16 years respectively can ride along for free.

Most Indian visitors tend to cover Vienna, Budapest and Prague - all major cities of the former Habsburg Empire - described as the Golden Triangle, by availing a common Schengen visa.

Air India offers a thrice-a-week direct flight from Delhi to Vienna and back. For those embarking from Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, leading Airlines -- Air India, British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Lufthansa, Swiss, and Turkish -- offer connections with just a small stop en route.
Autonomous technologies don't necessarily mean drivers won't still have a place in the truck. Photo: Daimler Trucks

When start-up tech companies promise driverless trucks as an answer to the driver shortage, I shake my head. While automated and autonomous technologies may indeed help fleets attract new drivers and improve efficiencies to where fewer drivers are needed, I do not believe robots are going to put millions of truck drivers out of work. Certainly not in the near future. And the authors of a recent report by the Brookings Institute agree.

In addition to the numerous regulatory and logistical hurdles that automated trucks still need to clear, generalizing the skilled work undertaken by millions of truck drivers and their peers overlooks how this industry functions, write Joseph Kane, Senior Research Analyst and Associate Fellow, and Adie Tomer, Fellow, both with Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program.

"Generalizing the skilled work undertaken by millions of truck drivers and their peers overlooks how this industry functions."

The report takes a look at data to see whether it backs up the contention of self-driving trucks supporters about how fast the advance of this technology will be. And, the authors say, the numbers simply dont back up those assertions.

For instance, they say, the Department of Labors O*NET database shows how truck drivers have a lower degree of automation compared to most occupations nationally. The average degree of automation remains quite low (29.6) for all occupations, and heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (22) and delivery drivers (24) rate even lower than that, notes the report. Significantly, they also rate lower than some of the countrys other largest occupations, including office clerks (32), cashiers (37), and receptionists (47).

If you think about it, at many companies, the job of a receptionist is already largely automated, thanks to voice mail. And some grocery stores and big-box stores have some self-serve checkout lines, cutting the need for cashiers. Yet even in these cases, these jobs are only partially automated, allowing some tasks of the job to be handled automatically. This automation may make the work more efficient and allow companies to hire fewer receptionists or cashiers, but there are some things for which you still need the human touch.

And thats even more the case in trucking. As the Brookings report points out, "drivers are not simply sitting behind the wheel all day on auto drive. They also inspect their freight loads, fix equipment, make deliveries, and perform other non-routinized tasks."

Those in the industry, even those at the forefront of research on automated and autonomous technologies, continue to emphasize this point. At the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, last month, Bendix, which makes the braking and advanced safety technologies that autonomous technologies are based on, emphasized that the road to autonomous vehicles will be a series of gradual technological steps consisting of automated systems designed to help drivers be safer and fleets be more efficient.

And Kenworth Chief Engineer Patrick Dean, despite Paccars recent announcement that its partnering with Nvidia on autonomous techology, told me, Kenworth sees a place for the driver in trucks, full stop.

That doesnt mean we dont need to be prepared for changes automation will no doubt bring, just as upstarts such as Uber and Airbnb are changing the taxi and travel industries. Platooning, for instance, is on the horizon, and that will test the abilities of some of the technologies leading to automated and autonomous trucks. We could see autonomous technologies used as a sort of cruise control on steroids, allowing drivers a break that could leave them more rested or allow them to deal with paperwork or other non-driving tasks. There are some intriguing possibilities for improved efficiency and safety and a better driver environment.

But I wouldn't give up your commercial drivers license or close up your driver training school anytime soon.
Talk about throwing the proverbial baby out with the equally proverbial, albeit dirtier, bath water.

The slash-and-burn budget proposal being teed up for EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to bring the Environmental Protection Agency to heel calls for ditching a program that has been successfully leveraged by many truck fleets to save fuel for years  SmartWay.

Yes, SmartWay is on the block. Yes, that voluntary government-industry partnership aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of trucking operations and at accelerating the "availability, adoption and market penetration of fuel-saving technologies and operational practices for truck fleets. Yes, the-- and here I repeat a key word: "voluntary"-- program that EPA itself has credited with cutting fuel costs by nearly $25 billion since it was launched  which was only in 2004.

Image: U.S. EPA SmartWay is just one of many programs, large and small, marked for elimination in a spending plan drawn up by the agency that offers the most detailed vision to date of how the 31% budget cut to the EPA ordered up by President Trumps Office of Management and Budget would diminish the agency, as The Washington Post put it in a March 31 story that broke the news of the budget draft.

The plan for base budget adjustments is attached to an internal memo penned by EPA Acting Chief Financial Officer David Bloom that is directed to most of the agencys top officials, including the acting general counsel and the acting assistant administrators.

SmartWay is listed in the document as one of 14 voluntary partnership programs that EPA wants to do away with simply because the agency claims doing so would help the effort to better target and prioritize activities related to [EPAs] core environmental statutory requirements.

In other words, SmartWay is not threatened with being axed because it did not do what it was supposed to do  help truck fleets save money by burning less fuel (and, yes, producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions at the same time), which it has been magnificently successful at doing.

To make sure I'm not looking at SmartWay through overly rosy glasses, I asked Mike Roeth, executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency, for his take on the voluntary programs impact.

I do think SmartWay provides a good service to the industry as a verification effort for technologies, primarily tires and aerodynamics, Roeth told me. It is a voluntary arm of the EPA that has been very engaged with the industry.

He did allow that because SmartWay verifies fuel economy benefits, sometimes that is confused with total cost of ownership of technologies. Fleets, and here is where NACFE comes in, must use the fuel-efficiency gains and look at up-front cost, other benefits and challenges as well as reselling effects to understand the total payback. Roeth added that SmartWay verification is also woven into the California Truck and Bus rule and somewhat into the EPA and NHTSA GHG rules.

Roeths take on the program just confirms my view that SmartWay is under the gun simply because its reason for being just doesnt fit into the narrow confines of what President Trumps political appointee EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt sees as the limited mission of EPA: Ensuring only that statutory requirements regarding the environment are met.

Of course, environmental activists are already waging war against EPA over its proposed budget. The essence of their argument is how do you separate efforts to protect the environment  the air we breathe and the water we drink, above all  and efforts to stave off climate change?

Thats a fair argument. And it sets up a bitter battle for when Trumps budget finally comes up for consideration by Congress.

What remains to be seen for trucking is whether the industry  fleets and suppliers alike  will band together to lobby Administrator Pruitt to not toss the voluntary SmartWay program away along with those programs his agency regards as nothing more than a drag on American business.

Failing that, trucking's lobbying to save SmartWay will have to move on up to Capitol Hill  where a president's proposed budget more often than not meet its own ax.
Can Chinese-made SUVs like this one eventually find a following in the U.S.? Photo: Bisu Motors

If you follow me on Twitter (and you should @By_JackRoberts), then youd know I was out of the country last week attending a wedding in Scotland. Once the nuptials were out of the way, we flew to Dublin for a couple of days, and last Friday found us down in a small, picturesque fishing village doing some hiking and sightseeing. And while we were in this little village  called Howth, by the way, and highly recommended  I encountered a sort of professional milestone.

Ever since I was a kid, Ive paid special attention to the cars and trucks around me wherever I go. (Its a fortuitous trait for an aspiring trucking/automotive journalist to possess.)

I was an Air Force brat, growing up. So we lived in and visited a lot of different parts of the U.S. and the world when I was a kid. I was endlessly fascinated by the different vehicles we saw in each locale. And Im still that way today.

Which leads us to last week when wed just gotten into Howth. My girlfriend was eagerly looking around to find a market to shop in, while I desperately looked for a pub to disappear into so I wouldnt have to go shopping.

Id just found a promising establishment and was about to go inside, when a strange-looking SUV idling at the curb caught my eye. It was a mid-size SUV. But what caught me short were its lines  which were odd, to the say the least. It was boxy and kind of clumsy- looking, and clearly something Id never seen before.

My first thought was that it was a Vauxhall  an English car-builder  although I wasnt aware of that company building SUVs. The other odd thing was the badge on the front grille. It was a sort of chrome dragon. But the styling was decidedly non-European.

Intrigued, I walked to the rear of the SUV to check the marque, where my suspicion was confirmed: The vehicle was Chinese-made. The first-ever Chinese-built vehicle Ive ever seen on a public road. (I was also interested to note it was an Uber vehicle  but thats a topic for another day.)

Its too soon to know if this is the start of the next great import wave that automotive experts have been predicting for the past decade or so. In all likelihood, were not quite there, yet. There are, apparently, quality issues with the current crop of Chinese vehicles  although the learning curve established by the Japanese and Korean automakers proves this isnt an insurmountable obstacle. And I have doubts Americans will take a liking to brand names like Shaanxi, Shuanghuan or Zhongxing  much less keep track of which one is which when youre dealing with Shuanghuan and Shuguang  those are problems any good marketing firm can sort out. And its not like Americans havent gotten used to strange-sounding company names before.

More to the point, if the past five years or so in trucking alone have taught us anything, it is that virtually nothing is impossible given the rate of change and innovation taking place in the automotive sector today.

The Chinese will get to the point where they can sell vehicles here in the States. And there are always people who prefer a more affordable vehicle over a pricey one and are willing to put up with a few quality issues in return.

So, it is reasonable to assume that in the next decade or so, Chinese automakers will establish a toehold here in the States. After that, itll be a case of innovation and new ideas  as has always been the case.
Image: Georgia Dept. of Transportation Georgias Department of Transportation is aiming to complete rebuilding of the stretch of I-85 that collapsed last week  slicing one of the main arteries through metropolitan Atlanta  by June 15, which would be roughly 10 weeks since the collapse.

A fire that erupted under the elevated roadway during the evening rush on March 30 consumed GDOT construction materials stored there. The highway, shrouded in flames and thick black smoke visible for miles, was shut down shortly before the fire burned so hot that it collapsed the bridge supports at about 7 p.m.

At the governors urging, we are going to incentivize the completion of this work, GDOT Director of Construction Marc Mastronardi said at an April 4 media briefing. We have selected a date that we believe is aggressive but attainable and will offer a bonus for early completion.

GDOT has chosen Marietta-based C.W. Mathews Contracting Company to lead the rebuilding effort. The agency said the firm was selected based on its availability, resources and experience providing a similar response to a tanker fire that damaged I-285 over SR 400 in 2001.

To expedite rebuilding, the contractor will be retrofitting the bridge columns, using concrete that will cure in 24 hours, and pre-fabricating some elements of the bridge, the agency said.

GDOT Commissioner Russell R. McMurry commented on the ongoing investigation of the cause of the collapse. We have and continue to fully cooperate with the fire investigation by local officials, he said. We are not in a position to comment on certain aspects, but we can reiterate what we have already said. In an effort to save taxpayer dollars, GDOT chose to store the material [HDPE (high-density polyethylene) conduit] in hopes it could be used on another job. The material was stored on state property in a secured area with a locked gate. The area was breached by an individual or individuals who illegally trespassed on private, state-owned property, with devastating outcome. We are told by fire officials and media reports that the blaze was deliberately set and it subsequently spread to the HDPE."

McMurry also said he has requested the assistance of Georgias Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner and State Fire Marshal to conduct a joint review of GDOTs storage procedures, practices and policies, "especially in proximity to bridges or other transportation infrastructure."

He also noted that GDOT will be joining with the National Transportation Safety Board as a party to the investigation of the fire and subsequent roadway collapse.

In addition, State Traffic Operations Engineer Andrew Heath said GDOT is continuously improving signal timing on the surface streets impacted by the closing of I-85 to help motorists deal with the new traffic patterns.

Here is the current status of the I-85 closure, as posted on April 5 by GDOT:

A major fire on Thursday March 30 caused a section of I-85 to collapse. Both the northbound and southbound lanes are closed indefinitely between GA 400 and I-75. Traffic passing through the Atlanta area should use I-285 to bypass the closure

Local traffic may continue to use I-85 to the points of closure. For southbound, this is up to the exit to GA 400 N. At that point, all traffic must exit I-85. In the northbound direction, drivers can get to Exit 86 (Buford Hwy / SR 13), and then must exit I-85

GA 400 southbound is also affected by this incident. Southbound traffic must exit at either Sidney Marcus Blvd or take the flyover ramp to I-85 Northbound. Traffic cannot continue on GA 400 South onto I-85 South

Go to www.511ga.org or call 511 locally for official up-to-date information about Georgia roadway conditions.

Originally posted on Automotive Fleet
New York, Apr 5 (Just Earth News): The African Union (AU) and the United Nations are actively discussing with the Government of Sudan how best to configure a strategy for AU-UN peacekeeping to eventually leave Darfur, the head of that operation said on Tuesday.

In view of the current circumstances in Darfur, a pragmatic reconfiguration of UNAMID [the AU-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur] will become necessary and the AU and UN will have to focus on how best that could be done without compromising the gains thus far made, the Joint Special Representative, Jeremiah Mamabolo, told the Security Council.

He said that from 5 to 17 March, UNAMID received an AU-UN strategic review team, which met with the Government of Sudan in Khartoum and Darfur, and travelled throughout the Darfur region. UNAMID awaits the outcome of these deliberations.

The three strategic priorities established by the Council in 2014 continue to provide a framework within which UNAMID implements its mandate to protect civilians, mitigate inter-communal conflicts and mediate between the Government and the non-signatory armed movements.

The Darfur of on Tuesday is a very different place from what this region was in 2003, when the armed conflict began, and from that of a year ago, Mamabolo said, noting that fighting between Sudanese Government forces and the main three non-signatory armed movements has considerably diminished.

The past three months have also witnessed a continued reduction in the number of inter-communal security incidents, in particular as a result of the more effective involvement of the native administrations and the impact of security measures by State Governments, leading to an increased number of peace agreements.

Further, UNAMID has not seen any new displacement in 2017. Cooperation with the Government has noticeably improved in terms of humanitarian access. UNAMID and the UN country team have repeatedly been able to visit previously off-limits areas in Jebel Marra while UN humanitarian partners are commencing regular helicopter flights to Golo.

However, efforts by the AU High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) to get warring parties to sign a cessation of hostilities agreement and start direct negotiations towards an inclusive peace agreement to end the conflict have remained inconclusive, Mamabolo said.

Although Sudan Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid al-Nur (SLA/AW) is no longer capable of mounting and sustaining significant military operations, it continues to refuse to join the peace process and seems to want to continue to fight, he explained.

We would like to appeal to this Council and those with influence and leverage on him to persuade him to recognize the importance of a political settlement and desist from bringing more suffering to the very people that he professes to represent, Mamabolo said.

Photo: UNAMID/Mohamad Almahady

Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, Apr 5(Just Earth News): Noting that recent attacks on commercial ships off the coast of Somalia highlight the continued threat of piracy, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has urged ships to follow advice of navies and that of the International Maritime Organization while planning passage through the region.

After three attacks, following a lull of five years, it is clear that Somali pirates are resurgent and intent on continuing attacks on commercial shipping, said UNODC Executive Director, Yury Fedotov, in a news release on Tuesday.

I urge the international community to be vigilant, to work in close partnership and to hold the Somali pirates accountable, he added.

Over the course of last month, Motor Tanker (a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil) Aris 13, fishing vessel Asayr 2 and cargo ship Al Kaushar were attacked by Somali pirates. While the crews of Aris 13, and Asayr 2 were released, Al Kaushars crew are reportedly still held hostage by the pirates.

According to UNODC, large parts of the Somali coast remain beyond the reach of law enforcement authorities and thus called on ships planning passage off the country to follow the advice of navies and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The UN agency added that it continued to support the trials of piracy suspects in the region and to the Somali maritime law enforcement agencies as they extend their reach around the Somali coast.

The threat of Somali piracy has never gone away: it has been suppressed by the good work of the shipping industry and their security teams, navies, and UNODCs support to the trial and imprisonment of 1,300 pirates, expressed Alan Cole, the head of Maritime Crime Programme at UNODC.

Photo: EU (File photo)

Source: www.justearthnews.com
Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy
Maxwell Cook Maxwell Scott Cook was born January 2, 1999, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Charles Leon and Amy Lou Rutherford Cook. He died Monday, March 27, 2017, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, at the age of 18 years. Max had lived all of his life in Owasso, Oklahoma, and had attended Owasso Public Schools. He attended No Limits Church in Owasso. Max enjoyed a variety of pastimes, especially music, whether listening, singing, or playing the guitar. He was also a very talented artist particularly with pencil drawings and sketching's. Loving family members include: His parents; Chuck and Amy Cook. Brother; Charles Cook, sister; Lauren Cook, and brother; Thomas Cook, all of the home. Grandparents; James and Debra Rutherford, of Tulsa,Elsie Cook, of Owasso. And a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Eldon Cook. Visitation was held from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday, April 2, 2017, at Mowery Funeral Service in Owasso. Funeral service was held 2:00 p.m. Monday, April 3, 2017, at First Baptist Church of Owasso with Pastor Chris Wall and Pastor Mark Young officiating. Serving as casket bearers were Charles Cook, Tyler Joines, Phillip Joines, Chris Joines, Nick Joines, Justin Russell, and Jared Russell. Committal service and interment followed at Fairview Cemetery in Owasso. The family requests memorial contributions be made to the Maxwell Cook Memorial Fund at gofundme.com. Arrangements and services were entrusted to Mowery Funeral Service of Owasso. www.moweryfs.com
Did the title of this article get your attention? Could it really be that simple? Even after a decade of cutting taxes, our state finds itself once again in another budget shortfall  but why?

Is it a spending problem? According to our Appropriations Chair, Representative Leslie Osborn, 85 percent of state agencies have been cut an average of 40 percent in the last ten years. And State Treasurer Ken Miller says Oklahoma under-spends for all our core services compared to our neighboring states and nation. Or, is it a revenue problem? In the last three years alone we have had approximately $3 billion in state revenue shortfalls, even while cutting spending and taxes. And just this past week we learned that Secretary of Finance Preston Doerflinger had to borrow approximately $240 million from the Rainy Day Fund (RDF) to pay state bills. So what is the answer, more cuts to agencies or more revenue?

While everyone deliberates on the answer, I learned recently that there are three funding streams our state is highly dependent on that have seen drastic reductions in revenue over the last ten years  our corporate income tax, our state income tax, and the oil and gas gross production tax (GPT). So heres a thought, why not restore those three revenue streams in three easy steps. Step 1  sunset the wind energy tax credits and cap them immediately to restore about $50 million annually to our corporate income tax revenue. Step 2  roll back the two recent state income tax trigger reductions that took us from 5.5 percent to 5.0 percent. That small half-percent change means over $350 million in recurring revenue and Oklahoma would still remain well below the national average. And finally, Step 3  restore the oil and gas gross production tax to 7 percent for new production wells (now 2 percent for 3 years). Horizontal wells have had a 1 percent or 2 percent tax incentive holiday since 1993, but traditional vertical wells already in production have been paying 7 percent all along since 1973.

Lets make the tax fair for all producers and become more in line with other states. Did you know that up in Wyoming and North Dakota the effective GPT rate is over 11.5 percent and the drilling in those states is expected to increase by 30 percent this year alone. Oklahomas SCOOP and STACK plays are as prolific as any finds in Wyoming and North Dakota. Reverting back to the 7 percent rate would put us smack in the middle of all other oil/gas states tax rate, and will restore over $500 million in state revenue. So lets do the math, 50 + 350 + 500 = 900. In just three easy steps we can fill the $900 million budget hole while not raising new taxes. We only restored what was already in place before our state developed revenue problems. Could it be that easy? I wish, but at least its a start. Besides we still need 76 votes in the House to pass any revenue raising measures whether its a new tax or not. And thats the tricky part.

Regarding the budget process, House members switched things up a bit last week by attending budget subcommittee meetings they normally do not attend. This will help them learn how budget decisions may affect other state agencies they are not familiar with, thus providing them a broader picture of the overall budget requirements for agencies. In addition, the Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget (JCAB) held its first meeting this week. Its in the JCAB committee where bills for appropriations and revenue measures are heard. JCAB bills do not follow normal bill deadlines and are a primary tool used for appropriations legislation.

In addition to hearing Senate bills, we had a Veterans Awareness Joint Session of the House and the Senate on Monday honoring our veterans. During this session, the Oklahoma Veterans Council Chairman bestowed the Legislator of the Year Award on Representative Dustin Roberts and Senator Frank Simpson for their authorship of and support of bills that increase services and support to Oklahomas 336,000 veterans. Ag Day at the Capitol and Railroad Day at the Capitol were both held on Wednesday and the Oklahoma Federation of Republican Women also met at the Capitol this week.

The Speakers Office has a new weekly podcast called Inside the House you can tune in to. This week Speaker McCall recorded the first on-camera episode and discussed teacher pay, budget negotiations, and various other issues. You can also like the House Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/insidehouseok/ and follow our Twitter feed http://twitter.com/insidehouseok for additional information on legislative issues.

In conclusion, I do believe we are at the point in our states finances where everyone needs to come to the table and participate in restoring the economic health of our state. I know we can do better. I believe we have to do better. Its time we invest in our state. We deserve quality education, affordable health care, safe neighborhoods and good roads. If done right, investing more money back into our states core services will provide an environment in which the people and businesses of Oklahoma can thrive.

I want to hear what you think about the states budget and how it should be fixed. Please call my office at 405.557.7390 or write to Jadine.Nollan@okhouse.gov . Until next time then, God Bless!
OKLAHOMA CITY  Gov. Mary Fallin said Tuesday its important to consider the impact that incarceration has on the children of offenders as the Legislature works through various reform bills.

Last year, Fallin formed a task force to study and develop proposals to increase public safety and reduce incarceration rates. State lawmakers are considering 12 bills on those issues this year, she said.

The governor held a press conference Tuesday to discuss criminal justice reform. She was joined by children from the Little Light Christian School, a tuition-free private school for children of incarcerated parents. Its supported by private donations and grants.

About 10 percent of our children have a parent who is incarcerated or will be, Fallin said.

And a child with an incarcerated parent is seven times more likely to end up in the correctional system as an adult, she said.

It can be a life cycle, the governor said.

Fallin was joined Tuesday by Angela Beatty, senior director of domestic violence victim services at the YWCA Oklahoma City, and John Scully, a task force member who is director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control.

Many if not most incarcerated women have experienced serious crimes themselves, Beatty said. They have been victims of physical assault, sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking. We understand the lasting effects that trauma can have on them.

The women need support services to help them get back on their feet, Beatty said.

Im encouraged that if enacted this package of reforms will reduce victimization, redirect resources to make our communities safer and return parents to their children, Beatty said.

Scully said the state needs to give all children, especially those with incarcerated parents, a strong foundation to build productive and healthy lives.

These children need their parents, he said. And their parents will need all the assistance they can get when theyre able to return to society.

Oklahoma ranks No. 1 in the nation for its rate of incarcerating women, and is second for men, Fallin said.

If Oklahoma does not address its incarceration practices, it will cost the state about $2 billion and require three new prisons, she said.

If the reform bills pass, the state would be able to divert about 25 percent of its prison population growth and reduce the overall prison population by 3 percent over the next decade, Fallin said.
New York, Apr 5(Just Earth News): The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday expressed concern about a reported rise in the number of civilian casualties in the central Kasai region as a result of clashes between the Kamuina Nsapu militia and the Congolese security forces.

The peacekeeping mission, known by its French acronym MONUSCO, said that the violence continues to result in serious human rights violations including the discovery of mass graves as well as ongoing recruitment by the militias including of children.

The violence in the Kasais has already claimed the lives of possibly more than 400 civilians as well as a significant number of members of the security forces. It must stop, said Maman S. Sidikou, the Special Representative of the Secretary General in the country and the head of MONUSCO.

Sidikou stressed that there is no military solution to the violence, and encouraged the Government to intensify its efforts to find political solutions.

At this point, intensifying the military response will only exacerbate the violence and further place civilian populations in danger, he warned.

In on Tuesday's statement, MONUSCO noted that the violence last month spread to Luebo, where violence has targeted symbols of the Government and recently released prisoners, as well as to Luiza and other regions where there are growing threats against churches.

The Mission also cautioned the military against reported civilian casualties, allegations of human rights violations and arbitrary arrests, including of minors.

In late March, the UN and regional partner organizations expressed deep concern about the situation in the Kasai region where at least two UN experts disappeared two weeks ago and dozens of police officers were reportedly found dead.

The UN, the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU) and the International Organization of La Francophonie (IOF) warned that the level of violence and reported human rights violations necessitate an urgent response from the country's political leaders.

The statement also called on defence and security forces to exercise restraint in the efforts to restore order, and encouraged the dialogue between the Government and the Kamuina Nsapu militia.

Photo: MONUSCO/Myriam Asmani

Source: www.justearthnews.com
Linda Shrewsburys career shift from education to entrepreneur is a tale of necessity being the mother of invention.

And her creation, CursiveLogic, is a super-simplified handwriting instruction method that is helping cursive make a comeback in 16 schools around the globe, including a host of Tulsa-area schools.

The definition of literacy is the ability to both read and write a language, said Shrewsbury. The idea that you can take those two apart from each other  the education policy was not in tune with the brain science that we have. I really think its one of the reasons scores have fallen, because handwriting reinforces so much that typing and technology do not.

In 2010, Shrewsbury returned home to Tulsa after teaching a semester in Tanzania. As she was hunting for a new job, she volunteered her time in an adult literacy program at a small Baptist mission in west Tulsa and was paired with a 23-year-old man named Josh who was barely reading but wanted to learn so he could obtain a drivers license.

About six months into the program, Josh had mastered basic reading skills and one day asked Linda if she could help him learn handwriting so he could sign his name properly on that coveted license.

I knew how to teach cursive from my career in teaching, but we didnt have a full year for him to learn the old school way, Shrewsbury said.

She went home that evening and wrote the entire cursive alphabet on a large sheet of paper, put it up on a wall and studied the patterns of the letters.

Something she calls Over, back, trace was the first pattern she noticed  the connecting segments in six cursive letters: a, c, d, g, q, and o. She took that concept and a couple of other ideas to Josh.

He caught on to forming the entire lowercase alphabet in 45 minutes. After just one session, Josh signed his name, Shrewsbury said.

About a year later when she had cause to try the instruction method out again, Shrewsbury wondered if she wasnt onto something. She and her daughter worked together to formalize the method, which is now patent-pending and available in workbooks printed through two Kickstarter crowd-funding campaigns.

Its already being used in private schools in Dallas and New Jersey, plus a U.S. Department of Defense school in Malaysia, and a host of public and private schools in Tulsa. And retailers in Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Turkey and the United Kingdom are selling CursiveLogic.

The feedback we are getting from teachers is that students confidence goes through the roof, but this isnt just for kids. Anyone can learn using this method and really, the older you are, the faster you pick it up, Shrewsbury said.

Case in point, Shrewsbury was invited to make a presentation about CursiveLogic at the National Archives in 2015.

They had college interns who couldnt read cursive and people are coming there and cannot read the exhibits because the historical documents are handwritten. I could not believe this is happening! she said. Why should we go backward in our culture? It doesnt make sense to me that we would take a tradition thats thousands of years old and just trash it in a single generation.

Amanda Johnston, who teaches reading, language arts and writing to all 70 fourth-graders at Tulsas Zarrow International School, said the CursiveLogic method is helping right a wrong.

Ive been to Spain and Costa Rica on exchange trips with our students and our students handwriting was an embarrassment, Johnston said. Students in those countries learn in cursive first and our kids write chicken scratch. Teachers there said they couldnt read it and would never accept student work that looked like ours.

The Zarrow PTA helped by purchasing the workbooks the last two years, with students in grades 3-5 now using them. Johnston said her hope is to get all of the older students caught up and then for future classes of Zarrow students to all learn earlier.

This is a life skill we are depriving kids of if we dont teach them, but a lot of teachers were intimidated by the amount of time it took to teach the old way, Johnston said. Its an important practice of fine motor skills. Research shows its really helpful to kids with dyslexia. And typing a letter versus physically forming letters just doesnt use the same parts of the brain.

Johnston said she and her colleagues like that CursiveLogic is also flexible. Students get the quick gratification of writing full words at the end of the first week, with mastery possible in four to 10 weeks.

She covered the fundamentals with her classes at the beginning of the year, then reinforced the lessons by using CursiveLogic as one of the centers her students would rotate through on certain days of the week in the fall. By winter, students were writing essays in cursive.

Aiyana Regan, 10, said she was glad to have the opportunity to learn it in Johnstons class this year because she felt left behind.

Some people had already learned it from their parents, Regan said. I knew what it was but I never learned it.

Jim Pohlman, superintendent of Catholic schools at the Diocese of Tulsa, said CursiveLogic is in use in at least a half dozen local Catholic schools, including Marquette, St. Pius X and his own wifes classroom at St. Peters and Paul.

I think the creator of the program has done an outstanding job, Pohlman said. The old way, you wrote 2,670 Ds before you moved onto the next letter, but immediate feedback is key with this generation. Not all of the kids will get it in a month, but your average student will.

He added, The brain research is clear on what happens when you actually put a pen in your hand, but we dont know what technology has done to our kids. Theres a lot our kids are missing because theyre too busy pushing buttons on phones.
Lahore, Apr 5 (IBNS) : At least six people, including four soldiers, were killed 18 wounded in a suspected suicide blast targeting census workers in the Lahore on Wedensday.

According to reports by the local media, the attack took place on Bedian Road when a van carrying a census team on duty was on its way.

BBC said the team was to conduct Pakistan's first census in 20 years.

Local reports said about 20-25 kg explosive material was used in the bomb.

The reports quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the suicide bomber crashed into the van on a motorbike.

Security officials have reportedly found the head of the the suicide bomber, which is recognisable. His age has been narrowed down to 18-24.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah says, "This is an act of terrorism as per unconfirmed reports."

He added that militants have found save havens in Afghanistan and have been targeting Pakistan from across the border.
Former TEN and Seven presenter Helen Kapalos returns to screens this Sunday night with a documentary for SBS, The Truth About Medical Marijuana.

The doco looks at the issues surrounding medicinal cannabis, a topic she also covered when reporting for Sunday Night and which she says had a deep impact on her.

Kapalos is writer, director and producer of this doco.

In Australia, the move to legalise medical cannabis has gained substantial momentum, thanks largely to the tenacity of a Tamworth couple whose dying son benefited from medicinal cannabis.

Battling an out-dated legal framework, scepticism, and prejudice, Lucie and Tony Haslam believe that the benefit gained for their son needed to be shared with the broader community.

In an initiative which has brought change to the political and medical landscape, they were the driving force in co-ordinating an international symposium on medicinal cannabis.

While doctors have little knowledge of the plant, it has historical significance as a prescription treatment for various ailments during the last century and as early as 1500 BC. Medicinal cannabis is yet to be legalised in Australia, but governments are shifting their perspective, transforming the question from the possibility of legalisation to a matter of when the change will take place.

Sunday, 9 April at 8.30pm on SBS.
My how far weve come

Neighbours is getting a Canadian broadcast on LGBTQ cable channel, OUTtv.

New episodes will air twice-daily on the same date as its Australian broadcast from April 20, with a weekly catch-up every Saturday.

Whilst noting the shows launch pad for Guy Pearce, Margot Robbie, Jesse Spencer, Natalie Imbruglia and Kylie Minogue, OUTtv acknowledges the shows diversity amongst its current characters.

Brad Danks, CEO of OUTtv said Neighbours is one of the most popular drama series in the world with compelling storylines and captivating characters. We look forward to bringing the drama of Ramsay Street to OUTtv, in particular LGBTQ characters Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson), David Tanaka (Takaya Honda) and Steph Scully (Carla Bonner), who will be especially relevant to our audience.

Our quest for Neighbours is to be a reflection of our community in terms of diversity and acceptance, and focus on what should be our normal as we go about our lives, said Jason Herbison, Executive Producer, Neighbours. We are absolutely thrilled that viewers in Canada will be able to experience all our characters on OUTtv and I promise, there will never be a dull moment.

Michela DiMondo, VP Sales & Distribution at FremantleMedia International added: Neighbours is one of Australias most successful television exports, loved by millions around the world because of its warmth and sense of inclusion. We look forward to our partnership with OUTtv in bringing Neighbours into Canada.

The news comes less than a month after headlines about contract negotiations between Channel 5 and FremantleMedia stalling.
Wikimedia Commons

Toronto, Apr 5 (IBNS): Toronto Mayor John Tory on Tuesday morning held a discussion with Ontario Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey and Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic about a regional transit hub at the Pearson International Airport in the Canadian city, media reports said.

The proposal to build the transit hub dubbed as Union Station West, as it will resemble Toronto's Union Station, was agreed to by Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTTA) because, said Del Duca.

It could serve as a downtown hub for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway, GO Transit and Via Rail and reduce commuting times to the airport, CBCNews reports quoted Duca as saying.

Tory said the city of Toronto (Governing municipal body of Toronto) supported the plans presented on Tuesday as these considered actual traffic patterns in the Toronto region.

For example, not all traffic came from west to east or headed downtown, said Tory and added for this project to be a success, both the public and private sectors and the airport authority needed to be fully involved and cooperative.

Tory said the city of Toronto did not have sufficient transit and the proposed transit hub was exciting and much in demand.

GTTA had said, last year, that the transit hub will be funded for its development and construction. Proposed costs of the project were not provided on Tuesday.

Mayors of Mississauga, Brampton and Kitchener and the provincial Transportation minister fully supported and welcomed the proposal of the transit hub.

Both public and private sectors considered the hub as a good economic development policy which would make the area more business friendly.

It reportedly showed full potential for creating more jobs for its residents considering the Pearson area to be second largest employment zone in Canada after Toronto.

According to CBCNews reports, an estimated 300,000 people worked in the Pearson employment zone and according to GTAA 93 percent of those workers have been driving to their jobs.

The GTAA told the ministers and the mayors that the Northern Arc, an area that extended across the top of the GTA to North Toronto and York Region, would be benefited by the transportation hub and will allow commuters to move from suburb to suburb without going through downtown Toronto.

A number of transit lines, including the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, Mississauga's bus rapid transit plan and a high-speed rail line to the Kitchener-Waterloo area would be connected by the transit hub, CBCNews reports said.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
Project director Daphne Hernandez is an HHP assistant professor.

The University of Houston Department of Health and Human Performance (HHP) has received a $281,475 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to start the Houston-area Opportunities for Undergraduate Student Training in Obesity & Nutrition (HOUSTON) Academy. Over the next four years, The HOUSTON Academy will provide 40 fellowships to primarily minority, economically disadvantaged undergraduate students to address health issues related to obesity and nutrition in communities near UH, including Third Ward and the Greater East End.

Our obesity rates have been skyrocketing for the past 40 years. Understanding why, aside from lack of exercise and type of food, is vital, said project director Daphne Hernandez, HHP assistant professor. Many people in these communities near UH suffer from food insecurity or live in food deserts. If youre limited in what you can buy, you might not have access to nutritious foods. I think we can help them live healthier lives.

Academy Fellows will learn by doing, said Hernandez. They will volunteer at community centers and schools, and hold food demonstration workshops and health fairs to help families understand the causes and consequences of obesity including high blood pressure and diabetes. A partnership with local Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) agencies will teach fellows about infant health and nutrition. Some students will even travel to Costa Rica to compare and contrast obesity-related policies and programs abroad.

It can be challenging to reach people in need, but being visibly present in the community is key. We will go back to these communities more than once and be a long-term resource for people, said Hernandez, who is working on this project alongside assistant professor Craig Johnston and clinical assistant professor Claudia Scott.

Each year, one-third of the students will be recruited from the University of Houston, while two-thirds of the students will be from the University of Houston-Downtown, Houston Community College and Texas Southern University. The fellowships can be applied to reduce tuition. Fellows who complete two semesters of the program are eligible to become mentors to the incoming class, better preparing them for careers related to food and agricultural sciences.

This project is a great example of how faculty in the Department of Health and Human Performance links research discoveries with the training of health and wellness scholars and professionals who are prepared to address the major health concerns of the 21st century, said Dan OConnor, HHP professor and department chair. The HOUSTON Academy will produce graduates who will enter the workforce with the unique skills needed to combat food insecurity and obesity, two global health crises, with the potential of making a large positive impact in the communities they ultimately serve.

This grant is part of a $5 million effort through NIFAs Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduate (REEU) Fellowships program. It promotes research and extension experiential learning for undergraduates to help them enter the agriculture workforce with skills in food, agriculture, natural resources and the human sciences (FANH). Projects are designed to provide hands-on experience at land-grant and non-land-grant universities and USDA facilities, training to acquire laboratory research and extension skills, mentoring experiences, and participation in extension projects or programs that deliver science-based knowledge and informal educational programs.

NIFA has awarded more than $9.3 million through the REEU Fellowships program since its inception in 2015 to ensure that there is continued undergraduate preparation in FANH science fields to meet the increasing demands of the agricultural workforce.
facebook like button Tweet tweet button for twitter

Published April 5, 2017

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, an event to raise awareness of sexual assault and gender violence, is 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 12 at the University of Louisiana Monroe.

Sponsored for the second year by the ULM Femhawks, other sponsors are The WellSpring and the Sexual Assault Response Team of Ouachita Parish. The walk is presented by the College of Arts, Education and Science.'

Registration starts at 3:30 p.m. at the quad. The walk begins there at 4 p.m. and crosses the Bayou DeSiard Bridge, then crosses back over the bayou on the walking bridge.

The walk ends at Bayou Park where at 4:30 p.m. will be a candlelight vigil for survivors of domestic violence. There will be speakers from the sponsors and a discussion on sexual violence.

Jaleesa Harris, English instructor in ULMs School of Humanities, said the purpose of the event is to encourage gender solidarity.

It's literally asking for others to walk in the shoes of a person who has been affected by domestic violence and/or sexual abuse, Harris said. By walking in that person's shoes, we began to empathize and understand just a fraction of what they have endured and see the strength that it takes to pull through. We invite both the campus community and the local community to participate in this walk.

Ansell Jordan, ULM student and participant in last years walk, said the walk helped him have a better understanding and compassion for victims of sexual assault. I believe that you never know what someone is going through or has experienced. It is good to be involved and be able to be empathetic towards others, Jordan said.

All are invited to participate, with or without heels.

For registration details or more information, contact Jaleesa Harris at jharris@ulm.edu or Melanie Clark at mclark@wellspringalliance.org.
Every morning, Odette Bucumi* wakes up long before sunrise so she can be at her tin-roofed restaurant by 5 a.m. Once she gets to work, she bakes her famous 'Burundian chapati' flatbreads and boils water for tea and coffee.

Later, for lunch, she cooks ugali  an East African staple food made of flour and water  served with potatoes, beans, and meat sauce. Nothing costs more than the equivalent of US$.50.

Odette, 34, fled her home in Burundi in 2010 after her husband disappeared in the turmoil ahead of the presidential elections. With her two small children, she escaped over the border into the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), ending up in the largest city in the east, Goma.

"This job really helps me to be independent. I'm able to pay the rent ... and buy clothes for my children."

When I arrived in DRC, I was crying everyday thinking about my husband and how I would survive with two children in a foreign country," she said. "At the beginning, it was very difficult and I was about to give up. There were days I returned home with nothing and my children were so sad."

At home in the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, she ran a restaurant. That inspired her to do the same in Goma, and it has proven a great success.

Among the neighbourhood's car and lorry drivers, motorbike taximen, security guards, mechanics, and shop workers, the restaurant run by 'the Burundian', as she is known, is very popular. It has also given Odette a vital measure of control over her life and finances.

Odette serves diners in her restaurant. "I'm so proud because this job really helped me to be independent," she says.  UNHCR/Eduardo Soteras Jalil

Odette serves up food in the kitchen of her restaurant in Goma.  UNHCR/Eduardo Soteras Jalil

Odette stands at the door of her restaurant in Goma.  UNHCR/Eduardo Soteras Jalil

Odette prepares food at her restaurant.  UNHCR/Eduardo Soteras Jalil

Odette works in the kitchen of her restaurant in Goma.  UNHCR/Eduardo Soteras Jalil

"I'm so proud because this job really helps me to be independent," she says. "I'm able to pay the rent for my house, to pay school fees, and buy clothes for my children, to feed them and respond to their needs without depending on anyone. My children are my whole life, and I dream of a better future for them. I decided not to give up, and to fight for their wellbeing.

Her success is also something that UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, recognizes as key to its role of protecting and supporting over 450,000 refugees in DRC, including 36,000 from Burundi.

UNHCR is redoubling efforts to help them become self-reliant, providing training, startup funding and equipment. While in rural areas, this usually means gaining access to land and tools for farming, in cities the support is more focused on support for small businesses. Urban refugees, many of whom already have some professional skills, learn how to draw up business plans, and gain the means to put them into practice.

This investment can have enormous benefits, especially for vulnerable women.

This investment can have enormous benefits, especially for vulnerable women, says Clementine Cremer, a Protection Officer with UNHCR in DRC. We want to help them to meet their basic needs in situations where they have no other support.

Cremer said the women often live in extreme poverty, far from home, without a family network that protects them. In order to survive, they can resort to desperate measures, such as prostitution. They easily become victims of exploitation and abuse, she said.

Odette is among 71 heads of households in Goma  the breadwinners for over 300 family members  that UNHCR has helped over the past three years with income-generating projects. "When UNHCR decided to support us, I decided to take advantage of that and to start a new life," she says.

Odette believes she is an example both to other refugees, whom she wants to follow in her footsteps, and to their Congolese hosts. She dreams of opening a bigger restaurant  not one in a small shack but a really fancy one -- and then being able to send her children to university.

She has earned more than money from her successful business. It has given her self-esteem and the certainty that she can provide for herself and her children in tough times. Even when I feel things are not going well, I prefer to withdraw money from my savings account rather than to go to UNHCR and ask again for support."

*Name changed for protection reasons.
South African, Sarah Morobane (right) holds her tray of ginger biscuits, the first she's baked as a student of JRS's Loyola Business Centre Refugee Skills Training Project.  UNHCR/Pumla Rulashe

Pretoria, South Africa - Sarah Morobanes excitement at attending her first class as a student at the Arrupe Women's Centre in early February is still evident in the way her eyes light up and the smile the spreads across her face.

She is a South African enrolled in the refugee womens skills training project run by Jesuit Refugee Services, a partner of the UN Refugee Agency, (UNHCR) in Pretoria, the countrys capital.

The skills training project is part of UNHCRs work in urban centres, which is based on a commitment to uphold the social and economic standing of refugees, particularly by means of education, vocational training, livelihoods promotion and self-reliance initiatives.

Similarly, the Agency encourages refugees and their locally-based hosts to interact in a positive manner which not only promotes UNHCRs objective to combat discrimination and xenophobia but in so doing, ensures that the services it provides to urban refugees bring benefits to other city-dwellers, especially those belonging to low-income segments of the population and those, who live in closest proximity to refugees. Of the 335 women trained last year in basic computer skills, cosmetology, hairdressing, sewing and baking in 2016, 48 of them were South African.

Catching a mini-bus taxi from her home in Atteridgeville Township in Pretoria West to the Central Business District and back home again, makes a severe dent on her familys meagre financial resources. However, she sees it as an investment in her future as a home-based entrepreneur.

Forty nine year old Morobane is determined to make the most of the three month long training programme never having had the opportunity to participate in one that is also free of charge.

Morobane heard about the programme from a neighbour she had a habit of commiserating with over their lot in life, as part of the townships unemployed with no apparent prospects of generating or earning an income sufficient enough to lift them out of their socio-economic hardship.

Unlike her prideful friend, who said that she could not stoop so low as to be a part of a training programme for refugees, Morobane grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

I had nothing to lose, says Morobane. I was too desperate to let an opportunity like this pass me by and would have been foolish to.

Morobane, her equally unemployed husband and their eight year old son are residents of a township of over 200,000 people many of whom are unemployed and living on or below the poverty line. Unfortunately, this scenario mirrors that of many refugees in South Africa, who have very little means of sustaining themselves or their families in a consistent manner.

According to Tereda van Heerden, JRS Business Manager of both skills training projects, This is why the programme caters to the socio-economic needs of the most vulnerable of vulnerable refugee women.

By this, van Heerden is referring to refugee women, who would not ordinarily qualify for the financial support to start a business, women who may not have the ability to come up with a business plan and even women unable to speak English.

With the exception of the ability to speak English, Morobane identifies with the socio-economic position of refugee women at the skills training project.

To make a living, she and her husband have rented out their home to a financially better off foreign couple for 1000 Rand per month (approximtely USD 77) a month. It is from these proceeds that Morobane and her family survive. Now that she is a student at the training skills project, she uses half of the money received for transport to and from Pretoria, something that initially didnt go down well with her husband.

I explained to him that though we would struggle a little more over the three months that Id be attending classes, we would reap the benefits from the training, when I start my own small-scale business at home. He gave in and here I am!

Morobane is maximizing her time on the training programme by studying basic computer skills and baking. She is one of ten South Africans in the first intake of 2017, which also includes 21 refugees.

The skills training project takes approximately 300 people a year, 200 in Johannesburg and 100 in Pretoria. Through a selection process that includes an assessment of short-listed applicants by JRS social workers, approximately 30 individuals are trained over a three month period in the year.

UNHCR supported the programme, which began in 2013 as a livelihoods project, however, when it became clear that refugee women with extreme critical specific needs, who did not qualify for this initiative and were falling into poverty and despair, in April 2015, the skills training project was launched as a safety net to help those with specific needs make a contribution to their households.

What we found is that most women and their families live on the small income earned by husbands or partners working as car guards in shopping malls and other vehicle parking locations, often insufficient to cover the basic necessities of the average household, says van Heerden.

With the skills they acquire here, they should be able to supplement the household income and take responsibility for some of its expenses by putting into income-generating practice the skills acquired through the project.

UNHCR supported the programme this year by investing approximately USD 16,300 into the programmes, which include sewing material, baking ingredients, hair-dressing and cosmetology supplies. After successfully completing their training, women are provided with a start-up kit to help them set up their business to generate income.

Van Heerden says that JRS has plans to improve the services to women by upgrading the basic computer skills to increase their employability.

We will be providing training in some of the computer software programmes used in local supermarkets so that the womens potential for employment is enhanced, she says. We are also going to introduce cosmetology and hairdressing in Pretoria this year as this generates high returns for little investment, if implemented correctly and professionally.

Another positive outcome of the skills training project is the facilitation of local integration and the promotion of tolerance between refugee and South African women in the programme, which then translates into better relations at community level in terms of social cohesion.

When we first included South African women into the project, many refugees didnt understand why and were quite upset, says van Heerden, however when we informed them that their clientbase was predominantly South African and that they had to learn to get along with their hosts, neighbours and clients, they understood and relented.

Similarly, the exposure South African women have to refugees is proving not only very educational but essential to breaking down myths and stereotypes that lead to discord and xenophobic violence.

When one of the women told me the story of her flight from the DRC, says Morobane, I couldnt sleep that night. We have had it hard in South Africa, but I couldnt believe the level of brutality she escaped from her country.

In just the three weeks that Morobane has spent four days per week in the company of refugees, she had become more open-minded and understanding of the plight of refugees. She is even trying to convince her standoffish neighbor, whose pride and anger with foreign nationals has paralyzed her into inaction, to apply for the second quarter of the training project.

For Morobane, the opportunity to participate in the project has encouraged her to think big again and to dream about the future she wants for her family.

Who could have thought that the dreams I had for my familys future could be reignited by enrolling at a refugee womens skills training project?
A Syrian refugee has his fingerprints scanned during registration by authorities in Turkey, February 2015.  UNHCR/Ivor Prickett

NEW YORK  It is often seen as a stark choice: protect the millions of men, women and children fleeing terrorism around the world, or safeguard national security.

But in an address to a key security forum in New York today, UNHCRs protection chief stressed that protecting refugees and ensuring the security of the countries that receive them are in fact complementary goals.

Measures to ensure access to safety and protection for those in need, including those fleeing terror, can also help safeguard the security of transit and host countries and communities, Volker Turk, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, told the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee in New York.

There are currently 21.7 million refugees worldwide, among them more than five million who have fled more than six years of war in Syria, the majority of them seeking refuge in the countries immediately neighbouring their war-torn homeland.

In response to refugee flows, some countries have imposed restrictive border controls or visa requirements, which - while often justified in the name of security  do little to achieve this.

Far from making host countries safer, such approaches could aggravate security risks by driving refugees into the arms of smugglers and traffickers and creating a situation that terrorist groups can exploit, Turk cautioned.

Furthermore, branding refugees as security threats risks opening the door to xenophobic and racist rhetoric and can even lead to physical attacks directed against refugees, he said.

The 15- member UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee was set up in the wake of the September 11 2001 attacks to monitor efforts to curb and combat terrorist activities.

In his speech, Turk noted that better and more effective responses are underwritten by the 1951 Refugee Convention  and other subsequent international accords and agreements.

They ensure an orderly processing of refugees, through biometric registration and background screening, which enhances states security both at national borders and in the resettlement process. At the same time, the measures ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect the rights of refugees and those seeking asylum.

When asylum-seekers and refugees are promptly registered and have their status determined in a fair and efficient manner, States can be more confident of who is on their territory, he said.

Ensuring that refugees are included in national life once they have arrived, through access to work, education, and social services, can prevent exclusion and marginalization that can lead to disempowerment, disenfranchisement, and in some extreme cases, radicalization, Turk said.

UNHCR continues to work with States to develop and implement protection-sensitive border management systems to achieve this, he noted.

You can read the full text of this speech here.
The United States is known for the quality of education it provides, having the world's finest university systems and outstanding curriculum and programs for practically almost all fields. This is basically the reason why many students from other countries are drawn to study in the US, despite the cost of education and other political issues.

Studying in the US offers many benefits to international students including the excellent academic programs, career-minded learning opportunities, specialized resources and advanced level English language programs, VOA News reported.

So for foreign students who want to explore their options when it comes to choosing the best colleges and universities for them, here is the ranking of the best US schools according to USA Today College.

1. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - NEW YORK CITY

Columbia University, the biggest university in New York City, offers its students many opportunities for success and learning through student groups and advisory board that takes care of the international students' needs and concerns.

2. UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - LOS ANGELES

The University of California is located in the heart of Los Angeles and is excellent for international students because of its highly diverse student population.

3. CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY - PITTSBURGH

Carnegie Mellon has the number 3 spot for the best college for international students because of its focus on diversity and foreign students.

4. CORNELL UNIVERSITY - ITHACA, N.Y.

Cornell University also has a highly diverse student population, and is very accommodating and welcoming to international students. Most of these students take majors in electrical engineering, business administration and interdisciplinary studies.

5. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - PHILADELPHIA

The University of Philadelphia has a lot of foreign students from more than 100 countries all over the world. And despite its affordable tuition at below $50,000 per year, the university is popular for its high quality education.
Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (dTMS) helps overweight individuals reduce their usual cravings. For one thing, the procedure partly alters the composition of one type of intestinal bacteria called gut microbiota and modifies the way people think about food. The University of Milan led the study that revealed a way to lose weight without abusing the body with hard physical exercises.

The study will be presented at ENDO 2017 on Sunday, Science Daily reported. This event is actually the Endocrine Society's 99th annual meeting to be held in Orlando, Florida. Researchers flaunt that unlike deep brain stimulation, dTMS does not require any operation or implantation.

An electromagnetic coil is placed on the scalp to send magnetic pulses to the deep regions of the brain. Aside from helping obese people lose weight, dTMS is already an approved technique in the US to treat depression. Other countries also conduct tests to use dTMS as a cure for neuropsychiatric disorders like eliminating the urge to use drugs for addicts.

In the study, three men and 11 women aged 22 to 65 were recruited as samples. All of them have obesity with a body mass index of 30 to 45 kilograms per meter squared. Randomly, the experts assigned the samples to two groups: one team receives 15 sessions of dTMS while the other gets mock stimulation. It lasted for five weeks, specifically three times a week.

The researchers then measured the blood levels of glucose, insulin, pituitary gland hormones, and neurotransmitters like norepinephrine. Those who received dTMS lost more than three percent of their body weights and four percent of their fats compared to the control group. Lead investigator Dr. Livio Luzi, M.D. from the University of Milan said that one of the major causes of obesity is an impaired gut microbiota.

Meanwhile, according to the Independent, "mindful eating" is now being promoted as a solution to being obese. It effectively controls someone's "relationship" with food, thus providing a proper weight management. For example, when people focus on the sensory properties of their food - like taste, texture, and smell - they tend to reduce the amount of high-calorie snacks they eat later on for yet undetermined reasons. Well, probably, it is because the more people savor the heavenly taste of their food, the earlier they satisfy their cravings.
Extensive study and confusion have been elicited by the discovery of dark energy since 1998. It is theorized that 68 to 69 percent of the known universe is composed of it, and this mysterious form of energy is said to be accelerating the expansion of the known universe. However, a new theory and a new simulation suggest that dark energy might just be an illusion.

The past 20 years had physicist report that the expansion of the universe is accelerating and blowing up like a cosmic balloon. Cosmologist assumes that 69 percent of the universe is made up of dark energy. However, a team of theorist argues that the universe's acceleration could be driven, not by dark energy, but by variations, or inhomogeneities, in its density, Science reported.

If this is so, then Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity could explain one of the biggest mysteries in physics. It is but natural that other researchers remain skeptical, for if found correct, some Nobel prizes might have to be returned, says cosmologist at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, Nick Kaiser.

Physicists from the Lorand University in Hungary and the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii, using millions of particles to represent dark matter, mathematically modeled the effect of gravity on it. The model showed how matter would have congregated and become like large galaxy structures in the early universe. Consequently, the model expanded much like the actual universe.

However, the researchers found an overall acceleration when they averaged out how these "bubbles" or structures expanded, according to Futurism.

The finding might not seem to be a huge deal; however, equating the study in terms of dark energy, what the researchers found was a plausible explanation for how the formation of complex and large structures of the universe is affected by its expansion. Additionally, Laszlo Dobos from Eotvos Lorand University said that issues such as these were just swept under the rug, considering them now could explain the universe's acceleration sans dark energy.

This would account that dark energy could have really just been used as a tool to explain the expansion of the universe. If dark energy were just an illusion, this would mean there is both more and less mystery in the universe. This new model, however, opens up many new doors alongside new questions that need to be explored.
The University of Missouri has announced that they will temporarily close three residence halls and lay off some employees due to an enrollment decline and reduced state funding. The layoff aims to cut the fiscal 2018 budget by 8 percent to 12 percent, said UM System President Mun Choi.

The three residence halls are Center, Responsibility and Discovery halls said Christian Basi, the university spokesman. They previously announced that Respect, Excellence, Schurz and McDavid halls wouldn't operate in the fall unless there is sufficient demand to reopen some of them. The seven halls combined are capable of housing about 1,500 students.

Excellence did not operate this year and two other halls were demolished to make way for new halls. One of the new halls opened last fall and the other will be opening this fall. The school estimated to save about $2 million for the closures by reducing utility costs, Basi said.

CBS Local reported, two of the closed halls could possibly be used as guest and conference housing if need. Freshmen enrollment dropped by 1,470 students or 24 percent for this academic year. The university is also planning for reduced funding where they planned to layoff 20 employees.

Basi said the Division of Operations this week will lay off employees from maintenance, policing and transportation. Other divisions will also be leaving some positions unfilled, and additional expenses are being examined.

Choi said that the two-month process of trimming the budget will focus on ensuring programs of excellence. Significant reductions will need to be done in programs that aren't measuring up.

The Columbia Missourian reported, Chrissy Kintner, chair of the MU Staff Advisory Council, said that the largest chunk of the budget is spent on people. The decision to lay off any employee should be carried out with the long-term health of the University of Missouri as a goal, Kinter added.

The university estimated a large cut in state appropriation as much as $57 million. They already have to make up $38 million in lost state appropriations in the current fiscal year. Preliminary plans will be shared with the campus on May 10.
New York City public advocate Letitia James has proposed legislation last August to prohibit public and private businesses from asking prospective employees about their salary history. Employers will soon be prohibited to ask applicants about salary histories.

The New York City Councils is expected to pass the bill on Wednesday, which is a day after Equal Pay Day, James said. If approved, New York City will become one of the states including Massachusetts to forbid prospective employers from asking job applications this question during a job interview.

The New York Post reported that the proposal will reduce salary gap between men and women. It has the support of 33 out of 51 Council members.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was encouraged by James to sign the executive order barring city agencies from asking about salary history. Once it passed the legislation will extend the ban to businesses in the private sector, Time reported.

James wanted to close the gender wage gap and points out the significance of the Fearless Girl statue. She hopes it will become a permanent fixture.

The bill aims to address severe wage disparities because women still do not earn the same amount as men. Last year, James' office released a report which found that women in New York were cheated out of $5.8 billion a year in lost wages.

It focuses on ways to address wage discrimination by putting some policies in place, which include asking whether or not companies don't have women on their boards or executive committees.

After getting the Fearless Girl statue to remain on Wall Street for a year, James said it is critical that the legislation is approved on Wednesday. She said the issue of dissemination of poverty and wage discrimination was larger than just women's issue and that it also affects the economy, children and economies.

They are also working on examining ways to combat racial disparities and gender disparities in the city by promoting more business of color.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced that two species of parrots have been observed in the wild and were declared no longer required protection under US endangered species law. The Fish and Wildlife Service has removed the turquoise and scarlet-chested parrots from the list.

Both parrots are found in Australia and they have been listed in the endangered species list since the 1970s. The scarlet-chested species was thought to have already been extinct until it was recently cited.

Experts have characterized populations of both turquoise and scarlet-chested parrots as stable. The scarlet-chested parrots' population has recovered well. According to the agency there are more than 10,000 scarlet-chested parrots, The Hill reported.

There has been potential increase noted for turquoise parrots as well who has been reported to have more than 20,000 in Australia. Therefore, removing it from the endangered species list, said the Fish and Wildlife Service.

The agency has been on a virtual hiatus after Trump was inaugurated in January. After a regulatory freeze, now that it's back in business, their decisions have spurred controversial response.

Last week they also decided to remove the Florida manatee off the endangered species list. It caused an outcry from different organizations and some from Republicans in the Sunshine State who said the decision was premature.

Fish and Wildlife service is also looking to remove the Yellowstone Grizzly Bear from the endangered species list. The decision is expected by summer. On Tuesday, environmental groups initiated a campaign to urge not to remove protectections for the grizzlies.

The Washington Examiner reported, in an effort to urging the Trump administration not to remove the protections, the Center for Biological Diversity delivered more than 55,000 postcards from citizens around the country. Ryan Zinke, Interior Secretary heard of the campaign and blocked the postcards from being delivered to the agency, the Center for Biological Diversity said. The postcards were delivered to the headquarters of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday.
New York State Allies for Public Education, a group made up of parents, teachers, superintendents and other school leaders has requested the board of regents to replace Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. The group has a list of issues to support their complaint.

One is they didn't like the commissioner's response to Carl Paladino, the Buffalo City School Board Member who made racist comments about the Obamas. The group was also upset with Commissioner Elia's changes that implemented untimed test taking which meant many kids were taking tests all day long. Eileen Graham, a concerned parent, said Elia was not having a positive impact on the students.

She added that is why they want her to resign because they want leadership that will talk to their students. To take the information that students give them and put it in context so that the results would show on graduation rates she added.

Elia frequently makes visits to Rochester City School District, which was one of the worst performing districts in the state. She has not met with the parents during the said visits and Graham said they are still trying to understand Commissioner Elia's vision for the districts, communities and New York State.

WHEC reported, spokeswoman Emily DeSantis sent the group an email with a statement in response to the group's campaign. It said that during Commissioner MaryEllen Elia's term she made strides to improve the quality of education for all students in the state. She has been an educator for 47 years. The statement said that Commissioner Elia is focused solely on doing what's right for New York's three million school children working with the Board of Regents, parents and educators.

It also stated that the commissioner made a profound difference in working to improve New York's learning standards, student assessments and teacher evaluations, which happened to be major issues when she became commissioner.

The New York State Allies for Public Education has sent more than 240 letters to the Board of Regents calling for Elia's removal. The commissioner does not have intentions of stepping down.
Laughter is a good medicine says the old adage but a new study disqualifies that by saying funny people have a lower life expectancy. Does that mean people should abandon their sense of humor altogether?

A study conducted by the Australian Catholic University said that the funnier people are, the earlier they will die. The researchers came into the conclusion after analyzing and comparing the deaths that happen among three kinds of actors - dramatic, comedic, and stand-up comedians. They have found out that stand up comedians are twice more likely to die compared to those who belong to the other two groups.

The real surprise that emerged from the study is that the funnier the stand-up comedian is, the earlier they are likely to die. The researchers said that for every 10 points a comedian is in terms of being funny, there is a 7 percent possibility of him or her dying. That means a comedian who ranks 50th is 70 percent more likely to die earlier than someone who is ranked 150th.

One of the factors that might contribute to this early death is the fact that stand-up comedians have a tendency to live a solitary lifestyle behind the scenes and traveling alone most of the time.

Moreover, another study showed that most comedians are plagued with depression. Psychologists have found substantial evidence about the age-old belief that creativity is associated with madness, which is a common occurrence in comedians. According to the study, this happens because of bisociation, a term used to describe two dissimilar concepts are brought together in an unsuitable manner. Humor happens when an idea is suddenly seen in an unexpected manner. This same process also happens to people who are diagnosed as bipolar or schizophrenic.

The study is published in the International Journal of Cardiology.
A team of Egyptian archeologists have discovered the interior of a 3,800-year-old pyramid near King Sneferu's famous Bent Pyramid. Egyptologists now believe that the newly discovered pyramid was one of the first attempts in building a smooth sided pyramid by the ancient Egyptians.

Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities told the press, as reported by the BBC, that the newly discovered pyramid bears the name of Pharaoh Ameny Qemau, a 13th dynasty Egyptian ruler (1793 - 1791 BCE) Many are intrigued with the massive discovery as this was the second pyramid that bears the name of the same ruler.

Archeologists believes that the pyramids in the Dahshur area were the first attempts to build a smooth faced pyramids. Before this, ancient Egyptian engineers have managed to build step pyramids such as the famous Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara. The newly discovered pyramid is not as old as the other Dahshur pyramids, especially the Red pyramid, which is considered the first successful smooth-face pyramid in ancient Egyptian history.

Adel Okasha, director general of the Dahshur necropolis site said that discovery was in fact, the interior of a pyramid, but more importantly were a number of slabs with hieroglyphics which are yet to be deciphered. Live Science helped shed light on the hieroglyphs by showing photos of the said alabaster stone to James Allen of Brown University and Aidan Dodson of the University of Bristol. Both hieroglyph experts have agreed that engraved in the tablet was the name of Pharaoh Ameny. However, this pointed out another mystery, which is why two pyramids bear the name of the said pharaoh.

Okasha added that the excavation on the site is not yet over and they plan to continue on, in hopes of uncovered more information about the history of this newly discovered pyramid. Egypt has still a lot of secret treasures waiting silently under the sand for its discovery.
The United Kingdom (UK) has begun the formal process of its exit from the European Union (EU); however, scientists now say that this is nothing new. There is evidence the UK has had an earlier "Brexit" around 450,000 years ago.

Millions of years ago, Britain was part of Europe. What is now known as the chalky cliff of the Dover Strait used to be a high limestone ridge that extended all the way, to what is now known as France. The geology allowed living creatures of that era to freely pass back and forth.

However, this road was cut off by a catastrophic flood about 450,000 years ago. Today, researchers have uncovered how the land mass split and detailed their evidence in a study published in the journal Nature Communications.

Apparently, the flood created waterfalls that cut through the limestone ridge exposing what is now known as the Dover Strait. Sanjeev Gupta, professor of earth science at Imperial College London, dubbed the geological separation as "Brexit 1.0."

Before the study, everyone agrees there was a rock ridge between France and Britain, the cause of its disappearance causing the split was fully debated upon. Dr. Jenny Collier, also of the Department of Earth Sciences at Imperial said gradual erosion or sudden event might have been the cause of the split.

The 1960s showed an initial clue was spotted when engineers surveying the Dover Strait spotted holes on the seafloor, each hundreds of meters to several kilometers in diameter, and up to 140 meters deep and filled with loose gravel. Though being a bit peculiar, no one really focused on them.

Back in 1985, a marine geologist Alec Smith of Bedford College in London, suggested that the holes were caused by ancient waterfalls, his suggestion, however, cannot be confirmed due to lack of data, Wired reported. With improvements in surveying technology and a decade's worth of data, Collier, Gupta and the rest of their team have shown that Smith was right.

The researchers believe that a second flood took place 150,000 that could have separated the landmass altogether after being weakened by the first flooding event. In terms of the catastrophic failure of the ridge, an earth tremor is being looked at, which, according to Collier is still characteristic of the region to this day.

It would be a huge undertaking and challenge to study the "geological Brexit," said Gupta. The English Channel, aside from having huge tidal swells, is the world's busiest shipping lane.
University of Maryland University College (UMUC) has announced its partnership with Revature, a leading technology talent development company. Their collaboration will allow all UMUC students and graduates, regardless of their major, to access Revature's online coding program at no cost.

UMUC is the largest public online university in the nation. The tech company's flagship product, RevaturePro, gives online instruction in enterprise software development languages, guided projects, assessments and mentoring.

Yahoo News reported that the program consists of courses in Java, Microsoft NET and front-end web development, among others. Students can go through the program at their own pace and receive support from the company's industry mentors.

Nikki Sandoval, Associate Vice President for Alumni and Career Services at UMUC, said that the partnership will allow students with non-technical academic backgrounds to expand their career options by mastering the latest software programs and computer platforms. She noted that the program by Revature offers an accessible approach to IT training that will complement any career path that the students or graduates choose.

Joe Mitchell, Revature's Executive Vice President of Academic Partnerships, added that coding skills are necessary to succeed in the modern workplace across various industries. The company has designed a program that prepares students for a great career in software development.

According to TIME, Revature, which is based in Virginia, is setting up classrooms at colleges and universities across the nation and recruiting college graduates for a free 40-hour-per-week, 12-week crash course in in-demand coding skills.

During the course, the students receive minimum wage instead of paying for their education. In return, they just need to commit to working for Revature for two years at an annual salary that ranges from $50,000 to $65,000.

The company has also partnered with George Mason University, Virginia's largest public research university. Mason students will be provided with free hands-on technology training that prepares them to fill critical gaps in the workforce at Northern Virginia.
April 5 2017

Pentland Studios have won approval in principle to press ahead with a significant film and television studio at Straiton, Edinburgh, in a bid to attract major international productions. detailed planning application for the site will now be drawn up by Keppie for a film studio, academy and energy centre on the Midlothian site, which could also include shops, offices, a 180-room hotel, six sound stages, two backlots and student accommodation.In a statement PSL Land Ltd said: "Working together with Midlothian Council, PSL hope this next stage will be expedited accordingly, recovering the construction scheduling that will enable delivery of the key Studio operation by late 2018. It is anticipated that a detailed schedule to progress the planning application will be agreed with Midlothian Council in the next few weeks, producing a phased timeframe with the Studio, Academy and Energy Centre as the first buildings to be progressed to full planning consent.WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff will assist in the planning of the 250m facility, which was given consent to proceed despite running contrary to the Midlothian local development plan, working with Midlothian Council to identify routes for the proposed A701 relief road.
First Meeting on UW Strategic Plan Draft is Thursday

A draft strategic plan for the University of Wyoming calls for advancements in academic quality, enrollment, statewide engagement, diversity and economic development over the next five years.

Specifically, the draft plan aims to increase student recruitment, retention and graduation; degree programs offered online and at UWs regional centers; collaborations with community colleges and K-12 schools; research funding; startup companies; and private contributions to the university, among other measures.

The draft plan was crafted by UWs 24-member Strategic Planning Leadership Council, following an extensive series of public meetings around Wyoming and on campus. The document may be viewed online at www.uwyo.edu/acadaffairs/_files/docs/stratplan_2017-2022_draft.pdf, and the council is accepting public comment on the presidents strategic planning feedback page through April 27.

Additionally, town-hall meetings to present the draft and accept comments are scheduled:

-- Thursday, April 6, from 3:30-5 p.m. in Room 133 of the Classroom Building. The session may be viewed via the WyoCast system at https://wyocast.uwyo.edu/WyoCast/Play/0a27ba48270a4828b14b5d9c8300d3001d.

-- Monday, April 10, from 1:30-3 p.m. in Room 138 of the Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center. The WyoCast link for this session is

https://wyocast.uwyo.edu/WyoCast/Play/27a097b813d64a5ca4dcdc3d9b3bf4041d.

-- Friday, April 14, from 3-4:30 p.m. in Room 133 of the Classroom Building. The WyoCast link for this session is https://wyocast.uwyo.edu/WyoCast/Play/0239f5c56f904809be861822e5a4c6271d.

-- Tuesday, April 25, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in Strausner Hall at Casper College. The session may be viewed online at https://zoom.us/j/322459559.

UW Provost Kate Miller, who chairs the Strategic Planning Leadership Council, says the group welcomes input from all of UWs constituents.

This draft is still rough in some respects, but it represents the councils best efforts to set a course by which the university fulfills its flagship and land-grant mission through the free and open pursuit of knowledge in engagement with Wyoming and the world, Miller says. Our vision is to bring Wyoming and Western intelligence, energy, grit and innovation to the economic, social and environmental challenges of today, and to create a thriving, equitable and sustainable world for tomorrow.

The broad goals and objectives of the draft plan are to:

-- Foster and reward excellence in teaching, scholarship, innovation and creative endeavor to enhance an intellectual community renowned for its regional, national and global relevance and impact.

-- Inspire students to pursue a productive, engaged and fulfilling life, and prepare them to succeed in a sustainable global economy.

-- In collaboration with constituents and partners, improve and enhance the health and well-being of communities and environments.

-- Assure the long-term strength and stability of the university through a focus on infrastructure, human capital and new revenue sources.

Each goal and objective includes a set of measurable performance indicators.

Following revisions that may result from public and campus input, the plan will be presented for consideration by UWs Faculty Senate, Staff Senate and the Associated Students of UW. It then will go to the UW Board of Trustees for final consideration and approval.

Following Board of Trustees approval, the plan will be implemented at the start of the 2017-18 fiscal year, with college and unit plans finalized in fall 2017.

A website, www.uwyo.edu/president/strategic-plans/, has been established to inform the campus community and the public throughout the strategic planning process.
He will be getting a second-hand helicopter worth Rs 7 crore as birthday gift on April 29th.

By Sunil Namdeo: Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi's birthday, which is on April 29th, will be special this year. And why not? He will be getting a second-hand helicopter worth Rs 7 crore as birthday gift. Though, he has not got the birthday gift, but political circles are abuzz with the news.

However, Jogi camp's leaders have claimed that they have contributed money for the helicopter, but the leaders of main Opposition party Congress have alleged that BJP-led state government is sponsoring the helicopter.

advertisement

Meanwhile, Jogi and his son are maintaining silence on the helicopter.

The former CM is trying hard to make a comeback in state politics and his supporters too are doing their bit to help Jogi. It is believed that two supporters of Jogi, MLA RK Rai and one transport businessman, have purchased the second-hand helicopter for Rs 7 crore. They paid Rs 3.5 crore in cash and the rest amount was financed.

According to Rai, the chopper is a 4-seater. On April 15, the helicopter will reach Raipur from Delhi.

However, in state's power corridors it is widely believed that it is BJP leaders who are behind this gift because they are seeing Jogi as a trump card who can help them come to power in the state for the fourth time.

Jogi is very popular with masses and is leaving behind Congress when it comes to campaigning. The BJP is hoping that he will only harm Congress's fortune during the 2018 Assembly election and will deviate saffron party's 15 years of anti-incumbency. Thus, Jogi will help BJP in forming the government.

According to political experts, it is not some rebel Congress leader who is supporting Jogi, but the BJP-led state government. Though, BJP leaders are denying helping Jogi.

Also read:

Ajit Jogi's new party in Chhattisgarh: A threat to Congress and BJP?

Jogi plays a local tune

WATCH THE VIDEO:

--- ENDS ---


Competitive eaters from across the country are training their stomachs for New York-New York Hotel & Casinos 20th annual qualifying event for the 101st Annual Nathans Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, New York (Pictured: Last years Female division eating champion, Michelle Lesco  Photo courtesy of New York-New York Hotel & Casino).

The main event will take place Saturday, April 22 at 3 p.m. as trained male and female competitors gather at Brooklyn Bridge at New York-New York to compete for the title Nevada Hot Dog Eating Champion. The two contest winners will advance to the July 4 finals in New York.

A special employee contest will begin at 1 p.m. followed by the service men and women contest at 2:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Nathans Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest has occurred every July 4 in Coney Island since 1916, the year Nathan Handwerker opened the legendary restaurant. Major League Eating, the governing body of all stomach-centric sports, sanctions the Nathans Famous Hot Dog Eating Circuit, ensuring the contests are judged professionally and that safety standards are in place at each event.
Little information

Talking to VIR, an official from the Department of Enterprise Management under the Ministry of Transport said that AirAsia has yet to submit an official application to establish a joint venture with Gumin and Hai Au Aviation.

Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said the first time it heard of the news was from the media. Hai Au, Gumin, and AirAsia. None of them has applied for a certificate to do business in air transport, said Vo Huy Cuong, deputy director of CAAV.

Hai Au has a license to provide general air transport for commercial purposes, with a fleet of four amphibious airplanes. Gumin, which operates in management consultancy, has only started operation on March 29.

Official information is forthcoming only from Thien Minh Group. According to the companys website, the new airline is going to start operation in 2018 after being ratified by the Vietnamese government. The new airline is going to provide high-quality service at affordable prices.

An expert said that it is currently unclear whether this airline is going to be a new entity or part of Hai Au. However, given the time that it normally takes to obtain a license to fly commercially, the joint venture is unlikely to get a license by the end of 2018. Vietstar One-member Co., Ltd., which applied for a license to provide air transport services in July 2016, is still waiting.

Narrow window

This is AirAsias third attempt in 10 years to join hands with a Vietnamese partner to set up an airline. Earlier, Air Asia made an agreement with Vinashin (now Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Corporation) in 2007 and with Vietjet in 2010 to set up the second foreign-invested airline in Vietnam after Jetstar Pacific. For one reason or another, these plans failed to materialise.

At the moment, AirAsia has two airlines that fly frequently to Vietnam, Thai AirAsia (FD), which flies from Thailand, and AirAsia Berhad (AK) which flies from Malaysia. There was also Indonesia AirAsia which used to fly from Indonesia, but at the moment this activity has been suspended.

The Vietnamese aviation market sees ripe competition from Vietnam Airlines and SkyViet/VASCO, as well as two low-cost airlines, namely Vietjet and Jetstar Pacific, the former of which is considered to be on par with big regional airlines, such as AirAsia, in terms of capital and governance ability.

The growth in demand still outpaces the growth in supply. However, in the first quarter, demand showed signs of slowing growth.

Moreover, the price of airplane fuel is increasing sharply, affecting the profit of airlines. The average price in January this year was $65.15 per barrel, up 1.57 per cent compared to December 2016. CAPA Centre for Aviation expects that the profit margin for global air transport will decrease from 8.3 per cent in 2016 to 7.4 in 2017 and further to 6.6 in 2018, due to the increasing price of fuel and the surplus in airplanes as airlines have been buying too many of them recently.

AirAsia is very late to the party in Vietnam and as a result faces huge challenges, said Brendan Sobie, Singapore-based chief analyst at CAPA Centre for Aviation at a recent interview with Bloomberg on the issue. The market is now well served by two low-cost carriers, VietJet and Jetstar Pacific. The rate of growth will likely slow in the coming years as the market is now more mature.
Accordingly, AirAsia will team up with Gumin and Hai Au Aviation to establish a joint venture that is expected to be launched from the beginning of next year.

AirAsia Investment has signed an agreement with Gumin, Hai Au, and Tran Trong Kien, CEO of Gumin as well as chairman and CEO of Thien Minh Group (the parent company of Hai Au), for the affiliate.

The joint venture will need an investment of VND1 trillion ($44 million). Of the total, Gumin will hold 70 per cent of the stakes, while the rest will belong to AirAsia.

Vietnam has been the latest country appearing on the radar of AirAsia in its plan of building a pan-Asian budget airline. Domestic airline passengers have doubled in number since 2013. The middle class is growing to one fourth of the population.

Over the past few years, AirAsia has established affiliates in Indonesia, Thailand, India, and Japan. It has ordered hundreds of billion-dollar planes from Airbus to meet the increasing demand. Also, it scheduled the sale of its plane leasing business for more cash.

AirAsia is very late to the party in Vietnam and as a result faces huge challenges, said Brendan Sobie, Singapore-based chief analyst at CAPA Centre for Aviation at a recent interview with Bloomberg on the issue. The market is now well served by two low-cost carriers, VietJet and Jetstar Pacific. The rate of growth will likely slow in the coming years as the market is now more mature.
A group of men attacked 15 men carrying cattle in Rajasthan's Alwar last week. One of the men thrashed, Pehlu Khan, succumbed to his injuries on April 3.

By Sharat Kumar: Pehlu Khan was part of a group of 15 Muslim men carrying cattle in Rajasthan's Alwar district when he was brutally thrashed along with the others by cow vigilantes last week. Khan died on Monday night.

Though the Rajasthan Police registered a case against the attackers, the cops also booked the group of Muslim men for "smuggling" even when they had government receipts that allowed them to ferry the cows.

advertisement

India Today has found various receipts of the required money paid by the men to Jaipur municipality and other government offices to to carry the cows legally.

Rajasthan Home Minister GC Kataria has blamed "both sides" and also admitted that the police acted against both the groups.

"One person died due to the beating. Police have registered cases against people smuggling the cows and also over the death of the man," he said today.

The three accused arrested in the Alwar cow vigilantism case.

"The blame lies with both sides. When they know that cow smuggling is banned in Rajasthan and there is a law against it, why were they doing it?" he added.

Kataria did not mention the fact that the group from Haryana was carrying the cows legally.

Khan and others hailing from Haryana were injured when a mob attacked them while transporting cows in vehicles on the Behror highway in Alwar district on Saturday.

Other injured persons, whose number could not be known immediately, are recuperating in hospital.

ALSO READ:

Muslim man killed by cow vigilantes: Rajasthan home minister holds both sides guilty

Cattle battle: Cows of Benaras tell us what 'gau-mata' really wants

Rajasthan: Human rights activists slam BJP leaders for falsely implicating hotel over beef

ALSO WATCH | When PM Narendra Modi slammed self-appointed cow vigilantes

--- ENDS ---
Palanquin procession to honour Hung Kings

Groups from Chu Hoa, Hung Lo and Kim Duc (Viet Tri city), Tien Kien and Hung Son (Lam Thao district) headed to the Hung Kings Temple on Nghia Linh Mountain.

The procession was led by lion dancers, followed by groups carrying national flag and festive flag and another playing ritual drums and gongs. Meanwhile, the next group carried symbolic weapons and parasols, which was followed by mandarin actors and local people.

They presented offerings of chung cakes (square glutinous rice cakes), banh day (round glutinous rice cakes) and their local specialties to the Hung Kings at the temple altar.

According to the organising board, this is the 7th year the procession took place in communes on the occasion of the death anniversary of the Hung Kings (the 10th day of the third lunar month).

This traditional ritual, which has been preserved for thousands of years, features the countrys cultural characteristics and consolidates national solidarity.

It also makes contributions to honouring the worshipping rituals of the Hung Kings, which was recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012.

The same day, a contest for making banh chung and banh day was organised at the Hung Kings Temple historic relic site, drawing 14 teams from 13 districts, towns and cities.

The contest was held annually to show gratitude to Hung Kings for building a sound custom for the nation.

Two winners will get the chance to offer their traditional cakes to the Hung Kings on the 10th day of the third lunar month, which falls on April 6 this year.

Vietnamese legend has it that Lac Long Quan, son of Kinh Duong Vuong, married Au Co, daughter of King De Lai. Au Co gave birth to a sack containing 100 eggs from which 100 children were born.

The couple then decided to separate to populate the land, so half the children followed their mother to the highlands and the rest went with their father to the sea.

The first child went with mother Au Co to Phong Chau, now Phu Tho province. He then became King Hung and founded the first nation in the history of Vietnam, Van Lang.

Ruling the country for 18 generations, the Hung Kings taught the people how to grow wet rice. They chose Nghia Linh Mountain, the highest in the region, to perform rituals devoted to rice and sun deities to pray for lush crops.

To honour the Hung Kings, a complex of temples dedicated to them was built on Nghia Linh Mountain, and the tenth day of the third lunar month serves as their anniversary.

The worshipping rituals of the Hung Kings are closely related to the ancestral worship traditions of most Vietnamese families, an important part of people's spiritual lives.
Shares continued to rise slightly in both local markets on Tuesday morning as banks and property developers bounced back after recent fall.

The benchmark VN Index on the HCM Stock Exchange inched up 0.1 per cent to close at 723.05 points. The index had ended positively on Monday.

The HNX Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange gained 0.2 per cent to end at 91.13 points. The northern market index has risen by 0.1 per cent on Monday.

Banks rebounded after a two-day decline, on positive outlook and potential deals for the banking sector in 2017.

Among the nine listed banks, six advanced, with Asia Commercial Bank (ACB), Sacombank (STB), Vietcombank (VCB) and Sai Gon-Ha Noi Bank (SHB) being the strongest gainers.

Real estate developers also had a good trading session on Tuesday morning, driven by Kinh Bac City Development Holding Corp (KBC), FLC Group (FLC) and Vingroup (VIC).

Meanwhile, food and beverages stocks slumped on profit-taking after their recent rally. The sector was pulled down by brewer Sabeco (SAB) and dairy producer Vinamilk (VNM).

Energy stocks continued to suffer from low oil prices, and PetroVietnam Gas (GAS), PetroVietnam Coating (PVB) and PetroVietnam Technical Services (PVS) performed poorly.

Around 142.7 million shares worth a total of VND2.8 trillion (US$124.77 million) were traded on the two local bourses.
Crystal methamphetamine is removed from planks of wood at a warehouse in Nunawading, east of Melbourne, Australia, where it was hidden in 70 boxes of floorboards shipped from China AFP

Two men were arrested and charged with trafficking after the discovery of 903kg (nearly a tonne) of Ice at a warehouse in the Victorian state suburb of Nunawading, east of Melbourne, where it was hidden in 70 boxes of floorboards.

"Make no mistake, the swift action of our law enforcement agencies has stopped an unprecedented tsunami of Ice from hitting our streets with a deadly impact," said Justice Minister Michael Keenan.

"This Ice shipment would have resulted in millions of single street deals, with every single hit potentially taking a life, destroying a family and devastating a community."

The bust, following a two-month operation, comes less than a week after police and customs officers arrested three Vietnamese nationals in Melbourne and seized 300kg of ice hidden in metal gates.

Authorities also had success in December when they made the largest cocaine haul in Australian history.

With its high street prices, Australia is an attractive destination for drug-smugglers, with Keenan saying that a kilogramme of Ice can sell for 80 times the price it is bought for in China.

"When the Australian drug market remains so lucrative, organised criminals will continue to try and bring supply in. We are determined to tackle the demand side," he said.

Australia has a growing problem with ice addiction and the government recently earmarked A$300 million for rehabilitation and education services to help address the issue.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull hailed the "enormous" seizure and hit out the "merchants of death".

"We are working internationally and nationally to catch these merchants of death, these people who traffic in Ice, to catch them and intercept their deadly cargoes and we're successful in doing that," he said.

"We will be ruthless in our efforts to stop the smuggling and the trafficking of this drug."
Motorcyclist who went viral with freeway jump critically injured in another stunt
Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani reportedly sent Arvind Kejriwal bills to the tune of Rs 3.8 crore approx. for representing him in the defamation case filed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

By India Today Web Desk: Arvind Kejriwal finally responsed to the allegations that he wanted the tax payers to foot the legal fee of Ram Jethmalani in the defamation cases filed against him by Arun Jaitley.

On Tuesday evening, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, while addressing a rally before the MCD election, said, "It was a case of corruption... Should I pay (Ram) Jethmalami from my pocket?".

advertisement

He said people must decide if the government pays for Ram Jethmalani's fee or Arvind Kejriwal. While those in the crowd chanted "government", the noted lawyer, on his part, has clarified that money or no money he is willing to fight the case for Arvind Kejriwal and question Arun Jaitley.

HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ARVIND KEJRIWAL-RAM JETHMALANI FEE CONTROVERSY: Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani reportedly sent Arvind Kejriwal bills to the tune of Rs 3.8 crore approx. for representing him in the defamation case filed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. According to reports, Ram Jethmalani reportedly charged Rs 1 crore in retainership and Rs 22 lakh for each appearance in the court. AAP leaders claimed that Jethmalani had initially offered to represent Arvind Kejriwal free of cost in the defamation cases but nine months after taking the cases he started sending bills to the Delhi chief minister. Arvind Kejriwal's deputy Manish Sisodia reportedly signed the bills and forwarded them to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal for clearance. The LG has sought opinion from experts to decide on the issue. As questions were being raised on why and how Arvind Kejriwal could let people pay for his bills, Ram Jethmalani came to his client's defence and said the Delhi chief minister has not stolen money and submitted proper bills to the LG. Jethmalani accused Arun Jaitley for instigating all this because the minister "was afraid of my cross-examination". Ram Jethmalani said he was willing to treat Kejriwal as one of his "poor clients" and defend him in the court free of cost. "I charge only the rich but for the poor I work for free. If the (Delhi) government doesn't pay or he (Kejriwal) can't pay, I will appear for free," Ram Jethmalani said. The Opposition, however, upped the ante against the Delhi chief minister. "There are seven defamation cases against him (Kejriwal) as far as I know. This may total up to (Rs) 100 crore. Will he make the people of Delhi pay the 100 crore," asked Union minister and BJP leader Prakash Javadekar. The Delhi government, however, maintained that the case Arvind Kejriwal was fighting against Arun Jaitley was a public and not a private issue. "There were allegations of corruption in DDCA. Our government formed a committee to probe this matter and free cricket from corruption," CM Arvind Kejriwal's deputy Manish Sisodia said. Later, Arvind Kejriwal, at an election rally in Seemapuri, maintained the stance and said he was taking on Arun Jaitley over corruption in Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) when the Finance Minister was heading it. The defamation cases relate to Arvind Kejriwal and the other accused making statements alleging that Arun Jaitley was involved in a DDCA scam during his time at the cricketing body. Jaitley was the president of DDCA for nearly 13 years. The civil defamation suit filed by Jaitley seeks Rs 10 crore as damages.

(with inputs from IANS)

ALSO READ:

Why Arvind Kejriwal may end up paying Ram Jethmalani more than Rs 10 crore damage Arun Jaitley seeks

Kejriwal a compulsive defamer, why should govt pay for his personal legal cases: Javadekar

Jethmalani to Jaitley in defamation hearing: You tested your reputation in Lok Sabha polls and lost by over 1 lakh votes

ALSO WATCH

--- ENDS ---
William A. Heidt, U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia, says he is very aware of the historical role the United States played in the conflict in Cambodia, which is why he is seeking to prioritize the clearance of unexploded ordinance left behind by years of bombing.

During a study tour of a training center in Kampong Chhnang province run by the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) on Friday, Heidt said while he hoped the groups work could receive more support from Washington, it was unclear what position the current administration would take.

Those of you who are watching the news right now, we have a new administration and they are formulating our budget right now. We dont have figures yet for our budget, he told reporters in a press conference after concluding the tour.

My message to Washington has been that supporting humanitarian demining should be one of our very high priorities in Cambodia, he added.

From 1993 to 2016, the U.S. government spent more than $120 million on clearing mines and unexploded ordinance in Cambodia, a deadly legacy of decades of conflict.

Heidt said he was proud that Cambodia had become a world leader in demining, which also contributed to the countrys economic growth.

As I mentioned in my statement, I am very aware of our history here during Vietnam War, American bombing and the legacy of unexploded ordnance here. And that is why for many years, weve supported cleaning that up, he said.

The U.S. is believed to have dropped some 500,000 tons of bombs on Cambodia between 1965 and 1973 during its covert war in Indochina under the supervision of President Richard Nixons national security adviser, Henry Kissinger. Some estimates place the death toll of the bombing in the hundreds of thousands, while conservative estimates claim only sparsely populated areas were targeted and civilian casualties minimized.

Villagers in Tbong Khmum province near the border with Vietnam - a focal point of the bombing campaign - still remember the fear they felt as U.S. bombers flew sorties overhead.

Uon Samath, 59, said his village of Tuol Vihear, where he lived out the war, was repeatedly hit by bombs dropped by U.S. ally Lon Nols regime during the 1970s. He and his wife were both injured in the attacks.

I was in shock because they dropped bombs every day. They targeted Vietcong who passed through the area near the Mekong River, he said.

More than four decades later, the unexploded bombs are a cause for concern. Hes found four such bombs on his farmland in recent years and reported the finds to CMAC, which removed them safely.

I still suspect that there are more bombs left, he said. I still feel that there are bombs left. If they explode, I will be disabled for life.

I told the tractor workers not to plough some areas, but I dont tell them that there are bombs from the past, he added. If there is any danger, I have to take responsibility.

Teng Pov, 53, a farmer who works the fields nearby, said the changing flow of water in the Mekong basin region meant that the unexploded bombs often move, creating unknown dangers.

I know there were bombs here, so CMAC asked me to show them the locations. I told them this area was a valley of bombs before, he said.

Heng Ratana, the director general of CMAC, said the government had committed to clearing all remaining anti-personnel mines by 2025. About 1,000 square kilometers will be cleared, a painstaking and costly task. He estimates about $400 million in additional funding will be needed to make that goal a reality.

Were short by about $4 million to $6 million each yer. We never raise funds equal to our needs, he said.

Ambassador Heidt said that to achieve the government target we need to have close cooperation between government and all development partners.

Other countries funding the work include Norway, Australia, Canada, Japan and the Netherlands. CMAC says that over the past two decades it has disabled about 4 million landmines and unexploded bombs, clearning some 1,500 square kilometers of land.

Correction: This article originally cited an estimate by Ben Kiernan and Taylor Owen of 2.7 million tons of bombs dropped on Cambodia by the U.S. military during its covert war in Cambodia. The oft-cited figure was revised down to 500,000 by the authors of that study in 2010.
The Court of Appeals last week denied a request by jailed political analyst Kim Sok to meet his accuser, Prime Minister Hun Sen, in court during his trial for defamation and incitement.

Sok was detained in February after Hun Sen filed a complaint against him for allegedly defaming the premier and inciting social chaos by suggesting that Hun Sen may have had a hand in the murder of political analyst Kem Ley last year.

Hun Sen has demanded the astronomical sum of $500,000 in compensation, a figure far above Soks means.

Choung Chou Ngy, Soks lawyer, said the defense would argue that Soks comments were in fact accurate and true, therefore could not be considered defamation, a line of argument that would require the presence of the plaintiff.

Kim Sok claimed that what he said was factual. ... thats why he wanted the plaintiff to meet him directly, he said.

Ky Tech, Hun Sens lawyer, declined to answer reporters questions as he arrived at the court on Friday last week.

Touch Tharith, Appeals Court spokesman, said there was no need for Hun Sen to personally appear in court as there was sufficient evidence to prosecute in his absence.

Hun Sen is also suing Sok for other comments he made, where he alleged that the government led by Hun Sen has been responsible for numerous political murders in recent years, with the killers protected by widespread impunity.

Journalists were barred from attending the trial proceedings.

Sok is a former member of the royalist Funcinpec party and one-time government employee who became an outspoken critic of Hun Sens strongman tactics in recent years.
Videos of a mob beating on Phnom Penhs Monivong Boulevard last week quickly went viral on Cambodian social media.

In the videos, a man is seen attempting to flee from an accident on the major thoroughfare, in which three people died. Driving on the wrong side of the road, the motorist is pursued by an angry mob who drag him from his car before beating him until police arrive.

The driver survived, but was hospitalized with serious injuries.

Such scenes are not uncommon in Cambodia, where hit-and-run drivers, petty thieves, suspected sorcerers and others are frequently subjected to mob justice.

Experts who spoke to VOA Khmer say that a major factor driving mob beatings and killings is a lack of accountability and perceived injustice in society.

Ear Chariya, an independent traffic safety expert, said hit-and-run drivers were rarely seen to receive the proper punishment, so the people lose trust in the authorities and choose to find justice by their own hands.

Normally, the police arrive too late.

He added that the lack of police action had created a vicious cycle where the chance of mob killings had created a justification for drivers to flee the scene of accidents.

If they escape the scene there cant be any repercussions, he said.

Yang Kim Eng, head of the Peoples Center for Development and Peace, said that because a crime had been committed, it was not justified to respond with violence.

The driver who killed people had already committed a crime, but the bystanders who beat him are also committing a crime, he said. When the public becomes the judge, society falls into chaos.

Poverty, migration, and other social insecurities and pressures could make people feel frustration and easily lose control of their anger and patience.

Run Rothveasna, director of the interior ministrys public order department, said drivers who flee the scene of an accident should face up to five years in prison and lose their driving license.

Its better to let the law judge his acts, not the people. We call on all citizens to respect the law rather than causing injury to the wrongdoer.

Sok Eysan, ruling Cambodian Peoples Party spokesman, said while the government did what it could to punish offenders, it was impossible to prevent every mass outburst of anger.

People are not gods who can always calm their anger, he said.

Local rights group Licadho reported that two people were killed in mob attacks so far this year, while four were killed in 2016.
Cambodias defense minister has warned that the military will use force against any movement found to be plotting sedition ahead of elections due to be held over the next two years.

General Tea Banh told reporters on Thursday following the donation of more than 200 military and civilian vehicles by South Korea that the armed forces would not hesitate to use equipment provided by foreign powers on its own people if it believed they were planning a color revolution.

I think either a color revolution, or whatever it is, as long as it brings destruction to the country or causes danger, these vehicles will surely contribute and will be equipped in each unit. They will contribute to protection and maintaining our achievement, he said

Meas Ny, a social analyst, said there was no evidence of revolutionary plots to overthrow the government, adding that Banhs warning could be a further sign of paranoia among the countrys elite in the run up to elections some are predicting it could lose.

They are afraid that the government will be the one to change, he said. People are worried about a return to communism. This is how citizens see it.

Sok Eysan, a ruling Cambodian Peoples Party spokesman, dismissed suggestions that Cambodia was turning its back on liberal multi-party democracy in favor of Chinese-style state-controlled capitalism and authoritarian rule.

The Cambodian constitution ... states that any change in the political system cannot happen, he said.

South Korea has stepped up its military aid to Cambodia, donating vehicles and machinery three times so far this year.
The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party has scrapped its election slogan following pressure from the government.

Eng Chhay Eang, one of three newly appointed CNRP deputy presidents, said the slogan, which called on the electorate to replace commune chiefs who serve the party with those who serve the people, after the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party said it broke elections rules.

The slogan is not important for the election competition. The important thing is the policy platform of the party, Chhay Eang said.

The slogan was chosen during an extraordinary party congress in March held after the resignation of former president Sam Rainsy under legal pressure. Kem Sokha, the former deputy leader, was chosen to replace Rainsy, who had led the party since its formation in 2012.

The CPP claimed the slogan was insulting to CPP commune chiefs and therefore in breach of election rules.

Sok Eysan, CPP spokesman, said the withdrawal of the slogan was very welcome and would help to reduce tensions ahead of the election on June 4.

In an apparent compromise, the new leadership of the CNRP will remain in place, despite a challenge from the CPP, which claimed the CNRP had broken its own internal rules by holding the extraordinary congress.
Opposition officials last week marked the 20th anniversary of a deadly grenade attack on a Cambodia National Rescue Party rally in 1997 that left at least 16 people dead and injured more than 100.

Rights groups issued statements to coincide with the remembrance ceremony urging the international community to seek justice for the victims and calling on the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to re-open its probe into the incident.

Kem Sokha, CNRP president, said justice in Cambodia would only come when we eliminate persecution, insults ... slander and violence.

Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), said in a statement that evidence of the involvement of an infamous military unit closely aligned with Prime Minister Hun Sen, Brigade 70, in the attack was compelling.

The United Nations and Cambodias donors, who provide a large percentage of the national budget, should demand justice for victims for a crime that helped derail Cambodias democratic transition, he said.

Adams added that the FBI had launched an investigation because an American citizen, Ron Abney, was severely injured during the attacks. The bureau says its investigation is continuing, but the agents involved reportedly have complained that additional informants in Cambodia are too frightened to come forward.

The statement added that instead of opening a serious investigation, Prime Minister Hun Sen immediately called for the arrest of the demonstrations organizers and instructed police not to allow them to leave the country.

Sok Eysan, ruling Cambodian Peoples Party spokesman, said HRW had defamed the government.

We understand what they say is useless, he said, adding that the FBI had closed its investigation years ago.

Former CNRP leader Sam Rainsy, who was injured in the attack, said despite the passage of time, throwing grenades is a criminal offense, which cant be forgotten.

According to HRW, Brigade 70 troops were deployed at the demonstration, with FBI and United Nations told by witnesses that the soldiers allowed the attackers to enter the compound where the demonstration was taking place and escape their pursuers.

At gunpoint, the bodyguards then stopped members of the crowd who were pursuing the grenade-throwers and threatened to shoot those who did not retreat, it said.

Local civil society groups echoed HRWs call for justice for the victims.
As Britain begins the process of leaving the European Union, it is trying to rekindle old trade links with Commonwealth countries. But the push for new commerce has sparked a debate on the historical legacy of the British Empire, with accusations that ministers are trying to whitewash atrocities committed during colonial times. Henry Ridgwell reports from London.
Ajmer dargah diwan Syed Zainul Abedin Ali Khan had said that the government should put a ban on the slaughter of all bovine animals as well as the sale of beef to promote communal harmony in the country.

By India Today Web Desk: Angry over Ajmer dargah diwan Syed Zainul Abedin Ali Khan's statement on beef and triple talaq, his brother Alaudin Alimi today announced Zainul's removal. Claiming religious body's support, Alaudin Alimi even announced himself as the new Ajmer dargah diwan.

The spiritual head of Ajmer dargah had said that the government should put a ban on the slaughter of all bovine animals as well as the sale of beef to promote communal harmony in the country.

advertisement

HERE'S WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Zainul had said that Muslims should take initiative to stay away from slaughter of bovine animals and not consume beef so that a good and positive message could be communicated in the country. The government should declare cow as the national animal, Zainul Abedin Ali Khan said. "Cow is the symbol of religious belief. Not only the government, but it is also the duty of every follower of the religion to protect them," he said. "The government should widely impose ban on slaughtering of all bovine animals and sale of beef, which is one of the prominent reasons for communal hatred. Muslims should become an example by taking resolution to not consume beef in the interest of communal harmony in the country," he said. Khan also said that saying 'triple talaq' at one time for seeking divorce is not as per the Sharia law and Muslims should refrain from disobeying the Sharia law. Welcoming the Gujarat government's move to enact a law with the provision of life sentence for those found guilty of cow slaughter, the diwan said that the central government should declare cow as the national animal if the government wants to protect it. The diwan said that there are several provisions in the Quran to ensure self-respect and dignity to women in the society. He said that saying 'talaq' three times in one sitting is not a religiously valid practice and there should be a period of time between repeating 'talaq' thrice for divorce. The religious heads of various sufi shrines from various parts of the country including Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar among others were present on the occasion.

ALSO READ | Owaisi slams BJP over beef 'hypocrisy': Cow 'mummy' in UP, 'yummy' in Northeast

--- ENDS ---
Almost 20 Afghan inmates in the Pul-i-Charkhi prison, on the outskirts of the capital, Kabul, have sewn their lips shut to protest government policies.

They are part of a group of 300 prisoners who are on a hunger strike against a presidential decree denying them the right to serve jail time in their own provinces, rather than Kabul.



Abdul Halem Kohistani, the official in charge of protesting prisoners, said they also want to be included in presidential pardons usually granted around religious holidays like the Muslim holy festival of Eid.



Mohammad Hasham Alakozai, a member of Afghan senate, said prisoners arrested on drug-smuggling charges or for links to the Taliban also are among the protesters.



The Ministry of Interior confirmed the hunger strike, but it did not confirm that several inmates had sewn their lips. Najib Danish, the acting spokesman of MoI, said a joint delegation of MoI officials and the office of the attorney general will meet with the prisoners.



Hundreds of prisoners at the same facility had gone on a hunger strike at the end of February for what they claimed were violations of their rights.

This is not the first time that prisoners in Afghanistan have sewn their lips shut to draw attention to their condition.



Human rights groups sometimes have criticized conditions in Afghan prisons. A 2015 report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan revealed that one third of prisoners were either mistreated or tortured during detention.
Afghanistan is calling on Pakistan to stop fencing off the border between the two countries, suggesting that Kabul might resort to military action if diplomacy fails to resolve the issue.

The Pakistani military launched the fencing project last month after the fortification of regular border crossings and construction of new security installations along portions of the 2,600-kilometer, largely porous frontier, known as the Durand Line.

Islamabad says the measures will help address mutual terrorism concerns and prevent illegal crossings as well as terrorist infiltration in both directions.

The border security project, however, has outraged Afghan political circles and media commentators. The turmoil-hit nation historically has disputed portions of the 1893 demarcation undertaken under then-British rulers of the Indian subcontinent.

Days of heated debate on the issue in the Afghan parliament prompted the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday to issue a formal government response.

We have clearly stated that any type of unilateral actions taken along the Durand Line without the agreement of the government of Afghanistan [are] going to be ineffective, impractical and impossible, ministry spokesman Ahmed Shakib Mostaghani told a news conference in Kabul. Afghanistan has long referred to the border with Pakistan as an imaginary boundary.

Mostaghani again dismissed as mere excuses Islamabads assertions that militants are entering Pakistan from the Afghan side to launch terrorist attacks in the neighboring country. Mostaghani added that his government has taken up the issue with Pakistani authorities to resolve it through diplomatic channels.

If this is not going to result in prevention of the unilateral actions taken by the Pakistani side along the Durand Line, and if the violations continue, the government of Afghanistan and the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces are ready to defend the countrys territorial integrity and national sovereignty, he responded when asked whether Kabul might consider using force to stop the fencing.

The spokesman also said that instead of indulging in "unjustified" steps like fencing the border and shutting legal crossings, Islamabad should move against insurgents and sanctuaries on Pakistani soil who are being used against Afghanistan.

There was no immediate reaction from Pakistan to the assertions made by the Afghan side on Wednesday.

During this weeks debate in the Afghan parliament, angry lawmakers even called for a fellow member to be stoned to death for publicly stating that the Durand Line is an international border.

Pakistani officials, however, maintain that the fencing is being undertaken well within their territory and once completed, will address mutual security concerns and improve understanding between the two countries.

Islamabad has also dismissed Afghan objections over the international status of the Durand Line, saying Pakistan inherited it when the country gained independence from Britain in 1947.

Afghanistan and Pakistan blame each other for supporting anti-state militants and sponsoring cross-border terrorist attacks, a major source of tensions and deterioration in bilateral relations. Pakistan says anti-state militants sheltering in "ungoverned" Afghan areas are behind a recent wave of terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
4 A Hindu girl arrives to take part in the Kumari Puja at the Adyapeath Ashram on the outskirts of Kolkata, India.
Russia's state investigative committee says it has arrested six Central Asian men in St. Petersburg on suspicion of aiding terrorist activity, two days after a deadly attack on a crowded subway train in that city.

The group is accused of recruiting other men from Central Asian republics to join Islamic State and other extremist groups since 2015. But the committee issued a statement saying no evidence has been uncovered linking the group to the bombing that killed 14 people and left dozens more injured.

Russian investigators have identified 22-year-old Kyrgyz-born Akbarzhon Dzhalilov as the suicide bomber who carried out the attack.

World leaders from China to Europe to Brazil expressed their condolences over the tragedy. U.S. President Donald Trump phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin and offered full support in responding to the attack.

Politicizing the bombing

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the global outpouring Russia received reflected a common understanding of the need to join efforts to fight terrorism instead of trying, according to him, to use extremists to reach narrow geopolitical goals.



"With regard to the argument made by some media that the attack is revenge against Russia for our policy in Syria... [this is] cynical, cowardly," said Lavrov, who went on to point a finger at the previous U.S. administration. "Sadly, this is not just a media fabrication: certain figures, including representatives of Obama administrations Pentagon, have shared similar thoughts with the world community.

City on edge

The attack has left St. Petersburg residents on edge.

St. Petersburg emergency services responded Tuesday morning to a bomb threat at a subway station near Mondays deadly blast on a train as it was passing between two stations. After receiving an anonymous call, police went to clear pedestrians from the area.





Reporters on the scene said fire trucks and ambulances quickly arrived. Authorities briefly closed subway stations. They searched for an unattended item before re-opening the stations. Russian media reports said the law department at St. Petersburg University was also evacuated because of a suspicious package.

I think the atmosphere in the city is nervous, said one resident who only gave her first name  Anastasia. People walk and they do not understand what is happening. The public transport is too busy and is not coping. It is scary for us.

Russia is holding three days of mourning for those killed. President Putin overnight laid flowers near the bombing cite in St. Petersburg in tribute. Putin was in the city when the bombing occurred, the timing of which Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called food for thought.

Ordinary Russians paid respects as well, laying flowers and messages at a makeshift memorial outside the subway stations in St. Petersburg and at the Leningrad Hero City memorial in front of the Kremlin wall in Moscow.

Meanwhile, authorities are investigating what may have motivated the bombing, the first ever in Russias second largest city.

The most recent subway attack was in Moscow in 2010, when female suicide bombers connected to an Islamist insurgency in Chechnya were blamed for killing at least 33 people. Earlier bombings on the Moscow metro in 2004, also linked to Chechen terrorists, killed nearly 50 people.
The future of public transportation in New York City is taking shape on the bayous of Louisiana and Alabama.

Shipyard workers in the two states are scrambling to finish the city's new ferry fleet in time for a launch this summer, just a little more than a year after it was first proposed.

The city is making a $335 million bet that the service will attract millions of passengers traveling between Manhattan and waterfront neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx that are now a distant walk from overcrowded subways.

Transportation infrastructure in the city has a tendency to take many years, if not decades, to get built, but in this case workers are under pressure to get the new ferries and docks built in a New York minute.

Horizon Shipbuilding, in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, has 100 employees - including 80 hired last summer - working to fill its order of 10 ferries for the 20-boat fleet. The rest are being built at the Metal Shark shipyard in Franklin, Louisiana, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Baton Rouge.

Inside Metal Shark's huge boat-building shed last week, several of the $4 million catamaran vessels were in various stages of completion. Sparks and smoke flew around workers' protected heads as they welded one lightweight aluminum ferry frame. Other workers stood between the catamarans' two pontoons, sanding the rough metal. Electricians were busy wiring the navigation system. Cranes carried pieces of tubing to the ferry-to-be.

"A project like this is unique," said Junior Volpe, director of special projects for Hornblower Inc., the San Francisco-based company that will operate the ferry system in partnership with New York City.

More than a year ago, when they were still negotiating the construction of the ferries in such a short time period, "a lot of people were, like, 'Wow, I don't think this is ever going to happen.' And to prove that things are possible, here we are. We're sitting on the first ferry that's going to be delivered here at Metal Shark - and it's amazing," Volpe said.

City transportation officials say the new ferry fleet will speed up travel time in this city of islands by as much as two-thirds and come at a competitive price - $2.75 - the same as a subway fare. That compares to the limited ferry service that currently takes commuters and tourists across the Hudson and East Rivers at $4 to $6 per ride. New York's fifth borough, Staten Island, is served by its famed free ferry service that offers about 23 million rides a year.

In an interview with The Associated Press this week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he hoped the new ferry service, along with a new streetcar line he also has proposed, would help lighten the transportation load for a city of 8.5 million that is expected to grow by another half a million people in the coming years.

While de Blasio acknowledged the new ferry service's initial goal of 4.6 million annual rides per year is modest (the subway system handles 5.7 million rides on weekdays), he was hopeful the growth in ridership would be greater.

"If you build it," he said, "they will come."

Travel by water in New York harks back to the city's maritime glory days in the late 1800s, when there were no subways and the East River, the harbor and the Hudson River were abuzz with industrial production and business activities relying on water-borne modes of transportation.

"But ferries don't solve New York's overall transportation problem," said Nicole Gelinas, a transportation analyst at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.

She noted that with commercial activity no longer concentrated on the waterfront and most people living elsewhere, ferries handle only a fraction of the ridership of subways. "That doesn't mean ferries are not a good idea, because they get at least some people off the trains that are crowded beyond capacity."

In addition, she said, the financial structure of the new ferry service, in which the city plans to spend $180 million over six years subsidizing fares, could be difficult to sustain.

"The mayor hasn't addressed these issues at all," Gelinas said. "But the new ferries are good for him in that he'll be inaugurating them a few months before the election."

All that doesn't ruin the anticipation for longtime Astoria resident Claudia Coger.

After years of spending three, even four, hours a day commuting to work as a train inspector, with long walks to subways and buses, she vows to be among the first on the ferry, boarding at a dock just steps from her apartment.

"Yes, for sure, because I fish over here anyway!"
As Britain begins the process of leaving the European Union, it is trying to rekindle old trade links with Commonwealth countries. However, the push for new commerce has sparked a debate on the historical legacy of the British Empire, with accusations that ministers are trying to whitewash atrocities committed during colonial times.

British Chancellor Philip Hammond arrived in India for a three-day trip to, in his government's words, "Bang the drum for British business." The quest for new Commonwealth trade links has been dubbed "Empire 2.0."

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, on a trade mission in the Philippines, wrote on Twitter recently that Britain "Is one of the few European countries that does not need to bury its 20th-century past."

Indian lawmaker and former U.N. Under-Secretary-General Shashi Tharoor, author of the book Inglorious Empire, has a different assessment of Britain's colonial conduct: "Of which the highlights, but only the highlights, include the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in India which killed defenseless, unarmed women, children and men; the use of chemical weapons in Mesopotamia; the air-bombing of a number of innocent civilians in Basra; you have the horrendous partition of India; you have the cruelty with which the Mau Mau insurrection was put down in Kenya."

Despite that history, Tharoor says India is listening carefully to what Britain has to offer.

"The idea that Commonwealth countries represent a possible alternative area for preferential free trade agreements is welcome, provided of course, as in every negotiation, that there is give and take," he said.

But Britain must give more if it wants to benefit, Tharoor added.

India is critical of tightening visa restrictions on its citizens wanting to work in Britain.

Many people working in the $5.6 billion restaurant industry backed Brexit, hoping it would open the door to more migration from Commonwealth countries.

Enam Ali, a chef in an award-winning restaurant just outside London, says he feels betrayed, and warns the industry is in trouble.

"We feel it would be fair policy and we can bring people from outside the EU  from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan  where people can come and look after our business because the industry needs chefs desperately," Ali said. "So this is something now that is happening opposite, because the people we are currently working on, helping hand from the European worker, Romanian and Polish, they are now going to leave. So, what we end up with is nobody to work for us."

Cutting migration was a central pledge of Britain's campaign to leave the European Union, but countries like India want visa restrictions relaxed as part of any trade deal.

Indian lawmakers say they are open to rekindling old trade links, but in the 21st century, Britain will no longer dictate terms.
Cameroon's government plans to restore 12 million hectares (30 million acres) of deforested land to redress the challenges of dwindling forests and help mitigate the effects of climate change. Local councils, nongovernmental organizations and businesses are backing the plan, which will be accompanied by efforts to conserve indigenous forest.

Launching the scheme in February, Hele Pierre, Cameroon's minister of environment and nature protection, said it was the biggest such project yet undertaken in the species-rich Congo Basin, home to the world's second-largest tropical rainforest.

"By restoring our unproductive landscapes, we will help local communities develop sustainably, increase their resilience to climate change and contribute to climate change mitigation," Pierre said.

But environmental experts say that while forest restoration is welcome, there is an even more critical need to protect existing forests, which provide the greatest benefits in terms of limiting climate change and protecting biodiversity.

Disappearing forests

Cameroon's forests are the second largest in Africa, at more than 23 million hectares. The government says they have a major role to play in the country's economic development, as well as the fight against climate change and in meeting global forest conservation targets.

But in recent years, Cameron has seen a surge in deforestation and forest degradation. A report by Global Forest Watch shows forest loss in Cameroon of 777,000 hectares between 2001 and 2015, with half of this occurring since 2012.

Experts say the losses not only hurt ecosystems and drive climate change, but hit the country's economy as well.

"The economic and environmental impact of forest loss is really immeasurable, necessitating urgent measures to redress the problem," said Paul Donfack, a consultant with the African Forest Forum.

The government says it is tackling the deforestation problem on two fronts, by reinforcing forest management to protect existing forests and moving to restore those lost.

"We think both actions on protecting existing forest and restoring new ones will help significantly reduce the forest loss gap," Pierre said.

Cash to local level

The restoration program, which is scheduled to run until 2030, is part of the Bonn Challenge initiative on forest restoration launched by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2011, the minister said.

The project is kicking off with the participation of 183 bodies nationwide, including 74 local councils, 36 nongovernmental organizations, and business bodies.

The government says local councils will receive FCFA 500 million ($820,000) annually to plant new forest in their areas, while some chiefdoms (village administrative areas) in vulnerable regions will receive FCFA 70 million ($115,000) annually in government support.

Participants in the forest restoration initiative say having nongovernmental groups working on the project will be "critical" to helping it succeed.

Such groups need to "accompany and push government to aggressive actions that will secure the country's rich forest resources," said Zachee Nzoh Ngandembou, CEO of the Center for Environment and Rural Transformation, a Cameroonian NGO that is backing the forest restoration program.

Both government and environment experts agree it is unusual for them to be collaborating on sustainable forest management.

"By working together, we hope to make much greater impact in one of the biggest forest operations ever realized in the Congo Basin region," Pierre said.

Ngandembou said that forest conservation on Mt. Cameroon is critical in the provision of drinking water to both Cameroon and neighboring countries.

"Many economic and social services, like supply of water for drinking and dam construction for hydro-electricity, depend on forest. If you don't have the forests, you can't have these services," he said.

"It makes real economic sense for both the government and the private sector to invest in reasonable forest projects and encourage greater government regulation and control of forest resources to reap the maximum benefits," he added.

Saving forests first

Julius Chuezi Tieguhong, a forest researcher in Cameroon, said indigenous forests have the potential to store more carbon, harbor greater biodiversity and regulate climate better than reforested areas.

He advised that while embracing both approaches, Cameroon's government and its partners should not lose sight of the economic and environmental advantages of conserving existing forest over reforestation.

"It is important ... to understand the right balance for any sustainable forest program," Tieguhong said.

Cameroon officials say they have made efforts to crack down on forest loss in recent years, though with limited success.

"We have multiplied and reinforced forest governance with heavy sanctions against defaulters in recent months and will continue to do so," said Philip Ngole Ngwese, the minister of forestry and wildlife.
It will take 40 to 50 years to clear the mines, improvised explosive devices and other unexploded ordnance from Iraq and Syria, the United Nations said Tuesday.

"We are looking at decades of work for these countries to look like post-World War II Europe where we still find some unexploded ordnance here and there," Agnes Marcaillou, director of the United Nations Mine Action Service, told a news conference marking International Mine Awareness Day.

She said her office, which also deals with IEDs and unexploded ordnance, is looking at a "ballpark figure" of between $170 million to $180 million a year to clean up the areas retaken from the Islamic State extremist group in Iraq.

Marcaillou said that figure includes $50 million annually needed just to rid weaponry from Mosul.

Iraqi forces and a U.S.-led international coalition have been engaged in a months-long operation to retake Mosul, the country's second-largest city, from the Islamic State extremist group. In January, Iraqi authorities declared eastern Mosul "fully liberated." Fighting is now underway to recapture the city's western side.

Marcaillou said making Iraq and Syria safe will require a complex, sophisticated effort of "huge magnitude," but she said it can be done.

"The more funding there is available the more teams we will be able to hire, the more training we will be able to dispense to Iraqi forces and others," she said. "The end game is to empower the government of Iraq to take care of its own problem like the French and the Germans" and the British did after World War II.

Macaillou urged the international community to step up funding if it wants refugees and internally displaced Iraqis and Syrians to return and live in safely.

As for assisting victims hurt by mines, IEDs and unexploded ordnance, Macaillou said the U.N. is "very involved in looking at 3D printing of prosthetic limbs."

She said using 3D printing could lower the cost of artificial limbs from about $18,000-$20,000 to $3,000-$5,000.
Political and humanitarian leaders gathered Tuesday on Capitol Hill to call for action to prevent a looming humanitarian disaster in parts of Africa.

The event was hosted by Rep. Karen Bass, D-Ca., who said the United States needs to get off the sidelines and lead an international effort to help the estimated 20 million people in Africa and Yemen who are threatened with food insecurity.

This is what I perceive as the beginning of a campaign, Bass told VOA Somali Service. This is not just an event where were educated and we go off and do other things.

Bass and others have spoken out against President Donald Trumps proposal to cut U.S. funding to the United Nations at the same time the organization is playing a lead role in addressing what may be the worst food crisis in 70 years.

Bass has proposed a bill that would increase emergency funding by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) by $100 million to deal with food shortages and famine in South Sudan.

I do believe this is a very bipartisan issue so I completely expect my Republican colleagues to support a relief effort as well, Bass said.





U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley was asked about Trumps proposal to cut U.N. funding on CBS Face the Nation on Sunday and insisted the United States does not plan to walk away from its historic role as a leader in aid.

The United States has always been the moral conscience of the world, Haley said. We are going to continue to express our values and continue to make sure we show that, not just in our words, but in our actions.

But Haley also said that the new administration plans to be more careful with funds and exercise more oversight in where its money goes and how it is spent.



We want to make sure that, when food goes to an area, its actually going to the people that need it, Haley said. We want to make sure that there is no corruption on the ground. We want to make sure that governments are allowing that to go in.

Participants at the Tuesday event agreed that a large part of the crisis affecting Africa today is man-made.

John Prendergast, a humanitarian activist and founding director of the Enough Project, said both sides of the conflict in South Sudan have used tactics designed at harming the food supply of their opponents. Worse still, once the crisis became apparent, they denied aid workers the right to operate, he said.

That combination of specific kinds of military attacks against civilians and then blocking and obstructing humanitarian organizations who were going in to address the humanitarian needs of those people, that is why we have a famine in South Sudan, Prendergast told VOA.

The United Nations now estimates that 40 percent of South Sudans population, 4.9 million people, need food, agricultural or nutritional assistance.

The crisis has impacted people across the continent. In northeast Nigeria, an estimated 800,000 people need immediate food aid, according to the World Food Program.

Kip Ward, the former commander of U.S. Africa Command and current president of SENTEL Corporation, said this is also the result of tactics used by the terror group Boko Haram to sow chaos in society and cut off the populations access to food.

It has gone on because of what Boko Haram has done to disrupt the society, he said. That famine has been exacerbated as people arent able to farm their land. Theyre unable to raise their livestock and unable to have access to markets. That has created the condition of famine and food insecurity in northeast Nigeria.

Ward said the Nigerian government needs assistance to address this crisis.

The Nigerian government is doing a good job but it does need [the] support of the international community to assist them with the resources, food stuffs, but also the infrastructure requirements so that they can have access to some of these very remote locations, he said.
Just two weeks into his new post as deputy attorney general of the United States, a little-known career prosecutor suddenly finds himself at the center of a seething political storm.

Rod Rosenstein took the No. 2 spot at the Department of Justice in late April after serving as the U.S. attorney for the state of Maryland for nearly 12 years.

Long respected for his integrity and impartiality, Rosenstein was overseeing the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself.

But on Wednesday, the 52-year-old Rosenstein found himself at the receiving end of some of the harshest criticism of his career after President Donald Trump abruptly fired FBI Director James Comey, citing a memo in which Rosenstein blistered Comey's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

While Rosenstein stopped short of calling for Comey's dismissal, Trump used the memo to justify firing the head of an agency investigating his presidential campaign's ties to Russia. That action led to calls on Rosenstein to recuse himself from the investigation.

During his Senate confirmation hearing in March, Rosenstein said he'd appoint a special prosecutor "whenever I determine it is appropriate."

Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who had supported Rosenstein's nomination, said the time has arrived.

"If there was ever a time when circumstances warranted a special prosecutor, it is right now," Schumer said on the Senate floor.

Senate vote

In the Justice Department, the attorney general effectively serves as "chairman" and the deputy attorney general as "chief operating officer" of a department with more than 100,000 personnel, said George Terwilliger, a deputy attorney general under former President George H.W. Bush.

To be successful, Terwilliger said, a deputy attorney general must not only have extensive experience in criminal justice but also an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the Justice Department.

"Mr. Rosenstein has all of that requisite experience," Terwilliger said in an interview before Rosenstein's confirmation.

Rosenstein's career spans a 14-year stint in senior positions at the Justice Department and nearly 12 years as the top federal prosecutor for the state of Maryland.

Former colleagues and others who have worked with Rosenstein over the years describe him as calm and cool-headed, with a reputation for fairness and a commitment to public service.

"He's an extremely able, fair and just federal prosecutor," said Steve Silverman, a Baltimore-based defense attorney whose office has defended cases brought by Rosenstein's office.

Rosenstein is a registered Republican, but he has made no campaign donations to any political candidates, according to election records.

And for an administration known for staffing senior positions with business and financial elites, Rosenstein is an outlier in his modest wealth. In a public disclosure form filed with the Office of Government Ethics, Rosenstein listed assets valued between $84,000 and $385,000.

Career

In 1991, two years out of Harvard Law School, Rosenstein joined the Justice Department as a trial attorney in the public integrity section, the unit in charge of prosecuting public corruption cases.

Former Deputy Attorney General James Cole, who supervised Rosenstein at the time, recalled him as "a very talented and gifted attorney."

"Even at an early age, he exhibited the sound judgment and careful thought that was necessary to handle the very sensitive public corruption cases that were prosecuted by the section," Cole wrote to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Rosenstein rose through the Justice Department's ranks to become counsel to the deputy attorney general and, eventually, principal deputy assistant attorney general in the Tax Division.

In 1995, independent counsel Kenneth Starr tapped him as an associate counsel for his investigation of former President Bill Clinton's Whitewater financial dealings. The investigation shut down in 1997 without any criminal charges.

In 2005, former President George W. Bush nominated Rosenstein to serve as the U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, one of 94 districts in the federal court system.

U.S. attorneys, who are presidential appointees, typically leave with a change in administration, but Rosenstein has held the position under three presidents, becoming the longest-serving U.S. attorney.

Cross section of support

Rosenstein's nomination has drawn the support of a cross section of current and former officials in Maryland.

Robert Ehrlich, who served as governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007, wrote that Rosenstein "inherited a difficult situation" in 1995 when Baltimore, the state's largest city, faced a crime epidemic. Under his watch, however, homicides and other violent crimes declined before a surge in 2015.

Rosenstein's critics, though, have charged him with being soft on law enforcement.

In a questionnaire provided by the Senate Intelligence Committee, Rosenstein listed the investigation and prosecution of James Cartwright, former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for leaking classified information to journalists as one of the 10 most significant cases he personally litigated.

Cartwright pleaded guilty after a four-year investigation, but President Barack Obama pardoned him before leaving office.

As a presidential appointee, Rosenstein will be carrying out Trump's law enforcement agenda, Terwilliger said.

That may mean focusing on Attorney General Sessions' goals of combating violent crime and illegal immigration.
By Press Trust of India: Los Angeles, Apr 5 (PTI) Scientists have developed contact lenses embedded with transparent biosensors that could help monitor blood glucose levels and telltale signs of a host of other disease without invasive tests.

Bio-sensing lenses are based on technology that led to the development of smartphones with more vivid displays.

Researchers from Oregon State University in the US first developed an inexpensive method to make indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) electronics.

advertisement

They then used the approach to fabricate a biosensor containing a transparent sheet of IGZO field-effect transistors and glucose oxidase, an enzyme that breaks down glucose.

When they added glucose to the mixture, the enzyme oxidised the blood sugar. As a result, the pH level in the mixture shifted and in turn, triggered changes in the electrical current flowing through the IGZO transistor.

Researchers then created nanostructures within the IGZO biosensor that were able to detect glucose concentrations much lower than found in tears.

In theory, more than 2,500 biosensors - each measuring a different bodily function - could be embedded in a one millimetre square patch of an IGZO contact lens, said Gregory S Herman of Oregon State University.

Once they are fully developed, the biosensors could transmit vital health information to smartphones and other Wi-Fi or Bluetooth-enabled devices, he said.

"These biosensors probably wont put blood labs out of business, but I think that we can do a lot of diagnostics using information that can be extracted from tear drops in the eye," Herman said. PTI APA MHN SAR MHN

--- ENDS ---
A gap is widening between the Trump administration and European allies over the future of President Bashar al-Assad and how to end the six-year war in Syria.

While U.S. officials have shifted the focus away from Assad having to relinquish power, European leaders remain adamant he has no future as ruler of Syria. His departure, they say, remains a crucial part of any solution to a conflict that has left an estimated 470,000 dead.

Following Tuesdays toxic gas attack on a town in northern Syria, the worst chemical weapons attack in the war since mid-2013, European leaders are intensifying their rhetoric. On Tuesday, Britains Theresa May called on all the third parties involved to ensure that we have a transition away from Assad.



Photo Gallery: Aftermath of gas attack on Khan Sheikhoun

Photo Gallery: A Day After Deadly Gas Attack in Kahn Sheikhoun, Syria The gas attack at Kahn Sheikhoun, described by the opposition Syrian National Coalition as a "horrifying massacre," is widely believed to be the worst such violation of international law in war-ravaged Syria since 2013, when a U.N. probe found credible evidence that sarin gas killed hundreds of civilians near Damascus. Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter



Email to a Friend



European politicians gathered for an international conference hosted by the European Union in Brussels on Syria drew a link between what seems to be the use of a more deadly nerve agent than seen in previous claimed chemical weapons attacks, and the Trump administrations shift on Syria.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Assads future was up to the Syrian people to decide, while the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said removing him was no longer a Washington priority.

On Monday, just hours before the gas attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, Haley hardened her rhetoric, referring to the Syrian leader as a war criminal guilty of disgusting actions against his people. She said Syrians dont want Assad anymore.

In the wake of the chemical weapons attack, U.S. officials in Washington did not publicly indicate any likely shift in administration policy. The White House and U.S. State Department condemned the attack as heinous, dubbing it a likely war crime.

But officials placed the emphasis on the need for Russia and Iran, Assad backers, to do something. Tuesday, the White House press secretary didnt outline any punitive steps in response to an attack the administration says was carried out by the Assad regime.

Russian, Iranian influence

Tillerson demanded Tuesday that Moscow and Tehran exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee this sort of horrific attack never happens again. He added that Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths.

On Wednesday, Moscow reiterated its denial the Assad regime was responsible for the attack that has left close to 100 dead, according to local activists, and more than 400 injured. Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement it believed a rebel terrorist warehouse was hit by a conventional airstrike from Syria's military, causing the release of toxic substances.

The Defense Ministry claimed chemical weapons were being stored for use in neighboring Iraq. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konoshenkov said,On the territory of the depot there were workshops, which produced chemical warfare munitions.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said "all the evidence" he had seen in relation to the incident "suggests this was the Assad regime who did it in the full knowledge they were using illegal weapons in a barbaric attack on their own people."

Johnson added he did "not see how a government like that can continue to have any kind of legitimate administration over the people of Syria."

Focus on Assad

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said, There is one thing which cannot happen, that a dictator who committed horrible crimes in the region remains untouched.

The European Unions foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini also said she could see no way Assad can remain as Syrias ruler. It seems completely unrealistic to believe that the future of Syria will be exactly the same as it used to be in the past," she told reporters in Brussels.

But it is unclear what the Europeans can or would be willing to do without U.S. support, according to analysts.

They note that European influence on shaping international policy on the Syrian conflict is waning, despite the fact Europe is the largest provider of humanitarian aid in Syria. This weeks EU co-hosted international conference on humanitarian assistance to Syria has attracted minimal participation from the United States, Russia and Turkey.

Instead of sending its foreign minister, Russia is only represented at the gathering by its EU ambassador, Vladimir Chizhov. Washington has sent the State Departments under-secretary for political affairs, Thomas Shannon. That contrasts with last year when then Secretary of State John Kerry attended.

Damascus calculation

Analyst Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute in Washington, says he believes Damascus has taken note of the Trump administrations policy shift when it comes to Assads future and that may have shaped the decision behind launching Tuesdays attack.

Assad also knows full well that the U.S. is increasingly distancing itself from any consideration of intervention in Syria, so what has Assad got to lose? he argued. If all he suffers is a few days of international condemnation, then he comes out of things just as secure as he was beforehand."
Germany has threatened to slap social media companies with huge fines if they do not act quickly enough to remove hate speech from their websites.

Chancellor Angela Merkels cabinet on Wednesday approved a measure that would fine websites like Facebook and Twitter up to $55 million if they do not do enough to censor comments that violate German speech law.

"Hate crimes that are not effectively combatted and prosecuted pose a great danger to the peaceful cohesion of a free, open and democratic society," said Merkel's government in a statement.

Germany outright bans any speech that overtly promotes racism or insults a certain segment of the population. It also, due to its Nazi past, bans public Holocaust denial.

The draft legislation would require social media companies to remove any illegal speech within 24 hours of it being flagged by users. Other offensive content would need to be removed within seven days of being reported and reviewed.

The German Federation of Journalists blasted the move and said the legislation would make it difficult to reconcile freedom of the press and opinion.

German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said the companies are responsible for policing and removing hateful content from their sites and that there is no room for criminal incitement on social media.

The internet affects the culture of debate and the atmosphere in our society. Verbal radicalization is often a preliminary stage to physical violence, he added.

The massive flow of refugees into Germany over the past two years has fueled a rise in negative online comments, alarming German authorities. In 2015, the social media companies agreed to step up policing of online hate speech, though Maas said they have not done enough.

Mass cited research that claims Twitter removes just one percent of the illegal content flagged by users within 24 hours, while Facebook removes 39 percent. Facebook rejected Masss data, citing its own data that shows it removes about 65 percent of illegal content within a day.

German lawmaker Renate Kuenast called the fines an invitation to not just erase real insults, but to wipe out almost everything for the sake of playing it safe.

The bill still needs to be approved by parliament.
Britain, France and the United States strongly condemned Russia Wednesday during an emergency U.N. Security Council for its support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his governments role in a suspected chemical weapons attack.

The attack in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun, in Idlib province, killed scores of people, including children, and sparked global moral outrage.

The World Health Organization said Wednesday the victims appear to show symptoms consistent with exposure to a nerve agent. An umbrella organization of Western relief groups put the death toll at 100, with more than 350 others stricken.

At a White House news conference Wednesday with visiting Jordanian King Abdullah, President Donald Trump described the attack as an "affront to humanity that cannot be tolerated." Asked whether he would consider a military response, the president was deliberately vague, Im not saying Im doing anything one way or another.

King Abdullah said, this is another testament to the failure of international diplomacy to find solutions to this crisis.

Security Council meeting



In New York, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told council members, If nothing is done these attacks will continue. Assad has no incentive to stop using chemical weapons as long as Russia protects his regime from consequences.

She appeared to warn that if council members do not step up, the United States could act on its own.

When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action, Haley warned. For the sake of the victims, I hope the rest of the council is willing to do the same.

The fate of a draft U.N. resolution condemning the attack written by the United States, Britain and France remains in limbo, as Russias envoy said at the emergency session he did think the time was right for such action.

Russia has "categorically denied" any role in the attack, blaming the incident on Syrian warplanes striking a warehouse or factory storing chemical weapons possessed by rebel forces. Syria's government repeatedly has denied using chemical weapons against civilians throughout the six-year war.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis said he deplored "the unacceptable massacre."

Expert analysis

A U.S. intelligence official said the strike in northern Idlib province "has the fingerprints of a regime attack." The official said if the Assad governments responsibility is confirmed, the number of dead and wounded "would make it the biggest incident like this since the Syrian regimes August 2013 Sarin attack on the Damascus suburbs.

When asked about the validity of Russia's assertion that Syrian warplanes struck a facility housing chemical weapons possessed by rebel forces, American expert Craig Williams told VOA, Anything is possible, though it strikes me as a bit far-fetched.

Photo gallery: A Day After Deadly Gas Attack on Kahn Sheikhoun, Syria

Photo Gallery: A Day After Deadly Gas Attack in Kahn Sheikhoun, Syria The gas attack at Kahn Sheikhoun, described by the opposition Syrian National Coalition as a "horrifying massacre," is widely believed to be the worst such violation of international law in war-ravaged Syria since 2013, when a U.N. probe found credible evidence that sarin gas killed hundreds of civilians near Damascus. Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter



Email to a Friend





Williams, an informal adviser to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, a United Nations agency, says it is possible that Sarin gas stored in a building and hit by an airstrike using conventional weapons could be released.

That could be one scenario, but it is not the most likely, he said. If Sarin was stored there and hit by a missile, it would most likely be consumed in the subsequent fireball, but if any Sarin molecules escaped and werent consumed in the explosion, then they would disperse. There are too many variables to take into account and I have no way of knowing from afar, he added.

I think the most likely cause is that an agent was dropped by regime warplanes, he said.

In a statement Wednesday, Doctors Without Borders, a French humanitarian organization, said the symptoms being displayed by those caught up in the attack are consistent with exposure to chemical substances.

'Horrifying massacre'

The U.S. led coalition fighting the Assad forces urged U.N. officials to "open an immediate investigation" and take the necessary measures to ensure the officials, perpetrators and supporters are held accountable.

The reported attack on Khan Sheikhoun to the west of Aleppo and south of the city of Idlib, the provincial capital, is the third claimed chemical weapons attack in just over a week in Syria. Another two attacks blamed on the Syrian government were reported in Hama province, not far from Khan Sheikhoun.

Earlier this year, the New York-based Human Rights Watch accused the Syrian government of mounting eight chlorine gas attacks on insurgent-controlled areas during the final weeks of the battle for Aleppo. A joint investigation by the United Nations and international chemical weapons experts blamed the Syrian government for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015.

Idlib province is one of the last strongholds of anti-Assad rebels and U.N. analysts estimate there are nearly one million displaced Syrians in the province, many from Aleppo.

VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin, White House Correspondent Peter Heinlein and VOA's Jamie Dettmer contributed to this report.
Turkish gold imports rose 17-fold to 28.2 tons in March, as Turks looking to hedge currency risk ahead of a referendum in two weeks time followed President Tayyip Erdogan's calls to buy gold instead of dollars.

After the sharpest falls in the Turkish lira since the 2008 financial crisis last November, Erdogan called on Turks to sell dollars and buy lira or gold to prop up the local currency. Gold imports have been rising year-on-year ever since.

"People have started opting for gold rather than foreign currencies," said Mehmet Ali Yildirimturk, a gold specialist in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, adding that a moderate recovery in the lira had also made gold more affordable again.

Gold imports to Turkey rose almost eightfold to 36.7 tons in December after Erdogan's calls, their highest monthly level in just over two years, according to data from the Precious Mines and Metals Markets of the Istanbul bourse.

Prices in Turkey surged from 132 lira ($36) for 24-carat gold in January to 153 lira in February. On Tuesday, gold prices were around 148 liras.

Gold is seen as a safe place to park assets during times of uncertainty. Turkey holds a referendum on April 16 on constitutional changes which would significantly boost Erdogan's powers, with polls suggesting a tight race.

($1 = 3.6664 liras)
India has rejected a more proactive role for the U.S. between India and Pakistan, the rivals whose long running dispute over Kashmir has often raised international concern and fears of a conflict between the nuclear armed neighbors.

New Delhi's sharp response came after U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said earlier this week that the U.S. would try to "find its place" in efforts to defuse tensions between the South Asian rivals.

Expressing concern over the relationship between the two countries, Haley asserted the Trump administration wants to see how we de-escalate any sort of conflict going forward.

She said at a press conference in New York that, We very much think that we should be proactive in the way that we are seeing tensions rise and conflicts start to bubble up and so we want to see if we can be a part of that.

In a swift reaction, Indias Foreign Ministry said in a statement, "the government position for bilateral redressal of all India- Pakistan issues in an atmosphere free of terror and violence has not changed.

Underlining its major concern, New Delhi called on the international community to enforce international mechanisms regarding terrorism emanating from Pakistan, which continues to be the single biggest threat to peace and stability in our region and beyond.

Although there have been some attempts previously on the part of Washington to play a role in resolving the Kashmir dispute, India has consistently opposed mediation in its dispute with Pakistan  a position that was accepted by the previous U.S. administration of Barack Obama.

Pakistan, on the other hand, has often said it is ready to take the help of Washington and the United Nations to settle the Kashmir dispute and has repeatedly raised the issue at various international forums.

Indian analysts say although New Delhi is optimistic that a growing strategic partnership with Washington will deepen under the Trump administration, there is worry about how the new U.S. government will weigh in on the tense relationship between the estranged South Asian neighbors.

Indias nightmare scenario with regard to the U.S. is that the U.S. will become active and try to resolve the Kashmir issue, said Manoj Joshi at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.

He said India is especially wary because, We [the U.S.] have an administration which is very inexperienced, you have an inexperienced president, so anything can happen.

Although India insists on a bilateral dialogue, peace talks between the two countries have been stalled for some time. Both countries blame each other for the lack of progress.

Tensions between the rivals spiked last September following an attack by armed militants on an army base in Indian Kashmir. Following that, India said it conducted surgical strikes inside Pakistani territory to take out Pakistan-based militants. Islamabad denied that such an operation took place, but the Kashmir border remained volatile for months, raising fears of a conflict.

The two countries have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region, which is divided between them but claimed by both.
Islamic States brazen overnight attack on Tikrit, killing at least 31 security personnel and civilians, is part of a series of diversionary attacks designed to mask its mounting losses in Mosul and portray that it has strength elsewhere in Iraq, analysts say.

IS might carry these attacks everywhere in Iraq, said Michael Knights of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a research institution.

Eighteen Iraqi police officers were among the dead in a series of coordinated strikes claimed by Islamic State (IS) late Tuesday and into Wednesday.

Disguised as police

Authorities say the attackers disguised themselves in police uniforms and drove police cars to gain access to the city  once a Baathist stronghold of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

The militants stormed the residence of the citys police colonel, killing him and several members of his family, according to reports.

Two of the suicide bombers killed themselves, exploding the munitions in their vests after they ran out of firepower, according to officials. Five attackers were killed in clashes with Iraqi security forces.

"Attacking police is IS '101,'" analyst Knights said, referring to a term used to describe introductory learning. They [authorities] are the face of the government, they collect intelligence from the locals, and they are a soft target."

Mosul offensive

Tikrit is 220 kilometers south of Mosul, where the U.S.-led coalition has been pounding IS forces and driving them from the city and its environs.

U.S. officials have said that while IS remains dangerous, its fighting force in Iraq and Syria has been whittled down to about 12,000 to 15,000 fighters, while the amount of territory the group controls has shrunk by about 65 percent.

U.S. and Iraqi officials have been concerned that as IS gets routed from its northern Iraq stronghold it will regroup in smaller numbers and conduct terror attacks elsewhere in the country.

"IS will not be eradicated from Iraq by a military operation," Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said recently in an interview with VOA. "It may well lose cities like Mosul and [Syria's] Raqqa, but it will remain as an ideology and organization."

IS took control of Tikrit in 2014 after fierce battles with Iraqi forces that later regained command of the city in 2015. While analysts say it is doubtful IS can regain control of Tikrit, militants likely will continue to try to undermine authority with surprise attacks from small rural bases.

"Tikrit is vulnerable, as many areas that surround it have training camps that belong to IS," Omar Al Nadawi, an Iraqi affair analyst, told VOA. "IS will focus on weak areas and cities in order to take the attention away from Mosul."

IS still viable in areas

As coalition backed forces focus on Mosul, comprehensive rooting of IS has yet to begin. There are areas in Iraq and Syria, along both the border and in the Euphrates River Valley, where IS still has considerable freedom of movement and influence.

"There is a lot of fighting left to go," the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, U.S. Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, said after a visit to Iraq this week.

Michael Pregent, a former intelligence officer now with the Hudson Institute in Washington, said is adopting an al-Qaida model "where they don't plant flags, they don't say they own this neighborhood, they don't say they own this town. But they're able to conduct terrorist operations out of them - car bombs, assassinations, start recruiting, start intimidating the reconciliation process."

Referring to Tikrit, he said: "When they can use police cars and uniforms and stage an attack in the heart of the first city taken from them means that the Iraqi forces should look over their shoulders to see what they did. It shows that the security breach is still a big thing and very vulnerable.

"If Mosul falls, it is a great win, but the story with IS is not over," Pregent said. "IS is not going to be eradicated by the loss of their territory. It will find hideouts as long as the Sunni population feels oppressed and does not share the power cake of the country."
Switzerland and Italy are in a diplomatic dispute over Switzerland's decision to close three secondary border crossings at night in a bid to fight crime.

Italy's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned the Swiss ambassador for urgent talks, emphasizing that the closings violate Europe's norms on free circulation.

In an email, the press office of the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs said Ambassador Giancarlo Kessler "took note" of the message from Italian authorities and pledged to keep them informed on the results from what it characterized as an experiment.

Italian mayors in the affected region had protested the closures as penalizing Italians who legitimately cross the border for work or other reasons.

The crossings from the Italian provinces of Como and Varese have an average nightly traffic of 90 vehicles during the week and 110 vehicles on weekends, 20 percent of which are Swiss vehicles, according to Swiss authorities.

Switzerland started closing the three border crossings at night on April 1 as part of a six-month pilot program. The move, approved by the Swiss parliament, follows a brief surge of migration into the Italian-speaking Swiss region of Ticino last summer from Italy, which has seen the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants rescued at sea.

The populist Swiss People's Party, which has the most seats in parliament, has led the push to restrict access both to citizens of European Union countries who want to work in Switzerland and to migrants who have arrived in Europe from Africa and the Middle East.

Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, but adheres to the "Schengen zone" rules that allow for unimpeded cross-border travel and trade on the continent.

Kessler said Switzerland "had informed the Italian authorities on several occasions" about the project, including during a meeting of their two countries' foreign ministers last month, according to the foreign affairs department.
Controversial New Zealand-based internet mogul Kim Dotcom plans to launch a Bitcoin payments system for users to sell files and video streaming as he fights extradition to the United States for criminal copyright charges.

The German-born entrepreneur, who is wanted by U.S. law enforcement on copyright and money laundering allegations related to his now-defunct streaming site Megaupload, announced his new venture called 'Bitcontent' in a video posted on Youtube this week.

"You can create a payment for any content that you put on the internet...you can share that with your customers, with the interest community and, boom, you are basically in business and can sell your content," Dotcom said in the video.

He added that Bitcontent would eventually allow businesses, such as news organizations, to earn money from their entire websites. He did not provide a launch date.

Dotcom did not provide details on how Bitcontent would differ from existing Bitcoin operations or how it would help news organizations make money beyond existing subscription payment options.

Bitcoin is a virtual currency that can be used to move money around the world quickly and with relative anonymity, without the need for a central authority, such as a bank or government.

The currency's anonymity has however made it popular with drug dealers, money launderers and organized crime groups, meaning governments and the financial establishment have been slow to embrace it since the first trade in 2009. The currency's value hit record levels in 2017, trading at $1,145 on Wednesday, a fivefold increase in a year, amid growing interest globally.

A New Zealand court ruled in February that Dotcom could be extradited to the United States to face charges relating to his Megaupload website, which was shutdown in 2012 following an FBI-ordered raid on his Auckland mansion, a decision he was appealing.

Dotcom, who has New Zealand residency, became well known for his lavish lifestyle as much as his computer skills.

He used to post photographs of himself with cars having vanity plates such as "GOD" and "GUILTY", shooting an assault rifle and flying around the world in his private jet.
Activists claiming an imbalance in economic and social equality prayed, rallied and marched in Memphis on Tuesday, the 49th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Hundreds of supporters of the Black Lives Matter and Fight for $15 movements demanded higher wages and equal rights as they walked more than 1.6 kilometers (1 mile), from Memphis City Hall to the National Civil Rights Museum.

The museum is at the site of the former Lorraine Motel. King was standing on the motel's balcony when he was shot down by a sniper's bullet on April 4, 1968. He was in the midst of his "Poor People's Campaign" when he came to Memphis to support striking sanitation workers seeking better pay, safer working conditions and union rights.

Marchers

Led by a 220-piece band from Talladega College in Alabama, marchers chanted "This is what democracy looks like" and held signs saying "I Am A Man." Some wore T-shirts emblazoned with the words "Show Me $15. Real Change. No Pennies."

The Fight for $15 group wants a higher hourly minimum wage for low-pay workers, including fast food employees and home and child care workers. The Black Lives Matter movement developed after the deaths of unarmed black men during confrontations with white police officers and has waged protests throughout the country.

Marchers also came from Arkansas and Missouri to join their Tennessee colleagues. Police did not immediately have an estimate of the number of marchers who participated.

Renita Moore, a 54-year-old nursing assistant from St. Louis, said raising the minimum wage is important because her cost of living keeps going up.

"We've all come together as one," Moore said. "It's very important that we stick together, stand together and fight together."

King-related events

The march was one of many King-related events in Memphis.

Earlier Tuesday, more than 200 people gathered at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church to hear the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. William Barber talk about how King's fight for economic and racial equality and social justice is far from over. A vocalist belted out a religious hymn and another song, "The Impossible Dream," and attendees held hands in prayer.

Barber, known for his firebrand public speaking style, called for those seeking progress on social and economic issues affecting poor people to help register more blacks voters and engage in "civil disobedience."

The pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, North Carolina, was critical of President Donald Trump, including his effort to suspend new visas for people in six Muslim-majority countries. He called Trump a "narcissistic tweeter."

"We are not those who believe the terrible lies that the best way to better America is to attack public education and attack Muslims and attack immigrants and attack living wages," said Barber, progressively raising his voice. "How in the world can America attack refugees when we sing 'God bless America, shed his grace on us,' but we don't have grace for immigrants? That's contradictory to everything we say we believe."

Justice, love, mercy

Then, he added: "We are the crowd that believes in justice and love and mercy and goodness and hope, the common good, the general welfare. We believe `liberal' is a good word, and `conservative' is a good word."

Outside the church, Sharon Johnson, 60, said she came to the rally to honor King's memory.

"He came from the right place in his heart, believing that all people are equal, that everyone should be treated with respect, that people deserve equal pay for their work," said Johnson, a pharmacy technician. "He sacrificed his life to make that happen."

Rallies also were scheduled in Florida, California, Illinois, Massachusetts and Michigan. In Boston, dozens of people marched through the Boston Common to call for less racism and a higher minimum wage. Marchers held a moment of silence at 6:01 p.m. Central Time to mark when King was shot.
Mexico says its top diplomat will meet with U.S. officials this week in Washington to discuss bilateral relations, which have been tense under the administration of President Donald Trump.

A statement from the Foreign Relations Department says Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray will be in the U.S. capital Tuesday through Thursday. His planned meetings include U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.

Tuesday's statement said Videgaray will also meet with both Republican and Democratic senators, and attend a session of the Organization of American States.



Mexico has objected to Trump's pledges to step up deportations, build a border wall and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.
CRPF officer Chetan Cheeta who slipped into deep coma after taking nine bullets has made a miraculous recovery and left for his home from AIIMS today.

File photo of CRPF commandant Chetan Cheeta with his family. (Image via Twitter)

By India Today Web Desk: CRPF Commanding Officer Chetan Kumar Cheeta was discharged from Delhi's AIIMS Trauma Centre on Wednesday, after he fought off deep coma to regain consciousness and start talking.

Doctors told the Times of India that Cheeta's recovery was nothing short of a miracle. They are planning to send him home after his Glasgow Coma Score improved from M3 to M6.

advertisement

MoS Home Kiren Rijiju also met Chetan Cheeta at AIIMS on Wednesday. "The day I came here when he was brought from Srinagar it ws difficult to imagine he'll talk to me. (I am) proud," Rijiju told ANI.

He's doing very fine, its miraculous: MoS Home Kiren Rijiju after meeting Chetan Cheeta, who was injured during encounter in J&K's Bandipora pic.twitter.com/MnQRJpjVLW- ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

Here's all you need to know about Commandant Cheeta's injury and subsequent recovery:

#1 After he was injured, Chetan Cheeta was first flown to 92 Base hospital in Srinagar. Seeing the extent of the injuries and his comatose state, however, Cheeta was airlifted to AIIMS Trauma Centre. When he was brought in, Cheeta had several bullet injuries to his head, fractures in the upper limb, and "maxillofacial" injury. The officer had also lost his right eye during the encounter.

Within 24 hours, Doctors at AIIMS removed a portion of Cheeta's skull to reduce intra-cranial pressure. He was also put on heavy antibiotics to reduce infection and his wounds were repeated cleaned.

#2 After a month, Chetan Cheeta's condition finally began to improve. He was then taken off the ventilator and shifted to a normal ward from the ICU.

Once he regained stability, different teams worked on Cheeta's various injuries. While the fracture in his limbs and the wound in his left eye was fixed, doctors couldn't save his right eye.

#3 Cheeta's wife Uma Singh, believes it wasn't just the doctors at AIIMS who were responsible for his 'miraculous' recovery and its pace. "He is a very determined person and a fitness freak. I always knew he would recover," she told ToI.

CRPF officer Chetan Cheeta who was injured during encounter in Bandipora(J&K) to be discharged today from AIIMS, Delhi. pic.twitter.com/BPL15xbTj9- ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

#4 What happened in February: Commandant Cheeta received information from Jammu and Kashmir police of two terrorists hiding in the Hajin village of Bandipora district. To tackle these, a joint operation by Jammu and Kashmir police, CRPF and Army was carried out.

According to a report in The Week, Cheeta killed top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Abu Musaib. He even fired 16 rounds despite sustaining injuries.

advertisement

Based on a medical bulletin released on Tuesday, Cheeta -- father to two young kids -- could be discharged from the hospital today.

#ChetanCheeta's condition stable & improving, may be discharged tomorrow: Medical Bulletin pic.twitter.com/qONJCpUgs0- Doordarshan News (@DDNewsLive) April 4, 2017

--- ENDS ---
A court paved the way Wednesday for Poland's government to take control of a new World War Two museum that has been the focus of a major ideological standoff over how to remember the war.

The conflict has pitted the creators of the Museum of the Second World War -- who place Poland's war experiences in an international context and emphasize the fate of civilian populations -- against the nationalistic ruling party, which prefers to focus on Polish suffering and military heroism.

Culture Minister Piotr Glinski sought to take control of the museum last year by merging it with an as-yet-unbuilt museum, the Museum of Westerplatte and the War of 1939.

Critics of the government described the maneuver as a legal trick aimed at pushing out the managers of the original museum.

The attempt was held up for months in the courts, giving director Pawel Machcewicz time to open the World War Two museum to the public in March after more than eight years of development. It is located in Gdansk, where Germany fired some of the war's opening shots against Poland.

Merger can proceed

A decision Wednesday by the Supreme Administrative Court now paves the way for the Culture Ministry to take control of the Museum of the Second World War. The court overruled a lower court's decision to suspend the merger, which now can proceed.

The ministry said in a statement that the merger of the two institutions would take place "immediately" and will mean "a significant increase of their potential."

The ministry argues that it is not economically justifiable to operate two state museums on a similar subject in the same city.

Opponents of the ruling Law and Justice party see the step as part of the party's broader agenda to take control of state institutions and to reshape the nation to conform to its nationalistic worldview.

The museum project was launched in 2008 by then-Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who is now one of the European Union's top leaders.

Tusk is a longtime rival of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the ruling party's leader, and many political observers think Kaczynski's opposition to the museum is at least partly rooted in that rivalry.

Kaczynski has for years also criticized the museum's concept and said he preferred a museum that would focus exclusively on Polish suffering and military heroism.

Poland was occupied during the war by both Germany and the Soviet Union and subjected to unthinkable horrors by the regimes of Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin. Nearly 6 million Polish citizens were killed.

Many Poles feel that the world has never truly understood the magnitude of their country's devastation, a belief that has bolstered the views of some museum critics who argue Poland's tragedy must be told as its own story.

Wartime suffering

Director Machcewicz argues that Poland's wartime suffering, which features heavily in the museum, is much more meaningful, especially to foreign visitors, when placed alongside information about the suffering also inflicted across Europe and beyond.

Machcewicz is expected to lose his position now that the government has been cleared to take control of the Museum of the Second World War.

He expressed satisfaction that he was at least able to open the facility, allowing thousands of visitors to see it before the exhibition is potentially changed. But he also appealed to the government not to change the exhibition.

"I will keep fighting for the integrity of the exhibition even after I am fired," he said.
A bill to slap new sanctions on Iran has been delayed in the U.S. Senate because of concerns about Iran's May presidential election, in which conservative hard-liners hope to defeat moderate President Hassan Rouhani, U.S. lawmakers said Tuesday.

A group of Democratic and Republican senators introduced the bill in March seeking to impose tighter U.S. sanctions on Iran over ballistic missile launches and other non-nuclear activities, echoing a harder line on Tehran espoused by Republican President Donald Trump.

But on Tuesday, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Corker of Tennessee, said the bill would not move forward for now.

"We've got an Iran sanctions bill that has a number of co-sponsors that wasn't able to mark up at present because of concerns about how the European Union might react and [Iranian] elections that are coming up," Corker said during a hearing on the EU as a U.S. partner in dealings with Russia.

A markup is when a committee meets to debate legislation and to consider amendments.

Corker was a co-sponsor of the new sanctions bill, as were several other Democratic and Republican members of the Foreign Relations Committee.

As he has campaigned, Rouhani has called for greater individual freedoms and highlighted as a signature achievement the 2015 diplomatic breakthrough reached with the United States and other world powers, in which Iran curbed its nuclear program in exchange for relief from international sanctions.

The lawmakers who wrote the bill said it had been written specifically not to interfere with the nuclear accord.

But Iran has suggested that it would consider past proposed sanctions bills violations of the international pact reached during the administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama, a Democrat.

Every Republican in Congress opposed the nuclear agreement. Trump criticized it while he campaigned for president in 2016, but his administration has so far said that it will seek to strictly enforce the pact rather than tear it up.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's largest oceanographic research vessel has returned to its home port after the longest deployment of any ship in the agency's history.



NOAA Ship Robert H. Brown spent almost 800 days at sea during the three-year deployment. NOAA says the ship traveled almost 130,000 miles conducting scientific research and servicing buoys that collect environmental data.



The agency says the ship's tasks included a rapid response mission to observe the 2015-16 El Nino. It also took more than 1,600 measurements in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, ranging from Iceland and Alaska to Antarctica.



The Robert H. Brown also surveyed more than 350,000 square miles of seafloor and conducted ecological assessments of fisheries off Alaska's Arctic coast.



The ship's homeport is Charleston, South Carolina.
North Korea conducted another ballistic missile test, just 48 hours before U.S. President Donald Trump is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

The projectile was fired into the East Sea early Wednesday and flew about 60 kilometers, South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said in a text message.

Any launch of objects using the ballistic missile technology is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, but the North has defied the ban as infringement of its sovereign rights to self-defense and pursuit of space exploration.

Launch follows Trump threat

Wednesday's launch came after Trump threatened that the U.S. is prepared to go it alone in bringing the North to heel if China does not step in.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued a terse statement from Washington in response to Pyongyang's latest test: The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment.

During his trip to South Korea last month, Tillerson rejected Washington's long-standing policy of strategic patience in dealing with the hermit regime. We are exploring a new range of diplomatic, security and economic measures, he said. All options are on the table.

North Korea responds to tough talk

North Korea's foreign ministry on Monday assailed Washington for its tough talk and for an ongoing joint military exercise with South Korea and Japan, which Pyongyang sees as a dress rehearsal for invasion.

The reckless actions are driving the tense situation on the Korean peninsula to the brink of a war, a ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the official KCNA news agency.

South Korean intelligence warned in late March that North Korea could detonate a nuclear device in the first week of April to overshadow the U.S.-China summit.

Meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, earlier in the month, Tillerson and 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.

Four missiles fired in March

Last 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.
The latest North Korean missile test Wednesday, launched near the countrys submarine base in Sinpo, could indicate the military is developing counter measures to defend against the threat of a U.S. preemptive strike and to nullify the advantage of the THAAD missile defense system being deployed in the South.

Both the U.S. and South Korean militaries detected an early morning launch of a single ballistic missile at a land-based facility on the east coast of the country.

A top White House official says the missile was a liquid-fueled scud that spun out of control and crashed into the ocean. Initial U.S. and South Korean assessments said the missile was a KN-15 medium range ballistic missile.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America.

The South Korean military Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired a ballistic missile into its eastern waters and that the projectile flew about 60 kilometers.

Anti-THAAD

The location of Wednesdays test is important because it demonstrates North Koreas expanding capacity to launch an attack from various undisclosed locations utilizing an estimated arsenal of 100 missile launchers, each armed with several missiles.

North Koreas last four missile tests were fired from different sites.

By demonstrating a capacity to launch a salvo of missiles from different sites, North Korea could neutralize the ability of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system.



Also, the Sinpo location, near the military submarine base and firing a KN-15 missile that had been used in past ocean-based launches, could indicate that the test was related to the development of a submarine launch based missile (SLBM) capability.

In August, North Korea successfully fired a SLBM that flew about 500 kilometers towards Japan. However Admiral Scott Swift, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, said recently that Pyongyang is still years away from developing a reliable SLBM threat.

Developing a SLBM capability, however, would give North Korean forces the ability to position missiles outside of the THAAD radar field of vision that is forward looking toward the North.

Trump-Xi summit

Wednesdays North Korean ballistic missile test was conducted just 48 hours before U.S. President Donald Trump is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

Any launch of objects using the ballistic missile technology is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, but the North has defied the ban as an infringement of its sovereign rights to self-defense and pursuit of space exploration.

Wednesday's launch came after Trump threatened that the United States is prepared to go it alone to counter the North's nuclear threat if China does not step in.

North Korea's foreign ministry on Monday assailed Washington for its tough talk and for an ongoing joint military exercise with South Korea and Japan, which Pyongyang sees as a dress rehearsal for invasion.

Youmi Kim contributed to this report.
A Philippine city on the front lines of the wide-reaching South China Sea dispute is developing marine protection and ecotourism to help the sea and regenerate stocks for an embattled local fishing industry.

Masinloc, a city of 49,000 people on the South China Sea coast of Luzon Island, is stepping up protection of fish and coral covering 7,560 hectares in its bay, Olive Ebido-Gregario, municipal coastal resources management officer, said.

The health of coral in the bay affects fish that migrate across the whole 3.5 million-square-kilometer South China Sea, and 40 percent of the seas species can be traced back to Masinloc, Ebido-Gregario said.

Brunei, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam claim all or parts of the sea largely to fish.

Key to fishing

We have a very big contribution to the coral reef, not only in the Philippines, but we have a big contribution to the coral triangle countries, like Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Ebido-Gregorio said. Maybe it contributes to the biodiversity of all other nearby countries.

The sea gives trawlers 16.6 million tons of fish every year, according to a National Geographic report in mid-2016, but stocks are declining due to overuse.

In Masinloc, catches have declined 50 percent since 2010, the local coast guard unit estimates.

Overfishing, overpopulation and climate change have hurt the marine environment, the city officer said. Some of the 3,000 locals registered in the fishing trade use sodium cyanide and air compressors to fish, both illegal off the coast of Masinloc, she said.

Foreign vessels near the city use illegal means to take fish as well, a coast guard commander said.

Continued disputes

China also stops Philippine vessels from entering Scarborough Shoal, which is 198 kilometers away from Masinloc. China and the Philippines dispute sovereignty of the shoal along with much of the sea off the archipelagos west coasts.

Masinloc fishermen say lack of access to the shoal has pushed them closer to the Philippine coastline, where catches are smaller due to overfishing. The shoal is prized for the abundance of large fish.

Very angry now because fish (are) now very far, Raul Canumuy, a 44-year-old fisherman, said Tuesday as he helped gut a catch on a Masinloc beach. Before around there, he said, pointing to the waters near the beach. Now 40 miles.

Masinloc turns to tourism

Tourism, for a few, has supplanted fishing in Masinloc. About 500 people per month visit two of the bay's protected areas, a 7.5-hectare mangrove island and the San Salvador Marine Sanctuary, a city tourism official said.

Tourists board small boats for city-organized boat rides lasting more than half a day. They come from around the Philippines, elsewhere in Southeast Asia and the United States.

The citys moves to ensure the health of the sea began in 1989 with the declaration of its first protected area in the bay along the Luzon Island coast where Masinloc is located.

Now, four spots are protected to save coral, sea grass and mangroves, which are fish habitats.

From 2005 to 2008, the city took part in a U.N. Environment Program-funded effort to reverse degradation in the South China Sea. Over the past three years it has worked with 11 other coastal cities and a Philippine environmental nonprofit group to regulate or ban fishing.

Still, in June the city discovered a mysterious bleaching of coral at three spots in the protected bay, which could threaten fish catches as well as species sought by snorkeling tourists.

More protection work is slated for next year.

Fishing moratoriums

China has sought to regulate stocks through annual fishing moratoriums since 1995. From May through August this year, it will declare a moratorium for the whole sea north of the 12th parallel.

That area touches the claims of Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines.

But other countries see the moratorium as an assertion of Chinese power, said Fabrizio Bozzato, an associate researcher specializing in international affairs at Tamkang University in Taiwan.

Masinloc fisherman say they do not plan to observe it.

Beijing has built a series of disputed islets in the South China Sea for military use, including radar systems that can learn what other countries are doing at sea and stop any perceived violators.

A periodical fishing moratorium would be advisable in order to avoid depletion of the South China Sea fisheries, Bozzato said. The problem is that the fishing ban is unilateral. It is not agreed [upon] with the other fishing entities in the South China Sea.
Providing formal land ownership titles to indigenous communities is one of the most effective ways to preserve endangered rainforest in Peru's Amazon, said a study published on Monday.

Forest destruction dropped 75 percent on land once it was formally granted to indigenous communities, said the study by American researchers published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Analyzing satellite data and land ownership certificates, the researchers compared forest cover on territory before and in the two years after it was formally titled to indigenous communities.

They make the case that granting land titles to indigenous communities who currently control about 10 million hectares of forests in Peru has direct, measurable benefits for Amazon preservation.

"Titling reduces forest clearing by three-quarters," said Allen Blackman, a senior official with the Inter-American Development Bank and a co-author of the study.

The Amazon is the world's largest tropical rainforest, teeming with biodiversity and spanning nine countries in South America - the bulk of it in Brazil. More than half of Peru's territory is Amazon rainforest.

Protecting the Amazon, which has been shrinking in Peru due to illegal logging and other activities, is crucial for combating climate change because forests suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and regulate the planet's climate.

"Communities without titles don't have the legal standing to complain to regulators when their lands have been encroached on," Blackman told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Once land has been formally titled, indigenous communities can get advice from government regulators on the best tactics for forest preservation and other official services, Blackman said.

With a fast-growing economy based on mining and its natural resources, the Andean nation of Peru has about 1,200 indigenous communities inhabited by 330,000 people, researchers said.

Indigenous activists hailed the study.

"Giving indigenous communities formal legal title to our lands protects tropical forest from illegal logging," said Edwin Vazquez, a land rights campaigner with the Peru-based Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin.

"Without us, the mission to slow the emissions that threaten the ... health of our entire planet is doomed to failure," Vazquez said in a statement.

Indigenous communities and local residents manage about a third of all forests in developing countries - more than twice the share in government-protected areas, Blackman said.

The study implies that titling land for indigenous people could be effective for forest conservation in other countries, Blackman said, but more research is needed to test that hypothesis.
When rain clouds darken the skies over this government seat in Haiti's southwestern peninsula, Roland Despeines retreats to a mountain cave. There, he and scores of other Haitians have taken shelter from storms ever since October 4, when deadly Hurricane Matthew tore up their homes and upended their lives.

Despeines is among 240 people whom the Florida-based Food for the Poor last month discovered were spending nights huddled in two caves about seven kilometers from the capital. The aid group was searching for land to plant food crops, it said in a statement on what it called a humanitarian crisis. It said the cave dwellers included 84 women and 62 children.

"Whenever the rain is about to fall, all of us come to stay here," Despeines told a VOA correspondent who made the rocky trek to the cave Friday. He spotted kerosene lamps and sheets woven from palm fronds.

Haiti's new president, Jovenel Moise, and its prime minister, Jack Guy Lafontant, along with local officials, also visited Friday. They promised to deliver food and shelter.

The United Nations has reported that at least 70 percent of crops were destroyed in Grand'Anse, the jurisdiction in which Jeremie lies.

"The children are crying all the time because they are hungry," Despeines said. "  When a vehicle comes to the area, the people run after it," hoping for food, he added. "If a car brings a bag of rice, we cook it right away, and it isn't enough to feed all of us."

A young woman named Bernie Josee also complained of hunger: "Sometimes, visitors come to this area and they bring us food. But this week, we have nothing to eat."

The Miami Herald recently reported food was so scarce on the peninsula that some Haitians, desperate to ease hunger pangs, were eating poisonous plants.

Government workers and aid groups periodically distribute food such as rice and beans. A low-priced government-run restaurant is planned for Fond Rouge D'Ayere, a community near Jeremie, and Moise has ordered plans for new homes.

The U.S. Agency for International Development provided emergency supplies such as plastic sheeting after the hurricane, and it partnered with a local organization to hire carpenters for home repairs.

A U.N. Development Program flash appeal for $138 million in post-hurricane aid to Haiti indicates it remains short of its goal by at least one-third.

This story was reported by VOA's Creole Service. Belenfant Magloire of VOA affiliate Radio Tele Ginen contributed from Jeremie.
With a Supreme Court vacancy hanging in the balance, the U.S. Senate is poised to make a historic change in its voting rules Thursday, with members of both parties warning of perils that could alter the chamber.

Republicans are expected to use their majority to change Senate rules and eliminate the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees, a move that has been called the "nuclear option" as it would erode minority party rights in the chamber.

"We are in a terrible place," said Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, as his party prepared to change Senate rules and prevent Democrats from blocking President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch. "I fear that someday we will regret what we are about to do."

A filibuster of Gorsuch and a rules change is something senators of neither party said they want. But Democrats insisted they have no choice but to demand a three-fifth's majority to get to a final vote on a nominee for a high court vacancy  a vacancy Republicans prevented former President Barack Obama from filling when Justice Antonin Scalia died early last year.

"For the first time in history, we are considering a nominee for a stolen Supreme Court seat, and that alone should be reason for everyone who cares about this institution to turn down this nominee," said Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon at the end of a 15-hour floor speech.

"We should not be considering a nominee from a president who is under investigation for conspiring with Russia to change the outcome of an election."

Harsh rhetoric was not limited to Democrats. Republicans accused them of blind and pointless obstructionism.

"It seems many Democrats decided long ago to oppose anybody the president nominated," said Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican. "Democrats would filibuster [liberal Justice] Ruth Bader Ginsburg if President Trump nominated her, and we know why. Democrats are bowing to hard-left interests that can't get over the results of the election and, thus, are demanding complete Democratic opposition to everything this president touches."

If Republicans invoke the so-called "nuclear option," Gorsuch would be confirmed with a simple majority vote.

"He [Gorsuch] will be confirmed as our next Supreme Court justice," predicted Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas. "But it's up to our Democratic friends to determine just how that occurs."

"I hope Democrats re-evaluate their position," McConnell said. "I hope they'll consider what their actions would mean for future Supreme Court nominations. I hope they'll consider what their actions could mean for the future of this body more broadly."

Democrats eliminated the filibuster for executive branch and non-Supreme Court judicial nominees when they controlled the chamber in 2013, but have drawn a distinction between their action and what Republicans are vowing to do.

"Cabinet secretaries come and go. Supreme Court justices do not," said Democratic Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii. "This administration's Cabinet is like a date, a really bad date, but at least it comes to an end. A Supreme Court justice on the other hand is not a date. That's a marriage. It's a lifetime appointment.

"Without this rule [the filibuster], if you're a member of the minority party, the president's nominees don't have to listen to you, meet with you, think about you. Without this rule, advice and consent is rendered meaningless for whichever party is out of power," Schatz added.

In 2005, McCain was part of a bipartisan group of senators, known as the Gang of 14, that worked to prevent filibusters of judicial nominees put forward by then-President George W. Bush. The gang succeeded and the nuclear option was averted. Speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday, McCain lamented that no such gang has materialized this week.

"I've had conversations will colleagues on both sides of the aisle in an attempt to once again come up with a way forward and avoid both a filibuster of Judge Gorsuch and the nuclear option," McCain said. "Sadly  those efforts have failed.

"My colleagues should understand that this is a historic moment. What we are poised to do at the end of this week will have tremendous consequences," the Arizona Republican added.

A rules change ending the filibuster would set the stage for Gorsuch's confirmation Friday.
Thousands of protesters, mainly students, rallied for the third straight night in Belgrade on Wednesday to protest against the overwhelming victory of Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic in a weekend presidential election.

Throngs gathered in front of the Serbian parliament, blowing whistles and chanting "Vucic, you stole the election" and "End the dictatorship". Their numbers swelled as they marched through the city center.

Protesters said they see Vucic as an autocrat and his Serbian Progressive Party as corrupt and instrumental in what they say was a fraudulent election.

Demands posted on social media by one group of students included dismissing the election commission, the media regulator and top editors of the state RTS TV for allegedly failing to facilitate a free and fair vote.

Students also want Maja Gojkovic, the parliament speaker and a top Vucic ally, to go as it was she who decided to adjourn parliamentary sessions until after the vote.

Demanding more democracy

"We are here to demand more democracy, an end to Vucic's dictatorial regime and a better future, more jobs and a better education system," said Djordje Peric, 21, a student.

Students who rally supporters through social networks, reject alliances with political parties. They instead invited trade unions to join in. Similar protests have been staged in several other towns throughout the EU candidate country.

According to the state election commission's preliminary data, Vucic, 47, won on Sunday with 55.02 percent of votes.

Although his new post will be largely ceremonial, he is expected to maintain his grip on power through his Serbian Progressive Party and to continue a balancing act between the West and Russia, an Orthodox Christian and Slavic ally.

Sasa Jankovic, a former human rights advocate, came in second, with only 16.36 percent, while Luka Maksimovic, a student, came in third with 9.43 percent.
China also said it would take "necessary measures", without specifying, to protect its "sovereignty".

By Ananth Krishnan: China today called issued a strong statement accusing India of being "obstinate" and "disregarding China's concerns" after Dalai Lama made a rare visit to Tawang, and called in India's envoy in Beijing Vijay Gokhale to register a formal protest.

Warning the visit would "escalate" border disputes between the two countries, China's Foreign Ministry suggested it wanted India to stop the nine-day visit of the Tibetan spiritual leader. "We demand India stop using the Dalai Lama to do anything that undermines China's interests and we also demand the Indian side not hype up sensitive issues between India and China," spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

advertisement

China also said it would take "necessary measures", without specifying, to protect its "sovereignty".

Indian Ambassador to China Vijay Gokhale was called in Wednesday afternoon to the Foreign Ministry. Embassy sources confirmed that Gokhale had talks at the Foreign Ministry over the Dalai Lama's Tawang visit.

The Foreign Ministry said that India "in disregard of China's concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai [Lama]'s visit to the eastern part of the India China border causing serious damage to China's interests and to India China relations."

Hua, the spokesperson, dismissed India's suggestion of the visit to Arunachal being "religious" without a political message, saying those were "empty words". "We have noted the statement form officials of the Indian side," Hua said.

"Can you tell me honestly do you seriously believe the Dalai [Lama] is only a religious leader? The answer is known to all. He is not just a religious figure. Therefore his visit to this place will not be of a purely religious purpose. So using these empty words to define this arrangement is not reasonable".

The view in Beijing is that the current visit by the Dalai Lama to Tawang, which is at the centre of Beijing's territorial claims in the eastern sector, is of a higher profile than in 2009, with the Tibetan spiritual leader being accompanied by MoS Home Kiren Rijiju.

China's strong statement came as State media in Beijing on Wednesday accused India of trying to "play the Tibet card" in response to recent strains in ties, such as China's investments in PoK and its opposition to India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Hua said the visit ran "counter" to the "good momentum" in ties. "We hope we can work together to maintain the growth of relations," Hua said. "We know India and China are two close neighbours and countries in Asia. Cooperation between us will serve interests of the region. We hope to maintain good momentum of growth but this move runs counter to this wish, so we hope India stops doing things that undermine our interests."

Hua said the Dalai Lama issue, however, "goes beyond internal affairs". "The role played by the Dalai Lama is clear to all. The issues concerning Tibet have a bearing on China's core interests. India in disregard of China's concerns obstinately arranged the visit. This will for sure trigger China's dissatisfaction. And this will not bring any benefit to India".

advertisement

ALSO READ | China slams 'obstinate' India, says Dalai Lama's Arunachal visit will 'escalate' border tensions

Dalai Lama in Arunachal Pradesh amid China protest: No problem if some consider me demon

India on China's objection to Dalai Lama's Arunachal Pradesh visit: Stop creating artificial controversy

--- ENDS ---
Get ready for solar eclipse mania. Destinations in the path of the Aug. 21 eclipse, which will be visible in the U.S. along a narrow path from Oregon to South Carolina, are going wild with plans for festivals, concerts and viewing parties.



Hotels in Casper, Wyoming, are charging five times their usual rates. Rooms at Idaho's Sun Valley Resort have been booked for years.



An eclipse tour in Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains National Park sold out in 10 minutes. The Smokies are among 20 National Park sites that will experience the total solar eclipse, from sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina to Wyoming's Grand Tetons.

"We are expecting record visitation,'' said NPS spokesman Jeffrey Olson.



Hopkinsville, Kentucky, population 32,000, and Carbondale, Illinois, population 23,000, expect 50,000 visitors each. The destinations, 140 miles apart, will experience about 2 minutes and 40 seconds of total darkness, among eclipse sites with the longest duration. Events in the region include an "Eclipse Con'' festival, concerts and tailgate parties.



South Carolina's Clemson University also expects 50,000 people at a campus event that will feature astronomers and other experts. Twenty thousand people will gather in the Ochocho National Forest for Oregon Eclipse 2017, with music, yoga, theater, art installations and more. Wind River Reservation in Wyoming hosts "bring back the sun'' ceremonies.



A Pink Floyd Tribute band plans a "Dark Side of the Moon'' concert in Jefferson City, Missouri. The South Carolina Philharmonic in Columbia offers "Star Wars Musiclipse.'' Sylva, North Carolina, has a "Moonlight Madness'' run.



Eclipse Chasers



Sharon Hahs and her husband, Billy, have chased 14 eclipses around the world from Mongolia to South Africa. They'll see this one from a family farm in Missouri, not far from their St. Louis home.



"There is nothing else in our universe that looks like a total solar eclipse,'' said Hahs. "The air gets cool. You have 360-degree dusk. Nature sounds really happen: the cock crows, birds get quiet. We even had a horse cross our viewing area to return to the stable.''





Michael Allen of Southampton, England, is a "keen amateur astronomer'' who considers the eclipse "a once in a lifetime opportunity.'' He can't travel alone because he has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, so his brother Nick is accompanying him on a three-day tour to Nashville with eclipse-viewing at the Kentucky border.



Jack Bohannon of Anchorage, Alaska, plans to see the eclipse in Nebraska as the "culmination of a summer-long RV trip'' with family.

"We were originally going to book an RV park in the eclipse path in Wyoming, but everywhere was full,'' he said.



Hotels



In small or remote destinations, hotels and campsites in the path of totality are completely sold out. But bigger cities still have openings. As of March 25, Nashville hotels were only 54 percent booked.



Don't assume lodging is sold out because a travel booking site says so. Call hotels directly to ask.



Many hotels are offering eclipse packages. Nashville's Loews Vanderbilt package includes eclipse viewing glasses, commemorative T-shirt, Uber gift card and bar credit. Hotel Jackson in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, has an "eclipse concierge'' to help guests plan their $699-a-night stay.



Consumers in Oregon have complained about hotels canceling reservations they made long ago, claiming rebranding or new ownership, then charging much higher rates for rebooking.



Location and Weather

As the moon moves in front of the sun, daylight will yield to darkness from Oregon to South Carolina along a path 60 to 70 miles wide. The path of totality will also cut across broad swaths of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee, along with corners of Kansas, Georgia and North Carolina, and a tiny chip of Iowa. Totality will first hit Oregon around 10:15 a.m. Pacific time. South Carolina will experience the final moments of total darkness at 2:49 p.m. Eastern time.





Some spectators are heading to mountains and forests to experience the eclipse in a natural setting.



"Think of an eclipse as an incredible short night,'' with "a rapid sunset and then sunrise,'' said Sara Morris, an ornithologist and biology professor at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. "Birds go back to roost. Animals that are active during the day will stop foraging and put themselves in a place of safety.''



Destinations that offer easy highway access have an advantage in bad weather: You can drive elsewhere to seek clear skies.

"Clouds are the enemy of eclipse chasers,'' said Hahs. "If one can move, one should.''



The driest section of the eclipse path is from eastern Oregon to western Nebraska but "even the driest places on Earth experience clouds, fog and rain,'' said Brady Phillips at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is developing an online weather map for the eclipse.



Safety



When the sun is completely blocked by the moon, its rays can't hurt your eyes. But the period before and after totality is dangerous  even when it seems dark  because viewing even a sliver of the sun as it slips in and out of view can damage retinas. Sunglasses are useless. Viewing through telescopes or cameras without proper filters is also unsafe before and after totality.



So be sure to buy eclipse glasses, but don't spend a lot: $1 glasses with paper filters are fine.
South Africa's African National Congress "closed ranks" around President Jacob Zuma after two key allies of the ruling party called for his resignation following a cabinet reshuffle that cost the country one of its investment-grade credit ratings.

The rand fell more than 1 percent and bonds weakened after ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe told a news briefing on Wednesday that the ANC would not support removing Zuma, whose party leadership role ends in December. Zuma's presidential term will finish in 2019.

Last Thursday's dismissal of finance minister Pravin Gordhan, a totem of policymaking stability for many foreign investors, was criticized by unions, civil society groups and the opposition, and has revived pressure on Zuma to quit.

Since taking office in 2009, the 74-year-old president has repeatedly denied accusations of corruption, and senior ANC officials have backed him.

S&P Global Ratings cited Gordhan's departure as one reason for its downgrade of South Africa to "junk" in an unscheduled credit rating review Monday, a move that is set to push up the country's borrowing costs.

Mantashe said the ANC had accepted the "irretrievable breakdown of the relationship" between Zuma and Gordhan as the reason the finance minister was sacked.

Gordhan's removal has deepened a rift within the ruling party, with Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, a leading candidate to replace Zuma as ANC president, describing it Friday as "totally, totally unacceptable."

The South African Communist Party (SACP) and the country's biggest trade union, Cosatu, both historic allies of the ANC, have called on Zuma to step down following the sacking.

Close ranks

Mantashe had also openly criticized Zuma's actions but he painted a different picture Wednesday, saying the ANC would "close ranks" around the president and the party would iron out its differences with Cosatu and SACP.

The events that unfolded after the reshuffle had "created anxiety and undue confusion as a result of the discordant views, in particular of the National Officials of the ANC," Mantashe said, referring to the criticism directed at Zuma.

"The officials ... have further acknowledged that their public dissonance on the matter was a mistake that should not be committed again."

Half of the ANC's "Top Six" group of officials, including Ramaphosa and Mantashe, had expressed disquiet at Gordhan's sacking. But Zuma, also one of the six, has the support of two other members and influential groups in the ANC, sources say.

Analysts said Zuma remains in favor among grassroots members and can count on the backing of large sections of the party, including the youth and women's leagues.

Zuma is a charismatic figure who has dodged one political minefield after another. He has successfully portrayed himself as a man of the people, loves to sing and dance at public rallies, and enjoys wide support from the ANC rank-and-file.

A former member of the ANC's Umkhonto we Sizwe military wing, Zuma rose to become head of intelligence, a post that gave him leverage with allies and opponents alike. Zuma has used his network to sideline opponents to shore up his position, critics who worked with him have said.

Zuma said Tuesday, in his first public comments since the reshuffle, that people should remain calm.

The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party said it had filed an urgent court application to have Zuma's decision to remove Gordhan and deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas set aside on the grounds that it was unlawful.

The DA has planned a march on Friday against Zuma in the commercial hub Johannesburg, saying his decision to reshuffle the cabinet is likely to hurt the economy and cost more jobs. The party's no-confidence motion against Zuma in parliament will be held on April 18, parliament said.

The ANC has a commanding majority in the national assembly.

Similar votes have failed in the past.

"There is no ANC member who will vote for an opposition motion," Mantashe said.

Political analysts were not surprised by the ruling party's stance Wednesday.

"Zuma stays. Rand drops," political analyst Daniel Silke said, while another political commentator, Nic Borain, said Zuma had reasserted his authority. "Quite frankly, he still controls the decision-making organs of the ANC," he said.

Intelligence report

Deputy Secretary-General Jessie Duarte said Zuma had told top ANC officials in December of his decision to dismiss Gordhan, but that they had persuaded him to delay the action.

Duarte told the news briefing Zuma would meet the party's integrity commission on April 9, but gave no details. The ANC formed the commission in 2013 to help protect its image and deal with members of the party alleged to have behaved improperly.

Mantashe said the ANC had confidence in new Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, who would retain policies set under Gordhan.

Mantashe denied that Gordhan was fired solely because of an intelligence report that accused him and Jonas of plotting with banks in London to undermine the South African economy, saying it was not the only reason for Gordhan's removal.

Ramaphosa had accused Zuma of removing Gordhan on the basis of a "spurious" report and local media have also reported its existence.

"If the relationship has broken down ... you go for a divorce," Mantashe said.
South Africa's Constitutional Court has dismissed an appeal by the Department of Environmental Affairs to keep a moratorium on the domestic trade in rhino horn, according to court documents Reuters saw Wednesday.

Pelham Jones, chairman of South Africa's Private Rhino Owners Association (PROA), which was one of the respondents in the case, told Reuters the decision meant that the sale of rhino horns was legal in South Africa.

"We welcome the Constitutional Court ruling. We believe it is a right we have been entitled to," he said.

A global ban in the horn trade, which is regulated by a U.N. convention, remains in place, which means horn acquired legally in South Africa cannot be exported from the country.

Last May, South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed the government's bid to uphold a ban on the domestic trade in rhino horn, which was put in place in 2009. The Constitutional Court was its last judicial option.

"This court ... has concluded that the application should be dismissed with costs as it lacks reasonable prospects of success," the Constitutional Court said in a brief order.

A spokeswoman for South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs said it would issue a statement shortly.

Need to cover costs

Private rhino ranchers and other associations initiated the court action, saying they needed to sell horn to be able to afford spiraling security costs that include armed patrols, helicopters and electric fencing.

According to the latest figures from PROA, over 6,500 rhinos are in private hands in South Africa, over a third of the national population.

Rhino horn can be harvested as it grows back and it can be removed from a tranquilized animal.

The government has not revealed the size of its rhino horn stockpile, but PROA estimates its members have around 6 tons and reckons the state has close to 25 tons. The combined 31 tons could fetch $2 billion by some estimates.

Conservationists have expressed concerns that domestic buyers could also illicitly supply markets in Vietnam and China, where demand for rhino horn  coveted as an ingredient in traditional medicine  has triggered a wave of poaching.

The number of rhinos poached for their horns in South Africa fell 10 percent in 2016 to 1,054, the second straight year of decline, according to government data, but conservationists have said the levels remain alarming.

Earlier spike

Poaching incidents in South Africa had surged from 83 in 2008 to a record 1,215 in 2014 to meet red-hot demand in newly affluent Asian countries such as Vietnam.

South Africa has more than 80 percent of the world's rhino population, with about 18,000 white rhinos and close to 2,000 black rhinos, which is why it has been at the front line of the horn-poaching crisis involving global crime syndicates.

But Jones said PROA was consulting with security firms to ensure "blood horns" did not enter the market.

"We are in an advanced stage of setting up a domestic trade desk and are consulting with economists to determine market prices," he told Reuters.

Trade will still be subject to regulation by the government, which issues permits. Potential domestic buyers could include those who see rhino horn as a store of wealth that could appreciate in value and those who want it as a decoration.
As U.S.-backed coalition forces prepare for a final assault on the Islamic State de-facto capital Raqqa, there is a continuing push to expel fighters from nearby Tabqa dam.

The area is a key staging post on the Euphrates River close to the Syrian city that has long been an Islamic State stronghold. The dam is also a major security risk to people downstream, but U.S.-backed forces are denying claims by Islamic State fighters that it is in danger of collapse.

The dam complex came under mortar fire from Islamic State fighters last week, as Syrian engineers attempted to carry out urgent repairs on the four-kilometer long dam. They were forced to retreat, but did manage to open a spillway to relieve the pressure of water on the dam.





Syria analyst Kamal Alam of Britains Royal United Services Institute said IS fighters may be spreading fears over a collapse as a delaying tactic.

This was foreseen for the last six or seven months. The Syrian government was very clear when it said that this could be used as a tactic, which meant they would have to delay their operations, because there was a clamor for the Syrian Arab army to go in after Raqqa.

Tabqa has been an Islamic State stronghold since 2014 and it is believed many of its senior commanders are based there. The town is a key target of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as they approach nearby Raqqa.

Residents of villages downstream fear Islamic State could still attempt to blow up the dam.

"We are really scared about the dam. People came and said that IS were going to blow it up. If they blow it up it, we won't have any water, we will die of thirst. There won't be any more water, and that will mean death, said Raheel Hassan Mahmoud, a resident of Bir Hussein al-Hammud village next to the dam.

Destruction of the dam by IS would also cause catastrophic flooding in towns and cities downstream, said Alam.

Maybe as a final act of desperation, they could. Again, it goes to show what level they would go to damage civilian populations. But I dont think theres any indication at the moment that they will do it. I think coalition airstrikes are also a big threat. And the coordination in the air has not been so apparent in recent months.

Militias fighting under the SDF alliance said the final assault on Raqqa will begin in the coming days.
There are conflicting reports about the damage caused to a dam on the Euphrates River close to the Syrian city of Raqqa. Local villagers say Islamic State militants have threatened to destroy the Tabqa dam  a key staging post on the route to the terror groups de facto capital. As Henry Ridgwell reports, that would put thousands of lives at risk in towns and villages downstream.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to Russia after attending the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in Italy next week, the State Department announced Wednesday.

Following the conclusion of the meeting on April 11, Tillerson will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss Ukraine, counterterrorism efforts, and bilateral relations.

"This trip is part of our effort to maintain direct lines of communication with senior Russian officials and to ensure U.S. views are clearly conveyed, including on next steps in Minsk implementation," Mark Toner, acting spokesperson for the State Department, said in the statement.

The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed the trip, noting that it would be the first time it would host Tillerson as the top diplomat under the Trump administration.

The statement released Wednesday echoed the issues to be discussed, including the fight against terrorism, Syria, North Korea, and others.

"The situation in Ukraine will not be overlooked, with an emphasis on the need for Kyiv to observe its obligations under the Minsk agreements," the statement read.

The G7 meeting in Lucca, Italy April 9-11 is a precursor for the G7 Leaders' Summit which President Donald Trump is slated to attend next month.
Americas infrastructure is crumbling. A report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers gives the country's roads, bridges and public works a D+, with a large portion of the structures showing significant deterioration. Tuesday, President Donald Trump reiterated his promise to spend one trillion dollars to overhaul the infrastructure. For local communities, that money cant come fast enough. VOA's Arash Arabasadi reports from Pittsburgh.
U.S. President Donald Trump condemned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday for the deadly chemical weapons attack in Syria, calling it "an affront to humanity," but declining to say what action the United States might take in response.

"You will see. They will have a message, you will see what the message will be," Trump vowed at a White House news conference alongside Jordan's visiting leader, King Abdullah.

Trump described the Tuesday chemical attack in Syria that killed 100 people and left another 350 stricken, including many children, as "horrific," adding, "It's very, very possible that my attitude to Assad has changed very much. These heinous actions by the Assad regime cannot be tolerated."

But Trump, while issuing a stern warning to Assad, said he would not disclose ahead of time how the United States might respond.

"I'm not saying I'm going to do anything, but I'm certainly not going" to announce it in advance, Trump told one reporter, while also assailing U.S. and Iraqi military leaders for announcing months ahead of time of their plans to attack Mosul to try to oust Islamic State fighters from Iraq's second biggest city.

Trump criticized his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, for failing to act in 2012 against the Assad regime after declaring "a red line" necessitating U.S. military action if the Syrian leader used chemical or biological weapons against an array of fighters trying to overthrow his government.

While numerous lawmakers criticized Obama at the time for his inaction, Congress also balked at approving U.S. military intervention. At the time, Trump himself also urged Obama in a series of tweets not to attack Syria.

Under sunny skies in the Rose Garden Wednesday, Trump said Obama "had a great opportunity" to intervene in Syria, and the fact that he did not "set us back a long ways, not only in Syria but in many other parts of the world, because it was a blank threat. I think it was something that was not one of our better days as a country."

But Trump said that, as president, "I now have responsibility, and I will have that responsibility, and carry it very proudly."

For his part, the Jordanian monarch told Trump, "On Syria and the gas attack, unfortunately, as you and I both agree, this is another testament to the failure of the international diplomacy to find solutions to this crisis."

Photo Gallery: A Day After Deadly Gas Attack in Kahn Sheikhoun, Syria The gas attack at Kahn Sheikhoun, described by the opposition Syrian National Coalition as a "horrifying massacre," is widely believed to be the worst such violation of international law in war-ravaged Syria since 2013, when a U.N. probe found credible evidence that sarin gas killed hundreds of civilians near Damascus. Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter



Email to a Friend



He said the Syrian conflict "has been going on, ongoing for seven years now, has descended into proxy wars from different parties with dubious agendas. But at the end of the day, as you pointed out, Mr. President, its the civilians, women and children that are paying the heaviest price.

"This is happening on our watch," King Abdullah said, "on our conscience as well as the global community, and I know the passion and emotion that the president has expressed in how this should not be tolerated whatsoever. And this --- threshold of inhumanity and savagery that are being crossed every day, is something that I know the president will not allow to ... happen wherever it may be, and I fully support and endorse the president in this issue.

The deadly attack in Syria, on Jordan's doorstep, as well as the possibility of renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, topped the agenda of talks between Trump and King Abdullah.

Jordan's king, acting as something of an envoy from the Arab world, was bringing a message of renewed interest in a peace pact with Israel that would include Arab and Muslim nation recognition of the Jewish state in exchange for creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

King Abdullah called the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian stalemate "essentially the core conflict in our region." He said Trump's "early engagement ... in bringing the Palestinians and the Israelis together ... a very encouraging sign for all of us."

Arab leaders renewed the offer they first made to Israel in 2002 at a summit meeting last week, but Israel has balked at withdrawing from lands it captured in 1967's Six-Day War.

The new possibility of peace talks and creation of a Palestinian state dovetails with Trump's announced goal of achieving a lasting Mideast accord, something that has eluded U.S. presidents for decades.

Trump has declared himself a staunch friend of Israel and already has met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. The new U.S. president at first said he could envision alternatives to the two-state, Israeli-Palestinian solution long backed by other U.S. presidents.

Recently, however, he seems to have taken more measured steps in the region, seeking a slowdown in creation of more Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and holding off on a promise to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

There have been no substantial Israeli-Palestinian peace talks since Netanyahu's 2009 election.
Citing no evidence, President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused his predecessor's national security adviser of breaking the law, one month after he accused former president Barack Obama of illegally wiretapping him.

In an interview with The New York Times, Trump said Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, committed a crime when she asked government analysts to disclose the names of Trump associates documented in intelligence reports. Trump would not say if he reviewed new intelligence to support his claim. He told the Times he would say more at the right time.



I think it's going to be the biggest story, Trump said. It's such an important story for our country and the world. It is one of the big stories of our time.



Rice is the latest target for Trump and his embattled defenders. She has firmly denied that she did anything inappropriate in requesting the identities of Trump associates. As the national security adviser, Rice would have been authorized to seek identities of people whose names were redacted from intelligence reports. Officials typically unmask Americans if it is deemed necessary for understanding the information. Some Trump allies have accused Rice of unmasking officials for political reasons.



Absolutely false, Rice declared Tuesday.



Trump on Wednesday disagreed. When the Times asked him if Rice broke the law, he said, Do I think? Yes, I think. The president did not specify what law he thinks Rice may have broken.



Erin Pelton, a spokeswoman for Rice, said, I'm not going to dignify the president's ludicrous charge with a comment.



Fitting a pattern

Trump's unfounded accusation fits a pattern for the president. Last month, he accused Obama of wiretapping his New York skyscraper and later said Obama had spied on his campaign. Neither allegation has been backed up by evidence.



Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, is under FBI scrutiny for his ties to Russia. Two congressional committees are also investigating Flynn as part of larger probes into the Kremlin's influence on the 2016 election and possible coordination with Trump associates. Last week Trump said that Flynn, who resigned in February, should seek an immunity deal.



On Wednesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan said the House intelligence committee investigation looking into Russia's role in the 2016 election was back on track after the committee's chairman had a secret meeting on White House grounds about intelligence that Trump later said vindicated his Obama wiretapping claims. Republicans and Democrats have agreed on the witnesses to be called, Ryan said.



Democratic Congressman Jim Himes, a member of the committee, told CNN that Rice is on the witness list. A congressional aide said there were more than a dozen people on the list.



According to a U.S. official, Rice asked spy agencies to give her the names of Trump associates who surfaced in intelligence reports she was regularly briefed on. Rice's official role would have given her the ability to make those requests for national security purposes.

In an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday, Rice acknowledged that she sometimes asked for the names of Americans referenced in reports. She would not say whether she saw intelligence related to Trump associates or whether she asked for their identities, though she did say that reports related to Russia increased in the final months of the presidential election campaign.



The Trump White House has been particularly incensed that intercepted conversations between Flynn and Russia's ambassador to the U.S. surfaced in news reports before the inauguration.



Rice denied that she had leaked details about Flynn's call, saying, I leaked nothing to nobody.
Robert Lighthizer has long complained that the United States dithered in the face of abusive Chinese trade policies, allowing its trade gap with Beijing to explode and American factories to close.

Now, the veteran trade lawyer may have a chance to do something about it.

As President Donald Trump's choice to be U.S. trade representative, Lighthizer, 69, would be empowered to renegotiate and enforce trade deals, many of which the new president has condemned as destroyers of American jobs. On Thursday, the Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote on Lighthizer's nomination, which had been held up by a political dispute over whether he needed a congressional waiver because he has worked for foreign companies.

A fixture in Washington trade policy circles for nearly four decades, Lighthizer has built a reputation as a shrewd negotiator. And like the president who chose him, Lighthizer represents a departure for a Republican Party that for decades favored the free flow of global trade as a boon to economic growth.

"I agree with President Trump that we should have an 'America First' trade policy," Lighthizer said at his committee hearing last month, "and that we can do better in negotiating our trade agreements and be stronger at enforcing our trade laws."

Signal of aggression

His nomination sends another signal that the Trump administration intends to upend decades of U.S. policy and act aggressively to block imports when it deems other countries to be acting unfairly.

"He's a trade realist," said Paul Rosenthal, a trade lawyer at the firm Kelley Drye & Warren. "He doesn't necessarily subscribe to free trade as a religion as some people do."

Lighthizer's philosophy, Rosenthal suggested, boils down to: "How can we afford to be unilateral free traders when the Chinese don't reciprocate?"

Drawing from experience in trade law and his work in the Reagan administration in countering Japanese imports, Lighthizer will most likely try to force China and other competitors to end what the Trump team sees as unfair trade.

Supporters of free trade, such as analysts at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, argue that a Trump-Lighthizer combative approach could backfire. Blocking or taxing imports would raise prices of imports for American consumers and provoke retaliation. The result could potentially be a trade war that would hurt U.S. farmers and companies  from Boeing to Caterpillar  that depend on exports.

Lighthizer won't be the administration's only trade policy heavyweight. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, a billionaire investor, is expected to involve himself in trying to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico and other trade issues. And Trump named Peter Navarro, a vociferous critic of Chinese trade policy, to lead a new White House National Trade Council.

Strong voice

Could Lighthizer be overshadowed?

"The words 'overshadow' and 'Bob Lighthizer' shouldn't appear in the same sentence," said Clyde Prestowitz, a Commerce official in the Reagan administration and a longtime critic of U.S. trade policy.

Lighthizer has more congressional contacts and more experience with the fine points of trade law than Navarro or Ross. In 2008, he wrote a column in The New York Times criticizing Arizona Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, for his unstinting support of free trade. Lighthizer noted that "conservative statesmen from Alexander Hamilton to Ronald Reagan sometimes supported protectionism."

"They always understood that trade policy was merely a tool for building a strong and independent country with a prosperous middle class," he wrote.

Lighthizer served as a top aide on the Senate Finance Committee under Kansas Senator Bob Dole in the late 1970s and early 1980s and later as treasurer of Dole's 1996 Republican presidential campaign. (Dole, now 93, introduced Lighthizer at his committee hearing.

Under Reagan, Lighthizer served as deputy trade representative. Despite Reagan's reputation as a stalwart supporter of free trade, his administration seldom hesitated to pressure U.S. trade partners if it thought American manufacturers were being hurt.

Lighthizer played a key role, for example, in strong-arming Japan into limiting auto exports in the 1980s. That move eventually led Japanese automakers to open plants in the United States, thereby creating U.S. jobs, instead of shipping all its cars from Japan.

Later in private practice  he became a senior partner in international trade at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom  Lighthizer represented U.S. steel companies that complained that China and other countries were dumping underpriced steel on the U.S. market.

Stance on China assailed

In 2010 testimony to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, he lambasted U.S. trade officials as too passive in the face of China's economic rise. When it negotiated China's 2001 entry into the World Trade Organization  which sets trade rules and mediates disputes  Washington naively assumed that China was "merely a more exotic version of Canada" and would learn to live within WTO rules and open its market to American exports, Lighthizer argued.

Instead, he contended, China limited foreign competition, manipulated its currency and subsidized its exporters to give them a price advantage. The notion that having China in the WTO would benefit Americans, Lighthizer concluded, "was simply wrong. Our trade deficit with China has exploded, millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs have been lost."

Trump campaigned on a promise to renegotiate or withdraw from agreements that he said had failed American workers. But Dean Pinkert, formerly of the U.S. International Trade Commission, said he thought Lighthizer would seek better ways to use existing agreements before tearing them up. In his 2010 testimony, Lighthizer said the U.S. should more aggressively scour WTO rules for new ways to bring cases against China  for manipulating its currency, for instance.

Alan Wolff, a deputy U.S. trade representative in the Carter administration, said China and other U.S. trading partners should brace themselves.

Under Lighthizer, Wolff said, "trade policy is going to get a lot more muscular."
Indian Coast Guard Ship Shoor was involved in the fire fighting operations.

By Manjeet Negi: A commercial ship, Merchant Vessel Daniela, caught fire off the Colombo coast early today morning. The fire was soon brought under control, with Indian Coast Guard Ship Shoor helping with fire-fighting operations.

The fire was reported when MV Daniela was 30 miles off the Sri Lankan coast.

The Sri Lankan Navy too was involved in dousing the fire, and Shoor was sent for help after the Lankan government requested assistance.

advertisement

There were no initial reports of any casualties.

ALSO READ | ISIS terrorists trying to sneak in through sea route, Mumbai on alert

--- ENDS ---
The referendum in Turkey to extend President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers is a couple of weeks away, and polls indicate the outcome remains too close to call. The "No" campaign, having little access to mainstream media, is increasingly turning to social media, and human rights groups accuse prosecutors of targeting those who adopt such a strategy.

Turkish law student Ali Gul's video on why to vote "No" highlights, in a humorous way, the dangers of concentrating too much power in one person's hands. It was an instant hit on social media. At the end of the video, Gul rhetorically asked, "Will I get arrested if this video is popular?"

Within days of its success, Gul issued another video, and he said he knew he would be arrested for making it.

Youth 'deserve freedom'

"I am now going to the prosecutor to give a statement," he said. "I will probably be arrested after that. But it is not important, I am not afraid. The children and youth of this nation deserve freedom and happiness  and not fear, imprisonment and death."

Gul was indeed arrested and jailed  but not for the video. He was detained instead for tweets posted two years ago that were deemed insulting to the president, a crime that carries three years in jail. Gul denied writing them, but his attorneys warned that he was destined to remain in pretrial detention for many months.

Turkey researcher Emma Sinclair Webb of U.S. based Human Rights Watch said there appears to be a systematic campaign of intimidation against "No" campaigners on social media.

"I think actually clamping down on individuals, making them a target for punitive measures pre-referendum because they have had a prominent voice in the 'No' campaign, is all about creating a chilling effect which will give the message loud and clear to the general public that you are not welcome to discuss what is at stake in the referendum and you are not welcome to publicly voice opposition of it," she said.

Scores of arrests, closures

Meanwhile, independent mainstream media have been all but crushed. Under emergency rule, introduced after July's failed coup, more than 150 journalists have been jailed and 170 media outlets closed, all critical of the government. The government claims the prosecutions and closures are all related to terrorist actions and coup plotting.

Most news TV channels broadcast at least three or four campaign speeches a day in support of a "Yes" vote on the presidential powers issue, while the "No" campaign is all but invisible, accounting for only 10 percent of coverage.

For the "No" campaign, social media have become vital, but with more than 2,500 prosecutions for insulting the president in the past six months, social media postings are not without risks.

Observers warn such pressure is likely to intensify as the referendum campaign ends.
The European Union is determined to stick to a deal with Turkey to stem the flow of undocumented migrants into the bloc, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Tuesday.

Tusk, who met Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev, welcomed Sofia's efforts to boost security on its southeastern border with Turkey to prevent migrants from crossing. He said Brussels would provide additional financing if the situation worsened.

"We are determined to keep routes of illegal migration in this region closed," Tusk told reporters. "We remain committed to the full implementation of the EU-Turkey statement. The EU is honoring its commitments, just like we expect Turkey to continue keeping its part of the deal."

The EU-Ankara agreement came into force in March 2016 after more than a million refugees and migrants from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond reached Europe in 2015, many crossing to Greek islands from Turkey.

"Should further difficulties arise on Bulgaria's borders, the EU has already planned emergency funding, and stands ready to react quickly in support of Bulgaria," Tusk said.

Turkey has said it may cancel the migrant readmission agreement, under which it takes back people who enter Greece through irregular routes. It was angered after several EU states prevented Turkish politicians from holding rallies to drum up support for plans to give President Tayyip Erdogan new powers in a referendum.

Bulgaria, the EU's poorest member, expressed concern about a possible new migrant influx given that Turkey-EU tensions are running high.

"It is extremely important for us to develop good neighborly relations with Turkey," Radev said. "At the same time, rising tensions between the EU and Turkey create the greatest risk for Bulgaria."
A U.N. official on Tuesday called for an investigation into the killing of a Paraguayan protester during violent demonstrations last week, while President Horacio Cartes canceled an overseas trip to concentrate on resolving the country's political crisis.

Amerigo Incalcaterra, Representative for South America of the U.N Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said Paraguayan authorities were "doing what they have to do" after police stormed an opposition party's headquarters last week and shot dead 25-year-old protester Rodrigo Quintana.

Cartes fired Paraguay's national police chief on Saturday, and an officer was charged with homicide of the protestor on Monday. Government officials told a news conference on Tuesday there had been no order to open fire.

The incident occurred during unrest over an unpopular closed-door Senate vote to amend the constitution to allow for presidential re-election. Thousands took to the streets in protest, and a group of demonstrators stormed and set fire to the country's Congress building.

"We expect the events will be investigated and that those responsible both for the acts of violence and for the death of a Paraguayan citizen will be punished," Incalcaterra said after meeting with Paraguay's foreign minister Eladio Lozaiga in the capital city of Asuncion.

Cartes canceled a trip to Argentina to attend a dialogue opposition leaders, currently set for Wednesday, Lozaiga told reporters on Tuesday. Cartes had invited opponents to the dialogue late on Sunday.

Paraguay's Senate voted on Friday during a special session in a closed office rather than on the Senate floor. Twenty-five lawmakers voted for the measure, two more than the 23 required for passage in the 45-member upper chamber.

The measure to change the constitution to allow presidential re-election still would have to be approved by the lower house and via popular referendum.

The measure has strong support in the lower house, though the chamber's leader has said it would not be considered while the dialogue is ongoing. The opposition Liberal Party has pledged not to attend the negotiations until the proposal was withdrawn.

Supporters of Cartes, a former soft-drink and tobacco businessman, want him to be able to seek a second term in a country that constitutionally forbid re-election after a 35-year dictatorship fell in 1989.
The Trump administration is no longer considering separating women and children at the southern U.S. border as a means of deterring their migration, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said on Wednesday.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly was questioned by a Senate panel on Wednesday, but only said it was not current policy to separate women and children except in certain circumstances.

The policy, first reported by Reuters, is "no longer under consideration, so the current policy is it," said DHS spokesman David Lapan said.

A DHS official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the agency has changed course in part because of the sharp decline in women attempting to travel to the United States with their children.

Only 1,125 children traveling with guardians, who are mostly women, were apprehended at the southern U.S. border in March, according to data released on Wednesday by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The decline marks a 93 percent fall since December in what was previously the fastest-growing demographic of immigrant apprehensions.

Overall immigrant apprehensions fell to a 17-year low, down to 16,600 in March.

Kelly credited President Donald Trump's tough immigration policies for the decline.

Under Trump, who took office on January 20, the Department of Homeland Security had weighed separating women and children, and issued guidance instructing officers to criminally charge parents who pay human smugglers to transport their children.

Trump also broadened the categories of illegal immigrants prioritized for deportation to include those charged, even if not convicted, with serious crimes.
The United States may soon extend its ban on computers in the cabin on some flights from the Middle East and Africa to more airports, the head of Homeland Security confirmed Wednesday.

Secretary John Kelly told a Senate committee that the Department of Homeland Security may "take measures in the not too distant future to expand the number of airports" affected by restrictions on laptops and tablet computers over concerns that terrorists may target commercial aviation by concealing explosives in larger electronics.

Kelly's comments during Wednesday's hearing on Capitol Hill followed similar remarks by DHS spokesman David Lapan, who a day earlier told USA Today, Im not saying anything is imminent, but Im not ruling anything out."

Travelers on direct flights to the United States from 10 airports in eight Middle Eastern and North African countries are required to pack any electronics larger than a mobile phone into their checked luggage.

The United States announced the indefinite in-cabin electronics ban March 21 in the wake of an executive order that affected travelers from the same regions. Taken together, the two measures immediately drew criticism that the Trump administration was discriminating against the majority-Muslim nations.

Real threat all the time

Kelly dismissed the criticism at the hearing, saying he did not make the new protocol "because of the Muslim religion or the color of their skin."

"We know that on any given day there are dozens of [terror] cells that are talking about attacking aviation ... there's a real threat all the time."

"It's real. It's getting realer, so to speak," he said. The secretary did not elaborate on the nature of the threats or why the airports were chosen.

Great Britain implemented a similar ban the day after the U.S., affecting direct flights from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia.

Australia announced last Friday it would increase baggage screening on flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, and Doha, Qatar, but would not ban electronics in the cabin.

Security officials have raised concerns about potential new methods of concealing explosives inside electronics that may evade detection during airport screenings, CNN reported last week.

The affected airports include: Queen Alia International Airport (Jordan), Cairo International Airport (Egypt), Ataturk International Airport (Turkey), King AbdulAziz International Airport (Saudi Arabia), King Khalid International Airport (Saudi Arabic), Kuwait International Airport (Kuwait), Mohammed V Airport (Morocco), Hamad International Airport (Qatar), Dubai International Airport (UAE), and Abu Dhabi International Airport (UAE).

The list of countries affected by the electronics restrictions does not overlap with the countries affected by an executive order issued in March barring travelers from six Middle Eastern and African countries. That order has since been suspended due to pending lawsuits around the U.S. Moreover, those countries do not have direct flights to the U.S., and the electronics limits are currently limited to direct flights from the same regions.

Several airlines are trying to keep customers happy by working around the restrictions, providing laptops or tablet computers to some passengers and offering to check laptops into the cargo hold at the gate, to allow travelers to keep their devices until they board a flight.
U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said Tuesday the Trump administration wants to see proof from Sudan's government  not more words  that it is making progress toward peace and protecting civilians in its vast and troubled Darfur region.

A review of the 17,000-strong joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur, which costs over $1 billion annually, is underway. Haley told the Security Council that the Sudanese government has tried to obstruct its operations from day one and is still failing to protect its people.

But against all of these odds, the mission has helped to protect civilians, she said.

Mandate up for renewal

The Sudanese government wants the joint mission, known as UNAMID, to leave. But Haley said after 10 years the council needs to see that the Sudanese government is doing far more to help its people by meeting benchmarks to ensure peace, protect civilians and prevent violence.



It is not enough for the government to promise to do better, she said. We need to see proof.

The UNAMID mandate is up for renewal in June and Haley said the U.S. expects Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' next reports to the council to clearly spell out where Sudan meets these benchmarks and where it does not.

Violence started in 2003

Darfur, which is the size of Spain, erupted in violence in 2003, when ethnic Africans rebelled, accusing the Arab-dominated Sudanese government of discrimination. Khartoum was accused of retaliating by unleashing local nomadic Arab tribes known as the janjaweed on civilians  a charge the government denies.

Haley said UNAMID was a lifeline when its peacekeepers deployed in 2007 after more than 200,000 people were dead and 2.4 million had fled their homes. But she said the situation in 2017, while still far from what we hoped it would be 10 years ago, is changing.

In many areas the immediate threat of violence from government confrontations with the armed opposition has passed,'' Haley said. The people need the rule of law, they need police who will respect their human rights and protect them from criminals and militias, and they need help to mediate local disputes so they don't flare up and spread.

She said the United States welcomes that both the government and several opposition groups have announced unilateral cease-fires. She urged that both sides now move toward peace talks.

Troop defections a problem



Haley also urged the main holdout to a cease-fire  the Sudan Liberation Army's founder Abdul Wahid Elnur whose forces still hold pockets of territory in Jebel Marra  to immediately stop fighting and join the negotiations.

Jeremiah Mamabolo, the new U.N.-AU special representative for Darfur, told the council that Wahid's force can no longer carry out significant military operations and have suffered defections to the government side. But he said Wahid refuses to join the cease-fire.

So far, however, Mamabolo said efforts by the AU, supported by UNAMID, to get the parties to sign a cease-fire agreement and start direct negotiations toward a peace agreement to end the conflict have remained inconclusive.

But he expressed hope that President Omar Bashir's March 8 decree pardoning 259 rebels captured in fighting with government forces  including 66 combatants from Darfur on death row  will contribute to the firming of mutual trust between the Sudanese parties.

Sudan's U.N. Ambassador Omer Dahab Fadl Mohamed welcomed the unprecedented stability in Darfur and said the extension of the unilateral cease-fire for six months in January is proof of a serious effort to revive peace, end violence, and start reconstruction.
In the most notable legislative work so far of the Trump administration, Republicans in Congress since Feb. 1 have approved measures to eliminate 13 regulations that were finalized in the waning months of Democratic President Barack Obama's eight years in office.

President Donald Trump so far has signed 11 of them into law. The measures were written under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which operates under strict time limits and bars agencies from writing substantially similar rules in the future.

The last day for submitting new CRA resolutions was Friday. Lawmakers have until mid-May to vote on pending CRA resolutions.

The following are rules overturned by CRA measures:

Broadband privacy - A Federal Communications Commission rule barring Internet service providers and telecommunications carriers from selling customers' personal information unless the customers allowed it. Eliminated by Trump's signature April 3.

Alaska wildlife - A rule intended to clarify how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service balanced caring for the environment on refuges and controlling predators. Eliminated by Trump's signature April 3.

Workplace injury records - A rule requiring employers to keep records of employees' work-related injuries and illness, with no time limit. Eliminated by Trump's signature April 3.

Drug testing unemployment applicants - A rule allowing states to deny unemployment benefits to people who tested positive for drug use if they had lost a job over substance abuse or if they can only work in occupations with regular drug testing. Eliminated by Trump's signature March 31.

Federal contracting - Called the "blacklisting rule" by Republicans, this regulation blocked federal contracts from being granted to companies that did not disclose their employment of women and minorities. Eliminated by Trump's signature March 27.

Land management - A U.S. Bureau of Land Management update to regulations enacted 30 years ago to make planning more efficient and open to the public. Eliminated by Trump's signature March 27.

School accountability - A rule meant to hold U.S. states more accountable for school performance. Instead of using statewide tests, the rule required states to use multiple indicators of school quality or student success. Eliminated by Trump's signature March 27.

Teacher preparation - A rule setting criteria for teacher preparation programs and withholding federal grants from programs that fall short. Eliminated by Trump's signature March 27.

Guns and mentally ill - Republicans said this rule deprived the mentally ill of their gun rights. It required expanded background checks for gun purchasers receiving Social Security benefits for a mental impairment. Eliminated by Trump's signature Feb. 28.

Stream protection - The Interior Department spent years crafting this rule to limit waste running into streams from mountaintop mining removal. Eliminated by Trump's signature Feb. 16.

Miner payments - A part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law that required energy companies to disclose taxes, royalties and other payments to foreign countries as a way to root out corruption. Eliminated by Trump's signature Feb. 14.

Here are rules targeted by CRA measures that have been approved by Congress and are awaiting Trump's signature:

Contraception funding - A rule intended to keep federal grants flowing to clinics that provide contraception and other services in states that want to block the funding.

Retirement plans - An exemption from federal pension protection laws for plans that cities run for people who do not have retirement savings programs at work.
U.S. officials are condemning a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria that left scores dead, even while acknowledging the government of President Bashar al-Assad, widely thought to have carried out the strike, remains a "political reality" in the country.

"Today's chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world," said White House press secretary Sean Spicer at a daily briefing on Tuesday.

The early-morning airstrike on a rebel-held neighborhood in northern Idlib province came days after top Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, signaled that Assad's removal was no longer a U.S. priority.

Six-year civil war

The latest images of dead and dying civilians are prompting the Trump administration to reconsider its policy on Syria, where a six-year civil war has left hundreds of thousands dead.

On Tuesday, Spicer acknowledged it was not in the "best interest" of the Syrian people to leave Assad in power, but said U.S. options were limited. "There's not a comfort level with Assad. I think it's a political reality," he said.

Spicer said that while the U.S. had "several opportunities in the past several years to look at regime change [in Syria], the landscape is fundamentally different today."

"That said, the president has made clear in the past and will reiterate today that he is not going to telegraph what we're going to do, but rest assured we will continue to have that discussion internally and with our allies around the globe," he added.

Tillerson did not comment on the strike when asked about it Tuesday at an event with Jordan's visiting King Abdullah. However, he later released a statement saying it showed that Assad operates with "brutal, unabashed barbarism," and blaming Russia and Iran for failing to rein in the Syrian leader.

"We call upon Russia and Iran, yet again, to exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again. As the self-proclaimed guarantors to the cease-fire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths," Tillerson said.

Deadly chemical attack

The chemical weapons attack was thought to be the deadliest of its kind in Syria since 2013, when a toxic gas attack on a Damascus suburb killed as many as 1,500 civilians. That attack crossed a "red line" set by former President Barack Obama, who threatened but did not follow through with retaliatory airstrikes against Assad.

Instead, Obama helped negotiate a deal whereby Syria would give up its chemical weapons. Sporadic chemical weapons attacks have since continued, some with less potent agents.

On Tuesday, Spicer blamed the latest attack on the "weakness and irresolution" of the Obama administration. "President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a red line against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing," Spicer said.

President Donald Trump has ramped up airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq but has refused to continue Obama's policy of arming rebels fighting Assad. Instead, Trump is said to be open to working with Russia, which is intervening on the side of Assad.

Trump's approach to Syria has attracted critics on both sides of the political spectrum.

Senator John McCain, who has pushed for greater U.S. involvement in Syria, said the latest chemical weapons attack represented "another disgraceful chapter in American history."

"Bashar Assad and his friends, the Russians, take note of what Americans say. I'm sure they took note of what our secretary of state said just the other day," the Arizona Republican said. "I'm sure they're encouraged to know that the United States is withdrawing and seeking some kind of new arrangement with the Russians."

Democratic Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland also urged a more robust international response following the attack.

"Russia is enabling the Assad regime to break any form of standards as far as use of chemical weapons, and now women and children again have been murdered as a result of the Assad regime's commission of war crimes," Cardin said.

Syrian activists

Spicer on Tuesday said he did not see any correlation between the timing of the chemical weapons attack and the Trump administration's change of policy on Assad. But many Syrian activists see it differently.

"This is the political reality that comes out of accepting ... the regime's survival," said Ammar Abdulhamid, a Syrian-American pro-democracy activist who lives in Maryland. "The regime will now kill on a larger scale and with greater impunity."

But those hoping the White House will change its Syria policy as a result of such attacks may be waiting for a while, said Jim Phillips, senior research fellow for Middle Eastern affairs at the conservative Heritage Foundation.

"I'm not sure the Trump administration would feel that kind of pressure," Phillips said. "I think they've definitely elevated the war against ISIS [an acronym for IS] and al-Qaida above the priority of removing the Assad regime."

VOA's Nike Ching and Cindy Saine contributed to this report.
The clock began running out this week on a strategy that has provided U.S. Republicans in Congress with their only notable legislative successes this year: aggressive use of an obscure U.S. law known as the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

On his 75th day in power, President Donald Trump has yet to offer any major legislation or win passage of a bill he favors, but House of Representatives Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has notched numerous small-scale victories with his strategy.

Vice President Mike Pence told business leaders at the White House on Tuesday that Trump would sign more CRA resolutions soon and roll back an "avalanche of red tape" from the administration of President Barack Obama, a Democrat.

Churning out resolutions

Since Trump took office on Jan. 20, McCarthy has led Congress in churning out 13 resolutions under the CRA killing Obama-era regulations, most of concern to business interests.

Trump has signed 11 of these into law, not only rolling back the rules they targeted but also barring agencies from writing "substantially similar" regulations in the future.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Tuesday the number of resolutions signed over two months showed Trump is "vastly different" from past presidents in rolling back regulations.

On Monday Trump signed a CRA resolution repealing broadband privacy protections. He has also signed resolutions killing rules meant to expand background checks for mentally ill gun purchasers, change public school assessments, and reduce coal waste runoff into streams.

Last Friday was the deadline for introducing any new CRA resolutions on regulations enacted by Obama's administration.

Now Republicans must complete voting on resolutions already in the legislative pipeline by mid-May.

Democrats assail the reversals as harming the environment, education and checks on Wall Street, with many saying the regulations were killed in order to please big-money lobbyists.

'Benefits the lobbyists'

Representative Louise Slaughter, the senior Democrat on the Rules Committee that sends resolutions to the House floor for votes, said in an interview "of course it benefits the lobbyists."

But she said fumbles around healthcare and tax reform also pushed CRA resolutions to the fore.

"Partly I think it's because they don't have anything else to do," she said about Republicans' eagerness. "Other than that I think it's just another 'take that Obama.'"

McCarthy, a Californian and the No. 2 House Republican, saw the CRA's potential before the election. Written in 1996 and successfully used only once before 2017, the law was originally meant to restore the balance of power between Congress and the federal bureaucracy. But lobbyists and lawmakers recognized it could be used as a policy weapon, if the stars aligned.

Under the law, resolutions only need simple majorities in each chamber to go on for the president's signature. So one party must control both the legislative and executive branches for it to work.

The law sets a short time span for introducing disapproval resolutions: 60 legislative days after a regulation is finalized, meaning it can only be used right after a president of an opposing party leaves office.

The stars aligned on Nov. 8, when Republicans captured the White House, Senate and House. For weeks Republican lawmakers bombarded McCarthy with lists of regulations to repeal and lobbying groups laid plans. The first disapproval resolutions were introduced on Jan. 30.

Regulations targeted

Right after the election, McCarthy told his party to "go through each regulation on our priority list," he said.

"If you look at Article One of the Constitution, this isn't the role of these agencies. The agencies have become too big," McCarthy said in an interview with Reuters.

The first resolutions sailed through, primarily because Republicans had opposed the regulations long before they were finalized. McCarthy said so many lawmakers objected to the stream pollution rule that wiping it off the books was easy.

Even though the CRA effort is winding down, McCarthy's brief campaign showed that aggressive use of the law could succeed, and provided Republicans with some modest, but needed successes in a time when they are struggling with larger matters.

"After years of talk about cutting red tape, it is now actually happening," House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Tuesday. "We are reversing the Obama administration's most recent and last regulatory onslaught."
Tasek Gelugor, a member of the Barisan Nasional coalition, made the comments in response to a proposal by an opposition member of parliament to amend the Sexual Offences Against Children bill to include a ban on child marriages.

By Reuters: A Malaysian MP said girls as young as nine were "physically and spiritually" ready for marriage, as the Muslim-majority Southeast Asian country passed a law on sexual offences against children without criminalising child marriage.

Tasek Gelugor, a member of the Barisan Nasional coalition, made the comments in response to a proposal by an opposition member of parliament to amend the Sexual Offences Against Children bill to include a ban on child marriages.

advertisement

The proposal was voted down by the majority of parliament.

"They reach puberty at the age of nine or 12. And at that time, their body is already akin to them being 18 years old. So physically and spiritually, it is not a barrier for the girl to marry," Tasek said on Tuesday during a debate on the bill.

NOTHING WRONG IN MARRYING RAPIST

He also said there was "nothing wrong" with a rape victim marrying her rapist as she would then not face a "bleak future".

Tasek's comments sparked outrage on social media, with some opposition politicians asking for him to be fired.

Under both civil law and Islamic law, girls and boys younger than 18 can be married. Civil law sets the minimum age of marriage at 18, but those above 16 can be married with the permission of their state's chief minister.

Under Islamic law, children younger than 16 can get married if the Shariah courts allow it.

The law passed on Tuesday makes no mention of child marriage.

It criminalises "grooming" - touching and befriending children as a prelude to sexual abuse - and spells out penalties for making and possessing pornography involving those under 18. A special court will also be set up under the new law to deal with child sexual abuse cases more quickly.

The maximum penalty under the law is a jail term of up to 30 years and six strokes of the whip for making, possessing or distributing child pornography.

CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

The new law comes into effect ten months after British paedophile Richard Huckle was found guilty of abusing up to 200 babies and children, mostly in Malaysia.

Reuters reported last year that most complaints of child sexual abuse in Malaysia do not lead to successful prosecutions, largely due to weaknesses in the criminal justice system.

Only 140 of the 12,987 cases of child sexual abuse reported to police between 2012 and July 2016 resulted in convictions.

"The law is more stringent now... but not enough," Teo Nie Ching, the opposition MP who proposed the ban child marriages, told Reuters.

advertisement

She said offenders would use the absence of a ban on child marriages to get away with crimes as marital rape is not a crime in Malaysia.

There have been several cases over the years of rapists marrying theirs victim, including those under 18, to avoid prosecution.

--- ENDS ---
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Go to form
Direct Assurances From Rt Hon David Davis MP

The Chief Minster has held various telephone conversations in the past three days with the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, the Rt Hon David Davis MP.

In the course of those conversations, Mr Davis has confidentially but very helpfully and very fully briefed the Chief Minister on the content of his discussion with Spanish counterparts during the course of his visit to Madrid last Sunday/Monday. The Chief Minister will disclose no further details in respect of that part of those conversations.

The Chief Minister was satisfied with the position set out by the Secretary of State for the Her Majestys Government of the United Kingdom in the context of the Art 50 process and the draft guidelines which the European Council has recently published.

The telephone conversations with Mr Davis are further to those held with the Prime Minister, Rt Hon Theresa May MP and the Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP.

Both Mrs May and Mr Johnson were entirely supportive of Gibraltars position in their conversations with Mr Picardo and pledged to defend and protect not just Gibraltars sovereignty, but also its economic well being.

Mr Picardo has also been fully reassured by Mr Davis that the United Kingdom will not do new agreements with the EU that may be relevant to Gibraltar if the Spanish Government try to exclude Gibraltar from the application of those agreements.

Mr Davis has also explicitly stated that the interests of Gibraltar will be protected in the context of the negotiations.

The Chief Minister said: I have had very positive contacts with Secretary of State Davis in the past seventy-two hours. He is clearly a strong supporter of Gibraltar, having been Minister for Europe, and not a man who is going to allow himself to be bullied into accepting inferior treatment for Gibraltar in the context of the negotiations to come. The interests of Gibraltar, as determined by Her Majestys Government of Gibraltar is concerned, are that the Spanish Government should not be allowed to get away with discriminatory treatment against Gibraltar, or with double vetos in respect of the application of new UK/EU agreements to Gibraltar. Such second bites at the cherry are entirely unacceptable. Mr Davis has,in fact,also told the UK Parliament that he wants to deliver for the UK the exact same benefits in respect of future agreements with the European Union as the UK, and therefore Gibraltar, enjoy today. I applaud and support his ambitions for Britain and Gibraltar in this respect. I am therefore confident that with Mr Davis assertion to me that the UK will not agree to future agreements that exclude Gibraltar, we will be able also to enjoy those exact same benefits in Gibraltar in the future. In that respect, the clause inserted by Spain into the draft EU guidelines may, if it endures in its current form beyond the 29th April, yet make the Spanish Government a hostage of its own attempts to abuse its position in respect of Gibraltar.
A potpourri of four-color delight.

Each month, Abraham Riesman offers recommendations of comics, including book-length graphic novels, comics-format nonfiction, and ongoing series. With any luck, at least one of them will be a match for you.

Aliens: Dead Orbit by James Stokoe (Dark Horse)

It feels like James Stokoes entire career has been building up to doing an Aliens comic. Or perhaps the entire Aliens franchise has been building up to working with James Stokoe. Its probably a bit of both, since the synergy between creator and franchise in Dead Orbit is one of remarkable power. Stokoe is among the best writer-artists working in comics today, trafficking in a Moebius-influenced signature style filled with crosshatching, detailed line work, and eerily organic visions of technology. Here, we get his take on the mythos Ridley Scott and H.R. Giger pioneered and James Cameron advanced, with a firm emphasis on the tone of the former instead of the latter. Theres no bullet-blasting action here, just fear of the unknown and the horror of a haunted house in space. Read it and youll salivate like a Xenomorph staring down its prey in an air vent.

Street Angel: After School Kung Fu Special by Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca (Image)

Ill copy the description that the creators of Street Angel give of protagonist Jesse Sanchez, since I could never do it better:



A+ skateboarder, D- orphan, and undisputed queen of the dumpster. Her alter ego, Street Angel, is razors and myth. An urban legends urban legend. The deadliest girl alive, Street Angel has saved the world at least 3  times.



What, thats not enough to whet your appetite? If you need more convincing: Street Angel is one of the most kick-ass comics on the market right now. It follows Jesse in a bruising tale of battle against a schoolyard tormentor, one that renders their tussle and its prelude with astounding dynamism and impact. Jim Ruggs artwork is nothing short of fantastic, hopping into your face like the sole of a Chuck Taylor at the end of a roundhouse kick. Originally relegated to micro-press publishing, Jesse is now in mainstream publishing, and youll find yourself wondering whether you want to be her, or are terrified that she might destroy you.

Eleanor & the Egret by John Layman, Sam Kieth, and Ronda Pattinson (AfterShock)

Back in the day, Sam Kieth co-created the Sandman with Neil Gaiman and and Mike Dringenberg, then went on to create cult-favorite indie hero the Maxx  and since then, we havent seen nearly enough of him. We also dont get enough of John Layman, writer-creator of fan-favorite Image series Chew, but all of that changes with the arrival of the charming Eleanor & the Egret from upstart publisher AfterShock. Its kinda hard to say what, exactly, the book is, other than a total delight. It takes place in some kind of steampunk version of the Victorian Era and centers around a mysterious woman who may or may not actually be three different women and may or may not have stolen a valuable painting and may or may not hang out with a talking bird. Even if you cant totally follow whats going on (which, one suspects, is the intended effect), theres more than enough to love in Kieth and colorist Ronda Pattinsons spectacular and impressionistic artwork. We got this, the egret tells Eleanor at one point. You think? she asks. He replies firmly: Im sure of it. So am I.

Royal City by Jeff Lemire (Image)

There are surprisingly few family dramas in comics. Its one of the dominant modes in film and television, but theres been a deficit of it in sequential art. So thank goodness that writer-artist Jeff Lemires Royal City delivers a pitch-perfect take on the genre, proving that it can thrive in the medium. The book follows a family in a small town, the members of which all face agonizing but mundane problems. The twist here is that there are mysterious, somewhat ghostly figures who keep speaking to them. Or is it just one figure with many aspects? Lemires evocative watercolors are uniquely well-suited for this brand of magical realism, and he demonstrates that he doesnt need wall-busting action to keep your eye gripped by the comic in front of you.

Old Man Logan by Jeff Lemire and Eric Nguyen (Marvel)

Speaking of Lemire, the guys also killing it in the superhero game. Since last year, hes been writing Old Man Logan, a Marvel series that spins out of the epochal Old Man Logan story line in Wolverine that so influenced the latest X-movie, Logan. The title follows an elderly version of Wolvie as he navigates a world that makes little sense to him and grapples with the fact that hes seen a vision of a dystopian future that he feels helpless to prevent. A new arc is about to begin in which were promised an expansive look at the centuries-long life of Logan (nee James Howlett), scribed by Lemire but illustrated by the greatly underrated Eric Nguyen of Dark Horses X. If you fell or re-fell in love with Wolverine thanks to Logan, prepare to get punched right in the feels, as the kids say.

The Sound of the World by Heart by Giacomo Bevilacqua (Lion Forge)

No one is ready when they first get here, Giacomo Bevilacqua writes of New York City in The Sound of the World by Heart, and no one is ever ready to leave again. Thats a decent description of how one reacts to his graphic novel, as well. If youre as unabashedly romantic as Bevilacqua, youll swoon over his extended vignette about a man on an unusual mission: move to Manhattan and avoid all human interaction for two months, then write about the experience. Of course, things dont go according to plan; of course they dont go according to plan because he meets a girl. Their serendipitously entwining pathways bring the reader along on a journey through the Big Apple, and Bevilacqua has an uncanny ability to convey everything that makes the city beautiful in autumn. Just try not to fall in love  both with the characters, and the burg in which they dwell.

Afar by Leila del Duca and Kit Seaton (Image)

Theres far too little Afrofuturism in comics. Sci-fi stories with black protagonists and African-influenced milieus pop up in Marvels Black Panther, but thats about it for mainstream sequential art. How lucky we are, then, to get writer Leila del Duca and artist Kit Seatons sweeping new graphic novel, Afar. In it, we meet two impoverished siblings who dwell in a pastiche of sub-Saharan Africa that resembles either a steampunk past or a post-apocalyptic future. After their parents depart to earn much-needed cash, the kids end up on a rollicking adventure across a desert while running from danger. But the central conceit deals with journeys far longer than treks in a wasteland: The sister suddenly finds that her spirit travels to distant planets while shes asleep or unconscious. The writing simmers with tension and confusion, but the real action comes in Seatons surreal imagery  she seems to have an unlimited supply of imaginary worlds in her head, and its a treat to see them put on paper.

Cloud Stories by K. Thor Jensen (Self-Published)

The final piece (calling it a story doesnt feel quite right) in K. Thor Jensens Cloud Stories offers instructions on how to become a cloud. The final three steps are as follows:



When no aspect of you has ever existed, open your eyes. Make no attempt to reestablish a sense of self. You are now a cloud.



That kind of transformation and disorientation permeates this remarkable compilation of microfictions, which feels wholly unlike anything else in the comics marketplace. The conceit is that every miniature chapter has something to do with clouds, and Jensen takes that prompt and runs with it: Theres an instructional comic on cloud science, a story about a violent man who vapes a lot, a superhero parody in which the protagonist fights a robot that eats clouds, a terrifying horror vignette about people turning into clouds of indescribable tiny objects, a charming bit about a cloud-dwelling giant whos sick of warriors coming to slay him, and so on. Theres no reason given for Jensens fixation on clouds, but youll be glad he has it.
The way we were  Photo: Fox Searchlight

Honestly, thank you Marc Webb for giving us Gifted, the syrupy-sweet family drama that brought together Hollywoods most lovingly mismatched couple (and, eventually, Hollywoods most lovingly mismatched pair of friendly exes). Chris Evans plays a down-and-out uncle battling his prickly mother for custody of his genius niece, while Jenny Slate plays the girls teacher; their scenes together are a welcome respite from the litany of by-the-numbers courtroom scenes. This movie made it possible for me to politely describe someone as being like primary colors, and thats worth the price of admission alone.

Slate turns out to only be the movies third-string female lead (following the very cute Mckenna Grace and the very severe Lindsay Duncan), but there are still a collection of moments that are sure to make you mourn her short-lived romance with Captain America. Here they are, from least to most bittersweet.



Jenny Slate and Chris Evans chill at a dive bar

Twice in Gifted do we see Jenny Slate and Chris Evans bonding over cheap drinks at their local Florida watering hole. The first time they hang out, Frank explains the story behind his genius sisters (Marys genius mother) suicide. The next time, they down tequila shots and have a chill heart-to-heart that turns flirty. This one isnt really bittersweet because Slate and Evans are chill exes now, meaning that there may be a chance for more IRL dive-bar hangouts in their future.



Jenny Slate decides that sleeping with Chris Evans might be fun after all

Moments after Slate shuts down the budding romantic tension between her and Evans at the bar  surprise  they barge into his bedroom drunkenly making out! When they hit the bed, she says some words about how she cant possibly sleep with her favorite students hot uncle. Itd be too weird and unprofessional. Evans promises her that he gets it, but just as he stands up to grab his keys, she changes her mind and yanks him back down next to her. The classically cutesy hijinx feel very fresh for exactly one second  until you realize that the pair will be sharing no more classically cutesy hijinx. However, theres not enough time to really wallow in the sadness, because were soon onto another classic rom-com beat: The little girl catches Slate wrapped up in the sheets!



Chris Evans drops off Mary at school, dutifully nodding at Jenny Slate

When Gifteds focus shifts entirely to the custody case, the Slate-Evans romance falls by the wayside. Slate gets a scene or two of being the Girl  she reminds Frank how much he loves his niece, and listens earnestly as he gets very sad about maybe not being able to raise her  but even after the niece leaves the Florida public school where Slate teaches, their romance fizzles out anyway. In the last scene, everyones life has settled into a comfortable routine: The niece balances college classes and first-grade recess. Evans picks her up from undergraduate physics and drops her off at grade school, catching Slates eye before he drives off. They exchange solemn nods, reflecting on the transience of lost love. Huh. Hows that for art imitating life imitating art?
He kind of almost pulled out of every movie he ever did, Heath Ledgers agent Steve Alexander recalls in the trailer for Spikes upcoming documentary I Am Heath Ledger. In the new film premiering April 23 at the Tribeca Film Festival interviews with everyone from Ledgers siblings to director Ang Lee, interspersed with Ledgers own home movies, paint the late actor as immensely gifted, and endlessly ambitious. The Brokeback Mountain star famously died in 2008 at the age of 28 as a result of the effects of mixing prescription medications. I Am Heath Ledger makes its network debut on Spike on May 17.
Jordan Klepper. Photo: Comedy Central

Comedy Central has spoken, and Jordan Klepper is the next Daily Show correspondent to receive the coveted 11:30 slot previously held by Stephen Colbert and Larry Wilmore. Debuting on the satirical news program in 2014, shortly before Jon Stewarts departure, Klepper has consistently delivered some of the best field reports and desk pieces during Trevor Noahs tenure. With the hair of a local weatherman (as well as the face and body of a weatherman), the self-assuredness of a national news correspondent, and the cadence of an empathetic yet fact-driven anchor, Klepper, much like Colbert before him, is able to walk the line of seeming sincere to his marks, while appearing deeply sarcastic to the audience at home. While its unclear what format and direction Klepper will take with his show when it premieres next fall, heres where his strengths as a political satirist and as a potential host lie:

Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse

Though Klepper hit the ground running at The Daily Show, his best work came during the 2016 election, when he could often be found deeply entrenched in a crowd of Trump supporters. Kleppers work went beyond pointing cameras at Middle America. During his recurring Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse segment he convinced many people to speak with unflinching candor about everything from why they didnt care about Trumps Access Hollywood Grab them by the pussy tape to Trumps Victory Tour circle-jerk. The best (and scariest), however, was his segment uncovering the real conspiracy theories real people really believed.

Donald Trump: The Greatest Show on Earth

Kleppers ability to steer an interview can be like a sleight-of-hand trick: By casually seeming to affirm his subjects statements while throwing in an outlandish or bombastic statement he leads his subjects into arguing new points entirely. In this interview with a Coney Island sideshow performer, Klepper turns a conversation about the art of the circus into the secret behind Trumps showmanship.

Are All Cops Racist?

In October 2015, those distant days before every political or news-related thought was somehow about Donald Trump, Klepper and Roy Wood Jr. scored an early success under Trevor Noahs reign on The Daily Show with this look into police bias. Here, Klepper plays a character he returns to frequently: the white guy with an indignant refusal to see problems facing people of color and women.

Good Guy With a Gun

Just as how Klepper is willing to play the at best naive, at worst mild-mannered-bigot to his more enlightened colleagues, Klepper also frequently takes on the part of gung-ho intrepid reporter ready to follow conservative arguments to their illogical conclusions. In this case, Klepper took on Fox News talking heads assertion that the only way to stop an active shooter is with a good guy with a gun, by becoming the good guy with a gun.

Oppression Cosplay

Klepper was always particularly good as a foil to Jessica Williams when she was still on the show. With her, Klepper inhabited a specific sort of privileged, Obama-era, post-racial, accidental racist. Its a character that made him an ideal Rachel Dolezal defender and makes you wonder if hell be doing his show in character.

TMI

Like many Daily Show correspondents before him, Klepper has an improv and sketch background, having studied and performed at Second City and UCB Theatre. It was there that Klepper met his wife and comedy parter, Lauren Grey. Together theyve made very funny sketches about the absurdity of coupledom. TMI shows that where Colberts buffoon was based in pomposity, Kleppers is rooted in a faux intellectual smugness.



A Conversation With Jack White & Jordan Klepper

Should Kleppers show run like a traditional late show with interviews, rest assured that he can handle a straightforward talk with a celebrity. In his conversation, for Pandora, with Jack White, Klepper is a quick and comfortable interviewer.

Klepper Hosting The Daily Show

When Trevor Noah fell ill, Klepper jumped into the hot seat. He didnt reinvent the wheel with his monologue at the top of the show, but then again thats not what regular watchers want. Fans expect an informative take on the biggest news event laced with topical jokes and maybe a few goofy jabs, and thats exactly what Klepper did. Given the short notice, Klepper gave a solid, confident monologue about the final 2016 presidential debate and showed promise as a future front man.
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Childhood sweetheart, Uma Cheeta has been married to CRPF commander Chetan Kumar Cheeta, who was discharged from Delhi's AIIMS Trauma Centre today, for 14 years. Wearing a yellow kurta and pink stole around her neck, she is happy and exhausted and said, "I know the perils of being married to a soldier. You can always get that call." She says she was drawn to Cheeta, who is her inspiration, a man in uniform, with a sense of humour, discipline and courage.

advertisement

She says, "He got promotion last year after which he left for Kashmir, shortly after Diwali. He would always call. But, on 14th February, it was Valentine's Day. I tried calling him. But, his number was switched off. It was unusual, because he always communicated. I had premonition then itself that "something" is wrong. I called up the CRPF emergency number. It's then, I was told he has been injured,"

"The force made arrangements for me to fly to Srinagar, where Cheeta was flown in for treatment at 92 Base Hospital. I met him inside the chopper and could hear him breathe. It is then I knew that he would survive."

Cheeta was shot nine times by terrorists during a gunbattle in Kashmir's Bandipora on February 14.

As the security forces face barrage of bullets in anti-terror operations, she expressed disappointment with youth pelting stones at security forces.

"These forces are for the people. They are there to defend the nation. Why should youth pelt stones at them?," she said, almost suppressing anger, adding, "I think these people don't want development. How will people of Kashmir make progress, how will Srinagar develop, if the youth indulge in stone pelting."

This even as Farooq Abdullah, National Conference president defended stone-pelters saying the youth were not giving up their live for tourism, but for resolution of the Kashmir issue as per the wishes of its people.

"If he (stone pelting youth) is giving up his life, he is not doing it for tourism. He is giving his life so that the destiny of this nation is decided which should be acceptable to the people of this place. This needs to be understood," Abdullah said at an election meeting in Sonawar constituency, where byelection will be held on 9th April.

DG Sudeep Lakhtakiya, who visited the officer before his discharge, said "Our forces are facing a trying time. We (CRPF) are at forefront of action with Jammu and Kashmir Police and Army. But, Cheeta has proven that he is a living example of fortitude, valour and bravery.

Also read:

advertisement

It's a Chetan Cheeta miracle: After fighting deep coma, 9 bullets, CRPF officer heads home from AIIMS

Condition of CRPF Commanding Officer Chetan Cheeta who gave a tough fight to militants in Bandipora improves

WATCH THE VIDEO:

--- ENDS ---
It did not turn out to be a Live for Now moment.

Pepsi has pulled its controversial commercial in which Kendall Jenner offers Pepsi to police officer during a protest, after first defending it amid widespread backlash. The spot co-opted imagery from both anti-Trump protests and the Black Lives Matter movement, for a supposedly feel-good message about creating Live for Now moments. Instead, the ad infuriated viewers. Pepsi was trying to project a global a message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly, we missed the mark, and we apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are pulling the content and halting any further rollout, the company said in a statement. We also apologize for putting Kendall Jenner in this position, they added, because clearly Kendall  and not people involved in protest movements or those subject to police brutality  is the wronged party.
China said that India in disregard of China's concerns obstinately arranged Dalai Lama's visit to the eastern part of the India-China border causing serious damage to India China relations.

By Ananth Krishnan: Suggesting it wanted India to stop the nine-day visit of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said: "We demand India stop using the Dalai Lama to do anything that undermines China's interests and we also demand the Indian side not hype up sensitive issues between India and China".

China also called in Indian Ambassador to China Vijay Gokhale to lodge a protest this afternoon.

advertisement

"India in disregard of China's concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai [Lama]'s visit to the eastern part of the India China border causing serious damage to China's interests and to India China relations," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.

"The Chinese side firmly opposes this move and will lodge firm= representations with the Indian side". Hua did not say how those representations would be lodged, but officials said this would likely be done in Beijing and New Delhi.

RELIGIOUS VISIT ARE EMPTY WORDS

Hua also dismissed India's suggestion of the visit to Arunachal being "religious" without a political message, saying those were "empty words".

"We have noted the statement form officials of the Indian side," Hua said. "Can you tell me honestly do you seriously believe the Dalai [Lama] is only a religious leader? The answer is known to all. He is not just a religious figure. Therefore his visit to this place will not be of a purely religious purpose. So using these empty words to define this arrangement is not reasonable".

China's strong statement comes as State media in Beijing on Wednesday accused India of trying to "play the Tibet card" in response to recent strains in ties, such as China's investments in PoK and its opposition to India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

HOPE TO MAINTAIN GOOD MOMENTUM: CHINA

The view in Beijing is that the current visit by the Dalai Lama to Tawang, which is at the centre of Beijing's territorial claims in the eastern sector, is of a higher profile than in 2009, with the Tibetan spiritual leader being accompanied by MoS Home Kiren Rijiju.

Hua said the visit ran "counter" to the "good momentum" in ties. "We hope we can work together to maintain the growth of relations," Hua said. "We know India and China are two close neighbours and countries in Asia. Cooperation between us will serve interests of the region. We hope to maintain good momentum of growth but this move runs counter to this wish, so we hope India stops doing things that undermine our interests."

Hua said the Dalai Lama issue, however, "goes beyond internal affairs". "The role played by the Dalai Lama is clear to all. The issues concerning Tibet have a bearing on China's core interests. India in disregard of China's concerns obstinately arranged the visit. This will for sure trigger China's dissatisfaction. And this will not bring any benefit to India".

advertisement

Also Read:

Dalai Lama in Arunachal Pradesh amid China protest: No problem if some consider me demon

China repeats warning ahead of Dalai Lama's Arunachal visit

India on China's objection to Dalai Lama's Arunachal Pradesh visit: Stop creating artificial controversy

Dalai Lama reaches Arunachal Pradesh amidst opposition from China

Also watch:

China shouldn't interfere in India's internal matters: Rijiju on Dalai Lama's Arunachal visit

--- ENDS ---
Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama is visiting Arunachal Pradesh which has irked China. Beijing had said Dalai Lama's tour of the northeastern state will cause 'serious damage' to bilateral ties.

Some people consider me as a demon, I have no problem with that, says Dalai Lama. (Photo/ANI)

By India Today Web Desk: Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, today responded to China's objection to his Arunachal Pardesh visit saying New Delhi has never used him against Beijing.

China has raised objection to the Dalai Lama's trip to Arunachal Pradesh saying it will cause 'serious damage' to bilateral ties. However, Dalai Lama rejected China's worry but added that some Chinese politicians consider him as a demon.

advertisement

"Among the Chinese, many love India but there are many narrow minded politicians. They consider me as a demon. I don't think I am a demon. No problem...," he told reporters in Bomdila.

"I am a messenger of ancient Indian thoughts and values. I certainly thank the Indian government for their support," Dalai Lama said.

This is Dalai Lama's sixth visit to Arunachal Pradesh since 1983. His last trip came in 2009.

INDIA REJECTS CHINA'S WORRY OVER DALAI LAMA'S ARUNACHAL VISIT

India has rejected China's objection saying no 'artificial controversy' should be created around the visit and asked Beijing not to interfere in its internal affairs.

The external affairs ministry also asserted that the government has clearly stated on several occasions that the Dalai Lama is a revered religious leader, who is deeply respected by the Indian people.

"No additional colour should be ascribed to his religious and spiritual activities and visits to various states of India," the ministry said in a release.

WATCH: China shouldn't interfere in India's internal matters: Rijiju on Dalai Lama's Arunachal visit ALSO READ:

India playing Tibet card as diplomatic tool, says Chinese media

Dalai Lama reaches Arunachal Pradesh amidst opposition from China

China repeats warning ahead of Dalai Lama's Arunachal visit

--- ENDS ---
Historic Waco Foundation will have a free reception for the opening of its new exhibit, "Uniting the Home Front: Waco in World War I," from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Fort House Museum, 503 S. Fourth St.

The exhibit to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the United States entry into World War I features Camp MacArthur, the training camp for the 32nd Infantry Division, and Rich Field, an airfield for aviation training.

Display items include a 1917 Liberty Bond, barbed wire from the trenches, a 1917 Enfield rifle, and a scrapbook filled with rare photographs of Camp MacArthur and Waco.

The exhibit will be on display through June 30 at Fort House Museum, 503 S. Fourth St.

Hours of visitation will be 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 4 p.m Saturdays.

17-18-19th St. Corridor

The City of Waco will hold a public meeting to discuss its study of the 17-18-19th St. Corridor, from Lake Shore Drive to LaSalle Avenue, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Waco-McLennan County Central Library, 1717 Austin Ave.

The purpose of the study is to identify opportunities to enhance sidewalks and bike travel, modify travel lanes to balance mobility and livability, and to spur economic development in the area.

Attendees can learn more about the project, visit with team members, and share their input.

For more information, visit www.17-18-19corridorstudy.com.

WCT's 'Pride and Prejudice'

Waco Civic Theatre, 1517 Lake Air Drive, will present Pride and Prejudice at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

A matinee will be presented at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

For tickets, call 776-1591 or visit www.wacocivictheatre.org.

DRT meeting

The Daughters of The Republic of Texas, Sterling C. Robertson Chapter, will meet at 1 p.m. Thursday at the West Waco Library, 5301 Bosque Blvd.

Charlene Carson, author "Images of America: Salado," will present "Mills of Early Central Texas."

For more information, email susieperkins06@gmail.com or call 749-2342.

Counselors' seminar

Heart of Texas Counseling Association will hold a seminar, "Technology and the Family: A Counselor's Guide," from 9 a.m. to noon Friday at Crestview Church of Christ Community Center, 7129 Delhi Road.

Th program will cover the technology and social media children are using and how it impacts their personal lives and families.

Cost is a $30 membership fee. CEUs available for LPC, LMFT and LCSW.

For more information, call 214-2643.
Supporters of Historic Waco Foundation turned to a 17th-century card game and other classic games Tuesday afternoon in their ongoing efforts to honor and preserve historic homes in the area.

Foundation members gathered at McLennan Community College for an afternoon of bridge, mahjong, bunco and dominoes during the annual East Terrace Luncheon & Games Day, which has been held for four decades. The East Terrace Historic Home Committee hosted lunch and table games and raised money to support upkeep and renovation efforts at East Terrace House.

East Terrace is like going back in time, Committee Chair Mary Aileen Edwards said. It really is like going back in time when you step in the door with preserving what used to be in Waco.

Brownfields honored

About 150 members of the Historic Waco Foundation and other supporters attended the luncheon to visit and take part in the fundraisers games.

Italianate architecture is detailed throughout the East Terrace House museum, settled near the Brazos River in East Waco, with tall, hooded windows and bracketed cornices giving the home a feeling of grandeur, Edwards said.

Billie Brownfield and her husband, Joe Brownfield, were honored during the luncheon for their years of work on the house. Joe Brownfield died in late March, and the Brownfields were recognized as providing a guiding force for East Terrace House since the 1970s.

We just want to share our love of this property, and this is the way we can raise money to keep this going, Billie Brownfield said. My husband was the instigator that pushed me to get involved in the homes, but I couldnt have done it without all these beautiful people.

In the late 1850s, future industrialist John Wesley Mann moved to Waco, then moved into East Terrace House between 1872 and 1874. Over time, the property was converted to a sanatorium and later was left vacant before Young Brothers Contractors purchased the estate in the 1950s.

My husband was F.M. Young and was one of the donors of the house and the land, Gloria Young said as she spoke with Brownfield. Mrs. Brownfield has devoted her life to making East Terrace wonderful and, with her sweet smile, working right alongside everyone as a true leader.

Much time, effort

Brownfield said she and her husband have donated thousands of dollars in labor, materials and hours of dedication to preservation efforts with Historic Waco Foundation, primarily to ensure the longevity of East Terrace House.

We want to give this to our children and to our grandchildren, because it is just a project of history, Brownfield said. This is how we keep history alive.
Mary Ellen Guardiola, 69, passed away April 2, 2017.Funeral services will be held 10:00 a.m., Friday, April 7, at Connally Compton Funeral Directors. Burial will follow in Oakwood Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, April 6, at the funeral home.

Mary was born March 28, 1948 in Waco, Texas to Betty Rodriquez. Mary loved dancing and fellowship with friends but most of all hanging out with family. You could always find her doing her crossword puzzles and watching her novella's. Mary gave her life to God and had a relationship with him. She will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her.
Bobby Uptmor

May 5, 1948 - April 2, 2017

Bobby Uptmor, age 68, of Leroy, passed away unexpectedly Sunday, April 2, 2017 in Waco. A Rosary will be recited at 6 p.m., Thursday, at Aderhold Funeral Home Chapel in West, followed by visitation until 8 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 10 a.m., Friday, April 7, 2017 at St. Martin's Catholic Church in Tours. Burial will follow at St. Martin's Cemetery.

Bobby was an instructor at TSTC for 32 years, owned Lone Star Tavern & Steakhouse in Bellmead for 27 years.

Survivors include his beloved wife of 47 years, Rene Uptmor of Leroy; a daughter, Jennifer Uptmor of Lacy Lakeview; a grandson, Joshua Biles; a great-granddaughter, Adeline Biles; a brother, Steve Uptmor and wife, Teresa; a sister-in-law, Robin Gibbs and husband, Michael; and several nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Martin Church Building Fund or to St. Martin Cemetery Association.

A full obituary and memorial guest book found at www.aderholdfuneralhome.com.
The kind of company you work for makes a big difference to your chances of getting raises, new research has found. This adds to growing evidence that what goes on inside firms matters beyond their walls. Researchers have shown that company-level differences have become large enough to influence national productivity growth and overall wage inequality. The new study suggests they affect income mobility, too.

Having gathered data on workers and companies from the Census Bureau and the Social Security Administration, researchers John Abowd of the Census Bureau, Kevin McKinney of the California Census Research Data Center and Nellie Zhao of Cornell University categorized workers and their employers along three dimensions: skill, earnings and average company pay. Not surprisingly, they found some correlation between workers and firms. Low-skilled workers tend to work at low-paying companies, for example, and to earn low wages.

While 27 percent of low-skilled workers are employed at low-paying companies, just 17 percent of medium-skill workers are. And almost 80 percent of the low-skilled workers at those companies are in the bottom of the earnings distribution across all workers, compared with well under half of the medium-skilled workers at those same firms. Conversely, 25 percent of high-skilled workers are employed at top-paying firms, and 89 percent of those workers are in the top earnings category overall. Those top firms employ 21 percent of medium-skilled workers, of whom 42 percent are in the highest overall earnings category.

These classifications allowed the authors to figure out the wage premium associated with working at different companies. High-paying companies, they found, not only pay low- and medium-skilled workers more than others do, but are also significantly more likely to keep such workers moving up the wage distribution.

A low-skilled worker at the top end of the earnings distribution who is employed by a low-paying company earns an average of $67,000, compared with $73,000 at a top-paying firm. For high-skilled workers in the top part of the earnings distribution, the premium associated with working at a top-paying firm is even larger: The average wage is $81,000 at the bottom end and $143,000 at the top. These differences, which are consistent with findings in past studies, are hard to reconcile with the Econ 101 model of the labor market, in which a workers pay depends only on his or her skills.

The more important benefit that the research found for low- and middle-skilled workers at high-paying companies is their odds of increasing pay. For medium-skilled workers in the middle of the earnings distribution who are now at low-paying companies, the chances of moving into the top overall wage category next year is less than 1 percent. At medium-paying companies, its 3 percent, and at top-paying ones, its 12 percent.

Other recent research suggests that capital returns are becoming more differentiated across companies, that productivity growth has not declined at leading firms and that rising wage inequality mainly reflects changes across firms, not within them. For too long, policymakers and many macroeconomists have largely ignored what goes on inside companies and why some behave differently than others. If they are to understand inequality in the U.S., they need to start paying attention.
ASHLAND  An announcement regarding the fate of the Ashland Family Clinic is coming soon.

Last week, Earl West, president of the Ashland Community Medical Clinic Fund board of directors, said the board will be announcing their decision on whether the clinic will remain open and who will operate it in the next week or so.

The decision came after a well-attended public meeting on March 26 where about 60 people filled the community resource center room at the Ashland Public Library to voice their opinion about the clinic.

The attendees were overwhelmingly in favor of keeping the clinic open, West said.

Nobody spoke against having health care in Ashland, he said. Everyone felt the clinic needed to remain open.

The clinic was in danger of closing after the announcement in February that the remaining health care provider, Dr. Greg Precht, was leaving at the end of April to pursue employment in Omaha.

Prior to Prechts announcement, Chelsea Schuster, a physicians assistant who worked in the clinic part-time, left for personal reasons. As a result, the hours were reduced from five days a week to four in January.

The clinic has been operated by Saunders Medical Center (SMC) since 2011. Precht came on board the following year.

After Precht announced his resignation, representatives from the local Medical Clinic Fund board and about 20 members of the public met with the SMC Board of Trustees in Ashland.

It was there the public learned that the clinic had been losing money over the years, including $341,000 in 2016. SMC officials also indicated the clinics patient base had not grown as expected.

West said the Medical Clinic Fund board has been discussing options for the clinic, which include staying with SMC or going with a different provider. He said there have been two other providers other than SMC that have stepped forward to indicate interest.

The medical fund board used input gathered at the March 26 meeting when deciding which provider to choose, West said.

We left with the understanding that were going to come up with a provider and were going to make a decision based on whoever gives us the best health care for Ashland, he said. Thats the most important thing.

The medical fund board is in charge of making decisions regarding the clinic because of the communitys history regarding local health care.

The community found itself without a doctor in the 1970s, so Ashland applied to sponsor two South Vietnamese doctors through a program that brought refugee physicians from the war torn Asian country to the U.S. A fund drive was started in 1976 to build a building that would house a medical clinic as well as dentist and optometrist offices. The Ashland Community Medical Fund was established as a nonprofit, tax exempt corporation. The medical office opened in July 1977.

The Ashland Community Medical Clinic Fund board continues to own the building, charging rent to its tenants.

The medical fund board chose SMC to operate the clinic just over five years ago, replacing Lincoln Family Medical Group, which had operated the clinic for 25 years.
Daniel Craig seems to have snatched the James Bond role from Tom Hiddleston... for one last time.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Daniel Craig is ready to sign on to return as fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond, say reports.

Multiple sources told the pagesix.com that Bond franchise producer Barbara Broccoli has "just about persuaded Daniel Craig to do one more Bond movie".

This comes after Broccoli produced his hit off-Broadway production of Othello with actor-producer David Oyelowo.

advertisement

A Hollywood source said, "Daniel was very pleased with how Othello went and the great reviews. Now Daniel's talks with Barbara are going in the right direction. They have a script - screenwriting duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (who've penned several Bond movies) are writing and they'll go into production as soon as Daniel is ready to commit."

The source added, "Plus, Barbara Broccoli doesn't like Tom Hiddleston, he's a bit too smug and not tough enough to play James Bond."

In 2015, Craig was asked if he'd be back again after finishing a difficult Spectre shoot, and replied: "I'd rather... slash my wrists... I'm over it at the moment."

Another source said, "Daniel had such a good time in Othello, produced by Barbara that he's ready to do a final Bond."

Representatives for Craig and Broccoli haven't commented on it yet.

DANIEL CRAIG EXCLUSIVE: I don't discuss James Bond with my wife

ALSO WATCH: Daniel Craig says James Bond wants a bit of peace and quiet

ALSO WATCH: Daniel Craig tells Kalli Purie he just acts, pretends to be 007

--- ENDS ---
WAHOO  More than $6,500 was raised in less than 30 minutes March 31 at the Wahoo Livestock Commissions rollover calf auction, and it will all benefit wildfire victims.

The calf sold several times over to the almost 50 people in attendance at the sale last Friday afternoon, finally winding up in the herd of Lawrence Kasik of Richland for $800.

Wahoo Livestock Commission Owner Jason Swanson said the idea for raising the money for the wildfire victims took shape over the last two weeks. He said Sale Barn Manager Tyler Sudik went to a feeder associations meeting and the idea came up.

The calf was co-donated by the Wahoo Livestock Commission and Donahue Shorthorn of Raymond, Swanson said.

The money raised will purchase fencing material, including barbed wire and posts, after the recent wildfires in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico.

Swanson said the money will be donated from the Saunders County Livestock Association to the Nebraska Cattlemens Association. It will then be donated to the Kansas Livestock Foundation for the purchases.

Saunders County Livestock Association Member Stan Keiser was at last weeks auction and was pleased with the money raised. He said they would make sure the money got to its intended destination.

Cattle ranchers, he said, are a tight-knit group.

Its kind-of a fraternity. We look out for each other, the Ashland area cattleman said.

Swanson agreed.

The cattle business is a small world, he said.

He added that everybody kind-of knows somebody thats been affected by the wildfires.

Swanson has owned the Wahoo Livestock Commission for two years and was not surprised by the amount of money raised.

Some buyers come from over an hour away every week while others come from farther distances with less frequency, he said about business at the sale barn on the east edge of Wahoo.

He was also not surprised at the amount raised because of the people involved.

People in the ag business are very open-hearted. They help how they can, Swanson said.

Keiser didnt disagree.

When the time comes, people step up to the plate and help, Keiser said.

In addition to the auction, a donation bucket was passed through the crowd last week.

Swanson said Kolb Farms, who had bought the calf twice during the auction for a total of $925, donated an additional $2,000 after the auction was over.

Keiser said a collection was also taken recently at a Saunders County Livestock Association meeting, but he was unsure of the amount raised from that effort.

Keiser said he has heard of other efforts, including area families who have sent trailers full of hay to the areas devastated by fires.

It takes a lot to recover from a disaster, Keiser said.

The difficulty in recovering, he added, is exacerbated if ranchers are trying to make a living off their cow herd.
WAHOO  An empty seat was difficult to come by March 29 at the Wahoo Performance-Learning Center.

Wahoos stage was host to more than 1,900 students grades six through 12 from across Nebraska that bore witness to two Holocaust survivors stories on Holocaust Day of Remembrance.

Twenty-eight Nebraska schools took advantage of the opportunity. Some traveled to Wahoo from as far as 65 miles away and others joined virtually through video conferencing technology. The event was also open to community members.

Liz Feldstern, executive director of institute for holocaust education (IHE), told students they were offered a special opportunity, as Holocaust survivors are getting to be fewer as time passes.

People that lived through this are not young, Feldstern said. Its an opportunity you have, but your children wont have.

The Omaha-based institute co-sponsored the event with Educational Service Unit 2.

We love to provide this opportunity to students, said Diane Wolfe, ESU2 director of digital learning tools and distance learning services. Wahoo has such a beautiful facility and working with the staff is fantastic.

Nothing can compare to an eyewitness experience, as it serves the most compelling, primary source, said Joan Wilson, ESU2 registration and web technician.

Its not just what she said, said Wilson of Holocaust Survivor Sonia Warshawskis testimony. You could hear the angst and cry in her voice. Theres no such thing as past history for her.

Warshaswki shared her horrific experiences as a Jewish child growing up in Poland during the Holocaust. She was transported between concentration camps and watched her mother enter the gas chamber.

It is impossible to tell you everything, because it would take days and days, Warshawski told those in attendance for the morning session.

The survivor that now lives in Kansas City said that for some time she experienced survivors guilt, which inhibited her from speaking publicly about the events she experienced as a child.

But the 91-year-old could not shake the message of two women upon their death at a concentration camp.

They screamed never, never forget and take revenge, she said. Im speaking for those that died.

Warshawski said there were many bystanders during the brutality, and she encouraged the youth in attendance to never follow the crowd, in hopes that history will not repeat itself.

Fill your hearts with love and mind with knowledge, she said.

Wahoo Sophomore Hunter Celesky was grateful that Warshawski is speaking publicly about what she endured as a child.

I think she told it in the best way possible, Celesky said. People should learn from history. People have to learn from their mistakes.

Students had another opportunity to learn about history firsthand, as Holocaust Survivor Robbie Waisman shared his experience later that same afternoon.

Wahoo Public Schools and ESU2 have hosted the educational experience since 2012.

Wolfe said of all the survivors testimonies, they all share one message in common.

Always choose love, she said. And stand up for what you believe in.
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI) Services in about 10 government hospitals in Delhi were hit today as the doctors joined their counterparts in West Delhis Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital, who are on a strike following alleged assaults on them.

Resident doctors from various city hospitals, including those from AIIMS, have come out in solidarity with doctors of DDU Hospital, whose protest strike entered its third day today.

advertisement

Doctors from Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Madan Mohan Malviya and Sanjay Gandhi hospitals, among others joined the strike, affecting routine and emergency services in their establishments.

On Monday the doctors in the DDU hospital emergency and the guards were allegedly beaten up by the relatives of a patient. Reportedly, the female doctors had to lock themselves up in the toilets to avoid assault on them.

"Three incidents of such assaults were reported within three hours from the hospital, which led to the resident doctors go on strike," a hospital official said.

The incident occurred close on heels of a massive protest by resident doctors in Maharashtra who demanded security for hospital staff and themselves following a spate of assaults on them.

"We strongly condemn the repeated attacks on resident doctors by anti-social elements. It is the duty of hospital administration and government to provide security at their work place," AIIMS Resident Doctors Association said.

While urging the government to look into the demands of the resident doctors immediately, the AIIMS RDA also requested the general public to support doctors, saying " we are also the victims of this poor health system. PTI PLB KIS

--- ENDS ---
By Austin Hancock

Lincolnshire, UK  After years of taxying on the ground, desperate to takeoff, Avro Lancaster Just Jane is now on track to fly. For the past 20 years, the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre has taken immaculate care of Just Jane, aka Serial Number NX611. Just Jane was built by Austin Motors at Longbridge near Birmingham, in April 1945. Given the serial number NX611, she was one of the first 150 B Mk VII Avro Lancasters destined as part of the RAFs Tiger Force in the Far East. However, Japans early surrender meant these aircraft were suddenly surplus to requirements and, instead of seeing service, NX611 ended up in storage at Llandow. She was stored until 1952.

In April 1952 she was bought by the French Government. Painted midnight blue, she flew maritime patrol for the French Navy. Avro Lancaster NX611 in at RAAF Butterworthaval Air Arm. Ten years later, she went to Noumeau, New Caledonia, was painted white and used for air sea rescue and cartography. Then in 1964, the French presented her to the Historical Aircraft Preservation Society and flew her to her new home in Sydney where she was overhauled before being flown back to Britain. It took nine days to complete the 12,000 mile journey back to her homeland- seventy flying hours- landing at Biggin Hill on 13 May, 1965.

The airplane changed hands frequently up until September of 1983. At this point, the Lanc was acquired via auction by Fred and Harold Panton, founders of the museum. They bought the aircraft to serve as a memorial to their brother Christopher, who was killed on the Nuremburg Raid in March 1944, and all of the men who served in Bomber Command. From here, restoration was done to the point of taxy-able, and rides have been sold in Just Jane since then.

Now, we join the Lincolnshire Aviation team in their quest to return Just Jane to the skies. Up to now, the main barrier to NX611s ability to take flight has been funding. As with any WWII Warbird, the financial aspects always seem to be one thing holding back progress. Fortunately for the Lincolnshire crew, all the other aspects are in place and strong. The museum volunteers/workers, members, and museum patrons are all present. The funding is now following these strong pillars to success. Donations, admission fees, and taxy ride tickets are, and shall continue to pave the way for Just Janes flight. During the restoration to airworthy, the team plans to still operate the Lancaster each season for taxy-rides, to generate funding during the longer-term restoration to airworthy. So, even as a work in progress, Just Jane can still fend for herself and raise funds. The goal is to be flying by 2020.

Restoration to flight-status began this past November, as tear-down began. Parts including the radar radome, control surfaces, turrets, engine cowlings, bomb-doors, panels, et al. were removed to open-up Just Jane to inspection and repairs to airworthy status. The oil-filters were removed from the hungry RR-Merlin engines, as well, to check for signs of metal. No indications were found of metal fatigue or failure internal to each engine, so all clear. A team of 8 engineers made quick work of the initial unwrapping of the Lanc. The airplane has been rigged in level-flight attitude (tail-high) as to take unneeded stressors off the airframe, during her prolonged time spent in maintenance. Also, the provides easier access to certain sections of the plane for repairs.

As the work on Just Jane has progressed, since November, the more detail oriented work has come about. Items such as spark-plugs, wires, engine tuning are receiving rigid attention from the team of engineers. They want this Lancaster to run better than new. Not only will Jane be running tip-top when she takes to the skies, shell be looking spectacular as well. The team has decided to strip-down the old paint, and apply a fresh coat for the upcoming seasons. This is no easy task, however, as the process took 12 days. For comparison, a standard airliner takes about 4. To say that the Lincolnshire crew pays attention to detail would be an understatement. As the paint has been removed, mars to certain panels have been discovered. With a little progressing sheet metal work, these skins will be good as new. A decision was made to replace the main-planes rivets, for the better of Jane, going into the future. This choice will delay the restoration a bit, but prevent a future issue as the begins flying.

Removal of the fuel tanks is necessary under the maintenance regimen for Just Jane. Again, this is a task proving to be rather complex in comparison to others. The inboard tanks are very close-tight to the main spar, making removal of the screws close to impossible. It is a delicate job, as one wrong move or an overly-aggressive twist of the wrench, could cause harm to the main-spar itself. The rigorous tasks that must be overcome to get Jane in the air are nothing short of intense, yet the team continues to push forward. Today, work is continuing on sheet metal and paint, along with system-related items (engines, brakes, etc.) Also, the re-painting has begun! The goal is to be at 40% completion of the total airworthy restoration by this taxy season.

As the 2017 taxy season edges ever closer, maintenance work will begin to wind-down shortly. However, once Just Jane is put back in the barn next fall, restoration to airworthy will pick right up where it left off. For those who wish to support the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centres efforts to get Jane flying again, the options are limitless. For starters, one can join the Rivet Club, for as little as 2 Euros a month. This option provides regular newsletter updates, straight to ones email inbox. Furthermore, as mentioned above, taxy season starts shortly. Every taxy ride bought gets Just Jane another step closer to grasping the skies. Donations of all amounts are also welcome, and encouraged, at any time. To support Just Jane, check out the Lincolnshire website www.lincsaviation.co.uk

Below are photos showing the primer and the black and green paint being applied. The cowlings have all been paint stripped and rubbed down ready for priming and top coat, one of the things this has revealed is the red paint from the spinners while she was stood at Scampton!

To support Just Jane, check out the Lincolnshire website www.lincsaviation.co.uk

Check out AVI-8s Lancaster Series!

[inpost_galleria thumb_width=200 thumb_height=200 post_id=28896 thumb_margin_left=3 thumb_margin_bottom=0 thumb_border_radius=2 thumb_shadow=0 1px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) id= random=0 group=0 border= show_in_popup=0 album_cover= album_cover_width=200 album_cover_height=200 popup_width=800 popup_max_height=600 popup_title=Gallery type=yoxview sc_id=sc1491403535156]
The BJP said that they will take up the issue with the Election Commission.

By Kapil Sharma: In a big setback for BJP, candidature of four of its nominees for MCD election has been rejected.

After scrutiny of nomination papers the Returning Officer took the decision for wards - Abul Fazal enclave, Bapraula, Kishanganj and West Vinod Nagar.

Apart from this, five other candidates are also in the danger zone as the Returning Officer found discrepancy in nomination papers. The BJP said that they will take up the issue with the Election Commission.

advertisement

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections are slated for April 23 and counting will take place on April 25.

The North, South and East Delhi Municipal Corporations together constitute 272 seats, of which the BJP's current strength is 153.

Also read:

MCD elections 2017: Delhi BJP announces first list of 160 candidates for civic polls

--- ENDS ---
Removing Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in response to his latest chemical weapons attack would exacerbate chaos from the country's long running civil war and could see an even more dangerous leader installed, a former Australian ambassador in the region has warned.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop joined condemnation of the gas attack against the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun, in which the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 58 civilians, including 11 children, were.

Mr Turnbull said al-Assad was found to be behind the attack, as the United States believe, it represented "a shocking war crime".

Photos and videos shared on social media showed victims choking and foaming at the mouth, with some locals needing to be hosed down by rescue workers.
As one astute social media user tweeted in response to Pepsi's reveal of its new campaign starring model and reality TV star Kendall Jenner, the revolution won't be televised, it will be led by Kendall Jenner and sponsored by Pepsi.

Sorry Gil Scott-Heron! You probably had bigger things in mind than a corporation co-opting the resistance movement to sell sugary drinks when you wrote those lyrics?
When young busker Emily Gelineau pumps her loop pedal on the streets of Perth, every coin she collects will go to realising her dream of being able to travel to the US to accept a scholarship of one of the world's most prestigious music schools.

Emily's talent with the violin and her weapon of choice  the loop pedal - has won her a spot at Boston's Berklee College of Music.

The world-renowned school brought forward top artists such as John Mayer, Aerosmith's Steven Tyer, Gangnam Style's PSY and Meghan Trainor.

While tuition for the school is paid, Emily will have to cover travel costs and living expenses, which she estimates at about $10,000 per semester.
The Corrective Services Department has been asked to review which prisoners could potentially be released from jail after the new Labor government revealed the state's prison system was near bursting point and there were no funds to build a new facility.

Corrective Services Minister Fran Logan said he had requested a triage unit be set up to review the cases of people behind bars on remand or for unpaid fines.

WA's prison system is at bursting point with no money to build a new prison, new corrective services minister Fran Logan says. Credit:Greg Henderson

"We've got an unsustainable prison system, unsustainable prison population and an unsustainable cost," he told Gareth Parker's Morning program on Radio 6PR.

"It's going to get worse unless we do something about it.
Perth, we've done it again.

Some PR company told us a plane was flying over Perth low on Wednesday afternoon and within hours, thousands of people were lining the Swan River, falling for it hook, line and sinker.

Those people have probably gone back to their offices confused and hungry after skipping their lunch breaks to watch a plane fly slightly lower than usual over the Swan River.

The Singapore Airlines plane - flying over the city to celebrate 50 years flying to Perth - was no Antonov An-225, but that didn't stop the hype, with media outlets (including us, oh the shame) racing to Perth's best vantage points to film the flight.
Jakarta: Australian archaeologist Adam Brumm had hoped to find prehistoric jewellery in an Indonesian cave but he did not know its discovery would help challenge the long-held view that early humans in south-east Asia were less culturally advanced than people elsewhere.

In 2015 a team of Australian and Indonesian archaeologists unearthed ornaments that were up to 30,000 years old  including disc-shaped beads made from the tooth of a babirusa or deer-pig  from a limestone cavern on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

Intriguingly, while the archaeologists found thousands of animal bones and teeth in the cave  clearly the remains of ancient meals  there were not many babirusa bones, suggesting they had not been commonly eaten.

However, they found jewellery ingeniously manufactured from the teeth of the primitive pigs, which are found only in Sulawesi and some neighbouring islands.
Patrick Norman Pat Chapman is a 34-year-old, Caucasian male who was last known to be in Piedmont which is near the area of Greenville, Missouri on May 10, 2020.

Pat had stayed the night with a friend and his wife at their home. In the early morning when the friend woke to go to work.

Pat was gone in his own Burgundy color 1995 Ford Escort. That is the last anyone was known to have seen him. The vehicle was later recovered on May 29, 2020 in Mill Spring, Missouri.
The two leaders are likely to discuss a gamut of bilateral issues during the two-day meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.

By Press Trust of India: The meeting between the US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping which begins tomorrow in Florida is an opportunity for them to chart a way forward for the bilateral ties between the two countries, the White House has said.

While the two leaders are likely to discuss a gamut of bilateral issues during the two-day meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, matters related to trade, economic policies and North Korea are expected to figure prominently during their talks, senior White House officials said yesterday.

advertisement

"This is really an opportunity for the two leaders to exchange views on each other's respective priorities and to chart a way forward for the US-China bilateral relationship," a senior White House official said.

"They will be talking about areas of common interest and also some of the clear areas of difference that we need to address in the relationship. President Trump really views this meeting as a first step towards building a constructive and a result-oriented relationship," the official told reporters ahead of the Mar-a-Lago summit between Trump and Xi.

RETREAT IN CHINA'S MOVE?

Noting that progress on a range of bilateral economic issues has become increasingly difficult, another White House official said it reflects a "slowdown" and in certain cases in America's view, a "retreat" in China's move towards giving the market a more decisive role in the Chinese economy.

"President Trump is very concerned about how the imbalance in our economic relationship affects American workers and wants to address these issues in a candid and productive manner," the official said.

According to the official, the primary purpose of the meeting is to set a framework for discussions on trade and investment.

"I can't tell you whether they're going to get into specific issues to resolve at this time...But this is the introductory meeting to put a framework in place for how we're going to discuss and address these matters," the official said in response to a question.

BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP BASED ON RECIPROCITY

The official said that the US would like to see the bilateral relationship based on reciprocity as the Trump administration wants to work with China to reduce systemic trade and investment barriers that they have created leading to an uneven playing field for the US companies.

"We want a level playing field so that bilateral trade and investment can be mutually beneficial," the official said.

The first White House official told reporters that North Korea clearly is a matter of urgent interest for the President and the Administration as a whole.

"I think the President has been pretty clear in sending the message as to how important it is for China to coordinate with the US and to begin exerting its considerable economic leverage to bring about a peaceful resolution to that problem," the official said.

advertisement

SINO-NORTH KOREAN TRADE

The Sino-North Korean trade issue will figure in the discussion.

"Somewhere on the order of just shy of 90 per cent of North Korea's external trade is with China. So, even though we hear sometimes that China's political influence may have diminished with North Korea, clearly its economic leverage has not. It is considerable. So that will be one of the points of discussion," the White House official said further.

The official reiterated that there is no change in the "long-standing" One-China policy of the United States.

"Our One-China policy is based on the three joint communiques with China, as well as the Taiwan Relations Act.

The president has reaffirmed the policy. I don't anticipate some kind of surprising deviation from that," the official said.

SOUTH CHINA SEA ON AGENDA

The issue of South China Sea would also come up for talks as part of the larger discussion on maritime issues, the official anticipated.

"I do expect that maritime issues will come up. The United States certainly will continue to fly and sail where international law allows. I would not be surprised if that came up in conversation," the official said.

advertisement

However, the official cautioned against having much higher expectations from the visit, but expressed hope that there will be "some movement" towards a framework for dialogues elevated from some of the previous or pre-existing dialogues with prior administrations.

ALSO READ | North Korea fires ballistic missile into Sea of Japan ahead of Trump-Jinping meet

ALSO READ | End of an era: Chinese Obama bids adieu with Donald Trump set to host Xi Jinping

--- ENDS ---
Russia wants to use India's EVM technology for its 2018 presidential election.

By India Today Web Desk: Russia is hoping to embrace India's EVM technology for its upcoming presidential election, even as Indian politicians themselves continue to debate their efficiency.

Russia hopes to learn from "India's experience" of conducting polls through EVMs, ahead of the 2018 presidential election, according to a report in The Economic Times.

The report says, Nikolai Levichev, Deputy Chairman of the Russia's Election Commission, visited Uttarakhand this year during February's Assembly polls to observe and understand the process of voting through EVMs. He also monitored elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur and Goa and was reportedly impressed with the EVM system as it reduced the role of people in the poll process.

advertisement

Levichev also held "wide-ranging consultations" with senior officials in Delhi to learn more about EVM technology and understand its best practices.

Russia's interest in EVMs comes at a time when India's Opposition leaders have expressed grave concerns regarding EVM tampering.

In a press conference held just yesterday, Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal had alleged tampering on a "massive scale" in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind. "We challenge the Election Commission to make the EVM available to us for 72 hours. We will read the code and rewrite it too," Kejriwal said.

Alleged EVM tampering has also remained a hug issue in Parliament, with various Opposition leaders disrupting proceedings to protest the issue.

In light of tampering allegations, the Election Commission also decided to replace over 9 lakh EVM machines with advanced M3 machines, ahead of the 2019 general elections. These machines will become inoperable the moment someone attempts to tamper with them.

Also read: Many countries have banned EVMs since they can rig elections

Meanwhile, in a move to return the favour, Russia will assist India in developing a "state-of-the-art tabulation system" for counting of votes. This system is also expected to help Indian officials in "obtaining faster region-wise and group-wise polling patterns."

The 2018 presidential elections -- in which Vladimir Putin will seek re-election -- will be a massive process for Russia, which is why the country's election commission hoping to ensure it goes smoothly with the help of EVM technology.

Looks like Russia will be voting for PM Modi too!

Also read: Here's all you wanted to know about India's EVMs

--- ENDS ---
AAP national secretary Pankaj Kumar Gupta said, "It has been reported through several media outlets that the Election Commission will soon allow political parties to examine EVMs with their expert teams. We are really thankful to EC for accepting our proposal."

By India Today Web Desk: Even before the Election Commission (EC) has come out with any statement accepting Aam Aadmi Party's demand to allow it to examine the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), the Arvind Kejriwal party has thanked it for doing the same. AAP has also asked EC to allow it to randomly choose EVMs and provide their specific details.

In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi today, AAP national secretary Pankaj Kumar Gupta said, "It has been reported through several media outlets that the Election Commission will soon allow political parties to examine EVMs with their expert teams. We are really thankful to EC for accepting our proposal."

advertisement

The letter further asked EC to provide to AAP the details such as model number, chip number and manufacturer of the components used in the EVMs, such as microcontrollers and chips for storage and memory or for any other purpose, since no official information is available regarding the configuration of the machines.

AAP has expected EC to allow it to pick variants of EVMs (machines with different software and hardware) used for conducting elections. More specifically, AAP It wants to choose those EVMs which were recently used in the state elections of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

AAP has demanded that it be allowed to choose these EVMs randomly from a strong room instead of the Commission providing it specific machines, "so as not to give a chance for concerns that the machines provided are those specifically prepared for demonstration or examination.

The demands come a couple of days after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged that the software of the EVMs is bugged. He had dared EC to hand over EVMs to him for 72 hours to prove his claim.

However, EC had outright refuted Kejriwal's allegations and denied that the EVMs could be rigged.

The controversy surrounding EVMs has gathered storm. The matter was raised in Parliament today. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned after the Opposition raised it strongly.

ALSO READ

Give me EVM and 72 hours, will show how to rig it: Kejriwal asserts, Election Commission disses claim

EVM software is bugged, dare Election Commission to reveal its name to us: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

Electronic Voting Machine: Here's all you wanted to know about India's EVMs

--- ENDS ---
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah lashed out at Modi government and said that those who pelt stones are just fighting for there nation.

By Ashraf Wani: National Conference (NC) president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah has come out in support of stone pelters in Kashmir and lashed out at the Modi government.

While campaigning for Srinagar Lok Sabha bypolls, which are scheduled for April 9, the NC leader said: Want to convey it to Modi that those who pelt stones or take arms have nothing to do with tourism. These people are fighting for there nation. If India and Pakistan cannot resolve their issues, then America should come forward and facilitate as third party to resolve issues between the two countries. Its not a fight between parties like PDP and NC, it is a fight to defeat communal forces and to protect secularism. The upcoming bypolls to two parliamentary seats in Jammu and Kashmir presented an opportunity to the people to fight against the wave of tyranny and fascism sweeping across the country.

advertisement

FIGHT AGAINST FASCISM

Farooq Abdullah had on Tuesday said that this election is a war of survival between "fascism and dignity between BJPs cultural and tyrannical onslaught on one end" and Kashmirs collective honour and prestige on the other end, the NC leader claimed.

Abdullah, who is the candidate of the NC-Congress alliance for the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, was addressing public meetings in Khan Sahib assembly segment of Budgam and Safakadal area of Eidgah in Srinagar.

The NC president alleged that the PDPs alliance with the BJP had brought the State at the crossroads of political suppression and uncertainty as basic liberties and rights of the people had been unofficially suspended under a chronic anti-Kashmir agenda that has been harboured by the RSS ever since 1947.

He accused the PDP pf providing legislative foothold to the BJP in Kashmir valley. BJP has three legislators from Kashmir Valley because of PDPs support in MLC elections.

NEW DELHI DISMISSES US ROLE IN INDIA-PAK ISSUE

Earlier on Tuesday, American Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley suggested that the Trump administration may "find its place" in efforts to de- escalate Indo-Pak tension. Hours after her statement, India swiftly rejected any US role in resolving Indo-Pak issues.

A senior Indian-American member of the Trump Cabinet, Haley said she expects that the administration is going to be in talks and try and "find its place to be a part of that (de-escalating tension)...We don't think, we should wait till something happens".

Haley's remarks signalled an apparent change in the US stance of not engaging in Indo-Pak disputes.

(With inputs from PTI)

Also Read:

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah files nomination for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat

Farooq Abdullah's 'Kashmir tumhare baap ka hai kya' rant evokes sharp reactions

NC-Congress opt for seat-sharing in Jammu and Kashmir for Parliament by polls

Kashmir unrest: Farooq Abdullah calls on PM, says Modi was receptive

Manohar Parikkar does not know ground reality of Valley: Farooq Abdullah

Farooq Abdullah courts controversy, pledges support to Hurriyat

--- ENDS ---
The ruling from a divided 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago represents a major legal victory for the gay rights movement.

By Reuters: For the first time ever, a US appeals court on Tuesday ruled that federal civil rights law protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees from discrimination in the workplace.

The ruling from a divided 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago represents a major legal victory for the gay rights movement.

It also allows a lawsuit to go forward in Indiana, where plaintiff Kimberly Hively said she lost her community college teaching job because she is lesbian.

advertisement

"I have been saying all this time that what happened to me wasn't right and was illegal," Hively said in a statement released by the gay rights legal organization Lambda Legal, which represents her.

OVERRULED DECISION BY SMALLER PANEL

In its decision to reinstate Hively's 2014 lawsuit, which was thrown out at the local level in Indiana, the Court of Appeals ruled that protections against sex discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects people from job discrimination based on their sexual orientation.

In so doing, the full appeals court overruled a decision by a smaller panel of its judges to uphold the district court's decision in the college's favour.

In its 8-3 decision, the court bucked decades of rulings that gay people are not protected by the milestone civil rights law, because they are not specifically mentioned in it.

"For many years, the courts of appeals of this country understood the prohibition against sex discrimination to exclude discrimination on the basis of a person's sexual orientation," Chief Judge Diane Wood wrote for the majority. "We conclude today that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination."

COURT EXAMINED 20 YEARS OF RULINGS

To reach its conclusion, the court examined 20 years of rulings by the US Supreme Court on issues related to gay rights, including the high court's 2015 ruling that same-sex couples have a right to marry, Wood wrote.

The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the question of whether the Civil Rights Act protects gays and lesbians, she wrote.

In their dissent, three of the judges said that the majority had inappropriately used its own power to change the civil rights law, which does not explicitly protect people on the basis of sexual orientation, and which for decades has been interpreted as excluding that protection.

"Today the court jettisons the prevailing interpretation and installs the polar opposite," Judge Diane Sykes wrote in dissent.

In her lawsuit, Hively said that Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend passed her over for a permanent position and refused to renew her contract as an adjunct professor after school administrators learned she is a lesbian.

advertisement

The school has denied the claims. Spokesman Jeff Fanter said in an email to Reuters that officials were reviewing the ruling and would comment on Wednesday.

ALSO READ | Homosexuality is legal in these 10 Muslim countries

ALSO READ | Gay marriage is a right, rules US Supreme Court

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: triple talaq

Jaipur, Apr 5 (PSI) Ajmer Dargah Deewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khans statement on triple talaq has led to a feud in his family with his younger brother dubbing him as a non-Muslim and staking claim to the post of the Deewan of the shrine.

However, his brother Allauddin Alimis claim has not been recognised by the dargah committee.

advertisement

Abedin said Alimis move has no legal sanctity as per the Durgah Khawaja Saheb Act, 1955 and he will seek a legal opinion on the matter.

Alimi was irked over Abedins statement during Urs on Monday that the practice of triple talaq was irrelevant today and against the sentiments of Quran.

When Abedin was performing some rituals at the sanctum sanctorum in the dargah last evening, Alimi occupied the Gaddi of Deewan at Khanqah in the dargah premises and declared himself as the new Deewan or Sajjadanashin.

Khanqah is the holy place where the saint used to sit and preach. It is now the place where the Sajjadanashin, a descendant of the Saint, sits during religious ceremonies.

"After I read my brothers statement in newspapers yesterday, I discussed with some Muftis who verbally told me that he has now become a non-Muslim due to his statement against the Quran. Thus, he has no right and authority to remain the Sajjadanashin.

"I then called an urgent meeting of the family and went to the Khanqah and declared myself as the new Sajjadanashin on the seat of the Deewan," Alimi said.

Abedin said, "My younger brother has no right to declare himself as the Sajjadanashin. He is neither empowered nor eligible for this act which is totally illegal and illegitimate and Im seeking a legal opinion for taking action against him."

The CEO of the government-appointed Dargah committee, M A Khan, said Abedin continues to be the Sajjadanashin as per the provisions of the Durgah Khawaja Saheb Act, 1955.

"This is a dispute between two brothers and the Sajjadanashin cannot be sacked or removed by such a move," the CEO, who recently took charge, said.

Chairman of the Dargah committee Shekh Alim said as per the provisions in the Act, when the post falls vacant, the dargah committee notifies the vacancy after approval of the Governor and the new Sajjadanashin is appointed with his permission.

Muzaffar Bharti, head of the hereditary staff who conduct the religious ceremonies of the Sajjadanashin in the dargah, said Alimis claim does not hold water and he has no moral authority to take over the post.

advertisement

"Abedin performed Kul ki Rasm at the sanctum sanatorium followed by Dastarbandi (turban tying) at the Khanqah last evening. He is the Deewan of the Dargah as per the law at present and he cannot be sacked in this manner," Bharti said.

Wahid Chisty, Secretary of Anjuman Committee (body of Khadims or clerics) also supported Khan, saying legal procedure cannot be mocked by anyone in such a manner.

On the eve of culmination of the Urs on Monday, Abedin had released a statement saying Sharia or Quran do not permit the practice of seeking divorce by saying talaq three times in one sitting. He had said there should a time of 3 months to complete this procedure in the light of Quran.

"I do stand by my statements on beef and triple talaq... Triple Talaq should be pronounced in a period of 90 days and in between there should be negotiations between family, husband and wife to resolve the matter," he said.

Efforts should be made to have a detailed dialogue with the woman and her views should be considered equally, he added.

"I said that slaughter of bovines and sale of beef should be completely banned in the country to promote communal harmony and asked Muslims to not consume beef and stay away from slaughtering bovines," he said. PTI SDA AAR

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
Author to Discuss American Presidency at WSU

April 4, 2017

OGDEN, Utah  Long before George Washington and Alexander Hamilton gained fame from a Broadway musical, they contributed to the birth of our nation. Author Stephen F. Knott will discuss the unlikely alliance between these two Founding Fathers during this years Haven J. Barlow Spring Civic Leadership Forum, sponsored by Weber State Universitys Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics & Public Service on April 13 at noon in the Hurst Center Dumke Legacy Hall.

Knott began writing about the history of Alexander Hamilton and George Washington before Hamilton: The Musical popularized the Founding Fathers story. He has authored multiple books on the subject of American presidencies, including his most recent novel Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance That Forged America.

George Washington and Alexander Hamilton fashioned a working relationship during the Revolutionary War that endured until Washington's death in 1799, said Carol McNamara, director of the Walker Institute. Consideration of the relationship between Washington and Hamilton can teach us a lot about the requirements of thoughtful and prudent leadership for the United States.

Knott is a professor of national security affairs at the United States Naval War College. Before that, he was co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia. He also served for seven years as a political science associate professor at the United States Air Force Academy.

I hope that students and the public will join the Walker Institute and our guest Stephen Knott, McNamara said. The forum will discuss the important foundation Washington and Hamilton's conception of the presidency provides for us. Those who attend will learn how their example might impact our understanding and expectation of the exercise of presidential power going forward.

Free lunch will be provided for those who RSVP to Carla Price by April 7 at cprice@weber.edu. The annual event is made possible with the generous support of Haven J. Barlow, whose 42 years of service in the Utah Senate was the longest in state history.

The Walker Institute is a non-partisan center dedicated to promoting leadership and public service among WSU students and in the community. The Walker Institute provides opportunities for civic education, public forums on current issues and ideas for political reform. A robust program of internships in local, state and national politics, along with government and public service organizations, is central to the Walker Institute mission.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
Advertisement

By West Kentucky Star Staff / The Associated Press

Apr. 05, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff / The Associated Press Apr. 05, 2017 | 10:54 AM | PADUCAH, KY

Shoe chain Payless ShoeSource has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, becoming the latest retailer to succumb to increasing competition from online rivals like Amazon.



The Topeka, Kansas-based retailer said Tuesday that it will be immediately closing nearly 400 stores as part of the reorganization. It has over 4,400 stores in more than 30 countries and was founded in 1956.



Stores at Kentucky Oaks Mall in Paducah, and the stores in Murray, Hopkinsville, Owensboro, and Sikeston, Missouri have also been closed. There's no word on how many employees were let go, but the stores are reported to have shut down immediately.



Payless plans to reduce its debt by almost 50 percent, lower how much it pays in interest and line up funds. The company says some of its lenders have agreed make available up to $385 million to keep the stores not slated to close operating.



"This is a difficult, but necessary, decision driven by the continued challenges of the retail environment, which will only intensify," said said Payless CEO Paul Jones in a statement.



Shoppers are increasingly shifting their buying online or going to discount stores like T.J. Maxx to grab deals on designer brands. That shift has hurt traditional retailers, even low-price outlets like Payless.



In fact, Moody's Investor Service said earlier this year that the number of "distressed" retailers those with cash problems and lots of debt that are facing strong competition  is at the highest rate since 2009. It named Payless as one of the retailers.



Several retailers have closed stores or gone out of business in 2017. The Limited closed all 250 of its remaining stores early this year. It had operated nearly 400 stores at the end of 2000. Teen retailer Wet Seal in January said it would close its 171 stores.




Advertisement

By West Kentucky Star Staff

Apr. 05, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 05, 2017 | 12:25 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Paducah Power System has announced that General Manager Gary Zheng will resign next month.



Zheng announced at a board meeting Wednesday morning that he will leave the utility at the end of May. Zheng came to PPS in February 2015 under a one year contract, which was eventually extended for two years.



Balancing work and family is always a challenge, and there are times when most of us have to make difficult decisions based upon the needs of our loved ones, said Zheng. My decision is based solely on the needs of my family at this time.



Board Chair Hardy Roberts praised Zheng for his work. Weve made incredible progress in the past two years with Garys leadership. Our goal will be to find someone with the same skillset that can build upon the extensive groundwork he has built for this company and carry us to long term rate relief. Hardy said.



The PPS Board of Directors voted at the meeting to enter into negotiations with Dowdy Recruiting, LLC for a contract that would allow the recruitment firm to begin the search for Zheng's replacement.
Advertisement

By West Kentucky Star Staff

Apr. 05, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 05, 2017 | 02:55 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Authorities in McCracken County are looking for a semi that was involved in a multi-vehicle crash Wednesday afternoon.



The McCracken County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded around 12:45 p.m. to a two-vehicle crash on US 62 near the intersection of Gum Springs Road.



Deputies said an unidentified semi-tractor was towing another semi-tractor on US 62 when a drive shaft came loose from the vehicle, presumably from the tractor being towed. The shaft collided with a vehicle occupied by 26-year-old Michelle Hammonds of Bardwell and her three small children. A portion of the shaft then collided with the front windshield of another vehicle, driven by 26-year-old Jason Bezenah of Paducah.



Witnesses describe the trucks as a black semi-tractor towing a blue semi-tractor, but no other information is available.



Anyone with information about the location or identification of these semi tractors is asked to call the McCracken County Sheriffs Department at 270-444-4719. Deputies said the driver of the semi may not have been aware the shaft fell from his vehicle.




Advertisement

By The Associated Press

Apr. 04, 2017 | WASHINGTON, DC

By The Associated Press Apr. 04, 2017 | 05:43 PM | WASHINGTON, DC

The White House is condemning the Syrian government for what it described as a "heinous" chemical attack against civilians.



Spokesman Sean Spicer said Tuesday's attack in the Syrian city of Idlib is "reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world."



But Spicer says the actions of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime are a consequence of the Obama administration's "weakness and irresolution" in addressing the Syrian civil war.



Spicer says that President Barack Obama said he would draw a "red line" at chemical attacks, "then did nothing."



Spicer would not say whether the White House believes Russia played a role in the attack, saying President Donald Trump has been briefed.



He says Trump is "extremely alarmed" by this "intolerable act."
By Saurabh Singh: "When the Matrix was first built, there was a man born inside who had the ability to change whatever he wanted, to remake the Matrix as he saw fit," is how Morpheus describes the One to Neo in the Matrix. I am sure many of you know how that story ends. Samsung believes the Galaxy S8 is the Neo of smartphones. It's, for all intents and purposes, the One, among a galaxy of generic smartphones.

advertisement

The Galaxy S8 does not add to the existing lineup of generic smartphones, according to Samsung. It's unique. You don't really have to listen to Samsung's fancy marketing talk to believe it. The Galaxy S8 is indeed very different from anything (and everything) in the world of smartphones today. And it's gorgeous, to say the least. A lot of this has to do with the design of Samsung's new phone, because like it or not, hardware isn't a big differentiating factor among flagships anymore.

Also Read: How Samsung beat Apple in the race for innovation with Galaxy S8, S8+

No wonder, minstrels inside house Samsung are singingsongs about the Galaxy S8, about its straight out of the future design.

The Galaxy S8 is a stunning slab of glass and metal

There's little doubt that Samsung makes some breathtaking phones. It's been churning out gorgeous handsets since the Galaxy S6. It was about the same time that it started imagining the Galaxy S8 as well. The Galaxy S8 -- codenamed Dream -- would be a long continuous sheet of glass with an edge-to-edge display and no physical buttons. Some it achieved, some it didn't.

The Galaxy S8 is a manifestation of holistic oneness, according to Samsung. "Elements that felt needlessly mechanical have been eliminated to only focus on the essence of the device itself, which resulted in a design that merges the user and device as one."

The phone, for the last year or so, has been subject to numerous leaks and rumours. Practically every aspect of Samsung's new flagship phone was known well before launch. And the Galaxy S8 is (also) in line with almost all those leaks.

Samsung didn't launch a new Edge phone this year, because probably, both its new Galaxy S phones (the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+) have just the right amount of curves and Edge-functionality built right into them. There was no need for a stand-alone curved-display phone this year round. Both the Galaxy S8 and S8+ still boast of a glass and metal body, but unlike their predecessor phones, Samsung's 2017 flagships have near bezel-less screens. These have Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front as well as on the back.

The Galaxy S8 is apparently the smartest of them all

advertisement

The front, in the case of the Galaxy S8 and S8+, is clean and without any buttons. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are longer and narrower than their predecessor phones giving users more real estate to work upon. Contrary to reports, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ phones do have a front-mounted home button, only that it is software-based now. So are the back and recent keys. These phones also come with a dedicated Bixby button.

Bixby is Samsung's take on Apple's Siri and Google's Assistant. It responds to both touch and voice and has the ability to translate as many as 52 languages. Apple's Siri, for your reference, maxes out at 30. "At launch, Bixby's Voice function will integrate with several Samsung native apps and features including Camera, Contacts, Gallery, Messages and Settings, with the plan to expand its capabilities to include more Samsung and third-party apps in the near future." Language translation along with image recognition is said to be the main USP of Bixby. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ will be able to take pictures, identify objects, and provide context to images using Bixby.

The Galaxy S8 marks a fresh start for Samsung after the disaster that was the Galaxy Note 7. It's no surprise then that trust and safety were two very important keywords at Unpacked. Good thing for Samsung, it passed the first test

advertisement

While the Galaxy S8 is a 5.8-inch phone, the S8+ has a 6.2-inch screen. Both the phones boast of a 2960x1440 pixel (WQHD+) resolution - and an unusual 18.5:9 aspect ratio enough to justify the Infinity display tag -- and Super AMOLED panels. The display also comes with an always on functionality. "The 18.5:9 screen ratio maximises immersion and leads users to new experiences."

The whole design and visual overhaul would make no sense if Samsung's notoriously unexciting TouchWiz user interface was, still, notoriously unexciting. "The Galaxy S8 Home screen features a totally new design, including icons, search bar, and even weather widgets, that altogether provide a sleek impression to its users. The icons are designed using a concept called 'Light & Line', which cuts a part of the visual line so that real life shadows and light are mimicked." Samsung is touting the Galaxy S8's 'One Continuous Experience' UI as the harbinger of change. "It provides an easier and more intuitive accessibility than previous Home screens by unifying all methods of editing displays and offering multi-selection modes," it says.

The Galaxy S8 is apparently the safest of them all

advertisement

But, what's with that fingerprint scanner, Samsung, is what the whole world seems to be asking. You see, in the case of the Galaxy S8 (and S8+) it lies adjacent to the camera module up top. Reaching out to it to unlock these phones, especially the larger Galaxy S8+, would be a nightmare for users with even the biggest of hands.

The whole point of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ -- and their USP feature, aka the Infinity display -- was to build a phone that was big on paper and smaller in the hands. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ may seem huge on paper but they are actually not that intimidating in real life. They are very compact and reassuring when in the hands. All, but the fingerprint scanner. Rather, it sticks out like a sore thumb on an otherwise much sought after device.

Samsung's new phones, but, come with two additional biometric authentication features, an iris scanner and facial recognition, for added security. No other smartphone in the world offers as many biometrics as Samsung's new Galaxy S phones. That's in addition to the more traditional pattern, password and PIN protection.

Besides, there's the million dollar question: will the Galaxy S8 explode? "The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are our testament to regaining your trust by redefining what's possible in safety and marks a new milestone in Samsung's smartphone legacy," Koh said in a press statement. Just to ensure, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ -- batteries - don't suffer the same fate as the Note 7, Samsung has invested a great deal of research into these phones. In addition to the standard tests, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ batteries have been pushed through 8 other tests to meet the highest level (ever) of safety standards. The company, in fact, also flew journalists to Seoul, South Korea recently to make them understand how paramount customer safety is for Samsung.

The hype's real

The South Korean major ends by going deep-down philosophy lane. "Complicated, multi-layered connections and nuances are prevalent throughout our society and culture. Boundaries have diminished among various fields and the desire to be unbiased about a particular region, gender, or age is growing larger. The Galaxy S8 design is about maintaining a natural balance that suits well with anyone, instead of striving to appeal to specific preferences."

Clearly, the Galaxy S8 is as Indian as it is South Korean. It has to be, because, it's no secret that Samsung is in some deep trouble in India as it is back home in South Korea. There was lot of humility -- more than the usual -- in Samsung Mobile chief DJ Koh's Unpacked keynote this year. You'd have to give it to the man for all the patience. It hasn't been easy for him.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S8 & S8+ have a weird fingerprint scanner but that's okay

The Galaxy S8 marks a fresh start for Samsung after the disaster that was the Galaxy Note 7. It's no surprise then that trust and safety were two very important keywords at Unpacked. Good thing for Samsung, it passed the first test. The Galaxy S8 has grabbed the tech fraternity's attention and how. Samsung would, of course, want the phone (s) to deliver after the hype settles down. That would be the real test. That would tell whether or not the Galaxy S8, is actually, the One.

--- ENDS ---
Loading...

42nd Street opened in the West End last night at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane 33 years after the show first opened in the same theatre.

Stars such as Morgan Freeman, Sara Cox, Chris Moyles and Sarah Hadland attended the opening, alongside The Duchess of Cambridge. The show raised money for a children's hospice The Nook.

The show, which received a four star review from WhatsOnStage's Sarah Crompton, follows the trials of life backstage in New York City.

Written by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, with lyrics from Al Dubin and music by Harry Warren, the show features songs including "Lullaby of Broadway" "We're in the Money" and "Shuffle Off to Buffalo".

42nd Street is currently booking at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane until July 2017.
At least a dozen others are on the verge of death due to lack of proper care and facilities. Signs of shortage of fodder and medical care are visible in the cow shelter.

By Anand Patel: Five cows and four bulls died in the last 10 days in a cow shelter in Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh. The shelter in Devipura village is run by Society for Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals (SPCA) and was opened in 1996 by Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, local MP, who is well known for her love for animals. She happens to be the patron and has been contributing from her MPLADS fund, but this has not helped the shelter much.

advertisement

Not only this, at least a dozen others are on the verge of death due to lack of proper care and facilities. Signs of shortage of fodder and medical care are visible in the cow shelter.

"We don't have enough funds to take care of them and arrange medicines," says Arvind Mishra, caretaker of the cow shelter.

"Earlier, we used to sell healthy cows and bulls to the farmers, the money was used to run the shelter, but with the new BJP government in place, farmers are scared to come here, " he adds.

"We can't do much, but watch them die slowly. While we can't do much except giving these painkillers, our efforts to arrange funds have not met with much success," says Mishra.

Most cows and bulls here have been rescued by the authorities and sent here. But, with the new BJP government enforcing ban on illegal slaughterhouses, the smuggling of cows has come down. But, this hasn't brought down the woes of caretakers at the shelter. The entire shelter is full with stench of bovines buried in a corner of the shelter and bones scattered all around.

"We have no burial place to dispose off the dead ones. Earlier, we used to bury them in pits along the secluded places, but with villagers opposing it, now we are left with no option, but to bury them here in the compound itself," says caretaker Mishra.

Built on a four acre land, the shelter has capacity for 200 cows, but there are over 500 cows, calves and bulls. While few lucky ones have found space in the sheds, most of the cows are kept in the open places without any shed to protect them from the scorching heat. All they are fed is dry fodder while green grass seems to be a luxury for them. Even water meant for the animals in the shelter looked unhygienic.

"We do arrange green fodder, but the number of cows here far exceeds the capacity, so we cannot match the demand," says the caretaker.

Some, eighty kilometers away, in Shahjahanpur's Khutar, the situation is no different, even though it's a government-run cow shelter.

When India Today team visited the shelter, there were a hundred bovines in the shelter. The caretaker informed that most cows have been sent off to the nearby forest area for grazing while those in the shelter were sick ones.

advertisement

Only dry fodder is available at the shelter as the green fodder no longer grows on the land earmarked for it since there is no water supply.

"We have applied for motor connection, but it will take some time," says Vivek Shukla, the employee from the animal husbandry department who has the additional charge of looking after the shelter. He says that more than 200 acres of land is earmarked as grazing area, but is leased to the farmers and the income is used to run the cow shelter. But, the care takers are not happy.

"The land meant for cattle grazing has been given to farmers, where will our cow get green fodder from?," asks a visibly disturbed Mathura Prasad, one of the six caretakers deployed.

"The forest area is all dug up for tree plantation, our cows fall in them and get hurt," he adds. Moreover, the care takers have to often face the fury of farmers as their cows enter fields in search for greener pastures. The shelter is run by a committee headed by the District Magistrate while the chief veterinary officer is the expert.

advertisement

"The committee meets only once a year and only it has the authority to take decisions for the up keep of the shelter, while we have to run from pillar to post for meeting our petty requirements," says Shukla.

The budget meant for the upkeep of the shelter is not sufficient as the number of cows far exceeds the capacity. The Bhartiya Janata Party had promised to stop cow slaughter once voted to power. While Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has kept this promise by banning illegal slaughterhouses, but the promise to promote cowsheds in all the districts remains unfulfilled even after the first cabinet meet of the government.

During his visit to the Gorakhnath Mutt soon after taking oath, the chief minister had vowed that cow protection was among his top priorities and his government would work to promote dairy and animal husbandry sectors.

Also read:

Cow protection very important for us, says Uttar Pradesh CM Adityanath Yogi

Adityanath visits cow shelter run by Mulayam kin

--- ENDS ---
The Lok Sabha had passed passed four key GST Bills on March 29 while rejecting amendments moved by the opposition. After the discussion in Rajya Sabha, the government may bring back the bill to Lok Sabha to pass any amendments if required.

The government is hopeful of rolling out the GST by July 1 deadline it had set for itself.

By India Today Web Desk: Pushing ahead with its agenda of rolling out the Goods and Services Tax (GST) by the July 1 deadline, the government will present the long pending bill in Rajya Sabha for discussion.

After the discussion, the government may bring back the bills to the Lok Sabha to pass amendments, if any, suggested by the Upper House.

advertisement

The Lok Sabha had passed passed four key GST Bills on March 29 while rejecting amendments moved by the opposition. The Bills are related to Central GST, Integrated GST, UT GST and GST Compensation.

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Touted as the biggest indirect tax reform since independence, GST would subsume central excise, service tax and other local levies. The Central GST deals with taxation related to Centre, integrated GST deals in taxation of inter-state movement of goods and services while the Union Territory GST Bill covers taxation in Union Territories. The compensation law has been prepared to give a legislative backing to the Centre's promise to compensate the states for five years for any revenue loss arising out of GST implementation. According to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the prime objective of the GST is to have one tax and each assessee with one assessing officer. Under the GST, for one commodity there will be only one tax rate in the country. The 'revolutionary' bill, which is said to be a culmination of all indirect taxes under one bracket, is being scheduled for roll out on July 1, 2017.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH: Expert talk: What the GST Bill, India's biggest tax reforms, means for the consumer? ALSO READ:

What is the GST bill? Here's all you need to know about India's biggest tax reform

GST: 17-year-journey of missed deadlines and shifting political goalposts

GST Bill: How goods and services tax regime will impact your life

GST: Modi govt can't levy taxes if Parliament doesn't pass 4 Bills till Sept 15

--- ENDS ---
swissQprint has a new subsidiary in Germany as of 1 April 2017. A 12-member team under the management of Wolfgang Tropartz has taken over all activities related to swissQprint from the former distributor Sihl Direct, who decided last year to withdraw from this partnership for strategic reasons.

Wolfgang Tropartz is in charge of the new swissQprint subsidiary in Germany.

Full service

The swissQprint subsidiary now serves the entire German market and offers the complete range: Oryx 2, Impala 2 and Nyala 2 in all versions and with a variety of expansion options. As a trading and service organisation, the subsidiary not only offers product consulting but also support for existing customers complete with supplies of consumables and technical service. Showroom, warehouse and offices are all under one roof in Kerpen, near Cologne. This is how we can offer customers all-round, speedy service, says a pleased Wolfgang Tropartz.

Close to the market

The new organisation brings swissQprint closer to the market. Customers everywhere stand to benefit from direct exchange among what are now three subsidiaries  the USA and Japan in addition to Germany  making swissQprint yet more responsive to emerging needs. Development and production of the precision large-format printers is still one hundred percent based at the headquarters in Switzerland.

swissQprint Deutschland GmbH

www.swissqprint.com

Pozitive

www.pozitive.com.au






By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI) While the doctors attended to him as part of their duty, CRPF commander Chetan Cheetas wife Uma Singh stood beside him with an unshakable conviction that he will make it through.

Cheetas recovery from nine bullet wounds was nothing short of a miracle for the doctors of AIIMS Trauma Centre but his wife says she had a firm belief that would fight back like he did in the face of terrorists.

advertisement

Uma, daughter of an army officer, who knew Cheetah from her school days said he is a fighter and a man of commitment.

"He is a fighter. He fought this battle with death as he does when he wears his uniform to combat terrorists and militants. I was sure he will be victorious as he has always been in the line of duty," Uma said.

As the hospital staff prepared the discharge documents of Cheeta, his wife recalled the day her husband was grievously injured. She had joined him in the air ambulance at the Srinagar Airport as he was transported to AIIMS Trauma Centre.

"His eyes were closed, he was completely unconscious but the moment I saw him breathing, I knew he will make it through," Uma, mother of two kids, said.

Cheeta, who was operated within 24 hours of admission as doctors removed the portion of the skull which was hit by bullet, was in coma for 16 days and spent a month in the ICU.

"Doctors would say he was in coma, but whenever I would meet him and hold his hands, he would respond by moving his fingers. That strengthened my faith that he was coming back to me," she said.

Uma, who had to juggle between home and hospital during the period of his convalescence, said the journey is not yet over for her and the final reward for would be the day when her husband would don his uniform again and return to work.

However, doctors said that Cheeta, who was discharged today, would have to undergo a rehabilitation process in the form of physiotherapy and speech therapy for a few months for complete recovery.

Commanding Officer (CO) of the CRPFs 45th battalion in Kashmir Valley, Cheeta, had suffered bullet injuries in his brain, right eye, abdomen, both the arms, left hand and in the buttock region during an encounter with terrorists in Kashmir.

According to doctors, the hope for vision returning to Cheetahs right eye is "bleak" although his left eye which was also injured due to splinter injuries has been restored. PTI PLB AAR

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
Reports show that there are online services to help Muslim women enter halala marriages to get back together with husbands who divorced them.

By India Today Web Desk: As the debate over the law banning triple talaq in India worsens, another Muslim practice is slowly gaining attention in the media - Nikah Halala.

Nikah Halala is a practice as per the Sharia law that prohibits a divorced couple from remarrying unless the former wife has married a different man, consummates the marriage, and then divorces him.

advertisement

A recent BBC investigation showed that there are online services that provide partners willing to get into halala marriages in exchange of lump a hefty sum.

Left distraught by triple talaq, women desperate to get back with their former husbands often opt for these services even at the cost of thousands of pounds.

However, halala marriages don't always go as planned.

Reports show that in some cases, women opting halala marriages are financially exploited, blackmailed, and even sexually abused.

During the investigation, an undercover BBC reporter interacted with a man advertising halala services on Facebook. The man told the reporter, who was posing as a divorced Muslim woman, that he would marry her and have sex with her to "complete" the halala marriage, all in exchange of 2,500 pounds. After she pays him, he would divorce her.

When confronted later, the man denied the allegations claiming that it was all a part of a social experiment.

MAJORITY OF MUSLIMS OPPOSE HALALA

While Nikah Halala is accepted by a minority group of Muslims, it is rejected and strongly opposed by the majority.

According to the BBC report, the Islamic Sharia Council in East London "strongly condemns halala marriages".

"This is a sham marriage, it is about making money and abusing vulnerable people," the report quotes Khola Hasan from the organisation. "It's haram, it's forbidden. There's no stronger word I can use. There are other options, like getting help or counselling. We would not allow anyone to go through with that. You do not need halala, no matter what."

The report also quotes a divorced Muslim woman who said that she knows of girls who went ahead with such hahala marriages and ended up being "used for months".

"They went to the mosque, there was apparently a designated room where they did this stuff and the imam or whoever offers these services, slept with her and then allowed other men to sleep with her too," said the woman.

WHAT DRIVES WOMEN TO THIS EXTENT?

Desperation.

"Unless you're in that situation where you're divorced and feeling the pain I felt, no one's going to understand the desperation some women feel," the report quotes a divorced Muslim woman.

advertisement

As a matter of fact, Nikah Halala is not a nonexistent practice in India.

For more on Nikah Halala and triple talaq...

Instant triple talaq declared illegal by SC, Parliament asked to make law within 6 months

Exposed: How maulvis take money for one-night stand with divorced women trying to save marriage

India Today impact: Maulvis go into hiding, Muslim communities disown clerics caught on tape

Nikah Halala: Why are exposed clerics not being sacked?

Seedy underbelly of Triple Talaq: How will reform come for divorced Muslim women?

Sex for nikaah: How maulvis take money for one-night stand with divorced Muslim women

--- ENDS ---
"We have started acting against illegal slaughterhouses in the state. In the last few days, we have raided several illegal abattoirs in Need, Jalgaon, Dhulia, Bhiwandi and Solapur", Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Minister Mahadev Jankar said.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: Following in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's footsteps to crack down on illegal slaughterhouses, Maharashtra government has ordered the closure of illegal abattoirs across the state.

Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Minister Mahadev Jankar informed that over the past few days, his department had begun to take action against illegal slaughterhouses in different parts of the state.

advertisement

"We have started acting against illegal slaughterhouses in the state. In the last few days, we have raided several illegal abattoirs in Need, Jalgaon, Dhulia, Bhiwandi and Solapur", Jankar said.

WILL ENSURE COW PROTECTION LAWS ARE FOLLOWED: MINISTER

"Our cow protection laws are stricter than those in Uttar Pradesh, and we will see to it that they are adhered to", he added.

The minister said that some arrests had also been made as part of the crackdown. The drive against illegal slaughterhouses is likely to continue for some days to come.

Recently, BJP-ruled Gujarat had passed a stringent law, making cow slaughter punishable with a life sentence. Only a few days ago, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh had also said that cow killers would be hanged.

Also read | Yogi Adityanath: Previous UP govt gave us slaughterhouse, instead of hospital with good doctors

Also read | Bihar seals 7 illegal slaughterhouses following BJP's demand

--- ENDS ---
India has dismissed Nikki Haley's offer saying it was India's official position that the Kashmir issue could only be resolved through bilateral efforts and the ball was in Pakistan's court to resume the dialogue process.

By Santosh Chaubey: Pakistan Foreign Office has said India's stand on the Kashmir issue has once again proved its "weak" position, according to a Dunya News report.

Nafees Zakaria, spokesperson of the Pakistan Foreign Office, said the behaviour of India was very disappointing.

The weak position of India compelled it to quit Kashmir talks. "Whenever the United States or any other global power asked to mediate the talks, India always backed away," the report quoted him saying. He added that the favourite Pakistani rant of India sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan to it.

advertisement

Nikki Haley, the Indian-origin United States Ambassador to the United Nations, had created a storm by saying that the Donald Trump administration was concerned about tension between India and Pakistan and would not wait for something to happen. She said the USA might offer to mediate between India and Pakistan to 'de-escalate' tension even President Donald Trump might come forward to play an active role.

India readily dismissed Nikki Haley's offer saying it was India's official position that the Kashmir issue could only be resolved through bilateral efforts and the ball was in Pakistan's court to resume the dialogue process.

It has been India's demand, especially after the Pathankot airbase attack by Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists in January 2016 that terror and talks cannot go together and to resume the dialogue, Pakistan should stop sponsoring terror in India.

India's official response was brief and specific, "Government's position for bilateral redressal of all India-Pakistan issues in an environment free of terror and violence hasn't changed. We of course expect international community and organisations to enforce international mechanisms and mandates concerning terrorism emanating from Pakistan, which continues to be the single biggest threat to peace and stability in our region and beyond".

Also, experts have dismissed Nikki Haley's offer saying it might not represent the official US position on the issue. Subsequent US administrations have kept the Indian sensitivity in mind and have desisted from offering direct mediation between India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue.

In fact during his campaign days, Trump had indicated that he would seek Indian help to keep 'unstable Pakistan's nukes' in check. He had also said that Pakistan had double dealt the US, in spite of receiving huge aid.

He reiterated his stand on Pakistan even after he won the US polls when he tweeted to slam Pakistan in December, "Get it straight: Pakistan is not our friend."

Also read:

India snubs US offer to mediate with Pak: Our position for bilateral redressal unchanged

--- ENDS ---
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 05/04/2017 (2043 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The town of Carman is bracing for more water surges even as it takes stock of weekend flood damage, but Mayor Bob Mitchell said the municipality is optimistic it will be able to absorb more water without sustaining additional damage.

Schools and roads were still closed Tuesday afternoon, one day after Carman was one of eight municipalities that registered states of local emergency with the province. The others were the municipalities of Prairie Lakes, Grassland, Brenda-Waskada, Dufferin, Grey, and La Broquerie and Two Borders.

We expect two or three (more) surges of water, as water comes down river from the west, Mitchell said.

Between 30 and 40 houses were affected by weekend flooding, he noted, and are expected to keep their sandbags out until the end of the month.

On Tuesday, the Highway 245 westbound was shut down so fire trucks could pump water over the highway and out of the town.

The highway was diked Sunday to limit damage to two condo developments that were flooding at the basement level.

One of the ice jams damaged a bridge, Mitchell said, and it has been closed as a result. It may have to be replaced, he added, but the town is still waiting for engineers to examine it.

Overland flooding continued Tuesday across sections of southern Manitoba, with the risk of flooding dropping in some areas but rising in others.

The provinces latest flood bulletin brought good news to Peguis First Nation, where more than 80 homes were forced to evacuate over the weekend because of ice jams. Water from the Fisher River has receded enough for the province to lift a flood warning for communities such as Peguis that are downstream of Dallas on the river.

The Red River is still nearing its crest, and the Red River Floodway continues to be operated in order to handle water levels within Winnipeg. The province still expects stable water levels at James Avenue this week. While water levels remain high on the lower Red River, they are starting to recede now that an ice jam in the Netley Creek area has released.

On Tuesday, the province issued a number of new alerts. The Pembina River at La Riviere is under a flood warning, while Pelican Lake is under a flood watch. Little Souris River near Brandon is now under a high water advisory after a substantial water level increase.

Fast-developing flood conditions are an ongoing concern, and the province is reminding people to be careful around moving water, as well as on rivers and lakes that appear to be frozen.

jane.gerster@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 05/04/2017 (2043 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You wont be impressed with Empress and youll be shaky after Chevrier.

Manitoba motorists have spoken with their votes as Empress Street and Chevrier Boulevard are the leaders among city roads after two weeks in the CAA annual search for the worst roads in Manitoba.

The top 10 list, split between rural and city streets, has Chevrier in fourth spot and Empress in sixth.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES City crews repair a pothole on Empress Street in 2014. Empress is among the worst roads in Winnipeg according to a CAA poll.

Both have gotten votes in past campaigns but this is the first time theyve made the top 10.

The top two are provincial Highway 239 near Faulkner and Highway 353 near Brookdale.

A press release from CAA said more roads have been nominated and more votes have been cast than in past campaigns to find the provinces wost roads.

Its clear Manitobans are eager to fight for their road to win top dishonour, the release said.

Liz Kulyk, corporate manager of government and community relations of CAA Manitoba, said usually 400-500 roads have been nominated by the midway point of the campaign.

This year weve already seen 5,000 votes cast on 527 roads around Manitoba, she said in a statement. Clearly, more Manitobans are engaged in the discussion about the state of our roads.

New rural roads in the running are Dugald Road, which stretches from Winnipeg through Anola, Main Street South in Minnedosa, and Highway 20 north of Riding Mountain Provincial Park.

Dugald is a busy commuter stretch for so many people, said Kulyk. This road is past due for a fix. If it doesnt take top dishonour in 2017, Id expect to see it climb the ranks next year if it doesnt get repaired.

Voting runs until April 17 at http://caaworstroads.com/manitoba.

Only one vote per road each day is permitted, though people may vote for as many roads as they would like.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 05/04/2017 (2043 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Indian and Metis Friendship Centre appears to have pulled itself back from the brink of collapse with the election of a new governing board.

The Manitoba Association of Friendship Centres reacted positively to the development the day after elections turned out the old board and brought in nine new community members.

MAC pulled the centres funding, some $370,000 a year in federal and provincial money, over issues related to the organizations stability and its ability to deliver programs and services and then released a private letter to its board rebuking its service.

The North End community centre, among the oldest friendship centres in Canada, is facing an uncertain future. (Phil Hossack / Winnipeg Free Press files)

In a community of (more than 72,000) urban indigenous people, Winnipeg deserves better from its friendship centre and we are dismayed by the current situation, MAC president Muriel Parker wrote, scolding the boards president in her Dec. 31 letter, released prior to the call for elections.

Friendship centres provide culturally appropriate programs and services to indigenous clients in Canadas urban centres, many of whom have recently relocated from First Nations.

Years of high staff turnover and tension on successive boards all but crippled the centre, leading to allegations of mismanagement.

I realize they have elected an new board which Im extremely pleased about, Parker said Wednesday.

 I dont know who the new board members are; they havent sent me a list of the names yet, but none of the previous board members were elected, which is what we were hoping for. We wanted a fresh start and our funders wanted a whole new board.

The new board  temporary  members will set up a formal annual general assembly in June to elect a permanent panel.

The nine new board members have 30 days to submit criminal-record and child-abuse record checks to MAC before their appointments can be confirmed.

The board was expected to hold its first meeting Wednesday night to discuss arrangements to meet with MAC.

The Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg selected an impartial community leader to supervise the election Tuesday. Doors opened at 6 p.m. and there were 96 registered friendship centre members plus dozens of other community residents who packed the Dufferin Avenue building.

Winnipeg has the highest per capita population of indigenous residents of any city in Canada. The Friendship Centre is the oldest in Canada, and it celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 05/04/2017 (2043 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The often-ornery Canadian Taxpayers Federation has accused the Pallister Tories climate change adviser of being pretty hard on the environment.

Flights taken over a six-month period by David McLaughlin, a Manitoba government contractor working on climate change policies, have produced more greenhouse gas emissions than an entire Winnipeg household, said CTF prairie director Todd MacKay Tuesday.

He said the group obtained the information through freedom-of-information requests.

If the government really wants to reduce emissions, it should hire someone who doesnt commute to work in a jet, said MacKay in a news release.

McLaughlin is a veteran Conservative staff member who was Premier Brian Pallisters campaign manager during the 2016 election. He was hired last summer as the governments climate change adviser, for about $10,000 a month, on a deal that was set to end last Friday.

McLaughlin was not available for comment Tuesday.

Government documents show McLaughlin claimed travel expenses for 15 trips in six months. Assuming those trips were round trips (30 flights) between Winnipeg and McLaughlins home in Ottawa, he is responsible for 4.8 tonnes of CO2 emissions in flights alone, according to WestJets emissions calculator, MacKay said Tuesday. The average Winnipeg household produces 0.68 tonnes per month (4.1 tonnes over six months), according to a study produced by the University of British Columbia.

Sustainable Development Minister Cathy Cox did not address the CTFs specific charges, but in a statement defended McLaughlins credentials and the Pallister governments cutting travel costs over its NDP predecessor.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 05/04/2017 (2043 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One in four voting-age Manitobans thinks its very unacceptable for the provinces premier to spend five to eight weeks of the year at his vacation home in Costa Rica.

A survey by Probe Research for the Winnipeg Free Press found that Manitobans are fairly evenly divided on whether it is appropriate for Brian Pallister to be away from the province for long periods of time.

Much of the split  although not all  was along party lines.

John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Manitobans are divided on the issue of Brian Pallister being away from the province for long periods of time.

Fifty per cent (primarily Progressive Conservative supporters) found Pallisters absences acceptable, while 47 per cent (70 per cent among NDP supporters) said they were unacceptable. About four per cent said they didnt know or had no opinion. The figures do not add up to 100 per cent due to rounding.

Breaking down the numbers further, 26 per cent of those surveyed said it was very unacceptable for the premier to be away for so long, while 17 per cent found it very acceptable.

At various times, Pallister has said he intended to spend as few as five weeks and as many as eight weeks at his Central American retreat. He has said it does not affect his ability to fulfil his duties as premier, and he takes work with him while hes away. Hes also said he is reachable in an emergency.

The NDP has focused attention on the time the premier spends at his foreign home, making it the subject of mailouts to voters.

Probe research associate Mary Agnes Welch said the bulk of Manitobans dont appear to have strong opinions on Pallisters vacation plans.

I think for the most part a huge chunk of Manitobans are kind of willing to give him at least the benefit of the doubt on this, she said.

She noted that NDP supporters make up the vast majority of Manitobans who are most offended.

However, Welch said that those who find Pallisters absences somewhat unacceptable could see their views harden if a crisis occurred while he was abroad.

Winnipeg political scientist Paul Thomas said he doesnt think Pallisters absences will be uppermost in the minds of most voters when they go to the polls again in 2020.

Bread-and-butter issues such as taxes, government spending and the state of the economy will dominate, he said.

But if the premiers popularity is flagging, his trips abroad may become more of an issue, Thomas said.

If something goes badly wrong in the province and his popularity is falling, people will be looking for additional ways to blame him, he said.

The survey also asked Manitobans what they thought was an acceptable amount of time for the premier to spend in Costa Rica.

Forty per cent of respondents felt three to four weeks was appropriate, while 29 per cent said their preference was one to two weeks. Another 15 per cent indicated five to six weeks.

Meanwhile, younger adults were more supportive of the idea of the premier spending five to eight weeks out of the country than older folks.

Fifty-six per cent of those age 18-34 found it somewhat or very acceptable, while 46 per cent of 35-54-year-olds and 47 per cent of those 55-plus felt the same way.

Fifty-three per cent of those with a high school education or less found it somewhat or very acceptable for Pallister to be gone for a considerable time, while 54 per cent with some post-secondary education and 47 per cent with graduate degrees supported it.

Probe conducted telephone interviews with 1,000 adult Manitobans March 13-28. The results are considered accurate within plus or minus 3.1 percentage points 19 times our of 20.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 05/04/2017 (2043 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PEGUIS First Nation  Every year the water comes, gushing over the shallow banks of the Fisher River, licking at roads, encircling homes. Some years are worse than others, but the water always comes.

This year, it came up fast to Peguis First Nation, swelling quickly to engulf the flat and scrubby land. When water devoured some of the roads late last week, band officials declared a state of emergency. They were prepared; its a familiar routine.

By now, after more than a century living in this damp Interlake country, the people of Peguis know how to handle flooding.

photos by RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Peguis resident Will Sutherland, who oversees flood protection on Peguis First Nation, stands next to a roadway Tuesday that has been submersed by the Fisher River.

So in March, more than 100 residents joined work crews to clear snow and excavate ditches. As the nascent spring unfolded, people raced to fill sandbags and surround 45 threatened homes with dikes or orange Tiger Dams.

Although they can mitigate the flood, they cannot stop all its damage. Water still creeps into basements and moulders. The Peguis school has been closed since Friday, temporarily suspending a key hub of community life.

On a western road, an overfed culvert collapsed, leaving a deep slice across the dirt like an open wound. To patch it, a construction crew hauls dirt from the edge of the river, where another roadway was also shredded.

When the snow melts, the largest First Nation in Manitoba both comes together and is pulled apart.

By Tuesday morning, 179 people had been evacuated to Winnipeg, where the Red Cross helps support them in two Polo Park-area hotels.

Others could have gone but chose to stay back; some are leery of the citys problems.

Many just dont want to leave their life behind, even as water creeps towards their doors.

They saw how, in wake of the 2011 flood, more than 800 people were forced out of their homes; about 200 of those evacuees still cannot return.

Our people have become more resilient to it, Chief Glenn Hudson says, chatting in the former school, which now houses the flood operations centre. People dont want to leave their homes. They want to stay and protect them.

The good news is the 2017 flood is starting to retreat; water levels fell six inches Monday morning. Peguis officials arent relaxing; a heavy rainfall could reverse that progress in a matter of hours. It could still get worse.

Every year they face this pressure. Its a flood management issue. It also raises questions about justice.

On a mountain of sand behind the flood centre, a crew of about 30 people is working cleanup.

Residents look at a road that collapsed because of high water and overland flooding on the reserve.

One worker, whose traditional name translates to Wilderness Man, cracks jokes as the group empties old sandbags onto the pile.

Canadian people should be happy that were having such a hard time living here in this place, he says, with a wry smile.

Theres hotels in Winnipeg getting paid really nice amounts of money to house our people.

That kind of humour resonates across Peguis. It keeps spirits lifted, when water tries to sink them.

Its pretty stressful, Wilderness Man says of the annual battle. But you know what? The only way weve survived over 500 years of cultural genocide is our ability to laugh. Take life as it comes, take life and make the best of it.

See, it wasnt always like this for the Peguis community. In the 19th Century, the band  then known as St. Peters Indians  lived around what is now Selkirk, on some of the most fertile farmland in Manitoba. And they prospered.

But settlers coveted the territory. Within years of signing Treaty One, which promised the region to the thriving St. Peters Indians, European settlers were squatting on reserve land. The colony of Selkirk was founded in its heart.

This pressure escalated, until in 1907, the Canadian government pushed to relocate St. Peters Indians north. When they arrived at the site of todays Peguis reserve, history records their disappointment: no houses, no development.

Worst of all, the earth was too wet for farming. It needed heavy draining. Many band members attempted to return to their original territory, saying the new Interlake land made it impossible to earn a living; they were forced back.

In 1964, the once-prosperous Peguis community had the third-lowest income of 35 Manitoba reserves.

So if the community had remained on the land it was promised, maybe it wouldnt now carry millions in flood-fighting debt. Maybe it wouldnt spend so much time wading through the bureaucracy of First Nations emergency funding.

The water will keep coming. The cycle will keep turning. But maybe there are ways to stop it.

Peguis residents begin cleaning up Tuesday as they unload sandbags to be emptied while water levels start to recede.

Two decades ago, Peguis studied a possible diversion that would send the river curving 40 kilometres around the community and neighbouring Fisher River Cree Nation. At the time, the project costs were pegged at $90 million.

In recent years, Hudson has tossed around another idea. It may be possible, he thinks, to divert the Fisher River about 10 km directly east, so that it empties into a stretch of uninhabited swampland south of Fisher Bay.

That project, the chief believes, could be done for around $50 million. Thats a preliminary estimate; after the 2011 flood, Hudson floated the idea with provincial officials, but it has not progressed to high-level discussions thus far.

Even if the projected cost could run higher, heres a question: what is it worth to have a community be able to live free of costly perennial disruptions?

What is it worth to stop a tired cycle of damage, stress and evacuations?

Every year, the water comes to Peguis First Nation. It doesnt always devastate, but it always disrupts, pulls apart and puts a resilient community under pressure.

They shoulder the work and find humour in it, as they always do.

Maybe they shouldnt have to.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca
By Press Trust of India: From Gurdip Singh

Singapore, Apr 5 (PTI) The Indian imam in Singapore, who was expelled and fined for making divisive remarks against Christians and Jews during his Friday sermon at a mosque, has shown remorse and regret, Singapores Law Minister said today.

K Shanmugam, who is also the Home Affairs Minister, called on the Imam, Nalla Mohamed Abdul Jameel, who was accompanied by members of the Federation of Indian Muslims and Jamae Chulia Mosque at Baalwie Mosque.

advertisement

The Minister said Nalla had shown regret for his remarks and commended him for apologising to other faith leaders.

"He also met the leaders of other faiths, including the Rabbi at the synagogue to apologise for his actions. That showed real sincerity and courage. I thought it would be good to meet and tell the Imam that I appreciated the sincerity with which he had shown his remorse," Shanmugam said of his decision to accept the invitation for the meeting.

The Channel News Asia showed Shanmugam embracing the Imam and handshaking with him in the presence of community leaders.

Action "had to be taken against the Imam" but, referencing an earlier statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), "action against him was taken with some regret", he said.

The Imam had last week apologised in front of Christian, Sikh, Taoist, Buddhist and Hindu representatives as well as members of the Federation of Indian Muslims, saying that he was "filled with great remorse" for the inconvenience, tension and trauma caused by his remarks.

MHA has said the Imam will be repatriated to his home country India.

On Monday, Singapore ordered the expulsion of Nalla after he was handed a nearly USD 3,000 fine by a court here for making divisive remarks against Christians and Jews during his Friday sermon at a mosque.

Nalla pleaded guilty to a charge of promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race at the State Courts. PTI GS CPS

--- ENDS ---
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 05/04/2017 (2043 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A child who was in and out of CFS care was murdered. That much is now clear after her mother pleaded guilty in court.

But the retired judge who oversaw a provincial inquiry into the child welfare system says the lack of details about what happened to the 21-month-old Interlake girl underscores how far Manitoba still has to go to ensure the public that the system is working.

As the provincial government pledges to review legislation that has allowed for information about the homicide of the girl to be shielded from view, the former commissioner of the $14-million Phoenix Sinclair Inquiry says this case sounds all too familiar. The public shouldnt have to wait for another long and expensive public inquiry to find out whether Child and Family Services acted properly, retired Justice Ted Hughes said Tuesday.

Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press Files Retired judge Ted Hughes says the inquiry he led was meant to stop more cases, such as that of Phoenix Sinclair, from happening.

Less than a year after Hughes recommendations were released to help prevent another death like that of five-year-old Phoenix Sinclair, another Manitoba girl died in similar circumstances of abuse and neglect.

Hughes spoke to the Free Press about the case of an Interlake toddler who died in July 2014 after suffering months of abuse. She had been taken into foster care at birth, and died after being malnourished, neglected and assaulted following her return to her parents a year earlier. Her mother has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in her death and her father is still awaiting trial for manslaughter.

Nearly three years later, few details have been publicly released about the girls death, and many are covered by a publication ban as the criminal case involving the girls parents winds its way through court.

That Phoenix report was written such that this would never happen to another child, and obviously something has gone wrong and this little girl has fallen through the cracks again, retired judge Hughes said, reached at home in British Columbia.

By having a very expensive public inquiry, it all came out in the Phoenix (case). But it should not be necessary to have another expensive public inquiry to get all the facts out of this case, Hughes said. But it may be difficult until the criminal case is over.

Families Minister Scott Fielding said Tuesday the government will review a portion of the Child and Family Services Act that government officials have repeatedly cited in denying information to the public about specific CFS cases, including this one.

As a government, I think we need to lift the veil of secrecy for the CFS system, he said in promising to review Section 76 (3) of the CFSA, which states that child records cannot be disclosed except in certain limited circumstances.

We can look at the interpretation of that segment to ensure theres more transparency Fielding said in an interview.

He said in doing so, however, a balance must be struck between openness and privacy concerns.

The Free Press sought copies of briefing notes to the minister on the case of the slain child under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). Six documents were provided  all almost completely blacked out.

The most recent briefing note, dated Jan. 30, also included nine recommendations  it did not indicate from whom  apparently resulting from the case. All the recommendations were redacted.

Fielding stressed that he played no role in the decision to redact most of the information provided to the Free Press. That was done by civil servants, he said. That isnt something thats politically driven. That wasnt driven from my office, he said.

A source with knowledge of the FIPPA process said the government may have acted well within its rights if the recommendations that were made pertained to the particular case. However, government officials would be on shakier ground in redacting the recommendations if they addressed systemic issues within the CFS system, she said.

Meanwhile, Fielding said the Pallister government is taking several other steps to increase system transparency  including a bill that was introduced this legislative session to give the Manitoba childrens advocate more flexibility in releasing information on specific cases.

He noted the government has launched a review of its freedom of information legislation, and it will also review how other provinces strike the balance between privacy and transparency when releasing information about child welfare cases.

Outgoing Manitoba Childrens Advocate Darlene MacDonald said she could not comment on this particular case, but in an emailed statement to the Free Press, she said its important to strike a balance between confidentiality and transparency to maintain the publics confidence in the provinces delivery of child-welfare services.

Our office has been advocating with the government directly for a couple of years now that they need to find a better way of delivering services in a more transparent way. Blanket bans on discussion of events is sometimes important in extreme circumstances, but much more should be done to ensure the public is accurately informed, especially on deeper, systemic causes that precipitate critical events, she wrote.

I have specifically recommended that the government examine possible legislative remedies regarding the sharing of child welfare information with the public in exceptional circumstances where the public interest, and interests of children and youth, may outweigh the privacy restrictions currently in place.

Hughes made 62 recommendations arising from the death of Phoenix Sinclair that were designed to address cracks in the child-welfare system and help prevent future deaths. He said Tuesday its critical for the public to get answers about CFS involvement with the 21-month-old girl prior to her death, particularly since she suffered neglect. One of those recommendations involved detailed record-keeping on all CFS visits with children and their families. Those records have not been publicly released in this case.

Theres a series of recommendations; if theyd followed them in this case, my judgment is that there would be a lot more known about the background than there is today, Hughes said.

The public needs assurance that child protection is receiving the attention it requires from the department of government thats put in charge of children who are taken into care, and the follow up that is required to ensure the safety of those children. Its a public issue. I think the publics entitled to know, he added.

Malnutrition and prolonged abuse were noted as contributing factors in the toddlers death, court heard when her mother pleaded guilty on Monday. She faces life in prison and is set to be sentenced in July. The girls father is awaiting a trial set for February 2018.

The little girl died on July 17, 2014, after she was taken to hospital in Hodgson, where medical staff saw signs of severe neglect and abuse, Crown attorney Daniel Chaput told court Monday. The child died of internal injuries caused by a beating she suffered earlier that day, court heard.

Malnutrition and repeated and prolonged historical abuse also contributed to the toddlers death, Chaput said.

Neither the child nor her mother can be identified under a court-ordered publication ban imposed Monday. The reasons for the publication ban remain unclear.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Katie May

Reporter Katie May is a general-assignment reporter for the Free Press. Read full biography
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 05/04/2017 (2043 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This year marks the historic centennial of the Balfour Declaration.

One hundred years ago on Nov. 2, the declaration was issued by the United Kingdoms foreign secretary, Arthur Balfour, to Walter Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community, which saw the British government endorse the creation of the Jewish national home in Palestine.

The declaration represented a national commitment by the British government for Zionist aspirations in Palestine, which ultimately laid the groundwork for Israels founding, without which the Jewish state may never have been created.

Balfour himself was a preeminent Zionist, despite claims to the contrary.

Arthur Balfour and the Balfour Declarations legacy deserves to be remembered in history with due accuracy and integrity. To that end, locally, an important organization called Canadians For Balfour 100 is in the vanguard in promoting this historic milestone. Composed of distinguished experts in international law, former diplomats and prominent businesspeople, the organization serves to educate the world about the irrefutable legal rights afforded to the Jewish people that emerged following the issuance of the Balfour Declaration.

According to Richard Bass, a Middle East historian, educator and author of the book Israel in World Relations, the Jewish legal right to a national home in Palestine was derived from the fact that the Mandate for Palestine incorporated the Balfour Declaration.

The mandate specifically referred to the historical connections of the Jewish people with Palestine and to the moral validity of reconstituting their National Home in that country. The mandates term reconstituting shows recognition of the fact that Palestine had been the Jews home (a de facto Jewish national home existed at the time the Balfour Declaration was issued, as 90,000 Jews resided in the area of Palestine that was to be Israel).

Furthermore, the British were to use their best endeavours to facilitate Jewish immigration, to encourage settlement on the land and to secure the Jewish national home.

The mandate itself  and its incorporation of the Balfour Declaration  affirmed the 4,000-year connection of the Jewish people to the land of Israel and their right to self-determination. (While the Jews received their rights to self-determination in Palestine, Arabs received those rights in all the remaining territories of the Middle East: millions of square miles, compared with Palestines 10,000 square miles.)

Bass points out that the Balfour Declarations principles and commitments were endorsed, signed and recognized internationally at the San Remo conference in 1920 and by the Council of the League of Nations on July 24, 1922, when it approved the Mandate for Palestine. Both were internationally sanctioned vehicles that enshrined the Balfour Declarations provisions which then became binding international law.

The Balfour Declaration and Mandate for Palestine, according to Bass, extended one set of rights to Jews in Palestine and another to non-Jews. Jews were given the right to establish a national home in Israel; Arabs, subsumed under the more general term non-Jews, were given only civil and religious rights. In other words, there was a general assumption that all non-Jews, including Arabs, would live as a protected minority within the Jewish national home.

The non-Jewish Arab population did not secure political sovereignty rights.

Despite these facts, Arab protagonists have, since time immemorial, sought to undermine the historical and legal rights of the Jews to the Holy Land. In fact, the Palestinian leadership launched a Balfour Apology Campaign which demanded a formal apology from the U.K. for issuing the Balfour Declaration.

Make no mistake: Arthur Balfour supported a Jewish-majority nation-state. If alive today, he would revel in this fact and not be repulsed by it.

Mike Fegelman is the executive director of HonestReporting Canada (www.HonestReporting.ca) a non-profit organization that ensures fair and accurate Canadian media coverage of Israel.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 05/04/2017 (2043 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last Friday, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan made the long-anticipated announcement that Canadian troops are extending their mission to battle the Islamic State group.

The official news release was a very craftily worded document that attempts to weave through the complexity of the current conflict: Canada remains committed to defeating IS and responding to the needs of the people who have been displaced or devastated by war in Iraq, Syria and the region, reads the opening sentence.

In this case the word region is used in lieu of the name Kurdistan, which is where Canadian combat troops and our military field hospital are currently located.

RYAN REMIORZ / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES A Canadian Forces Griffon helicopter comes in for a landing near the Mosul dam in February.

But no one can officially admit this because Canadas current foreign policy supports a unified Iraq once the IS evildoers have been defeated.

This is of course not the intention of the Kurdish fighters our soldiers are currently advising and assisting in the bloody battle to recapture the city of Mosul from IS.

Those Kurds proudly fly the flag of Kurdistan above their vehicles and outposts and their leaders have openly stated they will not return to Iraq or submit to the authority of the regime in Baghdad.

Senior Canadian officers took the bizarre decision to have our special forces trainers wear the flag of Kurdistan on their uniforms despite the fact it is the symbol of an unrecognized, breakaway state.

Not to mention the fact that this symbol on our soldiers sleeves runs completely counter to our stated objective.

Again, the official announcement was extremely careful not to mention what our soldiers extended mission is hoping to achieve.

Instead, it simply repeats what our contingent is fighting against  and that is, of course, IS.

The battle is now centered on Mosul, one of two remaining IS strongholds in Iraq. By all accounts, IS is putting up one hell of a fight.

The offensive to liberate Mosul began last October and in five and a half months of combat, the U.S.-led allied coalition has only recaptured two-thirds of the city.

The cost in casualties has also been high for the allies, with an estimated 5,000 allied Iraqi soldiers killed or wounded to date.

The progress made thus far is in large part due to the fact that the allies can call upon a vast air armada led by the U.S.  and to which Canada contributes air-to-air refuelling and reconnaissance aircraft.

The loose coalition of Iraqi ground troops, including the Canadian-trained Kurds, is also estimated to outnumber the die-hard fanatical IS by 10 or 15 to one.

To put IS resistance into context, it should be recalled that when the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, they routed Saddam Husseins 300,000-strong army and captured the entire country in less than six weeks.

During that one-sided campaign, the original U.S.-led four-country coalition killed an estimated 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and lost only 172 allied soldiers.

As the current Iraqi coalition force fights its way into the narrow and congested streets of western Mosul, the U.S.-led airstrikes have only intensified.

It is estimated that more than 2,000 allied bombs were dropped on Mosul in the month of March alone.

Given the densely populated and steadily decreasing territory held by IS, these air attacks have been taking an alarmingly increased toll on innocent civilians.

One incident on March 17  initially denied but subsequently admitted to by the U.S. Air Force  resulted in the death of more than 130 Iraqi civilians in a single errant airstrike.

In addition to the mounting loss of civilian life, there have also been reports of atrocities committed by Iraqi coalition troops against suspected IS sympathizers.

So while our government announced a 90-day extension to the current deployment, the situation on the ground only continues to get murkier and bloodier.

Pretty soon Canada is going to need to determine what our soldiers are fighting for  not just what they are fighting against.

And that isnt going to be easy.

Scott Taylor is the founder and publisher of Esprit de Corps Magazine. He is also a bestselling author and award-winning documentary filmmaker.
Winona

Tuesday 3:43 p.m.  Ginger Marie Nahrgang, 42, Winona was cited for theft by shoplifting after taking 4 bouquets of flowers valued at around $120 on March 21.

8:26 p.m.  A 17-year-old Winona woman was cited for inattentive driving after turning into the lane of a south bound car and being struck while traveling north on Hwy. 61.

Wednesday

12:06 a.m.  Charges of fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance were referred against Shonna Taneesha Booker, 27, Winona, after being stopped for having a warrant for her arrest. Booker was also cited with possession of drug paraphernalia and obstructing the legal process after trying to hide a pipe and refusing to get out of the car. The pipe contained about .03 grams of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.

A passenger, Jordan Robert Cogley, 27, Lewiston, was cited for obstructing the legal process as well after shutting all the doors, taking the keys and locking all the doors as officers were attempting to search the car.

1:20 a.m.  Charges of third-degree drunken driving were referred against Amber Michelle Pribnow, 19, Winona after being stopped near the intersection of Second and Center streets for crossing the center line. Her blood alcohol was .17.
People who knew and wish to remember Derek Bute have organized two memorial events for this weekend  one in Winona, and one in Egypt.

Bute, who was an exercise science major at Winona State and a combat medic with the Minnesota National Guard, died in January 2016 after he was struck by a train on Huff Street. He was 25.

The second annual Derek Bute Fitness Challenge will run from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Winona State Universitys Maxwell Field.

A second gathering  a memorial 5K planned for 6 a.m. Sunday (local time) at a U.S. military base in Egypts Sinai Peninsula, will give Butes former comrades their own opportunity to honor and celebrate his life.

My motivation for organizing an event was ensuring the soldiers that wanted to be a part of the event back home didnt feel left out and got a chance to do something in honor of him, said Taylor Wiech, a former friend and comrade of Butes, in an email Wednesday. Derek was one of a kind. He was a man that always had a smile on his face and made everyone around him laugh.

Bute, a native of Albert Lea, was a member of the HHC 2-135 Infantry Battalion from Mankato, and was deployed to Kuwait in 2012.

He rose to the rank of sergeant, was a medic team leader and received a litany of awards for his service  according to a release from Winona State.

The school last year started an academic scholarship in his name, and decided to help fund it through an annual fitness challenge.

This years challenge can be done individually or in groups of four. The cost to participate and receive a commemorative camo T-shirt is $20. The cost to simply participate is $5.

Butes former comrades have ordered 30 shirts for themselves, Wiech said, and plan to wear them during their run Sunday.

Proceeds from the 5K will go to the scholarship fund, as well.

It will probably be a small-scale event, Wiech said, but we hope to enjoy ourselves and show our support for the event back home.
Last week, President Trump signed an executive order Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth at the Environmental Protection Agency.

Essentially, the order tells EPA to suspend, revise or rescind, regulations that unduly burden the development of domestic energy resources beyond the degree necessary to protect the public interest or otherwise comply with the law.

Thats just a needlessly long, bureaucratic way of saying the EPA should do its best to dismantle The Clean Power Plan and anything associated with it. Whether one chalks this up to the fulfilling of yet another shortsighted campaign promise or another knee-jerk attempt to unwind significant legislation put in place by the Obama administration, there will be plenty of questions and frustrations moving forward.

What many probably dont realize is that this order doesnt do anything right away. Rather, it initiates a variety of different processes  legal and otherwise  that will have to take place before any significant changes to anything can occur. This will take years to accomplish. The same can be said for how the order lifts the moratorium on leasing public lands for coal. In the short-term, it looks good for supporters of Trumps piecemeal agenda, but its possible that the eventual outcomes generated by this order, which may be no outcomes at all in some cases, will occur after Trump has left office.

In a November Harvard Gazette article, Jody Freeman, the Archibald Cox Professor of Law and director of Harvard Law Schools Environmental Law Program, noted that Trump could unilaterally withdraw from the Paris Agreement, renouncing U.S. leadership on international climate negotiations. And he could try to rescind or weaken some important regulations, like the Clean Power Plan. But any effort to fully unravel the substantial and meaningful regulatory initiatives of the last eight years will be long, complicated, and difficult, and in the end likely only partial because of the significant legal, political, and practical barriers to doing so.

So what is Trump trying to do? Buried toward the bottom of this new executive order youll find disbanded working groups, rescinded reports and a list of previous executive orders to be revoked.

At a time when wildfires, exacerbated by changing climate patterns, have been raging across Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, leading to the loss of human lives and homes, the destruction of hundreds of thousands of acres, and the deaths of countless wild and domestic animals, President Trump might want to break his silence and reach out to farmers and ranchers with something other than an executive order that assures he will not let the government do much of anything to prepare for or understand this and other climate-related phenomena.

Higher temperatures and extreme weather events will continue to affect everyone, but it arguably affects farmers more often and more directly than most.

In the absence of leadership from Congress or The White House, the farmers who will navigate the uncertain future brought to us through variations in climate patterns and local weather events are going to be those who are willing to assess the complex situation in front of them and make the needed changes.

Their efforts at building resiliency into their operations will hinge upon things like crop selection, new and improved technology, and a suite of practices that will help them navigate what the climate throws at them.

Like Wisconsin Farmers Union, the Department of Defense acknowledges climate change is a real concern, and Secretary Mattis is including climate change in his plans for the future of national security. Paradoxically, this has not prevented the president from asking for a substantial budget increase for them. Even the EPA acknowledges climate change is real in its handouts.

Whats worrisome is that the reasons being cited for writing this executive order dont hold up under scrutiny. Federal regulation is not going to change the fact that coal and jobs in the coal industry arelike other diminishing sectors of the U.S. economylosing to cheaper alternatives and robots.

Wisconsin Farmers Unions policy clearly breaks with the Trump administration on climate change, as we acknowledge that farmers livelihoods are tied to the weather. Unlike President Trump, we urge policymakers to consider the scientific evidence that atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide are increasing and global climate change is occurring, at least in part, as a result of man-made activities. The best shot we have at winning on this issue is reacting to the science and not to the arbitrary twists and turns that come with ill-fated political gambits like this one.
By Press Trust of India: Gujarat

Ahmedabad, Apr 4 (PTI) Senior IPS officer Geetha Johri, who was asked by the Supreme Court to dissociate with the SIT probing the 2002 Gujarat riots following allegation of bias, was today appointed the new state police chief.

A 1982 batch IPS officer, Johri, who has often landed in controversy during her career, will replace as the states DGP in-charge P P Pandey, who was on extension and forced to quit on the ground that he was charge-sheeted in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter killing case.

advertisement

Johri will be the first woman to head the state police.

The apex court had yesterday asked the Gujarat government to accept Pandeys offer to relinquish the posts of director general and inspector general of police forthwith.

A 1980 batch Gujarat-cadre IPS officer, Pandey was on extension till April 30 this year and had offered to resign after his removal was sought by former top cop Julio Francis Ribeiro in a plea to the apex court.

Ribeiro, a former Mumbai police commissioner and DGP of Punjab at the height of militancy, had sought his removal on the ground that the CBI had filed charge sheet against him and others in the Ishrat Jahan case.

"Smt Geetha Johri, Managing Director Gujarat Police Housing Corporation (GPHC), Gandhinagar, will hold the additional charge as director general and inspector general of police, Gujarat state, Gandhinagar, in addition to her duty as managing director, GPHC," the official order said.

It also stated the government is "pleased to superannuate and revoke the extension of P P Pandey, Anti-Corruption Bureau director, Ahmedabad, and Director General and Inspector General-in-charge of Gujarat state, Gandhinagar from April 4, 2017 (after office hours)."

While making the announcement, Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja said the government has accepted Pandeys resignation.

"We have accepted the resignation of P P Pandey. Our Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today appointed Geetha Johri, the senior-most IPS officer at present, as the new DGP-in-charge of Gujarat," said Jadeja.

In her career spanning almost 35 years, Johri has seen many ups and downs. In the beginning of her career, she came into limelight while serving as Ahmedabad DCP in mid-1990s.

At that time, she had raided the den of slain underworld don Abdul Latif in highly sensitive Dariyapur area and had caught his key aide Sharif Khan.

She was later in news for her role in the SIT probing the post-Godhra riots and as the investigation officer in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Tulsiram Prajapati alleged fake encounter cases.

In 2015, a special CBI court in Mumbai had dropped charges against Johri in the alleged fake encounter cases of Sohrabuddin and Prajapati in 2005 and 2006 respectively for want of mandatory sanction from the Gujarat government for her prosecution. The CBI had alleged that Johri delayed the probe in the Prajapati case and destroyed some case records.

advertisement

In 2010, the Supreme Court had asked Johri to dissociate herself from the SIT probing the post-Godhra riots after the victims accused her of bias.

She had filed the FIR on the alleged fake encounter of Sohrabuddin and sudden disappearance of his wife Kausar Bi, which had eventually led to the arrest of the three erstwhile IPS officers, including D G Vanzara.

Addressing the media in Gandhinagar, Johri said her priority would be to address the problems faced by women and maintaining law and order in the state.

"I will assume the office immediately. Being the first woman DGP of the state, my priority will be to address the womens problems. They can come to me anytime and I will try my best to solve their problems," she said.

She said though Gujarat has a peaceful atmosphere, it will be her duty to maintain law and order.

"Since this is an election year, I will have to ensure peace during the polls," the officer said. PTI PJT PD RSY NSK RAX SK SK

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
Some members of the Sauk County Board may not attend a special meeting later this month to discuss recent controversy over the hiring and firing of administrative officials.

I hope something good comes out of it, but to be honest with you, Im not so sure I wouldnt be better off sitting home picking my nose, Supervisor Dennis Polivka of Spring Green said Tuesday, adding that he may not attend. At least Id accomplish something.

At the boards March meeting, 19 of 31 supervisors signed a document requesting a special April 20 gathering to discuss administrative hiring and firing practices. The meeting is intended to address controversy over personnel matters that have consumed the board over the last five months.

During a meeting Tuesday of the boards Executive and Legislative Committee, Board Chair Marty Krueger said he has heard from several supervisors who signed the request, but have since said they may not attend.

The meeting is likely to include discussion about processes that resulted in a $135,000 separation agreement with the countys previous administrative coordinator and the hiring of her replacement.

Krueger  who has been at the center of those conflicts  and his allies on the board have cast the controversy as a sideshow that has tarnished the countys image and distracted from more important issues.

During Tuesdays meeting, Polivka blamed the press for giving the county a negative image. He said the public does not see the good things about Sauk County government, which he believes is better positioned than other local governments in the state.

Jeez, we should be like all the other counties, Polivka said sarcastically. Lets be like Dane County, that spends in excess of $140,000 a day on interest alone. The city of Madison spends another $120,000 a day on interest alone. Are those who were supposed to idolize? Weve got so much good stuff going on here in Sauk County, and all of our time has been spent on this crap.

Supervisor Bill Wenzel of Prairie du Sac, one of the board members who has been critical of how recent personnel matters have been handled, fired back at Polivkas comment. I dont think the proper functioning of the county is crap, he said.

The April 20 discussion will be overseen by a professional facilitator from the University of Wisconsin-Extensions Local Government Center.

Supervisor Peter Vedro of Baraboo, who has pushed for the special meeting, said he intends the discussion to focus on processes, not personalities, and encouraged all supervisors to attend.

There have been problems, Vedro said. They will not be swept under the rug. You cannot move forward without examining what the problems were so we do not repeat them in the future.

The previous administrative coordinator, Renae Fry, faced numerous allegations about her job performance. She nevertheless negotiated a buyout that entitled her to a full years salary in exchange for her resignation.

The agreement has caused outrage among members of the public and some supervisors, who have questioned whether the lucrative deal indicates that the allegations were without merit, and were exaggerated for political purposes.

Fry has since accepted a new job in Minnesota, and recently told a newspaper there that the root of the Sauk County conflict was a disagreement between herself and Krueger over the separation of their responsibilities. Krueger has faced criticism that he oversteps his responsibilities as board chair, and functions as a county executive.

He handled candidate outreach in the search for Frys replacement, and took steps to advance that process that caused controversy among supervisors. It later was revealed that Krueger met for coffee with the chosen candidate, Alene Kleczek Bolin, to gauge her interest weeks before the search committee publicly discussed the process for making a hire.

One Executive and Legislative Committee member, Wally Czuprynko of Lake Delton, said Tuesday that his constituents are more concerned about highway maintenance, public safety and senior lunch programs than the recent personnel disputes. He said he will not attend the April 20 meeting because he does not believe it will be productive.

I think the real purpose of this meeting on the 20th is to allow a few supervisors to continue grandstanding, and continue being quoted in the paper, he said.
Tomah Memorial Hospital has expanded its footprint to Tomahs industrial park.

Hospital and city of Tomah leaders gathered Friday for a groundbreaking of a new occupational health and wellness facility on Townline Road.

Hospital clinic operations director Kyle Berra said the one-story, 3,400-square-foot facility will offer a one-stop shop to local businesses that require health-related services for their employees. He said TMH provides services to 100 local businesses.

One of the big requests we received from the local businesses is that they would like a site closer to them, Berra said. Currently we are operating on multiple levels of the hospital ... we felt that by moving into the industrial park, we would be right around the corner or across the street from many of our largest employers in the Tomah or Monroe County area.

The clinic wont be open to the general public. Berra said it will concentrate on business-specific needs such as pre-employment screens, evaluations and conditioning, drug collections and testing, physical exams, testing and vaccinations and wellness and education services.

I think businesses are always facing more scrutiny from regulatory agencies to cut down on work-related injuries, said Berra. For those that are unfortunate enough to be injured on the job, they want them to get back to full work as safely as possible.

TMH Chief Executive Officer Phil Stuart said the hospital had been considering the clinic for nearly a decade.

The clinic has been something in a our strategic plan for a number of years, Stuart said. It will be a great addition to the industrial park and to Tomah.

Stuart said the clinic can be expanded very quickly to 5,000 square feet if demand continues to increase.

Plans include patient examination rooms, a rehabilitation area, audiology room and staff working space. Berra said the parking lot would be designed for easy access for trucks to accommodate truckers needing work-related tests.

The clinic, which is expected to be completed in August or September, will include a staff of five, including a nurse practitioner, registered nurse, a medical assistant, a drug collection specialist and community outreach assistant. He said additional employees could be added as business volume dictates.

The hospital purchased the property and had an existing house on the site razed to make way for the clinic. Berra said the hospital had originally approached the Tomah School Board about leasing space in the Robert Kupper Learning Center located across the street.

The project is separate from the expected construction of a new Tomah Memorial Hospital facility. The hospital is moving forward with plans to replace its Butts Avenue site with a new $66 million facility on Gopher Road.

Hopefully everything is still on track to break ground in August or September of this year, Stuart said.
Its been almost nine years since the unthinkable happened in Lake Delton, but to Tom Diehl, the memories remain fresh.

On June 9, 2008, a torrential downpour caused severe flooding across Wisconsin and Lake Delton broke through its banks. In less than three hours, the lake had completed drained into the Wisconsin River. To Diehl and fellow residents in the Wisconsin Dells area, what happened in June of 2008 was devastating.

It was much, much larger than a 100-year storm, Diehl said. Some of the engineers (who assessed the damage) said it was a 500-year flood, some said it was a 1,000-year flood.

After about a week of steady rainfall, the watershed that feeds into Lake Delton became saturated. The excess water ran into small streams, Mirror Lake and eventually into Lake Delton. The rain continued to fall and with no other place for water to go, it drained out into the massive Wisconsin River.

The flooding also caused a breach to County Highway A. The disaster caused severe damage and halted part of the tourism industry in the Dells. But with support from the state government and donations from local residents, quick action was taken and the restoration process began.

County Highway A was rebuilt and the Lake Delton Dam was reinforced with emergency spillways, assuring that a massive drainage event would never happen again. Diehl, who serves on the Lake Delton village board and is general manager of the popular Tommy Bartlett water ski show on the lake, was a driving force in restoring it.

Due to the regions unique landscape, many areas in Sauk, Juneau and Columbia counties experience annual flooding. While residents grapple with the effects, officials are learning more about what causes frequent flooding, searching for ways to prevent it, and pushing for state and federal dollars to help local communities.

Looking back on that fateful time in 2008, Diehl recalls being at the site of the breach, telling a friend the lake could be lost due to drainage.

Sure enough, within 90 minutes close to 700 million gallons of water drained and went to the river, Diehl said. It was quite a site and its something that cannot happen again because the repairs to the lake mean it cant no matter what type of rain we get.

Since County Highway A is considered an important evacuation road, federal officials moved swiftly to make repairs. The state followed suit, assuring the vibrant Dells tourism industry wouldnt take a major hit.

I have to tip my hat to (former) Gov. Jim Doyle because he knew the effect this was going to have on the tourism economy, not just in Wisconsin Dells, but all across the state, Diehl said. He made it quite clear to the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Transportation that he didnt want inter-agency bickering; he wanted them to use emergency rules and get this done so a lake would be there in the spring of 2009.

Looking at this from the start until the finish, it was an absolute clinic on how the private sector and government work hand-in-hand to get a monumental task done. Its a model that has been used in other states in emergencies like this.

Diehl said an underground slurry wall was constructed and water was slowly let back in. The existing dam was heavily restored so water could move through more efficiently.

Its so well restored now that very seldom do we have to use the emergency spillway, Diehl said.

Since the restoration of 2008-09, Diehl presented the projects blueprint to a city in Iowa that experienced a similar catastrophe.

Unfortunately, they didnt have the political will to get it done and I believe its still not done nine years later, Diehl said.

Juneau County comes together

After years of damaging flood events, Juneau County is taking a page out of Lake Deltons playbook, working together to find sustainable solutions.

In April 2016, after experiencing another costly flood a month earlier, town of Necedah Chairman Terry Taft organized an important meeting, bringing together local and state officials. Necedah, along with neighboring towns Finley and Germantown, get flooded almost annually with no signs of slowing down.

I invited quite a few people to be there so to make everyone aware of the flooding situation, Taft said. Im sad to say the meeting really didnt help much at all.

At the meeting, several factors were considered, including the amount of water released at dams in Dexterville, in southern Wood County, and Necedah, along with water drainage from large cranberry bogs, snow and ice melt, and the areas landscape, which is mostly low-lying land with many marshes.

We are in the flood plain, Taft said.

Along the Wisconsin River watershed, what happens upstream tends to flow downstream. Excess water released at dams in Wausau flows down to Wood County, which pushes the flow downstream to the Yellow River Dam in Necedah.

Last September, heavy rain pounded Juneau County, causing additional flooding. Roadways and bridges were damaged and several communities received federal aid for repairs. The flood also prompted county officials to pass a resolution to obtain a grant to study the flood plain in northern Juneau County and southern Wood County.

Last September we received six inches of rain in a couple days, Taft said. The water table became really high and everything was saturated. We just dont have a good channel anymore for the water to run off.

Gervase Thompson, the countys emergency management director since 1991, said the county has received federal disaster relief three times in his tenure: 1996, 2010 and last September.

According to Thompson, engineers built large drainage districts in northern Juneau County in the 1930s and 40s. As the decades passed, however, the ditches werent maintained and became engulfed with weeds, brush and other materials, rendering them basically useless.

Nobody wants the expense of cleaning them out so nobody does it, Thompson said. I think there is one district left open and one drainage ditch that still feeds into the Yellow. One left after all that used to be up there.

Thompson said dam operators in Dexterville receive a lot of the blame for releasing excess water, but theres more to the issue. The Dexterville Dam is recreational and under regulation from the DNR. It doesnt carry a high capacity for water and has to release it often.

They may be a part of the issue there but then we have the Cranberry Creek, south of Babcock and the Hemlock Creek, south of Wisconsin Rapids and those feed into the Yellow, Thompson said. Then you have the large cranberry bogs and its like wall-to-wall water up there. Throw in the snow and ice melt and it all contributes (to the flooding).

Thompson hopes the county can attain grant funding to study the flood plain, identify problem areas, and develop a plan to address them. The impact of the study could lead to federal mitigation funds.

Portage feels brunt of Wisconsin River

For the most part, the scenic Wisconsin River that flows through Portage is a jewel to area residents, but it can wreak havoc.

In recent years, steps have been taken to mitigate the effects of flooding and ease residents worries. Kathy Johnson has kept a watchful eye over the river for almost 25 years. Johnson spent more than two decades as Columbia Countys assistant emergency management director until she was promoted to lead the department earlier this year.

Johnsons department keeps residents informed and safe, especially those in low-lying areas near the river.

We have a river gauge on the Wisconsin River Bridge along Highway 33 in Portage, Johnson said. Anyone can go on the National Weather Service website under rivers and lakes on their homepage to check the river gauge. People tend to watch that when they know there are storms in the area because they can see what the level will go up to. Thats probably one of the biggest things we promote.

Jeff Grothman, a former two-term mayor Portage mayor, has had many experiences with flooding. Due to the downtown canal and city levee systems, Grothman said flooding to the business district is no longer a concern.

Weve not had to evacuate portions of the city in recent years, Grothman said. The likelihood of the levee system rupturing is not as present now as in past years.

Grothman said a gate valve was installed between two residential blocks that allows Portage to alleviate groundwater contamination when large flooding occurs. Grothman feels confident the city could handle major flooding.

Residents in Blackhawk Park, on the outskirts of Portage, frequently experience high-water issues due to low-lying land. Johnson said the area is also difficult for emergency vehicles to access.

There is one way in and one way out, she said. We cant force people out of there and they have a right to stay there, but it can be difficult if they need an ambulance or a fire truck and if we cant get there its not going to be a good day for them.

During major flood events, residents in Blackhawk Park  those who want to leave  take temporary residence in other areas.

Some think they can just hunker down and stay there and it might not be pretty for them, Johnson said. But we try to prepare as much as possible and get the word out to people.

Preparation is vital

In Sauk County, Jeff Jelinek has seen about 15 flood events since becoming emergency management director in 2006.

The Baraboo River is the main culprit, cresting often in the central to northwestern part of the county, from Rock Springs to La Valle. The town of Fairfield, along the Wisconsin River, also experiences frequent floods. Roadways feel the brunt too including Levee Road, which was shut down for about two weeks earlier this year.

The southeastern portion of the county, in the Sauk Prairie area, is often spared due to the dam in Prairie du Sac, which controls water flow.

We dont get any (flooding) there because Lake Wisconsin is not a holding pond, so the federal energy regulatory commission licenses state the dam only has a three-inch variance up or down on the lake so they run the water through, Jelinek said. We sometimes get flooding downstream near Spring Green, but it has to get pretty substantial for us to have any issues.

Since flood patterns can be difficult to predict, the adverse affects of flooding can be extremely costly. In the past decade, Jelinek estimates the county has seen about $50 million in flood damages. Last Septembers flooding hit several properties hard, but the county didnt meet the threshold for federal assistance. Jelinek said funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is based on a countys population and a set per-capita amount.

Its about $3.50 per capita of relief for your county population and the state has to meet a per-capita amount based on its population, which is about a $1.35, Jelinek said.

Similar to other communities, Sauk County officials have learned from past experiences. The county uses the NIXLE system to keep residents informed of high-water levels. Through the system, users can receive alerts on their smart phones and other electronic devices. Since heavy rain can cause areas to flood rapidly, emergency management directors stress residents to stay informed of water changes.

The big thing is trying to get people prepared, Jelinek said. I cant count how many times we get called to a residence where water is coming up to the door or into the house. Theyve had fair warning and havent done anything.

Because of the bluffs we have more flash flooding and you just cant prepare for everything. The big this is for people to have sandbags available and have what they need to take care of their property.

Toll on agriculture

The devastation of flooding can also pose threats to agriculture and the areas groundwater system.

Kenneth Potter, a professor emeritus at UW-Madison, has studied the effects of flooding for more than 38 years. Potter specializes in environmental and civil engineering.

During periods of flooding, fields are often robbed of fertile top soil due to runoff. It can also delay the growing season because farmers cant till with fields under water.

Too much water can damage crops and of course if you have standing water on most crops for more than a few days it can totally destroy a crop, Potter said. The heavy equipment will damage the land and the crops will die from lack of oxygen.

Due to changes in the climate, Potter believes flooding has been more prevalent in the past three decades.

The one thing that is pretty certain is that increases in greenhouse gases are causing increases in big weather events, Potter said. The basic principal of climate change has been understood since the beginning of the 20th Century. The warmer air can hold more water and the challenge is to predict what that means in any particular place.

Potter said its widely accepted by scientists that large, sporadic rainfall events will continue, but light, frequent rainfall will decline. Heavy downpours arent beneficial to the ecosystem because the water doesnt take time to seep into the ground; it runs off into other waterways.

The ag system is used to weather changing every year so they will probably adapt, but it will be more challenging, Potter said.

In terms of storm water management, there are no national requirements regarding floods, but there are requirements to water quality.

Potter said rural and urban communities are coming together to address flooding. In Dane County, a partnership between areas along the Yahara River watershed is aimed at reducing phosphorus deposits in local waterways.

Urban areas are paying for some of the things done in the ag area and usually those things help the ag producers too, Potter said. Thats the heartening thing in Wisconsin, were getting a lot of cooperation.

Flood barrier could be the future

After witnessing years of constant flooding in his neighborhood, Jeff Thieding decided to do something about it.

Flooding has forced communities to take proactive instead of reactive approaches to mitigate damage. In the Loganville area, Thieding has tapped into this approach, creating a system to protect communities. He designed the Rapid Guard Flood Barrier System, which recently received a patent.

For several years, Thieding worked in the heavy-earth construction industry. After floods impacted the Rock Springs area in 2008, Thiedings company received a bid to raze and reconstruct 20 commercial and residential properties.

When we were doing the work, I had the chance to talk to some residents in that area and I heard their stories of loss, of not having a place to live and losing a three-generation house, a place they have lived their whole lives, Thieding said.

When commercial areas are ravaged by floods, they can become blighted, marking them for redevelopment. Thieding believed it didnt make sense for communities to bear additional cost in rebuilding properties, especially since flooding incurs millions of dollars in damages.

It was the stupidest thing Ive ever thought of in my life; why wouldnt you just protect the buildings from flooding? Thieding said. After we sold the construction company, we started addressing the flooding problem and thats how Rapid Guard was born.

Theiding used materials from his road work and landfill experience to create the barrier. The system serves as a wrap-around wall and can protect homes and businesses. Two people can setup the fold-out barrier in less than three hours and the shield locks into place for stability. According to promotional material for the barrier, Rapid Guard can withstand thousands of pounds of water pressure and is designed to hold back at least five feet of water.

Rapid Guard includes five major components, starting with an interconnected, structural concrete sidewalk that serves as a base. Aluminum stands are placed on top of the base, followed by a water-tight base seal system. The fourth component includes a reinforced, water-proof liner, followed by a water-tight vertical linear system. Thieding said the product is very simple to set up.

I love the product, love to be able to actually help people and hopefully this will be one way we can actually really affect change, Thieding said. In situations where Ive seen heavy flooding, our system would have protected those properties.

Thieding said the system should cut down on the time and heavy work of placing sandbags around property. With the product patent in place, Rapid Guard has been entered into Gov. Scott Walkers business plan content through the Wisconsin Technology Council.

Weve been selected in the top 50 of 102 original applicants and will find out soon if were in the top 20, Thieding said. We want to heavily market it to areas in the U.S., especially ones that have seen large amounts of flooding.

Thieding said the system could protect entire city blocks for around $10,000 per home. For more information, go to www.rapidguardbarriers.com.
SAN DIEGO (AP)  Tuesday was the deadline for companies to propose designs for President Donald Trump's border wall with Mexico. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will ask several of the bidders to build prototypes in San Diego.

The government won't identify companies until contracts are awarded around June 1  and even then, only the winners  but some bidders released plans on their own.

A WALL OF SOLAR PANELS

Gleason Partners LLC of Las Vegas proposes solar panels to cover sections of the wall.

The panels would provide electricity for lighting, sensors and patrol stations along the wall. Sales of electricity to utilities could cover the cost of construction in 20 years or less, according to the company. Power could also be sold to Mexico.

"I like the wall to be able to pay for itself," said managing partner Thomas Gleason.

A TOURIST ATTRACTION

Crisis Resolution Security Services Inc. of Clarence, Illinois, proposes a wall that is 56 feet (17 meters) high and 22 feet (7 meters) wide at the top  with plenty of room to allow tourists to enjoy desert views.

The height  nearly twice what the government envisions  would deter climbers, and its width would give the structure longevity, said chief executive officer Michael Hari.

A NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE FACILITY

Clayton Industries Inc. of Pittsburgh proposes storing nuclear waste along the wall in trenches that are at least 100 feet (30 meters) deep.

Money already collected by the U.S. Department of Energy from people who benefit from nuclear power would help pay for the wall.

The bid includes an option for hardware to convert the nuclear waste to energy.

ARTWORK  ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER

Concrete Contractors Interstate of San Diego proposed a polished concrete wall augmented with stones and artifacts specific to areas on the 2,000-mile (3,218-kilometer) border.

Russ Baumgartner, CEO of the company, says the wall should be "a piece of art."

Customs and Border Protection's solicitation says the wall should be "aesthetically pleasing" from the U.S. side. Baumgartner wants to decorate both sides.

BALLISTIC CONCRETE

DarkPulse Technologies of Scottsdale, Arizona, proposes a concrete wall that can withstand tampering or attacks of any kind.

"You could fire a tank round at it and it will take the impact," said company founder Dennis O'Leary.

Fiber sensors would be embedded in the concrete to immediately alert officials to any attempts to climb over or tunnel under the wall. It would be coated with a slick coating that would prevent climbing.

NO BORDER AT ALL

Otra Nation, a group of U.S. and Mexican citizens, proposed the world's first shared co-nation along the border "open to citizens of both countries and co-maintained by Mexico and the United States of America."

It would also create "nodes of cultural production" such as libraries, museums, galleries and workshops between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, and other spots with cities on both sides of the border.

It would prohibit oil drilling and mining and create a "hyperloop transportation system" for people and cargo.
A fundraising pitch sent on Tuesday by Wisconsin Assembly Democrats drew objections from Republican leaders, who accused their colleagues of politicizing bills designed to fight opiate abuse.

The Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee sent a fundraising email Tuesday afternoon referencing a debate on the floor over a Democratic proposal to accept the federal Medicaid expansion.

That proposal was one of three amendments Democrats introduced to go along with a bill that would expand treatment and diversion programs throughout the state. The bill passed unanimously while the three amendments failed.

"Right now, Assembly Democrats are fighting for us in Madison," the email read. "They're in the Assembly Chambers asking their Republican colleagues to do what is right and bring Wisconsin tax dollars back to our state to fund healthcare for families and children who desperately need it."

Lawmakers in the Assembly unanimously approved the package of nine bills after a series of procedural debates. The bills, based on recommendations from Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, were introduced after Gov. Scott Walker called in January for a special session of the Legislature to address what he deemed a "public health crisis."

The new legislation comes on the heels of 17 bills already signed into law as part of the HOPE (Heroin Opiate Prevention and Education) agenda, led by Nygren. In a polarized Legislature, HOPE agenda bills have seen bipartisan, unanimous support.

"Weve done a good thing to this point making it nonpartisan," Nygren said on the Assembly floor. "Using this discussion as an opportunity to raise funds sinks to a new level."

Tensions rose to their highest point during debate on an amendment introduced by Reps. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, and Evan Goyke, D-Milwaukee, which would suspend, rather than revoke, Medicaid benefits for jail inmates, making them immediately available upon release. Republicans argued the amendments had nothing to do with the bills on the floor.

"You are out right now using this as a political issue to raise money for your own campaign purposes, and thats disgusting," said Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester.

Taylor shot back that what is "disgusting" is Republicans' refusal to accept the federal Medicaid expansion, which she argued would provide coverage to 85,000 more people in the state.

Democrats argued the federal funds could be used to provide affordable health care for those battling addiction.

"Small steps matter, but Wisconsins opioid epidemic will not go away until we take decisive action to expand access to preventative health care and addiction treatment," said Rep. Lisa Subeck, D-Madison, in a statement.

Rep. Gary Hebl, D-Sun Prairie, said Republicans had no place criticizing Democrats for fundraising on a policy debate after driving the effort in 2015 to overhaul the state's campaign finance laws and dismantle the Government Accountability Board, splitting it into separate ethics and elections commissions.

Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, told reporters he hadn't seen the email before it was sent by the campaign committee. Barca said he had no problem with the contents, but "probably it was ill-advised" to send it during the debate rather than waiting for another day later in the week.

The email did not mention opioids at all, Barca noted.

"It's not at all related to the opioids. We just try to bring it up whenever we can," Barca said of the Medicaid expansion, adding that Democrats believe rejecting it is the "biggest mistake in a generation."

Nygren ended the debate with a plea for lawmakers to move past the day's contentious moments, noting at one point the Democratic amendments that had been added to some of the bills before Tuesday.

"I think most of my colleagues come with their knuckles bared ready to fight for your constituents," Nygren said. "You were poorly served by your front row that authorized an effort to raise funds on the backs of people fighting addiction in our state ... Moving forward I will take you at your word that you're here to battle it with us because quite honestly, we need to. This cant be a Republican- or a majority-only discussion."
Over their lunch break, members of the Portage Area Chamber of Commerce heard some sobering statistics about the prevalence of illegal drugs in the community and the workplace.

Drug overdose is now the number one cause of injury-related deaths, Columbia County Sheriffs Office Lt. Detective Roger Brandner said at the chambers monthly luncheon Tuesday at Dinos Restaurant in Portage. That is crazy. That happened in the last year.

Brandner, with Sgt. Michael Haverley, gave an overview of addiction issues in the area in terms of the social costs and firsthand contact. Among the instigators of drug-related calls, Brandner said, is questionable behavior at work, in some worse-case examples, including an employee with an opioid addiction nodding off while working at a million-dollar piece of machinery.

The main thing is that we wanted to help people to know what is going on and to be aware of the signs in their business or their family, said Chamber Executive Director Marianne Hanson. We have had some people say at the committee level that this is something we should talk about.

The officers laid out the grim statistics of 10 overdose deaths in the county in 2015 and 15 in 2016.

According to a November 2016 report by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the number of uses of the opioid overdose-reversing drug naloxone (Narcan) by emergency medical technicians steadily increased in Columbia County from about 22 recorded uses in 2011 to 58 in 2015. The number of counties with as many or more uses dropped from 18 in 2011 to nine in 2015.

Statewide, according to the DHS, between 2006 and 2015, the rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome, in which infants are born addicted, rose from 2 per 1,000 births to 8.9 per 1,000, with Columbia County among the more heavily affected areas.

The problem is that the drugs are a little harder today, said Brandner. I think were seeing the effects more amplified by the people who are using them.

City Alderman Dennis Nachreiner, owner of Zimmerman Plumbing, asked Brandner whether kids are inadvertently learning how to take drugs through schools anti-drug initiatives.

I dont think at all, said Brandner. They are a lot smarter than we are. They already have access to this through the internet. They already know it.

Brandner says hes a strong advocate for keeping kids busy and engaged in productive activities.

Some households have two parents working two full-time jobs and the kids are in day care or whatever, said one woman attendee. So I always have issue with understanding how states and agencies can provide all these funds to support programs for addicts, but we take away from kids to keep them busy and to provide them with support systems if their parents cannot be an active parent because we have bills or whatever.

I get that, thats totally true and I agree, said Brandner. And thats where we need to change as a community. We all have to make that sacrifice with our decisions. We also need to be honest with ourselves about what are we really doing as parents. Are we going out to the bar when we could spend an extra two hours with our kid?
CAMBRIA  The village of Cambria is just one of eight municipalities that comprise the Cambria-Friesland School District, yet the educational and civic communities are inextricably intertwined.

Thats why Cambria-Friesland Superintendent Tim Raymond came to the Village Board on Monday to present an update on the state of the schools.

The 385-student district consists of a single campus, located on East Edgewater Street across the street from Tarrant Park.

^pBesides the villages of Cambria and Friesland, the district also includes parts of the Columbia County towns of Scott, Randolph, Courtland and Springvale, and the Green Lake County towns of Kingston and Manchester.

^pRaymond told the Village Board hes thinking of the students future well beyond graduation.

However, he said, bringing Hilltopper alumni back to Cambria to work and live, after they complete their post-secondary education, depends on whether the community can offer them what they need and want  things like jobs, housing and available, affordable high-speed internet service.

I want them, he said, to have a fine small-town quality of life, while seeing that they can have some of the amenities of bigger cities.

Of immediate concern, Raymond said, is the lack of consistent availability of high-speed internet.

There are areas of rural Columbia County where high-speed internet service is not available at any price, and other areas where the service is spotty or the cost is prohibitive.

The internet is not a plaything. Its becoming a necessity, Raymond said. Weve made it a necessity. To tell Cambria students that they cant have the advantages of places like Waunakee and DeForest, I dont think thats fair.

Raymond estimated that about 35 percent of Cambria-Friesland students lack access to high-quality, reliable high-speed internet service.

That means, observed Village President Glen Williams, that they cant do their homework.

Precisely, Raymond said.

He praised Village Clerk Lois Frank for taking a leadership role in seeking to increase the available high-speed internet options in the area. Part of that, he said, entails encouraging existing high-speed providers to take advantage of state money thats available for expansion of high-speed service into underserved areas.

The availability of high-speed internet service is important to people who might consider moving to Cambria, Raymond said, because even a nice home at a reasonable price wont sell if the area doesnt have reliable internet access.

The Cambria area needs good housing, Raymond said, for Cambria-Friesland alumni who want to come home to raise their families.

Also, the village needs amenities for people of all ages  and Raymond said the school can play a role in providing some of them.

Raymond presented a packet of information to the Village Board, showing photos of other Wisconsin public schools that have built and operated fitness centers available to the community.

Cambria-Friesland currently has a weight room, he said, but it needs additional exercise equipment such as stationary bicycles and treadmills, to serve people of all ages.

Raymond said he has reached out to area businesses and foundations for help in building an in-school fitness center.

He said he envisions the facility being available for extended hours, maybe even 24 hours a day, with secure electronic access for members.

And, alumni who want to come back to Cambria to live need a place to work.

Raymond touted the Cambria-Friesland Career Coalition, a consortium of school and area business leaders working to promote cooperation among the school districts component communities and businesses, and to ensure that students have access to the training and experience needed for locally-available jobs.

Trustee Shannon Dunahee said she wants to be a part of that coalition, even though her business, a restaurant, is located in Pardeeville.

I would like to be a part of getting more businesses for the area, she said, so that our kids have something to come home to.

That would be great, Raymond said.

Youre an entrepreneur, he said. You are exactly what the coalition is about.
Universal Die & Stampings just turned 50.

The metal stamping company had a humble beginning. It was created in a garage in the Chicago area by German immigrants Harry and Giselle Eichmann in 1967. Its now a state-of-the-art 42,000 square-foot total concept manufacturing facility.

My grandpa started the business in a two-car garage. He previously worked at Ford and he thought he could make a better product, said quality director Dylan Baier. So he left and started the business.

The first plant was in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and the company moved to its current location at 735 15th St. in Prairie du Sac in 1980.

They used to vacation around Devils Lake and they loved this area, Dylan Baier said. Thats part of the reason they chose to relocate here.

Universal Die & Stampings makes metal fixtures for various industries, such as medical, aerospace  even the cosmetics industry, he said.

A lot of the stuff we make is really small and the components go into a final product  like a battery cap.

The manufacturer has 13 standing presses that make hundreds of millions of stampings each year. It is the only company in the world that makes stainless steel transfer belts.

Like a soda can lid; when the lids are made they ride on one of our transfer belts, Dylan Baier said. Thats how canning companies assemble the lid to the actual can.

Owner Carol Baier said the secret to the companys success is in its employees.

Im proud of our workforce and how they service the products and the customers, she said. And I am most proud of what my parents accomplished. They came over here with a handful of quarters and a suitcase.

Carol Baier said the employees have the same ethic her parents lived by  hard work and teamwork, she said.

Everyone owns their own job, she said. There are still people here who knew my parents who carry on and live those same values and ethics.

Pete Reinhold has been with the company since 1976 and said workers are empowered to be problem solvers.

I think a lot of people here have can-do attitudes and when theres a problem, they know what to do to rectify it, he said. A lot of people here are natural born troubleshooters.

Reinhold said making it 50 years is quite an accomplishment.

To think about what we came from in Arlington when I was first hired on  the technology and what we are putting out now in terms of volume.

He said working for a smaller company has its benefits, such as being able to interact one-on-one with the companys owner on a daily basis. Nobody knows every single facet of this company but to be able to talk to Carol; shes always there to listen, Reinhold said.

Dylan Baier said another reason the company is so successful is because of the longevity of its employees.

A lot of them have been here 25 years plus, he said. Its just not something you can go to college for and learn in four years. Theres decades of knowledge here. Thats what keeps us going.
By India Today Web Desk: Last year, Jr NTR gave a wonderful performance in Jantha Garage, which reportedly became one of the highest grossing Telugu films ever.

While the team is currently under pre-production stage, an interesting news has made it online. On the auspicious occasion of Rama Navami, the makers have announced that the film has been officially titled Jai Lava Kusa.

advertisement

Recently, Jr NTR's look from the film was leaked on the internet and became viral.

International makeup artist Vance Hartwell, who has worked in films like The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Shutter Island, has been roped to take care of Jr NTR's looks.

"NTR plays three characters in the film, and Hartwell has been roped in to specially take care of his look for one role. He has been flown down from Los Angeles to take the measurement for a facial mask. This is the first time in his career that NTR will be seen using prosthetic," a source from the film's unit told IANS.

To be directed by Bobby, the film also stars Raashi Khanna as one of the leading ladies.

Produced by NTR Arts, the team will start shooting by the end of this month. PK fame cinematographer CK Muraleedharan will crank the camera.

ALSO READ: Prabhas on Bhallala Deva - Rana Daggubati and I became best friends

ALSO READ: Rajini's 2.0 is shot entirely in India after PM Modi's 'Make in India'

ALSO READ: Mammootty's The Great Father becomes fastest Malayalam film to rake in Rs 20 cr

--- ENDS ---
In its review petition to the Supreme Court, the Karnataka government had said that apex court's decision to abate proceedings against late Jayalalithaa was an "error apparent on the face of record".

By Nolan Pinto: Jayalalithaa will not be declared a convict in the disproportionate assets case, the Supreme Court ruled today.

The apex court dismissed Karnataka government's review petition to declare former chief minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa a convict in the DA case.

The Congress-led Karnataka government also wanted Rs 100 crore fine imposed by the trial court on Jayalalithaa to be recovered by selling her properties. This too was rejected by the Supreme Court.

advertisement

The Karnataka government argued that for the state to recover the Rs 100 crore penalty, the former Tamil Nadu chief minister had to be held guilty.

In its review petition to the Supreme Court, the Karnataka government had said that apex court's decision to abate proceedings against late Jayalalithaa was an "error apparent on the face of record".

In February, the Supreme Court had set aside the Karnataka High Court judgment of May 2015 which had acquitted Sasikala Natarajan and former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa.

The Supreme Court had upheld the trial court's judgment convicting Sasikala in the 21-year-old disproportionate assets case. The apex court had said that since Jayalalithaa is no more, the proceedings against her will be abated.

ALSO READ:

Sasikala convicted in DA case, she must serve remaining jail term, rules Supreme Court

Sasikala in jail but 'mafia from Mannargudi' is here to stay. Who are they?

Chennai's RK Nagar bypoll: It's Sasikala's nephew Dinakaran vs Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa Jayakumar

ALSO WATCH

--- ENDS ---
Research in Africa rising

Inaugural conference identifies collaboration themes and strengthens pan-African networks.

Climate change, political instability, inequality, migration and the burden of disease are some of the major challenges confronting humanity today, and they require concomitant collaboration across ideological, geographical and scientific borders, so that holistic, lasting solutions can be developed to benefit society.

Africa cannot be free if we do not adequately replicate in good measure the high level skills and pioneering research required to foster inclusive development on the continent, whilst making a unique, valuable contribution to the global knowledge economy, comments Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, Secretary-General of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), at the inaugural conference of ARUA, which ran from 3-4 April 2017 at the University of Ghana.

Aryeetey adds: This Alliance aims to facilitate collaboration, knowledge transfer, equipment sharing, the pooling of resources and the development of mutually beneficial partnerships across Africa. Researchers in the developing world should not merely be regarded as data collection hubs, or wellsprings of material waiting to be analysed, or footnotes in north-south collaboration projects. ARUA will strengthen the ability of researchers in Africa to be recognised as world-class generators and producers of new knowledge, capable of successfully accessing and managing resources and relationships in the global knowledge economy off our own bat.

The Alliance comprises of research intensive universities on the continent that prioritise the development of new knowledge, quality research and high level and scare skills through empowering and mentoring postgraduate and postdoctoral students.

Thirteen key thematic areas for collaboration have been identified, as listed below:

Climate change

Food security

Non-communicable diseases

Materials development and nanotechnology

Energy

Water conservation

Mobility and migration

Poverty and inequality

Unemployment and skills development

Notions of identity

Good governance

Post-conflict societies, and

Urbanisation and habitable cities.

Professor Adam Habib, a member of the ARUA Executive Committee and Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Witwatersrand provided an update on two key projects that are underway. The Migrations and Mobility theme is a great example of a universal issue that requires research at multiple levels, and which is best addressed by cosmopolitan teams within different socio-economic, political and historical contexts. A dynamic research project in this area has already been launched through funding from the Mellon Foundation. The next project is focused on food security, which is another area that directly affects humanity the world over.

He added: The essential purpose of this conference is to gather the academics from our respective institutions on the continent to engage each other, in order to facilitate a common African academy and research community.

The Carnegie Corporation of New York, Kresge, the Mellon Foundation and the South African National Research Foundation are all funding partners. There are several other donors and funders, but I would like to thank the pioneering funding partners for having the foresight to invest in the intellectual renaissance of the African continent, added Habib. Our collective efforts will result in raising the quantity and quality of impactful research on the continent which will ultimately contribute towards inclusive development and the rising of Africa in multiple ways, for the benefit of humanity.

About ARUA

The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) was inaugurated in Dakar in March 2015, bringing together 16 of the regions leading universities. It is a network of universities from different countries and different historical backgrounds with a common vision. Read more.

The Inaugural Conference ran from 3-4 April at the University of Ghana. Read more.

View the full conference programme.
Your Ultimate Investing Toolkit

Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools:

Portfolio Monitoring

Top Stock Lists

Premium Reports

Stock Screeners

Live News Feed

Premium Support

Free for your first month.
Answering in affirmative to the letter issued by Kumar, Yadav said he did receive the notification, but won't refrain from coming forward to talk on such issues.

By Mail Today Bureau: Slamming the invite extended to JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav by students of the United OBC Forum in JNU, the varsity administration issued a letter to the MP hours before he was invited for a talk on the on-going seat cut furore.

The talk, however, was conducted on campus on Tuesday evening where Yadav criticised the government for 'silencing protesting students'. "It is most likely that the invited speakers coming from outside are not even aware of the interim court orders relating to holding such kind of events on JNU campus. In this connection, the invited speaker (Sharad Yadav) of today's event has been apprised of the situation," read the letter issued on Tuesday by the university registrar Pramod Kumar.

advertisement

"We wrote to Sharad Yadav to apprise him of the decision of the honourable High Court regarding the mode and venue of protests on JNU campus, prohibiting students from protesting on certain premises of the university," Kumar told Mail Today.

Answering in affirmative to the letter issued by Kumar, Yadav said he did receive the notification, but won't refrain from coming forward to talk on such issues.

YADAV TAKES A DIG AT UGC NOTIFICATION ON SEAT CUT

Taking a dig at the notification issued by UGC on seat cut, Yadav said it was 'mere euphemism' in the name of seat cut.

"The seat cut, followed by the UGC regulation on capping student intake, is not only anti-student but also anti-education," the MP said at the talk.

Questioning the administrative control on students in the country, Yadav said universities do not want students to protest, especially when there are less protests in comparison with injustice in the country.

"It is the responsibility of students to inform students of other communities, especially to those belonging to backward and marginalised communities, and emphasise on the importance of education," Yadav said, addressing students on Tuesday afternoon.

He also pointed out that there is a stark contrast between the situation in universities of India under the current government as opposed to other governments.

Following a notification issued by UGC in July last year, the administration has reduced the student intake in M. Phil and PhD for the upcoming academic session of 2017-2018 from 1,174 to 194 in March this year, citing quality as being affected due to lack of supervisors.

ALSO READ | JNU's main gate defaced; students scuffle with security guards

ALSO READ | JNU students protest against VC receiving Visitor's Award; JNUSU President files online petition

--- ENDS ---
Celanese Corporation, a technology and specialty materials company, manufactures and sells high performance engineered polymers in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Engineered Materials, Acetate Tow, and Acetyl Chain. The Engineered Materials segment develops, produces, and supplies specialty polymers for automotive and medical applications, as well as for use in industrial products and consumer electronics. It also offers acesulfame potassium, a sweetener for use in various beverages, confections, and dairy products; and food protection ingredients, such as potassium sorbate and sorbic acid for use in foods, beverages, and personal care products. The Acetate Tow segment provides acetate tows and flakes for use in filter products applications. The Acetyl Chain segment produces and supplies acetyl products, including acetic acid, vinyl acetate monomers, acetic anhydride, and acetate esters that are used as starting materials for colorants, paints, adhesives, coatings, and pharmaceuticals; and organic solvents and intermediates for pharmaceutical, agricultural, and chemical products. It also offers vinyl acetate-based emulsions for use in paints and coatings, adhesives, construction, glass fiber, textiles, and paper applications; and ethylene vinyl acetate resins and compounds, as well as low-density polyethylene for use in flexible packaging films, lamination film products, hot melt adhesives, automotive parts, and carpeting applications. In addition, it manufactures ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. Celanese Corporation was founded in 1918 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.
Tidewater Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides offshore marine support and transportation services to the offshore energy industry through the operation of a fleet of marine service vessels worldwide. It provides services in support of offshore oil and natural gas exploration, field development, and production, as well as windfarm development and maintenance, including towing of and anchor handling for mobile offshore drilling units; transporting supplies and personnel necessary to sustain drilling, workover, and production activities; offshore construction, and seismic and subsea support; geotechnical survey support for windfarm construction; and various specialized services, such as pipe and cable laying. The company operates and charters deepwater vessels, including platform supply and horsepower anchor handling tug supply vessels for use in transporting supplies and equipment from shore bases to deepwater and intermediate water depth offshore drilling rigs and production platforms; towing-supply vessels for use in intermediate and shallow waters; and crew boats, utility vessels, and offshore tugs to transport personnel and supplies from shore bases to offshore drilling rigs, platforms, and other installations. It also operates offshore tugs for use in tow floating drilling rigs and barges; and assisting in the docking of tankers, as well as in pipe and cable laying, and construction barges. The company serves oil and natural gas exploration, field development, and production companies; mid-sized and smaller independent exploration and production companies; foreign government-owned or government-controlled organizations, and other related companies; drilling contractors; and other companies, such as offshore construction, windfarm development, diving, and well stimulation companies. As of December 31, 2021, it owned 135 vessels. Tidewater Inc. was incorporated in 1956 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Parents of Jishnu Pranoy, the engineering student who hanged himself inside his hostel room, were arrested by the Kerala Police today for trying to stage an indefinite fast in front of DGP's office in Thiruvananthapuram.

By India Today Web Desk: Yet another mother dragged on the streets by police.

Mahija, mother of Jishnu Pranoy, an engineering student who committed suicide by hanging himself inside his hostel room, reached the DGP's office in Thiruvananthapuram with her family members and a few others.

They, who travelled to Thiruvananthapuram from Kozhikode, were to stage a protest in front of DGP Loknath Behara's office this morning to demand the arrest of those responsible for Jishnu's death.

advertisement

Saying it was a restricted area, police prevented Mahija and others from entering the DGP's office. PTI reports that the protesters were arrested and forcibly removed from the site. Jishnu's mother Mahija, who lied on the ground in protest, was brutally dragged by the police, it said. Mahija, who suffered injuries, was hospitalised.

An Asianet News video showed how IG Manoj Abraham threatened the protesters who had gathered in solidarity.

Jishnu, an SFI leader, was accused of cheating in an exam by a teacher of the same college, reports say. The teacher has been accused of threatening to bar Jishnu from giving the exam. Jishnu's suicide sparked outrage in Kerala. People, enraged about the autocratic administration of self-financing colleges in the state that often silence students and harass them on various fronts, also debated about making them accountable.

In a petition submitted before the Supreme Court, Mahija had said that self-financing colleges in Kerala are nothing less than torture camps for students. A report in the Financial Express, based on local media reports, said that the students alleged many malpractices in the college and that Jishnu's parents had raised hard-hitting questions about the way Kerala Police conducted the investigation of their son's death.

The CPI(M)-led LDF government has been receiving flak on social media, the Opposition and even from within the party for the way state police acted this morning.

Senior CPI(M) leader VS Achuthanandan spoke to the DGP and expressed his discontent at the events that took place. Ramesh Chennithala, the leader of Opposition in the Kerala assembly, said he was "pained" at the government failure to understand the sorrow of a mother who had lost her only child, reported PTI.

Various youth organisations are protesting in front of the hospital Jishnu's mother Mahija is admitted at.

DGP Loknath Behara told media that he had received intelligence information that the strike organised today could turn violent, that there was external interference this morning and that is what led to strong police action.

advertisement

The DGP also informed media that Jishnu's uncle had informed police that only six people were to reach the DGP's office but there was a "mob" in front of the office this morning. Behara said he's asked for a report from the IG about the violent incidents that took place at his office.

When asked about the manner in which Mahija was taken into custody by police, he said, "This incident should not have happened.. There will be an enquiry and I cannot comment without getting a report," reports PTI.

A Facebook post Jishnu Pranoy made last year, praising the current chief minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan is being shared widely on social media now. This was the post Jishnu made:

An old Facebook post from Jishnu Pranoy on Pinarayi,and today Jishnu's mother was arrested in front of Kerala police headquarters #Facepalm pic.twitter.com/QTYgb2TEGg- Jikku Varghese Jacob (@Jikkuvarghese) April 5, 2017

--- ENDS ---
Acuff commitment to benefit VIMS and Alumni House

A. Marshall Acuff, Jr. 62, L.H.D. 07 has made a $5 million commitment to advance shellfish aquaculture research at William & Marys Virginia Institute of Marine Science and to help fund the expansion of the Alumni House.

Acuffs investment in VIMS will help position Virginia as No. 1 worldwide in sustainable shellfish aquaculture. Shellfish science from VIMS underpins the commonwealths $32.3 million clam industry on the Eastern Shore and is driving the significant recent growth in the oyster industry.

Marshall Acuffs extremely generous gift will help VIMS cement its place at the forefront of marine research, said President Taylor Reveley, while also providing an elegant space for alumni to gather at William & Marys Alumni House. We are very grateful."

Most of the gift  more than $4 million  will establish an endowed professorship focusing on aquaculture research and also significantly bolster the Oyster Disease Research Fund. The fund was created in honor of Acuffs father, who was an oyster grower on the Eastern Shore.

Additionally, the gift will allow VIMS to deploy students in rapid-response research for the local aquaculture industry and enhance the institutes capacity to provide timely scientific advice to the community.

Historically, VIMS is a hidden gem in terms of the resources it provides to the commonwealth, Acuff said. In addition to the advisory services it provides to the state, VIMS is doing real research that makes a difference to citizens of Virginia and the world.

Senior officials at VIMS have said that in light of the Trump administrations recent budget proposal  which, if enacted, could result in a reduction of VIMS external funding by approximately 25 percent  gifts like Acuff's come at a critical time.

The gift will also support the Alumni House Expansion Project, which will provide additional space for events, programming and staff.

A larger space is clearly needed, Acuff said. We need to have a proper facility that can support a much larger crowd, particularly alumni whose numbers continue to grow. Having a proper gathering place that can accommodate alumni when they return to campus will be good for William & Mary, the Alumni Association and the universitys broader engagement efforts. We need a facility that will make alumni feel proud of visiting their alma mater.

In recognition of his gift, the reception hall in the new wing will be named for the Acuff family. This space will be the new entrance to the Alumni House and serve as the welcome center for guests to the Alumni House.

This generous gift provides necessary funding to expand meeting spaces, upgrade existing gathering areas and create much-needed space for large events, said Cindy Satterwhite Jarboe '77, president of the William & Mary Alumni Association. As a former president of the WMAA, Marshall understands the importance of our Alumni House as a gathering place and home on campus for our alumni to reconnect. This gift undoubtedly helps fulfill our goal of providing world-class alumni engagement.

To date, $4.2 million has been raised to support the Alumni House expansion and renovation effort.

Acuff is currently the managing director at Silvercrest Asset Management LLC in Richmond, Virginia. He is chair of the VIMS campaign committee and has served on the William & Mary Business School Foundation, the William & Mary Foundation Board, the Board of Visitors as well as the Richmond regional campaign committee. Acuff was also Rector of the university from 1996 to 2000 and president of the WMAA from 1989 to 1991.

Marshalls leadership and his passion for VIMS make him the perfect chair for VIMS most ambitious fundraising campaign to date, said VIMS Dean and Director John Wells. He has made and continues to make important contributions to VIMS, and his leadership will be integral to the success of this campaign. It is not every day that a former rector agrees to come back to chair a schools campaign, and I am grateful for Marshalls confidence in the quality, importance and economic relevance of our work.




China News on Women





Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page
Syed Alaudin Alimi claimed he had the support of the family in sacking Abedin and anointing himself as the new "diwan", spiritual chief, of the Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti mausoleum in Ajmer.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Syed Zainul Abedin, the spiritual head of the Ajmer sufi shrine, was on Wednesday "sacked" by his brother for the "blasphemous" support to the ban on slaughter of "bovines" and selling beef in the country and declared a "non Muslim".

Syed Alaudin Alimi claimed he had the support of the family in sacking Abedin and anointing himself as the new "diwan", spiritual chief, of the Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti mausoleum in Ajmer -- one of the most famous Muslim shrines visited by millions of devotees from across the sub-continent every year.

advertisement

The post is hereditary and belongs to heirs of the 12th-13th century sufi priest. Diwan has no control over the management of the shrine but gets a monthly remuneration from the management committee, which is appointed by the government.

"I am the new diwan. I have the support of the entire (Chishti) clan," Alimi told IANS, alleging that Abedin was an "apostate because he had spoken in violation of the Islamic law".

"I am not interested in salary. He (Abedin) can have the money. Buy I won't allow him to enter the shrine now. Whatever he has said is blasphemous. I have spoken to muftis (Islamic scholars who interpret sharia) and we will be issuing a fatwa (decree) against him. He is no longer a Muslim."

Abedin has been the diwan of the shrine since after the Supreme Court 1987 order, ruling him as the most direct and eldest descendant of the sufi priest.

He sparked a controversy on Monday by asking Muslims in India to stay away from slaughter of "bovine animals" and to stop consuming beef for communal harmony in the country.

He read his message during the 805th annual function at the shrine that was also attended by religious heads of various shrines from different parts of the country.

Abedin also announced that he and his family members "will never eat beef now".

"The government should widely impose ban on slaughtering of all bovine animals and sale of beef. This is one of the prominent reasons for communal hatred in India. Muslims should become an example by taking a resolution to not consume beef in the interest of communal harmony in the country," he said.

--- ENDS ---
Engie gives notice to sell NuGen stake

05 April 2017

Share

French utility Engie plans to transfer its 40% share in UK nuclear power plant developer NuGeneration (NuGen) to Japan's Toshiba. NuGen, which plans to build three Westinghouse AP1000 reactors at Moorside in West Cumbria is "facing some significant challenges", Engie said, that have led to the decision to exercise its contractual right to transfer its stake to Toshiba.

Toshiba has a 60% stake in NuGen and owns 87% of USA-based Westinghouse, which on 29 March filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors to enable strategic restructuring amid "financial and construction challenges" in its US AP1000 power plant projects. Both Toshiba and Westinghouse stressed that only Westinghouse's US operations would be affected by the filing.

"Engie, as operator of an important European nuclear fleet, remains willing to put its know-how and expertise at the service of NuGen and help any restructuring with new potential partners for the development, construction and operation of the project," the French company said yesterday.

It added: "Engie, through its affiliates Engie Electrabel, Tractebel, Endel, Engie Axima and Engie Ineo, remains an important contributor to the European nuclear industry. As a leading energy and services company in the United Kingdom, Engie continues to play a major role in the UK's energy transition. With 17,000 employees in the UK, the group will continue to develop its business, as demonstrated by the agreement announced last month to acquire Keepmoat's regeneration business. Engie is using its capabilities to lead the UK's progression towards a more secure and sustainable future, through a strategy based on investment in critical energy infrastructure, integration of its energy expertise with its broad services offer, and innovation in customer-led solutions and technologies." Engie announced last month it had signed an agreement to acquire the regeneration business of Keepmoat, a housebuilding company that provides regeneration services for local authorities in the UK.

Toshiba said it had received notice from Engie on 3 April that it had exercised its right to require Toshiba to purchase all shares held by Engie in NuGen.

Toshiba noted that Westinghouse's Chapter 11 filing met the definition of an 'event of default' under the terms of its NuGen shareholder agreement with Engie. Default entitles Engie to sell its entire shareholding in NuGen to Toshiba, or to acquire all the shares held by Toshiba.

It added that the approximate purchase price of Engie's stake in NuGen is 15.3 billion ($137.5 million). The date of payment and closing of the purchase are to be discussed with Engie under the terms of the agreement.

Toshiba also said it would continue to look for investors interested in NuGen and seek to sell off its holding in the company.

Toshiba acquired a 60% stake in NuGen in June 2014 by purchasing all the shares held by Spanish energy company Iberdrola and another 10% share held by Engie - previously named GDF Suez. Toshiba subsequently partnered with Engie to develop the Moorside project.

UK regulators announced on 30 March that the AP1000 had successfully completed the Generic Design Assessment process. NuGen is now working towards final investment decisions on the project, including acquiring a development permit.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
China, Thailand agree to nuclear energy cooperation

05 April 2017

Share

China and Thailand have a signed an agreement to cooperate in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The agreement was signed in Beijing on 29 March by Nur Bekri, director of China's National Energy Administration (NEA), and Thai energy minister Anantaporn Kanchanarat.

Kanchanarat (left) and Bekri shake on the agreement (Image: NEA)

According to an NEA statement on 1 April, the two countries also discussed bilateral cooperation on nuclear power, power networking, power trading and others areas of potential cooperation.

"China is very willing to provide Thailand with the most advanced, most economical and safest nuclear power technology, as well as equipment, management experience and quality service," China General Nuclear (CGN) said the same day.

CGN added that China and Thailand had cooperated in nuclear energy over recent years. In particular, China has provided training for hundreds of Thai nuclear professionals and technical personnel.

Bekri said he hoped that through the agreement, China and Thailand can "strengthen communication, enhance understanding and make greater progress in nuclear cooperation".

Thailand's National Energy Policy Council commissioned a feasibility study for a nuclear power plant in the country and in 2007 approved a Power Development Plan for 2007-2021, including the construction of 4000 MWe of nuclear generating capacity, starting up in 2020-21. The new Power Development Plan 2010-30, approved in 2010, envisages five 1000 MWe units starting up over 2020-28.

In June 2015, CGN said Thailand was carrying out an independent review of the Hualong One reactor technology. The design, CGN anticipates, could make Thailand's short-list for possible deployment in any future nuclear power program.

Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding - Thailand's largest private power company - agreed in December 2015 to take a 10% stake in the two Hualong One reactors being built as Phase II of CGN's Fangchenggang nuclear power plant in China's Guangxi province.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
UAE poll shows growing support for nuclear

05 April 2017

Share

A national poll has shown that 83% of the residents of the United Arab Emirates "highly favour" of the country's planned use of nuclear energy as part of its electricity generation mix. The UAE's Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec), which commissioned market research company Kantar TNS to conduct the survey, said today the figure was an increase of 13% since the last poll conducted in 2013.

Enec is building four Korean-designed nuclear units at Barakah, the first of which is expected to start up later this year. When complete, the power station is expected to deliver up to a quarter of the UAE's electricity. The survey is part of Enec's community outreach program, which involves a range of activities including public forums, educational initiatives and participation in nationally important events.

"The results of this survey show that Enec's regular and active engagement with the public is increasingly successful," Mohamed Al Hammadi, Enec CEO, said. "The findings of the research conclude that UAE residents support the development of peaceful nuclear energy because it plays a strategic role in powering the future growth of the nation."

Strong levels of awareness and support for the Barakah plant to provide up to 25% of the nation's electricity were also shown, according to the survey, with 92% of residents stating they believed the plant to be important for the UAE.

Enec said it remains committed to investing resources in the development of stakeholder engagement activities, and in communication campaigns designed to further explain the benefits of nuclear energy in generating electricity with near-zero carbon emissions, and offer career opportunities for UAE nationals.

"It is encouraging to know that so many UAE residents are not only aware of the benefits of peaceful nuclear energy but actively support the work we are doing at Barakah, with 90% of respondents believing that Enec is building our plant at Barakah to the highest standards of safety and quality," Al Hammadi said. "The findings of this study demonstrate that UAE residents understand the important role peaceful nuclear energy will play in the UAE's future - from supplying clean energy to creating high-value job opportunities."

More than 750 people were interviewed across the UAE as part of the study, in a group of respondents that was reflective of the demographics of the country, Enec said. Key findings include: 69% believe that peaceful nuclear energy is important for the nation; favorability was highest among Emiratis, at 87%; support for the construction of nuclear energy plants in the UAE has risen to 79%, up 11% from 2013; the percentage of residents who believe it is important for the UAE to have a peaceful nuclear energy program in order to be able to meet the nation's electricity needs has risen to 69%, up 6%; the vast majority of UAE residents, 81%, are aware of Enec, up from 56%; UAE nationals were the most aware of Enec, at 93%; some 87% of Emiratis emerge as strong endorsers of moving to a low-carbon energy source, and 86% agree with nuclear energy as a clean, reliable and efficient source of energy production.

Kantar TNS CEO, Stephen Hillebrand, said "Public surveys that capture the relative demographic nature of the country are vital for any new industry, especially one like nuclear energy which is known for polarizing views across the globe. The results of this opinion poll clearly show that the engagement and communication activities of Enec have resonated with the general public of the UAE."

Construction of the Barakah plant began in 2012. Unit 1 is now more than 94% complete and all four units together are more than 78% complete, Enec said.

Established by decree in December 2009, Enec represents all aspects of the UAE peaceful nuclear energy program. Nawah Energy Company, a subsidiary of Enec that is partially owned by the Korea Electric Power Corporation, has been mandated to safely operate and maintain the reactors in Barakah. Another Enec subsidiary, Barakah One, is responsible for the financial and commercial interests of the Barakah nuclear power plant project.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
Bugey 5 containment repairs get regulatory approval

05 April 2017

Share

The French nuclear safety authority has approved EDF's suggested solution to repairing the containment of unit 5 of its Bugey nuclear power plant in eastern France. The containment was found not to be airtight owing to a corroded seal.

Tests conducted in 2011 during the third decennial inspection of the 880 MWe pressurized water reactor identified a high leakage rate from the inner liner of its containment. In December 2014, Autorite de Surete Nucleaire (ASN) ordered more tests to be carried out during the unit's next maintenance and refuelling outage.

That outage began in August 2015 and Bugey 5 has remained offline since. Further tests indicated a degradation of the sealing metal coating of the inner liner since the tests conducted in 2011. The latest tests also helped locate the leaks at the bottom of the containment liner.

EDF informed ASN in November 2015 that it planned to make repairs to the unit's containment with a view to restarting the reactor. In April 2016, the utility submitted details of its investigation into the cause of the leaks and how it proposed to remedy them - by applying a composite coating around the base seal of the containment vessel and use a fluid "protective" lime mortar.

ASN has now analysed EDF's proposals, in consultation with the France's Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety. On 29 March the regulator informed EDF that it found its solution "appropriate" and said it will monitor EDF's implementation of the repairs. It has also requested the utility conduct another leak test once the repairs have been made to demonstrate the effectiveness of the containment has been restored.

EDF will then need permission from ASN to restart the reactor.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
Russia, Indonesia to cooperate on nuclear regulation

05 April 2017

Share

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed between the nuclear regulatory authorities of Russia and Indonesia to cooperate in a range of issues related to the regulation of nuclear and radiation safety and nuclear security. The MOU was signed by Alexey Aleshin, chairman of Russia's Federal Environmental, Industrial and Nuclear Supervision Service (Rostechnadzor), and Jazi Eko, chairman of Indonesia's Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (BAPETEN).

Aleshin (left) and Eko sign the MOU (Image: Rostechnadzor)

The agreement was signed on 31 March on the side-lines of the 7th Nuclear Safety Convention, currently under way at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.

The MOU covers the development of regulations on nuclear safety, radiation and security of nuclear technology; development and implementation of a licensing program; inspection of nuclear and radiation facilities; development of regulations and supervision of the mining and processing of radioactive minerals; and, emergency preparedness and response.

Russia and Indonesia signed a nuclear cooperation agreement in December 2006.

Indonesia's National Atomic Energy Agency (Batan) is promoting the introduction of nuclear power plants in Indonesia to help meet the county's demand for power. It envisages the start-up of conventional large light-water reactors on the populous islands of Bali, Java, Madura and Sumatra from 2027 onwards. In addition, it is planning for small HTGRs (up to 100 MWe) for deployment on Kalimantan, Sulawesi and other islands to supply power and heat for industrial use.

Prior to the introduction of commercial reactors in Indonesia, Batan is considering building a test and demonstration HTGR with an electrical output of 3-10 MWe and a thermal output of 10-30 MWt.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
Paris is the capital city of France as well as its largest city. It is also the largest city in the European Union outside of the United Kingdom with a population of 2.2 million residents (10 million in the entire metropolitan area). Sometimes known as the city of love, "city of light" and the fashion capital of the world, the French capital is is a very popular tourist destination. In 2015 alone, the city welcomed 22.2 million foreign visitors. Although Paris offers a list of tourist attractions that is nearly endless, this is a list of the five quintessential things that every tourist must see before leaving the city.

5. Tour Montparnesse Observation Deck

The Tour Montparnasse is a 58-story skyscraper in Paris that rises 689 feet in the air. At the top of the tower is a panoramic observation deck that features an open-air terrace, arguably offering some of the most mesmerizing and iconic views of the city. As the Tour Montparnasse itself is a large monolith structure, some joke that the view from its deck is made even more beautiful as it is the only place in Paris where your view does not contain the tower itself. The Tour Montparnasse is the perfect stop for any visitor to Paris who is short on time and still wants to be able to capture stunning photos of the cityscape.

4. Notre-Dame Cathedral

Located on its own little island called Ile de la Cite, Notre-Dame is an ancient Roman Catholic cathedral that was constructed in the 14th century. However, the site on which Notre-Dame was built dates back even further to when it hosted a Gallo-Roman temple over 1,000 years ago. Attracting over 14 million visitors per year, the Notre-Dame Cathedral is a Parisian must-see. Most famous for having inspired Victor Hugo's classic story The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, entry to the impressive Gothic edifice is free, and it is even possible for visitors to climb to its top. The central location of the Notre-Dame Cathedral makes it an accessible choice to even the most time-crunched of visitors.

3. Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe, whose fulll name is the Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile was built to honor the lives lost during the Napoleon Wars as well as the French Revolutionary War. The names of French army generals and their victories are inscribed on its surface. At the bottom of the Arc is the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" which symbolizes the millions of French soldiers who lost their lives in the First World War. An example of neoclassical architecture with Roman influence, the arc is located at a roundabout from whence several Paris avenues begin, including the famous high-end shopping district of the Champs-Elysees. It is possible to climb to the top of the arc using the steps located in the interior. It makes the list for its undeniable status as a highly recognizable symbol of Paris.

2. Basilique du Sacre-Cur

The Basilique du Sacre-Cur is an of early 20-century basilica affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. The basilica stands out from the neighboring city landscape due to its white marble exterior and its large protruding dome which offers impressive city views (after visitors climb its 300 steps, that is). The bell of the basilica weighs 19 tons, making it on of the heaviest in the world. The Basilique du Sacre-Cur makes the list for its location in the iconic Parisian neighborhood of Montmartre, which although heavily-touristed, is still worth a visit. Montmartre is famous for having served as an artistic hotspot for the likes of Salvador Dali, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh. A visit to the Basilique du Sacre-Cur can be easily accompanied by a walk around the area, where residue of its artistic past still shine through.

1. Eiffel Tower

The ultimate symbol of Paris, the Eiffel Tower is built of iron and rises 1,063 feet in the air. Attracting an average of 7 million visitors per year, the Eiffel Tower is the most visited tourist site in the city as well as its most famous symbol. Originally intended to be a temporary structure, it was constructed by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 Exposition Universelle. At its time it was the tallest human-made structure in the world, a title it would hold for 41 years until the 1930 opening of the Chrysler Building in New York. The observation deck at the top of the tower is the highest in the entire European Union at 906 feet. Although long lines often prohibit easy access to the tower's observation deck, no trip to Paris is complete without at least visiting the base of the tower, where it is still worthwhile to look up and admire the iconic symbol of Paris from afar.
Tibet is an autonomous region in the Peoples Republic of China. Its capital is at Lhasa. Located on the highly-elevated Tibetan plateau, it is the worlds highest region, sometimes referred to as the "roof of the world" or the "earths third pole". The average elevation measures more than 4,000 meters (13,123 feet). After breaking away from the Qing Dynasty in 1911 until the year 1950, Tibet was a de-facto independent nation before being claimed by China, of which it has been a part of since. However, as Tibet operates as its own Autonomous Region, the methods for visiting Tibet are quite different than those entailed when visiting China. It is not unusual for Tibet to occasionally be closed to all foreign travellers by ruling of the Chinese government. Below is a guide intended to help those interested in visiting Tibet, which offers amazing experiences but can be hard to navigate due to these special restrictions.

4. Why Go?

Tourism to Tibet revolves around its landscape, religious sites, traditions, culture, and festivals. Tibet is home to Mount Everest, the worlds highest mountain which it shares with Nepal. Some notable tourist sites include Potala Palace, which is a Tibetan UNESCO World Heritage Site, and residence to the Dalai Lama built in the 7th century. The palace is an important symbol of Tibetan Buddhism and its ancient administrative role. The last Dalai Lama resided in the palace until 1959 when he was forced to flee to India during the Tibetan uprising. The palace consists of unique architecture with a white and red palace and similarly distinct furnishings related to Buddhist cultures and traditions. The palace is a leading tourist destination within Tibet for pilgrims and those open to exploring the Buddhist practices and appreciating their history.

At an altitude of 29,029ft, Everest is the tallest mountain in the world located within the Himalayan range. The mountain is a famous tourist attraction for mountain climbers and hikers. Everest poses challenges to most climbers due to the strong winds, avalanches and altitude sickness. Before climbing the mountains, tourists are advised to move in teams in case of accidents and to carry enough oxygen to make it to the summit. Natural disasters may lead to restrictions in mountain climbing. Therefore, tourists need to check with their travel agencies to confirm accessibility. The Tibet Museum is an important cultural center with collections of artifacts and materials such as official documents, books, and seals related to Tibetan culture and history. Some artifacts are as old as 50,000 years including stone tools, bone and metal objects used by ancient Tibetan civilization. The museum structure itself is an architectural attraction with its blend of traditional and modern architecture. The Tibetan cultural artifacts displayed within the museum include paintings, sculptures, masks, medicine, astronomy musical instruments, and calendars. Other famous attractions include the Jokhang Temple, Norbulingka, Sera Monastery, and Yarlong Tsangpo River, Heavenly Lake Namtso, the Tashilhunpo monastery and the Baksum Tao Lake. Cultural festivals attracting tourists include the Tibetan New Year, the Monlam Prayer Festival, the Saga Dawa Festival and the Shoton Festival.

3. Special Requirements

Tibet has strict regulations for foreigners (defined by anyone with a passport that is non-Chinese) including the acquisition of special travel documents, restrictions on individual tours, and exemption of certain professionals such as journalists, diplomats, and government ministers. There are also areas that are restricted to all visitors regardlesss. Special traveling documents required by foreigners include a Chinese visa and passport, a Tibet Entry Permit, an Aliens Travel Permit, or a Military Permit. Acquisition of these documents requires tourists to book a tour with an authorized Chinese travel agency. These organizations help applicants in the application of permits from the local tourism bureau. Citizens of Macau and Hong Kong who have SAR passport do not necessarily need a Tibet Travel Permit. When applying for travel documents, it is important for tourists to decide on the period they want their tour to last, as it is illegal to stay in Tibet after the expiration of the permits validity period. For ease of application for permits and special documents, it is advisable for tourists not to indicate Tibet as their destination to increase the chances of successful applications.

2. Climate

Tibet has a harsh climate with cool summers and extremely cold winters. Its high elevation exposes Tibet to very intense solar radiation. Months between December and February are the coldest. Therefore, April and October during summer and autumn is the optimal time to visit Tibet. July and August experience periods of intense sunshine and warm temperatures and are considered great times to enjoy Tibets beautiful scenery and experience the thrill of the festive events during this time. Winters are the worst times to visit Tibet due to heavy snow and frequent landslides which prompt the closure of some roads, especially in the Kham and Western Sichuan regions. The location of Tibet in an active seismic zone exposes Tibet to frequent earthquakes of high magnitudes, especially in the Chayu, Bomi-Medog-Miri, Purang, Rutog, Tsona and Damshung-Lhasa zones. Sometimes, the strong earthquakes leave some areas such as those around the Everest unstable and are therefore closed from tourist activities. Rainfall during summer nights often triggers landslides causing disruptions.

1. Safety

While travel to Tibet is generally safe, just like anywhere else tourists are encouraged to be mindful of petty criminals. It is advisable for the visitors to avoid going out at night and to be careful while in crowded areas. Visible indicators of wealth or carrying large amounts of money are discouraged. For personal safety, travelers should carry first aid kits, appropriate warm clothing sunscreen and sunblock, and medication for attitudinal sickness. Visitors should carry all their official and traveling documents at all times to avoid unwarranted arrests. The documents serve as identification documents and proof of legal entry into Tibet. These documents are necessary for securing accommodation in most facilities. Tourists have to be in the company of their guides during visits to various places in Tibet in order to be allowed access. During times which are deemed as threatening by the government, tourists are expected to be with their guides at all times. While in Tibet, tourists should be careful to abide by cultural norms and taboos. Such practices expected of visitors include walking clockwise around shrines or religious monuments, using low tones while near religious areas, refraining from spitting in public or public display of affection, respect of religious objects and decent dressing (shorts are discouraged).
RJD chief Lalu Prasad has rubbished allegations of his minister sons involved in a soil scam. The former Bihar chief minister said he was ready for probe in the matter.

Lalu Prasad has denied any role of his sons in the alleged scam and said he is ready for any probe. (File Photo)

By Rohit Kumar Singh, India Today Web Desk: After the fodder scam which cost Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad dear, his family is now under the scanner over an alleged Rs 90-lakh corruption case, on this occasion involving soil.

Lalu's elder son and Bihar Forest Minister Tej Pratap Yadav, younger son and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and wife and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi have courted controversy over an apparent case of conflict of interest.

advertisement

WHAT IS THE SCAM

As per the allegations, the Patna Zoo, officially called the Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, decided to extend its pathways. The Patna Zoo falls under the Bihar Forest Ministry which is headed by Tej Pratap Yadav. For this, it ordered for soil from a company which, in turn, excavated soil from a mall site jointly owned Tej Pratap and Tejashwi among others.

The excavation and ferrying of soil was done by MS Enterprise. The Patna Zoo ordered the work through contract on the basis of quotations. It did not float any tender for the work.

The soil, which has been bought by the Patna Zoo, is being excavated from a two-acre plot on busy Bailey Road in Danapur, close to the state capital. The plot is owned by Delight Marketing Co Pvt Ltd which has Tejashwi Prasad, Tej Pratap and Rabri Devi, among others, on its board.

OPPOSITION PUSHES FOR TEJ PRATAP'S RESIGNATION

Raising the matter, senior Bihar BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi has demanded Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to order probe into the alleged irregularities and sack Environment and Forest Minister Tej Pratap Yadav for his alleged involvement.

Sushil Kumar Modi claimed that the soil was lifted from a site at Saguna Mor where Patna's biggest mall is coming up. Modi said the family of RJD chief Lalu Prasad was associated with the mall while his son Tej Pratap Yadav was minister of environment and forest, which controlled the zoo.

READY FOR PROBE: LALU

RJD president Lalu Prasad, however, rubbished Modi's claims, denying that any of his family members is involved in the deal. He said his family's name was being deliberately dragged. He said the Zoo director had sent notice to many but only his minister sons were being targeted and added that he was ready for a probe anytime.

"Everyday huge quantity of cow dung from my gaushala is given to the Patna Zoo for free. I do not charge even a single penny for this," said Lalu Prasad.

"The zoo officials should be questioned about what is the scam about. We have nothing to do with it," he said, adding,"Is Patna Zoo a baniye ki dukaan where you can purchase anything for cash and without documents. How is it possible to withdraw Rs 90 lakh from state treasury without proper documents.

advertisement

Zoo director Nand Kishore has also refuted Modi's allegations and said the soil was purchased from MS Enterprise as per norms.

Even though Lalu is denying any wrongdoing by his Minister sons, politics is heating up in Bihar over the issue. The Opposition has smelled a bright opportunity to corner the Yadav strongman, his family and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar by highlighting the matter.

ALSO READ:

Lalu and minister sons face heat over an alleged Rs 90 lakh soil scam in Bihar, Opposition on the offensive

Bihar: Tej Pratap turns 'halwai' for Saraswati Puja, picture goes viral

Lalu Prasad Yadav's son Tej Pratap calls PM Modi's BHIM app 'Vim', gets trolled on Twitter

--- ENDS ---
Eritreas government is described as a single party presidential republic where the President serves as both the head of government and head of state. Eritrea became an Italian colony in the late 19th century after which it was incorporated into Ethiopia. It was not until April 27, 1993, that Eritrea was formally declared independent after years of armed struggle. The constitution sets out the framework for governance of the nation and was ratified by the National Assembly in 1997, although it has yet to be implemented.

President Of Eritrea

The position of the presidency in the country has been held by Isaias Afwerki Tigrinya since 1993. National elections in the country are continuously postponed. Although the Constitution allows for multi-party politics, the Peoples Front for Democracy and Justice is the nations ruling and legal party. President Isaias was elected by the National Assembly in 1993 after independence. He currently exercises many legislative and executive duties, most of which go unchecked. The president appoints ministers and chairs sessions of the cabinet. He receives other heads of states and represents the nation in other countries. The government system of Eritrea under President Isaias has been termed as authoritarian due to cases of imprisonment without trial, torture, and media censorship.

The Executive Branch Of The Government Of Eritrea

The President is tasked with the appointment of ministers as well as other officials in authorities, commissions, and government agencies. The cabinet consists of 18 ministers who implement government policies, laws, and regulations. The ministries include finance, justice, defence, education, tourism, and agriculture. The constitution stipulates that the cabinets policies should be approved by the National Assembly making the Ministers accountable to Parliament.

The Legislative Branch Of The Government Of Eritrea

The National Assembly, which was constituted after independence, consists of 75 representatives from the Peoples Front for Democracy and Justice in addition to other 75 members popularly elected. Elections to the Chamber have not been held since then. The National Assembly drafts the governments internal and external policies and monitors their implementation. It also appoints the president and approves the proposed budget. In each of the countrys six zones are lower regional assemblies tasked in formulating a local agenda. Representatives to the assemblies are popularly elected. Decisions of the assemblies can be overruled by the National Assembly. The constitution establishes the assembly as the governments strongest branch.

The Judicial Branch Of The Government Of Eritrea

Judicial matters in Eritrea are overseen by a network of local, regional, and national courts. At the top of the hierarchy is the national High Court which serves as the highest court of appeal. Original cases are given audience by three judges while a panel of five judges listens to final appeals. Under the High Court are regional courts which hear appeals from the community courts. There are 683 community courts spread across Eritrea. A panel of three judges sits in a community court, and it observes the local customs and rules. A total number of 2,049 magistrates serve the nations community courts.

Administration Of Eritrea

For administration purposes, the country consists of 6 regions which are further broken down into 55 districts/sub-zobas. The regions are established after consideration of an areas hydrological resources to give region autonomy over its agricultural capacity and also to quell historical intra-regional disputes. The six regions are Central, Southern Red Sea, Anseba, Northern Red Sea, Southern, and Gash-Barka.
What Is The Coral Triangle?

The Coral Triangle is located among the islands of Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Solomon, and Malaysia. It covers 2.2 million square miles and is comprised of 2 ecoregions: the Indonesian-Philippines region and the Far Southwestern Pacific region. Within each of these regions, 500 species of coral exist together to create the reefs below. This ecological area is teeming with biodiversity that provides livelihood, through fishing and tourism industries, to more than 120 million individuals.

Threats To The Biodiversity Of The Coral Triangle

As previously mentioned, the Coral Triangle is home to a wide range of biodiversity although it only takes up 1.6% of global ocean areas. In fact, it provides a habitat for approximately 76% of the worlds coral species, 52% of Indo-Pacific reef fish, and 37% of the worlds entire global reef fish population. These percentages represent more than 6,000 types of fish species and 6 of only 7 marine turtle species. Additionally, it is home to the largest area of mangrove forests in the world. For the local economy, the fishing industry exports $1 billion worth of tuna on an annual basis.

Unfortunately, this biodiversity is under increasing threat. The area surrounding the triangle is responsible for some of the biggest threats to the triangle which include: economic expansion, population growth, unsustainable tourism, and international trade. The growing population has resulted in increased coastal development, causing erosion and pollution to the surrounding marine waters. The fishing industry has been increasing in response to growing worldwide demand, leading to overfishing and the depletion of local fish populations. Global climate change has also been threatening the biodiversity here with high levels of acid in the water, warming temperatures, and rising sea levels. Reef bleaching has also been an increasing threat to the coral reefs within this area.

Importance Of Conservation

The Coral Triangle is often referred to as the Amazon of the Seas as it is one of the most valuable marine ecosystems in the world. As such, it is considered an urgent conservation priority by several organizations, including the World Wide Fund for Nature. Conserving this marine area is important to its future. Researchers believe that if conservation efforts are not undertaken soon, the Coral Triangle will be destroyed by the year 2100. Not only would this be detrimental to plant and animal life, but also to humans. Estimates suggest that if this happens, around 100 million individuals will lose their main source of revenue and the ability of the region to provide food to humans will decrease by 80%.

Conservation efforts focus on creating sustainable tourism, fishing, and aquaculture opportunities for the local population. Additionally, the countries surrounding the Coral Triangle entered an agreement in 2009 called the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security. The objective behind the treaty is to increase conservation efforts and create international action plans. Some of the goals of this conservation treaty for 2020 include: a minimum of 10% of the Coral Triangle should be sustainably managed, a reduction in the environmental footprint of fisheries and tourism, and an increased level of food security for local communities.
By Press Trust of India: From M Zulqernain Lahore, Apr 4 (PTI) A two-member bench of Lahore High Court hearing the petition filed by JuD chief Hafiz Saeed and four otherschallenging their house arrest under the anti- terrorism act was today dissolved as one of the judges has been transferred.

In todays hearing, the bench comprising Justice Kazim Raza Shamsi and Justice Chaudhry Mushtaq Ahmad said they would not be able to further hear the case since the new roster of judges has been issued for next week. The bench adjourned the hearing till April 12.

advertisement

"One of the judges of...the bench has been transferred therefore a new bench will be constituted next week by the chief justice," a court official told PTI, adding it was unprecedented that two bench had been dissolved in less than one month in the case.

Last month, Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah had changed the two-member bench headed by Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan which was hearing the petition of the Mumbai attack mastermind.

A court official then had declared the change of bench (in Saeeds case) a "routine matter".

In the last hearing on March 27, the court had asked the Punjab government to explain its powers to detain Saeed "without a trial".

Referring to an Indian movie wherein Saeed was portrayed as a villain, the judge said the government should see if there is any "international conspiracy" against the Pakistani citizens.

A K Dogar, counsel for Saeed, concluded his arguments saying the government had detained the JuD leaders without any justification.

Dogar also questioned the powers of the provincial government to include any citizen in the fourth schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). He said such powers were solely vested with the federal government. He said the government had detained him (Saeed) and others to please India and the US. The government on January 30 had put Saeed and the four leaders of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniat (FIF) under house arrest in Lahore under the countrys anti- terrorism act. PTI MZ NSA

--- ENDS ---
Policies should be formulated so that revenue from other sources can be generated, the BJP MP said.

By Brijesh Pandey: Coming out openly in support of women protesting against alcohol shops, BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj has said that he is a saint and feels that alcohol should be banned completely.

In the same breath, he added that whether such a move was enforced depended on those running the government.

Maharaj said that as many as 300 people had died because of alcohol in Unnao in the past 3 years. "While it may bring in revenue, the liquor mafia which makes spurious alcohol is a blot on us as a society. It's tragic. People who never went to Akhilesh or Mayawati are now going to Yogi Adityanath. This as they feel since he is a Yogi, he will understand their pain so they have appealed to him to take stern and concerted steps in this regard. Now, it is up to him to decide when and how he will shut down this business."

advertisement

Welcoming the Supreme court order banning liquor vendors within 500 meters of national and state highways, he said that he had been a sufferer himself.

LIQUOR MAIN CAUSE OF FIGHTS, ACCIDENTS: MAHARAJ

"In front of my ashram, there is a liquor shop and a kebab shop. Almost every day, there are people fighting and I feel I could be blamed for that. Consumption of liquor is mainly the cause of fights and accidents."

The BJP MP said that Niti Ayog Chairman Amitabh Kant should formulate such policies that revenue from other sources can be generated.

Responding to Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma's comment that 5-star hotels should be exempted from Supreme court's liquor ban order, Maharaj said, "Tourism should be given a boost through other means. Various avenues can be arranged to boost tourism, alcohol is not the only option to do so. But Mahesh is a good friend and I will definitely suggest him."

Also read | Liquor ban: After Chandigarh, Punjab to find 'loopholes' in Supreme Court order to help alcohol lobby

Also read | SC liquor ban order fallout: Madhya Pradesh excise department forced to sell liquor through a mobile shop

Also read | Supreme Court order on liquor vends hits bouncers

Also read | Bar owners go into a huddle after liquor ban along highways

WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released its quadrennial Report Card last month on the condition of infrastructure in the United States. Once again, the association gave the country an overall grade of D+, the same as in 2013.

The report is a damning appraisal of the state of American society under capitalism, and the Obama years, which saw essential social needs starved of funding while the stock market tripled in value and vast public resources were squandered on war. This will only accelerate under Trump.

The ASCE report assesses the state of sixteen different categories of infrastructure: aviation, bridges, dams, drinking water, energy, hazardous waste, inland waterways, levees, parks and recreation, ports, rail, roads, schools, solid waste, transit and wastewater.

Twelve of the sixteen sections evaluated earned a D grade. The report defines a D grade as The infrastructure is in poor to fair condition and mostly below standard, with many elements approaching the end of their service life. A large portion of the system exhibits significant deterioration. Condition and capacity are of serious concern with strong risk of failure.

According to ASCE, the total costs to bring all US infrastructure into an adequate condition would exceed two trillion dollars.

The highest grade for any section of the report was earned by rail, which got a B. The reports notes that the nations railways are largely privately owned and that major companies generally invest significant resources for rail maintenance. The lowest grade was earned by transit, a D-. This includes buses, subway, and light rail systems. The report estimates the backlog maintenance costs to be $90 billion.

In the categories of dams and levees, upon whose maintenance millions of lives depend, the report states that an estimated $125 billion will be required to upgrade them to a safe standard. The average age for all dams in the US is 56 years. There are 15,500 dams classified as high hazard potential with 2,170 of those considered deficient high hazard potential. In other words, there are over two thousand dams in the US ready to burst.

Last month in California 188,000 people were evacuated due to the threat of flooding from the damaged spillway of the 770-foot Oroville dam, the nations tallest. State officials are currently scrambling to complete necessary repairs before the next storm season begins.

The nations drinking water systemswhose woeful state has been exposed by lead contamination in Flint, Michigan; Fresno, California; and other cities over the past several yearsrequire an estimated $1 trillion over the next 25 years to maintain and expand a safe and adequate supply for the countrys growing population. Many of the over one million pipes that carry the nations fresh water were laid in the early and mid-twentieth century, with an operational lifespan of 75-100 years. The report estimates that there are 240,000 water main breaks in the US each year.

The section of the report on bridges and roads, which earned grades of C+ and D respectively, details the frightening state of decay American commuters face daily. The average age of bridges in the US is 56 years. An estimated 9.1 percent of the nations bridges56,007 totalare deemed to be structurally deficient. Some 188 million trips are made across dangerous bridges daily in the US. Since 2000, there have been bridge collapses in a dozen different states, the most recent of which occurred in Atlanta on March 30 when a section of I-85 failed due to fire. There have been over 200 casualties due to the bridge collapses since 2000, with 40 killed and 163 injured. The report assesses an estimated cost of $123 billion to rehabilitate the nations bridges.

One out of every five miles of highway pavement is deemed to be in poor condition in the US. Accidents claimed the lives of 35,092 people on Americas roads in 2015. This represents an increase of seven percent over the previous year, after having consistently been in decline for previous years.

Public schools, which have been targeted for defunding by both Democrats and Republicans for decades, are given a grade of D+. The report estimates schools are underfunded by approximately $38 billion. Of the nearly 100,000 public school buildings in the US, 24 percent were classified as being in a state of  fair to poor condition.

This will only worsen as the Trump administration starves the public schools of desperately needed funds and diverts public money towards private, parochial and charter schools.

In the containment and disposal of hazardous waste, which can impact the health of tens of millions, the report gives a grade of D+. With more than half of the population of the US living within three miles of a hazardous waste site, the potential for disaster is enormous.

ASCEs answer to this crisis is not only inadequate but downright reactionary. Accepting as given the squandering of trillions of dollars on war, corporate tax cuts and other subsidies to the super-rich, the report proposes a series of measures to make working people foot the bill for decaying infrastructure.

In the section of the report titled solutions to raise the grade the authors suggest that Infrastructure owners and operators must charge, and Americans must be willing to pay, rates and fees that reflect the true cost of using, maintaining, and improving infrastructure. Other sections advocate user generated fees, hiking the gasoline tax, and other regressive proposals that would disproportionately affect the countrys poorest citizens. The report also calls for more public-private partnerships, along with the streamlining of approval for private investment in public infrastructure projects.

Such free-market measures would only create an ever-greater class-based infrastructure system, where only those who could afford to will be able to drive on high toll expressways and bridges, send their children to quality schools, drink clean water and live in areas not threatened with constant flooding or environmental disasters.

The further privatization of public resources is one of the main tenets of President Trumps fraudulent infrastructure plan. Under the plan proposed by Trump, hundreds of billions of dollars would be channeled into the pockets of the construction industry, banks and real estate speculators through a series of tax breaks and incentives. With substantial support from both the Democratic Party and the leaders of the trade unions, Trumps plan would be a boondoggle for the ruling class.

The $2 trillion price tag, which ASCE estimates would bring all infrastructure to an adequate condition, must be viewed in the context of overall US spending.

Since 2001, the US has spent over $2.2 trillion prosecuting the imperialist wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. When adjusted to include the cost of ongoing health care for injured veterans, debt payments and other factors that figure rises to an estimated $4.4 trillion. In 2015, the US spent over $600 billion on Pentagon spending, more than the next seven largest militaries combined. Trump has pledged to increase this figure by tens of billions more to finance Washingtons predatory wars and enrich defense contractors.

At the outset of the 2008 financial crisis, the government spent $700 billion bailing out the big Wall Street banks under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). In subsequent years, that figure has grown dramatically. A 2015 report from the inspector general for the TARP program states that the governments total cost to keep the banks afloat was $16.8 trillion, with $4.6 trillion of that sum already spent.

At the same time that Washington spends trillions on the military and Wall Street, social programs are being slashed. Trumps proposed budget for 2018 would cut the Environmental Protection Agencys budget by 31 percent, spending on Health and Human Services would be reduced by 16 percent while Housing and Urban Development would see its budget reduced by 12 percent.

There exist ample resources, both human and material, to rebuild the nations infrastructure and create millions of new good-paying jobs. But these resources cannot be marshaled under a system that subordinates social needs and human life itself to the ever-greater enrichment of a modern-day aristocracy.
Recently concluded elections for the position of Rector at the University of Glasgow saw a broad coalition of ostensibly left organisations backing the candidacy of Brace Belden, an American volunteer with the Kurdish YPG (Peoples Protection Units).

The YPG militias are backed by the imperialist powers in the brutal US-instigated war for regime change in Syria. They function as the principal proxy force in attempts to seize control of Raqqa, the Syrian stronghold of the Islamic State (ISIS). The YGP is armed and funded by the Pentagon and accompanied into battle by US Special Forces units.

The Glasgow Marxists, a student branch of Socialist Appeal, the British section of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT), and the right-wing dominated Glasgow University Labour Club both publicly endorsed Belden.

Left Unity, the Communist Party of Britain (CPB), the Scottish Socialist Party and the Socialist Party, all joined in attesting to the supposedly revolutionary credentials of the YPG and invoke Belden and other YPG volunteers as a modern day version of the International Brigades, which fought in the Spanish civil war of the 1930s against fascism.

The International Brigades, notwithstanding their counter-revolutionary Stalinist leadership, reflected the genuine strivings of workers and intellectuals to oppose fascism. Fully 35,000 courageous volunteers travelled to Spain from 53 countriesmany of them committed socialists and internationaliststo fight the menace posed by General Franco.

These volunteers were cruelly used by the Stalinist forces in Spain. The Stalinist bureaucracy opposed a struggle for socialism and confined the revolution, politically and through brutal repression, to the perspective of maintaining a bourgeois republicthus ensuring defeat for the working class and victory for Franco.

Three years ago, Glasgow students elected Edward Snowden, the former US National Security Agency whistle-blower, in a powerful display of opposition to the dragnet surveillance of the worlds population.

Now the pseudo-left are attempting to channel democratic and left-wing sentiment in a pro-war direction by building up the YPG and portraying Rojavathe YPG-dominated autonomous region carved out in the Kurdish-majority areas of northern Syria with the help of US and Saudi air strikesas the centre of revolutionary struggle for a democratic and egalitarian society.

An October 2016 commentary by Alan Woods, the leading theoretician of the IMT , is typical of how support for the YPG provides an avenue for tacit support of Washingtons war drive.

While making a show of opposing direct military intervention in Syria and the broader region, Woods accused the then Obama administration in the United States of dithering for too long on the issue of arming the Kurds. Woods complains that Kurdish fighters will receive some small arms and ammunition, but not the kind of heavy equipment like anti-tank or anti-aircraft weapons that would make them a formidable fighting force.

Facilitating the pseudo-left in their overtures to the imperialist powers for military aid is their political use of the YPGs embrace of gender politics and the fact that around half of its forces comprise of Womens Brigades.

In a September 2016 petition addressed to British Prime Minister Theresa May, the Campaign for a political solution of the Kurdish Question called on the Conservative government to condemn Turkey for its collusion with ISIS and its Syrian military intervention aimed at undermining Rojava.

The principal charge of the petition against ISIS is over its brutal catalogue of sexual violence. It applauds the role of the US-led coalition and its sponsorship of the Kurds in a region often lagging behind in progressive gender policies.

It asked only that May continue to back the YPG/YPJ, which it refers to as the most effective force on the ground in the battle against ISIS.

Patrons and signatories of the campaign include Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, representatives of the Irish and Welsh nationalists, Sinn Fein and Plaid Cymru, numerous trade union leaders, various pseudo-left tendencies, US academic Noam Chomsky and other professors, together with feminist activists and about a dozen peers.

Belden is neither a socialist nor a democrat, but a highly disoriented petty-bourgeois radical.

Based in San Francisco directly prior to volunteering with the YPG, the 27-year-old sang with a punk band that ironically utilized Nazi symbolism and free-lanced as a writer for the Williamette Week, a local alternative weekly published in Portland, Oregon. He distinguished himself by petitioning the Obama administration to hang public radio host Garrison Keillor, creator of A Prairie Home Companion, from the Empire State Building.

A cursory review of Beldens Twitter activity, where he posts under the handle LENIN_LOVER69 (@PissPigGranddad), reveals a deeply unhinged persona. One of his recent tweets reads: I not only think North Korea should have nukes, I think they should nuke South Korea.

During the Rectorial elections, Belden tweeted, FUTURE GLASGOW RECTOR SUPPORTS SENDING STUDENTS TO WORK IN THE FIELDS, a cynical reference to the policies associated with Maos Cultural Revolution a policy that found genocidal expression in Cambodia under Pol Pots Khmer Rouge dictatorship.

Belden is a self-professed admirer of Mao, who bitterly denounces Trotskyism. Yet he has been fraudulently presented to students as an anti-fascist partisan risking his life for his internationalist and socialist ideals and for the defence of refugees. However, like the YPG and its sister organization, the bourgeois nationalist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), his utilisation of Maoist rhetoric only highlights his anti-working class politics.

The campaign posters in support of Belden at the university featured him in the pose of Che Guevarain military fatigues, sporting an AK-47 assault rifle and smoking a large cigar. The Cuban petty-bourgeois nationalist leader notoriously befriended and gave refuge to Ramon Mercader, the Stalinist assassin who murdered Leon Trotsky, the co-leader of the Russian revolution.

One of the posters slogans read, ONLY ONE CANDIDATE SHOOTS ISISBELDEN FOR RECTOR. Based on this criterion, Beldens supporters could have nominated one of the many CIA assets, mercenaries, Christian fundamentalists and other psychopathic adventurers that fight within and alongside the YPG.

At no point have the pseudo-left ever attempted to reconcile their claims of the progressive character of the likes of Belden with the YPGs alliance with US imperialism or the several hundred special operations troops from America, Britain, France and Germany embedded within its ranks.

In fact, Belden has been very candid about the swamp-like character of Rojava and the YPG. Speaking to The Syrian Intifada blog last month, he said, Technically they call it libertarian socialism, but its pretty much a Stalinist state, which is fucking tight, (i.e. very good).

Belden describes the first wave of international volunteers, mostly military veterans and former private defence contractors, as psychopaths that wanted to come kill people. He recalled one guy named Tim the Cannibal who consumed body parts and drank the blood of deceased ISIS fighters. In his defence, Belden quipped, we dont get a lot of protein. He assured readers that the YPG is now made up of at least 75% Left-wing people, since a policy of weeding out the psychopaths has been introduced.

A recent investigative report by Seth Harp published by Rolling Stone is quite revealing regarding the supposed leftists who have survived the weeding-out process.

Harp describes a typical volunteer, Zederst, a young German who hails from a milieu of bourgeois bohemians, rich hipsters, and professional-class liberals.

Another dubious medic/fighter is profiled, who was vague about his background, but wore a Mao pin, owned a fortune in Bitcoin and spoke seven languages, including Arabic and Kurmanji.

As for Belden, he freely admits: Technically, I did a war crime, because I peed on a dead person.

During the rector elections the pseudo-left and the bourgeois press engaged in a great deal of mutual handwringing over two of Beldens rivals for the position of rector: Milo Yiannopoulos, a fascistic provocateur and Donald Trump devotee who formerly served as an editor for Breitbart News, and Canadian Professor Jordan Peterson, a self-proclaimed opponent of political correctness who refuses to use gender neutral pronouns.

In the election, the University of Glasgow students roundly rejected Belden in favour of human rights lawyer Amar Anwar, a Scottish National Party supporter. The contrasting embrace of Belden by sections of the pseudo-left underscores their role as apologists for imperialist operations in the Middle East and throughout the world.
Over 2,600 workers in the Republic of Ireland have been on strike at Bus Eireannthe national inter-county public transport companyfor almost two weeks in a bitter dispute over the companys unilateral implementation of cuts to wages and changes to work practices.

Over 100,000 people use the Bus Eireann service nationally.

All of the companys routes throughout the country have been impacted, with school bus drivers likely to join the strike pending a ballot by the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU)one of the two main unions involved in the strike.

Although Bus Eireann along with Dublin Bus and Iarnrod Eireann form part of the overall state-owned CIE transport group, the Expressway/Interregional service is run as a private company. Shane Ross, the Minister for Transport in the Fine Gael-led government, insists that because the major losses are being incurred by the private Expressway inter-city service, he will not intervene. Dismissing a call from Dermot O Leary, general secretary of the National Bus and Railworkers Union (NBRU)the main union involvedfor the transport minister to intervene, Ross told the Dail (parliament) last week, I have made it absolutely clear that my intention during the dispute is to keep as far away from it as possible and to leave it to the two parties involved.

Bus Eireann bosses claim the company lost over 9 million in 2016, and is facing insolvency by May this year unless the cuts to wages and conditions are implemented.

On February 27, management unilaterally went ahead with the introduction of 55 cost-cutting measures. Many workers face a 30 percent cut in take home pay and overtime pay, which many drivers depend on. Over the past years, bus drivers and other transport workers have suffered a steady decline in pay and conditions due to the collaboration of the unions with the employers, often through the Labour Court and the Works Relations Commission (WRC). These are the main state-funded arbitration bodies with a record of enforcing the demands of the employers. The WRC acts as a cover by which the unions seek to agree to a slightly modified or amended version of the veracious demands of Bus Eireann.

In May 2013, a cost-cutting programme totalling 5 million, which included pay cuts, reductions in overtime pay and longer working hours, led to strike action by Bus Eireann workers. When the strike started, the unions insisted on a two-day cooling off period to enter talks at the Labour Relations Commission (LCR), predecessor of the WRC.

The present strike is directly connected with the collaboration of the unions, through the WRC, with the 5 million proposed 2013 cuts. These were modified by the unions for implementation. The unions have also colluded in the implementation of plans to privatise 10 percent of routes. At the beginning of March this year, they called off a planned strike to facilitate an earlier version of the current cuts through the WRC, with SIPTU sector representative Willie Noone stating, It has always been apparent that the expertise of the WRC will be required to deal with the serious and complex issues involved in this dispute.

The main opposition parties have all given rhetorical support to the striking workers, mainly criticising the refusal of the transport minister to intervene.

Sinn Feins transport spokesperson Imelda Munster called for Rosss intervention, saying, Whats come to light over recent months is that it is government policy to decimate our public transport network, along with a race to the bottom on workers rights, in order to groom it for privatisation.

The pseudo-left groups have also been vocal in the Dail and on the media in regarding the striking Bus Eireann workers.

On March 30, Brid Smith, a parliamentary deputy (TD) of the Socialist Workers Party/People Before Profit, spoke at length on the dispute on the television talk-show, Tonight with Vincent Brown. She said the bus workers were incapable of bearing any more cuts to wages, before adding that the minister should intervene. In keeping with the close ties the pseudo-left has formed with the union bureaucracy and the Irish political establishment, there was no mention from Smith of the need to spread the dispute, let alone criticism of the collaboration of the trade unions with the agenda of the Bus Eireann management over the past years.

Mick Barry, TD of the Socialist Party and Solidarity, the SPs newly named electoral front, proclaimed on the partys web site, Ireland is consistently ranked one of the 20 richest countries in the world. It should have a world class public transport system... The unions at the company must demand that public transport be run as a service based on need rather on profit. Barry, who sits on the inter-party Dail Committee on Transport, offered no criticism of the union leaders. Nor did he call for bus workers to spread the strike to city buses and the trains.

Yet this is precisely what workers attempted to do. To the consternation of the union bosses, pickets were placed last Friday at dawn by Bus Eireann workers on city bus depots and trains. Hundreds of Dublin bus workers and Irish Rail workers refused to cross the picket lines bringing rail and city bus services to a virtual standstill for several hours. Transport Minister Ross, who had said he would not intervene in the dispute, now joined forces with the unions in condemning the workers wildcat action on morning radio. Ross, who was aware of the potential for the strike to spread, insisted, Its absolutely appalling. It came as a complete surprise. What Im doing now is appealing to the pickets to come off.

The pickets were also condemned promptly by Patricia King, general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), who complained on RTE radio, The countrys dispute resolution bodies did not respond well to that kind of event.

As the strike spread to Irish Rail and Dublin Bus services during the morning rush hour, NBRU boss O Leary echoed the same appeal on morning radio, saying, Ive contacted colleagues across different areas of the country in the past few hours to try to get them to encourage some workers to cease their picketing. This is no way to conduct industrial relations.

OLeary, when asked if his union had sanctioned the workers action, insisted he knew nothing about the picketing before it happened. Im urging those who are picketing to stop, and people should go to work immediately, he declared.

In previous strikes, the unions placed pickets in such a way that ensured the isolation of striking workers by encouraging other workers to enter and leave shared premises where no picket is placed. Bus Eireann depots are shared by rail workers at Iarnord Eireann.

The union bureaucrats above all fear an escalation of the strike action to other workers. By mid-morning Friday, the pickets had been cleared by the union officials who had spent the morning trying to persuade workers to abandon the solidarity action needed to defend themselves against the onslaught on wages and conditions.

While the union needed no additional encouragement for its strike breaking activity, Dublin Bus and Irish Rail officials are nevertheless suing the NBRU for hundreds of thousands of euros in damages suffered due to unofficial secondary picketing.
In front of the Daimler plant in Stuttgart-Unterturkheim, many workers readily supported the campaign launched by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) on behalf of 31 workers victimised by the Indian carmaker Maruti Suzuki. Many Daimler workers agreed to sign the online petition demanding the release of their colleagues in India.

In a travesty of justice a court has condemned thirteen Maruti Suzuki workers in Manesar, in the northern Indian state of Haryana, to life imprisonment for homicide. Another eighteen workers have been sentenced to long jail sentences for minor offences. The ICFI has rejected this legal conspiracy in a statement and called for the defence of the Maruti Suzuki workers.

On March 29, WSWS reporters distributed this statement as a handout in front of the Daimler plant. It reads: The ICFI is launching an international defense campaign aimed at mobilizing the industrial and independent political strength of the working class in India, South Asia and around the world to defeat the company-state vendetta against the Maruti Suzuki workers. The international working class must take up the fight for the immediate release of all of the framed-up workers, the vacating of all guilty verdicts, and the reinstatement of all the workers purged in 2012.

More than 250 handouts were distributed to workers, whose shift started at six in the morning. When they heard about the way that the prosecutions had been rigged practically everyone took a handout and declared their support for the campaign. Many agreed that the management of Maruti Suzuki and the Indian government were mercilessly persecuting the workers because they had opposed rock bottom wages, short term, no condition contracts and dreadful working conditions. Some Daimler workers thought the same kinds of methods could be employed when a similar struggle develops in Germany.

Following the end of the shift at 14:00, a number of workers stopped to talk with WSWS reporters. They said they agreed with the content of the statement, and promised to sign the online petition. It was important, some said, that workers in Germany condemn the devastating conditions of work and living conditions in India: After all, we are all workers and have the same interests.

Roland said, These workers have obviously been wrongly condemned. I can clearly imagine the working conditions in India and I think management deliberately punished them so heavily in order to make an example of them. I support this campaign. They must all be released. I have been working here for thirty years now, and I often come into conflict with my superiors. Workers here in this factory have been harassed because they have allegedly caused problems. I am not saying conditions are comparable to India, but management is stepping up the pressure every day.

Another worker, Sinisa said, I cannot imagine that the hundreds of workers who were accused had really committed crimes. In my opinion, they probably rebelled against the management and demanded better working conditions. But they must have the right to fight for their demands. I think your campaign is good because you have started to tell the truth. No one knows what will happen to their jobs in the future. Management just spreads lies and there is growing unrest in the workforce.

Bassam, remarked, I have heard that these workers have been condemned without any real evidence, and it seems to me like the actions of a dictatorship. Of course, I must express my solidarity. I will read this leaflet carefully and sign your petition. At Daimler the working conditions are not as good as many people think. I have been working here for thirty years. The area in which I work is due to be demobilised. Nobody knows what they plan for the 400 workers affected. There are rumours that some are to be transferred to other departments, while others will be sacked with any remuneration.

I am in the union but I do not think they are doing a good job. They do nothing for the workers, but just impose the policies of the company executive. Really, for us, we only get the bad end of the stick.

Frank also said he supported the fight to free the Maruti Suzuki workers. I recently saw a documentary film dealing with the treatment of workers in multinational corporations in Asia. In Pakistan workers earn two Euros a day in a shoe factory. It is quite correct for workers to fight against such conditions. Low-wage labor means that human dignity is disregarded from the outset.

I have not yet read your leaflet, but from what you are saying, I gather that the condemned workers have been singled out. The bosses are prepared to go to all lengths to increase their profits. I support the petition to demand the release of these workers.

I work for a subcontractor in maintenance and production. All in all Ive been with Daimler for almost thirty years, with an interruption of two or three years. In the past twenty years I have experienced major changes that have had a negative impact on workers. We are under constant pressure. In the old days kings and princes used such methods, today it is the company management.

Halim, who has worked at Daimler for 10 years, said, This is a disgrace. I support your campaign. Workers must also support the campaign. I think they are being sent to jail to deter others. The families of the condemned workers are suffering, and other workers see this happening. It puts pressure on them to accept everything management wants. Those with money and power can do what they want. That has to stop.

I was transferred to this factory last year. The department where I worked for nine years was disbanded and I was offered work here. If I rejected the offer I would have been out of a job. Although the work here is hard, I have not received a pay rise.
The US Senate began debate Tuesday morning on the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court created by the death of Antonin Scalia more than a year ago. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell started the 30 hours allotted for the debate with a warning to the minority Democrats that he would move to change Senate rules if they went ahead with a planned filibuster of the nomination.

McConnell took the action one day after the Senate Judiciary Committee rubber-stamped the nomination by party-line vote, with all eleven Republicans backing Gorsuch and all nine Democrats opposing him. Monday also saw the total of Democrats supporting a filibuster against Gorsuchs confirmation reach 41, enough under Senate rules to defeat a motion to close debate.

What is unfolding over the remainder of the week will be a choreographed exercise in political posturing, in which most Senate Democrats will pretend to be fighting against the nomination of an ultra-right Supreme Court justice, although the outcome is predetermined. The senators of both corporate-controlled parties will deliver their speeches largely to impress the cable television audience, while only a handful of their colleagues will bother to watch the spectacle.

After the likely failure of a cloture vote sometime Thursday, McConnell has pledged to present a point of order changing Senate rules to bar the filibustering of a Supreme Court nominee, the so-called nuclear option, which requires only a bare majority to pass. All 52 Republicans are expected to vote to change the rules, and after that, the same 52, plus three or four Democrats, would vote to confirm Gorsuch.

Even the exact number of Democrats who will vote for Gorsuch has been worked out in advance, in backroom talks with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who could permit up to seven Democrats to cross over and still retain the 41 votes needed to uphold the filibuster. Similarly, McConnell could permit two Republicans to defect on the nuclear option and still prevail in that vote, although none may actually do so.

There is not a shred of genuine democratic debate or genuine opposition to the ultra-right packing of the Supreme Court in this weeks Senate proceedings, despite the hours of television coverage and the hushed-voice commentary of pundits who will seek to present the Senate debate as a titanic struggle between uncompromising alternatives.

McConnell set the tone with his opening comments Tuesday. Democrats are being pushed by far-left interest groups into doing something detrimental to this body and for our country, he said on the Senate floor. They seem determined to head into the abyss and taking the country with them.

Democrats countered with equally apocalyptic declarations about how ending the filibuster for confirmation votes for the Supreme Court would lead inexorably to ending filibusters for legislation as well, and radically transform the nature of the Senate by making it possible for a narrow majority to work its will without any check, just as is the case in the House of Representatives.

Gorsuch is a diehard reactionary who modeled himself as a judge on Scalia, the ultra-right justice who was the political leader of the right-wing majority on the Supreme Court for a quarter of a century. Scalia was responsible for such travesties as the 2000 ruling in Bush v. Gore that awarded Floridas electoral votes and hence the White House to Bush, who lost the popular vote by half a million.

The Scalia vacancy played a significant role in US bourgeois politics throughout 2016. Barack Obama nominated the most right-wing possible nominee of a Democratic president, veteran Appeals Court judge Merrick Garland. Despite Garlands impeccable pro-business record, the Republican majority in the US Senate refused even to accord him a hearing before the Judiciary Committee, holding the seat open for the next president. The Supreme Court nomination was used to motivate Christian fundamentalist voters who might otherwise have been less than enthusiastic about a Republican nominee with the persona and history of Donald Trump.

While Garland and Gorsuch would have their differences on social issues like gay marriage and abortion, their records on the issues of greatest concern to US corporations and banks are quite similar. In their appeals court rulings, Garland in Washington DC and Gorsuch in Denver, both have ruled consistently in favor of business against workers, consumers and the environment.

One particularly notorious case involving Gorsuch was his dissent in what became known as the frozen trucker case, when the appeals court majority ruled that a trucking company could not fire a driver for unhitching his rig from a load in order to seek shelter in a blizzard. Gorsuch also opposed a Labor Department fine on a company where a worker was electrocuted after inadequate safety training, and a National Labor Relations Board ruling ordering back pay for a worker whose hours had been reduced illegally.

More fundamentally, Gorsuch has declared his opposition to what is known as the Chevron decision, which upheld the right of Congress to delegate rule-making authority to agencies in the executive branch. While cloaking his political views in a deferential manner and a polite smile, Gorsuch shares the agenda of Trumps fascistic chief counselor, Stephen K. Bannon, to bring about the destruction of the administrative state.

Gorsuch has the closest ties to ultra-right billionaire Philip F. Anschutz, a longtime financer of right-wing institutions like the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation. He represented Anschutz as a Washington lawyer, and the plutocrat prevailed upon President George W. Bush to name him to an appeals court seat in 2006. For all of this weeks protestations by the Democrats, not one Senate Democratwhich at that time included Barack Obama, Ted Kennedy, Joe Biden and Charles Schumervoted against placing Gorsuch on the second-highest US court.
On the night of August 2122, 2010, New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) commandos led an assault on two villages in the Tirgiran Valley in Baghlan province, Afghanistan. They were accompanied by Afghan special forces and two US Apache helicopter gunships. Six people were killed, including a three-year-old girl, fifteen others wounded and 12 houses destroyed.

A detailed picture of the attack on the villages of Naik and Khak Khuday Dad was published on March 21 in the book Hit and Run: The New Zealand SAS in Afghanistan and the Meaning of Honour by journalists Jon Stephenson and Nicky Hager. The authors conclude that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that NZ and US forces were involved in war crimes.

Tens of thousands of people have perished in similar operations since the illegal US invasion of the impoverished country. By default, the US and its allies report any casualties as insurgents, if they mention them at all.

NZSAS operations in Afghanistan, which began in 2001, have been cloaked in secrecy. The unit consists of elite killers whose services are prized by Washington. In 2004, members of the NZSAS received a personal award from President George W. Bush.

The revelations in Hit and Run have sparked a storm of controversy in New Zealand. The book exposes a cover-up by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and the National Party government, which have repeatedly denied that there were any civilian casualties in the August 2010 raid.

Hager and Stephenson obtained secret military documents and other information from dozens of sources, including members of the SAS and Afghan security forces involved in the attack and villagers who survived it.

The deaths were first reported in the Afghan media the day after the raid. Hundreds of people protested in Tala wa Barfuk, demanding that the soldiers responsible be punished.

Hit and Run quotes a NZSAS source saying the soldiers knew they had committed an atrocity. The authors also note: A secret Operation Burnham post-activity report listed casualties, including an older man, small child and female who had died. Operation Burnham was the codename for the raid.

The SAS, however, helped draft a press release issued by the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) which claimed that the raid killed 12 insurgents and no civilians were injured or killed.

In April 2011, the New Zealand media reported that the raid was in retaliation for the death of Lieutenant Tim ODonnell, a New Zealand soldier killed by insurgents in an attack on August 3, 2010. Then Defence Minister Wayne Mapp told TVNZ that allegations of civilian deaths had been investigated and proven to be false.

In 2014, Stephenson recorded interviews for Maori Television with survivors of the attack who revealed the civilian deaths and injuries. The Defence Force and then Prime Minister John Key again dismissed the evidence of civilian deaths. Key told TV3 there were insurgents that were killed, but that was it.

Hit and Run demolishes these claims. It includes photographs of injured civilians, grave sites, destroyed houses, and the official list of dead and wounded compiled by Afghanistans Independent Directorate of Local Governance. It also names the alleged insurgents targeted for arrest or killing by the NZSAS. None were in the villages during the raid.

Most of the casualties were from the US helicopters, which rained down cannon fire and rockets, destroying the houses and killing people who tried to escape. Three-year-old Fatima died in her mothers arms when a piece of shrapnel hit her in the head, a local said. Abdul Faqir, a 27-year-old farmer, was found the next day with a piece of rocket lodged in his body; he had slowly died over nine hours.

The bodies of 55-year-old Mohammad Iqbal and his son Abdul were found outside Naik, lacerated by bullets. Two other men, including a young teacher, were shot dead, probably by SAS snipers, as they tried to flee Khak Khuday Dad.

Operation Burnham was personally approved by then Chief of Defence Force Jerry Mateparae, Defence Minister Mapp and Prime Minister Key.

Hager and Stephenson quote Mapp describing the raid as our biggest and most disastrous operation. A fiasco. Following the publication of Hit and Run, Mapp (who retired at the end of 2011) admitted making this statement. He claimed that he only learned of the civilian casualties from the 2014 documentary and he then spoke to Stephenson for the book.

Mapp still defended the NZSAS assault. He told Radio NZ on March 23 that NZ Army forces in Bamiyan province had been under constant attack from the direction of the Tirgiran Valley, so this was in essence a hostile village. Bomb-makers and the like lived there insurgents, civilians [are] often in fact the same people [emphasis added].

These comments underscore the brutal neo-colonial character of the Afghan war. The occupying forces confront a hostile civilian population all of whom they regard as potential insurgents and therefore legitimate targets for aggression and collective punishment.

The NZDF, contradicting Mapp, continues to claim there is no evidence of civilian casualties from the raid. On March 26, Defence Force chief Tim Keating told the media that Operation Burnham did not take place in Naik and Khak Khuday Dad, but in another village some two kilometres away named Tirgiran.

Prime Minister Bill English, who replaced Key after the latter resigned last December, told Newstalk ZB on March 27: We wont be having an inquiry into war crime allegations because whatever stories are in that book occurred somewhere else, not where the New Zealand operations were.

These statements do not withstand the most cursory examination. In addition to Mapps admission that civilians were killed, the evidence shows that houses belonging to suspected insurgents targeted by the NZSAS were destroyed in Naik. Lawyers representing the families of those killed pointed out that Tirgiran village, where the NZDF claims Operation Burnham occurred, does not exist. Tirgiran is the name of the valley area where Naik and Khak Khuday Dad are located, and the location of the NZSAS raid matches the location of these villages.

The opposition Labour Party, the Greens and New Zealand First, along with Mapp and much of the media, have called for an inquiry into the 2010 raid. These calls are not motivated by any genuine concern for the victims of the war in Afghanistan. Rather, their aim is to whitewash the military.

Labour leader Andrew Little told Radio NZ on March 27 that Hit and Runs account appeared credible, but he found the NZDFs rebuttal equally credible. He said, for the sake of their reputation and New Zealands reputation, we still need to know what the facts are.

The previous Labour-led government, supported by the left wing Alliance Party, sent the NZSAS to Afghanistan as part of the US-led invasion. Labour also deployed more than 100 regular troops as a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Bamiyan. The Green Party opposed the SAS deployment but supported the PRT, on the pretext that it was engaged in peacekeeping.

Stephenson previously exposed possible war crimes carried out by the NZSAS under the Labour government, including during a 2002 raid on the village of Bande Timur.

The entire political establishment supports New Zealands alliance with US imperialism, on which the NZ ruling class relies to support its own neo-colonial ambitions in the South Pacific and elsewhere.

In preparation for future wars, the National Party government, backed by the opposition parties, is spending billions to upgrade the military. This includes a $46 million training facility for the NZSAS, opened last April. The government has also sent troops to the ongoing war in Iraq including, according to some reports, the NZSAS.

The author also recommends:

New Zealand Defence White Paper prepares for war

[17 June 2016]

New Zealand Greens celebrate US warship visit

[28 July 2016]

New Zealand Labour Party leader visits Iraq

[6 May 2016]
The comment below was posted in reply to the WSWS article French presidential candidate Melenchon calls for bringing back the draft. It is followed by a reply from Alex Lantier.

This article is filled with incorrect statements and false information. First of all, sorry for my English.

- He [Melenchon] wants to bring back the draft in order to prepare the French army for major wars abroad

>>>Absolutely wrong: people will be able to choose between serving in the army, police, fire brigades, civilian safety. The point is not to prepare a generation to fight in wars. This is the role of the French Army.

-He proposes to draft them into a national guard, a unit initially proposed by the neo-fascist National Front (FN)

>>>How can you be so wrong?: Garde Nationale

-In fact, Melenchon is preparing a militarist, nationalist, and anti-worker policy.

>>>JLM wants diplomatic summits to prevent wars in Europe, with discussions about eastern borders that are threatened. He wants to leave NATO and forbid the ballistic deployment of American forces in Europe, an irresponsible threat to 75 percent of Russian military facilities, activating tensions in Europe that we do not want or need.

-Melenchon seeks to give a radical cover to his pro-war policies

>>> What pro-war policies are you even talking about? Id be curious of any point you could find about this. This is the perfect opposite of his policies. Melenchon is against a European military precisely because he is against WAR. He wants to prevent conflicts over Eastern European borders in order to avoid a large-scale conflict. He doesnt want Europe to get involved in conflicts that could be provoked by insane American maneuvers in Europe and Asia, with their deployments.

-This is only stirring up reactionary French nationalism

>>> Do not confuse nationalism and will of independence and sovereignty. Do not confuse patriotism and nationalism.

-Now that he is rising in the polls, Melenchon is aligning himself with those like [Emmanuel] Macron who are supporting NATOs threats against Moscow and laying the groundwork for a catastrophic world war against Russia

>>> He wants to leave NATO and says the threats to Russia are terribly dangerous for the world, and will settle war.

I think you should really stop trying to write articles, this one is nonsense, full of unverified statements.

***

The reader presents two basic criticisms of the WSWS article, which cites French politician Jean-Luc Melenchons call to reinstate the draft in order to warn of the danger of war and of Melenchons role as a pro-war candidate.

First, our critic asserts that Melenchon is against war. Second, to the WSWS criticisms of Melenchon as a reactionary, he opposes ostensibly radical demands listed on the inside pages of the formers election program.

These criticisms raise key political and historical issues for the working class, but they are fundamentally wrong, and the WSWS assessment of Melenchon is correct.

On the first point, Melenchon is on record as a pro-war politician, whose criticisms of certain wars are based on his defense of French imperialist interests. He promoted the NATO war in Libya in 2011, as the WSWS documented at the time, echoing official lies that NATOs was a humanitarian war aiding a democratic revolution. He unambiguously declared himself in favor of the military operation in Libya, stating: We must break the tyrant to prevent the destruction of the revolution.

He criticized the Syrian war after NATOs 2014 putsch in Ukraine, as the US-German confrontation with Russia in both countries handed Berlin the chance to re-militarize and assert its hegemony across Europeincluding against Paris. He then published a foul, nationalist book, Bismarcks Herring, in 2015. It warned of German hegemony in Eastern Europe and cited statistics purporting to show that Germans, as a nationality, are fatter and less hard-working than the French. Now, he appears to be tacking back towards a more pro-Berlin and anti-Moscow position.

His pro-war positions are not accidental; they flow from his decades-long membership in and support for the Socialist Party (PS). Under PS founder President Francois Mitterrand, he briefly criticized the 1991 Gulf War in Iraq. This criticism was kept strictly within the limits of Mitterrands manipulation of anti-war sentiment in France, however, and was not intended to cross French imperialisms ties to its US and European allies. When Mitterrand told him behind closed doors that it was time to call off his criticisms of the war, Melenchon obeyed.

And today, if Melenchon gave the army the power to conscript youthto prepare for the period of major wars foreseen by the leading presidential candidate, Emmanuel Macron, or the danger of total war with Russia foreseen by President Francois Hollandewhat would he do? It is strategy that commands, not the budget, Melenchon declares. That is to say, if army strategy commands it, untold billions of euros would be spent on sending the drafted youth to war.

Of course, as the reader points out, Melenchons campaign claims the draft will allow youth to pick between the army, police, civilian security, etc. His program also contains a laundry list of promises like leaving NATO, increasing wages, cutting the retirement age, etc. To be blunt, such promises come from a long and reactionary tradition of empty demagogy.

If Melenchons program promises the people so much, why do 44 percent of manual workers plan to vote for Marine Le Pen of the neo-fascist FN? Why is the PS disintegrating? It is because workers have heard such promises time and again, each time the PS and its allies ran for office, since 1972. Every time they took power, these promises proved to be lies. The PS pursued pro-business, pro-war policies. And after austerity and the state of emergency under the current PS president, Hollande, workers are sick of this rhetoric.

The original version was the Common Program signed in 1972 by the then one-year-old PS and the Stalinist French Communist Party (PCF). The purpose of this alliance was to give the PSa party speaking for pro-imperialist sections of state officialdom and academia, including many whose origins went back to the Nazi-collaborationist Vichy regimea false, socialist veneer. Since the PS was allied with the PCF, the leading French ally of the Soviet regime, was it not obvious that the PS had to be a socialist organization?

This was a historical falsehood. The PCF, which repeatedly betrayed revolutionary struggles in France like the 1968 general strike, represented not the continuity of the Russian Revolution of 1917, but Stalinism and nationalism. The false identification was based on the infamous lies of the Moscow Trials. Masses of workers had been told that Leon Trotsky and the Old Bolsheviks, the internationalist leaders of the 1917 Revolution whom Joseph Stalin then murdered, were counterrevolutionaries or fascist agents, while Stalin and his allies in the post-World War II PCF leadership were revolutionaries.

The Common Programs promises of nationalizations, jobs, democratic rights and the building of socialismbut without a proletarian revolutionproved to be fraudulent as well. Not only did the PCF support the Stalinist bureaucracys dissolution of the Soviet Union and restoration of capitalism, but the PS unceremoniously abandoned its campaign promises shortly after coming to power. Since the austerity turn Mitterrand began in 1982, a year after his election, the PS has proved itself over the decades to be a party of austerity, war and attacks on democratic rights.

Melenchon himself joined the PS in 1976 after a brief membership in the lambertiste Internationalist Communist Organization (OCI), which had broken with Trotskyism and the International Committee of the Fourth International, based on the false, nationalist perspective that the PS-PCF alliance would create a workers government. He made a career as a PS senator and then minister, moving far to the right. However, he retained a gift for the demagogy of 1970s French petty-bourgeois left.

This is why, even after he left the PS in 2009, he still issued programs full of promises in the style of the Common Program that no one in the political establishment, least of all Melenchon himself, takes seriously. He infallibly aligns himself with the needs of French imperialism, however, after stimulating illusions in the PS with empty, superficial promises.

One example of this is the readers confused reference to Melenchons support for a National Guard. The reader attaches a Wikipedia link implying this is a type of citizens municipal guard unit formed after the French Revolution of 1789. However, that National Guard was dissolved after 1871 and the massacre of the Paris Commune, whose National Guard unit was crushed by the French army. But that is not the character of the current National Guard. As the WSWS noted, it is a paramilitary security unit created last year by Hollande, and whose creation had been demanded by the FN.

Particularly after Melenchon applauded his Greek ally, the Syriza government, which imposed European Union austerity on the workers and trampled their overwhelming vote against austerity in a referendum, there can be no doubt as to which class interests he defends. He is a capitalist politician, playing on historical falsehoods and appealing to nationalism to deceive and strangle working class opposition.

Thus, our critic defends Melenchons nationalism and warns the WSWS, Do not confuse patriotism and nationalism. It then suggests that the WSWS should cease exposing Melenchon.

The WSWS has no intention of abandoning its opposition to Melenchon. It fights to build an alternative for the working class, the Parti de legalite socialiste in France and its sister parties internationally, by making clear the gulf separating Trotskyism from forces like Melenchon. It encourages the reader to reconsider his own stated nationalist position, whether or not he calls it patriotism in order to make it seem less reactionary.

He is indifferent to Melenchons public rejection of socialism and a politically independent role for the working class, or to his widely reported friendships with right-wing figures, such as journalist Eric Zemmour or political strategist Patrick Buisson, who defend the legacy of Frances pre-World War II nationalist far right. Yet this is a clear indication that Melenchon is not fighting for left-wing politics after the collapse of the PS, but seeks to demoralize and divide the working class based on the poison of nationalism.
On March 18, thirteen workers from Maruti Suzukis Manesar, Haryana car assembly plant in northern Indiaincluding the entire leadership of the newly- organized Maruti Suzuki Workers Union (MSWU)were sentenced to life imprisonment on frame-up murder charges.

They are victims of a legal vendetta mounted by the Japanese-owned automaker and the Indian police, courts and political establishment aimed at stamping out worker opposition to sweatshop working conditions. In the 18 months prior to the July 18, 2012 management-provoked altercation and fire that served as the pretext for the frame-up, the Manesar plant had emerged as a center of worker resistance in the giant Manesar-Gurgaon industrial belt, that lies on the outskirts of Indias capital, Delhi.

This article is the first part in a series dedicated to exposing the frame-ups legal dimension, including collusion between the company and police, fabricated evidence, coached testimony, and judicial decisions that shifted the burden of proof from the prosecution to the workers. Click here for arts two, three, four and five.

On March 10, 2017, 13 victimized Maruti Suzuki India Limited workers were found guilty on frame-up murder charges for the death of a company manager, during a 2012 management-provoked altercation and fire at the Japanese-owned automakers Manesar, Haryana car assembly plant.

Eight days later the 13 autoworkersRam Meher, Sandeep Dhillon, Ram Bilas, Sarabjeet Singh, Pawan Kumar, Sohan Kumar, Ajmer Singh, Suresh Kumar, Amarjeet, Dhanraj Bambi, Pradeep Gujjar, Yogesh Kumar and Jiya Lallistened as Judge Rajinder Pal Goyal announced that he was sentencing them to life imprisonment. The young workers minds must have been racing. Condemned to serving out the rest of their lives in the living hell that is an Indian prison, they may never again see their wives or small children except through the bars of a prison visiting room. And they will not be able to financially support or care for their ailing and impoverished parents.

The Indian state and political establishment have connived with Maruti Suzuki management to rob these workers of their lives for the crime of challenging sweatshop conditions, including poverty wages, contract labour and a brutal work regime.

Twelve of the 13 were the elected leaders of the Maruti Suzuki Workers Union (MSWU). In the 18 months that preceded the July 18, 2012 altercation and fire, workers at the Manesar assembly plant organized the MSWU in bitter struggle against a company-controlled, government-backed stooge union.

The International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) is mounting a campaign to mobilize workers, young people and all those who uphold democratic rights in support of the 13 Maruti Suzuki workers: to win their immediate release; the vacating of their convictions and those of 18 other Maruti Suzuki workers convicted on lesser charges as part of the same company-state frame-up; and the reinstatement of all 2,300 workers that Maruti Suzuki fired and replaced in a government-supported, August 2012 purge of the workforce at its Manesar plant.

The World Socialist Web Site has written extensively on the collusion between the company, legal authorities, the Haryana state government and Indias principal big business parties in framing up the Maruti Suzuki workers and their base political motivations. Prosecutors, judges and politicians have themselves repeatedly declared that the workers must be harshly punished so as to reassure foreign investors. To cite but one recent example, when asked why the prosecution had asked Judge Goyal to sentence the 13 workers to be hanged, special prosecutor Anurag Hooda declared, Our industrial growth has dipped, FDI [Foreign Direct Investment] has dried up. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is calling for Make in India, but such incidents are a stain on our image.

Today the WSWS begins a multi-part series focused on refuting the evidence and legal arguments on which the Indian state based its conviction of the 13. It is largely based on an examination of Judge Goyals 535-page verdict.

Careful examination and systematic refutation of the states legal case has always been a critical part of international defense campaigns. Exposure of the class justice meted out by the institutions of the capitalist statethe government, police, prosecution and judiciaryis vital in rallying popular support. Moreover, it underscores that justice for persecuted workers, socialists and other victims of government frame-ups can be won only by mobilizing the industrial and independent political strength of the working class.

As we shall show, in this and subsequent articles, the police investigation and trial that resulted in the convictions of the Maruti Suzuki workers were a travesty from beginning to end.

In his March 10 judgment, Judge Goyal had to concede that police had colluded with Maruti Suzuki in flagrant violation of the law and had fabricated evidence in two separate instances.

Prosecution witnesses were systematically unable to identify or misidentified those they had implicated in criminal acts.

The linchpin of the prosecutions case was the claim that the workers had set the fire with the intention of burning company managers alive, but it failed to tie any worker to the setting of the fire. Nor could it even establish how and when the blaze was lit.

Police failed to perform routine forensic tests on pivotal pieces of evidence.

There were major inconsistencies, gaps and contradictions in the prosecution case: including concerning the weapons the workers reportedly used in the altercation, and how every company manager and security staff member managed to escape serious injury, in what the state insisted was a murderous rampage, except for Avineesh Devthe one manager sympathetic to the workers.

The judge repeatedly made arbitrary decisions that perverted the legal process and strengthened the prosecutions hand, including preventing any worker witnesses to the July 18, 2012 events from testifying.

So untenable was the prosecution case, Judge Goyal had to declare 117 of the 148 workers before the court innocent of all charges against them.

But even as he did so, the judge willfully mangled the law. In his March 10 decision, Judge Goyal repeatedly using sophistries to cover over damaging holes in the prosecution case and to claim that the proven instances of police misconduct were discrete, not part of a pattern and did not impact the overall case. Last but not least, at key points he shifted the burden of proof from the prosecution and state onto the workers. In other words, Judge Goyals finding of murder is based on the false, anti-democratic conception that it was the workers obligation to prove their innocence, not the states responsibility to prove them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The court refused to consider the workers version of events

The July 18, 2012 altercation at Maruti Suzukis Manesar car assembly arose out of a factory-floor protest.

On that day, with the aim of intimidating the workers, management called in hundreds of people whom it termed security personnel and the workers bouncers or thugs. It then attempted to force the workers to work through their contractually-mandated tea break. One worker who was ultimately sentenced to life in prison, Jiya Lal, protested.

In his ruling, the judge, repeating the company narrative, claimed Jiya Lal started misbehaving and that this led to a scuffle between him and a labour-contractor, Sangram Manjhi. According to the workers, Sangram Manjhi mocked Jiya Lal for his poverty and humiliated him with caste-ist insults. Jiya Lal is a Dalit, that is, a descendant of Untouchables. Manjhi left the plant shortly after reporting the incident to his superiors.

Management then announced it was firing Jiya Lal, and a committee of workers left the shop floor to discuss the matter with management, which had a long history of firing militant workers.

The workers demanded the reinstatement of Jiya Lal and threatened to strike if the company refused. As news of the confrontation and Jiya Lals dismissal spread, workers downed tools.

Workers present at the meeting with management say the managers were adamant that Jiya Lal be dismissed and claimed the labour contractor had done nothing wrong in mocking his origins, since he was indeed a Dalit. However, Human Resources Manager Avineesh Dev dissented, leading to heated arguments between him and other company officials. Dev urged management to reinstate Jiya Lal and give him a second chance and, when they refused, announced he was resigning from the company.

When the meeting broke up, workers say they were set upon by 25 to 30 company bouncers, armed with rods and dandas (heavy sticks or bats), who were waiting outside. According to an official complaint filed by the workers in 2012, one manager ordered the bouncers to break the legs of Avineesh Dev and to take him in room and set the room on fire.

Workers say they fought back against the bouncer attack. Management claims that hundreds of workers grabbed weapons and poured into management offices, ruthlessly beating company officials. The company claims workers broke Avineesh Devs legs and set a fire with the intent to burn Dev alive.

The judge rejected the workers version of the story out-of-hand. He ruled that the workers 2012 complaint detailing the company thug attacks was falsified and fake. Judge Goyal said that because the workers complaint detailing the course of events was filed some weeks after the July 18 events the workers made up the story as an afterthought in order to evade prosecution.

In making this argument, the judge omits any consideration of what happened in the days and weeks immediately following the July 18 altercation and fire. Police mounted a witch hunt against the workers, raiding their homes and detaining several hundred. Moreover, many of the jailed workers, as was subsequently documented by civil rights groups, were subjected to torture, including electric shocks, severe leg-stretching and water-immersion.

Judge Goyal claimed that there is no evidence  management ever had any issue with [Avineesh Dev]. We will have more to say on this score in the next part of this series. At this point it should be noted that the judge derides the workers for having failed to put Devs letter of resignation on record, although such a letter would perforce have been sent to the company.

The judge also claims that it is legally significant that the initial police report, the First Information Report (FIR), did not say that management was angry with Avineesh [Dev]. But, the FIR, as the judge was himself forced to admit, was not based on an independent police investigation, but rather collusion between the police and Maruti Suzuki management. Moreover, the latter would have had no interest in volunteering that just before his death Dev had tendered his resignation in protest over the automakers treatment of Jiya Lal and the workforce as a whole.

Even more grievous is the judges decision to exclude all testimony from workers who witnessed the July 18 events, but were not implicated by the prosecution in any wrongdoing.

Management officials were given free rein to give their version of the story, but the workers were prevented from bearing witness.

Judge Goyal defends this in his March 10 judgment with the following: The contention that no worker was joined as a witness is again without any force because it is clear that workers who have not been arrayed as accused or who had witnessed the incident could not be joined as witnesses because they would never tell the truth nor they would speak against the assailants or Union Members.

Goyals exclusion of all worker witnesses on the grounds they would invariably lie is itself reason enough to declare the trial a sham. It is precisely the purpose of a trial proceeding to hear and interrogate witnesses so as to determine the veracity of their testimony. Moreover, the court has wide powers to assist it in exposing false testimony and to punish those who perjure themselves.

Judge Goyals arbitrary dismissal of worker evidence is further exemplified by his rejection of the alibis of two of the men he found guilty of murder, MSWU executive members Yogesh Kumar and Ram Bilas. Both men presented considerable evidence that they were not even at the factory on July 18. Yogesh Kumar explained that he had traveled out of town to Yadav Dharamshala to celebrate the holiday Kawar. Ram Bilass uncle testified that Ram Bilas was visiting family for a birthday celebration on the day of the plant altercation and fire. The judge ruled that both workers had made up their alibis. He stated that Ram Bilas did not call any photographer to click any photograph through mobile or otherwise and declared this constituted proof he was not with his family that day. The company attendance sheet was burned in the fire.

The second part in this series will be published Friday, April 7.
In another warning that the Trump administration is preparing to launch war on North Korea, a senior White House official ominously told the press yesterday that the clock has now run out and all options are on the table.

Underlining the imminent character of US war plans, the White House official declared that North Korea was a matter of urgent interest for the president and the administration as a whole.

Coming just days before Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to meet Trump, the meaning is evident. Unless Beijing forces Pyongyang to bow to US demands to abandon its nuclear and missile programs, the US will use every means available, including its huge military forces, to crush the North Korean regime.

Top Trump officials have already ruled out a return to negotiations as proposed by China. The unnamed White House official emphasised the point again, by noting the failure of successive administrations to negotiate an end to North Koreas nuclear program.

The menacing US threats of war against North Korea are aimed at placing intense pressure on President Xi to economically cripple the Pyongyang regime. The White House official told the media that the US wanted to work with China on North Korea but added: This is a test for the relationship.

Trump has repeatedly denounced China for failing to assist the US in dealing with North Korea. But it would be wrong to interpret the US threats as just bluster aimed at putting pressure on Xi, prior to talks with the US president on Thursday and Friday.

In an interview this week with the Financial Times, Trump was asked whether his abrasive language was just the most brilliant softening-up exercise. He replied: This isnt an exercise This is not just talk. The United States has talked long enough and you see where it gets us, it gets us nowhere.

Trump told the newspaper: China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they wont. And if they do that will be very good for China, and if they dont it wont be good for anyone.

The US president then emphatically declared: If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will. That is all I am telling you. Asked if he thought that the US could solve it without Chinese assistance, he replied: Totally.

Testifying to the US Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday, General John Hyten expressed skepticism that the US could end the North Korean nuclear program without help from China. Any solution to the North Korean problem has to involve China, he said.

At the same time, the general made clear that the Pentagon is preparing war plans against North Korea regardless. Ill provide those military options. So thats my job but I look at it from a strategic perspective and I cant see a solution that doesnt involve China, he said.

Hyten is head of the US Strategic Command, which, among its other responsibilities, is in charge of the huge American nuclear arsenal.

The blunt remarks of retired General Jack Keane give an indication of the discussions taking place in the White House and the Pentagon. Keane, who was Trumps first choice as defense secretary, told the Times of London yesterday that the United States was rapidly and dangerously edging closer to taking military action against North Koreas nuclear missile program.

Keane dismissed the notion that the US should seek a diplomatic solution. Our last three presidents spanning over 20 years have failed to stop the North Korean nuclear program, he said.

The general then proposed his solutionan all-out attack on North Korea. A pre-emptive strike against launch facilities, underground nuclear sites, artillery and rocket response forces and regime leadership targets may be the only option left on the table, he declared.

A massive, unprovoked US attack on North Korea would constitute a crime of historic proportions that would result in the deaths of millions and could rapidly draw in other major powers, including China and Russia. The fact that the Trump administration is even contemplating such reckless measures speaks to the depth of the political and economic crisis not only in the United States but globally.

The threats from the Trump administration go hand-in-hand with the drum beat for war in the jingoistic and supine American media, where the pros and cons of military attacks on North Korea are weighed with complete indifference to the consequences for the lives of millions in Asia.

In another sign of the advanced preparations for war, the NBC news network has sent its anchor Lester Holt to South Korea to ramp up the propaganda for war, in the manner of the journalists embedded with US military forces during 2003 invasion of Iraq. He reported breathlessly from US Osan Air Base close to the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas, emphasising the readiness of US fighter crews to fight tonight if the orders come through.

Holt also interviewed a high-ranking North Korean defector Thae Yong Ho to provide lurid accounts of North Koreas police-state regime and grossly inflate the threat posed to the United States by its nuclear weapons and missiles. Once he [Kim Jong-un] sees that there is any kind of sign of a tank or an imminent threat from America, then he would use his nuclear weapons with ICBMs [intercontinental ballistic missile], he told NBC.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis has already made absolutely clear that any attempt by North Korea to use its nuclear weapons would result in an effective and overwhelming response. The US Strategic Command has at its disposal thousands of nuclear weapons and multiple sophisticated delivery systems and would not hesitate to use them against Pyongyang.

Early on Wednesday morning, the North Korean military tested another medium-range ballistic missile, which splashed down in the Sea of Japan. Such acts do nothing to defend the North Korean people and play directly into the hands of US imperialism as a pretext for war. As General Keane indicated, what the Pentagon is preparing is a massive pre-emptive assault designed to obliterate North Koreas military and industrial capacities.

Echoing Trumps comments to the Financial Times, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reacted by stating: The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment.

The remark should be understood as another dangerous warning. As the saying goes, when the talking stops, the fighting begins.
By Indrajit Kundu: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be visiting New Delhi this week to call on visiting Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Banerjee will be reaching the capital on April 7 evening, the very day Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to arrive in the country for a four-day visit.

According to sources in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Ms Banerjee will be attending the dinner hosted by the President Pranab Mukherjee in the honour of the visiting head of state at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on April 8.

advertisement

The visit would be crucial as there is a possibility of a meeting between Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid uncertainty over the Teesta water sharing agreement between Indian and Bangladesh. For long, Mamata has opposed the agreement stating that it hurts the interest of people in North Bengal.

Speculation is rife that President Pranab Mukherjee's informal intervention in the presence of the two leaders may break the deadlock over the treaty. Banerjee may also be part of the bilateral meeting between the Prime Ministers of both the countries scheduled on April 8 at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.

As many as 33 memorandum of understanding (MoU)'s are expected to be signed between the two countries during this visit. Apart from enhancing military ties and the much touted Teesta agreement, discussions in the fields of information and broadcasting, civil nuclear research, power sector and a third line of credit from India are also on the cards.

Also Read: Mamata Banerjee expresses concern over recent happenings in UP

Also Read: Adityanath's UP worries Mamata Banerjee. Don't preach but practice inclusive development, she says

--- ENDS ---
US officials made a series of extraordinary and provocative statements directed against North Korea Tuesday, underscoring the growing danger of the eruption of a major war in the Pacific.

The clock has now run out, and all options are on the table in dealing with North Korea, one US official told reporters. After North Korea test-fired another ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan Tuesday evening, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued an ominous statement, declaring, The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment.

The implications of these cryptic and threatening statements were further elucidated by retired General John Jack Keane, a top advisor to the Hillary Clinton campaign who declined an offer to be Trumps Secretary of Defense in November.

A preemptive strike against launch facilities, underground nuclear sites, artillery and rocket response forces and regime leadership targets may be the only option left on the table, Keane told the Times of London on Tuesday. We are rapidly and dangerously moving towards a military option.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump declared that he is prepared to go to war against North Korea unilaterally.

Former US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, a supporter of US military escalation against China and North Korea, said over the weekend that a US military operation against North Korea would have an intensity of violence associated with it that we havent seen since the last Korean War, which killed nearly three million people.

Even as the White House threatens to initiate a major military conflict in the Pacific, the US media has been braying for a further escalation in Syria in response to what it claims to be a chemical weapons attack by the government of Bashar Al-Assad.

The United States, Britain and France proposed a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the attack, which is set for a vote on Wednesday. Trump in a statement condemned the heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime, which he blamed on the weakness of his predecessor, Barack Obama.

The US is in the process of funneling hundreds of additional troops into Iraq and Syria, all with no public discussion or debate. Last week, a Pentagon spokesman told the Los Angeles Times, The coalition will not routinely announce or confirm information about the capabilities, force numbers, locations, or movement of forces in or out of Iraq and Syria.

Trump reiterated this point in an interview with the Financial Times this weekend, saying, I am not the United States of the past where we tell you where we are going to hit in the Middle East why are they talking? There is no reason to talk.

The raging conflict in Syria and the potential for a preemptive strike against North Korea are in fact proxy fights in the USs conflict with its larger geopolitical adversaries: China and Russia, against whom the US is likewise directly ramping up its military posture.

Over the weekend, a further 1,350 troops from NATOs Enhanced Forward Presence in Eastern Europe arrived in Orzysz in northeastern Poland. These troops, together with thousands of other NATO forces deployed in Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, have been deployed to counter violent Russian agitation and Russian aggression, according to Tillerson.

Within days, Trump is expected to announce the US response to alleged Russian violations of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which media outlets like the New York Times are clamoring should become the occasion for the escalation of tensions with Russia.

On Friday, Trump also signed two executive orders furthering his administrations trade war agenda against China, while making clear that his meeting this week with Chinese Premiere Xi Jinping will be difficult.

The administration has likewise escalated tensions with its NATO ally Germany, demanding Friday that NATO members increase their defense spending. That day, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel accused the United States of engaging in trade war and called for the EU to launch a complaint against the US at the World Trade Organization.

While the US is at the center of global war preparations, the deepening crisis of the US-dominated world order is fueling military tensions all over the globe.

Just days after the United Kingdom officially initiated its exit from the European Union under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the UK and Spain have become embroiled in a dispute over the strategic territory of Gibraltar. Former Tory leader Michael Howard strongly implied Sunday that Britain would be prepared to go to war to defend its claim to the territory. British Rear Admiral Chris Parry added, Spain should learn from history that it is never worth taking us on and that we could still singe the King of Spains beard.

Meanwhile Japan is rapidly rearming itself, having this month launched its second helicopter carrier. Last week, the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) issued a proposal for Japan to acquire counterattack weapons, such as aircraft carriers and long-range missiles, that are banned under its constitution.

At the same time India, according to press accounts, has been quietly revising its nuclear doctrine, with the New York Times carrying a report last week that the country is considering allowing for preemptive nuclear strikes against Pakistan in the event of a war.

As was the case a century ago with the outbreak of World War I, the whole world has been transformed into one great powder keg. Any one of these myriad conflicts and flashpoints risks setting off a chain of events that could lead to war between nuclear-armed powers, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people, within hours.

The immense danger of a new world war is an expression of the deepening crisis of the nation-state system, which is breaking down under the weight of a profound crisis of the entire capitalist order.

The worlds capitalist ruling classes have only one solution to this deepening and insoluble crisis: a new world war, with all the horrors that it entails. The international working class must oppose the drive to war with its own program: the abolition of the nation-state system and private ownership of production, and the reorganization of world economy into a worldwide socialist federation.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions signed a memo Friday ordering an evaluation of the Department of Justices (DOJ) activities regarding the practices of local law enforcement agencies including compliance reviews and consent decrees.

The move by Sessions to review the DOJs investigations is aimed at emboldening the police by putting an end to even the pretense of federal review of their actions. The policies implemented under Obama were meant to give a veneer of reform through the hiring of more minority and female officers, minor limitations on the use of heavy military equipment and implementation of racial sensitivity training and other programs. These measures did nothing to actually limit police violence, but were widely denounced anyway by police organizationsand by right-wing politicians like Sessions.

Despite the widespread character of police violence, only a handful of police officers responsible for abuse and killings are ever criminally charged and even fewer are convicted. The Obama DOJ defended police immunity in every case which came before the Supreme Court and declined to bring federal civil rights charges against killer cops, including in the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014.

Sessions memo, made public on Monday, outlines a regime which will allow local police departments and individual police officers to harass, brutalize and kill with even greater impunity, without any fear of the fig leaf of federal oversight. The memo calls for local control and local oversight to ensure effective local policing, arguing it is not the responsibility of the federal government to manage non-federal law enforcement agencies.

Sessions argues that rather than reviewing the brutal practices of local police departments the DOJ should work to promote officer safety, officer morale, and public respect for their work.

In a speech last month in Richmond, Virginia before an audience of federal, state and local law enforcement, Sessions argued that popular protests against police violence and the minimal scrutiny applied to police forces in the Obama years hurt officer morale and pushed up crime rates.

Unfortunately, in recent years law enforcement as a whole has been unfairly maligned and blamed for the unacceptable deeds of a few bad actors. Too many of our officers, deputies, and troopers believed the political leadership of this country abandoned them. Amid this intense public scrutiny and criticism, their morale has gone down, while the number of police officers killed in the line of duty has gone up.

Sessions promised that this would all change under Trump, saying, We will enforce our laws and put bad men behind bars. We will fight the scourge of drug abuse. And we will support the brave men and women of law enforcement, as they work day and night to protect us.

President Donald Trump has implemented a raft of a xenophobic, anti-immigrant law and order measures, hyping a slight increase in the US crime rate (which remains at historic lows) and an uptick in the relatively small number of police officers killed on the job. Trump has the support of the most fascistic elements among law enforcement, which have been encouraged by his policies, including Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Sheriff David Clarke and former Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Trump signed three executive orders in February for the purpose of bolstering the police. The first order directed Sessions to create a task force which will develop new strategies and legislation aimed at cracking down on drug traffickers and violent crime as well as illegal immigrants, and the second encourages more intelligence sharing between law enforcement agencies. The third order follows the example of reactionary Blue Lives Matter laws being implemented at the state level, directing the DOJ to bring federal charges against anyone who harms a police officer.

The Trump administration inherited 14 consent decrees and five other reform agreements opened by the DOJ during the Obama years. In response to popular protests over high-profile police killings, beatings and complaints of persistent violations of civil rights, the Obama administration opened 25 investigations into local law enforcement agencies between 2009 and 2016.

The small number of investigations carried out by the Obama administrationthere are at least 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United Statesfound widespread and persistent civil rights abuses, including racial bias in traffic stops, unlawful searches and seizures and excessive use of force. Abusive practices were found in police departments in every region of the country from East Haven, Connecticut to Portland, Oregon.

DOJ investigations remain open in Chicago, which has seen a number of high-profile police killings and protests in recent years; and Baltimore, Maryland, where mass protests erupted in 2015 following the murder of Freddie Gray.

Even though the national medias attention has drifted away from police violence, their reign of terror against the working class and most vulnerable in society continues unabated. According to killedbypolice.net, which aggregates press reports, police have killed 304 people in the first three months of 2017. With an average of 3.3 killings everyday, the police are on track to kill more than 1,200 people, exceeding the 1,155 deaths recorded last year.

According to a separate tabulation by the Washington Post of deaths involving firearms only, at least 267 people have been shot and killed by the police so far this year. The largest numbers of police shooting victims are white, while blacks continue to be killed at a disproportionate rate. Forty-one out of the 50 states have recorded at least one police shooting as of April 4.
Aleksandar Vucic has won the presidential election in Serbia with 55 percent of the vote. He achieved an absolute majority in the first round making a second round of voting unnecessary. Vucic is chair of the right-wing nationalist Serbian Progress Party (SNS) and had previously been prime minister. He becomes head of state replacing SNS founder Tomislav Nikolic, who narrowly won the presidency in the second round five years ago.

Vucic's election means a major turn to the right in Serbia. Moreover, it intensifies conflicts in the highly unstable Balkans, heightening the danger of new war.

The European Union, and above all Germany, has long relied on the right-wing politician, which even newsweekly Der Spiegel has criticised for his autocratic methods of rule, harsh neo-liberal economic reforms, half nationalist, half pro-European rhetoric and his seesaw politics between Moscow and Brussels.

In fact, this characterization is quite understated. Vucic stems from the ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party (SNR), of which he was a member from 1993 to 2008, and for whom he sought to whip the press into line as Minister of Information.

In the 1990s, the SNR recruited nationalists for the Croatian and Bosnian wars, forming paramilitary units which were infamous for their atrocities. In 2006 in Belgrade, several SNR members were found guilty of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity for their actions during and after the battle of Vukovar in 1991, as well as the massacre at Vukovar in which 200 defenseless and mainly wounded men were taken from a hospital and murdered.

In 2008, there was a split in the SNR. While a wing around Vojislav Seselj continued to call for a Greater Serbia, the wing around Nikolic and Vucic regarded rapprochement with the EU as advantageous for Serbia's narrow ruling elite. In fact, however, Vucic held fast to his nationalist politics. For example, he has never distanced himself publicly from his 1995 statements, when he said for every Serb that was killed, 100 Muslims had to die.

In recent months, Belgrade has once again been inciting the conflict with Kosovo, which Serbia does not recognise as an independent state. The government organised a train emblazoned with the slogan Kosovo is Serbia to head towards the northern part of this former Serbian province, in which many ethnic Serbs still live. An elite Kosovan police unit was put on standby, ready to halt the train. As a result, President Nikolic threatened to deploy the army, and Prime Minister Vucic directed a final warning at the Kosovars. In the end, he halted the train in Raska, the last Serbian town before the border.

Vucic's electoral success is due to the absence of any political alternative. According the Ipsos Institute, turnout was around 50 percenteven lower than in the 2012 presidential elections. Ten other candidates polled far behind. In second place, with 16 percent, was the former ombudsman and independent candidate Sasa Jankovic. The satirist Luka Maksimovic achieved around 9 percent. Opposition parties either did not stand their own candidate, or achieved only a low vote.

The majority of the population in Serbia face an insecure future. Unemployment has fallen slightly, but this is because younger, educated people are leaving the country in droves. The current unemployment rate stands at 20 percent, and is twice as high among young people. The average wage stands at just over 300 euros a month, although prices have reached a level similar to Western Europe.

Vladimir Gligorov of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies paints a bleak picture of the Serbian economy, declaring Serbia has shown the worst performance after Croatia. The increase in exports can largely be put down to sinking domestic consumption as a result of the recession. Growing employment is a consequence of falling wages, making labour cheaper. Many work part-time jobs or are self-employed, according to the economist.

Vucic and the SNS control considerable sections of the security apparatus, the judiciary and the media. Vucic denies he is seeking to control the press. In the days running up to the election, however, seven of Serbia's largest circulation newspapers printed a poster of Vucic on their front pages.

The organization Reporters Without Borders reported that critical journalists in Serbia are put under severe pressure, while government media are subsidized by the state. The SNS will use the presidency and its majority in parliament to establish authoritarian structures.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently praised Vucic for his reform efforts. Vucic's authoritarian policies are welcomed in the EU. During the refugee crisis, countries such as Germany and Austria relied on the brutal closing off of the so-called Balkan route by Serbia. The Financial Times recently quoted a Western official saying: You need a man like that in Belgrade.

Vucic's close relations with Moscow, however, are regarded critically. Recently, Belgrade and Moscow have agreed on defence deals and several energy projects. Immediately following his election victory, Vucic thanked both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The strategic significance of the Balkan region, the conflicts between Europe and Russia, and the extreme nationalism Vucic embodies in the states of the former Yugoslavia all heighten the danger of war.

The Austrian EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn recently warned on broadcaster Deutsche Welle of the risk that something will happen in the Balkans. And the Hamburger Abendblatt remarked, What Europe cannot afford is the outbreak of a war fired by nationalist hate. But this is precisely what threatens in the Balkans, the very place where in 1914, the First World War, Europe's seminal catastrophe, broke out.

In Focus magazine, a former adviser to Merkel, Werner Weidenfeld, also warned of a new Balkan war. There was a considerable potential for conflict, he declared, demanding the European Union act more decisively against Serbia.
The Trump administration has seized on allegations Tuesday that the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad carried out a gas attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun in the rebel-controlled province of Idlib to push for a further escalation of military conflict in the Middle East.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring body linked to the Syrian opposition, 58 people, among them 11 children aged eight or younger, were killed in the early morning attack.

Rebel forces, which control the area, accused the government of using chemical weapons in an air strike. Pro-government sources argued that the blast had been caused by an explosion at a weapons factory run by the Islamist al-Nusra Front, which has a strong presence in the region and has previously conducted chemical weapons attacks.

The Syrian government released a statement denying all responsibility, while Russia confirmed it had not launched any air strikes in the area.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov stated that the Syrian air force struck a munitions factory east of the town, where rebels were producing shells filled with toxic gas to be sent to Iraq. He added that Islamist militants had used similar chemical weapons last year during the fighting in the city of Aleppo.

While it remains unclear who bears responsibility for the reported attack, the circumstances surrounding it are highly dubious. Late last week, high-ranking Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, stated publicly that Washingtons main priority in Syria was not the removal of Assad but the waging of the conflict against Islamic State.

This prompted a sharp rebuke from leading Republicans and Democrats. Senator John McCain denounced any shift away from regime-change as a recipe for more war, more terror, more refugees, and more instability.

In the wake of Tuesdays alleged attack, the tone was quite different. The Trump administration and the corporate-controlled media wasted no time in declaring the guilt of the Assad regime to be beyond doubt.

Todays chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world, a statement from the White House declared. These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administrations weakness and irresolution. President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a red line against the use of chemical weapons, and then did nothing.

This was an explicit criticism of the Obama administration, which incited the Syrian civil war in 2011, for its failure to launch an all-out US-led intervention in 2013 to topple Assad. At the time, Obama was on the verge of throwing the full force of the US military into battle against the Assad regime, following a weeks-long lying propaganda campaign about an alleged August 21, 2013 sarin gas attack on Gouta, east of Damascus. He was forced to pull back due to divisions within the military-intelligence establishment over the tactical advisability of a war in Syria, as well as deep-seated popular opposition to yet another act of US imperialist aggression.

The Western powers, led by the United States, have repeatedly seized on unverified allegations of chemical weapons use in Syria to ratchet up pressure on the Assad regime. The attack on Gouta, which claimed the lives of up to 1,000, was the most infamous. No concrete evidence was ever presented by the Obama administration linking Assads forces to the atrocity.

It was later revealed, in an article by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, that the US deliberately ignored intelligence that al-Nusra was capable of manufacturing poison gas, including sarin, in bulk.

Trump and Tillerson have made no secret of their intentions to vastly escalate Washingtons wars in the Middle East. Last weeks remarks by Tillerson and Haley were in no sense a retreat from the US plan to assert hegemony over the energy-rich region, but a recognition that the US-backed rebel forces are in disarray after being driven out of Aleppo in December by Assads military and Russian airpower.

Two weeks ago, Tillerson told a meeting of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition that Washington was preparing for long-term occupations of Iraq and Syria. He proposed the creation of interim zones of stability to be overseen by US-installed politicians and protected by the US militaryin other words, safe zones for the proxy US militias opposed to the Assad government.

The prospect of a direct US-led assault on the Syrian regime cannot be underestimated. The alleged gas attack has provided the pretext.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer stated ominously Tuesday: I think the president has made it clear in the past and will reiterate that today, that he is not here to telegraph what were going to do. But rest assured that I think he has been speaking with his national security team this morning, and we will continue to have that discussion.

That such an attack would be directed not only at Assad, but at Washingtons chief regional rivals in the Middle East, was made clear by Tillersons response to Tuesdays events. The secretary of state denounced Assad for his brutal, unabashed barbarism, before adding that Russia and Iran bore moral responsibility for the attack.

Tillersons provocative remarks come on the heels of last weeks comments from General Joseph Votel, chief of the US Central Command, who told a House Armed Services Committee hearing that Iran poses the greatest long-term threat to security in this part of the world.

Since Trump took office, the war initiated by Obama in Syria and Iraq has been drastically intensified. Trump has given a free hand to commanders on the ground to launch air strikes and other attacks, while increasing the number of troops deployed on the ground and expanding their mandates to act closer to the front lines of fighting. The result has been a devastating rise in civilian casualties in both countries, with the death of hundreds of civilians in the Iraqi city of Mosul and hundreds more in air strikes in northern Syria.

Trump has also moved to limit information released by the Pentagon on US military operations in the Middle East. In order to maintain tactical surprise, ensure operational security and force protection, the coalition will not routinely announce or confirm information about the capabilities, force numbers, locations, or movement of forces in or out of Iraq and Syria, Eric Pahon, a Pentagon spokesman, stated recently.

The Syrian conflict is becoming even more explosive as Washingtons imperialist rivals seek to assert their own interests with ever-more aggressiveness. A day prior to the gas attack, the European Union (EU) Council adopted a new Syrian strategy which demanded Assads removal and the implementation of a political transition in the country. Federica Mogherini, the EUs High Representative, was one of the first to denounce Assad for the awful attack.

French President Francois Hollande and British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson have urged that Assad be held accountable for the gas attack. Both countries have military personnel operating in the country, as does Germany, which has been seeking to advance its own imperialist ambitions in the Middle East and Africa over recent years and has openly spoken of the need to stand up to the US in the wake of Trumps assumption of the presidency.

An emergency session of the UN Security Council will take place on Wednesday, where an outpouring of anti-Assad, anti-Iranian and anti-Russian rhetoric can be expected from the US and European powers.

Working people in the United States and internationally must reject with contempt the feigned outrage of Trump, Hollande and other imperialist politicians over the slaughter of civilians. As demonstrated most recently by the bloodbath in Mosul, US imperialism has no qualms about indiscriminately massacring innocent civilians if it suits its own imperialist goals. Over the past quarter century, the unending series of wars waged by Washington have cost millions of people their lives and forced millions more to flee their homes.

The only way to put an end to the horrific conflict in Syria and Iraq is through the construction of an international anti-war movement dedicated to the struggle against war and the social system from which it arises: capitalism.
No to the constitutional amendments!

No to dictatorship and war!

For the unity of the international working class!

Build a socialist movement against war and social counterrevolution!

For the United Socialist States of Europe and the Middle East!

Build a section of the International Committee of the Fourth International in Turkey!

The April 16 referendum on amendments to the Turkish constitution raises issues of immense international importance. Given Turkeys position at the crossroads between Europe and the Middle East, the outcome will affect workers not just in Turkey, but throughout the world.

Toplumsal Esitlik (TE, the Social Equality Group), in political sympathy with the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), calls for a no vote in the referendum.

The amendments proposed by the ruling Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) and backed by the fascistic Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) would hand control of the executive, the legislature and the judiciary to the president, establishing a dictatorship in all but name. The president could issue legislative decrees, draw up the budget, appoint the judiciary, dissolve parliament and nominate the ruling partys candidates for parliamentary elections. The parliament would become a simple rubber stamp for the president.

The AKP proposed its constitutional amendments and imposed a state of emergency after the July 15 coup attempt. The coup was backed by Washington and Berlin, aimed at murdering President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and installing a puppet regime completely aligned with NATOs war drive in Syria and Iraq. The coup was halted only by a mass popular mobilization. Broad social layers, above all in the working class, remembered the murderous record of NATO-backed coups of 1960, 1971, 1980 and 1997 in Turkey. Hundreds died fighting to prevent the victory of another such coup.

Using the state of emergency, the Turkish government is already aggressively repressing the no campaign. Police have interned hundreds of no campaigners, and authorities have repeatedly threatened owners of venues where opponents of the referendum have tried to hold meetings. The Supreme Electoral Council has banned all but the 10 largest mainstream political parties and all non-governmental organizations, trade unions and associations from advertising or campaigning in the referendum.

The state terror against the no campaign is accompanied by the rise of right-wing populism and nationalism internationally. Trump advances his nationalist and militarist America First agenda. The European powers have responded to it by stepping up their own preparations for repression at home and war abroad, amid a major existential crisis following Britains vote to leave the European Union (EU).

While calling for a no vote, TE warns that rejecting the AKPs proposed constitutional changes will not by itself halt the international drive to dictatorship and war. No support can be given to the no campaign of the AKPs bourgeois opponents, including the Republican Peoples Party (CHP) and the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP). Both the CHP and the HDP previously agreed in discussions with Erdogan on the need for constitutional changes to the Turkish state, in which HDP proposed a presidential and federalist system.

Above all, however, these parties are even more closely aligned than the AKP itself with the policies of the major imperialist powers. There is little doubt that, should a no vote win, they will step up their collaboration with the imperialist powers attempts to remove Erdogan.

Speaking for pro-EU factions of the bourgeoisie, the CHP defends so-called European values and supports the AKPs intervention in Syria, only criticizing the AKP for not acting firmly enough against Kurdish separatism. The bankruptcy of this pro-EU orientation is clear, as the EU governments whip up racism and anti-Muslim sentiment. In a deliberate attempt to divert attention from extreme social tensions in the Netherlands, the Dutch government banned appearances by Turkish government officials to speak for the yes campaign among Turks in Europe. This only played into Erdogans hands, allowing him to promote supporters of the yes campaign as victims of European racism.

The HDP speaks for sections of the Kurdish bourgeoisie and privileged layers of the Turkish middle class oriented to imperialism. It calls for constitutional changes that would grant minority rights to Kurds, Alevis and other minorities and ultimately lead to the construction of a Kurdish capitalist state entity backed by US and European imperialism. Its identity politics-based program is similar to that of Syriza in Greece, Podemos in Spain and the Left Party in Germany. These parties are deeply hostile to working people and have imposed austerity in line with the diktat of the EU and the IMF.

TE advocates a no vote in order to prepare an independent political struggle of the working class and youth in Turkey and across the Middle East and internationally, against both imperialism and the bourgeoisie in the Middle East. Nothing more clearly demonstrates the bankruptcy of world capitalism and the reactionary character of imperialism than the wars in the Middle East. Over a quarter century since the Gulf War of 1991, neo-colonial imperialist wars and the local ethnic and sectarian conflicts they unleashed have claimed millions of lives.

TE advances a revolutionary perspective for a counteroffensive of the Middle Eastern and international working class. It fights to unify workers and youth of Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic and other origins in Turkey and across the Middle East in a struggle against imperialism and the capitalist class in the Middle East, as part of an international struggle for world socialist revolution.

The Turkish referendum and the imperialist war drive in the Middle East

Erdogans attempts to establish himself as a dictator are not a product of his personal authoritarian tendencies, but of the desperate crisis of the Turkish capitalist regime. Over the last five years, the US-led imperialist war for regime change in Syria has expanded into an all-out regional war that triggered a civil war in Turkeys Kurdish areas and Islamist terror bombings across Turkey. Ultimately, Erdogan himself ended up on a list of Middle East heads of state targeted for murder by imperialism, a list that has included the late Saddam Hussein of Iraq, the late Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and Syrias Bashar al-Assad.

Erdogans proposed constitutional amendment shows that even the trappings of democracy in Turkey are no longer compatible with the militarist and dictatorial drive of the ruling class. As he moves to escalate Turkeys military intervention in Syria and block the secession of majority-Kurdish regions of Turkey into a potential imperialist-backed Kurdish state, he can no longer tolerate internal political opposition. He must seek powers to crush opposition from rival sections of the bourgeoisie and from emerging opposition in the working class.

The conflicts driving Erdogan to seek dictatorial powers can find no solution in a national framework or under the leadership of any faction of the capitalist class. The wars and the inflaming of ethnic and sectarian tensions among populations divided by irrational borders drawn up by Britain and France a century ago, like the relentless assault on democratic and social rights, can only be stopped by an international revolutionary mobilization of the working class.

The drive to militarism and attacks on democratic rights are rooted in the deepening political and economic crisis of world capitalism. Since the 2008 Wall Street crash, capitalist governments around the world have imposed austerity policies and concentrated vast wealth in the hands of few. Since 2009, the wealth of the worlds billionaires has tripled. Only eight billionaires own as much combined wealth as the bottom half of the worlds population, some 3.6 billion people.

Extreme social inequality and militarism pave the way for the abandonment of democratic forms of rule by the capitalist class in every country, including in the imperialist powers of America and Europe, where the ruling class has a long history of parliamentary rule. Since 2015, France has been under a perpetually extended state of emergency that suspends basic democratic rights and was used to justify a brutal crackdown on protests against a reactionary labor law. Above all, in the United States, the election of Donald Trump has put in power a far-right administration and installed a neo-fascist, Stephen Bannon, as Trumps main political adviser in the White House.

The world saw the initial stages of a revolutionary counteroffensive of the international working class six years ago, in 2011, when mass revolutionary struggles of the working class toppled US-backed dictators in Tunisia and Egypt.

Erdogans attempt to seize dictatorial powers flows from the war drive with which the imperialist powers responded to the Egyptian Revolution. Under pressure from NATO, the Turkish ruling class abandoned Erdogans zero problems with neighbors policy and backed imperialist wars for regime change in Libya and then in Syria, initially using Al Qaeda forces as proxies.

The Turkish ruling class adopted the politically criminal policy of supporting a vast network of CIA-backed terrorist groups along its border with Syria, hoping that the war could establish the Islamist AKP government as a dominant regional power. Its hopes were soon dashed, however. Instead, Turkey was engulfed in an imperialist maelstrom that threatens to erupt into world war.

Erdogan could not adapt to all the twists and turns of imperialist policy. In 2013, the AKPs calculations were upended when its NATO allies supported the military coup in Egypt that came to power by politically manipulating popular opposition to the Islamist government of President Mohammed Mursi, after which Washington postponed its plans to go to war in Syria to aid its Islamist proxies.

In 2014, the Islamic State (IS) militia launched an invasion of Iraq from Syria that threatened Washingtons puppet state in Iraq and prompted a renewed NATO intervention in Iraq.

Washington and its European allies ultimately settled on a strategy of using Syrian and Iraqi Kurdish nationalist groups sympathetic to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as its main proxies, instead of the so-called Free Syrian Army backed by Ankara. The AKP government saw this policy as a fundamental threat to the territorial integrity of Turkey, however.

While Ankara joined the US-led war ostensibly against IS, it aimed above all to prevent the consolidation of a Kurdish-controlled region in Syria adjacent to Turkeys southern, majority-Kurdish area. Ankara simultaneously stepped up its offensive against Kurdish nationalist groups aligned with Washington, ending the peace process with the PKK. With US backing, it threatened to seize and occupy an enclave in northern Syria, supposedly as a safe zone for Syrian refugees.

Amid the escalating confrontation between NATO and Russia in Eastern Europe after the NATO-backed coup in Ukraine, Turkeys threats proved unacceptable to Moscow, which intervened in Syria to defend the Assad regime and attack IS. When Turkish forces shot down a Russian bomber along the Syrian-Turkish border in November 2015, Turkey faced the prospect of a war with a militarily superior Russian neighbor, potentially without the support of its NATO allies.

Together with the burden of 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, this led to a major shift by the AKP toward seeking a rapprochement with Russia and China, igniting to a bitter conflict with the Obama administration and its European allies. In July 2016, a section of Turkeys military launched an abortive putsch out of NATOs Incirlik air base, encouraged by the US and German governments.

Having escaped assassination thanks to the mass mobilization that defeated the coup, Erdogan imposed a state of emergency, increased repression and set about drafting a new constitution that would consolidate his power. He also ordered the Turkish army to launch its own invasion of Syria, Operation Euphrates Shield, against both IS and the Kurdish-nationalist Peoples Protection Units (YPG), while escalating a brutal wave of domestic repression.

Under the state of emergency declared after the failed coup attempt, some 121,000 civil servants and soldiers, including some 29,800 teachers and 4,200 academics, were sacked and more than 41,000 people in state institutions arrested. At least 1,500 associations, 15 universities, hundreds of private schools, 177 media outlets and several trade unions were closed for their alleged links to supporters of the coup. Ankara accused Washington of being behind the coup via its support for the Islamist movement of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, and demanded his extradition.

While pressuring the EU with the threat that Turkey will allow Syrian refugees to flee to Europe, Erdogan has pinned his hopes on a shift in US policy under Donald Trump, appealing to Washington to drop its support for the YPG in exchange for Turkey adopting a more anti-Iranian stance. Whatever Washington and the European imperialist powers do, making an alliance with the most far-right and nationalistic government in US history will prove no less disastrous for Turkey than the Turkish bourgeoisies support for the war drive led by Obama and his European allies.

The crisis of the nation-state system in the Middle East

The past quarter century has refuted the claims of bourgeois ideologists that the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked the final triumph of capitalism and the end of the struggle of the working class for socialism, which a century ago produced the 1917 Russian Revolution. Freed from the military and political obstacles posed by the existence of the USSR, imperialism instead tried to turn the clock back and brutally re-colonize the Middle East.

US imperialism sought to compensate for its industrial and economic decline vis-a-vis its European and Asian rivals through military means. It launched the first Gulf War with the support of the Soviet bureaucracy, which was itself preparing capitalist restoration in the USSR. The aim of this war was to establish US dominance over the Middle East and the oil and energy reserves that are at the heart of the world economy. During the ensuing quarter century, imperialist wars spread across the region and turned it into the center of a global war drive of US imperialism, also aimed at Russia and China, in a desperate and ultimately futile bid to maintain Washingtons position as the worlds superpower.

Today, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya and Yemen are barely functioning societies, torn apart by ethnic and sectarian warfare unleashed by imperialist wars and occupations. Entire societies lie in ruins, millions of people have been killed and tens of millions forced to flee their homes. Thousands of refugees have drowned in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe, as the EU pursues a savage anti-refugee policy.

This crisis is exposing the historic bankruptcy of capitalism. In the wars now shaking Syria and Iraq, the imperialist powers in the US and Europe, Russia and regional powers like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran are all seeking through escalating bloodshed to redraw the map of the Middle East as much as they can in their own interests. At each step, this reactionary conflict threatens to escalate into a direct military clash between nuclear-armed powers, threatening the survival of humanity itself.

The world is witnessing a terminal crisis of the state system that emerged in the Middle East in the aftermath of World War I a century agoin the 1916 Sykes-Picot accords dividing the Levant between Britain and France, and in the 1923 Lausanne Treaty that fixed Turkeys present-day borders. Every ruling class in the Middle East fears ethnic and sectarian separatism and insurrections of the working class and oppressed masses.

All the political and historical issues left unresolved in the founding of the Turkish Republic, created in 1923 after a three-year war of independence against imperialist occupation, acquire explosive force today. The Turkish nationalists trampled the cultural and political rights of Turkeys largest minority, the Kurds, who constituted about 20 percent of the populationeven refusing to acknowledge their existence as a nationality with its own language and culture. They also bloodily suppressed the workers movement. Nearly a century later, Turkey is beset by the same insoluble ethnic and class tensions.

Under 14 years of AKP rule, staggering social inequality has emerged in Turkey: the bottom 20 percent of the population (some 16 million people) lives with only 6 percent of the national income, equal to the wealth of the richest 35 people. The bottom 99 percent of the population witnessed a 13 percent decrease in its share of total national wealth, while the share of the top 1 percent rose to 55 percent. In Turkey, one out every five working-age people and one out every three youth is unemployed.

Today as a century ago, the turn is to the working class. As Leon Trotsky explained in his Theory of Permanent Revolution, in countries with a belated capitalist development, the capitalist class is incapable of establishing a democratic regime and overcoming the irrational borders and ethnic and sectarian divisions that are the legacy of colonial oppression. Its interests are fundamentally linked with and subordinate to those of imperialism. The working class alone can lead all the oppressed classes in a revolutionary struggle to halt the war drive and defend democratic rights in a struggle for socialism.

A revolutionary struggle for socialism and against war is by its nature international in scope. As Leon Trotsky wrote in The Permanent Revolution, The completion of the socialist revolution within national limits is unthinkable. One of the basic reasons for the crisis in bourgeois society is the fact that the productive forces created by it can no longer be reconciled with the framework of the national state. From this follows on the one hand, imperialist wars, on the other, the utopia of a bourgeois United States of Europe. The socialist revolution begins on the national arena, it unfolds on the international arena, and is completed on the world arena. Thus, the socialist revolution becomes a permanent revolution in a newer and broader sense of the word; it attains completion, only in the final victory of the new society on our entire planet.

The way forward is the unification of workers of all origins across the Middle East in a struggle against imperialism, for the overthrow of the regions venal capitalist elites, and for socialism. In this struggle, the Middle Eastern workers will find allies in the workers in America, Europe and around the world, where there is deep opposition to the endless, bloody wars waged by Washington and its allies. They will give powerful support to a struggle of their class brothers and sisters in this region for the United Socialist States of the Middle East.

The pro-imperialist role of Kurdish nationalism

TE, like its co-thinkers in the ICFI, uncompromisingly defends the democratic and cultural rights of the Kurdish minority in Turkey and all ethnic and religious minorities across the Middle East. Our defense of democratic rights in no way implies, however, political support for bourgeois nationalist movements. The historical record of the Kurdish nationalist parties is a particularly sharp warning that their separatist and communalist programs, which divide the working class along ethnic, cultural and religious lines, is devoid of any genuine democratic or progressive content.

The war drive led by Washington in the Middle East since the 1991 Gulf War has exposed the Kurdish nationalists as tools of imperialism. In exchange for a few crumbs from imperialist plunder and exploitation, they have hired themselves out as proxy forces for imperialism.

The Kurdish nationalists, including the PKK, welcomed the illegal US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, even though Washington had tacitly backed Baghdads suppression of a Kurdish uprising just after the Gulf War. Jalal Talabanis Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and Massoud Barzanis Kurdish Democratic Party had supported opposing sides of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war and fought each other during that conflict. However, they joined together in the corrupt Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq. The KRG worked with the US occupation and is now fighting in the US-led war against IS, also working closely with Turkey to transport KRG oil exports to world markets.

The AKPs collaboration with the KRG led it to briefly set up a peace process with the PKK and Kurdish nationalists inside Turkey itself, to create a democratic federation where Turks and Kurds (in Turkey, Syria and Iraq) would supposedly live together in peace. This was to be accomplished above all on the backs of the working class. The Kurdish nationalists enthusiastically supported AKP proposals for a regional minimum wage in majority-Kurdish areas that would be lower than in other parts of Turkeyhoping to cut their own deals directly with international capital based on the super-exploitation of Kurdish workers.

This plan was shattered, however, when the Kurdish nationalist tendencies abandoned the AKP and oriented directly to US and European imperialism. The Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters, which work closely with the PKK, became the heart of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that are the imperialist powers preferred proxy force in the bloody war against both the Assad regime and IS.

Turkeys Kurdish nationalist tendencies, emboldened by the support of the imperialist powers for fellow Kurdish nationalists, now propose the unification of Kurdish regions of Turkey with Kurdish-held regions of Iraq and Syria. At a December 2015 meeting of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), a platform of Kurdish nationalist parties, associations and movements, they declared: The Kurdish people have started a process of struggle, based on their own strength, after the rejection of their demand for legal and political status.

Opening the DTK congress, HDP co-chairman Selahattin Demirtas said: This resistance will end with victory, and everyone will respect the peoples will. Kurds will from now on be the political will in their own region. During these days when a historical breaking point is emerging, our people will decide whether [to live in] dictatorship or freedom and whether to live under one mans tyranny or in autonomy Perhaps, Kurds will have their own independent state, the federal state, and cantons and autonomous regions as well.

The war is rapidly exposing the fraudulence of claims that setting up a Kurdish capitalist state will bring national liberation and offer the Kurds peace and prosperity. Setting up an imperialist-backed Kurdish regime, ruled by small bourgeois cliques working closely with international oil companies amid an escalating war drive throughout the region, will only produce a disaster.

It would not bring national liberation but inflame national tensions in the Middle East. Already in Iraq, Kurdish forces are seizing areas where the Kurdish population is a small minority. Iraqi Kurdish forces have occupied the oil rich Arab-majority city of Kirkuk since 2014 and are now providing manpower for the bloody imperialist-led offensive against IS forces in Mosul, an ethnically diverse, Sunni Arab-majority city.

At the same time, the Turkish regime seized on calls for the formation of a Kurdish state to invade Syria, as well as to mount a vicious and reactionary crackdown on the HDP and the Kurdish people inside Turkey itself. Last year, the Turkish army launched Operation Euphrates Shield to prevent the Syrian Kurdish forces from seizing the city Manbij, and thus creating a Kurdish-controlled enclave along the entire Turkish-Syrian border. While the Syrian Kurds retreated and forestalled an all-out Turkish-Kurdish war, the Turkish army started a new bloody and costly war inside Syria itself.

The perspective of bourgeois nationalism has failed. The task facing the Kurdish workers and oppressed masses is not to build a new capitalist state working with imperialism and complicit in its crimes. The only way forward is to unite in struggle with their class brothers and sisters of all nationalities across the Middle East, as well as in the imperialist countries, in a struggle against war and neo-colonial oppression, for the building of socialism across the Middle East and the world. In the Middle East, this means a struggle for the United Socialist States of the Middle East.

Against pseudo-left apologists of imperialism

The no campaign of the fraternity of petty bourgeois, pseudo-left parties in Turkey, which have long orbited around the HDP together with sections of the trade union bureaucracy, is politically reactionary. While superficially criticizing the imperialist powers and the Iraqi Kurdish regime, whose ties to Ankara are well known, they tacitly back US-led interventions across the Middle East, above all by politically supporting Kurdish nationalist movements.

They have now launched a pro-EU no campaign, lined up behind the CHP and HDP based on identity and left-colored populist politics. They defend the Turkish so-called democratic, secular, social law state, and sow illusions that the victory of a no vote will free Turkey from Erdogan fascism and pave the way for an independent, democratic and secular Turkey.

On January 19, the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ODP) issued a statement declaring, NO is good; NO is lively; NO is hopeful; NO is promising. Shortly afterwards, the United June Movement, a collection of pseudo-left organizations, justified its no campaign with arguments: We are not happy. There is a wave of hatred and horror around us By destroying secularism, political Islam is taking away our possibilities of coexistence and liberty.

On February 6, the Peoples Democratic Congress (HDK), a union of pseudo-left political parties, organizations and trade unions supporting Kurdish nationalists that was formed in 2011, declared that it would vote no, for a democratic, pluralist, egalitarian, secular, libertarian, ecologic and social constitution and a democratic Turkey.

Representing the interests of affluent sections of the middle class seeking a better position under capitalism, these organizations are obsessed with identity politics focused on ethnicity, religion, culture, gender, individual lifestyle and sexual orientation. The reactionary implications of such politics are perhaps most clearly expressed in the record of their political co-thinkers in the imperialist countries of America and Europe.

Groups like the International Socialist Organization in the United States, Frances New Anti-capitalist Party and Britains Socialist Workers Party hailed the imperialist war drive against Libya and Syria as a democratic revolution and gave full support to imperialist war. At the same time, their allies that have taken power at the local or national levelSyriza in Greece, Podemos in Spain and the Left Party in Germanyhave imposed drastic austerity measures on workers and brutally crushed strikes. These parties are proven enemies of the working class.

The subjective hatred their Turkish co-thinkers feel for Erdogan, in line with their lifestyle concerns, only reflects their more fundamental alignment with imperialism. For this reason, they took an indifferent, politically complicit position during the July 15 coup attemptcriticizing it in words only after the coup had failed, when Washington and Berlin themselves were forced to issue pro forma condemnations of the coup attempt. The Revolutionary Workers Party, the sister organization of Greeces Workers Revolutionary Party (EEK), even declared that calling on workers to take to the streets against the coup was irresponsible!

The TE seeks to establish the political independence of the working class by demonstrating the political and class gulf separating its struggle for Trotskyism in the Middle Eastern working class from the petty bourgeois politics of the pseudo left groups. It is only through this struggle to clearly differentiate the interests of the international working class from those of the Turkish bourgeoisie that the working class can be prepared for the struggle for power.

Build sections of the ICFI in Turkey and across the Middle East

A revolutionary struggle of the Turkish and international working class can only be led by an internationalist socialist leadership independent of, and opposed to, all bourgeois parties and their pro-imperialist, pseudo-left allies in the middle class.

A century ago, amid the slaughter of the World War I, the Russian working class led by the Bolshevik Party took power and established the worlds first workers state in October 1917, demonstrating the possibility of a world without exploitation, nationalism and war. It was the response of the Russian workers to World War I, based on the decades-long struggle for revolutionary internationalism of Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky and the Bolshevik Party within the working class, against all petty-bourgeois tendencies.

Today, as a century ago, the crisis of capitalism threatens humanity with the horrors of world war. However, these objective conditions also radicalize workers around the world and drive them into struggle, from the Middle East and Asia to the centers of world imperialism in America and Europe. The first major revolutionary experience of the working class in the 21st century occurred in 2011 when, after an initial uprising of workers in Tunisia, the Egyptian working class rose up and toppled the dictator Hosni Mubarak.

The great problem that arose was that no revolutionary leadership modeled on the Bolshevik Party existed to lead the working class in taking power. Vast masses of workers rose up many times against the imperialist-backed regime in Egypt and its security forces. Nonetheless, they could not improvise a perspective upon which to take power. Rather, power fell first to an army junta, then into the hands of an unpopular Islamist government led by Mohammed Mursi, and finally back to the army. This was made possible due to the active collusion with the junta of the nominally-liberal bourgeois and pseudo-left opposition parties and their suppression of any independent political action by the working class.

The fundamental question is the building of a revolutionary party in each country to lead the working class to overthrow capitalism and establish a workers government pursuing socialist policies. The political and theoretical basis of this struggle, as of the October Revolution in Russia, is Trotskys Theory of Permanent Revolution.

The ICFI is the only political tendency that has for decades since its foundation fought to advance and defend the perspective of Permanent Revolution, in opposition to all petty-bourgeois opponents of Trotskyism, as the continuator of Marxism. The construction of a revolutionary leadership of the working class means building a Socialist Equality Party, a section of the ICFI, in Turkey and in every country.

TE fights for the construction of the Socialist Equality Party (Turkey), taking it as its central responsibility to develop, prior to the outbreak of broader mass struggles, a significant political presence within the working classabove all, among its most advanced elementsin collaboration with the ICFI. We appeal for class conscious workers and socialist-minded youth in Turkey and across the Middle East to give TE their support.

To contact the ICFI, click here.
The turbulence in the Congress camp came a day after senior Congress leader AK Walia quit the party.

The decision by former CM Sheila Dikshit (above) came a day after top leader AK Walia (top left) threatened to quit the party over ticket distribution.

By Mail Today Bureau: More trouble is brewing for the Congress in Delhi as former chief minister Sheila Dikshit has refused to campaign for the party in the upcoming MCD polls slated for April 23.

Also, several party workers held protests and ransacked the Delhi Congress office and other ward offices alleging irregularities in ticket distribution for the municipal elections.

advertisement

As elections in the national Capital draw closer, trouble within the Congress has started brimming to the surface. The turbulence in the Congress camp came a day after senior Congress leader AK Walia quit the party.

TICKET DISTRIBUTION MAJOR ISSUE OF DIFFERENCE

According to sources, the party has split into two camps - both consisting senior leaders - and the major issue of difference among the leaders is the ticket distribution process. Stir among senior leaders started after candidates recommended by them were not given a chance.

Some senior leaders, including Walia, had also expressed unhappiness over ticket distribution for the polls.

Other senior leaders Arvinder Singh Lovely and Haroon Yusuf too have expressed deep dissatisfaction with ticket distribution and neglect of their supporters complaining to the party high command in this regard, party sources said.

Congress leader Haroon Yusuf admitted that there is difference in ideas among the senior leaders but it is not going to affect the party's result in the civic polls.

"I am going to campaign for the party and will support in the upcoming civic poll, but I am not happy with the ticket distribution process. I will not only protest, but write to the president and vice-president of the party apprising them about discrepancy in ticket distribution system," Yusuf said.

THREE-TIME CONGRESS MLA AMRISH GAUTAM JOINED BJP

Three-time Congress MLA, Dalit leader, and ex-Deputy Speaker of the Delhi Assembly, Amrish Gautam, made matters worse by joining the BJP on Monday. He has represented Kondli and erstwhile Patparganj Assembly seats.

Another important wing of Congress, Delhi Pradesh Parvatiya Congress is planning to go against Ajay Maken by holding a press conference at Press Club on Wednesday.

Expressing his anguish, chairman of the wing Brijmohan Upreti told Mail Today that there are over 25 lakh people from the hills living in Delhi but party has failed to acknowledged it by not giving ticket to any 'pahadi' candidate. "We have been working for party at the ground level for last 25 years and had suggested names of 15-20 pahadi candidates but none were selected. When we tried to speak to Ajay Maken we were not allowed," said Upreti, who claims that he will raise the issue to the top leadership in the party.

advertisement

On Tuesday, some party supporters ransacked the ground floor of the party office building at Rajiv Bhawan near ITO. The protestors had gathered over denial of a party ticket to their leader from Kamla Nagar area in NDMC.

ALSO READ | Unhappy over MCD polls ticket distribution, AK Walia quits Congress

ALSO READ | MCD elections: Congress releases first list of 140 candidates

ALSO WATCH | Delhi Dangal: 10 reasons why the MCD poll is important for voters

--- ENDS ---
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida legislators are moving ahead with plans to cut the budget of an Orlando prosecutor who is pledging to not seek the death penalty in cases handled by her office.

Rival spending plans approved Wednesday by House and Senate budget committees would cut roughly $1.3 million from the budget of the office of State Attorney Aramis Alaya.

Ayala has come under fire after she announced she wouldn't seek the death penalty in the case of Markeith Loyd or any other case. Loyd is charged with killing an Orlando police lieutenant earlier this year, and his pregnant ex-girlfriend.

Sen. Randolph Bracy, an Orlando Democrat, wanted to restore funding for Ayala's office, but he withdrew his proposal amid Republican opposition. He said that if the money was cut, it would force Ayala to eliminate the prosecution of certain cases.

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
ADEL, Ga. (WTXL) - Adel Police are encouraging the South Georgia community to register for Code Red alerts ahead of expected inclement weather.

The Adel Police Department is asking residents to sign up for Code Red alerts, which allows you to get general or emergency notifications texted directly to your phone.

Code Red allows you to be notified by your local emergency response team in the event of an emergency situation, whether in South Georgia or North Florida.

You can also set your options to alert you for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, or flash floods.

Sign up for Code Red alerts here.
FRANKLIN COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - Franklin County deputies are asking for the public's help in finding a man accused of sexual battery on a incapacitated victim.

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office is looking for Gerry L. Denny of Carrabelle, who has active warrants for sexual battery of a physically incapacitated victim and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Denny is also a sex offender who may have fled to Georgia.

If you see him please call the sheriffs office immediately at 850-670-8500.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A bill moving through the legislature would create a coordinated child assessment system for state-funded school readiness programs and voluntary pre-k classes.

Under a bill that has passed two house committees, the Florida Department of Education would be tasked with creating the committee on early grade success.

The 17 member panel would be tasked with creating a statewide assessment system focusing on finding the best ways to make learning gains among Florida's youngest children.

The state's school readiness program helps low-income families afford early child education.

Bill sponsor Erin Grall says even though most of the programs do good work, there is no way to tell just how successful they are without an assessment tool.

If passed, the committee on early grade success would report its findings to the governor and legislature at the end of the year. The senate version of the bill has yet to be heard by a committee.
By Press Trust of India: From Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Apr 5 (PTI) The third meeting of the India-Nepal Eminent Persons Group began today in the Nepalese capital which will discuss various bilateral issues including the revision of the crucial Peace and Friendship Treaty signed in 1950.

The 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship is a bilateral treaty between Nepal and India establishing a close strategic relationship between both countries.

advertisement

Those who are attending the two-day meeting includes, Bhekh Bahadur Thapa, Nilamber Acharya, Rajan Bhattarai and Surya Nath Upadhyay from the Nepali side, and Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Jayant Prasad, BC Upreti and Mahendra P Lama from the Indian side.

The Eminent Persons Group on Nepal-India Relations (EPG-NIR) is a joint mechanism consisting experts and intellectuals from Nepal and India that was set up in February last year to provide necessary suggestions to update all existing bilateral treaties and agreements between the two countries.

Its first meeting was held in Kathmandu in Julyandsecond meeting in New Delhiin October last year. PTI SBP AJR ZH AKJ AJR

--- ENDS ---
The man, in his fifties, was among a group of 15 men who were brutally thrashed by gau rakshaks while transporting cows on a highway in Alwar, Rajasthan.

A group of 15 men was beaten up by gau rakshaks in Alwar, Rajasthan

By India Today Web Desk: A Muslim man beaten up by alleged cow vigilantes in Rajasthan's Alwar district died due to his wounds, local police confirmed on Tuesday.

The man died on Monday night at the hospital where he was admitted for treatment after he, along with a dozen others, was beaten up by gau rakshaks while on a highway. The deceased man has been identified as Pehlu Khan and is said to be in his fifties.

advertisement

An unknown number of people who were injured in the brutal attack are recuperating at an Alwar hospital.

A murder case has been registered over Khan's death and Rajasthan police has formed three teams to arrest the accused cow vigilantes. A reward of Rs 5,000 has also been announced for anyone who helps nab the six men accused of murder.

Khan was among a group of nearly 15 people that was attacked while transporting cows. The men, who are from Haryana, came under attack by gau rakshaks while transporting the animals on the Behror highway in Alwar on Saturday, police said.

A local cop identified the attackers as cow vigilantes associated with the VHP and the Bajrang Dal.

"Gau rakshaks affiliated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal stopped four vehicles, near Jaguwas crossing on National Highway 8, on Saturday evening, alleging that they were illegally transporting bovines. These vehicles were coming from Jaipur, and were headed towards Nuh district in Haryana," Ramesh Chand Sinsinwar, SHO, Behror police station, was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.

#WATCH: 5 men beaten up & their vehicle vandalised by cow vigilantes in Rajasthan's Alwar; later 1 man succumbed to injuries (01.04.2017) pic.twitter.com/almfW9W954- ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

The news daily further quoted Sinsiwar to say that police have lodged a case against the attackers under Indian Penal Code sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 147 (destruction of property), 308 (culpable homicide) and 379 (theft).

After Pehlu Khan's death, IPC Section 302 (murder) has been added as well.

Notably, the men who were attacked for transporting cows have also been booked under the Rajasthan Bovine Animals(Prohibition of Slaughter & Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 1995.

(With inputs from IANS)

Also Watch: Rajasthan: Gau rakshaks beat 50-year-old man to death for smuggling cows

ALSO READ | Rajasthan: Human rights activists slam BJP leaders for falsely implicating hotel over beef

ALSO READ | Two 'beef transporters' forced to eat cow dung by Haryana's Gau Rakshak Dal

ALSO WATCH | BJP's beef dilemma: Different states, different stakes?

--- ENDS ---
A door leading from an indoor recreational yard to the outside and a gate along a fence attached to the building, photographed on Tuesday, April 4 2017, was left unsecured at the Yakima County Correctional Center on Pacific Avenue in Yakima, Wash. Two inmates escaped the facility in the overnight hours. (SHAWN GUST/Yakima Herald-Republic)
Louis Lucky Cloud was a warrior in the tradition of his grandfather, Pax-an-'pin, whose Yakama name he has taken for his own. Cloud was drafte
YAKIMA, Wash. -- Its not yet known why a Yakima County jail inmate died early Wednesday, but authorities said an initial investigation indica
Some of the North Yakima women who served as nurses with the American Red Cross during World War I. The North Yakima Red Cross chapter was organized shortly before war was declared. (YAKIMA VALLEY MUSEUM/Courtesy Photo)
My husband and I moved here four years ago. For me, it was a welcome return. Id grown up in
By Press Trust of India: New York, Apr 5 (PTI) An 18-year-old Bangladeshi-American Muslim student has won a place at the prestigious Stanford University after writing #BlackLivesMatter a 100 times in the essay section of his application.

Ziad Ahmed said he was "stunned" when his innovative approach to the application process, which he described as "unapologetic activism", paid off.

advertisement

On his Stanford University application, Ahmed was posed the question, "What matters to you, and why?"

The activist from Princeton, New Jersey, decided to use the opportunity to write "#BlackLivesMatter" a 100 times.

To his surprise, the answer caught the attention of the California schools admissions office and Ahmed received his acceptance letter on Friday.

He proudly tweeted his answer and his acceptance letter to the prestigious American university, which boasts 20 applications per place.

"I was actually stunned when I opened the update and saw that I was admitted," Ahmed told Mic.

"I didnt think I would get admitted to Stanford at all, but its quite refreshing to see that they view my unapologetic activism as an asset rather than a liability," he said.

Ahmed said as an ally of the black community, he felt it was his duty to make a statement and speak up against the injustices he witnesses.

"As an ally of the black community though, it is my duty to speak up in regards to the injustice, and while this was not a form of activism as it was simply an answer in a college application. I wanted to make a statement," he said.

The Bangladeshi-American teen has already been making impressive waves in his activism work.

At just 18-years-old, Ahmed has already been invited to the White House Iftar dinner and recognised as a Muslim- American change-maker under the Obama administration.

In 2016, he interned and worked for Democratic nominee Hillary Clintons presidential campaign.

In addition to Stanford, Ahmed said he has already been offered addmission by Yale University and Princeton. He has until May 1 to decide which school to attend.

Ahmed said he purposefully did not further explain the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag.

"The insistence on an explanation is inherently dehumanising," Ahmed said. PTI ASK AKJ ASK

--- ENDS ---
If you are sending a Letter To the Editor, please be sure to follow these rules:

Letters have a firm 200-word limit and will be edited for grammar, clarity and accuracy.

The person who signs the letter must be the author. Anonymous letters will not be considered. Letters must address the editor, not a third party.

We will not print form letters, libelous letters, business promotions or personal disputes, poetry, open letters, letters espousing religious views without reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste.

Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Yakima Herald-Republic cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made in letters.

Writers are limited to one published letter per calendar month.
An industry of gloomthats what Benjamin Netanyahu called the Israeli media on Monday. It takes a lot of nerve, not to mention lack of self-awareness, to say such a thing, when the person running this industry of gloom is the prime minister himself.

Yes, Mr. Prime Minister, we are gloomy. Gloomy doesnt begin to describe it. And no, its not because we see unemployment where you see employment, and a wrecked economy when the economy is actually thriving. Its true that the economy is thriving, that there is employment, and even that the traffic jams we are all stuck ineven as you, beyond your darkened window and security vehicles clearing the way, see only interchangesare not the cause for our feeling of gloom. We can live with traffic jams. And we can be content with our lot in life.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The reason why we wake up every morning restless, faithless and hopeless (Photo: Reuters)

Its you, Mr. Prime Minister. You are the one depressing us. You are the reason we wake up every morning restles, faithless and hopeless. Its you and your government, a herd of silent lambs, a group of yes men and women at your command.

We have had other prime ministers here, and not all of them were acceptable to everyone. We have never had, however, a prime minister who managed to split and incite his people against each other to such an extent. Not just between rightists and leftists, the religious and secular, Sephardim and Ashkenazimyou even managed to create a rift between two media organizations. Look at the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) journalists and the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC) journalists . And you, the prime minister, are taking pleasure in it. The bigger the rift, the stronger the hatred, the desperation and the disappointmentthe happier it makes you.

Yes, Mr. Prime Minister, you are the manager of this gloom factory. You are its national leader. The gloom you detectagain, the first person to detectwas created by you. Do you like going to sleep knowing that another day has passed in which you incited, offended, split and made people question their future? Does it make you happy to wake up to another morning of hostile activity against so many citizens under your leadership?

Consuming the media todayand moreover, being a journalist todayis pretty gloomy. How can it not be, in light of the scorn, the insult, the instigation, the incitement against people who are doing their job? Seeing, on a daily basis, the wretchedness of the people who are supposed to be outlining a way, marking a direction, imparting valuesis more than gloomy. Its depressing. Its painful.

So yes, we are gloomy. One has to be completely blind not to be gloomy todayeven when the economy is shining and unemployment is flourishing.

(Translated and edited by Sandy Livak-Furmanski)
Soldiers from the Oz Commando Unit completed their first company examination last week, following three exhausting days during which they competed for the top position in various combat situations with other units.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The military assessment comes one-and-a-half years after its establishment.

Commando units in action (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

After the prestigious Egoz unit took first place twice in a row, this time a company from the revered Maglan unit achieved the highest scores while another Maglan company clinched second place.

Sgt. A. of the Duvdevan unit was awarded the honor of best sniper in the brigade.

The Oz ground commando unit was established following the decision of IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot to combine the four special units of the ground forcesEgoz of the Golani Brigade, Givatis Rimon and the Maglan and Duvdevantwo elite subunits of the Paratroopers' Brigade.

Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

Duvdevan soldiers completed the examination in third place, managing to push Egoz fighters for the first time out of the first three.

Rimon soldiers, operating mainly in the Egyptian border area, were absent from the examination due to heavy operational activity at the time preventing them from participating.

The examination was conducted in training areas designed to simulate various military scenarios throughout the country, including a rapid transition from fighting in the Gaza Strip against Hamas to a scenario of fighting in the north against Hezbollah.

The exercises included both built-up and open battle spheres, with an emphasis focused on individual combat techniques as well as fighting as a unit. Despite the competition between the units, which were considered "rivalries," prior to the establishment of the brigade, officers from all the units were assigned to the simulated battlefields and were responsible for the education of the fighters who were examined.

For example, Duvdevan officers specializing in combat in a built-up area focused on training fighters from other units, while the commanders of the Maglan unit augmented the brigade's knowledge in the field of target raids.

Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

During the latest test, the examiner placed emphasis on one of the main challenges which fighters are likely to face during the next round of violence, whether against Hamas or Hezbollah in the south or north respectivelycombat at night.

Given the military evaluations that military operations will take place predominantly during the night, the fighters trained under the cover of darkness, with attention placed on the destruction of high-quality targets, such as weapons facilities or warheads, while utilizing as little ammunition as possible.

"The role of sniper requires calmness and relaxation"

Another key point on which the soldiers were tested was what has been dubbed the "first bullet test"a swift and accurate hit by the unit snipers.

"Within 10 seconds I shot the first bullet at the target of a figure 800 meters away, and I hit it," boasted Sgt. A. of the Duvdevan unit, who was crowned the brigade's best sniper after five of his six bullets hit targets dotted over ranges of 400-800 meters.

A. began his service in the elite naval commando unit, Shayetet 13, and from there moved to the Central Command's undercover unit.

The main measure by which snipers are tested is not merely their accuracy, but also the speed of their response and ability to identify targets. Moreover, the extent of damage inflicted by the first bullet fired from the chamber is also assessed.

Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

The sniper test was divided into two categories: a theoretical examination based on target range estimates while calculating the conditions which could affect a bullet's trajectory such as wind direction, and the practical tests in the shooting range itself.

All the fighters used the sniper rifles of the commando units, the SR-25, which, while resembling the M-16, is longer and weighs 5.5 kg, including a 10-fold day-scope that is 6 times larger than that usually mounted on an M-16.

"The sniper's role requires, first and foremost, calmness and relaxation," said A., who is routinely called upon to take out targets responsible for instigating disturbances.

"Since it is difficult to hit the target from a distance of 800 meters, a spotter is with me in the squad who identifies the target and corrects the shooting if necessary.

The division that is formed while moving

The Land Commando Brigade, which was officially established at the end of 2015 and became the sub branch of its counterparts in the other corps, (the air forces Shaldag and the Shayetet 13 Naval Commando unit), has not yet faced a significant test of its military capabilities, such as war or extensive operations.

Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

In recent weeks, the brigade has also absorbed the first medical fightersa new combat position approved after many years of trials.

The medical fighters fight as part of the commandos and now participate in training exercises, for the first time, in massive raids consisting of hundreds of fighters on enemy targets alongside secret and small commando operations.

In contrast to the more classic commando units, which are used for launching special operations based on precise intelligence and only after lengthy preparations, these fighters also train to be able to improvise on the battlefield, literally while on the move, while distinguishing between terrorists marked for elimination or arrest and innocent civilians.
Amona evacuees received news that the establishment of temporary living quarters on the site designated as the future location of their new community has encountered legal difficulties. Meaning, residents now have to wait an indefinite amount of time for the new settlement to be established.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



A week after the decision was made to establish the new community, residents now fear that there is a chance it may not come to pass.

Amona (Photo: Topview)

The establishment of a temporary community requiresby lawthe issuance of a special injunction. The injunction is largely a procedural matter that can take several days.

However, during a meeting at the Ministry of Justice, the legal advisor to the West Bank, Eyal Toledano, expressed his opposition to the move, which is currently preventing the establishment of the temporary community.

Instead of issuing an injunction, Civil Administration officials suggested setting up the settlement utilizing the process of setting up city building plans, thus bypassing the need for establishing a temporary site (and all the legal red tape associated with it).

Former residents of Amona claim that every delay is actually an attempt to sabotage the establishment of a new community.

"We don't believe the prime minister will allow something like this to happen. After the cabinet unanimously approved the prime minister's decision, and after the entire government supported the decision, it would be a slap in the face to the government, the cabinet and the prime minister (not to establish the community)," said residents.

A senior settler official said, "This issue is a critical matter that leaves us stunned. If the injunction is not issued, the establishment of the settlement could take years and no one can promise what the future will bring. This development definitely surprised us."

(Translated and edited by Fred Goldberg)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made 56 foreign visits since assuming charge in May 2014, Parliament was informed today.

By India Today Web Desk: According to a list provided by Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, after first visiting Bhutan in June 2014, Modi visited the US four times, and Nepal, Japan, Russia, Afghanistan and China two times each.

In September 2014, he combined his bilateral visit to Washington with a visit to New York for the UN General Assembly session.

HERE IS A LIST OF MODI'S FOREIGN VISITS In September 2015, he visited New York for the UN General Assembly session during the course of which he again met then US President Barack Obama and then proceeded to San Jose, California, where he interacted with top Fortune 500 CEOs. The Prime Minister made his third visit to the US in the spring of 2016 for the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington during which he highlighted India's role and commitment to the global partnership in nuclear security. He again visited the US at the invitation of Obama in June 2016 during the course of which he addressed the US Congress. Modi paid an official bilateral visit to Nepal in August 2014, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 17 years, and again visited the Himalayan nation in November 2014 to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Summit. He visited Japan in the autumn of 2014 and then in November 2016, both times to attend the annual bilateral summit. The Prime Minister visited Russia in July 2015 to attend the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit in Ufa and then again in December 2015 to attend the annual bilateral summit. He visited Afghanistan in December 2015 during which he jointly dedicated with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani the country's new parliament building built with Indian aid, and again in June 2016 to jointly dedicate the Afghan-India Friendship Dam in Herat province. He went to China on a bilateral visit in May 2015 and then again in September 2016 to attend the G20 Summit in Hangzhou. In May 2015, he became the first ever Indian Prime Minister to visit Mongolia marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Mongolia. His visits to the Indian Ocean archipelago nation of Seychelles in March 2015 and to the United Arab Emirates in August 2015 were the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 34 years. Among other major nations, Modi made bilateral visits to Canada in April 2015 and to Britain in November 2015. In November 2014, he visited Australia to attend the G20 Summit in Brisbane and then stayed back for a bilateral visit.

advertisement

Also read | India, Malaysia ink 7 MoUs; PM Modi says both nations converging efforts for food security for farmers

Also read | PM Modi in Japan: I salute the people of India for supporting demonetisation despite inconvenience

Also read | Japan to set up skill development institutes in Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan

WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
Israel has strongly condemned the decision by a Dublin City Council subcommittee on ceremonies to raise the Palestinian flag over city hall in solidarity with the Palestinian people "who have lived under brutal Israeli occupation."

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



According to the decision Tuesday, the flag will be raised on May 15th, marking 50 years since the territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip came under Israeli control.

Protests against Israeli Ambassador at Trinity College in Dublin

The proposal must pass another round of ratification set for May 8th before it can become an official decision. However, given the council's composition, the chances are good that the proposal will be passed with a large majority, as it was unanimously approved in the subcommittee.

The Dublin City Council is controlled by Sinn Fein and other leftwing parties that are traditionally anti-Israel.

The initiator of the proposal, which is sure to cause international tension, is a pro-Palestinian local councilman named John Lyons.

John Lyons

Lyons, who has also organized pro-Palestinian protests in Ireland in the past, explained that he initiated the proposal as a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

"The Irish people have held large demonstrations to support the Palestinians in recent years. Israel is an apartheid regime. If raising the flag was to cause a bit of a debate amongst some people who are unsure of it flying over City Hall, I think that's a welcome development. I think that today more and more people think that the way Israel behaves drastically undermines the cause of its establishment."

In response, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said, "If the Dublin City Council approves the decision, it is actually raising a white flag of surrender to terrorist organizations, hate and extortion. This is a hostile decision that first and foremost hurts the decent citizens of Dublin and marks the city with the stain of shame."

(Translated and edited by Fred Goldberg)
Almost two weeks have passed since the assassination of the senior Hamas military operative Mazan Fukha, one of the key pillars of the West Bank headquarters responsible for directing attacks against Israel, and Hamas is continuing to fumble its way through the investigation into the circumstances of his death.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Indeed, it appears that the terror organization has yet to unearth any leads whatsoever to the identity of the killers.

The investigation remains at the top of the organization's agenda and its security forces are working around the clock as they frantically search for clues. Yet they still dont know whether those responsible and their collaboratorsif indeed there were anyare still located in the Gaza Strip or have since departed.

Mazan Fukha

Perhaps the only solace Hamas can squeeze out of this ignominious episode is that it has further fomented fear of surreptitious collaboration with Israel.

As far as investigators are aware, the events leading to Fukhas death transpired thus: He arrived in the late hours in his vehicle to his home in the neighborhood of Tel al-Hawa with his wife and children.

When Fukah dropped them off as he drove his car to the buildings underground parking lot, that was the last time they saw him alive as his assassins were awaiting his arrival. Homing in on their target, they fired four shots at close range into his head and immediately fled the scene.

Fukha was murdered on Friday evening and in an unusual move, Hamas only put the strip on complete lockdown two-and-a-half days after the incident as part of the investigation.

It is unclear what caused the group to delay the lockdown for such an extensive period of time. However, it is possible to surmise that it stemmed from sheer confusion on the movements part.

The lockdown is still currently in place over the strip. During its first days, no one was permitted to leave or enter the area, regardless of whether the individual was Palestinian or a foreign national. Neither Red Cross or UN workers were exempt from the restrictions. Furthermore, fishermen are still barred from setting sail for the sea and tight supervision of the borders with Israel and Egypt is, both above and below ground, has been beefed up.

Only after a few days were the siege restrictions loosened by Hamas, after they managed to paint a most unhelpful picture of the profiles of the assassins or their collaborators. Despite their efforts, the sole conclusion that has been drawn is that they were between 15-45 years old.

In addition to the siege, the Palestinian Attorney General issued a gag order on all details pertaining to the investigation, but that did not prevent Hamas leaders from blaming, one after the other, Israel and vowing extreme reprisals.

Hamass ascribing of the deed to Israel is logical even if it is the product of mere reactional suspicion. But the truth is that not a single person there is holding the smoking gun connecting him to the hit.

The movements desperation is reflected in its haphazard attempts to launch an investigation. At the end of last week, the Interior Ministry in Gaza announced that the security apparatus are preparing to undertake a large scale operation against collaborators uncovered in Fukhas liquidation.

Operations of this kind are rarely preceded with such warnings and likely stem from efforts to nudge potential murderers into executing an escape into Israel or Egypt via land or sea before exposing and capturing them.

Senior Hamas officials (Photo: EPA)

Perhaps nothing demonstrated Hamass failure more than a notice publicized by the Ministry of Interior in Gaza urging any collaborators to turn themselves in, promising that if they did so they would receive legal security protection, and that their anonymity would be safeguarded.

But those who may be contemplating giving themselves up, would be wise to remember the ruthless manner in which Hamas displayed its draconian tendencies in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, parading alleged collaborators with Israel through the streets and executing them in broad daylight before the eyes of Gazas men, women and children.

The string of mistakes and blunders, the improvised responses and public declarations, the late launching of the investigation, and the contradictions all combine to attest to the fact that Hamas remains in an utter state of confusion over the ongoing investigation.

Forced into this corner, it is not inconceivable that it will be forced to assign the blame to innocent people who will be compelled to admit to wrongdoing they did not commit in a desperate effort to project an image of strength, not least competence, to the people of Gaza, whether fraudulent or not. They are determined to convey the clear message that collaborators, imaginary or otherwise, will be dealt a devastating blow.

(Edited and translated by Alexander J. Apfel)
1,200 employees of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs at 102 embassies around the world will strike Wednesday in protest of what they have described as poor salary conditions, which they claim haven't been changed in the last 60 years.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The majority of employees striking are those working at embassies around the world and their strike all but ensures that most embassy services will be cancelled Wednesday.

Israeli Embassy in Turkey (Photo: Reuters)

Four years ago, foreign ministry employees from around the globe declared a labor dispute against the state and the Ministry of Finance in an attempt to change working conditions and salaries.

According to employees, the gaps between their demands and the treasury's conditions are not large, but negotiations are still at a deadlock.

About a month ago, employees threatened a general strike due to claims of erosion in their salaries and due to delays in negotiations with the Ministry of Finance, following the implementation of a new wage model.

According to a foreign ministry employee committee, advance warning was given "to avoid embarrassment during the execution of the strike, which took a radical turn at very short notice. We are dealing with an irrational line that causes escalation in labor relations."

(Translated and edited by Fred Goldberg)
A concrete factory has been built on the Gaza border to assist in the ongoing construction efforts of the Gaza subterranean barrier.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



At the northern end of the Gaza border, only several meters from the Palestinian side of the strip, IDF soldiers can be seen guarding huge tankers used for the production of concrete, as part of the efforts to create an underground blockade designed to prevent terror organizations from digging tunnels penetrating into Israel underneath the border.

The defense Ministry has so far allotted NIS 3.34 million for the project in hopes that it will finally put an end to the threat of the Hamas tunnels.





To that end, the barrier is set to incorporate several mechanisms along 64 kilometers of the border line. It will include a Smart fence similar to the one existing today along the Israel-Egypt border, underground concrete walls, tunnel detection technology. It will also be armed with advanced counter-assault and defense capabilities.





Almost 2,000 workers are taking part in the project which is set to be finished within two years, and is expected bring succor to Israels border defense and counter the tunnel phenomenon which has concerned Israel's southern residents for several years.

(Translated & edited by Lior Mor)
Police in Paris are investigating a 27-year-old Arab man on suspicion that he murdered his neighbor Lucy Halimi, a 66-year-old Jewish Haredi woman, following a quarrel in her apartment.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



According to suspicions, the man, who is already known to the police, pushed her to her death from her apartment which was located on the third floor of the building.

Police arrested the suspect who lives on the second floor after Halimis body was discovered overnight Monday at around 4:30am in the 11th arrondissement of Paris in the buildings yard.

Paris, archive photo (Photo: AFP)

The man became a suspect when it emerged that he had entered his victims apartment before she fell. Neighbors also testified that they heard the suspect screaming that he wants to kill her just before the incident.

Once the man had been arrested, the Paris police department transferred him for psychiatric analysis.

The police are currently checking into a number of possible circumstances accounting for her death.

They include the possibility that the suspect engaged in a confrontation with her after which he pushed her to her death, or that he scared her so much that she fell.

Another scenario being considered is that he tried to rob her and that her resistance in the ensuing struggle precipitated her death.

Halimi lived in her apartment alone. One of her children lives in Israel while two other daughters live in France.

While her body has been sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Jewish community has said that it is undertaking efforts to expedite its release for burial, and that the family is considering flying it to Israel where she may be laid to rest.

(Edited and translated by Alexander J. Apfel)
A resident of Qalqilya, 23-year-old Malak Nazar Yousseff Kazmar was arrested two months ago by the Shin Bet and the IDF on the suspicion of recruiting people to the Hamas and plotting deadly terror attacks against Israelis.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



According to the Shin Bet, it emerged during his interrogation that Kazmar, who had lived in Turkish Cyprus for the last few years, had been recruited by Hamas while he was in Jordan in August 2015 and sent to a military training camp in Syria in January 2016.

Malak Kazmar, Hamas recruiter charged with terrorism activities (Photo: Shin Bet)

In the Syrian military camp, Kazmar learned to shoot and underwent theoretical training on the production of explosive devices.

In January 2017, shortly before he returned to the West Bank, he met with Hamas operatives in Istanbul who instructed him to recruit additional Hamas agents who were residing in Israel.

Kazmar was arrested upon his return to the West Bank however, before he could implement the instructions he was given.

During his interrogation, Kazmar turned over the contents of an encrypted memory card that he had received from his operators in Turkey, which contained extensive security guidelines and information intended to assist him in carrying out his missions.

He was indicted several days. He was charged with crimes against national security.

The Shin Bet has stated that the Hamas leadership continues to be assisted by activists who return to the West Bank to promote terrorist activity, while its leaders operate without interference in various countries abroad.

(Translated & edited by Lior Mor)
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis said on Wednesday he was horrified by the suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria, calling it an "unacceptable massacre" of innocent civilians.

Western countries including the United States blamed Syrian government forces for the attack, which choked scores of people to death in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in a rebel-held area of northern Syria hit by government air strikes. The Syrian army has denied any role.

"We look on horrified by the recent events in Syria," he told tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square for his weekly general audience.

Expressing his "firm deploration of the unacceptable massacre that took place yesterday," the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics said he was praying for "the defenceless victims, including many children."

Francis appealed to "the consciences of those who hold political power, both at the local and international levels so that these tragedies end."
BEIRUT -- A pair of Israeli lawmakers is urging parliaments around the world to hold "emergency" discussions on the suspected chemical attack in Syria.

Erel Margalit and Nachman Shai, both members of the opposition Zionist Union, sent their request to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of national parliaments around the world.

In Tuesday's letter, they urged fellow parliamentarians to condemn the alleged attack, which they said is "taking humanity 70 years backwards."

"The day when mass extermination measures are taken against people is the day when we as members of parliaments should stand fierce in the fire front and stop the horror," they wrote.
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz unveiled Wednesday morning his plan to connect Israel to nearby countries through a network of railways, stretching to Jordan and from there to Saudi Arabia and other Arab states of the Persian Gulf.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The plan, which was presented in a news conference, has been named Rails for Regional Peace, and maps out the route of the train, which will depart from the city of Haifa, travel to Beit She'an and pass through the Jordan River Crossing before arriving in Irbid, in Jordans capital of Amman.

Katz stated the Arab nations are seriously considering the blueprints and said Im optimistic about our ability to promote it.

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch)

Citing the potential benefits of his plan, the minister then explained that it would contribute to transforming Jordan into a cultural hub. It would also allow Palestinians access not only to the Port of Haifa but also to Arab countries, which will in turn be connected to the Mediterranean Sea by land.

Katz went on to note that when he presented his plan to US President Trumps advisor on Israel Jason Greenblatt, he was deeply impressed and promised to advise Trump on backing it. Since the meeting, there have been further contacts with the Americans, said Katz, who added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also supporting the project.

In the ministers opinion, the initiative will prevent a humanitarian crisis and promote economic prosperity, while serving as a base for future political endeavors.

The regional railways have economic and strategic logic to them, Katz pointed out. It will allow safe and cheap land access for Arab states to the Mediterranean Sea. For example, the sea path from the Port of Dammam, Saudi Arabias main port, to the Mediterranean Sea through the Persian Gulf is 6,000 kilometers long. By land, its just 600 kilometers.

It is effectively 10 times cheaper, he said, without even taking the land transportation into consideration, which is often much cheaper than by sea.

Kats also emphasized to Greenblatt that no American funding is required to implement the plan, but sought only the country's support. Private companies are set to fund the project on the Arab side who are hoping to reap the rewards of its economic potential.

The minister ended his presentation by noting that this initiative joins those intended to build sea and air ports on an island near the Gaza beach, which will be under Israels supervision, and which the Defense Ministry still objects to.

(Translated & edited by Lior Mor)
European and Israeli governments gave their support on Monday to moving forward with a Mediterranean pipeline project to carry natural gas from Israel to Europe, setting a target date of 2025 for completion.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The planned 2,000 kilometer pipeline aims to link gas fields off the coasts of Israel and Cyprus with Greece and possibly Italy, at a cost of up to 6 billion euros.

Israeli offshore gas field (Photo: shutterstock)

"This is an ambitious project, which as the Commission clearly support, as it will have a high value in terms of security of supply and diversification targets," said European Climate and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete.

Israel has discovered more than 900 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas offshore, with some studies pointing to another 2,200 bcm waiting to be tapped. Along with the European market, it is exploring options to export to Turkey, Egypt and Jordan.

Cyprus' Aphrodite natural gas field holds an additional 128 bcm, and Cypriot waters are expected to hold more reserves.

After a meeting in Tel Aviv between energy ministers from Israel, Cyprus, Greece and Italy, Canete told reporters he believes the project would "meet all relevant requirements" to make financial commitment possible.

Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz (Likud) said the pipeline is set to be completed in 2025, adding "but we will try to speed up and to shorten the timetable.

A feasibility study has been completed and the next few years would focus on "proper development activities," with a final investment decision expected by 2020, said Elio Ruggeri, chief executive of IGI Poseidon, the project owners.

IGI Poseidon is a joint venture between Greece's DEPA and Italian energy group Edison.

"Our estimate today is for the pipeline to cost 5 billion euros to (reach) the Greek system and 6 billion euros to (reach) the Italian system," Ruggeri told Reuters.

The energy ministers said they would next meet in Cyprus in six months to further advance the project.
Germany's Cabinet on Wednesday approved a new bill that punishes social networking sites if they fail to swiftly remove illegal content such as hate speech or defamatory fake news.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet agreed on rules that would impose fines of up to 50 million euros (53.4 million dollars) on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.
The Hamas interior ministry in Gaza said that the investigation into the assassination of Mazen Fukha, the terrorist organization's senior leader in the Gaza Strip, shows that there was direct involvement of collaborators.

Tuesday, the ministry announced that it was giving the collaborators a week to turn themselves in and in return they would receive security and legal protection.
A day after two former Border Police officers were indicted for assaulting a Palestinian resident of Jerusalem who they thought was a terrorist, the victim recounts the attack.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



At the time of the incident, which occurred in May of 2016, M was speaking to his wife on the phone when two Border Police officers Yosef Abadi, 22, and Oshri Ohayon, 23, arrived at the Christian Quarter in the Old City following a report of a stabbing attack.

Border Police in Old City after last weeks stabbing (Illustration Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

When the two noticed him, they suspected that he was the assailant, even though he was unarmed.

They saw me speaking to my wife on the phonethey didnt say a word to me. They pinned me to a door and started beating me. The hit my legs, back and head. One of them pinned me to the ground and started shouting theres the knife, theres the knife.

One of the officers, the indictment read, told the other hes got a knife, hes got a knife. He put his hand in his pocket. According to M, he carried nothing but his car keys.

M suffered bruising all over his body. According to the indictment, the officers kept beating him with the butt of their rifle without informing him that he was being arrested or detained and without questioning him.

It was terrifying, they nearly killed me, said 33-year-old M, who at the time had just become a father. I tried to tell them (to stop), that I had a baby at home, but they didnt even give me a chance to speak.

At this stage, the indictment continues, the officers hit him with their rifles and closed hands in his back, head and hip, and even cocked their weapons and shouted at another officer who arrived at the scene to shoot him.

A third officer arrived, and he told them hes got nothing, move on, M said. I yelled at them that Ill sue them, that Im going to inform Police Internal Affairs about what they did, and suddenly one of them came back, jabbed the butt of his rifle into my chest and left.

M, who suffered bruises across his body

What is this country that were living in? M wondered. Im 33 and never in my life have I seen something like this. I grew up in the Old City with six Jewish families, very good friends of mine. I live with Jews, work with Jews. We live together, all of us, with all religions; Christians, Muslims and Jews.

Racists such as these two should not wear uniform. I want to ask them, 'You almost killed me, why? How do you sleep at night after what Ive been through?' I want their families to know what they did to me.

The lawyer representing M said that this is a very serious case where two Border Police officers used unnecessary force with no justification against an innocent and helpless civilian. The officers attacked my client with great cruelty and even threatened to kill him. After all the beating and humiliation, they abandoned him when he was injured and needed medical attention.

My client begged the officers not to kill him, and it was a miracle that they didnt shoot him. The officers exploited their power and acted in a way that is not in line with the values of Israels police. All appropriate measures should be taken to fight this phenomenon and protect the innocent civilians against cops who work in contradiction with their orders.

Following the filing of the complaint against the two, the incident was investigated and on Tuesday the officers were indicted for assault and battery.

(Translated & edited by Lior Mor)
A special report by State Comptroller Yosef Shapira, published Wednesday, found serious flaws in police and Internal Affairs Department (IA) handling of cases of brutality. The same report raised concerning issues with regard to the handling of sexual harassment by institutions of higher education.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



According to the comptroller's review, there is a structural and systemic failure in the disciplinary procedures conducted by the police, and in the transfer of information and investigation material between IA and the police, causing thousands of cases of police violence to fall between the cracks.





According to the report, even in cases where a disciplinary proceeding was conducted by the police, it was insignificant, and the punishments that were handed out to the police officers were from light to marginal, and they continued to serve in their positions without having to be monitored.

According to the report, in the last decade there has been a drastic and continuous decline in the number of disciplinary indictments filed by the police in cases of police brutality, whereas in 2006, 86 indictments were filed, 63 were filed in 2007, in 2014 only 14 indictments were filed and in 2015, there were only seven indictments.

Police brutality

"IA, which receives the majority of complaints against police officers, examines the complaints on the criminal and evidentiary level only, while the Israel Police only handles the cases that are transferred to it, with IA's recommendation for disciplinary actions. In this manner, thousands of complaints remain untreated especially on the command level," was stated in the report.

The comptroller made it clear in the report that police appear to believe that police brutality is marginal, but "this doesn't sit right with the number of complaints submitted and public opinion polls."

According to police figures, only nine police officers were fired for violent offenses in 2015, three in 2014 and three in 2013. It was found that in most cases the police decided not to suspend officers who were indicted. Moreover, it was found that police officers convicted of criminal activity were left in office on the grounds that an appeal against the conviction would be filed.

Hebrew University in Jerusalem (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israel Police said in response: "Israel Police welcomes the State Comptroller's report, adopts its conclusions and will work to implement the issues that arose in it. Moreover, many of the comments have already been examined and adopted by the police. Among the steps taken to guide and assimilate values and norms of conduct, Israel Police operates a computerized employment assessment that examines, among other things, integrity, the observance of orders and procedures and values of police officers in the work environment across the various units Israel Police is obligated to adopt strict standards in the field of discipline, and when exceptional findings arise, they are treated accordingly."

The State Comptroller's report published today also found faults in the manner in which institutions of higher education deal with disciplinary offenses of faculty members. In institutions where complaints have been filed, inter alia, on sexual offensesthe disciplinary procedures have not been exhausted.

Yosef Shapira (Photo: Gil Yochanan)

In addition, 18 of the 26 institutions examined showed an increase in the number of disciplinary offenses committed by students, mainly plagiarism and acquisition of academic papers.

The state comptroller's findings indicate that there is currently no law, regulation, procedure or decision requiring institutions of higher education to adopt disciplinary regulations. However, an examination conducted with the Council for Higher Education (CHE) revealed that it expects institutions to do so.

The comptroller's examination revealed that in most institutions there is indeed a staff policy, with the exception of four institutions: the Open University, the Lev Academic Center, ORT Braude College, and the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Academic College. The state comptroller noted that the CHE must require all institutions to enact disciplinary regulations and enforce them.

(Translated and edited by N. Elias)
President Donald Trump will speak Wednesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as concerns echo across Europe over the urgent need to respond to violence in Syria.

A suspected chemical attack in rebel-held northern Idlib killed dozens of civilians Tuesday in one of the worst attacks since the civil war began.

Trump will also speak with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hours, hours after North Korea fired a newly developed powerful ballistic missile into its eastern waters Wednesday.

Abe's phone call also comes ahead of the president's planned meeting Thursday with China's president Xi Jinping during which various east Asian security issues may be addressed, including a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
The United Nations Security Council convened on Wednesday to discuss Tuesday's chemical attack in Syria. The representatives of several nations came out strongly against teh attack and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is thought to be behind it, while othersnamely Russiaavoided condemnation and called for an international investigation.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Western countries, including the United States, blamed Assad's armed forces for the worst chemical attack in Syria in more than four years, which has been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in a rebel-held area on Tuesday.

UK Ambassador to the UN speaking to the Security Council

X

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley strongly came out against the Syrian massacre, holding up photos of some of the victims and asking how long until the UN acts to stop what is happening in Syria.

Russia, however, denied that Assad was to blame for a poison gas attack and said it would continue to back him, opening a rift between the Kremlin and Donald Trump's White House, which initially sought warmer ties.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, holding up photos victims of the attack (Photo: AFP)

Israel places the blame solely on Assad

Israeli defense officials also condemned the chemical attack, saying military intelligence believes Assad's forces were behind the suspected chemical attack that killed dozens of civilians.

The officials said Israel believes Assad has tons of chemical weapons currently in his arsenal.

Israel has warned against "game-changing" weapons reaching Hezbollah in Lebanon from Syria, which along with Iran supports the militant group. Last month Israel shot down an anti-aircraft missile fired at its planes as they struck a suspected Hezbollah weapons convoy.

Trump (Photo: MCT)

The US and Russia take opposite sides on Syria

Washington said it believed the deaths were caused by sarin nerve gas dropped by Syrian aircrafts. But Moscow offered an alternative explanation that would shield Assad: that the poison gas belonged to rebels and had leaked from an insurgent weapons depot hit by Syrian bombs.

A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Russian explanation was not credible. "We don't believe it," the official said.

The UN Security Council (Photo: Reuters)

The United States and Russia traded conflicting assertions Wednesday about who launched a chemical weapons attack in Syria that killed 72 people, as world leaders grasped for a response to the latest atrocity in Syria's intractable civil war.

The Trump administration stood by its charge that Assad's forces were responsible. Not so, said Russia, Assad's most powerful ally. Russia's military insisted that the chemicals were dispersed when Syrian warplanes bombed a facility where rebels were building chemical weapons.

At the United Nations, President Donald Trump's envoy threatened unilateral US action if the world body failed to act.

"When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," declared Ambassador Nikki Haley. She addressed an emergency meeting of the Security Council, which was weighing a resolution condemning chemical weapons use in Syria. Russia, which has veto power, is opposed.

In Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova focused her attention elsewhere: "It's necessary to demand that the rebels offer full access to study the area and collect necessary information."

A US official said an American review of radar and other assessments showed Syrian aircraft flying in the area at the time of the attack. Russian and coalition aircraft were not there at that time, said the official, who wasn't authorized to discuss intelligence publicly and requested anonymity. Washington hasn't yet concluded what type of chemical was used.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump split the blame between Syria's embattled leader and former President Barack Obama for the country's worst chemical weapons attack in years.

While calling the attack "reprehensible" and intolerable, Trump said Obama "did nothing" after Assad crossed the former US leader's "red line" in 2013.

"These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution," Trump said.

The political tone of Trump's statement took many US officials by surprise. They noted that US presidents have rarely attacked their predecessors so aggressively for events like chemical weapons attacks that Democrats and Republicans both abhor.

Several officials involved in internal administration discussions said Trump's National Security Council had been preparing a different statement, until the president's closest advisers took over the process. The officials weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity.

The president's eldest daughter and top adviser, Ivanka Trump, took a more compassionate tone, tweeting Wednesday, "Heartbroken and outraged by the images coming out of Syria following the atrocious chemical attack yesterday."

At least 72 people died in the town of Khan Sheikhoun. The World Health Organization said victims seemed to show symptoms consistent with nerve agent exposure. Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using firehoses to wash the chemicals from victims' bodies and lifeless children being piled in heaps.

A flurry of activity across the US government signaled fresh urgency on the Syria crisis. Days earlier, White House and others officials suggested removing Assad from power was no longer a priority. They said the focus was defeating the Islamic State group.

Trump was expected to face questions on the attack Wednesday afternoon during a joint news conference with visiting King Abdullah II of Jordan.

And Secretary of State Rex Tillerson planned to discuss the attack and the Syria crisis next week when he makes his first official trip to Moscow, the State Department said.

For Trump's critics, though, it wasn't enough. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., criticized the White House by noting that Trump hadn't mentioned Russian President Vladimir Putin or Russia's role in the US response. Tillerson accused both Russia and Iran, Syria's other top ally, of sharing moral responsibility in his own statement Tuesday.

"This was a moment the president could have spoken with moral authority and with the beginning of an outline of a strategy," Casey said. "And we don't see it."

Four years ago, after warning Assad that a chemical attack would cross a red line and trigger US action, Obama failed to follow through. Rather than authorizing military action against Assad in response to a sarin gas attack that killed hundreds outside Damascus, Obama opted instead for a Russia-backed agreement to remove Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles.

That was seen internationally as a major blow to US credibility and, for Obama's critics, a prime example of weak leadership. Syrian chemical weapons attacks continued after the deal.

Yet Trump was in agreement with Obama's ultimate decision. Among his tweets on the matter, he urged Obama in all caps, "DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA  IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN."

Outrage around the world

The United States, Britain and France have proposed a UN Security Council resolution that would put the blame on Damascus. But the Russian Foreign Ministry called the resolution "unacceptable" and said it was based on "fake information."

Assad (L) and Putin (Photo: AP)

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia will present its claim that the rebels for the poisoning to the United Nations.

"Russia and its armed forces will continue their operations to support the anti-terrorist operations of Syria's armed forces to free the country," Peskov told reporters.

L to R: Putin, Trump and Assad (Photos: Reuters, EPA, AP)

Video uploaded to social media showed civilians sprawled on the ground, some in convulsions, others lifeless. Rescue workers hose down the limp bodies of small children, trying to wash away chemicals. People wail and pound on the chests of victims.

The charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said one of its hospitals in Syria had treated patients "with symptomsdilated pupils, muscle spasms, involuntary defecationconsistent with exposure to neuro-toxic agents such as sarin." The World Health Organization also said the symptoms were consistent with exposure to a nerve agent.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the attack had killed more than 100 people. That death toll could not be independently confirmed.

"We're talking about war crimes," French UN Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters in New York.

Hasan Haj Ali, commander of the Free Idlib Army rebel group, called the Russian statement blaming the rebels a "lie" and said rebels did not have the capability to produce nerve gas.

"Everyone saw the plane while it was bombing with gas," he said from northwestern Syria. "Likewise, all the civilians in the area know that there are no military positions there, or places for the manufacture (of weapons)."

The incident is the first time Washington has accused Assad of using sarin since 2013, when hundreds of people died in an attack on a Damascus suburb. At that time, Washington said Assad had crossed a "red line" set by then-US president Barack Obama.

Obama threatened an air campaign to topple Assad but called it off at the last minute after the Syrian leader agreed to give up his chemical arsenal under a deal brokered by Moscow, a decision which Trump has long said proved Obama's weakness.

Same Dilemma

The new incident means Trump is faced with same dilemma that faced his predecessor: whether to openly challenge Moscow and risk deep involvement in a Middle East war by seeking to punish Assad for using banned weapons, or compromise and accept the Syrian leader remaining in power at the risk of looking weak.

"It's a test. That's why France repeats the messages, notably to the Americans, to clarify their position," Jean-Marc Ayrault told RTL radio. "I told them that we need clarity. What's your position?"

Trump's response to a diplomatic confrontation with Moscow will be closely watched at home because of accusations by his political opponents that he is too supportive of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He has previously said the United States and Russia should work more closely in Syria to fight against Islamic State.

US intelligence agencies say Russia intervened in the US presidential election last year through computer hacking to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. The FBI and two congressional committees are investigating whether figures from the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow, which the White House denies.

The chemical attack in Idlib province, one of the last major strongholds of rebels that have fought since 2011 to topple Assad, complicates diplomatic efforts to end a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and driven half of Syrians from their homes.

Over the past several months Western countries, including the United States, had been quietly dropping their demands that Assad leave power in any deal to end the war, accepting that the rebels no longer had the capability to topple him by force.

The use of banned chemical weapons would make it harder for the international community to sign off on any peace deal that does not remove him.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (Photo: MCT)

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who two months ago shifted his country's policy by saying Assad could be allowed to run for re-election, said on Wednesday that he must go.

"This is a barbaric regime that has made it impossible for us to imagine them continuing to be an authority over the people of Syria after this conflict is over."

UK Ambassador to the UN Matthew Roycroft (Photo: AFP)

Trump described Tuesday's incident as "heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime", but also faulted Obama for having failed to enforce the red line four years ago. Obama's spokesman declined to comment.

The draft UN Security Council statement condemns the attack and demands an investigation. Russia has the power to veto it, which it has done to block all previous resolutions that would harm Assad, most recently in February.

France's foreign minister said the chemical attack showed Assad was testing whether the new US administration would stand by Obama-era demands that he be removed from power.
Last week, the Israeli Navy's Commando, Shayetet 13, conducted a joint drill with the US Navy SEALs. Also participating in the exercise was a Saar 5 missile ship (Eilat).

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Joint drill of Navy Seals with IDF Shayetet 13 (: ")

X

During the drill, the forces practiced a raid and carried out parachuting over the sea.

(Photo: IDF Spokesperson)

The objective of the exercise was to build operational capabilities for the operation of special forces of the IDF and parallel armies, transfer of knowledge between the fleets, reinforcement of the common language and field collaboration.

(Photo: IDF Spokesperson)

(Photo: IDF Spokesperson)

Head of Operations of the Israeli Navy, Rear Admiral Ido Ben Moshe said after the drill that "the cooperation between the two fleets is reflected in annual drills, reciprocal visits and operational mutuality. During the joint exercises, professional relations are created that contribute to both sides on the strategic level."

(Translated and edited by N. Elias)
US President Donald Trump removed his chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council on Wednesday, reversing his controversial decision early this year to give a political adviser an unprecedented role in security discussions.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Trump's overhaul of the NSC, confirmed by a White House official, also elevated General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Dan Coats, the director of National Intelligence who heads all 17 US intelligence agencies. The official said the change moves the NSC "back to its core function of what its supposed to do."

Steve Bannon (Photo: AP)

It also appears to mark a victory by national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who had told some national security experts he felt he was in a battle to the death with Bannon and others on the White House staff.

Trump's White House team has grappled with infighting and palace intrigue. In recent days, several other senior US foreign policy and national security officials have said the mechanisms for shaping the Trump administration's response to pressing challenges such as Syria, North Korea and Iran were still not in place.

Critics of Bannon's role on the NSC said it gave too much weight in decision-making to someone who lacked foreign policy expertise.

Before joining the Trump administration, Bannon headed Breitbart News, a right-wing website.

Trump and Mcmaster (Photo: Reuters)

The White House official said Bannon was no longer needed on the NSC after the departure of Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

Flynn was forced to resign on February 13 over his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak, prior to Trump's taking office on January 20.

The official said Bannon had been placed on the NSC originally as a check on Flynn and had only ever attended one of the NSC's regular meetings.

The official dismissed questions about a power struggle between Bannon and McMaster, saying they shared the same world view.

However, two current national security officials rejected the White House explanation, noting that two months have passed since Flynn's departure. McMaster, they said, speaking on the condition of anonymity, also has dueled with Bannon and others over direct access to Trump; the future of deputy national security adviser K.T. McFarland, a former Fox News commentator; intelligence director Ezra Cohen-Watnick, a Flynn appointee; and other staffing decisions.

Trump is preparing for his first face-to-face meeting on Thursday and Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping with the threat of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs a key component of their talks.
The attorney general in the Gaza Strip announced Wednesday that in the coming days the Hamas administration would execute several Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel. The number of executions was not reported.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



This is probably part of the extensive campaign launched in the Gaza Strip against collaborators with Israel following the assassination of senior Hamas official Mazan Fukha, although this was not stated in the announcement.

Hamas officials at Fukha memorial (Photo: EPA)

About two weeks after the assassination of the senior official, who was one of the pillars of the West Bank headquarters responsible for directing attacks against Israel, Hamas is trying to instill fear of cooperation with Israel. In recent weeks, a Hamas military court sentenced a number of Palestinians to death for this charge.

At the end of last week, the interior ministry in Gaza announced that the security services were facing a major operation against collaborators in the investigation of the assassination of Fukha. Such operations often do not come with prior warnings, and it seems that Hamas was trying to shake things up to identify escape attempts of the assassins, despite the flimsy chance that they could still be found inside the strip, or their collaborators. The terrorist organization apparently has no clue as to the identity of the perpetrators or their collaborators.

A Gaza billboard featuring Fukha (Photo: AFP)

One day after the announcement of an operation against the collaborators, the interior ministry issued a statement saying that it was opening a kind of system of pardons for the collaborators with Israel, and called on them to surrender within a week and receive security and legal protection.

It is quite possible that Hamas will place the blame on innocents who will have to confess to things they have not done, only to broadcast victory, even if it is a false one.

The day after Fukha's assassination, Hamas imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip as part of the investigation, and the siege continues. During the first few days, no one was allowed to leave or enter the Gaza Strip.

Hamas slightly relaxed its criteria in the days that followed, though it had only gained a general profile of those suspected of the assassination or of assisting it: men between the ages of 15-45.

(Translated and edited by N. Elias)
US President Donald Trump met Wednesday with King Abdullah II of Jordan in the White House. At the end of the meeting, Trump said at a joint press conference that he is "working 'very, very hard' to try to create peace between Palestinians and Israel."

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



King Abdullah praised US President Trump's commitment to addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and said he had hope for the Arab League peace initiative proposed for the region.

Trump (R) and Abdullah (Photo: AP)

"The president's early engagement in bringing the Palestinians and Israelis together has been a very encouraging sign for all of us," Abdullah said at a White House news conference with the new American president.

Abdullah said the Arab League peace initiative "offers a historic reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinians."
Initial assessments indicate it was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile, the statement said. It was launched from a land-based facility near Sinpo, North Korea.

By Reuters: North Korea launched a missile that landed in the Sea of Japan, the US military's Pacific Command said in a statement on Tuesday.

Initial assessments indicate it was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile, the statement said. It was launched from a land-based facility near Sinpo, North Korea.

The launch comes just ahead of a summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping this week where adding pressure on the North to drop its arms development will take centre stage.

advertisement

North Korea attempted to launch a ballistic missile two weeks ago from its east coast and earlier in March fired four missiles towards Japan, some of which came as close as 300 km (190 miles) to Japan's coast.

CONDUCTED 2 NUCLEAR WEAPONS TESTS SINCE JANUARY 2016

The reclusive state has also conducted two nuclear weapons tests since January 2016.

The North is believed to be developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can hit the United States and its leader, Kim Jong Un, has vowed to test-launch one at any time.

Experts and officials in the South and the United States believe Pyongyang is still some time away from mastering all the technology needed for an operational ICBM system, such as re-entry of the atmosphere and subsequent missile guidance.

Topping the agenda of the US-China summit in Florida will be whether Trump will make good on his threat to use crucial trade ties with China to pressure Beijing to do more to rein in the nuclear-armed North.

ALSO READ | North Korea fires ballistic missile, Japan prime minister calls it absolutely unacceptable

ALSO READ | China to co-produce ballistic missiles, aircraft with Pakistan after slamming India's weapons programme

--- ENDS ---
The Ministry of Defense confirmed Wednesday that it had recognized six Israelis injured in terrorist attacks carried out abroad as victims of hostile acts, following an amendment to the law passed by the Knesset last month.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The Israelis who were recognized as victims of hostility were Dalia Elyakim, who was murdered in the December 2016 vehicle-ramming attack in Berlin, her husband Rami Elyakim who was seriously injured, Layan Nasser, who was murdered in Istanbul on New Year's Eve, and Samuel Benalal who was murdered in a hotel attack in Mali in November 2015. In addition, the Ministry of Defense also recognized two Israelis who were injured in the terrorist attack at the Brussels airport in March of last year; brothers-in-law Chaim Winternitz and Menachem Mendel Farkash.

Dalia and Rami Elyakim

The amendment to the law that was approved last month in the Knesset determined that a person who was injured in a terrorist attack abroad by an organization which had officially declared that at least one of its objectives is to harm Israel, Israeli citizens or Jewswill be recognized as a victim of hostility, even if the purpose of the particular attack was not to cause harm to Israel or the Jewish people. The Defense Ministry said that the decision would provide the victims and their families the full rights and assistance reserved for victims of hostilities.

Layan Nasser

Dalia Elyakim, 66, and her husband Rami, 63, of Herzliya, were injured in the deadly truck-ramming attack in the Christmas market in Berlin that claimed the lives of 12 people. The terrorist, Anis Amri, was caught a few days later in Italy and shot dead by police forces.

Layan Nasser, 19, from Tira, was killed in a shooting attack at the Reina Club in Istanbul during the New Year celebrations, when over 500 people were present. Thirty-nine people were killed, and Nasser was initially defined as "unreachable." Nasser's friend was moderately injured.

Samuel Benalal

Samuel Benalal, 60, from Tzur Hadassah, who served as an adviser to the Mali government, was killed in a terrorist attack by Islamist militants at the Radisson Blu Hotel in the West African capital. In the attack, 170 people were held hostage, and 27 were killed. It was reported that a few individuals were released by the terrorists after they succeeded in reciting verses from the Quran.

Haim Winternitz, 28, who was injured along with his brother-in-law Menachem Mendel Farkash in a terror attack at the airport in Brussels, said in the aftermath: "There was great fear, a mess, I felt like an emissary from heaven had saved me, it took three hours to get me to the hospital. I saw things falling to the floor and I recited, 'Hear O Israel, the LORD our God.'" Eleven people were killed in the attack, and shortly afterwards another attack was carried out at a subway station in the city, where 15 people were killed.

(Translated and edited by N. Elias)
The skill requirements to get a well-paying job in the modern economy are steep and getting steeper.

Academic study or job training beyond high school is more important than ever.

A new report raises concern for Nebraska on this score. Only one other state has a bigger gap between the percentage of minority and white residents who have at least a two-year degree beyond high school.

The disparity for the 50 states as a whole is 16.4 percent, the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education reports. In Nebraska, the gap is 26.3 percent.

That is, 52.8 percent of whites in the 25-to-44 age group in Nebraska had an associate degree or higher. The figure for the states minority residents is 26.5 percent.

In Iowa, the disparity is 15.6 percent, a bit less than the national average.

Mike Baumgartner, the coordinating commissions executive director, is right to point out that the way forward doesnt lie only through action by Nebraskas colleges, universities and community colleges. The effort needs to start far earlier, ensuring that minority students know from an early age about the opportunities that open up through education.

Among the many encouraging efforts on that front is Morton Magnet Middle Schools AVID college-prep program, a partnership between Morton and the University of Nebraska at Omahas Service Learning Academy.

Students in the AVID program can see, yes, this is somewhere I could be. This could be me, a college student, the teacher, Lisa Thompson, said in a recent World-Herald article.

Metropolitan Community College has long made strong efforts to serve low-income and minority students. As reporting by The World-Heralds Rick Ruggles recently noted, those efforts include dual-enrollment programs with many area school districts, as well as services for single parents and free area bus services for students traveling to most Metro campuses.

UNOs minority student population currently is 3,336, up considerably from 1,382 in 2006. Nearly a third of current UNO freshmen are students of color.

The Thompson Learning Community, which provides supports to UNO students from diverse backgrounds, has grown from 65 participants in 2008, its first year, to 954 now.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln also is actively supporting minority students. The campus earned national recognition following a 2015 report that found UNL had done better than 255 other colleges in narrowing the gap between white and black graduation rates over the past decade.

From 2003 to 2013, those institutions of higher learning as a whole reduced that gap by less than 1 percent. By comparison, UNL reduced its gap by 15.2 percentage points.

Still, a major challenge remains in working to improve the graduation rate.

UNLs minority graduation rate in 2013 was 56.2 percent, and the national rate was 50.1 percent. Some of UNLs fellow members of the Big Ten Conference had considerably higher minority graduation rates in 2013  74.2 percent at Ohio State and 68.3 percent at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

One positive step by NU is its Commit to Complete initiative to help students get on a practical path toward graduation.

Creighton University, with students of color making up 26 percent of the current freshmen class, has a variety of programs to support minority students.

Creightons Intercultural Center promotes a culture of inclusion, outreach and respect. Minority students receive encouragement and support to explore health career options through the Health Sciences Multicultural and Community Affairs Office. And Creighton is the only post-secondary Jesuit institution to offer a Native American studies program.

The more progress that Nebraska can make in helping minority residents achieve higher-ed success, the stronger the future for those Nebraskans and for the state as a whole.
High school students are invited to take on the role of state senators at the Unicameral Youth Legislature June 11-14.

At the State Capitol, student senators will sponsor bills, conduct committee hearings, debate legislation and discover the unique process of the nations only unicameral.

The Unicameral Youth Legislature gives behind-the-scenes access to students who have an interest in public office, government, politics, law, public policy, debate or public speaking. Students will learn about the inner workings of the Legislature directly from senators and staff.

This is an excellent chance for high school students to experience how their state government operates, and I highly encourage students interested in government and politics to apply for this unique opportunity.

Registrants are encouraged to apply for a Greg Adams Civic Scholarship award, which covers the full cost of admission. Applicants must submit a short essay. Other $100 scholarships are also available.

The Office of the Clerk of the Nebraska Legislature coordinates the Unicameral Youth Legislature. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension 4-H Youth Development Office coordinates housing and recreational activities as part of the Big Red Summer Camps program.

To learn more about the program, go to www.NebraskaLegislature.gov/uyl or call (402) 471-2788. The deadline for registration is May 15.

As always, if we can be of assistance to you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact my office. My door is open and I have made it a goal to be accessible to the constituents of our district. Please stop by any time. My e-mail address is mkolterman@leg.ne.gov, and the office phone number is 402-471-2756. David and Katie are always available to assist you with your needs. If I am not immediately available, please do not hesitate to work with them to address any issues that you may need assistance. Please continue to follow me on Facebook at Kolterman for Legislature and on Twitter at @KoltermanforLegislature.
SEWARD -- Jessica Luebbe of Gresham was one of three students from Concordia University, Nebraska that earned an award in the 2017 Learning with Tech - All Student Contests in the Interactive Media Pre-Service/College student category hosted by the Nebraska Educational Technology Association (NETA).

Education majors, Jessica Luebbe, Allison Wiebe and Megan Ruppert earned 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. The students prepared for the contest in their Instructional Technology course at Concordia during the fall semester of 2016. The pre-service teachers each created a capstone project in which they developed a WebQuest (web-based lesson/unit plan using technology for their specific content area) to help their future students better meet learning outcomes.

The contest winners will be honored at the spring NETA conference April 20-21, 2017, at the CenturyLink Center Omaha Convention Center.

The conference will be a great opportunity for these students to network and hear from educators from all over the state, said Peter Landrey, professor of the Instructional Technology course and Instructional Innovation Specialist at Concordia. I am so proud of their hard work and the research, application and evaluation they have done to make their projects great.

About Nebraska Educational Technology Association

NETA is a grassroots organization open to everyone interested in sharing information about using technology in the educational process. It exists for the purpose of providing leadership and promoting the application of technology to the educational process. Its span of interest includes all levels and aspects of education. NETA has over 4,000 members. To find out more about the NETA contests, visit netasite.org.
Alamo Wing welcomes new honorary commanders

Sixteen civic and business leaders were inducted into the 433rd Airlift Wing's Honorary Commanders Program during a ceremony April 1 in a Northwest San Antonio hotel.



Col. Thomas K. Smith, Jr., 433rd AW commander and host of the sixth annual ceremony, provided opening remarks concerning the variety of backgrounds which comprise the Alamo Wing, and the reasoning for Reservists service to their nation and community.



"We are diverse, we are uniform but very diverse," said Smith. "They (Reservists) are both assets to you (civilian employers) and us (the Alamo Wing)."



The Honorary Commanders Program is an executive-level program intended as a forum in which the 433rd AW commander can solicit advice and support from civic leaders on matters affecting military and civilian communities, while cementing the already strong ties between the Alamo Wing and the San Antonio community.



During the ceremony, the commander spoke on the significance of the Honorary Commanders program and its ability to provide community leaders with unique insight into the U.S. Air Force Reserves.



"You (the civilian employers) are an integral part Smith said. We are working together with this fantastic asset of ours, 80 percent of our Reservists work for you out in the community," he said.



One of those employers is new to the military lifestyle.



"This is an opportunity to work together to make civilians aware of what the Air Force does and also get them involved in community events, said Michelle Brown, human resource specialist from Medina Valley Independent School District.





Each of the Alamo Wing's Honorary Commanders is paired with a senior leader from within the wing. Throughout the year, the civilian and military counterparts get to know one another, which allows the community leaders to understand the importance of the U.S. Air Force Reserve and its mission, and in turn giving military leaders a better understanding and appreciation of the community in which they live.



During the ceremony, each honorary commander participated in a reenactment of an official military change of command ceremony - taking the unit's guidon from the "mock outgoing" military commander. The outgoing commanders then present the honorary commanders with an Air Force Commander's Insignia pin. The Commander's Insignia is awarded to any Air Force officer who holds a major command billet in the United States Air Force.



While only 16 of this year's Alamo Wing Honorary Commanders participated in the ceremony, there are 24 positions available in the program.





The 2017 Honorary Commanders class include: Charles Amos, owner, Amos Electric Inc.; Michelle Brown, human resource specialist, Medina Valley Independent School District; Bill Dante, co-owner, Dante Klar Media Group;



David Hennessee, Immediate Past Board Chair of the San Antonio Area Foundation; Robert Imler, community and government consultant; Hon. Lisa Jarrett, judge, 436th District Court; Philip Leininger, bank contact center operations, USAA; Tom Long, executive vice president, San Antonio Economic Development Foundation;



Scott Metzger, founder, Freetail Brewing Company; Tim Montfort, financial advisor, Raymond Montfort Financial, Don Preecs, senior management of quality engineering, Acelity; Tony Ralf, fundraiser, National Multiple Sclerosis Society; Diane Rath, executive director, San Antonio Area Foundation;



Patricia Revollo, district manager and Chair of Starbucks South Central Armed Forces Network, Starbucks; Clay Richmond, vice president, JSWC, Ltd.; Hon. Chris Schuchart, judge, Medina County Court; John Thurman, broker, owner, founder, Heart of Texas Realty; Anthony Trevino, chief of staff, San Antonio Police Department.




Reservist completes FBI National Academy

Dedicating your life to serve and protect and sharing in the brotherhood of arms are obvious parallels between the American military and law enforcement cultures. However, not many people get to experience just how similar these two communities really can be.



Col. Paul Sternal, the senior individual mobilization augmentee and Reserve adviser to the deputy commander of the Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Networks, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, is one of those unique individuals who gets to wear both hats. In his civilian life,



Sternal is an assistant special agent in charge with the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. In this capacity, he was recently selected to attend the FBIs National Academy, an 11-week professional development course for leaders in U.S. and international law enforcement.



Although the course naturally focused on developing and improving professional abilities in both a classroom and field environment, some of the most important lessons came from softer, less technical skill sets that span both the military and law enforcement realms.



For Sternal, the biggest takeaway from the academy was the importance of communication strategies when dealing with people across a wide spectrum of backgrounds and intents.



In both law enforcement and the military, you learn to interface with people, from allies to adversaries, and everything in between, the colonel said. And although the importance of these strategies may seem obvious in high-stress, adversarial environments like deployments, to Sternal it was even more important to learn how to best turn away from aggressive tactics and pivot toward supportive communication strategies with ones own staff.



In law enforcement, its particularly challenging to keep a positive outlook when youre dealing with people who dont have the governments best interest at mind or who are not dealing with you above board, Sternal said. It can be difficult to move from that perspective and then turn to your own staff and be a strong and positive leader.



That type of communication takes just as much, if not more, care and attention in order to be present and supportive. For Sternal, the training offered by the FBI enforced many of the lessons the Air Force has taught him throughout his career and brought interpersonal communication to the forefront of his leadership focus.



The other prevalent theme highlighted during his training was networking. As a long-time Reservist, Sternal is no stranger to the weight personal networks can carry.



Its amazing, particularly in the Reserve, the talent pool thats available when you have people who have dual careers, he said.



Sternal noted that when working with joint forces, the more colleagues someone has to assist him, the better off he is; you never know the resources people have at their fingertips. The colonel said the academy was a particularly interesting place to continue developing a network, because he was able to interact with people from organizations he would not ordinarily encounter. Sternal was also able to witness firsthand the nature of joint work in law enforcement.



In the military services, theres a healthy level of rivalry between services, but when we combine forces, its a unified effort, he said. Its similar in the law enforcement world. When the rubber meets the road, whether on a task force or a joint operation, people come together and unite to get the mission done.



Overall, Sternal said he was highly impressed with the FBI National Academy, particularly the level of discipline and situational awareness, and sense of mission and purpose exhibited by all of the participants. He left feeling energized and armed with a new focus on leaderships softer skills, which he looks forward to carrying into both his law enforcement and military careers.



(Optiz is an IMA assigned to the Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command public affairs office at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.)


This summer has hit alarm bells in Odisha in the month of April itself, with temperatures already touching 42 degree celcius.

By Suketu Mehta, Manogya Loiwal : This summer has hit alarm bells in Odisha in the month of April itself, with temperatures already touching 42 degree celcius.

Last year, 35 people had died in the coastal state as tempertaures went as high as 50 degrees celsius. This year, things are expected to turn worse.

Here's how this town is grappling with heat:

advertisement

Local business have had to changed operational timings to tackle extreme heat. They start working from 6 am in the morning and continue to work until 11 am. They then shut down for a summer lapse and re-open in the evening from 5 pm onwards when the blazing sun is about to set in.

Power supply is never stable in Balangir. Electricity gets cut off for 5-6 hours every day owing to overloading electricity leaving the villagers in sweat and heat.

Villagers are also struggling with scarcity of water. Their only hope of getting water was from the neighbouring village of Titlagarh, but the condition of water is also similar there. In fact, Titlagarh is facing more heat with temperatures riseing up to 50 degrees. "From the beginning of March the temperature has risen to 43 degree, god knows what will happen in coming days. People are tensed as soon summer arrived we have started facing water crises as well as power cut. Titlagarh is just 50 Km away from here but there the temperature is 50 degree running now. To get rid of heat we are drinking lots of fruit juice and Matira. From morning 6 am there is lot of heat and it lasts till 7 pm in the evening. Working is only possible from 6 am till 9 am in the morning, after that temperature rises high so we had to work to in the evening," said resident Rishi Agarwal.

People are taking precautions and avoiding going out too much in the scorching heat, especially considering there had been 35 deaths last year. Summer has just started but the temperature rises high from 7 am in the morning and power gets cut off very often and we are also facing trouble as there is scarcity of water. From here at a distance of 50 Km there is Titlagarh whose temperature rose to 50 degree last year, this year what will happen god knows. As power gets cut off we are not able to use fan and A.C due to which we are sweating a lot and becoming a target of dehydration. To beat the heat I am drinking lots of lemon juice and having watermelons. There is crisis of water," said another resident Anup Agarwal.

It is being assumed that this year the summer will be harder to tackle than ever before, as temperatures have hiked up rapidly.

(With inputs from Kushal Singh in Balangir/ Odisha)

--- ENDS ---
Half a million Aussie properties will be uninsurable within the next decade

Climate change is causing increased drought, hotter temperatures and more extreme storms and these changes are endangering our environment, lifestyles, our jobs and livelihoods, our crops and therefore food prices, our health and even our air quality.
While property investment can be an attractive wealth creation strategy, it is not without its risks.

From our experience, arrears, maintenance issues and having an unoccupied property are some of the most common fears for new, prospective and experienced landlords alike, said Carolyn Parrella, executive manager of Terri Scheer Insurance.

To counter such risks, Parrella advises landlords to seek a specialised form of landlord insurance to gain peace of mind, knowing that they will be covered for the risks associated with property investment should the unforeseen occur.

Appointing a property manager to oversee a rental property can also help landlords overcome their concerns and help ensure investment success, said Parrella.

Listed below are some of the most common landlord fears:

Unpaid rent can be a major contributor to stress for landlords. To counter this fear, landlords should have a plan for meeting their mortgage repayments if their tenants fall into arrears, as many rely on the rental income.

Since even the best tenants could fall ill and be unable to work or lose their jobs, landlords should thoroughly check tenants rental history during the screening process, looking for issues with missed or late payments, said Parrella. If a tenant falls into arrears, its important to follow the correct procedures and issue the right notices within the proper timeframes to help ensure the debt can be recovered.

Whether its faulty electrical wiring, cracked tiles and windows, or a broken water heater, maintenance issues are an inevitable headache landlords simply need to deal with.

Some landlords may try DIY fixes; however, cost-cutting and substandard workmanship can end up costing them more in the long run, said Parrella.

To prevent maintenance issues from escalating, landlords should consider having a trusted handyman on standby should problems arise. Tending to issues quickly stops small, cheap repairs [from] becoming major, costly fixes. It also helps avoid potential legal liability if the maintenance issue causes injury to a tenant or their guest.

While the vast majority of tenants are orderly and law-abiding, a small minority can be truly unruly, causing headaches for landlords.

Unruly tenants might violate their lease agreement by behaving poorly or undertaking illegal activity at the property. Cleaning up after breaches of a no pet or no smoking policy can also be costly for landlords, said Parrella.

By performing routine property inspections, landlords can mitigate such risks by identifying problems before they become unmanageable.

Unoccupied rental properties can place great stress on a landlords cash flow. In fact, landlords could miss out on thousands of dollars of income if their properties remain unoccupied for a few weeks.

Real estate can be a competitive environment, so its important for landlords to offer a rental property that best appeals to prospective tenants. Presenting a well-managed property can broaden the pool of prospective tenants and reduce the time and money spent on advertising for re-let, said Parrella.

Related stories:

Christmas can leave landlords thousands of dollars out of pocket

How to Avoid Rip-Off Renters
By Mayuresh Ganapatye: Trouble mounts for Baba Ramdev's Patanjali company in Maharashtra. Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam has filed a PIL against land given to Patanjali by state government. Nirupam alleges that the land was given to Patanjali at very low rate. So far, Patanjali has got 230 acres land in Nagpur's Mihan project to start a food processing unit and they are likely get total 600 acres of land at the same rate.

advertisement

The main prayer of Nirupam in Bombay HC is that it should order detail probe in this land deal and immediately put stay order on this deal. Nirupam alleges that state govt though saying that they followed tendering process thrice, but twice it got cancelled when other bidders along with Patanjali applied. But third time, when there was only one bidding company Patanjali, Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) approved their bid.

"CM is head of MADC and we feel that to favour Baba Ramdev, who is a staunch BJP supporter, land was given at throw away price to him. CM should be held responsible for this," said Sanjay Nirupam.

Nirupam alleges that the cost of that land in Nagpur as per ready reckoner rate is Rs 1 crore per acre, but Patanjali got this land for Rs 25 lakh per acre. This land was allotted to Patanjali in Aug 2016.

Nirupam in his PIL claims that Fadnavis govt has violated the rules of forest land as land near Nagpur airport comes under forest department.

Responding to the query over phone about this land deal, S K Tijariwala spokesperson said, "We will file our appropriate reply in court, but I can tell you no irregularity has been done in this deal."

Also read:

Patanjali to acquire more land for Nagpur project

Ramdev's Patanjali fined Rs 11 lakh for misleading advertisements

--- ENDS ---
Jobhannesburg: South Africa's ruling African National Congress backed President Jacob Zuma after two key allies of the party called for his resignation following a cabinet reshuffle that cost the country one of its investment-grade credit ratings.

The rand fell more than 1 percent and bonds weakened after ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe told a media briefing on Wednesday that the ANC would not be part of a movement to remove Zuma, whose time at the helm of the party ends in December. Zuma`s presidential term will finish in 2019.

Last Thursday`s dismissal of finance minister Pravin Gordhan, a totem of policymaking stability for many foreign investors, was criticised by unions, civil society groups and the opposition, and has revived pressure on Zuma to quit.

Since taking office in 2009, the 74-year-old president has repeatedly denied accusations of corruption, and senior ANC officials have backed him.

Mantashe said the ANC had accepted the "irretrievable breakdown of the relationship" between Zuma and Gordhan as the reason the finance minister was sacked.

That move deepened a rift within the ruling party, with Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, a leading candidate to replace Zuma as ANC president, on Friday describing Gordhan`s removal as "totally, totally unacceptable".

The South African Communist Party and the country`s biggest trade union, Cosatu, both historic allies of the ANC, have each called on Zuma to step down following the sacking.

Mantashe had also openly criticised Zuma`s actions but on Wednesday, he painted a different picture, saying the ANC would "close ranks" around the president.

The events that unfolded after the reshuffle had "created anxiety and undue confusion as a result of the discordant views, in particular of the National Officials of the ANC," Mantashe said, referring to the criticism directed at Zuma.

"The officials ... have further acknowledged that their public dissonance on the matter was a mistake that should not be committed again."

Rating agency S&P Global Ratings cited Gordhan`s dismissal as one reason for its downgrade of South Africa to "junk" in an unscheduled review on Monday.
Vatican city: Pope Francis said on Wednesday he was horrified by the suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria, calling it an "unacceptable massacre" of innocent civilians.

Western countries including the United States blamed Syrian government forces for the attack, which choked scores of people to death in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in a rebel-held area of northern Syria hit by government air strikes. The Syrian army has denied any role.

"We look on horrified by the recent events in Syria," he told tens of thousands of people in St Peter's Square for his weekly general audience.

Expressing his "firm deploration of the unacceptable massacre that took place yesterday," the leader of the world`s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics said he was praying for "the defenceless victims, including many children."

Francis appealed to "the consciences of those who hold political power, both at the local and international levels so that these tragedies end."

Russia said on Wednesday contamination in the area was the result of gas leaking from a rebel chemical weapons depot after it was hit by Syrian government air strikes.

Francis also condemned the bombing on Tuesday of the metro in St. Petersburg, Russia, which killed 14 people and wounded about 50 others.
New Delhi: Taking a step ahead towards Digital India and cashless India, WhatsApp could soon launch its digital payment system.

As per reports the payment system could be based on Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Some media reports also say that the money transfer facility could be launched as soon as October.

According to a job advertisement on WhatsApp's website, the company is looking for a candidate with technical and financial background, who also has an understanding of Unified Payments Interface (UPI), BHIM payments app and Aadhaar number.

The job responsibilities would include collaboration with banks to resolve WhatsApp user issues and being "an advocate for the users of our digital transactions service to the rest of the company", it added.

Following the government's move to ban old notes of Rs 500 and 1,000 in November last year, there has been a massive growth in digital transaction volumes in India, including credit/debit cards, mobile banking/m-wallets and UPI.

WhatsApp has almost become the default messaging app for people in countries like India and Brazil. In India, it competes with the likes of Hike, Snapchat and Viber.

The company had said it would focus on rolling out commercial messaging this year for businesses as it looks to tap into enterprises for monetising its platform.

Last year, the app had stopped charging USD 1 per year subscription fee to go completely free for users across the world.

While WhatsApp does not intend to introduce any third- party ads for monetisation, it has said the company will test tools that allow users to communicate with businesses and organisations like banks and airlines through its platform.
Blast in Pakistani city of Lahore kills at least four, official says

A suicide bomber killed at least four people and wounded 18 when he blew himself up near an army vehicle in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday, a police official said.
Chennai: While a majority of AIADMK MLAs had stood by VK Sasikala when she decimated all opposition in her fight for Jayalalithaa's throne, reports now suggest that party leaders are keen to work out a patch-up between Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam.

As per a report in the TOI, party leaders is worried that the split in the party into two factions and the loss of the 'two leaves' symbol of the AIADMK would lead to the decimation of the party in coming elections.

Interestingly, the report adds, the attempts to build bridges between the two sides is being done without the knowledge of jailed 'Chinnamma' VK Sasikala or her nephew TTV Dhinakaran, who is said to be now controlling the Palaniswami government with an iron fist.

Those in favour of a merger of the factions  excluding the Sasikala family  point out that there are no problems between the current CM and OPS; everybody understands that his rebellion was against Sasikala, they argue.

As per the reports, many MLAs and ministers are upset with the current scenario where nothing happens in the government with Dhinakaran's nod.

Part leaders opposed to Dhinakaran, who was expelled by Jayalalithaa before he was taken back in the party fold by Sasikala after Amma's death, are waiting for the RK Nagar bypoll results before making their next move.

RK Nagar seat fell vacant after Jayalalithaa and is now being contested by Dhinakaran, as he aims to enter the assembly.

However, Dhinakaran is facing a tough time convincing the electorate of his worth. And, sensing anger among the people against his aunt Sasikala, he is carefully avoiding any mention of her in his public speeches during campaigning.

Reports from the ground have claimed the RK Nagar fight is primarily between DMK and OPS faction.

If Dhinakaran ends up losing the elections, the rebels will get the wind beneath their wings and may make a decisive move to unite OPS and EKP, while keeping VK Sasikala (VKS) out of the party and power matrix.
New Delhi: State Bank of India (SBI) on Wednesday unveiled its new brand identity, designed to position the bank as technology savvy, modern and ready to meet financial needs of all.

In recent years, SBI has accelerated its efforts towards developing digital products and services, SBI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya said in a statement.

"Also along with the merger...We felt the need to position SBI as a contemporary brand, ready to connect with a diverse audience in a world that is rapidly going digital," she said.

While the legendary SBI monogram has been the de-facto symbol of SBI, combining it with the abbreviated SBI word mark is pivotal to the new identity, it said.

It makes the brand more concise, modern and approachable, infusing new energy, while retaining its core values, it added.

"The monogram has been refined for greater clarity and ease of use. The iconic SBI Blue has been refreshed, and the family of colours expanded for scale of usage and approachability. The overall visual language has been designed to ensure consistency and recall across all touch-points," it said.

Beginning this month, SBI merged six lenders catapulting the country's largest lender to among the top 50 banks in the world.

State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and State Bank of Travancore (SBT), besides Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB), merged with SBI with effect from April 1.
New Delhi: The world famous Madame Tussauds museum is home to many celebrity wax statues. From Barack Obama to Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh KhanMadame Tussauds has it all well placed. Every year tourists throng the museum to catch a glimpse of worldwide famous personalities in wax form and get clicked with it.

But recently, what left everyone perplexed was a fact that a man named Usama Shamsan posed a wax statue at the museum and none could find out that he is for real and not made of wax. Yes! Believe it or no, but it did happen.

According to NDTV.com, Usama is from Wales and has posted some cool videos on his Instagram. The London man has become an internet sensationall thanks to the tourists who thought of him a wax statue and clicked pictures with him.

A post shared by Usama Shamsan (@usamashamsan) on Apr 3, 2017 at 3:39pm PDT

A post shared by Usama Shamsan (@usamashamsan) on Apr 3, 2017 at 3:49pm PDT

He captioned one of his videos as , When you walk past a waxwork in Madame Tussauds... don't know the famous person... but really want to get your money's worth. I bet he will be devastated when he finds out it's only Usama Shamsan.
New Delhi: CRPF commander Chetan Cheetah, who was shot nine times during an encounter with terrorists in Kashmir, was on Wednesday discharged from AIIMS after making a "miraculous" recovery .

However, doctors said that Cheetah would have to undergo a rehabilitation process in the form of physiotherapy and speech therapy for a few months for complete recovery.

Commanding Officer (CO) of the CRPF's 45th battalion in Kashmir Valley, Cheetah, had suffered bullet injuries in his brain, right eye, abdomen, both the arms, left hand and in the buttock region during an encounter with terrorists in Kashmir.

And while the doctors at AIIMS attended to him as part of their duty, the CRPF commander's wife Uma Singh stood beside him with an unshakable conviction that he will make it through.

Cheetah's recovery from nine bullet wounds was nothing short of a miracle for the doctors of AIIMS Trauma Centre but his wife says she had a firm belief that would fight back like he did in the face of terrorists.

Uma, daughter of an Army officer, who knew Cheetah from her school days said he is a fighter and a man of commitment.

"He is a fighter. He fought this battle against death as he does when he wears his uniform to combat terrorists and militants. I was sure he will be victorious as he has always been in the line of duty," Uma said.

As the hospital staff prepared the discharge documents of Cheetah, his wife recalled the day her husband was grievously injured. She had joined him in the air ambulance at the Srinagar Airport as he was transported to AIIMS Trauma Centre.

"His eyes were closed, he was completely unconscious but the moment I saw him breathing, I knew he will make it through," Uma, mother of two kids, said.

Cheetah, who was operated within 24 hours of admission as doctors removed the portion of the skull which was hit by bullet, was in coma for 16 days and spent a month in the ICU.

"Doctors would say he was in coma, but whenever I would meet him and hold his hands, he would respond by moving his fingers. That strengthened my faith that he was coming back to me," she said.

Uma, who had to juggle between home and hospital during the period of his convalescence, said the journey is not yet over for her and the final reward for would be the day when her husband would don his uniform again and return to work.

According to doctors, the hope for vision returning to Cheetah's right eye is "bleak" although his left eye which was also injured due to splinter injuries has been restored.
The Prime Minister had come down heavily on the gau rakshaks last year in the wake of numerous attacks on Dalits in the name of cow vigilantism.

By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: Has Prime Minister Narendra Modi's admonition regarding the cow vigilantes been forgotten or are the BJP-ruled states taking it casually? It may seem so, going by the spurt in crimes related to the self-appointed "gau rakshaks".

The Prime Minister had come down heavily on the gau rakshaks last year in the wake of numerous attacks on Dalits in the name of cow vigilantism. Lashing out at them, Narendra Modi, while addressing a townhall meet in the national capital in August 2016, had said that pseudo-gau rakshaks were indulging in anti-social activities.

advertisement

PM Modi had said these so-called gau rakshaks, who claimed to be protectors during the day, often resorted to criminal activities at night. Expressing his anger against such people, he had said they had opened shops in the name of gau raksha.

The Prime Minister had said some people indulged in anti-social activities but in the morning, they became gau rakshaks. Sending a stern message against cow vigilantism, Modi had urged the states to open dossiers to see how many of them were criminals.

However, the PM's warning has apparently gone unheeded by the states, particularly those being governed by BJP.

Otherwise, Pehlu Khan, who was part of a group of 15 Muslim men carrying cattle in Rajasthan's Alwar district, would not have died after being brutally thrashed along with the others by cow vigilantes last week. Khan died on Monday night.

Khan and others hailing from Haryana were injured when a mob attacked them while transporting cows in vehicles on the Behror highway in Alwar district on Saturday.

Unfortunately, going against the Prime Minister's censure of such incidents, Rajasthan Home Minister GC Kataria blamed "both sides" and also admitted that the police acted against both the groups.

Attack by these pseudo cow vigilantes has seen a spurt recently ever since the Yogi Adityanath government came to power in Uttar Pradesh and clamped down on illegal slaughterhouses. Some other BJP-ruled states such as Haryana, Rajasthan and Jharkhand followed suit. This perhaps emboldened these gau rakshaks to indulge in violence in the name of protecting cows.

A number of incidents of violence in the name of cow vigilantism has taken place in UP too. Several slaughterhouses have been ransacked and burnt down.

It is time PM Modi issues another stern warning to the states to check such activities and crack down on people taking law into their own hands.

Differentiating between gau rakshaks and gau bhakts or gau sewaks, he had said that the latter are different. He had said that people with vested interest were using cow vigilantism to promote their own agenda. They did this to mask their bad deeds, Modi had said.

advertisement

On the other hand, the gau sewaks or gau bhakts took care of the cows, organised health camps and worked to ensure that they did not die because of consuming poly bags.

Modi had gone to the extent of asking the states to open the dossiers of these gau-rakshaks and see how many of them were criminals.

Modi's comments came after four Dalit youths were beaten up by cow vigilantes at Mota Samadhiyala village in Una taluka of Gir Somnath district in Gujarat on July 11 when they were allegedly skinning a dead cow.

Isn't it time for PM Narendra Modi to reiterate his stern message against the cow vigilantes?

Watch the video here:

ALSO READ: Alwar cow vigilante killing: Cattle carriers had Jaipur municipal receipts, cops booked them for smuggling

PM Modi slams gau rakshaks, says anti-social elements hiding behind the mask

--- ENDS ---
Beijing: Archaeologists have discovered 13 ancient tombs which is estimated to be between 1,800 and 2,700 years old, in Bomi County of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

According to the regional institute of cultural relics, the tombs were discovered by construction workers during a road project in Qundo township, Nyingchi, in the second half of 2016.

Shaka Wangdu, associate researcher with the institute said, two relatively complete human skeletons were found in two tombs, while human bones were also discovered in other graves.

Archaeologists also found that the tombs appeared to follow a known burial custom, which is still seen in parts of Qundo.

According to the custom, after the body has decayed, the bones are exhumed and reburied, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.

Objects including eight complete examples of pottery, a millstone, three bronze arrowheads and iron residue were also found.

Shaka Wangdu said, "The tombs will help research into Tibetan funeral customs and human development in eastern Tibet in a period without written records".

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court will on Wednesday hear the plea filed by noted environmentalist, MC Mehta in connection with the air pollution case.

The apex court earlier on January 17 warned that the problem of air pollution was very serious and it is important to find a solution for the same, on an urgent basis.

The observation was made by the court after amicus curiae and senior advocate Harish Salve said there was a need to ensure 100 percent compliance of Pollution Under Certificate (PUC) and linking them with the insurance of vehicles.

The bench of judges questioned Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, who was appearing for the Centre, to specify the number of PUC centres in Delhi.Following which, Kumar said there were 962 such centres in Delhi and each of them inspects around 5,000 vehicles every three months.
Gurgaon: Prohibitory orders under CrPC section 144 were imposed in one-kilometre radius of IMT Manesar by district authorities in view of some residents threatening to block Delhi-Japur National Highway-8 on Wednesday.

A section of residents have threatened to block Delhi Jaipur Highway connecting through Gurgaon Manesar area in a protest, demanding construction of elevated Highway in Manesar.

Deputy Magistrate of Gurgaon Hardeep Singh has imposed the CrPC section 144, prohibiting assembly of more than five persons, with immediate effect from today till April 9 in and around one kilometre area of IMT Manesar.

"We have taken up adequate police deployment enforcing the section -144. If someone will be found violating it, strict action will taken against him or her" a senior police officer told PTI.
New Delhi: As many as 13,013 freedom fighters and 24,447 dependents of freedom fighters are getting pensions from the government, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

The freedom fighters and their dependents are receiving Swatantrata Samman Pension Scheme, Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir said in written reply to a question.

He said the ex-Andaman political prisoners or their spouses get Rs 30,000 per month, freedom fighters who suffered outside British India get Rs 28,000 per month and dependent parents/eligible daughters get in the range of Rs 13,000 to Rs 15,000 per month.

The freedom fighters also get free railway pass, medical facilities under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), residential accommodation besides other benefits, he said.
Ajmer: The spiritual head of Ajmer dargah, who had supported a ban on the sale of beef, was on Wednesday "sacked" by his brother.

On Monday, Syed Zainul Abedin had also urged the government to ban the slaughter of all bovine animals to promote communal harmony in the country.

However, his support has not gone down well with his brother who on Wednesday "sacked" him for the "blasphemous" support and declared him a "non-Muslim".

Syed Allauddin Alimi claimed he had the support of the family in sacking Abedin and anointing himself as the new "deewan", spiritual chief, of the Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti mausoleum in Ajmer -- one of the most famous Muslim shrines visited by millions of devotees from across the sub-continent every year.

However, his brother Allauddin Alimi's claim has not been recognised by the dargah committee.

Abedin said Alimi's move has no legal sanctity as per the Durgah Khawaja Saheb Act, 1955 and he will seek a legal opinion on the matter.

The post is hereditary and belongs to heirs of the 12th-13th-century Sufi priest. Deewan has no control over the management of the shrine but gets a monthly remuneration from the management committee, which is appointed by the government.

"I am the new deewan. I have the support of the entire (Chishti) clan," Alimi told news agency IANS, alleging that Abedin was an "apostate because he had spoken in violation of the Islamic law".

"I am not interested in salary. He (Abedin) can have the money. Buy I won`t allow him to enter the shrine now. Whatever he has said is blasphemous."

When Abedin was performing some rituals at the sanctum sanctorum in the dargah last evening, Alimi occupied the 'Gaddi' of Deewan at Khanqah in the dargah premises and declared himself as the new Deewan or Sajjadanashin.

Khanqah is the holy place where the saint used to sit and preach. It is now the place where the Sajjadanashin, a descendant of the Saint, sits during religious ceremonies.

"After I read my brother's statement in newspapers, I discussed with some Muftis who verbally told me that he has now become a non-Muslim due to his statement against the Quran. Thus, he has no right and authority to remain the Sajjadanashin."

"I then called an urgent meeting of the family and went to the Khanqah and declared myself as the new Sajjadanashin on the seat of the Deewan," Alimi said.

Abedin, however, said, "My younger brother has no right to declare himself as the Sajjadanashin. He is neither empowered nor eligible for this act which is totally illegal and illegitimate and I'm seeking a legal opinion for taking action against him."

CEO of the government-appointed Dargah committee, MA Khan, said Abedin continues to be the Sajjadanashin as per the provisions of the Durgah Khawaja Saheb Act, 1955.

"This is a dispute between two brothers and the Sajjadanashin cannot be sacked or removed by such a move," the CEO, who recently took charge, said.

Chairman of the Dargah committee Sheikh Alim said as per the provisions of the Act when the post falls vacant, the dargah committee notifies the vacancy after approval of the Governor and the new Sajjadanashin is appointed with his permission.

Muzaffar Bharti, the head of the hereditary staff who conduct the religious ceremonies of the Sajjadanashin in the dargah, said Alimi's claim does not hold water and he has no moral authority to take over the post.

"Abedin performed Kul ki Rasm at the sanctum sanatorium followed by Dastarbandi (turban tying) at the Khanqah last evening. He is the Deewan of the Dargah as per the law at present and he cannot be sacked in this manner," Bharti said.

Wahid Chisty, the secretary of Anjuman Committee (body of Khadims or clerics), also supported Khan, saying the legal procedure cannot be mocked by anyone in such a manner.

Abedin had been the deewan of the shrine since after the Supreme Court 1987 order, ruling him as the most direct and eldest descendant of the Sufi priest.

He sparked a controversy on Monday by asking Muslims in India to stay away from the slaughter of "bovine animals" and to stop consuming beef for communal harmony in the country.

He read his message during the 805th annual function at the shrine that was also attended by religious heads of various shrines from different parts of the country.

Abedin also announced that he and his family members "will never eat beef now".

"The government should widely impose a ban on slaughtering of all bovine animals and sale of beef. This is one of the prominent reasons for communal hatred in India. Muslims should become an example by taking a resolution to not consume beef in the interest of communal harmony in the country," he had said.

He had also welcomed the Gujarat government's move to enact a law with the provision of life sentence for those found guilty of cow slaughter, saying that the central government should declare cow as the national animal if the government wants to protect it.

"Cow is the symbol of religious belief. Not only the government, but it is also the duty of every follower of the religion to protect them," he had said.

On the practice of 'triple talaq', he had said that it is not only irrelevant today but against the sentiments of the Quran.

He said that while practising justified divorce, the side of the woman should be considered equally and detailed dialogue with her should also take place.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday urged Lt Governor Anil Baijal for a time-bound inquiry into the Delhi government's decision to use public money for paying Rs 3.4 crore to noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani, for fighting the defamation case against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijender Gupta, also Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, met Baijal along with other BJP MLAs and submitted a memorandum demanding an inquiry.

He alleged the Delhi government had tried to "hide" the details of its decision by specifically ordering its departments not to send the concerned files to the Lt Governor's office.

"Instead, they just sent a one page note to the LG for post-facto approval," Gupta said.

Gupta demanded criminal proceedings to be initiated against Kejriwal and others involved in what he alleged to be "criminal act of misusing public funds and the subverting constitutional procedure".

He also accused Kejriwal of misusing the post of the Chief Minister for personal gains.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Gupta said the Lt Governor had assured him that he was looking closely into the matter and had sent multiple reminders to the government to send the complete file.

The BJP on Tuesday slammed Kejriwal for reportedly fighting defamation suits filed against him by using public money.

Subsequently, Jethmalani declared that he would fight the case for free as he was keen on cross-examining Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who has filed the defamation case.
Beijing: Diplomatic tensions escalated over the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, as China on Wednesday warned to take "necessary measures" to defend its territorial sovereignty and interests after India "obstinately" permitted the Tibetan spiritual leader to visit the "disputed" parts of its northeastern state.

As the Tibetan spiritual leader entered Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh to proceed to Tawang for a major Buddhist event, China struck a strident note in its protest against the move.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, addressing a regular briefing, voiced her country's "firm opposition" to the Dalai Lama's visit and said Beijing would lodge "stern representations with the Indian side".

Later, the Chinese side lodged a protest with Indian Ambassador Vijay Gokhale in Beijing over the Dalai Lama's visit.

"India in disregard to China's concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lama's visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to China's interests and China-India relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters.

China firmly opposes this move, she asserted.

"China's stand on the eastern part of the borders is consistent and clear. India is keenly aware of the role played by the 14th Dalai Lama.

"Arranging his visit to those sensitive and disputed areas not only runs counter to the Indian side's commitment to the issues related to Tibet but also escalates disputes over the border area," she said.

Hua stated that it goes against the momentum of the sound growth of bilateral relations and will not benefit India in any way.

"The visit will for sure trigger China's dissatisfaction. This will not bring any benefit to India," she said.

China will firmly take necessary measures to defend its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests, Hua asserted.

Asked what measures China would take, Hua did not elaborate.

"I don't have much to add. I want to add the issues concerning Tibet has a bearing on China's core interests. India in disregard of China's concerns obstinately arranged the visit," she said.

"We demand the Indian side immediately stop its actions using the Dalai Lama to undermine China's interests and not hype up sensitive issues between the two countries, not artificially damage the foundation of the talks between the two countries on the border issues and bilateral legislations and take concrete actions to safeguard the China-India relations," she said.

The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader reached Bomdila in West Kameng district yesterday, starting his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

China claims parts of Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet and had previously warned that if India allowed the visit of the Dalai Lama, whom it calls an "anti-China separatist", it would cause "serious damage" to ties.

China is sensitive to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang region in Arunachal which happens to be the birthplace in 1683 of the sixth Dalai Lama and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.

"We hope we can work together to maintain growth of India-China relations. We know India and China are two close neighbours and countries in Asia. Cooperation between us will serve interests of the region," Hua said.

"We hope to maintain good momentum of growth but this move runs counter to this wish, so we hope India stop doing things that undermine our interests," she said.

Yesterday, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said India never interfered in Beijing's affairs, has respected the "one-China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in India's internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lama's visit. "There is no political angle behind his holiness's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is completely religious."

Separately, the External Affairs Ministry has said that no "artificial controversy" should be created about the visit.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson rejected Rijiju's comments, saying: "China upholds the policy of not interfering with other countries internal affairs. This is unquestionable."

"But in disregard to China's concerns India arranged the visit of Dalai Lama to the disputed areas. This issue goes beyond internal affairs," she said.

"The role played by the Dalai Lama is clear to all. China's position on the eastern section of the boundary is also very clear," she said.

"The arrangement of Dalai's visit to the disputed area by India runs counter to its commitments on issues related to Tibet and it runs counter to benefits of bilateral relations. We demand that India stop this wrong action," she said.

About Rijiju's comments that it was a religious visit and should not be politicised, she said, "We have noted the statement of the official from the Indian side."

"Could you tell me honestly do you seriously believe that Dalai is only a religious leader. I think the answer is known to all. He is not just a religious figure.

"Therefore, his visit to the place will not be purely of religious purpose. So using the empty words to defend this arrangement is not reasonable. We demand the Indian side to stop this move of undermining Chinese interests," she said.

Chinese officials in off the record conversations with the media said China is really angry about the Dalai Lama's visit especially because he was accompanied by a minister.

Unlike previous visits, the officials said the Dalai Lama was accompanied by a minister which makes it different.

The Foreign Ministry statement comes as the Chinese state-run media also slammed the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

The Global Times accused the Indian government of "openly using" the Dalai Lama "as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage".

It said India was trying to play the Tibet card against China as "New Delhi is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance over its membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its request to name Masood Azhar, head of Pakistani militant group, to a UN Security Council blacklist", it said.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi/Beijing: As Dalai Lama's visit to Arunchal Pradesh began on Wednesday, India-China diplomatic tensions rose afresh with New Delhi asserting that no political motive should be attributed to the visit.

Also, India told Beijing not to interfere in its internal affairs.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, said that no political motive should be attributed to Dalai Lama's trip.

"India has always been non-interfering in the neighbours' internal affairs in our approach," Rijiju told reporters in New Delhi.

"In the same manner, we expect the same from our neighbours," he said.

His comment came as the Ministry of External Affairs said that the Dalai Lama has visited the state six times earlier and no "additional colour" should be given to his visit starting from April 5.

Beijing in a fresh salvo slammed the Dalai Lama as an "anti-China separatist" and attacked New Delhi indirectly for its support to the Tibetan leader.

"When Dalai Lamaji is in Arunachal Pradesh, he will be confined only to religious matters. He is not there to make any political statement and he is not there with any political motive," he said.

Rijiju, who is scheduled to go to Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday to meet the Dalai Lama, said India has never questioned China's sovereignty and "has respectfully adhered to the one-China policy".

"So we expect that China also should not interfere in our internal matters," he stated.

Reacting to the visit, the Chinese Foreign Ministry told Efe news: "The 14th Dalai Lama is an anti-China separatist who has long lived in exile following a failed armed rebellion by the reactionary group of high-ranking feudal serf owners in Tibet in March 1959."

"The Chinese government is resolutely opposed to any country's support and facilitation for the 14th Dalai group's anti-China separatist activities," read the statement without alluding directly to India.

Dalai Lama arrives in Bomdila

Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama arrived by road in Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh, after inclement weather forced him to call off the scheduled visit by helicopter.

The Tibetan spiritual leader "arrived safely in Tenzingang Tibetan settlement, Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh", the Tibetan Central Administration said in a statement.

In Bomdila, the Dalai Lama was received by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, and members of the Tibetan community.

BJP Chief Minister Khandu posted a tweet showing him meeting the Dalai Lama, and thanked him for deciding to travel by road to Tawang. "His Holiness @DalaiLama accorded warm welcome today at Thubchog Gatsel Ling Monastery, Bomdila. Blessed by his visit." Khandu was accompanied by BJP leader Sudhanshu Mittal.

His Holiness @DalaiLama accorded warm welcome today at Thubchog Gatsel Ling Monastery, Bomdila. Blessed by his visit. pic.twitter.com/JVuilBTqYv April 4, 2017

From Bomdila he would visit Dirang, Lumla and Tawang during his over seven-day trip to Arunachal Pradesh.

Arunachal Pradesh holds a special significance for the Tibetan leader, as it was the first territory -- then called the North East Frontier Region -- in India he entered while fleeing Chinese troops in 1959 before moving to Dharamsala, where he now resides.

Asserting that Arunachal Pradesh is not a disputed territory, Rijiju said: "We have certain issues with regard to delineation of the boundary on the spots, on the ground along McMahon Line because it is not being demarcated on the ground. That is why there is a talk between the special representatives of India and China and the people of Arunachal Pradesh hope that an amicable solution can be reached in the foreseeable future time."

China in March said ties with India would be hit if New Delhi allowed the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which is claimed by Beijing as part of South Tibet.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said China was strictly opposed to the visit.

Geng said India knew the sensitivity of the border issue between both countries and allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh would damage its ties with China.
However, the state government's move is only going to benefit only 15 to 25 percent liquor traders.

By Manjeet Sehgal: As stated by the Punjab's finance minister Manpreet Badal the state government has finally found 'loopholes' in the Supreme Court order banning liquor sale along the highways to bring down the number of cases of drunken driving.

The state government has denotified seven state highways as bypasses to circumvent the apex court order under pressure from the liquor lobby besides hoteliers, restaurant, banquet and bar owners.

advertisement

Most of the roads denotified include municipal areas ranging from 2-6 kms. The state highways which were denotified include the Pathankot City area (Malikpur Cowk to Dalhousie bypass), in Sirhind Bhaironpur Chunni road, Gagan Chowk to Liberty Chowk in Rajpura, Moga-Harika road, Balachaur-Garshankar and Hoshiarpur-Chandigarh road (covering Moga, Balachaur and Hoshiarpur towns).

The state government's move will benefit the liquor sellers including restaurant, bar and pub owners in over 25 towns and cities.

"We had received representations from hotels, restaurants and banquet owners who were facing losses. We found loopholes and took advantage of it," Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal said.

However, the state government's move is only going to benefit only 15 to 25 percent liquor traders. The remaining 75 percent vendors, pub, restaurant, bar and hotel owners will have to comply with the apex court order.

"We do not have a bar but have a banquet where drinks were served under a license. As the license will now come up for a review, we will be losing this business. In Punjab serving liquor during the marriages is a must, those who do not own a license now will have to forget the business," said a hotel manager based in Kharar.

There are nearly 1600 establishments including hotels and restaurants in Punjab which were hit after the Supreme Court orders.

They will either be relocating themselves or shutting down the business to comply with the court orders.

Also read:

Liquor ban: After Chandigarh, Punjab to find 'loopholes' in Supreme Court order to help alcohol lobby

--- ENDS ---
Itanagar: Tibetan spiritual guru Dalai Lama, who is on a visit to Arunachal Pradesh, has reasserted he is not seeking independence from China but is only meaningful autonomy for Tibet.

China has over 400 million Buddhist. We are not seeking independence, we want to remain within China, he said.

Giving the example of the European Union, Dalai Lama said, Tibet is materially backward but spiritually highly developed. There is mutual benefit.

The Chinese government must give us meaningful of self-rule, autonomy, and take care of the environment, he added.

Laughing off comments from China that he is a demon, Dalai Lama said, Yes, I am a demon with horns.

No problem, even if some consider me as a demon, adding that only some narrow-minded politicians in China consider him a demon.

Expressing concern over fragile ecology of the Tibet plateau, he said, All major rivers of Asia come from Tibet.

He also referred to the finding of a Chinese ecologist on the effects of global warming in Tibet.

The effect is as much as in the South Pole and the North Pole, therefore he called the Tibet plateau as the third pole, he said.

'India may have underestimated China's resolve to protect its core interests'

India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China's "bottom line", Chinese state media said today, threatening that New Delhi may have "underestimated" Beijing's determination to protect its core interests.

The Chinese reaction to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh came in an article in the state-run Global Times, which is part of the ruling Communist Party publications and is known for striking nationalistic postures.

"Beijing has voiced concerns over the issue, but New Delhi claimed that China shouldn't intervene in its 'internal affairs'," the article said, referring to Indian Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju's comments yesterday.

"This is absurd," the article said.

Rijiju has said India never interfered in Beijing's affairs, has respected the "One China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in India's internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lama's visit.

"There is no political angle behind his holiness's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is completely religious."

Separately, External Affairs Ministry has said that no "artificial controversy" should be created about the visit.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry is yet to react to Rijiju's comments or the External Affairs statement yesterday.

However, the state media asked India to "overcome its suspicion" of Beijing. "China doesn't allow India to free ride on its economic growth while jeopardising Beijing's core interests."

It warned, "New Delhi may have underestimated Beijing's determination to safeguard its core interests. Many countries have pledged not to extend invitations to the Dalai Lama. As the two largest emerging economies, China and India have great potential for cooperation."

Today's article also accused India of playing the "Tibet card" as it is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance on India's bid for Nuclear Suppliers Group membership and its attempts to add Masood Azhar, the chief of Pakistan-backed militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), to a UN Security Council blacklist.

"Therefore, Delhi attempts to play the Tibet card against Beijing," it said, adding that "unlike his predecessors, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have taken a different stance on the Dalai issue, raising public engagements with the monk and challenging Beijing's bottom line," it said.
Bomdila: India and China on Wednesday locked horns over Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's Arunachal Pradesh visit, which Beijing claimed had damaged its ties with New Delhi, while the latter hit back saying it has ''no right to interfere''.

Amid Beijing's strident protests, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama today said that India has never used him against China and urged that country to give Tibet meaningful "self-rule" and "autonomy".

Reacting to Beijing's objection against his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Nobel Peace Laureate said, "There are many in China who love India, but there are some narrow minded politicians because of their certain views.. like they considered me as a demon."

Denying Chinese assertions that India was using him as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China, the Tibetan spiritual leader said, "I am India's longest standing guest. India has never used me against China."

On the Tibetan stand, he said: "We are not seeking independence. We are very much willing to remain with People's Republic of China. I always used to talk about the spirit of the European Union, individual nations, individual sovereignty but that is not so important, what is important is common interest," he told journalists, ahead of proceeding to Tawang for a major Buddhist event.

"Tibet is materialistically backward but spiritually highly developed. For material development, we need to remain with People's Republic China as it is our interest. The government (of China) should feel OK for the mutual benefit," he added.

However, the Tibetan spiritual leader noted, "China must give us meaningful self-rule, autonomy, and must take care of the environment in Tibet. China has the highest population of Tibetan Buddhists. Many Chinese intellectuals also fully support our cause."

The Dalai Lama's statement comes as China on Wednesday lodged a protest with India over his visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, addressing a regular briefing in Beijing, voiced her country's "firm opposition" to the Dalai Lama's visit and said Beijing would lodge "stern representations with the Indian side".

The Chinese side lodged a protest with Indian Ambassador Vijay Gokhale in Beijing over the Dalai Lama's visit.

On Tuesday, India said that no political motive should be attributed to the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh and asked China not to interfere in its affairs.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, said: "India has always been non-interfering in the neighbours' internal affairs in our approach. In the same manner, we expect the same from our neighbours."
New Delhi: Rajya Sabha on Wednesday witnessed a huge uproar over EVM tampering row.

Reacting to the Opposition's charges of EVM tampering, BJP slammed the parties saying 'go to EC, don't waste Parliament time'.

BSP leader Mayawati and SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav had raised the issue of EVM tampering.

BJP MP Mukhtar Abbas Naqwi lashed out at the Opposition parties saying that they must accept electoral defeat.

Joining the debate, Congress demanded that the EC must scrap EVMs for fair bypolls.

After the pandemonium, Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 11:30 AM.
Colombo: The Sri Lankan Navy with assistance from India are battling a major fire on board a huge Panama-registered container carrier off the coast of Colombo.

The fire broke out last night on the merchant ship MV MSC-Daniela when the 14,000-container carrier was about 120 nautical miles away from Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's Naval spokesman Chaminda Walakuluge said the Navy responded to a distress call from a local agent of the container vessel, which was travelling from Singapore to Egypt.

Sri Lanka Navy dispatched two Fast Attack Craft (FAC) P 436 and P 412 to the location assisting Sri Lankan Port Authority tugs, Rawana and Maha Wewa to douse the fire, Walakuluge said.

A Sri Lankan Air Force helicopter has also been deployed to douse the flame.

"There are no casualties among the 22-member crew," Walakuluge said.

Indian Coast Guard Ship 'Shoor' which was on overseas deployment at Colombo also joined the firefighting effort.

"Information was received from High Commission of India, Colombo regarding a request received from the Sri Lankan Navy to render assistance to extinguish the fire on board MV MSC Daniella," the Coast Guard said in a statement.

"The vessel was carrying dangerous cargo and hence utmost caution was exercised in firefighting to ensure the safety of the crew and the vessel," it said.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy also dispatched two of its ships -- INS Ghariyal and INS Darshak -- to help douse the fire.

The vessel is presently anchored 11 nautical miles off the coast of Colombo.

The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained.
Chennai: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has apprehended a Sri Lankan boat and seven of its crew members for alleged illegal fishing in Indian waters.

"The Sri Lankan fishing boat was apprehended 150 NM (Nautical Miles) off Kanyakumai Coast while engaged in illegal fishing in Indian waters," a PIB defence release here said.

ICG Ship Vaibhav apprehended the boat and its crew yesterday, it said, adding, they would be handed over to the Coastal Security Group at Tuticorin for further investigation.
New Delhi: The All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) has joined forces demanding a ban on triple talaq and called for resolving the highly-vexed Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute through an out-of-court settlement.

The AISPLB, according to news agency ANI, adopted three resolutions on Wednesday including a fatwa against cow slaughter, a move to ban triple talaq and out-of-court settlement for the resolution of the Ayodhya dispute.

Ban on Cow slaughter appropriate: All India Shia Personal Law board in Lucknow. pic.twitter.com/jvzbzZjAOt  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 5, 2017

Importantly, the AISPLB issued a fatwa banning the slaughter of cows in India during its executive committee meeting in Lucknow. The AISPLB decided to issue a fatwa after seeking a clarification from Ayatollah Sheikh Basheer Hussain Najafi, a top Shia cleric from Iraq.

The board said that cow slaughter often triggered communal tension in the country.

75-year old Hussain Najafi is one of the five Grand Ayatollahs in Iraq and is entitled to issue a fatwa for the community members.

The AISPLB fatwa against cow slaughter comes just a day after the Dewan of Ajmer Dargah and an influential Sunni Islamic spiritual leader came down heavily on the practice of triple talaq and called it un-Islamic and something which was against the Holy Quran.

He also called for a legislation which would ban the slaughter of all the bovine species in India and announced a personal decision to have given up beef along with his family members.

However, this resolution concerning triple talaq was not unexpected as on March 15, Shia Personal Law Board member Maulana Yasoob Abbas had stated that triple talaq in one sitting was not acceptable.

The Shia personal law board also seems to have supported the Chief Justice of Indias stand by calling for an out-of-court settlement when most of the parties to the dispute had dismissed the offer stating that previous negotiations and mediations have not yielded any result.

On the suggestion for an out of court settlement for the Babri Masjid dispute Abbas said, ''Whenever there is a religious matter to be decided, its best to leave the political parties aside and take a call. Hence, this settlement should be without political interference and I am sure it will be successful as we understand each others concern."

Abbas had recently paid a courtesy visit to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, to express their demands concerning the Shia community members living in India.
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday termed as "unfortunate, painful and surprising" the African missions statement describing the attacks on African students as "xenophobic and racial", saying the Indian response to this cannot be called inadequate by any means.

She told the Lok Sabha that racial crimes are "pre-planned", which was not the case with the recent attack on the African students by a mob in Greater Noida, asserting that the government is committed to their safety.

She said the African group head of the missions, who had issued a strongly-worded statement, was called by her ministry today and conveyed the government's response.

Her deputy in the ministry V K Singh spoke to him about the prompt response taken by her as well as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and told him that the African missions could have sought a meeting with the Prime Minister if they were still not satisfied, she said.

"The Dean's statement that our political leadership is silent is completely contrary to facts... His statement was surprising and painful. We have said that it was unfortunate. The Indian government's response cannot be called inadequate by any means," she said.

Swaraj also objected to the African missions' demand for an investigation by the Human Rights Council and said the government has told him that India has robust human rights bodies and NGOs, besides an independent media and judiciary.

Her statement came after K C Venugopal (Congress) attacked the government over the development and accused it of "diplomatic failure".

Giving details of the incident, she said a youth in Greater Noida had died and his parents had blamed "drug overdose" for this. Locals took out a candle march, during which an uncontrolled mob of criminals who had infiltrated the crowd attacked the African students, she said.

"Racist crimes are pre-planned which was not the case here," she said.

Swaraj said she had spoken to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and tweeted about this. He promised an impartial probe and tweeted as well.

She said M J Akbar, her deputy in the ministry, kept in touch with African missions and told them that the Prime Minister was personally monitoring the situation.

Six people have been arrested by the state police and it was not proper to call the crime racially-motivated before the probe is completed, she said.

Citing the recent incidents of attacks on Indians in the US and the killing of an Indian in Mozambique earlier, she said India did not dub them racially-inspired.

"Let the probe report come first," she said.

Swaraj said another purported incident of attack on an African student has turned to be untrue as the Kenyan, who had made the allegation, has admitted she had manufactured it.

She had withdrawn the complaint and our inquiry has found that her visa had expired long back, the minister said.
Alwar: A Muslim man died on Tuesday after he was brutally assaulted by cow vigilantes over suspicion of cow smuggling in Rajasthan.

The shocking incident took place in Alwar district of the state.

Reportedly, 35-year-old Pehlu Khan died at a hospital on April 3 after he was assaulted along with at least 15 others by cow vigilantes on Alwar highway.

According to Alwar collector Mukhtanand Agarwal, Khan was transporting cows in six vehicles along with others.

Also, the others who were attacked by cow vigilantes are in hospital and are undergoing treatment.

The people who were transporting are Muslims from Haryanas Nuh district.

Rajasthan Bovine Animal Act, 1995

According to the Rajasthan Bovine Animal Act, 1995, the export of cows for slaughter is prohibited.

Case lodged

The police have registered a case of murder against six persons and 200 unknown people.
By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Mar 5 (PTI) The Persian Gulf carrier Qatar Airways has engaged an executive search firm to scout for talent for its proposed airline business in India.

The Doha-based full service carrier plans to hire fresh talent as well as professionals from the existing domestic carriers, sources said.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Baker Al-Baker had last month announced plans to set up an airline in India along with the Gulf nations sovereign wealth fund.

advertisement

"Qatar Airways has appointed a headhunter to hire suitable qualified professionals for its proposed airline venture in India," an industry source said.

According to the source, the India-based recruitment firm has started contacting aviation professional, including those working with the local carriers, offering them better job prospects with the proposed airline.

When contacted, a Qatar Airways spokesperson declined to comment on the developments.

"Qatar Airways would not like to make any comment. If and when we have any new development we shall keep you posted," the Gulf carrier said in an e-mail response to PTI.

On March 8, Al-Baker had said in Berlin, "We are joining hands with the investment arm of State of Qatar to start a domestic airline in India with a 100 per cent investment."

"We are doing this because Indian government has opened up the foreign direct investment in (setting up) an airline in India," he had said.

Qatar Airways, however, is yet to approach the government with its plans.

Last June, India allowed foreign investors -- barring overseas airlines -- to own up to 100 per cent stake in local carriers by liberalising FDI regulations.

Currently, foreign airlines are allowed to invest only up to 49 per cent in Indian carriers.

However, the revised norms provide room for overseas airlines to partner with a foreign non-airline player to set up a 100 per cent foreign-owned carrier in India. PTI IAS GK RYS

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made 56 foreign visits since assuming charge in May 2014, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.



According to a list provided by Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, after first visiting Bhutan in June 2014, Modi visited the US four times, and Nepal, Japan, Russia, Afghanistan and China two times each.



In September 2014, he combined his bilateral visit to Washington with a visit to New York for the UN General Assembly session.



In September 2015, he visited New York for the UN General Assembly session during the course of which he again met then US President Barack Obama and then proceeded to San Jose, California, where he interacted with top Fortune 500 CEOs.



The Prime Minister made his third visit to the US in the spring of 2016 for the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington during which he highlighted India`s role and commitment to the global partnership in nuclear security.



He again visited the US at the invitation of Obama in June 2016 during the course of which he addressed the US Congress.



Modi paid an official bilateral visit to Nepal in August 2014, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 17 years, and again visited the Himalayan nation in November 2014 to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Summit.



He visited Japan in the autumn of 2014 and then in November 2016, both times to attend the annual bilateral summit.



The Prime Minister visited Russia in July 2015 to attend the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit in Ufa and then again in December 2015 to attend the annual bilateral summit.



He visited Afghanistan in December 2015 during which he jointly dedicated with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani the country`s new parliament building built with Indian aid, and again in June 2016 to jointly dedicate the Afghan-India Friendship Dam in Herat province.



He went to China on a bilateral visit in May 2015 and then again in September 2016 to attend the G20 Summit in Hangzhou.



In May 2015, he became the first ever Indian Prime Minister to visit Mongolia marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Mongolia.



His visits to the Indian Ocean archipelago nation of Seychelles in March 2015 and to the United Arab Emirates in August 2015 were the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 34 years.



Among other major nations, Modi made bilateral visits to Canada in April 2015 and to Britain in November 2015.



In November 2014, he visited Australia to attend the G20 Summit in Brisbane and then stayed back for a bilateral visit.
New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday assured that there is no need for Indians to be concerned about Islamic State (IS) as the terror group has little penetration in the country.

"There is no need for Indians to be worried about IS (penetration) in India. If a few youth get radicalised by them, we also have counter-radicalisation programmes," Rajnath told the Rajya Sabha.

In response to a question by a member whether unemployment and poor socio-economic background -- and not just religious fundamentalism -- were responsible for Indian youths` radicalisation, Rajnath ruled out the possibility.

"We are running several programmes for socio-economic uplift of minorities, including for the Muslims. These include skill development programmes, easy bank loans for business etc," Singh said.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh asked the Home Minister if Saifullah, killed in a police encounter in Lucknow on March 8, had links with the IS. He said an American intelligence website said as much.

To this, Rajnath Singh said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was probing the matter. He said that "because of things found on Saifullah, some people concluded he had links with IS".

The Uttar Pradesh police had called Saifullah a "self-radicalised terrorist", though Madhya Pradesh police said he was part of an IS module.

Earlier, Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said that the number of Muslim youth who have been radicalised so far by the IS was miniscule in comparison with the Muslim population in India.

"There is not much presence of IS in India. So far only 80 youth have been found to be radicalised by IS through social media and internet, which is a negligible number.

"We are monitoring the social media etc round the clock to check further spread of IS," Ahir said.

He pointed out that even Muslim clerics in India have urged the youth not to join the IS or be influenced by their propaganda, which he said was a welcome step.

Ahir also informed the House that 22 persons from Kerala had tried to join the IS. Of these, the NIA has taken action against 16 persons. The rest, he said, included women and children and their cases were being looked into.

Ahir also said that unemployment could not be a reason behind the radicalisation of some Muslim youth as unemployment or poverty in the country was "not restricted to just one community or religion".

He said that Muslim youth also get employment on merit.
New Delhi: Congress member and arrested MP Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav`s wife Ranjeet Ranjan on Wednesday again raised in the Lok Sabha the issue of her husband`s arrest in Patna.



Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she has sought details of the incident.



Ranjan alleged that the Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) leader was mistreated, and sought action from the Speaker.



"For five hours, police unnecessarily cordoned the house. They treated him like a criminal. They called you as well, and said he was running away, which was a lie," Ranjan said about the arrest.



The Madhepura MP was not given bail the next morning, she said.



Ranjan said: "They said it was a very high profile case and there was pressure."



"They have not given bail so far. The biggest surprise is he is not arrested for protest at the state assembly. He was arrested for some other incident," Ranjan added.



"This shows the intention was only to arrest and harass. We thought he may get bail in three-four days," the MP said.



"They wanted him to protest so that they can declare him criminal. A police official said we have instruction to insult," she alleged.



"It is not just about the privilege of an MP. If they treat an MP like this, how will they treat common people," the Congress MP asked.



Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge also supported Ranjan. "We should condemn how he was treated... Who has given you right to treat someone like this," Kharge said.



Speaker Sumitra Mahajan assured action and said she has sought facts on the incident.



"I have a privilege notice as well. When the issue was raised on March 29, I talked to authorities. I have sought a factual note and we will see what can be done. Handcuffing is wrong, we will look into it," she said.



Pappu Yadav founded JAP after being expelled from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).



The police in Patna on Monday night arrested Pappu Yadav, hours after his supporters clashed with police during a march towards the state assembly to protest a power tariff hike.



Police said the arrest was in connection with an old case relating to an incident near the Kargil Chowk in the city on January 24.
New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Andaman and Nicobar Islands for three days beginning tomorrow during which he will attend a host of programmes.

The Home Minister will lay a wreath at the Martyr's Column at National Cemorial, Cellular jail, Port Blair and meet the Lt Governor and senior officers of the Union Territory administration.

Singh will also lay the foundation stone for a solar power plant at Guptapara village, and will lay a wreath and view the gallery at the Tsunami Memorial in Car Nicobar island, an official release said.

The Union Minister will inaugurate a new building of a senior secondary school at Malacca and hold a meeting with tribal council captains and other tribal leaders there.

He is scheduled to pay a visit to Ross Island and witness a light and sound show there. He will also attend a civic reception by the Port Blair municipal council.

On the last day of his visit, the Home Minister will visit Havelock Island.
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Samajwadi Party (SP) senior leader Shivpal Singh Yadav will meet Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today the latter's official residence 5 Kalidas Marg in Lucknow.

There are speculations regarding the meeting as the agenda is not revealed yet.

The UP Government on Tuesday waived off Rs. 30, 729 crore worth loan amount of the small and marginal farmers of the state.

Along with this, the government has also decided to forego Non-Performing Assets (NPA) worth Rs. 5,630 crore of eight lakh farmers.

The decision of waiving off loans will be benefitting 2 crore 15 lakh farmers of the state.

Recently, CM Adityanath visited to a cow shelter in Lucknow run by ex-CM Akhilesh Yadav's step-brother Prateek Yadav and his wife Aparna Yadav who contested in the UP assembly elections as SP candidate from Lucknow seat and lost to the BJP's Rita Bahuguna Joshi. The Chief Minister walked around the shelter and fed cows, with both Prateek and Aparna by his side.

The visit also sparked new speculation about whether Aparna Yadav is growing closer to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The first Cabinet meeting of UP CM Yogi Adityanath-led government was held here yesterday.

The Cabinet, chaired by the Chief Minister took up several key issues including a loan waiver for farmers.

During the recent assembly polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had promised to waive off agricultural loans of farmers in the first Cabinet meeting after coming to power.

Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared at an election rally that he would ensure the BJP Government in its first Cabinet meeting takes decision to waive off the farmers' loan.
New Delhi: US private employers added 263,000 jobs in March, more than the number they hired in February and well above economists` expectations, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday.



Economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast the ADP National Employment Report would show a gain of 187,000 jobs, with estimates ranging from 110,000 to 225,000.



Private payroll gains in the month earlier were revised down to 245,000 from the originally reported 298,000.



The report is jointly developed with Moody`s Analytics.



The ADP figures come ahead of the U.S. Labor Department`s more comprehensive non-farm payrolls report on Friday, which includes both public and private-sector employment.



Economists polled by Reuters are looking for U.S. private payroll employment to have grown by 175,000 jobs in March, down from 227,000 the month before. Total non-farm employment is expected to have risen by 180,000.



The unemployment rate is forecast to stay steady at the 4.7 percent recorded a month earlier.



ADP private Month Reuters Prior month Prior Economists Low High

payroll Poll original month Polled Estimate Estimate

revised

263,000 March 187,000 298,000 245,000 32 110,000 225,000
Srinagar: Three days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the youth of Kashmir Valley to choose between tourism and terrorism, National Conference president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said that those who pelt stones are just fighting for the nation.

"If he (stone pelting youth) is giving up his life, he is not doing it for tourism. He is giving his life so that the destiny of this nation is decided which should be acceptable to the people of this place. This needs to be understood," Abdullah said at an election meeting in Sonawar constituency here.

The former chief minister was reacting to Modi's statement on April 2 at the inauguration of Chenani-Nashri tunnel that the youth of Kashmir need to choose between tourism and terrorism.

"Recently the tunnel was opened. He (the Prime Minister) said the youth here should think whether they want tourism or terrorism. I want to tell Modi sahib tourism is our lifeline, there is no doubt about it."

"But he is a stone pelter. He has nothing to do with tourism. He will starve to death but he is pelting stones for his nation and there is a need to understand this," Abdullah said.

He further said if India and Pakistan cannot resolve their issues, the US should come forward and facilitate as the third party to resolve issues between the two countries.

The NC president said it is not a fight between parties like PDP and NC, it is a fight to defeat communal forces and to protect secularism.

Notably, India has snubbed the US' offer to help de-escalate tensions with Pakistan, saying that its position on bilateral redressal of all issues between the two neighbours has not changed.

Pakistan has, however, welcomed the US' offer.

US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, had on Monday made the offer to mediate in facilitating talks between the two neighbours.

"It's absolutely right that this administration is concerned about the relationship between India and Pakistan and very much wants to see how we de-escalate any sort of conflict going forward," Indian-origin Haley said while addressing a news conference in New York.





Haley also hinted that the Trump administration would participate in the talks aimed at resolving differences between the two neighbours.

Abdullah is contesting the by-election to Srinagar Lok Sabha seat as the joint candidate of opposition National Conference and Congress.

The polling in the constituency will be held on April 9.

(With Agency inputs)


Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury to discuss issues and roll out a strategy to rope in Opposition parties under a 'United Opposition' banner to corner the Central government.

By Supriya Bhardwaj: In an effort to reaches out to other Opposition parties to chart out a strategy, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi met CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury for an hour. The meeting between the two took place in Congress office in Parliament.

Over a cup of coffee, the two leaders discussed GST Bill, EVM tampering and farm loan waiver issues, the sources said. The leaders also discussed the political situation in West Bengal.

advertisement

"The leaders in the hour-long meeting discussed the issue of EVM tampering and that the Opposition led by the Congress can demand for an independent inquiry on the same in the coming days," sources added.

GST BILL

During the discussion, Rahul Gandhi and Yechury tried to understand the major difference between the UPA and NDA's GST Bill. In the end, both came to the conclusion that GST Council cannot be the supreme authority and that Parliament can't be bypassed on important bills like this.

FARM LOAN WAIVER

The Amethi MP has already given a green signal to his party leaders to up the ante seeking loan waiver for farmers across the country. Yechury and Rahul Gandhi decided that the farm loan waiver issue should be raised in both houses and across the state.

The meeting has been loaded with lot of significance. For the Congress, Rahul Gandhi has rolled out a strategy to rope in Opposition parties under a 'United Opposition' banner to corner the Central government. For Yechury, he would need the Congress support to give another shot to Rajya Sabha seat as his tenure is coming to an end.

Also read: Rahul Gandhi terms Yogi government's loan waiver to UP farmers as 'partial relief'

Also read: GST Bill in Rajya Sabha today as government targets July 1 rollout

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi: The asset base of mutual fund industry in India surged 35 percent to all-time high of Rs 18.3 lakh crore in 2016-17, driven by growing participation from retail investors.

The assets under management (AUM) were at Rs 13.53 lakh crore at the end of 2015-16, according to the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi).

Industry experts attributed growing participation from retail investors, especially from small towns, huge inflows into equity schemes and several measures taken by markets regulator Sebi as well as campaigns by asset management companies (AMCs).

The MF industry added more than 67 lakh investor accounts till February of last financial year which ended on March 31, taking the total number of folios to 5.4 crore.

MFs reported a net inflow of close to Rs 4 lakh crore in the 11-month period of 2016-17. Of this, equity and equity- linked savings schemes accounted over Rs 62,000 crore. Besides, income funds witnessed an inflow of Rs 1.77 lakh crore and liquid funds generated Rs 1.11 lakh crore.

The contribution of the country's smaller towns - known as beyond-15 cities (B15) - to mutual funds' asset base surged around 44 percent to over Rs 3 lakh crore due to investor- friendly initiatives by Sebi.

B15 cities are those which are beyond these top 15 cities- New Delhi (including NCR) Mumbai (including Thane & Navi Mumbai), Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kanpur, Lucknow, Panjim, Pune and Surat.

In 41-member MF industry, 38 players witnessed an increase in AUM, while two saw a decline. Besides, Mahindra MF was the new entrant, while JP Morgan MF exited the club.

ICICI Prudential MF is the top fund house with an asset base of Rs 2,42,961 crore (excluding fund of funds) followed by HDFC MF (Rs 2,37,177 crore) Reliance MF (Rs 2,10,890 crore), Birla Sun Life MF (Rs 1,95,049 crore) and SBI MF (Rs 1,57,025 crore). These top 5 players account for more than 50 per cent of the Rs 18.3 lakh crore AUM.

"The financial year 2016-17 has been a good a year for Reliance MF in terms of AUM and performance. Our schemes continue to be top top performing with strong fund ratings, we registered strong systematic investment plan (SIP) growth and we also added CPSE ETF success to our list of milestones.

"Our quest for market expansion and drive to emerge top ranking MF will be key focus for this year," Reliance MF Chief Executive Officer Sundeep Sikka said.
New Delhi: After a gap of nearly a quarter-century, the air at the Mumbai port may once again be filled with the chanting of 'Talbiyah', a prayer Muslims invoke before they set off for or during the annual Haj pilgrimage.

A high-level committee, formed by the government to frame the Haj Policy, 2018, is exploring reviving the option of sending pilgrims via sea route to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia next year onwards.

The practice of ferrying devotees between Mumbai and Jeddah by waterways was stopped from 1995 on account of MV Akbari, the ship which would transport pilgrims, growing old, a source in the Union Minority Affairs Ministry said.

The option is now being weighed in the light of a 2012 Supreme Court order to the government to abolish by 2022 the subsidy offered to Haj pilgrims who travel by air.

Dispatching pilgrims through ships will help cut down travel expenses by "nearly half" as compared to airfares, thus compensating them for the absence of subsidy, a source in the ministry said.

At present, devotees undertake the journey by air from 21 embarkation points, including Mumbai and Delhi, across the country.

An economy class ticket for the around five-hour flight between Mumbai and Jeddah would roughly cost anything between Rs 25,000 and Rs 52,000 (without subsidy). If one boards from Delhi, the ticket price for the same category varies from Rs 18,000 to Rs 61,000 per head.

"Another advantage with ships available these days is they are modern and well-equipped to ferry 4,000 to 5,000 persons at a time. They can cover the 2,300-odd nautical miles one-side distance between the two port cities within just two-three days," the source added.

One nautical mile is equivalent to 1.8 km.

When asked, MoS for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who attended the panel's meeting in Mumbai earlier this week, confirmed that the alternative is being given a thought to.

"The panel is exploring all the options available, including seaways, under the new policy. It will be a revolutionary, pilgrim-friendly decision, if things work out," Naqvi told PTI.

Besides Mumbai, Kolkata and Kochi ports are the two other coastal cities the panel has identified as probable embarkation points to facilitate pilgrims from eastern and southern regions of India respectively.

Naqvi said his ministry will discuss the issue with the Shipping Ministry too for the availability of ports.

He added the air services for Jeddah will continue to be there for those who can afford the journey.

Before the sea route was closed in 1995, it used to take nearly a week for the pilgrims to reach Jeddah from Yellow Gate in Mumbai's Mazgaon, the ministry source said.

Saudi Arabia had earlier this year increased India's Haj quota from 1.36 lakh to 1.70 lakh. A total of 1.35 lakh Indian devotees undertook the pilgrimage last year.
New Delhi: Bollywood diva Katrina Kaif is currently juggling with her shooting schedule of 'Jagga Jasoos' and 'Tiger Zinda Hai'. The desi Barbie Doll will be seen with alleged former lover Ranbir Kapoor in the former while Salman Khan happens to be her co-star in the latter.

Her fans can't really wait to watch both the films, as her on-screen chemistry looks great with both of the leading actors. Kat recently took to her Facebook page and wrote an interesting caption with a super cute picture.

She wrote: That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college! - Homer Simpson

Check out her 'college' look. Isn't she looking dayum cute?




New Delhi: Have you been filing fake rent reciepts to lower your tax burden all these years? Well you may no longer be able to claim income tax deductions for house rent allowance (HRA) by provide fake bills anymore.

As per a report in the Economic Times, the income tax department is making efforts to plug leakages under tax provisions by tightening noose around tax exemptions.

The assessing officer can now demand proof  such as leave and licence agreement, letter to the housing co-operative society informing about the tenancy, electricity bill, water bill etc.  in allowing a lower taxable income as computed by a salaried employee, a report in the ET said.

However, if you pay more than Rs 1 lakh annually towards house rent, then quoting landlord's PAN is mandatory for claiming tax benefit under House Rent Allowance.
New Delhi: Effective April 1, 2017 a lot of rules have changed on State Bank of India. These changes range from minimum balance limit, newer service charges, newer service taxes, locker prices, cheque books and more.

Check out the transactions based charges & ATM related transactions on SBI effective from April 1, 2017.

$ Namely, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad

@This charge will not be applicable to small/no frill/Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account holders. These customers will continue to get 5 free transactions, irrespective of the centre, as hitherto.

#While so far staff exempted from these charges, we propose to give powers to controllers not below the rank of Scale V to approve refund in exceptional cases.

One way inter-changeability allowed between branch transaction and ATM transaction. It means a customer will be allowed maximum 10 free transactions at 6 Metro centres at our Group ATMs and maximum 12 free transactions at Other Centres at our Group ATMs ( if no transaction at other Bank ATM and no transaction at the branch).

Chart info sourced from SBI Website
Ajmer: While denying all the reports of being "sacked" by his brother Sayed Alludin Alimi over his "blasphemous" statements in support of ban on cow slaughter, Ajmer sufi shrine's spiritual head Syed Zainul Abedin on Wednesday said he will continue to remain the Diwan of the Dargah till his last breath, adding that all this is a manufactured plot against him.

Quoting the Supreme Court's judgement of 1987, Abedin said his younger brother has no authority to remove him, adding that under no law can he do so.

The Ajmer Dargah Diwan said he has always been a target of the extremists due to his outspoken nature and speaking only the truth.

"The news which is circulating based on my statement is distorted. Some news channels are telecasting false news and are creating myth in the minds of the people. The wrong statements which have made are very unfortunate and are a blot on the world-popular Dargah. I have always been a target of the extremists and have always been unhappy by my tendency to speak truth, whether be it Shariyat issue, gau vansh, triple talaq or any other national issue. I have always condemned the attacks held in Jammu and Kashmir," Abedin told the media here.

Abedin further alleged that because the small-minded extremists could not digest his statements on cow slaughter ban and triple talaq, they used his family against him.

"The emblematic people have always been unhappy with me coming forward with blunt statements. When they couldn't do anything they tried to make my younger brother stand against me. Neither does my brother have any power nor authority. How can he remove me? I am the diwan according to the Supreme Court ruling. I am the Diwan, was since 1975 and will remain so till I die," he said.

Abedin's son Naseeruddin said nobody has the right to neither appoint the Diwan nor sack him.

"He will remain the Diwan till he dies. After his death, as per the Supreme Court judgement, he would be succeeded by his eldest son. His statements have always been in favour of the nation," he said.

Amid growing protests against the Uttar Pradesh Government's decision to ban illegal slaughterhouses, the spiritual head of Ajmer Dargah earlier on Monday asked the Muslim community to refrain from consuming cow meat.

Speaking to ANI, the spiritual head urged the government to legislate a special law and ban illegal slaughterhouses across the country.

"It is fine if we do not eat cow, we are not depriving ourselves from anything. Moreover it causes diabetics. I would appeal for complete ban in cow meet. The government has to make banning cow slaughter," Khan said.

Following Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's order on closing down on illegal slaughterhouses, several states, including as many as five of the BJP-ruled states have followed in for the closure of illegal abattoirs across the country.

with ANI inputs
Kolkata: The total funding in the Indian real estate sector increased by 40 percent from USD 3.8 billion in 2011 to USD 5.4 billion in 2016 but the bank share of credit had shrunked drastically from 57 percent in 2010 to less than 24 percent in 2016, a report said.

Knight Frank India in the first edition of its Capital Markets Report titled Analysis of Institutional Funding in Real Estate' noted that bank credit has shrunk drastically in the last few years from 50-57 percent in 2010 to 24 -26 percent in 2016.

"Rising NPAs, higher risk provisioning and mounting losses in the real estate industry have led to reduction in credit offered by banks," the report said.

The vacuum created by banks is filled by private equity (PE).

"Around three-fourth of the real estate sector's funding requirement is met by PE players in the past couple of years, as against one fourth in 2010," the report said.

In 2015, PE fund flow witnessed the highest amount of fund in the sector since 2010 with more than USD 3.6 bn investments across 100 plus deals.

However, in 2016 the report observed a 13 percent drop in PE fund flow with less than 60 deals in the previous year but recorded the highest amount of the average deal size amounting to USD 56 million.

"Shortages in quality retail space and increasing rental values have attracted PE players towards the retail segment in the last two years," Knight Frank said in a statement.

"As the real estate market in India matures, driven by both regulatory and market forces, we expect PE capital to play an even greater role. Creation of public markets for commercial assets in the form of REITs and sale of distressed assets by banks to reduce NPAs are some of the drivers that would attract a lot of foreign capital into the Indian real estate market, Knight Frank India ED and head (capital markets) Rajeev Bairathi said.
New Delhi: SS Rajamouli's 'Baahubali: The Conclusion' is the hottest trend on social media, all thanks to the buzz created by its prequel 'Baahubali: The Beginning'. On April 28 this year, people will finally get to know why Kattappa killed Baahubali.

And, ahead of the sequel, the filmmakers are giving cinema lovers another a chance to witness the 2015 magnum opus on the silver screen once again. Yes, you read that right! 'Baahubali: The Beginning' is all set for a re-release.

It will, once more, be taking the theaters by storm on April 7. Karan Johar on Tuesday took to Twitter to confirm the same. "The epic re release on the 7th of April!!!! #Baahubali ....watch the beginning before you see the CONCLUSION on the 28th!!!" he tweeted.

The epic re release on the 7th of April!!!! #Baahubali ....watch the beginning before you see the CONCLUSION on the 28th!!! pic.twitter.com/Z5aggmgUCZ  Karan Johar (@karanjohar) 4 April 2017

Excited much?

'Baahubali' features Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Sathyaraj, Nasser and Ramya Krishnan in pivotal roles.
New Delhi: Go on a cruise or hop on a train or board a flight and travel to various destinations like London or Singapore to indulge in art, and merge with the picturesque places that host museums and galleries, say experts.

Ratna Chadha, Chief Executive, TIRUN, India representative for Celebrity Cruises, and Gursahib Singh Sethi, Co-Founder, travel app Travkart.com, suggest a few places:

* London, England: The Victoria and Albert Museum in London showcases applied arts from around the world, including furniture, jewellery, fashion, glasswork, ceramics and sculpture. The Tate Britain is another art museum you must visit when you make a trip to London. The building contains the largest collection of British art in the world, with pieces dating from the 1500s to modern times. The National Gallery, located in Trafalgar square, is also a delight to visit as it hosts over 2,300 works of art. Cruise enthusiasts can visit the National Maritime Museum in Greater London to browse through paintings that focus on the many moods of the sea and the travails of navigation.

* Florence, Italy: The Galleria dell'Accademia houses the renowned David' by Michelangelo, besides other sculptures by the artist and a collection of breath-taking Renaissance paintings. The Uffizi, on the other hand, is located near the sparkling Arno River and must be visited if you wish to behold the world's most fascinating collection of Italian Renaissance art. Very close to the Uffizi gallery is the Loggia dei Lanzi, an open-air museum that showcases antique sculptures. Built in the 14th century, this museum is very easily accessible as it requires no entry fee.

* Singapore: The best Asian contemporary art can be enjoyed at the Singapore Art Museum, which was inaugurated in 1996. Pay a visit to the National Gallery to indulge in an extensive collection of Singaporean and Southeast Asian art that dates from the 19th century, all the way down to modern times. Another building that houses priceless pieces of art is the Peranakan Museum, dedicated to the culture of Peranakans - descendants of Straits Born Chinese. The items displayed at the museum include carved wedding bands and stunning ceremonial costumes.

* Aarhus, Denmark: Aarhus is Denmark's second-largest city and a buzzing cultural hub. A walk down the city's streets will lead you to discover a seemingly endless number of galleries where you can spend hours browsing through art. The ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, established in 1859, is one of the largest art museums in Northern Europe. You can visit the ten-storey building to observe the museum's large art collection as well as special exhibitions of Danish artists. The roof of the museum features an iconic rainbow panorama basement, while the gallery in the basement is influenced by Dante's The Divine Comedy.

* Paris, France: History and art are present at every corner of the city, and vacationers can begin with a visit to the Musee Carnavalet, which is a tribute to the history of Paris. The Musee Picasso, as the name suggests, allows one to browse through the works of Pablo Picasso and the Maison Europeenne de la Photographie is dedicated to modern photographic art. Visitors also throng the famous Louvre museum, which has become a central landmark of the city. Another art museum, the Musee d'Orsay, showcases works by remarkable artists including Van Gogh, Manet, Cezanne and Renoir.

* The block printing art and fresco paintings on Havelis of Mandawa, Fatehpur, and Nawal garh are sure to mesmerize those exploring Rajasthan.

* Those travelling to south, will get a chance to experience the awe inspiring paintings with subtle colours, detailed refinement and gesso work depicting the scenes from Hindu mythology. The brilliant art skills carried out on clothes in Mysore will surely mesmerize the art enthusiast.
Gandhi, who had held a month long Kisan Yatra in UP seeking loan waiver for farmers, asked Centre to extend loan relief to farmers in other states as well.

By Supriya Bhardwaj, Balkrishna: A day after the Yogi government waived off farmers loan upto Rs 1 lakh, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi through a series of tweets termed the move as 'partial relief' for UP farmers.

Amethi MP, Gandhi in his tweets said, "A partial relief for UP farmers, but a step in the right direction. @INCIndia has always supported loan waivers for farmers in distress. I'm happy BJP has finally been forced to see reason. But let's not play politics with our farmers who are suffering across the country."

advertisement

Gandhi, who had held a month long Kisan Yatra in UP seeking loan waiver for farmers, asked Centre to extend loan relief to farmers in other states as well.

"The Central Govt must have a national response to the widespread distress & not discriminate amongst states," Gandhi tweeted.

If PM can provide debt relief to the richest ppl in the country,why not to the farmers who have built this country?https://t.co/XwvaEuQ6kV Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) 31 March 2017

Meanwhile, Congress MPs huddled in Parliament to chart out the strategy. Congress president Sonia Gandhi along with Rahul headed the meeting wherein 25 MPs - from Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha - brainstormed the strategy for the remaining Budget session.

According to sources the issues that were discussed included GST bill in Rajya Sabha, farm loan waiver, faulty EVMs.

Watch Video: Farmers' loan waived: Honest credit payers penalised for paying off loans?

Also Read:

In first cabinet meet, Yogi Adityanath keeps election promise, waives farmers' loan upto Rs 1 lakh

--- ENDS ---
Lucknow: Days after he asserted that he will stay loyal to Mulayam Singh Yadav, senior Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday.

The meeting has triggered intense speculation in SP and BJP party circles even as there's no word from either side on the agenda of the interaction.

However, Shivpal has been steadfast in his commitment to Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav).

"I am with Netaji (Mulayam) and would stay with him," he had said last week. Shivpal's comments came after Mulayam, in a public outburst, said that his son had insulted him and his brother Shivpal.

Shivpal later said that voters understood that "one who is not loyal to his father, cannot be loyal to anyone" which led to the party's poll debacle in UP assembly elections where the SP got only 47 seats out 403.

He also went to the extent of saying "Jo apne baap kaa nahi ho saka, woh aapka kya hogaa (how can a person who is not loyal to his father, be loyal to you)."

The SP patron also mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi during one of his election rallies in Kannauj had also echoed the same sentiment.

Shivpal's meeting with Adityanath comes after the much-talked about meeting between the CM and Mulayam Singh Yadav's younger son Prateek and his wife Aparna.

Adityanath had later visited a cow shelter run by an NGO managed by Aparna.

Aparna has also alleged that he lost the assembly election from Lucknow Cantt due to back-biting from Samajwadi Party leaders

She also rejected speculations that she is planning to join the BJP.
Lucknow: After putting a blanket ban on cigarettes and gutkha in government offices, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has now reportedly directed the Directorate of Higher Education to ensure proper dress code for colleges across the state.

According to News18.com, a government directive, send to nearly 158 government colleges and 331 government-aided colleges in Uttar Pradesh, has asked teachers to dress up modestly and ''give up jeans and t-shirts.

All the faculty members and other university officials are requested to come in on time in modest clothing and perform their duties with responsibility. Jeans and T-shirts are prohibited while on duty, said a circular issued on March 31 by the Directorate of Higher Education.

The circular carrying the signature of Urmila Singh, the joint director of higher education, says bio-metric systems will be installed in all government colleges to mark attendance and ensure timely and transparent working.

This move coincides with the Yogi Adityanath government's crackdown on smoking, and consumption of pan masala and gutkha in government offices, schools and colleges.
Lucknow: The BJP on Wednesday took a jibe at the Samajwadi Party-Congress coalition in Uttar Pradesh, saying both the parties differed in their opinions on the decision of the Yogi Adityanath government to waive farm loans.

Uttar Pradesh BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said, "It seems there is a difference of opinion among the constituents of the SP-Congress alliance.

On one hand, Rahul Gandhi has termed it as a step in the right direction, while Akhilesh (Yadav) has not endorsed his views and alleged that crores of farmers have been duped.

"It seems that the knots of the coalition are gradually opening up, though Akhilesh has said the SP-Congress combine would continue."

Reacting to the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to waive the loans of small and marginalised farmers, SP national president Akhilesh Yadav had yesterday tweeted, "The promise was to completely waive the loans, and not putting any limit.

Crores of farmers have been duped by fixing the upper limit as Rs 1 lakh. The poor farmers have been deceived."

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, while reacting to the Uttar Pradesh government's move, today tweeted, "Congress supports loan waiver for farmers bt this is only partial relief. Central Gov must respond to ease distress of farmers across country (sic)."

Endorsing the loan waiver, Rahul further said (in his tweet), "A partial relief for UP farmers. A step in right direction. @INCIndia has always supported loan waivers for farmers in distress. I'm happy that BJP has finally been forced to see reason."

Rahul then went on to say, "But let's not play politics with our farmers who are suffering across the country. The Central Govt must have a national response to the widespread distress & not discriminate amongst states (sic)."

Delivering on BJP's poll promise to farmers in Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath cabinet yesterday decided to waive their crop loans up to Rs 1 lakh, totalling a staggering Rs 36,359 crore, at its very first meeting.

The move will benefit over 2.15 crore farmers, besides seven lakh others who had secured loans which turned into non-performing assets (NPAs).

The Yogi Adityanath cabinet decided to float Kisan Rahat Bonds for raising Rs 36,359 crore to waive the loans of small and marginal farmers who account for 92.5 per cent of the 2.30 lakh farmers in the state.

The decision was taken over a fortnight after Adityanath took over the reins of the state on March 19 after the BJP and its allies stormed to power in the 403-member Assembly capturing 325 seats, an over three-fourths majority.
Kanpur: A Kanpur-based Muslim woman, who had received talaq through speed post within three month of her marriage, will now knock at the doors of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Prime Minister's Office for justice.

The man Nasir Khan, who married Aliya Siddiqui in November 2016, had sent her three divorce papers in January 2017 through speed post.

Aliya said that Nasir, an employee of Sahayak Shram Ayukt at Bijnor, was married to some other woman since 2014, adding that he married her just for dowry.

"We even gifted them Swift Desire car as demanded by his family. But on the weeding day, they demanded a bigger car saying that he is a reputed government employee," she said.

Aliya further said that she even filed a complaint about it in Nasir's office in Bijnor after which her in-laws threatened her to take back the complaint.

"How can triple talaq happen through speed post? I will go to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and the Prime Minister for justice," she added.

The Allahabad High Court had in December 2016 held that the practice of triple talaq is 'cruel' and raised an issue that whether the Muslim Personal Law could be amended to provide relief to the Muslim women.

The High Court also stated that the form of 'instant divorce' is 'most demeaning'.

The Supreme Court is to hear multiple pleas challenging the validity of triple talaq, 'nikah halala' and polygamy practices among Muslims community on May 11 by a Constitution bench during the summer vacation.

Earlier on March 27, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told the apex court that the pleas challenging such practices among Muslims were not maintainable as the issues fell outside the realm of judiciary.

With ANI inputs
New Delhi: The Yogi Adityanath government received some rare praise on Wednesday after Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi expressed solidarity with the waiver of farmer loans in Uttar Pradesh.

In a series of tweets, the Gandhi scion said that the loan waiver farmers in Uttar Pradesh is only a partial relief and sought central government's respond to ease farmers' distress across the country.

He also asked the rival BJP, which rules both at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh, to not discriminate amongst states.

On Tuesday evening, at the first cabinet meeting called by Yogi Adityanath, 15 days after he took oath as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister , the UP government announced that loans of less than one lakh taken by small and marginal farmers, amounting to over 30,000 crores, would be waived off.

It also wrote off almost 6,000 crore in bad loans and said these measures would benefit 92.5 per cent of UP's farmers, who owe banks a total Rs. 62,000 crore.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the farmers cannot stand on their feet "with half truth but with full loan waiver".

He said, "The total loans is of Rs 92,241 crore on farmers of Uttar Pradesh and government has only partially waived the crop loans of Rs 36,000 crore leaving them high and dry."

"The Rs 56,241 crore worth of term loans on farmers of the state remain and the BJP has only befooled the farmers by announcing a populist measure that will not help them come out of distress," he said further.

Yogi Aditynath broke with the tradition of calling a cabinet meeting immediately after he was sworn in. By delaying the meet he was able to keep an election promise made by the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had said a farm loan waiver would be announced in the first cabinet meeting if the BJP came to power in UP.

The BJP had been forced to see reason, said Rahul Gandhi, who has been demanding a waiver of loans for distressed farmers across the country.

The Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi's partner for the UP elections, was more critical, calling the waiver announced on Tuesday a betrayal of farmers.

"Promise was to waive the entire loan... farmers are feeling cheated as the government fixed a limit of Rs. one lakh. The poor farmers have been betrayed," Akhilesh Yadav tweeted on Tuesday.
New Delhi: A kind of mud therapy is being used on Taj Mahal as the white marble structure is changing colour, the government told the Rajya Sabha today after members voiced concern over the maintenance of the world famous monument.

Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said efforts are also being made to reduce the impact of insects on the 17th century structure.

During the Question Hour, members voiced concern over the maintenance of Taj Mahal, while referring to change in the colour of the marble structure and the damage caused by insects.

Sharma said a kind of mud therapy, involving application of a paste of 'multani mitti', was being undertaken to preserve the colour of the monument.

It has been applied on three-fourths of the structure and is "showing results", he added.

He added that the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has also submitted a report about the upkeep of the Taj.

To another question, Sharma said the irrigation department had proposed creating a barrage to raise the water level of the Yamuna which has been approved by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Now it is for the state government of Uttar Pradesh to take a further action, the minister said.

Sharma also said that his ministry was planning a tourism circuit in Western Uttar Pradesh which would include the 'Dalit Prerna Sthal', F1 circuit, night safari, Kasna temple etc.

He said a proposal related to construction of national highways and overhead bridges etc near the protected monuments was under the consideration of the Law ministry.

DMK member Tiruchi Siva wanted to know whether the government had rejected the findings of a previous committee on 'Ram Setu' as it has set up a new panel.

Sharma responded by saying that the government had not rejected the earlier findings.

He added that if there are any suggestions, there is a procedure and a new committee of experts may in the right perspective carry out a review.
Brussels: Britain and France on Wednesday renewed their call for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to go, after a suspected chemical weapons attack by Damascus killed scores of people in a rebel-held area.

Foreign ministers Boris Johnson of Britain and Jean-Marc Ayrault of France spoke during an international conference on Syria, which the European Union convened in Brussels in a bid to shore up stalled peace talks between Assad and his rivals.

"This is a barbaric regime that has made it impossible for us to imagine them continuing to be an authority over the people of Syria after this conflict is over," Johnson said.

Ayrault said the attack was a test for the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The future of Assad, who is backed militarily and politically by Russia and Iran, has been the main point of contention blocking progress in talks. The war has raged for more than six years, killing 320,000 people, displacing millions and leaving civilians facing dire humanitarian conditions.

"The need for humanitarian aid and the protection of Syrian civilians has never been greater. The humanitarian appeal for a single crisis has never been higher," United Nations` Secretary General Antonio Guterres said.

The UN has called for $8 billion this year to deal with the crisis and the Brussels gathering was due to come up with fresh pledges of aid.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Hours before the UN Security Council meets over a resolution proposed by Washington, London and Paris on the attack, Guterres said: "We have been asking for accountability on the crimes that have been committed and I am confident the Security Council will live up to its responsibilities."

The three countries blamed Assad for the attack. Russia said it believed the toxic gas had leaked from a rebel chemical weapons depot struck by Syrian bombs, setting the stage for a diplomatic collision at the Security Council.

In condemning Assad, Trump did not say how he would respond. The attack came a week after Trump`s Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and UN envoy Nikki Haley said their focus was on defeating Islamic State in Syria rather than pushing Assad out.

"Under Obama, we agreed that Assad had to go, but now it is unclear where the Trump position lies," said a senior EU diplomat.

On the aid front, Germany pledged 1.2 billion euros ($1.28 billion) for 2017 on top of its previous commitments. London offered an additional one billion pounds ($1.25 billion).

The EU and its members have so far mobilised about 9.5 billion euros in Syria emergency humanitarian aid, Brussels says.



The bloc says it will withhold development aid and not pay for any reconstruction if Damascus and its backers wipe out Syria`s opposition and moderate rebels, regaining full control of the country but denying its ethnic and religious groups political representation.

"But behind this line, there are divisions in the EU on Assad. Some are hawkish, some others want to think whether we could work with him somehow," another senior EU diplomat said.

"The EU`s internal splits only add up to those among the big players in this war. There is a sense of despair but the international community just cannot agree on how to fix Syria."
Beijing: Diplomatic tensions visibly escalated over the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, as China on Wednesday lodged a protest with India and said that by ignoring Beijing`s concerns over the issue New Delhi has caused "serious damage" to bilateral ties.

As the Tibetan spiritual leader entered Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh to proceed to Tawang for a major Buddhist event, China struck a strident note in its protest against the move.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, addressing a regular briefing, voiced her country`s "firm opposition" to the Dalai Lama`s visit and said Beijing would lodge "stern representations with the Indian side".

Later, the Chinese side lodged a protest with Indian Ambassador Vijay Gokhale in Beijing over the Dalai Lama`s visit.

Hua said that India "in disregard" to China`s concerns "obstinately" went ahead to arrange the Tibetan leader`s visit, causing "serious damage" to China`s interests and China-India relations.

She said that India should "immediately cease using the Dalai Lama`s mistaken behaviour to damage China`s interests" and not "hype up sensitive" bilateral issues.

The Foreign Ministry statement comes as the Chinese state-run media also slammed the Dalai Lama`s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims is disputed and part of south Tibet. India has said that Arunachal Pradesh is an inseparable part of its territory.

The Global Times accused the Indian government of "openly using" the Dalai Lama "as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage".

It said India was trying to play the Tibet card against China as "New Delhi is dissatisfied with Beijing`s stance over its membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its request to name Masood Azhar, head of Pakistani militant group, to a UN Security Council blacklist", it said.

On Tuesday, India said that no political motive should be attributed to the Dalai Lama`s visit to Arunachal Pradesh and asked China not to interfere in its affairs.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, said: "India has always been non-interfering in the neighbours` internal affairs in our approach. In the same manner, we expect the same from our neighbours."
Reports said the men accused of smuggling produced documents to prove their innocence, but to no avail. Rajasthan home minister made a statement that both the "gaurakshaks" and those who were thrashed are to be blamed.

By India Today Web Desk: Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria partly defended the "gaurakshaks" who attacked 15 people in Alwar district while they were transporting cows.

"The problem is from both the sides. People know cow-trafficking is illegal but they do it. Gau Bhakts [sic] try to stop those who indulge in such crimes," said Gulab Chand as reported by NDTV.

advertisement

"However, taking law in one's hand is wrong. Police will act against both sides", he later added.

The incident took place on the Behror highway in Alwar on Saturday. At least 15 men from Haryana were attacked by "gaurakshaks" even after they showed the documents to prove that they had bought the cows from a livestock fair in Jaipur.

A video showing how the men were dragged out of their truck and thrashed went viral. According to a local cop, the attackers were cow vigilantes associated with the VHP and the Bajrang Dal.

Pehlu Khan, one of the 15 people who were attacked while transporting cows, died two days after being brutally beaten up. The other men are recuperating at an Alwar hospital yet Rajasthan's home minister blames the victims.

The police has lodged a case against the attackers under Indian Penal Code sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 147 (destruction of property), 308 (culpable homicide) and 379 (theft). After the 55-year-old Muslim man died, IPC Section 302 (murder) has also been added.

However, the men who were attacked have also been charged under the Rajasthan Bovine Animals(Prohibition of Slaughter & Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 1995.

Also read: Cattle battle: Cows of Benaras tell us what 'gau-mata' really wants

Also read: Rajasthan: Human rights activists slam BJP leaders for falsely implicating hotel over beef

--- ENDS ---
Beijing: A senior Uighur official in China`s restive western region of Xinjiang has admonished other Communist Party "cadres" from the mostly Muslim Uighur minority for failing to pull their weight in the fight against terrorism, state media said.

China has increased security in Xinjiang to fight what it sees as a grave threat from Islamist extremists stirring up ethnic tension.

Rights groups say that party restrictions on the religion and culture of the Uighurs create simmering resentment of the state and of policies that encourage the majority Han people to move to the region in vast numbers.

"I have become deeply aware, in these severely complicated circumstances, that we Uighur cadres have not taken on the bulk of the work (in fighting terrorism)," said Mehmet Emin Bekri, a top official in south Xinjiang`s Kashgar city, according to a post on an official city account on WeChat, a popular social media app.

"(Our) work ethic is superficial, (our) stabilty measures half-hearted, and there is a clear gap between (our) security work and the demands of the central, regional and prefectural party committees," he said.

A former trading post, Kashgar is central to China`s One Belt, One Road initiative, President Xi Jinping`s signature foreign and economic policy that aims to create a new "Silk Road" of trade and infrastructure links between China and the developing nations of Euroasia.

But the city and nearby towns in southern Xinjiang are also among the most unstable in the region, creating a threat to plans that the party is combating with mass police rallies and a raft of new "anti-terror" measures.

"We must be soberly aware that... the infiltration of religious extremist thought is intense, the group influence is large, the scope wide, the level of poison deep, especially among people born in the 1980s and 1990s," Bekri said.

Bekri`s remarks were published alongside photos of him meeting with white-bearded elderly Uighurs wearing traditional hats over meals of flat bread.

The party encourages ethnic minorities to become cadres, but Uighurs still number far fewer than Han officials in the region, and as all party employees are expected to be atheist, they are often seen by fellow Uighurs as having abandoned their culture.
Aden: Thirteen rebels were killed as air raids by the Saudi-led Arab coalition struck their positions on the coast of western Yemen on Wednesday, military and medical officials said.

Warplanes and Apache helicopters took part in the raids that targeted rebel positions in Taif and Nakhliya, 10 kilometres (six miles) south of the Red Sea city of Hodeida, a military official said.

Medical officials said 13 rebels were killed in the strikes.

The raids destroyed five fishing boats allegedly used by the Shiite Huthi rebels to deliver arms to the isle of Tarfa, around five kilometres offshore, the military official said.

The warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition, which intervened in 2015 in support of the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, target rebel positions regularly.

The government has said Hodeida is its next target in a military campaign to push rebels out of the lengthy Red Sea coast, mainly to stop arms smuggling to the insurgents.

The coalition called last month on the United Nation to place the port under its supervision, shortly after more than 40 Somali refugees were shot dead on board a boat off Hodeida.

The UN urged warring parties yesterday to "ensure the continued functioning" of the port because it remains the main point of entry for humanitarian aid.

More than 7,700 people -- most of them civilians -- have been killed in Yemen's war since the March 2015 military intervention of the coalition, the World Heath Organization says.

The United Nations says seven million people face serious risk of famine in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country unless international donors intervene.
Beijing: Angry over the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Chinese state-run media on Wednesday said New Delhi`s inviting the Tibetan spiritual leader to the "sensitive region" would "gravely damage" India-China relations.

The Global Times, in a belligerent editorial, also said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi "unlike his predecessors" was taking a different stance on the Dalai Lama issue by "raising public engagements with the monk and challenging Beijing`s bottom line" on Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing considers disputed and a part of south Tibet.

The editorial comes as the Dalai Lama entered Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday by road, en-route to Tawang where he is to attend an important Buddhist event.

On Tuesday as he entered Bomdila, in Arunachal Pradesh, the Dalai Lama was received by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, and members of the Tibetan community.

The Global Times said: "The Dalai Lama was received by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in December, and invited by Pema Khandu, "chief minister" of "Arunachal Pradesh," to Tawang this month. "It`s a behavioral change you are seeing. India is more assertive," Rijiju openly said in an interview with Reuters earlier.

"Amid Beijing-New Delhi conflicts, the Dalai Lama is now openly used by India as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage," it commented.

According to the Global Times, India is trying to play the Tibet card against China as "New Delhi is dissatisfied with Beijing`s stance over its membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its request to name Masood Azhar, head of Pakistani militant group, to a UN Security Council blacklist".

It says that "China has never thought of making trouble for India, and is handling these issues in accordance with international practices and UN regulations".

It said that India is also exploring the option of linking the strategic border district of Tawang with a railway network, and termed it "another provocation against Beijing".

India has also invited a "parliamentary" delegation from Taiwan in February.

It went on to say that "New Delhi may have underestimated Beijing`s determination to safeguard its core interests".

"Many countries have pledged not to extend invitations to the Dalai Lama. As the two largest emerging economies, China and India have great potential for cooperation. India should overcome its suspicions against China."

It ended with a dire warning, "China doesn`t allow India to free ride on its economic growth while jeopardizing Beijing`s core interests".

The editorial comes a day after the Chinese Foreign Ministry termed the Dalai Lama as "an anti-China separatist" and also said the Chinese government is "resolutely opposed to any country`s support and facilitation" for him and his "group`s anti-China separatist activities" - without directly alluding to India.

On Tuesday, India said that no political motive should be attributed to the Dalai Lama`s visit to Arunachal Pradesh and asked China not to interfere in its affairs.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, said: "India has always been non-interfering in the neighbours` internal affairs in our approach. In the same manner, we expect the same from our neighbours."

"When Dalai Lamaji is in Arunachal Pradesh, he will be confined only to religious matters. He is not there to make any political statement and he is not there with any political motive," he said.

Rijiju, who is scheduled to go to Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday to meet the Dalai Lama, said India has never questioned China`s sovereignty and "has respectfully adhered to the one-China policy".

"So we expect that China also should not interfere in our internal matters," he stated.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said the Dalai Lama has visited the state six times earlier and no "additional colour" should be given to his visit starting from April 5.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang last week said China was firmly opposed to any visit by the Dalai Lama to the disputed border region.

"China is gravely concerned about this. Our stance on the eastern part of the China-India border is clear and consistent," Lu said.

In another article in Global Times, a Chinese expert has said that the Dalai Lama`s visit to the disputed zone "will hurt Sino-Indian ties".

"The Dalai`s visit to Tawang, which China hopes will be returned, will affect relations between China and India," an expert from the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Tikrit: At least 31 people were killed, including 14 police officers, and more than 40 wounded in attacks overnight by Islamic State militants in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, security and medical sources said on Wednesday.

The militants wore police uniforms and used a police vehicle to enter the city, 175 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad, police colonel Khalid Mahmoud told Reuters. He said there were around 10 attackers, including two suicide bombers.Mahmoud told Reuters. He said there were around 10 attackers, including two suicide bombers.

Islamic State`s Amaq news agency said seven suicide fighters attacked a police position and the home of the head of the city`s counter-terrorism service, who was killed. The assailants blew themselves up when they ran out of ammunition, it said.

A total of 31 bodies were taken to hospital, including 14 policemen, said Nawfal Mustafa, a doctor at the city`s main hospital. The death toll rose during the morning as the bodies of civilians killed in their shops were found.

The attacks targeted a police checkpoint and the house of a police colonel, who was killed with four members of his family, officers said.

Two suicide attackers detonated their vests when surrounded by police, and three others were killed in separate clashes.

Five militants are thought to be hiding and Mahmoud said Tikrit authorities had declared a curfew on Wednesday. Sporadic gunfire could be heard in the morning.

A U.S.-backed offensive is underway to dislodge Islamic State from the remaining districts under its control in Mosul, 225 km away, the group`s last major urban stronghold in Iraq.

The militants overran about a third of Iraq`s territory nearly three years ago, capturing most Sunni Arab cities located north and west of Baghdad, including Tikrit.

Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Shi`ite militias drove the militants away from Tikrit two years ago. Tikrit is the home region of Saddam Hussein, the former president toppled in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Moscow: Russia denied on Wednesday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was to blame for a poison gas attack and said it would continue to back him, setting the Kremlin on course for its biggest diplomatic collision yet with Donald Trump`s White House.

Western countries, including the United States, blamed Assad`s armed forces for the worst chemical attack in Syria for more than four years, which choked scores of people to death in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in a rebel-held area on Tuesday.

Washington said it believed the deaths were caused by sarin nerve gas dropped by Syrian aircraft. But Moscow offered an alternative explanation that would shield Assad: that the poison gas belonged to rebels and had leaked from an insurgent weapons depot hit by Syrian bombs.

Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, rejected Russia`s account: "That strains credulity," said one. "Russian assertions do not comport with reality."

The United States, Britain and France have proposed a draft UN Security Council resolution that would pin the blame on Damascus. But the Russian Foreign Ministry called the resolution "unacceptable" and said it was based on "fake information".

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would take its case blaming the rebels for the poisoning to the United Nations.

"Russia and its armed forces will continue their operations to support the anti-terrorist operations of Syria`s armed forces to free the country," Peskov told reporters.

Video uploaded to social media showed civilians sprawled on the ground, some in convulsions, others lifeless. Rescue workers hose down the limp bodies of small children, trying to wash away chemicals. People wail and pound on the chests of victims.

The charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said one of its hospitals in Syria had treated patients "with symptoms - dilated pupils, muscle spasms, involuntary defection - consistent with exposure to neuro-toxic agents such as sarin".

The World Health Organization also said the symptoms were consistent with exposure to a nerve agent.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the attack had killed more than 100 people. That death toll could not be independently confirmed.

Hasan Haj Ali, commander of the Free Idlib Army rebel group, called the Russian statement blaming the rebels a "lie" and said rebels did not have the capability to produce nerve gas.
Moscow: Russia on Wednesday said it was pushing on with its support for President Bashar al-Assad`s forces in Syria, after deflecting blame from Damascus over a suspected chemical attack.

"Russia and its armed forces are continuing the operation to support the anti-terrorist operation to liberate the country, which the Syrian armed forces are conducting," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.
Moscow: Russia`s defence ministry said on Wednesday that a poisonous gas contamination in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun was the result of gas leaking from a rebel chemical weapons depot after it was hit by Syrian government air strikes.

The United States has blamed the administration of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the attack, in which scores of people are reported to have been killed.

"Yesterday, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm local time, Syrian aviation made a strike on a large terrorist ammunition depot and a concentration of military hardware in the eastern outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun town," Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konoshenkov said in a statement posted on YouTube.

"On the territory of the depot there were workshops which produced chemical warfare munitions."

He said the chemical munitions had been used by rebels in Aleppo last year. "The poisoning symptoms of the victims in Khan Sheikhoun shown on videos in social networks are the same as they were in autumn of the previous year in Aleppo," Konoshenkov said. as
Beirut: The death toll from a suspected chemical attack on a northern Syrian town rose to 75 today as activists and rescue workers found more terrified survivors hiding in shelters near the site of the assault, one of the deadliest in Syria's civil war.

Meanwhile, the United States today warned that it could take unilateral action if the United Nations fails to respond to a suspected chemical attack in Syria that has left scores dead, including children.

The warning came from US Ambassador Nikki Haley during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council called by France and Britain following the attack in the early hours Tuesday on a rebel-held town in Idlib province.

"When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," Haley said, without elaborating.

A Syrian opposition group said renewed airstrikes hit the town of Khan Sheikhoun a day after the attack, which the Trump administration and others have blamed on the government of President Bashar Assad, as well as his main patrons, Russia and Iran.

Damascus and Moscow have denied they were behind the attack. Russia's Defence Ministry said the toxic agents were released when a Syrian airstrike hit a rebel arsenal, an account Britain dismissed at an emergency UN session called in response to the attack.

British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the UK had seen nothing that would suggest rebels "have the sort of chemical weapons that are consistent with the symptoms that we saw yesterday."

Russia said it would submit information from its Defense Ministry to the Security Council debate.

A resolution drafted by Britain, France, and the US stresses the Syrian government's obligation to provide information about its air operations, including the names of those in command of any helicopter squadrons on the day of the attack.

Diplomats were also meeting in Brussels for a major donors' conference on the future of Syria and the region.

Representatives from 70 countries were present.

The attack on Khan Sheikhoun killed dozens of people on Tuesday, leaving residents gasping for breath and convulsing in the streets. Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using fire hoses to wash the chemicals from victims' bodies.

Haunting images of lifeless children piled in heaps reflected the magnitude of the attack, which was reminiscent of a 2013 chemical assault that left hundreds dead and was the worst in the country's six-year conflict.

The Turkish Health Ministry said three victims of the attack died while being treated in Turkey, and that 29 people wounded in the attack were still being cared for in hospitals in the country. Syrian opposition groups had previously reported 72 dead.

Turkey set up a decontamination center at a border crossing in the province of Hatay following the attack, where the victims are initially treated before being moved to hospitals.

Syrian doctors said a combination of toxic gases is suspected to have been released during the airstrikes, causing the high death toll and severe symptoms.

The World Health Organisation and the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders said victims of the attack appear to show symptoms consistent with exposure to a nerve agent.

In a statement, the agency said "the likelihood of exposure to a chemical attack is amplified by an apparent lack of external injuries reported in cases showing a rapid onset of similar symptoms, including acute respiratory distress as the main cause of death."
"It has nothing to do with you (BJP). Don't try claiming Ram Navami as your own programme", Mamata Banerjee said, reminding that several religious groups had been observing the day in the state for years.

By Romita Datta, Indrajit Kundu: On a day West Bengal witnessed competitive politics playing out over Ram Navami celebrations, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has slammed the BJP, alleging that the party was trying to hijack the religious event for political gains.

"It has nothing to do with you (BJP). Don't try claiming Ram Navami as your own programme", she said, reminding that several religious groups had been observing the day in the state for years.

advertisement

Ironically, even as the Trinamool Congress supremo hit out at the BJP for trying to usurp credit for holding religious celebrations on account of Ram Navami, her party members could be heard chanting "Jai Shree Ram" slogans in processions across districts.

TMC's RAM NAVAMI PROCESSION IN DARJEELING

In Darjeeling, the party's district youth unit took out a "Ram Navami" procession with Trinamool flags and banners at the Siliguri Gandhi Maidan. In Howrah, Trinamool Congress Minister Laxmi Ratan Shukla led a huge rally with saffron flags. Similar rallies were taken out in Birbhum district as well. "We have been celebrating Ram Navami too. It's not that Lord Rama got enrolled in the BJP. Let's not politicise a religious event", said senior Bengal minister Subrata Mukherjee.

Trinamool Congress suppporters celebrating Ram Navami.

Speaking at an administrative meeting in Bankura district, Mamata also accused the BJP of using Hindu symbols to gain political mileage. "We all chant 'Om'. It's not your party symbol. Who has given them (BJP) the right to insult 'Om'. They are using Hindu symbols for party events while chanting sabka saaath, sabka vikas!", she said.

"India is a country of 33 crore gods and goddesses. Some worship Ram while others worship Rahim. Just as we celebrate Durga and Kali puja, similarly I fast during Ramzan", Mamata said, accusing the BJP of trying to create a communal divide in the state.

TRINAMOOL'S DECISION TO CELEBRATE AN AFTERTHOUGHT?

But the Trinamool Congress' decision to celebrate the event seemed more of an afterthought. This after West Bengal BJP unit President Dilip Ghosh had sent an open invitation to his party MLAs, and to those of the ruling party, to take part in religious processions on the occasion of Ram Navami.

"We stand for all castes, creed, religions and communities. We cannot single out any particular festival and celebration. We celebrate Durga puja, Kali Puja, Santoshi Ma, Eid, Christmas and Guru Nanak," said a Trinamool Congress MLA in Birbhum.

"The decision to celebrate Ram Navami as an afterthought was political. She must have realised that the party could not lose the Hindi-speaking votebank in north and central Kolkata, Howrah, Bhowanipore and in some other districts. Moreover, the areas where consolidation of Hindus is happening under the BJP are troublesome and Mamata cannot afford to lose Hindu supporters. The Trinamool Congress government has been indulging in appeasement of minorities," said Biswanath Chakrabarty, Professor of RBU and poll analyst.

advertisement

DON'T HAVE TO LEARN ABOUT RAMA FROM BJP: MAMATA

"Do we have to learn about Rama and Ram Navami from them", Mamata Banerjee had sarcastically said at a government programme at Jhargram on Tuesday.

To her, Rama is the symbol of "good" fighting against the "evil forces." She equated the evil forces with the "comrades," not elaborating whether she meant the CPI(M) comrades or the cadres of VHP and RSS.

She chanted long Sanskrit shlokas at a programme on Wednesday to show that she believed in and respected all religions.

Also read | West Bengal: Eye on general elections 2019, TMC celebrates Ram Navami with full fervour

Also read | Ram Navami special: Legends about the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu

WATCH VIDEO

advertisement

--- ENDS ---
Beirut: A Syrian rebel commander denied a Russian statement on Wednesday that poison gas which killed scores of people in northwestern Syria had leaked from an insurgent chemical-weapons depot after Syrian warplanes hit it.

Hasan Haj Ali, commander of the Free Idlib Army rebel group, said no rebel military positions in the area were targeted on Tuesday.

"Everyone saw the plane while it was bombing with gas," he told Reuters from northwestern Syria.

"Likewise, all the civilians in the area know that there are no military positions there, or places for the manufacture (of weapons). The various factions of the opposition are not capable of producing these substances," he said.

He called the Russian statement "a lie".
Strasbourg: Brexit champion Nigel Farage on Wednesday outraged the European Parliament on Wednesday when he branded the EU as "gangsters" and "mafia" over its negotiation demands.

As the European parliament prepared to vote on its red lines for Brexit talks, former UK Independence Party chief Farage said the European Union was treating Britain like a hostage.

"You are behaving like the mafia. You think we are a hostage. We are not. We are free to go," he said, triggering cries of indignation and jeers from many of his fellow MEPs.

The parliament`s Italian chief Antonio Tajani interrupted Farage to say it was "unacceptable" for him to compare the parliament to the mafia.

"Mr President, I do understand national sensitivities. I will change it to gangsters and that is how we are being treated. We are being given a ransom note," Farage replied.

Farage blasted the EU over its demands to negotiate divorce terms before striking a post-Brexit trade deal, as well as its stance on the British territory of Gibraltar and its multi-billion dollar exit bill.

Farage joined British fury after the European Union said last week that Spain should have a veto on extending any trade deal to Gibraltar after the British leave the bloc.

"Gibraltar is clearly a deal breaker," Farage said.
United Nations: The UN Security Council will hold emergency talks on Wednesday after a suspected chemical attack in Syria left over 50 dead and many wounded, a media report said.

The attack on a rebel-held town brought furious international reaction, with the US and other powers blaming the Syrian government for the deaths, the BBC reported.

Officials in Damascus, however, denied using any such weapons.

The attack will overshadow a conference in the Belgian capital Brussels at which 70 donor nations will discuss aid efforts in Syria, the BBC report said.

Delegates want to step up humanitarian access for thousands of civilians trapped by fighting.

The Syrian Civil War has raged for more than six years with still no political solution in sight.

Nearly five million Syrians have fled the country and more than six million are internally displaced, the UN said. More than 250,000 people have been killed.

Wednesday's emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was called by France and the UK as international outrage mounted over the suspected gas attack on Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province on Tuesday.

Britain's Ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, described it as "very bad news for peace in Syria", the BBC said.

"This is clearly a war crime and I call on the Security Council members who have previously used their vetoes to defend the indefensible to change their course," he told reporters in New York.

Footage from the scene showed civilians, many of them children, choking and foaming at the mouth.

Witnesses said clinics treating the injured were then targeted by air strikes.

UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 58, including 11 children.

It was unable to say what chemical was dropped but pro-opposition groups said it was believed to be the nerve agent Sarin.
United Nations: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "deeply disturbed" by reports of a suspected chemical attack on Syria but is not in a position to independently verify it.

In a statement from his spokesperson, the Secretary-General expressed condolences to the victims of the incident and their families.

He said that the UN Security Council has affirmed that the use of chemical weapons "constitutes a serious violation of international law" and runs counter to resolutions passed by the 15-member body.

While the UN has said that it is not in a position to independently verify these reports, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is in the process of gathering and analysing information to confirm if chemical weapons were used.

The OPCW is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which aims to eliminate an entire category of weapons of mass destruction by prohibiting the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, transfer or use of chemical weapons by States Parties.

Meanwhile, the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic has voiced its support for OPCW's fact-finding mission. Established by the UN Human Rights Council, the Commission works to investigate if human rights abuses that have occurred in Syria since March 2011 and who should be held responsible.

In a statement, the Commission urged "full support" for the fact-finding mission and the independent Joint Investigative Mechanism.

"It is imperative for perpetrators of such attacks to be identified and held accountable," the Commission said, adding that it is also investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack.

Preliminary information indicates a number of civilian casualties, including children.

"Both the use of chemical weapons, as well as the deliberate targeting of medical facilities, would amount to war crimes and serious violations of human rights law," the Commission said.
Istanbul: Syria's opposition today said the latest comments from Washington softening its line against President Bashar al-Assad were encouraging him to commit more crimes, after a deadly suspected chemical attack blamed on the regime.

"Until now, this (US) administration has done nothing and adopted an attitude of a spectator, making statements that give the regime an opportunity to commit more crimes," the deputy head of the Syrian National Coalition Abdelhakim Bashar told reporters in Istanbul.

The previous administration of former US president Barack Obama had always pushed for the ouster of Assad, supporting the rebels fighting against his forces.

But in an apparent U-turn, the US ambassador to the United Nations and other top officials in the new administration of President Donald Trump have said ousting Assad is no longer a priority.

"You pick and choose your battles," US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley told reporters, echoing comments made by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on a visit to Turkey last week.

But in a toughening of rhetoric, the White House accused Assad of carrying out a "reprehensible" and "intolerable" chemical attack in Syria yesterday that left at least 72 dead.

Abdelhakim Bashar said that the Assad regime posed an even greater danger to security than Islamic State (IS) jihadists and the former Al-Qaesa affiliate Al-Nusra front, now called Fateh al-Sham.

"As long as the regime is in place it won't be possible to defeat terrorism," said Bashar, whose group is the main umbrella organisation of Syrian opposition organisations.

"Even if Daesh (IS) and Al-Nusra are going to be eliminated then this regime would create new terrorist groups to ask the world to choose between it and terrorism," he said.
Washington: US President Donald Trump condemned the "intolerable" alleged chemical attack on civilians in Syria and blamed the Bashar al-Assad regime, media reports said.

"Today's chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world," Efe news quoted Trump as saying on Teusday in a statement.

Trump said that "heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution", referring to former President Barack Obama, who "said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons" in Syria but then "did nothing".

"The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack," the President concluded.

Shortly before Trump issued his statement, a senior State Department official, who asked for anonymity, told reporters that everything pointed to the fact that the chemical attack was a "war crime" and that the countries backing Assad -- Russia and Iran -- have much to answer for.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also had harsh words for Russia and Iran in his own statement condemning the attack, which killed at least 58 people in the town of Khan Sheikhoun.

"While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism," said Tillerson in the statement.

Tillerson also said that the attack is the third complaint about the use of chemical weapons in Syria in the past month.

The US accusations come after Syria denied that either its forces or Russian forces were behind the attack.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. Within the frames of events dedicated to the anniversary of Armenian Genocide, Genocide after Genocide exhibition will be held in Paris.

Bedo Demirdjian, liaison of the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy, told Armenpress the exhibition will also be held in various European cities.

The exhibition for the first time was opened in the European Parliament in February, 2016. 32 photos about the Armenian churches and religious monuments were presented during the exhibition where the Armenian monuments, churches are being compared before and after the Genocide.

The week-long exhibition had a great interest. During that period we had more than thousand visitors. People were informed what the Armenian community had had before the Armenian Genocide and what remained after that. This year we are going to hold this exhibition in various European countries. After Paris, the exhibition will be held in Lyon, Marseille, he said.
Most read of the week
The Bajrang Dal activists raised Jai Shri Ram and anti-school slogans inside the campus forcing the management to shut down immediately.

By Hemender Sharma: Bajrang Dal activists stormed the Campion School in Bhopal at around 10.30 am on Wednesday and forced its closure alleging the school was hurting religious sentiments by making students study on Ram Navmi day.

The school management, however, insisted they had declared a holiday on Tuesday on account of Ram Navmi.

The Bajrang Dal activists raised Jai Shri Ram and anti-school slogans inside the campus forcing the management to shut down immediately.

advertisement

Many parents reached the school and frantic calls were made as news about the Bajrang Dal agitation spread in the city.

Police reached the school within minutes of Bajrang Dal activists forcing their entry into the school campus but remained mute spectators. The Bajrang Dal activists left the campus only after the school secretary gave a written apology.

The school was made to give a written apology over the incident. Photo: Hemender Sharma

School principal A Lakra while talking to India Today said, "We had declared a holiday on account of Ram Navmi as per CBSE norms but I respect the sentiments of the majority community and we have given a written apology."

Bajrang Dal district coordinator Lokesh Malviya while talking to India Today said, "This missionary school always plays with the sentiments of the majority community. All schools are closed today on account of Ram Navmi. We have taken a written apology from them and we will hand over this apology to the District Education officer. We have also warned them that if they do this again we will aggressively campaign against them."

Campion is one of the oldest missionary boys school in Bhopal and many top bureaucrats and politicians including present leader of opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Rahul Singh have passed out from this school.

--- ENDS ---
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of the Republic of Artsakh told Armenpress the Azerbaijani forces violated the ceasefire 40 times firing from various caliber small arms across the Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.

The Ministry issued a statement which says: On April 4 and overnight April 5 the Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire regime 40 times by firing more than 900 shots from various caliber small arms at the Armenian positions in the Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.

In the north-eastern direction of the line of contact, the Azerbaijani armed forces also fired 60mm mortar (3 shells) and automatic grenade launcher (10 grenades).

The Defense Army forces of Artsakh are fully controlling the situation in the frontline and continue confidently fulfilling their military tasks.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. While on a working visit in Strasbourg, Armenias Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan had a meeting with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjrn Jagland, the Ombudsmans Office told Armenpress.

During the meeting the works of the Ombudsmans staff during the organization and holding of the Armenian parliamentary election were presented and discussed. In particular, the principles and priorities of the activity of a working group created for that purpose were presented. They also discussed the complaints, reports registered during the election, as well as the measures taken for solving these issues.

The CoE Secretary General was reported on the new regulations over the Law on Human Rights Defender that relate to the work of civil society and state bodies. They talked about the cooperation directions in the spheres of preventing torture and ill-treatment, protection of economic rights, as well as the rights of soldiers, children.

The results of fact-finding activities confirming Azerbaijani shelling near Chinari village of Armenias Tavush province were presented.

Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan also raised the issue of Azerbaijans anti-Armenian policy and its dangerous manifestations for the European structures and the Council of Europe in particular. By launching a prosecution towards international experts, including the MEPs and reporters, Azerbaijan cannot achieve anything, and the international organizations on human rights must be actively engaged in Artsakh.

Thorbjrn Jagland attached importance to the stance of the Human Rights Defender and the work carried out over installing European standards in Armenia.

The sides agreed to continue cooperation and take measures aimed at implementing the agreements reached at the meeting.








YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. Armenian scientists have developed New technology for magnesium production program which offers one of the effective methods of magnesium production that is unique worldwide.

Vahagn Lalayan  Head of Investment Policy Department at the Ministry of Economic Development and Investments, told Armenpress the investment program was developed by Ekatom company.

The company wants to establish a plant that will produce 1000 tons of magnesium annually. I think 1000 tons is a lot. There are few places in the world that produce magnesium. The technology presented by Armenian scientists also proposes new solutions in the field. There are a number of various methods for producing magnesium, however, the method proposed by our scientists is the most effective. According to their calculations, this program can be quite profitable. The total cost of investment program is 6 million USD, and the profitability is 18% annually, which, I think, is a good figure, Vahagn Lalayan said.

The program is presented in the investment platform of the Ministry of Economic Development and Investments and waits for investors. He said many are interested in the program. Even previously many were interested in the program, however, it hasnt been implemented for some reasons. Lalayan said problems are mainly technical that emerged between the private companies. But the circle of interested bodies is wide, although they are mainly foreign companies or individuals. Lalayan said the companies, that understand the field, perceive that this is a unique field. Not all investors will be interested in the program, one needs to understand it a little, he said.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. A group of Armenian young people failed the lecture-discussion of Turkish historian Ilber Ortayli on April 4 in the Kaslik Holy Spirit University of Lebanon. The historian is an infamous denier of the Armenian Genocide.

Members of the ARF Zavarian student union condemned Turkeys denial policy over the Armenian Genocide by a peaceful demonstration.

The Armenian students stood up during the lecture, with was being held through cooperation with the Yunus Emre Institute, and chanted Genocide denier, Turkey is guilty for Genocide, Shame on Turkey, We are here.

The students were wearing white shirts, with April 24, Eastern Turkey is Western Armenia, Hrant Dink, Sevak Balykch written on them.

They called on the historian to tell the truth and left the classroom. Asked about the Armenian Genocide when everyone had already left the room, the Turkish historian avoided to give an answer.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. By the assessment of the National Assembly Speaker of Armenia Galust Sahakyan, the parliamentary elections held on April 2 showed that Armenia in the face of political forces and citizens, has an opportunity, wish and will for advancing. Our citizens and political forces could confidently realize the possibility of having safer and more welfare, more secure and more developed state through elections, Armenpress was informed from the press service of the parliament of Armenia.

The Speaker of the National Assembly Galust Sahakyan particularly noted in his statement on the elections of the National Assembly: These elections were elections consolidating people, who irrespective of their results, witnessed that with presenting different programmes, the political forces feel themselves responsible for the destiny of the country, and the citizens, having different viewpoints, are steadfastly ready to assume their share of responsibility with their votes. Therefore, these elections were also election of responsibility.

By the assessment of the local and international structures and representatives of the organizations observing the elections, we mainly succeeded to take a dignified examination, for which I express my gratitude to all of us and to everybody: the participants of the elections and their observers.

I am sure that we expect as non-shocking and peaceful post-electoral period, a period of creative and consistent work and a period of getting changed and changing.

The elections followed the time of working more diligently, more deeply and soberly realizing the price of security, advancing the country with political and civil higher conscience. I am confident that we will possess that time with dignity, serving it for having more welfare society and more secure country.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. On April 5 in accordance with the agreement reached with the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh, the OSCE Mission conducted a planned monitoring of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan, in the direction of the Hadrut region, near Karakhanbeyli, the MFA of Artsakh told Armenpress.

From the positions of the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh, the monitoring was conducted by Field Assistants to the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Mihail Olaru (Moldova) and Ghenadie Petrica (Moldova), as well as staff-member of the OSCE High-Level Planning Group Lieutenant-Colonel Patrick Farrelli (Ireland).

From the opposite side of the Line of Contact, the monitoring was conducted by staff member of the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE CiO Peter Svedberg (Sweden),Personal Assistant to the CiO Personal Representative Simon Tiller (Great Britain), and Head of the OSCE High-Level Planning Group (HLPG) Colonel Hans Lampalzer (Austria).

The monitoring passed in accordance with the agreed schedule. No violation of the cease-fire regime was registered.

From the Artsakh side, the monitoring mission was accompanied by representatives of the Republic of Artsakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense.
RIGA, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Deputy Minister of Culture Nerses Ter-Vardanyan on April 4 had a meeting with Minister of Culture of Latvia Dace Melbarde during which they discussed all possible ways of cooperation, including the partnership in cinematography, literature, music fields.

At the meeting we talked about the joint production of movies since both countries have the necessary preconditions to receive support for film-making. An important fact is that Armenia and Latvia are members of the European Eurimage program which enables to receive funding for joint movie production. There was also a talk on screening the Latvian films within the frames of Golden Apricot Film Festival, the Deputy Culture Minister told Armenpress correspondent.

As for the literature field, the sides talked about translations, participation of festivals. We emphasized the importance of translations of Latvian tales into Armenian, and vice versa. Latvian tales are already being translated into Armenian, we agreed that the Armenian tales will also be translated into Latvian soon, considering the opportunity of their translations under the assistance of the Culture Ministry of Armenia, he said.

Nerses Ter-Vardanyan said the sides discussed also the issue of Latvian participation in international festivals being held in Armenia, for instance, High Fest, Literary Ark Festival, Aram Khachatryan International Contest. This year Armenia will join the EUs Creative Europe program which provides funding in case of cooperation with a number of European countries. We agreed that all opportunities must be considered on carrying out large-scale projects and submitting joint applications within the frames of this program, the Deputy Minister said, adding that they also agreed to make an exchange of experience in the film-making field.

Armenian Culture Days are being held in Latvia within the frames of which a number of events took place. Armenpress news agency signed a cooperation agreement with Leta, photo exhibition of Armenpress was opened dedicated to medieval architecture monuments and Armenian monk, poet, philosopher Gregory of Narek. The presentation of Latvian version of Book of Lamentations by Gregory of Narek was held in Riga.
LAS VEGASThe second and final day of the inaugural Altitude Intimates show kicked off Tuesday, and continued to offer more than just show floors. While Monday featured a fashion show for buyers, Tuesday centered on educational seminars.

Attorney Ted Luymes kicked off the seminar program with a discussion titled Real World of Brand Protection. He educated attendees not only about how to secure copyrights and trademarks for their works and brands, but also how to enforce them.

Copyrights, he noted, cover original works of art, including photographs of models in lingerie sets. They dont cover garment designs, but can protect original patterns, fabric prints and lace designs. Copyrighting materials, he noted, can prevent their misuse by other parties.

Its cheap [to apply for a copyright], he said. Its not particularly difficult. Its not particularly time consuming.

As for trademarks, he explained, they are meant to protect a brand and can apply to a class of products, such as an entire catalog.

His talk also addressed the recent spate of rights of publicity lawsuits facing lingerie manufacturers and the like from models and what he termed bounty hunter lawyers.

There are 33 states that have some type of rights of publicity laws that tend to favor the models, he explained. In some of those states, particularly California, Florida and New York, there are attorneys who have created a cottage industry suing peoplelargely adult boutiques, strip clubs and the likefor alleged misuse of photos.

In a roundtable discussion, leaders of some of the top brands in the lingerie industryAngela Tobon of Maple, Vinh Luong of Seven Til Midnight, Nicolas Attard of Ooh La La Cherie, Marcus Horea of Coquette and Susan Feldman of DG Brandstalked about the key trends they see in the industry, both in fashion and business.

Feldman kicked off the session by noting, We are all lucky to be in this industry at this time because the mindset of millennials is that they want lingerie pieces they can wear anywhere, any time. Luong backed up that sentiment by noting a big trend now is back detailing on bralettes, bodysuits and more. Lattice work, straps and appliques are all big.

Attard said sexy lingerie is no longer just for adult stores and boutiques, but acceptable almost anywhere by women of all ages, shapes and sizes; sexy lingerie is cool, he noted, and no longer meant just for the bedroom.

The U.S. right now is on fire when it comes to lingerie, he said.

Horea noted a major trend in shapewear, which Coquette is capitalizing on this season. When women can pull on a pair of Spanx and instantly feel more toned, it makes a difference he said. While Coquette has used body-shaping elements in its collections for a few years now, this seasons pieces look more like traditional shape wear pieces with the added flair of mesh, bold colors and geometric patterns.

We are selling a feeling, he said. Lingerie is meant to bring out the sexiest and most confident versions of ourselves.

The third seminar offered an overview of the Elevate U educational program from Eldorado Trading Co., presented by Kira Manser of the Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health. Manser covered all the key points of the program, which features 16 different learning modules on everything from anatomy to lubricants to pleasure products and beyond.

Adding the retailer perspective to the presentation was Lennox Ryerson-Gonzalez of Adam & Eve in Oklahoma, who talked about the benefits his staff had gained after enrolling in Elevate U.

After the program, Eldorados Allison Travers reported that hundreds of Eldorado clients had signed up for the trainingand they are sticking with it as well, signing up for the fifth course of study, which was recently added.

The days final talk was presented by Christopher Scharff of DG Brands, and it tackled an ambitious subject: The Disruption of the Internet and the Effects of Globalization on Lingerie Retailers and Manufacturers. Scharffa former executive at BCBG/Max Azria who purchased Dreamgirl about 15 years agorecently sold the brand to a large Chinese company.

Scharff painted an unvarnished picture of the current economics of manufacturing in a global economy. An experienced manufacturer, he was able to articulate the challenges that face both manufacturers and retailers. Cheap products are slowly eroding our business, he said, explaining how that hurts manufacturers. And the proliferation of online retailersAmazon, of course, but also other e-tail giants around the globe, as well as third-party resellersnibbles away at the profits for brick-and-mortar stores.
Walkers Shortbread has announced the introduction of an innovative 3D Carton Miniature Shortbread range.

Available to buy online at 2.40 per pack and 21.60 per case, the launch includes three new variants at 150g, including Mini Gingerbread Men, Mini Shortbread Fingers and Mini Scottie Dog Shortbread.

The company said the launch was to meet the rising popularity and strong consumer demand for increased social snacking occasions.

Jim Walker, joint managing director at Walkers Shortbread, said the brand is excited to launch the new range officially.

"The Walkers brand is continuously developing product ranges to provide our loyal customers with quality offerings to suit growing demand across certain categories, Walker said.

Over recent years, we have seen an increase in popularity for social snacking products, combined with the continued momentum for items to suit various gifting occasions.

The new shortbread miniatures are baked to traditional methods and are made entirely from British wheat and the finest ingredients. They contain no artificial colours, flavourings or preservatives.

In March 2017, Walkers was crowned the winner in the Rural Employer of the Year category at the Scottish Rural Awards.
Shiv Sena is all set to create a ruckus in Parliament on Thursday to push for its demand to revoke the flying ban against its MP Gaikwad.

By Sahil Joshi: Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who has been banned from flying by several airlines after he assaulted an Air India staffer on March 23, reached Delhi on Wednesday via a chartered flight, according to sources.

Shiv Sena is all set to create ruckus in Parliament on Thursday to push for its demand to revoke the flying ban against its MP Ravindra Gaikwad.

advertisement

The chartered flight by which Gaikwad flew in to Delhi is believed to have been provided by another Shiv Sena MP Rajkumar Dhoot.

Sources say Gaikwad will be reaching Parliament on April 6. Shiv Sena is expected to create ruckus in Parliament against the ban imposed on him. Sena MPs had approached Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju seeking his intervention into the matter, but they failed to get any assurance from him.

SHIV SENA THREATENS TO CREATE RUCKUS

Shiv Sena MP Anand Adsul, while speaking in the Zero Hour on Wednesday, said that no one was listening to his party. "Just because we are in the government does not imply we cannot create ruckus", he threatened.

Adsul will move an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha on April 6 on the issue of blacklisting of Gaikwad by airlines and the government's alleged failure to take action against them.

If sources are to be believed, Shiv Sena is going to raise this issue prominently once Gaikwad reaches Parliament. Despite trying hard to get the government to lift the travel ban, Sena has not found any success yet. It seems the BJP is, rightly so, avoiding backing the Shiv Sena on an issue that has evoked so much nationwide outrage.

Gaikwad, who hails from Osmanabad in Maharashtra, had allegedly hit an Air India staffer 25 times with a slipper on board a Pune-Delhi flight. This prompted Air India to ban him and other airlines followed suit with the result that he had to travel back to Maharashtra by August Kranti Rajdhani Express after he couldn't book an air ticket on any carrier.

GAIKWAD FAKED HIS NAME TO GET FLIGHT TICKET

The aggrieved Air India staffer also lodged two FIRs against Gaikwad in Delhi, investigation into which is still on. Gaikwad tried to fly 4 times even under false identities, but his ticket could not be processed.

Facing scathing criticism over the incident, the Shiv Sena had earlier assured that it would reprimand Gaikwad, but that never happened. In fact, the party began defending his action soon after. Senior leaders of the party think that they are being cornered by the BJP on this issue as they have found no support from anywhere.

advertisement

This has prompted the Sena to resort to an aggressive and unruly show of strength, and Parliament is likely to witness uproarious scenes over the issue on Thursday.

Also read | Slippergate: Shiv Sena to protest in Parliament if MP Ravindra Gaikwad's flying ban is not lifted

Also read | Grounded MP Gaikwad tweaked name 4 times to book Air India tickets

Also read | Ravindra Gaikwad row: Shiv Sena asks Speaker to take action against Air India staff

WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
Southern Ontario's manufacturing sector wants the federal government to help steel producers remain competitive in an international market that they say is unfairly dominated by shoddy practices in China.

Members of the Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce teamed up last year with counterparts in Hamilton and Sault Ste. Marie to push the government to stand up to "steel dumping" by China.

Members of the three Chambers of Commerce say China does not adhere to the same environmental standards and basic labour laws as Canadian companies.

After eight months of lobbying, the group presented its case before members of the House of Commons standing committee on international trade in Ottawa on Tuesday.

Without a level playing field, Canada can't compete internationally in the steel industry, explained Matt Marchand, president and CEO of the Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce.

"The instability of the steel market, in large part due to China's steel dumping and non-market economy, has led to the sharp decline in the ability of our steel industry to compete globally, costing middle-class jobs," he said.

'Push back on China'

The owner of Atlas Tube, a steel tube manufacturing company in Harrow, wants action taken against China to stop that country's dumping of cheap steel on the market.

Barry Zekelman says China is dumping steel on the global market at a drastically reduced cost, compared to North American steel, by ignoring environmental protection measures.

"They're not working on the same playing field that any of us are," he told CBC News.

Zekelman echoed the Chamber, saying shoddy practices in China threaten the steel industry in Canada and the thousands of jobs that go with it.

"All the countries that are being hurt by China have to push back on China and restrict their shipments of steel and steel-related products into those countries," he said.
By Robin Emmott and Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain and France on Wednesday renewed their call for Syria's president Bashar al-Assad to leave office, after a suspected chemical attack by Damascus killed scores of people in a rebel-held area, eclipsing an international conference to promote peace in Syria. Foreign ministers Boris Johnson of Britain and Jean-Marc Ayrault of France spoke during the conference, which raised $6 billion in immediate aid and which the European Union convened in Brussels to shore up stalled peace talks between Assad and his rivals. The money, which goes some way to meeting the U.N. appeal for $8 billion for Syria this year, does not include the cost of rebuilding the country. "I simply don't see how Bashar al-Assad can remain in charge after what he has already done," Johnson said. "Of the 400,000 people who are estimated to have been killed in Syria, he is responsible for the vast majority of the butcher's bill." Ayrault said the attack was a test for the new U.S. president, Donald Trump, and his stance on Assad [nL5N1HC539]. German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel expressed frustration at the lack of clarity on Trump's position. During his election campaign and as president-elect, Trump said ousting Assad would hand control of Syria to Islamist militants. "The election campaign is over Mr. Trump," Gabriel said. U.S. intelligence officials, based on a preliminary assessment, think the deaths were most likely caused by sarin nerve gas dropped by Syrian aircraft. Trump called the attack a "terrible affront to humanity". Asked whether he was formulating a new policy towards Syria, he told reporters: "You'll see." The future of Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, has always been the main point of contention blocking progress in talks. The war has raged for more than six years, displacing millions and causing dire humanitarian conditions. "The humanitarian appeal for a single crisis has never been higher," U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said. The conference, however, offered no new ideas on how to end the war, with regional power Turkey absent from the gathering and the foreign ministers of Russia and the United States skipping the event, sending lower-level officials. TRUMP LINE ON ASSAD? Though Washington, London and Paris have blamed Assad for the attack, Russia said the toxic gas had leaked from a rebel chemical weapons depot struck by Syrian bombs, revealing divisions at the Security Council. NATO head Jens Stoltenberg and EU chairman Donald Tusk on Wednesday joined the chorus condemning the attack, with the latter saying Damascus was mainly to blame but that "all who support it share moral and political responsibility". The attack came a week after Trump's Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and U.N. envoy Nikki Haley said their focus was on defeating Islamic State in Syria rather than pushing out Assad. "Under Obama, we agreed that Assad had to go, but now it is unclear where the Trump position lies," said a senior EU diplomat. "Have Washington and Moscow now agreed on backing Assad? For the EU, Assad cannot be part of Syria's future." That is a view shared by the Gulf Arab states, as presented in Brussels by Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, foreign minister of Qatar. "There is no solution in Syria without getting rid of Assad," he said. The conference appealed for more humanitarian aid access in Syria and an end to using sieges and starvation as war tactics. Robert Mardini, who oversees operations in the Middle East for the International Committee of the Red Cross said the situation was nothing short of catastrophic in Syria. "In the seventh year of the conflict, more than a half of health facilities in the country are not running, whether because they were directly targeted or they are lacking medical supplies or personnel," he told Reuters. Of the money pledged in Brussels, most came from Europe. The European Union pledged 560 million euros ($600 mln) from its budget for humanitarian projects in Syria, as well as supporting refugees in the neighboring Lebanon and Jordan. Germany separately promised 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 bln) extra for 2017, while London offered an additional one billion pounds ($1.3 bln). EU states and Brussels have so far mobilized about 9.5 billion euros in Syria emergency humanitarian aid. (Additional reporting by Farah Salhi, Robert-Jan Bartunek and Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels, John Irish in Paris, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
Ethiopian refugee living in Edmonton takes his own story to the big screen

As Zekarias Mesfin traversed the Sahara Desert on foot, he held on to the hope that he was slowly trudging towards a better life.

Born in Ethiopia, he was orphaned at 14 years old. He'd already walked from Eritrea  where he lived when his father disappeared and his mother died  to Sudan.

He'd worked for a pittance as a barber's apprentice, saving his meagre earnings because he'd heard that with $2,000, someone would be able to sneak him into Israel.

Of the other men and women with whom he shared that goal, he'd seen many robbed by gangsters and left alone under the sweltering sun to die of dehydration.

He eventually made it to Egypt, where he was crammed into a car with other refugees. He was arrested and thrown in jail en route to his final destination.

Recounting his story brings tears to Mesfin's eyes, as he sits in the living room of his sunny Edmonton home. His wife, Nardos Tadesse, is making coffee in the kitchen and his two young sons are playing upstairs.

"It's very painful," he said, apologizing for becoming overcome with emotion.

But Mesfin, now 32, wants others to know what he went through, why he crossed borders illegally and why he's grateful to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and to Canada for helping him to start over.

So he wrote about his journey. Then he went back to Ethiopia where he connected with Sabisa Films, which helped turn his story into a movie.

The movie, Ewir Amora Kelabi, takes its name from a phrase, that when translated loosely, refers to a higher spiritual power guiding the lost. The film will premiere on May 5 at the prestigious African Film Festival in New York City.

"I lost many, many friends. They tried to leave like me," Mesfin said. "They didn't succeed and their dream is not coming true.

"I made this film for them."

Revisiting his past

Between September 2015 and March 2016, Mesfin travelled back to East Africa to film at the places he was forced to leave when he was younger.

Story continues

At his mother's gravesite, he found himself unable to go on.

"That was the very hardest part for me," Mesfin said. "I couldn't keep going to the shooting of the film. It was stopped for one week."

He said he doesn't want the next generation to endure the same hardships and to have to live with the pain that he carries with him every day.

Mesfin plays himself in the film, alongside actors, to tell the story of his life.

He produced the project with his wife, together saving up their money to bring it to fruition.

Born in Ethiopia like her husband, Tadesse grew up in a very different reality in Canada. When Mesfin finally told her his story, it was difficult for her to process.

"It wasn't hard to believe, but it was hard to take what he was telling me, what he went through to get here," Tadesse said.

She, too, felt it was important for other people to understand the complex situation in which her husband and so many other refugees find themselves.

Tadesse said making the movie was hard for her. It got the the point she couldn't even look at the footage in the editing process.

"He suffered so much to do this," she said of her husband. "I'm so proud of him, more than words can say."

Tadesse will accompany Mesfin to the premiere in New York.

"He's inspiring me," she said. "I hope he's going to inspire a lot of people."

roberta.bell@cbc.ca

@roberta__bell
BAMAKO (Reuters) - Malian authorities have charged four people with kidnapping over the abduction of a Colombian nun, a prosecutor said on Wednesday. Gloria Cecilia Argoti was seized by armed men on Feb. 7 from the southern region of Karangasso where she had been working in a health center, about 300 km (186 miles) east of the capital Bamako. She has not been seen since. "I confirm the indictment of four people on the grounds of kidnapping the Colombian Gloria Cecilia," Boubacar Sidiki Samake, an anti-terrorism prosecutor, told Reuters. Samake declined to provide details about those arrested but a security source, who declined to be named, said they are connected to the Catholic parish from which Argoti was abducted. Investigators have previously said they suspect Islamist militants could be responsible. Kidnapping has become a lucrative source of cash for groups like Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and al Mourabitoun. The latter is suspected of kidnapping a French-Swiss aid worker from the northern city of Gao in December. Islamist militants, who seized northern Mali in 2012 before being driven back by French forces the following year, have regrouped and are increasingly conducting raids in southern and central Mali, areas previously deemed safe. Human Rights Watch said in a statement on Wednesday that a wave of killings in Mali by Islamist groups, self-defense militias and government soldiers have resulted in at least 52 deaths since January. (Reporting By Tiemoko Diallo; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
By Jeff Mason and Tom Perry WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government of going "beyond a red line" with a poison gas attack on civilians and said his attitude toward Syria and Assad had changed, but gave no indication of how he would respond. Trump said the attack, which killed at least 70 people, many of them children, "crosses many, many lines", an allusion to his predecessor Barack Obama's threat to topple Assad with air strikes if he used such weapons. His accusations against Assad put him directly at odds with Moscow, the Syrian's president principal backer. "I will tell you, what happened yesterday is unacceptable to me," Trump told reporters at a news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah on Wednesday. "And I will tell you, its already happened that my attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much," though when asked at an earlier meeting whether he was formulating a new policy on Syria, Trump said: "You'll see." Vice President Mike Pence, when asked whether it was time to renew the call for Assad to be ousted and safe zones be established, told Fox News: "But let me be clear, all options are on the table," without elaborating. U.S. officials rejected Russia's assertion that Syrian rebels were to blame for the attack. Trump's comments, which came just a few days after Washington said it was no longer focused on making Assad leave power, suggested a clash between the Kremlin and Trump's White House after initial signals of warmer ties. Trump did not mention Russia in his comments on Wednesday but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said it was time for Russia to think carefully about its support for Assad. Pence said the time had come for Moscow to "keep the word that they made to see to the elimination of chemical weapons so that they no longer threaten the people in that country." Western countries, including the United States, blamed Assad's armed forces for the worst chemical attack in Syria for more than four years. U.S. intelligence officials, based on a preliminary assessment, said the deaths were most likely caused by sarin nerve gas dropped by Syrian aircraft on the town of Khan Sheikhoun on Tuesday. A senior State Department official said Washington had not yet ascertained it was sarin. Moscow offered an alternative explanation that would shield Assad: that the poison gas belonged to rebels and had leaked from an insurgent weapons depot hit by Syrian bombs. A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Russian explanation was not credible. "We don't believe it," the official said. COUNTER-RESOLUTION The United States, Britain and France have proposed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would condemn the attack; the Russian Foreign Ministry called it "unacceptable" and said it was based on "fake information". Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would press its case blaming the rebels and Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Russia would veto the draft if Western nations went to a vote without further consultations, Interfax news agency reported. Moscow has proposed its own draft, TASS news agency quoted a spokesman of Russia's U.N. mission, Fyodor Strzhizhovsky, as saying on Wednesday. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, issued what appeared to be a threat of unilateral action if Security Council members could not agree. "When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," she told the council, without elaborating. Trump described the attack as "horrible" and "unspeakable." He faulted Obama for failing to carry through on his "red line" threat and when asked if he had responsibility to respond to the attack, said: "I now have responsibility". The new incident means Trump is faced with same dilemma that faced his predecessor: whether to openly challenge Moscow and risk deep involvement in a Middle East war by seeking to punish Assad for using banned weapons, or compromise and accept the Syrian leader remaining in power at the risk of looking weak. While some rebels hailed Trump's statement as an apparent shift in the U.S. position, others said it was too early to say whether the comments would result in a real change in policy. Fares al-Bayoush, a Free Syrian Army commander, told Reuters: "Today's statement contains a serious difference from the previous statements, and we expect positivity ... from the American role. Others who declined to be identified said they would wait and see. Video uploaded to social media showed civilians sprawled on the ground, some in convulsions, others lifeless. Rescue workers hose down the limp bodies of small children, trying to wash away chemicals. People wail and pound on the chests of victims. The charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said one of its hospitals in Syria had treated patients "with symptoms - dilated pupils, muscle spasms, involuntary defecation - consistent with exposure to neuro-toxic agents such as sarin". The World Health Organization also said the symptoms were consistent with exposure to a nerve agent. "We're talking about war crimes," French U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters in New York. Labib Nahhas, chief of foreign relations at Ahrar al-Sham, one of the biggest rebel groups in western Syria, called the Russian statement factually wrong and one which contradicted witness accounts. "This statement provides Assad with the required coverage and protection to continue his despicable slaughter of the Syrian people," Nahhas told Reuters. The incident is the first time U.S. intelligence officials have accused Assad of using sarin since 2013, when hundreds of people died in an attack on a Damascus suburb. At that time, Washington said Assad had crossed a "red line" set by then-President Obama. Obama threatened an air campaign to topple Assad but called it off at the last minute when the Syrian leader agreed to give up his chemical arsenal under a deal brokered by Moscow, a decision which Trump has long said proved Obama's weakness. SAME DILEMMA The Western-drafted U.N. Security Council resolution condemns the attack and presses Syria to cooperate with international investigators. Russia has blocked seven resolutions to protect Assad's government, most recently in February. Trump's response to a diplomatic confrontation with Moscow will be closely watched at home because of accusations by his political opponents that he is too supportive of Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.S. intelligence agencies say Russia intervened in the U.S. presidential election last year through computer hacking to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. The FBI and two congressional committees are investigating whether figures from the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow, which the White House denies. Trump's relationship with Russia has deteriorated since the presidential election campaign, when Trump praised Putin as a strong leader and vowed to improve relations between the two countries, including a more coordinated effort to defeat Islamic State in Syria. But as Russia has grown more assertive, including interfering in European politics and deploying missiles in its western Kaliningrad region and a new ground-launched cruise missile near Volgograd in southern Russia - an apparent violation of the 1987 Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty - relations have cooled, U.S. officials have said. The chemical attack in Idlib province, one of the last major strongholds of rebels, who have fought since 2011 to topple Assad, complicates diplomatic efforts to end a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and driven half of Syrians from their homes. Over the past several months, Western countries, including the United States, had been quietly dropping their demands that Assad leave power in any deal to end the war, accepting that the rebels no longer had the capability to topple him by force. The use of banned chemical weapons would make it harder for the international community to sign off on any peace deal that does not remove him. Britain and France on Wednesday renewed their call for Assad to leave power. (Additional reporting by Maria Tsvetkova and Polina Devitt in Moscow; Michelle Nichols at the United Nations and Lesley Wroughton and Steve Holland in Washington; writing by Peter Graff, Philippa Fletcher and Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall, Louise Ireland and Lisa Shumaker)
NGOMOROMO, Uganda (Reuters) - Hundreds of South Sudanese refugees fled into Uganda for a second day on Wednesday, bearing further grim testimony of an attack by government forces on the border town of Pajok in which at least 17 people were killed, according to a Reuters tally. Some were shot as they tried to flee. Others had their throats slit before their bodies were strung up from door frames. Two children were run down by a car. The testimony from the refugees, more than 3,000 of whom have gathered just inside the Ugandan border, offers a glimpse of the brutality of a three-year civil war ripping apart the worlds youngest nation. The government denies its Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) forces target civilians and said Mondays operation in Pajok, a town of more than 10,000 people 15 km (10 miles) north of the Ugandan border, was to flush out rebel guerrillas. Reports that its soldiers had killed residents were untrue, SPLA deputy spokesman Colonel Santo Domic Chol said. His troops had orders to refrain from entering and taking over Pajok, he said. "This is not true. It is just a manufactured campaign against the SPLA. Some people are not happy, because the SPLA flushed out bandits and rebels who have been controlling Pajok for the last two years," he told Reuters by phone. "What I know is that the bandits are looting and killing the population in Pajok, starting on Friday, Saturday." South Sudan, which split away from Sudan in 2011 after decades of conflict, has been mired in civil war since President Salva Kiir sacked his vice president Riek Machar in 2013. TOWNS EMPTYING Password Okot, 30, a farmer, told how he lost two brothers. Having fled the initial fighting, he crept back to his home in Ywayaa village on Pajoks outskirts to collect his belongings. There he saw government soldiers grab his brother, 35-year-old mechanic Ayela Peter, from a crowd, tie his ankles, slit his throat and sling up his body in a doorway. "When they saw them slaughtering my brother, people scattered and started running. When they were running, they shot my other brother," Okot said at the Ngoromoro border crossing. The fighting has caused the biggest refugee exodus in Africa since the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and the United Nations said in December it had evidence of ethnic cleansing by both government forces and rebels, with soldiers showing callous disregard for civilian life. Two refugees spoke of the SPLA troops overrunning Pajoks hospital and killing a medical worker. Omal Koloro, 52, a businessman, said the medic was a doctor called Aloka who had tried to prevent SPLA soldiers from entering the compound. Four others at the hospital were also killed, Koloro said. In another incident, he said children were targeted as they ran across a bridge at the first outbreak of gunfire. "Two were run over and two they just shot," he said. The Pajok assault is the latest in a string of attacks in the fertile Equatoria region that is emptying towns and villages near the border with Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. More than 1.5 million people have fled in the last nine months, nearly two thirds of them to Uganda, which is struggling to cope. The Ugandan government and United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) are scrambling to complete a half-built refugee settlement near Ngomoromo for the latest arrivals, who are living in the bush at the Ugandan border. "Were trying to work out the best place for them to be accommodated," UNHCR spokesman Alvin Gonzaga said. "Were trying to ready the site but we need the signature of the land owners." Even when they reach the relative safety of a settlement camp, many refugees face an agonizing wait for loved ones who went missing in the panic two days ago. The phone signal to Pajok has been cut. "My mother is still there," Okot said. "We dont know whether shes alive or dead." (Editing by Janet Lawrence)
HELSINKI (Reuters) - China and Finland will increase cooperation under the China-European Union framework, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday after arriving in Finland for his first visit as head of state. Xi is due to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida later this week. Like China, the Nordics, home to blue chips like Finnish telecom equipment maker Nokia and Swedish truck maker Volvo, stand to lose out if Trump's pledge to put "America first" increases global protectionism. For China, the visit to eurozone member Finland is a chance to shore up support in Europe, its biggest trading partner. European diplomats have said China has launched a charm offensive with the European Union since Trump took office, shifting its stance on trade negotiations and signaling closer cooperation on a range of other issues. After meeting Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Xi said China and Finland will "seize the opportunity of Finland's rotating chairmanship of the Arctic Council to enhance cooperation in Arctic affairs and promote environmental protection and sustainable development of the Arctic." The countries also said they would support the launch of a joint feasibility study on an EU-China free trade agreement when conditions were right and step up high-tech trade cooperation. "China continues to raise its profile as a defender of free trade," said Jyrki Kallio, researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. "Both Finland and China share the same concern about the negative effects on the global economy if Trump's action ignites a trade war between China and the United States." Niinisto said the two heads of state also discussed North Korea, which test-fired a ballistic missile into the sea on Wednesday. (Reporting by Tuomas Forsell; additional reporting by Michael Martina, Philip Wen and Judy Hua in Beijing; writing by Niklas Pollard and Christian Shepherd)
Top 10 Accounting Software In Malaysia

Accounting Software In Malaysia you can slice and dice your financial reporting to see the exact data you need across your organization. Whether that is the expenses applied to your grant across multiple programs or managing the budgets of separate projects, you can go as high level or as granular as you need.

Find a Top Accounting Software In Malaysia:

1. OFFICECENTRAL

OFFICECENTRAL.COM.MY  OfficeCentral Accounting | Malaysia Cloud Accounting Software For Small Business. OfficeCentral Accounting is not just easy and friendly to use, but it also simple for small business. OfficeCentral Accounting are GST Compliant Accounting.

2. Financio

FINANCIO.CO  Free Accounting Software Malaysia (GST Ready & Cloud / Online) | Financio. A free online / web-based accounting software for small businesses in Malaysia, designed for business owners and non-accountants.

3. SQL Account

SQL.COM.MY  SQL Account  GST Accounting Software. SQL Accounting software and SQL Payroll software supports Client-Server Network, flexible customization and 247 online backup out of the box for business.

4. Biztory

BIZTORY.COM.MY  Biztory  #1 Invoicing & GST Smart App for SME Malaysia. Cloud accounting software designed for bosses that automate your accounting & GST compliant, reduce up to 90% of your paperwork and worry-free solution.

5. GST Accounting Software

INTUIT.COM.MY  GST Accounting Software Malaysia | Intuit Quickbooks. QuickBooks is the #1 accounting software for small businesses in Malaysia. GST ready and more. Sign up for a FREE trial today.

6. Ace Software

ACESOFTWARE.COM.MY  Ace Software  Malaysia Accounting Software, Web Hosting & Web Design. We specializes only in Accounting Application Software which means that as far as accounting applications are concerned.

7. SIMBIZ

ONLINESIMBIZ.COM  Accounting & Business Management System. Access anywhere and anytime with any Internet devices such as tab and even mobile phone. SIMBIZ management system is an online accounting is developed with the aim to simplify business complexity and to optimise productivity level with user-friendly functions.

8. TreezSoft

TREEZSOFT.COM  TreezSoft is especially specialising in web based business management system development; and it is our goal to develop an innovative, flexible, and low-cost SS accounting and business management software for SMEs. TreezSoft targets to be a sector-leading company that provides quality SS service. Hence we are very positive with all the current challenges. The rapid growth of cloud computing technologies in recent years particularly making TreezSoft to be even more optimistic with all challenges ahead.

9. SBS

SBSMALAYSIA.COM  GST Software | Accounting Software | Accounting System In Malaysia  SBS. SBS  gst easy accounting sofware developed for mirco & small business in Malaysia. Our accounting system enables you to track business performance anywhere.

10. Sage One

SAGEONE.MY  Sage One  Simple Online Accounting. Sage One Online Accounting keep you on track of your business. It gives you access to your online accounts from anywhere, anytime.

11. Synergy Software

SYNERGYSOFTWARE.COM.MY  Synergy Software Solutions SDN BHD | GST Accounting System Malaysia.

Synergy Accounting is a complete Accounting System built in mind of user-friendliness, performance, security and scalability. Resizable Forms and Data Grids which is personalized to individual user. User can resize,sort and group columns and system will remember settings for each user

Easy multi tasking and toggling between forms.

Create / setup masterfiles through links in data input forms.

Easy Access Menu and Tree View Navigations. 12. IonSoft IONSOFT.MY  IonSoft | QuickBooks | Accounting Software | Malaysia. Intuit Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor in Malaysia. 13. Inter Application (IA) INTER-APPLICATION.COM  Malaysia Accounting Software Making Business Connected  Inter Application. Inter Application (IA) is the associated entity set up to assist the operators of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in growing and moving business ahead with affordable web business application. Top Accounting Software In Malaysia: EXTRACC.COM.MY  eXtracc  Malaysias No. 1 Xero Partner  Cloud Accounting Service. eXtracc  Malaysias Cloud Accounting Service; We Focus on Retail, Franchises, Hospitality and Start-Ups. ECOUNT.COM.MY  SMB ERP Software | Enterprise Resource Planning System | ECOUNT Inc. ERP System for SMBs, ECOUNT. Inventory Control / Inventory System / Accounting Software. Web based ERP software. UNITY2U.COM  Accounting | Inventory | Billing | Payroll System| Property Billing | Property Accounting. With enormous passion in bridging IT and accounting, we have established our organization since 6 years ago. We kicked off as a partnership where we were working hard to maintain low operating cost while developing the system. All the efforts from burning midnight oil finally pay off. We have delivered our solutions to about 20 customers till to date from small size to mid range customer. With full success rate of the system implementation, we are confident to market the solutions to the world. SKYBIZ.MY  SkyBiz Accounting, GST Compliant Accounting, Multi-Stores. SkyBiz is your best business management system of choice to manage your business. With SkyBiz accounting software, great work with low cost, computing accounts is a bliss! This software free you up to concentrate on set your business for success.









Submit Rating Average rating 4.8 / 5. Vote count: 26 No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.
It is difficult to believe that the actors picked up a fight over this trivial issue.

By India Today Web Desk: Niti Taylor and Vikkas Manaktala are good friend and share an excellent rapport. But recently, the two picked up a fight on the sets of Ghulaam over make-up.

According to a report in TOI, Vikkas agreed to share his make-up artiste with Niti Taylor, because she wasn't happy with hers. However, when Vikkas asked the make-up person to attend him first, Niti walked out of the sets, taking offence.

advertisement

Both Niti and Vikkas have confirmed the incident, but have given two different versions. Here's who said what.

Also read: Ghulaam: The new Life OK show is old wine in a new bottle with additives

"I didn't stall the shoot, somebody else did, and I don't intend to reveal that person's name. There were two units on the said day and one of them was scheduled to shoot me first. Yes, I was upset because I too needed a make-up guy, but everything is fine between my co-actors and me."

Vikkas Manaktala

"Whatever happened shouldn't have happened. There was no need to complicate things. I initiated a conversation with her the next day as I didn't want the quality of the show to suffer. She apologised to me and also decided to render an apology to the producers."

And here's what Param said about the episode:

"It happened between them so I don't wish to comment on it."

Well, we do hope everything is fine between the two friends.

--- ENDS ---
TUESDAY, April 4, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- House cats can have high levels of flame-retardant chemicals in their blood, say researchers, warning that young children might, too.

The contaminants were in house dust, according to Swedish researchers who took dust samples from 17 homes and blood samples from the resident cats.

"The brominated flame retardants that have been measured in cats are known [hormone] disruptors," said study author Jana Weiss. She's with Stockholm University's department of environmental science and analytical chemistry.

"It's particularly serious when small children ingest these [flame-retardant chemicals], because exposure during development could have consequences later in life, such as thyroid disease," Weiss said in a university news release.

The fire-inhibiting chemicals are found in textiles, electronics and furniture. They eventually become dust and pose a health hazard, according to the study authors.

Because small children tend to put everything in their mouths, their exposure to these chemicals may be similar to cats' exposure, the researchers noted.

A number of the chemicals have been banned, but they're extremely persistent and can leach from the products for many years after production, Weiss and her colleagues explained.

For example, dust samples analyzed for this study revealed some flame retardants still in use and others banned decades ago.

In a previous study, the same team of researchers found that levels of brominated flame retardants were higher in the blood of cats that had developed thyroid disease than in healthy cats.

The study was published online recently in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

More information

The U.S. Natural Resources Defense Council has more on flame retardants.
WEDNESDAY, April 5, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Teens' use of the photo-sharing service Instagram has both risks and benefits, a new study out of Belgium suggests.

Researchers tracked Belgian teens' Instagram use for six months and linked frequent use to greater depression.

But Instagram also made the teens feel closer to friends, which in turn was related to lower levels of depression, the study found.

"This age group may be particularly at risk for the impact of Instagram, given the increasing popularity of Instagram in adolescence and given the increase of depressive symptoms during this stage of life," said study author Eline Frison. She's a doctoral student at the Leuven School for Mass Communication Research at the University of Leuven.

The study is scheduled for presentation in May at the International Communication Association's annual meeting, in San Diego.

While other researchers have studied the impact of Facebook on teens, Frison said her study is the first to examine how teens' Instagram use over a period of time affects friendships.

"If using Instagram stimulates adolescents' closeness to friends, it is beneficial in the long run, but if Instagram is not capable of that stimulation, it is harmful in the long run," Frison said in an association news release.

Research presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until it is published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more about children and media.
Arkansas' Death Chamber An appeal by state prisons to keep the lid on the source of one of Arkansas' execution drugs was dismissed Monday by the state Supreme Court. An appeal by state prisons to keep the lid on the source of one of Arkansas' execution drugs was dismissed Monday by the state Supreme Court.





Soon after the decision was handed down late in the afternoon, a spokesman with the attorney general's office said the state will try again this morning.





Also on Monday, the state and lawyers for the 8 inmates scheduled to die this month prepared for legal battles in a nearby federal court in Little Rock where the condemned inmates are challenging the pace of the execution schedule.





The state Department of Correction, represented by Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, had sought an emergency stay from a Pulaski County judge's order last week to the department telling state officials they had 30 minutes to hand over records related to the acquisition of 100 vials of potassium chloride, the final of 3 drugs set to be used in the 8 executions this month.





Those records had been sought in a lawsuit by Little Rock attorney Steven Shults, who argued the Department of Correction broke the law by failing to release package inserts and drug labels under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.





The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette also has requested the records under the Freedom of Information Act. The newspaper is not a party to the lawsuit.





While the state's Method of Execution Law -- passed in 2015 -- specifically allows the release of drug labels and package inserts, the department has said it will no longer comply with such requests because news organizations have used the records previously to identify the suppliers of execution drugs.





The Method of Execution Act allows suppliers to remain secret.





Rutledge spokesman Jessica Ray said Monday that it would be up to the Department of Correction to release records in response to the Supreme Court decision. Prisons spokesman Solomon Graves referred to the plan to file another request for a stay and declined to comment further.





In dismissing the state's appeal, justices said the state had failed to file a copy of Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen's written order.





Griffen delivered an oral ruling Thursday evening ordering the Department of Correction to release the records, prompting the state's immediate appeal. The judge released a written order Friday.





Ray, the spokesman for the attorney general, said her office never logged Griffen's written order with the Supreme Court because a copy did not exist at the time of their appeal.





Regardless, Shults' attorneys said Griffen's lower-court ruling remained in place Monday, and filed a motion to have the Department of Correction held in contempt of court for failure to turn over the records.





In response to Griffen's ruling, Rutledge's office said the state had agreed to provide a redacted copy of the drug label and an unredacted copy of the package insert. The Department of Correction declined to provide either copy to the Democrat-Gazette.





Heather Zachary, one of Shults' attorneys, said the state's response did not satisfy the request.





"We think that we are entitled, pursuant to Judge Griffen's order, to the unredacted copies," of the drug labels, Zachary said.





The majority on Monday did not release an opinion explaining their decision. However, Justice Rhonda Wood wrote a three-page dissent stating the court should have told the state to include the record of Griffen's ruling instead of dismissing the case. Wood was joined by Justice Shawn Womack in her dissent.





In federal court, 2 cases unrelated to Shults' request for records saw filings from attorneys that seek to halt the impending executions, as well as the state, which is determined to see them carried out.





Attorneys for the condemned inmates also seek information from the state in a lawsuit alleging Constitutional violations in the proposed execution schedule, which is set to take place between April 17 and April 27.





Those requests -- for details about the executioners and official communications that preceded the scheduling of the executions, among other details -- were the subject of a teleconference Monday with Kristine Baker, U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas. The judge did not make a ruling on any of the requests Monday.





In their own federal court filings, state attorneys contended Monday that any court-ordered delay in the executions will in essence be a moratorium on the death penalty because prison officials have no established source for midazolam, a sleep-inducing drug used in executions.





The state's supply of midazolam will expire just days after the last of the executions is scheduled to take place.





Arkansas has not carried out an execution since 2005 because of continued legal challenges and difficulty obtaining execution drugs.

 | 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



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

Source: nwaonline.com, April 4, 2017
Louisiana State Penitentiary

Three legislators have introduced bills to abolish the death penalty in Louisiana. All 3 have have experience with the criminal justice system: Sen. Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge worked as a prosecutor in New Orleans, Rep. Terry Landry, D-New Iberia, as State Police superintendent under Gov. Mike Foster and Rep. Steven Pylant, R-Winnsboro as Franklin Parish sheriff.





Claitor and Landry said their views on the death penalty had changed over time. Claitor said his Roman Catholic faith is a major factor in why he changed his mind, but he is also concerned that the death penalty is expensive and not effective. "I definitely expect support from the Catholic Church," he said.





The Louisiana House will take up legislation that seeks to get more money into the hands of local public defender offices -- primarily by taking it from the defense teams representing people facing the death penalty.





As head of the State Police, Landry was deeply involved in the investigation into Derrick Todd Lee, who was linked to the deaths of 7 women in south Louisiana, convicted and sentenced to death. Lee died in early 2016 of heart problems while awaiting execution. Landry mentions his involvement in investigating Lee's case on his legislative website.





Still, Landry said he now questions whether the death penalty makes Louisiana safer. He is also concerned about the cost. "I've evolved to where I am today," he said. "I think it may be a process that is past its time."





Claitor has filed Senate Bill 142 to abolish the death penalty for people who commit crimes after July 30. Landry and Steven Pylant have filed House Bill 101, essentially the same legislation. The legislative session begins April 10.





The class-action suit filed in Baton Rouge seeks an injunction against a public defenders system that it says fails to provide constitutionally adequate representation.





Neither measure would affect the 73 Louisiana inmates already on death row or those facing capital charges in pending court cases. Claitor said he didn't think it was appropriate to change sentences retroactively or to alter pending court cases. But if the legislation passes, it could be brought up by legal teams defending death row inmates in continuing cases as a reason to change their sentences.





Louisiana already spends millions of dollars in court to pay defense costs for death penalty cases. The Louisiana Public Defender Board spent $9.5 million on death penalty defense in the fiscal year that ended June 30, about 28 % of the board's total budget.





That means the board wasn't able to devote as much money -- about $15 million overall last year -- to local public defender offices, since the two causes compete for funding. Public defenders offices around the state say they are chronically underfunded, so much so that Gov. John Bel Edwards and the state public defender board are being sued by 13 inmates for providing inadequate funding for indigent defense.





The Public Defender Board's $9.5 million death penalty fund was paying for the defense in 30 to 40 capital cases last year. The board contracts with private lawyers, many of whom work at non-profit agencies, to provide the services. The legal work is notoriously time-consuming and expensive.





Louisiana hasn't executed anyone since 2010, in part because of difficulty in obtaining the drugs for lethal injection. By contrast, Alabama and Mississippi have executed 8 people since 2011, according to those states' corrections agencies.





Pharmacies and drug makers have been unwilling to carry execution drugs because of the stigma attached to selling them. The Legislature almost passed a bill in 2014 to make it easier to acquire lethal injection drugs, in part by letting the state hide the identity of the provider, but the legislation was pulled by its sponsor at the last minute. A similar bill hasn't been filed since then.





Louisiana's death penalty protocol calls for the use of the same 2 drugs as those administered during a botched execution in Arizona Wednesday. This is the 3rd case in 6 months where one of the particular death penalty drugs Louisiana is scheduled to use -- midazolam -- has resulted in a bungled execution in another state.





Source: nola.com, Julia O'Donoghue, April 4, 2017. Julia O'Donoghue is a state politics reporter based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

 | 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



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!
It will also review its strategy for new challenges and make it targeted, he stated in a speech that lasted over an hour. "We will differentiate between those who supply and cause harm versus those who are abusers and, where possible, we will employ data based, science-based approach."





In responding to a Private Member's Motion filed by MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Christopher de Souza, Mr Shanmugam said the motion is a "timely call" for Singapore to remain vigilant in the fight against drugs, step up its efforts and make it a "national priority".





NEW LOCAL CHALLENGES AND TRENDS





Mr Shanmugam pointed out new local challenges and new trends that have emerged.





One major challenge, he said, is the increased supply of drugs. Mr Shanmugam noted that Singapore is near the Golden Triangle, which is the second-largest opium source in the world. Singapore is also a major transport hub, and vulnerable to drug syndicates, he said.





Another major challenge Mr Shanmugam highlighted is the peddling of drugs online. "You can have anonymous transactions, you can have parcels coming in from any part in the world ... that creates a challenge," he said. "We also face a challenge from new drugs ... new psychoactive substances, where people take drugs and mix them with contaminants to lower the cost."





Quoting figures from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), he said more than 3.5 kg and 4,000 tablets of new psychoactive substances have been seized in the past 2 years. These have been falsely marketed as legal and safe, he added.





Some youths also think that drugs are "cool", he noted. "There is a certain perception glamourised through media outside this country, that drugs are cool and cannabis is non-addictive. And if we are not careful, they can become our next generation of abusers," the minister said.





He also observed that a new group of Singaporeans are trying drugs, where last year, 40 % of those arrested for abuse in Singapore were less than 30 years old. "They are students, professionals, people who are well-educated, with good jobs," he said.





"Parents may think it is not their children, but in the past three years, we have picked up more than 350 students, from all levels, from primary school to tertiary, and from all backgrounds ... with as well as without a substance abuse in the family."





He also highlighted another "worrying statistic" - that 83 % of those in Singapore's prisons are in there either for substance abuse, or have a history of substance abuse. This is even though the particular crime they committed is not related to drugs.





"You can see how much drugs can impact on lives," he said. "It destroys you. These are all statistics, facts."



MORE REHABILITATION; INCREASED EDUCATION NEEDED: MPS





In moving the motion, Mr de Souza suggested a regular review of the Misuse of Drug Act to ensure that it contains the "legal muscle" to deter the demand and supply elements of drug offences.





He cited a rise in young drug abusers and a "significant" rise in the supply of cannabis. For instance, the number of abusers arrested under the age of 30 years has increased by about 20 % since 2014 according to CNB statistics, he said. The supply of cannabis is also on the rise, based on increasing amounts seized by CNB, he added.





In order to prevent youths from getting involved with drugs, he said that its ills should be included in the Ministry of Education's primary school curriculum and be an examinable topic.





MP who also spoke on the issue stressed the importance of rehabilitation. Mr de Souza asked that lower-risk inmates be given increased access to effective rehabilitation. "We should make full use of the window of opportunity while an addict is low-risk. Lower-risk inmates have a higher chance of recovery," he said.





MP for MacPherson SMC Tin Pei Ling said strong community support is needed to help former drug offenders battle the demons of addiction. She added that individuals should be encouraged to step forward to speak of their personal experiences in taking drugs, and become role models or mentors to struggling drug users who need help.





Mr de Souza also highlighted a need to ensure that the overall national attitude, or the cultural perception towards drugs remains strongly anti-drugs. MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC Intan Azura Mokhtar concurred, underscoring the point by sharing a personal anecdote.





She spoke of how her 18-year-old son studying at a local polytechnic has two friends who smoke marijuana and do not think it is a "big deal". She said that her son was also offered the drug, which he declined.





MPs also noted the ease of getting drugs online. The number of people arrested for buying drugs and drug-related paraphernalia online increased significantly from 30 in 2015 to 201 in 2016, a 570 % increase over a year.





Ms Tin said it has been reported that these websites even offer free samples to bait curious youths into experimenting, knowing full well that the return on investment from giving a free sample is a very high chance of addiction and subsequent demand for drugs. With perceived anonymity online, youths may be less fearful of obtaining illicit drugs, she added.





"With all interactions made virtually, without physical interactions with the drug traffickers and usage of sophisticated cashless transactions, like bitcoin, youths may feel more at ease to obtain drugs," she said.





Nominated MP Kok Heng Leun also spoke, making a case against capital punishment and the death penalty. "I agree that it is important to have tough laws, but I do not believe that capital punishment, as a demonstration of the tough laws and resolution to fight against drug problems is something I can support," he said.



SUGGESTIONS IN LINE WITH WHERE SINGAPORE WANTS TO GO: SHANMUGAM





Mr Shanmugam thanked the MPs for their views, noting that most suggestions "are in line with where we want to go."





"Today's motion and the speeches of the members, even Mr Kok's speech, give me considerable comfort because I think we are on the same page, that this has to be taken seriously, and you reflect the perspectives and the will of the people in many ways."





He said Singapore's 1st line of defence has to be preventive education, which includes school talks and lesson plans. He added that Singapore is also looking at Iceland's methods of anti-drug messaging.





"This is a generation that you tell them ... 'Don't do this', they might go and do it," he said. "So you need different approaches, and Iceland does seem to have an approach that seems to work."





He also stressed the need to grow a pool of anti-drug advocates amongst young people's peers. "We need volunteers, more individuals, more organisations, civil society groups, businesses," he said. "CNB will launch a United Against Drugs coalition later this month, and also review the way it puts across messages. So we need to mobilise the ground."





A 2nd defence Mr Shanmugam pointed to is effective enforcement and tough laws, noting that Singapore will have to increase its partnerships with overseas counterparts and tackle the new "online supply menace".





The Government will also study how to deal with the issue of new psychoactive substances, he added.





Mr Shanmugam also reiterated the Government's stand on the death penalty as a deterrent against trafficking. "The death penalty is an important part in our comprehensive anti-drug regime and part of our overall approach which will not work on its own, but it's part of an overall set of measures," he said.





He also noted the importance of rehabilitation as the 3rd line of defence, explaining that every abuser has different risk levels and motivational factors, and the Singapore Prison Service tailors rehabilitation accordingly. Other programmes, he added, include family support, skills training and religious services.





Mr Shanmugam stressed the importance of family and community support as a fourth line of defence, agreeing with MPs that it is "crucial" to help families stay strong. He said the Singapore Prison Service has a Family Resource Centre and a Yellow Ribbon Community Project to encourage families to visit abusers in the Drug Rehabilitation Centre.





"I am not saying that by any means that it is perfect, that it can be improved, or that we are where we want to be," he said of the measures on this front. "But we have thought about these things, we've introduced these and it continues to be refined, changed and worked on."

 | 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



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

Source: gov.sg, April 5, 2017
Medieval and barbaric: Public execution in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has one of the highest execution rates in the world. However, in some cases, inmates facing the death penalty are spared if the victim's family agrees to pardon their crimes ... in exchange for a large sum of money. This practice, known as "diya", has become a dirty, if lucrative, business.





"Diya" is an Islamic concept that essentially equates to "a blood price", or, the amount of money that a murderer (or his family) must pay the family of the victim in order to obtain a pardon.





A video, which was filmed by a passerby on Sunday, March 26, shows an inmate who is on the verge of being beheaded in a public square in Taef, a town located in western Saudi Arabia.





Suddenly, however, a wave of excitement goes through the crowd: the execution has been pushed back because the family of the victim just agreed to negotiate a pardon for the condemned man. The victim's family can make this decision up until the very last second, sometimes waiting until then to announce a decision that was made much earlier.





The execution is put off for 3 months, which is the amount of time that his family has to raise the sum demanded by the victim's family. That's when the mediators step in.





"Mediators encourage the families to ask for astronomical sums of money"





Mohammad Alsaeedi lives in Qatif, in eastern Saudi Arabia. He has attended public executions before and is a community activist for human rights.





When a family is seeking a pardon for a son who has been convicted of murdering someone, they start by speaking to a mediator. Mediators are usually public figures, a religious leader or sometimes a local emir.





The mediator's 1st task is to convince the victim's family to accept the idea of a pardon. Once the victim's family has declared that they are open to the idea, the negotiations with the killer's family start.





Mediators tend to encourage the victims' families to ask for astronomical sums of money - sometimes as much as 60 million rials [about 15 million euros]. They have a vested interest in doing so, as they get a cut of this money.





In the large majority of cases, the family of the convicted person doesn't have the means to pay that much, so the mediator helps them to launch a fundraising campaign. All of the money raised is funnelled into a bank account that is opened by the local administration with the authorisation of the interior minister.





The mediators are responsible for campaigning for donations from rich businessmen and the most influential tribes in the region.





Fundraising campaigns are also shared widely on social media under the hashtag #?save a life.





It's also common for tribes to organise ceremonies and charity dinners to convince the region's wealthiest and most influential people to donate to the campaign.





A video, which was posted on March 18, 2017, shows a fundraising ceremony organised by a tribe to raise money to buy the pardon of a man accused of killing his brother-in-law during a fight. The programme for the event included tea, traditional dances and, of course, the handing over of cheques.





Saudi law forbids people from promoting fundraising campaigns both in traditional media and on social media. However, Twitter is full of this kind of advertising.





Moreover, a royal decree from 2011 fixes the diya at 400,000 rials [equivalent to about 100,000 euros]. But very few families follow this guideline [in Saudi Arabia, royal decrees aren't obligatory].





For the past few years, it's like there's been a morbid competition to ask for higher and higher diyas. It's become a business. Many families aren't thinking about the virtues of Islam when they offer to pardon someone, they are thinking about the huge amount of money that they could get by doing so.





"Authorities should fix a ceiling for the diya"





The people who are responsible for this situation are the mediators. They are the ones who push families to ask for outrageous sums because they earn a commission from it. They are opportunists who make fortunes off the backs of dead people. Saudi authorities should closely monitor and control this practice. They should start by fixing a ceiling for the diya.





The worst is that once a murderer has been pardoned, he is allowed to leave prison after a few months or even weeks. He ends up serving an extremely light sentence for his crime. I think that creates a situation of rampant impunity for those who can pay.





However, in November 2016, the Saudi Supreme Court did rule that when people convicted of murder are pardoned, judges should commute their sentence to prison terms of at least 5 years.



"A pardon doesn't mean the crime should go unpunished"





In an opinion piece published on the news site Al Riyadh, Abderrahmane Allahem, a lawyer who specialises in human rights in Saudi Arabia, says that 5 years isn't enough for a convicted murderer.





I'm not against the idea of pardons. However, in the case of a death penalty pardon, the court should commute the murderer's sentence to at least 25 years in prison. A pardon doesn't mean the crime should go unpunished. (...)





What's more, the fact that a murderer can be freed so quickly could be a danger for society. Failing to punish a murderer is like depreciating the value of human life.





For the past few months, there have been an increasing number of appeals from lawyers, intellectuals and religious leaders for the government to ban "blood negotiators". For the time being, that has yet to happen.

 | 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



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

Source: france24.com, Mohammad Alsaeedi, April 5, 2017
Nevada residents, beware. The regulators are after your Uber rides.

A bill filed in Las Vegas on March 27th would impose new burdens on platform drivers. It would require drivers to obtain a valid state business registration and to submit that information to the ride-sharing company. The company would be required to submit a list of drivers operating on its platform to the regulatory authority which would then post it online.

The bill would also remove the requirement that the regulatory authority determine that violations were willful and endangered public safety before levying a fine up to $100,000 on ride-sharing companies.

This would significantly increase the amount of discretion that the regulatory authority can wield. Ride-sharing companies could be hit with hefty fines for minor or unintentional infractions, which would limit their ability to operate in Nevada.

The cited argument for most of the provisions in this legislation, aside from protecting members of the taxi unions from competition, is that these regulations are necessary to protect the safety of riders. Ride-sharing has proven to be as safe as using traditional taxis in the current permissive regulatory scheme. In many ways, riders of these new platforms are at less of an informational disadvantage than they would be in traditional taxis because of the data the platform provides to them about the driver, route, and price.

Nevada had considered even more onerous legislation introduced the same day, reflecting a wish list from the taxi drivers union to lawmakers, but decided not to proceed.

New proposed regulations in this bill reflect a shift towards provisions that primarily focus on restricting competition or helping taxi companies rather than increased consumer safety. This bill would have required a 15-minute wait for ride-sharing pickups, which has little to no connection to protecting riders. One of the first examples of this was the bill signed in Massachusetts last year that imposed a 20-cent surcharge on ride-hailing trips, with 5 cents being funneled directly to the taxi industry.

Policymakers putting forward legislation such as this bill in Nevada are subsuming the needs of their constituents who could benefit from using the ride-sharing services to the interests of the taxi industry and the related unions. Even if they do not get implemented, proposals like this one could shift the window of measures perceived as acceptable so other, less egregious regulatory bills get passed without controversy.

Opponents of ride-sharing are now calling for regulations that would fundamentally alter the business model of companies such as Uber or Lyft.

In addition to the required 15 minute wait-time, which would severely curtail the usefulness of on demand ride-sharing, opponents are asking Uber and Lyft to file a full fare schedule with the regulatory agency. Opponents are asking for a maximum fare that would cap surge pricing, the mechanism some companies used to incentivize more drivers to operate in times of high demand by allowing prices to fluctuate.

Ride-sharing companies would no longer be viable with these provisions in place, and the scope of new regulations being called for is only expanding, as seen with the required wait time.

These kinds of provisions erect new barriers to potential drivers. Most drivers use these platforms as a way to supplement their income or help them weather an unexpected crisis like the loss of a traditional job or emergency expense. Removing that option would make them worse off.

Uber threatened to pull out of Nevada if more onerous provisions were not withdrawn, removing competition for taxi drivers who gave almost $500,000 to legislators over the 2016 election cycle.

It is unclear how ride-sharing companies will respond to the recent bill under consideration. If they perceive those regulations as injecting too much risk into their model, they could still choose to withdraw if it is implemented.

Nevada shows that proposed regulations are getting more creative and expansive. Opponents of ride-sharing such as the taxi industry are moving beyond safety and using more direct measures to hinder competition. States and local jurisdictions should resist the rush to further regulate because passengers and drivers alike would be worse off.

Charles Hughes is a policy analyst at the Manhattan Institute. Follow him on twitter @CharlesHHughes.

Interested in real economic insights? Want to stay ahead of the competition? Each weekday morning, E21 delivers a short email that includes E21 exclusive commentaries and the latest market news and updates from Washington. Sign up for the E21 Morning Ebrief.
Rs 9,90,000 was recovered from the residence of one Seenivaasan, and another Rs 1,28,000 from five individuals who police say are supporters of TTV Dinakaran, the General Secretary of the AIADMK.

By India Today Web Desk: Authorities recovered over Rs 10 lakh from two locations during overnight rounds in Chennai's poll-bound Dr. Radhakrishnan (RK) Nagar, Tamil news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai (PT) reported today.

According to the report, Rs 9,90,000 was recovered from the residence of one Seenivaasan, and another Rs 1,28,000 from five individuals who police say are supporters of TTV Dinakaran, the General Secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

advertisement

Dinakaran now leads a faction of the AIADMK called the AIADMK Amma, after the Election Commission last month forbade the use of the party's name or election symbol during the April 12 by-election in RK Nagar, the late Jayalalithaa's former constituency.

Dinakaran is the nephew of AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala, and one of the by-poll candidates.

As many as 17 individuals are being interrogated in connection with last night's discoveries, the PT report said.

It's worth noting that they were made just hours after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami - who belongs to the Dinakaran camp - said there was no need for his faction to buy votes, and that they hadn't done anything of the sort, according to Thanthi TV.

On March 31, at least two Tamil channels said a man arrested by Chennai police for allegedly bribing voters in RK Nagar was a Dinakaran supporter , but the AIADMK deputy chief later denied the allegations had any merit.

A rival faction of the AIADMK led by former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam - named the AIADMK Puratchi Thalaivar Amma - and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) have both complained to the Election Commission that Team Dinakaran has been trying to purchase a mandate in RK Nagar.

In fact, the Panneersevam-led camp - which itself faces allegations that it's guilty of election fraud (1) and election symbol manipulation (2) - told the poll panel even yesterday that Dinakaran supporters were distributing money in the constituency , PT reported.

Also Read:

RK Nagar by-poll: Armed with new 'twin lights' symbol, Panneerselvam says they represent Jayalalithaa and MGR

EC calls meet with Tamil Nadu's Chief Secretary, DGP to discuss RK Nagar by-poll preparations: Report

RK Nagar by-polls: In campaign speech, DMK's Stalin launches scathing attack on Panneerselvam

RK Nagar bypoll: EC decides 10 companies of paramilitary forces will be on poll duty in Jaya's constituency

RK Nagar by-poll: Slippers thrown at CR Saraswati, man arested for distributing money

EC issues show cause notice to AIADMK's OPS camp for misinterpreting lamp post symbol'

--- ENDS ---
The Foreign Press Centers (FPC) issue its own press credential that is recognized by various organizations in the area and allows access to FPC facilities and services in Washington, DC and New York, NY. The FPC credential is typically valid for three years and renewable at the end of that period for members of the media on continuing assignment in the United States.

Credentialing
The shareholders in American Shipping Company ASA are invited to attend the company's annual general meeting to be held on Wednesday April 26, 2017 at 10 a.m. (CET) at Advokatfirmaet BA-HR DA, Tjuvholmen Alle 16, 0252 Oslo, Norway. Please find attached the following documents:

Notice of the annual general meeting

Form for notice of attendance/proxy

The Board of Directors' proposed resolutions

The statement from the Board of Directors regarding determination of salary and other remuneration to the Senior Management

The proposals from the Nomination Committee

The 2016 Annual Report

The attachments will also be made available on the company's website at www.americanshippingco.com.

***

This information is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
Finnish English

SATO Corporation, Press release, 5th April 2017 at 11:55 am.

In the run-up to Finland's local elections, the housing investment company SATO hopes to see the new municipal decision-makers to ensure sufficient and permissive land use planning, bolster complementary construction and promote an atmosphere of innovation in urban construction. According to SATO, these are the three things that will facilitate the construction of sufficient housing stock and, consequently, homes that are affordable to consumers.

- The housing policy debate in the run-up to the local elections has been sound and constructive. Everyone knows that even according to the moderate scenario provided by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland around 600,000 homes will need to be constructed in Finland's growth centres by 2040. Things are moving in the right direction at the moment, and efforts must be made to also ensure in the future that the housing construction rate won't slow down or put a block on urban development, says President and CEO Saku Sipola from SATO.

According to Sipola, new, concrete measures are also needed to maintain the rate of development. Sufficient and permissive land use planning, bolstering complementary construction and creating an atmosphere or innovation are listed by Sipola as the most important ones of these.

- Consumers need wallet-friendly housing. The most efficient way to contribute towards this is sufficient and more permissive land use planning that ensures sufficient supply of housing. Local detailed plans are legal documents with a long period of validity that have become too detailed and therefore get out of date rather quickly. An excessive level of detail results not only in expensive construction but also in an expensive process as the plans, including the numerous studies and reports involved, are drawn up several times.





Another key solution pointed out by Sipola is complementary construction based on existing infrastructure, which makes it ecological, reduces municipal infrastructure investments and improves local services as the number of residents increases.

- Some cities are abolishing the complementary construction compensation for those occupying plots of land leased from the city. This will reduce interest among local players in making land use more efficient, Sipola says.

The third important issue according to Sipola is promoting an atmosphere of innovation.

- Many challenges such as flexibility in the number of car parking spaces can be solved in the planning phase. With car usage rates getting lower in areas with good urban public transport services, the number of private cars will get smaller in the future. A potential solution could be to have block-specific high-quality multi-storey car parks that could later be repurposed or replaced by residential buildings. A solution like this would be more flexible and innovative than expensive underground parking facilities that increase apartment prices and have no alternative use in the future.

Sipola believes that new innovations are currently often rejected in the planning phase simply because certain solutions have never been implemented before.

For more information please contact:

SATO Corporation

Saku Sipola, President and CEO, phone +358 201 34 4001 or +358 40 551 5953

Miia Eloranta, Director, Marketing and Communications, phone +358 201 34 4497 or +358 50 441 4221

www.sato.fi/en



SATO is one of Finland's leading rental housing providers. SATO's aim is to offer comprehensive alternatives in rental housing and an excellent customer experience. SATO holds roughly 25,300 apartments in Finland's largest growth centres and in St Petersburg.

In our operations, we promote sustainable development and initiative-taking, and work in open interaction with our stakeholders to create added value. We operate profitably and with a long-term view. We increase the value of our housing property through investments, divestments and repair work.

SATO Group's net sales in 2016 were 318.0 million, operating profit 267.2 million and profit before taxes 219.4 million. SATO's investment properties have a value of roughly 3.4 billion.
babuvgmat wrote:

A. Bhutan's first television broadcast occurring in 1999 ; the Kingdom bans television prior to that date, and only airs broadcasts from a state-owned service

Only Independent clauses should be separated by ;



B. the Kingdom bans television prior to 1999, when the first broadcast occurred and only airs broadcasts from a state owned service -- which kingdom - bhutan is missing



C. The first television broadcast in Bhutan occurred in 1999. Prior to that date television was banned in the Kingdom; Bhutan only airs broadcasts from a state-owned service.



best among others .



D. Bhutan's first television broadcast occurred in 1999. Prior to that date , television was banned, and now the Kingdom only airs broadcasts from the state-owned service.

Proper Construction.



, television was banned, as appositive or descriptive information makes it non essential but this is required .



E. Occurring in 1989, Bhutan's first television broadcast was, prior to that date, banned; the Kingdom airs broadcasts from a state owned service. -- Incorrect only television broadcast was banned but not first television was banned.



Can anyone please explain how D is correct and C is wrong ?

You may probably ignore a question with 2 distinct sentences (separated by full-stop) in answer options - I have not personally come across such questions in GMAT.As for option D, "Prior to that date, television was banned" conveys the meaning that television was banned not just in Bhutan, but also in other places. Moreover the wrong positioning of "only" implies "that the Kingdom only airs broadcasts" and does not do anything else.In option C, it is clearly stated that "television was banned in the Kingdom". Unfortunately the wrong placement of "only" remains in option C as well.
TTin wrote:





I am an international student from China who received above offers.



I've been working in marketing for 6 years and my post-MBA goal is also working in marketing.

Here's the situation:

1.target industry: tech. But to be honest as long as I can get a good offer, other industry also works.

2.location post-MBA: Europe or US both are great for me. Plan to work abroad for few years before I go back to China.



I know Ucla Anderson may be a great choice if I really wanna do tech, but I heard it is really not easy for a international student to get a marketing job (either in the US or Europe) , so as long as it's marketing , doesn't need to be in tech industry.



For the cost, the cost in Europe (IESE) is like 2/3 of that in the US, but Anderson has a bigger brand name in Asia.



Any thoughts please?











Sent from my iPhone using Hi guys,I am an international student from China who received above offers.I've been working in marketing for 6 years and my post-MBA goal is also working in marketing.Here's the situation:1.target industry: tech. But to be honest as long as I can get a good offer, other industry also works.2.location post-MBA: Europe or US both are great for me. Plan to work abroad for few years before I go back to China.I know Ucla Anderson may be a great choice if I really wanna do tech, but I heard it is really not easy for a international student to get a marketing job (either in the US or Europe) , so as long as it's marketing , doesn't need to be in tech industry.For the cost, the cost in Europe (IESE) is like 2/3 of that in the US, but Anderson has a bigger brand name in Asia.Any thoughts please?Sent from my iPhone using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

Hi TTin,First congrats for making it to such gr8 programs...This is my opinion:UCLA: It's your best option if you want to do Tech. Proximity to west coast and the LA experience will go a long way in your development, both personal and professional. Also, UCLA is a well known brand in Asian region. This to me sounds like your best bet.IESE: It's a gr8 program. It's one of the very few 2Y programs in EU and has good name in the EU region. I have attended there events in Singapore and I was pretty impressed with there alums and representatives. Though getting a desired job in EU may be tough and moving back immediately (if you don't get a good offer in EU) may be even tougher. This is the reason I personally didn't applied to EU schools.I think you're also wait listed by Ross and Haas? In that case my preference would be Haas>Ross/UCLA.On the marketing recruitment for internationals, you're right that internationals are not preferred for such roles because the general mindset is that Americans are much better at marketing roles and understand the local market better while Asians, in general, are valued more in tech. roles. In my research I was talking to a Chinese girl and she told me that at times even the language acts as a barrier since Chinese are not natural speakers of English. Having said that, if you have been working in marketing for 6 years and plan to grow in the same domain I think you'll have a strong case to put to recruiters and you may actually be chosen for the diversity you bring in (just my opinion). Either way, I'm sure you understand the recruitment challenges in US and you seem ready to take them.On the point of coming back to Asia in long-term, that you can do from any of these schools. Few years down the line what will matter more is what you have done in those few post-MBA years. Brand of school definitely matters but in this case your priority should be to get the first job in the desired domain as that's the most challenging part, at least given the present situation.
As soon as the robbers entered, they attacked employees Bimla Yadav and Poonam with butts of their weapons but, the women retaliated.

By Ajay Kumar: The courageous effort of two workers has foiled a robbery bid at a finance company in Gurugram.

The dramatic incident took place in SBI money transfer center at Badshahpur. The two accused, Dipak and Mohit are natives of Haryana. After entering, one of them put on a mask on his face and pulled out guns.

As soon as they entered, they attacked on employees Bimla Yadav and Poonam with butts of their weapons.

advertisement

"They were very aggressive and started slapping us as soon as they entered into the cabin to create fear. We were scared due to the surprise attack. They took money from drawers and continuously wanted us to open the cash box," said Bimla.

#WATCH: Two women bank staff members foil robbery bid by armed men, who were later thrashed by people in Gurugram, Haryana pic.twitter.com/xlIOFuUxpJ- ANI (@ANI_news) April 4, 2017

SHOPKEEPERS FROM NEIGHBOURHOOD OFFER HELP

"When they started fleeing from the spot, we retaliated and managed to take their guns away. My colleague Poonam and I fought hard and raised an alarm. We held them back till neighbouring shopkeepers came inside to our help," Yadav said.

The shopkeepers overpowered and beat them up. In the CCTV footage, it appeared to be a 'mob justice' like situation with shopkeepers pinning them down on the floor. They kicked, punched and even jumped on the accused before handing them over to the police.

Both the accused are natives of Dadri district near Bhiwani. They had recently come to Gurugram and were eyeing to loot banks. One of the accused, Mohit also has a criminal record.

He was previously booked in Sadar police station in Dadri.

Sandeep Khirwar, the police commissioner of Gurugram said, "We have recovered two country-made 'katta' and three live cartridges from their possession. They have been booked under 392,397 and 459 of IPC in Badshahpur police station. The accused have been produced in the court, which sent them to two-day police custody."

ALSO READ | Delhi: AAP youth wing leader arrested for robbery

ALSO READ | Daylight robbery attempt foiled in Delhi's Khichripur area, 1 held

--- ENDS ---
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
If you need an explainer on what counts as sexual harassment, you need to watch these six shorts.

By India Today Web Desk: You've smiled at his misery, you've revelled in his glorious obsession with dinosaurs and you've shipped him with Rachel Green for ten years straight. But this Ross Geller is different. This Ross Geller is trying to engage you in a conversation that, unlike planetology, concerns everyone.

A series of six short films by Israeli-American filmmaker, Sigal Avin, touches upon the glaring issue of sexual harassment and features her actor friend, David Schwimmer fondly remembered as Ross Geller from the sitcom, FRIENDS.

advertisement

Inspired by real-life experiences, the six shorts come with titles like The Coworker, The Actor, The Boss, The Doctor, The Photographer and The Politician. As simple as the titles are, they seek to convey how sexual harassment isn't limited to a particular profession or space and that literally no one is immune to its perils. Originally released in Israel (2016) the series had five parts whereas its American adaptation released in 2017 has six shorts that explore the various forms of sexual harassment.

Also Read: How sexual assault affects its survivors and what you can do to help

Thank you @davidschwimmer for being such an amazing partner on our #thatsharassment Project. I feel so lucky to have you as a friend and colleague. And thank you @rotemyaron the DP for believing in this project, in Israel and shooting here in the states as well. Check out on FB A post shared by Sigal Avin (@sigalavin) on Apr 3, 2017 at 11:45am PDT

In an interview for Cosmopolitan, Avin admitted that one of the six shorts, The Actor, was in fact, inspired by something she experienced nearly 18 years ago.

"The first script I wrote was based on my personal story, the one with the actor. That's something that happened to me about 18 years ago, when I was a young playwright and I came to talk with a very famous star at that point," Cosmopolitan quotes her as saying, before she describes the incident at length.

Also Read: TVF CEO Arunabh Kumar unreachable since blog accusing him of harassment went viral, say friends

Schwimmer, who's the co-producer of the shorts, also mentioned how he "grew up with stories of sexual harassment" from his mom and how "every woman in my family, in my life, has been harassed, except my daughter, thank god, who's only 6."

It must be noted that despite cultural differences, these six shorts aren't merely relevant to Israel or America alone, but also hit close to home. Only recently, a series of sexual harassment allegations were made against the CEO of The Viral Fever, Arunabh Kumar and against the founder of a prominent period product, Miki Agrawal, who were both accused of harassing their colleagues in a workplace environment.

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Apr 5 (PTI) A pharmaceutical distributor at Kalyan in adjoining Thane district has come under the scanner for supplying medicines to the Sangli-based doctor who was arrested for allegedly carrying out foeticides at his clinic.

Dr Babasaheb Khidrapure, who ran a clinic at Mhaisal village in Sangli, was arrested last month after 19 aborted foetuses were found alongside a road, within a walking distance from his medical facility.

advertisement

"After the Mhaisal doctor was found involved in carrying out illegal abortions, the officials of medical department enquired with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Sangli," Maharashtras health services director Satish Pawar told PTI today.

"We found that Dr Khidrapure was not purchasing medicines locally for carrying out the abortions. He used to purchase it from a Kalyan-based medicine distributor. The distributor used to send it to Sangli through some private parcel or through an individual," he said.

"There are some medicines used only for carrying out abortions. But such medicines were not being sold in large number in Sangli district. The investigating agencies have found that the required medicines were procured from Kalyan," Pawar said.

Asked why the authorities did not raise an alarm over the sale of such medicines going up suspiciously in Kalyan, he said there is no mechanism to alert the concerned officials.

The health officials know that certain medicines are used only for one problem or disease. The sale of medicines for abortion, tuberculosis (TB) and other couple of diseases is restricted, he added. PTI ND GK BAS

--- ENDS ---
Sasikala has seen people visiting her every single day which is a blatant violation of the jail manual.

By Nolan Pinto: Sasikala Natarajan who is cooling her heels in the Bengaluru central prison has till date seen 27 visits by various people in the 31 days she has been lodged there.

The documents accessed by India Today have indicated that convict Sasikala and team were being treated as VVIP convicts rather than ordinary ones.

According to the jail manual, convicts are allowed to be visited between 11 and 5pm. On several occasions, it is seen that Sasikala and the other two convicts had visitors beyond 5 pm.

advertisement

According to the jail manual, undertrial and convict prisoners are eligible for interviews once a week or once in 15 days respectively. Those who can meet convict prisoners are relatives, friends and advocates.

Sasikala has seen people visiting her every single day which is a blatant violation of the jail manual.

India Today has accessed the list of visitors who have met with Sasikala and Ilavarasi.

From Feb 16, 2017 till March 18, 2017 the two convicts have seen a flurry of visits by advocates from Chennai, MPs, her husband and MLAs in jail.

In the list provided, convict No. 9234 Sasikala, convict No. 9235 Elavarasi and No. 9236 Sudhakaran were visited by senior office bearers such as MP Thambiduari, Dinakaran and several MLAs such Valaramathy, Gokula Indira, CR Saraswathi and several representatives from Mannargudi in Tamil Nadu.

AIADMK's Sasikala is serving a four-year term in a disproportionate assets case at the Parpanna Agrahara jail in Bengaluru.

Also read:

VK Sasikala receives hate mails even in jail

Sasikala Natarajan to EC: All rules followed in my appointment as AIADMK general secretary

Also watch:

Remove AIADMK's 'twin leaves' symbol from website, social media accounts, EC tells Team Sasikala

--- ENDS ---
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 ...
Samsungs Galaxy S8 smartphone has a striking, high-res display, a speedy processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage in most of the world.

If you happen to live in China though, youll be able to buy a Galaxy S8 Special Edition phone with 6GB of memory and 128GB of storage. Samsung currently has no plans to offer that special edition model in any other countries.

On the one hand, the move makes sense: there are plenty of high-spec Chinese phones with at least 6GB of RAM. In fact, Chinese brand Vivo was the first to launch a 6GB phone more than a year ago. So Samsung may feel like it needs to match those features in order to compete.

On the other hand, Im still not sure Samsung is competing: the phone is expected to sell for more than $1000 in China. Last years Vivo Xplay5, by comparison, was priced at $655 and it was the first 6GB phone to hit the market.

Samsung does plan to throw in a free DeX dock for customers who pre-order the Special Edition phone, so I guess thats a $150 savings if you were planning to use your Android phone as a desktop computer.

via Phone Arena
Sources said that the Pakistani groups have more than 65,000 Twitter handles and are acting through the WhatsApp groups in the valley to provoke the locals for anti-India protests.

By Manjeet Negi: Security agencies are planning to counter Pakistani agencies' social media propaganda even as terror groups based across the border are increasing their social media presence and activities.

Top security agencies sources said that the Pakistani groups have more than 65,000 Twitter handles and are acting through the WhatsApp groups in the valley to provoke the locals for anti-India protests.

advertisement

The social media advertisements suspected to be run by the Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi faction of the Lashkar-e-Taiba are holding workshops on social media across Pakistan including the cities of Rawalpindi, Multan, Lahore and Sargodha.

The Pakistani social media warriors are also spreading messages to train the youth in Pakistani cities to teach them the ways of operating social media applications such as WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook for training them to turn an instrument for Kashmir uprising 2017, calling such operatives as power users.

"The Pakistanis are urging their youth to take up smart phones as weapons and use it for inciting people in Kashmir valley, but we are also working on to match them on the social media front in a big way," the sources said.

All the security agencies along with the intelligence agencies have joined hands to counter the social media assault from the Pakistan-backed groups, who first started using social media in 2010 for stone pelting on security forces.

Also read:JuD to conduct social media workshops to create unrest in Kashmir

Putting Hafiz Saeed on terror list in Pakistan first logical step towards justice: MEA

WATCH THE VIDEO:

--- ENDS ---
Jordan could be increasing the number of guards at the Al Aqsa mosque by almost 50% after some members of the parliament signed a petition demanding that the third holiest site in Islam be safe from settlers in reference to Jewish settlers.

Jordans King Abdullah II is the official custodian of the sacred compound where Al aqsa mosque is located and has been tasked with the preservation of the mosque under the agreement signed between the Palestinian Authority and Jordan.

The Jordanian Minister for Sacred Properties and Islamic Holy Sites, Hael Daud, said 52 MPs out of 150 signed a letter urging the government to protect Al Aqsa and the holy sites to Islam from attacks by settlers. The Kingdom already has 300 Waqf guards at the compound and the minister hinted that another 200 could be sent to join them.

The parliamentarians demanded that if the government is not training the guards for the mission, it could send Jordanian military personnel along with civilian guards.

The implementation of their demands is not expected to be swift as Daud stated that the kingdoms general and armed forces policies have to be taken into consideration as well as official and diplomatic procedures.

There have been clashes in and around Al-aqsa compound between protesters and Israeli forces.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh warned Israel in November 2014 that Jerusalem is a red line after accusing it of violating the compounds premises.

Daud said Jordan is relentlessly trying to protect the Arab and Islamic nature of Al Aqsa despite the challenges that it is facing. The kingdom is also responsible for 850 officials in Jerusalem, including the 300 Al Aqsa guards.
Egypt started filling the trenches that it dug along its border with the Gaza Strip with seawater last week and Hamas is urging Cairo to suspend its actions because of the dangers it poses.

Egypt started digging the trenches last year after declaring the border area as a buffer zone, part of its fight against terrorism. It later on cleared border residential areas in Rafah to set up a military-operated fish farm project that will also help shutdown smuggling tunnels.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said on Sunday that they are holding official contacts with Cairo to halt the flooding of seawater into the trenches because it can affect Gazas underground water and render houses more fragile and prone to collapsing. He hoped that the Egyptian authorities will stop what he described as rejected measures that represent a great danger to Gaza.

Egypt considers the project as a security measure that will help it curb the smuggling of weapons through the tunnels as well as limit activities of militants in the Sinai Peninsula.

Zuhri also accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of instigating Cairos actions. He alleged that Abbas advised Egypt to carry out the measure, which is a further evidence of the role of Mahmoud Abbas in the Gaza blockade imposed by Israel since 2007.

The smuggling tunnels serve as a lifeline for Gaza because they have been used to convey the needed goods to the population since the introduction of the blockade. Supporters of the Egyptian measures say the tunnels were mainly used by militants to smuggle in weapons.

Egypt has not reacted to pleas from Gaza.

For the past two years, Egyptian authorities have been cracking down on smuggling tunnels along the border. Prices in Gaza skyrocketed because of the tight monitoring measures.
Morocco is fully aware that global warming and climate change are one of the greatest threats to mankind and is therefore actively involved in the international efforts to address this global issue.

Moroccos commitment to help address climate change was renewed by the countrys ruler, King Mohammed VI, in an address before the UN general assembly in New York.

Pointing out that climate change is one of the greatest threats to mankind, the king recalled that since Morocco participated in the Rio Summit in 1992, it has worked hard to develop a national environmental policy that rallies all the stakeholders concerned, while ensuring proper use of the financial resources earmarked for issues relating to climate change.

In the address that was read out before the General Assembly by his younger brother, the King recalled in this vein that his country adopted the National Charter for the Environment, launched the Green Morocco Plan, and started implementing an ambitious solar and wind renewable energy program, which aims to cover 42% of Moroccos energy needs by 2020.

In 2015, fulfilling its obligations in the field of environmental protection, the Kingdom of Morocco officially presented its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution which includes strong, ambitious commitments designed to contribute to the establishment of an equitable, solidarity-based international environmental system, the king pointed out in his speech, recalling that Morocco is proposing that Marrakech host the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2016.

The Moroccan monarch reiterated in this respect his countrys support for the efforts made by France to achieve a global, comprehensive, sustainable, balanced and legally binding agreement at the Paris COP21, scheduled from November 30 to December 11.

For this reason, we view the Paris and Marrakech Conferences as two complementary milestones in our attempts to achieve a qualitative transition in the fight against climate change and avoid failures which, in the past, were the result of poor stakeholders coordination and cooperation, he said.

He also recalled the Tangier Call launched on September 20 from the Moroccan northern city of Tangier for collective and decisive, solidarity-based international action on climate change.

The call was jointly launched by King Mohammed VI and President of France Francois Hollande who was visiting the North African country.

The King who underlined that his country has been at the forefront of African nations which have adopted an efficient national plan in the field of renewable energy, pledged that Morocco, consistent with a longstanding solidarity-based policy, will spare no effort to make Africas concerns known and its voice heard, together with those of developing small island states, which are the most vulnerable to climate change.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) pointed out in its 2014 report that climate change will amplify existing risks and create new risks for natural and human systems and that the risks are unevenly distributed and are generally greater for disadvantaged people and communities.

The report predicted that by 2050, Africa will be the most badly affected continent by climate change.
King Mohammed VI has renewed Moroccos unconditional support to Palestinian Statehood pointing out that it is one of the Palestinian peoples historical and legitimate rights to establish their independent State and denounced the Israeli settlement and Judaization policy in the city of Jerusalem, which must remain a symbol of inter-faith, intercultural tolerance and coexistence.

In a message on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the King expressed his countrys backing to a viable, sustainable Palestinian State living side by side with Israel in peace and security and in accordance with the resolutions upholding international legitimacy.

In his message addressed Sunday to the Chairman of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, King Mohammed VI deplored the absence of any tangible progress in resolving the Palestinian issue, pointing out that the situation on the ground is getting worse as a result of Israels continued, invariable policy of aggression towards the steadfast Palestinian people, in blatant violation of international law and of the provisions of international humanitarian law.

He also warned against the consequences of the continuing settlement and judaization policy in Jerusalem saying that the disdain for the symbolism of Jerusalem and for the place it has in Muslims hearts, coupled with the continued attempts to Judaize the city or take control of it, will inevitably have serious consequences.

The king recalled that as Chairman of the Organization of Islamic Cooperations Al Quds Committee, he has repeatedly called for the protection of East Jerusalem against Israeli schemes aimed at changing its legal and demographic character and obliterating its cultural identity as well as its religious and cultural landmarks.

Renewing Moroccos unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian brothers, he vowed to spare no effort to ensure that the Beit Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency continues to carry out concrete action on the ground in support of the steadfast struggle the inhabitants of Al-Quds are engaged in.

The aim, he said, is to enable the inhabitants of East Jerusalem to lead a dignified life on their land and to safeguard Islamic sites there as well as the citys cultural and humanitarian heritage so that Al-Quds may remain a symbol of inter-faith, intercultural tolerance and coexistence.

In his message, King Mohammed VI also deplored the dire situation in the occupied territories and the pressing needs of the Palestinian people, saying the situation requires a swift response.

In this respect, he called for supplying the UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) with the financial resources it needs to enable it to continue providing basic services to the Palestinians, especially in the areas of schooling, health and housing.

He also called for supporting the Palestinian National Authoritys efforts to tackle the adverse repercussions of the Israeli occupation on social and economic development in the occupied territories and in East Jerusalem.

Underlining that according to World Bank estimates, the occupation costs the National Authority more than $3 billion a year, the Moroccan King stressed the urgent need to provide all forms of assistance to the PNA to help it implement its 2014-2016 development plan, which seeks primarily to promote good governance at the local and national levels.

The King who reiterated his full support for the PNA called on all Palestinians to work hand in hand so as to consolidate national unity and close Palestinian ranks. This is the key to defending their legitimate rights, he said.
King Mohammed VI has launched on Saturday the final stage of the Noor Ouarzazate solar power complex, which will become the worlds largest when completed in 2018.

The new project, Noor Ouarzazate IV, has a capacity of 72 MW and requires an investment worth over 750 million dirhams. It uses photovoltaic technology, which makes it possible to produce electrical energy directly from the solar radiation captured by semi-conductor cells.

The solar energy project mirrors the Moroccan rulers willingness to optimize the exploitation of the countrys natural resources, preserve its environment, promote its economic and social development and ensure a bright future for upcoming generations.

The Kings keen interest in promoting renewable energy projects also reflects his desire to enhance Moroccos expertise in an innovative technology that will benefit both Morocco and the African continent as a whole.

Besides, the Noor Ouarzazate solar energy complex is in line with Moroccos international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and its target to increase the share of renewable energies in the national electricity mix to 52 pc by 2030.

The Noor Ouarzazate IV power station, scheduled to start operating in the first quarter of 2018, will be developed as part of a partnership between the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN) and a consortium of private operators led by the Saudi group ACWA POWER.

The German Development Bank, KfW Bankengruppe, is contributing a 659 million dirham-financing to the project.

Noor Ouarzazate is made up of four multi-technology solar power stations, developed in full compliance with international standards, both at the technological and environmental levels, and encompasses a research and development platform covering more than 150 hectares.

The works of Noor II and Noor III power stations were launched in February 2016.

Noor II plant, with a capacity of 200 MW, is based on solar therm-solar technology, with cylindrical parabolic sensors.

Noor III plant is using a solar power tower having a 150 MW capacity.

Noor Ouarzazate II, III and IV, combined with Noor Ouarzazate I (160 MW) that started operating in February 2016, make of Noor Ouarzazate the largest multi-technology solar production site in the world that will provide electricity for 1.1 million people. By 2020, the project that will have required a total investment of 24 billion dirhams, will allow an annual saving in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 3.7 million tons of CO2.
Credit: Vera Kratochvil/public domain

Despite strong declines in the rate of tobacco smoking over the past 25 years, one out of every four men still smoke daily, as do one out of every 20 women.

In a new analysis from the Global Burden of Disease study (GBD) published today (April 5, 2017) in The Lancet, authors discovered that the prevalence of daily smoking declined on a global scale - decreasing by 28% for men and 34% for women between 1990 and 2015.

But while the rate of smoking has fallen over the past few decades, the number of daily smokers globally continues to rise year-over-year due to population growth. As of 2015, there were 933 million daily smokers.

"Robust tobacco control efforts have led to progress in reducing the deadly habit of smoking in much of the world, but much more can be done," said senior author Dr. Emmanuela Gakidou, Professor of Global Health at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington in Seattle. "Growth in the sheer number of daily smokers still outpaces the global decline in daily smoking rates, indicating the need to prevent more people from starting the tobacco habit and to encourage smokers to quit."

The three countries with the most male daily smokers in 2015 accounted for over half of all men who smoked daily worldwide. Countries with the most male daily smokers in 2015 were China with 254 million, India with 91 million, and Indonesia with 50 million.

The three countries with the highest number of female daily smokers in 2015 accounted for just over 25% of all female daily smokers worldwide. Countries with the most female daily smokers in 2015 were the Unites States with 17 million, followed by China with 14 million, and India with 13.5 million. These results suggest that the tobacco smoking epidemic is less geographically concentrated for women than for men, with implications that global efforts may need to be different to reach male smokers compared to female smokers.

In an effort to encourage governments to implement tobacco control policies, the World Health Assembly in 2003 adopted the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). The WHO FCTC has been ratified by 180 Parties and sets the path forward for implementation of robust tobacco control programs. To scale up implementation of the treaty's key demand - reduction measures on the ground - in 2008 WHO established the MPOWER measures in line with the WHO FCTC, with a focus on cost-effectiveness, practicality, and impact.

"The WHO FCTC and its guidelines provide the foundation for countries to implement and manage tobacco control. The MPOWER measures help make this a reality and have changed the landscape of global tobacco control," says Dr. Douglas Bettcher, Director of the Department of Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases at WHO headquarters in Geneva.

"Along with national and local governments and other partner organizations in high-burden countries, we are making positive change happen in some of the toughest tobacco industry strongholds. Together, we have protected nearly 1.8 billion people with at least one new MPOWER measure at the highest level of achievement since 2007."

India has seen remarkable reductions in daily smoking. It became a Party to the WHO FCTC in 2005 and has created tobacco control initiatives. These include a ban on smoking in many public places and offices, bans on tobacco advertising in many forms, and requiring pictures of tobacco's health effects that cover 85% of cigarette packaging. The pictures began to appear on cigarette packs in 2016.

Since the initial rollout of programs and policies, India has seen marked drops in daily smoking. Daily smoking prevalence of Indian men fell by an average of 3% every year between 2005 and 2015, twice as fast as in the previous decade. For women, the change in daily smoking prevalence flipped from an alarming 1% yearly increase from 1990 to 2005, to a 2% decrease from 2005 to 2015. These estimates do not include smokeless tobacco, however, from which India still has a high burden.

Brazil, which also ratified the WHO FCTC and is a leader in tobacco control, saw the third-largest overall decline in daily smoking prevalence since 1990 - a drop of 57% for men and 56% for women. The country has implemented a combination of tobacco control policies, including advertising restrictions, smoking bans, and taxes on tobacco products.

The authors also examined the relationship between prevalence of daily smoking and development status - measured by using the Socio-demographic Index, which synthesizes income, education, and fertility rates. Daily smoking prevalence varied by sex and level of development. The highest smoking prevalence for men was observed in mid-level development countries, whereas the highest smoking prevalence for women was observed in highly developed countries. The lowest smoking prevalence for both men and women was observed in countries of the lowest quintile of development.

When looking at age trends, daily smoking prevalence was consistent across development groups for men, with the highest prevalence generally seen between ages 25 and 35. For women, however, age patterns were more varied across levels of development.

While countries with the lowest level of development generally showed the lowest prevalence of daily smoking, these countries have seen the greatest percent change in overall health burden in 2005 to 2015, mainly as the result of population growth.

"With sustained commitment to implementing proven measures to reduce tobacco use, governments can help curb a global epidemic projected to kill 1 billion people this century," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Countries that have acted decisively to implement policies like those called for in the FCTC have seen the most dramatic drops in tobacco use. Without urgent action, more than 80% of tobacco-related deaths will occur in low- and middle-income countries by 2030."

There were 13 countries that sustained significant annual rates of decline between both from 1990 to 2005 and 2005 to 2015, including Australia, the United States, and Brazil. Further, the daily smoking prevalence declined faster between 2005 and 2015 in 18 countries, including Nepal, Chile, and Ukraine.

Smoking is the second-leading cause of death globally. More than 11% of all global deaths in 2015 were attributed to smoking, totaling 6.4 million. Over half of these smoking-related deaths took place in just four countries: China, India, the United States, and Russia.

In addition, daily smoking still contributes to a significant amount of the world's overall health burden, measured using the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) metric, which combines years of healthy life lost due to illness with those lost due to premature death. Most DALYs attributable to daily smoking were due to cardiovascular diseases (41%), cancers (28%), and chronic respiratory diseases (21%).

Countries with the highest number of deaths from smoking (rounded):

1. China (1.8 million)

2. India (743,000)

3. US (472,000)

4. Russia (283,000)

5. Indonesia (180,000)

6. Japan (166,000)

7. Bangladesh (153,000)

8. Brazil (149,000)

9. Germany (130,000)

10. Pakistan (124,000)

Countries with the highest prevalence of male daily smokers:

1. Kiribati (48%)

2. Indonesia (47%)

3. Laos (47%)

4. Northern Mariana Islands (46%)

5. Armenia (43%)

6. Greenland (43%)

7. Belarus (42%)

8. Ukraine (41%)

9. Azerbaijan (40%)

10. Timor-Leste (40%)

Countries with the highest prevalence of female daily smokers:

1. Greenland (44%)

2. Bulgaria (28%)

3. Greece (27%)

4. Montenegro (26%)

5. Croatia (26%)

6. Northern Mariana Islands (25%)

7. Kiribati (25%)

8. Macedonia (23%)

9. Hungary (23%)

10. Austria (23%)

"Data on smoking trends is essential to continuing the progress we're making reducing the death toll from tobacco. The more we know, the better we can target our efforts, the greater incentive national governments have to take action, and the more death and disease we can prevent," said Michael R. Bloomberg.

Michael R. Bloomberg has been a leading advocate in the fight against tobacco use. Bloomberg has provided nearly $1 billion to tobacco control efforts including 10 years of support for the implementation of tobacco control laws and policies around the world through the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use. To date the initiative has successfully supported 59 countries in passing laws or policies, reaching nearly 3.5 billion people and saving an estimated 30 million lives.

Daily smoking is defined in the study as the daily use of manufactured or hand-rolled cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookah, bidis, and other country-specific smoked tobacco products, when applicable. Smokeless tobacco products and burden due to secondhand smoke were not included in the analysis.

More information: The open-access research article, published in The Lancet, is available at Journal information: The Lancet The open-access research article, published in, is available at www.lancet.com/gbd
The total number of cancer cases diagnosed among people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is projected to decline in coming years, due mostly to declines in non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Kaposi sarcoma. Certain other cancers, such as prostate and lung, are expected to rise, according to data presented here at the AACR Annual Meeting 2017, April 1-5.

"The widespread use of modern antiretroviral therapies to treat HIV has decreased the risk of some cancers while at the same time dramatically increasing life expectancy," said the study's lead author, Jessica Yasmine Islam, MPH, a doctoral student at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. "We estimated future cancer risk and burden for the U.S. population living with HIV in order to anticipate their need for cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment," she explained.

HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system and, if left unchecked, can lead to AIDS. The use of antiretroviral drugs, which were developed in the 1990s, stalls the progression of HIV, dramatically extending the lives of many infected people.

In 2006, only about 4 percent of the total U.S. HIV population was age 65 or older. By 2030, more than 20 percent of the total U.S. HIV population is expected to be 65 or older, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Effective HIV treatment has also decreased the risk of AIDS-defining malignancies: Kaposi sarcoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and cervical cancer.

Islam and colleagues from the National Cancer Institute and the CDC used cancer incidence data collected from the HIV/AIDS Cancer Match Study. They estimated cancer incidence rates in people living with HIV through 2030, assuming observed trends in incidence continue. To estimate the number of cancers projected to occur in this population in the future, the investigators multiplied the number of people expected to be living with HIV in the U.S. each year through 2030 by cancer incidence rates.

In 2010, an estimated 7,909 cases of cancer were diagnosed among people living with HIV. Of these, 2,719 were AIDS-defining cancers and 5,190 were non-AIDS-defining cancers. The overall number of cancers is projected to drop to 6,495 in 2030, with AIDS-defining cancers declining dramatically to 710 and non-AIDS-defining cancers increasing somewhat to 5,794. While Kaposi sarcoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma were estimated to be the most common cancers in this population in 2010, by 2030, the most common cancers in this population are expected to be prostate, lung, liver, and anal cancer, the study showed.

Islam explained that several factors are expected to contribute to the shift in cancer burden. First, the antiretroviral drugs that many are prescribed reduce immune suppression, thereby decreasing the risk of some cancers associated with viral infections and immune disruption, most notably Kaposi sarcoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Also, the aging of the HIV-positive population will result in certain cancers occurring more frequently. For example, as more HIV-positive men reach an age where prostate cancer becomes more common, the number of cases diagnosed will rise in that population, she said.

"It is critical that we continue to monitor cancer risk in the HIV-infected population," Islam said. "Targeted cancer prevention, early detection, and control efforts are needed, including smoking cessation, treatment of hepatitis C and B viruses, age-appropriate cancer screening, and continued widespread treatment with antiretroviral therapy."

Islam said one limitation of the study is that it includes only people who have been diagnosed with HIV; it does not include those who are infected but have not been diagnosed. Therefore, she said, the true cancer burden is likely higher than the study results indicated.
Credit: Southern Methodist University

Helicopter parenting reduces the well-being of young women, while the failure to foster independence harms the well-being of young men but not young women.

Male and female college students react differently to misguided parenting, according to a new study that looked at the impact of helicopter parenting and fostering independence.

Measuring both helicopter parenting as well as autonomy supportfostering independencewas important for the researchers to study, said family dynamics expert Chrystyna Kouros, an assistant professor of psychology at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, and an author on the study.

"Just because mom and dad aren't helicopter parents, doesn't necessarily mean they are supporting their young adult in making his or her own choices," Kouros said. "The parent may be uninvolved, so we also wanted to know if parents are actually encouraging their student to be independent and make their own choices."

The researchers found that young women are negatively affected by helicopter parenting, while young men suffer when parents don't encourage independence.

"The sex difference was surprising," said Kouros, an expert in adolescent depression. "In Western culture in particular, boys are socialized more to be independent, assertive and take charge, while girls are more socialized toward relationships, caring for others, and being expressive and compliant. Our findings showed that a lack of autonomy supportfailure to encourage independencewas more problematic for males, but didn't affect the well-being of females. Conversely, helicopter parentingparents who are overinvolvedproved problematic for girls, but not boys."

The study is unique in measuring the well-being of college students, said Kouros, director of the Family Health and Development Lab at SMU. The tendency in research on parenting has been to focus on the mental health of younger children.

"When researchers do focus on college students they tend to ask about academic performance, and whether students are engaged in school. But there haven't been as many studies that look at mental health or well-being in relation to helicopter parenting," she said.

Unlike children subjected to psychological control, in which parents try to instill guilt in their child, children of helicopter parents report a very close bond with their parents. Helicopter parents "hover" out of concern for their child, not from malicious intent, she said.

What helicopter parents don't realize is that despite their good intentions to help their child, it actually does harm, said Naomi Ekas, a co-author on the study and assistant professor of psychology at Texas Christian University, Fort Worth.

"They're not allowing their child to become independent or learn problem-solving on their own, nor to test out and develop effective coping strategies," Ekas said.

Young men that reported more autonomy support, measured stronger well-being in the form of less social anxiety and fewer depressive symptoms.

For young women, helicopter parenting predicted lower psychological well-being. They were less optimistic, felt less satisfaction with accomplishments, and were not looking forward to things with enjoyment, nor feeling hopeful. In contrast, lacking autonomy support wasn't related to negative outcomes in females.

"The take-away is we have to adjust our parenting as our kids get older," said Kouros. "Being involved with our child is really important. But we have to adapt how we are involved as they are growing up, particularly going off to college."

The findings were reported in the article "Helicopter Parenting, Autonomy Support, and College Students' Mental Health and Well-being: The Moderating Role of Sex and Ethnicity," in the Journal of Child and Family Studies.

Other co-authors were: Romilyn Kiriaki and Megan Sunderland, SMU Department of Psychology, and Megan M. Pruitt, Texas Christian University. The study was funded by the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at the University of Texas at Austin.

Parental involvement can go too far

Research on child development has consistently found that children are more successful when they have parental involvement and support.

Now, however, research is finding that parental involvement can go too far. Call it over-parenting, over-controlling parenting or helicopter parenting, but the characteristics are the same: parents offer their child a lot of warmth and support, but in combination with high levels of control and low levels of autonomy and independence.

For example a parent may dispute their college student's low grade with a professor or negotiate their young adult's job offer and salary.

Previous research in the field has linked helicopter parenting to a student's poor academic achievement, lower self-esteem and life satisfaction, poor peer relationships, and greater interpersonal dependency.

"With helicopter parenting you're impeding children from meeting the developmental goals of being independent and autonomous," Kouros said. "That lowers their confidence in being able to solve problems on their own. They lose the opportunity to learn how to deal with stressors. Someone who's used to figuring out daily hassles, however, learns strategies, gets practice and knows problems aren't the end of the world."

In contrast, research in the field links positive outcomes when parents support autonomy and independence by encouraging their young adults to make decisions and solve problems. Autonomy support is related to higher self-esteem and less depression.

Minimal research into sex differences of young adults

For the current study, the researchers wanted to see if helicopter parenting and low autonomy support equally affected male and female students.

Researching potential differences was especially important, the researchers concluded, since studies have found that females are twice as prone as males to develop depression and anxiety.

Very little research of sex differences has been conducted in emerging adulthood in relation to parenting. What limited research there is suggests that over-controlling or lax parenting increases the risk for maladjustment, particularly for young women.

The researchers surveyed 118 undergraduate students recruited from two mid-sized private universities in the southwest United States. The majority of students were female, between 18 and 25 years old, primarily white and Hispanic and living on campus.

Students completed widely accepted measures of helicopter parenting and autonomy support. The questionnaires asked students to rank their agreements or disagreement on a scale for items such as "If I were to receive a low grade that I felt was unfair, my parents would call the professor," or "My parents encourage me to make my own decisions and take responsibility for the choices I make."

To assess mental health and well-being, the students completed an accepted inventory for depression and anxiety symptoms that asked questions about their feelings the past two weeks. Examples include, "I felt depressed," "I felt self-conscious knowing that others were watching me," and "I felt hopeful about the future."

The study complements a growing body of research about the harmful effects of helicopter parenting for adult children. It also adds to research indicating females are more vulnerable to the negative effects than males.

"You should love and care for your child, but the way you show it and manifest it has to be developmentally appropriate. Your parenting has to follow where your child is developmentally," Kouros said. "Being over-involved while your child is in college, that may not be appropriate anymore. That doesn't mean you disengage. So if a college student wants to call their parent and talk through an issue and problem solve, I think that's appropriate. But it's their problem and they should be able to confidently handle it on their own."

More information: Chrystyna D. Kouros et al. Helicopter Parenting, Autonomy Support, and College Students' Mental Health and Well-being: The Moderating Role of Sex and Ethnicity, Journal of Child and Family Studies (2016). Chrystyna D. Kouros et al. Helicopter Parenting, Autonomy Support, and College Students' Mental Health and Well-being: The Moderating Role of Sex and Ethnicity,(2016). DOI: 10.1007/s10826-016-0614-3
Lead released when people fire weapons at shooting ranges creates such a health risk that lead bullets should be phased out, according to new research.

Every time someone fires their weapon, lead fragments and fumes are discharged at high pressure. Shooters then breathe in the metal, while other particles stick to their hands and are swallowed through smoking and eating.

Women of child-bearing age are at particular risk, as the lead is stored in their bones where it substitutes for calcium. When a woman becomes pregnant, the foetus takes in lead along with the calcium it needs from its mother's bones, which can cause serious neurodevelopmental damage. Female shooters can also pass on lead exposure through breast milk.

Dr Mark Laidlaw, a researcher in the Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Remediation (EnSuRe) at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, said the dangers of long-term exposure to lead were well known, but the risks for people using shooting ranges had not previously been fully explored.

"While there is no safe level of lead exposure, US health bodies regard 5 micrograms per decilitre of blood as the level that's cause for concern.

"What this research found is that people using shooting ranges can record blood-lead levels as high as 40 micrograms, with women and children at particular risk.

"The kind of blood-lead levels found among shooters can lead to essential tremor, hypertension, cardiovascular-related mortality, electrocardiography abnormalities, decreased kidney function, psychiatric effects, decreased hearing, decreased cognitive function, decreased fertility, incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, adverse sperm parameters, increased spontaneous abortion, and reduced foetal growth in children."

In the US, about one million law enforcement officers train at indoor firing ranges, 20 million citizens practice target shooting, and 16,000-18,000 indoor firing ranges exist.

The United States Geological Survey calculated that in 2012 about 60,100 metric tonnes of lead were used in ammunition and bullets in the US.

Co-researcher Professor Gabriel Filippelli from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis said: "I am particularly concerned about children, who can be exposed by using the firing ranges themselves or through the fine lead-laden dust that mom or dad come home with adhering to their clothes and skin."

Laidlaw said lead-free bullets and primers (involved in combusting the cartridge) already existed.

"In the short term, we need better ventilation systems in indoor ranges and the development of airflow systems at outdoor ranges, protective clothing that is changed after shooting and a ban on smoking and eating at firing ranges.

"But the real solution is a transition to copper bullets and lead-free primers.

"That may seem like a big ask, but Australia phased out lead in petrol between 2000 and 2002 even though it was a challenge to the automotive and fuel industries."

More information: Mark A. S. Laidlaw et al, Lead exposure at firing rangesa review, Environmental Health (2017). Journal information: Environmental Health Mark A. S. Laidlaw et al, Lead exposure at firing rangesa review,(2017). DOI: 10.1186/s12940-017-0246-0
A new study by Queen's University researcher Susan Brogly (Surgery) has revealed that 25 per cent of women suffering from a prenatal opioid dependence were not being treated for their addiction. Using data from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), the study also shows rising numbers of affected mother-infant pairs and associated health care costs.

"The information on health care costs are new for Canada, which goes along with the 16 fold increase in the number of mother-infant pairs affected by opioid dependence over the past decade," says Dr. Brogly. "That is a striking finding but not new data. A larger concern is the 25 per cent of affected women that did not have an opioid agonist prescription recorded in the Ontario Drug Benefit program database."

Opioid agonist treatment with methadone or buprenorphine is used to prevent maternal illicit opioid use and withdrawal and to improve prenatal care and pregnancy outcomes. Methadone is predominately used in pregnant women in Ontario, largely because the form of buprenorphine used in pregnancy is not available in Canada and has to be imported from the United States under a special Health Canada program. The long delay in getting buprenorphine can result in ongoing drug use, relapse or other complications in the pregnancy.

Many practitioners use methadone (which requires a special license in Ontario) and which may cause more severe withdrawal in the neonate. Buprenorphine, in the form used in pregnancy, can be prescribed by family physicians, obstetricians and other physicians without a special license.

"This is an important finding because it could indicate barriers and stigma towards specific groups of women accessing care in our socialized healthcare system," says Dr. Brogly. "More effective programming to prevent opioid dependence and prescription drug misuse is clearly needed and buprenorphine needs to be more readily available for pregnant women."In the study, Dr. Brogly revealed the number of infants born to opioid-dependent women in Ontario rose from 46 in 2002 to almost 800 in 2014. In addition rates of preterm birth, birth defects, still birth and infant mortality were higher than those reported for the Ontario newborn population. All of these complications translate into significant increased costs to the system.

"The next steps are to confirm whether there are barriers to care, to try to tease out which exposures and what period of exposure in gestation causes poor birth outcomes in this population, to identify longer term outcomes of the mothers and infants, and to prevent substance in young women," says Dr. Brogly. "These data can be used to argue for more treatment options, including buprenorphine, and drug treatment programs tailored to women and their children. Support should also be given to the mothers and their children beyond the immediate post-partum period to facilitate the growth of healthy families and children."

It was recently published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada.

More information: Susan B. Brogly et al. Infants Born to Opioid-Dependent Women in Ontario, 20022014, Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada (2017). Susan B. Brogly et al. Infants Born to Opioid-Dependent Women in Ontario, 20022014,(2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.jogc.2016.11.009
"If the issue is not resolved, we will be forced to carry on with our protest. Being part of the government, we do not want to create a scene, but will be forced to do so. This (air travel) is Gaikwad's constitutional right", said Shiv Sena leader Anandrao Adsul.

By Press Trust of India: Shiv Sena members in Lok Sabha today warned of protests in Parliament if the issue of its MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who has been banned from flying by several airlines after he allegedly hit an Air India staffer, was not resolved soon. All major domestic airlines have imposed a flying ban on him for assaulting an Air India duty manager.

advertisement

Anandrao Adsul of the Shiv Sena said Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan was the custodian of the House "but our matter has not been resolved yet". "If it is not resolved, then we will be forced to carry on with our protest. Being part of the government, we do not want to create a scene, but will be forced to do so. This (air travel) is his constitutional right", he said.

During the Zero Hour, Devji Mansingram Patel of the BJP also alleged that last week, Jet Airways did not provide a seat to him despite his bookings and allegedly sold that seat to another passenger. He claimed that similar problems were being faced by other MPs and people.

PRIVATE AIRLINES INDULGING IN BULLYING: SHIV SENA

"Private airlines are bullying...this bullying should be curbed," he said. Adsul alleged that his party MP Ravindra Gaikwad was also manhandled by airline staffers.

"Under which law has his travel by air been banned," he questioned. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said, "We will see to it". Air India and most other airlines have barred Ravindra Gaikwad, a Shiv Sena MP from Osmanabad constituency in Maharashtra, from its flights and also cancelled his tickets.

Also read | Grounded MP Gaikwad tweaked name 4 times to book Air India tickets

Also read | Ravindra Gaikwad row: Shiv Sena asks Speaker to take action against Air India staff

Also read | Where is Ravindra Gaikwad? Shiv Sena MP who assaulted Air India staffer goes 'missing' from train

WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
Front cover of The Enlightened Mr Parkinson. Credit: Icon Books

World Parkinson's Disease Day [11 April] is held every year on Parkinson's birthday to raise awareness of the disease and the research being done to alleviate it. To mark 200 years since James Parkinson first identified the condition named after him, a new biography of this forgotten man will be published.

In 1817 James Parkinson (1755-1824) wrote his pioneering Essay on the Shaking Palsy, which first defined the condition we now call Parkinson's disease. The symptoms identified by Parkinson two centuries ago are still used to diagnose the disease today. Although unable to identify a cause for the condition, Parkinson's remarkably accurate description of the symptoms, and the disease in all its different stages, eventually led to it being named in his honour.

The Enlightened Mr Parkinson by Dr Cherry Lewis, Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, tells the story of Parkinson's life as an apothecary surgeon (similar to today's GP) in Hoxton, then a village on the outskirts of London. It was a time when epidemics festered in the dirty and overcrowded tenements, infant mortality was fifty percent, and no anaesthetics were available for those unfortunate enough to require surgery. Smallpox killed ten per cent of the population, so when Edward Jenner discovered a vaccine, Parkinson worked with him to establish vaccination stations across London.

Cherry Lewis said: "Parkinson was not only a pioneer in medicine but also internationally famous for his works on fossils. He revealed an unknown world, populated with 'hyenas the size of bears' and 'enormous marine animals', all of which both enthralled and terrified his readers. His exquisitely illustrated Organic Remains of a Former World placed the study of fossils on the scientific map of Britain before the subject even had a name.

"When awarded The Royal College of Surgeons' first Gold Medal, it was not for his medical publications that Parkinson was honoured, nor even his Essay on the Shaking Palsy, but for his ground-breaking work on fossils."

Parkinson became a political activist after the French Revolution, which many in Britain supported. He wrote numerous outspoken publications which harangued a corrupt and incompetent Government using the pseudonym 'Old Hubert', for many were imprisoned and even transported to Australia for such seditious activities. When caught up in an alleged plot to kill 'mad' King George III, Parkinson put his own life on the line trying to save his friends.

It was almost 50 years after Parkinson's death before the significance of his Essay was fully appreciated and the shaking palsy renamed 'Parkinson's disease' in his memory.
LUKEVILLE, Ariz.  Each year, Mexican drug cartels rake in billions of dollars in profits from the sale of heroin, methamphetamines and other drugs in the United States. The money has to make its way south somehow.

Though the cartels sometimes hire legitimate companies to buy goods like silk and ink cartridges and export them to Mexico, where they are sold for pesos, a more common method is to simply pay someone to drive the cash over the border.

President Trump has talked frequently about bad hombres streaming in from Mexico. But it is the flow of money going from north to south  a product of Americans voracious appetite for illicit drugs  that officials say is an equal part of the problem.

Its the money and the guns that have enabled the cartels to obtain the power they have, Scott Brown, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Phoenix, part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in an interview. Im a firm believer that if we can keep the cartels from getting their profits, over time, that has a lot more impact than seizing the drugs.
ICASA is investigating the viability of regulating data prices in South Africa.

Speaking at the CRASA AGM on 30 March, acting ICASA chairperson Rubben Mohlaloga said one of the issues South African consumers face is the high price of mobile data.

ICASA has not implemented a framework to regulate data pricing, and Mohlaloga said the regulator will look to SADC regulations for guidance.

The authority is currently determining whether data prices should be regulated and hopes to announce its regulation plan once it has established a framework.

Mohlaloga said the licensing of spectrum can play a key role in introducing competition to the mobile space, ensuring the roll-out of affordable broadband services.

ICASA has imposed transparency obligations on mobile operators, requiring them to inform customers about in and out-of-bundle rates at the point of sale.

Our main goal is to ensure that all South Africans receive good quality communications services at affordable prices, said Mohlaloga.
158 people die in Philippines storm

Close to $7.5M allocated for Armenia scientific infrastructure, material, technical base modernization

Byblos Bank Armenia finances the construction of two major solar parks

Bloomberg: EU mechanism to provide Ukraine with $18 billion implies conditions

Turkey voices its full and unconditional support for Azerbaijan

Ombudsperson attends Armenia-EU Human Rights Dialogue session, presents facts recorded in her ad hoc reports

Israeli embassy congratulates Azerbaijan on 'Victory Day'

World gold prices going down

Ankara offers its storage capacity for Russian grain

Zelenskiy calls key conditions for talks with Russia

Bitcoin price goes down

Copper price goes down

World oil prices dropping

Blinken: Armenia and Azerbaijan are taking courageous steps to achieve peace

Newspaper: What changes expected in "Brussels package" of Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization talks?

13 billion cubic meters of natural gas found off Israel coast

State Security Service of Azerbaijan is scared by YouTube video about situation in Nakhichevan

MFA: Armenia, Azerbaijan FMs agree to expedite their negotiations

President: UAE is a responsible energy supplier as long as the world needs oil and gas

EU has serious concerns about US inflation reduction act

Head of IMF: The global surge in consumer prices may be close to the high point

Germany wants EU to resume trade talks with US as soon as possible

Pashinyan's closed meeting with MPs of ruling Civil Contract faction is over

Hungary will not support EU efforts to help Ukraine with joint funds

Greece to soon ban sale of spyware

U.S. military delegation arrives in Turkey

German industry calls for postponement of global minimum corporate tax

Podolyak: Ukraine has never refused to negotiate

Elon Musk calls on 'independent-minded' voters to vote for Republicans

Bezos Earth Fund pledges $1 billion by 2030 to protect carbon stocks and biodiversity

7 people killed in collision between truck and passenger bus in Turkey

Nikol Pashinyan holds closed meeting with members of ruling party faction

Qatar's foreign minister calls criticism of West 'arrogant' and 'racist'

Algeria officially applies to join BRICS group

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
Within the framework of his working visit to Strasbourg, France, the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, met with Council of Europe (CoE) Secretary General Thorbjrn Jagland.

They discussed the ombudsman staffs activities during the organization and conduct of Sundays parliamentary election in Armenia.

Also, the CoE Secretary General was informed about the new regulations in Armenias Law on the Human Rights Defender.

In addition, Tatoyan presented the fact-finding mission results that confirm the Azerbaijani armed forces firing shots toward Chinari village in Armenias Tavush Province.

Furthermore, he pointed to Bakus anti-Armenian policy and its perilous manifestations for European organizations.

Additionally, Arman Tatoyan briefed the CoE Secretary General on the work carried out by the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR).

Jagland, for his part, underscored the Armenian ombudsmans position on, and activities toward, the introduction of European human rights standards in Armenia.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Executive Director Bryan Ardouny outlined key priorities in the congressional testimony submitted to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.

In the testimony, Ardouny reiterated the bipartisan letter sent to the Subcommittee, spearheaded by Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and commended the Members of Congress for signing in agreement.

In particular, the Assembly's testimony calls for: $40 million in U.S. economic assistance to Armenia; $40 million to support Armenia's efforts to serve as a regional safe haven for refugees; $20 million to implement the Royce-Engel initiative to advance peace; $11 million in U.S. military assistance to Armenia; $8 million to Artsakh; assistance to the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia; regional energy security; and reaffirmation of the U.S. record on the Armenian Genocide. Considering the dual blockades imposed by Turkey and Azerbaijan, Armenia continues to demonstrate its resilience, which is why the Assembly also strongly supports a second U.S.-Armenia compact of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

The Assembly's testimony specifically drew attention to Azerbaijan's deadly cease-fire violations, including last April's unprecedented offensive that started with the killing of a 12-year-old boy and continued with the gruesome ISIS-style beheading of an Armenian soldier and mutilation of an elderly Armenian couple. Given Azerbaijan's blatant cease-fire violations, the Assembly called upon the United States to "directly condemn such actions and avoid engaging in false equivalency between the aggressor and those defending themselves" and urged the Subcommittee to cease military funding to Azerbaijan. America cannot afford it and Azerbaijan does not need it.

Ardouny highlighted the fact that Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity in 301 A.D. and emphasized the importance of safe guarding Christian and other minority communities wherever they may reside. The Assembly testimony also commended the work of the Near East Foundation (NEF) in this regard and urged funding to support NEF's work in Armenia. In addition to allocating aid to Armenia and Artsakh, Ardouny urged Members to visit Armenia as well as watch the movie titled The Promise, a film which depicts the extraordinary events of the Armenian Genocide and comes to theaters this month.
By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, Apr 5 (PTI) Markets rallied to record highs today, with the Sensex ending just below the 30,000-mark and the Nifty finishing at 9,265.15, fuelled by bluechips RIL and Maruti.

Investors are in a wait-and-watch mode ahead of the RBIs first bi-monthly policy review for 2017-18 due tomorrow.

The central bank is widely expected to hold rates, but there are hopes of more steps being announced to address growing NPAs and excess liquidity, traders said.

advertisement

The BSE 30-share index hit a high of 30,007.48 in intra-day trade, but slipped to 29,817.69 before settling at 29,974.24, up 64.02 points or 0.21 per cent.

This surpassed its previous high of 29,910.22, recorded on April 3.

The gauge had gained 289.72 points in the previous session on Monday amid sustained foreign capital inflows and a firming global trend.

Similarly, the broader 50-issue NSE Nifty touched 9,273.90 points on sustained foreign fund inflows. However, due to profit-taking at record levels, it shed some ground to close at 9,265.15, up by 27.30 points or 0.30 per cent.

It broke the previous record of 9,237.85 reached on April 3.

The Monetary Policy Committee, headed by RBI Governor Urjit Patel, began its two-day meeting today.

"With RBI meet underway, hopes of measures towards NPA resolution and excess liquidity extended banks run, while other rate sensitive sectors also tagged along, helping indices to record peaks.

"Firm rupee and immigration woes continue to bother IT companies, and international cues should weigh more in the week ahead in light of US jobs data and FOMC minutes release," said Anand James, Chief Market Strategist, Geojit Financial Services Ltd.

Meanwhile, Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 534.45 crore on Monday, as per provisional data from the stock exchanges.

Shares of index heavyweight Reliance Industries maintained its winning streak triggered by Jio prime membership offer, rising 3.19 per cent to close at a fresh nine-year high of Rs 1,414.90.

Maruti Suzuki zoomed 4.40 per cent to end at an all-time high of Rs 6,339.40, while L&T surged 2.18 per cent to Rs 1,696.85 on reports of the company bagging huge orders.

Among the sectoral indices, realty rose the most by surging 4.08 per cent, followed by consumer durables (2.41 per cent), capital goods (1.53 per cent), auto (1.09 per cent), metal (0.94 per cent) and oil and gas (0.72 per cent).

Gainers among the 30 Sensex stocks were Adani Ports (4.50 per cent), HUL (1.82 per cent), Tata Steel (1.65 per cent), Axis Bank (up 1.54 per cent), Lupin (1.28 per cent), SBI (1.21 per cent), NTPC (1 per cent), Wipro (0.68 per cent), Bharti Airtel (0.67 per cent), Tata Motors (0.66 per cent) and M&M (0.37 per cent).

advertisement

The broader markets too remained extremely bullish, with several stocks hitting 52-week highs, lifting the small-cap index by 1.12 per cent and mid-cap index by 0.46 per cent.

Brokers said investor sentiment remained upbeat after a monthly survey showed that manufacturing sector grew at its fastest pace in five months in March, marking the third straight month of expansion.

Besides, strong FIIs inflows and the Lok Sabha clearing four GST legislations, paving the way for the rollout of the new indirect tax regime from July 1, added to the momentum.

Globally, there was a firming trend at other Asian markets while the European shares rose in their late morning trade.

Investors are awaiting minutes of the Federal Reserves last interest-rate meeting and US jobs data.

In the Asian region, Hong Kongs Hang Seng rose 0.57 per cent, Shanghai Composite Index gained 1.48 per cent and Japans Nikkei ended 0.27 per cent higher.

Among European markets, Londons FTSE and Paris CAC rose by up to 0.23 per cent but Frankfurts DAX was down 0.27 per cent. PTI SUN DP KPS SDG ABM

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
STEPANAKERT.  In accordance with the arrangement reached with the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) mission on Wednesday conducted a planned monitoring of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan, in the direction of the Hadrut Region, near Karakhanbeyli.

From the positions of the NKR Defense Army, the monitoring was carried out by field assistants to the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (CiO) Mihail Olaru (Moldova) and Ghenadie Petrica (Moldova), and staff-member of the OSCE High-Level Planning Group (HLPG), Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Farrelli (Ireland), the Artsakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

From the opposite side of the Line of Contact, the monitoring was held by staff member of the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE CiO Peter Svedberg (Sweden), personal assistant to the CiO Personal Representative Simon Tiller (Great Britain), and head of the OSCE HLPG, Colonel Hans Lampalzer (Austria).

The monitoring passed in accordance with the agreed schedule, and no ceasefire violation was recorded.

From the Nagorno-Karabakh side, the monitoring mission was accompanied by representatives of the Republic of Artsakh Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense.
The traffickers brought the woman from Assam to Delhi and pushed her into prostitution.

Rights activists say Assam has become a hotbed of human traffickers from all over India.

By Sneha Agrawal: One phone call, that's all it took. In a city where bystanders are notoriously passive, an unidentified Samaritan helped cops pull a 20-year-old woman out of the clutches of sex traffickers.

The accused were arrested and sent to jail.

The traffickers brought the woman from Assam to Delhi and pushed her into prostitution.

Sex syndicates often lure vulnerable women and girls with promises of employment, while some parents are desperate enough to sell their daughters to the trade. Government data show almost 20,000 women and children were victims of human trafficking in India in 2016, a rise of nearly 25 per cent from 2015.

advertisement

TRAFFICKERS ARRESTED

During an attempted escape this year, the victim was caught by the goons on a busy road at a little red-light area in south Delhi's Mahipalpur. They started dragging her towards their car. A crowd began to gather and one of the witnesses called up the police. The traffickers fled the scene but were later caught.

Experts say rapid urbanisation, gender imbalance resulting from sex-selective abortion practices and migration of large numbers of men into urban centres creates a market for commercial sex. Police arrested a couple - Shahtun Begum, 25 and Shukur Ali, 30 - who brought the victim to Delhi. Cops have booked them for causing hurt, wrongful restraint, trafficking, exploitation, rape and criminal intimidation. A charge sheet was filed on Monday.

In November 2016, Shahtun, who also hails from Assam, met the victim at a beauty parlour where she worked. According to the victim, Shahtun had come to the salon to get make-up done and later offered her a job. "She appreciated my work and said there was a big opportunity for me to make money. I told her that I did not need money and was happy at home."

However, the young woman's refusal did not end the matter. Shahtun and her husband Shukur met the victim's parents and convinced them. "My parents agreed and I came to Delhi in a train November. I was put in a small house in Mahipalpur. I was told that if I wanted to make money I would have to do as they said."

The victim was sent to different men at hotels across the city. "I was made to sit in cars and then raped. Whenever I resisted, they used to threaten me and even beat me. I was often told that as I had no one to go in Delhi I would have to be at their mercy."

ASSAM HOTBED OF HUMAN TRAFFICKERS?

Human rights activists say Assam has become a hotbed of human traffickers. In 2016, a 250 per cent jump was witnessed in human trafficking cases from the Northeast compared to the previous year. Most of the instances were reported from Assam. Of the total 1,539 human trafficking cases registered in 2015, as many as 1,494 were from Assam, 20 from Meghalaya, 16 from Tripura, six from Nagaland and three from Arunachal Pradesh.

Shukur Ali and Shahtun Begum told authorities that when they met the 20-year-old and learnt that she was from a poor family, they saw an opportunity to trap her. They also revealed the details of a man who used to seek girls from them for flesh trade.

advertisement

Officials say traffickers have now resorted to social engineering to lure young girls from the North-east on the pretext of "good career and friendships". Delhi Police has also received complaints from their counterparts in the north-eastern states over the past few months about teenage girls fleeing their homes to meet their Facebook friends in the Capital.

ALSO READ | West Bengal child trafficking scandal: BJP Mahila Morcha leader in police net

ALSO READ | Hyderabad: High-profile online prostitution racket busted, 4 arrested

--- ENDS ---
YEREVAN. - Duty-free Turkish tomatoes continue to be imported to Armenia, Chairman of the Association of Greenhouse Facilities of Armenia, Poghos Gevorgyan, told Armenian News  NEWS.am.

After the meeting with Armenian Agriculture Minister in early December 2016, the greenhouse facility owners made sure that there is no longer a blackimport of Turkish cucumbers and tomatoes. But looking around, they saw that almost nothing had changed: the same Turkish harvest festival was going on in the wholesale markets of the capital and provinces.

If they undergo proper customs clearance, there will be no threat to the local market. They are bought on the ground for AMD 250 per kilogram. But they have to be imported via Georgia. Therefore, the transportation costs almost the same. Add to this the customs clearance and VAT, and then the income of transporters and sellers. This should make not less than AMD 1,000 per kilogram, whereas they are sold for AMD 500 in the markets, Gevorgyan stressed.

In any case this has to be simply banned. And let those who think that this is not in line with the rules try to import a pail of tomatoes from Armenia to Turkey. They will be sent home right on the border. What about this? Is it in line with rules? We not only do not interfere, but it turns out also help Turkey, which considers us an unfriendly state, to sell its product. I will reiterate: not only do they allow to import, but they dont levy duties either, Gevorgyan said.

Consequently, the local greenhouses sell their tomatoes for AMD 400-500lower than their self-valuein order to push forward their product. With pain and misery, only large industrial facilities can endure this, while small single facilities suffer most of all, the Chairman added.

In the near future, Agriculture Minister Ignati Araqelyan, and perhaps the premier, will receive the representatives of the Association of Greenhouse Facilities of Armenia and Trade Union of agro-industrial sector workers.
By Shreya Goswami: We all have our preferences when it comes to food. Things that we eat traditionally have a deep-rooted connection with our lives, and most of us would still prefer to indulge in delicacies that our families have been cooking up and eating for generations.

But there are some food habits that just cannot be excused in the name of traditions. Shark fin soup is the perfect example. This soup is considered a delicacy in many parts of South East Asia, notably in China and Hong Kong.

Shark fin soup might be a delicacy, but it's endangering sharks. Picture courtesy: TripAdvisor.com

advertisement

Shark fin soup is considered to be an auspicious dish, with aphrodisiac qualities and great flavour, in these countries. This is the reason why it is served at weddings, with a single bowl of the soup selling for $100 (Rs 6,500). While nutritionists and chefs have declared that shark fins don't have any qualities that other fish species don't, the practice of 'finning' still continues.

Also Read: This fish is 1200 times more poisonous than cyanide, and it's a delicacy in Japan

What is this practice? Well, we'd suggest you harden you guts and resolve before reading on.

Sharks are fished out of the sea, and their fins cut off--while the fish is still living! Once the fins are cut off, the sharks are hauled back into the ocean. Of course, no shark can survive in the ocean without their fins. So, they sink to the bed of the ocean, and die a slow, painful death.

Yes. That's how the primary ingredient of this so-called delicacy is procured. According to a report by Care2, 73 million sharks are slaughtered every year to make this soup. The Dodo has revealed that Hong Kong is at the heart of this wasteful practice of finning, but this soup has become popular in the USA in the last decade.

Shark fin soup is a delicacy served at Chinese weddings. Picture courtesy: Instagram/viixxyr

Their report also reveals that sharks are being killed off faster than they can reproduce--which means this specie is facing extinction unless steps are taken soon. Indulging in flavoursome food, even if it's meant to be traditional, can definitely be done in better ways than my making a whole specie of fish extinct!

But all is not lost for our friend from the deep blue seas. Animal rights activists from across the globe have taken up the fight on behalf of sharks. Celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Edward Norton have joined the fight as well.

A rooftop in China, full of mutilated shark fins. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/treehugger.com

On the other hand, prominent chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Mario Batali, Wolfgang Puck, Cecilla Chang and many others have pledged that they would never serve shark fins at their restaurants. The Food Network has even declared to never feature footage of shark fins.

advertisement

Wildlife photographers, Instagram and Twitter foodies, and the faux meat industry (which has come up with imitation shark fin soups) have also joined this campaign against shark finning. And while many restaurants in Hong Kong, China and Philippines still serve this soup, the campaign against it has appealed to the one thing that we all need to use when it comes to food preferences--a conscience.

--- ENDS ---
OSHA Orders Wells Fargo to Reinstate Whistleblower

The bank has been ordered to fully restore the former manager's lost earnings in the banking industry. Wells Fargo plans to appeal.

OSHA announced it has ordered Wells Fargo Bank N.A. to compensate and reinstate a former bank manager who lost his job after reporting fraudulent behavior to superiors and a bank ethics hotline.

The manager was dismissed from his position at a Wells Fargo in Los Angeles after he reported separate incidents of suspected bank, mail, and wire fraud by two bankers under his supervision, according to OSHA's release. The agency enforces the whistleblower provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and 21 other whistleblower laws.

An OSHA investigation concluded the whistleblower activity was at least a contributing factor in his termination. Wells Fargo has been ordered to fully compensate the employee for lost earnings during his time out of the banking industry. Wells Fargo can appeal the order before the Labor Department's Office of Administrative Law Judges, but that would not stay the preliminary reinstatement order.

Wells Fargo plans to appeal the order, NPR reported, citing a statement from the company.
Over the last several years, Cousins has taken a calculated approach to its growth plan by strengthening its unit-level economics and creating a stronger core of franchise partners. As a result, in May 2016, the Wisconsin-based sub shop announced a rebranding initiative committing to streamline its locations in look and feel  a strategy that positioned the brand for its next phase of growth.

"With our remodeling and rebranding initiative underway, now is the right time to revive the brand through Midwest growth, specifically in the Chicagoland area," said Christine Specht, president and CEO at Cousins Subs. "Weve increased our same store sales and average unit volumes positioning us for multi-unit franchise investment."

With the revival of the brand, Cousins has signed three new franchise groups to join its system.

"The key to our franchise growth is dependent on finding the right partners who meet the qualifications needed to successfully transition into our brand  liquidity, restaurant experience, history of multi-unit development, and the capability of multi-unit growth," said Joe Ferguson, VP of development at Cousins Subs. "Each of the multi-unit groups entering our system are great representations of the kind of investors were looking to have join Cousins."

Brothers, Amit and Kalpesh Patel of Chicago, Illinois, and Munster, Indiana, are the most recent multi-unit owners to enter the Cousins system as of late March 2017. As owners of OM Group, a multi-brand business established in 2006, the Patels have 22 years of industry and management experience.

Through OM Group, they oversee more than 1,500 employees across 50 quick service restaurants and approximately 40 gasoline / convenient store locations throughout the Midwest. The Patels will enter Cousins system as the first group to develop in the Chicagoland market through a multi-unit investment of 10 stores over four years.

"After Cousins revamped its image and menu, we felt it was the perfect time to take the brand to different markets and what better market than Chicagoland," said Amit Patel. "Though we will look for other acquisition opportunities anywhere in Wisconsin, our goal is to be a main franchise group of Cousins in the Chicagoland market. We are excited to see the reaction on peoples faces when they receive a fantastic product with great service."

Joining Cousins system in March 2017 are multi-unit owners, Chad Ellett and Randy Fusch from Reedsburg, Wisconsin along with Mike Gilbertson of South Beloit, Illinois. Collectively, they have 35 years of restaurant industry experience and since 2003, Ellett and Fusch owned and operated two co-branded quick service restaurant concepts in Reedsburg and Stoughton, Wisconsin.

As they found success with their existing restaurant businesses, they looked for additional opportunities within Wisconsin leading them to the purchase of two Cousins corporate locations in the Madison market  on East Washington Avenue and a location in Oregon, Wisconsin. There is also an opportunity for the group to purchase a third location in the future. In addition, they have signed a development agreement to open two new stores over the next two years between Madison and Rockford, Illinois.

"When looking to expand our business, we saw a lot of opportunity with Cousins. Were looking for a company to grow with and bring to the forefront as a major chain in our market, and Cousins fit into our growth plans," said Ellett. "Cousins is taking initiative through its new restaurant design, while respecting its franchise community. The new design is feasible for the franchisee, which tells me they really care for their brand partners and thats what makes the whole brand grow as a whole."

Entering the Cousins system in November 2016, father-son business owners, John Stewart Sr. and John Stewart Jr., purchased both Cousins franchise locations in Sheboygan, as well as a third in Mequon. Stewart Jr. oversees operations at all three locations and brings more than 19 years of restaurant experience from his family's business, Food Services Incorporated, which was started by his father twenty-four years ago and sold in 2016. Their business operated restaurant concepts, including franchised, in more than thirty college universities and ten corporate food service locations across four states.

In addition to their current locations, the Stewarts have an interest in continued growth with Cousins in both Wisconsin and the Chicagoland area.

"We witnessed the process that Cousins was going through with remodeling, restructuring and rebranding and felt it was a great time to move in and grow with the brand," said Stewart Jr. "To start with a franchise that is established in the area was very appealing, and Cousins offered consistency in standards and quality. We looked for many other franchise opportunities, but appreciated Cousins business model, product, and its family, locally-owned identity, which was much like the identity of our company."

"Our new franchise partners bring many years of restaurant expertise along with proven infrastructure and processes to our brand, and we can learn from their best practices and grow together," said Ferguson.

As Cousins moves forward with its Midwest growth strategy, each of the new multi-unit ownership groups add to the increasing momentum driving the brands growth in its core markets in Wisconsin as well as in its target market of the greater Chicagoland area.

"The new multi-unit franchise groups provide a strong foundation for growth not only in our current markets, but in new markets as well," said Specht. "We plan to grow contiguously in markets near our home state of Wisconsin and believe we will experience the most success by growing in these areas first."

Cousins is seeking additional multi-unit franchise owners to join its system throughout Wisconsin, Chicagoland and the Midwest.

"In the coming years, there will be opportunities for multi-unit investors to acquire existing restaurants while growing a presence in their trade area and achieving growth in new markets," explained Ferguson.

"As a brand, we are confident in our position in the fast-casual marketplace and most importantly in the quality of food we serve," said Specht. "Weve taken the right steps to set up our brand for success and welcome any interested multi-unit investors to learn more about our legacy and future growth plans."

Those interested in franchise opportunities with Cousins Subs can visit cousinssubsfranchise.com.
In 2011, Anna Lardinois, an English teacher at the time, turned 40 and vowed to learn something new every week for the rest of her life. She probably has a couple of Pinterest-filled projects in her basement, but one of her new endeavors was so successful it is now her full-time livelihood.

Lardinois started a "historical ghost walking tour" business called Gothic Milwaukee. She leads tour groups through the dark streets of Downtown and regales them with spooky, historical tales that live somewhere between fact and lore.

Prior to starting the venture, she spent months researching and compiling information, then gave practice tours to friends before officially offering her historical walking tour to the public. The first year, she pre-sold 1,600 tickets. The response was so positive, she later left her teaching gig to pursue her business full time.

This past winter, Lardinois created a self-guided audio tour of Wisconsin Avenue that works via the GPS in walkers phones. It is available here for $2.99.

"I take the walker from the public library to the art museum," says Lardinois. "Along the tour, I make note of interesting buildings and provide some historical background on the street. I think it will really meet the needs of visitors who want a tour at their own pace and at a time that works for them. Its also great for budget-friendly staycation shoppers."

The tour, according to Lardinois, is also ideal for Milwaukee enthusiasts who want additional insight on the buildings they see everyday, people coming into the city who want to slow down and see the city from a new perspective and anyone with spring fever who wants an outdoor adventure.

Before committing to the business full-time, Lardinois completed the Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation Start Smart class. She was also one of Milwaukees first KIVA Zip loan recipients.

"I love telling stories and helping people find new reasons to fall in love with the city," says Lardinois.
Milwaukee is lucky to still have so many beautiful 19th century and early 20th century schoolhouses  designed by the most respected and talented Milwaukee architects of their day.

But some have also been lost to time, thanks to fire, demolition or replacement. Here, excerpted from my 2012 book, "Historic Milwaukee Public Schoolhouses"  and augmented with a few more "bonus" gems  are 11 lost Milwaukee schoolhouses.

Detroit Street/Jackson

Henry Kochs Neoclassical Andrew Jackson School (previously called Detroit Street School and District 3 before 1912) had an imposing Flemish-inspired tower nearly six stories high that was a beacon in the Third Ward community, which was initially settled by the Irish and later the Italians. The school survived the great Third Ward fire of 1892, and in 1915, a public natatorium was added, making it even more a locus of neighborhood activity. Though it was built in 1879 at a cost of $30,700, MPS records suggest that a school occupied the site from at least 1851. That it had become educationally inadequate was perhaps already clear by 1927, when the 24-classroom building had an enrollment of 1,010 pupils. The building was demolished as part of the urban renewal, also sometimes referred to as "slum clearance," that erased entire sections of the old Third Ward in the late 1950s and early 60s.

Eighteenth Street

Also designed by Henry Koch, Eighteenth Street School was built in 1876 and had 20 classrooms and a third-floor assembly hall on three floors. It marked a new era in Milwaukee public school construction as it was better heated and ventilated than its predecessors. Its classical features made it popular in its day and reviews of the building, which stood behind Girls Tech/Wells Street Junior High until it was destroyed by a spectacular fire during a brutal winter storm in 1973, were glowing. Gone for much long was the building's "twin," on Cass and Kewaunee Streets, replaced by the current Cass Street School building at the dawn of the 20th century.

Gaenslen

The original Gaenslen School in Riverwest, built into a bluff on the west bank of the Milwaukee River in 1939, was an Art Deco gem, with long wings projecting from a central rotunda. Designed by Alexander Bauer of Eschweiler and Eschweiler Architects Associated, it was a marvel of its day. But perhaps due to its specialized needs, it was doomed to a short life span. Its replacement, unfortunately, cannot boast the same charm.

Grand Avenue

Ferry and Clas absolutely gorgeous Victorian schoolhouse at 27th and Wisconsin was decimated by a blaze in 1918 that led to its destruction soon after. It was soon replaced by the current building. You can read more about both structures here.

Jefferson

Demolished after a fire caused by faulty wiring in 1978, Jefferson wasnt large. Designed by Milwaukees Ferry & Clas  which created, among other buildings, Milwaukees historic Central Library  the Cream City brick structure had two three-story wings and a central section, all with low-pitched roofs, that contained sixteen classrooms and a small assembly hall. Built in 1899, it was a more decorated version of the next school built by the district, Van Ryn & DeGellekes Bartlett Avenue (erected in 1902, demolished in the late 1980s), with ornate brickwork, including arches above the windows and diamond-shaped decorations in rectangular boxes. The entire roofline was adorned with dentil molding. It was most unusual for being a rare school building in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, and by the time it was razed, it was dwarfed by the neighboring Juneau Village apartment towers.

Lisbon Avenue

This small school wasnt built by MPS but rather was acquired by annexation in 1907. It stood in a small triangle at the intersection of Forty-seventh Street and Lisbon and North Avenues. Eight years after the district acquired the school, it was closed when Hi-Mount School opened a few blocks away. But the area was growing so rapidly that Hi-Mount itself was soon bursting at the seams, and Lisbon had been brought back into use by 1920. It was finally closed at the end of the academic year in 1932 and was razed soon after. The two-story building, which appeared to possibly have attic rooms, too, was a small but stately schoolhouse of symmetrical design, with dual arched entrances flanking the central section and a pair of tall chimneys towering above the multisectioned, high-pitched roof. But for the lack of religious ornament, it could have almost been mistaken for a house of worship.

Prairie Street/Highland Avenue

After MPS sold the old Jefferson School to Pabst Brewing (read more about that here), it commissioned Edward Townsend Mix to build a replacement on 10th and Highland. That building was closed by 1964 and later torn down. (Another District 2  built in 1902 as a replacement for a school erected on the site in 1869  building stood on 7th and Highland until 1951.)

South and West Division High Schools

Built at the same time, these were among Milwaukees first enduring high schools, and their buildings  like others such as North Division, Washington and Riverside  quickly became beacons within their neighborhoods. Decades after their disappearances, these structures live on in the memories of Milwaukeeans old enough to have seen them. Souths dome, figuratively and quite literally, towered over its neighborhood in a way that the sprawling 1970s replacement cant even aspire to. Meanwhile, iconic Milwaukee architects Schnetzky and Liebert, who drew the plans for Brumders Germania Building and a number of landmark churches, created a timeless Neoclassical home for West Division (above) that, like South (below) and North, was replaced with a modern box that inspires little passion.

21st Street School

Henry Koch's cream city brick 21st Street School, with an addition by Van Ryn & DeGelleke, was torn down in 1977 to make room for the current Gwen T. Jackson School, built the following year. A stately Romanesque Revival schoolhouse was replaced with a shoebox that turns its back to Center Street.

Walnut Street

A twin to the extant 5th Street School, Walnut Street, at 23rd Street, was a Romanesque Revival schoolhouse designed by Herman P. Schnetzky and built in 1888. Unlike 5th Street is was never expanded and it was also never modernized. Despite being located across the street from a firehouse, arsonists apparently set multiple fires in it, destroying the building in 1978. Read more about it here.
Picture represents scatterplot of pressure and temperature variables from the Hurricane Isabel dataset. The standard design (left) loses fidelity and requires manual adjustment, but the optimized design (right) automatically adapts to the data. Credit: KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Aalto University

Scatterplots are widely used in various disciplines and areas beyond sciences to visually communicate relationships between two data variables. Yet, very few users realize the effect the visual design of scatterplots can have on the human perception and understanding. Moreover, default designs of scatterplots often represent the data poorly, and manually fine tuning the design is difficult.

Researchers have recently found an algorithmic approach to automatically improve the design of scatterplots by exploiting models and measures of human perception.

"A scatterplot is designed successfully when humans can effectively decode the message that was originally encoded graphically into the scatterplot. On the contrary, poor designs could miscommunicate the intended message", tells postdoctoral researcher Luana Micallef.

Automatic and optimized scatterplot designs

The optimizer developed by the researchers can predict how users would respond to a given design. The human perception has a number of capabilities and limitations, which a visualization should respectively exploit and mitigate to effectively communicate a message to a reader.

"As the owner of a dataset, you do not necessarily know how others will perceive the scatterplot and large datasets are also difficult to visualize. With our new algorithmic method, we can optimize the design of the scatterplot for any data and analysis tasks the user requires", explains Professor Antti Oulasvirta.

Every design aspect of a scatterplot, be it the size, opacity and color of the markers or the aspect ratio of the plot, matters. These aspects have a great impact on the correlation, outliers and classes detected in the scatterplot by the human perception.

"Even when you are a visualization expert, an automated design helps saving time, especially for very large data sets. This time is better invested in interpreting the visualizations rather than fiddling around with tedious parameter settings", says the recently graduated postdoctoral researcher Gregorio Palmas.

"This is only the beginning. We are in the middle of a shift where we automate at least parts of our data analysis, necessitated due to the sheer size of the data alone. The interactive data analysis methods such as scatterplots will continue to serve us well, but even more so when augmented with some level of machine intelligence", explains Professor Tino Weinkauf.

The new algorithmic approach was most successful in terms of task completion time. According to the researchers, Luana Micallef, Gregorio Palmas, Antti Oulasvirta and Tino Weinkauf, even users that are non-expert in visualization design can use the optimizer to produce effective scatterplot designs. With such algorithmic methods, unintended miscommunication may be diminished in the future.

More information: Luana Micallef et al. Towards Perceptual Optimization of the Visual Design of Scatterplots, IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (2017). DOI: 10.1109/TVCG.2017.2674978
View flow from Wikipedia articles on a recent source event (the March 2015 Germanwings Flight 9525 crash) to a past target event (the November 2001 American Airlines Flight 587 crash). The graph shows that in the days following the 2015 crash, viewership spiked for the 2001 crash article. Credit: Taha Yasseri, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, 2017.

Oxford University researchers have tracked how recent aircraft incidents or accidents trigger past events and how some are consistently more memorable than others. Using the English version of Wikipedia, they analysed articles about airline crashes that occurred between 2008 and 2016. They then measured how the traffic to articles about airline crashes or incidents before 2008 changed due to more recent events. They analysed page views of nearly 85,000 pairs of articles (which they named as "source articles" and "target articles") and found there was a short-term attention span for recent crashes. More people appeared to look at articles about past crashes they remembered when their memory was triggered by the recent event.

Their mathematical model, presented in the article, allows the researchers to find, for example, that the case of the co-pilot who in 2015 deliberately crashed a plane on a German flight, led to three times more views of a 'target' article about an incident in 2001 in New York in which pilot error played a part. The researchers' model shows that, on average, when target events from the past are combined, they attract 142 percent more page views than articles about the original source events.

The researchers also discovered that interest slumps to near zero in articles about aircraft incidents that happened more than 45 years ago. In their research paper, they explain this could be because people who were adults at the time have since died, forgotten about the event or, if still living, simply do not use Wikipedia.

Generally, air crashes that happened in the same location did not appear to be linked in the public's collective memory, says the study. This is despite a previous study, also based on page views of Wikipedia articles, showing public interest in individual crashes was determined by where the plane came down.

A video showing two airline crashes (the March 2015 Germanwings Flight 9525 crash and the November 2001 American Airlines Flight 587 crash) that were found to be associated with each other in online users' collective memory. Credit: Taha Yasseri, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, 2017.

Most of the pairs of 'source' and 'target' articles tracked by the researchers did not contain hyperlinks that linked to one another. However, without hyperlinks the average rate of traffic dropped by only 32 percent as compared with pairs that did contain web links between the articles. However, interestingly, the same general patterns are observed in pairs of articles that are not hyperlinked to each other as articles that carry weblinks. The paper suggests that the memory patterns are more fundamental than the hyperlink networks of the web.

As might be expected, modelling based on page views shows that aviation disasters with large numbers of deaths (involving 50 or more) are remembered more than reported events with fewer fatalities. But the model also shows that there is even greater public interest in articles when crashes result in no deaths, possibly because such events are remarkable for other reasons.

Team Leader Professor Taha Yasseri, from the Oxford Internet Institute and the Alan Turing Institute in London, said: "The way people use Wikipedia is a good proxy for how people use the internet more generally. When we look at the factors that link one event with another and measure the number of page views, we start to see what makes some events particularly memorable and model the collective memory.

"Using English Wikipedia page views, we find that aviation disasters are more memorable if they happened quite recently, involved Western companies, and if the cause of the crash is similar to the new event. There are major events like the 9/11 crashes, for example, that are more likely to be remembered than the new event that triggers the past. In other cases, however, these similarities and associations might trigger our memory of past events that would otherwise not be remembered very much. This happened in the case of the Iran Air flight 655 shot down by a US navy guided missile in 1988, which was not generally well remembered but triggered far more attention when the Malaysia Airlines 17 flight was hit by a missile over Ukraine. The research for the first time measures these factors and provides a way of modelling our collective memory."

A graph demonstrating how recent airplane crashes (here Germanwings Flight 9525, TransAsia Airways Flight 235 and Trigana Air Service Flight 257) may or may not cause an increase in the viewership of Wikipedia articles about past airplane crashes. Credit: Taha Yasseri, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, 2017.

Lead author, Dr Ruth Garcia-Gavilanes said: "When we observe these memory patterns, a good question is, "what mechanisms drove people to the Wikipedia pages of those past events?". Here we only describe the patterns, but a next step would be to analyse if memories are what we remember from seeing the news, or social media, or an individual's own recollection of the actual event."

Anders Mollgaard, a co-author from the Niels Bohr Institute in Denmark, said: "Our work shows that different topics are connected to each other through memory and association, thereby forming an interconnected network of topics. What was particularly surprising as that the memory effect had a larger impact on the number of views than the main event."

The paper, 'The memory remains: Understanding collective memory in the digital age', is by Ruth Garcia-Gavilanes et al. It will be published by Science Advances online on Wednesday, 05 April 2017.

More information: "The memory remains: Understanding collective memory in the digital age," Science Advances (2017). advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/4/e1602368 Journal information: Science Advances
Kamya Punjabi and Neeru Shah will face non-bailable arrest warrant (NBW) if they fail to appear in the court on Friday.

By Vidya : The Mumbai sessions court has issued show-cause notice to Kamya Punjabi and Neeru Shah for releasing the short film starring Pratyusha Banerjee despite the stay order. The duo will face non-bailable arrest warrant (NBW) if they fail to appear in the court on Friday (April 7).

"If they fail to be personally present in court on Friday then non-bailable warrants will be issued against them," said the judge SC Khati.

advertisement

Also read: Rahul Raj Singh submitted a fake stay order, claims Pratyusha's friend Kamya Punjabi

The court had, last week, passed an order restraining the release of short film Hum Keh Naa Sakey on late actress Pratyusha Banerjee's first death anniversary on 1 April. Last year, the actress had allegedly committed suicide, and her live-in partner Rahul Raj Singh was questioned by the police; he was later charged for abetting her suicide.

According to Punjabi, her film was the last project Pratyusha had worked in before she hanged herself in her Oshiwara home. This tribute by Kamya was apparently a work of fiction but Kamya had said in many interviews that "it will seem quite similar to what Pratyusha must have gone through. She will be seen heartbroken, resorting to vices like drinking and smoking." Also read: Mumbai court stays release of Pratyusha Banerjee's short film

Raj's lawyers Sneha Singh and Shreyansh Mithare had told the court that "the case is still subjudice and to show such a film would prejudice people against Rahul where he is being shown as the perpetrator of the crime." Mithare also told the court that unlike Punjabi's claim that the film was shot just before Prayusha's death, Raj felt that it was much older when Pratyusha was slightly 'chubbier' and it was just being shown to prejudice people against him.

--- ENDS ---
Are we born to root for heroes? Researchers in Japan have evidence suggesting yes. Credit: Kyoto University

We recognize justice before we can talk, reports a research team in Nature Human Behaviour.

The Kyoto-based study demonstrates that human infants recognize heroic acts from early stages of development, suggesting that our sense of justiceand likewise, adoration for heroesis innate. The scientists see this as explaining why kids and adults alike have a never-ending love affair with superhero stories in popular culture.

The team, led by Masako Myowa of Kyoto University, showed that preverbal infants as young as six months in age find themselves drawn to figures who protect the weak.

"In human society, selflessly protecting the powerless is considered an act of heroic justice. But understanding this is complex," explains first author Yasuhiro Kanakogi. "You first have to grasp the power relationship between the actors, then that the hero's actions are favorable for the victim but not for the villain, and finally, that the hero acted deliberately."

In a series of experiments, infants were shown animations of one geometric character chasing and bumping into another, as a third character watches from a distance. In one version, this third party character intervenes, and in another, it escapes in another direction. When the infants were then shown real life replicas of these intervening and non-intervening characters, they were more likely to choose the intervener.

"Six-month-old infants are still in an early developmental stage, and most will not yet be able to talk. Nevertheless they can already understand the power dynamics between these different characters, suggesting that recognizing heroism is perhaps an innate ability," adds contributor David Butler.

As infants grow, they develop a more complex understanding about justice. The research team's next step is to track the path of this development.

"In this study, six-month-olds didn't show a preference for intentional help over accidental help, whereas ten-month-olds did," says Professor Myowa. In seeking to understand how a more complex sense of justice is fostered over time, the team ultimately sees "a possibility of contributing to solutions for serious social issues such as bullying."

More information: Yasuhiro Kanakogi et al, Preverbal infants affirm third-party interventions that protect victims from aggressors, Nature Human Behaviour (2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-016-0037 Journal information: Nature Human Behaviour
Northwestern University professor Diane Schanzenbach. Credit: Northwestern University

Over the next 70 years, every state in the U.S. is expected to experience increasing temperatures, according to a new report on the economic facts of climate change, co-authored by Northwestern University professor Diane Schanzenbach, director of The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution.

The report, a joint effort by the Hamilton Project and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, outlines 12 significant economic truths related to energy and climate change, laying the groundwork for potential policy solutions.

Among the findings:

The U.S. possess ample affordable energy

Much of the U.S. infrastructure is vulnerable to climate change

The prices we pay for fossil fuels do not reflect their social costs

Public investment in energy research and design remains well below 1970s and 1980s levels

Investments in climate adaptation would greatly lower the burden of climate change

"Given the immense threat that climate change represents, it is crucial that policy makers implement efficient solutions that minimize climate damages from our use of energy," the authors wrote.

More information: Twelve Economic Facts on Energy and Climate Change: www.brookings.edu/research/twe  -and-climate-change/
Workers at a solar station attach the robot that cleans the panels. Jobs like these are increasing rapidly as the nation moves to sustainable energy sources. Credit: L.A. Cicero

For a leading scientist, Rob Jackson has what may seem a strange remedy for the deeply polarized national debate on climate change: look past the science.

Rather than focus on evidence of global warming's harmful impacts, Americans would do better to explore how action on the issue can improve areas of shared values, such as job creation, health and safety, according to Jackson, the Michelle and Kevin Douglas Provostial Professor at Stanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences. He recently published his unusual argument in Scientific American.

Jackson spoke with Stanford Report about how and why the shift makes sense. He also delivered a related lecture at Stanford in January.

Can you give an example of what you mean by turning the climate conversation away from science?

We need to relate to people's daily lives. People care more about improving human health than reducing greenhouse gas emissions. If I say coal use in the United States dropped by 20 percent in the last two years, slashing carbon dioxide emissions and future climate change, many people would yawn. If I say the same drop in coal use will save 3,000 American lives this year by reducing air pollution, people notice. Both things are true.

Is there an example from your own work of how framing the climate conversation around more relatable issues has led to action?

When you walk down a street and smell a natural gas leak, you are thinking about safety, not climate. Our mapping of street leaks showed cities that replaced all of their century-old cast-iron and unprotected steel pipes had a tenth the leaks of other cities. Based in part on our work, Massachusetts passed an accelerated pipeline replacement program a few years ago. Costing households only a dollar a month, it will reduce leaks and greenhouse gas emissions and make the system safer from the risks of fire and explosion.

What are some pending environmental decisions in which the conversation fails to account properly for the kinds of shared values you describe?

The administration's threat to cut fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks is a great example because  although it is often discussed in terms of climate change  it also impacts finance, health and security. Consumer Reports estimates people will save about $4,500 over the life of their car once the standards are fully implemented. Half of Americans live in towns and cities that don't meet air quality standards, caused in part by ozone and particulate pollution from cars and trucks. We're still importing 3 millions barrels of oil a day from OPEC countries.

Another example is the threat to the "Clean Waters Rule," which protects smaller streams and rivers from toxic pollution. It's important because, just like our blood vessels, smaller streams connect to larger ones. Who would say we don't need to worry about a toxin that enters the capillaries in our fingertips? Farmers and businesses have legitimate concerns about the rule, but its benefits for clean drinking water are clear.

In a bifurcated news world, people form stereotypes about issues depending on where they get their news. How do we sidestep those pre-existing stereotypes when talking about climate issues?

We can cut through stereotypes by discussing what people value. Jobs are a good example. In the electricity sector, there are 475,000 people working in the solar and wind industries, three times more than in coal and natural gas combined. Solar and wind power created an astonishing 100,000 new jobs last year. We're gaining green jobs much faster than we're losing jobs in the coal sector.

More than 2 million Americans work in fields related to energy efficiency, a sector that created 133,000 jobs last year. Green energy and technologies don't just help our climate. They put people to work. That's a story that crosses news worlds.

How did we get to the current political climate in which addressing climate change is seen by many people as unimportant or even burdensome?

Money has poured in to discredit the benefits of environmental progress. Part of the blame goes to lobbyists and to industry. Scientists share some blame, too, though. When we document the effects of environmental harm (or progress), we forget that reporting a change doesn't necessarily prompt society to act on it. Scientists need to learn to talk about their discoveries in ways that resonate with what people care about and help society know how to take action. Other priorities may soak up the limited funds available for society to fix the problem.

Despite the challenges you describe in communicating about climate change and advocating for action, is there any good news to report?

There is. Carbon dioxide emissions in the United States have been dropping slowly but steadily for a decade because of greater energy efficiency and a switch from coal power to natural gas, wind and solar.

Globally, we're seeing the start of something new: a decoupling of economic growth from fossil fuels. Previously the only time we'd seen carbon dioxide emissions stabilize or fall was when the global economy shrank, such as during the financial crisis of 2008 or the breakup of the Soviet Union. Based on our research at the Global Carbon Project, carbon dioxide emissions have been flat for the past three years while the global economy is still growing. We're starting to decarbonize the global economy.
One of the most hotly contested debates today involves the recent uptick in violent crime and the extent to which increases in violence may be explained by the "Ferguson effect," whereby the increased scrutiny of police since the 2014 Ferguson unrest has been hypothesized to lead police officers to become more hesitant and less aggressive. Chicago is an epicenter for much of this controversy, and on numerous occasions President Trump has threatened to "send in the feds."

In an article published today in Significance, the official magazine and website of the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) and the American Statistical Association (ASA), Arizona State University professors Sherry Towers and Michael D. White examine violence in Chicago and test whether the trends are consistent with the "Ferguson effect." They also test a competing claim proposed by Former NYPD Commissioner William Bratton that much of the recent violence in Chicago is tied to the proliferation of guns in that city.

Towers and White found no evidence of a Ferguson effect in Chicago.

"Murders and gun assaults in Chicago began increasing before Michael Brown's death in Ferguson," says Towers, a research professor in the Simon A. Levin Mathematical and Computational Modeling Sciences Center at Arizona State University in Tempe.

They did find a strong association between firearms availability and gun violence in Chicago, supporting Commissioner Bratton's argument.

"Our analysis highlights the importance of including measures of firearms proliferation when studying trends in violence in Chicago and elsewhere," says White, a policing expert and professor in the ASU School of Criminology and Criminal Justice in Phoenix.

More information: Sherry Towers et al. The "Ferguson effect", or too many guns?, Significance (2017). DOI: 10.1111/j.1740-9713.2017.01018.x Journal information: Significance
Credit: Lilla Frerichs/public domain

In a new study, researchers from Uppsala University sequenced the genomes of Africanized bees that have invaded large parts of the world to find out what makes them so extraordinarily successful. One particular region in the genome caught the researchers' attention and the genes found there could be part of the explanation for the aggressive advances of these hybrid bees.

In 1956, a small number of honeybees from Africa were accidentally released in Brazil. What followed was a biological invasion of unprecedented magnitude. The bees hybridized with strains kept by local beekeepers and these hybrid bees - called Africanized or "killer" bees and known for their highly aggressive stinging behaviour - rapidly spread and now occupy much of north and south America. Africanized bees cause problems for beekeeping and pose significant risks to human health.

The precise genetic composition of Africanized bees and the reasons for their extraordinary success are not known. A new study by Matthew Webster's research group at Uppsala University together with colleagues from UK and Brazil has addressed these questions by sequencing the genomes of 32 Africanized bees and comparing them with the genomes of honeybees collected from all over the world in their previous studies. This allowed the team to reconstruct the evolutionary history of Africanized bees and identify genes that were important for their adaptation and dispersal.

One particular region of the genome stood out in the study. Although most of the Africanized bee genome is similar to bees from Africa, this region more closely matched bees from Europe, which were present in Brazil before the release of African bees. This suggests that the European version of this part of the bee genome gave the Africanized bees a selective advantage. Previous studies have linked genes in this region to ovary size and foraging strategy, indicating that these traits have been important for the success of Africanized bees.

This study highlights how hybridization between different populations, leading to the mixture of genetic variation, is an important process in evolution. Hybridization produces new combinations of genetic variants for natural selection to act on. This appears to have been an important factor in adaptation of Africanized bees.

More information: Genome-wide analysis of admixture and adaptation in the Africanized honeybee, Molecular Ecology, DOI: 10.1111/mec.14122 Journal information: Molecular Ecology
Credit: ORNL

Imagine being able to check the structural integrity of an airplane, ship or bridge, without having to dismantle it or remove any material for testing, which could further compromise the structure. That's the promise of a new laser-based technique that chemists are developing to reveal hidden damage in metals.

The researchers will present their work today at the 253rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

"Metals are often subjected to mechanical stress or fatigue that can weaken them structurally, but you can't tell that just by looking at them," James E. Patterson, Ph.D., says.

One real-world example is a U.S. Air Force plane that was unintentionally turned upside down in flight, a feat it wasn't designed for. The maneuver exceeded the specifications for the plane's stress tolerance, Patterson says, but there was no way to know if the inversion had actually damaged components enough to cause the plane to crash during a future flight. So the entire multimillion-dollar plane had to be scrapped.

"That's where nondestructive testing comes in," says Patterson, who is at Brigham Young University. NDT, as it's known, is already a billion-dollar industry, he notes. Current techniques for inspecting materials without harming them include X-ray imaging, which can detect microscopic cracks in metals. But the method is expensive, requires shielding from the X-rays and is hard to adapt for use in the field. Other NDT techniques give equivocal results and require highly trained technicians, he says.

His team is instead relying on a spectroscopic method known as second harmonic generation (SHG), which alters the wavelength of light. One of Patterson's graduate students, Shawn Averett, realized that the technique could be adapted to look for signs of internal damage in metals. Averett and undergraduates Scott D. Smith and Alex Farnsworth are working with Patterson on the project.

They begin by shining green laser light onto a metal sample. Through SHG, the metal converts some of the incoming light into ultraviolet light, which bounces back from the metal along with the remaining green light. "The amount of conversion depends on the properties of the metal, and if those properties have been changed by some form of stress, we can detect that in the converted light," Patterson explains. Tests to date indicate the technique could distinguish between metal parts that are still intact and those that have been irreversibly damaged and require replacing. The researchers say their method is more sensitive than existing NDT techniques and could thus give earlier warning of danger.

With some further refinements, the method could have applications in the aerospace industry, where plane parts are routinely replaced after a certain amount of use to avoid catastrophic failure, Patterson says. The replacement schedule is based on the average performance of several of the same components, rather than the actual condition of that individual component. The SHG method could be used to check whether a particular component is really worn out or still has useful life, leading to savings in time, money and material.

Patterson's team is also exploring applications with the U.S. Navy. The aluminum/magnesium alloy used in Navy vessels can undergo invisible corrosion with serious consequences. "There are stories of someone walking along a metal deck and stepping in the wrong spot, and a big chunk falling through to the deck below," he says. "Cracks also form in walls. And once visible cracks form, it's often too late to reverse the damage."

The researchers hope to develop their technique into a portable system that would indicate whether a scanned object is in good shape. "In principle, you could go around with a wand and some fiber optics and scan large areas of a ship for hidden damage," Patterson says. Other potential structures that could be evaluated with the technology include oil pipelines, building components and bridges.

More information: Nondestructive testing with second harmonic generation, the 253rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), 2017.
Nothobranchius furzeri. Credit: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

(Phys.org)A team of researchers from several institutions in Germany has found that middle-age killifish fed the gut contents of younger killifish lived longer than normal. In their paper uploaded to the bioRxiv preprint server, the team describes their experiments with killifish, what they found and where they plan to take their research in the future.

Prior studies have shown that infusing the blood of a young animal into that of an older animal can offer both increased vitality and health benefits to the older animal. Other experiments have suggested that rejuvenating the gut biome of an animal might offer similar benefits. In this new effort, the team in Germany sought to find out if that might be true for the very short lived killifish.

Killifish are native to Zimbabwe and Mozambique, living in ponds that accumulate after a heavy rain. They reach maturity at just three weeks and generally die a few months later. Their short lifespan made them ideal subjects for experiments on possible lifespan extension due to gut biome rejuvenation.

The experiments by the researchers consisted of killing the gut biome in several middle-aged killifish (age 9.5 weeks) and then putting them in a tank filled with sterilized water. They then dumped the gut contents of young (6-week-old) killifish into the tank. The older fish did not actually eat the material but probed at it using their mouths to figure out if it was food. That was enough to allow the microbes to make their way into their guts. Six weeks later, the gut biome of the older fish was identical to the younger fish that had donated the gut material.

In studying the middle-age fish after the gut rejuvenation, the researchers found that they lived on average 37 percent longer than their peers who received no treatment. They also report that those fish with the rejuvenated biomes became more active, behaving like fish just six weeks old. Performing the reverse procedure, giving young fish a middle-aged biome, on the other hand, had no discernible impact.

The researchers acknowledge that they do not know how or why rejuvenation of the gut biome in the fish increased both vitality and lifespan, but suggest it might be tied to the immune system. They think it is possible that as fish grow older, their immune systems become less effective at warding off harmful or non-beneficial microbes in the gut. In that case, replacing the biome would mean removing the bad microbes, giving the gut a new start.

More information: Regulation of Life Span by the Gut Microbiota in The Short-Lived African Turquoise Killifish, bioRxiv, biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/03/27/120980 Abstract

Gut bacteria occupy the interface between the organism and the external environment, contributing to homeostasis and disease. Yet, the causal role of the gut microbiota during host aging is largely unexplored. Here, using the African turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri), a naturally short-lived vertebrate, we show that the gut microbiota plays a key role in modulating vertebrate life span. Recolonizing the gut of middle-age individuals with bacteria from young donors resulted in life span extension and delayed behavioral decline. This intervention prevented the decrease in microbial diversity associated with host aging and maintained a young-like gut bacterial community, characterized by overrepresentation of the key genera Exiguobacterium, Planococcus, Propionigenium and Psychrobacter. Our findings demonstrate that the natural microbial gut community of young individuals can causally induce long-lasting beneficial systemic effects that lead to life span extension in a vertebrate model.

 2017 Phys.org
Cerro Chajnantor peak. Credit: University of Cologne

American, German, and Canadian scientists are planning to explore the formation of stars and galaxies as well as the mysteries of the universe's beginnings with an entirely new kind of telescope. The launch of construction work on the Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope (CCAT-prime) is scheduled for this year. It is named after its location, a 5,612 meter-high mountain in the Chilean Atacama Desert. At this altitude, it will be the highest telescope of its kind. CCAT-prime has a diameter of six meters, and is planned to be completed in 2021. The scientists are hopeing to gain unique new insights into the formation of stars and galaxies with this telescope and to come closer to solving the mystery of how so-called dark matter and dark energy have influenced the expansion of the universe.

To develop this high-performance, state-of-the-art telescope, the researchers from the USA, Germany, and Canada formed a consortium called CCAT, which is headed by Cornell University. In Germany, scientists from the University of Cologne and the University of Bonn are involved. Research groups at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching and Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich will soon join the consortium. The high-tech telescope is from Germany as well: Vertex Antennentechnik GmbH, a company from Duisburg, are building the telescope that will reach an unprecedented degree of precision in delivering images from outer space due to its innovative optical design and its extremely high location.

"The CCAT partnership has now spent more than a decade exploring the possibility  and challenges  of building a state-of-the-art telescope at this amazing telescope site. During that time, technology and submillimeter science have advanced at a very rapid pace, and we are now ready to move forward to build a truly exciting telescope," said Project Director Martha Haynes, Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University.

The telescope will be located near the summit of Cerro Chajnantor. The extremely high elevation will allow the scientists to observe most northern and southern skies through all seasons. The telescope will be able to record radiation in the millimeter and submillimeter wavelength range  with the shortest wavelengths measuring only 0.2 mm. Radiation in the transition area between infrared and radio wavelengths originates from gas and dust between the stars from which they are formed  in our vicinity and in far-away galaxies. But this radiation can also originate from the "Cosmic Dawn," the afterglow of the Big Bang. The dry atmosphere in the Atacama Desert is ideal for these observations, as it enables a critical degree of precision. Any water molecules in the air interfere with cosmic radiation at these wavelengths, so an atmosphere nearly devoid of water vapor is necessary.

The CCAT-prime telescope will allow the scientists to explore in detail the formation of stars in the Milky Way as well as the Magellanic Clouds and other galaxies in our neighborhood. "With CCAT we will take an important step forward towards exciting new science explorations and new technologies," said Professor Jurgen Stutzki, an astrophysicist at the University of Cologne. "The innovative design of the telescope and its location at an extreme altitude enable breathtaking new observations blocked at lower altitudes." CCAT-prime will also be an essential platform to deploy new quantum detectors at the cutting edge of physics developed in Cologne, which enable ultra-sensitive observations.

A CCAT-prime telescope rendering. Through the large seven meter opening some the primary mirror panels (right) and secondary mirror panels (left) are visible. Credit: Vertex Antennentechnik GmbH, Germany

"CCAT-prime's large visual field and the dry atmosphere on Cerro Chajnantor allow for an unprecedented mapping of the sky," explained Professor Frank Bertoldi, an astrophysicist from the University of Bonn. "This is a decisive advantage for high-precision measurements of so-called cosmic background radiation, the radio echo of the Big Bang." Together with his colleagues Komatsu and Mohr in Munich, who recently joined the consortium, Bertoldi is looking forward to taking measurements with CCAT-prime that could bring them closer to solving some of the great riddles of the universe, for example the nature of the mysterious dark energy.

The costs of designing and building CCAT-prime total 19 million euros. The American partner, Cornell University, is covering much of these costs with a contribution from the private donor Fred Young. For the telescope and an earlier study, he donated a total of 12 million USD. In Germany, the Large-scale Facilities Program of the German Research Foundation (DFG) is contributing a total of 5 million euros. Collaborative Research Center 956 "Conditions and Impact of Star Formation" is contributing to the development of the scientific instruments.
Credit: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2017), processed by I. Parcharidis, Harokopio University of Athens

Sentinel-1 radar coverage from before and after the 1 April 2017 mudslide in Mocoa, Colombia, shows the extent of movement of the disaster that claimed over 260 lives, injured hundreds more and left scores displaced.

Triggered by heavy rain, the landslide caused greatest movement (red) on top of a mountain. It then pushed mud down across the city of Mocoa (green) and crossed the nearby river.

Sentinel-1's radar ability to 'see' through clouds, rain and in darkness makes it particularly useful for monitoring areas with frequent cloud cover. Images acquired before and after events such as floods, landslides or earthquakes offer immediate information on the extent of affected areas and support assessments of property and environmental damage.

The Sentinel-1-derived data product (from scans on 20 March and 1 April) has been overlaid onto a Sentinel-1 radar image. Sentinel-1 is a two-satellite mission for Europe's Copernicus environment monitoring programme.
A Semipalmated Sandpiper wears a geolocator that allows researchers to track its migratory movements. Credit: B. Winn

Understanding and managing migratory animal populations requires knowing what's going on with them during all stages of their annual cycleand how those stages affect each other. The annual cycle can be especially difficult to study for species that breed in the Arctic and winter in South America. A new study from The Condor: Ornithological Applications tackles this problem for Semipalmated Sandpipers, historically one of the most widespread and numerous shorebird species of the Western Hemisphere, whose populations in some areas have undergone mysterious declines in recent years.

Stephen Brown, Vice President of Shorebird Conservation for Manomet, assembled a large group of partner organizations to deploy 250 geolocators, tiny devices that use light levels to determine birds' locations, on adult sandpipers at sites across their breeding range in the North American Arctic. Recapturing 59 of the birds after a year to download their data, they found that the eastern and western breeding populations use separate wintering areas and migration routes. Birds that breed in the eastern Arctic overwinter in areas of South America where large declines have been observed. The researchers believe these declines are tied to hunting on the wintering grounds and habitat alteration at migration stopover sites, although their precise impacts remain unclear.

"This study was a response to the discovery of a large decline in the population of Semipalmated Sandpipers in the core of their wintering area in South America, and the need to determine which birds were involved. We didn't know if the decline affected the entire population or just part of it," says Brown. "Bringing together the 18 partner organizations that worked collaboratively on this project allowed us to track the migration pathways used by Semipalmated Sandpipers at the enormous geographical scale of their entire North American Arctic breeding range and provided critical new information about what sites are important to protect to support their recovery."

"The authors here present one of the few studies that examine year-round connectivity, including stopover sites, of Arctic-breeding shorebirds," according to the University of Guelph's Ryan Norris, an expert on migration tracking who was not involved with the study. "Multi-site, range-wide studies on connectivity, such as this, are critical if we are to understand the population consequences of environmental change in migratory birds."

More information: "Migratory connectivity of Semipalmated Sandpipers and implications for conservation" The Condor, americanornithologypubs.org/do  .1650/CONDOR-16-55.1

Provided by The Condor
The Shunglu Committee report questioned the appointment of Satyendra Jain's daughter Soumya Jain. Soumya, who is an architect, was made an adviser to Mission Director, Delhi State Health Mission. Her expertise in Mohalla clinics was touted. The file contained no evidence of who approved her appointment. The AAP government paid her a salary of Rs 1.15 lakh from the period April 18 to July 14, 2016, when Soumya resigned from the post.

Committee also raised question on the allotment of 206, Rouse Avenue to AAP, a bungalow which was minister's bungalow used as party office.

The committee raised question over allotment of Type-V quarter to an MLA Akhilesh Pati Tripathi for accommodation purpose.

The Committee has also said that Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal has been provided accommodation despite she not being entitled for one.

The Committee has raised objection over the appointment of Nikunj Agarwal as the OSD to the health minister. Nikunj Agarwal is a relative of Arvind Kejriwal.

Shunglu committee has raised objection on the appointment of several personal staff of ministers including Roshan Shankar as advisor to the minister of tourism, appointment of Abhinav Rai to the minister of transport, appointment of Rahul Bhasin in CM office, appointment of Gopal Mohan, a close associate of Arvind Kejriwal.

Abhinav Rai was hired on a contract basis with the designation of an Officer on Special Duty (OSD). As per rules, the appointment requires a vacant post of Upper Divisional Clerk (UDC). Rai's salary was raised to Rs 87,000, which is approximately four times the salary of an UDC. The salary of an OSD cannot be raised without the permission of the Lieutenant Governor, which did not happen.

Shunglu Committee has also raised question on the appointment made under co-terminus basis, appointments of consultants and contractual appointments without following procedures.

Files have recorded instances of foreign travel undertaken by ministers either individually or as head of delegation. It says sanction of LG was not taken for all these.

Shunglu Committee is amazed at the number of special councils engaged by Delhi government.
A female (large red-sided garter snake) being pursued by smaller male snakes during the mating season in North America. Credit: Christopher R Friesen

An international team of scientists led by the University of Sydney has confirmed a frenzied approach to the mating season is resulting in males ageing faster and dying earlier and in worse condition than their female counterparts, who prioritise body-maintenance over short-term reproductive success.

In the study population of red-sided garter snakes in North America:

males undertake energetically expensive mating for 2-4 weeks a year;

males don't eat and must compete with thousands of other males during the mating season;

females stay at the orgy site for as little as one day, compared with up to 21 days for males; and

snakes hibernate underground for eight months in their communal dens and emerge en masse in spring, to form large aggregations where males scramble to locate and mate with females.

The research is published today in the Royal Society journal Proceedings B.

The study measured telomere length, which is a biomarker of ageing, in male and female snakes. The team found that males are unable to maintain good body condition, and age faster than females. This is probably because males spend their energy on mating, instead of protecting against DNA and cellular damage associated with ageing. In contrast, females prioritise body condition and may be better able to repair cellular damage, leading to longer lives and future opportunities to reproduce.

Researchers studied populations of red-sided garter snakes in Manitoba, Canada over the breeding season. Credit: Christopher R Friesen

Senior author at the University of Sydney Dr Christopher R Friesen, explained that the snakes made good use of the relatively short amount of time to procreate, having only four months a year to breed, feed and have babies.

"Although we believe that all females mate every year, they only stay at the den sites (where mating takes place) for a short period of one- to three days; much less than males, who remain for at least a week and up to 21 days, which seems to result in males ageing faster and dying earlier than females" Dr Friesen said.

"Females reproduce every other year, which depends on their stored fat/energy reserves. Our previous research has shown that females can store sperm for up to 15 months or more before she uses the sperm to fertilise her eggs!"

The paper reported: "The relationship between body condition and age differed strikingly between sexes, with females maintaining their body condition with age, while condition decreased with age in males."

Researchers studied populations of red-sided garter snakes in Manitoba, Canada over the breeding season. Credit: Christopher R Friesen

In addition to prioritising self-preservation over sex, the female garter snakes studied in Manitoba, Canada, did not waste energy on looking after their babies postnatally, which is in line with the parenting approach of other snakes.

University of Sydney co-authors at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences are Dr Friesen, Nicky Rollings and Dr Camilla Whittington (Sydney School of Veterinary Science). Other researchers comprise: Prof Mats Olsson, Goteborgs Universitet; Prof Robert Mason, Oregon State University; Assoc Prof Heather Waye, University of Minnesota at Morris; Assoc Prof Randolf Krohmer, Saint Xavier University and Dr Emily Uhrig, Linkoping University.
Pictured from left: Dr Aine Regan and Dr Maeve Henchion. Credit: Teagasc

Social media is society's favourite platform for sharing, seeking and consuming information  what role is there for the scientific community in this environment?

In an article in the latest issue of TResearch (Teagasc's research and innovation magazine), Dr Aine Regan, a researcher at Teagasc, highlights how there is an increasing need for the scientific community to have a more prominent role on social media, particularly when it comes to challenging false information spread online. "While 'fake news' may be the most-used phrase of 2017, it's not a new concept in science. Questionable reporting of science has always been an issue  particularly where food has been concerned. However, with social media, there are increased opportunities for spreading misinformation to a global network in a much faster period of time."

Public backlash towards controversies such as the BSE-CJD crisis and the European debate on GMOs has led research funders to realise the importance of ensuring better links between the scientific community and the general public. Dr Maeve Henchion, Head of Agrifood Business and Spatial Analysis at Teagasc highlights how this connection between science and society is more important today than it ever was: "Tax-payers' money is being used to fund the research which can help us develop new technologies and approaches to combat challenges such as climate change and food security. Therefore, it is vital that scientists let the public know about this science first and foremost, but also that they listen to any potential concerns that the public may have with regard to ethical, moral and social issues".

In their recent qualitative study of 80 publicly-funded researchers, working in the area of food in Ireland and the UK, the researchers found respondents were most interested in engaging with actors that have a professional interest in science. This trend also applied to social media. "Our sample was mostly interested in engaging online with other academics, industry, media, and policy-makers. Only a small number of respondents actively used social media to engage with the general public," explains Aine.

With the setting up of an 'Expert Group on Altmetrics' by the European Commission's Directorate General for Research and Innovation, efforts are ramping up to understand the role of additional metrics in science. Altmetrics are web-based metrics that aggregate the online metrics of a peer-reviewed paper's impact, including, for example, the number of views, clicks, saves, comments, or downloads it gets, along with its shares or mentions in social media platforms. "They are quite some way from being recognised as a formal metric, but they could be the incentive required to motivate researcher engagement with social media," says Aine.

Social media could be the potential platform to help break down boundaries between scientists and society; however, there is some way to go yet and it appears from this latest study from Teagasc that a first major step in encouraging scientists to use these platforms will be to ensure they are properly supported and recognised for doing so.

More information: The report is online: www.teagasc.ie/media/website/p  earch-Spring2017.pdf

Provided by Teagasc
Stanford researchers lead an effort to sustainably produce nitrogen-rich fertilizer. Credit: iStock/yupiyan

Bread is often called the staff of life, but that label might be more accurately applied to nitrogen, the element that soil bacteria pluck from the atmosphere and chemically alter to help spur the growth of plants, which ultimately nourish livestock and humans as well.

Today a vast industry exists to produce and deliver nitrogen-based fertilizers to farms, which benefit from higher crop yields but, unfortunately, at some environmental cost, as excess chemical runoff often spills into rivers and coastal waterways.

Now Stanford researchers are leading a multi-year effort to produce this vital growth booster in a sustainable way, by inventing a solar-powered chemistry technology that can make this fertilizer right on the farm and apply it directly to crops, drip-irrigation style.

"Our team is developing a fertilizer production process that can feed the world in an environmentally sustainable way," says chemical engineer Jens Norskov, director of the SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, a partnership between researchers from Stanford Engineering and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

This eight-year SUNCAT project is supported by a $7 million grant from the Villum Foundation, an international scientific and environmental philanthropy. The sustainable nitrogen effort is part of a broader, $20 million Villum-backed initiative to bring Stanford researchers together with Danish scientists to develop sustainable technologies to produce not just fertilizers, but fuels and other vital industrial chemicals.

"One common thread across these projects is the need to identify catalysts that can promote chemical processes powered by sunlight, instead of relying on the fossil fuels now commonly used as energy sources and, often, as feedstock for reactions," says Norskov, a professor of chemical engineering and of photon science at Stanford.

Catalysts  compounds that spur reactions without being consumed  have been used on an industrial scale for more than a century. Today's fertilizers are commonly derived from petrochemicals through an energy-intensive process that relies on catalysts to accelerate reactions that occur under high pressures and temperatures. Developing a low-energy, solar-based process to make nitrogen fertilizers could benefit billions of people, particularly those in the developing world. But to get there SUNCAT researchers will have to break ground in the science of catalysis.

"We know of no manmade catalysts that can do what we require," Norskov says. "We will have to design them."

Nitrogen and life

Nitrogen is literally woven into the fabric of life. Through chemical combinations with carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, nitrogen helps form amino acids, which are themselves the building blocks of proteins, that versatile family of molecules vital to every living thing. We can thank soil bacteria for making nitrogen usable. Over time microorganisms evolved a biochemical ecosystem to extract nitrogen from the atmosphere and combine it with hydrogen from water to form compounds such as ammonia that can be absorbed by plants, promoting their growth and channeling this atmospheric gas to the food chain.

We don't know when farmers first discovered the benefits of fertilization but the practice is ancient. Modern studies of the soils around Neolithic settlements suggest that, as early as 6,000 years ago, farmers sought to boost yields by fertilizing crops with animal waste  now known to contain nitrogen-rich urea (ammonia plus carbon). Other traditional fertilization practices have included growing crops such as clover and alfalfa that are good at fixing usable nitrogen into the soil, or simply letting fields lie fallow to let soil bacteria replenish nature's supply. Over time, as population grew and moved to cities, industries arose to supply farmers with nitrogen-based fertilizers. At times this involved sending ships to scoop bird guano deposits off remote islands, or mining chemicals like sodium nitrate or ammonium sulfate that could be refined into plant growth additives.

By the first decade of the 20th century, however, population growth threatened to overtax such practices. It was at this crucial juncture that German chemist Fritz Haber, working with chemical engineer Carl Bosch, discovered how to mass produce ammonia in giant vats using natural gas, which was the starting point or feedstock of the process. Under extreme pressure and heat, chemical catalysts could crack natural gas molecules, liberating the hydrogen atoms and joining them to nitrogen from air to form NH3, or synthetic ammonia that could be readily absorbed by plants. The Haber-Bosch technology has been hailed as one of the key discoveries of the 20th century.

"We literally feed the world on fertilizers derived from the Haber-Bosch process," Norskov says.

Scale and environmental impact

Tom Jaramillo, deputy director of the SUNCAT Center and a member of the nitrogen synthesis project, put annual fertilizer production into perspective.

"Each year we produce more than 20 kilograms of ammonia per person for every person on the planet, and most of that ammonia is used for fertilizer," says Jaramillo, an associate professor of chemical engineering and of photon science at Stanford.

But this massive fertilizer output has several costs, starting with production. Due to the heat and pressure required by the Haber-Bosch process, ammonia catalysis accounts for approximately 1% of all global energy use. On top of that, between 3% and 5% of the world's natural gas is used as a feedstock to provide the hydrogen for ammonia synthesis.

Then come the environmental costs. Today's fertilizers are mass produced in centralized plants, delivered to farms and administered using mechanized spreaders. Rain and irrigation water can wash excess fertilizer into streams, rivers and coastal waterways. Accumulations of fertilizer runoff can spur the hyper growth of water-borne plants, creating a negative environmental spiral in which the plants can suffocate marine life to create "dead zones" in rivers, lakes and saltwater bays.

SUNCAT researchers aim to provide the benefits of fertilization without any of these costs. The idea is to replace the centralized, fossil-fuel based Haber-Bosch process with a distributed network of ammonia-on-demand production modules run off renewable energy. These modules would use solar power to pull nitrogen from the atmosphere and also to catalyze the splitting of water molecules to get hydrogen and oxygen. The catalytic processes would then unite one nitrogen atom to three hydrogen atoms to produce ammonia, with oxygen as a waste product.

"We will harness solar energy in the presence of properly designed catalysts to create ammonia right in the agricultural fields," Norskov says. "Think of it as a drip irrigation method of synthesizing ammonia, where it percolates into the roots of the crops."

This effort comes as attention is being focused on industrialized agriculture's heavy reliance on fossil fuels and the many environmental ramifications of that dependence.

"You won't need tremendous quantities of fossil fuels as an ammonia feedstock, or to drive the trucks that deliver the fertilizers or the tractors that apply it," Norskov says. "And you won't have a problem with excess application and fertilizer runoff, because virtually all the fertilizer that is produced will be consumed completely by the crops."

Such a process would have a global payoff. In the developed economies with mechanized agriculture, solar-based nitrogen catalysis would deliver fertilizers with dramatically lower environmental costs. In regions like sub-Saharan Africa, where depleted soils have stymied efforts at sustainable agriculture and reforestation, a solar-based fertilization technology could help subsistence farmers boost crop yields and alleviate hunger.

Next-generation catalysis

Developing a solar-powered technology to produce nitrogen-based fertilizers is an enormous challenge that begins with designing the necessary catalysts.

"It is remarkable how much economic and industrial activity depends on catalysis and how little this is appreciated," Norskov says.

Catalysts are chemistry's multitaskers: They must target specific molecules, break certain chemical bonds and, often, create new bonds to remake from the atomic jumble whatever end molecule is desired. It is understandably rare to find a chemical agent that can perform all this breaking and making without becoming exhausted  in this case a technical reference to the fact that a catalyst must carry out these chemical reactions without changing the atomic structure that enabled it to perform its multitasking magic in the first place.

"While the catalyst must bind strongly enough to the target molecule to do the work required, it also has to release the end product," says Stacey Bent, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford and key member of the SUNCAT team. "We have to design catalysts that can make and break bonds with atomic precision, and we have to ensure these materials can be mass produced at the necessary scales and price points, and are durable and simple to use in the fields."

This is especially true in the case of the fertilizer-production process envisioned here, Jaramillo explains, because of the complexity of the process.

"We have to design a series of reactions to cleave the nitrogen molecule from air, separate the hydrogen from water and combine them to form ammonia, with the only input energy coming from solar power," Jaramillo says, adding, "We're really just at the beginning."

Computation, visualization, experimentation

The close working relationship between Stanford engineers and researchers at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is an important part of the story.

SLAC particle accelerators and imaging technologies can capture and visualize chemical reactions at the atomic scale. That, in combination with SLAC's computational assets, will allow the SUNCAT team to use a variety of techniques, including artificial intelligence, machine learning and simulation, to identify promising materials, and then predict how slight alterations to their atomic structures might optimize them for use as catalysts.

"We plan to simulate the properties of materials that could perform the necessary reactions," says Bent, "and then come up with a short list of the best candidates for experimentalists to synthesize and test."

The magnitude of the task requires a wide range of talents. In addition to Norskov, Jaramillo and Bent, other participating Stanford researchers include chemical engineering faculty Zhenan Bao and Matteo Cargnello. SLAC collaborators include Thomas Bligaard, senior staff scientist and deputy director of theory at SUNCAT, and staff scientist Frank Abild-Pedersen. A group of Danish researchers led by professor Ib Chorkendorff at the Technical University of Denmark are key members of the project.

"We are part of a very strong team, attacking some of the biggest challenges in chemistry, chemical engineering and sustainability," says Jaramillo.

The ultimate goal is to create a catalytic process that can spur the various ammonia-producing chemical reactions with no inputs other than air, water and sunlight. Moreover, these inexhaustible catalysts, and indeed every component in these ammonia-production modules, must be inexpensive to mass produce, durable in the field and easy to operate. It's a tall order but the potential payoff is huge.

"Sustainable nitrogen production will only become possible with the cross-disciplinary collaboration of people working in fields such as materials science, chemical engineering and computer science," Bent says. "It could literally change the world."

If the project's goal seems worth the effort, the same is true for its research methodology. Team-based discovery that combines theoretical insight, atomic-level visualization and computational simulation can be applied to designing other sustainable processes to create fuels and industrial chemicals, as envisioned by the broader Villum initiative.

Norskov framed that broader objective against the backdrop of global warming in a recent paper co-authored with Arun Majumdar, a professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford, co-director of the Precourt Institute for Energy and former founding director of the Advanced Research Projects AgencyEnergy.

In an essay for the Scientific Philanthropy Alliance, Norskov and Majumdar posit that civilization has reached the point at which the technologies that have allowed our population to grow may now threaten life's underpinnings. The essential challenge of the 21st century is to develop new technologies that meet human needs in ways that are environmentally sustainable.

"Essentially we are attempting to restore the balance in the Earth's carbon and nitrogen cycles that has been lost through the exponential increase in the demand for food and fossil fuels," Norskov and Majumdar write, adding, "The time to act is now."

More information: A. Bogaard et al. Crop manuring and intensive land management by Europe's first farmers, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2013). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1305918110 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Two finite lattices of slightly different periodicities were merged to create a single primitive unit cell of a new superlattice called Merged Lattice. Credit: Alagappan & C. E. Png

Brighter LEDs and more efficient solar cells are two potential applications for A*STAR's research into lattice structures that can slow or trap light.

Harnessing wave energy by localizing it and suppressing its propagation through a medium is a powerful technique. Now, Alagappin Gandhi and Png Ching Eng Jason from the A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing have calculated a design that localizes light in tiny loops, within a two-dimensional structure created by merging two lattices of slightly differing periodicities.

The new technique is not limited to light, and may enable the design of systems that can precisely control wave energy in any realm and at any scalesound, thermal, water, or even matter waves such as in Bose-Einstein condensates.

For light-based devices the new insights could be used to build more efficient photonic components, said Gandhi.

"If you pattern the surface of an LED with merged lattices it will assist with getting the light out efficiently," said Gandhi. "For a solar cell, however merged lattices will help light to enter better so that more energy can be harvested."

The ability to create resonators in which light is localized on the surface of a device also has applications in quantum computing components based on light, such as defects in diamond.

Gandhi and Png designed the structures by superimposing lattices of small circular dielectric materials with periods in a simple ratio R:R-1for example one lattice is merged with another whose spacing is 4/3 as big, or 5/4, 6/5 etc.

"It creates a two-dimensional effect similar to beats between two waves of very close frequency," Gandhi said. "Where there are antinodes the light is localized in the form of a closed path."

Gandhi said the creation of a regular array of localized loops of light contrasted with Anderson Localization, which arises from randomness in a structure. "This is a systematic way of creating a large number of loops," Gandhi said.

Gandhi and Png ran numerical simulations of the propagation of light in a range of wavelengths slightly below that of the lattice spacing, and calculated the energy band structure. They found that as R increased, there emerged a large number of energy bands whose light had a group velocity of zero, the signature of light localized within the crystal.

Gandhi said merged lattices would also provide a way for researchers to explore topological properties, such as protected edge modes.

More information: G. Alagappan et al. Localization of Waves in Merged Lattices, Scientific Reports (2016). DOI: 10.1038/srep31620 Journal information: Scientific Reports
Inventory needs to be managed and managed well, or you are going to get in recurring trouble, and lose your credibility and hard-earned conversions, whether 

Read more
By Press Trust of India: From K J M Varma

Beijing, Apr 5 (PTI) Internet cooperation between China and India can help dissolve the increasing mistrust between the two countries, state-run media here said today.

"As bilateral ties between China and India grow increasingly complicated and uncertain, cooperation between the two emerging Asian powers over Internet-related technologies is likely to provide a good platform to strengthen their future relations," an article in the state- run Global Times said.

advertisement

If companies from China and India can take advantage of their economic complementarity in Internet-related sectors, then they could both possibly be strong enough to compete with top American tech brands like Uber and Amazon, the article said.

"China and India are twopowerful emerging countries in the world, and thus properly handling bilateral ties will not be easy. To dissolve strategic mistrust between the two countries, one effective way is in promoting economic complementarity to make sure both sides common interests far outweigh their differences," it said.

Economic cooperation has long been seen as the stabiliser for bilateral ties, and expanding common interests between the two countries now appears more important than ever, it said , referring to differences between the two Asian giants over the Dalai Lamas visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

The rise of Indias Internet-related sectors offers huge opportunities for China and India to enhance economic ties and expand their common interests, it said.

The mobile Internet market in India today is strikingly similar to that of China several years ago when tech giants Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings experienced rapid business expansion, the article said.

Those companies have been able to use their capital and technology in capturing market opportunities to help support local startups and business innovation in India, it said.

In March, Indian ecommerce and digital payment platform Paytm raised around USD 177 million from Alibaba, helping the home grown company sharpen its competitiveness against Amazon, it noted.

"However, Internet-related cooperation between China and India is still in its primary stage. Chinese companies have advantages in capital and technology, while Indian home grown enterprises have a better understanding of local markets and regulations," the article said.

"There is great potential for further cooperation, which could be a win-win for both," it said. PTI KJV ASK AKJ ASK

--- ENDS ---
Germany on Wednesday took the European lead in cracking down against hate speech and fake news, threatening social media giants with fines of up to 50 million euros if they fail to remove offensive posts promptly. Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet approved the tough measure after assessing that companies like Twitter and Facebook were not doing enough to erase content that falls foul of German law. "Hate crimes that are not effectively combatted and prosecuted pose a great danger to the peaceful cohesion of a free, open and democratic society," said Merkel's government in a statement. Since the arrival of around one million asylum-seekers in Germany since 2015, the volume of xenophobic hate speech has exploded online. Alarmed by the incendiary nature of the posts, the government has repeatedly warned the online behemoths to better police the content on their network. The web companies had pledged in 2015 to examine and remove within 24 hours any hateful comments, but Justice Minister Heiko Maas said not enough was done. Citing a government study, Maas said Twitter only took down one percent and Facebook 39 percent of the content reported by users. Google's YouTube video sharing platform fared far better, with a rate of 90 percent. Beyond hate speech and fake news, the draft legislation also covers other illegal content, including child pornography and terror-related activity. The companies would have 24 hours to remove any posts that openly violate German law after they are flagged by users. Other offensive content would have to be deleted within seven days after it is reported and reviewed. Executives of the social media groups also risk individual fines up to five million euros ($5.3 million) in case of non-compliance. Under German law, Holocaust denial, incitement of hatred and racist speech are illegal. - 'Policing opinion?' - But critics warned that the proposed law could stifle freedom of expression. Renate Kuenast, an MP with the opposition Greens, said the fines were "almost an invitation to not just erase real insults, but to wipe out almost everything for the sake of playing it safe". Likewise, the German Federation of Journalists said it would be "difficult to reconcile freedom of the press and opinion" with the proposed legislation. Facebook warned that "this legislation would force private companies rather than the courts to become the judges of what is illegal in Germany". More than 700 people will be working on the content review task force for the company in Berlin by year's end, said the group, which made profits of $3.7 billion (3.5 billion euros) in the last three months of 2016. It also rejected the data cited by Maas, saying that a test carried out by FSM -- a self-regulation lobby group backed by online media -- found that Facebook deleted more than 65 percent of illegal content within a day. Maas acknowledged that freedom of expression "has huge significance in our democracy". But he added: "Freedom of expression ends where criminal law begins," predicting that Germany's measure would only be a start. "In the end, we need European solutions for companies that operate across Europe," Maas told reporters. - 'Talking to a wall' - Underlining the frustration with the slow-moving fight against such online hate, one social network user, Steffi Brachtel, told AFP she had filed countless complaints to Facebook over offensive posts. But only once did it agree to remove a post -- a Hitler-related one, she said. The waitress had begun her one-woman campaign against online hate speech after a friend shared an objectionable cartoon on Facebook. "I spent several hours every day on Facebook, trying to tell people to watch what they are saying... but got the feeling that I was talking to a wall," she said. Brachtel said she also faced physical threats. Neo-Nazis followed her on her way home and her letterbox was bombed. But she warned that if action is not taken against far-right material, "then it just gets passed on and on, and that's how the hate gets bigger in people, and that's a major problem".
Sri Lanka's navy was Wednesday battling a major fire aboard a massive container ship travelling from Singapore to Egypt.

The navy said it had received a distress call on Tuesday when the 14,000-container carrier was about 120 nautical miles (222 kilometres) away from Sri Lanka.

It dispatched a specialist fire-fighting ship to lead a fleet of smaller vessels out to sea to douse the fire aboard the Panama-registered MSC Daniela.

"There are no casualties among the 22-member crew," spokesman Chaminda Walakuluge told AFP.

"An Indian coastguard vessel which was on a port call to Colombo has also joined the fire fighting effort."

Walakuluge said the cause of the fire was not known.

The vessel has now been guided to a location just north of the Colombo port.
OKINAWA-While the world watches mounting military tensions in the South China Sea, another, more ominous situation is brewing in the East China Sea that could be the trigger point for a major war between the superpowers. At the heart of tensions are eight uninhabited islands controlled by Japan that are close to important shipping lanes, rich fishing grounds and potential oil and gas reserves. China contests Japan's claims and is escalating its military activity in Japan airspace. In response, Japan has been doubling its F-15 jet intercepts.

The situation increases the risk of an accidental confrontation  and could draw other countries, like the United States, into a conflict. It's a topic President Trump will likely bring up with Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago estate this week.

From the departure lounge at Naha International Airport on the Japanese island of Okinawa, passengers can easily see what's going on. Between the regular comings and goings of commercial airliners, first one, then two, then two more F-15 fighter jets streak down the runway that Japanese Air Self Defense Forces (JASDF) share with Naha's regular airline traffic. Rising rapidly from the tarmac, the quartet of combat aircraft heads out to sea to intercept yet another Chinese military aircraft  usually other fighter jets, sometimes a bomber or reconnaissance plane  flying into or close to Japanese airspace.

Such airborne intercepts are on the rise over the East China Sea, with Japan now averaging roughly two intercepts of Chinese aircraft per day since April of last year, nearly twice as many as in the 12 months prior. In response to the uptick in Chinese military activity in airspace Japan considers its responsibility, JASDF has doubled the number of fighter aircraft at its Naha Air Base, adding a second squadron of F-15Js  the Japanese version of the U.S.-made F-15 fighter jet  in January of last year.

The increased intrusion of Chinese military air traffic into airspace protected by the JASDF, along with the uptick in aerial intercepts, heightens the risk of an accident or misunderstanding between the two militaries  a situation that could rapidly escalate, given the already heightened military tensions in the region. Such an incident, intentional or not, could quickly spiral, potentially drawing U.S. forces in the region into the fray.

Story continues

Rising tensions

"They've routinized their intrusions into our territorial sea space," says Eisuke Tanabe, a senior policy coordinator in the joint staff councilor's office at the Japanese Ministry of Defense, noting that incursions by Chinese surface ships into waters claimed by Japan are increasing alongside airborne incursions by Chinese fighter jets. "We send our fighters, and that makes the situation possibly very dangerous, when fighters and fighters come close."

From April to December of last year, Japanese fighter jets scrambled to intercept Chinese aircraft 644 times (Japan's fiscal year runs April 1 to March 31 of the following year). While Japan has not yet released total figures for fiscal 2016, Ministry of Defense officials briefing CNBC on the matter maintain that the tempo of airborne intercepts continues to increase, as it has every year since 2008.

JASDF forces haven't intercepted this many aircraft since the busiest days of the Cold War, when aircraft from the Soviet Union were active in the region.

Today tensions in the region are heightened by new catalysts, primarily overlapping territorial claims in the East and South China seas, the lingering threat of military action on the Korean Peninsula, and an increasingly capable Chinese military that seeks to secure its near-abroad rivals through a mix of air and sea power. Neighboring U.S. allies, like South Korea, Taiwan and Japan, are forced to look on nervously as China continues to test and improve its capabilities in the western Pacific Ocean and in the seas abutting China to its south and east.

A political hot button

On Okinawa  home to several major U.S. military installations as well as a meaningful contingent of Japan's Self Defense Forces  one particular sticking point serves as a regular reminder to Tokyo of just how tense Japan/China military relations have become: the Senkaku Islands.

The Senkaku Islands (known as the Diaoyu Islands to China), located some 225 nautical miles west of the main island of Okinawa and just 90 miles north of the Japanese island of Ishigaki, are claimed by both countries, creating an ambiguous security situation as both nations' militaries attempt to administer the uninhabited land masses and their surrounding territorial waters and airspace. Key to the dispute are both the rich fishing waters around the Senkakus and reports of potential oil and gas reserves in the seabed of the surrounding East China Sea. Sovereignty over the islands for either China or Japan (or Taiwan, which also claims the islands) would bolster any future claims to those energy reserves.

In recent years, the Senkakus have become a political hot button for both nations, stirring nationalism on both sides while driving a cautious approach by a Japanese government eager to avoid open confrontation with China. Following an incident near the Senkakus in September of 2010, when a Chinese fishing trawler deliberately rammed a Japanese Coast Guard ship, Japan claims it has taken a soft approach, urging Japanese fishermen to steer clear of the islands even as Chinese ships continue to ply the waters around the Senkakus.

Flexing military muscle

China has openly said it aims to secure access to the Western Pacific beyond what's known as the "first island chain"  the string of islands stretching from the Japanese archipelago to Taiwan to the Philippines and across the southern fringe of the South China Sea, all the way to the Malay Peninsula. Ultimately, China aims to extend its military reach into the South China Sea and Western Pacific in such a way that it can effectively control who can  and cannot  enter those regions, analysts say.

But increased Chinese military activity in the East China Sea could prove to be the by-product of more specific aims.

"Our observation is that China is trying to develop the capabilities of their various aircraft in the Western Pacific Ocean," Yurie Mitsui, deputy director of the Strategic Intelligence Analysis Office within the Japanese Ministry of Defense, says. Because the increase in both surface ships around the Senkakus and airborne missions in the region require long-term planning and preparation, intelligence analysts have no choice but to read the uptick in activity as deliberate policy, she says.

"'First island chain' is a term created by the U.S." Mitsui says, and while she agrees with the idea that China is looking to extend its military capability deeper into the Western Pacific beyond U.S. allies like Japan and the Philippines, there's another, more fundamental issue at play for China. "When we analyze China's activities in the Western Pacific Ocean, we always think of Taiwan," she says.

It's a troubling addendum, suggesting that while territorial disputes and Chinese military activity in the East China Sea often take a backseat to more provocative island-building and military exercises in the South China Sea, the issues underpinning Chinese military activities along its eastern coastline are in some sense more volatile. China considers democratic Taiwan a breakaway province and has vowed to bring it back under mainland Chinese rule. Doing so isn't just a matter of geopolitical strategy or economic necessity, but a matter of nationalistic pride for many Chinese citizens and the ruling communist party.

The Taiwan card

As the Trump administration reportedly crafts a major new military arms package for Taiwan to help the island deter a rising Chinese military, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian told a press briefing last week that "it is futile to use weapons to refuse unification, and is doomed to have no way out."

President Trump will host Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago estate April 67, and security issues concerning North Korea and South China Sea will undoubtedly fill out the top of the agenda. Whether or not Taiwan or issues related to the East China Sea come up will be telling for those in Japan watching closely for clues as to how the new administration's relationship with China is likely to play out.

With the Trump administration still trying to find its feet after a shaky first two months in office, China could look to press a perceived advantage in the Western Pacific, says Dr. Akio Takahara, an expert on Chinese politics and professor in the graduate school of law and politics at the University of Tokyo.

"The Chinese are always looking at what the Americans do," he says. "So when the Americans aren't doing well, they think they are doing very well."

 By Clay Dillow, special to CNBC.com

WATCH: Why Trump's foreign policy is on a collision course in the South China Sea





More From CNBC


(Bloomberg) -- South African President Jacob Zuma survived calls to resign by members of the ruling party following his decision to fire his finance minister and stack the cabinet with loyalists, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The rand reversed earlier gains.

At a Tuesday meeting in Johannesburg of the ANCs National Working Committee, Zuma rejected accusations that he hadnt consulted adequately before a cabinet reshuffle that included the removal of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and received some support from members of the partys so-called Top 6 officials, the people said, asking not to be identified because a public statement hasnt been made.

The decision heightens chances that Zuma will survive an opposition-sponsored vote of no confidence in parliament if the leadership of the National Assembly allows it to go ahead. It came in the face of widespread criticism of Zumas cabinet changes that prompted S&P Global Ratings to downgrade the nations credit rating to junk and weakened the rand.

Before the meeting, the president drew rare public criticism from Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and other senior party members, including ANC Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe and Treasurer-General Zweli Mkhize, who publicly questioned the manner in which the cabinet changes were handled. Ramaphosa had called Zumas reasons for firing Gordhan unacceptable.

Resignation Calls

The meeting also slammed the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the nations biggest labor federation, and the South African Communist party, both allies of the ANC that called for Zuma to resign. The ANC is concerned about the breakdown in the relationship with its allies, Mantashe told reporters Wednesday in Johannesburg.

A breakdown in the relationship between Zuma and Gordhan, who had feuded over the affordability of building nuclear power plants and the management of state-owned companies, led to the cabinet reshuffle, Mantashe said.

Story continues

Zuma would not carry out a controversial cabinet reshuffle such as this one without lining up his support within the party to push back against the backlash, Ralph Mathekga, a political analyst at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection, a Johannesburg-based research group, said by phone on Wednesday. Even if you have those members speaking openly against him, the balance is such that hes still quite firm within the party.

The rand weakened 1.1 percent to 13.7707 per dollar as of 11:22 a.m. in Johannesburg after the report, reversing an earlier gain of as much as 1.1 percent. Yields on governments benchmark rand bond due December 2026 rose 5 basis points to 8.96 percent.

Read more on Zumas chances of political survival

While Zuma has survived a series of corruption scandals and presided over the partys worst-electoral performance since the end of apartheid in 1994 in municipal elections in August, the majority of ANC officials have stuck by him.

With Zuma scheduled to step down as party leader in December and as the nations president in 2019, many ANC officials may believe its not the time to remove him, said Daryl Glaser, a political science professor at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

The ANC is not going to go into the next election under Zuma, and I guess there will be some in the ANC who think that if they can just sit it out until the elective conference or until the next election in 2019, then the ANC can hold on electorally under new leadership, he said.

(Updates with analyst comments starting in seventh paragraph.)

--With assistance from Gordon Bell and Amogelang Mbatha

To contact the reporter on this story: Sam Mkokeli in Johannesburg at mmkokeli@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Karl Maier at kmaier2@bloomberg.net, Karl Maier, Vernon Wessels

2017 Bloomberg L.P.
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
Do you spend the last few minutes of your day staring at your phone? Well, here are five ways to put them to good use.

By India Today Web Desk: Let's face it, all of us indulge in some form of mindless social media scrolling everyday. And if you, like several others are one of the many night owls who are obsessed with stalking random people on Facebook or Twitter, it might be time to put those minutes to good use.

Because let's face it, you're not giving up on your phone and social media--so, here goes.

advertisement

1. Learn a new language: It's never too late to explore a territory you've never stumbled upon before. Plug in your earphones, but instead of listening to the same old songs that are already embedded in your head, make space for something new. Remember all those times your desire to learn a new language didn't materialise? Well, your time is now. Mobile applications like Duolingo are hassle-free, comprehensive and extremely helpful when it comes to learning something new. So, French, Spanish or German? What are YOU learning tonight?

2. Read a book: If physical copies are not your thing, try downloading free PDFs that run into millions. You name a topic and chances are you'll get at least a hundred options to choose from. Fiction to non-fiction, history to geography and humour to romance, the availability of options is infinite. If you are investing the last few hours of the day into your phone, might as well make the most of it.

Also Read: 7 Indian books that deserve to be turned into web series

3. Listen to a podcast: If you're intimated by the universe of podcasts, start with the Indian ones. From humorous podcasts like Kaan Masti (Hoezaay and Suresh Menon), AIB, Our Last Week (Anuvab Pal and Kunaal Roy Kapur) to those like SynthesisTalk, The Indian Startup Show that inform and educate you, the world of podcasts runs as far as you can jog your brain. Optionally, you can also listen to audio books that will save you the trouble of staring into your mobile screen at a stretch.

4. Take up a course: There are a variety of free online courses available on the internet. From lessons on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to the basics of photography, you can literally learn anything.

5. QuizUp: Chances of one not wanting to expand his/her horizon are quite bleak, so why not be competitive and enthusiastic about it? Mobile apps like QuizUp and Words prove extremely lucrative in teaching you new things while helping you gauge your level of knowledge in comparison to random individuals.

--- ENDS ---
A house of parents of a suicide bomber who was behind Monday's blast on the St. Petersburg, Russia, subway, in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, Tuesday, April 4, 2017. Russian investigators on Tuesday said the bomb on the St. Petersburg subway was set off by a suicide bomber and identified him as Kyrgyz-born Russian citizen Akbarzhon Dzhalilov, who turned 22 two days before the attack. (AP Photo)

Hours after a deadly bombing in St. Petersburg, members of the special services knocked on the door of a house in Kyrgyzstan's city of Osh, more than 2,000 miles away.

The leafy and socially conservative bazaar city of Osh, on the edge of Central Asia's Ferghana Valley, was until a few years ago the home of the suspected bomber  Akbarzhon Dzhalilov, who turned 22 only two days before Monday's attack.

It is economically struggling cities and towns like Osh that swell the vast ranks of mainly Muslim migrants from Central Asia seeking their luck on Russia's labor market.

And of the hundreds of thousands who make that leap from countries like Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, many have fallen under the sway of recruiters from militant Islamist groups.

Security service officers in Osh are questioning Dzhalilov's parents as to what might have led their son to blow himself up on the St. Petersburg train.

Dzhalilov left Kyrgyzstan to live in Russia in 2011  the year after violent clashes in Osh between the ethnic Uzbek and Kyrgyz communities left hundreds dead. The violence not only claimed mostly Uzbek lives, but it also destroyed an uncounted number of their businesses and shut them out of the city's public life. After those events, many Uzbeks left the country for good.

For most people in Central Asia, the circumstances that propel them to Russia are more straightforward. Unemployment is rampant across the region, and deep-set corruption limits opportunities for the industrious to create their own wealth. Jobs as construction workers and janitors abound, but the conditions are poor and the monthly pay typically is in the low hundreds of dollars.

At the start of 2016, there were more than half a million people from Kyrgyzstan, around 850,000 Tajiks and 1 million Uzbeks living in Russia, according to officials in Moscow. Unofficially, the figure is likely much greater. Visa-free travel for most Central Asians  a legacy fringe benefit of the former Soviet Union  has always made getting to Russia relatively easy. Securing permanent residence is more complicated.

Story continues

For many poorly educated, financially struggling and lonely men condemned to an existence of abuse in the workplace or at the hands of police in search of bribes, the sense of solidarity to be found in religious associations is a valuable consolation.

The unlucky ones drift toward extremist groups propagating messages of violence. Some are drafted by recruiters; others find their way there through social media.

The most malleable eventually become fodder for militant Islamist groups in the Middle East.

While war in Syria and Iraq has helped boost the number of volunteers to militant organizations, Noah Tucker, the senior editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Uzbek Service, said recruitment among ethnic Uzbeks actually predates the current stage of the conflict.

"Already before the Syria conflict was really heating up, the al-Qaida affiliate, the Islamic Jihad Union based in Pakistan, was targeting Uzbek-speaking migrants working in Russia ... particularly trying to target them based on resentment toward the way that they were treated," Tucker said.

Estimates on how many people from Central Asia have gone that route vary wildly. Officials in Kyrgyzstan have at various junctures estimated the number of citizens from their country enrolled in militant groups at around 500  the bulk are said to be from the ethnic Uzbek community. Tajikistan and Uzbekistan offer even larger numbers for their own citizens.

Security experts caution against taking such evaluations at face value.

"Ultimately, we do not know how many have traveled. Those who give estimates are not transparent about how they reached their conclusions. So it is difficult to ascertain their accuracy," said Edward Lemon, a research scholar at Columbia University, specializing in radicalism in Central Asia. "There are still more questions than answers regarding how many Central Asians have gone to Syria and Iraq."

Central Asian governments as a rule speak about the dangers of terrorism in vague generalities, dwelling in sensationalist terms on the scale of the threat, while failing to distinguish between various groups.

Getting to the bottom of the St. Petersburg attack will require a nuanced understanding of the distinctions about which nationalities and communities are represented in which groups.

In the last two years, Kyrgyzstan's security services have repeatedly said their country has been made the object of numerous plots from the Islamic State group, although they have provided only muddled evidence to support such assertions.

As far as ethnic Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan are concerned, they are predominantly represented in groups linked to the Nusra Front, which was formed as al-Qaida's branch in Syria, rather than to their avowed enemies in the Islamic State group.

"There seem to be very few ethnic Uzbeks from southern Kyrgyzstan fighting with (the Islamic State)," Tucker said. "There's very little propaganda that's produced to target them."

Tucker said the indiscriminate killing of civilians is a closer fit to the model favored by the Islamic State group. Nusra Front-affiliated Uzbeks instead traditionally try to limit their killing to the battlefield.

"The Uzbeks who fought in Aleppo, who were connected in one way or another to (the Nusra Front) ... they don't spend their time debating and rationalizing killing noncombatants, because they don't target noncombatants. ISIS guys do," Tucker said.

Then again, it is the Nusra Front  including its Uzbek contingent  that has been particularly badly battered by Russian-aided offensives in Syria.

Whoever ultimately is determined to be behind the St. Petersburg bombing, Russia could find itself once more counting the costs of its Syrian adventure.
PM Robert Fico and Speaker of Parliament Andrej Danko shower criticism on Kiska over flights and Constitutional Court judges, Most-Hid stays away.

Font size: A - | A +

It began with criticism of a Sunday lunch with the Dalai Lama, continued with the conflict concerning Constitutional Court candidates, and most recently Smer put a price tag on the presidents flights to his hometown.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

Public attacks by the ruling coalition on President Andrej Kiska are getting more intensive, yet his critics do not plan to file a motion against him in the parliament.

The attacks, however, remind political analyst Grigorij Meseznikov about the relations between the government of Vladimir Meciar and the then-president Michal Kovac during the 1990s. He sees it as an effort to discredit Kiska, because he is not playing into the ruling coalitions hands, just like Kovac did not for Meciar.

Read also:

Read also: The man who stood up against Meciar Read more

Prime Minister Robert Fico was the one to start the criticism last October, when Kiska unofficially met with the spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, for lunch in Bratislava. The government refused to meet the Dalai Lama, also due to their concerns about relations with China.

Later, Parliamentary Speaker Andrej Danko from the Slovak National Party (SNS) joined the critical voices when he repeatedly called on the president to appoint Constitutional Court judges from among the candidates that Smer elected in the parliament. In late March, Danko accused Kiska of acting like a big gun concerning flights on the governmental plane. Danko has previously been accused of the same thing, due to the scandal over the captain military rank that he received.

Read also:

Read also: Captain Danko causes uproar Read more

There are differing opinions among the ruling coalition about the sharpened rhetoric of the two top constitutional officials directed at the president.

Kiska vs Kalinak

Interior Minister Robert Kalinak of Smer, who has been facing the Basternak scandal for a year now, calculated the price of Kiskas flight when speaking in the parliament in late March at almost one million euros.

Kalinak spoke to the parliament at the request of MP Martin Nemky of Smer who is dissatisfied with the flights.

Kiska, who was then in Israel, repeated his explanation from before: when he became president, Kalinak asked him to use the governmental planes because the pilots and the planes had logged few flying hours. On Monday April 3, he said that he would limit his flying and will travel by car more often. That might cost the state even more money, however.

If the interior minister found it in himself to stand up in front of the public and the people and really say how the situation emerged, we did not need to have this campaign against the president at all, Kiska said.

Bugar wants to remain gentle

Most-Hid is the only party that is staying away from the attacks against Kiska. Its head Bela Bugar did not want to comment on the actions of his partners concerning the issue.

It is a heterogeneous coalition, we in Most are for a more gentle communication, he said.

Bugar believes the conflicts started with the Venice Commission report that said the president should have acted over the Constitutional Court judges. At that point the coalition partners lost their patience. Fico, for instance, accused Kiska of violating the Constitution.

Read also:

Read also: Venice Commission refuse Kiska's "No" Read more

The Presidents Office reacted to the commissions stance by saying they will act as soon as the Constitutional Court responds, as recommended by the Commission, regarding if his decision not to appoint the candidates was justified and which of the original candidates are still to be considered official candidates for constitutional judges.

No accusation

Smer and SNS MPs defend the statements of their party bosses.

Fico was communicating with him seriously for several months, but then it started, Smer MP Miroslav Ciz said. He too believes Kiska has violated the Constitution.

SNS MP Dusan Tittel does not consider Dankos accusations against Kiska to be anything special. He argues that things have accumulated and if the president had appointed the Constitutional judges, it would have been solved by now.

Even though most of the ruling coalition accuses Kiska, they are not planning to file an accusation against the president that he is not abiding by his constitutional duties.

There have been no such ideas, however, it is worth considering that recently he has acted irresponsibly and wilfully, SNS spokesperson Julia Kollarova said.

Only one who defeated Fico

After the hard presidential campaign in 2014, when Fico tried to depict Kiska as a loan shark and a scientologist, the attacks calmed down. Kiska defeated Fico, but their relations were problem-free. There have been rumours that they have closed a silent no-attacking deal.

That changed after Kiska met the Dalai Lama.

Whether it will anger him or not, he is fully in the hands of his advisers who are dragging him to hell, Fico said in late 2016. He also disliked the presidents criticism of the Visegrad Group.

In an interview with the Trend weekly Kiska said in November 2016 that peoples trust in the state got even weaker after the arrival of the new government. He also said that Kalinak should step down.

Fico and Danko then did not attend the ceremonial reception after the state-award ceremony, even though they were invited guests there together with Kiska. Fico criticised Kiska saying that the people who participated in the organisation of the Slovak EU Council presidency did not receive the award, but another event starting with P got it. He was hinting at the organiser of the Pohoda festival, Michal Kascak.

Read also:

Read also: Kiska awards 20 public figures Read more

Ever since it emerged, the coalition has been under pressure over the Basternak scandal. In late 2016, however, also the Evka scandal emerged, and Danko and Defence Minister Peter Gajdos were involved in the Captain scandal.

They are trying to divert attention away from these scandals and even out the critical perception of the government, Meseznikov said and added that Fico might also have personal reasons for the attacks.

Kiska was the only one who has defeated him, which Fico may find hard to cope with, he said. If the coalition continues in the attacks, Kiska will have to react and relations will continue to be tense in the long run.

Sme
Nearly 7,000 people plan to attend the march, refusing help from politicians.

Font size: A - | A +

A group of students want to point to the current state in Slovakia, where one scandal overlaps the next and young people go abroad to live, with a protest march scheduled for April 18 in Bratislava.

People probably dont realise it, but many young people dont have a reason to return to Slovakia and our families are split, David Straka, student of a Bratislava-based secondary school and one of the organisers, told the Sme daily.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

The students oppose the recent claims of Prime Minister Robert Fico that Slovakia has devoted enough attention to corruption, and of Interior Minister Robert Kalinak that there is no corruption at top places in politics.

Among the main demands of the students are the completion of the investigation of the Basternak case and the Gorilla scandal. They also call for dismissing Kalinak, Police Corps President Tibor Gaspar and Special Prosecutor Dusan Kovacik, Sme wrote.

About 6,700 people have so far confirmed their participation in the event via Facebook. Among the speakers at the protest march will be actors Jan Gresso and Maros Kramar, who both appeared in the film Unos (Kidnapping) about the abduction of the son of late president Michal Kovac to Austria. Whistleblower Zuzana Hlavkova, who first informed about the overpriced cultural events linked to Slovakias EU Council Presidency, also confirmed her participation, Sme reported.

The organisers have already started preparations for the event, with booking the squares and consulting security issues with police. They are also cooperating with Bratislava city boroughs and the city authorities.

The organisers claim they are not backed by political parties or professional organisations. They have only received some recommendations from non-governmental organisations dealing with corruption.

Politicians addressed us, but we refused them, Straka told Sme.

Supporters have already contributed 1,615 to the event, but organisers need about twice as much. The donated sums, published on Facebook, oscillate between 2 and 100.

Peter Kunder of ethics watchdog Fair-Play Alliance praises the initiative, but calls it very ambitious. It is not easy to lure many people into the streets and organisers must be careful that it is not misused by extremists or politicians, he told Sme. However, he plans to invite his friends to the event.

I consider it important that people support activities leading towards a better Slovakia, Kunder told the daily, adding that though it may not seem like it, politicians are concerned by street protests.
After the October 2016 incident, the police want to share information on the high crime rate with the boys' parents .

Font size: A - | A +

The police do not plan to apologise to families of two children for using inappropriate violence. They invited them to the police station, but only to talk about the high crime rate in the suburbs they live in, the public-service broadcaster RTVS reported.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

The incident occurred last October when two boys were walking home from the Budkova public transport station in Bratislava at 20:00. They were stopped by three men in an unmarked car and wearing plain clothes. They described themselves as police officers, but the boys thought they were robbers. According to the testimonies of the two boys, the police used inappropriate violence when trying to detain them.

The whole incident was scrutinised by the police inspectorate, but it did not find any flaws. Former ombudswoman Jana Dubovcova however considered the action illegal. The police officers should be punished and the police should apologise to the families, she said, as reported by RTVS.

The police, however, do not want to admit they made any mistakes and say they wanted to check the boys due to the high crime rate among young people. They want to meet the parents, but only to clarify the actions of the police officers and inform them about the crime rate in the Bratislava I borough, spokesperson for the regional police department in the capital Tatiana Kurucova told RTVS.
Increased automation in rail and underground transport systems around the world means that within three years the facility should double their employees.

Font size: A - | A +

The Zilina facility of Siemens will open dozens of new jobs, due to global automation and increased use of train and underground transport, which shifts the focus to highly qualified labour. The competence centre in the northern-Slovak city plans to hire 70 new employees this year, 90 next year and within three years, the current number of 240 workers should be doubled, Martin Valasek of Siemens informed the TASR newswire.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

The increased level of automation with rail transport, the need for ever more sophisticated control systems, as well as ever increasing demand for the use of trains and underground all over the world have brought the historically biggest growth for the competence centre, Valasek said.

He added that the competence centre currently searches for such people as engineers of railway alarm and control systems, analysts of railway systems security, as well as software developers of control systems and designing tools.

By 2020, they could have almost 500 employees, according to head of the competence centre, Ondrej Chrappa. In recent years, we managed to get not just new competences but also the trust of the concern that we can do the engineering of rail transport at a top level, he explained, as cited by TASR.

Zilina facility for engineering of railway systems was established in 2003 and has started to grow dynamically since 2010, when about 20 people worked in it. While it was Austria who was mainly responsible for the projects, currently the know-how is exported to virtually the whole world. We are doing engineering also for undergrounds  about one third of the employees are focused on that, Chrappa said, adding that they also design, for example, train control devices which check the activities of train engine drivers, and most recently, they started to deal with traction power supply of rail vehicles.

In Zilina, they have designed control systems for the undergrounds in Vienna, Copenhagen, Istanbul and Buenos Aires, as well as control and security systems of railways in Austria, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.
Coalition MPs officially ask the president to stop using government planes for private purposes, with a trip to Poland at the front and centre of the debate.

Font size: A - | A +

Parliament adopted a resolution officially asking President Andrej Kiska to stop using a government plane for his private flights. A total of 92 lawmakers raised their hands to support the resolution.

However, apart from the ruling coalition, only representatives of the extreme right LSNS party and three independent MPs voted for it. MPs of the opposition parties SaS, OLaNO and Sme Rodina, while their leaders also criticised the presidents frequent flying, were largely against the resolution.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

Many of his frequent private flights are to visit his family in Poprad, in the east of the republic, the Pravda daily wrote on April 5.

Kiska reacted already on April 3 by saying that "just like I respected the request of Interior Ministry to use the government air squadron at the beginning of my presidential term, so now I again respect the request of the Interior Minister to limit the use of the government air squadron. He added that he would also like the Interior Minister Robert Kalinak to respect his requests, concerning an earlier call on Kalinak to leave his position due to the infamous scandal connecting him with the businessman Ladislav Basternak.

Read also:

Read also: Basternak accused, but Fico stays in Bonaparte Read more

Kalinak denied the allegation that he had asked Kiska to use the state airplane for his trips as much as possible.

Flight to Poland

On April 4, the parliamentary committee for incompatibility of functions also decided that Kiska will have to explain his trip on a government plane to Poland, to which he allegedly took along his daughter and other private individuals, the TASR newswire wrote.

Kiska allegedly participated in tapping the foundation stone of a skyscraper that is to be built by a company called HB Reavis, for which his daughter Natalia, aged 26, is currently working.

The submitters of the motion  coalition MPs from Smer and the Slovak National Party (SNS)  consider it to be unacceptable for the president to use government aircraft for private events and to take his daughter and other private individuals along. Not all the members of the committee were in agreement, however.

This motion is inappropriate; I view it as a purely politically motivated play against the president of this state, said committee chairman Martin Poliacik from the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party.

Read also:

Read also: Parliamentary committee to deal with Kiska's trip to Poland Read more

The President was in Poland at the invitation of Polish President Andrzej Duda, spokesperson of Kiskas office, Roman Krpelan, said in response. He first attended a working meeting in Warsaw, and the following day the two presidents skied together at the Zakopane ski resort in the High Tatra mountains.

Tapping the foundation stone of the largest Slovak investment in Poland  the construction of the tallest building in central Europe  formed part of the presidents working programme. During his trips abroad, the president often visits subsidiaries of Slovak companies, for example Soitron in Bulgaria and Seak Energetics in Israel, Krpelan told TASR, adding that neither family members nor private individuals formed part of Kiskas delegation in Poland.

The Poland flight issue has been opened by Smer MPs amid highly publicised accusations that the president abuses the government air squadron too eagerly, even for private flights.
Out of the 144 MPs present,129 voted in favour of the resolution that cancels the controversial amnesties from the 1990s. Now it is the turn of the Constitutional Court to decide.

Font size: A - | A +

In an historic vote, parliament scrapped the controversial amnesties granted by former prime minister Vladimir Meciar.

129 out of the 144 MPs present, voted in favour of the motion to scrap the amnesties on April 5. Top politicians of the ruling coalition and government ministers, including Prime Minister Robert Fico, were present in the parliament and applauded when the vote count appeared on the screen. Only one MP, Natalia Grausova of the extremist LSNS voted against, her colleagues from the extremist caucus abstaining from the vote. One MP, independent Peter Marcek, refrained from voting. Two SNS MPs, Anton Hrnko and Eva Antosova, and four Smer MPs, Jan Podmanicky, Miroslav Ciz, Robert Madej, and Dusan Munko, did not attend the vote.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

The fight for the cancellation of Meciars amnesties has started the healing process of the democratic Slovakia, Jan Budaj, deputy for the opposition OLaNO and one of the protagonists of the 1989 revolution in Slovakia, said in parliament on this day. He believes the end of the immoral amnesties brings a new hope for the country.

In the text of the resolution that cancels the amnesties, the MPs claim they are convinced that they honour the principle that an amnesty cannot be granted to representatives of state power, persons who act in their name or in cooperation with them, and the people close to representatives of state power.

The blanket amnesties that Vladimir Meciar granted to cover all crimes linked with the abduction of the presidents son in 1995 and the murder of Robert Remias in 1996, have been in place for 19 years.

Read also:

Read also: Meciar amnesties go to Meciar people Read more

The vote on the amnesties was preceded by a change to the Slovak Constitution, as proposed by the ruling coalition. On March 30, the majority of 124 MPs passed the amendment that allows the parliament to cancel the Meciar amnesties and one pardon granted by the late president Michal Kovac, to his son.

The opposition originally demanded that all the pardons in the Technopol case, which also include the one for Kovac Jr, be scrapped. But even though the coalition did not include its proposed five changes in the draft, most of the opposition MPs finally decided to support the constitutional amendment that granted the powers to parliament to revoke presidential pardons and amnesties if they are in discrepancy with the principles of the democratic rule of law.

Read also:

Read also: Opposition: No need to move too quickly on amnesties Read more

Under the amendment to the constitution, any revocation of amnesties or pardons must be evaluated within 60 days by the Constitutional Court, which will be tasked with either confirming or rejecting the parliamentary decision.

I am convinced that the Constitutional Court will confirm the cancellation of the Meciar amnesties, and that one pardon of President Kovac, said leader of Most-Hid, Bela Bugar, prior to the parliamentary vote. His party is the only one among the coalition that has consistently been in favour of cancelling the amnesties in the long run.

Most-Hid MP, Peter Kresak, a known constitutional lawyer, will represent the parliament in front of the Constitutional Court. Talking to the Sme daily, he admitted the defence might also object to some judges taking part in the process. This could be for instance Judge Peter Brnak who in the past served as the MP for HZDS and previously labelled the efforts to scrap amnesties as frying snowballs, Sme wrote.
Health Minister Tomas Drucker wants to announce the competition to find new private manager of the hospital this year.

Font size: A - | A +

The University Hospital Bratislava (UNB) is currently comprised of five hospitals. This system, however, has been shown to be inefficient in the long run, according to the concept of UNB development, which the cabinet acknowledged at its April 5 session, the SITA newswire reported.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

Therefore, the organisation comprising of a cluster of five hospitals will be rationalised. The UNB is to be made up of only two hospitals: one in the residential area of Ruzinov and the new medical facility to be built at Razsochy. The other hospitals are to be partners with the UNB and supplement teaching at selected workplaces. The whole project will cost more than 300 million.

The number of sickbeds in Bratislava is to increase in line with the concept. At present, all medical facilities within the UNB provide 2,284 sickbeds, and the number is to go up by 73 to 2,357, SITA wrote.

Read also:

Read also: Medical chamber criticises new hospital project Read more

The documents approved by the government indicate the so-called hybrid model the ministry plans to use to construct the new hospital. While the state will pay for the construction and operation of the facility, a private health care manager will supervise the construction works and set the processes to secure better management of the hospital, the Dennik N daily reported.

The sum the manager will receive will be the subject of the competition. The Institute of Financial Policy (IFP) which runs under the Finance Ministry calculated the sum to be 2.5 million a year over five years. This is however the sum for a scenario where all criteria will be met, Dennik N reported.

The international competition should be announced as early as this year, according to the daily.

Health Minister Tomas Drucker (Smer nominee) said after the cabinet session that the new UNB would not be operated by a private concessionaire.

Such a partner will definitely not operate the hospital, the minister added, as quoted by SITA.
Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi and former chief minister and National President of Hindustani Awaam Morcha, Jitan Ram Manjhi have demanded thorough probe into the scam.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: The Opposition NDA has stepped up pressure on the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to set up a All-Party Committee to probe the Rs 90 lakh "soil scam" in which the family of RJD chief Lalu Prasad finds itself embroiled.

Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi and former chief minister and National President of Hindustani Awaam Morcha, Jitan Ram Manjhi have demanded thorough probe into the scam. Modi said that an All-Party Committee should be set up to investigate the matter.

advertisement

"I stand firm on my allegation against Lalu Prasad and his family for being involved in the soil scam. When Lalu Prasad has himself said that he was ready to face any probe, Nitish Kumar should set up a all-party committee immediately to probe the scam," demanded Sushil Modi, senior BJP leader.

Former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said that apart from probing the soil scam alone, parallel probe should also be initiated against RJD MLA from Sursand in Sitamarhi, Syed Abu Dojana whose company Meridian Construction India Limited has been entrusted the task of constructing the mall belonging to the Yadav family.

The opposition leaders maintained that Lalu always had initially dismissed scams that took place in Bihar including fodder scam, bitumen scam or medicine scam but a probe in these scams proved him otherwise and also ensured him jail term in fodder scam.

--- ENDS ---
The Bratislava-based oil refinery plans an investment, citing a general overhaul of production technologies as the main goal.

Font size: A - | A +

The investment by Slovnaft will amount to 57 million, of which approximately 33 million have been allocated for repairs and 24 million euros for modernisation.

The aim is to reduce energy consumption in the production of crude oil products and increase safety, Slovnaft spokesman Anton Molnar explained, as quoted by the SITA newswire. Due to the overhaul, Slovnaft is to shut down sixteen production units after Easter. The plan is to resume full operation in mid-June 2017, Molnar added for SITA on April 5.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

Slovnaft points out that works during the general overhaul may be accompanied by an increased level of noise, smell and potentially, burning with field burners. The work will be done by its daughter company, Slovnaft Montaze a Opravy, which will do most of the jobs through external sub-contractors and only in part through its own workers, the Sme daily wrote. During the overhaul, about 1,400 external workers will be present in Slovnaft, Molnar stated, adding that the shutdown of production units will not impact customer supply.
Parliament turned down the bill proposing a ban on the building of mosques, filed by an opposition MP.

Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled

Although Slovakia is the only European-Union country without an official mosque, opposition MP Milan Krajniak (of the Sme Rodina party) sought to amend the Construction Act and the Act on Churches, rejecting criticism that his efforts to ban the construction of mosques in Slovakia would work only to incite hatred. The parliament refused it at its session on April 5.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

We're trying to address security threats, he stressed during the debate in parliament, as cited by the TASR newswire.

Krajniak described criticism from fellow MPs as prattling and denied that he was trying to interfere in people's faith. Mosques serve as recruitment centres for Islamic terrorists, he noted. And we cannot differentiate between radical and moderate ones or those that are moderate today only to become radicalised tomorrow.

The MP also dismissed the line of reasoning of OLaNO-NOVA leader, Igor Matovic, that passing the bill would put Slovakia in the crosshairs of a potential terrorist attack. Krajniak pointed to Islamist terrorists attacking the World Trade Center in New York, the attacks in Madrid, in London and more recently in Paris, Brussels, and Berlin, suggesting that terrorism is coming closer to Slovakia. He also warned that the Austrian police announced that they had thwarted a terrorist attack on Vienna's metro system on January 21, 2017.

How do we want to prevent the threat of such attacks? We need to prevent the creation of recruitment centres for radical Islam, and those are the mosques, the MP argued, as cited by TASR.

He suggested that the current legislation be amended by defining a religious building  as a construction meant for practicing religious faith and organising mass cultural and religious events and services, the SITA newswire wrote. Krajniak also wanted it put into law that the Construction Office be obliged to ask the Culture Ministry for a binding stance on a religion that is not registered in Slovakia.

MPs also did not support his draft bill amending the act on religious freedom  meaning that the Culture Ministry would have to ask the SIS intelligence service to evaluate any security risks before registering a new religion.
For as long as I can remember, Ive been hearing about a War on Cash. The war, as illustrated by Indias recent demonetization, is not on cash itself but on the illegal use of cash and, by association, the fraudulent creation of cash. Both fraudulent notes and coins along with large cash denominated amounts transferring between criminals, spurs the governments of the world to try to get rid of cash. Not only that, but cash is dirty. Literally. Most cash has some form of cocaine and other drugs residue, along with faeces and other unhygienic materials. That was part of what prompted the Canadian and now UK governments to introduce plastic money. Plastic money is not only more secure from fraud, but can literally be washed to get rid of bad deposits. Now thats what I call money laundering.

Anyways, one of the first governments to really crack down on cash was Sweden. Interestingly, the Swedish government has been the first to talk of an eKrona digital currency, and that is in part because they were the first to introduced paper money back in 1661.

I remember a speech given by the Deputy Governor of Swedens central bank Sveriges Riksbank seven years ago, where he was talking about the war on cash and how they could get payments to move to cards but cash was still preferred for amounts under SEK100 (USD$10):

Despite the fact that card payments predominate in terms of both the number and value of payments, the Swedish public still prefers cash to cards for purchases of less than SEK 100. Our survey shows that as many as 22 per cent choose cash for purchases between SEK 100 and SEK 500. For amounts under SEK 100, cash is preferred by 63 per cent. There are no fullycomparable figures from any of the surveys carried out in 2006, but in 2006 the "average consumer" did not choose to pay by card until the purchase sum exceeded SEK 123.

Sweden demonstrates the conundrum in many European economies: how to get rid of cash for small payments? Merchants often have signs up saying cards only accepted for payments above 20, and many now have signs saying cheques not accepted.

Things have changed in the last seven years though, thanks to mobile and contactless payments. In fact, Sweden continues to lead the race to try to be a fully cashless society in this context.

According to the Riksbank, in 2015 cash transactions made up barely 2% of the value of all payments made in Sweden  a figure some see dropping to 0.5% by 2020. In shops, cash is now used for barely 20% of transactions, half the number five years ago, and way below the global average of 75%.

And astonishingly, about 900 of Swedens 1,600 bank branches no longer keep cash on hand or take cash deposits  and many, especially in rural areas, no longer have ATMs. Circulation of Swedish krona has fallen from around 106 billion in 2009 to 80 billion last year.

This is why the world's oldest central bank, has now announced that it's exploring the concept of a digital currency (the eKrona) to accompany its Swedish kroner notes, which could ultimately save tourists a trip to the currency exchange desk.

It is surprising therefore that Sweden comes sixth in the Global Digital Money Index.

The Index is produced by Citi and Imperial College London, and ranks ninety countries for their readiness to be cashless and move entirely to digital money.

The Index ranks every country by four factors: government and market support; technology and financial infrastructure; digital money solutions; and propensity to adopt. Although Sweden is almost #1 on the last factor, it falls below others on the remaining three. Surprising really.

In fact, I disagree with the report, as it has Singapore at #1, but USA and UK at numbers 2 and 4 makes no sense to me. USA is way behind everyone when it comes to digital money  they still send me cheques and I still find many places where cash is preferred. As for the UK, sure we can be cashless in London, but get out of the Cities and try and pay for your pack of chewing gum with a contactless card and youll get a bemused look.

Maybe Im misreading the report  it doesnt explain why these countries are ranked this way - although it does provide a great case study on the Indian economy, demonetization and the Aadhaar scheme, which I can recommend you read.
Industry News

ISTE Board of Directors Selects Richard Culatta as CEO

Richard Culatta

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) board of directors has named Richard Culatta as its chief executive officer. Culatta is the former director of the Office of Educational Technology at the United States Department of Education and currently serves as chief innovation officer for the state of Rhode Island. Hired in January 2016, he is the first person to hold that position in the Ocean State.

Culatta has devoted his entire career to education, is a longtime ISTE member and is a past recipient of the ISTE Making it Happen award, according to a news release.

ISTE is a nonprofit membership organization serving educators and education leaders committed to using technology in education. ISTE serves more than 100,000 education stakeholders throughout the world, the release said.

Richard believes the appropriate use of technology in learning is an impactful solution for many of the critical issues facing education today, said Mila Thomas Fuller, ISTE board president and assistant director of online learning at the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in a statement. His experience in, deep knowledge of and passion for education and technology make him a perfect fit to lead ISTE.

Culatta takes the leadership reins from Cheryl Scott Williams, who has served as interim CEO of ISTE since mid-September. Former CEO Brian Lewis unexpectedly resigned as CEO Sept. 10.

In a statement, Culatta said, I am honored to have the opportunity to lead ISTE. Im particularly excited about bringing a renewed focus to the impact of the ISTE community, increasing the value of ISTE membership and highlighting the importance of the ISTE voice on key education topics. I want to prioritize ISTEs ability to demonstrate how technology can close opportunity gaps and provide solutions to some of the most critical issues in education.

Culatta has led learning innovations in K12, higher education and workplace learning environments. Most recently, his role in Rhode Island has focused on demonstrating new approaches for government to address key issues, including bringing computer science to all students, reducing college costs through open-licensed textbooks and creating a state vision for personalized learning.

At the Department of Educations Office of Technology, he headed numerous efforts to expand connectivity to schools across the country, promote personalized learning and develop the National Education Technology Plan, the release said. He also pioneered new ways for the department to engage with educators and tech developers.

Prior to joining the Department of Education, he served as an education policy adviser to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA). Before his work with the federal government, Culatta was the learning technologies adviser for the David O. McKay School of Education at Brigham Young University, where he redesigned the technology component of the teacher prep program. He also served as the director of operations for the Rose Education Foundation, which brought the first internet connections to schools in rural Guatemala.

Culatta earned a bachelors degree in Spanish teaching and a masters in educational psychology and technology, both from Brigham Young University. He is married to violinist Shaundra Culatta.
By Sujata Rao MOSCOW (Reuters) - Franklin Templeton's high-profile bond fund manager Michael Hasenstab has taken a "substantial" position in Ghana's cedi-denominated government bonds via this week's jumbo debt auction, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. The investment by Hasenstab, whose flagship $41 billion Templeton Global Bond fund seeks to pick up out-of-favour credits and made successful contrarian punts on Ireland and Hungary in recent years, is a boon for Ghana as the new government tries to stabilise the economy and review terms of an International Monetary Fund loan. Ghana's Monday sale of $2.2 billion worth of bonds was the single-biggest daily transaction in sub-Saharan Africa. It included a debut 15-year bond that raised 3.42 billion cedis ($790 million) at a 19.75 percent yield. The Finance Ministry statement had reported "a very substantial investment in the 15-year bond by a very well respected global financial investor". The ministry could not immediately be reached for comment. But a senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Franklin Templeton had participated in the sale. The first source declined to say why Hasenstab had made the investment. But the move is in keeping with the fund manager's strategy of buying unloved assets and betting on eventual turnaround and full payout over the maturity of the debt. Hasenstab, who oversees portfolios worth over $120 billion in total from his office in San Mateo, California, was not available for comment. It is not clear which of Hasenstab's funds was behind this week's Ghana investment. He has held Ghanaian debt before, however, in 2013 purchasing 10-year dollar bonds for his emerging markets fund. In recent months, Hasenstab moved to his biggest position in Latin American, buying up Mexican bonds which had been battered by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade and immigration threats. His Global Bond Fund ranks No. 1 in terms of performance over a 10-year period in its category, according to fund research house Morningstar. (Additional reporting by Matthew Mpoke Bigg in Accra; Editing by Alison Williams)
tick monkey blood amber

Photo by George Poinar, Jr., courtesy of Oregon State University

The tick was fat with blood before it died, having just feasted on a monkey. But searching fingers likely found the bug nestled in its host's fur during a grooming ritual.

Primates bond by picking at each other to look for parasites. That practice is good for the health of a monkey community, but it was very bad for the ancient tick that ended up flung aside and caught in tree sap.

Engorged with blood and strained from being plucked roughly from its host, the bug's body burst. As it died, two small holes in its back leaked monkey blood into the sticky grave.

That bit of tree sap hardened into amber over the next 20 to 30 million years, and recently emerged from a mine in the Dominican Republic. It has now made its way to a laboratory at Oregon State University.

Under a microscope, those squirts of blood were found to be the first fossilized red blood cells from a mammal ever discovered  and they give key insights into life in the ancient Hispaniolan forest.

The biologist George Poinar Jr. examined the fossil, filing down the amber down so that the ancient arachnid was just five-hundredths of a millimeter from the surface. The blood that leaked from those two holes on its back was spread out and naturally stained in the congealed sap, almost as if prepared for examination in a lab. Poinar could tell the blood came from a monkey based on the shape and diameter of the cells.

red blood cells amber

Photo by George Poinar, Jr., courtesy of Oregon State University

But mixed into the blood was another parasite even smaller than the tick: Babesia microti, a protozoan parasite that's still around today.

B. microti still travels in ticks, and infects primates when its host sucks their blood. In humans, it causes a malaria-like disease called babesiosis.

When Poinar cracked the tick fossil open after thoroughly studying the intact bug, he found b. microti at all of its several life stages in the tick's gut.

Story continues

The discovery of this ancient b. microti, beautifully preserved in amber, gives researchers a new minimum earliest date for the emergence of the parasite. And the whole fossil, tiny as it is, therefore tells a complex story about the life cycles of creatures living in the Caribbean islands millions of years ago.

NOW WATCH: The deadliest disease known to humans has been killing us for over 20 million years

See Also:
An illustration of what the land bridge connecting Britain to Europe may have looked like before the formation of the Dover Strait is seen in an image handed out by Imperial College London April 4, 2017. The foreground is around where the port of Calais is today and way in the distance (the background of this illustration) is early Britain. Huge waterfalls cascading over the land bridge represents the beginning of physical separation of Britain from Europe. Imperial College London/Chase Stone handout via REUTERS

Thomson Reuters

LONDON (Reuters)  Scientists have found evidence of how ancient Britain separated from Europe in what they are dubbing "Brexit 1.0"  a flooding event that happened in two stages thousands of years ago.

In research published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, the scientists said they now have proof that the opening of the Dover Strait in the English Channel, severing the land between Britain and France, occurred in two episodes  an initial lake spill over, followed by catastrophic flooding.

"The breaching of this land bridge between Dover and Calais was undeniably one of the most important events in British history, helping to shape our island nation's identity," said Sanjeev Gupta, a professor at Imperial College London who co-led the work.

"When the ice age ended and sea levels rose, flooding the valley floor for good, Britain lost its physical connection to the mainland," he said. "This is Brexit 1.0  the Brexit nobody voted for."

The first pieces of the puzzle came some 10 years ago, when researchers found geophysical evidence of giant valleys on the seafloor in the central part of English Channel. They believed these valley networks were evidence of a megaflood gouging out the land, probably caused by a breach in a chalk rock ridge joining Britain to France.

In the new study, new geophysical data collected by colleagues in Belgium and France has been combined with seafloor data from Britain showing evidence of huge holes and a valley system located on the seafloor. This help the team establish how the chalk ridge was breached.

dover land bridge english channel nature

Nature CommunicationsThe ridge acted like a huge dam and behind it was a proglacial lake, the researchers explained. The lake overflowed in giant waterfalls, eroding the rock escarpment, weakening it and eventually causing it to fail and release huge volumes of water onto the valley floor below.

"We still don't know for sure why the proglacial lake spilt over," said Jenny Collier, a co-author of the study from Imperial's department of earth science and engineering.

Story continues

"Perhaps part of the ice sheet broke off, collapsing into the lake, causing a surge that carved a path for the water to cascade off the chalk ridge. Maybe an earth tremor... further weakened the ridge and caused (it) to collapse, releasing the megaflood that we have found evidence for in our studies."

Either way, the scientists said, if it was not for a set of chance geological circumstances, Britain may have remained connected to mainland Europe, jutting out into the sea like Denmark.

The researchers still have no exact timeline of events, but said they now want to take and analyze core samples of the in-filled sediments in the plunge pools to try and pinpoint the timing of erosion and the filling of the pools.

They cautioned, however, that this next step will be tricky, since getting samples in the Dover Strait means navigating huge tidal changes and the world's busiest shipping lane.

(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)

NOW WATCH: Animated map shows where the largest earthquakes of the past 100 years have struck

See Also:
MISRATA, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan authorities released on Wednesday 28 Eritreans and seven Nigerians who were captured and enslaved by Islamic State in Sirte and had been held in detention since the jihadist group lost the city in December. The group, all but two of whom are women and children, escaped from Sirte, a former Islamic State stronghold in central Libya, while forces from the nearby city of Misrata battled to oust the militants late last year. Some of the women were on their way to Europe when Islamic State fighters kidnapped and held them as sex slaves. After they escaped from Sirte, they were investigated for possible ties to the group and held for several months in a Misrata prison. Reuters has documented how Islamic State used enslaved refugee women to reward its fighters in Libya. In stories published last year, the women recounted how the group forced them to convert to Islam and sold them as sex slaves. In November, a Reuters reporter visited some of the captives at a military post in Misrata. Their new captors, the women said then, starved and humiliated them. At least one woman, a 16-year-old, was pregnant and in need of urgent care. The Libyan attorney-general's office announced that it had cleared the women of any wrongdoing in mid-February, but their release was delayed for several more weeks, with no explanation. On Wednesday, they were received by staff from the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) and the Libyan Red Crescent, before being taken to a shelter for medical checks. "I'm very happy, I can't describe how I feel, but I am very happy, I can start a new life and see my family again," one 14-year-old Eritrean girl told Reuters before leaving the prison with the rest of the group on a Red Crescent bus. A UNHCR official said the entire group had scabies, but otherwise appeared to be in reasonable physical condition. The agency expects to resettle the Eritreans as refugees. "We will send them to a safe house where they can be treated if they need medical treatment, and receive assistance from us, and be protected," said Samer Haddadin, head of the UNHCR's Libya mission. "At the same time we will be processing them for refugee status determination ... and we are doing this to make sure we can find a resettlement country for those who meet the resettlement criteria." The Nigerians, five women and two children, will be able to apply for asylum or be offered repatriation. Dozens of women and children who escaped from Sirte or were picked up there by Libyan forces are still being held in Misrata. They include Libyans, Tunisians, and nationals from several sub-Saharan African countries. A group of Filipino nurses were freed in February. Islamic State took control of Sirte in early 2015, turning the coastal city into its most important base outside Syria and Iraq and stationing hundreds of foreign fighters there. It took Misrata-led forces almost seven months to recapture the city. (Reporting by Ayman al-Sahli in Misrata and Aidan Lewis in Tunis; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Qatar Petroleum chief executive Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, left, ExxonMobil Senior Vice President Andrew Swiger, center, and Cyprus' Minister of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism Yiorgos Lakkotrypis, right, attend a signing ceremony at the Presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. ExxonMobil and partner Qatar Petroleum have signed a deal with Cyprus to carry out exploratory drilling off the east Mediterranean island's southern coast. Al-Kaabi said after signing ceremony that drilling will begin in the first half of 2018. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP)  ExxonMobil and partner Qatar Petroleum on Wednesday signed an agreement with Cyprus to carry out exploratory drilling off the east Mediterranean island's southern coast, where officials hope sizeable deposits of oil and gas could be found.

Qatar Petroleum Chief Executive Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said the area, or block, where the partnership is licensed to explore has "good prospects."

"We think that there is a strong possibility that there is a structure there that could potentially hold hydrocarbons," Al-Kaabi told The Associated Press.

Al-Kaabi said a first exploration well is scheduled to be drilled in the first half of 2018.

ExxonMobil Senior Vice President Andrew Swiger said three-dimensional seismic surveys will first be carried to determine the best drilling locations within Block 10. That's one of eight such areas which Cyprus has licensed out for exploratory drilling to oil and gas companies including Italy's Eni SpA and France's Total.

It's the first time that ExxonMobil has looked for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean, where recent large finds in Egyptian and Israeli waters have raised hopes that more could be found.

"The strategic significance of ExxonMobil's and Qatar Petroleum's presence in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus for the first time, in the Eastern Mediterranean region, is immense," said Cyprus Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis.

Last month, Eni Chief Exploration Officer Luca Bertelli told an oil and gas conference here that his company's discovery of the Zohr field off Egypt, which is estimated to told 30 trillion cubic feet of gas, has reinvigorated the interest of other major oil and gas companies in the region.

In earlier drilling in Cypriot waters, Texas-based Noble Energy discovered a field estimated to contain over four trillion cubic feet in reserves.

Meanwhile, Eni and Total will on Thursday sign new exploration agreements for two other blocks.
By Press Trust of India: BJP, PDP condemn remark (EDs: Incorporating reax) Srinagar, Apr 5 (PTI) National Conference(NC) president Farooq Abdullah today defended the stone-pelting youth in the Valley, saying they are fighting for the nation and for the resolution of the Kashmir issue as per the wishes of its people. But the remarks by the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister came in for sharp condemnation from the states ruling coalition partners PDP and the BJP. The PDP dubbed the remarks as "political opportunism" while the BJP said it was "worrisome". Abdullah, who also said that the stone-pelting youth were not giving up their lives for tourism, is contesting the bye- election to Srinagar Lok Sabha seat as the joint candidate of opposition NC and Congress. The polling in the constituency is to be held on April 9. The NC leader was reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modis statement on April 2 at the inauguration of Chenani- Nashri tunnel that the youth of Kashmir need to choose between tourism and terrorism.

advertisement

"If he (stone pelting youth) is giving up his life, he is not doing it for tourism. He is giving his life so that the destiny of this nation is decided which should be acceptable to the people of this place. This needs to be understood," Abdullah said at an election meeting in Sonawar here. "Recently the tunnel was opened. He (the Prime Minister) said the youth here should think whether they want tourism or terrorism. I want to tell Modi sahib tourism is our lifeline, there is no doubt about it.

"But he is a stone pelter. He has nothing to do with tourism. He will starve to death but he is pelting stones for his nation and there is a need to understand this," he added. Abdullah also said that if India and Pakistan cannot resolve their problems, then the US should come forward and facilitate as third party to resolve their bilateral issues. Union Minister and senior BJP leader Jitendra Singh dubbed as "worrisome" Abdullahs defence of stone-pelters in Kashmir and accused him of getting tempted to speak "language of separatists" for electoral gains.

"It is quite worrisome...a politician of stature of Abdullah has also come under the pressure of upcoming polls and therefore, has felt tempted to speak the language of separatists," Singh told reporters in Delhi.

"It seems that just in a bid to woo certain constituency, some of the Kashmir-centric campaigners have felt tempted to use the jargon of separatists," Singh added.

He further said that Abdullahs remarks raise "larger question" if one should succumb to expediency of electioneering "at the cost of consistency when it comes to nationalist views and beliefs". Senior PDP leader and Works Minister Naeem Akhtar said the NC was indulging in political opportunism. "This is nothing but political opportunism," he said. Reacting to the US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haleys statement that the Trump administration would try and "find its place" in efforts to de-escalate Indo-Pak tension, Abdullah said New Delhi and Islamabads failure to engage with each other bilaterally over the years had added weight to the argument for "international mediation". "New Delhi cannot remain invested in the status-quo on the Kashmir issue and all possible methods of engagement and facilitation could be explored in the quest for a lasting resolution. "National Conference has always advocated and encouraged bilateral engagement between New Delhi and Islamabad on the Kashmir Issue but unfortunately whatever rare efforts were made to engage bilaterally failed to yield any concrete results," he added. The NC leader said to think that New Delhi can somehow afford to remain invested in the status quo on the Kashmir Issue is wrong. "New Delhi is obligated to be proactive in seeking a just, fair and acceptable solution to the Kashmir Issue and had they been forthcoming and keen in talking bilaterally, the question of international mediation would not have been raised today," Abdullah said. He asked New Delhi and Islamabad to realize their responsibility in "rescuing the tormented and suffering" people of Kashmir from the throes of "uncertainty and pain". "You owe us your sincerity and commitment in initiating an open-ended, serious dialogue on Kashmir. It is a Kashmiri who suffers because of an obstinacy that has prevented comprehensive and sustained talks till now and sadly you expect us to suffer in perpetuity. The people of Kashmir have not been striving for a tunnel or for economic packages but for a just, fair and acceptable solution to the vexed political issue as per their aspirations," he added. Seeking unity among all stakeholders in Kashmir, Abdullah said they should unite in the quest for resolving the political issue. PTI MIJ ADS MP ENM GSN GSN

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
A large group of Gambian migrants has arrived home after a long ordeal trekking across the Sahara desert and then jailed in Libya. The International Organisation of Migration and the Gambian government helped to win the release of some 170 people. Mostly men in their 20s, the migrants were hoping to reach Europe. One of the men, Faramou Keita, told reporters: They (in Libya) shoot people in the leg, shoot people in the head, everywhere. They treat you like youre zero, like a dog. They value a dog more than a black. There are almost twenty nine prisons there, everywhere you go you meet black people. You meet only black in those prisons, beaten every day, no food, everyday they give you some food only once. Another man, Moulou Badjie, said: Tonight I will be celebrating, thank God, as some of my friends lost their lives in front of me, some of my friends were wounded, they were shot. So as for me, I have nothing, only beaten, so the pain now is cured. What to do about the flow of migrants heading across the Mediterranean from Libya, and the appalling conditions of detention there, is a complex issue for governments and international organisations.
Paramount Pictures

How closely will we live with the technology we use in the future? How will it change us? And how close is close? Ghost in the Shell imagines a futuristic, hi-tech but grimy and ghetto-ridden Japanese metropolis populated by people, robots, and technologically-enhanced human cyborgs.

Beyond the superhuman strength, resilience, and X-ray vision provided by bodily enhancements, one of the most transformative aspects of this world is the idea of brain augmentation, that as cyborgs we might have two brains rather than one. Our biological brain  the ghost in the shell  would interface via neural implants to powerful embedded computers that would give us lightening fast reactions and heightened powers of reasoning, learning and memory.

First written as a Manga comic series in 1989 during the early days of the internet, Ghost in the Shells creator, Japanese artist Masamune Shirow, foresaw that this brain-computer interface would overcome the fundamental limitation of the human condition: that our minds are trapped inside our heads. In Shirows transhuman future our minds would be free to roam, relaying thoughts and imaginings to other networked brains, entering via the cloud into distant devices and sensors, even deep diving the mind of another in order to understand and share their experiences.

Shirows stories also pin-pointed some of the dangers of this giant technological leap. In a world where knowledge is power, these brain-computer interfaces would create new tools for government surveillance and control, and new kinds of crime such as mind-jacking  the remote control of anothers thoughts and actions. Nevertheless there was also a spiritual side to Shirows narrative: that the cyborg condition might be the next step in our evolution, and that the widening of perspective and the merging of individuality from a networking of minds could be a path to enlightenment.

Lost in translation

Borrowing heavily from Ghost in the Shells re-telling by director Mamoru Oshii in his classic 1995 animated film version, the newly arrived Hollywood cinematic interpretation stars Scarlett Johansson as Major, a cyborg working for Section 9, a government-run security organisation charged with fighting corruption and terrorism. Directed by Rupert Sanders, the new film is visually stunning and the storyline lovingly recreates some of the best scenes from the original anime.

Story continues

Sadly though, Sanders movie pulls its punches around the core question of how this technology could change the human condition. Indeed, if casting Western actors in most key roles wasnt enough, the new film also engages in a form of cultural appropriation by superimposing the myth of the American all-action hero  who you are is defined by what you do  on a character who is almost the complete antithesis of that notion.

Major fights the battles of her masters with increasing reluctance, questioning the actions asked of her, drawn to escape and contemplation. This is no action hero, but someone trying to piece together fragments of meaning from within her cyborg existence with which to assemble a worthwhile life.

A scene midway through the film shows, even more bluntly, the central role of memory in creating the self. We see the complete breakdown of a man who, having been mind-jacked, faces the realisation that his identity is built on false memories of a life never lived, and a family who never existed. The 1995 anime insists that we are individuals only because of our memories. While the new film retains much of the same story line, it refuses to follow the inference. Rather than being defined by our memories, Majors voice tells us that we cling to memories as if they define us, but what we do defines us. Perhaps this is meant to be reassuring, but to me it is both confusing and unfaithful to the spirit of the original tale.

The new film also backs away from another key idea of Shirows work, that the human mind  even the human species  are, in essence, information. Where the 1995 anime talked of the possibility of leaving the physical body  the shell  elevating consciousness to a higher plane and becoming part of all things, the remake has only veiled hints that such a merging minds, or a melding of the human mind with the internet, could be either positive or transformational.

Open lives

In the real world, the notion of networked minds is already upon us. Touchscreens, keypads, cameras, mobile, the cloud: we are more and more directly and instantly linked to a widening circle of people, while opening up our personal lives to surveillance and potential manipulation by governments, advertisers, or worse.

Brain-computer interfaces are also on their way. There are already brain implants that can mitigate some of the symptoms of brain conditions, from Parkinsons disease to depression. Others are being developed to overcome sensory impairments such as blindness or to control a paralysed limb. On the other hand, the remote control of behaviour using implanted brain stimulators has been demonstrated in several animal species, a frightening technology that could be applied to humans if someone were to choose to misuse it in that way.

The possibility of voluntarily networking our minds is also here. Devices like the Emotiv are simple wearable electroencephalograph-based (EEG) devices that can detect some of the signature electrical signals emitted by our brains, and are sufficiently intelligent to interpret those signals and turn them into useful output. For example, an Emotiv connected to a computer can control a videogame by the power of the wearers thoughts alone.

In terms of artificial intelligence, the work in my lab at Sheffield Robotics explores the possibility of building robot analogues of human memory for events and experiences. The fusion of such systems with the human brain is not possible with todays technology  but it is imaginable in the decades to come. Were an electronic implant developed that could vastly improve your memory and intelligence, would you be tempted? Such technologies may be on the horizon, and science fiction imaginings such as Ghost in the Shell suggest that their power to fundamentally change the human condition should not be underestimated.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

The Conversation

Tony Prescott receives funding from the European FET Flagship Programme through the Human Brain Project (HBP-SGA1 grant agreement 720270). He is a director and shareholder of Consequential Robotics a UK company that develops companion and assistive robot technologies.
By Renee Maltezou and Jan Strupczewski ATHENS/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Greece and its international lenders remained at odds in talks to release fresh bailout loans to Athens on Wednesday as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said a deal was needed this week and accused creditors of 'playing games' and causing delays. Talks between Greece, the European Union and International Monetary Fund have stuttered for months due to differences over Greece's fiscal progress, labour and energy market reforms, rekindling worries of a new crisis in Europe. Euro zone finance ministers will discuss the state of Greek negotiations on Friday at an informal meeting in Malta, but officials said a full deal there was unlikely. Tsipras said he would ask for an EU leaders summit if there was no deal this week and accused some creditors of being obstinate. "The Greek economy is ready to leave the crisis behind it. But despite the impressive fiscal results, some of our creditors appear unrepentant," Tsipras told a news conference after meeting EU Council President Donald Tusk in Athens. "This isn't child's play. This is the future of a people we are talking about." Greece is on its third bailout from euro zone governments but to get money it has to pass regular reviews of reforms it agreed to in return for the financing. "What we are trying to achieve is to get close enough to a deal so that lenders' teams of experts may go back to Athens and finalise the numbers," one official said. SCEPTICAL If experts return to Athens, they would still work several more days there to come up with what is called a staff level agreement - a report on Greek reforms that would allow ministers to acknowledge their completion and disburse loans. The latest problem concerns reforms that Greece has to implement to reach and keep a 3.5 percent of GDP budget surplus before debt servicing costs over several years starting in 2018. Institutions representing euro zone governments believe Greece will keep the 3.5 percent surplus also in 2019, but the International Monetary Fund, which euro zone governments want to join the bailout for credibility reasons, is sceptical. The biggest debate is caused by the pension reform, which would marginally raise payouts for some on the lowest pensions, but slash the highest pensions by 40 percent, with an overall average reduction in payouts of some 15 percent. Tsipras said Greece had achieved a primary budget surplus of 3.5 percent of GDP in 2016, outperforming its 0.5 percent target, so the debate was unnecessary. Responding to criticism, Tusk said the European Union stood by Greece's side and was facilitating negotiations. "The sacrifices of the Greek citizens have been immense. One thing must be clear - no one intends to punish Greece, our goal is only to help Greece," he said. "I have no doubt that there is no alternative to a positive breakthrough on Friday." A spokeswoman for Germany's Finance Ministry said the government was watching the "intensive" discussions between Greece and its lenders. "Delays are not good for economic recovery so we are waiting to see what comes out of these talks," she said. (Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
SAO PAULO (AP)  Police say gunmen have shot and killed nine people in separate shootings in two different neighborhoods of Brazil's biggest city.

The Sao Paulo state Public Safety Department says the killings took place Tuesday night in the low-income districts of Jacana and Campo Limpo.

Two gunmen on a motorcycle drove up to a bar in Jacana and opened fire, killing seven men and injuring three others.

Gunmen on a motorcycle killed two men riding a motorcycle in Campo Limpo about seven miles away.

Police say it is unclear if the two incidents are related. The gunmen in the shootings remain at large.
A pre-flight tipple is a traditional part of any holiday for most Brits but new measures could be introduced that would put an end to the practice.

Following new regulations put in place by aviation minister Lord Ahmad last year, politicians have been discussing further actions to outlaw alcohol from UK airports entirely.

Currently the Licensing Act 2003 does not apply once travellers make it through customs, meaning its perfectly possible to enjoy a pint in the early hours of the morning before heading onto a plane.

However, due to a rising number of drunk passengers on flights causing disruption that has led to planes being diverted, the law may be changed.

Airline jet2.com reported a rise in alcohol related incidents on their flights (Rex)

Airline jet2.com revealed that they dealt with 536 disruptive incidents last summer alone, with over half of those as a direct result of alcohol, often from vast quantities drunk at the airport.

A survey by Alcohol Concern also found that nearly one in five passengers said they began their holiday drinking at the airport.

Sussex Police told MPs that some airport pubs were caught selling alcohol to people under 18 but no action could be taken due to airside pubs not falling under the Licensing Act.

MORE: Cancer warning for posh crisps that contain high levels of acrylamide

MORE: UKIP leaflet blames NHS staff shortages on women being doctors

Now the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) has told MPS that the Act must also be enforced at airports.

They wrote: The ALMR believes that sales of alcohol airside at international airports should no longer be exempt from the application of the Act.

The original exemption was only introduced because of practicalities relating to enforcement airside rather than any regulatory or policy concerns relating to its sale with no licence for alcohol sales, other operators who do not have the experience and training in alcohol retailing eg. coffee shops and quick service restaurants are unregulated.

The Government is now being urged to revoke certain sections of the Licensing Act 1964, which excludes airports designated as international airports from laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol outside permitted hours.

Story continues

Airside establishments would therefore immediately be banned from serving alcohol until they reapply for a license, that would then be covered under the Licensing Act  putting the same limits on drinking past customs as at all parts of the airport.

Officials last year said the non-travelling public does not have access to the same areas as passengers and therefore the risk of crime and disorder associated with the sale of alcohol is low.

Top pic: Rex
NGOMOROMO, Uganda (Reuters) - It started out as a normal Monday morning in Pajok in South Sudan - children walking to school, shopkeepers raising their shutters and hawkers laying out their wares in the market, where a shower had just dampened down the dust. Then, in the distance, came the rattle of machine gun fire as government soldiers from the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) clashed with rebel SPLA-IO (SPLA-In Opposition) militiamen lurking in the bush. Fearing the worst after three years of civil war in the worlds youngest nation, Pajoks residents  most of them from the minority Acholi tribe - started to head for the safety of home. None of them made it. Before they could hide, Land Cruisers and pick-up trucks carrying heavily armed SPLA troops stormed into the town from the north, east and west, blocking escape routes. According to the accounts of dozens of Pajok residents who made it 24 hours later to the safety of Uganda, 15 km (10 miles) to the south, they then unleashed four hours of slaughter on the trapped civilians. Shocking in its brutality, such attacks have nevertheless become normal in a civil war marked increasingly by ethnic confrontation and reprisals against civilians. The United Nations said in December it had evidence of ethnic cleansing by both sides as the conflict slid towards genocide, the ultimate nightmare for a nation that six years ago  heavily backed by the West - realised its dream of independence from Sudan. Most of the SPLA is made up of members of the Dinka tribe, South Sudans largest and most dominant. President Salva Kiir is a Dinka. Given the confusion and trauma among the more than 3,000 refugees sitting under trees and huts at the Ugandan border, it was impossible to piece together an accurate death toll. It is likely to be well into double figures. One survivor, 17-year-old Oriem Pol, said a group of men including his father, Torencio, were arrested before being lined up against a wall and shot. Torencio was only spared so he could dig the graves of his fellow townsmen. Once his job was done, he too was killed. They slaughtered him the next morning, Oriem said, drawing his index finger across his throat as tears streamed down his dust-stained cheeks. Beside him, his mother lay in the dirt beside the road, 15 metres from the Ugandan military checkpoint, too distraught to speak. "FLUSH OUT" REBELS In the capital, the government denied attacking civilians in Pajok, saying its forces were merely conducting an operation against SPLM-IO guerrillas. We decided to flush the SPLM-IO force out and as a result 16 soldiers were left on the ground with some number of individual weapons, deputy SPLA spokesman Colonel Santo Domic Chol said. We have decided to deploy a detachment at Pajok permanently in order to take care of the civil population there. The rebels denied this account, saying the government forces had simply decided to take the fight to civilians in Pajok centre. Ugandan intelligence officials on the border told Reuters rebel militiamen had been in the area, but said the attack on Pajok was unquestionably SPLA. The refugees said the entire town, which refugees estimated as having a normal population of as many as 10,000, was now empty, a similar fate to many other ravaged communities across Equatoria, the fertile region bordering Uganda that is increasingly bearing the brunt of the fighting. Around 1.5 million people have fled the fighting, more than 10 percent of the population. Nearly a million of those have gone to Uganda, which is struggling to cope with the influx. There is nobody there now. It is completely empty. If they catch anybody, they will kill them, said a Pajok pastor, who identified himself only as Mondaa. Others spoke of the terror the moment they realised they had been ambushed. If you ran, you got shot; if you got arrested, you got slaughtered, said 35-year-old Lokang Jacky. There were women who got shot. We just slept in the bush and then at 6 this morning we started walking. Tony Aborra, a 42-year-old peasant farmer, had to be carried to Uganda on the back of a bicycle due to a bullet lodged in his right heel. It was a stray bullet, maybe a kilometre away, he said, grimacing as he unwound the handkerchief bandage around the wound. Nurse Margaret Alloyo said the SPLA forces attacked the towns hospital, ransacking wards and medical supplies while taking staff hostage. We just ran, Alloyo said. I spoke to a colleague at the hospital, but she said she had been detained. I dont know what has happened to her. Now the calls do not go through. (Editing by Alison Williams)
People gathered in at least 15 Serbian cities on April 4, for a second night of protests against the election of Aleksandar Vucic as president.

In Novi Sad, as many as a thousand university students gathered in the city center to protest, according to local reports. Among their reasons are concerns that Vucic, who served three years as Serbias prime minister, has shown something of an authoritarian style, enhanced by the states control of media. Some say irregularities occurred in his election to president on April 2.

Vucic, a conservative, claimed 55 percent of the vote, avoiding a runoff and defeating the leading opposition candidate, Sasa Jankovic. The presidential role in Serbia is largely ceremonial, but local commentators expected Vucic to retain his influence on the ruling Progressive Party through the appointment of a loyal successor as prime minister. Credit: YouTube/wolfcafe via Storyful
The blast, for which Taliban claimed responsibility, targeted a vehicle that was involved in carrying out Pakistan's census.

By Kaswar Klasra: At least six people were killed in a suicide blast attack in Lahore today morning. Four armymen were among those killed in the attack, according to early reports.

The nature of the blast, which targeted a vehicle that was taking part in Pakistan's ongoing census, was not immediately clear.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the suicide attack, Reuters reported, with Al Jazeera adding that the attacker approached the vehicle on a motorcycle.

advertisement

Punjab government spokesman Malik Ahmed Khan said that the blast, which hit an army vehicle taking part in Pakistan's census, killed four soldiers and two civilian bystanders.

TV footage showed security personnel blocking off the street around the site of the explosion, close to an elite police training school which was the site of a Pakistani Taliban attack in 2009.

Scores of people have been killed since the beginning of the year in a series of attacks that have dashed hopes of an end to the violence of recent years and stepped up pressure on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government to improve security.

Lahore, Pakistan's second-largest city and capital of the Punjab region, was already on high alert following a bomb attack last month that killed at least 13 people.

The attack comes a few days after a bomb blast in northwest Pakistan killed at least 22 people in Parachinar. In February, scores of people were killed after an Islamic State-claimed suicide bomb blast at the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Sufi shrine in Sindh.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH | 6 people killed in a suicide attack in Lahore

--- ENDS ---
At least 72 people died in the gas attack in Idlib

Donald Trump has responded to the horrifying sarin gas attack that killed dozens of people in Syria by blaming Barack Obama.

As most of the world lined up to condemn the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, and his closest allies, Russia and Iran, for the attack, the US President said it was a consequence of his predecessors weakness in failing to respond aggressively after a similar attack in 2013.

These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administrations weakness and irresolution, Mr Trump said.

President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a red line against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing. The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack.

Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using fire hoses to wash the chemicals from victims bodies. Haunting images of lifeless children piled in heaps reflected the magnitude of the attack, which was reminiscent of a 2013 chemical assault that left hundreds dead and was the worst in the countrys ruinous six-year civil war.

Other world leaders laid the blame squarely at the door of Mr Assad, who has denied being responsible.

Boris Johnson dismissed the denials saying he had seen absolutely nothing to suggest the chemical weapons strike was carried out by anyone but the government.

The comments came ahead of a United Nations Security Council emergency meeting  requested by the UK and France  to discuss the barbaric atrocity in Idlib province .

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll had risen to at least 72, including 20 children.

Witnesses have claimed the attack was carried out by jets operated by the Russian and Syrian governments.

Syrias President Bashar al-Assad denied responsibility for the atrocity (Reuters)

But the Syrian government categorically rejected this, instead blaming rebels and accusing them of making it up to frame the regime.

And Russia said the town of Khan Sheikhoun was exposed to chemicals from a rebel arsenal hit by a Syrian air strike.

Story continues

MORE: UN chief says Syria attack is moment of truth

MORE: Trump has strong words after Syria attack  but what next?



Arriving for a major aid-pledging conference for Syria in Brussels, Mr Johnson told reporters: Ive seen absolutely nothing to suggest, or rather to lead us to think, that its anything but the regime.

All the evidence I have  and there may be more to come out of this  all the evidence Ive seen suggests that this was the Assad regime who did it in the full knowledge that they were using illegal weapons in a barbaric attack on their own people.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called the chemical attack barbaric (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Mr Johnson added: You cannot go on with a regime thats willing to use illegal weapons against its own people, a regime thats killed hundreds of thousands of its own people.

Whats needed now is a political process to get rid of that regime and give the people of Syria a chance.

Mr Johnson said he would like to see those culpable pay a price, adding: I think what it confirms to everybody is that this is a barbaric regime that has made it impossible for us to imagine them continuing to be in authority over the people of Syria after this conflict is over.

He added: We need to wait and see exactly what has happened. If this is confirmed to have been another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime, with or without the complicity of the Russians

I think what it shows is that this is a government that has absolutely no compassion for its own people that has put itself beyond the pale.

As Trump muddied the waters of culpability, he left it to his Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, to be more openly criticial, saying it was clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism.

He added: Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions. Anyone who uses chemical weapons to attack his own people shows a fundamental disregard for human decency and must be held accountable.

Matthew Rycroft, the UKs ambassador to the UN, told reporters in New York that the attack was very bad news for peace in Syria.

He said: This is clearly a war crime and I call on the Security Council members who have previously used their vetoes to defend the indefensible to change their course.

We need to wait for the full investigation to take place, but, as I said, this bears all the hallmarks of a regime attack.

It is only the regime that have the necessary equipment to deliver an attack like this and Ive seen the same reports that you have about what the weapon might have been.
RFI

As larger companies in France move to meet new gender quotas for senior executives and management committee members, Britain's top firms have an "appalling" lack of women holding executive roles, a survey shows. "There is an appalling lack of progress of women into executive roles," concludes the survey compiled by the accountancy group EY and Cranfield University, published this week.There are only nine women chief executives among Britain's top 100 companies, and 18 women boardroom chairperson
Following the suspected chemical attack in Khan Shaykhun on April 4, Turkey opened the Bab al-Hawa border crossing in order to transport victims of the attack into the country for medical treatment.

At least 30 Khan Shaykhun residents suffering from suffocation and breathing problems associated with exposure to chemicals were transferred across the border, according to Syrian opposition media reports.

The World Health organization said on April 5 that at least 70 people died in the attack, and hundreds more were wounded. The WHO said the suspected chemical weapons incident marked the most horrific since Ghouta in August 2013.

Dr Peter Salama, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, said, The images and reports coming from Idlib today leave me shocked, saddened and outraged. These types of weapons are banned by international law because they represent an intolerable barbarism.

In addition to statements issued by the WHO which corroborate the claims of chemical weapons use in Khan Shaykhun, Doctors Without Borders said medical reports strongly suggest that victims of the attack on Khan Shaykhun were exposed to at least two chemical agents. It deployed medical teams to support emergency operations in the Idlib province and at the Bab al-Hawa Hospital, where medics donned protective clothing as they inspected patients who they said had symptoms consistent with exposure to sarin and possibly chlorine gas.

The Turkish government quickly condemned the attack.

Russia issued a statement on April 5, saying On April 4, the Syrian Air Force aircraft carried out airstrikes on extremists positions on the eastern outskirts of Khan Shaykhun as part of the liquidation of consequences of the recent breakthrough of terrorists in the Hama province. Military equipment and ammunition depots were targets [of the airstrikes]. Workshops producing landmines filled with poisonous substances were located on the territory of the facility. Credit: YouTube/Baladi News Network via Storyful
PHOENIX  A federal judge has scheduled a hearing Thursday afternoon on a top attorneys motion to withdraw from former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaios upcoming criminal contempt-of-court trial.

Mel McDonald leads the legal team for Arpaio, whos set to stand trial April 25 in U.S. District Court in Phoenix.

McDonalds motion Monday said professional considerations require termination of the representation and good cause exists because withdrawal is mandatory pursuant to an ethical rule.

Arpaio was charged with contempt for ignoring a court order in a racial profiling case to stop his immigration patrols. He has acknowledged prolonging his patrols, but says his defiance wasnt intentional.

If convicted, Arpaio faces up to six months in jail.

The 84-year-old Arpaio lost his bid for a seventh term as sheriff last November.
An advertiser boycott against Fox Newss Bill OReilly picked up dramatic speed Tuesday in a rapid-fire reaction to the news that the outspoken host has been the subject of a succession of sexual-harassment allegations over the past 15 years.

At least 11 companies, including leading car, financial and pharmaceutical advertisers, confirmed that they had pulled ads or planned to shift upcoming ads away from The OReilly Factor in the wake of reports that OReilly and Fox had settled five complaints made by women who have worked with him at the news network since 2002.

Collectively the advertiser retreat, which seemed to grow in a chain reaction throughout the day, represented the most significant threat to OReilly seen during his long, successful and occasionally controversy-riven career at Fox. A similar but slower retreat by advertisers led to the demise of Glenn Becks highly rated Fox program amid boycott calls by African-Americans and Jewish groups in 2011.

Among the companies that confirmed they were suspending or removing ads from his program were the automakers Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Mitsubishi Motors; financial firms T. Rowe Price and Allstate Insurance; drugmakers Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline; plus Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, the online marketing company Constant Contact and mens apparel seller Untuckit. The list continued to grow late in the day; by early evening, CNN had pegged the number of companies pulling their ads at 18.

A prolonged advertiser boycott of OReilly could prove financially painful to Fox. OReillys 8 p.m. news-discussion program is the highest-rated on cable, with an average 4 million viewers. It is also a tent-pole show upon which the rest of the conservative-leaning network depends. Fox counts on OReilly to generate an outsize share of its revenue and profit, which reached an estimated $1.7 billion last year, a record since the networks founding in 1996.

On the other hand, it is not clear how long advertisers intend to stay away from OReilly, or what the short-term financial effect, if any, will be. Sponsors tend to buy cable ads in blocks, so removing an ad from one program usually means it is simply moved to another time slot, making little financial difference. What is more, cable-news channels derive the bulk of their revenue from licensing fees paid by cable and satellite operators, not advertising.

Despite knowledge of his multiple settlements, Fox and its parent company, 21st Century Fox, have stood by OReilly. The parent company last week re-signed the combative host to a new long-term contract that will pay him a reported $18 million per year and keep him on the air until at least 2020.

The advertisers who pulled out of OReillys program said they were responding to a New York Times story published Saturday that found the host and the network have separately or jointly paid at least $13 million to five female employees in exchange for their promise not to sue or publicly discuss their cases against OReilly. A sixth woman, former OReilly Factor occasional guest Wendy Walsh, said that OReilly had sexually harassed her, too, but that she did not intend to sue or seek compensation.

While its hard to tell what the facts are, the allegations are disturbing, said Donna Boland, a spokeswoman for Mercedes-Benz. Given the importance of women in every aspect of our business, we dont feel this is a good environment in which to advertise our products right now.

Untuckits co-founder and chief executive, Aaron Sanandres, had a similar comment: As a company in which more than two-thirds of our employees are women, we take sexual harassment claims very seriously. . . . In light of the disturbing allegations, we instructed our media buyer this morning to reallocate our ad dollars to other shows effective immediately.

The harassment complaints against OReilly are on top of a separate wave of allegations against Roger Ailes, Fox Newss co-founder. The allegations surrounding Ailes came to light after Gretchen Carlson, a former Fox host, filed a lawsuit in July alleging that Ailes had pressured her for sex and demoted her when she refused.

The suit touched off an internal investigation that brought forward other complaints and led to Ailess ouster as chairman of the network. Carlson received $20 million from Fox to settle her suit. Ailes, who has denied the allegations, received $40 million in severance.

At the time, Fox and 21st Century asserted that it had zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

But Fox has struggled to put the issue behind it. On Monday, a Fox News contributor named Julie Roginsky filed another sexual-harassment suit against Ailes and his former top lieutenant, Bill Shine. In response, the networks top human-resources executive, Kevin Lord, issued a companywide memo that read, in part, If any employee has any concerns about behavior in our workplace, I urge you to raise those concerns with me and other company executives.

The mounting harassment allegations paint Fox as the next Bill Cosby, said Eden Gillott Bowe, who heads a communications firm that represents celebrities, athletes and nonprofit organizations facing adverse publicity.

Its death by a thousand cuts, she said. Until Fox can clean house, until they can make changes in good faith, I think theyll keep hemorrhaging advertisers. They need to make a clean break, even by taking the painful step of suspending or firing OReilly.

As the advertiser backlash grew Tuesday, both Fox and 21st Century Fox were muted in their defense of OReilly throughout most of the day. In the past, both have been quick to defend him.

Late in the afternoon, Fox issued a statement from its executive vice president of advertising sales, Paul Rittenberg, reading: We value our partners and are working with them to address their current concerns about the OReilly Factor. At this time, the ad buys of those clients have been re-expressed into other FNC programs.

21st Century referred to a statement it issued after the Times article in which it said it takes matters of workplace behavior very seriously. It said no current or former Fox News employee ever took advantage of a company hotline to raise concerns about OReilly, even anonymously.

OReilly did not address the unfolding controversy around him on his program Tuesday.

In a statement over the weekend, he defended himself, saying, Im vulnerable to lawsuits from individuals who want me to pay them to avoid negative publicity. He said he settled the cases because Im a father who cares deeply for my children and who would do anything to avoid hurting them in any way. And so I have put to rest any controversies to spare my children.

Sign up for the Todays WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.
SEOUL  North Korea fired another ballistic missile Wednesday morning, apparently testing a land-based version of its rocket that can be fired from a submarine, in a development that nonproliferation experts called scary.

The launch comes days after Pyongyang said it planned to mark two key anniversaries this month as big political events and days before President Donald Trump meets with Chinas Xi Jinping  with North Korea at the top of the agenda.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued a short, terse statement after the launch.

North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile, he said in the statement. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment.

South Korean and American military officials said that the medium-range missile was fired from a land base near the east coast port of Sinpo, home to a known North Korean submarine base.

In August, North Korea made a major technological breakthrough by launching a ballistic missile from a submarine near Sinpo. It flew about 300 miles before falling into the sea inside Japans air defense identification zone, the area in which Tokyo controls aircraft movement. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un boasted about the launch, describing it as the greatest success.

That missile was a KN-11, which North Korea calls the Pukkuksong-1 or Polaris-1. Wednesdays missile appeared to be a KN-15, according to the U.S. Pacific Command, based in Hawaii. This is a land-based version of the medium-range submarine-launched ballistic missile,

But Wednesdays missile did not appear to fly very far, only about 40 miles, after being launched at 6:40 a.m. Seoul time, South Korean military officials said.

U.S. Pacific Command said the missile did not pose a threat to North America.

But what made the launch scary, according to Melissa Hanham of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in California, was the fact that the missile appeared to have been powered by solid fuel.

Solid fuel is very significant because they can launch these missiles much faster and with a smaller entourage than with liquid-fueled missiles, making them much harder for the United States, South Korea and Japan to spot from satellites, she said.

Furthermore, the test suggests that North Korea is looking for ways to launch its medium-range missiles more easily and cheaply.

Theyve essentially taken their submarine-launched missile and turned it into a land-based one, Hanham said. Instead of being launched from a submarine, these missiles can be launched from trucks, which North Korea is able to produce itself.

North Koreas steady salvo of medium-range missile launches are seen as part of a broader intercontinental ballistic missile program as they could form separate stages of a three-stage longer-range rocket.

Kim has signaled that his regime is working on a missile capable of reaching the United States, saying in his New Years Day address that North Korea had entered the final stage of preparation for a test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

After Kims statement, Trump tweeted: It wont happen!

More recently, Trump has warned that the United States would take unilateral action to eliminate the nuclear threat from North Korea unless China increased pressure on Kims regime.

Trump will host Xi for two days of talks, starting Thursday, at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they wont, Trump said in an interview with the Financial Times published Monday.

This summit, coinciding with a tense situation on the Korean Peninsula, has led to speculation of imminent provocations from North Korea.

Satellite images taken over the past 10 days have shown a prolonged and heightened level of activity at North Koreas underground testing site, sparking speculation about whether a sixth nuclear test was planned.

Plus, North Korea has resumed last years steady firing of missiles from sites on both the east and west coasts. The last one, on March 22, exploded shortly after launch.

Nonproliferation experts say it is clear that North Korea is determined to make progress on its missile program  and presumably on its goal to attach a nuclear warhead to a missile capable of reaching the mainland United States.

Compounding matters, April is an important month in the North Korean calendar, and the regime likes to mark important dates with fireworks  both with firework displays in the center of Pyongyang and with missile flares. The regime celebrates the 105th birthday of founding president Kim Il Sung on April 15 and the 85th anniversary of the foundation of the Korean Peoples Army 10 days later.

These events coincide with annual drills by the South Korean and U.S. militaries, practicing for a sudden change on the northern half of the peninsula. With American aircraft carriers and fighter jets brought to South Korea for the exercises, North Korea views them as a pretext for an invasion and always protests vociferously.

Sign up for the Todays WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.
SANTA FE  Santa Fes Ethics and Campaign Review Board Tuesday dismissed complaints against dueling political committees over failure to disclose the presence of dark money in the campaign over a tax on soda and other sugary drinks.

But the committee said it intends to issue an advisory opinion on the matter at an April 19 meeting. At issue is whether campaign committees that receive funding from groups that arent required to disclose their donors must include a disclaimer on campaign materials noting such dark money support.

Two active PACs are facing off over a tax proposal that goes before Santa Fe voters in a May 2 special election. The 2-cents-per-ounce tax on distributors of sugary drinks, also including coffee and energy drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages, would raise an estimated $7 million a year for an expansive pre-kindergarten education program.

The Ethics and Campaign Board decided that both PACs had acted under advice from the city attorneys office when they did not check a box on their first campaign finance reports indicating certain donor organizations were not required to disclose their funding sources and also failed to add a disclaimer on campaign fliers saying, This campaign material is supported in part by donations from an organization that is not required to disclose its contributors to the Santa Fe city clerk.

The city attorneys office has maintained those disclosures are only required under city code for candidate elections, not votes on ballot proposals like the soda tax.

On a separate issue, the board did agree there was sufficient basis to hold a hearing on the merits of another complaint filed against the PAC supporting the soda tax for distributing copies of a newspaper editorial. The hearing also will take place April 19.

All the complaints were filed by former city councilor and current City Hall watchdog Karen Heldmeyer, who told the board one of the reasons she brought the complaints was to clarify the citys campaign code prior to next years municipal election when voters will select a mayor and four city councilors.

That all has to be cleared up before people start collecting money, and start thinking about collecting money, she said.

Two of Heldmeyers complaints involved Pre-K for Santa Fe, the political committee supporting the tax. She says Pre-K for Santa Fe distributed an editorial that appeared in the Santa Fe New Mexican supporting the tax without wording identifying Pre-K for Santa Fe as responsible for the fliers.

Eli Il Yong Lee of Pre-K for Santa Fe took responsibility for what he characterized as a mistake, adding that it was standard practice for the group to identify itself as the source of its campaign materials.

But he also argued that the code states that editorials, reports, or commentary by news media were exempt from the disclosure provision. That is the issue the board will consider at the April 19 hearing.

Heldmeyer also filed the complaints against Pre-K for Santa Fe and the committee opposing the tax, Better Way for Santa Fe and Pre-K, for failing to make the disclosures listed in the city code for noting the presence of dark money in campaigns.

That would have pertained to the National Education Association and the non-profit Organizers in the Land of Enchantment (OLE), who gave to Pre-K for Santa Fe, and the American Beverage Association, the main donor for anti-soda-tax Better Way PAC. Both the ABA and OLE gave $100,000 but neither non-profit has to disclose funding sources.

Both Pre-K for Santa Fe and Better Way say they were told by Assistant City Attorney Zach Shandler that the disclosure provisions didnt apply in ballot proposition campaigns.

Heldmeyer said the public has a right to know who is contributing to campaigns. The first campaign finance reports last month showed that the dueling committees had raised more than $500,000 in cash and in-kind services.
SEOUL, South Korea  North Korea fired a newly developed powerful ballistic missile into its eastern waters Wednesday, U.S. and South Korean officials said, amid worries the North might conduct nuclear or long-range rocket tests ahead of the first summit between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week.

The initial U.S. and South Korean assessments indicated it was a KN-15 medium-range missile, whose first publicly known test in February was considered by many foreign experts as a potentially worrying development. It uses solid fuel already loaded inside the missile, which would shorten launch preparation times, boost the weapons mobility and make it harder for outsiders to detect the signs of its liftoff.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had said after the February launch that the missile, called Pukguksong-2 in North Korea, provided another nuclear attack capability against the United States and South Korea. Most of North Koreas missiles use liquid propellant, which usually must be added on the launch pad before the weapon is fired.

The missile fired from land in the area of the eastern coastal city of Sinpo on Wednesday morning flew about 60 kilometers (37 miles), according to a South Korean military statement. The missile launched in February flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles), but it wasnt immediately clear if the shorter distance meant Wednesdays launch was a failure.

North Korean state media said the Pukguksong-2 missile is a surface-to-surface missile that can carry nuclear warheads. It is likely to be an upgraded version of the submarine-launched missile named Pukguksong launched last summer. Many South Korean experts say Pukguksong-2 missile would be a greater security threat because it can be launched anywhere from a ground-based mobile vehicle. While submarines are also a stealthy way to do that, North Korea doesnt have enough of them.

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something to coincide with the Trump-Xi summit, perhaps conduct a nuclear test. The missile launch may be a precursor, with more to come as the summit starts later this week, Cossa said.

Ive joked before that they dont mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored, Cossa said.

Recent outside satellite imagery show possible preparations for a new atomic test at the Norths main nuclear test site, such as the laying of communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data. North Koreas state media has also said the world will soon witness what it calls eventful successes the country achieves in the space development. Washington, Seoul and others call the Norths space program a cover for its long-range missile development program.

South Koreas Foreign Ministry called the Norths latest missile launch a reckless provocation that posed a threat to international peace, while Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the country lodged a strong protest over the launch.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged the launch in a statement but said the U.S. had spoken enough about North Korea and would not comment further.

Analysts says North might time nuclear and long-range rocket tests to the April 15 birthday of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility. Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

The Norths latest missile launch also came as it is responding annual military drills between the United States and South Korea with weapons tests and harsh rhetoric. North Korea sees the drills as an invasion rehearsal.

Two weeks ago, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch. Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

__

Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.
Actor Suniel Shetty will be back on small screen as a host of India's Asli Champion Hai Dum.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Actor Suniel Shetty will be back on the small screen as a host with an upcoming reality TV series, India's Asli Champion Hai Dum!

The actor, who hosted Biggest Loser Jeetega in 2007, is looking forward to hosting the show -- which is produced by Colosceum Media Pvt. Ltd. and slated to premiere soon on &TV.

"I am thrilled to be part of India's Asli Champion -- a show that thrives on inspiration and perseverance," Suniel said in a statement.

advertisement

Also read: Suniel Shetty's father Veerapa Shetty passes away

He added: "It will test the contestants' will power to go that extra mile when their physical strength gives up."

The show will see contestants performing tasks designed to judge not just their physical fitness but also their grit and determination.

Talking about the show, Rajesh Iyer, Business Head of the channel, said: "We are glad to have the flagbearer of fitness, Suniel Shetty himself on board as the host! His knowledge, experience and passion for fitness makes him an apt choice to lead the show."

--- ENDS ---
SANTA FE  While the state Public Education Department told Santa Fe Public Schools Superintendent Veronica Garcia that it had received complaints from a number of parents and community members about the districts rally at the Roundhouse last month, the PED provided just a couple that could be categorized as direct complaints in response to a records request by the Journal.

Other emails referred to the rally in the subject line, but didnt express a position for or against the event, which PED says it is investigating as a possible misuse of public funds for politics.

Garcia closed schools at midday on March 16 so teachers, staff, parents and students could attend the rally. The school district said the rally was to call attention to the dire financial crisis of public education and encourage compromise between branches of government.

Garcia says the event was nonpartisan. It came as Republican Gov. Susana Martinez has promised to not raise taxes as proposed in a state budget with more money for public schools sent to the governor by the Democrat-controlled Legislature. Garcia was PED secretary under Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson.

Current Secretary Hanna Skanderas letter a week after the rally states that PED had launched an investigation into the rally. The Journal asked PED for records of complaints regarding the rally through March 20, including letters, emails and documented phone calls.

Of records provided by PED Tuesday, one is a direct complaint about use of public resources for the rally. I am unhappy that my tax dollars are being used to pay teachers and staff of schools to lobby in order to increase my taxes. The money was taxed for the purpose of education. This is a misuse of funds, said an email.  I cannot take a half day off of work to come and advocate for my position  but the entire school district can.

Another message sent by a Santa Fe teacher with the subject line This SFPS Rally at the Roundhouse Does Not Speak for Me supports the governors plan not to raise taxes but doesnt discuss the rally.

Another email with the subject line URGENT  Plans for Tomorrow from a teacher includes a memo from an SFPS principal urging staff to attend the rally. But the writer notes only that, under the unions collective bargaining agreement, employees are to be dismissed the same time as students on snow days. In an email under the subject line Education Cuts, another writer says he supports budget cuts to public education, cites Garcias $180,000 salary and talks about gun control without mentioning the rally.

PED on Tuesday provided a comment from Skandera: As we have said previously, we received letters and calls of concern from parents regarding the half day. We are considering the response from Superintendent Garcia and will continue to investigate. Taxpayer dollars must be used appropriately and in this case they must be used to help our kids learn.
The gloom and doom coming from the Governors Office has got me and my House Democratic colleagues scratching our heads and wondering what reality Gov. Susana Martinez is living in other than fear. There is no immediate budget cliff that calls for such drastic actions like furloughs and layoffs in the month of April. In fact, the Legislature passed, and this same Gov. Martinez signed, a solvency package in the second week of the legislative session that ensured we have enough funds to complete this fiscal year.

Im glad the governor is now acknowledging New Mexico does have a budget crisis. It was this governor and her administration that refused to acknowledge there was a problem throughout 2016 up until the end of last summer. Only in October of last year did she begin to think we had a budget problem despite yearlong warnings from the Legislative Finance Committee and chairman Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming.

Lets review what the Legislature has done despite Gov. Martinezs failure to act earlier:

We met in special session in October and cut the budget and spending by $400 million to reduce the deficit.

In January of this year, the Legislature patched a $100 million hole in the budget. We made difficult decisions and swept unspent funds from many public school districts throughout the state.

The Legislature passed a solvency plan during the just-completed session that ensured the state could finish the fiscal year, as I noted above.

In a report published by the LFC last month, legislative analysts write the state is collecting revenues at a positive pace. The collection of taxes and fees are up over the past few months and oil prices have at least stabilized at $50 per barrel for forecast purposes.

Finally, the Legislature passed a responsible budget that included items the governor requested. We also passed a revenue package because the Democrats in the Legislature are done cutting the budget. Its time to look at the revenue side.

So the ball is in the governors court now. If she vetoes the budget and tax package, then I believe she needs to send the Legislature her budget plan. Gov. Martinez needs to let us and her constituents know how much she wants cut from public education and higher education and why. She needs to tell the Legislature how much across-the-board cuts she recommends if new revenues are off the table. Will she propose 5 percent cuts? Seven percent cuts to all agencies? If she vetoes the Legislatures budget, the governor needs to tell us what her budget plan is.

We in the Legislature await the actions of Gov. Martinez along with all New Mexicans.

Rep. Doreen Gallegos served four years on the House Appropriations and Finance Committee and now serves on the House Taxation and Revenue Committee in addition to her leadership duties.
Whether you think of Meow Wolf as an artists collaborative launched nine years ago in Santa Fe, or as the brain-boggling House of Eternal Return the collaborative maintains in central Santa Fe, you probably know that both are enjoying unparalleled success.

What started out as an exercise in survival for 12 artists back in 2008 has grown into an impressive business that employs 130 people full time in Santa Fe, including 75 at the House of Eternal Return  a fascinating interactive art exhibit that attracted more than 400,000 visitors its first full year of operation.

Meow Wolf is the kind of success story entrepreneurs and economic developers dream about.

From its humble beginnings, the operation generated $6 million in revenue last year, Meow Wolf CEO Vince Kadlubek told a Leadership New Mexico class last month. Gift shop sales of Meow Wolf-related art generated another $800,000. The venue has become one of the top tourist draws in Santa Fe, thanks to the creative geniuses responsible for massive, interactive displays using gaming and digital technology to provide clues to a bizarre mystery around which fantasy lands for children and adults are loosely woven.

Meow Wolf owes part of its success to author George R.R. Martin, creator of the highly successful Game of Thrones franchise, who invested about $3 million to buy the old Silva Lanes bowling alley, which today houses the House of Eternal Return at 1352 Rufina Circle.

The level of success has not gone unnoticed. Meow Wolf is acquiring a 250,000-square-foot building in Austin, Texas, for a permanent exhibit several times the size of the House of Eternal Return. Kadlubek, whos only 34, said the new venue hopes to attract up to 1.5 million visitors a year when it opens in three to five years. Meow Wolf is also ramping up its production facilities and plans to move into a new 50,000-square-foot headquarters later this year in Santa Fe. Traveling exhibits and a possible expansion to Denver are also in the works. Kadlubek said the company also plans to move into clothing, video games and interactive toys, all of which will be coming out of this crazy Meow Wolf engine.

Thats one heck of an economic engine that, hopefully, will inspire other young entrepreneurs and artists.

To learn more about Meow Wolf, visit www.meowwolf.com.

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.
It was a jolt, she said, to see the image of her dearly departed husband in the Journal about a month ago.

It opened old wounds, Judy Randel said.

But it also brought good memories, good feelings that all these years later people still cared about the man she lost nearly 50 years ago in the Vietnam War.

Its still nice to know that people are thinking about him, she told me three days after that March 4 column featured the story, as much as we knew it, of Lt. Col. Charles Brownlee, her first husband, an Air Force pilot who was shot down over Laos on Christmas Eve 1968.

His had been one of many names of soldiers, either missing in action or prisoners of war, imprinted on millions of nickel-plated bracelets of brass and copper and worn in the early 1970s as a way to protest the protesters and honor those brave men who had gone to war and had yet to come back.

Many, like Brownlee, never came back.

One of those who had worn a POW/MIA bracelet was Becky Johnson, whose Navy father also served in Vietnam but returned home safely to New Mexico.

Johnson, who lives in Bernalillo, put the bracelet away years ago when the war ended but resumed wearing it in 2003 when the United States entered the war in Iraq.

She had contacted me because she wanted to find Brownlees family members so she could tell them that all these years later she had never forgotten about him.

But time was running out. Johnsons previous attempts to find Brownlees kin had led her to believe that he had been stationed at some point at Kirtland Air Force Base like her dad. Maybe, she thought, someone in his family still lived in New Mexico. But soon Johnson wouldnt. She was moving.

I just wanted to find them before I left town, she said.

In my column, I wrote that Brownlee  who went by Richard, his middle name, or Dick  was flying on Christmas Eve 1968 with the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing when his F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bomber, call sign Panda 1, was hit by hostile ground fire. He ejected over the thick jungles of Laos, his parachute catching in the trees. Despite the heroic effort of Airman Charles Douglas King, who had volunteered to descend into the jungle to rescue Brownlee, both men were never seen again.

I hadnt found the New Mexico connection. But you readers did.

One of those readers was Judy Randel.

She and Brownlee had been married 11 years when he went off to Vietnam, leaving her and their two young daughters, ages 9 and 10, to wait for his return in Albuquerque, where she still resides. She remembers her husbands commanding officer pulling up to her house on the late afternoon of Christmas Eve 1968.

My first thought was, how lovely of him to show up on Christmas Eve to wish us a Merry Christmas, she said.

But there was nothing merry about what he had to tell her.

Randel said she was given little detail on what had happened to her husband, only that he was missing in action. For four years, he was listed as MIA, and for four years, Randel and her daughters lived on the hope that he had survived. They sent care packages of cookies and other goodies each month, hoping that even if he didnt receive them some soldier in need would.

In 1972, Hanoi released hundreds of American POWs, their return televised on the nightly news. Randel and her daughters kept hoping to see Brownlees face among the group.

But we never did, she said.

Randel, who eventually remarried and then divorced, went on with her life. She is 80 now.

But when she saw the image of a handsome, young Dick Brownlee in the Journal last month, it was as if she had been taken back to 1968.

Old wounds, she said, never heal; they just become a part of who you are.

You just have to go on. You cant keep coming back, she told me. Its not easy, but what choice do you have?

I cling to her words now. A day after I spoke with Randel, my son Devin Glenn died of a heroin overdose. Her words became my North Star through this grief.

Its interesting how the universe puts the people you need on your path even when you didnt realize you needed them.

Johnson, too, has had the opportunity to connect with Randel, to tell her how much Lt. Col. Charles Richard Brownlee has meant to her, even though she never met him.

Its nice to finally talk to her after all this time, Johnson said. I guess its time now to move on.

As Randel said, you cant keep coming back. But sometimes looking back, for a moment, helps on the journey forward.

UpFront is a regular news and opinion column. Comment directly to Joline at 823-3603, jkrueger@abqjournal.com or follow her on Twitter @jolinegkg. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor.
Fourteen-year-old Donovan Smith has seen the face of homelessness  and it looks a lot like him. Thats why he is giving back.

In just the past year, Donovan made and donated 10,329 bars of soap to homeless shelters and organizations that help the homeless. Since 2014, he has made and donated more than 50,000 bars of soap.

Several years ago, he and his family were homeless and found refuge at Henderson House, an Albuquerque shelter for homeless women veterans and their families operated by the YWCA.

Ive seen what homelessness looks like and its not always a problem with drugs or anything else, he said. Sometimes, its just normal people who are having a hard time, so I try to help as many people as possible and be an example for others.

On Tuesday, Donovan was among a group of people who were honored at the Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service held at the Albuquerque Convention Center before a crowd of about 500 people. Speaking at the event, Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry noted that he was one of thousands of mayors around the country this day who were acknowledging the spirit of volunteerism in their communities and who were formally thanking people for taking on challenges, improving lives and helping solve local problems.

Donovan, who received the award for Youth Volunteer of the Year, has also helped fill other needs in the community by donating hygiene products, Mylar blankets, clothing, diapers and more to area homeless shelters and organizations.

On Monday, Donovan started a GoFundMe campaign to raise start-up money for his own non-profit organization, Soaps for Homeless. He hopes to hire homeless people and teach them how to make soap, which in turn will allow him to continue donating soap to other non-profits. Volunteers were recognized in a host of other categories:

Volunteer Group of the Year, Albuquerque Department of Senior Affairs Companion Program, which since 2016 has provided 21,145 hours of service valued at more than $498,000, and logged more than 8,600 miles on personal vehicles, running errands and checking in on less mobile seniors.

Corporate Group of the Year, Molina Healthcare volunteers, for donating 6,422 hours collectively to Ronald McDonald House, where they served as guest chefs providing nutritious meals to families who are dealing with hospitalized children.

Rising Star, Morgan Cannaday Henson, a volunteer from Heading Home, who donated hundreds of hours in various services to the homeless, including serving meals at shelters, wrapping and delivering holiday packages to families, and helping organize Heading Home fund raisers.

Lifetime Achievement Awards went to Agnes Sanchez, a foster grandparent volunteer who tutors children at Kit Carson Elementary School and helps her South Valley neighbors by translating for them when they need to apply for programs and benefits; and posthumously to Jim Caress, for his volunteer custodial and maintenance work at the Ronald McDonald House.

Volunteer of the Year, Van Overton, for his work on behalf of Albuquerque Public Schools Title 1 homeless project, and organizing a program of music, poetry and dancing that raised donations of food and clothing for homeless APS kids.

We welcome suggestions for the daily Bright Spot. Send to newsroom@abqjournal.com.
The new U.S. attorney generals announced plans to review police reform projects underway in cities throughout the country, including Albuquerque, has raised concerns among those who have been involved in the efforts here.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a memorandum made public Monday night that the Department of Justice will review all existing and contemplated consent decrees. The Albuquerque Police Department is one of more than 20 law enforcement agencies that are operating under a court-enforceable outline for police reforms, though the project here is usually called a settlement agreement.

The goal of the Justice Departments review, Sessions said, is to make sure the agreements align with the administrations goals and principles for the DOJ, which Sessions said include improving officer safety and morale, ensuring public safety is an honorable career, fighting crime and promoting civil rights, according to the document. He said the DOJ will also be reviewing collaborative investigations and prosecutions, law enforcement task forces and other Justice Department activities.

Its unclear how the DOJs review could affect places like Albuquerque, which has been working to make reforms under the eye of a federal judge since late 2014.

We havent asked them to do that, Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry said of the Justice Departments review. We would love to have the new administration come out so we can show them the work weve done here. I think Albuquerque has got some things that we can offer departments nationally. Weve got a lot of miles in the process.

And Albuquerque remains committed to the reforms, Berry said.

I think we have something to show for it but nobody on my administration is saying, Mission accomplished,  he said.

He said Albuquerque has had recent successes through reforms. He pointed out that the Police Department has outfitted its officers with on-body cameras and provided them with training for dealing with people in crisis. There were fewer police shootings in 2016 than any other year since Berry took office, and the departments SWAT team hasnt fired a shot in the line of duty since 2014.

Still, Sessions comments raised concerns with Albuquerque advocates for less violent policing.

You have a bad apple in the middle of a crate, and eventually the other apples get spoiled, too, said Nancy Koenigsberg, the legal director for Disability Rights New Mexico.

Sessions said in the document, The misdeeds of individual bad actors should not impugn or undermine the legitimate and honorable work that law enforcement officers and agencies perform in keeping American communities safe.

The DOJs investigation into APD found that the department had systemic problems, such as a pattern and practice of excessive force and a culture of aggression, which included police shooting too many people with mental illnesses.

Sessions, both before and since becoming attorney general, has been critical of DOJ intervention in local police departments around the country.

Peter Simonson, the executive director of the ACLU in New Mexico and a spokesman for APD Forward, said attorneys hoping for Albuquerque police reform are examining potential ways the attorney general could try to thwart such efforts. He said he was unsure whether the Justice Department might try to withdraw from the cases, like the one filed in Albuquerque in November 2014, or whether the Justice Department might simply try to shift resources away from reform efforts. Ken Ellis III became a vocal advocate for a DOJ investigation into Albuquerque police after his son was shot and killed by an officer in 2010. He said there is still a long road ahead.

When I first started this campaign, it was obvious I wasnt going to get any results locally. I knew I had to go to the federal level to get to the bottom of it all, he said. Its going to take (Albuquerque police) a long time to get better, because it took them a long time to get this way.
SANTA FE  Legal costs connected to several different pending lawsuits  on subjects ranging from education funding to mine spill contamination  are taking a bite out of New Mexicos budget as state officials grapple with a new government funding crisis.

While lawsuits involving state agencies are not uncommon in recent New Mexico history, the cost of multiple simultaneous suits could mean higher-than-usual legal bills.

A $6.1 billion budget bill awaiting final action on Gov. Susana Martinezs desk includes $5.7 million in supplemental funding to cover legal expenses for pending lawsuits. Most of that money would come from the states general fund.

Rep. Larry Larranaga, R-Albuquerque, said Tuesday that providing funding for legal fees in the lawsuits is a top priority for lawmakers, while describing the fees as an expense that cant be avoided.

You dont have any choice when the court says you have to prepare for a lawsuit, Larra n aga told the Journal .

Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, D-Gallup, chairwoman of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, largely agreed, saying the state has to have legal representation to advocate for its interests.

We have to defend ourselves, she said. I wish we didnt have to do it, but we have to protect the state.

Lundstrom cited water-related litigation as especially vital to New Mexico. The state is embroiled in two water-related lawsuits: a dispute with Texas over use of water from the Rio Grande and litigation over the impact of the 2015 Gold King Mine spill, which sent more than 888,000 pounds of heavy metals  including lead, arsenic, copper and mercury  downstream into New Mexico.

Some of the other lawsuits stretch back for decades, such as a 1987 lawsuit dealing with state services for people with developmental disabilities. The state has been trying to end court oversight in the case.

If the governor were to veto the earmarked funding, agencies would have to absorb the legal fees from their existing budgets  or the state could face sanctions for failing to provide representation.
PHILADELPHIA  Philadelphias Museum of the American Revolution says it has exceeded its $150 million fundraising effort, just weeks before it opens to the public.

A $2.5 million gift from Comcast and The Aileen K. and Brian L. Roberts Foundation put the fundraising campaign at $152 million. The gift was made in honor of the museums architect Robert A.M. Stern, and the museums rotunda will be renamed in his honor.

The museum says the gift highlights the incredible contributions Stern has made to Philadelphias cityscape, including the master plan of the Navy Yard and the Comcast Center.

The collection of art, immersive exhibits and objects from the Revolutionary Era opens April 19  the anniversary of the opening battles in 1775.

One of the main exhibits will be Washingtons headquarters tent used in the years after Valley Forge.

___

This story has been corrected to show Washington used the tent after Valley Forge, not during that encampment.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Top Democrats in the Legislature describe it as a menu.

They say theyve sent Gov. Susana Martinez a series of options for balancing New Mexicos budget  an a la carte selection of tax increases and other ideas for new revenue.

But with a Friday deadline approaching, its clear Martinez doesnt find the choices particularly appetizing.

She has promised repeatedly to veto tax increases, though she has left open the possibility of closing loopholes in the tax code.

Under the Legislature-approved budget package, in any case, she would have to accept roughly $164 million in new revenue to cover the proposed spending on basic operations for the coming year.

And the Legislature has approved roughly $350 million in new revenue options  at least $282 million of which would be available directly to help the states basic operating fund. Extra revenue above the $164 million would generally be used to help build state reserves.

Martinez has line-item veto authority that allows her to reject some or all of the new revenue options, and she can use her authority to veto parts of the spending plan, which would reduce the need for new revenue.

Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, said he and other lawmakers knew the Republican governor wouldnt accept all of the revenue ideas. But after failing to reach agreement with Martinez on a specific budget plan, lawmakers opted to send her options for balancing the budget through her line-item veto authority.

We did our job, Wirth said this week. Weve given her choices.

Members of the Martinez administration, by contrast, say they had their own ideas for balancing the budget, but those options didnt make the menu approved by lawmakers.

Thats hardly a menu of options, Martinez spokesman Michael Lonergan said in a written statement. Thats like asking for a burger and fries, and all they offer is tofu and quinoa. The fact is, these are failed policies that would only make things worse.

Martinez says her administration offered $300 million in options that wouldnt raise taxes. The governor, for example, proposed reducing employees take-home pay by asking them to contribute more to their pension plans, taking back some money from school districts, and cutting state payments to cities and counties that have raised taxes already as a way to cover revenues lost when the state stopped charging gross receipts taxes on food several years ago.

The Martinez administration also says the ideas backed by the Legislature arent as simple as they sound. One idea isnt legal, the Governors Office says, and others wont generate as much as savings as lawmakers claim.

Furthermore, her administration contends, some of the new money wouldnt be available in time to help the state pay its bills.

Martinez and her staff are still reviewing the $6.1 billion budget adopted by lawmakers.

She has until Friday to sign legislation, or its automatically vetoed.

Closing loopholes

Martinezs comments that she would consider closing tax loopholes led Democrats in the Legislature to believe that meant she might be willing to support some new revenue.

The budget package won bipartisan approval in the Senate, but passed along party lines in the House. Democrats control both chambers.

Martinez says lawmakers used tax increases to balance the budget, knowing she wouldnt support them. She is willing to close tax loopholes  perhaps raising new revenue  but only if its part of a broader package of tax reforms, her administration says.

The governor has said she will call lawmakers into special session soon to address the budget. The fiscal year begins July 1.

Supporters of the budget package, meanwhile, describe some of the revenue-raising ideas as the closing of tax loopholes, not increases.

Wirth said the governor didnt reject the ideas during private budget talks amid the legislative session, though no agreement was reached. Some of her ideas were, in fact, incorporated into the budget, he said.

Revenue options

Among the revenue options are:

 Imposing the states gross receipts tax on sales over the internet through Amazon.com and similar companies. State analysts believe it could raise about $20 million, though estimates have ranged from $9 million to $38 million.

Amazon has already announced it will charge gross receipts tax on sales to New Mexicans, starting this month, and that revenue will soon flow into state coffers. A state spokesman estimated last month that it could be tens of millions of dollars in new revenue.

Supporters describe the online tax as the closing of a loophole because brick-and-mortar businesses in New Mexico already pay taxes. Applying the tax to online purchases, then, would put them on equal footing.

The Martinez administration has suggested this idea might be acceptable, if its part of a comprehensive package of tax overhaul.

The Legislature did approve some changes to the tax code as part of an effort to reduce deductions and broaden the tax base. The ultimate goal is to reduce the tax rate  tax more things, in other words, but at a lower rate. But the changes ultimately approved by lawmakers are far less extensive than what Martinez and House Republicans proposed.

 Overhauling the tax system for hospitals. Under the current system, a hospitals tax liability is shaped by whether its a for-profit or not-for-profit company, among other factors.

Supporters say applying the tax to not-for-profit hospitals is only fair  fixing a loophole, they say, not necessarily a tax increase. There are a variety of other changes, too, that would reform the tax system for hospitals.

The proposal could raise $80.6 million for the states general fund.

Again, the Martinez administration says it might be open to this idea, but only as part of broader tax reforms.

 Increasing a permit fee levied on interstate truckers. Analysts say it could raise about $41.9 million, assuming it survives a legal challenge.

There are limits on how states may assess trucking fees and still remain in compliance with the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution. State analysts say the fee could be struck down in court, depending on how its structured.

The Martinez administration says the proposal raises serious legal questions.

 Delaying the phase-in of a corporate income tax cut. Analysts estimate it would raise $12.7 million, though perhaps up to $19 million, depending on economic conditions.

The Martinez administration says postponing the final phase of the tax cut would disrupt New Mexicos ability to recruit companies and would contribute to an unfriendly environment for business growth.

 Increasing the states gasoline tax by 10 cents a gallon. It could raise about $125.9 million. The money would be available for spending only with approval of the Legislature, analysts said.

In the meantime, the revenue would be used to help build reserves  until they reach a certain point, after which the money would generally go into road maintenance funds.

Martinez says the gas tax would make it more costly for ordinary New Mexicans to get around.

 Reducing distributions to a retirement fund for legislators by $900,000. The Martinez administration says this isnt the right approach and wouldnt help as much as lawmakers say.

The legislative retirement fund has far more money than it needs, the Governors Office says, and theres actually more than $12 million that can be swept into the general fund for basic operations. Legislative leaders, in turn, say it is illegal to take the funds that Martinez is targeting.

 Increasing the motor vehicle excise tax from 3 percent to 4 percent. The proposal is expected to raise $49.2 million a year, which would go into a reserve fund.

Hopeful

How the governor and lawmakers will settle on a budget isnt clear.

The governor is always willing to compromise, Lonergan said, but she wont do it if it hurts our families.

Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, D-Gallup, chairwoman of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, said shes still hopeful the governor will sign the budget.

Theres nothing wrong with the budget, Lundstrom said. I think the focus of the executive is on the revenue package.

If she feels she needs to whittle the budget bill (by line-item veto), thats OK, she added.

Lundstrom also said she thinks it would be smarter to hold off until the fall for a possible special session, when the state will have new revenue estimates and possibly a better understanding of potential changes to federal Medicaid spending.

Journal Capitol Bureau Chief Dan Boyd contributed to this article.
FORT WORTH, Texas  A North Texas woman has pleaded guilty to murder in the fatal scalding of her 2-year-old grandson.

The sentencing phase of the Patricia Flores trial began Tuesday, a day after she entered her plea in Fort Worth. The 44-year-old Haltom City woman has left her sentencing to a Tarrant County jury.

Flores could receive up to life imprisonment for the death of grandson Lyfe Flores. Investigators say the child went without medical attention for six days after he was scalded March 24 by hot bath water, leading to an infection that killed the child last April.

Flores was a fugitive until turning herself in to the Frio County Sheriffs Office in Pearsall a week later. She was initially charged with injury to a child by omission.
The Supreme Court said the five-judge bench will decide on the petition challenging the privacy policy of WhatsApp on sharing data with its parent company Facebook.

By Anusha Soni: The Supreme Court has set up a five-judge bench to hear the petition accusing WhatsApp and Facebook of privacy violation.

The bench will hear the matter on April 18. The Supreme Court said the five-judge bench will decide on the broader questions to be adjudicated.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had refused to interfere in the matter and allowed WhatsApp to go ahead with its data sharing policy with Facebook.

advertisement

WHAT DELHI HIGH COURT SAID ON THE PETITION

Under WhatsApp new privacy policy, the company will share some user data, including phone number of the user, with its parent company Facebook.

The Delhi High Court, however, asked WhatsApp to not share data generated before September 25, 2016 with Facebook.

The court further told WhatsApp that data of any user who deletes his/her instant messaging account before September 25 must be deleted from WhatsApp servers.

WHAT IS WHATSAPP's NEW PRIVACY POLICY?

On August 25 last year, WhatsApp had come out with new privacy policy that talked about some changes in how it uses the data generated by users. It said it would share some of the data with Facebook, its parent company.

WhatsApp said the its decision to coordinate with Facebook would help it track metrics on how people use WhatsApp and fight spam on WhatsApp.

WhatsApp told its users that they would get 30 days to accept the new privacy policy, which also had a provision to tell it not to use the number shared with Facebook for advertising purposes. However, irrespective of whether a user checked the option or not, the company had clarified that it would share the number with Facebook.

Two WhatsApp users had approached the Delhi High Court challenging WhatsApp's privacy policy on the grounds that it compromises the privacy rights of users.

ALSO READ:

Don't share with FB info of users who stop using WhatsApp: HC

WhatsApp will ONLY share phone number but that is all Facebook needs

WhatsApp says won't comply with Delhi HC order, will share old data with Facebook: Report

ALSO WATCH

--- ENDS ---
WASHINGTON  The White House is talking in more urgent terms about North Koreas pursuit of nuclear weapons, as President Donald Trumps talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping approach. One senior administration official warned that the clock has now run out on Pyongyang.

Trump and Xi will huddle Thursday and Friday at Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, a venue chosen to give the summit a more informal feel. White House officials said Tuesday that trade and security would be high on the new American presidents agenda, including pushing China to exert more economic pressure on North Korea.

Speaking at a White House business forum Tuesday, Trump called North Korea a humanity problem. A White House official later said all options are on the table for the U.S., though the official would not say what steps Trump was willing to take to curb Pyongyangs pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast on Wednesday, U.S. and South Korean officials said, in a reminder of the simmering tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Like many nations, China is still grappling with Trumps mercurial nature after the relative transparency and predictability of the bilateral relationship under Barack Obama. Both during his campaign and after his victory, Trump complained repeatedly about Chinas allegedly unfair trade practices, its perceived lack of assistance in reining in North Korea and its drive to cement control over the South China Sea.

Some analysts believe Xi might be willing to hand Trump a symbolic victory on trade to put a positive spin on the meeting.

Xi probably cant accommodate Trump on sovereignty and security issues, but he has a lot of leeway on economics, said Robert Sutter, a China expert at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Yet even if Xi is able to offer Trump deliverables, he will still have to deal with a restless U.S. president valuing unpredictability and seeking advantage for his agenda going forward, Sutter said.

Trump was seen as moving trade even more to the forefront when he signed a pair of executive orders Friday focused on reducing the trade deficit. Coupled together, the orders appeared to be a symbolic shot at China, which accounted for the vast bulk  $347 billion  of last years $502 billion trade deficit.

While aides insisted the timing was coincidental, the administration touted the moves as evidence of an aggressive but analytical approach to closing a yawning trade gap that is largely due to the influx of goods from China.

Still, Trump told the Financial Times newspaper that during his meeting with Xi, he doesnt want to talk about tariffs yet, perhaps the next time we meet. A second White House official said Tuesday that the topic may come up, though there was not expected to be any resolution.

The officials would only discuss the upcoming summit on the condition of anonymity in order to avoid pre-empting the president.

Looming over the visit will be North Koreas nuclear provocations. China continues to oppose the tough measures demanded of it to address the issue, fearing a collapse of the Pyongyang regime would bring a crush of refugees and possibly U.S. and South Korean troops on its border.

Trump told the Financial Times the U.S. is prepared to act alone if China does not take a tougher stand against North Koreas nuclear program.

China has great influence over North Korea, he said. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they wont. And if they do that will be very good for China, and if they dont it wont be good for anyone.

Add to the mix the issue of the South China Sea, where Beijing has built and armed man-made islands despite the concerns of neighboring countries; and Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that China claims as its own territory, and which some in Trumps administration would like to see in a stronger relationship with the U.S.

Despite such divisions, Beijing seems committed to establishing a positive relationship between the two leaders.

It is fundamental for them to improve understanding between each other, said Xiong Zhiyong, a professor at Peking Universitys School of International Relations. Both sides have shown their willingness to cooperate and they are expected to make a commitment for cooperation.

China, Xiong said, realizes that Trump is a leader with a strong personality.

The White House said Trump and Xi would hold meetings and a dinner on Thursday, then gather again Friday for more discussions and a working lunch. First lady Melania Trump and Xis wife, famed songstress Peng Liyuan, plan to attend the dinner.

As personalities, Xi and Trump are a study in contrasts. A lifelong Communist Party apparatchik and son of a former vice premier, Xi has built his career with a cautious approach, avoiding controversial reforms and rarely speaking out in ways that would distract from his core message. His nearly five years as head of the ruling party have been defined by a campaign to achieve the Chinese dream of increasing prosperity while tackling endemic corruption.

Still, outwardly cordial relations with U.S. presidents are also a longstanding Chinese tradition, in recognition of the importance of the bilateral relationship. Xi had taken pains to appear at ease in the company of Obama, avoiding the rancor that characterized the relationship between the American leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

___

Bodeen reported from Beijing. Associated Press writer Vivian Salama contributed to this report from Washington.

___

Follow Bodeen at http://twitter.com/cbodeen and Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC
The liberal imagination tends to assume not only that history unfolds in a progressive direction but also that progressivisms disparate values and groups need not contradict one another. But from Brexit to Donald Trump, the past year has served as a bracing reminder that history does not always head in a progressive direction, and that important constituencies of the progressive coalition  such as the white working class  do not always push history in a leftward direction. Now there are new signs that another prized progressive value, gender equality, may be in trouble  partly thanks to key members of the progressive coalition.

New research indicates that young millennials, who many assumed would be torchbearersfor a more progressive approach to family life, actually take a more traditional view of family arrangements than Generation Xers and baby boomers when they were young adults. After embracing increasingly feminist family attitudes from the 1970s to the 1990s, young adults are more likely to embrace traditional attitudes about male breadwinning, female homemaking and male authority in the home, according to a new report from sociologists Joanna Pepin and David Cotter. They note that although millennials have not backed off their support for opportunities for working women, they are less likely to embrace egalitarianism at home compared with young adults two decades ago. In other words, the gender revolution in attitudes among young adults has stalled out or even shifted course.

This represents an important change in the evolution of gender attitudes. From the 1970s to the 1990s, as baby boomers and Xers came of age, a growing share of young adults ages 18 to 25 rejected the view that it is much better for everyone involved if the man is the achiever outside the home and the woman takes care of the home and family. But since the mid-1990s, support for this traditional view has surprisingly climbed among young men and women, as historian Stephanie Coontz recently noted in the New York Times. In the 2010s, 28 percent of young adults agreed with this view, compared with 22 percent in the 1990s, according to the General Social Survey (GSS). (There has been some debate about the 2016 trend in this GSS attitude, but the overall pattern in the GSS and another survey, Monitoring the Future, is consistent with the idea that a growing minority of younger millennials hold a more traditional view on this male breadwinner-female homemaker item.)

Part of the reason that todays young adults are less likely to hold egalitarian gender attitudes regarding the division of family life is that minorities, especially Hispanics, make up a growing share of American millennials. In 1980, only 7 percent of young adults ages 18 to 25 were Hispanic; today, 22 percent are. That matters, because young Hispanics (especially young Hispanic men, who prefer traditional family arrangements at higher percentages than Hispanic women) are more likely to embrace a traditional division of family and work responsibilities than other young adults. Here, Hispanic families long-standing embrace of male breadwinning and female homemaking stands in tension with American progressivisms commitment to gender equality in the home. Likewise, younger African Americans hold relatively more traditional gender attitudes than do white millennials. Our findings are consistent with other research indicating that minority men are more likely to hold somewhat more traditional gender attitudes about domestic life. Here again, then, we have evidence that progressivisms disparate coalition members are not always on board with all of the goals of the movement.

But the gender attitudinal reversal that appeared in the 1990s is not only about the shifting character of Americas racial and ethnic fabric. It also seems to be fueled by the rise of choice feminism, a style of feminism that emphasizes womens right to choose the lives they want without judgment. According to Cotter and colleagues, the increasing popularity of intensive mothering in the 1990s, frustrations over the stresses associated with balancing work and family, and a media and pop culture backlash to feminism in the 1990s  think of the you cant have it all meme from the era  made 1970s-style feminism, with its insistence on moms combining full-time work and family life, less appealing to a growing minority of young adults.

Instead, a growing number of young women (and men) embraced a choice feminism that suggested that it was fine for mothers to be stay-at-home mothers or part-time workers, so long as they decided to pursue this path of their own volition. Choice feminism allowed women to invest heavily in their children, juggle work and family responsibilities, and maintain a sense of feminist self-respect. It stands to reason that, in the spirit of this choice feminism, many young adults support an ethic of equal opportunity for women in the public sphere, even as they embrace an ethic of gender specialization in the private sphere.

Finally, what sociologists have called the stalled gender revolution in behavior that has marked much of American life since the 1990s is probably shaping how some of todays young adults think about gender roles. Since the 1990s, married mothers labor force participation has stopped rising, the decline in the share of stay-at-home mothers has come to a halt and fathers have continued to serve as primary breadwinners in the clear majority of two-parent families.

In other words, despite all the changes in family life over the past half-century, most young adults have grown up in a world where two-parent families, at least, have a neotraditional character. Thus, rather than embrace a 70s-style feminism where everything is supposed to be split 50-50 in the home, a growing share of young adults embrace an ethic closer to matching two-parent families as they really are in 21st century America: That is, millennials may take a more favorable view of gender specialization in the family because it remains quite common in their own experience and, in an era of choice feminism, less problematic.

Of course, given that young women are now outpacing men in school and college, and are less likely to hold traditional gender attitudes, todays aspiring traditionalists may have difficulty realizing the neotraditional model that has been so dominant in American families. Only time will tell if the arc of American history ultimately ends up bending toward egalitarian families, both in gendered beliefs and in men and womens actual behavior.

 Wilcox is director of the University of Virginias National Marriage Project, an American Enterprise Institute visiting scholar, an associate scholar at Georgetown Universitys Religious Freedom Project and co-author, with Nicholas H. Wolfinger, of Soul Mates: Religion, Sex, Love, and Marriage among African Americans and Latinos. Sturgeon is president of Demographic Intelligence, a demographic forecasting company specializing in trends in fertility and marriage.

Sign up for the Todays WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.
BEIRUT  A chemical attack that killed scores of civilians in Syria likely involved a banned nerve agent, top medical groups concluded Wednesday, as the United States and European allies at the U.N. Security Council demanded an investigation.

The attack on the northwestern town of Khan Sheikhoun was the deadliest chemical assault on a civilian population in Syria since government forces attacked rebel-held suburbs of Damascus with sarin nerve agent in 2013, prompting the Obama administration to threaten military action against President Bashar al-Assad.

In southern Turkey, witnesses evacuated for treatment described being enveloped by a fog of chemicals and said that rescue workers passed out among the people they were trying to help.

Some people died as they were sleeping. The ones who did not, especially the children, were foaming at the mouths and shaking, said a resident, Hussein al-Nimr. We tried to rescue people, but then we fell down, too.

Back in Khan Sheikhoun, families spoke of grief and a sense of betrayal.

If the world wanted to stop this, they would have done so by now, a woman who gave her name as Om Ahmed said in a telephone interview. One more chemical attack in a town the world hasnt heard of wont change anything.

Then her voice cracked. Im sorry. My son died yesterday, she said. I have nothing left to say to the world.

At least 72 people were killed in the attack, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. Medical organizations working inside Syria said they had treated more than 500 people who inhaled the still unidentified chemical.

The World Health Organization said victims showed symptoms consistent with a reaction to a nerve agent, stockpiles of which Assads government was supposed to have destroyed more than three years ago in an attempt to stave off U.S. military intervention.

Addressing the Security Council meeting in New York on Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley hinted that the Trump administration may now be considering escalation once again.

When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action, Haley said. Hours later at the White House, President Trump said that heinous actions by the Assad regime cannot be tolerated.

Turkeys health minister, Recep Akdag, said Wednesday that 30 Syrians have been evacuated across the border for treatment in Turkish hospitals. Outside a facility in the southern city of Reyhanli, a small crowd of Syrians waited all day for news, their cellphones glued to their ears as they relayed updates to relatives back in Khan Sheikhoun.

Hussam Abu Ammash, 43, clutched a list of 21 names of relatives he said were killed in the attack. When people woke up and saw the cloud, they thought it was the dust of an airstrike and they ran toward it. But it was chemical gases, he said.

Doctors Without Borders said its medics treated patients with diluted pupils, muscle spasms and involuntary defecation consistent with exposure to neurotoxic agents such as sarin.

Long-standing global treaties have banned the use of chemical weapons, including sarin, a substance that can kill within minutes.

Doctors and activists across opposition-held areas have cited a sharp increase in chemical attacks since government forces routed rebels from their longtime stronghold of Aleppo in mid-December. The Syrian Network for Human Rights monitoring group said Wednesday that it has recorded nine separate strikes since the start of the year.

Many of those involved chlorine, which is less deadly than a nerve agent.

While Tuesdays assault was widely attributed to the Syrian government, Russia tried Wednesday to shift the blame to armed groups opposing Assad.

Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, a Russian military spokesman, said Syrian warplanes had been targeting rebel workshops on the eastern outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun, which is in rebel-held Idlib province. The territory of this storage facility housed workshops to produce projectiles filled with toxic agents, he said in a recorded statement.

His comments marked a rare admission that airstrikes had taken place in the area. Moscow typically denies knowledge of such mass-casualty attacks and has previously falsified video footage in an attempt to exonerate its warplanes.

Russia also blamed the 2013 sarin attack on rebels it said were attempting to provoke international intervention.

But Syrian rebel commander Hasan Haj Ali told the Reuters news agency that the Russian assertion was a lie. He said the rebels do not have the capability to produce chemical weapons and that no military positions in the area were bombed. Everyone saw the plane while it was bombing with gas, he said.

The Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is charged with ensuring that nations live up to the weapons ban, would lead any investigation on the ground in Syria in partnership with the United Nations. At the time of the 2013 sarin attack, an OPCW team was already in Syria and was able to travel to the site within five days, collecting soil and blood samples. Several weeks later, it issued a formal report alleging the use of sarin nerve agent, although it never formally blamed Assad.

This time, rescue workers said they had gathered soil samples from Khan Sheikhoun and sent them to Western intelligence officials for analysis.

The Syrian government has denied any involvement in Tuesdays attack or use of chemical weapons.

The attack came amid an upswing in Syrian government strikes in Idlib, to which hundreds of thousands of civilians have fled from other battle zones around the country. With the Turkish border to the north largely closed, they are now trapped.



Zakaria reported from Reyhanli. Andrew Roth in Moscow, Michael Birnbaum in Brussels and Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.

Sign up for the Todays WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.
The floor looks clean in this high-rise apartment, seven stories above Kuwait City traffic. Not a smudge in sight on the picture window. On the other side of the glass, the maid is hanging on by one knuckle, screaming.

Oh crazy, come here, a woman says casually in Arabic, holding a camera up to the maid.

Hold on to me! Hold on to me! the maid yells.

Instead, the woman steps back. The maids grip finally slips, and she lands in a cloud of dust, many stories below.

The maid  an Ethiopian who had been working in the country for several years, according to the Kuwait Times  survived the fall. The videographer, her employer, was arrested last week on a charge of failing to help the worker.

Its still unclear what led to the fall. But it was not the first time a domestic servant had fallen off of a building in Kuwait, an oil-rich country where foreign workers are cheap, plentiful and live largely at the mercy of their employers.

Human Rights Watch has spent years documenting cases of workers abused, exploited, attacked or driven to desperation by a draconian labor system called kafala, in which foreigners surrender rights to get a work visa in the Persian Gulf.

Like thousands of others, its investigators are disturbed by the Kuwait City video.

Ive talked to workers who said they had to figure out a way to escape, and scrambled off buildings to do so, said Rothna Begum, a researcher for the rights group. What was shocking about this video is that the employer had filmed it from inside the flat  while she [the worker] is asking for help.

The woman, who reportedly landed on an awning and broke an arm in the fall, is one of more than 600,000 foreigners working in Kuwait, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate.

Thats about one servant for each family in a country of about 3 million people, Begum said.

Its becoming quite trendy, she said. Even low- and middle-income families will have a domestic worker. Theyre considered to be incredibly cheap, and you can exploit them.

In a 2010 report, the rights group collected anecdotes from workers across Kuwait, including an Ethiopian woman who called her boss Mama.

Mama would close the fridge; we were not allowed to take any food, the woman is quoted as saying. She also beat me if there was anything wrong, like a tiny speck of dust. I worked from 6 a.m. until 1 a.m.

Its not uncommon for employers to lock their servants inside apartments and compounds, Begum said  even though they can be arrested and deported for leaving without their employers permission.

A Filipina worker  called Alida in the report  told Human Rights Watch what happened when her boss found out shed sought help after working long hours with little food.

After returning home, the employer hit Alida in the face and said, Ill let you die first before you go,  the report reads. She [dragged me by] my blouse in her two hands and pushed me. She threw me out of the window from the third floor.

Alida woke up in a hospital, according to the report, and learned that her employers had filed charges against her and said she tried to kill herself.

I came here to work, not to kill myself, she told the agency.

The Ethiopian womans fall was also reported as a suicide attempt, according to local reports. So were the injuries of eight other women Begum said she and her colleagues interviewed.

All of them said they were trying to escape abuse.

In 2015, Kuwait passed its first protections for foreign workers  prohibiting employers from confiscating their passports, granting them one day off each week, paid vacation and a maximum 12-hour working day.

But with no way to enforce those protections, Begum said, the draconian practices of kafala endure  with workers often held prisoner in their employers homes until their contracts run out, abused in return for meager wages, occasionally jumping to escape.

As bad as they were, Begum said, Kuwaits laws happen to be the most progressive the Gulf has.

A few years ago, Abigail Hauslohner reported for The Washington Post from a labor camp in Qatar  miles from the high-rises and museums, where foreigners slept in crowded, bug-infested bunks after working all day to build the rich cities.

Last year, The Post reported, an Indian man made a tearful video about his horrendous working conditions in Saudi Arabia.

Like the maids plummet in Kuwait, that video went viral.

Saudi authorities then arrested the worker for the spread of misinformation, and his employer had the video taken offline.



The Washington Posts Azhar AlFadl Miranda and Abigail Hauslohner contributed to this report.



Video: Video of an Ethiopian maid dangling and eventually falling from a seventh-floor window, which was apparently filmed by her Kuwaiti employer, has caused outrage online. Human rights advocates say its just one example of widespread abuse of domestic workers across the Gulf. (Elyse Samuels/The Washington Post)

URL:

http://wapo.st/2oHixCC

Embed code

Sign up for the Todays WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.
Yet again, the world is watching gut-wrenching images emerge from the site of a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria.

Activists claim the Syrian government launched an airstrike on the town of Khan Sheikhoun in the countrys northwestern Idlib province. Scores of civilians, including many women and children, were reportedly killed.

Video footage surfaced on social media of small, frantic children being hosed off by rescuers in the hopes of washing away whatever lethal chemical agent had hit them. Other gruesome reports showed corpses hastily wrapped in blankets, victims with foam coming out of their mouths and a chilling scene of lifeless boys, their torsos bare, eyes open and limbs contorted in shock.

The death toll was unclear at the time of writing, with aid agencies and monitoring groups putting the number anywhere from 58 up to 100 killed.

Supporters of the Syrian regime rejected any link to a chemical weapons strike. They claimed the reports were fabricated by terrorist groups in Idlib and suggested the fatalities were the result of an explosion at a supposed al-Qaida chemical weapons factory. Russian authorities, whose warplanes are flying in support of the regime, said they had not conducted a strike in the area around the town. But the broader international reaction was vehement  and put the blame squarely on Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Once again the Syrian regime will deny the evidence of its responsibility for this massacre, French President Francois Hollande said in a statement.

Bombing your own civilians with chemical weapons is unquestionably a war crime, and they must be held to account, declared British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson.

The Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said the attack was a crime against humanity that could derail the fragile Syrian peace process.

The French and British ambassadors at the United Nations called for an emergency meeting of the Security Council, which will convene on Wednesday.

Such strikes are a regime tactic to further demoralize the flagging rebellion. Assad calculates, reasonably, that military dynamics play in his favor. By using chemical weapons and other weapons, he is demonstrating the powerlessness of international actors, said Emile Hokayem, a Middle East analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, to The Washington Post.

But in Washington, the Trump administration initially chose to blame its predecessor, another sign the White House is far more comfortable operating as if its still running an election campaign rather than the worlds only superpower.

Todays chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world, said White House press secretary Sean Spicer. These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administrations weakness and irresolution.

Spicer, speaking at a press briefing, added: President Obama said in 2012 he would establish a red line against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing. The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable act.

Its seemingly a bizarre line of attack for the Trump administration to choose. In 2013, the Obama administration contemplated a military response after a suspected regime chemical weapons attack on rebel-held districts in the suburbs of Damascus killed more than 1,000 people. The mounting international pressure at the time compelled Assad to agree to eliminate its chemical weapons program.

The fact that Obama chose to back off from confronting the Assad regime, which allegedly used chemical weapons numerous times in the years since, will forever haunt the former presidents legacy. Much of the Washington foreign policy establishment has excoriated him for it. But Trump in 2013  then a private citizen with the same itchy Twitter finger  was opposed to American intervention in Syria.

Trump tweets:



What will we get for bombing Syria besides more debt and a possible long term conflict? Obama needs Congressional approval.

AGAIN, TO OUR VERY FOOLISH LEADER, DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA  IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN & FROM THAT FIGHT THE U.S. GETS NOTHING!

President Obama, do not attack Syria. There is no upside and tremendous downside. Save your powder for another (and more important) day!



The irony is that Trumps position on the Syrian conflict isnt that far removed from Obamas  although its more conspicuous in its indifference to the plight of Syrian refugees. The previous administration called for Assads departure, but it did little to actually push for regime change, fearing that any deeper involvement in the Syrian conflict would risk the sort of blowback and chaos that rocked Iraq after the 2003 U.S. invasion. Trump, meanwhile, has insisted on multiple occasions that he is not interested in nation-building in the Middle East or dictating regime change. His lieutenants indicated as recently as last week that the White House does not prioritize removing Assad from power.

No one  not even President Obama, as far as I could tell  was satisfied with the Obama administrations approach to the conflict in Syria, wrote Andrew Exum, a former Obama-era Pentagon official, in the Atlantic. But if you assembled all of the Obama administrations critics in one room, they would not agree on an obvious alternative. The problem is wicked enough to confound easy solutions, and each policy alternative had strategic and moral deficiencies.

Instead of being weighed down by the strategic headache of Syria  what Spicer described as weakness and irresolution  you get the impression that Trump has decided to brush it all aside in favor of aggressive posturing and a steady escalation of the military campaign against the Islamic State. Its the kind of brazenness that may have deep costs  as seen in the scores of Iraqi civilians likely killed by a recent American airstrike in the city of Mosul.

This president would be wise to remember what his predecessor knew: War is a very imperfect instrument of policy, wrote Exum.

Later on Tuesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson put out a more measured statement that singled out the brutal, unabashed barbarism of the Assad regime. It scolded Assads boosters, Russia and Iran, for not ensuring the regimes compliance with a cease-fire they were supposed to guarantee and said they bear great moral responsibility for Syrian civilian deaths. This, as analysts noted, while scoring no political points at home, was more intelligent messaging in the face of a complex challenge. But for now, his boss seems content to ignore the complexity altogether.

Sign up for the Todays WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.
DEMING  A new economic opportunity may be in the future of Deming as a new company plans to extract magnesium from the Florida foothills.

American Magnesium, based out of Elephant Butte, is seeking the preliminary approval from the Bureau of Land Management to begin the process of constructing a magnesium quarry south of Deming.

The company gave several presentations to select groups of individuals Monday and is expected to give a public presentation on the projects, pending the BLA approval.

We have a low risk, long term cash cow, American Magnesium Managing Partner David Tognoni said. If its done correctly and put together correctly, it will last a very long time.

The proposed quarry would excavate rocks rich in dolomite and transport them, via conveyor belt, to a manufacturing plant in the Peru Mill Industrial Park north of town. Excavation will be done by blasting a section of the foothills in the Florida Mountains near the end of Mahoney Park Road. No start date has been set by the company as the planning stages are being defined, however the company is claiming to open over 500 potential jobs in Deming.

American Magnesium claims there is over one billion tons of magnesium ore in the Florida Mountains and plans to extract it to keep a secure and domestic source of the metal which is used in alloys for many applications.

Members of the business community, as well as city and county elected officials, were given the chance to have question-and-answer sessions with American Magnesium to voice some of the concerns of the community. Outside the meeting, several protesters to the project gathered to voice their concerns but were not allowed into the closed meeting.

We want to save our mountain, Marci Coulson said. We dont want to look on a devastated mountain like Silver City. We live out there and we dont want to see our property values go down due to the mining operation.

Coulson, along with other concerned community members were not invited to attend the informational meetings scheduled Monday at Mimbres Memorial Hospital.

During one of the meetings, Tognoni mentioned the use of blasting to extract the minerals from the foothills which would not be done every day. The operation would run similar to a rock quarry and have the goods transported off site by an enclosed conveyor belt. The belt would travel from the Floridas  15 miles north to the manufacturing plant.

The company does plan to have a public meeting about the proposed project and says they want to inform the community about the potential jobs and growth from the operation. The meeting will be announced if the BLM settles on the application process.

Jesse Moya can be reached at 575-546-2611 (ext 2608) or at jmoya@demingheadlight.com.



2017 The Deming Headlight (Deming, N.M.)

Visit The Deming Headlight (Deming, N.M.) at www.demingheadlight.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

_____
One of the things that life in the Trump administration makes you appreciate is the things you took for granted in the pre-Trump era. One of those things I took for granted was a base level of executive branch competency during crisis decision-making.

In a century in which the United States has invaded Afghanistan and Iraq and intervened in places such as Libya, this might sound laughable. But what Im talking about is great power confrontations, conflicts that could lead to a system-changing war. Tensions with China have occasionally flared up, as have tensions with Russia, or even Iran. In those cases, however, previous administrations usually recognized the stakes and the risks. They did not always back down, but neither did they needlessly escalate tensions.

This applies to economic as well as foreign policy crises. Heck, I wrote a book about the response to the 2008 financial crisis called The System Worked. Clearly, Im relatively optimistic when it comes to how American policymakers have fared in pivotal decision-making moments.

And then Donald Trump was elected president.

It is possible that the beclowning of the executive branch under the Trump administration has challenged my Zen nature a wee bit.

And that was before Wednesdays news from North Korea. According to The Washington Posts Anna Fifield:

North Korea fired another ballistic missile Wednesday morning, apparently testing a land-based version of its rocket that can be fired from a submarine, in a development that nonproliferation experts called scary. 

As a general rule, experts use words like concerning or troubling or problematic. When they use scary, its a bad sign.

So, how is the Trump administration handling this news? Well, CNN tweeted Wednesday: A senior WH official on the state of North Koreas nuclear program: The clock has now run out and all options are on the table.  A tweet from the Department of State read: Secretary (Rex) Tillerson: The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment.

I still want to think everything will be OK. Then I look at the performance of the secretary of state and the devaluing of the presidents words and I begin to wonder.

Its possible to say that even under President Trump, the response to a crisis on the Korean peninsula will be rational. Northeast Asia is where Trump has deviated the most from his campaign rhetoric. After complaining about U.S. alliances with Japan and South Korea, the administration has sounded like prior administrations. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis seems to be trusted in the region. Tillersons trip was somewhat less successful, but he did seem to please his Chinese hosts. And North Korea is an area where the Chinese do have some common interests with the United States.

But I dont think things will die down. As much as the Chinese might not like the U.S. deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) on the Korean peninsula, their overall policy seems constant. Furthermore, I doubt Trumps ability to wrangle a good deal at Mar-a-Lago this weekend with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

If theres something that really gives me pause, its the tweet from Sean Trende, senior elections analyst at RealCcearPolitics.com: Trumps job approval falls below 40% in the RCP Average.

For Trump to be polling this badly so early in his presidency is unprecedented; for this to be happening in a reasonably decent economy is even more unprecedented. What will an unpopular president who is obsessed with being popular do in such circumstances? Escalate a foreign policy crisis to get Americans to rally around the flag.

So I hope Trumps polling numbers dont continue to crater. The last thing I want to see is this president gamble for resurrection on the Korean peninsula.

 Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a regular contributor to PostEverything.

Sign up for the Todays WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.
HOUSTON  The district attorneys office prosecuting a Houston man accused of fatally shooting a sheriffs deputy at a gas station in 2015 has asked that a special prosecutor be appointed due to a possible conflict of interest.

In a court motion Wednesday, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg asked that her office be recused because her chief of staff, while in private practice, represented two witnesses who could testify on behalf of Shannon Miles, the man charged in the killing.

In late 2015, Vivian King represented the witnesses, Miles mother and brother, during a grand jury investigation into the slaying of 47-year-old Deputy Darren Goforth. Miles has been charged with capital murder in Goforths death. A decision hasnt been made on whether Miles will face the death penalty.

David Mendoza, chief of the Office of Professional Integrity in the district attorneys office, said King also spoke with one of Miles attorneys, Anthony Osso, about the case while she was in private practice. This raises a suggestion that King might have learned information about Miles confidential defense theories, he said.

We want to see this case tried once and see it tried cleanly, Mendoza said in a statement. The people of Harris County and the family of Darren Goforth deserves justice.

Osso said he expects state District Judge Susan Brown, whos presiding over the case, to appoint a special prosecutor ahead of the next hearing set for April 18.

Miles defense team was aware of the potential conflict with King, he said.

I cant say concretely we would have moved for that recusal, Osso said. The issue could have been raised at any time and the state elected to raise it on their own.

Appointing a special prosecutor will likely delay the case, which has already experienced various postponements due to questions about Miles competency. Miles had been committed to mental health facilities in 2010 and 2012.

Miles, 32, spent several months last year at the North Texas State Hospital after he was ruled incompetent to stand trial.

Last month, Judge Brown ruled Miles competent to stand trial following his hospital stay.

Prosecutors said Goforth was filling his squad car at a suburban Houston gas station when Miles shot him 15 times. They allege he attacked the deputy because he was a law enforcement officer.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter at www.twitter.com/juanlozano70
Eleven Madison Park was named the top restaurant in the world by Worlds 50 Best Restaurants on Wednesday, becoming the first American name to reach the No. 1 spot on the celebrated list since 2004. The New York restaurant bumped last years winner, Osteria Francescana in Italy, to second place.

Getting on the list has, in some estimations, become a higher prize than earning three Michelin stars, an accomplishment that many of the selected restaurants have achieved. The last American restaurant to get first place was Thomas Kellers French Laundry in 2003 and 2004.

But European restaurants have won every year since then, and tend to occupy many of the top spots on the list, even though the awards committee has increasingly given attention to Asian and South American restaurants in recent years.

The news of earning the No. 1 place brings greater attention to Eleven Madison Park chef Daniel Humm. A native of Switzerland, Humm has already been at the highest echelons of the industry, earning the restaurant three Michelin stars as well as third place on last years worlds best list, after an 11-year absence of American restaurants in the top three. At the time, he attributed the rise to the restaurants turn toward minimalism.

I believe very much that less is more. Theres no room for error, it has to be perfect and work very well, he told The Post in 2016. He added: As a chef, it took me a long time to find myself.

A recent Esquire profile of the chef presciently called Humm the best chef in America. But it also portrayed a chef who doesnt command as much name recognition as the likes of David Chang, Danny Meyer and Thomas Keller. Maybe I feel like in all this time, no one really knows who I am, Humm told Esquire writer Jeff Gordinier.

That may soon change. In the same profile, Meyer, the restaurateur behind Union Square Cafe and Shake Shack, praised Humm as a chef who can actually satisfy my mind and my hedonistic needs at the same time. Very few people can be a virtuoso as well as a pop artist.

The Worlds 50 Best Restaurants awards committee is composed of chefs, food writers and industry experts from around the world. Both France and Spain had six restaurants on this years list, including the third-place El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain, which has topped the list twice.

Five other American restaurants made the top 50 list. The greatest ascent came from Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Dan Barbers Pocantico Hills, New York, restaurant, which earned 11th place on this years list, after coming in 48th last year.

The other restaurants are: Le Bernadin in New York (17th place); Alinea, Chicago (21st); Saison, San Francisco (37); Cosme, New York (40).

Sign up for the Todays WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.
Five Payless ShoeSource outlets will close in New Mexico, including one in Albuquerque, as part of the companys decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Closures include the store at 8220 Montgomery, along with two in Roswell and one each in Alamogordo and Las Vegas, N.M., The Topeka, Kan.-based retailer said Wednesday. New Mexico will still have 20 lcations, including nine in Albuquerque.

Payless will close nearly 400 stores nationwide as part of the reorganization. It has over 4,400 stores in more than 30 countries and was founded in 1956. It plans to reduce its debt by almost 50 percent, lower how much it pays in interest and line up funds. The company says some of its lenders have agreed to make available up to $385 million to keep the stores running.

This is a difficult, but necessary, decision driven by the continued challenges of the retail environment, which will only intensify, said Payless CEO Paul Jones in a statement.

Shoppers are increasingly shifting their buying online or going to discount stores like T.J. Maxx to grab deals on designer brands. That shift has hurt traditional retailers, even low-price outlets like Payless.

In fact, Moodys Investor Service said earlier this year that the number of distressed retailers  those with cash problems and lots of debt that are facing strong competition  is at the highest rate since 2009. It named Payless as one of the retailers.

A number of retailers have closed stores or gone out of business in 2017. The Limited closed all 250 of its remaining stores early this year. It had operated nearly 400 stores at the end of 2000. Teen retailer Wet Seal in January said it would close its 171 stores.
By Press Trust of India: (Editors: Adds quotes of Deputy CM)

Patna, Apr 5 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi today urged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to set up an all-party committee to probe the soil purchase scam in which, he alleged, minister Tej Pratap Yadav was involved.

"Since the RJD supremo is open to probe by any agency, the Chief Minister should set up an all-party committee to probe the alleged soil purchase scam without any delay," Modi said in a statement.

advertisement

Modi yesterday charged Environment and Forest Minister Tej Pratap Yadav of RJD with giving contract of Rs 90 lakh to a company for earth filling work in Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park or Patna zoo without tender and demanded his ouster from the cabinet.

While Yadav threatened to file defamation case against Modi, his father RJD chief Lalu Prasad said his family was ready to face investigation by any agency.

All documents related to the alleged scam should be sealed as those papers might be tampered with by the accused, Modi said.

On the zoo authorities contention that the soil purchased for the work was not bought from the under-construction mall owned by the RJD supremos family as claimed by Modi, the BJP leader asked for testing of the soils from both the spots to ascertain whether it was same or not.

Modi alleged that RJD chief Prasad had a habit of brushing aside scams that took place during the RJD rule including fodder scam in which Prasad was convicted four years ago.

BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Prem Kumar also demanded a probe into the soil purchase case.

On the other hand, Lalu Prasads other son and Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav termed Modi a "propagandist for the his "baseless accusation".

He also charged the media with indulging in "character assassination" of his brother without verifying facts.

Senior RJD leader and minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui defended and JD(U) chief state spokesman Sanjay Singh also hit out at Modi for making "baseless statements."

Meanwhile, television channels today were busy capturing a truck carrying cow dung from Lalu Prasads wife Rabri Devis 10 Circular Road residence.

The RJD chief yesterday said his family has been providing cow dung to the Patna zoo free for the past one-and-a-half years for its use. PTI KDK SNS NN

--- ENDS ---
The Navy Department has grounded its entire fleet of T-45 trainer jets after instructor pilots raised concerns about the ability of aviators to breathe in them while flying, military officials said, expanding the scope of safety concerns about U.S. military aircraft.

Senior Navy officials made the decision amid problems with physiological episodes, said Cmdr. Jeanette Groeneveld, a Navy spokeswoman. The term defines incidents in which the amount of oxygen a pilot breathes is reduced or contaminated or a cockpit is depressurized, causing lightheadedness and, in the worst cases, blackouts.

Rear Adm. Dell Bull, the chief of naval air training, will keep all 197 of the single-engine, black-and-orange aircraft grounded as engineering experts meet in person with pilots at training wings in Kingsville, Texas; Meridian, Miss.; and Pensacola, Fla., Groeneveld said. The meetings began Monday in Kingsville and will be carried out in Mississippi and Florida on Tuesday.

We take the concerns of our air crew seriously and have directed a two-day safety pause for the T-45 community to allow time for naval aviation leadership to engage with the pilots, hear their concerns and discuss the risk mitigations, as well as the efforts that are ongoing to correct this issue, Groeneveld said.

The grounding could be extended longer than two days, depending on what is discovered, she said. The issue has primarily been caused by contamination in breathing systems.

There has not been a smoking gun, she said of the cause. There is nothing that has said, This is it, and we can fix it and move on.

Fox News reported Monday night that more than 100 Navy pilots were boycotting flying the T-45 until the issue is resolved. One of the pilots potentially affected is Marine 1st Lt. Michael Pence, the son of Vice President Pence, the report said. He is a flight student at Naval Air Station Meridian in Mississippi.

The grounding of the T-45s comes a week after senior U.S. military officials told the House Armed Services Committees subcommittee on tactical air and land forces that the F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Super Hornet, EA-18 Growler and T-45 all have seen a sharp spike in physiological episodes since 2010, when the Navy Department began tracking the issue.

The worst spike occurred in the Growlers, which carry out electronic warfare. There were 5.52 physiological episodes recorded per 100,000 hours of flight in the plane in fiscal 2011, but the rate jumped to 15 per 100,000 hours in fiscal 2014, 42.9 in fiscal 2015 and 90.8 in fiscal 2016, according to congressional testimony.

The Hornet also saw significant problems. In fiscal 2011, there were about 10.9 physiological episodes per 100,000 hours of flight, but the rate jumped to 21 in fiscal 2013 and 57.2 in fiscal 2016.

The T-45 had about 11.9 physiological episodes per 100,000 hours of flight in 2012, but the rate jumped to 18.4 by 2014 and about 47 in 2016, according to Navy statistics.

A Navy officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said the problem in the T-45 is likely even worse recently. He characterized the decision of flight instructors to not fly as not so much a strike, but instead instructors invoking their responsibility to not fly when there is significant enough risk to the aircraft and personnel.

Navy instructors decided not to fly Monday, while Marine Corps pilots continued to fly, the officer said. The admirals decision to ground the entire T-45 fleet affects all of them, he added.



Thomas Gibbons-Neff contributed to this report.

Sign up for the Todays WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.
WASHINGTON  The Senate Armed Services Committee voted 22-5 Wednesday in support of former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilsons nomination to be secretary of the Air Force.

The nomination of Wilson, a Republican who represented New Mexico in the House from 1998 to 2009, now goes to the full Senate for a final vote.

Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat who sits on the Armed Services Committee, voted in favor of Wilsons nomination Wednesday after signaling support in her confirmation hearing last week.

Having a New Mexican perspective will provide significant value to the Air Force, Heinrich said in a statement provided to the

Journal .

New Mexico has three Air Force bases that Wilson will oversee if confirmed: Kirtland, Canon and Holloman.

Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the Armed Services Committees ranking Democrat, and Democratic Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts each voted against Wilson on Wednesday.

Sen. John McCain, the committees chairman, asked Wilson some pointed questions during her hearing last week about a contract she signed with Sandia National Laboratories. He and other senators quizzed her about sparse invoicing for the work and the type of work she did for Sandias then-manager, Lockheed Martin, after she left Congress.

After Wednesdays vote, McCain, who supported Wilson, told The Hill newspaper he was satisfied with Wilsons answers last week.

I saw no evidence that she violated ethics, McCain said. I asked her those questions from the beginning of the hearing and got satisfactory answers; at least they satisfied me.
PHOENIX  Gov. Doug Ducey is caught between the state legislature and county prosecutors after lawmakers unanimously approved a bill that would make it tougher for prosecutors to seize property from people suspected of a crime.

House Bill 2477 by Republican Rep. Eddie Farnsworth is meant to reform rules dictating when prosecutors can seize the property of those suspected of a crime. Officers can currently seize property based on suspicion alone without the need of a conviction or a charge. Police and prosecutors acquire Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization or RICO funds after seized property is forfeited.

The measure comes after recent inquiries into whether officials in Pinal County have misused seizure profits and a guilty plea from a former top Pima County official to misusing RICO funds in February.

The issue of RICO abuse has been growing across the nation in the past few years. Lawmakers in Iowa and Idaho backed overhauls of their state programs this year.

The full Arizona Senate unanimously passed the amended measure Monday, sending it back to the House for final approval before it heads to Gov. Doug Duceys desk. The House had unanimously approved the original bill in February.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said he has made his opposition to the measure clear to the governor, but said Wednesday he has not communicated a formal veto request.

There still is the outside chance in the legislative process that remaining concerns could be addressed, Montgomery said. I dont want to be a fatalist.

The proposal is backed by diverse groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona and the state chapter of Americans for Prosperity.

Farnsworth said RICO laws have deviated from their original intent to pursue big criminal enterprises like cartels and are now hitting smaller time infractions. He said his bill will increase accountability through its reporting requirements and redirect the laws to fulfill their actual purpose.

Farnsworth said the Legislatures unanimous approval thus far tells him that there is obviously a pent-up demand for reform because of whats going on.

The measure would change Arizonas civil asset forfeiture laws to require prosecutors to prove property was involved in a crime by clear and convicting evidence, a step above the current standard.

Opponents say the changes would cause logistical issues for county boards of supervisors and county attorneys. They also criticize the bills further standard of proof requirement and the claim that excessive seizures take place.

The bill would require agencies to apply for RICO funding through the attorney generals office or county attorney with a description of the monies proposed use, and later gain approval by the board of supervisors.

Gov. Doug Ducey said Tuesday he thinks this is an area of law that is in need of reform, although he didnt say whether he would sign the measure.

____

Associated Press reporters Bob Christie and Jacques Billeaud contributed to this story
What do Get Out, The Purge: Election Year and the Trump administration all have in common? Pretty soon, itll be this guy: Josh Raffel, the public relations head at Blumhouse Productions whom Jared Kushner recently hired to help run the newly minted White House Office of American Innovation.

Raffel, who once worked with the Kushner family business at a PR shop in New York, will run communications at Kushners new West Wing shop, which aims to bring private-sector efficiency to the federal government, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Most recently, Raffel was the head of communications at Blumhouse, the production company that has churned out low-budget horror flicks such as Paranormal Activity for a major profit.

The companys latest hit is the critically acclaimed Get Out, comedian Jordan Peeles frightening rumination on race. That movie had a budget of less than $5 million and has made more than $150 million and counting. Basically, the company spins terror into gold, and as head of marketing, Raffels job was to craft the best message to sell, sell, sell. Now hell be bringing that particular set of skills to the Trump White House.

Sign up for the Todays WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.
The Maryland House on Wednesday gave final legislative approval to a paid-sick-leave bill, with enough support to override a promised veto by Gov. Larry Hogan, R.

The bill also passed the Senate with a veto-proof majority, ensuring that Maryland is on target to become the eighth state to require employers to provide paid sick leave.

Liz Richards, the executive director of the Working Matters Coalition, described the bill as a fair and reasonable solution to a very serious problem.

She and other advocates who have pushed for the benefit for the past five years urged the governor to change his mind and sign the measure. If Hogan vetoes the bill, lawmakers will not have an opportunity to override the veto until next years legislative session, meaning the bill would not take effect until 2018.

But before the 90-day session ends next week, the General Assembly is expected to override several of the governors vetoes.

On Wednesday, the governor vetoed an education-accountability bill that he says would threaten the states well-earned reputation as a national educational leader.

Supporters of the measure say the bill provides more transparency in how the state rates schools and identifies low-performing schools. It also prohibits the state from privatizing failing schools.

Instead of racing to the top, we would be trapped in a race to the bottom, Hogan said of the bills impact.

The governor has until midnight Wednesday to decide the fate of 16 other pieces of legislation that were sent to his desk last week. Democrats used a provision in the state constitution that requires the governor to sign or veto any measures he receives within six days of the legislature adjourning. If the governor takes no action, the bills become law.

The bills awaiting action from the governor include a bill that would provide $1 million to the Attorney Generals Office to challenge Trump administration policies, a measure that requires the state to reimburse Planned Parenthood clinics if Congress defunds them, and a bill that provides $100 million to Prince Georges County Hospital Center.

Hogan proposed a paid-sick-leave bill that required the benefit only for companies with at least 50 workers and made tax incentives available for smaller companies that offered paid sick leave.

That measure never moved out of committee.

The bill passed by the General Assembly requires employers with 15 or more workers to provide five days of paid sick leave. It does not offer tax incentives to help offset the cost.

The House agreed to several Senate amendments, including reducing the amount of paid sick leave an employee can earn from 56 hours to 40 hours a year; dropping the amount they can carry over from one year to the next from 56 hours to 40 hours; and limiting the amount they can use annually from 80 hours to 64 hours.

Other changes increase the minimum number of hours a part-time employee must work to qualify for earned sick leave from eight hours a week to 12, and allows employees to use the benefit for parental leave after the birth of a child.

House Minority Leader Nicholaus Kipke, R-Anne Arundel, said Republicans support the general concept of paid sick leave but felt that parts of the bill are overly burdensome and costly to the most small, vulnerable businesses in our state.

Del. Luke Clippinger, D-Baltimore, the bill sponsor, urged the governor to sign the measure, noting that an estimated 700,000 Marylanders would be qualified to take time off work for illness if it takes effect.

Weve got a great bill, he said.

Democrats and Republicans disagreed over which bill would result in more workers earning paid sick leave. House Minority Whip Kathy Szeliga, R-Baltimore County, said Hogans plan would help more people because the tax incentive would encourage even the smallest businesses to offer the perk, but Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk, D-Prince Georges, countered that Clippingers proposal guarantees the benefit to more people.

Arizona, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Oregon, Vermont and Washington state have laws in place requiring employers to offer paid sick leave, along with the District of Columbia, Montgomery County in Maryland and several other localities across the country.

Sign up for the Todays WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.
Agents for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 82 people in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia last week, including one who they said was identified as an officer in command of a Somali organization known for human rights abuses, rape, torture and killings.

The arrests included 68 people with previous criminal convictions, ICE said in a news release that described the five-day operation as a routine targeted immigration enforcement.

Those who have outstanding orders of deportation, or who returned to the United States illegally after being deported, can be immediately removed from the country. Others will remain in custody awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge, or pending deportation arrangements.

The Somali, a 50-year-old man, was picked up in Falls Church, Virginia, and was a second lieutenant in the Somali National Security Service who had a felony drug conviction, ICE said.

Agents also took into custody two people who have ties to the MS-13 street gang, ICE said, two who already had been given final deportation orders, and three who had overstayed their visas.

ICE said two of the targeted individuals had pending local charges and one was wanted by a foreign law enforcement organization. Three more had unlawfully entered the United States, the agency said.

Most were arrested in Virginia, but two were arrested in the District and one in Maryland. Their names were not released.

Similar sweeps happened during the Obama administration. But there has been heightened scrutiny of such actions since the inauguration of President Trump, who promised to crack down on illegal immigration.

Those who were arrested came from 26 countries, the agency said, including:

A 40-year-old citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, who was arrested in Norfolk, Virginia, and has convictions for felony drug distribution and firearm possessions.

A 45-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic, arrested in Chesterfield, Virginia, who has felony convictions for sale of cocaine and attempted robbery.

A 22-year-old citizen of Honduras, arrested in Fairfax, who has felony convictions for stolen goods and grand larceny.

A 34-year-old citizen of El Salvador, arrested in Chesterfield, who ICE said is a documented MS-13 gang member who was removed from the United States in 2006.

A 57-year-old citizen of Honduras, arrested in Richmond, Virginia, who has felony convictions for grand larceny and inflicting corporal injury to a spouse.

Sign up for the Todays WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.
Top Democrats in the Maryland legislature have agreed to expand the ranks of medical marijuana growers in the state as part of an overhaul of the burgeoning but beleaguered industry.

Lawmakers are still wrangling, however, over which businesses should have a shot at entry into the lucrative market.

Fifteen companies preapproved last year by regulators can open cultivation sites as early as summer if they pass final inspections and background checks.

Five more growing licenses would be granted under a bill that passed the House of Delegates on Tuesday and is aimed at favoring minority-owned companies.

That bill will probably be amended in the Senate Finance Committee as early as Thursday. House and Senate negotiators say theyre on the brink of a compromise over how many new licenses to issue and whether to shrink the total number of growers if any company fails inspection.

The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, the largest caucus in the legislature, is insistent on expanding minority participation in the industry, after the Maryland Medical Marijuana Commission failed to license any African American-owned growers.

Lawmakers are also trying to address the concerns of two other companies who sued the state after regulators rejected their applications in favor of lower-ranked bids from geographic regions of Maryland where no growers had been approved.

But the 15 businesses already given cultivation licenses have banded together to oppose expanding the market, sayingtheir business plans and pitches to investors were based on having an early and exclusive foothold in the industry.

The way this whole entire thing was handled by this commission was really screwed up, so really the legislature is trying to resolve a messy situation, said Sen. Thomas Middleton, D-Calvert, who chairs the Finance Committee that is amending the medical marijuana bill.

As written, the legislation passed by the House calls for an expedited study of racial disparities that could be completed in time to justify a race-conscious selection of five new growers as early as fall.

The Black Caucus has dropped its demand that no medical marijuana businesses start operating until minority-controlled businesses got licenses.

We dont want to delay the process, said Del. Cheryl Glenn, the Baltimore Democrat who chairs the caucus. We do want the patients . . . to be able to get the medications.

Middleton says he is supportive of the House legislation, which has more licenses meant for minority-owned companies than the Senate version. But he and other powerful senators, including Senate President Thomas Mike Miller, D-Calvert, want to offer two additional olive branches to other industry players.

If any of the original 15 growers fail to pass inspections, they want to throw those licenses out of the pool rather than giving them to the next highest-ranked companies. This would effectively reduce the amount of competition among growers.

And they would also give licenses to Maryland Cultivation and Processing and Green Thumb Industries, the two companies denied in the name of geographic diversity.

Those companies have agreed to drop their lawsuits if a compromise is approved. If Middletons proposal for as many as 22 grower licenses gets pushback, Glenn said, the Black Caucus will prioritize licenses for minority-owned companies over the applicants suing the state.

They absolutely were wronged by the commission, Glenn said of Maryland Cultivation and Processing and Green Thumb Industries. But Im not willing to sacrifice any of the licenses that we have negotiated to be awarded to African Americans and other minorities.

A leader of the Maryland Wholesale Medical Cannabis Association, which represents preapproved growers and processors, said the association was opposed to arbitrarily increasing the number of licenses by nearly 50 percent to help applicants that fell short.

Our members relied on commitments from the state when making their business decisions, and it is reasonable for them to expect that the state would honor those commitments, Jake Van Wingerden, president of Cecil Countys SunMed Growers, said in a statement. Many of our members are just months away from delivering medical cannabis to patients, and we are opposed to any changes that would cause additional delays to this important program.

The licensing changes are encountering some Republican resistance  although GOP lawmakers do not have a strong enough presence in the legislature to threaten passage.

They want to do a lot of things in a very critical point for this industry, and I do not want to see that because I want to see the industry move forward, Del. Susan Krebs, R-Carroll. Im concerned about delays, and Im also concerned about new lawsuits.

The legislation would restructure the marijuana commission as well.

It also contains a provision to bar lawmakers from working in the industry, in response to the ethics probe of Del. Dan Morhaim, D-Baltimore County, who was reprimanded by the House for trying to shape industry regulations without fully disclosing he was affiliated with a prospective dispensary.

Sign up for the Todays WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.
PHOENIX  The Arizona House has passed legislation that would specify aggravated assault against off-duty police officers is a crime equal to assaulting on-duty officers.

The proposal by sponsor Republican Sen. Steve Smith would mandate calling the act the Blue Lives Matter Law. Smith says the measure is necessary because directly assaulting officers shouldnt be tolerated on any level.

Senate Bill 1366 notes aggravated assault against police officers includes those that are not on duty or engaged in the execution of any official duties.

Democratic Rep. Reginald Bolding called the measures title disrespectful and said the bill is an affront to issues concerning the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Houses 34-25 vote Wednesday sends the legislation back to the Senate for final approval before it heads to Gov. Doug Duceys desk.
Scott Gottlieb, the physician-entrepreneur who is President Donald Trumps nominee to head the Food and Drug Administration, told senators Wednesday that the nations opioid crisis is a public health emergency on the order of Ebola and Zika and requires dramatic action by the agency and the rest of government.

During his confirmation hearing before the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Gottlieb described the FDA as complicit, even if unwittingly, in helping to fuel the opioid epidemic. Officials, he said, didnt fully recognize the scope of the emerging problem several years ago and needed a new strategy to combat the issues involved.

Developing that strategy, he added, would be his highest and most immediate priority and involve taking a hard look at the FDAs framework for approving painkillers and pressing for greater availability of nonaddictive painkillers.

Gottlieb, a high-ranking FDA official during the George W. Bush administration, was welcomed warmly by Republicans, who praised his experience in industry, medicine and the government. With strong support from Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., his confirmation seems all but assured. The committee vote is at least two weeks away because of an upcoming congressional recess.

The nominee took some flak from Democrats, who worried that his long-standing financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry would impair his ability to regulate it.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the panels ranking minority member, said she remained uneasy about Gottliebs unprecedented entanglements with the industry, despite his agreement to recuse himself for a year from any decisions involving the more than 20 companies with which he has had financial relationships since leaving the government in 2007.

I do struggle to see how this means your views are not shaped by your investments, she said, adding that shes also concerned President Trump, who has described the FDA drug-approval process as slow and burdensome, might pressure him to lower safety and efficacy standards to speed products to market.

But the 44-year-old Gottlieb, who worked for New Enterprise Associates, one of the worlds largest venture capital firms, pledged to be an impartial and passionate advocate for public health and said that there is one standard for safety and effectiveness and no commissioner can change that.

During the hearing, he was questioned on a variety of issues, including vaccine safety. Trump has repeatedly suggested that theres a link between vaccines and autism  a widely discredited theory.

Gottlieb said the purported vaccines-autism link has been one of the most exhaustively studied questions in scientific history. Now, he said, We need to come to the point where we can accept no for an answer and come to the conclusion that there is no causal link between vaccination and autism.

His comments on opioids came a day after two Democratic senators whose states have been ravaged by prescription painkillers  Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Sherrod Brown of Ohio  came out in opposition to his nomination. Both argued that Gottliebs, as well as his extensive writings on FDA issues, suggested that he didnt support using the necessary tools to fight the epidemic.

In particular, they criticized a 2012 article in which he questioned the Drug Enforcement Administrations efforts to police opioids. He wrote that the DEAs approach was burdening a lot of innocent patients and suggested that some of its responsibilities be turned over to the Department of Health and Human Services.

During the hearing, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., urged Gottlieb to aggressively scrutinize pain management in general and to seek additional help from Congress if needed. Late last month, Trump appointed a high-profile commission, chaired by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, R, to combat the crisis. Gottlieb was not immediately named as a member, and its not clear whether he will join if confirmed as FDA commissioner by the Senate.

Gottlieb said he would take an all-of-the-above approach in trying to find solutions to the opioid problem but also added that has become too big for the FDA to solve on its own.

This is a staggering human tragedy that is going to require dramatic action on the part of the agency, he said. He acknowledged that the agencys response had been too incremental over the years, though he said he wasnt criticizing his predecessors.

Much of the hearing  and most of the Democratic senators questions  focused on Gottliebs business connections to the drug industry. After serving as deputy FDA commissioner, he worked for numerous companies and investment firms in a variety of roles, including as a consultant, paid speaker, investor and adviser.

Gottlieb said he would take additional steps to ensure that neither he nor the agency is compromised by his prior relationships with industry. He already has stepped down from various boards and sold his interests in several health-care companies, he said in an ethics agreement he recently filed with federal officials.

Sign up for the Todays WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.
Before you do anything else, curator Chris Meyer said the minute I arrived at the National Museum of Natural Historys Invertebrate Zoology collection, you have to vote for beauty.

He led me through a maze of cabinets to a counter laid out with a wire bingo cage and dozens of cowrie shells. Meyer instructed me to spin the cage five times and read out the numbers that appeared, then handed me a box containing the five corresponding shells.

Nestled in their box, the cowries reminded me of a childs marble collection. Each oblong shell had the same basic shape: a rounded, impossibly smooth top and a flat bottom with a slit-like opening in the center. The smallest was no bigger than my thumbnail, with green and brown speckles dotting its slick surface. The largest was as big as my palm. It had a lovely orange hue, and I flipped it over to reveal an opening edged with fine purple teeth.

I was supposed to rank the shells from most beautiful to least. Later, Meyer would add my ranking to a database that he is using to pinpoint trends in visitors conception of beauty.

I found it difficult to choose a favorite.

They are spectacular, Meyer agreed, Theyre like natures gems.

Drawn by their exquisite appearance, humans have been collecting cowries for tens of thousands of years. They may well be the original collected objects  the prehistoric predecessors to diamonds and gold. The oldest examples of jewelry ever found, dating back as early as 100,000 years, were made of cowries and other shells. As time went on, cowries became symbols of power and a form of currency. European explorers filled their curio cabinets with the creatures. Today, collectors search the tropics in search of ever-rarer and more perfect specimens.

For whatever reason, people are just fascinated, Meyer said. And thats what were trying to understand. What is it that is attracting people to have this fascination? What do people value about them?

A cowrie, or any natural object, can be valued in a number of ways. Theres the obvious metric, price, which for cowries is inextricably tied to their beauty. The most magnificent cowries are like works of art Meyer said. Its rumored that the most expensive cowrie ever sold for more than $50,000. The NMNH collection, which contains some 50,000 specimens, is likely worth millions (though the Smithsonian would tell you that its collections are invaluable.)

Then theres cowries scientific value. The Cypraeidae family includes more than 200 living species of cowrie and extends back to the age of the dinosaurs. The animals themselves are sea snails: small and slimy, with flaps of flesh that extend out over the shell to enclose it like a jacket. These flaps of skin secrete the pigments that create the characteristic complex designs on the shells surface.

Cowries hide in caves and under rocks during the day and come alive at night, when they feed on corals and algae and are fed on by crabs and octopuses. The animals can be used as bellwethers of coral reef diversity, and their shells make extraordinarily good fossils, so they can be studied to understand ancient reefs.

Theyre really useful as a model, said Meyer, whose research is focused on why cowries diversify into new species and what makes them go extinct.

But theres a third approach to valuing nature  one that has nothing to do with how much a person might pay for it, or what a scientist might learn.

What is the value of the animal in its habitat? Meyer asked. Species perform very particular roles in ecosystems, and the potential impacts of removing them from these ecosystems are hard to predict.

So, what if tomorrow we wake up and there are no cowries on the reefs? What would happen?

The question has loomed large in Meyers mind recently. A few years ago, Meyer received word that a collector working off the coast of Oman had just uncovered a species long believed to be extinct: Cypraea teulerie.

This species isnt necessarily the loveliest member of its group  the strawberry-sized shells are dappled blown and gray with a chocolate-colored blotch on top and a bold white stripe down the middle  but it is exceedingly rare. The teulerie is a living fossil, a member of an ancient lineage with no other surviving species, and it was previously thought to live only in certain areas around the island of Masirah off Oman. Dwelling in the shallow, crystalline waters of the Arabian Sea, they were once easy to collect; enthusiasts scooped the shells up by the bucketful and sold them for as much as $500. Within a decades, the area were they were known to live had been picked clean.

Sea creatures like cowries are generally resilient to extinction, Meyer said. They reproduce by the hundreds, usually by spraying eggs into the water column and letting them float across the sea. This wide distribution makes it difficult to eliminate any one species by hand  though the global impacts of pollution and climate change mean humans can still pose a threat.

But the teulerie is a direct developer. It broods its eggs in discarded clam shells; once hatched, the young only ever travel as far as they can crawl. As a consequence, the species is concentrated in small, highly specialized areas. And once those areas has been identified by collectors, the cowries are in danger.

No one had collected a live teulerie in at least 20 years when, in 2012, an Italian enthusiast named Massimo Scali announced hed found a new cache of teuleries off the relatively unexplored southern coast of Masirah.

Now Meyer has been invited to go to Oman to collect the rare creatures for his research at the museum.

Im relatively conflicted about it, Meyer told me over the phone several weeks ago. If youre going to take the life of a creature and put it in a collection . . . there are real ethical questions involved.

The teulerie is rare, ancient, and arguably on the brink of extinction, he noted  all points against a collecting trip. Then again, the sole surviving member of a 25-million-year-old lineage could contain untold secrets about cowries evolutionary past. Plus, he mused, death is the fate of all animals. A cowrie that doesnt get collected will just end up in a fish gut.

Even so, knowing what we know about it, I would emphasize probably not collecting more, he said.

By the time I visited Meyer in the invertebrate zoology collection a week later, his thinking was more settled. If he gets permission from the Omani government, he will travel to Masirah to collect  and hell use the opportunity to raise awareness of the cowries vulnerability.

The situation with teulerie . . . forces me to confront the impacts we have on our planet and to take an active role in how we address conservation and mitigate the human footprint on the planet, he said. And it hits home for me, as a researcher on cowries, tremendously. It was like, wow . . . its going to be hard to get out of bed tomorrow unless I do something. Because there arent very many people out there who would.

Ultimately, Meyer decided that someone would need to stand up for cowries innate value  the kind that cant be measured in dollars or number of published studies.

He will try to keep the impact of his field research to a minimum, limiting his sampling to small amounts of tissue for genetic analysis. He will also recommend that researchers etch the shells they find with a small knife, marring the intricate patterns of their shells. This doesnt hurt the animal  cowries have weak eyes, hunt at night, and probably care a heck of a lot more how someone smells than what their shell looks like, Meyer said. Yet the etching spoils cowries value on the collectors market.

Some might consider this act of defacement equal to scratching a Michaelangelo sculpture or the face of a precious gem. But Meyer thinks his colleagues will understand why its necessary. Without more cautious collecting, there will be no teulerie left for anyone in a matter of years.

Were in this interesting crux of documenting and inventorying the diversity of the planet in a way that no generation before us could, right as that diversity is disappearing, he said. I just think that part of the moral imperative of being a good scientist, is telling these stories and documenting change and having good example species that people care about.

Which brings him back to the vote for beauty project. The studys stated goal is to understand what draws people to natural objects, so that the museum can do a better job picking its poster child for exhibits on biodiversity. In this way, the various metrics for calculating a cowries value can complement each other: their beauty might help scientists protect the animals and their habitats and ensure the future of cowrie research.

On weekday afternoons, Meyer and his colleagues will bring a box of cowries and the bingo cage up into the ocean exhibit hall. The experiment always draws a crowd. So far, the scientists have catalogued the preferences of more than 10,000 visitors to the museum. Theyve found that children under 10 prefer bigger shells, while women like small ones. Everyone gravitates toward shells with bright colors and bold patterns  contrast is what makes humans click. By now, Meyer can usually predict how a person will rank their shells as soon as he hands them over.

But not always.

Whats fascinating is everybody has their own way of looking at the world, and its different yet similar. Theres things you can predict and theres things that will surprise you, he said. Thats the beauty of diversity.

  

Video: The Smithsonian Natural History Museums invertebrate zoology collection includes about 50,000 cowrie shells. Heres why some of these gems might be too beautiful for their own good. MUST CREDIT: Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post.

URL: http://wapo.st/2oBZ8qd

Sign up for the Todays WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.
By Press Trust of India: Dehradun, Apr 5 (PTI) Swine flu has claimed its first victim in Uttarakhand this season with a middle-aged man dying of the disease while four others have tested positive for the virus, a senior health official said today.

A 52-year-old man from Rajawala area of the city was admitted to the Himalayan Hospital here when he began showing symptoms of swine flu.

advertisement

His samples were sent to Delhi for lab testing while he was immediately put under treatment, Chief Medical Officer YS Thapliyal said.

While his report was still awaited the patient died during treatment on March 26, he said, adding the report from Delhi has confirmed that he was suffering from swine flu.

Samples of 27 suspected swine flu patients have been taken from the district out of which four have tested positive for the disease. PTI ALM DV

--- ENDS ---
Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz (D) signed an order Wednesday prohibiting county law enforcement from inquiring about the immigration status of anyone they encounter.

The order also says police and sheriffs deputies cannot hold detainees past their release dates at the request of federal deportation agents, unless those agents have presented a judicial order.

We do this because it promotes sound police practices, Kamenetz said at a news conference. We want to continue to maintain the community trust among the residents we are obligated to protect. Driving people underground makes us less safe.

The executive order broadly prevents discriminating against people or withholding benefits based on their immigration status. It also limits police cooperation with federal authorities except in the case of a criminal warrant signed by a judicial official.

The measure mirrors a state bill that passed the House of Delegates last month but has stalled in the Senate. The legislation, known as the Trust Act, would apply similar policies statewide, with exceptions for jurisdictions participating in a special federal program that trains and uses local police for immigration enforcement.

Senate President Thomas Mike Miller Jr., D-Calvert, has said the Trust Act will not pass in its current form, warning that Maryland is not going to become a sanctuary state. He added Wednesday that passing the bill could harm the states chances of landing the FBIs new headquarters, for which plans are on hold.

Sen. Bobby Zirkin, D-Baltimore County, who chairs a Senate committee reviewing the legislation, said Wednesday that the panel might advance a watered-down version of the bill that removes the language limiting detainment of undocumented immigrants while retaining parts that deal with questioning individuals about citizenship status.

CASA, an immigrant advocacy organization, said Baltimore County is the first large jurisdiction in Maryland to formally put in writing policies directly challenging the Trump administrations promised crackdown on illegal immigration.

The executive order closely resembles sanctuary policies in cities and communities around the country that President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have said could cost those jurisdictions federal aid dollars.

The small city of Hyattsville passed a similar policy Monday night, and Fairfax County, Virginias most populous jurisdiction, passed a resolution Tuesday affirming that it welcomes immigrants.

Kamenetz said his signature represents the countys commitment to reject the unconstitutional and hateful agenda of the president. He also urged lawmakers in the states Democratic-majority legislature to pass the Trust Act, which Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has vowed to veto if it passes.

The county receives about $110 million in federal grants for programs for senior citizens, veterans, the police department and mental health services  none of which have any direct relation to Trumps immigration policy.

Kamenetz, who is weighing a bid to challenge Hogan in 2018, said Trumps threats are inconsistent with the Constitution and Supreme Court rulings that say the federal government cannot use the denial of federal funds to coerce a jurisdiction into following specific policy directives that are unrelated to the allocation.

We would challenge in court any efforts to deny funds, he said.

Kamenetz previously directed Baltimore County police not to participate in efforts to identify illegal immigrants among college students, saying he supported efforts by many universities to create sanctuary campuses after Trumps election.

Sign up for the Todays WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.
OLYMPIA, Wash.  Calissa Knox thought of the beach as a peaceful escape until the man who sexually abused her moved a block away from it.

Since then, the 19-year-old has returned to court to file for a sexual assault protection order against him for the second time. A measure proposed by Washington state lawmakers would allow a judge to make such orders permanent.

Now, if victims want to renew an order requiring assailants to stay away, they must reappear in court every two years. Victims are not guaranteed to have the same judge and are likely to have to face the offender.

Thats the worst part, Knox said. Just when I think Im making progress and moving on, I have to see him and relive the whole thing all over again.

Knox said she was sexually abused for a year by a family member when she was 4.

The Associated Press normally does not name people who say they are victims of sexual assault, but Knox said she wanted to explain the trauma that victims typically go through by having to repeat the renewal process.

It is a really deep form of hurting someone else and is never really something that goes away, she said. There are a lot of feelings and emotions that can last a whole lifetime.

Republican Sen. Joe Fain, sponsor of the legislation, said Senate Bill 5256 aligns sexual assault protection orders with other orders for crimes such as domestic violence, stalking or harassment.

Theres no reason why these victims should be treated any differently, Fain said. He or she should have the opportunity to protect themselves permanently, not just temporarily.

The Republican-controlled Senate passed the measure on a 43-6 vote last month and it now awaits a possible floor vote in the Democratic-controlled House.

As of 2015, 28 states allow sexual assault civil protection orders, according to the American Bar Association. Of those, at least two allow them to be permanent  Colorado and Montana.

In Washington state, about 3,314 sexual assault protection orders were filed over a six-year period, according to the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center.

Laura Shaver testified on behalf of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Washington Defender Association at a hearing last month calling the lifetime protection too burdensome.

Shaver said the bill tries to mirror the domestic violence statute but the two types of orders have big differences. Instead, she suggested changing the renewal period to five years.

She did not return calls and emails from The Associated Press seeking further explanation.

Fain said the proposal has stalled in previous years because of gun rights concerns.

His measure would allow a person targeted in a sexual assault protection order to avoid having to forfeit their firearms indefinitely if they can prove to a court that they are no longer a threat to the victim or others.

If the offender can prove they are no longer a threat to the victim, they should have the right to access their guns or weapons, Fain said.

With the added protection for both the victim and the offender, Fain said he is hopeful that the bill will end up on the governors desk this year.

I just want the sense to know Ill be OK on my own, said Knox. Even if its just going to the beach.
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 05.04.2017 - We must demonstrate a shared determination to seek dialogue and to find a negotiated solution to the conflict. We must call on all parties to abandon maximalist positions, to take concrete steps towards peace. With these words, Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, presented Switzerlands position at the Syria conference in Brussels. Stressing Switzerlands efforts to help find a political solution and provide humanitarian assistance Mr Burkhalter concluded, It is time for war to stop undoing all of these efforts  all of our countries' efforts. It is time to adopt a real view to peace and reconstruction.

On the margins of the conference, Mr Burkhalter reiterated this position during a meeting with Syrians representing different groups working for peace in Syria. He praised them for their efforts in seeking dialogue and working for their countrys future. The aim of this meeting was to emphasise Switzerlands support for greater involvement of civil society in the political process and to learn firsthand about the concerns and needs of the Syrian civilian population. Over 50 Syrian civil society organisations met in Brussels for three days of intensive discussions at the invitation of the European Union and the United Nations. On the evening of 4 April, the FDFAs Human Security Division invited the participants to exchange views on the results of their discussions in an informal setting.

The Syria conference in Brussels focused on support for a lasting political solution, ways to the rebuild the country once a lasting solution is achieved, and a reaffirmation of humanitarian and financial commitments. In his address, Mr Burkhalter called on all parties to the conflict to abandon their most opposed positions and to show a readiness to compromise in the interests of peace. "We expect goodwill and confidence-building measures from the parties to the conflict, for example a mechanism to negotiate the exchange of prisoners, said Mr Burkhalter. To this end, Switzerland is prepared to offer its support to the Syrian actors and to regional powers.

The minister of foreign affairs confirmed Switzerlands contribution for the current year to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people. Since the beginning of the conflict, Switzerland has provided emergency assistance on the ground and has allocated approximately CHF 250 million to respond to the humanitarian crisis. For 2017, Switzerland has allocated an additional CHF 66 million. Switzerland has also earmarked an additional sum of CHF 7.5 million for peacebuilding measures, conflict transformation and human rights. As the Syrian conflict enters its sixth year, it requires a combination of emergency aid and long-term assistance. Switzerland provides additional funds to support partner organisations on the ground in order to meet the ever-increasing humanitarian needs of the civilian population.

Representatives of some 70 states, international organisations and non-governmental organisations took part in the high-level conference, which was organised by the EU and the UN, Germany, Kuwait, Norway, Qatar and the United Kingdom.

Famine in East Africa

The humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa and in Yemen, where people are facing famine, was the topic of a separate meeting following the Syria conference. The meeting was organised by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, and the UN Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O'Brien. Representatives of various states and organisations took part, and so did Mr Burkhalter. The aim of the meeting was to analyse the situation and the need for humanitarian assistance and to prepare the meeting on 12 April in Berlin on the humanitarian crisis in Africa and in Yemen in particular as well as the Somalia conference in London on 11 May.

Meeting of humanitarian actors on eve of high-level meeting

On 4 April, the day before the high-level conference, a meeting was held to identify solutions and make recommendations to ensure more effective humanitarian aid and improved access to the people in need. The participants also discussed ways to better educational and income-generating opportunities for refugees in Syrias neighbouring countries. Ambassador Manuel Bessler, Federal Council delegate for Swiss Humanitarian Aid, headed the Swiss delegation. In view of the enormous humanitarian needs, Switzerland considers it vitally important for the international community to continue to focus on emergency aid and strengthening resilience.

Address for enquiries

FDFA Communication

Federal Palace West Wing

CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland

Tel. Communication service: +41 58 462 31 53

Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55

E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch

Twitter: @SwissMFA

Publisher

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html




We can help you make sense of the agribusiness industry, extending from chemicals and fertilizers used as inputs into agriculture, to the commodities, food and by-products that are an output to farming, with policy and regulation applied at every step of the value chain.
Snap Inc., fresh off of a very strong IPO, has fallen under fire from a former employee, Anthony Pompliano, who is fighting to have his allegations that the company has hidden and manipulated critical user metrics unsealed and a public court case made of them. The case had been in private arbitration, and when the employee tried to escalate things to a public court, Snap executives gave the order to postpone trial, seal the record of the allegations, and relegate the case back to private arbitration. Pompliano and his lawyer are not having it; they have officially opposed the motion to seal the records, and are planning to put out a fresh public filing of their lawsuit and its related documents in a Los Angeles courtroom.

According to the former Snap staffer, the company inflated numbers, fabricated statistics, and even manipulated investors to make themselves look better off than they actually were, building up a false valuation. This stellar valuation is what brought them such a powerful IPO, and according to Pompliano, the whole thing is built on a house of cards. He claims that he brought up these concerns only three weeks after being filched from Facebook to become their head of growth, and was unceremoniously fired under false pretenses shortly after that. Since then, he has filed a lawsuit against the company with the goal of bringing his allegations to the public and having Snaps numbers independently verified.

Snap, for their part, has held the position from the beginning that Pomplianos claims are without any merit, and would fall apart under scrutiny; the mere ravings of a jilted former employee. While they are maintaining that Pomplianos allegations are baseless, they have stated that they will review those allegations themselves. The case will likely end up in a formal trial soon, should Snaps motion to seal the records be overturned, and that alone may hurt their stock prices, even if Pompliano comes out of the courtroom with egg on his face in the end. Should his allegations be proven true, however, it could cause untold damage to Snaps reputation, valuation, and bottom line.
UPDATE:

Netflix reached out to Android Headlines to clarify that HDR support for the LG G6 is coming soon, in accordance to what the company announced when it debuted HDR streaming support for smartphones back in February. However, there are currently no plans for bringing the functionality to the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus, according to Marlee Tart, the companys Manager of Corporate Communications. The original story follows below.

The upcoming LG G6, Samsung Galaxy S8, and the Galaxy S8 Plus wont support streaming of UHD content on Netflix at launch, the popular streaming service told Phone Arena. A Netflix customer service official revealed that while neither of the three flagships will be certified for streaming UHD content on Netflix at the time theyre released, the company is apparently collaborating with both Samsung and LG to include the feature at a later date. Devices that are certified for streaming Ultra HD content by Netflix have a lot of overlapping features with Mobile HDR Premium certificates boasted by the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus, but that isnt to say the two certificates are identical, Netflix explained, meaning it will take a while before either device can stream UHD content using the popular video service. Its currently unclear how long the feature will be in the works, but more details on the matter will hopefully be available shortly.

Advertisement

In the meantime, its fair to presume that the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus will likely receive support for UHD Netflix streaming before the LG G6 does seeing how the Dolby Vision screen of the latter doesnt fulfill the ideal requirements for such streaming and may require more effort before the functionality is implemented. Regardless, all three devices are certainly capable of displaying content that has a higher dynamic range than what regular smartphones can handle, though it remains to be seen how well theyll support Netflixs library in the future. The Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus will also be missing another minor feature at launch seeing how the Bixby artificial intelligence (AI) assistant thats shipping with them will only support American English and Korean by the time both smartphones hit the market, with Samsung only saying that support for British English and other languages will be added to the voice-enabled companion at a later date.

Regardless of some features missing at launch, none of them are expected to heavily impact the sales of the LG G6 and Samsungs upcoming pair of flagship Android devices. LGs latest high-end smartphone is launching in the United States on Friday, while the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus are scheduled to be released globally on April 21.
Qualcomm requested a dismissal of an antitrust lawsuit filed against it by the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in January. The company on Monday filed a motion for dismissal with the U.S. District Court in San Jose, California, arguing that the FTC made no valid argument to support its accusations of Qualcomm being guilty of anti-competitive practices and actively working to hurt its competitors. The companys 30-page motion filing goes on to state the FTCs lawsuit contains no factual allegations that would have any validity in the court of law, concluding the case shouldnt end up in a trial at all.

The FTC originally accused Qualcomm of actively creating and maintaining a monopoly on smartphone chips due to its broad patent portfolio that it allegedly refused to license to handset manufacturers unwilling to buy its chipsets. This led to Qualcomm earning extremely high royalties from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) while simultaneously discouraging phone makers from using competing chips, the FTC claims. The federal agency went on to argue that many of the patents Qualcomm used to force OEMs into choosing its chips over competing alternatives are of the standard-essential variant, meaning they cannot be circumvented by anyone in the industry and should thus be licensed under reasonable terms instead of being used for establishing a monopoly. The FTCs antitrust lawsuit against Qualcomm concludes that the San Diego-based tech giant repeatedly refused to license its essential patents to rivals, thus violation anti-competitive regulations.

The U.S. federal agency isnt the only antitrust watchdog that recently accused Qualcomm of anti-competitive practices, seeing how the Taiwanese Fair Trade Commission (FTC) did the same just last month, not long after the company already paid close to $2 billion in antitrust fines in Korea and China. It remains to be seen how the San Jose-based federal court will rule on Qualcomms motion for dismissal, though the case will likely end up in court, most industry watchers agree. The FTC itself has yet to publicly comment on Qualcomms recent request and possibly wont even do that seeing how the agencys previous statements indicated the Commission is relatively certain it has a strong case against Qualcomm.
Driverless pods are now up and running in Greenwich, thanks to the UKs GATEway Project. A meeting of government and business, headed up by he UKs Transport Research Laboratory, the GATEway Project is a far-reaching self-driving effort that has been in the works for some time, and is finally starting to bear tangible, publicly useful fruit. That fruit comes in the form of a completely autonomous pod nicknamed Harry. Harry units max out at a mere 10 miles per hour, in the interest of safety, and include all of the usual sensors that one would expect to see on a self-driving vehicle like the ones built by Google and Uber. A safety operator is on board to operate an emergency brake, but thats all the human control they have. Theyre currently rolling around limited areas of Greenwich on a trial basis, and about 100 people are expected to be taken for a spin before the test is over.

Signups to try out a Harry unit have been open for roughly a year; they were supposed to have begun hitting city streets back in December of 2016. The Harry units are actually the same Ultra Pods in use at Heathrow Airport, but theyve been completely retrofitted with all of the self-driving tech that the TRL could muster. Their purpose, at this point, is as a mere proof of concept; not only do they demonstrate self-driving technology, but how such technology could be applied on a small scale to help ease urban foot traffic in areas like business districts, where people could easily park their normal car nearby, then use something like a Harry for the last leg of the trip.

The Harry units not only open up the opportunity for the public to step forward and give their opinions on self-driving tech and tell TRL how the ride was, but the pods themselves generate about four terabytes of useful data every eight hours of operation, which can be used to help move self-driving technology along. At this time, plans for future tests or a wider rollout were not announced, and will likely depend on how this test goes.
Xiaomi is looking to emulate and be compared to Costco Wholesale Corp. and not Apple, the companys co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Lei Jun said during a recent interview at the companys office in Bengaluru, India. Jun explained that Xiaomi has the same value system as the Washington-based warehouse retailer that deals in all kinds of goods, adding that the Chinese tech giant isnt exclusively looking at consumer electronics but wants to offer a wide variety of products and services to its customers. While Jun dismissed the idea of Xiaomi dealing exclusively in consumer electronics, he did say all of the companys offerings are meant to be better and more affordable than their alternatives.

Juns comments imply Xiaomi will be looking to expand its worldwide presence by offering a variety of products at thin profit margins with the goal of generating a majority of its profits from apps and general software services, an approach that stands in stark contrast to how the company once became the most valuable startup on the planet, valued at $45 billion. While delivering Internet-enabled products that offer great value for money proved to be a lucrative strategy for Xiaomi in the past, the company apparently overcommitted to consumer electronics and smartphones in particular. Jun previously admitted Xiaomi grew too fast for its own good, achieving impressive, but completely unsustainable growth. Due to that state of affairs, the Chinese tech giant is now apparently adamant to not only diversify its portfolio but also change its general business strategy, a sentiment thats reflected by Juns latest comments outlined above.

Xiaomis business was recently hit by the departure of its Global Vice President Hugo Barra who left to head the Facebook-owned VR company Oculus, and the companys current revenue target is set at only $14.5 billion, Jun previously revealed. In addition to the newly implemented business strategy described above, Xiaomi has also recently opted to commit more resources to India where the competition isnt as aggressive as the one in the companys home country. Time will tell whether that approach will pay off in the end, but more details on the matter should be available later this year.
Western countries including the United States blamed Syrian government forces for the attack, which choked scores of people to death in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in a rebel-held area of northern Syria hit by government air strikes. The Syrian army has denied any role.

Pope Francis speaks during his Wednesday general audience in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican on April 5, 2017. Photo: Reuters

By Reuters: Pope Francis said on Wednesday he was horrified by the suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria, calling it an "unacceptable massacre" of innocent civilians.

Western countries including the United States blamed Syrian government forces for the attack, which choked scores of people to death in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in a rebel-held area of northern Syria hit by government air strikes. The Syrian army has denied any role.

advertisement

"We look on horrified by the recent events in Syria," he told tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square for his weekly general audience.

Expressing his "firm deploration of the unacceptable massacre that took place yesterday," the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics said he was praying for "the defenceless victims, including many children".

Francis appealed to "the consciences of those who hold political power, both at the local and international levels so that these tragedies end."

Russia said on Wednesday contamination in the area was the result of gas leaking from a rebel chemical weapons depot after it was hit by Syrian government air strikes.

Francis also condemned the bombing on Tuesday of the metro in St. Petersburg, Russia, which killed 14 people and wounded about 50 others.

Also Read:

Russia says Syria gas incident caused by rebels' own chemical arsenal

--- ENDS ---
The Syrian government has denied involvement in the attack, which the United States said was "almost certainly" carried out by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

By Reuters: A suspected Syrian government chemical attack killed scores of people, including children, in the northwestern province of Idlib on Tuesday, a monitoring group, medics and rescue workers in the rebel-held area said.

The US government believes the chemical agent sarin was used in the attack, a US government source said, adding it was "almost certainly" carried out by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

advertisement

The Syrian military denied responsibility and said it would never use chemical weapons, echoing denials it has made over the course of the more than six-year Syrian civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands, created the world's worst refugee crisis and drawn in nations such as Russia, Iran and the United States.

The United States, Britain and France on Tuesday proposed a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the attack, which they have blamed on Assad's forces. Diplomats said the resolution would likely be put to a vote on Wednesday.

TRUMP BLAMES OBAMA'S WEAKNESS ON SYRIA

The attack also sparked political recriminations. US President Donald Trump condemned the "heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime," but also blamed his predecessor Barack Obama's "weakness" on Syria. A Syrian opposition figure said it was a consequence of recent US statements suggesting a focus on stopping Islamic State militants rather than ousting Assad.

If confirmed, the incident reported in the town of Khan Sheikhoun would be the deadliest chemical attack in Syria since sarin gas killed hundreds of civilians in Ghouta near Damascus in August 2013. Western states said the Syrian government was responsible for that attack. Damascus blamed rebels.

The head of the health authority in rebel-held Idlib province said more than 50 people had been killed and 300 wounded in the latest incident. The Union of Medical Care Organizations, a coalition of international aid agencies that funds hospitals in Syria, said the death toll was at least 100.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack killed at least 58 people and was believed to have been carried out by Syrian government jets. It caused many people to choke and some to foam at the mouth.

Director Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters the assessment that Syrian government warplanes were to blame was based on several factors such as the type of aircraft, including Sukhoi 22 jets, that carried out the raid.

SYRIA DENIES INVOLVEMENT

"We deny completely the use of any chemical or toxic material in Khan Sheikhoun town today and the army has not used nor will use in any place or time neither in past or in future," the Syrian army command said in a statement.

advertisement

The Russian Defence Ministry, whose forces are backing Assad, said its aircraft had not carried out the attack. The UN Security Council was expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss the incident.

Reuters photographs showed people breathing through oxygen masks and wearing protection suits, while others carried the bodies of dead children. Corpses wrapped in blankets were lined up on the ground.

Activists in northern Syria circulated pictures on social media showing a man with foam around his mouth, and rescue workers hosing down almost-naked children squirming on the floor.

BLAME GAME

Mounzer Khalil, head of Idlib's health authority, said yesterday that hospitals in the province were overflowing with victims.

"This morning, at 6:30 a.m., warplanes targeted Khan Sheikhoun with gases, believed to be sarin and chlorine," he told a news conference.

The attack sparked a blame game within the United States.

Trump faulted Obama for not enforcing a 2012 "red line" against the use of chemical weapons and suggested the attack was "a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution."

An Obama spokesman declined comment.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued an appeal for Russia and Iran "to exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again."

advertisement

In contrast, Syrian opposition member Basma Kodmani blamed recent statements by Tillerson and US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley that suggested the new US administration could live with Assad remaining in power for the time being.

"This is a direct consequence of American statements about Assad not being a priority and giving him time and allowing him to stay in power," Kodmani told Reuters via text, saying the US officials' comments amounted to "a blank check for Assad."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the attack was a way of testing the Trump administration and urged Washington to clarify its position on Assad.

The incident was condemned by a host of leaders, including the president of France, who directly blamed Syrian government forces, and Britain, which said Assad would be guilty of a war crime if his government was proved responsible.

UN Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura said the "horrific" chemical attack had come from the air.

The draft text of the UN resolution, seen by Reuters, says Syria's government must provide an international investigation with flight plans and logs for Tuesday, the names of all helicopter squadron commanders and provide access to air bases where investigators believe attacks using chemicals may have been launched.

advertisement

In February, Russia, backed by China, cast its seventh veto to protect Assad's government from UN Security Council action, blocking a bid by Western powers to impose sanctions over accusations of chemical weapons attacks during the conflict.

A series of investigations by the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) found that various parties in the Syrian war had used chlorine, sulfur mustard gas and sarin.

TOXIC ARSENAL

Idlib province contains the largest populated area controlled by anti-Assad rebels - both nationalist Free Syrian Army groups and powerful Islamist factions including the former al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front.

Idlib's population has ballooned, with thousands of fighters and civilians shuttled out of Aleppo city and areas around Damascus that the government has retaken in recent months as Assad has gained the upper hand in the war.

The United States has also launched a spate of air strikes in Idlib this year, targeting jihadist insurgents.

Following the 2013 attack, Syria joined the international Chemical Weapons Convention under a US-Russian deal, averting the threat of US-led military intervention.

Under the deal, Syria agreed to give up its toxic arsenal and surrendered 1,300 tonnes of toxic weapons and industrial chemicals to the international community for destruction.

UN-OPCW investigators found, however, that it continued to use chlorine, which is widely available and hard to trace, in so-called barrel bombs dropped from helicopters.

Chlorine is not a banned substance, but the use of any chemical is banned under 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Syria is a member.

ALSO READ | Syria chemical attack consequence of Obama regimes shortcoming, says Trump

ALSO READ | US-backed forces capture Islamic State-held airport near Euphrates dam in Syria

ALSO WATCH | Trump may mediate in India-Pakistan peace process: Top Indian-American diplomat Nikki Haley

--- ENDS ---
Anglo Saxon Malting Complex  Unique (Credit: SHARP)

SHARP (the Sedgeford Historical and Archaeological Research Project) is a long-term, independently-run archaeological project. Our primary objective is the investigation of the entire range of human settlement and land use in the north-west Norfolk parish of Sedgeford. Established in 1996, SHARP is one of the largest independent archaeological projects in Britain and is firmly rooted in the local community.

SHARP offers financial support for excavation and our courses through the John Hensby Bursary. For further information, email [email protected]

We welcome all volunteers regardless of background and often no previous experience of archaeology is necessary, as on-site training courses are run every week during the excavation, as well as a wide array of other specialised training courses.

Our ongoing excavation focus is on a complex of Anglo-Saxon malting houses, located to the east of the previously excavated settlement, within Chalk Pit field. Our research on this particular site has been ongoing since 2013 and is now beginning to produce a remarkable insight into how these rare features within the Anglo-Saxon period would have functioned. In addition to our main excavation, we also undertake several smaller evaluation excavations. You can read more about our ongoing excavations on our blog.

There are several ways in which to participate in one of Britains leading archaeological research and training opportunities.

Location: Sedgeford, Norfolk, PE36 5LT

Region: East (East Anglia)

Time period: Mesolithic to WW2  main excavations for 2022 will be Anglo Saxon and Roman

Accommodation provided: Campsite available or independent booking of local accommodation

Level of experience required: If attending the Basic Excavation and Recording Techniques Course, no experience required. As a volunteer, must have had two weeks experience.

Academic credit available: Yes  accredited to sign off BAJR Passport

Extra on-excavation activities:

Festival of Archaeology Open Day July 24, 2022.

Events planned every evening.

Tuesday Lectures include: The Anglo Saxon Settlement in Chalkpit Field (Phil Hill), Seahenge and its Sister (David Robertson), Three Sharp-Bladed Trauma Victims (Ray Baldry), Excavations of a Romano-Celtic Temple (Paddy Lambert), The Paston Letters (Peter Stibbons) and more.

Range of Courses: the Basic Excavation and Recording Techniques Courses dig weeks 1-5, Non Invasive Course Week 1, Intro to Zooarchaeology Analysis, Historic Building Research and Surveying, Intro to Human Remains, Dig for a Day and a Day Archaeometallurgy Workshop.

Age limit: Persons aged 14 or 15 are welcome to attend with a parent or guardian accompanying. Ages 16 and 17 may attend unaccompanied with parental or guardian permission.

Dates: June 26  August 5 2022

Cost: Various prices ranging from on-site camping to off-site. Concessions available and a bursary available for qualifying applicants. All details available on the SHARP Website.

Contact name: Brian Fraser (Bookings Secretary)

Contact address: Through Booking Enquiries at https://www.sharp.org.uk/contact

Contact telephone: 07862 731577

Contact email: [email protected]

Website address: https://www.sharp.org.uk/

Social media:

Blog  https://www.sharp.org.uk/blog

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1499756993659206
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Ministers of Armenia and China Edward Nalbandian and Wang Yi exchanged messages on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and China, press service of the Armenian MFA told Armenpress.

In his message FM Nalbandian says the Armenian-Chinese relations are as old as the history of the two peoples and they have always been identified with mutual trust and great respect. Minister Nalbandian stated that Armenia highly appreciates the ongoing political dialogue between the two countries, the close cooperation in international organizations and the mutual understanding over key regional and international affairs.

The Armenian FM emphasized that the Foreign Ministries of two states play a key role on contributing to implement the agreements reached at a high level. The Minister said economic cooperation is one of the key components of bilateral relations which the Armenian side is committed to further strengthen by involving new, prospective programs of mutual interest.

In his turn the Chinese FM stated that during 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the Armenian-Chinese relations steadily developed. Wang Yi highlighted that the mutual political trust is being gradually strengthened between the two countries, significant results were recorded in cooperation in trade, economy, security, humanitarian ties and other fields, close cooperation and ties are maintained on international and regional issues.

He said the Chinese side attaches great importance to the development of bilateral ties and considers Armenia as a key partner for cooperation.

The Chinese FM said he is ready to make joint efforts with the Armenian FM aimed at strengthening the cooperation between the two Foreign Ministries and by this moving forward the bilateral ties towards a new level of development.
SUV

HP

The Q8 is the Q7s big brother, but it is not necessarily larger in size, but different in various aspects. First of all, the newis wider and lower than the automobile it is based on, while also having a roof that has a pronounced slope at the rear.It may be marketed as something inspired by the look of a coupe, but we do not expect Audi to insist too much on that idea.The four-ringed brands upcoming flagship SUV comes with the companys largest single-frame grille, which is simply massive. The result is a vehicle that has an impressive look, and it may give some people the impression that it could eat them alive.Fortunately, the Q8 will come with plenty of crash avoidance technologies and systems that will do their best to prevent hitting other cars or pedestrians.The production version of the vehicle that can be seen in the photo gallery is expected to be launched next year. It will lend the platform from the Q7, which has also donated its powertrains.Rumors claim that Audi will split the top-of-the-line engine in the Q8 range with the Lamborghini Urus.The German marque is not sharing its engine for the first time with a Lamborghini, a company that it owns, and we see no reason why the 4.0-liter twin turbo V8 unit cannot be found in the Urus and the Q8. Those who will enjoy about 600in their Audi RS Q8 will surely agree, when and if it will exist.The Q8 has been rumored for a long time, but Audi first unveiled a concept vehicle with that name at this years Detroit Auto Show, and it was followed by an evolved version that was showcased at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, held at the beginning of last month.
SUV

Heres a case in point: the crossover-like version of the NG-generation 2018 Holden Commodore Grand Tourer. Care to guess how the Opel Insignia Country Tourer -based model is called in Australia? Tourer. I may be overthinking this matter, but which of the two names sounds more upmarket to you? To my ears, that would be Grand Tourer, but actually, the Tourer is the model slotted just above the Grand Tourer.Im having a hard time imagining how Holdens and General Motors  officials agreed to go forward with this baffling naming convention, but then again, Im nitpicking here. The 2018 Holden Commodore Tourer is arguably the most versatile member of the NG family, and it surely looks fine for what it is. Whats more, its also ready for adventure.Thanks to a high-tech GKN AWD system and 20 mm of additional ground clearance compared to the Grand Tourer, the Tourer can definitely hold its own when the going gets off-road. Dont think, however, that this wagon is as talented off the trodden path as something such as the Trailblazer body-on-frame mid-sizeTheres a lot to like about the Commodore Tourer, but somehow, Holden managed to make a mess of the press release for the new model. Heres a quote that has managed to grind arguably all of my gearhead-specific gears: If Bear Grylls and James Bond had a love child... Wait, what? Dont know about you, but thats too much of a hyperbole considering that this is, in essence, a jacked-up wagon.And on a slight tangent, Holden doesnt even bother hiding the fact the NG Commodore is not made in the Land Down Under. Here is a quote from the automakers design director, Richard Ferlazzo: The Europeans have always excelled at finding this balance of style and robustness and the Commodore Tourer is a great example. Buick appears to share the sentiment, seeing that the all-new Regal is also based on the Euro-spec Insignia.
You might have noticed it a few days ago, and we have a new set of spyshots of this prototype. It looks like the same vehicle is being employed on the Ring, and the drivers equipment is also similar.Most likely, the same lucky engineer has been hooning the E-Pace on the Ring this past couple of days, and he or she only swapped places with a few colleagues to get some rest.The E-Pace is the F-Paces smaller brother, and it will be grouped in the compact crossover segment. Evidently, this is a premium product so that it will fight with its competitors from BMW, Audi, Infiniti, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz.Some rumors claim that Jaguar Land Rover will employ the platform that the E-Pace is based for the next-generation Evoque. Most likely, since these two models are in the same segment, those rumors might be true, but the British corporation will focus on giving the two vehicles different characters.In other words, the Jaguar E-Pace and the upcoming Range Rover Evoque will feel different when driven. All reports point to the Jaguar being oriented towards sporty driving, while the Range Rover would get a more comfortable approach.After the E-Pace reaches the market sometime in 2018, the marque will focus on launching the I-Pace . The latter, as you probably know by now, is an electric model , the first in the history of the brand. It will be placed in the same segment as the E-Pace, and they are expected to share a few components here and there.The first year of sales for the Jaguar F-Pace brought 45,973 clients, which translates to about 30% of the companys sales results in that period. The figures are good news for the conglomerate owned by Tata Motors, because it means that its results are improving, and the investments in new models paid off.
The United States has blamed the administration of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the attack, in which scores of people are reported to have been killed.

A civil defence member breathes through an oxygen mask, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria on April 4, 2017. Photo: Reuters

By Reuters: Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday that a poisonous gas contamination in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun was the result of gas leaking from a rebel chemical weapons depot after it was hit by Syrian government air strikes.

The United States has blamed the administration of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the attack, in which scores of people are reported to have been killed.

advertisement

"Yesterday, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm local time, Syrian aviation made a strike on a large terrorist ammunition depot and a concentration of military hardware in the eastern outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun town," Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konoshenkov said in a statement posted on YouTube.

"On the territory of the depot there were workshops which produced chemical warfare munitions."

He said the chemical munitions had been used by rebels in Aleppo last year. "The poisoning symptoms of the victims in Khan Sheikhoun shown on videos in social networks are the same as they were in autumn of the previous year in Aleppo," Konoshenkov said.

Also Read:

Syria gas attack kills at least 100, Donald Trump blames Bashar al-Assad, Barack Obama

--- ENDS ---
HP

Automakers use the Ring to test their upcoming products, and many of them end up setting records in their classes once they reach production. Aston Martin makes no exception of this, and the Brits have been seen with several prototypes these days at the most demanding track in the world.Instead of covering up the identity of the vehicle, the British brand applied a different strategy. The idea is brilliant, if you think about it, because the car is going to be photographed, and those pictures will not stay in an archive, but reach the Internet. The same happened with this set from our spy photographers , which you can observe in the photo gallery.In case you have not noticed, the vehicle in the photos is an Aston Martin DB11 Volante, which is the companys designation for a convertible. The website mentioned on the car takes you to a landing page that allows users to subscribe to the latest updates regarding the product.The British marque will launch the DB11 Volante next spring, and we expect to see it in full production spec at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. After all, that is the first important automotive event in Europe, and it happens in March, at the beginning of spring.Aston Martin is expected to fit the convertible with the standard engine in the range, a 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 unit. It delivers 608at 6,500 rpm, and peak torque 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) at 1,500 rpm. DB11 Coupe can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 3.9 seconds, and it can keep going up to 200 mph (322 km/h). The Volante will come close to those figures, but might not match them.
The France-exclusive Explorer lineup starts with the Sandero Stepway , a jacked-up subcompact hatch that can be had in either of two exterior finishes: Ochre Orange (pictured) and Iceland Grey. Curiously enough, the dazzling orange paintwork cant be had on other Explorer models.Other than that, Explorer models all boast nice-looking alloy wheels, copper orange detailing for the fascia, air vents, carpet mat, and the upholsterys top stitching, and dual-material upholstery. Whats more, Dacia s French office thought about a very ingenious way for buyers to be tempted into buying a three-year service plan. More to the point, it costs 1 euro per day over a period of three years for the Dokker van. 365 times three, the said service plan works out at just under 1,100 for the utilitarian vehicle.While on the subject of pricing, the Sandero Stepway Explorer starts from 12,920 for the TCe 90 three-cylinder turbo engine with a stick shift. At the other end of the scale, the dCi 90 turbo diesel coupled to Dacias Easy-R automated manual is 15,070. The Duster Explorer crossover utility vehicle, meanwhile, kicks off from 16,850 (TCe 125 4x2) and tops at 19,750 (dCi 110 4x4 manual). The Dokker Stepway, Lodgy Stepway, and Logan MCV Stepway are also available with the limited-run Explorer seasoning.On a slight tangent, Dacia has some big news in the pipeline for low-cost car buyers. By years end, an all-new generation of the cheap and capable Duster will go official. The high-riding model will most likely premiere in September at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. The on-sale date was confirmed for January 2018 by Renault Commercial Roumanie chief exec Hakim Boutehra.
SOHC

Ever since it debuted as a concept at the 2014 Osaka Motorcycle Show, Hondas NM4 has been an attention-grabber and conversation-starter thanks to its futuristic design that set it up apart from the bunch."From time to time over the years, Honda has pushed the envelope with unconventionally styled models like the Pacific Coast, Rune, Big Ruckus and DN-01," said Lee Edmunds, American Honda's Manager of Motorcycle Marketing Communications."The NM4 is very much in this tradition, and while it's not for everyone, that's really the point; the model has proven to be a hit with a dedicated segment of consumers from a surprisingly varied array of demographics, including tech-savvy millennials but also veteran tourers and women," he added. "Those that buy NM4s tend to put a lot of miles on them, so we're pleased to welcome it as our first street bike for 2018."Although it amazes with its disruptive form, the NM4 also delivers in terms of function. Its low center of gravity, enabled in part by the forward-rotated mounting of the 670cc parallel-twin, results in a comfortable and light-handling motorcycle which also offers a feet-forward comfortable riding position.Extra features include a passenger seat that flips up into a backrest, a dual-clutch transmission, customizable LED dash display, rider floorboards, LED headlight, and four separate storage compartments.Although 670ccs doesnt seem that much for a cruiser, the sophisticated, liquid-cooledeight-valve parallel-twin is said to pump out a lot of torque to provide linear and smooth power delivery.The unit is also equipped with twin balancer shafts to cancel out vibrations while the Programmed Fuel Injection continuously monitors riding and atmospheric conditions to offer optimal performance and crisp throttle response.So, if youre willing to say no to conventional cruiser, the 2018 Honda NM4 Vultus arrives in the U.S. this June at a starting price of $11,299. It is offered in Matte Black Metallic along with a list of optional features like a passenger backrest, rear seat cowl, tall windscreen, and heated grips.
When it comes to midsize four-stroke fun bikes, there are two models to choose from Honda - the CRF125F or its CRF125FB larger-wheeled brother. Both machines feature a great balance between performance and comfort, with the shared goal of delivering a safe and exhilarating ride for off-road enthusiasts.The 125cc single-cylinder engine that powers both bikes offer enough oomph for teen and small adults to ride on any terrain while the four-speed transmission offers a great platform from which to learn proper clutch usage.The primary difference between the CRF125F and CRF125FB lies in the wheel size, with the former having a 17-inch front/14-inch rear setup, while the latter boasting a bigger 19/16 inch combo. The bigger-wheeled version also features more suspension travel and taller gearing.Both bikes will be available starting July this year, at a price of $2,999 and $3,999 respectively.Next in line is the Honda CRF110F, which takes cues from the larger models while delivering full-size servings of fun in a small, easy-to-handle package. Beginner riders will love its four-speed automatic transmission, bulletproof mechanics, strong drum brakes, and the 26.3-inch seat height.Available starting the same month as the other two, the CRF110F will be offered at $2,249.Finally, the new Honda CRF50F enjoys a legendary heritage dating back to the days of the Honda Z50. The 50cc bike features modern styling, incredible durability, and a nice blend of usable power and effortless handling.It weighs only 111 lb and its air-cooled thumper is mated with an automatic clutch for ease of exploitation. Definitely a great starting bike for a kid, and it comes in at only $1,499.
FWD

The Country Tourer was discontinued in Britain about two years ago with reports suggesting that the Europeans will do the same. But perhaps because Mercedes saw enough potential in the market to launch the E-Class All Terrain, Opel reconsidered its decision.We wouldn't go as far as to say that this is a true alternative to a crossover. It still rides pretty low and doesn't have the same sort of appeal. But if you're looking for a family car that can do a little more, it's hard to argue with the Country Tourer.Compared to the base model, the Insignia CT rides 20mm or 0.8 of an inch taller. Most of the bodywork is the same except for the rugged black cladding that covers the vulnerable underbelly of the wagon. Styling is modern, but a little bit less flashy than the Audi A4 allroad. The double exhaust system is a nice touch, but it's also fake.Engine options have not been detailed yet, but expect a mix of the 1.6 and 2.0-liter diesel units. Opel speaks of the all-wheel-drive system with torque vectoring that's already been introduced on the regular models. However, the new Country Tourer might eventually have aversion, just like its predecessor and some of its rivals.The practicality is on par or better than in rival. With the rear seats folded flat, there's 1,665 liters of cargo room or 130 more than in the previous version. The roof can also support another 100 kilograms (220 pounds). Meanwhile, the passengers can enjoy more legroom thanks to the 92mm-longer wheelbase.On the tech side, you have all the safety systems, a 360-degree camera to help you park, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto integration. Look for a motor show debut in Frankfurt this September.
Each review score is between 1-10. To get the overall score that you see, we add up all the review scores weve received and divide that total by the number of review scores weve received. In addition, guests can give separate subscores in crucial areas, such as location, cleanliness, staff, comfort, facilities, value for money and free Wi-Fi. Note that guests submit their subscores and their overall scores independently, so theres no direct link between them.

You can review an Accommodation that you booked through our Platform if you stayed there or if you arrived at the property but didnt actually stay there. To edit a review youve already submitted, please contact our Customer Service team.

We have people and automated systems that specialise in detecting fake reviews submitted to our Platform. If we find any, we delete them and, if necessary, take action against whoever is responsible.

Anyone else who spots something suspicious can always report it to our Customer Service team, so our Fraud team can investigate.

Ideally, we would publish every review we receive, whether positive or negative. However, we wont display any review that includes or refers to (among other things):

Politically sensitive comments

Promotional content

Illegal activities

Personal or sensitive information (e.g. emails, phone numbers or credit card info)

Swear words, sexual references, hate speech, discriminatory remarks, threats, or references to violence

Spam and fake content

Animal cruelty

Impersonation (e.g. if the writer is claiming to be someone else)

Any violation of our review guidelines.

To make sure reviews are relevant, we may only accept reviews that are submitted within 3 months of checking out, and we may stop showing reviews once theyre 36 months old  or if the Accommodation has a change of ownership.

An Accommodation may choose to reply to a review.

When you see multiple reviews, the most recent ones will be at the top, subject to a few other factors (what language a review is in, whether its just a rating or contains comments as well, etc.). If you like, you can sort and/or filter them (by time of year, review score, etc.).

We sometimes show external review scores from other well-known travel websites. We make it clear when weve done this.

Guidelines and standards for Reviews

These guidelines and standards aim to keep the content on Booking.com relevant and family-friendly without limiting expression of strong opinions. They are also applicable regardless of the sentiment of the comment.

Contributions should be travel related. The most helpful contributions are detailed and help others make better decisions. Please dont include personal, political, ethical, or religious commentary. Promotional content will be removed and issues concerning Booking.coms services should be routed to our Customer Service or Accommodation Service teams.

Contributions should be appropriate for a global audience. Please avoid using profanity or attempts to approximate profanity with creative spelling, in any language. Comments and media that include 'hate speech', discriminatory remarks, threats, sexually explicit remarks, violence, and the promotion of illegal activity are not permitted.

All content should be genuine and unique to the guest. Reviews are most valuable when they are original and unbiased. Your contribution should be yours. Booking.com property partners should not post on behalf of guests or offer incentives in exchange for reviews. Attempts to bring down the rating of a competitor by submitting a negative review will not be tolerated.

Respect the privacy of others. Booking.com will make an effort to obscure email addresses, telephone numbers, website addresses, social media accounts, and similar details.

The opinions expressed in contributions are those of Booking.com customers and properties and not of Booking.com. Booking.com does not accept responsibility or liability for any reviews or responses. Booking.com is a distributor (without any obligation to verify) and not a publisher of these comments and responses.

By default, reviews are sorted based on the date of the review and on additional criteria to display the most relevant reviews, including but not limited to: your language, reviews with text, and non-anonymous reviews. Additional sorting options may be available (by type of traveller, by score, etc.).

Translations disclaimer

This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, express or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.
Because every child deserves the joy associated with riding a bike.

By India Today Web Desk: There aren't many things that are as delightful as little acts of kindness. These acts however, become even more special when they arrive without prior information.

And that is exactly what happened when nearly 650 students from Pepperhill Elementary School in North Charleston, South Carolina received free bikes, all thanks to their teacher, Katie Blomquist.

advertisement

A Go Fund Me campaign brainwired by Blomquist managed to rake in more than the amount she required to gift bikes, helmets and locks to each of her students.

Also Read: A 10-year-old boy grew his hair for 2 years so a little girl with cancer could have it

A video featuring Blomquist has her mention how every child deserves the joy and freedom that bikes guarantee.

"A bike represents so many things. It represents a sense of ownership, of freedom, exercise, transportation, but most importantly it represents the basic childhood right ? a right to joy," Huffington posts Blomquist as saying.

Titled, Every Child Deserves a Bike, the Go Fund Me campaign was started in December and bore fruit at the dawn of Spring. Needless to say, the kids were delighted on seeing their new gifts.

As for their teacher, she's started a charity that seeks to provide equal opportunities, swim lessons, summer camps among other things to children of low income groups.

--- ENDS ---
Progress has stalled on Irelands budget deficit reduction for the first quarter of 2017, according to the latest figures.



In general Government items, the deficit stood at 1.7bn in the first quarter 2017, up from 1.5bn a year ago. While revenues grew by 3.2% year on year in the first quarter, expenditure grew by 3.7% as the purse strings loosened owing to measures included in Budget 2017.



The figures show that expenditure was 533m (3%) below expectations in the opening quarter of the year. However, most (391m) of this relates to a timing issue around payments to the EU, which will unwind in the coming months.



Adjusting for this, spending was 1% below expectations but was 6.6% higher than a year ago. Within this, capital spending grew by 52% year on year, with the increased focus on housing being a major contributor.



Current voted spending grew by 3.7% year on year, with year on year increases evident in eleven of the sixteen government departments. It is worth noting that most noting that most were inside budget.



Goodbody Stockbrokers warn that this is a poor start to the year for government revenues which were 289m (2%) below expectations. Two categories  income (180m behind) and corporation (177m behind) tax  contributed to this performance they say.

Goodbody stress that the fact that income taxes grew by just 1.4% in the first quarter is inconsistent with broader labour market trends and may be corrected in the coming months while corporation taxes are more volatile and thus difficult to predict. VAT receipts grew strongly in the first quarter (+17% yoy, 151m ahead), offsetting some of this weakness.



According to Goodbody Stockbrokers, "The Q1 figures provide somewhat of a warning signal to the government ahead of the publication of the Stability Programme Update next week. This document will provide updates on the fiscal and economic projections. While it is still early in the

year, these trends suggest a need for conservatism."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Modified On Apr 06, 2017 06:08 PM By Rachit Shad for Mercedes-Benz S-Class 2012-2021

It is available in both the S 350 d and S 400 variants

Mercedes-Benz today added a special variant to its S-Class lineup. Called the Connoisseurs Edition, it is available in two trim levels - the S 350 d and the S400. While the former is priced at Rs 1.21 crore, the asking price for the latter is Rs 1.32 crore (both prices ex-showroom Pune). As the name suggests, it is has been crafted specifically to enhance level of luxury and comfort for the chauffeur-driven. But before we get into those additions, lets quickly glance through the powerplants.

The S 350 d variant is powered by a 3.0-litre, six-cylinder diesel engine that produces 262PS of power and 620Nm of torque. The S 400, on the other hand, has a 3.0-litre, six-pot petrol motor that generates 338PS of power and 480Nm of torque. Both the engines come mated with a 7G-TRONIC PLUS transmission and while the diesel-powered saloon takes 6.8 seconds to reach 100kmph from a standstill, the petrol one completes it in 6.1 seconds. Top-speed, like most Mercedes-Benz products, is electronically limited to 250kmph.

Lets now dive into the list of added features. The S-Class Connoisseurs Edition comes with what Mercedes-Benz likes to call an executive rear seat behind the front passenger. It has extended thigh support for more comfort and can be electronically reclined up to 43.5 degrees. This, in combination with the chauffeur package, provides an electrically extending footrest as well. Other features include AIR-BALANCE package including ionization, which helps in improved air filtering and fragrance, and Night View Assist Plus, which helps in improving night visibility and eventually reduce the risk of an accident.

In India, the S-Class locks its horns with the Jaguar XJ, Audi A8 and the BMW 7 Series. Which one would you put your money on?

Read More on : S-Class review
Meanwhile, what may come as respite for the Centre, the West Bengal Chief Minister will be travelling to New Delhi to take part in deliberations with the neighbouring nation.

By Indrajit Kundu: Just hours before Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina lands in New Delhi for the crucial bilateral meet, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has thrown a spanner over the Teesta water-sharing issue. While addressing an administrative meeting in Bankura district on Wednesday, Mamata claimed that there was not enough water in the Teesta river.

"What can I do if there is no water? Water levels are drying up. Teesta doesn't have water. Mahananda too has dried up. This is the scenario in April, then imagine what will happen during peak summer before the monsoon arrives sometime in July. So these three months, there will be water woes in drought-prone regions," Banerjee said while referring to water crisis in large parts of the state during peak summer.

advertisement

This is not the first time that the Bengal CM has raised apprehensions about the condition of the Teesta river, one that has dictated her stance over the water sharing agreement with Bangladesh. Soon after coming to power, Banerjee had appointed an expert committee to study the status of the river.

Meanwhile, what may come as respite for the Centre, the West Bengal Chief Minister will be travelling to New Delhi to take part in deliberations with the neighbouring nation. Earlier Mamata had accused the Narendra Modi government of not consulting the state government on the issue.

In 2011, Banerjee had pulled out of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka over the Teesta deal, thereby scuttling the historic agreement at the very last minute. Mamata maintains that she wants friendly relations with Bangladesh but not at the cost of depriving her own people.

The Teesta river is the most important water source for entire the north Bengal. Originating from the Teesta Kangse, a glacial lake in Sikkim located at an altitude of 7,068 metres, the river flows into Bengal via Sikkim and later enters Bangladesh.

But the river has borne the brunt of several hydro-power projects leading to a reduction in its flow that now affects a large agricultural population dependent on it, both in India and Bangladesh.

(Inputs from Hirok in Bankura)

Also read:

India-Bangladesh to hold strategic talks, sign 33 MoUs during PM Sheikh Hasina's visit

Mamata Banerjee to call on Sheikh Hasina during her visit, may meet Modi too

--- ENDS ---
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: In Atlanta, Soyia Ellison, soyia.ellison@cartercenter.org

In Yangon, Stefan Krause, stefan.krause@cartercenter.org

YANGON  The Carter Center congratulates the people of Myanmar for participating in important by-elections on April 1. The Center did not directly observe the elections, but supported the observation efforts of local partner Election Education and Observation Partners (EEOP).

In its post-election preliminary statement, EEOP reported that the election-day process was conducted without major problems. Observers assessed the opening, voting, and closing and counting process as overwhelmingly positive, although they noted some problems, mostly of a procedural nature.

Prior to the election, EEOP reported that the campaign environment was peaceful and that contestants could campaign freely. Cases of misuse of administrative resources and of vote-buying were rare. EEOP noted that the organization of the elections was somewhat improved and that voters confidence in the Union Election Commission (UEC) had increased significantly. Among voters interviewed for a survey, almost one-half had not checked to see if their names were on the voter list. The large majority of those who had checked said they had found their names on the list.

While Myanmars electoral legal framework remains largely unchanged, with only two minor amendments adopted since the 2015 elections, the UEC took steps to improve certain aspects of the election process that did not require legislative changes. Some of these steps address recommendations The Carter Center made in its final report on the 2015 general elections. For example, the UEC published an electoral calendar with key dates; introduced a new system to improve internal communication with its sub-commissions; expanded and intensified the training of sub-commission members; increased voter-education efforts; streamlined observer accreditation procedures; and provided standardized information kits to all stakeholders.

The Carter Center welcomes in particular the new rules for determining the validity of ballots stamped more than once for the same candidate; this procedural change was aimed at ensuring that the will of voters was accurately reflected in the results and at reducing the share of invalid ballots (which was a high 6.25 percent in 2015). In Kyethi and Monghsu townships in Shan State, where elections were cancelled in 2015 for security reasons, voters were for the first time able to express their will in democratic elections.

The Carter Center did not seek accreditation to observe the by-elections. Instead, since October 2016, the Center has been supporting EEOP, a network of 14 regional civil society organizations from different parts of Myanmar, and its secretariat, which is held by the New Myanmar Foundation (NMF). The Center provided technical assistance in the form of trainings, direct advisory support through on-site experts, and the use of ELMO, its open-source software for reporting on and analyzing elections. EEOP deployed over 200 observers, including 19 long-term observers. The Carter Center is grateful for the generous support of the embassy of Denmark in Myanmar, which enabled it to assist EEOP/NMF.

The Carter Center has been engaged in Myanmar since 2012. It established an office in Yangon in 2013 and supported Myanmars democratic transition by conducting long-term, field-based observation from December 2014 through July 2015. In August 2015, The Center launched an election observation mission for the November 2015 general elections. The Carter Center issued its final report on the 2015 general elections in August 2016.

###

"Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope."

A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
Photo: Angus Reid Institute

Canada may pride itself on its multiculturalism, but it has its limits.

A new Angus Reid survey finds not only support, but also limitations to Canadians' acceptance of religions other than their own.

While a strong majority are inclined to view Christian and Buddhist faiths favourably, a number of other religions are viewed with more skepticism.

In a climate rife with conversations about Islamophobia, Islam itself is viewed unfavourably by almost half of Canadians (46 per cent). A similarly negative sentiment is found toward the burka and niqab.

Despite this, the trend to acceptance is improving across Canada, compared to previous studies. In Quebec, this represents a doubling of the number of residents who view Islam in a positive light over the past four years.

One in three support wearing the niqab (32 per cent) or the burka (29 per cent), while a strong majority support wearing the nuns habit (88 per cent), kippah (85 per cent), turban (77 per cent) or hijab (75 per cent).

More than eight in 10 Canadians say it would be acceptable for their child to marry someone who practices Christianity, while that number drops below two-thirds for the five other major religions canvassed.

Before 1971, just 2.9 per cent of immigrants said they followed Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism. Between 2001 and 2011 that number jumped to 33 per cent.

Within this shifting environment, 68 per cent say they view Christianity favourably, but this number drops by 10 points for the next closest faith, Buddhism. Islam is seen favourably by just 33 per cent.
Photo: Contributed

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to follow this weekend's commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge by visiting another famous Canadian battlefield: Juno Beach.

Canadian soldiers fought at Vimy during the First World War and at Juno on D-Day in the Second World War.

A government official says the overall theme of the trip is remembering the sacrifices of all Canadian soldiers.

Thousands of people from across Canada are expected to descend on Vimy on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the battle, where all four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together for the first time in history.

Nearly 3,600 Canadian soldiers were killed and another 7,000 were wounded over four days of fierce fighting in sleet and rain, as they captured the strategically important ridge from the Germans.

The battle has since taken on iconic status in Canadian history  some consider it the moment when Canada was born as a true nation.

An estimated 12,000 students will be in attendance, while the official delegation will see Trudeau joined by Gov.-Gen. David Johnston, French President Francois Hollande and Princes Charles, William and Harry.
Archbishop of Canterbury at Spring Harvest: 'We are going to heal the world's separation from God.'

More than four thousand Christians have gathered in the south west of England for the annual Spring Harvest festival involving worship, prayer, music and Bible teaching.

A highlight of Spring Harvest at Minehead, Somerset will be a visit by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

WATCH Justin Welby talk about Spring Harvest this year and how Christians can live together when they have 'profound disagreements'.

'Jesus prayed that we would be united. Our witness depends upon us being united,' he said. 'How we experience the love of Christ is transformed by unity.' Christians disagree on many important things. 'But we love one another... and we are going to love the world and heal, above all, its separation from God.'

The event in the coastal Somerset town of Minehead kicked off last night with a 'celebration' led by the popular worship leader Lou Fellingham.

Thousands of delegates sang along to worship songs including a version of 'How Great Thou Art' and 'The Lord is my Shepherd' as well as 'This I believe (the creed)' by Hillsong.

A show of hands indicated that around a third of delegates were attending Spring Harvest for the first time, while two-thirds had come before.

'A lot of people from my church were coming and I always wanted to come to a major Christian festival,' said Jean Allen, who was attending for the first time. Another first-time delegate, Claire Mottershead, 43, who had come with her three children said that she had come because 'I worry that the children don't get a chance to learn about God'.

The event was fronted by Abby Guinness, the head of Spring Harvest, Gavin Calver, the director of mission at the Evangelical Alliance, and the author and Baptist pastor Malcolm Duncan.

Duncan, who is head of planning at Spring Harvest, preached on the theme of this year's gathering, which is 'one for all' - Christian unity  and lamented the divisions within the Church today. 'We are stronger when we stand together,' Duncan said, adding that there has been 'too much fighting, dissent, disagreement' in the Church.

He went on: 'We split over unimportant things...in ways that are so unattractive to the world.' But, he said, 'There is more that unites us than divides us...Don't let your denomination define you. If only we would learn to be one family [despite] differing views over the role of women [and] sexuality'.

Duncan then helped launch an unprecedented display of evangelical unity across the UK in an initiative called '17:21'.

The initiative, which will roll into subsequent Christian festivals until October, is named after the prayer of Jesus in John 17:21: 'May they all be one that the world might believe'.

Unveiling a 'scroll' with a statement of unity read by the audience in unison, Duncan then invited attendees, especially the disabled, to mark the scroll with their thumb-prints.

A video played to the audience showed how 300,000 raised by Spring Harvest 2016 went towards the plight of refugees. Russell Rook, the head of the Good Faith partnership which helps house refugees in the UK, thanked Spring Harvest attendees for their support, while Eddie Lyles of Open Doors described how 'Christians have been in the cross-hairs of the conflict with ISIS' in the Middle East.

Announcing the launch of 17:21 in February, Duncan said: 'The 17:21 initiative calls all of us who stand under the shadow of the Cross to link arms in the great responsibility that God has given us  presenting a living Saviour to a dying world. I have been humbled and thrilled to be part of this call to the festivals, conventions and Bible weeks in the United Kingdom to declare that we are united by far more than what divides us. May God take us beyond structural and mechanistic unity and give us the boldness and courage to stand together for Christ.'
Archbishop of Canterbury to make high-level, 12 day trip to the Holy Land

The Archbishop of Canterbury will make a high-level 12 day visit to the Holy Land in May, Lambeth Palace confirmed today.

In one of his longest trips as Archbishop, Justin Welby will take in Jordan and Bethlehem as well as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Galilee, and focus on the themes of reconciliation, Christian unity and the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.

The Archbishop's visit will be largely aimed at affirming the presence of Christian communities in the Holy Land. But as ever in the region, there will be a political dimension: Archbishop Welby is likely to meet with the Israeli and Palestinian Presidents, Reuven Rivlin and Mahmoud Abbas respectively as well as other leaders, including King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman. A meeting is being sought with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The trip comes exactly 50 years after the Six Day War which resulted in the Occupation of Palestinian territories and 100 years after the Balfour Declaration which established a Jewish state on Palestinian land.

Archbishop Welby will spend several days in Jerusalem where he will stay at the Anglican St. George's Cathedral at the invitation of the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Suheil Dawani. Archbishop Welby will preside over a Communion service and be installed as an Episcopal Canon at the Cathedral.

He will visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and other Christian sites as well as the Western Wall and, possibly, the Temple Mount in the divided city.

In Bethlehem, where Archbishop Welby is expected to stay overnight, he will meet with the Christian mayor of the town, Vera Baboun. Mayor Baboun will brief the Archbishop on the situation in Bethlehem including the surrounding Israeli settlements and security wall or 'separation barrier'. She and other Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem are likely to emphasise the increasing numbers of Christians who are leaving the town of Jesus's birthplace, where only around 15 per cent of the population today is Christian.

Archbishop Welby will pass through the controversial separation barrier as he enters and exits Bethlehem by road. He will also symbolically enter Israel via the West Bank by crossing the Allenby Bridge over the Jordan River from Jordan, where he will begin his trip.

In Tel Aviv, the Archbishop will meet with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel as well as taking part in other inter-faith events in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

He will also deliver a set-piece speech on the theme of reconciliation at the Peres Centre for Peace in Tel Aviv, named after the late Israeli President Shimon Peres.

In the north of Israel, Archbishop Welby will visit Galilee and Nazareth as well as Haifa and Acre, where there is a growing Christian community.

Following Foreign Office advice, Archbishop Welby will not speak to Hamas or visit any Israeli settlements deemed illegal under international law. He will also not enter Gaza.

The Archbishop's trip comes amid a dormant period for the so-called peace process in the Middle East and the announcement of his trip comes as there is speculation in the region over whether US President Donald Trump will move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move that would infuriate Palestinians.
Corbyn blasts Livingstone for causing 'deep offence and hurt' to Jewish community as Labour opens fresh inquiry

Ken Livingstone will face a new investigation into his comments claiming that Hitler supported Zionism, it emerged this afternoon, as Jeremy Corbyn hit out against his old ally for refusing to apologise and causing deep offence to the Jewish community.

Labour's ruling body will now launch a fresh disciplinary process against Livingstone, who was suspended from the party for a further year but controversially not expelled over his original comments made in April 2016.

Corbyn, the Labour leader said: 'Ken Livingstone's comments have been grossly insensitive, and he has caused deep offence and hurt to the Jewish community.

'It is deeply disappointing that, despite his long record of standing up to racism, Ken has failed to acknowledge or apologise for the hurt he has caused. Many people are understandably upset that he has continued to make offensive remarks which could open him to further disciplinary action.

'Since initiating the disciplinary process, I have not interfered with it and respect the independence of the party's disciplinary bodies. But Ken's subsequent comments and actions will now be considered by the national executive committee after representations from party members.'

Earlier, the Labour Party was accused of 'failing the Jewish community' over its failure to expel the former London mayor.

Livingstone was suspended for two years from the party on Tuesday for saying Hitler supported Zionism when he was elected in 1932 before 'he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews'.

The Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis said the decision not to expel him fully 'yet again failed to show' the party was 'sufficiently serious about tackling the scourge of anti-Semitism'.

But Livingstone has said he will fight to overturn the ban.

Tom Watson, Labour's deputy leader, also attacked the internal party ruling and said he 'can't disagree' with the Chief Rabbi.

Labour's internal disciplinary panel upheld three charges against the former mayor and said he contravened the rule that 'no member of the party shall engage in conduct which in the opinion of the NEC is prejudicial, or in any act which in the opinion of the NEC is grossly detrimental to the party'.

But it stopped short of expelling him and simply barred him from standing for office or representing the party at any level for two years.

Jeremy Newark, chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, said the ban was 'quite insufficient'.

He said: 'It seems the party is operating some kind of revolving door policy where one can make deeply hurtful and offensive comments, denies the history of the Holocaust, and dip in and out of party membership.

'It's a betrayal of the values of our party and what it stands for.

'I feel they've fudged an incredibly important and significant decision, a moment that could have been a turning point for the Labour Party in proving that it has zero tolerance for anti-Semitism appears to have been wasted.'

Joe Glasman, head of political and government investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: 'Ken Livingstone has been portraying Jews as Nazis for decades. His claim that Hitler acted in support of Zionism, along with his constant repetition of that distortion, has been a repulsive spectacle.

'We felt sure that the Labour Party, blighted by antisemitism as it is, would reclaim some of its former self and expel him. Labour has long had a moral duty to expel Ken Livingstone, but instead it has allowed his vile views to gain support in the Party.

'Today's verdict confirms our worst fears: that it is possible to husband and broadcast such repellant beliefs and still remain a Labour Party member has shocked even us. This surely represents the last of the death throes of the Labour Party's long relationship with the Jewish community. The Labour Party had this one last chance to prove that it is not beyond salvation. Today's decision is the Party's final act of brazen, painful betrayal.'
Criminal asks woman, 'Where's Jesus right now?' while raping her

A troubled 33-year-old serial rapist and career criminal targeted an unsuspecting woman inside a Christian bookstore and taunted her, "Where's Jesus right now?" while he was choking and raping her.

Sean Price, who was convicted of the murder of a 17-year-old schoolgirl in Australia back in 2015, has a history of mental illness such as schizophrenia and psychosis, according to ABC Australia. When he was 31, he killed Doncaster schoolgirl Masa Vukotic at random while she was walking at a park, stabbing her 49 times.

On the day he was about to be arrested for the crime, he decided to commit another crime by raping a woman. "I thought f---, I'm going to jail for this one. I've just got to take a chick. I'm going to be stranded for the rest of my life," he told police following his arrest.

Price walked into a Christian bookshop, which is located in Melbourne's western suburbs, reported The Herald Sun. He asked the woman in charge if the shop sold Bibles, and she directed him to their Bible selection. Unsatisfied, he asked her again to show him books that contained scientific evidence of God's existence.

The woman directed him at the back of the bookstore, where he attacked her. "Where's Jesus? Where's Jesus right now?" he screamed at her as she bit, pinched, and poked him.

Price even told police how the woman looked like while he was choking her: "I just realised like she was fussing up too much and she was starting to change colours. And I was like f---, not another one."

He was eventually chased off, and pleaded guilty to the rape. The victim told police that the crime committed against her changed her life forever, and that she still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder because of it. The unnamed woman said she constantly has panic attacks, and that her marriage has been adversely affected.

Price was only 18 when he committed his first violent crime against women. Over the next few months, he launched a series of sexual attacks in Melbourne. He assaulted seven women and raped two of them. One of his rape victims was a mother who was at home with her two children, while his other victim was just 13 years old, reports said.
Death toll rises in horrifying Syria chemical weapons attack as Russian denials are dismissed amid diplomatic row

The death toll in the Idlib province of northern Syria has risen to at least 70 after victims were exposed to a toxic gas that survivors said was dropped from warplanes, as a major diplomatic row grew over the carnage.

A further 100 people, at least, were being treated in hospitals in the province where the strike took place at dawn yesterday. Several dozen others, some in critical condition, were transferred to Turkey.

Condemnation is growing as the US, UK and the EU blamed the Syrian government for the deadly incident, hours before the start of a donor conference on Syria was due to begin in Brussels.

Donald Trump denounced it as a 'heinous' act that 'cannot be ignored by the civilised world'.

The Prime Minister, Theresa May said she was appalled by reports of the attack and called for an investigation by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

'I'm very clear that there can be no future for Assad in a stable Syria which is representative of all the Syrian people and I call on all the third parties involved to ensure that we have a transition away from Assad,' she said. 'We cannot allow this suffering to continue.'

The UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the latest death toll today in Khan Sheikhoun at 72, including 20 children.

The Syrian military said it 'categorically denied' responsibility, while Russia, which has heavily backed the Syrian regime, said its planes were not operating near Idlib.

Early this morning, the Russian defence ministry claimed that a Syrian airstrike had hit a 'terrorist warehouse' containing an arsenal of 'toxic substances' destined for fighters in Iraq.

But Hamish de Bretton Gordon, director of Doctors Under Fire and former commanding officer of the UK Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Regiment, said this claim was 'completely untrue' and 'fanciful'.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'It's very clear it's a sarin attack. The view that it's an al-Qaida or rebel stockpile of sarin that's been blown up in an explosion, I think is completely unsustainable and completely untrue.'

Hours after the attack, a hospital treating the injured was also hit.

Photographs and videos taken at the scene and in evacuation areas nearby showed rows of lifeless children, some with foam visible near their mouths. Save the Children said that at least 11 children were among the casualties.

The operations chief of the UN-led team that supervised the removal of Syria's sarin stockpiles following the gas attack on the rebel-held Ghouta area of Damascus four years ago, Jerry Smith, said: 'This absolutely reeks of 2013 all over again.'

In that attack, more than 1,300 people were killed.

The UN said the perpetrators probably had access to the stockpile of sarin held by the Syrian military at the time.

Tuesday's attack struck in Khan Sheikhun, where there are thousands of refugees from the nearby province of Hama who have fled recent fighting in the war-torn country.

'In this most recent attack, dozens of children suffocated to death while they slept,' said Ahmad Tarakji, the head of the Syrian American Medical Society (Sams). 'This should strike at the very core of our humanity. How much longer will the world fail to respond to these heinous crimes?'

Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary said: 'I am horrified by the reports of an attack near Idlib in Syria. The reports we are receiving strongly suggest the use of chemical weapons. And although we cannot yet be certain about what has happened, this bears all the hallmarks of an attack by the regime which has repeatedly used chemical weapons.

'The UK condemns the use of chemical weapons wherever and by whomever they are used and we will continue to lead international efforts to hold perpetrators to account. We continue to support the work of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and will work closely with them as they seek to investigate this latest incident.

'If this is shown to be the work of the regime, it is further evidence of the atrocities perpetrated against the Syrian people over six years of appalling conflict.'

Commenting on news that the UK will provide 1bn in aid money for Syrian refugees and their host countries, Tim Livesey, Oxfam's Head of UK Policy, said: 'Oxfam welcomes the Prime Minister's pledge to provide significant additional support to help Syrians left homeless by years of violence, building on its strong track record of aid to Syria.

'The UK Government should also push harder to ensure civilians and local aid workers within Syria are better protected - and for more inclusive peace efforts to end the horrific bloodshed.

'We're calling on the UK Government to match its generous aid with a more generous welcome to vulnerable refugees, including those already in the UK who need to be reunited with family members.'
Former Archbishop of Canterbury attends controversial Syria conference hosting Assad ministers

The former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will today attend a controversial 'secret' conference joining two members of Syria's Assad regime addressing the future of Syria. The Cambridge conference comes a day after the Bashar al-Assad's government was accused of a chemical gas attack on its own people.

A demonstration against the two-day meeting will take place in Cambridge, with more than 30 people voicing their upset, according to Cambridge News.

Lord Williams, Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge will be a keynote speaker at the 'conflict resolution' conference, titled Syria  Six Years On: From Destruction to Reconstruction, hosted by the European Centre for the Study of Extremism (EuroCSE). He will speak alongisde Ali Haidar and Bishr Riyad Yaziji, both ministers in the controversial Assad government.

The former Archbishop previously said that attending the conference would cause him 'discomfort', but he said he would be 'robust' with his criticism about human rights abuses in Syria. He is still attending, and has offered no comment on the matter apart from telling Guido Fawkes: 'I'd hope others will wait to see if this conference actually delivers a independent perspective.'

He is reported to be giving this standard reply to those concerned: 'I have made it clear that I have no intention of defending the Government of Syria against well-founded charges of human rights abuses, and I have as yet seen no clear evidence that the event is designed simply as a propagandist exercise. You may be sure that I should strongly resist any attempt to make it such. My concern is simply to ask what can be done to move the discussion furthertowards a just and sustainable peace, guaranteeing the democratic rights of all.'

A statement on the EuroCSE's website, from director Dr Khoury-Machool says: 'There is a need to reconstruct Syria as a nation (physically and psychologically) and work towards dialogue, fostering tolerance and reconciliation, and resolve the trauma across the country and within the region, which is necessary for working towards peace.'

Addressing opposition and tension around the conference, it adds: 'Raising grievance is part of a healing process. This conference, however, is about resolving extremism, avoiding reactionary politics and propaganda, and therefore it is about establishing mature responsible dialogue, understanding, fostering tolerance and paving a way for reconciliation and peace.

'Everybody involved in this discourse cares about and is emotionally invested in Syria and its fate. Our conference provides an important platform for responsible diplomacy with the goal of resolution of war and healing distress.

'Syria needs reconstruction, reconciliation and peace; we believe that our first Patron and Keynote speaker at the conference The Rt. Rev. and Rt. Honorable, Baron of Oystermouth, Lord Dr Rowan Williams, Master of Magdalene College is best placed to advocate for peace in Syria and to facilitate this evolving dialogue for peace.'

Dozens were killed and wounded in the rebel-held town in Idlib, Syria yesterday in a fatal gas attack that many suspect to be the work of the Assad regime against the Syrian people. A bomb attack on a hospital treating the wounded killed many more. British foreign secretary Boris Johnson said that if the government was responsible, it was a 'war crime'.

He said: 'If this is shown to be the work of the regime, it is further evidence of the atrocities perpetrated against the Syrian people over six years of appalling conflict.'
By Press Trust of India: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Apr 5 (PTI) A group of influential Democratic Senators today asked US President Donald Trump to raise several trade issues, including currency manipulation, with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during their meeting tomorrow.

Reminding Trump of his campaign promise that he would be tough on China "on Day-one", the dozen odd Senators ina letter rued that the US President has not taken any meaningful actions on the Chinese trade "cheating".

advertisement

For workers with the deck stacked against them due to Chinas "cheating" on trade, the Senators called on Trump to deliver his promise.

Trump will host his Chinese counterpart at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida from April 6 to 7.

The Senators urged Trump to raise several trade issues of regional and national importance, including overcapacity, China market economy status, currency manipulation and industrial espionage during his meeting.

"Since joining the World Trade Organisation in 2001, China has consistently failed to comply with its international trade obligations. And workers across the US, including workers in our home states, have paid the price," the Senators wrote.

"You pledged to support American workers and go after trade cheaters, and we hope you take this opportunity with your first one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi to keep this promise to American workers and strongly affirm these priorities," said the letter.

Signatories to the letter included Bob Casey, Charles Schumer, Sherrod Brown, Debbie Stabenow, Amy Klobucher, Al Franken, Tammy Baldwin, Joe Donnelly, Gary Fetes, Jeffrey Merkley, Kirsten Gillibrand and Joe Manchin.

Observing that Chinas excess aluminum and steel production capacity is causing global market distortions and has forced the idling of numerous steel facilities and the layoffs of thousands of US workers, the letter requested Trump to urge Xi to live up to Chinas previous commitments to reduce its net aluminum and steel production capacity or face strong trade enforcement action by the US against Chinese imports in those industries.

Ruing that despite agreeing to commitments in its WTO accession protocol to transition to a market economy, China remains a non-market economy, the Senators urged Trump to reaffirm the position of the US that China is a non-market economy.

"We also urge you to express your commitment to aggressively defend US treatment of China as a non-market economy before the WTO," the letter said.

"Currency manipulation continues to be a significant concern to manufacturers across the country," the Senators alleged.

The Chinese government has a long history of undervaluing its currency to boost exports, it said.

advertisement

"When this occurs, American manufacturers pay the price.

China continues to intervene in its exchange rate.

Data published on March 7, 2017 by the Peoples Bank of China, show foreign exchange reserves rose by USD 6.92 billion, during February, this is counter to expectations that reserves would fall by almost USD 3 billion," it said.

"We urge you to make clear to President Xi that the US will hold China accountable when they are found to manipulate currency to the detriment of American manufacturers," the Senators said as it also urged Trump to raise the issue of industrial espionage. PTI LKJ UZM

--- ENDS ---
'God of peace, help us fulfil the dream of unification' - the powerful Easter prayer of Christians of North and South Korea

A powerful joint Easter prayer for North and South Korea has been prepared by Christians in both countries.

The National Council of Churches in the South and the Korean Christian Federation of the North have worked together to prepare the 2017 Easter Joint North-South Prayer, published by the World Council of Churches.

The prayer expresses the joy of the Resurrection of Christ  and the sorrow of 70 years of separation between South and North Korea.

'We have lost the hopes of "becoming one with God", and have sought after earthly goods instead of peace,' it reads. 'Clear away the pain-filled memories of separation, and also the rusty barbed-wires.'

Christians worldwide are being urged to pray the prayer, which reflects the desire of so many for reunification.

'Help us remember the days when the North and the South once were one, to better live into a world of harmony and peace,' it reads.

Kurt Esslinger, a mission co-worker with the Presbyterian Church, who also represents the reconciliation and unification department of the National Council of Churches in Korea, said he hopes the prayer may be a useful resource for churches in praying for resurrection and peace. 'We encourage you to share it with your communities and to use it in Easter services where it is appropriate,' he said.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide has reported on how Christians in North Korea face rape, torture, enslavement and being killed for their faith.

Christian missions entered Korea at the end of the 19th century and churches flourished, and in the South they still do according to the World Council of Churches. Korea is home to the largest congregation in the world, the Pentecostal Yoido Full Gospel Church, with 800,000 members.

Korean churches have sent thousands of missionaries to all parts of the world. In the 1980s, churches in South Korea began a movement of peace and unification and meeting with the Christian Fellowship of North Korea.

The Korean Assemblies of God joined the national council of churches in 1997. The Korean Evangelical Fellowship is affiliated with the World Evangelical Alliance.

Christians in the North, by contrast, suffer terrible persecution and have to conceal their faith for fear of being sent to one of the many horrific labour camps.

2017 Easter Joint North-South Prayer

Lord, you who have defeated death and risen,

In this season where we remember the joys of resurrection,

Thank you for showing the marvels of life this spring through the vitality of green life.

Yes Lord!

This world was created beautifully in God's eyes,

Who also sent his one and only Son, Jesus,

To save those who have sinned against You.

Lord, You have shown us how to live as God's children, And Your Spirit has led us not only through life,

But also through history.

But Lord,

The sorrows of the 70-years ethnic separation,

Still lingers since the time of our North/South division. We have lost the hopes of 'becoming one with God', And have sought after earthly goods instead of peace.

Pity us, Lord.

Clear away the pain-filled memories of separation,

And also the rusty barbed-wires.

Help the North and the South fulfill a life of harmony and peace, As the farmer readies himself to till new land and plant new life, Prepare us Lord.

Lord,

Help us first open our firmly closed hearts,

So that we can embrace each other with tenderness.

Let us sow the seeds of tolerance, love and service,

And with God's blessings,

May that land bear much fruit,

And bless our people with a life full of joy and harmony.

God of life,

Help the churches of the North and the South, To defeat this cold death-like reality.

God of peace,

Help us work together with one united mind, To fulfill the dreams of unification.

Help us remember the days when the North and the South once were one, To better live into a world of harmony and peace.

God of life,

In this season of resurrection where we await the signs of spring, Help us see the hopes of new life,

Sprouting in the cold barren land.

God of justice,

In this land where Your glory awaits, Let the rivers of justice flow, Bringing forth Your plans for us.

In Jesus name, the one who has defeated death and risen again, Amen
Hundreds of religious groups call on Congress to keep Johnson Amendment

Nearly 100 religious groups are urging Congress to keep the 'Johnson Amendment' which limits churches' political activities.

President Donald Trump has vowed to repeal the law which blocks ministers from endorsing political candidates from the pulpit or religious organisations from donating to either party. Many Republicans back him and argue the amendment infringes on religious groups' free speech.

But 99 different groups have written to oppose the move.

'The charitable sector, particularly houses of worship, should not become another cog in a political machine or another loophole in campaign finance laws,' they write.

The strongly worded backlash comes from across the religious spectrum from The Episcopal Church and Baptist groups to Catholic, Jewish, Islamic and Hindu movements.

'Current law serves as a valuable safeguard for the integrity of our charitable sector and campaign finance system,' say in a letter to top members of Congress including Speaker Paul Ryan, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and chair of Ways and Means Committee Kevin Brady who previously repeal of the amendment would be included in tax-reform legislation.

'People of faith do not want partisan political fights infiltrating their houses of worship,' the signatories, including the National Council of Churches and Islamic Society of North America, write.

'Current law simply limits groups from being both a tax-exempt ministry and a partisan political entity.'

They say repealing the amendment, named after former US President Lyndon Johnson who introduced it as a Senator, would be 'highly divisive' and have a 'detrimental impact' on community life.

'Houses of worship are spaces for members of religious communities to come together, not be divided along political lines; faith ought to be a source of connection and community, not division and discord.'

They also warned the integrity of churches and other places of worship would be tarnished if they were tied to political campaigns.

'If houses of worship endorse candidates, their prophetic voice, their ability to speak truth to power as political outsiders, is threatened.

'The credibility and integrity of congregations would suffer with bad decisions of candidates they endorsed. Tying America's houses of worship to partisan activity demeans the institutions from which so many believers expect unimpeachable decency.'
Iranian court confirms 5-year prison sentence on falsely convicted Christian convert

A Christian convert who has been languishing in an Iranian prison for years now will have to endure three more years of deprivation.

Ebrahim Firouzi was earlier handed a five-year prison sentence by Tehran's Revolutionary Court in 2015 after he was arrested for his faith in July 2013 and falsely convicted of "forming a group in order to disrupt national security," the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reported.

Late last month, an appeals court confirmed his prison term, which means that he will not be due for release at the Rajai Shar prison until January 2020, according to Mohabat News. After his release from prison, he will reportedly be exiled to Sarbaz township, one of the most deprived areas in Sistan-Baluchestan province.

Iranian authorities have refused to grant Firouzi permission for temporary medical leave even for a single day, even during the Persian New Year's holiday, sources said.

As a result, the Christian convert's health continues to deteriorate, the sources added.

Prison officials have also reportedly prevented Firouzi from visiting his old and ailing mother who has been suffering from cancer and undergoing medical treatment.

Firouzi was arrested and detained on July 3, 2013 on charges of "propagating material against the Islamic republic, launching and leading deceptive Christian evangelical organisations, connection with anti-Islamic revolution elements abroad, and setting up Christian internet sites."

Firouzi has denied all the charges levelled against him, NCRI said. Moreover, parts of the evidence presented at the appeals court were reportedly the same evidence previously presented in an earlier case filed against him, for which he had already served the prison sentence upon conviction.

Iran ranked eighth on Open Doors USA's World Watch list of top Christian-persecuting countries.

The Christian persecution watchdog states that Iranian authorities consider Christianity as a Western influence and a threat to the Islamic identity of the republic.

Muslims who converted to Christianity make up the largest group of Christians and experience the most persecution, the group says.

Christians face extreme persecution in Iran, including regular crackdowns and jail sentences due to their faith. House churches are not permitted, and Christian converts are beaten and arrested for gathering to worship, according to The Christian Post.
Islam Will Surpass Christianity As World's Largest Religion By 2070, Pew Predicts

Islam is the fasting growing religion in the world, and will be the largest in the world by 2070, new research suggests.

A study updated this week by the Pew Research Centre titled 'Muslims and Islam: Key findings in the US and around the world', suggests that Islam will grow by 73 per cent by 2050, compared with only 35 per cent growth for Christianity.

The entire world population is expected to grow by 37 per cent, meaning Islam will grow at nearly twice the rate of the world. In 2010 Christians numbered 2.17 billion, and Muslims 1.6 billion. By 2070 those numbers will reach 2.92 billion and 2.76 billion respectively.

In the US, Muslims are predicted to make up 2.1 per cent of the population by 2050. They currently make up approximately 1 per cent of the population, numbering around 3.3. million. In Europe, Muslims will reach 10 per cent of the population by 2050.

Atheism and non-religious identification will decline, the report says. While such groups will grow in North America and Europe, globally they will decline from 16.4 per cent of the population to 13.2 per cent by 2050.

The reports suggest two factors behind Islam's rapid growth. Muslims have the highest fertility rate, at 3.1 children per woman. Muslims also have the youngest average age  34 per cent are aged under 15.

The reports suggests that most people in majority Muslim countries have an unfavourable view of ISIS. Often, people in predominantly Muslim countries were as concerned about the threat of Islamic extremism as those in the West.
Islamist extremist converts to Christianity after witnessing 'supernatural' phenomena, seeing Jesus in his dream

Jesus Christ has welcomed into His fold another former Islamist extremist who once persecuted Christians.

In a recent report, the Christian missionary group Bibles for Mideast described how former Muslim radical Ibn Yakoobi underwent transformation after witnessing some "supernatural" phenomena and seeing Jesus in his dream.

In his own narration, Yakoobi said he was part of a mob that attacked Christians and destroyed their church in a central African country. He said he also tried to kill a Christian pastor.

But when he and his men were about to attack the church and kill the pastor, an intense storm and other "supernatural" events occurred, preventing their attack.

The divine intervention stunned Yakoobi to such an extent that he started to have doubts on his Islamic faith, according to the missionary group that smuggles Bibles in the Middle East.

After that, Yakoobi started attending Christian prayer meetings to find out more about Christ.

An enlightened and emboldened Yakoobi then even stood up and challenged the imam at his mosque for vilifying the Christians. "Why then, imam, can't you do miracles as Prophet Moses did and destroy their black magic? If you can't, don't talk about it!" he reportedly told the imam.

For rebuking the imam and openly showing defiance, Yakoobi was brutally beaten by the imam's followers.

While nursing his wounds, he reportedly had a vision of Jesus, with Christ telling him about the great sacrifice He made to save all of humanity.

Yakoobi recalled what Jesus told him: "You are healed by my wounds. You are purified by my blood. You have salvation by my death. And you have eternal life by my resurrection. Now I give you a new heart and new life. Be faithful."

He wasted no time to convert to Christianity, even urging his friends and family to turn their backs on Islam and follow Jesus instead. Some of them did.

Atoning for his past misdeeds, Yakoobi also volunteered to rebuild the church he and his men had previously destroyed.

Yakoobi was just one of many other Muslimssome of them formerly devout Islamic believers who persecuted Christianswho have enthusiastically discarded their old faith to embrace Christ after seeing Him in their dreams.

Just late last month, as previously reported, a devout young Muslim woman from Turkey who harboured a deep hatred of Christians had a sudden change of heart and converted to Christianity, according to Christian Aid Mission.

Just like Yakoobi, the woman went to a church to see the pastor to "make fun" of him.

But she had a sudden change of heart after meeting Pastor Matta, the leader of a local ministry, and hearing him speak about the Gospel.

Later, Jesus also appeared in her dream, which ultimately led her to convert to Christianity.

Earlier last month, scores of Muslim refugees reportedly converted to Christianity, with some saying that Jesus appeared to them in their dreams, promising to help and save them.
Ken Livingstone decision shows Labour is 'failing the Jewish community', says Chief Rabbi

The Labour Party is being accused of 'failing the Jewish community' after it did not expel Ken Livingstone for comments he made linking Adolf Hitler to Zionism.

Livingstone, former Mayor of London, was suspended for two years from the party on Tuesday for saying Hitler supported Zionism when he was elected in 1932 before 'he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews'.

The Chief Rabbi said the decision not to expel him fully 'yet again failed to show' the party was 'sufficiently serious about tackling the scourge of anti-Semitism'.

This is a betrayal of our Party's values. One year suspension allows for a revolving door for repeat offenders.  JewishLabourMovement (@JewishLabour) April 4, 2017

But Livingstone has said he will fight to overturn the ban.

Tom Watson, Labour's deputy leader, also attacked the internal party ruling and said he 'can't disagree' with the Chief Rabbi.

Commenting on social media he said Livingstone 'discredits the party I love' and he was 'ashamed that we have allowed Livingstone to cause such distress'.

Tom Watson: Labour has failed the Jewish community https://t.co/bM0MBgyV4K via @labourlist  Jeremy Newmark (@Jeremy_Newmark) April 5, 2017

Labour's internal disciplinary panel upheld three charges against the former mayor and said he contravened the rule that 'no member of the party shall engage in conduct which in the opinion of the NEC is prejudicial, or in any act which in the opinion of the NEC is grossly detrimental to the party'.

But it stopped short of expelling him and simply barred him from standing for office or representing the party at any level for two years.

So much for zero tolerance approach to antisemitism - this is a terrible betrayal of Jewish Labour supporters and our values. pic.twitter.com/PEgPMQgkoM  Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) April 4, 2017

Jeremy Newark, chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, said the ban was 'quite insufficient'.

He said: 'It seems the party is operating some kind of revolving door policy where one can make deeply hurtful and offensive comments, denies the history of the Holocaust, and dip in and out of party membership.

'It's a betrayal of the values of our party and what it stands for.

'I feel they've fudged an incredibly important and significant decision, a moment that could have been a turning point for the Labour Party in proving that it has zero tolerance for anti-Semitism appears to have been wasted.'

Joe Glasman, head of political and government investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: 'Ken Livingstone has been portraying Jews as Nazis for decades. His claim that Hitler acted in support of Zionism, along with his constant repetition of that distortion, has been a repulsive spectacle.

'We felt sure that the Labour Party, blighted by antisemitism as it is, would reclaim some of its former self and expel him. Labour has long had a moral duty to expel Ken Livingstone, but instead it has allowed his vile views to gain support in the Party.

'Today's verdict confirms our worst fears: that it is possible to husband and broadcast such repellant beliefs and still remain a Labour Party member has shocked even us. This surely represents the last of the death throes of the Labour Party's long relationship with the Jewish community. The Labour Party had this one last chance to prove that it is not beyond salvation. Today's decision is the Party's final act of brazen, painful betrayal.'

But Labour's shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti, who led an inquiry into accusations of antisemitism in Labour said the party had 'showed its ability to look at itself fairly and carefully in the mirror in more difficult times, however painful this might be.'

She added: 'I hope people might now revisit my report and remind themselves of better ways to argue about difficult issues without compromising our values of solidarity, tolerance and respect.'
Nicky Morgan vows to keep asking questions because 'we have no effective opposition'

Nicky Morgan has vowed to continue asking questions and scrutinising the policies of Theresa May's government from the backbenches after she was sacked on the Prime Minister's first day in the job.

The former education secretary has not disguised her opposition to many of May's plans including moves towards a hard Brexit and allowing for more grammar schools.

Speaking at Spring Harvest, an evangelical Christian festival in Somerset, Morgan accused Jeremy Corbyn's Labour of failing to provide a real opposition.

'That is why a number of us on the backbenches think we have got to do that role of scrutinising government policy, because that is what democracy is all about,' she said.

An avowed Remainer in the European Union referendum campaign, Morgan spoke of deep tensions that have emerged since Brexit and her shock at the outcome.

'Friendships have been put under immense strain,' she said. 'The country we thought we knew is not the one we now have.

'It makes me think perhaps I have not been listening,' she added.

'I cannot remember a time when this country was as divided as it is now,' she told the conference which is looking at how to disagree well and build unity.

'We seemed to be slightly strained as a country in dealing with those tensions.'

With the prospect of a second Scottish independence referendum and two years of Brexit talks to negotiate Morgan went on to say the church was crucial to healing tensions and divisions in the UK.

'It is about talking, it is about listening and it is about relationship,' she said.

The spring conference attracts thousands each year with the Archbishop of Canterbury attending on Sunday to preach on healing 'healing profound disagreements'.

Opening the 2017 programme Baptist pastor Malcolm Duncan preached on the theme of 'one for all' - Christian unity  and lamented the divisions within the Church today.

'We are stronger when we stand together,' Duncan said. He is concerned about the ongoing fighting, dissent and disagreement in the Church.

He went on: 'We split over unimportant things...in ways that are so unattractive to the world.' But, he said, 'There is more that unites us than divides us...Don't let your denomination define you.'
Pope Francis calls for 'healing' in Chicago, as Cardinal launches anti-violence 'peace-walk' in city

Pope Francis has offered consolation to the hurting in Chicago, and called for 'healing' from the city's violence, as the the region's top Catholic cleric announced an anti-violence 'Peace Walk' to commemorate murder victims.

Cardinal Blase Cupich invited 'all people of good will' to join a 'Peace Walk' on April 14 through the notorious gun crime-ridden Englewood neighbourhood, according to RNS.

'The causes of the violence we are seeing in our city are complex and deep seated, but I have a strong belief, based on the good will and the many dedicated efforts of our civic and religious leaders, that these causes can be addressed and the suffering can end if we all work together,' Cupich said at a news conference at the Peace Corner Youth Center in Chicago's South Austin neighborhood.

He also pledged $250,000 from the diocese's discretionary fund to support anti-violence programs throughout the city. 'If we don't do this as a church, we might as well pack up,' he said, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Pope Francis personally picked Cupich in 2014 to serve as the Chicago Archdiocese's cardinal. The pontiff himself sent his own message of support to the longsuffering city.

'Walking the path of peace is not always easy, but it is the only authentic response to violence,' the pope wrote. He conveyed his thoughts and prayers for those families who have lost loved ones through Chicago's violence, and pointed to the non-violent legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

Francis wrote: 'As I make my own Way of the Cross in Rome (on Good Friday), I will accompany you in prayer, as well as those who walk with you and who have suffered violence in the city.'

He added: 'I pray that the people of your beautiful city never lose hope, that they work together to become builders of peace, showing future generations the true power of love.'

In 2016 Chicago saw over 4,300 people shot, and over 760 killed, the city's worst violence figures in just under two decades. As of Monday, at least 755 people have been shot this year.
President Donald Trump to deliver Liberty University graduation Commencement Address

President Donald Trump is to deliver the important graduation commencement address at Liberty, the Christian evangelical Southern Baptist Christian university in Virginia.

Liberty describes itself as the 'largest Christian university in the world' and the invitation to do the commencement address at the graduation ceremony in May will be regarded as a significant endorsement of President Trump.

Trump said: 'I look forward to speaking to this amazing group of students on such a momentous occasion.'

Trump told CBN's The Brody File: 'Our children truly are the future and I look forward to celebrating the success of this graduating class as well as sharing lessons as they embark on their next chapter full of hope, faith, optimism, and a passion for life.'

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr, who was one of the earliest and most prominent backers of President Trump during the campaign, said the students will have the chance to hear a 'champion of the average American citizen, including many who felt forgotten and neglected by the establishment'.

In a statement, Falwell said: 'It is a tremendous honor and privilege for any university to host a sitting US President, and we are incredibly grateful to have President Trump be a part of this historic day. Liberty has always been proud to provide its students with the opportunity to hear from successful professionals, including athletes, business leaders, ministers, entertainers, and politicians, regardless of their political or theological persuasion.

'This May, Liberty students will have the honor of hearing from a man who has succeeded in business and in politics, defying conventional wisdom to become the 45th President of the United States as a champion of the average American citizen, including many who felt forgotten and neglected by the establishment.'

Falwell, with his wife Becki, children and daughters-in-law, recently visited the White House.

Trump told CBN: 'I am proud to call Jerry Falwell Jr, his wife Becki, and their entire family my friends.'

Falwell told CBN: 'His supporters, including over 80 per cent of the evangelical community, are thrilled with President Trump's actions so far.

'The fact that the mainstream media and the Establishment (on the left and the right) remain in attack mode with their often baseless and dishonest claims against Trump is a sign that President Trump is doing a wonderful job.'

Trump spoke at Liberty's important Convocation event in 2012 and 2016. There was controversy in some circles after the last event, when he referred to 'Two Corinthians' instead of 'Second Corinthians', which is more usual in the US.

CBN News White House Correspondent Jennifer Wishon said: 'Accepting the invitation to speak at Liberty University as the commencement speaker is just the President's latest move with a nod to evangelicals.

'We can go down the list. One of his very first moves in office was to reverse the Mexico City Policy, which pulled back any US tax dollars being used to perform or educate about abortions overseas. He nominated a pro-life justice, Neil Gorsuch, to the Supreme Court and he's rolled out a plan to repeal and reverse Obamacare.

'Additionally, while he hasn't acted yet, the President has reaffirmed his commitment to repeal the Johnson Amendment that puts speech restrictions on pastors and churches. He made the commitment again during the interview he did with CBN News in January. He's also reaffirmed a commitment to help Christians overseas facing genocide at the hands of ISIS. On the religious liberty front, many Christians are still waiting for the President to issue some reassurances here at home  whether that comes in the form of an executive order or signed legislation  but it's clear he's not forgotten the huge swell of support he received from evangelicals in November or the promises he made.'
Prince William reads 'The Good Samaritan' at 'Service of Hope' for London attack victims

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry attended a 'Service of Hope' for those caught up in the murderous attack by Khalid Masood in London two weeks ago.

Masood, 52, was himself shot dead after he ran down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing three people and injuring dozens more, and then stabbed PC Keith Palmer to death at the Palace of Westminster.

Although it was quickly billed as a terror attack by police and claimed by Islamic State, no evidence of terrorist links have emerged in investigations and Masood appears to have been acting alone and possibly become radicalised through material he accessed on the inernet.

In the bidding, the opening prayer, at Westminster Abbey, the Dean of Westminster John Hall said: 'The violent assault two weeks ago against Londoners and visitors to this city from around the world and the killing of a police constable on duty at the Palace of Westminster have shocked people everywhere.

'Today we remember in particular those who lost their lives: Aysha Frade, Kurt Cochran, Leslie Rhodes, Keith Palmer, their families and friends, and all those who were injured. We commend them to the care and keeping of almighty God.

'We give thanks for the vigilance and dedication of the Police and Security Services and we pray for them in their vital work of keeping our communities and nations safe from terror and random violence.

'We pray today for the communities of our United Kingdom, so rich in their diversity, that we may all celebrate what each contributes and that we may live in harmony.

'At a time of sorrow, a time when we are tempted to despair, may we find hope.'

In his sermon, he added: 'Those killed and injured included Londoners but also people from the United States of America, from Romania, France, South Korea, Italy, China, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Germany, Poland and Ireland.'

He asked could possibly motivate a man to hire a car and take it from Birmingham to Brighton to London and then drive it fast at people he had never met, couldn't possible know, against who he had no personal grudge, and then run at the gates of the Palace of Westminster to cause another death.

'It seems likely that we shall never know. What on earth did he hope to achieve?'

Those present included Home Secretary Amber Rudd who read from Jeremiah 31: 'Thus says the Lord: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more. Thus says the Lord: Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for there is a reward for your work, says the Lord: they shall come back from the land of the enemy; there is hope for your future, says the Lord: your children shall come back to their own country.'

Prince William read the parable of the Good Samaritan from St Luke: 'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.

'Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

'But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, "Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend." Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?' He said, 'The one who showed him mercy.' Jesus said to him, 'Go and do likewise.'

London Mayor Sadiq Khan read the prayer of St Francis:

'Lord, make us channels of your peace. Where there is hatred let us bring your love. Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord. Where there is doubt, faith.

'Make us channels of your peace. Where there is despair in life, let us bring hope. Where there is darkness, only light.

And where there is sadness, ever joy.'
By Reuters: Terror group Islamic State came out with its first official remarks on the newly elected president of the United States, and let's just say, they didn't pull any punches.

Calling US President Donald Trump 'an idiot', ISIS said America had 'drowned' and it had no savior.

"America you have drowned and there is no savior, and you have become prey for the soldiers of the caliphate in every part of the earth, you are bankrupt and the signs of your demise are evident to every eye," said the terror outfit's spokesman Abi al-Hassan al-Muhajer.

advertisement

"... There is no more evidence than the fact that you are being run by an idiot who does not know what Syria or Iraq or Islam is," Muhajer said in a recording released on Tuesday on messaging network Telegram.

Trump has made defeating Islamic State a priority of his presidency.

Read | Exclusive: ISIS terrorists trying to sneak in through sea route, Mumbai on alert

U.S.-backed forces are fighting to retake Islamic State's two biggest cities - Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria.

"Die of spite America, die of spite, a nation where both young and old are racing to die in the name of God will not be defeated," al-Muhajer said in the recording.

Trump is examining ways to accelerate the U.S.-led coalition campaign that US and Iraqi officials say has so far been largely successful in uprooting ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria.

The loss of Mosul, Islamic State's last major stronghold in Iraq, would deal a major defeat to Islamic State.

US and Iraqi officials are preparing for smaller battles after the city is recaptured and expect the group to go underground to fight as a traditional insurgency.

In pictures | Inside ISIS' training camp for recruits

--- ENDS ---
Sunday school teacher kills son before committing suicide

A Sunday school teacher shot and killed his 7-year-old son before turning the gun on himself, authorities in Longview, Washington announced on Friday.

The cause of death in both cases was a gunshot wound to the head based on autopsy results, according to Fox 12 Oregon.

Found dead inside their home were 34-year-old David Michael Pittore-Montiel and his son, Michael Landon.

"From evidence obtained from the scene and from the post-mortem examinations it is believed that David Michael Pittore-Montiel shot Michael Landon Pittore-Montiel with a handgun then using the same handgun shot himself," according to a statement issued by the Cowlitz County Coroner's Office on Friday.

David Michael, a Criminal Justice graduate, was ealier reported to have tried to reach out to people on social media early Thursday morning, indicating he was in a crisis, KOIN6 reported. People who responded to Pittore-Montiel said they gave him encouraging words, and then alerted police about his suicidal behavior.

Longview police, responding to calls they received at around 5:30 a.m. Thursday morning, quickly went to Pittore-Montiel's apartment in the 900th block of 8th Avenue. They heard gunshots before they could enter his apartment. They then found both the father and the son dead.

Pittore-Montiel's neighbours told police officers that he was a single father. His ex-wife Crystal Montiel, who mourned for their loss on Facebook, lives in Vancouver, Washington, The Christian Post reported.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Pittore-Montiel worked as an Office Administrator at the Lower Columbia Community Action Program (LCCAP), an organisation formed as a vehicle for former President Lyndon B. Johnson's "war on poverty." LCCAP's Kathy Bates, however, said he hadn't been in the company for a long time and had been working as a manager at McDonald's.

A local Mormon Church said Pittore-Montiel was a Sunday school teacher. Longview Public School Superintendent Dan Zorn said his son Michael was a first-grader at Northlake Elementary School.

In a Facebook post, LCCAP highlighted Pittore-Montiel's struggles in life and how he overcame them. It said he grew up in foster care, suffered from homelessness after being discharged from the military, and even had his identity stolen. Yet, he was able to overcome all of those trials.

LCCAP said with some help, Pittore-Montiel found housing for himself and his son, and received counsel to help deal with his past traumas. He eventually landed a job, rebuilt his credit, rose up the ranks to become a restaurant manager, and even went back to school to earn a Bachelor's degree.

LCCAP further emphasised the strong father-and-son connection between the two victims. It said in the same Facebook post that both of them were frequently seen riding their bikes together around town. Additionally, Pittore-Montiel is remembered as often expressing that Michael "meant everything to him."
UK Church leaders accuse government of imposing cruel 'two-child limit'

UK church leaders are accusing the government of 'deliberately ignoring' the country's poorest and most vulnerable children in changes to benefits for families.

The Baptist Union, the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church have come together to condemn the move which will be rolled out on Thursday under the Conservative's flagship Universal Credit programme.

From tomorrow, 6 April, anyone with two or more children who has any more children will not be eligible for further Child Tax Credit support. In addition to the two child limit, the 'family element' of 545 per year will be abolished. Families with at least one child born before 6 April 2017 will continue to get the family element, but claims where the eldest child is born on or after 6 April will not receive the family element.

Under the Joint Public Issues Team the leaders of the four major churches, representing more than 800,000 people, said the benefit change would push more children into poverty.

'We should be appalled that children's needs are being deliberately ignored, no matter what the justification,' said Grace Pengelly, Secretary for Church and Society under the United Reformed Church.

'It is extraordinary that the Government has pressed ahead with this cut despite the fact that its own research says that it is not likely to achieve its aim of encouraging families to have fewer children.'

Revd Stephen Keyworth, of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, added the policy is a fundamental change to the benefit system because families will no longer have enough to live on.

'The two-child limit recognises that larger families have additional needs, but chooses to ignore them,' he said. 'We urge the Government, even at this late stage, to hold to the founding principles of the benefit system and not deliberately ignore the needs of the most vulnerable children in society.'

Rachel Lampard, Vice-President of the Methodist Conference, accused the Tories of taking 'a knife to the social security safety net' and warned the consequences for the children will 'last for a life-time'.

The Church of Scotland's Dr Richard Frazer, convener of the church and society council, added: 'How can a decent society look at an impoverished child - and then ignore their needs?'
Some years ago, I was listening to a defense-savvy friend hold forth on the technological sophistication and stupendous firepower of the British Navys two new aircraft carriers, the first of which was then under construction (and will finish her sea trials this summer), with the second planned to be commissioned in 2020. They are irrelevant, I opined; the British Navy is neutered. My friend spluttered indignant disagreement.

Well, I persisted, look what happened to the Royal Navy during the Iraq War, in the early spring of 2007. Pursuant to a UN resolution, eight sailors and seven Royal marines set forth on March 23 from the frigate HMS Cornwall in two boarding craft to search a merchant ship suspected of smuggling. They were in a part of the Persian Gulf that belonged to Iraq, though Iran, with its usual bellicosity, also claimed sovereignty over it. The British sailors, their search completed, reboarded their boats, only to be detained by two Iranian navy speedboats, soon reinforced by half a dozen more. Surrounding the British, the Iranians forced them up the Shatt al-Arab, from which they were taken for questioning at a Revolutionary Guards base in Tehran.

And there they remained until April 4, blindfolded, hands bound, and psychologically pressured until they admitted that they knew they had invaded Iranian waters. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad painted their release as a magnanimous gift to Britain, herded them aboard a commercial British airliner, and sent them home.

Despite his one arm, Admiral Lord Nelson would have spun in his grave, I told my friend. The Royal Navy gave up two of its vessels in wartime without firing a single shot? These are not warriors, I said. If you have a fighting force that wont fight, it doesnt matter how sophisticated the equipment is at their command. Willpower, as British commanders from Henry V to the Duke of Wellington believed, is as important as firepower: and these 15 sailors and marines, who explained that they didnt resist because they thought theyd lose (a self-fulfilling prophecy!), suggest a fatal loss of nerve in the British military.

The governments efforts to sugarcoat the incident only made matters worse. A former First Sea Lord explained that the navys de-escalatory rules of engagement forbade provoking the enemy and intensifying the situationcowardice by command, in other words. Dependably emollient Prime Minister Tony Blair deemed the behavior of the 15 entirely sensible. Had they resisted, there would undoubtedly have been severe loss of lifeas of course happens in war. At least nothing was lost save honor.

So what to say of the ten American sailors on two patrol boats captured by the Iranian navy on January 12 last year, again without firing a shot? Yes, then-Secretary of State John Kerry says he was on the phone with the Persian foreign minister within five minutes, threatening severe consequences if the sailors were not released forthwiththe same John Kerry who, with President Obama, let the Syrians cross our firm red line forbidding them to use poison gas, promising that diplomacy would surely prevent a recurrence, such as the horrendous one that occurred this week. And yes, Iran let our sailors go 15 hours later. But some details remain murky, especially why the sailors claimed that the engine failure of one boat caused them to drift into Iranian waters, when both boats subsequently left under their own power. What is irrefutable, though, is that the Iranians published humiliating photographs of the U.S. sailors forced to kneel on the deck of one of their vessels, their hands clasped behind their headsand that the U.S. Navy fired the commander of their squadron for ineffective leadership and oversight five months later.

President Trump has promised to strengthen Americas much reduced military might by increasing both manpower and firepower, streamlining procurement, and modernizing weaponry. These are essential tasks. But no less necessary is strengthening troop morale and fighting spirit. The purpose of the military is not to make sex equality. Nor is it to avoid wartime civilian casualties, if that means rules of engagement that make soldiers feel that they are fighting with one hand tied behind their backs, as our discouraged troops in Afghanistan and Iraq often felt. Nor is it to turn the rest of the world into democratically minded republicans, something that is impossible in tribal societies with tribal codes of honor and loyaltyor in sharia-based cultures, where mosque and state are inseparable, and the Koran is the Constitution. As Lyndon Johnson remarked with his usual tart vulgarity, its absurd to think an army can win over an enemys hearts and minds. Grab em by the b**ls, and their hearts and minds will follow, he realistically advised, with little reverence for the hearts and minds in question.

The purpose of the military, George Washington repeatedly insisted, is to preserve peace by being powerful enough that no enemy dares to attack. Thats as much a matter of will as of weapons.

Photo by Chris Watt/Getty Images
One of the the 11 charities named and fined today by the Information Commissioners Office has said it is considering an appeal but the other ten have all accepted the ruling.

Cancer Support UK (formerly Cancer Recovery Foundation UK) has said it is considering whether or not to appeal the fine. The charity was handed one of the largest fines by the ICO - 16,000 - and accused the ICO of ignoring its evidence.

Gemma Holding, the chief executive of Cancer Support UK, said the organisation was extremely disappointed by the fine, and called the ICOs decision ill founded, excessive and disproportionate. She also said that the organisation had clarified a number of factual and legal inaccuracies in the ICOs original penalty notice, which it said the ICO has ignored.

Holding said: Prior to the ICOs investigation the charity had already implemented all the necessary changes to improve our direct mail and data protection practices and ensure gold standard compliance, all of which has been explained in detail to the ICO.

"In light of these changes we are therefore extremely disappointed that the ICO has today issued us with a fine of 16,000. We consider the fine to be ill founded, excessive and disproportionate.

We significantly changed our operational and strategic approach in 2016, which included parting company with all our US based fundraising advisers, which collectively had been delegated responsibility for all our fundraising activity. Instead we appointed UK based fundraisers with the board assuming direct oversight of fundraising activities.

"This change is the single most important factor in moving forward to becoming a more effective, transparent and accountable organisation  well placed to offer relevant services to people with cancer across the UK.

IFAW: 'We disagree with the decision'

Another charity, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said it considered appealing but decided it was not in the charity's best interests

The IFAW said: IFAW has considered whether to appeal, as we do not agree with many of the ICO findings. We are extremely disappointed that the ICO has chosen to impose a fine. We take our responsibilities to our supporters very seriously  they choose to support us because they trust us to rescue and protect animals around the world. We work tremendously hard to use their donations in the most effective way possible to have the maximum impact.

Despite the fact that we disagree with the ICOs decision to issue a fine, we do not believe it is in the best interests of our supporters to fight the finding, which would detract from our work to fulfil our mission to rescue and protect animals. It is also possible that the costs of appealing could be greater than the fine itself. We intend to pay the fine with interest from our investment income.

Other charities responses

Sir Harpul Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, apologised to its supporters in his statement on the fines.

Cancer Research UK has not used supporters data in ways which we believed were incompatible with their desire to help us beat cancer sooner. In fact, our supporters have consistently told us that they want us to use our funds efficiently and only send them information that is most likely to interest them. That is what we have tried to do, but the ICO has ruled that we were not clear enough with our supporters on these points. I sincerely apologise for this.

He also said CRUK have made additional changes to its data management, privacy and fundraising policies and that it hasnt shared data with other charities for many years.

Steve Vaid, acting chief executive of Guide Dogs for the Blind, said: We apologise sincerely for any concern this caused our supporters. Guide Dogs believed we were following regulations outlined in the Data Protection Act and guidelines from the Institute of Fundraising, however we acted as soon as the ICO gave clear guidance on the matter.

We are disappointed by the outcome of the ICO investigation, but we understand how important it is to our donors that we meet the highest standards when handling their data. We work hard to achieve these standards and build and maintain their trust and we are 100 per cent committed to engaging in fundraising in a way which complies fully with all legislation and guidelines.

Lynda Thomas, chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Supporter, said the organisation take this fine very seriously but said it acted according to its understanding of sector guidance at the time.

We are dedicated to supporting millions of people affected by cancer every year and we apply the highest of standards to all of our work. This includes taking great care in the way we manage the details of anyone who donates money to our cause.

"Although we acted according to our understanding of sector guidance at the time, we are now clear that we need to give supporters more information about we how use their details. We would like to apologise to our supporters for our mistake.

"Over the past year, we have made many important changes to the way we work. We are completely reviewing how we talk to donors about the ways we use their information, so that anyone giving money to us feels absolutely sure that we will respect their privacy and preferences.

A spokesman for the Royal British Legion said: We have accepted a fine from the Information Commissioners Office for contraventions of aspects of the Data Protection Act. No donors data was lost, sold or compromised in any way and we have invested heavily in our data operations since and are confident that no such contraventions will happen in the future.

Donors and fundraisers can be assured that we will continue to help members of the British Armed Forces, veterans and their families while preserving the memory of all those who have served their country.

An NSPCC spokeswoman said the charity was disappointed by the ICOs decision to issue what we regard as an unjustified fine but said that friends of the charity have said they will pay the bill, so not a single penny of any donation will be diverted from our work.

She also said: If anyone has been affected by these unintentional failings, then of course we apologise. Significant changes have been made to the way we fundraise to ensure these mistakes dont happen again.

We want to be clear: we have never, and will never, sell or share our supporters data with other charities.

Tim Johnson, chief executive of GOSH, said: We are disappointed with this outcome, however we will continue to work with the ICO and other regulators to ensure we operate to the highest standards. We know this is what our supporters would expect from us; it is only through their generosity that we are able to make such a difference to seriously ill children.

We are sorry for any mistakes that we made, we continually review the way we fundraise so that we are working to best practice. Over the last three years, we have changed the way we manage our supporters personal information. This is set out in our updated privacy policy.

A spokesman from WWF-UK, said: We take our data protection responsibilities extremely seriously and are committed to ensuring our data practices not only follow the law but also serve the best interests of all our supporters. We sincerely apologise for any instances where we have failed to meet the high standards our supporters expect of us. We have fully implemented the ICO recommendations.

We are hugely grateful to all our supporters, they are critical to our success and at the heart of everything we do. Without them our work, ranging from supporting threatened species like tigers and rhinos through to campaigning to stop climate change, would not be possible."

A spokeswoman from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, said the organisation was extremely disappointed with the ICO fines, but said it intended to pay the fine swiftly and in doing so, it will be reduced to 7,200.

She also said Battersea wanted its supporters to know that none of their data has been lost, sold or compromised in any way.

Mark Goldring, chief executive of Oxfam GB, said: "Oxfam places the highest importance on our relationship with our supporters and has always acted in good faith in attempting to follow both good practice and the law as we understood it.

In Fundraising Magazine

"While tele-matching was recognised as a legitimate activity by the ICO, we accept that our privacy notice did not adequately address the issue and we say sorry to our supporters for that. We would stress that all people called were given the chance to terminate calls immediately and we did not use tele-matched data to call people registered with the telephone preference service.

"We take the protection of our supporters' data extremely seriously. As the ICO recognises, we have been quick to address their concerns when they have raised them with us."

Civil Society Media is hosting two breakfast seminars discussing the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ahead of its introduction in May 2018. Booking is now open on events - click here to book in May and here to book in June.
The Charity Commission has opened compliance cases into the 11 charities who have been fined today for data protection breaches by the Information Commissioners Office.

The 11 charities were fined earlier today by the ICO for numerous breaches in data protection law, including the use of wealth screening and tele-appending of personal data.

In a statement, the Commission said that the compliance cases will look at whether the trustees of each charity have acted in accordance with their duties under charity law.

Under its recently issued CC20 guidance, the charity watchdog said that trustees of fundraising charities need to understand and comply with the relevant data protections laws and requirements, which the ICO has found each of these charities were in breach of.

A spokesman for the Charity Commission said that given the serious nature of the breaches discovered by another regulator, the commission was right to open compliance cases into the 11 charities.

He said that the Charity Commission had also opened compliance cases into both the RSPCA and BHF, after both charities were issued with fines by the ICO in December 2016.

The commission said it has met with all 11 charities who acted properly in reporting the ICO investigations and notice of financial penalties and said all are cooperating with the regulator on its compliance cases.

Charities must learn the lessons from these breaches

David Holdsworth, chief operating officer at the Charity Commission, said the charitable sector as a whole must learn from these further ICO fines and breaches of data protection law.

Holdsworth said: It is regrettable that further charities have been found in contravention of data protection requirements in this way. Charities must learn the lessons from these fines and breaches.

In Fundraising Magazine

The generous British public expect charities to safeguard their data and raise funds responsibly, and in return they donate in their millions. Sadly in these cases charities have not kept their side of the bargain.

We are working with the charities concerned, the Information Commissioner and the Fundraising Regulator to ensure that any necessary remedial action is taken.

The charities were investigated by the ICO as part of a wider operation into data protection practices. There are no other outstanding investigations into charities as part of that operation.

The Charity Commission continues to work with the ICO and the Fundraising Regulator to ensure the wider lessons from these cases are shared, and charities are meeting their responsibilities to protect donors personal data.
A judge has dismissed an appeal by trustees of a Jehovahs Witness charity against a Charity Commission decision to launch a statutory inquiry into safeguarding.

The regulator launched an inquiry into two charities, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain, and the Manchester New Moston Congregation of Jehovahs Witnesses, in May 2014 to investigate if adequate safeguarding procedures were in place, following revelations that trustees of the charity had allowed a convicted child abuser to question his victims.

Jonathan Rose, an elder of the New Moston congregation, was jailed for nine months for abusing two women when they were young girls. When he was released, a series of disfellowship meetings were held to decide whether Rose should remain a member of the organisation, and the women were asked to recount their ordeal. At one meeting, Rose was allowed to ask the women questions.

Since then the New Moston charity has launched a series of appeals challenging the right of the regulator to launch the inquiry.

The most recent appeal was to the Upper Tribunal, against a judgement by the first tier Charity Tribunal saying the regulator should proceed with its inquiry.

But Justice Asplin, sitting in public at Royal Courts of Justice in London on 2 and 3 March, dismissed the appeal.
The chair of the Fundraising Regulator will ask all the charities fined by the Information Commissioner's Office to explain what happened and what "remedial steps they have taken".

A spokesman for the Fundraising Regulator said that Lord Grade, chair of the Fundraising Regulator board, would be writing to each of the 11 charities fined by the ICO yesterday to request they provide an account for the Fundraising Regulator of the remedial steps they have taken to prevent future data protection breaches.

The spokesman said: Lord Grade, chair of the Fundraising Regulators Board, will write formally to each of the charities involved to request that they provide an account for the Fundraising Regulator of the remedial steps they have taken or intend to take to address the breaches identified by the Information Commissioner.

The remedial action plans should include: Ceasing fundraising activities where the necessary consents are not in place; and reviewing fundraising activities and systems to ensure that they are fit for purpose and legally compliant.

The spokesman also said that The Fundraising Regulator is clear that charities must always meet their legal obligations in ensuring they have the required consents in place for the use of personal data. Charities have a responsibility to treat donors with respect and to maintain a mutually beneficial and trustful relationship with their donor base.

Dunmore 'disappointed' by some charities' reactions

Speaking on Radio Five Live last night, Stephen Dunmore, chief executive of the Fundraising Regulator, said he'd been "dissapointed" in the way some of the 11 charities had reacted to the ICO's findings against them.

"We work very closely with the ICO and the Charity Commission, and I must say that I am disappointed in the way that some charities have responded," he said, particularly referring to comments from Gemma Holding, chief executive of Cancer Support UK (formerly Cancer Recovery Foundation UK), who called the fines "ill founded, excessive and disproportionate.

Dunmore also called on HM Treasury to find a way of "recycling" the 138,000 taken in from the ICO fines "back into the charitable sector", a move he said would be "a good thing".

"I have a view that, since the fines that are paid to the ICO go straight into the Treasury there might be a way of the Treasury recycling those funds back into the charitable sector. If they could, then that would be a good thing."

IoF: there are some unanswered questions

The Institute of Fundraising has said there are still some questions the ICO needs to answer following its issuing 11 charities with fines for data protection breaches.

In its response to the monetary penalties issued by the Information Commissioners Office, the IoF said there are still some questions on exactly how charities can make sure that they comply with the rules that it wished to put to the ICO.

It also said that it is working with the ICO to address these so that charities can continue to raise vital funds safely and lawfully to help the most vulnerable in society.

The IoF response in full from Peter Lewis, the fundraising membership bodys chief executive, reads: Good charity fundraising is grounded in making connections between people and the causes that they care about. Understanding donors to find out more about what theyre interested in, identifying new supporters, and personalising how charities approach people ensures a better experience of charity fundraising for everyone.

Its equally important in helping to ensure that charities arent inadvertently approaching people who prefer not to hear from them. Rather than causing upset, we believe this is the approach to fundraising that many donors would like and expect charities to take.

As todays ICO rulings highlight, it is important that people are informed about how charities use their personal data for fundraising purposes. No charity knowingly wants to breach the rules, and charities work hard to meet the highest standards. The charities involved have responded by taking important steps to improve their practices.

Charities respect their supporters rights and privacy and want to ensure that they get this right. There are still some questions on exactly how charities can make sure that they comply with the rules and we are working with the ICO to address these so that charities can continue to raise vital funds safely and lawfully to help the most vulnerable in society.

However, a spokeswoman from the IoF said it was not currently planning on producing any guidance on the issue.

NCVO glad the ICO has drawn a line under fundraising investigations

In its response, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations welcomed the fact that the ICO have drawn a line under enforcement action on charities and considers the matter closed.

Elizabeth Chamberlain, head of policy at NCVO, said: Were glad the ICO has drawn a line under its enforcement action with charities and considers these matters closed. Charities have made substantial effort in the two years to overhaul their methods to ensure that they are fully compliant with the law. Many are going further and looking to see how they can give supporters total control over how they are communicated with.

Charities know the publics trust in them is vital, and that they need to operate to the highest standards. Charities have supported the establishment of a new Fundraising Regulator which is strengthening the fundraising code of practice and ensuring members of the public are protected from unwanted fundraising request.

Civil Society Media is hosting two breakfast seminars discussing the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ahead of its introduction in May 2018. Booking is now open on events - click here to book in May, and here to book in June.
The National Trust and Cabury's have defended themselves following comments from the Prime Minister yesterday where she called the charity absolutely ridiculous for changing the branding of its Easter egg hunt.

Theresa May, who was speaking while on a visit to Saudi Arabia, was asked her view on a claim from the Telegraph that the National Trust was whitewashing Easter by changing the branding of its annual Easter egg hunt in partnership with Cadburys.

The event had previously been called an Easter Egg Trail but this year has been rebranded as the Great British Egg Hunt.

The National Trust called the criticism nonsense, saying nothing could be further from the truth. It pointed out that there are 13,000 references to Easter on its website.

Amongst the criticism, a relative of Cadburys founder John Cadbury pointed out that he would likely not be spinning in his grave as had been suggested by John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, as being a Quaker, he didnt celebrate Easter.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also criticising the change of branding, he said that the decision to include Cadbury rather than Easter in the logos title reflected commercialisation gone a bit too far.

It upsets me because I dont think Cadburys should take over the name of Easter, he said.

However Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrats, responded to the controversy with a slightly different tone.

He said: Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have got egg on their faces today. They both scrambled out eggs-troadinary statements criticising Cadburys and the National Trust for something they havent actually done,

This is a eggs-tremely big distraction. I think we all feel poached by this whole sorry saga, but none of us more than Cadburys and the National Trust, who have done nothing wrong and are right to feel egg-rieved by the criticism they have received.

Church accused of pushing alternative Easter egg brand

The National Trust has continued to respond to criticism on Twitter with the statement: Despite the headlines, were in no way downplaying the significance of Easter. There are over 13,000 references to Easter on our website, and we run a programme of activities during this time.

The Church of England has also received criticism for pushing a brand of Easter eggs called The Real Easter Egg. In his statement, reproduced on the Church of Englands website, the Archbishop of York said: Maybe everyone should now buy The Real Easter Egg.

Buzzfeed News pointed out that the not-for-profit business was founded by David Marshall, who served for several years as the Church of England's director of communications for the diocese of Manchester. The company has been the source of several news stories about supermarkets' apparent reluctance to stock religious Easter eggs.
Publisher:

Marny Nesher

President

315.579.3925

mnesher@cnybj.com

Editorial:

Adam Rombel

Editor-in-Chief

315.579.3902

arombel@cnybj.com Editor-in-Chief315.579.3902

Eric Reinhardt

Staff Writer

315.579.3915

ereinhardt@cnybj.com

Staff Writer 315.579.3915 ereinhardt@cnybj.com Traci DeLore

Staff Writer

315.579.3907

tdelore@cnybj.com Staff Writer315.579.3907

Erin Zehr

Creative Director

315.579.3914

ewebb@cnybj.com Creative Director315.579.3914









Sales:

Kelly Bailey

Brand & Marketing Specialist

315.579.3924

kbailey@cnybj.com

Business Office:

Kurt Bramer

Business Manager

315.579.3919

kbramer@cnybj.com



BizEventz:

Jill Allen

Director

315.579.3918

jallen@bizeventz.com

Circulation

315.579.3927

circulation@cnybj.com

Email news tips, press releases, and story ideas to: news@cnybj.com

Email Business Calendar and People on the Move items to: movers@cnybj.com

The Central New York Business Journal

BizEventz

415 W. Fayette St.

Syracuse, NY 13204

Directions

From the North:

Follow I-81 S to Syracuse.

Take exit 19 from I-81 S.

Take N. West St. to your destination.

From the South:

Follow I-81 N to Syracuse.

Take exit 11 from I-690 W.

Continue on N. West St. to your destination

From the East:

Follow I-90 W to Syracuse.

Take exit 11 from I-690 W.

Continue on N. West St. to your destination

From the West:

Follow I-90 E to S. West St. in Syracuse.

Take exit 12 from I-690 E.

Continue on N. West St. to your destination

Business Journal Founder: The Late Norman Poltenson
By Press Trust of India: Pune, Apr 4 (PTI) Two students of an engineering college were found dead at a forest area in Lonavla hill station of the district, police said today.

The deceased, a 22-year-old boy and a girl aged 21, were allegedly stripped and hit on the back of their heads with a blunt object. There were injuries on their other body parts also, they said.

advertisement

The girls hands were tied at the back and she was gagged, an officer at Lonavla city police station said.

"A local resident, who spotted the bodies yesterday in the forest area located near INS Shivaji Naval station here, alerted the police," he said.

The police rushed to the spot and sent the bodies for postmortem, he said.

"Both the deceased were students of a third year engineering course at a college in Lonavla. The girl hailed from Otur in Pune district. The boy hailed from Rahuri in Ahmednagar," the officer said.

The girl used to stay in the college hostel, while the boy lived at a private accommodation in Lonavla, which is located about 100 km from the Pune district headquarters.

Both of them were friends and had gone out together on Sunday, the police officer said.

A murder case has been registered, he said.

"We are investigating the case from all angles and waiting for the postmortem report," the officer said.

A probe is on into the case, he said adding that the police would talk to the family members of both the deceased. PTI SPK GK

--- ENDS ---
"The CNY Business Journal and BizEventz are trusted resources for reliable information and connecting the Central New York business community. From Growing Global Sales to Healthy Syracuse to 40 Under FORTY, BizEventz addresses relevant topics with presentations and dynamic speakers. We are proud to have BizEventz and The CNY Business Journal as true partners in supporting the region's business community."  ROBERT SIMPSON, CenterState CEO

"As a company who expanded its operations five years ago to the Central New York region, we needed to look to local organizations such as the Central New York Business Journal to help spread the word about our growing nurse staffing company. We are so thankful that we connected and have worked with multiple sources at the CNYBJ! Dony, Kim, Jill & Bernie (to name a few) have been so welcoming and really took the time to sit with us, listen to our needs and set up a comprehensive communications program for us to target nurses in a very competitive field. NCS has participated in events such as "Excellence in Healthcare", "Best Places to Work", "40 Under 40", and the "book of lists" to name a few. Each event is unique and allows us an opportunity to network and connect with other businesses and professionals throughout CNY. We find our annual subscription to be useful as well to keep us up to date on local business news with daily and weekly articles. Thanks again to the amazing staff at CNYBJ and all you do to help promote our business community! We appreciate all you do to help our business community remain connected! "  CHARLES HARKOLA, The Nurse Connection Staffing Inc.

"We were honored when BizEventz approached Bankers Healthcare Group to be the title sponsor for the inaugural Excellence in Healthcare Awards. From the planning to the execution of the event, the entire team was first class. BHG was able to garner a tremendous amount of exposure with our customers in the Upstate NY area, where the healthcare community is booming. This new partnership has been win-win from the beginning and we look forward to another successful event this fall."  CHRIS PANEBIANCO, Bankers Healthcare Group, Inc. @BHGstat
OSWEGO, N.Y.  SUNY Oswego announced it has appointed Kristen Campbell Eichhorn as its dean of graduate studies, effective July 1.

She is a former presidential faculty fellow and chair of communication studies at the university. Eicchorn is currently completing an American Council on Education Fellowship at Cornell University.

Eichhorn succeeds Mary C. Toale, interim dean of SUNY Oswegos Division of Graduate Studies since December, who returns to her role as professor and chair of communication studies.

Promoted to full professor in 2014, Eichhorn has a distinguished record of teaching, research, and service in her nearly 10 years with the college, including serving as one of two senators to the SUNY-wide Faculty Senate, the university said in a news release.

In her role in SUNY Oswegos Presidents Office, Eichhorn has been involved with reviewing, devising, and implementing college-wide policies and procedures, including diversity and inclusion training, family leave and lactation rooms, faculty and staff search processes, and child-protection policies. She has served on the steering committee preparing the colleges next report to the Middle States Association accrediting body.

Serving as chair of communication studies at SUNY Oswego for four years, Eichhorn provided leadership for 43 full- and part-time faculty, support personnel, and professional staff, as well as more than 850 students in four undergraduate programs, the release stated.

Eichhorn received her bachelors degree in communication studies and Spanish from Canisius College, her masters degree in communication research from West Virginia University, and her doctorate in communication research from the University of Miami.

Contact The Business Journal New Network at news@cnybj.com
SULLIVAN, N.Y.  The Oneida Indian Nation plans to build a new 65,000-square-foot casino in the Bridgeport area of the town of Sullivan in Madison County.

The Oneidas will build Point Place Casino on Route 31, near the corner of Bridgeport-Kirkville Road, just a few hundred feet from the border with the town of Cicero, according to a news release posted on the Oneida Nations website.

Construction will begin in May with an expected opening in spring 2018.

The project cost is $40 million, Joel Barkin, VP of communication for the Oneida Indian Nation, said in an email response to a BJNN inquiry.

Point Place Casino will create more than 200 full- and part-time jobs in the town of Sullivan. The casino will open a recruitment office in Cicero and will begin hiring this fall.

The construction of Point Place Casino will follow a project-labor agreement with Central New York trade unions, creating 250 local construction jobs, the Oneida Nation said.

We are thrilled to announce this new investment in Central New York, and are confident it will continue the success we have had in working hand-in-hand with the local community to create good jobs and generate public revenues, Ray Halbritter, Oneida Nation representative and Nation Enterprises CEO, said in the release. Over the last few decades, we have worked hard to build a well-planned economic model that has sustained and invigorated the local economy, and our expansion projects have almost always exceeded expectations. In the coming months, we are looking forward to working with the community to launch this latest project and build off that success.

The new smoke-free facility will include a gaming floor with nearly 500 slot machines and 20 table games.

Itll have two, fast-casual, counter-service restaurants, including the newest location of Wicked Good Pizza, the pizza shop that originated at the Oneida Nations Yellow Brick Road Casino in Chittenango and Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona.

Point Place Casino will also include Burgers of Madison County, a family-friendly, restaurant offering burgers, milkshakes, and more.

Additionally, Point Place Casino will introduce a second location of Opals Confectionary, the chocolatier and bakery from Turning Stone, and will have two bars, per the release.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

Visual caption: A rendering of Point Place Casino, which the Oneida Indian Nation plans to building in the Bridgeport section of the town of Sullivan in Madison County. The construction site for the $40 million, 65,000-square-foot venue is a few hundred feet from the border with the town of Cicero. (Visual credit: Oneida Indian Nation)
UTICA, N.Y.  New York State has awarded Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) a $300 million grant to help pay for a hospital it wants to build in downtown Utica.

The health-care facility transformation grant is part of the budget extender that state lawmakers approved on Monday, MVHS said in a news release issued Tuesday.

MVHS estimates the integrated health campus will cost $480 million for a 750,000-square-foot facility. The remaining $180 million will come from MVHS capital, bonds and fundraising, the organization said.

This is the announcement that weve been waiting for, Scott Perra, president and CEO of MVHS, said in organizations news release. It has been quite the journey from the time Gov. Cuomo specifically cited our project in the 2015 State of the State address as part of his proposed $700 million to support upstate New York hospitals. Once the governor and the legislators adopt the final version of the 2018 New York State budget, we will work with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) on the contract agreement for the $300 million grant. When [it] is in place, we will be able to move forward with the development of an integrated health campus for our community. I am grateful that we are given the chance to improve the health care in our community with a new, state of the art facility.

MVHS is an affiliation of Faxton St. Lukes Healthcare and St. Elizabeth Medical Center (SEMC), both of Utica. The two organizations teamed up in March 2014.

Following state-budget approval, MVHS will work with the governors office and the NYSDOH on the next steps. MVHS will then start working with its selected architect and construction firms and begin the design process.

MVHS in January announced it chose New York Citybased NBBJ as the architectural firm. Turner Construction Company, which is also headquartered in New York City, will serve as the projects construction manager. Turner operates a Syracuse office at 500 Plum St.

Hammes Company, a Brookfield, Wisconsinbased health-care consulting firm, is the project-management company that MVHS hired to facilitate the new hospital project.

The process will also include developing the certificate of need application for the NYSDOH.

Development of the new health-care campus will include input from a number of resources including members of the hospital staff, medical staff, board members, donors, and the community.

It will also include the development of a community-advisory board that will work with health-care administrators, the architects from NBBJ, Turner Construction, and the Hammes Company.

The journey to get to this point has taken more than two years, Norman Siegel, chairman of the MVHS board of directors, said in the release. Now we can really begin to create the vision of a new healthcare future for the Mohawk Valley and make it a reality. Its an exciting time for our community, our board and our healthcare family.

As the process continues, MVHS continues to work with the Mohawk Valley EDGE and property owners.

Once it secures the grant, MVHS anticipates itll meet with property owners during the second and third quarters of 2017 with the intent to offer one year options to purchase the properties.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
Standard Subscription

Subscribing to the Central New York Business Journal will keep you up-to-date on business activity in Central New York & New York State.

A 1 Year Standard Subscription To The CNYBJ Gets You:

Unlimited Access to all the information on the CNY Business Journal Website CNYBJ.com

to all the information on the CNY Business Journal Website CNYBJ.com The Central New York Business Journal print edition

FREE Annual print version of the Book of Lists ($68.25 value)

Annual print version of the Unlimited access to CNYBJ's online archive

Daily news alerts of breaking stories

Relevant news and analysis you don't get anywhere else

Special reports, local market trends, special sections, sales leads, and more

Outside the Central New York territory, it may take up to 3 weeks to receive your hard copy of the Business Journal via the US Postal Service. Consider purchasing the online+digital+bol package (updated each Sunday) instead.

For more CNYBJ Publications, Back Issues, and Article or Top Ranks List Plaques, visit our online store.
The Port of Buenos Aires is looking for a strong rebound in its cruise business, led by Port Administrator Gonzalo Mortola, who has made it a key agenda item moving forward, combining efforts with the current administration in Argentina and the Ministry of Transport.

Mortola hopes to once again hit the 500,000 passenger mark by 2021, a number last seen in the 2012-2013 cruise season.

The difference from last year has been significant. Last year, we listened to the cruise lines. The cruise companies had a lot to say, and this year, things are much different, said Mortola.

The message is we need to work with the cruise lines. We are there for them and we want to work together.

Is there a single most important factor that helped turn the business around for Buenos Aires?

It was many things, Mortola told Cruise Industry News. It was six items. We lowered immigration costs from $22 to $14 per person, and for next season, it will go down to $10.

The port also expanded docking requests up to four years in advance, as opposed to two, which had been the old system. In addition, related service costs have been reduced.

Port and terminal costs for cruise lines bringing more than 351,000 passengers per season have also been lowered, and the port has capped passenger traffic per day to offer a better experience. Furthermore, the port is adhering to World Health Organization standards on yellow fever vaccination for crew, thus reducing cruise line costs.

The new measures have attracted an AIDA ship back for next season, said Mortola, after a four-year absence for the brand.

A long term strategic plan will be announced soon and is expected to include the modernization of the port to berth larger ships.

Mortola is also leading regional initiatives, putting together an agreement with Chile, Urugauy and Argentina to help drive cruise calls. Brazil is next to join the alliance, Mortola advised.

We are going to work as a region, he said. Australia and New Zealand are working together as a region and its working, and we need to do that as well.

Traditionally a seasonal market, there is potential to expand, as port costs have been further lowered for off-season calls in Buenos Aires.
By Press Trust of India: From Aditi Khanna

London, Apr 5 (PTI) The UK government is eyeing to be a "key partner" of the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and is working on securing British business interests in the project to boost its trade ties post-Brexit.

UK international trade minister Greg Hands held a roundtable with leading UK businesses, policy experts and senior representatives of the Chinese and Pakistani governments earlier this week.

advertisement

"The UK is poised to be a key partner of the CPEC," said an official statement issued here yesterday.

The statement said the UK will be hosting a key conference on CPEC in Islamabad in May.

"Britain is a country of free-trade influence and can be an important partner for China and Pakistan in the delivery of huge infrastructure projects that are being planned between the two countries," Hands said.

"As part of an outward looking Global Britain, we have a clear ambition to increase trade with both China and Pakistan and UK businesses are well placed to capitalise on the new opportunities the region," he noted.

According to the UKs Department of International Trade, China is supporting USD 51 billion of infrastructure development in Pakistan as part of the CPEC to develop key infrastructure projects like roads, railways and power stations which will modernise Pakistans economy and boost access to trade.

It is part of Chinas broader Belt and Road Initiative to replicate the ancient Silk Road trade routes with modern trading relationships and investments across Asia, the Middle East and into Europe.

India has protested over the CPEC project as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

China defends the project, saying it is a development oriented project aimed at improving lives of the local people and it makes no difference to its stand on the Kashmir issue.

The meeting hosted by Hands in London on Monday included the Chinese Ambassador, Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK and British High Commissioner to Pakistan.

Experts from CityUK, the Royal United Services Institute and the China Britain Business Council as well as representatives from HSBC, Deloitte and Standard Chartered discussed how they and other British firms can support the delivery ofCPEC.

A joint statement in 2015 between the UK and Chinese governments committed both countries to support each others commercial co-operation in new markets. PTI AK ZH AKJ ZH

--- ENDS ---
Travelers might be asked to hand over their mobile phones and the passwords of their social media accounts to see who they are communicating with and if they are following an ideology hostile to US interests.

By Santosh Chaubey: The Donald Trump administration is working on to introduce extreme vetting measures for visiting foreign nationals as promised by Trump during his presidential campaign.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, that has widely echoed in the US media and has started a debate, the Trump administration is considering, among other things, to ask the travellers to hand over their mobile phones and the passwords of their social media accounts to see who they are communicating with and if they are following an ideology that is hostile to the US interests.

advertisement

Earlier, in February, the US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly talked about the vetting measures during a Congressional hearing.

"We want to say for instance, what sites do you visit? And give us your passwords, so that we can see what they do on the internet", the Wall Street Journal report quoted him saying.

The extreme vetting process that the Trump administration is working, is going to be put into execution at the application level, where one would be asked to share their phone contacts so that it can be probed using the information available in the US database.

The changes are expected to apply even to the visitors from friendly countries and allies like Japan, the UK, France and Australia, the report says.

TRUMP FOR 'DEEP SCRUTINY' OF FOREIGN NATIONALS

The much talked about measure intends to take the existing vetting process to the extreme level. Even Donald Trump has referred to the extreme vetting measure time and again to convey his viewpoint on how to regulate entry of foreigners in the United States.

In fact, in an interview last year, he had said that he didn't care what people called it but, if elected, he would see to it that people from suspicious territories are subjected to 'deep scrutiny'.

Besides, an NBC news report quoted Donald Trump saying, "We're going to have a thing called 'extreme vetting.' And if people want to come in, there's going to be extreme vetting. We're going to have extreme vetting. They're going to come in and we're going to know where they came from and who they are."

After becoming the US president, he introduced his highly controversial immigration and travel ban plan targeting people from some Muslim majority countries. In defense, he tweeted that the US needed 'strong borders and extreme vetting.

The proposed move has already created a big debate in the US with civil society groups and advocacy groups raising their concerns. One of their main reasoning is what if other countries decide to do the same with the US citizens. Also, the concern is about its effectiveness. Terrorists who are plotting something against the US will try to enter the US with a clean slate to thwart these extreme vetting measures.

advertisement

Moreover, the measure stands against 'right to privacy', which may even take the whole vetting issue to the courts.

ALSO READ| America you have drowned: ISIS calls Donald Trump an idiot

ALSO READ| India snubs US offer to mediate with Pak: Our position for bilateral redressal unchanged

--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: (EDs: Adds more details, quotes from 17th para)

New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI) India is likely to mandate use of domestic steel for government infrastructure projects to boost demand for local companies and check cheaper imports.

The Steel Ministry is likely to take to the Union Cabinet this month a proposal that seeks to provide preferential treatment to steel made in India in government projects.

advertisement

It may also seek Cabinet approval for the National Steel Policy (NSP), 2017 which seeks to double production as well as consumption and put forth strategies to overcome challenges like high input costs and financial stress facing the sector.

"We want to promote and encourage the growth of domestic steel industry and so we want that India-made steel should be given preference in government funded projects. A draft Cabinet note has already been initiated," Steel Minister Chaudhary Birendra Singh said here.

He was addressing a national conference of secondary steel producers.

Asked whether the government plans to make it mandatory or on preferential basis, Singh said: "This should be taken on a preference basis. In government ministries and departments where the consumption of steel is more, like Railways, I want that on the preference basis, they should use steel made in India and it should be made part of the tender."

Singh added however that steel which is not available in the country can be imported.

There would be a quantum jump in the steel consumption once the proposal is approved, he said, adding Railways, urban housing, shipping and national highways are big customers.

The government, he said, will spend Rs 4 lakh crore on infrastructure projects, which will boost steel demand.

On the new steel policy, Singh said: "We have already released the draft policy. We have also received feedback from stakeholders. We will include any good suggestions made by secondary steel producers. In this month only, we will send it to the Cabinet for approval".

Through this policy, he said, the government plans to more than double the steel production capacity and per capita consumption from the present level.

In January, the ministry had released the draft policy to ensure that the steel sector follows a sustainable path of development in respect of augmenting capacity to 300 million tonnes by 2030-31 in environment friendly manner.

It is an effort to steer the industry to achieve its future potential and strategy to deal with various impediments like high input cost, availability of raw materials, dependency on imports and financial stress.

advertisement

"India is going to become the second largest steel producer in the world by 2018," he said.

Steel Secretary Aruna Sharma said the countrys steel production is estimated to rise 11 per cent at over 90 million tonnes, while exports increased 57 per cent last fiscal.

Imports are estimated to have declined by 34 per cent, she added.

Singh said the steel industry has to become a growth enabler for the manufacturing industry and also a catalyst for the Make in India campaign.

"We are looking at new areas where steel use can be promoted based on steel?s inherent strengths. Steel crash barriers, railway sleepers, bridges, roads, houses, buildings, community centres and other such end-use segments are being explored," he added.

He said secondary steel producers are important as they account for 57 per cent of the total output and provide huge employment compared to integrated plants.

He asked all segments of secondary steel sector to come together under a single apex organisation to collectively present their issues and concern to key stakeholders.

Earlier, Housing and Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said Make in India campaign has identified 25 sectors in manufacturing, infrastructure and service activities as the focus areas to drive the economy.

advertisement

For at least 9 of these sectors like automobile, defence, railways and construction, steel plays a crucial role in their competitive edge, he said.

"Steel is also a crucial component in the successful implementation of the government?s other flagship programmes like Smart Cities Mission and Housing for All," he added.

In India, Naidu said, the steel sector has an output multiplier effect of nearly 1.4 times on GDP and employment multiplier factor of 6.8. India today stands as the 3rd largest producer of steel in the world, after China and Japan.

"The steel sector employs about 25 lakh people and the draft National Steel Policy 2017, expects at least 11 lakh new jobs being created by 2030-31," Naidu said. PTI MJH SA

--- ENDS ---
This, interestingly, comes against the backdrop of the BJP's stunning victory in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

By Manogya Loiwal : Bengal today would be a reality check to anyone who thinks that West Bengal is all about celebrating Durga Puja.

The festival of Ram Navami, which marks the end of the nine days of fasting and praying, is being celebrated with huge enthusiasm, not just by the Bharatiya Janata Party, but by Trinamool Congress leaders as well.

advertisement

Call it the Hindutva effect, but West Bengal is immersed in shades of saffron with the TMC attempting to overhaul its image of being a party of minority appeasement politics.

Asansol, the parliamentary constituency of Minister of State for Heavy Industries Babul Supriyo, is among the locations where Ram Navami is not only being celebrated but where the festivities are being led by TMC leaders, including mayor of Asansol, Jitendra Tiwary.

The TMC-ruled Asansol Municipal Corporation had a fortnight ago announced that they are going to lead and celebrate Ram Navami this time in the city.

This, interestingly, comes against the backdrop of the BJP's stunning victory in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

Trinamool Congress, in order to combat the BJP in the upcoming general election in year 2019, seems to be using the Ram Navami pitch to begin revamping its image.

The party is facing a decline in support among the Hindi speaking voters and is trying to restore its lost ground in Bengal.

Posters wishing people on the occasion of Ram Navami and featuring the image of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went up across Kolkata on the eve of the festival.

For the first time, a Ram Navami themed tableau was also taken out in Asansol. The tableau was flagged off by Asansol mayor Jitendra Tiwary.

The entire city of Asansol has been lit up with colourful lights and everywhere the Ram Navami song is being played.

Tiwary said, "Ram Navami is celebrated every year and this year too we are celebrating it. We feel proud of being Hindu and we will celebrate the festival on a bigger scale in years to come."

The Vishva Hindu Parishad meanwhile says the TMC may try to eye the general election with the Ram Navami, but the party would not succeed.

(Inputs from Anil Giri in Asansol)

--- ENDS ---
DHAKA  At this weeks Better Work Bangladesh stakeholder forum meeting some 300 national and global garment sector delegates heard how compliance in Bangladesh is now a business necessity  and not just an obligation.

While other executives from diverse range of other Bangladesh industry organisations were urged to to understand each other better and to collaborate more closely if the country is ever to become a middle-income nation.
We manage 55.4 GW of renewable energy capacity across the planet. This makes us the world's largest renewable energy company.

Youtube Icon Messenger Icon Linkedin Icon Instagram Icon Shared Link Icon Checkmark Icon Chevron Icon Close Icon Add Icon Increase Icon Arrow Oblique Icon Arrow Down Icon Search Icon icons.alternativeSearch.title icons.alternativeSearch.desc Share Icon Filter Icon Email icon Icon Email Outline Icon Phone Outline Icon Fax OutlineFax outline icon Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Print icon Icon Thumb Up BR Flag BR Flag icon br-flag-01 US Flag US Flag icon Icon Thumb Down Up Icon Thumb Down Outline Icon Phone Icon Emergency Icon Thumb Down Email icon An icon representing a email-box Thumbs icon An icon representing a choice for debats icons-list-view-title Icon Map View Icon Pause Pause button icon An icon representing a Pause button Logout button icon An icon representing a Logout button Reading time icon Reading time icon biomass plant icon biomass plant icon geothermal plant icon geothermal plant icon hydroelectric plant icon hydroelectric plant icon solar plant icon solar plant icon wind plant icon wind plant icon Info reversed icon An icon representing an info EL Flag EL Flag icon ES Flag ES Flag icon FR Flag FR Flag icon DE Flag DE Flag icon IT Flag IT Flag icon PT Flag PT Flag icon RO Flag RO Flag icon RU Flag RU Flag icon UK Flag UK Flag icon camera icon An icon representing a camera Document icon An icon representing a document Headphones icon An icon representing an headphones
SAN FRANCISCO, April 5, 2017 -- As many as 600 million people in Southeast Asia chew areca nuts with betel leaves, sometimes adding tobacco leaves. Many users are addicted to this harmful "betel quid" preparation, which can create a sense of euphoria and alertness. Yet researchers have now discovered that compounds derived from the nut could help cigarette smokers -- as well as betel quid chewers -- kick their habits.

The researchers will present their work today at the 253rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS, the world's largest scientific society, is holding the meeting here through Thursday. It features more than 14,000 presentations on a wide range of science topics.

"There's a commonality to the two addictions, so we thought we could develop drugs that target both," says Roger L. Papke, Ph.D., one of the lead researchers on the project. Fellow lead researcher Nicole A. Horenstein, Ph.D., and Papke, along with Clare Stokes and Marta Quadri, Ph.D., are studying compounds from the areca nut to make new molecules that might work better than existing smoking cessation drugs such as Chantix (varenicline).

More than 480,000 people die each year in the U.S. from the effects of cigarette smoking, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prescription smoking cessation drugs currently on the market can work well but can also cause harmful side effects. For example, some patients taking the drug varenicline report having suicidal thoughts, sleepwalking and having cardiovascular problems.

Because of varenicline's side effects, researchers such as Papke and Horenstein are working on alternatives at the University of Florida. Varenicline reduces nicotine cravings by binding to the same receptors that attach nicotine molecules to brain cells, but it activates those receptors to a lesser degree. Undesirable effects occur because the drug also binds to other nicotine receptors that aren't involved in addiction, Papke explains. "The molecules that we're developing are more specific -- they do not target those other receptors at all, so our compounds should be safer," he says.

The idea to study the areca nut came when Papke obtained a headhunter's sword from Borneo. He learned that the peculiar carvings on its hilt might have been made by someone using betel quid. Quids are prepared by mixing sliced areca nuts with slaked lime (calcium hydroxide), spices or sweets, and in some cases tobacco, and wrapping the concoction in leaves from the betel vine. Quid chewing turns users' teeth bright red and forces them to spit out a lot of red saliva, which discolors local sidewalks and buildings. Worse, quid use is addictive and leads to serious health effects including oral cancer and cardiovascular issues.

In prior work (click here for a video), Papke and Horenstein studied arecoline, one of the psychoactive alkaloids in the areca nut. They discovered that arecoline stimulates the same brain cell receptors responsible for nicotine addiction but doesn't stimulate the other types of nicotine receptors.

Now, Horenstein is synthesizing a range of compounds with structures that are slightly different from arecoline. The researchers have found that some of these new compounds also bind to the addiction-related receptors, while leaving the other receptors alone. That means these arecoline analogs may be able to treat addiction to cigarettes or to betel quids without side effects. The next step for Horenstein and Papke is to seek funding so they can test these potential new drugs in animal trials.

###

A press conference on this topic will be held Wednesday, April 5, at 10 a.m. Pacific time in the Moscone Center. Reporters may check-in at the press center, South Building, Foyer, or watch live on YouTube http://bit.ly/ACSLive_SanFrancisco. To ask questions online, sign in with a Google account.

The researchers acknowledge funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With nearly 157,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive press releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Note to journalists: Please report that this research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Follow us: Twitter | Facebook

Title

Selective nicotinic acetylcholine receptor activities from the areca nut

Abstract

The Areca nut is well known in southeastern Asia as the source of muscarinic active alkaloids that constitute a popular addictive drug known as the betel quid, in which limed extracts of the nut are rolled in betel vine leaves and in some cases, include tobacco. Of the four known alkaloids in Areca, arecoline is the most active muscarinic agonist while guvacoline is less potent. Arecaidine is an M2 selective agonist. Muscarinic activity has not been reported for guvacine, a GABA transport inhibitor. Two electrode voltage clamp electrophysiology experiments in Xenopus oocytes expressing muscarinic or nicotinic receptors have revealed that in addition to muscarinic activity, arecoline displays weak nicotinic partial agonism with a selectivity profile favoring 42 and 62342 subtypes considered as targets for therapeutics aimed at nicotine addiction, while avoiding 7, 34, and muscle-type nAChR. This is in contradistinction to the known therapeutics cytisine and varenicline which although capable of partial agonism at 42 and 62342 receptors, are strong agonists of the 7 receptor, and show significant activity at ganglionic 34 receptors. The arecoline analog isoarecolone shows an even more pronounced selectivity for 42 and 62342 receptors compared to arecoline. It is noteworthy that whereas arecoline shows significant muscarinic activity, primarily at M1 mAChR, isoarecolone has nearly abolished activity at M1 and significantly reduced mAChR activity in assays against co-expressed M1, M2, and M3 receptors. Isoarecolone thus represents an interesting template for the development of new agents targeting 42 and 62342 receptors. Interestingly we have found that Areca extracts also demonstrate an inhibitory component acting at nicotinic receptors. Fractionation based on size revealed that while both mAChR and nAChR activities resided in the low molecular weight fraction < 1 kDa, the inhibitory component was large with an estimated size > 10 kDa. These results will be discussed in the context of development of new therapeutics aimed at smoking cessation.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 5, 2017 -- Imagine being able to check the structural integrity of an airplane, ship or bridge, without having to dismantle it or remove any material for testing, which could further compromise the structure. That's the promise of a new laser-based technique that chemists are developing to reveal hidden damage in metals.

The researchers will present their work today at the 253rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS, the world's largest scientific society, is holding the meeting here through Thursday. It features more than 14,000 presentations on a wide range of science topics.

A brand-new video on the research is available at http://bit.ly/acssfnondestructive.

"Metals are often subjected to mechanical stress or fatigue that can weaken them structurally, but you can't tell that just by looking at them," James E. Patterson, Ph.D., says.

One real-world example is a U.S. Air Force plane that was unintentionally turned upside down in flight, a feat it wasn't designed for. The maneuver exceeded the specifications for the plane's stress tolerance, Patterson says, but there was no way to know if the inversion had actually damaged components enough to cause the plane to crash during a future flight. So the entire multimillion-dollar plane had to be scrapped.

"That's where nondestructive testing comes in," says Patterson, who is at Brigham Young University. NDT, as it's known, is already a billion-dollar industry, he notes. Current techniques for inspecting materials without harming them include X-ray imaging, which can detect microscopic cracks in metals. But the method is expensive, requires shielding from the X-rays and is hard to adapt for use in the field. Other NDT techniques give equivocal results and require highly trained technicians, he says.

His team is instead relying on a spectroscopic method known as second harmonic generation (SHG), which alters the wavelength of light. One of Patterson's graduate students, Shawn Averett, realized that the technique could be adapted to look for signs of internal damage in metals. Averett and undergraduates Scott D. Smith and Alex Farnsworth are working with Patterson on the project.

They begin by shining green laser light onto a metal sample. Through SHG, the metal converts some of the incoming light into ultraviolet light, which bounces back from the metal along with the remaining green light. "The amount of conversion depends on the properties of the metal, and if those properties have been changed by some form of stress, we can detect that in the converted light," Patterson explains. Tests to date indicate the technique could distinguish between metal parts that are still intact and those that have been irreversibly damaged and require replacing. The researchers say their method is more sensitive than existing NDT techniques and could thus give earlier warning of danger.

With some further refinements, the method could have applications in the aerospace industry, where plane parts are routinely replaced after a certain amount of use to avoid catastrophic failure, Patterson says. The replacement schedule is based on the average performance of several of the same components, rather than the actual condition of that individual component. The SHG method could be used to check whether a particular component is really worn out or still has useful life, leading to savings in time, money and material.

Patterson's team is also exploring applications with the U.S. Navy. The aluminum/magnesium alloy used in Navy vessels can undergo invisible corrosion with serious consequences. "There are stories of someone walking along a metal deck and stepping in the wrong spot, and a big chunk falling through to the deck below," he says. "Cracks also form in walls. And once visible cracks form, it's often too late to reverse the damage."

The researchers hope to develop their technique into a portable system that would indicate whether a scanned object is in good shape. "In principle, you could go around with a wand and some fiber optics and scan large areas of a ship for hidden damage," Patterson says. Other potential structures that could be evaluated with the technology include oil pipelines, building components and bridges.

###

A press conference on this topic will be held Wednesday, April 5, at 10:30 a.m. Pacific time in the Moscone Center. Reporters may check-in at the press center, South Building, Foyer, or watch live on YouTube http://bit.ly/ACSLive_SanFrancisco. To ask questions online, sign in with a Google account.

The researchers acknowledge funding from Brigham Young University and the Office of Naval Research.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With nearly 157,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive press releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Note to journalists: Please report that this research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Follow us: Twitter | Facebook

Title

Nondestructive testing with second harmonic generation

Abstract

By 2020, non-destructive testing (NDT) will be a 6.8-billion-dollar industry. NDT is valuable because it either mitigates the replacement of costly mechanical parts, or it prevents catastrophic failure, such as the collapse of a bridge or mechanical failures in an airplane. NDT seeks to assess the integrity of a component without further compromising it, enabling the identification and replacement of only those components most likely to fail.

Current NDT methods probe for microscopic cracks, which are the immediate precursor to catastrophic failure and indicators of extensive fatigue. However, by testing for fractures current NDTs are limited in their sensitivity because they cannot detect the small-scale plastic deformations which cause them. Plastic deformations are caused by an accumulation of internal irregularities within a material's lattice, known as dislocations. An abundance of dislocations correlates to an increase in the number of minute intrusions and extrusions on the surface of the material and that could potentially be detected with Second Harmonic Generation (SHG). In this regard SHG is a promising candidate for NDT because it is very responsive to the characteristics of the surfaces that it probes, and can be applied to many materials such as metals and composites. Furthermore, SHG signal takes only nanoseconds to generate, and can be done with relatively inexpensive commercial lasers. These factors make SHG a prime candidate to be adapted into a fast and affordable method for NDT.

Our research has shown SHG is sensitive to plastic deformation, and suggests that SHG signal may be a viable method of NDT. Our current goal is to utilize SHG signal to extrapolate the extent to which a sample has been stressed. SHG's sensitivity to plastic deformation is currently unprecedented in the field of NDT, and SHG may provide a means to detect weaknesses in materials far earlier than any other NDT method currently available today.

Title

Noninvasive detection of aluminum sensitization using SHG

Abstract

Structural failure of metals can result from mechanical, chemical, or thermal stress. For example, naval grade aluminum when exposed to temperatures of 50-200 C will have Mg2+ ions migrate and congregate on the grain boundaries. This magnesium segregation forms an intermetallic compound: Mg2Al3. This new composition called beta phase aluminum acquires distinct physical properties becoming more susceptible to corrosion than the native alloy. These temperatures can be easily reached during normal functions of marine machinery. Results indicate that second harmonic generation, a branch of non-linear optics, could be utilized as a noninvasive method for detecting beta phase in naval grade aluminum alloys.
When whiteflies take off, they don't just spread their wings and fly. Just .03 of an inch long, these tiny insects possess a variety of sophisticated techniques that provide them with exceptional stability in the air. Tel Aviv University researchers now say that they may hold the secret to stabilizing the take-off of small robotic manmade flyers such as miniaturized drones.

TAU research presented at a recent Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities conference explores how whiteflies, which belong to the order of insects called Hemiptera, successfully take off without flapping their wings, which are 28% longer than their bodies. They raise only their wingtips to provide air resistance and stabilize. The presentation was based on new research following an earlier study published by the Journal of Experimental Biology.

"Whiteflies take a powerful 'jump' before they start using their wings in flight," said Dr. Gal Ribak of TAU's Department of Zoology, who led the research. "Then, when the insects are moving through the air, they have to stop the rotation of their bodies to reorient themselves for flapping flight. They are able to do that by extending the tips of their folded wings, causing high air resistance behind the body. This aerodynamic force stabilizes the take-off and only then do the insects spread their wings and start flying.

"What is noteworthy here is the response time," Dr. Ribak said. "All this takes less than 12 milliseconds, and it doesn't require feedback from the nervous system. Nature is providing us with guidance on how to stabilize the take-off of small robotic manmade flyers."

Small but powerful

According to the study, conducted with TAU undergraduate student Eyal Dafni and in collaboration with the late Prof. Dan Gerling, TAU Emeritus Professor of Entomology, size is a key component of the insects' successful ascent. Their tiny size allows them to execute swift stabilizing responses using the air resistance of different body parts.

"The whiteflies leave the ground rotating forward," said Dr. Ribak. "That rotation should result in the insects somersaulting upon leaving the ground. But the tips of the folded wings provide adequate air resistance, similar to the horizontal surfaces on an airplane tail."

As part of the study, the team filmed the ascent of the insects with high-speed cameras, which allowed them to observe the take-offs in slow motion and extract 3D data on the motion of the insects. (See video at https://www.aftau.org/videos---whiteflies) They then used the data to model the aerodynamics and rotation of the insects during take-off. The model revealed the tips of the folded wings to be the most important element of the stability mechanism.

"To test this prediction, we clipped the wingtips of some whiteflies and observed their take-off again," said Dr. Ribak. "As we predicted, the whiteflies with clipped wings were incapable of stabilizing before spreading and flapping their wings."

The researchers are currently studying other small insects with shorter wings that also leap during take-off but use alternative mechanisms for stabilizing the jump.

###

Tel Aviv University (TAU) is inherently linked to the cultural, scientific and entrepreneurial mecca it represents. It is one of the world's most dynamic research centers and Israel's most distinguished learning environment. Its unique-in-Israel multidisciplinary environment is highly coveted by young researchers and scholars returning to Israel from post-docs and junior faculty positions in the US.

American Friends of Tel Aviv University (AFTAU) enthusiastically and industriously pursues the advancement of TAU in the US, raising money, awareness and influence through international alliances that are vital to the future of this already impressive institution.
Understanding and managing migratory animal populations requires knowing what's going on with them during all stages of their annual cycle -- and how those stages affect each other. The annual cycle can be especially difficult to study for species that breed in the Arctic and winter in South America. A new study from The Condor: Ornithological Applications tackles this problem for Semipalmated Sandpipers, historically one of the most widespread and numerous shorebird species of the Western Hemisphere, whose populations in some areas have undergone mysterious declines in recent years.

Stephen Brown, Vice President of Shorebird Conservation for Manomet, assembled a large group of partner organizations to deploy 250 geolocators, tiny devices that use light levels to determine birds' locations, on adult sandpipers at sites across their breeding range in the North American Arctic. Recapturing 59 of the birds after a year to download their data, they found that the eastern and western breeding populations use separate wintering areas and migration routes. Birds that breed in the eastern Arctic overwinter in areas of South America where large declines have been observed. The researchers believe these declines are tied to hunting on the wintering grounds and habitat alteration at migration stopover sites, although their precise impacts remain unclear.

"This study was a response to the discovery of a large decline in the population of Semipalmated Sandpipers in the core of their wintering area in South America, and the need to determine which birds were involved. We didn't know if the decline affected the entire population or just part of it," says Brown. "Bringing together the 18 partner organizations that worked collaboratively on this project allowed us to track the migration pathways used by Semipalmated Sandpipers at the enormous geographical scale of their entire North American Arctic breeding range and provided critical new information about what sites are important to protect to support their recovery."

"The authors here present one of the few studies that examine year-round connectivity, including stopover sites, of Arctic-breeding shorebirds," according to the University of Guelph's Ryan Norris, an expert on migration tracking who was not involved with the study. "Multi-site, range-wide studies on connectivity, such as this, are critical if we are to understand the population consequences of environmental change in migratory birds."

###

"Migratory connectivity of Semipalmated Sandpipers and implications for conservation" will be available April 5, 2017, at http://americanornithologypubs.org/doi/full/10.1650/CONDOR-16-55.1 (issue URL http://americanornithologypubs.org/toc/cond/119/2).

About the journal: The Condor: Ornithological Applications is a peer-reviewed, international journal of ornithology. It began in 1899 as the journal of the Cooper Ornithological Club, a group of ornithologists in California that became the Cooper Ornithological Society, which merged with the American Ornithologists' Union in 2016 to become the American Ornithological Society.

About Manomet: Manomet is a nonprofit organization that believes people can live and work today in ways that will enable our world to thrive and prosper tomorrow. Manomet's mission: applying science and engaging people to sustain our world. Visit http://www.manomet.org for more information.
Undergrads, Ph.D. students and postdocs to tell lawmakers about their work as proposed budget cuts threaten projects nationwide

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 5, 2017 - Young scientists from colleges and universities across the United States will arrive on Capitol Hill on Thursday to talk with senators and representatives about the value of biomedical research.

Now in its seventh year, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology's Hill Day will give 19 young researchers the chance to participate in up to 90 meetings with lawmakers and congressional staff about the work they are doing.

Undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars participating in the program hail from academic institutions across America. Alongside members of the ASBMB's Public Affairs Advisory Committee, the participants will emphasize the critical role that federal investments in research play in supporting the nation's scientific enterprise and how those investments lead to improvements in the quality of life and well-being of Americans.

The annual event coincides this year with calls from President Donald J. Trump to significantly reduce the budgets of science-funding agencies. The ASBMB has come out in opposition to the proposed funding cuts.

"We are thrilled to be bringing such an enthusiastic team of scientists to be advocates on behalf of all of the life science research community," said ASBMB Public Affairs Director Benjamin Corb. "Recent budget proposals from the White House have signaled heavy blows to research funding. Our hope is that, through this experience, we will not only foster the spark of advocacy in these young scientists but inspire them to take what they have learned back to their institutions and encourage their fellow researchers to advocate for the importance of sustained investments in research."

One young researcher from the University of Washington, Gilbert Martinez, already has participated in advocacy at the state level. "While in graduate school, I become heavily engaged in the political process," he said. "I worked with school board members, city council members, and even met with local U.S. Reps. Anna Eshoo and Zoe Lofgren as well as a host of other state senators and assembly members."

Martinez continued: "As an active campus organizer, I became a member of the national College Democrats of America, where I was a chair of the Hispanic Caucus for a year."

Martinez will meet on Thursday with U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, all Democrats from Washington state.

Folagbayi Arowolo, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is scheduled to meet with U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., and Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., as well as U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisc. "After the recent election, I have been mobilized to engage with elected officials because I believe that we are in a critical period where science policy deserves a significant amount of attention from community leaders, policymakers and nonscientists," Arowolo said.

Elizabeth Minten, a postdoctoral fellow researching the molecular genetics of the breast cancer at Emory University, said she believes that "it's more important than ever for scientists to get involved and advocate for science, as well as try to bridge the gap between scientists and the general public." She is scheduled to meet with U.S. Sens. David Perdue and Johnny Isakson, both Republicans from Georgia, and with U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga.

Ashley Widmer attends the University of Alaska Anchorage, where she conducts research on the immune system. She plans to meet with U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Daniel Sullivan and U.S. Rep. Don Young, all Republicans representing Alaska.

"Here at my university, there aren't many opportunities for undergraduates to become deeply involved in biomedical research due to lack of funding -- an issue that must come up in many places," she said. "I look forward to the opportunity to promote undergraduate research as a way to increase the rate of students interested to go on and pursue careers in research or attend graduate school."

The 2017 Hill Day student participants will include:

Christopher Abdullah, a graduate student at Oregon Health and Science University Celeste Amadei, a graduate student at the University Of Miami Miller School Of Medicine Kendall Antle, an undergraduate student at Grandview University Folagbayi Arowolo, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Alexandra Erwin, a graduate student at The University of Kansas Celine Hartman, a graduate student at Saint Louis University Ryan Kelly, an undergraduate student at James Madison University Gilbert Martinez, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington Allison McCaque, a graduate student at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Tiffany Miles, a graduate student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Elizabeth Minten, a postdoctoral fellow at Emory University Clarrisa Navarro, an undergraduate at the University of New Hampshire Anthony Otero, a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh Benjamin Roberts, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Katherine Sharp, a graduate student at the University of Oklahoma Jeray Thelwell, a graduate student at Brown University Kaushlendra Tripathi, a postdoctoral fellow at Mitchell Cancer Institute Laura White, a graduate student at the University of Colorado, Anschultz Medical Campus Ashley Widmer, an undergraduate student at the University of Alaska Anchorage The students will be accompanied by members of the ASBMB Public Affairs Advisory Committee, which includes: Wesley Sundquist of the University of Utah Robert Matthews of the University of Massachusetts Medical School Matthew Gentry of the University of Kentucky Katherine Friedman of Vanderbelt University Susan Forsburg of the University of Southern California Michael Schaller of West Virginia University Tricia Serio of the University of Arizona Rick Page of Miami University Dorothy Shippen of Texas A&M University Jonathan Sachs of the University of Minnesota Stephen Buxser of Nerac Terri Kinzy of Rutgers University

###
Researchers hope to design a new generation of drugs against an array of deadly diseases. The task, however, is costly, arduous and often ineffective. One of the key challenges is understanding a particular class of proteins adorning cell surfaces, which are the targets of the majority of pharmaceutical drugs.

Now Wei Liu and his colleagues at ASU's Biodesign Institute, along with a team led by Haitao Zhang and Vadim Cherezov of USC have examined one promising drug target in luminous detail, using a device known as an X-ray free electron laser, or XFEL.

Their results, which appear in the advanced online edition of the journal Nature, shed new light on AT2R, a critical cell receptor, whose range of functions researchers have only begun to tease out. The group's findings could speed the development of new compounds addressing cardiovascular conditions, neuropathic pain and tissue growth.

AT2R belongs to a family of cell receptors known as GPCRs (for G-protein coupled receptor), the largest family of cell membrane receptors in the human genome. As Liu explains, GPCRs are such attractive candidates for targeting by new drugs because they provide essential lines of communication between a cell's external environment and its interior workings.

"Humans have over 800 GPCRs," Liu says "and every single one of them is important, because they recognize thousands of different entities from outside the cell, including small molecules, peptides, proteins and even photons." The light-sensitive GPCR rhodopsin, for example, is critical for vision, olfactory receptors account for the sense of smell, while the caffeine in coffee acts by binding with adenosine receptors, and so forth.

In addition to their vital housekeeping roles, GPCRs provide drug targets for the treatment of a myriad of human illnesses. "For almost any disease we are struggling with, GPCR proteins could be the potential drug targets: chemokine receptors for HIV, serotonin receptors for Alzheimer's, dopamine receptors for drug addiction and Parkinson's," Liu says.

Using powerful X-rays from SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) and Argonne National Laboratory's Advanced Photon Source (APS), scientists discovered new structural details of the angiotensin II receptor AT2R that have puzzled researchers for two decades. AT2R is one of two angiotensin II receptors, and its pair, AT1R, has been successfully used as a target for high blood pressure medications.

The information revealed by the study could give drug developers a new path for compounds that combat pain and inflammation or promote tissue regeneration by docking snugly into a pocket in AT2R's elaborate 3-dimensional shape.

"Unlike its sibling AT1R, the AT2 receptor has not been fully understood," said Cherezov, professor of chemistry at the University of Southern California and principal investigator of the study. "Through this study we uncovered many important details about the AT2 receptor structure and how it binds to chemical compounds, information that will stimulate further studies of the receptor's function and could enable an exciting next step in drug discovery."

Two Receptors, Many Mysteries

Both angiotensin II receptors, AT1 and AT2, are key components of a hormone system that helps regulate blood pressure and sodium levels in the blood. They are known as "membrane proteins" because they straddle the plasma membranes of cells, where they receive signals from hormones outside the cell and pass them along to soluble partners inside the cell, such as G proteins or -arrestins, setting off a cascade of events that spread the signal cell-wide.

Many hypertension medications currently on the market target the AT1 receptor because of its well-understood role in blood pressure regulation; they block AT1 in order to reduce blood pressure. The AT2 receptor, on the other hand, is still an elusive drug target despite multiple studies of its function. Some, but not all, have shown it counteracts the effects of AT1; others point to its potential for tissue protection and regeneration; and still others suggest it could play a role in blocking pain.

While there are no approved drugs yet that act on AT2 receptors, pharmaceutical companies are aggressively pursuing compounds that will either activate or block them. One such compound, called EMA401, is being tested in patients for the treatment of neuropathic pain.

The latest study addresses two goals: understanding how AT2 differs from AT1, in order to selectively target it ; and exploring why AT2 -which has all the classic features of a GPCR, just like AT1 - fails to activate G-proteins, which spread signals inside cells, or interact with arrestin, turning those signals off.

Biology Under X-Ray Light

In the experiments, the researchers looked at two different kinds of samples, which were formed into crystals for examination with X-rays. In one, the AT2 receptor was bound to a selective compound, one that binds only to AT2. These crystals were so small that they could only be studied at SLAC's X-ray free-electron laser LCLS, where they were streamed across a beam of ultrafast X-ray pulses.

In the other, a non-selective compound was bound to both AT1 and AT2. These samples, which formed larger crystals, were probed at Argonne's APS synchrotron light source.

Unexpected Outcomes

The results of the experiments were surprising in several ways. First, although both compounds were designed to block and deactivate the receptors, they left AT2 in a state that appeared to be active. In addition, although AT1 and AT2 were thought to be very similar, the pockets where the receptors bind to the compounds exhibited marked differences.

"This is something we have never seen with GPCRs," Cherezov said. "The idea was always that receptors that bind to the same compounds would have very similar pockets, so efforts to develop drugs that act on AT2 started with the same basic structures as drugs that act on AT1. Now we see that we may have to start with entirely different drug-like molecules that are tailored to fit the AT2 receptor, which could set the drug discovery process in a different direction."

The ASU participants assisted with data analysis as well as sample preparation and characterization. Liu, formerly a member of the team at USC, also helped with receptor construct design, purification and crystallization.

Liu stresses that many important GPCR proteins suitable for drug targets are only able to form very small crystals (under 100 microns in length) in the laboratory. Historically, the ability to grow large protein crystals in the laboratory were a prerequisite for studying their 3d structure at high resolutions, since smaller crystals would be destroyed by synchrotron radiation. Now however, the study of these molecules has been revolutionized through the use of XFEL technology, which exposes the micron-sized crystals to such short bursts of radiation that they remain intact.

ASU is a frontrunner in this new domain of study, combining their expertise in producing small crystals adequate for analysis of GPCR proteins with the capacity to image such samples at extremely high resolution using XFEL.

The Biodesign Institute has recently undertaken an audacious project to build a first-of-its-kind compact XFEL, capable of carrying out this type of high-resolution protein structural analysis, radically reducing cost and improving accessibility. (Currently, only 3 large XFEL machines are in existence, the SLAC facility at Stanford, DESY in Hamburg, Germany and the SACLA XFEL, in Harima, Japan.)

"XFEL opens the door to all of these membrane protein targets," Liu says, emphasizing that the field of X-ray crystallography is now poised for brisk advancement.

###

Researchers from Zhejiang University in China; Merck & Co.; the Center for Free Electron Laser Science at the DESY lab in Germany; also contributed to the study. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Helmholtz Association. LCLS and APS are funded by the DOE Office of Science.
By Press Trust of India: bench

New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI) The Supreme Court today referred social media platform WhatsApps privacy policy matter to a Constitution bench, which will hear the issue on April 18, saying it concerns the larger issue of privacy and right to personal liberty.

A bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud said when the matter deals with public at large, it becomes a constitutional issue.

advertisement

"We are referring the matter to a five-judge Constitution bench. It is an issue which concerns the larger issue of privacy and Article 21 of the Constitution. When it concerns the public at large, it becomes a constitutional issue," it said.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the parties, said they have succeeded in the Delhi High Court and it was purely a contractual issue which does not need hearing by a Constitution bench.

"You should raise the issue before the Constitution bench on April 18 and formulate the issues for hearing," the judges said.

The appeal filed in the apex court by Karmanya Singh Sareen and Shreya Sethi assailed the high court verdict on the ground that no relief was granted for data shared by users post September 25, 2016 and it amounted to infringement of fundamental rights under Article 19 (Freedom of Speech and Expression) and 21 (Right to Life) of the Constitution.

The counsel appearing for the petitioner said that a new WhatsApp policy which enabled it to the share users information with social networking site Facebook, not only hampers privacy under Article 21 but also the freedom of speech under Article 19 of the Constitution.

The apex court had earlier indicated that the issue might come up for hearing before a Constitution bench during the summer vacation which commences from May 11.

On January 16, the court had sought response from the Centre and telecom regulator TRAI on a plea that privacy of over 157 million Indians has been infringed by social networking sites -- WhatsApp and Facebook -- for alleged commercial use of personal communication.

The Delhi High Court had earlier restrained WhatsApp, an instant messaging application, from sharing with Facebook the user information existing upto September 25, 2016 when its new privacy policy came into effect.

The high court, in its verdict in September last year, had directed WhatsApp to delete the information/data of persons who opted out of the service before September 25, 2016 and not to share it with Facebook or its group companies.

The high court had also directed the Centre and the TRAI to examine the feasibility of bringing the functioning of Internet messaging applications like WhatsApp under statutory regulatory framework.

advertisement

WhatsApp had earlier informed the high court that when a user account is deleted, the information of that person is no longer retained on its servers. PTI MNL ABA RKS SC

--- ENDS ---
Washington, DC -- Plants are currently removing more CO2 from the air than they did 200 years ago, according to new work from Carnegie's Joe Berry and led by J. Elliott Campbell of UC Merced. The team's findings, which are published in Nature, affirm estimates used in models from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Plants take up carbon dioxide as part of the process of photosynthesis -- a series of cellular reactions through which they transform the Sun's energy into chemical energy for food. This research from Campbell, Berry, and their colleagues constructs a new history of global changes in photosynthetic activity.

Just as plants in actual glass greenhouses grow faster and more profusely when provided with elevated levels of CO2, plants in natural ecosystems have been expected to grow faster as the concentration of CO2 in the global atmosphere increases. At the global scale, this effect could offer some stability to the climate system by countering increased human emissions of CO2.

The magnitude of this effect is currently under debate. Could it be as large at the global scale as it is in small-scale greenhouse experiments? Or are other factors limiting the global system's response to increased greenhouse gas emissions? A long-term record, similar to what we have for CO2 and temperature, is needed to address this large uncertainty in climate change projections.

"We've done something new here," Campbell said. "Reliable measurements of photosynthesis are typically made at the leaf-level. But you can't get the big picture that way, and we need to know what the Earth as a whole is doing and how it has responded through time."

The team made use of previous work showing that the concentration of the atmospheric trace gas carbonyl sulfide can be used to infer the level of global photosynthesis. They constructed a history of its concentration using air trapped in Antarctic ice and snowpack for centuries, infrared spectra of the atmosphere taken by astronomers since the 1970s, and data from a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration greenhouse gas sampling network, which began monitoring carbonyl sulfide in the late 1990s.

The results show that global photosynthesis was stable for hundreds of years before the industrial revolution, but then grew rapidly throughout the 20th century. The recent increases in photosynthesis correlate with the increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide due to fossil fuel burning.

"The phenomenon of plants pulling carbon dioxide out of the air has been included in climate change models for many years," Berry explained, "but it has always been difficult to know whether the strength of this effect is being modeled in a realistic way. Our new results affirm that the range of models used in the last IPCC assessment did, in fact, include realistic estimates of the sensitivity of global photosynthesis to CO2."

"It may be tempting to interpret these results as evidence that Earth's dynamics are responding in a way that will naturally stabilize CO2 concentrations and climate," Berry added. "But the real message is that the increase in photosynthesis has not been large enough to compensate for the burning of fossil fuels. Nature's brakes are not up to the job. So now it's up to us to figure out how to reduce the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere."

###

The paper's other co-authors are Ulli Seibt of UCLA; Steve Smith of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Steve Montzka of NOAA; Thomas Launois, Sauveur Belviso, and Laurent Bopp of Laboratoire des Sciences du Climate et de l'Environnement; and Marko Laine of the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

Caption: Artist's conception representing this work. The concentration of the atmospheric trace gas, carbonly sulfide is influenced by the terrestrial biosphere's photosynthetic activity and its variation over centuries is preserved in Antarctic snow and ice, which provides insight into the response of key process to climate and environmental change. Image credit NASA and UC Merced.

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Academy of Finland.

The Carnegie Institution for Science is a private, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with six research departments throughout the U.S. Since its founding in 1902, the Carnegie Institution has been a pioneering force in basic scientific research. Carnegie scientists are leaders in plant biology, developmental biology, astronomy, materials science, global ecology, and Earth and planetary science.
Protecting the environment often draws on a collaboration between community members, non-government organizations, academia, and, local, state and federal agencies. Indigenous nations however, are often invited to participate in an initiative after it has already begun to take shape. Indigenous partners are most likely to remain engaged in multi-actor collaborations when they are viewed as equal partners, when non-Indigenous actors have taken the time to understand their relationship to the environment and how they view the world, according to a Dartmouth-led study recently published in AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples.

"Natural resource and environmental partnerships between Indigenous nations, NGO's and settler governments are rarer than most people realize. We were very interested in understanding the factors that hold these partnerships together when they do form," says Nicholas J. Reo, an assistant professor of environmental studies and Native American studies at Dartmouth, who served as the first author of the study.

Researchers studied 39 multi-actor environmental partnerships in the Great Lakes region, by interviewing 34 members of Indigenous nations from Anishnnabek, Menominee, Cree and Haudenosaunee cultural groups. The success or failure of such voluntary partnerships appeared to be contingent on six themes critical to understanding how Indigenous collaborators' view the world:

respect for intergenerational knowledge and practices, such as by integrating a prayer or other cultural protocol at the start of a meeting that may in turn invite one's ancestors to the meeting and help guide the session;

control of knowledge, whereby, Indigenous partners have an opportunity to take ownership and collect or monitor data;

intergenerational involvement through Indigenous youths can be inspired to be stewards of the environment from their elders;

self-determination, whereby, partners establish a shared understanding of what this means;

continuous cross-cultural education on the cultural traditions, histories and priorities, including the relationships to the land, water, plants and animals; and

early involvement, whereby, Indigenous partners are invited to participate when an initiative may still be in the conceptual stage.

The unique cultural and spiritual relationships that Indigenous communities have to the land and water is integral to understanding who they are. For example, rivers are not thought of as natural "resources" but as living ancestors for Indigenous communities, such as for Anishnaabe and Maori people. Dartmouth researchers and their cohorts looked at the role that Indigenous knowledge has had in river restoration efforts and outcomes for three Indigenous nations in the U.S., New Zealand and Canada in a comparative study published in Sustainability Science. Researchers collaborated with representatives from:

the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians in northwest Michigan to investigate the removal of dams pertaining to the Ottaway River project;

the Waikato-Tainui on the north island of New Zealand to study the reclaiming of rights to the Waikato River, which helps define their political and social structure but has been impacted by urbanization and agriculture; and with

the Walpole Island First Nation in southwestern Ontario, Canada, to study efforts to restore and reclaim the St. Clair River given the pollution that has resulted from a large petrochemical complex nearby.

Obtaining a cross-cultural context on the spiritual significance of water can provide Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members with a shared context for the issues at hand. For river restoration, the concept of restoration for many Indigenous communities is not just ecological but is one that also has political, social and cultural meaning.

###

Nick Reo is available for comment at: Nicholas.J.Reo@Dartmouth.edu.
X-ray studies done in part at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have produced surprising insights into the workings of a hormone receptor associated with blood pressure regulation. Researchers believe it could be a target for new medicines related to cardiovascular conditions, neuropathic pain and tissue growth.

Using powerful X-rays from SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) and Argonne National Laboratory's Advanced Photon Source (APS), scientists discovered new structural details of an angiotensin II receptor called AT2 that has puzzled researchers for two decades. It is one of two angiotensin II receptors, and its partner, AT1, has been successfully used as a target for high blood pressure medications.

The information they uncovered could give drug developers a new path for compounds that combat pain and inflammation or promote tissue regeneration by docking snugly into a pocket in AT2.

"Unlike its sibling AT1, the AT2 receptor has not been fully understood," said Vadim Cherezov, chemistry professor at the University of Southern California and principal investigator of the study published today in Nature. "Through this study we uncovered many important details about the AT2 receptor structure and how it binds to chemical compounds, information that will stimulate further studies of the receptor's function and could enable an exciting next step in drug discovery."

Two Receptors, Many Mysteries

Both angiotensin II receptors, AT1 and AT2, are key components of a hormone system that helps regulate blood pressure and sodium levels in the blood. They are known as "membrane proteins" because they straddle the plasma membranes of cells, where they receive signals from hormones outside the cell and pass them along to soluble partners inside the cell, such as G proteins or -arrestins, setting off a cascade of events that spread the signal cell-wide.

Many hypertension medications currently on the market target the AT1 receptor because of its well-understood role in blood pressure regulation; they block AT1 to bring blood pressure down. Cherezov led earlier experiments at LCLS that provided structural details of receptor blockers bound to AT1. The AT2 receptor, on the other hand, is still an elusive drug target despite multiple studies of its function. Some, but not all, have shown it counteracts the effects of AT1; others point to its potential for tissue protection and regeneration; and still others suggest it could play a role in blocking pain.

"There are no approved drugs yet that act on AT2 receptors, but pharmaceutical companies are actively working on developing compounds that will activate or block these receptors," Cherezov said. "One such compound, called EMA401, is being tested in patients for the treatment of neuropathic pain."

In the latest study, Cherezov's team set out to do two things: find out how AT2 differs from AT1, so they can find ways of selectively activating or blocking it; and better understand why AT2 - which like AT1 has all the classic features of a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) - fails to activate G-proteins, which spread signals inside cells, or interact with arrestin, which turns those signals off.

Biology Under X-Ray Light

In the experiments, the researchers looked at two different kinds of samples, which were formed into crystals for examination with X-rays. In one, the AT2 receptor was bound to a selective compound, one that binds only to AT2. These crystals were so small that they could only be studied at SLAC's X-ray free-electron laser LCLS, where they were streamed across a beam of ultrafast X-ray pulses.

In the other, a non-selective compound was bound to both AT1 and AT2. These samples, which formed larger crystals, were probed at Argonne's APS synchrotron light source. APS and LCLS are DOE Office of Science User Facilities.

Unexpected Outcomes

The results of the experiments were surprising in several ways, according to Cherezov. First, although both compounds were designed to block and deactivate the receptors, they left AT2 in a state that appeared to be active. But on the inward-facing side of AT2, the site where a G-protein would normally bind and spread the signal was blocked. "This basically explains why these receptors do not activate G-proteins," Cherezov said. "They are activated but self-inhibited."

In addition, although AT1 and AT2 were thought to be very similar, the pockets where the receptors bind to the compounds exhibited marked differences.

"This is something we have never seen with GPCRs," Cherezov said. "The idea was always that receptors that bind to the same compounds would have very similar pockets, so efforts to develop drugs that act on AT2 started with the same basic structures as drugs that act on AT1. Now we see that we may have to start with entirely different drug-like molecules that are tailored to fit the AT2 receptor, which could set the drug discovery process in a different direction."

SLAC staff scientist Mark Hunter said, "This kind of room-temperature measurement on interesting membrane protein targets is something that LCLS is well-suited to perform. Membrane proteins remain elusive targets for high-resolution structural studies, and researchers can spend many years trying to obtain crystals that are well ordered and large enough to use at conventional light sources."

###

Researchers from Zhejiang University in China; Merck & Co.; the Center for Free Electron Laser Science at the DESY lab in Germany; and Arizona State University also contributed to the study. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Helmholtz Association. LCLS and APS are funded by the DOE Office of Science.

Citation: Zhang et al., Nature, 5 April 2017 (10.1038/nature22035)

SLAC is a multi-program laboratory exploring frontier questions in photon science, astrophysics, particle physics and accelerator research. Located in Menlo Park, California, SLAC is operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. To learn more, please visit http://www.slac.stanford.edu.

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and General Atomics have simulated a mysterious self-organized flow of the superhot plasma that fuels fusion reactions. The findings show that pumping more heat into the core of the plasma can drive instabilities that create plasma rotation inside the doughnut-shaped tokamak that houses the hot charged gas. This rotation may be used to improve the stability and performance of fusion devices.

The results, reported in January in the journal Physical Review Letters, use first principles-based plasma turbulence simulations of experiments performed on the DIII-D National Fusion Facility that General Atomics operates for the DOE in San Diego. The findings could lead to improved control of fusion reactions in ITER, the international experiment under construction in France to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion power. Support for this research comes from the DOE Office of Science with simulations performed at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), a DOE Office of Science User Facility at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

High energy beams

To enhance stability and confinement of the plasma, a gas composed of electrons and ions that is often called the fourth state of matter, physicists have traditionally injected high energy beams of neutral atoms. These energetic beams cause the core and outer region of the plasma to spin at different rates, creating a sheared flow, or rotation, that improves stability and confinement. One persistent mystery is how the plasma sometimes generates its own sheared flow, spontaneously.

The new research, led by PPPL physicists Brian Grierson and Weixing Wang, shows that sufficient heating of the core of the plasma generates a special type of turbulence that produces an intrinsic torque, or twisting force, that causes the plasma to generate its own sheared flow. The findings have relevance to large, future reactors, since neutral beam injection will create only limited rotation in the huge plasmas inside such facilities.

Self-organizing plasmas

The collaborative research by PPPL and General Atomics scientists found that plasmas can organize themselves to produce sheared rotation when heat is added in the right way. The process works like this:

Heating the core of the plasma produces turbulence that fluctuates in strength along the radius of the gas.

The fluctuations generate a "residual stress" that acts like a torque that causes the inner and outer parts of the plasma to rotate opposite to each other at different speeds.

The different rotation speeds represent a balance between the turbulence-produced torque and the viscosity of the plasma, which keeps the gas from spinning arbitrarily fast.

Researchers used the GTS code to simulate the physics of turbulent plasma transport by modeling the behavior of plasma particles as they cycled around magnetic fields. The simulation predicted the rotation profile by modeling the intrinsic torque of the turbulence and the diffusion of its momentum. The predicted rotation agreed quite well, in shape and magnitude, with the rotation observed in DIII-D experiments.

A key next challenge will be to extrapolate the processes for ITER. Such modeling will require massive simulations that will push the limits of the high-performance supercomputers currently available. "With careful experiments and detailed simulations of fundamental physics, we are beginning to understand how the plasma creates its own sheared rotation," said Grierson. "This is a key step along the road to optimizing the plasma flow to make fusion plasmas more stable, and operate with high efficiency."

###

PPPL, on Princeton University's Forrestal Campus in Plainsboro, N.J., is devoted to creating new knowledge about the physics of plasmas -- a gas composed of electrons and ions that is often called the fourth state of matter -- and to developing practical solutions for the creation of fusion energy. The Laboratory is managed by the University for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, which is the largest single supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
What's brightly colored, lives on shipwrecks, filter-feeds like a whale, and shoots webs like Spiderman? If you can't readily come up with an answer, that's okay: until now, such animals weren't known to science. But as of today, scientists have announced the discovery of a new species of snail that ticks all those boxes. According to its discoverer, the snail shows "amazing adaptations and are kind of cute," and it could play an important role in coral reef restoration work.

"These worm-snails are particularly weird animals," says Dr. Rudiger Bieler, Curator of Invertebrates at Chicago's Field Museum and the lead author of a paper in the journal PeerJ describing the new snails. "And while we find lots of unusual snails, this one could have a substantial impact on coral reef restoration efforts."

Instead of having coiled shells like most snails, worm-snails have irregularly-shaped tubular shells that they cement onto a hard surface. And while most snails are slow movers, adult worm-snails don't move at all--instead, they stick to one spot for the rest of their lives. That makes them good candidates to live on hard surfaces like ships and coral reefs. The new species, Thylacodes vandyensis, is named for the "Vandy," the nickname the SCUBA diving community has given to the USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenburg, a retired naval vessel intentionally sunk to serve as an artificial reef in the lower Florida Keys. This ship is the only place the new worm-snails have ever been found, glued to the vessel's hull.

"I first got interested in these guys when I saw their giant slime glands," says Bieler. "Normally, snails produce a trail of slime so that they can glide on it in order to move. But worm-snails are stationary--what did they need slime glands for?"

It turns out, these snails don't use their slime to move--they use it to hunt.

"The snails have an extra pair of tentacles down near the base of their body, almost like little arms. These tentacles are what they use to shoot slime," explains Bieler. "They shoot out a mucous web, just like Spiderman - although in slow motion. Then, microorganisms get stuck in the web, and the snails use their mouths to pull the web back in and strain the food through barbs on their tongues called radulae in order to eat. They filter-feed, much like baleen whales."

While the worm-snails are immobile, Bieler and his co-authors from The Field Museum, Florida International University, and Cape Breton University have reason to believe that the specimens they found in Florida are a long way from home--all signs point to these snails being an invasive species from the Indo-Pacific where they had not yet been recognized.

"We know the Atlantic worm-snail fauna very well, so the likelihood of finding a new species native to the Florida Keys is pretty small," says Bieler. "These snails might have stowed away in bilge water or the hulls on cargo ships, and once they arrived here, they were the perfect colonizers."

The shipwrecks making up an artificial reef in the Keys seem to have been an ideal new habitat for the worm-snails. The new snails join other animals that have already been confirmed as Pacific invasives on these artificial reefs in the Florida Keys: the Orange Tube Coral and a Giant Foam Oyster, the latter discovered by Bieler's team on another regional wreck, the Thunderbolt, in 2003.

"The living coral reefs in the Florida Keys are already full of animals," explains Bieler, "but the deliberately scuttled shipwrecks are empty, brand-new real estate. There were fewer organisms to compete with for space on the artificial reef, and fewer resident predators that could harm them."

But it's not necessarily a good thing that the worm-snails have taken so well to the shipwreck. "Worm-snails can be harmful to corals and other reef organisms," says Bieler. "They can reduce coral growth and have been shown to serve as hosts for certain blood flukes, which are parasites of loggerhead turtles."

On top of the risks that worm-snails carry, coral reefs are in trouble all over the world. "Climate change, pollution, overfishing, and other problems are putting our reefs in danger," says Bieler. "And while artificial reefs, such as deliberately sunk ships, might help provide additional structures for corals and other marine animals to live on, we need to carefully monitor the species present. If we don't, non-native and potentially invasive species like Thylacodes vandyensis might eventually make its way from the artificial reef to the natural reef and cause trouble for the animals living there."

Discovering the newly arrived snail and clam species, says Bieler, is an important step to monitoring coral reef health. "The artificial reefs could serve as the canary in the coal mine," says Bieler. "If we monitor their presence on the shipwrecks, we can keep tabs on them and potentially stop them from spreading to the living reefs."

Despite the havoc that the worm-snails could potentially wreak, Bieler is glad to have found them. "The discovery of Thylacodes vandyensis helps highlight why museum collections are important. Without comparing countless snail specimens at The Field Museum and around the world, we wouldn't have been able to identify these snails as a new species, and we wouldn't be able to make the kinds of progress in monitoring and reef restoration that we're now equipped to," says Bieler. "Plus, they're awfully interesting."

###
Boulder, Colo., USA: In their study published in Lithosphere this week, James Kessler and colleagues examine the geology of a scientific borehole drilled into the Snake River Plain, Idaho, USA, to investigate the potential for geothermal energy at depth. The site discussed in this paper is on the Mountain Home Air Force Base, where a drillhole in 1984 indicated that geothermal fluids were present at about 1.8 km depth.

With ARRA funding for new energy research and a grant from the International Continental Drilling Program, Kessler and colleagues drilled three 2-km-deep holes in the region. The Snake River Plain is the track of the Yellowstone Hotspot, and consists of rhyolite and basalt. Volcanic rocks near Yellowstone are quite young, whereas at Mountain Home, Idaho, the rocks are three to five million years old. Despite the abundant evidence for heat, the Snake River Plain does not produce geothermal energy due to a cool water aquifer present in the upper 500 m of the rocks.

The work reported in this paper is on the Mountain Home site, where waters of about 150 C were encounter at 1745 m depth. Kessler and colleagues report on the geology of the basaltic rocks of the borehole, including determining the distribution of the basalts, the presence of faults and fractures at depth, and evidence for older hydrothermal interactions.

They also worked with geophysicists at the University of Alberta to determine the stresses at depth in the site. When holes penetrate rocks at depth, characteristic fractures form and their orientations can be used to determine the orientations of the stresses. The team reports that the maximum horizontal stresses here are at N 45E, which suggests a complex geology at depth that might contribute to the localization of the geothermal fluids. Kessler and colleagues posit that these stresses are similar to the stresses observed in northern Nevada.

Another high point of this work is that this reports the results of James Kessler's Ph.D. work; it also included two undergraduates, Mikaela Pulsipher and Fallon Rowe, and master's student Jerome Varriale as co-authors.

###

ARTICLE

Geology and in situ Stress of the MH-2 Borehole, Idaho, U.S.A.: Insights into Western Snake River Plain Structure from Geothermal Exploration Drilling http://lithosphere.gsapubs.org/content/early/2017/04/04/L609.1.abstract

Authors: J.A. Kessler, Utah State University; K.K. Bradbury; J.P. Evans*; M.A. Pulsipher; D.R. Schmitt; J.W. Shervais; F.E. Rowe; and J. Varriale

*Contact: James Evans, james.evans@usu.edu

Figure caption: Kessler et al. Figure 5. Examples of fractures and vesicles in the MH-2 core.

Open-access abstracts for LITHOSPHERE papers are online at http://lithosphere.gsapubs.org/content/early/recent. Representatives of the media may obtain complimentary PDF copies of LITHOSPHERE articles by contacting Kea Giles at the address above. Please discuss articles of interest with the authors before publishing stories on their work, and please make reference to LITHOSPHERE in articles published. Contact Kea Giles for additional information or assistance. Non-media requests for articles may be directed to GSA Sales and Service, gsaservice@geosociety.org.

http://www.geosociety.org/
Markers of aging will help us understand how beta cells begin to fail in type 2 diabetes

BOSTON - (April 5, 2017) - Diabetes researchers have puzzled for decades about why insulin-producing beta cells in one pancreatic islet often look and behave quite differently than their counterparts in the same islet or in nearby islets. Using newly identified cellular markers of aging, Joslin Diabetes Center scientists now have shown that this diversity may be driven at least in part by differently aged beta cell populations within the pancreas.

Additionally, the Joslin team demonstrated that the aging of beta cells, with associated losses of their insulin secretion, can be accelerated by insulin resistance, a condition that can lead toward type 2 diabetes.

"This research opens up an entirely new set of questions about the development of type 2 diabetes," says Susan Bonner-Weir, a Joslin Senior Investigator and corresponding author on a paper describing the work in the journal Cell Metabolism. The disease worsens over time as beta cells die off or perform less effectively, for reasons that are not well understood.

Scientists have long known that beta cells change significantly over time, says Bonner-Weir, who is also Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Back in 2011, for example, her lab demonstrated that beta cells in newborn rats are immature cells with very different gene expression and function than adult beta cells.

Her lab's most recent work, led by HMS Instructor Cristina Aguayo-Mazzucato, started instead with very old mice, created for another experiment, whose beta cells emitted fluorescent signals. The investigators could compare the insulin-producing beta cells from these mice with those from younger, genetically identical mice to examine the characteristics of the cells across the mouse lifespan.

As they did so, Aguayo-Mazzucato and her colleagues were struck by dramatic difference in the genes expressed by beta cells in animals of various ages. The researchers followed up to identify markers of aging in these cells, using several mouse models--one with impaired glucose tolerance (a contributor to type 2 diabetes progression) and another that shows markers of rapid aging.

The scientists identified several markers of aging beta cells, including one protein called IGF1R that is an important player in cell survival. The markers highlighted the striking diversity of beta cell aging, and functional decline, both within and between islets in both mouse and human pancreases.

This diversity of age among beta cells may be responsible at least in part for the striking heterogeneity that has been observed in both mice and humans. "We showed that this heterogeneity may be based on different populations of different-aged beta cells," Bonner-Weir says. "Even in young animals, where many beta cells are still immature, you may have other beta cells that are at the end of their lifespan. Each life stage may have a different phenotype (different gene expression and function) than the other stages."

The heterogeneity may reflect typical lifespans of these cells. "There's a lot of growth in beta cells up until puberty or even young adulthood, but after that, there's a very slow turnover," she says. "A few cells reach the end of their life span and die, and a few other cells are created."

The Joslin team went on to study the effect of metabolic stress on signs of aging. In one set of experiments, when the scientists boosted insulin resistance by giving mice a compound that cuts insulin signaling, they saw increased expression of several markers of aging in beta cells.

In another effort, examining human pancreas specimens, the scientists found that two of the aging markers were significantly increased among people with type 2 diabetes. The researchers also detected surprising numbers of aged beta cells in people as young as 20.

"We will follow up using more human islets and trying to understand how many of these functions translate from animal models to humans," says Bonner-Weir, who notes that human islets are far more diverse than those in lab animals.

Her group also will probe further into their findings, including pinpointing factors that boost aging in beta cells, examining whether this aging is reversible and finding potential ways to reduce related metabolic stresses.

Additionally, the Joslin team will study why nearby pancreatic islets can display such dramatic differences in beta cell aging. One hypothesis is that beta cells in some islets may remain dormant until needed, and thus not age as quickly, Bonner-Weir says. Another, more controversial, is that new islets may grow in new pancreatic lobes appearing in adulthood.

The research also may help to suggest answers to some puzzles in type 1 diabetes, she says, including why some cells seem to be more resistant to the autoimmune attack that causes the disease and how beta cells can be found in some people who have had the condition for decades.

###

Aguayo-Mazzucato was lead author on the Cell Metabolism paper. Other Joslin co-authors included Mark van Haaren, Magdalena Mruk, Terence Lee, Caitlin Crawford, Jennifer Hollister-Lock, Brooke Sullivan, James Johnson, Aref Ebrahimi, Jonathan Dreyfuss and Gordon Weir. Jan Van Deursen of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota also contributed to the research, whose lead funding came from the National Institutes of Health.

About Joslin Diabetes Center

Joslin Diabetes Center is world-renowned for its deep expertise in diabetes treatment and research. Joslin is dedicated to finding a cure for diabetes and ensuring that people with diabetes live long, healthy lives. We develop and disseminate innovative patient therapies and scientific discoveries throughout the world. Joslin is an independent, non-profit institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School, and one of only 11 NIH-designated Diabetes Research Centers in the U.S.

For more information, visit http://www.joslin.org or follow @joslindiabetes
Michigan Medicine researchers sought to find out if they can anticipate who will be affected by psychiatric morbidity after surviving acute respiratory distress syndrome.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - After surviving acute respiratory distress syndrome, a disease in which fluid begins to leak into the lungs of critically ill patients and makes it difficult to breathe, many patients develop mental illness.

"Psychiatric morbidity is a huge problem in patients who have survived ARDS," says Joanna Spencer-Segal, M.D., Ph.D., a clinical lecturer in internal medicine at Michigan Medicine. "In caring for critically ill patients, we're very focused on mortality and working to keep patients alive and hope they can return home from the hospital, but there are illnesses that can occur at home after they leave."

Spencer-Segal is the lead author of a new study, published in Annals of the American Thoracic Society, that examined symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in long-term survivors of ARDS and any associated changes in cortisol levels in the patients.

"We know that hormones can influence the brain and contribute in a positive or negative way to psychiatric illness," Spencer-Segal says. "A previous study had found that more days of corticosteroid treatments predicted fewer post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms after ARDS."

"We began this study because we wanted to know which patients are more likely to develop psychiatric symptoms based on patient- and illness-specific factors, and whether immune modulatory treatments, such as GM-CSF and corticosteroids, affect the development of these symptoms. We had two important questions: How do we predict who will develop a psychiatric problem, and is there anything we can do to prevent it?"

Questionnaires and measurements

In a previous study, senior author Theodore Standiford, M.D., chief of the Michigan Medicine Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and colleagues enrolled 132 patients who would be given either granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor or a placebo. GM-CSF, a cytokine drug, was administered as an IV infusion.

Patients received the drug during a four-hour treatment each day for 14 days while they were in the hospital's intensive care unit. If study participants left the ICU before the 14 days, they received treatment only on the days they were there.

Six months after discharge from the hospital, researchers asked participants to complete three questionnaires during a follow-up appointment. Forty-five percent of the patients completed the surveys: a post-traumatic stress syndrome 10-question inventory, an impact of event scale and a hospital anxiety and depression scale. The researchers also measured each patient's cortisol levels using immunoassay from blood collected during their acute illness.

The previous study hypothesized that GM-CSF would improve ventilator days and mortality in ARDS patients, and in doing so would also improve psychiatric morbidity. The team found that the drug had no effect on ventilator days or mortality.

"In this study, we went back to that psychiatric data to find out whether, despite a neutral effect on ventilator days and mortality, if this cytokine might actually affect psychiatric outcomes anyways," Spencer-Segal says.

Analyzing responses

After analyzing the questionnaires, the team found that 36 percent of patients reported significant psychiatric symptoms on at least one of the measurement scales.

In addition, patients who were administered GM-CSF reported more severe post-traumatic stress and depression symptoms than patients not given the treatment. The team also performed multiple regression analyses and found that younger age, female gender, higher severity of illness, fewer days of corticosteroid treatments and treatment with GM-CSF were all independently associated with more severe psychiatric symptoms on at least one scale.

"Because a large number of critically ill patients receive steroid treatments, this became another factor to analyze in the study," Spencer-Segal says. "We found that GM-CSF tended to worsen symptoms of post-traumatic stress and depression, but that more days of treatment with steroids seemed to be protective, at least from an anxiety standpoint."

Spencer-Segal adds, "This proved to us that so many factors contribute to emotional vulnerability after a major illness. In particular, there are some treatments that might affect a patient's post-traumatic stress later on. We are trying to use results like in this study to make targeted treatments that would protect these patients in the future from psychiatric illness, even if they aren't exhibiting symptoms now."

Moving forward

Spencer-Segal and team hope to build upon their results in future studies.

"We demonstrated that treatment type could influence psychiatric outcomes in ARDS patients," Spencer-Segal says. "This research included some exploratory findings that we are excited about and looking to investigate further in the future."

###
New research indicates that surgeons' recommendations against contralateral prophylactic mastectomy did not increase the likelihood of patients either seeking a second opinion or receiving surgery from a different surgeon

ANN ARBOR, Michigan - More women with breast cancer are electing to have both breasts removed, even when cancer affects only one breast. The procedure, called contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM), is a more complex surgery that has not been shown to improve survival.

A new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center examines the complex interaction between patients' desires for the most extensive treatment and surgeons' responsibility to minimize harm.

The population-based survey, published in JAMA Surgery, found that few patients sought a second opinion or went to a different hospital when their surgeon recommended against CPM. Further, patients were overwhelmingly satisfied with their treatment, even when their surgeon dismissed CPM with little discussion.

"We hypothesized that patients whose first surgeons recommended against CPM might report less satisfaction, and might be more likely to seek second opinions and pursue surgery by a second surgeon," says the study's lead author Steven J. Katz, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine and of health management and policy at the University of Michigan. "But in this study, an initial recommendation against CPM had little impact on overall satisfaction with treatment or on decisions to pursue or act on a second opinion."

The study is the first to explore what transpires after a newly diagnosed unilateral breast cancer patient first meets with a surgeon to discuss her options. The survey asked 1,140 patients who considered CPM about the extent to which CPM was discussed during their first consult and recorded patient satisfaction with their surgery decisions, whether or not they received a second surgical opinion and whether a second surgeon operated.

Key findings

In this large, diverse sample of women newly diagnosed with unilateral breast cancer, about half considered CPM. A quarter of those patients reported that their surgeon recommended against CPM; another 30 percent reported no substantial discussion about CPM.

In general, dissatisfaction with the surgical decision was uncommon - just 7.6 percent of respondents. Dissatisfaction was very low - only 4 percent -- among patients whose surgeons discussed CPM but did not recommend against it. While still relatively low, the level of dissatisfaction was significantly higher, 15 percent, in instances when the surgeon recommended against CPM with no substantive discussion of the option.

A second opinion was sought by one in five respondents, and one in 10 patients went on to have surgery performed by a second surgeon. Women whose first surgeon recommended against CPM were not more likely to seek a second opinion or to receive surgery by a second surgeon.

This is the latest in a series of studies by the Michigan Medicine-based Cancer Surveillance and Outcomes Research Team, examining both breast cancer patient and provider perspectives on treatment decision-making in general and issues of potential overtreatment in particular. It is the first to capture information about the newly diagnosed patient's first surgical consult.

"The increased attention to and preference for CPM among patients for whom it is not a clinical imperative is a relatively recent phenomenon," says Katz. "It's one of many considerations on the minds of patients we know are understandably anxious and who may feel they need to make treatment decisions quickly after diagnosis."

Katz notes that doctors are looking for guidance on how to address patients' concerns and respect their wishes without exposing them to more extensive treatment than medically called for or losing them to another surgeon.

"About 95 percent of breast cancer patients are treated by the first surgeon they see," says Katz. "It's so important in those initial consultations that the patient and the surgeon feel free to discuss all of the options and work together to determine the best path forward."

While more research is needed to develop and test tools to help facilitate these crucial conversations, in the meantime Katz believes this research should provide some reassurance to surgeons. "It demonstrates that recommending against CPM won't necessarily result in patients second-guessing the treatment choices they make in partnership with their primary surgeon," he says, "or looking elsewhere for advice or care."

###

Additional authors: Nancy K. Janz, Ph.D., M.S.; Paul Abrahamse, M.A.; Lauren P. Wallner, Ph.D., M.P.H.; Sarah T. Hawley, Ph.D., M.P.H.; Lawrence C. An, M.D.; Kevin C. Ward, Ph.D., M.P.H., C.T.R.; Ann S. Hamilton, Ph.D., M.A.; Monica Morrow, M.D.; Reshma Jagsi, M.D., D.Phil.

Funding: National Cancer Institute grant P01 CA163223

Disclosure: None

Reference: JAMA Surg. 2017;152(7):1-7. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2017.0458, published online April 5, 2017
A team of specialists that included scientists from Siberia, the Urals, and the University of Arizona, USA, conducted radiocarbon dating of the teeth and bones of ancient porcupines found in the caves of Gorny Altai and the Urals. They established that these thermophilic animals lived in these territories up to 30,000 - 40,000 years ago and died out with the onset of the Last Glacial Maximum.

There have been no similar publications based on Russian material, -- says Yaroslav Kuzmin, one of the authors of the article, a leading researcher at TSU, the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy of the SB RAS, and associate faculty member of the University of Arizona. -- The reason is that the finds of porcupines in Siberia are extremely rare. The samples with which we worked were discovered by the famous Siberian paleontologist Nikolai Ovodov in the 1980s in the Altai (Razboynichya Cave). Later, in the 1990s and early 2000s, bones and teeth that were preserved in several caves of Altai and the Urals were added to them.

All this time, the age of ancient porcupines remained unknown, because the method of dating available to scientists required a large quantity of material for analysis.

This method was not suitable for us, -- says Yaroslav Kuzmin. -- First, in this case, material invaluable from the point of view of history will be completely lost in the course of dating. Second, the maximum size of the remains of animals found was only a few centimeters, so we simply did not have enough materials for analysis. Unique finds were preserved only because they were lying in caves of limestone, often at a temperature of about zero degrees, that is, they were not exposed to such destructive factors as heat, wind, and rain.

Therefore, we were only now able to reconstruct the past and establish the age of ancient mammals. This happened thanks to the close scientific collaboration of scientists from Russia and the US. The University of Arizona conducted a direct radiocarbon dating of porcupine bones and teeth with an accelerator mass spectrometer. This method requires a minimum amount of material (less than the fingernail of the little finger) but is an accurate way to determine the geological age.

The results of the study showed that the fossils of porcupines living in the area of the modern Urals are more than 40,000 years old. Their Siberian relatives were significantly younger, from about 30,000 - 40,000 years ago. In the area that is now Russia, porcupines lived during an interstadial period, between two glacial maxima. According to the authors of the article, about 27,000 years ago the cooling began, which changed the situation in the Altai Mountains: forests decreased, the temperature and precipitation decreased, and the area occupied by grasses and bushes and the like increased. The conditions became unsuitable for the habitation of thermophilic mammals, and as a result at this time the porcupines permanently disappeared from the region.

More information about the results of the research can be found in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews.

###
Bannon was given a seat the NSC shortly after Trump ascended into the White House, a rare responsibility for senior White House advisers.

By Reuters: White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon was removed from his controversial seat in the National Security Council (NSC), media reports said.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday made the adjustment in a National Security Presidential Memorandum that outlined the members and their respective duties in the NSC, which did not include Bannon's role.

National Security Adviser HR McMaster was left in charge of setting meeting agendas and overseeing Homeland Security Advisor Tom Bossert, Xinhua news ahency reported.

advertisement

Bannon was given a seat the NSC shortly after Trump ascended into the White House, a rare responsibility for senior White House advisers.

In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, Bannon said: "Susan Rice operationalised the NSC during the last administration. I was put on to ensure that it was de-operationalised," Bannon was quoted as saying.

"General McMaster has returned the NSC to its proper function," Bannon added.

Multiple US media reports cited White House officials as saying that Bannon's leave was not a demotion nor a result of power struggle, but that his role was no longer needed.

Under the new arrangement, Bannon can still participate in NSC meetings, but not necessarily all NSC meetings.

Flynn was ousted in February due to a scandal that involved inappropriate connection between Flynn and Russia, McMaster was appointed to succeed Flynn.

ALSO READ | "Media is the opposition party. They don't understand why Trump is the president of the US," says Stephen K Bannon

--- ENDS ---
One of the main health concerns of living and working in space is the long-term exposure to high levels of radiation. NASA scientists have developed a new device to monitor radiation exposure to neutrons and are testing it on the International Space Station.

Launched on the fifth Orbital ATK resupply mission to the station, the Fast Neutron Spectrometer is designed to detect and measure the energy of neutrons, which are known to be specifically harmful to humans. Understanding neutron radiation will help keep crews safe when NASA sends humans to Mars.

"There are multiple types of radiation in space," said Mark Christl, team lead for the study at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. "While there are already advanced instruments to detect gamma rays produced by supernovas or black holes, X-rays and other charged particles, we needed a way to detect and measure neutron radiation to quantify the impact on human biology. Neutron detection techniques have not seen the same leap in technology advancement."

Neutron radiation is created when the high-energy particles from our sun and outside our solar system interact with other particles or matter, such as a spacecraft or a planetary surface. But these neutrons are only viable for approximately 13 minutes before they decay into charged particles.

"If they're more than 13 minutes away from you, it's not really a problem," Christl said. "If you're in a capsule or on a planet's surface with little or no magnetic field or atmosphere, you can potentially be covered in a neutron field."

The Fast Neutron Spectrometer is mainly a passive tool, waiting for neutrons to strike it. It is comprised of an aluminum housing with a plastic scintillator that slows down the neutron when it hits the device, and glass scintillator fibers that absorb the neutrons and re-emit the energy in the form of light. This advanced version provides two distinct signals for measurement - the first to measure its energy and the second to confirm a neutron was detected rather than another kind of particle. The standard, all-plastic devices can't clearly determine the differences between these signals.

"Detectors for other radiation types are already used in many industries," said Christl. "They're used in particle accelerators for scientific research, the oil industry or medical field to measure radiation exposure. Scientists have been working on remarkable advancements in these detectors, but neutron radiation detectors have not received that kind of attention. At NASA, we saw this as an opportunity to address a problem our astronauts will have as they go on longer journeys in our solar system."

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough installed the device on the space station on Dec. 2, 2016. Since then, it has been moved to different locations around the interior of the station and it currently resides in the Node 1 module. The Fast Neutron Spectrometer will monitor for neutrons for six months, sending data for any neutron strikes to a laptop computer on the station. That data will be downloaded daily for processing and analysis by the team at Marshall.

The device was tested and calibrated at particle accelerators and by using other radioactive sources on Earth. If the technique is verified, Christl hopes it can be used on future missions to determine when - and how much - the neutrons are contributing to the radiation absorbed by a crew of space travelers. Even though the space station's radiation environment is not considered "deep space," the spectrometer is a new capability ready for validation in a space environment.

The project is a collaborative effort within the agency. A team at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, is looking into the actions crew members may take if they receive warning of an oncoming wave of radiation from a solar eruption, running simulations and coming up with ways to rearrange the contents of a spacecraft to increase the shielding. Another team at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston is advancing the detection of charged particles.

"There is a serious need to monitor the radiation dose the crew receives," Christl said. "We use different techniques for charged particles and neutrons and we'll need to know the dose from both to know how much radiation the astronauts are receiving. These radiation detectors may force missions to change in mid-stream, but it will help keep our astronauts safe."

###
5 April 2017 - The fourth Africa Plant Biosecurity Network workshop, held in Lusaka, Zambia from 27 February to 3 March, concluded with firm commitments from members, partners and regional agencies to ensure the Network has an enduring future.

"Plant biosecurity is key to improving food security and regional trade throughout Africa," said Thierry Mutombo Kalonji, Director of Industry and Agriculture with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) trade group.

"COMESA is committed to supporting the Network into the future and ensuring it continues to grow. By building strong relationships between countries and boosting agricultural trade, the Network clearly aligns with COMESA's priorities and obligations and can make substantial contributions," he said.

The network includes 35 African biosecurity champions from Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe and is an initiative of the Australia-Africa Plant Biosecurity Partnership (AAPBP). The African biosecurity Fellows worked and trained with Australian professionals and researchers, and are passing on their skills and knowledge to colleagues in their organisations.

Senior Fellow Antonia Vaz Tombolane works in the Plant Protection Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mozambique.

"Through the AAPBP I learned techniques for identifying diseases threatening Mozambique such as Panama Tropical Race 4 (TR4) disease of bananas. We are applying these techniques to improve biosecurity measures for farmers and have equipped a laboratory and trained staff in TR4 diagnosis and to identify other plant diseases."

The Network's aim is to improve national and regional quarantine and plant protection capacity, thereby lifting crop yields, enabling safe regional trade, expanding international market access opportunities and securing greater food security for the region. Topics covered by the fourth workshop included design of plant pest surveillance, seed-borne diseases and the emergency response to the fall army worm, currently devastating crops in southern Africa.

The partnership approach to training has been very effective, enhancing individual capacity but also identifying common problems and approaches to biosecurity. The involvement of members from the private sector gives the Network a commercial perspective on trade and plant production systems. The private sector see value in and are keen to work with the Network to build partnerships with regional National Plant Protection Organisations (NPPOs).

While the initial two year program has ended the Network has a bright future, with Fellows recognising that the Network must be African-led with strong private sector involvement to be sustainable.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was also represented at the week's workshop and believes the program is extremely important. FAO are already incorporating AAPBP Fellows into their programs and are keen to take the network further and utilise the significant plant biosecurity capacity that has been built.

The Australian Government, through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), funded the initial AAPBP project and will continue support in the short term.

"ACIAR is pleased to be able to fund a Network Coordinator position for one year, to be hosted by COMESA," said Mellissa Wood, General Manager, Global Program, ACIAR.

AAPBP partner, the Crawford Fund, will also support the partnership through the appointment of a mentor to work alongside the Coordinator and provide ongoing mentoring services as needed.

CABI, which has offices in Lusaka and Nairobi, was instrumental in delivering the African Network meetings.

"The program is already boosting food security, through improvements in production, and we are starting to see progress towards opening of new markets for member countries," said Dr Dennis Rangi, CABI's Director General of Development.

"These early successes suggest that expanding the Network to include other countries in the region could make a real difference to African lives," he said.

The lead agency for delivering the initial program, the Plant Biosecurity CRC, is delighted with the success of the program.

"By putting Australian researchers and biosecurity professionals in contact with their African counterparts, we have seen the Fellows develop new skills and confidence but also form many lifetime friendships," said PBCRC Research Director Dr Jo Luck.

"We are very pleased that this good work will continue, with growing benefits for food security, regional trade in Africa and for other nations, including Australia."

The Australia-Africa Plant Biosecurity Partnership has been led by Australia's Plant Biosecurity CRC and funded by ACIAR and CABI. The program is being delivered by a consortium of the Plant Biosecurity CRC, ACIAR, CABI and the Crawford Fund.

###

More information is available at http://www.pbcrc.com.au/research/east-africa/news
Vasalgel's prevention of sperm transport in the vas deferens for 14 months was reversed through an injection of sodium bicarbonate. Sperm concentration and motility returned to baseline

Results of a study of a promising new male contraceptive called VasalgelTM were published today in Basic and Clinical Andrology. The polymer gel is injected into the vas deferens and blocks the passage of sperm. The study followed the progress of seven rabbits successfully contracepted for an average of 14 months before the gel was flushed out. Sperm flow returned in all animals after reversal, confirming unobstructed sperm transit (patency of the vas deferens) and warranting continued development of this product.

Few current male contraceptive options

When considering reproductive control, couples often rely on female contraceptive methods, including daily pills and long-acting products such as IUDs and implants. However, many women cannot tolerate the side effects of hormonally-based contraceptives and grow frustrated with the downsides of other methods.

Men who wish to control their own reproduction or lift the burden of contraception from their partners have even fewer options. No new male contraceptives have emerged in more than a century, and men must rely on the old standbys: condoms, which are important for reducing the incidence of sexually transmitted infections in new relationships but result in high pregnancy rates in typical (imperfect) use; withdrawal, which has an even higher pregnancy rate in typical use; and vasectomy, which is very effective but should be considered permanent due to the unpredictability of successful reversal. The need for a long-acting, reversible male contraceptive -- without the side effects of hormones -- has been demonstrated in international surveys and could be met by Vasalgel.

How Vasalgel works

Vasalgel functions like a reversible vasectomy, blocking or filtering out sperm. The device is implanted into the vasa deferentia (singular: vas deferens) -- the small tubes that transport sperm from the testes. It is composed of high molecular weight polymer powder dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), a biocompatible solvent. The resulting Vasalgel implant remains in a soft gel-like state that allows water-soluble molecules to pass but not larger structures such as spermatozoa. This quality is thought to be a benefit for preventing back-pressure on sperm storage areas. The contraceptive effect lasts for years, and, importantly, is developed to be reversible by a second injection to dissolve the Vasalgel.

Demonstration of efficacy and reversibility in rabbits

In a previous publication in 2016, the research team reported Vasalgel provided effective contraception in rabbits. Vasalgel produced a rapid onset of azoospermia, with no live sperm in semen samples collected as early as 29-36 days post-implantation, and the effect was durable over a 12-month period. The device was safe and was well-tolerated by the rabbits with minimal effects on the structure of the vasa deferentia.

The follow-up study published today reported the results of reversing the contraceptive effect of Vasalgel in the same rabbits. Seven rabbits, successfully contracepted for 14 months following Vasalgel implant, underwent a reversal procedure. A sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) solution was injected into the vasa deferentia of each rabbit to dissolve the implants and clear the blockage. Baking soda is known for its ability to safely neutralize acids. In this case, the bicarbonate solution neutralizes and breaks down the hydrogel structure of the polymer gel. Sperm flow returned quickly, as evidenced by spermatozoa present in the semen of all animals.

Further evaluation of the sperm characteristics after reversal indicated sperm concentrations and sperm motility were similar to baseline levels, an important first step to a return of fertility. The sperm forward progression measurements were significantly lower than the baseline measurements but increased consistently during six months of follow-up semen collection.

Microscopic evaluation of the vasa deferentia indicated that most had an intact epithelial lining (inner lining tissue) and were clear of the gel. A smaller proportion of tissues contained residual gel, and an occasional secondary intraluminal inflammatory response (minor inflammation inside the vas deferens) was observed. Rabbits have unusually large and thus vulnerable acrosomes (caps) on the heads of their sperm, which were not observed following reversal. Residual material may have impacted the sperm forward progression and caused loss of acrosomes during transit through the vas.

"The results of the Vasalgel reversibility study in rabbits indicate the implant could be removed resulting in a quick return of sperm flow," said lead author Donald Waller, Ph.D. "We were pleased that the number of sperm and their motility after reversal were no different from baseline measures. More flushing during reversal may be needed to remove traces of the gel from the vas deferens, which appeared to impact other sperm characteristics."

The results of the study provide momentum for continued development of Vasalgel as a male contraceptive.

###

The DOI for this article is: 10.1186/s12610-017-0051-1. After Wednesday April 5 at 1 a.m. BST / Tuesday April 4 at 8 p.m. EDT the full-text version of the study will be available online at: https://bacandrology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12610-017-0051-1

Next steps

Vasalgel is being developed as a non-hormonal, long-acting, reversible male contraceptive by Revolution Contraceptives, LLC, a social venture subsidiary of Parsemus Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Vasalgel has demonstrated efficacy in monkeys and rabbits in previously published studies. This study is the first to demonstrate reversibility. Reversal in larger animals has not been confirmed and is an active research focus.

"This study gave us the confidence to continue development of Vasalgel," said Elaine Lissner, founder and trustee of Parsemus Foundation. "We flushed out most of the gel and restored full sperm flow. Now the thousands of followers of Vasalgel's progress are counting on us to refine and repeat this reversal success in larger animals."

With contraceptive efficacy well-established in multiple species, preparations are being made for the first contraceptive efficacy clinical trials in humans. Parsemus Foundation aims for Vasalgel to be available worldwide, with a tiered international pricing structure to ensure affordability to all men.

To fund the development of Vasalgel, Parsemus Foundation is seeking socially-minded investors and foundation partners who are committed to affordable access. Social venture funding will be critical to meeting the goal of starting clinical trials in 2018. For more information on funding and partnership opportunities, please contact info@parsemusfoundation.org.

About Parsemus Foundation: Parsemus Foundation works to advance innovative and neglected medical research. Many of the studies the foundation supports involve low-cost approaches that are unlikely to be pursued by pharmaceutical companies due to limited profit potential. Successful studies to date have included breast cancer treatment advances, low-cost readily available nonsurgical dog and cat sterilization, and non-invasive treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia using a currently marketed device. Parsemus Foundation's current main focus is bringing Vasalgel to market. More information on Parsemus Foundation and the work presented here can be found at: https://www.parsemusfoundation.org/projects/vasalgel/

Images, key facts, and statistics: see https://www.parsemusfoundation.org/media-resources/
A new study by Queen's University researcher Susan Brogly (Surgery) has revealed that 25 per cent of women suffering from a prenatal opioid dependence were not being treated for their addiction. Using data from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), the study also shows rising numbers of affected mother-infant pairs and associated health care costs.

"The information on health care costs are new for Canada, which goes along with the 16 fold increase in the number of mother-infant pairs affected by opioid dependence over the past decade," says Dr. Brogly. "That is a striking finding but not new data. A larger concern is the 25 per cent of affected women that did not have an opioid agonist prescription recorded in the Ontario Drug Benefit program database."

Opioid agonist treatment with methadone or buprenorphine is used to prevent maternal illicit opioid use and withdrawal and to improve prenatal care and pregnancy outcomes. Methadone is predominately used in pregnant women in Ontario, largely because the form of buprenorphine used in pregnancy is not available in Canada and has to be imported from the United States under a special Health Canada program. The long delay in getting buprenorphine can result in ongoing drug use, relapse or other complications in the pregnancy.

Many practitioners use methadone (which requires a special license in Ontario) and which may cause more severe withdrawal in the neonate. Buprenorphine, in the form used in pregnancy, can be prescribed by family physicians, obstetricians and other physicians without a special license.

"This is an important finding because it could indicate barriers and stigma towards specific groups of women accessing care in our socialized healthcare system," says Dr. Brogly. "More effective programming to prevent opioid dependence and prescription drug misuse is clearly needed and buprenorphine needs to be more readily available for pregnant women." In the study, Dr. Brogly revealed the number of infants born to opioid-dependent women in Ontario rose from 46 in 2002 to almost 800 in 2014. In addition rates of preterm birth, birth defects, still birth and infant mortality were higher than those reported for the Ontario newborn population. All of these complications translate into significant increased costs to the system.

"The next steps are to confirm whether there are barriers to care, to try to tease out which exposures and what period of exposure in gestation causes poor birth outcomes in this population, to identify longer term outcomes of the mothers and infants, and to prevent substance in young women," says Dr. Brogly. "These data can be used to argue for more treatment options, including buprenorphine, and drug treatment programs tailored to women and their children. Support should also be given to the mothers and their children beyond the immediate post-partum period to facilitate the growth of healthy families and children."

###

The research was conducted in conjunction with Queen's professors Greg Davies (Obstetrics and Gynaecology)), Adam Newman (Family Medicine), Ana Johnson (Public Health Sciences), Kimberly Dow (Pediatrics) and University of Toronto professor Suzanne Turner (Family Medicine).

It was recently published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada.
Women of child-bearing age are at particular risk

Lead released when people fire weapons at shooting ranges creates such a health risk that lead bullets should be phased out, according to new research.

Every time someone fires their weapon, lead fragments and fumes are discharged at high pressure. Shooters then breathe in the metal, while other particles stick to their hands and are swallowed through smoking and eating.

Women of child-bearing age are at particular risk, as the lead is stored in their bones where it substitutes for calcium. When a woman becomes pregnant, the foetus takes in lead along with the calcium it needs from its mother's bones, which can cause serious neurodevelopmental damage. Female shooters can also pass on lead exposure through breast milk.

Dr Mark Laidlaw, a researcher in the Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Remediation (EnSuRe) at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, said the dangers of long-term exposure to lead were well known, but the risks for people using shooting ranges had not previously been fully explored.

"While there is no safe level of lead exposure, US health bodies regard 5 micrograms per decilitre of blood as the level that's cause for concern.

"What this research found is that people using shooting ranges can record blood-lead levels as high as 40 micrograms, with women and children at particular risk.

"The kind of blood-lead levels found among shooters can lead to essential tremor, hypertension, cardiovascular-related mortality, electrocardiography abnormalities, decreased kidney function, psychiatric effects, decreased hearing, decreased cognitive function, decreased fertility, incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, adverse sperm parameters, increased spontaneous abortion, and reduced foetal growth in children."

In the US, about one million law enforcement officers train at indoor firing ranges, 20 million citizens practice target shooting, and 16,000-18,000 indoor firing ranges exist.

The United States Geological Survey calculated that in 2012 about 60,100 metric tonnes of lead were used in ammunition and bullets in the US.

Co-researcher Professor Gabriel Filippelli from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis said: "I am particularly concerned about children, who can be exposed by using the firing ranges themselves or through the fine lead-laden dust that mom or dad come home with adhering to their clothes and skin."

Laidlaw said lead-free bullets and primers (involved in combusting the cartridge) already existed.

"In the short term, we need better ventilation systems in indoor ranges and the development of airflow systems at outdoor ranges, protective clothing that is changed after shooting and a ban on smoking and eating at firing ranges.

"But the real solution is a transition to copper bullets and lead-free primers.

"That may seem like a big ask, but Australia phased out lead in petrol between 2000 and 2002 even though it was a challenge to the automotive and fuel industries."

###

The research also involved academics at Tulane University in New Orleans and Macquarie University in Sydney. The results have been published in the journal Environmental Health.

For interviews: Dr Mark Laidlaw, +61 3 9925 2679 or +61 427 555 191 or mark.laidlaw@rmit.edu.au.

For general media enquiries: David Glanz, +61 3 9925 2807 or +61 438 547 723 or david.glanz@rmit.edu.au.
Next time you bite into a chocolate bar, think of Africa. The continent produces nearly 70 percent of the world's cocoa, a growing output that requires carving more than 325,000 acres of new farmland from forests every year - a drop in the bucket of overall agricultural expansion there.

That expansion is the subject of a new Stanford study that provides the first comprehensive assessment of how international demand for commodity crops, such as cocoa, is affecting sub-Saharan Africa's tropical forests, second in size only to the Amazon. The findings, published in Environmental Research Letters, suggest reason for hope if policymakers tailor decisions regarding deforestation around the region's unique dynamics and uncertainties.

"We are starting to better understand issues related to large-scale agricultural expansion in the tropics," said lead author Elsa Ordway, a graduate student in Stanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences. "In Africa, we have the opportunity to take lessons learned from other regions and recommend preventive policies."

In particular, the study recommends policies that would alleviate poverty in local regions and incentivize forest conservation rather than the widespread deforestation that has accompanied agricultural expansion in other regions.

Into Africa

As international markets have swelled and integrated, production of in-demand crops such as soy and oil palm has moved away from areas where land is scarce and where natural resource regulations are robust. Production has instead moved to tropical regions such as Southeast Asia and South America. Brazil and Indonesia alone accounted for more than 60 percent of global tropical deforestation from 2000 to 2005, largely due to agricultural expansion.

Sub-Saharan Africa, with its abundant cheap land and labor, would seem an obvious next step for multinational companies looking to expand farther. Since 2015, agricultural production in the region has grown at the fastest rate globally, and cropland is predicted to expand more than 10 percent by 2025.

Although deforestation rates in Africa remain well below those in South America and Southeast Asia, the region has lost an area of intact forest about the size of Iceland since 2000.

These African forests, contained primarily in the Congo Basin, represent almost 30 percent of the world's total and are an important source of local income. In addition to regulating climate, safeguarding water quality and controlling disease, the forests feed and provide subsistence means to at least 100 million people living nearby. Forest products such as logs generate an average of 6 percent of sub-Saharan Africa's gross domestic product - triple the world average.

Avoiding deforestation

Expansion of commodity crop production in sub-Saharan Africa has so far been driven primarily by small- and medium-scale local farmers who boost the regional economy and can expand with less disruption to forests. But big change is knocking at the door. In recent years, multinational companies have bought up a land area larger than Costa Rica in the heavily forested Congo Basin, mostly for crops such as oil palm and soy.

As the multinationals move in, they are more likely to acquire land by clearing intact forest due to property conflicts resulting from the region's land tenure complexities. However, the study's authors suggest Africa could be spared the massive deforestation that large-scale monoculture has wrought on regions such as Southeast Asia by implementing policies that prioritize forest conservation and local control of the land.

"Civil society, policymakers and private companies can benefit from many years of trial-and-error with anti-deforestation policies in South America and Southeast Asia to design more effective interventions in sub-Saharan Africa," said co-author Eric Lambin, the George and Setsuko Ishiyama Provostial Professor in the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences.

Among the possible solutions: promoting investment that ensures small and medium-scale farmers continue to drive agricultural expansion in order to alleviate poverty and avoid land tenure conflicts, encouraging shade cultivation of crops such as cocoa to incentivize forest cover conservation, and finding ways to engage African consumers - currently the primary market for most locally produced commodity crops - on deforestation issues.

"Future forest losses could be better mitigated via policies that address the shifting influence of domestic and international markets," said co-author Greg Asner, a professor in Stanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences.

In the meantime, the study's findings could inform the zero-deforestation commitments made by dozens of international companies and help countries adhere to their commitments under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

###

Lambin is a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. Asner is a staff scientist in the Carnegie Institution for Science's Department of Global Ecology.

Funding for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, Stanford Global Development & Poverty Initiative, Morrison Institute for Population and Resource Studies, Stanford Center for African Studies Graduate Fellowship Program and a McGee-Levorsen Research Grant.
The 2006 Massachusetts health reform, a model for the Affordable Care Act, was associated with significant increases in surgical intervention for thyroid cancer, specifically among nonwhite populations, according to a study published by JAMA Surgery.

The incidence of thyroid cancer has been increasing by 5 percent each year over the last decade. While the rise is likely multifactorial, including the possibility of overdiagnosis, there has been little consideration of the effect of insurance statuses on the treatment of thyroid cancer. Benjamin C. James, M.D., M.S., of the Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, and colleagues evaluated the association of insurance expansion with thyroid cancer treatment using the 2006 Massachusetts health reform. The researchers used the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality State Inpatient Databases to identify patients with government-subsidized or self-pay insurance or private insurance who were admitted to a hospital with thyroid cancer and underwent a thyroidectomy (removal of all or part of the thyroid gland) between 2001 and 2011 in Massachusetts (n = 8,534) and three control states (n = 48,047).

Before the 2006 Massachusetts insurance expansion, patients with government-subsidized or self-pay insurance had lower thyroidectomy rates for thyroid cancer in Massachusetts and the control states compared with patients with private insurance. The researchers found that the Massachusetts insurance expansion was associated with a 26 percent increased rate of thyroidectomy and a 22 percent increased rate of neck dissections for thyroid cancer. The increased rate occurred disproportionately among nonwhite patients, with a 68 percent increased rate of undergoing a thyroidectomy and 45 percent increased rate of undergoing neck dissections among nonwhite patients compared with control states.

"Our findings provide encouraging evidence that insurance coverage may help mitigate racial or socioeconomic disparities while also raising questions concerning the relative appropriateness of the observed management of thyroid cancer, which deserves additional investigation," the authors write

"Our study suggests that insurance expansion may be associated with increased access to the surgical management of thyroid cancer. Further studies need to be conducted to evaluate the effect of healthcare expansion at a national level."

###

(JAMA Surgery. Published online April 5, 2017.doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2017.0461. This study is available pre-embargo at the For The Media website.)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE (April 4, 2017) - Tufts University announced today that four faculty members won 2017 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The NSF awards are the most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. Activities pursued by early-career faculty build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research.

The Tufts faculty who received NSF CAREER awards are in the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering.

Timothy Atherton , associate professor of physics and astronomy in the School of Arts and Sciences, received a five-year $484,584 award to investigate how jamming -- a transition to rigidity that occurs in soft materials -- is altered when it occurs in a system that is changing shape, such as on a fluid droplet or an elastic body. The project aims to expand knowledge of this phenomenon, which is relevant to applications that exploit shape, including soft robotics, drug delivery systems, actuators, and artificial muscles. In addition to the scientific component, the project closely integrates an education and outreach plan that is built around the theme of computation, including summer programs for underrepresented Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) students and a jamming video game for high school students and the general public.

, associate professor of physics and astronomy in the School of Arts and Sciences, received a five-year $484,584 award to investigate how jamming -- a transition to rigidity that occurs in soft materials -- is altered when it occurs in a system that is changing shape, such as on a fluid droplet or an elastic body. The project aims to expand knowledge of this phenomenon, which is relevant to applications that exploit shape, including soft robotics, drug delivery systems, actuators, and artificial muscles. In addition to the scientific component, the project closely integrates an education and outreach plan that is built around the theme of computation, including summer programs for underrepresented Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) students and a jamming video game for high school students and the general public. Xiaocheng Jiang , assistant professor of biomedical engineering in the School of Engineering, received a five-year $500,000 award to explore and investigate bio-derived conductive protein nanowires as a new category of nanoelectronic probes for minimally invasive cellular interfacing and signal transduction. The project seeks to establish a nanoscale biomaterials platform that is mechanically compliant, electrically active, and biologically relevant, closing the gap between living systems and artificial electronics. This work could enable new possibilities for biomedical applications in prostheses, cardiac repair and regeneration, and brain-machine interfaces. As part of this research, Jiang seeks to improve STEM learning and broaden STEM participation.

, assistant professor of biomedical engineering in the School of Engineering, received a five-year $500,000 award to explore and investigate bio-derived conductive protein nanowires as a new category of nanoelectronic probes for minimally invasive cellular interfacing and signal transduction. The project seeks to establish a nanoscale biomaterials platform that is mechanically compliant, electrically active, and biologically relevant, closing the gap between living systems and artificial electronics. This work could enable new possibilities for biomedical applications in prostheses, cardiac repair and regeneration, and brain-machine interfaces. As part of this research, Jiang seeks to improve STEM learning and broaden STEM participation. Robert C. Viesca , assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering in the School of Engineering, received a five-year $475,000 award for his proposal to compare theoretical models for slow, stable fault slip to observations from recent field borehole experiments monitoring fluid injection and aseismic fault displacement. The work will advance understanding in areas under consideration for fault operation during the seismic cycle and earthquake hazard assessment, including injection-induced fault slip. In addition, he will work with undergraduate students participating in Tufts' STEM Ambassadors program to develop a series of experimental demonstrations to encourage STEM interest in middle and high school students.

, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering in the School of Engineering, received a five-year $475,000 award for his proposal to compare theoretical models for slow, stable fault slip to observations from recent field borehole experiments monitoring fluid injection and aseismic fault displacement. The work will advance understanding in areas under consideration for fault operation during the seismic cycle and earthquake hazard assessment, including injection-induced fault slip. In addition, he will work with undergraduate students participating in Tufts' STEM Ambassadors program to develop a series of experimental demonstrations to encourage STEM interest in middle and high school students. Iryna Zenyuk, assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the School of Engineering, received a five-year $500,587 award to study sustainable energy technology through the mechanisms of ion transport in ionomer-free electrodes. Her project aims to determine specific factors which limit the performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells using thin-film electrodes, allowing work to progress on overcoming these hurdles. The gained knowledge could have a transformative effect on the field of electrochemical energy conversion and storage. Zenyuk plans to integrate research findings into teaching and develop a broad range of educational and outreach activities to foster K-12 students' excitement about renewable energy and STEM careers.

###

Tufts University, located on three Massachusetts campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville, and Grafton, and in Talloires, France, is recognized among the premier research universities in the United States. Tufts enjoys a global reputation for academic excellence and for the preparation of students as leaders in a wide range of professions. A growing number of innovative teaching and research initiatives span all campuses, and collaboration among the faculty and students in the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across the university is widely encouraged
World Parkinson's Disease Day [11 April] is held every year on Parkinson's birthday to raise awareness of the disease and the research being done to alleviate it. To mark 200 years since James Parkinson first identified the condition named after him, a new biography of this forgotten man will be published.

In 1817 James Parkinson (1755-1824) wrote his pioneering Essay on the Shaking Palsy, which first defined the condition we now call Parkinson's disease. The symptoms identified by Parkinson two centuries ago are still used to diagnose the disease today. Although unable to identify a cause for the condition, Parkinson's remarkably accurate description of the symptoms, and the disease in all its different stages, eventually led to it being named in his honour.

The Enlightened Mr Parkinson by Dr Cherry Lewis, Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, tells the story of Parkinson's life as an apothecary surgeon (similar to today's GP) in Hoxton, then a village on the outskirts of London. It was a time when epidemics festered in the dirty and overcrowded tenements, infant mortality was fifty percent, and no anaesthetics were available for those unfortunate enough to require surgery. Smallpox killed ten per cent of the population, so when Edward Jenner discovered a vaccine, Parkinson worked with him to establish vaccination stations across London.

Cherry Lewis said: "Parkinson was not only a pioneer in medicine but also internationally famous for his works on fossils. He revealed an unknown world, populated with 'hyenas the size of bears' and 'enormous marine animals', all of which both enthralled and terrified his readers. His exquisitely illustrated Organic Remains of a Former World placed the study of fossils on the scientific map of Britain before the subject even had a name.

"When awarded The Royal College of Surgeons' first Gold Medal, it was not for his medical publications that Parkinson was honoured, nor even his Essay on the Shaking Palsy, but for his ground-breaking work on fossils."

Parkinson became a political activist after the French Revolution, which many in Britain supported. He wrote numerous outspoken publications which harangued a corrupt and incompetent Government using the pseudonym 'Old Hubert', for many were imprisoned and even transported to Australia for such seditious activities. When caught up in an alleged plot to kill 'mad' King George III, Parkinson put his own life on the line trying to save his friends.

It was almost 50 years after Parkinson's death before the significance of his Essay was fully appreciated and the shaking palsy renamed 'Parkinson's disease' in his memory.

###
A review of sleep research finds that restorative, sedative-free slumber can ward off mental and physical ailments

As we grow old, our nights are frequently plagued by bouts of wakefulness, bathroom trips and other nuisances as we lose our ability to generate the deep, restorative slumber we enjoyed in youth.

But does that mean older people just need less sleep?

Not according to UC Berkeley researchers, who argue in an article published April 5 in the journal Neuron that the unmet sleep needs of the elderly elevate their risk of memory loss and a wide range of mental and physical disorders.

"Nearly every disease killing us in later life has a causal link to lack of sleep," said the article's senior author, Matthew Walker, a UC Berkeley professor of psychology and neuroscience. "We've done a good job of extending life span, but a poor job of extending our health span. We now see sleep, and improving sleep, as a new pathway for helping remedy that."

Unlike more cosmetic markers of aging, such as wrinkles and gray hair, sleep deterioration has been linked to such conditions as Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, obesity, diabetes and stroke, he said.

Though older people are less likely than younger cohorts to notice and/or report mental fogginess and other symptoms of sleep deprivation, numerous brain studies reveal how poor sleep leaves them cognitively worse off.

Moreover, the shift from deep, consolidated sleep in youth to fitful, dissatisfying sleep can start as early as one's 30s, paving the way for sleep-related cognitive and physical ailments in middle age.

And, while the pharmaceutical industry is raking in billions by catering to insomniacs, Walker warns that the pills designed to help us doze off are a poor substitute for the natural sleep cycles that the brain needs in order to function well.

"Don't be fooled into thinking sedation is real sleep. It's not," he said.

For their review of sleep research, Walker and fellow researchers Bryce Mander and Joseph Winer cite studies, including some of their own, that show the aging brain has trouble generating the kind of slow brain waves that promote deep curative sleep, as well as the neurochemicals that help us switch stably from sleep to wakefulness.

"The parts of the brain deteriorating earliest are the same regions that give us deep sleep," said article lead author Mander, a postdoctoral researcher in Walker's Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory at UC Berkeley.

Aging typically brings on a decline in deep non-rapid eye movement (NREM) or "slow wave sleep," and the characteristic brain waves associated with it, including both slow waves and faster bursts of brain waves known as "sleep spindles."

Youthful, healthy slow waves and spindles help transfer memories and information from the hippocampus, which provides the brain's short-term storage, to the prefrontal cortex, which consolidates the information, acting as the brain's long-term storage.

"Sadly, both these types of sleep brain waves diminish markedly as we grow old, and we are now discovering that this sleep decline is related to memory decline in later life," said Winer, a doctoral student in Walker's lab.

Another deficiency in later life is the inability to regulate neurochemicals that stabilize our sleep and help us transition from sleep to waking states. These neurochemicals include galanin, which promotes sleep, and orexin, which promotes wakefulness. A disruption to the sleep-wake rhythm commonly leaves older adults fatigued during the day but frustratingly restless at night, Mander said.

Of course, not everyone is vulnerable to sleep changes in later life: "Just as some people age more successfully than others, some people sleep better than others as they get older, and that's another line of research we'll be exploring," Mander said.

Meanwhile, non-pharmaceutical interventions are being explored to boost the quality of sleep, such as electrical stimulation to amplify brain waves during sleep and acoustic tones that act like a metronome to slow brain rhythms.

However, promoting alternatives to prescription and over-the-counter sleep aids is sure to be challenging.

"The American College of Physicians has acknowledged that sleeping pills should not be the first-line kneejerk response to sleep problems," Walker said. "Sleeping pills sedate the brain, rather than help it sleep naturally. We must find better treatments for restoring healthy sleep in older adults, and that is now one of our dedicated research missions."

Also important to consider in changing the culture of sleep is the question of quantity versus quality.

"Previously, the conversation has focused on how many hours you need to sleep," Mander said. "However, you can sleep for a sufficient number of hours, but not obtain the right quality of sleep. We also need to appreciate the importance of sleep quality.

"Indeed, we need both quantity and quality," Walker said.

###
Sunil Grover has shared his life philosophy on Twitter. And that has answered almost all the questions in our head regarding the ongoing controversy.

By India Today Web Desk: After getting a brilliant response from one and all for his enchanting performance in Indian Idol grand finale, Sunil Grover has made an important point on Twitter regarding his ongoing controversy with Kapil.

While rumours are rife that Sunil might have to return to Kapil's show as he's contract-bound, his recent tweet suggests otherwise. "My intentions are to act and to entertain with dignity. For me, money can't be the only reason to do something, or not to do something," he wrote. Also read: Despite shooting with Kapil Sharma, is Kiku Sharda silently supporting Sunil Grover?

advertisement

Also, there were reports that Kapil had been telling everyone on the sets of Firangi that Sunil Grover and others would return to the show "because they needed the money." This tweet might be a reply to Kapil's statement.

Also read: Karan Patel has this to say about Kapil Sharma and Sunil Grover's fight

So guys, Dr. Mashoor Gulati is not coming back on Kapil's show, and it's really sad.

--- ENDS ---
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (http://www.ucr.edu) -- Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have found an innovative new use for a simple piece of glass tubing: weighing things. Their glass tube sensor will help speed up chemical toxicity tests, shed light on plant growth, and develop new biomaterials, among many other applications.

The research, led by William Grover, assistant professor of bioengineering in UC Riverside's Bourns College of Engineering, and Shirin Mesbah Oskui, a doctoral student in Grover's lab who recently graduated, was published today in the journal PLOS ONE. The paper describes the development of a simple, inexpensive sensor to measure the mass, volume, and density of microgram-sized biological samples in fluid. The research has important applications in toxicity research as well as many other areas, including developmental biology, plant sciences, and biomaterials engineering.

While weight is one of the most fundamental and important measures of an object, weighing tiny biological samples in their native liquid environments is not possible with conventional scales. To change that, Mesbah Oskui developed a sensor comprising a small piece of glass tubing bent into a "U" shape and attached to an inexpensive speaker. The speaker vibrates the glass at its resonance frequency, which is a function of the overall mass of the tube. When a sample is pumped into the tube, the resonance frequency changes, allowing the sample's mass, density and volume to be calculated. The research expands a technique originally developed at MIT for weighing single cells. By opening this technique to larger samples, the research vastly increases its applications.

As proof of concept, the researchers turned to an important research area: toxicology. Many chemicals in use today are yet to be fully evaluated for their risk to human health and the environment, primarily because toxicology tests on traditional animal models are expensive, time consuming and labor-intensive. While the introduction of tests using tiny, fast-developing zebrafish embryos is speeding things up, until now, scientists haven't been able to weigh the embryos in their native fluid environment. In the paper, the researchers used the sensors to measure mass changes in zebrafish embryos as they reacted to toxic silver nanoparticles.

"Zebrafish embryos are becoming an important toxicological model species, but until now scientists have not been able to include a very simple measure of health--the organism's weight--in their panel of measurements. Our research changes that, which will further expand the use of this model in helping protect human health and the environment," Mesbah Oskui said.

Also in the paper, the researchers described using the sensor to measure density changes in seeds undergoing rehydration and germination, and degradation rates of biomaterials used in medical implants. Heran Bhakta, a graduate student in bioengineering, led the work on biomaterials degradation.

"Biodegradable materials can be used to cover a wound after surgery, but if they degrade too quickly they can leave an open wound and if they don't degrade quickly enough they can cause complications," Bhakta said. "Previously, tracking the degradation of biomaterials in a fluid environment has been a painstaking and error-prone process in which the biomaterial sample must be removed, cleaned, weighed and replaced on an ongoing basis. In contrast, our sensors enable us to measure the degradation of even the tiniest biomaterials samples continuously as they break down in a biological fluid," Bhakta said.

Grover said the automation, portability and low cost of the technique make the sensors well suited for applications in the field or in resource-limited settings.

"Our technique is so versatile because all objects have fundamental properties like weight. I am excited to see how the sensors will be used by other researchers to address scientific problems in many other fields," he said.

###

In addition to Grover, Mesbah Oskui and Bhakta, other contributors included Graciel Diamante, a graduate student in environmental sciences; Huinan Liu, associate professor of bioengineering; and Daniel Schlenk, professor of aquatic ecotoxicology, all at UC Riverside.
American, German, and Canadian scientists are planning to explore the formation of stars and galaxies as well as the mysteries of the universe's beginnings with an entirely new kind of telescope. The launch of construction work on the Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope (CCAT-prime) is scheduled for this year. It is named after its location, a 5,612 meter-high mountain in the Chilean Atacama Desert. At this altitude, it will be the highest telescope of its kind. CCAT-prime has a diameter of six meters, and is planned to be completed in 2021. The scientists are hopeing to gain unique new insights into the formation of stars and galaxies with this telescope and to come closer to solving the mystery of how so-called dark matter and dark energy have influenced the expansion of the universe.

To develop this high-performance, state-of-the-art telescope, the researchers from the USA, Germany, and Canada formed a consortium called CCAT, which is headed by Cornell University. In Germany, scientists from the University of Cologne and the University of Bonn are involved. Research groups at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching and Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich will soon join the consortium. The high-tech telescope is from Germany as well: Vertex Antennentechnik GmbH, a company from Duisburg, are building the telescope that will reach an unprecedented degree of precision in delivering images from outer space due to its innovative optical design and its extremely high location.

"The CCAT partnership has now spent more than a decade exploring the possibility - and challenges - of building a state-of-the-art telescope at this amazing telescope site. During that time, technology and submillimeter science have advanced at a very rapid pace, and we are now ready to move forward to build a truly exciting telescope," said Project Director Martha Haynes, Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University.

The telescope will be located near the summit of Cerro Chajnantor. The extremely high elevation will allow the scientists to observe most northern and southern skies through all seasons. The telescope will be able to record radiation in the millimeter and submillimeter wavelength range - with the shortest wavelengths measuring only 0.2 mm. Radiation in the transition area between infrared and radio wavelengths originates from gas and dust between the stars from which they are formed - in our vicinity and in far-away galaxies. But this radiation can also originate from the "Cosmic Dawn," the afterglow of the Big Bang. The dry atmosphere in the Atacama Desert is ideal for these observations, as it enables a critical degree of precision. Any water molecules in the air interfere with cosmic radiation at these wavelengths, so an atmosphere nearly devoid of water vapor is necessary.

The CCAT-prime telescope will allow the scientists to explore in detail the formation of stars in the Milky Way as well as the Magellanic Clouds and other galaxies in our neighborhood. "With CCAT we will take an important step forward towards exciting new science explorations and new technologies," said Professor Jurgen Stutzki, an astrophysicist at the University of Cologne. "The innovative design of the telescope and its location at an extreme altitude enable breathtaking new observations blocked at lower altitudes." CCAT-prime will also be an essential platform to deploy new quantum detectors at the cutting edge of physics developed in Cologne, which enable ultra-sensitive observations.

"CCAT-prime's large visual field and the dry atmosphere on Cerro Chajnantor allow for an unprecedented mapping of the sky," explained Professor Frank Bertoldi, an astrophysicist from the University of Bonn. "This is a decisive advantage for high-precision measurements of so-called cosmic background radiation, the radio echo of the Big Bang." Together with his colleagues Komatsu and Mohr in Munich, who recently joined the consortium, Bertoldi is looking forward to taking measurements with CCAT-prime that could bring them closer to solving some of the great riddles of the universe, for example the nature of the mysterious dark energy.

The costs of designing and building CCAT-prime total 19 million euros. The American partner, Cornell University, is covering much of these costs with a contribution from the private donor Fred Young. For the telescope and an earlier study, he donated a total of 12 million USD. In Germany, the Large-scale Facilities Program of the German Research Foundation (DFG) is contributing a total of 5 million euros. Collaborative Research Center 956 "Conditions and Impact of Star Formation" is contributing to the development of the scientific instruments.

###

Contact:

Professor Jurgen Stutzki, Institute of Physics I of the University of Cologne,

phone +49 221 470 3494, stutzki@ph1.uni-koeln.de

Professor Frank Bertoldi, Argelander Institute for Astronomy, University of Bonn,

phone +49 228 73 6789, bertoldi@astro.uni-bonn.de

More information: http://www.astro.uni-koeln.de/CCAT-prime

Images: https://cornell.box.com/v/CCATProject
Oxford University researchers have tracked how recent aircraft incidents or accidents trigger past events and how some are consistently more memorable than others. Using the English version of Wikipedia, they analysed articles about airline crashes that occurred between 2008 and 2016. They then measured how the traffic to articles about airline crashes or incidents before 2008 changed due to more recent events. They analysed page views of nearly 85,000 pairs of articles (which they named as "source articles" and "target articles") and found there was a short-term attention span for recent crashes. More people appeared to look at articles about past crashes they remembered when their memory was triggered by the recent event.

Their mathematical model, presented in the article, allows the researchers to find, for example, that the case of the co-pilot who in 2015 deliberately crashed a plane on a German flight, led to three times more views of a 'target' article about an incident in 2001 in New York in which pilot error played a part. The researchers' model shows that, on average, when target events from the past are combined, they attract 142 percent more page views than articles about the original source events.

The researchers also discovered that interest slumps to near zero in articles about aircraft incidents that happened more than 45 years ago. In their research paper, they explain this could be because people who were adults at the time have since died, forgotten about the event or, if still living, simply do not use Wikipedia.

Generally, air crashes that happened in the same location did not appear to be linked in the public's collective memory, says the study. This is despite a previous study, also based on page views of Wikipedia articles, showing public interest in individual crashes was determined by where the plane came down.

Most of the pairs of 'source' and 'target' articles tracked by the researchers did not contain hyperlinks that linked to one another. However, without hyperlinks the average rate of traffic dropped by only 32 percent as compared with pairs that did contain web links between the articles. However, interestingly, the same general patterns are observed in pairs of articles that are not hyperlinked to each other as articles that carry weblinks. The paper suggests that the memory patterns are more fundamental than the hyperlink networks of the web.

As might be expected, modelling based on page views shows that aviation disasters with large numbers of deaths (involving 50 or more) are remembered more than reported events with fewer fatalities. But the model also shows that there is even greater public interest in articles when crashes result in no deaths, possibly because such events are remarkable for other reasons.

Team Leader Professor Taha Yasseri, from the Oxford Internet Institute and the Alan Turing Institute in London, said: 'The way people use Wikipedia is a good proxy for how people use the internet more generally. When we look at the factors that link one event with another and measure the number of page views, we start to see what makes some events particularly memorable and model the collective memory.

'Using English Wikipedia page views, we find that aviation disasters are more memorable if they happened quite recently, involved Western companies, and if the cause of the crash is similar to the new event. There are major events like the 9/11 crashes, for example, that are more likely to be remembered than the new event that triggers the past. In other cases, however, these similarities and associations might trigger our memory of past events that would otherwise not be remembered very much. This happened in the case of the Iran Air flight 655 shot down by a US navy guided missile in 1988, which was not generally well remembered but triggered far more attention when the Malaysia Airlines 17 flight was hit by a missile over Ukraine. The research for the first time measures these factors and provides a way of modelling our collective memory.'

Lead author, Dr Ruth Garcia-Gavilanes said: 'When we observe these memory patterns, a good question is, "what mechanisms drove people to the Wikipedia pages of those past events?". Here we only describe the patterns, but a next step would be to analyse if memories are what we remember from seeing the news, or social media, or an individual's own recollection of the actual event.'

Anders Mollgaard, a co-author from the Niels Bohr Institute in Denmark, said: 'Our work shows that different topics are connected to each other through memory and association, thereby forming an interconnected network of topics. What was particularly surprising as that the memory effect had a larger impact on the number of views than the main event.'

###

Notes to Editors:

The paper, The memory remains: Understanding collective memory in the digital age, is by Ruth Garcia-Gavilanes et al. It will be published by Science Advances online on Wednesday, 05 April 2017. The main methods used in the paper are web scraping and mathematical modelling. Thousands of Wikipedia articles have been analysed to reveal how our collective memory forms in relation to airline crashes.
PHILADELPHIA - The long shifts and sleepless nights of resident physicians have been controversial since 1984, when 18-year old Libby Zion died in a New York hospital under the care of what her father alleged were overworked medical residents. Since then, regulations have been put in place to limit how long resident physicians (doctors who have completed medical school and are taking care of patients while undergoing further training) can work.

On March 10, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) increased the limit on work shifts for first-year physicians from 16 to 24 hours - allowing additional hours beyond that to ensure continuity and education, consistent with the limits in place for residents in their second year and beyond. In a Perspective published by the New England Journal of Medicine, David A. Asch, MD, MBA, a professor of Medicine at the Perelman School and of Healthcare Management at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, says that while the new rules may inflame ongoing controversies, a central message is that ACGME is raising the evidentiary standards for policy in medical education. "When a new drug is released to the market, it is because carefully conducted trials have demonstrated its safety and effectiveness," Asch says, "but when we set policy that affects how we train the physicians who might prescribe that drug, we often act as if evidence doesn't matter."

Asch suggests the new ACGME rules reflect a higher standard. He points to the Flexibility in Duty Hour Requirements for Surgical Trainees (FIRST) and Individualized Comparative Effectiveness of Models Optimizing Patient Safety and Resident Education (iCOMPARE) trials as primary examples of the kind of research necessary to determine such policies.

To many people used to the convention of 8-hour work days and 40-hour work weeks, 24 hour shifts for doctors defy belief. But while some people assume that shorter shifts must be better (because who wants to be cared for by a sleep-deprived doctor), others recognize that shorter shifts mean more handoffs (and who wants to be cared for by a doctor who doesn't know you). Up until now, these regulations have attempted to balance these and other concerns, based on the best available scientific evidence about the effect of duty hours on patient care. However, that evidence has not included the large prospective trials normally required for high stakes medicine. In both the FIRST and iCOMPARE trials, residency programs were randomly assigned to have resident physicians either adhere to current ACGME duty-hour rules, or more flexible rules where the limits on shift length and time off between shifts are less constrained. The results of the FIRST trial were published in February 2016, also in the New England Journal of Medicine, and showed no negative effect on patient outcomes at hospitals where the flexible rules were used.

"Together, the FIRST and iCOMPARE trials offer an opportunity for medical education policy makers to rely on evidence from large-scale randomized trials in their real-life settings," said Asch, who is the principal investigator of the iCOMPARE trial, whose results are not yet analyzed. "Despite the enduring effect medical education policy has on patient care, until now it has not been subjected to anywhere near the same rigor required to put a single drug on the market."

Asch notes that although the ACGME's rules permit more flexibility in shift length, only some programs will make use of that flexibility and only some of the time. "Most clinical services don't need that flexibility, so this is one of those enabling policy changes."

"People have strong opinions about resident duty hours," Asch said. "The central value of trials is to move us beyond those opinions--often well-meaning opinions--to real evidence. We would never rely only on opinion when we approve a drug. Why should we settle for that when deciding how to train our physicians?"

###

Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $5.3 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 18 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $373 million awarded in the 2015 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center -- which are recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report -- Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region include Chestnut Hill Hospital and Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn Medicine.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2015, Penn Medicine provided $253.3 million to benefit our community.
An international team of scientists led by the University of Sydney has confirmed a frenzied approach to the mating season is resulting in males ageing faster and dying earlier and in worse condition than their female counterparts, who prioritise body-maintenance over short-term reproductive success.

In the study population of red-sided garter snakes in North America:

males undertake energetically expensive mating for 2-4 weeks a year;

males don't eat and must compete with thousands of other males during the mating season;

females stay at the orgy site for as little as one day, compared with up to 21 days for males; and

snakes hibernate underground for eight months in their communal dens and emerge en masse in spring, to form large aggregations where males scramble to locate and mate with females.

The research is published today in the Royal Society journal Proceedings B.

The study measured telomere length, which is a biomarker of ageing, in male and female snakes. The team found that males are unable to maintain good body condition, and age faster than females. This is probably because males spend their energy on mating, instead of protecting against DNA and cellular damage associated with ageing. In contrast, females prioritise body condition and may be better able to repair cellular damage, leading to longer lives and future opportunities to reproduce.

Senior author at the University of Sydney Dr Christopher R Friesen, explained that the snakes made good use of the relatively short amount of time to procreate, having only four months a year to breed, feed and have babies.

"Although we believe that all females mate every year, they only stay at the den sites (where mating takes place) for a short period of one- to three days; much less than males, who remain for at least a week and up to 21 days, which seems to result in males ageing faster and dying earlier than females" Dr Friesen said.

"Females reproduce every other year, which depends on their stored fat/energy reserves. Our previous research has shown that females can store sperm for up to 15 months or more before she uses the sperm to fertilise her eggs!"

The paper reported: "The relationship between body condition and age differed strikingly between sexes, with females maintaining their body condition with age, while condition decreased with age in males."

In addition to prioritising self-preservation over sex, the female garter snakes studied in Manitoba, Canada, did not waste energy on looking after their babies postnatally, which is in line with the parenting approach of other snakes.

University of Sydney co-authors at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences are Dr Friesen, Nicky Rollings and Dr Camilla Whittington (Sydney School of Veterinary Science). Other researchers comprise: Prof Mats Olsson, Goteborgs Universitet; Prof Robert Mason, Oregon State University; Assoc Prof Heather Waye, University of Minnesota at Morris; Assoc Prof Randolf Krohmer, Saint Xavier University and Dr Emily Uhrig, Linkoping University.

###

The paper, "Age-related sex differences in body condition and telomere dynamics of red-sided garter snakes", will be published in Proceedings B on 5 April 2017 at 0:01 GMT / 10:01am Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). URL after publication: http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/lookup/doi/10.1098/rspb.2016.2146

University of Sydney web story - including video (will be live once the embargo lifts): http://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2017/04/05/sex-obsession-a-killer-for-male-snakes--research-footage-shows.html

YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/embed/vPomv9iXtik

HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO/FOOTAGE available on request

Notes to Editors (additional research findings)
AUSTIN, Texas -- While perceived discrimination on college campuses compromises the self-esteem, well-being and mental health of ethnic minority students, new psychology research from The University of Texas at Austin suggests the impostor phenomenon may worsen these effects. The impostor phenomenon -- feeling like a fraud due to an inability to internalize success -- has been linked to psychological distress among ethnic minority students, research shows. In the Journal of Counseling Psychology, UT Austin researchers found that these feelings of fraudulence may fuel the negative relationship between perceived discrimination and depression and anxiety among ethnic minority college students, especially African Americans.

"Research estimates that at least 70 percent of the population feels like an impostor," said Kevin Cokley, a UT Austin professor of educational psychology and African and African Diaspora Studies and director of the Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis. "So it is a common feeling experienced by most people at some point in their lives."

In the study, researchers collected surveys from 322 ethnic minority students, including 106 African Americans, 102 Asian Americans and 108 Latino/a Americans, on perceived discrimination, impostor feelings and mental health. While students in all ethnic minority groups reported similar levels of impostor feelings, African American students reported more perceived discrimination.

"Unlike white students who may experience impostorism, I believe that the ethnic minority student experience of impostorism is often racialized because ethnic minority students are aware of the stereotypes about intelligence that exist about their racial/ethnic groups," Cokley said. "However, our results suggest that ethnic minority students are not a monolithic group, and that the impact of impostorism differs for each group."

The researchers also found that among African American students, high impostor feelings were a positive predictor of anxiety and worsened the impact of perceived discrimination on depression. Similarly, among Asian Americans, high impostor feelings predicted both anxiety and depression.

For Latino/a students, while high impostor feelings positively predicted anxiety, low impostor feelings exacerbated the impact of perceived discrimination on depression and anxiety.

"The findings for Latino/a students are counterintuitive," Cokley said. "A cultural factor may explain the findings. It is possible that Latino/a students who have low impostor feelings may also be more prone to adopt a more bleak view where they give up personal control because of a belief that they cannot control what people think about them."

Cokley and his colleagues recommend that mental health professionals routinely include impostorism and perceived discrimination in their mental health assessments. Doing so may help ethnic minority students overcome discriminatory experiences and depression and anxiety.

###
From: Shannon Skinner For Immediate Release: Dateline: Toronto , Ontario Wednesday, April 5, 2017



The Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of Status of Women of Canada

After more than a

The

Speakers included the Premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne; the European Union Ambassador to Canada, Marie-Anne Coninsx; and The Honourable Maryam Monsef, the Minister of Status of Women Canada, who began her inspiring speech by telling the group, Im here because Im interested in a relationship. As it turned out, as she would later tells us, the relationship was with us.

Canada can lead the world, said Minister Monsef, whose own personal story of being raised by a single mom to eventually becoming Canadas first Afghan-born MP  and beacon of light for all Canadian women  is in itself a dose of inspiration.

And while it was interesting hearing from a range of women (and a few men) speakers from NGOs and corporations about the challenges women face in the world, the solutions they are striving for, and their achievements, the most intriguing part of the forum was something we dont have enough of at women-themed events. It was a panel discussion of men who are interested, in earnest, in the advancement of women.

Feminism is the greatest gift men ever received, said forum panelist Michael Kaufman, author and White Ribbon Campaign co-founder, upon noting the lack of men in the audience.

And so, my takeaway is this: there are visionary men who want to reach more men to get engaged and involved to advance womens interests. Lets find them! Kaufman offers some ways to do that, which I will leave with you:

1. Positive messages work better than negative. Be the guy who interrupts sexist jokes.

2. Reach out to men with compassion and understanding, while challenging abuse.

3. Co-operation and outreach to happen at the community level.

4. Globalize mens voices  encourage other men.

Lets have more of this at womens empowerment events, please. And thank you.

Shannon Skinner is a Toronto-based, award-winning television and radio show host, international speaker, author and creator of

Media contact:



Shannon Skinner

416-576-8809

www.ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com

www.ShannonSkinner.com

info@extraordinarywomentv.com



While the President of the United States is busy rolling back protection for women workers and defunding the UN Population Fund, north of the border, a room full of women gather in Toronto to engage in learning and discussions about solutions for gender equality, a topic that is not going away any time soon.After more than a million women and men marched last January in solidarity across the U.S. and around the world, out of both concern and inspiration of what the future holds, it has never been clearer that women are on the rise. While the collective voice of women  and men  is greatly needed, we still need organizations to lead the charge and set the agenda to advance gender equality and take action for any meaningful transformation with real staying power. And that is exactly what happened on April 4th-5th in a conference room in Deloittes swanky offices at Yonge and Adelaide Streets.The Gender Equality Forum 2017 brought together women leaders in business, government, and UN agencies, to explore opportunities for partnership and collective action. It was organized by the Canadian network of the UN Global Compact (UNGC) , a voluntary corporate strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies in the interest areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption; and spearheaded by Helle Bank Jorgensen.Speakers included the Premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne; the European Union Ambassador to Canada, Marie-Anne Coninsx; and The Honourable Maryam Monsef, the Minister of Status of Women Canada, who began her inspiring speech by telling the group, Im here because Im interested in a relationship. As it turned out, as she would later tells us, the relationship was with us.Canada can lead the world, said Minister Monsef, whose own personal story of being raised by a single mom to eventually becoming Canadas first Afghan-born MP  and beacon of light for all Canadian women  is in itself a dose of inspiration.And while it was interesting hearing from a range of women (and a few men) speakers from NGOs and corporations about the challenges women face in the world, the solutions they are striving for, and their achievements, the most intriguing part of the forum was something we dont have enough of at women-themed events. It was a panel discussion of men who are interested, in earnest, in the advancement of women.Feminism is the greatest gift men ever received, said forum panelist Michael Kaufman, author and White Ribbon Campaign co-founder, upon noting the lack of men in the audience.And so, my takeaway is this: there are visionary men who want to reach more men to get engaged and involved to advance womens interests. Lets find them! Kaufman offers some ways to do that, which I will leave with you:1. Positive messages work better than negative. Be the guy who interrupts sexist jokes.2. Reach out to men with compassion and understanding, while challenging abuse.3. Co-operation and outreach to happen at the community level.4. Globalize mens voices  encourage other men.Lets have more of this at womens empowerment events, please. And thank you.Shannon Skinner is a Toronto-based, award-winning television and radio show host, international speaker, author and creator of ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com . For information on her speaking engagements and interviews, visit: www.ShannonSkinner.com and www.ExtrarodinaryWomenTV.com. Tweet to her at @Shannon_Skinner.


A selection of speciality cheeses from Britain have been served up for the first time to chefs, dairy buyers and local media at a tasting session in Hong Kong.

Around 65 people attended the event, organised by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) to promote a range of artisan and premium cheeses already available in Hong Kong together with new selections.

Experts from AHDB say the event was a huge success as they look to target the growing market.

'Hong Kong is important'

AHDB Senior Export Manager Lucy Randolph said Hong Kong is an 'important market' for the UK.

She said: It is wealthy and appreciates high quality cheeses. Hong Kong buyers currently tend to be more knowledgeable regarding French, Italian or Swiss cheeses due to the marketing investment these countries have made over a long time.

We started our trade development programme recently but we are keen to make our mark in this competitive market where quality food from Britain is welcome. Importantly, export marketing needs a sustained effort.

We will be back in Hong Kong for the major Hofex exhibition in May and are already planning an event during the show as the UK will be a VIP Partner Country. We are delighted with this first success. The event will certainly contribute to our aim of growing our share of dairy imports in Hong Kong.

Jean-Pierre Garnier, AHDB head of export explained that there has been a 'dearth of promotion' of British dairy products for some time, which has hampered exports, whilst competitors have invested constantly over the years to raise their image on world markets.

Earlier this year, Labours deputy leader Tom Watson urged the the public to 'buy British' in response to Trump and Brexit.

'Strong and unique selling points'

The aim of the promotion is to create and increase demand for British dairy products.

Mr Garnier said: "There are many strong unique selling points for UK dairy and some favourable perceptions such as: sustainability, green farming, high cattle welfare, a wealth of traditions, outstanding quality products, high level of product innovation, safety and more."

"Speaking to international buyers, most are unaware of the British offer  unlike those of our competitors.

"This is due to the lack of marketing and presence on international markets. The example of Switzerland is telling."

Mr Garnier continued: "Swiss cheeses are sold at high prices all over the world following many years of consistent marketing of the Swiss dairy brand. However, the perception of British dairy products is good in countries or territories with strong British links such as Hong Kong or Malta."
Reducing antibiotic consumption in livestock has very little benefits for human health, according to a new study.

The paper, published by the Royal Society, said a drive for 'antibiotic-free' farm produce is not necessarily beneficial for human health.

It is often suggested that resistance arising in food animals contributes to resistance levels in humans.

The study said: "Although it is widely regarded as intuitively obvious that reducing antibiotic consumption in animals would decrease levels of antibiotic resistance in humans this is, in fact, not the case for a wide range of scenarios, especially if this intervention is made in isolation.

"A better strategy is an integrated approach that tackles resistance in humans and food animals at the same time."

It suggested reducing the rate of transmission of resistance from animals to humans 'may often be more effective', while the rate of transmission from humans to animals is also important.

"It is thus not enough to only lower the consumption of antibiotics in food animals, the transmission both from and to food animals should also be limited in order to maximize the impact of this and other interventions," the paper said.

'Committed'

The National Pig Association (NPA) has welcomed the research, which said it provided useful context in the ongoing antimicrobial resistance debate but also reinforced the current One Health approach being adopted to address the problem in animal and human medicine.

NPA senior policy advisor Georgina Crayford said: "This paper reiterates the value of the approach we are taking in the livestock sector to reduce and refine antibiotic use.

"We are utterly committed to driving ahead with this.

"However, the research also provides valuable clarification in addressing the entirely unwarranted suggestion often made by campaigners that AMR is somehow primarily a problem caused by intensive farming.

"It isnt, and the solution lies, as it always has, in taking a robust approach in human and animal medicine."

'Simple model'

The Responsible Use of Medicine in Agriculture (RUMA) welcomed the study but cautioned what the paper itself describes as a simple model can only give an indication of likely outcomes.

RUMA chairman Gwyn Jones said: "The study highlights the complexity of antibiotic resistance and the need for a One Health approach to the problem across humans and animals.

"So while it suggests that removal of antibiotics from animal production systems is not the answer to antimicrobial resistance in humans, the food and farming sector should not in any way dilute its current focus on reducing, refining and replacing antibiotic use across all sectors.

"An important point it does raise, however, is that a drive for 'antibiotic-free' farm produce is not necessarily beneficial for human health and makes any related detrimental impacts on animal health and welfare even more unjustifiable."
Leading producer of Cornish Clotted Cream and the countys second largest processor of milk has received its first direct milk supply from a local farm.

Over one year ago, Roddas announced its commitment to strengthening links with the farming community in West Cornwall, by introducing direct milk contracts to those within a 30-mile radius.

The Jenkin family, who farm on the Lizard, are one of 44 farming families that have signed up to Roddas new milk scheme.

Christina Savage, daughter of Roger and Dorothy Jenkin, began working at the family farm when she was 18 years old.

Christina, 25 says: As a Cornish family business, to be supplying another Cornish family business is something to be proud of. For us, having genuine people at the end of the phone, who understand the trade and want to help wherever possible, is one of the biggest advantages of our new contract.

She adds From the cream teas we serve guests at our farmhouse, to my mums famous Christmas cake recipe made with Roddas farmhouse butter, produce from the creamery has always played a big part in our family life. At Treworgie Farm we feel very proud to showcase proper Cornish hospitality using local ingredients, made with our very own milk.

53 million litres of local milk

As part of the new scheme, Roddas will receive 53 million litres of local milk each year, and reward farmers for high butterfat and hygiene levels - ensuring mutual long-term security.

The direct partnerships will also provide the creamery with a quality supply of Cornish milk  perfect for making thick, unctuous clotted cream.

Roddas family business started when Eliza Jane Rodda began making clotted cream in her farmhouse kitchen, in the heart of Cornwall, over 125 years ago.

Roddas are still crafting it in the same way through family recipes and traditions, it has continued to be passed on from one generation to the next.
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI) A group of womens rights activists has demanded disbanding of anti-Romeo squads in Uttar Pradesh and withdrawal of an FIR registered against lawyer- politician Prashant Bhushan over his remarks against Lord Krishna.

"Anti-Romeo Squads are operating outside the purview of law... which threatens womens freedoms. The serious issue of violence against women and routine sexual harassment of women in Uttar Pradesh cannot be addressed by setting up anti-Romeo squads.

advertisement

"These squads impose their own aggressive and arbitrary code through moral policing. It has already come to light that in many cases, these groups have become an even greater source of harassment and fear for women and men," the group of 22 women rights activists said in a joint statement.

The women activists suggested that the Uttar Pradesh government "consult groups, which have been working to end sexual harassment and violence against women for a long time, to develop mechanisms to fight such cases".

The womens rights workers, including Aruna Roy of the National Federation of Indian Women, Syeda Hameed of the Muslim Womens Forum and lawyer Indira Jaising, also demanded withdrawal of an FIR against Bhushan over his tweet mentioning Lord Krishna.

"Romeo loved just one lady, while Krishna was a legendary eve-teaser. Would Adityanath have the guts to call his vigilantes anti-Krishna squads?" the Swaraj Abhiyan leader had tweeted on Sunday.

He had, however, apologised for his remarks.

"The FIR registered against advocate Prashant Bhushan by Hazratganj Police is a clear case of abuse of power as no such offence is made out on the basis of the tweet in question.

"This is yet another example of the prevailing high level of intolerance to opinion that is at variance from the majoritarian viewpoint," the statement said.

Anti-Romeo squads were introduced by the Yogi Adityanath government in UP to check incidents of eve-teasing. PTI PLB GVS

--- ENDS ---
Scottish farmers have raised concerns that the Crown Estate should be retained as one entity as part of the devolution process.

NFU Scotlands Crown Estate Tenants Working Group, which was brought together by NFU Scotland to provide the agricultural tenants with a strong voice in discussions, is comprised of two tenants from each of the four rural estates - Glenlivet, Fochabers, Applegirth, and Whitehills.

There are 117 secure 1991 Act tenancies on the estate in total, a significant portion of the secure tenanted sector in Scotland.

In response to the Crown Estate consultation, the tenants agreed that they do not want to see parts of the estate sold off under proposed rebalancing of the asset.

In addition to this, they wish to see a centrally managed main board, underpinned by advisory sub groups, and would like an agricultural sub group to allow the tenants to be involved in management discussions and decisions.

No appetite for change

President of NFU Scotland, Andrew McCornick commented: Our tenants have told us they are happy with how things are at the moment, and do not have an appetite for substantial change.

They feel strongly that the estate functions well due to the size and complexity of the assets contained within the portfolio, and see this as a real opportunity to make the Crown Estate a showcase for rural Scotland.

The tenanted farms, which have a value of 98 million, comprise the largest portion of the total estate asset. These farms play a vital role in underpinning the rest of the portfolio, and provide much wider socioeconomic benefits to many rural communities, and many of the farming families that live on these estates have done so for generations.

NFU Scotland is very conscious of the recent figures which have shown a dramatic decrease in let land since the passing of the Land Reform Act in 2016. Crown Estate has an important role to play in this going forward. As it is unable to trade it cannot farm in hand, which means that letting is its best option for land it owns.

We have written to Cabinet Secretaries Roseanna Cunningham and Fergus Ewing, and I hope they will be able to meet with the tenants in due course to discuss their concerns and aspirations in more detail.
The RSPCA has just been awarded a major grant by the Open Philanthropy Project, a US foundation, to support long-term work in China to advance farm animal welfare.

China is home to half of the worlds pigs and a third of its poultry, so improvements in livestock farming have a potential impact on enormous numbers of individual animals, now and in the future, the RSPCA says.

The grant is worth $450,000 (359,000) over two years and the project will use the RSPCA farm animal welfare standards and higher welfare labelling scheme, RSPCA Assured, as a model for a similar assurance and food labelling programme in China.

This award will allow the RSPCA to work closely with the official International Co-operation Committee of Animal Welfare, a key institution involved in bringing together Chinese stakeholders in the livestock farming and food retail sectors.

'Major step forward'

Paul Littlefair, RSPCA Head of International, said the grant is a 'major step forward' in efforts to improve farm animal welfare in China.

He said: There is a real and growing appetite both at government level and among the public for ethically produced food and reliable food labelling. The scale of farming in China means there is an opportunity to make an extremely broad and lasting impact on animal welfare.

The RSPCA has already had a significant influence on farm animal welfare in China.

In 2005, the charity responded to the Chinese authorities concern for food safety, emphasising the impact of the poor treatment of animals on farms, during transport and at slaughter on the safety and quality of meat and dairy products.

Over the following years the RSPCA brought some of the worlds leading welfare scientists to Beijing to share their experience and research findings.

Since then, the consensus among Chinas own scientists and food industry leaders around the importance of welfare has steadily grown. Every March the 3,000 delegates of the National Peoples Congress  the worlds largest parliament  come together in Beijing for a week of intense discussion on the major issues confronting the countrys society and economy.

Stronger welfare measures

This month, farm animals were firmly on the agenda as scientist and Congress delegate Zhao Wanping called for China to legislate for stronger welfare measures for farm animals.

He stressed that achieving welfare in Chinese livestock production will be a step-by-step process of gradual improvements driven by increasing consumer awareness and demand for safer, greener and healthier food.

Although Chinas meat, eggs and milk production has grown rapidly over recent decades, average consumption is still half that of the US and far below Europe.

Interestingly there are signs recently that the authorities are anxious not to see consumption of meat and dairy rise to levels that are unsustainable.

Mr Littlefair added: It appears that China is moving in a similar direction to Europe, with a focus on encouraging citizens to eat modest amounts of meat but to choose carefully, considering the impact of their eating habits particularly on the environment and animal welfare.

A higher welfare assurance scheme will enable Chinese consumers for the first time to think about the well-being of farm animals in their purchasing choices.
Farmers and crofters who are waiting for their 2016 payment under the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) will be offered a Scottish Government funded loan.

The Government confirmed this will provide around 50 million support to businesses operating in Scotlands most marginalised and remote areas.

The loans aim to provide financial security for farmers and crofters until the EU payments are made later this year. The Government is hoping the loans could potentially boost the wider rural economy.

Update on progress to deliver remaining 2016 farm payments

 Basic / Greening / Young Farmer (90% payments) - First payments now in bank accounts

 Basic / Greening / Young Farmer (top up 10%)  by end June 2017

 Scottish Suckler Beef Support and Scottish Upland Sheep Scheme  May 2017

 Rural Priorities  from July 2017

 Agri-Environment Climate Scheme and Forestry Grant Scheme  Autumn 2017

 Beef Efficiency Scheme  Autumn 2017

 Land Managers Options  Autumn 2017

'Not good enough'

Scotland's Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said that fixing the CAP payment issues remains a 'number one priority', and that the situation regarding LFASS 'is not good enough'

He said: I understand absolutely how important these LFASS payments are to farmers and crofters in our most remote and marginalised areas. Letters will be issued before the end of the month to farmers inviting them to apply. This will deliver support of around 50 million to some of our most vulnerable farmers and crofters, providing much needed financial security in the coming months.

We always knew 2016 would be a difficult year as we continue to increase the functionality of the IT system. That work means that some 2016 scheme payments have to be scheduled for later in the year and while that is not ideal, farm businesses need to know the likely timescales to help with their forward planning.

The schedule prioritises the payment of core direct support to reach the greatest number of farmers and crofters and I expect the vast majority of farmers and crofters will receive all their basic and greening payments by the end of June.
Young farmers will be told they need to be bolder about self-promotion and be proud of their products if they want to build a successful career in the industry.

The advice will be delivered by industry leading marketing experts who will make up the panellists at The National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC) AGRI Forum 2017, which will be held during its Annual Convention in Torquay this April.

One of the speakers, founder of British Food Fortnight Alexia Robinson, said: Like it or not we live in a social media-driven world where he who shouts the loudest gets a lot of publicity and there are no prizes for shrinking violets.

This is not a natural trait in many farmers, most are more used to just quietly getting on with their daily work.

British farm produce is some of the very best in the world; there is so much to shout about and we all need to be smarter about telling the consumer why it is so high quality and why they should buy it.

A report from earlier this year said young farmers in the UK are facing 'serious and unnecessary challenges' which is impacting the entire industry.

The NatWest report, 'Harvesting the future for young farmers', claims young farmers are faced with limited succession opportunities, an inability to embrace new farming models, difficulty accessing funding and a varying level of business skills.

'Testing times'

The AGRI Forum is hoping to combat this. AGRI Chairman Harriet Wilson, from Staffordshire Federation of Young Farmers Clubs, explained why marketing was chosen as this years topic.

There are testing times ahead for the industry so it is imperative that, as young farmers, we are equipped with the necessary skills to market ourselves, our businesses and our products if we want to succeed. This years AGRI Forum will help our YFC members and guests learn more about the key marketing essentials and how to make use of all of the opportunities available.

Self-styled social media expert Simon Haley will advise young farmers on how to take advantage of the internet.

He said: "We are all our own brands. And brand perception is absolutely integral to growth and success. Once you introduce that concept onto a digital platform, the internet becomes a powerful tool with which to project yourself and research others."

Duncan Morrison, vice-chairman of the Scottish Association of Young Farmers, said: "The more young people you've got in an industry, it's always a positive, because you've got young people bringing in new ideas and fresh enthusiasm.

"The average age of a farmer is 58 now, I think, and it's not really good. You need younger people coming in and taking the pressure off the older guys."
Lowest ever sales of livestock antibiotics recorded in UK
Summary

Company Announcement Date: April 05, 2017 FDA Publish Date: February 08, 2018 Product Type: Medical Devices Reason for Announcement: Recall Reason Description May reset spontaneously during normal operation, without an accompanying alarm. Company Name: Medtronic Brand Name: Brand Name(s) Newport Product Description: Product Description Newport HT70 and Newport HT70 Plus ventilators

Company Announcement

Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) is notifying customers worldwide of a voluntary field corrective action for all its Newport HT70 and Newport HT70 Plus ventilators manufactured since 2010. The voluntary field corrective action is being conducted following reports that the ventilator may reset spontaneously during normal operation, without an accompanying alarm. The reported incidence of this condition is approximately one (1) reset in every seven million hours of ventilation. Following the reset, the ventilator enters standby mode and will not resume ventilation without intervention. In the event of the rare occurrence of a reset, healthcare professionals and/or caregivers are required to transfer the patient to another ventilator.

A Newport HT70 ventilator is used to support a patients breathing. This prescription device is operated by trained healthcare professionals in a clinical setting and in the home for infant, pediatric and adult patients.

Since Aug. 2012, and of the more than 14,000 ventilators in use, Medtronic has received 12 reports of the reset without an accompanying alarm. Of these 12 reports, 11 patients required ventilator transfer and one (1) incident did not involve a patient. No patient injury or impairment has been reported.

Medtronic has established the root cause of this alarm failure and will provide a software service update to resolve the issue as soon as the correction can be implemented. We expect the service update to be available in May.

Medtronic is advising that you may continue to use your Newport HT70 series ventilators in accordance with institutional policies and as described below.

Actions you should take:

Ensure patients on the Newport HT70 and HT70 Plus ventilators are appropriately monitored by trained caregivers as described in the Operators Manual. The descriptions include: A patient connected to a ventilator requires the constant attention of trained caregivers to the patients condition. Always have an alternate power source and means of ventilation available when the ventilator is in use in case of a mechanical or system problem. Always use appropriate monitors to ensure sufficient oxygenation and ventilation (such as a pulse oximeter and/or a capnograph) when the Newport HT70 or HT70 Plus ventilators are in use on a patient. If able, use the appropriate remote alarm/nurse call cable (CBL3223 or 10104494) to project ventilator alarm states outside the patient room. This alarm will annunciate even with an unexpected reset. Consult the Operators Manual or call Technical Service for further information on this accessory. If, at any time, the patient is not responding to ventilation appropriately, the patient should be taken off the ventilator immediately and connected to an alternate method of ventilation. Contact your health care provider or physician immediately.

Immediately notify all care environments in which the Newport HT70 and HT70 Plus ventilators are used about this notification.

If your facility has distributed Newport HT70 or HT70 Plus ventilators to other persons or facilities, please promptly forward this announcement to those recipients.

Work with Medtronic Technical Support Department if you require assistance finding alternative ventilation devices.

Medtronic has contacted the FDA and other regulatory bodies to share information related to this issue. We will continue working directly with government authorities and our customers on this voluntary field corrective action.

Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax.

Complete and submit the report Online

Regular Mail or Fax: Download form or call 1- 800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the pre-addressed form, or submit by fax to 1-800-FDA-0178

This recall is being conducted with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

or

Email Medtronic Post Market Vigilance at: HQTSWEB@COVIDIEN.COM

Call Medtronic Post Market Vigilance at: +1-800-255-6774 option 4, then option 2.

List of countries with Newport HT70 and Newport HT70 Plus ventilators

Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Mexico, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United States, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Vietnam.
New Zealand insurance company CBL Corporationhas sold 20 million shares, or 8.5% of its issued capital, at AU$3.00 per share.This is an 11.7% discount compared to yesterday's closing price of AU$3.35. The company says the share sale was made to increase share market liquidity.CBL's Managing Director Peter Harris sold 5 million shares, while Deputy Chairman Alistair Hutchinson sold 5.4 million shares. A further 9.6 million shares were sold by senior management. All up, this will generate NZ$65 million.CBL sold these shares to a number of Australian and New Zealand investors in a block sale by Directors and Management after recently coming out of escrow.The directors and management were released from escrow, shortly after announcing CBLs FY16 results on 25 February 2017.This morning, CBL shares fell 4.48% to $3.20.
At Rs 36,359 crores, the loan waiver announced by the Yogi government is biggest so far by any state.

By Balkrishna: The Uttar Pradesh government, led by Yogi Adityanath announced a loan waiver scheme for the farmers of Uttar Pradesh, on April 4. The loan waiver is going to benefit around 86 lakh small and marginal farmers in Uttar Pradesh. Also, the waiver has fulfilled one of the biggest poll promises of BJP that if voted to power, it will waive off the farmer loans in its very first Cabinet meeting.

advertisement

At Rs 36,359 crores, the loan waiver announced by the Yogi government is biggest so far by any state. In fact it is more than half the size of the loan waiver, announced by UPA-1 government in 2008 for whole of India.

The maximum amount of loan to be waived has been fixed at Rs 1 lakh per farmer.

Who Are Covered Under The Scheme

All the farmers who have taken loan from any bank including the cooperative banks are covered. The loan waiver applies only for farm loans taken for paddy, wheat, fertilizers and insecticides.

Only those farmers who took loan before 31st March 2016 are eligible for the loan waiver scheme. The scheme will also cover 7 lakh farmers who were under debt trap and whose loans had turned into non performing assets.

For the loan waiver scheme, small farmers have been defined as the farmers having land holdings below two hectares and marginal farmers have been defined as farmers having land holdings below one hectare.

Yogi government has decided to pitch Kisan Rahat bonds for funding the loan waiver scheme. An eight member committee is going to be formed to prepare a detailed blueprint for the loan waiver scheme. The committee will be headed by the Chief secretary of the state.

Challenge For UP And Other States

It will not be easy for the Uttar Pradesh government to execute this costly loan waiver bonanza. It is going to further strain the budget of the state. The fiscal responsibility and budget management Act bars any state to cross the fiscal deficit to grow beyond 3 per cent of its GDP.

Uttar Pradesh is already under the huge burden of 3,27,470 crores and is India's second most indebted state. To fulfill the loan waiver scheme, Yogi government will have to dedicate one third of its annual state budget for this cause.

This decision by UP government is also going to put pressure on the other state governments to bring similar schemes. Punjab and Maharashtra government will feel the heat soon.

advertisement

Uddhav Thackeray has already congratulated Yogi Adityanath and demanded that the Devendra Fadnavis government should also bring similar scheme for the farmers of Maharashtra.

Also, the Madras High Court has ordered the Tamil Nadu government to include farmers having land holdings over 5 hectares to the loan waiver scheme announced earlier by the stare government. The court in its order restricted officials in the state to initiate penal proceedings against farmers for not paying back the loans.

ALSO READ| Shivpal Yadav to meet CM Yogi Adityanath. What's cooking in Uttar Pradesh?

ALSO READ| Rahul Gandhi terms Yogi government's loan waiver to UP farmers as 'partial relief'

ALSO WATCH| Farmers' loan waived: Honest credit payers penalised for paying off loans?

--- ENDS ---
Donation moves Cancer Center close to $6M goal

Related Stories

Pardee Hospital Foundation moved closer to reaching its goal of $6 million with the news that it had received a $100,000 grant from the Cannon Foundation to support the hospital's new Cancer Center.

Home to Pardee's medical oncology, radiation oncology, cancer navigation and cancer research, the Cancer Center has several unique features: an infusion bay with 16 private and semi-private rooms; advanced technology, such as the ultra-precise linear accelerator, a CT simulator that uses lasers to map tumors inside the body; and a phlebotomy lab that can complete tests in less than two minutes, all of which helps to reduce waiting and anxiety for patients.

"We are so grateful for the generous support of The Cannon Foundation," said Kim Hinkelman, executive director of Pardee Hospital Foundation. "Their grant provided funding to help complete the new Cancer Center at Pardee, giving more patients access to advanced, compassionate cancer care.

The Cannon Foundation, Inc. is part of the philanthropic legacy of Charles A. Cannon, industrialist and humanitarian, who was president and chairman of Cannon Mills Company for more than half a century. The Foundation continues Mr. Cannons philanthropy through funding in health care, higher education, human services and community.

The Pardee Foundation reported good news, too, on the philanthropy front.

Hinkelman told the Pardee Hospital board last week that 270 donors have moved the foundation close to its $6 million goal for the Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The campaign was not just about raising money but also about planting seeds and preparing for what comes next, she said. It was a three-year campaign but were going to bring it in in two years. Half of the donors were first-time donors. Thats extraordinary.

Going into the campaign in April 2015, she predicted that most donations would come from loyal donors and older donors. Instead, donors skewed younger than the usual pattern, many in their 50s and 60s. Thats great news for us. That gives us the opportunity to work with these people who continue to grow as donors and continue to support the hospital.

Pardee board Chair Bill Medina, who also serves as co-chair of cancer center fundraiser, praised the effort.

This has been one of the most successful marketing campaigns weve ever had, he said.

Pardee Memorial Hospital Foundation was approved as a nonprofit Foundation in January 1996. The Foundation exists to educate and inspire the community to support Pardee Hospital. Since its inception, the Foundation has generated more than $30 million in pledges and cash gifts for Pardee services. For more information, visit www.pardeehospitalfoundation.org or call (828) 233-2700.

Pardee UNC Health Care is a not-for-profit community hospital founded in 1953 and is managed by UNC Health Care. The hospital is licensed for 222 acute care beds. Pardee has several locations separate from the main campus, including a comprehensive physician practice network, two urgent care locations and five orthopedic clinics. For more information or to find a physician, visit www.pardeehospital.org.
Shivpal Yadav, the former Samajwadi Party Uttar Pradesh state head, will be meeting CM Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow. The meeting comes just days after Mulayam's younger daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav met the UP CM.

Shivpal Yadav had threatened to form a new party after being removed from SP's top post by Akhilesh Yadav. (File Photo/PTI)

By India Today Web Desk: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will have a guest from the rival camp as former Samajwadi Party UP state head Shivpal Yadav is scheduled to meet him today.

Reports of the meeting has the rumour mills working overtime with some even claiming a possibility of an alliance between Samajwadi Party and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (RJD).

advertisement

Shivpal's meeting with Adityanath comes just days after Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh's younger daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav's close door meeting with the UP chief minister. Aparna had meet Adityanath on March along with her husband Prateek in what was described as just a courtesy call. Aparna was defeated by BJP's Rita Bahuguna Joshi from Lucknow Cantt seat in the February-March Assembly election.

The Samajwadi Party got only 47 seats in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly, its lowest tally since the party's inception in 1992.

'WILL LAUNCH CAMPAIGN TO UNITE SAMAJWADIS'

In a new twist to the feud within the Samajwadi Party, Shivpal Singh Yadav had on Tuesday said he will soon launch a campaign to unite 'samajwadis' (socialists) to bring them on one platform.

Shivpal, the warring uncle of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, had threatened to launch a new party after the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

"We will not let the legacy of 'samajwad' (socialism) to weaken and will soon launch a campaign to unite socialists to bring them on one platform," he said here while felicitating Sayed Sagir Ahmad, a senior socialist leader.

"The fight for social justice will be fought with full strength. In the name of Rama, politics of social justice should be done and not of hatred," Shivpal said.

After filing his nomination for state polls on January, he had said he would form a new party after the election results are declared. But, subsequently he had said there was no such move.

With Akhilesh snubbing Shivpal and naming Ram Govid Chowdhury the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly and Mulayam Singh Yadav giving the Samajwadi Party's national executive meeting a miss, any patch-up seems unlikely.

In a public outburst against his son, Mulayam on Saturday had said Akhilesh had insulted him and the voters understood that "one who is not loyal to his father, cannot be loyal to anyone" which led to the party's poll debacle.

(With PTI inputs)

WATCH: Shivpal Yadav set to meet UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath ALSO READ:

I am responsible for Samajwadi Party's defeat, not Akhilesh, says Shivpal Yadav

advertisement

Mulayam Singh's chhoti bahu Aparna Yadav, husband pay courtesy visit to UP CM Yogi Adityanath

--- ENDS ---
An Employee's Sense of Control Can Improve Engagement

Posted by Brennan McEachran on Wednesday, 04-05-2017 10:44 am

Currently 5.0/5 Stars.

1

2

3

4

5 5.0 from 1 votes

Giving employees a sense they have some control over their work and environment has the ability to drastically improve the level of motivation they bring to their jobs andengagementas a whole. Scientists at Stanford were the first to discover a correlation between willpower and success, while further studies a few decades later uncovered that not only is it correlated with success, but that willpower is a muscle that can be fatigued. The implications of this in the workplace are significant. One 2010 study at a manufacturing plant in Ohio found thatby addressing factorsthat taxed willpower, assembly line workers increased productivity at the plant by twenty percentwithin two months. How did they help these workers bring more of their willpower to the job? They gave them more control. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Experiments In 1998, a group of psychologists atCase Western Reserve University picked up on some of the research that started at Stanford a few decades earlier. The ac...

Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web.

If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator.

Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue

Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue

Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile
Goodwill Advocates For Congress To Support Workers, Charitable Giving And Education

Posted by Press Releases on Wednesday, 04-05-2017 3:25 am

Currently 0.0/5 Stars.

1

2

3

4

5 0.0 from 0 votes

Annual Advocacy Event Focuses on 10 Years of Goodwill on the HillThis year, 125 Goodwill representatives, including executives, professionals, volunteers and other advocates from around the country will meet with federal lawmakers and staff on Thursday, April 6 as part of Goodwill Industries Internationals annual advocacy event. During the 10 Years of Goodwill on the Hill event, representatives will be garnering support for Goodwills job training and career services, and discussing three areas of priority for the nonprofit organizations public policy agenda: funding for federal workforce development programs; the need to protect charitable giving; and the reauthorization of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act.Goodwill is dedicated to enhancing peoples dignity and quality of life by helping them reach their full potential through education, skills training and the power of work. Goodwill is a network of 162 independent, local organizations throughout the United States a...

Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web.

If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator.

Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue

Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue

Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile
The transformation of learning is a powerful story, and most organizations are still in the first or second act of this multi-act drama.



Bersin by Deloitte, 2016 Global Human Capital Trends A recent HBR article titled Why organizations dont learn looked at why companies struggle to become or remain learning organizations. Interestingly, the number 2 challenge to this situation is that organizations are not allowing time for reflection. They challenge that workers being always on does not allow time for reflection on successes and also what went wrong. Authors Gino and Staats summarize that although it may be cheaper and easier to ignore failures and any time for reflection, this will limit the learning opportunities for the organization. By allowing time for reflection, organizations could unleash true improvement as a learning entity.



Today reflection is recognized as a vital component to behavioral change as it encourages the learner to assimilate the change, making it personal and relevant to their situation . Without this, the information is abstract and one dimensional, so it is easy to dismiss or ignore the directive. If the employee is supported and encouraged to apply that information to a real situation at work and can see how positively the interaction turns out, then they are much more likely to maintain the change.

Unfortunately, reflection is often ignored in favour of reinforcement. Instead of allowing people time to think about the change, they are either told and re-told about the importance of the change, or given supplementary information about the change. Reflection is very different from reinforcement and should never be ignored or underestimated.



Reinforcement, sustainability, embedding and transfer of learning are hot topics, and with an increased emphasis on business impact, the pressure is on trainers to make learning truly valuable beyond a traditional classroom learning environment. But what do these terms really mean? In reality each is seeking behavioural change as the end goal.



People must be supported with their behavioral adjustments after learning to allow their change to stick. As mentioned, at the heart of successful behavioral change is reflection.



Another industry report from Towards Maturity; Transforming Formal Learning  , found reflection to play a critical role in the learning process, and, if used effectively and purposefully, can help embed concepts and theories from formal learning into practice. Learning from the Top Deck, we can see that of practitioners who are enhancing the application and transfer of learning into the workplace, 80% encourage and make time for reflection, and 45% encourage learners to keep reflective learning logs.



Stefano, Gino, Pisano & Staats (2014) also found that reflecting on learning and experience is in fact far more influential than learning from experience.



And thats not all. A recent paper from Ruth Helyer (2015) found that when done well, reflection can facilitate ongoing learning and also provide a structure to make sense of learning so that it can be embedded into real change.



The evidence is overwhelming. Reflecting on learning experiences can be a powerful method of progressing learning goals. Any behavioral change solution to support learners should have reflection at its core. Without reflection, learning is wasted.



To make reflection truly effective, it needs to be paired with an accountability framework to maximise the results from change. We cant force people to change, we cant yell at them, plead with them, cajole or punish them to change. We cant give them information and expect that they will automatically change work habits and processes that they have been using for years.

They need a structured process of intervention and support that allows the individual to choose the aspects of the change they want to implement first, give them time to reflect on the outcome of those behaviors and hold them accountable to making the change. T&D



Source: Helyer, R. (2015). Learning Through Reflection: The Critical Role of Reflection in Work-Based Learning (WBL). Journal of Work-Applied Management, vol. 7, issue 1 (2015), pg. 15-27.

Gino, F., & Staats, B. (2015). Why Organizations Dont Learn. Harvard Business Review

Stefano, G. D., Gino, F., Pisano, G. & Staats, B. (2014). Making Experience Count: The Role of Reflection in Individual Learning (June 14, 2016). Harvard Business School NOM Unit Working Paper No. 14-093; Harvard Business School Technology & Operations Mgt. Unit Working Paper No. 14-093. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2414478 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2414478 Author Bio

Emma Weber is CEO & Founder of Lever  Transfer of Learning and developer of the Turning Learning into Action (TLA) methodology. A recognized authority on the transfer of learning, Emma has been a guest speaker on learning effectiveness at conferences in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and the USA. She shares her passion and expertise through her writing - Turning Learning into Action: a proven methodology for effective transfer of learning which was published in March 2014 by Kogan Page.

Connect Emma Weber

Follow @emmaweber --> -->

The transformation of learning is a powerful story, and most organizations are still in the first or second act of this multi-act drama. Bersin by Deloitte, 2016 Global Human Capital Trends A recent HBR article titled Why organizations dont learn looked at why companies struggle to become or remain learning organizations. Interestingly, the number 2 challenge to this situation is that organizations are not allowing time for reflection. They challenge that workers being always on does not allow time for reflection on successes and also what went wrong. Authors Gino and Staats summarize that although it may be cheaper and easier to ignore failures and any time for reflection, this will limit the learning opportunities for the organization. By allowing time for reflection, organizations could unleash true improvement as a learning entity. Today reflection is recognized as a vital component to behavioral change as it encourages the learner to assimilate the change, making it personal and relevant to their situation. Without this, the information is abstract and one dimensional, so it is easy to dismiss or ignore the directive. If the employee is supported and encouraged to apply that information to a real situation at work and can see how positively the interaction turns out, then they are much more likely to maintain the change. Unfortunately, reflection is often ignored...
The CM also told ministers that to abide to the rule of simplicity all ministers should avoid renovations of government bungalows allotted to them.

By Mausami Singh: Within few weeks of coming into power, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has spelt out the core mantra for his ministers.

In various meetings held with his colleague the new chief minister has made no bones about the fact that his government will have to follow the core value of the BJP motto - 'party with a difference'.

advertisement

Yogi, the taskmaster, repeatedly told his ministers that the huge mandate the party has got was not for enjoying the spoils of power but for actually setting new standards at work.

What is the Yogi mantra for a government with a difference?

"The people of Uttar Pradesh have given us a huge mandate to fulfil the promises made," he said asking everyone to live in a simple fashion and do not think that power is to enjoy its excesses.

All ministers should work very hard and forget even holidays, Saturdays and Sundays for sometime.

Focusing on the attendance of ministers in review meetings and cabinet meetings the chief minister in his first cabinet counted the ministers himself to see whether all were present. He has repeatedly told ministers to be present in all review meeting even if it is not related to their department.

In the first cabinet held on Tuesday one of the ministers got his mobile phone inside and it kept ringing. After the meeting was over Adityanath told all ministers to keep cellphones away during meetings.

The CM also told ministers that to abide to the rule of simplicity all ministers should avoid renovations of government bungalows allotted to them. Instead, they should shift without much fanfare and avoid unnecessary expenditure. A simple whitewash and necessary repair was more than enough.

Surprising his colleagues in one of the meetings, Adityanath said the performance of every minister would also be reviewed in six months. He appealed all ministers to put in the best and said if in the six-monthly review the performance was not satisfactory then they should step aside and give chance to others.

Also read:

In first cabinet meet, Yogi Adityanath keeps election promise, waives farmers' loan upto Rs 1 lakh

One Akhilesh Yadav project that may be spared Yogi Adityanath's axe

Yogi Adityanath government announces farmer loan waiver to the tune of Rs 36,359 crore

Shivpal Yadav to meet CM Yogi Adityanath. What's cooking in Uttar Pradesh?

Also watch:

Lucknow: Yogi Adityanath addresses people's pleas in Janta Darbar

advertisement

--- ENDS ---
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
She began her training and got a student pilot license when she was 16. Ayesha Aziz dreamt of becoming a pilot and here she is at the age of 21, making headlines by becoming India's youngest pilot.

By India Today Web Desk: 21-year-old Ayesha Aziz is making headlines by becoming India's youngest pilot.

At a time when most are busy handling the dilemma of what stream to choose, Ayesha was sure she about being a pilot. When she was 16, she began her training and got a student pilot license by the prestigious Bombay Flying Club.

advertisement

The 21-year-old posted on Facebook a picture of her license and wrote, "the MOST precious booklet of my life arrived yesterday and brought me happiness unbound. You were one tough job. Countless exams, sleepless nights, innumerable hurdles and whatnot! But It all seems of so much worth now. What once was just a dream is a reality now".

She even did a two-month advanced space training course from NASA and met Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams, who is an inspiration for her.

Ayesha's mother is from Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district and her father is from Mumbai. Her younger brother considers her his idol and is proud of Ayesha's achievements.

She has plans of flying the MIG-29 fighter at the Sokul airbase in Russia. "I want to reach the edge of space, for which we are talking terms with the Russian agency to fly the MIG-29 ", Ayesha told NDTV .

Also read: She's a pilot AND a race car driver; meet Sneha Sharma

Also read: Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad is not alone, here are 5 infamous inflight brawls

--- ENDS ---
Burma Prominent Human Rights Lawyer Threatened, Followed

Activist and former political prisoner Robert Sann Aung / Sai Zaw / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  Human rights lawyer Robert Sann Aung has reported receiving death threats and being followed just preceding and after the assassination of another prominent lawyer, U Ko Ni, on Jan. 29.

Legal activist Robert Sann Aung told The Irrawaddy that he was first approached on Dec. 19 last year by a man wearing civilian clothes in the airport in Bhamo Township, Kachin State, on the way back to Mandalay.

The man claimed to be from Military Intelligence, he said, but gave no evidence of the claim. Robert Sann Aung, a former political prisoner, tried to ignore the mans many questions.

Since then, he added, the man has waited for him at the airport and followed him until he boarded his connecting flight on four separate occasions. He said people have come near his home, watching him twice a week for a while, as well as to his local teashop.

He has been receiving explicit photos, crude, insulting texts and threatening phone callssome from international numbersfrom men and women, mostly between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m.

Many of the calls warn him not to reform Burmas military-drafted 2008 Constitution, he said. In one of them, he was threatened with: Arent you afraid to die? You will be the next person who will be killed.

They may have intended to scare me and stop me from sleeping, he said. I turn off my phone every night during that time. I was worried I wouldnt make it to work in the mornings.

The lawyer has made posts on Facebook suggesting where the Constitution should be amended and has also given a media interview in which he advocated for constitutional reform.

I will keep saying it, and I will not stop, he said. I will do my job as a citizen of the country.

Robert Sann Aung, who has been imprisoned six times for his peaceful political and human rights activities, is hesitant to report the threats to authorities.

In addition to believing that they would not listen to him, he says that the authorities might be connected to the intimidation and increased surveillance in the past few months.

He added that it was difficult to identify who was making the phone calls, which would hinder his attempt to file a complaint at the police station.

Amnesty International released a statement on Wednesday urging the authorities to take immediate steps to ensure the lawyers safety, investigate the threats, and hold those responsible to account.

The human rights activist is especially concerned about his safety as his work often involves traveling.

It is difficult to know when and where they are waiting to kill me, he added.

National League for Democracy legal adviser U Ko Ni was shot dead as he held his grandson at Rangoon International Airport. His work included reforms to the Constitution.

To date four people have been arrested in connection with the killing and are currently on trial, however, a fifth suspect, Aung Win Khaing, a former lieutenant colonel in the Burma Army, remains at large.

Robert Sann Aung was disbarred in 1993 for defending peaceful political activists. Since his lawyers license was reinstated in 2012, he has continued to represent human rights defenders, student activists, protestors of a contested copper mine and people whose land has been confiscated by the military.
Burma Award-Winning Burma Peace Advocate: The Process Needs More Women

Aung Myo Min, Ja Nan Lahtaw, U Ko Nis daughter Dr. Yin Nwe Khaing and U Ko Nis wife Daw Tin Tin Aye accepted the awards on April 3, 2017. / EU in Myanmar / Facebook

An advocate lauded for her contribution to Burmas peace process earlier this week has stressed that women should be involved in every single step of the countrys journey to stability.

Ethnic Kachin peace facilitator Ja Nan Lahtaw was honored by the European Union in its Schuman Awards, along with human rights educator U Aung Myo Min and the late prominent lawyer U Ko Ni.

One of only a handful of women privy to the inner workings of the peace process, Ja Nan Lahtaw told The Irrawaddy that womens organizations and networks should work harder to help put more women in positions of power.

Women need to take part in every stage [of the peace process]not only at the key decision making level but as key players and supporters in general, she said.

Ja Nan Lahtaw, who won an N-Peace award in 2015, is the director of the Nyein Foundation, known as Shalom, a long-time development organization that operates as a peace facilitation group. She is among a small cadre of professionals working as technical advisers to the process.

Her recognition, she said, was also because of her advocacy for more women to participate in the process. Despite the low number of women involved in the dealings, she explained, the idea of women taking part is being well received by leaders, including State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Reflecting on the Schuman medal, she said, It has given me the strength to move forward with the work I am doing, despite all the challenges that lie ahead.

The Schuman Awardsnamed after former French Foreign Minister and founding father of the European Union, Robert Schumanwere established this year to recognize the merits of those in Burma defending peace, democracy and human rights, according to the EU delegation website.

EU Ambassador to Burma Roland Kobia said the three awardees had dedicated their lives to working towards a better future for their country and all the people who call Myanmar their home.

They are ambassadors for peace, democracy, human rights and equality, he said. With this award, the European Union would like to honor the important work of our first Schuman Laureates.
Burma Malaysia Rights Panel Disturbed Over Deaths in Detention Centers

A general view of Bukit Jalil immigration detention center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 28, 2017. / Lai Seng Sin / Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR  Malaysias national human rights panel on Tuesday said it was disturbed by more than 600 deaths at immigration detention centers and prisons over the last two years, and called for immediate reform.

In its 2016 annual report, the panel, known by its Malay acronym, Suhakam, said there were more than 100 deaths in immigration detention centers and 521 deaths in prisons in 2015 and 2016. Twelve people died in police lock-ups in 2015.

Last week, citing documents from Suhakam, Reuters reported that 118 foreigners, including undocumented workers, refugees and asylum seekers, had died at detention centers in the last two years.

Sixty three of the dead were from Burma. Suhakam said deaths mostly stemmed from diseases in all prisons and detention centers, where the government should look to improve conditions and healthcare.

There is little interest in the human rights of detainees, said chairman Razali Ismail. This attitude is reflected in government budgetary priorities and the resources made available for the running and upkeep of all places of detention.

Particularly in immigration detention centers, people spent long periods unable to move freely or sleep comfortably in overcrowded cells, he said, where conditions sometimes deteriorated to become inhumane.

The government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Suhakams report, published on Tuesday.

Former detainees, government agencies and rights groups have told Reuters of grim living conditions in detention camps that are overcrowded and unhygienic.

Some said they received insufficient food, water or healthcare, and many developed skin and lung infections, or contagious diseases. All those interviewed also alleged they were beaten by camp guards or saw others being beaten.

Suhakam documents reviewed by Reuters showed detainees died from lung infections, heart-related conditions and the bacterial disease leptospirosis. No cause was attributed for 50 deaths.

Last week, deputy home minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed told Reuters his ministry had hit a budget brick wall in efforts to improve conditions in immigration detention centers.

Malaysias 13 detention centers had a total of 86,795 detainees during various periods in 2016, the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission says.

Unfit and Unsafe

Two of the detention centers Suhakam visited last year were in dilapidated condition, the agency said in its report.

Three blocks of a detention center in southern Johor state, and two blocks on northern Penang Island were held unfit and unsafe for occupation, by the Public Works Department, it added.

The rights agency said the immigration department last week informed it of major reforms, such as better healthcare and repair of dilapidated structures.

Southeast Asia-based migrant and refugee protection group Fortify Rights urged a criminal investigation into the deaths.

Malaysian authorities could begin tackling this by ending arbitrary and indefinite detention of migrants, including refugees and survivors of trafficking, executive director Amy Smith said in a statement.
Burma Nationalists Appeal to Govt to Take Action Against Myanmar Now Correspondent

Senior monks of Mandalay Ma Ba Tha hold a press conference on their appeal to the ministry of religious affairs. / Zarni Mann / The Irrawaddy

MANDALAY  A Mandalay sub-group of nationalist Buddhist association Ma Ba Tha submitted a 8,800-signature petition to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture on Tuesday, requesting the government sue Myanmar Nows chief correspondent Ko Swe Win.

[Ko] Swe Win repeatedly insulted U Wirathu, senior abbot and the general secretary of Mandalay Ma Ba Tha Sayadaw U Kuthala explained at a press conference on Tuesday, referring to Burmas infamous ultranationalist monk.

If we dont stop him, there will be more people like him who will insult the countrys Sasana [religion] and Buddhist monks.

Last month, Ma Ba Tha follower U Kyaw Myo Shwe filed a lawsuit against Ko Swe Win under controversial Article 66(d) of Burmas Telecommunications Law, accusing the reporter of insulting U Wirathu in a Facebook post.

Ko Swe Win had shared a Myanmar Now news story that said U Wirathu was no longer in the monkhood as he had thanked the assassins who killed National League for Democracy legal advisor U Ko Ni.

The senior Buddhist monks of Ma Ba Tha told the media that they would take further steps if regional government does not listen their appeal.

U Wirathu told him [Swe Win] to apologize but he didnt. Despite an apology, he repeatedly wrote on his Facebook and giving interview to the media that he will not apologize and keep insulting U Wirathu, accusing him of being a criminal, said Sayadaw U Kuthala.

The case was not taken up by police and Ko Swe Win went on to demand authorities take action against U Wirathu and his hate speech.

Ko Swe Wins legal adviser U Khin Maung Myint said the government should step in to ensure competing legal action between Ko Swe Win and U Wirathu did not spiral out of control.

Last week, Bhamo Sayadaw Bhaddanta Kumara, chairman of the state Buddhist authority known by its Burmese acronym Ma Ha Na, said that U Wirathu could be imprisoned again if he continues to deliver sermons in defiance of a Ma Ha Na ban.

Ma Ba Tha and other followers continue to stand behind U Wirathu.

He [U Wirathu] is like a great wall and a great defender of our nation, nationality and religion, he never breaks the law of the monkhood, said Sayardaw U Kuthala. We need to stand with U Wirathu for he is a hero of the countrys Sasana.
Burma Prepare for Climate Change Risks, Report Urges

Roads in downtown Rangoon were flooded by heavy rain in May 2016. / J Paing / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  Burma must prepare for a dramatic climate shift of hotter temperatures, more rainfall, higher sea levels, and more tropical cyclones, warns a climate change report published this week.

Data from 19 weather stations across the country operating since 1981 show Burmas climate is already changingaverage temperatures and rainfall have both increased over this period.

Extreme weather events like 2008s Cyclone Nargis, 2010s extreme heat wave, and 2015s flooding are predicted to increase in the future.

This is according to the report titled Assessing Climate Risk in Myanmar issued by Colombia University, the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the UN Human Settlements Program (UNHSP).

Across Burma, temperatures are predicted to rise by between 1.3 and 2.7 degrees Celsius by the middle of the century, with the most dramatic changes during the hot season and in the east and north of the country.

Aside from the significant health risks attached to higher temperatures2010s heat wave killed more than 200 people in Mandalay alone according to the health ministryBurmas agriculture must adapt by using methods to conserve water and planting species of plants suited to the extremes of droughts and floods, particularly in the countrys central Dry Zone.

Burmas coastal areas will bear the brunt of higher rainfallthough the report notes that more rainfall does not mean more rainy days and that in fact the monsoon season has already shortened by a week.

Annual total rainfall in coastal areas has increased by 157 mm (4.5 percent) per decade since 1981, making parts of Arakan State and the Irrawaddy Delta more susceptible to flooding during the monsoon season.

Sea levels are projected to rise by between 5 cm and 13 cm in the 2020s along the entire coast of Burma, increasing to between 20 cm and 41 cm in the 2050s, and 37 cm to 83 cm in the 2080s.

Greater and more frequent storm surges and coastal floods could extend up to 10 km from todays coast in low-lying areas such as the Irrawaddy Delta.

Low-lying delta areas also remain vulnerable to violent tropical cyclones which are likely to increase with climate changeevidence points towards an increase in maximum wind speeds and intensity of the strongest tropical cyclones as upper ocean temperatures increase.

Burmas government must take these climate risks into account when developing the countrys infrastructure, the report urges.

Power systems should be designed to operate under extreme temperatures; housing and economic developments should be planned with flood plains and sea level rises taken into account; and telecommunications systems should be developed to coordinate responses to climate emergencies.

Burmas ecosystems and biodiversity are also under threat, with slow-moving and low-dispersal species most at risk.

The countrys ecosystems are, however, an important weapon in the fight against climate risk.

Up-river forests retain soil and reduce the risk of landslides and flooding downstream, while mangroves provide critical defenses against coastal erosion and increasingly intense cyclones, and should be protected as a priority.
Burma Religious Affairs Ministry: Journalist Ko Swe Win Has Not Violated the Law

Police from Mandalay questioned Myanmar Now chief editor Ko Swe Win at the Kyauktada police station in Rangoon on Wednesday in relation to a lawsuit filed against him under Article 66(d) of the Telecommunication Law. U Kyaw Myo Shwe, a follower of nationalist monk U Wirathu, brought about the suit, alleging that Ko Swe Win had insulted the monk. / Chan Son / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  Chief editor of Myanmar Now Ko Swe Winwho is the subject of two legal cases linked to ultranationalist Buddhist association Ma Ba Thahas not contravened any law, according to a statement of opinion by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture.

The three-page ministry letter was issued in response to a request by Ko Swe Win for a summary of its views on the lawsuits against him, filed under Article 66(d) of the Telecommunications Lawin Mandalayand Article 295 of Burmas penal codein Rangoon. The journalist had shared an abbots quote on Facebook stating that U Wirathu was no longer a member of the monkhood because he had thanked the assassins of National League for Democracy legal adviser U Ko Ni for their act.

While clarifying that the ministry is not a judicial or prosecuting institution, the letter stated, Ko Swe Win did not set out with the intent to defame U Wirathu, but had carried out his job as a journalist by informing the public about U Wirathus statement.

The ministry also noted that U Wirathu had recently been banned from delivering sermons for one year.

Ko Swe Wins criticism, the ministry stated, was based on facts, and could therefore not be classified as defamation, and did not insult the Buddhist religion. Thus the ministry did not accept that there were grounds for an indictment under the penal codes Article 295.

In response to the statement by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture, Ko Swe Wins legal adviser U Khin Maung Myint said, the statement will help a lot in fighting the criminal charges.

The journalist could be charged under 66(d) after a Ma Ba Tha member from Mandalay, Kyaw Myo Shwe, filed a complaint in Maha Aung Myay Township; the police accepted the case and traveled to Rangoons Kyauktada Township to question Ko Swe Win and investigate the charges under the law, according to police officer Kyaw Thu.

Khin Maung Myint said that he gave 11 papers and one video clip to the two police officers from Mandalay as evidence in the case.

According to his legal adviser, Ko Swe Win will have another meeting on April 7 in order to deal with the second charge, filed by Ko Thet Myo Oo from Rangoons Kyimyintaing Township. Ko Thet Myo Oo argued that Ko Swe Win had violated Article 295 of the penal code and insulted Buddhism through his social media posts concerning U Wirathu.
Reddit Email 178 Shares

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

Disturbing signs emerged Tuesday that Donald J. Trumps odd self-presentation and erratic pronouncements could be a serious security threat to . . . all Americans. That is, if the US appears to be led by an incompetent it will encourage attacks.

Al-Hayat reports that a spokesman for Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) said Tuesday, in the terrorist organizations first comment on US president Donald Trump, that the United States is sinking and that it is led by a buffoon. Abu al-Hasan al-Muhajir added in a voice recording distributed by the Telegraph app, that America is bankrupt and the signs of its demise are obvious to everyone watching. There is no clearer evidence of it that that you have surrendered your affairs to an imbecilic buffoon . . . who doesnt have the slightest idea of what Syria, Iraq or Islam are.

The Daesh mouthpiece called on supporters to flock to the aid of the beleaguered terrorist group and called for attacks on the countries that are besieging it.

It warned the US that if it continued its war on Daesh, it would drown in the quagmire of death.

Trump is said to be seeking ways to accelerate the campaign against Daesh.

The Iraqi army in conjunction with an international coalition that includes the United States is conducting an operation to retake Mosul, some 25% of which is still in Daesh hands. Iraqs third-largest city, it is the last major urban stronghold for Daesh in Iraq.

Al-Hayat [Life] reports that defeated supporters of Daesh and their families, as well as those of local police who agreed to work with the brutal group, are facing increasing reprisal killings at the hands of tribes opposed to them. The houses of defeated Daesh member have been firebombed. Daesh had committed massacres against many families and clans, especially the rural AlBu Nimr. Some families who have become tent-dwelling refugees outside main cities like Fallujah decline to return home if they have a family member who served with Daesh, for fear of reprisals.

In Syria, the US is intimating that preparations are almost complete for an assault on the Daesh capital, the small eastern desert town of Raqqa, which I cant imagine has more than 100,000 people left in it, and maybe fewer. Raqqa Province was a little over 900,000 people before Daesh took it over, and is now said to be only 400,000.

In the past week, thousands have fled the coming battle for the city.

-

Related video:

Wochit News:  ISIS Calls Trump Idiot In Message
Reddit Email 350 Shares

TeleSur |  

U.S. President Trump also greenlighted a group operation in Yemen in February that killed more than 30 civilians.

The young U.S. administration of Donald Trump has carried out at least 70 airstrikes in Yemen, more than twice as many as those carried out in 2016 under the Obama administration, according to data provided by the Pentagon.

The Pentagon said Monday that the United States had carried out 20 airstrikes in Yemen just last week, many in the media were quick to point out that the total for 2017 so far is more than double that of last year.

The U.S. military said the airstrikes were carried out by unmanned drones allegedly against targets and fighters belonging to al-Qaidas branch in Yemen, regarded as one of the terrorist groups most powerful factions.

The Trump administration had also carried out a limited operation in Yemen against a high-ranking al-Qaida commander, which was not granted by former President Barack Obama for being too risky, and killed more than 30 Yemeni civilians and one U.S. special forces officer.

Yemen is also under another military attack by Saudi Arabia and 12 of its regional allies who have been bombing the country on a daily basis since March 2015, killing more than 10,000 people, many of them civilians.

The Obama administration expanded the use of drones in his countrys controversial and global war on terror that was initiated by his predecessor following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. But the United States is also bombing several other Muslim-majority countries in the region.

In 2016, the Obama administration dropped 26,171 bombs on Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Pakistan during the year, according to a report issued in January by the New York City-based think tank, the Council of Foreign Relations.

The figure amounts to an average of 72 bombs every day, the equivalent of three an hour. Most of those airstrikes took place in Iraq and Syria, where the United States is purportedly leading a coalition against the Islamic State group.

The report said that only 34 bombs were dropped in Yemen in 2016, keeping with a similar trend of previous years. Over the next few years, Trump seems intent on escalating Obamas drone war in Yemen.

Via TeleSur

-

Related video added by Juan Cole:

ITV News: Fear and despair in Yemen as life hangs by a thread
Delta, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 5, 2017) - Desert Gold Ventures Inc. (TSXV: DAU) (FSE: QXR2) (OTC: DAUGF) ("Desert Gold" or "the Company") Further to the press release dated March 30, 2017, the Company is pleased to announce that it has closed its private placement. The Company has issued 2,860,800 units at a price of CAD$0.25 per unit, raising gross proceeds of CAD$715,200. Securities issued resulting from this private placement will be subject to a statutory hold period. This private placement is subject to approval by the TSX Venture Exchange.

Highlights

The Company successfully closes non-brokered private placement of 2,860,800 securing total proceeds of CAD$715,200

Sodinaf International SA becomes financial and strategic partner in Western Africa

Mr. Salif Keita is appointed to the position of Vice President of Operations, West Africa

Desert Gold outlines USD $1.5 million exploration program for its gold exploration portfolio in Western Mali

Sodinaf International SA ("Sodinaf") subscribed for 2,760,800 units representing the majority of the placement. Sodinaf is a West African gold mining company that owns a 55% interest in the Kodieran Mine in Southern Mali as well as a substantial gold exploration portfolio in Western Mali and Ivory Coast. The Kodieran gold mine is situated approximately 300 kilometers southeast of Bamako, the capital of Mali. The mine and associated mining lease is operated by Wassoul Or SA a private joint-venture company where Sodinaf is the majority shareholder at 55%. The Kodieran mining license and regional land package is situated on the West African Birimian greenstone belt; one of the most prolific belts in Western Africa where approximately 52 million ounces of gold resources have been discovered to date. The Kodieran mine is an open pit mining operation using a gravity plant that operates at a capacity of 11,000 tons per day. For more information visit http://www.wassoulor.com.

Desert Gold and Sodinaf will form a strategic partnership to develop Desert Gold's exploration licenses in Western Mali. The two companies will combine operational and financial resources to undertake exploration programs this year at all three of the Company's properties in Western Mali.

To this aim, the Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Salif Keita to the position of Vice President of Operations for West Africa. Mr. Keita is a senior geologist with over 14 years of experience in exploration and mining production. The majority of Mr. Keita's regional experience is in the Birimian Green Stone Belt in West Africa where he held senior positions with Anglo Gold Ashanti, Gold Fields and Great Quest Metals. Mr. Keita holds a B.Sc. Geology (Honors) from the National School of Engineering, Bamako, Mali. Mr. Keita will work with Desert Gold's technical directors to oversee the Company's exploration efforts in Western Mali.

2017 Exploration Plans

Exploration will begin at the Company's highly prospective Farabantourou prospect where an indicated and inferred resource of 69,600 oz Au exists known as Barani East (969,000 tons at 2.25 g/t oz Au with a 0.5 g/t cutoff grade)0. Farabantourou is located on the Senegal-Mali Fault Zone ("SMFZ") 40km south of the AngloGold Ashanti Sadiola/Yatela Mine and 50km north of Randgold's Loulou Mine. Both these mines are on the SMFZ. In addition to the Barani East deposit, Farabantourou hosts 6 other mineralized zones that are largely underexplored and which combine to form nearly 5 km of strike. Phase 1 of the exploration program will consist of a core-drilling program to reduce drill spacing on the current resource, as well as step out to drill new targets along strike to the south and west known as Kousilli and Dambamba. In addition to this, the Company will undertake to drill several deep holes at Barani East to depths up to depths of 400 meters. Phase 1 plans for a total of 6,000 meters of core drilling with work scheduled to begin immediately.

Desert Gold also plans to begin exploration this year at Segala West, the Company's other highly prospective project in Western Mali. The Segala West permit is surrounded by several mines, which include Randgold's Loulo-Gounkoto mine complex to the West. Adjacent to the East of Segala West are Endeavour Mining's Tabakoto and Segala mines. Endeavour's Kofi and Kefola prospects also lie to the north and south respectively where Desert Gold has allowed Endeavour to construct a road through its property where Endeavour is currently trucking ore from its Kofi prospect to its Tabakoto site. Within the Segala West permit exists a large soil geochemical anomaly covering an area of 24 km2 within which 3 significant artisanal mines are active. The surface expression of the neighboring mine, Tabakoto (Endeavour Mining), which hosts ~3 million oz Au is less than 1 km2 (18.5 Mt at 3.5 g/t for 1.8 million oz Au measured and indicated, 9 Mt at 3.6 g/t for 1 million oz Au inferred and 6.4 Mt at 3.5 g/t for 0.7 million oz au proven and probable). The mineralization hosted on the Company's property is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization hosted on Loulo-Gounkoto and Tabakoto deposits. However, the extent and persistence of the soil geochemical gold anomaly is the surface expression of significant mineralization below ground. Combined with the extensive artisanal mining presence on site, Desert Gold will undertake an extensive exploration program this year that will include structural mapping of all three of the artisanal pits, extensive deep trenching in the Southern area of the permit known as the Baroya area and finally a core drilling program consisting of a minimum of 5,000 meters of core drilling.

Finally the Company will undertake to complete surface exploration at its Djimbala permit this year located in the Yanfolila Gold belt in Southern Mali. The Company's Djimbala permit is surrounded by Hummingbird Resources' Yanfolila Gold Project. The Company will complete a soil geochemistry program over the permit and conduct grab sampling at the numerous artisanal sites on Djimbala. The company will also begin an auger drill program after it has completed its soil geochemistry and sampling programs with the aim of establishing targets for a follow up core drilling program.

The Company is budgeting USD $1.5 million for the programs outlined above.

Desert Gold's President Jared Scharf commented "We have been working diligently for some time now to identify an ideal partner for Desert Gold. In Sodinaf we have found a strategic partner with financial resources and a proven track record to explore, develop, construct and operate a large gold mine in the region in which our permits are situated. Today Sodinaf has made a significant investment into Desert Gold. We bring an excellent management team and exploration portfolio to the table and Sodinaf brings the financial and operational capabilities to help us develop this portfolio. This synergy is very exciting. We are also very happy with Mr. Keita's appointment as his experience working at some of the largest mines in Western Mali will be crucial in the development and execution of the programs we are planning this year. It is a gratifying day for the company and its shareholders. I look forward to providing more detailed information as it becomes available."
VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - April 05, 2017) - Maxtech Ventures Inc. (CSE: MVT) (CSE: MVT.CN) (FRANKFURT:M1N) (OTC PINK: MTEHF) ("Maxtech" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed an arms-length binding agreement to acquire 9,999.23 hectares of additional mineral claims with indications of manganese in the State of Amazonas, Brazil.

The terms of the acquisition include the payment of US$35,000 and the issuance of 300,000 common shares of Maxtech, the transaction is subject to the CSE and other regulatory body approvals. Maxtech has now amassed over 50,000 hectares of exploration claims in the region.

Amazonas is a state in Brazil located in the northwestern corner of the country, it is the largest Brazilian State by area and the 9th largest country subdivision in the world, being greater than the areas of Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile combined. Export of mineralized materials from the claim area could be done by truck to river transportation by barge to the Port of Manaus, in Amazonas. Manaus is an important commercial center for ocean-going vessels traveling the Amazon and is the main transport hub for the entire upper Amazon basin, with access to the Atlantic ocean for exporting products globally.

The manganese mineralization observed in the area is similar to the Company's Juina claim areas in Mato Grosso and the Espigao area of the State of Rondonia. Extensive exploration is planned for both hydrothermal vein style deposits and colluvium rich, clast deposits.

Maxtech, CEO Peter Wilson states, "The size of the surface showings are significant with cobbles the size of a small car. We are very excited to have again expanded our direct ownership with claims in Amazonas. The Company continues to grow with our goal to be one of the largest explorers for manganese claims in Brazil."

About Maxtech Ventures Inc.

Maxtech Ventures Inc. is a Canadian based diversified industries corporation with gold and manganese mineral properties. Its focus is on mining and the products that are derived therefrom.

For additional information see the Company's web site at http://www.maxtech-ventures.com.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - April 5, 2017) - Critical Elements Corporation (the "Corporation" or "Critical Elements") (TSX VENTURE:CRE)(OTCQX:CRECF)(FRANKFURT:F12) is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed its pilot plant trials. The program confirmed the suitability and robustness of the beneficiation plant design. The outstanding results yielded lithium concentrate grades of up to 6.56% and recoveries of up to 83.4%. Results obtained in pilot plant testing demonstrate very good understanding of the processing of the mineralized material, and the commercial plant should generate results similar to the locked cycle tests with the optimized equipment.

Locked cycle tests returned outstanding results, with a lithium concentrate grade of 6.65% Li 2 O and recoveries of up to 89.7%. Tantalite recoveries were 48.1% for Rose and 64.4% for Rose South, respectively, with grades of 1.44% and 2.39% Ta 2 O 5 , respectively.

The trials also included testing of low iron content mineralized material suitable for higher-value Glass and Ceramics applications (Spodumene Tech Grade).

"I am very excited about our pilot plant results, which highlight the low risk profile of the project. The lithium market is desperately looking for new, reliable, and sustainable suppliers like Critical Elements, as yearly demand for lithium carbonate is expected to grow from 200,000 mt, to more than 600,000 mt", said Dr. Steffen Haber, President.

"Helm congratulates Critical Elements on the successful recovery of this high quality spodumene. Our customers are looking forward to when we can supply their needs from the Rose Mine", said Oliver Leptien, Executive Manager, Derivatives Business Unit of Helm AG.

Lithium recoveries improved as the trial progressed, indicating an increased understanding of the process, which resulted in adjustments being made to the operation. The proposed plant design includes simple grinding, and industry-standard flotation circuits, and uses magnetic and gravity separation to upgrade the Spodumene and Tantalite ore.

Pilot plant trials were conducted in 12- and 48-hour phases at a rate of 250 kg/h on material from two different zones of the deposit, Rose and Rose South. Initial trials were performed during a 12-hour run to establish operating conditions, after which a 48-hour run was conducted to produce a concentrate and test the selected circuit design.

The series of pilot runs conducted using the Rose and Rose South materials confirmed the results with respect to lithium grade and recovery. The trials outlined results of up to 6.41% Li 2 O with recovery up to 83.4% for Rose, and 6.56% Li 2 O with recovery up to 81.9% for Rose South. With respect to tantalum, adjustments were made to the Ta recovery unit and an additional unit was added to improve recovery. The final four runs showed Ta recovery up to 69.1%. The pilot plant work indicates that similar recoveries can be obtained for tantalum as in laboratory testing, and the tantalum will be further concentrated by gravity or flotation, from a grade of 1-2% Ta 2 O 5 up to 25% Ta 2 O 5 .

"We are very enthusiastic about these recent results, which confirm the high-grade concentrate, and robust recovery profile of our project," said Jean-Sebastien Lavallee, Chief Executive Officer of Critical Elements Corporation. "The Rose lithium-tantalum project has always returned lithium recoveries and grades that were above industry standards. These results have now been confirmed at the pilot plant scale."

Jean-Sebastien Lavallee (OGQ #773), geologist, shareholder and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this release.

About Critical Elements Corporation

A recent financial analysis (Technical Report and Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) on the Rose lithium-tantalum Project, Genivar, December 2011) of the Rose project, 100% owned by Critical Elements, based on price forecasts of US $260/kg ($118/lb) for Ta 2 O 5 contained in a tantalite concentrate and US $6,000/t for lithium carbonate (Li 2 CO 3 ) showed an estimated after-tax Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 25% for the Rose project, with an estimated Net Present Value (NPV) of CA $279 million at an 8% discount rate. The payback period is estimated at 4.1 years. The pre-tax IRR is estimated at 33% and the NPV at CA $488 million at a discount rate of 8%. (Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability). (The preliminary economic assessment is preliminary in nature). (See press release dated November 21, 2011.)

The conclusions of the PEA indicate that the operation would support a production rate of 26,606 tons of high purity (99.9% battery grade) Li 2 CO 3 and 206,670 pounds of Ta 2 O 5 per year over a 17-year mine life.
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 5, 2017) - Arena Minerals Inc. (TSX VENTURE:AN) ("Arena" or the "Company") is pleased to report that it has received $975,000 from the exercise of 6,500,000 of the Company's outstanding warrants. The warrants were issued in conjunction with the April 1, 2015 Private Placement and were convertible into common shares of the Company at $0.15 per common share with an expiry date of April 1, 2017.

"We are very pleased to have received $975,000 from the exercise of warrants. The cash received will give Arena further flexibility in assessing its growth plans. We are now better positioned to capitalize on the many acquisitions under review, as well as giving us the flexibility to pursue early phase drilling on some of our key properties currently not under joint venture, such as Cerro Barco and Pampa Paciencia. Cerro Barco consist of approximately 30,000 hectares covering two large 2 km by 3 km geophysical anomalies flanked by copper mineralization, porphyry style alteration and stock work which will be the primary focus of any upcoming programs," commented William Randall, President & CEO of Arena.

About Arena Minerals

Arena Minerals is a prospect generator that has two properties under option covering approximately 70,000 hectares within the Antofagasta region of Chile. The properties are at low altitudes, within producing mining camps in infrastructure rich areas. The Company's flagship asset is the Atacama Copper Property, consisting of 70,000 hectares, following a contractual land reduction on July 27, 2016, of essentially undrilled ground in the heart of Chile's premier copper mining district. Currently, approximately 40,000 of the Atacama Copper Property is under option to third parties. Pursuant to option agreements entered into between Arena, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation and Teck Resources Chile Limitada, each have the right to earn into 60% of the respective land holdings within the property, by collectively spending over $40 million in exploration expenditures, amongst certain other commitments.

To view the Company's website, please visit www.arenaminerals.com.

In addition to featuring information regarding the Company, its managements and projects, the website also contains the latest corporate news and an email registration allowing subscribers to receive news and updates directly.
Vancouver, Canada  April 5, 2017 - Nexus Gold Corp. (Nexus or the Company) (TSX-V: NXS, OTC: NXXGF, FSE: N6E) is pleased to announce the completion of its phase one diamond drill program at the 178-square kilometer Niangouela exploration permit located approximately 85 kilometers north of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A 2000m phase two program is now underway to test down the dip and strike extensions of gold mineralization identified by the company in its phase one program. The program will also test additional targets identified through surface mapping and prospecting. Results will be released once received, reviewed and verified.

The first phase diamond drill program was designed to test ground defined by anomalous rock samples collected from underground artisanal workings and anomalous Rotary Air Blast (RAB) drilling completed by the Company in December 2016. This initial program successfully intersected gold mineralization in eight of the first nine holes drilled on the concession. The mineralization was contained in a silicified shear zone occurring in the host granite. Quartz veining is associated with the shear zone.

Additional Analysis of First Assay Results

The initial assays from the first nine diamond drill holes at Niangouela, as announced in the Companys March 7, 2017, news release, have undergone additional analysis. The Company applied metallic screen analysis and bulk leach extractable gold (BLEG) analysis, in addition to gravimetric fire analysis.

This additional analysis has resulted in the change in values of several intercepts originally released on March 7, including hole NGL-17-DD-008 which saw an increase from 8.50 g/t gold over .62 metre, to 11.7 g/t gold over .62 metre, and from 120 g/t gold over 1 metre, to 132 g/t gold over 1 metre. In addition, hole NGL-17-DD-009 increased from 2.61 g/t gold over 4 metres to 2.95 g/t gold over 4 metres. This hole also gained an additional 1 metre of 5.00 g/t gold.

The presence of free gold and the results of the BLEG and metallic screen analysis has demonstrated the need for ensuring that the maximum amount of material is being analyzed, said Senior Geologist Warren Robb. The company will be employing the appropriate method to gain the most representative gold value as is possible. Continued Mr. Robb.

The updated assay results from the phase one program to date are tabled below:

Hole ID Azimuth Dip FROM (m) TO (m) INTERCEPT (metres) Au gram/tonne NGL-17-DD-001 10 -50 76.00 87.00 11.00 0.37 includes 83.00 84.00 1.00 1.21 NGL-17-DD-002 190 -60 84.50 85.50 2.00 1.05 104.50 105.50 1.00 1.32 NGL-17-DD-003 185 -50 86.40 91.50 5.10 1.80 includes 86.40 87.50 1.10 6.14 NGL-17-DD-004 185 -60 121.00 124.00 3.00 0.96 includes 122.00 123.00 1.00 1.47 NGL-17-DD-005 185 -70 No significant

results NGL-17-DD-006 180 -50 65.00 71.20 6.20 4.00 includes 70.20 71.20 1.00 20.50 NGL-17-DD-007 180 -60 102.00 109.20 7.20 1.01 includes 104.00 105.00 1.00 2.34 and 106.20 107.20 1.00 1.92 NGL-17-DD-008 180 -50 57.00 61.85 4.85 26.69 includes 58.35 58.97 0.62 11.7 and 58.97 60.00 1.03 132.00 NGL-17-DD-009 180 -60 74.50 78.50 4.00 2.95 includes 74.50 75.50 1.00 5.00 and 76.50 77.50 1.00 5.92

1. Denotes metallic screen analysis

2. Denotes gravimetric fire assay analysis

3. Denotes bulk leach extractable gold analysis

* Note all assay results represent intercept lengths and are not true widths

The sampled core was delivered to the independent Actlabs laboratory in Ouagadougou where the samples underwent analysis by fire assay with an atomic absorption finish. If samples returned values greater than 10 ppm gold the sample was re-analysed by gravimetric fire assay. Samples with identified visible gold were analysed using a fire assay metallic screen analysis. The Company employs a QA/QC program of inserting standards, blanks and duplicates into the samples stream as a supplement to the internal checks employed by Actlabs.

The drill program tested the shear zone for over 200 metres along strike and intercepted the zone to depths of 105 metres below surface. The shear zone remains opens along strike and to depth.

About the Niangouela Gold Concession

The 178 sq km Niangouela gold concession is located on the Boromo Greenstone Belt and is proximal to the Kalsaka deposit and the Sabce Shear Zone. It is accessible by road and has one major orpaillage (artisanal workings).

In December 2016 the Company conducted an 802m rotary air blast (RAB) drill program that delineated an approximately 1,000-metre (1km) quartz vein and a 500-metre secondary strike, running oblique to the main vein. This vein has now been identified in trenches, artisanal workings and through RAB drilling. It remains open in all directions.

A total of 11 rock chip and grab samples were taken during the initial exploration phase. Sample NG005, taken directly from the primary quartz vein at 46m depth returned a value of 2,950 g/t gold. Sample NG007 contained coarse visible gold, and was taken from material extracted from a depth of approximately 60m, returned a value of 403 g/t gold. Sample NG008, a single large piece of primary quartz vein containing host rock inclusions and a cluster of visible, returned a value of 49.8 g/t gold.

The company then followed up with the first ever diamond drill program at the concession. Eight of the first nine drill holes successfully intercepted gold, with highlights including 26.69 g/t gold over 4.85m (including 1m of 132 g/t gold), and 4.00 g/t gold over 6.2m (including 1m of 20 g/t gold). All mineralization in these first nine holes was present at depths of 57m to 124m below surface.

{pinterestgallery type=local path=images/stocks/nxs/gallery/niangouela/ previewWidth=200px itemSpace=7px itemPadding=1px}{/pinterestgallery}

About Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is a landlocked nation, located in West Africa. It covers an area of roughly 274,000 square kilometres and has an estimated population of more than 16 million people. The country has a stable political setting with a pro-mining and foreign investment stance. Burkina Faso is the fastest growing gold producer in Africa, and was the 4th largest gold producer in Africa in 2012. Eight new mines have been commissioned there over the past six years. The country has excellent geological potential. The Greenstone Belts that host all of the major deposits in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire continue northward into Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso has undergone less than 15 years of modern mineral exploration, remaining under-explored in comparison to neighbouring Ghana and Mali; both of which host world-class gold mines in the same belts of Birimian rocks.

About the Company

Nexus Gold Corp. is a Vancouver-based gold exploration and development company operating in some of the worlds premier mining districts. The Company is currently concentrating its efforts on two gold projects located in Burkina Faso, West Africa. The Bouboulou gold concession is a 38-sq km advanced exploration target where previous drilling has confirmed multiple zones of gold mineralization. The Niangouela gold concession is a 178-sq km project featuring high grade gold occurring in and around a primary quartz vein 1km in length and associated shear zone. For more information on these projects, please visit the Company website at www.nexusgoldcorp.com.

Warren Robb P.Geo., Senior Geologist is the designated Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the technical information contained in this release.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

NEXUS GOLD CORP.

Peter Berdusco

President and Chief Executive Officer

604-558-1920

www.nexusgoldcorp.com
The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday overwhelmingly passed legislation calling for relisting North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism and a resolution condemning North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile development.

The swift passage of the bipartisan measures, which came just five days after they passed through the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was seen as a message to China in the run-up to the first summit talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The North Korea State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act (H.R.479), which was introduced by Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) in January, was approved in a 398-3 vote, while the resolution on the North's missile development passed in a 394-1 vote.

The terrorism bill requires the State Department to submit a report within 90 days after the bill's enactment on whether Pyongyang meets the criteria for a terror sponsor. In the event the department determines the North doesn't merit the designation, it should also offer a detailed justification for the decision.

Calls for adding Pyongyang back to the State Department's list of terrorism-sponsoring nations have gained significant traction in the wake of the Feb. 13 killing in Malaysia of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.












Networking events have seen a spike as an increasing number of foreign students are choosing Korea as a practical option for graduate studies.



International group, Koreaners, will host a weekly meet-up at Mountain Haus in Itaewon, Seoul, tomorrow night.



The Busan English Party will host an international gathering at Sharky's in Busan, Saturday.



"We meet two Saturdays every month from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. The whole bar is booked for us to use. Everybody is welcome. Come alone or bring your friends," states the invitation.



Sharky's is a popular Western-style bar and grill in the heart of the Gwangan Beach area.



About 100 people attend each Busan party.



The purpose of the Koreaners meet-up is to bring Koreans and non-Koreans together to exchange ideas, culture, social issues, discuss national cohesion and network for a lifetime.



"So this is a group for anyone from all over the world who is interested in making new friends, partying with new friends, studying languages and exploring Korea together. There will be periodic activities to engage all Koreaners members as well," the group says on its website.



The entrance fee to the Busan English Party night is 5,000 won. Entry to the Koreaners networking is free.



Both nights are from 7:30 to 11 p.m.



To get to Sharky's, leave Geumnyeonsan station at exit 3, make a U-turn as you exit, and go straight 20 meters. Turn right at the intersection and go straight about 300 meters. Sharky's will be on your right, toward the Samik Beach Apartments on the 2nd floor.



To get to Mountain Haus leave Itaewon Station from exit 3 and turn right. Walk straight for 20 meters. Turn left when you see the traffic light and walk until you reach Taco Bell. Mountain Haus is in the building next to Taco Bell on the right on the 2nd floor.



For more information on Busan English Party, visit the events page on Facebook. To learn more about Koreaners, visit www.koreaners.com.




LifeStyle

The best LifeStyle shows are right here, from Australia and around the world. Catch up with the experts on home design and interiors, food and cooking, the property market, and get fresh ideas with the savviest of renovators. Whether you need inspiration for cooking up a storm, to refresh a tired room, or tips to sell your property, Foxtel LifeStyle will always something new for you to watch. Enjoy your favourite experts like Andrew Winter and Neale Whitaker, or Deb Hutton and Jamie Oliver live or On Demand.

Get Foxtel
Under Obama, the GOP thrived through conflict. The other party looks to be following that example.

In one of his last interviews before leaving office, President Obama was asked to explain what drove the consistent Republican opposition to his legislative agenda. The interviewer, Ta-Nehisi Coates of the Atlantic, suggested (as you might have expected) that GOP lawmakers acted out of racial bias. The president offered (as you might not have expected) a more practical explanation.

If Republicans didnt cooperate, said Mr. Obama, and there was not a portrait of bipartisan cooperation and a functional federal government, then the party in power would pay the price and they could win back the Senate and/or the House. That wasnt an inaccurate political calculation.

After Republicans blocked President Trumps plans to replace ObamaCare, he vowed to work with Democrats in Congress if necessary to advance his policy agenda. But this strategy presupposes that Democrats are interested in helping the administration succeed. As even Mr. Obama acknowledged, full resistance paid big dividends for the GOP as Democrats lost control of the House in 2010, the Senate in 2014 and the presidency last November. Some Democrats from states Mr. Trump carried, such as Sens. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, are supporting the Supreme Court nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch, and might back the administration on other issuesbut these are party outliers, not trailblazers.

Mr. Trumps overall approval rating is already historically low for a first-term president....

Read the entire piece here at The Wall Street Journal

______________________

Jason L. Riley is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a columnist at The Wall Street Journal, and a Fox News commentator.
by Tobi Elkin @tobielkin, April 5, 2017

Poor ad quality, fraud and waste are top-of-mind issues for marketers. Low-quality ads cost U.S. marketers $7.4 billion last year, according to a new report from Forrester. The report said programmatic media and video are the primary causes of ad fraud spending wastage.

The research suggests the problem will grow to $10.9 billion by 2021 if steps are not taken to address it.

The Forrester report described a digital advertising supply chain riddled with problems, most directly connected to the lack of transparency in ad tech. The result is wasted time, effort, and money, and lackluster ROI.

Notably, it stated: The end of digital medias wild days will be good news for premium publishers that invest in their content, in growing their quality audiences, and in the ad tech partnerships that facilitate honest brokerage of their valuable inventory. The most desirable marketers with the biggest budgets are fed up, and rightly so. They want standards that apply to all digital media, like in television and print.

advertisement advertisement

Taking fraud and a lack of viewability into account, marketers are spending, but also wasting billions on digital advertising. The lack of transparency in ad tech only adds to marketers challenges.

Forrester noted that the speed and complexity of programmatic buying render the few tools that marketers have to manage the process useless.

Worst of all, the report suggested that until standards are set, the digital advertising pipeline will remain polluted. If marketers think they bought 100 impressions for $100, think again. The true cost was closer to double the original number.

While agencies and trade associations have taken up viewability ad nauseam in the last few years, Forrester suggests even measuring viewability remains a challenge because standards vary.

The Media Rating Council established a benchmark and accredited 13 vendors for display measurement, but their findings can vary widely, the report said. For example, media agency GroupM has a much stricter standard. As one ad-tech executive noted in the report: When you take away the non-viewable ads, theres not much left.
Does the world need another photo editing app?

Betting that it does, Microsoft just unveiled Sprinkles -- a new camera app, which uses artificial intelligence software to suggest smart captions.

Captions are unique to whats in the picture, so try different things, such as coffee, food, pets and selfies, the software giant suggests on Sprinkles iTunes preview page.

Not unlike Snapchat, Sprinkles can also frame users faces, and then custom fit the images with fun graphics. The new app also features hundreds of emojis and stickers. Additional offerings are expected to be added regularly.

Like Facebook, its no secret why Microsoft would look to Snapchat for a more successful mobile blueprint.

On the heels of a big IPO, Snap is poised for explosive growth. This year, Snapchats domestic ad revenue will grow 157.8% to $770 million, eMarketer expects.

Snapchat officially joined the ranks of the Top 10 most popular apps in late 2016, according to comScore.

advertisement advertisement

Snapchat  went from being a very popular app among the younger demographics to being one of the most popular apps among the general population, Adam Lella, senior analyst at comScore, recently toldMediaPosts Moblog.

Of particular note, Snapchats general popularity has yet to undercut its status among Millennials, according to comScore. At the end of 2016, a whopping 78% of U.S. consumers ages 18-to-24 -- and 48% of those 25-to-34 -- were using Snapchat.

Of course, no single app can jolt Microsoft out of its mobile malaise. Android bested Microsoft Windows as the worlds most popular operating system in March, according to Web analytics firm StatCounter.

It marks the end of Microsofts leadership worldwide of the OS market which it has held since the 1980s, Aodhan Cullen, CEO of StatCounter, noted in a related report.
by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, April 4, 2017

The trustee for defunct media agency KSL Media has filed a brief with the U.S. Circuit Court (Ninth Circuit) in California appealing a lower courts decision to summarily dismiss the trustees suit alleging breach of fiduciary duty by three of the firms former officers including founder Kal Liebowitz, former CEO Harold Hank Cohen and former CFO Russell Meisels.

According to the trustee, David Gottlieb, for years before its collapse in 2013, the agencys revenues fell short of its operating expenses, and in order to keep afloat the agency used client dollars earmarked for ad purchases to make up the difference.

This unsustainable method of 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' ultimately led to the collapse of KSLs operations after it lost one of its largest clients, Bacardi, the trustee stated in the appeal brief.

The lower court erred in its ruling that past precedent required Gottlieb to allege and prove "bad faith" on the part of the defendants, the trustee argued. He contended that the bad-faith standard applied to directors of a company, not its officers. Thus he asserted that the appeals court should remand the case back to the U.S. District Court for trial.

advertisement advertisement

The former company officers, Gottlieb alleged, were repeatedly warned by outside accountants about the firms precarious financial position. The defendants, he added, "chose to ignore numerous and substantial dire warnings  but rather decided to act by maintaining the same failed course of action that over the years grew its working capital deficit from $1.5 million in 2001 to $32 million at the time it ceased operations" in September of 2013.

In the initial lawsuit against the three former KSL executives, Gottlieb told the District Court they were liable for a minimum of $6 million each to the KSL estate.
by Tanya Gazdik , April 5, 2017

InterContinental Hotels Groups Holiday Inn brand is launching a multimillion-dollar campaign focusing on the thoughtful touches that make its guests smile.

Themed Smiles Ahead, the campaign was developed in collaboration with Ogilvy & Mather, Weber Shandwick and Mindshare. Both a 15-second and 30-second version of the spot will appear on network TV and English-language cable, Spanish-language cable and across the Holiday Inn brands various digital platforms, including the brands Joy of Travel blog.

The campaign follows the brands three-year Journey to Extraordinary campaign, which ran from 2014 to 2016 and celebrated the unique journeys of the many guests who walk through the doors of Holiday Inn hotels each day. Following global consumer research, the brand developed Smiles Ahead to focus on service.

advertisement advertisement

The TV spot features a young girl traveling with her family and her stuffed teddy bear, which the hotel staff treats like a special guest, putting a smile on the girls face throughout her stay.

The song featured in the commercial, Youve Got a Smile, was written and performed by Nashville artist Daniel Ellsworth, whose band, Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes, was named by Esquire magazine as one of 15 Bands to Watch following their latest album release. The song will be released soon via Soundcloud, Facebook, Bandcamp and YouTube as well as on Spotify and iTunes.

The Holiday Inn brand has been on a journey over the last few years, introducing a new guestroom design, as well as new on-property experiences and food and beverage concepts, said Eric Lent, vice president, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza brands, Americas.

With this ongoing evolution comes a continual opportunity to showcase to travelers the welcoming, full-service experience our hotels offer, Lent said in a release. We developed the Smiles Ahead campaign to bring these benefits to life and to highlight how Holiday Inn hotels go above and beyond to give our guests even more to look forward to during their stay with us.
by Tobi Elkin @tobielkin, April 5, 2017

As BPA Worldwide prepares to launch its B2B Media Exchange, a private marketplace (PMP) for members, it named Scott Roulet to the newly created role of vice president to lead the organizations programmatic advertising initiatives.

The global assurance provider announced in early February that it would introduce a programmatic PMP for audited B2B media in the second quarter.

Roulet has served as an advisor to BPA for the past six months as it studied B2B media buyers and sellers. Reporting to BPAs President and CEO Glenn Hansen, Roulet will manage the operational execution and strategic development of the marketplace.

The launch of a marketplace coincides with advertisers increasingly demanding vetted media and content and greater transparency.

Prior to BPA, Roulet consulted with media organizations including American City Business Journals and Kantar. In 2008, Roulet co-founded B2B digital ad network, BBN, where he served as president until its sale in 2015. Previously, he held several executive positions with companies including Cygnus Business Media, ProQuest Company, and Oklahoma Publishing Company.
by Karlene Lukovitz @KLmarketdaily, April 5, 2017

Panera Bread, arguably the restaurant industrys hottest brand, is poised to become an even more formidable competitor now that its being acquired by JAB, a German holding company thats been snapping up major U.S. restaurant brands at an unprecedented pace.

Industry speculation about a Panera sale was confirmed today with the announcement that JAB will buy the company in a deal valued at $7.5 billion. Ron Shaich, founder and CEO of Panera and an early advocate for the clean food movement, will continue to run the company.

The deal for Panera, which has about $5 billion in sales through more than 2,000 locations (half company-owned, half franchisee-owned) in the U.S. and Ontario, Canada, values the company at 19 times EBITDA, well above the industry norm, reports Bloomberg.

advertisement advertisement

JAB now owns Krispy Kreme, the Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, and a collection of coffee brands, including Keurig Green Mountain, Caribou Coffee, Peets Coffee & Tea, and Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

That portfolio, along with JABs declared commitment to Paneras existing, clearly successful strategy, should result in even more accelerated growth for the 36-year-old Panera, which started life as Au Bon Pain. We strongly support Paneras vision for the future, strategic initiatives, culture of innovation, and balanced company versus franchise store mix, confirmed JAB partner and CEO Olivier Goudet.

Over the last five years, we have developed and executed a powerful strategic plan to be a better competitive alternative with emerging runways for growth, stated Shaich. The themes we have bet on  digital, wellness, loyalty, omnichannel, new formats for growth  are shaping the restaurant industry today.

Panera has been the best-performing restaurant stock of the past 20 years  up 8,000%, according to Shaich. That growth is twice Starbucks, four times Chipotles, and five times Buffalo Wild Wings, he boasted in a recent Fortune interview.

As Fortune points out, JAB will almost certainly want to invest in Paneras digital capabilities to further enhance customers experience. The launch of Panera 2.0 two years ago  including investments in ordering tech and kiosks to handle continued volume expansion of volume  has been a key contributor to the chains growth, but Panera is still considered behind Starbucks and Dominos on the digital front.

With JAB as its parent, Panera could also move to start offering the Peets, Caribou or Stumptown coffee brands in its cafes, notes Bloomberg.

Pumped-up coffee offerings and faster service, combined with Paneras brand promise of now offering 100% clean food (and as of last week, a new line of clean drinks) could enable Panera to push a one-stop premium coffee-fix/healthy snacking positioning.

That would not be great news for fast-casual competitors, including struggling-for-a-comeback Chipotle. Even Starbucks, with global sales of $21 billion in 2016, is unlikely to underestimate Paneras potential as a rival. In fact, Starbucks was reportedly the first to express interest in a possible acquisition of Panera, as a means of accelerating Starbucks' introduction of a broader food offering.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, April 5, 2017

Twitter, Yelp, Path and five other app developers have agreed to pay more than $5 million to resolve a class-action complaint alleging that they wrongly uploaded iPhone users' address books, according to court papers filed this week.

If accepted by U.S. District Court Judge Jon Tigar, the settlement will resolve a privacy dispute stemming from 2012 revelations about surreptitious address-book uploads. Initially, tech experts accused mobile social networks Path (now Kong Technologies) and Hipster (later acquired and shut down by AOL) of accessing and storing users' address books without their knowledge.

Security researchers subsequently accused other developers -- including Foodspotting, Foursquare Labs, Gowalla, Instagram, Kik Interactive, Twitter and Yelp -- of uploading users' address books. Unlike Path, those other developers reportedly asked people for permission to access their address books, in order to help them connect with friends who also used the service. But Foodspotting, Yelp, Twitter and the others allegedly didn't say they would keep the data in their servers.

advertisement advertisement

iPhone user Marc Opperman, and other consumers, sued Apple and more than a dozen developers for allegedly violating users' privacy.

Lawyers for all sides said in January that they had reached an agreement, but the details weren't unveiled until this week. The deal requires the app developers to create a $5.3 million settlement fund. iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users who downloaded one or more of the eight apps, and also used a find-friends feature before 2012, can submit claims for a pro rated portion of the fund.

The deal resolves some of the claims against Apple, but not allegations that the company misled users with ads touting security features that were supposed to protect users' data. Apple and the consumers are still battling over whether they will be able to proceed with a class-action over those false advertising claims.
by Larissa Faw , April 5, 2017

The media landscape continues to shift as audiences move quickly with new content choices and technology.

At the 4As Transformation Conference in Los Angeles on April 4, NBCUniversal's Linda Yaccarino discussed with OMD's Monica Karo how the impact of investment and partnerships shape how NBCUniversal targets shifting audiences at scale.

NBCUniversal is opening up its pocketbook to capture the consumer all day. The network now guarantees $1 billion in inventory across the whole portfolio that will enable clients to switch to other platforms based on intended goals.

If it doesn't work for "Tonight Show," it will shift the buy to the Kardashians on the E! Network. "We have the scale," she says. If a current strategy isn't paying out, NBCUniversal will easily move the buy to get what it needs on the audience segment, she says.

advertisement advertisement

Reach is achieved through partnerships. NBCUniversal has spent over $1.5 billion over content-sharing deals, including owning 30% of BuzzFeed. "We know NBCUniversal, we can give you a lot  20% to 25% eyeballs is a lot, but not enough to reflect current consumer behavior."

As a way to appeal to younger viewers, NBCUniversal assigned BuzzFeed with producing all Snapchat content for the Rio Olympic Games. The experiment exceeded expectations and sparked viral buzz.

Younger viewers are also the catalyst behind the $7-plus billion-dollar sponsorship with the Olympics through 2032. "We joke this is so long those athletes aren't even born yet" says Yaccarino. The reason for the deal was to ensure the next generation have a love of the Olympics."

Above all, NBCUniversal wants to make sure the consumer never leaves the network's portfolio.

Yaccarino outlines the perfect day with a young mom waking up to Matt and Savannah on the "Today Show." She moves to Apple News where NBC provides content while sitting in car. Throughout the day, she may check out BuzzFeed. Later in the evening, she catches the E! original series "The Rundown," then ends her day with Jimmy Fallon and the "Tonight Show."

The network is also focused internally. The company is building a team to shift mind-set. Says Yaccarino: "You treat [things] differently when you have ownership than if you are a temporary renter."
BlackRock, Inc. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. It also provides global risk management and advisory services. The firm manages separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios. It also launches and manages open-end and closed-end mutual funds, offshore funds, unit trusts, and alternative investment vehicles including structured funds. The firm launches equity, fixed income, balanced, and real estate mutual funds. It also launches equity, fixed income, balanced, currency, commodity, and multi-asset exchange traded funds. The firm also launches and manages hedge funds. It invests in the public equity, fixed income, real estate, currency, commodity, and alternative markets across the globe. The firm primarily invests in growth and value stocks of small-cap, mid-cap, SMID-cap, large-cap, and multi-cap companies. It also invests in dividend-paying equity securities. The firm invests in investment grade municipal securities, government securities including securities issued or guaranteed by a government or a government agency or instrumentality, corporate bonds, and asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities. It employs fundamental and quantitative analysis with a focus on bottom-up and top-down approach to make its investments. The firm employs liquidity, asset allocation, balanced, real estate, and alternative strategies to make its investments. In real estate sector, it seeks to invest in Poland and Germany. The firm benchmarks the performance of its portfolios against various S&P, Russell, Barclays, MSCI, Citigroup, and Merrill Lynch indices. BlackRock, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is based in New York City with additional offices in Boston, Massachusetts; London, United Kingdom; Gurgaon, India; Hong Kong; Greenwich, Connecticut; Princeton, New Jersey; Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Sydney, Australia; Taipei, Taiwan; Singapore; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Washington, District of Columbia; Toronto, Canada; Wilmington, Delaware; and San Francisco, California.
05.04.2017 LISTEN

I know you probably think who the best Nigerian artiste is in the diaspora... Say no more, it's T-kross. The U.S. based independent Nigerian artiste who's last single "MAMA" was produced by the A-Teams Rellee and distributed by VP records.

For an independent act of African descent, T-KROSS is here with a new track titled "No Worries".

The song features Nigerian versatile rapper Vector who delivers dope bars that are accompanied with a mad hook from T-KROSS and was produced by Don Adah, mixed and mastered by Swaps.

Here is No Worries, kindly share!

Enjoy!

SONG LINK: https://soundcloud.com/tkross/t-kross-no-worries-ft-vector

iTUNES LINK: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/no-worries-feat-vector-single/id1211843337

CONNECT WITH T-KROSS:

Instagram/Twitter: @iamtkross

Facebook Fanpage: TkrossMusic

Website: www.tkross.com


Popular Ghanaian actress, Mercy Asiedua over the weekend got married to her long time lover who happens to be the chief of Kunsu in the Ahafo Ano South District of the Ashanti Region.

The celebrity wedding was a royal ceremony which attracted a number of friends and members of the families.

It was held in Kumasi on Sunday, April 2 and was also attended by some of the creme de la creme of Kumawood movie industry.

Among them were Nana Ama McBrown, Kwaku Manu, Wayosi, Andy Frimpong-Manso, Emelia Brobbey, among others. Members of the Actresses Association of Ghana also did register their presence.

I feel good and happy because I love my husband. He is a good man. He is my happiness and I love him so much with all my heart, she told NEWS-ONE on Tuesday.

The actress confirmed that she was on honeymoon with her man; but would not disclose where they were having it (honeymoon).

Mercy is one of Ghana's successful Kumawood actresses/actors. She has been in the industry for over a decade and known for her talent. She has featured in over 50 movies. In 2001 she was adjudged the Best Actress for her roles in concert party plays. She used to act on stage before joining the movie industry in 2005. She is also a musician and has two gospel albums to her credit. Her second album, titled Ye Meho Nsenkyerene, was out in September 2011.

By Francis Addo (Twitter: @fdee50 Email: [email protected] )
Unbelievable! Its a hoax! Lies!...

These are the expected remarks when you cross paths with such information.

Hotels for 1Ghc? Incredible, isnt it? Now let me explain. Averagely, a 2-4 star hotel in Ghana has rates lurking around 400 to 500 Ghc a night. In very rare cases and depending on the location and season, some hotels may increase their rates. However, take this into consideration. Typically during festivals and other special seasons, most hotels and online travel agents come up with mouthwatering packages that attract guests.

For example, a 500Ghc per night room at Hotel XXX may come with a package which includes airport pick ups (about 50Ghc), free meals (about 150Ghc) , free body massage (about 150Ghc) and Other giveaways (about 149Ghc). Total this and you will have 499 Ghc. Hence, you just got a 500Ghc per night room for an exclusive 1Ghc. Yes 1Ghc! Jumia Travel, Africas leading online travel agents looks at some ways to get amazingly low rates this Easter.

The Early Bird - If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. So says the old adage. The best way to have a memorable and safe but affordable Easter trip is to plan many many months or weeks ahead. Go online, compare rates, rooms and facilities. Book in advance to secure your stay. This helps you prevent travelling all the way to destination only to find out that you have been outpriced. For the best available prices, you need to book very very early because when the atmosphere reaches fever-pitch and the excitement is high during the Easter period, hotels and guesthouses are always in high demand. Prices will definately be escalated. Just imagine you havent planned well and you go to Kwahu during easter. After all the fun and chilling when you need a place to rest for a few minutes, that is when you will realize 100 is not the same as 1000. You will even have lots of money to spend yet not get availability. That is how scarce accommodation is during Easter all around the country especially on the coast and mountains.

Book online - Another advantage about online hotel booking is that you can get access to amazing discounts and offers. Get 50% OFF with code ABCD, Book two nights get one night free and many more deals are always available online. Rather than travel to these hotels to make enquiries and compare their facilities which comes at extra costs, you can save a lot by just going online to view rooms, compare rates and facilities and have access to great discounts. During such a period when costs trickle in thick and fast, you would want to cut down some costs such as accommodation to the bearest minimum. Just by a few clicks, you have your entire easter stay booked for very cheap . Why the stress? Go online now!

Packages - Sometimes, you just see an amazing package and wonder if its for real or just an internet scam. Better believe it! There are so many wonderful packages lined up during such festivities. Get a 2 nights stay + full body massage + free dinner for two + a bottle of Champagne and boat cruise for just XXX Ghc. I other news, you checked the rate for that same hotel a few weeks earlier and it was for the same XXX Ghc without all the goodies. Yes! This is the power of online travel agents and the advantage of festivals like Easter. You get more by paying less for it. Consider you had to pay for all the goodies that come in that package. You might probably get discouraged and cancel that trip already. With packages, you get to live that life long travel dream by paying lesser than usual. Go for it!

Simple is smart - On the coast of Keta, On the hills of Shai, on the streets of Bantema and on the mountains at Kwahu. Anywhere you go in Ghana around Easter is just filled with merry making and lots of fun. This is in many ways contrary to the purpose of Easter. However, businesses such as hotels and booking websites will not care. In fact this is a bumper harvest season for them. For you the guest, there is one important thing that helps you save. Simple is indeed smart. Why book a room that accommodates 2 people when you are the only one travelling? Why book for a room with breakfast when you dont need it? Why book a luxurious and expensive room far away from your place of interest when you can get affordable guesthouses very close by for less? Being simple is the best. Go for what you need taking into account distance, time and the main necessities. If you dont need it, dont book for it. Save the cash and have fun with it.

United we fund - The feeling of traveling together, as a group with people you love so much and cant get enough of. Having some good easter time away from home with family and friends. Its even better when you can split the bill and pay together. This means you can get more out of your stay. Group bookings almost always comes with price reduction.You can get a 3 rooms for the price of two or even get one room and share with someone. After all, how many hours of sleep are you even getting? You may probably only need a place to relax and fresh en up. As a group, you are assured of getting all of this at a shared cost. We pay together and have fun together! Money saved!

Just so you know, there is nowhere in the world that you get a hotel or anything close to a hotel for 1Ghc. However, there are ways to get great value for far less that it feels like paying 1Ghc for it. Make the most of special deals, discounts , packages and have an amazing easter.
04.04.2017 LISTEN

The first ever female ferry captain, Georgina Joppa, is calling on the youth to opt for carrier opportunities in the in maritime industry as it has enough space to employ them.

According to her most of the youth in the developed countries have lost interest in marine jobs because of ICT and that should be an opportunity for countries like Ghana to fill the gap that is being created on daily basis.



She was emphatic in saying that the maritime work is one of the most paying and rewarding job in the world and as a result people gets the opportunity to learn how to be content and discipline, saying the truth is the industry pays well, so you are not compelled to steal or to be corrupt.

Captain Joppa encouraged her female counterparts especially the young ones not to leave the ferry work for men alone for they could also earn a living from there. The first ever female captain was speaking at the maiden edition of Ghana Maritime and Shipping awards ceremony held in Accra last weekend.

She further encouraged the youth to take advantage of the job opportunities available in the industry to recreate themselves. Caption Joppa who was acknowledged and awarded for her immense role in the industry, thanked the organizers and prayed for better years ahead of the maritime sector.

Bergis Kojo Frimpong, Chief Executive of Officer of ' Ninetyeightz', the event organizers said the maritime industry has contributed immensely to the socio-economic scale of the country by providing jobs and revenue for development.

on the promise of our successful Aviation Awards last year which was held at the Movenpick Ambassadorial Hotel, we have been inspired by the positive feedback and deem it expedient in our little stride to keep identifying the various sectors of the Ghanaian economy that continue to immensely contribute towards the development of our dear nation, Ghana yet remain unsung heroes, he said.

At the event night, companies such Apex shipping Commercial Company Ltd, Damco Logistics Ghana Ltd, and McDan Shipping Company Ltd were recognized and awarded as best Freight Forwarders of the year.

Redsea Maritime Service received award for Sustainable development for the year and best shore holding company of the year.

Best Environmental/waste Management Company of the year went to Zeal Environment, Stevedoring Company of the year, was received by Agilent Maritime Service, and best company in marine insurance was bestowed on Star Assurance company ltd.

Other categories are company with best safety and security record of the year which Maersk line Ghana Ltd won, technology/innovation awards was received by CONSHIP, GT Bank, Best company in import and export finance and, Graphic Communications was awarded best media house in Maritime reporting of the year.

By Bernice Bessey
05.04.2017 LISTEN

Have you heard that no matter how much Saraki steals with impunity, noberger can touch him? You must remember that General, the one that instituted Operation War Against indiscipline. Ah, you cannot remember Buhari and his Deputy, called Idiagbon that never smiled. Well that was years ago and Buhari is back with a different Deputy called Osinbajo. Buhari was voted in because voters were just fed up with Boko Haram, illegal and legal corruption by the politicians.

If you are talking about General Buhari, the man is tough on corruption O! He has empowered Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and (ICPC) Independent Corrupt Practices Commission to go after anyone looting the treasury, a draining basket directly or indirectly. The first action he took was to declaw Boko Haram and put them on the run from Sambisa Forest.

Okay, did he forget Saraki there? You have not heard that in Sambisa Forest he negotiated with Saraki and failed miserably. Sambisa Forest is where Saraki got his position, keeps his local loot in dollars, euro and pound sterling. I am sure you remember Bukola Saraki very well. This looter and his late father the Chairman of Societe Generale Bank (SGBN) and then Governor of Kwara defrauded Nigerians. When their Bank went under, patrons were left hanging, empty handed.

In spite of all these, Bukola Saraki is the President of the Senate today  O ti o! Reliable sources told us Buhari is playing democracy game as the house is on fire. The General does not want to be tainted by his past dictatorial tendencies. You know how many times Obasanjo orchestrated the change of Senate President each time they were found to be involved in corruption. We do not know why Buhari is waiting instead of outing Saraki as rogue Senate President, Chinekeme!

Sambisa Forest is a dangerous place. This is why it took a bit long to dislodge Boko Haram. You know, when President Jonathan implied that Danjumas team should go to Sambisa Forest, he told the Press that President Jonathan should lead them there. Buhari actually relocated his Army Chief Tukur Baratai to Borno near Sambisa Forest. It led to the neutralization of the most deadly force that ever devastated any part of the Country; except during the WAR.

Let me get this straight. If Saraki was assured of Senate President and his loot in Sambisa Forest as sacred cow, but Buhari dislodged Boko Haram, he cannot neutralize Saraki from office? The message from the Presidency is that he is waiting for our Youth Brigade to OCCUPY NATIONAL ASSEMBLY angered by their humiliation in Asian and African countries before taking action. Moreover, he does not want to trample on democracy, respectful of the separation of powers.

Walaitalai that is nonsense. Even the keepers of democracy know what to do when facing the greatest threat against their way of life. The way terrorism threatens them is the same way corruption threatens Nigeria. They would go to any length to get suspected - not convicted - boneheads they want to put in special prison at Guantanamo Bay. They kidnapped suspects all over Europe without the knowledge of their governments. Is that due process or rule of law? When the very existence of your country and life are in danger, you throw away formalities!

Oh well, well. Yakubu Dogara, the Speaker of the House has said corruption is like prostitution and cannot be completely eliminated but brought to the barest minimum. Yoruba say  tani esinsin o ba gbe, bio se elegbo. Translated into another language: where else would a fly be comfortable if not on the side of an open sore. This is unfortunate coming from a member of the House of Looters whose wardrobe allowance can pay lawmakers in other countries.

How could a man give prostitution such a bad name as corruption? In the first place prostitution na business no be joke. If you do not believe me, try a prostitute and refuse to pay her. All that work, risk of AIDS, responsibilities for dependents, not to mention servicing politicians, pastors, police and commission to pimps and madams. This Dogara must be high on something and may be ignorant too. Does he realize that some countries actually regulate and legalize prostitution?

Anyway, before we digress by foolish pandering to prostitution, only a bonehead can compare corruption in Nigeria to barest minimum vices elsewhere. There is no country that fulfills the twenty to eighty percent rule in corruption as Nigeria. If you do not know what I mean, listen. The poverty rate in Northern states varies from 90% to more than 50% in the Southern states.

There is corruption in United States, China and Russia but none of these countries, not even Indonesia steals eighty percent of their countrys income while they leave less than twenty percent for the rest eighty percent of their people, with impunity. In United States for example most of the rich shelter or hide their money from taxes. In Nigeria, taxes from rich individuals are almost negligible and most of the taxes are paid by the poor as they earn, anyway.

When a country spends eighty percent of its income on emoluments for politicians, senior civil servants and their cronies but only twenty percent on eighty percent of their people that are so poor, minimum wage for those that are lucky to be employed cannot buy them a bag of rice; you may understand that rule. Mind you, minimum wage are earned by those employed by government and private companies. Personal employers do not even pay minimum wage.

Shey you get? After the politicians loot the treasury legally and illegally, there is very little left for infrastructure and primary care like hospitals, schools, clean water and other necessities of life. In other words, these people epitomized by the likes of Saraki take food, wara and water away from children and mothers, not to mention men that cry that they cannot feed their families. What good is a man at home that cannot provide for a family?

This is what leads to social dislocations. When people are idle and hungry, they do anything to survive including armed robbery, 419, drug pushers, and yes: prostitution. Even after crossing the deserts. If Dogara wants to reduce prostitution to the barest minimum, he has to start from the cause. He and his House of Thieves, Saraki President of the SINATORS are killing the Country and the people. They are bloodsuckers, depriving the country and its folks their life and liberty.

The seesaw or call it ping pong match between President Buhari and the Youth Brigade OCCUPY THE HOUSE OF THIEVES should have ended actually like yesterday. Indeed it is past due and the world is watching and wondering if the Country has to collapse before leaders MASS BURIAL.
Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, March 31, 2017  At the fourth sustainable energy for all (SEforALL) Africa workshop held 29-30 March 2017 at AfDB offices in Abidjan, as part of the Energy Week, stakeholders called for faster actions towards universal energy access in Africa. Attended by more than 120 stakeholders, the meeting aimed at reinforcing collaboration and joining the forces for universal energy access, taking stock of recent progress and challenges, sharing best practices and innovative solutions and charting way forward.

Speaking on the occasion, AfDB Vice President, Charles Boamah said energy is critical to Africas development and should be taken as a priority: Energy is at the centre of all economic activities and no country will be able to progress unless reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy services are accessible to all.

Boamah however notes that the speed on energy access is not fast enough and current efforts will fall far short of achieving universal energy access for Africa by 2030. The AfDB envisions an empowered and prosperous Africa, which, within ten years, has lights everywhere, with everybody using safe and modern energies for many purposes, including lighting, cooking and heating.

Rachel Kyte, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations and CEO of SEforALL highlighted in her keynote that Africa has seen huge improvements in energy access in recent years. Building on hard work of recent years the emergence of integrated energy plans in key African countries and the concerted efforts to attract investment to them offers African countries the chance to show how clean and affordable energy access can be achieved on time and target.

The SEforALL Africa hub, hosted by AfDB in partnership with AUC, NEPAD and UNDP, has been at the forefront of the implementation of the initiative in the African continent. SEforALL country action processes, such as the development of Action Agendas and Investment Prospectuses are underway in close to 30 African countries in response to the Sustainable Development Goal 7 on energy that aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable and modern energy for all by 2030.

In break-out sessions, participants discussed achievements, challenges and provided recommendations for future interventions under topics such as mapping and coordination of energy initiatives, mobilization of resources for implementation of project opportunities, and country delivery mechanisms. Other topics discussed included decentralized energy access, bioenergy and clean cooking, and energy efficiency.

African countries have made considerable progress in defining their targets and identifying priority actions and investment opportunities  there needs to be now a concerted effort focused on implementation, resource mobilization and alignment of all stakeholders, Says Daniel Schroth, SEforALL Africa Hub Coordinator. These conclusions from Abidjan will be taken to the upcoming SEforALL Global Forum to be held from 3 to 6th of April in New York .

The meeting was attended by country-representatives, private sector, civil society, financial institutions and key development partners.

About the SEforALL African Hub

The Hub promotes African ownership, inclusiveness and a comprehensive approach to the implementation of the SEforALL goals and SDG7. Its main activities include: provision of guidance for the SEforALL country action processes globally and notably in Africa; providing technical assistance to partner countries; mobilization of financing; information, networking and knowledge management.

About the AfDB's Power, Energy, Climate Change and Green Growth Complex

The Power, Energy, Climate Change and Green Growth Sector Complex (PEVP), was created to fulfill the objectives of "Light Up and Power Africa"  principally achieving universal access to electricity by 2025. The Complex will accomplish this by building Africa's energy systems while ensuring green growth. The entire development ecosystem for operational effectiveness, scale, socio- economic, and environmental impact will be taken into account. The New Deal on Energy for Africa, together with the inter-connected flagship programs is a top initiative of PEVP. The New Deal on Energy for Africa aims to light up and power Africa.

Launched in 2016, the New Deal has the aspirational objective of achieving universal energy access in Africa by 2025.
The government has lauded the ongoing media campaign to end illegal mining, pledging to support the advocacy.

Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. Peter Amewu, is confident the media crusade against the destruction of water bodies and the environment by galamsey (illegal mining) operators would achieve results.

I assure you that the President, Nana Akufo Addo, is so passionate about the environment, the pollution of water bodies, degradation of our forest and is strongly behind you. We in politics and in government are solidly behind you, Mr Amewu said at the launch of a media coalition against galamsey.

The activities of the small-scale miners have caused severe pollution to the countrys fresh water bodies and destroyed arable lands.

The Ghana Water Company has shut down some of its treatment plants as key water sources have been heavily polluted with heavy metals beyond acceptable levels for purification.

Photo: River Pra currently

The famous Pra and Tano rivers are among the most polluted water bodies.

Farming activities at many communities in the Ashanti and Eastern regions, which are rich in precious minerals, have also been curtailed due to galamsey.

The people who are currently going around and destroying the environment are total killers. It is not different from armed robbery. Metal content in our water bodies have increased, the mercury content has risen, the cyanide content has increased, Mr Amewu said.

Mr Amewu recently appealed to China to help with the fight against the illegal mining activities as galamsey operations are heavily dominated by Chinese nationals.

We have no better time than today and now to go after those guys [illegal miners], he said.

The Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) and other media partners on Tuesday, April 4, 2017 launched a campaign against galamsey activities.

The event was held at the Alisa Hotel in Accra.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | George Nyavor | [email protected]
A Texas lawmaker has proposed a bill that would fine a man $100 each time he masturbates.

The bill also imposes a 24-hour waiting period if a guy wants a colonoscopy or a vasectomy, or if he's in the market for some Viagra.

Rep. Jessica Farrar, a Democrat, knows her bill isn't going to get very far. But she proposed it last week to make a point and give male lawmakers a taste of their own medicine.

Farrar has long been an advocate of women's health in a state that has made it extremely difficult for women to get abortions. And the bill, by pointing out a sexist double standard, is meant to shine a light on the obstacles women deal with when it comes to their health care.

"Let's look at what Texas has done to women," Farrar told CNN. "What if men had to undergo the same intrusive procedures?"

Even the name is a jab

Farrar's bill would penalize men for masturbation because such behavior is a failure to preserve the sanctity of life and "an act against an unborn child."

Even the bill's name -- "A Man's Right to Know Act" -- is a jab at a pamphlet Texas doctors are required to give women seeking abortions.

That pamphlet, "A Woman's Right to Know," has long been criticized for being inaccurate, ideologically influenced by religion and designed to discourage women from getting abortions.

One section of the pamphlet says breast cancer and abortions are linked. Scientific studies have found no cause-and-effect relationship between the two.

"We have real lives to deal with," said Farrar, who pointed out that Texas has the highest maternal mortality rate in the developed world.

And she's right  the rate of women who died from pregnancy-related complications doubled from 2010 to 2014, according to a recent study.

Backlash from political opponents

Republicans have lashed out at Farrar's bill.

"I'm embarrassed for Representative Farrar. Her attempt to compare to the abortion issue shows a lack of a basic understanding of human biology," said Rep. Tony Tinderholt in a statement.

"I would recommend that she consider taking a high school biology class from a local public or charter school before filing another bill on the matter."

Tinderholt recently proposed a bill that would charge abortion providers and women receiving abortions with murder.

Access to abortions in Texas

Texas has quite a one-two punch to keep women from getting abortions. One: strict laws. Two: Lack of clinics.

Texas doesn't allow abortions for women past the 20-week mark unless their life is endangered. Under this law, women who are pregnant with an unviable fetus are forced to carry to term. Additionally, women must receive state-directed counseling, must have an ultrasound and a provider must describe the image of the unborn child to the woman.

As of 2014, some 96% of Texas counties had no clinics that provided abortions, and roughly 43% of women lived in those counties, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

And since 2014 the number of facilities providing abortions in Texas has plummeted from 44 to18 after the state passed restrictions on abortion doctors and clinics. The restrictions were eventually struck down by the Supreme Court, but the damage was done.

Today, Texas women can only get abortions in seven cities and an entire swath of the state -- the panhandle and much of west Texas -- is an abortion clinic desert.
The Hague (AFP) - War crimes judges will Friday hear why South Africa failed to arrest Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir during a 2015 visit, as they mull whether to report Pretoria to the United Nations for possible action.

South Africa's lawyers will defend the decision not to detain Bashir -- wanted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity -- at a hearing scheduled to start at 0730 GMT at the International Criminal Court.

At the heart of the matter is South Africa's refusal to arrest Bashir when he attended an African Union summit in Johannesburg in mid-June 2015, insisting he had "head of state immunity" and allowing him instead to slip out of the country under shadowy circumstances.

Judges at the tribunal based in The Hague will decide after the day-long hearing whether the southern African state violated its obligations by not arresting Bashir and handing him over.

Pretoria is a signatory to the Rome Statute which underpins the world's only permanent war crimes court.

In 2005, the UN Security Council asked the ICC to probe crimes in the western Sudan region of Darfur, where according to UN figures, some 330,000 people have been killed in a conflict between Khartoum and mostly black African insurgents.

The tribunal issued arrest warrants in 2009 and 2010 for Bashir for alleged crimes related to the conflict. He has steadfastly denied the charges.

Diplomatic immunity

But in its submission to the court, South Africa argued that "the circumstances within which South Africa found itself and the applicable law were not as clear cut as the Chamber is inclined to believe."

It insists that even if Bashir is wanted by the court it is "for the national authorities of the requested state to carry out the arrest -- and it is this act of arrest in the domestic jurisdiction of that state that is prohibited by head of state immunity."

The ICC's prosecutors have hit back, pointing out that in the past South Africa told Bashir he would be arrested if he set foot in the country.

"South Africa remained under an obligation to immediately arrest... Bashir if he entered South African territory," ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a document to the court.

"Give the circumstances, it is appropriate for the Chamber to refer South Africa" to the UN Security Council for possible further action, Bensouda said.

'Disgraceful conduct'

The ICC does not have a police force to arrest wanted suspects and is dependent on member states to carry out such tasks.

South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal has accused President Jacob Zuma's government of "disgraceful conduct" over Bashir's visit and ruled the failure to arrest him was unlawful.

Even though the UN Security Council has the power to impose sanctions, experts say an eventual referral will amount to little more than a slap on the wrist for South Africa.

"It's not the first time a state party country has failed to arrest Bashir and been reported," said Goran Sluiter, an international law professor at the University of Amsterdam.

"Unfortunately, I have to note that none of these countries ever felt any real repercussions," he told AFP.

Last year alone the ICC referred Chad, Djibouti and Uganda after they all hosted Bashir and failed to arrest him.

"The Council has yet to act to give effect to these decisions," Bensouda said in her latest report to the UNSC in December.

Bashir last week also attended an Arab League summit in Jordan, despite calls from rights groups that he should be arrested by the Hashemite kingdom.

In February, another South African court ordered the government to withdraw its "unconstitutional" bid last year to pull out of the ICC in protest over the Bashir incident.

Set up in 2002 to prosecute the world's worst crimes, the ICC has run foul of several African countries which accuse it of racism and a post-colonial bias against the continent.
Workers in the textile industry are threatening to demonstrate over the failure of the anti-counterfeit taskforce set up by the government to deal with the proliferation of fake textiles on the market.

According to the workers, the government taskforce consisting of security personnel and other industry players has been inactive since the new administration took over in January this year.

They want the work of the taskforce re-activated as soon as possible or they hit the street in protest.

In a letter to the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander notifying him of the intended demonstration, the Concerned Textile Workers said: the resolve to embark on the demonstration is to amplify our grievances for the Ministry of Trade and Industry to act swiftly by reconstituting the task force to check the illegal activities of some importers and traders to save our jobs.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry established the Anti Textile Piracy Taskforce in 2010 to clamp down on the activities of fake textile dealers. The mandate of the taskforce is to arrest and prosecute persons involved in the smuggling and trade of counterfeit textiles. As at now, the operations of the taskforce have stalled for no apparent reason and our union (Textiles, Garment and Leather Employees Union) has not been able to explain the circumstances, the letter said.

The textile industry has over the years been hit by a number of challenges including the smuggling of textile prints into the country mainly from China, which sells at a cheaper price. There have also been concerns about the pirating of local designs; a situation the Ghana Federation of Labour has repeatedly said is an infringement of intellectual property, hence illegal.

In a letter dated 31st March 2017 to the Minister of Trade and Industry, the Concerned Textile Workers raised claimed the smuggling of fake textiles has increased over the last few weeks as the Easter Festivities approach. We visited the markets and purchased some of the fake/imitated fabrics at ridiculously cheap prices which render our genuine local products unmarketable, the letter signed by Ebenezer Asumadu and four other leaders of the Concerned Textile Workers said.

They are warning the government that efforts to expand the local textile industry will not materialise unless the problem with fake textiles is dealt with.

It will be unwise to put money in local textiles manufacturing sector without first eradicating the causes of noncompetitiveness of the local products, specifically counterfeiting and smuggling, aside from the high cost of local products, they said.

Since the threat of losing our jobs continue to haunt us as workers, we appeal to you to allow the anti-textile piracy taskforce to resume operations without further delay in the interest of sustained functioning of the local textile industry to save our jobs, the letter to the minister added.

The workers say the activities of their employers including the Ghana Textiles Manufacturing Company and Juapong Textiles will soon grind to a complete halt if nothing is done about the situation. Our union tells us that attention of the Ministry has been drawn to this development but no action has been taken as the distressed manufacturing industry grind to a halt, resulting in the loss of 20,000 jobs, the letter said.

The government is meanwhile assuring the workers it will not allow the textile industry to collapses as it considers it an important sector. Chief Director at the Ministry of Trade and Industry Dawarnoba Baeka in a letter to the chairman of the Textiles, Garment and Leather Employees Union said: The ministry has always worked closely with your union and other stakeholders to find solutions to challenges in the sector... 

The Ministry attaches great importance to the textiles and garments sector because of its potential for jobs and wealth creation. Indeed, the sector is one of the key sectors of the Anchor Investment Programme under the new Government Industrial Transformation Agenda, the letter added.

It would be recalled that late last year, textile manufacturing firm GTP laid off more than 130 workers over low revenues.

The local textile manufacturing sector has struggled to stay afloat over the years as a result of the above challenges. It employed more than 25,000 workers in the 1970s but now provides jobs to less than 2000 people.

The more than 130 million meters of fabric it produced has also been reduced to less than 30 million. This has resulted in the collapse of a number of textile manufacturing companies in Tema, Akosombo, and Juapong. Some of the sites which used to host such industries have been turned into warehouses and churches.
A survey conducted by the Center for Budget Advocacy Ghana (CBAG), has revealed that the Tamale and Sagnarigu district assemblies continue to perform poorly in terns of internally generated revenue.

This was captured in a report on income tax and property rate presented by the CBAG's Executive Director, Vitus Adaboo Azeem, at a stakeholders meeting in Tamale under the auspices of IBIS-Oxfam Ghana.

He bemoaned the situation and underscored the need for district assemblies to widen their tax network with emphasis on property taxation.

His call comes on the back of government's decision to reduce the amounts allocated to assemblies through the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).

He said the assemblies authorities have to discover other sources of revenue mobilization to execute their development agenda.

The Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale Metropolitan Assemblies need to start thinking of how to get enough revenue without waiting for the assemblies' common fund.

He admonished entrepreneurs to honor their tax obligations to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

I am not happy that private people who are fully aware of their tax obligations are invading taxes on the blind sight of both the GRA and the assemblies.

He charged the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Tamale and the Sagnarigu assemblies to double-up their tax collection system.

He further implored the assemblies to increase their monitoring and supervision on revenue mobilization.

Vitus Azeem tasked the Ghana Revenue Authority and the district assemblies to deepen their advocacy on the new tax law (Act 896).

Country Director of IBIS-Oxfam Ghana, Tijani Hamza, said his outfit supported the CBAG's survey to help the authorities reinvent the wheel and rake in enough revenue through Internally Generated Funds (IGF).

Hamza Tijani reaffirmed IBIS-Oxfam Ghana's commitment to promote good governance in the country.



By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The police are yet to arrest members of the governing New Patriotic Party's Invincible Forces who stormed the premises of the Eastern Regional National Health Insurance Authority and locked up the office of the regional manager, 48-hours after the incident occurred.

The group, numbering 20, on Monday stormed the premises demanding the immediate removal of the Regional manager, arguing that they could not work with him.

Although the police secured the premises, the office still remains locked.

Speaking to Citi News, the Eastern Regional Police PRO, ASP Ebenezer Tetteh, said the Police service was still working to ensure maximum security at the premises before the office can be opened.

Tuesday morning we were there, the office still remained closed. The other offices are opened so work is ongoing there; but that of the regional managers office remains closed. There are behind the scene moves to ensure that the place is opened as soon as possible. As we speak now, no arrest has been made.

The issue is that, some persons came to the office and closed it and that was why we were called in to ensure that nothing is destroyed there. That did not happen so we are looking into the matter of the closure, he explained.

Invincible forces attacks

There have been several attacks perpetrated by vigilante groups aligned to the governing party.

For instance, about a week ago, a vigilante group in the Ashanti Region, Delta Forces, attacked the Regional Security Coordinator, George Adjei.

The key suspect in that assault, Kwadwo Bamba, who is believed to be the organizer, allegedly stormed the premises of the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council with some thugs, demanding the removal of Mr. Adjei.

In another instance, one ASP Nanka-Bruce, who served at the Flagstaff House under the NDC administration, was attacked by some of these groups.



By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
The 2016 flagbearer of the Progressive People's Party (PPP), Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, has called on the leadership of the parliament and the Speaker, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, to deal comprehensively and positively with the bribery scandal that rocked the house recently.

According to him, the mere presentation of the Joe Ghartey committee report does not end the issue of bribery against the house.

In a statement copied to citifmonline.com, Dr. Nduom said, many Ghanaians still believe that legislators take bribes from persons who seek favours from them.

The report presented by the Ghartey Committee on the alleged bribery of Appointment Committee members cannot end that matter. A section of the public believes that MPs demand inducements before they act. This perception must not be allowed to stand. Some even say that bad loans and laws approved by Parliament are due to such inducements, the statement said.

The statement warned that people may take matters into their owns hands if parliament does not deliberately work to clear the perception of corruption tied to Members of Parliament.

The responsibility lies with the Speaker and the Leadership to address this matter positively. If the representatives of the people dont open up and address these allegations in a manner that receives the approval of many, the people may one day take matters into their own hands.

Parliament is still reeling from a bribery allegation that was raised by the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, against the Minister for Energy, Boakye Agyarko.

Mahama Ayariga alleged that, Mr. Agyarko sent a bribe of GH 3,000 each, to minority members of Parliament's Appointments Committee through its Chairman, Joe Osei-Owusu, to ensure that he was easily approved by consensus during his vetting.

With Mr. Osei-Owusu and others mentioned in the scandal denying it, the speaker of Parliament constituted a fact-finding committee to look into the matter.

The committee, led by Joe Ghartey in its report presented to parliament last week, found Mahama Ayariga guilty of contempt of parliament, and recommended that he unreservedly apologize to Joe Osei Owusu and the Energy minister for smearing them.

But an unhappy Ayariga who reluctantly apologized on the floor of the house, had left the matter still inconclusive, with the Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Oquaye, indefinitely deferring his ruling on the matter.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Customs officers in the Ashanti Region are battling snakes and other dangerous reptiles due to the poor state of their checkpoints.

Officers of the Kumasi Unit of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority which exceeded its collection target last year are also battling an absence of electricity.

The Kubease checkpoint on the Accra-Kumasi Highway is one of the five checkpoints under the Kumasi Unit unconnected to the national grid.

Officials resort to generators to illuminate their structures to work at night.

For over a month now, the generator has broken down, and personnel have had to use torchlight to conduct vehicular and cargo inspections.

Solar panels installed at the checkpoint have been non-functional for nearly five years.

Customs officers have had to struggle in darkness at the expense of their lives to check smugglers.

Sometimes, drivers suspected to be carrying smuggled goods in their trucks or vehicles defy orders to stop.

They knock off these weak barriers and speed off, leaving the security personnel helpless.

Regional Commander, ACP Kwesi Ahiakpor describes the situation as extremely critical.

You see the reptiles officers kill at night with torchlight, honestly it is disturbing. Meanwhile, that is where we stop all these vehicles and collect all the taxes for the state but nobody seems to be bordered.

Smugglers do not operate during the day so if they are coming and realises that the checkpoints have no lights and you are using torchlight, they will not stop, he said.

ACP Ahiakpor adds, I have never been impressed with it and I will not pretend.

According to him, these checkpoints were not properly built and has suggested that they should be rebuilt with proper residential accommodation and baggage hall.

Meanwhile, NESTRAA, a subsidiary of ASHFOAM has donated 13,000 Ghana Cedis Worth of a 6.5 KVA generator to the Kumasi Unit to address the challenge.

Marketing Manager NEESTRA GHANA, Nana Yaw Ampem Darko-Antwi, pledged to build a proper barrier.

The gesture, however, is limited to the Kubease Checkpoint.

ACP Ahiakpor, however, says the support by corporate institutions is welcomed but will not compromise his work.
05.04.2017 LISTEN

No sooner had President Onaapo John Dramani Mahama and NDC been defeated at Election 2016 than the NDC set up a Committee headed by Dr Kwesi Botchwey to find out why and how they shamefully massively lost the election. Whilst the answers were right under their nose, however, as clueless as they have always been, they were searching for them elsewhere, thus, afar, moving from region to region across the country.

Let me be fair but blunt with them on the reasons for why and how they lost the election so massively.

President Mahama and the NDC lost the election for a good number of reasons among which is:

1. The open corruption and/or thievery the President himself, his cronies, Government Ministers and appointees as well as their families were masterminding and orchestrating.

2. The disrespectfulness of the President himself and his government appointees towards the public. President Mahama publicly declared that he would take no advice on governance from any Ghanaian who had never been the President of the Republic of Ghana before. What an insult to the intelligence of the Ghanaian electorates!

3. The portrayal of callousness towards the people by the President and his government. The more the public was crying for relief from the economic hardships he was inflicting on the people, the more he was adding on to their financial burden by increasing utility bills and putting on the head of the citizens reckless create, loot and share taxes.

4. President Mahama and his government spending awful lot of money on hired radio-phone-in serial-callers to propagate blatant lies amid hurling insults on his political opponents.

5. The President sought to satisfy only a few people in Ghana including some traditional chiefs and loudmouths and hoped that was more than enough to win him re-election at any given time. What a myopic and incompetent leader he was!

6. The NDCs open support for Alfred Agbesi Woyome, the medal winning Ghanaian swindler of the 21st Century was a recipe for disaster. Ghanaians were hell-bent on retrieving the money from Woyome whilst the President and his NDC-led government were shielding him.

7. President Mahama and his government took their NDC foot soldiers for imbeciles, thinking they would always be around to do their duty jobs for them, as lapdogs as they were taken for, despite the fact that the foot/fool soldiers were equally suffering from the same economic ravages like many other ordinary Ghanaians.

8. The NDC were using their radio stations and some radio programme presenters or hosts to throw dust into the eyes of the public. Same radio presenters were not only goading people to rain insults on the opposition parties and their leaders but also, to threaten to harm them, e. g. Mugabe of Montie FM radio with his would-have-been assassins Godwin Nelson and Alistair Gunn.

9. President Mahama embarked of open perpetration and perpetuation of political tribalism. He appointed about 70% of people of his northern and voltarian extraction into his government and to head all the government corporations although most of them were apparently incompetent and corrupt. What about his purposeful damaging of the businesses of those he took for political or tribal rivals?

The reasons are many but the few listed above will tell them volume about how they stupidly disengaged themselves from the majority of the Ghanaian public by their deceptively myopic policies.

On the question of how they lost the election, I have the following to tell. Instead of changing from their bad ways to engage the electorates on humanely terms, they vested more trust in their rigging machines they had set up in places only best known to them. They were sure of going to use the STL style of Election 2012 but as man proposes, God disposes. I will not go any further on this.

They thought their unholy alliance with the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Charlotte Osei, whose public utterances and the electoral laws and regulations she was churning out, as stupid and openly biased as most of them seemed to be, but obstinately insisting that they stand as they were with NDC continually concurring to them, was more them enough to guarantee them a win.

Instead of doing a proper campaigning which of course, not many people were going to buy their message as such efforts would have been too little too late in terms of their obviously gargantuan involvement in corruption, wasting the countrys money on silly things, coupled with the open embezzlement of public funds, they rested all their hopes in their installed-election-rigging machines. This is why former President Onaapo Mahama was always doing Usain Bolt whenever he mounted political platforms during the campaign. He was telling Ghanaians that he had gone ahead of his political rivals to win the election already. What a similitude of Kwame Nyante, 3ko dadaada campaign mantra of the 1969s.

Why should I spend my precious time educating the NDC on why and how they lost the election? Am I a political consultant? Why should I offer them free consultancy?

If these reasons offered here free of charge are not enough to tell the NDC how they lost the election, then they must be very thick.

Rockson Adofo

(Written on Wednesday, 5 April 2017)
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has placed a moratorium on licences for small-scale mining in an attempt to properly map out strategies to clamp down on illegal mining activities across the country.

The sector minister, John Peter Amewu, told Joy News the suspension of licences is to ensure the sustainability of the environment and also sanitise the small-scale mining sector.

Pressure has been mounting on state actors to aggressively deal with illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) following a sustained media crusade against the problems associated with it.

The activities of the small-scale miners have caused severe pollution to the countrys fresh water bodies and destroyed arable lands.

Peter Amewu

The Ghana Water Company has shut down some of its treatment plants as key water sources have been heavily polluted with heavy metals beyond acceptable levels for purification.

I have not signed a single small-scale mining licence since I assumed office. This is an attempt to sanitise the system.

"Some of the small-scale miners who are originally mandated within the regulatory framework and with a concession to mine in a sustainable way are also not doing that, said Mr Amewu.

Also, the Minister for Water and Sanitation, Kofi Adda, says his outfit is implementing policies to ensure there is enough good water for distribution to residents across the country in the face of heavy water pollution as a result of galamsey activities.

The famous Pra and Tano rivers are among the most polluted water bodies in the mineral-rich Western Region.

River Birim in the Eastern Region have also not been spared the pollution from galamsey.

Farming activities at many communities in the Ashanti Region, which are rich in precious minerals, have also been curtailed due to galamsey.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | GN
Four hundred people were killed by meningitis in our country in the last few days.

Twenty two girls were abducted by Boko Haram in Borno state four days ago.

Ten people were killed by Fulani herdsmen in Cross Rivers state three days ago.

Two more people were killed by another set of Fulani herdsmen in Kwande, Benue state two days ago.

Worse still suicide amongst Nigerian professionals (including bankers, lawyers and doctors) and members of the middle class as a consequence of the harsh and intoleralble economic conditions that they are facing has reached alarming and epidemic proportions.

Sorrow, carnage, tragedy and affliction has struck our nation in the last few days and weeks yet we have not heard ONE word about any of them from our ailing President.

Not a word of commiseration. Not a word of encouragement. Not a word of regret. Not a word of remorse. Not a word of condolence. Not a word of comfort. Not a word of reconciliation. Not a word of confidence-building. Not a word of bridge-building. And not a word of concern.

Not only is this unacceptable but it is also shameful even by his standards. Instead of comforting our people he appears to be more concerned with attempting to silence all credible opposition, destroying the PDP, cowing the media, weakening the south, decimating the Middle Belt, humiliating the Igbo, intimidating the Christians, exterminating Shiite Muslims and undermining the power and authority of both the Judiciary and the National Assembly.

This is particularly the case with the Nigerian Senate whom the President and his men evidently have nothing but disdain and contempt for.

Things are so bad that some around the President are even openly calling for the scrapping of the entire Senate! All because they cannot pocket, cage or control Senate President Bukola Saraki and Senate Deputy President Ike Ekweremadu.

Clearly in Buhari's world the concept of separation of powers, the rule of law, respect for court orders, the imperatives of tolerance, religious plurality, the accomodation of dissent, the protection of civil liberties and the freedom of speech simply do not exist.

To him all dissent, all contrary views and all opposition must be utterly crushed and he will use any sadistic and hungry little monkey that he can find or any desperate and ageing neanderthal clown that is willing to achieve that sinister and nefarious objective. Professor Itse Sagay SAN are you there?

Quite apart from that let us consider the sorry plight of Buhari's own core north. Affliction seems to be stalking the region and frankly this has been the case over the years and indeed from day one.

The first is stark poverty. Then came barreness. Then came lack of productivity. Then came famine. Then came illiteracy. Then came Maitatsine.

Then came polio. Then came leprosy. Then came infant mortality. Then came drug abuse. Then came Benilyn addiction. Then came gutter, glue and soakaway sniffing.

Then came child marriage and paedophilia.

Then came VVF (vegico vaginal vistula). Then came the cripples. Then came the beggars. Then came the almajiris.

Then came Boko Haram. Then came the Fulani herdsmen. Then came lassa fever. Then came meningitis. The list goes on and on.

To compound the problem and to add to the appauling situation comes the manifestation of crass ignorance. For example, as his own peculuar contribution to the quest for a solution to the problem, Abdul Aziz Abubakar Yari, the Governor of the core northern Zamfara state, said "type C meningitis is God's punishment for our many sins".

He said, "God took away the type A one which has a cure and gave us type C which has no cure because of our sins".

He concluded by saying,

"How can you expect such things not to happen when we indulge in adultery and other sins?".

This is surely one of the best examples of a 6th century explanation for a 21st century problem that I have ever heard.

Such words and such a display of ineptitude and insensitivity coming from the leader of one of the most important northern states is shameful and unacceptable.

No vaccines have been provided by the State or Federal Government to prevent or arrest the scourge and neither has any care been provided for the afflicted and this is the best and only contribution that the Governor of one of the worst hit states can make?

Worse still the only thing that Buhari's struggling Minister of Health has said is that the Federal Government needs to borrow one billlion USD to stop the spread of meningitis. Clearly we are in serious trouble.

Northern Nigeria needs prayer. They need to reach Prophet T.B. Joshua, Bishop David Oyedepo, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Dr. Sign Fireman, Dr. B.O Ezekiel, Bishop Mike Okonkwo, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, Dr. Tony Rapu and as many other servants of God as possible and get them to stand in the gap and invoke the Living God's power to forgive, heal and bless their land.

They also need as much love and counselling as they can get.

Yet the truth is that the anger and resentment against them all over the country is steadily building and something must be done to assuage the fears and concerns of the people of the Middle Belt and the south.

The predominant view is that we must restructure our country and, failing that, we must exercise our right of self-determination and redefine it.

Gone are the days when we dare not speak out openly about our desire to, if necessary, peacefully redefine Nigeria, break her into two or more pieces and separate ourselves from the core north

This is because we are simply fed up with the sheer barbarity and cruelty of powerful and well-armed ethnic militias like the Fulani herdsmen, terrorist organisations like Boko Haram, aggressive, violent, intemperate and intolerant land-grabbing settlers like the Hausa Fulani communities dotted all over the Middle Belt and the south and the excesses and genocidal tendencies of our northern-led security agencies and Armed Forces.

The Fulani herdsmen slaughtered 808 Christians in Southern Kaduna on Christmas eve and on Christmas day.

They also slaughtered 1000 Christians in Agatu last year.

The Hausa Fulani settlers slaughtered 30 sons and daughters of Ile-Ife in Osun state three weeks ago and they have been doing that sort of thing in Jos, Plateau state and elsewhere for many years.

The Fulani militias killed defenceless and innocent men, women and children in Enugu, Abia, Edo, Delta, Ondo, Kwara, Ekiti, Lagos, Taraba, Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Cross Rivers, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Ebonyi and Anambra over the last two years.

Anambra, where, according to the women of that state, mass rape was deployed as a weapon of war by the Fulani herdsmen, was particularly bad.

To make matters worse our core-northern Muslim-led security agencies have murdered hundreds of Christian Igbo youths in the eastern region over the last two years.

In addition to that our core northern Sunni Muslim-led Armed forces butchered 1000 Shiite Muslims in Zaria two years ago.

All these atrocities have taken place yet up until today not ONE person has been arrested, brought to justice or convicted for these merciless, wicked, senseless and barbaric acts of terror.

How can one ratoinalise or explain that?

The truth is that the Buhari administration has no interest in putting a stop to this madness simply because the perpetrators are, like our President, Hausa Fulani.

In my view our government values the blood of the Hausa Fulani more than others and to them no-one else really matters.

To add to that the Buhari regime is evil, weak, incompetent, sectional, bloodthirsty, genocidal, wicked, divisive, mendacious, narcisstic and bereft of any integrity or intellectual pretentions.

This is a government whose sole intention is to turn non-Hausa Fulani Nigerians into second class citizens and slaves.

They protect the genocidal maniacs, the killers and the aggressors and they persecute, torment, incarcerate and traumatise the victims of aggression.

Whether it be Agatu, Ile-Ife, Southern Kaduna, Enugu, Abia, Jos or anywhere else the story is the same: the victims are locked up and the murderous barbarians and savages that killed them are rewarded.

Like satan himself the Buhari administration have come to do nothing but to kill, steal and destroy. Under their watch more Shiite Muslims and Christians have been butchered than at any other time in our entire history outside the civil war.

Is there any other nation on earth that such evil will be visited upon its people by its own government and such a group of rampaging beasts that those people will not agitate to leave?

Must we put up with this evil and vampire-like Buhari government with its ethnic and religious agenda forever?

Must we stay with those that hate us and see us as being worth far less than their cows?

Is it not time to say enough is enough and that, whether they like it or not, we are leaving? We do not want and neither do we advocate for violence and we do not want reprisal killings or acts of vengeance in any shape or form.

This is because we are men and women of peace and we are responsible law-abiding citizens.

What we want is our liberty and the right to live in a country where our values and faith are respected and where we are free from religious and ethnic marginalisation, persecution and domination. Is that too much to ask for?

These are hard questions that need to be answered. And whether anyone likes it or not, at the end of the day, the Nigerian people shall answer them.
Mogadishu (AFP) - At least seven people were killed and 10 wounded on Wednesday when a car bomb exploded at a restaurant near the Somali ministry of internal security in Mogadishu, officials said.

"There was a huge blast at a tea-shop near the security ministry, the initial information we are getting indicates it was a car bomb explosion," said Somali police official Mohammed Ibrahim.

Abdifatah Omar Halane, spokesman for the Mogadishu adminstration, said "seven civilians were killed in the blast and more than 10 others wounded."

Witnesses said the area was swarmed by ambulances.

"The blast was huge and I saw ambulances rushing but the area was cordoned off by the police", said witness Abdisalam Sharif.
London Bridge is falling down, falling down, my fair lady.

Build it up with iron bars, iron bars, my fair lady.

Iron bars will bend and break, my fair lady.

Build it up with needles and pins, needles and pins, my fair lady.

Needles and pins will rust and bend, my fair lady  Nursery song of yesteryears

Where I come from, when you go to your farm and see eggs of a cobra burnt to ashes, you jubilate and sing halleluya. The reason why we jubilate is that burnt eggs of cobras means the number of cobras which would have grown to bite human beings has reduced. Similarly, when you visit your trap and it caught a cobra, you simply walk home smiling and you will not even touch the dead cobra with a long stick because one of your enemies has been caught by your trap. Don't be confused. Relax before you continue reading. After all, am I not Angel Gabriel, the senior messenger of God? I speak in parables.

In the run-up to the 2016, the defeated and crest-fallen NDC had their campaign launch in Cape Coast where an upstart in politics like Nii Vanderpuye took then candidate Nana Akufo Addo to the cleaners, telling the world that no short and bespectacled person will ever be the president of Ghana till thy Kingdom come. When he was asked to apologize because by his comments he insulted all the short persons in Ghana, he thumped our noses and told us that he was not going to apologize today or tomorrow. On that day, when the founder of the NDC, Mr. Rawlings took the microphone he told the gathering that he was not going to talk too much but he will wait until after the election before he will go round the country to re-organize the party.

The pride and arrogance of the NDC supporters did not open their minds to analyze the statement very well since they did not think far. The man knew the NDC was going to lose the elections and after they had lost the elections he was going to go out there to reorganize the party. He had continuously stated that the leadership of the party had thrown caution to the dogs and jettisoned the moral high ground on which the party was born. The good people of Ghana also knew that the party was going to hit the rocks since we did not need a rocket scientist to tell us so. Corruption had hit the rooftop and people in the NDC were grabbing wealth here and there as if they were in competition to choose the richest among themselves. When the NDC suffered a devastating defeat in the 2016 general election, Rawlings told Ghanaians that the NDC had lost the election years before the elections.

Then the party hierarchy set up a committee led by Professor Kwasi Botchwey to go round the country to interact with the NDC people to find out what made them lose the election so miserably. Wherever they went those they met had the same things to tell them. Some greedy bastards made us to lose the elections. Monies meant for the campaign were pocketed by party executives. Ostentatious lifestyle of our leaders angered the people who rebelled against us. Corruption was too much at the national level so the people voted against us, Lordina Mahama commandeered the campaign with her huge and costly billboards which made people angry, John Mahama and his wife dashed chiefs and queenmothers V8 cars while we the foot soldiers campaigned on empty stomachs, The brothers of JM grabbed juicy contracts and received bribes from foreign contractors, JM was too swollen headed etc.

On my part, what I detected as the main reason people voted massively against the NDC was the way the president and his wife junketed the nooks and crannies of Ghana, with helicopters. At a point in time, Madam Lordina Mahama made it look as if she would not go anywhere if she was not provided with a helicopter. In fact, she and her husband were not alone as far as the flying of helicopters were concerned. Kwamena Ahwoi and his team too criss-crossed the country with helicopters while their V8 cars and convoy disturbed the peace of the poor folks in the villages. They incurred the displeasure of the common man who was finding it difficult to make ends meet.

Another factor which led to the disgraceful defeat was the issue of the Montie trio. Led by this crook called Salifu Maase (Mugabe), these morons and half-wits went haywire, threw respect and caution to the dogs and went about insulting self-made ladies and gentlemen. In fact, they contributed heavily to the shameful defeat. Mugabe told the world that he was brought down from London by ex-President Mahama to do what he was doing. All along, the good people of this country called on then President Mahama to call the guy to order but Mr. Mahama thought what the boy was doing would inure to his benefit so he urged him to do more. I wonder where this ex-convict is hiding now that the person he predicted will die before the 2016 elections is the President of Ghana. If he is hiding in Moshie Zongo in Kumasi, where he was born and bred, I am afraid he will not be safe unless he disguises himself anytime he visits the Central Business District of Kumasi, the stronghold of the NPP. I can imagine Mugabe coming face to face with the Delta Force gang at Kejetia! The guy will smell pepper, I swear.

WHEN LOSERS REFUSE TO BEAR THE PAIN OF DEFEAT

I can understand why NDC members are kicking and shouting on top of their voice after their humiliating defeat at the polls. The truth is that if I, your indomitable Earth Angel were to be in their shoes, I would have done the same. The NDC supporters were made to understand that the party could not simply lose the election because of alleged good work of President Mahama. When their leadership were asked why they were not involving Mr. John Rawlings in the campaign, they were told that Rawlings did not matter in the scheme of things and that Rawlings or no Rawlings, the party will win hands down. Throughout the electioneering campaign, then candidate Mahama made the supporters understand that it was God who ordains kings and that he was destined to win the election, 'one touch'. He said the NPP was a divided party and since a divided army cannot win a battle the NPP will lose the 2016 elections. And the NDC supporters believed in the man. That was the mistake they did.

The silence of then candidate Nana Akufo Addo too helped in no small way to defeat the NDC. I will be back.

Eric Bawah
The representative of the Police Service accepting the donation from the Chinese Association

The headline for this commentary is intended to convey the negative impression the so-called donations to the Ghana Police Service is exacting on the country's foremost internal security agency and by extension, our country.

It is more disturbing when such alms as it were emanate from suspicious foreign business concerns in the country, their links to the galamsey underworld known to many.

As an institution bearing the coat of arms of the Republic, any gesture or action which subtracts from the institutional self-esteem or image of the law enforcement agency must be avoided by all means.

Many Ghanaians yesterday questioned the propriety of the Ghana Police Service accepting a donation of a paltry GH50,000 from an association of Chinese in the country. We could not concur anymore with those posing the queries.

It is not an auspicious time to receive money from a company whose equipment is suspected to be largely used in the galamsey business. We are virtually at war as a country with illegal mining activities, the fallouts from which are household knowledge and needs no elaboration.

The donation could not have been made without a motive; therein lies the worry and suspicion. Why would the Chinese sympathise with the plight of the Ghana Police Service and so want to support them with money? They could have gone to one of the many orphanages in the country. It is the police because by so doing they can count on the law enforcement agency to give them the necessary cover in case of trouble. Period.

We are currently facing a national crisis represented by the galamsey menace, the extent of which is now beginning to dawn on us as a people.

Until the disclosure by former Minister Inusah Fuseni and MP, we did not know how much the Chinese envoy in the country had gotten the former President John Mahama to indirectly support the galamsy craze. If the minister had been ordered not to pursue his anti-galamsey measures, we can indisputably say that a carte blanche of sorts had been given the Chinese galamsey operatives to carry on with their trade.

That there was such a diplomatic touch to the environmental degradation is what underscores the seriousness of the subject. It is something which goes beyond the youth using crude implements to hunt for the precious metals in river beds. It is about the Chinese whose big bosses occasionally show love to the police through wads of cedis.

If the budget of the police is so low that it cannot perform its statutory duties and must depend on such donations, government must rethink the annual allocation of funds to this critical organ of national security.

It is shameful and despicable that such nasty scenes of a begging Police Service, plates in hands and at the receiving end make the pages of newspapers and prime times of electronic media. It does not speak well of the police.

We would not be surprised if land guards and other unwanted groups find a way of making donations to our willing Police Service in the not-too-distant future.


Princess Anne, daughter of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England, yesterday paid a courtesy call on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House as part of her two-country visit to West Africa.

A number of issues bordering on the strengthening of bilateral ties between Ghana and England, and enhancing access to education for Ghanaian children, were discussed.

Princess Anne later laid a wreath at the Christiansburg War Cemetery at Osu at the start of her two-day visit to Ghana.

Princess Anne is the sponsor of the Varkey Foundation's Making Ghanaian Girls Great  Ghana's first interactive distance-learning project.

The princess will be engaged in a live interactive session with some of the school-children, who are beneficiaries of the programme.

She was at the British Council Hall in Accra Tuesday morning.

The Princess Royal's visit will blend tradition and modernity, as she visits the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who would hold a reception for the guests, including former President John Agyekum Kufuor, in Kumasi today.
The last incident where parents of wards of KUMACA besieged the school after the mystery deaths

The number of mystery deaths involving students of Kumasi Academy, located in the heart of the Asokore-Mampong municipality in the Ashanti Regional capital, has risen to four, it has emerged.

Education authorities in the region say the latest death involved a Form One student who reportedly sneaked out of campus after being taken ill and his condition kept deteriorating.

The yet-to-be-identified male student reportedly passed on Friday at home and the news about his death was broken to management of the school on Monday, DAILY GUIDE gathered.

What killed the student is not yet known, but sources say the circumstances surrounding his death appear to be similar to those of the three students who died earlier  a development that reportedly triggered agitation by the entire student body.

Anxious parents of some students, following the incident, besieged the premises of the school to demand the immediate release of their children so that they could take them home.

Three students of the senior high school were said to have died in a similar fashion within one week after they had been sent home by the school authorities.

Gripped with fear, the students were said to have spontaneously come out of their dormitories and began to run riot, allegedly attacking the school bus and other properties before turning their attention on the Assistant Headmaster, Ernest Wiafe.

It took the timely intervention of police personnel drawn from the Manhyia Divisional Command to bring the pandemonium on the school's campus under control.

Authorities have since allowed students who are feeling uncomfortable to stay on campus to go home, apart from the final-year students who are sitting for the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Directorate of the Ghana Education Service has dispelled suggestions that the students probably died of food poisoning.

Cassandra Twum-Ampofo, Public Relations Officer, said they were waiting for autopsy reports to unravel the mystery surrounding the deaths of the four students, and called on the public to exercise patience.

From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi
Johannesburg (AFP) - South Africa's ruling ANC party Wednesday expressed support for President Jacob Zuma after senior members openly criticised his cabinet reshuffle, citing fears of worsening corruption and economic crisis.

The African National Congress acknowledged the growing calls for Zuma to resign, admitting to "serious and difficult disagreement" over his sacking of respected finance minister Pravin Gordhan last week.

Gordhan's removal triggered unprecedented criticism from Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa as well as the party's chief whip, its treasurer and several ANC allies.

South Africa's powerful trade union federation Cosatu on Tuesday joined many anti-apartheid veterans, business leaders and civil action groups calling for Zuma to step down.

After a two-day meeting, the party said that it had "reflected" on the demands for Zuma to resign.

"The (party) has emphasised the need for unity of the ANC and the alliance in the interests of South Africa," ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told reporters in Johannesburg.

"Different viewpoints should always be engaged, regardless of where they emerge."

Mantashe blamed Gordhan's sacking on "the irretrievable breakdown" in relations with the president.

Gordhan was at loggerheads with Zuma for months, receiving support from several ministers and major foreign investors, as well as many ordinary South Africans.

Credit downgrade

Gordhan had campaigned for budget discipline and against corruption, but Zuma's allies have accused Gordhan of thwarting the president's desire to enact radical policies to tackle racial inequality.

Gordhan's sacking contributed to a credit ratings downgrade to junk status on Monday by Standard & Poor's, fuelling calls for Zuma to step down.

The president has defended his change at the Treasury, saying Tuesday that "while the political leadership has changed, government's overall policy orientation remains the same".

S&P said the cut to below investment grade reflected "heightened political and institutional uncertainties" following the purge of Gordhan and other critical ministers.

With the cabinet overhaul exposing deep divisions within the ANC, the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party hopes to benefit at general elections in 2019.

The president could in theory be ousted by the ANC recalling him, or after losing a vote of no confidence in parliament.

"We won't recall President Jacob Zuma because opposition parties say so. It won't work that way," said Mantashe.

Peter Attard Montalto, analyst at Nomura bank, said in a briefing note that Zuma was "a master tactician who can play the internal machinations of the ANC much better than anyone else."

Zuma is due to step down as head of the ANC in December, ahead of the 2019 general election.

He is seen as favouring his ex-wife, former African Union chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, to succeed him -- rather than Ramaphosa.
The Nungua Divisional Police Command has apprehended a 46-year-old businessman for allegedly stealing sofa chairs valued at GH3,750.

The suspect David Kofi Okine, who claims to be a businessman in Suame, Kumasi, was arrested at Nsawam while allegedly transporting the stolen goods to Kumasi.

ASP Effia Tenge, the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), who narrated the incident to DAILY GUIDE, said the suspect was later handed over to the Nungua Police for further investigations.

She said on March 15, 2017, Okine, in the company of a middle-aged man, approached the complainant, who is a carpenter at a shop at Nungua and inquired about the price of the sofa chairs.

The complainant quoted GH1250 for one set and suspect and his companion expressed interest in purchasing three sets of Sofa chairs the following week.

On March 22, 2017 around 9:30am, the suspect on board a Kia truck went to complainant's shop to select three sets of sofa chairs valued at GH3,750 and parked them onto a Kia truck.

He convinced the complainant to go with him to Access Bank Circle Branch to enable him withdraw the money for him but the complainant asked two of his apprentices to follow the suspect to the bank for the money and they all boarded the Kia truck and embarked on the journey.

She said upon reaching Danquah Circle, the suspect hired the services of a taxi driver and pleaded with the two apprentices identified as Ntim Kwame and Samuel Yeboah to join him in the taxi cab.

The apprentices agreed and boarded the taxi to Access Bank at Circle.

At the banking hall, suspect suddenly received a call and bolted after he pretended to be receiving the call outside.

The apprentices, after waiting for some time for the suspect, called their master on phone to inform him about the incident.

The two apprentices rushed to Dankwa Circle but the Kia truck was nowhere to be found.

Ntim Kwame quickly boarded a motorbike and moved to Nsawam.

On the Nsawam Road, Ntim Kwame spotted the suspect in the front seat of a Kumasi-bound Sprinter bus and quickly alerted the Nsawam Police.

He was immediately apprehended and later handed over to the Nungua police.

A search conducted by the police revealed a passport, NHIS card and Voter Identification Card, which had different names- David Kofi Okai, Asare Baffour and Stephen Obeng.

On March 23, 2017, the suspect led the police to a house at Dome where one of the three sets of Sofa Chairs was retrieved.

While in custody, the Kwashiman Police also called for the suspect to help them investigate a similar case.

He is still in custody assisting in police investigations, while efforts were being made to retrieve the remaining sofa chairs.

( [email protected] )

By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey




The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Ishmael Ashitey, has said that government has put measures in place to develop the fishing and salt industries located in Ada West and East Districts of the Greater Accra Region.

Addressing staff of the West and East District Assemblies at separate meetings at Ada Foah and Sege on Wednesday during a working visit, the Minister mentioned that the area has numerous resources that could help improve the lives of the people.

You have very long and wide beaches to promote tourism, the sea and fresh water resources from the Volta River for fishing and the salt mines at Sanghor, as well as vast stretch of land are very fertile for the cultivation of vegetables and watermelons, he mentioned.

Mr. Ashitey called on the assemblies to explore the various factors of production and submit comprehensive proposals to the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) for prompt action.

He said the successful implementation of the projects in the area would be a win-win situation for the assemblies and the people.

Transforming our economy to create jobs, generate income and reduce poverty is the single most important challenge confronting the country, but with our collective efforts we must succeed in this drive, he stressed.

Mr. Ashitey mentioned that government plans to review relevant sections of the Local Government Act, 2016 (Act 936) to ensure that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) are elected to office.

The Minister further charged them to explore areas and methods, which can be enforced to increase their Internally Generated Funds (IGF).

The Coordinating Director for Ada East, Modesto Bokuma, appealed to the Minister to help expedite work on the Assembly Project, which was started in 2008 and has currently been abandoned by the contractor Messers Bawawud Limited.

He stated that a two-storey building is currently uninhabitable.

Alhassan Ziblin Alhassan, Coordinating Director for Ada West, lauded government for the ongoing work in the assembly, but called for vehicles to support the assembly.

By Solomon Ofori


The Minority members on the Appointments Committee of Parliament have boycotted sitting following concerns that they are being overstretched.

Parliament is expected to go on recess by Friday, April 7, however the Appointments Committee will continue vetting the remaining 50 deputy ministerial nominees named by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

While reading Parliament's business statement in Parliament last Friday, the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, noted that the House was to rise on Friday prior to the Easter celebrations.

But the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu strongly rejected the move.

Haruna Iddrisu argued that, the recess should begin today [Wednesday], adding that the Appointments Committee could submit its report of the deputy ministers it had screened within the period for Parliament's approval, but the Majority Leader disagreed.

Parliament has so far approved eleven (11) Deputy Ministers for the various sector ministries, as well as ten Deputy Regional Ministers.

Below is the list of deputy minister nominees the committee is expected to screen between today and Thursday:

Nominees for Wednesday 5th April 2017 are:

Hon. Andy Appiah Kubi(Deputy Minister Designate for Railways Devt) Hon. Maj. Derrick Oduro(Deputy Minister Designate for Defence) Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum(Deputy Minister Designate for Education) Hon. Eugene Antwi(Deputy Minister Designate for Works and Housing) Hon. Barbara Oteng Gyasi(Deputy Minister Designate for Lands and Natural Resources) Hon. Kwasi Boateng Agyei (Deputy Minister Designate for Local Govt and Rural Devt)

Nominees for Thursday 6th April 2017 are:

Hon. Patrick Boamah(Deputy Minister Designate for sanitation and water resources) Hon. Dr. Sagri Bambangi(Deputy Minister Designate for Agriculture) Hon. George Oduro(Deputy Minister Designate for Agriculture) Hon. Vincent Sowah Odotei(Deputy Minister Designate for Communications) Hon. Charles Owiredu(Deputy Minister Designate for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration) Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah(Deputy Minister Designate for Information) Hon. Ama Dokuaa Asiamah Agyei(Deputy Minister Designate for Information) Hon. Tina Mensah(Deputy Minister Designate for Health)

NPP boycotts vetting of NDC ministers

This is not the first time an opposition party is boycotting vetting of Ministers.

In 2013, New Patriotic Party MPs on the Appointments Committee boycotted the vetting of ministers appointed by the then National Democratic Congress (NDC) government after they claimed that the election was not legitimately won by the NDC.



By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey & Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
The Bank of Ghana (BOG) is on a nationwide outreach program to educate Ghanaians about the security features on the new commemorative GHc 5 bank note in circulation.

The program, dubbed, Information Security Awareness Program is spearheaded by the Head of Currency Management Department, Edward Musey.

Edward Musey at a media encounter in Tamale, said there was no extra cost in printing the new Ghc5 bank notes.

He posited that, it was a tactical decision approved by management following the nation's financial institutions incessant request.

According to him, the new GHc 5 note, which is to serve as supplementary bank notes, is the most widely circulated and preferred currency demanded at the counter.

Edward Musey gave the assurance that the new banknote will be accessible to customers at the various financial institutions.

He said both old and new currencies will be in circulation until the mutilated old ones are replaced, and explained that the size of the new currency is in line with international monetary standards.

The Central Bank's Director of Communication's, Bernard Otabil, and other technocrats, responded to questions from the participants.

They however kept the participants in suspense regarding disclosure of the exact amount spent on printing the new currency.

The Bank of Ghana under the watch of the immediate past Governor, Dr. Nashiru Issahaku, unveiled the commemorative GHc5 bank note to celebrate the banks 60th anniversary.

It became a legal tender two days ahead of the nation's 60th Anniversary celebration.

The new five cedis note has a foreign outlook and it contains a host of modern security and informational features.



By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
05.04.2017 LISTEN

Written by Sir Article, Founder and CEO of Sircle Communications.

Hello R. A.,

I write you this letter not as a B.Com student, but a "B.Com dropout" now a full-time entrepreneur. Let me also congratulate you on your election as the UCCABS President for the 2017/2018 academic year. You really deserve it. I also apologise for being unable to campaign for you owing to the fact that I dropped out of UCC  as I informed you back in Level 100. You know I believed in your political ambition, and would have rallied my support for "Team Real" if I were still a UCCABS member. I am, however, glad that you won the UCCABS Presidential election convincingly even when the odds were quite against your winning. As a good friend, I felt so proud when I first heard you emerged victorious. And, yet, I think you now have a seemingly Herculean task to deal with as per your election. That is why I decided to write you this open letter to encourage you to meet the demands of your enviable position.

Okay, let me describe the personality of Real Amoah for a larger section of my readership who know nothing about him. I can only start with this: I remember several times when Real Amoah cooked great meals for us to eat together as programme mates during our first year in Valco Hall. Yes, Emmanuel Amoah is a nice guy. He is a Level 200 B.Com (Accounting) student in UCC. Most people affectionately call him R. A., and Amoah is just real as his pseudonym suggests. He is a course representative whose style of work is certainly a case for an incredible leadership. Real Amoah once told me, "To be a leader, one must first be a servant." No wonder he focuses on servant-leadership, and not master-leadership. Additionally, he sacrifices his time, expends his energy, and wastes his money to better the human psyche of his colleagues on campus. It is not surprising that he wields some degree of influence over his mates. Of course, Amoah is an embodiment of Jim Rohn's declaration, "The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly."

Moreover, I read your policy statement as a UCCABS Presidential candidate; I was impressed with the spirit of the document. Your policies seemed viable to me, but the question bothering me is: will you implement them all effectively? After all, student politicians  just like the professional politicians  promise excellently and usually deliver poorly. Interestingly, you promised to carry out the following: provision of free software training programmes, the business concept, introduction of school of business magazine (I wish I could be the editor), industrial relations with students, inter-level intellectual competition, among others. In fact, I like your vision for UCCABS, which says, "To ensure student development, and make UCCABS an outstanding association with a nationwide acclaim."

Well, I need not advise you on how to undertake your own plans as expressed in your policy statement  for I feel you are competent enough to do so. Besides, I charge you to bring out the best in UCC's business students. Firstly, strive to empower the business students to learn the art of business success, by promoting self-education among them. Be bold to tell them that B.Com does not teach business students the true dynamics of the evolving business world. Master up courage, and inspire the business student entrepreneurs to challenge or defy the conventions, rules, practices, norms etc. of business imposed on them by the curriculum through the lecturers. Hey, admonish B.Com students for studying to get a first class at all costs rather than seeking to create an entirely new, highly unusual, very different, really better and so special ways of doing business. R. A., you have to set an extraordinary example for them to follow suit! So that the School of Business would groom business geniuses, and not excellent students who are only good at exams. Good luck.

Your former programme mate,

Sir Article.

Source: sirarticle.blogspot.com
Former Transport Minister and a cadre Mike Hammah has blamed the humiliating defeat suffered by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the last years Presidential elections on Former President John Dramani Mahama, saying the Ex-President got his priorities wrong. According to Mike Hammah, the ex president Mahamas emphasis on infrastructure development to the detriment of the physiological needs of the masses, was the downfall of the NDC. He spoke on Onua fm Morning Show Yen Nsem Pa.

The former Transport Minister told Bright Kwesi Asempa that although Ex-President Mahama has done his best to steer the affairs in governing the country, he is of the opinion that that was not enough to convince the electorate to give him another term in office. He noted that instead of the Ex-President Mahama balancing the rapid infrastructure development of the country with the immediate needs of the masses, he rather concentrate on things that will benefit the masses in the long term

The president has gotten the priorities wrong; he placed too much priority on infrastructure to the neglect of the pressing needs of the people. He should have balanced it, and that caused our defeat. I think he has done his best but not enough

Asked why he could not advised the immediate past President after detecting the flaws of the President, Mike Hammah retorted that he and other like minded members of the party did their best but could not tell if he (ex-president Mahama) had paid heed to their wise counsel.

Mike Hammah and some Cadres Front are calling on the current leadership of the NDC to as a matter of urgency; organize an early congress to restore hope among the grassroot and the entire party. A statement bearing names of leading members of the NDC like; Benjamin Kumbour, former Member of Parliament for Nandomand immediate past Defence Minister, Antwi Boasiako Sekyere, former Eastern Regional Minister and Mike Hammah, has called for early Congress to forestall what they described as fast creeping despondency among the grassroot which could be exploited by adventurists.

Mike Hamamah also said that their call for early congress is to end current seeming agitations in the party, adding that although they are aware of Prof Kwesi Botcwey Committees work, Our call is to ensure there is calm in the party front, knowing well that the report may take some time to come out and we need to restore hope among the grassroot, the NDC as you know is a grassroot party
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has reiterated his government's resolve to deal with the public purse more honestly. He said the formation of the entire government within two months of assuming office is unprecedented in the history of the country.

Setting up a government in two months shows our commitment to do public service and deal with the public purse honestly, he told a meeting of journalists in Kumasi last Saturday.

The President also gave the assurance that his administration was going to govern intelligently and honestly, emphasising, We have resources to deal with issues.

He also said the major priority of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is to deal with the menace of galamsey. With regards to the insurgence of acts of violence by individuals and groups, the President indicated that the police turning a blind eye to crime because of one's political persuasion was improper, emphasising that crime is crime, and should not be countenanced.

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who said he is a man of his word, had earlier assured transport unions and transport owners in Kumasi that he would fulfill all the pledges made during the electioneering period, and that the fulfillment of those pledges remains the surest way to create jobs and wealth for the people of Ghana, as well as returning the country onto the path of progress and prosperity.

In another development, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Monday, April 3, 2017, swore in Dr. Ernest Kwamina Yedu Addison as the new Governor of the Bank of Ghana, after consultation with the Council of State.

At a brief ceremony at the Presidency, which had the Vice President of the Republic, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Chief of Staff Akosua Frema Osei Opare, Senior Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo, Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation Anthony Akoto Osei, and Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo, in attendance, President Akufo-Addo noted that the new Governor had joined the ship of state in very difficult circumstances.

There is a big burden on us to revive the Ghanaian economy and put it on the path of growth and prosperity. I don't have to tell you the significance of your role in that process. It is absolutely vital, and you, more than anybody else, will give confidence to the markets that Ghana is on the right path, the President said.

President Akufo-Addo expressed his confidence in the ability of Dr. Addison, stressing: I am grateful that I have the opportunity to appoint you to this office. I have no doubt that it is one you will discharge with credit to yourself and to the people of Ghana.

The President further indicated that he was very much aware of the independence granted to the Central Bank by the laws of the country, but, nevertheless, if there is transparency and co-operation, we should be able to work together to achieve our main goal, which is to create the conditions for the growth of our economy.

Describing the role of the Governor as an arduous task, President Akufo-Addo reaffirmed his confidence in the abilities of Dr. Addison, wishing him Godspeed, and the very best of luck in your new role.

On his part, Dr. Ernest Addison thanked the President for the confidence reposed in him, through his appointment as Governor of the Bank of Ghana.

I am hoping that I will be able to contribute my best to position the Bank of Ghana to play that role that it is required to play, in terms of ensuring the stability of the macroeconomic and financial environment.

The issue of stability is of great concern to Ghanaians  stability, not only in the exchange rate, but stability in prices generally  as well as creating the low interest regime, which will support your private sector vision of creating jobs, ensuring high growth and reducing poverty, he said.

He assured the President that notwithstanding the challenges that confront the Ghanaian economy, they are not insurmountable, and I know that with the leadership of the Vice President in charge of the Economic Management Team, we will make an impact.

Dr. Addison reiterated his commitment to keeping the President informed frequently, regarding issues bordering on the economy, especially on the monetary policy aspect, adding that we shall not disappoint you.

From Sebastian R. Freiku, Kumasi
Wife hunting, has interestingly been modified from a mere romantic craving, into a more complex form of informal recruitment.

Candidates who scale through the first series of selection (from episodes of friendship, casual dating and even hookups) are ushered into the next round, with the accompanying tag name- "Wife Material." This is often the most crucial stage, as these 'Wife Materials' are thoroughly expected to come correct on their best behaviour!

At this deciding stage, a lady (the wife material) is bound to undergo a secret vetting process from her suitor's family, close friends and sometimes, nosy neighbors and colleagues, to ascertain how befitting she is of the 'wife' title.

Not also forgetting the likelihood of an unpredictable prophecy that could swing either ways, from a clergyman whose 'divine opinion' may possibly be consulted (if they are on the Christian side), to seek "God's permission" on whether to carry on with the affair or stall proceedings if eventually, God's mind is presumably read, and the couple "aren't divinely designed for each other!"

A lot of marriages have been birthed through this thorough recruitment process, yet we can't seem to catch a break from the never-ending tales of separation/divorce! So, how about we pay little credence to people's approval of our choices and stick to whom our hearts feel comfortable with?

The true character of an average 'Wife Material' could be perceived in so many misjudged ways by her secret observers. Probably:

 Her slight indiscretion in maintaining a solid first impression with her partner's family/friends

 Her unwavering confidence and outspoken nature (which could be regarded as arrogance and an evident consequence of tacky home training)

 Her less-fanatic interest in religion (which could automatically project her as a foreseeable 'angel of darkness' to a clergy)

 Her elegant fashion sense (which exposes her 'lack of prudence and extreme materialism')

 Her inability to conceal displeasure over her partner's disrespectful relative (which proves her 'future prospects of breaking the family bond, if married into the home')

 Her disapproval of her partner's overindulgence with his friends (which ultimately portrays her as being overly possessive!)

Your personal depth of conviction on your ideal choice of partner, is all that counts for something! She may treat others 'bad' (in their own understanding of her), but if she treats you right, then that's a good choice for a wife! Her approval rating from your family/friends may be insufficient, but if your heart agrees otherwise, stick with her!

Every woman has got both her attractive and unpleasant side. If people or even a clergy, happens to see just her bad side, it now totally depends on what you see! If what you see in her is pleasant and you're convinced you can handle the unpleasant half, then you've found yourself a great wife!

We aren't perfect ourselves. The 'Wife Material' with a good and bad side, also has a tasking job of accommodating our messy excesses as well. Just follow your heart, your mind and your soul (if they're any different!)

Twitter: @princewill_nimi

Bio: Nimi Princewill is a Nigerian Creative writer / Poet / 'Social Reformer'. He's very passionate about the reformation and development of Africa. He's most notable for his usual controversial opinion on issues that cut across Religion, Sports, Social Lifestyle and Politics.

Sent from my BlackBerry smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.
Kinshasa (AFP) - Democratic Republic of Congo's President Joseph Kabila on Wednesday pledged to appoint a new prime minister in the next two days, in line with a stalled December peace deal struck with the opposition.

"The prime minister will absolutely have to be named within 48 hours," Kabila said in a much-awaited speech to MPs and senators on the state of a December 31 power-sharing agreement, yet to be implemented.

The deal brokered by the influential Catholic church aimed to avoid a full-blown crisis in the vast restive nation following Kabila's failure to step down at the end of his second and final mandate mid-December.

It enabled Kabila to remain in office pending elections in late 2017 in tandem with a transitional body and a new premier, to be chosen within opposition ranks.

But putting the deal in place hit a major hurdle in early February with the death of veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, who had gathered together the opposition in a coalition called "Assemblement."

In his speech in the capital, Kinshasa, Kabila urged the opposition group "to overcome its internal squabbles" and to hand him a list of candidates for the post of prime minister.

Kabila has run one of the world's least developed countries since the 2001 assassination of his father Laurent.

Violence has flared across the country of 71 million people in recent months however, amid fears of a continued delay in this year's promised elections.
Most of the pregnant women who go to the Bibiani Government Hospital to deliver but have to be referred to bigger health facilities for one reason or the other find it difficult to pay for the services of the ambulances that convey them.

Because of the situation, the staff of the hospital, particularly those at the maternity ward, sometimes have to make special contributions to assist relatives in footing the bills of pregnant women referred, particularly to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, for prompt care.

The charges range between200 and GH300.

The hospital has, therefore, made a passionate appeal to the general public, particularly various women groups, religious organisations, individuals and even the ministry responsible for women to assist in creating a special fund at the hospital to help solve the problem.

The administrator of the hospital, Nana Ntim Adjei, revealed this when members of Resurrection Power New Generation Church (RPNGC) at Bibiani in the Western Region donated assorted items to the maternity and children's wards of the hospital.

This was after church members, led by their head pastor, Jacob Adjei, had embarked on a clean-up exercise at the hospital. The hospital's administrator commended members of the church for their kind gesture.

He pointed out that sometimes the relatives of the patients are not in a position to pay for an ambulance service to convey clients in critical conditions who need prompt treatment to bigger health facilities.

Mr Adjei added that about 90 percent of patients who patronise the facility have their valid National Health Insurance (NHIS) cards, stressing that the delay in reimbursing the facilities makes it extremely difficult to manage the hospital.

The NHIA's inability to reimburse accredited facilities on time has placed them in a precarious financial position, he indicated.

He bemoaned the fact that in Ghana the patients' referral system is predominantly based more on the health facility rather than the competence and skills of the healthcare professionals.

People tend to believe that the type of facility determines which medical conditions it can manage but Ghanaians should be aware that patient referral systems exist globally and are primarily based on a combination of factors. Notable among them are human resource capabilities, logistics, equipment and instruments, he explained.

Pastor Jacob Adjei stated that the move formed part of activities line-up to celebrate the 15th anniversary celebrations of the church.

He also appealed to the general public and institutions to assist the staff and management of the hospital to be able to discharge their respective duties and responsibilities as healthcare providers.

From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi
The Member of Parliament who appealed to all MPs to make at least a donation of 1000 cedis towards an immediate expansion of the maternity ward of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital is leading by example.

Patrick Boamah has paid E5,000 into a special Prudential Bank account set up solely for all MPs to send their contributions to, Joy News can confirm.

The contribution is part of attempts to reduce the high mortality rate of mothers and children at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.

It follows a Joy News documentary, Next to Die, by Seth Kwame Boateng which painted a heartbreaking story of how mothers, babies die at KATH each day due to congestion at the maternity ward.

At least four children are reported dead each day at the second largest referral hospital in Ghana, Seth Kwame Boateng documentary revealed.

He also discovered that a 43-year-old new maternity ward project has been left uncompleted and begging for attention and completion.

Shortly after the documentary, attempts have been made by civil society groups, the government, the first and second ladies to raise funds to complete the ward.

MPs were not left out with Patrick Boamah, MP for Okaikoi South, leading the crusade for the MPs.

He has since contributed E5,000 into a fund and waiting for his colleagues to do same.

"I think this is a special project that requires special attention. I believe that MPs and the government must adopt the right strategies. We must do something out of the ordinary," he said.

"If each MP pays a E1,000, it will go a long way," he added

Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com
Bakau (Gambia) (AFP) - They came to dance in green t-shirts adorned with Yahya Jammeh's grinning face and to sing the old songs of adulation as though he never went away.

The Gambia's former ruling party, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), could once expect legions of paid supporters at rallies, bolstered by a phalanx of soldiers showing off the odd anti-aircraft gun.

But APRC supporters were notable by their scarcity on the final day of campaigning on Tuesday night for legislative elections, the first poll since Jammeh was forced into exile in January after 22 years in power.

All the way down a quiet street in Bakau, a suburb of the Gambian capital, a few dozen of the faithful gathered in almost total darkness due to a power cut, bemoaning life on the other side of the political divide but adamant their party was far from spent.

""The APRC is the biggest party in the country whether people accept it or not," said Bibi Darboe, part of the campaign team.

"It is here to stay, and it will stay forever." he added against a background of drumming, whistling and screaming.

Others had dark conspiracy theories to explain the party's stunning loss in December elections, when a coalition of opposition parties propelled new President Adama Barrow to power in a stunning upset for Jammeh and his party.

"That election, I don't think we lost, truly," said Haddy Gomez, a young woman whose eyes narrowed as she described voters being turned away for having incorrect identification, in a case Jammeh tried to bring to court after the election.

Under Barrow, Gomez lamented, "things are getting worse every day," notably with rising food prices.

Shock and glee

Supporters of former president Yahya Jammeh are hoping to win seats in The Gambia's parliamentary elections

The country's eight other parties have at times found it hard to contain their glee while observing the APRC's rapid fall from grace since Jammeh went into exile after initially refusing to cede power to Barrow.

"They are going to die a natural death. They will not have more than two seats in the parliament," said Madi Ceesay, a candidate for the United Democratic Party (UDP), the largest traditional opposition grouping.

Ceesay is standing for the first time in Serrekunda, the most populous area of the country that sits along the coast from Banjul.

In the last legislative elections in 2012, most opposition parties boycotted the vote, meaning the APRC currently holds 48 of the country's then 53 parliamentary seats.

The APRC could once rely on state television and radio to pump out their propaganda day and night, but Gambians are freer than ever in their criticism of the party's former leader and the new government is intent on prosecuting alleged killings and torture by the security services once under his control.

"Before they were dipping their hand in the government coffers, using government vehicles, resources, that's not the case now," Ceesay said.

Others were more pointed. "He's a killer, we don't like that one. We want justice," said Alhagie Jibba, 70, as he walked home after stopping by Ceesay's rally in Serrekunda.

But back in Bakau, women sporting green facepaint in the party colours tried to whip up the crowds with another chorus of "Yahya, Yahya!", just like in the old days.

"If he (Jammeh) wants to come back, no one will stop him," said Darboe, the campaigner.

"Yahya Jammeh is the president!" yelled a woman in the distance.
The Presidents initial response to the publics vehement objections against the destructive ramifications of galamsey is passive and convenient. Available records show that NPP MPs have been loudest on the ills of galamsey and yet seem disempowered in the fight against the menace. It is unclear and worrying whether the Executive and Legislative arms will act decisively on galamsey and halt the devastating and near catastrophic environmental consequences.

In his partys (NPP) 192-paged manifesto for the 2016 General elections, is a thin 3-paragraph statement of intent on small-scale mining (page 96). It reads:

It is NPPs view that the artisanal, small-scale mining sub-sector needs restructuring so that its activities can take place within guidelines set up under the appropriate regulations.

This will enable small scale miners to work and earn their livelihoods in a regulated, secure, and lawful environment.

By this process, the environment, especially our water bodies, can be protected and degraded land can be reclaimed through tree-planting and reforestation.

Underlying the manifesto promise is a sequential thesis that the economic gains of galamsey is far more important than environmental destruction and under a friendlier regulatory environment, those involved in illicit mining will turn a new leaf and act responsibly. The paragraphs fail to admit that there are individuals like Bronzy One in galamsey who are determined and unashamed to operate in defiance of existing regulations. So the issue is not all about ignorance of regulations or high requirements for the licensing and operating of small-scale mining.

Also, the President is reported to have said that in order to solve the galamsey menace, we need a comprehensive policy which may even involve legislation... At best, the party and the Presidents position on Galamsey appears ambiguously evasive.

A Comprehensive Policy?

What the President is calling a comprehensive policy is not clear. The Minerals and Mining Act 703 (2006), the Artisanal Mining Framework and other related blueprints are existing regulations which make clear provisions for small-scale mining. The situation at hand is one whereby a growing number of individuals have put their economic interests above environmental concerns under the pretext of employment generation and have shown demonstrable effrontery to disregard the rules. This doesnt require an extra layer of policy. This is a matter of political will and law enforcement.

"It is not multiplication of laws which would bring sanity in any nation; it is rather the serious application of the law to go for those who matter. This is because we are enjoying some impunity in this country in which we arrest small boys, give them bail while the one who is investing in this monumental project is relaxing somewhere...we are encouraging plain illegality in this country..."

- Mr. Samuel Atta Akyea, NPP-Abuakwa South, March 20 2015

Forces and Interests Involved

Galamsey may be a complex issue for the NPP government but not Ghana. Most galamsey operating centres are in NPP strongholds. Even the Presidents own beloved Kyebi, his maternal home in the Eastern Region, is a hot spot for galamsey. Galamsey activities in Kyebi and its environs have put the Birim river at the highest risk of complete destruction. If the President cracks the whip on illegal mining, that in deed is going to be politically risky for his party. But just as the President will not sit with armed robbers and drug dealers to arrive at a comprehensive plan on acceptable conduct, in the same vein, he should not invite lawbreakers to the table for a discussion on a comprehensive plan for galamsey. We have reached a stage where the common and national interest of the sovereign state of Ghana supersedes individual interests in and gains from galamsey.

Does Parliament See Galamsey as a Problem?

Their activities have reached epic proportions in the country due to many factors, including the influx of foreigners (Chinese) into the sector and the impunity of persons engaged in illegal small scale mining activities. These activities have had a devastating effect on the environment by destroying farmlands and polluting a large number of water bodies and thereby adversely affecting the livelihoods of the persons living in the communities where these activities take place

 Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, MP-Suame, July 9 2015

"...Galamsey is an illegal act and we cannot make a law and prescribe measurement in banning galamsey inside the law...I even think the three years minimum is too low if you consider the havoc illegal mining is doing in our countryside; polluting our water bodies, degrading our forest reserves and the countryside"

- Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, MP-Manhyia South, July 9 2015

"...the Birim River is heavily polluted as a result of galamsey activities in the area. Due to this, GWCL produces only an average of 60m3/d (0.01MGD) of water at Osino, which is woefully inadequate to serve a demand of 407m3/d (0.09MGD) for the entire coverage area. As a result, potable water supply is currently limited to Osino. Supply to Nsutam from the Bunso Water Supply System is intermittent as a result of the raw water problems. Mr. Speaker, there is the need to actively fight the menace of illegal mining."

- Mr Sampson Ahi, MP-Bodi, November 26, 2014

"Mr Speaker, in my constituency and my neighbouring constituency---Adotobiri, Amansie West, Fomena and those areas, all water bodies are not endangered species. If you travel round, you cannot see one stream of water where, in your worst thirst, you can pick and drink. Every water running around, whether it is a stream or a big river, is muddy and it is because on both sides of the river bodies, are huge excavators, excavating the earth and prospecting for gold"

- Mr. Joseph Osei-Owusu, NPP - Bekwai, June 5 2013

The fourth parliament (2005-January 2009) passed the Minerals and Mining Act in 2005 to regulate the activities of small-scale and large-scale mining. Section 83 of the Act states a license for small-scale mining operation shall not be granted to a person unless that person

a. Is a citizen of Ghana,

b. Has attained the age of 18 years and

c. Is registered by the office of the Commission in an area designated under section 90(1)

The Minerals Commission is mandated with the responsibility to regulate and implement policies related to mining, among others. But the Commission has not lived up to expectations. The Parliamentary Hansard of 12 December 2013 captures the MP for Pru East, Dr Kwabena Donkor as saying,

The current practice where the mining sector has rightly drawn public criticism for (illegal mining) practices arises largely as (a) result of regulatory failure. And since the Minerals Commission has the statutory responsibility to regulate the sectorwe should make demands for a more robust regulatory regime to protect our environment and natural resource wealth.

We have a situation whereby the existing regulations on mining are not complied with, and the political and regulatory institutions entrusted with the power to ensure compliance have joined us in lamenting about the devastation caused by galamsey. What we have seen from Presidency and Parliament for more than 10 years is an endless conveyer belt of commentary on Galamsey with occasional "piecemeal measures" to stem the phenomenon.

This is a response to the Presidents invitation to citizenship.

Ernest Armah is the Head of Research and Content Development at Odekro PMO.

E: [email protected]
Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps

Representative of the Honourable Minister of Finance

Heads of the various United Nations Organisations in Ghana

Our Development Partners

The Acting Government Statistician

Executive Director of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data

Local and International Panelists

Distinguished Invited Guests

Members of the Press

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is an honour and a privilege to be asked to give an address on this very important occasion. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Ghana Statistical Service, which is working in collaboration with the SDG Implementation Committee and the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data in putting this important conference together.

The post 2015 SDG agenda provides an unprecedented context for a collective global push to address development challenges. Fundamentally underpinning this context is a transformative element that combines sustainability, inclusiveness and financing, for the first time. The SDGs embrace a broad development vision and framework that is anchored on an ambitious agenda (17 SGDs) with large financial footprints.

In this regard, ladies and gentlemen, the adoption of the SDGs at the time of the Data revolution provides us with unparalleled opportunities to track implementation of these ambitious goals at every level of our society. Country-level commitments to the SDGs will not be feasible without fast-tracking the data revolution to provide the right information at the right time that is universally accessible to all. Ghanas attainment of its SDG goals will be critically underpinned by a robust data regime that is collectively supported by all partners, including the private sector, academia, NGOs, bilateral and multilateral institutions in a harmonized manner.

Ladies and gentlemen, at this critical juncture when the amount of data churned out on a daily basis is progressively increasing, with constantly evolving technologies for data collection, analysis and communication, it becomes our shared responsibility to galvanize towards harnessing this revolution for the betterment of our citizens. Whether you are a data producer or user, an innovator or policy-maker, each of you in this room today has a stake in the data revolution and have therefore been invited to contribute your unique skills and knowledge to this Forum.

Ladies and gentlemen, as the link between data and development is often misrepresented or poorly understood, I would like to reiterate the important synergies between the two. Broadly speaking, data is fundamental in showcasing our past successes vis-a-vis development, as well as the status quo; on the basis of which we can predict much needed future developments. Unfortunately, however, both data production and data use have thus far been limited; not reaching their full potential in Ghana and many other countries.

The SDGs mark a watershed moment in the history of statistics  propelling and bringing statistics to the very core of development. Now, more than ever, statistics has moved from being a simple tool for progress monitoring and evaluation, to becoming a key driver of development programs that allows for more accurate targeting of interventions, development of new products and services, and better accountability among decision-makers. With increasing demand for more and better quality data, the SDGs require a step-change in the types, methods and actors involved in data production and use.

Ladies and gentlemen, to sufficiently respond to the call to Leave No One Behind on which Agenda 2030 is premised, data will have to become more disaggregated than ever before. Whereas in the past we (as Ghanaians) may have been satisfied with national or regional averages, we now seek information at district levels to adequately reflect the different realities and diversity of our beloved country. Similarly, we must produce more and better information on the lived realities of women and men, boys and girls to root out gender inequalities and begin to address structural discrimination that undermine women and mens progress in Ghana. Information on other marginalized groups should be systematically produced and used towards their advancement.

Alongside the challenge of disaggregation is that of producing data on thematic areas that have hitherto not been areas of focus for the official statistics community.

Ladies and gentlemen, the first theme of this Forum, Addressing Data Gaps will outline the challenges in more detail, while also exploring the quick wins, exciting innovations, and areas in need of long-term commitment and investments to ensure that Ghana will fulfill its global reporting requirements as well as generate relevant data to improve Ghanaian lives.

Acknowledging that censuses/ surveys will continue to be the cornerstone of any solid data system, this theme will in particular emphasize the importance of building the administrative data system and ensuring harmonization and interoperability between databases. Ghana has recently made strides in this area. For example, through the implementation of a new Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Strategy and an ambitious National Identification Programme which together will be powerful tools to capture and record the most significant events in Ghanaians lives while enabling better public services simultaneously. Of increasing importance too are new sources and types of data, which can be utilized in conjunction with traditional datasets to contribute additional layers of information and allow us to ask new questions about our society.

This brings me to the second theme Encouraging Data Use. As I mentioned earlier, data is not only envisaged as a way to measure progress but rather to be used to drive progress itself. This can only be achieved when data producers and users engage in an iterative feedback loop, ensuring that data produced matches user needs. This refers not only to production of data but all other steps in the data cycle, ensuring that data is communicated and disseminated in a way that various users can easily comprehend, and in a format that allows the data to be used and re-used without restriction, i.e. Open Data. Once data producers have fulfilled these requirements, the onus will surely fall on decision-makers in all sectors to use this data.

Indeed, the tasks and opportunities that lay ahead are exciting and daunting in equal measure. The third theme of the Forum Strengthening the Data Ecosystem acknowledges that the traditional National Statistical System, comprising GSS and selected Ministries, Departments and Agencies, alone will not be able to produce all of the data required for the SDGs, and for other national and regional agendas to which Ghana is committed. Indeed, apart from data production, stakeholders represented here today will play key roles in encouraging the use of data, in creating policy, legislation, and regulation that facilitate data sharing, providing expertise in the use of new technologies and types of data, and in supporting through resource allocation or in other ways the entire data ecosystem. Over the next 2 days, I would encourage you all to form new data communities either around particular thematic areas or cross-cutting issues so that we can continue to learn from one another and work together in the coming years.

As the Forums title suggests, we are here to begin conversations around a National Data Roadmap for Sustainable Development. It is important to stress that this Roadmap is not a document that we will produce by the end of this week, month, or year. Rather it will be a living process that will continue to evolve until 2030 and will require ongoing concerted efforts from us all. I am particularly gratified to have with us representatives from other countries who can share experiences of their Roadmap processes. Alongside our international participants who have come to share their expertise with us, we will use the next 2 days to achieve the following:

Identify opportunities to align national development priorities and SDGs. Identify key data and technology gaps and potential new methods, sources of data and technologies to address them. Understand the data ecosystem in Ghana and foster the creation of sector-specific and cross-cutting data communities. Identify key issues on funding, resources, and capacity.

Ladies and gentlemen, we all appreciate the potential of data to drive the development of our country. I look forward to discussing over the coming two days, the most promising ways to unlock this potential to ensure that Ghana achieves its development priorities; making the vision of The World We Want, a reality.

Thanks for your attention, and I wish you all a fruitful deliberation.
Cape Coast, GHANAThe United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Ghana Mission Director, Andrew Karas, traveled to the Central and Western Regions from March 27-31 to meet with stakeholders and visit USAID programs and activities. The objective of the visit was to fortify USAIDs partnerships in Ghanas Central and Western Regions to achieve positive development results.

During the trip, Mr. Karas met with Central Regional Minister Hon. Kwamena Duncan to discuss ways to accelerate economic growth in the region by improving access to quality education. Mr. Karas also met with fisherfolk in Kokrobite and Bortianor to discuss the adoption of responsible fishing practices to preserve fish stocks and marine ecosystems. At the University of Cape Coast, Mr. Karas met with the Pro Vice Chancellor and toured the research laboratories of the fisheries department, which was recently renovated and furnished with support from USAID.

While in the Central Region, Mr. Karas visited several USAID-supported health sites, including the Community Health Nurses Training College in Winneba and Nyame Tse Ase, a private maternity home in Komenda that provides maternal and child health services to more than 1,000 patients each month. He also met with anti-child labor and trafficking advocates in Moree, where USAID supports efforts to eradicate child labor in the region.

In the Western Region, Mr. Karas met with the Regional Minister, Dr. Kwabena Afriyie, to discuss child labor in the cocoa sector, as well as ways to curb illegal and unregulated gold mining operations, or galamsey. While in the region, Mr. Karas met with members of a small-scale mining and processing community to learn about the challenges they face, and to discuss potential alternative livelihoods. Following this visit, Mr. Karas toured a mangrove nursery along the banks of the Ankobra River where, with Feed the Future support, community members are taking the lead to preserve their valuable natural resources. Through Feed the Future, the U.S. governments global hunger and food security initiative, USAID works with coastal communities in the Central and Western Regions to encourage more sustainable fishing practices and the preservation of key natural resources.

USAID is strongly committed to supporting development in the Central and Western Regions, said Mr. Karas. We work closely with the Government of Ghana, civil society, health workers, fisher folk, and other stakeholders to improve food security, health, and education, and to combat child labor and trafficking.

USAID/Ghana works in four key areas: economic growth, education, health and democracy. USAID works with the Ghana Government to boost agricultural productivity, increase access to education, improve health services and promote good governance.
An Accra Circuit Court has struck out a suit against a man who allegedly declared that, former President John Mahama was going to drop dead during the 2016 Independence Day parade because of the apparent disinterest of prosecution.

According to the Judge, Aboagye Tandoh, the prosecution in the case has on a number of occasions, failed to appear in court.

The defendant, Kwame Gyebi, is alleged to have made the comment at a drinking spot at Dzworwulu in Accra, and this was witnessed by some people.

He was said to have boasted that he knew what he was referring to, and dared anyone to mark his words.

The matter was thus reported to the Airport Police.

He was later charged with threat of death and offensive conduct and arraigned.

During the course of the trial in October 2016, the court issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Gyebi after he absented himself from court.



By: Fred Djanbanor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
On the front pages of the Daily Graphic of today, 5th April 2017, is a screaming banner headline MEDIA DECLARES WAR ON GALAMSEY. It is accompanied with a photo of Mustapha Hamid, the Information Minister, Kenneth Ashigbey, and the Managing Director of Graphic Communications Group Ltd.

The story is about the launch of a media coalition at the Alisa Hotel in Accra to confront the growing menace of prospecting miners locally described as Galamsey operators in the wake of the environmental degradation their activities have caused to the environment of Ghana.

Other ministers present at the launch were Mr John Peter Amewu of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources who has issued an ultimatum to the illegal miners to halt their activities, Professor Frimpong Boateng, Minister of Environment Science, Technology and Innovation and the Water Resources and Sanitation Minister, Kofi Adda.

The coalition is reportedly made up of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), the New Times Corporation, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), the Private Newspaper Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) and the Community Radio Network.

We are told that the Ghanaian media is not only disturbed at the activities of prospecting miners but even the licensed small scale miners who provide the raw material to the Precious Mineral and Marketing Company and it is advocating for measures to break the head of everyone involved in that industry.

The involvement of the Chinese and Indian businessmen believed to be bankrolling the activities of these prospecting miners has complicated matters. A few of these foreign nationals have been arrested and paraded on the television with photos of them spread in the newspapers.

Why must Chinese, Indian and perhaps Canadian and Australian businessmen, finance the activity of prospecting miners whose activities are polluting rivers and farmlands across the country? One must then find the media coalition launched to confront the Galamsey menace worthy of our support. And the argument about whether or not this media coalition launched at the Alisa Hotel is heavily funded by the transnational mining corporations as has been stated elsewhere is not an issue.

Nonetheless, the hypocrisy of not just the recently launched media coalition but the Government of Ghana under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo is disgusting and shameful and I will offer some reasons.

Firstly, Ken Ashigbey, the Managing Director of the Daily Graphic who doubles as an electrical engineer by profession according to the report of the Daily Graphic, observed that everywhere there is mining in the country, there is poverty and proceeded by asking the question how many Ghanaian billionaires have me made from mining?

This question is so important because the mineral resource of Ghana is a crucial component for national development and plans for its exploitation and use are critical factors in the quest for the improvement of national life. Another important consideration is that mineral resources once depleted, cannot be restored and this brings up the question of how to use the fruits of such a wasting resource in a manner that also benefits future generations, for instance by building up social and capital infrastructure to enhance production and productivity into the future.

In order to answer Mr Ken Ashigbeys question, we need to visit a shocking incidence that occurred in the year 2003 narrated by Professor Akilagpa Sawyerr about how the administrations of Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and John Dramani Mahama virtually handed over or sold out our national interest in our mineral resources for partisan political consideration without a thought about how it will impact on the people of Ghana.

It reveals that the problems of Galamsey are rooted within the general context of the neoliberal policy of government that neglects gold as a resource critical for national development and explains why ordinary Ghanaians in partnership with foreign nationals and with sources of funding from illegal means are taking their pound of flesh from a resource mostly left to the exploitation of transnational corporations with virtually no benefit to the government and people of Ghana.

The account youre about to read is an abridged version of a presidential address delivered by Professor Akilagpa Sawyerr, President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In 2003 Newmont Mining Corporation of Denver, Colorado, USA, submitted a draft Investment to the Government of Ghana in respect of mining leases held by its local subsidiaries for prospect at Ahafo in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana and Akyem in the Eastern Region.

The draft agreement was referred to the Minerals Commission for assessment and advice as required by law. Following a review by the commission, the Chairman of the Commission sent a report to the Minister of Mines, listing up to 33 grounds of objection to the draft presented by Newmont. These related, among other things to unduly favourable terms on corporate tax, mineral royalty, duty exemptions and forex repatriation; use of aircraft and access top airports, land strips etc., as well as the provision that where the terms of agreement were in conflict with national and international law, the former prevailed.

The report ended with this observation: it is the view of the commission that Government would be setting a bad precedent if approval is given to this Agreement in its currents form quite apart from the fact that a number of the provisions  are contrary to the laws of this country (Minerals Commission to Minister of Mines, Aug 26, 2003.

With no reaction from the Minister and with no further engagement with the Minerals Commission, and with none of the issues raised by the commission addressed, the agreement presented by NEWMONT was signed on 17 Dec 2003. It was ratified by parliament on Dec 18, 2003, one day after the signature.

Given the loud cry over the mega-profits made by Newmont when the price of gold went up on the international market, a National Mining Review Committee (MRC) was inaugurated on 31 January 2012, to review the national mining regime generally, and undertake the renegotiation of mining agreements with stability provisions. Professor Akilagpa Sawyerr, the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana and President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences with a rich background in negotiation for the state was appointed Chair of the Committee and Chief Negotiator for Government.

The MRC initially engaged separately with Newmont and the two other major mining companies  AngloGold Ashanti and Gold Fields Ghana.

After extensive preparation, the Committee went into hard negotiations with Newmont over a period of 2 years. In November 2014 it concluded the negotiation of new Investment Agreements (Newmont II) with the two local affiliates of Newmont Mining Corporation  Newmont Ghana Gold Ltd. in respect of the mine at Ahafo, and Newmont Golden Ridge Ltd. in respect of the mine at Akyem.

The terms of Newmont II addressed virtually all the excesses pointed out by the Minerals Commission in 2003 and repeated by a Technical Review Committee in 2011. The new agreements were altered in Ghanas favour, the fiscal regime (income tax, mineral royalty, duty exemptions, forex repatriation, etc.) and many other terms. Several other fiscal and non-fiscal terms, such as use of aircraft, private security and provision for the agreement terms to override national and international laws, were discarded outright. In addition to all these other positives, the Akilagpa Committee got Newmont to agree to pay what amounted to a signing on premium  an upfront cash payment of USD27million, duly paid to the Ministry of Finance a month after Parliamentary ratification of the agreements!

It is this successful move to correct the lop-sidedness of Newmont I to the extent possible, and remain consistent with the continental drive to increase the share of the state in natural resources rent that is referred to in the title to this lecture as a forward march.

To round up, it might be noted that the Newmont IIagreements were concluded in November 2014; signed in May 2015; approved by Cabinet and submitted to Parliament for ratification in June 2015; and ratified by Parliament in November 2015  a total of 12 months

from conclusion to ratification. Quite a change from Newmont I - ratified by Parliament ONE DAY after signature!

v Gold Fields

Now for the third section of the story. As part of its original mandate, the Mining Review Committee (MRC) established and maintained contact with Gold Fields Ghana Ltd., one of the three leading mining companies in Ghana, building up a dossier of background information and statistics on the company as well as Gold Fields Ltd., its parent company, in preparation for direct negotiations. Following the conclusion of the Newmont Agreements (Newmont II), the MRC began formal negotiations with Gold Fields in May 2015. This involved a series of meetings, information gathering and options development, culminating in Gold Fields submitting a draft proposal for negotiation. It became clear from the proposal that the concern of Gold Fields was to take advantage of Section 49 of the Minerals and Mining Act (Act 703) to obtain a stability agreement with appropriate fiscal concessions for investments it proposed to make at its mines in Tarkwa and Damang  concessions of the sort enjoyed by Newmont and AngloGold Ashanti. In August 2015 the MRC, therefore, suspended the negotiations in order to enable Gold Fields bring up its proposals for new investment in the usual manner, that is, through the Minerals Commission, which was the proper body to receive such proposals, and the best equipped to do the necessary initial assessments.

The MRC heard nothing further about this till February 2016, when it received the surprising news that a draft agreement had been settled between Government and Gold Fields, awaiting Cabinet approval and signature. As Chairman of the MRC, I asked for and received a copy of the draft agreements for review. After a hurried review I sent in comment on the draft, pointing out a number of what I considered serious flaws in the draft, concluding that:

 on the basis of a quick assessment and for the reasons given above, the Gold Fields

Development Agreements are . unsupportable in their present form .  [ Chair, NMRC to Min of

Lands and Natural Resources/Min of Fin. /Minerals Commission, Feb 8, 2016 ]

Though Cabinet reportedly took note of our comments and asked for appropriate modifications in the final draft, the Agreements were signed on 11 March 2016, virtually unchanged.

They were tabled in Parliament on 16 March 2016 and referred to the Select Committee on Mines and Energy the same day. The Committee reported back the following day, 17 March! As reported in the Hansard, Parliament first waived the Standing Order requirement for a 48hour wait, thereby enabling the motion for approval to be immediately put for consideration by the House. The motion, which was tabled at 9.30 pm, was approved and the Gold Fields Agreements were ratified at 9.40 pm. Thus, the substantial and complex investment agreements were ratified by Parliament after fully 10 minutes of discussion on the floor of the House, one day after they were first tabled, and one week after they were signed!

It is difficult not to see the similarity between the circumstances surrounding Newmont I and Gold Fields  receiving Parliamentary ratification one day and one week, respectively, after conclusion of the agreements - in contrast to Newmont II, ratified a year after conclusion!

However, the similarity/difference go beyond the rush and superficiality of the approval process in the first two cases. As will become clear from what follows, they pertain as well to the substance of the agreements, since the terms of Gold Fields, likeNewmont I, but unlike Newmont II, run counter to the continental trend and recent Ghana efforts to increase the state revenue share from mining enterprises.

Hence the reference to MARCHING FORWARD TO THE PAST in the title of this lecture.

But, enough of storytelling! What does all this amount to? Simply put, in addition to the circumstances of their negotiation and the rush to ratification, the terms of the Gold Fields agreements take us away from the direction pointed by Newmont II, and run counter to trends elsewhere on the continent, as described above.

2. FLAWS IN REVISED GOLD FIELDS AGREEMENTS

There is not enough time to detail all the flaws in the agreements. What I propose, instead, is to demonstrate the general proposition by reference to a few illustrative items.



a. Fiscal Give-Away

The first issue relates to the concessions made in respect of the fiscal regime. The rate of corporate income tax, which, at the time, stood at 35% for mining companies, was reduced to 32.5%, and that of royalty from a flat 5% to a range of 3% - 5%, indexed to the gold price. Other concessions affected the basis for calculating corporate tax and import duty charges. According Gold Fields own estimates, the new fiscal concessions would have saved the company up to USD33million for the 2015 tax year, and will save it USD26million for 2016.

What is the basis for these give-aways by Government? The official justification has two elements. The first was the desire to level the playing field by giving Gold Fields what Newmont got in Newmont II- a rather naive argument in the circumstances. For a start, while the terms of Newmont II represented a substantial enhancement of the benefits Ghana enjoyed underNewmont I, the same terms in the Gold Fields agreement represented a reduction of what we had prior to the negotiations. In any event, we did not consider the outcome of Newmont II as ideal, such as would constitute a proper benchmark for future agreements. Given the overgenerous concessions in Newmont I, we could do no more than claw back as much as we could. Had we started with a clean slate, we would undoubtedly have allowed fewer concessions than we had to in the circumstances. To use the outcome as a benchmark for negotiations about a fresh investment, where the investor is seeking extra benefits under the agreement, is a major misjudgement of the situation.

The second leg of the official justification was the need to give relief to Gold Fields, which was supposedly in dire straits, putting local jobs at risk. Clearly, this is not a sustainable line either. Nothing in the relevant legislation authorised giving relief to hard-pressed mines through the grant of fiscal concessions in a stability agreement. Putting that aside for a moment, one wonders, did the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and his advisers really believe that, without these particular fiscal give-aways, Tarkwa and Damang were both on the brink of disaster? Local jobs at risk? Really?

For a start, the mines at Tarkwa and Damang, being separate mines, owned by separate companies under separate leases, in different locations, and under different economic and material conditions are separate entities under the law, and should, therefore, be considered separately. Taking Tarkwa first, the panic about impending disaster is difficult to reconcile with the following observation made by the Chief Executive Officer of Gold Fields about a month after the ratification of the agreements:

Tarkwa is doing reasonable well, but we have to remember the gold price has come down from the highest of $1,900 dollars in 2013 to currently $1,200 dollars an ounce. So we have to tighten our belts in a number of areas.

On what basis, then, could government negotiators have formed the view that Tarkwa, for one, could not survive without the bailout?

Turning to the mine at Damang, it had undoubtedly been in difficulty, with poor returns in 2013, leading to job lay-offs, etc. But could this be justification for the substantial fiscal concessions, locked in for 11 years? Did the Minister and his advisers not know that:

- Damang had reportedly already laid off some 500 workers, who had been accommodated within the mining sector?

- given the cyclical nature of gold price movements on the world market, a price rebound and profitability were entirely predictable?

- in the 5-year period to 2014, with the exception of 2013, Damang had been in profit (as had Tarkwa), paying dividends, and earning returns on equity (ROE) at rates higher than those of their parent company and the average for the industry?

It is clear from all that has been said that, had there been a fuller grasp of the relevant information and sharper thinking by our negotiators, the panic that led to the granting of such concessions, even beyond what was allowed by the law, would not have occurred.

b. Technical Deficiencies

Besides difficulty in justifying the concessions under the prevailing circumstances, there were serious technical flaws in the agreements as finally signed and ratified.

i. Some concessions almost certainly illegal

The fiscal concessions in the agreements were granted under Section 49 of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), which gives the Minister power to grant enhanced concessions in a development agreement with the holder of a mining lease, where the proposed investment

will exceed a stated amount. Such concessions will typically include the stability arrangements set out in Section 48 of the Act.

The first point of note is that the enhanced concessions under Section 49 are explicitly intended to attract and encourage new investments into mining, not to reward investments already made (nor to bail out companies in trouble!). The relevant portion of Section 49 reads:

(1) The Minister on the advice of the Commission may enter into a development agreement under a mining lease with a person where the proposed investment by the person will exceed US$ five hundred million.

(2) A development agreement may contain provisions,

(a) . . .

(b) . . .

(c) on stability terms as provided under Section 48.

In spite of the clear words of the provision, the preamble to the agreements states, strangely, that Gold Fields, having already invested in Tarkwa and Damang, therefore qualifies under Section 49 [of Act 703] to enter a development agreement with enhanced investment terms!

A second, more serious issue is that, the stability terms available under Section 48 provide for the fixing of the fiscal regime as it exists under the applicable law at the time of the grant, so that, for the duration of the stability period, rights acquired by the investor shall not be adversely affected by subsequent changes in the fiscal law. Nowhere in the section, nor anywhere else in the Act, nor in any other legislation I am aware of, is the Minister given power to alter or reduce existing rates, or soften the provisions for calculating taxes, etc. Thus, the purported reduction of corporate income tax and royalty rates in the stability provisions of the Gold Fields Agreements would appear to be ultra vires and of no effect!



ii. Government interest inadequately secured/protected

As indicated, a condition for invoking Section 49 is a commitment by the leaseholder to make fresh investments in a new or existing mine. Thus, the preambles to the Gold Fields agreements refer to a commitment by Gold Fields to invest in the future an amount of ...

during the life-of-mine of the Tarkwa and Damang Mines.

As expressed during the ratification process in Parliament, the agreements would pave the way

for the investment of two billion, five hundred and fifty million United States dollars ... over the life of the mines

and

The investment is expected to increase current production to one million ounces per year.

Surprisingly, one looks, in vain, for any provision or term in the agreements committing Gold Fields to make this or any investment at all, or setting out sanctions for non-performance!

What we have, instead, are expressions of naive hope by Government representatives that Gold Fields will honour promises it had made, presumably off the record, to our negotiators or to Government!

The situation is, therefore, that, in place of a legally enforceable obligation set out in the agreements, our negotiators opted to rely on off-the-table assurances!

That the picture is nowhere near as rosy as Parliament was led to believe, can be gauged from the following excerpt from an interview granted by Nick Holland, the CEO of Gold Fields, a month after the ratification:

Citi Business News: With this arrangement [i.e., the new agreements], what is the lifespan and what is your gain, was it a win-win situation?

Nick Holland: It is a win-win because what we can do here is; we think there is a good opportunity now for us to come up with reinvestment, case for Damang we still working through the numbers we havent finished yet. We should be finished with the analysis and recommendation to our board by the middle of the year and then we would be able to make a decision but certainly, I think the development agreement puts us in a strong position to bring about a longer term profile for Damang and for Tarkwa.

To the same effect, another interview granted days after the agreements by a spokesman for Gold Fields:

 the company  had not yet decided whether to inject more cash into Damang, one of two mines operated by Gold Fields in Ghana, or suspend operations there, company spokesman Sven Lunsche said.

"This [the new agreement] is obviously a positive input into our decision-making process, though we are considering many other economic, financial and mining variables in the process," Lunsche added, referring to the agreement with the government.19 (Emphasis supplied)

Thus, in return for binding ourselves to the enhanced concessions in the agreements, and locking them in for 11 years in the case of Tarkwa and 9 years in the case of Damang, what did GF commit to? Answer: nothing  not one cent!

What is our legal recourse, should Gold Fields fail to invest or, indeed, proceed to lay off more workers while enjoying the concessions? Answer: none!

Can we unilaterally withdraw any concessions in response to non-performance of the off-therecord promises? Answer: definitely not!

Let us be clear - while Gold Fields may yet decide to invest, the bottom line is that it remains uncommitted, undecided and unbound, within the terms of the agreements!

Leaving the Government so exposed is a glaring instance of technical incompetence on the part of our negotiators. What is surprising is that they had access to the Revised Newmont Agreement (Newmont II), which had addressed this particular defect! It was precisely to close what is an obvious gap in Section 49 of Act 703 that we devised and inserted what we describe as the extended stability principles in Article 4.3 of Newmont II. The Article provides that, in order to enjoy the enhanced concessions for a period beyond the agreed stability period, Newmont has to present an extension plan acceptable to the Minister,

committing to invest

o a stated minimum amount ( Art. 4.3 (a) );

o within a set time ( Art. 4.3 (a) );

o with a stated expected outcome - specified increases in gold production, or extension of life of mine, or local employment ( Art. 4.3 (b);

o subject to sanctions for failure to perform, i.e.,

Should the conditions [for the grant] fail to be satisfied on the basis and within the period described  the Government may rescind the Extended Stability Period and [Newmont] will thereafter become liable for any additional Taxes and Duties that would have accrued but for the extension of the Basic Stability Period. (Art. 4.3 (d))

Clearly, this was not applicable in Newmont II, nor was it intended to be, because that agreement dealt with pre-existing, not prospective investments. There was, nevertheless, a definite understanding that, in order to close the gap in the law, the extended stability principles were to be applied to all future grants of enhanced concessions under Section 49 of Act 703. That is, for the future, all grants of enhanced concessions under Section 49 must be conditioned on an explicit and enforceable commitment by the investor to make fresh investments. Presuming to follow the Newmont II example, the negotiators of the Gold Fields Agreements applied the principles only to future additional investments (Clause 4.3). This represents a critical failure to appreciate that in Newmont II,because we were dealing with

pre-existing concessions balanced by pre-existing investments, we had had to limit application

of the principles to future investments. The case of Gold Fields was quite different to the extent that the quest of the company for Section 49 concessions could only be founded on fresh (proposed) investments, according to the express terms of the section. Therein lay the fatal problem for the Gold Fields negotiations  the negotiators were (mis)applying Section 49 to grant enhanced concessions, effectively, for pre-existing investments, contrary to the clear terms of the section!

To sum it up, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that, just as in Newmont I (2003),

 Ghana gave away more than we had to in the revised Gold Fields Agreements;

 the enhanced concessions given in the agreements were almost certainly illegal, and

 all this could have been avoided, had there been competent and committed negotiations on behalf of Ghana!

But could this be put down solely to naivety? Ignorance? Incompetence? Hardly!

The negotiators had available to them Newmont IIthat, as shown above, provided the bases for a more professional effort. They had at their service the MRC, negotiators of Newmont II  indeed, several of the public officers involved in the Gold Fields negotiations had been members of the MRC!

So, what happened? Who, by-passing the collective experience of the Newmont II negotiators, chose to concede so much to Gold Fields, without, at least, securing our interests? For what considerations  policy? Political advantage? Personal gain?



LESSONS

What lessons are we to draw from this story? I am sure each of us will have our own list. Mine, briefly put, are as follows:

a. Technical/Political

The use of politician-dominated, non-expert bodies to conduct technical negotiations in Newmont I and Gold Fields - in the latter case bypassing a negotiating team that successfully renegotiated Newmont IIand was available to undertake or back the technical negotiations. This wilful playing down of technical competence, professionalism and experience raises serious questions about the good intentions of the decision-makers and their commitment to the public good. The prime instance of this phenomenon was the famous Ghana Telecom-Vodafone case (2008), in which the President of the Republic, together with a few officials and close associates, and to the exclusion of the designated technical team, personally conducted and concluded the immensely complicated negotiations for the sale of Ghana Telecom, the national telecommunications company! The outcome has been widely criticised as a sell-out of the national interest. However, for present purposes, the relevant feature emerges from the only publicly available record of the dramatis personae at the negotiations.

To anyone with the slightest commitment to the public interest and the barest understanding of how such investment negotiations go, this record of Ghanas representation at the negotiations makes chilling reading  an emphatic visual of how not to do it!

To address this aspect of our concerns it may be suggested that we

i. develop and use a cadre of expert negotiators, within the public service and outside it, but available to be engaged on behalf of the state;

ii. ensure a minimum of politician involvement in the technical preparations and actual negotiations;

iii. keep a comprehensive record of the negotiation process and background material in every case; and

iv. make the agreements and background material immediately accessible to the public.



b. Failure of institutional responsibility and oversight

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission failed in the discharge of their duty to ensure that the 2016 Gold Fields negotiations had the proper institutional base, and was conducted with diligence, competence and honesty. Such disregard of institutional responsibility and of the public interest, is compounded by the impunity of office bearers, which increasingly characterises our public management system.

At least as grievous, was the complete failure of Parliament - both sides of the House - to treat the ratification process with the slightest seriousness. The records show no evidence of any discussion or questioning of anything at the hurried Committee stage, nor on the floor of the House, with the result that the supposed positives of the agreements were routinely recited and unquestioningly endorsed. It will not be too much to consider such conduct a betrayal of the peoples faith that their Parliament will, through the ratification process, diligently protect their interests by double-checking executive action, as provided for in the Constitution of the Republic.

But, ultimately, the buck stops with the President of the Republic, in whom the Constitution of the Republic vests primary responsibility for safeguarding our natural resources and ensuring their optimal exploitation and management. It is the direct responsibility of the President to ensure that there are appropriate natural resources policies in place and that the implementation of such polices, including investment in resource exploitation, yields the most benefit for present and future generations of Ghanaians. In this instance, this obligation was not met, even though the attention of the Cabinet, of which the President is Chair, was drawn to potential deficiencies in the proposed arrangement.

c. Failure of civic vigilance and follow-through

The third broad lesson is that such failure of executive and parliamentary responsibility, in turn, thrives in an atmosphere of civic inertia. When criticisms of the Gold Fields

Agreements went public in April last year, it received scant civil society attention. With the singular exception of the Third World Network-Africa (TWN-Af), no civil society body raised the obvious questions that should have been put to the public institutions with responsibility in such matters. Again, the media - print and electronic - gave little attention to the matter, and the few that did, failed to do any independent checks or follow-up, or to demand answers from public officers. The matter, like many others of its kind, gained little traction and quickly died in the public domain, without a trace. 

Having drawn our attention to these incidents as narrated by Professor Akilagpa Sawyerr, the other observation by Mr Ashigbey that everywhere there is mining in the country, there is poverty becomes increasingly relevant.

In the year 2006, Goldfields Ghana Limited realized $542,194,633.19 (Million dollars). A year after, in 2007, the company produced 841,382.71 oz of gold of which it made $572, 948,032.35( million dollars). These figures went up the following years. In 2011 Goldfields Ghana made $1,468, 917, 096.93 (billion dollars)

The government of Ghana only received in some instances 6% and 7.02% of payment in mineral royalties, property rates, corporate tax and dividends. So how then does Ghanas mineral resources serve as a basis for the improvement of our national life as we spoke about earlier and bring about that intergenerational equity for Ghanaians yet unborn.

In a nutshell, the media coalition, must understand that Galamsey and the destruction it causes to the environment is not the only problem confronting our country. The media coalition if it will succeed must demand that the collusion and connivance of the Ghanaian elite and transnational corporation in the robbery of Ghanas mineral resources must come to an end!

You can Read the full presidential address of Professor Akilagpa Sawyerr here: http://theinsightnewspaper.blogspot.com/
05.04.2017 LISTEN

The Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group, Kenneth Ashigbey, has suggested to the government to place a ban on both alluvial and surface mining to save the environment from further deterioration.

According to him, though the government had shown signs of fighting galamsey (illegal mining) activities, the fight cannot be won whilst others have licenses to operate surface mining.

He argued that the mess that had been created as a result of surface mining overwhelms the benefits the country derives from its mineral resource excavation.

He charged the government to listen to public outcry against galamsey, and that Ghana would become extinct if these illegal miners destroy all the water bodies and farmlands.

There is a national phobia that access to potable drinking water will become a national security problem if state actors do not move fast to have galamsey banned immediately.

Speaking at the launch of a media coalition against galamsey in Accra yesterday, Mr. Asigbey blamed the galamsey menace on the failure of leadership to deal with the issue from the very onset, cautioning that if things continue the way it is going, Ghana would disappear from the earth's surface in the near future.

The President and the Minister of Lands and Natural Resource had already launched vigorous campaigns to curb galamsey activities. This, the Graphic MD lauded, and called on the media and general public to support their efforts.

He could, however, not figure out how the security personnel allowed Chinese, Malians, Nigerians and other nationals to import complex mining equipment and offensive weapons into the country to destroy the environment. How were they able to license their guns? he asked.

As part of the coalition's strategies to enhance government's efforts to stop galamsey, the media will investigate and uncover all the bigwigs behind the illegal miners, name and shame them for being delinquents, instead of good citizens, he said.

The President of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), Akwesi Agyeman, on the other hand, called on the security agencies to equally treat galamsey operators as 'armed robbers', as their activities posed a threat to national security we are creating monsters, and I think they must be stopped, he said.

He urged the media to go all out to tackle galamsey, not by just reporting on it, but going a step further to ensure that policy makers actually ban their operations.

He said there would be town hall meetings in the affected areas in the Western, Eastern, Ashanti, Upper East and Upper West regions, where the communities, especially the youth, are engaged in galamsey would be educated.

The GIBA President also announced that the coalition would incorporate signature signing campaigns as a way to raise awareness, and commit individuals and entities to support the fight to save the country's heritage.

Minister of Lands and Natural Resources

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Peter Amewu, pledged his support for the coalition, and told the media fraternity that the President himself was passionate about the environment, and would do all he can to stop galamsey.

He also agreed that galamsey operators be referred to as 'armed robbers', for illicit mining is a major national security issue.

However, the Minister didn't agree to the outright ban of alluvial mining, because some companies are complying with the law.

Minister of Information

Mustapha Hamid, Minister of Information, urged the media to go all out to campaign against galamsey, which is posing a serious threat to food and water security in the country.

He also reiterated the President's commitment to stamp out galamsey, and charged the media to support the government when it starts the crackdown.

The Minister raised the point, because, it is the same media that tells government that people will lose their livelihoods.

By Bernice Bessey
Health authorities in the Ashanti Region have found pneumococcal meningitis is responsible for the death of four students of Kumasi Academy.

The spate of death within two weeks has caused public anxiety as parents and students demanded answers.

At a media briefing in Kumasi, Wednesday, Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah indicated autopsy reports from different facilities on three of the four deceased point to meningitis.

The hospital are St Patrick at Offinso Maase, St. Michael 's at Pramso and KNUST School of Medical Sciences.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the covering of the brain and spinal cord.

It is mostly caused by virus, fungi and bacterium.

Outbreaks due to meningococcal meningitis remain a major public health challenge, particularly, the Northern regions.

Symptoms include neck pain and stiffness, convulsion, confusion and vomiting.

Health authorities say because meningitis is endemic in Ghana, report of one case constitutes no outbreak, though enhanced surveillance is required to prevent spread.

Meanwhile, the Health Directorate says it has already handled 26 suspected cases.

They attribute the Kumasi Academy cases to harsh weather conditions.

Mr. Osei- Mensah says as part of the steps to curb future spread each school is now designated to a particular hospital.

School authorities seek to decongest the dormitories by moving some of the students a new block under construction.

-Myjoyonline
Johannesburg (AFP) - South Africa's highest court Wednesday rejected a bid by the government to keep a ban on domestic trade in rhino horn, a court document showed.

The ruling by the Constitutional Court effectively means rhino horns may be traded locally.

The department of environmental affairs had sought to retain a moratorium on domestic trade in rhino horns which was dismissed by last year by another court.

In a one paragraph ruling, the Constitutional Court ruled that the application by government be "dismissed".

Environmental department spokesman Albie Modise said authorities were still considering the implications of the judgment.

"It is important to note that permits are required to sell or buy rhino horn," he said in a statement.

The ruling will have little impact outside South Africa because a ban on international trade is still in force.

Breeders believe open trade is the only way to stop poachers slaughtering rhino.

"We are absolutely delighted at the ruling by the Constitutional Court," Pelham Jones, chairman of the Private Rhino Owners Association, told AFP.

South Africa is home to around 20,000 rhinos, around 80 percent of the worldwide population, about a third of which is held by private breeders.

Rhino breeders want the booming Asian demand for rhino horn to be met by horns sawn off anaesthetised live animals, arguing that a legal source of horn could end poaching deaths.

The horns grow back, but most conservationists disagree with the proposed policy.

Rhino horn is composed mainly of keratin, the same component as in human nails.

It is sold in powdered form as a supposed cure for cancer and other diseases -- as well as an aphrodisiac -- in Vietnam and China.

At least 1,054 rhino were killed by poachers in South Africa in 2016, a slight decrease from previous year.
Kinshasa (AFP) - Congolese President Joseph Kabila on Wednesday pledged to appoint a new prime minister within two days to help run the country before elections at year's end, under a deal struck with the opposition.

"The prime minister will absolutely have to be named within 48 hours," Kabila told MPs and senators in a much-awaited speech about the stalled New Year's Eve power-sharing agreement.

Brokered by the influential Catholic church, the deal aimed to avoid fresh political violence in the large central African country after Kabila failed to step down when his mandate ended mid-December.

It enables him to remain in office pending elections in late 2017, ruling in tandem with a transitional watchdog and a new premier, to be chosen within opposition ranks.

The transitional watchdog was to have been headed, by veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, who had gathered together an opposition coalition called "Rassemblement" (Rally).

But the frail opposition chief died in early February and the umbrella group has since split into two, some favouring his son, Felix Tshisekedi, others not.

In his speech in the capital, Kinshasa, Kabila urged the opposition group "to overcome its internal squabbles" and to hand him a list of candidates for the post of prime minister.

'No foreign meddling'

He pledged that "the elections will take place" but warned against foreign meddling.

"No foreign interference... will be tolerated," he said.

The warning came days after the UN Security Council voted to cut back its peacekeeping force in Democratic Republic of Congo -- its biggest worldwide -- as the United States moves to cur costs on such missions.

Kabila, who is under international pressure to implement the December 31 power-sharing deal, this week held two days of talks with his rivals, but Felix Tshisekedi refused to take part in the meetings.

Kabila has run one of the world's least developed countries since the 2001 assassination of his father Laurent.

The postponement of the presidential election led to protests in September that left some 50 people dead.

The last months have seen violence flare across the country of 71 million people and it is widely feared the delay in implementing the power-sharing deal could trigger a postponement in this year's vote that could cause further bloodshed.
In 2015, Samuel Malinga, at age 26, founded Sanitation Africaa company engaged in turning human waste into briquettes for cooking and agricultural manure. For his innovative approach to waste management, Samuel has been recognized by several organizations, including the Tony Elumelu Foundation, a philanthropy that awarded him a grant to expand his operations. In 2014, Ventures Africa, a business and lifestyle publication, listed him as one of the 40 African innovators to watch. While visiting the United Nations headquarters in New York recently, Samuel shared his experiences with Africa Renewals Kingsley Ighobor.

Africa Renewal: Why are you at the UN headquarters?

Malinga: I am here with 16 other young leaders from around the world to draft a one-year plan on how we can advocate for Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs] to ensure they are achieved by 2030.

Why were you selected for this trip?

I do sanitation projects. I do innovative toilet construction and upgrades. Our low-cost toilets address some of the challenges of climate change, such as soil collapse. Also, we have an innovative solution for emptying toilets, especially in the hard-to-reach areas due to poor infrastructure. It allows people to reuse their toilets in areas that dont have much space, instead of digging new pits.

You said they are low-cost. How much does this cost?

For emptying a toilet, a client pays roughly $50. It costs between $200 and $400 to construct a new toilet. So its cheaper to empty old ones (when the pit gets full after several months of use, depending on the number of users) than to construct new toilets.

Describe briefly your innovative solution.

We are converting human waste into briquettes for cooking and manure. Our research has shown that our briquettes burn longer and are four times cheaper than firewood. We developed a pump to empty pits and then a treatment plant that turns the dried fecal sludge into briquettes that are used for cooking.

How many communities in Uganda are you operating in?

We are operating in three regionsgreater Kampala, and in parts of eastern and western Uganda. We intend to spread this technology throughout Africa.

How many people do you employ?

There are six permanent employees at the moment, but we hire young people on a part-time basis to do marketing. Depending on tasks, we hire more people for toilet construction, sometimes between 10 and 20.

Without your efforts, how would communities now served by your company cope?

I think there would be a big problem, because people easily dump their waste into draining channels, which end up in our water reservoirs and supply systems. There would be a lot of contamination.

Who is financing your operations?

I must say, proudly, that the first money I got was from the Future Project in Lagos, Nigeria, spearheaded by the Tony Elumelu Foundation. They gave me around two million naira ($11,000 in 2014), with which I set up my companys structures. We could be making a bigger impact, but the funding is limited. Banks are hesitant to provide loans because of a lack of collateral.

But its a profitable business?

Yes.

Which means in the future you could survive on your own?

Yes, that is the ultimate goal. A 25% profit margin could make our operations sustainable. It is not sustainable if we are soliciting funding like what other NGOs do.

How do you see your work within the global efforts to achieve SDGs?

We are going to do a lot of community mobilization because in order to achieve the SDGs, we need to make sure everybody is involved, particularly the youth. Governments need to know the importance of youth in development.

How would you describe the socioeconomic conditions of young Ugandans?

Most young Ugandans, especially those who have formal education, expect to get jobs after school. But these jobs are not readily available. And this is why many are now advocating for their rights: they want to be involved in decision making, in policy, and even in the process of preparing budgets.

What other challenges do young people face in Uganda?

Young people need mentors. They lack financing to start businesses. They are not properly represented politically.

Can you tell us who or what inspired you?

The community in which I grew up inspired me. At the age of 12, I saw people suffering from sanitation-related diseases like cholera, diarrhoea and dysentery. So I went ahead to study engineering. Upon graduation, I started thinking of how we can come up with solutions.

How do you see your business in the next 5 to 10 years?

We want to reach fast-growing towns in Uganda, expand our operations, employ more young people, and also reach other parts of East Africa.

How do you assess current youth policies in Uganda?

There are no clear policies on the youth at the moment and its one of the things that I hope we can advocate for.

Africa Renewal
Twenty-eight-year-old Samar Samir Mezghanni, a Tunisian Iraqi, is one of the 17 United Nations young leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), who have been chosen to engage their peers in implementing the SDGs. She has written stories for children on the SDGs and garnered two world records from Guinness, first at the age of 12, when she was declared the worlds youngest writer; then at 14, when she was declared the youngest most prolific writer in the world. In this interview with Africa Renewals Franck Kuwonu, Samar talks about her work to make the SDGs more accessible to youth, and the challenges and hopes of young people in Tunisia.

Africa Renewal: What informed your selection to be a United Nations Young Leader for SDGs?

Samar: I wrote books in a creative and innovative way for children, young people and others, using the stories to transfer values that are enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals.

How do you explain SDGs in an easy-to-understand manner?

If you look at the SDGs, they come back to some basic needs that can be expressed in very organic and simple language. For example, one of my last stories is about a mother representing the planet Earth to her children, who end up fighting over it. These children could be worlds nations, or they could be people. I was depicting the different inequalities that exist in the world today and how we can overcome them. During my speech at last years UN Youth Forum held here in New York, where I was invited as a keynote speaker, I used one of my stories to articulate these ideas in a language that is more accessible to children and other young people.

How so?

Basically, it is really about looking at the goals not as an agenda that is institutional but global. Not as a thing that is owned by the UN, but by people all over the world. Not as an action plan for bureaucrats, but one for human beings today. So if you look at it from that perspective, its very easy to put stories for children that englobe those SDGs.

What is the situation of youths in your country today? What are their hopes and challenges?

We are facing the same problems young people from other parts of the world are facing: unemployment, underrepresentation and lack of education. However, for Tunisia specifically, five years after challenging an oppressive regime, I think young people are still struggling with subtle forms of repression and oppression that prevent them from becoming leaders, obviously in politics, but also in other areas in society. I feel that the revolution that gave space in the streets for young people has not yet opened up space in influential leadership positions for young people to occupy. I guess this is the biggest challenge facing young people in Tunisia.

Is there any hope that those challenges will be met anytime soon?

If soon means one year, I dont think these issues can be solved soon. If soon is 14 years, which is what is left for the SDGs to be implemented, it will depend on how we act on these issues instead of just talking about them. So I think there is hope in Tunisia.

So is there anything the youth themselves believe they can do to change things, or are they just waiting for things to change?

In Tunisia, if there is anyone believing in change and making change, it is young people. We just dont hear from them, because at the UN General Assembly you only hear about the successes and achievements of governments. But actually, when the government passes a law to fight corruption or make the country more democratic, its not doing it because its offering it to the citizens, its doing it because the citizens have challenged the government and have pressured it to pass that law. Considering that young people are one of the biggest populations in the country, it is actually them who have been fighting corruption, advocating and putting government representatives and the leadership in a very uncomfortable position, making them take action.

The pace of change will depend on the youth and how deeply they are involved in political processes. Dont you think so?

Yes, absolutely. But then again, its a two-way thing. The involvement of youth depends on the enabling environment they are offered, and also on whether their involvement would not put them at a risk of being persecuted.

If a young Tunisian wanted to see one or two things happen to quicken the pace of change, what would they be?

I think if there is one thing that needs to happen in my country, and actually in the whole Arab region, to quicken change is to gain the trust of the people. Up until now, our leaders still have not gained enough trust and confidence from the people, and especially from the young people, in order for their action to be meaningful. They are still being questioned, and rightfully so, by young people. As I said, the youth population in Tunisia is quite big, but there are no young leaders in politics or leading political movements. Young people are still not being represented in the most transparent, democratic and representative way. That must change.

Africa Renewal
Rita Kimani, 25, is one of the young leaders designated by the United Nations to help promote the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among fellow youth. Through her initiative, FarmDrive, Rita is using data analytics and mobile phone technology to connect smallholder farmers with lending institutions in rural Kenya. She spoke to Africa Renewals Zipporah Musau about her project.

Africa Renewal: Why were you selected to attend this event at the UN?

Kimani: I am here as one of the young leaders advocating for the Sustainable Development Goals. Its really the work I do. I co-founded a company called FarmDrive that helps local farmers in Kenya obtain credit. So, I am here to help bring the youths voice in designing programmes for engaging the youth, specifically in the agricultural sector.

You said you founded FarmDrive. What really is it?

FarmDrive is a data analytics company developing alternative credit scoring models to benefit smallholder farmers. Weve developed a mobile phone app which rural farmers can use to track their revenues and expenses, as well as apply for loans. We combine the farm-level data we get from the farmers with big datasets  like weather, climate, economic, and satellite data  to generate a credit score which financial institutions then use to lend to the farmers.

What made you venture into this technology?

I grew up in a farming community in Turbo, about three hundred km northwest of the capital, Nairobi, where most families grow maize. When I started university, I met my co-founder Peris Bosire on our first day on campus. We both studied computer science, but connected more because of our similar backgrounds growing up in farming communities. We brainstormed about how we could use technology to solve some of the farmers problems we saw or experienced first-hand. Thats how we ended up founding FarmDrive during our last year of university in 2014.

Who gives the farmers the credit?

We work with various financial institutions that give credit to small-scale farmers in Kenya. For the farmers who sign up with us, the loan application process is quite simple. They complete a short survey on the app, we analyze the complexities along with external data, and come up with a credit score for each farmer. We then give the information to various financial institutions to enable them to make informed lending decisions. We also make recommendations on how much credit we think a farmer could afford, and propose terms of payment. So in short, were helping financial institutions assess risk and create good products so that they can better lend to smallholder farmers.

What numbers are you working with?

We have registered 3,000 farmers so far. Out of this, about 400 have accessed credit through us since December 2015. We have clients in 16 counties in Kenya out of the total 47. The majority of them are in horticulture, poultry, dairy or maize farming. Our goal is to reach 100,000 farmers.

What makes FarmDrive a unique product?

You know that farmers in Kenya, and Africa at large, do not have quite a footprint in the financial sector. They are either underbanked or unbanked. We call them thin file. If you try to get any information about them in the formal financial sector, you will not get much, considering the methods that financial institutions use to give creditsuch as requiring a credit history or bank statement, and many times collateral. But that does not mean farmers who lack these are bad borrowers. We asked ourselves, how else can financial institutions be able to profile these farmers, understand the risks and offer products that work? That is why we built this technology, to collect data on smallholder farmers and connect them to these institutions.

Where do SDGs come in?

The one thing that resonates with me for anyone pushing for the SDGs is that they talk of leaving no one behind. That is what I connect with most. But what does leave no one behind mean? I understand it to mean that everyone in the village will no longer go hungry or be poor. Its a huge undertaking.

Are you a farmer yourself?

although I dont own any piece of land, I have leased a greenhouse where I grow tomatoes and sweet peppers.

How do you see yourself in the next 10 years?

Im passionate about getting involved in building programmes that actually work for farmers in Africa, specifically the young ones. Our vision as FarmDrive is to help farmers across Africa to achieve self-sustainability by accessing resources, not only to fend for themselves and their families, but also to thrive.

How do you connect the youth and agriculture?

I want to see more young people engaged in agriculture, because thats where the opportunities are. Agriculture presents an opportunity for Africa to get out of poverty and achieve many of the 17 SDGs. We urge governments and other organizations to involve the youth by building programmes that support them.

Why is agriculture not attractive to young people?

When I listen to the youth, they are very clear that they do not want to be the ones doing the manual work like tilling the land. They do not think it is sexy, and you cannot blame them. If you grew up in a farming community, you struggled to make ends meet, yet you spent all your time on the farm after school. Even parents themselves do not wish farming on their children upon graduation. But interestingly, with technology, things are changing. Youth farmers are now digitally managing their farms from afar, connecting with other farmers on social media to get advice, and getting market prices on their phone. The technologies available to farmers are changing and we want to help youth farmers be aware of and access these technologies.

How do you think young people can be supported to become more productive citizens?

One of the key things is to make sure that we are not just supporting the youth but rather we are working with them, making sure they are part of the conversation, being involved in designing programmes and policies that affect them, and listening to their voices.

Africa Renewal
Somewhere between the equator and the Kenyan town of Nanyuki, five students sit inside a classroom watching a YouTube video describe how to extract aluminum from bauxite. Once you see it, it makes it so easy, exclaims 19-year-old Kenneth Karue.

Two years ago Gakawa Secondary School had no internet access. But thanks to an initiative by Mawingu Networks, a solar-powered internet service provider, rural Kenyan youth are going online for the first time, and with amazing results. High school students like Karue, who didnt know how to use a keyboard, much less a search engine, are now Googling entry requirements for information technology programmes at Nairobi universities.

Some of these students aspire to careers in Africas blossoming information and communications technology (ICT) sector. The World Bank estimated that in 2016, African nations would invest between $155 billion and $180 billion in the ICT sector, accounting for 6%7% of Africas gross domestic product (GDP). But young people say there are major barriers preventing them from finding jobs in the industry.

We have a lot of young people. But unfortunately they come from neighbourhoods that dont have a lot of opportunities, says Tim Nderi, the chief executive officer of Mawingu Networks.

Since 2013 Microsoft has invested in Mawingu Networks on the premise that enabling young Africans to access the digital world is the first step towards getting them employed in it.

However, Do people have access to the internet, and is that access affordable? asked Microsofts Anthony Cook in an interview with Africa Renewal. As you think about moving towards a knowledge economy, you have to be able to take the bulk of the population with you.

By October 2016, ten thousand people were using Mawingus internet in four different Kenyan counties. And in September, former President Barack Obama lauded Microsoft and Mawingus success during his address at the US-Africa Business Forum in Cape Town.

Many African countries have embraced the idea of a knowledge economy, a term coined in the 1960s to describe economies in which the production and use of knowledge are paramount. Academic institutions and companies engaging in research and development are important foundations of such a system. And so are those who apply this knowledgethe programmers developing new software and search engines to use data, and the health workers who use data to improve treatments.

A long way to go

Some African governments have begun employing tech-ready youth in the public sector. In Kenya, where an estimated 5 million youth are unemployed, the Presidential Digital Talent Programme recruited 400 university graduates to work on major projects at different ministries. A $150 million, five-year public-private partnership launched last year by the World Bank set out to help 280,000 unemployed Kenyan youth learn about employment opportunities and undergo employability training.

But elsewhere on the continent, such government initiatives have fallen short. Three years after it began, Innovate Lagos, a 2013 Nigerian government-funded ICT incubator that set out to prepare youth and other entrepreneurs to drive growth and development through innovation, no longer even owns the domain name of its website.

Africans have good reason to be hesitant about the idea of their countries economies being centered on information technology. Many of the new jobs that have been created over the past two decades are fundamentally different from the ones that have been lost, and the new jobs tend to favour educated workers over those with less education and skills, says author Dan Tapscott in the 2014 edition of The Digital Economy, his book about the global ICT industry.

For those preparing for careers in ICT, access to the internet and to education are fundamental prerequisites. Fortunately, in places like Nigeria, cellular internet is becoming eminently affordable.

Recently, data prices in Nigeria crashed by more than 50%. For just a dollar and a half you can have access to internet each month, says Adeloye Olanrewaju, a Nigerian entrepreneur who co-founded SaferMom, which gives expecting mothers access to health and pregnancy information via cell phones. internet penetration is going to increase, more people are going to come online, and sectors like ours are going to get more attention, he predicts.

By attention he means investment in educational and job opportunities. Nigerian youth are brilliant. We need to get them jobs, says Olanrewaju. Lagos wants to be the Silicon Valley of Africa, but we see lots of youth struggling to gain the skills and experience to find employment.

Part of whats holding them back, he says, is a deep generational gap.

Technology is still new in Africa, Olanrewaju told Africa Renewal. People in power often are in the range of 50 years old. Technology is new to them. He says African governments have been slow to incorporate any of the promising tech achievements conceived by private sector start-ups or the established firms those start-ups are good at attracting. More than two years after the Kenyan government announced that it would require its public minibuses, or matatus, to use cashless payment services in an effort to reduce bribery between operators and traffic police, matatu owners continue to resist those efforts.

But Olanrewaju isnt surprised by the slow rate at which some African governments are adapting. Innovation isnt usually led by the governmentits led by people like you and me.

Olanrewaju would know. As project director for Nigerias Youth LEAD initiative, he oversaw the training of 400 students in different technology skill sets and mentored 25 of them in social entrepreneurship with the goal of helping them begin their own companies. He says the private sector has been essential in generating opportunities for youth in ICT.

We have more than 20 incubators in Africa, says Olanrewaju. That means that if I have an idea, instead of paying thousands of dollars in rent in Lagos every month, I can pay a few hundred dollars and have access to the internet, space and mentors and all that. I can do a lean start-up.

Still, he says, Nigerias technology sector is no panacea for Africas unemployed youth. Not everybody is going to build a viable business. If you actually have the right network, the right mentorship, and you have access to funds, theres no reason not to try. On the other hand, if you dont really have enough experience managing a company, why not get a job, learn some innovative roles, and learn how that works before starting your own business? He explains that not every African needs to be an entrepreneur: Different people, different strokes.

When the private sector isnt enough

African governments should do more if they hope to grow a knowledge economy to absorb the continents young workforce.

We have a lot of talent in Africa, says Esther Muchiri, a Kenyan consultant and a recent vice-chair of Kenya IT and Outsourcing Service (KITOS), a trade association of IT and IT-enabled companies.

Much of Africas progress in generating job opportunities for young people interested in technology is coming from the private sectorentities like Africa's 300 tech hubs and business incubators, including iHub in Nairobi, CTIC Dakar in Senegal and the Bandwidth Barn in Cape Town all of which nurture young talent and innovative ideas, says Muchiri.

She adds, What is clogging the tech scene in Africa is the gap between innovations and market needs. Muchiri says that too often, developers make assumptions about what consumers want or need, only to discover later that their idea isnt exactly what the local market is looking for.

One way African countries are bridging that gap is through partnerships with leading global educational institutions. Many foreign universities already operate satellite campuses in Africa. A partnership between Rwanda and Carnegie Mellon University, a top US engineering school, is enrolling hundreds of young Rwandans in programmes leading to Master of Science degrees in information technology. Rwandas government is covering half of each tech students tuition, easing the financial burden of a tech education.

Rwanda is also home to one of Africas largest technology universities, the

University of Rwandas College of Science and Technology, which hopes to enroll 9,000 students by 2020. As African governments continue to invest in internet access and technology education, the potential for young Africans to find jobs in the continents IT sector is sure to grow.

Training Africas young techies

By Jacob Kushner

As Africas ICT sector grows, many young Africans are hard at work, brushing up their skills for tomorrows jobs. In Nairobi, a privately owned coding school called Moringa School has become a popular place in which to find them.

Moringas core four-month programme trains tech-savvy young Kenyans to become proficient in different coding languages and offers extension courses in up-and-coming fields like mobile development. At just $1,200, its far less expensive than a university degree. That may be part of the reason demand for Moringa is off the charts: the school has been operating for just over two years, and yet one recent application pool received 400 applications for just 27 openings.

Those who are lucky enough to get in are among Nairobis most qualified young coders. Some have degrees in computer science from top Kenyan universities. Others put off formal study or have dropped out of university altogether.

Before he enrolled, 24-year-old Ian Munene was attending one of Kenyas top universities for technology studies. But he said his professors were too concentrated on the theory behind innovation to adequately teach him how to innovate in practice.

When he graduated, Munene says he tried to find a job, but from what feedback I got, I wasnt ready. He was told he wasnt qualified to fill the ICT positions that existed. Theres a gap between university education and what employers actually need, says Munene. Moringa bridges that gap.

Many of Moringas graduates go on to work for major East African and international companies. Tonee Ndungu, who hired two of Moringas early graduates to work for his digital textbooks start-up, Kytabu, said he recruited coders from as far as India and Kazakhstan before finally finding qualified Kenyan coders at Moringa. Theres just nowhere for them to go to learn, Ndungu told Africa Renewal.

Moringa is just one of many initiatives that are preparing young Africans for jobs in ICT. The New Yorkbased company Andela offers Nigerians a four-month programming course over the Internet and then puts them to work coding for US organizations or companies. And last year a public-private partnership called Africa Code Week helped 89,000 young people in 17 African countries write their very first lines of code.

You have so many developers. But where are the good ones? asks Moringa co-founder Frank Tamre, 28, who left his job as a programming consultant at Intel to launch Moringa.

Its the same thing when you go to Uganda or Tanzania, says Tamre, speaking of Africas urban, educated youth. Most of them, they want to be creators. But with practical educational opportunities like Moringa at their disposal, he hopes theyll be able to put their creative ambitions to use.

Africa Renewal
Rabat (AFP) - Morocco's King Mohamed VI on Wednesday named a new government headed by a member of the ruling Islamist party, following a six-month political deadlock in the North African country.

Prime Minister Saad-Eddine El Othman, second-in-command of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) that triumphed in October elections, will lead a cabinet comprised of Islamists, liberals and leftists, the official MAP news agency reported.

Mohamed had named Othman premier last month.

The PJD came to power after the king relinquished some of his near-absolute control following Arab Spring-inspired protests in 2011, with member Abdelilah Benkirane heading a previous coalition government for five years.

But the party failed after last October's polls to form a majority despite five months of intense negotiations -- the longest time Morocco has been without a government in its recent history.

It has been given the transport, energy, labour and family affairs ministries, MAP reported.

The National Rally of Independents (RNI), which came fourth in October polls, received the portfolios of economy, industry and agriculture.

The PJD was the first Islamist party to win an election in Morocco and the first to lead a government, raising concerns among many in a country traditionally among the more secular of Arab nations.

Its 2011 win came after the king, whose family claims descent from the Prophet Mohammed and has ruled Morocco since the early 1600s, gave up some of his power when thousands took to the streets in peaceful demonstrations inspired by the wave of uprisings across the Arab world.
Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has described Princess Annes visit to Ghana as a move that enforces the bond between Ghana and the United Kingdom.

The Otumfuo, who spoke highly of the daughter of the Queen of England and her contribution to the developmental agenda of Ghana, extolled her virtues of hard work and dedication towards serving humanity.

"Your visit to Ghana attests to your commitment to the development of women and the girl child which are fundamental to the development of any country," he said.

This visit to Ghana celebrates the unique friendship between Ghana and the UK as it marks the 60th anniversary.

"Against the background of ever rising hatred, our relation provides a singular example that it is possible to traverse the choppy waters of history and land in the embrace of peace, friendship and mutual respect," the Otumfuo added.

She was received at the Kumasi Airport by the Akyempimhene, Oheneba Adusei Poku on behalf of the Asante overlord and a durbar of chiefs was held at the Palace in her honour with the Asantehene sitting in state, Wednesday.

Speaking at the Manhyia Palace where Princess Anne and her entourage were guests, he said as the two countries join hands in celebration of their friendship, they are demonstrating that it is possible to replace the drums of war with the drums of mirth of joy.

British High Commissioner Jon Benjamin shaking hands with the Otumfuo

The British High Commissioner, Jon Benjamin expressed Princess Anne's appreciation of the honour done her on her two-day visit to Ghana.

"The Princess Royal has enjoyed a wide range of programmes in Accra and today in Kumasi. She will celebrate the broad range of people to people link between the UK and Ghana.

"As Ghana celebrates its 60th anniversary with themes of reflection, celebration, challenge and togetherness, we can also celebrate how our celebration has grown and matured over the last 60 years.

"Central to that is the strong links between the Kingdom and Kumasi," Mr Benjamin added.

The Princess and her entourage also visited some UK sponsored projects in Kumasi.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Abubakar Ibrahim |[email protected]
My conviction for a change of government for the last election was premised on a number of issues; first the Woyome money, I needed that money badly. Second the Montie 3 scandal; I just could not believe that we allowed such a scar on our conscience. Third, I just could no longer take in the levels of deceit and the advertising of arrogance of power by toddlers whose previous work experience had been nothing.

The death of Professor Mills was never one of the reasons that determined my vote, although I thought that his brother, Cadman Mills, was lying when he said that the family was satisfied with how their brother was handled, and that they did not need an inquest.

Dr. Cadman Mills, in my view, only allowed himself to be used for political expediency. I was so sad that a blood brother could allow his desire for political favors to influence his respect for his own heir in that manner. It was so obvious that he was on a mission to make sure that he stayed in the good books of the former President, John Mahama, for whatever reasons, and I think that, Cadman, you betrayed your late brothers legacy.

It is shocking how we selectively apply our laws for some sections of the citizenry. I am a layman, but the least I know is that Ghana still has in her statutes the Coroners Act 1960, that obliges medical doctors to perform a Coroners Inquest to ascertain the cause of death of any person who dies suddenly.

In 2014 I lost my junior step-brother, Kweku Annan, at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. He had been a patient in that hospital for six years, visiting nearly every single month. The doctors told me about his impending death two months before he died, and two days before he died he was on admission, at the same Korle Bu Hospital where he had been visiting for over six years.

Yet when Kweku died the Doctors insisted that an inquest should be done before his body was released to us. According to the doctors, although he had been a patient at the hospital, he had, on the day he died, not been on admission for more than 72 hours, and therefore the law required that we allowed a Pathologist to perform the autopsy or whatever they call it.

In 2015 a retired consultant of mine was hit with a tragedy. Two of his grandchildren got drown in a manhole right behind the Winneba Government Hospital. The bodies were retrieved by the police, and we all, obviously, knew what killed the children. Yet the Ghana Police Service insisted that the two bodies should be sent to Korle Bu in Accra for a post mortem to be performed on the deceased children, to ascertain the cause of death, in keeping with the Coroners Act 1960.

Yet when the sitting President of a nation died suddenly, we did not find it necessary to allow the Coroner to perform an Inquest into his death. President Atta Mills death should rather have attracted swifter, and a more sophisticated investigations, beyond just an inquest, to ascertain not only the cause of death, but also the circumstances of death, to demonstrate our respect for our presidency.

What did we do? We hurriedly bundled him into the coffin, and we invited the Chinese to dig multiple graves, and we buried him, like we would for a street lunatic, thereafter we proceeded to use his death to campaign for votes, and to attract sympathy.

Your Excellency, Mr. John Dramani Mahama, you did not do well koraaa oo. Professor Mills took a decision, to make you his Vice-President, and that subsequently made you the President of Ghana. He became an enemy to so many of his close associates, for that decision he took to make you his running mate. Could you have given Atta Mills a better treatment, a better handling than you did? How was the journey like, between the Castle and the 37 Military Hospital? Your Excellency, did you really betray Professor Mills? Could the death of President Atta Mills have become one of your political achievements?

And painfully, after we were done with him, we showed no respect for his memory, we only used his family to cover up our shame, God is the one punishing us today; his own brother Cadman Mills and all those who claimed to have seen Mills in their dreams, of being in heaven, you know how far your conscience is agitating for your confession, do it now, or you will choke on your breath!

You see, I am not a superstitious person. I dont believe in so many things. For instance I dont believe in any of the miracles that are being advertised on our radios and televisions, I dont believe in any of those organized miracles. But I believe that miracles do happen, naturally, and in Gods own design, not induced by any human. The kinds of miracles that I believe in includes payback time for everything we do, whether good or bad.

In our traditional setting, there are some groups of individuals that our parents handle spiritually and carefully; they include Enyinda (the unexpected child), Antobam (the child whose father dies before he/she is born), Begyina (the child who survives after several previous children have not survived), Badu (the tenth born child), most importantly those who come after the tenth borns, such as the 12th born, 13th born, Ntafo (twins regardless of their sequence), and Apepa yiem (last born if they came after the tenth born).

That is why I have always warned people who attack me, those who handle me badly, to be careful. Trust me, I have such a strong believe that though I dont know what it is, and how it looks like, and I have absolutely no control over it, but I believe strongly that I carry with me a special supernatural defense that has the ability to retaliate when I am treated badly, no matter how long it takes, and I believe in that believe, that nothing, except God, has the ability to tame that defense.

I have no doubt that my place of birth, 12th, has a significance in my life, and carries some divinity, and so if you are embarking on a mission to cause me pain, think twice. At the appropriate time I will go deeper into this subject, but just remember that I am both a 12th born child, a last born child, and a child whose birth came with a woman in tears.

Anyway, so when the NDC was badly handling Professor Atta (twin) Mills, I knew there were going to be consequences for them as a party, and for the individuals who were dishonestly handling him. Trust me, no one who was dishonest about how Atta Mills was handled will escape the wrath of the twin world. Each one of them will have to come out to confess, each one, including Cadman Mills himself, will have to find a way of purging themselves of the evil they have invited onto themselves.

I am sure Allotey Jacobs is aware of this, that is why he has started warning members of the party to keep quiet over revelations made by Dr. Cadman Mills, on how the health of President Atta Mills was badly handled by his handlers at the Presidency.

Mr. Allotey, do you remember when Professor Mills was made to jump at the airport, upon his return from a medical trip to the US, just to show that he was healthy? My brother, you knew he was not fit, and you knew that, but for political expediency, you would have stopped that charade from happening, correct?

But you kept quiet, you kept quiet because you were eating from the sufferings of a dying President, you forgot that he was not only an NDC leader, but also a state property, and a family man. Here we are, the blood of the twin in Professor Mills is asking questions, and you have to answer, Allotey, you have to answer.

Allotey Jacobs, Koku Anyidoho, ex President John Mahama (the ultimate beneficiary of the death of Professor Atta Mills), and all those who knew professor Atta Mills was suffering, all those who shielded the truth from the general public, all those who were supposed to have done something to save Atta Mills, but for some political considerations, kept the man to a deteriorating end, and exploited his health for their personal gains, all those people, dont say I did not warn you oo. I am only a messenger; the man was a twin, I have said it ooo, yooo...

James Kofi Annan
What Does Someone do If an Immigration Waiver Is Not Possible in the Trump Era: Can A Governors Pardon Prevent Removal?

Los Angeles, CA. As the Trump Administration has made clear its intentions to ramp up deportation efforts, many immigrants to America are understandably concerned about their future in the United States. This is especially true for those with removable or inadmissible crimes on their record. For these individuals, there are few legal avenues in which to protect against deportation, absent a winning immigration waiver . One last option for people with a felony conviction is the attainment of a Governors Pardon to dismiss the criminal conviction, and to subsequently seek to avoid being removed due to a criminal history.

Historically, a Governor's Pardon has been a fairly uncommon occurrence. However, California Governor Jerry Brown has made pardons more usual in recent years, and has granted 854 pardons between 2011 and 2016. Further, in response to Trumps recent travel ban, Brown expressed defiance by declaring, California is not turning back. This boldness suggests, that Mr Brown may be willing to use his discretion to pardon, now more than ever. If you have been a law-abiding citizen since your criminal sentence, the pathway to a pardon may be open to you.

The application for a pardon as a California citizen is a two-step process. First, the applicant must file for, and be successful in an application for a Certificate of Rehabilitation. A Certificate of Rehabilitation is a court order declaring that a person convicted of a crime has been deemed rehabilitated. In the event the Certificate of Rehabilitation is granted, the applicant is able to petition for a pardon from the California governor.

A person is eligible to apply for a Certificate of Rehabilitation if he/she:

Has been convicted of a felony and served a sentence in a California prison or other state penal institution or agency;

Was discharged on completion of the sentence or released on parole prior to May 13, 1943;

Has not been incarcerated in a state prison or other state penal institution or agency since being released; and

Presents satisfactory evidence of three years residence in California immediately prior to the filing of the petition.

OR

Was convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor sex offense specified in Pen. Code  290, the accusatory pleading of which was dismissed pursuant to Pen. Code  1203.4;

Has not been incarcerated in any penal institution or agency since the dismissal of the accusatory pleading;

Is not on probation for the commission of any other felony; and

Presents satisfactory evidence of five years residence in California immediately prior to the filing of the petition.

The Certificate of Rehabilitation only applies to felonies and misdemeanor sex offenses. All other misdemeanors must go through the dismissal process. It is important to note however, that the dismissal of a misdemeanor will not prevent federal immigration authorities from removing an individual based on that dismissed charge. (see U.S. v. Alvarez-Varela, C.A.9 (Cal.) 2006, 175 Fed.Appx. 127, 2006 WL 908233) .

If an individual meets the eligibility standards, they may apply for a Certificate of Rehabilitation by filing a petition with the Court . The petition includes:

application forms, letters of character, and other relevant documents.

Upon receipt of the petition, the court sets a hearing date. Typically, it takes about 120 days from the time the motion is filed to the date of the hearing, at which time the Judge will evaluate the application and determine whether or not to grant the applicant the Certificate of Rehabilitation.

If the court grants the Certificate, this will serve as an automatic application for a governor's pardon. The court will then forward your information to the governor's office, and the Certificate will be treated as a recommendation that the applicant be granted a pardon. However, the ultimate decision of whether or not to grant the pardon lies with Governor Jerry Brown.

It is important to note that the California Governors Pardon only helps an individual avoid the deportation or inadmissibility consequences of a criminal conviction, in some cases. As federal immigration policies become increasingly intertwined with state criminal justice structures, and as Congress has yet to rule definitively on the practical effect of a Governors Pardon on immigration status, the ultimate determination of whether or not to remove (previously called deport) often lies in the hands of the Board of Immigration Appeals. This determination is largely impacted by the particular crime the individual was convicted of.

There is however, one absolute advantage to obtaining a Governors Pardon, which is that the functional dismissal of a criminal conviction will remove many hurdles to other paths to permanent residency and U.S. Citizenship. As the Trump Administration has vowed to speed up removals of individuals with a criminal history, every non-U.S. citizen in the state of California with a criminal conviction must seriously consider contacting an attorney to discuss pardon, waiver, and permanent residency options in order to protect themselves and their families.

Daniel DeSaegher works with SanDiegoBizLaw , researching high-level immigration problems for people all over the United States and worldwide. For more information, call (619) 677-5727 or mailto:[email protected] .
05.04.2017 LISTEN

A GNA feature by Amadu Kamil Sanah

Accra, March 29, GNA - Following a detailed consultation initiated on December 19, 2001, the UN adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) on December 13, 2006.

The Convention came into force on May 3, 2008 on receiving its 20th ratification.

Ghana's PWD Act

Before Ghana's ratification of the UNCPRD, the country at then had already enacted the PWD Act in 2006 in fulfilment of the protection of certain fundamental human rights guaranteed to persons with disability under the 1992 Constitution.

Ghana in March 2007 signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as well as in August 2012 ratified it and became the 119th country in the world to ratify the Convention.

In view of that, the ratification of the UNCPRD by Ghana further demonstrates a significant step towards upholding and protecting the human rights of the some 5 more than 5 million persons with disabilities living in the country who account for the country one fifth of the population.

Nature and Scope of the National Council on Persons with Disability

The PWD Act establishes a National Council on Persons with Disabilities (NCRPD) with the core mandate of proposing and evolving policies and strategies that would enable persons with disability enter and participate in the mainstream of the national development process.

Its primary responsibility: was to monitor and evaluate disability policies and programmes, formulate strategies for broad-based inter-sectoral, interdisciplinary involvement and participation in the implementation of the national disability policy,

It was also to advise the Ministry on Disability issues and submit to the Minister proposals for appropriate legislation on disability, mobilise resources for the attainment of its object, Coordinate activities of organisations of persons with disability, and international organisations and non- governmental organisations that deal with disability, among others.

Article 1 of the UNCRPD clearly communicates the purpose of the Convention: to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.

The article further clarifies and define specific group of persons to which the Convention applies, to include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

Background Context and Analysis of NCRPD

The global and international law context within which the UNCRPD was agreed to can be gleaned principally from (a) the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in all other International Covenants on Human Rights and equal opportunities, all of which recognise the inherent dignity and worth and the equal and inalienable rights, without distinction of any kind, of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.

(B) The global recognition of the universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and especially, the need for persons with disabilities to be guaranteed their full enjoyment without discrimination.

Respect for National Sovereignty and the Domestic Ratification Context

The UNCPRD recognises the sovereignty of all nations without which there could be no international co-operation for improving the living conditions of persons with disabilities.

In recognition of this principle of sovereignty, the UNCPRD not only requires formal consent by ratification of a signatory state before it could be bound by the terms of the UNCPRD (Article 43) but also confers on each sovereign state the right to denounce the UNCPRD after ratifying it (Article 48).

What this means is that a state, by virtue of its sovereignty, cannot be coerced into signing, ratifying or otherwise acceding to the UNCPRD.

Introductory Commentary and Purpose of the Convention

Since its adoption by the UN in December 2006, the UNCRPD has undoubtedly been the subject of much commentary. The Convention is viewed as a potentially far-reaching legal instrument, which combines socio-political, economic and civil rights.

Two theoretical models of disability dominate global discourse on the protection of rights of persons with disabilities: the medical model of disability and the social model of disability.

Whereas the medical model perceives individual impairment as an inhibitor to equality, the social model emphasises the physical and social environment as cause for exclusion.

Consequently, the UNCRPD invokes the social model of disability to advocate attitudinal change in which persons with disabilities have rights on an equal basis with others in contradistinction from the traditional paternalistic medical model of disability.

Analysis of the Contextual Framework and Provisions of the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715)

The question here is whether the PWD Act, in its current form, adequately protects all the rights and addresses all the concerns relating to the protection of the rights of persons with disability recognised in the UNCPRD.

If not, which aspects of the Act needs to be amended or otherwise reviewed for giving effect to the protected rights of the disabled enshrined in the UNCPRD? Put differently, to what extent can Ghana, as a state party to the UNCPRD, honestly claim that its PWD Act entirely conforms to the rights of persons with disability protected in the UNCPRD? And lastly, how responsive is the PWD Act for the welfare of persons with disabilities?

The Legislative Object and Purpose

The long title to the PWD Act sets out in broad terms its legislative object and purpose. The primary purpose of the Act is to provide a framework for protecting the rights of persons with disability, to establish a National Council on Persons with Disability and to provide for related matters.

'Person with Disability' means 'an individual with a physical, mental or sensory impairment including a visual, hearing or speech functional disability which gives rise to physical, cultural or social barriers that substantially limits one more of the major life activities of that individual'.

This framework includes the establishment of the National Council on Persons with Disabilities, the overall objective of which is to ensure that the rights of persons with disabilities are adequately protected in accordance with law.

International Law Context

Considering the fact that Ghana is a vibrant actor in the comity of nations, the PWD Act could not have been enacted without considering international legal principles governing the protection of the rights of the disabled.

Thus although the PWD Act was enacted at a time the UNCRPD and its accompanying Protocol was not adopted and/or assented to or otherwise ratified by any member of the international community, the enactment of the Act, in addition to the mandatory constitutional requirements, was highly influenced by existing global discourse on the urgency for protecting disability rights at the time.

Having now ratified the UNCRPD and its accompanying Protocol, one critical issue that shall be considered in the body of this report is whether Ghana is under obligation to review its PWD Act in strict conformity with the provisions of the UNCRPD (to be discussed infra).

Evaluating the Conformity or Otherwise of the PWD Act to the UNCRPD

In terms of conformity to disability rights guaranteed under the UNCRPD, the PWD Act is analyses within the general ambit of Ghana's international obligations imposed under the UNCRPD and for some are making some progress to consolidate in their domestic legal regimes either through national legislations or interpretation of the courts (national or regional) and other judicial tribunals.

This analysis is done with the comprehensiveness and depth of the PWD Act, its clarity and internal coherence or consistency as well as the extent to which it takes account of the general welfare of persons with disability.

In general, the PWD Act is strikingly comprehensive in its coverage of areas of welfare enhancement of disabled persons to the neglect of some of the most important provisions enshrined in the UNCRPD.

Thus although it is refreshing to observe that the PWD Act lays particular emphasis on access to public services and other fundamental rights of the disabled specifically enshrined under Article 29 of the 1992 Constitution and several provisions of the UNCRPD, including 'equality and non-discrimination' under Article 5, 'Accessibility' to public places and services under Article 9, 'freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse' under Article 16, freedom to live independently and included in the community under Article 19, 'personal mobility' among others.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Based on the analysis it is apposite to emphasise that, the PWD Act, in its current form, requires some amendment or review to fill in the gaps and put it in total conformity to the UNCRPD.

In amending or reviewing the Act, it is recommended that the drafters of a new Act should take account of those provisions of the UNCRPD which have either not been provided for in the Act at all or where provided, are not laborious enough to give complete effect to similar provisions in the UNCRPD. For instance, the Act should be redrafted to take account of the following provisions of the UNCRPD:

The rights of 'women with disabilities', the rights of 'children with disabilities', the inherent 'right to life', right to protection and safety in 'situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies', right to 'equal recognition before the law' and the 'liberty and security of person'.

The others are 'freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment', 'protecting the integrity of the person', right to 'liberty of movement and nationality', 'freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information', 'respect for privacy' and 'participation in political and public life' among others.

Taking into consideration the fact that some cultures in Ghana still perceive disability as inequality, especially with regards to traditional leadership and political activism, Article 12 on equal recognition before the law is more particularly desirous of inclusion in our law.

In conclusion, this statement is adding up to the call by the Disability Right Fund (DFR) Coalition who membership comprises of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations, Media Caucus on Disability and MindFreedom on government to review the PWD Act.

GNA
05.04.2017 LISTEN

By Christabel Addo/ Deborah Apetorgbor, GNA

Accra, April 5, GNA - Compassion International Ghana, a child development organisation, on Wednesday dedicated its new office complex located within the Seed House at Madina near the Atomic-Madina interchange.

The organisation now occupies the first two floors of the Seed House building.

Reverend Dr Joyce Aryee, who is the Chairperson of the Advisory Council of Compassion International Ghana, cut the tape to officially commit the office for operations, and praised God for the growth of the organisation.

She said although the Organisation had over the years been working tirelessly to reach all vulnerable children, especially those living in deprived communities, the task had been very challenging.

She expressed the hope that with its current spacious offices, 'the Lord will reveal the harvest more and more to us', to be able to expand the support required by these needy children to help release them from poverty and make their lives better.'

Mr Padmore Baffour Agyapong, the Country Director of Compassion International Ghana, said the organisation currently provided life-changing benefits for 73,339 children, most of whom were housed in centre-based facilities for their sociological, educational and cognitive development, and also ensured income generating abilities for the care givers for their empowerment against poverty.

The Organisation currently has 287 church partners in seven regions of the country, and hope to expand strategically to the three regions of the North to affect more lives.

He however raised concern about the current difficulties confronting the organization with respect to the payment of school fees, saying about 3,357 of its beneficiaries were currently due to enter the Senior High School (SHS).

'We therefore welcome the free SHS policy of government as good news for the Compassion's agenda and goal'.

Mr Agyapong said 'we have 87 of our beneficiaries in the public Universities', thus the government's recent budget announcement to give incentives to companies who would employ fresh graduates without any work experience, was a great sign of hope.

He said with an operational budget of 33,000 Ghana cedis and a thousand children at its inception in 2005, the organisation had grown its working capital to 88 million Ghana cedis with over 73,000 beneficiaries, and estimates over a hundred million cedis in 2017.

He said the organisation dealt more with inner cities and Zongo communities where poverty was more prominent, and intended to focus more on resilience rather than responses to disasters in these areas.

He said apart from the educational support for their beneficiaries, Compassion also provided access to potable water, quality health care as well as infrastructure such as computer and science laboratories to these deprived communities.

He thanked all their partners, including faith-based orgainsations, the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service as well as traditional leaders for their immense contributions over the years to the equitable development of children in Ghana.

GNA
05.04.2017 LISTEN

By Morkporkpor Anku/ D.I. Laary, GNA

Accra, April 5, GNA - Mr George Kwatia, a Tax Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers Ghana, has said the 2017 Budget and its achievement of tax revenue depends more on the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) than any other institution.

'It is not that government has introduced new taxes to revenue mobilisation but it is solely an issue of enforcement of the law,' he added.

Mr Kwatia was speaking at the Post Budget Forum dubbed: 'Implications of the Tax Policies Highlighted in the 2017 Budget on the Business Community,' organised by the Canada-Ghana Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber represents a wide range of business interests in Canada, Ghana and the West-African Sub-region and strives to promote the interest of their members and convey their views to decision-makers in industry and in government.

The Chamber also seeks to, among other things, promote bilateral trade relations and investments between Ghana and Canada, provide information to facilitate trade and business projects, promote development and transfer of technology and knowledge for the benefit of its members.

Mr Kwatia said if the current laws on revenue mobilisation were properly enforced and implemented, with corrupt persons being prosecuted, government could then block the revenue leakages and accrued funds for infrastructure development.

Speaking on the Tax Identification Number (TIN), he said it had been in the country's laws for some time now but was reintroduced as a tax administration act, where the public would need their TIN to file cases in the law courts, acquire passports and drivers' license.

Mr Kwatia called on the business community to endeavour to get their TIN to enable 'Tax compliance is critical in revenue mobilisation for the development of the country,' he said.

GNA
05.04.2017 LISTEN

By Ken Sackey, GNA

Accra, April 5, GNA - The Vice President of the World Bank, Mr Makhtar Diop, says Ghana's economic success would hinge largely on how government manages the country's fiscal deficit.

He said it was of utmost importance that government stuck to its programmes and policies to address the fiscal deficit target in the 2017 Budget in order to save the country further economic challenges.

Mr Diop gave the advice when he briefed the media on the outcome of his meeting with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and members of government's economic management team at the Flagstaff House.

He urged the Government to ensure that it did not exceed the deficit target set in the budget and advised the economic management team to spare no efforts at achieving revenue targets, while controlling expenditure.

Mr Diop commended President Akufo-Addo for resolving to strengthen the financial laws to ensure fiscal discipline in the public sector and efficient management of public resources adding that government could stand any economic financial challenge if it stuck to its policies and implemented them strictly.

He said the decision to create a Fiscal Council to monitor fiscal development in all public institutions would, to a large extent, ensure fiscal discipline.

Mr Diop noted that difficulties in one African economy could have rippling effects on other economies on the continent and stressed the need for the government to manage the Ghanaian economy well.

He pledged the Bank's support to help the Government to address the current deficit, saying however that; 'our support will be on need basis. We will assess the size of the gap in financing and see how we can help.'

However, Mr Diop expressed the view that the plan and initiatives put together by the Government, particularly the priority given to areas like energy, agriculture and the private sector, would turn the country's fortunes for the better.

He said the Bank would, in the next three years, extend some 1.2 billion dollars to Ghana adding that the World Bank would assist the Government to achieve its policies and curtail the country's macro-economic situation.

GNA
05.04.2017 LISTEN

By Godwill Arthur-Mensah/ Linda Baah, GNA

Accra, April 5, GNA - The Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, on Wednesday gave the assurance that the Government would collaborate with the relevant stakeholders in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He said Ghana had proved to be a critical player throughout the negotiations of the SDGs adding that since their adoption she had remained committed to their implementation and monitoring.

Mr Ofori-Atta said this in a speech read on his behalf at Ghana's Data Roadmap Forum in Accra.

The forum aims at identifying data gaps and aligning national priorities towards achieving the United Nations Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The Minister said: ''Ghana has remained committed to the goals, therefore, an SDGs Implementation Coordinating Committee has been established with representation from the Ghana Statistical Service, civil society organisations, the private sector and academia in realising the targets''.

He said the Committee had been working to align the SDGs to national and regional economic priorities and galvanise support towards achieving the goals.

The Minister said the goals were underpinned by the commitment to peace and justice in all countries.

He said key among the goals were ending poverty and hunger, gender equality, recognising the equality of all people, clean water and energy and commitment to responsible consumption.

He said Ghana, through the Statistical Service, had been actively looking for new ideas and innovations externally to meet the data challenges of the goals.

He said the country had joined a global network for harnessing resources for meeting the SDGs and expressed optimism that the global partners would work towards meeting the target by 2030.

Dr Claire Melamed, the Executive Director of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, said data was key infrastructure for social programmes, therefore, for any society to progress there was the need to know more about the world around it and get new data sources.

She said the forum would enable data actors across the globe to share their experiences and opportunities in realising their goals.

Dr Melamed noted that Ghana had been a leader in the SDGs and, thus, had shown commitment and energy in realising them.

The two-day event brought together delegations from Kenya, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Denmark and the United States of America.

There were other delegations from some state institutions that were directly involved in data gathering and some civil society organisations across the country.

GNA
05.04.2017 LISTEN

By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA

Accra, April. 5, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court has remanded Kwasi Frimpong, a businessman into police custody, for alleged possession of narcotics drug.

The accused pleaded not guilty and is to reappear in court on April 20.

Chief Superintendent of Police Duuti Tuaruka, told the court that the Accra Central Police Command acting on information that same group of men were dealing in illegal drugs at Tudu.

He said the Police then proceeded to the area and later to Nima Roundabout and arrested the accused person, who was holding a multi-coloured polythene bag.

'When the polythene was searched, it contained an oval powdery substance suspected to be cocaine,' he added.

The Prosecutor said the accused person in his caution statement admitted that the polythene bag and its contents were given to him by one Evans.

Meanwhile, the exhibits had been sent to CID headquarters to be forwarded to the crime laboratory for analytical examination and report.

The police said strenuous efforts were being made to have the said Evans arrested to assist in investigations.

GNA
Kinshasa (AFP) - The United Nations said Wednesday that the bodies of two of its researchers, found in a mass grave in the Democratic Republic of Congo, had been flown home for burial.

US citizen Michael Sharp and Swedish-Chilean dual national Zaida Catalan were kidnapped on March 12 with four Congolese nationals in central DRC, which has been rocked by clashes between security forces and rebels since September that have left hundreds dead.

The bodies of the two UN workers, who had been sent to investigate violence in the central Kasai region, were found in a grave 16 days after they were abducted.

"We have repatriated the bodies of these two colleagues to their home countries," David Gressly, the UN's deputy special representative in DRC, told a news conference after a visit to Kasai's provincial capital Kananga where the bodies were being kept.

Addressing lawmakers on Wednesday, President Joseph Kabila called for a minute's silence in memory of those killed in Kasai, including the UN experts.

Fighting erupted in Kasai after government forces last August killed tribal chief Jean Pierre Mpandi, also known as Kamwina Nsapu, who had launched an uprising against Kabila's government.

The UN accuses the rebels of recruiting child soldiers and committing widespread atrocities.

But government security forces have also faced repeated criticism from the UN which accuses them of using disproportionate force against militants armed largely with sticks and slingshots.
Sonora Regional Medical Center View Photos

Sonora, CA  As a major expansion at a local medical center continues with full-tilt construction on its cancer center, personnel moves have also been in play.

Today, Sonora Regional Medical Center (SRMC) made the formal announcement that Kara Turpen is its new manager of philanthropy. She was hired away from Rocky Mountain Adventist Healthcare Foundation (RMAHF) in Denver, Colorado earlier this year and holds credentials that include a bachelors degree in public relations from Southern Adventist University and certification as a fundraising executive.

The center also telegraphed a second move it recently made. Designed to further strengthen its community ties in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, it tapped Kathrina McRee, the director of physician recruitment, to also head up community relations efforts. Onboard at SRMC for six years now, officials describe her role as overseeing the hospitals support to community organizations; working in tandem with Turpen on fundraising events and development projects.

CEO Andrew Jahn emphasizes that in leading the SRMC philanthropic and community relations efforts to create and nurture community partnerships, Turpen and McRee are furthering a key mission of helping care for and invest in the community.

He shares, Our commitment to loving service extends not only to our patients and their families but also to the community at large. The relationships we foster in the community ultimately results in improved health and well-being, whether it happens through the medical center, supporting the fight against childhood obesity, or through generous donors helping cancer patients via our Cancer Patient Support Fund.
Nigeria is a federation comprising one federal capital territory (FCT) and 36 states. These states were created at varying times in Nigeria's history and by various regimes. Each state is a semi-autonomous political unit that shares powers with the country's federal government as stated in the Nigerian constitution. What do you know about state creation in Nigeria and their creators?

A map of Nigeria with its flag's colors. Photo: pixabay.com, @GDJ

Source: Depositphotos

State creation in Nigeria began in 1967 when the then regions were replaced by states. After that, various regimes made changes to the country's structure until 1996, when the last states were created.

State creation in Nigeria and their creators

Here is a quick look at the important timelines in the creation of states in Nigeria and their creators.

1960-1963

When Nigeria became attained independence from colonial rule in 1960, it was a federal state with three regions. These were the Eastern, Northern, and Western regions. There were also provinces which served as a legacy of colonial rule. These were later abolished in 1976.

PAY ATTENTION: Share your outstanding story with our editors! Please reach us through info@corp.legit.ng!

1963-1967

In 1963, a new region was created, bringing the total to four. The new region was known as the Mid-Western Region and was created from the Western Region.

1967-1976

In 1967, the country's military regime replaced the four regions with 12 states. Between 1967 and 1970, the former Eastern Region attempted to secede from the rest of Nigeria, resulting in the infamous Biafran Civil War.

The states created in 1967 resulted from General Yakubu Gowon's rise to power via a coup detat.

1976-1987

There were 7 additional states created in 1976, bringing the total to 19. The 19 states of Nigeria in 1976 included the Federal Capital Territory, created from Niger State. In 1987, two more states (Akwa Ibom and Katsina) were created, bringing the total to 21. This was done under the military rule of General Ibrahim Babangida.

1988-1991

On August 27, 1991, the number of states in Nigeria increased to thirty as General Babangida thought it fit to create another nine states, bringing the total to 30.

1996

In 1993 when General Sani Abacha came into power, the government was under immense pressure to create additional states. The reigning military regime, under recommendation from the National Constitutional Conference (NCC), decided to create six more states. This was done in October 1996, bringing the total to the current 36 states.

States creation in Nigeria

Here are the Nigerian states created in 1991 and 1996.

State Date created Creator Bayelsa 1 October 1996 Sani Abacha Ebonyi 1 October 1996 Sani Abacha Ekiti 1 October 1996 Sani Abacha Gombe 1 October 1996 Sani Abacha Nasarawa 1 October 1996 Sani Abacha Zamfara 1 October 1996 Sani Abacha Abia 27 August 1991 Ibrahim Babangida Adamawa 27 August 1991 Ibrahim Babangida Delta 27 August 1991 Ibrahim Babangida Edo 27 August 1991 Ibrahim Babangida Enugu 27 August 1991 Ibrahim Babangida Jigawa 27 August 1991 Ibrahim Babangida Kebbi 27 August 1991 Ibrahim Babangida Kogi 27 August 1991 Ibrahim Babangida Osun 27 August 1991 Ibrahim Babangida Akwa Ibom 23 September 1987 Ibrahim Babangida Katsina 23 September 1987 Ibrahim Babangida

Here is a list of 12 states created in Nigeria in 1976 and others in previous subsequent years.

State Date created Creator Taraba 3 February 1976 Gen. Murtala Mohammed Yobe 3 February 1976 Gen. Murtala Mohammed Anambra 3 February 1976 Gen. Murtala Mohammed Bauchi 3 February 1976 Gen. Murtala Mohammed Benue 3 February 1976 Gen. Murtala Mohammed Borno 3 February 1976 Gen. Murtala Mohammed Imo 3 February 1976 Gen. Murtala Mohammed Niger 27 May 1967 General Yakubu Gowon Ogun 27 May 1967 General Yakubu Gowon Ondo 27 May 1967 General Yakubu Gowon Oyo 27 May 1967 General Yakubu Gowon Plateau 27 May 1967 General Yakubu Gowon Sokoto 27 May 1967 General Yakubu Gowon Kano 27 May 1967 General Yakubu Gowon Cross River 27 May 1967 General Yakubu Gowon Kaduna 27 May 1967 General Yakubu Gowon Kwara 27 May 1967 General Yakubu Gowon Lagos 27 May 1967 General Yakubu Gowon Rivers 27 May 1967

Who created states in Nigeria in 1976?

1976 saw the creation of 7 states by General Murtala Mohammed. This brought the total to 19 states. Later in the year, General Ibrahim Babangida created two more states.

Who created the 36 states in Nigeria?

They were created by different leaders under different regimes. These include General Murtala Mohammed, General Ibrahim Babangida, General Yakubu Gowon, and General Sani Abacha.

Who created 21 states in Nigeria?

A map of Nigeria. Photo: @cartopostersmaps

Source: Instagram

By 1987, the country had 21 states. These had been created by General Ibrahim Babangida (2), General Murtala Mohammed (7), and General Yakubu Gowon (12).

Who created 12 states in Nigeria?

General Yakubu Gowon created Nigeria's first 12 states in 1967.

The history behind state creation in Nigeria and their creators is quite fascinating. The country saw 36 states created in five regimes. These administrative units replaced the regions and provinces left by the British.

READ ALSO: What are the 10 economic problems that Nigeria is facing?

Legit.ng recently explored the main economic problems plaguing Nigeria. Like other middle-income countries with emerging markets, the country has witnessed gradual expansion in communication, technology, finance, manufacturing, and service sectors.

However, problems such as poor health facilities, high levels of crime, unemployment, and corruption continue to be pressing issues in the country's economy.

Source: Legit.ng
- Ifeoma White-Thorpe, a Nigerian-born teenager, has been accepted to all eight Ivy League schools

- She was accepted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth and Stanford

- She now has a tough decision to make which one she will actually attend when she graduates in June

A Nigerian-born teenager schooling in New Jersey, Ifeoma White-Thorpe, is drawing positive attention after being accepted into eight Ivy League schools in the United States.

Ifeoma White-Thorpe has been accepted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth and Stanford

The 17-year-old girl who is a senior at New Jerseys Morris Hills High School was accepted by Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Brown and Dartmouth.

READ ALSO: 17-year-old Polytechnic student leads the construction of a locally-made drone

She also got accepted by another elite school, Stanford, and now has to make a decision which to attend.

Now that she has been accepted to so many schools, the hard part will be deciding which one she will actually attend

"We're leaving it up to her," said Andre and Patricia White-Thorpe, Ifeoma's father and mother as the teenager has said she just doesn't know yet.

According to her, she was shaking when she got the eighth acceptance letter.

"I was like, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, like this might be eight out of eight and I clicked it and it said 'Congratulations' and I was like oh my goodness!" White-Thorpe told CNN affiliate WABC-TV.

White-Thorpe wants to study biology and pursue a career in global health and she applied to all of the Ivy League schools since they have great research facilities.

READ ALSO: Street boy who called for the mass burial of Nigerian leaders gets a better life

Ifeoma White-Thorpe said she was shaking when she got the eighth acceptance letter

Over the past few years, a handful of teenagers have been accepted into all Ivies  Kwasi Enin in 2014, Harold Ekeh in 2015 and Augusta Uwamanzu-Nna and Kelly Hyles last year.

Legit.ng recalls that in 2016, a Nigeria-born teenager, Augusta Uwamanzu-Nna, received acceptance letters from 8 of the 12 Ivy League schools she applied to.

She made a choice to go to Harvard.

Will White-Thorpe eventually go with Harvard like Augusta Uwamanzu-Nna?

The Legit.ng video below shows Fadesire Oluwatofunmi, a.k.a Olu-Heavy, 28, who is regarded as Nigerias strongest man.

Source: Legit.ng
- Governor Abdulaziz Yari mentioned fornication as one of the sins that is making God to punish Nigerians with meningitis

- Lauretta Onochie says the governor is ignorant and further wonders how he was able to win election in the state

- Reno Omokri mocked the government, the party in power and called on Nigerians to repent since that is what Yari thinks will stop meningitis

- Legit.ng has however compiled 7 facts every Nigerian must know about meningitis

As expected, Nigerians are currently baring their fangs against the governor of Zamfara state and chairman of the Nigerian Governors forum (NGF), Abdulaziz Yari, for claiming God that is punishing Nigerians with meningitis for their sins.

Governor Abdulaziz Yari said meningitis in Nigeria was God's punishment for the sins of the citizens

Legit.ng reports that the country is in tension following the spread of the Type C meningitis that has killed at least 336 people with Zamfara state being one of the worst hit.

READ ALSO: Magu makes new move in anti-corruption fight

Currently, the country is said to be finding it difficult to access the vaccine.

READ ALSO: Senators angry with Saraki over meeting with Buhari

In her reaction, Lauretta Onochie, an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, said Yari only exhibited his ignorance adding that this was just a new strain of the disease.

For Reno Omokri, a former spokesperson to former President Goodluck Jonathan, it was more of a mockery of the Nigerian government, the All Progressives Congress and the governor.

While reacting also, Denja Yaqub, a senior official with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said he was "still waiting to hear that Mr Yari, the Governor of Zamfara state, was misquoted, otherwise I believe he is just one example of how hollow, irresponsible, anti people and indeed, ANTI-GOD some of our public office holders are.

"Rather than assemble medical experts to clear off meningitis C, its still baffling that the chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum claims God is punishing Nigerians by unleashing Meningitis C.

"Kai, Yari should have been answering queries from his state House of Assembly by now, if the parliament is not filled by his likes; haters of humanity."

Governor Yari, while speaking on the disease, had reportedly said: What we used to know as far as meningitis is concerned is the type A virus. The World Health Organisation, WHO, has carried out vaccinations against this type A virus not just in Zamfara, but many other states.

However, because people refused to stop their nefarious activities, God now decided to send Type C virus, which has no vaccination.

People have turned away from God and he has promised that if you do anyhow, you see anyhow that is just the cause of this outbreak as far as I am concerned.

There is no way fornication will be so rampant and God will not send a disease that cannot be cured.

Recently, Legit.ng came across a frustrated Nigerian who suggested what should happen to leaders for becoming the problem of the country. Watch the video:

Source: Legit.ng
When talking about Nigerians making the country proud in diaspora, this young man from Imo state, Chimezie Ebiriekwe, is one of them.

He is making things happen in the politics of his school, San Diego State University in California.

Chimezie Ebiriekwe recently won the Associated Students presidential election (something like our own Students Union Government SUG)

Legit.ng gathered that Ebiriekwe recently won the Associated Students presidential election (something like our own Students Union Government SUG). He won the election with 3,454 votes while his closest opponent Ben Delbick got 1,189, Chloe Sension got 1,014 and Kaitlyn Hart got 94.

On how he got involved with Associated Students presidential election, Ebiriekwe said:

Ebiriekwe won the election with 3,454 votes while his closest opponent Ben Delbick got 1,189, Chloe Sension got 1,014 and Kaitlyn Hart got 94.

"Originally coming on campus, I was not involved with A.S. I was chief financial officer of the African Student Union and from there I saw the impact I made within that organization and then I sought out to be the chief financial officer of the Student African-American Brotherhood my second year and I just continuously saw the impact I was making within the university and I saw the issues our community was facing so I decided to seek out A.S. and be involved in decision-making processes. But I was a part of making sure our voice was heard, whether its in student life or academics or university affairs, I just wanted to make sure that I was representing the community. I got on the University Affairs Board, and from there I became knowledgeable about the position of VP of University Affairs.

READ ALSO: After 3 years in US, Nigerian navy captain to take command of ex-US ship Ologbo

"Students not being able to see whats going on. Usually its just like a newsletter that they see and they post it to the 2018 freshman page, and thats where we find out what went on, what was the repercussion from that, and who made the decision, but I feel like students need to know the issues right when they arrive and be able to give feedback to the faculty and staff. To be able to reach out to the students and get insight on what they think should be done."

Lol, Naija nor dey carry last.

Source: Legit.ng
Nigerians are currently baring their fangs against the governor of Zamfara state and chairman of the Nigerian Governors forum (NGF), Abdulaziz Yari, for claiming God that is punishing Nigerians with meningitis for their sins.

Vaccination is still one of the best ways to prevent meningitis

Officials say several cases have been reported over the last week in six states and has so far infected more than 1,000 people, the Abuja Centre for Disease Control says.

What is the best way to prevent meningitis?

1. Vaccination

The most effective way to prevent meningitis is to get vaccinated against the disease. In the US the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting vaccinated against meningitis at age 11 or 12, followed by a booster shot at age 16 to 18.

The vaccine to prevent meningitis is also recommended if you're entering the military, traveling, or planning to live in a country where bacterial meningitis is common.

2. Don't share personal items

Meningitis can be contracted when you come in contact with respiratory or throat secretions  saliva, sputum, nasal mucus  of someone who is infected, either through kissing or sharing personal items.

You can prevent the spread of meningitis by not sharing items such as drinking glasses, water bottles, straws, silverware, toothbrushes, lipsticks or lip glosses, and cigarettes.

3. Keep your distance

The bacteria found in nose and throat secretions can also spread through coughing and sneezing. You could get meningitis if you're close enough to an infected person to come in direct contact with these secretions.

If someone you know has a respiratory infection, keep at least 3 feet away to stay out of the line of any coughing fit.

Keep in mind that bacterial meningitis isn't that easily transmittable. You won't get meningitis simply by breathing in the air where a sick friend or family member has been.

READ ALSO: Meningitis: 7 facts every Nigerian must know before its too late

4. Wash your hands

You can prevent meningitis from spreading by washing your hands vigorously, especially after you use the bathroom, change a diaper, spend time in a crowded place, and cough or blow your nose.

Use hot, soapy water and be sure to wash properly. Hand sanitizers can also be used.

5. Healthy eating

A healthy immune system can help prevent an infection from the viruses and bacteria that cause meningitis. Keep your immune system at its fighting best by eating healthy  including fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.

6. Exercise and sleep

Getting regular exercise and adequate sleep also helps. Taking good care of your overall health becomes even more important if you have a chronic condition that compromises your immune system.

READ ALSO: Governor says God is responsible for meningitis disease outbreak

7. Get Prompt Treatment

If you have been in close contact with someone who has bacterial meningitis, call your doctor right away.

Your health care provider can give you antibiotics to keep you from developing meningitis.

Legit.ng recently visited a fruit market in Nigeria. Watch the video below:

Source: Legit.ng
President Muhammadu Buhari has launched a new Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) for Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, April 5, launched Nigeria's Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

Legit.ng gathered that Buhari said his administration inherited numerous challenges at inception. He also said his campaign was based on the difficult situation that Nigeria was in and the need for enduring positive change.

The President promised to transform Nigeria from a consumer country to a country producing its own products.

The President said: Security in the North East and other parts of Nigeria today is better than when we came in. Law enforcement agencies are prosecuting many cases of corruption and I assure all Nigerians that we are approaching our economic challenges in the same manner we are fighting insecurity and corruption."

READ ALSO: President Buhari thanks Nigerian man who dropped flowers for him in UK

Buhari also promised to make Nigeria a producing nation by focusing on agriculture to alleviate hunger in the nation, Premium Times reports.

The President also said that security in the country has improved since he came into power.

We must produce what we need. The broad objectives of the ERGP are to restore growth, invest in our people and build a globally competitive economy."

We are determined to change Nigeria from a consumer nation to a producing nation."

The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, who also spoke at the event said Buhari right from his campaign days has shown commitment to changing Nigeria in a fundamental way.

The growth plan will also focus on Agriculture so Nigeria can alleviate hunger in the nation.

The minister said most of the plan in the ERGP are contained in the 2017 budget which will take off soon.

READ ALSO: Non-performing governors will be voted out in 2019 - Sultan of Sokoto

Udoma said:The plan has been put in one place, for easy access, all the sectoral plans that the government has been working on, from inception, including the strategic implementation plan for the 2016 budget.

The broad objectives of the ERGP are to restore growth, invest in our people and build a globally competitive economy."

Others present at the launching include VP Osinbajo, Senate President Bukola Saraki, Sepaker of House of Representatives, Aliyu Dogara and ministers.

Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara both pledged the cooperation of the National Assembly to the implementation of the plan.

Below is the reactions of Nigerians to the newly launched Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

In the video below, Legit.ng asked Nigerians what they think of Buhari after his second year in office.

Source: Legit.ng
Reports say a High Court in Maitama, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja has dismissed all the 18 corruption charges filed against Justice Adeniyi Ademola, his wife Olubowale, and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Joe Agi.

Justice Ademola during one of his appearances in court

Punch reports that the judge and the others were also acquitted of all the charges.

READ ALSO: Magu makes new move in anti-corruption fight

Legit.ng learnt that the judgement was delivered by Justice Jude Okeke in a ruling to uphold the respective no-case submissions filed by the defendants.

The charges against the trio were filed by the office of the Attorney-General Federation after some judges including Adeniyi were raided by operatives of the Department of State Service.

According to Justice Okeke, the prosecution was not able to make out a prima facie case with respect to any of the 18 counts even with 19 witnesses and exhibits A to ZZZ to warrant calling on the defendants to enter their defence.

READ ALSO: Emir Sanusi blasts northern leaders, says region is poorest in Nigeria

He said the charges were only filed by the prosecution based on suspicion and speculation fueled by the feeling of fight against corruption which no reasonable court could base any conviction on.

"The matter is therefore resolved in favour of the defendants and all the defendants are hereby discharged," Daily Trust quoted Justice Okeke as saying in his ruling.

In their reactions, many Nigerians criticised the way the federal government and its agencies run to the court without thorough investigations. Read some of the comments below:

Meanwhile, watch the arraignment of Andrew Yakubu, the former chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Commission (NNPC) after $9.8 million was found in his home:

Source: Legit.ng
The Edo Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it has destroyed 12 illegal refineries in the state within the first quarter of 2017.

The Commandant of the Corps, Mr Makinde Ayinla, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Wednesday.

READ ALSO: Street boy who called for the mass burial of Nigerian leaders gets a better life

Ayinla said that one person was arrested for pipeline vandalism and for being in possession of 2,100 litres of illegally refined AGO also known as Diesel within the period.

He decried the increasing rate at which illegal refineries were springing up in the state and advised government at all levels to create jobs for the unemployed.

According to him, an idle mind is the devils workshop, and that government should create employment for the jobless youth.

He said that within the period under review, seven persons were arrested in connection with illegal mining as their documents were not updated.

The commandant also said that three persons were arrested for operating illegal and unregistered Private Guards Companies in the state.

He said that the command had arrested 15 persons for piracy, on the invitation from the Theatre and Motion Pictures Producers Association of Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Fayose turns DJ, plays Naija hits at party

The commandant who expressed concern over the current spate of kidnapping, killings in the state, assured that the corps would collaborate with other agencies to arrest the situation.

Legit.ng decided to ask Nigerians if they regret their choice during the last general elections.

Source: Legit.ng
- Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara and chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum reportedly transferred the fund to a mortgage bank

- The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is said to have traced and recovered the fund from the bank

While over 200 residents in his state have so far died as a result of the Type C meningitis, a report by Sahara Reporters is claiming that Governor Abdulaziz of Zamfara state allegedly diverted N500 million being part of the Paris Club loan refund.

Yari is alleged to have diverted N500 million from the Paris Club loan refund to governors

Legit.ng reports that the governor is currently being castigated by Nigerians for declaring that the meningitis that has killed at least 336 people in the country is a punishment from God for the sins committed by citizens.

READ ALSO: Senator Shehu Sani lashes at Saraki, other APC senators

If the allegation is true, the fund should have been enough to procure the needed vaccines by his state amidst lamentation by the federal government about the lack of fund to procure such.

The report quoted a source at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as revealing that Yari withdrew the amount from the N19 billion Paris Club refund and allegedly diverted it to a special account of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).

The report further quoted The Nation as reporting that a source revealed that of the N19 billion, we discovered that a consultant brought by the North-West governor was paid N2.2 billion. From the N2.2 billion, the governor got N500 million.

It said Yari then transferred the alleged diverted amount to the mortgage bank from which he had borrowed N800 million to purchase to properties in 2013.

The source allegedly said this was after the governor was able to renegotiate his debt from N800 million to N500 million while the report said the EFCC traced the sum, knowing it was connected to Yari and the Paris Club loan.

READ ALSO: Senators angry with Saraki over meeting with Buhari

The mortgage bank has now reportedly forfeited the amount to the EFCC.

Nigerians including Emir Muhammadu Sanusi of Kano, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, Lauretta Onochie, an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, and Reno Omokri, a former aide to former President Muhammadu Buhari have since condemned the governor for saying meningitis was a punishment from God for the sins of Nigerians.

Watch this video of an angry Nigerian as he speaks about corruption in the country:

Source: Legit.ng
Sahara Reporters is reporting that Justice Adeniyi Ademola, who has just been discharged and acquitted of corruption charges, has been reportedly penned down for a bigger job.

According to the online news platform in a tweet on Wednesday, April 5, Justice Ademola has bagged a bigger job at the Appeal Court of Nigeria.

Justice Ademola is free to take a new job

Ademola was a federal high court judge before he was directed to step down by the National Judicial Council during his trial.

READ ALSO: Buhari launches economy recovery plan, promises to make Nigeria a producing nation

In a related vein, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has set the records straight about whether it played any role in the trial of Justice Ademola.

It tweeted:

Earlier today, a High Court in Maitama, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja dismissed all the 18 corruption charges filed against Justice Adeniyi Ademola, his wife Olubowale, and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Joe Agi.

READ ALSO: Emir Sanusi blasts northern leaders, says region is poorest in Nigeria

Legit.ng learnt that the judgement was delivered by Justice Jude Okeke in a ruling to uphold the respective no-case submissions filed by the defendants.

The charges against the trio were filed by the office of the Attorney-General Federation after some judges including Adeniyi were raided by operatives of the Department of State Service.

Legit.ng recalls that Justice Ademola was one of the judges arrested by the Department of State Services in a raid in October 2016.

Source: Legit.ng
- Kemi Adeosun said the Buhari administration is reviewing the YouWin programme

- She said the programme will not be scrapped

- The minister said the fall in oil price caused recession

Kemi Adeosun who is the minister of finance has revealed that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has no plan to scrap the Youth With Innovation Entrepreneurship program (You Win) in spite of the massive fraud that was uncovered.

There has been report that the programme which was set up by the administration of Goodluck Jonathan would be cancelled due to corruption but the minister revealed that this was not the plan.

Kemi Adeosun said Buhari has no plan to scrap YouWin programme

Adeosun in a Facebook live session on Wednesday, April 5 the programme was going through a review which would enable the government incorporate the initiative into university curricula across Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Top 15 things Buhari said during the economic plan launch

The Punch had reports that some senior civil servants gave out slots worth between N7m and N10m each to their spouses, children and friends and that some of the awardees would not have qualified if not for the connection.

In spite of this, the minister said the programme will still be sustained but more transparent.

The Buhari administration has no plans to scrap it (YouWin).The Federal Government has reviewed the scheme and repositioned it as YouWiN!Connect, which focuses on continuous enterprise education and skills building.

As part of the restructuring, YouWiN!Connect now publishes weekly editorials in four national newspapers. The principles of YouWiN!Connect would be incorporated into university curricula across Nigeria.

She also spoke about the issue of diversification and that the government is working hard so that a dip in oil price would not affect the economy.

The good news is that we are working through the issues one by one, and trying to ensure that as we rebuild the economy, we get away from the boom and bust cycle of the past  we want to build an economy where, whether oil price is high or low, theres sustainable growth for Nigeria and for Nigerians.

Adeosun said the Buhari administration is working in the area of infrastructure so as to create an enabling environment to support business.

READ ALSO: Court discharges, acquits Justice Ademola, wife and lawyer

On the issue of recession, she explained that this was caused by the countrys overdependence on oil.

We got into recession because, for the last ten years, even when the oil price was extremely high, and we were borrowing, our reserves were decreasing. We didnt have enough of a productive economy.

The only real thing that was happening and creating growth was the oil price, and as soon as the oil price went down, growth disappeared. What we are trying to do now is to reset the economy, so that we are not so dependent on oil.

Source: Legit.ng
- Former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke allegedly gave an INEC official N30million to manipulate election results in 2015

- The INEC official, Christian Nwosu, has testified to receiving the bribe

- Nwosu is one of three INEC officials docked for receiving gratification to the tune of N265 million

Christian Nwosu, a staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has pleaded guilty to receiving N30 million as bribe from the N23 billion alleged stolen by a former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

EXPOSED! How Jonathan's minister gave N30m bribe, for INEC official to rig 2015 election

The bribe was allegedly meant to compromise electoral officers ahead of the 2015 general elections which the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party lost to the now ruling All Progressives Congress.

Nwosu was among three INEC officials that were docked on Wednesday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before Justice M. B. Idris of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on a seven-count charge bordering on receiving gratification to the tune of N265 million.

Nwosu and the other accused persons- Yisa Adedoyin and Tijani Bashir  had, on March 27, 2015, allegedly received bribes from Mrs. Alison-Madueke.

Count one of the charges reads: That you, Mrs. Diezani Allison  Madueke (still at large), Christian Nwosu, Yisa Olanrewaju Adedoyin and Tijani Bashir on or about the 27th day of March, 2015 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired among yourselves to directly take possession of N264,880,000 (Two Hundred and Sixty-four Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: gratification and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2002 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

EXPOSED! How Jonathan's minister gave N30m bribe, for INEC official to rig 2015 election

Another count reads: That you, Christian Nwosu, on or about the 27 day of March, 2015 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court directly used the sum of N30,000,000 which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: gratification and you hereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(a) of the money laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

Both the second and third defendants, Adedoyin and Bashir, pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, the first defendant, Mr. Nwosu, pleaded guilty to the charge preferred against him.

The counsel to the first defendant, Adaku Ngbangba, pleaded with the court to grant her client bail on own recognizance, adding that he is a first-time offender. He has put in over 20 years in service. Given his honestly, I urge you, my Lord, to grant him bail on liberal terms.

The counsel to the second defendant, Ms. Ngbangba, as well as counsel to the third defendant, Nelson Imoh, also pleaded with the court to grant their clients bail on own recognisance.

In his address, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that the first defendant had entered a plea bargain agreement with the commission.

He said: We received the sum of $115 million kept in the custody of Fidelity Bank Plc, which was subsequently converted to N23 billion.

Of this amount of money, it was alleged that the first defendant received a cash payment of N30 million as Director and Administrative Secretary, INEC, Kwara State.

The first defendant went to Fidelity Bank and signed for N264,880,000. This was left in the bank in the custody of the third defendant who carried it in a Hilux bus and was making cash payment/withdrawals without going through any financial institutions.

In the course of making the cash payments, the third defendant paid the first defendant the total sum of N30, 000,000.00 cash.

Mr Oyedepo further told the court that the first defendant was invited to the Commissions office, where he made his statement under words of caution.

He stated that the receipt of payment of the money signed for by the first defendant was also retrieved by the Commission.

Both the statement and the receipt were tendered and admitted as exhibits A-A6 by the court.

Oyedepo also told the court that the first defendant had admitted essentially to the ingredients of the alleged offence in his statement to the Commission on December 12, 2016.

The first defendant in his statement, according to Mr. Oyedepo, admitted to have benefitted N30, 000,000. 00.

In his address, Oyedepo also stated that the first defendant also gave account of the properties he used the money to acquire.

He brought the title documents to the EFCC office.

Having demonstrated remorse and given useful information to aid the prosecution of the case, he has entered into an agreement to forfeit the properties to the Federal Government. The properties are listed in the paragraphs 1 and 2 of the plea bargain agreement.

The EFCC has recovered the N5 million left from the first defendant, having spent N25m to acquire properties.

He also urged the court to convict the first defendant in line with the count seven of the charges and adopt the term contained in the plea bargain agreement.

EXPOSED! How Jonathan's minister gave N30m bribe, for INEC official to rig 2015 election

Consequently, Justice Idris found the first defendant liable as charged on count seven.

He, however, deferred the sentencing of the first defendant to May 7, 2017.

The first defendant was ordered to be remanded in the EFCC custody till the next adjourned date.

Justice Idris admitted both the second and third defendants to bail in the sum of N50 million, with two sureties in like sum. The sureties must have landed properties within the jurisdiction of the court.

The second and third accused persons are also to submit their international passport to the court.

They were ordered to be remanded in prison custody till the perfection of their bail conditions.

The case was adjourned to May 7, 2017 for continuation of trial.

Source: Legit.ng
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested and detained the former governor of Niger state, Babangida Aliyu over N2 billion ecological fund.

It was reported that the former governor is being questioned in relation to the sum of N3.6 billion cash the state realised from the sales of its 16 out of its 26 percent stake in North South Power Ltd.

READ ALSO: Ibori visits Alamieyeseighas grave, weeps profusely

Aliyu is also being questioned about the N2 billion Ecological Fund Niger state got from the Presidency in 2015.

Vanguard reports that there is suspicion that the former governor laundered the money in in an attempt to install his protege in the 2015 election.

AN EFCC source confirmed that Aliyu has been detained since Tuesday, April 4 as he is being questioned by a crack team of detectives.

Source: Legit.ng
The report also says that the Seattle police escalate situations and use unnecessary or excessive force when arresting individuals for minor offenses. This trend is pronounced in encounters with persons with mental illnesses or those under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This is problematic because S.P.D. estimates that 70 percent of use-of-force encounters involve these populations.

 Chicago

In January, the Justice Department found reasonable cause that Chicago police engaged in a pattern or practice of unreasonable force in violation of the Fourth Amendment and attributed the deficiencies to a number of things, including training, supervision and accountability.

 Baltimore

In interviews with the Justice Department, Baltimore residents said that even when they believe they have done nothing wrong, they flee from interactions with officers, believing that it is better to run at the sight of an officer rather than take the risk that an interaction with the officer will result in unnecessary and excessive force being used against them, according to the report. The report added:

The Baltimore Police Department uses unreasonable force against people who present little or no threat to officers or others. Specifically, B.P.D. uses excessive force against (1) individuals who are already restrained and under officers control and (2) individuals who are fleeing from officers and are not suspected of serious criminal offenses. Force used on restrained individuals: We found many examples of B.P.D. officers using unreasonable force on individuals who were restrained and no longer posed a threat to officers or the public.

 Cleveland

In May 2015, the Cleveland Police Department agreed to accept close federal oversight of its practices, including how and when its officers were allowed to use force.

The Justice Department found that the Cleveland police routinely used stun guns inappropriately, punched and kicked unarmed people and shot at people who posed no threat. The episodes were often unreported and not investigated, the inquiry found.

A case from 2012, described in the report, illustrates the problem.

An officers gun discharged when he struck a suspect in the head with it. The officer, who was off-duty and dressed in civilian clothes, observed what he believed to be a drug transaction take place involving two vehicles and about six suspects. The officer approached them without calling for backup and told them to leave. When Eric got out of one of the cars, the officer drew his handgun, pointed it at Eric, and ordered Eric to the ground, identifying himself as a C.D.P. officer but not showing a badge. A witness reported that she saw a man, later identified as the officer, holding a gun to Erics face while Eric asked repeatedly for the officer to show his badge and expressed disbelief that he was an officer.

 Ferguson

The Ferguson police used Tasers and dogs in excess on African-American suspects, according to the Justice Department report. In 2013, one black man was chased down and bitten by an officers dog even though the officer had frisked him and knew the man was unarmed. The officers supervisor later justified the use of force with a patently untrue statement, suggesting that the officer feared that the subject was armed, the report said.

 Albuquerque

The police used lethal force in 37 cases s from 2010 to 2014. In them, 23 people were killed and 14 were wounded, an usually high number for a city of about 550,000, the Justice Department report said.

Among the cases cited in that report: Police officers once fired a stun gun at a deranged man who had doused himself in gasoline, setting him ablaze. Another time, they fired one at a man who yelled, Bang, bang, as the officers approached. They also fired a stun gun at a 75-year-old homeless man for refusing to leave a bus stop, at a 16-year-old boy for refusing to lie on a floor covered in broken glass and at a young man so drunk he could not get up from a couch.
After seeing Mr. Harriss ideas in 1959, Chet Stover, who was creative director on the Trix account, wrote a memo to the company that said, In a business where the only thing we have to sell are ideas, it is of first importance the credit is given where credit belongs  and Joe gets all the credit for this one.

Mr. Harris joined Mr. Stover; W. Watts Biggers, an account manager at Dancer; and Treadwell Covington, who worked at a direct-mail agency, to form Total TeleVision, a company that would make Saturday morning cartoons to compete for General Millss business with cartoons by Jay Ward and Bill Scott, who created a show centering on the characters Rocky & Bullwinkle.

Mr. Stover and Mr. Biggers were the main writers; Mr. Covington handled audio recording; Mr. Harris drew storyboards and designed characters like King Leonardo, Klondike Kat and Tennessee Tuxedo.

The best known of these characters was Underdog, who was transformed from a canine version of a shoeshiner into a superhero, usually when the reporter Sweet Polly Purebred was threatened by villains, including the evil scientist Simon Bar Sinister and the natty wolf gangster Riff Raff. Mr. Harris drew Underdog as an unlikely hero, a noodle-armed dog engulfed in a baggy red suit and blue cape.
Ronald G. Witt, a historian who redrew the map of the Renaissance through influential studies that identified the first stirrings of Italian humanism in a period well before the birth of its traditional father, Petrarch, died on March 15 at his home in Durham, N.C. He was 84.

His wife, Mary Ann Frese Witt, said the cause was heart failure.

Professor Witt was a disciple of the eminent German historians Hans Baron, who coined the term civic humanism to describe the political culture of 15th-century Florence, and Paul Oskar Kristeller, who emphasized the work of medieval rhetoricians in preparing the ground for Renaissance humanism.

In his studies of the humanist Coluccio Salutati, chancellor of Florence in the late 14th century, and in two sweeping works, In the Footsteps of the Ancients: The Origins of Humanism From Lovato to Bruni (2000) and The Two Latin Cultures and the Foundation of Renaissance Humanism in Medieval Italy (2012), Professor Witt persuasively revised previous ideas about the evolution of Italian humanism.

His books have been major influences on the way the Renaissance is now taught in America and around the world, James Hankins, a Harvard historian who studied under Professor Witt, wrote in an email.
Throughout Fox News Channels summer of discontent last year, executives at its parent company, 21st Century Fox, assured reporters that the young, up-and-coming corporate leadership  Rupert Murdochs sons, James and Lachlan  understood the severity of the sexual harassment allegations pending against the networks founding chairman, Roger E. Ailes.

It was why they moved quickly to hire a white-shoe law firm to investigate the charges against Mr. Ailes, executives at the company told reporters at the time. And, these people said, it was why they forced Mr. Ailess resignation after that investigation found enough potential evidence to preclude them from standing by his denials.

The companys response, the executives said, was an example of how it had reined in the wild rules-are-what-we-make-of-them-so-long-as-were-winning impulses that led to the crisis that was almost its undoing a few years ago. That, of course, was the phone hacking scandal at its British newspaper division, in which reporters and a private investigator hacked phone messages of the royal family, actors, athletes and various others.

This time around, after Mr. Ailess departure, the company promised that things would get cleaned up quickly. It said it was committed to maintaining a work environment based on trust and respect, and spent millions on settlement deals that also happened to keep accusers from speaking about their experiences with Mr. Ailes  who, company executives implied, was the isolated cause of all the problems. And that was to be that.
Niveas decision to remove the ad on Tuesday, which was posted on its Facebook page for two days, and stop the entire campaign is another sign of how sensitive companies have become to negative reactions on social media.

Image In 2014, Zara stopped selling a childrens shirt after criticism that it resembled Nazi concentration camp uniforms.

At a time when online conversations can snowball, companies have learned to respond quickly to opinions on social media. This has created an environment where Google has had to train its ad placement computers to be aware of offensive content because brands are wanting more distance between their marketing material and derogatory messaging or terrorist propaganda.

The advertisement, which was on Niveas Middle East Facebook page, was being discussed on 4Chan with racist comments on Monday. The ad was posted on Twitter next to a picture of Pepe the Frog, a cartoon tied to anti-Semitism and racism that has become a mascot for the alt-right. The user wrote that Nivea has chosen our side.

One Facebook user paired the ad with a screenshot from a 2011 Nivea campaign, featuring a well-dressed black male clutching the Afro of a mannequins head. The tagline, Re-civilize yourself. Nivea apologized for the campaign, calling it inappropriate and offensive.

Even after Nivea apologized on Tuesday, consumers were dissatisfied. Its cool for the Middle East Facebook page? Really? As if colourism isnt a problem in those cultures? Laila Parmoon posted on Facebook, where she identified herself as Iranian.
Radley Metzger, who gained wide notice for directing artful erotic films until the mid-1970s, when he recognized that making explicit pornographic movies was more lucrative, died on Friday in Manhattan. He was 88.

His death was confirmed by Ashley Spicer, the administrator of his estate.

Mr. Metzger was a serious student of film who edited trailers of European films including Ingmar Bergmans before turning to soft-core filmmaking in the 1960s. That background shows in his high production values, reasonably thoughtful plots and overseas locations  all surpassing the genres usual standard of quality.

Reviewing The Lickerish Quartet (1970), probably the most famous of Mr. Metzgers soft-core films, Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote: I must say I find most of Mr. Metzgers movies entertaining to watch. They are so, well, ripe with incredible color and decor and movement. Andy Warhol is said to have called it an outrageously kinky masterpiece.

Decades later, the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York paid tribute by showing eight films from his pre-explicit period, calling him a fascinating transitional figure whose unique brand of sophisticated erotic art cinema created an almost utopian space between the cheap grindhouse sexploitation of the 60s and the full-on hard-core porn of the 70s.
ALBANY  The Democrat-led New York State Assembly came to terms late Tuesday on a bill that would raise the age of criminal responsibility in the state to 18, an issue that had been a major stumbling block in the state budget negotiations and was a longstanding priority for progressive groups around the state.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat, has expressed support for such legislation, and both the Assembly and the Republican-led Senate were expected to approve the bill on Wednesday as the Legislature inched its way toward a settlement on a budget process that has run long.

Late Tuesday, the Senate passed four budget bills  with more legislative action expected after midnight  breaking a deadlock a day after the state was forced to pass two emergency measures to fund the state government.

One of the major barriers to a budget deal  which had been due on April 1  had been the issue of the age of criminal responsibility. New York is one of only two states, along with North Carolina, to view 16- and 17-year-old defendants as adults. While agreeing with the broader outlines of an idea to divert many from that group to Family Court, Republicans in the Senate had sought a series of stipulations about the kind of charges that would still be considered serious enough for Criminal Court. Democrats in the Assembly had sought a broader protection for such defendants.
For a world that too often seems impervious to the horrors of Syrias civil war, the photos and videos from Tuesdays chemical weapons attack, which killed dozens of civilians, bore witness to a new level of atrocity. People gasping for breath, turning blue, lying dead in the street  all victims of airstrikes apparently by President Bashar al-Assads forces.

It was the deadliest chemical attack in years in Syria, a new marker for a leader with a record of brutality dating to 2011, when he turned his weapons on peaceful protesters. A second attack on Tuesday hit a clinic treating the victims.

Chlorine gas attacks have become almost routine in northern Syria, but medical workers and other witnesses, citing the symptoms this time and the high casualties, said even more lethal nerve agents and other banned toxins were probably used. Although Mr. Assad doesnt control the entire country, he has effectively won the war against his opponents even as a separate conflict  waged by the United States and others against the Islamic State  continues. So why this attack? Why now? It speaks to his depravity and that of his enablers, especially Russia and Iran.
Which brings us  and the nation  to the unfolding mess in the Senate over President Trumps nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch. On Monday, Senate Democrats secured the votes needed to filibuster Judge Gorsuchs nomination, a procedural mechanism the Senate minority party can use to stall or block a vote by the majority. Whether Democrats will or will not remains to be seen. But many of them are still furious, and rightly so, that Mr. McConnell and the Republicans stole the seat after Justice Scalia died by denying Judge Garland a vote for eight months.

For their part, the Republicans, who want to confirm Judge Gorsuch this week, need 60 votes to overcome the filibuster. Theyre a few votes short, so they have threatened a new weapon: using their 52-vote majority to eliminate the filibuster, allowing them to confirm Judge Gorsuch with a simple majority, up or down vote. Such a move  known as the nuclear option  would end the filibuster not just for Judge Gorsuchs confirmation, but for all Supreme Court nominees. It would also mean that the only Senate votes still subject to the filibuster rule would be on legislation.

That leaves it to Democrats to consider whether the filibuster is worth saving. Whether legitimately outraged at Mr. McConnells treatment of the Garland nomination or opposed to Judge Gorsuch on the merits, if they lose the filibuster now  as they will  then it is not available to use against another Trump nominee, who may be objectionable not only to Democrats but to a few Republicans, as well. Yes, the Republicans could possibly strip the filibuster away the next time, too. But surely having some slight chance of being able to deploy it to stop a renegade justice is better than having no chance at all. And the danger some Democrats appear to fear of seeming naive by clinging to a goal of bipartisan support for the court seems less acute than the certainty of their appearing ineffectual in a futile effort to block the Gorsuch appointment.

What matters, of course, is not some arcane voting process in the Senate. What matters is that Americans believe they are governed by law, not by whatever political party manages to stack the Supreme Court. That is what Mitch McConnell has driven the Senate to put at risk  a very great risk indeed  and it may, in the end, fall to the court itself to find a way to rise above the steadily encroaching tide of factionalism.
In a significant victory for gay rights, a federal appeals court in Chicago ruled Tuesday that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects gay workers from job discrimination, expanding workplace protections in the landmark law to include sexual orientation.

The decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the highest federal court yet to grant such employment protections, raises the chances that the politically charged issue may ultimately be resolved by the Supreme Court. While an appeal is not expected in this case, another appellate court, in Georgia, last month reached the opposite conclusion, saying that the law does not prohibit discrimination at work for gay employees.

The ruling on Tuesday comes as gay rights advocates have voiced concern about the potential rollback of protections under President Trump. While the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, many other legal protections, including in employment and housing, have not been extended at all levels to gay people.

The White House considered and then scuttled a plan to overturn Obama-era protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. But the Trump administration also rescinded protections for transgender students that had allowed them to use bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity.
In a statement condemning Tuesdays chemical attack in Syria, President Trump faulted the administration of former President Barack Obama for not intervening more aggressively in that countrys civil war  contradicting his own, earlier advice.

Todays chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world, Mr. Trump said in the statement released by the White House. These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administrations weakness and irresolution.

President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a red line against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing, Mr. Trump continued, referring to Mr. Obamas first direct threat of force. The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack.

But Mr. Trump has repeatedly advocated doing nothing in Syria, insisting it is not Americas problem.
WASHINGTON  The White House stepped up its push on Tuesday to revive legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act by placating the most conservative House members, but the effort risked alienating more moderate Republicans whose votes President Trump needs just as much.

Vice President Mike Pence met for about two hours on Tuesday night with lawmakers, including leaders of three groups of House Republicans. But lawmakers leaving the conclave in the basement of the Capitol said that no deal had been reached and that talks would continue on Wednesday.

It was a very good exchange of ideas, with concerns that represent the broad spectrum of our conference, said Representative Mark Meadows, Republican of North Carolina and the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. There were no agreements tonight, and no agreements in principle, he added.

Mr. Pence has been meeting continually with House Republicans this week to rework and resuscitate the repeal bill that collapsed on the House floor on March 24. But the House speaker, Paul D. Ryan, acknowledged that changes intended to gain support on one side of the House Republican Conference could lose votes on another.
The statement overlooked the fact that Mr. Trump himself urged Mr. Obama not to strike Syria when Mr. Assad crossed that red line. President Obama, do not attack Syria, Mr. Trump posted on Twitter at the time. There is no upside and tremendous downside. Save your powder for another (and more important) day!

What we consider before using anonymous sources. Do the sources know the information? Whats their motivation for telling us? Have they proved reliable in the past? Can we corroborate the information? Even with these questions satisfied, The Times uses anonymous sources as a last resort. The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source. Learn more about our process.

Still, Mr. Trump has been more consistent in making clear that he does not see it as the United States place to get involved in other countries affairs. During last years campaign, he posted on Twitter that Syria is NOT our problem and signaled acceptance of Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. After taking office, when an interviewer suggested that President Vladimir V. Putin was a killer, Mr. Trump said the United States could hardly criticize. What, you think our countrys so innocent?

His foreign policy seems defined more by a transactional nationalism, rooted in the sense that the United States is getting ripped off  by NATO allies who are not paying enough for their own defense, by trading partners like China that are eating our lunch and by neighbors like Mexico that are sending drugs and criminals over the border. Rather than spreading American values, his policy aims to guard American interests.

It struck me that it was very Chinese in orientation, said Ian Bremmer, the founder and president of the Eurasia Group, a consultancy in Washington. You take out all of the issues of American exceptionalism and values, you take out all the restraints and responsibilities of American alliances and architecture that are based on those values, and it creates a very different sense of foreign policy.

Other presidents were not always consistent in speaking out for democracy and human rights, but they did make such issues a priority at times. Mr. Bush argued that decades of realism that subordinated democracy in favor of stability in the Middle East had yielded neither. In his second inaugural address, he vowed to predicate the United States relations with every ruler and every nation on their treatment of their own people. Mr. Obama thought Mr. Bushs democracy push was too messianic, but he did encourage protesters during the Arab Spring and he did suspend some arms sales to Egypt after a military takeover.

Mr. Trump, by contrast, lifted human rights conditions on arms sales to Bahrain, a crucial American ally in the Middle East, and Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson declined to personally present the State Departments annual human rights report, as his predecessors did. Asked at a meeting on Tuesday with King Abdullah II of Jordan about the chemical weapons attack in Syria, Mr. Tillerson remained silent, only later issuing a written statement condemning it.
Black pedestrians in Baltimore stopped without reasonable suspicion. Black drivers in Ferguson, Mo., searched much more frequently than whites. Cleveland residents punched and kicked by officers and subjected to stun guns, without posing any threat.

In report after report in the Obama years, Justice Department lawyers found patterns of eye-popping rights violations and used them as leverage to force local departments to agree to major policing overhauls. But the Trump administration announced this week that it was backing away from that tough-minded approach, a move that prompted fierce debate on Tuesday in cities across the country.

Many police unions welcomed the news, saying the Obama administrations approach had impeded law enforcement and unfairly painted many good officers as wrongdoers. The unions, a source of support for President Trump during last years campaign, welcomed his administrations announcement as proof that Mr. Trump would swiftly meet his promises to restore law and order to the country.

But their view contrasted sharply with those of many police chiefs and politicians who have been living under agreements struck with the Justice Department, who vowed to continue making changes to their police departments with or without the departments imprimatur. They say that the results of consent decrees, which are backed by a court order, and so-called memorandums of agreement, which are reached out of court, have been mostly positive, if mixed, and in some cases absolutely essential.
BOGOTA, Colombia  Venezuelan security forces on Tuesday clashed with protesters on the streets of Caracas as thousands gathered to protest a decision by the countrys Supreme Court to seize power from the legislature.

While the court reversed the most disputed parts of its ruling on Saturday, that did not stop crowds from massing in a large middle-class Caracas district to accuse President Nicolas Maduro of trying to eviscerate Venezuelas democratic institutions and establish one-man rule.

The National Guard and the national police arrived about an hour after the demonstration began, firing tear gas into the throngs and deploying trucks mounted with water cannon. Armed pro-government gangs harassed protesters and shot one person in the leg, according to Ramon Muchacho, the mayor of Chacao, a neighboring district. At least eight others were hurt, he told reporters.
Those who took over the original Islamic revolution now run Tehran. Under this regime, human rights abuses, including prison, torture, and execution, continue.

Even Iranian dissidents outside of Iran are targeted, most notably the members of the Peoples Mujahedin Organization of Iran, which is one of the largest and oldest resistance groups. Many of the PMOI members formerly resided in refugee camps in Iraq, but were constantly under attack. They have now been safely relocated in Europe.

In the wake of the 2009 presidential elections, mass protests by the Iranian people followed. They were fired upon, arrested, and many were executed. Since then, the regime has instituted broad crackdowns prior to the election cycle, including the arrests of journalists, bloggers, politicians, activists and even students and artists.

Only carefully vetted and approved candidates are allowed on the ballot for presidential and parliamentary elections.

President of the International American Council and a leading expert on Iran and U.S. foreign policy, Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, wrote about this Iran lobby myth in Arab News. Rafizadeh writes that Irans moderates are a critical part of the political establishment. Many of them, including the current President Hassan Rouhani, were robust supporters or founding fathers of the Islamic Republics Shiite theocracy. These moderates, such as the late former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, were once called hard-liners, he says, adding, In addition, it is crucial to point out that to be a politician in Iran, your loyalty to the core pillars of the political establishment should be firmly proven. Vilayat-e Faqih is the core pillar of Shiite political thought expounded by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and forces a guardianship-based political system on the people, and requires that a Shiite religious figure be the leader of the nation. According to Rafizadeh, the terms moderates and hardliners are a Western invention, and are not used in Iranian politics. Additionally, the Iran lobby uses these terms with Western media.

Rafizadeh said, Irans supreme leader and the senior cadre of IRGC hold the final say when it comes to Irans foreign policy. They also have significant control over Irans economic, financial, and political sectors. For example, at the end of the presidential term of the so-called moderate Hassan Rouhani, Iran has not altered its policies toward Syria, in supporting President Bashar Assad, along with Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and other nations domestic affairs. In fact, it has intensified its expansionist policies through its military and additional revenues.

Little has changed in Iran since 1979 for Irans religious and ethnic minorities such as Kurds, Christians, Sunni, Arabs and others.

More horrifying is the use of acid in attacks against women. According to Iranian news agencies, last month, two women in Maashour, within the Ahwaz province, were attacked. Additionally, according to Al-Arabiya, a family of four was attacked on Saturday in Sharada, within Isfahan province, Irans top tourist destination.

Reports on social networks claim that the victims were not properly veiled, and were therefore sprayed on the face and body by assailants on motorcycles. In press statement, Isfahans Investigative Police Chief Sitar Khasraoui said that the families were taken to the hospital to treat the burns.

This, while the Iran lobby professes that moderates are battling for control in Iran.
WASHINGTON  A dozen years ago, Matthew Pottinger was roughed up by a Chinese state security guard while investigating a corporate corruption case. This week, Mr. Pottinger will be on hand for President Trumps meeting with President Xi Jinping of China, as the top Asia policy maker in an administration desperately short of his kind of on-the-ground experience.

A former journalist and Marine, Mr. Pottinger, 43, now occupies an unusual  and not altogether comfortable  perch in the Trump White House.

He served as an intelligence officer in Afghanistan under Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, who brought him to the National Security Council when Mr. Trump named his former commander to run the council. After Mr. Flynn was fired for misleading colleagues about his contacts with Russian officials, Mr. Pottinger was asked to stay on by the new national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, despite his ties to Mr. Flynn. He traveled to Beijing last month with Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, and has been deeply involved in planning the agenda for the meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi.

Hes a very effective bureaucratic player, which is saying something because hes never had a policy job before, said Michael J. Green, who held Mr. Pottingers post in the George W. Bush administration and counseled Mr. Pottinger about the challenges of working on the council during a long walk.
SEOUL, South Korea  North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its east coast on Wednesday, a day before President Trump was to host his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for their first summit meeting.

The missile test is likely to intensify differences between Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi over how to deal with the recalcitrant government in North Korea.

The timing is also a deep embarrassment for Mr. Xi as the leader of China, which for decades has been the Norths closest ally. China accounts for about 90 percent of the Norths trade and is a major supplier of oil for the country. But in the eyes of Washington, China has been reluctant to use its economic leverage forcibly enough to stop the Norths growing nuclear and missile threats.

The United States has spoken enough about North Korea, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson said in a statement. We have no further comment.
OTTAWA  A city in northern Ontario abandoned a plan on Tuesday night to ship the birthplace of the Dionne quintuplets, the miracle babies of the Great Depression, to another community with no direct connection to their story.

In its reversal, the City Council of North Bay voted, 7-3, to instead move the tiny log house from its current site on the Trans-Canada Highway to a relatively new downtown park on the shore of Lake Nipissing.

The future of the house, however, is not entirely settled. The Council voted only to cover the cost of moving the home, which became world famous after the birth of the five Dionne sisters on May 28, 1934, as well as its future exterior maintenance. Covering the cost of continuing to run it as a museum rests with the group of citizens who banded together to oppose the plan to send it to a fairground about 45 minutes down the highway.

This is in no way the end of this process, said Chris Mayne, the Council member who championed keeping the house in North Bay.
Warplanes had roared overhead just before 7 a.m., when many people in the town were sleeping after a night of intense sounds of bombing, said Othman al-Khan, an activist in Khan Sheikhoun who was reached via phone at a first aid station.

He spoke after fleeing Rahmeh Hospital in Khan Sheikhoun, where many victims were being treated, after an airstrike hit part of the hospital. While he was speaking, another loud boom sounded, and the line went dead; he called back to say it had been another nearby strike.

The rebel-held areas minister of health, Mohamad Firas Al-Jundi, said in an online video that hospitals and clinics were overwhelmed. He said he had been in a field hospital at 7:30 a.m. when over 100 people arrived injured or sickened; many others, he said, were sent to other clinics, with some left lying in the corridors.

Symptoms, he said, included suffocation, fluid in the lungs with foam coming from the mouth, unconsciousness, spasms and paralysis.

Its a shocking act, he said. The world knows and is aware of whats happening in Syria, and we are ready to submit evidences to criminal laboratories to prove the use of these gases.

Yasser Sarmani, a rebel fighter reached by phone in Idlib, said he collapsed while driving to the scene on his motorcycle to help the victims. It became a routine for us that when we hear an airstrike to rush to the scene and try to rescue people, he said. I woke up to the sound of an explosion, but it was not as loud as usual.

Driving against the wind, my eyes started burning and I felt I was being suffocated, he added. People were running away from the site and falling on the ground. It was a cruel scene. At that point I fainted.
Although members and supporters of the Islamic State have frequently commented on President Trump and his policies, analysts have been puzzled by the terrorist groups official silence about him. Mr. Trump had not been mentioned in any of the groups official media  all frequent venues for criticism or taunting of former President Barack Obama and other world leaders.

More than two months after Mr. Trump was sworn in as president, the Islamic States spokesman on Tuesday released the groups first official statement on him, in an audio recording calling him an idiot and deriding his attacks on Muslims, among other claims.

Even then, Mr. Trump was only indirectly insulted rather than called out by name.

America, you have drowned and there is no savior; you have become prey for the soldiers of the caliphate in every part of the Earth; you are bankrupt, and the signs of your demise are evident to every eye, the spokesman said, according to a translation by Reuters. There is no more evidence than the fact that you are being run by an idiot who does not know what Syria or Iraq or Islam is.

Some terrorism experts have called some of Mr. Trumps statements and policies  particularly his ban on visas for people from a selection of predominantly Muslim countries  a potential boon to propaganda by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. The group has long asserted that Muslims are victims of discrimination and abuse in the West, and supporters and members of the Islamic State have seized on some of Mr. Trumps statements as evidence of hostility toward Muslims.
WARSAW  Nearly a decade after it was first proposed, Polands Museum of the Second World War, billed as the most comprehensive public exhibition in Europe about the greatest cataclysm of the 20th century, opened on March 23.

Among those in attendance were former prisoners of German Nazi concentration camps and Soviet labor camps. The museum, in the seaside city of Gdansk, has attracted some 14,000 visitors in just its first two weeks. But Polands president, prime minister and culture minister  who might normally be expected to attend such a high-profile event  were absent from the opening.

The museum has become an ideological and political flash point, and its director may be out of a job.

A Polish court on Wednesday cleared the way for the right-wing government in Poland, which took power in 2015, to seize control of the institution and merge it with a smaller, not-yet-built institution that would focus more narrowly on the German Nazi invasion of 1939. The merger would likely result in the dismissal of the museums director, the historian Pawel Machcewicz.
Richard Simmons, the reclusive fitness mogul whose sudden disappearance from public life spawned a hit podcast, might soon return to public life, thanks to a business deal. And in the latest odd twist in Mr. Simmonss story, it may be a result of that podcast.

Prominent Brand + Talent, a management company co-founded by Mr. Simmonss manager of three decades, announced on Wednesday that it had acquired exclusive rights to represent Mr. Simmons for merchandising, endorsements and licensing opportunities. The trade publication License first reported the deal.

Michael Catalano, Mr. Simmonss manager, said in an interview that Mr. Simmons might be willing to come out of his self-imposed exile to help promote products that result from the deal. If Mr. Simmons does appear in public, it would be the first time he has done so since February 2014, when he stopped showing up to teach his class at Slimmons, his gym in Beverly Hills, Calif. He abruptly became a recluse and has not been seen since, spurring concerns about his well-being.

All I can say, at least for now, is it is possible, Mr. Catalano said of whether Mr. Simmons would get involved publicly. But it is yet to be determined, I would say.
The supermarket shelves are nearly bare. The government in Oslo has turned its back. And the caverns holding the prehistoric treasure that transformed an Arctic outpost devoid of crime and death into a violence-filled petri dish have been buried under 300,000 tons of snow and ice. Season 2 of Fortitude, the British thriller previously shown on Pivot in the United States, opens with a rare heavenly spectacle called a blood aurora, a decapitation and a move to Amazon Prime starting Friday, April 14. Picking up nine weeks after the first installments wasp-filled cataclysm, the series finds Sheriff Dan Anderssen (Richard Dormer) vanished into the glacial wilderness after shooting the woman (Veronica Echegui) he loved. It also introduces Dennis Quaid into the cast as Michael Lennox, a genial fisherman intent on doing whatever it takes to find a cure for his terminally ill wife (Michelle Fairley)  and more unnameable dread than ever as this town on the Svalbard archipelago in Norway hurtles toward environmental catastrophe.
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown that lets you sleep  and lets us get paid to watch comedy. What do you think of it? What else are you interested in? Let us know: thearts@nytimes.com.

A Portrait of the Host as a Quirky Kid

Louis C. K. scolded Jimmy Fallon last week for a pretty dumb thing he said on The Tonight Show. (Mr. Fallon seemed to be saying, over and over, that napping wasnt a form of sleeping.) This week Louis C. K. aimed his playful scorn at Stephen Colbert. He said the Late Show host was just a weird, nerdy kid when the two worked together on The Dana Carvey Show years ago.
Yet free speech, for better or worse, is not Kipniss primary preoccupation. Sexual politics is. (Her last book was Men: Notes From an Ongoing Investigation.) The case that most transfixes her is that of Peter Ludlow, a philosophy professor at Northwestern whod been drummed off campus following allegations of sexual misconduct with two students, one a graduate and one an undergraduate. She devotes roughly half the book to readjudicating it, going through each of his accusers stories frame by frame, trying to determine if theres another way to read them. She decides there is  and that it is inseparable from the way universities now think about women and sex.

Once upon a time, explains Kipnis, female students celebrated their sexual freedom and agency. Today, students and faculty alike focus on their vulnerability. This, in her view, is a criminally retrograde story line, one that recasts women as pitiful creatures who cannot think and act for themselves  and its a story they seem to have internalized. Armed with Title IX and a new, academically fashionable definition of consent  which insists that sex is never truly consensual between adults unless they both have equal power  women can now retroactively declare they never truly agreed to specific sexual acts, even whole relationships.

We seem to be breeding a generation of students, mostly female students, deploying Title IX to remedy sexual ambivalences or awkward sexual experiences, Kipnis writes, and to adjudicate relationship disputes post-breakup  and campus administrators are allowing it.

This, in her view, was the case with Ludlows accusers, whose stories were full of inconsistencies and improbabilities.

Now: I certainly appreciate Kipniss forensics. And the story she tells is psychologically complex. But one of the women in Ludlows case comes across as genuinely troubled. That wouldnt be unusual. As Kipnis herself points out, college and grad school is precisely the time that mental illness tends to first rear its head, which makes professors sitting ducks for accusations. But if thats the case, isnt that an argument in favor of forbidding relations between faculty and students? Because some students might not be able to handle them?

Kipnis never minimizes the devastating consequences of sexual violence. And shes on to something, really on to something, when she rails against the neo-sentimentality about female vulnerability. But the most powerful and provocative part of her book, its final chapter, suggests that todays young college women really do suffer from a crisis of agency. The pressure to drink themselves senseless and then hook up is so pervasive that they seem to have trouble saying no.

She knows that this assessment looks suspiciously like victim blaming. But theres no evidence, she writes, that targeting male behaviors alone has worked in curbing sexual assault. If she were queen, shed call for mandatory self-defense classes for freshmen women. Call it sexual realpolitik. Theres an excess of masculine power in the world, Kipnis writes, and women have to be educated to contest it in real time, instead of waiting around for men to reach some new stage of heightened consciousness  just in case that day never comes.

Partially shifting the onus to women to protect themselves will surely earn Kipnis an inbox of hate mail. It will come without trigger warnings. But after all shes been through, Im guessing she can handle it.
Dawn newspaper quoted the envoy as saying, But that does not indicate that Iran is satisfied with this decision or it has accepted the same, adding that he also said that Pakistan had contacted Tehran before issuing the no-objection certificate (NOC) to the retired general to head the Saudi-led alliance. He stated that Tehran had informed Islamabad that Iran would not become part of such a military alliance, and that Iran had not been extended an offer to join a coalition of this sort. rather [than] forming a controversial military alliance, he proposed that all important Islamic countries come together to form a coalition of peace in order to resolve their issues.

The newspaper reported that General Sharif, who last November retired as army chief, is likely to assume command this month of the anti-terrorism alliance, being dubbed the Muslim Nato.

Retired Major General Ijaz Awan, a defence analyst and close associate of the former army chief, said that the Pakistan government issued an NOC for Sharif to join the alliance after an understanding was reached between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on the matter.

The report said that General Sharifs appointment as the leader of the military alliance sparked debate over how the move will impact Pakistans foreign policy, and whether it was fully sanctioned by parliament.

Without first getting its consent, Pakistan found itself in the midst of Middle Eastern politics, as Saudi Arabia named it as part of its newly formed military alliance of Muslim countries meant to combat terrorism. After its initial ambiguity, Islamabad confirmed its participation in the alliance, but had said that the scope of its participation would be defined after Riyadh shared the details of the assembled coalition.

Raheels appointment was criticised by some Pakistani politicians, retired army officers, journalists, and intellectuals, who question an ex-army chief joining a foreign military alliance after his retirement.

The coalition was conceived as a platform for security cooperation, which would provide training, equipment, troops, and involvement of religious scholars for dealing with extremism.

The report stated that many countries were surprised by the Saudi governments announcement that it had forged a coalition for coordinating and supporting military operations against terrorism in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan,

Iran was absent from the states named as participants, it added.
THE LOTTERYS PLUS ONE

By Emma Donoghue

Illustrated by Caroline Hadilaksono

303 pp. Scholastic/ Arthur A. Levine Books. $17.99.

(Middle grade; ages 8 to 12 )

O Canada, must you be so wonderful? While our government is busy breaking up immigrant families and banishing innocent trans kids from school bathrooms, along comes this postcard from a progressive Eden to the north. So sorry, guys! Wish you were here!

To be fair, even in Toronto the family at the center of Emma Donoghues The Lotterys Plus One is exceptional. Once upon a time, reads the prologue to Donoghues delightful new middle-grade novel, a man from Delhi and a man from Yukon fell in love, and so did a woman from Jamaica and a Mohawk woman. As if in a modern-day fairy tale, the four friends win the lottery, and go on to co-parent seven children in a rambling old mansion known as Camelottery.

To call this family diverse is an understatement bordering on euphemism. All named after trees, the Lottery kids are a multicultural, multicolored crew, each with a distinct set of issues. There is, for example, Aspen, a 10-year-old with an attention disorder; Oak, a baby with developmental challenges; and Brian, nee Briar, a trans (so far) 4-year-old. To say nothing of the frightening pet rat, the introverted cat, the three-legged dog or the rescue parrot.
1. President Trump shifted to a tougher stance on Syria and its president. He called the chemical weapons attack on Tuesday an affront to humanity during a press conference with King Abdullah of Jordan at the White House.

The death toll is believed to be over 100.

At the United Nations, Ambassador Nikki Haley blamed Russia for blocking a Security Council response and warned that the U.S. might take unilateral action.
Maryland had been just four days away from clinching some $900 million in federal aid in August when a federal judge ruled to temporarily invalidate environmental approvals for the project. But under President Trumps plan, projects that dont yet have complete federal funding agreements would be financed by the localities that use and benefit from these localized projects.

Supporters of the project are devastated.

It was on the one-yard line, said Art Guzzetti, vice president for policy at the American Public Transportation Association, a Washington-based advocacy group. The proposed budget cuts were inconsistent with the administrations overall focus on infrastructure investment, he said.

Wed been so encouraged by all the talk of investing in infrastructure, Mr. Guzzetti said. But the budget has been discouraging.

Elaine Chao, the transportation secretary, has sought to quell concerns. Mr. Trump remains committed to his infrastructure initiative, which he intended to announce later this year, she said last week at an event marking the Transportation Departments 50th anniversary.

The president has consistently emphasized that one of his top priorities is modernizing our countrys outdated infrastructure, she said. The proposal will cover more than transportation infrastructure. It will include energy, water and potentially broadband and veterans hospitals, as well.
Tom Sheridan opened his lobbying firm in 1991 with the motto Helping the good do better, and these days he could use all the help he can get.

As a left-leaning lobbyist for the nonprofit sector, his job is getting the voices of groups like the American Cancer Society, Save the Children Action Network and the ONE Campaign (which fights poverty and disease) heard in Washington. Over the years he has gotten support from both political parties for a variety of causes with the help of celebrities like the Irish rock star Bono and the actresses Elizabeth Taylor and Jennifer Garner.

When administrations change, there is a normal ebb and flow of political appointees and an inevitable shift in focus for power brokers. Everyone adjusts to a new normal, identifies where opportunities are and finds point-people in the White House and on Capitol Hill who can advance their agendas.

But everything changed in January, with the new administration determined to slash budgets and minimizing priorities for anything not related to the military and Homeland Security.
WASHINGTON  When Congress voted to overturn internet privacy rules last month, the swift action by Republican lawmakers sent a clear message: They were just getting started.

The next target is net neutrality, which is the guarantee that all internet content is equally accessible. That could be followed by cuts in broadband subsidies for low-income households and a relaxation in rules preventing media consolidation in local markets.

Republican regulators and lawmakers have been waiting for this moment. Coordinating across the government, they are putting several telecommunications and technology policies created during the Obama administration on the chopping block. Already, Ajit Pai, the Republican chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, who was appointed to the agency by President Barack Obama and named to lead it by President Trump, has begun chipping away at the low-income broadband subsidy and net neutrality rules created by his Democratic predecessor.

There was a good bit of overreach by the past F.C.C. that caused a lot of confusion, said Representative Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, who was vice chairwoman for President Trumps transition. We are going to have technology and telecommunications policy that is light touch.
FRANKFURT  When Angela Merkel, Germanys chancellor, met with President Trump in Washington, she brought three executives with her, all heads of German manufacturing or engineering giants. Their message? Germany is not a threat to the United States.

For decades, the United States has been a kind of second home to German carmakers, a place not only to sell vehicles but also to build them. German manufacturers employ thousands at plants across the United States, and produce finished products like cars, as well as parts and machinery, within the country for sale domestically or export abroad.

But that the point  made during a session that included the chief executives of BMW, the carmaker; Siemens, the electronics and engineering company; and Schaeffler, a major supplier of parts for automotive engines, transmissions and chassis  needed to be made at all underlines growing concern in Berlin over hostility directed at German industry by the Trump administration.

Peter Navarro, an economic adviser to Mr. Trump, has accused Germany of being a currency manipulator, even though German politicians and economists are among the staunchest critics of European Central Bank policies that have encouraged a weak euro. And the American president himself wondered aloud to a German newspaper in January why Americans buy lots of Mercedes cars while Germans hardly buy any Chevrolets.
Investment analysts have speculated for years that Mr. Shaich, 63, has been looking for a way to reduce his role at the company after spending more than two decades building it up from a tiny 400-square foot cookie store in Boston.

Mr. Shaich, however, said that he planned to continue to lead Panera. Nothing will change, he said. The management team and I will remain.

With the acquisition of Panera, JAB will have spent more than $40 billion in what appears to be a big bet that it can muscle in on a market dominated by Starbucks and Nestle.

Starbucks has just undergone a major management change, with its longtime chief executive, Howard Schultz, stepping aside to focus on developing its emerging high-end coffee business. Kevin Johnson, the new chief executive, served on the Starbucks board but made his career in technology.

In many ways, Mr. Schultz was the personification of the company, and under his leadership, Starbucks routinely posted record earnings and stellar growth, but it has run into some glitches recently. Investment analysts were spooked after the company reported first-quarter earnings in January that reflected slower sales in its vast fleet of American stores and problems with its mobile order system, which apparently could not keep up with demand.

One quarter does not, of course, a history make, and JAB also faces challenges.

It takes on Panera at a time when it has two large turnarounds on its hands, Krispy Kreme and Keurig Green Mountain. The doughnut chain was a phenomenon several years ago, then fell on hard times and has never fully recovered.

Keurig, which dominates the single-serve coffee market, has struggled as competition cut into its profitability. Then it made a big bet that fell flat on a single-serve machine to make cold drinks, and JAB stepped in.
It is puzzling. At some point the gap between what he says and what he does should come through. I think he does risk a backlash. It doesnt happen right away. Wall Street had a major push on so that the overseas derivatives activities of American banks would not be regulated by our people, but by overseas regulators. And then came the London Whale, and the whale sunk that idea like Moby Dick sinking the Pequod.

Is there one part of Dodd-Frank that if rolled back, it could be very damaging to the country?

The biggest single thing is the regulation of derivatives, which had been unregulated. I cant believe they would want to go back to that. That is where things pile up  where the leverage is. That was A.I.G. It was a major change that we made, bringing more transparency.

By taking steps to roll back Dodd-Frank, it suggests that President Trump believes this will be a politically popular move. Do you think most Americans know what the law actually does?

No. With regard to public opinion about the financial reform bill, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts in terms of what the public thinks. Part of the issue is that while we were doing that bill, most of the interest in terms of public opinion was on health care.

Was there anything that the Obama administration could have done to communicate the importance of the Dodd-Frank law?

Yeah, I would have talked about it more. First of all, I would have put health care off and talked more about the specifics of the bill.

Do you think most Americans understand the role and impact of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau?
Mr. Jackson did not agree to an interview for this article, but his predecessor did.

Its a very difficult job, and it will be even more difficult, I think, to try to reverse course in certain instances, said Matt Fritz, who served as the agencys chief of staff from 2015 through January, when Democrats were in charge. You are asking the same staff who defended a rule or an approach to reverse back.

That work has already begun. Mr. Trump has directed Mr. Pruitt and his team to begin dismantling two signature Obama-era regulations: one that aimed to increase federal authority over wetlands, rivers and streams, and another aimed at curbing planet-warming pollution from coal-fired power plants. Mr. Pruitt has also begun efforts to neuter rules requiring higher fuel economy standards for cars.

Mr. Jackson was educated in Oklahoma, where he earned a law degree. Before joining Mr. Inhofes staff, he was an assistant district attorney and then counsel to the Senates Committee on the Environment and Public Works, of which Mr. Inhofe is a member.

With that background, Mr. Jackson has long been enmeshed in a policy area he will now seek to remake. He has known Mr. Pruitt for more than a decade and helped prepare him for his Senate confirmation hearing this year.

Mr. Inhofe said that he expected that Mr. Jackson, a Washington veteran, would do the same to help smooth the way for Mr. Pruitts chosen deputies.

Hes going to definitely be the one who is going to explain the ways of Washington and how to get things done and how to make these conversions, Mr. Inhofe said.
An inappropriate touch. An insulting dismissal. A sexual ultimatum. A suggestion that a job is not fit for a woman.

Droves of women have shared their own experiences with workplace sexual harassment on social media this week, spurred by claims against Bill OReilly, the Fox News host. The revelation that five women received settlements totaling $13 million after accusing him of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior has prompted more than 20 companies to pull advertising from his show, while others have called for his dismissal.

The outpouring came six months after thousands of women posted accounts of being groped or assaulted in the wake of Donald J. Trumps boasts on tape that he had forced himself on women. In each case, social media offered an outlet for women who said they had either been too afraid or too ashamed to describe their experiences publicly, or to report them in their workplaces for fear of retaliation.

As reports circulated about the OReilly case, a hashtag, #droporeilly, was born, and it soon morphed into a meeting place for women to describe the professional mistreatment they said they had endured.
The U.S. companies who were targeted do not do business in Iran.

Additionally, a senior Iranian lawmaker stated that Iran is now considering a bill calling the U.S. military and the CIA terrorist groups in reaction to the U.S. Congresss bill to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). The White Houses review of that possibility has rattled Tehran, as it would have far-reaching consequences for the IRGC, who control a large portion of Irans entire economy.

Evidently, these are Tehrans latest reactions to the new U.S. administrations tougher rhetoric. The former American administration followed a policy of appeasement, giving Tehran many concessions. However, that policy has ended.

According to an article by Ali Safavi, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, In 2005, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei executed an elaborate and comprehensive plan to strengthen the IRGC. In May of that year, Khamenei issued a directive instructing the government to transfer 80 percent of its holdings to non-governmental public, private and cooperative sectors  a.k.a. Khamenei and IRGC affiliates  by 2009. A month later, he engineered the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

He continues, Ahmadinejad came out of nowhere to occupy the presidential palace. A day before the election, official opinion polls had pegged his support at 1.7 percent. The poll favorite, with 28-percent support (a 17-fold superiority over Ahmadinejad), was the former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and adds, True to form, Ahmadinejad quickly stacked ministries with veterans of the IRGC. Half of his cabinet members were IRGC members. A year earlier, IRGC veterans had won the majority of seats in parliament. Shortly after Ahmadinejads win, the IRGC announced an internal restructuring push to reflect its expanding roles and responsibilities on the political playing field.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran, published a new book entitled, The Rise of Irans Revolutionary Guards Financial Empire. In it, they divulge how the state-owned assets were transferred to the IRGC, including large mines, primary industries, foreign commerce, banks, insurance, power industries, post, roads, railroads, airlines and shipping companies.

It is estimated that $12 billion worth of assets were transferred to Khamenei and the IRGC between 2005 through 2008, who now own 14 major powerhouses that run the economy, according to the NCRI, including a conglomerate known as Setad; the foundations (or bonyads) like the Mostazafan, Astan-e Qods, and Shahid foundations; the IRGC Cooperatives; major business empires like the Khatam Construction Co. and Ghadir Investments; as well as cooperatives controlled by the security forces.

The NCRI reports that Tehran spends between $15-20 billion annually to fund the war in Syria, including some $1 billion in salaries. Addiionally, at least $1 billion is provided annually to the Lebanese Hezbollah. Yemen and Iraq are supported by the IRGC and Khamenei, according to the report.

Western business ventures and governments should be warned that doing business with Iran is doing business with the IRGC.

According to Safavi, The new administration should designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity. The possibility alone has inspired Irans resort to pathetic countermeasures. However comical, they are harmless. And thats a step in the right direction.
Bill OReilly, the embattled Fox News host, received a powerful show of support on Wednesday from a longtime friend, interview subject, ideological sympathizer and fellow scandal-survivor: the president of the United States.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Donald J. Trump praised Mr. OReilly as a good person and declared, I dont think Bill did anything wrong, days after The New York Times reported that five women had received settlements after making harassment claims against him.

News of the payouts, totaling about $13 million, generated a storm of criticism toward Fox News, which recently renewed Mr. OReillys contract, and prompted more than two dozen advertisers to withdraw their support of Mr. OReillys prime time show, the highest-rated program in cable news.

Few have spoken out publicly in support of the Fox star. The president had no qualms.

Personally, I think he shouldnt have settled, Mr. Trump told Times reporters in a wide-ranging interview. Because you should have taken it all the way; I dont think Bill did anything wrong.
It used to be that mass-market toys were the purview of the Mattels and Fisher-Prices of the world. But new financing avenues, like crowdfunding, have made it easier for entrepreneurs to get into the market.

Cubettos creator, Primo Toys, developed its first prototype for testing in 2013. The next year, the company took the prototype to the Emerge Education incubator, which helps entrepreneurs learn about the educational toys market. In 2015, Cubetto went to the Highway1 incubator, which focuses on hardware development and production, and last year the company raised $1.6 million in a Kickstarter campaign.

Filippo Yacob, the founder of Primo Toys, was hoping to market to toy buyers and retailers when he attended the Toy Industry Associations New York Toy Fair in February. Mr. Yacob said he was inspired by classic building blocks to have children teach themselves coding fundamentals.

This block-based programming language looks and feels like a toy but is in fact a procedural programming language, he said.

He officially started his company on Nov. 20, 2013  the same day his son was born.

When I found out that I was going to be a dad, I started thinking about the things I wanted my son to learn, he said. One of those things was coding, a skill set that Mr. Yacob says he believes is now as critical as reading or math.
But the top ranking is a gift that keeps on giving. It can make the name of the restaurant a household word. Reservations become coveted and scarce, and the chefs and restaurateurs bask in years of glory, even when the award passes to other establishments.

It feeds on itself, the New York restaurateur Drew Nieporent said. Its an important marketing tool for a restaurant, and it has popularized countries like Spain and Denmark that never got as much notice.

Eric Ripert, the chef and an owner of Le Bernardin, said, I like the idea of being on the list. He was in Melbourne, where he said there are chefs and journalists all over the place. His restaurant has risen as high as 15th; it was 24th last year and is now 17th. It creates awareness worldwide about Le Bernardin; you get tremendous global attention.

This years list has some surprises. Two restaurants in Lima, Peru  Central and Maido  made the top 10. Blue Hill at Stone Barns leapt to No. 11 from No. 48 last year, winning an award for highest climber.

But that ascent was not as striking as that of Cosme, which was No. 96 last year. (The 50 Best awards include a second list, of restaurants ranked 51 through 100.) Cosme is now No. 40, recognizing not only Enrique Olvera, its chef and founder, but also Daniela Soto-Innes, the chef de cuisine and a rare female chef on the list.

There can also be deep disappointments. The French Laundry, Thomas Kellers flagship restaurant in Yountville, Calif., which reigned as No. 1 in 2003 and 2004, fell to No. 68 this year, still an improvement over last years plummet to 85. Once a restaurant is on the list, its likely to remain. Of the 100, there were only nine new ones this year.

Estela, the small but esteemed New York restaurant owned by Thomas Carter and the chef Ignacio Mattos, fell this year to No. 66 from 44 last year. But Mr. Carter said merely being on the list was enough. It was mind-blowing to be recognized on the global stage last year, he said.
For the first 14 years, though, the list and awards  an offshoot of Restaurant magazine, based in London, and William Reed Business Media  held the ceremony in London. But given the lists international scope, it made sense to branch out. The Worlds 50 Best is now on what the organizers call a global tour that started last year with awards ceremonies in New York.

To be perfectly honest, we were trying to be easy on ourselves that first year, said William Drew, the editor of the list and of Restaurant magazine. New York is not the hardest place to get to from London, and it has all the obvious benefits of being a world food capital. From there we were thinking, Where next?

Much like the Olympics, the global tour has prompted cities to vie for consideration as host locations, in the hope that the awards will bring visibility, recognition and, in time, tourism dollars. Australia had indicated quite some time ago that they would be interested in having us, Mr. Drew said. It was an ongoing conversation with Tourism Australia.

Last year, Tim Brooke-Webb, the lists managing director, took two trips to Australia  one to Melbourne and one to Sydney  to scout possible locations for the awards. Tourism Australia paid for his flights and accommodations.

As you can imagine, they set foot in Melbourne and we turned it on, said Melanie de Souza, the director of international marketing for Visit Victoria. It was not going to be a choice for them as far as we were concerned.

This meant wining and dining them in Melbournes best restaurants and discussing what the city could offer as a destination for the awards, said John OSullivan, the managing director of Tourism Australia.
In summer 2014, a German astronaut on the International Space Station posted an image to his Twitter account with the caption, My saddest photo yet. It showed the lights of the Gaza Strip from above; what the astronaut saw but the static shot did not capture were rockets flying over the strip amid the regions 50-day war between Israel and Palestine.

Back on earth, at least one person was instantly captivated.

I was immediately like, download, print, said Celine Semaan, a Lebanese designer and the founder of Slow Factory, a Brooklyn fashion company that began in 2012 with the goal of creating and selling products that raise awareness around issues such as the plight of refugees or the threat of global warming. Eventually, Ms. Semaan printed the image onto silk scarves for a collection called Cities by Night.

The current political climate has provided ample fodder for her creative challenges.

This spring, Ms. Semaan, who arrived in Canada with her parents in the late 1980s as a refugee herself, will add scarves with images of cities in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen  the seven countries President Trump named in his original immigration ban in January  to the series. They follow a more earthly item: a simple, elegant brass necklace with a key charm dipped in white gold, made by Armenian artisans in Lebanon, symbolizing the homes that refugees leave behind.
So last month when Unicef offered to bring a team from The New York Times to witness a former child soldiers reunion with his mother in South Sudan  where more than 10,000 children have been conscripted by government and rebel forces  it seemed like an ideal opportunity to learn more, from someone with firsthand experience, about how the recruitment worked, who was leading it, where the guns were coming from and why this conflict has been so brutal.

South Sudan has been torn apart by a civil conflict for the past three years, which has proved deadly even to those trying to help. In March, six aid workers were killed along a South Sudanese highway.

When you visit a war zone, every move needs to be meticulously planned. You cant just go barreling down a road. And its not as if at the end of the day theres a reservation waiting for you at the Marriott. Whos picking you up from the airstrip? What kind of camp will you stay in? Do you need to bring your own food? What about water? Are the roads passable, or are they washed out because of the rain? Are the cars armored?
Lance encourages students to look anywhere, including using the classroom as a potential text. He points out that a student once used titles of files on his computer for a found poem! Ive had students use schoolwide email messages. During this play phase of the lesson, we encourage students to consider the idea of the twist or the tension between the found poem and its source (I find that sophomores love this idea).

We talk about borrowing words from a text and creating something that disagrees with or contradicts the text. A student complaining about how boring his chemistry book was decided to steal words from it and create a product that was exciting, magical, thrilling. Several students chose words from political candidates websites to try to extract text that they could rearrange to express an opponents viewpoint. One used words from Microsofts website to write an ad for Apple.

We also do, per the suggestion from the Learning Network site, blackout poems: One of our winners, Breanna Price (Black Magic), said that looking at other examples of found poetry in class and trying blackout poetry gave me a lot of inspiration for my own found poem. Here is Breannas poem, with links to the articles she used.

_________

Three activity ideas for found poems:

A. Skyes Stereoscope

During a daily journal session in which I had handed every student a picture torn from a magazine to use as inspiration, one student had the brilliant idea to toggle back and forth between the images on each side of the magazine page, writing one sentence or phrase at a time for each picture and assembling them into a poem made up of lines drawn alternatingly from reverse images.

This idea belongs to sophomore Skye Richmond, and I am totally going to try it with another group during the found poem unit, perhaps with some modification. I think of this as the Skyes Stereoscope exercise, because it reminds me of those old stereoscopes, or even View-Masters, in which multiple images merge to form a 3D image.

B. BananaPoems

I have a group of kids who come to my room at lunchtime on Fridays to play board games, and a favorite of ours is Bananagrams. It occurred to me that an activity I plan to do this month to introduce or practice found poems is as follows:

 I will place on the work surface many snippets of language  words, phrases, etc., on small pieces of paper  including and, the, of, etc.

 Students will be instructed to take a set number of snippets  say, 15  and begin making a poem.

 From there, it follows the rules of Bananagrams (i.e., a person who gets it all to work says peel and everyone takes a new snippet to integrate; a player can dump a snippet in exchange for three more, etc.).

 At the end, we will read and appreciate one anothers poems and/or offer suggestions to one another.

C. Visible Listening

This is an activity that I have done with students in our short story unit, but that I think prepares us well for poetry in general and found poems in particular.
Since late last month, airlines and travelers flying to the United States and Britain from several airports in Muslim-majority nations have been adjusting to bans on certain electronic devices in airplane cabins. Intelligence and counterterrorism officials have said the bans are reactions to new capabilities for attacks, including bombs hidden within consumer electronics.

Publicly available information about reasons behind the bans has been limited. It has varied in news reports from specific descriptions (bomb makers are hiding explosives in laptop batteries) to vague warnings of weapons that are harder for security screeners to spot (the development of nonmetallic bombs that can evade metal detectors). It has not been possible to determine from these reports how credible or well founded the threats actually are, although on the surface, some of the descriptions thus far have not made clear sense.

One example: claims that the bans might be related to terrorists using nonmetallic bombs. Portable electronic devices are not typically examined with metal detectors; they are subject to X-ray imagery, and sometimes to explosive-residue detection, or to manual inspection. Implanting them with bombs containing no metal, then, would be a case of trying to slip past a security measure that does not necessarily apply.

Last week, however, CNN reported that terrorists have obtained sophisticated airport security equipment to test how to effectively conceal explosives in laptops and other electronic devices. This is an interesting possibility. If a terrorist R.&D. cell has acquired the same scanning equipment found in airports and is using it to develop bombs that can pass through checkpoints, it could lead to a significant advance.
Mick Rock is a great name for a young Englishman with a camera, especially one who photographed Syd Barrett and David Bowie in the late 1960s and early 70s. The subject of this documentary notes more than once that his name, which is his real one, practically determined the course of his life and career.

Image A Mick Rock photograph of Debbie Harry from the 1970s. Credit... Magnolia Pictures

So its a little mystifying that this films title, SHOT! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock, dances around the name. But theres a lot about this intermittently engaging movie thats mystifying. Mr. Rock and his camera captured a statistically improbable number of genuinely emblematic images of late-20th-century pop culture luminaries: Bowie, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Debbie Harry. For all that, the movies approach is gratuitously grandiose. Mr. Rock himself seems to fall in line with it early on, making pronouncements like The lysergic experience opened up my third eye, you might say. To echo Reeds sentiment from early in this movie: Oh, spare me.

Mr. Rocks story is, in many respects, typical; he falls prey to excesses in the 80s and 90s, and suffers a health catastrophe in 1997. Quadruple-bypass surgery is no picnic, but the director Barnaby Clays treatment of the event (which includes having the present-day Mr. Rock verbally extemporize on a soundstage while an actor lies on a hospital bed, playing Mr. Rocks younger self) suggests that Mr. Rock is the only person ever to undergo the procedure.
The title character in Truman is a dog, but this films director, Cesc Gay, does not excessively exploit him for cheap sentiment. Given the films story  about Julian (Ricardo Darin), an actor dying of cancer in Madrid, and Tomas, an old friend (Javier Camara) who visits him for four days  it must have been tempting.

This well-made, low-key drama, written by Mr. Gay and Tomas Aragay, offers some insights into terminal illness. Julian, a hacking, aging voluptuary, chastises a couple he knows for avoiding him in public because of their inability to face his illness. And he apologizes to a longtime acquaintance, whose wife he once seduced, for causing his divorce. Certainly, Julian, played with grizzled authority by Mr. Darin, is no saint: Visiting his son, Nico (Oriol Pla), who attends college in Amsterdam, he tries to hide the extent of his condition, only to learn afterward that his ex-wife had already informed Nico of it.

The through line here is Julians attempt to find a home for Truman, his beloved bull mastiff. Again, mawkishness is largely sidestepped. But Truman has a different flaw: its insistence on excusing tired standards of machismo, however understated. The friend victimized by Julians affair with his wife? He is happily remarried to a much younger woman, now pregnant. The quietly supportive Tomas can express his grief over Julians coming demise only while in bed with Julians cousin, Paula (Dolores Fonzi), after making love  that is, by cheating on his own wife. There is sensitivity in Truman, but only so much.
Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain.

Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred.

For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here.
Bryant Park, a six-acre oasis set among Manhattan skyscrapers, packs in the crowds with its winter ice rink and holiday shops, summer movie nights, smorgasbord of artisanal fare and rustic lunch tables and chairs under stately London plane trees.

Yet it is a 315-square-foot Beaux-Arts gem that draws the longest lines: the bathroom.

If there is a Tiffanys of public restrooms, this is it. Divided into mens and womens sides, it has self-flushing toilets lined with sanitary seat covers that rotate between uses, fresh bouquets of flowers, classical music and two attendants at all times who mop and shine until everything gleams.

But even that isnt good enough: For those who have to go, it is about to get a whole lot nicer.

When the bathroom reopens this month after a $280,000 makeover, it will have sleek Toto toilets and fixtures, wall tiles in warm, earthy shades to reflect the trees outside and a modern air-conditioning system for the dog days of summer. The attendants, fresh flowers and seat covers will all return. And for the first time, original artwork depicting Bryant Park will be displayed, selected from the parks collection of 225 works by painters-in-residence.
The title and cover photograph of Jules Stewarts Gotham Rising: New York in the 1930s (I. B. Tauris, $29) is just what you would expect from a journalist and historian raised on comic book superheroes.

In 1940, Bill Finger, a creator of the Batman comic strip, was inspired by a phone book listing for Gotham Jewelers to adopt Gotham as a nickname for New York. (About 150 years earlier, Washington Irving had also referred to the city as Gotham, in a homage to the proverbial English medieval village whose residents feigned madness to avoid paying fees or taxes to King John.)

The books cover depicts an anonymous capped crusader: a carpenter waving triumphantly from the steel skeleton of the Empire State Building, rising from the heart of Manhattan in 1930 to defy the Depression.

This was the decade that defined the skyline, that delivered New York personalities like Barbara Hutton, Fiorello H. La Guardia, Eugene ONeill and Walter Winchell to global audiences, and that experienced intellectual foment in the Harlem Renaissance and an infusion of refugees from Nazi persecution.
He pulled campaign materials from a paper shopping bag, sought advice on which of two hats to wear in front of waiting reporters  before going with the fedora  and had to interrupt a news conference introducing his bid to be New York Citys next mayor.

A cellphone, coming from his trouser pocket, was blaring pop music.

How many 73-year-old people have the Weeknd on their phone? said Robert Gangi, a police reform advocate whose nascent mayoral campaign officially began on Wednesday. Were obviously a long-shot.

In a field increasingly crowded with quixotic candidates, Mr. Gangi, a born-and-bred New Yorker from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, who said he celebrates the citys bustle and cacophony, faces almost insurmountable odds in trying to wrest the Democratic nomination from the incumbent, Bill de Blasio.
To the Editor:

Re No Reader Should Have to See This, by David W. Dunlap (Inside The Times, March 27):

Many years ago I was done in by cq, the newspaper abbreviation that a reporter uses to assure an editor that although a word might seem to be misspelled or misused, it really isnt.

I wrote a story for The Los Angeles Times that referred to Pierre Bellocq, the cartoonist for The Daily Racing Form. The editor, thinking I was cq-ing something, dutifully deleted the cq. Hence, Pierres last name came out incorrectly as Bello.

There would have been only one defense: I should have cqd the cq.

BILL CHRISTINE

REDONDO BEACH, CALIF.
Instead, the Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police has called for community policing, in which officers are on patrol in neighborhoods they know and are invested in, and are trained in tactics that build trust and fight crime  precisely the model the Justice Department promotes in those consent decrees under Mr. Sessionss scrutiny.

Mr. Sessionss order wrongly suggests that the Justice Department reform agreements conflict with his goal of supporting officers. The reform agreements address the very officer-support issues his review identifies, like the need to improve access to technology and equipment, increase training, promote officer wellness and improve recruitment practices.

In fact, one of the first steps in every investigation by the Justice Department has been to reach out to individual police officers at all levels of rank and authority, as well as police labor organizations. Many of the Justice Departments findings are based on issues that officers and unions themselves identify. In Baltimore, for example, we interviewed command staff and rank-and-file officers. We engaged with police unions and reviewed the information they provided us. Indeed, some of our findings echoed a 2012 report issued by the Baltimore fraternal order that identified the need for sustainable reform.

Mr. Sessions also suggests that the reform agreements are prompted solely by the misconduct of a few individual bad actors. But before a consent decree can happen, a court must find a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing. That standard goes far beyond the isolated acts of a few bad apples. The departments findings in Baltimore and Chicago were based on a review of hundreds of interviews and tens of thousands of pages of documents that detailed departmental policies.

In finding a pattern of excessive force in Chicago, for example, we determined that police shot or tasered people who presented no immediate threat at extraordinarily high rates. In addition, Chicagos police department failed to provide sufficient police guidance and training, to collect and analyze data on officers activities, to hold officers accountable for misconduct and to offer the resources and equipment necessary to support constitutional policing. These problems were clearly systemic, as Chicagos communities of color have long known.

Our reports gave voice to African-American, Latino, L.G.B.T. and other marginalized communities who bear the brunt of such unlawful policing and have long advocated reforms. It would be an abdication of the Justice Departments congressionally mandated responsibilities to ignore these problems.

If Mr. Sessionss review is conducted in good faith, it will vindicate the Justice Departments existing police work and demonstrate the continuing value of consent decrees. It will show that the departments civil rights division uses its authority wisely, in only a small fraction of the nations more than 16,000 law enforcement agencies. It engages fairly with law enforcement, as well as individuals, community leaders and elected representatives. It makes findings where the law and the facts demand it. It negotiates agreements in good faith with local leaders, adhering to principles of local control and resource limitations without compromising its statutory responsibility to enforce federal civil rights laws. It closes cases when needed.

Justice Department career staff members understand the difficulties faced by police officers in Baltimore and across the country. They know that every day, officers risk their lives to uphold the law and keep communities safe. They are keenly aware of the challenges of policing in cities grappling with complex social and economic challenges rooted in poverty, racial segregation and inadequate educational, employment and housing opportunities. The factors the attorney general wants the Justice Department to consider in his review have already been accounted for. Mr. Sessions should let the people in his department working on police reform keep doing their jobs.
To the Editor:

Re When Dr. King Came Out Against Vietnam, by David J. Garrow (Vietnam 67 series, Op-Ed, April 4):

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s 1967 speech was indeed a landmark, but he was more than privately distraught or relatively mute in the preceding years.

In his commencement address at Antioch College in June 1965, for example, he challenged graduates to work to bring an end to war and bloodshed. He continued: It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence. It is either nonviolence or nonexistence.

He said the war in Vietnam must be stopped, and he called for demonstrations and nonviolent protest to keep this issue before the conscience of our nation.

These words were spoken at a time when the large-scale deployment of United States troops to Vietnam had only just begun. Dr. Kings prescient analysis of the Vietnam conflict was of a piece with his nonviolent leadership role in the civil rights movement.
To the Editor:

Re Chemical Attack on Syrians Ignites Worlds Outrage (front page, April 5):

The Obama administration responded to the 2013 use of chemical weapons weakly at first, only later ramping up its support of human rights even after the famous red line had been crossed. President Barack Obama learned that empty threats are ineffective, and that it is better to speak softly but carry a big stick, as reflected in the final years of his administration.

President Trump should learn from Mr. Obama and act on the blatant violation of human rights and international law immediately. If not, President Bashar al-Assad of Syria will continue to see signs of weakness and respond only by continued, if not increased, use of chemical weapons.

Furthermore, inaction would signal to President Vladimir Putin that the United States is unwilling to stand up for human rights or even the validity of international law, as he probably already suspects. This will inevitably lead to greater Russian influence and mischief in Syria and the Middle East. Appeasement is not the answer.

The United States must maintain its global influence and cannot turn a blind eye to the immorality of chemical weapon use. Our response must demonstrate commitment to moral authority, universal human rights and a vigorous defense of liberal democratic values.
Getting tough with China is a central part of Donald Trumps plan to make America great again. During the election campaign, he claimed that China was raping American industry. Since the election, he and senior aides have denounced Chinese policies over trade, North Korea and the South China Sea.

These facts alone would make President Trumps summit meeting this week with Chinas president, Xi Jinping, very difficult. It is not that confrontation with China should be feared for its own sake. The real danger is that Mr. Trumps China policies are likely to be counterproductive, damaging Americas prosperity and endangering its security, while hastening the rise of China.

Mr. Trumps erratic approach to security issues scares American allies, making them less likely to stand with the United States if it confronts China over North Korea or the South China Sea. At the same time, the presidents protectionism, demonstrated by his decision to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, will reduce Americas economic role in Asia. As a result, Americas traditional partners in the region will increasingly be tempted to look to Beijing, rather than Washington, for a lead.

The underlying problem is that a tough-guy approach to Asia belongs to a bygone age when Americas economic and strategic dominance was unquestioned. The rise of China has changed the balance of power in the region. The United States needs the help of allies and trading partners to manage a more assertive China  the very allies Mr. Trumps policies threaten to alienate.
These patterns have echoes in our own imperial  er, presidential politics. The coalition that Barack Obama built across two presidential elections united minority constituencies with the upper-class intelligentsia and promised to champion their diverse interests against the remains of the countrys white Christian heartland core. The Trump reaction was more Erdoganian or Putinesque, promising to protect a once-dominant majority, to restore its privileges and reverse its sense of cultural decline.

In Europe, meanwhile, the European Union often seems to be run for the benefit of Germans at the center and ethnic minorities at the periphery, favoring separatists and immigrants over old national majorities. The present populist surge is, in its turn, an attempt to establish a different dynamic between the Continents diverse factions, in which Germany has less power, more immigrants are turned away, and the old nations reassert themselves as centers of influence once more.

Neither continent is poised for a real slide into autocracy  I think! But on both, paradoxically, the cause of liberal order might be better served by leaders who took a slightly more imperial perspective  not in the sense of imposing policy at sword point, but in the sense of realizing that their societies are so diverse as to require a more disinterested kind of vision from their rulers.

Such a disinterested ruler  a good emperor, lets call him  would see a crucial part of his role as reassurance, recognizing that in a diverse, fragmented and distrustful landscape, any governing coalition is going to look dangerous to those who arent included in it. If he comes from a historically dominant group and speaks on their behalf, he needs to go out of his way to address the anxieties of minorities and newcomers. If hes building a coalition of minority groups, he needs to reassure the former majority that the country of the future still has a place for them. Whatever the basis of his power, he needs to be constantly attuned to the ways that diversity, difference and distrust can make political conflict seem far more existential than it should.

Our last two chief executives recognized that they needed to make efforts along these lines, but with exceptions  George W. Bush after Sept. 11, Obama in his 2008 campaign  they were not particularly successful. In Obamas case, his White House failed to grasp the feeling of abandonment and crisis in the white heartland, and the extent to which that feeling was creating a new identity-based voting bloc. He failed to grasp, too, how threatening the regulatory states enforcement of liberal sexual norms was to religious conservatives, how much it made them feel like strangers in their own country.

From that alienation and fear came Trump, who is barely even trying to reach out and reassure, to make his nationalism seem larger than just white identity politics, to make the groups who feel afraid of his administration sense that he has their anxieties in mind. There might be a form of nationalism that helps bind a diverse society together, but Trumps seems more likely to bind a real American ex-majority in opposition to every other race and faith and group.

His eventual successor, liberal or conservative, should not seek to learn from Assad or Erdogan or Putin. But he (or she) might learn something from an earlier ages custodians of diverse, fragmented societies  from monarchies like that of the Austrian Hapsburgs, in particular, that worked to contain and balance religious and ethnic divisions, to prevent disintegration and forestall totalitarianism, and might have succeeded longer absent the folly of 1914.

If were going to have an imperial presidency, we should want a president who thinks less like a party leader and more like a good emperor  who doesnt just divide and conquer, but who tries to make all his empires many peoples feel like theyre safe and recognized and home.
With each passing day our new president is discovering that every big problem he faces is like Obamacare  if there were a good, easy solution it would have been found already, and even the less good solutions are more than his own party is ready to pay for or the country is ready to tolerate.

But on Tuesday, tragically, Trump got this lesson in foreign policy via a truly vile poison-gas attack on Syrian civilians, many of them children, reportedly perpetrated by the pro-Russian, pro-Iranian, murderous regime of Bashar al-Assad.

President Trump came to office with the naive view that he could make fighting ISIS the centerpiece of his Middle East policy  and just drop more bombs and send more special forces than President Barack Obama did to prove his toughness. Trump also seemed to think that fighting ISIS would be a bridge to building a partnership with President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

It was naive because ISIS does not exist in a vacuum  nor is it the only bad actor in the region. ISIS was produced as a Sunni Muslim reaction to massive overreach by Iran in Iraq, where Iranian-backed Shiite militias and the Iraqi government forces of Nouri al-Maliki tried to crush all vestiges of Sunni power in that country and make it a vassal of Iran. (If you think ISIS is sick, Google the phrase power drills to the head and Shiite militias in Iraq and you will discover that ISIS did not invent depravity in that part of the world.)
I like to say that leadership is a choice. As our leaders in Washington confront tough decisions about our budget priorities, I urge them to continue federal funding for public broadcasting. Public broadcasting makes our nation smarter, stronger and, yes, safer. Its a small public investment that pays huge dividends for Americans. And it shouldnt be pitted against spending more on improving our military. Thats a false choice.

This might seem like an unlikely position for me, a 34-year combat veteran. But its a view that has been shaped by my career leading brave men and women who thrive and win when they are both strong and smart. My experience has taught me that education, trusted institutions and civil discourse are the lifeblood of a great nation.

Public broadcasting plays a special role with young children. According to the Pew Research Center, rising numbers of American children live with one parent or with two parents who both work.

My son and daughter-in-law are a two-income family with two children, and day care is a part of their lives. Many other parents must get by without day care services. These parents are busy in the morning and busy at night. They want to protect their children from over-commercialized content. And they strive to prepare their children for school and lifelong learning. Having thoughtful television, games and other media that is not commercially driven is essential to good parenting.
Security Council Resolution 2209 was passed on March 6, 2015, condemning the use of chlorine gas as a weapon. Ten days later, barrel bombs filled with chlorine were dropped on the towns of Sarmin and Qaminas in Idlib. One of the bombs hit the house of the Taleb family, who, unaware of the chemical agent, hid where they thought they would be safe: the basement. Chlorine, however, is heavier than air, making basements extremely dangerous in such an attack. All six members of the Taleb family, including three children under the age of 3, suffocated.

Between March 16 and June 9, 2015, my group documented 43 chlorine attacks in Idlib, with more than 717 Syrians affected by exposure and nine deaths from suffocation.

Parallel to the use of chemical weapons, attacks on hospitals increased in 2015 and 2016, necessitating new approaches to protect vulnerable patients and medical personnel. According to Physicians for Human Rights, 400 attacks on health care facilities in Syria have been documented since the beginning of the conflict.

Hospitals and clinics started moving certain units, like operating rooms and intensive care units, underground. This technique limited the direct damage from bombing, but made patients and doctors even more vulnerable to the effects of gas attacks.

Days after the chlorine attack on Dr. Darwishs hospital, several areas in Hama Province were hit by barrel bombs containing chlorine and other chemical agents similar to sarin gas based on the symptoms seen in patients: pinpoint pupils, convulsions, irritability, nausea, vomiting and shortness of breath.

Doctors in my group on the ground in Syria have been reviewing the symptoms of the affected patients and medical personnel from the recent attacks. We are worried that a new phosphorus chemical agent is being used in chemical weapons, in addition to the identifiable chlorine. Some of the patients have exhibited symptoms similar to the effects of a nerve gas: pinpoint pupils, foaming at the mouth and the loss of consciousness, slow heart rate, slow breathing, vomiting and muscles spasms.
It is an unprecedented time in a nations political history. A neophyte politician  a man famous for lowbrow TV antics who has never held political office  is vying to become president. He feeds on simmering discontent about the corruption of the political establishment and mainstream politicians. Backed by extreme right-wing elements, he makes vague promises and trumpets his lack of political experience as a reason to vote for him. His competition is a former first lady married to a left-leaning ex-president. She is an altogether polarizing figure considered by a large portion of the electorate to be deeply corrupt.

Surprising all the pundits, he rides a wave of populist anger to victory.

Sound familiar? Yes, but it is also the story of Guatemalas 2015 presidential election. The politician is a man named Jimmy Morales, a clownish talk-show comedian who ran on the ticket of an extreme right-wing political party called the National Convergence Front. His oft-repeated campaign slogan was Neither corrupt nor a thief.

Support for Mr. Morales, like that for Donald Trump, was based in part on voters frustration with a political establishment they hold responsible for a blatantly unfair status quo. But unlike Mr. Trump, Mr. Morales won a landslide victory against his opponent, Sandra Torres, getting nearly 70 percent of the runoff vote.

At first glance, the uncanny parallels between President Moraless and President Trumps victories may seem mere coincidence. In many ways, the two nations could not be more distinct. Guatemala has long been one of the Western Hemispheres most unequal societies, and for generations the American dream has lured hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans seeking to escape poverty and insecurity.
Yevgeny Yevtushenko, who died on Saturday at age 83, lived for the big stage. He personified the cultural thaw of the Soviet Sixties, shouting the short, rhythmic lines of his poems in packed, ecstatic stadiums. He projected himself as a man of the people, a Siberian who spoke the truth and battled taboos. He wore outrageous suits and outrageous ties and had unbounded energy. Nobody, as he quipped at a gala for his 60th birthday, ever accused him of excessive modesty.

Boring he was not. I vividly remember one visit to Mr. Yevtushenkos large, wooden dacha in Peredelkino, a forested writers compound outside Moscow where he has asked to be buried, to talk about his autobiographical film, Kindergarten. He began by making me eat an apple fermented in honey  a gift from Siberia, he declared, slurping one down himself. It was fizzy, mushy and sticky, not something Id consume by choice, but Mr. Yevtushenko proclaimed it an elemental Russian experience, akin to leaping through a hole in Siberian ice.

If his film had a flaw, he declared with characteristic bravado, it was that he had wanted to say too much. In poetry and literature, I am among those people who believe that too much is indispensable. I, for example, do not like poems that resemble hay compressed into a geometrically perfect cube. I like it when the hay, unkempt, uncombed, with dry berries mixed in it, thrown together gaily and freely, bounces along atop some truck.

A quick shift of imagery: I write poetry, prose, and everything I do, I do on the principle of Russian borscht. You can throw everything into it  beets, carrots, cabbage, onions, everything you want. Whats important is the result, the taste of the borscht.
Its easy to become a radio listener. You switch it on and turn the dial until you find something interesting. Done.

Podcast listening can be harder to crack. There are so many shows! How do you find the ones youll like? And once youve found a show, where do you start: with the most recent episode? At the beginning? Some specific gem of an episode buried deep in the back catalog?

Even longtime podcast listeners lament that there isnt an easier way to discover and get hooked on new programs  nor is there a go-to place to analyze and geek out on great stuff once you are hooked.

Thats why were starting the New York Times Podcast Club Facebook group.

Podcast club isnt a new concept at The New York Times. Weve had one here, in real life, for the past year. Every Friday, a group of employees from around the company gather in a bright, couch-filled conference room for half an hour to talk about one episode of one podcast. Its sort of like a book club, but for on-demand audio.
Background reading:

 Ms. Barnards reporting on the attack in Syria, which left dozens of people, including children, dead.

 Ms. Bosmans story about the election in Bolingbrook that has become as much about Mr. Trump as about the candidates on the ballot.

Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at thedaily@nytimes.com. Tweet me at @mikiebarb. And if that isnt enough, we can even text.

How do I listen?

If you dont see an audio player on this page or to subscribe to The Daily for free, follow the instructions below.

On your iPhone or iPad:

Open the preloaded app called Podcasts; it has a purple icon. If youre reading this from your phone, tap this link, which will take you straight there. (You can also use the magnifying glass icon to search; type The Daily.)
Try having no arms and eating a live octopus thats crawling around on your head with its tentacles. Failure could mean its your last supper. But a population of bottlenose dolphins off the coast of Australia has found a way to do it.

These ones in southwest Australia have worked out: How do we catch them? How do we bite them? And how do we kill them so we can eat them? said Kate Sprogis, a behavioral ecologist at Murdoch University in Australia who with her colleagues described the behavior in a study published last month in Marine Mammal Science.
The priest, Rhonda Mawhood Lee, wrote I Will Be Your Mother Figure after one of her former congregants turned to her seeking not spiritual but friendly, even motherly, advice.

Ms. Dern recently starred in the HBO miniseries Big Little Lies and will appear in Showtimes Twin Peaks reboot this May. Find her on Twitter and Instagram.
But glamorous as it was, the ad business wasnt the best deal for the companies that were paying for the ads. The central problem was the conflation of audience and media outlet: When it ran an ad for razors, Gillette would have preferred to show the spot just to men who shaved regularly. But you couldnt target men who shaved regularly.

It wasnt possible for us to be certain that we were reaching that audience, so we used the content of certain programming to define that audience, said Brian Lesser, the chief executive of GroupM, a division of the advertising giant WPP. In other words, instead of targeting men, theyd run ads on shows they thought men liked to watch  a good enough solution, except for all the women and non-shavers who were also watching.

Digital advertising fundamentally altered this model. Through profiling, now ad companies know  or, at least, aim to know  exactly who is reading a certain site or watching a certain video. So instead of buying ads tied to a certain piece of content, companies can buy ads targeted exactly to an audience.

Now we can get down to the level of an individual user and we can be certain that were targeting an ad to the same user across multiple devices, Mr. Lesser said.

But its deeper than that. Ad companies dont just know the user, but they also know the users context  for instance, whether youre at work or at home, or whether youre in the mood for shopping or not. All of this comes together in a real-time calculation as you wander around the digital world, from app to website to social feed. The computers are watching what you do and deciding which ads to serve you when. Often the ads are sold dynamically in an auction  different companies offer to pay different amounts to get your attention at different times.

There are some obvious downsides to this model. It relies on the profiling of users, which makes many people uncomfortable, even if the ad companies say that they do all of this anonymously and without invading your privacy.

It also raises an issue for brands. One consequence of this model is that it pays for a lot of content that wouldnt have been funded under the old model  now a teenager can attract a few million followers on YouTube, sign up for the companys revenue-sharing program and make money from all of the programmatic sponsors.
When Congress voted to overturn online privacy rules last week, Steve Wilmot, a Los Angeles songwriter, reacted like many worried consumers: He looked into signing up for a technology service known as a virtual private network, or VPN.

The online privacy rules, which were set to go into effect this year and which President Trump fully repealed on Monday, would have required broadband providers like Comcast and Charter to get permission from customers before selling their browsing history to advertisers. Without restrictions, the companies can track and sell peoples information with greater ease.

A VPN was a natural service to consider in response. Thats because the technology creates a virtual tunnel that shields your browsing information from your internet service provider. So Mr. Wilmot researched VPNs in hopes of protecting his own browsing data.

I dont really want anybody to have any sort of access to what Im looking at, he said. If anyone is going to profit off my privacy, Id prefer it to be me.
Internet civil liberties advocates did not get the news they wanted from New Yorks top court on Tuesday.

Facebook hit the end of the line in a long fight with New York prosecutors when the State Court of Appeals, in a 5-to-1 ruling, upheld lower court rulings that New York law does not allow a social media company to appeal a judges decision to issue search warrants in a criminal case.

Facebook had argued that it should have a right to appeal such decisions, particularly if the company believes those warrants violate the constitutional rights of its users, as James C. McKinley Jr. writes.
In J. T. Rogerss Oslo, which opens on Broadway on Thursday, April 13, married diplomats foster peace in the Middle East with the help of cardamom-scented waffles. In Stephen Sondheim and John Weidmans Pacific Overtures, which opens at Classic Stage Company on May 4, gunboats are the pertinent goad. And in Rogelio Martinezs Blind Date, set for the Goodman Theater in January, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev achieve rapport after misquoting 80s films.

Call it the art of the deal.

Though State Department funding is under threat, diplomacy has a rich presence in theater. There are stage envoys as far back as the Greeks, and negotiations inform several Shakespeare plays, from Henry V to that statecraft classic, Loves Labours Lost. It factors into tragedies, verse dramas, even musical comedies like Call Me Madam, with its jolly number Can You Use Any Money Today? (The debt goes the other way, too, as real-world negotiators frequently rely on improvisation and role-playing in their training.)

As Mr. Rogers said in a telephone interview, Diplomacy has a lot of the elements of great theater  the ticking clock, ulterior motives, people having to switch allegiances on a dime. David Edgar, an English writer who has included scenes of diplomatic struggle in several plays, said: Ive always thought it was the public version of family life, really. You get alliances, you get meltdowns, you get negotiations, you get compromises, you get betrayals.

Diplomacys advantages are obvious: Conflict is inherent, dialogue is the engine of change, stakes (and missile defense systems) scrape the sky.
When one thinks of the First World War, which the United States entered 100 years ago this month, certain images are inevitably evoked: miles of muddy trenches, clouds of poison gas creeping over the battlefield, biplanes and triplanes jousting balletically above the clouds.

If the first two sound like something you would have avoided at all costs, trust me, you wouldnt have wanted any part of the last one, either. Aircraft back then were tiny and flimsy. Their engines stalled; their guns jammed. If they had been flown even once, they were certainly grimy and probably covered with haphazardly applied patches. To merely go aloft in one was to risk your life, even if you didnt encounter an enemy who might try to shoot you down. But you probably would, since there was no point in just flying safely behind your own lines.
Wealthy Chinese eager for a foothold in the United States account for the majority of EB-5 participants, and are often driven by concerns about long-term economic and political stability at home. Return on investment is secondary for many Chinese, who tend to focus on the opportunity to enroll their children in state colleges and eventually gain employment in the United States, experts say.

According to a 113-page affidavit filed by the F.B.I. in support of the search warrants, a lawyer identified as Victoria and her father, Tat, both Chinese citizens, conceived the scheme in 2008, using a business called the California Investment Immigration Fund. They offered wealthy Chinese the opportunity to obtain a green card under the EB-5 visa program by investing in cultural center, hotels and restaurants.

The pair are alleged to have enticed investors by offering them a partial refund of their $500,000-investment. Other times they simply took money from investors, according to the document. None of the projects, which were approved by the United States government, ever got off the ground.

For instance, during visits in 2013 and three years later to a vacant building designated for development in the City of Industry outside Los Angeles, investigators found the structure surrounded by a chain-link fence and no active construction. Both times, they encountered a large sign in Chinese and English that read: CIIF Investment Group and Retail Shops for Lease.
As a newly minted lawyer in the early 1960s, Mr. Elie found himself in the vanguard of a nascent movement to integrate downtown lunch counters and other public accommodations and to boycott stores in a black shopping district where blacks could get only menial jobs.

When we got to the civil rights movement, I would have to say that the most important thing that came out of it was a rising of the consciousness on the part of African-American people, he said in a C-SPAN interview in 2003. The world that I inherited was a world that said white people were superior, and people of African descent were all powerless.

What the civil rights movement did was to remove that, he said. It raised our consciousness.

Mr. Elies advocacy on behalf of civil rights organizations, individual clients and generations of aggrieved blacks raised white consciousness, too.

In one instance he was the star witness in a lawsuit against Louisianas ban on out-of-state lawyers representing criminal defendants. Anthony G. Amsterdam, an emeritus professor at the New York University School of Law, who was a lawyer for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Lawyers Constitutional Defense Committee, recalled Mr. Elies powerful testimony.

On cross-examination, Professor Amsterdam wrote in an email, the states attorney was dumb enough to ask him: Mr. Elie, is it not true that the condition of Negroes in the State of Louisiana has improved during the past five years? Lolis said, Yes, but   And then went on to give a two-hour answer that was easily the finest, most fiery civil-rights speech I have ever heard  in court, in church, or anywhere else.
WASHINGTON  Dr. Scott Gottlieb, President Trumps nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration, told Congress on Wednesday that he could speed the approval of new drugs without compromising safety or increasing risks, deflecting questions about his past writings, drug-company investments and Mr. Trumps controversial positions.

We should reject a false dichotomy that it all boils down to a choice between speed and safety, Dr. Gottlieb said at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Democrats tried to focus Dr. Gottliebs confirmation hearing as much on the president who chose him as on the nominee himself. Mr. Trump has broken with Republican orthodoxy by embracing a Democratic push to allow the importation of prescription drugs from Canada and to allow the government to negotiate lower drug prices. Mr. Trump has also flouted established science with his efforts to link childhood vaccines to autism.

As for Dr. Gottlieb, Democrats tried to raise doubts that the nominee could be objective after earning hundreds of thousands of dollars as an investor in and consultant to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and health care companies.
WASHINGTON  Senate Republicans are preparing to abolish the final vestige of power that the minority has to block Supreme Court nominations through a filibuster. Many senators in both parties now worry that the final and biggest domino  the power to filibuster legislation  will be next.

In recent years, as partisanship has escalated, the Senate has required a 60-vote majority for almost any controversial legislation to overcome a filibuster. Gone, for the most part, are bipartisan quorums that used to pass large and complex laws with simple majorities.

But as both parties have moved to do what was once unthinkable  eliminating the filibuster for judicial and cabinet nominees, known as the nuclear option  senators are now forced to consider if the final step could be in the offing, one that would fundamentally alter the character of the Senate and make it indistinguishable from the House in a crucial way.
WASHINGTON  John F. Kelly, the homeland security secretary, said Wednesday that it was doubtful that a wall along the full border with Mexico would ever be built, despite an oft-repeated campaign promise by President Trump.

It is unlikely that we will build a wall from sea to shining sea, Mr. Kelly told senators on the Homeland Security Committee.

Instead, Mr. Kelly said, the department will look to build physical barriers  including fencing and concrete walls  in places that make sense. He said that the department was still studying the best places to construct such barriers, and that he could not give an estimate of the cost.

The first bids for prototypes of the border wall were due Tuesday. According to people briefed on the agencys plan, the first new section of the wall will be built on a short strip of federally owned land in San Diego, where there is already fencing.
During his recent 60 Minutes appearance, Mr. Cernovich said that he never named the pizzeria at the center of the #Pizzagate conspiracy theory and called the shooting a very unfortunate thing. He also said his claims about Mrs. Clintons health were based on an anonymous tip sent to him by a doctor who had never examined Mrs. Clinton before and had no access to her medical records. Nevertheless, he stood behind his claims.

Theyre definitely not fake, he said. They are not lies at all. 100 percent true.

Why is he in the news this week?

In a blog post published on Sunday, Mr. Cernovich wrote the White House Counsels office identified Susan E. Rice, President Barack Obamas national security adviser, as the person responsible for the unmasking Trump associates who were caught up in the electronic surveillance of foreigners. Similar reports were published by other news organizations.

Unmasking is the process by which a high-ranking official, such as a national security adviser, requests the identity of a person whose name has been blacked out in an intelligence report. It does not mean leaking that information to a third party.

Donald Trump Jr. praised Mr. Cernovichs post on Twitter and said he was the first person to publish this information. In an email on Tuesday, the presidents son declined to answer questions on the record about Mr. Cernovich or his blog post.
WASHINGTON  For the first 10 weeks of President Trumps administration, no adviser loomed larger in the public imagination than Stephen K. Bannon, the raw and rumpled former chairman of Breitbart News who considers himself a virulently anti-establishment revolutionary out to destroy the administrative state.

But behind the scenes, White House officials said, the ideologist who enjoyed the presidents confidence became increasingly embattled as other advisers, including Mr. Trumps daughter and son-in-law, complained about setbacks on health care and immigration. Lately, Mr. Bannon has been conspicuously absent from some meetings. And now he has lost his seat at the national security table.

In a move that was widely seen as a sign of changing fortunes, Mr. Trump removed Mr. Bannon, his chief strategist, from the National Security Councils cabinet-level principals committee on Wednesday. The shift was orchestrated by Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, Mr. Trumps national security adviser, who insisted on purging a political adviser from the Situation Room where decisions about war and peace are made.

Mr. Bannon resisted the move, even threatening at one point to quit if it went forward, according to a White House official who, like others, insisted on anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Mr. Bannons camp denied that he had threatened to resign and spent the day spreading the word that the shift was a natural evolution, not a signal of any diminution of his outsize influence.
WASHINGTON  President Trump has let the military know that the buck stops with them, not him. The Pentagon, after eight years of chafing at what many generals viewed as micromanaging from the Obama White House, is so far embracing its new freedom.

Officials say that much of Defense Secretary Jim Mattiss plan to defeat the Islamic State, which Mr. Mattis delivered to the White House in February but has yet to make public, consists of proposals for speeding up decision-making to allow the military to move more quickly on raids, airstrikes, bombing missions and arming allies in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere. Commanders argue that loosening restrictions  as Mr. Trump has already done for American operations in much of Somalia and parts of Yemen  could lead to a faster defeat of Islamic State militants in not only the Middle East but also the Horn of Africa.

Yet with the new freedoms come new dangers for the military, including the potential of increased civilian casualties, and the possibility that Mr. Trump will shunt blame for things that go wrong to the Pentagon. Mr. Trump already did that after the botched raid in Yemen in January, which led to the death of Chief Petty Officer William Owens, a member of the Navy SEALs known as Ryan, despite having signed off on that raid himself.

They explained what they wanted to do, the generals, who are very respected, Mr. Trump told Fox News after the raid. And they lost Ryan.
WASHINGTON  It was the filibuster before the filibuster. Sort of.

Beginning early Tuesday evening and slogging through the middle of Wednesday morning, Senator Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon, held forth on the Senate floor for more than 15 hours in protest of the nomination of Judge Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.

Though this feat of congressional masochism and C-Span content enhancement resembled a Mr. Smith Goes to Washington-style filibuster for the digital age  rousing flourishes, meandering detours, encouragement from his Democratic peers on social media  Mr. Merkleys effort was not technically a filibuster, as the senator was not actually delaying anything.

The Gorsuch filibuster will arrive in earnest on Thursday, when Democrats expect to produce the votes necessary to block the nomination from clearing a procedural hurdle to end debate and proceed to a full up-or-down vote. If that happens, Republicans have said they intend to change longstanding rules and confirm Judge Gorsuch anyway on a simple majority vote.
JOHANNESBURG  The African National Congress in South Africa closed ranks on Wednesday behind President Jacob Zuma, who has faced growing criticism and calls for his resignation after firing a widely respected finance minister last week.

The A.N.C., Mr. Zumas party, also chastised three of its senior leaders who, in a break from party tradition, openly criticized the presidents actions last week.

That public dissonance was a mistake that will not happen again, the partys secretary general, Gwede Mantashe, said at a news conference after a meeting of the partys leaders.

On Friday, Mr. Zuma abruptly dismissed the finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, in an apparent show of force meant to consolidate his factions power before the A.N.C.s national conference in December, when a new party leader  and most likely the countrys next president  will be chosen.
A court in South Africa effectively overturned a national ban on the trade of rhinoceros horns, a move that was celebrated by the countrys commercial rhino breeders but condemned by animal preservation groups.

This court has concluded that the application should be dismissed, the Constitutional Court said in a one-paragraph order that ended the governments attempts to uphold the moratorium. The order appeared to have been issued in late March, but it was not shared with the news media until Wednesday.

The decision was a victory for commercial rhino breeders, who argued that a legal trade in horns would end the poaching of an endangered species and offset the costs of protecting the animals. We welcome the Constitutional Court ruling, Pelham Jones, chairman of the Private Rhino Owners Association of South Africa, which brought the case, told reporters. We believe it is a right we have been entitled to.

Last year, the Supreme Court of Appeal, a lower court, said the governments ban on the domestic trade was illegal. The moratorium had been in effect since 2009. The appeal to the Constitutional Court was the governments final attempt at protecting the ban through the countrys courts.
Xinhua, the official news agency, weighed in last week, describing Ms. Trump as having an elegant and poised style.

A lot of people think Ivanka is the real president, said Li Moya, 31, who runs an app for renting venue space in Beijing. We think she has the brains, not her father.

Young Chinese women working in sectors like technology and finance have been especially taken by Ms. Trump, whom they see as an elegant symbol of power and ambition. They say they have sought to mimic her tenacity and confidence as they confront chauvinism and stereotypes in the workplace and in family life.

Many are also impressed by Ms. Trumps decision to start her own fashion brand rather than simply focus on the family real estate business.

Shes very independent, said Wang Jiabao, 28, a reality television producer in Beijing. She represents what were looking for  to marry into a decent family, to look good, and to also have your own career.
LAHORE, Pakistan  At least six people were killed on Wednesday in an explosion in eastern Pakistan that targeted a team conducting the countrys first national census in nearly two decades, officials said.

The blast killed four army soldiers, one air force member and a civilian. At least 17 others were wounded.

Investigators said that a severed head had been found at the site of the explosion, suggesting that the act was a suicide bombing. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, but the government declined to comment on the militant groups statement.

The explosion, on the outskirts of Lahore, the capital of Punjab Province, will not disrupt the census, officials said.
MANILA  Negotiators representing the government of the Philippines and Communist rebels agreed to a temporary cease-fire on Wednesday, moving one step closer to ending one of Asias longest running insurgencies.

The agreement was reached at peace talks in the Netherlands, two months after guerrillas killed three soldiers and nearly derailed the process.

We have already agreed on the final outcome of the talks: lasting peace and sustainable development, said Jesus Dureza, the government negotiator. This is not a case of one party giving in or giving up.

In addition, President Rodrigo Duterte, speaking before a gathering of prosecutors in Manila, invited Jose Maria Sison, the self-exiled Communist Party leader and Mr. Dutertes former college professor, to return to the Philippines to seek treatment for an unspecified disease.
In the years to come, it was everything but what it had been built to be, serving as the medical school for Kabul University, a warehouse for raisins (a lot of raisins), the seat of various ministries and finally the Ministry of Defense.

It burned down and was rebuilt by King Mohammad Zahir Shah in the 1960s. During the civil war years of the 1980s and 1990s it became a base for various mujahedeen factions, was set afire again by the Taliban, then became a refugee settlement and a nomad camp (with goats residing in the grandiose Oval Room). In the last decade it was a battalion headquarters for the Afghan National Army.

During those decades of civil conflict, it was much prized for its massive walls and commanding position on a hill controlling approaches to the city from the south. The consequences are only too evident.

In just one typical square yard of wall on the northeast tower, for instance, it is possible to count 105 bullet, shrapnel and artillery holes. That wall is about 150 square yards in area, and it is one of four such walls on each of four towers, all of which are dwarfed by the rest of the palaces expanse, and most of which is similarly perforated.
BEIJING  When President Xi Jinping of China arrives at President Trumps Florida estate on Thursday, his goal will be to get through the quick visit looking like a resolute leader who can hold his own against the American president, something that even some of Washingtons closest allies have failed to pull off.

Mr. Xi wants to show his domestic audience that he can manage the relationship with Mr. Trump and avert a crisis in relations with the United States, a message that would strengthen his hand in the jockeying for power ahead of a Communist Party leadership congress this year.

But while the meetings could lift Mr. Xis stature at home, they also present significant risks. The two men are at odds on several contentious issues, and perhaps no Chinese leader has ever walked into a meeting with an American president like Mr. Trump, who has shown a disdain for the language of diplomacy. Mr. Xi has a highly scripted style, and the Chinese are accustomed to meetings that are tightly choreographed.

Events began to veer off script on Wednesday as North Korea fired an intermediate range ballistic missile into waters off its east coast, a defiant move that seemed intended to exacerbate differences between Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi.
PARIS  On Tuesday night, France got a good, long look at its choices in the coming presidential election. All 11 of them.

For nearly four hours, the leading contenders shared a debate stage with several obscure names on the April 23 ballot, most of whom are expected to get less than 1 percent of the vote. French election rules allow any candidate backed by 500 elected officials to run for president, which usually results in a crowded field (though in practice, only three or four are serious contenders). On Tuesday night, they all had equal time, although the debate moderators struggled to have them stick to it.

For Philippe Poutou, a far-left candidate who works in a Ford factory and wants to make it impossible to fire people, the debate was a rare opportunity to directly confront well-known figures like Francois Fillon and Marine Le Pen, who are expected to be among the top three vote-getters nationwide.
A jury on Wednesday found a Spanish man guilty of murdering an American tourist who was on the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route, in 2015.

The man, Miguel Angel Munoz Blas, 41, killed the tourist, Denise Thiem, while she was crossing northwestern Spain to make her way to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, the jury found. The prosecution is seeking 25 years in prison for the murder; a judge is to deliver the sentence within days.

Ms. Thiem disappeared on April 5, 2015  Easter Sunday  about a month after she had arrived in Spain to walk the pilgrimage route. She was 41 and had quit her job in Phoenix the previous year to travel the world.

Image Denise Thiem, in a photograph provided by her family.

Five months after her disappearance, police officers arrested Mr. Munoz Blas in the town of Grandas de Salime. Ms. Thiems partly buried and decomposed body was later found at his property, about 120 miles away.
The Russian government has sharply contested accounts by international leaders and witnesses that a deadly chemical attack in northern Syria last week was carried out by Syrian government forces. Heres what the available evidence, including a declassified four-page American intelligence report, tells us about the reliability of the Russian account.

Whether There Was a Chemical Attack

Russian officials, including President Vladimir V. Putin, have publicly doubted whether a toxic attack even happened, and said that any chemical weapons in Syria belonged to insurgents fighting President Bashar al-Assads forces, not the government.

The White House has asserted that the Assad government carried out the attack, and that the Russians tried to cover it up by spreading false narratives.

There is no evidence that online video and photographs of the attack were fabricated, as Russias deputy envoy to the United Nations suggested last week. The images showed that scores of people, including children, died on April 4 in Khan Sheikhun, in northern Syria, suffering symptoms consistent with having breathed in some sort of nerve agent.
The United States put the blame for the attack on the Syrian government and its patrons, Russia and Iran, and suggested that the salvo was a war crime. While the attack was among the deadliest uses of chemical weapons in Syria in years, it was far from an isolated case.

During the war, the Assad government has been accused of regularly using chlorine gas, which is less deadly than the agent used on Tuesday and is legal in its commercial form. According to the Violations Documentation Center, an antigovernment watchdog, more than 1,100 Syrians have been killed in chemical weapons and gas attacks.

There are also reports that the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, has used mustard agent in northern Syria.

Siege Tactics and Starvation
UNITED NATIONS  Holding photographs of dead Syrian children after a chemical bomb attack, the United States ambassador to the United Nations warned on Wednesday that her country might take unilateral action if the Security Council failed to respond to the latest atrocity in the Syria war.

Facing her first serious Syria showdown at the Security Council, the ambassador, Nikki R. Haley, also used her remarks at an emergency session to blame Russia for blocking a robust response to the attack on Tuesday on a northern Syrian town, which has incited widespread condemnation. The death toll was reported to exceed 100.

The United States, France and Britain have accused the Syrian government of responsibility and bitterly criticized Russia  Syrias main ally in the six-year-old war  for objecting to a resolution they drafted condemning the attack.
For years, more babies were born to Christian women than to women of any other religion, but not for much longer: Islam is expected to take the global lead by 2035, according to a report released on Wednesday documenting the coming ebbs and flows of world religions.

Even as they change rank, Christianity and Islam are projected to expand their hold on the worlds newborn population from a combined 64 percent of all babies born from 2010 to 2015 to 71 percent of those born from 2055 to 2060, according to the report, prepared by the Pew Research Center.

That baby boom will largely be driven by regional trends in age and fertility, according to Alan Cooperman, director of religion research at Pew.
A new analysis of car insurance in four states found that drivers living in some minority neighborhoods were charged higher rates than similar drivers in mostly white areas, even when the average risk of a claim was similar.

The report, by the nonprofits ProPublica and Consumer Reports, covers rates in California, Illinois, Missouri and Texas, the states that made data available. The report examined quoted insurance premiums, as well as average claims paid by insurers  the first use of payout data to examine racial disparities in car insurance premiums, the researchers said. The analysis found that pricing disparities between neighborhoods that were mostly white and those inhabited mostly by minorities were wider than differences in risk could explain.

In some cases, the report said, major insurers charged premiums that were on average 30 percent higher in minority ZIP codes than in comparable nonminority neighborhoods. This overpricing, the report said, may amount to a subtler form of redlining, a term that refers to denial of services to minority areas.

The report, published Wednesday by Consumer Reports, said it was not entirely clear why insurers charged more in minority areas. It could represent a vestige of the days when racial discrimination by businesses was routine, researchers said, or it might be that proprietary algorithms used by individual insurers inadvertently penalized minority areas.
To Apply

This is a masthead position, with the title of Deputy Opinion Editor, reporting to the Opinion Editor. Applicants should submit a resume and examples of their work to opinion.jobs@nytimes.com. Please also include some thoughts about the most important changes youd like to see in the Times Opinion report.
[April 04, 2017]

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Licenses Advanced Hybrid Processor Technology to Genesis Engineering Solutions Inc.

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Strategic Partnerships Office (SPO) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, has signed a patent license with Genesis Engineering Solutions Inc. of Lanham, Maryland.

This license will allow Genesis Engineering Solutions Inc. to manufacture and sell space-based processors based on Goddard's SpaceCube 2.0 designs, with the goal of providing 10 to 100x improvements in on-board computing power while lowering relative power consumption and cost. This also will benefit NASA by providing a qualified supplier from which to purchase systems from in the future.

"Licensing our technology to American companies is a prime example of how NASA supports the innovation economy," said Dan Lockney, Technology Transfer program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

NASA Goddard's SpaceCube 2.0 i a reconfigurable multi-processing platform based on Xilinx Field Programmable Gate Arrays, and couples it with an integrated upset detection and correction architecture to provide improvements in computing power over traditional fully radiation-hardened flight systems.







The SpaceCube technology is one of thousands of NASA technologies made available for use by industry through the agency's Technology Transfer Program. NASA has more than 1,000 patents available for license and more than 1,000 software programs available for use by industry, academia and other government agencies.

NASA's Technology Transfer program is managed for the agency by the Space Technology Mission Directorate. The program ensures technologies developed for missions in exploration and discovery are broadly available to the public, maximizing the benefit to the nation.

For more information about SpaceCube 2.0, visit:

https://spacecube.nasa.gov/Introduction.html

For more information on NASA Goddard's Strategic Partnerships Office, visit:

http://spo.gsfc.nasa.gov

For more information on NASA's Technology Transfer Program, visit:

http://technology.nasa.gov

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nasas-goddard-space-flight-center-licenses-advanced-hybrid-processor-technology-to-genesis-engineering-solutions-inc-300434604.html

SOURCE NASA
[April 04, 2017] Andrew Crouch Joins Zayo Group as President and COO

Zayo Group (News - Alert) Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ZAYO) announced today that it has named industry veteran Andrew Crouch as president and chief operating officer. Crouch's start date will be April 27. Crouch will be a key member of the executive management team and will oversee Zayo's business operations. He will be based in Denver, Colorado and will report to Zayo's chairman and CEO Dan Caruso (News - Alert). "My priority over the past year has been to assemble an invigorated post-IPO executive team," said Caruso. "Andrew is the capstone of this initiative to position Zayo for the future." Crouch was most recently regional president of Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) for Level 3 Communications (News - Alert), where he also was responsible for its Global Accounts Division. Crouch joined Level 3 in 2001 and has since held a variety of executive positions leading marketing, product and commercial organizations, including regional president of North America and Asia-Pacific. Prior to joining Level 3, Crouch worked at British Telecom and Concert Communications, a joint venture between British Telecom and AT&T (News - Alert). "Andrew rose through the sales and marketing functions, and has extensive global experience in running large scale organizations similar to Zayo," added Caruso, "He is exactly what Zayo needs to drive our continued growth as the global leader in communications infrastructure." "Though I admire Zayo's track record, my focus is on where we can take Zayo over the next five years," said Crouch. "In a world that has an insatiable need for bandwidth, we will leverage Zayo's vast infrastructure to enable our customers to deliver innovative and impactful services." During the past 15 years, Crouch has worked with many Zayo executives, including Caruso.



Crouch will oversee Zayo's global Communications Infrastructure business which consists of Fiber Solutions, Transport, Enterprise Networks, and Colocation segments, and its Allstream business. Shared functions, such as Sales and Customer Service, will also report into Crouch. Chris Morley, Zayo's current president and COO, will remain with Zayo during a transition period. "Chris was integral to Zayo's success over its first 10 years and will be sorely missed," said Caruso. "On behalf of our shareholders, customers and employees, we thank Chris for his many contributions."

Zayo will announce its fiscal third quarter results in early May. As an update to prior guidance, bookings for the March quarter were strong in comparison to the prior quarter and consistent with expectations set by management during the March 17, 2017 investor call. For more information about Zayo, please visit zayo.com. About Zayo Group Zayo Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ZAYO) provides communications infrastructure services, including fiber and bandwidth connectivity, colocation and cloud infrastructure to the world's leading businesses. Customers include wireless and wireline carriers, media and content companies and finance, healthcare and other large enterprises. Zayo's 126,000-network in North America and Europe includes extensive metro connectivity to thousands of buildings and data centers. In addition to high capacity dark fiber, wavelength, Ethernet and other connectivity solutions, Zayo offers colocation and cloud infrastructure in its carrier-neutral data centers. Zayo provides clients with flexible, customized solutions and self-service through Tranzact, an innovative online platform for managing and purchasing bandwidth and services. For more information, visit zayo.com. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains a number of forward-looking statements. Words, and variations of words such as "believe," "expect," "plan," "continue," "will," "should," and similar expressions are intended to identify our forward-looking statements. No assurance can be given that future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements will be achieved and actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. For additional information on these and other factors that could affect our forward-looking statements, see our risk factors, as they may be amended from time to time, set forth in our filings with the SEC (News - Alert), including our 10-K dated August 25, 2016. We disclaim and do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement in this press release, except as required by applicable law or regulation. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170404006411/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Facing a growing attack on dissent around the globe, human rights advocates are engaged in a creative and critical fight to defend fundamental rights and freedoms. On April 13-14, 2017, the Robert L. Bernstein Institute for Human Rights at NYU School of Law will host Defending Dissent: Human Rights and Civil Society in the Global Crackdown, a conference that brings together leading human rights activists, lawyers, and scholars from India, China, Russia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Turkey, and Egypt to share legal strategies to safeguard crucial spaces for dissent.

These strategies encompass litigation, legal empowerment, network building, and leveraging the Internet as forms of resistance. When democratic leaders openly deride institutions like the judiciary and the free press, there is an urgent need to build solidarity and learn from global activists and movements who have experienced similar challenges, said Sukti Dhital, deputy director of the Bernstein Institute.

Speakers include fearless and outspoken critics of authoritarianism like Zelalem Kibret, Ethiopian law professor and co-founder of the award-winning Zone 9 blogging collective, Yara Sallam, Egyptian feminist and human rights advocate, Xiao Qiang, legendary Chinese human rights activist and MacArthur genius, Olga Sadovskya, leading Russian human rights lawyer with expertise on torture cases, and Biraj Patnaik, Indian human rights activist and Amnesty Internationals South Asia Director. Panelists will spotlight lessons and tactics to counter the crackdown of dissent within their countries and regions, draw parallels to the current American political landscape, and offer strategies to counter the closing of safe space around the world.

With serious threats to civil freedoms documented in more than 100 countries in 2015, governments are engaged in a systematic attack on human rights values, institutions, and advocates. Maina Kiai, the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association observes that the world is experiencing a democratic recession, with governments passing restrictive laws regulating the operation of NGOs, policing freedom of speech, and engaging in extra-legal forms of harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders.

As government repression escalates, a resilient network of lawyers, activists, and academics continue to innovate to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, said Margaret Satterthwaite, professor of clinical law at NYU Law and faculty director of the Bernstein Institute. Defending Dissent offers a space to hear their stories of resistance and to build new collaborative efforts aimed at defending human rights in the face of rising repression.

The event takes place at Vanderbilt Hall, 40 Washington Square South, New York, NY 10012. Space is limited and registration is required.

Reporters interested in attending the event must RSVP to Michelle Tsai, NYUs Office of Public Affairs, at 212-998-6849 or michelle.tsai@nyu.edu.
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob explores the difference between a natural, organic, bottom-up connection consciousness and our corporately imposed top-down hierarchical collective consciousness. What Rob is speaking about is the difference between an artificial and ultimately stagnate way of organizing the world and a natural, organic growth, which starts with a seed, sends downs roots and sends up shoots which blossom. By returning to a Nature-based theory of connection, the Bottom-Up revolution brings us back into alignment with Earths laws, returning humanity to its place in creation. Like a good gardener, Rob works into the soil of his thesis different voices that exemplify how this Bottom-Up revolution is expanding in politics, business, religion, personal self-awareness and story. And he places technology where it belongsas a tool to further our connection consciousness, not an end in itself. The bottom-up revolution is about democracy finally living up to its original ideals, where we the people decide what we need from our society."



Cathy Pagano, author of Wisdoms Daughters: How Women Can Change the World
Quicklink Not Found

Sometimes, authors delete their quicklinks after publishing them.



To see if the quicklink was renamed or re-published, please click here.
[April 04, 2017] Smart Borders, Immigration Enforcement & Border Security Markets in Europe 2017-2022

NEW YORK, April 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Border Security Market 2015-2020 CAGR: 15.5%. Granulated by 40 Submarkets



With 1.8 million asylum seekers (UN reports) crossing Western Europe's external borders in 2015, the European border security agencies are facing challenges with a far greater reach than ever before. More than 1000 ISIS-trained jihadists returning to Europe every year, coupled with the surge of migrants to Europe are alarming concerns; as present capabilities of the European border, coast guard, intelligence services and immigration agencies simply cannot meet these challenges.





Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04795573/Smart-Borders-Immigration-Enforcement-Border-Security-Markets-in-Europe-.html







The EU-Turkey deal (if implemented) might lead to a significant decrease in the flow of refugees (by March-April 2016 the rate of migrants entering Greece declined by 90%). However, the agreement faces formidable practical, political and legal challenges (e.g., each and every one of the 22 EU parliaments has to endorse the treaty).



In the aftermath of the migration crisis and the Paris and Brussels terror attacks, a major overhaul of the Western European border security and immigration infrastructure, strategy, border security technology development and funding is already underway.



Following a 2010 to 2015 annual market growth of 10-13% the 2015 to 2020 annual border security market will surge by 104%.



The "European Smart Borders, Immigration Enforcement & Border Security Markets  2016-2022" report is the most comprehensive review of the border security market available today. It provides a detailed and reasoned roadmap of this growing security market.



The European Smart Borders, Immigration Enforcement & Border Security Market is boosted by the following drivers:

- The Western European border security, coast guards, immigration agencies and intelligence agencies are ill-equipped to counter the surge of refugees and 21st century jihadists who use sophisticated means to return to the continent.

- The Schengen Area is comprised of 26 European countries that have abolished border control at their common borders. Several Schengen Area governments reinstated border checkpoints by 2015.

- Europe cannot build a wall to keep out refugees and terrorists or enlist millions of border guards who would need to watch every inch of its over 10,000 land borders and 80,000 coastlines.

- Europol estimates that up to 5,000 European jihadists have already returned to Western Europe after obtaining combat experience on the battlefields of the Middle East.

- On 15 December 2015, the European Commission presented a proposal for a new agency that would replace and succeed Frontex, having a stronger role and mandate, and forming a "European Border and Coast Guard" along with national authorities for border management.

- Of Europe's approximately 50 countries, Russia has by far the longest coastline as well as the longest land border.

- Western Europe, the largest economy in the world with a 2015 GDP of approximately $22 trillion (vs. the U.S. $17.5 trillion), can invest "whatever it takes" to protect its citizens from the looming jeopardies of mass migration and terrorism using advanced border security technologies.

- The border security and immigration enforcement industry faces a considerable challenge in seeking to provide the necessary solutions to current and future threats. At the same time, this challenge presents multi-billion USD opportunities to the defense, ICT and security industries able to deliver effective functions, integrate systems, and maximize security and productivity per $ invested.

- According to European intelligence services, ISIS has approximately 5000 original European blank passports which can be used by jihadists returning to the EU.

- The EU and the rest of the European border security and immigration infrastructure enforcement market for products and services are served by local defense and security companies. Even with a preference for locally manufactured products, foreign products can usually strongly compete on the basis of cost-performance. They do ot encounter any EU direct trade barriers or quotas. Non-tariff, indirect trade barriers may be the approval process of dual use goods, which include many security market products.







This Europe Border Security report is a resource for executives with interests in the border security system market. It has been explicitly customized for the security industry and other decision-makers in order to identify business opportunities, developing technologies, market trends and risks, as well as to benchmark business plans.

* Customers who purchase a multi-readers license of the report will get the "Global Homeland Security & Public Safety Industry  2016 Edition" report free of charge. Single-reader license customers will get a 50% discount for the Industry report.



Questions answered in this 289-page report + one* reports include:

- What will the border security market size and trends be during 2016-2022?

- Which are the submarkets that provide attractive business opportunities?

- Who are the decision-makers?

- What drives the immigration enforcement & border security agencies to purchase products and services?

- What are the customers looking for?

- What are the technology & services trends?

- What is the market SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats)?

- What are the challenges to market penetration & growth?





With 289 pages, 31 tables and 49 figures, the "European Smart Borders, Immigration Enforcement & Border Security Markets  2016-2022" report covers 12 countries and regions, 4 technologies and 3 revenue source submarkets, offering for each of them 2015 data and assessments, and 2016-2022 forecasts and analyses.



Why Buy this Report?



A. Border Security Market data is analyzed via 3 key orthogonal perspectives:

With a highly fragmented market we address the "money trail"  each dollar spent  via the following 3 viewpoints:



- By 12 Country and Region Markets:

1. UK

2. France

3. Holland & Belgium

4. Sweden , Norway , Finland & Denmark

5. Germany

6. Austria & Switzerland

7. Italy

8. Spain

9. Poland

10. Hungary & Czech Republic

11. Russia

12. Rest of Europe



- By 3 Revenue Sources including:

1. Products Sales Revenues

2. After Sale Revenues Including: Maintenance, Service, Upgrades & Refurbishment

3. Other Revenues Including: Planning, Training, Consulting, Contracted Services & Government Funded R&D



- By 4 Technologies:

1. Automatic Border Control (ABC) Systems

2. Border & Perimeter Barriers

3. Visa Issuance IT Systems

4. Smart Borders, Immigration Enforcement & Border Security Technologies



B. Detailed market analysis frameworks for each of the market sectors, including:

1. Market drivers & inhibitors

2. Business opportunities

3. SWOT analysis

4. Competitive analysis

5. Business environment

6. The 2015-2022 market segmented by 36 submarkets



C. The Europe Border Security report includes the following 5 appendices:

1. Appendix A: European Homeland Security & Public Safety Related Product Standards

2. Appendix B: The European Union Challenges and Outlook

3. Appendix C: Europe Migration Crisis & Border Security

4. Appendix D: Abbreviations



D. The border security market report addresses over 300 European Homeland Security and Public Safety standards (including links)



E. The supplementary (*) "Global Homeland Security & Public Safety Industry  2016 Edition" report provides the following insights and analysis of the industry including:

- The Global Industry 2016 status

- Effects of Emerging Technologies on the Industry

- The Market Trends

- Vendor  Government Relationship

- Geopolitical Outlook 2016-2022

- The Industry Business Models & Strategies

- Market Entry Challenges

- The Industry: Supply-Side & Demand-Side Analysis

- Market Entry Strategies

- Price Elasticity

- Past Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Events



F. The supplementary (*) "Global Homeland Security & Public Safety Industry  2016 Edition" report provides a May 2016 updated extensive data

(including company profile, recent annual revenues, key executives, homeland security and public safety products, and contact info.) of the leading 119 Homeland Security and Public Safety vendors including:

1. 3M

2. 3i-MIND

3. 3VR

4. 3xLOGIC

5. ABB

6. Accenture

7. ACTi Corporation

8. ADT Security Services

9. AeroVironment Inc.

10. Agent Video Intelligence

11. Airbus Defence and Space

12. Alcatel-Lucent (Nokia Group)

13. ALPHAOPEN

14. American Science & Engineering Inc.

15. Anixter

16. Aralia Systems

17. AT&T Inc.

18. Augusta Systems

19. Austal

20. Avigilon Corporation

21. Aware

22. Axis

23. AxxonSoft

24. Ayonix

25. BAE Systems

26. BioEnable Technologies Pvt Ltd

27. BioLink Solutions

28. Boeing

29. Bollinger Shipyards, Inc

30. Bosch Security Systems

31. Bruker Corporation

32. BT

33. Camero

34. Cassidian

35. CelPlan

36. China Security & Surveillance, Inc.

37. Cisco Systems

38. Citilog

39. Cognitec Systems GmbH

40. Computer Network Limited (CNL)

41. Computer Sciences Corporation

42. CrossMatch

43. Diebold

44. DRS Technologies Inc.

45. DVTel

46. Elbit Systems Ltd.

47. Elsag Datamat

48. Emerson Electric

49. Ericsson

50. ESRI

51. FaceFirst

52. Finmeccanica SpA

53. Firetide

54. Fulcrum Biometrics LLC

55. G4S

56. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.

57. General Dynamics Corporation

58. Getac Technology Corporation

59. Hanwha Techwin

60. Harris Corporation

61. Hewlett Packard Enterprise

62. Hexagon AB

63. Honeywell International Inc.

64. Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd

65. IBM

66. IndigoVision

67. Intel Security

68. IntuVision Inc

69. iOmniscient

70. IPConfigure

71. IPS Intelligent Video Analytics

72. Iris ID Systems, Inc.

73. IriTech Inc.

74. Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.

75. ISS

76. L-3 Security & Detection Systems

77. Leidos, Inc.

78. Lockheed Martin Corporation

79. MACROSCOP

80. MDS

81. Mer group

82. Milestone Systems A/S

83. Mirasys

84. Motorola Solutions, Inc.

85. National Instruments

86. NEC Corporation

87. NICE Systems

88. Northrop Grumman Corporation

89. Nuance Communications, Inc.

90. ObjectVideo

91. Panasonic Corporation

92. Pelco

93. Pivot3

94. Proximex

95. QinetiQ Limited

96. Rapiscan Systems, Inc.

97. Raytheon

98. Rockwell Collins , Inc.

99. Safran S.A.

100. Salient Sciences

101. Schneider Electric

102. SeeTec

103. Siemens

104. Smart China (Holdings) Limited

105. Smiths Detection Inc.

106. Sony Corp.

107. Speech Technology Center

108. Suprema Inc.

109. Synectics Plc

110. Tandu Technologies & Security Systems Ltd

111. Texas Instruments

112. Textron Inc.

113. Thales Group

114. Total Recall

115. Unisys Corporation

116. Verint

117. Vialogy LLC

118. Vigilant Technology

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04795573/Smart-Borders-Immigration-Enforcement-Border-Security-Markets-in-Europe-.html



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



http://www.reportlinker.com

__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/smart-borders-immigration-enforcement--border-security-markets-in-europe-2017-2022-300434690.html SOURCE Reportlinker

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Progressive Content Not Found

Sometimes, authors delete their progressive content after publishing.



To see if the progressive content was renamed or re-published, please click here.
Reprinted from www.opendemocracy.net

When Kellyanne Conway contested the attendance figures at Donald Trump's inauguration with what she called "alternative facts" at a Meet the Press event on January 22, 2017, it joined Trump's use of conspiracy theories and complaints about 'fake news' to create a constellation of disinformation that has become his modus operandi. However, while the idea of 'alternative facts' has been met with a mix of mockery and condemnation I would like to suggest that we shouldn't dismiss the idea too easily because 'alternative facts' have genuinely important work to do.

For this, we need to differentiate between two critiques of facts. The first emerges out of critical sociology and cultural studies, and leads me to contend there is a grain of truth in Trump's assault on reality. The second emerges from and ultimately merges with the mouth of Trump, leading me to argue that this grain of truth is being used duplicitously to establish authoritarian government in the United States.

With regard to the first critique, part of Team Trump's assault on reality is the perfectly legitimate claim that purveyors of facts, from historians to economists, politicians to media pundits, have used facts to support a specific formation of power. The truth here is that facts do not exist in a vacuum. From critical sociology we have learned that facts are social: what we know to be the case is determined by the direction of our attention, what we find important and what we value. Facts are 'discovered' because society is organized to 'uncover' them in a particular way. If our concerns change, then we uncover different facts, or we produce different facts. In this sense, there are indeed alternative facts. To be clear, this critique of positivism is not to say that we cannot demonstrate or prove something to be the case. It is simply to argue that what we are directed to demonstrate and prove is socially malleable.

From Cultural Studies we have also learned that history is not simply a set of events that have happened in the past, but a social process in which we first select the facts we wish to record and then interpret them. In both instances, powerful social interests play an important role in the narrative that sets out 'what happened'. Here, a different set of interests or concerns will reveal alternative historical facts. This is central to the advancement of human rights and to any movement committed to social and political transformation. It is a key aspect of race and gender politics as women and people of colour recover things that happened but have been undocumented or erased by the canonical narrative.

A major player in this storytelling has, of course, been the traditional news media, and Trump is also correct that the mainstream media -- primarily in print and on television, but now including online sources -- has uncritically supported a particular formation of power. He is just completely wrong about his description of that power as "liberal" or "PC". Where the media has supported such an agenda it has been in favour of marginalized groups who threaten to put a dent in the white, straight, male privilege Trump represents.

Here, 'alternative facts' in the historical sense outlined above have been used to promote deferent forms of identity politics and the pursuit of equality, but these have had little effect on the wider socio-economic system that continues to promote staggering levels of inequality.

What the mainstream media have really supported is the neoliberal project that has reduced everything to markets, undermined regulation, stagnated wages, introduced risk, precarity and uncertainty, and brought about major economic crises. In all of this the mainstream media has been a significant enabler in the shift from the social democratic advances of the post-war period to the establishment of a corporate-financial oligarchy in which democracy in any real sense is meaningless. In this regard, it is deeply problematic to take some knee-jerk reaction and simply defend mainstream news media as purveyors of truth. But hopefully this attack might jolt them out of their hereto comfortable indifference to the effects of power.

The second critique of truth is of a kind with this indifference and brings us to the nature and purpose of Trump's assault on reality. He certainly does not want to uncover or deploy "alternative facts" as part of a genuinely democratic transformation. Trump's strategy is rather part of an internecine struggle within the corporate-financial oligarchy as different factions fight for control. Steve Bannon, the architect of this strategy and Trump's e'minence grise, once described himself as "Thomas Cromwell in the house of the Tudors", a man who enabled a shift of power from the Catholic Church to his master, Henry VIII. In our time, Bannon wants a transnational neoliberal order to give way to belligerent competition amongst national capitalisms, with the US at its head, and all loosely connected and briefly allied in their advocacy of white, Christian power.

To achieve this shift from a socially liberal and economically neoliberal centre ground to Trump's brand of national socialism, the strategy is to challenge and disable any form of oversight. This can be seen in the Executive Orders to end the Environmental Protection Agency, and re-organise the Executive Branch. This can also be seen in the attacks on the judiciary that Trump has set up to be responsible for the next terror attack after legal challenges were made to his Muslim ban. It can also be seen in the attack on the last vestiges of 'red tape' that notionally regulates the banking sector.

The rhetoric of "alternative facts" then becomes a specific tactic within this wider strategy that is used to undermine oversight from academics, experts and scientists, especially around climate science, but also around housing, education and foreign policy. Most importantly it is a tactic aimed at stopping oversight by the press, now named "the enemy of the people", and open up or circumvent media channels for the dissemination of uncontested Trump propaganda.

Here, Republicans have adopted a radical form of relativism. As Trump's associate and former advisor, Roger Stone , recently put it:

How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? It's a question that can't be answered. Facts are, obviously, in the eye of the beholder. You have an obligation to make a compelling case. Caveat emptor. Let the consumer decide what he or she believes or doesn't believe based on how compelling a case you put forward for your point of view.

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).




Collusion

1. a secret agreement, especially for ... treacherous purposes; conspiracy



2. Law. a secret understanding between two or more persons to gain something illegally ... or to appear as adversaries though in agreement



-- Dictionary.com



Treason Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, ... adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason ... and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.



-- 18 U.S. Code 2381 (1994)



Impeachment The President ... shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.



-- U.S. Constitution, Article II, 4 (The 25th Amendment to the Constitution provides alternative procedures following a finding that the president is "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.")

_______________



What can we pluck from the speculation and wild accusations, alternative facts and devious denials, regarding Russia's involvement in our last presidential election? Here's a quick, three-part summary:



Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin was not fond of Hillary Clinton and preferred Donald Trump as the next U.S. president. Individuals in Russia were involved in hacking into computers of the Democratic National Committee and Clinton Campaign, and facilitating release of some of their content. They, or others in Russia, prepared propaganda and false, damaging information about Clinton and distributed it throughout the U.S. through social media. However probable it may be that some voters were, to some extent, influenced in their opinions of the candidates, and even ultimate choices at the ballot box, there is no procedure for collecting the data necessary to prove or disprove such suspicions. It is unlikely that, but for these Russian efforts, Clinton would have won the electoral vote (although there's no way that can be proved or disproved). There have been assertions that Russians wanted to manipulate voting machines, but no evidence that, if so, they were successful in doing so.



Trump. A second, related, line of inquiry has involved the past and present ties that Trump, his family, campaign and other associates, may have with Russian oligarchs, banks, politicians and government officials. This includes Americans' interests in investments there (or payments from there) and Russians' investments or payments here. A significant number of individuals in both countries, meetings, and transactions have been identified and reported. Of course, a substantial impediment to a thorough understanding is Trump's refusal to comply with the norm that president's reveal their past tax returns. And the Trump Team's case has not been strengthened by the number of instances in which their contacts with Russians (or payments from Russians) have been denied, only to have been unequivocally confirmed later.



Collusion. A third, and seemingly final inquiry addresses the possibility that there was "collusion," a "conspiracy," among the joint forces of Putin and Trump, working together in their efforts to defeat Clinton and elect Trump. Such a finding ("beyond a reasonable doubt") is somewhere between extremely difficult and impossible to prove without documents (e.g., electronic messages, meeting notes, transcripts of conference calls) or the testimony of those present at such meetings. If a "secret agreement" or "conspiracy" (as "collusion" is defined at the top of this post) can be shown, fine. But an inability to do so should not be the end of the matter. Indeed, it should not have been the beginning, either.



Here is an effort at an explanatory analogy for where the Putin-Trump inquiry should have begun.



Consider the terrorist attack on 9/11. That involved collusion, or a conspiracy -- an organization, communication and control, financing, training, a plan, and the execution of that plan. That was the case with some of the terrorist attacks in Europe and elsewhere. But as our government, intelligence community, and international cooperation became more sophisticated, loose affiliations such as Al Qaeda and ISIS found it increasingly difficult to carry out such organized attacks. Did they give up? No. What did they do? They changed strategy and procedures.



They began sending out to everyone in the world with an Internet connection the equivalent of the computer-generated emails we all get from time to time notifying us that we can't "reply" to the email. They said, in effect, "Don't leave your country; don't try to contact us or come to the Middle East for training; don't try to organize massive destruction like 9/11. Do what you can do where you are: shoot somebody or throw them off a rooftop, make a car bomb or drive your car into a crowd." Many to most of those who were persuaded by these Web pages and social-media messages, persuaded to engage in some terrorist act, were not a part of a conspiracy, or collusion with a terrorist organization's leadership. They had attended no meetings, had no conversations, received no electronic communications personal to them. What they do is "consistent" with the organization's goals and strategies, but it does not constitute "collusion."





Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).


Un-Trump the Budget

(Image by WorldBeyondWar.org) Details DMCA



Check out below the list of people who have come together on this!

Add your name.

Our environmental and human needs are desperate and urgent. We need to transform our economy, our politics, our policies and our priorities to reflect that reality. That means reversing the flow of our tax dollars, away from war and militarism, and towards funding human and environmental needs, and demanding support for that reversal from all our political leaders at the local, state and national levels.

We and the movements we are part of face multiple crises. Military and climate wars are destroying lives and environments, threatening the planet and creating enormous flows of desperate refugees. Violent racism, Islamophobia, misogyny, homophobia and other hatreds are rising, encouraged by the most powerful voices in Washington DC.

President Trump plans to strip $54 billion from human and environmental spending so as to increase already massive spending on the military. The plan raises Pentagon spending to well over 60 cents of every discretionary dollar in the U.S. budget -- even as Trump himself admits that enormous military spending has left the Middle East "far worse than it was 16, 17 years ago." The wars have not made any of us safer.

Washington's militarized foreign policy comes home as domestic law enforcement agencies acquire military equipment and training from the Pentagon and from military allies abroad. Impoverished communities of color see and face the power of this equipment regularly, in the on-going domestic wars on drugs and immigrants. This military-grade equipment is distributed and used by many of the same private companies that profit from mass incarceration and mass deportation.

Using just a fraction of the proposed military budget, the US could provide free, top-quality, culturally competent and equitable education from pre-school through college and ensure affordable comprehensive healthcare for all. We could provide wrap-around services for survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence; replace mass incarceration with mass employment, assure clean energy and water for all residents and link our cities by new fast trains. We could double non-military U.S. foreign aid, wipe out hunger worldwide. The list of possibilities is long.

Instead, the Trump administration plans to take much of their $54 billion gift for the Pentagon from the budgets of the Environmental Protection Agency (even threatening to shut down its already under-funded environmental justice office), the Department of Health and Human Services (slashing family planning and anti-violence-against-women programs), from the State Department (thus privileging war over diplomacy), and foreign aid (so that the wealthiest country in human history turns its back on the world's most desperate).

Among those most desperate are the 24 million refugees who have been forced out of their homes and countries, more than at any time since World War II. Instead of cruel Muslim bans and cuts to the already meager number of refugees allowed into the U.S., we should be welcoming far more. Alleviating the refugee crisis also means working to end, rather than escalate, the wars that create refugees, and supporting human rights defenders in their home communities. That means more diplomacy and foreign aid, not more military spending.

With its hundreds of billions of un-audited dollars, the military remains the greatest consumer of petroleum in the United States, and one of the world's worst polluters. The US needs new green, sustainable jobs across our economy targeted to people facing the highest rates of unemployment and low wages. Military spending results in an economic drain. Clean energy production creates 50% more jobs than the same investment in military spending.

The U.S. military also serves as a security force protecting the extraction and transport of fossil fuels domestically and from the Middle East and other parts of the world. U.S. military force thus enables the continued assault on the planet and some of its most impoverished inhabitants by ensuring the supply of cheap fossil fuels, all while subsidizing some of the largest corporations in the world.

A December 2014 Gallup poll showed people in 65 nations considered the United States far and away the largest threat to peace in the world. If the United States was known for providing clean drinking water, schools, medicine, and solar panels to others, instead of attacking and invading other countries, we would be far more secure and face far less global hostility.

We can do this. Reverse the flow. No walls, No War, No Warming!

Click to sign.

A. Garcia climbing poetree

Adam Shah Senior Policy Analyst, Jobs With Justice

Alice Slater Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

Alice Walker poet and writer

Angela Kelly

Ann Wright Veterans for Peace

Annie Leonard Greenpeace USA

Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson Highlander Research &a Education Center

Ayesha Gill IWW

Basav Sen

Barbara Cicalese Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia

Beverly Guy-Sheftall Professor, Spelman College

Bonnie Gorman Mass. Peace Action

Bonnie Hughes Berkeley Arts Festival

Rabbi Brant Rosen American Friends Service Committee

Bill goonan

Bonnie Lockhart System Change not Climate Change

Brian Trautman Veterans For Peace

Buzz Davis Vets for Peace

Carrie Schudda

Chris Kaihatsu RevLeft (affiliation only)

Chuck Kaufman National Co-Coordinator, Alliance for Global Justice

Chuck Woolery

Cindy Wiesner Grassroots Global Justice Alliance

Collin Rees SustainUS

Corey E. Olsen CEO Pipe Organs/Golden Ponds Farm

Dara Baldwin President and CEO of DMADRINA, LLC, Social Justice Policy expert

Daniel Carrillo Enlace

Dan Gilman Veterans For Peace

David F. Gassman System Change not Climate Change

David Hart New Economy Maryland, Institute for Policy Studies

David McReynolds former Chair, War Resisters International

David Swanson author, radio host, co-founder of WarIsACrime.org & World Beyond War

David Schwartzman DC Statehood Green Party

Dayne Goodwin Secretary, Wasatch Coalition for Peace and Justice, Salt Lake City

Don Harmon

Ed Bennett

Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Princeton University

Eve Ensler V-Day and One Billion Rising

Erich Pica President, Friends of the Earth

Frank Cordaro Des Moines Catholic Worker

Felice & Jack Cohen-Joppa the Nuclear Resister

Gene Keyes

Henry Lowendorf Greater New Haven Peace Council

George Martin Liberty Tree Fiundation

Gloria Steinem Author, feminist

Gregory Cendana Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO & Executive Committee Member of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans

Gwyn Kirk Women for Genuine Security

James Early Institute for Policy Studies Board Member

j hoegler

Jamie DeMarco Program for Nuclear Disarmament & Pentagon Spending, Friends Committee on National Legislation

Jane Fonda actress & activist

Jaron Brown Grassroots Global Justice Alliance

Jaron Browne Grassroots Global Justice Alliance

Jay Schaffner Moderator, Portside

Jeff Cohen co-founder, RootsAction.org

Jeff Furman Ben & Jerry's Board of Directors

Jenny Lynn California for Progress

Jim Barton

Jo Comerford Campaign Director, MoveOn.org

Joan Phillips

Joanne Landy Co-Director, Campaign for Peace and Democracy

Jodie Evans CODEPINK

Jonathan Boyne

John Kailin Member, Jewish Voice for Peace

John Cavanagh Director of the Institute for Policy Studies

John Lindsay-Poland American Friends Service Committee

John Sellers Other 98%

Josh Ruebner Policy Director, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights

Joseph gerson American Friends Service Committee

Judith LeBlanc Native Organizers Alliance

Julie Levine Topanga Peace Alliance and MLK Coalition of Greater Los Angeles

Kathleen A Maloy Strategic Consulting for Health Equity

Kathy Bradley

Kathy Kelly Voices for Creative Nonviolence

kathy lipscomb senior & disablity action

Kathy Spillar

Kelley Ready Dorchester People for Peace, Congo Action Now

Keith McHenry Food Not Bombs

Kevin Lindemann

Kevin Martin President, Peace Action and the Peace Action Education Fund

Kourtney Andar Veterans For Peace

Kimberle Williams Crenshaw The African American Policy Forum

Lari Phillips Mussatti CTA

Laura Flanders host of The Laura Flanders Show

Leslie Cagan Peoples Climate Movement NY

Leah Bolger World Beyond War, Veterans For Peace, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

Lindsay Koshgarian Research Director, National Priorities Project

Lindsey Allen Executive Director, Rainforest Action Network

Litsa Binder NJ Peace Action, FCNL, AFSC, Greenpeace

Liz Moore Peace & Justice Action League of Spokane

Lukas Ross Climate and Energy Campaigner, Friends of the Earth

Mab Segrest, Southerners on New Ground

Lydia Davis

Madelyn Hoffman New Jersey Peace Action

Maggie Martin Co-director of Iraq Veterans Against the War

Marjorie Cohn National Lawyers Guild.

Mark Almberg

Mark Foreman Veterans For Peace

Marie Dennis Co-President, Pax Christi International.

Martha Hennessy Catholic Worker

Martin Melkonian

Mary Sue Meads

May Boeve 350.org

Medea Benjamin CODEPINK

Megan Amudson Women's Action for New Directions

Mehrene Larudee

Michael Eisenscher US Labor Against the War

Michael Kaufman Communities for a Better Environment

Michael T. McPhearson Veterans For Peace

Michelle Alexander author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness

Michelle Dixon Global Progressive Hub

Michelle Manos California for Progress

Mike Tidwell Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network

Miriam Pemberton Institute for Policy Studies

M.K.Brussel

Monisha Rios Veterans For Peace, National Board of Directors

Monique Salhab Veterans For Peace

Murshed Zaheed Vice President and Political Director, CREDO Mobile

Nabil Mohammad ADC

Nadine Bloch Beautiful Trouble

Naomi Klein author of This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate

Nicolas J S Davies Journalist, Consortium News

Norman Solomon Co-Founder and Coordinator, RootsAction.org

Olivia Alperstein Communications and Policy Associate, Progressive Congress

Opal Tometi Executive Director, Black Alliance for Just Immigration; & Co-Founder, BLM Network

Oscar Chacon Alianza Americas

Patrick McCann Veterans For Peace, National Education Association

Paul Shannon American Friends Service Committee

pedro Escuela de La Paz

Peter Buffett American musician, composer, author and philanthropist

Phyllis Bennis Fellow, Institute for Policy Studies & Director, New Internationalism Project

Rabbi Brant Rosen American Friends Service Committee

Rafael Jesus Gonza'lez -- poet Xochipilli, Latino Men's Circle

Richard Greve Veterans for Peace, Peace Action

Robert Applebaum

Richard (RJ) Eskow Host, The Zero Hour radio program

Robert Naiman Just Foreign Policy

Robert Shetterly Americans Who Tell the Truth

Robert Weissman Public Citizen

Rosa Clemente 2008 Green Party VP candidate

Rosette M. Bagley Pax Christi Illinois

Rebecca Vilkomerson Executive Director, Jewish Voice for Peace

Reece Chenault National Coordinator, US Labor Against the War

Regina Birchem Women's International League for Peace & Freedom

Samina Sundas Founder, American Muslim Voice Foundation

Saru Jayaraman Co-Director at Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROC-United)

Staceyann Poet

Steph Guilloud Project South

Stephen Miles Director of Win Without War

Steve Cobble

Steve Ongerth IWW, IBU (ILWU), Climate Workers, Railroad Workers United, System Change not Climate Change, and Sunflower Alliance

Tarak Kauff Veterans For Peace

Terry Kay Rockefeller September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows

Terry O'Neill President, National Organization for Women

Thea Paneth Arlington United for Justice with Peace, United for Peace and Justice

Thenmozhi Soundararajan Equality Labs

Thomas L Harrison Campaign for Peace and Democracy

Tom Swan Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG)

Vince Warren Exec Director, Center for Constitutional Rights

Alice Slater WORLD BEYOND WAR

Wendy Thompson UAW, L. 22

William D. Hartung Center for International Policy

Winnie Wong co-founder, People for Bernie

Zillah Eisenstein writer, anti-racist feminist, International Women's Strike/US

Join the above signers here:

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/un-trump-the-budget

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
So far the U.S. operation in the province of Raqqa has brought nothing but a great number of casualties among civilian population and disruption of urban infrastructure as a result of indiscriminate bombing.

It should be mentioned that since the World War II, America has been ignoring civilian casualties while conducting military operations abroad. We can recall the bombings of Tokyo and Dresden as well as the use of nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945. It seems that death of innocent people is a routine Pentagon uses to reach its goals.



US Troops in Syria

(Image by Warrior) Details DMCA



At the same time the U.S. makes efforts to conceal the real number of airstrike victims. U.S. Central Command confirmed the death of as much as 229 civilians, a number that is allegedly under-reported. According to Airwars monitoring organization, more than 2800 civilians were killed by the coalition airstrikes.

The United Nations repeatedly criticized the International Coalition actions in Syria and Iraq. On March 30, the United Nations Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien urged the armed groups and the International Coalition to ensure the safety of civilians during the liberation of Raqqa from terrorists. O'Brien also raised concerns about the future of 400,000 civilians who still remain in the besieged city and may suffer from the actions of the 'liberators'.

It is fair to assume that Washington is unlikely to follow the UN's appeals and won't attempt to coordinate its efforts for 'liberating' the city from terrorists. Since the beginning of the military operation in Syria the U.S. has failed to achieve any positive results, and liberating of Raqqa by Kurdish blood would likely result in numerous civilian casualties and disruption of key infrastructure.

In addition, the assault on such a well-defensed city requires participation of all the sides interested in the fight against terrorism. Consequently, the International Coalition must coordinate its actions with the Syrian Arab Army, aimed at the liberation of territories previously occupied by the terrorists. Finally, the U.S. authorities should think over the possibility of creating humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from the besieged city, as it has been done in Aleppo. Perhaps if Washington met these conditions, the U.S. assault on the city of Raqqa would succeed.
The USDA inspects puppy mills, traveling animal acts, animal-testing labs, etc. for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. It's a public agency doing inspections for the good of the public. So, obviously these animal welfare-inspection reports should be public. Under the Trump administration, new inspection reports will no longer be posted on the USDA's website.

Brian Klippenstein, executive director of Protect the Harvest, is leading Trump's transition team at the USDA. According to Protect the Harvest's website, its purpose is to inform "America's consumers, businesses and decision-makers about the threats posed by animal rights groups and anti-farming extremists." It's very suspicious that the USDA decided to be less transparent on animal cruelty-inspection reports under the Trump administration when Klippenstein was put in charge.

Brian Klippenstein should not be managing the transition team for the USDA with his major conflict of interest. The USDA inspection reports must be made public again on the USDA's website.

The USDA can be contacted at agsec@usda.gov.


madeinusa

(Image by aestheticlegal.com) Details DMCA



When Jay Leno still hosted The Tonight Show, he had a frequent segment called "Jaywalking." He would go out onto the streets of New York City, and ask random young people questions, such as, "Who won the Revolutionary War?" or "Who fought in the Civil War?" The answers were appallingly ignorant.

Politicians and educators argue about what has gone wrong with our educational system, but the fact that the supposed most powerful nation in the world ranks 14thin education and 24thin reading literacy means that we are failing our kids. And even though our dropout rate is falling, over three million kids drop out of high school every year. And it is worse in the realm of higher education. Over 40% of students who enter college drop out without earning a degree, in both two-year and four-year institutions.

So, what exactly is wrong with American education? If you ask teachers and students, here are the answers you get:

Secondary Schooling is Irrelevant and Political

High school students complain, and rightly so, that they are given a curriculum which has little relevance to what they will be doing in life. As well, they are forced to focus on multiple-choice achievement tests and how to best take them rather than on more important skills sets such as personal finance, problem-solving, vocational/career training, etc.

Teachers voice the same complaints, but to deaf ears. State legislators, who have political agendas, are more concerned about test scores, transgender bathrooms, and prayer in schools than they are about the real goal of preparing kids for an unpredictable future. And those state legislators determine curriculum, textbook adoptions, and, most important, funding. In 2014, for example, the Texas State Board of Education, approved textbooks which stated, among other things, that Moses and the Ten Commandments were foundational in the creation of the U.S. Constitution, and that man-made contributions to climate change were not accurate claims.

The other concerns of state legislatures are, of course, test scores, which are used to determine student grade promotions and accountability of teachers. And college admissions standards are still heavily dependent upon SAT and ACT scores.

Teachers want to turn kids into lifelong independent learners, but legislatures and college admissions committees have other things in mind.

Schooling Remains Unequal

Recent data demonstrates the glaring inequalities among public school districts, largely based upon the socioeconomic demographics of the communities they serve. Schools in poor urban communities, with a large percentage of minority students, are poorly funded, in disrepair, and can only attract those teachers who are unable to find jobs in better-paying districts.

Minority students start the "race" in a different place and if they are to get into college, must play catch up their entire K-12 schooling lives. And expectations for performance are consistently lower for students of color. White suburban children, on the other hand, do quite well.

Given that non-white students will comprise 44% of our K-12 student populations by 2020, American has a problem. These students will not be prepared for the types of jobs that await them.

College is Expensive and Wastes Precious Learning Time

The U.S. higher education system forces students into two years of general education coursework, giving them only two years to focus on their majors. For example, students who plan to go into STEM fields are forced into English and social science classes in which they must become master essay and paper writers when they would prefer to be in laboratories. They understand the stupidity of this and so look to online writing services in order to meet the requirements of courses which are a waste of time and money. Who can blame them?

America is the only country in the developed world that forces students to pay for their own college educations. In fact, it ranks 54th in public spending on education. College is out of the question for many students and those who do go have an average of $33,000 worth of debt along with that Bachelor's degree.

What is the Solution?

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Doctor Who is coming back! As a Doctor Who super-fan, this pleases me greatly. 2016 was a long year without the adventures of the Doctor for company. Christmas's Return of Doctor Mysterio was a welcome oasis, but while highly enjoyable, there's no substitute for a thirteen episode run to satisfy a true Whovian. If you're anything like me, you're marking the days till April 15th. However, in the meantime, speculation has gone wild, and, as designated super-fan, I will respond to the speculation with the benefit of my all-encompassing nerd-knowledge.

Warning: mild potential spoilers ahead

Capaldi's out. Who's next?

The big news is, of course, that Peter Capaldi is signing off as the Doctor at the end of this year. I've enjoyed Capaldi's crotchety take on the Doctor immensely, but this is his third season playing the character, and three years is the mode tenure of a Doctor, as per Patrick Troughton's oft-quoted advice to Peter Davison.

But who will play the part next? As always, the speculation is boundless and pointless. No really, it is. Every time we get a new Doctor the bookies go nuts, and we do the same boring dance. Will it be a woman? Will it be a non-caucasian actor? Will it be this or that ridiculously famous person? No. It never is. It will almost certainly be a caucasian male actor who is very good at their job, probably not a mega-famous superstar, probably not someone who has played a similarly iconic character in TV or film, almost certainly not someone who has previously had a recurring role in the show, and definitely not a previous Doctor. Odds are it will be someone that British people kinda know, and that a few Americans might have heard of. That has been the trend historically. You probably will not really know who the new Doctor Who actor is, but their tenure as the Doctor will define how the world sees them.

Pearl is in. What will she be like?



Pearl Mackie is joining the TARDIS crew as new companion Bill. According to the series trailer she works as a dinner lady, knows the Doctor through him being some kind of a professor, and quickly gets swept up in his adventures.





Our first look at the new companion BBC





There is very little to be gleaned so far on the subject of the new companion beyond inferences based on her costume, a brief monologue, a few short clips, and one longer clip. A few people have speculated that she is going to be annoying, and that the writing is trying too hard to make her quirky it really is too soon to say on any of that. After all, I thought I was going to hate having Catherine Tate as a series regular, and she has turned out to be one of my favorite companions of the modern Who era.

Her big distinction, as has just recently been announced, is that she will be the series' first openly gay companion. I would argue that John Barrowman's all-but-explicitly-declared pansexuality as Jack Harkness technically did that first (he did share a kiss with Christopher Eccleston's Doctor, after all). But let's not split hairs, here. The representation and diversity aspects of this are quite welcome to the series, and anyone upset that the new companion is a mixed race, gay woman is not someone I want to be friends with.

The most interesting things about her, from a Doctor Who historian's point of view, are the parallels between her and classic series companion Ace. Bill has a 1980s feel to her (and awesome 1980s hair), a jacket with patches sewn on to it, and calls the Doctor "Professor" at least once in the trailer. These were all hallmarks of Sophie Aldred's Ace though Bill has yet to be seen carrying a bag of Nitro 9 around with her. There's a good chance I'm drawing false conclusions here, but the fact that classic series writer Rona Munro (who wrote Ace's and the classic series' final story Survival) has penned one of this season's episodes is fueling the fire on this for me.

A few people have wondered whether Mackie will exit the TARDIS with Capaldi. This is technically possible, but there has been nothing conclusive announced so far, and it seems like they'll want something to ease the transition between Capaldi and the next Doctor. Bill could well be that bridge. On the flip side, incoming producer Chris Chibnall may want a clean slate to draw on, like Steven Moffat did when he began his tenure. As I said, it remains to be seen.

Most importantly, I'm looking forward to seeing what a new actress and a new character brings to the table.

Speaking of Moffat

Steven Moffat, after seven years as show runner, is stepping down and letting Chris Chibnall take over. Like a lot of the fandom, I have had mixed feelings about Moffat's tenure. He brought back some aspects of the classic series that had been missing under Russel T. Davies, he kept the show alive in face of BBC interference, and he has, either directly or indirectly, created some of the modern series' best episodes and greatest moments. He has, however, also produced some of the most convoluted, confusing, and dull stories of all time (Hello, Hide). Throw in to that a few stories with worrying allegorical implications (ahem, Kill the Moon's abortion metaphor) and occasional flutterings of sexism (he writes a lot of female characters who are defined by the men in their life) and you have a tenure with distinct highs and lows.





Showrunner Steven Moffat BBC Images





As a long term Who fan you learn to take the rough with the smooth, so I find it hard to hold a grudge against Moffat in the long term. What's most interesting right now, is to wonder what he's going to do in his final season. We know a few of his favorite monsters are coming back, and at least one classic series oddity will be making a return (We'll get to them in a minute). We can also assume that his and Capaldi's departure will end up in the writing thematically. Exactly how is still up in the air, but given Capaldi's penchant for moody gravitas, I would put down money that Moffat's going to play in to that like a hot-topic customer. Expect many frowny eye-brows from the Doctor.

The Ice Warriors are back

If you're a classic series fan you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you're less familiar, remember that big green guy on the Russian submarine in that one episode? Those guys.

I have mixed feelings on this. I didn't love Matt Smith's ice-capade episode, I thought it added too much unnecessary lore to the Ice Warriors, and essentially turned them in to bio-mechanical Klingons. Given that all that's now been established, it's likely they'll have to carry it forward. That said, I have loved the Ice Warriors in the past. Seeds of Death is probably their best appearance. It features them en masse, hissing, scheming and menacing, and that's how I like them. Details leaked have them being seen on Mars, apparently in a Jules Verne meets Zulu story penned by series favorite (and Sherlock) writer Mark Gatiss. The Zulu element worries me, because it implies we're going to be dealing with their newfound warrior-heritage, but I'm optimistic for one key reason: The Ice Lords will be back. This has me excited because I love their design, and because it implies that we will see a lot of Ice Warriors. We can infer this because the Ice Lords are the upper level of the Ice Warrior caste system. No point in being a lord if you have no one to lord it over. So we will likely see an Ice Warrior army, which is something I'm all in favor of.





An Ice Lord BBC





The Movellans are back

It's only there for a second, but in a frame from the new series trailer we can clearly see a Movellan laser weapon, and the outline of their distinctive disco dreadlocks. The Movellans are enemies of the Daleks, only seen once before, in the Tom Baker story Destiny of the Daleks. They are a race of robots that rival the Daleks and bring them to a stalemate, a stalemate that can only be resolved by the Daleks digging up their creator Davros and putting him back in charge.





It's blurry, but it's definitely Movellans BBC





Honestly the Movellans weren't great baddies, but then Destiny of the Daleks wasn't a great story. It was the awkward love child of a past-his-prime Terry Nation (creator of the Daleks) and a young, in-slightly-over-his-head, script editing Douglas Adams. I have a lot of love and respect for these two men, but this was by no means their greatest, most insightful work. It is notable mostly for turning Davros in to a recurring villain, rather than just a one-off baddie (for better or worse).

The Movellans look like the goofy humanoid robots you expect from cheap sci-fi and, while they have some personality, there isn't a whole lot to them. So what to make of their return? Well, it could be the setup to an interesting Dalek story: the resurrection of an old foe that nearly bested them, perhaps the only other species, besides the Time Lords, that could do it. Maybe the Daleks and the Doctor need to team up to defeat the Movellans, before they become too dangerous for either party to handle.

Or, this could be a callback to the Time War. After all, which side would the Movellans fight on in that war? Would they side against the Daleks, their greatest enemy, or against the Time Lords, who would likely to turn on them as soon as they had destroyed the Daleks? There is a final, interesting, and very Steven Moffat option, of course maybe they're not the focus of the story they're in at all. It could just be a one off shot as fan service to show the Daleks being destructive, before cutting back to the main story. I would not put this past Moffat, if he really wanted to tease us with a Movellan-heavy story in the trailer he could have had them featured more prominently. Time will tell. Always does.

Missy is back

Michelle Gomez' female version of The Master is set to return, as detailed in an on-set video. Now, I like the Master being a woman. I think it's great fun, and Michelle Gomez is always a delight. I didn't love the ending of her first outing as the character, but I enjoyed her second tremendously. Even if she did get relegated to the sidelines a bit by the end. Her portrayal actually feels a lot closer to the classic series Master than Jon Simm's did. In that she turns up regularly, seemingly at random, and tries to ruin the Doctor's life, all whilst being seemingly obsessed with him. Jon Simm's Master felt like a response to David Tennant's Doctor. Which it was. True, Missy is also a reaction to Capaldi's Doctor, but she is used plot-wise much more similarly to Roger Delgado's original version of the character, in that she is just an unavoidable fact of the Doctor's existence, rather than the ultimate uber-villain.





Missy, the now-female incarnation of The Master BBC





My hope with her return is that they are keeping her in that vein, and bringing her back with some madcap scheme that the Doctor will have to unravel, possibly involving Autons. Because there's nothing that quite tops the list of greatest Master moments for me better than the scene in Terror of the Autons where the Master has a plastic chair (under Auton control) eat a disorderly underling. It's pure campy gold, and I want to see them do that again. My fear is that Steven Moffat will overcomplicate things, as he often does, that he will flaunt his subversion of expectations like an Ascot fascinator. He's done it a few times now: overplayed the 'timey-wimey' card, had four different plot twists when two would have done, and left an episode feeling crowded, over ambitious, and underwhelming (Hi, Wedding of River Song). We shall see what happens.

It is also possible that Missy will once again be teaming up with the Cybermen, because

Mondasian Cybermen are back

Cybermen are a Doctor Who staple, and have been in the Modern Series of Doctor Who since the second series. However, they came back with a twist. The Cybermen of the new series were different to the Cybermen of old, in that they were born in an alternate universe under completely different circumstances to the Classic Series Cybermen. The Cybermen from days of yore hailed from Earth's twin planet Mondas. And they originally looked a heck of a lot goofier than the Cybermen we came to know and love. Way back in their first story, The Tenth Planet, they looked less like robots, and more like mummies with spotlights strapped to their heads. Are you the the type of person who misses that? Well, good news! That old, old design is coming back.





Scary? Not scary? Hard to tell... BBC





I don't quite know what to say on this one. Moffat talked, when he first took over as showrunner, about bringing back old school Cybermen, but he seemed mainly concerned with the tone of the stories they appeared in. He said he wanted them to be more mysterious, less militant, as they became under Davies' eye. I thought we'd seen him play out this vision in the Cybermen stories he's already done as show runner, bringing it to a head in Nightmare in Silver, where they were adaptable, scheming, and almost cyberpunk in look and feel.

Capaldi is allegedly the driving force behind the throwback look. He claimed in a 2014 interview to be a huge fan of the old-school Cyberman mode. My guess is this story is a pairing of Capaldi's nostalgia with Moffat's. A gift from Moffat to Capaldi of getting to play with toys from his childhood, and a gift from Moffat to Moffat of getting to play with one of his favorite show runner tools: off-beat shock value. I'm equal parts uneasy and optimistic. Uneasy, because Moffat has played the shock-gambit game with us before and failed (ahem, Let's Kill Hitler). Optimistic, however, because if this is a story he's wanted to tell for a while, and that Capaldi is heavily invested in, I feel like they're going to get it right. Much like they did with this past season's The Witch's Familiar. Here's hoping.

Is Peter Jackson directing an episode?

Probably not. It'd be cool, but probably not. Jackson's a busy guy who's used to having a giant film crew to work with. There's not a lot for him in the world of TV. He'd only have reputation to lose by directed an episode of Doctor Who.





Jackson and his would-be cast BBC





Not convinced? Well, imagine this: Jackson directs an episode of Who. It's the best episode ever. Great. Peter Jackson is still a great director. We all knew that. The balance of the universe remains where it is. Now imagine: Jackson directs an episode of Who. It's average or worse. People wonder why. Maybe Jackson's not so great, maybe he couldn't work to the BBC budget, maybe he can only work if he has the resources of a studio behind him, maybe he's not that talented after all You see the issue? If he succeeds he stays where he's at, if he fails while "slumming it", he could fall very far indeed.

Matt Lucas is a permanent fixture this year

Matt Lucas' Nardole, seen in The Husbands of River Song and The Return of Doctor Mysterio, is going to be a regular companion.





Matt Lucas as Nardole BBC





I'm interested to see where this goes. I didn't love the character's first appearance, but mainly because I didn't love that story as a whole. In that instance it felt like cheap stunt casting. His second appearance, however, was much more fun, and he served as an excellent foil to Capaldi's Doctor in Mysterio. Lucas is a great performer and a long time fan of the show, so there's plenty of promise here.

No Clara

There have been rumors of Jenna-Louise Coleman coming back again for another round of Clara. This doesn't seem likely. Clara's arc was pretty well done at the end of the last series, trudging her back in again would likely ruin the development we saw in the character.









I'm in no rush to have Clara come back either. I never bought the 'Impossible Girl' character arc. I thought it was weak, and resolved poorly. Her relationship with Danny Pink was more interesting, but the stories they were in together turned both those characters in to killjoys, which I didn't enjoy. Her emotional independence and growth in the most recent series saw her at her best, and most engaging. However, at the end of two and a half seasons it felt distinctly like the writers had no overarching idea of what they were trying to do with this character. To that end, her eventual maturity, while earned and compelling, felt like a good repair to a bad foundation. So, in that spirit, I feel like we should all leave well enough alone, and accept that Clara's not coming back, and that she shouldn't come back.

In Summary

We know headlines, but we don't know details. Which is the way the publicity machine works. My guess is we're in for a bit of a fan blowout, what with all the fan service we already know to expect, and the definitive knowledge that we are at the end of an epic, if occasionally shaky, era of Doctor Who. Moffat has even gone on record to say that this latest season will "Reboot" the series. Which is daft to say, because it feels like every single one of Moffat's series as show runner has tried to reboot the series. He has constantly tweaked the format, re-written lore, deliberately subverted established Who precedents and worked to make the series as unpredictable as possible. I have loved some of it, and I have loathed some of it. But this series it feels like the gloves are coming off, Moffat's hunkering down, Capaldi's champing at the bit, and we are all set to enjoy the best possible version of the Doctor Who that Moffat has in his head, and has been trying to make since 2010.

Here's to that!
[April 05, 2017] Make Your Work Matter: Workfront launches powerful ebook to disrupt Britain's workers

LONDON, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Workfront, the leading provider of cloud-based enterprise work management solutions, today published its new ebook 'Make Your Work Matter' which looks to challenge the way the UK looks at the work week. With chapters drafted by thought leaders within the business world, the book explores how modern day workers can navigate new technologies to remain attentive, motivated, and increase their overall productivity. Make Your Work Matter: 7 Thought Leaders on Why Work Isn't Working For You and How You Can Change It', digs into the fascinating history of the modern workplace, addresses some of the causes of underperformance, challenges conventional wisdom, and provides actionable solutions for today's workers, as well as provides much needed insight for managers. Workfront set out to create the ebook following findings from its research that too many qualified, talented individuals find themselves underperforming at work, often due to archaic routines, processes, and tools. The ebook's central objective is to demonstrate that the 'typical' working life of constant overtime can be overhauled and workers can reclaim their productivity and effectiveness within a standard 40-hour week. Alex Shootman, CEO of Workfront commented:



"We've brought together some of the best minds in the industr to create a knowledge tool that is not just insightful, but most importantly, practical. A lot of the content here pushes against today's norms and customs and forces the reader to think about the purpose of work in a new way. We hope this ebook invigorates all who read it and inspires them to change their work life for the better."



The ebook's chapters include: Time is No Longer Money by business psychologist Tony Crabbe who argues that we should be moving toward a model of managing and measuring attention instead of time.

Data-Driven Management Depends on Identifying the RIGHT Data by Chris Savoie, Director of Product Strategy at Workfront, reveals an exhortation to managers to sift through the 'noise' and identify data that can lead to real change. Work Smarter- not Harder- to Greater Positivity and Success by Raj Raghunathan, Professor of Marketing at University of Texas, Austin, explores the link between positivity and productivity and posits that employees should be encouraged to spend no more than 40 hours a week at work. The 8 Dos and Don'ts of Change Management by Jada Balster, Director of Marketing, EMEA, at Workfront, discloses a practical guide to navigate change and emerge successful. Your Office is Annihilating Your Productivity: 5 Ways to Stop It by Amanda Schneider & Suzanne Maynard from Contract Consulting Group contemplates if the very design of the workplace and tools we use are responsible for lacklustre productivity. My Life Out in the Open: How 'Open Workspaces' Stink and What I Did to Win Breaking with conventional wisdom, Chris Brogan, CEO of Owner Media Group and a New York Times bestselling author, takes a critical look at the open plan office and offers solutions to maintain productivity amidst distractions. Why Change Initiatives in the Workplace Fail by business psychologist Dr Craig Knight examines the complex structures that stifle true progress in many companies. To download the full Workfront ebook 'Make Your Work Matter: 7 Thought Leaders on Why Work Isn't Working For You and How You Can Change It', visit http://www.workfront.com/makeyourworkmatter. About Workfront Workfront is a cloud-based Enterprise Work Management solution that helps marketing, IT, and other enterprise teams conquer the chaos of excessive email, redundant status meetings, and disconnected tools. Unlike other tools, Workfront Enterprise Work Cloud is a centralized, easy-to-adopt solution for managing and collaborating on all types of work through the entire work lifecycle, which improves team productivity and executive visibility. Workfront is trusted by thousands of global enterprises, like Cars.com, Cisco Systems, Comcast, iProspect, Schneider Electric and Trek. To learn more, visit www.workfront.com or follow us on Twitter @Workfront_Inc. For more information please contact: Manifest London

Niamh Kelly, Julian Obubo

t. 0203 137 9270

e. [email protected] Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/170565/workfront_inc_logo.jpg

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Is there room on network TV for a smart, dark comedy or is it already doomed for the chair?

It must not be easy being a network comedy. With cable and streaming shows having the freedom to go raunchy if need be and lower viewing standards allowing them to survive on just a devoted cult following, there's more opportunities than ever before for intelligent comedies to find a home. Unfortunately the wildly entertaining new sitcom Trial & Error somehow didn't get this message. Airing on NBC, the network has struggled to find a place for it, offering two new episodes a week in the timeslot once occupied by the new juggernaut This is Us. And while NBC is doing is probably trying it's best to kick-start the series with a lead-in boost from The Voice like it did with fellow comedy Superstore, the series has seen dips in its ratings every week since it premiered last month.

The series' failure to catch on wouldn't be as much of an issue if it weren't also a darkly hilarious successor to the beloved Parks and Recreation. Borrowing the mockumentary format and heavy doses of small town quirk from the gang in Pawnee, Indiana, Trial & Error looks to skewer true crime series by detailing a small town murder investigation. Boasting a loaded comedic ensemble, the series' secret weapon is John Lithgow who follows up his dynamic turn as Churchill in The Crown as a delightfully eccentric poetry professor accused of murdering his wife. Finding a way to make an accused killer somehow lovable, the series uses Lithgow's masterful deadpan timing for some richly enjoyable gallows humor. But between Nicholas D'Agosto's straight man attorney, Steven Boyer's excitably eager investigator and Jayma Mays' tough but flirtatious DA, the series has the rapid interplay amongst its cast to make almost any scene work.

But despite the series' many achievements, prospects for the series aren't looking good. While it has earned acclaim from reviewers, the show lacks the broad appeal traditionally required for to survive on network. Though it's tone may be light, the series subject matter is likely too dark to grab family viewers tuning in for The Voice and features a major emphasis on continuity making it a challenge for series to grab first time viewers. Almost every part of the series screams out for a binge-model service like Netflix to give it a proper home the way it did Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Maybe if it's lucky one of these services can come to it's rescue and gives it a home if NBC pulls the plug the way it did for Unbreakable. Yet, in the mean time all I can hope is viewers take a chance on the most charming little murder comedy you'll likely ever see on a major TV network and give it a shot at the future it deserves.
Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the Automotive Clean Cold Technology Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2016-2026" report to their offering.

Automotive Clean Cold Technology Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-05 05:52:09

Press Information

Future Market Insights

Future Market Insights



616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,



Valley Cottage, NY 10989,



United States



T: +1-347-918-3531



F: +1-845-579-5705



Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com



Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com









email





Published by

Abhishek Budholiya

+1-347-918-3531

e-mail

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com







# 662 Words

Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531

Automotive clean cold technology is an emerging zero-emission technology which is especially design to provide power and refrigeration for automotive which used for transportation and logistics of variety of temperature sensitive goods. This technology uses a mature process of liquefaction, in which liquid nitrogen is used to provide power and refrigeration to an automotive. The technology offers advantages such as potential savings in fuel consumption, reduced emissions, and better cold chain temperature control and stability.Delivery truck using refrigeration system is operates through two diesel engines, primary engine provides optimum power to drive truck and secondary engine is used to provide cold space inside truck. According to the report published by 19th European Cold Chain Conference, secondary engine used for providing cold space is consume up to 20% of vehicle diesel, releases 6 times more mono nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 29 times more particulate matter than Euro VI engine, and also leaks up to 30% refrigerants. Refrigerants have high global warming potential and emission of refrigerants can impact adversely air quality. Hence there is a need of clean technology which not only provides efficient cooling function but also ensure low emission for an automotive. Clean cold technology is a novel approach to overcome fuel efficiency and pollution problems associated with an automobiles. This technology utilize vast amount of cold lost to environment during regasification of liquefied natural gas or nitrogen or liquid air. Cold lost to environment can be used to boost efficiency of engine at low temperature, to provide zero emission cooling and power for an automobile.Request For Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1736 Automotive Clean Cold Technology Market: Market DynamicsTransportation and logistics plays an important role in keeping the product handling and transportation among the safest in the world. Refrigeration is an essential need of transportation industry, to deliver intact temperature sensitive products such as food, beverages, pharmaceuticals and vegetables among other. Growing demand for energy efficient cooling technology for automobile and governments regulation over pollution control are two key drivers for adoption of clean cold technology in automobiles. Growing food and beverage and pharmaceuticals industry which highly rely on clean cold technologies, is expected to increase adoption of this technology across the globe. Additionally, rising government regulation over emission of air pollutants is expected to boost adoption of clean cold technology across the globe. However sustainability of the global clean cold technology market is majorly depends on further innovation and product development.Automotive Clean Cold Technology Market: Market SegmentationOn basis of fluid used, global market of automotive clean cold technology can be segmented as follow as:Nitrogen, Liquefied AirLiquefied Natural Gas (LNG)On basis of end-use industries, global market of automotive clean cold technology can be segmented as follow as:North America, Latin AmericaWestern Europe, Eastern EuropeAsia Pacific Excluding Japan, JapanMiddle East and AfricaAutomotive Clean Cold Technology Market: Regional OutlookGrowing demand for sustainable cold chain of refrigerated warehousing and transport is expected to drive adoption of automotive clean cold technology across the world. North America and Europe are expected to be most attractive segments in global market of automotive clean cold technology market. According to a study published by the University of Birmingham, almost 20% of temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals products are delivered damage or degraded due to inefficient cold chains in India. This can offers an opportunity to clean cold technology developer to penetrate in to high potential market of India. China is the largest market in Asia-Pacific followed by India in 2020, and is expected to grow rapidly in the near future. This is primarily because of growing industries such as food and beverages and pharmaceuticals which are highly rely on efficient refrigerated transportation in China.Request For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1736 Automotive Clean Cold Technology Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in global market of automotive clean cold technology are as follow as;The Dearman Engine Company, Carrier CorporationRinac India Limited, United Technologies Corporation
Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the Automotive Straps Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2016-2026" report to their offering.

Automotive Straps Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-05 06:16:25

Press Information

Future Market Insights

Future Market Insights



616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,



Valley Cottage, NY 10989,



United States



T: +1-347-918-3531



F: +1-845-579-5705



Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com



Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com









email





Published by

Abhishek Budholiya

+1-347-918-3531

e-mail

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com







# 635 Words

Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531

Straps are used across various industries for holding, reinforcing or fastening an items. Straps could be made from a wide range of materials primarily plastics, depending upon the purpose and tensile strength required. The materials can be bonded by a variety of methods: sewing, pressing, hooking, and injection molding etc. In automotive industry straps are employed in luggage compartment, car interiors, seating systems and transportation. In luggage set-ups straps are commonly used for fastening purposes. Contrary pull straps made with high grade webbing materials are being empirically used for towing, hauling and carrying vehicles. These days high standards of interior designs and functionality can be seen in modern vehicles, and straps forms an integral part of this structure. Not only they are being used as safety belts but also used for tightening and positioning seats, tethering airbags, retaining spare tires etc. The market is full of diverse elastic and non-elastic straps for vehicle interiors. Automotive straps are available in variegated designs and forms owing to the purpose it satisfies. The global market for straps used in automotive industry is anticipated to see a decent CAGR over the forecast period.Global Automotive Straps Market: Drivers and ConstraintsThe continuous growth in automobile sales across the globe is anticipated to be the primary factor driving the global automotive straps market in the forecast period. With advancement in automotive logistics and growth in transportation sector the need for pull straps used for automobile carriage purposes is presumed to rise. Alongside, the growth in tourism and logistics industry across the world will drive the demand for straps used for fixing luggage in car boots. Accompanying this the rising demand for multifunctional and beautiful car interiors is also expected to fuel the market for straps used in automotive interiors. At the same time the ever changing consumer needs and some technological advancement might counter effect the growth in the conventional straps market.Request For Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1811 Global Automotive Straps Market: SegmentationOn the basis of application area, the Global Automotive Straps Market is segmented into:Carriage/Automotive PullingLuggage CompartmentSeats and Seating SystemsOther Interior ApplicationOn the basis of material type, the Global Automotive Straps Market is segmented into:PolypropylenePolyesterPolyamideOthers (Rayon, Nylon etc.)On the basis of elasticity type, the Global Automotive Straps Market is segmented into:ElasticNon-ElasticOn the basis of vehicle type, Global Automotive Straps Market is segmented into:Passenger VehiclesCompact SizeMid-RangePremiumLuxuryCommercial VehiclesLCVHCVOn the basis of distribution channel, the Global Automotive Straps Market is segmented into:OEMAftermarketGlobal Automotive Straps Market: Regional OutlookIn terms of geography, the global automotive straps market has been divided in to seven key regions including North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Middle East & Africa and Japan. The APEJ nations (especially China) are expected to significantly contribute in the growth of global automotive strap market. With avid economic growth in the Asian nations, rising FDI, cheap labor cost; the growth in automobile manufacturing/transportation as well as consumption is destined to show an impressive increment, in-turn increasing their share of pie in the global automotive straps market. Furthermore owing to the large number of car owners and innumerous logistic activities, North America and European markets are anticipated to protectively hold their majority share in the forecast period. In essence, the global growth in transportation and automotive sector will escalate the global automotive straps market across all the covered regions.Request For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1811 Global Automotive Straps Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in the automotive straps market are JUMBO-Textile GmbH & Co., Maypole Ltd, Zilmont SRA, Damar Webbing Solutions Limited, Erickson Manufacturing Ltd., Sturges Manufacturing Inc., MISC Products Inc., etc.
Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the Key Opinion Leader Management Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2016-2026" report to their offering.

Bone Marrow Transplant Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-05 08:21:49

Press Information

Future Market Insights

616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,



Valley Cottage, NY 10989,



United States



T: +1-347-918-3531



F: +1-845-579-5705



Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com



Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com









email





Published by

Abhishek Budholiya

+1-347-918-3531

e-mail

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com







# 663 Words

616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531

Bone marrow transplantation, also referred as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the process of replacing diseased or damaged bone marrow or bone marrow stem cells with healthy tissue. Bone marrow is a soft vascular tissue present in the interior of long bones, which is primarily responsible for hematopoiesis (formation of blood cells), production of lymphocytes, and storage of a fat. Bone marrow transplantation procedure is recommended to treat severe stages of leukemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, multiple myeloma, aplastic and sickle cell anemia, thalassemia etc. In 2015, more than 75,000 bone marrow transplants were performed globally and the count is expected to increase by approximately 25% by the end of 2020. Depending on the source of bone marrow or stem cells, bone marrow transplant procedures are classified as peripheral stem cell transplant (PSCT) or conventional bone marrow transplant. The high potential of the bone marrow transplants and the ongoing researches in the field to reduce the risks and side effects of the procedure will take the market to a new high and provide better healthcare to millions of people in the world.Bone Marrow Transplant Market: Drivers and RestraintsIncreasing worldwide prevalence of cancers and anemia is the major driver for the growth of global bone marrow transplant market. Moreover, advances in technology, improving healthcare infrastructure, emerging indications of bone marrow transplant for heart and neuronal disorders, growing investment in logistic services, increasing per capita healthcare expenditure are some other factors expected to flourish the global bone marrow transplantation market. However, tremendous cost of the treatment, scarcity of bone marrow donors and uncertainty of reimbursement in several countries are some major restraints for the growth of global bone marrow transplantation market,Request For Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1354 Bone Marrow Transplant Market: SegmentationThe global bone marrow transplant market has been classified on the basis of transplant type, disease indication, end user and geography.Based on transplant type, the global bone marrow transplant market is divided into following:Autologous Bone Marrow TransplantAllogeneic Bone marrow TransplantBased on the disease indication, the global bone marrow transplant market is divided into following:LeukemiaLymphomaMyelomaOthers (anemia, thalassemia etc.)Based on the end user type, the global bone marrow transplant market is divided into following:HospitalsMultispecialty ClinicsAmbulatory Surgical CentersBone Marrow Transplant Market: OverviewAutologous bone marrow transplant segment of transplant type is expected to hold the major share in the global bone marrow transplant market owing to low treatment cost and high success rate. Leukemia being the most potential disease eligible for bone marrow transplant, is anticipated to contribute highest share in the global bone marrow transplant market. Hospital end user segment contributes major market share in global bone marrow transplant market owing to the requirement for advanced healthcare infrastructure for the procedure. Commercialization of stem cell therapies and expansion of them for clinical use is anticipated to cause surge in global bone marrow transplant market over the forecast period of 2016-2026.Bone Marrow Transplant Market: Region wise OverviewGeographically, global bone marrow transplant market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa.Europe will continue to lead the global bone marrow transplant market due to high density of bone marrow transplant centers and expanding bone marrow registries. Latin America is anticipated to witness rapid increase in volume of bone marrow transplant market owing to high number of potential candidates for the procedure. Increasing number of bone marrow transplant teams in North America is foreseen to boost the bone marrow transplant market in the region.Visit For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1354 Bone Marrow Transplant Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in global bone marrow transplant market are Lonza Group Ltd., Merck Millipore Corporation, Sanofi-Aventis LLC., AllCells LLC., STEMCELL Technologies, ATCC Inc., Hemacare Corporation, Cellular Dynamics International, ReachBio LLC., Conversant Bio, abm Inc., PromoCell GmbH, Cruline Human biospecime PRO, Lifeline Cell Technology, Mesoblast Ltd. and others.
Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the Key Opinion Leader Management Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2016-2026" report to their offering.

Chromatography Resin Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-05 08:20:40

Press Information

Future Market Insights

616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,



Valley Cottage, NY 10989,



United States



T: +1-347-918-3531



F: +1-845-579-5705



Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com



Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com









email





Published by

Abhishek Budholiya

+1-347-918-3531

e-mail

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com







# 477 Words

616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531

Chromatography is referred to as an essential technology used for the purification of biomolecules in which the components are separated and distributed between two phases named, stationary phase and mobile phase. Chromatography resins used in chromatography process are usually of two types, natural and synthetic. Along with these different inorganic chromatography resins are also widely used in chromatography processes. These chromatography resins are used in various chromatography techniques including affinity, ion exchange, mixed mode techniques, hydrophobic interaction and size exclusion. Among these above-mentioned techniques, ion exchange chromatography is considered to be the largest market for these resins as it represents highest consumption of chromatography resins amongst others. The chromatography resins are also used in various application areas such as pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food production, diagnostics, genetic engineering, drug discovery and water analysis.Chromatography Resin Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe market for global chromatography resins holds immense potential in coming years owing to growing demand for monoclonal antibody therapeutics and rising prevalence of critical diseases across the world. In addition, increasing number of application areas for these resins further expected to propel the growth of this market. While lack of skilled professionals is major barrier in chromatography resins market.Request For Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1349 Chromatography Resin Market: SegmentationGlobal chromatography resin marketis classified on the basis of nature, by techniqueand geography.Based on the Nature, the global chromatography resin marketis segmented into the following:Natural PolymersSynthetic PolymersInorganic MediaBased on the technique, the global chromatography resin marketis segmented into the followingIon ExchangeAffinitySize ExclusionHydrophobic InteractionMulti-modal / Mixed ModeChromatography Resin Market: OverviewChromatography trusted methodology and is a extensively utilized for sample separation that researchers use during a target-purification workflow. Chromatography resin market is expected to expand at promising CAGR during the forecast period due to active innovations and increased application in forensic sciences.Chromatography Resin Market: Region-wise OutlookDepending on geographic region chromatography resin marketis segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. In the geographical perspective, the North America region is the leading market for global chromatography resins market and followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific. Nonetheless, Asia-Pacific market is expected to grow at a healthy growth rate in coming years owing to certain driving factors such as increase in demand for biotechnology and pharmaceutical products. In addition, establishment of large number of contract manufacturing organizations in this region which subsequently drives the growth of chromatography resins market in this region.Visit For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1349 Chromatography Resin Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in chromatography resin market are Tosoh Corporation, Avantor Performance Materials, Inc., Purolite Corporation, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., General Electric Company, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Merck KGAA, Pall Corporation, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Repligen Corporation and others.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-05 18:03:01

VANCOUVER, B.C., April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cypress Development Corp. (TSX-V:CYP) (OTCBB:CYDVF) (Frankfurt:C1Z1) ("Cypress" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the execution of an Option Agreement (the "Agreement") with Silcom Systems Inc. ("Silcom") which provides Silcom an earn-in option to acquire an initial 51% interest in Cypress' 100% owned Gunman Zinc-Silver Property located in White Pine County, Nevada. Under the Agreement, Silcom will issue 1,500,000 listed common shares and make cash payments of $300,000 USD and incur exploration expenditure totaling $1,850,000 USD over the three year term of the first Agreement.

Cypress has granted Silcom a second Option to acquire an additional 29% interest in the Gunman Property by issuing 500,000 listed common shares and making a cash payment of $250,000 USD within 90 days of Silcom satisfying and exercising the first Option and incurring additional exploration expenditures totaling $1,100,000 USD within 12 months.

Upon completion by Silcom of the two Option Agreements and the issuance of all the shares and cash payments and completion of all work commitments set out above, Silcom shall have earned an 80% interest in the Gunman Property, subject to an underlying 2% net royalty interest.

The Agreement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance and the shares of Silcom obtaining a Canadian stock exchange listing.

About Cypress Development Corp.:

Cypress Development Corp. is a publicly traded lithium and zinc exploration company that continues to acquire and develop potentially viable mineral projects in the State of Nevada, U.S.A.

Cypress is very active in Clayton Valley, Nevada with its team committed to systematically exploring its properties for both a lithium-brine resource and expanding exploration relating to a lithium resource that exists within the large area of non-hectorite "claystone" discovered at surface that has seen recent high lithium assays recovered from these same "claystone".

Cypress Development Corp. has approx. 34.9 million shares issued and outstanding.

To find out more about Cypress Development Corp. (TSX-V:CYP), visit our website at www.cypressdevelopmentcorp.com.

CYPRESS DEVELOPMENT CORP.

"Don Huston"



DONALD C. HUSTON

President

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that management of the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although management believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, include market prices, exploration and development successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Please see the public filings of the Company at www.sedar.com for further information.

For further information contact Don Huston or:

Don Myers

Director

Cypress Development Corp.

Telephone: 604-687-3376

Toll Free: 800-567-8181

Facsimile: 604-687-3119

Email: info@cypressdevelopmentcorp.com

This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Cypress Development Corp via Globenewswire


Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the Key Opinion Leader Management Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2016-2026" report to their offering.

Deep Brain Stimulator Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-05 08:18:18

Press Information

Future Market Insights

616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,



Valley Cottage, NY 10989,



United States



T: +1-347-918-3531



F: +1-845-579-5705



Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com



Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com









email





Published by

Abhishek Budholiya

+1-347-918-3531

e-mail

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com







# 757 Words

616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531

Deep Brain Stimulation (DMS) is a neosurgical procedure which helps to treat a variety of disabling neurological symptoms. It involves the implantation of a battery-operated medical device called neurostimulator which sends electrical signals to specific parts of brain that control movement and affective disorders like pain, mood, weight and awakening. This procedure also helps in treating essential tremor, a common neurological movement disorder. DMS system consists of three components: a thin, insulated wire, called a lead or electrode that is placed into the brain, the neurostimulator which puts out the electric current and is generally placed under the skin near the collarbone and another thin, insulated wire, called an extension which connects the lead to the neurostimulator. The neurostimulator device is also referred to as brain pacemaker. FDA approved DMS as a treatment for essential tremor in 1997, for Parkinsons disease in 2002. Before this procedure, a neurosurgeon uses either MRI or CT scanning to detect the exact target area within the brain where the electric signals will generate the Parkinsons disease symptoms.Deep Brain Stimulator Market: Drivers and RestraintsIncreasing incidence of Parkinsons disease is the main driving force for the fast growth of deep brain stimulation device market. Deep brain stimulation does not involve destruction of any part of the brain and thus, has fewer complications than thalamotomy and pallidotomy.Moreover this electrical injection is adjustable and can be changed as the persons disease change or his or her response to medication change. No further surgery is needed to make the adjustments. All these has led to the growth of deep brain stimulation device market. However, with any surgical procedure there involves risk. The implantation of any foreign object in the body leads to increased risk of infection. If the battery fails then the device would stop working properly (the battery normally lasts 3 to 5 years).DMS placement may even lead to allergic reaction to the DMS parts. These may obstruct the deep brain stimulation device market to grow.Request For Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1338 Deep Brain Stimulator Market: SegmentationDeep Brain Stimulator Marketis segmented based on product type, application, end user and geography.Based on product type, deep brain stimulatormarket is segmented into the following:Single Channel Deep Brain StimulatorDual Channel Deep Brain StimulatorBased on application, deep brain stimulatormarket is segmented into the following:Parkinsons diseaseEssential TremorChronic PainDystoniaTourette syndromeBased on end user, deep brain stimulatormarket is segmented into the following:HospitalsAmbulatory Surgical centersNeurological clinicsDeep Brain Stimulator Market: OverviewGlobally deep brain stimulation devices market are the main causes of mortality. Parkinsons disease is the most common neurological movement disorder after Alzheimers. Deep brain stimulation devices market is expected to grow at a healthy rate during the forecasted period 2013-2019. Rise in the number of neurological movement diseases like Parkinsons disease, essential tremor, Alzheimers disease has led to the huge growth of deep brain stimulation devices market. Parkinsons disease includes symptoms like tremors, stiffness, rigidity and walking problems.Deep Brain Stimulator Market: Region-wise OutlookRegion wise, the global deep brain stimulator marketis classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America region has a sizeable market share in the global deep brain stimulation market. Countries like US, Canada, Europe, Germany, UK, France and Spain has led North American and European market of deep brain stimulation device to grow at a faster rate. Increasing awareness regarding the application of deep brain stimulation device contributes its larger share in this region. However, emerging economies like India and China with their growing disposable income and advanced technological awareness enabling them to enter into this market and contribute towards its growth.Visit For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1338 Deep Brain Stimulator Market: Key PlayersKey players pertaining to Deep Brain Stimulator market includes Medtronic Inc., St. Jude Medical, Boston scientific. These companies hold huge amount of share in global deep brain stimulation devices market. Functional Neuromodulation, a startup backed by Medtronic and the National Institutes of Health, will advance its deep brain stimulation implant into a Phase III trial to treat Alzheimers disease patients. St. Jude Medical has received a CE mark for its latest neuromodulation technology-the Infinity Deep Brain Stimulation System to treat movement disorders. Key players across all locations use deep brain stimulation device market to treat Parkinsons disease, essential tremor thus, leading to the growth of this particular market.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-05 14:47:02

Essel Group ME Announces Execution of Shareholder Agreement for Its Vanguard Potash Corp Joint Venture with Gensource

For further information please contact:

Essel Group ME

Kriti Ladsaria

+971 4 2793955

or

Finsbury

Dorothy Burwell / Charles O'Brien

+44 20 7251 3801

or

Gensource Potash Corporation

Mike Ferguson

+1 (306) 974-6414

Essel Group ME Limited is pleased to announce it has executed a shareholder agreement ("Shareholder Agreement") with Gensource Potash Corporation ("Gensource") (TSX.V: GSP) to create a joint venture company, Vanguard Potash Corp. ("JV" or "Vanguard"), pursuant to the memorandum of understanding between the two parties announced on November 29, 2016.

The purpose of the JV is the construction and operation of the new Vanguard potash production facility in Saskatchewan, which will bring together technical innovation, management expertise, international logistics and capital.

EGME's Joint Managing Director & Group CEO, Punkaj Gupta, commented: "I am delighted to be signing the Shareholder Agreement, a key moment for the Vanguard project, EGME and Gensource. This is a landmark event as we work towards developing this iconic asset, in order to meet the growing global potash demand.

"We are very pleased to be working with Gensource's highly experienced and innovative team, with today's announcement further strengthening our relationship and providing increased certainty for the project. Vanguard is a key part of EGME's portfolio, and this JV underlines our continued long-term commitment to developing high-quality assets in the natural resources sector."

Gensource's President & CEO, Mike Ferguson, said: "This is the most significant milestone for Gensource to date. Our investors are aware that Gensource's business plan has been to create a joint venture with a strategic partner who can bring the required financing and commercial expertise to the project. The JV will begin with the construction of one of Gensource's small scale facilities with target production of 250,000 tonnes/year. Subsequently, we aim to increase production from that initial 250,000 tonnes per year to a minimum of 1 million tonnes/year. EGME brings the necessary global business experience and financing to complement Gensource's highly-skilled development team, rich potash resources and innovative extraction technologies. The value we aim to create is much greater than the sum of the investments in Vanguard."

Vanguard is a private corporation incorporated under the laws of Saskatchewan and headquartered in Saskatoon, SK. Vanguard's sole purpose is:

a) to finance, develop, engineer, construct and operate a mine and processing plant to produce potash from the Vanguard asset near Eyebrow and Tugaske in Saskatchewan; and

b) to market and sell the potash product.

The key terms of the Shareholder Agreement are as follows:

a) EGME will contribute capital to Vanguard in two tranches:

(i) First tranche of $US 5M will be used to complete the Vanguard One Project feasibility study;

(ii) Second tranche of $US 200M, which represents the full estimated capital to construct and commission the first facility of the Vanguard project;

b) Gensource will assign a 49% interest in the KL 245 lease (the "Lease") to Vanguard;

c) Gensource will assign the Mining Rights Agreement to Vanguard, allowing it to benefit from 100% of mining on the Lease;

d) Gensource will assign the Technical Services and Technology Agreement to Vanguard, bringing Gensource's expertise and unique approach to potash mining and processing to the JV;

e) Vanguard will become 49% owned by EGME and 51% owned by Gensource upon receipt of the first tranche of financing ($US 5M). Once construction financing is committed by EGME (estimated at $US 200M), Vanguard will become 70% owned by EGME and 30% by Gensource;

f) Following the completion of Phase One of the Vanguard 1 Project (to produce 250,000 tonnes of potash per annum), both parties shall make all commercially reasonable efforts to undertake and complete one or more expansion phase necessary to increase production of potash to a minimum of 1M tonnes/per annum, the final production target; and

g) The board of Vanguard will initially comprise of three nominees of EGME and two nominees of Gensource. A jointly appointed management team will lead the development of the new potash facility.

It is anticipated that investment banking firm Morgan Gatsby will lead on the construction financing of Vanguard. Morgan Gatsby is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EGME, based in Dubai, UAE.

The Feasibility Study is on schedule for completion in Q2 2017.

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release was reviewed and approved by Mike Ferguson, P.Eng., President and CEO of Gensource and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101.

- ENDS -

About EGME

EGME is a diversified conglomerate operating primarily in the Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia pacific region.

EGME is part of Essel Group, the Indian multinational conglomerate operating in a broad spectrum of industries including media, packaging, infrastructure and technology. Building on Essel Group's 90 year history of developing and promoting businesses, EGME is leading the Group's regional expansion and currently operates subsidiary businesses in the natural resources, energy, industrial supply and logistics, education and financial services sectors. For further information, please visit www.esselgroupme.com

About Gensource

Gensource is based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and is focused on developing the next potash production facility in that province. Gensource's President and CEO, Mike Ferguson, P.Eng., has assembled a management and technical team with direct and specific expertise and experience in potash development in Saskatchewan.

Gensource operates under a business plan that has two key components - vertical integration with the market to ensure that all production capacity built is directed to a specific market, eliminating market-side risk; and, technical innovation which will allow for a small and economic potash production facility, the output of which can then be directed to a single, specific market.

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

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201704050057
PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-05 10:02:01

Recruits Group leader to sustain BigTecs steep international growth curve and manage global vendor relationships

Exclusive Group Strengthens Global BigTec Proposition

Cohesive

Greg Halse/Ellie Stansfield

+44 (0) 1291 626200

exclusivegroup@wearecohesive.com

Exclusive Group, the value-added services and technologies (VAST) group, today announced the appointment of Martin Bichler to coordinate the continuing expansion of its 100m+ BigTec VAD business. As BigTec Vendor Manager for EMEA & APAC, Martin runs the business management of revenue and profit targets and is responsible for implementing and developing the global BigTec proposition alongside in-country sales teams.

Martin is a talented channel operator with readymade BigTec credentials that make him the ideal choice to drive further expansion and success of our datacentre transformation VAD business, said Barrie Desmond, COO of Exclusive Group. BigTec is at the forefront of technology disruption, shaping the future of enterprise IT and representing a significant growth opportunity for our channel partners. Martins close vendor relationships and first-hand experience of rapidly-changing channel dynamics will be vital to continuing our relevance and success in every local market.

Major IT trends like advanced automation, hybrid cloud, hyperconvergence and DevOps produce many significant new business opportunities for partners when they learn about the whole BigTec story, said Martin Bichler. Taking advantage of these changes is a defining challenge for channel partners around the world, and one that BigTec supports them to achieve. To join this business and help shape its destiny is a real privilege for me, and I look forward to making a difference at global and local levels.

Martin Bichler brings over 17 years experience in IT sales and channel management, including a decade in value-added distribution with Azlan and Arrow. His most recent roles were at Brocade, working with OEM and reseller partners in Germany and EMEA-wide.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201704050051
PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-05 07:31:01

Global Cloud Xchange Appoints Mark Russell as Managing Director of GCX International

Global Cloud Xchange

Genevieve Li, +852-6028-8236

gli@globalcloudxchange.com

Global Cloud Xchange (GCX), a subsidiary of Reliance Communications, today announced the appointment of Mark Russell as Managing Director of GCX International, while continuing as President of Europe. Mr. Russell will be responsible for leading the companys global sales across all segments, ensuring that all GCX regions are strategically aligned and tracking towards new growth and development.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201704040065

Mark Russell, Managing Director of GCX International (Photo: Business Wire)

With more than 25 years of telecom and technology experience, Mr. Russell joined GCX in 2015 as President of Europe, where he has been instrumental in building the companys capabilities as well as driving organic and inorganic growth across GCXs European footprint.

Over the past year, Mark has demonstrated strong leadership and commitment in growing our European business to new heights," said Bill Barney, CEO, Reliance Communications and Global Cloud Xchange. We are confident that in his expanded role, Mark will lead our global business into a new era of strategic growth and expansion.

With an extensive telecom experience, Mr. Russell was previously at NetApp where he assisted with the Global Accounts based out of London, where he oversaw the doubled revenues in his first year and achieved top vendor award from HSBC against all their other global vendors. Prior to NetApp, he served as Vice President of Global Sales and Acting CEO for Empower Interactive, a UK-based software company that provided messaging solutions to the mobile industry.

Mr. Russell also spent 8 years in senior sales management roles at MCI (now Verizon Business). Under his leadership as VP and Managing Director of Asia Pacific, the company won Best Asian Call Centre award for 3 consecutive years and achieved significant revenue growth across the region. He also served 10 years in sales leadership positions with Cable & Wireless in London where he achieved sales growth for the company across enterprise markets.

About Global Cloud Xchange

Global Cloud Xchange (GCX), a subsidiary of Reliance Communications, offers a comprehensive portfolio of solutions customized for carriers, enterprises and new media companies. GCX owns the worlds largest private undersea cable system spanning more than 67,000 route kms which, seamlessly integrated with Reliance Communications 200,000 route kms of domestic optic fiber backbone, provides a robust Global Service Delivery Platform. With connections to 40 key business markets worldwide spanning Asia, North America, Europe and the Middle East, GCX delivers Managed Services to more than 160 countries and offer extensive VPLS-enabled Ethernet network capabilities globally. GCX is equipped to support businesses through the deployment of next generation Enterprise solutions across its Cloud Delivery Networks.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201704040065
[April 05, 2017] Seclore Listed as 'Representative Vendor' in Recent Gartner Market Guide Report on Enterprise Digital Rights Management (EDRM)

DUBAI, UAE, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- EDRM market leader expands GCC presence and impact with new regional office in Dubai The company provides the Most Advanced, Automated & Secure Enterprise Digital Rights Management (EDRM)

EDRM promises to be the most flexible and pervasive future technique to protect files regardless of where they travel Seclore, the leading provider of Enterprise Digital Rights Management (EDRM) solutions, today announced that it was mentioned in the Gartner Market Guide for Information-Centric Endpoint and Mobile Protection[1]. Gartner identified Seclore as a representative vendor for Cloud and EDRM information protection methods profiled in this research. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/486237/Seclore1.jpg )

Gartner stated: "Information theft pays big benefits to thieves, and plagues businesses with long-term damage. It is the hack that keeps on giving, since the extent of breaches is not always known, and business information can have long-term exploit value, extending into years and lifetimes in the case of some medical and financial knowledge. Once thieves have obtained your business information, they can unplug from your systems and they will be difficult to trace." The report goes on to conclude that - "disk encryption remains the oldest and best defense against extraction from a lost, stolen or mishandled endpoint device. EDRM promises to be the most flexible and pervasive future technique to protect files regardless of where they travel. In between these extremes, choices should be made that match current information security concerns." A recent survey from ESG, Securing Information in the Age of External Collaboration, concludes that more than 1 in 4 companies believes it's very likely that sensitive data has been stolen by third party vendors. 98 percent of respondents cited the loss of sensitive data as a top or significant concern. Commonly stated reasons for data loss include emails sent to the wrong person (67 percent), unauthorized access (64 percent) and lost portable storage devices (61 percent). Seclore is expanding its GCC presence and operations in response to increasing demand for its award-wnning solutions, with a new regional office in Dubai and the appointment of a new distributor in Saudi Arabia.



"We are truly ecstatic to be included in Gartner's renowned Market Guide for information-centric endpoint solutions. Ensuring the effectiveness of one's security and risk management strategy is a critical component to the organization's success", said Vishal Gupta, Founder and CEO, Seclore, speaking at the Dubai office opening. "Despite today's sluggish global economy, data losses are at all-time high and information centric security is gaining momentum. Our recent tie ups with SAP and SolidWorks have further enriched our product offerings, for vertical markets worldwide."

Seclore is the most automated and adopted EDRM system in the world. With deep expertise, ease-of-use, advanced technology, and connectivity that delivers automated file protection, Seclore empowers businesses to strike the right balance between security and collaboration. Latest features include:

Seclore for Mac 2.0- Seclore for Mac 2.0 packs in powerful new features which make the enterprise even more secure and compliant. Existing Seclore users that use the Mac platform will now be empowered to do much more than just apply rights and view protected files. They can now open, edit, save, and print protected Office documents in their native Office 2016 apps running on Mac. Next-Generation Policy Federation: Parameters such as file owner, classification, and watermark content can now be federated from an integrated application. This enables tighter and more complete integration of any enterprise application with EDRM capabilities. Upgraded user interface - Seclore's award-winning secure browser-based viewer now allows viewing of multiple files simultaneously. Combined with additional enhanced viewing options, agentless access is an effortless process. Gain access through Google account - Further expanding on Seclore's identity federation, users can now login to Seclore automatically through their Google account making access to protected documents even faster. Auto-discovery of permissions - Email auto-forwarding capabilities enable the 'auto-discovery' of those who need access to protected content, eliminating the need to manually grant permissions to users. Largest Breadth of File Format and Application Support: Microsoft Office, PDF, AutoCAD, Visio, TXT, and over 60 other file formats can be protected with the 4 Ws (who, what, where, when). And any file can be protected with 3 W's (who, where, when). "We believe that our inclusion as a representative vendor in the guide is a result of our single-minded focus on becoming the most secure EDRM solution in the world. Most EDRM solutions on the market today have fatal security flaws that cause data leakage regardless of airtight network and server cybersecurity solutions," stated Abhijit Tannu, Founder and CTO at Seclore. Seclore has recently won prestigious awards like 'The Security Industry's Coveted Global Excellence Awards' and was honored by the 'Info Security Products Guide' in San Francisco in 2017. The company has also been named as the 'Best Data-Centric Security Solution' and was honored as a winner in the '2017 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards'. [(1)] Gartner, Inc. Market Guide for Information-Centric Endpoint, and Mobile Protection by John Girard, Oct 26, 2016 Disclaimer Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. About Seclore Seclore's Enterprise Digital Rights Management solution enables organizations to control the usage of files wherever they go, both within and outside of organizations' boundaries. Featuring dozens of pre-built connectors for leading enterprise applications (EFSS, DLP, ECM, ERP, and email), Seclore automates the protection of documents as they are downloaded, discovered, and shared to accelerate adoption. Seclore was recently recognized by Frost & Sullivan with a Growth Excellence award, by Deloitte as one of the '50 Fastest Growing Technology Companies,' and by Gartner as a 'Cool Vendor,' due to innovations in browser-based access to protected documents. Every day, over 6 million users across 1000+ companies in 29 countries are using Seclore to achieve their data security, governance, and compliance objectives. To learn more about Seclore and the latest in data-centric security, visit us at http://www.seclore.com

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-05 14:02:03

DUBLIN - April 5, 2017 - Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) is notifying customers worldwide of a voluntary field corrective action for all its Newport HT70 and Newport HT70 Plus ventilators manufactured since 2010. The voluntary field corrective action is being conducted following reports that the ventilator may reset spontaneously during normal operation, without an accompanying alarm. The reported incidence of this condition is approximately one (1) reset in every seven million hours of ventilation. Following the reset, the ventilator enters standby mode and will not resume ventilation without intervention. In the event of the rare occurrence of a reset, healthcare professionals and/or caregivers are required to transfer the patient to another ventilator.

A Newport HT70 ventilator is used to support a patient's breathing. This prescription device is operated by trained healthcare professionals in a clinical setting and in the home for infant, pediatric and adult patients.

Since Aug. 2012, and of the more than 14,000 ventilators in use, Medtronic has received 12 reports of the reset without an accompanying alarm. Of these 12 reports, 11 patients required ventilator transfer and one (1) incident did not involve a patient. No patient injury or impairment has been reported.

Medtronic has established the root cause of this alarm failure and will provide a software service update to resolve the issue as soon as the correction can be implemented. We expect the service update to be available in May.

Medtronic is advising that you may continue to use your Newport HT70 series ventilators in accordance with institutional policies and as described below.

Actions you should take:

Ensure patients on the Newport HT70 and HT70 Plus ventilators are appropriately monitored by trained caregivers as described in the Operator's Manual. The descriptions include: A patient connected to a ventilator requires the constant attention of trained caregivers to the patient's condition. Always have an alternate power source and means of ventilation available when the ventilator is in use in case of a mechanical or system problem. Always use appropriate monitors to ensure sufficient oxygenation and ventilation (such as a pulse oximeter and/or a capnograph) when the Newport HT70 or HT70 Plus ventilators are in use on a patient. If able, use the appropriate remote alarm/nurse call cable (CBL3223 or 10104494) to project ventilator alarm states outside the patient room. This alarm will annunciate even with an unexpected reset. Consult the Operator's Manual or call Technical Service for further information on this accessory. If, at any time, the patient is not responding to ventilation appropriately, the patient should be taken off the ventilator immediately and connected to an alternate method of ventilation. Contact your health care provider or physician immediately.



Immediately notify all care environments in which the Newport HT70 and HT70 Plus ventilators are used about this notification.

If your facility has distributed Newport HT70 or HT70 Plus ventilators to other persons or facilities, please promptly forward this announcement to those recipients.

Work with Medtronic Technical Support Department if you require assistance finding alternative ventilation devices.

Medtronic has contacted the FDA and other regulatory bodies to share information related to this issue. We will continue working directly with government authorities and our customers on this voluntary field corrective action.

If you are aware of any incidents related to these issues or if you have any questions, please contact our Technical Support Department immediately at +1-800-255-6774 to provide information regarding those events so regulatory reporting obligations can be fulfilled. Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online, by regular mail, or by fax.

Online: Complete and submit the report to www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm

Complete and submit the report to www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm Regular Mail or Fax: Download form www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm or call +1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the pre-addressed form, or submit by fax to +1-800-FDA-0178

or

Email Medtronic Post Market Vigilance at: HQTSWEB@COVIDIEN.COM

at: HQTSWEB@COVIDIEN.COM Call Medtronic Post Market Vigilance at: +1-800-255-6774 option 4, then option 2.

List of countries with Newport HT70 and Newport HT70 Plus ventilators

Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Mexico, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United States, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Vietnam.

About Medtronic

Medtronic plc (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is among the world's largest medical technology, services and solutions companies - alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 88,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals and patients in approximately 160 countries. The company is focused on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take healthcare Further, Together.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

-end-





This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Medtronic plc via Globenewswire


PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-05 10:03:02

Business transformation solutions company offers solid methods, practical approach to prepare for 2018 requirement

MEGA: Approach New Privacy Regulation with Comprehensive Solution

For MEGA

Sue Myers, 781-784-7684

Sue dot myers @ MarketSmartNow dot com

MEGA International will host a breakfast meeting in Paris on April 27 with Henry Peyret, principal analyst at Forrester Research, as the keynote speaker. He will discuss the challenges of the new privacy regulation that will become effective throughout the European Union in 2018 and how companies can prepare for it.

The newly adopted European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will require organizations to guarantee compliance with strict standards that dictate how the personal information of European citizens is secured and protected. Public entities and companies that fail to comply could face fines up to EUR 20 million or four percent of annual sales.

New rights for consumers mean new obligations for companies, explained Peyret. Because companies will be expected to demonstrate state-of-the art privacy measures, they need to be well-prepared and ready for this new privacy regulation.

At the event, attendees will learn how to:

interpret the scope of the new regulation to understand how it will affect their organization

implement GDPR compliance with a pragmatic, risk-oriented approach

involve the different stakeholders throughout the organization to ensure compliance

While most companies know that they need to prepare for this new requirement, few have identified the means to achieve this. Even fewer have anticipated the impact on their operations, noted Lucio de Risi, CEO, MEGA.

With a collaborative workspace and a single repository, MEGAs HOPEX solutions can support organizations as they strive to develop an approach that will ensure compliance with the privacy regulation. HOPEX Information Architecture, in synergy with HOPEX IT Architecture and HOPEX Business Process Analysis allows data privacy officers, data steward, enterprise and business architects to manage knowledge and data as an enterprise asset and implement effective data governance.

During the breakfast, compliance experts from MEGA will demonstrate how companies can use HOPEX solutions to fully meet the GDPR requirements.

About MEGA

MEGA International is a global software firm helping companies manage enterprise complexity by giving them an interactive view of their operations. Executives gain the visibility and information they need to make the right choices for effective governance and to strike the right balance between capacity for innovation, cost optimization and risk management. Backed by HOPEX software and MEGA consulting services, companies can boost business and IT agility in todays disruptive business environment. www.mega.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201704050052

Prepare for EU #GDPR with practical approach and the right tools. Learn how http://bit.ly/2otT6b1 #ePrivacy
Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the Microfluidics Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2016 - 2026" report to their offering.

Microfluidics Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-05 10:38:05

Press Information

Future Market Insights

616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,



Valley Cottage, NY 10989,



United States



T: +1-347-918-3531



F: +1-845-579-5705



Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com



Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com









email





Published by

Abhishek Budholiya

+1-347-918-3531

e-mail

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com







# 593 Words

616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531

Applications of microfluidics in drug delivery and diagnostics will continue to fuel the market for microfluidics over the next few years. The US$ 2.9 Bn microfluidics market will possibly cross US$ 11 Bn by the end of 2026. North America is expected to contribute over US$ 3 Bn to the total revenues in 2026. The collective share of North America and Asia Pacific will be over 40%, states Future Market Insights in a recently published market report outlook, titled Microfluidics Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2016-2026.The report by Future Market Insights analyses the global market for microfluidics over a 10-year forecast period, 2016-2026. The market is likely to witness a robust CAGR of 14.4% over the assessed period.Key Insights: Market DynamicsIncreasing discretionary funding from national labs for R&D in the developed regions will remain a primary factor driving the growth of market through 2026.Improving healthcare infrastructure and wide availability of affordable microfluidic devices or kits are also foreseen to boost the market growth in near future, especially in developing countries.Expansion of drug delivery sector will favour the market growth in near future.Consistent advancements in the fields of genomics and proteomics are also expected to benefit the sales of microfluidics-based devices and kits.Request For Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-398 Dynamic collaborations between key market players and active involvement of government entities will collectively foster the market through 2026.Key Insights: SegmentsCeramics will remain dominant material typeBased on material, ceramics will continue to be the most sought after material for microfluidic device or kit manufacturing. Ceramics segment is expected to remain dominance, accounting for over 42% market value share in 2026, followed by glass, polymer, and silicon. While ceramics is likely to witness the fastest growth, polymer segment is anticipated to exhibit a significant CAGR of over 15% over 2016-2026, driven by PVC.POCT will be dominant application segmentBy application, POCT (point of care testing) segment is projected to retain dominance through 2026, accounting for over 33% share in terms of revenues. Clinical diagnostics and analytical testing will remain the next major segments in the global microfluidics market.In-vitro diagnostics industry will hold maximum revenue shareOn the basis of industry, in-vitro diagnostics, life science research, and pharmaceuticals are likely to be the key segments. In-vitro diagnostics segment is estimated to hold a share of over 35% in the total market revenues. The fastest growing segment will be in-vitro diagnosis.Send An Enquiry@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-398 APEJ will be the most lucrative regional marketGeographically, North America, followed by Western Europe are expected to remain the dominant regions for microfluidics, capturing respective market value share of over 26% and over 21% share by 2026 end. Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) will possibly represent the most lucrative market, expanding at a significant CAGR of over 14% throughout the forecast period. This growth is attributed to growing use of microfluidics devices and kits for in-vitro diagnostics. North America and Western Europe will also exhibit significant growth rates over 2016-2026.Key Insights: Leading Market PlayersSome of the most prominent players in the global microfluidics market, include Agilent Technologies, PerkinElmer Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Qiagen NV, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Fluidigm Corporation, Abbott Laboratories, and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.Almost all the leading companies serve point of care testing application and survive the competition with an individual differentiating strategy. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. and Abbott Laboratories, through active engagement in agreements and collaborations with leading regional companies, highlight a growing trend of strategic mergers and acquisitions among the top companies.Browse Full Report@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/microfluidics-market
Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the Key Opinion Leader Management Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2017-2027" report to their offering.

Livestock Monitoring System Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-05 08:36:58

Press Information

Future Market Insights

616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,



Valley Cottage, NY 10989,



United States



T: +1-347-918-3531



F: +1-845-579-5705



Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com



Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com









email





Published by

Abhishek Budholiya

+1-347-918-3531

e-mail

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com







# 537 Words

616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531

Nowadays, animals are produced intensively and maintained under optimal conditions for growth and production within current technological limits. The majority of animals are constrained within a building or stockyard for most of the times. As they are prevented from foraging for their own food, the farmer/ owner of livestock has to take care for all aspects of their husbandry.Therefore, monitoring and management related to feeding, environment, reproduction, health, growth, marketing, transport and quality becomes the responsibility of the farmer.Livestock monitoring systems monitor the entire livestock environment 24/7, and alert the user by phone, text or email if any condition falls outside of a preset parameter, so that the user can respond quickly. Additionally, these systems are used to monitor sick animals, tack rooms, and observe animals kept in the trailer in case of travelling.Request For Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3223 Market Overview:Progressive developments in sensor technology are making available increasing amounts of information relevant to monitoring animals and their environment, and hence their production, growth and health.Continuously rising demand for the large cattle and poultry, new and advanced techniques are being utilized to aid the tracking and monitoring of animals. Poultry, cattle and other animals require best possible living conditions to stay healthy and maximize their yield. Equipment failures such as ventilation systems, circulation fans, heaters and air conditioners can threaten their health and can cause problems if not handled diligently.Market Dynamics:Major factors responsible for fuelling the demand for livestock monitoring systems are  growth in size and number of dairy farms, development of sensors which can gather an increasingly wide range of information, new product launches for livestock management, and need for substantial cost savings associated with livestock monitoring & management.The usage of systems for identifying and weighing animals is already pronounced globally, and it is expected that systems for tracking animals, monitoring basic health related factors such as body temperature and heart rate, and for assessing body conformation, will witness high adoption rate in coming years.Presently livestock monitoring systems market is witnessing gradual adoption of integrated monitoring systems, in which information from sensors, databases, and other knowledge bases are combined and interpreted. Several systems containing some of the elements of an integrated monitoring system are already available commercially for swine, cattle, broiler and milk production.Market Segmentation:Livestock monitoring system market is mainly classified on the basis of component, application, and regions.On the basis of component, livestock monitoring system market is segmented into hardware, software and services.On the basis of application, livestock monitoring system market is segmented into milk harvesting management, reproduction management, feeding management, heat stress management, animal comfort management, behavior monitoring and control, and other applications.On the basis of regions, the market is segmented into 7 key regions:North AmericaLatin AmericaWestern EuropeEastern EuropeAsia Pacific Excluding JapanJapanMiddle East & AfricaVisit For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-3223 Key Market PlayersThe major players operating in the livestock monitoring system market include DeLaval, Sensaphone. Rugged Networks Limited., GEA Group AG, Afimilk Ltd., Communications Group Lethbridge Ltd., BouMatic LLC., SCR Dairy, Inc., DairyMaster, Lely Holding S.A.R.L, SUM-IT Computer Systems, Ltd., and Valley Agriculture Software.
[April 05, 2017] Leidos Continues Support of Kazakhstan's Air Traffic Management System

RESTON, Va., April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a global science and technology company, and Kazaeronavigatsia, the air navigation provider of the Republic of Kazakhstan, have agreed to continue their business relationship through the signing of the Advanced Tower Simulation and Training Systems contract. Once implemented and integrated with Leidos' SkyLine Air Traffic Management (ATM) system, this new simulation capability will provide Kazakhstan Tower controllers with advanced training that includes exceptional 2D and 3D graphics of the airport and surrounding area. This will create fully duplicated environments local to each of the Kazakhstan Towers to aid in improving safety and efficiency in the airspace. The system will be located at the Almaty, Astana and Aktobe Area Control Centers (ACCs) which support training for over 20 remote tower sites. Additionally, Leidos will deliver enhancements to the SkyLine ATM system that modernize how Kazaeronavigatsia shares critical information with other stakeholders such as air traffic controllers, airports and airlines. "We are pleased to continue this very important relationship with the Republic of Kazakhstan," said Angie Heise, President, Leidos Civil Group. "Through this program, we look forward to providing superior and flexible Air Traffic Management support and growth of the country's airspace management capabilities." Leidos is a world-class provider of Air Traffic Management systems. More than 60 percent of the world's air traffic and 80 percent of the world's managed oceanic airspace are guided by Leidos systems. For more information on our gate to gate solutions please visit www.sidewalktosky.com. About Leidos

Leidos is a global science and technology solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil and health markets. The company's 32,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $7.04 billion for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2016. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com. Statements in this announcement, other than historical data and information, constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be very different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 30, 2016, and other such filings that Leidos makes with the SEC from time to time. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.







Contact: Melissa Koskovich Jennifer Moffett

(571) 526-6850 (571) 526-6852

[email protected] [email protected]

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leidos-continues-support-of-kazakhstans-air-traffic-management-system-300434695.html SOURCE Leidos

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the Key Opinion Leader Management Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2016-2026" report to their offering.

Sustainable Palm Oil Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-05 08:27:23

Press Information





Published by

Abhishek Budholiya

+1-347-918-3531

e-mail

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com







# 649 Words

Abhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531

Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil extracted from the reddish pulp of the oil palms. Sustainable Palm oil is naturally reddish in color because it has the component of high beta carotene. Sustainable palm oil means the palm oil which is manufactured under the guidance and rule of the Roundtable on sustainable palm oil (RSPO). To produce certified sustainable palm oil, manufactures has to follow the environmental and social criteria set by RSPO. It can also be kept in the room temperature. Palm oil also contains very little cholesterol. It is also used in products where animal fats are not accepted for the religion issues. It has been noticed that the palm oil is used in several industries to make the ultimate product. Those industries are also growing. So the demand of the palm oil will be more. So the market will expand very fast in the stipulated period of time.Global Sustainable palm oil Market Dynamics:-The market of sustainable palm oil market is anticipated to be driven by the various used of the product in a different way. It has a great cooking properties, even it can be used in the high temperature. Its smooth and creamy texture and having no smell make it a perfect ingredient for many recipes like it is used in the bakery (specially for biscuits). It has a natural perspective effect which helps the longevity of the food byresisting the oxidation that spoils them. It is also the highest producing vegetable oil crop which makes it very efficient. It needs less land required by other oil crops to produce same quantity of oil. It makes this cheaper than the other oil in the market. Sustainable palm oil is also used in the cosmetic industry. Sustainable Palm oil ingredients are used in the skin care products, make up products. Due to have the rules and regulations of RSPO the producers are not able to destroy the environment and wild life. It keeps the social interest towards sustainable palm oil production and the conflict cannot be created between the communities and workers. Palm oil is available as an ingredients such as palm kernel oil, palm kernel stearin, palm kernel olein, partially hydrogenated palm oil, asorbyl palmitate, Palmate, Sodium Laureth Sulphate etc. Palm oil used as a frying fat for many food items, as a shortening in bakery products.Request For Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1374 Global Sustainable Palm oil Market Segmentation:Sustainable palm oil market can be segmented on the basis of application of the palm oil such as food, soap and detergents, pet food and cosmetics. Then food also can be sub segmented such as bakery, ice cream & other frozen desserts, confectionery products and margarine. Palm oil market also can be segmented on the basis of types of the palm oil availability in the market such as palm kernel oil, red palm oil, fractional palm oil, white palm oil.Global Sustainable palm oil Market: Regional Outlook:Geographically, the global palm oil industry can be divided by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. Indonesia and Malaysia captured the highest market share in terms of the production of palm oil. Other production countries are Thailand, Columbia, Nigeria and Ecuador. China got the first position in terms of consumption of palm oil followed by EU, India, Indonesia and United States. Malaysia was the highest exporter of palm oil.Visit For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1374 Global sustainable palm oil Market Players:The major players identified across the value chain of global sustainable palm oil market include New Britain palm oil limited, Golden agri resources limited, IOI corporation Berhad, Wilmer international limited, Cargill, SIPEF group Belgium, Kulim berhad, Sime Darby plantation sendirian Berhad, Hap seng Plantation Holdings Berhad, Kuala lampur kepong Berhad.and United Plantation Berhad
Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the Refractometers Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2016-2026" report to their offering.

Refractometers Market

PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-05 05:53:28

Press Information

Future Market Insights

Future Market Insights



616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,



Valley Cottage, NY 10989,



United States



T: +1-347-918-3531



F: +1-845-579-5705



Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.com



Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com









email





Published by

Abhishek Budholiya

+1-347-918-3531

e-mail

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com







# 639 Words

Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: www.futuremarketinsights.comAbhishek Budholiya+1-347-918-3531

A refractometer is used to measure the extent of light bending, when it travels from air to any other medium. Refractive index is determined till five digit precision and for most of the compounds, reactive index is between 1.3000 and 1.7000. Refractive index is based on the wavelength of light and temperature of the sample. Refractive index identification is done for various applications including petroleum, agriculture and food and beverages. Most common industrial application is determination of dissolved solute in liquid samples.Refractometer is mainly used for measuring dissolved content or substances in solutions, particularly related to sugar content. Refractometers are thus, used to measure critical angle of refraction of a sample. Refractometer helps to analyse different properties of a particular sample such as salinity or sugar content, sweetness in beverages, hydrocarbon content of motor fuels, and blood protein in the given sample. Factors such as accuracy, location of measurement, compatibility with other instruments, sample throughput have an impact on the selection of proper refractometer.Request For Report Sample@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1739 In measuring sugar content, BRIX measurement has gained significant traction in recent years. Increasing consumer inclination towards nutritional information among food products has led manufacturers to develop measures to analyse such information. For instance, to analyse sugar concentration, BRIX instruments are used by food manufacturers. Conventionally, BRIX measurement was done through pycnometer, BRIX hydrometer and Abbe refractometer. Nowadays, BRIX measurement is done through digital refractometers and digital density meters. Refractometers are a modern way of measuring BRIX ensuring reproducible and rapid results.Refractometers Market Segmentation:Refractometers market is segmented on the basis of refractometer type, product type and end-use industry. On the basis of refractometer type, the refractometer market segmentation includes portable and benchtop refractometers. Portable refractometers are anticipate to gain significant traction among end users, which is mainly attributed to factors such as ease of use, comprehensive result storage and easy handling of the refractometer when compared to benchtop refractometers. Different types of refractometers include traditional handheld refractometers, laboratory refractometers, inline refractometers and digital handheld refractometers. Of which, digital refractometers are anticipated to gain significant traction among end use industries. On the basis of end-use industry, refractometers market is segmented into gemology, food processing, oil industry, pharmaceuticals, paint, sugar refineries, research centers and schools.Geographically, refractometers market is segmented into seven regions including Japan, Middle East and Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Western Europe, Latin America and North America. North America is one of the prominent market for refractometer, which is anticipate to remain dominant over the forecast period. However, adoption of refractometers for analysing food and beverage industry is expected to record significant growth during the forecast period.Refractometers Market Dynamics:Increasing technological advancements leading towards shift from manual to automatic measures for analysing refractometry is driving the demand for refractometers among end users. In addition, quality analysis of parameters in food and beverage products such as composition and concentration of a juice, information regarding sugar content in food and beverage products has led towards development of enhanced refractometers. This is intended to ensure reliable and quick analysis resulting in valuable information about composition in the finished product. However, proper calibration is a concern for manufacturers, as it leads to less adoption among end users. This indirectly restricts the refractometers market growth globally. In order to mitigate calibration issue, few refractometer manufacturers have developed products ensuring proper calibration through self-calibration property at an affordable price.Request For TOC@ http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1739 Refractometers Market Key players:Some of the players in the refractometers market include Mettler-Toledo International Inc., Anton Paar GmbH, Hanna Equipments India Pvt.Ltd ., Rudolph Research Analytical and Xylem Analytics, among others. Refractometer manufacturers are focused on developing products ensuring real-time measurement of advanced features such as color, conductivity, oxygen content, sugar inversion, alcohol content and others.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-04-05 16:56:38

Press Information





Published by

ACN Newswire

+65 6304 8926

e-mail

https://www.acnnewswire.com/







# 649 Words

ACN Newswire+65 6304 8926

Prolonged prenatal ultrasound exposure leads to decreased bone density and strength in young rabbits.Selangor, Malaysia, Mar 27, 2017 - (ACN Newswire) - Young rabbits exposed to ultrasound during fetal development had weaker thighbones than unexposed rabbits, according to a study published in the Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology. While the finding applies to a relatively small group of test subjects, 142 young rabbits, it raises questions about the rising use of prenatal ultrasounds in women worldwide.Ultrasounds use high-frequency sound waves to produce images of internal body structures, including developing fetuses. The ultrasound image is produced by the reflection of sound waves bouncing off the structures they hit. Ultrasound imaging has been used for over 20 years and is considered relatively safe.However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cautions against using ultrasound for non-essential purposes. The concern is that ultrasound waves carry energy that heats tissues and can sometimes produces small gas bubbles in body fluids or tissues. The long-term effects are unknown.With the use of neonatal ultrasounds increasingly popular and commonplace - many women have multiple ultrasounds throughout their pregnancy - a team from Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia wanted to study potential side effects.They studied 22 pregnant rabbits, who gave birth to 142 young. Four mother rabbits received no ultrasounds, while the others were exposed to ultrasound for 30 minutes, 60 minutes or 90 minutes once during pregnancy. Each rabbit received only one ultrasound, but the timing was varied throughout the three trimesters of pregnancy to see if there were different effects. The researchers analysed the baby bunnies' thighbones at once and five months.Overall, bunnies exposed to ultrasound in the womb had significantly weaker bones than those not exposed. Bones can absorb far more energy than other tissues, which is why ultrasounds can have a disproportionate effect on them.There were some variations between exposure amount and timing. In the first trimester of pregnancy, the bones have not yet ossified, so they were better able to handle the ultrasound heat. But by the second and third trimesters, the bones are thicker, and so there is a greater impact. The bunnies' bodies were unable to repair the damage and their bones had greater porosity and lower density than control subjects.The researchers note that many times medical professionals encourage ultrasounds to boost business, and pregnant women enjoy getting the images. However, since rabbit bones are similar to human bones, this and other studies suggest it would be safer to restrict ultrasounds to high-risk pregnancies and other necessary situations, the researchers conclude.For more information about this research, please contact:Iza Nurzawani Che IsaDepartment of Medical Imaging,Faculty of Health Sciences,Universiti Teknologi MARA,42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor Darul EhsanEmail: zawaniisa@ yahoo.com Tel: +60 3258 4405; Mobile: +60 13 2423304About Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology (JST)Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology (JST) is published by Universiti Putra Malaysia in English and is open to authors around the world regardless of nationality. Currently, it is published twice a year in January and July. Other Pertanika series include Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science (JTAS), and Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities (JSSH).Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology aims to provide a forum for high quality research related to science and engineering research. Areas relevant to the scope of the journal include: bioinformatics, bioscience, biotechnology and bio-molecular sciences, chemistry, computer science, ecology, engineering, engineering design, environmental control and management, mathematics and statistics, medicine and health sciences, nanotechnology, physics, safety and emergency management, and related fields of study.Website: http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/ The paper is available from this link: http://bit.ly/2o9vyow For more information about the journal, contact:The Chief Executive Editor (UPM Journals)Head, Journal Division, UPM PressOffice of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (R&I)IDEA Tower 2, UPM-MDTC Technology CentreUniversiti Putra Malaysia43400 Serdang, SelangorMalaysia.Phone: +603 8947 1622 | +6016 217 4050Email: nayan@ upm.my Press release distributed by ResearchSEA for Pertanika Journal.
For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME.

Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire.

Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III.





to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever.





Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation.





View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union.

Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history.

Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words.




Manufacturing began with the ground-breaking implementation of steam-powered machinery. Soon enough, electricity replaced steam power and the assembly belt revolutionized mass production. The third era began as computers became more advanced, thus leading to the replacement of workers with machines on the assembly line. According to a report released by consulting firm McKinsey and Company, the next ten years should see the rise of digitalization as the fourth era of industrial revolution begins. What is the fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0? How will it affect the manufacturing sector?

What is Industry 4.0?

The term Industry 4.0 serves as a buzz term for the merger of industry and the Internet of Things. Industry 4.0 technically isnt new technology, but rather is a new approach to optimizing production within the industrial sector. It is the move towards digitization of operations that combines the use of machinery, computers, and automation. McKinseys report suggests that the fourth Industrial Revolution (News - Alert) will have a huge impact and will require only a minimal replacement of equipment. The author argues that less than 40 to 50 percent of existing equipment will require replacement. The industrys focus will shift to integrating technologies and upgrading current software to create a cyber-physical network within the factory to monitor and capture data regarding the production process. The way in which the manufacturing industry evolves will rely on the use of sensors, data analytics, 3D printers, and Google (News - Alert) glass to create a network. This intelligence network will be able to make core decisions based on the analysis of data. Ultimately, this combination of analysis and physical equipment becomes the Internet of Things.

The Smart Factory

At the heart of the fourth Industrial Revolution is the smart factory, which will consist of sensors, devices, machinery, and people that communicate with each other through the cyber-physical network. These interworking parts must constantly talk to each other for the system to run efficiently.

With the Industry 4.0 approach, company factories will be able to produce their products in greater quantities while also maintaining higher quality standards. Digitalization will allow for more consistent and reliable outputs, leading to increased profits. In high-risk working environments, the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies should improve the health and safety of workers.

It is not only the industry giants that will benefit from Industry 4.0 and the smart factory. Start-ups, and small and medium companies, should find value in the implementation of new technologies within their organizations. While the factory floor is seeing the increasing use of sensors, robotics, and other developing technologies, ERP manufacturing software is already helping behind the scenes by integrating various departments, improving communication, and streamlining processes.

Cybersecurity

With the act of digitizing the industrial sector comes an increasing need for cybersecurity. According to the same McKinsey report, Digitization requires an effective implementation of cyber-security measures across the whole enterprise: prioritize protection, integrate into processes, engage management and employees, and safeguard technology. Security becomes of paramount importance, and a lack of tight cybersecurity could have dire consequences, including the failure of the entire system. This will create an increasing need for employees with a skillet that involves data and analytics.

The evolution of Industry 4.0 technologies and the smart factory will not happen overnight. However, companies are already moving toward digitalization. In 2013, Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) released its plans to fully automate the production process of the manufacturing industry with minimal human involvement. We can also see the transition to Industry 4.0 as companies begin to implement individual technologies such as 3D printers into the production process. Its an exciting time for manufacturers, providing theyre able to adapt to new technological processes as they arise.

Edited by Alicia Young
By: Alliance HealthCare System

Alliance Hospital's New Parking Lot

Media Contact

Tiana Ferrell

Alliance HealthCare System

tferrell@ahsofms.com Tiana FerrellAlliance HealthCare System

End

-- Alliance HealthCare System is paving the way for a more sustainable environment with a new parking lot at the Alliance Hospital located at 1430 Highway 4 East, Holly Springs, Mississippi. The lot's additional spaces will help accommodate the hospitals rising attendance as it has expanded and enhanced its outpatient services. Within the Radiology Department alone, the hospital has purchased a new GE Logic S8 Ultrasound unit which offers high resolution imaging with a faster turnaround time. In the coming weeks, the Diagnostic Imaging and Mammography services will convert to all digital, which is much faster and allows for increased patient volumes.Alliance Hospital's pavement project is a $125,000 renovation invested to better serve the citizens of Marshall County funded solely by Alliance HealthCare System. Incredibly, over its long history, the parking lot has never been repaved."This lot represents progress and movement towards the future," said Dr. Kenneth Williams, Founder of Alliance HealthCare System. "The hospital is in its strongest position it has been in the past ten years, therefore we are reinvesting in the current facility."Alliance Healthcare System (AHS) is a premier provider of emergency medicine and preventive care through two outpatient clinics and an acute care hospital. AHS provides a range of quality healthcare services and strives to promote health and well-being for the people of our community. The AHS hospital is a level 4 trauma center that provides 24 hour emergency care to the residents of Marshall County.
Neil Farquharson of Funnel Science Visiting Lecture At the University of Texas at Dallas

Neil Farquharson

Contact

Neil Farquharson

***@funnelscience.com Neil Farquharson

End

-- Marketing expert Neil Farquharson is to address marketing students at The University of Texas at Dallas on April 5th. He'll be sharing valuable knowledge he's gained during his 15 years since relocating to Dallas, Texas.Mr. Farquharson will be talking about the major changes he's seen in the way that consumers and B2B customers respond to promotional activities, how the influence of traditional marketing has greatly diminished in an age where people recognize and reject information regarded as advertising, and how in our fast-paced society, marketing professionals must put the right information in a prospect's hands in the "moment" that the latter will act on it.Mr. Farquharson believes that traditional calls-to-action (CTA) just don't work anymore, and so will be recommending to students that they create campaigns that deliver messaging not only with pinpoint accuracy, but also with a single CTA that requires zero effort.Neil Farquharson is Vice President of Communications and Marketing at Funnel Science, a team of Internet marketing experts based in Dallas, Texas. He lives in Plano with his young family.More at http://www.funnelscience.com andwww.linkedin.com/in/neilfarquharson/
Contact

Liana Hofer

Marketing Coordinator

***@childrenshungerfund.org Liana HoferMarketing Coordinator

End

-- The international non-profit organization Children's Hunger Fund announces that over 500,000 meals have been raised through their partnership with cuddle+kind, which specializes in children's knit toys. In total, the company has raised over 1 million meals to date through its philanthropic efforts.For every doll sold, cuddle+kind donates funds for 10 meals to go to hungry children and families around the world. Through Children's Hunger Fund, the company takes part in sending bulk food to children in Haitian orphanages, as well as schools in a number of other countries.The partnership between Children's Hunger Fund and cuddle+kind began in 2015. In 2016, the company donated 120 plush dolls to go to orphans in Haiti, and this year, they responded to flooding in Peru by supporting relief efforts."It's a privilege to work with companies that build their business model on the foundation of caring for others," said Tim Hackett, Children's Hunger Fund Senior Director of Donor Relations. "cuddle+kind has woven that kind of thinking into the fabric of their culture, and their care for children is evident."With the help of partnerships like cuddle+kind, over 45 million meals were raised through Children's Hunger Fund in 2016 to help children and families in 25 countries. The organization has set a goal to raise 55 million meals in 2017.Founded by Dave Phillips in 1991, Children's Hunger Fund has served the needs of children through gospel-centered mercy ministry for twenty-five years. The charity has distribution centers in Chicago, San Antonio, Dallas, and at its headquarters in Los Angeles. At each center, bulk food is packed by volunteers into "Food Paks" (a 20-pound box of nutritious food). Food Paks are distributed to millions of children and families in need throughout the U.S. and worldwide through a unique process, utilizing a Mercy Network of pastors and local churches who deliver the Food Paks into the homes of families in each region that is served. For more information, visit www.childrenshungerfund.org
IBAW, regional business association, presents Washington Update

By: Independent Business Association of Wisconsin

Steve Kohlmann

Contact

Judi Murphy

Murphy Associates

***@marketingwithmurphy.com Judi MurphyMurphy Associates

End

-- The Independent Business Association of Wisconsin (IBAW) hosts a breakfast meeting on Friday, April 21, 7  9:00 am, at the Wisconsin Club, 900 W Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wis. Presentation is "Washington Update" featuring Congressman Glenn Grothman. A plated breakfast is served.Glenn Grothman is congressman for Wisconsin 6Congressional District and is serving his first term in Congress, having been elected in 2014. He serves on the House Budget, Education and the Workforce and Oversight and Government Reform Committees, along with the Joint house and Senate Economic Committee.Steve Kohlmann, Executive Director of IBAW, said, "Congressman Grothman's time in office has been marked by his passionate advocacy for manufacturing, tax reform, welfare reform, education reform, and immigration reform. Our meeting will also share "10 Minutes With" Matt Bucher of HNI, who will give us an update on where the nation is on the latest healthcare options." To register for the April 21program, go to www.IBAW.com Previously, Grothman served as the Assistant Majority Leader in the Wisconsin State Senate where he worked for economic growth legislation and tax reform. Prior to his election to the state senate, Grothman served as a representative to the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1993 through 2003. He was also a practicing attorney in the areas of estate planning and probate.IBAW's mission is to advance business prosperity through insightful programming, executive networking, & member-driven public policy and advocacy. Membership encompasses service, manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, technology, financial, consulting & others. A statewide, non-profit association, IBAW members and sponsors employ thousands of Wisconsin workers.Since 1973, the Independent Business Association of Wisconsin (IBAW) was formed for small business owners to engage in conversation relating to legislation which impacts the bottom-line costs of businesses throughout the state of Wisconsin. IBAW is a venue for high level CEOs, CFOs, COOs, other upper management and entrepreneurs to network, exchange business ideas, and become educated and involved on issues which impact their business.For additional information, contact Steve Kohlmann, IBAW Executive Director, via email at IBAWOffice@gmail.com
This year's campaign for a global asbestos ban will translate across six different languages, spreading the message to a wide international audience.

By: Asbestos Disease Awareness

Global Asbestos Awareness Week

End

-- The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), which combines education, advocacy, and community to help ensure justice for asbestos victims and work toward an asbestos-free future, today announced the launch of the 13Annual Global Asbestos Awareness Week (GAAW) April 1-7, 2017.Asbestos is a known carcinogen and there is no safe level of exposure. Since the 19th century, asbestos was widely used in construction, shipbuilding, and the automotive industry. Without a ban, asbestos remains legal and lethal in the USA and in an estimated 70% of countries around the world.Global Asbestos Awareness Week is dedicated to awareness and prevention, with each day featuring educational resources from leading organizations, guest blogs, videos, and asbestos victims' stories. The week culminates on April 7th with an online candlelight vigil. We are excited to bring our educational messages to an even wider global audience by collaborating with The McOnie Agency, a U.K. based public relations firm. By partnering with the McOnie Agency, our 2016 GAAW educational materials reached an international audience and this year, we aim to expand upon this awareness.Building on strength and collaboration, this year's Global Asbestos Awareness Week will focus on:1. Banning the mining, manufacturing, and use of asbestos2. Preventing asbestos exposure3. Increasing compliance and enforcement of existing laws and regulations4. Strengthening international partnerships"It is exciting to see the global embrace and collaboration for Global Asbestos Awareness Week," stated ADAO Co-founder and President Linda Reinstein. "Since the awareness campaign began over a decade ago, ADAO, along with our partners, has dedicated over 70 days specifically to asbestos awareness. Each day, an estimated 300 people die from asbestos-caused diseases. It is unconscionable that Russia, China, Brazil, and Kazakhstan continue to mine 2 million metric tons of asbestos every year to be used primarily in asbestos-cement products. Even worse  the U.S. and other industrialized countries continue to import asbestos, bringing danger across our borders and contributing to international human rights violations. Millions of tons of asbestos remain in homes, schools, and workplaces. ADAO joins the global community in calling for a ban in the United States and around the world. Enough is enough."Since its founding in 2004, ADAO has worked with the U.S. Senate to unanimously pass twelve Asbestos Awareness Week Resolutions and secured five U.S. Surgeon General asbestos warnings in an effort to prevent exposure to eliminate deadly asbestos-caused diseases.Exposure to asbestos, a human carcinogen, can cause mesothelioma, lung, gastrointestinal, colorectal, laryngeal, and ovarian cancers; as well as non-malignant lung and pleural disorders. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 107,000 workers around the world will die every year of an asbestos-related disease, equaling 300 deaths per day.For more information, visit www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org
By: British Chamber of Commerce Singapore

Media Contact

Lucy Haydon, Membership & Communications Manager

lucy@britcham.org.sg

62223552 Lucy Haydon, Membership & Communications Manager62223552

End

-- The British Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce our Annual Business Awards, an initiative recognising the impact and achievements of businesses in Singapore and beyond, is now open for entries. In its 18year, the Annual Business Awards has become synonymous with excellence and success, supported by partners including the British High Commission, Singapore Business Federation and the Department for International Trade.With global political and economic change shaping the planning agendas of many of our member organisations, a new "Success in ASEAN" category will feature this year to reflect the regional nature of businesses in 2017 - the 50anniversary year of the ASEAN declaration. The category "Outstanding UK-Singapore Collaboration"also returns to the programme to highlight partnership success stories between the two countries.Culminating in a Gala Presentation Awards Dinner on 28September 2017 at the Shangri-La Hotel for up to 500 guests, this year's Award categories reflect the priorities and achievements of the business community: Outstanding UK-Singapore Collaboration Success in ASEAN Excellence in Technology & Innovation Start-up Excellence Outstanding Young Professional Investing in People Embracing Diversity & Inclusion Excellence in Sustainability Customer EngagementTo be eligible for the awards, entrants must apply either as a Singapore registered enterprise or the employee of such (for individual categories). Membership of the British Chamber of Commerce is not a pre-requisite for entry and there is no fee to participate.Entries are assessed by a Judging Panel of leading experts in their area based on company objectives and culture; the business story and achievements;the initiatives undertaken, which are relevant to the selected awards category, and evidence of the impact of these initiatives in transforming the organisation and beyond.To enter the Awards, participants should visit www.britcham.org.sg/ aba to complete the simple online form. Entries close on 9June 2017 with finalists to be announced at a later date.For more information on the 18Annual Business Awards, contact the British Chamber at info@britcham.org.sg or 62223552.-END-The British Chamber of Commerce, Singapore (BritCham) is one of the country's leading business forums, open to executives and businesses of all nationalities. The Chamber network is an engaged and dynamic business community of over 3,000 executives representing almost 400 companies. We provide connections, insights and information for businesses, focusing on delivering quality support to our growing membership base. We organise almost 100 events a year offering frequent and diverse opportunities for networking and exchange. For further information visit http://www.britcham.org.sg.
The Colored Rocks Foundation has made the decision to close its Georgia operations at the end of April

By: Colord Rocks Foundation

Media Contact

***@coloredrocks.org

404-577-6257 404-577-6257

End

-- Georgia's Colored Rocks Foundation has announced it has begun winding down its activities and will cease operations at the end of April, taking with it theand marking the end of its 5-year run.The organization's website announced earlier that thewould not be awarded in 2017. Then today, an official announcement that the foundation will cease operations was posted on the organization's Facebook and Twitter pages.Cheryl Dukes, executive director of the Colored Rocks Foundation confirmed the closing. "I announced to our board of directors that I would be stepping away from my position a few months ago to concentrate on other commitments and desires", stated Dukes.Considering Dukes' pending departure, the board explored strategic options, including a new CEO and budgeting to expand its initiative. "In the end, we were challenged to attract consistent corporate funding to take the organization in the direction we wanted to go, and we did not intend to operate the organization as a private foundation. So we decided to cease operations completely", explained Dukes.The organization has begun the dissolution process and is now making final notifications and payments. Since thewill not be awarded in 2017, all donations made to the Colored Rocks Foundation during the past 6 months will be returned to donors. Dukes also offered the following:"I am beyond grateful for the blessing of having led the initiative to honor the brilliance and graciousness of more than 70 of Georgia's distinguished ethnic male students. It was most gratifying to shed a positive light on the accomplishments of historically underserved students. Those students used their diverse talent and peer influence to develop and inspire hundreds of at-risk male students in their respective communities.We greatly appreciate the support of our donors, volunteers and participants who took this journey with us. Together, we awarded thousands of dollars in prize money, which most of the awardees used to help pay for college.Recipients of thewere selected from the smallest towns in Georgia to its largest metropolis and from all points in-between. Though they came from different backgrounds and experiences, what they shared was immense talent and determination, along with a desire to offer their talent where it was most desperately needed. Their promise is heartwarming and I, for one, am looking forward to watching the footprint they will leave on the world."FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Rosemarie FermoColored Rocks Foundation, Inc.Phone: 404-57-ROCKS (76257)Website: http://www.coloredrocks.org
The Women's Travel Group celebrates its 25 year with new, provocative and unusual tours for women on its new website. These tours include Easter Island, India for Diwali Festival, Oaxaca, Japan, Australia and other exotic destinations.

By: ecps consulting corp

Contact

Phyllis Stoller

The Women's Travel Group

***@thewomenstravelgroup.comf Phyllis StollerThe Women's Travel Group

End

-- The Women's Travel Group specializes in unusual tours for women to colorful destinations. The small group tours often include speakers, inside visits to homes and sites that are new sometimes overlooked by the general travel industry. Example of a speaker is a former political prisoner in Ethiopia. An example of an unusual visit is to a Mayan home in the Yucatan interior.The company looks for new destinations. Upcoming trips are planned as soon as a destination becomes a viable one for Americans. Considerations are infrastructure, safety, intrinsic interest, hotel and food quality. Examples from last year were Iran, The Yucatan, and Ethiopia. Upcoming tours are listed on the company site under tours and specials.An accompanying Travel Tips blog is full of information geared to women, encouragement to explore the world with the theme of seeing places as our mutual destiny. The blog was awarded a Silver Magellan Prize.For more information:call our office 646 309 5607. Phyllis@thewomenstravelgroup.com is available for interviews.
From April 18, 2017, Guillaume Delattre will oversee investment, real estate sales and asset management for BNP Paribas REIM France, reporting to Jacqueline Faisant, Chairman of the Executive Board of BNP Paribas REIM France. He will be a member of the Executive Board of BNP Paribas REIM.

46-year old...

[]
The explosions had barely ripped through a tunnel between the Sennaya Ploshchad and Tekhnologichesky Institut stations in the St. Petersburg's Metro system on Monday afternoon, when supporters of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria began celebrating online. ISIS supporters shared pictures of the bombing's aftermath over Gazwa, a pro-ISIS channel, even though no one has yet claimed responsibility for the deadly attack that has killed at least 10 people.

That Russia may have been attacked by jihadists should come as no surprise. In the early post-9/11 years, Russia trumpeted its counterterrorism cooperation with America to root out al-Qaeda. But over the years, attacks on Russian soil have largely been launched by local Sunni groups (some of whom espouse a pro-al-Qaeda worldview) with varying objectives, from ethno-nationalist concerns to the desire to spread sharia law throughout the Caucasus. During the 1990s, a number of rebel groups adopted more religious ideologies, a shift that many scholars attribute to the growing influence of foreign fighters from the Middle East and Central Asia, including the Ibn al-Khattab battalion. As the years wore on, Islamic militants launched many high-profile attacks on Russian soil, including ones specifically targeting transportation infrastructuresuicide bombings in the Moscow Metro in 2004 and 2010, an explosion that derailed the Moscow-St. Petersburg express railroad in 2007, and suicide attacks on the Domodedovo Airport in 2011 and on a bus in Volgograd in 2013.

For the most part, Putin responded by sending Russian security services into jihadist hot spots like Dagestan. Rhetorically, Putin and the Russian propaganda machine capitalize on these attacks by portraying all Kremlin enemies, both foreign and domestic, as part of a vast terrorist conspiracy. The Russian state seeks to craft an image of protector of the people.

Moscow's entanglements in the Middle East have aligned it against Sunnis and their interests.

Now, Moscow's entanglements in the Middle East have aligned it against Sunnis and their interests. In the months ahead, as Russia's involvement with the Syrian civil war deepens, it's a near-certainty that Sunni militants will intensify their burgeoning campaign against Russia.

Since Russia entered the war in Syria in 2015, it has been increasingly perceived as a vanguard of Shia interests. Russian President Vladimir Putin has provided substantial military aid to Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, allying Russia with the Shia Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah, avowed enemies of Sunni jihadists. An ISIS propaganda video threatening retaliation against Russia was released just two weeks after the downing of Metrojet Flight 9268 over the Sinai in 2015. That attack was intended as a terrifying message to Putin that his actions in Syria, where the Russian air force was bombing Sunni rebel positions, would not go unreciprocated.

For Russia, the demographics are also daunting. There are thousands of Russian citizens fighting with ISIS, and another 5,000 to 7,000 Russian-speaking jihadists, making Russian the second-most popular language spoken within ISIS. This means that Sunni jihadist groups have a ready-made, native force to send back home to Russia, where the militants can more easily blend in with local populations while plotting further attacks.

Perhaps the key reason why Sunni attacks on Russia proper will increase, however, is the fallout between Sunni jihadists in the Caucasusnamely, the al-Qaeda-linked Caucasus Emirate and the Wilayat Qawqaz, ISIS's official representative on Russia's periphery. In recent years, many high-ranking jihadists have switched allegiance from the Caucasus Emirate to Wilayat Qawqaz. ISIS, in their eyes, is the most legitimate force espousing the austere brand of Salafism popular among jihadists, particularly the younger generation. The split between the two groups will continue to manifest, likely resulting in a process of outbidding where violent non-state groups rely on spectacular attacks to persuade potential acolytes that their terrorist or insurgent organization has a stronger resolve to fight the adversaryin this case, the Russian state and security services. The competition has even extended to the battlefield in Syria, which has only heightened the stakes.

With the caliphate now under strain, some militants might attempt to return home and link up with jihadists in Dagestan, Chechnya, or other restive Russian republics.

Much of the violence afflicting Russia may, in the end, stem from its own actions. Prior to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russian authorities, including the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, allegedly encouraged Sunni militants to leave Russia for Syria, where they could wage jihad against the Assad regime. But with the caliphate now under strain, some of these relocated militants might attempt to return home and link up with jihadists in Dagestan, Chechnya, or other restive Russian republics. Putin has expressed concern about this possibility, lamenting that after Syria, these militants will not simply vanish into thin air. Moreover, Russia's approach to counterinsurgency eschews addressing grievances, instead relying almost exclusively on military force. This means that while militants can be killed and captured, the root causes of the political violence go largely ignored, allowing the ideology fueling militant Salafists to fester indefinitely.

Another key variable in Russia's fight against jihadists is the newfound fame many citizens of the former Soviet states have garnered as leading members of ISIS. This includes the now-deceased Tarkhan Batirashvili, a Georgian who went by the pseudonym Abu Omar al-Shishani, or Omar the Chechen. Shishani appeared frequently in ISIS propaganda videos and ascended the ranks to become the group's minister of war, before being killed in a coalition airstrike near the Syrian city of Shaddadi in March 2016. In August 2016, ISIS released a video on YouTube featuring a masked fighter who stares directly at the camera, declaring: Listen Putin, we will come to Russia and will kill you at your homes.

Russia, however, is not altogether unprepared for a surge in Sunni militancy. It has made major progress in quelling the insurgency in Chechnya, a majority-Muslim area in the North Caucasus that was the site of two bloody wars in the 1990s. To rule Chechnya, Putin installed strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, who has masterfully and harshly decreased violence in the region. Accordingly, as I argued at Politico, Russia's brutal approach could be characterized as myopic for its focus on short-term security gains at the expense of longer-term stability, as the domestic population in large swaths of the Caucasus have been traumatized by torture, forced disappearances, and collective punishment.

There is yet another reason Russia should remain concerned about the St. Petersburg attack, regardless of who ultimately claims responsibility. For all of the success of its counterinsurgency campaign in Chechnya, counterterrorism is something different. While a counterinsurgency strategy can entail deploying vast numbers of soldiers using brute force, counterterrorism is more of a law-enforcement discipline, driven by intelligence and precision. Russia has proven that it is willing and able to employ brutal methods to defeat an insurgency, but has yet to demonstrate the capabilities necessary to deter and disrupt terrorist attacks on its soil, including devastating attacks on its transportation infrastructure.

In its quest to become more assertive geopolitically by assuming a more aggressive role abroad, Russia has made itself more vulnerable to terrorism at home. Sunni militants may see Russian actions in the Middle East and Eastern Europe and conclude that now, while Moscow is seemingly distracted, is the time to strike. ISIS and other jihadists could be preparing to take the fight to Russia's major cities in an attempt to prove their own relevance, while seeking to make good on repeated promises to make Putin and company pay for their misadventures in Muslim lands.

And still: All this could be a shrewd calculation by Putin, who may see the blow back of Sunni militancy at home as the inevitable trade-off of restoring Russian hegemony in its former sphere of influence, while bringing the country back to its rightful place as a true global power.

Colin P. Clarke is a political scientist at the RAND Corporation and an associate fellow at the International Center for Counter Terrorism. He is the author of Terrorism, Inc.: The Financing of Terrorism, Insurgency, and Irregular Warfare.

This commentary originally appeared on TheAtlantic.com on April 4, 2017.

Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
UK indie Woodcut Media is celebrating a renewal from free-to-air channel Pick for true crime dramas Britains Most Evil Killers and its international counterpart Worlds Most Evil Killers.





Woodcut claims that season one of the 10x60 series Britains Most Evil Killers has been a standout success for the Sky channel Pick, with almost every transmission bringing in consolidated audiences that more than double their 52-week slot averages. It quotes statistics showing that episode two consolidated at 37,000, 161% above the slot average. That was also said to be the best-performing Sunday 10pm slot on the channel in five years and, at 2.2%, Picks highest ever share performance in that slot.The 20x60 Worlds Most Evil Killers was pre-sold to RTL for German-speaking Europe in January 2017 and the extended 20-episode series has been adjusted for local audiences and licensed in a multi-year deal. The second series will include The Grindr Killer - Stephen Port, Mick Philpott, Ted Bundy and Aileen Wuornos, to mention a few of the cases covered.The new deal was brokered by Pick acquisitions executive Charlie Charalambous and both series will be distributed internationally by Keshet International. They are scheduled to air on Pick in 2018.True crime is still a hot genre for audiences worldwide, and this second season has also come hot off the heels of the fabulous ratings Pick received from the first season, commented Woodcut Media CEO Kate Beal. For Pick, its an offering the viewers havent had before; its premium crime content on a Freeview channel. The new episodes will continue to offer a multi-faceted analysis of these killers and explore the steps taken that led to their ultimate capture, leaving no stone unturned.Pick viewers are True Crime savvy and Woodcut have done a superb job of delivering high quality and well-researched shows that our audience is engaging with, added Stephen Ladlow, director of Skys Challenge, Pick and Real Lives. The subject matter is often difficult, but is dealt with sensitively and intelligently by a great production company. We are delighted to be green-lighting second seasons of both shows and look forward to offering Pick viewers new insight into these famous crimes.
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.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a rebel-held town in Syrias northwest province of Idlib was hit by a suspected chemical attack. Activists for the Britain-based monitoring group reported air strikes on the town of Khan Sheikhun on April 4 by Syrian government or Russian jets. They said the attack killed several people and caused others to suffer from respiratory problems. Russia said that none of its planes were involved in the attack. The Syrian government has consistently denied the use of chemical weapons. (Reuters/social media) WARNING: this video contains disturbing images
The URL has been copied to your clipboard

The code has been copied to your clipboard.

United Nations war crimes investigators have opened a probe of a suspected chemical attack in Syria's Idlib Province that left at least 58 people dead.

The UN Commission of Inquiry for Syria said on April 4 that it had opened the probe in a statement condemning the attack.

The statement also condemned the alleged targeting of a medical facility where victims of the attack were being treated, saying both actions "would amount to war crimes and serious violations of human rights law."

UN Syrian envoy Staffan de Mistura told journalists in Brussels that all indications were that "it was a chemical attack and it came from the air."

The United Nations Security Council will convene an emergency session on April 5 to discuss the incident.

International outrage at the apparent attack continued to mount throughout the day.

U.S. President Donald Trump issued a statement saying the attack was "reprehensible and cannot be ignored." He blamed the "heinous" actions of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on the "weakness and irresolution" of his predecessor, Barack Obama.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that Russia and Iran -- as Assad's main allies and guarantors of the Astana cease-fire process -- "bear great moral responsibility" for the Idlib attack. He called on Moscow and Tehran to use their influence and ensure that no more similar attacks occur.

French President Francois Hollande also said Assad bore responsibility for the "massacre" and called on "those who support this regime[to] once again reflect on the enormity of their political, strategic, and moral responsibility."

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said that if it was proven the Syrian government carried out a chemical attack, it would be "unquestionably a war crime and they must be held to account."

WATCH: EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini says those behind a suspected chemical attack in a rebel-held town in Syria must be held accountable.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack as an "inhuman" strike that could endanger peace talks. Turkish presidential sources said Erdogan made the comments in a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

The Syrian government has denied that it carried out a chemical attack, saying that it destroyed a "terrorists' chemical-weapons depot" in the town of Khan Shekhoun. The government statement said the attack was carried out using Russian-made Sukhoi Su-22 fighter bombers, which are not capable of deploying chemical weapons.

The Syrian military also denied using chemical weapons.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Syrian Union of Medical Care Organizations said the death toll in the attack could be as high as 100, with up to 400 injured. Many of the injured are reportedly suffering respiratory problems.

Earlier, the observatory said symptoms among those affected by the attack included fainting, vomiting, and foam coming out of their mouths. It was unknown what chemical was used in the attack, but local medics were quoted as saying they suspected it was the nerve agent sarin.

The reported chemical attack came ahead of an April 5 international conference in Brussels on the future of Syria and the region.

At least 300,000 people have been killed and millions displaced by Syria's 6-year-old civil war. A UN-led investigation has concluded that the Syrian government used chlorine as a weapon at least three times in 2014 and 2015.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and TASS
Following the flash sale that shook the country last week, of the BSIII motorcycles and scooters, we decided to quench our curiosity on how the sale really proceeded from the dealers point of view. This was third in our priority list after clearing the doubts and frequently asked questions on the difference between BS3 and BS4, and what is AHO and what are its major drawbacks.

Heres the transcript of RushLanes very blunt conversation with a dealer who wishes to remain anonymous.

1. Why did this suddenly become a big thing  the discontinuation of BS3 vehicles in just a matter of 2-3 days?

Answer: This wasnt a sudden thing. Many dealers knew about it beforehand. But they chose to ignore as most of them were of the opinion that the government will not ban sales. During the previous transitions (BS2 to BS3), the government had allowed the sale of BS2 vehicles. Almost everyone thought the same will happen this time, but then the Supreme Court decided to ban BS3 vehicles.

2. When did the automobile manufacturers intimate about this BS3 ban? Did they tell only in last minute?

Answer: The manufacturers had notified about the change well in advance, but they continued to send BS3 vehicles. We did not have any choice, but to continue buying these vehicles.

3. Are the discounts borne by the dealers or the respective auto company?

Answer: They will be borne by the company.

4. Are there still some leftover stock of the banned BS3 vehicles?

Answer: Yes. There were about 8 lakh vehicles which were in the stock across the country. Not all have been sold. Some have been taken back by the company, but some dealers continue to sell the BS3 stock even today.

5. Will there be any difficulty at the RTO in registering the vehicles sold on March 31?

Answer: As long as the vehicle is invoiced before 31st march, there should be no trouble.

6. Can you backdate the invoice and continue the sales after the deadline of 31 March, 2017?

Answer: No we cannot.

7. How many days will it take to register all the BS3 vehicles that youve sold till 31 March?

Answer: Depends on the RTO. Usually it takes about a weeks time.

8. Was this a profit or a loss to your dealership?

Answer: CA will be a good person to talk to on this.

9. Did the customers pay by cash or by any other payment method?

Answer: We accepted cash, online transfer and cheque too. No easy finance options were given.

10. Did you take full cash to making invoice?

Answer: Answered above. Yes, full amount was taken in either of the three modes.

11. Were the customers able to get bank loan for this sudden purchase?

Answer: Financing wasnt available. Only people who could pay fully were given the vehicles.

12. Did you give them your own finance option (if available)?

Answer: No

It appears that the dealers did not suffer any financial loss, so this kindles a new question  what was the motive behind waiting for the last date and issuing the massive discount?

Why did almost all of the auto manufacturers had good amount of leftovers which were sold at an unprecedented discount at the last moment of the financial year?

The RTO in Pune registered 3,112 motorcycles and scooters till 9 PM on Friday (31 March, 2017) as opposed to the average of 488 two-wheelers a day in the first eleven months of the 2016-17 fiscal.

So, for the question as the title, you cannot buy a brand new BS3 vehicle now, but our sources tell us that the BS3 vehicles are still being sold. If you are wondering how, then the trick is simple. Those dealers who were left with BS3 stock on 31st March, bought those vehicles themselves. These dealers are now selling these vehicles to customers at discounted rate, plus 1 year free insurance.

Legally, the dealer is not doing anything wrong. Though he is selling a brand new BS3 vehicle post 31st March, on paper is selling a second hand vehicle. Win-win situation for both, dealer and the customer. You may find them at the dealerships or probably at online marketplaces such as OLX and Quikr.
Indias longest road tunnel at the Jammu Srinagar National Highway will reduce travel distance between the two cities by 30 km and travel time by upto 2 hours. Chenani-Nashri tunnel, inaugurated by PM Modi, is a state of the art project that will augment tourism and allow for quick movement of essential commodities.

It is built at an altitude of 1,200 meters at a cost of INR 3,700 crores and is among the longest highway tunnels in Asia and first of its kind in India.

Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State in the PMs Office has announced that this tunnel will save fuel to the extent of INR 99 crores per annum while on a daily basis, fuel worth INR 27 lakhs will be saved. The distance between Chenani and Nashri which earlier stood at 41 kms will be reduced to just 10.9 kms. It is the 6th tunnel in the world to have transverse ventilation system, offering clean and fresh air to commuters.

This tunnel, which is a part of the National Highway Authority of India along the National Highway 44, took 7 years to build and was declared open by PM Narendra Modi in the presence of Governor NN Vohra and Chief Mehbooba Mufti. Light motor vehicles will be charged INR 55 for a one way trip and INR 85 for a two way trip through the tunnel.

Be it bringing more tourists to J&K, improving connectivity or mitigating climate change, Chenani-Nashri Tunnel offers many advantages. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India.
A team of scientists from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) showed for the first time that many novel viruses are present in the fluids circulating deep in the rocky crust of the seafloor known as the ocean basement. Their recently published study also provides evidence that the viruses are actively infecting the many unusual microorganisms that live in the basement.

Viruses are often thought of as a nuisance because of the familiar diseases they cause -- common colds and the flu, for example. However, viruses infect every living thing on earth and viral infections have been one of the major creative forces that shape the nature of life on our planet. The first viruses likely originated at the dawn of life billions of years ago. Through relentless cycles of infections, viruses have helped drive the evolution of the diverse life found on our planet and their influence continues to this day.

"The ocean basement was one of the last major habitats on Earth for which we had no information on the number and types of viruses present," said lead author Olivia Nigro, post-doctoral researcher of oceanography. "The volume of water that moves under the seafloor through the ocean basement is enormous. Annually, it is equivalent to the flow of all the rivers on the planet combined."

Hydrothermal vents and plumes, like those found in Hawaii at Lihi seamount, are the most spectacular evidence of that flow.

"Despite the massive scale of flow through the seafloor and its importance for understanding the chemical balance of our oceans, our view of the unusual microorganisms that live in this fluid and how they interact is still very sketchy," said Grieg Steward, oceanography professor and lead investigator for the project.

It is very challenging to get a clean sample of water from rocks buried under hundreds of feet of sediment at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. To do this, the team took advantage of devices designed to plug holes drilled deep into the seafloor called Circulation Obviation Retrofit Kits, or CORKs. The bottom of the CORKs seal off the fluids in the basement and transport samples of that fluid to a sampling port that extends a few meters above the seafloor. The CORKs sampled were over one-and-half miles under the ocean and required an autonomous underwater vehicle to connect the sample vessels, open and close the valves, and return the samples to the surface.

The researchers used microscope and DNA analyses to count and characterize the viruses in the fluids and to detect viral DNA inside of cells. This pioneering work provided the first look at the diverse and unusual viruses infecting the microorganisms in warm basaltic crust, which forms the very foundation of the Hawaiian Islands. Surprisingly, many of them resemble the lemon- and rod-shaped viruses found in hot springs on land, like those in Yellowstone National Park, even though these two habitats are very far apart.

"One of the likely places for the origin of the first living cells and viruses was in hydrothermally active seafloor," said Nigro. "Analyzing viruses from this remote habitat helps us flesh out the deep branches on the virus family tree so we can better understand their origins, their contributions to the history of life, and how they influence the activities of microbial life in the crust."

"The data we obtained provides clues about the nature of a microbial world that lies hidden deep in the roots of these volcanic islands," said Steward. "Through their interactions with rock and water, these deep-dwelling communities of microbes and their viruses are invisible engineers contributing to the chemical balance of our oceans."
Dr Wes Fraser from Queen's led an international research project 'Colours of the Outer Solar Systems Origins Survey' Col-OSSOS, which uses data collected from the Frederick C. Gillett Gemini North Telescope and Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) both on Maunakea in Hawaii. By simultaneously using two world class telescopes, Dr Fraser's team was able to produce unique research with a global impact.

The study focused on the Kuiper Belt -- a region of space beyond the gas giant Neptune. The area holds more than 1,700 known icy objects, which are remnants of the early Solar System. Normally objects that are formed in this area are red in colour.

However, during his research Dr Fraser identified a small number of 'oddball' objects, which stand out as uniquely blue and are zipping around in binary pairs that orbit around each other, like the moon orbits Earth.

Astronomers have always thought that these objects formed in the heart of the Kuiper Belt but Dr Fraser's findings, which have been published in Nature Astronomy, suggest that the blue binaries actually formed in a region much closer to the Sun and were then shepherded by Neptune's gravitational nudges onto their current orbits in the distant Kuiper Belt several billions of years ago.

Dr Fraser's research indicates that when Neptune moved from 20 AU to its current location at 30 AU, this was a very slow and calm movement, which allowed the fragile and loosely bound binaries to be pushed out a similar distance to where they are found currently without being disrupted into two separate single objects.

Discussing the significance of the findings, Dr Fraser said: "This research has opened the window to new aspects of understanding the early stages of planet growth. We now have a solid handle on how and where these blue binaries originated.

"There has been some evidence around how Neptune moved outwards to 30 AU. Our hypothesis about how these blue binaries came to be where they are requires that Neptune's migration was largely a smooth and calm movement.

"This novel programme uses two world-class telescopes: the Gemini-North and Canada-France-Hawaii telescopes, simultaneously. In doing so, we are able to gather comprehensive spectral information spanning the ultra-violet, optical, and near-infrared wavelength ranges. Without this programme and the partners involved, this major research breakthrough would not have been possible."

Meg Schwamb, astronomer at the Gemini Observatory, commented: "Working closely together, Gemini North and the Canada-France-Hawaii telescopes coordinated their movements to observe the Col-OSSOS Kuiper belt objects at nearly the same time."

"These simultaneous observations on Maunakea allowed us to measure the light from the same side of the Kuiper Belt object, removing one of the main challenges in studying Solar System bodies that rotate."

Todd Burdullis, QSO operations specialist at CFHT who helped to co-ordinate the observations, commented: "Facilitating the simultaneous observations with the Col-OSSOS team and Gemini Observatory was challenging, but paved the way for a greater understanding of the origins of these blue binaries.

"In tandem, the two facilities observed all the colours of the outer solar system for the Col-OSSOS team."
Hundreds of millions of animals are killed every year by road traffic.

It's a sad statistic that Jochen Jaeger, associate professor of geography in Concordia's Faculty of Arts and Science, and his international colleagues hope to reduce.

But rather than focus on a specific location, as most studies do, they've taken a less common approach.

Jaeger and an international team of collaborators stepped back to re-examine the results of dozens of studies already conducted in countries around the world -- all they could possibly find in the peer-reviewed and grey literature.

They combined the data from many studies and analyzed them together, which allows for the discovery of more general relationships that hold across many locations. They focused on what prevention methods are most consistently useful. The results were recently published in the journal PLoS ONE.

Of the more than 40 prevention methods available, the researchers found that, overall, fences, with or without crossing structures, reduce roadkill by 54 per cent, when considering all species combined. Crossing structures had no detectable effect without fencing.

advertisement

When large mammals were examined, the combination of fences and crossing structures led to a roadkill reduction of 83 per cent, while animal detection systems (such as laser tripwires or radar), led to a 57 per cent reduction.

The study also determined that expensive measures were much more effective than cheaper ones.

"Inexpensive measures such as wildlife reflectors should not be used until and unless their effectiveness is tested using a high-quality experimental approach," Jaeger says.

'A tsunami of roads'

Equally important in this study is its potential to improve the quality and consistency of future research. The 50 roadkill studies that Jaeger and his colleagues looked at (some with multiple data sets) were the only comparable ones out of 1,274 available worldwide to date.

advertisement

At the top of the team's list of recommendations regarding research methods is the need to establish a clearer picture of how often animals get killed when they cross before preventative measures are installed.

The researchers also suggest reporting more carefully on how animals fare at "hotspots" at the end of fencing stretches. Many animals seem to move along the fence, cross the road at the end and get killed there. A different design of the fence-ends could help reduce this effect, but research about this idea still needs to be done in the future.

Another priority they named was increasing the duration of studies to a minimum of four years for Before-After study designs, and a minimum of either four years or four sites for Before-After-Control-Impact study designs.

Jaeger emphasizes that establishing a minimum quality for the approaches taken is increasingly important as the world builds more and more roads and species become rapidly more at risk. He points to Brazil and India as examples of where the roadkill problem promises to increase dramatically.

"There will be a huge number of road projects going through the Amazon very soon. They will have large numbers of animals being killed. It's like a tsunami of roads," Jaeger says.

"Somewhere like Switzerland or Germany -- they pretty much have all the roads they will ever build. But in Brazil and many other countries, most roads are still being constructed."

Jaeger emphasizes that places like the Amazon urgently need mitigation measures to protect the biodiversity that is still there, but better wildlife mitigation is also needed here at home.

Crucial, then, is the need to make sure that future studies are not only rigorous and make their results available to other researchers, but are comparable with other studies.

"If we do another 1,000 studies and only 50 of them can be included in the next meta-analysis in 10 years, that would be a huge missed opportunity," he says.

"Rather, we should do them in a way that they can all be part of the next meta-analysis."

From April 4-7, Jaeger will take part in the 37th annual conference of the International Association for Impact Assessment, held this year in Montreal. He is co-chairing a session together with Aurora Torres (from the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Madrid, Spain) about creating an international coordinated network that engages scientists and practitioners to assess the impact of human infrastructure on wildlife globally and inspire innovative ideas and applications. He will also be joined by students from Concordia's Master's in Environmental Assessment, who have organized a special session on Impact Assessment.
A self-healing, water-repellent, spray-on coating developed at the University of Michigan is hundreds of times more durable than its counterparts.

It could enable waterproofing of vehicles, clothing, rooftops and countless other surfaces for which current waterproofing treatments are too fragile. It could also lower the resistance of ship hulls, a step that would reduce the fuel consumption of the massive vessels that transport 90 percent of the world's cargo.

The developers say the new concoction is a breakthrough in a field where decades of research have failed to produce a durable coating. While water-repellent finishes are available at present, they're typically not strong enough for applications like clothing or ship hulls. This discovery changes that.

"Thousands of superhydrophobic surfaces have been looked at over the past 20 or 30 years, but nobody has been able to figure out how to systematically design one that's durable," said Anish Tuteja, U-M associate professor of materials science and engineering. "I think that's what we've really accomplished here, and it's going to open the door for other researchers to create cheaper, perhaps even better superhydrophobic coatings."

The coating is made of a mix of a material called "fluorinated polyurethane elastomer" and a specialized water-repellent molecule known as "F-POSS." It can be easily sprayed onto virtually any surface and has a slightly rubbery texture that makes it more resilient than its predecessors.

If it is damaged, the coating can heal itself hundreds of times. It can bounce back "even after being abraded, scratched, burned, plasma-cleaned, flattened, sonicated and chemically attacked," the researchers wrote in a paper recently published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

advertisement

In addition to recovering physically, the coating can heal itself chemically. If water-repellent F-POSS molecules are scraped from the surface, new molecules will naturally migrate there to replace them. That's how the coating can renew itself hundreds of times. Its healing ability is limited only by its thickness.

The discovery is being commercialized by HygraTek, a company founded by Tuteja with assistance from U-M Tech Transfer.

Beyond the coatings detailed in the paper, the project produced what amounts to a recipe that researchers can use to optimize future coatings to a specific application's requirements for cost, durability and other factors.

As lead author and U-M doctoral student Kevin Golovin explains, the team used a process that was radically different from previous research in the field.

"Most materials science researchers have focused on identifying one specific chemical system that's as durable and water-repellent as possible," he said. "We approached the problem differently, by measuring and mapping out the basic chemical properties that make a water-repellent coating durable. And some of the results surprised us."

For example, most hydrophobic coatings are made of two main ingredients: an active molecule that provides the water-repellency and a binder. Generally, researchers have assumed that using more durable ingredients would make a more durable coating. But Tuteja's team found that that's not necessarily the case.

advertisement

They discovered that even more important than durability is a property called "partial miscibility," or the ability of two substances to partially mix together. The other key variable the team discovered is the stability of the water-repellent surface.

Most water-repellent coatings work because their surface has a very specific geometry, often microscopic pillars. Water droplets perch on the tips of these pillars, creating air pockets underneath that deny the water a solid place to rest and cause it to roll off easily. But such surfaces tend to be fragile -- slight abrasion or even the pressure of the water itself can damage them.

The team's research found that a surface that's slightly pliable can escape this pitfall -- even though it seems less durable, its pliable properties enable it to bounce back from damage.

Tuteja estimates that the coatings will be available for use before the end of 2017 for applications including water-repellent fabrics and spray-on coatings that can be purchased directly by consumers.
Researchers from Princeton University and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences have discovered how a fruit fly protein binds and regulates two different types of RNA target sequence. The study, which will be published April 4 in the journal Cell Reports, may help explain how various RNA-binding proteins, many of which are implicated in cancer and neurodegenerative disease, perform so many different functions in the cell.

There are hundreds of RNA-binding proteins in the human genome that together regulate the processing, turnover and localization of the many thousands of RNA molecules expressed in cells. These proteins also control the translation of RNA into proteins. RNA-binding proteins are crucial for maintaining normal cellular function, and defects in this family of proteins can lead to disease. For example, RNA-binding proteins are overexpressed in many human cancers, and mutations in some of these proteins have been linked to neurological and neurodegenerative disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. "Understanding the fundamental properties of this class of proteins is very relevant," said Elizabeth Gavis, the Damon B. Pfeiffer Professor in the Life Sciences and a professor of molecular biology.

Gavis and colleagues are particularly interested in a protein called Glorund (Glo), a type of RNA-binding protein that performs several functions in fruit fly development. This protein was originally identified due to its ability to repress the translation of an RNA molecule called nanos to protein in fly eggs. By binding to a stem structure formed by uracil and adenine nucleotides in the nanos RNA, Glo prevents the production of Nanos protein at the front of the embryo, a step that enables the fly's head to form properly.

Like many other RNA-binding proteins, however, Glo is multifunctional. It regulates several other steps in fly development, apparently by binding to RNAs other than nanos. The mammalian counterparts of Glo, known as heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) F/H proteins, bind to RNAs containing stretches of guanine nucleotides known as G-tracts, and, rather than repressing translation, mammalian hnRNP F/H proteins regulate processes such as RNA splicing, in which RNAs are rearranged to produce alternative versions of the proteins they encode.

To understand how Glo might bind to diverse RNAs and regulate them in different ways, Gavis and graduate student Joel Tamayo collaborated with Traci Tanaka Hall and Takamasa Teramoto from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to generate X-ray crystallographic structures of Glo's three RNA-binding domains. As expected, the three domains were almost identical to the corresponding domains of mammalian hnRNP F/H proteins. They retained, for example, the amino acid residues that bind to G-tract RNA, and the researchers confirmed that, like their mammalian counterparts, each RNA-binding domain of Glo can bind to this type of RNA sequence.

However, the researchers also saw something new. "When we looked at the structures, we realized that there were also some basic amino acids that projected from a different part of the RNA-binding domains that could be involved in contacting RNA," Gavis explained.

The researchers found that these basic amino acids mediate binding to uracil-adenine (U-A) stem structures like the one found in nanos RNA. Each of Glo's RNA-binding domains therefore contains two distinct binding surfaces that interact with different types of RNA target sequence. "While there have been examples previously of RNA-binding proteins that carry more than one binding domain, each with a different specificity, this represents the first example of a single domain harboring two different specificities," said Howard Lipshitz, a professor of molecular genetics at the University of Toronto who was not involved in the study.

To investigate which of Glo's two RNA-binding modes was required for its different functions in flies, Gavis and colleagues generated insects carrying mutant versions of the RNA-binding protein. Glo's ability to repress nanos translation during egg development required both of the protein's RNA-binding modes. The researchers discovered that, as well as binding the U-A stem in the nanos RNA, Glo also recognized a nearby G-tract sequence. But Glo's ability to regulate other RNAs at different developmental stages only depended on the protein's capacity to bind G-tracts.

"We think that the binding mode may correlate with Glo's activity towards a particular RNA," said Gavis. "If it binds to a G-tract, Glo might promote RNA splicing. If it simultaneously binds to both a G-tract and a U-A stem, Glo acts as a translational repressor."

The RNA-binding domains of mammalian hnRNP F/H proteins probably have a similar ability to bind two different types of RNA, allowing them to regulate diverse target RNAs within the cell. "This paper represents an exciting advance in a field that has become increasingly important with the discovery that defects in RNA-binding proteins contribute to human diseases such as metabolic disorders, cancer and neurodegeneration," Lipshitz said. "Since these proteins are evolutionarily conserved from fruit flies to humans, experiments of this type tell us a lot about how their human versions normally work or can go wrong."
Next time you bite into a chocolate bar, think of Africa. The continent produces nearly 70 percent of the world's cocoa, a growing output that requires carving more than 325,000 acres of new farmland from forests every year -- a drop in the bucket of overall agricultural expansion there.

That expansion is the subject of a new Stanford study that provides the first comprehensive assessment of how international demand for commodity crops, such as cocoa, is affecting sub-Saharan Africa's tropical forests, second in size only to the Amazon. The findings, published in Environmental Research Letters, suggest reason for hope if policymakers tailor decisions regarding deforestation around the region's unique dynamics and uncertainties.

"We are starting to better understand issues related to large-scale agricultural expansion in the tropics," said lead author Elsa Ordway, a graduate student in Stanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences. "In Africa, we have the opportunity to take lessons learned from other regions and recommend preventive policies."

In particular, the study recommends policies that would alleviate poverty in local regions and incentivize forest conservation rather than the widespread deforestation that has accompanied agricultural expansion in other regions.

Into Africa

As international markets have swelled and integrated, production of in-demand crops such as soy and oil palm has moved away from areas where land is scarce and where natural resource regulations are robust. Production has instead moved to tropical regions such as Southeast Asia and South America. Brazil and Indonesia alone accounted for more than 60 percent of global tropical deforestation from 2000 to 2005, largely due to agricultural expansion.

advertisement

Sub-Saharan Africa, with its abundant cheap land and labor, would seem an obvious next step for multinational companies looking to expand farther. Since 2015, agricultural production in the region has grown at the fastest rate globally, and cropland is predicted to expand more than 10 percent by 2025.

Although deforestation rates in Africa remain well below those in South America and Southeast Asia, the region has lost an area of intact forest about the size of Iceland since 2000.

These African forests, contained primarily in the Congo Basin, represent almost 30 percent of the world's total and are an important source of local income. In addition to regulating climate, safeguarding water quality and controlling disease, the forests feed and provide subsistence means to at least 100 million people living nearby. Forest products such as logs generate an average of 6 percent of sub-Saharan Africa's gross domestic product -- triple the world average.

Avoiding deforestation

Expansion of commodity crop production in sub-Saharan Africa has so far been driven primarily by small- and medium-scale local farmers who boost the regional economy and can expand with less disruption to forests. But big change is knocking at the door. In recent years, multinational companies have bought up a land area larger than Costa Rica in the heavily forested Congo Basin, mostly for crops such as oil palm and soy.

advertisement

As the multinationals move in, they are more likely to acquire land by clearing intact forest due to property conflicts resulting from the region's land tenure complexities. However, the study's authors suggest Africa could be spared the massive deforestation that large-scale monoculture has wrought on regions such as Southeast Asia by implementing policies that prioritize forest conservation and local control of the land.

"Civil society, policymakers and private companies can benefit from many years of trial-and-error with anti-deforestation policies in South America and Southeast Asia to design more effective interventions in sub-Saharan Africa," said co-author Eric Lambin, the George and Setsuko Ishiyama Provostial Professor in the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences.

Among the possible solutions: promoting investment that ensures small and medium-scale farmers continue to drive agricultural expansion in order to alleviate poverty and avoid land tenure conflicts, encouraging shade cultivation of crops such as cocoa to incentivize forest cover conservation, and finding ways to engage African consumers -- currently the primary market for most locally produced commodity crops -- on deforestation issues.

"Future forest losses could be better mitigated via policies that address the shifting influence of domestic and international markets," said co-author Greg Asner, a professor in Stanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences.

In the meantime, the study's findings could inform the zero-deforestation commitments made by dozens of international companies and help countries adhere to their commitments under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
As we grow old, our nights are frequently plagued by bouts of wakefulness, bathroom trips and other nuisances as we lose our ability to generate the deep, restorative slumber we enjoyed in youth.

But does that mean older people just need less sleep?

Not according to UC Berkeley researchers, who argue in an article published April 5 in the journal Neuron that the unmet sleep needs of the elderly elevate their risk of memory loss and a wide range of mental and physical disorders.

"Nearly every disease killing us in later life has a causal link to lack of sleep," said the article's senior author, Matthew Walker, a UC Berkeley professor of psychology and neuroscience. "We've done a good job of extending life span, but a poor job of extending our health span. We now see sleep, and improving sleep, as a new pathway for helping remedy that."

Unlike more cosmetic markers of aging, such as wrinkles and gray hair, sleep deterioration has been linked to such conditions as Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, obesity, diabetes and stroke, he said.

Though older people are less likely than younger cohorts to notice and/or report mental fogginess and other symptoms of sleep deprivation, numerous brain studies reveal how poor sleep leaves them cognitively worse off.

advertisement

Moreover, the shift from deep, consolidated sleep in youth to fitful, dissatisfying sleep can start as early as one's 30s, paving the way for sleep-related cognitive and physical ailments in middle age.

And, while the pharmaceutical industry is raking in billions by catering to insomniacs, Walker warns that the pills designed to help us doze off are a poor substitute for the natural sleep cycles that the brain needs in order to function well.

"Don't be fooled into thinking sedation is real sleep. It's not," he said.

For their review of sleep research, Walker and fellow researchers Bryce Mander and Joseph Winer cite studies, including some of their own, that show the aging brain has trouble generating the kind of slow brain waves that promote deep curative sleep, as well as the neurochemicals that help us switch stably from sleep to wakefulness.

"The parts of the brain deteriorating earliest are the same regions that give us deep sleep," said article lead author Mander, a postdoctoral researcher in Walker's Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory at UC Berkeley.

advertisement

Aging typically brings on a decline in deep non-rapid eye movement (NREM) or "slow wave sleep," and the characteristic brain waves associated with it, including both slow waves and faster bursts of brain waves known as "sleep spindles."

Youthful, healthy slow waves and spindles help transfer memories and information from the hippocampus, which provides the brain's short-term storage, to the prefrontal cortex, which consolidates the information, acting as the brain's long-term storage.

"Sadly, both these types of sleep brain waves diminish markedly as we grow old, and we are now discovering that this sleep decline is related to memory decline in later life," said Winer, a doctoral student in Walker's lab.

Another deficiency in later life is the inability to regulate neurochemicals that stabilize our sleep and help us transition from sleep to waking states. These neurochemicals include galanin, which promotes sleep, and orexin, which promotes wakefulness. A disruption to the sleep-wake rhythm commonly leaves older adults fatigued during the day but frustratingly restless at night, Mander said.

Of course, not everyone is vulnerable to sleep changes in later life: "Just as some people age more successfully than others, some people sleep better than others as they get older, and that's another line of research we'll be exploring," Mander said.

Meanwhile, non-pharmaceutical interventions are being explored to boost the quality of sleep, such as electrical stimulation to amplify brain waves during sleep and acoustic tones that act like a metronome to slow brain rhythms.

However, promoting alternatives to prescription and over-the-counter sleep aids is sure to be challenging.

"The American College of Physicians has acknowledged that sleeping pills should not be the first-line kneejerk response to sleep problems," Walker said. "Sleeping pills sedate the brain, rather than help it sleep naturally. We must find better treatments for restoring healthy sleep in older adults, and that is now one of our dedicated research missions."

Also important to consider in changing the culture of sleep is the question of quantity versus quality.

"Previously, the conversation has focused on how many hours you need to sleep," Mander said. "However, you can sleep for a sufficient number of hours, but not obtain the right quality of sleep. We also need to appreciate the importance of sleep quality.

"Indeed, we need both quantity and quality," Walker said.
A piece of an ancient continent, running the length from India to Madagascar, has been discovered under the tiny island of Mauritius off of the east coast of Africa.

The lost continent was formed in the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana, which began pulling apart about 200 million years ago. The small piece of crust was later covered by lava from volcanic eruptions on the island, researchers said, after the breakup of Africa, India, Australia and Antarctica, which formed the Indian Ocean.

The scientists, who published the study in the journal Nature Communications, said there are many pieces of the undiscovered continent, which they call Mauritia, found around the Indian Ocean, from the breakup of Gondwana.

"According to the new results, this break-up did not involve a simple splitting of the ancient super-continent of Gondwana," said Wits University geologist Lewis Ashwal in a statement. "But rather, a complex splintering took place with fragments of continental crust of variable sizes left adrift within the evolving Indian Ocean basin."

RELATED: Wildfires Are Burning Some of World's Oldest Trees

By studying the mineral zircon, which is emitted by lava during eruptions, the scientists found an odd contradiction that suggested the minerals in rock samples being studied couldn't have originated from the island.

"Earth is made up of two parts - continents, which are old, and oceans, which are 'young,'" Ashwal said. "On the continents you find rocks that are over four billion years old, but you find nothing like that in the oceans, as this is where new rocks are formed. Mauritius is an island, and there is no rock older than nine million years old on the island."

He went on to note how the geologists identified zircons - minerals found mainly in granite from the continents - that are as old as three billion years in a six-million-year-old piece of the island's trachyte, which is igneous volcanic rock.

Earlier studies found zircon in beach sand on Mauritius that some argued might have been blown onto the island, or carried from other parts of the world stuck to car tires or people's shoes.

"The fact that we found the ancient zircons in rock, corroborates the previous study and refutes any suggestion of wind-blown, wave-transported or pumice-rafted zircons for explaining the earlier results," Ashwal said.

Map: Indian Ocean topography shows Mauritius as part of a chain of progressively older volcanoes that extend from the active hot-spot of Reunion toward the 65-million-year-old Deccan Traps in India.

WATCH: How Did So Much Oil Get Trapped Under the Ocean?
This page may have been moved, deleted, or is otherwise unavailable. To help you find what you are looking for:

Enter Search Term(s):

Still cant find what youre looking for? Send us a message using our contact us form. To report a broken link or other problems with the website, please include the URL.

Thank you for visiting state.gov.
Countries & Areas

Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe
Taiwan finally received the second two of four used Perry class frigates from the United States. Taiwan made the initial request for eight in 2010 and was turned down. In 2014 it asked if it could get four Perrys and the U.S. finally agreed to that. Taiwan needs new (or refurbished) frigates to replace eight older (from the early 1970s) Knox class frigates it received in the 1990s. The U.S. retired the last of its 46 Knox class ships in 1994 and many nations looking for cheap, proven pre-owned frigates have sought to get them. The Taiwanese Navy wanted to equip the eight Perrys with Aegis air defense systems. But the U.S. would only provide the Perrys refurbished but without Aegis.

The Perrys are 4,100 ton ships that have a crew of 220 and are normally armed with a 76mm gun, six tubes for launching Mk 46 anti-submarine torpedoes, and a 20mm auto cannon as anti-missile defense. As built, the Perrys had a missile launcher for SM-1 anti-aircraft or Harpoon anti-ship missiles (from a 40 missile magazine) but these were removed from all U.S. Perrys in 2004. This was done because U.S. allies needed the dwindling supply of SM-1 missiles more than U.S. ships did. Taiwan has upgraded its Perrys with locally developed and manufactured electronics and missiles. The Perrys have air search radar and sonar and can carry two helicopters, which can carry Penguin anti-ship missiles. Top speed is 55 kilometers an hour. If built today, the Perry's would cost about $300 million each.

Taiwan's existing eight Perry's were built in the 1990s under license in Taiwan. These Cheng Kung class frigates are also 4,100 ton ships, armed with the SM-1 anti-aircraft missile launcher, six torpedo tubes, one 76mm gun, two 40mm anti-aircraft guns, one 20mm Phalanx anti-missile autocannon, and eight locally made anti-ship missiles.

The Taiwanese government needs to do something about its surface force, which now consist of the eight recently built Cheng Kungs, six Knox class frigates, six French La Fayette class frigates, which entered service in the 1990s. There are also 31 new locally built 171 ton fast missile boats. These began entering service in 2003. But what Taiwan needs the most is more ships that can handle anti-submarine and anti-aircraft operations. Taiwan is apparently going to move forward with building its own submarines.

Taiwan can design and build modern combat electronics and is developing its own version of Aegis for its new ships and export. Taiwan has also been developing its own anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles successfully.
by Austin Bay April 4, 2017

Syria's Assad regime has once again used banned chemical weapons to inflict mass casualties on civilians.

Syrian Air Force jets bombed a rebel-held village in the Syrian province of Idlib. The U.S. State Department said banned chemical weapons were used in the attack. White House press secretary Sean Spicer blamed the Assad regime and didn't mince words: "Today's chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world." Then he added, "These heinous acts are a consequence of the past administration's (Obama Administration's) weakness and irresolution."

The heinous acts caused immense and immediate suffering. Within hours of the attack, internet websites and social media sources linked to gruesome video imagery depicting gasping and flailing men, women and children. In other videos, victims foamed at the mouth.

The symptoms are those human beings experience when exposed to a nerve agent --"nerve gas" being the colloquial term. Sarin is the likely culprit. Sarin is a non-persistent nerve agent typically released as an aerosol, a fine spray released by an exploding bomb, rocket or artillery shell. Sarin is very deadly.

How many people were killed and wounded? No one is quite sure. 58 dead and over 300 injured are the most common estimates in current reports. However, one medical aid group working in the area said the death toll is substantially higher. Suffering victims continued to jam Idlib's hospitals and aid stations.

For what it's worth, the Assad regime dismissed news of the nerve agent attack as "fabricated allegations."

I think we can expect the death toll to rise. On August 21, 2013, the Syrian government used barrage rockets carrying sarin in a devastating attack on Eastern Ghouta, a rebel-held suburb of Damascus. Initial reports said 300 to 500 dead. The final toll exceeded 1,200.

The Assad regime ordered the use of chemical weapons on Ghouta. In so doing, it clearly violated President Barack Obama's now infamous August 2012 "red line" forbidding the use of chemical weapons against civilians by Assad's forces. Obama was saying he would not permit a war crime of that magnitude on his watch.

But when Assad crossed the red line, Obama failed to take punitive military action. Obama failed to support his strong words, exhibiting what Sean Spicer identified as "weakness and irresolution."

Obama tried to obscure his fecklessness by making a deal with Vladimir Putin. Russia would assume control Syrian chemical weapons then move the weapons out of Syria and destroy them. That deal didn't alter the bottom line to the red line: Assad committed a war crime forbidden by an American president, and did so with impunity.

Syrians have suffered scores of chemical attacks since 2013, many involving chlorine. In March 2017, two attacks occurred where Assad's forces allegedly used sarin.

Obama's reliance on the Kremlin to control and remove chemical weapons utterly failed. On April 4th, I participated in a State Department media background briefing (conducted by phone). The briefing senior official harshly criticized Russia and Iran. "Russia and Iran are the self-proclaimed guarantors for the Syrian regime to adhere to a (negotiated) cease-fire..." Though Russia says it had nothing to do with the Idlib bombing, "that's not the issue. The issue is an apparent inability or unwillingness to hold the (Assad) regime to its own commitments and to account." In light of the chemical attack, Russia and Iran "will have a lot to answer for."

They do indeed. Demanding Russia and Iran answer for facilitating a major war crime by their Syrian client is not drawing a red line. But Bashar al-Assad knows that the Trump Administration is making it clear its Syrian chemical weapons policy no longer relies on Russia. Assad will conclude a punitive strike on his regime is now a possibility.
In the last week police have disrupted two terror attacks in Kabul, one of them using a suicide car bomber. Increasingly since 2014 the security forces have managed to develop more effective intelligence and security capabilities and prevent most Islamic terrorist attacks in capital but that sort of thing does not make headlines while the occasional successful attack does. The major sponsor of most attacks is not the Taliban but ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) or Haqqani Network. ISIL does it for their own reasons while Haqqani does it because that is now they continue to enjoy a sanctuary in Pakistan.

Meanwhile the Afghan government maintains the security of Kabul by punishing those who made mistakes and enabled attacks to be carried out. For example, the recent attack against the Kabul military hospital led to a prompt investigation of how it happened and within weeks twelve officers, including two generals, were dismissed and accused of poor performance (or poor judgement) that made the attack possible. That sort of thing does motivate other officers and American advisors have noted that as well as the Afghans adopting that attitude towards failure and responsibility.

Meanwhile the Taliban is expanding into many other criminal enterprises, in an effort build up their cash reserves they will need for when they believe they have an opportunity to seize control of the country. Extortion (from Afghans in general and especially Afghan firms spending aid money to rebuild the country) have brought in billions for the Taliban, who expect to eventually inherit these improvements when they regain power. The Taliban are operating in a traditional Afghan way, acting as a strongman who insists on tribute or else. Most Afghans regard the Taliban as bandits with religious delusions. They are feared but not admired in any way.

The Taliban takeover fund apparently has several billion dollars in it and American counter-terror campaign devotes a lot of effort trying to find the money and seize it. This effort gets little publicity because it is not very dramatic at all. Moreover it involves a lot of very senior and very corrupt people in countries like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran and Afghanistan itself. The Taliban expect to need these shady financial operations after they take over because they assume they will be an outlaw state as they were in 2001, but a more effective one. The majority of Afghans do not want a return of Taliban rule in any form.

The Afghan government has other sources of income. The national budget is currently $6.6 billion and two-thirds of that comes from foreign aid. Because of the Taliban and drug gangs, 36 percent of the budget goes to security. Another 21 percent goes to infrastructure and natural resources. Despite how important both these items are a lot of this money is stolen and that is a very visible bit of damage caused by corruption. Yet there is still a growing sense of national identity and willingness to make sacrifices for a better future. This is aided by the fact that in most of the country the Taliban and drug gangs are hated and often encounter organized and heavily armed resistance from locals, even before the security forces show up. This is partly because the Taliban and the local drug trade were started by members of the Pushtun minority. While a minority the Pushtun have always been the largest minority and thus used that to usually dominate the other minorities (who resented it). This is a major reason why Pakistan is such an unhelpful neighbor.

While the drug gangs are thriving and bribing a growing number of government and security officials the Taliban are using that weakening of government control to reduce areas where the government (national or local) can interfere with Taliban or drug gang operations. For the Taliban the bad news is that the growth of drug gang power and income has turned all the neighbors, including most Pakistanis, against them. As much as Pakistan (or at least the Pakistani military) wants the Taliban to control, or at least disrupt, Afghanistan the majority of Pakistanis see Afghan Islamic terrorists and opium as a major threat. All the other neighbors (Iran, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan) see nothing good coming from Afghanistan becoming a narco-state guarded by Islamic terrorists. That didnt work in the late 1990s and there is no reason to believe it will work now. But there is so much drug money involved (the Taliban alone are believed to receive over $2 billion a year) that the problem persists, even within the Taliban itself.

The government still controls most (at least 60 percent) of the population and the Taliban/drug gangs less than ten percent. For the drug gangs controlling population is not their goal. The drug gangs are largely satisfied because nearly all the gains have been in areas they value most. The fighting has always been concentrated in a few of the 34 provinces that are key to the drug operations. These provinces include Badakhshan in the northeast, Ghazni in the southeast (near the Pakistan border), nearby Zabul, Helmand in the south, Nangarhar in the east and Kunduz in the north. Helmand is most important because that is where most of the opium and heroin is produced. The other provinces are important because they provide key smuggling routes for getting the drugs out and essential supplies (weapons, chemicals and cash) in.

The biggest problem the drug gangs have is the intense attention their Islamic radical hired guns attract. In particular the gang leaders fear being confused with the men running various Islamic terror groups in the region. Thats because the West (in particular) has long known that counter-terrorism operations are most successful when they concentrate on the leadership and the cash flow. This is another manifestation of the old adage that amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics. The latest innovations in this approach is the use of large databases and customized counter-terror search software to seek out patterns of how the groups operate. This helps identify who the key people are and where they will be found. Same with the cash and key supplies (weapons, ammo, and in this case chemicals for turning opium into heroin.) This decapitation (kill or capture the leaders) approach does not guarantee quick destruction of a terrorist group but does limit its growth and operations in general. The drug gangs have a real fear that these tools will eventually be turned on them. They saw what happened in other countries (most recently Colombia) when these tactics were applied to drug cartels.

The Taliban is particularly vulnerable to decapitation attacks at the moment because the group has, since 2015, been increasingly unstable because of a dispute over who the senior leaders should be. There are also increasingly loud accusations that the current leader, who is also the head of the Haqqani Network, has turned the Taliban into a Pakistani puppet. There have always been complaints about this but they have gotten more popular, and more violent, as more Taliban remain in the group mainly for the money, not the goal of turning Afghanistan into a religious dictatorship. These attitudes were reinforced in late 2014 as thousands of Pakistani Taliban fled to Afghanistan to escape a Pakistani military offensive against their longtime sanctuary in North Waziristan. These refugees spoke of the devious plans the Pakistan military had for Pushtuns (most Taliban have always been Pushtuns) and Afghanistan in general.

April 4, 2017: Afghanistan and Pakistan began using a new hotline established so that military commanders on both sides of the border could quickly contact each other to deal with an unexpected border incident. Britain helped Afghanistan and Pakistan negotiate some new security cooperation deals, including regularly exchanging details of people wanted for criminal activity along the border.

April 3, 2017: The Taliban have announced the goals of the upcoming Spring Offensive. The Taliban expect to expand their presence in Helmand, Oruzgan, Farah, Faryab, Sar-e Pol and Kunduz provinces. Currently about a third of the country is controlled or threatened by Taliban forces. After more than a year of fighting the Taliban have disrupted government control in ten of the 14 districts in Helmand province. Most of the ten are effectively under Taliban control and another three are moving in that direction. The Ministry of Defense also announced plans to deal with increased Taliban violence in those same provinces the Taliban targeted.

The government also revealed a program for doubling the size of its SOF (special operations forces) from 17,000 to over 30,000 by 2020. Currently about 70 percent of the offensive operations are carried out by the SOF, which are a combination of army and police commando (or SWAT) type units and the best trained, led, armed and reliable troops in Afghanistan.

In the east (Paktika province) police arrested a man identified by intel as a Haqqani Network suicide bomber trained in Pakistan and recently arrived in Paktika to kill a senior police commander. The arrested man provided more details of his mission and training when he was interrogated.

April 2, 2017: In the east (Nangarhar province) Afghan special operations forces clashed with a group of ISIL gunmen, killing nine, capturing two in addition to seizing weapons, cell phones and other useful information. Most ISIL activity is in Nangarhar province, which is on the Pakistani border and a major export route for heroin and opium. Because Nangarhar is relatively quiet (for the provinces on the Pakistan border) it was the area ISIL leaders selected as a base area. That is why this is also where ISIL suffers most of its losses in Afghanistan. American UAVs and Afghan commandos concentrate on ISIL targets there and capture a lot of data which details ISIL operations in the area. The data shows that a large fraction of the ISIL men in Afghanistan are foreigners, mainly from Pakistan. ISIL attracts recruits from other Islamic terrorist groups that are seen as not sufficiently dedicated to the cause of world domination, defending Islam and generally being self-righteous outlaws. Another reason for joining ISIL is the uncompromising attitude towards opium and heroin. While most Taliban justify working for drug cartels (for the money) ISIL makes no exceptions.

In the east (Paktika province) someone fired four rockets across the border into northwest Pakistan (Kurram). There were no injuries.

March 25, 2017: After years of threatening to do so Pakistan has begun building a security fence along its Afghan border. This is part of an effort to hinder the Pakistani Taliban groups based in Afghanistan from easily moving back and forth. The initial fence construction is along the border with the Afghan provinces of Nangarhar and Kunar. These two provinces are where there has always been a lot of lawless activity and these days it is full of Islamic terrorists hostile to either Pakistan or working for Pakistan (against Afghanistan). Fence construction will continue with priority given to areas where there are the most problems.

March 24, 2017: In the east (Nangarhar province) several American UAV missile attacks left at least 22 ISIL men dead.

March 20, 2017: Pakistan opened its Afghan border crossings permanently after having closed them all on February 16th to pressure Afghanistan to do more about border security. One reason the border was reopened was that Pakistani firms that supply goods to the Afghan market noted that these extended border closings have caused a growing number of Afghans to prefer Iranian, Turkish and Indian goods imported via Iran or Central Asia. That will become easier and cheaper as Iran and India complete a road and rail network from the Iran coast to eastern Afghanistan. The latest border closing cost Pakistani businesses $3 billion in sales. The most active legal crossing is Torkham Gate in northwest Pakistan. Normally about 15,000 Afghans use this crossing each day along with about $4 million worth of goods. Torkham was closed several times during 2016 because of ongoing border disputes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In the southwest (Baluchistan) Chamman is the second most active border crossing with Afghanistan. Most of the 2,500 kilometers of border is rural, thinly populated and lacking roads. The border violence has been going on for years and is more about unresolved border disputes than anything else. Torkham has always been the main border crossing with Pakistan because on the Pakistani side is the Khyber Pass. This is the easiest way to get from northern Afghanistan to the lowlands (most of Pakistan and all of India) beyond. Most of the Afghan-Pakistani border is still called the Durand Line. This was an impromptu, pre-independence invention of British colonial authorities and was always considered temporary (or at least negotiable) by locals. This was mainly because the line often went right through Pushtun tribal territories. However, the Afghans are more inclined to accept the Durand Line, and fight to maintain it. Thus recent Pakistani efforts to build more fences and other structures on their side of the border as an attempt to make the Durand line permanent and no longer negotiable. Afghans who use the border are also angry at a new Pakistani visa policy, which requires regular users of the crossings to get a visa. Officially this is a security measure, but given the rampant corruption in Pakistan Afghans see this as another opportunity for Pakistani border officials to demand bribes.

March 19, 2017: In the east (Paktika province) an American airstrike killed Qari Yasin, a local al Qaeda leader and bomb expert who is from Pakistan (Baluchistan) and has many connections within the Pakistani Taliban. Yasin was responsible for planning several major attacks in Pakistan and training some of the best bomb builders and attack planners. He was also responsible for several assassination attempts against senior government and military officials in Pakistan. Islamic terrorists have been trying to operate from bases across the border in Afghanistan, especially Paktika province and that is responsible for most of the violence in eastern Afghanistan.

March 17, 2017: Pakistani Taliban based in Afghanistan crossed border into Pakistan near the Khyber Pass and attacked a border post. Two Pakistani soldiers died, along with six civilians and attackers. Pakistan complained to Afghanistan but was told that this was largely the fault of the Pakistanis whose offensive in North Waziristan had driven thousands of Islamic terrorists into eastern Afghanistan and there were not enough troops and police available to deal with such an influx of armed men.

In the east (Paktika province) an American airstrike killed two Pakistan Taliban leaders.

March 13, 2017: In the east (Paktika province) an Afghan airstrike destroyed two vehicles carrying Haqqani Network personnel and ammunition. When Afghan troops arrived they found that two of the ten Haqqani dead were leaders wanted for their involvement with several recent terror attacks in Kabul and elsewhere in eastern Afghanistan. Haqqani Network leaders gained control of the Afghan Taliban in mid-2016 and have been bringing in experienced Haqqani operatives from Pakistan to help with that. By late 2016 Afghan police confirmed that a growing number of known Haqqani personnel were showing up in eastern Afghanistan, often involved with planning terror attacks. Founder (in the 1980s) Jalaluddin Haqqani died in 2o14 and his successor (Siraj Haqqani) continued to cooperate with the Taliban and maintain subservience to ISI (Pakistani military intelligence). Because Jalaluddin Haqqani helped Mullah Omar and other Taliban leaders escape Afghanistan in 2001 there has always been a sense of mutual dependence. For that reason Haqqani leaders were able to help deal with the mid-2015 power struggle within the Taliban and thwart the recruiting efforts of ISIL. Given that Haqqani works for ISI (the Pakistani CIA), Pakistan had to approve, if not help bring about this new arrangement. The Afghan government protested to Pakistan about this but, as usual, Pakistan insisted it had nothing to do with Haqqani, the Taliban or supporting Islamic terrorism of any kind.

March 10, 2017: In the east (Paktika province) Afghan SOF troops killed two ISIL leaders wanted for their role in planning and carrying out major terror attacks.

In the north (Kunduz province) two senior Taliban leaders (one in charge of finances, the other military operations) were killed during clashes with Afghan forces. Four other Taliban were killed and several vehicles (some carrying weapons and ammo) as well.

March 8, 2017: In Kabul four ISIL terrorists, disguised as doctors, attacked the main military hospital. One attacker used an explosive vest while the others used bullets and grenades to kill at least 50 patients and staff and wound many more before they were themselves killed.

March 6, 2017: In the east (Kunar province) at least 76 shells and rockets were fired from Pakistan into rural areas near the border. In 2016 Afghanistan accused Pakistan of resuming the shelling of Afghan territory in eastern (Kunar) and southern (Helmand province) Afghanistan. Although most of the shells and rockets land in remote areas they still manage to kill or wound some people, usually innocent civilians. These rocket, mortar and artillery attacks from Pakistan have been particularly heavy in 2013 and 2014 but happened much left frequently after a new Afghan government joined the U.S. to call out the Pakistanis on these attacks. Pakistan usually refuses to admit they are even happening but because of the 2015 cooperation deal (mainly to deal with Islamic terrorists hostile to everyone) Pakistan became more receptive to these complaints.

March 5, 2017: Pakistani Taliban based in Afghanistan crossed border into Pakistan and attacked three Pakistani border posts in the Mohmand district. Five Pakistani soldiers and at least ten attackers died.

March 4, 2017: In the south (Zabul province) Afghan forces killed an ISIL leader and 16 of his followers who were attempting to move part of ISIL base operations from eastern Afghanistan (Nangarhar province) to Zabul.

In the north (Kunduz province) an Afghan airstrike killed 18 local Taliban, including three leaders.

March 3, 2017: Pakistan opened its Afghan border crossings for two days as a humanitarian gesture.
The career options for students who want to combat cybercrime are expanding so rapidly into fields like law, research, teaching and insurance, that a leading Hamilton-based cyber security research centre is urging secondary school students to get serious about tapping into this exciting job market.

Globally, unfilled cyber security jobs are predicted to reach 1.5 million by 2019 and international experts say the entire cyber security sector unemployment rate is zero per cent.

The governments cyber security strategy annual action plan report released last week shows the government-appointed cyber security taskforce aims to introduce a secondary school programme to help position students for higher level study towards cyber security qualifications.

Cyber Security Researchers of Waikato associate professor Ryan Ko is a member of the New Zealand cyber security taskforce and says secondary school students need to be informed of the massive cyber security career potential for their personal benefit and that of the New Zealand economy.

We need to train more Kiwis in cyber security to align with the fast growth and deployment of new technologies. This is important to protect New Zealand because tech is our fastest growing industry and a lapse in cyber capability would be detrimental to the economy.

Only 23 per cent of board of directors actively participate in security policy and $34 billion could be added to the New Zealand economy if businesses made more effective use of the internet.

A range of job roles are appearing within popular career sectors like government, law, research, teaching and insurance where there is a demand for employees who have skills and knowledge in cyber security.

Top executive positions are also being established that have chief risk officers reporting directly to the chief executive and if this trend continues, it opens up exciting career pathway opportunities for junior cyber security professionals, says Ryan.

Students competing in the NZ Cyber Security Challenge.

CROW runs the annual New Zealand Cyber Security Challenge for secondary school students who want to learn more about cyber security, show off their skills and chat to industry experts about what it takes to develop a career in cyber security.

In only its fourth year, the shape of the challenge for 2017 has changed to keep up with the rapid changes in security-related jobs that are occurring as the world adapts to advancing technologies.

Rapid growth of the Internet of Things means devices are being deployed into consumer environments  homes and offices  with very poor or non-existent security features. These devices can easily be compromised and used in malicious activities.

This year we have introduced a new policy-based round to the challenge because it is important that students have a broader viewpoint of security. Students will need to assess the risks associated with emerging technologies like drones and look at how to apply and enforce policies which will help to protect organisational assets, says Ryan.

The challenge, which includes a career fair, is attractive for small to medium businesses as it is a chance for them to compete against and scope out talented future employees from within New Zealands secondary school and tertiary sectors.

Around 500 participants from all over New Zealand are expected to compete from mid-June with the top 150 gathering at the University of Waikato campus in July to receive hands-on training and compete in teams to become the 2017 New Zealand Cyber Security Challenge Champions.
WABCO Holdings Inc., together with its subsidiaries, supplies electronic, mechanical, electro-mechanical, and aerodynamic products worldwide. The company engineers, develops, manufactures, and sells braking, stability, suspension, steering, transmission automation, and air management systems primarily for commercial vehicles. The company's products include pneumatic anti-lock braking systems, electronic braking systems, electronic stability control systems, brake controls, automated manual transmission systems, and air disc brakes; and various conventional mechanical products, such as actuators, air compressors, and air control valves for medium and heavy-duty trucks, buses, and trailers. It also offers pneumatic and hydraulic braking and control systems for off-highway vehicles; conventional braking systems; electronic and conventional air suspension systems; steering technologies; and vehicle electronic stability control and roll stability support products, and advanced driver assistance systems. In addition, the company supplies electronic suspension controls and vacuum pumps to the passenger car and SUV markets, as well as provides remanufacturing services. Further, it offers replacement parts, fleet management solutions, diagnostic tools, training, and other expert services for commercial vehicle aftermarket distributors and service partners, and fleet operators. The company sells its products primarily to truck and bus original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), trailer OEMs, and car manufacturers; and manufacturers of heavy duty and off-highway vehicles in agriculture, construction, mining, and other industries. WABCO Holdings Inc. was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. produces and distributes specialty plant nutrients, iodine and its derivatives, lithium and its derivatives, potassium chloride and sulfate, industrial chemicals, and other products and services. The company offers specialty plant nutrients, including potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, sodium potassium nitrate, specialty blends, and other specialty fertilizers. It also provides iodine and its derivatives for use in medical, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and industrial applications comprising x-ray contrast media, polarizing films for LCD and LED, antiseptics, biocides and disinfectants, pharmaceutical synthesis, electronics, pigments, and dye components. In addition, the company offers lithium carbonates for various applications that include electrochemical materials for batteries, frits for the ceramic and enamel industries, heat-resistant glass, air conditioning chemicals, continuous casting powder for steel extrusion, primary aluminum smelting process, pharmaceuticals, and lithium derivatives, as well as ingredient in manufacturing of gunpowder. Further, it supplies lithium hydroxide for the lubricating greases industry, as well as cathodes for batteries. Additionally, it offers potassium chloride and potassium sulfate for various crops, including corn, rice, sugar, soybean, and wheat; industrial chemicals, including sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, potassium chloride, and solar salts; and other fertilizers and blends. The company operates in Chile, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, North America, Asia, and internationally. Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. was incorporated in 1968 and is headquartered in Santiago, Chile.
Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. operates as a branded consumer products company worldwide. It operates through three segments: Home and Personal Care; Global Pet Care; and Home and Garden. The Home and Personal Care segment provides home appliances under the Black & Decker, Russell Hobbs, George Foreman, Toastmaster, Juiceman, Farberware, and Breadman brands; and personal care products under the Remington and LumaBella brands. The Global Pet Care segment provides rawhide chewing, dog and cat clean-up and food, training, health and grooming, small animal food and care, and rawhide-free products under the 8IN1 (8-in-1), Dingo, Nature's Miracle, Wild Harvest, Littermaid, Jungle, Excel, FURminator, IAMS, Eukanuba, Healthy-Hide, DreamBone, SmartBones, ProSense, Perfect Coat, eCOTRITION, Birdola, Good Boy, Meowee!, Wildbird, and Wafcol brands. This segment also offers aquarium kits, stand-alone tanks, and aquatics equipment and consumables under the Tetra, Marineland, Whisper, Instant Ocean, GloFish, OmegaOne, and OmegaSea brands. The Home and Garden segment provides outdoor insect and weed control solutions, and animal repellents under the Spectracide, Garden Safe, Liquid Fence, and EcoLogic brands; household pest control solutions under the Hot Shot, Black Flag, Real-Kill, Ultra Kill, The Ant Trap, and Rid-A-Bug brand names; household surface cleaning, maintenance, and restoration products, including bottled liquids, mops, wipes, and markers under the Rejuvenate brand name; and personal-use pesticides and insect repellent products under the Cutter and Repel brands. The company sells its products through retailers, e-commerce and online retailers, wholesalers, and distributors. Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 2009 and is headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin.
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates regulated exchanges, clearing houses, and listings venues for commodity, financial, fixed income, and equity markets in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Singapore, Israel, and Canada. It operates through three segments: Exchanges, Fixed Income and Data Services, and Mortgage Technology. The company operates marketplaces for listing, trading, and clearing an array of derivatives contracts and financial securities, such as commodities, interest rates, foreign exchange, and equities, as well as corporate and exchange-traded funds; trading venues, including 13 regulated exchanges and 6 clearing houses; and offers futures and options products for energy, agricultural and metals, financial, cash equities and equity, over-the-counter, and other markets, as well as listings and data and connectivity services. It also provides fixed income data and analytic, fixed income execution, CDS clearing, and other multi-asset class data and network services. In addition, the company offers proprietary and comprehensive mortgage origination platform, which serves residential mortgage loans; closing solutions that provides customers connectivity to the mortgage supply chain and facilitates the secure exchange of information; data and analytics services; and Data as a Service for lenders to access data and origination information. Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Lala spent two years on a chain in her owner's yard in Fort Worth, Texas. Because of too much sun exposure, Lala got tumors on her skin. One time, she managed to break free and run away - only to be returned to her owner.

TAO

So she tried it again. She ran away and got picked up by a shelter who put her on the euthanasia list because she had heartworm and tumors.

TAO

Against all odds, after a month on "death row," she was saved by Judy Obregon, who runs The Abandoned Ones (TAO).

Dodo Shows Foster Diaries Guy Falls In Love With His Little Meatball Of A Foster Dog

Lala in the shelter | TAO

Obregon remembers that day well. "That's the best feeling in the world - knowing that you're going to save a dog from the shelter and they have no idea you're coming for them," Obregon told The Dodo. "I was smiling from the minute I got in my truck to get her. I had a collar and tag ready for her."

Lala riding away from the shelter | TAO

This was back in 2015. Obregon arranged for a foster home for Lala, and the first six months of Lala's new life were spent focusing on her health.

TAO

TAO

"She had tumors and heartworm treatment," Obregon said. She got surgeries to remove the tumors on her skin. "Then she started attending adoption events."

Lala with Judy Obregon. | TAO

Lala went to adoption event after adoption event to try to find a forever home. But after a few of these events, the naturally happy-go-lucky dog started to get stressed out. She seemed to be tired of being put on display only to be rejected. Even though she has a loving foster home - which has given her a place to live for over a year - her forever family just wasn't coming for her. "Lala does not like these events," Obregon said. "After a while the dogs get burnt out and stressed and it hurts me to have them there and not be happy. She doesn't show well because she's uncomfortable. Her only chance of finding a home is through social media."

TAO

The last event Lala attended was about two weeks ago, Obregon said: "She just hated it." Lala has already been through so much, it's no wonder she's tired of looking for her forever family. "She's a survivor," Obregon said, "a tough one." But outside of these adoption events, Lala's personality absolutely shines.

This browser does not support the video tag. TAO
It was March 29, Liz Fratea's 26th birthday, when she got a call about a teeny puppy with a mangled front leg who needed her help right away.

"My boyfriend and I joked, 'What would a birthday be without saving a puppy?'" Fratea tells The Dodo.

Liz Fratea

By one account, the puppy's leg may have been stepped on and left untreated. But it's not entirely clear how she got so hurt. What they know for sure is that she "was in rough shape," Fratea says.

Dodo Shows Faith = Restored Rescued Animals Melt Into This Woman's Arms When She Sings To Them

Liz Fratea

The puppy was just a pound and a half, and a month or so old. Her leg was bent and badly infected, with pus oozing out of it. Fratea and her boyfriend rushed the pup to the BluePearl Veterinary Partners hospital in Clearwater, Florida, where Fratea is a veterinary technician. With the puppy's body so weak from trying to fight the infection, the surgeon recommended amputation.

Liz Fratea

The puppy came home with Fratea to recover.

Liz Fratea

She got a new name - Leana, because she leans when she walks - and she got an attentive older canine sister, Isis, who knows the drill since Fratea often takes in foster dogs through Passion 4 Pits (the group that rescued the inspiring pit bull Khaleesi.)

"My dog loves taking care of the fosters," says Fratea. "She loves to lick them, cuddle with them and play so sweetly with them."

Liz Fratea

Since coming home to convalesce, Leana is learning to balance on three legs. She is all of 2 pounds now.

Liz Fratea

She eats and poops and plays and naps like a normal pup. (Well, not always totally normal - sometimes she falls asleep in her food dish.)

Liz Fratea

And "she showers us with kisses and loves sleeping on our chests," Fratea says. "She is a great puppy with everything she's been through."

Liz Fratea
The dog had been tied to a dumpster in a shopping mall parking lot in South Carolina. Someone had used pink marker to write a note on an old white tile, which they laid in front of the 6-year-old terrier mix: "Free Pup. My name is Scooter. Owner Went To Jail Today."

Scooter at the site of his abandonment | Blanca Anahi Cushman

Thankfully, nothing bad happened to Scooter. A couple quickly found him there and freed him from the dumpster. They also took photos and posted them online, hoping to figure out who the dog belonged to. The image of the abandoned dog circulated the internet and found its way to Paula Langford, the founder of South Eastern Homeless Animals (SEHA), a local foster-based rescue group. Langford knew she wanted to help, and she got in touch with the people who had him.

Two young women involved in Scooter's rescue | Paula Langford

"I just reached out to them and said, 'I'll take the dog," Langford told The Dodo. "'I have a microchip scanner, I'll get him scanned and validate the story first. And then we'll get him wherever it is that he belongs." Later that day, Langford picked Scooter up at a gas station. "As soon as I saw him, I knew this was a loved pet," Langford said. "He was clean, he was flea-free. He was abandoned with an expensive carrying case for him, an expensive collar, a bag of grain-free dog food."

Dodo Shows Foster Diaries This Pregnant Pittie Foster Story Is The Happiest Thing Ever

Scooter in Langford's car | Paula Langford

Scooter relaxed in Langford's arms - he must have known he was in good hands now. "He was a bit nervous, but very sweet and very loving," Langford said. "He wanted to cuddle. It was kind of precious, because on the way home, he kind of laid his head on my chest and just did this big sigh, and kind of melted into me and went back to sleep."

Paula Langford

"It was obvious that this was a snuggly, well-loved, well-cared-for dog," she added. "He wasn't just a throwaway." Instead of putting Scooter into a foster home, Langford took him back to her own place. Then she scanned his microchip. "We discovered that he is originally from Colorado," Langford said. "We tried to contact the number on the microchip, but the number was disconnected. The microchip company informed me that he'd been found in 2015 in Colorado, and then again in 2016 in St. Petersburg, Florida, and that he'd been returned to the owner, but that's all he knew. And then, all of a sudden, he's in South Carolina!"

Scooter and Langford | Paula Langford

Langford did some more digging, and even managed to track down the police officer who'd arrested the owner. Through the officer, Langford learned that the owner had been arrested in the Walmart parking lot, not far from the dumpster where Scooter had been found. "When he was arrested, his [the owner's] main concern was that his dog did not go to the shelter, so he handed his belongings, his money, his backpack, his carrying bag and his beloved dog to his friends and asked them to ensure that the dog was safe," Langford said.

Paula Langford

But instead of taking care of Scooter, the owner's friends abandoned him. "They have issued an arrest warrant for those two individuals for the abandonment," Langford said.

Paula Langford

Luckily for Scooter, Langford was on his side. She welcomed Scooter into her home, and also managed to get in touch with Scooter's owner's mother, who lives in Colorado. The mother agreed to take Scooter, and the two women made arrangements to meet in Nebraska, where Langford would hand Scooter over. For Langford, the journey to Nebraska was 2,700 miles, and took over 24 hours of driving. She also had three kids at home, so it wasn't an easy feat to go on this trip.

Scooter asleep on Langford's car

But when Langford handed Scooter to his owner's mom, she knew it was all worth it.

Scooter reunited with his owner's mother | Paula Langford

"It was a very touching and emotional reunion, and it was quite obvious that Scooter was very happy to see his family again," Langford said. "I am 100 percent confident in my decision to reunite this beloved pup with his family."

Scooter with his owner's mother | Paula Langford
Just a few weeks after poachers broke into a rhino orphanage in South Africa and killed two baby rhinos for their tiny horns, the country made the domestic trade of rhino horn legal. That's because John Hume, who owns the world's largest rhino farm (with over 1,000 rhinos he has bred) sued the government to get the 2009 moratorium on the trade overturned - and he won.

Dodo Shows Pittie Nation The Sweetest Pittie Was Living Under A Jeep

Worth more than its weight in gold, rhino horn is made of keratin, which is the same material as our fingernails. But organized crime groups profit from illegally trafficking the keratin from rhino horn across borders into Asia because of the unfounded superstition that it cures everything from hangovers to cancer. Hume claims that the only way to keep his farmed rhinos safe is to sell their horn to pay for the cost of protecting them. "To me the people who are stopping me from selling my rhino horn and protecting my rhino may as well be joined with the poachers," he said.
Caterpillar Inc manufacturers large agricultural equipmentand quite successfully sobut the company has just announced plans to move roughly 500 jobs to Decatur on the news that it will be closing its plant in Aurora.

On Friday, the company announced it had been considering the move since January, a move which would relocate the companys production facility of large wheel loaders and compactors. The company has also said it has plans to move its medium-wheel loader production facility to one in Arkansas.

Get alerts:

According to Caterpillar Inc spokeswoman Lisa Miller, the move should relocate roughly 500 positions to the Decatur facility while another 150 will move to North Little Rock. This compensates almost all of the roughly 800 positions that would be otherwise lost at the Aurora plant.

Caterpillar group president of Resource Industries, Denise Johnson, notes that the moving of production from Aurora to other already existing plants within the Caterpillar family will allow the company to more efficiently leverage manufacturing capabilities while retaining upturn capacity. More importantly, though, she confides that supporting impacted employees through the process of this transition is one of the companys highest priorities.

In addition, Caterpillar president of Economic Development Corp of Decatur and Macon County, Ryan McCrady, notes that this move is actually quite a good example of the high quality employees who are already succeeding at the Decatur facility. In addition, it is a major sign of growth that the company is growing (since it can, in fact, support more employees at this facility).

Most importantly, perhaps, this testament could easily represent consequential growth throughout the whole of the community. For example, a single manufacturing job in Decatur helps to support three-and-a-half additional jobs in the local economy. Furthermore, higher wages in any community encourages more attention from various types of retailers.

According to City Manager Tim Gleason, the city of Decatur continues to extend an open-ended offer to help his company with aspects of growth like recruitment, workforce development, and other various incentives that make it easier to attract better quality workers. He specifically thanks Caterpillar for taking advantage of this mindset and working to find ways to bring more jobs to the area.

On the other hand, of course, this does involve a transition and that could be hard for some existing workers, and not just for those at the Aurora facility. Still, at the end of the day, the closing of Auroras doors is not the end of the road for those employed there.
On Friday, DuPont relayed its plan to buy a unit of FMC Corp and will sell its crop protection business in order to win approval from the European Union over its pending merger with Dow Chemical. On this announcement, shares of FMC rose upwards of 17 percent, hitting a near three-year high of $72.00. On the other hand, shares of DuPont slid, by a slight by 1.5 percent) with Dows shares also fell, marginally.

Buying nearly all of FMCs health and nutrition business should fetch DuPont approximately $1.6 billion, when you consider comparable asset valuation.

Get alerts:

Now, the European Union, of course, has been long concerned with the $130 billion merger of two of the oldest and biggest US chemical producers. This merger would, of course, leave very few incentives for companies to produce any new herbicides and pesticides down the road. Of course, the Dow-DuPont merger is also still awaiting approval in the US, as well as Australia, Brazil, Canada, and China, but the companies express there is far less concern over anti-competitive results in these regions.

According to DuPont CEO Edward Breen, We are far down the road in our conversations with the other regulators, adding only that the European Commissions conditional approval is a big hurdle to get over.

It is also important to note that this deal is only of of three mega mergers in this industry. The three deals, if all are successful, will reduce the field from six major competitors to only three. The other two deals are between ChemChina bidding $43 billion for Syngenta and Bayer scooping up seed producer Monsanto.

Again, DuPont will receive a $1.6 billion consideration as part of the deal, and this includes upwards of $1.2 billion in cash with another $425 million in working capital.

This revised agreement was necessary and a very positive outcome driven by the transaction with FM, explains Dow Chief Executive Officer Andrew Liveris. It is another significant milestone in our progress to complete this value-creating transaction and the subsequent intended spins as swiftly as possible and without any change to the committed synergies.
Just how much caffeine is too much? Well, US residents may be a little better informed to answer this question as the worlds strongest coffee is now available in America.

If you want to stand out, you need to be the est  the biggest, smartest, strongest, or cheapest, explains Black Insomnia founder Sean Kristafor. So, he continues, when we wanted to compete in coffee, as a caffeine product, we had to be the strongest, but obviously, we dont exceed the world guidelines.

Get alerts:

Based in South Africa, Black Insomnia Coffee has been selling its unique brand of Joe in local cafes in Cape Town since last June. Quickly thereafter, they began selling three times more coffee than local shops, (literally, by August) and within the next couple months were already available in 22 countries. By March, then, the company listed on Amazon for sales in the US. The company now reports that it sells nearly six tons of coffee every single month.

But just how strong is this coffee?

For the same amount of coffee, you will get double the amount of caffeine, explains Johns Hopkins School of Medicine researcher Mary Sweeney, who investigates things like the effects of caffeine on the body. She goes on to warn, This makes it easier to consume more caffeine than you intend to and effects can range from mild to severe, for example, jitteriness, nervousness, restlessness and trouble sleeping. The most serious effect would be cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat).

To simplify this: Black Insomnia has about 58.5 mg of caffeine per fl oz. That is more than twice the caffeine content of a Starbucks dark roast. This equates, then, roughly 702 mg of caffeine per standard 12 oz serving of coffee. The United States Food and Drug Administration recommends 400 mg of caffeine per day; the International Food Information Council recommends only 300 mg.

Still, Caffeine Informer (magazine) editor, Ted Kallmyer, notes, While the amounts are still much higher than what we experts recommend as a safe daily amount (400 mg), this group of people has, over time, built up their caffeine tolerance and/or their livers process caffeine really well so it doesnt affect them adversely. However, the problem with these products is that they can inadvertently be consumed by people who are not in the targeted category.
Trump Administration Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has just put an end to the Obama-era federal moratorium on coal-mining leases. On Wednesday Zinke signed an order repealing the federal land lease pause, an action which implements at least part of President Trumps executive order to repeal environmental policies and restrictions on energy agencies.

This means, of course, that the Federal Bureau of Land Management can now resume its process which allowed for the signing of new coal-mining leases on federal land.

Get alerts:

In short, Zinke saidbriefly before signing the orderThe coal moratorium that was set in place  is a waste of money.

Now, this coal moratorium was put in place early last year by previous Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, under President Barack Obama. It was actually part of a larger review process launched by the Department of the Interior in order to determine how the government should charge mining companies more in an attempt to account for the coal industrys effect on climate change.

Zinke goes on to say, We feel strongly that the current process on reviewing coal is appropriate. Rather than doing the social cost of carbon, you have to look at the social cost of not having a job too. All of us want clean air and clean water. And were going to make sure we ensure that.

Now, Federal land accounts for roughly 40 percent of the countrys coal production operations, as well as more than 30 percent of its reserves. This includes areas like the Powder River Basin, in Montana and Wyoming, which is the most productive coal region in the United States.

Coal from federal lands, when burned, can also account for 13 percent of the countrys energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. This equates to roughly 769 million tons of CO2 emissions, every year (according to the Resources for the Future nonprofit group).

Of course, environmental groups have massively criticized the Trump administrations policy; a coalition of green organizationsincluding Earthjusticehave, in fact, sued the Department of the Interior over the immediate coal leasing order.

Earthjustic attorney Jenny Harbine notes No one voted to pollute our public lands, air or drinking water in the last election, yet the Trump administration is doing the bidding of powerful polluters as nearly its first order of business. Our legal system remains an important backstop against the abuses of power weve witnessed over the course of the past two months. Thats why were going to court to defend our public lands, clean air and water, and a healthy climate for all.
JAB Holding Co. agreed to buy Panera Bread Co. for about $7.5 billion (U.S.), adding a fast-growing U.S. bakery chain to a food empire that spans coffee, bagels and doughnuts.

The planned purchase by JAB, an investment vehicle of Austrias billionaire Reimann family, steps up its challenge to Nestle SA and Starbucks Corp. in the coffee-shop business, giving it greater access to the lunch and dinner crowd. In addition to sandwiches and salads, Panera offers drinks like iced caramel lattes and agave lemonade.

Panera investors will receive $315 per share in cash, the companies said in a statement Wednesday. Thats 20 per cent higher than the closing price on March 31, the last trading day before Bloomberg reported Panera was considering a sale after receiving interest.

We are pleased to join with JAB, a private investor with an equally long-term perspective, as well as a deep commitment to our strategic plan, Panera founder Ron Shaich said in the statement.

The agreement, which includes assumption of $340 million in debt, values Panera at 19 times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, compared with nine times Ebitda for comparable deals, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Panera shares rose as much as 13 per cent to $310 in pre-market trading.

Panera adds another U.S. brand to JABs growing caffeine roster, which includes Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Keurig Green Mountain, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Peets Coffee & Tea. JAB has expanded its coffee business rapidly after an initial 2012 purchase of a stake in Amsterdam-based D.E Master Blenders 1753 NV, the maker of Senseo and Douwe Egberts brands.

In the U.S., JAB has developed a portfolio of co-branded restaurants called Coffee & Bagels, offering Caribou java and Einstein Bros. bagels. The

JAB also controls cosmetics maker Coty Inc., which this week announced an agreement to license Burberry Group Plcs beauty brands.

Starbucks was the first company to express takeover interest for Panera, two people familiar with the situation have told Bloomberg. The bakery chain, which operates more than 2,000 cafes across the U.S. and Canada, has grown steadily in recent years from a single store in Boston, becoming one of the largest operators in the fast casual segment.

In the fiscal first quarter, comparable net bakery-cafe sales increased 5.3 pe rcent from a year earlier, Panera said in pre-announcing results on Wednesday. Over the past 20 years its shares have multiplied their value by 90.

The purchase is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, the companies said. Shaich and entities affiliated with him have agreed to vote shares representing a 15.5 per cent stake in favour, they added.

Panera was advised by Morgan Stanley and law firm Sullivan & Cromwell.

SHARE:
YouTube, the worlds most popular website for free, short-form video, introduced its live pay-TV service Wednesday  with a little help from raging zombies.

YouTube TV, which had been in testing, will soon add six cable channels from AMC Networks Inc., including AMC and BBC America, as part of a $35-a-month live TV subscription that already includes the four major broadcast networks and dozens of cable outlets. That gives the fledgling online service popular shows like AMCs zombie thriller The Walking Dead.

The explosion of video from Netflix Inc. and Amazon.com Inc., along with shrinking cable audiences, have led pay-TV providers and technology giants to court young viewers with online offerings they can watch on iPhones and TVs. Dish Network Corp., AT&T Inc. and Sony Corp. are all selling small packages of channels on the web that include live programming and on-demand libraries of shows. These skinny bundles have amassed almost 2 million subscribers.

AMC Networks, based in New York, is the only pure-play cable programmer chosen for YouTube TV, which has decided not to carry Time Warner Inc.s CNN, TBS and TNT channels, for example. YouTubes other partners all own major broadcast networks and were able to use popular over-the-air shows as leverage to include their cable channels.

Media companies without that bargaining chip are fighting for spots in new skinny bundles  and facing more subscriber losses as such plans gain favour and traditional pay-TV loses viewers. Hulu LLC said in March it would carry six channels from pay-TV programmer A&E Networks, including History, in its forthcoming online service. Viacom Inc., the owner of MTV and Nickelodeon, wont be part of that plan.

With the YouTube deal, AMC Networks has secured a place in every new online package now in the marketplace, including Dishs Sling, AT&Ts DirecTV Now and Sonys PlayStation Vue. The company doesnt have a deal with Hulu, which is owned by Walt Disney Co., 21st Century Fox Inc., Comcast Corp., the respective owners of ABC, Fox and NBC, as well as Time Warner.

Shares of AMC rose 4.1 per cent to $61.49 at 1:23 p.m. in New York. They were up 13 per cent this year through Tuesday.

AMCs flagship network airs The Walking Dead, one of the most-watched shows on TV, as well as Better Call Saul and Into the Badlands, two of the most popular cable programs. Its other cable networks air critical darlings Portlandia, Orphan Black and Doctor Who.

We have vital content that stands out above the pack, Chief Executive Officer Josh Sapan said in an interview. The content is really desired by select groups of people. Its on their favourites list.

AMC Networks demands less for its programming than some peers. Viacom charges more than $3 a month per subscriber for its suite of cable channels, including Comedy Central, according to data from S&P Global Inc.s Kagan division. AMC charges less than half of that.

Our wholesale rate is very agreeable and fair and appropriately priced, Sapan said. Someone constructing their offering doesnt bust their budget, which they might if they buy from someone else.

In addition to marketing a monthly live TV service, Googles YouTube will also offer premium services, like CBS Corp.s Showtime network, for an additional fee. AMC Networks will take part in that as well, with the Sundance Now independent film and documentary service available for $7 a month and the $5-a-month horror flick service Shudder.

SHARE:
NEW YORKModel and Kardashian clan member Kendall Jenners turn as a Pepsi-wielding protester has some on social media decrying the imagery as appropriation of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Live for Now Moments video released Tuesday has Jenner in a platinum wig on a photo shoot when protesters amble by. She rips off her wig, smears away her lipstick and joins them, eventually handing an officer on the demonstration line a can of Pepsi. He gulps some down, and then grins as Jenner dances off.

Reaction on social media ranged from some saying the imagery was tone deaf, to it evoking a widely circulated photo of Black Lives Matter protester Leshia Evans last year in Louisiana. Evans was detained when she approached police at a demonstration in Baton Rouge.

Vote now

In a statement late Tuesday night, Pepsi defended the ad.

This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think thats an important message to convey, the statement said.

Reaction to the Jenner's Pepsi ad

SHARE:
PHOENIX, ARIZ.A Phoenix-area teen is asking actress Emma Stone to be his prom date with an elaborate La La Land parody video.

Arcadia High School student Jacob Staudenmaier filmed his so-called promposal in the style of the opening song from Stones Oscar-winning film, which features a dance number in a traffic-filled Los Angeles highway. He enlisted dozens of classmates and a few teachers to help with the video.

Stone grew up in Scottsdale, Ariz., a fact Staudenmaier mentions in the lyrics of his prom request.

People say I look like Ryan Gosling, he sings, and maybe thats a bit far-fetched.

Staudenmaier says asking Stone to prom started out as a joke. He says he has a backup date in case the actress doesnt see his video.

SHARE:
BRONX, N.Y.-Big Apple Greeter Dan Abatelli wants to meet at Grand Central Terminal outside the Oyster Bar & Restaurant, not because hes hungry before our Bronx food crawl but because he wants to show off the secret Whispering Gallery nearby.

When two people stand at diagonal arches in the unmarked archway and whisper to the wall, they can hear each others voices in an acoustical oddity that attracts a steady stream of people in the know.

Abatelli, a retired teacher, is a volunteer Big Apple Greeter whose job is to promote the city as friendly, inviting and manageable.

Greeters have shown more than 150,000 visitors around on free, unscripted walks in all five New York boroughs since the not-for-profit organization started in 1992.

We dont call them tours, Abatelli stresses. Theyre neighbourhood walks or neighbourhood explorations.

Tourists go online and register when theyre coming and indicate what theyd like to see and do. The programs 300 volunteers choose the explorations that suit their schedules and interests. Not everybody will get a match.

Our afternoon starts with a subway trip from Manhattan to the Bronx. The New York Times put the South Bronx 51st on its list of 52 global hot spots to explore this year.

Were going to Arthur Ave., an Italian enclave in the Belmont neighbourhood thats considered more Italian than Little Italy. (Thats a dig at Manhattans waning Little Italy.)

You cant just step off the subway and start eating pizza, warns Abatelli. Its a 15-minute walk from the Fordham Rd. subway stop to Arthur Ave., faster if you take the bus but then you might miss the street hustlers playing three-card monte.

Were good and hungry so we head straight to Full Moon Pizza for thin-crust slices and garlic knots.

Abatelli declares this 41-year-old tried and true institution even better than the last time I remember. Like many New Yorkers, he swears its the citys excellent tap water that is the key ingredient in its exceptional pizza dough.

Im taken with the garlic knots, small, tight coils brushed with oil, parmesan and garlic.

Its so Italian around here that the Belmont branch of the New York Public Library houses the Enrico Fermi Cultural Center. We wander in and find a seating area with benches that resembles a European plaza, Italian men playing cards and Italian women sitting and chatting.

We like to think of ourselves as the living room of the neighbourhood, says the librarys Chelsey Masterson.

Big Apple Greeter explorations last two to four hours, so Abatelli takes us to more of his favourite Arthur Ave. spots. The Arthur Avenue Retail Market for cannolis. Calandra Cheese for a goodly array of samples.

At Egidio Pastry Shop we drink coffee, eat sfogliatelle and take Abatellis New York City Test for Visitors. We especially like the 20th and final, conversation-provoking question: Donald Trump was born a) with a silver spoon b) in Trump Tower c) in Queens d) prematurely.

It makes perfect sense, to me, to end our Arthur Ave. exploration with Albanian food. Thats right  theres an Albanian influx to the Bronx.

We head to Tony & Tinas Pizzeria, ignore the pizza and get Albanian burek  a baked, filled pastry  instead. The one filled with sweet pumpkin puree is outstanding.

Abatelli takes burek home for his wife, as thrilled as we are to have found a delicious new take on the Bronx.

Jennifer Bain was partially hosted by TravMedias International Media Marketplace (IMM) NYC, which didnt review or approve this story.

When you go

Do this trip: The Big Apple Greeter (bigapplegreeter.org) is a founding member of the Global Greeter Network, a voluntary association of independent welcoming programs. It offers free greeter experiences in more than 20 languages, for individuals or small groups of up to six people, in all five New York boroughs. Submit a request at bigapplegreeter.org. Not everyone will get a match. Dan Abatelli is also a licensed tour guide available for hire privately.

Stay: I stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown (fourseasons.com) in the burgeoning Lower Manhattan neighbourhood near the World Trade Center, One World Observatory and 9/11 Museum and Memorial Plaza. It boasts Wolfgang Pucks restaurant CUT, spa and pool.

Eat: Right across from my hotel, I fell in love with grab-and-go/fast casual chain Pret a Manger (pret.com), with its homemade, natural sandwiches, salads, wraps, soups and pots (like chai chia or chicken edamame).

Do your research:nycgo.com, bronxlittleitaly.com

SHARE:
He is a billionaire who made his fortune in real estate. He has been called a narcissist. He posts to Twitter  incessantly  about politics and his battles against the media. Lately, he has been spending time at a Florida resort named Mar-a-Lago.

His name?

Guo Wengui.

Guo is a Chinese property magnate who has been living outside the country for more than two years. In recent weeks, he has launched a broadside  in television interviews and on Twitter  criticizing the effectiveness of the Communist Partys fight against corruption, all from the safety of financial capitals like London and New York. He is also a member at President Donald Trumps resort in Palm Beach, Florida, and posted photos of himself on the grounds last month with Mar-a-Lagos managing director.

Read more:

Trump meeting with Xi Jinping could offer clues to future relationship

America is passing the torch. China is ready to take it: Burman

Guos newly public persona  more akin to a dissident Russian oligarch and highly unusual in Chinese politics  comes at an awkward time, just before Chinas president, Xi Jinping, and Trump are to meet at the resort for their first summit meeting. The Chinese billionaires ties to the club are a new twist in how Trumps business interests can complicate diplomacy, in this case with arguably the worlds most important bilateral relationship.

At Mar-a-Lago, money-making, socializing and statecraft converged in February, when Shinzo Abe, Japans prime minister, conferred with Trump over a North Korean missile test in full view of the clubs members. Entry into Mar-a-Lago will be more strict this time than during Abes visit, said a U.S. official with knowledge of the preparations for the meeting, who was aware of Guos remarks, but could offer no details about the security protocols.

At the very least, it would be embarrassing if Guo, who is also known as Miles Kwok, were to show up at the seaside resort during the meeting Thursday and Friday. At worst, his presence could incense Xi and the Chinese delegation. Guo left China during a corruption scandal linked to the jailing of his political patron, a top security official. Guo said his assets in China  he puts the figure at more than $17 billion (U.S.)  were seized.

Guo would certainly be a very disruptive wild card at Mar-a-Lago, said Christopher K. Johnson, a former senior China analyst at the CIA who is now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Johnson said in an interview that China considered Guo a criminal and sought his return, although there is no public record of him being charged with a crime.

During Abes visit, club members and guests were permitted to enter without undergoing all the stringent security protocols imposed at the White House. The U.S. official, who was not authorized to speak to the news media and asked for anonymity, did not know if members would be barred from the grounds during the Xi-Trump meeting.

Guo, when asked, would not say whether he intended to show up for the summit. Even if he is kept out, the vetting of a presidents paying guests before a major summit meeting presents a staffing challenge that no previous administration has faced. The allure of rubbing shoulders with the rich and powerful is an attraction of Mar-a-Lago, which recently doubled its initiation fee to $200,000. Trump has called it the Southern White House.

Guos membership could be especially sensitive because of the lengths Chinas leaders go to stamp out any political discussion that deviates from the Communist Party line, particularly remarks about the wealth of top leaders. Guo has levelled specific accusations against a former top party leader.

In two recent Chinese-language interviews and on Twitter, Guo, while highly critical of many current and former Chinese leaders, has praised Xi, or at least refrained from directly criticizing him.

I pray that President Xis visit is smooth, for relations between the peoples of the United States and China to start a great new era, Guo said in a text message in response to questions from the New York Times.

Guo is not the first Chinese tycoon to leave the country in a cloud of controversy and decamp to the United States or another Western country. Johnson said he was most likely second on a list of prominent business executives Beijing was seeking to repatriate, behind the younger brother of a top official who held a post equivalent to the White House chief of staff. That man, Ling Wancheng, left China for the United States about three years ago before the arrest of his brother, who is now serving a life sentence for graft.

But Ling has stayed quiet and kept his whereabouts secret. For the first two years of his exile, Guo did the same.

That all changed in late January, when he activated his Twitter account and gave the first of two rambling interviews with the Mirror Media Group, a Chinese-language news company based on Long Island, New York.

He is in a long-running public battle with Chinas most prominent journalist, Hu Shuli, whose newsmagazine, Caixin, reported in 2015 that Guo used his ties to Ma Jian, a former vice minister in the countrys spy agency, to further his business interests. Ma was expelled from the Communist Party and is being prosecuted on graft charges. Guo accused Hu Shulis wife of being corrupt and working for a behind the scenes power broker. Caixin sued Guo, saying he defamed Hus wife.

Guo claims that he was the victim of corruption that went to the highest level of Chinese politics, the elite standing committee of the Communist Partys Politburo, but that the official in question  now retired  has not been prosecuted. Mirror Media says its Chinese audience reaches the hundreds of millions, making Guos assertions particularly sensitive for Xi, who is trying to consolidate power before a major Communist Party leadership meeting later this year.

We have all been used as tools, Guo said in a March 8 interview.

Guo named names. His most eye-popping statement is that his former business partner, now in jail, was backed by the son of the Communist Partys former top discipline official, He Guoqiang. He also described an audiotape he obtained, which detailed threats his erstwhile business partners were planning. They said that they would beat Guo Wengui to death, and to put Guo Wengui to death, Guo said during the Mirror Media interview.

Earlier in March, Guo was at Mar-a-Lago, posing for pictures. He posted photographs of himself with Bernd Lembcke, the clubs managing director. During his stay, he also visited Bethesda-by-the-Sea, an Episcopal church that the Trumps attend, and spent some time at an elegant beachside home, decorated with an Asian motif and featured in Architectural Digest, that is now owned by a limited liability company tied to Victor Vargas, a Venezuelan banker.

Guo, posting on Twitter in Chinese, said he had done business at the club, convening a meeting of his limited partnership company there. Guo, in a Twitter message to the New York Times, said he was a member, which was confirmed by a person briefed on the matter.

Over the years, there have been many memorable moments here, Guo wrote of Mar-a-Lago. Im feeling a lot of emotion. In the last few months a controversial businessman became the American president. Why he wanted to become president I just dont understand. But I admire his persistent character. Dont give up!

SHARE:
OTTAWAPrime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to follow this weekends commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge by visiting another famous Canadian battlefield: Juno Beach.

The extra stop is surprising, given that the two battles are from different wars, with Canadian soldiers having fought at Vimy during the First World War and at Juno on D-Day in the Second World War.

Thousands of people from across Canada are expected to descend on Vimy on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the battle, where all four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together for the first time in history.

Read more:

Thousands of students making pilgrimage to Vimy

The shadow of Vimy Ridge: Collenette

The forgotten man behind the unforgettable Vimy memorial

Nearly 3,600 Canadian soldiers were killed and another 7,000 were wounded over four days of fierce fighting in sleet and rain, as they captured the strategically important ridge from the Germans.

The battle has since taken on iconic status in Canadian history  some consider it the moment when Canada was born as a true nation.

Sundays ceremony is expected to be the largest since the towering Canadian National Vimy Monument was unveiled in 1936.

An estimated 12,000 students will be in attendance, while the official delegation will see Trudeau joined by Gov.-Gen. David Johnston, French President Francois Hollande and Princes Charles, William and Harry.

Trudeau is then expected to leave for Juno Beach on Monday, sources say, where Canadian troops stormed ashore during the Second World War invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

The Prime Ministers Office would not confirm the plan to visit Juno, where 340 Canadians were killed and another 574 wounded.

While its unclear why Trudeau would visit Juno instead of another First World War battlefield, he did reference both world wars in his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in February.

Canada and the United States have been neighbours a long time, and Canadians and Americans have stood together, worked together at home and around the world, Trudeau said at the time.

Weve fought and died together in battlefields in World War I and World War II, in Korea, in Afghanistan.

SHARE:
I have had several calls from pond owners recently asking for advice about their algae problems. Most of them have had floating green mats of filamentous algae on the pond earlier than normal.

Filamentous algae begin growing on the bottom of the pond and as it matures the hair-like filaments float to the surface. Thousands of the filaments mat together to form floating pads or patches of algae.

The months of April and May are a good time to begin to manage excessive aquatic vegetation, especially algae. Monitor the water temperature and begin treatment after it has reached 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, algae grow quickly and may reappear later in the summer, but spot applications or partial pond treatments may keep up with its growth.

Copper sulfate is a contact herbicide used to control algae. Dissolve the product when applying or it will not be effective. If you purchase a crystalline formulation of copper sulfate it can be dissolved by placing it in a burlap bag and pulled behind the boat until it has dissolved. Powdered and liquid formulations are also available.

Read the Label. Copper sulfate can cause burns on your eyes and skin, so read the label and wear the recommended personal protective equipment. The label will also tell you how much formulation to use based on the size of your pond.

If you dont know your ponds size in acres to the nearest tenth of an acre, ask your local Soil and Water Conservation District to calculate the acreage from an aerial photograph. The aquatic herbicide you purchase may give you several application options, for example, a shoreline banded application rate, and the rate of application per acre-foot of water to treat the entire pond.

To determine how many acre-feet of water your pond contains, multiple the surface acreage times the average depth of your pond. Determining average pond depth requires taking several depth measurements across your pond in a grid, adding the depths recorded, and dividing by the number of measurements you took.

If your pond is owned by more than one person, as is the case for many retention basins, a commercial pesticide applicator license (not for hire) is required to apply aquatic herbicides. The Illinois Department of Agriculture can assist you in learning more about testing and licensing requirements.

Aquatic plants play an important role in your pond. They produce the majority of dissolved oxygen for use by fish and other aquatic animals. Vegetation also provides escape cover for young fish which allows some of the young of the year to survive. As a rule of thumb, a pond supporting a population of fish should have aquatic plants covering 20 to 40 percent its surface area.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has a fisheries website at www.ifishillinois.org. On this website, you can find the fisheries biologist for your county. You can also download a copy of the Aquatic Plants, ID and Control booklet.

If you have questions about pond management, contact the University of Illinois Extension Unit office in Arthur at 217-543-3755 or visit our website at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/ccdms/index.html.
I was pumping gas into my car at an Esso when my cellphone buzzed.

Something happened to me that was not right, the female voice said in June 2015. It has been going on for two years.

The caller was an 18-year old who, over time, detailed allegations of sexual impropriety involving a Canadian senator, who was also a married Pentecostal minister and the head of two religious charities.

She was 16 when Sen. Don Meredith began the sexual relationship. A visitor from another country, she was attending school and alone in Ottawa. Merediths actions were denounced in the eventual official investigation as failing to uphold the highest standards of dignity of the Senate.

The Senate Ethics Committee heard from Meredith behind closed doors Tuesday and will recommend to the Senate whether or not to expel him from the red chamber  the name for a lately troubled part of the Canadian government often debated in high school with the question: Should the Senate be abolished?

Former prime minister Stephen Harper appointed Meredith in 2010. Within one hour of the Stars 2015 story on the sexual relationship, Harper kicked him out of the Conservative caucus. But he remains a senator, paid about $140,000 a year, plus travel and living expenses. Recently, I decided to examine how Meredith conducted himself in the Senate during the time he was involved with the teenager dubbed Ms. M by Senate ethics officer Lyse Ricard. Her office is also investigating workplace harassment allegations against Meredith and an allegation he was having an affair with a senate employee.

A review by the Star of Merediths time reveals he does little committee work compared to other senators. While his attendance in the senate chamber is excellent, his contributions are most often to announce a special day to commemorate an event or give a speech on the importance of the future of youth  which he has said is his main focus.

Information in this story about what Meredith and Ms. M did together, and when, is based on findings in the Senate ethics report. The Star has also interviewed Ms. M, senators and senate staffers, reviewed senate expense and attendance records, and read all Senate proceedings when Meredith was present in the chamber.

Thursday, June 26, 2013 was an unremarkable day in the Senate on Parliament Hill. A report on the governments work on cybersecurity was discussed; debate was held over a section of the Canada Human Rights Act; and a motion put forward to recognize June as Deaf-Blind Awareness month. The session ran from 2 to 7 p.m.

Meredith, known for giving sermon-like statements, said nothing in the chamber that day, according to Hansard, the official transcript of the proceedings. He participated in six recorded votes, abstained from two.

Back in his office in the Victoria Building, the late June sun still colouring the streets, Meredith opened his door to a 16-year-old girl he had invited over. They had met in early February at an Ottawa church event to celebrate Black History Month. Meredith spoke in the church that day of the importance of youth in society. After, he chatted with Ms. M and gave her his business card. On the back he wrote his Senate cellphone number, encouraging her to call. A student with very high marks, from overseas, she had enrolled in University of Ottawa at an early age.

June 26 was the last day the Senate sat before the summer recess. Merediths two staff members were gone. After some small talk, Meredith began touching her. Sitting close, he rubbed her knees, put his hands on her buttocks and tried to get into her dress. Ms. M told him to stop and asked him why an older married man would carry on like this.

Im a man, Meredith said simply.

(Meredith denied many of the allegations made by Ms. M, but after interviewing her and reviewing cellphone records and communications between the senator and the girl, the ethics officer determined the sexual encounters took place.)

Out of town senators (Meredith is from the Toronto area) are given travel and housing allowance. Most senators from away take a room at the Chateau Laurier with a nightly government rate of $200. When it is in session (a bit more than half of the year) the Senate typically sits three days a week. Meredith was done that Thursday but stayed the night. He invited Ms. M back to his hotel room and promised to only take off his socks.

She declined. They went instead for Chinese food. He asked her for a kiss before she went home. Ms. M said no. When they had first met at the church function the previous February, Meredith had asked her out for a Valentines Day dinner. She declined on that occasion, too. Something about it just didnt feel right to me.

Meredith told investigators he tried his best to discourage Ms. M from contacting him. You need to find individuals your age, he said he told her.

However, in a six-month period in early 2013, Meredith called Ms. M 29 times using his Senate cellphone. Meredith has a personal cellphone, which he told investigators he used to contact Ms. M, but those records were not produced. One of the texts he sent her using his Senate cellphone told Ms. M, You are. Good for me.

Ms. M, by her own account to the Star and the ethics investigator, was falling in love. Yet she was troubled by the age gap, that he was married, and a minister.

When the Senate adjourns for the summer, senators who do not live in Ottawa typically return home until mid- to late September. The Senate refused to provide the detailed expense records for Meredith, citing his privacy. Only aggregate amounts were made available and the Senate, for example, would not provide dates when Meredith stayed at the Chateau Laurier or dates of Merediths return trips to Toronto.

In the roughly two years (early 2013 to early 2015) that he was involved in the relationship with Ms. M, and attending Senate business, his hotel bill was $40,000 and his travel bill $60,000. Meredith often flew business class for the short hop between Toronto and Ottawa.

His office expenditures (also with no details provided) during the same two year time period were $310,000.

Months of flirting turned into a physical relationship in August 2013. With no Senate business to attend to, Meredith visited Ottawa and had dinner with her, then went with Ms. M to her apartment. She was still 16. This encounter involved Meredith partially removing his pants and touching Ms. Ms breasts and buttocks, and Ms. M partially removing her top and touching the senators private parts, according to the ethics watchdogs report.

The age of consent in Canada is 16. It increases to 18 when there is a relationship of trust, authority or dependency.

Canadian senators are expected to participate in Senate sittings, and take part in committees that review legislation and discuss important issues of the day. Merediths attendance record in the Senate is excellent, but his committee work is lacking, the Star found.

For example, of the 76 days the Senate sat in 2013, Meredith missed only two days. However, where many senators attended committee meetings seven to 12 times a week (when the Senate is sitting) attendance records show he typically attends two or three committee meetings a week, and sometimes none at all. His committees over the past few years have included Aboriginal Peoples, Social Affairs, and National Security and Defence.

In the Senate, Meredith regularly invites guests, among them visiting delegations from Barbados, Jamaica and Zimbabwe, to watch the proceedings. He regularly rises to tell fellow senators of the importance of a day  it is St. John Ambulance Day, National Victims of Crime Awareness Week, or Mental Illness Awareness Week  and follows with a lengthy speech.

By the summer of 2013, Merediths relationship with Ms. M was intensifying and he suggested they communicate via Skype or Viber, apps that allow for live video. During these chats both would be partially naked and their interactions progressed to a point where Meredith would masturbate on screen while looking at Ms. M. Around this time, the senator told her he would like her hair to be straight, and he sent her a $200 Interac transfer for a hair appointment. He also offered her a spot on a committee to recognize the first Black soldier to receive the Victoria Cross (the job never materialized), and bought her some towels.

Merediths prime focus as a senator, according to his Senate website, is youth. He has spoken passionately about this cause, routinely invoking the name of Nelson Mandela, who encouraged passion in ones work.

To me, that passion involves doing all I can to help make a difference in our young peoples lives, who are not only a percentage of our population, but 100 per cent of our future, Meredith said in a Senate session in September 2014 right after the summer break. He pointed out that he works tirelessly as the executive director of the Greater Toronto Faith Alliance Centre, a charity in Richmond Hill. He is also listed as the chief contact person for the Pentecostal Praise Centre Ministries in Richmond Hill, also a charity.

It was at the GTA Faith Alliance Centre  his office when not in Ottawa  that he often had explicit video communication with Ms. M in the fall of 2014 and into 2015.

When questioned by the Senate ethics officer, Ms. M explained what typically happened.

(Meredith) would be at his GTA Faith Alliance office and he would, like, be half-naked, essentially, and kind of masturbate if I took my top off, she explained. This, Meredith explained to the youth, was what adults do. She told the investigator these interactions were frequent  sometimes he was at the alliance, his home office, or in a hotel room when he was in another country on Senate business. It also occurred when he was at the Chateau Laurier.

The Senate adjourned for the holidays on Dec. 16, 2014. Meredith stayed in Ottawa an extra day. At her apartment, before her 18th birthday, they had a sexual encounter which for the first time involved penetration, the ethics investigator concluded (Meredith denied this happened). Ms. M said the senator put his penis insider her for about a minute, which she said he called a teaser. When interviewed by the Senate investigator, Meredith said he did use that word but it was to describe a photograph of the partially clad youth she had sent him. Meredith does admit to having intercourse with her in February, after she turned 18.

Ms. M said they had intercourse again in May. Meredith said he did not recall the May visit. Viber messages provided to the ethics committee show that he had to return to her apartment to retrieve his watch the next day.

In March 2015, one issue on the Senate floor seemed to catch Merediths attention. The appointment of Joe Friday, the federal governments Public Sector Integrity Commissioner. Meredith had a flurry of questions about how an investigation works and how the commissioner would guard against unfairly targeting someone. Later, in his own case, Meredith would complain about the level of embarrassing detail released.

All of us are concerned about reputation and the alleging of some impropriety, Meredith began. How do you . . . ensure that both sides are protected when you do your investigation to ensure that, again, credibility is not destroyed, reputations are not destroyed by inaccurate information that has become public?

Friday stressed the care that his office took, and the great lengths to keep matters confidential. Meredith kept on the topic, saying that mistakes can be made in an investigation, along with an error in judgment.

In one of his final remarks to the Senate before the Star broke the story of his involvement with Ms. M, Meredith made an impassioned plea for law societies across Canada to agree to admit to their bar admission program students from the evangelical Trinity Western Universitys proposed law school. A controversy had broken out over the B.C. schools community covenant that requires students to refrain from sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman. Court challenges are pending in the matter.

Meredith ultimately broke off the relationship with Ms. M around this time, telling her in a text: God has spoken with me and am (sic) not happy with me. Meredith also wrote, I should be leading you, not making you.

Following the March release of the ethics report on Meredith, several high-profile senators, including former Ottawa police chief Vern White, have said the Senate should expel Meredith. Meredith responded by saying, in an interview with The Canadian Press, that these attacks are racially based, a claim he has since backed away from. He said he is sorry for his actions.

This was a violation, a moral failing on my part, Meredith said in a videotaped interview. To my family, to Ms. M, to my colleagues in the Senate, to all Canadians, I deeply regret this and I am deeply sorry and I apologize from the bottom of my heart.

Lawyer William Trudell, who now represents Meredith, said he could not comment on any of the allegations brought forward by the Star, but said we will respond as appropriate in the proper forum.

The Star has spoken to Ms. M several times over the past year as the case bounced from the public spotlight to the police to the senate ethics officer. The Ottawa Police opened an investigation in 2015 but closed it when, according to Ms. M, detectives told her they could not guarantee her anonymity would be protected. Ms. M told police she did not want to pursue a complaint.

Last week, Ms. M told the Star she has graduated university and is pursuing a career in Canada she finds fulfilling. I am really getting on with my life and looking to put all of this behind me.

Kevin Donovan can be reached at kdonovan@thestar.ca or (416) 312-3503

SHARE:
An agreed statement of facts read in a Newmarket court Tuesday reveals for the first time the shocking events that led to the 2013 death of 2-year-old Eva Ravikovich at an illegal daycare run by Olena Panfilova.

Panfilova pleaded guilty on Tuesday to criminal negligence causing the death of Eva, admitting she left the child alone in a parked car on a hot day outside her filthy and crowded illegal daycare in Vaughan.

The agreed statement of facts, which were read before Justice David Stewart Rose in a Newmarket court, revealed events that led to Evas death, a case that spurred a Star investigation into lax child care inspections and prompted changes to provincial daycare laws.

Early in the morning on July 8, 2013, Panfilova, who offered a pickup and drop-off service for parents, arrived at her daycare facility on Yellowood Circle with a number of children in her Dodge Durango SUV.

Panfilova removed all the children she could from the passenger side and closed the door, leaving only Eva, still buckled into her car seat, according to the statement of facts.

Panfilova realized she had forgotten Eva at the end of the hot summer day, sometime between 5:06 p.m. and 5:21 p.m.  long after the girl had already died of heat stroke.

Paramedics later found her diaper was dry. An autopsy by Dr. Michael Pollanen found that Evas bladder contained no urine and her stomach was essentially empty.

According to the statement of facts, Panfilova brought Eva inside the daycare and she tried to call Evas parents, but could not get through.

Panfilovas adult daughter, Karyna Rabadanova, then called 911, saying: Were taking care of a kid and  and I think shes dead. We put her down for a nap. We went to wake her up and shes not breathing and shes like all . . . purple.

Paramedics arrived within minutes. They described the child as obviously dead, according to the statement of facts.

Olena never told anyone that Eva died in her vehicle, the statement of facts read. To the contrary, Olena told everyone that she had put Eva down for a nap that afternoon in the daycare, as usual, and when she went to check on her, found Eva not breathing.

Panfilova and her family also denied knowing anything when police said they could not find a digital video recorder they believed was connected to cameras showing the front entrance of the daycare and the driveway. The car seat Eva sat in on July 8, 2013 was also missing.

Panfilova was charged with manslaughter in March 2016.

Also last March, Panfilova, her husband Ruslan Panfilov and Rabadanova were sentenced to 30 days in jail for running an overcrowded illegal daycare, a violation of the Day Nurseries Act.

The daycare was shuttered by health authorities, who found dangerous bacteria and filthy conditions in the home, the Star previously reported. When police were called to the daycare on July 8, 2013, there were also more than a dozen dogs on the premises, along with the children.

In my defence I would like to say I was trying to help the parents. I was trying to help people who werent able to pay large amounts of money, the Star reported Panfilova said at the time, through an interpreter. It was my beloved work.

Panfilovas daycare, which was popular with Russian-speaking parents, cost between $500 and $700 a month, much less than a legal daycare.

Panfilova never applied for or obtained the required licence to run a daycare, despite an explicit warning from the Ministry of Education that the facility was illegally crowded.

When you look at the facts of the case and compare it to the multiple complaints before this happened and nothing being done until this little girl died, its a travesty, Patrick Brown, counsel for the Ravikovich family said. Someone was sleeping at the switch and nothing was being done.

In November 2012, two Ministry of Education employees inspected the daycare and discovered seven children in the facility. The ministry sent Panfilova a letter, dated Nov. 26, 2012, telling her to reduce the number of children in her care.

On the day of Evas death, according to the statement of facts, there were 35 children in Panfilovas daycare. Parents were led to believe that she was caring for 15 children at most.

The law that was in place at the time of Evas death has since been replaced by the Child Care and Early Years Act. That law increases penalties for overcrowding in unlicensed daycares.

With files from Alex Ballingall and Marco Chown Oved

Read more about:

SHARE:
A University of Toronto student has filed a human rights application against the institution, alleging the school failed to adequately investigate and handle her sexual assault complaint.

Tamsyn Riddle, a 20-year-old Trinity College student, alleges she was sexually assaulted by another student in the spring of 2015.

According to the human rights application filed Tuesday, the University of Toronto and Trinity College discriminated against Ms Riddle based on sex by failing to properly investigate and remedy the assault that she experienced and by failing to provide Ms Riddle with a safe, discrimination-free learning environment.

The application alleges, among other things, that the investigation was disorganized and delayed and that staff were dismissive of Riddles concerns. The school placed restrictions on the alleged perpetrators movements around campus. Riddles application, however, claims the restrictions were haphazard and insufficient.

I was made to feel that this wasnt a really serious issue, Riddle told the Star. To me it feels like (the process with the school) was intended just to do the bare minimum to make sure I wouldnt speak up or I wouldnt take action against the university.

None of the allegations in the human rights application have been proven in the tribunal. Riddle did not report the alleged assault to the police.

Terry McQuaid, the University of Torontos executive director of personal safety, high risk and sexual violence prevention and support, told the Star she could not comment about a specific case.

The university will respond through legal counsel and the (Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario) process, she said.

McQuaid said the school has a new sexual violence policy, which came into effect in January, and has opened centres on each campus that will provide support for individuals who have experienced sexual assault.

We are actively reaching out to the community and looking to create spaces where survivors can report and disclose and feel that they have options, McQuaid said.

According to the application, in April, 2015, Riddle was sexually assaulted by another student while attending a party hosted at Trinity College.

Following the assault, the application claims that Riddle became aware the alleged perpetrator had also assaulted her friend.

Riddle and her friend reported the incidents to the school, according to the application.

The application states Riddle was initially dissuaded from contacting police by Trinity Colleges assistant dean of students, Adam Hogan, who told her that route might leave her disappointed, the application says. Hogan also offered to discuss the concept of consent with the alleged perpetrator, but Riddle chose to make a formal complaint instead.

The Star reached out to all staff named in the application. The Star was referred back to McQuaid.

The application also says that Riddle was told by Trinity dean of arts Michael Ratcliffe not to go the media because he had recently seen death threats against feminists on a blog and he would hate to see something like that happen to them.

The investigation  which took approximately 17 months to conclude  was disorganized and delayed, the application says.

After she made a formal complaint in the spring of 2015, an investigator was assigned to Riddles case, the application says.

Through the summer, Riddle claims, she was sent to different administrators, each suggesting that someone else could help her and answer her questions about what action would be taken against the perpetrator.

In September, five months after the alleged assault, Riddle  who had requested the alleged perpetrator be expelled from school  was told that interim restrictions would be placed on his movements around campus.

She received a list of the restrictions the following month, which included him having to move out of residence, not take part in any social events or activities (with the exception of one) at the college and to have no contact with the complainants, according to her application.

The alleged perpetrator violated some of the restrictions, including repeatedly returning to the residence despite not being permitted, the application alleges.

The restrictions were expanded in November to include ensuring courses on the alleged perpetrator and the complainants schedules did not overlap.

Riddle also received a three-page investigation report. The report was merely a summary of allegations and the perpetrators response. It did not advance Ms Riddles complaint in any meaningful way and did not contain any recommendations or findings. This summary also contained spelling and factual errors, the application claims.

The investigation process concluded suddenly in August of 2016 with no input or consultation from Riddle, the application says. Riddle was told by a school official that an agreement had been reached between the alleged perpetrator and the school.

This agreement was essentially the same as the restrictions that had previously been placed on the perpetrator. Ms Riddle had no input into this process or outcome, the application says.

This process completely took away any trust and love I had for U of T and Trinity as institutions, making me view university as something to survive rather than an important educational and social experience, Riddle says in the application.

Riddles human rights application is the second high-profile application made against a Toronto-area university over its handling of a sexual assault complaint in recent years.

In 2015, York University student Mandi Gray made a human application complaint against her school alleging she was unsupported and discriminated against after reporting a sexual assault. The complaint was eventually settled, with no admission of liability by York, or concession by Gray.

Grays attacker, Mustafa Ururyar, was found guilty of sexual assault last year. He is currently appealing his conviction. The judges unusual approach, in the case was recently questioned by the appeal judge.

The Ontario government passed legislation mandating policy to deal with sexual assault at post-secondary institutions after a 2014 Star investigation found most campuses did not have such a special policy. At the time of the investigation, just nine of 78 public universities and no colleges had special policies in place.

Riddle is asking for $40,000 for general damages for the stress, anxiety and academic setbacks caused by the investigation process and failure to provide a safe learning environment.

She is also asking for public interest remedies from the school, to ensure other students do not have the same experience.

For example, shes asking for better communication channels, timelines on action, legal counsel for sexual assault survivors who complain to the school and an external audit about the prevalence of sexual assault on campus.

SHARE:
Chapmans Ice Cream is treating a local school to more than $2 million as part of a plan to keep it open  and eventually help rebuild it.

Trustees at the Bluewater District School Board voted Tuesday night to approve a proposal that would see the Municipality of Grey Highlands and the ice cream company keep the rural school open in the short term, with a further $4 million  shared equally between Chapmans and developer Parataxis  to rebuild Beavercrest Community School in Markdale.

The board has given itself two years to fine-tune the details with the three parties, and keep Beavercrest open in the meantime.

There are a lot of balls in the air right now, said Chair Ron Motz. But there is the potential for a really exciting partnership there.

At Queens Park on Wednesday, Education Minister Mitzie Hunter said, My understanding is that they are looking at innovative and creative solutions  we do support community hubs in schools. We know how important schools are to the social fabric of communities.

She added, however, that there are clear fundraising guidelines in place for boards, and she is glad to see the board taking some time before moving ahead.

The plan, however, is raising concerns about private money funding public schools. But for parents and those in the community, there is relief.

Ashley Chapman, the ice cream companys vice-president, is encouraged by the boards decision, which gets the final stamp of approval later this month by the same group of trustees who unanimously supported it Tuesday.

He said the municipality has agreed to cover the roughly $50,000 in extra costs the board faces each year in keeping Beavercrest open  and if that amount goes any higher, Chapmans will make up the difference.

Boards and schools cannot accept money to operate schools, but the idea is that the municipality and Chapmans would pay to rent school space, which is permitted.

While details on rebuilding Beavercrest remain under discussion, Chapmans and Parataxis could fund the community hub part of the rebuild, and the board the school itself. To do so, the board requires ministry of education approval, and funding.

While Chapman has said a school is crucial to attracting families to the area as his family business expands, in the worst-case scenario, Chapmans Ice Cream would survive  weve been through a lot worse than a school closing. The fear truly was for the kids at the school, especially the special needs students. It would be heartbreaking to see such a setback for them.

Beavercrest school has 192 students, but room for 314.

Local Progressive Conservative MPP Bill Walker (Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound) called the offer a lifeline, but said it brings into question why the government is abdicating its responsibility to properly fund education and worries about communities that dont have a Chapmans to come to the rescue.

His party is calling for a two-year moratorium on school closings.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said its absolutely unbelievable that things have gotten this far  here we are in Ontario and expecting a private company to save a school. Its obvious the Liberals system for closing schools has gone off the rails.

Hunter has said that in the past 14 years, the government has spent at least $16 billion on school buildings, opening or renovating almost 1,600 schools  450 of them in rural areas.

But because of reductions to a top-up grant from the province to help support low-enrolment schools, Motz said boards are getting to choose which schools to close, but the funding formula is driving the reduction.

He said the partnership with Chapmans and Parataxis is one that could be really exciting and good for the community  I think it would be a really good template for future school-community hub combinations.

Read more about:

SHARE:
Prom?

That one word, written on canvas and surrounded by a colourful collage of paint, promised Catherine Maine an experience she missed out on long ago.

Of course she said yes. Her invitation, after all, came from her grandson, 18-year-old Bryce Maine. Bryce, a senior at Eufaula High School in Alabama, wanted his grandmother to finally enjoy the formative soiree she missed so many years ago.

I just thought, well, its just so nice that he wanted me to go, Catherine Maine told WTVM. I kept asking him, Dont you want to take someone else? But he kept saying, No, I want my Nanny. So I was just so shocked, privileged that he asked me.

My Grandma is the most important woman in my life and shes never had a prom before so I figured why not let her go with me, Bryce told Inside Edition.

As he told CNN, Every woman deserves to go to a prom, no matter how old you are.

Catherine Maine prepared for the April 8 event by purchasing a new dress to wear on the special night, as word of her coming attendance trickled out into the small community. Somehow, the schools administrators got wind of Bryces plans  and thats when they fell apart.

Catherine Maine isnt allowed to attend.

In a statement to Inside Edition, Eufaula City Schools principal Steve Hawkins said the prom attendees must be 20 years old or younger, and he cannot bend the rules. On Monday, Bryces father met with school officials seeking a compromise, but nothing changed, reported Fox News Todd Starnes.

Safety of students and staff is the first and most important of the many tasks of a school administrator. For the 10 years I have been high school principal, we have denied requests each year from students asking to bring older dates to prom. We do not chance leaving any stone unturned when it comes to safety. Most high schools have an age limit for prom attendees, Hawkins said in a statement.

Bryce told WTVM the reason the school gave him was alcohol ... in case, you know, she was trying to distribute it to minors.

Im heartbroken, Bryce added.

Regardless of the rules, the decision riled many after Sarah Catherine, Bryces cousin, posted an angry message about the decision on Facebook.

My blood is boiling right now, it began. My little cousin Bryce wanted to take our Grandma to his senior prom since she has never been. Well after she ... bought her dress and made plans, the principal decided that they cannot do that anymore ... Like really? Eufaula High School let my Grandma go to Prom!

As of early Tuesday morning, four days before the prom, the post was shared more than 4,700 times and included more than a thousand comments.

It seems the only problem here, is that adults with no lives, no heart, no compassion, or love, deem it necessary to ruin a fantastic gesture of love & ideals! wrote one commenter. Another advocated a boycott of the prom, calling the school heartless.

This country has gone to hell. What a nice young man to have this once in a lifetime experience for the both of them. If my granddaughter did that for me I would be the happiest Pawpa in the world. I laugh at the thought that she might bring alcohol, wrote another.

In her post, Sarah used the hashtag #letnannygotoprom, which quickly spread to Twitter.

One tweet: There is no more common sense in our schools. #LetNannyGoToProm

Another tweet: #LetNannyGoToProm Oh, no. We cant. Well start a trend of grandsons (and granddaughters) showing kindness towards their grandparents.

The social media push hasnt changed anything, but Bryce and Catherine Maine decided to make the night special anyhow, school notwithstanding.

Shell wear her gown and Ill put on my tuxedo and we will get all dressed up, go out to a fancy meal, and have our own prom, Bryce told CNN.

According to Fox News, that meal will likely be at the Eufaula Country Club, which invited the two to dine on Saturday and maybe take a spin on the dance floor.

I picked out some of the songs she liked from back in the day  a lot of Elvis, Bryce said.

SHARE:
Connor Balthazor, 17, was in the middle of study hall when he was called into a meeting with his high school newspaper adviser.

A group of reporters and editors from the student newspaper, the Booster Redux at Pittsburg High School in southeastern Kansas, had gathered to talk about Amy Robertson, who was hired as the high schools head principal on March 6.

The student journalists had begun researching Robertson, and quickly found some discrepancies in her education credentials. For one, when they researched Corllins University, the private university where Robertson said she got her masters and doctorate degrees years ago, the website didnt work. They found no evidence that it was an accredited university.

There were some things that just didnt quite add up, Balthazor told The Washington Post.

The students began digging into a weeks-long investigation that would result in an article published Friday questioning the legitimacy of the principals degrees and of her work as an education consultant.

On Tuesday night, Robertson resigned.

In light of the issues that arose, Dr. Robertson felt it was in the best interest of the district to resign her position, Pittsburg Community Schools announced in a statement. The Board has agreed to accept her resignation.

The resignation thrust the student newspaper staff into local, state and national news, with professional journalists nationwide applauding the students for asking tough questions and prompting change in their administration.

Everybody kept telling them, stop poking your nose where it doesnt belong, newspaper adviser Emily Smith told The Post. But with the encouragement of the superintendent, the students persisted.

They were at a loss that something that was so easy for them to see was waiting to be noticed by adults, Smith said.

In the Booster Redux article, a team of six students  five juniors and one senior  revealed that Corllins had been portrayed in a number of articles as a diploma mill, a place where people can buy a degree, diploma or certificates. Corllins is not accredited by the U.S. Department of Education, the students reported. The Better Business Bureaus website says Corllins physical address is unknown and the school isnt a BBB-accredited institution.

All of this was completely overlooked, Balthazor said. All of the shining reviews did not have these crucial pieces of information . . . you would expect your authority figures to find this.

Robertson had been living in Dubai for more than 20 years before she was hired for the position. She said she most recently worked as the CEO of an education consulting firm known as Atticus I S Consultants there.

In a conference call with the student journalists, Robertson presented incomplete answers, conflicting dates and inconsistencies in her responses, the students reported. She said she attended Corllins before it lost accreditation, the Booster Redux reported.

When contacted by the Kansas City Star after the publication of the students article, Robertson said all three of her degrees have been authenticated by the U.S. government. She declined to comment directly on students questions about her credentials, because their concerns are not based on facts, she said.

In an emergency faculty meeting Tuesday, the superintendent said Robertson was unable to produce a transcript confirming her undergraduate degree from the University of Tulsa, Smith said.

During the course of their reporting, the students spent weeks reaching out to educational institutions and accreditation agencies to corroborate Robertsons background, even working through spring break. Their adviser, Smith, had to recuse herself from the story because she was on the committee that hired Robertson. So the students sought the help of Eric Thomas, executive director of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association, and other local and national journalists and experts.

Under Kansas state law, high school journalists are protected from administrative censorship. The kids are treated as professionals, Smith said. But with that freedom came a major responsibility to get the story right, Smith said. It also meant overcoming a natural hesitancy many students have to question authority.

At the very beginning it was a little bit exciting, Balthazor said. It was like in the movie, a big city journalist chasing down a lead.

But as the students began delving deeper into the story, keeping notes on a whiteboard, it really started hitting me that this is a much bigger deal, Balthazor said.

The students were among those packed into a school boardroom Tuesday night when the school board president announced Robertsons resignation. After the announcement, a parent in the audience stood up and asked school officials if they would be recognizing the student journalists for uncovering crucial details about Robertsons background. The superintendent said he would be meeting with the students Wednesday to personally thank them.

Wed broken out of our comfort zones so much, Balthazor said. To know that the administration saw that and respected that, it was a really great moment for us.

After local news broke that Robertson had resigned, numerous national journalists  including The Posts David Fahrenthold tweeted the students story, congratulating them for their work.

Holy crap, Balthazor thought, why are these people paying attention to this little journalism story from southeast Kansas?

While the high school junior was leaving track practice Tuesday night, he learned in a group message with his newspaper staff that Todd Wallack, a reporter for the Boston Globes Spotlight Team, had tweeted the students story, saying: Great investigative work by high school journalists. Balthazor sat in his car in the parking lot and immediately called his mom to tell her the news.

I honestly thought they were joking at first, Balthazor said. The Booster Redux staff had watched the movie Spotlight in class last year, Balthazor said. It was awesome to know that such respected members of the journalism community had our backs.

After graduation, Balthazor said, he hopes to pursue a degree in creative writing or filmmaking. Even though he doesnt necessarily plan to stick with journalism, Balthazor said the past few weeks had been surreal.

Most high schoolers would never get even close to an opportunity to get to experience something like this, he said.

SHARE:
LAHORE, PAKISTANA Taliban suicide bomber struck a vehicle carrying census workers in eastern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing two data collectors and four soldiers who were escorting them, officials said.

The attack took place on the outskirts of Lahore, said Malik Ahmad Khan, the provincial government spokesman. A local police official, Mohammad Afzal, said that 15 other people were wounded in the blast, which damaged nearby shops.

Mohammad Khurasani, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the group sought to target Pakistans impure army, which he called a slave of America. The militant groups chief, Mullah Fazlullah, who is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan, ordered the attack, the spokesman said.

Elsewhere in Pakistan, two gunmen shot and killed a former Pakistani army colonel in southern city of Karachi, said police official Rao Rafiq. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Pakistani group linked to the Taliban and Al Qaeda, claimed responsibility in a text message sent to an Associated Press reporter.

Since Pakistan threw its support behind the United States in its war against terror in 2001, militant groups have killed thousands of people in a bid to overthrow the government and install their own harsh interpretation of Islamic law.

Pakistans military has carried out scores of operations, killing thousands of suspected militants.

Pakistans army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, paid tribute to the victims of Wednesdays attack and said the census would be completed at any cost.

Rana Sanaullah, a Cabinet member in the Punjab government, said such attacks are being planned and executed by militants in Afghanistan  an often repeated claim by Islamabad.

Kabul denies it is sheltering any militant groups, but various extremist factions launch attacks on both countries across the porous border.

Pakistan launched the national census last month, the countrys first in 19 years.

Tens of thousands of data collectors, supported by 200,000 Pakistani soldiers, go door-to-door for the project, which is to be finished by May 15. However, societal conservatism and a lack of women census takers could result in Pakistans female population being under-represented.

SHARE:
BEIRUTThe grief-stricken father cradled his 9-month-old twins, Aya and Ahmed, each in the crook of an arm. Stroking their hair, he choked back tears, mumbling, Say goodbye, baby, say goodbye to their lifeless bodies.

Then Abdel Hameed Alyousef took them to a mass grave where 22 members of his family were being buried. Each branch of the clan got its own trench.

More than 80 people, including at least 30 children and 20 women, were killed in the chemical attack on the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun early Tuesday, and the toll could still rise. The Alyousef family, one of the towns main clans, was hardest hit.

Another member of the family, Aya Fadl, recalled running from her house with her 20-month-old son in her arms, thinking she could find safety from the toxic gas in the street. Instead, the 25-year-old English teacher was confronted face to face with the horror of it: A pickup truck piled with the bodies of the dead, including many of her own relatives and students.

Ammar, Aya, Mohammed, Ahmad, I love you my birds. Really they were like birds. Aunt Sana, Uncle Yasser, Abdul-Kareem, please hear me, Fadl said, choking back tears as she recalled how she said farewell to her relatives in the pile.

I saw them. They were dead. All are dead now.

Read more:

Trump has strong words after Syrian gas attack but no plan on U.S. response

The world reacts to Syrias horror. Trump asks, whats in it for America? Analysis

Donors from more than 70 countries pledge $6 billion for Syria aid

The tragedy has devastated the small town. It also deepened the frustration felt by many Syrians in opposition-held areas that such scenes of mass death, which have become routine in the countrys 6-year-old civil war, bring no retribution or even determination of responsibility.

The U.S. and other Western countries accused President Bashar Assad of being behind the attack, while Syria and its main backer, Russia, denied it. Despite world condemnation, bringing justice is difficult in the absence of independent investigation of Syrias chemical arsenal, which the government insists it has destroyed.

My heart is broken. Everything was terrible. Everyone was crying and couldnt breathe, Fadl told The Associated Press on Wednesday. We had many circumstances in Syria and we had many difficult situations. This is the most difficult and most harmful situation I ever had.

In 2013, horrific scenes of Syrians flooding hospitals or found dead in their homes after a sarin gas attack that killed hundreds in the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Ghouta provoked international condemnation. A Russian-brokered deal followed allowing Assad to declare he has destroyed his chemical stockpile and joined the Chemical Weapons Convention.

But a year later, chlorine gas attacks became recurrent, killing scores of people.

However, Tuesdays massacre was not caused by chlorine, an irritant with limited ability to kill. The high number of casualties, as well as the grave symptoms including convulsions, constricted pupils and vomiting point to a more complex chemical gas.

A Doctors Without Borders medical team that examined a number of victims in a hospital near the border with Turkey said the symptoms are consistent with exposure to a neurotoxic agent  at least two different chemical agents. The U.S.s early assessment is that it involved the use of chlorine and sarin, according to two U.S. officials who werent authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity.

In Khan Sheikhoun, the tragedy was compounded because so many victims were from a single extended family, the Alyousef clan.

Witnesses say four rockets hit around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, smashing a crater in the ground, but causing minimal structural damage. It quickly became clear this was not a conventional attack.

Alaa Alyousef said his family was sleeping and woke to the sound of the impact only a few hundred yards (meters) away. The first thing they saw was smoke. His father went outside then rushed back in. He had seen a woman walking near the strike suddenly collapse. The family frantically closed windows and dampened cloths with water and apple vinegar to put over their faces.

They were lucky, the wind went in the other direction, Alyousef said.

The rockets hit on the edge of North Harah, a district where much of the Alyousef clan lives. Frantically the clans members and their neighbours fled, running from house to house trying to track down relatives.

Fadl remembered her panic when the rockets woke her.

My husband, where are you? Oh, where are you my lovely son? she recalled calling out. They were next to me but I couldnt see them. She said their eyes began hurting. The air became very heavy. There was no bad smell. But the air was so heavy to breathe.

The Alyousefs brought their dead to a family members home that was outside the worst attack area. The courtyard was turned into a makeshift morgue where surviving relatives tried for hours to resuscitate loved ones already dead.

Thats when Fadl finally collapsed, she said, only to wake up in a medical centre.

While Fadl recovers along with her son at her parents home in a town north of Khan Sheikoun, her husband is still looking for survivors from his extended family.

Alaa Alyousef said not all homes have been searched for survivors yet.

We are still in shock, a big shock. Our family is devastated, the 27-year-old said. Many are still missing. We are afraid to enter homes sometimes lest we find more people dead.

On Tuesday, he and other family members buried the clans dead in the mass grave.

On the way to the grave, Abdel Hameed Alyousef asked a cousin to video his farewell to his twin son and daughter as he sat in the front seat of a van being loaded with bodies.

When the airstrikes hit, he was with the twins. I carried them outside the house with their mother, the 29-year-old shop owner told the AP. They were conscious at first, but 10 minutes later we could smell the odour.

The twins and his wife, Dalal Ahmed, fell sick.

He brought them to paramedics and, thinking they would be OK, went to look for the rest of his family. He found the bodies of two of his brothers, two nephews and a niece, as well as neighbours and friends. I couldnt save anyone. Theyre all dead now, he said.

It was only later that his relatives could bring themselves to tell him that his children and wife had also died.

Abdel Hameed is in very bad shape, said his cousin, Alaa Alyousef. Hes being treated for exposure to the toxin, but hes especially broken down over his massive loss.

Read more about:

SHARE:
WASHINGTONU.S. President Donald Trump declared Wednesday the deadly chemical attack in Syria crossed many, many lines and abruptly transformed his thinking about Syrian President Bashar Assad. Still, he pointedly refused to say what action the U.S. might take in response.

Facing one of his first global crises, Trump blamed the attack squarely on Assads forces, even as the embattled Syrian leader and his Russian backers denied it. He suggested that the attack that killed 72 people had cut into his former reluctance to plunge the U.S. further into the complex and dangerous turmoil in the Middle East.

When you kill innocent children, innocent babies  babies, little babies  with a chemical gas that is so lethal, people were shocked to hear what gas it was, that crosses many, many lines, Trump said in the White House Rose Garden. U.S. officials said the gas was likely chlorine, with traces of a nerve agent like sarin.

Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump

While continuing to blame predecessor Barack Obama for much of the current situation in Syria, he acknowledged that dealing with the crisis is now his own responsibility and vowed to carry it very proudly.

Only days earlier multiple members of Trumps administration had said Assads ouster was no longer a U.S. priority, drawing outrage from Assad critics in the U.S. and abroad. But Trump said Tuesdays attack had a big impact on me  big impact.

My attitude towards Syria and Assad has changed very much, he said.

Yet Trump was adamant that he would not telegraph any potential U.S. military retaliation, even as his UN ambassador, Nikki Haley, was promising a strong and perhaps even unilateral American response. Trump said disclosing military action ahead of time was a mistake the Obama administration had repeatedly made.

Im not saying Im doing anything one way or another, but Im certainly not going to be telling you, Trump said.

Since the attack Tuesday in rebel-held territory in northern Syria, Trump has been under increasing pressure to explain whether the attack was egregious enough to force a U.S. response. After all, Trumps first reaction to the attack was to blame Obamas weakness in earlier years for enabling Assad.

Obama had put Assad on notice that using chemical weapons would cross a red line necessitating a U.S. response, but then failed to follow through, pulling back from planned airstrikes on Assads forces after Congress wouldnt vote to approve them. Trump and other critics have cited that as a key moment the U.S. lost much global credibility.

I now have responsibility, Trump said. That responsibility could be made a lot easier if it was handled years ago.

Standing alongside Jordans King Abdullah II at a joint news conference, Trump appeared to adopt the first part of Obamas stance  that chemical weapons use is intolerable  while stopping short of saying what might come next.

A suspected chemical attack in a town in Syria's northern Idlib province killed dozens of people on Tuesday, Syrian opposition activists said, describing the attack as among the worst in the country's six-year civil war.

Read more:

Syria chemical attack death toll rises to 72, Russia blames Syrian rebels

Trump blames Assad  and Obama  for Syrian chemical attack

The strongest indication that the U.S. might act actually came at the United Nations, where Trumps envoy held up photos of the attacks victims in an emotional plea to the Security Council to intervene.

When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action, Haley declared.

Though Trump has assigned no blame to Russia or Iran  Assads two staunchest allies  both Haley and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have argued adamantly that both must use their influence to prevent Assad from mounting further attacks. As the Security Council weighed a resolution condemning chemical weapons use in Syria, Haley accused Moscow of blocking action and closing its eyes to the barbarity of three previous chemical attacks, also blamed on the Syrian government.

The most recent attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun bore telltale signs of nerve agent exposure such as victims convulsing and foaming from the mouth. Videos showed volunteer medics using firehoses to wash chemicals from victims bodies and lifeless children being piled in heaps.

Early U.S. assessments show the attack most likely involved chlorine and traces of the nerve agent sarin, according to two U.S. officials who werent authorized to speak publicly about intelligence assessments and demanded anonymity. Use of sarin would be especially troubling because it would suggest Syria may have cheated on its previous deal to give up chemical weapons.

After the 2013 attack, the U.S. and Russia brokered a deal in which Syria declared its chemical weapons arsenal, agreed to destroy it and join the Chemical Weapons Convention. Chlorine, which has legitimate uses as well, isnt banned under that convention except when used in a weapon. But nerve agents like sarin are banned in all circumstances.

As Trump and other world leaders scrambled for a response, the U.S. was working to lock down details proving Assads culpability. Russias military, insisting Assad wasnt responsible, has said the chemicals were dispersed when a Syrian military strike hit a facility where the rebels were manufacturing weapons for use in Iraq.

An American review of radar and other assessments showed Syrian aircraft flying in the area at the time of the attack, a U.S. official said. Russian and U.S. coalition aircraft were not there, the official said.

Read more about:

SHARE:
WASHINGTONU.S. President Donald Trump says the chemical attack in Syria has changed his views about the country and its president, Bashar Assad  but that he will not say what he thinks now.

Trumps extraordinary Wednesday remarks raised the prospect of further American intervention in the long-running war he had, as a civilian, urged predecessor Barack Obama to avoid. But it was entirely unclear what he planned to do, as he insisted it would be better to retain the power of surprise than declare his intentions.

Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump

I do change, and I am flexible, and Im proud of my flexibility, and I will tell you that attack on children yesterday had a big impact on me. Big impact. That was a horrible, horrible thing, he said at a White House news conference with King Abdullah II of Jordan. And Ive been watching it, and seeing it, and it doesnt get any worse than that. And I have that flexibility, and its very, very possible, and I will tell you its already happened, that my attitude toward Syria, and Assad, has changed very much.

Pressed to express a message to Assads regime, Trump said, You will see. They will have a message.

As usual, it was not immediately obvious the extent to which Trumps words were likely to be translated into policy. His musings have frequently been ignored even by his own cabinet secretaries.

But his words represented yet another shift in rhetoric, if not yet action. As a candidate, Trump said he would tolerate Assad because, he claimed, Assad was fighting terrorists. And Trumps administration had signalled less than a week prior that the U.S was no longer interested in attempting to get Assad to leave power.

Do we think hes a hindrance? Yes. Are we going to sit there and focus on getting him out? No, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley told reporters on Thursday.

On Wednesday, though, Haley told the UN Security Council: When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action.

How many more children have to die before Russia cares, she asked, staring at the Russian ambassador.

The chemical attack killed at least 75 people and sent dozens more to hospitals in the opposition-held northwestern province of Idlib. Survivors said the toxic substance had been dropped from planes; unnamed U.S. government officials told Reuters they believed it was the nerve agent sarin, though they have not yet provided proof.

Trump has sent mixed signals on foreign intervention as a candidate and as a new president, simultaneously complaining that the U.S. has needlessly spent money in the Middle East and vowing to get tougher on Daesh, also known as ISIS and ISIL. He has already approved the deployment of more than 400 additional troops to Syria in advance of the looming battle for Daeshs self-proclaimed capital, Raqqa.

A suspected chemical attack in a town in Syria's northern Idlib province killed dozens of people on Tuesday, Syrian opposition activists said, describing the attack as among the worst in the country's six-year civil war.

Another chemical attack by Assads regime, in 2013, was a pivotal point in the conflict. Obama, who in 2012 declared the use of chemical weapons to be a red line, declined to strike against Assad for the attack, a decision Trump and many others say emboldened the dictator and his Russian patron.

Asked if this attack crossed his own red line, Trump said it went beyond a red line.

It crossed a lot of lines for me, he said. When you kill innocent children, innocent babies, babies, little babies, with a chemical gas that is so lethal people were shocked to hear what gas it was, that crosses many, many lines.

Despite his criticism of Obamas decision not to enforce the red line, Trump has a long history of skepticism about intervention in Syria. He himself urged inaction in 2013, writing on Twitter: President Obama, do not attack Syria. There is no upside and tremendous downside. Save your powder for another (and more important) day!

Trumps Syria remarks came shortly after he revealed he had removed his controversial chief strategist, former Breitbart News chief Steve Bannon, from the principals committee of his National Security Council, while adding the chairman of the militarys Joint Chiefs of Staff and the director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

The inclusion of an ideologue with no policy-making experience at the expense of the usual military and intelligence officials had been greeted with bipartisan consternation. Bannon was put on the committee when Michael Flynn, another polarizing hard-liner, was serving as national security adviser. His successor, H.R. McMaster, has been said to prefer a more traditional and experienced set of voices.

Mexico's top diplomat met with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Wednesday to discuss bilateral relations. During a photo op, Tillerson said there's "no doubt in our mind" that the Syrian government under was behind a recent chemical attack.

Trump also declared to the New York Times on Wednesday that he believed Obamas national security adviser, Susan Rice, had committed a crime in seeking the identities of Trump associates who ended up being caught in U.S. surveillance of foreign officials. (Those associates allegedly included Flynn himself.) Trump is prone to making inaccurate claims, and he provided no proof for this one.

In the same interview with the Times, Trump defended Fox News host Bill OReilly, who the Times reported has settled five lawsuits that accused him of sexually harassing women who worked for him or appeared on his show.

Trump, who has himself been accused of sexual assault by more than 10 women, called OReilly a good person.

I dont think Bill did anything wrong, he said.

Read more about:

SHARE:
Laura James, 47, is a successful journalist and author. She's a wife to Tim and mother to four adult children. She likes fashion, cats and writing. She's eloquent and quick-witted.

She also has autism.

She was surprised when the idea was first suggested to her back in 2015 by a friendly nurse during a hospital stay in London.

Laura was undergoing tests for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a rare connective tissue disorder, and returned to her hospital room exhausted, hoping to find the air conditioning on, a tuna sandwich on the table and some peace and quiet.

Instead, the room was stifling, the food was absent and a child was screaming nearby.

"I just had an overwhelming meltdown ... a proper explosive meltdown," she said. The nurse who was with Laura took her to a quieter, cooler room, Laura recalled. "She said, 'don't worry, we see a lot of autistic people here.'

"I just assumed she was muddling me up with another patient," Laura explained, half-smiling at the recollection.

But then she started reading about autism online. "I got to some traits of girls with autism and it was just like, 'Oh my God, that's so me.'

"I had never thought about autism, ever ever ever," she said emphatically. "I thought that autism was 'Rain Man,' I thought it was boys... All of the stereotypes I absolutely believed because there's nothing else out there to dissuade someone."

Misdiagnosed from an early age

Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) are about 4.5 times more common in boys than in girls, according to one study. Other studies of autism around the world consistently show much higher rates of diagnosis for males than females.

But not everyone is convinced that these numbers reflect reality. There are now countless studies that cast doubt on the gender ratios associated with ASD. There is also compelling evidence of generations of lost girls and women, struggling to cope with being different to those around them, who were (or are) undiagnosed, misdiagnosed or diagnosed far later in life than their male counterparts.

A 2012 study by the UK's National Autistic Society (NAS) found that only 8% of girls with Asperger syndrome (now known as high-functioning autism) were diagnosed before they were age 6, compared to 25% of boys, with earlier studies conducted in the US in 2009 and 2010 finding similar trends.

It's something that Carol Povey, director of the Centre for Autism at the NAS, is deeply concerned about. "In the old days we always thought that autism was very much a male condition," she said. "What we are now starting to realize is that it's not quite as simple as that, and that there are -- and always have been -- girls and women who are on the autism spectrum, but they present differently.

"Those girls and women often struggle for many years, and there is a higher likelihood of a misdiagnosis," she said.

Laura was misdiagnosed several times. Her childhood doctor was convinced that she had an eating disorder. She was misdiagnosed with hyperventilation syndrome in her early twenties. And several doctors suggested she may have generalized anxiety disorder.

Laura's eating problems and anxiety were signs of her autism but were misinterpreted for more than four decades. Hyper-focus, a common trait in people with autism that allows them to focus intensely on one thing for a long period of time, meant she often forgot -- and still often forgets -- to eat. Her sensory issues and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome also made it unbearable to eat particular foods.

Most of the anxiety Laura experiences is linked with her autism and it began early in life. "I distinctly remember as a child feeling different and behaving differently to other girls. I simply remember thinking that everybody else seemed to kind of get it. Everyone else seemed to know what to do and how to do it, like there was an instruction manual that I'd lost and they all had."

Why girls aren't diagnosed

Sensory issues were, and still are, a big problem. "If there was a label that rubbed in my clothes or sock seams, or (if I was made to eat) food I didn't want to eat, then I would really melt down. And my meltdowns were so extreme that I would hold my breath until I passed out."

Her family doctor was dismissive. "She's just being naughty," he told her parents, "Just give her a slap."

Problems with social communication and sensory issues are typical signs of autism, so why was the possibility never raised?

"The words 'masking' and 'camouflaging' are often used to describe (autistic) girls and women," Povey explained. These girls will often notice who in their class "looks like they are doing the best in the classroom, which girl looks like they are succeeding the most. Then often those autistic girls copy what they see."

Laura remembers doing just that. She's also convinced that social conditioning is a big factor in the differences between boys and girls with autism. "Boys are allowed to be louder and more confrontational, more challenging, whereas girls are taught to be nice, quiet and polite." Girls are more likely to internalize their difficulties, she thinks, which then go unnoticed.

Povey agreed. "Those same difficulties that the boys were experiencing ... the girls may internalize far more."

Crucially, this means unknown numbers of girls and women struggling with autism may be diagnosed late or not at all. "What we're often seeing is clinicians who don't recognize the presentation in girls," Povey said. Clinicians need the "skills to be able to phrase the questions right ... You have to be able to get underneath the masking to be able to understand if the girl really does get what goes on around her."

The stereotype of autism as a male condition lingers. "I still hear of parents who are told by their doctor that girls don't have autism," said Povey.

Studies that look at the role of neurology or testosterone, or the possibility of female resistance to mutations, in the development of autism are still being published and give credence to the idea that the condition is more prevalent in males.

But researchers are often aware that this ratio may simply be wrong. Christine Ecker, professor of neuroscience at the Goethe University in Frankfurt and lead author of a study that showed how people with "male characteristic brains" are more likely to develop autism, avoids calling autism a "male condition."

"I think as soon as we change (diagnostic) tools, maybe adapt them to ... the girls' symptoms, that we will find more (autistic girls)," Ecker said.

A new normal

For Laura, diagnosis was a mixed blessing. "The moment of walking out was brilliant -- I've got an answer -- but then it gets harder before it gets easier," she said.

Reflecting on how she now sees herself, she said, "I think of myself as autistic, I don't like 'with autism.' The reason I don't like it is because it's not something that's ever going to go away ... Being autistic shapes pretty much everything in my life, in the way that, for me, being female does as well, or being a mother does."

After being diagnosed, she looked online for high-profile autistic women who she could relate to. She only found Temple Grandin, "who is awesome, amazing, but couldn't be more different from me."

And although many people were supportive, reactions to the diagnosis from friends and acquaintances were often conditioned by the same stereotypes that Laura herself believed until recently. "People look at very outward things. I care about clothes and fashion ... and I think people think that autistic women shouldn't be like that."

So she started writing -- at first articles and now a book -- about her experiences as an autistic woman. "Odd Girl Out" is being published this month.

But she's keen to emphasize that "my experience is one experience ... all autistic people are different."

Autism affects everything in Laura's life -- from what she wears, when and what she eats and how she travels, to her social life and emotions. But there are positives too. She's very logical and can spot future trends and patterns. "It makes me good at my job," she said, "and I think it makes me good at motherhood. If there's a problem ... I don't react emotionally, I react more logically," she explained.

"I don't think inherently it's either good or bad. It's like having brown eyes," she said. "It's not a tragedy, it's not a disaster. We are different, we are not less."

Diagnosis changed her life. "Everything made sense," she said. "You know that bit at the end of the Bruce Willis movie 'The Sixth Sense,' when he realizes he's dead and he goes and plays all those scenes in his mind and it becomes obvious? I think getting a late diagnosis is like that. Suddenly, you think, that's why I did that, or that's why that happened ... I felt different and I didn't know why. Now I know why and it's very reassuring."

She reflects on how her life would have been different if she had never met that nurse or if her tuna sandwich had arrived on time.
Valeant's (VRX) shares fell 5% Monday and continued to slump Tuesday after the company released details on executive compensation.

Valeant's shares were down 2.87% Tuesday, fallen to $10.17 apiece.

Why the fall?

The Laval, Quebec-based drugmaker filed a proxy form late Monday addressing investor concerns about executive compensation. This filing came 10 days after the company filed an initial proxy form, which showed that its CEO Joseph Papa took home a combined $62.7 million. This included a base salary of $980,769 a bonus worth $9.125 million and stocks and options worth nearly $52 million.

This was while Valeant's stock lost nearly 62% of its value over the past year.

According to the company's most recent filing, Papa's pay package "reflects appropriate and customary terms for recruiting a sitting CEO at a major company." His compensation included a mandatory purchase of shares of Valeant worth $5 million when he was hired. He is required to hold those shares for multiple years.

In addition to sharing more detailed information on Papa's compensation, Valeant officials highlighted his accomplishments from 2016, including building a new leadership team, and "improving relationships" with shareholders, debt-holders and customers like Walgreens (WBA) .

The board, as a result, rewarded Papa with a bonus of 50% of his annual target incentive.

It makes sense that Papa is paid a lot - as Akash Tewari of Evercore wrote in an email - Valeant officials "need to offer good compensation in order to retain and hire talent at this point."

Not to mention, much of the compensation is held in the company's stock, which means Papa's salary is tied to the company's performance.

The company has also approved director pay reductions that it says will "ensure good firm governance and director independence." The annual equity retainer for directors was reduced from $375,000 to $250,000 per person. Meanwhile, a cash retainer was increased by $25,000 to $100,000.

Additionally, the share ownership requirement was changed to be five times the annual cash retainer. According to Valeant officials, the median compensation for a Valeant director will decrease by more than 20%.

This detailed information comes one week after former Valeant CEO Michael Pearson filed a suit in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey alleging that the company refused to pay him for the three million shares he is owed.

Pearson is alleging that he is owed 580,676 shares and 2.5 million performance shares due November 3 under the terms of his separation agreement. Pearson stepped down back in May 2016. The lawsuit also alleges Valeant also owes $180,000 to Pearson for consultation fees.

Valeant responded to Pearson previously by citing Valeant's poor performance as a reason to avoid making these payments.

Trending news on TheStreet:
A long-awaited round of corporate consolidation in the white hot Permian basin may be a long shot, at best.

Despite the recent spate of deals by the likes of Parsley Energy (PE) and Diamondback Energy (FANG) and the lucrative economics of the west Texas oil basin, companies that have acquired or built substantial presence in the region are bolstering oil production at an unsettling pace and trading at insane multiples-- some such as Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) are trading at around 40-times Ebitda compared to similarly sized players outside the Permian like Continental Resources (CLR) that are trading at 13 times.

"Everybody would desperately like to see some [corporate M&A] happen," said Javan Ottoson, CEO of SM Energy (SM) , a Denver-based oil and gas exploration and production company, Tuesday at the IPAA's Oil & Gas Investment Symposia in New York. "It's easy in aggregate to say 'Wow, there's too many companies. Why don't they all get-together?' "

A relatively new player in west Texas' prolific Permian Basin, SM Enervy is a Denver-based oil and gas exploration and production company that has effectively transformed itself over the past year into a Permian- and Eagle Ford Shale-focused operator. Ottoson said somewhat reluctantly Tuesday while "all the bankers" like to hear that corporate-level consolidation among Permian strategics is the next logical step in the M&A cycle, he isn't willing to bet on it at this point.

But when you do the research and look at each company; you can easily determine that there are far fewer public targets in the basin than you'd think from taking a glance.

"Take us as an example. To pay for us, more than the market is paying for us; somebody's got to say, I can go faster than they're going. To get more value on our acreage, they have to say I can go faster than they're going," he opined. "I don't think anybody in their right mind can go a lot faster than we're going."

Not to mention the fact that everyone with the current multiples to support a multi-billion corporate level transaction is already in the Permian Basin, he said, adding that these players aren't looking to buy outside of the Permian in the current commodity environment.

So the Permian players aren't looking outward, and the majority of other U.S. shale players can't afford to buy in through a corporate level deal.

To be sure, as The Deal reported earlier this week, there are a few private acreage packages left for U.S. strategics to gobble up.

To name a few, Whitehorse Energy has tapped Citigroup (C) to shop its 80,000 net acres in the southern Delaware Basin. RBC Richardson Barr Securities and JPMorgan (JPM) are marketing 60,000 net acres in the western Delaware Basin that belong to Three Rivers Operating Co. III, a Riverstone Holdings company. And EnCap Investments-backed Felix Energy II has 55,000 acres in the eastern Midland Basin that could attract interest in the coming months.

But to justify paying upward of $50,000 per acre for an SM Energy, or one of the dozen or so other public Permian players currently trading at extremely heightened multiples, Ottoson implied Tuesday that you might have to either be crazy, a genius or both.

"You've got to know spacing. There are all these things that you need to know," Ottoson said. "And I think that's true for a lot of basins. There's just no argument that somebody with a big balance sheet can take this and go a lot faster. Because technically, it doesn't make sense."

Indeed, Stephens Inc. analyst Ben Wyatt said in an interview with TheStreet's sister publication The Deal on Monday, the first day of IPAA's conference, that he thinks there have to be some major setbacks for some these operators before any corporate consolidation can occur in the Permian.

"I think what you see over the next two or three-quarters is some guys execute and some guys stub their toe," Wyatt said. "When that happens, I wouldn't be surprised if you see some public, corporate M&A."

Because if it starts to become clear that some of these Permian operators won't hit the bold targets they're calling for in their 3-,5- and even 10-year plans, it may be easier for what Wyatt calls "the winners" to justify the thinking that they could execute better with the loser's mismanaged assets.

At the moment, many of these future winners, or those that are betting on being winners like Parsley and Diamondback, would likely tell you they're content with their recently bolstered portfolios.

But these toe-stubbing moments are exactly the type of catalyst that could cause a re-rating of many Permian operators, Wyatt suggested, bringing some heightened multiples way down and further supporting the thesis of corporate M&A.

That's when the industry follower suspects the Parsleys and the Diamondbacks of the world get bigger.

Until that day, though, SM's Ottoson isn't convinced.

"I'm sorry for all the bankers in the room who want this to happen, but I just don't see it."
For his "Off the Charts" segment on Mad Money this week, Jim Cramer talked with colleague Carolyn Boroden, who runs the FibonnacciQueen website and who also is a contributor to Real Money Pro.

Oil may be poised for a rebound, according to Boroden, who's been looking at charts of crude and some major stocks in the industry.

Boroden told Cramer a pattern is starting to emerge.

First, as to oil itself, the recent low coincides with some key weekly support levels. Second, oil's been making higher highs and higher lows. If the pattern holds, and oil stays above its floor between $45 and $47 a barrel, the stage may be set to clear $50. At that point it could be off to $57 level, with little resistance.

That would be good news for big oil producers, such as Exxon Mobil (XOM) , Chevron (CVX) , Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) and EOG (EOG) .

For Exxon, the biggest producer, there are signs that the stock is trying to bottom, after languishing in the low $80s for the past couple of months. The current downward swing has lasted for 12 weeks, similar to two declines in 2016 that each lasted 11 weeks. If the stock picks up on that symmetry, Exxon could be set to rally.

Exxon currently has a floor at $79, with a second floor running from $76 to $77. Boroden says that as long as the stock holds above at least one of these zones, then Exxon's more likely to rally here, perhaps as high as $89 to $91. A close below $76 would negate that scenario, however.

Chevron shows a similar pattern of higher highs and higher lows. Its crucial support levels are between $104 and $105, and between $100 and $102. Several Fibonacci timing cycles have come due in recent days as well, right at the time the stock was putting in its recent low.

Then there's the weekly chart of Pioneer Natural Resources, a company that owns a ton of acreage in the red-hot Permian Basin. Boroden says there's something different about Pioneer's chart and she likes it a lot: the symmetry between prior down-swings within a larger uptrend.

In short, Pioneer's previous declines were very similar to the stock's most recent move down. Just look at how closely these downward moves resemble each other: $23.59, $25.80, $26.89, and $26.87. Now, Pioneer's most recent swing lower is a little smaller, at $22.83, but it's still close. The key here is that these symmetry projections identify an important floor of support for Pioneer, running from $171 to $176. If the floor holds, then Boroden believes Pioneer can keep climbing. She thinks it could possibly travel to the $206 area, giving this stock another 19 points of potential upside. But, again, only if the floor of support holds.

Finally, there's EOG Resources. Boroden didn't see anything particularly meaningful on the weekly chart, but she definitely liked EOG's daily chart. She likes that EOG recently made a double bottom pattern, and the stock has now taken out its prior swing high of $97 made back on March 15. What's the risk-reward here? As long as EOG holds above its floor of support, running from $91 to $93, then Boroden thinks this $97 and change stock could be headed up to $106 in the not too distant future.

Bottom line: the charts, as interpreted by Carolyn Boroden, suggest that many of these oil stocks could be ready to take off given the recent rebound in the price of crude. She likes Exxon and Chevron, but her favorite charts here are Pioneer and EOG Resources.

At the time of publication, Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS had no position in stocks mentioned.
Republicans are using a Clinton-era legislative tool to roll back rules on internet privacy protections, bribery prevention and waterway protection, and they're going after state-sponsored retirement plans, too. And they're proud of it.

White House legislative affairs director Marc Short in a press briefing on Wednesday touted the GOP's use of the Congressional Review Act to roll back Obama-era regulations as a "story that has not been told." Thus far this year, 11 Congressional Review Act resolutions have made it through Congress and been signed by President Trump to undo the previous administration's rules.

"This is a huge accomplishment in the first quarter," Short said.

The Congressional Review Act is a 1996 law shepherded by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich that allows Congress to review federal regulations and, by joint resolution, overrule those regulations within 60 legislative days of their enactment. And when those regulations are overruled, it's extremely difficult to get the same thing back in place again -- ever.

Trump has already signed nearly a dozen such resolutions, and others are in the pipeline and headed to his desk before the window closes on April 28.

Perhaps the most headline-grabbing such resolution so far was this week, when Trump signed a bill scrapping a rule that would have required internet broadband providers including Comcast (CMCSA) , Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T) to get customer approval before marketing their information to a third party. Progressive groups maligned the move as a favor to corporate America.

Trump and Congressional Republicans used the act to roll back an SEC rule requiring energy companies to disclose payments to foreign governments in February. Aimed at curbing bribery, the Dodd-Frank mandated rule was fiercely opposed by the oil and gas industry and could have cost companies upwards of $500 million in compliance costs.

The GOP has also used the CRA this year to undo the contractor "blacklisting" order requiring federal contractors to disclose labor law violations and the "stream protection rule" restricting coal companies from dumping mining waste into streams and waterways.

A number of members of the Republican Party have jumped on the opportunity to introduce resolutions under the CRA. Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) introduced the internet privacy resolution. Representative Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) put forth a joint resolution on the extraction rule. Representative Bill Johnson (R-OH) introduced the resolution on the stream protection rule.

Representatives Francis Rooney (R-FL) and Tim Walberg (R-MI) have introduced separateresolutions to roll back Department of Labor rules opening the door for states to design and operate retirement savings programs for private-sector employees, both of which are making their way through Congress now. The White House has said it strongly supports the resolutions -- in other words, the president will sign.

A full list of the regulations being targeted under the Congressional Review Act and where they are in the legislative process is provided by the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center here.

Short on Wednesday said that the CRA resolutions thus far have resulted in a cost benefit to the economy of $10 billion and emphasized that the focus of many has been on creating jobs. He acknowledged that the rollback of the FCC internet privacy rule was not a job-creating effort.

"Some of the CRAs are not specific to jobs, but many of them are," he said.

The Trump administration and Congressional Republicans have struggled to move on major legislation such as health care and tax reform thus far in the president's tenure, and they appear to think the CRA will give them some legislative accomplishment to point to. When reporters on Wednesday asked Short questions on other matters, he sought to steer questions back to the CRA.

"I do think that this is a story that has not been told," he said.

Vice President Mike Pence addressing a CEO town hall on Tuesday gave a nod to the CRA and Congress' use of it. He said that in coming days, Trump will sign even more bills into law "rolling back that avalanche of red tape" from the Obama administration.

Pre-Trump, the Congressional Review Act had been used successfully only once, to roll back a Clinton-era rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requiring employers to take measures to curb ergonomic injuries in the workplace. George W. Bush signed a resolution to disapprove the rule in March 2001.

"It's more important than people probably gave it credit for nine months ago when it had only ever been used once," said Philip Wallach, senior fellow at Washington, D.C. think tank the Brookings Institution.

A New Wrinkle on Timing

The Congressional Review Act allows for the review of rules within 60 legislative days (days Congress is in session) of their enactment. For Obama-era regulations, that has meant anything submitted to Congress on or after June 13, 2016.

The Obama administration made a push ahead of that date to get out as many regulations as possible, said Rena Steinzor, a law professor at the University of Maryland. After the election, it pushed to get rules through even with the understanding that Congress might very well seek to review them -- and find a favorable party for doing so in Trump.

"It was a calculated risk," Steinzor said.

Beyond the late-term Obama rules, there is a growing chorus on the right insisting that the Congressional Review Act could actually apply to regulations passed long before last June. They argue that if a rule is never formally submitted to Congress, it could be subject to revision.

The conservative-leaning Pacific Legal Foundation this year launched Red Tape Rollback, an initiative it hopes could lead to the elimination of hundreds of rules. They argue that the 60-day clock on rules don't start on the CRA until a rule is officially submitted to Congress, and agencies have been delinquent on compliance. They also say the CRA has an expansive definition of what counts as a rule and also includes guidance from agencies.

The Wall Street Journal's Kimberly Strassel in January described the idea as a potential "regulatory game changer."

"The Congressional Review Act says that no rule can be enforced unless it's submitted to Congress," said Pacific Legal Fund attorney Jonathan Wood. "This is an excellent tool for the administration to reduce regulation."

But not everyone agrees it's such a silver bullet.

Sam Batkins, director of regulatory policy at right-leaning think tank the American Action Forum, has identified five such regulations that could be subject to the CRA under this loophole, including a CFTC rule to incorporate swaps. "Right now, it's an exercise in finding the rules," he said.

He noted that it's not yet known whether the theory behind Red Tape Rollback would actually fly. "Ultimately, I think it's going to come down to a...study on what effectively means 'submitted to Congress,'" he said.

Short on Wednesday deflected a question on the theory.

Regardless of when the rules came about, it's also about how much time and political capital lawmakers want to spend on them.

"I don't think there are a bunch of lurking rules that have silently gone into effect and shouldn't be in effect and the Republicans are now going to clear the books of all of them," said Steinzor.

"How likely is that to become something that Republicans want to spend their floor time doing?" said Wallach.

No Do-Overs

The Congressional Review Act bars agencies from re-imposing the same or a similar rule after. The 2001 ergonomics rule has never come back. But with so many regulations making their way through the pipeline now, the "no do-overs" idea could be put to the test.

The act prohibits "substantially similar" rules from being issued again, but its definition on what that means is hazy. In other words, we're now in uncharted territory.

"If you think that sounds ambiguous, it's because it is, and no one really knows what that means," said Batkins.

The extraction rule presents an example of the quandary. The regulation is mandated under Dodd-Frank to be written by the SEC, which now in theory will have to go back to the drawing board to rewrite it. It's not clear what counts as not "substantially similar."

"It can't be an enviable position right now to be a lawyer at the SEC when you have to thread the needle," said Batkins.

One former Capitol Hill staffer and legislative expert speaking on the condition of anonymity said that there are a lot of unknowns surrounding the CRA.

"Beyond a certain point, if a regulation should have been submitted and wasn't and the committee didn't make any request about it and this was now years ago, it might be held that Congress has let down its rights as it were," he said. "I strongly suspect that at least the parliamentarians would probably not go along with the indefinite revisability of regulations. But it's never been tested."

Editors' pick: Originally published April 6.
The Department of Labor will delay its fiduciary rule Wednesday morning.

News of the Labor Department's plans were disclosed in a filing by the Justice Department in the the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The DOJ said drafting is "nearly complete." The move would delay the applicability of the Dodd-Frank-mandated fiduciary rule, which would require financial advisers to act in the best interest of their clients saving for retirement. It was set to go into effect April 10.

The rule has become a point of contention in Washington and in finance. Proponents say it is a necessary step to address conflict of interest in investment advice and ensure advisers put their clients first, not their compensation packages. Detractors say it hamstrings advisers.

On March 1, DOL officials proposed extending the effective date to June 9. The Department of Labor is also taking public comments on President Donald Trump's Feb. 3 memorandum directing it to examine the fiduciary rule to determine whether it might adversely affect the ability of Americans to gain access to retirement information and financial advice. The 60-day delay will give the department time to collect and consider information related to the issues raised in the presidential memorandum, the DOL said.

The delay was praised by Investment Company Institute President and CEO Paul Schott Stevens. "Additional time is critically needed," he said, noting that President Trump directed the Labor Department to review the fiduciary rule and determine whether to rescind or modify it.

"The Department acknowledges that it is not likely to complete its required examination of the fiduciary rule by June 9. If the DOL does not act by June 9-either to make such a determination, or to further delay the applicability of the rule and any condition of its related exemptions-it risks creating significant market disruptions that will reduce retirement savers' access to retirement products, services, and related financial information and advice," Stevens warned. He called upon the DOL "to minimize any harmful impact on the retirement market while that review is completed."
Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) CEO Stefano Pessina remains optimistic about the company's merger with Rite Aid (RAD) , although he acknowledged the regulatory process is taking longer than expected.

"I am still optimistic that we will bring this deal to a successful conclusion but there is no doubt that the process of getting for the transaction is taking longer than we expected," Pessina said during the company's earnings call Wednesday.

Deerfield Ill.-based Walgreens agreed to acquire Camp Hill, Pa.-based Rite Aid for about $9.7 billion in October 2015. The initial agreement was for about $9 per share though the companies in January agreed to lower the price to $7 per share, after Walgreens said it would divest a package of stores to fulfill regulatory approval.

Pessina affirmed Tuesday that he believes Walgreens has a "strong argument" and is doing all it can while collaborating with the FTC.

Shares of Rite Aid closed higher Wednesday by 1.19% to $4.26 per share. Walgreens' shares closed down 1.16% to $81.17 per share.

The FTC is expected to make a decision on the merger by July 1.

The comments from Pessina come as the company announced earnings for the fiscal second quarter.

Net earnings for the quarter were $1.06 billion, or 98 cents per share, up from $930 million, or 85 cents a share, in the same period last year. Excluding non-recurring items, adjusted earnings per share were $1.36, below the FactSet consensus of $1.37.

Revenue dropped 2.4% to $29.45 billion from $30.18 billion, missing the FactSet consensus of $30.26 billion. The company reported same store pharmacy growth of about 8% in the U.S.

"The timing of the report is essential when taking into account investor sentiment across retail," wrote TheStreet's Jim Cramer, which owns Walgreens in his Action Alerts PLUS charitable trust, in a note Wednesday. "Not only is the market focused on the Rite Aid transaction (recall that the company recently updated the merger agreement -- see here), but continued weakness in the retail sector as a whole has the entire space under a microscope."

"Results in USA Retail were good," added David Larsen analyst of brokerage Leerink in a note Wednesday morning. "It appears to us like the spree of narrow network deals is starting to pay-off and manifest in good volume growth, and this led to an up-tick in comparable pharmacy sales growth."

Even still, the analyst predicts the stock performance of Walgreens and Rite Aid will continue to be driven by news surrounding the merger.

Analyst John Ransom of Raymond James wrote that the company's acquisition of Rite Aid will likely be accretive, but not just yet.

"Management continues to expect in excess of $1 billion in synergies within three to four years of closing on the merger," John Ransom of Raymond James wrote in a note. "Importantly, management reiterated 2017 guidance including earnings per share of $4.90 to $5.08, which assumes no material accretion from Rite Aid in fiscal year 2017."

Reports have surfaced recently that the FTC may be angling to block the deal. In order to gain regulatory approval Walgreens and Rite Aid agreed in December to hive off stores to a relatively unknown pharmacy chain called Fred'sundefined . Fred's is a Memphis-based company and has agreed to pay almost $1 billion to pick up 1,200 Rite Aid stores.

During the conference call, Pessina noted that Walgreens and Rite Aid continue to comply with the FTC in its work to determine whether the merger violates antitrust regulations.

"For the time being we believe that Fred's is the right buyer," Pessina said during the conference call. "We believe that...they are absolutely a legitimate player in this industry. If for some reason this will not be the case we will review our options of course and we will take a decision."

Check out more great content from TheStreet:

CVS Looks to Shed Light on Trump-Effect on PBMs

Walgreens' Weak Quarter Could Pressure Shares

Top 7 Financial Stocks to Own in 2017
Valeant (VRX) shares slumped to their lowest trading prices since 2008, and continued to fall Wednesday even as the company attempted to woo investors with debt refinancing and the divestiture of its skincare assets.

Valeant shares closed at $9.52 apiece Wednesday afternoon, falling approximately 6.4% from market's open. The company fell approximately 5% Tuesday during trading hours as well. At one point the company had been valued at as much as $252 per share in 2015.

Valeant's last few days have been particularly worrisome for the company, but it's difficult to pinpoint what specifically is driving the selloff. Additionally, dipping below the $10 marker is a move some analysts, like Wells Fargo's David Maris, have written is one that particularly discourages investors.

Valeant, a Laval, Quebec-based drugmaker, has been floundering for over a year thanks to questions initially raised by short seller Andrew Left of Citron Research in 2015. He wrote a scathing report alleging that Valeant and its mail-order pharmacy Philidor, along with one of its customers, had engaged in a scheme to improperly raise revenues.

Then in March 2016, Valeant blamed its former CFO and former controller, Howard Schiller, for misstatements of earnings. Schiller left the company, as did former CEO J. Michael Pearson. Valeant has since been scrutinized for its alleged accounting problems and steep price hikes on drugs it acquired.

Pearson had also completed a series of acquisitions that bolstered Valeant's price to a high of nearly $252, but had been funding them with debt.

The company is now mired in nearly $30 billion in debt. Valeant refinanced that debt earlier in March, and its stock price popped as a result. But that share pop wasn't enough for Valeant to keep its head above water.

Since then, Pershing Square fund manager Bill Ackman pulled his entire stake from Valeant, taking a $2.8 billion loss. While activist investor ValueAct Capital bought up some of the shares Ackman divested, it wasn't enough to turn around the company's stock.

Pearson has also managed to make a reappearance in Valeant's struggles. Pearson on March 28 filed a suit in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey claiming that the Canadian drugmaker has refused to pay him for the three million shares he is owed.

Pearson is alleging that he is owed 580,676 shares and 2.5 million performance shares due November 3 under the terms of his separation agreement. Pearson stepped down back in May 2016. The lawsuit also alleges Valeant also owes $180,000 to Pearson for consultation fees.

According to the lawsuit, Valeant officials responded to requests from Pearson and his legal team by saying that making a payout would be "inappropriate."

This, as Valeant revealed that its CEO Joseph Papa took home a combined $62.7 million. This included a base salary of $980,769 a bonus worth $9.125 million and stocks and options worth nearly $52 million.

Most recently, Valeant filed a proxy form late Monday addressing investor concerns about this compensation. This filing came ten days after the company initially revealed Papa's compensation, causing investor outcry.

According to the company's most recent filing, Papa's pay package "reflects appropriate and customary terms for recruiting a sitting CEO at a major company." His compensation included a mandatory purchase of shares of Valeant worth $5 million when he was hired. He is required to hold those shares for multiple years.
The first Wednesday in April is National Walking Day. This event is sponsored by the American Heart Association to remind people about the health benefits of taking a walk. The staff at the Mattoon Area Family YMCA would like to encourage readers to do something positive for their health by taking a walk today.

The American Heart Association recommends that adults get 150 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity each week. Even taking short 10 minute walks may add up to the needed exercise.

Why choose walking as your form of exercise? Walking has the lowest drop-out rate of all exercise. This is likely due to you can walk just about anywhere and it requires no equipment. Reasons to walk include:

Reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke

Improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

Help maintain body weight and lower the risk of obesity

Enhance mood

These are only a few of the reasons to walk. Walking is also a great way to spend time as a family or with friends. Having a walking buddy is not necessary but it does help with accountability. Take turns choosing your walking route and vary the route to keep your routine fresh.

If you are new to physical activity or renewing your interest, start slow and increase distances over time. You might consider two short walks a day to begin. If you will be solo on your walking journey, choose paths that you are familiar with and let someone else know your plans. Of course carrying your cell phone is always good when considering safety.

Make the most of your walk by focusing on your posture. Think about keeping your head lifted, tummy pulled in and shoulders relaxed with a natural arm swing while out on your stroll. Breathe deeply and enjoy your surroundings.

If walking outdoors is not the best option for you or if you are looking for motivation in numbers, consider visiting the Mattoon Area Family YMCA. Along with treadmills, the Mattoon Y is equipped with a walking track and an open circular hallway for achieving your steps. Membership at the Y is accessible to all as the Y offers a Membership for All Program. This program takes your income into consideration while making membership rates affordable for all.
The following companies are subsidiares of Sysco: 2234829 Alberta ULC, 2234842 Alberta ULC, A. M. Briggs Inc., A.M. Briggs, Almacen Fiscal Frionet Caldera S.A., Almacen Fiscal Frionet Limon S.A., Appert's Foodservice, Arnotts (Fruit) Limited, Asian Foods, Bahamas Food Holdings Limited, Bahamas Food Services Limited, Brake Bros, Brake Bros Foodservice Ireland Limited, Brake Bros. Foodservice Limited, Brake Bros. Holding I Limited, Brake Bros. Ltd., Brakes Foodservice NI Limited, Buchy Food Service, Buckhead Beef Co., Buckhead Meat & Seafood of Houston Inc., Buckhead Meat Company, Buckhead Meat Midwest Inc., Buckhead Meat of Dallas Inc., Buckhead Meat of Denver Inc., Buckhead Meat of San Antonio LP, Buzztable Inc., CAKE Corporation, Central Seafood Co., Christys Wine & Spirits Limited, Clafra Aktiebolag, Colorado Boxed Beef Co - Specialty meat-cutting division, Corporacion Frionet Sociedad Anonima, Crossgar Foodservice, Crossgar Foodservice Limited, Crown I Enterprises Inc., Cucina Acquisitions (UK) Limited, Cucina Finance (UK) Limited, Cucina French Holdings Limited, Cucina Fresh Finance Limited, Cucina Fresh Investments Limited, Cucina Lux Investments Limited, Curleys Quality Foods Limited (Third Party), Davigel Belgilux S.A., Davigel Espana S.A., Desert Meats & Provisions, Distagro, Doerle Food Service, Doughtie's Foods Inc., Dust Bowl City LLC, Eko Fagel Fisk o mittemellan AB, Enclave Insurance Company, Enclave Parkway Association Inc., Enclave Properties LLC, European Imports, European Imports Inc., Figg Inc., Freedman Meats, Freedman Meats Inc., Freedman-KB Inc., Fresh Direct (UK) Limited, Fresh Direct Group Limited, Fresh Direct Limited, Fresh Holdings Limited, FreshPoint, FreshPoint Arizona Inc., FreshPoint Atlanta Inc., FreshPoint California Inc., FreshPoint Central California Inc., FreshPoint Central Florida Inc., FreshPoint Connecticut LLC, FreshPoint Dallas Inc., FreshPoint Denver Inc., FreshPoint Hawaii LLC, FreshPoint Inc., FreshPoint Las Vegas Inc., FreshPoint North Carolina Inc., FreshPoint North Florida Inc., FreshPoint Oklahoma City LLC, FreshPoint Pompano Real Estate LLC, FreshPoint Puerto Rico LLC, FreshPoint San Francisco Inc., FreshPoint South Florida Inc., FreshPoint South Texas Inc., FreshPoint Southern California Inc., FreshPoint Tomato LLC, FreshPoint Vancouver Ltd., Freshfayre Limited, Fruktservice i Helsingborg AB, GHS Classic Drinks Limited, Gilchrist & Soames Inc., Gilchrist & Soames UK Limited, Guest Packaging LLC, Guest Supply, Guest Supply Asia Limited, Guest Supply Singapore Pte. Ltd., International Food Group, Isakssons Frukt & Gront AB, J & M Wholesale Meats, J. Kings Food Service Professionals, J. Kings Food Service Professionals Inc., Kent Frozen Foods, Les Ateliers Du Gout, Liquid Assets Limited, M&J Seafood Holdings Limited, M&J Seafood Limited, Manchester Mills LLC, Mayca Autoservicio S.A., Mayca Distribuidores S.A., Menigo Foodservice AB, Mitshim Etatu Supply LP, Newport Meat Company, Newport Meat Northern California Inc., Newport Meat Pacific Northwest Inc., Newport Meat Southern California Inc., Newport Meat of Nevada Inc., North Star Holding Corporation, North Star Seafood, North Star Seafood Acquisition Corporation, North Star Seafood LLC, PFS de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Palisades Ranch Inc., Pallas Foods, Pallas Foods Farm Fresh Unlimited Company, Pallas Foods Unlimited Company, Pauleys Produce Limited, Promotora del Servicios S.A. de C.V., Restaurangakdemien AB, Restaurant of Tomorrow Inc., Rohan Viandes Elaboration SAS, SMS Bermuda Holdings, SMS GPC International Limited, SMS GPC International Resources Limited, SMS Global Holdings S.a.r.l., SMS International Resources Ireland Unlimited Company, SMS Lux Holdings LLC, SOTF LLC, SYY Netherlands C.V., SYY Panama S. de R.L., Serca Foodservice, Servicestyckarna I Johannes AB, Servicios Ameriserve S.A. de C.V., Shenzhen Guest Supply Trading Co. Limited, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) Bianchi Montegut, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) De Boiseau, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) De Garcelles, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) J.D. Lanjouan, Societe Civile Immobiliere (SCI) Le Dauphin, Specialty Meat Holdings LLC, Stockflag Limited, Stockholms Fiskauktion AB, Supplies on the Fly, Sysco Albany LLC, Sysco Asian Foods Inc., Sysco Atlanta LLC, Sysco Autoservicio S.A., Sysco Baltimore LLC, Sysco Baraboo LLC, Sysco Bermuda Partners L.P., Sysco Boston LLC, Sysco Canada Holdings S.a.r.l., Sysco Canada Inc., Sysco Central Alabama LLC, Sysco Central California Inc., Sysco Central Florida Inc., Sysco Central Illinois Inc., Sysco Central Pennsylvania LLC, Sysco Charlotte LLC, Sysco Chicago Inc., Sysco Cincinnati LLC, Sysco Cleveland Inc., Sysco Columbia LLC, Sysco Connecticut LLC, Sysco Corporation, Sysco Corporation Director's Deferred Compensation Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Employee's 401(k) Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Executive Deferred Compensation Plan Trust, Sysco Corporation Good Government Committee Inc., Sysco Corporation Retirement Trust, Sysco Corporation Supplemental Executive Retirement Trust, Sysco Corporation Supplemental Unemployment Benefits Plan Trust, Sysco Detroit LLC, Sysco Disaster Relief Foundation Inc., Sysco EI VI S. s.r.l., Sysco EU II S.a.r.l., Sysco EU III S.a.r.l., Sysco EU IV Capital Unlimited Company, Sysco EU IV S. s.r.l.., Sysco EU V S. s.r.l., Sysco Eastern Maryland LLC, Sysco Eastern Wisconsin LLC, Sysco Foundation Inc., Sysco France Holding SAS, Sysco France SAS, Sysco George Town II LLC, Sysco George Town Limited S. s.r.l.., Sysco Global Finance LLC, Sysco Global Finance LLP, Sysco Global Holdings B.V., Sysco Global Resources LLC, Sysco Global Services LLC, Sysco Grand Cayman Company, Sysco Grand Cayman II Company, Sysco Grand Cayman III Company, Sysco Grand Rapids LLC, Sysco Guernsey Limited, Sysco Guest Supply Canada Inc., Sysco Guest Supply Europe Goods Wholesalers LLC, Sysco Guest Supply Europe Limited, Sysco Guest Supply LLC, Sysco Gulf Coast LLC, Sysco Hampton Roads Inc., Sysco Hawaii Inc., Sysco Holdings II LLC, Sysco Holdings LLC, Sysco Indianapolis LLC, Sysco International Food Group Inc., Sysco International Inc., Sysco Iowa Inc., Sysco Jackson LLC, Sysco Jacksonville Inc., Sysco Kansas City Inc., Sysco Knoxville LLC, Sysco Labs Europe Limited, Sysco Labs Pvt. Ltd., Sysco Leasing LLC, Sysco Lincoln Inc., Sysco Lincoln Transportation Company Inc., Sysco Long Island LLC, Sysco Los Angeles Inc., Sysco Louisville Inc., Sysco Memphis LLC, Sysco Merchandising and Supply Chain Services Canada Inc., Sysco Merchandising and Supply Chain Services Inc., Sysco Metro New York LLC, Sysco Minnesota Inc., Sysco Montana Inc., Sysco Nashville LLC, Sysco Netherlands Partners LLC, Sysco North Central Florida Inc., Sysco North Dakota Inc., Sysco Northern New England Inc., Sysco Philadelphia LLC, Sysco Pittsburgh LLC, Sysco Portland Inc., Sysco Raleigh LLC, Sysco Resources Services LLC, Sysco Riverside Inc., Sysco Sacramento Inc., Sysco San Diego Inc., Sysco San Francisco Inc., Sysco Seattle Inc., Sysco South Florida Inc., Sysco Southeast Florida LLC, Sysco Spain Holdings SLU, Sysco Spokane Inc., Sysco St. Louis LLC, Sysco Syracuse LLC, Sysco Technologies Cayman Ltd., Sysco Technologies LLC, Sysco UK Holdings Limited, Sysco UK Limited, Sysco UK Partners LLP, Sysco USA I Inc., Sysco USA II LLC, Sysco USA III LLC, Sysco Ventura Inc., Sysco Ventures Inc., Sysco Virginia LLC, Sysco West Coast Florida Inc., Sysco Western Minnesota Inc., The SYGMA Network Inc., Upsys, Victua SAS, Walker Foods Inc., Waugh Foods, and Wild Harvest Limited.

Read More
CHARLESTON -- The final candidate in the running for the No. 2 leadership spot at Eastern Illinois University spoke on innovating and diversifying programs offered now as a means to see university growth.

Sibdas Ghosh, dean of Arts and Sciences at Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., said there is no "magic pill" to solve the problems facing EIU, namely enrollment decreases and state funding shortfalls.

However, at the heart of his goals for the university, in general terms, Ghosh sees furthering a distinction between EIU and other universities through program diversity as a good step.

Ghosh, along with three others, is attempting to nab the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs position that will be vacant come sometime in the summer.

This will tie into the departure of Blair Lord.

Lord, current EIU provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, is retiring from the position sometime this summer. Early last year, Lord announced his retirement for June 2017 after a "no confidence" vote by faculty against him.

Whoever takes over the role will oversee academic departments and various services including financial aid, admissions, Booth Library, minority affairs and others. The provost is also a second to the university president.

Ghosh, also a biology professor, noted that it comes down to innovation in the academic programs to bring in students. He said the university needs to offer programs that students want.

"Yes. You have Computer Science, but do you have Gaming in Computer Science as a concentration?" Ghosh said. "Yes. You do have Accounting. Do you have Forensics Accounting so your student, when they graduate, they don't become just a (certified public accountant)?"

Ghosh said it can be done, even under tighter budgeting constraints that have plagued Illinois higher education.

"You repackage," he said. "(EIU) has the courses. So, they are going to offer those courses no matter what. How you package (academic programs) is how you brand. People always think doing a new thing always costs money. That is not innovation."

Ghosh also said that innovation and revenue will not come out of cuts.

"(Eastern) has cut enough," he said. "You cannot manage your budget just cutting."

Ghosh said the university should strive for revenues outside of hoping for government funding, which for the last two years has been unreliable.

Ghosh said different marketing measures such as more faculty and alumni inclusion might also help with enrollment. He asked who best can tell the university's story than the former students and current faculty who live it.

However, when it comes to the success of the university, particularly through enrollment, he sees it as the job of the entire campus and not one person.

"It is everyone's job," he said.
Militants launched 54 attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in ATO area in Donbas over the past day.

This is reported by the ATO press center.

The tensest situation was observed in Mariupol direction, where the enemy used 82mm mortars to shell Ukrainian positions in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) and Krasnohorivka (29 km west of Donetsk). ATO troops also came under grenade launcher and heavy machine gun fire near Vodiane (16km north-west of Donetsk and Pavlopol (30 km northeast of Mariupol).

In Donetsk direction, terrorists used 82mm mortars, grenade launchers, small arms and heavy machine guns to fire at ATO troops outside Avdiivka (18km north of Donetsk). Militants also launched attacks on Ukrainian strongholds near Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk), Opytne (11.5km north-west of Donetsk) and Pisky (12km north-west of Donetsk), using grenade launchers.

In Luhansk direction, Russian-backed militants fired at Krymske (42.5km north-west of Luhansk), using tripod-mounted man-portable antitank guns and small arms.

ol
The Russian Federation has launched more than 7,000 various cyber attacks on Ukraine for the past three years.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said this during his visit to Ottawa, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The Russian Federation has launched more than 7,000 various cyber attacks on Ukraine for the period of its aggression over the past three years," Poltorak said.

Given this, the Ukrainian minister called on Canada to develop cyber security cooperation with Ukraine.

"We must not confine ourselves to just one area of cooperation, we should cooperate broadly, including on the issues related to cyber security," the Ukrainian Defense Minister said.

ol
Opening of the arms market will become the next step in the defense cooperation between Canada and Ukraine.

This was announced by Canadian National Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The Canada-Ukraine relations are unique. The signing of the defense agreement will allow us to have much more detailed and substantive discussions on various topics. Therefore, the next step will be to include Ukraine in the Automatic Firearms Country Control List," Sajjan said.

However, the Canadian National Defense Minister did not mention when Ukraine would be able to buy Canadian weapons.

"We always try to move forward as quickly as possible. We have worked closely to agree on the defense agreement and will continue to cooperate," minister Sajjan said.

He added that the signing of the defense agreement was "a very important step before getting to the Automatic Control List."

The Automatic Firearms Country Control List defines the countries, which Canada allows its domestic producers to supply weapons to. Currently, there are 35 countries on the list, including Botswana, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Colombia. Ukraine is not on the list so far.

ol
The Government of Ukraine plans to organize the effective sale of the state-owned enterprises and to allow the circulation of farm lands between the individuals.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman announced this at the Cabinets meeting, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We are all talking about the economic development, but to this end, we need to sell the competitive state property that is a source of corruption, an example of management inefficiency and that does provide benefit to the Ukrainian state," the Head of Government said.

Groysman mentioned the intention to launch the land reform as well.

"We plan to carry out the land reform in order to eliminate corruption in the farm land circulation," Groysman added.

ol
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has welcomed the allocation of EUR 600 million in macro-financial assistance to Ukraine from the EU.

The Head of State wrote this on his Facebook page.

"I welcome the allocation of EUR 600 million in macro-financial assistance to Ukraine from the EU. This is recognition of our progress on the path of reforms and evidence of the continued support of the European Union for transformations in Ukraine," the statement reads.

Poroshenko personally thanked European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis for this important decision.

As reported, the second tranche of the macro-financial assistance from the European Union in the amount of EUR 600 million will be transferred to Ukraine after the IMF tranche is provided.

ol
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has assured President Petro Poroshenko that Ukraine can confidently rely on further solidarity and support of her state.

This is reported by the Presidents press service.

In the course of the audience of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko with Queen Margarethe II of Denmark, the Head of State expressed gratitude to Her Majesty for the comprehensive support for Ukraine by the Kingdom of Denmark, the statement reads.

The parties noted a high level of political dialogue and friendly relations between the two countries.

President Poroshenko expressed hope that Denmark would further take part in the implementation of the humanitarian projects to support the internally displaced persons in Ukraine who became the victims of Russian aggression.

ol
Head of the NATO Representation to Ukraine Alexander Vinnikov hopes it will be possible to organise the North Atlantic Council meeting in Ukraine this year.

Vinnikov said this during the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Ukraine has invited North Atlantic Council to visit. We hope that it will be possible to organise such a visit this year," Vinnikov said.

The Head of the NATO Representation to Ukraine noted that the defense ministers meeting may take place in June, if agreed by Allies and Ukraine.

Vinnikov assured that Ukraine remained a priority on the NATO agenda and the Alliance members were determined to continue their resolute support for Kyiv.

The North Atlantic Council is the principal political decision-making body within NATO. It brings together high-level representatives of each member country to discuss policy or operational questions requiring collective decisions.

ol
I wonder: Just who does Jared Kushner think he is?

...besides a really rich young guy and a son-in-law to the president, that is.

Kushner's little weekend excursion to Iraq finally elicited from me an internal eye roll the likes of which I couldn't ignore.

Does the military even make booster seats for those who ride on its planes? Did the hours-long flight keep Kushner up past his bedtime? I mean, representing the entire United States of America at his age ... does his pacifier have a U.S. flag on it?

OK, end snark here. I hated it when I was younger and people called me or treated me like a "kid," so I'll stop now. Plus, as a TV commentator noted, many of our young people in military service in Iraq and other countries are far younger than Kushner ...

... although they got where they are via busting their butts in basic training and risking their lives on the battlefield, and he achieved his current status by way of being married to a daughter of the new president ...

Eh. Tom-a-to, to-mah-to.

Certainly, this li'l ol' small-town newspaper columnist has no achievements near Kushner's, with his millions of dollars in the bank and his ownership of lots of big buildings and some media, too. He's obviously much smarter than I am -- my alma mater Eastern Illinois University is a worthy institution, but it's not a household name like Harvard -- so who am I to judge?

But if I'm going to roll my eyes at what I believe is the ridiculousness of this guy holding such an important unelected role in our government, I decided I ought to at least know a little more about him. So, I did what every skilled, trained journalist would do:

I Googled him.

Actually, I did dig much deeper than that. But I thought you'd appreciate the reference. Some of us are old enough to remember when Google didn't exist.

Kushner, 36, is more than Ivanka Trump's husband and father of their three children. He's primarily been a real estate investor and developer -- getting his start via his family's business -- and also has been a publisher, purchasing Observer Media, which publishes the weekly, online New York Observer, according to Wikipedia and, thankfully, other, more reliable sources as well.

He graduated from a private high school. In 2003, he collected his degree with cum laude status from Harvard College with a bachelor's in government.

Hey! There's a reference to government in Kushner's past! How refreshing!

Later, Kushner earned a J.D. and an M.B.A. from New York University. Now, it so happens that he was admitted to Harvard and to NYU after his father had made $2 million-$3 million donations to each school, but I'm sure that's a coincidence, right?

At some point, Kushner became effectively the campaign manager for then-candidate Donald Trump. Now that Trump is president, he has named his son-in-law a senior White House adviser. When that announcement was made, by the way, on Jan. 9, Kushner stepped down from his role as CEO of his family's real estate firm and as publisher of the Observer.

Kushner is now also director of the "Office of American Innovation" ... whatever that is. It's a creation of Trump's.

Many media sources note that Kushner also advises his father-in-law on domestic policy, helps craft the Trump administration's foreign policy, leads the initiative to reinvent government (a role that, for example, former President Bill Clinton had former Vice President Al Gore take on), is expected by Trump to help negotiate peace in the Middle East and is involved in setting policy for U.S. relations with China.

Golly. Is that all?

Kushner ended up visiting Iraq and top officials there at the invitation of Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to the Chicago Tribune, to get an on-the-ground look at the conditions there.

Now, not to be outdone, Ivanka Trump, 35, also has an official but unpaid role in Donald Trump's administration. As "assistant to the president," she's got an office in the White House and her own duties.

Is it just me, or does all this smack quite loudly of nepotism?

In case you need the definition, it's "the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs."

Ah, but despite a 1967 federal anti-nepotism law, our nation's president and vice president appear to be able to enjoy the hiring of relatives to their little hearts' content. To my knowledge, they aren't subject to the conflicts of interest laws that govern government employees.

From my recollection, and according to the Washington Post, ethics experts did question Kushner's appointment in light of the anti-nepotism statute, which prohibits public officials from hiring family members in offices they oversee -- expressly listing sons-in-law as prohibited employees.

But others said the 1967 law doesn't apply here -- because the White House isn't an agency, according to what the Post quoted from Kushners attorney, WilmerHale partner Jamie Gorelick. Also, according to Wikipedia, the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel issued its opinion on the issue: "The President may appoint relatives to his immediate staff of advisors."

All this brings us back to my eye roll.

Kushner and Ivanka Trump obviously have no experience or related background for their roles in the White House. They are unelected "leaders" of the American people now, and it's all because they're relatives of the president.

Legal? It may be. Right? Well, I guess that depends.

Democrats may think it's not right in a Trump administration -- but that would include Kushner, who was a lifelong Democrat until, suddenly, the 2015-16 Trump campaign. Republicans may think it's not right in a Democrat's administration -- but we're accustomed to politically selective indignation, aren't we?

It looks like America has a new king and royal family. The monarch is handing power to his offspring like nobody's business -- except it's every citizen's business, thank you very much.

Who knew America would have its own monarchy? Now that I know more about him, I'd say that Kushner -- well, he's a real prince.

***

A note to our online readers and, specifically, online commenters who have questioned the location of letters on our site: Letters to the editor are still readily available at jg-tc.com. Go to jg-tc.com/news/opinion/mailbag/ and you'll find them directly.

We've been adding more opinions on our main page to offer readers more. This does "push" letters away from the main page, but they certainly are still available, and will remain so.
A Red Cross report says African countries are failing their internally displaced people. Reversing that trend was the subject of a high level meeting of the International Red Cross and the African Union that wrapped up Tuesday in Zimbabwe.

Africa has about 13 million internally displaced people, a third of the global number of IDPs, and more than double the amount of refugees on the continent.

By definition, refugees flee across a national border, while IDPs leave their homes but stay within their own country.

African Union Commission head of humanitarian affairs, refugees and displaced people Olabisi Dare says the situation of IDPs in Africa is very critical, dire and worsening.

"...The issues that are generating internal displacement [are] multiplying and deepening by the day. One of the key things is that some of the situations are protracted situations. We are talking about displacements in countries like Sudan, Somalia, Democratic Republic [of Congo]. For some time, as a result of dwindling conflicts, the numbers went down. But it went up again because of new situations. Here we are talking about Boko Haram situation, the Sahel situation and the Malian situation, he says.

Dare spoke to VOA on the sidelines of this weeks meeting in Zimbabwe to look at how African nations can better implement the Kampala Convention.

Created in 2009, the A.U. convention binds governments to protect the rights and wellbeing of IDPs forced to flee their homes because of conflict, violence, disasters and human rights abuses. Just 25 of the 55 AU member states have signed and ratified the convention. Some other countries, like Kenya, that are not signatories, have their own IDP laws.

But in a report this week, the International Committee of the Red Cross says African countries are coming up short on those commitments.

The ICRC presented 25 recommendations for improvements, including dialogue with IDP communities to ensure their meaningful participation in elections and other decision making.

CRC global IDP advisor Angela Cotroneo played a key role in the recent research and consultation with the African Union.

Internally displaced persons in situations of armed conflicts are the most vulnerable civilians. The ICRC is present in Africa and we work on behalf of persons affected by armed conflicts and other violence and we experience every day, they are difficult, situations of IDPs. Very often, they lack access to essential services such as health care, education, employment. Sometimes, they continue to be concerned about their safety and security, Cotroneo says.

She said governments need to seek out input from vulnerable groups to ensure their needs are met.

The experts agree African countries must also address the root causes of internal displacement, which in most cases is armed conflict.
Anti-government demonstrators clashed with security forces in Venezuelas capital Tuesday, as pressure mounted within and outside the country for President Nicolas Maduro to quickly restore democratic norms and ease a years-long political and humanitarian crisis.

Protesters  buoyed by the Organization of American States Monday-night resolution demanding government reforms  marched toward the National Assembly building in Caracas but were met with riot police wielding pepper spray, tear gas and water cannons. Witnesses told Reuters news service that National Assembly leader Julio Borges and Lilian Tintori, the wife of prominent political prisoner Leopoldo Lopez, were among those hit with pepper spray.

The demonstrators had come out to endorse the opposition-led National Assemblys scheduled debate Tuesday on unseating Supreme Court justices. Last Wednesday night, the justices announced theyd decided to take control of the legislature  a ruling that some critics characterized as giving Maduro license for a dictatorship. The governments of United States, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Peru also denounced the ruling.

On Saturday, the Venezuelan court reversed that decision  but, as Reuters news service noted, it left intact new authority for the president to negotiate oil deals without congressional approval.

Days of rage

Demonstrators  both pro- and anti-government  have taken to the streets of Caracas since then.

On Tuesday, Maduro supporters living in a state housing project tossed trash at protesters marching along a wide Caracas avenue, Reuters reported. It also quoted opposition marcher Bernardo Sanchez as saying pro-government gangs with guns "started to shoot in the air." Sanchez said he was hit in the thigh by a bullet.

Tuesdays street scuffles came hours after the OAS, at an emergency session Monday evening in Washington, approved a resolution condemning the Venezuelan Supreme Courts decisions as unconstitutional and "incompatible with democratic practice."

The resolution by the OAS Permanent Council calls for Maduros Socialist Party government to cooperate in regional talks and to respect separation of powers. It calls for restoring democratic norms, by scheduling long-delayed regional elections, releasing political prisoners and allowing humanitarian aid. Especially since petroleum prices began sinking two years ago, the oil-rich country has been beset with rising crime and extreme shortages of food and other basic goods.

Of the OAS' 34 member states, 21 were represented. Seventeen supported the declaration and four abstained: the Bahamas, Belize, Dominican Republic and El Salvador. Venezuela condemned the measure.

In a message broadcast in Venezuela Monday evening, Maduro denounced the organization, saying it "intends to become an Inquisition court to persecute Venezuela.

"We reject and repudiate the coup d'etat in the OAS," said Maduro, who has accused the imperialist United States of working with opposition parties to oust him. He was elected president after Hugo Chavez died in early 2013.

Possible case for The Hague?

On Tuesday, an opposition lawmaker said that unless Maduro quickly responds to the OAS resolution, his critics will press the matter at the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

"It is Maduro who has the key in his hand to open the door and solve problems  call for elections, release political prisoners, put in place a humanitarian channel," Williams Davila Barrio, a member of the National Assembly said in an interview at VOA headquarters in Washington.

Davila said it was "very important" that the OAS "for the first time clearly put on paper" its expectations for Maduro and his administration to work with the organization in addressing problems.

Otherwise, "you have to take him to court"  the International Court in the Hague, Davila said of the Venezuelan president. He said opponents are building a case against Maduro, with "several files, several denunciations, several accusations. I believe that all this is part of a set of violations of international criminal law, international humanitarian law."

Milestone in Venezuelas history

Like the OAS, the regional trade bloc Mercosur on Saturday issued a statement urging Venezuela to take "immediate concrete measures" to restore separation of powers.

Maria Corina Machado, an opposition leader and former member of the National Assembly, described the unfolding events as "extremely important."

Speaking in Caracas, she said that "what happened this week in Mercosur, what happened yesterday in the Organization of American States is a milestone in the history of Venezuela, in the fight against dictatorship."

Last week, pro-government National Assembly member Eustoquio Contreras acknowledged in an interview with VOAs Spanish Service that Venezuela faces a crisis. But, he blamed part of that on political intolerance.

"Nicolas Maduro is a well-intentioned man who is making a great effort to solve the problems," he said.

VOA Spanish Service correspondent Alvaro Algarro contributed to this report from Caracas, Venezuela, with Vero Balderas and Gioconda Tapia Reynolds reporting from Washington.
A heavy explosion was heard Wednesday night in Mogadishu, a police officer said, hours after a car bomb killed at least seven people in the Somali capital.

Details were sketchy, but Police Captain Aden Hassan said the second blast occurred in front of a fast-food shop close to the former Turkish Embassy compound in the Hodan district.

The explosion "was heavy and could be heard throughout the city," Hassan said.

Abdifatah Omar Halane, spokesman for the Mogadishu administration, said that "so far, the security officials who responded to the incident confirmed to us that one person was injured. We believe al-Shabab is always behind such attacks."

The earlier blast ripped through a new cafe popular among government workers and assorted diaspora. At least 15 people were injured, including three students.

Witnesses and officials said a car packed with explosives had been parked outside the shop, located near offices that house the ministries of internal security and youth and sports. Officials said the suspect who parked the car drove away in another vehicle moments before the explosion.

Witnesses said the explosion shook buildings in the area.

We were inside when we heard the explosion. We came out and saw a vehicle burning, said Ahmed Yanyo, one of the workers at the coffee shop.

Halane confirmed the seven casualties and said the wounded had been evacuated. "The victims are young men and elderly who were having drinks. We are very sorry for the loss of life among the civilians, he said, adding that the government was investigating the incident.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, but the al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab has carried out similar attacks in the past.

Observers said there had been an uptick in explosions and assassinations in the capital over the last two months.
An innovator at Kenyas Lake Victoria has turned an invasion of water hyacinth into a business opportunity, making paper from the weed that he sells in local shops. The initiative is creating jobs and supporting environmental sustainability.

Michael Otieno began making paper from water hyacinth ten years ago. The flowering weed is a nuisance to fishermen. It depletes fish stocks, affecting thousands of livelihoods.



Known as the paper man by locals, Otieno has perfected his daily routine. Every morning, he goes into Lake Victoria to search for raw material. Once the hyacinth is harvested, it is cut into small pieces before being boiled to soften it.



Otieno started his Takawiri Initiative to provide income and jobs for locals.



According to the World Bank, Lake Victoria supports around 40 million people in East Africa, with nearly half of those residents living on less than $1.25 a day.



Otieno now employs up to 30 people, though the business has its challenges.

One - is technology; the machines we are using are locally fabricated, and, two, we also, its a capital-intensive project, therefore it needs a lot of resources, Otieno says.

Edward Orato, a local artists, runs a curio shop in Kisumu city on the banks of Lake Victoria. Since he started using the hyacinth paper, he hasnt looked back.

I like the paper since its not expensive. Its also easily available. As an artist, I think it has a unique texture. The fibers give my paintings an edge. 

The Takawiri Initiative got a start-up $60,000 grant from a Kenyan government agency tasked with environmental research and sustainability promotion. Joshua MAnampiu, a top official with the National Environment Trust Fund (NETFUND), says assistance on the ground-level is important.



Definitely, we understand the scarcity of finance or the inability of finance to trickle down to the people who really need it and that is why NETFUND is there, to ensure that even though theres a lot of funding that is there for climate change, it must trickle down to the grassroots, to the people who really need it, MAnampiu says.

For Otieno and his staff, the water hyacinth is proving to be a blessing in disguise.
Nigeria's government and military are not doing enough to ensure the release of 195 kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls held by Boko Haram Islamic extremists for nearly three years, the Bring Back Our Girls group said Tuesday.



It called for speedy negotiations to bring them home before next week's third anniversary of the mass abduction that outraged the world.



The movement also asked why two dozen of the Chibok girls freed last year have been held for months of alleged rehabilitation instead of being reunited with their families.



"It remains a puzzle to us that even their parents are not very informed on what the program of rehabilitation that the federal government is allegedly implementing seeks to achieve," it said.



The group published a letter sent to the government in January, saying it has never been answered. "We are not satisfied with the conduct of the federal government and the military establishment," the letter said.



Nigerian officials did not respond to requests for comment.



Boko Haram's mass abduction of 276 girls from a boarding school in April 2014 brought promises to help free them from around the world.



Dozens quickly escaped, and 21 were freed in October through negotiations with Boko Haram mediated by the Swiss government and the International Committee of the Red Cross.



The government denied a ransom was paid and that it freed some detained Boko Haram fighters in exchange for the girls.



At that time, officials said they were pressing on with negotiations and expected the release of a second group of 83 girls "very soon." No more have been freed.
South Africa's president on Tuesday responded to the political crisis that erupted after he fired the finance minister, acknowledging that public disputes at the top of the government are a serious weakness, while the country's biggest labor group urged him to resign.



The call by the Congress of South African Trade Unions, a traditional ally of the ruling party, increased pressure on President Jacob Zuma, who made his first public comments about last week's dismissal of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan. The firing deepened worries about government corruption and infighting. South Africa's rand fell Monday after Standard & Poor's, a credit ratings agency, lowered the country to below investment grade, citing political instability and threats to economic growth.



In a speech in an industrial area of the capital, Pretoria, Zuma thanked Gordhan for assisting in the handover of the Finance Ministry to successor Malusi Gigaba, and he said the government will do everything possible to promote unity within its ranks.



We know that public statements which indicate disagreements within government by ministers, for example, demoralize our people and create confusion, said Zuma, who still commands significant support within the ruling African National Congress party despite growing calls for him to resign.

This is a serious weakness and we shall attend to it within renewed vigor, the president said.



The alliance between the ruling party and the trade union federation, or COSATU, has come under strain in the past. On Tuesday, Bheki Ntshalintshali, the federation's general secretary, referred to Zuma's negligent leadership and cited scandals including a Constitutional Court ruling against the president over millions of dollars in state spending on his private home.



COSATU believes that he is no longer the right person to unite and lead the movement, the alliance and the country, Ntshalintshali said, according to the African News Agency.



Some senior ruling party figures have also criticized the dismissal of Gordhan, who generally received positive reviews for his strong anti-corruption stance and stewardship of one of Africa's biggest economies. They include Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, ANC Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe and Zweli Mkhize, the party's treasurer-general.



Over the weekend, Ramaphosa called for South Africans to get rid of greedy and corrupt people, though he did not mention anyone by name.



Emboldened opposition groups are planning demonstrations against Zuma, hoping to capitalize on national discontent with the party that has led South Africa since the end of white minority rule in 1994. The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, is pushing for a parliamentary vote of no confidence in Zuma; previous votes have failed to dislodge him because the ruling party has a majority of seats.



The government has said social media calls to hold protests against Zuma on Friday are designed to damage the country's image and economy. It referred to messages that it said have called for a shutdown of the country and warned against any illegal protests that could lead to violence and destruction of property.
Wondering when Supreme Court nominations became so politically contentious? Only about 222 years ago  when the Senate voted down George Washington's choice for chief justice.

This year's brouhaha sees Senate Democrats and Republicans bracing for a showdown over President Donald Trump's nominee, Neil Gorsuch. It's the latest twist in the political wrangling that has surrounded the high court vacancy almost from the moment Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016.

"We are in an era of extreme partisan energy right now,"said University of Georgia law professor Lori Ringhand. "In such a moment, the partisanship will manifest itself across government, and there's no reason to think the nomination process will be exempt from that. It hasn't been in the past."

Each side has accused the other of unprecedented obstruction. Republicans wouldn't even hold a hearing for Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama's nominee. Democrats are threatening a filibuster, which takes 60 votes to overcome, to try to stop Gorsuch from becoming a justice. If they succeed, Republicans who control the Senate could change the rules and prevail with a simple majority vote in the 100-member body.

The struggle spilled over into the Sunday news shows, where the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, told NBC's Meet the Press it's "highly, highly unlikely" that Gorsuch will get 60 votes; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed the nominee will be confirmed this week one way or the other.

As she lays out in Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings and Constitutional Change, the book she co-wrote, Ringhand said, "There were more rejected nominees in the first half of the nation's history than in the second half. That controversy has been partisan in many cases, back to George Washington."

"Confirmations have been episodically controversial," said Ringhand, who is the Georgia law school's associate dean. "The level of controversy has ebbed and flowed."

Centuries-old issue

John Rutledge, a South Carolinian who was a drafter of the Constitution, was the first to succumb to politics. The Senate confirmed Rutledge as a justice in 1789, a post he gave up a couple of years later to become South Carolina's chief justice.

In 1795, Washington nominated Rutledge to replace John Jay as chief justice. By then, Rutledge had become an outspoken opponent of the Jay Treaty, which sought to reduce tensions with England. A year after ratifying the treaty, the Senate voted down Rutledge's nomination.

The rejected chief justice was partly a victim of his own design. He was among the drafters who insisted Congress should have a role in the Supreme Court appointment process, rather than leave it solely to the president, historian Henry Abraham wrote in his history of high court appointments, Justices, Presidents, and Senators.

Rutledge was not the last to get close to the lifetime appointment to the court only to see it yanked away. The most recent were Garland and former White House counsel Harriet Miers, whose nomination by President George W. Bush was withdrawn under pressure from conservatives.

In between, President John Tyler broke with the Whigs who controlled the Senate and couldn't even get a vote for three nominees. A fourth was rejected and only one of Tyler's choices ever made it to the court. A quarter-century later, following the Civil War, the Republican-dominated Congress actually abolished a Supreme Court seat rather than act on a nomination by President Andrew Johnson.

Even some who have made it to the court endured difficult confirmations. Justice Clarence Thomas faced questions about former colleague Anita Hill's claims that he sexually harassed her. Justice Felix Frankfurter's loyalty to the United States was questioned because of his birth in Austria, his Judaism and his affiliation with the American Civil Liberties Union.

But American politicians don't tend to look back so far. Democrats fixate on 1968, the last year of the Johnson administration, when Republicans and southern Democrats came together to filibuster the nomination of Abe Fortas to be chief justice.

Republicans point to 1987, when Democrats led the way in rejecting Ronald Reagan's nomination of Robert Bork for the high court. The 58-42 vote against Bork came after a full hearing and Senate debate.

Still, it's understandable for the public to see the Gorsuch fight as the product of a recent change in American politics.

Barbara Perry, a University of Virginia expert on the presidency, said she spoke about the confirmation process recently in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"A woman stood up and said, 'When did the court become so political?'" Perry recalled. Around the founding of the country, she and a colleague replied, "or at least since we've had two political parties."
Support us - Help us upgrade our services!

Maintaining our website and our free apps does require, however, considerable time and resources.

We're aiming to achieve uninterrupted service wherever an earthquake or volcano eruption unfolds, and your donations can make it happen! Every donation will be highly appreciated.

Improved multilanguage support

Tsunami alerts

Faster responsiveness

Design upgrade

Detailed quake stats

Additional seismic data sources

Download and Upgrade the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online:

Android | IOS to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online:

We truly love working to bring you the latest volcano and earthquake data from around the world.We need financing to increase hard- and software capacity as well as support our editor team.If you find the information useful and would like to support our team in integrating further features, write great content, and in upgrading our soft- and hardware, please PayPal or Online credit card payment )., these features have been added recently:
FINANCIAL REGULATION

Senate panel approves SEC nominee Clayton

The Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday approved the nomination of Jay Clayton to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The committee voted 15 to 8 to send Claytons nomination to the full Senate, where he is likely to be approved.

As a partner at the New York law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, Clayton has helped online retailer Alibaba stage the largest initial public offering in history.

But his 15-year relationship with Goldman Sachs, including advising the investment bank during some of its most troubled moments, has drawn intense objections from Democrats.

Mr. Clayton is an experienced corporate lawyer, but his deep ties to Wall Street will leave him hopelessly conflicted in the SECs most high-profile enforcement actions, said Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio), ranking Democrat on the banking committee, who opposed Claytons nomination.

Clayton sought to assure lawmakers that he would be tough on corporate wrongdoing and protect investors.

 Renae Merle

LABOR

Judge blocks law that allows drivers union

A federal judge temporarily blocked Seattles first-in-the-nation law allowing drivers of ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft to unionize over pay and working conditions.

U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik ruled Tuesday after hearing arguments last week in a case brought by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber sued before a deadline for the companies to provide information about their most active drivers to the Teamsters union, which has been selected to represent the drivers.

The chamber said the citys law violates federal antitrust and labor law.

Seattles lawyers disagreed and said allowing drivers to bargain over their working conditions will make the industry safer and more reliable.

 Associated Press

TECHNOLOGY

Facebook loses ght over search warrants

Facebook has lost a legal fight against a New York City prosecutor who sought search warrants for hundreds of the social networks user accounts.

The New York state Court of Appeals on Tuesday sided with lower courts by ruling that Facebook did not have the right to challenge the warrants.

Prosecutors in Manhattan sought search warrants in 2013 for the accounts of 381 people in connection with a disability benefits fraud case against city police and fire retirees.

Facebook challenged the warrants, but the courts sided with prosecutors, citing legal procedure that says it is up to individual users to challenge warrants seeking their information.

 Associated Press

Also in Business

China became the biggest buyer of U.S. crude in February, surpassing Canada. China imported 8.08 million barrels of U.S. light sweet crude, nearly quadrupling its January purchases, according to data released by the Census Bureau on Tuesday. U.S. crude shipments totaled 31.2 million barrels, reaching the highest level on record. Canada, the United States largest trade partner, imported 6.84 million barrels, down 20 percent from a month earlier.

Ralph Lauren said Tuesday that it is shuttering its high-profile Polo store on New Yorks Fifth Avenue. The closure later this month is part of the fashion companys plan to save $140 million annually. The company said it will close other stores, cut jobs and shut some corporate offices, but it did not provide details. The three-story Fifth Avenue store opened in late 2014 as a home for Ralph Laurens Polo brand clothing.

Candy maker Mars is suing a Wisconsin woman over chocolates she is selling under a name the company says is confusingly similar to its cocoa extract supplements called CocoaVia. Mars said in a federal lawsuit filed March 24 that the chocolates sold in Madison, Wis., by Syovata Edari will likely confuse and deceive consumers because they are branded as CocoVaa. Edari said Tuesday that the lawsuit is trademark bullying and that her chocolates are distinctly different from the Mars brand. She said that Vaa was her fathers childhood nickname for her. Her trademark was registered March 14.

 From news reports

Coming today

10 a.m.: Institute for Supply Management releases its service sector index for March.

2 p.m.: Federal Reserve releases minutes from its March interest-rate meeting.
Emmanuel Carrere  one of Frances most admired contemporary writers  has long been drawn to fanatics and crazies. The Adversary sought to understand a man who, out of a sense of shame, killed his parents, wife, children and even his dog. In I Am Alive and You Are Dead, Carrere turned his attention to the visionary, frequently delusional science fiction novelist Philip K. Dick. Limonov tracked the life of Eduard Limonov, poet, memoirist and expert tailor, onetime butler to a New York millionaire and, after returning to his native Russia, founder of the extremist National Bolshevik Party.

Now, in The Kingdom, Carrere directs the spotlight on his own urbane, narcissistic self: Can a chic Parisian intellectual also be a Christian?

"The Kingdom," by Emmanuel Carrere (FSG)

The result is an intense, compulsively readable book about the mystery of faith, seen from both an autobiographical and historical perspective. In it, Carrere depicts his spiritual journey and attendant confusions with a self-accusatory honesty that recalls both Saint Augustines Confessions and Dostoevskys Notes From Underground. But thats just the beginning. He also speculates about the composition of the Acts of the Apostles and the four Gospels, proffering heterodox interpretations that arent just novel but novelistic. As Robert Graves reinterpreted ancient myth as a celebration of the suppressed cult of the White Goddess, so Carrere detects throughout much of the New Testament the covert presence of Luke, the Macedonian doctor who became a disciple of Paul.

[Michael Dirda reviews Limonov, by Emmanuel Carrere]

Throughout, Carreres attitude toward the kingdom of God smacks more of llese-majestethan of reverence. He writes in short anecdotal segments, something like journal entries, while remaining hyper-aware of his imagined reader. Even when he is confessing to appalling behavior, his voice on the page brazenly aims to win us over, to charm. What Im looking for, he once said of his style, is a balance between a natural tone  intimate, conversational, as you say  and the maximum amount of tension, so that I can keep the reader engaged. . . . There has to be both tautness and flexibility, speed and slowness. Carreres gifted translator, John Lambert, makes all this possible in English.

The Kingdom opens with a 65-page section A Crisis  in which Carrere recalls the three-year period during the 1990s when, after a kind of epiphany, he committed himself to a Christian life. He attended Mass every day, scribbled in notebooks about his burgeoning faith and even named his second son Jean Baptiste. His devout godmother provided both guidance and inspirational stories:

A man rebels, and complains . . . that the cross he bears is heavier than others. An angel hears him and bears him on his wings to the place in heaven where all the crosses are stored. Millions, billions, of all sizes. The angel says to him: Choose the one you want. The man lifts a few of them, compares them, and takes the one that strikes him as lightest. The angel smiles and says: That was yours.

Yet despite his initial zeal, Carrere gradually backslides. Psychiatric sessions, the study of martial arts and meditation replace churchgoing. One day, though, he rereads his old notes on Johns gospel  finding them sanctimonious  and then begins to scrutinize the Acts of the Apostles with the idea of writing a biography of Luke.

The author Emmanuel Carrere (Annie Samuelson)

Before long, Carrere is sleuthing his way through the New Testament like a literary detective. He discovers rivalry and suspicion rampant among the early Christians, likening the relationship between Paul and James, the brother of Jesus, to that of Trotsky and Stalin. He ddrylydescribes Paul relating Jewish history without showing any great talent for concision but with a praiseworthy attention to chronology. Luke, by contrast, is a bit of a snob and inclined to name-dropping, fully capable of pointing out that Jesus wasnt only the son of God but also from an excellent family on his mothers side. After a while, the reader recognizes how deeply Carrere identifies with Luke.

As this secret history of the first 50 years after Christ unwinds, Carrere periodically intersperses personal details. We learn that he owns a summer place on Patmos, the island where John heard the words of Revelation. He tells us about his taste in pornography and notes that whenever people say theyre apolitical, all it means is that theyre conservative. But soon its back to distinguishing Pharisees from Samaritans, examining the vexed question of Jewish vs. Roman responsibility for the Crucifixion and discussing Christs various reappearances after his death  the most striking thing about these stories is that no one recognizes him at first  before finally facing the inevitable question: Okay, are you Christian or arent you?

I could beat around the bush, . . . leave it open, and let everyone decide for themselves. That would be just like me. But I prefer to answer.

No.

That no hardly comes as a surprise, but the avowed agnostic stresses, Im writing this book to avoid coming down too firmly in my favor.

Rich and privileged himself, Carrere sees a brutal truth, not an allegory, in Jesus comment: To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. That is the world most of us live in. Yet an encounter with a laughing, joy-filled child with Down syndrome finally does afford Carrere a glimpse of what the kingdom is. But only a glimpse. In the end, he wonders whether the conflicted, heartfelt work of biblical and personal exegesis we have just read betrays the young man I was and the Lord he believed in, or if in its way it remains faithful to them. The last words of The Kingdom are I dont know.

Michael Dirda reviews books on Thursday in Style.


Erik Harrison as Bacurius and Ian Blackwell Rogers as Bessus in A King and No King. (Claire Kimball)

We all enjoy having our self-regard seconded. Bessus, an Iberian captain, prefers to have his thirded. The vain soldier pals around with not one, but two legalistic windbags whose job is to assert his courage. Even when Bessuss behavior is utterly craven, his sidekicks mount hairsplitting arguments that prove him valiant  and he believes them.

The hilarious egotism of the flinty-eyed Bessus (Ian Blackwell Rogers) is a highlight of A King and No King, Brave Spirits Theatres revival of a 1611 tragicomedy by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. There are other attractions, too, in Brave Spirits current lineup, a clever pairing of A King and No King with John Fords  Tis Pity Shes a Whore (c. 1631) under the umbrella title The Incest Rep. Brimming with sensationalistic material  with plotlines that touch not only on incest, but also conspiracies, betrayals, disguises, political corruption and shocking violence  the plays are striking and suspenseful. The acting in the productions can be creaky, and the fights often look fake, but its mostly fun to watch these 400-year-old soap operas rip along.

Cassie Ash directs A King and No King, which chronicles the scandalous love between Arbaces, king of Iberia (Brendan Edward Kennedy), and his sister Princess Panthea (Kathryn Zoerb). As if the siblings romance werent complicated enough, the moody Arbaces has promised Panthea to his recently vanquished enemy, Tigranes, king of Armenia (Gary DuBreuil), who is loath to give up his own sweetheart, Spaconia (Alison Talvacchio).

On a stark, runway-style stage, dressed in modern-meets-Renaissance garb (the aesthetic for both productions), the actors conjure up the scenes of scheming, recrimination and braggadocio that hurtle into a happy ending. (Adalia Tonneyck designed the costumes.) Briana Manente is dynamic as an Iberian general, and Zoerb, DuBreuil and Rebecca Ellis (as the Iberian queen mother) make poised royals.

But Rogers is the standout as the unsmiling, narcissistic Bessus. (Danny Cackley and Lisa Hill-Corley channel his pontificating sidekicks.) A scene in which Bessus insists on talking about himself, despite Pantheas plea that he recount how Arbaces fared in battle, is laugh-out-loud funny. (According to Brave Spirits, A King and No King has never been staged professionally in the D.C. area.)



Ian Blackwell Rogers as Soranzo and Briana Manente as Vasques in  Tis Pity Shes a Whore. (Claire Kimball)

 Tis Pity, a tragedy, also contains some humor. Director Charlene V. Smith (Brave Spirits artistic director) nicely hones the comedy in a subplot about a ninny named Bergetto (Kennedy), who in this production is seen sucking on a series of lollipops. The drollery serves to emphasize the intensity of the broader play, which centers on a secret love affair between siblings Giovanni (Cackley) and Annabella (Jenna Berk).

Sometimes resembling a dark-mirror version of Romeo and Juliet,  Tis Pity also depicts the doings of Annabellas public suitors, including Soranzo (Rogers), who has previously seduced and jilted the married Hippolita (Ellis). Multiple revenge schemes gallop apace, adding menace as the tale barrels toward a conclusion of breathtaking gruesomeness.

Manente brings gusto to the role of Vasques, a servant with uncertain loyalties, and Berk makes Annabella a poignant figure. Cackley is even better, suggesting Giovannis brooding emotional depths but also his intelligence and philosophical daring. Chafing at the taboo that bars him from his soul mate, Giovanni questions all authority except his own desire.

style@washpost.com

Tis Pity Shes a Whore, by John Ford, directed by Charlene V. Smith. About 2 hours and 15 minutes. A King and No King, by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, directed by Cassie Ash. About 2 hours. Set design for both productions, Leila Spolter; lighting, Jason Aufdem-Brinke; music director, Zach Roberts; fight and blood director, Casey Kaleba; dance choreography, Alison Talvacchio. With Darren Marquardt and Erik Harrison. Through April 23 at the Lab at Convergence, 1819 N. Quaker Lane, Alexandria. Tickets: $20 per play or $30 for both. Visit bravespiritstheatre.com.
Buck's Fishing & Camping is participating in Dining Out For Life on April 6. (Scott Suchman/For The Washington Post)

TODAY

COOKING CLASS: Chef Mark Haskell teaches how to make tamales and pasteles in a hands-on class. 7 p.m. $59. Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. hillcenterdc.org/event/street-food-corn-husks-banana-leaves/.

JOAN NATHAN: The author discusses her new cookbook King Solomons Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking From Around the World with CNNs Wolf Blitzer. 7:30 p.m. $18-$50. Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW. sixthandi.org/event/joan-nathan/.

THURSDAY

DINING OUT FOR LIFE: More than 70 area restaurants, such as Bucks Fishing & Camping and Mintwood Place, will contribute a portion of lunch and/or dinner sales to benefit Food & Friends clients living with life-challenging illnesses. For a list of participating restaurants, visit bit.ly/2mTdcLy.

MONDAY

COOKING CLASS: Jenny Holm of the Georgian Table blog teaches how to cook traditional dishes from Georgia. All proceeds go to creating free cooking classes for families in need. 7 p.m. $45-$55. YMCA Anthony Bowen, 1325 W St. NW. ymcadc.org.

COOKING CLASS: Frenchies pastry chef Erica Skolnik teaches how to make quick bread, muffins and scones. 7 p.m. $49. Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. hillcenterdc.org/event/on-the-cooling-rack-with-frenchies-breakfast-breads.

TUESDAY

COCKTAIL CLASS: Via Umbrias mixologist Matt Demma teaches how to make cocktails to pair with pub snacks. 7:30 p.m. $35. Via Umbria, 1525 Wisconsin Ave. NW. viaumbria.com.

RESERVE NOW

APRIL 19

TASTE THE NATION: Small bites, cocktails and more from area restaurants including Art and Soul, La Cuchara and Osteria Morini. All proceeds benefit No Kid Hungrys efforts to end childhood hunger in America. 7 p.m. $100. Nationals Park, 1500 South Capitol St. SE. ce.nokidhungry.org/dc.
Is Bill OReilly too big to fire?

The question wouldnt even have been asked just a few days ago. The most popular attraction on cable, OReilly seemed to be Fox News Channels indispensable man, the embodiment of its pugnacious identity. With record ratings behind him, he re-upped at Fox only last week, reportedly for a knee-buckling $18 million a year.

Now? The question is plausible, but the likely answer is unsatisfying: It depends  on multiple, unpredictable factors.

The opinionated host of The OReilly Factor was ushered into his own no-spin zone Saturday with the publication of a damning New York Times article documenting a succession of sexual-harassment complaints against him. The article provided some grim math: OReilly and Fox have paid $13 million over the past 15 years to settle five cases (three unreported until the Times article) involving women OReilly had worked with.

Fox had nothing to say in OReillys behalf on Wednesday, but he did get an attaboy from an old friend. President Trump called OReilly a good person in an Oval Office interview with Times reporters, adding this bit of legal advice: Personally, I think he shouldnt have settled. Because you should have taken it all the way. I dont think Bill did anything wrong.

Advertisers including GlaxoSmithKline, Allstate and Hyundai have deserted Bill OReillys Fox News Channel show. (LEFT: AP photos; RIGHT: Reuters)

Nevertheless, according to media reports, more than 30 advertisers have flown away from OReillys program like a flock of startled sparrows since the harassment article emerged. Major companies such as BMW and Hyundai said they were suspending their ads on the show until  well, its not clear when until is.

And that could be one, if not the, decisive factor in The OReilly Factors continued existence. A sustained and widespread advertiser shunning of OReilly would be painful, undermining a key economic rationale for his program. Such was the case for Glenn Beck, who proved to be a popular attraction for Fox News between 2009 and 2011 but whose radioactive commentary made him persona non grata with Foxs advertisers. Beck and Fox parted ways after 30 months.

But advertiser boycotts are hard to sustain, especially when the audience remains loyal. Rush Limbaugh proved resilient when facing advertiser defections in the wake of his disparaging comments about birth-control advocate Sandra Fluke in 2012. Many of the initially reluctant advertisers eventually came back to Limbaugh.

On the other hand: Don Imus. The radio and TV personality walked into a wall of outrage when he made some racially charged comments in 2007. Advertisers quickly fled, employees of CBS Radio and MSNBC complained, and within days Imus was off the air.

OReillys fate ultimately lies not with any corporation but with three men named Murdoch. Patriarch Rupert Murdoch, the co-founder and acting chief executive of Fox News, has gradually ceded power within his media empire to his sons, James and Lachlan. Together, the trio sits atop 21st Century Fox, Fox Newss parent.

One consideration in the Murdoch Rubiks Cube of business interests is 21st Centurys $14 billion bid to buy Sky TV, the British satellite service. The Murdochs abandoned an earlier bid for Sky in 2011 amid another mess in their house, the phone-prying scandal perpetrated by employees of Murdochs News of the World tabloid. A parliamentary panel later said Rupert and James Murdoch were unfit to run a public company  an adjective that could haunt them again if the OReilly matter intersects with British approval of the Sky takeover.

The sons, however, were instrumental last year in standing up to their father over Fox Newss other co-founder, Roger Ailes, eventually ousted amid a cascade of sexual-harassment allegations against him. They vowed at the time to improve the apparently toxic culture that Ailes had fostered, saying, We continue our commitment to maintaining a work environment based on trust and respect.

(Erin Patrick O'Connor/The Washington Post)

The OReilly revelations, and another harassment lawsuit filed Monday by Fox contributor Julie Roginsky, suggest they may still have some work to do.

If the Murdoch sons were going to change FNCs culture, [former host] Megyn Kelly would not have jumped ship, said Andrew Tyndall, a veteran network news analyst. I took her departure to indicate that this was still the House That Roger Built, even in his absence. (Kelly joined NBC News in January.)

If so, he said, OReillys transgressions are not firing offenses but par for the course, and whatever financial hit they incur is the cost of doing business.

In fact, advertising losses, if any, are just one part of the financial picture for Fox. The bulk of revenue for cable networks come from cable and satellite providers that deliver the programs to viewers. And this money flows from long-term contracts, unaffected by momentary controversies.

In this regard, what OReillys audience does, rather than his advertisers, may be of greater importance to Foxs bottom line. The massive Factor audience, some 4 million viewers per night, helps Fox make its case to cable operators that they should continue to pay ever-rising fees to carry the channel, Tyndall points out.

And OReillys audience has been hyper-loyal, even during (or perhaps because of) the hosts various controversies. When OReilly was under fire in 2015 for serial exaggerations about his exploits as a reporter, his ratings got a modest bump. He weathered that storm by painting himself as the victim of an orchestrated campaign by the liberal media. Variations of this strategy colored a brief dust-up involving Al Sharpton in 2007; a lurid, tabloid-worthy sexual-harassment case in 2004; and his defense against reports of spouse abuse during his divorce in 2015.

In this latest controversy, OReilly, while not denying the Times report, portrayed himself as a victim of money-hungry opportunists.

Still, those who oppose OReilly dream his latest scandal will be his undoing.

We know the Murdochs dont care about racism or sexism. They care about the bottom line, said Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, a civil rights organization that has been involved in campaigns against Beck, Imus, Limbaugh and then-CNN anchor Lou Dobbs. And they will care when Bill OReilly isnt making as much money.

To that end, Robinson said his group intends to remind advertisers that they cant just wait it out three weeks before they start buying ads [on OReillys program] again.

But Robinson isnt making any predictions about how his campaign, and OReilly, will end up. I think its too early to tell, he said.
Nick Wade was at track practice late one afternoon last week when he found out. The 18-year-old checked his phone and learned that he had made it into the Ivy League.

One by one, he said. I found out I had gotten into my schools.

Wade is a quadruplet, though, with three brothers on his high school track team who had also applied to Ivy schools. So about that time on Thursday, they were learning their fates, too.

There was Aaron, who was in the locker room when he logged on. And Nigel, who was stretching when his brothers told him to check. Zach was going to wait until practice was over, but his brothers werent having it.

It would have taken like 20 more minutes, said Zach, whose siblings checked for him. But they couldnt wait that long.

That is how the Wade quadruplets, of Liberty Township, Ohio, learned that all four had been accepted at Harvard and Yale universities  offers that added to a pretty impressive pile of potential college destinations.

Were still in shock, honestly, Aaron said this week. I dont think it has sunk in yet.

I just felt blessed at that moment, Nigel said. It was an unreal feeling, I guess.

Honestly, to have one child from a family be accepted to a school like this is amazing, Zach said. But for all four to be accepted  I just dont, I dont know how it happened.

Besides Harvard and Yale, the Wade brothers have loads of options for the next four years. Nick got into Duke, Georgetown and Stanford. Aaron is in at Stanford, too. Nigel made the cut with Johns Hopkins and Vanderbilt, and Zach with Cornell.

That list does not cover all the schools that offered them admission. But you get the idea. These seniors at Lakota East High School are in high demand.

The outcome has shocked us, Aaron said. We didnt go into this thinking, Oh, were going to apply to all these schools and get into all of them. It wasnt so much about the prestige or so much about the name as it was  it was important that we each find a school where we think that well thrive and where we think that well contribute.

The brothers provided The Washington Post with digital copies of official admission letters and notifications they had received.

Harvard said it doesnt comment on the admission status of prospective students and doesnt formally track how many students are admitted as twins, triplets, quads or other multiple-birth sets. Yale said in an email that as a policy, the university doesnt discuss admitted students.

More than 32,000 people applied for Yales Class of 2021, according to the universitys website. Of them, 2,272 were admitted. Harvard said 2,056 students were admitted this year out of an applicant pool that exceeded 39,000.

[ Obsessed with college admissions? This website is, too. ]

When we would joke about it, Aaron said, it was like, Yeah, Im going to be the one who gets rejected. You guys all have fun at Harvard. 

This is not the first set of quadruplets that Yale has accepted. A few years ago, Kenny, Martina, Ray and Carol Crouch learned that they had earned early admission slots with the university. All four ended up picking Yale, according to the New York Times.

Darrin Wade, 51, father of this years quartet of academic stars, said that when his wife, Kim, was pregnant, the couple were initially told they were having twins. A few weeks later, they learned that was incorrect.

I remember they were doing an ultrasound, and they said, Mr. Wade, you better sit down. I said, Whats going on? They said, Theres not two. Theres four,  Wade said. It was really at that point in time that I tried to figure out how were going to pay for school.

Darrin Wade, who works for General Electric, and his wife, a school principal, have saved some money for their sons education. But the father said its not enough to cover four sets of full tuition for four years at full price at elite private universities. The mother and father are mindful of their own need for retirement funds, too.

We have to make sure that were helping them down the road by not being a financial burden on them when we get older, Wade said.

Like some other elite schools, Harvard and Yale pledge to meet the full demonstrated financial need of students they admit.

This school year, Yale charges more than $64,000 for tuition, fees, and room and board (before taking into account financial aid). Harvards price is comparable, about $63,000.

Financial aid is going to be a big player in our decision, Nick said.

Darrin Wade described Aaron as the most artistic of the fraternal quads, and the firstborn. Nick is more socially conscious, his father said, and a big reader. Zach has an engineers mind, said his dad, while Nigel is the one that is more apt to read something on how to do something.

[ Think dropping off a child at college is hard? Try leaving four at once.]

Each of the quads has distinct academic interests, reflecting differences in personalities and goals. Nick is eyeing international relations, Zach engineering and Nigel neuroscience. Aaron wants to study computer science and cognitive science.

It is not clear whether the four brothers will stay together for college or strike out on their own. They have a few weeks to decide.

We really dont know. We still have to make those decisions, Nick said. Were just shocked. We still dont believe that we got in.
High School District 211 school board candidate Ed Yung unloads yard signs from the trunk of his car to post near polling places on April 3, 2017, in Hoffman Estates, Ill. The High School District 211 school board race centers on transgender-student access to locker rooms and restrooms. (Stacey Wescott/AP)

In a closely watched school board race at the center of the transgender rights debate, a slate of conservative candidates who pledged to require students to use bathrooms and locker rooms aligned with their biological sex appeared to be headed for defeat late Tuesday.

Elections are typically low-key for the Township High School District 211 Board of Education, but this year, the district drew national attention, highlighting the explosive debate over how schools should balance the needs of transgender students with the privacy of their peers. Under pressure from the U.S. Education Department, the board in December 2015 voted to allow a transgender girl to use the girls locker room, spurring protests and a lawsuit.

Three challengers  Ralph T. Bonatz, Katherine Jee Young David and Jean Forrest  hoped to win enough seats to reverse the practice of allowing transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms aligned with their gender identity.

Two board members who voted to allow the transgender girl into the locker room  Bob LeFevre Jr. and Anna Klimkowicz  were comfortably ahead of the challengers with votes in one precinct not yet counted. A third candidate, Edward Yung, was about 200 votes ahead of David. Yung said he supports the school boards decision.

Klimkowicz, an addiction counselor who manages a transitional housing program, said she thought her victory would signal that the community acknowledged the effort we made to be fair.

We tried to come up with the best solution to meet the needs of all students, Klimcowicz said.

The election was the most recent flare-up of a debate that has been simmering in school districts and in state legislatures in recent years: how to accommodate transgender people seeking to use the restrooms that match their gender identities, but not necessarily their anatomies.

The fight has been particularly intense when it comes to public schools. More districts are seeking to accommodate an increasingly visible and vocal cohort of transgender students. They have been met with resistance from parents who say they worry about the safety and privacy of their children, and in some cases who doubt the legitimacy of the transgender identity.

The battle been highly visible in Township High School District 211, which covers five high schools and nearly 11,900 students in the Palatine-Schaumburg area in suburban Chicago.

[Transgender students quest to use girls locker room defines school board race in Chicago suburb]

The controversy there began two years ago, when a transgender girl at William Fremd High School in Palatine asked to use the girls locker room. The school turned down her request, leading her to file a complaint with the Education Department under then-President Barack Obama.

The agency ruled that the district was violating Title IX, the federal law that bars sex discrimination in public schools. The seven-member board then adopted a settlement that allowed the girl access to the locker room, with two board members dissenting.

The school districts decision ignited a backlash from parents who said it disregarded the privacy of students who would feel uncomfortable sharing sex-

segregated spaces with people they consider members of the opposite sex. They formed a group called Parents for Privacy, which filed suit against the policy and the Education Department and threw its support behind the like-minded candidates.

The transgender girl and two other transgender students have joined the lawsuit as defendants, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union.

[Illinois group sues Obama administration over transgender students bathroom access]

Parents for Privacy supports a policy penned by the Alliance Defending Freedom, which supports giving transgender people separate accommodations, such as a single-stall bathroom.

All fragile children need to be protected in these private spaces, Vicki Wilson, a spokeswoman for Parents for Privacy, said in an interview last week.

School-district parents supportive of transgender rights organized under the name Parents and Neighbors for Quality Education during the campaign.

I feel like I actually do live in a good place and a good community who wont stand for this intolerance and this nonsense, Lindsay Christensen, 33, one of the organizers, said before the vote.

[Trump administration rolls back protections for transgender students]

The high stakes drew an unusual level of money and attention to school board race, which is typically a low-turnout affair involving little or no campaigning and no fundraising. GOP megadonor Richard Uihlein, a Wisconsin shipping magnate, gave $3,000 to a political action committee backing the conservative candidates  a considerable sum for an election in which some candidates spend nothing.

On the other side, a Washington-based group, Trans United Fund, mounted a last-minute effort to help Parents and Neighbors for Quality Education organize door-knocking campaigns and direct mailings.

[Fairfax County School Board is getting a little bit more conservative]

The election came a week after North Carolina repealed its controversial bathroom bill, which required students and others to use public restrooms that matched the sex listed on their birth certificates. But transgender rights groups were critical of the replacement measure approved Thursday, which bars local governments from passing ordinances to protect transgender people.

In February, the Trump administration reversed guidelines released during the Obama administration that had required public schools to let students use restrooms and locker rooms that matched their gender identities.

[Under federal pressure, Illinois school district allows transgender student to use locker room]

Young people, they dont care, said the student, who asked to be referred to as Student A, as she is described in court papers. I use the girls bathroom and no one makes an issue of it.

If the board were to flip, with a new policy restricting her to a separate facility, she said she would feel horrible but would continue to use the locker room and restroom where she thinks she belongs. If somebody wanted to try and stop me from going into that bathroom every day, go for it, she said.
Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz signed an order Wednesday prohibiting county law enforcement from inquiring about the immigration status of anyone they encounter.

The order also says police and sheriffs deputies cannot hold detainees past their release dates at the request of federal deportation agents, unless those agents have presented a judicial order.

We do this because it promotes sound police practices, Kamenetz (D) said at a news conference. We want to continue to maintain the community trust among the residents we are obligated to protect. Driving people underground makes us less safe.

The executive order broadly prohibits discriminating against people or withholding benefits based on their immigration status. It also limits police cooperation with federal authorities except in the case of a criminal warrant signed by a judicial official.

The measure mirrors a state bill that passed the House of Delegates last month but has stalled in the Senate. The legislation, known as the Trust Act, would apply similar policies statewide, with exceptions for jurisdictions participating in a special federal program that trains and uses local police for immigration enforcement.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) has said the Trust Act will not pass in its current form, warning that Maryland is not going to become a sanctuary state. He added Wednesday that passing the bill could harm the states chances of landing the FBIs new headquarters, for which plans are on hold.

Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County), who chairs a Senate committee reviewing the legislation, said Wednesday that the panel might advance a version of the bill that removes the language limiting detainment of undocumented immigrants while retaining parts that deal with questioning individuals about citizenship status.

CASA, an immigrant advocacy organization, said Baltimore County is the first large jurisdiction in Maryland to formally put in writing policies directly challenging the Trump administrations promised crackdown on illegal immigration.

The executive order closely resembles sanctuary policies in cities and communities around the country that President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have said could cost those jurisdictions federal aid dollars.

The small city of Hyattsville passed a similar policy Monday night, and Fairfax County, Virginias most populous jurisdiction, passed a resolution Tuesday affirming that it welcomes immigrants.

Kamenetz said his signature represents the countys commitment to reject the unconstitutional and hateful agenda of the president. He also urged lawmakers in the states Democratic-majority legislature to pass the Trust Act, which Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has vowed to veto.

Baltimore County receives about $110 million in federal grants for programs for senior citizens, veterans, the police department and mental health services  none of which have any direct relation to Trumps immigration policy.

Kamenetz, who is weighing a bid to challenge Hogan in 2018, said Trumps threats are inconsistent with the Constitution and Supreme Court rulings that say the federal government cannot use the denial of federal funds to coerce a jurisdiction into following specific policy directives that are unrelated to the allocation.

We would challenge in court any efforts to deny funds, he said.

Kamenetz previously directed Baltimore County police not to participate in efforts to identify undocumented immigrants among college students, saying he supported efforts by many universities to create sanctuary campuses after Trumps election.
Maryland Del. Cheryl Glenn (D-Baltimore) is leading the Legislative Black Caucuss charge to overhaul the medical marijuana industry and make it more racially diverse. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

Top Democrats in the Maryland legislature have agreed to expand the ranks of medical marijuana growers in the state as part of an overhaul of the burgeoning but beleaguered industry.

Lawmakers are still wrangling, however, over which businesses should have a shot at entry into the lucrative market.

Fifteen companies preapproved last year by regulators can open cultivation sites as early as summer if they pass final inspections and background checks.

Five more growing licenses would be granted under a bill that passed the House of Delegates on Tuesday and is aimed at favoring minority-owned companies.

That bill will probably be amended in the Senate Finance Committee as early as Thursday. House and Senate negotiators say theyre on the brink of a compromise over how many new licenses to issue and whether to shrink the total number of growers if any company fails inspection.

Former Baltimore Raven Eugene Monroe, who advocated that the NFL allow players to use medical marijuana, is a partner with Green Thumb Industries, which sued the state after growing licenses were given to lower-ranked applicants. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

[Pot laws under scrutiny in Maryland General Assembly]

The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, the largest caucus in the legislature, is insistent on expanding minority participation in the industry, after the Maryland Medical Marijuana Commission failed to license any African American-owned growers.

Lawmakers are also trying to address the concerns of two other companies who sued the state after regulators rejected their applications in favor of lower-ranked bids from geographic regions of Maryland where no growers had been approved.

But the 15 businesses already given cultivation licenses have banded together to oppose expanding the market, sayingtheir business plans and pitches to investors were based on having an early and exclusive foothold in the industry.

The way this whole entire thing was handled by this commission was really screwed up, so really the legislature is trying to resolve a messy situation, said Sen. Thomas M. Middleton (D-Calvert), who chairs the Finance Committee that is amending the medical marijuana bill.

As written, the legislation passed by the House calls for an expedited study of racial disparities that could be completed in time to justify a race-conscious selection of five new growers as early as fall.

The Black Caucus has dropped its demand that no medical marijuana businesses start operating until minority-controlled businesses got licenses.

[Missing from Marylands marijuana industry? Black business leaders]

We dont want to delay the process, said Del. Cheryl D. Glenn, the Baltimore Democrat who chairs the caucus. We do want the patients . . . to be able to get the medications.

Middleton says he is supportive of the House legislation, which has more licenses meant for minority-owned companies than the Senate version. But he and other powerful senators, including Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert), want to offer two additional olive branches to other industry players.

If any of the original 15 growers fail to pass inspections, they want to throw those licenses out of the pool rather than giving them to the next highest-ranked companies. This would effectively reduce the amount of competition among growers.

And they would also give licenses to Maryland Cultivation and Processing and Green Thumb Industries, the two companies denied in the name of geographic diversity.

Those companies have agreed to drop their lawsuits if a compromise is approved. If Middletons proposal for as many as 22 grower licenses gets pushback, Glenn said, the Black Caucus will prioritize licenses for minority-owned companies over the applicants suing the state.

They absolutely were wronged by the commission, Glenn said of Maryland Cultivation and Processing and Green Thumb Industries. But Im not willing to sacrifice any of the licenses that we have negotiated to be awarded to African Americans and other minorities.

A leader of the Maryland Wholesale Medical Cannabis Association, which represents preapproved growers and processors, said the association was opposed to arbitrarily increasing the number of licenses by nearly 50 percent to help applicants that fell short.

Our members relied on commitments from the state when making their business decisions, and it is reasonable for them to expect that the state would honor those commitments, Jake Van Wingerden, president of Cecil Countys SunMed Growers, said in a statement. Many of our members are just months away from delivering medical cannabis to patients, and we are opposed to any changes that would cause additional delays to this important program.

The licensing changes are encountering some Republican resistance  although GOP lawmakers do not have a strong enough presence in the legislature to threaten passage.

They want to do a lot of things in a very critical point for this industry, and I do not want to see that because I want to see the industry move forward, Del. Susan W. Krebs (R-Carroll). Im concerned about delays, and Im also concerned about new lawsuits.

The legislation would restructure the marijuana commission as well.

It also contains a provision to bar lawmakers from working in the industry, in response to the ethics probe of Del. Dan K. Morhaim (D-Baltimore County), who was reprimanded by the House for trying to shape industry regulations without fully disclosing he was affiliated with a prospective dispensary.
A miniature Maryland flag stands on the desk of a member of Maryland's House of Delegates. (2015 photo by Patrick Semansky/AP)

The Maryland House on Wednesday gave final legislative approval to a paid-sick-leave bill, with enough support to override a promised veto by Gov. Larry Hogan (R).

The bill also passed the Senate with a veto-proof majority, ensuring that Maryland is on target to become the eighth state to require employers to provide paid sick leave.

Liz Richards, the executive director of the Working Matters Coalition, described the bill as a fair and reasonable solution to a very serious problem.

She and other advocates who have pushed for the benefit for the past five years urged the governor to change his mind and sign the measure. If Hogan vetoes the bill, lawmakers will not have an opportunity to override the veto until next years legislative session, meaning the bill would not take effect until 2018.

Hogan proposed a paid-sick-leave bill that required the benefit only for companies with at least 50 workers and made tax incentives available for smaller companies that offered paid sick leave.

That measure never moved out of committee.

The bill passed by the General Assembly requires employers with 15 or more workers to provide five days of paid sick leave. It does not offer tax incentives to help offset the cost.

The House agreed to accept a change in the legislation made in the Senate that cut the number of sick days per year that employers must offer from seven to five.

Arizona, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Oregon, Vermont and Washington state have laws in place requiring employers to offer paid sick leave, along with the District of Columbia, Montgomery County in Maryland and several other localities across the country.
Howard S. Chasanow, a Maryland judge for 28 years at the district, circuit and appellate court level who became a professional mediator of legal disputes, died April 2 at a hospital in Baltimore. He died the day before his 80th birthday.

Judge Chasanow, a resident of College Park, Md., died of spinal injuries resulting from a two-vehicle accident in Berwyn Heights, Md., on March 20, said a brother-in-law, Ken Greenberger. He was the only one hurt in the accident, Greenberger said.

Judge Chasanow was appointed in 1971 to a seat on the District Court, which in Maryland hears such cases as landlord-tenant disputes, motor vehicle violations, misdemeanors and certain felonies.

As a Circuit Court judge in Prince Georges County from 1977 to 1990, he presided over jury trials, serious criminal cases and major civil cases, including such family law cases as divorces and child custody disputes.

He retired from the bench in 1999 after nine years on the Maryland Court of Appeals, the highest judicial panel in the state. He spent the next 15 years as a full-time mediator, helping resolve disputes ranging from estates and trusts to intellectual property to medical malpractice. He worked for many years for the dispute resolution provider JAMS, which helps keep cases from clogging the judicial system and saves the large expense of a trial.

Judge Howard Chasanow in 2000. (James M. Thresher/The Washington Post)

The phrase I hate most is Good mediation is when both sides walk out equally unhappy,  Judge Chasanow told the Daily Record of Baltimore in 2011. A good mediation is when people walk out understanding theyve reached a fair compromise.

During his career on the bench, he was reportedly known among judges for a liberal bent, but Judge Chasanow steadfastly refused to accept such easy categorizations.

Look, there are some crimes when Im the toughest judge on this circuit, he told The Washington Post in 1979. Second offenders on [drunk driving] go to jail in my court no matter who they are, doctors, lawyers. . . . I dont care. People who hit policemen or teachers go to jail.

Howard Stuart Chasanow was born in Washington on April 3, 1937, and grew up in Greenbelt, Md. His father, Abraham, was a Navy Department employee who, in a highly publicized case, was suspended in 1953 as an alleged security risk.

It was the peak of a communists-in-government scare stoked by Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy (R-Wis.), and the elder Chasanow fought the accusation for 13 months.

In public hearings, the Navy produced no evidence to support the charges, nor did it identify an accuser. The Navys case, The Post reported, was based on rumor, incorrect testimony, shoddy investigative techniques and had possibly been tinged by anti-Semitism. He was reinstated with an apology from the Navy for what it conceded was a grave injustice.

Mr. Chasanow was reportedly offered a new Navy position but left government service and later practiced law and became a real estate broker. Anthony Lewis, then a reporter for the Washington Daily News and later for the New York Times, won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Abraham Chasanow case.

That was an extremely traumatic time for me, Howard Chasanow, a teenager at the time, told The Post in 1979. When my dad was vindicated the way he was, it was very important to all of us.

His interest in the law stemmed in large part from the legal battle his father faced. He graduated from the University of Maryland in 1958 and from its law school in 1961. He received a masters degree from Harvard Law School in 1962. After Air Force service, he was an assistant prosecutor in Prince Georges County and a lawyer in private practice.

His first marriage, to Marilyn Madden, ended in divorce. Survivors include his wife of 34 years, Deborah Koss Chasanow, senior U.S. District Court judge for the District of Maryland, of College Park; a daughter from his first marriage, Andrea Gentle of London; three sisters, former Post food critic Phyllis Richman of Washington, Myrna Chasanow of Cheverly, Md., and Ruth Heitin of Alexandria; and two grandsons.

Around the Prince Georges County Courthouse, Judge Chasanow liked to recount the comma that saved a life.

A condemned man, the judge said, was en route to his execution when a telegram from the governor arrived. It read: Pardon, impossible to execute. He was spared.

Only later did the warden discover there had been a typographical error. This was what had been intended: Pardon impossible to execute. The inadvertent comma had saved the condemned mans life and the state had repealed the death penalty before the warden discovered the error.

In May 1979, Judge Chasanow faced a similar situation in a death penalty case, declaring in court that his decision had to be based on grammar and legislative intent, and he said he stayed up most of the night poring through old grammar books.

The defendant, William Joseph Parker, a transient Prince Georges County fireman, had been convicted of murder and rape. The relevant Maryland law allowed the death penalty for a conviction of murder while committing rape or a sexual offense in the first degree.

Parker was convicted of murder and second-degree rape. Because there was no comma in the statute after the word rape, Judge Chasanow concluded the death penalty was not applicable.

He sentenced the man to life in prison.
PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY

These were among cases received recently by the Prince Georges County Animal Management Division. Call 301-780-7200 for directions to the county animal shelter, hours of operation, and adoption and licensing procedures. The department website is princegeorgespets4us.com.

Up a creek: Cedarwood Lane, 10600 block, March 22. Animal management received a call about a dog stuck in a creek. The caller said they heard noises and spotted the dog when they went to investigate. An animal control officer removed the 7-year-old black male Australian terrier mix. The dog was reunited with its owner the same day.

Evicting the bedroom cat: Marlboro Pike, 5200 block, Capitol Heights, March 22. The sheriffs department requested help with a cat being held in the master bedroom of a residence where the occupants were being evicted. An animal control officer picked up the 2-year-old male orange tabby domestic shorthair. When not claimed, the cat was sent to a rescue group March 28.

Evicting the bathroom dog: Brinkley Rd., 3100 block, Fort Washington, March 23. The sheriffs department called animal management for help with a black dog found in a bathroom at the site of an eviction. The 9-year-old male miniature poodle mix was picked up by an animal control officer and then claimed by its owner March 25.

Stray dog on the prowl: Parkside Dr., 2100 block, Bowie, March 23. A man reported holding in his back yard a stray dog he found walking on his property. An animal control officer picked up the 3-year-old brown male petit basset griffon Vendeen-Shih Tzu mix. The dog was claimed and returned home March 29.

Dog pulls man out of wheelchair: Governors Grove Rd., 14000 block, Upper Marlboro, March 25. Police contacted animal management to request help with a dog that pulled its owner with disabilities out of his wheelchair, for which the owner needed medical attention. A police officer was able to hold the dog on a leash at the property until help arrived. An animal control officer picked up the 2-year-old chocolate-colored male American bulldog. The dog was reunited with its owner March 27.

SPAY/NEUTER SERVICES

Prince Georges County Department of the Environments Animal Management Division will sponsor free spay and neuter services for dogs and cats. For information, contact Catherine Hernandez at 301-780-7252 or princegeorgespets4us.com.

PET ADOPTION EVENT

SPCA/Humane Society of Prince Georges County is sponsoring cat and dog adoptions noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at PetSmart, 12020 Cherry Hill Rd., Silver Spring. The pets foster owners will answer questions and accept adoption applications for the animals. Adoption fees are $75 for cats, $180 for dogs. For information, call 301-262-5625 or visit pgspca.org.

VOLUNTEER NEEDS

SPCA/Humane Society of Prince Georges County, an all-volunteer organization, needs volunteers 18 and older to assist in a variety of tasks. Opportunities include photography and videography, social-media outreach, adoption show assistance, administration, and pet fostering. Call

301-262-5625 or visit pgspca.org/get-involved/volunteer.

County Animal Management Division seeks volunteers to assist animals in need by joining the pet foster-family program. Foster families provide a safe, loving home to animals that are injured, very young, recovering from surgery or in need of other special care until they are adoptable. Call 301-780-7219 or visit princegeorgespets4us.com.

Partnership for Animal Welfare needs volunteers to foster homeless dogs and cats, provide transportation to veterinary appointments, and handle animals at adoption shows. For information, go to paw-rescue.org or call 301-572-4729.
Prince William County

These were among incidents reported by Prince William County police for this edition of Local Living. For information, call 703-792-5123.

DUMFRIES AREA

THEFT/BREAK-IN

Allerton Ct., 3400 block, 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. March 28. Cash, a safe, jewelry and a television were stolen from a residence entered by damaging a rear door.

GAINESVILLE AREA

ASSAULT

Somerset Crossing Dr., 7600 block, 9:10 p.m. March 22. An acquaintance at a gas station stabbed a man, who went to a hospital in Culpeper.

THEFT/BREAK-IN

Gateway Center Dr., 13200 block, 11 p.m. March 23 to 10 a.m. March 24. An attempt was made to enter a business by damaging a rear door.

MANASSAS AREA

ASSAULTS

West Point Ct., 7800 block, 11:07 p.m. March 24. A group of male attackers assaulted a male juvenile, who was treated for injuries.

Yorkshire Lane, 8700 block, 5:12 p.m. March 23. During an argument, a woman attempted to hit a male relative with an ax. A Manassas woman, 57, was arrested.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Sudley Rd., 8300 block, 5:12 p.m. March 25. A man took merchandise from a store. A Manassas man, 21, was arrested.

Williamson Blvd., 7300 block, 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. March 23. A laptop was stolen from a hotel room.

WOODBRIDGE AREA

SEXUAL ASSAULTS

Longview Dr. W., 2200 block, November to February. A man had an inappropriate relationship with a female juvenile acquaintance. A Woodbridge man, 25, was arrested.

Westminster Lane, 14300 block, March 24. A man sexually assaulted a female acquaintance. A Woodbridge man, 20, was arrested.

ASSAULT

Georgetown Rd., 6:32 p.m. March 25. A group of male juveniles assaulted two male pedestrians, who were treated for injuries. Officers said the assault was gang-related. Four male juveniles from Woodbridge, of ages 15 to 17, were arrested.

WEAPONS

Brickwood Dr., 15100 block, 9:33 p.m. March 24. During a fight, a man fired a weapon. No one was reported injured.

Kenbury Dr., 13300 block, 11:54 p.m. March 25. Following an argument with an acquaintance, a man fired a weapon in the air. No one was reported injured.

ROBBERIES

Gordon Blvd., 12500 block, 7:38 p.m. March 24. A gunman demanded money from a gas station employee. When the employee could not open the register, the gunman fled empty-handed.

Prince William Pkwy., 2600 block, 4:46 a.m. March 24. A gunman robbed a gas station of cash.

Wentwood Lane, 15100 block, 12:17 a.m. March 25. A man asked a male pedestrian for money, then grabbed the pedestrians backpack and fled. The pedestrian chased him and retrieved his backpack. A cellphone was stolen.

INDECENT EXPOSURE

Potomac Mills Cir., 2700 block, 5 p.m. March 24. A man in a vehicle exposed himself to a man and a female juvenile as they walked by his vehicle. A Woodbridge man, 66, was arrested.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Caton Hill Rd., 2500 block, March 4 to 11. An attempt was made to enter a storage unit by tampering with a lock.

Hatchway Ct., 12400 block, 9 p.m. March 23 to 10 a.m. March 25. An attempt was made to enter a residence by damaging a rear door.

Walnut St., 1500 block, 12:10 p.m. March 28. An attempt was made to enter a residence by breaking a rear window.

Manassas

These were among incidents reported by Manassas police for this edition of Local Living. For information, call 703-257-8000.

VEHICLE THEFT

Braxted Lane, 8600 block, March 28. A white 2010 Ford Econoline van was stolen. It was later recovered.

VANDALISM

Liberia Ave., 8300 block, 10 p.m. March 26 to 7 a.m. March 27. A vehicles rear windshield was broken.

Manassas Park

These were among incidents reported by Manassas Park police for this edition of Local Living. For information, call 703-361-1136.

THEFT

Corbett Cir., March 25. Packages were stolen from a front step of a residence.

VANDALISM

Colburn Dr., March 24 to 25. A window of a vehicle was broken.
A federal judge Wednesday denied a bid by the Justice Department to postpone a hearing in Baltimore for residents to address reforming their police department after a scathing review found widespread discriminatory practices.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar means that Thursdays hearing at the federal courthouse will go on as scheduled and avoids a delay that could have set back efforts to improve the citys police force by at least three months.

The Justice Departments 90-day postponement request came after a directive from the U.S. attorney generals office to review police department reform efforts underway in several cities to ensure the measures fit with the Trump administrations goals of fighting violent crime.

Ian D. Prior, the deputy director of public affairs for the Justice Department, declined to comment on the judges ruling.

[Baltimore pledges to move forward on police reform even if feds back out]

Such public hearings in federal court are uncommon, and Bredar wrote in his two-page ruling that the court went through great effort to set up logistics and security to accommodate what could be hundreds of people who wish to testify. The Justice Department had taken a similar break in January to reassess the case as a new administration came in to office, and had assured the judge afterward that Justice officials were ready to move ahead.

Bredar noted in his ruling that people have rearranged their work, school, and personal calendars to attend the day-long hearing. The primary purpose of this hearing is to hear from the public; it would be especially inappropriate to grant this late request for a delay when it would be the public who were most adversely affected by a postponement.

[Federal probe find Baltimore police discriminated]

Mayor Catherine E. Pugh said in a statement that she was pleased with the judges decision. The City of Baltimore is ready to move forward to rebuild the important relationship which exists between the community and our police department, she said.

Pugh called Thursdays hearing a crucial next step in the process and she urged residents to take advantage of the opportunity. It will take all of us  City government, the police department, and the families and residents of our great City  to see this reform process through to its conclusion so that we can realize a better Baltimore, she said.

Sari Horwitz contributed to this report.
Kyle Thompson is accused of taking a girl into these woods behind his Burtonsville, Md., apartment and molesting her in 2013. (Dan Morse/TWP)

The claim by a confidential source was stunning: A 31-year-old man, quietly living in Burtonsville, Md., had sexually assaulted three young children  attacking at least one in the woods behind his apartment  and video-recorded the acts.

The day after hearing the accusation, police armed with a search warrant entered the mans apartment and spotted computers and digital storage drives.

Videos and photographs pulled from the devices, according to Montgomery County police allegations filed in court, now are at the center of a growing investigation into Kyle Stephen Thompson, a commercial HVAC technician who maintained cooling systems at office buildings and large data centers in the Washington area.

Police say the videos show Thompson sexually assaulting a girl younger than 5 who was tied with a belt and calling for Mommy. Another video, according to the police allegations, depicts Thompson molesting a different girl, also younger than 5, as she cried.

The alleged abuse occurred at various times over the past two years, police affidavits state.

Kyle Thompson, 31, has been charged in Montgomery County with sex abuse counts for alleged incidents stretching back four years. (Montgomery County Police)

Detectives also suspect that sometime in 2013, Thompson molested a slightly older girl in the woods near a small pond and creek, according to court records.

The allegations, Montgomery Assistant States Attorney Danielle Sartwell said in court recently, are, quite frankly, just horrific.

Thompson was charged on March 17 with two counts of first-degree sex offense, two counts of sex abuse of a minor, and one count of third-degree sex offense, according to court records. He was charged March 29 with additional counts of sex abuse of a minor and third-degree sex offense. He remains jailed on no-bond status.

In court filings, Montgomery County police said the FBI is conducting a child pornography case in connection with the allegations. Dave Fitz, a spokesman for the FBIs field office in Baltimore, said FBI agents have been assisting Montgomery County police in the investigation of Thompson to see whether federal charges might apply.

We believe he befriends women who have young girls in order to have access to them, said Capt. James Humphries, commander of the Montgomery Police Departments Special Victims Investigation unit.

His detectives also determined that Thompson had 15 registered firearms, according to court records, and alleged that he threatened to harm at least one person who knew one of the young girls.

On March 17, after being taken into custody, Thompson said little to detectives, according to court records. Thompson denied everything, Detective Melvin Avelar wrote in an arrest affidavit.

Thompson has not yet had a chance to present an account in court, and his current attorney, Isabelle Raquin, could not be reached for comment.

Thompsons employer said he was shocked and saddened by the allegations when he learned of them two weeks ago.

We never had any reason to suspect he was anyone but a hard-working, loyal employee, said Lee Piazza, vice president of Virginia-based Compu Dynamics, a commercial air-conditioning firm that specializes in cooling data centers at private companies and government buildings.

Piazza said Thompson came to the company about 10 years ago, having passed a background check that included a criminal record screening.

Thompson was terminated from Compu Dynamics about two weeks ago, according to Piazza.

The apparent lack of a criminal record appears consistent with information gathered by county jail officials and by John Lavigne, an attorney who represented Thompson in a March 20 bond review hearing after Thompsons first set of charges.

Absolutely no prior record, Lavigne told a judge about Thompson.

Court records show that when Thompson was booked into jail, he reported making $80,000 annually as an HVAC technician.

He just kind of started that after high school, worked his way up, and now holds a masters license in that field, Lavigne said in court.

The police case against Thompson began March 16, according to court records, when detectives spoke to their initial source whose name they did not disclose in filings to the court.

That source told police Thompson had shown the source several videos of Thompson performing sex acts on three underage girls, according to court records. Detectives said in their court filings that they were able to corroborate an alleged incident involving one reported victim. A day later, they apprehended Thompson when he was away from his home and then searched his apartment.

In Thompsons Burtonsville neighborhood, word spread about the search.

He was very pleasant, neighbor Donna Ballard said.

At Thompsons court appearance March 20, Sartwell, the prosecutor, urged District Judge Eugene Wolfe to hold Thompson on no-bond status, citing the age of the victims and the firearms found at his home.

Wolfe ordered Thompson held without bond.

Standing outside her front door Tuesday, Ballard said Thompson had moved to the neighborhood about a decade ago. He seemed shy at first, she said. One day he saw her while she was outside and said he had noticed a dead bird inside the outdoor equipment of her air-conditioning system. Do you want me to get it out for you? he asked, and he did, according to Ballard.

Ballard said she was struggling to reconcile the allegations in the charges with her interactions with Thompson.

Its hard  when you see just one side of a person  to comprehend this sort of stuff, she said. I dont think any of us can sit in judgment until all the facts come out. But if he did this, he needs to be locked up.
The federal government began last week to release millions of shiny metallic images of an old house in the Anacostia neighborhood of Southeast Washington and the bearded man who was its longtime resident.

The man is Frederick Douglass, the 19th-century orator, statesman, abolitionist and runaway slave. His house, on W Street SE, is a national historic site operated by the National Park Service. The images are on a 25-cent piece being issued as part of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program.

On the coins front is the familiar image of George Washington. The other side shows Douglass at a desk with the house in the background. That side also bears Douglasss name and the words District of Columbia and E Pluribus Unum.

On April 3, the U.S. Mint said it began taking orders for rolls and bags of the coins. Some will be released into general circulation.

That would enable people all over the United States, and indeed wherever U.S. coins are saved or spent, to see the images of the equal rights advocate and the house where he lived from 1878 until his death in 1895.

Reverse side of Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Quarter. (U.S. Mint)

The Mint said a celebration was held Tuesday to mark the coins formal launch.

A 2009 quarter honoring the District in an earlier series showed Duke Ellington.


The Daniel Morgan Graduate School of National Security, which occupies the seventh and part of the 10th floors of an office building in downtown Washington. (N/A/N/A)

A graduate school for aspiring spies and diplomats in Washington faces allegations that one of its former administrators manipulated male employees into sexually abusive encounters as part of their supposed recruitment into a clandestine government organization, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

The allegations have prompted the resignation of the executive director of the Daniel Morgan Graduate School of National Security  who said she left to protest the schools handling of the matter  and a $150 million lawsuit against the academy, two of its senior officials and the accused ex-administrator, Mark W. Levin.

The lawsuit, filed in D.C. Superior Court on behalf of three men in their early-to-mid 20s, alleges that Levin, 72, a former special advisor to the schools president, coerced them into sexually explicit physical examinations at his Arlington, Va., apartment, ostensibly to keep their jobs and advance their careers.

Levin answered his phone, but when a Post reporter identified himself, he said, Goodbye, sir, and hung up.

Officials at Daniel Morgan  a fledgling school that offers graduate programs in intelligence and national security to about 40 students  declined to comment. A communications firm released a statement on the schools behalf:

As soon as [Daniel Morgan] became aware of the allegations against Mark Levin, we immediately began a full independent internal investigation, reported the matter to law enforcement, and dismissed Mr. Levin. [Daniel Morgan] has zero tolerance for any unethical behavior within the institution. We are proud of the results we achieve on behalf of our students, and we look forward to continuing to focus on our core mission: educating, training, and developing leaders in the national security and intelligence communities.

The victims allege that Levin led them to believe he was an agent of an unnamed clandestine agency involved in counter-terrorism and intelligence gathering; that the young men were his recruits; and that they had to engage in naked, physical inspections with him at his apartment as part of jobs and career training  and keep silent about it.

Former administrator Mark W. Levin, 72, is shown on his Daniel Morgan ID badge. (N/A/Obtained by The Washington Post)

The men, who are given pseudonyms in the lawsuit, claim Levin subjected them to quid pro quo sexual harassment, which included repeated, forced, invasive, deceptive, and humiliating touching and probing of their naked bodies and genitals.

The victims argue that Daniel Morgan denied them their entitlement to employment and education free of sexual harassment, abuse and retaliation, in violation of the D.C. Human Rights Act. The lawsuit cites the schools own internal probe of Levin and alleges the schools investigator interviewed more than ten other young adult employees and interns of [Daniel Morgan], many of whom confirmed that they had been deceived and sexually abused in the same manner as [the plaintiffs].

The lawsuit claims that the school failed to vet Levins background before hiring him, that it didnt adequately supervise him, and that the school tried to dissuade one of the alleged victims from telling police  and then threatened to fire him when he later did alert authorities.

Levin has not been charged with a crime related to these allegations.

The lawsuit also names as its defendants Daniel Morgans board chairwoman, Abby S. Moffat, and its vice president and special counsel, Alan B. Kelly. Moffat is the CEO of the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, which provides the school its primary annual revenue source of about $7 million.

Moffat and Kelly declined interviews with The Post.

Last week, the schools executive director, Linda Millis, a former official with the NSA, CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence, resigned over the schools treatment of the victims.

I was surprised to learn that Mark Levin had been hired without sufficient due diligence and that no one really knew much about his background, Millis told the Post.

Joseph DeTrani, the schools president, said he, too, is leaving at the end of the month, but that his departure has nothing to do with the sex abuse allegations. DeTrani said Levin was already working at the school when he arrived in January 2016.

Obviously, [Levin] conned these young men into believing he was something he was not, DeTrani said in an interview. Thats so tragic. We empathize with the students.

Founded nearly three years ago, Daniel Morgan is seeking accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The tiny school occupies space on the seventh and part of the tenth floors of an office building at 1620 L Street NW, about four blocks from the White House.

In their lawsuit, the victims, whose lawyer is Tamara L. Miller, a former Justice Department deputy chief, say Levin tricked them into letting him shower them and inspect their genitals and other body parts.

There was this pressure to do it, so I could get into this secret intelligence group one day, a 25-year-old from Northern Virginia plaintiff said in an interview. I had no reason to doubt him. I assumed hed been vetted by everyone, including the foundation giving money to the school. If I told anyone what he was doing to me, he said I would never get any type of job in national security. He threatened to constantly surveil me and blacklist me from jobs.

The lawsuit alleges that after the men submitted to Levins sexual demands, Levin typically rewarded them with impressive-sounding job titles and salaries, regardless of their experience or qualifications. But when the men began balking, Levin reduced their salaries, the lawsuit asserts.

In July, one of the lawsuits plaintiffs began expressing skepticism about Levins background to DeTrani, the schools president, a former CIA officer who carried the rank of ambassador while serving as a special envoy for six-party talks with North Korea. DeTrani contacted several national security and law enforcement agencies to ask about Levin.

In a statement released to The Post, Heather Fritz Horniak, a CIA spokeswoman, said: While we generally do not comment on whether an individual previously worked for CIA, we condemn in the strongest terms possible anyone who perpetrates abhorrent acts against young people or otherwise engages in illegal activity while purporting to represent the CIA. The FBI declined to comment.

After school officials were briefed on the full scope of the victims allegations on Aug. 29, Levin was suspended. He was fired Oct. 3 while Daniel Morgan conducted its internal investigation, the lawsuit says.

Around the same time, the school contacted D.C. and Arlington police, alerting them to the potential abuse of a 17-year-old at the school, the lawsuit says. Kelly, Daniel Morgans vice president and special counsel, told authorities that an individual over 18 may have been sexually abused, but the school official deemed the contact consensual, the lawsuit says.

One of the lawsuits plaintiffs, the 25-year-old from Northern Virginia, said he filed a report with Arlington County police in November and gave detectives a copy of the executive summary of the schools internal investigation.

In an interview, Arlington County prosecutor Theo Stamos said her office considered a potential charge of sexual battery by force, threat, intimidation or ruse. But it could not prosecute the case on that charge, she said, because its a misdemeanor with a one-year statute of limitation and the most recent alleged sexually abusive encounter with the Northern Virginia man occurred in early 2015.

The alleged victim still works at the school, but Moffat and Kelly, the lawsuit asserts, initially sought to fire him.

Instead, the lawsuit says, they have marginalized his job and the position of a second plaintiff at the school, excluding them from important management and Board meetings...and by ostracizing, marginalizing, and diminishing [them] in their professional capacities at [Daniel Morgan].

Julie Tate contributed to this story.
Calvert County

These were among reports received by the Calvert County Sheriffs Office and the Maryland State Police. Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to call the Criminal Investigation Division at 410-535-2800 or 301-855-1194, the Crime Solvers line at 410-535-2880 or the state police Prince Frederick Barrack at 410-535-1400.

No crime report was received this week from the Calvert County Sheriffs Office.

Charles County

These were among reports received by the Charles County Sheriffs Office and the Maryland State Police. For information, call 301-932-2222 or 301-870-3232. The website ccso.us has crime statistics and information on crime prevention programs.

REWARDS FOR INFORMATION

Crime Solvers will pay a reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment. The 24-hour hotline is 866-411-8477. Callers may remain anonymous.

No crime report was received this week from the Charles County Sheriffs Office.

St. Marys County

These w ere among reports received by the St. Marys County Sheriffs Office and the Maryland State Police. For information, call 301-475-8008. To submit a tip, call Crime Solvers at 301-475-3333. The Leonardtown Barrack of the state police has an anonymous tip line at 301-475-2936.

CALIFORNIA AREA

ASSAULTS

California, March 28. A student at an elementary school scratched another student with scissors.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Wildewood, March 28. A vehicle was stolen from an apartment complex parking lot.

CALLAWAY AREA

ASSAULTS

Callaway, March 22. During an argument, a woman punched an acquaintance in the head and chest and attempted to choke him. A Callaway woman, 40, was charged with first-degree assault and possession of a controlled dangerous substance, not marijuana.

LEONARDTOWN AREA

ASSAULTS

Leonardtown, March 21. A male inmate at a detention center hit a man in the chest and arms. A California man, 29, was charged with second-degree assault.

Leonardtown, March 18. A male inmate at a detention center assaulted another inmate. A North Carolina man, 30, was charged with second-degree assault.

LEXINGTON PARK AREA

ASSAULTS

Primrose Ct., March 26. During an argument, a man hit a woman in the head and face. A Lexington Park man, 26, was charged with second-degree assault.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Cambridge Dr., March 28. Property was stolen from a vehicle.

Elegant Ct., March 27. A man was found sleeping in an unoccupied home without permission. A California man, 23, was charged with fourth-degree burglary.

MECHANICSVILLE AREA

ASSAULTS

Danville St., March 17. During an argument, a woman threw a television at a man, hitting him in the head. A Mechanicsville woman, 48, was charged with second-degree assault.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

Three Notch Rd., March 19. During a traffic stop for an equipment violation, it was discovered that the license plates on the vehicle had been stolen from Alabama. A man, 52, of Phoenix City was charged with theft of less than $100.

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS

Budds Creek Rd., March 25. After numerous complaints of motorcycles being operated recklessly, it was found that the motorcycles had been stolen. A Coltons Point man, 25 and an Avenue man, 22, were charged with motor vehicle theft.
Jose Artica, 19, of El Salvador, is handcuffed and removed from a house in Alexandria, VA. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

Agents for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 82 people in Virginia, Maryland and the District last week, including one who they said was identified as an officer in command of a Somali organization known for human rights abuses, rape, torture and killings.

The arrests included 68 people with previous criminal convictions, ICE said in a news release that described the five-day operation as a routine, targeted immigration enforcement.

Those who have outstanding orders of deportation, or who returned to the U.S. illegally after being deported, can be immediately removed from the country. Others will remain in custody awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge, or pending deportation arrangements.

The Somali, a 50-year-old male, was picked up in Falls Church and was a second lieutenant in the Somalian National Security Service and had a felony drug conviction, ICE said.

Agents also took into custody two people who have ties to the MS-13 street gang, ICE said, two who already had been given final deportation orders and three who had overstayed their visas.

(Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post)

ICE said two of the targeted individuals had pending local charges and one was wanted by a foreign law enforcement organization. Three more had unlawfully entered the U.S., the agency said.

Most were arrested in Virginia but two were arrested in the District and one in Maryland. Their names were not released.

Similar sweeps happened during the Obama administration. But there has been heightened scrutiny of such actions since the inauguration of President Trump, who promised to crack down on illegal immigration.

Those who were arrested came from 26 countries, the agency said, including:

 A 40-year-old citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, who was arrested in Norfolk and has convictions for felony drug distribution and firearm possessions.

 A 45-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic, arrested in Chesterfield, who has felony convictions for sale of cocaine and attempted robbery.

 A 22-year-old citizen of Honduras, arrested in Fairfax, who has felony convictions for stolen goods and grand larceny.

 A 34-year-old citizen of El Salvador, arrested in Chesterfield, who ICE said is a documented MS-13 gang member who was removed from the United States in 2006.

 A 57-year-old citizen of Honduras, arrested in Richmond, who has felony convictions for grand larceny and inflicting corporal injury to a spouse.
Virginias Republican-controlled General Assembly returned to Richmond on Wednesday for what has become an annual but fruitless ritual  attempting to override the vetoes of Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D).

Hope springs eternal, Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-Fauquier) said as she encouraged fellow senators to rescue her bill, which would have allowed domestic-violence victims and others covered by protective orders to carry a concealed weapon without the usual permit or training.

The Senate voted 23 to 17 in favor of the bill, falling short of the 27 votes needed to override the veto.

It was like that all day. And it has been like that throughout McAuliffes term, which began in January 2014 and has seen him veto more bills than any other Virginia governor.

[McAuliffe breaks record, issues most vetoes of any Virginia governor ]

The GOP controls both chambers, with a wide margin in the House but only a 21-to-19 advantage in the Senate. The legislature has never mustered the votes to override McAuliffe, even on bills that originally sailed out of both chambers with bipartisan support.

That is not to say that the term-limited governor got everything he wanted. The legislature also considered amendments he had made to legislation, many of them technical but others of great significance to the underlying bills. Lawmakers bucked him on some of those proposed amendments  sometimes with Democrats leading the charge.

Those bills will return one last time to McAuliffe, who will have to decide whether to accept the legislation without his changes or to veto it. The legislature will not have another opportunity to weigh in.

In the House, delegates soundly rejected the governors effort to restore language in the budget that would allow him to begin the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

Del. R. Steven Landes (R-Augusta) said he doubted the ACA would still be in place by the end of the year and argued that expanding Medicaid would blow a hole in Virginias budget. Under the ACA, the federal government would pay 100 percent of the expansion to an estimated 400,000 Virginians through next year; after that, the state would be on the hook for about 10 percent of the additional cost.

Landes argued that Medicaid already amounts to 22 percent of the state budget and is growing by 8 to 10 percent per year while state revenue is growing roughly 2 to 3 percent per year.

Our current Medicaid program is not sustainable at the rate it is continually growing, Landes said. He added that he agrees with McAuliffe that the state needs to find a way to help low-income people obtain health care, but he said the best vehicle for figuring that out is a joint legislative commission that will convene this summer.

Del. Kenneth R. Plum (D-

Fairfax) countered that the state was leaving billions in federal money on the table and that even if funding runs out in a few years, Virginians would be better off for the health care they had during that time.

The position we have taken up to this point has left too many Virginians without adequate health care, Plum argued.

The House also rejected amendments to add money to the budget for cyber summer camps and cyber training, for mental-health screening in jails, for encouraging the solar industry and for stripping $5 million out of the Jamestown 2019 celebration.

The Senate rejected McAuliffes effort to give the city of Alexandria more time to fix a sewage system that leaks millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River every year. The legislature had given the city eight years to fix the problem, but McAuliffe wanted to give the city two to five years on top of that.

The debate split Democrats and gave Republicans a chance to needle Democrats on the governors side as lax on the environment. Sen. Adam P. Ebbin (D-

Alexandria), who led the argument for the longer deadline, said the shorter one would not be achievable.

Another bill McAuliffe had amended would have entitled next of kin to complete records of unattended deaths, such as suicides and accidents, once police determine that no criminal charges would be filed. McAuliffes amendment would have allowed police to release only a summary rather than the entire investigative file.

The governor said the amendment responded to a concern by law enforcement that those files could contain sensitive information that could hamper related police investigations, such as a witness statement made in the case of a drug overdose. The amendments chief defender was a retired state trooper, Sen. Charles W. Bill Carrico Sr. (R-Grayson).

Sen. Scott A. Surovell (D-

Fairfax), who proposed the bill, said the governors amendments would deny grieving family members important answers about a loved ones death.

If they dont get answers, it haunts them the rest of their lives, he said.

Lining up with Surovell was Sen. Jeremy S. McPike (D-Prince William), who lost a brother to suicide 18 years ago. Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) broke a tie by voting against the amendment. Republicans later asked to reconsider the vote, and the amendment failed on a 24-to-16 vote that did not involve Northam.

The House spent most of the first two hours and 15 minutes of the session in tributes to five Republican members who are not running for reelection. The greatest portion of that time was devoted to speeches from Republicans and Democrats alike honoring Del. Dave B. Albo (R-Fairfax), who surprised many by announcing that he would retire this fall after 24 years in the House.

Albo delivered an emotional farewell speech, saying he could not afford to continue to devote up to 100 days a year away from his law practice and his family. I just cannot financially do it anymore, said Albo, who is known for his love of rock-and-roll and a self-effacing sense of humor. He read aloud from an email that he kept taped to the wall of his office in which someone had called him the living definition of a blank-head and a Neanderthal.

After praising his fellow delegates on both sides of the aisle, Albo finished with a flourish. Ive dreamed about doing this one thing, he said. The last thing Im going to do in the House of Delegates is say: Dave Albo  out! And he dropped his microphone to thunderous laughter and applause.
The Arkansas Parole Board on Wednesday recommended that Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) alter the states unprecedented execution schedule and grant mercy to a death-row inmate who directed the torture and murder of a teenager more than two decades ago.

Jason McGehee, 40, is one of eight inmates scheduled to die in four double executions this month. Hutchinson, who is not bound by the boards finding that McGehee should have his sentence cut to life without parole, can intervene at any time before the execution begins on April 27. The governor has not said when he will make a decision.

Until Wednesday, the state Parole Board had rejected every death-row clemency request presented to it since 1990.

With a key lethal injection drug expiring at the end of the month, the Arkansas Department of Correction hopes to execute eight men in a 10-day period beginning April 17. Only Texas has executed that many inmates in a month, doing it twice in 1997. Seven executions in a month would still be a record for Arkansas.


Youngstown Thermal is a heating-and-cooling provider, one of the few industrial businesses still in Youngstown, Ohio. After Ohios surprising swing toward Donald Trump in the 2016 elections, Democrats fear that the national party still hasnt learned from its loss and is forgetting the working class. (Andrew Spear/For The Washington Post)

 The dinner was supposed to be a Democratic strategy session for an upcoming county election. But the mood grew darker as conversation turned toward the future of their party.

One by one, members of the Mahoning County Democratic Party poured out their frustrations: Just months after the presidential election, they felt folks like them were being forgotten  again. The partys comeback strategy was being steered by protesters, consultants and elitists from New York and California who have no idea what voters in middle America care about.

But worst of all, they said, the party hadnt learned from what they saw as the biggest message from Novembers election: Democrats have fallen completely out of touch with Americas blue-collar voters.

It doesnt matter how much we scream and holler about jobs and the economy at the local level. Our national leaders still dont get it, said David Betras, the countys party chair. While Trump is talking about trade and jobs, theyre still obsessing about which bathrooms people should be allowed to go into.

Others around the restaurant table nodded.

Since the election, Democrats have been swallowed up in an unending cycle of outrage and issues that have little to do with the nations working class, they said, such as womens marches, fighting Trumps refugee ban and advocating for transgender bathroom rights.

The partys national leaders have focused on decrying Trump, opposing his Supreme Court pick and tying his administration to Russia. That approach  trying to defeat Trump solely by attacking him and his policies  already has failed once, many at the dinner said.

Meanwhile, they think few are talking about issues that really matter to people in places such as Youngstown: Stagnant wages, vanishing jobs and sputtering economies. Even the Democrats recent success in blocking Trumps attempt to repeal President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act matters little in the face of those core interests, local party leaders said. And unless the party begins addressing those blue-collar issues, they said, there will be real and dire consequences in states like theirs.

In more than a dozen interviews, party leaders across Ohio  from local precinct captains to the handful of Democrats who remain in Congress  said they are deeply worried.

Every time Trump so much as sneezes, we as a party are setting our hair on fire and running around like its the end of the world, Betras said as the dinner wound down. Most people around here dont care. They are living paycheck to paycheck, just trying to hold on. After everything thats happened, if we as a party still arent speaking to them, then we are never getting them back.



Mahoning County Democratic Party Chair David Betras in his office in Canfield, Ohio. Every time Trump so much as sneezes, we as a party are setting our hair on fire and running around like its the end of the world, Betras said. . . . After everything thats happened, if we as a party still arent speaking to [the working class], then we are never getting them back. (Andrew Spear/For The Washington Post)

Blue-collar issues

Since Trumps election, the movement against him has injected newfound energy and purpose into the left. The argument that has emerged from key heartland states  where Democrats lost by narrow margins  is that the partys new focal point needs to be economic issues.

Ohios Democratic Party has launched kitchen-table conversations to reorganize its agenda around economic concerns. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown recently unveiled a 77-page proposal for populist, pro-worker initiatives that could serve as a blueprint for the national party.

But the most forceful move came in U.S. Rep. Tim Ryans failed attempt to wrest control of the House minority leadership from Nancy Pelosi. In his pitch to fellow Democrats, the Ohio lawmaker argued that there is something fundamentally broken in the partys relationship with the workers who once made up its base.

Ryan said he believes the Democratic Party must move economic issues back to the fore and frame all its goals through that lens.

Instead of talking about the environment, he said in a phone interview, Democrats should focus on creating green jobs. Instead of re-litigating old fights, he said, Democrats should propose new ideas and dare Republicans to shoot them down, such as a new project to lay broadband fiber nationwide to boost jobs and productivity.

During the recent fight over Obamacare, for example, he and other Ohio Democrats focused their arguments on not only who would lose coverage under the Republican plan, but also the health-care jobs that would be lost and the funding that would be cut for opioid treatment in working-class areas struggling with addiction.

We have to be constantly pulling it back toward the hurt that working-class people are experiencing, Ryan said.

Most acknowledge the need for a stronger economic message, but there has been pushback against the idea of chasing white working-class voters to the detriment of minorities and social issues. There is also disagreement over how important blue-collar voters were in Novembers loss, with blame ranging from Russian hacking, late-game interference by the FBI director, the flaws of Hillary Clinton and her campaign strategy.

Others take offense at the idea of ceding focus on causes such as gay rights, anti-Muslim discrimination, racial disparity, abortion and womens rights for the sake of votes.

Its a false choice to say we have to decide between economic issues and civil rights. Theyre all part of the larger problem of inequality that we should be fighting against, said Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, which is bringing together party luminaries in May for an brainstorming conference. Theres no easy answers, and were still at the very beginning of the ideas process.



Ken Carano, a local trustee, spoke at a meeting of the Mahoning County Democratic Party in Youngstown, on March 2. Democrats in Youngstown think the future will be bleak unless the national party starts appealing to Americas working class again. (Andrew Spear/For The Washington Post)

Lost credibility

At a bar on the hollowed-out edges of Youngstown, Betras slid a memo dated May 12, 2016, across the table. It was then that he saw the wave of anger coming and tried to warn Clintons campaign.

I know I am just a chairman but I am a chairman in the trenches, Betras wrote in the three-page memo, begging Clinton to focus on jobs.

In Mahoning County  a Democratic stronghold decimated by the manufacturing industrys decline  Betras was seeing GOP yard signs suddenly popping up. During the primaries, he learned that 18 of his own Democratic precinct captains had crossed party lines to vote for Trump. Some areas had to print extra Republican primary ballots just to keep up with the demand.

Thats when I knew something was wrong, he said.

He warned Clinton that she had lost all credibility with working-class voters by waffling on trade and offering tepid solutions. He urged in his memo that she talk about infrastructure instead.

The workers were talking about dont want to run computers, they want to run back hoes, dig ditches, sling concrete block, he wrote. Theyre not embarrassed about the fact that they get their hands dirty. . . . They love it and they want to be respected and honored for it.

He sent his memo to Clintons top campaign adviser in Ohio and other senior party officials. But Betras never heard back.

Months later, he said he thinks his party leaders still havent gotten the message.

He exploded with vulgar language while describing what happened with the Carrier deal, when Trump announced he had persuaded the air-conditioning company to keep more than 1,100 jobs in Indiana, a claim that drew skepticism.

[Fact Checker: Trumps misleading numbers about the Carrier deal]

You had Democrats criticizing Trump about the exact number of jobs he saved, said Betras, noting how backward it was for his party to be attacking the president for fighting for jobs. Saving jobs used to be what our f---ing party was all about, he said, pounding his fist into the bar.

He pointed to an empty plate nearby.

What Trump slapped onto his plate last election was a big juicy steak. Real or not  thats what it looked like to the hungry working voter, Betras said. What the elitists in our Democratic Party did with their side issues was say, Look at all this broccoli we have for you. Sure, theres some meat pieces mixed in, too, but look at the broccoli.



A dilapidated building with a positive message in front of a billboard for an adult store in Youngstown. (Andrew Spear/For The Washington Post)

Abandoned

When Ohio leaders talk about their party, they often recall the old days when its core depended on the typical union worker. Now, those workers feel taken for granted or outright abandoned, said U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), 70, whose district sits on Ohios northernmost edge.

Just look at the leadership in both parties, said Kaptur, whose mother was an auto union organizer. The GOPs recent leaders  House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.), former speaker John A. Boehner (Ohio) and Vice President Pence (Ind.)  have largely hailed from middle America, but top Democrats have not. House and Senate minority leaders Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.) come from the wealthy, urban coasts.

That geographic disconnect has translated into policies that alienate the heartland, Kaptur said, overlooking, for example, the devastation of globalized free trade on places such as Ohio. They paid lip service to it, but the underlying attitude was, Youre not modern enough, not educated enough, not willing to adjust,  Kaptur said.



A recent meeting of the Mahoning County Democratic Party in Youngstown. When Ohio leaders talk about their party, they often recall the old days when its core depended on the typical union worker. Now, those workers feel abandoned, Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) says. (Andrew Spear/For The Washington Post)

In recent decades, Democrats have relied on a new base, a diverse mix of minorities, millennials, women, LGBT and college-educated voters  who had turned out in droves for Obama but not for Clinton.

To Kaptur, the two sides  this new diverse coalition and the traditional working-class voters she knows  represent the partys future and past. But neither can win in the present without the other.

We are like a two-winged creature in flight, she said. Weve got one wing that deals with labor and economics and another that deals with social issues and ethnicity. And we have to find a way to fuse these two wings or were going to keep falling from the sky.



Trains sit in the yard of French-owned Vallourec Star, a steel mill, in Youngstown. Republicans hold historic majorities in Ohios state Senate and House, as well as the governors office and every statewide seat. (Andrew Spear/For The Washington Post)

A grim future?

For now, the Democratic future in Ohio looks bleak.

Trump not only flipped the state but also won by the largest margin of any presidential candidate since 1988.

Lou Gentile, 37, was among the Ohio casualties in November. A rising local Democratic star, he lost his state Senate seat in a district struggling with coal mining declines in the Ohio Valley.

Its tough getting caught in this thing you have no control over, he said while driving home after lunch with his former legislative aide in Columbus, the states capital. Every day, you rehash what you could have done differently.

The partys losses have made it difficult to cultivate a strong bench for future elections, he said. It also has allowed Republicans to redraw Ohios districts, making it even more difficult for Democrats to claw their way back to relevancy.

Im worried about the party, Gentile said. If anything good comes out of this last cycle, I hope its that our national leaders finally get the message about whats going on in places like this. We have to go back to basics  jobs, wages, the things that actually make a difference to people out here.



A tattered American flag flies over a heating business in Youngstown. Im worried about the party, said Lou Gentile, a Democrat who lost his state Senate seat. . . . We have to go back to basics  jobs, wages, the things that actually make a difference to people out here. (Andrew Spear/For The Washington Post)

Alice Crites contributed to this report.
Paul McHugh, the former chief of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital, helped to end Johns Hopkinss pathbreaking transgender surgery program nearly 40 years ago. (Courtesy of Johns Hopkins Medicine)

Nearly four decades after he derailed a pioneering transgender program at Johns Hopkins Hospital with his views on guilt-ridden homosexual men, psychiatrist Paul McHugh is seeing his institution come full circle with the resumption of gender-reassignment surgeries.

McHugh, the hospitals chief of psychiatry from 1975 to 2001, still believes that being transgender is largely a psychological problem, not a biological phenomenon. And with the title of university distinguished service professor at Johns Hopkins Medicine, he continues to wield enormous influence in certain circles and is quoted frequently on gender issues in conservative media.

Im not against transgender people, he said recently, stressing that he is anxious they get the help they need. But such help should be psychiatric rather than surgical, he maintains.

Hopkins, however, is moving beyond McHugh. This summer, it will formally open a transgender health service and will resume, after a 38-year hiatus, an accompanying surgical program.

Once at the forefront of gender-identity science  and site of the nations first change-of-sex operations, as the headlines announced in 1966  Hopkins abruptly halted those surgeries in 1979.

Johns Hopkins Hospital hopes to return to the forefront of transgender medicine with a new transgender health service formally opening this summer. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

The main trigger was a study by Jon Meyer, who ran the hospitals Sexual Behaviors Consultation Unit. In the study, Meyer concluded that although sex-change surgery was subjectively satisfying for the small sample surveyed, the operations they underwent conferred no objective advantage in terms of social rehabilitation.

With these facts in hand, McHugh later wrote, I concluded that Hopkins was fundamentally cooperating with a mental illness.

Two months later, its gender-identity clinic was shut down.

Many scientists subsequently challenged the methodology behind Meyers study, as well as his interpretation of the results, but in the decade that followed, other academic hospitals often cited the research when they discontinued their own transgender surgical programs.

The decision to restart operations initially was made public in July and then repeated in October on the health systems website in a letter titled Johns Hopkins Medicines Commitment to the LGBT Community. The letter stressed strong and unambiguous support of the LGBT community and made clear that when individuals associated with Johns Hopkins exercise the right of expression, they do not speak on behalf of the institution.

At the same time, the letter emphasized a hallmark of American higher education: the freedom to express contrarian views. Academic freedom is among our fundamental principles, it said, essential to the self-correcting nature of scientific inquiry, and a privilege that we safeguard.

McHugh, many people assumed, was the unnamed impetus for both declarations.

[We are angry: Families of transgender children meet with Betsy DeVos]

Hopkinss shift not only reflects the publics far broader discussion about transgender rights and protections, but also the controversies that the discussion engenders. In February, the Trump administration revoked federal guidelines put in place under President Barack Obama that had directed public schools to allow transgender students to use restrooms matching their gender identity. And North Carolina passed its own restrictive bathroom bill for public spaces  legislation that drew such condemnation, especially from outside of the state, that lawmakers last week voted to repeal the law.

Obviously theres a lot of apprehension and anxiety in the transgender community, because we dont know how health care is going to be impacted [by Trumps agenda], especially for transgender youth, said Paula Neira, clinical director of the new Hopkins program. I think it shows that what were doing is timely.

But as the plans for the transgender health service were coming together last fall, a 143-page report, titled Sexuality and Gender, appeared in the New Atlantis, a science and technology magazine published by the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a conservative Christian think tank. It was authored by McHugh and Lawrence S. Mayer, a professor of statistics and biostatistics at Arizona State University and, at the time of the publication, a scholar in residence at Hopkins.

The pair contended that neither sexual orientation nor gender identity is biologically determined. Although the New Atlantis is a small publication, the report dismayed many in the Hopkins medical community and beyond. Those included Dean Hamer, a scientist at the National Institutes of Health for several decades and one of the first researchers to identify a genetic link to homosexuality. Hamer termed some of the authors statements pure balderdash.

The paper gained traction with conservative media, however.

People began citing the New Atlantis article as a reason to support legislation against transgender people, said Tonia Poteat, a Hopkins epidemiologist who is an expert on transgender issues.

The result: In October, Poteat and a half-dozen colleagues at the universitys Bloomberg School of Public Health denounced the report, writing that it mischaracterizes the current state of the science on sexuality and gender. More than 600 students, faculty members, interns, alumni and others at the medical school also signed a petition calling on the university and hospital to disavow the paper.

These are dated, now-discredited theories, said Chris Beyrer, a professor at the public health school and part of the faculty group that denounced McHughs stance.

[Truth and transgender at age 70]

In an interview from his home in Baltimore, where he still sees patients, McHugh explained that the duty of all doctors who propose a treatment is to know the nature of the problem they propose to treat. The issue of transgender [people] is, the vast majority coming for surgery now dont have a biological reason but a psychosocial reason.

While McHugh successfully lobbied for more than 30 years to keep gender-reassignment surgery from becoming a Medicare benefit, he supports the operation for those born with an intersex condition, which means having a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesnt fall into the typical definition of male or female.

Most recently his name was prominent on an amicus brief in opposition to the case of Virginia transgender student Gavin Grimm. The teen sued his school district to be allowed to use the bathroom of his gender identity  an issue that until last month was headed to the Supreme Court.

People with abnormalities of development should be helped to find their place as they see it best, McHugh said. But they are a tiny number of the transgender population seeking and being given treatment.

Those involved in Hopkinss transgender health services disagree with his positions. But the 85-year-old doctor, who still teaches an occasional course, says he bears no animus toward them. In fact, he appreciated a visit made last fall by W.P. Andrew Lee, the head of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Hopkins. Lee wanted to tell the former psychiatry chief that the hospital would be resuming gender-affirmation surgeries, as they are called these days.

The visit was a professional courtesy, Lee said in an email to The Washington Post. He declined an interview request.

McHugh elaborated a bit on their conversation and how the two had disagreed: When I said [surgery] reduced options, he said he was thinking about the people who were pleased about the treatment.

Their stalemate, the psychiatrist knew, wasnt going to affect the hospitals decision.

So far, the new transgender health service involves 25 to 30 professionals across a number of departments, including plastic surgery, urology, endocrinology, nursing and social work. The surgeries will take place at Hopkins Hospital and possibly at some of the systems satellite centers.

Despite important gender research the university maintained over the years, it has ground to recover. The long break in its surgical program, coupled with McHughs vocal positions on gay and transgender issues, caused Hopkins to lose standing within the LGBT community.

It took an exceptionally long time, Beyrer said. Too long.
VENEZUELA

Opposition calls for dismissal of justices

Venezuelas opposition lawmakers, some carrying injuries from this weeks protests, on Wednesday sought the dismissal of supreme court justices whom they accuse of propping up a socialist dictatorship.

Newly militant opposition leaders also announced another round of demonstrations against President Nicolas Maduro for Thursday, despite chaos and violence in Caracas on Tuesday that left 20 injured and 18 arrested.

We are going to keep fighting for change, opposing repression and dictatorship, lawmaker Juan Requesens, who had a gash on his head, said while en route to the session.

The oppositions main demand now is to bring forward the next presidential election, scheduled for the end of 2018. But there is no sign authorities will concede, analysts and diplomats say, unless foreign pressure ramps up considerably or Venezuelas powerful military sways the equation.

 Reuters

RUSSIA

6 arrested in wake of St. Petersburg attack

As the residents of St. Petersburg try to regain their nerve in the wake of a fatal subway bombing, officials announced that six people have been arrested on suspicion of recruiting others to commit extremist crimes.

The Investigative Committee gave few details, but said those arrested came from Central Asian countries that once were part of the Soviet Union. The predominantly Muslim states are seen as a prime recruiting ground for Islamist militants. Officials have said the suicide attacker who killed 13 people in Mondays blast in St. Petersburg was a native of the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan. Fifty-five people wounded in the blast remain hospitalized.

The six detained were accused of recruiting mostly immigrants from the republics of Central Asia to commit crimes of a terrorist nature and involvement in the activities of terrorist organizations banned in Russia, including the Islamic State group, the statement said.

There was no immediate information tying those arrested with the bomber, identified as Akbardzhon Dhzalilov, 22.

 Associated Press

Mexican drug official tipped off cartel, U.S. says: In a major embarrassment for Mexican law enforcement, U.S. prosecutors say the commander of the Mexican polices intelligence-sharing unit was passing information to the Beltran Leyva drug cartel in exchange for cash. Ivan Reyes Arzate was named in a U.S. district court indictment, just hours after Mexicos federal police revealed that an unnamed agent had been charged with obstructing an investigation.

Israeli minister proposes rail link with Jordan, Saudi Arabia: Israels transportation minister has proposed linking its freight railway network with Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Under the proposal, goods could travel by rail from Israels Mediterranean port of Haifa through Jordan to Saudi Arabias gulf port of Dammam. Minister Yisrael Katz declined at a news conference to say whether the Arab states had agreed to join his initiative.

Polish opposition seeks dismissal of defense chief: Opposition lawmakers in Poland are calling for the dismissal of Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz, saying he is undermining the nations armed forces with dismissals and demotions of high-ranking officers who arent his allies. Two experienced military counterintelligence officers

were dismissed for alleged insubordination and dozens of generals have been sacked. Prime Minister Beata Szydlo says the changes are a necessary remodeling of the armed forces.

Royals attend memorial service for London attack victims: Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry joined first responders and people injured in the March 22 extremist attack in London for a multifaith service meant to underscore the nations resolve to remain united despite adversity. Some 1,800 people took part in the service at Westminster Abbey. Prayers were offered by representatives of the Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and Christian communities.

South Africas top court clears way for rhino horn sales: South Africas top court has dismissed an appeal by the Department of Environmental Affairs to keep a moratorium on the domestic trade in rhino horn, according to court documents seen by Reuters. A global ban in the trade, regulated by a U.N. convention, remains in place, meaning horn acquired legally in South Africa cannot be exported.

 From news services
PERHAPS IT is just a coincidence that the worst chemical weapons attack in Syria since 2013 came only a few days after the Trump administration confirmed that it would not seek to remove blood-drenched dictator Bashar al-Assad from power. Like Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), we suspect not. Either way, the horrific assault Tuesday on a rebel-held town will test whether President Trump will tolerate flagrant crimes against humanity by the Assad regime. So far, the signs are not good.

Though not all the facts are in, the early evidence reported from the scene was ominous. In an early-morning raid, witnesses said, Syrian planes bombed the community of Khan Sheikhoun, in northern Syria, with chemical agents that, according to posted videos, caused victims to foam at the mouth and struggle for breath. Syrian sources reported that at least 58 people were killed, including 11 children, and hundreds of others affected. Some died when a second air raid targeted one of the clinics where people were being treated.

United Nations investigations have established that the Assad regime has dropped barrel bombs filled with chlorine gas on civilians on multiple occasions since agreeing in 2013 to hand over its chemical arsenal and abide by a treaty banning chemical-weapons use. The Tuesday attack appeared even more serious: Medical personnel on the scene cited symptoms consistent with exposure to nerve agents, such as sarin.

It was a sarin attack near Damascus in August 2013 that prompted President Barack Obama first to propose, and then to retreat from, punitive military action against the Assad regime. Mr. Obama later described himself as very proud of his decision, because it led to a deal that supposedly eliminated the Syrian chemical stockpile. Tuesdays attack underlined that Mr. Obama failed to accomplish even that goal, while his withdrawal from the scene opened the way to the destruction of the moderate Syrian opposition, the growth of the Islamic State and the intervention in Syria by Russia.

Now it is Mr. Trumps turn to decide whether to stand up to Mr. Assad and his Iranian and Russian sponsors. So far he is ducking: A statement issued in his name said the attack was reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world, but then quickly pivoted to blaming the Obama administration for its weakness and irresolution. Meanwhile, appearing irresolute, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson declined to respond to a question about the attack before a meeting with Jordans King Abdullah II; later he issued a statement weakly calling on Russia and Iran to hold the Assad regime accountable.

To its credit, the new administration excoriated Russia and China on Feb. 28 when they blocked a U.N. Security Council resolution sanctioning Syria for its documented use of chlorine. The two governments, charged U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley, turned away from defenseless men, women and children who died gasping for breath when Assads forces dropped their poisonous gas. They ignored the facts. They put their friends in the Assad regime ahead of our global security.

Will Mr. Trump now do the same?
I inherited a mess! President Trump complained at a news conference with Jordans King Abdullah II on Wednesday afternoon.

For the second day in a row, he blamed the Obama administration for Tuesdays chemical weapons attack by Syrias Assad regime and, for good measure, he blamed his predecessor for one of the worst deals I have ever witnessed, with Iran. Whether its the Middle East, whether its North Korea, whether its so many other things, whether its in our country, horrible trade deals  I inherited a mess, he repeated.

No, Mr. President, were the ones who inherited a mess. Problems are piling up quickly, and Trump is pointing his finger everywhere but inward.

President George W. Bush years ago spoke of ushering in a new era of personal responsibility. Now, Trump has ushered in his own era of personal responsibility: Everything is the responsibility of other persons.

Much has been said of Trumps attempt to blame this weeks attack in Syria on Obama, because Obama didnt enforce his 2012 red line against the Assad regime using chemical weapons. This blame shifting might have worked better if the attack hadnt happened on Trumps watch and if Trump himself hadnt strenuously and repeatedly opposed military action against Assad.

President Trump in the Rose Garden of the White House. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

This was just the latest item on a long and growing list of Trumps problems that he blames on others. Here is a partial compilation of his buck-passing since taking office:

He blamed the failure of the GOP health-care bill on Democrats, moderate Republicans, conservative Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus, the Heritage Foundation, the Club for Growth and, indirectly, Paul Ryan.

He blamed a Yemen counterterrorism raid that didnt go according to plan both on his generals and on Obama.

He blamed airport protests of his travel ban on a Delta Air Lines systems outage and on the tears of Senator Schumer.

He preemptively blamed future terrorist attacks on the judge who blocked the travel ban and on the court system.

He blamed his own decision to remove national security adviser Michael Flynn on the intelligence community, the media and Democrats trying to cover up Hillary Clintons loss. He blamed his loss of the popular vote on voter fraud.

He blamed Democrats for the long-running investigation into his contacts with Russia. He blamed the intelligence community for leaking information about his contacts with Russia, comparing their actions to those seen in Russia or Nazi Germany. He blamed the media for inventing a narrative that he criticized the intelligence community.

1 of 14 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The scene in Syria after a chemical attack kills dozens View Photos At least 72 are reported dead after a chemical attack on a town in northern Syria. Caption The White House said it had evidence of preparations for another chemical attack in Syria and warned the Syrian regime against it. Earlier this year, dozens died after a chemical attack in a northern town. April 4, 2017 A man is helped by Syrian Civil Defense workers following a toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhoun, a rebel-held town in the northwestern Idlib province. Mohamed Al-Bakour/AFP via Getty Images Wait 1 second to continue.

Trump blamed Obama and his people both for leaks and for widespread public protests against the administration. He blamed Obama for a nonexistent wiretap of Trump Tower. His aides blamed British intelligence for being involved. Trump then blamed Fox News for falsely implicating the British.

Trump aide Kellyanne Conway blamed Australia for leaking a transcript of their prime ministers contentious phone call with Trump. Trump himself suggested that an unidentified somebody might be to blame for anti-Semitic vandalism and threats as part of a false-flag operation.

He blamed Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) for failing to schedule a meeting with him on the cost of prescription drugs. He blamed Senate Democrats for failing to confirm his nominees; the New York Times noted this week that nominees to 21 out of 28 Treasury Department posts havent been named.

Trump blamed his staff for giving him bad information when he falsely claimed that he had the largest electoral victory since Ronald Reagan. He blamed Nordstrom for treating Ivanka Trump so unfairly by dropping her fashion line. And, of course, he has blamed the media for everything: for playing down the crowd size at his inauguration, for portraying him (accurately) as sympathetic to WikiLeaks, for not telling the truth about Obamacare and for failing to report that the White House is running so smoothly.

All presidents, to some extent, try to blame predecessors. But never has the office been occupied by such a prodigious blame-shifter. On his way to the White House, Trump blamed Clinton for starting the birther movement, blamed Mexico for exporting criminals, blamed his failure to release tax returns on an audit, blamed China for problems with North Korea and blamed George W. Bush for the 9/11 attacks. He has, at one time or another, blamed students for Trump Universitys failures and said Kate Middleton had only herself to blame for surreptitious paparazzi photos of her topless.

The harsh response to Trumps Syria statement this week suggests the buck-passing may be losing its charm. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told CNN that Assad had been encouraged by Trumps hands-off attitude toward the regime, calling it another disgraceful chapter in American history.

Tough words  but who could blame him?

Twitter: @Milbank

Read more from Dana Milbanks archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Brand-name drugs tend to capture all the headlines, but did you know that nine out of every 10 prescriptions filled in the U.S. each year are generic? When added together, Americans spend spent about $116 billion on generic drugs in 2016, according to Statista. The numbers get much larger when you zoom to include the rest of the world.
AFTER A Post investigation revealed that D.C. police had fatally shot more people per capita in the 1990s than officers in any other large municipal police department in the country, the U.S. Justice Department got involved, forging an agreement in 2001 that required the District to undertake certain reforms. Across the border in neighboring Maryland, the Prince Georges County Police Department was subject to federal court decrees after investigations revealed excessive police force and abuses in the use of police dogs. The result, both departments agree, was better training, modernized equipment and improved policies that have helped build community trust. Crime didnt go up; it decreased.

We bring up the experiences of these two departments in light of the plans announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to review agreements reached by the Obama administration with a dozen or so troubled police departments as part of its mission to ensure public safety. Embedded in this unprecedented review is the notion that trying to correct patterns of police misconduct is somehow at odds with public safety. There is nothing incompatible between good policing and respecting peoples civil rights, nor between respecting peoples civil rights and respecting the difficult work good police officers do. It is troubling that the Trump administration seems willing  even eager  to abandon the governments role in ensuring that all interests are protected.

A March 31 memorandum from Mr. Sessions made public Monday directs his top staff to review reform agreements reached with police departments that were found to have routinely violated the civil rights of individuals. Minorities, notably African Americans, are most often singled out for unfair and abusive treatment, ranging from frivolous stops and arrests to use of excessive and deadly force. While it may be hard for the Justice Department to undo agreements authorized by courts and with independent monitors in place, reforms are at risk in cities where a judge has yet to approve a decree (Baltimore) or where negotiations are still underway (Chicago).

Encouragingly, officials in both Baltimore and Chicago said they want to move forward with plans for police reforms no matter what the federal government does. Absence of a court decree might make it more difficult to receive the funding needed for timely reform. Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis called the request by Justice officials for a 90-day delay in court proceedings over the agreement a punch in the gut and said, We have to continue to stress the necessity of constitutional policing in Baltimore and break the culture of zero-tolerance policing brought to the city many years ago. Mr. Davis knows firsthand the benefits of police reforms enacted under court decrees from his time on the police force in Prince Georges.

It is that kind of informed experience  rather than vacuous tough on crime slogans  that should guide the countrys highest law enforcement officer. In signaling the Trump administrations lack of interest in investigating local police departments and helping them improve, Mr. Sessions sends a message that will end up hurting both police and the communities they protect.
Ryan Goodman is a professor at New York University School of Law, a member of the State Departments Advisory Committee on International Law and co-editor in chief of Just Security. He was a special counsel to the general counsel of the Defense Department from 2015 to 2016.

A major question remains as to whether President Trumps inner circle violated federal law before coming into office by communicating with foreign governments and undermining the official policies of President Barack Obama. But if you listen to almost any recent commentary, you would think that the law in question  1799s Logan Act  is essentially a dead letter. Why? Were told that no one has been convicted of violating the Logan Act since the law was signed more than 200 years ago.

Thats true, but thats not nearly the end of the argument. What commentators miss is that the Logan Act has been enforced and relied upon time and again by the executive branch, most notably through the State Department.

In the 19th century, secretaries of state kicked foreign ambassadors out of the country for aiding and abetting violations of the Logan Act. The Spanish minister to the United States in 1805 and the British consul during the Civil War were expelled on that basis. (It is fair to wonder if the current Russian ambassador  Sergey Kislyak  should meet a similar fate for his conversations with ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn before Trumps inauguration.)

(Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

During periods of tension with foreign governments, the State Department restricted  and sometimes suspended  U.S. passports out of concern for Logan Act violations. President Woodrow Wilsons secretary of state invoked the Logan Act in denying passports to U.S. delegates to the Stockholm Peace Conference in 1917. In 1944, Secretary of State Cordell Hull advised President Franklin D. Roosevelt to include explicit conditions in the issuance of passports to a prominent professor and religious leader to travel to the Soviet Union particularly in view of possible repercussions which may arise under the Logan Act. 

In 1966, the State Department confiscated the passports of Americans who had traveled to Vietnam to broker a peace agreement. In 1970, the State Department included the full text and summary of the Logan Acts history in a digest of U.S. practices dictating that foreign diplomatic correspondence be directed through the department. In 1975, the State Department issued an opinion explaining why the trip by a pair of congressmen to Cuba met the specific conditions of the Logan Act in terms that, as then-Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) would later say, would imply that the Logan Act is alive, valid.

It is no wonder that in 2001, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, in a report prepared for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, described the utility of the Logan Act as appearing to have strengthened executive branch control over negotiations with foreign countries by restricting the actions of unauthorized citizens.

Presidents themselves have also invoked the law. In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson believed Richard Nixon violated the Logan Act during Nixons presidential campaign by attempting to send an intermediary to tell South Vietnam to hold off on a peace agreement until after the election. Having wiretapped that conversation (sound familiar?), Johnson informed Vice President Hubert Humphrey  Nixons opponent in the campaign  but Humphrey decided not to do anything about it. He feared the revelation would unfurl a constitutional crisis if Nixon won the election a few days later.

And in 1988, President Ronald Reagan publicly cautioned presidential candidate Jesse Jackson against traveling to Moscow to seek the release of Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov. Reagan remarked: It is a case that there is a law, the Logan Act, with regard to unauthorized personnel, civilians, simply going to  or citizens  to other countries and, in effect, negotiating with foreign governments. Now that is the law of the land.

Congress, for its part, has indirectly affirmed the Logan Act over the years. In the late 1970s, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) attempted to repeal the act but was rebuffed by Sen. James Allen (D-Ala.), who argued, I do not believe we need to have millions of secretaries of state running about carrying on foreign negotiations with foreign governments. In 1980, the Logan Act had been dropped from a draft revision of the Criminal Code, but Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) promised to amend the bill, saying: It is the law of the land, it is on the books, and it should be enforced. And in 2006, the House Ethics Committee warned departing members of the statutory restrictions of the Logan Act. Acknowledging that nobody in living memory had been prosecuted under the act, the committee nevertheless instructed the law remains on the books.

These episodes do not exhaust  by any stretch  the long career of the Logan Act, which has also found its way into successful courts-martial and advice of the judge advocate of the armed services. The true history of the law should worry the Trump administration. If the public becomes aware of how much our government has relied upon the Logan Act, it will raise the temperature of the hot water these individuals are already in.
Regarding the April 2 editorial Nuclear energy in peril:

Article after article has demonstrated how renewable energy, combined with energy efficiency, especially in buildings, can more than make up for the 19.5 percent of U.S. electricity generation currently provided by the dwindling nuclear-power sector.

Climate change will not wait. Slow, cumbersome nuclear energy, even if its many problems vanish tomorrow, simply cannot be delivered in enough speed and volume to rescue us from global warming.

The renewable-energy and energy-efficiency industries provide thousands of long-term, well-paying jobs while making a positive impact on climate change and our environment. The solar industry is closing in on 400,000 jobs in the United States, more than natural gas. Wind power employs slightly more than 100,000 and is growing rapidly. Nuclear energy offers just over 76,000 jobs.

Toshibas Westinghouse is going under because the companies gambled on an outdated, expensive industry in decline while turning a blind eye to the obvious opportunities in green energy and efficiency, sectors that might have saved Westinghouse while boosting the U.S. economy.

Linda Pentz Gunter, Takoma Park

The writer is an international specialist

for Beyond Nuclear.

The Post editorial board makes a critical error in judgment when it advocates for nuclear power apparently simply because a nuclear reaction doesnt directly generate carbon dioxide. A few queries get to the heart of the issues that need to be raised. Have capital markets suddenly changed their tune on private-sector financing of nuclear? Have technological improvements allowed for nuclear plants to no longer require special liability exemptions or limits? Can you build a nuclear plant as quickly as you can install a solar panel or a wind turbine? Or as inexpensively? Is the price per kilowatt competitive with less risky alternatives? Has an agreement been reached on where the wastes will be located and how they will be safeguarded? Would anyone want to live near a nuclear plant?

To say that nuclear power never quite lived up to its potential either economically or environmentally is an understatement of epic proportions. When has the nuclear energy industry ever lived up to the promises it has made?

Jim Nagle, Reston

I am a senior nuclear power plant control room design inspector, and I know that the United States has fallen about 30 years behind Russia, South Korea and China. The plants operating in the United States are 1970s-era thermal-reactor technology. These plants, like the Westinghouse AP1000, produce highly radioactive spent fuel rods that are stored in spent fuel pools. Today, many spent fuel pools in the United States are near capacity, and we have no final disposition solution.

While the United States has wasted the past 20 years gabbing about small modular reactors, Russia has developed the BN-800 fast breeder reactor at Beloyarsk 4. The BN-800 now produces 800 megawatts on the grid, while breeding new fuel and producing almost no radioactive waste. The Russians, Chinese and South Koreans all have robust design and manufacturing capabilities that they are successfully marketing abroad while we are dozing in 1990.

If the United States wants to achieve competitive parity with Russia, China and South Korea, it will require a massive government/industry initiative. Otherwise we will have to buy from them or start digging more coal.

Joseph DeBor, Arlington
When Gen. Michael Hayden visited a secret intelligence facility in the United States a decade ago while he was CIA director, the staff gave him a T-shirt emblazoned with the words Admit Nothing. Deny Everything. Make Counter Accusations.

That motto is much-beloved by covert operators. It also seems to be President Trumps rubric for responding to the FBI investigation of whether any members of his campaign team cooperated with Russian hackers. Maybe its becoming our national slogan.

There are now competing narratives for any issue that touches Russia or intelligence. And every day brings a new set of improbable facts: a cloak-and-dagger visit to the White House by a congressman whos supposedly leading an investigation of the president; a secret meeting in the Seychelles islands between the founder of Blackwater and a Russian emissary.

Good grief! The cascade of news is dizzying. Its like living inside a tumbling washer-dryer.

Lets unpack some of these Russia intelligence puzzles, starting with Trumps allegation of improper surveillance. He spent months insisting that the Russia affair was a hoax and fake news. But the FBI probe rolled on. Now Trump is arguing that the real scandal is that the Obama White House spied on his team during the transition and unmasked their identities to leak damaging information.

(Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

Trumps claims about surveillance deserve a review by the House and Senate intelligence committees, which oversee compliance with the legal rules governing disclosure of the names of Americans swept up in legal intercepts of foreign officials. But it shouldnt distract the country (much less the FBI) from the larger problem of how Russian intelligence hacked our political system last year, and whether Moscow had any help from Trumps associates.

Intelligence officers describe efforts to shift attention as deflection, or misdirection. Magicians use similar techniques to draw viewers eyes toward a bright shiny object and away from the concealed trick, says John McLaughlin, a former acting director of the CIA and an accomplished amateur magician. He notes different variations of this distract-the-audience approach  a shell game, where the magician hides a ball beneath rapidly moving cups, or second-dealing, where the magician pretends to deal himself the top card but really takes the second one.

McLaughlin recalls moments in intelligence history when this process of misdirection was all too successful. In 1962, the Soviets distributed cold-weather parkas to missile crews heading to Cuba; they packed the missiles on ships so that they would look from overhead like vehicles; they stayed off the radio to avoid any signals that could be intercepted. In 1968, the Soviets obscured their invasion of Czechoslovakia by making it look like a military exercise. Deception works.

Part of what were watching these days is the turmoil of a presidential transition  with a new chief executive whos inexperienced and thin-skinned and likes to counterpunch (even when its counterproductive). In Trump world, every channel becomes a back channel, and anything that touches Russia and Trump becomes radioactive.

The Trump effect was clear in The Posts scoop about a Jan. 11 meeting in the Seychelles between a prominent Russian and Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater and a Trump campaign contributor. The Russian was visiting the island resort at the invitation of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the military leader of the United Arab Emirates. MBZ, as hes known, was interested in encouraging Russia to move away from Iran; Prince apparently hoped to promote quiet contact between Moscow and the new administration.

This would probably be a nothingburger, if the FBIs investigation hadnt focused attention on any intersection between Trump and Russia. MBZ has been pursuing better relations with Russia for a dozen years, bringing together Russians, Arabs and prominent Americans from both parties. The Trump administration, similarly, has advertised its interest in better relations. But the overlay of Russian intelligence operations makes ordinary events seem suspect.

Trumps entourage began looking to open contacts with Russia many months before the election. Some of these feelers may have been innocent attempts to explore diplomatic options for the new administration. Others may have been inappropriate, or even illegal, undermining U.S. policy and perhaps seeking to aid Trumps election. Thats why were lucky that an FBI investigation is underway  to sort out what was appropriate from what wasnt.

The Russia investigation has become a hammer. Thats a good thing in most ways. But it doesnt mean that everything marked Russia is a nail.

Read more from David Ignatiuss archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
If there is one operative rule in Washingtons left-right paradigm, it is to shift the focus of any conversation that seems at risk of revealing something approximating truth  a game at which the current administration and its media surrogates happen to excel.

Thus, the focus early this week was on the unmasking of Trump campaign and transition team members who turned up in surveilled communications with foreigners. This unmasking (the naming of said team members) loosely corresponds to President Trumps claim that President Barack Obama was wiretapping him during the transition.

This back-and-forth history is familiar by now. There was no wiretapping, a James Bond-ish technique by which Trump really meant all forms of surveillance, according to press secretary Sean Spicer. But, as we recently learned, some Trump folks were incidentally picked up during the foreign surveillance. We dont yet know whether these included Russians.

Maybe they were discussing the high price of kohlrabi, maybe not. Unmasking, it should be noted, is generally not done unless there are serious reasons to think it essential for national security. People captured incidentally have their names blacked out in deference to their privacy, such as it remains.

Next we hear allegations that former national security adviser Susan Rice sought to unmask the names of Americans affiliated with Trumps team who appeared in foreign surveillance intelligence reports. This doesnt seem to be quite the scandal so many on the right wished it to be. The urgent spin from Trump-quarters was that Rice was conducting a spy operation for political purposes. This would have been intriguing but difficult to pull off unless everyone in the intelligence community were in on the scheme.

First, neither Rice nor any other official has the authority to unmask American citizens out of mere curiosity, as she explained Tuesday in an MSNBC interview with Andrea Mitchell. Rice, as well as other officials, could request an intelligence review to determine whether there were legitimate national security reasons to identify them.

Were they talking cabbage? Or were they discussing a potential U.S. withdrawal from NATO? Wouldnt we like to know?

Some reports said Rice did request a review and receive names, but she adamantly denied leaking any names, saying that this would have constituted releasing classified information. One name the White House says was unmasked in intelligence reports was Michael Flynn, who resigned after it was revealed that he mischaracterized to Vice President Pence conversations he had with the Russian ambassador. Only later did we learn of Flynns $500,000 public relations job for Turkey.

You see how the focus keeps getting directed away from Russia to the Obama administration or any other handy object. Trump continues to blame poor sportsmanship for all his travails, including any fact-based reporting that contradicts his primary intelligence sources, Fox News and Breitbart News (and, perhaps, his Magic 8-Ball). If theres nothing to see here, why the constant shifting of public attention from the grizzly bear to the kid with a slingshot?

Is there anyone left in the United States who thinks that Russias hacking and interference with the 2016 election dont deserve a thorough investigation? Yes, there is. On his Fox News show, the formerly bow-tied but still- adorable Tucker Carlson is leading a charge that we dont really know that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee and delivered emails to WikiLeaks that were released at just the right moment to undermine Hillary Clintons campaign.

We only think we know this, and why? Well, because every American intelligence agency has said so. Moving on.

Next in the series of Look Over There! is a tweet from the presidents son Donald Jr. praising the reporter who pointed to Rice as an unmasker. Congrats to @cernovich for breaking the #SusanRice story, he tweeted like-father-like-son-ly. In a long gone time of unbiased journalism hed win the Pulitzer, but not today!

Actually, there are several Pulitzers awarded each year, but Mike Cernovich, who has said he became an alt- righter when he realized that diversity really meant white genocide, isnt likely to receive one for pointing out that Rice was doing her job.

En fin, the crucial unmasking  who is that masked man in the White House?  is yet to come. For now, we know that the most important aspect of the Russia-hacking-wire-tapping-spying-Susan-Rice story is that Trumps transition team was in contact with Russian operatives and others  and it would be nice to know that they were exploring critical questions related only to cabbage.

Read more from Kathleen Parkers archive, follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook.
President Trump addresses a joint news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah II in the Rose Garden of the White House on April 5. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

President Trump suggested without evidence Wednesday that Susan E. Rice, former national security adviser in his predecessors administration, may have committed a crime in requesting the identities of Trump campaign associates that were contained in classified intelligence reports.

I think its going to be the biggest story, Trump told the New York Times in an interview at the White House. Its such an important story for our country and the world. It is one of the big stories of our time.

Do I think? Yes, I think, he said, when asked whether Rice had committed a crime.

Rice served as the national security adviser to President Barack Obama from 2013 to 2017 and was one of several senior national security officials authorized to request the identity of U.S. persons who appear in classified intelligence reports. Those names are redacted and minimized, or masked, to protect the privacy of American citizens, permanent residents and other entities caught up in the legal surveillance of foreigners. U.S. persons cannot be surveilled without a warrant, but the unmasking of such names can be requested if it is necessary for a national security purpose.

Rice declined to comment through a spokeswoman: Im not going to dignify the Presidents ludicrous charge with a comment.

Trump, his aides and other Republicans have suggested that Rice requested the information for political purposes and leaked them in news media reports. This week on Twitter, Trump called attention to a link on the Drudge Report, a conservative website, that described Rice as having ordered spy docs on him.

In an interview on Tuesday, Rice denied the allegations.

I leaked nothing, to nobody, and never have and never would, Rice said on MSNBC. The allegation is that somehow Obama administration officials utilized intelligence for political purposes.

Absolutely false, she added.



Rice may now face an inquiry by the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The committees chairman, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), said that Rice may be interviewed as part of the committees work.

Rice has said that the pace of intelligence reports on Russian meddling increased beginning in the summer of 2016.

Trumps comments on Wednesday also pointed to a larger conspiracy, that would include other Obama administration officials.

There is no evidence that Rice improperly requested that names be unmasked.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) first suggested that he had seen intelligence reports that contained the identities of Trump associates, including some where the names were masked but were easily identifiable.

Those reports, which Nunes revealed in a news conference and were the foundation for a briefing he provided to the president, were uncovered by National Security Council officials working in the White House who, The Washington Post reported, secretly passed them on to Nunes.

Trump has also claimed, without evidence, that Obama ordered a wiretap of Trump Tower during the election. Democrat and Republican lawmakers continue to say no evidence supports this claim.

Adam Entous contributed to this report.
With the health-care bill back-burnered on Capitol Hill, the focus has shifted to tax reform. Among the key financial matters in play: Homeowners prized deductions for mortgage interest and property taxes.

Although no major version of an overhaul bill would eliminate the mortgage interest deduction, a plan known as the House Republicans blueprint would essentially sidestep it by doubling the current standard deduction from $12,600 to $24,000 for joint filers ($12,000 for single filers).

With a standard deduction that large, the vast majority of homeowners now claiming the write-off would probably stop itemizing. Tax experts estimate that 84 percent of the 45 million taxpayers who would otherwise itemize in 2017 would opt for the enlarged standard deduction instead. The blueprint proposal also would repeal most tax deductions and credits  including those for state and local taxes  and would compress todays seven marginal tax brackets into three: 33 percent, 25 percent and 12 percent.

The blueprint has the backing of House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and is considered the foundational document for tax reform this year. President Trump floated a somewhat similar plan during the campaign, and the White House is expected to outline a new version in coming weeks. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says a tax overhaul is on a fast track and could be wrapped up by the August congressional recess. That timetable is widely viewed as unrealistic, but some form of tax bill might be passed later this year or in 2018.

[More Harney: Beware, mortgage seekers: Random, online credit scores are not always reliable]

(The Washington Post)

So what does all this mean for you if youre thinking of buying a house or you already own one and itemize deductions including mortgage interest? Is there reason for concern?

Home-building and real estate advocates are emphatic that the answer is yes. Doubling the size of the standard deduction may sound seductive  it would simplify tax returns for millions of Americans  but it could be bad news in disguise for first-time buyers, existing owners and homeownership in general.

Thats because, in the advocates view, it would dilute the long-standing special status conferred upon homeownership by the federal tax code. There would be no different tax treatment for you whether you owned a home or rented. Also, the tax benefits of ownership that are now baked into home prices would dissipate over time, leading to declines in property values.

Listen to how Jerry Howard, chief executive of the National Association of Home Builders, put it to me in an interview: From the inception of the tax code, our public policy has been consistently in favor of incenting people to buy homes. To water down that incentive for most taxpayers, he believes, would be a social and economic mistake.

[More Harney: Paying a lot for an appraisal? A middleman may be getting a large part of the fee]

In a recent presentation, Evan Liddiard, senior tax policy representative for the National Association of Realtors, said the Republicans blueprint would nullify the tax benefits of homeownership.

He offered a hypothetical example: A young couple in Utah with one child and a household income of $61,000 took out a mortgage of $163,000 two years ago. They can deduct $7,160 in mortgage interest, $1,189 in local real estate taxes, $1,304 in mortgage insurance and $2,250 in other state and local taxes. Under todays tax code, their net tax benefits of owning a home came to $1,185 in 2016. Under the blueprint, that would drop to zero. Even taking the enlarged standard deduction, their 2016 tax liability would be $2,940, compared with $2,325 under current law.

Not all tax experts agree with the builders and realty advocates dark forecasts, however. Joseph Rosenberg, a senior research associate at the independent Tax Policy Center, says he would be skeptical about any analysis indicating that the combination of tax-code changes proposed in the blueprint would have dramatic effects on homeownership.

The most plausible effect, he said, might be on home values, where academic studies have concluded that tax benefits have been capitalized into home prices over time, although estimates vary about how much the increment may be.

Bottom line: Keep an eye on tax reform, but be aware that nothing is going to change overnight: Major tax bills always have phase-in periods. And given the current deep fissures on Capitol Hill between and within the major parties, a complex piece of legislation loaded with other minefields besides homeowner tax benefits may simply be beyond the abilities of the current crop of lawmakers and this White House.

Ken Harneys email address is kenharney@earthlink.net.
He liked the bill so much, he signed it more than once.

Gov. Pete Ricketts endorsed several copies of a bill authorizing "Choose Life" license plates in Nebraska on Wednesday, distributing them to anti-abortion activists and elected officials during a ceremony at the Capitol.

"For pro-life Nebraskans, this is a big day," Ricketts said.

He said the measure is the first "pro-life" legislation passed in Nebraska since 2011, calling it a small step, but important.

The plates will be available in 2018. An exact design hasn't been chosen.

Lawmakers approved the plates Monday on a 35-5 vote. The bill (LB46), sponsored by Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse, includes a $5 application fee to benefit the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

Opponents of the bill, including Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers, said it amounts to state-sponsored political speech.

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland has announced plans to develop its own plates, which will read "My Body, My Choice." The organization is working to gather the 250 pre-orders required for nonprofits to have plates approved by the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles.

As of last week, Planned Parenthood said it had reached about 50 percent of that goal.

Ricketts said Nebraska has a "history and a legacy in our state of protecting innocent life."

Bob Blank, president of Choose Life Nebraska, said he expects the "Choose Life" plates to become the state's most popular specialty license plates.

"We'll see if that comes true, but we have a lot of interest," Blank said.
Germany officially unveiled a landmark social-media bill Wednesday that could quickly turn this nation into a test case in the effort to combat the spread of fake news and hate speech in the West.

The highly anticipated draft bill is also highly contentious, with critics denouncing it as a curb on free speech. If passed, as now appears likely, the measure would compel large outlets such as Facebook and Twitter to rapidly remove fake news that incites hate, as well as other criminal content, or face fines as high as 50 million euros ($53 million).

Chancellor Angela Merkels cabinet agreed on the draft bill Wednesday, giving it a high chance of approval in the German Parliament before national elections in September. In effect, the move is Germanys response to a barrage of fake news during last years elections in the United States, with officials seeking to prevent a similar onslaught here.

Already, a few fake news reports have emerged in Germany. One falsely alleged that a German girl of Russian descent was raped last year by asylum seekers. Repeated by high-level Russian officials, the reports seemed aimed at Merkels open-door policy for refugees.

[Germany springs to action over hate speech against migrants]

Merkel is now involved in a strenuous campaign for a fourth term in office.

The providers of social networks are responsible when their platforms are misused to spread hate crime or illegal false news, German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement.

The proposed law would apply only within German borders. But Maas said Wednesday he would press for similar measures across the European Union.

A number of European countries have also sought to counter the fake-news scourge. The Czech Republic recently inaugurated a special unit charged with denouncing false reports. Should the German measure become law, however, experts say it would amount to the boldest step yet by a major Western nation to control social-media content. Depending on how obviously false or illegal a post is, companies would have as little as 24 hours to remove it.

In addition to fake news and hate speech, the draft bill would target posts seen as inciting terrorism or spreading child pornography. Officials have cited a surge of hate speech across the Internet as a major factor behind the rise of far-right violence in Germany, including arson attacks at refugee centers and assaults on police officers.

Germany considers itself a pioneer, said Markus Beckedahl, a prominent German Internet activist and blogger. Its a solo effort . . . but the European Commission will certainly watch closely what Germany is doing.

Yet the broad nature of the bill prompted critics to call it an overreach that risks becoming de facto censorship. Stephan Scherzer, chairman of the Association of German Magazine Publishers, said the measure could turn big social-media companies into private opinion police.

(Erin Patrick O'Connor/The Washington Post)

Green Party politician Renate Kunast told public broadcaster ARD that the bill could lead to a sharp limitation of freedom of speech, because there will only be deleting, deleting, deleting.

[In Germany, the language of Nazism is no longer buried in the past]

One of the companies most affected by the bill is Facebook, which has sought to sidestep such laws by taking voluntary measures to curb the spread of fake news. The company echoed concerns that the bill would wrongly foist upon corporations a level of decision-making on the legality of content that should instead reside with German courts.

We work very hard to remove illegal content from our platform and are determined to work with others to solve this problem, the company said in a statement. As experts have pointed out, this legislation would force private companies rather than the courts to become the judges of what is illegal in Germany.

But German officials argue that social-media companies are simply not acting quickly enough to deal with damaging posts. Maas cited statistics showing that Facebook has rapidly deleted just 39 percent of the criminal content it was notified about, while Twitter acted quickly to delete only 1 percent of posts cited in user complaints.

Rather than setting a new standard, officials also say they are simply forcing social-media outlets to comply with existing laws governing hate speech and incitement in Germany. Incitement and defamation laws here are far broader than in the United States; for instance, laws on the books forbid defaming German leaders and make denial of the Holocaust a crime.

There must be just as little room for illegal hate speech on social networks as there is on the street, Maas said. We owe it to the victims of hate crimes to enforce this better.

Read more:

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
President Trump confronted the enormity of the six-year-old Syrian conflict on Wednesday, acknowledging that he now bears responsibility for a war his predecessor could not end, but offering no specifics on what he could do differently.

Clearly emotional, Trump said a chemical attack in Syria that killed scores of civilians, including children, crossed a lot of lines for me.

When you kill innocent children, innocent babies  babies!  little babies, Trump said, that crosses many, many lines. Beyond a red line, many, many lines.

Trump said the multifaceted conflict is now my responsibility, and he appeared to reckon with the same lack of good options in Syria that repeatedly confounded President Barack Obama.

Like Obama, Trump faces a Syrian strongman willing to commit atrocities and whose military and diplomatic backing from Russia has prolonged a civil war with numerous belligerents, separate from the campaign to defeat the Islamic State.

(The Washington Post)

Trump suggested that the attack Tuesday had changed his mind about his approach to Syria, which had seemed to focus exclusively on defeating the Islamic State, but he did not say what that might mean.

I like to think of myself as a very flexible person, Trump said in a Rose Garden news conference with Jordans King Abdullah II.

And I will tell you that attack on children yesterday had a big impact on me, big impact. That was a horrible, horrible thing, Trump said. Ive been watching it and seeing it, and it doesnt get any worse than that.

The president would not say whether military action against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is more likely as a result of the attack, and he did not address whether his concern on behalf of the dead and injured civilians had changed his mind about the wisdom of accepting Syrian refugees into the United States.

But he did say his attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much.

U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley suggested the United States could intervene militarily, although she, too, was not specific about what that might entail.

When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action, Haley said. For the sake of the victims, I hope the rest of the council is finally willing to do the same.

1 of 14 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The scene in Syria after a chemical attack kills dozens View Photos At least 72 are reported dead after a chemical attack on a town in northern Syria. Caption The White House said it had evidence of preparations for another chemical attack in Syria and warned the Syrian regime against it. Earlier this year, dozens died after a chemical attack in a northern town. April 4, 2017 A man is helped by Syrian Civil Defense workers following a toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhoun, a rebel-held town in the northwestern Idlib province. Mohamed Al-Bakour/AFP via Getty Images Wait 1 second to continue.

If proven to have been carried out by Assad, the chemical attack Tuesday would represent a challenge to Trump to act where Obama did not. The attack followed recent Trump administration statements backing away from Obamas insistence that Assad must leave power as a part of any political settlement in Syria.

Trump did not call for Assad to go and said nothing about Russian culpability for backing the regime and defending it against charges that it targeted civilians. The Assad government and Russia blamed the chemical release on rebel forces.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said that at least 72 people were killed, making it the deadliest chemical assault since 2013, when the Syrian government dropped sarin on the Damascus suburbs, killing hundreds of people as they slept, and bringing the United States and European allies to the verge of military intervention.

On Wednesday, Trump repeated campaign-trail criticism of the Obama administration for threatening military action over that 2013 attack and then backing off. For the balance of his presidency, Obama struggled with the limits of an arms-length approach that he maintained was still preferable to direct military involvement.

We have a big problem. We have somebody that is not doing the right thing. And thats going to be my responsibility, Trump said. But Ill tell you, that responsibility couldve made, been made, a lot easier if it was handled years ago.

Trump had supported Obamas decision not to bomb in 2013, but as a candidate, he used the episode as an example of what he called the Democrats weakness and indecision. Trump promised certitude and strength, and there were echoes of that rhetoric in his first Rose Garden news conference Wednesday.

We will destroy ISIS and we will protect civilization, Trump said, referring to the Islamic State group that operates in Syria and is one of many players in the fractured country. We have no choice. We will protect civilization.

Abdullah, whose small country has been overwhelmed by Syrian refugees, largely dodged a question about whether Trumps proposed travel ban, which would block Syrians from coming to the United States as refugees, would add to Jordans burden.

The Europeans are being very forward-leaning in providing financial and other help, Abdullah said. A tremendous burden on our country, but again, tremendous appreciation to the United States and the Western countries for being able to help us in dealing with that.

In the past, attacks on civilians such as the one Tuesday have increased the pressure on Syrians to flee.

Earlier Wednesday, Haley assailed Russia in blunt terms for protecting the Syrian government, saying that Moscow is callously ignoring civilian deaths.

How many more children have to die before Russia cares? she said in New York, with representatives of the Syrian government and its Russian backers looking on.

She held aloft gruesome images from the attack in Idlib province. One showed a child splayed and apparently lifeless.

Russia has shielded Assad from U.N. sanctions. If Russia has the influence in Syria that it claims to have, we need to see them use it, Haley said. We need to see them put an end to these horrific acts.

[Deadly attack in Syria likely involved banned nerve agent, experts say]

At the United Nations, Russias representative lamented what he called clearly an ideological thrust to the discussion at the Security Council.

Accusations of the Assad regimes involvement are closely interwoven with the anti-Damascus campaign, which hasnt yet reached the place it deserves on the landfill of history, Russian representative Sergey Kononuchenko said.

Russia is likely to block a proposed Security Council condemnation of the attack.

Syrias representative, Mounzer Mounzer, dismissed the accusation that his country is to blame, saying Damascus condemns the use of chemical weapons. We dont have them. We never use them, he told the council.

Under Russian pressure, Syria agreed in 2013 to give up its chemical weapons and claimed it had eliminated its stockpiles.

Russia tried Wednesday to shift the blame to armed groups opposing Assad.

Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, a Russian military spokesman, said Syrian warplanes had been targeting rebel workshops and depots.

The territory of this storage facility housed workshops to produce projectiles filled with toxic agents, he said in a recorded statement.

The World Health Organization said Wednesday that victims symptoms bore all the hallmarks of a chemical attack, possibly involving a banned nerve agent. Syrian forces also have used chlorine-based weapons.

The British and French ambassadors to the United Nations criticized Russia directly for protecting the Assad government at the expense of civilians.

History will judge all of us in how we respond to these unforgettable and unforgivable images of the innocent, British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said. How long are we going to sit here and pretend that actions in these chambers have no consequences?

He said Russia and China squandered an opportunity to call out Syria when they vetoed a February effort to condemn smaller reported instances of chemical weapons use.

John Wagner contributed to this report.
Former Obama national security adviser Susan E. Rice said Tuesday that she absolutely never sought to uncover for political purposes the names of Trump campaign or transition officials concealed in intelligence intercepts, and she called suggestions that she leaked those identities completely false.

I leaked nothing, to nobody, and never have and never would, Rice said in response to the latest charges and countercharges flowing from politically charged investigations into Russian interference in the presidential election.

Since they first surfaced over the weekend, the Rice reports have quickly overtaken the steady drumbeat of revelations about connections to Moscow that have dogged President Trump for months. On Tuesday, the subject dominated cable news and flooded Twitter.

RICE ORDERED SPY DOCS ON TRUMP? the president retweeted, with a link to the Daily Caller and a Drudge Report headlined Boiled Rice.

A number of Republican lawmakers said that Rice should be called to testify before congressional inquiries into what U.S. intelligence has said were Russian efforts not only to roil the presidential race, but also to tip the scales in Trumps favor.

Susan E. Rice, then the national security adviser to President Barack Obama, walks on the South Lawn of the White House in July. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

If the reports are right, then she will be of interest to us, said Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which, along with its House counterpart and the FBI, is investigating the matter.

When it comes to Susan E. Rice, you need to verify, not trust, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said in an interview with Fox News. I think every American should know whether or not the national security adviser to President Obama was involved in unmasking Trump transition figures for political purposes.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), called Rice the Typhoid Mary of the Obama administration.

Beyond Trumps tweets, however, the White House was uncharacteristically restrained on the subject, as its media and Capitol Hill allies expressed outrage on its behalf. Its not for me to decide who should testify or how they should do it, press secretary Sean Spicer said.

[Susan Rice may be of interest to us, says Senate Intelligence chairman]

Rep. Adam B. Schiff (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called the attention focused on Rice a diversionary tactic. He has also called on the Intelligence Committees chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes (R), a Trump transition official and fellow Californian, to recuse himself from the investigation. The White House, Schiff said, has a strong desire . . . that we lose our focus, that we not pursue the investigation of Russia, particularly as it might impact the Trump campaign.

At the same time, Schiff told CNN, Rice has long been a target of what he called the Breitbart crowd . . . the hard right since the September 2012 attacks on a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya. Four U.S. officials were killed in an extremist attack that Rice initially described as an anti-American protest that evolved into violence.

White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon is the former chairman of Breitbart News, which he has described as the platform for the alt-right, an antiglobalist movement that seeks a whites-only state.

Asked Tuesday whether she was willing to testify, Rice told MSNBC, Lets see what comes. Investigations on Russian involvement in our electoral process are very important, theyre very serious, and every American ought to have an interest in those investigations going wherever the evidence indicates they should, she said.

I have an interest as an American citizen, as a former official, Rice said. I would want to be helpful in that process if I could.

The focus on Rice comes as lawmakers are trying to iron out why Nunes went to the White House two weeks ago to view documents that he later said suggested that the names of Trump transition team members had been improperly unmasked. Top officials can ask intelligence agencies to reveal the names to them for national security or other reasons.

The term refers to revealing a name that has been blacked out in an intelligence surveillance report. The law does not permit surveillance of U.S. people without a warrant; if one shows up in authorized surveillance of a foreign person, it is masked.

News media reports on contacts between Russia and Trump associates, including in The Washington Post, have included names said to have appeared in intelligence reports  either persons named in conversations between foreigners, or conversations directly between foreigners and U.S. persons.

Most prominent among them is former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, whose December phone conversations with Russias ambassador in Washington included references to U.S. sanctions imposed under President Barack Obama. After a Post report on the conversations, Trump ousted Flynn for mischaracterizing them to Vice President Pence.

Trump later charged that he, himself, had been surveilled under orders from Obama, who allegedly was seeking to undermine him. The administration has said repeatedly that attention should be focused on who unmasked and leaked, rather than on the information revealed.

After Nuness statement about the unmasking, The Post reported last week that at least three White House officials were involved in handling the files shown to him. On Monday, a report by Bloomberg View suggested that those officials began examining the files after discovering that Rice, while working as Obamas national security adviser, had requested the names be unmasked.

The Daily Caller followed with a report, sourced to former U.S. attorney Joe DiGenova and other official sources, that said that Rice ordered U.S. spy agencies to produce detailed spreadsheets of phone calls involving Trump and his aides.

The White House immediately drew attention to a PBS interview in which Rice, on the same day as Nuness statement about the documents, said, I know nothing about this.

Speaking Tuesday to MSNBC, Rice said that she, like other top officials in all administrations, sometimes asked for names of U.S. persons that had been blacked out in intelligence reports  on every topic under the sun when it seemed relevant  when necessary to protect the American people and do our jobs.

Let me give you an example  completely made up, she said. Lets say there was a conversation between two foreigners about a conversation they were having about an American who was proposing to sell to them high-tech bomb-making equipment.

Now, if that came to me as the national security adviser, it would matter enormously  is that some kook sitting in his living room communicating via the Internet to sell something he doesnt have, or is this a serious person or company or entity with the ability to provide this technology perhaps to an adversary? That would be an example of how it is necessary knowing who that person was to assess that information.

I cant say that the pace of unmasking requests rose during the Trump transition, Rice said. But, she said, the pace of intelligence reports on Russian interference efforts increased beginning in late summer. Intelligence officials went back to rescrub the reports after Obama requested a compilation of them, which was delivered in January, she said.

There was no spreadsheet, nothing of the sort, Rice said.

The allegation is that somehow Obama administration officials utilized intelligence for political purposes, she said. Absolutely false.
North Korea fired another ballistic missile Wednesday morning, apparently testing a land-based version of its missile that can be fired from a submarine, in a development that nonproliferation experts called scary.

The launch comes shortly after Pyongyang said it planned to mark two key anniversaries this month as big political events, and a day before President Trump meets with visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping  with North Korea at the top of the agenda.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued a terse statement after the launch.

North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile, he said. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment.

South Korean and U.S. military officials said the medium-range missile was fired from a land base near the east coast port of Sinpo, home to a known North Korean submarine base.





In August, North Korea made a major technological breakthrough by launching a ballistic missile from a submarine near Sinpo. It flew about 300 miles before falling into the sea inside Japans air defense identification zone, the area in which Tokyo controls aircraft movement. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un boasted about the launch, describing it as the greatest success.

That missile was a KN-11, which North Korea calls the Pukkuksong-1 or Polaris-1. Wednesdays missile appeared to be a KN-15, according to the U.S. Pacific Command, based in Hawaii. This is a land-based version of the medium-range submarine-launched ballistic missile.

[ As North Koreas arsenal grows, experts see heightened risk of miscalculation ]

But Wednesdays missile did not appear to fly very far, only about 40 miles, after being launched at 6:40 a.m. Seoul time, South Korean military officials said.

The U.S. Pacific Command said the missile did not pose a threat to North America.

What made the launch scary, according to Melissa Hanham of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in California, was that the missile appeared to have been powered by solid fuel.

Solid fuel is very significant because they can launch these missiles much faster and with a smaller entourage than with liquid-fueled missiles, making them much harder for the United States, South Korea and Japan to spot from satellites, she said.

Furthermore, the test suggests that North Korea is looking for ways to launch its medium-range missiles more easily and cheaply.

Theyve essentially taken their submarine-launched missile and turned it into a land-based one, Hanham said. Instead of being launched from a submarine, these missiles can be launched from trucks, which North Korea is able to produce.

[ North Korea might be preparing for another nuclear test, satellite images suggest ]

North Koreas launches of a steady stream of medium-range missiles are seen as part of a broader intercontinental ballistic missile program, as they could form the stages of a three-stage longer-range weapon.

Kim has signaled that his regime is working on a missile capable of reaching the United States. He said in his New Years Day address that North Korea has entered the final stage of preparation for a test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

After Kims statement, Trump tweeted, It wont happen!

More recently, Trump has warned that the United States will take unilateral action to eliminate the nuclear threat from North Korea unless China increases pressure on Kims regime.

Trump will host Xi for two days of talks, starting Thursday, at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they wont, Trump said in an interview with the Financial Times published Monday.

This summit, coinciding with a tense situation on the Korean Peninsula, has led to speculation of imminent provocations from North Korea.

Satellite images taken over the past 10 days have shown a prolonged and heightened level of activity at North Koreas underground testing site, sparking speculation about whether a sixth nuclear test is planned.

Plus, North Korea has resumed last years steady firing of missiles from sites on both the east and west coasts. The last one, on March 22, exploded shortly after launch.

[ These North Korean missile launches are adding up to something very troubling ]

Nonproliferation experts say it is clear that North Korea is determined to make progress on its missile program  and presumably on its goal to attach a nuclear warhead to a missile capable of reaching the mainland United States.

Compounding matters, April is an important month on the North Korean calendar, and the regime likes to mark important dates with fireworks  both with firework displays in the center of Pyongyang and with missile flares. The regime celebrates the 105th birthday of the late founding president Kim Il Sung on April 15 and the 85th anniversary of the foundation of the Korean Peoples Army 10 days later.

These events coincide with annual drills by the South Korean and U.S. militaries, practicing for a sudden change on the northern half of the peninsula. With American aircraft carriers and fighter jets brought to South Korea for the exercises, North Korea views them as a pretext for an invasion and always protests vociferously.

Read more:

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
A chemical attack that killed scores of civilians in Syria probably involved a banned nerve agent, top medical groups concluded Wednesday, as the United States and European allies at the U.N. Security Council demanded an investigation.

The attack on the northwestern town of Khan Sheikhoun on Tuesday was the deadliest chemical assault on a civilian population in Syria since government forces attacked rebel-held suburbs of Damascus with sarin nerve agent in 2013.

In southern Turkey, witnesses evacuated for treatment described being enveloped by a fog of chemicals and said that rescue workers passed out among the people they were trying to help.

Some people died as they were sleeping. The ones who did not, especially the children, were foaming at the mouths and shaking, said a resident, Hussein al-Nimr. We tried to rescue people, but then we fell down, too.

Back in Khan Sheikhoun, families spoke of grief and a sense of betrayal.

If the world wanted to stop this, they would have done so by now, a woman who gave her name as Om Ahmed said in a telephone interview. One more chemical attack in a town the world hasnt heard of wont change anything.

Then her voice cracked. Im sorry. My son died yesterday, she said. I have nothing left to say to the world.

At least 72 people were killed in the attack, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. Medical organizations working inside Syria said they had treated more than 500 people who inhaled the still unidentified chemical.

The World Health Organization said victims showed symptoms consistent with a reaction to a nerve agent, stockpiles of which President Bashar al-Assads government was supposed to have destroyed more than three years ago in an attempt to stave off U.S. military intervention.

Addressing the Security Council meeting in New York on Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley hinted that the Trump administration may now be considering escalation once again.

[At U.N., Trump administration assails Russia for protecting Assad]

When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action, Haley said. Hours later at the White House, President Trump said that heinous actions by the Assad regime cannot be tolerated.

1 of 14 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The scene in Syria after a chemical attack kills dozens View Photos At least 72 reported dead after a chemical attack on a northern Syrian town. Caption The White House said it had evidence of preparations for another chemical attack in Syria and warned the Syrian regime against it. Earlier this year, dozens died after a chemical attack in a northern town. April 4, 2017 A man is helped by Syrian Civil Defense workers following a toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhoun, a rebel-held town in the northwestern Idlib province. Mohamed Al-Bakour/AFP via Getty Images Wait 1 second to continue.

Turkeys health minister, Recep Akdag, said Wednesday that 30 Syrians have been evacuated across the border for treatment in Turkish hospitals. Outside a facility in the southern city of Reyhanli, a small crowd of Syrians waited all day for news, their cellphones glued to their ears as they relayed updates to relatives back in Khan Sheikhoun.

Hussam Abu Ammash, 43, clutched a list of 21 names of relatives he said were killed in the attack. When people woke up and saw the cloud, they thought it was the dust of an airstrike and they ran toward it. But it was chemical gases, he said.

Doctors Without Borders said its medics treated patients with dilated pupils, muscle spasms and involuntary defecation consistent with exposure to neurotoxic agents such as sarin.

Long-standing global treaties have banned the use of chemical weapons, including sarin, a substance that can kill within minutes.

Doctors and activists across opposition-held areas have cited a sharp increase in chemical attacks since government forces routed rebels from their longtime stronghold of Aleppo in mid-December. The Syrian Network for Human Rights monitoring group said Wednesday that it has recorded nine separate strikes since the start of the year.

Many of those involved chlorine, which is less deadly than a nerve agent.

[A journey into Syrias secret torture wards]

While Tuesdays assault was widely attributed to the Syrian government, Russia tried Wednesday to shift the blame to armed groups opposing Assad.

Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, a Russian military spokesman, said Syrian warplanes had been targeting rebel workshops on the eastern outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun, which is in rebel-held Idlib province. The territory of this storage facility housed workshops to produce projectiles filled with toxic agents, he said in a recorded statement.

His comments marked a rare admission that airstrikes had taken place in the area. Moscow typically denies knowledge of such mass-casualty attacks and has previously falsified video footage in an attempt to exonerate its military.

Russia also blamed the 2013 sarin attack on rebels who it said were attempting to provoke international intervention.

But Syrian rebel commander Hasan Haj Ali told the Reuters news agency that the Russian assertion was a lie. He said that the rebels do not have the capability to produce chemical weapons and that no military positions in the area were bombed. Everyone saw the plane while it was bombing with gas, he said.

The Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is charged with ensuring that nations live up to the weapons ban, would lead any investigation on the ground in Syria in partnership with the United Nations. At the time of the 2013 sarin attack, an OPCW team was already in Syria and was able to travel to the site within five days, collecting soil and blood samples. Several weeks later, it issued a formal report alleging the use of sarin nerve agent, although it never formally blamed Assad.

This time, rescue workers said they had gathered soil samples from Khan Sheikhoun and sent them to Western intelligence officials for analysis.

The Syrian government has denied any involvement in Tuesdays attack or use of chemical weapons.

The attack came amid an upswing in Syrian government strikes in Idlib, to which hundreds of thousands of civilians have fled from other battle zones around the country. With the Turkish border to the north largely closed, they are now trapped.

Zakaria reported from Reyhanli. Andrew Roth in Moscow, Michael Birnbaum in Brussels and Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.

Read more:

Syrian forces used gas to help retake Aleppo, says Human Rights Watch

Even after so many deaths, chemical attack in Syria provoked visceral response

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Jose Amarilla holds a 2011 photo of his daughter Rosalia Amarilla, in Nemby, Paraguay, on Jan. 16. Rosalia Amarilla was detained for drugs trafficking at the Beijing airport in July 24, 2012, and faces a death sentence. (Jorge Saenz/AP)

Rosalia Amarilla stepped into the international terminal of Beijings cavernous main airport on the afternoon of July 24, 2012, with more than 7 pounds of cocaine stuffed into her underwear and bra.

An acquaintance named Carlos had given the 31-year-old Paraguayan the drug-filled undergarments to wear before she boarded a flight in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Doha, Qatar, and then Beijing. Security officials nabbed her before she could meet two Chinese waiting for her outside the airport.

Chinese prosecutors and her defenders agree that is how the clothes vendor ended up in a womens prison far from home, awaiting execution on drug trafficking charges. Paraguayan prosecutors and diplomats, as well as human rights activists, argue that Amarilla was forced to carry the narcotics and should not be put to death.

Her plight has become a cause celebre in her small South American home country and a controversy internationally. Paraguayan senators have signed letters demanding her release, and her friends and former high school classmates have marched through the streets of the capital of Asuncion demanding she be sent home.

Santiago Fiorio, an official with Paraguays Foreign Ministry, said the Chinese have said the courts will review the case in July. The Chinese Foreign Ministry added more details in a statement, saying the Beijing High Court approved a two-year suspension of her death sentence in July 2013. Judicial authorities in China often commute death sentences to life in prison or other non-capital punishments after such suspensions. Amarillas court-appointed Chinese defense attorney, Bai Baoli, declined to comment.

Back at home, the womans older sister, Patricia Amarilla, said her family is hoping the campaign to save Rosalia will shed light not only on her case, but also on those of other Paraguayan women who have been forced to serve as drug mules for international traffickers, usually under threat.

We want this to be an example so that there are no more women in this situation, the sister said. Were hoping that we will see Rosalia coming home.

Elba Nunez, the regional coordinator of CLADEM, a Latin American womens rights group, said its unknown how many women share Amarillas plight but called the trafficking of Paraguayans in particular a grave and very dangerous problem.

Fiorio said some 3,000 Paraguayans now sit in foreign jails but couldnt say how many were being held for drug trafficking.

With Paraguay already a regional smuggling hot spot, its also a source country for women and children subjected to the sex trade and for forced labor, according to the U.S. State Department.

In Amarillas case, Paraguayan prosecutors have identified her as a victim of human trafficking even as they continue investigating how she was brought from Paraguay to China, said Alice Resquin, an official in the prosecutors human trafficking department.

In its report on Amarillas case, CLADEM said her traffickers were also being sought in the cases of other Paraguayan women who were trapped under severe threat and who remain for weeks and even months under their traffickers control.
A hefty package of proposed income and property tax cuts, backed by Gov. Pete Ricketts, was delivered to the Legislature's doorstep Wednesday.

Amassed over months of discussion by the eight-member Revenue Committee, it would impose about a dozen substantial changes to state tax code, the most significant being a series of phased-in cuts to Nebraska's top individual and corporate income tax brackets.

Committee members advanced the proposal on a 6-2 vote.

Speaker Jim Scheer of Norfolk said the full Legislature will begin debate April 21.

Ricketts celebrated Wednesday's move in a news release, thanking committee members and Revenue Chairman Jim Smith.

This is great news for growing Nebraska," the governor said. "These reforms will bring much-needed tax relief for hardworking Nebraska families, small businesses, and entrepreneurs."

The proposal is backed by the state's largest business groups, including the Nebraska, Omaha and Lincoln chambers of commerce.

Opponents in the Legislature are expected to mount a filibuster.

They have already criticized the bill on two major points: arguing that most of its benefits would go to the wealthy, and that such cuts would actually hinder the state's economic growth.

"What's good for the goose may not be good for the gander," said Omaha Sen. Burke Harr, a Revenue Committee member who voted against the bill (LB461).

The committee advanced the package without any breakdown of who would benefit most from the income tax cuts once they are fully implemented, which wouldn't happen until at least 2027.

Smith told reporters he will seek those details from the state Revenue Department.

One tax policy think-tank warned that as much as 74 percent of the cuts would go to the state's top 20 percent of income earners.

This tax package is irresponsible policy," said Renee Fry, executive director of OpenSky Policy Institute, a Lincoln-based think-tank that has opposed income tax cuts. "It does little to help the middle class but will force year over year cuts to higher education, K-12 schools, public safety and other vital services."

All told, the package is expected to cost the state up to $458 million a year once it is fully implemented.

Smith insisted that the state will account for that lost revenue through increased economic growth.

"I believe that on the merits of the bill, it is a net positive for Nebraska's businesses and families," Smith said.

The package would have some quick effects, but most of its impact wouldn't be felt for years, perhaps more than a decade.

* In 2018, the state would overhaul its method for valuing agricultural land for tax purposes. That includes capping the amount statewide valuations can increase in a single year, taxing farm and ranch land at about 65 percent of its actual value, and basing valuation on the land's income-generating ability instead of its market value.

* In 2019, Nebraska's lowest two individual income tax brackets would be combined at a rate of 3.25 percent, and the top corporate rate would drop from 7.81 percent to 7.59 percent.

The earned-income tax credit, aimed at low-income workers, would be increased. A new, nonrefundable credit would be instated for people who don't reach the top tax bracket.

A pair of tax credits for boosting investment in low-income areas, and preservation and rehabilitation of historic buildings, would be suspended indefinitely.

* In 2020 and beyond, the state's top individual and corporate income tax rates would gradually drop to 5.99 percent, with a reduction triggered any year state revenue is projected to grow by at least 3.5 percent.

The proposal will need to pass through three rounds of voting to become law.

If filibustered, it would require support from 33 of 49 senators on each round.

"And now the fun begins," Smith said.
On March 31, the French multinational ENGIE closed the Hazelwood coal-fired power station in Victorias Latrobe Valley, ending 52 years of operations and destroying 450 permanent positions along with 300 casual and contracting jobs.

Facilitated by the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) and the state Labor government of Daniel Andrews, the shutdown is part of a broader offensive against the working class and will exacerbate the social crisis in the Latrobe Valley, a former industrial centre hit by decades of job cuts.

Unemployment in Morwell, where the plant is located, is already estimated at 19.7 percent, with rates of youth joblessness far higher.

According to the company, the shutdown process will continue until the end of May, including the removal of contaminants. The complete decommissioning of the site is expected to take five years.

ENGIE announced last November that the plant was closing because it was no longer economically viable. The ABC revealed that in order for the plant to be brought into line with health and safety standards, large scale improvements would have to be made to five of its eight boilers. The company rejected calls that it carry out these changes, claiming it would have cost $400 million.

The shutdown is part of a global restructuring by ENGIE, aimed at reducing annual costs by 10 billion to 20 billion, through a turn to the lucrative renewable energy market. It is leading to thousands of job cuts around the world, including up to 10,000 in France over the next three years.

The closure will deepen the Australian energy crisis resulting from the privatisation of the sector by successive Labor and Liberal-National governments, and its subordination to the immediate profit interests of the major companies. The Australian Energy Market Operator forecasts that in the wake of Hazelwoods shutdown, Victoria faces a possible reserve shortfall in power for 72 days over the next two years, raising the prospect of widespread blackouts.

Private energy operators and shareholders will make millions from the closure due to reduced output. The contract prices to provide electricity for Victoria in June hit $147.50 per megawatt hour this month, compared to $80 for March (see: Australian energy crisis exposes market failure).

The CFMEU and the Victorian Labor government collaborated with the company to ensure an orderly closure and to prevent any opposition emerging from Hazelwoods workforce.

Trevor Williams, the unions mining and energy president for Victoria, responded to the shutdown announcement in November by signalling the CMFEUs support. If it needs to be closed we believe it should be done in a phased-out way which would give us an opportunity to make arrangements for the workers, he said.

To peddle the fraud of alternative arrangements, the Labor government, with the support of the union, unveiled a $22 million transfer scheme partnership on March 9. It claimed that up to 150 Hazelwood workers could be redeployed to other electricity generating plants.

In reality, the scheme, which covers just one in five workers at the plant, will not create a single job. AGL, the private operator of the nearby Loy Yang A power station, is the sole company to sign on to the deal. Hazelwood workers will only be offered employment if the same number of AGL employees accept early retirement packages.

In other words, the government is handing over millions of dollars to AGL to push through further job cuts via retirements, without any guarantee of long-term employment for redeployed Hazelwood workers. The CFMEU and the Australian Council of Trade Unions have hailed this fraud as an advance in best practice and a model to be emulated elsewhere.

The reality is that many of the workers will not find jobs again. Hazelwood is the ninth coal-fired power generator to close in Australia since 2012. There is speculation that the three other coal-fired power stations in the region may also end their operations.

The Latrobe Valley has already been decimated, largely as a result on the privatisation of the energy sector, begun by the state Labor government of Joan Kirner in the early 1990s. Across Victoria, there were just 8,000 power jobs left in 2005 following the completion of privatisation, compared with over 21,000 in 1990. Around 6,000 of the job cuts were in the Latrobe Valley.

Those workers who remain in the region are being subjected to any unending assault on their wages and conditions.

AGL abolished the existing enterprise bargaining agreement at Loy Yang A in February, with the support of the Fair Work Commission, the pro-business industrial tribunal created by the last federal Labor government with the support of the unions. As a result, highly skilled power workers face the prospect of pay cuts of between 30 and 65 percent.

At the Maryvale paper mill, also in the Latrobe Valley, the CFMEU imposed a five percent pay cut on up to 900 workers last month.

The protracted onslaught has created a social catastrophe. According to Christine May from the Youth Support and Advocacy Service, the region has twice the state average of entrenched unemployment, chronic substance abuse and family violence.

Australian Medical Association president Dr Michael Gannon likewise warned that the health consequences of unemployment and dislocation stemming from the Hazelwood closure may outweigh the impact of reduced carbon omissions.

Workers from the region who seek employment elsewhere will be confronted by the consequences of a spate of union enforced job cuts across manufacturing and in the resources sector.

The shutdown of the car industry, which will be completed at the end of the year, is predicted to lead to indirect job losses of up to 200,000. The National Australia Bank estimated that 46,000 jobs were eliminated in the mining and resources sector between 2012 and 2015 and predicted another 50,000 jobs cuts over the next two-and-half years.

The central role of the unions in facilitating this onslaught and the Hazelwood closure underscores the need for workers to break with these thoroughly corporatised entities and take up an independent political and industrial struggle in defence of jobs, wages and working conditions.

Paul, a Hazelwood worker, spoke to the WSWS after the closure. The jobs scheme is a fraud, he said. All the state government is trying to do is appease a few people. It is never going to happen. That amount of people are not going to leave from Loy Yang A. Maybe ten people will leave at most.

The unions and the government have been compliant in the destruction of jobs. The unions, in collusion with the government, gave ENGIE concessions to close. They let them off with massive stuff, including on environmental protection.

Speaking about the privatisation of the sector, Paul said, It was both Labor and Liberal. Kirner started it as Labor premier and Jeff Kennett finished it as Liberal premier. Kirner gave Kennett the mechanism to sell it off.

Paul commented on the social consequences of the closure. I wont move away from the valley, my family is all there, he said. But it is terrible. Morwell in particular used to be the hub of the valley. Now it is turning into the wild west. It is not a safe place to walk around. So many shops are not open. It is a disheartening thing to see.
The BPM Festival will bring its celebration of underground dance music to Europe for the first time this summer, spanning September 14-17 in Praia da Rocha, Portimao, Portugal.

This year's lineup has not yet been announced, but previous BPM performers include Carl Cox, Solomun and Marco Carola, among others.

The organization will celebrate its 10th anniversary with the festival in Portugal.

Watch the teaser video below:

BPM Brazil's debut was scheduled to be held April 28-May 1 but was postponed until further notice after six people were murdered at the BPM Fest held in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, back in January.
By Edward McAllister BANJUL (Reuters) - A hundred and sixty nine Gambian migrants returned home on Tuesday, after journeying across the Sahara in harsh conditions only to get stuck in Libya, most in jails far short of their intended destination in Europe. The were mostly young men in their 20s, the main demographic of African economic migrants seeking a better life abroad, but also some women and children. Looking visibly tired, they stepped off a jet at the airport in Banjul, the palm-fringed seaside capital of the tiny West African nation, then filled out forms they had been given for emergency passports. Most of the dozen or so Gambian migrants interviewed by Reuters had been gone for more than a year. The International Organisation of Migration (IOM) and Gambian government helped release them from detention centres in Tripoli and elsewhere. European governments are struggling to find a response to the flow of migrants over the Mediterranean from Libya, and the appalling conditions in detention camps run by traffickers or the Libyan government. [nNRA3lo5qj] As Lamin Korita, 26, waited in a black track suit with the hood raised to fill out his papers, he was glad to have ended a 13-month journey that got him arrested in Tripoli. He had wanted to make it to Italy and find work there. "It's a relief to be home," he said, though he wasn't sure what he would do now without skills and in a country with few jobs. For others, the trauma of their ordeal remained raw. "Libya was horrible for us. There was no peace. People hit me, they used sticks against me like I was an animal," said Modou Badjie, 27, a former Gambian soldier who said he was beaten by bandits in Libya and ended up in a crammed migrant camp in Tripoli. Had either of them made it further, the journey would have become yet more perilous. A rubber boat packed with migrants last month on the way to Italy sank in the Mediterranean. The presumed sole survivor, a 16-year-old Gambian boy, told rescuers he believed all other passengers drowned. [nL5N1H65W4] (Reporting by Edward McAllister; Writing by Tim Cocks; editing by Grant McCool)
5 Countries That Could Be Spying on You

New accusations of spying and surveillance seem to pop up every day on the global political stage. While the allegations are not always true, the resources and framework to support them does seem to exist.

There were 1,419 active satellites in orbit around the Earth as of August 2015, according to a database compiled by the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit advocacy group of scientists and engineers. While a large number of these spacecraft are operated by commercial users like DirecTV, XM Satellite Radio and others for communications purposes, another large portion are used for military or government purposes. Here are five countries that are among the most heavily invested in spacecraft for collection of intelligence, military or otherwise.

United States

The U.S. is connected to nearly half of all satellites in active orbit, 40 of which are operated at least in part by the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. While the U.S. owns the four oldest satellites in operation, more than half of the reconnaissance, or spy, satellites were launched in 2010 or later. Advanced Orion 7, launched in June 2016, is one of the most recent satellites the U.S. launched. It is one of 18 U.S. satellites being used for electronic signals intelligence -- or ELINT -- that collects geolocation information.

China

China is the country with second most satellites in orbit, with ownership of 181 active spacecraft. More than a quarter of those, however, have not been registered with the United Nations, despite guidelines outlined by the Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space in 1976. While the U.S. shares ownership of a number of its satellites, China has only partnered on one satellite: CBERS 4, which it launched with Brazil in 2014 to monitor Earth resources.

Russia

Of the 141 satellites owned by Russia, most are operated by the country's Ministry of Defense. Three launched since the end of 2014 are tasked with collecting electronic intelligence, which includes most data that is not related to communications. Additionally, four Russian spacecraft launched between 2010 and 2014 are operated by the VKS, or Military Space Forces. Russia has bolstered its satellite program in recent years, adding nearly a third of its active spacecraft fleet in 2014 or later, and the country may be preparing to add more. Nikolay Testoedov, director of The Reshetnev Company that has provided 96 of Russia's current satellites, has said that 2017 may be a good year to increase that number to 100.

Story continues

Japan

Every two or three years, Japan's Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center launches a satellite into orbit that is tasked with reconnaissance. The two most recent, IGS-9A and IGS-9B, were launched in early 2015, one equipped with radar imaging technology and the other with optical imaging technology. According to GlobalSecurity.org, "Japan started putting spy satellites into orbit in 2003 after North Korea fired a mid-range ballistic missile over the Japanese mainland and into the western Pacific in 1998."

Israel

Israel currently operates 12 satellites, most of which are equipped with optical or radar imaging technology. All but one are connected to some sort of military use, according to information compiled by the Union of Concerned Scientists. They appear to particularly monitor the Middle East, including Syria and Iran. The database also notes that in 2001, Israel's Ministry of Defense bought the rights to all imaging within 1,200 miles or so of its borders.

Deidre McPhillips is a data reporter at U.S. News. You can find her on Twitter or email her at dmcphillips@usnews.com.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  A powerful magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck northeastern Iran near the holy city of Mashhad on Wednesday, killing at least two people as residents fled onto the streets and aftershocks shook the region.

The shallow temblor damaged at least four villages near its epicenter in the Sefid Sang district, a remote mountainous area home to 5,000 people, located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Mashhad, state TV's English-language Press TV channel reported. It said rescue teams and helicopters had deployed in Iran's Khorasan Razavi province to the area to assess the damage.

Semi-official Iranian news agencies posted videos online of panicked people in the streets, items falling off store shelves and photos of damaged buildings.

Press TV said at least two people were killed. The semi-official ISNA news agency said 11 people were injured. Mobile phone service and landline telephone lines were disrupted by the quake.

State media described the depth of the quake as only 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). Either a shallow earthquakes and or a magnitude 6 temblor on its own can cause serious damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey also described the temblor as a 6.1, saying it had a depth of only 13 kilometers (8 miles).

Iran sits on a series of seismic fault lines and experiences one slight quake a day on average. In 2003, some 26,000 people were killed by a magnitude 6.6 quake that flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam.
How did the Senate get the filibuster? The unique procedure may have been created thanks to some comments made by Aaron Burr.

Aaron Burr

The filibuster in its original American form dates back to the Burr era and it allows a Senator (or a group of Senators) to delay a vote on procedures, under certain circumstances. After two recent rules changes, the filibuster can only be used to stall votes about legislation.

The old-school talking filibuster is rare today. Like actor Jimmy Stewart in the film Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, a Senator can speak continuouslysometimes off-the-cuff, other times, reading from a phone bookin a public protest about a vote. The modern version is called a silent filibuster. This happens when a Senator tells his or her floor leader that they wish to filibuster a vote. At that point, at least 60 senators have to agree to override the filibuster in what is called a cloture vote.

These kind of delaying tactics arent exactly new. One of the first recorded masters of the filibuster was the ancient Roman politician Cato the Younger. In Romes senate, Cato would speak until sunset, which was the official ending of a Senate session. One of his last filibusters was to oppose Julius Caesars return to Rome in 60 B.C. Caesar found a political way around Catos filibuster and was able to grab power in Rome anyway.

In an article in The Atlantic, authors Rob Goodman and Jimmy Soni said that Romes problems with filibusters werent lost on the Founding Fathers, which is why the filibuster isnt spelled out in the Constitution.

Our Founders were deeply read in classical history, and they had good reason to fear the consequences of a legislature addicted to minority rule, they said. As Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist 22, If a pertinacious minority can control the opinion of a majority ... [the government's] situation must always savor of weakness, sometimes border upon anarchy.

Ironically, Burr, Hamiltons long-time rival, has gotten some credit as the father of the American filibuster. Political scientist Sarah Binder testified before the Senate in 2010 about how Vice President Burr told the Senate in 1805 that it should eliminate a rule that automatically cut off floor debate, called the previous question motion because he thought it wasnt needed.

Story continues

So when Aaron Burr said get rid of the previous question motion, the Senate didnt think twice. When they met in 1806, they dropped the motion from the Senate rule book, she said. It was then-Senator John Quincy Adams who reminded his colleagues of Burrs suggestion.

It still took three decades for the Senate to realize it could actually filibuster a motion, but it was Burrs comments that made it possible.

The history of extended debate in the Senate belies the received wisdom that the filibuster was an original, Constitutional feature of the Senate. The filibuster is more accurately viewed as the unanticipated consequence of an early change to Senate rules, she said.

Some scholars point to a Senate incident involving Henry Clay and Thomas Hart Benton in 1841 as the first modern filibuster moment. But legal scholars Catherine Fisk and Erwin Chemerinsky, in a law review article from 1997, took a close look at delaying tactics that dated back to Burrs time.

In 1790, Senators from Virginia and South Carolina tried to use extended speeches in an attempt to block a Senate vote that approved the temporary location of Congress in Philadelphia. The previous motion tactic was on the books back then, said Fisk and Chemerinsky, but it was rarely used.

The 1841 Senate dispute between the Whigs, led by Clay, and the Democrats, led by Benton and John C. Calhoun, was about patronage positions. The delaying speeches by the Democrats lasted 10 days, but the Whigs, in the majority, prevailed.

The word filibuster came into use a decade later, to describe these dilatory efforts. It is based on a Dutch word for a type of pirate. In 1856, the Senate officially added a rule that allowed for unlimited debate in certain situations.

As a footnote, the House of Representatives had the filibuster for about two decades. There was a noteworthy filibuster in 1820 mounted by John Randolph to delay the Missouri Compromise. But in 1842, the House eliminated its filibuster. Among those objecting to the move was John Quincy Adams.

Scott Bomboy is the editor in chief of the National Constitution Center.
Black drivers in Lincoln and the state at large were stopped and searched at a more disproportionate rate than any other group of motorists in 2016, the Nebraska Crime Commission reports.

Lincoln police pulled over black drivers 5,137 times in 2016, comprising 10.9 percent of all stops, the commission's study found.

But African-Americans accounted for only 4.1 percent of the city's population, the study said.

By comparison, white drivers were pulled over in 77 percent of stops and Hispanic drivers, 6 percent. Those racial groups accounted for 83 percent and 6 percent, respectively, of Lincoln's population.

Lincoln police made the vast majority of traffic stops in Lancaster County, so findings for the county overall tracked with LPD's patterns.

Statewide, more than 38,000 black drivers were stopped by police, accounting for 7.7 percent of all drivers stopped.

The vast majority of these stops were for traffic violations.

The commission's report didn't offer any explanations for the traffic stop disparities.

"We cannot say definitively whether there is or is not racial bias in traffic stops, we can only point to seeming disproportionality," the report said.

Public Safety Director Tom Casady said Lincoln officials "are somewhat perplexed by the fact that the disparity has been increasing."

He and Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister are committed to impartial policing, Casady said.

He doesn't think racial animus is driving the traffic stop numbers because the department has taken measures to keep bigots off the force and trained incoming officers on detecting implicit biases.

Casady took issue with the report's use of a particular field of census data as a bad comparison measure.

That point includes only one race and underestimates the city's black population, he said. The African-American population in Lincoln is 5.7 percent when including people who identified as black or biracial.

And black drivers account for 6.2 percent of motorists involved in traffic crashes in Lincoln, he said.

He believes the remaining difference is driven by the realities of where officers police most and poverty.

Neighborhoods with the highest amount of police calls for service have the most officers deployed, he said.

Those areas also have the highest non-white populations, Casady said.

Income disparity is also playing a significant role in disproportionate stops of black drivers, he said.

A host of violations that may trigger a stop may relate to the driver's ability to pay, such as having fake license plates or expired tags, he said.

Minority drivers are turning up in more stops for those violations, Casady said.

There's also a racial disparity in arrest warrants, which officers are required by law to serve when they come into contact with the accused, he said. Most of those in Lincoln are for failure to appear, and in a recent analysis, black defendants accounted for 29 percent of warrants in Lincoln and Lancaster County, Casady said.

That most certainly is driving the higher rate, 4.3 percent, of black motorists arrested after being stopped, he said. Overall, 1.8 percent of all motorists were arrested by Lincoln police during stops last year.

True racial bias in policing would be reflected in other statistics such as car crash tickets, Casady said. But that isn't the case based on his analyses, he said.

Disparate amounts of minority drivers would be stopped by police during daylight hours compared to night-time hours if there truly were racial profiling in the department, he said.

But that's not the case, he said.

Members of the public can examine the problem for themselves by downloading traffic stop data on the city website's, opendata.lincoln.ne.gov.
Afghan human rights groups urged the International Criminal Court on Wednesday to speed up a war crimes probe in their country, as they prepared to meet the tribunal's chief prosecutor.

"We are hoping that coming all the way here to The Hague we will have a strong message for the court," said Guissou Jahangiri, International Federation for Human Rights' deputy president.

The group of some 20 Afghan and international activists will also make "collective and individual suggestions," in Thursday's talks with ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, Jahangiri told AFP.

During a lengthy initial probe only made public in 2007, the ICC has been looking at possible war crimes dating back to 2003 by the Taliban, Afghan government forces and international forces including US troops.

Bensouda said in November her office was "concluding its assessment" and that a decision on whether to ask the ICC's judges to open a full-blown probe was "imminent".

The chief prosecutor added US forces may have committed war crimes in Afghanistan by torturing prisoners in what may have been a deliberate policy.

She stressed the Taliban militia and the affiliated Haqqani network, Afghan government forces and US troops as well as the CIA all appeared to have carried out war crimes since the Islamic militia was ousted by a US-led invasion in 2001.

And she blamed the Taliban and its allies for the deaths of some 17,000 civilians since 2007 to December 2015 in a brutal insurgency with "numerous attacks" on schools, hospitals and mosques.

The activists' lawyer Katherine Gallagher said they would now "really like to encourage the office of the prosecutor to move forward with this."

If Bensouda does ask judges to authorise a full-scale inquiry the tribunal would be taking on its most complex and politically controversial investigation to date.

It is unlikely though that any US troops will face prosecution at the court in The Hague as Washington has not ratified the tribunal's Rome Statute, shielding its nationals from the its reach.

Story continues

Huma Saeed, another Afghan human rights worker said the ICC's involvement in Afghanistan "has enormous symbolic importance."

"To the people of Afghanistan, to the victims in Afghanistan, that means justice matters," she said.

"It means the international community can not let things go unnoticed," Saeed said.
The medical community has long known that African-Americans resist hospice care at far higher rates than other groups. But Dr. Ivan Zama, a hospice and palliative care physician, felt like he could still change some minds when, in 2010, he was asked to address a group of African-Americans at an assisted-living facility in Maryland.

Zama, who is black and was born in Cameroon, prepared his most persuasive slides. He enjoyed a warm introduction from a facility volunteer. Then he made his case.

Crickets.

All of them looked at me with a cold face, he said. And then this volunteer takes over for me, stands up, and says, God is good! And everybodys like A-MEN!

Read more: At a hospice facility for children, a long goodbye is made a little less lonely

Zama, who is amiable and fit, with a thick accent, laughs now at the memory.

So afterwards I asked her, What the hell did I do? And she said, Ivan, you were not talking to them. You were talking to your academic staff. You have to come down to the people.

Turns out, it was much more than just that.

Medical researchers who are working to unpack the issue view minority access to hospice care as a matter of social justice. Its typically paid for by the government, can reduce patient suffering, and relieve family members of the burdens of caring for a dying loved one.

Why should African-Americans continue to suffer more at lifes end than others?

Theres a lot to sift through, starting with the medical industrys long and at times ugly history of neglect and abuse of blacks.

Doctors can also fail to account for the pervasive belief among many African-American faithful that God has an ability to heal the sick through miracles.

Finally, theres the reality that some in tighter-knit African-American communities can direct harsh judgments toward those who choose hospice. Some see hospice as an abdication of caretaking responsibilities, at best, or, at worst, a hastening of a loved ones death. (Research actually shows hospice patients live longer than those who opt for more aggressive end-of-life treatments.)

Story continues

Read more: Young women with breast cancer learn to celebrate life  and say goodbye

Patrick Dillon, a Kent State University communications professor who has researched this topic, said some who opted for hospice care faced accusations of rejecting the we-take-care-of-our-own ethos that is common in many African-American families.

Its caused fractured relationships with friends, family, people in the church, he said. Theres a social risk associated with this decision.

Dillon said that physicians who would approach African-Americans about the benefits of hospice care would do well to understand that there are often many more people affecting the decision than are visibly present.

Focusing on the idea that hospice is a valuable tool for taking care of a family member  and not an abandonment  may help. It would be even better if the message were echoed by a local clergy member or another trusted member of the community who is not a physician.

Theres a growing appetite for ideas like these among black doctors who serve those at lifes end. At a national meeting of palliative care and hospice clinicians in February, Dr. Alvin L. Reaves, of Emory Universitys Palliative Care Center, organized the first meeting of a group of black professionals, patients, and families in the palliative care community.

Read more: Reimagining hospice care  for the living

Roughly 40 others attended, trading tips about what worked, and what didnt, in their respective practices.

Many things dont work, Zama said after the meeting.

Zama took away some ideas, he said, and offered some of his own.

He has, at times, relied on his Catholic background to convince patients and family members that hospice does not run counter to Christian tenets, pointing out that Pope John Paul II chose to die at home without life-extending measures. (Greg Schleppenbach, a spokesman for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, called hospice laudable and beautiful.)

That approach is in keeping with a method that Zama said he developed not long after his hospice presentation debacle. In his second presentation  this time to a different group  he ditched the PowerPoint.

I walked in there and I said, You know, God says that we all have a mission.

He paused, and hoped.

A-MEN!
Tehran (AFP) - Former hardline Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday he would support a long-time ally in May's presidential election.

In his first press conference for four years, Ahmadinejad said he will back Hamid Baghaie, his former vice president who headed the tourism board.

"I have no plans to present myself. I support Mr Baghaie as the best candidate," said Ahmadinejad.

Baghaie was imprisoned for seven months in 2015 for reasons that were never made public.

Ahmadinejad last year ruled out a comeback of his own after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei indicated it could have a polarising effect on the nation.

Meanwhile, Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Wednesday he would not stand for the presidency.

He had been considered one of the leading options for mainstream conservatives, and had run twice before.

"I think all those who want to save this country from the economic and social crises must unite," said Ghalibaf.

Conservatives are trying to rally around a single figure in a bid to focus their attack on President Hassan Rouhani, who has succeeded in uniting moderates and reformists.

Some 3,000 conservative officials are due to meet on Thursday to decide on a shortlist of five candidates.

Ahmadinejad has long stood outside the mainstream conservative grouping in Iran.

His two terms as president between 2005 and 2013 saw Iran increasingly isolated internationally, divided domestically and struggling economically, and his contested re-election in 2009 triggered the largest protests since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Candidates must formally register between April 11 and 15, after which they are vetted by the Guardian Council, with a final list announced on April 27.

The election will be held on May 19.
SAZAN, Albania (AP)  Albania's Defense ministry has agreed to open Sazan Island, a military base still under its management, to tourists during the summer.

Defense Minister Mimi Kodheli on Wednesday signed an agreement with her colleague, Economy Minister Milva Ekonomi, to allow visits from May until October.

Ekonomi described the deal "an important event for the Albanian economy" since many tour operators have insisted that visiting the island would be a popular attraction.

She did not explain how the tourists would be taken there or provide other details of how potential tours would be managed.

The island, once a fortified, isolated spot, has bunkers and tunnels designed to withstand nuclear attacks. It remains a mystery to most Albanians although more than 3,000 military personnel once lived there, and officially remains a military base housing only a couple of soldiers.

Sazan, Albania's most western point, first was used by Italy's Fascist regime during the 1930s. Albania's post-World War II communist regime considered it the country's "airplane carrier, the port of defense, the key to controlling the Otranto Strait," according to officers from that era.

"No doubt Sazan Island is a tourist attraction due to its position," Kodheli said, adding the site t also boasts a diverse range of flora and fauna that could attract researchers, too.

The island's trenches and tunnels were built by the communist government to stave off a Western invasion. Although communism fell in 1992, ruined buildings still contain old beds, kitchen utensils, school benches and chairs.

The defense minister said the government is considering letting tourists visit two other naval military bases close to the island  Pashe Alimani and Orikum  with archaeological sites found there.

Some 4.7 million tourists visited Albania in 2016. Tourism is a main source of income for the cash-strapped Balkan country.
Associated Press

Concerns over the Buffalo Bills troubling loss to the New York Jets were quickly overshadowed by even bigger worries regarding the status of Josh Allens throwing elbow on Monday. Suddenly, the entirety of the organization and its fanbase is holding its collective breath while awaiting the results of medical tests to determine the severity of Allens injury sustained in the final minutes of a 20-17 loss to the Jets  and what impact it will have on the second half of the season and the franchises Super Bowl aspirations. The reality, however, is bracing for the potential of having to turn over a very Allen-centric offense to journeyman backup Case Keenum to keep the AFC-leading Bills (6-2) afloat in the interim.
LUANDA (Reuters) - Angolan teachers on Wednesday held the first day of a three-day national strike over wages and conditions in public schools. "In Luanda there was about 99 percent adherence to the strike," general secretary of the National Union of Teachers (SINPROF) Fernando Lauriano told local media. "It is true that there has been intimidation by school managers, but this is to discourage our claims," he said. Angola, a member of OPEC and currently Africas top oil producer, has been hit hard by the slump in global crude prices. The Ministry of Education blamed the economic crisis for not being able to improve conditions and meet the teachers' demands. "Teachers and students who do not attend classes will be marked absent" the ministry said. (Reporting by Herculano Coroado; Writing by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
Paris (AFP) - France's latest celebrated underdog is Philippe Poutou, a Ford factory worker and head of an anti-capitalist party who became one of the stars of the second presidential debate.

The far-left candidate started on Tuesday night by refusing to take part in a group photo and became ruder as the night went on, emerging in the process as a voice of voter anger in a campaign dominated by scandals.

Poutou, a balding 50-year-old wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt who slouched over his lectern for parts of the three-hour televised exchange, signalled his intent with his opening remarks.

"Aside from (communist candidate) Natalie Arthaud, I think I'm the only person standing at these lecterns to have a normal profession, a normal job," said the mechanic from southwest Bordeaux.

"We can speak in the name of millions who are suffering from the (financial) crisis, who suffer in this society and are sick to death of this capitalist steamroller destroying everything in its path," he added.

The clash between the amateur and his professional political rivals was brutal at times, with Poutou expressing the sort of frustration regularly heard from voters on streets around France.

He harangued rightwing Republicans party candidate Francois Fillon who has been charged for misusing public funds after paying his wife hundreds of thousands of euros for an allegedly fake job in parliament.

A visibly angry Fillon, a 61-year-old former prime minister who accepted gifts of clothing worth thousands of euros earlier this year, threatened to "hit you with a lawsuit."

Poutou also took on far-right leader Marine Le Pen after she invoked her parliamentary immunity to dodge a hearing with an investigating magistrate looking into allegations of expenses fraud.

"When we're called in by the police, there's no worker's immunity!" added the man whose name translates as "little kiss", drawing spontaneous applause from the audience.

Story continues

Frontrunner Emmanuel Macron, a slick 39-year-old former investment banker schooled at France's best universities, "knows nothing about work," he added.

- 'Dirty tricks' -

His performance and coarse language made him an instant hit on social media where he became one of the most commented on figures of the evening which featured all 11 candidates for the first time.

Writing on the Mediapart website, commentator Christophe Gueugneau said that Poutou "had shown himself to be the natural representative of the working class, a voice for normal people to have a go at the professional politicians."

Some praised him for daring to bring up the corruption allegations that have overshadowed the two-stage election on April 23 and May 7 -- and which were barely addressed in the first debate last month.

"I received a lot of text messages and tweets encouraging me to express people's anger, particularly after all the dirty tricks from the politicians. I hope I didn't disappoint," Poutou told reporters afterwards.

After the bruising encounter, organisers of a scheduled third debate set to take place on April 20 announced Wednesday it had been cancelled due to reservations from several candidates.

Poutou's performance drew mixed reviews, with some commentators blaming him for lowering the tone, while his answers on policy issues such as Europe or the economy were often confused or incoherent.

His call for class struggle, backed by the fiery Trotskyist Arthaud, at times gave the debate a throwback feel of postwar France when the Communist party was a force in national politics.

"I don't think Philippe Poutou deserves any honours," Anna Cabana, a political analyst on news channel BFM TV, said afterwards. "He acted very disrespectfully."

Poutou also fits the mould of other working-class firebrands of the modern era -- electorally unsuccessful but briefly celebrated in a country with a rebellious streak and a bloody history of turning against its ruling class.

Others have included Olivier Besancenot, a charismatic part-time postman who wanted to abolish the stock market, or anti-globalisation campaigner Jose Bove who became famous after trashing a McDonalds in 1999.

Poutou won just 1.15 percent when he stood for for president for the first time in 2012 and surveys carried out before the debate forecast him to do little better this year.

His signature proposals include banning companies from firing workers, reducing the working week to 32 hours, and expropriating company profits and the banking sector.

"Philippe Poutou will not be president of the republic, fortunately for the French people," one of Fillon's closest allies, Bruno Retailleau, told CNews on Wednesday morning.

"Personally I don't share his vision of France, divided between classes," he said.
Name recognition played an important part of the Lincoln City Council primary, with the two incumbents leading the pack of six candidates who move on to the general election in a month.

Leirion Gaylor Baird and Roy Christensen, who have each served four years on the council, received the most votes in Tuesday's primary, where just 18 percent of registered voters cast ballots.

Gaylor Baird led the race, both in votes cast for her and in money raised.

Gaylor Baird said Tuesday she was really pleased by her first-place ranking "because I think the numbers show I have good bipartisan support."

"The numbers also suggest that people feel they are being served by the work we do on the council, regardless of party," she said.

Christensen, a Lincoln audiologist who owns an audiology and hearing aid center, came in second in the primary for the three at-large City Council seats.

Christensen said, as an incumbent, the primary race was low-key. But now we know where things shake out. Now we will make a plan and sprint for the finish line.

The city issues, he said, are about "holding the line on taxes, and about spending money wisely for the quality of life issues for the community.

It's the first time in three council election nights Christensen hasn't been the top vote-getter.

Tom Nesbitt, former head of the Nebraska State Patrol in the late 1990s and early 2000s, whose name is likely familiar to older voters, ranked third in the primary, next to the incumbents.

Nesbitt, who owns a security firm, and a band of 10 to 20 volunteers have been knocking on doors to get his name out. Over the rainy weekend before the primary, Nesbitt said they knocked on about 1,000 doors.

The campaign has taken more time than Nesbitt expected. But Im going to give it all I can, he said.

Bennie Shobe, a newcomer to politics who ran a fairly low-key campaign, came in a strong fourth in the primary.

Shobe, a program analyst for the state, said he is excited and flattered that hes made it through the primary, and looks forward to getting his message out and making more voter contacts.

Brayden McLaughlin campaigned the old-fashioned way, going door-to-door. McLaughlin has been keeping track of his walking with an old fashioned pedometer, which shows he has put in about 4.2 million steps, or a little over 2,000 miles.

McLaughlin, who owns Bridgewater Consulting, an urban design firm, said he started the race last winter with zero name recognition, so introducing himself to voters was a necessity.

Maggie Mae Squires, a yoga instructor who owns her business, trailed in sixth place. Squires, who bills herself as a progressive, emphasizes sustainable energy efforts and supports legalizing and taxing marijuana.

The six candidates are evenly split party-wise, with three Republicans and three Democrats. Although the office is nonpartisan, with no party labels on the ballot, the parties have been working to get candidates of their party elected.

Voters will select three of the six candidates in the May 2 general election for the three at-large council seats, representing the entire city. A third incumbent, Trent Fellers, is not running for re-election.

Lou Braatz III, in his first election, and Deb Andrews, who ran unsuccessfully for the Legislature last year, will not move on to the general election.
(Reuters) - Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney could miss Sunday's Premier League trip to basement side Sunderland due to an ankle problem, manager Jose Mourinho has said. Injuries have restricted Rooney, who missed Tuesday's 1-1 draw with his former club Everton at Old Trafford due to ankle pain, to just three appearances in the last two months. "I don't know but two ankles, I don't think it's easy to recover in a couple of days," Mourinho told British media. United trio Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Juan Mata have already been ruled out of the Sunderland game after sustaining long-term injuries last month. Defenders Smalling and Jones were injured on international duty with England last month, while Spanish midfielder Mata has undergone surgery on a groin problem. However, right back Antonio Valencia is likely to return after being rested for the Everton game. Back-to-back home draws have seen fifth-placed United lose ground in the race to finish in the top four Champions League slots but they will look to return to winning ways when they travel to the Stadium of Light. (Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru)
It's been a long time coming, but LGBTQ workers are finally a step closer to being truly protected from workplace discrimination, according to a ruling from a federal appeals court in Chicago. The judges determined that, under the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act, LGBT employees cannot be fired on the basis of their sexual orientation, the first time that determination has been made in court.

SEE ALSO: LGBTQ people to Trump: We're here, we're queer, and you won't erase us

It stems from the case of Kimberly Hively, who sued Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend, Indiana, alleging that the school denied her promotions and eventually fired her because she's a lesbian. A federal appeals court panel upheld the dismissal of her lawsuit last year; this ruling reversed that.

Hively sounded relieved by the new ruling in a statement issued by Lamba Legal: I have been saying all this time that what happened to me wasnt right and was illegal," she said. "Now I will have my day in court, thanks to this decision. No one should be fired for being lesbian, gay, or transgender like happened to me and its incredibly powerful to know that the law now protects me and other LGBT workers.

"It's just average, normal, everyday people who are fighting to keep jobs. I hope I'm being a voice for them." Our amazing client Kim. #LGBT pic.twitter.com/uSLXofZdVQ  Lambda Legal (@LambdaLegal) April 4, 2017

The 8-3 decision in favor of protecting LGBTQ rights was a bit of a surprise to experts as five of the judges on the panel were appointed by Republican presidents, leaving many to view the court as traditionally conservative and less likely to rule in favor of LGBTQ workers.

Story continues

But several of those judges came down on the side of LGBTQ protection, including Judge Richard Posner, who was appointed by Ronald Reagan. In his opinion defending LGBTQ workers, Posner explained, "I don't see why firing a lesbian because she is in the subset of women who are lesbian should be thought any less a form of sex discrimination than firing a woman because she's a woman."

Much of the panel's debate centered around the definition of the word "sex," as included in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and whether that included sexual orientation.

In her opinion for the majority, Judge Diane Wood wrote, "Any discomfort, disapproval, or job decision based on the fact that the complainantwoman or mandresses differently, speaks differently, or dates or marries a same-sex partner, is a reaction purely and simply based on sex. That means that it falls within Title VII's prohibition against sex discrimination."

Judge Diane Sykes, a conservative, wrote in her dissent, "We are not authorized to infuse the text with a new or unconventional meaning or to update it to respond to changed social, economic, or political conditions."

Todays ruling is a monumental victory for fairness in the workplace. Read more: https://t.co/cttI79hQek  HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) April 5, 2017

So what's next? This new ruling means the case will probably make its way to the Supreme Court, because it's unlikely the Republican-led Congress will update the Act to reflect the ruling.

And there's plenty of fight left to go. As of now, 18 states still hold absolutely no protection from workplace discrimination for LGBTQ employees; other protections vary from state to state. And most states still lack protection against workplace discrimination based on gender identity.

The map below, via the Human Rights Campaign, outlines exactly what states have which protections.

In a statement, HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow said, Todays ruling is a monumental victory for fairness in the workplace, and for the dignity of lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans who may live in fear of losing their job based on whom they love."

Additional reporting by the Associated Press

WATCH: Airbnb wants you to wear this ring until LGBTQ people can get married
Unless youve been living under a rock for the past year or so, you would have definitely heard the word Brexit being thrown around a lot. What you might not know, and what researchers have revealed in a new study, is that the original Brexit  a geological one  took place much before our species even came into the picture.

According to the authors of the study  published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications  until about 450,000 years ago, a huge rock ridge connected Britain to France. Roughly 150,000 years ago, this land bridge was breached by catastrophic flooding that destroyed the structure already weakened by the overflow of a glacial lake that existed just north of the ridge  cleaving Britain from mainland Europe.

The breaching of this land bridge between Dover and Calais was undeniably one of the most important events in British history, helping to shape our island nations identity even today, study co-author Sanjeev Gupta from Imperial College London said in a statement released Tuesday. Without this dramatic breaching Britain would still be a part of Europe. This is Brexit 1.0  the Brexit nobody voted for.

This ancient Brexit occurred in two stages. In the first stage, a large glacial lake believed to have formed at the edge of an ice sheet that covered much of Europe spilled over the ridge. The lake overflowed in giant waterfalls, eroding the rock escarpment, weakening it and eventually causing it to fail and release huge volumes of water onto the valley floor below.

The evidence for this spillover was discovered in the seafloor of the English Channel, where the researchers found seven huge plunge pools created by water cascading over the ridge and hitting the ground.

While it is widely held that initial opening of the Strait was a consequence of spillover of a proglacial lake that existed in the southern North Sea basin  direct evidence for this spillover process has up to now been lacking, the researchers wrote in the study. The new data show that at least two significant erosional episodes shaped the opening of the Strait.

Story continues

The next stage, which fully opened the Dover Strait, occurred approximately 150,000 years ago. Megafloods broke through the weakened chalk ridge, completely destroying the structure that had for so long served as a dam holding back the northern glacial lake.

We see this huge valley carved through the strait, about eight to 10km wide... and it has a lot of features that are suggestive of flood erosion, Gupta told BBC News.

Although the researchers are now quite confident that they have fit together most  if not all  the pieces of this longstanding geological puzzle, there are a few questions that still remain unanswered. The exact timeline of the events is one such question.

We still dont know for sure why the proglacial lake spilt over. Perhaps part of the ice sheet broke off, collapsing into the lake, causing a surge that carved a path for the water to cascade off the chalk ridge, study co-author Jenny Collier said in the statement. In terms of the catastrophic failure of the ridge, maybe an earth tremor, which is still characteristic of this region today, further weakened the ridge. This may have caused the chalk ridge to collapse, releasing the megaflood that we have found evidence for in our studies.

Related Articles
By Jon Herskovitz

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The last time a U.S. state tried to execute two inmates on the same day, a poorly secured intravenous tube popped out, lethal injection chemicals sprayed in the death chamber and staff said the pressure of dual executions exposed flaws in the protocol.

That scenario in 2014 in Oklahoma, where executions are now on hold, has not stopped Arkansas from pursuing an unprecedented plan to put eight inmates to death in back-to-back lethal injections on four days this month.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson defends the urgency in his state, which has not held an execution in 12 years. The Republican governor said Arkansas must act quickly because one of the chemicals in its difficult-to-obtain lethal injection mix, the sedative midazolam, expires at the end of April.

Several former supervisors of state prisons across the country derided Arkansas' move as reckless. In interviews with Reuters, they said the accelerated schedule will heighten the risk of errors and the psychological toll on prison staff.

"Arkansas is stepping into an arena of deliberate indifference," said Frank Thompson, who oversaw two executions as superintendent of the Oregon State Penitentiary from 1994 to 1998. "It increases the likelihood that mistakes will be made."

Most U.S. death penalty states abandoned holding multiple executions on the same day about two decades ago, in part because of the additional strain that put on victims' families, inmates and prison staff, experts said.

Nearly two dozen former corrections officials and administrators wrote to Hutchinson in late March urging him to abandon the plan. They said "a state's interest in justice and finality are not served by a botched execution."

The eight inmates scheduled to die over an 11-day period this month have filed a lawsuit in federal court to halt their executions, arguing the state's rush to the death chamber was irresponsible and unconstitutional.

Story continues

Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, also a Republican, is prepared to fight in court to keep the executions on track.

"Attorney General Rutledge supports the death penalty and believes it is past time for the victims' families to see justice for the horrible murders of their loved ones," her office said in a statement.

DIMINISHED SIGNIFICANCE

Many victims' families have endured a years-long emotional roller coaster waiting for the condemned murderers to die.

But some capital punishment experts wondered whether the pace of lethal injections planned in Arkansas might diminish their significance, making them feel more like procedure rather than catharsis if shared by people affected by different murders.

"This diverts the focus from the victims and their families," said Robert Blecker, a professor at New York Law School and a death penalty advocate. "This is a solemn ritual that we are doing. Its principal purpose is to reconnect the crime to the punishment."

After its botched dual execution, Oklahoma now wants to hold executions at least seven days apart, a state report said, in order to review protocols and allow staff to decompress.

Arkansas last carried out a double execution in 1999. The state has not released details of its plans for the lethal injections set for April 17, 20, 24 and 27 at the Cummins Unit prison in Grady, a town of about 430 people.

Dual executions can go smoothly, said former Texas officials who took part in successful back-to-back lethal injections about 20 years ago.

Prison staff dispatched separate teams to help the victims' family members through the evening, said Jim Willett, who served as warden from 1998 to 2001 at Texas Walls Unit, where the state's executions are held.

Even though there were more than 100 executions during Willett's time as warden, he said holding several in a short span did put a strain on him.

"You have emotional stuff happening within you sometimes that you dont realize," he said. "It drags you down a little bit."

Allen Ault, a former commissioner of corrections departments in Georgia, Mississippi, and Colorado who oversaw several executions, said it is nearly impossible for prison staff to come away unscathed.

"These are normal human beings that are going to be affected dramatically by killing people," he said. "You can't get away from the psychological damage that it creates. To do eight of them is unimaginable."

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Additional reporting by Steve Barnes; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and James Dalgleish)
Wall Street stocks finished lower Wednesday following a midday reversal after Federal Reserve meeting minutes suggested the US central bank could move more quickly than expected to reduce its balance sheet.

US stocks had been solidly higher prior to the 1800 GMT release of the minutes following data that showed strong US private-sector hiring in March, according to payrolls firm ADP.

But the market reversed course after the Fed minutes. Earlier, stocks in Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong all rose, while markets in Europe were mixed.

The Fed minutes of the March meeting showed policy makers wanted to move away, or slow, their post-crisis policy of reinvesting in Treasury bills and mortgage-backed securities, for which the Fed has built up a $4.5 trillion balance sheet.

"It looked as though we were going to have a good day because of the ADP numbers and the optimism about job growth, but then commentaries about the Federal Reserve thinking about cutting back its balance sheet has begun to give people pause," said Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at Convergex.

Barclays said in a note the discussion of the balance sheet came sooner than expected and appeared to be designed to give the market clear expectations.

"The desire to signal sooner than later is likely a function of the committee's wish to avoid adverse market reactions," the Barclays note said. "Communicating early -- and often -- could have been seen as the best remedy to avoid a 2013 'taper tantrum' reaction from markets."

Among major US indices, the Nasdaq fell the most at 0.6 percent after earlier hitting an all-time intraday high earlier in the day.

The dollar was essentially flat against the euro and down against the pound and the yen. But some analysts think the greenback may be poised for gains.

"Higher rates coupled with a smaller balance sheet, currently at $4.5 trillion, depict an outlook of diminishing headwinds on the dollar that could keep its longer run prospects biased higher," said Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst at Western Union Business Solutions.

Story continues

Markets are awaiting a number of key events this week, including a two-day summit between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that begins Thursday, and the release Friday of official US jobs figures for March.

- Key figures at 2040 GMT -

New York - Dow: DOWN 0.2 percent at 20,648.15 (close)

New York - S&P 500: DOWN 0.3 percent at 2,352.95 (close)

New York - Nasdaq: DOWN 0.6 percent at 5,864.48 (close)

London - FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 7,331.68 (close)

Frankfurt - DAX 30: DOWN 0.5 percent at 12,217.54 (close)

Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.2 percent at 5,091.85 (close)

EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.3 percent at 3,472.58 (close)

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.3 percent at 18,861.27 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.6 percent at 24,400.80 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.5 percent at 3,270.31 (close)

Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0672 from $1.0671

Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2491 from $1.2441

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 110.67 from 110.74 yen

Oil - Brent North Sea: UP 19 cents at $54.36 per barrel

Oil - West Texas Intermediate: UP 12 cents at $51.15 per barrel

burs-jmb/vs
PITTSBURGH (AP)  An attorney for consumers, restaurants and beverage industry groups asked Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court on Wednesday to strike down Philadelphia's 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on sweetened beverages, saying it violates a state law that limits the city's taxing authority, among other laws.

The 1932 law known as the Sterling Act was passed by the General Assembly to give the city its own taxing authority  but also to specifically prohibit Philadelphia from taxing anything already taxed by the state.

Chip Becker, the attorney arguing against the tax Wednesday in Pittsburgh, argued that because soda and other sweetened beverages are already subject to the state's 6 percent sales tax, Philadelphia's tax on them is illegal.

"Philadelphia may not tax any substance that the state already taxes," Becker told the seven-judge panel.

Becker wants the court to reverse a Philadelphia Common Pleas judge's December decision upholding the tax with an order that would send the case back to the lower court so the tax could be declared "invalid and void."

But Mark Aronchick, the attorney defending the city's position, argued the tax isn't on soda, but on its distribution to retail outlets in the city. Because the state's sales tax is on retail sales, whereas the soda tax is paid by retailers to whom the drinks are distributed  and because the state imposes no similar tax at that point in the supply chain  the city's tax is legal and should stand, he argued.

The tax amounts to 18 cents on a 12-ounce can of soda or $1.44 on a six-pack of 16-ounce bottles if retailers pass on the entire amount to consumers.

Berkeley, California, has a similar soda tax, while Chicago taxes retail soft drink sales and fountain drinks. But soda tax proposals have failed in more than 30 cities and states. Democratic Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has pledged to spend most of the estimated $90 million in new tax revenue each year to pay for pre-kindergarten, community schools and recreation centers.

Story continues

Judge Ann Covey asked Becker how it is that Philadelphia can impose its own tax on cigarettes if the state also taxes them.

Becker explained that the General Assembly had to pass a separate statute allowing Philadelphia to go beyond the authority granted it by the Sterling Act. He said the same thing happened when the city wanted to impose its own 2-percent sales tax on top of the state's.

Becker argued that state's sales tax statute prohibits what's called "tax pyramiding"  that is, allowing different jurisdictions to tax the same product at different points along the supply chain. Because soda is subject to the retail sales tax, its distribution by wholesalers  or any other transaction along the supply chain  should not be taxed, Becker argued. State law also prohibits taxing the same product, service or industry at different rates in different jurisdictions, which Becker said the Philadelphia tax also violates.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in September that the "local share assessment"  a tax Pennsylvania's 12 casinos pay to the municipalities where they're located  was unconstitutional because different casinos paid different rates in different areas. The General Assembly is working on a replacement law.

Aronchick argued that the challenges to the soda tax are similar to those raised anytime a specific industry is hit with a new tax.

"It's always 'The sky is gonna fall,' but somehow the sun rises the next day and we move forward," Aronchick said.
Photo credit: Petrolicious / YouTube

From Road & Track

When German rally fan Volker Gehrt wanted to build a replica of an Audi Sport Quattro Group B car, he met the perfect man to helpRoland Gumpert, the father of Audi's Quattro all-wheel drive. That's pretty much like having Pete Brock hammer the body panels on your Cobra Daytona replica.

Gumpert had both the original design manuals and contacts in the motorsport world to help make this Quattro as accurate as possible. The car is a re-creation of the Quattro S1 E2 that Walter Rohrl drove to victory at the 1985 Rally Sanremo, Audi's only WRC victory that year. The original car was lost at some point after the race, so Gumpert was especially keen on building one to this spec.

Gehrt's car turned out so well, even Walter Rohrl himself approved of it, signing his name on the roof. The car sounds the part too. Petrolicious captured Gehrt thrashing it through the German countryside, making all the right turbocharged five-cylinder noises.

It's hard to call Gehrt's car a replica, even though that's exactly what it is. It's a stunning tribute to one of rally's greatest eras, and one of its most important cars.

You Might Also Like
CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australia's highest court on Wednesday rejected British company Reckitt Benckiser's appeal of a 6 million Australian dollar ($4.5 million) fine for misleading consumers about the effectiveness of a popular painkiller.

The High Court full-bench refused to hear the appeal after Reckitt Benckiser's lawyers outlined its argument for why the fine imposed by the Federal Court in December was too high.

The Federal Court had upheld an appeal by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the watchdog that launched the court action, against the leniency of a AU$1.7 million fine.

Reckitt Benckiser sold Nurofen painkillers that were marketed to relieve specific ailments, such as back pain and menstrual pain, when all of the products contained an identical amount of the same active ingredient, ibuprofen lysine. The court ordered the company to remove the products from Australian stores.

The specific pain products were nearly double the price of Nurofen's standard ibuprofen painkiller and other general pain relief products sold by competitors. The company sold 5.9 million packets of the specific pain products over four years for AU$45 million.

Rod Sims, chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, welcomed the High Court ruling. He told Australian Broadcasting Corp that the same offenses would likely be punished by fines of between AU$40 million and AU$50 million under proposed amendments to consumer law that could be legislated this year.

Reckitt Benckiser said it was disappointed by the High Court decision.

"Nurofen did not intend to mislead consumers and we apologize to those of our consumers who were misled," a company statement said. "We recognize that we could have done more to assist our consumers in navigating the Nurofen specific pain range," it added.
WASHINGTON -- It was half past noon Monday when Chuck Grassley, the genial chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked for a show of hands: Did senators debating the Neil Gorsuch nomination to the Supreme Court want to break for lunch?

Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., interjected with a parliamentary inquiry: "Could the majority cater this lunch?"

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, spoke in the affirmative: "I vote for plowing right through, Mr. Chairman."

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., gave the proposition bipartisan support.

The Republican chairman was flummoxed. "Actually the people who wanted to adjourn for half an hour had the most votes," he reported. The committee dissolved into confusion and side conversations.

Observed Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the panel: "We can't even agree on lunch."

These are indeed grim times for the committee -- which approved Gorsuch's nomination on a party-line vote Monday -- and for the Senate, for Washington and for America. This week, the problems are going to get noticeably worse.

The government has in many ways ceased to function, because of a cycle of partisan rancor and retaliation culminating in the ascent of Donald Trump. Now Democrats, justifiably furious that Republicans essentially stole a Supreme Court seat by refusing for nearly a year to consider President Barack Obama's nominee, are threatening to block President Trump's nominee. And Republicans are threatening to respond with worse -- abolishing the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees (and before long, most likely everything else). That "nuclear option" would destroy what's left of the Senate as a deliberative body, eliminating a staple of American democracy that has existed in some form since 1789 to forge consensus.

"The damage done to the Senate is going to be real," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told his colleagues Monday, saying it would undermine "the traditions that have been in existence for 200 years." Judges are going to be more ideological, presidents will be able to appoint justices only when their party controls the Senate, and every Senate election will be a "referendum" on the court, he said.

Graham, a frequent Trump critic and the rare Republican who voted for both of Obama's Supreme Court nominees, found culpability on both sides. "We can all look in a mirror, find some blame," he said -- and he's right. Though Republicans' conversion into a far-right, anti-government party is responsible for most current dysfunction, the Democrats opened the door to ending the filibuster, changing the chamber's rules in 2013 to abolish filibusters for lower court appointments.

I wrote at the time that Democrats eventually would "deeply regret what they have done." True, GOP obstruction had been intolerable: Half of the filibusters of executive and judicial nominations in the nation's history up to that point had occurred during the Obama presidency. But, predictably, chipping away at the filibuster -- an institution that has existed in some form since the founding -- now haunts Democrats.

Worse, there seems to be no solution, no talk of a compromise that might, say, let Gorsuch through with a majority vote but restore the 60-vote threshold if Trump gets the chance to replace a liberal justice. During four hours of statements before Monday's vote, the bickering judiciary-panel members generally agreed on only one thing: They are about to do something very bad.

"I wish," said Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, an anti-Trump Republican, "that we would instead change the behavior of senators rather than change the rules of the Senate."

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., noting that his 42 years in the chamber made him dean of the Senate, lamented that "I cannot vote solely to protect an institution," because "the Senate I would be defending no longer exists."

And Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., offered an emotional appeal to all combatants. "The reality we are in requires us  to consider what both Republicans and Democrats have done to erode the trust that has long lasted between us and consider whether we can stop the undeniable momentum toward abolishing the traditions that make the Senate unique and important."

But can they? Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the body and a 20-year veteran, didn't sound hopeful. "It breaks my heart to find us in this position," he said, recalling "what it used to be like" and "the pride we took" in the Senate. "Senate traditions will change this week. In honesty they started changing a long time ago. I hope, I just hope, at the end of the day we can resurrect what this institution was all about."
By Noah Browning MANAMA (Reuters) - Bahrain's foreign minister said on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump understood the region and the threats posed by their common adversary Iran better than Barack Obama. Speaking in an interview with Reuters at his office in the capital Manama, Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said the staunch U.S. Gulf ally was confident the new administration would soon clarify its stances on foreign policy. The Sunni-ruled kingdom accuses Iran, a Shi'ite theocracy across the Gulf, of radicalising and arming some members of its Shi'ite Muslim majority population, and Gulf monarchies say Obama did not do enough to tackle perceived meddling by Iran in Bahrain and in wars raging throughout the region. Tehran denies any meddling in the island kingdom. Trump has pledged to deal forcefully with the Islamic Republic and criticised a landmark international deal to curb its nuclear programme inked under Obama in 2015 as a concession to a state the United States considers a sponsor of terrorism. "We see ... a much clearer understanding from the White House of the threats we are facing here in the region and especially the ones that are coming from the Islamic Republic," Sheikh Khaled said. "The last few years, there was a policy that we think it was better for them to correct, and we advised them it should be corrected." Sheikh Khaled last month met U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington and Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa has spoken by telephone with senior U.S. officials, including Trump after his election in November. Sitting astride one of the world's key oil shipping lanes, Bahrain is a key ally of Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia and hosts the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. Neither country were among the ban Trump is seeking to impose on travellers from Iran and five other Muslim-majority nations in the Middle East and Africa. Some critics of the Trump administration fear it is prioritising the fight against militancy and Iran over promoting human rights among American allies, but the foreign minister said the U.S. shift acknowledged the region's harsh realities. "CLARITY IS COMING" Sheikh Khaled said his country welcomed a decision by the White House to pursue a $5 billion sale to Bahrain of 19 Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft and related equipment which was held up last year by concerns about human rights. He said Trump's style may have distracted some from the merits of his views, but all administrations had growing pains. "They'll get in order ... every new administration will always start in a way that will seem unclear, but clarity is coming," he said, speaking in his green and wood-panelled office adorned with pictures of past and present Bahraini monarchs. "Maybe when you see the difference in the personality of the president, maybe that's kind of giving an overwhelming picture of the situation. Things are working in America." Since 2011 Arab Spring protests led by Bahrain's Shi'ites were crushed with the help from some Gulf Arab states, Bahrain says Iran has stepped up a campaign to undermine security there and bring about the downfall of the ruling Al Khalifa family, of which Sheikh Khaled is a member. "It's a whole project we are facing and it will not stop until this regime changes its course from the way it is now - hegemonic, theocratic, theo-fascist - to a regime that would answer the aspirations of its own people." "Until that moment we will have to defend ourselves." Human rights organisations have criticised an escalating government crackdown since the main Shi'ite opposition bloc was shuttered last year, several prominent activist were arrested and the top Shi'ite spiritual leader had his citizenship revoked on corruption charges. Bahrain says it has acted to reform its security services and that it genuinely seeks dialogue with the opposition in a way that is rare in the mostly closed and authoritarian region. "We feel like we are being pressured and punished for no reason, just for sticking our neck out and addressing issues that every country has," Sheikh Khaled said. (Editing by Sami Aboudi and Alison Williams)
The seven-year-old Syrian refugee who chronicled her life in war-torn Aleppo on social media has a clear message for leaders of the international community: Its never too late to save innocent civilians caught in her home countrys ongoing civil war.

A chemical attack on Tuesday that killed at least 75 civilians and left scores more wounded in the rebel-held Idlib province in northeastern Syria, almost universally attributed to the government of President Bashar al-Assad, sparked widespread outrage and underscored the Assad regimes apparent indifference to world opinion as the bloody conflict enters its sixth year.

Bana Alabed and her mother, Fatemah Alabed, have been living in neighboring Turkey after escaping from Aleppo in December, but they still use their social media platform to draw attention to the continuing slaughter and to advocate for those still trapped.

This is my message. Its never too late. Save the people of Syria, Bana Alabed said in a new video Wednesday. The young girl also appealed to the United Nations, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to help bring an end to the war.

My message to the @UN, @kingsalman, @hhshkmohd & @justintrudeau: I have only one wish & that's END THE WAR IN SYRIA NOW. please. Thank you  Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) April 5, 2017

Dear world. my name is Bana, I am 7 years old Syrian girl. My people are dying everyday as you watch. This is the end of humanity. #Idlib  Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) April 4, 2017

Early Tuesday morning, warplanes dropped bombs that released toxic gas on the city of Khan Shaykhun in Idlib. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the attack killed at least 106 citizens, including women and children. It is believed to be the deadliest chemical attack in Syria since the assault on Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, in 2013.

Story continues

The Alabeds shared heartbreaking videos and pictures of people writhing and suffocating from the effects of the toxic chemicals. People with gaping wounds and bloodied faces are shown sprawled amid debris, while others convulse on rubble-laden streets below thick black clouds.

Warning: Graphic images

Dear world, watch this and tell me why we still can't stop this.Until when will the war in Syria go on? Until when. Until when. Until when.? pic.twitter.com/LbSM7w9IGY  Fatemah Alabed (@FatemahAlabed) April 5, 2017

This is today in Syria in #Idlib. Hi @realdonaldtrump do you love this? pic.twitter.com/Rux9d7aV36  Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) April 4, 2017

Dear world, today these children were murdered with chemical in Idlib. Shame on you killers, shame on you. Shame on you, shame on you.. pic.twitter.com/GMG1NIP25J  Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) April 4, 2017

Bana and Fatemah Alabed, who appeared on CNNs New Day Wednesday morning, encouraged their followers to flood the streets wherever they are and demand justice for everyone killed in Syria on Tuesday.

The world is watching. The world doesnt do anything, Bana said. I want them to stop the war, and I want the children of Syria to play and go to school and live in peace. Together we can help them. Together we can save them.

When Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., was asked to respond to Banas message later that morning on CNN, he said the U.S. needs to get over its fear of action because its facing a humanitarian crisis.

Im ashamed of our governments actions so far, and inaction. I wish I had the ability to move forces to do what needs to be done, Kinzinger said.

He lamented that this is the first time the U.S. has de facto accepted the use of chemical weapons on the battlefield since the First World War.

Banas dispatches from eastern Aleppo have often been compared to Anne Franks diary during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. For many around the world, Bana put a human face on the tragedy. She has 363,000 followers on Twitter.

Bana Alabed, left; children at a hospital after the suspected gas attack in Khan Shaykhun, Syria. (Photos: Umit Bektas/Reuters, Sadduldin Zaidan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Syrian President Assad denied that the governments military used chemical weapons against its own people, as he has every time these weapons have been used in the conflict before. Yahoo News chief investigative correspondent Michael Isikoff confronted Assad over new evidence of war crimes committed by his regime earlier this year. He dismissed the incriminating evidence, including torture photos, as fabricated: You can forge anything these days.

Western governments immediately blamed Assad for the attack. The White House released a statement Tuesday that condemned Assad but spent as much time scolding former U.S. President Barack Obama for not intervening after drawing a red line concerning the use of chemical weapons in 2012.

Todays chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world, President Trump said. These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administrations weakness and irresolution.

Meanwhile, Frances foreign minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, called for the United Nations Security Council to convene an emergency meeting: A new and particularly serious chemical attack took place this morning in Idlib province. The first information suggests a large number of victims, including children. I condemn this disgusting act.

The Syrian American Medical Society, the major nongovernmental group within the U.S. helping Syrian refugees, is sending dozens of doctors to Jordan to care for refugees in and around Amman. Some 650,000 Syrians are officially registered as refugees in Jordan. Thats about 10 percent of Jordans total population.

The Syrian refugee project of the European University Institute estimates that 13.5 million people in Syria need humanitarian assistance and 11 million Syrians fled their homes since the civil war broke out in March 2011.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Cotonou (AFP) - Benin's parliament on Tuesday narrowly rejected a proposal from President Patrice Talon to amend the constitution, including introducing a single presidential term, down from the currently permitted two.

After a day of heated debate, 60 deputies voted in favour of the bill, with 22 against and one abstention. Any change in the constitution needs the approval of four-fifths of the national assembly, and the measure fell short of the required majority.

"It's a failure, a slap in the face for the government," one deputy told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Businessman Talon, who was elected last year, had proposed amending the constitution to limit presidents to a single term of office in the tiny West African nation, which is dwarfed by its giant neighbour Nigeria to the east. They can currently serve a maximum of two.

Such a measure, if passed, would be in direct contrast to a number of other African countries where leaders have sought to remain in power at all costs.

But Talon's critics, some of whom have taken to the streets to protest, point out that single-term presidencies were open to abuse, as the president would not have to court the favour of voters at the end of his term.

The details of Talon's proposed 43 changes to the 160-article constitution have not been released in full, but also include setting a cap on political party funding and promoting positive discrimination for women in politics.

Talon sought to pass the bill through parliament, where he enjoys strong support, rather than organise a referendum, as he had promised before he came to power.

"It's a victory for the people of Benin," said Leonce Houngbadji, president of the opposition Party for the Liberation of the People (PLP), which ran a campaign against the proposal.

Last week, the defence minister announced his resignation to protest against Talon's plans to overhaul the constitution.
Rome (AFP) - Italy's former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi will go on trial in July accused of witness tampering and pay-offs over his alleged "bunga bunga" sex parties, a court ruled Wednesday.

At a preliminary hearing in Milan, a judge decided that Berlusconi's case should be integrated into the parallel trial of 22 young starlets and close allies accused of taking bribes from the media magnate, which will begin on July 3.

The ex-premier is accused of paying more than 10 million euros ($10.7-million) between 2011 and 2015, in cash, gifts, cars and housing to guests at his Arcore residence near Milan, to testify in his favour in the so-called "Ruby" affair.

The charges stem from Berlusconi's previous trial for allegedly paying for sex with young women, the best-known being an exotic dancer nicknamed Ruby the Heart Stealer, who was under 18 at the time.

Berlusconi was initially convicted and sentenced to seven years in jail for soliciting minors for prostitution and abusing his power.

But he was cleared in 2015 following an appeal. The judge said he could not have known that Ruby -- real name Karima El-Mahroug -- was a minor.

Prosecutors suspect the 80-year old tycoon bought the silence of those involved, but Berlusconi has said his lavish gifts were simple benevolence and his lawyers insisted they had "around 80 witnesses" ready to testify to his "altruistic" generosity.

El-Mahroug allegedly received gifts worth seven million euros.

She testified that she did not have sex with Berlusconi, claiming she was lying when recorded on a wiretap telling friends the contrary.

Frustrated prosecutors emerged from that trial determined to prove that many witnesses had lied under oath after being bought off.

Billionaire businessman Berlusconi has beaten numerous criminal charges over the years with his only conviction to date being one for corporate tax fraud, which led to him being kicked out of parliament.

Even if convicted there is little chance of Berlusconi ending up behind bars because of Italy's restrictions on penal sanctions against the elderly.

Berlusconi remains the leader of his Forza Italia party but, with its fortunes on the decline, his political influence has waned.
Since President Donald Trump began his campaign in summer 2015, hes promised to build a great, great wall along the nearly 2,000-mile long border separating the U.S. from Mexico in order to stop illegal crossings. On Tuesday, bids for wall design contracts were due.

Four to 10 bidders are expected to be chosen to build wall prototypes, according to an anonymous U.S. official who spoke to the Associated Press, and the federal government will spend $200,000 to $500,000 on each prototype. The models should be about 30 feet long and 30 feet high; they will be built on federally owned land in San Diego, across a quarter-mile-long strip within 120 feet of the border.

Read: Trump Wants $1 Billion For 62 Miles Of US-Mexico Wall

After the prototype is chosen, the winning bidders must submit a security plan with details including "'fall back positions, evacuation routines and methods, muster area, medical staff members/availability, number of security personnel, qualifications, years of experience, etc. in the event of a hostile attack.

Read: Will A Wall Work? Donald Trumps Border Plan Is Outdated, Costly And Ineffective, Researchers Say

During the campaign, Trump said that Mexico would pay for the wall.

"I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and Ill build them very inexpensively, Trump said in his campaign announcement speech in June 2015. I will build a great great wall on our southern border and Ill have Mexico pay for that wall."

However, Mexico has adamantly refused to pay for the border wall, forcing Trump to request Congress approve billions of dollars from taxpayers. The wall could cost as much as $21.6 billion and take three years to build, according to a report from the Department of Homeland Security.

In addition, the federal government could get caught up in legal battles costing tens of millions of dollars, CNN reported, as construction of the wall will require the government to seize private property from homeowners.

Story continues

Border Wall

Photo: Reuters

Related Articles
Photo credit: ULA

From Popular Mechanics

Proving that inspiration can come from all places, Boeing has adapted amusement park zip lines for use as emergency exit systems on its CST-100 Starliner crewed spacecraft. Boeing is working closely with United Launch Alliance (ULA)-the company's joint venture with Lockheed Martin to build rockets-to certify the Starliner for crewed missions to the International Space Station in the coming years. One thing they still need to do? Develop an emergency egress system.

The zip lines were installed by Terra Nova LLC, which has previously built the largest zip line in the world at 8,350 feet long in Mexico. If the hardware is good enough to take people a mile and a half over the hills of Chihuahua, Mexico, it's good for astronauts in an emergency. In the event of an emergency before the rocket engines are lit, such as a fire in the capsule, astronauts can leave though an emergency exit and zip line down to safety from the top of the rocket.

There's already an abort system in place for after the rocket engines are ignited-the astronauts are ejected from the capsule to parachute down to safety. But NASA also requires a method of escape for before the ignition. The requirement makes sense to ULA. "If we have pressure instability in tanks, I think that's probably the biggest one; shorts in an electrical system, things like that, things that could cascade and develop into a pretty significant event," said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president.

Terra Nova's new zip lines are modified to suit ULA and Boeing's unique needs. The system would be mounted on the crew access tower, close to the rocket. In an emergency scenario, the astronauts could feel their way through the smoke (the system is designed to be navigable by touch), exit their hatch, strap themselves to a seat and pull a pair of brake-control handles to start down the wire.

While less scenic than the forests of West Virginia, if the quick trip can meet NASA's rigorous standards than it might become a regular feature on future trips to space.

Story continues

Source: Aviation Week

You Might Also Like
SAN DIEGO (AP)  Tuesday was the deadline for companies to propose designs for President Donald Trump's border wall with Mexico. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will ask several of the bidders to build prototypes in San Diego.

The government won't identify companies until contracts are awarded around June 1  and even then, only the winners  but some bidders released plans on their own.

___

SOLAR PANELS

Gleason Partners LLC of Las Vegas proposes solar panels to cover sections of the wall.

The panels would provide electricity for lighting, sensors and patrol stations along the wall. Sales of electricity to utilities could cover the cost of construction in 20 years or less, according to the company. Power could also be sold to Mexico.

"I like the wall to be able to pay for itself," said managing partner Thomas Gleason.

___

TOURIST ATTRACTION

Crisis Resolution Security Services Inc. of Clarence, Illinois, proposes a wall that is 56 feet (17 meters) high and 22 feet (7 meters) wide at the top  with plenty of room to allow tourists to enjoy desert views.

The height  nearly twice what the government envisions  would deter climbers, and its width would give the structure longevity, said chief executive officer Michael Hari.

___

NUCLEAR WASTE

Clayton Industries Inc. of Pittsburgh proposes storing nuclear waste along the wall in trenches that are at least 100 feet (30 meters) deep.

Money already collected by the U.S. Department of Energy from people who benefit from nuclear power would help pay for the wall.

The bid includes an option for hardware to convert the nuclear waste to energy.

___

ARTWORK ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER

Concrete Contractors Interstate of San Diego proposed a polished concrete wall augmented with stones and artifacts specific to areas on the 2,000-mile (3,218-kilometer) border.

Russ Baumgartner, CEO of the company, says the wall should be "a piece of art."

Customs and Border Protection's solicitation says the wall should be "aesthetically pleasing" from the U.S. side. Baumgartner wants to decorate both sides.

Story continues

___

BALLISTIC CONCRETE

DarkPulse Technologies of Scottsdale, Arizona, proposes a concrete wall that can withstand tampering or attacks of any kind.

"You could fire a tank round at it and it will take the impact," said company founder Dennis O'Leary.

Fiber sensors would be embedded in the concrete to immediately alert officials to any attempts to climb over or tunnel under the wall. It would be coated with a slick coating that would prevent climbing.

___

NO BORDER

Otra Nation, a group of U.S. and Mexican citizens, proposed the world's first shared co-nation along the border "open to citizens of both countries and co-maintained by Mexico and the United States of America."

It would also create "nodes of cultural production" such as libraries, museums, galleries and workshops between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, and other spots with cities on both sides of the border.

It would prohibit oil drilling and mining and create a "hyperloop transportation system" for people and cargo.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Wednesday that the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad should not be allowed to remain in power after the countrys six-year civil conflict comes to an end.

Johnson met with European counterparts in Brussels one day after the Syrian government was accused of carrying out a chemical attack that activists say killed dozens of civilians in a rebel-held town in the countrys northeastern Idlib province, Reuters reports.

This is a barbaric regime that has made it impossible for us to imagine them continuing to be an authority over the people of Syria after this conflict is over, Johnson said, adding that the recent attack will need to be investigated and justice pursued.

Johnson said that all the evidence he had seen pertaining to the attack suggests that it was the Assad regime who did it in the full knowledge that they were using illegal weapons in a barbaric attack on their own people, according to the Associated Press.

Read More: They Are Dying: The Moments After a Gas Attack in Syria

Russias defense ministry said in a statement early Wednesday that the chemical exposure was caused by a rebel-operated arsenal that was hit during an airstrike by Syrian forces, AP reports, claiming that the facility had produced weapons previously used in Iraq.

Both Syria and Russia, which supports the Assad government, have denied the use of chemical weapons in Tuesdays attack, which activist groups say killed at least 72 people, including 20 children. Images of civilians struggling to breathe amid the rubble went viral online and caused immediate international outcry over what appears to have been the deadliest attack of its kind to occur in Syria for several years.

The U.S., Britain and France jointly called Wednesday for the U.N. to condemn the attack, in a draft resolution placing the blame directly on Assads government and calling on them to hand over all relevant military logs for an investigation.

Story continues

Just hours before the attack, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley told reporters that while she views Assad as a war criminal, the United States will not seek a regime change in war-torn Syria because the government may need him in the war against the Islamic State.

[Reuters, AP]

This article was originally published on TIME.com
FRANKLIN, La. (AP)  Shipyards on the bayous of Alabama and Louisiana are scrambling to finish New York City's new ferry fleet in time for a summer launch.

New York's mayor first proposed the 20 new, high-tech catamarans a little more than a year ago as a way to offer more transportation options between Manhattan and budding waterfront neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.

The first of the $4 million vessels arrived in New York in early April after a two-week trip up the East Coast from an Alabama shipyard.

City officials are expecting the $335 million ferry service to record as many as 4.6 million rides a year.

By comparison, subway passengers take about 5.7 million rides on weekdays.
PELOTAS, Brazil  Late last year Fernando received news he had dreaded for months: he and 23 of his classmates had been kicked out of college. The expulsion became national news in Brazil. Fernando and his classmates may not have been publicly named (Fernando, in fact, is a pseudonym), but they were roundly vilified as a group. The headline run by weekly magazine CartaCapital  White Students Expelled from University for Defrauding Affirmative Action System  makes it clear why.

But the headline clashes with how Fernando sees himself. He identifies as pardo, or brown: a mixed-race person with black ancestry. His family has struggled with discrimination ever since his white grandfather married his black grandmother, he told me. My grandfather was accused of soiling the family blood, he said, and was subsequently cut out of an inheritance. So when he applied to a prestigious medical program at the Federal University of Pelotas, in the southern tip of Brazil, he took advantage of recent legislation that set aside places for black, brown, and indigenous students across the countrys public institutions.

While affirmative action policies were introduced to U.S. universities in the 1970s, Brazil didnt begin experimenting with the concept until 2001, in part because affirmative action collided head-on with a defining feature of Brazilian identity. For much of the twentieth century, intellectual and political leaders promoted the idea that Brazil was a racial democracy, whose history favorably contrasted with the state-enforced segregation and violence of Jim Crow America and apartheid South Africa. Racial democracy, a term popularized by anthropologists in the 1940s, has long been a source of pride among Brazilians.

As the countrys black activist groups have argued for decades, it is also a myth. Brazils horrific history of slavery  5.5 million Africans were forcibly transported to Brazil, in comparison with the just under 500,000 brought to America  and its present-day legacy demanded legal recognition, they said. And almost two decades ago, these activists started to get their way in the form of race-based quotas at universities.

For Brazils black activists, however, the breach of the countrys unofficial color-blindness has also been accompanied by suspicion over race fraud: people taking advantage of affirmative action policies never meant for them in the first place.

These spots are for people who are phenotypically black, Mailson Santiago, a history major at the Federal University of Pelotas and a member of the student activist group Setorial Negro, told me. Its not for people with black grandmothers.

But in a country as uniquely diverse as Brazil  where 43 percent of citizens identify as mixed-race, and 30 percent of those who think of themselves as white have black ancestors  its not immediately clear where the line between races should be drawn, nor who should get to draw it, and using what criteria. These questions have now engulfed college campuses, the public sector, and the courts.

A state of racial vigilance permeated campuses across at least six states in 2016. In February of that year, the student activist group Coletivo Negrada reported 28 allegedly fraudulent students to the Public Prosecutors Office in Espirito Santo state. In Bahia alone, students across five universities, including the association of black medical students NegreX, reported on each other for allegedly faking their identity. A few months later, Setorial Negro members in Pelotas took their cue. They filed suit against Fernando and 26 other seemingly white medical students  a process that set an investigation in motion and saw 24 of them kicked off campus in December, earning black activists nationwide their biggest victory of the year. (Three students were cleared of wrongdoing.)

At least three schools  including Federal University of Pelotas, or UFPel, as the school is commonly known  installed controversial race boards to inspect future affirmative action applicants. Several others are considering doing the same. It is possible that such panels will eventually be codified into law. Whats already clear is that affirmative action, as a strategy for racial equality, has proven an uneasy fit for Brazil, resolving certain racial dilemmas by creating entirely new ones.

It divided our program, admits Marlon Deleon, a black second-semester medical student at UFPel who enrolled through the universitys racial quotas system and personally reported on a classmate who did the same, but whom Deleon described as flagrantly white and blond.

A lot of students thought of this as a new inquisition, as a witch hunt, Deleon said. But there were many of us who believed it was the right thing to do.

Members of Educafro, a nonprofit that works to expand access to education for black Brazilians, protest in favor of racial quota policies on June 27, 2012, in Brasilia. (Photo credit: PETER FRANCIA/News Free/LatinContent/Getty Images)

The United States has provided Brazil with the most direct blueprint for affirmative action. But the two countries divergent histories have left them with distinct understandings of race.

Relationships across black-white boundaries have always been rare in the United States. Settlers arrived for the most part in family units, which together with the gaping material and legal chasm between the white ruling class and black enslaved population, ensured that interracial relationships remained taboo. At one point or another, 41 U.S. states had laws banning interracial marriage  17 of them as recently as 50 years ago. (The Supreme Court finally ruled anti-miscegenation laws unconstitutional that year in the landmark Loving v. Virginia decision.) Meanwhile, race was codified into laws determining that even one drop of African ancestry rendered a person legally black.

Unlike in America, miscegenation played an integral role in Brazilian nation-building. White settlers skewed heavily male, and they were vastly outnumbered by people of color. Relationships between white settlers and indigenous, and latter black enslaved women, were not only accepted, but encouraged by colonial authorities (although for the women, they were rarely consensual). By 1872, whites made up only 38 percent of the population.

If interracial relationships were widespread prior to the abolition of slavery in 1888, they became a matter of national duty afterward. That didnt happen just because we all happened to get along, said Mirtes Santos, a law student and Coletivo Negrada member. It was a way to erase black identity. Brazils government launched a full-on propaganda and policy effort to whiten Brazil: It closed the countrys borders to African immigrants, denied black Brazilians the rights to lands inhabited by the descendants of runaway slaves, and subsidized the voyage of millions of German and Italian workers, providing them with citizenship, land grants, and stipends when they arrived.

These policies didnt eliminate race, but they did affect how it came to be classified. The marker of race drifted away from a binary consideration of a persons ancestry and became increasingly based on ones appearance. Today, Brazilians see themselves as falling across a spectrum of skin colors with a dizzying assortment of names: burnt white, brown, dark nut, light nut, black, and copper are a few of the 136 categories that the census department, in a 1976 study, found Brazilians to use for self-identification.

What ultimately binds these definitions together is an awareness that the less black a person looks, the better  better for securing jobs, better for social mobility. The widespread acceptance of multiracial identities in Brazil coexists with steep racial inequality  a contradiction that the sociologist Edward E. Telles has called the enigma of Brazilian race relations. Even the supposed embrace of interracial romance, which is more prevalent among low-income Brazilians, dwindles with each step up the socio-economic ladder. (In comparison, the rate of mixed-race marriages in America increases in proportion to education level, although overall they remain quite rare.) As Brazils leading anthropologist told a rapt European audience in 1912, the mixed-race Brazil of today looks to whiteness as its objective, its way out and its solution. He predicted that, by 2012, black Brazilians would be extinct.

While 80 percent of the countrys one-percenters are white, Brazilians who look black and mixed-race make up 76 percent of the bottom tenth of income earners. They earn, on average, 41 percent less than their white colleagues. They are also disproportionately represented across the countrys notoriously underfunded public school system. As a result, compared to the mostly white students who can afford a private school education, black and mixed-race Brazilians are less equipped to navigate the college admissions process. Only 13 percent of them between the ages of 18 and 24 are currently enrolled in a university.

Hence the need, so went the argument, for affirmative action. But if the idea seemed justified in theory, it was less clear how exactly Brazil was supposed to put it into practice.

People march against the killing of black Brazilians by police in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Aug. 22, 2014. (Photo credit: TIAGO MAZZA CHIARAVALLOTI/NurPhoto)

To tackle inequality in higher education, the federal government passed the Law of Social Quotas in 2012. The law earmarks half of all admissions spots across the countrys federally funded institutions to public high school graduates, regardless of their race. (Public universities, unlike high schools, are more prestigious in Brazil than private ones.) Of those reserved spots, half go to students whose families earn less than 1.5 minimum wage, or about $443 a month. A percentage of the spaces in both categories then gets set aside for black, brown and indigenous students, in proportion to the ratio of white to non-white residents in each given state.

The government gave schools four years, until 2016, to fully comply with the law. The problem is that the law merely asked that candidates report their own race. To many students and professors I spoke with, the only thing that seems to have risen in popular undergraduate programs like law and medicine are the number of white-looking students who gained entry by claiming to be black.

Its visible to the naked eye, said Luana Padilha, a black medical student who enrolled via affirmative action. By my count, at least 12 of my classmates should have accessed the program through racial quotas. But I look around and cant recognize any of these people.

If you look at a photograph of the incoming medical class of 2015, only one of the students looks black, said Georgina Lima, a professor and head of UFPels Center for Affirmative Action and Diversity. And hes not even Brazilian. Hes from Africa.

The Ethnicity Evaluation Committee, of which Lima is a member, was installed to address this loophole. It interviewed prospective students for the first time ahead of the second semester of 2016. We saw the most incredible situations unfold, said Rogerio Reis, an anthropology professor and head of the committee. People would shave their heads, wear beanies, get a tan. Just a series of strategies to turn themselves black. Fabio Goncalves, a lawyer and committee member, was about to put one prospective student down as black, when one of his female colleagues, who knows more about this kind of thing than I do, told him to note the difference in skin tone between the students face and body. The student had darkened her features with make-up! he told me, in utter bewilderment.

For as long as black activists have demanded affirmative action, they have also stressed the need for monitoring strategies. Brazil is the country of frauds, said Helio Santos, president of the Brazilian Diversity Institute and a leading figure in the black rights movement. Civil rights efforts that dont come with any oversight are a joke. But the recent implementation of verification panels across several schools has raised troubling questions about who gets to define race in a country where people dont fall neatly into black and white categories.

My father is black. My official documents say Im white. I have firsthand experience with miscegenation. This issue is not so clear-cut, said Kelvin Rodrigues, a second semester medical student at UFPel who is critical of the evaluation committee, even if he supports expelling those who commit blatant racial fraud. Rodrigues looks black, but as someone who graduated from a private high school, he was never eligible for affirmative action spots in the first place.

If the law stipulates that an applicants race should be self-reported, then what right does anyone have to tell that person that theyre lying? said Luiz Paulo Ferreira, another second-semester medical student. He told me that he considers himself pardo and enrolled in the medical program through the racial quotas, but that he was not one of the 27 students who were investigated.

How can members of the committee feel particularly qualified to make these judgment calls? said Ferreira. And based on what criteria?

Eleven experts comprised the panel, among them UFPel administrators, anthropologists, and leaders in the wider black community of Pelotas. They received strict guidelines from the Public Prosecutors Office: Phenotypical characteristics are what should be taken into account, read the instructions. Arguments concerning the race of ones ancestors are therefore irrelevant.

The official criteria mirrored the way the issue has played out in the public sector as well. In 2014, the federal government approved a law that set aside 20 percent of public sector jobs to people of color. In Aug. 2016, after it had become clear that the law left room for fraud, the government ordered all departments to install verification committees. But it failed to provide the agencies with any guidance.

The Department of Education in Para, Brazils blackest state, attempted to fulfill the decree with a checklist, which leaked to the press. Among the criteria to be scored: Is the job candidates nose short, wide and flat? How thick are their lips? Are their gums sufficiently purple? What about their lower jaw? Does it protrude forward? Candidates were to be awarded points per item, like hair type and skull shape. In response to the leaked test, one college professor from the state wrote on Facebook, Were going back to the slave trade. During job interviews theyre gonna stick their hands in our mouth to inspect our teeth.

But black activists say such measures are unavoidable. A person who does not look phenotypically black is not the one getting killed by police every 23 minutes, said Santos, the law student and Coletivo Negrada member. So long as this is how racism manifests itself here, we need to ensure that the people taking up admission spots in universities are the ones with these characteristics.

Left: Former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff holds a jersey that reads, "Racism is a Crime," alongside former education minister Jose Henrique Paim, during the second National Conference on Education in Brasilia, on Nov. 20, 2014. (Photo credit: EVARISTO SA/AFP/Getty Images); Right: A man holds a sign supporting the potential candidacy of congressman Jair Bolsonaro for the presidency during a demonstration against Rousseff and government corruption on March 13, 2016, in Manaus, Brazil. (Photo credit: RAPHAEL ALVES/AFP/Getty Images)

The expulsion of the UFPel medical students at the tail-end of 2016, while a major victory for the black activist movement, has not settled the debate around quotas, race frauds, and panels. Seven of the 24 expelled students challenged the universitys decision, and in February, a court gave them permission to go back to class. UFPel has vowed to appeal the ruling. The evaluation committee, meanwhile, has since interviewed candidates for the race quota slots in the first term of 2017. It has also announced a second investigation beyond the medical school, into the more than one thousand students across UFPel that enrolled via affirmative action since the law first went into effect.

The topic has also galvanized conservative politicians, who have enjoyed renewed political power since the impeachment of Brazils first female president, Dilma Rousseff, brought an end to 13 years of leftist Workers Party rule. Fernando Holiday, a black libertarian activist who spearheaded mass protests against Rousseff, won a council seat during Octobers midterm elections on a campaign platform to repeal race quota measures. The far-right Congressman Jair Bolsonaro, who has long expressed vehement opposition to affirmative action laws, has steadily risen in the polls for the 2018 presidential election.

For the time being, individual students will be obliged to navigate the countrys evolving racial codes on their own. Fernando, now expelled from UFPel, remembers his interview with the evaluation committee lasting eight minutes. The panelists started by asking him about when he first recognized himself as pardo. Then, to his surprise, they asked how involved he was with the black activist movement.

I shouldnt have to be an activist to be considered black, said Fernando. Although the Law of Social Quotas is extended to mixed-race candidates, he left the interview feeling like he was being singled out for having light skin. None of the interviewers were pardo. There was no one there that could identify with me.
A hearing will go forward as planned Thursday over whether four beer sellers in Whiteclay should remain open after a district court judge refused to intervene and halt the hearing.

In a 14-page order Wednesday, Lancaster County District Judge Robert Otte found he lacked jurisdiction over the matters now pending before the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission.

He went on to say that even if jurisdiction was permitted, the court "should and would decline to exercise its discretion to entertain the matter given the underlying facts and circumstances."

Last week, a lawyer for the four embattled beer stores accused Gov. Pete Ricketts and Attorney General Doug Peterson of mounting a politically motivated attack on his clients.

Ricketts, in turn, denied it.

Scottsbluff attorney Andrew Snyder had asked Otte to cancel the hearing, set for Thursday, and order automatic renewal of the stores' liquor licenses, arguing the state followed an illegal procedure when it required them to reapply for the licenses last year.

Ryan Post, a lawyer with the Attorney General's Office, dismissed the beer stores' move as an "end-run" attempt to avoid the Liquor Commission hearing at the Capitol.

The commission ordered the beer stores to reapply for their licenses in November, citing concerns about law enforcement in Whiteclay, an unincorporated village in northwest Nebraska.

And the hearing was scheduled after 13 residents from the surrounding county formally protested the beer stores' applications for renewal.

Whiteclay has a dozen permanent residents, but its four liquor stores sell millions of cans of beer each year, much of it to residents of the nearby Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where alcohol is banned. The village itself is a hub for vagrants and violence, and critics say Whiteclay beer sales contribute to a host of problems on the reservation, including rampant fetal alcohol syndrome.
Riyadh (AFP) - Britain said Wednesday it would help Saudi Arabia to diversify its oil-dependent economy as British Prime Minister Theresa May visited the Gulf kingdom.

May and Saudi King Salman held talks focused on "bilateral relations and cooperation" as well as "regional and international developments", the official news agency SPA said.

A statement from May's office said the two discussed several issues including security and strengthening business ties.

An earlier statement from May's office said she would discuss with the monarch "tax and privatisation standards to help Saudi Arabia diversify its economy and become less reliant on oil".

The prime minister "pointed out that security relationships between the two counties had saved many lives in the UK", her office said.

Saudi Arabia faces a significant budget deficit with billions of dollars in debts to private firms, largely in the construction business, after a drop in global oil prices by about half since 2014.

Britain will also assist Riyadh in "building a reformed Ministry of Defence" and reviewing defence capabilities, the premier's office said.

May's visit to the oil-rich kingdom came as she seeks to secure investment and trade after Britain officially started a two-year countdown to leave the European Union.

The premier pitched the London bourse as a venue for the expected listing of oil giant Saudi Aramco, Bloomberg news cited an unnamed British official as saying.

May held a private meeting with Energy Minister Khaled al-Falih, who also heads Aramco, in the presence of London Stock Exchange Group Plc chief Xavier Rolet, the official said.

Back home, the premier has come under strong criticism for her visit to the ultra-conservative kingdom.

She has faced calls to raise rights issues with the kingdom's leaders, primarily over Britain's arms sales to a Saudi-led military coalition battling Iran-backed rebels in Yemen since March 2015.

Story continues

May's office said she and King Salman "discussed working together to address the humanitarian situation in Yemen".

Saudi Arabia has bought more than $5 billion (4.7 billion euros) worth of arms from the United States and Britain since the Yemen intervention, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute think-tank says.

Rights groups have called for an end to US and British arms sales to Riyadh over the coalition's involvement in the war which has resulted in heavy civilian casualties.

More than 7,700 people have been killed in Yemen since March 2015, the United Nations says, and seven million Yemenis face starvation this year.

On Tuesday, May held talks with a string of officials including Saudi Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef and Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman, who is second in line to the throne.

The British premier also met Sarah al-Suhaimi, the first woman to head the Saudi stock exchange and a Saudi investment bank, and Princess Reema bint Bandar, head of the women's section at the General Authority for Sports.
Nairobi (AFP) - Burundi's ruling party sought Wednesday to distance itself from a viral video showing members of its feared youth wing threatening to impregnate opposition women.

Hundreds of the youths known as Imbonerakure -- "those who see from afar" in the local Kirundi language -- are shown in military-like formation singing "impregnate the opposition so that they give birth to Imbonerakure".

The ruling CNND-FDD initially said the video which began circulating three days ago had been faked by the opposition, but was on Wednesday forced to admit its authenticity after it sparked outrage on social media networks.

"A video has been circulating on social media showing youths gathering in Ntega in Kirundo province. Unfortunately some youths sang a song which is not consistent with the morals or ideology of the CNDD-FDD," the party's communication chief Nancy-Ninette Mutoni said in a statement.

She said the party condemned their "misuse of language ... in the strongest terms".

The Imbonerakure have come under the spotlight since Burundi plunged into crisis two years ago when President Pierre Nkurunziza launched a bid for a disputed third term in office, prompting massive protests and a failed coup attempt.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has reported their involvement in arresting and attacking opposition members, carrying out torture and gang-raping women.

"Attackers from Burundi's ruling party youth league tied up, brutally beat, and gang-raped women, often with their children nearby," said Skye Wheeler, a HRW women's rights researcher, after the group interviewed more than 70 rape victims in a Tanzanian refugee camp in May 2016.

HRW said the youth wing -- which the United Nations terms a militia -- often collaborated with police and the military.

In January Mutoni said the Imbonerakure "not only have the right but also the obligation to do surveillance and to signal all movements and suspect acts to the security forces".

Since Burundi's 2015 election crisis, the UN estimates some 500 people have been killed -- a year-old death toll that NGOs believe is in fact as high as 2,000. More than 400,000 have fled the country.
At last, Britains Prime Minister is really angry about something.

No, not Scotlands renewed bid for independence. Not even the E.U.s apparent attempt to use Gibraltar as a bargaining chip in forthcoming Brexit talks.

Instead, Theresa May has registered her fury at the war on Easter.

Did you know there was a war on Easter? Because there is - as I write, fluffy bunnies across Britain are digging trenches and sharpening adorable little bayonets.

The aggressors are the hapless marketing teams at chocolate maker Cadburys and conservation charity the National Trust, who omitted to mention the word Easter in the title for their annual egg hunt this spring (its now called the Great British Egg Hunt, if youre wondering). Its not exactly Hitler invading Poland, but it has brought out the Winston Churchill in Britains formerly mild-mannered leader.

I think the stance they have taken is absolutely ridiculous, she said, the BBC reports. I dont know what they are thinking about frankly. Easters very important ... Its a very important festival for the Christian faith for millions across the world.

We shall fight them on the church benches, she might have added. May is a committed Christian and a vicars daughter, and is thus qualified to act as a defender of the faith - at least against the attackers attempting to import political correctness to Britain (Cadbury is now owned by U.S. multinational giant Mondelez).

Its curious, though, that May has chosen to rage against this storm in an eggcup when there are so many other things to direct righteous ire at. The obdurate European leaders who are determined to give Britain a raw deal in Brexit talks. The countrys creaking military infrastructure. The looming disintegration of the union. The damn newspapers that keep focusing on her legs and outfits instead of her policies. May made her comments while on a visit to Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and some online have wondered why she couldnt muster some comparable outrage at persecution against Christians there. Or women, for that matter:

Story continues

Good, tho39;, that PM said removal of Easter from Egg Hunt was "frankly ridiculous" whilst in a country where women aren39;t allowed to drive. - David Baddiel (@Baddiel) April 4, 2017

Perhaps this crack in Mays typically unflustered temperament is an act of displacement; the rage that has been bottling up inside her being vented in a sharp blast. If so, perhaps Britain can be glad this is the war she has chosen to fight - and not the one against Spain that the countrys tabloid press is gleefully talking up over Gibraltar.

Lets just hope Madrid remembers to honor Christs sacrifice as it hides its huevos.

This article was originally published on TIME.com
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has turned to a Conservative predecessor, also known as father of free trade, to help smooth ties with U.S. President Donald Trump and to protect exports, Canada's trade minister said on Wednesday. Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney will advise a cabinet committee in Ottawa this week, sharing his perspective on the looming renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the United States and Mexico, Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told reporters. "We all know that he's close to President Trump," he said. "So obviously, you know, any insight that we can get is welcome. You know, this is a whole-of-Canada effort." Champagne added that the Canadian government would be leading the negotiations under Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, but it was "the smart thing to do" to listen to Mulroney, given his experience and relationship with Trump. The prime minister's office said in March that Trudeau had spoken with Mulroney on several occasions and looked forward to continuing to work with him. "We are drawing upon advice from different Canadians who have offered their assistance, and we are pleased the former Prime Minister has been able to serve as a helpful bridge to Republicans, including the President, underscoring the unique relationship between our two countries," press secretary Cameron Ahmad said in an email. Mulroney's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A source who knows the former prime minister said Mulroney has a strong interest in helping on the trade front because he negotiated the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and NAFTA in the 1990s, he knows the file well, and has a strong conviction in the benefits of free trade. "It's his baby," said the source, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. He said Mulroney, who has sat on numerous corporate boards and business enterprises since his departure from politics, is helping Trudeau deal with Trump for free, because he has the contacts within the Trump administration and has known Trump for many years in the business world. Trump had vowed to tear up NAFTA, saying the agreement had cost U.S. jobs, but said after a meeting with Trudeau in February that the United States would only be "tweaking" its trade relationship with Canada, because Mexico was the real concern. [L1N1FY0SP] Trudeau's late father, former Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was a bitter rival of Mulroney when the two men were battling to lead the nation in the 1980s. (Reporting by Andrea Hopkins and David Ljunggren; Editing by Richard Chang)
(Reuters) - A Canadian court postponed making a decision on whether to grant bail to Karim Baratov, who was arrested in March on U.S. charges that he was involved in a massive hack of Yahoo email accounts, CBC reported Wednesday. Baratov's lawyer requested that his client be released on bail, promising that he would remain at his parents' home in Hamilton, Ontario. The prosecutor argued the 22-year-old Kazakh-Canadian citizen was a flight risk and a threat to public safety. Judge Alan Whitten said he would hold off on ruling until Tuesday, following a full-day hearing and private meeting with attorneys, according to a report on the website of Canadian public broadcaster CBC. The United States has asked Canada to extradite Baratov to face charges that Russian intelligence agents paid him to break into email accounts, resulting in the 2014 theft of some 500 million Yahoo Inc YHOO.O accounts. (Reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny and Jim Finkle in Toronto; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Mogadishu (AFP) - At least seven people were killed and 10 wounded on Wednesday when a car bomb exploded at a restaurant near the Somali ministry of internal security in Mogadishu, officials said.

"There was a huge blast at a tea-shop near the security ministry, the initial information we are getting indicates it was a car bomb explosion," said Somali police official Mohammed Ibrahim.

Abdifatah Omar Halane, spokesman for the Mogadishu adminstration, said "seven civilians were killed in the blast and more than 10 others wounded."

Witnesses said the area was swarmed by ambulances.

"The blast was huge and I saw ambulances rushing but the area was cordoned off by the police", said witness Abdisalam Sharif.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but bombings are commonly carried out by Somalia's Shabaab jihadists who have threatened a "vicious war" against the country's new government.

The Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-aligned militant group, was forced out of the capital by African Union troops in 2011 but still controls parts of the countryside and carries out attacks against government, military and civilian targets seemingly at will in Mogadishu and regional towns.

A particularly deadly strike on a busy market left 39 people dead in February, while a twin car bomb attack on a popular Mogadishu hotel left 28 dead in January.
BEIJING (AP)  China criticized India on Wednesday for allowing the Dalai Lama to visit a disputed border region, saying it did not consider the matter a purely internal Indian affair and warning it would damage bilateral relations.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters that the visit by the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader "severely harms China's interests and the China-India relationship."

Hua rejected arguments that the trip was solely religious in nature, and said China would lodge a formal protest with New Delhi.

India "in disregard of China's concerns, invited the Dalai Lama to visit the disputed border area between China and India," Hua said. In doing so, India had violated its commitments to China on Tibet-related issues, a move that would "stir up troubles over the border issue and go against the sound development of bilateral ties," she said.

Hua said China adhered to the principle of not interfering in other countries internal affairs, but the Dalai Lama's visit "is not an internal matter anymore."

India said Tuesday that China should not interfere in its domestic issues, as the Dalai Lama began a weeklong visit to Arunachal Pradesh in India's remote northeast.

The 81-year-old monk was greeted by cheering supporters as he arrived in the partly ethnically Tibetan Himalayan state that China claims as its own territory.

Indian Junior Home Minister Kiren Rijiju said Tuesday that New Delhi respects Beijing's "one China" policy and expects China to accept India's policies.

"Arunachal Pradesh is an inseparable part of India and China should not object to the Dalai Lama's visit and interfere in India's internal affairs," Rijiju said.

The visit is the Dalai Lama's seventh to Arunachal Pradesh and his first since 2009. China has criticized previous visits, but they did not spark any major rift between the two nuclear-armed Asian giants.

Story continues

The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 amid an uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet, which Communist forces had occupied earlier in the decade. China considers him a separatist seeking Tibet's independence, while the Dalai Lama says he merely advocates substantial autonomy and protection of the region's native Buddhist culture.

The Dalai Lama is to travel to the district of Tawang on Thursday, where he is scheduled to consecrate a monastery and address his followers. People from nearby areas, including from the Himalayan country of Bhutan, which borders Arunachal Pradesh, were already gathering at Tawang, local officials said.

The border between the two Asian giants remains tense more than 50 years after they fought a brief but bloody war high in the peaks.

China claims about 90,000 square kilometers (35,000 square miles) in Arunachal Pradesh, while India says China is occupying 38,000 square kilometers (15,000 square miles) of its territory on the Aksai Chin plateau.
By Yimou Lee and Shwe Yee Saw Myint NAYPYITAW (Reuters) - China has shifted its position in a lengthy dispute with Myanmar over the building of a $3.6 billion dam, seven sources said, signaling its willingness to abandon the project in exchange for other economic and strategic opportunities in Myanmar. Myanmar President Htin Kyaw will discuss a potential deal on the massive Myitsone dam during a trip to China beginning on Thursday, two senior Myanmar officials and a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Until recently, China had been pushing hard for the 6,000 megawatt project to go ahead despite widespread opposition within Myanmar which forced the suspension of work in 2011. Now, it is discussing alternative options with Myanmar including developing a number of smaller hydropower projects and securing preferential access to a strategically important port to compensate it for shelving the project, the sources said. The seven sources include senior Myanmar government officials, a person familiar with the original deal and a person close to the Chinese state-owned operator of the dam. They declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. Executives at the developer, the Sino-Myanmar joint venture Upstream Ayeyawady Confluence Basin Hydropower, are "deeply concerned" the project will get scrapped, according to a person close to the company. In a statement, the company said it was looking forward to "an impartial and fair" review by the Myanmar government into the environmental and social impact of the project. It said it remained confident of an appropriate solution, without giving details. Myanmar's national security advisor Thaung Tun said the review, led by Htin Kyaw, was in its final stages. The person familiar with the original deal said the Chinese-owned operator of the dam, the State Power Investment Corp Yunnan International Power Investment (SPICYN) has not been actively pursuing the project over the last six months, in contrast to its more proactive stance previously. SPICYN declined to comment. LESS POWER NEEDED China would maintain communications with Myanmar to handle "any difficulties encountered in the course of cooperation on the project" Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a regular media briefing. The Myitsone dam was supposed to send 90 percent of its electricity to China's neighboring Yunnan province, angering many in electricity-starved Myanmar. But in recent months, China's appetite for the project has diminished because Yunnan now has an oversupply of electricity as it switches to less energy-intensive industries amid an economic slowdown, sources said. Instead, China, with its "One Belt, One Road" ambitions of improving links with central Asia and Europe, "wants a face-saving solution" that would allow it to advance its other economic interests if it shelves Myitsone, said a top government official familiar with discussions. A deal would mark a geopolitical shift away from the West, as Naypyitaw looks to improve ties with China at a time when the United States and the European Union are focused more on domestic policies. Beijing is an increasingly important partner for Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has made ending decades of ethnic war her top priority. Myanmar needs Chinese support to stabilize their shared border amid increased fighting with armed ethnic groups. Myanmar is likely to be liable to China for compensation on hundreds of millions of dollars already spent on the project, according to the source close to the deal and a person familiar with the government's position. Myitsone's developer and operator did not comment on potential compensation arrangements and it was not clear how that would be handled. "The compensation doesn't have to be cash," said one of the officials familiar with Suu Kyi's thinking. "China is interested in other infrastructure projects including smaller-scale dams." China is also pushing for preferential access to the deep sea port of Kyauk Pyu on the Bay of Bengal, according to two sources familiar with the government's position. Kyauk Pyu is the entry point for a Chinese oil and gas pipeline and the two countries are close to starting pumping oil through it. The pipeline will provide China an alternative route for receiving Middle Eastern oil. (Additional reporting by Antoni Slodkowski, Wa Lone, Simon Lewis, Soe Zeya Tun in MYANMAR, Michael Martina in BEIJING and David Stanway in SHANGHAI; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
Helsinki (AFP) - China's President Xi Jinping, on the way to his eagerly awaited first encounter with Donald Trump, met his Finnish counterpart in Helsinki Wednesday, extending Beijing's famed "panda diplomacy" to Finland.

The two sides agreed to carry out "cooperative panda research" and "make the pandas messengers of friendship between our two countries," Xi said at a joint press conference in Helsinki.

The first visit by a Chinese leader to Finland since 1995 marks the 100th anniversary of the Nordic country's independence and Finns were pleased to learn that a pair of giant pandas were expected in Finland before the end of the year.

Finnish and Chinese officials have been in lengthy talks over China leasing a pair of giant pandas to Ahtari zoo in central Finland, where the construction of a new panda cage costing more than eight million euros (over $8.5 million) is well underway.

"We know that pandas are a national treasure for China and we will honour and value them," President Sauli Niinisto told Xi.

China is Finland's fifth largest trading partner and Xi said the two sides would "expand cooperation in such areas as innovation-driven development, green development and coordinated development."

Xi said China appreciated "Finland's firm commitment to the one-China policy", which Niinisto confirmed in his own address to the media.

After Helsinki, Xi was due to continue his journey across the Atlantic to Florida, where US President Trump awaits him on Thursday with a much tougher stance on trade and China's problematic relationship with Taiwan than the friendly Nordic country had.

Trump had previously infuriated Beijing with suggestions he might break from the US's long-standing One China Policy, which nominally acknowledges the Asian giant's claims over Taiwan without recognising them.

In Helsinki, Xi refused to take any questions from the media and did not comment on the upcoming meeting with Trump in his speech.

Trump has warned talks with Xi will be "very difficult" and accused China during his campaign of stealing American jobs and industry.

US Commerce Department data showed Tuesday that the US deficit with China gained $1.6 billion to $31.7 billion in February.
Most actors love to research about the roles they are taking on, especially if they are comic book characters. But Wonder Woman star Chris Pine, who plays military guy Steve Trevor, is different.

I never read the comic book, I read the script and took my cue from my director. Thats how I go about all of these, Pine said, according to Batman News.

READ: Chris Pine compares Wonder Woman to Casablanca

But Pine joked that he did not have a tough job to do, since he had Gal Gadot as his leading lady. But really, my job was I had to fall in love with Gal Gadot, make some jokes, jump over some stuff, breath heavily, he said.

Earlier, Pine raved about the film, which was directed by Patty Jenkins. He guaranteed fans that it will have a little bit of everything, including action, drama and romance, so it will definitely cater to a wide range of audiences. I think whats really fun and exciting about it... different about it, actually, is that theres a nice love story at the center of an action film, and I dont think you see that often in these kinds of films, he told The Huffington Post.

The films producer, Deborah Snyder, feels the same way, and she has assured fans that Wonder Woman will be a unique offering from DC. A lot of people are actually worried that it might be similar to Zack Snyders Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which many moviegoers did not appreciate. But Snyder is positive the response to Wonder Woman will be different.

Wonder Woman is very different in tone and style than Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad,' she told Variety. We pick directors who have their own points of view, so that each of our films will have their own personality.

Wonder Woman will be released on June 2.

Chris Pine

Photo: Getty Images/Jason Kempin

Related Articles
WASHINGTON (AP)  Seattle police, considered by some to use force too fast and too often, reached an agreement with the federal government that gave all officers training on how to better handle people suffering from mental illness and substance abuse. Residents' attitudes toward police improved.

New Orleans police, plagued by decades of corruption and abuse, came to a similar court-enforced agreement with the Justice Department that led to improvements in sexual assault investigations and changes to department policy. But the 2012 consent decree is expected to cost at least $55 million, and critics say it requires rank-and-file officers to complete time-consuming paperwork when they could be patrolling.

As new Attorney General Jeff Sessions signals his Justice Department may back out of such federal agreements with troubled police departments, a look at some of them shows they can be popular but also carry mixed results.

"There's no question that some of these consent decrees are arduous and complicated, but they will (force cities to) provide the kind of resources the department very often needs," said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, whose study of consent decrees found them costly but useful in helping departments deal with broad issues.

The Obama Justice Department saw such probes as essential in holding local law enforcement accountable for unconstitutional practices such as excessive force and racial bias. It opened roughly two dozen investigations of police departments, 14 of which ended in consent decrees.

But Sessions has a different view, expressing concern that the scrutiny can malign entire agencies and harm officer morale, something his predecessors disputed. Sessions believes federal intervention has led in some circumstances to less aggressive policing and a spike in violence in some cities, particularly Chicago, where negotiations over a possible consent decree are now uncertain under his leadership.

Story continues

Cities involved in such agreements cite benefits as well as drawbacks.

"Consent decrees take a major toll on local elected officials, police departments and stakeholders," said John Gaskin III of the NAACP in Ferguson, Missouri, whose leaders entered into such an agreement after Michael Brown's shooting death at the hands of police in 2014 roiled the St. Louis suburb. "They (consent orders) are not easy to put together. They're time-consuming and, quite honestly, emotionally draining," Gaskin said. "I hope we don't turn back the clock with this decision" of Sessions to retreat from the agreements.

Officials in Seattle say the results have been unequivocal. The Justice Department's investigation, after an officer's fatal shooting of a Native American woodcarver in 2010, found officers had been too quick to be physical, especially in low-intensity encounters. The 2012 settlement overhauled the department's training, procedures and record-keeping. Since then, responding to roughly 10,000 calls a year in which people are in some type of behavioral crisis, officers used force just 2 percent of the time  and in the vast majority of those instances, they used the minimum level of force.

"When they used force, 75 percent of the time it was against someone in a mental health crisis or drug and alcohol crisis," said Jenny Durkan, the former Seattle U.S. attorney who pressed for the consent decree. "Now it's an infinitesimal amount. That makes a huge difference on the streets, and it's better for cops."

Mayor Ed Murray said officer morale actually improved with increasing respect and understanding from the community.

In New Orleans, the Justice Department opened a series of civil rights investigations focused on police misconduct in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. It also embarked on a separate push to address systemic problems in the police department. The latter effort led to the signing of the consent decree.

Civil rights attorney Mary Howell said the court-mandated reforms have had an "enormous impact" on a police department plagued by decades of corruption and abuses. The police department in New Orleans has rewritten its policies governing officers' use of force and is revamping its police academy, among other changes. A recent survey showed public satisfaction and confidence in the police have improved.

The reforms haven't been cheap for the city, and the federal government isn't footing the bill.

Rafael Goyeneche, president of the independent watchdog New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission, said a massive paper trail is necessary for the courts to determine if police departments are complying with a consent decree's terms. And that paperwork flows down to the rank-and-file officers in the field, he said.

"That becomes a more critical issue in a city like New Orleans, where there is a manpower crisis," Goyeneche added.

Officers realized the need for reforms, but would welcome a loosening of oversight and reviews that are redundant, said Mike Glasser, president of the Police Association of New Orleans. The bureaucracy involved can make officers think twice about making a traffic stop, he said, or approaching a suspicious person.

"I'm not going to say that happens to everybody categorically," Glasser said. "But if you don't think that impacts the officer's behavior, you're naive."

In Detroit, the Justice Department targeted the police department's use of excessive force and its treatment of crime suspects. A 2003 agreement to make improvements lasted under four mayors until the government found there was substantial compliance by 2014. A federal judge closed the case in 2016.

"The results are compelling," the Justice Department said in a 2014 court filing, pointing to declines in use-of-force and the end of arresting and detaining witnesses. The agreement cost Detroit more than $50 million, including $15 million for court-appointed monitoring teams.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig said the department has been well-served by federal oversight, but that he believes Sessions' goals are "on point."

Craig said it would be less expensive to hire the right police chief rather than paying a monitor, which sometimes doesn't sit well with police officers.

"When morale goes down, there is no real service to the community," Craig said.

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Gene Johnson in Seattle, Kevin McGill and Rebecca Santana in New Orleans, Michael Kunzelman in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jim Suhr in Kansas City, Missouri, Ed White and Corey Williams in Detroit.
Bogota (AFP) - Colombia created a "truth commission" on Monday to help it heal after decades of war under a recent peace deal with the leftist FARC rebels.

President Juan Manuel Santos also signed into law a decree establishing a special unit to search for people still missing in the country's 53-year conflict.

"Today we are signing the legal decrees" to set up the Truth Clarification Commission and the Special Unit for Seeking People Reported Missing, he said in a speech.

The two new bodies are part of a set of special post-conflict institutions to be set up under the peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Special courts are also due to be inaugurated under the accord to try atrocities committed during the conflict.

The heads of the new institutions will be appointed by judicial authorities and foreign delegates including UN officials.

Santos won a Nobel Prize last year for leading the peace effort, which his opponents have fiercely resisted.

Voters narrowly rejected the peace deal in a referendum in October. Critics said it was too soft on FARC members, some of whom would receive amnesties.

But Santos and FARC leaders redrafted the deal before the president successfully pushed it through Congress in March.

Santos said the new post-conflict bodies offer "a guarantee for all those thousands of victims who have spent years and decades waiting for answers."

The Colombian conflict drew in various rebel and paramilitary groups and gangs as well as state forces.

It has killed 260,000 people, displaced nearly seven million and left 60,000 missing, according to official estimates.

Santos has also launched peace talks with the country's last active rebel group, the smaller leftist National Liberation Army (ELN).
DAKAR (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila pledged on Wednesday to restore order to the country's restive Kasai region, where a worsening insurgency poses the most serious threat to his 16-year rule. Kabila's failure to step down when his two-term mandate expired in December has further destabilised the loosely governed central African giant. Millions died in regional wars from 1996-2003 and dozens of armed groups still operate. The Kamuina Nsapu insurrection erupted Kasai-Central province last August as a dispute over a customary chieftancy but has since spread to four other provinces, killing hundreds while taking on an increasingly political tone. In a rare address to parliament, Kabila said he had designated Kasai an "operational sector" and called on militia members to lay down their arms. "Confronted with these unacceptable atrocities committed against innocent victims ... we can no longer defer our responsibility to re-establish state authority in this part of the country by all possible legal means," Kabila said. The United Nations has accused both government forces and militia fighters of rights abuses and said it has credible reports that the army has carried out summary executions against suspected militants. [nL8N1G54JJ] The government denies that its forces employ excessive force but has charged seven soldiers with crimes including for murder and mutilation in connection with a video that appears to show troops massacring suspected militia members. [nL5N1GV0A9] The U.N. mission in Congo warned in a statement on Wednesday that an intensified military response "will only exacerbate the violence and further place the civilian population in danger". The mission also said this week that it has confirmed the presence of 23 mass grave sites in the region. Under a deal struck with the opposition in December, Kabila can stay in office until after an election required to be held by the end of this year. However, negotiations to implement the accord collapsed last week amid a disagreement over the procedure for nominating a new prime minister from the main opposition bloc. [nL5N1H52KE] Kabila said in his speech that if the impasse persisted, he would go ahead and name a prime minister in the next 48 hours, a move fiercely opposed by opposition leadership. (Reporting by Aaron Ross; Editing by Joe Bavier and Alison Williams)
KINSHASA, Congo (AP)  Congo's president said Wednesday he would appoint a prime minister within 48 hours as a political impasse looms, and he promised that long-delayed presidential elections would take place without saying when.

President Joseph Kabila's comments to parliament were his first since his party reached a deal with the opposition on Dec. 31 to hold elections without him by the end of this year. Concerns have grown about the deal's implementation. Catholic bishops who mediated the talks walked away last week, and the opposition this week refused to participate.

Under the deal, the prime minister would come from the opposition. If opposition members don't work together to agree on a candidate, Kabila said, he will name one instead.

This vast Central African nation has seen widespread anger over Kabila's stay in power after his mandate ended in December. His government has delayed elections, saying preparations take time.

"I would like to solemnly announce to our people that the elections will indeed take place" in accordance with a timetable set by the independent electoral commission, the president said.

Kabila also addressed the growing violence in the once-calm central Kasai region where the bodies of an American and a Swedish investigator for the United Nations were found last month in a shallow grave. They had been investigating recent fighting between the local Kamwina Nsapu militia and government forces.

The United Nations has said 23 mass graves have been found in the region, and at least 434,000 people have been displaced. More than 400 people have been killed since government troops killed the militia's leader in August.

Kabila said those responsible for the violence in the region would be held accountable, and he promised increased security. He blamed the Kamwina Nsapu militia for acts of terrorism.

"It is necessary to restore the authority of the state by all possible legal means," Kabila said, adding that he would sanction any members of the security forces responsible for violence. Already, seven armed forces members have been arrested.

Story continues

Kabila promised justice for the killings of the U.N. experts.

"Crimes committed by the militia against citizens, security agents and against the United Nations will not go unpunished," he said, calling for armed groups to lay down their weapons.

___

This version corrects that political deal was reached late Dec. 31.
WASHINGTON  Congresss one PhD-trained scientist is planning to join the march on Washington on April 22  not as a Democratic member of Congress, but as a scientist.

Thousands of scientists and science advocates are expected to participate in the March for Science, and Congressman Bill Foster of Illinois, a Democrat, will join them. Hes even planning to return three days early from a congressional recess to attend.

But as to whether he views his participation as a rebuke to the president, Foster said, The march itself is nonpartisan. It is in support of science, and I think that its an important distinction to be drawn.

That line, between a political march and a partisan one, has remained at the center of the pre-march discussion. Like the Womens March on Washington, the March for Science will inevitably be viewed by some as a rebuke of the current White House and Republican-controlled Congresss science policies.

Read more: Science march on Washington, billed as historic, plagued by organizational turmoil

But in Fosters view, theres a way for scientists to be political without really getting political.

One of the important lessons that all parents should be taught in raising a child is to criticize the behavior, not the child, Foster said. So when I see anti-scientific policies by any agency, any politician, I criticize the policy and dont turn it into a partisan criticism. I dont generalize to their entire party. But if you see a specific policy that is inconsistent with the known principles of science, every citizen who is also a scientist should speak out.

The science community has found plenty of objectionable behavior in the first months of Donald Trumps presidency. The White House budget outline proposed major cuts to the NIH, the chairman of the House science committee recently questioned the credibility of Science magazine, and Trump has yet to appoint a director for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Luckily, Foster said, the scientific community has recent experience picking apart only the scientific aspects of a contentious debate while leaving the politics aside. Look no further than 2015 and the Iran nuclear deal, Foster said, which he supported after extensive technical review.

The analysis of the technical aspects should be kept scientific, Foster said. The scientific community spoke out, correctly, in support of the technical aspects. But most scientists were respectful also that there was a second part of the decision that had to do with diplomatic and psychological analysis of what Iran would look like the day after we voted it up or down. Thats a non-scientific decision that you have to keep separate.
Angelo Pesce is serving a 10-year prison sentence in Illinois for theft by deception. While behind bars, hes barred from voting.

But that hasnt stopped Pesce from apparently creating Impeach the Assole  a crudely named federal political action committee formed last week to raise political campaign cash  and another dubbed Angelo Pesce Defends Pedophiles.

No federal law prevents Pesce from forming a PAC or soliciting money for it. And he doesnt have to tell unsuspecting donors hes an inmate at Taylorville Correctional Center, having scammed a woman out of nearly $100,000.

Pesces situation is the latest reminder of a nagging problem with political committees: While most PACs follow the rules, there are few safeguards against hucksters looking to make a buck.

With some PACs, people donating think its a legitimate organization, but sometimes the creators take your money and run, said Brett Kappel, a Washington, D.C., campaign finance lawyer.

There is no rule that a PAC is barred from buying a boat and riding off into the sunset, added Brendan Fischer, associate counsel at the Campaign Legal Center.

As a practical matter, that makes it close to impossible for a misled political donor to recover his or her money.

This story is part of Federal Politics. News about ethics, campaign finance, lobbying and influence in the federal government. Click here to read more stories in this series.

Don't miss another Politics investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email.

A message the Center for Public Integrity sent to an email address Pesce provided in paperwork filed with the Federal Election Commission was not returned. The prison where hes an inmate doesnt allow reporters to contact inmates by phone unless they appear on a pre-approved list.

Creating a federal political committee is relatively simple: just fill out a few forms and submit them to the FEC.

It isnt clear from Pesces FEC paperwork whether he meant to create a traditional PAC, which may give limited amounts of money directly to political candidates campaigns, or a super PAC, which may raise unlimited amounts of money to independently promote political campaigns. Pesce wont be required to reveal until mid-summer whether his PACs have raised and spent any cash.

Story continues

Either way, this is at least the second political group created by an inmate in as many years.

Two years ago, the Center for Public Integrity reported that Adam Savader, a former political volunteer who had been convicted of cyberstalking and extortion, created a super PAC named Second Chance PAC. Savaders super PAC ultimately reported raising no money.

Then theres the curious case of Cary Lee Peterson, a self-styled congressional lobbyist and election campaign guru whose purportedly pro-Bernie Sanders super PAC seemingly scammed dozens of donors out of tens of thousands of dollars.

Among those donors: James Bond actor Daniel Craig, who in 2015 gave $47,300 to Petersons Americans Socially United super PAC, which has repeatedly ignored the FECs requests to comply with federal campaign finance disclosure laws.

Related: PescePAC

The FEC has fined Petersons PAC, and agency officials confirmed Tuesday that this fine remains unpaid. Theres little evidence indicating Petersons PAC used more than a token amount of the money it raised to promote Sanders bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Where the rest of the money it raised went remains a mystery.

And last year, the FBI arrested Peterson on unrelated criminal fraud charges related to his business ventures. The Securities and Exchange Commission also has a civil complaint pending against Peterson alleging multiple counts of securities fraud.

Some government officials have attempted to address these so-called scam PACs  groups that solicit money using the names of candidates but then spend little or no money on politics.

For example, the oft-gridlocked FEC, whose commissioners agree on almost nothing, have nevertheless been united in asking Congress for more authority to deal with scam PACs.

But to date, Congress has ignored the FECs requests.

Unscrupulous PACs could continue to hoodwink less sophisticated donors, commissioners and campaign finance experts say, as efforts to tighten PAC rules and increase oversight have so far failed.

Related story: Prison inmate forms super PAC

Don't miss another Politics investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email.

In other words, the FEC cant really do much to shut down these groups, even if they do have the mailing address of a state prison, as is the case with Pesces PAC.

( Update: 10:51 a.m., April 7, 2017 : The FEC on April 6 sent Pesce a letter asking him to verify the accuracy of his "Impeach the Assole" PAC filing. The letter reminds Pesce that it's illegal to "knowingly and willfully" make a "materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation to a federal government agency" and asks him either verify the accuracy of his PAC filing, amend any false information or withdraw the filing. Pesce has until May 6 to respond.)

In 2004, Pesce stole $93,534 from a woman by falsely presenting himself as a commodities trader, according to a DuPage County, Illinois, press release. Pesce pleaded guilty to theft by deception but fled before he was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison.

Police arrested Pesce in 2014. He began serving his sentence in Taylorville in 2015, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records.

Illinois Department of Corrections spokeswoman Nicole Wilson said inmates are permitted to receive money electronically. And while Illinois corrections law prohibits inmates from engaging in an unauthorized business venture, its silent on the specific issue of inmates forming political committees.

Pesce would be wholly responsible for complying with any laws and regulations governing political action committees, Wilson said.

One potential problem for Pesce: the banking address he lists for one of his PACs does not correspond to that of a bank at all. Instead, its a Motel 6 in suburban Chicago.

The FEC forms he submitted included a notice that PAC filings with false, erroneous, or incomplete information are subject to civil and/or criminal penalties.

This article was co-published by TIME, NBC News, Public Radio International, the Buffalo News and Philly.com.

Related story: Pro-Bernie Sanders super PAC leader charged with fraud

This story is part of Federal Politics. News about ethics, campaign finance, lobbying and influence in the federal government. Click here to read more stories in this series.

Related stories

Copyright 2017 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C.
Startling surveillance footage caught the moment Florida cops say a burglary suspect savagely attacked a police officer in a jewelry store.

Bradenton police were called to Joyeria Latina early Sunday, where Lt. William Weldon came face-to-face with a suspect police have identified as 23-year-old Isaac Dubon.

Watch: Jewel Thieves Steal $6M in Gems While Millions Celebrate NYE Blocks Away

In the video, you can see Weldon put away his gun as the suspect appears to give up. However, things quickly take a horrifying turn as the suspect begins to engage Weldon physically.

During the struggle, cops say Dubon attempted to gouge out Weldon's eyes with his fingers before allegedly grabbing for the officer's gun.

"He appeared to be complying," Weldon explained at a press conference Wednesday, his eye visibly bruised.

In the video, Weldon breaks away from the suspect before unholstering his gun and ordering him to the ground.

However, cops say Dubon refused and again lunged at the officer.

Despite injuries to his eyes that caused his vision to seriously blur, cops say Weldon was able to pistol whip Dubon, who fell to the floor after a struggle.

With the danger over, Weldon catches his breath with his head on the jewelry case, just as backup arrives to take the suspect to jail.

Dubon was arrested and charged with Aggravated Battery on Law Enforcement and Burglary. He is reportedly a person of interest in several other burglary investigations in the same area.

Despite his injuries, Bradenton police officials say Weldon, a 15-year veteran of the force, tried going right back to work the very next day after receiving treatment for his injuries.

Weldon has been referred to an eye doctor to make sure he fully recovers.

Read: Gunman Wearing a Pig Mask Robs Jewelry Store in Las Vegas' Iconic Bellagio Casino: Reports

"The swelling went down," Weldon told reporters Wednesday. "I've got antibiotic drops I'm putting in my eyes to take care of the bleeding, but they're fine."

Story continues

Dubon made his first court appearance Monday, where a $12,000 bond was set.

Watch: Woman With 'No Regrets' Tattoo Apologizes to Clerk During Robbery

Related Articles:
(CHICAGO) - A federal appeals court in Chicago on Tuesday ruled that the 1964 Civil Rights Act also protects LGBT employees from workplace discrimination, the first time a federal appellate court has come to that conclusion.

The decision by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes after it threw out a July finding by three of its own judges that the law doesnt cover sexual-orientation bias and ordered a rare rehearing by the full court, a rare session known as an en banc hearing.

It also comes as President Donald Trumps administration has begun setting its own policies on LGBT rights. Late in January, the White House declared Trump would enforce an Obama administration order barring companies that do federal work from workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual identity. But in February, it revoked guidance on transgender students use of public school bathrooms, deferring to states.

The Hively case stems from a lawsuit by Indiana teacher Kimberly Hively alleging that the Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend didnt hire her full time because she is a lesbian.

The entire court reheard oral arguments in November and directed the toughest questions at a lawyer for the college who argued only Congress could extend the protections. The aggressive questions suggested the court might be willing to expand the 53-year-old landmark law.

Judge Richard Posner asked the attorney for the community college, John Maley: Who will be hurt if gays and lesbians have a little more job protection? When Maley said he couldnt think of anyone who would be harmed, Posner shot back, So, whats the big deal? Posner also said it was wrong to say a decades-old statute is frozen on the day it passed and that courts can never broaden its scope.

Eight out of the 11 judges who reheard the case, including Posner, were appointed by Republican presidents.

The ruling comes as hopes have dimmed among some gay rights activists that the question will be resolved in their favor following election victories in November by Republicans.

Story continues

The issue could still land before the Supreme Court at some point. A GOP-majority House and Senate make it unlikely the Congress will amend the statute.

The focus of discussion at the November session in Chicago was the meaning of the word sex in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the provision that bans workplace bias based on race, religion, national origin or sex. Multiple court rulings back Maleys contention that Congress meant for the word to refer only to whether a worker was male or female. Given that, he said it would be wrong to stretch the meaning of sex in the statute to also include sexual orientation. He conceded the law is imprecise, but added: That makes it an issue for Congress.

The lawyer representing the teacher, Gregory Nevins of the Lambda Legal advocacy group of LGBT rights, pointed to what he described as the absurdity of a 1980s Supreme Court finding that if workers are discriminated against because they dont behave around the office by norms of how men or women should behave, then that does violate the Civil Rights Law. But if a man or woman is discriminated against at work for being gay that was found not to violate the Civil Rights Act.

You cant discriminate against a woman because she rides a Harley, had Bears tickets or has tattoos, he said. But you can if shes lesbian.

This article was originally published on TIME.com
PRAGUE (Reuters) - Prosecutors in Prague on Wednesday cleared the way for a court hearing on whether a Russian accused of hacking LinkedIn Corp should be extradited. Yevgeniy Nikulin was arrested last year and is sought by both the United States and Russia. A spokeswoman for the Prague Municipal Court said the court would announce in coming days a hearing date to decide on U.S. and Russian extradition requests. Prague municipal prosecutors said both extradition demands had substance. Nikulin has been indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury that said he had hacked into the U.S.-based social media companies LinkedIn Corp, Dropbox and Formspring. Russia has also applied to have Nikulin extradited to Moscow in connection with a 2009 internet theft of $3,450. If the court determines that both countries' requests are valid, the justice minister would make the final extradition decision. Moscow criticized Nikulin's arrest last October, saying Washington was mounting a global manhunt against its citizens. A U.S. federal grand jury in Oakland, California, indicted Nikulin on Oct. 21. His arrest in Prague that month was carried out in cooperation with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. LinkedIn Corp has said the arrest was related to a 2012 breach at the social networking company that might have compromised the credentials of 100 million users, prompting it to launch a massive password reset operation. (Reporting by Robert Muller; Editing by Stephen Powell)
CINCINNATI (AP)  Authorities say a father is charged with killing the driver of a car that hit and injured his 4-year-old son in Cincinnati.

Twenty-four-year-old Jamall Killings turned himself in Tuesday. A judge sent bond Wednesday at $2.1 million on murder and felonious assault charges.

His son was struck March 24. His injuries weren't life-threatening.

Police are seeking a second suspect in the death of the driver, Jamie Urton. He was shot repeatedly when he got out of his car and apparently became involved in a confrontation.

In the resulting 911 calls, a man identifying himself as Killings is heard giving contradictory information, including saying he killed the driver and then saying someone else shot him.

Court records don't list an attorney for Killings.
By Karen Pierog

(Reuters) - Legislation addressing public pension problems in the two biggest cities in Texas are on track for a House vote this month, a key state lawmaker said on Wednesday.

A bill for Houston's retirement system passed the Texas House Pensions Committee on Wednesday and State Representative Dan Flynn, the committee's Republican chairman, said a Dallas measure should follow suit by next week.

"I believe both bills will make it to the House floor in the next couple of weeks," he said in an interview, noting the legislation is the culmination of 18 months of work to find fixes for the financially ailing pension systems.

With the Dallas police and fire pension system projected to become insolvent within 10 years, legislation would cut the nearly $3.7 billion unfunded liability to $2.18 billion and boost the funded ratio to nearly 50 percent from the current 36.8 percent, according to a bill analysis. To accomplish that, the measure would increase retirement ages, hike worker and city contributions, limit cost-of-living (COLA) increases for retirees, and restructure governance.

During a hearing on the bill this week, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings pushed for city control of the pension board and against "a taxpayer bailout."

Flynn dismissed the mayor's opposition.

"There's probably a little heartburn for everybody, which makes it a pretty good bill because if only one side was happy we'd still have problems," he said.

The Houston bill, supported by Mayor Sylvester Turner, would reduce the unfunded liability in the city's municipal, police, and firefighter funds to about $5.5 billion from $8.1 billion by boosting retirement ages, suspending and reducing COLAs, and increasing employee contributions. For its part, Houston would have to make actuarially required annual payments to the funds, which would lower their projected investment return rates to 7 percent, and sell $1 billion of pension bonds.

Story continues

Potentially complicating matters for Houston is another bill, which passed the Senate last week, requiring voter approval for the issuance of pension bonds by local governments.

"We do not believe in taking a tool away from municipalities solving pension problems, especially in a higher interest cost environment," said Darian Ward, the mayor's spokeswoman.

Flynn said his committee became involved because pension problems contributed to credit rating downgrades for both cities.

"If the two largest cities in Texas start getting downgraded, well, it could actually affect our Texas bond ratings," he said, referring to the state's triple-A credit standing.

(Reporting by Karen Pierog in Chicago; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
By Renita D. Young and Tom Polansek WINTERSET, IOWA (Reuters) - A U.S. government program designed to convert farmland to wildlife habitat has triggered the spread of a fast-growing weed that threatens to strangle crops in America's rural heartland. The weed is hard to kill and, if left unchecked, destroys as much as 91 percent of corn on infested land, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It is spreading across Iowa, which accounts for nearly a fifth of U.S. corn production and in 2016 exported more than $1 billion of corn and soy. The federal Conservation Reserve Program pays farmers to remove land from production to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and protect endangered species. The destructive weed - Palmer amaranth  has spread through seed sold to farmers in the conservation program, according to Iowa's top weeds scientist, Bob Hartzler, and the conservation group Pheasants Forever. "We are very confident that some of these seed mixes were contaminated," Hartzler said. Hartzler, an Iowa State University agronomy professor, said one seller was Allendan Seed Company, the state's largest producer of local grass and wildflower seeds for conservation land. In written responses to questions from Reuters, Allendan said it was "possible that pigweed seed ... was present in some mixes." Palmer amaranth is a type of pigweed. Allendan did not confirm it had found the seed in any of its supplies. It said outside labs that the firm hires to test seed quality had been unable to distinguish Palmer amaranath from other pigweeds. The company said it started using a new DNA test in February to check its seed for Palmer amaranth. Many farmers joined the conservation program in the past year as prices for their crops tanked amid a global grains glut. The weed can be killed, but the cost of clearing it would be another hit to the cash-strapped farming community in the United States, the world's top corn supplier. The program is managed by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA), units of the USDA. NRCS officials have acknowledged that contaminated seed mixes for conservation land have spread Palmer amaranth. In another state, Minnesota, authorities are also investigating whether the conservation program inadvertently introduced the weed to that state. Keith Smith, a corn and soybean farmer in Gladbrook, Iowa, said he yanked Palmer amaranth out of land he set aside in the conservation program after finding the weeds last year. He doused them in diesel and torched them with old tires. Smith now regrets joining the program. "I thought I'd help out the Earth," he said. 2016 Conservation Reserve Program - http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/USA-GRAINS-WEEDS/010040ES0YN/index.html ONE PLANT, HALF A MILLION SEEDS The NRCS and FSA denied responsibility for the infestation because they do not supply or test the seed that farmers use to turn cropland into a refuge for wildlife. Landowners are responsible for finding their own seed. None of the companies or organizations involved in the program should be blamed, said Jimmy Bramblett, the NRCS's deputy chief of science and technology. "It's just something that happened," he said. The NRCS is nonetheless considering giving financial assistance to Iowa farmers to help control the weed and is working with the farming community and other government agencies to control it, Bramblett said. Palmer amaranth, which is native to the southwestern United States, grows up to 2 inches (5 cm) a day and can reach a height of 10 feet. It produces up to 500,000 seeds the size of a pepper grain, which travel easily on the wind, in manure or stuck to farm equipment and vehicles. Midwest farmers now face increased costs for the herbicide and labor to eradicate the weed. Fighting Palmer amaranth has doubled or tripled annual herbicide and labor costs to between $60 and $80 per acre for cotton farmers in Georgia, said Stanley Culpepper, a weed science professor for the University of Georgia. Iowa farmers currently spend between $35 to $40 per acre on herbicides, Iowa State University research shows. If Palmer amaranth is firmly established, costs could increase by up to 50 percent, Hartzler said. Corn and soybeans can compete better with weeds than cotton plants, so the expense of controlling it could be less than on cotton farms. DETECTIVE WORK Palmer amaranth first arrived in Iowa in 2013 but exploded across the state last year, spreading from 5 to 48 of the state's 99 counties, according to Iowa State University. In at least 35 of those counties, the weed was found on land in the conservation program. The rapid rise in the incidence of the weed came after landowners in Iowa signed more contracts to put fields into the program than any other state - 108,799 out of the 637,164 total U.S. conservation program contracts, according to the USDA. An Iowa landowner contacted Iowa State's Hartzler after Palmer amaranth infested 70 acres of farmland he planted with the conservation seed mix. "The Palmer amaranth was uniformly distributed across those 70 acres, so that was a good sign that it came in the seed," Hartzler said. Hartzler said he and his intern found the tiny black Palmer amaranth seeds in samples they took from seed bags the landowner purchased from Allendan. He then grew some of the seeds in a greenhouse, he said, and they produced Palmer amaranth. (Editing by Jo Winterbottom, Simon Webb and Brian Thevenot)
Researchers investigating a cave in southern Oregon have found the oldest relatives of the common bedbug, suggesting that some 11,000 years ago humans may have been in contact with the parasites.

The fossilized remains, which belong to the cimicid family (a group that includes today's common bedbugs), were found during archaeological investigations of the Paisley Five Mile Point Cave site, researchers said in a new study detailing the findings. In particular, Cave 2, of the eight rock shelters on the site, has yielded thousands of insect remains as well as some the oldest preserved evidence of human activity in North America.

"In total, I recovered the remains of 14 individual cimicids, but they were not the bedbug we all know and love from hotel rooms," said study researcher Martin Adams, a zooarchaeologist who founded the consultancy Paleoinsect Research. [Up Close & Personal: See Cool Images of Bedbugs]

Human parasites

Today, there are three species of bedbug that have adapted to a lifestyle of living off humans: Cimex lectularius, the common and cosmopolitan bedbug; Cimex hemipterus, with a worldwide distribution, but much more tropical; and Leptocimex boueti, an African species.

Of the 14 individuals recovered in Oregon, five were identified as C. pilosellus, three as C. latipennis, and one as C. antennatus, Adams and co-author Dennis Jenkins, of the Museum of Natural and Cultural History at the University of Oregon, wrote in the Journal of Medical Entomology. An additional five were identified as belonging to the genus Cimex, but were too fragmented for their species to be identified.

Here, the abdomen of a female Cimex pilosellus found in the Oregon cave. Martin E. Adams/Paleoinsect Research

Three of the 14 were of indeterminate gender; the other 11 were all female. The C. antennatus specimen is approximately 5,100 years old, while the others range in age from 9,400 to nearly 11,000 years old. [Bedbugs: The Life of a Mini-Monster (Infographic)]

"All three species, and presumably the unidentified ones as well, are native species, and all are parasites of bats, which were also present in Cave 2," Adams told Live Science.

Story continues

If the opportunity arose

However, cimicids may not be as rigid in their host preferences as had been assumed, Adams said. "I believe the bat-parasitic cimicids would have fed on humans if the opportunity presented itself," he said.

The Cimex antennatus specimen dated back 5,100 years, while others ranged from 9,400 to nearly 11,000 years old. Martin E. Adams/Paleoinsect Research

Adams suspects that opportunity indeed occurred at Paisley Cave, which was occupied seasonally by hunter-gatherers. He described a scenario in which a bug latching onto a bat just fell to the floor of the cave as the bat flew off.

"Since the bugs themselves don't fly, they would soon have to feed on whatever is closest, and that would've been the humans living there," Adams said.

Not surprisingly, both C. lectularius and C. hemipterus became human parasites thousands of years ago in Old World caves, when people shared caves with bats, other research has shown.

"When humans left the cave environment, the bugs went with them and adapted to become the cosmopolitan human pests with which we now are familiar," Adams said.

But while there seems to have been a similar scenario at Paisley Caves, those local species didn't follow humans out of the cave environment.

"Why not? Were the cimicid populations too small to establish themselves outside the caves or were the host populations too small?" Adam said. "Given that Paisley Caves was only a seasonal-occupation area for human hunter-gatherers, did the humans move around too much, or were the bugs not able to withstand the environment outside the caves for very long? Or were there other constraints involved?" he asked.

Even if no intersection between man and bug occurred, the finding is important because it provides the earliest record of the genus Cimex, the researchers said.

Previously, the oldest remains of cimicids dated back to 3,550 years ago. Found at Tell el-Amarna in Egypt in 1999, they belonged to C. lectularius, thus representing the oldest known association between humans and bedbugs.

"Our findings help to underscore that there are more cimicids out there and that we know little about them," Adams said.

"While I won't deny that human[-parasitizing] bedbugs can be intolerable and that it is important for us to be able to control them, the Paisley Caves research can help shine the light on some of the other cimicids and their non-human hosts," he added.

Original article on Live Science.

Editor's Recommendations
From Woman's Day

It was never going to happen. Not a chance. Oh, I made vague half-promises that maybe I'd make sunrise yoga. Everyone was so nice - and so hopeful, too - asking me every night before bed, with expectant little smiles, "So, yoga tomorrow morning? What do you think?"

"Hmmm...I don't know. We'll see," I'd say. "I'm on deadline for a story and I'll be up late, that's how it is with travel journalists."

It was true, but the fact was dragging myself out of bed before first light to twist my body into uncomfortable shapes wasn't anything that I wanted to do, now or anytime in the future. I'm more the stay-up-late, get-up-late type of woman. My creativity flows best at night. I've been known to snarl, literally snarl, if someone tries to speak to me before I've had coffee.

So here I was, a caffeine-addicted, fake-sugar-and-red-meat-eating, non-meditating, stressed-out mess at a week-long yoga retreat in the Galapagos. I didn't exactly fit in with the rest of the glowy, blissful, and extremely limber group. If everyone hadn't been so kind I would have felt like that weird kid in second grade whose family moved from someplace like Saskatchewan in the middle of the year, the one who wore beige corduroys every day and ate paste. I believe he grew up to be a U.S. Senator, but his elementary school days were a little rocky there for a while.

"If everyone hadn't been so kind I would have felt like that weird kid in second grade whose family moved from someplace like Saskatchewan in the middle of the year."

I guess part of the problem was that before signing up with The Travel Yogi for this trip, I'd never done yoga. Okay...that's being a little over-dramatic. I'd actually done yoga once. For about 10 minutes. It was a few years back, at an eco-resort in Nicaragua. Because I arrived during an almost-hurricane and there literally wasn't anything else to do, I decided to get some private yoga instruction. It was beastly hot and very humid and every position I tried hurt. I believe I fell over on my face at one point while trying to do some sort of bendy thing on my hands and one leg that no one over 12 should ever attempt. Through it all my instructor was so serene I wondered if she were on lithium. I decided I'd rather stab myself in the forehead with a fork than ever try yoga again.

Story continues

Photo credit: Courtesy of Jill Gleeson

But time tends to blunt the impact of unpleasant memories, doesn't it? And it's started to seem like everyone I know is all about yoga. A good friend of mine is even teaching it professionally now, and she credits it with pretty much changing her entire life for the better, for making her both emotionally and physically healthier. So when I was offered the chance to write about my experience at a yoga retreat in the Galapagos, the fiercely wild Ecuadorian islands populated mostly by sea lions and iguanas, it sounded like a good idea. I mean, I'd be willing to cover a convention of cannibals if it meant a week-long retreat to the Galapagos. Yoga surely had to be better than I remembered it, right?

"I'd be willing to cover a convention of cannibals if it meant a week-long retreat to the Galapagos."

It was. Mostly. I immediately fell in love, or perhaps gratitude is a better word, with our instructor, Kristin. She was not the 20-year-old, uber-fit and ultra-hardcore Scarlett Johansson-type I'd been fearing, but instead was a little older and a lot more patient and reassuring. She still could do ridiculous things with her body - all sorts of handstands and headstands - that left me open-mouthed. But there was a gentleness to her I responded to and respected. She managed to challenge the longtime yogis, the people who knew what downward-facing dog is (bend at the waist, put your hands on the floor and make a big V with your body) and what prana (lifeforce, or energy) means. But there was room for a near-first timer in her class, too.

It took a couple days before I entered the yoga studio, however. On our first full day in the Galapagos our group explored Isla Bartolome, a trip so amazing and exhausting we had no energy left for a class that evening. We'd traveled two hours by boat and then climbed more than 300 stairs in the unrelenting equatorial sun and nearly 90-degree temperatures to reach the summit of the island. The view had been worth it: endless bottle-blue water and cloudless sky, blending as if by an artist's hand with the muted reds and browns of the volcanic island on which we stood. We snorkeled afterward, spotting Galapagos penguins and blue-footed boobies on our way to the reef where we swam with dozens of species of fish, including a handful of whitetip reef sharks. Most were snoozing on the ocean floor, but I saw a few gliding by me, silent and oddly beautiful.

Photo credit: Britta Schellenberg

The next day was less arduous, with a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station and a Galapagos tortoise preserve; tortoises are considered "vulnerable" by conservationists, though at least on Santa Cruz, where I was staying, those things were everywhere. You could spot them alongside the road, looking distinctly bored by the eager tourists who had pulled their cars over to snap pictures of them: Paris Hilton tortoises. They were even on the grounds of our guest house; I'd catch them sometimes, making their slow, determined, and dignified way to destinations unknown. Thanks to their ubiquitousness and proximity, spending time with Galapagos tortoises was an easier task than swimming with reef sharks. That night we all had energy left for yoga, though as it turns out, we didn't need as much as I would have guessed.

"I didn't know why, but I wanted to get out of that studio. I didn't feel all glowy or blissful. I felt anxious."

Kristin devoted class that evening, the first one I attended, to the grins of all around me, to yin yoga, a slower, more meditative style that applies pressure to the tendons, ligaments and fascia of the body to increase circulation and flexibility. We did things like the "shoelace" pose, which is sort of like sitting cross-legged, but you pull your legs even farther out, one over the other, so your toes are up by your hips. There was the butterfly, too, where you sit on the floor with the bottoms of your feet touching, pulling them as far toward your groin as you can. We ended flat on our backs, in what Kristin called "corpse" pose. As we lay there Kristin murmured to us in that same, soothing, reassuring voice she'd been using all class.

She told us to do things like drop our eyes back in the sockets of skulls and feel the earth rising up under our bodies and "breathe into the back window of your heart." Or something like that. By that point I was restless...vaguely irritated, actually. I didn't know why, I just wanted to get out of that studio. After class ended I fled to my room. I'd enjoyed the stretching much, much more than the first time I tried yoga. But I didn't feel all glowy or blissful. I felt anxious.

Photo credit: Britta Schellenberg

The next evening, after a day kayaking and swimming on Tortuga Bay, with marine iguanas, sea turtles and more reef sharks, Kristin focused the class on inversions. I tackled "downward facing dog," and a few variations of the "half-moon" pose, a crazy thing that involved a foot and hand on the ground, a foot and hand in the air. And I wasn't entirely inept, either. A couple women in the class applauded my flexibility and one, a sweet lady who was on the trip with her daughter, even called me a yoga natural. I felt like one; I relished the class, enough so I was really looking forward to the next one. But I wondered, what had been going on the night before?

I asked Kristin about it, confessing that although I'd loved the physical component of yoga I'd felt uncomfortable, strangely so, about something the previous night I couldn't quite name. "Well," she'd answered, "Yin is all about being receptive, accepting, and allowing. We're just looking at things, we're not trying to change anything."

It didn't take me long to get it. My discomfort, even irritation, made a good deal of sense. I spend a lot of time in my head, trying to figure out how to fix things. How to fix my broken heart, or maybe just ensure it never gets broken again. How to fix my parents, their increasing frailty and pain. How even to fix my brother's death, I guess so it just stops hurting so much. I'm not good at accepting or allowing or even slowing down. I think because I'm afraid of what will happen when I do. I typically go a million miles an hour all day, every day. It's the quiet I fear. The stillness. Exactly what yoga, especially what yin yoga, encourages.

"I was uncomfortable with the mental component of yoga precisely because that's where I most needed the help."

"So," Kristin replied, after I'd spilled all this out to her, "maybe that's exactly why you need yoga?"

The rest of the week passed quickly and slowly at the same time, in that way that happens when you pack a lot in during a trip you really love. Time passes slowly because there is so much more to your days than there usually is, but it passes quickly, too, because you want nothing so much as for it to last. I got to hang out with some sea lions, as comical as they were sleek, and see more blue-footed boobies. I never made it in for a sunrise class, though I didn't miss an evening one. I knew Kristin was right: I was uncomfortable with the mental component of yoga precisely because that's where I most needed the help.

I thought a lot that week about how easy-going Kristin and most of the women in our group seemed to be. I remembered what it was like to feel that way - carefree, even joyous - before it all started to go wrong. I was trying to work my way back there, but the fact was that I was still riddled with anxiety. I was still short-tempered. I still felt lost more days than not, and I still cried more often than was maybe healthy.

Before I left the Galapagos I was already looking at yoga classes back home in Pennsylvania - and checking out more Travel Yogi trips. If practicing yoga in the Galapagos could change my perspective, hopefully even my life, what would doing it in Bhutan or Bali do?

Follow Woman's Day on Instagram.

You Might Also Like
A heroic dog saved the lives of those in a Nigerian wedding party when he grappled with a female suicide bomber until her explosives detonated, according to reports.

Read: Rescue Dog Saves 3-Year-Old Girl's Life, Finds Her Curled Up in a Ditch

The dog, as well as the bomber, was killed in the terror strike, leaving those attending the wedding grateful that the animal saved their lives, Buba Ahmed of Belbelo village told The Associated Press.

Ahmed said the teenage bomber was on the outskirts of a gathering where most villagers were attending a wedding ceremony when the dog pounced on her Sunday morning.

Read: 14-Year-Old Saves Life of 5-Year-Old Boy Who Fell off 15-foot Cliff

Police spokesman Victor Isuku confirmed to The AP Wednesday that the dog had intervened to save the wedding party.

A multinational force has driven Boko Haram Islamic extremists out of most town and villages in northeastern Nigeria, but the extremists have resorted to attacking soft targets with suicide bombers, according to the wire service.

Watch: Family Blames Store for Pet Rat That May Have Killed Their 10-Year-Old Son

Related Articles:
The designer who dressed first lady Melania Trump for her official White House portrait is the target of social media trolls, and the label is firing back.

Read: Ivanka Trump Says She's 'Holding Myself to the Highest Ethical Standard' in White House Role

Trumps third wife wore a Dolce & Gabbana blazer, leading Stefano Gabbana to proudly declare, "Beautiful" and "Thank You" on Instagram.

#DGWoman BEAUTIFUL  #melaniatrump Thank you  #madeinitaly Thanks to all those who appreciate our work  A post shared by stefanogabbana (@stefanogabbana) on Apr 4, 2017 at 2:40am PDT

His Instagram post lit up with comments like "How can you?" and "Youve lost a follower."

But the Italian designer was not backing down, telling critics, "Go to hell!"

Dolce & Gabbana is one of Mrs. Trumps favorite designers. She wore their little black dress by the designers on New Years Eve at Mar-a-Lago.

Read: Donald Trump's Red Ferrari Sells at Auction for $270,000

The backlash and response to the dress came as Mrs. Trump made a rare official appearance at the White House Wednesday as the president welcomed the King of Jordan.

Watch: Yuge Profit: President Trump's Childhood Home Flipped for $750,000 Gain

Related Articles:
Brussels (AFP) - International donors on Wednesday pledged $6.0 billion in aid for Syria this year at a conference overshadowed by a suspected deadly chemical attack blamed by the West on Damascus.

The countries further pledged $3.73 billion in aid for 2018-20 at the Brussels meeting, which was co-chaired by the European Union and United Nations and follows a conference in London last year which raised $12 billion (10.1 billion euros).

"Our conference is sending a powerful message, we are not letting down the people of Syria," EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos Stylianides told delegates.

Announcing the new pledges to applause from those at the meeting, he added: "Thank you so much. It is an impressive figure."

Stylianides did not clarify if the funding was new, or if it included some funds previously pledged by the international community for war-torn Syria.

In London last year, donors put together two $6.0 billion tranches in aid, one for 2016 and the other to cover the period to 2019.

The two-day Brussels meeting brought together some 70 countries and aid groups who also wanted to show support for UN-sponsored peace talks between the rebels and Russian-backed President Bashar al-Assad.

Wednesday's session was dominated by news that at least 72 civilians including 20 children had been killed in a suspected chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib province.

- 'War crimes in Syria' -

"The horrific events of yesterday demonstrate unfortunately that war crimes are going on in Syria," said UN chief Antonio Guterres.

"This conference must represent a moment of truth where the international community" finally comes together to settle the war and give the Syrian people hope, he said.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told delegates it was "impossible for us to ignore the horrific attack" and pointed the finger of blame firmly at Damascus, as the US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, warned of unilateral American action.

Story continues

Johnson and other delegates in Brussels repeatedly urged all parties to the conflict and their backers to condemn the attack and the use of chemical weapons.

The war has claimed more than 320,000 lives since anti-Assad protests descended into a full-blown civil war in 2011, with five million Syrians fleeing the country and most of the remaining population being displaced.

Most of the refugees have ended up in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.

The UN warned Tuesday that the plight of the refugees was becoming "desperate", with only 433 million euros out of a needed 4.7 billion euros pledged so far.

The UN estimated another 3.4 billion euros was needed for humanitarian aid in Syria.

- 'Ticking time-bomb' -

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri urged donors to "invest in peace".

"Ladies and gentlemen, the current situation in Lebanon is a ticking time-bomb," he told the conference.

The Brussels conference was not meant to address the key sticking point of Assad's future role in the Geneva talks.

The rebels and their backers demand that Assad stand down but Moscow and Tehran show no sign of abandoning their long-time ally.

Assad's main backer Russia, which was also represented at the Brussels conference, said Tuesday's attack happened after an air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" containing "toxic substances".

EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini admitted it was "surreal especially today" to be discussing the "post-conflict situation".

"But if you want peace you have to start building peace and the conditions for peace," she said, urging a "strong push to the political talks in Geneva".

Delegates made clear that aid for reconstruction would not be forthcoming until there was a genuine political transition to a new Syrian government without Assad.

"Our publics will not accept that their money go in any way to those responsible for these crimes," Johnson said, referring to the Idlib attack.
Kinshasa (AFP) - Congolese President Joseph Kabila on Wednesday pledged to appoint a new prime minister within two days to help run the country before elections at year's end, under a deal struck with the opposition.

"The prime minister will absolutely have to be named within 48 hours," Kabila told MPs and senators in a much-awaited speech about the stalled New Year's Eve power-sharing agreement.

Brokered by the influential Catholic church, the deal aimed to avoid fresh political violence in the large central African country after Kabila failed to step down when his mandate ended mid-December.

It enables him to remain in office pending elections in late 2017, ruling in tandem with a transitional watchdog and a new premier, to be chosen within opposition ranks.

The transitional watchdog was to have been headed, by veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, who had gathered together an opposition coalition called "Rassemblement" (Rally).

But the frail opposition chief died in early February and the umbrella group has since split into two, some favouring his son, Felix Tshisekedi, others not.

In his speech in the capital, Kinshasa, Kabila urged the opposition group "to overcome its internal squabbles" and to hand him a list of candidates for the post of prime minister.

- 'No foreign meddling' -

He pledged that "the elections will take place" but warned against foreign meddling.

"No foreign interference... will be tolerated," he said.

The warning came days after the UN Security Council voted to cut back its peacekeeping force in Democratic Republic of Congo -- its biggest worldwide -- as the United States moves to cur costs on such missions.

Kabila, who is under international pressure to implement the December 31 power-sharing deal, this week held two days of talks with his rivals, but Felix Tshisekedi refused to take part in the meetings.

Kabila has run one of the world's least developed countries since the 2001 assassination of his father Laurent.

The postponement of the presidential election led to protests in September that left some 50 people dead.

The last months have seen violence flare across the country of 71 million people and it is widely feared the delay in implementing the power-sharing deal could trigger a postponement in this year's vote that could cause further bloodshed.
President Donald Trumps actions in office are making a lot of people angry. Among these is a group of students from Harvards John F. Kennedy School of Government, who have come together to launch a resistance platform, dubbed the Dumbledores Army.

Officially called the Resistance School, its website says that it provides practical skills for taking back America. It was started by a group of 11 friends, who like to refer to themselves as Dumbledores Army -- the group of students in J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter series who unite to form a secret society of resistance against dark magic.

Read: Protesters Being Trained To Join Resistance Against Donald Trump At Town Halls

Republicans now control the Senate, House, and more state legislatures than they have in almost 200 years, the group wrote on its official website. Those losses have emboldened the right to launch an all-out attack against our nations creed  that all are created equal.

In response to this, the students launched the Resistance School, which is a four-week online course in fighting back and keeping the the embers of resistance alive through concrete learning, community engagement, and forward-looking action.

We just came together as a group of friends who care about something in common, Yasmin Radjy, co-founder and a second-year public policy student, told the Boston Globe. And it just turned into this thing.

The program is not affiliated with Harvard University but has its share of supporters on and off campus. It encourages community action against injustice and has had around 4,000 groups register for its free workshops, the Globe reported.

Weve been reaching out to as many people as we can, Shanoor Seervai, another co-founder and graduate student, told the publication. We have also had to again draw on our resources, and a lot of students have jumped on board to volunteer.

Story continues

The first online workshop will be conducted Wednesday, with one workshop being held every week for four weeks. The topic for the first week is How to Communicate our Values in Political Advocacy.

The group is also garnering a social media presence with its activities on Facebook and Twitter.

Related Articles
Photo credit: Getty

From Delish

Jan Polanik, a Dunkin' Donuts customer based in Worcester, MA, went to a local shop and asked for a bagel with butter. It turned out he was given a butter substitute - and so he sued. And locals might get free food because of him.

The The New York Times reports that Polanik sued 23 Dunkin' Donuts franchises in Massachusetts, because he paid 25 cents for butter and nobody told him he was getting a substitute. He has reportedly settled with Dunkin' Donuts, though the paperwork has yet to be approved, and the settlement is pretty great if you live in his area.

If the deal goes through, as many as 1,400 people can get up to three buttered muffins, bagels, or baked goods - with the real stuff, no substitute. Those people have to go to the 23 specific Dunkin' Donuts locations in Grafton, Leominster, Lowell, Millbury, Shrewsbury, Westborough, and Worcester. And all those stores will be required to use only butter for a year, and after that, they have to disclose whether they're using a substitute.

Dunkin' Donuts responded to the lawsuit with a statement: "The majority of Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in Massachusetts carry both individual whipped butter packets and a butter-substitute vegetable spread." In 2013, the company told the Boston Globe that they often use a substitute because "for safety reasons, we do not allow butter to be stored at room temperature," so a substitute is easier to spread than cold butter. If a customer asked for butter, he or she received it on the side, but if an employee was spreading it, it was usually a vegetable spread.

Polanik himself will win $500 for representing the class-action lawsuit, while his lawyer gets as much as $90,000. It's not a huge payday for Polanik, but it was the principle of the thing, his lawyer says. "Candidly, it seems like a really minor thing, and we thought twice or three times about whether to bring a lawsuit or not," Thomas Shapiro told the Boston Globe. "The main point of the lawsuit is to stop the practice of representing one thing and selling a different thing."

Story continues

A final ruling on the case likely won't happen for a few months, so don't start lining up at your local Dunkin' just yet. But for now, it's an interesting look at what's really going on your morning bagel.

Related:

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

Follow Delish on Instagram.



You Might Also Like




The Hague (AFP) - Turkish voters based in The Netherlands started casting early ballots Wednesday in a referendum which could boost President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers, amid an ongoing diplomatic spat between Ankara and Europe.

Polling stations to accommodate some 250,000 eligible Dutch-Turkish voters -- most with dual citizenship -- opened at 0700 GMT at three venues across the country, officials and news reports said.

"So far, people have been coming to vote in dribs and drabs, mainly small groups," said Johan Tensen, communications chief at Amsterdam's RAI conference centre, one of the voting venues.

"We are, however, expecting the majority of voters to come over the weekend," Tensen told AFP.

Voting stations in Amsterdam, The Hague and the central city of Deventer will remain open until Sunday night for expatriates to cast their ballots, broadcaster NOS said.

Voters in six other European countries, including the largest group of some 1.4 million eligible people in Germany, began casting their ballots last week with a total of around three million allowed to vote in 120 Turkish missions in 57 countries.

Turkey itself will vote on April 16 on the proposal to create an executive presidency and abolish the post of prime minister.

The referendum sparked a bitter row when Germany and The Netherlands blocked campaign events by Turkish ministers last month, leading a furious Erdogan to accuse both countries of using "Nazi" methods.

A demonstration in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam flared into violence last month when riot police used dogs, horses and a water cannon to break up protesters, angered when the Dutch blocked Turkish ministers from addressing the rally.

Meanwhile, Ankara's European campaign leader Mustafa Yeneroglu on Wednesday called for the Dutch government to apologise over the incident.

"We are expecting an apology from The Netherlands," he told Dutch popular daily tabloid Algemeen Dagblad.

Story continues

"Our ministers were blocked, police used dogs and horses to chase people wanting use their freedom of expression," Yeneroglu said.

Outgoing Dutch premier Mark Rutte last month said an apology would not be forthcoming.

Tensions have been running high among the country's sizable Turkish community since an abortive coup against Erdogan in July last year, with complaints of intimidation against both pro- and anti-Erdogan supporters.

jhe/jkb/cw
The Hague (AFP) - A British woman has been arrested and assets worth millions of euros have been recovered in a tax evasion probe in Britain and The Netherlands, apparently involving Swiss bank accounts, Dutch officials said Wednesday.

The arrest came after at least four European countries and Australia said last week that they had launched a sweeping investigation reportedly targeting the Swiss financial giant Credit Suisse.

"A British woman, 46, was arrested after a joint investigation with the British Revenue and Customs Service into her and her 51-year-old Dutch husband. Assets of more than six million euros ($6.3 million) have been confiscated," the Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) said.

"The couple allegedly used their marketing business in Manchester to commit tax fraud and launder money via offshore accounts in The Netherlands, Germany and Austria," the FIOD said.

During raids Tuesday, agents seized two villas in The Netherlands, luxury British and German cars and a speedboat. They also raided the couple's business and homes in Austria, Britain and The Netherlands.

Tax authorities became suspicious of the couple after they withdrew more than 300,000 euros in cash from Dutch banks using credit cards linked to foreign bank accounts, the FIOD said.

"The woman allegedly laundered the money from criminal proceeds in The Netherlands, where the two suspects own two homes and where they regularly stay," the FIOD said.

The woman was arrested at another home in Britain.

It was not immediately clear if Tuesday's arrests were linked to the international investigations launched last week.

The FIOD drew no links between the arrest and the Swiss tax fraud probe, except to say that it had recently received information about more than 3,800 Dutch citizens who have a bank account "at a Swiss bank".

None of the authorities have confirmed that Credit Suisse was targeted last week. The bank said only that local authorities came to its offices in Amsterdam, London and Paris on Thursday "concerning client tax matters".

Story continues

"We are cooperating with the authorities," Credit Suisse said a statement.

In double-page ads in European newspapers this week, the bank, Switzerland's second-largest, insisted that it has "zero tolerance" for tax evasion.

Its head of international wealth management, Iqbal Khan, told the Bloomberg news agency at the weekend that he understood the probe was focused strictly on the bank's clients.
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday blamed the Syrian government for a suspected chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of people including children, calling President Bashar al-Assad a "murderer".

"Hey murderer Assad, how are you going to escape from their curse?" Erdogan said at a rally in the western city of Bursa, referring to the victims.

At least 72 people, among them 20 children, were killed in Tuesday's attack in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun, and dozens more were left gasping for air, convulsing and foaming at the mouth, doctors said.

Erdogan, in his first public reaction to the incident, said that more than 100 people, including children, "became martyrs due to chemical weapons".

The World Health Organization said there was reason to suspect a chemical attack, with some victims displaying symptoms suggesting exposure to "a category of chemicals that includes nerve agents."

The UN Security Council was meeting Wednesday to discuss a draft resolution presented by Britain, France and the United States that urges a swift investigation into the attack.

Erdogan, a vocal critic of Assad, also denounced the world's "silence" on the killings.

"Hey, the world that remains silent, the United Nations that remains silent. How will you be brought to account for this?" Erdogan said.

Russia, Assad's main ally, has said a Syrian air strike had hit a "terrorist warehouse". Erdogan made no reference to the Russian claim.

Turkey said Wednesday that about 30 people were being treated in Turkish hospitals after the attack, adding that it had evidence the strike was caused by chemical weapons.

The wounded were brought from Idlib for treatment in the Reyhanli district of Turkey's southern Hatay Province.

"We are doing our best but that's not enough," Erdogan said. "They are our kids, our brothers. I am sad as a father."

Story continues

Hours after the attack, Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin by phone that "this kind of inhuman attack was unacceptable".

Turkey also informed Russia and Iran that the attack was a violation of a fragile ceasefire brokered between Ankara and Moscow, Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu said.

While Russia and Iran back the regime with military might, Turkey has supported rebels fighting to oust Assad. But Ankara brokered a fragile ceasefire with Moscow.

Shortly after Tuesday's attack in Idlib, Turkey contacted the Russian and Iranian embassies in Ankara, reminding the "two guarantor countries" of their responsibility to prevent repetition of similar violations, the spokesman added.

Years of diplomatic efforts have failed to end the Syrian conflict, which has killed more than 320,000 people and displaced millions since it started in March 2011 with protests against Assad's regime.
Brussels (AFP) - EU antitrust authorities on Wednesday cleared state-owned ChemChina's 40-billion-euro ($43-billion) takeover of Swiss seeds giant Syngenta, the biggest ever overseas acquisition by a Chinese firm.

"ChemChina has offered significant remedies, which fully address our competition concerns. This has allowed us to approve the transaction," EU Competition Commissioner Magrethe Vestager said in a statement.

The decision followed the greenlight on Tuesday by Washington, all but sealing the buy-out despite growing resistance in the US and Europe to blockbuster takeovers by Chinese companies.

The deal combines Syngenta, a global leader in seeds and crop protection, with ChemChina which controls Adama, the largest supplier of generic crop protection products in Europe.

The merger is part of a broader wave of consolidation in the agro-chemicals sector that has worried environmental activists and farmers.

The EU last week approved the $130-billion merger of US agro-chemicals giants Dow Chemical and DuPont and it will also decide on German giant Bayer's $66-billion offer for US firm Monsanto.

The Commission said that ChemChina had satisfied its competition concerns with the sale of "a significant part of Adama's existing pesticide business."

This, along with other divestments, "will ensure that effective competition is preserved in pesticide and plant growth regulator markets after the takeover," it said.

The US Federal Trade Commission had given its go-ahead to the buyout by China National Chemical Corp on the condition that it stopped producing three pesticides to avoid monopoly conflicts.

Given the global scope of the deal, the Commission said it had cooperated closely with other competition authorities, notably in the United States, Brazil and Canada.
By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - ChemChina [CNNCC.UL] won conditional EU antitrust approval on Wednesday for its $43 billion bid for Swiss pesticides and seeds group Syngenta <SYNN.S>, a deal that could help China boost its domestic agricultural output.

The deal is one of several reshaping the agricultural chemicals and seeds market, even as these deals trigger fears among some farmers that bigger, more powerful suppliers could be better placed to push up prices and economize on developing new herbicides and pesticides.

Reuters reported on Feb. 2 that the deal, the largest foreign acquisition by a Chinese company, would be cleared with conditions.

The European Commission said planned asset sales would address its competition concerns.

"It is important for European farmers and ultimately consumers that there will be effective competition in pesticide markets, also after ChemChina's acquisition of Syngenta," European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.

Syngenta shares were trading up 1.1 percent after the clearance was announced.

ChemChina will sell a large chunk of its subsidiary Adama's pesticide, herbicides and insecticides business, its seed treatment products for cereals and sugar beet and a substantial part of its plant growth regulator business for cereals.

American Vanguard said it struck a deal with Adama to acquire three crop protection product lines, without disclosing financial terms.

MAJOR STEP

Bernstein Research analyst Jeremy Redenius said that since Adama focuses on established crop chemicals that have lost patent protection, potential buyers of other assets would likely be from the same industry segment, such as FMC Corp <FMC.N>, Nufarm <NUF.AX> and Sumitomo Chemical <4005.T>.

Redenius added that BASF <BASFn.DE> was unlikely to bid due to its focus on patented substances.

BASF and FMC declined to comment. Australia's Nufarm and Japan's Sumitomo were not immediately available for comment outside regular business hours.

Story continues

Syngenta said the EU's go-ahead was a major step toward closing the transaction, expected in the second quarter of 2017.

Some of Syngenta's pesticides will also be put on the block. The world No. 1 pesticides maker sells its products in more than 90 countries under such brand names as Acuron, Axial, Beacon and Callisto. It sells seeds such as cereals, corn, rice, soybeans and vegetables.

U.S. antitrust authorities nodded the deal through on Tuesday on condition ChemChina divests three products.

The EU approval came a week after it cleared the $130 billion Dow Chemical <DOW.N> and DuPont <DD.N> merger in return for hefty asset sales, including global research and development facilities.

(Additional reporting by Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop and David Holmes)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe's highest court on Wednesday said Bulgaria had breached limits for hazardous air pollutants, a ruling environmental groups said would help in their efforts to force countries to take action over poor air quality. The European Court of Justice said higher concentrations of particulate matter - small dust particles blamed for breathing problems and heart disease - recorded at several sites in Bulgaria from 2007 to 2014 showed severe breaches of EU clean air quality rules. There were no fines attached to the ruling. Bulgaria's Environment Ministry said in a statement the use of wood and coal for heating as well as the large number of old cars caused the air pollution in the EU's poorest member state and said it was working with institutions to improve the situation. "It is necessary to mobilize the efforts of all parties concerned and the active support of the people," it said. Apart from Bulgaria, the European Union executive has begun legal action against 15 countries over breaches of air quality standards, including particulate matter. The ECJ is currently reviewing a case against Poland. The ruling, the first time the court has endorsed EU air pollution rules, was seized upon by campaigners as a precedent for other cases. "The Court of Justice has opened the door for major progress in Europe's fight for clean air and clarified that people's health comes first," Ugo Taddei, a lawyer for ClientEarth, said. The European Commission has estimated premature deaths attributable to air pollution in 2013 at 13,700 in Bulgaria and around 400,000 in the EU as a whole. (Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek and Angel Krasimirov, Editing by Jane Merriman and Janet Lawrence)
By Francesco Guarascio and Marton Dunai STRASBOURG/BUDAPEST (Reuters) - A group representing a majority of European Union lawmakers said on Wednesday they wanted the European Parliament to start disciplinary proceedings against Hungary after a crackdown on foreign universities pushed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Hungary's parliament approved a law on Tuesday that could force out a university founded by financier George Soros - the Central European University (CEU) - despite international condemnation and protests by thousands of Hungarians. Also on Wednesday, Orban's Fidesz party said it would present a bill to parliament this week that requires non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with a yearly foreign income of 7.2 million forints ($25,000) to register with authorities. "Support from unknown foreign sources could allow foreign interest groups to pursue their own interests via the influence of these (NGOs) in Hungary ... which threatens the country's political and economic interests," the bill says. NGOs, many of whom receive grants from Soros' Open Society Foundation, often speak up on behalf of migrants, clashing with the view expressed by Orban and other eastern European leaders that migration is an existential threat. "Like Fidesz crossed a red line yesterday with the CEU bill so they did again with the NGO's," Akos Hadhazy, a lawmaker from the opposition green-liberal LMP party, told Reuters. "Sadly the red lines are so many they look like a red carpet by now." "This is a dirty little law," Hadhazy said. "All it does is mark the government's least favorite NGOs with a yellow star," he said, referring to Jews being required to wear stars on their clothes under the Nazi regime. The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union said the law was "unnecessary" from a legislative perspective. However, Fidesz has a parliamentary majority and can pass laws on its own. In Strasbourg, European lawmakers (MEPs) from all leftist groupings, liberals and some from the conservative European People's Party (EPP), the largest grouping in the parliament, said they wanted action taken against Hungary. DISCIPLINE A disciplinary procedure can mean suspension of an EU state's voting rights, but such an action has never been taken. The start of a procedure would also require two-thirds of the chamber to support the start of such a procedure, a threshold that would not be reached if enough of the EPP does not back the measure. Orban's Fidesz party is a member of the EPP, which has so far opposed taking action against Hungary. An official from the group said that it was too early to consider such a move. The EU Commission or the European Council could also start a disciplinary procedure but have been reluctant to do so as it could fuel anti-EU feelings at a time when the EU is grappling with Britain's departure and rising euroskepticism. On Wednesday, the Commission said it was studying the new Hungarian law on university funding and that it would discuss it in a meeting of commissioners next week. The Polish government has been rebuked on several occasions by Brussels for reforms of the judiciary, but the Commission has so far fallen short of starting a disciplinary procedure, and resorted instead to monitoring Polish reforms. The conservative MEPs who support starting the procedure against Hungary are from Poland's Civic Platform party, the same as EU summits chair Donald Tusk, who strongly oppose the Law and Justice (PiS) party which is in power in Poland. (Additional reporting by Krizstina Than in Budapest, Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels and Madeline Chambers in Berlin; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - The European Parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted tough "red lines" for negotiations over a Brexit deal, on which EU lawmakers will have the final say in two years' time.

The parliament largely followed EU President Donald Tusk's draft guidelines issued last week after British Prime Minister Theresa May formally triggered the historic Brexit process.

But they omitted any mention of the flashpoint issue of Gibraltar, unlike Tusk's guidelines which said that Spain should have the final say over whether any eventual trade deal applies to the British outcrop.

The Strasbourg-based parliament is the first EU institution to formalise its stance on the Brexit talks, passing the resolution by 516 votes for, 133 against and 50 abstentions.

"You will set the tone for Britain," the bloc's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier told MEPs just before the vote.

- Parliament veto -

The text insists that Britain must first make "substantial progress" on divorce terms -- the rights of three million EU citizens living in Britain, the exit bill and the fate of the border in Northern Ireland -- before striking a trade deal with the union.

It says that MEPs are prepared to accept a transitional deal to ease the effect of Britain's exit from the EU's single market in 2019, but that it should be limited to three years.

Barnier said the message on phased negotiations should be that "the sooner we agree the principles of an orderly withdrawal, the sooner we can prepare our future relations in trade."

The EU has rejected May's call in her letter for talks on the terms of the divorce and on a future trade deal to be held in parallel during the two years of negotiations ahead of Britain's exit in March 2019.

European Parliament President Antonio Tajani called for MEPs to be fully consulted on the negotiations, given that they must ratify the eventual agreement.

Story continues

"I would like to recall that any possible final deal must be cleared by this house," he said.

The remaining 27 EU countries will rubberstamp Tusk's guidelines at a summit on April 29, paving the way for Barnier to begin formal negotiations with Britain at the end of May.

Barnier wants a draft deal by October 2018 so that national leaders will have time to approve it before a ratification by the European Parliament, most likely in early 2019.

The resolution won the backing of all the major groups in the parliament, from the conservative European People's Party (EPP), the biggest bloc, to the Socialists and Democrats alliance, as well as the ALDE liberals, the Greens and the leftist parliamentary group GUE.

Parliament's Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt said it was "key to have a united European Parliament together with the EU negotiator and the European Council," the forum for member states.

The EPP's leader, Manfred Weber of Germany, told the assembly that "we want a fair and constructive atmosphere," but warned that Britain cannot get a better deal by leaving the bloc, instead of staying inside.

- 'Mafia, gangsters' -

The Brexit talks have already got off to a difficult start after London was alarmed by a clause in the Tusk guidelines saying Spain had to be consulted on any post-Brexit trade deal that affects Gibraltar, a British territory since 1713.

But no reference to Gibraltar was contained in the adopted resolution.

The territory's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said he had spoken repeatedly in recent days to Britain's Brexit minister David Davis, who reassured him he would "not allow himself to be bullied into accepting inferior treatment for Gibraltar".

Gibraltar Wednesday accused Spain of causing long traffic jams with tightened border controls, saying it was "clearly a response" to rising political tensions over the rocky outcrop at Spain's southern tip.

Besides Gibraltar, Brexit champion Nigel Farage compared the EU to the "mafia" that was taking Britain "hostage" by demanding a multibillion-euro exit bill.

Several MEPs jeered Farage over the comments, and Tajani, who is from Italy, called his mafia remarks "unacceptable."

In response Farage fired back: "I do understand national sensitivities. I will change it to gangsters."

But Verhofstadt, a former Belgian premier, predicted that a future generation of young Britons would seek to rejoin the European fold.

That generation will "see Brexit for what it really is, a catfight in the (British) Conservative party that got out of hand."
By Kate Kelland LONDON, (Reuters) - Scientists have found evidence of how ancient Britain separated from Europe in what they are dubbing "Brexit 1.0" - a flooding event that happened in two stages thousands of years ago. In research published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, the scientists said they now have proof that the opening of the Dover Strait in the English Channel, severing the land between Britain and France, occurred in two episodes - an initial lake spill over, followed by catastrophic flooding. "The breaching of this land bridge between Dover and Calais was undeniably one of the most important events in British history, helping to shape our island nation's identity," said Sanjeev Gupta, a professor at Imperial College London who co-led the work. "When the ice age ended and sea levels rose, flooding the valley floor for good, Britain lost its physical connection to the mainland," he said. "This is Brexit 1.0  the Brexit nobody voted for." The first pieces of the puzzle came some 10 years ago, when researchers found geophysical evidence of giant valleys on the seafloor in the central part of English Channel. They believed these valley networks were evidence of a megaflood gouging out the land, probably caused by a breach in a chalk rock ridge joining Britain to France. In the new study, new geophysical data collected by colleagues in Belgium and France has been combined with seafloor data from Britain showing evidence of huge holes and a valley system located on the seafloor. This help the team establish how the chalk ridge was breached. The ridge acted like a huge dam and behind it was a proglacial lake, the researchers explained. The lake overflowed in giant waterfalls, eroding the rock escarpment, weakening it and eventually causing it to fail and release huge volumes of water onto the valley floor below. "We still don't know for sure why the proglacial lake spilt over," said Jenny Collier, a co-author of the study from Imperial's department of earth science and engineering. "Perhaps part of the ice sheet broke off, collapsing into the lake, causing a surge that carved a path for the water to cascade off the chalk ridge. Maybe an earth tremor... further weakened the ridge and caused (it) to collapse, releasing the megaflood that we have found evidence for in our studies." Either way, the scientists said, if it was not for a set of chance geological circumstances, Britain may have remained connected to mainland Europe, jutting out into the sea like Denmark. The researchers still have no exact timeline of events, but said they now want to take and analyze core samples of the in-filled sediments in the plunge pools to try and pinpoint the timing of erosion and the filling of the pools. They cautioned, however, that this next step will be tricky, since getting samples in the Dover Strait means navigating huge tidal changes and the world's busiest shipping lane. (Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - The European Union's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier told Britain on Wednesday that the sooner it agrees on divorce terms the sooner it can start talks on a future trade deal.

"The sooner we agree the principles of an orderly withdrawal, the sooner we can prepare our future relations in trade," he told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

"A free and fair trade agreement but also in security and defence," he told MEPs as they prepared to vote on the parliament's "red lines" for the coming two years of Brexit talks.

France's Barnier added that as the first EU institution to take a formal position on British Prime Minister Theresa May's letter triggering Brexit last week, parliament would set the "tone" for the negotiations.

The EU has rejected May's call in her letter for talks on the terms of the divorce and on a future trade deal to be held in parallel.

Barnier said Britain had to agree on terms including its exit bill, the rights of EU citizens living in Britain and the border in Northern Ireland before moving on to life after Brexit.

"We are not proposing this to be tactical or to create difficulties for the UK. It is necessary for the chances of reaching a deal in two years which is very short," he said.

He warned, however, that the "devil is in the details".

Barnier, a former European Commissioner and French minister, also urged the remaining 27 EU countries to stay united during the Brexit negotiations amid fears Britain could try to play on divisions.

"If the union is disunited we risk that there is no deal," he said.
Picturing Kendall Jenner stopping a fashion shoot to join a protest IRL like in that terrible Pepsi ad requires a bit of imagination considering you can count the number of times shes spoken out about causes on one hand. The same goes for other members of the Kardashian/Jenner clan.

Kendall and Pepsi were rightfully dragged over the ad that dropped Tuesday that showed her joining a vague protest filled with diverse young people and suggested Pepsi just might be the thing to save us from all our problems.

Despite whatever intentions Kendall may have had when agreeing to take a bunch of money to star in the tone-deaf ad, being political isnt part of her familys brand. We did some digging and rounded up the times any of the sisters (and momager Kris) have used their platforms to support political movements in recent years. Its a small showing, really, minus Kim Kardashians pro-Hillary Clinton and anti-police violence tweets.

SEE ALSO: Here are the funniest reactions to Kendall Jenner's terrible 'woke' Pepsi ad

Kim K

Kim Kardashian has by far been the most politically active family member on social media. She, alongside most of the family, supported Clinton during the presidential campaign.

So proud of the women & men who stood up for what is right & are determined to make this world a better place for our children pic.twitter.com/c8XvfdMGpW  Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) January 22, 2017

But as far the rest of the clan goes (excluding Caitlyn Jenner who supported Donald Trump), Kim has been the only one to take things a step further than the presidential election.

So sad! The senate voted against background checks being needed to buy guns. So terrorists on fbi's wanted lists can legally still buy guns  Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) June 21, 2016

After Orlando, Congress hasn't done anything and now they're going on vacation. I say #NoBillNoBreak pic.twitter.com/WNdeZIUaqr  Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) June 22, 2016

Whether retweeting tweets about transgender rights, police brutality, supporting gun control legislation or throwing shade at President Donald Trump's travel ban, Kim has participated in national conversations on social media.

Story continues

Additionally, the media mogul has gone beyond a mere 140 characters or Instagram post to share more information about other issues. To bring awareness to Armenian genocide denial, Kim wrote on her website extensively criticizing the Wall Street Journal for running an ad denying the genocide. Her post eventually appeared in a full page ad in The New York Times, paid for by supporters of the Armenian Educational Foundation.

Kim's epic post where she called out Armenian Genocide denial was printed by the NYtimes!!! Proud @KimKardashian  pic.twitter.com/PrarlgPKdA  FELIPE (@MolestMeKardash) September 18, 2016

Kim wrote a similar letter in a blog post about #BlackLivesMatter following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile in 2016.

"I want my children to grow up knowing that their lives matter. I do not ever want to have to teach my son to be scared of the police, or tell him that he has to watch his back because the people we are told to trustthe people who "protect and serve"may not be protecting and serving him because of the color of his skin," she wrote. "We must peacefully use the power of our voices and the strength of our numbers to demand changes in the judicial system so that brutality doesn't ever go unpunished."

Kourtney and Khloe

The oldest Kardashian sister, Kourtney, stays away from speaking up politically, spare a post in support of Clinton. Khloe, has said she doesn't think it's her place to speak up about political issues.

With politics Ive learned to keep my opinions to myself, for once in my life. Its not that I would never talk about it, but its that nobody cares about what I have to say about that," she told New York Magazine.

All of this in the news today breaks my heart   Khloe (@khloekardashian) January 29, 2017

"Its not going to sway anybody in any direction, and if so, theyre probably young kids that should do their own research about who they want to vote for," she explained.

Kendall

Despite her interest in supporting gun control laws, the closest Kendall has come to anything overtly political online recently was also her support for Clinton as well as calling on people to register to vote.

her her her her pic.twitter.com/jDu8UIU1Wn  Kendall (@KendallJenner) November 7, 2016

Beyond Clinton, the 21-year-old's foray into any politics talk was limited to support of Black Eyed Peas' "Where Is The Love?" campaign, and tweets that call upon prayers for places including Brussels, Paris, Lebanon and Baghdad.

Kylie

Nineteen-year-old Kylie, on the other hand, is still realizing things and has stuck with spreading the word about ... chemtrails. Maybe Kylie is trying to make tin hats fashionable?

Kris

As far as what the head of the household has to say, it's been relatively mild. In case you hadn't spotted a trend of Clinton-spurred commentary, Kris had something to say after the elections in 2016.

"Today we must continue to stand for what we believe in: love, acceptance, equality, fairness and respect for all," she tweeted. "We mustn't be divided. We must reach out & hold on to each other ... To our friends, families, communities who share our common goals of unity, compassion & faith."

I will continue to #spreadlove and fight hate at all costs.  Kris Jenner (@KrisJenner) November 9, 2016

Additionally, the matriarch has spoken up about conflicts around the world including Syria.

We must not ignore this crisis of humanity. My heart breaks for the people for Aleppo...  pic.twitter.com/LyPSYmo8RS  Kris Jenner (@KrisJenner) December 15, 2016

"My heart breaks for the families torn apart, the millions of children who deserve safety + peace, but are surrounded by death + destruction," she tweeted before dropping links to places to donate.

But what about 2020?

When it comes to the 2020 presidential race, it's safe to say most of them are on board with discussing possible candidates.

A post shared by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on Aug 30, 2015 at 8:00pm PDT

Who knows what 2020 will bring, but if anything, we can pray for no more "political" Pepsi ads until then.

WATCH: This device lets you alert your mom if you're stuck in a shady situation
By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - The party drug ketamine can have powerful beneficial effects on severely depressed patients who have struggled for years to recover, and the drug should be developed responsibly as a psychiatric medicine, British experts said on Thursday. In a study published in the Lancet Psychiatry journal, specialists from Oxford University said there is an urgent need for ethical and innovative action by doctors to prescribe the drug under controlled conditions. "We think patients' treatment should be in specialist centers and formally tracked in national or international registries," said Rupert McShane, a consultant psychiatrist and researcher at Oxford who has led a series of ketamine studies. Ketamine is a licensed medical drug, widely used as an anesthetic and to relieve pain. But it is also used as a recreational drug - sometimes known as Special K - and can lead some people into addiction and drug abuse. Several research teams around the world have been trialling ketamine use in chronic and recurring depression, since many patients with the psychiatric condition fail to respond to currently available antidepressants such as Prozac and Seroxat. "I have seen ketamine work where nothing has helped before," McShane said at a briefing in London. The U.S. pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson is developing an intranasal form of the drug, called esketamine. Its results so far have been promising enough for Food and Drug Administration officials to award esketamine "breakthrough" status to speed its progress through regulatory hurdles. McShane and his co-researcher Ilina Singh, a psychiatry professor at Oxford University, told the briefing there had been a worrying sharp rise in the past year in the number of private ketamine clinics in the United States. There are wide variations in the clinical checks before a patient receives treatment, they said, and there is a need for clear guidelines and registries to track how patients respond. Last month, the American Psychiatric Association issued a consensus statement on ketamine in a bid to guide safe, appropriate prescribing of the drug for severe patients who do not respond to regular antidepressants. McShane stressed that the ketamine doses used in the Oxford depression treatment trials are given in controlled conditions and are very different from those taken by street or club users. On the street, users often take several grams a day and can suffer severe bladder problems and impaired brain function. The doses used in medical trials are a fraction of that - around 80 milligrams - and given once a week in a monitored setting. Singh said ketamine has such great potential to help a small group of very ill patients that it would be wrong not to find a way of allowing them to benefit from it: "This drug is available, it's out there, and if we can help patients get treatment responsibly, it's our duty to do so," she said. Treating patients in specialist centers should help doctors spot potential problems early, she said, as well as picking up any abuse problems with longer term use and narrowing down what dose, frequency, route and duration of treatment works best. (Editing by Janet Lawrence)
By Denis Pinchuk ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - A blast in a St Petersburg train carriage on Monday that killed 11 people and injured 45 was carried out by a suspected suicide bomber with ties to radical Islamists, Russia's Interfax news agency cited a law enforcement source as saying. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was in the city when the blast struck, visited the scene of the explosion late on Monday night and laid a bunch of red flowers at a makeshift shrine to the victims. Witnesses said they saw passengers who were bloodied and burned spilling out of the train, whose door was buckled by the force of the explosion, and lying on a platform while smoke filled the station. (GRAPHIC - St. Petersburg metro blast http://tmsnrt.rs/2nwjj3y) Russia has in the past experienced bomb attacks carried out by Islamist rebels from Russia's North Caucasus region. The rebellion there has been largely crushed, but Russia's military intervention in Syria has now made it a potential target for Islamic State attacks, security experts say. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Officials said they were treating the blast as an act of terrorism, but there was no official confirmation of any link to Islamist radicals. Earlier, Russian media had broadcast closed circuit television footage of a bearded man they said was being sought by police as a suspect. But Interfax reported that the man had come forward and been eliminated from inquiries. The news agency, quoting an unnamed law enforcement source, said that human remains examined at the scene suggested that the blast had been carried out by a suicide bomber. It said the police had identified a suspect with links to radical Islamist groups banned in Russia. If it is confirmed that the bomb was carried out by radical Islamists, the Kremlin is likely to argue the attack underlines the importance of its campaign in Syria, where it is backing President Bashar al-Assad in a fight against Islamist militants. But some sections of Russian society may see the metro bombing as proof that Putin's decision to intervene in Syria has again made Russian civilians into targets. Two years ago, the Islamic State group said it brought down a plane carrying Russian tourists home from a Red Sea resort. All 224 people on board the flight were killed. BLOODY FACES Soon after the blast happened at 2:40 p.m., ambulances and fire engines descended on the concrete-and-glass Sennaya Ploshchad station. One helicopter hovered overhead and then landed on a broad avenue to take away an injured passenger. I saw a lot of smoke, a crowd making its way to the escalators, people with blood and other people's insides on their clothes, bloody faces, St Petersburg resident Leonid Chaika, who said he was at the station where the blast happened, told Reuters by phone. "Many were crying." The National Anti-Terrorist Committee said an explosive device had been found at another station, hidden in a fire extinguisher, but had been defused. The blast raised security fears beyond Russian frontiers. France, which has itself suffered a series of attacks, announced additional security measures in Paris. Video from the scene showed injured people lying bleeding on a platform, some being treated by emergency services and fellow passengers. Others ran away from the platform amid clouds of smoke, some screaming or holding their hands to their faces. A huge hole was blasted in the side of a carriage and the door blown off, with metal wreckage strewn across the platform. Passengers were seen hammering at the windows of one closed carriage after the train had pulled into the station. Russian TV said many had suffered lacerations from glass shards and metal, the force of the explosion amplified by the confines of the carriage and the tunnel. Anna Sventik, a St Petersburg resident, was traveling on a metro train that passed through the same station moments after the blast. "Our train slowed down a bit, and one woman started having hysterics when she saw the people lying on the platform, blackened, in some places with no clothes, burned," she told Reuters. "It was very scary." ALL STATIONS CLOSED Officials had earlier on Monday put the death toll from the explosion at 10 people, but the National Anti-Terrorist Committee, a state agency, later said 11 people were killed and 45 were being treated for their injuries in hospital. Authorities closed all St. Petersburg metro stations. The Moscow metro said it was taking unspecified additional security measures in case of an attack there. Russia has been on particular alert against Russian-speaking rebels returning from Syria, where they have fought alongside Islamic State, and wary of any attempts to resume attacks that dogged the country several years ago. At least 38 people were killed in 2010 when two female suicide bombers detonated bombs on packed Moscow metro trains. Over 330 people, half of them children, were killed in 2004 when police stormed a school in southern Russia after a hostage taking by Islamist militants. In 2002, 120 hostages were killed when police stormed a Moscow theater to end another hostage-taking. Putin, as prime minister, launched a 1999 campaign to crush a separatist government in the Muslim southern region of Chechnya, and as president has continued a hard line in suppressing rebellion. (Additional reporting by Svetlana Soprunova, Polina Nikolskaya, Sujata Rao, Alex Winning and Maria Tsvetkova; Writing by Christian Lowe and Ralph Boulton; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Nicosia (AFP) - US giant ExxonMobil with Qatar Petroleum on Wednesday signed a licence to explore for oil and gas off the coast of Cyprus, and they expect to start drilling next year.

The venture was selected as part of the island's third licensing round to explore block 10.

Cyprus Energy Minister George Lakkotrypis described as "immense" the firms' presence in his country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and, for the first time, in the eastern Mediterranean.

"One of our primary goals during the third licensing round was to advance the exploration of our EEZ" aimed at discovering hydrocarbon reserves, he said at the signing ceremony.

"This is precisely what we have achieved."

The minister said a total of 12 exploration wells would be drilled in the newly licenced blocks: 6, 8 and 10.

Exploration and production sharing contracts are to be signed on Thursday by Italy's ENI and France's Total for block 6, and by ENI for block 8.

Cyprus would receive a total of 103.5 million euros ($110.5 million) in signature bonuses from the contracts, said Lakkotrypis.

ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum said they had begun planning for drilling operations and intend to drill a first exploration well in 2018.

"We look forward to working with the government of Cyprus to evaluate and realise the country's hydrocarbon potential," said Andrew Swiger, senior vice president of ExxonMobil Corporation.

The blocks on offer are close to where ENI made a huge find in Egypt's offshore "Zohr" field that could hold 30 trillion cubic feet of gas.

The field sits adjacent to a Cyprus block licenced to Total.

The record Zhor find has raised hopes that there is more untapped wealth to be found off Cyprus.

US firm Noble Energy made the first find off the island's southeast coast in 2011 in the Aphrodite field (block 12), which is estimated to contain around 127.4 billion cubic metres (4.54 trillion cubic feet) of gas.

Story continues

Israeli firms Delek and Avner have a 30 percent stake in the venture.

Noble has handed over a 35 percent share to the Britain's BG International.

Block 12 has been declared commercially viable but an action plan on the next steps has yet to be finalised.

Italian-South Korean venture ENI-Kogas has so far failed to discover any exploitable gas reserves in deep-sea drilling off the island.

ENI has the right to exploit blocks 2, 3 and 9 in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone that borders Egypt's gas fields.

ENI and Total, which have an equal share in block 11, are preparing for exploratory drilling off Cyprus' southern shore sometime this year in these blocks.

Cyprus needs to find more gas reserves to make a planned onshore terminal financially viable as it seeks to become a regional energy player.

It had planned to build a liquefied natural gas plant that would allow exports by ship to Asia and Europe, but the reserves confirmed so far are insufficient to make that feasible.

Cyprus and energy-starved Egypt are looking into the possibility of transferring gas from the Aphrodite field to Egypt via an undersea pipeline. Cyprus hopes to begin exporting gas, and maybe oil, by 2022.
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP)  ExxonMobil and partner Qatar Petroleum on Wednesday signed an agreement with Cyprus to carry out exploratory drilling off the east Mediterranean island's southern coast, where officials hope sizeable deposits of oil and gas could be found.

Qatar Petroleum Chief Executive Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said the area, or block, where the partnership is licensed to explore has "good prospects."

"We think that there is a strong possibility that there is a structure there that could potentially hold hydrocarbons," Al-Kaabi told The Associated Press.

Al-Kaabi said a first exploration well is scheduled to be drilled in the first half of 2018.

ExxonMobil Senior Vice President Andrew Swiger said three-dimensional seismic surveys will first be carried to determine the best drilling locations within Block 10. That's one of eight such areas which Cyprus has licensed out for exploratory drilling to oil and gas companies including Italy's Eni SpA and France's Total.

It's the first time that ExxonMobil has looked for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean, where recent large finds in Egyptian and Israeli waters have raised hopes that more could be found.

"The strategic significance of ExxonMobil's and Qatar Petroleum's presence in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus for the first time, in the Eastern Mediterranean region, is immense," said Cyprus Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis.

Last month, Eni Chief Exploration Officer Luca Bertelli told an oil and gas conference here that his company's discovery of the Zohr field off Egypt, which is estimated to told 30 trillion cubic feet of gas, has reinvigorated the interest of other major oil and gas companies in the region.

In earlier drilling in Cypriot waters, Texas-based Noble Energy discovered a field estimated to contain over four trillion cubic feet in reserves.

Meanwhile, Eni and Total will on Thursday sign new exploration agreements for two other blocks.
PARIS (AP)  A messy-haired Ford car factory worker in a baggy sweater stole the limelight during France's heated election debate Tuesday night.

The man, Philippe Poutou, was not a member of the audience. He was a candidate from the far-left New Anticapitalist Party, on stage with 10 other candidates just three weeks ahead of the first poll.

Poutou, 50, who took just five weeks leave from his job in Ford's Blanquefort plant in the country's southwest to run for president, created sparks with his fighting rhetoric for the working classes and jabs at the front runners embroiled in corruption scandals.

With support of half a percent in an IFOP poll, he has virtually no chance of winning the presidency in the two-round election April 23 and May 7.

Nonetheless, with an unpolished freshness and childlike grin, he accused Republican candidate Francois Fillon, 63, and National Front candidate Marine Le Pen, 48, of sullying the moral character of politics. Both are embroiled in corruption cases  and both deny wrongdoing.

Social media went wild on Wednesday with Poutou's stinging attacks  framing him as Joe Average speaking truth to power.

Le Pen, who claimed to be "persecuted politically," said she is protected by parliamentary immunity as a member of the European Parliament.

"There is no immunity for workers," Poutou fired back.

Fillon has been given preliminary charges for allegedly giving his wife and two children government-funded jobs which they never did. "I didn't make any mistakes... I'm still here and no one will intimidate me."

Poutou retorted: "Since January, it's just been a great campaign... the more we dig, the more corruption there is, the more cheating there is."

The unionist, who frostily refused to pose in the collective photo of candidates ahead of the debate, has been basking in the unexpected glory in the hours since.

"I believe there is a real disconnection between the political world and the population," Poutou told The Associated Press on Wednesday at a political rally in the Parisian suburb of Montreuil.

Story continues

"(Politicians) mix everything  their personal funds and the public funds  as if everything is allowed for them. Their arrogance is unbearable," he added.

___

Chris den Hond contributed to this report
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  The family of an imprisoned activist in Bahrain says he has undergone surgery for bleeding ulcers.

Loved ones of Nabeel Rajab said Wednesday that he was taken to a military hospital for the surgery and that they were denied access to see him. They say Rajab has been held in solitary confinement for 10 months.

Bahrain's government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rajab was arrested in June over a series of messages posted to his Twitter account about the ongoing Saudi-led war in Yemen, as well as allegations of torture by authorities at a local prison. He also faces charges for an article he wrote for The New York Times while he was imprisoned.

His trial comes amid a crackdown on dissent in Bahrain.
By Adrian Croft CHATEAUROUX, France (Reuters) - The winner of France's presidential election debate this week was a fast-talking, maverick leftist whose policies would prove just as much a shock to financial markets as those of the more prominent leader of the far right. Jean-Luc Melenchon, a former Trotskyist who would pull France out of NATO and possibly out of the European Union too, is climbing fastest in the polls with just over two weeks to go before the first round of a closely-fought election. In a snap poll after Tuesday night's four-hour debate, viewers found Melenchon, 65, the most convincing of the 11 candidates, outshining frontrunners Emmanuel Macron, an independent centrist, far right leader Marine Le Pen, and mainstream conservative Francois Fillon. Melenchon skirmished with Le Pen over religion and called for the debt of troubled euro zone states to be effectively written off to allow massive new investment to spur growth. "The debt won't be paid either in France, Spain, Portugal or Greece. The European Central Bank must buy up all the debt ... so that our states can find a way to breathe again," he said. Melenchon, founder of the "France Unbowed" party, has split the left-wing vote and turned the Socialists into also-rans after five years of unpopular rule by Socialist President Francois Hollande. A Le Monde/Cevipof poll published on Tuesday put Melenchon's support at 15 percent, up 3.5 points from mid-March. He is still well behind Le Pen and Macron, who both have about a quarter of the vote, according to the poll, and are favorites to go through to the May 7 run-off. But he is breathing down the neck of early frontrunner Fillon, on 17.5 percent, and is well ahead of Socialist candidate Benoit Hamon, on 10 percent. It is Melenchon's second run at the presidency. He finished fourth with 11 per cent of the vote in 2012. Kitted out in a revolutionary-style, high-lapelled Mao jacket and with a rapid-fire delivery sprinkled with quotes from Karl Marx and the 19th French writer Victor Hugo, Melenchon is the scourge of established party chiefs. At a weekend rally in Chateauroux, he said "a chair, a table, a bench" had more chance of winning than did Le Pen. His fellow left-winger, Hamon, has fared no better. Spurning Hamon's entreaties to unite behind him, Melenchon said he had no intention of hitching his campaign to a "funeral hearse". EU DOUBTS Melenchon may get another lift if Hamon's support erodes further. Only about half of Hamon's supporters are certain to vote for him - the lowest certainty score of any of the main candidates, according to Cevipof. "I didn't think there would be such a big turnout," said Philippe Herault, 57, surveying thousands of cheering Melenchon supporters at the rally in Chateauroux in central France. "It is a sign that people want change, want something different." Retired agricultural inspector Roger Barralis, 72, speaking after another campaign event in Paris, said he admired Melenchon's deep thinking and oratorical powers. "But mostly, it's his intelligence, his ability to speak to everybody." Although Melenchon, who is backed by the French Communist Party, is from the other end of the political spectrum to Le Pen, he advocates policies similar to hers in some areas. On Europe, his "Plan A" is to negotiate an overhaul of the EU along "democratic, social and ecological" lines. In an echo of the process that led to Britons voting to leave the EU last June, Melenchon would put the results of the negotiation to a referendum on whether to stay or leave the EU. If the negotiation option fails, he would suspend France's contributions to the EU budget and impose border controls on movement of capital and goods. He calls the United States the world's "most dangerous" military power and would pull France out of NATO, impose a 90 percent tax on top earners and rewrite France's constitution. There are major differences too between Melenchon, who quit the Socialist Party in 2008, and Le Pen. In the debate, Melenchon poked fun at the National Front leader's proposal to reform the constitution to protect Catholic traditions like nativity scenes. "Sixty percent of the French have no religion, so give us a break with religion," he said. (Editing by Richard Balmforth and Mark Heinrich)
Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - Brexit champion Nigel Farage on Wednesday outraged the European Parliament on Wednesday when he branded the EU as "gangsters" and "mafia" over its negotiation demands.

As the European parliament prepared to vote on its red lines for Brexit talks, former UK Independence Party chief Farage said the European Union was treating Britain like a hostage.

"You are behaving like the mafia. You think we are a hostage. We are not. We are free to go," he said, triggering cries of indignation and jeers from many of his fellow MEPs.

The parliament's Italian chief Antonio Tajani interrupted Farage to say it was "unacceptable" for him to compare the parliament to the mafia.

"Mr President, I do understand national sensitivities. I will change it to gangsters and that is how we are being treated. We are being given a ransom note," Farage replied.

Farage blasted the EU over its demands to negotiate divorce terms before striking a post-Brexit trade deal, as well as its stance on the British territory of Gibraltar and its multi-billion dollar exit bill.

Farage joined British fury after the European Union said last week that Spain should have a veto on extending any trade deal to Gibraltar after the British leave the bloc.

"Gibraltar is clearly a deal breaker," Farage said.
WASHINGTON  Scott Gottlieb on Wednesday made his 19th appearance before Congress, this time testifying on his own behalf.

The 44-year-old doctor, investor, and conservative policy wonk, nominated to run the Food and Drug Administration, appeared before a Senate panel for a confirmation hearing, telling lawmakers that he would be an impartial and passionate advocate for public health.

We need to make sure were getting the most bang for our regulatory buck, Gottlieb said in his opening statement. That means being cognizant of risks and being sure that were not adding to consumer costs without improving consumer safety.

Gottlieb, who formerly served as a senior advisor at the FDA under George W. Bush, has spent much of his time working for venture capital and investment banking firms that invest in biomedical startups, as well as his own consulting firm. He has also repeatedly testified as an expert on the industry before Congress.

In addition, hes served on the boards of numerous pharmaceutical companies, large and small  experience that has been welcomed by the drug industry but that has raised questions among critics who believe he is too cozy with the private sector.

Gottlieb has said he is proud of his experience as an entrepreneur, and has vowed to recuse himself from issues related to those companies.

Senator Patty Murray (Wash.), the ranking Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said she believed the panel need to slow down the vetting process, to give time to review Gottliebs unprecedented financial entanglements in the industries he would regulate as commissioner.

She also asked Gottlieb to ensure the FDA would exercise independent, science-based decision-making, and expressed doubt, that in the Trump administration, such a thing would be possible.

But Gottlieb promised that under his watch that would be his goal.

I know whats at stake here, in his opening statement. Peoples lives are literally on the line when it comes to the decisions FDA makes, its oversight, and its enforcement of Congresss laws.
By Keith Coffman

DENVER (Reuters) - A U.S. district judge ruled on Wednesday that a Colorado landlords refusal to rent a townhouse to a lesbian couple, one of whom is transgender, violates federal housing law, marking the second legal victory for LGBT people in as many days.

The ruling by Denver federal Judge Raymond Moore is the first in which a court has extended protections to people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity under the federal Fair Housing Act, lawyers for the couple said. The act bars housing discrimination because of race, religion and sex, among other factors.

The decision followed the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on Tuesday that the 1964 federal Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees in the workplace.

The Colorado case stems from a 2016 lawsuit against property owner Deepika Avanti by Rachel and Tonya Smith, a same-sex married couple who sought to rent a house in a small town about 20 miles northwest of Denver.

The couple has two young children, and Rachel Smith is transgender.

After meeting with the couple, Avanti emailed the Smiths to say she would not rent to them over concerns about noise from their children.

In a subsequent email, Avanti said she and her husband wanted to keep a low profile, and feared that the Smiths unique relationship would attract unwanted attention, the judges ruling said.

Such stereotypical norms are no different from other stereotypes associated with women, such as the way she should dress or act (e.g., that a woman should not be overly aggressive, or should not act macho), and are products of sex stereotyping, Moore wrote in his 12-page ruling.

The back-to-back decisions marked tremendous victories for the LGBT community, said Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, an attorney with Lambda Legal, a gay-rights organization that represented the plaintiffs in both cases.

It sends a strong message: discrimination against LGBT Americans in housing and employment is illegal and will not be tolerated, he said in a statement.

Story continues

Gonzalez-Pagan told Reuters that Lambda attorneys were working with Avantis lawyers to resolve the case.

Messages left for Avanti and her lawyers were not immediately returned.

Tonya Smith said in a statement the couple was delighted with the outcome.

No one should ever have to go through what we went through, and hopefully this ruling will protect other couples like us who are trying to provide safe homes for their families, she said.

(Editing by Patrick Enright and Tom Brown)
The hold music on the telephone cut off abruptly as the doctor I was trying to reach picked up the line. Yes? she said curtly.

Hi, this is Erin Barnes, I said. Im calling from Temple University Hospital in regard to one of your patients. She was admitted last week with anemia. We were initially concerned about a gastrointestinal bleed given her history 

Im sorry, the doctor interrupted, who is this Im speaking with?

I felt my face start to flush.

Is this a resident? she asked. I could hear the anger in her voice.

I  no, Im a sub-intern.

Read more: Fighting the silent crisis of physician burnout

A sub-intern is what you call a fourth-year medical student on an advanced rotation. It is a monthlong dress rehearsal that is supposed to prepare us for a residency program, the three- to seven-year apprenticeship for new doctors. Sub-interns answer pages, run to rapid responses, take overnight shifts, and write lab and medication orders. A physician signs off on everything we do, but the pseudo-autonomy helps us learn how to act and think as if we were the ones in charge. We also make a lot of phone calls to coordinate care.

I started my sub-internship in May, at the beginning of my fourth year in medical school. This was my second day.

You have got to be kidding me, the doctor continued. A student? Youre a student calling me? Wow. I held the phone away from my ear, as if it would somehow protect me from her verbal assault.

She was just warming up.

Well, she said, Let me tell you about this patient. She is a lazy [expletive]. She will not do in-home rehab. She will go home, dismiss the services, and then end up back at my office or your emergency room. It is ridiculous. Im sick of it. Tell her she needs to be sent to a nursing home. Im done with her.

Story continues

When she paused for breath, I tried to tell her that the patient needed some lab tests because we would be sending her home with some potentially harmful medications.

I dont remember how the conversation ended. I just remember that when it finally did I was struck with the horrifying thought: What if I end up like her?

Read more: The patient called me colored girl. The senior doctor training me said nothing

This doctor was once a student like me. Now she is using vulgar language to describe a patient and flying into a rage because a sub-intern called her. The interaction shook me, mostly because I knew I wasnt immune to becoming a doctor like her.

I started looking for answers about how or why this transformation takes place.

An abundance of articles in medical journals made me realize that the health care system can be harmful to doctors mental health. Burnout affects all medical specialties, at rates climbing higher than 50 percent. Doctors get worn out by daily battles with insurance companies, cumbersome electronic medical records, and increased patient caseloads. The lack of job control coupled with low reward and high demands increase exhaustion.. As burnout rates rise, physicians are more likely to perceive their patient care as inferior, report symptoms of major depression, and end up in car accidents.

I know that happy doctors exist. But how do they remain content? Journal articles suggest ways to prevent burnout  decreasing work hours while encouraging exercise, mindfulness training, and the like  but I wasnt satisfied with these nostrums.

I came up with a plan to learn more about physicians who are satisfied with their work and their careers. Fourth-year medical students like me spend most of the fall and winter interviewing for residency training programs. So as I traveled the country and met with dozens of doctors, I asked them, What advice do you have for young physicians to avoid career dissatisfaction and burnout?

Many mentioned that their residency programs are infused with wellness education, including meetings to air grievances, formal mentorship assignments, and even camping retreats. These are part of a broad attempt by the medical profession to help young doctors become aware of burnout and avoid it. Definitely an encouraging sign.

What I got the most from were personal strategies shared by doctors. They ranged from learning to prioritize and not taking everything on at once to combating clinical time constraints on an institutional level, building support networks in and out of the hospital, and simply taking more time to reflect, rest, and enjoy personal life.

Read more: How do young doctors find balance after a 28-hour workday?

But one strategy stands out most. After listening to my question about burnout, this doctor smiled and leaned back in his chair.

A lot of people emphasize work-life balance to prevent burnout, he said, but I am terrible at it. This is something I have a hard time with because, as you know, Im a pediatric neurologist. I think if your kid is having seizures, its a pretty scary thing. So I have a tendency to give my personal cellphone number to parents so they can always reach me. Like right now.

He held up his phone, A parent is texting me about her child, who has been having up to 50 seizures a day. I couldnt imagine not letting parents have access to me. I wouldnt feel right about it. But that is just how I prefer to practice medicine.

The way that I avoid burnout, he continued, despite my terrible work-life boundary, is to remind myself of everything that I do for people. I have a binder that is filled with my own notes on patient successes and thank you letters from families. It is amazing to look at, especially now after years of practice. When you see it all there you really cant help but be proud of the career you chose, the work youre doing, and the difference you are making in patients lives.

Looking back, it is clear that the doctor who screamed at me on the second day of my sub-internship did me a favor. The homework that I did has better prepared me to protect myself from burnout and to begin the meaningful and satisfying career I imagine.

And I have a new binder to fill with the little victories I hope will come.

Erin Barnes will graduate in May 2017 from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and then begin an internship in internal medicine followed by residency in neurology at Boston Medical Center.
After the election of President Donald Trump, filmmaker Daniel Klein felt compelled to resist.

It was a feeling many progressives in the U.S. had as Trump came to lead the country  a man who was elected on a platform that insulted and demonized at-risk communities. In response, Klein and his team behind the award-winning food documentary series The Perennial Plate wanted to switch gears, and channel their skills and passion into something good.

SEE ALSO: Hilarious photo series shows the alarmingly normal lives of immigrants

"I believe that if you are able, then it is your obligation to do what you love and to use it to positively impact the world," he said.

Now, Klein and his team have put their previous project on hold to create Resistance Through Storytelling, a series of five short films highlighting people particularly affected by the new administration: refugees and immigrants living in the U.S. The new initiative will tell real, positive stories of these communities  but to make a difference, the filmmakers knew their vision had to target a specific audience.

"We didn't want to preach to the choir. We wanted actual impact," Klein said. "Getting films in front of an audience that was different from ourselves was key."

So the team plans to put these films in front of a conservative audience  the exact audience that probably doesn't want to see them. And they're using targeted Facebook ads to do it.

Through Facebook advertising, the team plans to post the videos and "boost" them with paid promotion. The social platform will allow them to pinpoint people who live in red states and who "like" conservative-leaning pages. For example, the team could target people living in Michigan who like Senator John McCain's Facebook page, putting the films in their News Feeds to reach an entirely new audience.

To help engage this unconventional audience, Klein is hoping to draw viewers in by focusing on a universal topic: food. Each film will highlight one specific immigrant family eating dinner.

Story continues

"We wanted to find some themes that resonate with all Americans, not just liberals or conservatives," he said. "This series will focus on eating together as a family. Almost every culture has this tradition, and we think it is a great jumping off point for finding common ground."

The Resistance Through Storytelling team, which comprises Klein and fellow filmmakers Mirra Fine and Hunter Johnson, is currently raising money on Kickstarter to help fund the project.

As of Wednesday, the campaign raised more than $15,000 of its $50,000 goal. Half of the amount raised will go to expenses in researching, filming, and editing the film. The other half will be be used to fund its "targeted viewership campaign" through Facebook advertising.

The filmmakers also want to make a pilot out of the short films, with plans to pitch the idea as a series to Amazon, Netflix, and PBS to expand their reach.

Daniel Klein (left) with his wife and filmmaking partner, Mirra Fine, and their son.

Image: Joe Shaughs; Courtesy of the Perennial Plate

Any additional funding beyond the goal will enable the team to tell more stories, and expand the reach of the targeted advertising. There are no rewards and no gimmicky incentives for the campaign  just impact.

"The reward for this project is  creating positive change by connecting people who wouldn't have otherwise 'met' an immigrant or refugee," the Kickstarter page reads. "The more money we can put towards that, the more people we will reach. We love swag as much as anyone, but I hope you understand that this is why we aren't offering T-shirts and pins."

Image: CoUrtesy of thE Perennial Plate

The team doesn't yet know which countries the immigrant and refugee families in the series will originate from, but they're passionate about shining a light on families with different backgrounds and experiences.

"We know that every family has a story, so there will be no shortage of possibilities," Klein said.

He did add, however, that they're passionate about including a Somali-American family, since the team lives in Minneapolis where many Somalis live. They also want to include the story of a third- or fourth-generation European family to highlight how most families in the U.S. originate from immigrant backgrounds.

"By telling real stories, we are embracing an America that welcomes and tries to understand others  the opposite of what we see the administration doing," Klein said. "In these times, such simple acts as listening and learning are an act of resistance."

WATCH: Someone designed a jacket that doubles as a tent to help refugees in need
Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - The European Parliament omitted to mention the topic of Gibraltar in its red lines for Brexit negotiations on Wednesday, after heated debate on the British outcrop bordering Spain.

A resolution overwhelmingly approved by MEPs did not take up a clause in draft EU leaders' guidelines requiring Spain to be consulted on any post-Brexit trade deal that affects Gibraltar.

"Numerous MEPs referred during the debate to the question of Gibraltar, but there is no mention of this territory in the resolution adopted by the plenary session," a European Parliament press release said.

The MEPs also failed to adopt an amendment to the resolution which would have said Gibraltar had voted to remain in the European Union.

During debate in the assembly, Brexit champion Nigel Farage echoed British alarm over the clause in the draft guidelines revealed last week by EU President Donald Tusk, who represents the remaining 27 member states.

Britain responded angrily, with one former leader of British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative party even invoking the memory of the Falklands War against Argentina.

Farage, the former leader of the UK Independence Party, accused the EU 27 of "hypocrisy" by claiming to negotiate with London as one and yet allowing Spain to have a "veto" over a future trade deal if it is unhappy over Gibraltar's fate.

"Your aim and ambition is to destroy nation state democracy," he said. "Gibraltar is clearly a deal-breaker on current terms."

Spanish conservative MEP Esteban Gonzalez Pons hit back, saying Britain could not be allowed to have its "tax haven" Gibraltar still operating under EU trade rules.

He lamented signs of "extremism verging on racism" in Britain, adding that "for the past week we have heard endless insults against Spain and nationalists with the word 'war' on their lips".
Former ambassador to China and Sen. Max Baucus told Yahoo News that President Trump had to realize his negotiations with Chinese President Xi Jinping were not real estate deals.

I think that President Trump is a little too enamored with his ability  he thinks he has to get deals, said Baucus in a Wednesday interview with Yahoo News. This is not commercial real estate, U.S.-China relationship. Its not trying to stare down some kind of a business adversary, its not that at all. This is diplomacy  its hard work. It takes a lot of detailed work, and I think that frankly there can be some agreements  when it comes to China, Chinas a country that will talk a lot but they dont really produce a lot, so you can have agreements on the surface, but underneath not a lot happens.

Baucus is a former six-term senator from Montana who served as the United States ambassador to China from 2014 to 2017.

He continued: If theyre smart theyll come bearing a gift or two, and the gift or two will be an investment in a United States, some specific project somewhere, maybe build a railroad somewhere, and President Trump can tweet that and say, Gee, look at the big win I got. And thats a little helpful, but its not really the heart of the issue here. Heart of the issue is sustainable approach so China is less protectionist, subsidizes less, and American companies get a better deal.

It really comes down to the good faith efforts of our country and of China, and if China does not do what wed like China to do, were going to have to make some decisions, respectfully. But we cant let China bully us.

Baucus also discussed the difference between Russia and Chinas cyberattacks on the United States.

The cyber problems we have from Putin are terrible, said Baucus, who worked on cybersecurity deals as ambassador. Hes disrupting our democracy basically. Its outrageous what Russia is doing. I think China is doing a little of the same  theyre much more subtle about it, theyre more interested in commercial gain, theyre less interested in disrupting our political process, they just want to get intellectual property, get as much stuff as they can to help their companies.

Story continues

Read more from Yahoo News:
Kourou (AFP) - Protesters withdrew from the rocket-launching space centre in French Guiana on Wednesday as the French government approved a one-billion-euro emergency package to quell a wave of strikes.

The sum offered by France is below the 2.5 billion euros ($2.7 billion) that unions have demanded to address what they say is decades of under-investment in the French territory in South America.

Several hours earlier, protesters including several local lawmakers said they were ending their symbolic occupation of the space centre in Kourou from where France launches European-funded Ariane rockets carrying satellites.

"We wanted to show that we can take control of every part of Guiana, even strategic locations. This was a show of force," spokesman Manuel Jean-Baptiste said.

In Paris, President Francois Hollande said the government was open to dialogue and must show its "responsibility" to French Guiana, his spokesman said.

French Guiana, which is home to 250,000 people, has been paralysed by strikes this month and protesters have called for a "Marshall Plan" to develop the overseas territory.
President Donald Trump released a preliminary 2018 budget proposal last month, and as expected, federal funding cuts were recommended across many departments, including education, housing, health services and transportation.

For the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the administration proposes a cut of more than $6 billion -- a 13.2 percent decrease in the department's operating budget. Encouraging additional state and local funding, the proposal recommends cutting federal funds to the Community Development Block Grant program, the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, the Choice Neighborhoods program and the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program, which provide support for community revival and the establishment of new and improvement of existing affordable housing through grants and nonprofit partnerships. Combined, cutting these programs would reduce the HUD budget by about $4.1 billion.

As with other groups that benefit from particular government departments and face proposed budget cuts, housing authorities and affordable housing advocates have expressed concern that low-income households may not be able to find adequate housing should stipends, subsidies and other assistance be reduced or cut entirely.

Last month HUD Secretary Ben Carson spoke about affordable housing before attendees of the annual conference for the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals in the District of Columbia. While he did not specifically discuss the proposed budget, Carson echoed his stance on public assistance and the balance between providing aid and allowing for too much dependence on the government.

"The government is simply not capable of doing everything for everyone," Carson said at the March 28 event.

[Read: With Rising Interest Rates, Is Now Still a Good Time to Buy a Home?]

Affordable Housing and the Budget

Of course, the administration's budget proposal is simply that -- a proposal -- and it's up to Congress to determine where funding will be most effective. Many in the housing industry don't expect the hit to affordable housing to be as large as currently proposed, though there is concern that many programs will struggle to attract private investment with any significant decrease in public funding.

Story continues

Amy McClain, an attorney and partner at Ballard Spahr law firm in Baltimore who leads the firm's government-assisted housing practice, stresses that while she doesn't expect budget cuts to be as severe as those proposed, "There's a definite threat to the sources of funding we have available to do the work."

HUD's Rental Assistance Demonstration program is one particular platform McClain points to as valuable to the affordable housing industry, which could have detrimental effects if it were cut or reduced significantly. RAD gives housing authorities the ability to convert public housing to Section 8 housing using a combination of public and private debt. The program is aimed at reducing what HUD estimates to be a $26 billion backlog of deferred maintenance in public housing throughout the U.S., though McClain notes the total is likely more than $30 billion.

Converted property is legally required to remain as Section 8 housing under stewardship of the RAD program, but it is able to attract private investment.

"In my mind, it's a very attractive model, particularly for Republicans because it has that private sector aspect to it -- but it's dependent on those rents," McClain says. "If the public housing operating subsidy and the public housing capital fund get diminished [in the budget], then the rents are no longer viable to convert to the Section 8 platform."

Speaking in a session following Carson's remarks at the NAHREP conference last week, David Stevens, president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association, agreed that he does not expect HUD's budget cuts to be as extreme as $6 billion, which would likely mean cuts in every corner of the department.

Stevens also noted he previously sat down with Carson to discuss the future of HUD, affordable housing and homeownership, noting Carson's dedication to "create ways to find sustainable housing wealth," though likely with less public funding.

[Read: What to Expect for the 2017 Housing Market.]

HUD Under the Trump Administration

Proposed budgets aside, HUD is already in a new age under Carson, who is in the midst of what he refers to as a nationwide listening tour, visiting different cities throughout the U.S. and speaking with those who are a part of, and those who benefit from, affordable housing programs. The tour kicked off in Detroit on March 15, followed by visits to Miami and the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

"I need to know what really works and what really doesn't work," Carson said to attendees of the NAHREP conference.

In discussing the possibilities for new approaches to subsidized rental housing, Carson proposed a "housing savings account," which would place funds from a housing subsidy in an account reserved for maintenance on the home or apartment. The money not needed to make repairs remains in the account, with the potential to be paid out to the resident upon leaving public housing, creating incentive to care for the home and reduce necessary repairs. If the recipient leaves public housing within a specified period (for example, five to 10 years), the money in the savings account could be used toward a down payment on a home, Carson said.

Still, ideas for introducing new HUD programs, or revising or eliminating current ones, remain theoretical while the budget has yet to be determined.

Stevens and Armando Falcon, CEO of Falcon Capital Advisors in the District of Columbia and former director of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, discussed together before NAHREP conference attendees the best course of action for Carson in his new role as HUD secretary. They agreed the appointment of a Federal Housing Administration commissioner with technical knowledge of the housing industry would be key to promote and facilitate affordable homeownership in addition to housing assistance.

[Read: 7 Things You Should Know About Tenant Rights.]

Where Consumers Come Into Play

With HUD's budget yet to be determined, McClain stresses that it's not just in the hands of lawmakers to decide which programs will be cut and which will receive additional funding -- constituents can play a key role by calling their representatives and advocating for programs they support.

"It's going to come down to what the advocacy groups do and the level of education for members of Congress to make sure everyone is aware of the benefit of programs and the impact that the cuts would have," she says.

Even with a smaller budget, successful housing programs are possible, though it takes pressure from the general public to push for additional private investment in housing programs and the development of affordable housing -- both rental and owner-occupied.

"Change isn't always through the administration," Falcon said at the NAHREP conference, encouraging advocacy to preserve homeownership opportunities, from the private sector as well as from public funding.
BANJUL, Gambia (AP)  Many Gambians hope to secure a transition from decades of dictatorship to democracy on Thursday as they vote in parliamentary elections, the first since longtime leader Yahya Jammeh flew into exile in January. But some worry the coalition that put new President Adama Barrow in place is already seeing cracks.

The National Assembly vote ushers in a new era for the tiny West African country, whose leaders say they want to steer the nation toward reconciliation.

More than 1.8 million Gambians were ruled for 22 years by Jammeh, whose government was accused of human rights abuses. He lost the December election to Barrow, who was backed by a coalition of eight opposition parties. For weeks, Jammeh refused to leave power in a political standoff that brought regional countries to the brink of a military intervention.

Jammeh's eventual flight into exile was a dramatic moment for many in Africa, where a number of leaders have clung to power for decades.

The new government under Barrow has promised to right the wrongs of the past, setting up a truth and reconciliation process. Many Gambians fear that if the new parliament doesn't strike the right balance, their vote in December could be compromised.

The eight opposition parties that backed Barrow as a coalition are now running as separate parties against the representatives of Jammeh's former ruling party and the one opposition party that didn't join the coalition, the Gambia Democratic Congress. They also face some 42 independent candidates.

Some worry that divisions among the parties that united to oust Jammeh are starting to show.

"I don't still understand why party leaders let this happen," said one Gambian, Ebrima Jobe, shaking his head. He said he was disheartened that after all the efforts to form a coalition to end Jammeh's rule, the parties are acting in a way that could threaten the future that Gambians wanted.

Isatou Jarjue, a market vendor, agreed. "I am confused by the lack of unity," she said, adding that only prayers could help the coalition parties emerge victorious in the National Assembly polls.

Story continues

The country's electoral body has endorsed 239 candidates who are contesting for 53 seats. Five more will be occupied by parliamentary members the president nominates.

Independent Electoral Commission chairman Alieu Momarr Njai said Gambia's newfound freedoms and the lower cost to become a candidate mean that Gambians have a wider choice in Thursday's vote.

If coalition parties do not win a majority, it could affect Barrow's ability to govern and carry out the transition policies he has promised. Gambians also worry that if Barrow's United Democratic Party takes a majority, they could repeat the past by having effective one-party rule.

The former ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction party, which dominated parliament for more than two decades, has indicated that its ability to mobilize the people remains intact.

"The APRC will continue to be the biggest political party in the country," said Kanifing Municipal Council Mayor Yankuba Colley, the party's national mobilizer.

But Colley acknowledged the party's human rights record will haunt it, adding: "We learned from our mistakes."

___

Petesch reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Mustapha Jallow in Banjul, Gambia contributed.
CREDIT: Imperial College London/Chase Stone

As Brexit looms, Earth scientists have uncovered evidence of Britains original split from mainland Europe. Almost half a million years ago, according to new data, water suddenly started cascading over the narrow strip of land that joined England and France  putting pressure on a chalk bridge.

Researchers show that, as a result, this ridge  a natural dam that separated the North Sea from the English Channel  was catastrophically ruptured hundreds of thousands of years later in a two-stage process, ultimately setting Britains insular environment in stone. Their results are reported in Nature Communications.

So where did all the water that caused this geological disaster come from? The scientists, from UK, Belgium and France, base their conclusions on a line of deep plunge pools (basins excavated by intense waterfalls) and a network of channels cut in the sea floor south-west of the ridge line. They deduce that these were first formed some 450,000 years ago as a lake of glacial melt water to the north-east in the North Sea basin (the depression where the north sea sits today, some of which was dry land back then) spilled over into what is today the English Channel.

However, exactly why the glacial lake suddenly spilt over remains unknown. One possibility is that part of its ice sheet broke off, causing a surge that prompted the water to flow over. The 33km long land bridge at Dover Strait formed part of an icy landscape at the time. According to the researchers, it looked more like the frozen tundra in Siberia than the green environment we know today.

Imperial College London/Professor Sanjeev Gupta and Dr Jenny Collier

The loose gravel that fills the seafloor plunge pools was first noticed 50 years ago. Indeed, the channel tunnel had to be rerouted to avoid them during its construction. There has long been speculation that they were associated with the remains of the land bridge that formed an ancient route between UK and Europe  and now we finally have some evidence to back this up.

The plunge pools themselves are huge, drilling down some 100 metres into the solid bedrock and measuring several kilometres across. The waterfalls that formed them are estimated to have been 100 metres high, as we know the land bridge stood high above the surrounding landscape.

Story continues

Second sudden destruction

It seems Dover Strait may have gone through two breaches. The first one, about 450,000 years ago, was rather modest and formed a smaller channel than the one we see today. But the authors suggest that a second, more catastrophic breach subsequently occurred  possibly hundreds of thousands of year later, irrevocably separating Britain from Europe.

Imperial College London/Professor Sanjeev Gupta and Dr Jenny Collier

This final collapse of the land bridge is marked out by a larger seafloor channel named the Lobourg Channel, which cuts through the earlier structures. This appears to have been carved by a major cataclysmic flood from the North Sea into the English Channel. The timings of the two-stage erosion, including the final destruction of the connecting bridge, are uncertain, but mollusc shells found either side of the breach indicate that it was complete at least 100,000 years ago.

The latest observations are the result of a broad marine geophysics campaign to tackle the problem. Ship-based seismic surveys of the floor of the English Channel have been combined with a type of sonar to provide an astoundingly detailed picture of the sea floor and its sub-surface. Uncertainty remains over the exact timings of each of the events, and researchers have set their sights on drilling into the sea floor to retrieve samples from the plunge pool sediments to determine their precise ages.

The erosion of the land bridge hundreds of thousands of years ago set Britain on its path to becoming an island nation. Subsequent changes in sea level at the end of that ancient ice age further confirmed its insularity, and Britains connection to mainland Europe was lost.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

The Conversation

Simon Redfern receives funding from the British Council and the Natural Environment Research Council.
Berlin (AFP) - A German court Wednesday ruled that a Tunisian suspect in the 2015 jihadist attack on a Tunis museum can be extradited, provided he won't face the death penalty or ill-treatment.

The man -- identified only as Haykel S., 36, by local media -- has been named in Tunisia as a suspect behind the Bardo Museum attack that killed 21 foreign tourists and a police officer.

A Frankfurt court said Wednesday it had rejected a last-ditch asylum request, but set conditions for his deportation.

It ruled that Tunisia must "assure the German government" that he won't face the death penalty or ill-treatment in custody at that a lawyer and German consular staff will have access to him in detention.

The man arrived in Germany as an asylum seeker amid a large influx of refugees in August 2015, having already lived in the EU country for a decade until several years earlier.

Tunisia issued a warrant for his arrest in June 2016, and he was detained in Germany in August of that year.

However, Tunisia then failed to provide the required documentation for his deportation on time, German officials say.

Authorities were forced to release him in November 2016, but security services kept him under surveillance.

The man was arrested again in February as part of sweeping anti-terror raids in the Frankfurt area on homes, offices and mosques.

He was held on suspicion of recruiting for the Islamic State jihadist group with the goal of staging an attack in Germany.

Authorities on March 9 ordered his deportation.

On March 22, as he was about to board a flight, the man launched a last-minute request for asylum, citing the threat of torture and the death penalty in Tunisia, while proclaiming his innocence.

Two days later German immigration authorities rejected the asylum request as unfounded, a decision the man then appealed. The Frankfurt court Wednesday upheld the denial of asylum.

Last December, another Tunisian rejected asylum seeker, Anis Amri, committed Germany's worst jihadist attack so far, ploughing a truck through a Berlin Christmas market and taking 12 lives.

The case heightened tensions between Berlin and Tunis after it emerged red tape had prevented Amri's scheduled deportation months before the attack.
BERLIN (AP)  Germany's economy minister and other officials met Wednesday with the head of automaker PSA Group and union representatives to go over details of the French company's acquisition of General Motors' European brand Adam Opel AG, with both sides saying the talks had been "constructive."

GM sold its Opel and Vauxhall brands to PSA in March for roughly $2.33 billion, making the French company, which also makes Peugeot and Citroen cars, Europe's No. 2 automaker after Volkswagen.

Opel employs 19,000 people in Germany out of a total workforce of 38,000, and the sale has raised concerns about job losses, especially in an election year. Vauxhall, the British brand, employs 4,500 people at two plants.

Executives have insisted that no layoffs are currently foreseen, though analysists have said they're inevitable over the long term.

PSA Group CEO Carlos Tavares has said there are ways to contain factory costs other than cutting workers, and that the company would focus on logistics, quality, energy, maintenance and security.

In a joint statement issued after the meeting, Economy Minister Brigitte Zypries said Tavares had reaffirmed PSA's commitment to respect existing labor agreements and that meeting participants agreed that the sale "can offer significant advantages to both" PSA and Opel/Vauxhall.

Zypries said Germany would continue to provide "constructive support" to the merging of PSA and Opel/Vauxhall at both a federal and state level.

"I am glad that we have made further progress, not least in the interest of the employees of Opel/Vauxhall," she said. "I particularly welcome the commitment by Mr. Tavares to respect and continue all the collective agreements."

Other topics of the meeting included the continuation of Opel/Vauxhall as a single company with independent brands within the PSA group, and the agreement to work together with unions to "ensure the long-term viability of the Opel/Vauxhall brands, production sites, and the development center in Europe."

All sides agreed to meet again to continue the talks at an unspecified future date.
Madrid (AFP) - Gibraltar on Wednesday accused Spain of causing long traffic jams with tightened border controls, saying it was "clearly a response" to rising political tensions over the British territory.

As Gibraltar emerges as a sore point in Britain's exit negotiations with the European Union, Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia complained of traffic tie-ups on Wednesday on the border of the rocky British outcrop at Spain's southern tip.

"The latest action of Spain is obviously and clearly a response to the latest political climate," Garcia told broadcaster GBC.

"It is what they've always done but certainly it is totally and absolutely unacceptable."

He added: "We have been told that the police officers deployed at the border, the Policia Nacional, are not the ones that are here normally. They don't quite understand how they need to conduct the checks at the border."

Police in the territory known as The Rock, which is home to 32,000 people, tweeted: "All those driving toward Spain should expect long delays."

Gibraltar's government earlier posted on Twitter that vehicles faced two-hour lines to cross into Spain.

Neither Spain's interior ministry nor the national police responded to AFP's requests to confirm that border measures had been tightened.

Some 10,000 people cross from Spain to Gibraltar to work every day, with the outcrop dependent on the small land border for trade and tourism.

"Spain has used traffic jams as a political weapon against Gibraltar since the day the border opened," Garcia charged.

He noted that there were similar scenes at the frontier in 2013 when, in the midst of a diplomatic row, Madrid doubled its border controls until the European Commission stepped in to calm the situation.

Tensions soared last week when the European Union said Spain should have a veto on extending any trade deal to Gibraltar after Britain leaves the bloc.

Story continues

London and Madrid have had a long and bitter dispute over Gibraltar, which has been a British territory for more than 300 years.

Fearing that Madrid is seeking to take advantage of Brexit to impose its control over the enclave, Gibraltar reacted angrily to the EU move and London firmly expressed its support for the territory.

A Spanish warship also sailed into disputed waters off Gibraltar on Tuesday, raising tensions further, although such incidents are not uncommon.

The European Parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted tough "red lines" for negotiations over a Brexit deal, on which EU lawmakers will have the final say in two years' time, but omitted any mention of the flashpoint issue of Gibraltar.
Paris (AFP) - A suspected chemical attack that killed at least 58 civilians in rebel-held northwestern Syria has prompted widespread outrage and calls for international action.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an air strike in Idlib province Tuesday which released "toxic gas" was likely carried out by government warplanes, a charge the regime denied.

- UN envoy -

UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said the "horrific" attack was believed to be chemical and launched from the air, telling reporters in Brussels that there should be a "clear identification of responsibilities and accountability".

- Opposition -

The Syrian opposition's chief negotiator at peace talks, Mohamad Sabra, said the attack cast new doubt on the UN-led peace process.

"If the United Nations cannot deter the regime from carrying out such crimes, how can it achieve a process that leads to political transition in Syria?" he said.

On Twitter, the head of the opposition High Negotiations Committee Riad Hijab said the "massacre is evidence that it is impossible to negotiate with a regime addicted to criminal behaviour".

-- Rebels --

Syrian rebels including Al-Qaeda's former affiliate vowed to avenge the deaths.

"We call on all the fighters of Sham (Syria) to ignite the fronts," the Tahrir al-Sham alliance said in a statement posted online.

"We promise the criminal regime and its allies revenge that will soothe the hearts of our people in Khan Sheikhun in particular, and Syria in general," the statement said.

- Regime -

A senior Syrian security source rejected allegations that Syria's government was behind the attack.

"This is a false accusation," the source said, adding that the opposition was attempting to "achieve in the media what they could not achieve on the ground".

- US -

The White House accused Bashar al-Assad of carrying out a "reprehensible" and "intolerable" chemical attack.

Story continues

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad must be held accountable, demanding Russia and Iran bring their ally to heel.

"It is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism," Tillerson said.

"Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions."

Britain, France and the United States presented a draft resolution to the UN Security Council demanding a full investigation into the attack.

- Turkey -

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that "this kind of inhuman attack was unacceptable".

Presidential sources said Erdogan had told Putin by phone that the attack threatened peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana, but did not assign blame for the attack.

- Germany -

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said that if the Syrian regime had indeed carried out a chemical attack, "it would be an act of such cruelty as to be without equivalent", and "another reason we should not deal with the Assad regime in the fight against terrorism".

- France -

French President Francois Hollande accused the Syrian regime of a "massacre".

"Once again the Syrian regime will deny the evidence of its responsibility for this massacre," Hollande said in a statement.

"Those who support this regime can once again reflect on the enormity of their political, strategic and moral responsibility."

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault earlier called for an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting over the attack, which he described as "monstrous".

- Britain -

British Prime Minister Theresa May said she was "appalled" by reports of the attack, adding, "We condemn the use of chemical weapons in all circumstances."

She added: "I'm very clear that there can be no future for Assad in a stable Syria... We cannot allow this suffering to continue."

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said in a statement that the incident bore the "hallmarks of an attack by the regime, which has repeatedly used chemical weapons".

- European Union -

European Union diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said the Assad regime bore "primary responsibility" for the attack.

"Obviously there is a primary responsibility there of the regime because it has responsibility of protecting its people not attacking its people," she said.

- Israel -

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the world must act to rid Syria of chemical weapons.

In a statement, he called on the international community "to fulfil its obligation from 2013 to fully and finally remove these horrible weapons from Syria".

Syria's government joined the Chemical Weapons Convention and agreed to give up its chemical arsenal in 2013 as part of a deal to avert US military action over previous alleged chemical attacks.

- UN watchdog -

The United Nations' chemical arms watchdog said it was "seriously concerned" by the reports.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said it was "gathering and analysing information from all available sources".
Paris (AFP) - The percentage of men and women who use tobacco every day has dropped in most nations since 1990, but the total number of smokers and tobacco-related deaths has increased, a consortium of researchers reported Thursday.

Mortality could rise even further as major tobacco companies aggressively target new markets, especially in the developing world, they warned in a report, published in the medical journal The Lancet.

One in four men and one in 20 women smoked daily in 2015, according to the Global Burden of Diseases report, compiled by hundreds of scientists.

That was a significant drop compared to 25 years earlier, when one in three men, and one in 12 women, lit up every day.

But the number of deaths attributed to tobacco -- which topped 6.4 million in 2015 -- went up by 4.7 percent over the same period due to the expanding world population, the report found.

More than 930 million people smoked daily in 2015, compared to 870 million in 1990 -- a seven percent jump.

Smoking causes one in ten deaths worldwide, half of them in just four countries: China, India, the United States and Russia.

Together with Indonesia, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Japan, Brazil, and Germany, they account for fully two-thirds of global tobacco use.

"Smoking remains the second largest risk factor for early death and disability" after high blood pressure, said senior author Emmanuela Gakidou from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, in the US northwest.

Some countries have seen sharp reductions in smoking driven by some combination of higher taxes, education campaigns, package warnings and programmes to help people kick the nicotine habit.

Brazil was among the leaders over the 25-year period examined, with the percentage of daily smokers dropping from 29 to 12 percent among men, and from 19 to eight percent among women.

But Indonesia, Bangladesh and the Philippines -- where 47, 38 and 35 percent of men smoke, respectively -- saw no change from 1990 to 2015.

Story continues

In Russia -- where tobacco control policies were not put into place until 2014 -- the percentage of women who smoke climbed by more than four percent over the same period.

Similar trends are emerging in much of Africa, the authors cautioned.

The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that the number of men and women smoking in sub-Saharan Africa will go up 50 percent by 2025, compared to 2010 levels.

"Future mortality in low- and middle-income countries is likely to be huge," John Britton from the University of Nottingham's UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies wrote in a comment, also in The Lancet.

Responsibility for the global tobacco epidemic lies mainly with a handful of multinational based in rich countries, he said.

"The modern tobacco industry profits from enslaving children and young people in poor countries into a lifelong addiction, and ultimately taking their lives for profit," he told AFP.

The global response -- including a 180-nation "tobacco control" treaty inked in 2005 -- has focused mostly on users and not the supply, he added.

The WHO has noted that "tobacco is the only legal drug that kills many of its users when used exactly as intended by the manufacturers."

It is estimated that half of daily smokers will die prematurely due to their tobacco habit unless they quit.
Athens (AFP) - Greek magistrates on Wednesday approved the release from prison of former socialist minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos, one of the few prominent politicians jailed for corruption in the country, a justice source said.

The Athens appeals court panel voted 3-2 to release 77-year-old Tsochatzopoulos, four years into a 20-year sentence for money laundering.

However, his family claims that he cannot afford bail, set at 200,000 euros ($213,000).

Tsochatzopoulos has a heart ailment, and was in treatment at an Athens hospital when the ruling was released.

At the time of his conviction in 2013, judges said Tsochatzopoulos employed his position as defence minister from 1996 to 2001 to pocket bribes paid through offshore companies for the procurement of a Russian rocket defence system and German submarines.

The kickbacks were added to the final cost to the Greek state which ended up paying overcharges worth millions of euros (dollars).

Prosecutors say the illegal proceeds were used to make several choice real estate purchases in Athens by Tsochatzopoulos and members of his family.

Tsochatzopoulos, a founding member of the socialist Pasok party and a close aide to late socialist prime minister Andreas Papandreou, has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
By Liana B. Baker and Greg Roumeliotis (Reuters) - Private equity firm GTCR LLC is in exclusive talks to acquire U.S. job-hunting website CareerBuilder LLC for more than $1 billion, according to people familiar with the matter, in what would be the latest deal in the online recruitment sector. The sale would allow CareerBuilder's owners - TV station operator Tegna Inc, broadcasting company Tribune Media Co and newspaper group The McClatchy Co - to cash out from what they regard as a non-core business. GTCR has prevailed in an auction for CareerBuilder, and is in the process of trying to finalize the terms of a deal, the people said this week, cautioning that it is still possible that the negotiations end without an agreement. The sources asked not to be identified because the negotiations are confidential. Tegna and Tribune Media declined to comment, while GTCR, CareerBuilder and McClatchy did not respond to requests for comment. The potential deal for CareerBuilder comes as many popular job websites become acquisition targets amid challenges in translating user growth into profits. Last September, credit ratings agency Moody's Investors Service Inc called CareerBuilder's operating performance "weak". In examples of other deals in the jobs website sector, Microsoft Corp acquired LinkedIn Corp for $26.2 billion last December, while Randstad Holding NV took over Monster Worldwide Inc for $429 million in November. DHI Group Inc, the operator of the information technology and engineering job website Dice, said in November it was carrying out a review to explore strategic alternatives. Tegna announced last year that it would explore options for its 53-percent stake in CareerBuilder, and said it expected to complete its strategic review in the first half of 2017. It also said it would spin off its auto-sales website Cars.com. These two businesses represent close to 40 percent of Tegna's revenue mix. CareerBuilder generated revenues from its subscription offering of $162 million in 2016, up 8 percent from 2015, according to regulatory filings. The vast majority of its revenue is in the United States. CareerBuilder has been expanding into new areas in recent years. Last year it bought Aurico, a background screening and drug testing service for an undisclosed sum. It also acquired a 75-percent stake in WorkTerra, a maker of software for benefits and compliance. Tegna has said that any proceeds from a sale of CareerBuilder would provide it with "even further financial flexibility." (Reporting by Liana B. Baker in San Francisco and Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, condemned Russias refusal to hold Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accountable for a chemical attack that killed dozens of civilians, including many children, in the rebel-held region of Idlib Tuesday.

At an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council Wednesday, Haley held graphic photos of the Syrian victims, insisting We cannot close our eyes to those pictures.

This Security Council thinks of itself as a defender of peace, security and human rights, she said. We will not deserve that description if we do not rise to action today.

Ambassador Nikki Haley shows pictures of Syrian chemical attack victims to the U.N. Security Council. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

In the wake of Tuesdays attack, the U.S. joined Britain and France in blaming the Syrian government for the attack, which Haley called a new low , even for the barbaric Assad regime. However, their attempt to assign blame was quickly challenged by the Russian government  an ally of the Assad regime  which suggested that the poison gas actually belonged to the rebels and leaked when Syrian bombs hit an insurgent weapons depot, an explanation rejected by witnesses and international health experts.

Time and time again, Russia uses the same false narrative to deflect attention from their allies in Damascus, Haley said, calling Russias defense of the Syrian government unconscionable.

How many more children have to die before Russia cares? she asked. If Russia has the influence in Syria that it claims to have, we need to see them use it. We need to see them put an end to these horrific acts.

While Haley implored her fellow Security Council members to take collective action against Syria to prevent further use of chemical weapons, she also suggested that if the council failed to enforce a resolution, the U.S. may choose to act unilaterally.

When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action, she said, offering no elaboration on what that would entail.

Story continues

Haleys rebuke suggested that the Trump administration may be rethinking its hands-off approach to the Syrian government and its Russian allies.

After initially blaming former President Obama for declining to intervene in Syria over Assads use of chemical weapons back in 2012, Trump acknowledged at a press conference Wednesday that Americas response to Syria is now my responsibility.

It crossed a lot of lines for me, Trump said, adding that the images coming out of Syria, particularly of child victims hit by the poisonous chemicals, had a big impact on him.

That was a horrible, horrible thing, and Ive been watching it and seeing it. And it doesnt get any worse than that, he said. And I have that flexibility. And its very, very possible and I will tell you its already happened that my attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Paris (AFP) - The day after a debate among the 11 candidates for French president, Ford worker Philippe Poutou was cheered for his gloves-off approach to the scandals hanging over conservative Francois Fillon and far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

Here are three things that happened in the campaign on Wednesday:

- '15 minutes of fame' -

New Anti-Capitalist Party candidate Poutou stole the show in Tuesday's debate when he rounded on Fillon and Le Pen, accusing them of "stealing from the till".

Poutou and Trotskyist candidate Nathalie Arthaud also rebuked Le Pen for invoking her parliamentary immunity to dodge questioning by investigators.

"It was the Warholian 15 minutes of fame for the little candidates, who stood out," Frederic Dabi of Ifop polling company told AFP.

Poutou's stock rose further after he told the news weekly L'Obs on Wednesday that he had, in fact, "lacked confidence and been afraid of messing up" -- an admission the magazine described as "sweet".

- No third debate -

France 2 broadcaster cancelled a third debate planned for April 20, three days before the first round of the election, several candidates confirmed to AFP.

Hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon -- one of the standout performers in the first two debates -- had led objections to having another debate among all the candidates so close to the vote.

A last debate will be held after the first round of voting, between the two finalists who go through to the May 7 run-off round.

- Hollande regrets 2012 Sarkozy snub -

Outgoing President Francois Hollande regrets not seeing his conservative rival Nicolas Sarkozy to his car when Sarkozy left the Elysee Palace after losing the 2012 election to the Socialist, he says in a documentary to be aired Wednesday by Canal+.

Hollande's failure to accompany Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni as far as their car broke with long-established tradition in presidential handover ceremonies. Sarkozy took it as a snub.

"I regret it because I really did not mean to appear discourteous towards my predecessor," Hollande, who is not standing for re-election, said in an excerpt posted on the website of the daily L'Opinion.
WATERFORD  A Greenfield man is recovering after allegedly being stabbed by a woman while they were visiting friends at a home in the Village of Waterford early Tuesday morning.

Waterford police were called at 1:47 a.m. for a civil trouble complaint in the the 300 block of St. Thomas Street.

Neighbors in the area reported that they could hear a male and female yelling at each other coming from across the street, said Waterford Police Sgt. William Jeschke.

When officers tried to separate the two, the man told officers he had been stabbed by the woman.

She was noncompliant with verbal commands from officers, and only complied with officers commands to get on the ground when she observed that she had been illuminated by a laser light from a Taser, an electronic control device, Jeschke said.

Jeschke said the two had come from Lake Mills with another friend to visit with friends who reside in Waterford when a disagreement turned into a fight.

The victim was transported to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, where he was treated for a non-life-threatening stab wound to the right side of his back.

Charges will be submitted to the Racine County District Attorneys Office, requesting that the female is charged with substantial battery and disorderly conduct while armed, Jeschke said. The case is still under investigation.

Police did not release the name of the suspect.

The woman was taken to Aurora Memorial Hospital of Burlington to get checked out before she was booked into the Racine County Jail.
(Reuters) - Highlights of the day for U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday: SENATE SHOWDOWN ON GORSUCH The U.S. Senate moves toward ramming through approval of Trump's Supreme Court nominee this week, as its top Republican says he has the votes to wipe away Democratic roadblocks but vows to preserve the minority party's ability to hold up legislation. HEALTHCARE OR TAX OVERHAUL? Trump and Republicans in Congress lurch between repealing Obamacare or rewriting the U.S. tax code as their top priority, with House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan dampening White House hopes for a quick vote on healthcare legislation. SYRIAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS ATTACK Trump condemns a Syrian chemical weapons attack that killed dozens and blames Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but does not say how he will respond despite calls from France for stronger U.S. leadership. NORTH KOREA North Korea fires a ballistic missile from its east coast into the sea, South Korea's military says, ahead of a summit between U.S. and Chinese leaders who are set to discuss Pyongyang's nuclear program. CHINA SUMMIT Although worried about the prospect of a trade war, American businesses operating in China nonetheless want Trump to wring some concessions on market access from China's leader Xi Jingping when the two meet this week. KUSHNER IN IRAQ Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, voices optimism about the long-term U.S. alliance with Iraq's military and its campaign to retake Mosul from Islamic State, as he visits a base about 10 miles (16 km) from the city. In its first official remarks on Trump since he became president, Islamic State says the United States is drowning and "being run by an idiot." INFRASTRUCTURE Trump vows to cut red tape to speed approval of infrastructure projects and says his overhaul could top $1 trillion on roads, tunnels and bridges, one of his 2016 election campaign promises. ENVIRONMENT Some big American coal companies have advised Trump's administration to break his promise to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement - arguing that the accord could provide their best forum for protecting their global interests. NEXT SEC HEAD The Senate Banking Committee votes to advance Jay Clayton's nomination as the next chief of the Securities and Exchange Commission to the full Senate for approval. DODD-FRANK 'HAIRCUT' Trump says his administration is working on changes to Dodd-Frank banking regulations that will make it easier for banks to lend money. (Compiled by Jonathan Oatis and Peter Cooney; Editing by Grant McCool and Sandra Maler)
(Reuters) - Highlights of the day for U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday: BANNON REMOVED Trump removes his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, from the National Security Council, reversing his controversial decision early this year to give a political adviser an unprecedented role in security discussions. NO HEALTHCARE DEAL Deep divisions cut short Republican hopes for a quick revival of Obamacare replacement legislation, as Congress prepares to leave town for a two-week recess without a deal to end party infighting. SUSAN RICE Trump, declining requests for evidence, says he thinks Susan Rice, a former top adviser to President Barack Obama, committed a crime by seeking the identities of Trump associates mentioned in intercepted communications, the New York Times reports. OBAMA ROLLBACKS Trump hopes to sign "several more" measures before the end of April to roll back Obama-era regulations under the time-limited Congressional Review Act, a White House official says. FDA NOMINEE Trump's nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, is questioned about his ties to the pharmaceutical industry by Democrats ahead of a vote on whether to advance his nomination for a vote by the full Senate. DEFENDING O'REILLY Trump defends TV anchor Bill O'Reilly after a report that the conservative commentator and his employer, 21st Century Fox, paid $13 million to five women to settle claims he sexually harassed them. UTILITIES AREN'T LISTENING When Trump signed an executive order last week to sweep away Obama-era climate change regulations, he said it would end America's "war on coal", usher in a new era of energy production and put miners back to work, but the biggest consumers of U.S. coal - power generating companies - remain unconvinced. NORTH KOREA North Korea test-fires a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast, ahead of a summit between Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, who are set to discuss Pyongyang's increasingly defiant arms program. (Compiled by Jonathan Oatis; Editing by James Dalgleish and Grant McCool)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives ramped up their efforts to force the release of President Donald Trump's tax returns, calling it a critical issue of transparency and national security. House Democrats said they would use a parliamentary procedure to file a petition aimed at forcing a vote on legislation requiring U.S. presidents to disclose multiple years of federal income tax filings. Representatives for the White House and House Speaker Paul Ryan did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump, a Republican and New York real estate developer who touted his business acumen in the 2016 presidential campaign, defied decades of precedent by candidates when he refused to release his tax returns, saying they were under audit. The Internal Revenue Service says audits pose no obstacle to releasing tax returns. Democrats, for their so-called discharge petition to move forward, would need to obtain signatures of support from the majority of the 435 lawmakers in the Republican-controlled House. Such a move could be a long-shot given that just two Republicans, Representatives Mark Sanford and Justin Amash, have signed on to sponsor the proposed bill that would then see a vote. The petition is the latest effort by Democrats on the issue as just two glimpses of Trump's taxes have surfaced in media reports on his 1995 and 2005 filings. Democrats say Trump's taxes are a national security issue given congressional investigations into possible ties between Russia and his campaign. They also cite concerns over potential conflicts of interest with his privately held global businesses. "How do we know when he makes policy decisions or, you know, trade deals ... with foreign countries that he is looking out for the American people and not lining his own pockets?" Democratic Representative Bill Pascrell said to reporters. (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Grant McCool)
ABOARD THE PHOENIX (Reuters) - Humanitarian groups operating rescue ships off the coast of Libya picked up more than 700 migrants out of seven flimsy and overcrowded boats on Wednesday, Italy's coast guard said. The Phoenix rescue ship, operated by the Malta-based non-governmental organization MOAS, rescued more than 300 people from three boats in international waters off the coast of the Libyan city of Sabratha. The Aquarius, operated by SOS Mediterranee and Doctors without Borders, went to the aid of four rubber boats, a coast guard spokesman said. Italy's coast guard coordinated the rescues. Migrants arriving in Italy on boats from North Africa are up some 30 percent so far this year, according to official data released last week. Some 600 people have died trying to reach Italy this year, said the International Organization for Migration. No bodies were found on Wednesday, the coast guard said. (Reporting by Darrin Zamitt, writing by Steve Scherer in Rome, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A group of public school districts sued Illinois on Wednesday, claiming the state was not providing adequate funding for them to comply with state-mandated learning standards.

The lawsuit filed by 17 districts in St. Clair County Circuit Court follows litigation brought by the Chicago Public Schools last month in Cook County Court claiming the state's method of funding education discriminates against Chicago's largely black and Hispanic student body.

The latest lawsuit seeks to require Illinois to use evidence-based methodology to calculate the additional per-pupil state funding necessary for the districts to meet the learning standards first adopted in 1997. Illinois would then be required to provide that funding to the schools, which said they have been forced to raise property taxes, increase classroom sizes and lay off teachers due to insufficient state money.

Michael Persoon, the districts' legal counsel, said the schools want to keep the standards, which are good for students.

"But the state can't put all that burden to pay for it on (the districts)," he told reporters at a state capitol news conference.

Illinois Secretary of Education Dr. Beth Purvis said Republican Governor Bruce Rauner has boosted education funding by $700 million since 2015. While state officials in recent months have taken up the task of revamping the way Illinois funds schools, no consensus has emerged in the Democratic-controlled legislature.

School funding has been a politically volatile subject in Illinois for decades, pitting low property tax-generating school systems or those with mostly minority students against well-funded systems in wealthy Chicago suburbs much less reliant on state funding.

Since the 1970s, the sides have played to a political stalemate in the state legislature, which has rejected efforts at a statewide fix to solve the disparity between the haves and have-nots in Illinois education.

(Reporting by Karen Pierog; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Baghdad (AFP) - Iraq's military on Wednesday urged residents to shelter in their homes in jihadist-held areas of Mosul, where its bid to oust the Islamic State group has taken a heavy toll on civilians.

Iraqi forces are battling to recapture west Mosul from IS, killing and wounding hundreds of civilians and pushing more than 200,000 to leave their homes.

The government has encouraged residents not to flee during the fighting -- a policy aimed at easing ease the burden of widespread displacement but which can heighten the risk of injury or death for civilians.

"Iraqi air force aircraft dropped hundreds of thousands of leaflets... containing procedures and recommendations for citizens" in west Mosul and other IS-held areas, said Iraq's Joint Operations Command.

These included "remaining inside houses and staying away from known (IS) sites such as headquarters, checkpoints, artillery positions and barracks, because they will be targets for our aircraft.

"Aerial bombing will target (IS) gangs and not civilians," it said in a statement.

But irrespective of whether or not they are directly targeted, residents still can and have been the victims of strikes aimed at IS fighters who are deployed in areas still populated by hundreds of thousands of civilians.

The US-led coalition carrying out strikes against IS -- which has admitted that it "probably" played a role in recent civilian casualties in Mosul -- has said that the militants are surreptitiously forcing civilians into homes and then seeking to encourage air strikes on them.

IS has repeatedly targeted civilians with snipers, bombs and shelling in and around Mosul, and seized them for use as human shields.

The United Nations has said more than 300 civilians have been killed in the fighting during the west Mosul offensive, which began in February.

UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein called on Iraqi and US-led coalition forces "to undertake an urgent review of tactics to ensure that the impact on civilians is reduced to an absolute minimum."

Story continues

Amnesty International said field research in east Mosul -- which was recaptured from IS in January -- showed "an alarming pattern of US-led coalition air strikes which have destroyed whole houses with entire families inside".

"The high civilian toll suggests that coalition forces... have failed to take adequate precautions to prevent civilian deaths, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law," said Amnesty's Donatella Rovera.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces have since recaptured much of the territory that was lost to the jihadists.
ROME (AP)  Switzerland and Italy are in a diplomatic dispute over Switzerland's decision to close three secondary border crossings at night in a bid to fight crime.

Italy's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned the Swiss ambassador for urgent talks, emphasizing that the closings violate Europe's norms on free circulation.

In an email, the press office of the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs said Ambassador Giancarlo Kessler "took note" of the message from Italian authorities and pledged to keep them informed on the results from what it characterized as an experiment.

Italian mayors in the affected region had protested the closures as penalizing Italians who legitimately cross the border for work or other reasons.

The crossings from the Italian provinces of Como and Varese have an average nightly traffic of 90 vehicles during the week and 110 vehicles on weekends, 20 percent of which are Swiss vehicles, according to Swiss authorities.

Switzerland started closing the three border crossings at night on April 1 as part of a six-month pilot program. The move, approved by the Swiss parliament, follows a brief surge of migration into the Italian-speaking Swiss region of Ticino last summer from Italy, which has seen the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants rescued at sea.

The populist Swiss People's Party, which has the most seats in parliament, has led the push to restrict access both to citizens of European Union countries who want to work in Switzerland and to migrants who have arrived in Europe from Africa and the Middle East.

Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, but adheres to the "Schengen zone" rules that allow for unimpeded cross-border travel and trade on the continent.

Kessler said Switzerland "had informed the Italian authorities on several occasions" about the project, including during a meeting of their two countries' foreign ministers last month, according to the foreign affairs department.
Ivanka Trump says she doesnt understand people who say she is complicit in some of her fathers highly controversial policies because she has not publicly denounced them.

I dont know what it means to be complicit, the first daughter told CBS News Gayle King in an interview that aired Wednesday morning. If being complicit is wanting to be a force for good and to make a positive impact, then Im complicit.

The interview was Ivanka Trumps first since accepting an official unpaid role in the Trump administration. She has largely kept her head low as her fathers critics mock her role in supposedly moderating his more hard-line policies. On Saturday Night Live last month, Scarlett Johansson portrayed Ivanka hawking a perfume called Complicit.

Related: Shes complicit: Ivanka Trump torched by ScarJo on SNL

Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, are among Trumps closest political advisers. She suggested to CBS that she was doing her best from within her fathers inner circle.

I dont know that the critics who may say that of me, if they found themselves in this very unique and unprecedented situation that I am now in, would do any differently than Im doing, she said. I hope to make a positive impact.

The 35-year-old mother of three said those critics should not conflate lack of public denouncement with silence.

I think there are multiple ways to have your voice heard, she said. In some cases, its through protest and its through going on the nightly news and talking about or denouncing every issue on which you disagree with. Other times it is quietly and directly and candidly. So where I disagree with my father, he knows it. And I express myself with total candor.

Were in a very unique time where noise equals, in a lot of peoples perception, advocacy, she continued. And I fundamentally disagree with that. I do think theres a time for public denouncement. I also think theres a time for discussion.

Story continues

And to those who criticize her for not taking to social media on every single issue, like, say, her father, Ivanka Trump said she would ask them if that would render me more effective or less effective with the people ultimately making decisions.

But she did take to Twitter on Wednesday morning to express outrage over the deadly chemical attack in Syria the day before.

Heartbroken and outraged by the images coming out of Syria following the atrocious chemical attack yesterday, Ivanka Trump tweeted.

Heartbroken and outraged by the images coming out of Syria following the atrocious chemical attack yesterday.  Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) April 5, 2017

President Trump condemned the attack in a statement that blamed it in part on former President Barack Obamas weakness and irresolution. But he has yet to tweet about it.

Ivanka Trump said that her father agrees with me on so many issues  and where he doesnt, he knows where I stand.

But she refused to offer an example of something they disagree on.

Its not my administration, she said. I think that for me this isnt about promoting my viewpoints. I wasnt elected by the American people to be president.

I dont think that it will make me a more effective advocate to constantly articulate every issue publicly where I disagree, Ivanka Trump added. And thats OK. That means that Ill take hits from some critics who say that I should take to the street. And then other people will in the long-term respect where I get to. But I think most of the impact I have, over time most people will not actually know about.

Read more from Yahoo News:
RACINE  Two brothers are facing multiple charges, including attempted homicide, in connection with a March 27 robbery of Little Caesars, 4011 Durand Ave.

Victor A. Guajardo, 20, of the 2200 block of Washington Avenue, was charged Tuesday with felony counts of being a party to the crime of armed robbery, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and substantial battery and a misdemeanor count of battery.

Isaac T. Jackson, 23, of the 1800 block of Holmes Avenue, was charged with felony counts of armed robbery by use of a dangerous weapon (as a repeat offender), attempted first-degree intentional homicide, substantial battery by use of a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon, burglary and possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, and a misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass and battery.

Both men are in custody at the Racine County Jail.

The robbery was reported just after 11 a.m. on March 27. According to the suspects criminal complaints:

Clerks at the store said the suspects entered the store wearing all black, masks and gloves. Jackson went behind the counter and ordered one of the employees to open the safe. At that point, a gun was fired.

A male employee later told police that Jackson shoved him to the floor and hit him in the head with the butt of a gun five times as he tried to get the employee to open the safe. The employee was taken to Ascension All Saints Hospital where he needed stitches to his face. He also suffered a broken tooth and a severe bruise to the back of his head.

The other employee, a female, told police that Jackson grabbed her face and told her that he wasnt going to hurt her. At that point, Guajardo entered the store carrying a machete-type tool. The male employee described Guajardos principal role in the incident as being a lookout.

The suspects then ordered the employees to open the restaurants cash registers. Jackson took about $150 and ran out the front door of the business.

The employees ran out the back door, only to again encounter the suspects. Jackson then fired a shot in the direction of the employees and the suspects took off running toward Lathrop Avenue.

Change of clothing

Investigating officers responded to a group home directly behind the restaurant and obtained surveillance video footage that reportedly showed Jackson, without a mask, entering the group home wearing the exact clothing as that shown in video footage obtained at the restaurant.

A resident of the group home told police that Jackson entered his apartment through a window and the resident told Jackson to get out.

Surveillance footage from the group home also shows Jackson entering the laundry room of the group home wearing clothes identical to those observed in the robbery, then leaving the laundry room in different clothes. Located in a garbage can in the laundry room were the clothes that Jackson reportedly wore during the robbery.

Officers later discovered a gun along the fence of the group home that matched the description of one used in the robbery and that was reportedly stolen from Juneau, Wis.

Police said that the suspects were also observed putting on all-black clothing in an older-model blue Ford Ranger pickup. Guajardo is the registered owner of a vehicle matching that description.

A search warrant was executed at Guajardos home and police located a mask and shoes that were observed in the video footage. The shoes had a distinct bottom pattern that matched a footprint found at the crime scene. He also was found with safety glasses that a suspect was reported to be wearing at the time of the robbery.

In a search of Jacksons residence, police reported finding 31.4 grams of a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine.

Both men have preliminary hearings scheduled for April 12 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave.
Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner moved to Washington D.C. earlier this year after Ivankas father Donald Trump took office as the president of the United States. A new report Monday revealed the amount paid by the couple in rent every month for their new home.

Kushner, who is a senior adviser to President Trump, lives with his wife and three children  Arabella, Joseph and Theodore  in the posh Kalorama neighborhood of Washington D.C. With Ivanka officially becoming a federal employee after the announcement made by the White house, the area was a good choice for the couple as it is just about two miles from the White House.

Read: Climate Change Protesters Host Dance Party Opposite Ivanka Trump's House

The couple pays $15,000 in monthly rent for their home, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. The amount is about 2.5 percent of the houses value after subtracting about $40,000 in insurance and taxes, which is typically paid by the landlord, the report said.

trump kushner

Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

The house is owned by Chilean billionaire Andronico Luksic, who had an initial investment of $5.5 million in it. The Journal said that it confirmed the monthly rent using documents filed by the landlord at the districts housing department.

While local brokers said the rent was similar for other such properties in the neighborhood, some real estate experts told the Journal that it was a terrible investment for Luksic, who was losing out in the deal.

[Theyre] getting use of a $5.5 million home for far less than it normally costs to have a home of that value, Joshua Adler, who owns multiple properties in the city, including a house in Kalorama, told the publication.

Story continues

Luksics family is considered one of the richest in Chile with approximately $13.6 billion net worth, according to estimates by Forbes. Luksics relative Rodrigo Terre said that Ivanka Trump and Kushner have not met the businessman.

Related Articles
In her first interview since assuming the role of the president's assistant, Ivanka Trump silenced her critics who blame her for not taking a stand on important issues like climate change, planned parenthood and gay rights. The interview on CBS This Morning, which will be aired Wednesday morning, discussed how Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner are called "complicit" as they do not take stand on criticisms of President Donald Trump.

Read: Climate Change Protesters Dance Outside First Daughter's House

I would say not to conflate lack of public denouncement with silence, Ivanka Trump said in an excerpt of the interview. I think there are multiple ways to have your voice heard.

When Ivanka Trump was asked why she and her husband, who is the senior adviser for White House, are complicit with Donald Trump, she said: If being complicit is wanting to, is wanting to be a force for good and to make a positive impact then Im complicit. I dont know that the critics who may say that of me, if they found themselves in this very unique and unprecedented situation that I am now in, would do any differently than I am doing."

She added, So I hope to make a positive impact. I dont know what it means to be complicit, but you know, I hope time will prove that I have done a good job and much more importantly that my fathers administration is the success that I know it will be."

The first daughter also shared how she disagrees with some of the policies of Donald Trump and how she expresses those in private. The comments come amid the controversy that surrounded her role at the White House. Ivanka Trump said that she will work as an unpaid adviser to her father in the White House, alongside Kushner.

In March, "Saturday Night Live" made a parody on the first daughter with a faux advertisement for an Ivanka Trump-branded perfume named "Complicit" with Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson playing the part of Ivanka Trump. The spoof mocked Ivanka Trump's failure to speak up against accusations against her father for sexist behavior.

Story continues

Related Articles
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Kansas' top elections official to produce a plan on homeland security issues that he took to a meeting with President Donald Trump as potential evidence in a voting rights lawsuit.

U.S. Magistrate James O'Hara ruled that the document from Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach could be relevant to a federal lawsuit challenging a 2013 state law requiring new voters to provide proof of their U.S. citizenship when registering. O'Hara also ordered Kobach to produce a second internal office document.

O'Hara directed Kobach to provide the two documents by 5 p.m. Thursday so that the magistrate can examine them in private. O'Hara said he would then decide whether the documents are relevant and, if they are, what information attorneys challenging the state's proof-of-citizenship requirement would see.

Kobach met with Trump in November in New Jersey, and an Associated Press photo of them together showed Kobach holding a stack of papers. The top page outlined a "strategic plan" for homeland security for Trump's first year in office that could include changes in federal voting laws. The second document Kobach must produce is an internal office draft of proposed changes in federal voting laws.

"If he (the magistrate) decides they're relevant, we still may only get access to them under a protective order or something," said Dale Ho, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's voting rights project.

Kobach declined to comment through his spokeswoman.

The Kansas secretary of state is a conservative Republican who has championed both strict voter identification laws and tough policies against illegal immigration. He was an early Kansas supporter of Trump and advised Trump's campaign.

The ACLU is representing the League of Women Voters of Kansas and six prospective voters in the lawsuit, which was filed last year.

It's one of several challenges to the proof-of-citizenship requirement. Federal court orders have narrowed its scope temporarily while the lawsuits proceed, so that new voters who register at state motor vehicle offices or use a federal form do not have to produce a birth certificate, passport or other documents proving U.S. citizenship for now.

Story continues

Kobach touts the proof-of-citizenship requirement as an anti-fraud measure that will prevent noncitizens from voting. A top Trump aide also cited him in December as a source of Trump's unsubstantiated claim that millions of people cast ballots illegally last year.

Critics of the Kansas law contend that voting by noncitizens is not a substantial problem and that the proof-of-citizenship requirement suppresses turnout because some eligible citizens do not have ready access to the proper documents.

Ho said Kobach must show that potential voting by noncitizens is a substantial problem and that measures less restrictive than the proof-of-citizenship law cannot adequately combat such fraud. He said the ACLU's attorneys sought access to the two documents to see whether Kobach has suggested changes in federal law that don't involve a proof-of-citizenship requirement.

___

Follow John Hanna on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apjdhanna .
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) listens to testimony by Rex Tillerson at a Senate confirmation hearing on his nomination for secretary of state in January. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Sen. Tim Kaine, D- Va., rejecting the Trump administrations attempt to blame former President Obama for the continuing carnage in Syria, said it was time for President Trump to take responsibility for American policy in the Mideast.

After a toxic gas attack reportedly left at least 70 people in Syria dead Tuesday, the White House released a statement faulting Obamas inaction in the Middle Eastern country after declaring the use of chemical weapons a red line. In 2013, a joint resolution that would have authorized Obama to take military action in Syria was introduced, but it never received a vote, as the Syrian government quickly accepted a deal negotiated by the United States and Russia to turn over its stockpile of chemical weapons.

During that period, Trump, as a private citizen, was sending out tweets demanding that the United States not get involved in the Syrian war, repeatedly urging Obama to stay out of Syria, do not attack Syria, and one emphatic assertion that Syria is NOT our problem.

That statement of President Trumps is rich, Kaine said on CNNs New Day. Hes president now, hes commander in chief. When something happens and he tries to blame President Obama  give me a break Hes got to put on his big boy pants and own up to the job.

Kaine on Trump blaming Obama for Syria: "He's the President now. He's got to put on his big boy pants and own up" https://t.co/CBgFk99HQi  CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 5, 2017

Kaine, the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2016, said his criticism of the Trump administration wasnt driven by politics. I was as critical of the Obama administration on this as I am critical of the Trump administration, he said.

He called for a budget including a robust provision of aid for Syrian refugees and for prosecuting the Syrian president for his use of chemical weapons.

Why havent we prosecuted Bashar al-Assad for war crimes against his own people? Kaine asked. This has been going on for years. We just celebrated the sixth anniversary of this civil war and the atrocities of Bashar al-Assad, but so far, nobodys been willing to hold him accountable.

In view of the warm relations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and members of the Trump administration, Kaine added: I worry they are trying to be cozy with Russia  so cozy with Russia that they are unwilling to call out Russias henchman, Bashar al-Assad, who is only able to carry out these atrocities because of the support from the Russians and the Iranians.
NAIROBI (Reuters) - A Kenyan herder pleaded not guilty on Tuesday after being charged with the murder of a British man in the east African country's northern region last month. Tristan Voorspuy, a British military veteran who ran a safari company in Kenya, was shot dead at a private ranch in the drought-stricken Laikipia region. He had gone to the ranch to inspect the remains of a friend's home that had been burnt down by herders days earlier. There have been numerous attacks in Laikipia in recent months as armed cattle herders searching for scarce grazing have driven tens of thousands of cattle onto private farms and ranches. At least a dozen people have been killed. "I have not killed anyone" said Samson Lokayi after a murder charge was read to him and translated in local Swahili language at a high court in Nanyuki town in northern Kenya. Lokayi applied for bail but the judge, Mary Kasanga, ordered that he remain in jail pending determination of his application. (Reporting by Noor Ali; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Catherine Evans)
U.S. President Donald Trump met Jordanian King Abdullah at the White House Wednesday.

The meeting was hotly anticipated, and not without reason  a president who ran on the idea of keeping Muslims out of the United States and vowed to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem was to receive the king widely seen as the key moderating force in the Middle East.

Wedged between Israel, Iraq, and Syria, Jordan plays an outsized role in the roiling landscape of Middle East politics. Its widely seen as a moderating, dependable Western ally and key go-between for Washington and the Arab world.

Jordan is not just an island of stability, but an island of reliability, said Ilan Goldenberg, Middle East expert at Washington-based think tank Center for a New American Security. Theyre by far our most reliable Arab partner.

Tensions still simmer beneath the surface, primarily over Trumps anti-Muslim rhetoric, controversial policies on Israel, and repeated attempts to ban citizens from Muslim-majority countries from traveling to the United States.

But if anyone can navigate the tightrope of Middle East politics in the Trump era, its Abdullah. Through moderate policies and an unabashedly pro-American orientation, Amman has attained an extremely rare status on Capitol Hill  bipartisan support, wrote former Pentagon official David Schenker, now at the Washington Institute on Near East Policy.

Abdullah can also navigate Washington politics better than any Arab leader, said Goldenberg, a former senior Pentagon and State Department advisor on Middle East policy. Theres a lot riding on this mans shoulders, he added.

The two leaders have a packed meeting agenda. Theyll talk shop on the ongoing fight against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, which Trump and other administration officials say is the administrations top foreign policy priority.

At a joint press briefing, Trump and Abdullah did indeed address Syria. Tuesdays chemical attack, the president said, crossed a lot of lines for him. And though he once again blamed the Obama administration, he acknowledged that it is now his responsibility.

Story continues

What happened yesterday is unacceptable to me, he said, though he stopped short of blaming Russia for backing Assad, as his U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, did earlier Wednesday. Abdullah, for his part, thanked Trump for additional American financial support for the additional refugees Jordan is hosting, and said Tuesdays events are a reminder of the failure of international diplomacy so far to find a solution in Syria.

Abdullah is slated to bring the Arab consensus perspective on the Israel-Palestine issue and will reportedly push for a solid pledge from Trump to revive peace talks. Trump and his controversial hardliner ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, temporarily backed off on their pledge to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem  a move experts say would stoke new tensions in the regions smoldering political tinderbox.

Jordan in the past called the Israel-Palestine conflict the root cause of the regions political turmoil and Abdullah may have played a hand in delaying Trumps promise to move the embassy during his last visit to Washington in January, when he met with Vice President Mike Pence and Trumps son-in-law turned White House advisor Jared Kushner days after Trumps inauguration.

At the press conference, Abdullah reiterated his belief that this is the core conflict in the region. He said he has been encouraged by early signs of the Trump administrations approach to the conflict, and assured his audience that Trump understands the nuances and challenges of the problem.

Abdullah will also likely try to secure a promise from Trump that aid to Jordan wont be on the chopping block in the presidents move to gut the U.S. foreign aid budget. Jordan received an estimated $1.4 billion in U.S. foreign assistance funding in 2016, according to the Congressional Research Service. Experts say the assistance is key to shoring up Jordans stability and political support.

Meanwhile, Queen Rania, who is known for her advocacy work related to education and community empowerment, met with U.S. First Lady Melania Trump for a lunch and a visit to a local elementary school.

Update, Apr. 5 2017, 2:20 pm ET: This piece was updated to include remarks made at the joint press conference.

Photo credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images
SEOSAN, South Korea (AP)  Chung Young-chul takes a drag on his cigarette and watches as wild ducks fly across rice fields and land on a reservoir in this remote farming village. He's among nearly 2,000 people  ex-gangsters, ex-convicts, former prostitutes, orphans  who were once held here, forced to work without pay for years and are now largely forgotten.

"Some died after they were beaten and got sick. Others died of malnutrition or in accidents," said Chung, 74. "It was worse than a prison camp ... We were starving slaves."

They were victims of social engineering orchestrated in the 1960s by dictator Park Chung-hee, late father of just-ousted President Park Geun-hye. His 18-year rule was marked by both a dramatic economic rise and enormous human rights abuses.

He cleared city streets of so-called vagrants and put them to work on land and road projects as free labor to help rebuild the country after the 1950-53 Korean War. The victims say they've never received a proper investigation or compensation.

___

In Chung's village in Seosan city, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Seoul, about 1,770 people were made to work without pay in land reclamation projects. They lived in army-style barracks. Some were ordered to marry female inmates, mostly ex-prostitutes sent from government-run shelters, in two rounds of mass weddings. Ex-workers say local officials told them repeatedly that they would be given some of the land they reclaimed, but that never happened.

Only about a dozen of the workers, mostly in their 70s, still live in this village; the rest left or have died. Those remaining pay rent to authorities to farm rice on the land they reclaimed. After repeated legal defeats, some have accepted a recent government proposal to buy the land at market prices in installments over 20 years, though they know they'll probably die before they complete the payments.

They've always been poor and falling rice prices have made them poorer. Deeply in debt, Chung said he and others are pushing to file joint petitions with as many government offices as possible to appeal for help again.

Story continues

"We have no money to hire lawyers," he said. "We are the only ones abandoned by South Korea's legal system."

Past media reports during Park Chung-hee's rule, which ended with his assassination in 1979, largely portrayed the people here as making a fresh start with government help. The true nature of their story has been shielded from the public; official records are limited and many workers won't talk about what they believe were their dark past.

"Governments in South Korea have been very indifferent to them," said Kim Aram at the Seoul-based Institute for Korean Historical Studies, one of the few experts on the issue. "Now, it's important to let the people know about the truth of this story because it's completely unknown to them."

___

Chung was left alone at an early age. A North Korean bomb killed his mother in the Korean War, and he was separated from the rest of his family when he fell off the roof of a train carrying refugees.

He worked as a shoeshine boy with other orphans in the southeastern port city of Busan, then became a member of the "Apache" gang, collecting protection money from bars and teahouses.

"We felt strange when we spent a day without fighting" other gangsters, he said.

Chung's life changed after Park seized power in a 1961 coup and attempted to "purify" society by rounding up people deemed vagrants and putting them to work.

In 1962, Chung said marines carrying rifles smashed down his shack door and took him to a rehabilitation center where hundreds were detained. They were told they were now members of the Republic of Korea Juvenile Pioneering Group.

Chung was sent to a land reclamation site in southern South Korea. About six months later, he volunteered to move to Seosan because he hoped he'd have a better chance to escape. But that was virtually impossible. His supervisors, senior inmates working under a civilian leader, stood guard every 30-50 meters (100-160 feet) and watched inmates even when they went to the toilet.

Each day they used shovels, pickaxes, carts and their bare hands to cultivate reclaimed land. They built waterways and a reservoir.

Most meals were only a bowl of rice and a thin soup made of dried Chinese cabbage leaves. They caught and ate frogs, snakes and rats. At night, they were often ordered to recite Park's lengthy "revolution promises." Those who stammered were beaten.

Chung likened his experience to the horrible accounts by escapees from North Korea's notorious political prison camps. "Some don't believe what they've testified but we trust their testimonies by 100 percent because that's what we had endured, too," he said.

Some of the South Korean inmates died, through illness, beatings or accidents, but there is no official data on fatalities. Local officials reached by The Associated Press said they have no information on the operations, and many of them acknowledged they have never heard about the ROK Juvenile Pioneering Group. But a handful of experts like Kim Aram and local villager Kim Tae-young, who works with remaining inmates on land disputes, said the suffering was tense.

By the time the pioneering group was dissolved  which came as Park's government shifted to export-driven industrialization  control had loosened and many inmates had already left.

__

Ex-inmates said they had cultivated about 357 hectares (882 acres), but that it was too salty and uneven. Seosan officials "tentatively" distributed the land to the roughly 300 remaining inmates and other poor people in the village between 1968 and 1971, according to farmers and villagers in Seosan.

Some simply sold their parcels  for as little as a sack of potatoes, Chung says  but others cultivated the land. By the time ex-inmates began harvesting rice, the government imposed rent for using state-owned property, Chung and other villagers said. They staged a legal fight, but a local district court ruled against them in 2000 in a verdict upheld by higher-level courts.

In 2011, the state-run Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission recommended that the government lower the prices of the land to reflect ex-inmate's previous labor but a ministry in charge of government-owned land used the market rates.

There are 278 families who farm the reclaimed land in Seosan, including about a dozen ex-inmates, including Chung and Sung Jae-yong.

"It's really shameful ... but I'm paying the installments with the help of my children," said Sung, who lowered his head and wept. "I've been enduring it until now because I wanted my hard work to pay off. But things have become terrible."

Chung called Park Chung-hee a "gangster" who ruined his life.

"He captured us and put us here. So he should have taken responsibility for our lives to the end," he said, tears rolling down his cheeks.

___

Follow Hyung-jin Kim on Twitter at twitter.com/hyungjin1972
Kuwait City (AFP) - Kuwait said on Wednesday it has signed a new a multi-billion-dollar deal to supply Egypt with crude oil and petroleum products for the next three years.

Under the deal, Kuwait will supply Egypt with two million barrels of crude per month and 1.5 million tonnes of petroleum products annually over three years, state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corp. said in a statement.

It said the deal is worth over $4 billion (3.75 billion euros) based on current market prices.

The previous three-year deal, signed after Egypt's military removed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, expired in December.

Kuwait was among the Gulf countries that offered Egypt several billion dollars of aid following Morsi's ouster in July 2013.
L.A. Freeway Jumper Critically Injured

The Los Angeles Times reports that Kyle Katsandris, 24, who jumped a motocross bike across a freeway last month was injured Sunday while trying to leap a set of railroad tracks. The rider overshot the landing and was taken to a hospital in critical but stable condition.

The stunt was extremely dangerous and illegal, said police Cmdr. Robert Arabian.

Last month, Katsandris posted video of his Riverside freeway jump on his Instagram account, which has attracted 180,000 viewers, among them the California Highway Patrol and Riverside County Sheriffs Department who were not amused. CHP Sgt.Randy Costelow said that in the future, If anyone is caught doing it, they will be prosecuted.

Caltrans subsequently blocked access to the dirt ramp Katsandris had used to jump the freeway.

For the more recent incident, officials reported Katsandris had been trespassing on railroad easements and also violated the Simi Valley municipal code for off-road driving.

Sometimes these violators try to jump over a moving train, which is extremely dangerous, Arabian said. We don't know if that was their intent on this occasion. Obviously, a train versus a motorcyclist would result in serious injury or death to the rider.

Authorities have yet to decide if charges will be filed on the railroad incident. Katsandris had reportedly sought advice from Colin "Scummy" Morrison, who had done the stunt years earlier.

The YouTube video above shows Morrison leaping over a moving a train and landing safely. It appears the jump covers 160 to 180 feet. In a television interview, Morrison said: Pretty much, if anything goes wrong, the consequences are really big.

Morrison said he respected Katsandris for trying the jump, and wished him a quick recovery. The Times quoted Kenny Dawkins, a friend of Katsandris, who said the media has made the motocross rider appear as though he was some kind of irresponsible outlaw who is risking the lives of others while attempting his jumps."

"Truth is, the only person who's life is at risk is Kats himself," Dawkins sid.
RACINE  Charges were filed on Wednesday against the alleged trigger man in last years shooting of Super Steaks and Lemonade delivery driver James Norris.

Norris, 37, was shot and killed on the night of March 25, 2016, after making a delivery of food at an apartment in the 3900 block of Green Street on the citys north side.

Alex Adams, 28, of the same block of Green Street, is charged with felony first-degree intentional homicide and armed robbery in connection to the incident.

The arrest was welcome news for Stacy Blevins, who has four children with Norris.

Finally some justice for my kids dad and my husband, Belvins said.

According to the criminal complaint:

At about 11:33 p.m. that night, police were dispatched to the 3900 block of Green Street regarding a shots-fired call. Norris had just made a delivery and was on his way back to his vehicle when he was shot three times. No shell casings were reportedly found on scene, suggesting that the weapon used was a revolver, the complaint stated.

According to police, a witness stated that Adams was observed arriving at his nearby apartment before police arrived at the shooting scene and was breathing hard from running. The witness also stated that he saw Adams carrying something with a brown wooden handle, potentially a .38 revolver that he was reportedly known to carry, and that Adams had asked the witness to commit robberies with him in the past.

Two days after the homicide, a witness reportedly received a gun and a bag of ammunition from Adams, asking him to just hold this. The witness allegedly told police that Adams stated I had to shoot him, referring to Norris, and that Adams was only trying to rob the driver. It wasnt suppose to go down like that, Adams allegedly said.

Police probe

Adams had been taken into custody due to an unrelated warrant, and police were monitoring his jail calls. At approximately 10:47 p.m. Monday, Adams reportedly told the witness he gave the gun to to get rid of it and the ammunition because people are going to come to your door looking for it.

Police allegedly found the recovered gun and ammunition in a Walmart bag and reviewed security footage from Walmart, 3049 S. Oakes Road, Mount Pleasant, for the last ammunition sale for the type of ammunition in the bag. Footage reportedly shows Adams making the purchase, according to police.

The state crime lab determined that the three jacketed hollow-point bullets that killed Norris were fired from the same gun recovered from the witness.

Racine Police Chief Art Howell said Wednesday that hes grateful for the community support his department received during the investigation.

Todays arrest comes after a great deal of investigative work performed by many within the department, he said. From critical information obtained during the initial stage of this investigation, to the assessment of forensic evidence, todays arrest was achieved through the concentrated effort of many.

Community reaction

Although its been more than a year, the crime still haunts residents of the apartment complex on Green Street where it happened.

Jodie Janowitz remembers the grim scene, and the makeshift memorial and the grieving family in the days that followed.

I remember the whole thing like it was yesterday. I planned on moving, Janowitz said.

She was thankful the charges were finally announced against Adams.

A detective told me a year ago they had a guy, Janowitz said. Its good that justice is served. Most definitely. They need to serve justice on a lot more on these people.

Norris co-worker Jamin Nunn, a cook at Super Steaks and Lemonade, 1601 Taylor Ave., said Norris absence and how he died shook him up.

I didnt think it could happen. He wasnt in any trouble. He had no problems with anybody, Nunn said. I think about him all the time. He was one of our best drivers. He was so happy. He was a good guy, and he loved his family.

The crime forced Nunn and his other co-workers to change how they conducted business. We take more precautions when were taking orders, he said.

Adams has been in jail three times before and has a record of theft and drug convictions dating back to 2006. If convicted on his most serious charge, Adams could see life in prison.

His next appearance is a preliminary hearing scheduled for 8:30 a.m. April 12 at the Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave.
BEIRUT (AP)  The Latest on the suspected chemical attack in Syria (all times local):

5:20 p.m.

A top Syrian rebel representative says he holds U.N. mediator Staffan De Mistura "personally responsible" for the suspected chemical weapons attack that killed more than 70 people in northern Syria one day ago.

Mohammad Alloush, the rebels' chief negotiator at U.N.-mediated talks with the Syrian government, said the U.N.'s Special Envoy for Syria's must begin labeling the Syrian government as responsible for killing civilians. He said U.N.'s silence "legitimizes" the strategy.

"The true solution for Syria is to put (Syrian President) Bashar Assad the chemical weapons user in court, and not at the negotiations table," said Alloush, who is an official in the Islam Army faction among the Syrian rebels.

Syria's rebels, and the Islam Army in particular, are also accused of killing civilians in Syria, but rights watchdogs attribute the overwhelming portion of civilian causalities over the course of the six-year-war to the actions of government forces and their allies.

___

5:10 p.m.

A proposed U.N. Security Council resolution would condemn the use of chemical weapons in Syria and stress the government's obligation to provide information about air operations on Tuesday when a suspected chemical attack killed dozens of people.

The resolution drafted by Britain, France and the United States would also stress Syria's requirement to give investigators the names of those in command of any helicopter squadrons on April 4.

And it calls for immediate access for investigators to air bases where attacks involving chemical weapons may have been launched.

Sponsors were hoping for a vote as early as Wednesday afternoon on the draft resolution.

The Security Council was holding an emergency meeting on the suspected attack in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province, one of the deadliest in the six-year civil war.

Story continues

___

5 p.m.

The Russian Foreign Ministry says it opposes a Western draft U.N. resolution condemning a chemical attack in Syria.

The ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said Wednesday the draft blames the Syrian government for Tuesday's attack without any credible investigation.

Zakharova said that video and photo evidence of the attack presented by volunteer first responders could have been fabricated. She blamed the West for staging a "political show" and called for an international probe.

Tuesday's attack on Khan Sheikhoun has killed 72, causing an international outcry. Washington has put the blame on the Syrian government, saying that President Bashar Assad's patrons, Russia and Iran, bore "great moral responsibility" for it.

The Russian military said the chemicals were released after Syrian warplanes bombed a facility where rebels were making their own chemical weapons.

___

4:15 p.m.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says Britain and the United States were wrong when they failed to act against Syrian President Bashar Assad in 2013 after he crossed their "red line" and used chemical weapons.

Speaking at a donor conference for Syria a day after a new suspected chemical attack killed dozens of people, Johnson said "we are living today with the consequences, and I'm afraid the people of Syria are living today with the consequences, of that decision."

He said that with an estimated 400,000 people killed in Syria's six-year conflict, Assad has to go.

Johnson said Assad "is responsible for the vast majority of that butcher's bill, and you have to go back a long way in history to find a tyrant who has stayed in office in such circumstances."

___

4 p.m.

Russia says it will submit information from its Defense Ministry to a U.N. Security Council session called to discuss a suspected chemical attack in Syria that killed dozens of people.

Western countries say evidence indicates that Syrian pro-government forces were behind Tuesday's attack on the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun. Russia is a close ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad and is waging an air campaign on his behalf.

The Russian military has said the chemicals were released after Syrian warplanes bombed a facility where rebels were making their own chemical weapons.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, said that at the U.N. meeting Russia "will at least cite in a well-argued manner those data that were mentioned by our Defense Ministry."

___

3 p.m.

French president Francois Hollande is condemning what he calls a "war crime" after a suspected chemical attack in Syria.

Government spokesman Stephane Le Foll reported Hollande's comments Wednesday during a weekly Cabinet meeting.

Hollande recalled that France had pushed for an international military campaign against Syrian President Bashar Assad over his use of chemical weapons in 2013.

"France has not changed its position on this issue", he said according to Le Foll.

France has supported Syrian rebels against Assad for years.

___

2:40 p.m.

Turkish officials have raised the number of Syrians being treated in Turkey after a suspected chemical attack to 58.

A statement from the governor's office for the border province of Hatay says Wednesday the victims are being treated in several state and private hospitals in the towns of Antakya, Reyhanli and Iskenderun.

The statement did not provide any detail on their conditions.

Earlier, Turkey's health minister said about 30 people had been brought to Turkey and that the initial findings and symptoms pointed to a chemical attack.

He said Turkey was sharing its findings with the World Health Organization.

___

2:10 p.m.

The EU Council president has condemned a suspected chemical attack that killed dozens of people in an opposition-held town in northern Syria.

Donald Tusk says Tuesday's attack in Khan Sheikhoun is "another reminder of the brutality" of Syria's regime and the perpetrators must be held accountable.

Tusk said Wednesday that the Syrian regime bears "the primary responsibility for the atrocities," but also blamed supporters of President Bashar Assad's government who he said share the "moral and political responsibility."

Assad's government has denied involvement in the attack, saying it does not possess chemical weapons, and laid the blame on rebel forces.

Tusk spoke in Athens, following talks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

___

1:45 p.m.

A pair of Israeli lawmakers is urging parliaments around the world to hold "emergency" discussions on the suspected chemical attack in Syria.

Erel Margalit and Nachman Shai, both members of the opposition Zionist Union, sent their request to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of national parliaments around the world.

In Tuesday's letter, they urged fellow parliamentarians to condemn the alleged attack, which they said is "taking humanity 70 years backwards."

"The day when mass extermination measures are taken against people is the day when we as members of parliaments should stand fierce in the fire front and stop the horror," they wrote.

Israel has largely stayed out of the fighting in neighboring Syria, though it has carried out airstrikes on suspected arms shipments to Syrian ally Hezbollah.

___

12:20 p.m.

Pope Francis has called a suspected chemical weapons attack that killed dozens, including many children, in Syria "an unacceptable massacre."

The pope said Wednesday during his general audience that he was "watching with horror at the latest events in Syria," and said he "strongly deplored the unacceptable massacre."

He called on the "conscious of those with political responsibility both locally and internationally to cease this tragedy and bring relief to that dear population that for too long has been exhausted by war."

He also encouraged those bringing aid to the stricken population "even amid insecurity and discomfort."

___

12 p.m.

NATO's chief is condemning the chemical attack in northern Syria and calling for those responsible to be held to account.

Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement Wednesday that "this is the third report of the use of these barbaric weapons in the last month alone."

He recalled that the use of chemical weapons is prohibited and that "this international norm must be fully respected and upheld."

He said Syria "is responsible to ensure its full compliance with these obligations."

___

11:40 p.m.

Turkey's health minister says some 30 Syrians have been brought to the Turkish city of Gaziantep, bordering Syria, for treatment following a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria.

Recep Akdag said Wednesday that initial symptoms and findings confirm that the wounded were the victims of a chemical attack. His comments were reported by the Haber Turk news channel.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said that at least 72 people died, including 11 children, in Tuesday's attack in a rebel-held town in northern Syria.

___

11:30 p.m.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri says people should not be shocked by the chemical attack that killed dozens in Syria because the international community is allowing such acts to happen.

Hariri said Wednesday that "the world should not be shocked because it's letting such a regime do what it is doing. What should shock us is the increase of children dying and that the whole world is watching."

He told reporters at a Syria donor conference in Belgium that "everyone is coming to Brussels to make a statement and the regime made its statement in Syria."

Hariri also said that Lebanon has been overwhelmed by the arrival of some 1.5 million Syrian refugees and "cannot sustain this issue anymore. The international community has to do something."

___

11:20

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has called on Russia to endorse a planned United Nations Security Council resolution condemning a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria.

Gabriel said Wednesday in Brussels before the opening of the international conference on the Syria conflict that, "We appeal to Russia to approve this resolution, to investigate this case and to bring to justice those who are responsible."

The U.N. Security Council is to convene for an emergency meeting over a suspected deadly chemical attack in a town in northern Syria earlier this week, where at least 72 people were reported killed, including 11 children.

Nearly 400,000 people have been killed and half of Syria's population has been displaced by the six-year conflict.

___

11:10 a.m.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria the day before is a "moment of truth" that must be investigated.

Hs remarks came as a Syrian monitoring group said the death toll from the attack on a northern town the previous day has increased to 72 and activists reported renewed airstrikes on the same town.

Guterres told reporters at a Syria donor conference in Brussels on Wednesday that he hopes "this moment will be able to mobilize the capacity of all those that have responsibilities in this situation."

He says "the horrific events of yesterday demonstrate that unfortunately war crimes are going on in Syria, that international humanitarian law remains being violated frequently."

He added he is "confident that the Security Council will live up to its responsibilities," with major powers set to convene there later in the day.

___

9:50 a.m.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says that "all the evidence" he had seen so far in the latest chemical weapons attack in Syria "suggests this was the Assad regime who did it in the full knowledge that they were using illegal weapons in a barbaric attack on their own people."

Johnson also says that he does "not see how a government like that can continue to have any kind of legitimate administration over the people of Syria."

He added that he "would like to see those culpable pay a price for this."

Johnson spoke on Wednesday at the start of a Brussels pledging conference for Syria, where the United Nations, EU and world financial institutions have begun technical work to figure out what will be needed to rebuild war-ravaged Syria.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said that at least 58 people died, including 11 children, in Tuesday's chemical weapons attack in a rebel-held town in northern Syria.

___

8:10 a.m.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says his government condemns in the strongest possible terms the chemical weapons attack against civilians, including children, at Khan Sheikhoun.

He said in a statement Wednesday that the use of chemical weapons is "illegal and abhorrent."

He said, "While the full facts are still to be determined, if the Assad regime is responsible for this attack those who approved and deployed these weapons must be held accountable."

___

4 a.m.

The Russian Defense Ministry says a rebel-held town in northern Syria has been exposed to toxic agents from a rebel arsenal hit by a Syrian air strike.

The ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, said in a statement early Wednesday that the Russian military assets registered a Syrian air force strike Tuesday on weapons depots and ammunition factory on the eastern outskirts of the town of Khan Sheikhoun.

Konashenkov said chemical weapons produced by the factory were used in Iraq.

He added that the same type of chemical weapons had been previously used by the rebels in Aleppo, where they had caused symptoms similar to those seen in images from Khan Sheikhoun.

Konashenkov said that Russia had provided relevant ground samples from Aleppo to the international chemical weapons watchdog.

The Russian statement follows an international outcry over what was described as a chemical weapons attack on Khan Sheikhoun. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 58 people died, including 11 children.

Both Russia and Syria both have denied launching the chemical attack.
FERGUSON, Mo. (AP)  The Latest on Ferguson, Missouri, municipal elections (all times local):

9:50 p.m.

Ferguson, Missouri, will have strict new requirements for use of police body cameras following voter approval of a ballot initiative.

On Tuesday, voters in the town that became a flashpoint of racial unrest following the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown overwhelmingly approved the body camera measure. It will require officers to have cameras on at virtually all times, require the city to maintain body camera video for at least two years, and make footage from public places widely available.

Ferguson officers have used body cameras since a few weeks after Brown, who was 18, black and unarmed, was killed by a white police officer in 2014. But critics say officers don't always have them on and cite other problems with the current policy.

___

10:30 a.m.

The person who's been the public face of Ferguson, Missouri, since the St. Louis suburb was thrust into the spotlight following the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown faces a challenge in his bid for re-election.

Two-term Mayor James Knowles III is opposed by Councilwoman Ella Jones in Tuesday's election. Jones would be Ferguson's first black mayor.

Brown was killed by officer Darren Wilson in August 2014. The shooting of the unarmed, black 18-year-old by the white officer led to months of sometimes violent protests. Wilson was cleared of wrongdoing. He resigned in November 2014.

The investigation led to a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit over racially biased police and court practices. A settlement calls for significant changes.

Ferguson voters also will decide on strict new rules for police body cameras.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  The Latest on North Korea firing a missile from its east coast (all times local):

___

10:20 a.m.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says "the United States has spoken enough about North Korea" in reaction to North Korea's latest missile launch.

The State Department issued a terse statement from America's top diplomat acknowledging "yet another" launch and saying "We have no further comment."

U.S. and South Korean officials said earlier that North Korea fired a ballistic missile into its eastern waters Wednesday.

The launch came amid worries that the North might conduct banned nuclear or rocket tests ahead of the first summit between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week.

___

10:00 a.m.

Japan has lodged a protest following a reported North Korea ballistic missile launch.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga called it "a clear violation of the U.N. security council resolution." He told reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday that "Japan cannot tolerate North Korea's repeated provocative actions."

The launch came amid worries that North Korea might soon conduct banned nuclear or long-range rocket tests.

___

8:50 a.m.

The U.S. Pacific Command says North Korea fired a medium-range ballistic missile at 6:42 a.m. Wednesday Seoul time from a spot on its east coast near the city of Sinpo.

The command says it tracked the missile until it landed at 6:51 a.m. in the Sea of Japan.

The command says it believes the missile was a KN-15 medium range ballistic missile.

In a statement, the agency said: "U.S. Pacific Command is fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America."

___

8:05 a.m.

South Korea says North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff says in a statement that the missile fired from the North's eastern coastal town of Sinpo on Wednesday morning flew about 60 kilometers (37 miles.) It gave no further details.

Story continues

The firing was made as South Korean and U.S. troops were conducting annual military drills that the North views as an invasion rehearsal.

North Korea often responds to the drills with its own military training and harsh rhetoric.

Two weeks ago, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said they detected what they called a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch.
MILFORD, Pa. (AP)  The Latest on the trial of an anti-government survivalist who's accused of killing a state trooper in an ambush (all times local):

11:05 a.m.

Pennsylvania state police troopers are describing for a jury how they responded to a deadly 2014 ambush at their barracks.

Eric Frein (freen) is charged with opening fire at the Blooming Grove barracks in northeastern Pennsylvania, killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson II and injuring Trooper Alex Douglass.

Two troopers testified Wednesday that they were in the patrol room waiting for their shift to end when they heard the initial gunshot. Within seconds, they knew that Dickson and Douglass had been shot just outside the barracks. The troopers grabbed rifles, then dragged Douglass and Dickson into a secure part of the barracks.

Troopers tried reviving Dickson, but he was declared dead at the scene.

Prosecutors played a radio transmission in which Douglass can be heard breathing heavily and asking when an ambulance would arrive. He was eventually rushed to the hospital and survived.

Frein led authorities on a 48-day manhunt before his capture. He could face a death sentence if convicted.

___

12:22 a.m.

Jurors are set to hear their first full day of testimony Wednesday in the trial of a man charged in a 2014 sniper attack that killed a Pennsylvania State Police trooper and injured a second.

Eric Frein (freen) is accused of opening fire outside the Blooming Grove barracks, killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson II and critically wounding Trooper Alex Douglass. Frein eluded capture for nearly seven weeks.

On Tuesday, a prosecutor used his opening statement to ask jurors to deliver "full justice" to Frein, calling him an assassin who targeted law enforcement in hopes of sparking a revolution. A police dispatcher testified how Dickson mouthed the words "help me" to her after he was shot.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Frein has pleaded not guilty.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  A Kentucky lawyer facing prison time for a scheme to defraud the government of nearly $600 million in federal disability payments took another legal hit Wednesday when a judge ordered him to pay nearly $31.5 million in damages to the government and two whistleblowers.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Amul R. Thapar was the latest fallout for Eric C. Conn, the self-proclaimed "Mr. Social Security" who lived in a palatial home and was a frequent world traveler. Thapar ordered Conn to pay $12 million in damages and $19 million in penalties. The penalties represent the maximum $11,000 assessed for each fraudulent claim identified.

"He doesn't have those kind of assets anymore," said Scott White, one of Conn's attorneys.

Conn pleaded guilty recently to stealing from the Social Security Administration and bribing a federal judge. Prosecutors said Conn raked in millions of dollars by paying a doctor and a judge to rubber-stamp false disability claims using phony medical evidence.

As part of that plea deal, Conn is to pay $5.7 million to the government, reflecting the amount of fraudulent fees he received, and reimburse to Social Security $46 million it paid in disability claims based on fraudulent information Conn used.

"Eric Conn isn't going to walk away with a dime," White said in a phone interview. "If the goal was to ... render him penniless, that goal has been achieved."

Conn's legal team is weighing whether to appeal Thapar's order, White said.

In line for the damages and penalties awarded by Thapar are the federal government and former Social Security Administration employees Jennifer Griffith and Sarah Carver, who tried to expose the scheme.

Ben Vernia, an attorney for Griffith and Carver, said they will seek 25 percent of whatever amount is recovered when negotiating with the government on how to dole out the money.

"I don't think Jennifer and Sarah take any pleasure in the fact that they had to spend as much time as they did pursuing this lawsuit," said Mark Wohlander, another attorney for the two. "This case never had to happen. If the Social Security Administration had listened to Jennifer and Sarah in 2006, we wouldn't be here today."

Story continues

Thapar's ruling was first reported by the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Conn, in his 50s, opened his law practice in a trailer in 1993 in Stanville, Kentucky, building it into one of the nation's most lucrative disability firms. He became a local celebrity for his over-the-top advertising campaigns. He dispatched crews of "Conn Hotties" to events and had a 19-foot replica of the Lincoln Memorial erected in the parking lot of his office.

According to his plea, Conn participated in a more than decade-long scheme involving the submission of thousands of falsified medical documents to the Social Security Administration. Those fraudulent submissions resulted in payment of more than $550 million in benefits, it said.

Conn admitted to paying the judge about $10,000 a month over more than six years to award disability benefits in more than 1,700 cases, according to court records. Those payments were based on falsified medical documents, the documents said.
Lifestyle media maven Martha Stewart has turned her attention to wine, with the official launch of a wine delivery business, aptly dubbed Martha Stewart Wine Co.

The direct-to-consumer offering will allow fans and wine lovers alike to choose from a collection of labels tasted and selected by Stewart and a panel of wine experts - including Chris Hoel, the former sommelier of The French Laundry - from the world's great wine regions, such as Bordeaux, Tuscany, and coastal California.

A special assortment of "Martha's Favorites" that the domestic doyen reaches for first when entertaining family and friends will also be available for purchase, with wine suggestions also paired with recipe ideas and advice for the budding oenophile.

In addition to being able to order one-off bottles, Martha Stewart Wine Co. wil also offer a curated monthly membership program.

The wine company is a partnership between Sequential Brands Group, which acquired the Martha Stewart brand in 2015, and Drinks, an e-commerce wine company (via WWD).
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Part of President Donald Trump's proposed deep budget cuts in foreign aid could be significant reductions in U.N. peacekeeping missions in some of the world's most dangerous places. On Thursday, the U.N. Security Council meets on the issue at the United States' request. Here's a look at some of the 16 current peacekeeping missions around the world, including the largest and the most likely to be squeezed:

___

CONGO

The U.N.'s largest peacekeeping mission, with more than 18,000 troops and police and more than 3,300 civilian staffers. It is also the most expensive, with a current budget of $1.2 billion. The mission, in Congo since 2010, is meant to protect civilians from conflict, notably from armed groups that roam the vast eastern region and fight over the country's trillion-dollar mineral wealth. The mission is unique in having a force intervention brigade with a special mandate to take offensive military action against rebel groups. The Security Council last week voted to cut 500 troops after the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has said "we can reduce the troops tremendously." It was the first test of Trump's push to cut funding.

___

SOUTH SUDAN

The U.N.'s second-largest peacekeeping mission, not counting the joint U.N.-African Union one in Darfur. More than 13,000 troops and police are on the ground along with more than 2,100 civilian staffers. The current budget is $1 billion. The mission, in South Sudan since 2011, is meant to protect civilians caught in the country's civil war under U.N. warnings of ethnic cleansing. The mission is unique in that its bases threw open their doors shortly after the conflict began and have sheltered hundreds of thousands of civilians ever since. "I don't think any single act taken by the U.N. since 1945 has saved more lives," Andrew Gilmour, the U.N.'s assistant secretary-general for human rights, has said. But the mission has been criticized for failing to protect civilians and foreigners, notably after fighting erupted in the capital, Juba, in July.

Story continues

___

DARFUR

The only active U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission, in Sudan's western region since 2007. It has more than 17,200 troops and police and more than 2,800 civilian staffers. Its current budget is $1 billion. The joint mission has been under pressure to withdraw by the government of President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and war crimes in Darfur. The region has been witness to bloodshed since 2003, when rebels took up arms against the government in Khartoum, accusing it of discrimination and neglect.

___

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

One of the largest U.N. peacekeeping missions, with more than 12,000 troops and police and more than 1,000 civilian staffers. Its current budget is $920 million. The mission, in Central African Republic since 2014, aims to protect civilians from unprecedented deadly violence between Christian and Muslim rebels. It came under withering criticism in 2015 after a series of allegations of child sexual abuse by peacekeepers. The scandal led the U.N. to pursue changes in the way it prevents and investigates sexual abuse by peacekeepers and tries to hold troop-contributing countries to account.

___

MALI

The deadliest active U.N. peacekeeping mission, with at least 114 members killed since it began in Mali in 2013. It has more than 12,000 troops and police and more than 1,300 civilian staffers, with a current budget of $933 million. The mission, more than any other in the U.N. system, is focused on counter-terror work and is the frequent target of Islamic extremist groups operating in the vast Sahel region. Under former President Barack Obama, the U.S. military stepped in to help counter improvised explosive devices. Several European countries staff an intelligence cell, the first in U.N. peacekeeping, to analyze input from unarmed drones, sensor-equipped attack helicopters and special forces.

___

HAITI, LIBERIA, IVORY COAST

The U.N. peacekeeping chief has said he expects operations in the three countries to end by March 2018, which will save hundreds of millions of dollars. The Haiti mission has more than 5,900 people on the ground and a budget of $345 million. The Liberia mission has more than 1,700 people on the ground and a budget of $187 million. The Ivory Coast mission has nearly 800 people on the ground and a budget of $153 million.
YORKVILLE  Voters on Tuesday rejected, by 21 votes, a request to increase revenue caps to cover operational costs in the Yorkville Elementary School District in coming years.

With all precincts reporting, unofficial results showed the measure being defeated 270 to 249.

Voters in the Town of Yorkville, which includes the vast majority of the district, rejected the measure 262 to 241.

Raymond voters rejected the measure four votes to three. Dover was the only municipality where the yes votes prevailed, five in favor and four against.

The $490,000 recurring operational referendum would have resulted in a tax rate increase of $1.05 per every $1,000 of property value.

Im disappointed, Superintendent Dave Alexander said Tuesday night. That just means were going to go back to the drawing board and find a solution that does meet the schools needs and is acceptable to our community.

This year, the district is $170,000 in the red, but the district is expected to be insolvent in five years if nothing changes, according to Alexander.

School officials blame a slow recovery from the housing crash during the Great Recession, as well as state officials not allowing an increase to the revenue limit, as contributing factors to the deficit.

Jeff Gruhn, Yorkville School Board president, said he wants to talk to the people who voted no and find out if they have any ideas on how to bridge the operation deficit.

Well continue to look for a solution. This is not something that is going to go away, Gruhn said.

Current student enrollment at the school, 18621 Washington Ave., is 472 in grades 4K through eight, according to district numbers. In 2015-2016, enrollment was 486 students.

The board heard from a consultant who conducted a community survey that showed support for a tax increase ballot question. However, two-thirds of registered voters in the school district decided to stay home this election, and with them votes that could have made a difference.

Was our communication sufficient? We feel like we worked hard to get the word out, Alexander said.

Gruhn said he wouldt talk about specific ideas to keep the district solvent, but in the past officials have talked about staffing cuts that could affect class sizes.

Were focused on what we can control, Gruhn said. Nothing is off the table.

The last time the school district asked voters for added revenue was in 2006, according to Alexander. That year, district voters approved a $5.9 million facilities referendum, part of which was used to pay for eight classrooms and a new cafeteria, kitchen, library and gymnasium.
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia voiced concern on Wednesday that a call by European Union lawmakers for curbs on imports of palm oil could deal a blow to one of the Asian country's biggest exports. In a vote aimed at influencing EU regulators, the European Parliament backed a call for greater vetting of palm and other vegetable oils used in biofuels to prevent the EU's renewable transport targets for post-2020 leading to deforestation. Diplomats from other big exporters of palm oil, including Indonesia, Costa Rica and Ecuador, have also expressed concern. Malaysia's Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Mah Siew Keong said the resolution was unfair as it specifically targeted palm oil. "We are very disappointed. To me, the resolution is biased and damaging to palm oil," Mah told journalists on Wednesday. "I expected it to come because now the whole world is talking about the environment and deforestation, but I still think it is not fair to target only palm oil." The parliament's non-binding motion, backed in a vote by 640 to 18, calls for a single Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) scheme for Europe-bound palm and other vegetable oil exports to ensure they are produced in a environmentally sustainable way. EU lawmakers said the move was a bid for a wider discussion on the issues after environmental groups such as Greenpeace warned of harmful impact on climate mitigation and biodiversity. "We want an open debate," EU lawmaker Katrina Konecna. While the report is not binding, EU lawmakers are now reviewing and proposing amendments to EU draft targets on biofuels, which will then go before the European Commission and member states. The EU is Malaysia's second-largest export market, accounting for 2,059,207 tonnes of palm oil products in 2016, based on Malaysian Palm Oil Board data. Of the amount, 30 percent is used for biodiesel, Mah said. India is currently Malaysia's largest palm oil market, importing 2,825,840 tonnes last year, while China was the third-largest buyer, taking 1,882,183 tonnes in 2016. Mah said he has already written to EU Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella and has also been engaging with European lawmakers on the issue. "We plan to go to European parliament next month to give us a chance to address the lawmakers (on) why we think this resolution is not fair to palm oil," Mah said, adding that they will at the same time engage other major importers such as China to boost their palm oil uptake. (Reporting by Emily Chow and Alissa de Carbonnel in Brussels; Writing by Joseph Sipalan; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and David Evans)
NEWVILLE, Pa. (AP)  Police in Pennsylvania say they arrested a man wearing a Drunk Lives Matter shirt for drunken driving.

Police say 44-year-old Elwood Gutshall III's blood-alcohol content was about two and a half times the state's legal limit for drivers when he was pulled over early on March 19 in Newville. He was wearing a green St. Patrick's Day shirt with the saying on it.

Online court records don't list an attorney for Gutshall, who faces a preliminary hearing May 26.

Nobody answered the phone at his home Wednesday.
Photo credit: U.S. Marine Corps photo / Lance Cpl. Jonathan Sosner

From Popular Mechanics

The Marine Corps is contemplating taking away carbines from infantrymen and replacing them with a highly accurate German-designed rifle originally meant to give squads accurate suppressive fire. Rather than a specialized weapon, the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR) could soon be issued to all frontline grunts.

The M27 is built by German arms maker Heckler and Koch and is based off their HK416 rifle. The M27 IAR is touted as a more reliable, more accurate platform capable of achieving the same suppressive results as the older M249 squad automatic weapon with fewer bullets. Outwardly similar to the the Marine Corps' M4 carbines and M16A4 rifles, the M27 uses a gas-operated piston system that runs cleaner than the direct impingement systems powering other small arms. The direct impingement system, while reliable, also injects gunpowder residue directly into the weapon's innards. The M27's gas piston system cycles residue outside the rifle, resulting in a weapon that needs less frequent cleaning.

The key to achieving the same suppressive effect with less bullets is increased accuracy. The M27 uses a Trijicon Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG), a 3.5x magnified rifle scope with a Ruggedized Miniature Reflex red dot sight mounted above it. The rifle also utilizes a free float barrel system: as rifle barrels heat up from use, they become more susceptible to deviations from handling objects touching them, such as the handguard. The free float system ensures the barrel is untouched from the upper receiver to the muzzle.

Photo credit: U.S. Marine Corps photo / Lance Cpl. Devan Gowans

The Marines first started using the M27 IAR in 2010, buying 4,000 M27s to replace the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. The M249 uses the same ammo as M4 carbines and M16A4 rifles but has a high rate of automatic fire-up to 800 rounds a minute-to provide suppressive fire during infantry combat. However the M249 is also less accurate, less reliable, and much heavier than other Marine small arms. The M249 is well suited to pouring a wall of lead downrange, which runs counter to the Marines' concept of individual marksmanship. Three M249s were issued to every marine rifle squad of 13 Marines.

Story continues

The Marines are so happy with the M27 that they'd like to put them in the hands of the entire rifle squad, something that would require purchasing an additional 11,000 rifles. Each M27 costs $3,000, plus another $2,000 for the ACOG optic and other accessories, such as bipods and lasers, for a total of $5,000 per weapon. Eleven thousand rifles would cost $55 million dollars. That's not a lot of money considering a single F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, of which the Marines plan to purchase 353, cost approximately $122 million each.

Arguably, the M4 is "good enough" and the Marines' tactical airpower is older and in more dire need of replacement shape than their small arms inventory. After all, the Army likes their M4 carbines just fine. That said, infantry combat is the bread and butter of the Marine Corps. The Marines have a decision to make, and it won't be an easy one.

You Might Also Like
PARIS (Reuters) - Medical charity Medicins Sans Frontieres said on Wednesday eight people it treated following a suspected chemical attack in northern Syria had symptoms consistent with nerve agents like Sarin. "Among the victims of the attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun who were transferred to the Bab al-Hawa hospital ... near the Turkish border, MSF saw eight patients with symptoms - dilated pupils, muscle spasms, involuntary defecation - consistent with exposure to neuro-toxic agents such as Sarin," the group said in a statement. MSF, which has teams at the hospital, said it had provided antidotes and protective equipment for personnel on site. "The MSF team also accessed other hospitals treating victims and noted a strong smell of chlorine, suggesting they had been exposed to this toxic agent," MSF said. (This version was refiled to correct spelling to "defecation" in quote) (Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Leigh Thomas)
WASHINGTON (AP)  Melania Trump on Wednesday highlighted her interest in empowering women and girls along with the administration's focus on school choice by touring a girls-only charter school with Queen Rania of Jordan and the U.S. education secretary.

The queen was in Washington with her husband, King Abdullah II, who met with President Donald Trump at the White House.

Trump and his education secretary, Betsy DeVos, are big proponents of giving parents with children in the public school system the option of sending them to charter, private or other schools. Critics say allowing choice would drain public schools of much-needed resources. Charter schools, like the one that received the first lady, the queen and the secretary, receive public funding but are independently operated.

"As an all-girls school, you all represent what we work so hard to build for our girls," Deborah Lockhart, the chief executive officer of Excel Academy Public Charter School, said as her visitors settled in for a discussion with the principal, three students, a parent, a science teacher and an art teacher.

The queen did most of the talking during the portion of the conversation that was open to the news media, questioning Lockhart about the curriculum. The queen is known for her work as an advocate for education and youth and community empowerment. Mrs. Trump said during the presidential campaign that as first lady she would focus on youth cyberbullying. She also has shown an interest in women's and children's issues.

After the round-table, Mrs. Trump, the queen and DeVos visited an art class followed by a science class where the gloved and goggled students had what seemed like a challenging assignment: to learn as much as possible about the diet of an owl by dissecting a pellet it had regurgitated.

"Wow," the first lady said after the teacher, Gregory Dwyre, answered one of her questions.

The first lady said later in a written statement that education helps "shine a light" on gender equality and empowerment of women. She said Excel Academy is an "exceptional example" of a school that's preparing young women to "succeed in a global community."

Story continues

"Hearing directly from teachers and the students who attend the school was an important step in the dialogue needed to further my agenda as first lady of the United States," Mrs. Trump said.

The school visit was Mrs. Trump's first foray into a real neighborhood of the city that she says will become her adopted hometown. The school, which has nearly 700 students in grades pre-K through eighth, opened in August 2008 in an economically depressed area of the city, east of the Anacostia River.

Mrs. Trump so far has kept Washington at arm's length. She continues to live at the family's Trump Tower penthouse in midtown Manhattan with the couple's son, Barron, 11, but she has started visiting the White House with increasing frequency in recent weeks.

She made a couple of public appearances in town last week, including at the State Department and at a White House reception for U.S. senators.

On Thursday, she'll travel to Florida with the president for meetings Trump has scheduled at his Palm Beach estate with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The first lady often joins the president for weekend getaways at the estate.

Trump has said his wife and son will move to the White House after Barron's school year ends.

___

Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., took to the Senate floor a few minutes before 7 p.m. Tuesday night to protest President Trumps nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court, vowing to speak as long as Im able.

He did so for more than 15 hours, yielding the floor shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Merkley mounted his demonstration in response to Republicans who refused to consider former President Barack Obamas Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, following the February 2016 death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

The majority team in this chamber decided to steal a Supreme Court seat, he said. Such a theft has never, ever happened in the history of our nation.

Republicans argued that neither party should fill a Supreme Court vacancy that opened up during an election year.

It was a warfare tactic of partisanship, Merkley said. It was an end justifies the means, even if the means violates the core premise of the Constitution.

Merkley speaks to reporters after delivering a 15-hour speech opposing Judge Neil Gorsuch on the Senate floor. (Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters)

In January, after Trump announced Gorsuch as his Supreme Court nominee, Merkley released a scathing statement promising to do everything in my power to stand up against this assault on the Court.

This is a stolen seat being filled by an illegitimate and extreme nominee, Merkleys statement said. This is the first time in American history that one party has blockaded a nominee for almost a year in order to deliver a seat to a president of their own party. If this tactic is rewarded rather than resisted, it will set a dangerous new precedent in American governance.

On the Senate floor, Merkley highlighted several issues Democrats have raised about Gorsuch, including the Colorado jurists history of siding with corporations and his extreme, far-right, anti-women, anti-worker record.

Merkley also argued that until the investigation into the Trump campaigns possible ties to Russia is complete, a vote on Gorsuch is premature.

The Oregon senator even said Trump should withdraw the Gorsuch nomination and renominate Garland.

Story continues

Merkleys staff streamed live video of his speech on Facebook as fellow Democrats praised his endurance.

Thank you, @SenJeffMerkley, for raising your voice & calling out Judge Gorsuchs troubling record https://t.co/jkJKiVIZ7Z  Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) April 5, 2017

Im here on the floor at 4:20 in the morning, because so much is at stake, Merkley said.

Merkley ended his lengthy floor speech at 15 hours, 28 minutes  making it the 8th longest since 1900. https://t.co/DBc8Fwa8pG pic.twitter.com/uKRAueiK7E  Roll Call (@rollcall) April 5, 2017

After finishing, Merkley thanked those who had to stay up all night with him.

Thank you for your support as I held the floor for the past 15.5 hours. I won't stop fighting for our #WeThePeople democracy. #StopGorsuch  Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) April 5, 2017

I stayed up all night to #HoldTheFloorso they had to stay up too, but without the C-SPAN coverage! Thank you for all you do.  Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) April 5, 2017

Delivering coffee and bagels to those who made #HoldTheFloor possible last night: Senate floor staff. pic.twitter.com/86BZ0wAiwv  Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) April 5, 2017

Merkleys speech, though, did not delay Wednesdays scheduled debate on Gorsuch or the votes expected Thursday and Friday.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he is willing to use the so-called nuclear option to sidestep a threatened Democratic filibuster.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Who would have guessed we'd one day reach a point in life where everyone's favorite slinger of shade would be...a dictionary?

And yet: here we are.

Those behind the social presence of Merriam-Webster, were at it again on Wednesday, responding to a CBS interview in which Ivanka Trump said/confessed/uttered what should now be an immortalized phrase: "I don't know what it means to be complicit."

In the interview on Tuesday, CBS's Gayle King addressed past articles and other media she's seen that refer to Trump and her husband Jared as complicita word that Merriam-Webster officially defines as, "helping to commit a crime or do wrong in some way."

When asked what she thought about the accusation, Trump initially responded in a very round-about way, almost as though she were confused about the actual definition of the word:

"If being complicit is wanting to be a force for good and to make a positive impact, then Im complicit," she said.

"I dont know that the critics who may say that of me, if they found themselves in this very unique and unprecedented situation that I am now in, would do any differently than Im doing," she went on. "So I hope to make a positive impact. I dont know what it means to becomplicitbut...but, you know, I hope time will prove that I have done a good job and much more importantly, that my fathers administration is the success that I know it will be."

While it appeared Trump wrapped up her response by implying she either

(A) Truly didn't understand the meaning of the word, or

(B) Didn't know what it meant to be involved in complicit actions

...where there's even the faintest hint of uncertainty surrounding a word, Merriam-Webster isn't far behind.

On Wednesday morning, the dictionary's Twitter account shared that the word "complicit" was its #1 lookup following Trump's interview, along with an article from March, which referenced another spike in searches.

Story continues

Back in March, an SNL sketch starring Scarlett Johansson as Ivanka named a perfume "Complicit," with a tagline, "Shes beautiful  shes powerful  she's  complicit."

'Complicit' is our #1 lookup after Ivanka Trump told CBS "I dont know what it means to be complicit." https://t.co/HEqWBltPUc  Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) April 5, 2017

Twitter users followed Merriam-Webster's lead and reacted to Trump's latest comments with some jokes and general concern, of course.

Doesn't anyone in the Trump family actually crack open a book? Will somebody please define 'complicit' for Ivanka Trump so she knows? https://t.co/y2MRBNdW5D  Tony Norman (@TonyNormanPG) April 5, 2017

After seeing Ivanka say "I don't know what complicit means," I think America is ready to give Tiffany a try. She couldn't do worse.  Ken Fitzgerald (@loudlong) April 5, 2017

Somebody get Ivanka Trump a dictionary. She needs the definition of complicit.  Jacquie Hamilton (@HamiltonJacquie) April 5, 2017

Ivanka Trump, who definitely didn't get into @Penn because of nepotism, has no idea what 'complicit' means. I thought she was the smart one? pic.twitter.com/SLR86PUktO  Erin Lindsay (@ErinELindsay) April 5, 2017

And naturally, Merriam-Webster  who has also called out the Trump administration before, including Kellyanne Conway's "alternative facts, the recent healthcare decision saga, and Trump's general language  was applauded for its service.

@MerriamWebster You have joined the ranks of HERO in the war against ignorance in America. Thank you.  nursejill (@justfinethanx) April 5, 2017

WATCH: 'Rogue One' reveals some easter eggs, but plenty are still hidden
By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) - Even though a growing number of Americans are wearing seat belts, there are very few places in the U.S. where more than nine in 10 people buckle up in the front seat, a recent study suggests. Overall, about 86 percent of Americans said they always used a seat belt in 2012, an increase of 8.4 percent from 2002, the study found. Despite this progress, only 2.2 percent of U.S. counties have managed to achieve a government safety goal for reducing crash deaths: getting at least 92 percent of drivers and front-seat passengers to buckle up for every ride. Seat belts save lives, said lead study author Dr. Jacob Sunshine of the University of Washington in Seattle. The challenge is how to encourage the drivers and riders who dont use a safety belt every time they ride in a car to change their behavior, Sunshine said by email. This could be achieved through enhanced law enforcement and/or educational programs that clearly show the harms of riding without a seat belt. In 2015, deaths from motor vehicle crashes had the largest proportionate one-year increase since 1966, and 2016 appears to have logged even more fatalities, researchers note in the journal Health Affairs. Seat belts can reduce crash fatalities by as much as 40 to 60 percent, the study authors note. That message appears to resonate more in states that give drivers more legal reasons to listen to it, the study suggests. Counties with less seat belt use tended to be in North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Nebraska and Alaska. All of these states have so-called secondary enforcement laws prohibiting traffic stops just for failure to wear a seat belt; instead drivers in these states can only be ticketed for seat belt violations if they got pulled over for another reason. Conversely, counties that had higher seat belt use were in North Carolina, California, Maryland and metropolitan areas of Texas, all states that had so-called primary enforcement laws on the books allowing traffic stops just for failure to wear a seat belt. Seat belt compliance rates were more than 10 percentage points higher in counties with laws permitting tickets just for not buckling up, the study found. Currently, 34 states and the District of Columbia have these laws on the books. Women tended to wear seat belts more often than men: 90 percent of the time versus 82 percent of the time, the study also found. But men improved more during the study period, with compliance going up by 11 percent from 2002 to 2012 compared to a 6 percent gain for women. The study isnt a controlled experiment designed to prove that seat belts save lives or that specific law enforcement policies directly influence seat belt use. Researchers also didnt examine crash or fatality data. Even so, the findings add to growing evidence suggesting that seat belt laws can be effective at getting more drivers and passengers to buckle up, said Dr. Lois Lee, an emergency medicine physician and researcher at Boston Childrens Hospital who wasnt involved in the study. The scant number of counties meeting that 92 percent U.S. target for seat belt use might be explained in part by a lack of awareness of the state laws, Lee said by email. Often people don't know the enforcement level - primary or secondary - in their state, and the law is variably enforced, Lee said. Thus people don't always have a strong incentive, except the interest of their own health and the health of their passengers, to buckle up every time. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2mW6P5S Health Affairs, online April 3, 2017.
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will have their first face-to-face meeting in Mar-a-Lago, Trumps Palm Beach residence, on Thursday and Friday, the biggest test yet of how the worlds most important bilateral relationship will evolve at a time of seismic shifts in the global landscape.

The two have already clashed over most aspects of the U.S.-China relationship, with spats over Taiwan, the One China policy, North Korea, the South China Sea, and trade disputes, among other points of discord. Both come to the meeting with pressing domestic political baggage: Trump is reeling from the health care debacle, historically-low approval ratings, and multiple investigations into his administrations ties to Russia; Xi still has to navigate the politically-fraught 19th Chinese Communist Party Congress later this year.

In a twist, and unlike previous meetings between U.S. leaders and Xi or his predecessor Hu Jintao, the relative positions of the two countries are almost reversed, at least rhetorically. Washington used to lecture China on the need to uphold the global order, play by the rules, and take action on big transnational problems like climate change. Since Trumps election, though, Beijing has cast itself, at least rhetorically, as the defender of the existing international order, including free trade, and has willingly grabbed global leadership in the fight against global warming that the Trump administration has abdicated.

With the Trump administration still groping its way toward a coherent China policy, the two will likely try to keep the discussion at the 30,000-foot level, said Bonnie Glaser of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She said it is her understanding that some people in the Trump administration who have been talking to the Chinese have been talking about the next 40-plus years in the bilateral relationship.

China likes that kind of conversation, Glaser said. Its the conversation of principle, of general understanding that we should not have confrontation.

Story continues

But there are two issues that cant be waved away: trade and North Korea.

What to do about Pyongyangs nuclear weapons program was already near the top of the agenda for the summit, but in case there were any doubts, North Korea made sure to gatecrash the summit, launching another medium-range ballistic missile just ahead of Xis visit.

But the Trump administration has sent contradictory signals regarding China and the North Korean threat. Trump told the Financial Times in an interview published on Sunday that the United States would deal with North Korea alone, spurning Chinese help. But on Tuesday, administration officials said We would like to work on North Korea together. Theres an opportunity. Later, that official added, all options are on the table for us. Everyones acknowledged Chinas going to have a big role to play in dealing with North Korea, Susan Thornton, acting assistant secretary of the State Departments Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said in a call ahead of the visit on Wednesday, who added the United States will be looking to do more on North Korea in the future.

The Trump administration is still reviewing North Korean policy, and is still primarily focused on getting the Chinese to agree to increased sanctions, or at least to close existing loopholes that would impact, for example, smaller Chinese banks, said Michael Swaine, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. China has shown some willingness to abide tougher U.N. sanctions on its client state, and that would offer a way for Beijing to forestall rash action from Washington in the meantime.

I think Xi Jinping would be quite willing to try to strengthen the sanctions regime, Swaine said.

One reason for that: Theres still so much more China could do. A U.N. report identified front companies in China that help Pyongyang evade some of the financial restrictions and fund its weapons program. And even after China agreed to limit imports of North Korean coal, it bought a bunch anyway. At any rate, an agreement on North Korea would take months and months of follow up, which would see Xi through the party congress, Glaser noted.

The other big item on the agenda: trade. Trump has since the campaign railed against what he calls unfair trade from China, and told the FT, we cannot continue to trade if we are going to have an unfair deal like we have right now. This is an unfair deal. (Its unclear what trade deal with China the president might be referring to.) A senior White House official on Tuesday stressed that bilateral trade investment should be mutually beneficial, and that the two sides have significant trade and economic issues to discuss.

Since the turn of the century, China has boosted its exports partly by exploiting cheap labor, but also with a variety of questionable tactics. Years ago, it kept its currency cheap to make exports more competitive, though it now does the opposite. Beijing also subsidizes manufacturing firms to allow them to dump products from solar panels to steel plate at below-market prices.

Even Democratic lawmakers are wondering if Trump will follow through on his tough campaign-trail rhetoric on trade when he meets with Xi. Sen. Bob Casey (D.-Penn.) and 11 other Democratic senators urged the president in a letter Wednesday to stick up for American workers they say have been harmed by Chinese practices.

So far, China has made some encouraging noises. Chinese officials have already said theyll work with the Trump administration to decrease Chinas trade surplus. (China has spent years trying to rebalance its economy away from a reliance on exports to more domestic consumption, so that dovetails with Beijings own plans.) China could make it easier for foreign companies to do business in China, or send some excess Chinese capital to the United States for investment, perhaps creating jobs.

On trade, youll get a lot of positive talk  that will make it sound like something is being done, Swaine said.

But dont hold your breath for many concrete breakthroughs. The Trump administrations hydra-headed trade team isnt fully in place yet, and the administrations review of unfair trading practices by other countries, including China, will take months to complete.

I expect much more concrete action on North Korea, said Jeremy Haft, a China expert at Georgetown University,

Unlike previous U.S.-China summits, theres one confrontation that will almost certainly be glossed over in the conversations between Trump and Xi: human rights. Human rights cant help but come up, Thornton said. Thats somewhat different from the stance taken by previous U.S. administrations, which sought to press Beijing on human rights within the broader context of a tricky two-way relationship. But passing assurances aside in briefing calls aside, the Trump administration has made clear that it has little interest in promoting human rights, and certainly is unlikely to allow it to become a sticking point as it charts a new relationship with Beijing.

Trump has long praised the brutal Chinese repression in Tiananmen Square in 1989, has been silent during Russian crackdowns on peaceful protesters, warmly embraced Egyptian strongman Abdel Fatah el-Sisi this week, allegedly applauds Philippine leader Rodrigo Dutertes death squads, and has kind words for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has thrown thousands into jail after a failed coup last summer.

FPs David Francis contributed to this piece.

Photo credit: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
The Kuiper Belt is a cold, dark region of space that lies beyond the orbit of Neptune. This region is populated with trillions of icy objects that are remnants of the formative years of the solar system.

In a new study, a team of astronomers has described how the gas giant Neptune played a key role in shaping a part of this region. The study, published Tuesday in the journal Nature Astronomy, focussed on a class of oddball blue binary planetoids known as Cold Classical Kuiper Belt Objects (CCKBO)

The red CCKBOs are thought to have formed at the location in the outer solar system where they currently reside. The blue binaries, on the other hand, are interlopers from closer in hiding out in the Kuiper belt today, study co-author Megan Schwamb, an astronomer at the Gemini Observatory, said in a statement released Tuesday.

Although objects in the Kuiper Belt exhibit a range of colors, from red to blue to white, the so-called cold classical objects are overwhelmingly red  a possible sign of the presence of organic materials. The blue-colored binary CCKBOs, on the other hand, are an exception, as they dont share the color that distinguishes most other CCKBOs surfaces.

The study, based on observations carried out using the Gemini-North and Canada-France-Hawaii telescopes, suggests that blue binaries actually formed in a region much closer to the Sun and were then shepherded by Neptunes gravitational nudges to their current orbits in the distant Kuiper Belt billions of years ago. If this is true, it would mean that Neptunes journey to the edges of the solar system was gentler and kinder than previously thought.

There has been some evidence around how Neptune moved outwards to 30 AU [astronomical unit]. Our hypothesis about how these blue binaries came to be where they are requires that Neptunes migration was largely a smooth and calm movement, study co-author Wesley Fraser, from Queen's University Belfast, said in a separate statement.

Story continues

The observations not only significantly advance our understanding of the formative years of the solar system and planetary growth, but also shed light on where the mysterious blue binary planetoids originated.

Related Articles
Paris (AFP) - AFP is joining forces with Italy's ANSA news agency and Germany's DPA to launch a new website offering data journalism on the European Union.

The European Data News Hub will launch in June and offer text reporting, still and interactive graphics, photos and videos in five languages, AFP said in a statement Wednesday.

The website will be free to access and available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The site "aims to inform and inspire debate about events shaping the lives of people in Europe and across the world, ranging from the state of the environment to the impact of migration or unemployment", AFP said.

"Following the launch of the hub, other data journalism specialists and news agencies from across Europe will be invited to take part and contribute, creating a truly European data driven news platform."

The three news agencies will distribute the content on their networks, reaching a worldwide audience including newspapers, websites, TV and radio stations.

The site will receive a grant from the European Commission but will be fully independent editorially.
By Gina Cherelus

(Reuters) - The widow of the gunman who killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, has agreed to return to the state from California to face federal charges, her lawyer said on Wednesday.

Noor Salman, the wife of Omar Mateen, had been due to argue in court on April 10 against the transfer. But on Tuesday she waived her right to that hearing, according to her lawyer, Haitham "Sam" Amin.

Court records showed the 30-year-old would instead return to Orlando, where she will face charges of obstructing justice and providing support to terrorism for lying to investigators about Mateen's mass shooting.

Salman will remain in custody until the U.S. Marshals Service takes her to Florida.

"We're going to continue fighting, and we are optimistic," Amin said during a phone interview.

The date for Salman's transfer was not immediately known. A representative from the U.S. Court for the Middle District of Florida did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Police killed Mateen, a U.S. citizen of Afghan descent, after a three-hour shooting rampage last June at the Pulse nightclub. During the incident, he called 911 dispatchers to profess allegiance to a leader of the Islamic State militant group.

Salman was arrested in February at her mother's home in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prosecutors said she knew Mateen was planning an attack and fabricated a story to cover for him.

In March, a federal judge in Orlando ordered that Salman remain in jail, revoking a bail order issued by a federal magistrate in Northern California who had initially found her to be of no danger or a serious flight risk.

(Reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Lisa Von Ahn)
(BEIRUT) - The U.S. envoy to the U.N. has warned that the Trump administration may take action against chemical attacks in Syria that bear all the hallmarks of President Bashar Assads government if the U.N. Security Council fails to act.

Ambassador Nikki Haley urged the council at an emergency meeting Wednesday to immediately approve a draft resolution sponsored by the U.S., Britain and France that condemns and threatens consequences for the use of chemical weapons.

Holding up photos of victims of a suspected chemical weapons attack the day before that killed dozens of people, she accused Russia of blocking action.

She said Moscow had closed its eyes to the barbarity of previous chemical attacks by vetoing a resolution in late February that would have imposed sanctions on those responsible.

Russias deputy U.N. ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov, opposed the draft resolution, saying it was based on information from discredited groups.

Haley ended her remarks by warning that when the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action.

This article was originally published on TIME.com
(SEOUL, South Korea) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile into its eastern waters Wednesday, U.S. and South Korean officials said, amid worries the North might conduct banned nuclear or rocket tests ahead of the first summit between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week.

The U.S. Pacific Command said it detected and tracked what it assessed as North Korean missile launched from land near the eastern coastal city of Sinpo. A U.S. statement said initial assessments indicate the type of missile was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile. South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile flew about 60 kilometers (37 miles).

The KN-15 missile reportedly refers to what North Korea calls the solid-fuel Pukguksong-2. The use of solid-fuel missiles is a worrying development because the fuel already being inside the rocket shortens launch preparation times and make it harder for outsiders to detect whats happening before liftoff.

When North Korea test-fired this missile in February, South Korean officials said it flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles) before landing in international waters. It wasnt immediately known if the much shorter distance of Wednesdays flight meant a failed launch.

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something to coincide with the Trump-Xi summit, perhaps conduct a nuclear test. The missile launch may be a precursor, with more to come as the summit starts later this week, Cossa said.

Ive joked before that they dont mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored, Cossa said.

Recent outside satellite imagery show possible preparations for a new nuclear test at the Norths main nuclear test site, such as communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data being already laid. North Koreas state media has also said the world will soon witness what it calls eventful successes the country achieves in the space development. Washington, Seoul and others call the Norths space program a cover for its long-range missile development program.

Story continues

Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the country lodged a strong protest over the launch.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged the launch in a statement but said the U.S. had spoken enough about North Korea and would not comment further.

Analysts says North might time nuclear and long-range rocket tests to the April 15 birthday of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility. Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

The Norths latest missile launch also came as it is responding annual military drills between the United States and South Korea with weapons tests and harsh rhetoric. North Korea sees the drills as an invasion rehearsal.

Two weeks ago, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch. Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

__

Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.

This article was originally published on TIME.com
By Ju-min Park and Jack Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, ahead of a summit between U.S. and Chinese leaders who are set to discuss Pyongyang's increasingly defiant arms programme. The missile flew about 60 km (40 miles) from its launch site at Sinpo, a port city on North Korea's east coast, the South Korean Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Sinpo is home to a North Korean submarine base. The launch comes just a day before the start of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where talks about adding pressure on the North to drop its arms development will take centre stage. "The launch took place possibly in consideration of the U.S. -China summit, while at the same time it was to check its missile capability," a South Korean official told Reuters about the military's initial assessment of the launch. The missile was fired at a high angle and reached an altitude of 189 km (117 miles), the official said. U.S. officials said on Wednesday that the missile appeared to be a liquid-fueled, extended-range Scud missile which only traveled a fraction of its range. Initially, U.S. and South Korean militaries said assessments indicated the latest launch was of a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile, which would have been the same kind North Korea test-launched in February. "We are now certain it was a liquid-fueled Scud," said a senior White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "It spun out of control after going only a fraction of its range," the official said. Any launch of objects using ballistic missile technology is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The North has defied the ban, saying it infringes on its sovereign rights to self-defence and the pursuit of space exploration. The launch drew swift condemnation from Japan, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying further provocative action was possible. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga described the launch as "extremely problematic" and said Tokyo had lodged a strong protest. South Korea's foreign ministry also condemned the launch as a blunt challenge to a series of U.N. Security Council resolutions targeting North Korea's nuclear and missile programme. Seoul called a National Security Council meeting and vowed to respond strongly in case of further provocations. In a terse statement, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said: "The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment." Trump wants China to do more to exert its economic influence over unpredictable Pyongyang to restrain its nuclear and missile programmes. China has denied it has any outsized influence on Pyongyang and Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying ruled out the chance of a link between the launch and the summit, saying, "I can't see any certain connection between these two things." Ahead of the U.S.-China summit in Florida, Trump had threatened to use crucial trade ties with China to pressure Beijing into more action on North Korea. A senior U.S. White House official said Trump wanted to work with China and described the discussions over North Korea as a test for the U.S.-Chinese relationship. ICBM THREAT North Korea could choose to continue with missile-related activities through next week, when the isolated and impoverished country celebrates the 105th anniversary of the birth of the state's founder, Kim Il Sung. It has used the anniversary in previous years to test-fire the intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missile and to launch long-range rockets to try to put satellites into orbit. An expert on the North's political strategy warned against reading too much political significance into the timing of the tests ahead of the U.S-China summit. "They may have taken the summit into account to pick a day but, to me, it is more likely to catch up with its own missile development roadmap for their technical needs," said Kim Dong-yub, a military expert at Kyungnam University's Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul. North Korea failed in an attempt to launch a ballistic missile from its east coast two weeks ago. Earlier in March, it fired four missiles towards Japan, some of which came as close as 300 km (190 miles) to the Japanese coast. It has also conducted two nuclear weapons tests since January 2016, all in defiance of U.N. sanctions. Pyongyang tested a new type of medium-to-long-range ballistic missile in February, which it later said was an upgraded, extended-range version of its submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). North Korea has carried out several SLBM tests near Sinpo. The North is believed to be developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that could hit the United States, and its leader, Kim Jong Un, has vowed to test-launch one at any time. Experts and officials in the South and the United States believe Pyongyang is still some time away from mastering all the technology needed for an operational ICBM system, such as re-entry into the atmosphere and subsequent missile guidance. (Additional reporting by James Pearson in Seoul, Kaori Kaneko in Tokyo and Idrees Ali and Steve Holland in Washington; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and James Dalgleish)
By Ju-min Park and Jack Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, ahead of a summit between U.S. and Chinese leaders who are set to discuss Pyongyang's increasingly defiant arms program. The missile flew about 60 km (40 miles) from its launch site at Sinpo, a port city on North Korea's east coast, the South Korean Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Sinpo is home to a North Korean submarine base. The launch comes just a day before the start of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where talks about adding pressure on the North to drop its arms development will take center stage. "The launch took place possibly in consideration of the U.S. -China summit, while at the same time it was to check its missile capability," a South Korean official told Reuters about the military's initial assessment of the launch. The missile was fired at a high angle and reached an altitude of 189 km (117 miles), the official said. U.S. officials said on Wednesday that the missile appeared to be a liquid-fueled, extended-range Scud missile which only traveled a fraction of its range. Initially, U.S. and South Korean militaries said assessments indicated the latest launch was of a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile, which would have been the same kind North Korea test-launched in February. "We are now certain it was a liquid-fueled Scud," said a senior White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "It spun out of control after going only a fraction of its range," the official said. Any launch of objects using ballistic missile technology is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The North has defied the ban, saying it infringes on its sovereign rights to self-defense and the pursuit of space exploration. The launch drew swift condemnation from Japan, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying further provocative action was possible. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga described the launch as "extremely problematic" and said Tokyo had lodged a strong protest. South Korea's foreign ministry also condemned the launch as a blunt challenge to a series of U.N. Security Council resolutions targeting North Korea's nuclear and missile program. Seoul called a National Security Council meeting and vowed to respond strongly in case of further provocations. In a terse statement, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said: "The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment." Trump wants China to do more to exert its economic influence over unpredictable Pyongyang to restrain its nuclear and missile programs. China has denied it has any outsized influence on Pyongyang and Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying ruled out the chance of a link between the launch and the summit, saying, "I can't see any certain connection between these two things." Ahead of the U.S.-China summit in Florida, Trump had threatened to use crucial trade ties with China to pressure Beijing into more action on North Korea. A senior U.S. White House official said Trump wanted to work with China and described the discussions over North Korea as a test for the U.S.-Chinese relationship. ICBM THREAT North Korea could choose to continue with missile-related activities through next week, when the isolated and impoverished country celebrates the 105th anniversary of the birth of the state's founder, Kim Il Sung. It has used the anniversary in previous years to test-fire the intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missile and to launch long-range rockets to try to put satellites into orbit. An expert on the North's political strategy warned against reading too much political significance into the timing of the tests ahead of the U.S-China summit. "They may have taken the summit into account to pick a day but, to me, it is more likely to catch up with its own missile development roadmap for their technical needs," said Kim Dong-yub, a military expert at Kyungnam University's Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul. North Korea failed in an attempt to launch a ballistic missile from its east coast two weeks ago. Earlier in March, it fired four missiles toward Japan, some of which came as close as 300 km (190 miles) to the Japanese coast. It has also conducted two nuclear weapons tests since January 2016, all in defiance of U.N. sanctions. Pyongyang tested a new type of medium-to-long-range ballistic missile in February, which it later said was an upgraded, extended-range version of its submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). North Korea has carried out several SLBM tests near Sinpo. The North is believed to be developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that could hit the United States, and its leader, Kim Jong Un, has vowed to test-launch one at any time. Experts and officials in the South and the United States believe Pyongyang is still some time away from mastering all the technology needed for an operational ICBM system, such as re-entry into the atmosphere and subsequent missile guidance. (Additional reporting by James Pearson in Seoul, Kaori Kaneko in Tokyo and Idrees Ali and Steve Holland in Washington; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and James Dalgleish)
Seoul (AFP) - Nuclear-armed North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on Wednesday, in what analysts said was a warning ahead of a China-US summit at which Pyongyang's accelerating atomic weapons programme is set to top the agenda.

South Korea's defence ministry said the missile - launched days after Pyongyang warned of retaliation if the global community ramps up sanctions -- had flown 60 kilometres (about 40 miles).

The incident represented a "threat to the peace and stability of the whole world", Seoul said, while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe labelled it a "grave provocation".

In a terse statement, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said: "The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment."

The launch -- a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile -- will fuel international concerns about the hermit state's weapons programme.

Pyongyang is on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year.

- Trump-Xi meeting -

The latest launch came after President Donald Trump threatened the US was prepared to go it alone in bringing the North to heel.

His comments, in an interview with the Financial Times, were interpreted as an effort to up the pressure on Beijing ahead of a summit on Thursday and Friday.

Trump will host China's President Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for their first face-to-face meeting, where the growing tensions on the Korean peninsula are expected to be high on the agenda.

The Trump administration has repeatedly insisted that Beijing holds the key to stopping its errant neighbour and is not doing enough to control it.

China is North Korea's sole major diplomatic friend and a key trading partner that supplies the isolated state with much of its hard currency in the face of stringent global sanctions.

Story continues

But Beijing is wary of putting too much pressure on North Korea for fear of the unpredictable consequences if the regime collapses.

Chang Yong-Seok, a researcher at the Seoul National University's Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, said the missile test was Pyongyang's way of warning China and the US.

It was "a show of force to demonstrate its might against potential extra deployment of US troops and weapons near the peninsula".

"There is a possibility that the North may take it up a notch and stage another nuclear test ... depending on the outcome of the summit."

- 'Reckless' -

North Korea's foreign ministry on Monday assailed Washington for its tough talk and for an ongoing joint military exercise with South Korea and Japan which Pyongyang sees as a dress rehearsal for invasion.

The "reckless actions" are driving the tense situation on the Korean peninsula "to the brink of a war", a ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the official KCNA news agency.

The idea that the US could deprive Pyongyang of its "nuclear deterrent" through sanctions is "the wildest dream", it said.

The hardened US stance followed recent North Korean missile launches that Pyongyang described as practice for an attack on US bases in Japan.

In February the North simultaneously fired four ballistic missiles off its east coast, three of which fell provocatively close to Japan.

Last August Pyongyang also successfully test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile 500 kilometres towards Japan, far exceeding any previous sub-launched tests, in what the North's leader Kim Jong-Un hailed as the "greatest success".

A nuclear-capable SLBM system would take the North's threat to a new level, allowing deployment far beyond the Korean peninsula and a "second-strike" capability in the event of an attack on its army bases.

Analysts say that while Pyongyang has made faster progress in its SLBM system than originally expected, it is still years away from deployment.

Pyongyang is barred under UN resolutions from carrying out ballistic missile launches or nuclear tests.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The White House is talking in more urgent terms about North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons, as President Donald Trump's talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping approach. One senior administration official warned that the "clock has now run out" on Pyongyang.

Trump and Xi will huddle Thursday and Friday at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, a venue chosen to give the summit a more informal feel. White House officials said Tuesday that trade and security would be high on the new American president's agenda, including pushing China to exert more economic pressure on North Korea.

Speaking at a White House business forum Tuesday, Trump called North Korea a "humanity problem." A White House official later said "all options are on the table" for the U.S., though the official would not say what steps Trump was willing to take to curb Pyongyang's pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast on Wednesday, U.S. and South Korean officials said, in a reminder of the simmering tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Like many nations, China is still grappling with Trump's mercurial nature after the relative transparency and predictability of the bilateral relationship under Barack Obama. Both during his campaign and after his victory, Trump complained repeatedly about China's allegedly unfair trade practices, its perceived lack of assistance in reining in North Korea and its drive to cement control over the South China Sea.

Some analysts believe Xi might be willing to hand Trump a symbolic victory on trade to put a positive spin on the meeting.

"Xi probably can't accommodate Trump on sovereignty and security issues, but he has a lot of leeway on economics," said Robert Sutter, a China expert at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Yet even if Xi is able to offer Trump deliverables, he will still have to deal with "a restless U.S. president valuing unpredictability and seeking advantage for his agenda going forward," Sutter said.

Story continues

Trump was seen as moving trade even more to the forefront when he signed a pair of executive orders Friday focused on reducing the trade deficit. Coupled together, the orders appeared to be a symbolic shot at China, which accounted for the vast bulk  $347 billion  of last year's $502 billion trade deficit.

While aides insisted the timing was coincidental, the administration touted the moves as evidence of an aggressive but analytical approach to closing a yawning trade gap that is largely due to the influx of goods from China.

Still, Trump told the Financial Times newspaper that during his meeting with Xi, he doesn't "want to talk about tariffs yet, perhaps the next time we meet." A second White House official said Tuesday that the topic may come up, though there was not expected to be any resolution.

The officials would only discuss the upcoming summit on the condition of anonymity in order to avoid pre-empting the president.

Looming over the visit will be North Korea's nuclear provocations. China continues to oppose the tough measures demanded of it to address the issue, fearing a collapse of the Pyongyang regime would bring a crush of refugees and possibly U.S. and South Korean troops on its border.

Trump told the Financial Times the U.S. is prepared to act alone if China does not take a tougher stand against North Korea's nuclear program.

"China has great influence over North Korea," he said. "And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won't. And if they do that will be very good for China, and if they don't it won't be good for anyone."

Add to the mix the issue of the South China Sea, where Beijing has built and armed man-made islands despite the concerns of neighboring countries; and Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that China claims as its own territory, and which some in Trump's administration would like to see in a stronger relationship with the U.S.

Despite such divisions, Beijing seems committed to establishing a positive relationship between the two leaders.

"It is fundamental for them to improve understanding between each other," said Xiong Zhiyong, a professor at Peking University's School of International Relations. "Both sides have shown their willingness to cooperate and they are expected to make a commitment for cooperation."

China, Xiong said, realizes that Trump "is a leader with a strong personality."

The White House said Trump and Xi would hold meetings and a dinner on Thursday, then gather again Friday for more discussions and a working lunch. First lady Melania Trump and Xi's wife, famed songstress Peng Liyuan, plan to attend the dinner.

As personalities, Xi and Trump are a study in contrasts. A lifelong Communist Party apparatchik and son of a former vice premier, Xi has built his career with a cautious approach, avoiding controversial reforms and rarely speaking out in ways that would distract from his core message. His nearly five years as head of the ruling party have been defined by a campaign to achieve the "Chinese dream" of increasing prosperity while tackling endemic corruption.

Still, outwardly cordial relations with U.S. presidents are also a longstanding Chinese tradition, in recognition of the importance of the bilateral relationship. Xi had taken pains to appear at ease in the company of Obama, avoiding the rancor that characterized the relationship between the American leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

___

Bodeen reported from Beijing. Associated Press writer Vivian Salama contributed to this report from Washington.

___

Follow Bodeen at http://twitter.com/cbodeen and Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  The missile in North Korea's latest launch didn't fly very far, but it may have been the second test of a technology that worries experts.

The launch Wednesday into waters off North Korea's east coast came shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump's first meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this week, raising speculation that it might have been timed to get their attention.

Initial U.S. and South Korean assessments indicate it was a KN-15 medium-range missile, whose first known test by North Korea was in February.

The KN-15, known as "Pukguksong-2" in North Korea, uses pre-loaded solid fuel, which shortens launch preparation times, boosts its mobility and makes it harder for outsiders to detect ahead of liftoff. Most North Korean missiles use liquid propellant, which generally must be added to the missile on the launch pad before firing.

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

The South Korean military said the missile was fired from land near the east coast city of Sinpo and flew about 60 kilometers (40 miles). The earlier one in February flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles). Analysts were trying to determine if the shorter distance meant Wednesday's launch was a failure.

One expert said it could have been a test of a new missile intended as a stepping stone toward developing a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach the U.S. mainland. Kim Dong-yub, an analyst at Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, questioned why North Korea would do a shorter launch of the KN-15.

"There's absolutely no reason for North Korea to fire the KN-15 again this way; the launch measurements show something similar to when developing missiles are flight-tested for the first time for data-gathering purposes," he said.

The KN-15 is believed to be an upgraded version of the submarine-launched "Pukguksong" launched last summer. Many experts say a "Pukguksong-2" missile would be a greater security threat, because it can be launched anywhere from a mobile vehicle. While submarines are a stealthy way to do that, North Korea doesn't have enough of them.

Story continues

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something to coincide with the Trump-Xi summit, perhaps conduct a nuclear test. The missile launch may be a precursor, with more to come as the summit starts Thursday, he said.

"I've joked before that they don't mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored," Cossa said.

Recent satellite imagery shows possible preparations for a test at North Korea's main nuclear test site, including the laying of communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data.

North Korea's state media have said the world will soon witness what they called "eventful successes" in the country's space development. The United States, South Korea and others call North Korea's space program a cover for its long-range missile development program.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry called the North's latest missile launch a "reckless provocation" that posed a threat to international peace, while Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said his country lodged a strong protest over the launch.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged the launch in a brief statement but said the U.S. had spoken enough about North Korea and would not comment further.

Trump has said China must do more to pressure North Korea to halt its nuclear program. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Wednesday that all sides needed to be involved.

"If we are serious about solving this issue, we need to tackle the root of it," she said at a regular news briefing. "We need to balance the interest of each side. China wants to make efforts with all sides involved, to make denuclearization a reality, and ensure peace in the region."

Analysts say North Korea might time nuclear and long-range rocket tests to the April 15 birthday of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility. Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

The North's latest missile launch also came during annual military drills between the United States and South Korea. North Korea sees the drills as an invasion rehearsal.

Two weeks ago, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch. Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

___

Associated Press writers Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu and Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul contributed to this report.
Washington (AFP) - US intelligence agencies don't know the true number of foreign jihadists still fighting in Iraq and Syria, or the extent of the threat they pose to their home countries, a senior US military officer said Wednesday.

Some 40,000 foreign jihadists have joined the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria from at least 120 countries in Europe, Africa and southeast Asia, General Michael Nagata said at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank.

"We know we have killed several thousands of foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria," said Nagata, director of the National Counterterrorism Center's Directorate for Strategic Operational Planning.

"But we are unable to give you a precise number. It's a substantial number."

"We really don't know" how many remain despite the massive resources trying to determine the number, he added.

Estimating the security threat they pose their home countries on their return is also problematic, he said.

"ISIS and the foreign terrorist fighter problem is not a monolith," he said, using an alternate acronym for the IS group. "It's an incredibly diverse set of actors with an incredibly diverse set of motivations."

However, the security threat -- particularly from the children of jihadists who have followed their parents to Iraq and Syria and could potentially perpetrate attacks in their home countries -- should not be overestimated, Nagata said.

The IS group has released videos apparently showing children executing prisoners in order to "create a propaganda-driven impression that all the children of ISIS fighters will take up the black flag, that they are ready now to commit acts of violence even if they are only 11 or 12," Nagata said.

Although "there may be some truth" in that perception, he said, "it is probably not as strong or widespread as what the Islamic State group wants us to believe."

Story continues

The IS group has lost much of the territory it once held during a more than two-and-a-half-year military campaign by a US-led international coalition.

Coalition-backed Iraqi forces are currently battling to recapture the northern city of Mosul from the jihadists.

US-backed fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces are also mounting an offensive to retake the Syrian city of Raqa, the IS group's last major stronghold in that country.
By Kim Palmer

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - A state judge on Wednesday sentenced an Ohio man to life in prison for fatally shooting his two teenage sisters and critically wounding a family friend, the man's attorney said.

Hamilton County Judge Robert Winkler sentenced Matthew Hayden, 23, in a Cincinnati court for the October 2015 fatal shootings, Hayden's attorney Bernard Mundy said. The earliest he will be eligible for parole is 56 years.

Mundy said Hayden blamed mental illness for what happened.

It was an unspeakable tragedy, one that the family will never get over, Mundy said by telephone. Haydens parents, who spoke in court on Wednesday, had hoped for a shorter sentence, Mundy added.

Matthew has a severe mental illness, but it just did not rise to the level of an insanity defense, Mundy said. He is sick about what happened. He is not able to get it out of his mind and understands the wrongfulness of his conduct.

In February, Hayden pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated murder for the deaths of Sarah Hayden, 16, and Elizabeth Hayden, 17, and the attempted aggravated murder of a family friend.

Prosecutors said Hayden shot his sisters and Joshua Hacker, who was 17 at the time, with a 9mm Beretta handgun as they sat inside a minivan at the family's home in Colerain Township, a Cincinnati suburb. Both girls were pronounced dead at the scene, while Hacker was shot 10 times and survived.

Winkler ruled Hayden incompetent to stand trial in November 2015 and ordered psychological testing. After six months of hospitalization at Summit Behavioral Health Care Hospital in Cincinnati, Hayden was deemed by Winkler competent to stand trial.

Additional time was added to each sentence for the use of a gun in the crime, and the aggravated attempted murder sentence will be served concurrent with the murder sentences. That means Hayden will not be eligible for parole for 56 years.

(Reporting by Kim Palmer; Editing by Ben Klayman and Chizu Nomiyama)
Photo credit: Caltech

From Popular Mechanics

Somewhere past Neptune, there might lurk an undiscovered ninth planet. No, it isn't Pluto, because unlike the famously demoted dwarf planet, this hypothesized heavenly body is likely much bigger than Earth. But as you'd expect, finding something tucked away in the far reaches of our solar system is a tough job, so scientists have turned to the public for help. Now that help is paying off as a public-assisted search has turned up four possible candidates for the elusive Planet Nine.

The search was conducted over a period of three days using data from the SkyMapper telescope published on the science crowdsourcing site Zooniverse. The project contained hundreds of thousands of images collected by the telescope over almost a decade, and it would have taken researchers years to comb through them.

The search managed to identify four previously unknown objects in the distant solar system, any one of which could be the hypothesized Planet Nine. Of course, they're more likely to be comets or asteroids than a new planet and astronomers won't know either way until they've studied them more closely. Even if none of these objects turns out to be the fabled ninth planet it will still rule out a large chunk of sky for the next search.

NASA is also engaging in its own public-assisted hunt for Planet Nine on Zooniverse, and that project is still ongoing. You can contribute by visiting the project's website.

Update: A spokesperson from the Australian National University says that one of the four candidates is almost certainly an asteroid, but the other three are more promising. The team is attempting to make more observations of these objects to determine their orbital path, which will hopefully tell them exactly what they're looking at.

Source: Australian National University

You Might Also Like
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Poland's opposition called on the government Wednesday to abandon its plan to reorganize a top judicial body, contending that it would violate the constitution and bring judges under political influence.

It is yet another case in which Poland's populist government is being criticized as trying to undermine democratic principles. The European Union is highly critical of steps the ruling Law and Justice government had taken previously to control a top court, the Constitutional Tribunal.

The new plan to reorganize the National Council of the Judiciary was taken up by Poland's lawmakers on Wednesday, and was expected to be approved, given the ruling party's majority in parliament. The vote was expected on Friday.

The plan calls for the parliament to appoint 15 of the council's 25 judges and for the current members, all appointed by judges, to be dismissed.

The council's tasks include drawing up and enforcing ethical guidelines for judges, reviewing judicial candidates and seeking opinions on new rules and regulations to ensure they are constitutional.

Opposition lawmaker Krzysztof Brejza said the changes are "typical of dictatorships" and violate the separation of political power from the judiciary. He called on the lawmakers to read critical opinions about the plan before starting a debate. Criticism is also coming from parliament experts, who say the change goes against the constitution.

Many judges, politicians and ordinary people in Poland agree that judiciary procedures need to be simplified in order to speed up handling of cases, but critics say the government plan is going in the wrong direction.

The government argues that the council hampers the necessary reform of the judiciary.

"This is another one of the big reforms that the government has promised. We will not step back there," Prime Minister Beata Szydlo has said.

___

This story has been corrected to show the lawmaker's name is Brejza, not Breeze.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Poland's opposition called on the government Wednesday to abandon its plan to reorganize a top judicial body, contending that it would violate the constitution and bring judges under political influence.

It is yet another case in which Poland's populist government is being criticized as trying to undermine democratic principles. The European Union is highly critical of steps the ruling Law and Justice government had taken previously to control a top court, the Constitutional Tribunal.

The new plan to reorganize the National Council of the Judiciary is to be taken up by Poland's lawmakers on Wednesday, and is expected to be approved, given the ruling party's majority in parliament. It calls for the parliament to appoint 15 of the council's 25 judges and for the current members, all appointed by judges, to be dismissed.

The council's tasks include drawing up and enforcing ethical guidelines for judges, reviewing judicial candidates and seeking opinions on new rules and regulations to ensure they are constitutional.

Opposition lawmaker Krzysztof Brejza said the changes are "typical of dictatorships" and violate the separation of political power from the judiciary. He called on the lawmakers to read critical opinions about the plan before starting a debate. Criticism is also coming from parliament experts, who say the change goes against the constitution.

The government argues that the council hampers necessary reform to the judiciary.

"This is another one of the big reforms that the government has promised. We will not step back there," Prime Minister Beata Szydlo has said.

___________

This story has been corrected to show the lawmaker's name is Brejza, not Breeze.
Ali Hassan, who is accused of shooting a female co-worker to death in December at a Far East Side group home, was in a spiral of drug and alcohol use after long having abstained, and talked in sexual terms about female co-workers, according to search warrants unsealed this week.

Madison police have said as recently as mid-January that they dont know why Hassan, 25, of Fitchburg, shot Fatoumatta Jallow, 23, at a group home run by REM Wisconsin at 5333 Kevins Way. The shooting also injured a co-worker of Jallow, identified in the search warrants as Julie Connors, who was not previously identified by police or in court documents.

The 10 search warrants, covering Hassans apartment, cars, and various social media and cellphone accounts of Hassan and others, were filed under seal in Dane County Circuit Court between Dec. 23 and Feb. 13.

No trial dates have been set in the case yet.

Police have said that Hassan went to the group home about 6:30 p.m. and went straight to the basement. Jallow later went to the basement, where Hassan shot her. Connors, police have said, went to the basement stairs, where she said Hassan shot her as he came up the stairs. Connors still managed to call 911 using a residents cellphone and identified Hassan to police after they arrived.

Hassan tried to set a fire in the kitchen of the home before he left, police have said.

A short time after driving away from the shooting, Hassan was in a crash nearby. He told police that he shot everyone in that house, and I took ones life, court documents state.

Hassan is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, attempted arson, and three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment.

The search warrants state:

A former co-worker of Hassan told police that Hassan would often talk about Jallow and another female REM employee in sexual terms. The man told police that when he first met Hassan about two years earlier, Hassan was innocent and never drank alcohol. But more recently, he said, Hassan began spiraling down, and had been smoking weed and partying.

The man said Hassan had dated a former co-worker and became obsessed with her after they broke up. That woman told police in December that during their relationship, Hassan was nice and kind. But after they stopped dating in June, she said, Hassan would not let go. She said he would repeatedly call and send her text messages, and would get upset if she waited a couple of days before responding to his messages.

Hassans ex-girlfriend told police that he would call her names and say terrible things to her. After breaking up, she said, her car tires were slashed and she suspected that Hassan had done it, but he denied that. The last message she received from him was on Sept. 14.

She also told police that she was a close friend of Jallow and didnt believe that Hassan and Jallow knew one another. She said Hassan was smoking marijuana every day and drinking alcohol, which was prohibited by Hassans family because they are Muslim, but he managed to conceal those activities from them.

REM Wisconsin program coordinator Momodou Fofana told police that Jallow never talked about boyfriends, because that kind of conversation would have been culturally unacceptable. He described Jallow as quiet and respectful. Fofana said he didnt know Jallow to have had any issues with Hassan or any other REM co-workers.

A 9mm handgun found on the floor of a hallway in the Kevins Way group home was identified by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as having been purchased by Hassan at a retail store on Nov. 19, just over a month before the shooting.

Hassan lived in an apartment in Fitchburg with his three sisters. One of Hassans sisters told police that she last spoke to him at about 1 p.m. on the day of the shooting and sent him a text message at 4 p.m. He didnt respond to the text, she said, but when she spoke to him on the phone he seemed fine.

But a woman who spent time with Hassan that afternoon told police that he appeared to be high or on something or drunk.

Police also searched three cars that Hassan owned. Hassan drove a Chevrolet Impala the night of the shooting. In a Mazda 3 parked at his apartment building, police found a pair of binoculars and three out-of-state license plates  one from Georgia and two from Alabama. Police also said he owned a white Toyota Camry.

A search of cars also turned up drugs and paraphernalia, gun accessories, ammunition, a notebook and a liquor bottle, according to an inventory filed with one of the search warrants.
Asuncion (AFP) - Paraguay's main leftist opposition party boycotted talks launched by President Horacio Cartes on Wednesday aiming to settle a row over his bid for re-election which sparked deadly riots last week.

Cartes called for talks with various political leaders to calm tensions after police shot dead an opposition activist in a raid during riots that erupted after senators approved his election reform.

Several smaller opposition parties attended the talks, which are also supported by Pope Francis.

But the leader of the main opposition Liberal Party, Efrain Alegre, said he would not sit down with the government until congress drops the constitutional reform bill.

Alegre was one of dozens injured by the police's rubber bullets in the weekend unrest.

"We are not going to take part in a dialogue unless people are brought to account" for killing the activist and injuring other protesters, Alegre said.

Pro-government senators sidestepped opposition resistance to approve the reform on Friday and had planned to pass the bill to the lower house of Congress on Saturday.

But that vote was postponed due to the violence. Some of his allies in the congress have since dropped their support for the bill.

After firing his interior minister and police chief over the activist's death, Cartes on Monday reached out to the opposition, proposing negotiations to calm tensions.

The specter of a long run of dictatorships throughout most of the 20th century hangs over the tiny South American country, population nearly seven million.

For some, the moves to change the constitution revived memories of authoritarian power grabs.

The 1992 constitution underpinning Paraguay's young democracy fixes a one-term limit on presidents.
PARIS (Reuters) - France will not give in to demands for an "unrealistic" 2.5 billion euro ($2.7 billion) aid package for French Guiana, which has been swept by social unrest, Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Monday. After the French territory in South America was disrupted by protests and a general strike, Paris sent two ministers last week for talks with a coalition representing the demonstrators. The protests, which pose a challenge to the government in Paris three weeks before a presidential election, began with demands for tougher measures against crime, but also reflect a deeper malaise in the territory which suffers from high unemployment. The government offered a 1 billion euro aid plan but the protest movement demanded an emergency 2.5 billion euro plan in talks over the weekend. After a ministerial meeting in Paris to review the situation, Cazeneuve said it would be easy for the government to "take the easy way out and promise an unrealistic amount of financial aid" before handing over responsibility to the next government. "That is not the idea that we have of responsibility," he told reporters. Cazeneueve called for negotiations to continue, saying 11 agreements had been reached in areas such as security and justice, fishing, transport, mining, agriculture and energy. Union leader Davy Rimane, a spokesman for the protesters, told RTL radio that the movement would meet to decide its next steps. "The prime minister's statement has in no way blunted our determination for Guiana to get out of this stagnation," he said. "We can't go on like this ... We are heading for a social catastrophe." "That is why we say to the government: We must launch an emergency plan for this sum of 2.5 billion euros," he said. The U.S. State Department warned American citizens last month to avoid travel to French Guiana due to widespread protests it said had the potential to become violent in the main cities of Kourou and Cayenne. Labor protests in the overseas French department bordering Brazil and Suriname have also caused the indefinite postponement of the planned launch of an Ariane 5 rocket carrying communications satellites for Brazil and South Korea. (Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau, Marine Pennetier, Jean-Baptiste Vey and Adrian Croft; Editing by John Irish and Hugh Lawson)
Pepsi has pulled their controversial new ad featuring Kendall Jenner as a protest peacemaker after social media opened up a can of backlash aimed at the soda giant.

In a statement to The Associated Press Wednesday, the company said: "Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize."

Read: Man Burned Trying to Set Fire to Himself in Protest Outside Trump Hotel

They also apologized to Jenner, saying: "We also apologize for putting Kendall Jenner in this position."

CNN Entertainment Reporter Chloe Melas told Inside Edition: "They felt like they were trying to do something good with this ad, but clearly that's not what everybody else is thinking."

The ad, which debuted Tuesday, was widely chastised on social media following its release, leading Pepsi to defend its idea to promote carbonated drinks with a theme of unity.

In a statement, the company said: "This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think that's an important message to convey."

The commercial shows Jenner ditching a modeling gig as protesters march outside. Armed with a can of Pepsi, she joins the marchers, and hands a police officer the soda in a gesture of goodwill, bringing the demonstration to a peaceful end.

That image is being compared to the famous photo of a nurse from Brooklyn, who appeared at a Black Lives Matter march in Baton Rouge, Louisiana last year.

Read: Casey Anthony Comes Out of Hiding to Protest Trump Outside Mar-a-Lago Estate

But after the commercial was released Tuesday, social media lit up with negative comments.

I'm guessing she should have handed them #Pepsi uh?... pic.twitter.com/JxGxghCdyI  JR The Darkskin (@iamjtune) April 5, 2017

ok. dear corporations let this be a lesson. you run the risk of getting DRAGGED if your boardroom shows NO diversity.---there is NO excuse  Questlove Gomez (@questlove) April 5, 2017

This @pepsi commercial really got me wanting a @CocaCola  Dave Jones (@Classic_Dave) April 5, 2017

Aight I'm late to the #pepsi party, just watched that commercial. But wth is going on?? I mean i get it (I think?) NEED a response from coke pic.twitter.com/Q9Nc4wtLJ0  CG (@ChrisMGMedia) April 5, 2017

Imagine putting your life on the line like this to fight for justice only to have it parodied by a soda company and a Kardashian pic.twitter.com/g55s09owVf  jamilah (@JamilahLemieux) April 4, 2017

In America, capitalism can use anything -- anything -- to sell a product. pic.twitter.com/YfgobryqCH  David Simon (@AoDespair) April 5, 2017

One of the more powerful tweets to come from the controversy was from Bernice King, the daughter of late civil rights icon Martin Luther King, who said:

Story continues

If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi. pic.twitter.com/FA6JPrY72V  Be A King (@BerniceKing) April 5, 2017

Watch: Trump Threatens to Cut Federal Funds at UC Berkeley After Protests Erupt on Campus

Related Articles:
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Opposition lawmakers in Poland are calling for the dismissal of the defense minister, saying he is undermining the nation's armed forces with dismissals and demotions of high-ranking officers who aren't his allies.

The lawmakers appealed Wednesday to President Andrzej Duda, the armed forces' supreme commander, to dismiss Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz.

They are reacting to Macierewicz' decision to demote two experienced military counter-intelligence officers for alleged insubordination and to his earlier dismissals of dozens of generals who served under the previous government.

Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, who heads the current nationalist government, says the defense minister was carrying out a necessary remodeling of the armed forces.

Since taking office, the ruling Law and Justice party has made changes in many areas of government, including the judiciary and the army.
The families of two Missouri women who vanished years apart after allegedly encountering the same man were contacted to meet with investigators following the discovery of remains from two humans in the same rural area, officials said.

A mushroom hunter uncovered remains in a wooded area of Belton Monday and a second skull was found nearby the next day, authorities said.

Though investigators have not yet determined the age, sex or race of either of the remains, families of two missing persons were contacted by law enforcement, the Cass County Sheriffs Office confirmed.

Jessica Runions, 21, was last seen leaving a gathering of friends in Kansas City on September 8, officials said. Her burned vehicle was found in a nearby wooded area two days later.

The host of that party reportedly told Runions' family that she left with 28-year-old Kylr Yust, who was arrested and charged with knowingly burning Runions car, cops said.

He pleaded not guilty and his trial is set for October. No other charges have been filed against him in connection to Runions' disappearance.

Read: Search for Missing Woman Uncovers a Second Unrelated Body

Yust had been previously questioned in the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend Kara Kopetsky, who was 17 years old when she was last seen at Belton High School on May 4, 2007.

Kopetsky disappeared just days after filing an order of protection against Yust, who she claimed kidnapped and restrained her, choked her and threatened to cut her throat during their nine-month relationship, according to a filing obtained by The Associated Press.

"I'm unsure what he will do next, because the abuse has gotten worse over time," Kopetsky wrote in the filing.

It also alleged that Yust stalked Kopetsky.

A judge granted the protection order request and scheduled a hearing for May 10, 2007. Kopetsky went missing six days before the court date.

Yust has not been charged in Kopetskys disappearance.

Story continues

Kopetskys mother, Rhonda Beckford, told reporters that while she and Runions family had been called down to the police station to discuss the discovery, they were told the remains have not yet been identified.

"They didnt give us any idea on how much time it would be before they knew," Beckford said. "Were still waiting; were going to be waiting for the foreseeable future."

Though she called the waiting "frustrating," she said she believes every day that passes is another day closer to answers.

Read: Missing College Student's Remains Found In Shallow Grave, Boyfriend Charged

"My feeling is that Karas gone... [but] you always hold onto that hope; its what you go on," Beckford said. "We need a resolution to this. We need to find out."

"Good or bad, we just want them home. Period," said Jamie Runions, Jessicas mother.

The Runions family, along with volunteers, scoured the area for any sign of their loved one after she disappeared, but instead found the bodies of two men over consecutive weekends in January.

I told everybody that this should be motivation that what we are doing is good, John Michael Runions. Jessicas father, said at the time. We may not have found Jessica, but somebody elses family is going to get some answers.

Detectives are continuing to search the area where the remains were discovered for any additional evidence.

Further examination of the remains is also currently in progress, officials said.

Watch: 6-Year-Old Girl Missing Since 2012 Found Dead: Cops

Related Articles:
PERRYVILLE, Mo. (AP)  A Missouri girl who reported being raped by her boyfriend told a detective that her high school principal threatened them with in-school suspension to "get them to stop saying things about each other," according to police.

Richard Thomas, 37, of Jackson, was charged Monday with a misdemeanor count of failure to report abuse, neglect or death of a child younger than 18, The Southeast Missourian (http://bit.ly/2nEnNoY ) reported. School administrators are required by law to report suspicions of child abuse.

Thomas didn't return a phone message from The Associated Press on Wednesday, and no attorney is listed for him in online court records. He has been on paid administrative leave from the Perry County School District since September. The school board voted in December not to retain him as principal when his contract expires this summer.

A police detective wrote in a probable cause statement that the girl told police on Aug. 30 that she had been raped by her boyfriend, also a student. The girl said she told Thomas about the alleged assault the previous week, and that in two separate discussions told Thomas the alleged perpetrator "did something to me I didn't want to happen," according to the detective's statement.

The girl said after going to police, she was summoned on Sept. 8 to an empty classroom. She said she was told to sit at one desk while Thomas and the alleged perpetrator sat facing her, the detective reported. The girl said Thomas asked her "question after question but interrupted her when she tried to answer and would not let her talk."

The girl said Thomas told her if she was placed in in-school suspension, "she would no longer have a boyfriend because she would not be able to see him," the detective wrote.

The male student told police that Thomas advised him and the girl to "stop with all the rape talk and just move on," the probable cause statement said. The mother of the alleged perpetrator told police she, too, spoke with Thomas about the allegations against her son the week before the girl contacted police and again on Sept. 8, the detective wrote.

It wasn't immediately clear whether charges have been filed against the alleged perpetrator. Perry County Prosecutor Thomas Hoeh was in court Wednesday and unavailable for comment, according to his office.
Vatican City (AFP) - VaticPope Francis met briefly Wednesday with a delegation of four British Muslim clerics and praised their contribution to dialogue between different faiths and cultures.

"I like to think that the most important job we have to do between us, as humanity, is done with our ears, by listening," Francis told the four-man group as he greeted them warmly at the Vatican for a private audience.

"The ability to listen is so important. Those who have it speak softly, quietly. Those that don't talk loudly, shout even.

"Among brothers, all of us have to talk and listen gently, to seek the way together.

"And when we listen and talk to each other, we are already on the path. I thank you for taking this path and ask almighty and merciful God to bless you. And I ask you, to pray for me."

The clerics at the talks were Shiite scholar Syed Ali Raza Rizvi, Moulana Muhammad Shahid Raza, an imam who heads the British Muslim Forum, Ibrahim Mogra of the Christian Muslim Forum and Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Director General of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society.

Since his election four years ago, Francis has overseen a steady improvement in relations between the Vatican and the Islamic world, overcoming the acrimony caused by a series of spats under his predecessor Benedict XVI.

The Argentine pontiff hosted top Sunni cleric Ahmed al-Tayeb at the Vatican last year and will meet him again when he visits the Al-Azhar mosque as part of a visit to Egypt at the end of this month.

Ties were badly soured when the now-retired Benedict made a September 2006 speech in which he was perceived to have linked Islam to violence, sparking deadly protests in several countries and reprisal attacks on Christians.

Francis has made interfaith dialogue one of his priorities, describing fundamentalism as a disease of all religions.

And he endeared himself to many Muslims last year when he returned from the migrant crisis island of Lesbos with three Syrian Muslim families who are being put up by the Vatican in Rome while their asylum requests are processed.

The reconciliation efforts have not prevented Francis from regularly imploring moderate Muslims to speak out more strongly over the actions of extremists claiming to act in the name of Islam.
(BEIRUT) - President Donald Trump blamed former President Barack Obama on Tuesday for weakness that he said led to a reprehensible chemical weapons attack by Syrias government, while his secretary of state said Russia and Iran bore moral responsible for the deaths.

In a series of strongly worded statements, Trumps administration sought to convey a forceful response to the attack in Syrias rebel-held northern Idlib. Trump said the attack against innocent people mustnt be ignored by the civilized world.

These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administrations weakness and irresolution, Trump said, in a reference to Obamas failure to strike in 2013 after saying a chemical attack by Assad would cross a U.S. red line.

Trump left it to his top diplomat, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to assign at least some blame to Russia and Iran, Assads most powerful allies. Tillerson called on both countries to use their influence over Assad to prevent future chemical weapons attacks. He noted Russias and Irans roles in helping broker a ceasefire through diplomatic talks that have occurred in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

As the self-proclaimed guarantors to the ceasefire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths, Tillerson said.

Both Trump and Tillerson referred in written statements to a chemical weapons attack, rather than a suspected attack, suggesting the U.S. has reached some degree of confidence about what took place in Idlib.

At the White House earlier Tuesday, spokesman Sean Spicer said the White House had received a number of phone calls from European allies questioning how it would address the problem, pressing Trumps America First administration to take a bold position on this civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands and prompted the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

Im not ready to talk about our next step but well talk about that soon, he said.

Story continues

The attack Tuesday, in Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, is believed to have killed dozens of people, activists on the ground describing the attack as among the worst in the countrys six-year civil war.

Obama gave the Assad government an ultimatum that the use of chemical weapons in any circumstance would result in consequences. But those consequences never came - the landscape growing more complicated by the rise of radical groups like Jabhat al-Nusra, and later, the Islamic State group. And while government-backed forces are blamed for launching unrelenting attacks on civilians opposing his rule, many warn that removing Assad now would only create a vacuum for those groups to overrun the country.

Syrian opposition activists claimed that the attack was caused by an airstrike carried out either by the Syrian government or Russian warplanes. Russias Defense Ministry categorically rejected the claims.

Russias role in Syria was a matter of extreme contention between Moscow and Washington under the Obama administration. Then-Secretary of State John Kerry called for both Syria and Russia to be investigated for war crimes in connection with attacks on civilians.

In Turkey on Thursday, Tillerson was touting a new message: The longer-term status of President Assad will be decided by the Syrian people.

Spicer on Tuesday rejected the notion that there is a comfort level with Assad, describing the administrations position as a reflection of a political reality. He would not elaborate.

This article was originally published on TIME.com
Imagine thinking you're having twins, and ending up with quadruplets. Then, fast-forward 18 years, and imagine that all four of your sons get into two of the country's most prestigious Ivy League schools.

That's what happened to the parents of Nigel, Zach, Aaron, and Nick Wade - four extraordinary high school seniors who found out they were all accepted to Harvard. Oh, and also Yale.

SEE ALSO: Remarkable teen got accepted to all 8 Ivy League universities

The four brothers were all at track practice at Lakota East High School in Ohio last week when they turned on their phones and learned of their life-altering news, The Washington Post reported.

Were still in shock, honestly, Aaron said of their acceptance. I dont think it has sunk in yet.

I just felt blessed at that moment, Nigel said. It was an unreal feeling, I guess.

Honestly, to have one child from a family be accepted to a school like this is amazing, Zach chimed in. But for all four to be accepted  I just dont, I dont know how it happened.

In case it isn't clear how unbelievable the quad's accomplishment isaccording to Yale's website, more than 32,000 people applied to be part of their 2021 class. Of those 32,000, merely 2,272 were admitted. Even more impressively, Harvard reported that of an applicant pool of 39,000, only 2,056 were admitted. These kids are the real deal.

"The outcome has shocked us, Aaron Wade revealed. We didnt go into this thinking, Oh, were going to apply to all these schools and get into all of them. It wasnt so much about the prestige or so much about the name as it was  it was important that we each find a school where we think that well thrive, and where we think that well contribute.

Though the four brothers were accepted into the same universities, their academic interests greatly vary. Zach plans to be an engineer, while Nick sees himself double majoring in international relations and economics. Nigel is interested in neuroscience, and Aaron intends to study computer and cognitive science. (Maybe these quadruplets will save us all.)

Story continues

While the family is thrilled with their acceptance success, the $64,000 (Yale) and $63,00 (Harvard) price tags will play a role in the boys' decision making.

Financial aid is going to be a big player in our decision, Nick Wade said.

The Washington Post noted that the young men also individually got into other distinguished universities like Stanford, Georgetown, Duke, and Cornell - so their options are far from limited. The brothers areas of nowunsure whether they'll stay together for their college years.

We really dont know. We still have to make those decisions, Nick Wade said. Were just shocked. We still dont believe that we got in.

(H/T The Washington Post)

WATCH: This inventor built a real-life 'Iron Man' suit and it's awesome
Sydney (AFP) - Australia has made its largest ever bust of crystal methamphetamine, with police Wednesday estimating the haul hidden among planks of wood from China had a street value of nearly Aus$900 million (US$680 million).

Two men were arrested and charged with trafficking after the discovery of 903 kilograms (nearly a ton) of ice at a warehouse in the Victorian state suburb of Nunawading, east of Melbourne, where it was hidden in 70 boxes of floorboards.

"Make no mistake, the swift action of our law enforcement agencies has stopped an unprecedented tsunami of ice from hitting our streets with a deadly impact," said Justice Minister Michael Keenan.

"This ice shipment would have resulted in millions of single street deals, with every single hit potentially taking a life, destroying a family and devastating a community."

The bust, following a two-month operation, comes less than a week after police and customs officers arrested three Vietnamese nationals in Melbourne and seized 300 kilograms of ice hidden in metal gates.

Authorities also had success in December when they made the largest cocaine haul in Australian history.

With its high street prices, Australia is an attractive destination for drug-smugglers, with Keenan saying that a kilogram of ice can sell for 80 times the price it is bought for in China.

"When the Australian drug market remains so lucrative, organised criminals will continue to try and bring supply in. We are determined to tackle the demand side," he said.

Australia has a growing problem with ice addiction and the government recently earmarked Aus$300 million for rehabilitation and education services to help address the issue.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull hailed the "enormous" seizure and hit out the "merchants of death".

"We are working internationally and nationally to catch these merchants of death, these people who traffic in ice, to catch them and intercept their deadly cargoes and we're successful in doing that," he said.

"We will be ruthless in our efforts to stop the smuggling and the trafficking of this drug."
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  The rector of a church-owned retirement home for Roman Catholic priests has been charged with embezzling $535,000 to pay for casino visits, high-end dinners and Philadelphia Pops concerts.

Federal prosecutors have charged Msgr. William A. Dombrow with skimming money for nearly nine years from an account meant to support Villa St. Joseph.

The Philadelphia archdiocese runs the facility to house aging priests and those accused of sexual abuse. Much of the stolen money came from insurance payments for priests who died and from parishioners who left the facility money.

Authorities say the 77-year-old Dombrow had sole access to the account.

Dombrow has been charged by way of a criminal information, which often means a defendant is cooperating. His attorney hasn't returned a phone message left Wednesday seeking comment.
Finding a place to rent can be hellish, but does transferring that process online make it better? One startup argues yes, but tenancy advocates are doubtful.

Alex Lubinsky, the CEO of the Californian company Rentberry, is aggressively confident about the usefulness of his product. He even characterised the heavy criticism levelled at it in the U.S. as "good publicity."

His site allows prospective tenants to make offers against others to secure properties. While Lubinsky would prefer those offers be called "custom submission," it's not hard to see why it's been called an "eBay-style" platform on which tenants will rush to outbid each other, potentially pushing prices to new heights.

If the landlord accepts, the tenant then pays Rentberry A$25, although the company has floated changing that to a percentage model.

SEE ALSO: A floating techno-libertarian city might be coming to the Pacific

The startup launched in 10 cities across the U.S. in 2016, and is now rolling out to at least 1,000. First reported by Domain, Rentberry has announced its intention to launch in Australia. With no set launch date, Lubinsky said he also has his sights set on Canada and the UK.

There's plenty to fix about renting, no doubt. Attending a house inspection, filling out a form and rushing to the real estate agent's office all in one day is de rigueur. Some automation wouldn't hurt. And it's not uncommon in Sydney for potential renters to offer the landlord a little more rent each month to secure a lease.

Ned Cutcher, senior policy officer at the Tenants Union of New South Wales, acknowledged such a situation is happening "on the sly." Still, he doubts Rentberry is the solution.

"This idea sells itself on making that transparent, but I don't think that's the right response," he said. "The secret business of pushing up rents doesn't not push up rents by taking the secret out."

Story continues

Lubinsky claimed the site in fact had the opposite effect over nine months in its 10 launch cities, saving tenants 5.1 percent on rent.

However, Toby Bozzuto, CEO of the real estate development company Bozzuto Group, told the Wall Street Journal those numbers might be helped along by an oversupply of apartments across the U.S. In Australia, the situation may be different. Sydney, for example, is reportedly dealing with oversupply in some suburbs and undersupply in others.

Tenants saved money because landlords want the most qualified, trustworthy people as their renter, Lubinsky argued. "When somebody submits an application, landlords, they are not eager to take the highest bidder. Everyone knows this, but people disregard this and say, 'oh, it's all about money'  well, it's not," he said.

Cutcher, however, was was unconvinced. "Scarcity is a key factor. If you've got more people who are looking for properties than there are available, the only real impact this can have is pushing rents up," he said. "I'm not convinced of how encouraging people to bid up a price brings that price down."

Rentberry also forces transparency on the renter that's not quite expected of the landlord. There are fears, raised by Grist, that user profile pictures could prompt landlords to racially discriminate against prospective tenants. Lubinsky, for his part, dismissed that, suggesting users could use cartoon avatars if they wished.

In the U.S., the company also supplies the applicant's credit score and background check results to the landlord, but he could not disclose which companies it would be working with in Australia to provide those details.

The tenants, of course, don't see quite as much information about their landlord. What if they're notorious for letting properties fall into disrepair, for example? Lubinsky suggested the ability for tenants to review and rate landlords after they leave will take care of that.

Either way, as many have noted, it's clear landlords have the power. If they chose to use Rentberry, tenants may be forced to follow them there.

WATCH: Old-school arcade games have made a comeback at this underground gaming tournament
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  A new report suggests that people living in urban minority neighborhoods could be paying as much as 30 percent more for car insurance, but an industry group says the report's findings are flawed.

Nonprofit investigative news organization ProPublica and Consumer Reports published an analysis Wednesday based on insurance data in California, Illinois, Missouri and Texas detailing insurance claims payments by zip code. Those were the only states where regulators had the data available.

The report says 33 of the 34 insurance companies analyzed in Illinois charged rates that were at least 10 percent higher in zip codes where a majority of the residents are minorities. Six Illinois insurers charged rates 30 percent higher in minority zip codes.

In Missouri and Texas, more than half of the insurers charged rates that were at least 10 percent higher in minority areas.

In California, where insurers are regulated more tightly, eight companies were charging significantly higher rates in minority zip codes.

Marta Tellado, president and CEO of Consumer Reports, said discriminatory insurance pricing can be a drain on household budgets, limit employment opportunities and limit growth in communities.

"Whether price disparities arise from bad actors or bad algorithms, the consequences are the same, and (Consumer Reports) is committed to ensuring transparency and fairness in pricing for people in all neighborhoods," Tellado said.

In making comparisons, the report looked at zip codes where a majority of the residents are minorities and compared them with other zip codes that had similar insurance claims payment totals. Then the report examined liability insurance premiums in each zip code for a 30-year-old female teacher with clean driving record and good credit.

The Insurance Information Institute trade group disputed the report's findings after hiring an independent expert to review the data it's based on. The group's chief actuary, James Lynch, said the analysis in the report doesn't account for other factors that can affect insurance rates.

Story continues

"They've reached an inappropriate conclusion," Lynch said.

Insurance companies don't collect any information on race and ethnicity when they sell policies.

The exact factors used to set rates vary somewhat because of state laws, but Lynch said some common things insurers may look at include: number of miles driven, accident history, credit scores, occupation, gender and age.
KENDALL, Fla. (AP)  The South Florida home where the late U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno lived will be preserved and donated to Miami-Dade College.

The Miami Herald (http://hrld.us/2nZHmvy ) reports a final agreement is being ironed out to donate the ranch which sat on the edge of the Everglades where Reno's mother built the rustic home in the 1940s.

It's slated to become part of the environmental center at the college's campus south of Miami.

Attorney Alan Greer, who's representing the Reno family, says visiting the cottage is "like going back in time." The college declined comment on the negotiation process.

Reno died in November at age 78. The Herald reports word about the likely donation leaked out when her surviving sibling hosted a party Saturday to say goodbye to the ranch.

___

Information from: The Miami Herald, http://www.herald.com
WASHINGTON  Dr. Scott Gottlieb has been preparing for this job his whole life.

Hes a physician and a conservative policy wonk. Hes been a federal regulator scrutinizing new drugs. Hes a writer. An investor. And a consultant: Hes made a lot of money advising biopharma executives on how to get through the bureaucratic thickets of the Food and Drug Administration.

As his confirmation hearing opens Wednesday for the post of FDA commissioner, that resume is both Gottliebs strongest asset and his deepest vulnerability.

President Trump has made clear he wants to revamp the FDA to slash regulations and speed drug approvals. Gottlieb, 44, should be able to hit the ground running: He knows how new drugs are developed, tested, and reviewed. A cancer survivor, he also understands what such therapies can mean to desperate patients.

But if he wins confirmation, hell also soon be in a position to make or break the fortunes of many a biopharma executive hes crossed paths with  or even worked for  in recent years. Hes promised to recuse himself when conflicts arise.

Still, Democrats are wary.

And CEOs are ecstatic.

Were very pleased hes the nominee, said David Bearss, chief executive of Tolero Pharmaceuticals.

Read more: Five things we know about Scott Gottlieb, Trumps pick for FDA

Several years ago, when Bearss wanted to take his startup to the next level, he asked around for advice: We were at a fork in the road. My friend said, Talk to Scott Gottlieb. 

Gottlieb, he was told, was a former FDA official, now on Wall Street, who could help with both strategy and money. So Bearss flew Gottlieb to Lehi, Utah, where Tolero develops drugs for treating cancer and blood diseases.

That conversation turned out to be lucrative for them both.

Gottlieb helped Tolero raise about $22.5 million, invested some of his own money, and then joined the companys board. Gottlieb was then in position to advise the startup on how to approach the FDA to start a conversation about Toleros products.

Story continues

Hes been incredibly helpful, Bearss said. You want to establish a relationship and have the FDA not think, These are guys are trying to do something crazy. Gottlieb, he said, knows the agency well enough to be able to counsel startups on how to avoid such rookie mistakes.

With Gottliebs guidance, Tolero Pharmaceuticals is now testing not just a leukemia drug, licensed from Sanofi, but also a companion diagnostic that is supposed to help identify the patients most likely to benefit from the medicine.

It really worked out for us, said Bearss.

It also worked out for Gottlieb, who reported a profit of between $100,000 and $1,000 in capital gains from the sale of Tolero stock on his disclosure form.

A muted rollout for a fantastic nominee

The Trump administration named Gottlieb to head the FDA late on a Friday afternoon, with a bland press release that simply recapped the bare outlines of his resume. It didnt include even a perfunctory quote of praise from the president  or, for that matter, from anyone in the administration.

It was a puzzlingly muted roll out, especially given that weeks before, President Trump had devoted a big chunk of his first speech to Congress to his plans to slash the restraints at FDA. Hed also publicly said that he planned to nominate a fantastic person to run the agency.

Behind the scenes, the process leading to Gottliebs selection was far more colorful than the announcement suggested.

Read more: Heres one drug safety rule the FDA should enact  quickly

Trump supporter Peter Thiel, an iconoclastic billionaire, had been pushing hard for a far more radical pick to head the FDA.

Thiel had Trumps ear, and pitched him on two Silicon Valley libertarians who had publicly questioned the core mission of FDA. (One suggested the FDA need not ask for proof that a drug worked before releasing it onto the market. Another mused that the agency could perhaps be replaced with a consumer review site, a sort of Yelp for drugs.)

The Trump team seemed to toy with the idea of turning the agency on its head with such a pick.

But Gottlieb  a far more conventional choice  had powerful backers, too. An old colleague of his, Andrew Bremberg, had been named director of Trumps Domestic Policy Council.

And Bremberg kept Gottliebs name front and center during the FDA search.

Before the White House announced his nomination, Gottlieb met with Trump. He and Thiel also got over their differences. Neither would comment for this story.

The nomination drew quick praise from former FDA commissioners of both political parties, including Democratic appointee Margaret Hamburg and Republican appointee Dr. Mark McClellan.

Scott has long been committed to finding better ways to advance science and improve health outcomes, McClellan said. He is deeply committed to getting these issues right.

President Obamas last commissioner, Dr. Robert Califf, praised the nomination, but also expressed some doubts. It seems like the main question is, Which Gottlieb are we going to get?' Califf told Kaiser Health News.

A cancer diagnosis turns regulator into patient

Gottlieb grew up in East Brunswick, N.J., the son of a psychiatrist and a teacher.

He went to Wesleyan University, where he majored in economics and spent much of his time writing for the school newspaper, the Wesleyan Argus. He was known for his wide circle of sources and developed a love of writing that he has honed as a contributor to the Wall Street Journal editorial page, Forbes.com, and investment guides.

Even back in his college days, he was known as almost frenetically energetic, always throwing himself into new tasks.

Read more: Trump derides slow and burdensome approval process at FDA

Gottlieb attended Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, in a special program for students who hadnt majored in the sciences. He did internships in medicine  but also at ABC News in Boston.

He was a resident at Mt. Sinai Hospital on 9/11, and wrote about that horrible day in BMJ. The emergency room was not as busy as theyd expected, so he and his group went downtown to help victims they hoped were still being pulled from the rubble.

Rescue crews coming in with injuries were solemn; some cried as we treated them, he wrote. They seemed ashamed to be there.

After a stint in medical practice and as a health care analyst, Gottlieb moved to Washington, where he worked at conservative think tanks. In 2003, McClellan hired him at FDA. He wrote speeches for McClellan, worked on policy issues, and then went with his mentor to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In 2005, he returned to FDA as deputy commissioner for medical and scientific affairs. His signature accomplishment: Helping to launch President George W. Bushs emergency plan to deliver HIV medication to Africa and around the world.

He also got married, to Allyson Nemeroff, who had worked in newspaper publishing. The couple has three young daughters.

It was while he was working at the FDA that Gottlieb was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma. The experience gave him a rare perspective for a regulator: He learned what it was like to be a patient searching for the best treatment. In his case, he was able to go to the National Cancer Institute for advice and to schedule a quick surgery.

Read more: Trump wants to blow up the FDA. The drug industry? Not so much

Shelley Fuld Nasso, CEO of the National Center for Cancer Survivorship, said Gottlieb doesnt like to talk about the experience.

He knows his treatment was much easier than what some people have to endure,  Nasso said, but I found that physicians who have a cancer experience really understand the human side of things.

Gottlieb has been an adviser to Nassos group, and to other patient advocacy organizations, over the years; he also has continued to work in medicine, in private practice.

Hes better known, however, as a consultant to the drug industry.

Financial disclosure reports show that Gottlieb has helped launch at least 12 biomedical companies through his work as a managing director in the investment bank T.R. Winston & Co. and his role as a venture partner at New Enterprise Associates.

He also has been a board member, adviser or speaker for a number of big pharma companies, among them: GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Dalichi Sankyo U.S. Business, Molecular Insight, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

And records show that pharmaceutical companies paid Gottlieb more than $400,000 between 2013 and 2015.

Despite his promises of recusal, Gottliebs close ties to industry worry consumer advocates  a concern echoed by some Democratic senators.

It is essential that the FDA commissioner be very knowledgeable about how the FDA works, said Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Center for Health Research, an advocacy group.

But when so much of a nominees career has been spent helping companies get their products approved, that creates the kind of perspective and conflicts of interest that cant be recused away, Zuckerman said. Its an integral part of who that person is.

Senate Democrats, who held tense meetings with Gottlieb in the past week, plan to grill him about his potential conflicts at the confirmation hearing.

I am deeply concerned about Mr. Gottliebs extensive ties to the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries and asked him to address conflicts of interest that might arise during his tenure at FDA, said Washington Senator Patty Murray, the ranking Democrat on the committee.

No plans for radical reform

What would Gottlieb do at FDA?

Comb through his hundreds of speeches, articles, and pages upon pages of congressional testimony, and you find a man who believes patients are often best served by a free-market approach  but who doesnt seem to have radical overhaul in mind.

In short, he appears to believe the FDA does its job pretty well.

His agenda includes speeding up approval of complex generic drugs to try to drive down prices; giving companies incentives to develop drugs for pediatric diseases; and making sure FDA has more flexibility to hurry the review process for breakthrough medical devices. Hes also likely to focus on food safety, as well as the safety of the blood supply.

Read more: Doubling the user fee for FDA drug review draws blowback

One issue that worries Gottliebs critics is his desire to use more real-world results as evidence when weighing whether to approve new drugs and devices. Theres no precise definition of the phrase, but its often used to refer to information gleaned outside of rigorous clinical trials, such as information from patients electronic records.

The FDA is also in the midst of a long review of lab-developed tests, a booming industry. These diagnostic tests are designed, made, and used within a single laboratory, sometimes in a hospital. As personalized medicine has become more common, so have these tests. But FDA believes there is not currently enough oversight to make sure they are accurate.

The agency has stated its intention to regulate them, and there have been congressional hearings on the issue. Gottlieb, however, has written that to do so would slow progress  a point also made by the industry. In November, bowing to industry pressure, the Obama administration said it would delay implementation of its regulatory proposal.

Another area that will be closely watched if Gottlieb is confirmed is implementation of the Obama-era regulations on e-cigarettes. Gottlieb has invested in Kure, a company that makes e-cigarettes, and he has written that imposing restrictions might make it hard for some people to use them as a tool to quit smoking traditional cigarettes.

Despite Democrats concerns, Gottlieb is expected to be confirmed easily.

The question then becomes: Can he play to all the strands of his resume and satisfy patients, doctors, industry executives  and his new boss in the White House? Observers say theyll be watching closely.

I view his various connections to be something that will have to play out over time, said Joshua Sharpstein, a former FDA deputy commissioner under Obama and now a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Nobody knows exactly how its going to play out, said Sharpstein, who speaks to Gottlieb from time to time. And Scott probably doesnt know, either.
President Donald Trump removed Stephen Bannon, his top strategist, from the National Security Council on Wednesday as part of a reorganization of the policymaking body that also restored top intelligence and military leaders to their customary roles.

The move signals that Trumps national security advisor, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, has managed to assert his authority by ending an unorthodox arrangement that raised concerns among lawmakers and foreign-policy experts from both parties.

Critics saw Bannons elevation to the NSC in the early days of the Trump administration as a sign that the White House was eager to inject partisan politics and an ideological agenda into crucial deliberations over military action and foreign policy. Former officials also warned that the structure could generate debilitating internal conflict and confusion as to who was in charge of framing national security decisions for the president.

The reshuffling of the NSC was outlined in a memorandum issued Tuesday and published Wednesday. The White House declined to comment on the order.

McMasters predecessor, retired Army Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, who resigned in February after misleading the vice president about his conversations with Russias ambassador to Washington, had introduced the controversial structure for the NSC that installed Bannon, the former head of the white nationalist website Breitbart News, as a member of the principals committee. That committee usually is comprised of cabinet-level officials. The original setup also marginalized the countrys top intelligence and military officers, who were to attend the principals committee only when the topics on the agenda required it.

Under the new arrangement, the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, shall also be regular attendees on the principals committee, the memorandum said. The presidents order adds the CIA director, the energy secretary, and the United Nations ambassador to the principals committee.

Story continues

McMaster, who took over in February and unlike Flynn had no ties to Trumps presidential campaign, also scored another bureaucratic victory in the reshuffle. The Homeland Security Council is now under McMasters authority instead of operating as a separate body.

A senior White House official told some news outlets that Bannon was initially put on the NSC to oversee Flynn and ensure that the body was streamlined and operating more efficiently. That goal had been accomplished and Bannon did not feel he needed to remain on the NSC, the official said.

Steve was very instrumental in bringing on McMaster. Since McMaster basically shared his vision and view, there was no need for Steve to stay on, the official was quoted as saying by Yahoo News.

With zero experience in foreign policy or government, coupled with his profile as a fervent ideologue opposed to immigration and with links to far-right parties in Europe, Bannons presence on the NSC had alarmed former officials and sparked sharp criticism from Democrats in Congress.

Despite the changes on the NSC, Bannon  who ran Trumps campaign in the closing months of the race  remains a powerful figure in the White House with walk-in privileges in the Oval Office. Ultimately, shuffling the deck chairs inside the National Security Council may do little to erode his influence on the president.

Instead of having to defer to senior officials inside the Situation Room, Bannon will now be able to discuss issues alone with Trump in the Oval Office, tweeted Michael McFaul, who served as ambassador to Moscow and as a senior White House advisor in the Obama administration.

Political advisors have rarely been given any formal role on the National Security Council. Edwin Meese, when he was counselor to the president, served on the NSC in the Reagan administration.

One Democratic lawmaker expressed relief at the decision, but said Bannon had no place in any White House.

While I am relieved that Steve Bannons sick ideology will no longer infect the National Security Council, his continued presence in this administration is alarming to millions of Americans, said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.). I urge President Trump to show Steve Bannon the door and purge his administration of dangerous extremists.

Photo credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday that the U.S. has nothing further to say publicly about North Korea, after the country conducted the latest in a series of missile tests as President Donald Trump prepares to meet for the first time with his Chinese counterpart.

North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile, read a statement by Tillerson released by the State Department. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment.

South Korean officials said North Korea had fired a ballistic missile into the waters off the countrys eastern coast Wednesday morning local time. The U.S. said that initial assessments indicated it was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile that flew about 37 miles from its origin in the town of Sinpo and descended in the Sea of Japan, the Associated Press reports.

Read more: Style and Substance Are Both Concerns When Chinas Xi Jinping Meets President Trump

Tuesdays test marked the latest escalation in the North Korean nuclear threat; Pyongyang has conducted several missile tests since the start of the year.

Meanwhile, Trump is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where the two are expected to discuss cooperation toward defusing the threat of a nuclear North Korea.

In an interview with the Financial Times published Sunday, Trump said he planned to negotiate with Xi for further cooperation, likely using trade and the threat of sanctions to coax China into helping the U.S. Beijing is wary, however, of Americas deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) antimissile system in South Korea, complicating the discussions.

Read more: Can North Korea Actually Hit the U.S. With a Nuclear Missile?

Trump warned that if he cannot secure assistance from Beijing, the U.S. was prepared to handle North Korea on its own, though he declined to detail any specific actions Washington might take against Pyongyang.

During his first diplomatic visits to both Seoul and Beijing in March, Tillerson stressed that the policy of strategic patience has ended, suggesting that the U.S. could consider a range of responses to North Korean aggression, including a possible preemptive strike. We are exploring a new range of diplomatic, security and economic measures, Tillerson said. All options are on the table.

This article was originally published on TIME.com
The band, led by former Blur frontman Damon Albarn, plans to celebrate the release of its new album "Humanz" by recreating the haunted house featured in the "Saturn Barz" music video in New York, Berlin and Amsterdam.

Gorillaz are set to return April 28 with a new album called "Humanz." March 23, the group revealed the 360 video, called "Spirit House," filmed to accompany the "Saturnz Barz" single. The video shows the group's four members entering a haunted house, inhabited by various ghouls and demons.

The building will be recreated April 21 to 23 in Brooklyn (New York, USA), April 28 to 30 in Berlin (Germany) and May 6 in Amsterdam (Netherlands), reports Pitchfork.com. Entry is free but reservation is required.

After several years' absence, Gorillaz made a surprise comeback in January with a track criticizing the worship of money and American President Donald Trump, on the eve of his investiture.

The track, entitled "Hallelujah Money," is driven by a trip-hop beat and uses a host of electronic effects. It will also feature on the upcoming "Humanz" album.

Watch the teaser: https://youtu.be/Rkjy-DRixDg

Watch the "Saturnz Barz" music video: https://youtu.be/lVaBvyzuypw
London (AFP) - Prince William, his wife Kate and his brother Prince Harry spoke with survivors and the families of those killed in the terror attack outside the British parliament at a memorial service on Wednesday.

The royals joined those affected by the assault at a "Service of Hope" at Westminster Abbey, just across Parliament Square from the scene of the attack on March 22.

The assault killed four people, including a police officer guarding the gates of parliament.

Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old convert to Islam known to the security services, drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before stabbing policeman Keith Palmer to death. Masood was later shot and killed by officers in the parliament's forecourt.

Leslie Rhodes, 75, a retired window cleaner; Aysha Frade, 44, a school administrator; and Kurt Cochran, 54, an American tourist, were killed on the bridge.

Cochran's wife Melissa attended the service in a wheelchair, having suffered a broken leg and rib and a cut head in the attack.

William, second in line to the throne, laid a wreath at the Innocent Victims' Memorial outside the abbey.

During the service, he read the parable of the Good Samaritan from the Bible.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Home Secretary Amber Rudd, the interior minister, also gave readings.

Witnesses and emergency service workers involved in the response effort were among the 1,800 people who attended, along with the speakers of both houses of parliament.

The injuries were still evident for some victims, many of whom arrived on crutches, with their legs in plaster or with visible wounds.

John Hall, the Dean of Westminster, led the service, telling the congregation that the attack had left people "bewildered and disturbed".

He said it was "likely that we shall never know" Masood's motivation for the attack.

After the service, the royals met privately with survivors and the families of those killed.

Twelve people arrested in connection with the attack have all been released and face no further police action.
By Polina Nikolskaya and Denis Pinchuk ST PETERSBURG (Reuters) - The main suspect in a suicide bombing on the St Petersburg metro that killed 14 people had rented an apartment in the city a month before the blast, neighbors and a building maintenance worker told Reuters on Wednesday. A day after Monday's attack, security officials raided the apartment and ordered other residents to leave -- a precaution often undertaken when police believe there may be explosives or bomb-making equipment inside. A witness who was present during the search, and who did not want to be identified, told Reuters she saw belongings packed into black bags and cardboard boxes, and household containers with an unidentified powder inside. The Investigative Committee, the state body leading the investigation, said footage from security cameras near the same building showed the suspect, Akbarzhon Jalilov, leaving home carrying a bag and a rucksack. It did not specify if that was on the day of the attack. Jalilov was born in 1995 in Kyrgyzstan, a mainly Muslim ex-Soviet republic in central Asia, and held a Russian passport. If it is proven that he was motivated by militant Islamist ideology, that will test Russian President Vladimir Putin's policy of military intervention in Syria. Some Russians may decide their country's intervention is making them a target for reprisal attacks by Islamists instead of making them safer as Putin had told them would happen. Jalilov moving into the rented apartment, in a Soviet-built nine-storey building in north-eastern St Petersburg, coincided with his return from a visit to his home city of Osh in southern Kyrgyzstan. Two Kyrgyz government sources told Reuters that Jalilov made the trip in February, leaving in early March on a flight to Moscow. Osh is part of the Fergana Valley, a fertile strip of land that straddles Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and is mainly populated by ethnic Uzbeks. It has a tradition of Islamist radicalism and hundreds of people have set out from the area to join Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Jalilov had previously lived in St Petersburg for several years. It was not clear where he had been living before his trip back to Osh, or why he moved to a new apartment. SILENT TENANT The apartment Jalilov rented in St Petersburg is about 20 km from the site of the explosion, in the center of the city. Neighbors at the building said that Jalilov had first moved into apartment 109 around a month ago. They said the young man they had seen around the building matched pictures of Jalilov released to Russian media since the bombing. "The apartment was always silent," said a resident of the same staircase, who gave her name as Margarita. "When the owner let (the apartment) I asked her and she said he was a decent guy and that I should call her if he makes noise." "But I never heard ... any music playing. Maybe he turned on the TV once." She said on one occasion about five people who appeared ethnically Russian had visited him, but there seemed nothing remarkable about that. A second resident also said Jalilov had been a tenant in the building. Security service officers arrived at the address on Tuesday, and ordered residents to vacate the building. The building maintenance worker, who asked not to be identified, said: "They forced open the apartment. There were various powders in jars. I could see that they had packed up his things. Lots in black bags, and two boxes." The Investigative Committee confirmed the search but a spokeswoman declined to give details about what they found. Jalilov's parents, who say they had not seen their son for a while, were due to fly into St Petersburg on Wednesday and a Reuters witness at Pulkovo airport reported heavy security. A middle-aged man and woman were escorted away after the flight arrived, the Reuters reporter said. Authorities refused to confirm that the couple were Jalilov's parents but the woman, in response to a Russian TV reporter's question, said she did not believe her son was the bomber. In the several years Jalilov spent living in Russia, he blended into the millions of migrants from central Asia, and led an outwardly secular lifestyle. His profile on VKontakte, the Russian equivalent of Facebook, showed he was interested in pop music, fast cars, and boxer Mike Tyson. His aunt, Surayo Jalilova, told Reuters in Osh: "We are speechless, we were all shocked, we never thought he could do something like this. He was the most obedient kid in the family, did well at school." Fatima Kadyrakhunova, who was his class teacher for four years at School no. 26 in Osh, said he was quiet and reserved, but did not excel at his studies. Six people of central Asian origin have been held on suspicion of recruiting for radical Islamist groups, but there is no proof linking the detainees to the metro bombing, Russian investigators said. Meanwhile authorities have beefed up security across major cities, with sniffer dogs and bag checks at several metro stations in Moscow. Putin touched on the attack at a previously scheduled meeting in Moscow with security service chiefs from ex-Soviet countries. "We see that, unfortunately, the situation is not getting better and the clearest confirmation of that is the recent tragic incident in St Petersburg," Putin said. "People died as a result of a terrorist act, many were hurt," he said. (Additional reporting by Maria Tsvetkova and Svetlana Reiter in MOSCOW, Hulkar Isamova in OSH, Kyrgyzstan, and Olzhas Auyezov in ALMATY; Writing by Sujata Rao and Christian Lowe; Editing by Giles Elgood)
By Irene Klotz COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Reuters) - Russia is open to extending its partnership in the International Space Station with the United States, Europe, Japan and Canada beyond the currently planned end of the program in 2024, the head of the Russian space agency said on Tuesday. We are ready to discuss it, Igor Komarov, general director of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, told reporters at the U.S. Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, when asked if his country would consider a four-year extension. The $100 billion science and engineering laboratory, orbiting 250 miles (400 km) above Earth, has been permanently staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts since November 2000. The U.S. space agency, NASA, spends about $3 billion a year on the space station program, a level of funding that is endorsed by the Trump administration and Congress. A U.S. House of Representatives committee that oversees NASA has begun looking at whether to extend the program beyond 2024, or use the money to speed up planned human space initiatives to the moon and Mars. Komarov said many medical and technological issues remain to be resolved before humans travel beyond the stations orbit. I think that we need to prolong our cooperation in low-Earth orbit because we havent resolved all the issues and problems that we face now, Komarov said. The U.S.-Russian human space partnership has long endured despite the swirl of political tensions between the two countries. In 1975, for example, at the height of the Cold War, an American Apollo and Russian Soyuz capsule docked together in orbit. "We appreciate that ... political problems do not touch this sphere, Komarov said. Moscow has an alternative if relations with the United States sour. Russia last year unveiled a plan to detach some of its modules and use them to create a new, independent outpost in orbit. We adjusted and made some minor changes in our programs ... but it doesnt mean that we dont want to continue our cooperation," Komarov said. "We just want to be on the safe side and make sure we can continue our research. The United States is dependent on Russias propellant module to keep the station in orbit. (Editing by Steve Gorman and Bill Trott)
Russia bluntly rejected a push by the United States, Britain and France in the Security Council to condemn Tuesdays deadly chemical weapons attack in Syria as completely unacceptable, heading off Western efforts to compel President Bashar al-Assads government to disclose intelligence on the actions of its air force on the day of the attack.

The Security Council stalemate on Wednesday marked a blow to international efforts to contain the use of chemical weapons on the modern battlefield, and raised the prospect that Russia may have to cast its eighth veto on Syria to block its adoption. It sparked a bitter exchange in an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council as the U.S. and its European allies accused Moscow of providing cover for what they characterized as the worst chemical weapons attack since August, 2013, when the Syrian government killed more than 1,400 civilians in the Damascus suburbs of Eastern Ghouta, according to the United States.

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, blasted Russia as having lost its humanity, displaying photographs of a small child and other civilians suffocating in Khan Sheikhoun. How many more children have to die before Russia cares? she said. We cannot close our eyes to those pictures. We cannot close our minds of the responsibility to act.

We know that yesterdays attack bears all hallmarks of the Assad regimes use of chemical weapons, she added. We know that Assad had used those weapons against the Syrian people before that was confirmed by this councils own independent team of investigators.

Haley also issued a veiled warning that the United States and its allies might act outside the U.N. to address alleged Syrias chemical weapons use. But she offered no detail on what the United States was prepared to do. When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action, Haley told the Security Council. For the sake of the victims, I hope the rest of the council is finally willing to do the same.



Story continues

Russia and Syria both denied that Syrian forces were responsible for the chemical attack, while a senior Russian envoy, Vladimir Safronkov, accused the councils Western powers of pursuing an ideological crusade aimed at undermining Russian- and Turkish-led diplomatic talks and toppling the Assad regime.

In remarks to the council, Safronkov, said that Syrian aircraft struck a warehouse in Khan Sheikhoun, in the rebel-held Idlib province, that produced chemical weapons. Safronkov said that Russia does not see a particular need for a new resolution on Syrian chemical weapons, saying that a fact-finding mission set up by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in 2014 to investigate reports of chlorine weapon use was capable of carrying out an investigation. That mission does not have a mandate to attribute responsibility for using such weapons.

We categorically reject false claims and accusations on the use by the Syrian Armed Forces of chemical weapons against civilians, Syrias deputy U.N. envoy Mounser Mounser told the council. The Syrian army does not have any form of chemical weapons; we have never used them and we will never use them.

If initial reports blaming Assads military for the attack are confirmed, it catches the Trump administration between a rock and diplomatic hard place. Days before the attack, top administration officials signaled they wouldnt seek Assads ouster any longer, a shift away from past U.S. policy. Both U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Haley said the administration would back off of pushing for Assads removal. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) slammed the administration for enabling the attack, saying Tuesday Tillerson and Haleys statements cannot be anything but motivating to Bashar al-Assad.

Tillerson initially declined to comment on the attack Tuesday, but released a comment hours later denouncing Assads brutal, unabashed barbarism. He added Russia and Iran, close allies of Assad, bear great moral responsibility for these deaths.

The U.N.s high representative for disarmament, Kim Won-soo, cited media reports indicating the deaths of more than 70 civilians, and the injury of more than 200 others, many who showed symptoms of vomiting, fainting, and foaming at the mouth. Kim said initial reports indicated that the attacks was carried out through an airstrike on a residential area, but that the means of delivery of the alleged attack cannot be definitively confirmed, at this stage.

He added, If confirmed, this would constitute the single largest chemical weapons attack in the Syrian Arab Republic since the attack on Eastern Ghouta in August, 2013.

Kim said that a fact-finding mission established by the OPCW in April, 2014 to investigate reports of chlorine weapons use is actively engaged in gathering and analyzing information on the latest attack and will deploy a team in Syria at the earliest opportunity.

The resolution  which was drafted by Britain, France, and the United States  expresses its outrage that individuals continue to be killed and injured by chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, and expresses its determination that those responsible must be held accountable, according to a draft text obtained by Foreign Policy.

It would have obliged Syria to hand over its flight logs and plans on the day of the attack to chemical weapons experts from the U.N. and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

After the council meeting, the U.S. and its European allies were consulting to determine whether to push for a vote on their resolution in the face of a likely Russian veto.

Russia and China vetoed seven past council bids on Syria to protect Assads regime from U.N. sanctions and condemnation, including a January measure that would have imposed penalties on Syrian commanders suspected of ordering chemical weapons attacks.

While the debate played out on the floor of the U.N., Syrians reeled from the fallout of the deadly attack.

Casualty reports vary, but a Syrian rescue worker at the scene told FP 70 civilians were killed and 300 injured, many of whom were women and children. Some 80 rescue volunteers for the Syrian Civil Defense were also injured, Anas, a Syrian White Helmet rescue worker told FP.

He described the aftermath. Immediately after the attack, around one kilometer away, I started feeling the smell of the gas and I knew if I continue on I will get infected like what happened to my colleagues, Anas said. At this point, I headed towards the center and the hospital, at the time there were around 50 cases, he said. Hours later, he returned to the area with other rescue workers and journalists and describe the scene. The area [hit] was a simple hole in the ground on one of the streets surrounded by black gas or a very dark substance, he said.

By then, victims had been transferred to hospitals. But for dozens, help came too late. One man, Hamid el Yusuf, lost his entire family of 15 in the attack, including his two young children, Anas said.

Mizar Hassani, a Syrian American Medical Society doctor at a hospital near the attack, told FP the likely culprit was sarin gas. This is a chemical gas attack, from signs and symptoms and in our experience this is usually from sarin gas inhalation or organic phosphorous compound, not chlorine inhalation, Hassani said.

This was the worst, but not the first gas attack in recent weeks, FP learned. Hassani said his hospital received dozens of patients in the past two weeks suffering from sarin gas and chlorine gas inhalation.

After the attack, airstrikes reportedly by Assads military forces targeted the nearby hospital treating victims. Anas said the only hospital in the town struck by the attack suffered ten air raids hours after the attack. The ambulances were completely out of service, the heavy equipments that we used to rescue people from underneath the rubbles is also out of service, he said.

Photo credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

This story has been updated.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A proposed United Nations resolution on a chemical weapons attack in Syria is "unacceptable" for Moscow and based on "fake information", Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday. "Unfortunately, based on totally fake information, the United States, France and Great Britain have once again planted - one cannot put it any other way - into the U.N. Security Council a draft resolution which has a completely anti-Syrian character," the RIA Novosti agency quoted Zakharova as saying. The resolution would exacerbate tensions within Syria and throughout the region, she said. Zakharova was also quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying: "We do not believe it is expedient to pass a resolution on the chemical weapons attack in its present form." Washington, Paris and London have drawn up a draft U.N. Security Council statement condemning the attack and demanding an investigation. Russia has the power to veto it, as it has done to block all previous resolutions that would harm Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russia has suggested it would publicly stand by Assad and says the chemical incident which killed scores of people was likely caused by a leak from a depot controlled by Syrian rebels. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier told reporters Russia would argue at the United Nations that the rebels were to blame for the chemical contamination. (Reporting by Polina Devitt; writing by Sujata Rao; Editing by Christian Lowe and Janet Lawrence)
By Denis Dyomkin and Christian Lowe MOSCOW (Reuters) - Islamist militants have targeted Russia many times before but Monday's bombing of a metro train in St Petersburg was, for President Vladimir Putin, personal: it happened in his native city on a day he was making a visit back home. The attack, which killed 14 people and wounded 50, is also a test for one of Putin's most contentious policies - his decision to launch a military intervention in Syria on the side of President Bashar al-Assad. Kremlin-watchers say the risk is that Russian voters could decide, after seeing the destruction in St Petersburg, that the Syrian operation is making them more vulnerable to such attacks - not safer as Putin promised. That would be problematic for Putin, who faced a new wave of anti-corruption protests last month, before a presidential election next year when he is expected to seek a fourth term. The main suspect in the blast, Akbarzhon Jalilov, is a Russian citizen from mainly Muslim Kyrgyzstan. No group has said it was behind the attack but in the past Islamic State has threatened to avenge Syria. It already said it was responsible for bringing down a planeload of Russian tourists over Egypt's Sinai peninsula in 2015, killing all 224 people on board. If the St Petersburg bombing turns out to be Islamic State's response to Russia's operation in support of Assad, "that would signify the complete failure of Putin's gambit in Syria", said Alfred Kokh, a former deputy prime minister under the late president Boris Yeltsin. "If you add to the mix the air disaster over Sinai ... then the picture is looking very grim for the author of Russia's participation in the Syria conflict," said Kokh. TRAUMA PASSES However, it was not clear that ordinary Russian voters would view it as a Putin failure. Opinion polls give him a high level of support, and there was no discernable damage to his standing after the plane bombing over Egypt. "Now we feel a blow, trauma, but actually with us trauma passes quite quickly," Gleb Pavlovsky, a former Kremlin adviser, told Russia's Ekho Moskvy radio station. "In a week's time it will be clear which way people are inclining - towards what in the past was a customary demand for more repression, or towards fatigue over this perpetual situation where we are being sold security under various guises, but we still don't have security." Early indications are that the Kremlin will respond by arguing that the St Petersburg attack underlines the importance of the operation in Syria, which Russia says is primarily aimed at crushing Islamist militants. Another response may be to tighten security inside Russia and launch a crackdown on all manifestations of hardline Islam. That would make sense from the practical point of view of stopping further attacks. But the bombing could produce a side benefit for the Kremlin. Russian officials were taken unawares last month when thousands of people turned out in cities across Russia to protest against alleged official corruption. The organizers of the protests said they would intensify their activity as the 2018 election approaches. "Will the security threat be mobilized as a pretext to ban demonstrations (in the interests of public safety, of course), or more broadly as a reason to say 'now is not the time for division'?" Mark Galeotti, an expert on Russian security, wrote in business publication bne IntelliNews. (Editing by David Stamp)
By Ellen Francis BEIRUT (Reuters) - A suspected Syrian government chemical attack killed scores of people, including children, in the northwestern province of Idlib on Tuesday, a monitoring group, medics and rescue workers in the rebel-held area said. The U.S. government believes the chemical agent sarin was used in the attack, a U.S. government source said, adding it was "almost certainly" carried out by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian military denied responsibility and said it would never use chemical weapons, echoing denials it has made over the course of the more than six-year Syrian civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands, created the world's worst refugee crisis and drawn in nations such as Russia, Iran and the United States. The United States, Britain and France on Tuesday proposed a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the attack, which they have blamed on Assad's forces. Diplomats said the resolution would likely be put to a vote on Wednesday. The attack also sparked political recriminations. U.S. President Donald Trump condemned the "heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime," but also blamed his predecessor Barack Obama's "weakness" on Syria. A Syrian opposition figure said it was a consequence of recent U.S. statements suggesting a focus on stopping Islamic State militants rather than ousting Assad. If confirmed, the incident reported in the town of Khan Sheikhoun would be the deadliest chemical attack in Syria since sarin gas killed hundreds of civilians in Ghouta near Damascus in August 2013. Western states said the Syrian government was responsible for that attack. Damascus blamed rebels. The head of the health authority in rebel-held Idlib province said more than 50 people had been killed and 300 wounded in the latest incident. The Union of Medical Care Organizations, a coalition of international aid agencies that funds hospitals in Syria, said the death toll was at least 100. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack killed at least 58 people and was believed to have been carried out by Syrian government jets. It caused many people to choke and some to foam at the mouth. Director Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters the assessment that Syrian government warplanes were to blame was based on several factors such as the type of aircraft, including Sukhoi 22 jets, that carried out the raid. "We deny completely the use of any chemical or toxic material in Khan Sheikhoun town today and the army has not used nor will use in any place or time neither in past or in future," the Syrian army command said in a statement. The Russian Defence Ministry, whose forces are backing Assad, said its aircraft had not carried out the attack. The U.N. Security Council was expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss the incident. Reuters photographs showed people breathing through oxygen masks and wearing protection suits, while others carried the bodies of dead children. Corpses wrapped in blankets were lined up on the ground. Activists in northern Syria circulated pictures on social media showing a man with foam around his mouth, and rescue workers hosing down almost-naked children squirming on the floor. BLAME GAME Mounzer Khalil, head of Idlib's health authority, said hospitals in the province were overflowing with victims. "This morning, at 6:30 a.m., warplanes targeted Khan Sheikhoun with gases, believed to be sarin and chlorine," he told a news conference. The attack sparked a blame game within the United States. Trump faulted Obama for not enforcing a 2012 "red line" against the use of chemical weapons and suggested the attack was "a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution." An Obama spokesman declined comment. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued an appeal for Russia and Iran "to exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again." In contrast, Syrian opposition member Basma Kodmani blamed recent statements by Tillerson and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley that suggested the new U.S. administration could live with Assad remaining in power for the time being. "This is a direct consequence of American statements about Assad not being a priority and giving him time and allowing him to stay in power," Kodmani told Reuters via text, saying the U.S. officials' comments amounted to "a blank check for Assad." French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the attack was a way of testing the Trump administration and urged Washington to clarify its position on Assad. The incident was condemned by a host of leaders, including the president of France, who directly blamed Syrian government forces, and Britain, which said Assad would be guilty of a war crime if his government was proved responsible. U.N. Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura said the "horrific" chemical attack had come from the air. The draft text of the U.N. resolution, seen by Reuters, says Syria's government must provide an international investigation with flight plans and logs for Tuesday, the names of all helicopter squadron commanders and provide access to air bases where investigators believe attacks using chemicals may have been launched. In February, Russia, backed by China, cast its seventh veto to protect Assad's government from U.N. Security Council action, blocking a bid by Western powers to impose sanctions over accusations of chemical weapons attacks during the conflict. A series of investigations by the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) found that various parties in the Syrian war had used chlorine, sulfur mustard gas and sarin. TOXIC ARSENAL Idlib province contains the largest populated area controlled by anti-Assad rebels - both nationalist Free Syrian Army groups and powerful Islamist factions including the former al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. Idlib's population has ballooned, with thousands of fighters and civilians shuttled out of Aleppo city and areas around Damascus that the government has retaken in recent months as Assad has gained the upper hand in the war. The United States has also launched a spate of air strikes in Idlib this year, targeting jihadist insurgents. Following the 2013 attack, Syria joined the international Chemical Weapons Convention under a U.S.-Russian deal, averting the threat of U.S.-led military intervention. Under the deal, Syria agreed to give up its toxic arsenal and surrendered 1,300 tonnes of toxic weapons and industrial chemicals to the international community for destruction. U.N.-OPCW investigators found, however, that it continued to use chlorine, which is widely available and hard to trace, in so-called barrel bombs dropped from helicopters. Chlorine is not a banned substance, but the use of any chemical is banned under 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Syria is a member. (Additional reporting by Laila Bassam in Beirut, Anthony Deutsch in Amsterdam, Ercan Gurses and Tulay Karadeniz in Ankara, Daren Butler in Istanbul, Robin Emmott in Brussels, John Irish in Paris, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Steve Holland, Mark Hosenball, Lesley Wroughton, Arshad Mohammed and Yara Bayoumy in Washington and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Editing by Andrew Roche and Peter Cooney)
Incumbent Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Tony Evers coasted to a third term Tuesday, ahead by more than a 2-1 margin in early returns over conservative challenger Lowell Holtz, whose campaign sank under the weight of his own baggage.

The race was called about 30 minutes after polls closed at 8 p.m. with returns showing Evers with 70 percent of the vote to Holtz' 30 percent.

Am I glad its a big win? Hell yes, Evers told about 100 supporters at the Park Hotel on the Capitol Square in Madison. It says something about the two messages.

During the final weeks of the campaign, Holtz blamed Evers for the states persistent achievement gap, at one point blaming his leadership at DPI for the 2016 riots in Milwaukees Sherman Park in response to a police shooting.

Evers said his "positive, constructive message resonated with voters.

Im not going to pick on him because we beat him, but the fact is his view of the world is a lot different than mine, Evers said. And my view of the world won.

In a concession statement, Holtz wished Evers well in this third term and said he hoped this campaign has broadened the way people view education reform in the State of Wisconsin.

While tonight did not go as we had hoped, I am grateful to my family, friends, and supporters around Wisconsin who gave me the platform from which to engage in a dialog about education in our state and raise serious issues regarding the condition of education in Wisconsin, he said.

It was Holtz second try for the post. He ran as a moderate eight years ago, ending up last in the primary. He took a hard right turn this time around, making conservative issues such as school choice, voucher expansion and opposition to Common Core educational standards central to his campaign. He also touted the success of the states anti-union policies and accused Evers of over-regulating the teacher assessment process.

As part of his campaign, Holz unveiled a teachers bill of rights, in which he promised to enhance school safety and eliminate strangling bureaucratic requirements.

But it wasnt enough to counter Evers popularity among educators, whom he said have suffered under Republican policies that have made them pay more for benefits while being subjected negative rhetoric from the GOP-led state Capitol, developments that he maintained have contributed to the states teacher shortage.

Evers, who garnered donations from the American Federation of Teachers and the Wisconsin Education Association Council, as well as county Democratic parties, buried Holtz in fundraising, pulling in $218,000 from Feb. 7 through March 20, compared with $87,000 for Holtz. He also benefitted from about $195,000 in ads by the liberal Greater Wisconsin Committee.

Evers, 65, won nearly 70 percent of the primary vote in February, while Holtz walked away with 23 percent. John Humphries, vying for the conservative vote, took just over 7 percent.

Holtz benefitted from a post-primary bump from Republican fundraising, most prominently mega-donors Liz and Dick Uihlein as well as a few county GOP parties, but the spigot dried up after a string of reports suggesting that he left his past positions as a schools superintendent in Whitnall, and before that in Beloit, under bad circumstances.

His personnel records from those districts indicate that he clashed with the school boards. Records from the Whitnall School District showed he came up short on performance reviews and left before the board could vote to not renew his contract.

Help in the form of independent ads by groups such as the Wisconsin Club for Growth and Americans for Prosperity, which have helped other conservative candidates running for statewide office, never materialized for Holtz.

His campaign began to unravel even before the February vote, when Humphries made public a deal offered by Holtz by which one would drop out and support the other. In exchange, the candidate not on the ballot would get a $150,000-a-year job with the department with a personal driver.

Holtz maintained that the offer was crafted by a group of business leaders he declined to name. Although the quid pro quo was deemed to be legal by the state Elections Commission, Evers frequently brought the issue up in appearances, forums and in televised ads.

In addition, email records obtained by the liberal group One Wisconsin Now showed that Holtz may have engaged in political activity on the job. A complaint filed against him with the Elections Commission is still pending.

Evers, 65, will head into his third term with an agenda with an unfamiliar dose of Republican support. Gov. Scott Walker, in his budget, proposed spending $649 million on K-12 education in the next two years, some of it going toward mental health supports and rural schools, issues that Evers had addressed in his budget request. The funding proposal, which follows about $1 billion in cuts over the past six years, still has to pass through the Legislature.

During his election-night speech, Evers cited more state funding and improving the rhetoric around the teaching profession as priorities.

And he made a passing reference to teaching requirements, which some Republican proposals have aimed to loosen.

We cant go back to the days where if you could read you could teach, he said. We cant dumb down this profession.
Freetown (AFP) - Sierra Leone said Wednesday that it was extending the bidding for a massive 709-carat diamond found by an Evangelical preacher last month, after the government received only six offers for the gem.

Bids will now be accepted until May 10 -- in particular to allow more time for potential buyers from Belgium, Israel, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, a government spokesman said -- with the auction to be held the following day.

The diamond was unearthed by Emmanuel Momoh, a 39-year-old pastor who is also one of hundreds of so-called artisanal miners in Kono, Sierra Leone's key mining district.

"I also had an opportunity to escape with the diamond to Belgium through a local dealer, but I was convinced that the government is committed to helping our people, so I handed it over to the government," Momoh said at a press conference in Freetown on Wednesday.

"I have been part of all the processes in the weighing, bidding and cleaning of the diamond, and it has been transparent, and I'm very satisfied with the process so far," he added.

But the Sierra Leone authorities lack the necessary equipment for properly cleaning and polishing the uncut stone, which currently appears to be coated by a reddish stain.

The Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources said it had tried to clean the diamond "by boiling (it) in hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid for 72 hours," but it was not enough to be able to set an accurate estimate of its value.

"We had to do with what we have to ensure that the diamond is sold with quality to the highest bidder as soon as possible," said Sahr Wonday, director general of the National Minerals Agency.

"We want more individuals or companies to bid for the diamond so that we can get the best price" for what is expected to be between the 10th- and 15th-biggest diamond ever found, Wonday said.

The government has pledged to hold a "transparent" bidding process, mindful of the history of cross-border diamond trafficking that fuelled Sierra Leone's civil war from 1991-2002.

Story continues

Such "blood diamonds" were often found by enslaved members of the population, who were killed or maimed by rebel groups if they refused to dig.

"The president is keen to use proceeds of the diamond to develop Kono and other parts of the country," said Abdulai Bayratay, the government spokesman.

Momoh is the still the official owner of the diamond, but it is unclear what percentage of the sale price he will have to pay the government in taxes.
By Lawrence Hurley and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate moved on Tuesday toward ramming through approval of President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee this week, as its top Republican said he had the votes to wipe away Democratic roadblocks but vowed to preserve the minority party's ability to hold up legislation. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to change the Senate's long-standing rules in order to eliminate the ability to use a procedural hurdle called a filibuster against Supreme Court nominees like Trump's pick, Neil Gorsuch, if a Democratic filibuster succeeds as expected in blocking a confirmation vote. Senate confirmation of Gorsuch, 49, to the lifetime post would restore the court's conservative majority and enable Trump to leave a lasting imprint on America's highest judicial body even as he regularly criticizes the federal judiciary. McConnell said he had the necessary votes to approve the rule change with a simple majority vote, expected on Thursday. Republicans control the Senate 52-48. The rule change has been dubbed the "nuclear option," and Trump has encouraged McConnell to "go nuclear." Such a step would threaten to further erode trust between the parties in Congress. "There's a reason they call it the nuclear option, and that is because there's fallout. And this fallout will be dangerously and perhaps disastrously radioactive for the Senate for years to come," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal told reporters. Republicans were so confident they could use their muscle to pass the rule change that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said flatly that Gorsuch "will be on the Supreme Court Friday night." Amid a fierce debate over both Gorsuch and the Senate's rules, McConnell tried to tamp down any speculation that Republicans would stage a monumental power grab by ending the filibuster for legislation. McConnell said that as long as he was the Senate's majority leader, he would never remove the ability to mount a filibuster against legislation, as opposed to presidential appointments. McConnell fought against many of former Democratic President Barack Obama's legislative initiatives when Republicans were the minority party in the Senate. "There's not a single senator in the (Republican) majority who thinks we ought to change the legislative filibuster, not one," McConnell told reporters. The move to change venerable Senate rules reflects an intensifying of the already-toxic partisanship in Washington since Trump took office in January. McConnell's promise to keep the ability to filibuster legislation could make it more difficult for Republicans to get key parts of Trump's legislative agenda through the Senate, considering the expected strong Democratic opposition. 'BREAK THE RULES' A filibuster requires a super-majority of 60 votes in the 100-seat Senate in order to proceed to a simple majority vote on a Supreme Court nominee or legislation. The 60-vote super-majority threshold that gives the minority party power to hold up the majority party has forced the Senate over the decades to try to achieve bipartisanship in legislation and presidential appointments. The Senate on Tuesday kicked off its formal debate on confirming Gorsuch, a Colorado-based appeals court judge, and McConnell said he would get the clock ticking toward a vote expected on Thursday to stop the Democrats' filibuster. Democrats on Monday amassed the votes needed to sustain the filibuster, prompting Republicans to move toward changing the rules. Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley took to the Senate floor on Tuesday evening to rally support for the Gorsuch filibuster. His office said in a statement that he "plans to hold the floor and refuse to yield for as long as he is able to continue speaking." Merkley's "talking filibuster" is not expected to affect the Republican timetable for Gorsuch's confirmation. The filibuster in one form or another dates back to the 19th century but assumed its current form in the 1970s. The Democrats were the first to use the "nuclear option." In 2013, when they controlled the Senate, they changed it to bar filibusters for executive branch nominees and federal judges aside from Supreme Court justices. They did so after Republicans filibustered Obama's appeals court nominees. "Democrats are now being pushed by far-left interest groups into doing something truly detrimental to this body and to our country," McConnell said on the Senate floor. "They seem to be hurtling toward the abyss this time, and trying to take the Senate with them." Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, leading the filibuster effort, said it was the Republicans who bore responsibility for the crisis and for deciding, as he said, to "break the rules." He noted that the Senate, under McConnell's guidance, refused last year to consider Obama's nomination of appellate judge Merrick Garland to fill the same high court vacancy that Trump elected Gorsuch to fill. "What the majority leader did to Merrick Garland by denying him even a hearing and a vote is even worse than a filibuster," Schumer said on the Senate floor. Restoring the nine-seat high court's conservative majority would fulfill one of Trump's top promises during the 2016 presidential campaign. Republicans say Gorsuch is well qualified for the job and that there is no principled reason to oppose him. Democrats say he is so conservative as to be outside the judicial mainstream, has favored corporate interests over ordinary Americans in legal opinions, and has shown insufficient independence from Trump. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Additional reporting by Richard Cowan and Tim Ahmann; Editing by Will Dunham)
WASHINGTON  Senate Republicans praised President Trump for shaking up his National Security Council on Wednesday and removing his chief adviser Steve Bannon from its key committee.

Nothing against Mr. Bannon personally, but having a political operative on the Security Council was always a bridge too far for me, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Yahoo News. I think this is a good move for the president.

Trumps order, first reported by Bloomberg, also restores the previous roles of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and director of national intelligence, while adding the United Nations ambassador, the energy secretary and the CIA director to the principals committee of the NSC, which meets regularly to discuss national security threats.

Trumps original order in January  which elevated Bannon to the principals committee and sidelined the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff  drew blowback from critics saying he was politicizing national security.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., called the shakeup a natural evolution after retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster replaced Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as Trumps national security adviser last month. Flynn, a controversial figure within the administration, was forced out over allegations he lied to the White House about his contacts with the Russian ambassador. McMaster was widely viewed as a more mainstream pick for the role.

[McMaster] has great experience, he knows who he needs to bring to the table to make the most timely assessments of risk to make decisions in his lane, Tillis told Yahoo, calling the restructuring a good thing.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., released a statement  without mentioning Bannon that praised Trump for restoring the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the director of national intelligence to the committee. In January, McCain said he had concerns about Bannons appointment, calling the presence of a political operative on the NSC a radical departure from the bodys history.

Story continues

I have great confidence that if empowered, these outstanding individuals will provide the President with the sound advice and counsel he needs to restore American leadership and confront the many threats facing our nation, McCain said.

White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

A senior White House official downplayed the significance of the shakeup to Yahoo News on Wednesday, saying Bannon was only on the committee to supervise Flynn and was thus no longer needed.

Look, Steve was put on the NSC from the get-go as a check on Mike Flynn, the official said.

Meanwhile, Democrats, who have widely called for Bannons ouster since he was tapped to join Trumps White House, said his departure from the NSC was long overdue.

(1/2) Placing Steve Bannon, a political adviser with no national security experience, on the National Security Council is inappropriate.  Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) February 3, 2017

Well you know, first, he shouldnt have been there anyway, said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif. So its like, well OK  but why was he there in the first place?

Lee, who sponsored a resolution calling for Bannons removal from the post, said the next step is getting him out of the White House altogether.

This man is a white supremacist, part of the alt-right, former editor of Breitbart News, she said. His history and his extreme views and ideology discredit and disqualify him from being in the White House.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump should not point to his White House predecessor about a recent deadly chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians but directly blame that nation's regime instead, Republican and Democratic senators urged Wednesday.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Senate Democrat Ben Cardin were introducing a resolution assailing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his forces for apparently using chemical weapons in an attack that left 86 civilians dead, including 30 children.

They also demanded a sharper position against Assad by the Trump administration, whose senior officials recently suggested it was no longer a priority that Assad be removed from power.

"This needs to become a priority," Rubio said at a press conference with Cardin, both of whom branded Assad a war criminal.

"I don't think it's a secret that I disagreed with many of the decisions made by the Obama administration on foreign policy, but that presidency's over. We have a new presidency," Rubio said.

"Bottom line is, the people who killed these children are Bashar al-Assad with the assistance of Vladimir Putin's military forces," Rubio added, referring to the presidents of Syria and Russia, respectively.

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

The Assad regime stands accused of conducting the latest chemical weapons assault, believed to be the worst since 2013 in the war-ravaged nation.

On Tuesday, Trump blamed Obama for failing to enforce his "red line" after Assad used chemical weapons four years ago.

"President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing," he said.

Trump offered stronger criticism of Assad Wednesday, labeling the latest attack an "affront to humanity."

Still, lawmakers were eager to see the new administration formulate a firm position on Syria.

"We need to know President Trump's policies for countering these atrocities and the challenges we have," Cardin said.

Story continues

Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for the formulation of clear US policy that Assad has "no legitimacy as the leader of Syria and no future as the leader of Syria."

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson raised eyebrows last week when he said Assad's fate was up to the Syrian people, and that the primary US goal was defeating the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

Rubio said he does "not believe it is coincidental" that the attack followed such comments.

But he placed the blame squarely on Assad's forces.

"Any effort to take even an iota of blame away from the people truly responsible does not further the cause that we seek to make and bring light to today," he said.
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP)  Several thousand people rallied in Serbia's capital for the third day in row on Wednesday to protest the victory of the country's powerful leader, Aleksandar Vucic, in last weekend's presidential election.

Blowing whistles and chanting slogans against Vucic, crowds marched through Belgrade and other cities. They held banners with slogans such as "Down with dictatorship" and "Stop the government terror."

The protesters, most of them young, have gathered on the streets in response to calls on social media. It was not clear who is organizing the events, although government officials claim the demonstrations are the work of political opponents.

Student organizations in Belgrade and the northern city of Novi Sad say they are demanding replacement of the state election commission, the editors of the state television, and the parliament speaker.

"I am here because I think that there is no democracy in this country any longer," protester Mihajlo Saranovic said at the Belgrade rally.

"I think that something needs to change and I am here to express my discontent with the current situation," he said.

The students said they will demand early parliamentary elections if their requests are not met.

Vucic, who is currently serving as the prime minister, won the Sunday vote by a landslide against a string of fractured opposition candidates. A former extreme nationalist-turned pro-EU reformer, Vucic has faced accusations of ruling autocratically.

Vucic's interior minister, Nebojsa Stefanovic, said earlier Wednesday that the street protests were "highly political" and orchestrated by the opposition candidates who lost the election.

The opposition has alleged the election was marred by major irregularities, including muzzling of the media, voter intimidation and bribes.
London (AFP) - Royal Dutch Shell on Wednesday announced the sale of its liquefied petroleum gas business in Hong Kong and Macau to Irish group DCC Energy for US$150.3 million (141 million euros).

"This sale supports Shell's strategic commitment to focus downstream activities on areas where we can be most competitive," said Shell Downstream Director John Abbott.

"This is one of the last of our wholly owned LPG businesses and this sale is another step in Shell's ongoing portfolio optimisation strategy to deliver $30 billion of divestments between 2016 and 2018."

Shell stressed that Hong Kong and Macau would remain "important markets for Shell", adding that as part of the sale, the Anglo-Dutch group would enter into a long-term brand license agreement with DCC Energy, ensuring that the Shell brand stays visible.
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP)  Lawmakers in Slovakia have annulled criminal pardons granted by former Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar that barred an investigation into the kidnapping of the son of late President Michal Kovac.

The authoritarian Meciar led Slovakia into international isolation during the 1990s and is alleged to have been behind Michal Kovac Jr.'s abduction to Austria in 1995.

Meciar's government acquired some presidential powers temporarily in 1998 when lawmakers failed to elect a new president. He granted pardons that made it impossible to investigate the kidnapping.

Wednesday's vote is an attempt to address old grudges over the abduction.

Lawmakers voted 129-1 to rescind the pardons after they amended the constitution last week to make such a vote possible.

The country's Constitutional Court will have final say on the legality of the moves.
Bratislava (AFP) - Slovakia's parliament voted Wednesday to repeal an amnesty granted by a former premier over the unsolved 1995 kidnapping of the son of the country's first president, paving the way for a new inquiry.

Lawmakers voted 129 to 1 to repeal the amnesty offered in 1998 by prime minister Vladimir Meciar for "crimes committed in connection with the kidnapping of Michal Kovac Jr".

The son of president Michal Kovac was seized in August 1995 by unknown assailants in neighbouring Austria.

He was blindfolded and handcuffed, forced to drink a bottle of whisky and given electric shocks, before he was found in his car near a police station in the Austrian town of Hainburg, just 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Bratislava.

An Austrian court ruled in 1995 that the kidnapping was most likely the work of the Slovak Secret Service (SIS).

But Meciar's amnesty a few years later halted investigations, heightening widespread suspicions that he himself orchestrated the abduction to embarrass Kovac, his main political rival.

Meciar, now 74, has denied any involvement, but a recent opinion poll showed that 63 percent of Slovaks still want to see the kidnapping investigated.

"The amnesty overturned today was unprecedented in postwar Europe, as a state representative de facto amnestied perpetrators of state terrorism -- and it is suspected that he (Meciar) also amnestied himself," Jan Baranek, an analyst with the Polis Slovakia think tank, told AFP.

But Baranek said any new inquiry would be difficult, not least because Ivan Lexa, the SIS director at the time, now lives in Mexico, "a country with which we have no extradition treaty".

Meciar, who served three times as prime minister, was sharply criticised by the United States and many European nations for his authoritarian rule and widespread corruption while in office.

He was also condemned by Kovac, the first president of an independent Slovakia, for attempting to curb newly won civil liberties after the collapse of communism in 1989.

Kovac died of heart failure in October 2016.
PARIS (AP)  Police say a small explosion has damaged the front of an office of energy company EDF in the French island of Corsica.

Spokeswoman Frederique Olivaux said a homemade bomb went off Wednesday around 4 a.m. in front of the building in Corsica's second city, Bastia.

It shattered the windows and damaged the door, but Olivaux said no one was injured.

She added that a police investigation has been opened  and since no person or group has claimed responsibility, all options are being explored.

Corsica is home to an active separatist movement and has a history of mafia gang violence.
Department of Homeland Secretary John Kelly sought to allay concerns the United States would routinely require foreigners to hand over their phones and social media passwords when entering the country.

Kelly, in Senate testimony Wednesday, acknowledged that stricter vetting standards would be applied to some foreigners, but said they wouldnt broadly target travelers from the United States allies. We wont probably do the same type of additional vetting in say, Britain or Japan, he told members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. It just depends on the country or the threat.

Homeland Security officials are planning to revamp vetting procedures for visa applicants to comply with President Donald Trumps order to institute so-called extreme vetting. The new measures could include requesting access to cell phone contacts, social media handles and passwords, financial records, and questions about ideology and beliefs for all visa applicants, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. The changes might even apply to visitors and immigrants from close American allies, including the 38 countries who participate in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, according to the article.

But at Wednesdays hearing, Kelly downplayed those possibilities in response to pointed questions from Sen. Clare McCaskill (D-MO), who seemed concerned that too-aggressive vetting would run counter to American values and deter foreigners from visiting the United States.

McCaskill, the panels most senior Democrat, said her hair was on fire at the prospect that any traveler could potentially expect to be questioned on their beliefs in order to enter the United States, even if it is not routinely asked. It seems to me we are signaling something very un-American to the rest of the world in announcing this policy, she said. She pointed out that potential terrorists could easily bring a burner phone and lie about their beliefs. We are doing things that in no way trips up the bad guys and permanently changes Americas image in the world, she said.

Story continues

Kelly described a less expansive change than was reported by the Wall Street Journal, while offering few specifics. He said device searches for people entering the country are already a standard practice for foreigners who are flagged for an extra screening because of irregularities, like database cross checks or unusual travel patterns. But they are not routine. While millions of people enter the United States every day, he said, one half of one percent might have their device looked at. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) clarified that last year nearly 24,000 travelers had their devices searched.

Visa and refugee applicants from high-risk countries, like Iraq and Afghanistan, already undergo extensive background checks that can include social media screenings, financial and medical records, and sharing their phone contacts.

For visitors already cleared to to travel to the United States, device screening at the airport is done in a very small number of cases, Kelly said. But if theres a reason to do it, we will in fact do it. Whether its France, Britain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, or Somalia, it wont be routinely done at the port of entry.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) expressed concerns over reports that American citizens and legal permanent residents recently were asked to turn over their phones when returning to the United States. As an American citizen do you think its appropriate to deny me entry to the country unless I let you search my phone? he asked Kelly.

Kelly appeared to partially sidestep the question. I dont believe we are turning or we ever turned back legal citizens or legal residents, Kelly said. It is certainly happening to foreigners coming in, but its not routine.

The hearing also discussed the recent electronics ban on devices larger than a cell phone in the cabins of direct flights from certain Middle Eastern countries. Kelly said DHS is continuing to assess potential terrorist threats and may expand the number of airports subject to the laptop ban.

Photo Credit: ZACH GIBSON/Getty Images
Johannesburg (AFP) - South Africa's embattled President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday won the backing of the ruling ANC party, which rejected calls for him to resign over a controversial cabinet reshuffle.

The African National Congress acknowledged growing calls for Zuma to step down, admitting to "serious and difficult disagreement" over the president's sacking of respected finance minister Pravin Gordhan last week.

Zuma could either be ousted by the ANC recalling him, or a vote of no confidence in parliament that has been scheduled for April 18.

The party retains a large majority in parliament, and Zuma has easily survived previous confidence votes.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told reporters Wednesday that although the party had "reflected" on the resignation demands, "we won't recall President Jacob Zuma because opposition parties say so. It won't work that way."

Zuma has been under fire for several days -- including from within his own camp -- after dismissing Gordhan, a decision that caused the rand currency to plummet.

Gordhan's removal triggered unprecedented criticism from Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa as well as the party's chief whip, its treasurer and several ANC allies.

Ramaphosa, who could succeed Zuma, described it as "totally unacceptable".

South Africa's powerful trade union federation Cosatu this week joined many anti-apartheid veterans, business leaders and civil action groups calling for Zuma to step down.

Mantashe -- who was among those who had hit out at Zuma in recent days -- blamed Gordhan's sacking on "the irretrievable breakdown" in relations with the president.

Gordhan was at loggerheads with Zuma for months, receiving support from several ministers and major foreign investors, as well as many ordinary South Africans.

"The (party) has emphasised the need for unity of the ANC and the alliance in the interests of South Africa," Mantashe said.

Story continues

- Credit downgrade -

Gordhan had campaigned for budget discipline and against corruption, but Zuma's allies accused him of thwarting the president's desire to enact radical policies to tackle racial inequality.

Gordhan's sacking contributed to a credit ratings downgrade to junk status on Monday by Standard & Poor's, further fuelling calls for Zuma to step down.

The president has defended his change at the Treasury, saying that the government's financial policies remained the same.

S&P said the cut to below investment grade reflected "heightened political and institutional uncertainties" following the purge of Gordhan and other critical ministers.

With the cabinet overhaul exposing deep divisions within the ANC, the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party hopes to benefit at general elections in 2019.

"No army anywhere in the world will subject their footsoldiers to be commanded by an enemy general," Mantashe said in relation to the no confidence vote.

Peter Attard Montalto, analyst at Nomura bank, said in a briefing note that Zuma was "a master tactician who can play the internal machinations of the ANC much better than anyone else."

The president has been accused of being in the sway of the wealthy Gupta business family, allegedly granting them influence over government appointments, contracts and state-owned businesses.

Since coming to power in 2009, Zuma has been hit by a series of corruption scandals, while the ANC suffered its worst ever results in local polls last year.

He is due to step down as head of the ANC in December, ahead of the 2019 general election.

The president is seen as favouring his ex-wife, former African Union chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, to succeed him -- rather than Ramaphosa.
By Mfuneko Toyana JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's African National Congress "closed ranks" around President Jacob Zuma after two key allies of the ruling party called for his resignation following a cabinet reshuffle that cost the country one of its investment-grade credit ratings. The rand fell more than 1 percent and bonds weakened after ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe told a news briefing on Wednesday that the ANC would not support removing Zuma, whose party leadership role ends in December. Zuma's presidential term will finish in 2019. Last Thursday's dismissal of finance minister Pravin Gordhan, a totem of policymaking stability for many foreign investors, was criticised by unions, civil society groups and the opposition, and has revived pressure on Zuma to quit. Since taking office in 2009, the 74-year-old president has repeatedly denied accusations of corruption, and senior ANC officials have backed him. S&P Global Ratings cited Gordhan's departure as one reason for its downgrade of South Africa to "junk" in an unscheduled credit rating review on Monday, a move that is set to push up the country's borrowing costs. Mantashe said the ANC had accepted the "irretrievable breakdown of the relationship" between Zuma and Gordhan as the reason the finance minister was sacked. Gordhan's removal has deepened a rift within the ruling party, with Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, a leading candidate to replace Zuma as ANC president, describing it on Friday as "totally, totally unacceptable". The South African Communist Party (SACP) and the country's biggest trade union, Cosatu, both historic allies of the ANC, have called on Zuma to step down following the sacking. CLOSE RANKS Mantashe had also openly criticised Zuma's actions but he painted a different picture on Wednesday, saying the ANC would "close ranks" around the president and the party would iron out its differences with Cosatu and SACP. The events that unfolded after the reshuffle had "created anxiety and undue confusion as a result of the discordant views, in particular of the National Officials of the ANC," Mantashe said, referring to the criticism directed at Zuma. "The officials ... have further acknowledged that their public dissonance on the matter was a mistake that should not be committed again." Half of the ANC's "Top Six" group of officials, including Ramaphosa and Mantashe, had expressed disquiet at Gordhan's sacking. But Zuma, also one of the six, has the support of two other members and influential groups in the ANC, sources say. Analysts said Zuma remains in favour among grassroots members and can count on the backing of large sections of the party, including the youth and women's leagues. Zuma is a charismatic figure who has dodged one political minefield after another. He has successfully portrayed himself as a man of the people, loves to sing and dance at public rallies and enjoys wide support from the ANC rank-and-file. A former member of the ANC's Umkhonto we Sizwe military wing, Zuma rose to become head of intelligence, a post that gave him leverage with allies and opponents alike. Zuma has used his network to sideline opponents to shore up his position, critics who worked with him have said. Zuma said on Tuesday in his first public comments since the reshuffle that people should remain calm. The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party said it had filed an urgent court application to have Zuma's decision to remove Gordhan and deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas set aside on the grounds that it was unlawful. The DA has planned a march on Friday against Zuma in the commercial hub Johannesburg, saying his decision to reshuffle the cabinet is likely to hurt the economy and cost yet more jobs. The party's no-confidence motion against Zuma in parliament will be held on April 18, parliament said. The ANC has a commanding majority in the national assembly. Similar votes have failed in the past. "There is no ANC member who will vote for an opposition motion," Mantashe said. Political analysts were not surprised by the ruling party's stance on Wednesday. "Zuma stays. Rand drops," political analyst Daniel Silke said, while another political commentator, Nic Borain, said Zuma had reasserted his authority. "Quite frankly he still controls the decision-making organs of the ANC," he said. INTELLIGENCE REPORT Deputy Secretary-General Jessie Duarte said Zuma had told top ANC officials in December of his decision to dismiss Gordhan, but that they had persuaded him to delay the action. Duarte told the news briefing Zuma would meet the party's integrity commission on April 9, but gave no details. The ANC formed the commission in 2013 to help protect its image and deal with members of the party alleged to have behaved improperly. Mantashe said the ANC had confidence in new Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, who would retain policies set under Gordhan. Mantashe denied that Gordhan was fired solely because of an intelligence report that accused him and Jonas of plotting with banks in London to undermine the South African economy, saying it was not the only reason for Gordhan's removal. Ramaphosa had accused Zuma of removing Gordhan on the basis of a "spurious" report and local media have also reported its existence. "If the relationship has broken down ... you go for a divorce," Mantashe said. (Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
By Mfuneko Toyana JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's African National Congress "closed ranks" around President Jacob Zuma after two key allies of the ruling party called for his resignation following a cabinet reshuffle that cost the country one of its investment-grade credit ratings. The rand fell more than 1 percent and bonds weakened after ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe told a news briefing on Wednesday that the ANC would not support removing Zuma, whose party leadership role ends in December. Zuma's presidential term will finish in 2019. Last Thursday's dismissal of finance minister Pravin Gordhan, a totem of policymaking stability for many foreign investors, was criticised by unions, civil society groups and the opposition, and has revived pressure on Zuma to quit. Since taking office in 2009, the 74-year-old president has repeatedly denied accusations of corruption, and senior ANC officials have backed him. S&P Global Ratings cited Gordhan's departure as one reason for its downgrade of South Africa to "junk" in an unscheduled credit rating review on Monday, a move that is set to push up the country's borrowing costs. Mantashe said the ANC had accepted the "irretrievable breakdown of the relationship" between Zuma and Gordhan as the reason the finance minister was sacked. Gordhan's removal has deepened a rift within the ruling party, with Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, a leading candidate to replace Zuma as ANC president, describing it on Friday as "totally, totally unacceptable". The South African Communist Party (SACP) and the country's biggest trade union, Cosatu, both historic allies of the ANC, have each called on Zuma to step down following the sacking. Mantashe had also openly criticised Zuma's actions but he painted a different picture on Wednesday, saying the ANC would "close ranks" around the president and that the party would iron out its differences with Cosatu and SACP. The events that unfolded after the reshuffle had "created anxiety and undue confusion as a result of the discordant views, in particular of the National Officials of the ANC," Mantashe said, referring to the criticism directed at Zuma. "The officials ... have further acknowledged that their public dissonance on the matter was a mistake that should not be committed again." Half of the ANC's "Top Six" group of officials, including Ramaphosa and Mantashe, had expressed disquiet at Gordhan's sacking. But Zuma, also one of the six, has the support of two other members and influential groups in the ANC, sources say. Analysts said that despite calls to resign from voices outside the ANC, Zuma remains in favour among grassroots members and can count on the backing of large sections of the party, including the youth and women's leagues. Zuma said on Tuesday in his first public comments since the reshuffle that people should remain calm. The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party said on Wednesday that it had filed an urgent court application to have Zuma's decision to remove Gordhan and deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas set aside on the grounds that it was unlawful. The DA is seeking a no-confidence motion against Zuma in parliament, where the ANC has a commanding majority. Similar votes have failed in the past. "There is no ANC member who will vote for an opposition motion," Mantashe said. Political analysts were not surprised by the ruling party's stance on Wednesday. "Zuma stays. Rand drops," political analyst Daniel Silke said, while another political commentator, Nic Borain, said Zuma had reasserted his authority. "Quite frankly he still controls the decision-making organs of the ANC," he said. INTELLIGENCE REPORT Deputy Secretary-General Jessie Duarte said Zuma had told top ANC officials in December of his decision to dismiss Gordhan, but that they had persuaded him to delay the action. Duarte told the news briefing that Zuma would meet with the party's integrity commission on April 9, but gave no details. The ANC formed the commission in 2013 to help protect its image and deal with members of the party alleged to have behaved improperly. Mantashe said the ANC had confidence in new Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, who would retain policies set under Gordhan. Mantashe denied that Gordhan was fired solely because of an intelligence report that accused him and Jonas of plotting with banks in London to undermine the South African economy, saying it was not the only reason for Gordhan's removal. Deputy president Ramaphosa had accused Zuma on Friday of removing Gordhan on the basis of a "spurious" report and local media have also reported its existence. "If the relationship has broken down... you go for a divorce," Mantashe said. (Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Catherine Evans)
By Jack Stubbs, Maria Tsvetkova and Christian Lowe MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian suicide bomber who killed 14 people in an attack on a St. Petersburg metro train conducted an amateurish, semi-bungled operation, probably with guidance but no direct support from outside backers, five security experts who reviewed publicly available evidence from the blast site told Reuters. Russian investigators on Tuesday identified the bomber as Akbarzhon Jalilov, from the city of Osh in mainly Muslim Kyrgyzstan, saying he had also left a bomb that was found at another metro station before it went off. That unexploded bomb, according to the experts who reviewed a photograph of it in Russian media, was a low-tech homemade device, made locally with sugar and other readily available ingredients, and an improvised, non-commercial detonator. This lack of sophistication points to a person, or persons, operating with limited resources but some guidance as to how to assemble an explosive similar to the kind used by militant groups such as Islamic State, the experts said. That supports the theory that Russia is facing a new kind of threat, from violent Islamists who blend into society and are not part of established jihadi groups, and are therefore much harder for security agencies to track down. "It suggests they were a fairly amateur organization that wanted to do something but didn't have the contacts, money or the wherewithal to go and get some high-grade explosive," said a former Western defense official with experience of working with improvised explosive devices in the Middle East. The Western official and other people interviewed for this article spoke on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing investigation into Monday's attack. A Russian security service officer said the bomb was made using methods brought to Russia from Syria, and the explosive was known as "chocolate" because of its brown color. "In contrast to the typical mixtures previously made (in Russia), Islamic State use sugar and the explosive has this earthy color," he said, adding that it was likely "other people" were behind Jalilov's actions. Russian media have cited law enforcement officials as saying Jalilov had radical Islamist links, raising the possibility that his attack was inspired by Islamic State, which has never struck a major Russian city. Russia's Investigative Committee, the state body leading the investigation, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. So far, no-one has claimed responsibility for the blast, but Russia has been on alert for attacks in response to its actions in Syria, where it is supporting troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad against Western-backed armed groups as well as hardline Islamists. Islamic State has repeatedly threatened revenge and been linked to attacks elsewhere in Europe. If it is confirmed that the metro attack was linked to radical Islamists, it could provoke anger among some Russians at Moscow's decision to intervene in Syria, a year before an election which President Vladimir Putin is expected to win. SOMETHING WENT WRONG A Western forensic explosives expert said the bomb was possibly made by mixing sugar or fuel with ammonium nitrate, which could be linked to an Islamic State grouping, but not any particular faction. "Often diesel is used for this, and that could produce a dark brown-colored explosive. Many of the homemade main charges recovered in Iraq and Syria use (this method)," he said. Whatever Jalilov's methods, all five sources said one thing was clear: the bomber's plan went awry. The bomb recovered at St. Petersburg's Ploshchad Vosstaniya metro station, a short distance from the blast site, was likely left on a timer but failed to explode because the detonation mechanism was faulty or set incorrectly, said Neil Gibson, a senior weapons analyst at Jane's. The other sources said problems mixing the explosive could have resulted in a dud bomb, indicating rushed and inexpert assembly. "When you are going to blow yourself up, you need to ... test the mixture. It's very hard to get it right," said the former Western defense official. "If they didn't have enough time to get the mixing right, it could easily explain why that bomb didn't go off." Gibson said an analysis of pictures from the blast site also suggested the main attack had not gone to plan, with a weak blast inflicting little damage on the train carriage. Irina Avidon, a St. Petersburg resident who was traveling in the metro carriage next to the explosion, told Reuters the rest of the train was unaware a bomb had gone off. "There was a bang, quite loud but not extremely. A hatch flew up from the floor and sparks came out, there was smoke but it wasn't dense, everything was visible in our carriage," she said. "The train arrived in the station and we got off. At that moment, when I saw the torn-up neighboring carriage, everything became very scary." The weak blast and small amount of physical destruction means the charge Jalilov used was small or the bomb was badly designed, Gibson said, citing possible problems with the shape, detonator and composition of the explosive. Jalilov's decision to detonate in the middle of the day, when the metro was relatively empty, is a further sign the attack was poorly executed or compromised, Gibson added. Russia's Kommersant newspaper on Tuesday cited a source as saying security services had been tipped off about the planned attack and were closing in on the suspects. "If the first (bomb) was a suicide device, as it seems to be, then it may have gone off early due to some error in construction," Gibson said. "Or the person thought they were being followed, so detonated the device as soon as they thought they could and still kill as many people as possible." (Additional reporting by Polina Nikolskaya; Editing by Giles Elgood)
Russian media outlets Tuesday lashed out at other countries for showing a lack of empathy for the St. Petersburg subway bombing. Unlike the aftermath of last months London terrorist attack, neither the Eiffel Tower in Paris nor the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin paid tribute to the victims.

Fourteen people were killed and 49 injured when an explosive device went off inside a train car between stops on St. Petersburgs subway line. A second device was found at the Ploshchad Vosstania Metro station and disarmed by police.

Read: Credible Terror Threats Cited In Airplane Electronics Ban

A number of world leaders sent their condolences, and U.S. President Donald Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin to express his feelings and offer support.

RT noted no landmark was lit in Russias national colors although Tel Aviv City Hall did light itself in the colors of Russias flag. A spokesman for the Berlin Senate said the Brandenburg Gate wasnt lit because St. Petersburg is not a partner city with Berlin, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported.

Sputnick Deutschland reported, however, the Berlin suburb of Mitte, where the Brandenburg Gate actually is situated, is twinned with the Petrogradsky District of St. Petersburg.

Read: Trump Travel Ban Seen As Ineffective, Anti-Muslim And Certain To Face Court Challenge

Russian security expert Mark Galeotti wrote in the Moscow Times Tuesday the lack of international sympathy plays into the Kremlin narrative that the rest of the world is Russophobic and delights in seeing woes of every kind besetting Russia.

To counter Moscows tale, Europe should try and show Russia as much love as it can. Tough love, maybe, but love nonetheless. Mourn their losses, celebrate their cultural triumphs. Praise the Russians when they do something right (because sometimes they do, you know). Ban their dirty-money oligarchs and their paranoid-patriot lawmakers, but welcome their students, tourists, artists and entrepreneurs, Galeotti suggested.

Story continues

There have been other instances when the Brandenburg Gate did not mark a terrorist attack, including the 2016 Bastille Day attack in Nice France and the white nationalist attack on a Quebec mosque in January.

It is like this each time that we must explain what the criteria are. We understand this, but the criteria are chosen after careful consideration, a city spokesperson told broadcaster rbb last week.

Social media users took exception to the lack of sympathy, some saying a double standard was being applied, similar to the way the West largely ignores terrorist attacks in the Muslim world, some of which have killed hundreds of civilians.

When it comes to Russia, the countrys international moves, including its seizure of the Crimea from Ukraine and meddling in democratic elections in the U.S. and Western Europe may have played a role.

Terrorism attacks in Russia are nothing new. The country has a long history of deadly attacks, and its response, often knee-jerk repression of minority groups, have made the outside world less sympathetic.

Former Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov intimated the Russian government was behind Mondays attack.

Related Articles
Saint Petersburg (AFP) - Gently placing flowers outside a Saint Petersburg metro station to honour the 14 people killed in Monday's devastating suicide bombing, Ksenia Zashikhina ponders what might have been.

"I was going to take the metro a few minutes before the explosion," said the 27-year-old, her voice cracking with emotion.

"I don't know why but I changed my mind and went on foot. I found out what had happened on the way. All day, I was thinking that that could have been me," she told AFP.

Alongside her, a sparse crowd of residents from Russia's second city came to pay their respects, adding bouquets and candles to the rapidly growing impromptu memorial.

One man, Nikolai Kazachenko, was clearly in shock, his eyes red from sobbing and cradled from time to time by his wife.

He endlessly repeated to anyone who would listen how "God saved me" from the blast that claimed 14 lives and caused horrific injuries to dozens more.

His friend was also in the metro and also survived.

Mixed with the grief was a sense of shock that terror could strike their city that had seemed far from being a target -- unlike Paris, Berlin or London.

Even threats to Moscow "seemed far away from us," said Dmitry Leonov as he picked his way through the candles and flower tributes lining the gates of the station.

"Now we're all under threat," he said.

Another resident, who gave his name as Arseny, said: "I don't understand it. We're all living together in a beautiful country, in a beautiful city. How could anyone do such a thing?"

However, for others, the pain and grief is still raw. One woman screamed that she still had no news from her son and berated politicians one by one until she was dragged by a friend from the crowd in floods of furious tears.

- 'Anger' -

Meanwhile, life was gradually returning to normal in the city as boulevards that had been silent and blocked off in the aftermath of the attack on Monday again rang out with the noise of traffic and the honking of horns.

Story continues

The metro system, which carries hundreds of thousands of passengers daily and is seen as the lifeblood of the city, was also creeping gradually back to life -- although with a heavy police presence and a nervousness running through the commuters.

"Everyone in the metro can only think of this," said 45-year-old Svetlana Golubeva, 45.

"It's not nice but I'm mainly scared for my children when they take the metro on their own."

Saint Petersburg is also the hometown of President Vladimir Putin, who came himself to mourn late Monday and place his own flowers at the scene.

Just before the president's arrival, police politely but firmly pushed back a group of young men who had come to offer their services for the clean-up operation.

One of them, Nikolai, 33, made no secret of the fact that he had been drinking for most of the day to dull the pain.

Although there has yet been no claims of responsibility, Nikolai was in no doubt, blaming the president's "tolerance" towards "Islamists."

"I'm angry at our own country. We can't protect ourselves from terrorists," complained Ilya, a friend of Nikolai's, before laying her own tribute to the 14 dead.
Americans often have trouble saving enough money for retirement. Working for an employer without a retirement plan makes it even more difficult to save for the future.

Only about half (49 percent) of U.S. private sector workers participate in a retirement plan, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts report. And small business employees are even less likely to be eligible for employer-sponsored plans. Only about 38 percent of smaller employers offer a retirement plan, according to a National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation survey.

[See: 12 States Without Pension or Social Security Taxes.]

However, some states have plans to improve access to retirement accounts. Several states now provide a government-sponsored option that allows small businesses to offer retirement plans to their full-time employees. These retirement accounts are meant to be affordable and easy to administer. So far, legislation has been passed in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Virginia and Washington. Several other states have had legislation on this issue introduced but not yet passed.

Here's what a state-run retirement plan might mean for small businesses and their employees:

Not all businesses are required to participate. Each of these programs is crafted slightly differently. For instance, California's plan eventually requires that all businesses with at least five employees enroll their workers in an IRA-like savings plan. The law, which gives businesses time to buy in, went into effect on January 1 of this year. Illinois's program, on the other hand, only requires businesses with 25 or more employees to participate.

[Read: 7 Things You Need to Know About State-Run IRAs.]

The default contribution rate differs. Many of these plans set a standard contribution rate, which is usually around 2 to 5 percent of an employee's gross pay. Most plans allow employees to change their contributions or opt out altogether, just like a privately run 401(k) plan or individual retirement account. Some plans also allow for employer contributions. What many of these programs have in common is that they have automatic payroll deductions. Most people will save more frequently if the money comes out of their paycheck up front, rather than having to take action to contribute to an IRA after each paycheck is received.

Story continues

The tax treatment differs by state. Some plans are tax-deferred like a traditional 401(k) plan or a traditional IRA. Income tax won't be due on this money until it is withdrawn from the account. Other retirement accounts are more similar to a Roth IRA. There's no tax break in the year you make the contribution, but you will probably become eligible for tax-free income in retirement.

Some states are proposing innovative ideas. Washington is setting up a state marketplace for small business retirement plans. The idea behind the marketplace is that it will be easier for small businesses to find affordable, easily-managed plans when firms are competing for their business.

[Read: How to Save for Retirement on Less Than $40,000 Per Year.]

Check your state's laws. The U.S. Department of Labor released rules allowing these government-run programs to proceed. The DOL may even allow cities and municipalities to offer such plans if they are in states that do not provide them. However, the Senate recently voted to reverse an Obama Administration rule that would have made it easier to set up state retirement accounts.

Pay attention to the legislation being proposed and passed in your state and at the federal level. If you work for a small business that doesn't provide a retirement savings plan, you might gain access to a tax-preferred retirement savings vehicle other than an IRA. This could allow you to boost your retirement savings, since many state retirement accounts have higher contribution limits than an IRA or Roth IRA. Small business owners who participate gain an affordable way to provide retirement benefits, which could make it easier to attract and retain great employees who want to save for the future.

Abby Hayes is a freelance blogger and journalist who writes for the personal finance blog, The Dough Roller, which covers topics ranging from credit scores and banking to how much money you should be saving. Abby has written on behalf of Dough Roller for Credit.com and Mint.com. She has been writing about personal finance for seven years, but also covers topics as diverse as bowling, credit union management and parenting.
India, a country of 1.3 billion people, has 22 official languages. Its most-spoken language (Hindi) is sometimes mistaken as the national language.

But it's not. India has no "national language" though Hindi has become the unofficial leader of the pack. And that is a problem.

SEE ALSO: New mobile banking app supports 11 Indian languages and English

People hailing from India's four southern states are ranting about the imposition of Hindi in their lives. They say that a uniform language isn't a requirement for a unified nation.

The #StopHindiChauvinism hashtag has exploded on Twitter.

Interestingly, one of the southern states  Tamil Nadu  is home to Google's India-born CEO Sundar Pichai, who on a recent visit to the country had spoken about his problems with Hindi during college days.

Hindi is the most-spoken Indian language in the U.S. Hindi is also the language of the world's biggest film industry, Bollywood.

While the Hindi supremacy is likely to stay, for now, angry South Indians have their say.

Here are some tweets.

Hindi is an indo-European lang..Dravidian lang are native to India ..stop imposing a foreign lang on my doorstep #StopHindiChauvinism  Nirmal Raj (@nirins4u) April 5, 2017

Hindi is not our national language. It is just an another regional language #StopHindiChauvinism pic.twitter.com/oXWdp2gk05  Sushil Hurmade (@Sir_GOLDY) April 3, 2017

Dear Central Govt,

If you want my Tax money,

serve me in my mother tongue.#StopHindiChauvinism  Richard Parker (@myRichardParker) April 5, 2017

Because of Hindi, I cannot list my mother tongue as Bhojpuri. #StopHindiChauvinism  Rogue Academic (@rogueacademic88) April 3, 2017

Blast from the past : 50 Years Ago



1967 : All Indian languages are National Languages!!! #StopHindiChauvinism pic.twitter.com/eaH1CEwSNT  Arun M Advaid (@Advaidism) April 4, 2017

Dear Southies kudos to you for stopping the Hindi onslaught. Love from - A Bihari who lost his language i.e. Bhojpuri. #StopHindiChauvinism  Rogue Academic (@rogueacademic88) April 3, 2017

It is not about North India vs South India, it is Hindi Imposing Hindi Chauvinists vs Free People. #StopHindiChauvinism  Voice of South (@South_Indians) April 5, 2017

#StopHindiChauvinism

Don't start the language war again,

1937-40, 1946-50, 1965, 1968, 1986.

We won every single time,#HindiImposition   Ars (@PuliArason) April 3, 2017

Depriving servcs in ur lang& arguing Hindi wud serve d purpose fr all is d biggest bigotry statemnt one has come across #StopHindiChauvinism  Ramachandra M (@nanuramu) April 5, 2017

I'm a born telugu.

With my own interest, I lernt Hindi, English n Tamil.

Any north guy learnt telugu with own interest?#StopHindiChauvinism  OnlyTFI|SPYder (@OnlyTFI) April 3, 2017

My language is my identity, not my religion/caste. Naanu Kannadati #StopHindiChauvinism  Kannadati (@BengaloorHudgi) April 3, 2017

Hindi is one of official language in india only. but Tamil is official language in five countries.#StopHindiChauvinism #stopHindiImposition  Ponnu (@PonnarasuK) April 3, 2017

if Northies dont have the ability to learn English, they should try harder. Not bring others down to their level #StopHindiChauvinism  . (@rdeepakk) April 3, 2017

How will U manage in NorthIndia without learning Hindi?

Just like U manage in SouthIndia without learning our language#StopHindiChauvinism   Ars (@PuliArason) April 3, 2017

#StopHindiChauvinism Being an Odia , I am against unnecessary imposing of Hindi. It ruins our mother tongue when people speak mixed language  A  (@ACrazy_boy) April 3, 2017

Hindi destroyed the real languages of UP Awadi, Bhojpuri, Mythili #StopHindiChauvinism  Boopal Sridhar (@boopalsridhar) April 3, 2017

#StopHindiChauvinism No more Hindi invasion,we are sufficient with our mother tongue and English.End the three language policy  Krantikara (@Krantikara) April 3, 2017

We hope peace prevails soon.

WATCH: Watch as this cute device translate any language it hears
Last week, the Student Loan Ranger heard from a lot of panicked student loan borrowers who had read about a lawsuit that several borrower s and the American Bar Association filed against the Department of Education. These individuals had submitted employment verification certificates under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and were initially told that their employers, including the ABA, were considered eligible under the program.

Unfortunately, upon the Department of Education's further review, their eligibility approval was rescinded, meaning that eligible payments they made while working for these employers would no longer count toward the 120 they needed to obtain forgiveness under the PSLF program.

[Learn how to ensure eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.]

While unfortunate for these four borrowers, other borrowers pursuing public service loan forgiveness probably don't have much to worry about. If you are a little confused at this point, here's a quick refresher.

Eligible employers for the purposes of the program include 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations; government employers, including state, federal, local and tribal; and other nonprofits that provide certain public services.

Those public services must be in emergency management; military service; public safety; law enforcement; public interest law services; early childhood education, including licensed or regulated child care, Head Start and state-funded pre-kindergarten; public service for individuals with disabilities and the elderly; public health, including nurses, nurse practitioners, nurses in a clinical setting and full-time professionals engaged in health care practitioner occupations and health care support occupations; public education; public library services; and school library or other school-based services.

Here's where the issue comes into play with the plaintiffs in this case. While 501(c)(3) organizations are eligible regardless of what they do, other nonprofits, such as the ABA, have to be seen as providing one of the services listed above. Public interest law is explicitly defined in the PSLF regulations as "... legal services provided by an organization that is funded in whole or in part by a local, state, federal, or tribal government."

Story continues

Since we are not attorneys and don't know how the ABA is funded, we aren't going to give our opinion on whether the ABA meets that definition. However, it's clear that the Department of Education does not believe that it does.

[Read about four states that offer generous student loan forgiveness programs.]

So in short, it's not that the federal government is changing the rules for public service loan forgiveness -- it's that in this isolated situation, an error was made when the Department of Education initially reviewed these individuals' employment.

Why don't most borrowers pursuing public service loan forgiveness need to worry? Most individuals who apply for public service loan forgiveness will be doing so after being employed for 501(c)(3) or government employers. Those employers are eligible.

The extra scrutiny doesn't come into play unless you are working for a non-501(c)(3)-designated nonprofit, at which point the Department of Education needs to determine whether that employer provides one of the previously listed eligible services.

The only other category of borrower who may want to confirm their eligibility are those who work for an eligible employer as defined above but are paid by an employer that isn't eligible. These tend to be government contractors and may not be eligible for PSLF. Regardless of the work you do, if you aren't paid by an eligible employer, you can't participate in PSLF.

[Find out why student loan repayment may be the newest employee benefit.]

If you aren't sure, submit your employment verification form -- it's a good idea to do this annually -- to confirm. Although the individuals involved in the lawsuit may have done this each year, we are confident that this is an isolated case and that the vast majority of public service loan forgiveness approvals will remain approved.

It bears repeating that the public service loan forgiveness rules have not changed. In fact, to do so would require congressional action or a Department of Education full negotiated rulemaking session. This process takes more than a year, so you would have a long warning if this were even a possibility.

Finally, as a last assurance, based on our extensive experience with student loans, we've never seen the rules for student loans change retroactively. Even if the rules change or the forgiveness plan is discontinued , we feel confident that this would not affect borrowers already pursuing public service loan forgiveness .

Betsy Mayotte, director of consumer outreach and compliance for American Student Assistance, regularly advises consumers on planning and paying for college. Mayotte, who received a B.S. in business communications from Bentley College, responds to public inquiries via the advice resource "Just Ask" and is frequently quoted in traditional and social media on the topics of student loans and financial aid.
Susan Rice, former national security adviser to President Barack Obama, came under fire after reports emerged that she unmasked President Donald Trumps associates caught on tape during intelligence surveillance. Rice adamantly denied doing anything wrong and defended her actions Tuesday, saying they were not done for political purposes.

Debate persisted over whether Rice did something wrong by unmasking the identities and whether the action lent credence to Trumps unsubstantiated claims that the Obama administration wiretapped phones at Trump Tower.

The allegation is that somehow Obama administration officials utilized intelligence for political purposes, Rice told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell. Thats absolutely false.

The Obama administration hasnt denied that Rice requested the unmasking of identities in an intelligence report that came from eavesdropping on foreign parties. However, Rice contends that the requests were for a legitimate purpose and not to spy on Trump.

There were occasions when I would receive a report in which a U.S. person was referred to  name not provided, just a U.S. person  and sometimes in that context, in order to understand the important of the report, and assess its significance, it was necessary to find out, or request the information as to who the U.S. official was, Rice told MSNBC. The notion that some people are trying to suggest, is that by asking for the identity of a person is leaking it, is unequivocally false. There is no connection between unmasking and leaking.

Trump has lambasted Rice for the allegations, tweeting articles from Fox News that allege spying took place.

Such amazing reporting on unmasking and the crooked scheme against us by @foxandfriends. 'Spied on before nomination.' The real story, the president wrote in a tweet Monday.

Rice continued to staunchly deny any allegations of spying, saying that the requests were ordinary and similar to those of other national security officials.

Story continues

I leaked nothing to nobody. I never have and never would, she said. It is absolutely false that Obama officials used intelligence for political purposes.

RTX2OLUQ

Photo: Reuters

Related Articles
Beirut (AFP) - International outrage is mounting over a suspected chemical attack that killed scores of civilians in a rebel-held town in northwest Syria on Tuesday morning.

AFP's correspondent in the town of Khan Sheikhun saw lifeless bodies lying at a field hospital, which was itself hit in air strikes hours after the attack.

It remains unclear what kind of substance was used in the attack, but the World Health Organization said on Wednesday that some victims appeared to show signs of exposure to "nerve agents".

If confirmed, it would be one of the worst chemical attacks since Syria's civil war began six years ago.

- What happened? -

Air strikes hit the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun around 7:00 am (0400 GMT) on Tuesday, and residents reported finding entire families "dead in their beds".

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights first reported that 58 civilians had died, but the monitoring group later updated the death toll to a total of 72, including 20 children and more than a dozen women.

Another 160 were wounded, with local medics telling AFP they had treated cases of suffocation, convulsions, pinpoint pupils, and rapid pulses.

- What was the aftermath? -

Residents were rushed to clinics inside the town and wider province, and some victims were taken across the border for treatment in Turkey.

Hours after the attack, as medics worked to treat the wounded in a hospital in Khan Sheikhun, two air strikes slammed into the facility and partially destroyed it.

The gruesome footage emerging from the town was met with widespread shock, including in Brussels where world powers have gathered to raise funds to deal with Syria's crisis.

- Who was behind it? -

Syria's opposition has accused the government of Bashar al-Assad of carrying out the strike, and warned that it "calls into question" efforts to bring an end to the bloody conflict.

Rebel groups including Al-Qaeda's former affiliate said on Tuesday they would take "revenge" against the regime and its backers, calling on allied fighters "to ignite the fronts" across the country.

Story continues

But Syria's army "categorically" denied the claims, saying it had never used chemical weapons "any time, anywhere, and will not do so in the future".

Both the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria and the UN's chemical arms watchdog said they were investigating the attack to determine whether chemical substances were used.

- How has the world reacted? -

Washington and London have pointed the finger at Assad, and European Union diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said his regime bore "primary responsibility" for the attack.

Pope Francis on Wednesday called the attack an "unacceptable massacre".

But regime ally Moscow said the deaths were caused when a Syrian air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" containing toxic materials.

- When have chemical weapons been used in Syria? -

Syria's government officially joined the Chemical Weapons Convention and turned over its chemical arsenal in 2013, as part of a deal to avert US military action.

That agreement came after hundreds of people -- up to 1,429 according to a US intelligence report -- were killed in chemical weapons strikes allegedly carried out by Syrian troops near Damascus.

But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use by the government since, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015.

The Islamic State jihadist group was also found to have used mustard gas in a 2015 attack in Syria.
Washington (AFP) - The United States and Russia were on a collision course over Syria on Wednesday after a horrific chemical attack so shocked President Donald Trump that Washington threatened unilateral US action.

At least 86 people were killed early on Tuesday in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun in northern Syria and dozens more are being treated after they were found convulsing and foaming at the mouth.

After previous major chemical attacks in Syria in 2013, Trump strongly urged then president Barack Obama not to order military intervention against Bashar al-Assad's regime.

And he came to office promising both to improve ties with Assad's ally President Vladimir Putin of Russia and to focus US efforts in Syria solely on the defeat of the Islamic State group.

But on Wednesday -- as footage emerged of Syrian children choking to death in agony -- he declared that his view of the conflict had been changed by an attack that "cannot be tolerated."

"It crossed a lot of lines for me," Trump told reporters at a joint White House news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah, alluding to Obama's failure to enforce his own 2013 "red line."

"When you kill innocent children, innocent babies, little babies... that crosses many, many lines, beyond a red line, many, many lines," he warned.

"I will tell you, it's already happened, that my attitude towards Syria and Assad has changed very much... You're now talking about a whole different level."

Trump did not go into detail about what any US response to the atrocity would be -- and he has previously opposed deeper US military involvement in Syria's civil war.

- Rethinking support -

But he spoke as the US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, warned of unilateral action and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Russia to rethink its support for Assad.

"There is no doubt in our mind that the Syrian regime under the leadership of Bashar al-Assad is responsible for this horrific attack," Tillerson told reporters.

Story continues

"And we think it is time for the Russians to really think carefully about their continuing support for the Assad regime."

Tillerson is due in Moscow next week for talks that will now be clouded by the Khan Sheikhun controversy.

At the United Nations, Haley was equally forthright.

"When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," she said.

The warning came during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council called by France and Britain after the attack was carried out in the early hours on Tuesday.

Haley lashed out at Russia for failing to rein in its ally Syria, standing in the UN Security Council with photographs of lifeless children, choked in the attack.

"How many more children have to die before Russia cares?" she demanded. "If Russia has the influence in Syria that it claims to have, we need to see them use it."

- 'Categorically unacceptable' -

Britain, France and the United States have presented a draft resolution demanding a full investigation of the attack.

Russia -- along with Iran -- is Syria's main diplomatic and military partner. And Moscow, true to form, said the draft Security Council text was "categorically unacceptable."

The draft backs a probe by the Organization of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and demands Syria provide information on its operations.

Russia's deputy ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told the UN council that the proposed resolution was hastily prepared and unnecessary, but voiced support for an inquiry.

"The main task now is to have an objective inquiry into what happened," he said.

Negotiations were continuing on the draft text and diplomats said there would not be a vote before Thursday at the earliest.

"We are talking about war crimes here, war crimes on a large scale, war crimes with chemical weapons," said French ambassador Francois Delattre.

British ambassador Matthew Rycroft told reporters he hoped council members would agree on a draft resolution by Thursday, but vowed to press for a vote regardless.

Moscow, which launched a military intervention in 2015 in support of Assad's forces, defended the government against accusations of responsibility for the attack.

It claimed the deaths were caused when a Syrian strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" for bombs containing "toxic substances" and pledged to maintain its military support for Assad.

Western experts has dismissed this claim as implausible, given the scale and nature of the casualties.

And a senior State Department official said: "Anyone with common sense and the ability to look at pictures knows that what the Russians are saying about the depot is not true."

- 'A gas so lethal' -

Doctors said victims showed symptoms consistent with the use of a nerve agent such as sarin -- suspected to have been used by government forces in deadly attacks outside Damascus in 2013.

US officials have not said what kind of agent they think was used, but Trump said it was "a chemical gas that is so lethal, people were shocked to hear what gas it was."

If confirmed, the attack would be among the worst incidents of chemical weapons use in Syria's civil war, which has killed over 320,000 people since it began in March 2011.

Air strikes also hit a medical facility treating victims, an AFP correspondent said, inflicting severe damage and prompting nearly a dozen medical staff to flee.

Idlib province is controlled mostly by an alliance of rebel and jihadist groups, including the former Al-Qaeda affiliate known as Fateh al-Sham Front.

Syria officially relinquished its chemical arsenal and signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013 to avert military action after it was accused of an attack outside Damascus that killed hundreds.

But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use since.
In the post-truth age of fake news and distrust in media, the teen journalists of tomorrow are out here bringing scoops to the masses.

Or, at least, to their local high school newspaper.

SEE ALSO: How teens are pranking your Facebook News Feeds with random events

A newly hired principal at a Pittsburg, Kansas high school resigned Tuesday after student journalists dug into her past credentials and went full All the President's Men on what they found.

As the Kansas City Star reports, members of the high school newspaper took issue with their prospective principal's education, noting that the university where she'd acquired her masters degree and Ph.D. doesn't appear to hold up under scrutiny.

Indeed, a few clicks around the website for the university in question features links that lead nowhere, grammatical errors and no official address. A Better Business Bureau file on the school notes that its address is unknown, and a U.S. Department of Education spokesperson confirmed to the Star that it could not find evidence that the university has ever operated as a school.

The students spent weeks confirming their suspicions before publishing a newspaper article that led to the principal's resignation.

In a statement to the Star, the ousted principal argued that the current status of the university "is not relevant because when I received my MA in 1994 and my Ph.D. in 2010, there was no issue ... I have no comment in response to the questions posed by PHS students regarding my credentials because their concerns are not based on facts."

School Superintendent Destry Brown announced the resignation at a school board meeting held Tuesday. He told the Star he encouraged the paper's investigation, and wants students to get real-life experiences like this one out of their education.

As student journalist Connor Balthazor told the Washington Post, "Wed broken out of our comfort zones so much ... To know that the administration saw that and respected that, it was a really great moment for us."

Someone get these teens on the Russia story.

WATCH: This device lets you alert your mom if you're stuck in a shady situation
By Alex Bregman

Youve probably been hearing the word filibuster flying around lately, with Senate Democrats set to use one to try to block Neil Gorsuchs confirmation to the Supreme Court. So what is a filibuster and where did it come from?

The term comes from a Dutch word meaning pirate.

In American politics, its when a minority of U.S. senators try to block the majority from bringing something to a vote. In order to get anything voted on in the Senate, senators have to end the debate on that issue.

So a filibuster is when senators talk as long as they want about anything they want to prevent that debate from ending.

Where did filibusters come from? Senators can thank Vice President Aaron Burr. In 1805, just after he had killed Alexander Hamilton in that infamous duel, Burr gave a farewell address to the Senate. He suggested senators should get rid of what was called the previous question motion, which let senators cut off debate with a simple majority or 51 senators. They heeded Burrs advice and got rid of the rule, which ultimately gave birth to the filibuster.

A famous early filibuster came in 1841, when Sen. Henry Clay tried to pass a bill establishing a national bank, the minority launched a filibuster that lasted 14 days.

Cut to 1917, when President Woodrow Wilson had had enough of the Senate tactic after a group of senators blocked a bill to arm merchant ships at the start of World War I. As a matter of national security, Wilson demanded the Senate adopt a procedure, called cloture, for formally ending any debate, including a filibuster. It required two-thirds of senators to say enough already.

In 1939, filibusters probably got their biggest moment in the spotlight in the movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond holds the record for longest individual filibuster ever, at 24 hours and 18 minutes, for trying to block the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

In 1975, the Senate changed the cloture rule, requiring just three-fifths, or 60 Senators, to end debate, but not even that didnt stop filibusters altogether.

Story continues

For instance, Sen. Rand Pauls filibuster in 2013 to try to block the nomination of CIA Director John Brennan for nearly 13 hours.

It happened again in 2015, when Paul tried to block parts of the Patriot Act from getting renewed. That one lasted 10 and a half hours.

OK, thats a lot of filibustering, but when it comes to what one is, at least you can say, Now I get it.
The Prime Minister has defended engagement with Saudi Arabia ahead of a visit to discuss trade and security, saying that she could be an example for the role of women in a society.

Theresa May arrives in the Kingdom from Jordan later today and told reporters travelling with her: "I think it's important for me as a woman leader, and for me as the representative of the United Kingdom, to maintain the relationships that are important to us for our security, for trade and the future."

She said the monarchy was "already changing" under its "Vision 2030" programme.

"But I hope also people that see me as a woman leader will see what women can achieve and how women can be in significant positions," she said.

:: PM heads to Jordan and Saudia Arabia for talks on refugees and Islamic State

The Prime Minister's visit was strongly criticised by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on account of the nation's human rights record and its military actions in Yemen.

He said: "Numerous human rights organisations, including the UNHRC and Amnesty International, have documented the dictatorial Saudi monarchy's shocking human rights record.

"The Saudi-led coalition bombing in Yemen, backed by the British government, has left thousands dead, 21 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and three million refugees uprooted from their homes."

:: PM to unveil 1bn package for Syrian refugees

The opposition leader said that Britain should halt arms sales to Yemen and back an independent investigation into war crimes, and that unless she challenges Saudi leaders over these issues "it will be clear she is ready to sacrifice human rights and security on the altar of the arms trade".

Asked whether post-Brexit Britain needs to sell its soul for trade deals, Mrs May replied: "No, the relationships we have with Jordan and Saudi Arabia are long term and important for us in terms of security, defence and yes, in terms of trade.

"Gulf security is our security, Gulf prosperity is our prosperity."

Story continues

The Prime Minister hosted Qatar's leaders last week. Saudi Arabia is the biggest nation in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, which is believed to be very keen to sign a free trade deal with the UK immediately after Brexit.

Its deal with the European Union has stalled for over a decade.
Norths Koreas ballistic missile launch Wednesday triggered an abrupt three-line statement from the U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment, Tillersons statement read.

Read: Nuclear Japan Possible For North Korea Defense, Tillerson Says

Pyongyang fired a possible KN-15 missile, also known as Pukguksong-2, off its east coast. The projectile flew about 37 miles splashing in international waters with maximum altitude of over 117 miles, South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Tillersons response was in stark contrast to Washingtons previous reactions condemning the reclusive nations nuclear and missile tests. Last month, the state secretary warned of pre-emptive military strike on the North for its provocation and said the U.S. has run out of patience with Pyongyang that test-fired four ballistic missiles last month targeting U.S. bases in Japan.

Let me be very clear: the policy of strategic patience has ended. We are exploring a new range of security and diplomatic measures. All options are on the table, he said.

Tillerson also said Washington does not intend to have a military conflict but obviously if North Korea takes actions that threaten South Korean forces or our own forces, that would be met with [an] appropriate response. If they elevate the threat of their weapons programme to a level that we believe requires action that option is on the table.

Tillersons latest response over North Koreas missile launch sparked reactions from Twitter users, including Laura Rosenberger, who was Democrat Hillary Clinton's foreign policy adviser in her 2016 presidential campaign.

The Norths missile test came ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinpings visit to his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump on April 6 and April 7. Beijing is known to be the sole major ally of North Korea and has consistently urged Washington to settle the conflict with Pyongyang with negotiation.

Story continues

However, in an interview with the Financial Times published Sunday, Trump said the U.S. will act alone against North Korea if China is unwilling to help.

China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they wont, Trump said. If they do, that will be very good for China, and if they dont, it wont be good for anyone.

Well if China is not going to solve North Korea, we will. That is all I am telling you, the president added.

Related Articles
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  The response of America's chief diplomat to North Korea's latest missile launch was an abrupt departure from the usual  which may be a turning point, analysts in Asia say.

The statement from U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson totaled 23 words: "North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment."

While Tillerson's statement was unusually short and vague, experts in South Korea and Japan saw it as a sign of consistency on how the United States under President Donald Trump will deal with North Korea as it speeds up its nuclear weapon and missile developments.

North Korea with its missile launches probably wants to create attention and use it as leverage for concessions, but Tillerson with his statement has sent a stern message that the United States won't be a party to it, South Korean experts said.

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

"It seems Tillerson purposefully issued a short statement to send a tough signal," said Kim Sung-han, a professor at Seoul's Korea University and a former South Korean deputy foreign minister. "He is making it clear that, no matter what North Korea does, the United States won't commit to direct negotiations unless Pyongyang shows real willingness for disarmament."

Bong Youngshik, a researcher at Yonsei University's Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul, said Tillerson's statement would have also been aimed at China ahead of President Xi Jinping's first meeting with Trump later this week in Florida.

Trump is likely to urge China's leader to take up stronger role in pressuring the North to abandon its nuclear ambitions, and Tillerson's statement is a way of stressing it's time for action on North Korea, not just talk, Bong said.

Tillerson also might stop making routine statements after every North Korean provocation or missile launch, Bong said.

Story continues

"It is what it is," Bong said. "There's really no need for Tillerson to react every time when North Korea does something. The United States has moved on and is now trying to resolve problem through a larger scale, such as the summit with China shows."

While Trump and his top policymakers continue their tough talk on the North Korean issue, it's unclear such rhetoric would be enough to effectively influence North Korea and China, Pyongyang's only major ally.

Every North Korean nuclear test and missile launch reminds the United States and its allies of the limited options they have on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

A military strike on the North's nuclear or missile facilities risks triggering a devastating war that could quickly kill hundreds of thousands. The effect of further sanctions is questionable as North Korea puts the survival of its ruling elite before the wellbeing of its struggling populace and already is one of the most heavily penalized places on earth. Renewing negotiations with Pyongyang would require trust that it won't pocket aid and renege on any promises.

Tillerson in a visit to China last month declared an end to the Obama administration's "strategic patience" policy to wait out Pyongyang until it caves and decides to denuclearize, but the Trump administration has yet to reveal any meaningfully different approach.

Narushige Michishita, an expert from Tokyo's National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, said Trump's efforts to "sound scary" won't work with Pyongyang and Beijing if he fails to back his words with action.

"The Trump administration's credibility will be undermined if it fails," he said.

___

Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Tokyo contributed to this report.
On Tuesday, the world awoke  once again  to graphic images of dead and dying Syrian children, their pale, listless bodies bearing no marks of traumatic injury. These were the innocent victims of a chemical weapons (CW) attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Syrias Idlib Province  which, according to recent estimates, left at least 70 people dead, and constituted the worst attack since that in the Damascus suburb of East Ghouta in August 2013, which claimed more than 1,200 lives.

This horrific attack is only the latest in scores of chemical munitions attacks either alleged or verified to have been conducted by the Syrian regime since 2014. Last year, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the U.N. Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) officially concluded that the Syrian Arab Armed Forces were responsible for three chemical weapons attacks in 2014 and 2015, in part because these attacks involved the use of helicopters (which only the Syrian government possesses) to deliver chlorine-laden munitions. Human Rights Watch documented at least eight other chemical attacks between November and December 2016 associated with the Syrian governments assault on Aleppo. Since January 2017, the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) in Syria has also recorded eight alleged uses of chemical weapons.

Even so, on February 28, Russia and China vetoed a United Nations Security Council Resolution designed to sanction parties verifiably assessed by the OPCW-U.N. joint investigative mission to have carried out chemical attacks. So is it any surprise that the Assad regime felt emboldened to continue using chemical weapons? Or that it has perhaps escalated to the use of even more toxic substances than chlorine, which has been its go-to chemical since the international community removed and destroyed its traditional military chemical arsenal in 2014?

This escalation in CW use fits a pattern observed on multiple occasions over the last several years. When the international community, particularly the United States, seems distracted, the Syrian regime feels emboldened to seek battlefield gains through chemical attacks, particularly in areas where the regimes military progress through more conventional means has stalled. Why does the Assad regime do this? Because it works.

It is insufficient to frame the casualties in these attacks solely in terms of those affected by chemical agents. First, the psychological effects of these chemical attacks, and the added risks they pose to children and the elderly, are devastating. Second, like many previous episodes, this one reportedly involves conventional targeting after the chemical attacks, which flushes civilians out of sheltered areas and makes them vulnerable to conventional bombing. To then target hospitals receiving the injured compounds the psychological effects. This two-pronged tactic ensures that besieged civilians feel they have no place to hide and nowhere to protect their children.

Much has been made of the symptomology and increased lethality of the Khan Sheikhoun attack, raising questions about a possible secret production capability or stockpile of undeclared chemical weapons  notably sarin. We should not engage in armchair diagnoses from YouTube videos. On-the-ground investigators can return a definitive assessment, and they need to be empowered to do their jobs. The use of sarin or other traditional warfare agents would clearly signal that Assad believes he can operate with impunity. Chlorine  or any weaponized chemical used in this way  is just as heinous and legally prohibited. But nerve agents are more deadly and, unlike chlorine, require precursors that were supposed to be removed and destroyed in 2014. That process eliminated the majority of Syrias military-scale chemical weapons program, but we can never know if everything was removed  as Syria, with Russian cover, continues to stall, obfuscate, mislead, and otherwise violate international obligations. Moreover, the Syrians, with extensive military and scientific expertise in chemical weapons, are perfectly capable of developing improvised munitions and agents if they believe chlorine isnt getting the job done. If it turns out that traditional military or improvised agents were used in these attacks, the implications are broader, and the audacity of the Syrian regime even more flagrant, but the crime is no more egregious.

We can debate what should have been done in the past, but its far more important to act now. We should expect such attacks to continue, and possibly increase, until international resistance builds and cleavages surface with the regimes patron, Russia. Then, perhaps such chemical use will again temporarily recede. The international community must increase and sustain the pressure so that he is unwilling or unable to resume the attacks.

The United States must push for action in the Security Council and hold Russia to account for shielding Assads atrocities. The Trump administration should insist on the immediate insertion of investigators on the ground to gather critical physical evidence, interview witnesses and victims, and ensure that the full record of these crimes is not lost.

The Russian theory that the massacre resulted from the bombing of a rebel-held chemical weapons storage facility seems highly implausible, but could be verified or refuted easily with a swift investigation.

In addition, the international community should demand the grounding of Syrian aircraft, particularly helicopters, which have served as the principle delivery vehicle for chemical munitions. Sanctions should target the Syrian government, and individuals and entities with links to these atrocities, at the organizational and individual level. The United States took an important step along these lines in January when it sanctioned 18 senior Syrian officials and five military branches associated with the Syrian regimes use of chemical weapons. We should do more and encourage other nations to do likewise. Finally, the international community must support and develop a robust evidence repository and victim registration to ensure that these crimes are fully documented and evidence preserved in hopes that the arms of justice can reach these war criminals in the months and years to come.

Presidents inherit problems and unfinished business. President Barack Obama inherited two Middle East wars and an economic crisis of proportions not seen in decades. President Trump has inherited a North Korean regime undaunted by international pressure and hell-bent on acquiring missile and nuclear capabilities to threaten the United States. He has also inherited a catastrophic war in Syria in which atrocity and criminality seemingly have no limits.

Casting blame and pointing fingers will not save a single childs life, bring justice to a single grieving mother, or return a single refugee to his home. Nor will it convince adversaries that the price to be paid for resorting to chemical weapons, or biological or nuclear weapons, will exceed any benefits from their use. Deterring future chemical weapons use requires hard work, tenacity, and, most importantly, leadership  not recrimination or revisionism. This is too important.

Photo credit: DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty Images
SYDNEY (AP)  Nauru's president said Thursday that Australia's controversial policy of sending asylum seekers to his Pacific island nation was "working well," as he met with the Australian prime minister amid questions over the fate of hundreds of refugees languishing at Nauru's Australian-run detention camp. The meeting in Sydney between President Baron Waqa and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull follows fresh scrutiny of Australia's asylum-seeker policy sparked by a resettlement deal between Australia and the U.S. Australia refuses to settle any asylum seekers who try to arrive by boat, insisting the tough policy is necessary to dissuade migrants from attempting the dangerous ocean crossing from Indonesia.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  People used jet boats and tractors to help rescue about 2,000 residents of a New Zealand town after a river burst through a concrete levee Thursday, flooding hundreds of homes and businesses. Local authorities declared a state of emergency after the levee failed in the town of Edgecumbe on the North Island. New Zealand has been drenched in recent days by the remnants of Cyclone Debbie, which flooded parts of Australia's east coast last week. Tony Bonne, the mayor of the Whakatane District Council, said the water was more than 1 meter (3.3 feet) deep in some homes and that one nearby river had reached an all-time record height.

HONG KONG (AP)  Asia's developing economies will see steady growth this year and the next, though the evolving policies of President Donald Trump's administration are a major uncertainty, the Asian Development Bank said in a report Thursday. The Manila, Philippines-based lender forecast growth in developing Asia at 5.7 percent in 2017  unchanged from its previous forecast  and said that pace would continue into 2018. It said 30 of the 45 countries covered in the report will see sustained growth that will help offset the gradual slowdown in China, Asia's biggest economy. However, the risks include unexpected changes to U.S.

Story continues

SEOSAN, South Korea (AP)  Chung Young-chul takes a drag on his cigarette and watches as wild ducks fly across rice fields and land on a reservoir in this remote farming village. He's among nearly 2,000 people  ex-gangsters, ex-convicts, former prostitutes, orphans  who were once held here, forced to work without pay for years and are now largely forgotten. "Some died after they were beaten and got sick. Others died of malnutrition or in accidents," said Chung, 74. "It was worse than a prison camp ... We were starving slaves." They were victims of social engineering orchestrated in the 1960s by dictator Park Chung-hee, late father of just-ousted President Park Geun-hye.

LONDON (AP)  An heir to the Red Bull energy drink fortune has refused to answer questions about whether he will return to Thailand this month to meet with prosecutors over an alleged hit-and-run that killed a police officer almost five years ago. Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya was silent Wednesday as The Associated Press asked about his plans. Standing outside a residence in an exclusive London neighborhood, he didn't say why he was in Britain or whether he would meet with prosecutors in Thailand April 27. Vorayuth, who is in his early 30s, fled the scene of the 2012 accident in his Ferrari after allegedly hitting the police officer, who was on motorcycle patrol.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  A North Korean missile test ended in failure Wednesday when the rocket spun out of control and plunged into the ocean in a fiery crash, a senior U.S. defense official said. The launch came shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump's first meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this week, raising speculation that it might have been timed to get their attention. The extended-range Scud missile suffered an in-flight failure and fell into the sea off North Korea's east coast, according to U.S. imagery and assessments, the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the launch publicly.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea rarely misses an opportunity to conduct banned missile tests to coincide with high-profile world events at which the impoverished yet nuclear-armed country is likely to be discussed. On Wednesday, it fired a missile a day before the first meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Did North Korea really want to steal the show ahead of the Trump-Xi summit? Or was the launch just part of its broader missile development programs, with outsiders reading too much into a routine weapons test? What you should know about North Korea's latest missile test: ___ DUAL PURPOSES?

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  The response of America's chief diplomat to North Korea's latest missile launch was an abrupt departure from the usual  which may be a turning point, analysts in Asia say. The statement from U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson totaled 23 words: "North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment." While Tillerson's statement was unusually short and vague, experts in South Korea and Japan saw it as a sign of consistency on how the United States under President Donald Trump will deal with North Korea as it speeds up its nuclear weapon and missile developments.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says "the United States has spoken enough about North Korea" in reaction to North Korea's latest missile launch. The State Department issued a terse statement from America's top diplomat acknowledging "yet another" launch and saying "We have no further comment." U.S. and South Korean officials said earlier that North Korea fired a ballistic missile into its eastern waters Wednesday. The launch came amid worries that the North might conduct banned nuclear or rocket tests ahead of the first summit between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week.

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Results of an independent poll released Wednesday showed a drop in the number of Filipinos who trust President Rodrigo Duterte, although he was still considered trustworthy by three-quarters of the respondents despite an impeachment complaint pending against him. Results released by Pulse Asia Research Inc. showed that 76 percent of the 1,200 respondents expressed trust in Duterte, down 7 percentage points from December. Some 78 percent of respondents approved of his performance, down from 83 percent. The nationwide survey was conducted March 15-20  around the time a lawmaker filed an impeachment complaint against Duterte because of alleged corruption and the thousands of deaths in the president's anti-drug crackdown.
Millions of Americans take an ambulance trip every year; others get rides from willing friends or, tempting fate, drive themselves.

But in recent years a new trend has arisen: Instead of an ambulance, some sick people are hailing an emergency Uber.

Though firm numbers are hard to come by, drivers for Uber and Lyft say it happens with some regularity. In an online chatroom for Uber drivers, dozens of posters share experiences with passengers who hail a ride with bloody cuts, asthma, anaphylaxis, or broken bones.

The trend, experts say, is driven by a few key factors. Ride-hailing services are cheaper and more predictable than ambulance services. And it allows riders to choose the hospital theyre taken to. But emergency Uber and Lyft rides come with significant risks  to drivers, to patients, and potentially to the companies themselves.

Theres definitely a liability

Francis Piekut, who drives for Uber and Lyft, recalled a passenger who requested a pickup at a Boston-area Starbucks last year.

When Piekut arrived, he discovered it wasnt a typical fare. They were burned and wanted to go the emergency room, he said. He treated the situation like any other ride, he said, dropping his passenger off at the hospital and not asking any questions. I dont know how bad it was, but I knew they were in pain really bad.

I didnt mind it, Piekut added, saying that he would do it again. I was already there, and I know the ambulance costs a lot.

Read more: WATCH: A helicopter medic grapples with trauma across vast distances

But that sentiment isnt universal. Some riders have reported being turned down for an emergency ride.

On the web forum, some drivers shared stories of refusing passengers who looked like they needed emergency medical care. They cited reasons like not wanting to get blood on their car seats, or to be stuck with a dead body in their car.

One Boston-area driver for both Uber and Lyft, who requested not to be named for fear of hurting his business, recounted the story of a group of three people who hailed him last year.

Story continues

The women tell me their friend is not feeling well, and they want me to take them to the emergency room, he said. I told them no and to just call 911. I have to respect the rules of the road; I cant speed like an ambulance.

And theres definitely a liability thing, the driver added. If anything happened to the guy, its definitely on me and the insurance I have to carry.

Officially Uber agrees that riders should call local police or emergency medical services for emergencies.

Its important to note that Uber is not a substitute for law enforcement or medical professionals, said Uber spokesperson Brooke Anderson by email. In the event of any medical emergency, we encourage people to call 911.

Still, despite that official stance, the company does occasionally honor drivers on its website for providing emergency transport.

Read more: Transportation shouldnt be a barrier to health care

Emergency departments respond

A motivating factor for patients can be cost. The price of an ambulance ride to the hospital can range from $600 to $1000, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, while ride-hailing would rarely hit three figures. Moreover, with ride-hailing, customers know the cost of a trip before they book it. Ambulance services, by contrast, send bills long after they are used, and often the final amount is unknown until the bill is received.

And using Uber or Lyft also lets users choose the hospital, said Chandra Steele, who wrote about taking Uber to the emergency room last summer in PC Magazine. Her medical emergency was severe bleeding, and she knew where she wanted to go.

My brother was a doctor at the hospital I wanted, but ambulances have to follow certain protocols, she said. Ambulances just take you to the closest hospital, which wasnt the one I wanted to go to.

And some emergency departments are even beginning to embrace the idea. Last summer, Washington, D.C., city officials began studying the use of ride-hailing to respond to what they describe as non-emergency, low-acuity calls, which accounted for nearly half the citys 911 calls in 2015, according to a report released in February.

In our research, we found that many of these calls did not require an ambulance, said District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department spokesperson Doug Buchanan. In fact, he added, it would be better if more people used ride-hailing services instead of an ambulance.

We would love our residents to take that initiative, he said.

Read more: Yelp is actually pretty good at hospital ratings

Operators would route medical emergency calls to triage nurses, who would then determine whether the situation calls for an ambulance, a ride-hailing service, or something else altogether. Its unclear whether drivers would get any special training for transporting such passengers.

The program is part of the mayors budget which will be voted on next month.

Dr. Mark Plaster, an emergency room physician in Baltimore, concurs that trips to the ER can vary greatly in severity  and that the transport options should as well.

I would hope that no one who needed truly urgent medical attention would take an Uber, he said. If you need medical care en route, a private car is a bad idea, because you wont have the personnel or equipment to treat you.

He is not completely against the idea, however.

Rideshares dont take ambulances out of service, and not everybody coming into the ER is in a dire situation, he said. And the ambulance can be expensive.

I dont care how they get there, he added. Just get there.
The Trump administration is trying to find a U.S. or allied buyer for Westinghouses nuclear business to keep Chinese investors from acquiring the bankrupt company, which has been a Chinese espionage target for years, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

Quoting sources, Bloomberg said Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross are involved in the effort to find a buyer for Westinghouses money-losing reactor construction business and address a sale to keep the Chinese from acquiring technological secrets.

Read: Did Trump Actually Help China By Killing A Trade Deal? Liberal Senators Praise Move

Three scenarios reportedly are under consideration: blocking a sale, encouraging an alternative bid or government investment.

Westinghouse filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection March 29.

President Donald Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida Thursday and Friday, and Bloomberg said its sources expect Westinghouse to come up in the talks.

Read: Trump Warns Meeting With Xi Jinping Will Be 'Difficult'

Bloomberg said Southern Co. CEO Thomas Fanning has met with Perry and Tillerson. Westinghouse currently is building two nuclear reactors for Southern subsidiary Georgia Power. Its also building two plants in South Carolina for the V.C. Summer power plant, and six reactors are under construction in India.

Any purchase by a foreign investor would have to be approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment, which is chaired by Mnuchin and could block a sale deemed a national security risk. Former President Barack Obama blocked two such deals, one involving a wind farm in Oregon and the other a semiconductor supplier.

The Japanese government wants Toshiba to unload Westinghouse to protect its financial future. Toshiba bought Westinghouse in 2006, anticipating a rising demand for nuclear power in the U.S., U.K. and China would lead to 45 new contracts for nuclear reactors in the next 15 years, but cheaper natural gas and the 2011 Fukushima disaster put a damper on expectations.

Story continues

About half of the 430 nuclear power stations in the world are based on technology developed by Westinghouse, which built the first commercial pressurized water reactor more than 50 years ago.

Westinghouse hopes the bankruptcy filing will allow it to reorganize. Its petition cited years of delays and billions of dollars in cost overruns on the U.S. plants under construction for its difficulties, singling out post-9/11 Nuclear Regulatory Commission requirements mandating design changes to make sure the plants could withstand a planes impact.

Related Articles
Top Three Worst States For Gun Rights

By Dean Weingarten. April 3rd, 2017

Article Source

Which are the worst three states for exercising your right to keep and bear arms? There are several contenders for that dubious distinction. The worst states can be found with the answers to a couple of questions.

First: Do you have to ask government permission to purchase a firearm? Some states require that you obtain permission before purchasing handguns. A smaller subset require that you obtain permission before purchasing any gun. That infringement is a must have for the worst states. There are twelve states that have the requirement for all guns. They are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington State. Maryland does not make the list, because you do not need a permit to purchase most rifles and shotguns.

Second: Does the state claim the power to arbitrarily deny people the right to bear arms outside of the home, even after jumping through the hoops to obtain a permit? The power may be vested in police chiefs, a board or committee, or some other appendage of the state.

The clear infringement is the state can arbitrarily say "sure, you meet the legal qualifications; you have not committed a felony. You haven't been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. You have not been involuntarily committed to a mental hospital. You have taken the proper course, passed the test, and are legally allowed by law to own weapons...but...the semi-feudal authority figure does not like the cut of your jib", so he says "Denied", and your rights are infringed. This often takes the form of a subjective judgment that you do not have a "good reason" to have a permit. Strangely, those with money and political connections are usually able to come up with "good reasons". Not having legal access to carry outside the home cuts the list down to six states. .......

The majority of gun owners will probably be familiar with the states that make gun ownership and carry difficult or even near impossible, flouting the Second Amendment. However, Dean Weingarten here gives us a run-down of the factors involved within his choice of extreme restriction states.

It is interesting to note - breaking news - that NJ's Governor Christie is to make a (small) concession on granting of carry permits... hardly enough but maybe it's a start.

"You don't have to be Jewish to fight by our side."

 2017 JPFO All rights reserved.

jpfo@jpfo.org

1-800-869-1884

Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership

12500 NE 10th Pl.

Bellevue, WA 98005 USA

"America's most aggressive defender of civil rights"

We make the NRA look like moderates

Join JPFO

Back to Top


President Donald Trumps summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Trumps Mar-a -Lago resort in Florida on Thursday will be a study in contrasts and geopolitical role reversal: The inward-looking, economic nationalist American president sees his countrys traditional leadership role as a burden and instead promises to put America first, while the post-Davos Chinese president has global ambitions.

Trump hasnt been dealt the easiest of hands in Asia. The neo-authoritarian populism that has roiled the political waters globally has washed away reliable U.S. allies in the Philippines and replaced them with a demagogue, a corruption scandal has left the Korean government in transition, and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un continues to make dangerous noises and destabilize the Korean peninsula when he isnt busy assassinating his relatives.

But by far the biggest blow to Americas projection of Pacific power has been self-inflicted: Trumps abandonment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which would have established the centrality of the United States in the Pacific region and demonstrated American economic staying power to countries like Vietnam, which increasingly look to the United States as a buffer against Chinas assertiveness. Instead, the Chinese are pushing their own version of a regional trade agreement  the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership  and Americas presence is again being questioned.

Two months into his administration, Trump and his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, have sent some welcome signals that the United States will remain engaged in Asia. However, the details of the administrations strategy are hazy, and the president continues to talk about negotiating unspecified, bilateral deals that advantage the United States over its allies and enemies alike. If President Barack Obama spent eight years trying  however incompletely  to succeed at an Asia rebalance, Trump thus far portends an Asia unbalance.

Just as Obamas efforts to engage the Chinese informally at the Sunnylands estate in California  separate from the highly structured, annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue  were laudable, this weeks Mar-a-Lago personal diplomacy gambit is a smart one. In both American and Chinese culture, to welcome someone into your home as your guest is a sign of great respect. However, the big question at Mar-a-Lago will be: Does the retreat include a comprehensive, strategic approach to Asia, beyond the mere symbolism?

If the administrations Asia policy is to be anything more than rhetorical at best, here are six steps that should undergird a sound strategy.

1. Combat the growing global perception that the United States is receding in leadership while China is on the rise. Nothing has come to symbolize this stunning turnabout more than climate change. Beijing has been gloating over the contrast between Trumps retrograde climate polices and Chinas reassurance that it will honor the Paris agreement signed by 190 countries. Recognizing that there could be an estimated multi-trillion-dollar market in renewable energy and millions of jobs to go along with it, the Chinese also promised a $350 billion investment in renewable energy over the next decade. The United States should end the uncertainty about its intentions and make it explicit that America is not backing out of its climate commitments and will keep its word  a currency particularly important in Asia.

2. Reassure Southeast Asia about U.S. staying power. Through the first 100 days of the new administration, North Asia has received considerable early attention and diplomatic visits, by necessity. But Southeast Asia  including Vietnam, which has been a bipartisan success story for the United States over decades since it began a policy of engagement, and Myanmar, which has made varying degrees of progress since a policy of isolation ended  is also in need of U.S. attention. It would be a mistake to surrender the field to Beijing  to be perceived as pivoting away from countries that will grudgingly but increasingly turn to China, or at least become reluctant to stand up to the Chinese, if they question U.S. commitment to the region.

3. Make the Trump administrations policies on security in Asia less opaque. Tillerson said that the United States needs a different approach to North Korea, and that the policy of strategic patience has ended. The details and results of the National Security Councils review of American North Korea policy will be critical. Putting meat on the bones of secondary sanctions will demonstrate that renewed toughness is more than rhetorical. Notwithstanding U.S. military superiority, North Korea has a greater willingness to accept risk; its mercurial leader, Kim Jong-un, would likely retaliate against any limited strike by imposing costs that would be disproportionately difficult for the United States and its allies in the region to bear. Theres no denying that the key to stability on the Korean peninsula is China, which supplies its neighbor North Korea with oil and has long been all that stands in the way of collapse of the insular and obnoxious regime. Will China  which has again announced willingness to cut off coal imports from North Korea  follow through this time? Chinas on-again, off-again approach to sanctioning and degrading the North Korean economy, fearing a refugee crisis or a destabilizing conflict on its border, has always been the wildcard in the equation. Ensuring persistent Chinese pressure on North Korea requires consistent American pressure, along with that of allies in Seoul and Tokyo.

4. Continue to ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Although there was a lot of reckless talk during the 2016 campaign  Steve Bannon, now the White House chief strategist, predicted war in the South China Sea in five to 10 years  thus far Trump hasnt actually sent a single U.S. Navy ship to the Spratly islands. The last U.S. naval operation happened in October, on Obamas watch. At Mar-a-Lago, Trump should adopt the talking points of Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis  not Bannon  but he should tell Xi that U.S. naval operations in the South China Sea will be renewed at a time of Americas choosing.

5. Make it clear that human rights remain a central tenet of American foreign policy. Past U.S. administrations have pressed Beijing on human rights without allowing those criticisms to freeze constructive engagement on other issues. Walking away from this position doesnt give the United States greater harmony with China  it weakens U.S. leverage. Beijing sees Americas retreat on human rights as one less issue with which China must contend: an obstacle removed from the path of increasingly overt aspirations toward global leadership.

Americas values have always been one of its most important and effective exports. To put it in language that Trump the businessman would understand, Americas values are its strongest brand. They are also something that distinguishes the United States from China. When Trump reassured Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte that he was going about his controversial fight against drugs the right way, even though the Philippine president had encouraged the extra-judicial killings of thousands of his countrymen, it didnt win the United States leverage or respect  it only confused allies and partners about Americas values.

6. Assemble a strong Asia team, quickly. The departure of career diplomats with Asia credentials from key positions, including State Department Counselor Kristie Kenney and Assistant Secretary of State Danny Russel, created a void. The president still has yet to nominate an assistant secretary of state for East Asian Affairs  and China is the beneficiary of that vacuum.

Personal diplomacy can be important  but its no substitute for a strategy. While Trumps ugly phone call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull dominated the headlines, whats more worrisome but less attention grabbing is a comment by Stephen Fitzgerald, Australias first ambassador to China, who called on his government to make China its primary focus of diplomacy and economic policy.

We are living in a Chinese world, he said, But we dont have a relationship to match it. The dynamics in Asia are changing. The United States would do well to remember that it is not the only nation capable of a pivot.

Photo credit: FENG LI/Getty Images
President Donald Trump described Tuesday's suspected gas attack on civilians in Idlib, Syria, the immediate consequence of his predecessor's Syria policy. The chemical attack, believed to be one of the most deadliest since sarin gas killed hundreds of civilians in Ghouta near Damascus in August 2013, claimed the lives of over 100 people and left 300 wounded. Trump also accused Syrian President Bashar Assad and held him responsible for the deaths.

In a statement Tuesday, Trump blamed Barack Obama's administration and said, "These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution."

"President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing," he added.

The president called the attack "reprehensible" and said it "cannot be ignored by the civilized world." However, the Trump administration did not declare what they would do about the attack. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer only mentioned earlier that Trump spoke to his national security team after the incident.

Several world leaders expressed their views after the alleged chemical attack and said the Syrian administration was responsible for it. One U.K. official also suggested that the attack amounted to a war crime. U.K. Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Boris Johnson criticized the Syrian government while speaking at a news conference. "If this were to be proved to have been committed by the Assad regime then it would be another reason to think they are an absolutely heinous outfit, that is, it is a war crime," Johnson said.

However, Assad's military claimed they had nothing to do with the use of chemical weapons and blamed rebels for the devastation. Syria's ally Russia claimed that they had no war planes nearby when the attacks happened, according to CNN.

Story continues

"We deny completely the use of any chemical or toxic material in Khan Sheikhoun town today and the army has not used nor will use in any place or time, neither in past or in future," the Syrian army said, the Independent reported.

Trump's political tone while blaming the former administration for the chemical attack surprised several U.S. officials, according to ABC News. They mentioned that the former U.S. presidents have not attacked their predecessors so aggressively for such attacks, which must be condemned by all irrespective of which party they belong to. Several anonymous officials reportedly said that the National Security Council was working on a different statement, until Trump's closest advisers were asked to take over.

The attack received condemnation from leaders around the world.

Related Articles
By Valerie Volcovici, Nichola Groom and Scott DiSavino WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) - When President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week to sweep away Obama-era climate change regulations, he said it would end America's "war on coal", usher in a new era of energy production and put miners back to work. But the biggest consumers of U.S. coal - power generating companies - remain unconvinced. Reuters surveyed 32 utilities with operations in the 26 states that sued former President Barack Obama's administration to block its Clean Power Plan, the main target of Trump's executive order. The bulk of them have no plans to alter their multi-billion dollar, years-long shift away from coal, suggesting demand for the fuel will keep falling despite Trump's efforts. The utilities gave many reasons, mainly economic: Natural gas - coals top competitor - is cheap and abundant; solar and wind power costs are falling; state environmental laws remain in place; and Trump's regulatory rollback may not survive legal challenges. Meanwhile, big investors aligned with the global push to fight climate change  such as the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund  have been pressuring U.S. utilities in which they own stakes to cut coal use. "Im not going to build new coal plants in todays environment," said Ben Fowke, CEO of Xcel Energy , which operates in eight states and uses coal for about 36 percent of its electricity production. "And if Im not going to build new ones, eventually there wont be any." Of the 32 utilities contacted by Reuters, 20 said Trump's order would have no impact on their investment plans; five said they were reviewing the implications of the order; six gave no response. Just one said it would prolong the life of some of its older coal-fired power units. North Dakota's Basin Electric Power Cooperative was the sole utility to identify an immediate positive impact of Trump's order on the outlook for coal. "Were in the situation where the executive order takes a lot of pressure off the decisions we had to make in the near term, such as whether to retrofit and retire older coal plants," said Dale Niezwaag, a spokesman for Basin Electric. "But Trump can be a one-termer, so the reprieve out there is short." Trump's executive order triggered a review aimed at killing the Clean Power Plan. The Obama-era law would have required states, by 2030, to collectively cut carbon emissions from existing power plants by 30 percent from 2005 levels. It was designed as a primary strategy in U.S. efforts to fight global climate change. The U.S. coal industry, without increases in domestic demand, would need to rely on export markets for growth. Shipments of U.S. metallurgical coal, used in the production of steel, have recently shown up in China following a two-year hiatus - in part to offset banned shipments from North Korea and temporary delays from cyclone-hit Australian producers. RETIRING AND RETROFITTING Coal had been the primary fuel source for U.S. power plants for the last century, but its use has fallen more than a third since 2008 after advancements in drilling technology unlocked new reserves of natural gas. Hundreds of aging coal-fired power plants have been retired or retrofitted. Huge coal mining companies like Peabody Energy Corp and Arch Coal fell into bankruptcy, and production last year hit its lowest point since 1978. The slide appears likely to continue: U.S. power companies now expect to retire or convert more than 8,000 megawatts of coal-fired plants in 2017 after shutting almost 13,000 MW last year, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration and Thomson Reuters data. Luke Popovich, a spokesman for the National Mining Association, acknowledged Trump's efforts would not return the coal industry to its "glory days," but offered some hope. "There may not be immediate plans for utilities to bring on more coal, but the future is always uncertain in this market," he said. Many of the companies in the Reuters survey said they had been focused on reducing carbon emissions for a decade or more and were hesitant to change direction based on shifting political winds in Washington D.C. "Utility planning typically takes place over much longer periods than presidential terms of office," Berkshire Hathaway Inc-owned Pacificorp spokesman Tom Gauntt said. Several utilities also cited falling costs for wind and solar power, which are now often as cheap as coal or natural gas, thanks in part to government subsidies for renewable energy. In the meantime, activist investors have increased pressure on U.S. utilities to shun coal. In the last year, Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, has excluded more than a dozen U.S. power companies - including Xcel, American Electric Power Co Inc and NRG Energy Inc - from its investments because of their reliance on coal-fired power. Another eight companies, including Southern Co and NorthWestern Corp , are "under observation" by the fund. Wyoming-based coal miner Cloud Peak Energy said it doesn't blame utilities for being lukewarm to Trump's order. "For eight years, if you were a utility running coal, you got the hell kicked out of you," said Richard Reavey, a spokesman for the company. "Are you going to turn around tomorrow and say, 'Let's buy lots of coal plants'? Pretty unlikely." (Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Brian Thevenot)
(Reuters) - Democratic senators questioned President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, over his ties to the pharmaceutical industry on Wednesday, with one citing "a level of discomfort" over his nomination. Democrats on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions questioned whether Gottlieb's ties to the pharmaceutical industry would compromise his ability to act impartially, ahead of a vote on whether to advance his nomination to the full Senate. Gottlieb, a former FDA deputy commission who is a partner at a large venture capital fund and sits on the boards of multiple healthcare companies, has advocated loosening requirements needed for approval of new medical products. His nomination is generally expected to be approved. The hearing also covered Gottlieb's views on issues ranging from clinical trials to the opioid epidemic and vaccines. Senator Chris Murphy said Democrats had "a level of discomfort" with Gottlieb's nomination, not just because of his private industry background but also because of his prior activity as a political adviser to Republican presidential candidates and opposition to the Affordable Care Act. "The worry about impartiality is certainly connected to the private sector experience but it's also to your very deep political involvement as well," Murphy said. Gottlieb, 44, acknowledged the concern, but said he would "work hard to make sure I preserve my impartiality." In an ethics disclosure form filed last month Gottlieb said he would resign from multiple corporate boards and divest his healthcare company holdings. Republicans on the committee said Gottlieb's background would provide him with valuable insight into the industry that the FDA regulates. Gottlieb said his goal was to implement the provisions in the recently passed 21st Century Cures Act that among other things require the FDA to consider ways to streamline the clinical trial process. He said he would be in favor of "clinical trial constructs that don't require the tight randomization that current clinical trials do." Gottlieb also said he would be willing to challenge the view that vaccines cause autism, a theory that has been widely debunked by vaccine experts. In January Trump's transition team floated the idea of forming a panel on autism. In 2014 Trump said in a tweet that he believed in vaccinations "but not massive, all at once, shots" and that "Govt. Should stop NOW!" Gottlieb said the question of whether vaccines cause autism "is one of the most exhaustively studied issues in medicine" and that there is no causal link between vaccines and autism. Pressed on whether he would challenge contrary views, Gottlieb said he has a history "of not being shy about speaking truth to power and making my views known." Gottlieb called the opioid epidemic "a public health emergency on the order of Ebola and Zika." He said it is the biggest health crisis facing the FDA and that solving the problem would require a broad public health response. Gottlieb, who held a financial interest in the vape shop Kure, said some e-cigarettes may have the potential to wean smokers off combustible cigarettes and be less harmful. "An e-cigarette or vaping product might be a good smoking cessation tool while a chocolate chip-flavored e-cigarette might not be," he said. Ultimately, he said, science will tell where to draw that line. (Reporting by Toni Clarke; Editing by Leslie Adler)
President Donald Trump promised to rebuild the nation with the help of American construction workers and domestic products, during his speech at the North Americas Building Trades Union (NABTU) legislative conference, Tuesday. "Youre the backbone of America. With the talent in this room, we could build any city at any time, and we can build it better than anyone," he said.

"Together, we are going to rebuild our nation. America's labor leaders will always find an open door with Donald Trump," he continued.

The conference took place at the Washington Hilton in Washington D.C. The president began his speech by mentioning different construction related jobs the workers had performed earlier, congratulating everyone including pipe fitters, electricians and plumbers.

"Youre the keepers of the great trades and traditions that built our country from the New York skyline to the Golden Gate Bridge. You represent the workers whose hands, skills, and dreams will build the great landmarks of our future. Every day, your members live out what I call the American Creed," he said praising all the construction workers.

He also spoke about the time when the World Trade Center was rebuilt after the 9/11. "We saw this grit on display when the construction trades helped rebuild New York City after 9/11. (Applause.) That was a terrible time -- we were all there -- that was a terrible time in this countrys history. Worst attack in the history of our country," the president remarked.

Trump, who had been a former real estate mogul himself, referred to his experience and joked that he exactly knew how much concrete could be laid down in 24 hours. "Were a nation of builders, and it was about time we had a builder in the White House," he said.

Trump said he would also try to bring back the 750,000 construction jobs that have been lost, although he said it might take a decade to do so. Trump carried a chart with him during his speech, which included regulations to build highways that he said were obstructing his $1 trillion infrastructure plan.

Story continues

"If you want to build a highway in the United States, these are some of the permits you need, Trump said, holding the chart. "Its a process that can take way over 10 years. And it just never happens. Then at the end of the period they vote against it. And we're getting rid of many of these regulations."

Trump ended his speech with a statement saying that in the future the nation's builders will able to build new bridges, schools and other things in a broader landscape. "In this future, our nations workers and craftsmen will look way out at the vast open landscape, and they will build new bridges and new schools and new landmarks, and they will proudly raise up for all to see our bright and beautiful American flag," he said.

Related Articles
President Donald Trump has signed a resolution to repeal the internet privacy regulations introduced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under former President Barak Obama. The resolution barely passed in Congress last week, with Republicans siding with internet service providers who claimed the regulations were unfair.

In addition, the resolution passed Monday prohibits the FCC from passing any other privacy restrictions that would protect customers data.

The consequences of passing this resolution are clear: broadband providers like AT&T, Comcast, and others will be able to sell your personal information to the highest bidder without your permission, Democrat Rep. Anna Eshoo said on the floor of the house. And no one will be able to protect you, not even the Federal Trade Commission that our friends on the other side of the aisle keep talking about.

The move is a major development for the telecom industry, which saw the rules as unreasonable and burdensome while claiming that tech companies such as Facebook and Google would not have been affected by the now-repealed rules.

On Friday, Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast said they would voluntarily not sell their customers' individual web browsing information.

In a blog post, Gerard Lewis, the chief privacy officer for Comcast, said: We do not sell our broadband customers individual web browsing history. We did not do it before the FCCs rules were adopted, and we have no plans to do so.

However, privacy groups such as American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which backed the FCC and its efforts under Obama, consider the resolution as a major setback. They said privacy should be more important than profits, and "most Americans believe that their sensitive internet information should be closely guarded."

The regulations imposed during the Obama administration restricted internet service providers from using any users sensitive information, including their browsing history and details of their finances and health, to create targeted advertisements, without their consent.

Related Articles




donald trump

President Donald Trump has made it very clear that when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, one topic will tower above the rest: North Korea's nuclear posturing.

But Trump, whose administration has gone further than any before it in stressing the potential for a military strike on North Korea, may be running out of time to determine North Korea's fate on his own terms.

As North Korea continues to test nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, the US nears a "point of no return," Omar Lamrani, a senior military analyst at Stratfor, a geopolitical analysis firm, told Business Insider.

Essentially, once North Korea's military perfects an intercontinental ballistic missile that can strike the US mainland, the US would no longer be able to launch a preemptive military attack without fear of casualties at home, and it may then consider recognizing North Korea's Kim Jong Un for the first time as a legitimate world leader.

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

But perfecting an ICBM could take years, and South Korean politics could freeze Trump out of the conversation long before then.

"If the Trump administration is hell-bent on significantly stepping up pressure on China and North Korea, it's going to have a serious problem," Joel Wit, a former State Department diplomat who cofounded 38North, a website that brings together experts on North Korea, told Business Insider.

That problem's name is Moon Jae-in, a liberal South Korean human-rights lawyer who is favored to win the country's May 9 presidential election.

"He is going to pursue a very different approach from President Park," Wit said, referring to Park Guen-hye, South Korea's conservative former president who was recently impeached and arrested after a bizarre influence-peddling scheme came to light.

Wit said the normally ironclad alliance between the US and South Korea could be rocked by a reversal by Moon on policy toward North Korea. Moon is expected to pursue some kind of diplomacy with North Korea, a strategy that has been attempted previously in the past-quarter century to no success.

Story continues

Pukguksong-2 north korea missile

This couldn't contrast any more with public stances from officials in the Trump administration that the "clock has now run out" on Pyongyang and "the United States has spoken enough about North Korea."

Wit said the clash in objectives for North Korea would create "problems that the Chinese can take advantage of," further relegating the US to the sidelines without the North making a single concession.

So if Trump can't convince Xi he's on the brink of war with North Korea and muscle out some concessions, he's looking at about a one-month window in which he could act unilaterally, before possible responses go from bad to worse.

NOW WATCH: Here's the surprising reason highways have those concrete walls alongside them





More From Business Insider
Top Three Worst States For Gun Rights

By Dean Weingarten. April 3rd, 2017

Article Source

Which are the worst three states for exercising your right to keep and bear arms? There are several contenders for that dubious distinction. The worst states can be found with the answers to a couple of questions.

First: Do you have to ask government permission to purchase a firearm? Some states require that you obtain permission before purchasing handguns. A smaller subset require that you obtain permission before purchasing any gun. That infringement is a must have for the worst states. There are twelve states that have the requirement for all guns. They are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington State. Maryland does not make the list, because you do not need a permit to purchase most rifles and shotguns.

Second: Does the state claim the power to arbitrarily deny people the right to bear arms outside of the home, even after jumping through the hoops to obtain a permit? The power may be vested in police chiefs, a board or committee, or some other appendage of the state.

The clear infringement is the state can arbitrarily say "sure, you meet the legal qualifications; you have not committed a felony. You haven't been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. You have not been involuntarily committed to a mental hospital. You have taken the proper course, passed the test, and are legally allowed by law to own weapons...but...the semi-feudal authority figure does not like the cut of your jib", so he says "Denied", and your rights are infringed. This often takes the form of a subjective judgment that you do not have a "good reason" to have a permit. Strangely, those with money and political connections are usually able to come up with "good reasons". Not having legal access to carry outside the home cuts the list down to six states.

California, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York are at the top of the list for states hostile to the exercise of Second Amendment rights.

Of those six states, picking the worst three is much more difficult. There are differences. Delaware Requires a background check, but not a separate license to purchase. While the state is "may issue" in law, it is reported as being "shall issue" in practice. It comes off the list.

Massachusetts requires a permit to buy a gun. They require a permit to carry a gun. One permit will allow you to do both, so people are opting for that permit instead of alternatives that are only slightly less onerous. Because of this , the number of people with Massachusetts carry permits is a respectable 7.6% of adults. Getting a permit may be difficult in Massachusetts. A permit is not guaranteed. Most Massachusetts residents who want one can get one and may bear arms. Massachusetts gets dropped off the list.

California bans private sales. You must go through a government controlled dealer to legally buy a gun. You have to register guns that you make yourself. But California does not require a special state permit to buy a gun. Many areas of California issue concealed carry permits on essentially a "shall issue" basis. California is a contender because of the insane and recent spate of anti-rights laws, but they are off the list of the top three. That leaves the three worst states: Hawaii, New York, and New Jersey.

New Jersey is the worst of the three. While they issue more permits to carry than Hawaii, the permits nearly all go to retired judges, police officers, and people with considerable "pull" (political connections). It is extremely difficult to obtain a New Jersey carry permit. New Jersey had about 1200 permits active in 2016. All other states issue more carry permits than that. All firearms ownership and use in New Jersey is controlled by statute. That is, everything about firearms that is not permitted, is forbidden. There are regular stories about people with innocent intentions being caught up in firearms laws that defy common sense. New Jersey is the only state that defines a tubular magazine fed .22 hunting rifle as an "assault weapon". For a while, a Daisy BB gun was considered an "assault weapon" in New Jersey. A large, subjective part of what makes New Jersey the worst, is the state structure seems quite willing to ignore their own rules, such as time limits on issuing permits. The impression is the rule of law is more the rule by local power brokers in New Jersey. New Jersey is one of the six states that has no right to keep and bear arms provision in the state constitution.

New York might not have made the list except for the "SAFE" Act passed in 2013. New York eliminated the New York State lifetime handgun permit. Permits now have to be renewed every five years. The SAFE act requires that all firearm purchases go through a government dealer, with extremely limited exceptions. The act requires that all ammunition purchases be done through a licensed dealer, a provision that is not yet fully law in California. There is widespread resistance to the SAFE Act, especially in upstate New York. But 43 percent of New York State residents live in New York City, where it is very difficult to obtain a permit to even purchase a pistol, let alone carry one. In California, while it is very difficult to obtain a permit to carry in the urban centers, it is much easier to purchase handguns legally. In California, carry permits are valid throughout the state. State carry permits in New York are not valid in New York City. Stories where New York authorities ignore their own firearms law to impose more stringent restrictions are rampant. New York is another of the six states that have no right to keep and bear arms in the state constitution.

Hawaii is as bad as New Jersey for most of their firearm laws. They are worse when it comes to issuing carry permits. In a fair number of years, there are no permits issued to private citizens for self defense for the entire state. You have to apply to a permit authority to buy any firearm legally. The authority to buy long guns only lasts for one year. The authority to buy a handgun only lasts for 10 days. There are a fairly large number of long guns that were grandfathered in the law before July 1, 1994. They are not required to be registered. No one knows just how many exist. Hawaii has a better reputation for following their own rules than New Jersey or New York. The Hawaii Constitution's right to bear arms provision is a copy of the Second Amendment.

Reasonable people can differ on the three worst states for the exercise of Second Amendment rights. Nearly every list will contain New Jersey. Contentions exist about the other two. My vote is for New York and Hawaii.

2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included. Link to Gun Watch.

The majority of gun owners will probably be familiar with the states that make gun ownership and carry difficult or even near impossible, flouting the Second Amendment. However, Dean Weingarten here gives us a run-down of the factors involved within his choice of extreme restriction states.

It is interesting to note - breaking news - that NJ's Governor Christie is to make a (small) concession on granting of carry permits... hardly enough but maybe it's a start.

Back to Top


WASHINGTON (AP)  Eager to show strength after a major provocation, President Donald Trump is forcefully denouncing a chemical attack he blames on Syrian President Bashar Assad but staying coy about how, if at all, the U.S. may respond.

Trump split the blame Tuesday between Syria's embattled leader and former President Barack Obama for the country's worst chemical weapons attack in years. While calling the attack "reprehensible" and intolerable, Trump reserved some of his harshest critique for his predecessor, who he said "did nothing" after Assad in 2013 crossed Obama's own "red line."

"These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution," Trump said.

Yet there were no indications Trump had a plan to prevent future atrocities that was any different from Obama's. Asked how Trump might respond, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said he wasn't yet ready to discuss it.

"We'll talk about that soon," Spicer added.

Obama, too, faced a dearth of good options in Syria, which he has often acknowledged as the biggest failure of his presidency. Years after Obama predicted that Assad's days were numbered, the Syrian leader remains in power in a country ripped apart by civil war, and a new U.S. president is struggling to establish a way forward.

Trump left it to his top diplomat, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to assign culpability to Russia and Iran, Assad's most powerful allies. Tillerson noted both countries signed up as guarantors to a recent Syrian cease-fire and said they must pressure Assad not to conduct more such attacks.

"Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths," Tillerson said.

Yet it was a mainstay of Obama's approach to Syria to try to persuade Moscow to stop supporting Assad and clear the way for a political transition. Instead, Russia launched a military operation in Syria that successfully propped up Assad's regime, strengthening Russia's influence in Syria and the broader Middle East in the process.

Story continues

And Tillerson's predecessor, John Kerry, negotiated painstakingly with his Russian counterpart to secure cease-fire deals that repeatedly fell apart.

"This is the administration in charge. They are now facing exactly the same terrible dilemmas that Obama faced and will quickly realize there are no easy ways to deal with the situation," said Phil Gordon, Obama's top Mideast adviser from 2013 to 2015. "In that sense, the Trump administration is simply recognizing the reality: We are not, and have not been, prepared to do what's necessary to overthrow the regime."

Four years ago, after warning Assad that a chemical attack would cross a red line and trigger U.S. action, Obama failed to follow through. Rather than authorizing military action against Assad in response to a sarin gas attack that killed hundreds outside Damascus, Obama opted instead for a Russian-backed agreement to remove Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles.

The chapter was seen internationally as a major blow to U.S. credibility and, for Obama's critics, a prime example of weak leadership. Syrian chemical weapons attacks continued after the deal.

Yet at the time, Trump was squarely in agreement with Obama's ultimate decision. Among his tweets on the matter, he urged Obama in all caps, "DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA  IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN."

Obama aides declined Tuesday to comment on Trump's assignment of blame for the new chemical attack.

Yet the political tone of Trump's statement took many U.S. officials by surprise. They noted that U.S. presidents have rarely attacked their predecessors so aggressively for events like chemical weapons attacks that Democrats and Republicans both abhor.

Several officials involved in internal administration discussions said Trump's National Security Council had been preparing a different statement, until the president's closest advisers took over the process. The officials weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 58 people, including 11 children, died in the town of Khan Sheikhoun. Witnesses claimed Sukhoi jets operated by the Russian and Syrian governments were involved. Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using firehoses to wash the chemicals from victims' bodies and lifeless children being piled in heaps.

U.S. officials said there were some indications nerve gas had been used, though they suggested it could also be another in a series of chlorine gas attacks by Assad's military. Chlorine isn't a banned chemical substance, though it cannot be used as a weapon of war.

There are competing forces pulling at the Trump administration as it faces one of its first major foreign crises. While Trump tries to show he's dealing with extremist groups in Syria more aggressively than Obama, his administration has suggested it could align with Russia, Assad's key military backer. And in recent days, top U.S. officials like U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley have suggested that Assad's removal is no longer a U.S. priority.

But America's Arab and European allies oppose any accommodation with Assad. Tillerson, in Turkey last week, outraged some foreign partners when he said Assad's future was up to the Syrian people. And the idea of even an indirect alliance with a Syrian government that is gassing its own people will be a hard sell with a U.S. public appalled by the reams of footage of the six-year civil war's horror.
Donald Trump is, by his own admission, not terribly analytical or deliberative. In a recent Time magazine interview, he declared, Im a very instinctual person, but my instinct turns out to be right. Unfortunately, when it comes to foreign policy, his instincts often contradict one another in potentially dangerous ways. Even worse, the impulse to act on preconceived notions, rather than thinking through problems carefully, isnt limited to the president. It pervades his administration  especially when dealing with the most consequential bilateral ties in the world: U.S.-China relations.

Trump entered the White House with the most uncertain China policy of any administration in modern memory. More than two months into his presidency, and a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping fast approaching, the administration has generated more questions than answers. It has not yet developed a coherent strategy for engaging China, nor does it have clear policies for the Asia-Pacific.

This could be forgiven  if not for the fact that senior officials in the administration harbor two extreme sets of instincts, both of which are at odds with long-standing, bipartisan U.S. policy toward China. Members of Trumps team from a traditional big-business background  including senior advisor Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson  hold instincts that are highly transactional and potentially accommodationist. According to this business-first approach, the United States should appease Beijings desire for an expanded sphere of influence in Asia in exchange for help on discrete issues such as North Korea or the bilateral trade deficit. The second set of instincts is held by the economic nationalists  most notably chief strategist Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, the head of the White House National Trade Council  who are thoroughly hostile to Chinas economic and military rise.

The U.S.-China relationship has grown increasingly challenging to manage in recent years, and new ideas should, in theory, be welcome. Both of these approaches, however, bring with them short-term and long-term dangers for U.S. interests and for the region.

The transactional approach to China accepts that it has significant sway on issues of great concern and seeks to elicit Beijings assistance, even if it means signing away other U.S. interests in the process. It is not clear whether top administration officials hold these views immutably, but it is nonetheless evident that deal-making instincts have prevailed in a few notable interactions.

The clearest manifestation of this attitude came during Tillersons recent trip to Asia, when his statements parroted Xis own vision for the U.S.-China relationship. Tillerson repeatedly (and erroneously) stated, 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. That paragraph could have come straight from Chinese state media and was warmly applauded by the Beijing papers (although a few columnists warned of taking this too seriously). The verbiage may sound entirely innocuous but in fact has worrying implications.

This Chinese phraseology was first introduced by Xi at his 2013 summit with former President Barack Obama as the new model of major-country relations. The original formulation includes respect for core interests, an amorphous list of issues Beijing considers to be national security interests that it would use force to defend. It originally included Tibet, Taiwan, and Xinjiang but has evolved over the years.

While the South China Sea is not officially on this list, in private Chinese officials sometimes use a syllogism: Sovereignty and territorial integrity are core interests, and China has inalienable sovereignty over the South China Sea, so. Tillerson pointedly did not use the phrase core interests, but to China, the object of mutual respect is self-evident. The new model implicitly acknowledges that the United States is in decline and essentially envisions a Chinese sphere of influence in Asia.

In 2013-2014, the Obama administration cautiously accepted the slogan at first, only to reconsider and wisely discard it, omitting any mention of the phrase from its statements. The Obama teams experience with this issue makes Tillersons choice of words all the more mystifying, because career China experts at the State Department and National Security Council are very familiar with this language and understood well what it implied.

After Tillerson returned from Beijing, the State Department spokesman had the opportunity to walk back his comments. Instead, he affirmed that Tillerson had chosen his words carefully. Media reporting suggests that Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has set himself up as a potentially key interlocutor with Beijing outside traditional channels, had played a critical role in pushing the language. Kushner, who lacks any formal China experience and wears many other hats within the administration, may be negotiating further recognition of Chinas core interests, as well as Xis signature foreign-policy initiative, the One Belt, One Road global infrastructure investment plan.

Why would Tillerson  or Kushner, who has strong business ties with Beijing  revive these phrases and make them the bumper sticker of his first engagement with China? Why would the White House, as the Washington Post alleges, allow Chinese officials to draft the initial understandings between the Communist Party and the Trump administration?

One explanation may be instincts learned from Tillerson and Kushners business experience in China. Foreign firms in China rapidly learn from their local partners to curry favor with the government by repeating its own preferred phrases; under Hu Jintao, there was a period when every foreign company seeking business in China spoke of how Beijing was working toward a harmonious society; since Xi took power, firms have fallen over themselves to promote the China dream. Those instincts might work for the kind of bootlicking needed for firms to be allowed into the Chinese market, but theyre actively counterproductive for national leaders.

But every indication is that this is a directed strategy of a kind and that the answer may lie in win-win cooperation  the pursuit of a better deal. The accommodationists embrace of Chinas framework sets the stage for a bargain in which Beijing takes bolder action on North Korea or announces investments in the United States in exchange for U.S. deference on other Chinese interests. If some type of deal took place, however, its terms remain a secret, which unsettles allies in the region, as well as observers at home. Indeed, both the U.S. president and his son-in-law have significant business interests in China, raising the possibility that Tillersons rhetorical concessions in Beijing reaped no gains for American foreign policy whatsoever. Far more worrisome than Tillersons words themselves, and any echo thereof at Mar-a-Lago later this week, is the fact that they may signal that some transaction took place, far from the public eye.

Yet also coursing through the administration is the fire of economic nationalism, represented by Bannon and Navarro. These advisors view all of international politics  trade as well as security  in zero-sum terms. Under this lens, the rise of China can only be starkly inimical to American welfare and interests.

Indeed, Bannon showed a deep-seated hostility toward Beijing, as editor of the far-right media outlet Breitbart and host of its daily radio program. Bannon views China as having stolen American jobs through unfair trade practices and corporate malfeasance, saying it has long conducted economic warfare against the United States. The U.S. trade deficit with China is the beating heart of our problem, and Chinas holdings of U.S. sovereign debt put America in hock to our enemies.

Bannons sentiments on security issues are no more sanguine: He views conflict between the United States and China as inevitable. He speaks about U.S.-China relations in terms of the Peloponnesian War and has compared present-day Asia to the matchbox that set off World War I  although he is hardly alone in these comparisons. More striking are his statements about the military confrontation [China is] obviously trying to drive us to in the South China Sea and his confidence that were going to war in the South China Sea in five or 10 years.

Most disconcerting of all is Bannons tendency to view relations with China as a harsh clash of civilizations. In a 2014 speech to a right-wing Catholic forum, he said the United States faces an expansionist China that is motivated, arrogant, and [thinks] the Judeo-Christian West is in retreat. Race and identity occasionally tinge his other public comments on China, including his disgust for the preponderance of East (and South) Asian immigrants in Americas world-leading tech industry and a glancing suggestion that China may use its emigrants as tools of expansion.

Navarro seems to share many of Bannons troubling China views, as well as a lack of formal expertise on the country. The former economics professor has written books and produced films with such hyperbolic titles as Crouching Tiger: What Chinas Militarism Means for the World, The Coming China Wars, and Death by China: Confronting the Dragon  A Global Call to Action. He has also called for a 43 percent tariff on Chinese imports, which would likely lead to a global recession if implemented.

America has had China hawks in positions of power before, and a Hillary Clinton administration would likely have taken a harder line on Beijing than the Obama administration. Whats different about the nationalist group in the Trump administration is that they specifically and actively oppose the rise of China and see the relationship in zero-sum terms. Their stated policy aspirations are to unravel supposedly harmful U.S.-China economic interdependence to the greatest possible extent  and to contain Chinas military expansion wherever possible. This would mark a dramatic reversal of American foreign policy. While hyperbolic critics have long characterized U.S. Asia policy as a containment strategy aimed at China  and the two sides no doubt compete over many issues  no foreign country has done more to facilitate Chinas development than the United States. In reality, every presidential administration since Richard Nixon has welcomed the rise of a China that is peaceful, stable, prosperous, and a responsible player in global affairs. And with good reason. When this aspiration is discarded and replaced with nationalist rhetoric and threats, it heightens anxieties on both sides of the Pacific and can make confident predictions of war like Bannons into self-fulfilling prophecies.

These two starkly different sets of instincts are worsened by the policy cipher in the Oval Office. Trump has articulated few consistent views on the U.S.-China relationship. He has, however, made explicit the transactional approach that Tillerson only implied, such as when he said he would condition U.S. relations with Taiwan on whether we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade. Nonetheless, on the campaign trail, Trump used China (along with Mexico and the Islamic world) as a political prop: less of a real place than as a symbol of the foreign forces that had taken advantage of America and must be brought to heel on the latters road back to greatness. The now-president said, in Bannon-esque terms, We cant continue to allow China to rape our country. In the run-up to Xis visit, Trump has been back on Twitter slamming Chinas protectionism, predicting that the summit meeting would be a very difficult one in that we can no longer have massive trade deficits  and job losses. American companies must be prepared to look at other alternatives. This followed the signing of an executive order to scrutinize U.S. trade deficits, particular those with China.

The inability to reconcile these conflicting paradigms may already be holding up straightforward policies designed to demonstrate U.S. commitment to upholding freedom of the seas. Moreover, because the administration has not yet filled its senior Asia positions, there are few experts who can even attempt to steer the administration toward a more predictable course.

If either of these sets of views ascends and crystallizes into policy, this would gravely damage U.S. interests and welfare, as well as the security of the Asia-Pacific region. The United States and its allies can afford neither to unilaterally cede important interests for short-term gains and incredible commitments nor to provoke an economic or military conflict with the worlds second-largest power.

An even worse outcome would be if both of these instincts guided U.S. policy simultaneously, leaving it dangerously indeterminate and inviting miscalculation and crisis. For instance, if officials do not clarify Tillersons transactional comments in Beijing, then Xi might conclude that Washington has finally accepted the Chinese conception of core interests and assume that the door was open for further expansion in the South China Sea. If China took a step in this direction, however, and began to build extensive military facilities on Scarborough Shoal, distressing the Philippines, a U.S. ally, the economic nationalists might urge reciprocal escalation. With the South China Sea now a key issue in Chinas own nationalist narratives, it would find it hard to back down, raising the risk of a major conflict between the worlds two largest militaries.

With the Trump-Xi summit fast approaching, serious national security professionals, including Defense Secretary James Mattis and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, must insist that the administration start to craft a coherent strategy for engaging China. They will surely not accomplish this before the leaders meet this week, but they should nonetheless press the president to identify specific objectives and advocate for policies that avoid the Scylla of transactional accommodation and the Charybdis of reckless escalation.

Washington should insist on Chinas cooperation on shared challenges like North Korea but make clear that it will not buy Beijings help at the cost of vital U.S. or allied interests. It should make prudent investments in robust deterrence without assuming the inevitability of conflict. It can demand fairer terms on bilateral trade without unleashing an economic war that would ravage the globe.

When the leaders of the worlds two largest powers meet, dangerous instincts cannot substitute for policy and strategy. Xi Jinping will easily recognize and take advantage of an impulsive and ill-prepared counterpart. And after April 6, if cooler, more careful heads do not prevail and these reckless proclivities pull and push at policy, the cost may be no less than Americas standing in Asia and the peace and stability of the entire region.

Photo credit: LINTAO ZHANG/Getty Images
President Donald Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago beginning Thursday, in what has become a hotly anticipated conference where the two are expected to discuss contentious international issues, ranging from North Koreas nuclear provocations to trade.

As far as trade discussions, steel dumping is expected to be near the top of that list. For years, China -- which was admitted to the World Trade Organization in 2001-- has been accused of flooding foreign markets with steel it sells at a lower price than what it charges domestically.

China has as much as 400 million metric tons in steel overcapacity, according to Gordon Chang, author of The Coming Collapse of China. This is the result of a couple things, including the fact that the Chinese government subsidizes or controls many companies, Chang said.

Another factor that has added to Chinas steel glut is a Chinese manufacturing boom, which has included massive investments in infrastructure over the past 15 years, Steve Mehltretter, partner in the Metals & Mining Practice at global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, told FOX Business.

In theory, excess capacity hasnt been a problem unique to China. However, there is an important difference in how other countries have managed their gluts within the global economy.

The big players in North America and Europe, they have been removing capacity over time to try to get supply and demand back in balance, Mehltretter said.

While the U.S. has closed factories and laid off workerswith 14,500 layoffs between January 2015 and June 2016 alone according to a United Steel Workers ReportChina has continued to produce and add to the global steel glut.

The Beijing government makes a promise every year they will reduce overcapacity and that doesnt happen, Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, told FOX Business.

In 2016 China produced more than 808 million metric tons of steel, nearly 50% of the worlds total output, according to the World Steel Association. By contrast, the United States produced less than 79 million metric tons, or 4.8% of global output.



Story continues

While companies in Europe and Mexico are also impacted by this practice, Paul said the United States is the most vulnerable.

U.S. steelmakers feel this more than anyone else because our market is so open, we have very low tariffs  In many other countries they try to find ways to keep that Chinese steel out, he said.

The act of dumping is not directly against WTO rules, as Dan Ikenson, director of the Cato Institute's Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, pointed out. However, many countries have their own anti-dumping laws. The U.S. imposes duties.

Last week the president signed an executive order specifically targeting countries who owe the U.S. anti-dumping duties. But Washington will need to take firmer action in order to correct the imbalances within the steel industry, Paul said.

I would compare this to putting Band-Aids on a chronically ill person  Ultimately you need the cure, the cure is eliminating the overcapacity and eliminating Chinas anti-competitive practices, he said.

Paul is hopeful Trump will make progress during his upcoming talks with China. While President Trump predicted on Twitter that he would have a difficult meeting with President Xi, he may have the upper hand when it comes to trade, Chang said.

Trump can employ the rough tactics that China uses against us  [But he] might not need to actually impose such bans, quotas, or tariffs  the mere threat of them would probably be enough to get China to shut down capacity fast and eliminate subsidies  China needs access to the American market more than American producers need access to China. Trump holds the high cards and should play them.

On Tuesday during a town hall with more than 50 CEOs and business leaders, Trump mentioned the upcoming meeting, saying he expects it will be an interesting talk.

[I] have a lot of respect for [President Xi]. Ive spoken to him numerous times. But we have to do better, because our deficit with China, as you know, $504 billion. Thats [per] year. Thats enough for a lifetime, he said.

Related Articles
MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's trust ratings declined slightly in an opinion poll in the first three months this year, crimped by what political analysts call his deadly war on drugs that killed poor slum dwellers. Seventy-six percent of 1,200 Filipinos surveyed by pollster Pulse Asia said they trusted the firebrand leader, for a drop of seven points from Dec. 2016. His first quarter performance rating of 78 percent also slipped, from 83 percent earlier. The capital, Manila, and the biggest island of Luzon showed the largest drop in the president's trust and performance ratings, as well as among poor respondents, said Ana Maria Tabunda, the firm's research director. Poll respondents who were better off gave the president a marked improvement in both performance and trust ratings, she added. Duterte scored highest in his southern home region of Mindanao, however, Tabunda added. "The highest ratings in the case of both his performance and trustworthiness are granted to President Duterte by those in Mindanao," she said in a statement. The survey, released on Wednesday, did not ask respondents to give a reason for their ratings. It was conducted in face-to-face interviews held from March 15 to 20, about a week after police resumed a bloody anti-narcotics crackdown in slum communities. The survey was largely influenced by social, political and economic developments during the first quarter, particularly the drug war killings, said Earl Parreno, an analyst at the Institute of Political and Electoral Reform. "People in poorer communities, where most of these killings are happening, are obviously not happy with the president's drug war because they worry that somebody close to them would be the next victim of extrajudicial killings," he told Reuters. "In the same way, the good grades for the president's trust and performance ratings were from the upper social classes, which is really a vote for approval of the drug war because they feel more secure from crime and drugs." Next quarter's ratings are likely to be mainly influenced by political events, such as an expected cabinet reshuffle and economic issues, such as jobs and consumer prices, among other factors. More than 8,000 people have been killed since Duterte took power on June 30 last year, with police taking responsibility for a third of those deaths, citing self-defense during anti-narcotics operations. The government rejects rights groups' allegations that police are involved in thousands of mysterious deaths. (Reporting by Manuel Mogato; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Humeyra Pamuk ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish prosecutors are seeking up to 43 years in jail for journalists from a leading opposition newspaper on charges of supporting a terrorist organization and targeting President Tayyip Erdogan through "asymmetric war methods". An indictment seen by Reuters on Wednesday said Cumhuriyet had effectively been "taken over" by the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed for a failed coup last July, and used to "veil the actions of terrorist groups". Turkey has purged more than 113,000 people from the police, judiciary, military and elsewhere since the coup attempt, and has closed more than 130 media outlets, raising concerns among Western allies about deteriorating rights and freedoms. The authorities say the measures are justified by the gravity of the coup attempt, in which rogue soldiers tried to overthrow the government and Erdogan, killing more than 240 people, most of them civilians. "(Cumhuriyet) started an intense perception operation targeting the government and president of the republic ... through asymmetric war methods," said the 324-page document, parts of which were published by Turkish media on Tuesday. Cumhuriyet, long a pillar of the secularist establishment, is accused of straying from its principles in the years leading up to the coup attempt and of writing stories that serve "separatist manipulation". The indictment named 19 journalists, of whom 12 have already been detained, including well-known columnist Kadri Gursel, and Ahmet Sik, who once wrote a book critical of Gulen's movement. Three of the 19 could face up to 43 years in prison for "aiding an armed terrorist group without being members of it." The newspaper called the charges "imaginary accusations and slander" and said some of the testimonies in the indictment were from individuals previously seen as close to Gulen. "Set them free immediately," said its Wednesday front page. SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS Prosecutors are seeking 15 years in prison for former editor Can Dundar, jailed in 2015 on charges of publishing state secrets involving Turkish support for Syrian rebels, but later released. Dundar lives in Germany. Current editor Murat Sabuncu and other senior staff were arrested late last year over alleged support for the failed coup, sparking protests in Istanbul. Social media posts including Tweets comprised the bulk of evidence in the indictment, along with allegations that staff had been in contact with users of Bylock, an encrypted messaging app the government says was used by Gulen's followers. Some suspects were accused of "serving the interests" of the PKK militant group, which has waged an insurgency in the mainly Kurdish southeast for three decades, and of the far-leftist DHKP/C, which was behind a series of armed attacks in recent years. "There are lots of organizations in Turkey. The Gulenist organization, the PKK, DHKP-C. We are being blamed for helping them all... and it seems I am the prime suspect," Dundar said in a video selfie on his website. He said the fact Cumhuriyet staff had learned about the indictment in pro-government media was "another legal scandal." "I stand with all of them and I will continue to be their voice until the end," he said on the website, which he set up from Germany to keep covering Turkish affairs. (Editing by Nick Tattersall and Jon Boyle)
When planning your next vacation getaway, why not consider Flavortown?

New York comedians Jackie Jennings and James Dwyer can't recommend it enough. The two hosts of A Big Dumb Thing (a monthly comedy show at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater about big dumb things) recently embarked on an international journey. The goal? Eat at two of Guy Fieri's restaurantsone in New York City and the other in Cancun, Mexicoin just 24 hours.

SEE ALSO: 5 pages from 'The Art of the Deal' that explain exactly what Trump's doing

After learning there's a Guy Fieri's American Kitchen Bar in Terminal 3 of the Cancun International Airport, Dwyer and Jennings knew that they simply had to take a trip to Mexico. Since both comedians live in New York, they decided to up the ante and eat at Guy's American Kitchen & Bar in Times Square before leaving.

They dubbed the trip "From One Guy to Another."

The idea of traveling to Cancun solely to eat at the airport restaurant of flavor tycoon Guy Fieri was so huge and dumb that Dwyer and Jennings simply couldn't resist.

"Most of my choices are an effort to resist constant, career-based, existential panic," Jennings said. "When James first described this idea to me, I thought he was saying there were only two Guys in the world... I loved that. I was mistaken but wed already bought tickets."

Around noon on April 3, Dwyer and Jennings sat down at Fieri's Times Square location. Dwyer had the Guy-talian Nachos ("decent"), Vegas Fries ("bad"), and a Bacon Mac n Cheese Burger ("good but made me shit and I couldn't finish"). Jennings, who doesn't eat meat, had Vegas Fries.

Story continues

Immediately after eating the meal, Dwyer and Jennings hopped on a flight to Cancun.

A post shared by James Dwyer (@jamesbdwyer) on Apr 3, 2017 at 1:37pm PDT

"We stayed in Cancun for less than 18 hours," said Dwyer. "We went to Cancun so that we could eat at the restaurant in the airport and for no other reason."

The next day, April 4, Dwyer and Jennings had an early lunch at Fieri's Cancun location, where Dwyer sampled another heavy burger and the two ate more Vegas Fries. Both speak very highly of the Cancun location's guac.

"The restaurant in Mexican had fewer American flags," said Jennings. "Guys brand is the way I would dress and behave if my life depended on others believing I am a fun, American male."

"I would generally describe Guy's brand as a pile of adjectives that sound fun together but don't necessarily sound delicious together," added Dwyer.

The duo could very well be the first to eat at two Guy Fieri restaurants in two different countries in 24 hours. Honestly, let's just say that they are, I don't think anyone's keeping track.

Although Dwyer said he wouldn't recommend the 24-hour journey to others, he's glad that they took the trip.

"I wish I had spent more time in Mexico." said Jennings. A small regret for such a worthy cause.
By Ian Simpson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Air National Guard F-16 fighter plane crashed near Washington on Wednesday during a training mission, and the pilot ejected safely after steering the plummeting aircraft away from houses, a military official said.

The pilot, who escaped with minor injuries, reported mechanical trouble during the training mission in the plane, which was built in 1986 or 1987, Air National Guard Brigadier General George Degnon said. There were no injuries on the ground or damage to buildings.

Degnon said the District of Columbia Air National Guard plane was training with three other National Guard aircraft when the pilot experienced trouble shortly after takeoff and turned around.

The plane went down about 9:15 a.m. some 12 miles south of the U.S. capital after the pilot realized he could not land safely, Degnon told a news conference at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, where the aircraft had taken off.

"He made the decision to maneuver to a wooded area to avoid the risk to the local community and ensure public safety before initiating ejection," Degnon said.

The pilot, who was not identified, was treated and released at a hospital. Degnon said the cause of the crash was under investigation.

Local television showed video images of the pilot drifting to a field under a parachute while a cloud of black smoke rose from the burning plane. Firefighters were called to put out the blaze.

A witness, Kent Roberson, told Washington's NBC television affiliate that he heard a loud boom when the plane went down. "Like how a large tree falls and shakes the ground," he said.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Ian Simpson; Editing by Andrew Hay and David Gregorio)
The United States, Britain and France on Tuesday proposed a United Nations Security Council resolution to condemn a suspected deadly chemical weapons attack in Syria, which diplomats said would likely be put to a vote on Wednesday.

The three countries blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assads forces for the attack, which killed dozens of people. The Syrian military denied responsibility and said it would never use chemical weapons.

U.N. Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura said the horrific chemical attack had come from the air.

The draft text, seen by Reuters, says Syrias government must provide an international investigation with flight plans and logs for Tuesday, the names of all helicopter squadron commanders and provide access to air bases where investigators believe attacks using chemicals may have been launched.

It asks U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to report monthly on whether the Syrian government is cooperating with an international investigation and a fact-finding mission into chemical weapons use in Syria.

Read More: They Are Dying: The Moments After a Gas Attack in Syria

The draft resolution expresses its outrage that individuals continue to be killed and injured by chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, and expresses its determination that those responsible must be held accountable.

It was not immediately clear how Russia, an ally of Assad, and China would view the move.

In February, Russia, backed by China, cast its seventh veto to protect Assads government from council action, blocking a bid by Western powers to impose sanctions.

The Security Council is due to be briefed on the suspected toxic gas attack on Wednesday.

An investigation by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW, found Syrian government forces were responsible for three chlorine gas attacks in 2014 and 2015 and that Islamic State militants had used mustard gas.

Syria agreed to destroy its chemical weapons in 2013 under a deal brokered by Moscow and Washington.

Story continues

Read More: President Trump Blames Barack Obamas Weakness for Chemical Attack in Syria

The Security Council backed that deal with a resolution that said in the event of non-compliance, including unauthorized transfer of chemical weapons, or any use of chemical weapons by anyone in Syria, it would impose measures such as sanctions.

The draft resolution proposed on Tuesday recalls that decision.

The Hague-based OPCW set up fact-finding mission in 2014 to determine cases where chemical weapons had been used in Syria.

The U.N. Security Council then established a joint team of U.N. and OPCW investigators in 2015 to assign blame in cases where the fact-finding mission had determined chemical weapons had been used.

This article was originally published on TIME.com
By Brendan Pierson NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday ordered that he be given more detail about former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani and another lawyer's representation of a Turkish gold trader charged with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions against Iran. U.S. District Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan said he needed extra information to ensure that conflicts of interest did not prevent Giuliani and former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey from effectively representing Reza Zarrab, who is in U.S. custody. Zarrab is accused of conspiring to conduct illegal transactions through U.S. banks on behalf of Iran's government. Prosecutors said in a court filing last week that eight of the U.S. banks involved in the case were clients of Giuliani or Mukasey's law firms, and Giuliani's firm was a registered agent of Turkey, posing potential conflicts. Benjamin Brafman, an attorney for Zarrab, said at a court hearing on Tuesday that Giuliani and Mukasey were working on a "diplomatic solution" to the case and would not represent Zarrab in court. Giuliani, who has advised U.S. President Donald Trump, and Mukasey traveled to Turkey in late February to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the case. Brafman said Tuesday that Mukasey discussed the trip in advance with U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Zarrab, a dual national of Iran and Turkey, was previously arrested in 2013 in a Turkish corruption probe of people tied to Erdogan, then prime minister of Turkey. Berman ordered Brafman to meet with Giuliani and Mukasey and submit information on what kind of work they were hired to do for Zarrab, what kind of work their firms had done for the banks and what the firms were doing to avoid conflicts. The judge ordered Brafman to say whether Zarrab's legal fees were being paid by someone else, and if so, who. Berman also ordered Brafman to submit a description of the relationship between Giuliani's law firm and Turkey, including any involvement by Giuliani himself. Another hearing is set for April 24. Brafman had previously argued that Zarrab's communications with Giuliani and Mukasey were confidential. Brafman declined to comment on Wednesday. Berman in Wednesday's order sought to tamp down speculation about the politically charged case. "It should be noted that, notwithstanding the hyperbole which principally has come from outside the courtroom, the case has progressed professionally and appropriately within the courtroom," he said. (Reporting By Brendan Pierson; Editing by Andrew Hay)
By Mike Stone

(Reuters) - U.S. military leaders told a congressional committee on Wednesday that their ability to prepare to counter adversaries such as Russia and China will be impaired if Congress does not provide certainty about their budgets.

U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley showed his frustration following years of uncertainty by telling the House Armed Services Committee he would consider it "professional malpractice" if Congress fails to pass a budget.

Milley was among the four heads of the U.S. military services testifying to the committee on the potential impact of a continuing resolution, a stopgap funding measure Congress could extend if it does not pass the 2017 budget by the end of April.

Current Defense Department funding is set to expire on April 28. If a budget bill is approved, it would allow the military its traditional authority to start new programs and distribute money with relative autonomy.

President Donald Trump has proposed a $30 billion defense budget supplement which would take the base Pentagon budget for fiscal 2017 to $541 billion.

Milley said the Army's basic training would stop by summer if Congress does not pass a budget and enters a full-year continuing resolution.

The Air Force's General David Goldfein said units not actively preparing to go into conflicts could be grounded this summer.

For the Navy, a full-year continuing resolution would delay funding needed to complete delivery of several ships and prevent it from buying numerous new ships, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson said, without specifying which ships.

The commandant of the Marine Corps, General Robert Neller, said construction would be delayed on specialized amphibious warships that Marines use during operations.

In December, Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. won a contract to design and build the USS Fort Lauderdale, an amphibious transport dock ship that would be used by the Marines.

Story continues

Just before testimony began on Capitol Hill, an Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training mission just six miles (10 km) southwest of Washington's Joint Base Andrews. The pilot ejected and suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the military said.

The crash was brought up by Goldfein as he expressed relief that the pilot was alright, but later during a discussion about the time and expense it takes to maintain the Air Force's fleet of aircraft, which are on average 27 years old.

(Reporting by Mike Stone; Editing by Bill Trott)
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. Security Council will visit Washington later this month and meet President Donald Trump at the White House, a council diplomat said Wednesday.

During the April 24 visit the 15 members of the U.N.'s most powerful body will also meet congressional leaders, the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the trip hasn't been officially announced.

Council members have also asked for a briefing by White House envoy Jason Greenblatt, who is charged with trying to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that collapsed over two years ago, the diplomat said.

Two issues certain to be on the agenda during the meetings, in addition to global hotspots including Syria and North Korea, are reports that Trump wants major cuts to the U.N. budget and reforms at the United Nations.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who holds the rotating Security Council presidency this month, has been outspoken in demanding reforms at the United Nations, which she has called "stale."

The administration is doing a review of all 16 U.N. peacekeeping missions, which have an annual budget of nearly $8 billion, seeking to cut costs and improve their effectiveness.

The diplomat said Haley, who is also a member of Trump's Cabinet, arranged the council visit.
LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (AP)  A popular upstate New York tourism destination plans to host a weekend of events geared toward giving law enforcement officers the opportunity to relax with their families.

Organizers announced Tuesday in Lake George that the village in the southern Adirondacks will host the Law Enforcement Officers Weekend from May 19-21.

Austin Glickman, an officer with the New York Police Department, is the vice president of the nonprofit organization that's staging events for the weekend. He tells The Post Star of Glens Falls (http://bit.ly/2oCxDMD ) that he came up with the idea a couple years ago during the national fallout from high-profile shootings involving police officers.

Events planned for the weekend include steamboat cruises on Lake George and free tickets to the Great Escape amusement park.

Law enforcement members can register for the event at www.leoweekend.com.

___

Information from: The Post-Star, http://www.poststar.com
Chicago (AFP) - Gay rights advocates Wednesday hailed a first-of-its-kind federal appeals court ruling that employers cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation.

The ruling Tuesday by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago expanded the 1967 Civil Rights Act's protections against gender discrimination to include LGBT employees in the workplace.

It conflicts with an Atlanta appellate court decision three weeks ago, which concluded that gay and lesbian workers are not protected by anti-discrimination laws.

The dueling decisions could eventually be decided by the US Supreme Court, where there is currently a vacancy and an even split among justices nominated by Republican and Democratic presidents.

The US Senate is embroiled in a contentious battle over the confirmation of President Donald Trump's conservative nominee to the high court, Neil Gorsuch.

The case at the center of the landmark decision involved a community college teacher, Kimberly Hively, who sued her former employer, Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. She claimed she was denied promotions and eventually fired because she is a lesbian.

In an 8-3 decision by both Republican and Democratic judicial appointees, the court concluded that while Congress had not originally intended to include sexual orientation in the Civil Rights Act, its prohibition against gender discrimination extended to LGBT people.

Judge Richard Posner, an appointee of former president Ronald Reagan, a Republican, said expansion of anti-discrimination protections was warranted because society now considers sexual orientation an innate part of a person, just as gender is.

"The position of a woman discriminated against on account of being a lesbian is thus analogous to a woman's being discriminated against on account of being a woman. That woman didn't choose to be a woman; the lesbian didn't choose to be a lesbian," Posner wrote.

Gay rights groups hailed the Chicago appellate court's decision.

Story continues

"Today's ruling is a monumental victory for fairness in the workplace" said Sarah Warbelow of the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign.

Calling the ruling a "game changer," Greg Nevins of Lambda Legal said it "sends a clear message to employers: it is against the law to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation."

But in a dissenting opinion, Judge Diane Sykes said judges should not reinterpret a law's meaning.

"Our role is to give effect to the enacted text, interpreting the statutory language as a reasonable person would have understood it at the time of enactment," wrote Sykes, who was on Trump's list of potential Supreme Court nominees.

Neil Gorsuch, the person Trump did nominate for the high court, is considered an originalist -- deferring to the original text of a law as legislators had intended. If he is confirmed, he could hold sway over the issue in a conservative tilting Supreme Court.
Washington (AFP) - The United States and Russia were on a collision course over Syria after a horrific chemical attack so shocked President Donald Trump that Washington threatened unilateral US action.

At least 86 people were killed early on Tuesday in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun in northern Syria and dozens more were being treated after they were found convulsing and foaming at the mouth.

After previous major chemical attacks in Syria in 2013, Trump strongly urged then-president Barack Obama not to order military intervention against Bashar al-Assad's regime.

And he came to office promising both to improve ties with Assad's ally President Vladimir Putin of Russia and to focus US efforts in Syria solely on the defeat of the Islamic State group.

But on Wednesday -- as footage emerged of Syrian children choking to death in agony -- he declared that his view of the conflict had been changed by an attack that "cannot be tolerated."

"It crossed a lot of lines for me," Trump told reporters at a joint White House news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah, alluding to Obama's failure to enforce his own 2013 "red line."

"When you kill innocent children, innocent babies, little babies... that crosses many, many lines, beyond a red line, many, many lines," he warned.

"I will tell you, it's already happened, that my attitude towards Syria and Assad has changed very much... You're now talking about a whole different level."

Trump did not go into detail about what any US response to the atrocity would be -- and he has previously opposed deeper US military involvement in Syria's civil war.

- Rethink support -

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, warned of unilateral action and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Russia to rethink its support for Assad.

"There is no doubt in our mind that the Syrian regime under the leadership of Bashar al-Assad is responsible for this horrific attack," Tillerson told reporters.

Story continues

"And we think it is time for the Russians to really think carefully about their continuing support for the Assad regime."

Tillerson is due in Moscow next week for talks that will now be clouded by the Khan Sheikhun controversy.

At the United Nations, Haley was equally forthright.

"When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," she said.

The warning came during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council called by France and Britain after the attack.

Haley, lashing out at Russia for failing to rein in its ally Syria, showed photographs of lifeless children choked in the attack.

"How many more children have to die before Russia cares?" she demanded. "If Russia has the influence in Syria that it claims to have, we need to see them use it."

- 'Categorically unacceptable' -

Britain, France and the United States have presented a draft resolution demanding a full investigation of the attack.

Russia -- along with Iran -- is Syria's main diplomatic and military partner. And Moscow, true to form, said the draft text was "categorically unacceptable."

Failure to agree on a compromise text could prompt Russia to use its veto to block the draft resolution. Moscow has used its veto seven times to shield Syria from UN action.

The Western-backed draft text backs a probe by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and demands Syria provide information on its operations.

Russia's deputy ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told the UN council that the proposed resolution was hastily prepared and unnecessary, but voiced support for an inquiry.

"The main task now is to have an objective inquiry into what happened," he said.

Russia turned up at negotiations with a rival draft resolution that made no reference to specific demands that Damascus cooperate with an inquiry, diplomats said.

Negotiations were continuing on the draft text and diplomats said there would not be a vote before Thursday at the earliest.

"We are talking about war crimes here, war crimes on a large scale, war crimes with chemical weapons," said French Ambassador Francois Delattre.

The British ambassador, Matthew Rycroft, told reporters he hoped council members would agree on a draft resolution by Thursday, but vowed to press for a vote regardless.

Moscow, which launched a military intervention in 2015 in support of Assad's forces, defended the government against accusations of responsibility for the attack.

It claimed the deaths were caused when a Syrian strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" for bombs containing "toxic substances" and pledged to maintain its military support for Assad.

Western experts have dismissed this claim as implausible, given the scale and nature of the casualties.

And a senior State Department official said: "Anyone with common sense and the ability to look at pictures knows that what the Russians are saying about the depot is not true."

- 'A gas so lethal' -

Doctors said victims showed symptoms consistent with the use of a nerve agent such as sarin -- suspected to have been used by government forces in deadly attacks outside Damascus in 2013.

US officials have not said what kind of agent they think was used, but Trump said it was "a chemical gas that is so lethal, people were shocked to hear what gas it was."

If confirmed, the attack would be among the worst incidents of chemical weapons use in Syria's civil war, which has killed over 320,000 people since it began in March 2011.

Syria officially relinquished its chemical arsenal and signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013 to avert military action after it was accused of an attack outside Damascus that killed hundreds.

But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use since.

burs-vs/acb
Washington (AFP) - Illegal immigration across the US-Mexico border has plunged in the past two months as President Donald Trump's crackdown takes hold, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Wednesday.

Apprehensions of people trying to sneak into the United States, seen as an indicator of the total flow of undocumented immigrants, dropped to 16,600 in March, down 30 percent from February and 64 percent from a year ago.

Kelly told the Senate Committee on Homeland Security that there was even a sharper fall in the number of families and unaccompanied children crossing the border.

"We've seen an absolutely amazing drop in the number of migrants coming out of Central America," he said.

"In particular we have seen a dramatic reduction in the number of families, the number of children."

The decline comes after a surge in the last three months of 2016 that appeared to be a reaction to the looming crackdown Trump promised in his presidential campaign.

Trump has pledged to expel the estimated 11-12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, the largest portion of them from Mexico.

Many have been in the country for decades, raising families, building businesses and buying homes.

The White House said the fall in the number of people sneaking into the country was the result of Trump's policies.

"By achieving real results on illegal immigration, once again, President Trump is keeping his promises to the American people," press secretary Sean Spicer said in a statement.

"This decrease in apprehensions is no accident," Kelly said.

"It won't last unless we do something to secure the border, a wall or physical barrier."

The Department's US Customs and Border Protection unit has added personnel and money to policing the 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) border.

But Trump has pledged to build a wall along the entire frontier to halt the flow of people -- largely from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and other impoverished Central American countries -- into the US.

Story continues

Plans for the wall are just getting underway, and Kelly acknowledged that a physical barrier along the entire route is not feasible or practical.

Instead, the additions to border control could involve a combination of physical barriers, electronic monitoring and more patrols.

"It is unlikely that we will build a wall, a physical barrier, from sea to shining sea."

"All we know is that physical barriers do work if they are put in the right places."
Washington (AFP) - The US military confirmed Tuesday that nuclear-armed North Korea had fired a ballistic missile, finding it posed no threat to North America and vowing to work closely with its regional allies.

The move came after the reclusive state warned it will retaliate if the global community ramps up sanctions over its latest round of weapons tests.

Ahead of a key visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump had said the United States was prepared to go it alone in bringing Pyongyang to heel if China did not step in.

"US Pacific Command is fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security," the military command in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region said.

"The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America."

In a very brief statement, US diplomatic chief Rex Tillerson said: "North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment."

PACOM said it determined the launch of the KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile took place at 11:42 am (2142 GMT), landing in the Sea of Japan at 11:51 am, in line with findings by the South Korean defense ministry.

Pyongyang is on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year.
Moscow (AFP) - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will make his first visit to Moscow next week, Russia's foreign ministry said Wednesday, as the Kremlin looks to improve ties with Donald Trump's administration.

The ministry said the visit on April 11-12 would include talks with counterpart Sergei Lavrov covering international security, including the fight against Islamic State and conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

"We positively rate the stated aim of the new leadership in the US to change the situation for the better, but we think we should judge from real actions," a statement said.

The State Department confirmed the visit and said that Tillerson will discuss "Ukraine, counterterrorism efforts, bilateral relations and other issues, including the DPRK (North Korea) and Syria."

Tillerson's visit comes as contacts with Russia remain a highly sensitive issue for Trump's administration, with law enforcement agencies and lawmakers probing alleged ties between his campaign and the Kremlin.

Relations between Moscow and Washington plummeted to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War after Moscow's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Moscow is keen to see the US drop punishing economic sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine and join forces in Syria.
BOSTON (AP)  "Old Ironsides" is headed back to Boston's waters after being dry docked for repairs these last two years.

Navy officials on Wednesday said restoration work on the USS Constitution is nearly complete. The world's oldest commissioned warship afloat is slated to return to the waters at the Charlestown Navy Yard in late July.

The ship enters dry dock every 20 years.

Nearly 100 white oak hull planks were replaced this latest round. The lower hull also was re-caulked and covered with 2,200 copper sheets. The roughly $15 million process has been chronicled online .

The ship has largely remained open to visitors, but access will be limited from July to September while workers restore the masts and rigging.

The ship earned its famous nickname notching victories in the War of 1812.
Caracas (AFP) - Venezuelan opposition lawmakers launched efforts Wednesday to fire judges whom they accuse of mounting a judicial "coup" to keep socialist President Nicolas Maduro in power.

It was the latest maneuver in a political crisis that is raising concerns for democracy and stability in the volatile major oil exporter.

But the deputies' effort looked unlikely to prosper since the decision to remove the judges depends on other state institutions loyal to the government.

The center-right opposition accused the judges of attempting a "coup d'etat" last week.

The court had issued rulings transferring the assembly's legislative powers to the court and revoking lawmakers' immunity from prosecution.

The judges later reversed the rulings after an international outcry.

Opposition lawmakers on Wednesday debated a motion to call for the judges' removal.

"They have carried out an ongoing internal coup," senior opposition deputy Henry Ramos Allup told the assembly.

"We have to escape from it by civil protests, exercising our constitutional functions and not giving in to a failed, outlaw government."

- Clinging to power -

Despite revoking last week's judgments, the judges kept in force a series of other rulings that restrict the assembly's powers.

The Supreme Court has consistently overruled the National Assembly legislature since the opposition majority took its seats there in January 2016.

Maduro is resisting opposition efforts to hold a vote on removing him from power.

The opposition blames him for Venezuela's economic crisis, while he blames a capitalist conspiracy.

The collapse in energy prices has sapped the country's revenues, prompting shortages of food, medicine and basic goods along with a surge in violent crime.

- Protesters, police clash -

Elsewhere, protesters and riot cops clashed with students demonstrating against the court rulings, AFP reporters witnessed.

Story continues

The clashes broke out Wednesday in the western city of San Cristobal, scene of deadly riots and looting last year.

The director of the local UNET university told reporters that 21 people were injured in Wednesday's clashes.

Scores of others were hurt Tuesday in similar unrest during a protest in Caracas, opposition groups said.

The opposition has called for further demonstrations in the capital on Thursday.

- Concern in Europe -

Last week's rulings drew cries of concern from the United States and Europe as well as from Latin American powers.

On Wednesday the European Parliament in Strasbourg held a debate on the situation in Venezuela.

Deputies from the European People's Party, a center-right alliance, called for a tougher line on Maduro.

They demanded he release political prisoners and ensure humanitarian aid to those suffering in the crisis.

In an address to the parliament, the European Union's Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova reiterated the bloc's call for timely elections in Venezuela and respect for the assembly's role.

Centrist bloc ALDE suggested imposing "selective sanctions" on Maduro.

- Latin America worried -

The Organization of American States on Tuesday issued a resolution denouncing the court's moves as gravely unconstitutional.

OAS head Luis Almagro has been pressing for the group's members to suspend Venezuela.

Maduro's Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez hit back at a meeting of the OAS council Wednesday, rejecting the declaration as a "fraud."

"Get your hands off Venezuela once and for all," she told Almagro.
A toddler with poor eyesight is seeing the world in a whole new light, thanks to his brand new glasses.

Bran Opperman, a 13-month-old from the Netherlands, can be seen instantly calming down with his eyes wide and curious in a video posted to Facebook as his parents help him put on the specs.

Read: Color Blind Brothers Burst Into Tears as They See Color for the First Time: 'It's So Bright'

"Bran has always been a joyful baby, but with his glasses he enjoys even more," his father Cor Opperman told InsideEdition.com.

He and his wife Mary Opperman took their son to the doctor after Bran wasnt showing any signs of sitting on his own, or crawling on his own. His father said Bran underwent tests to check for neurological issues, but in the meantime, the doctor suggested his poor vision may be causing the behavior.

They purchased a new pair of glasses for the boy, and even though Bran fussed when his parents helped him put on his glasses last month, it was clear his newfound eyesight made all the difference.

Read: 6-Year-Old Girl With Fading Eyesight Makes Lifetime of Memories While Her Vision Lasts

Cor Opperman said doctors are now hopeful it was just his blurry vision that caused concern about his development.

"It's almost three weeks that Bran [has been wearing] his glasses," Cor Opperman explained, "and we see good improvement in [Bran] sitting up by himself, and trying to crawl. We have good faith in his further development."

Watch: Baby Sees Military Dad for First Time With New Glasses After Father Returns From Deployment

Related Articles:
By Ellen Francis and Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army jet that hit the town of Khan Sheikhoun at dawn dropped three conventional bombs and a fourth one that made little sound at impact but produced a cloud of white smoke, according to an activist observing from a nearby hilltop. Hussam Salloum, a volunteer with an air raid warning service in rebel-held areas, said the Sukhoi-22 that attacked on Tuesday approached at low altitude, leaving behind three columns of dark smoke and the white cloud nearer to ground level. "The smoke was white and thick," he told Reuters from Khan Sheikhoun. "The smoke began to spread out across the town, until there was a layer over the town," he said, sending a video filmed from an observation point that showed the plumes of smoke. The Syrian government has strongly denied launching a chemical attack on the town. While Western states have accused Damascus, the Syrian government's Russian allies say the deaths were the result of a Syrian air strike on a rebel arms depot where chemical weapons were being produced. Rebels deny this. At least 70 people, many of them children, were killed by what two U.S. government sources say was sarin gas, in the deadliest chemical attack in Syria since the same nerve agent killed hundreds of people in a rebel-held area near Damascus in 2013. Medicins Sans Frontieres said eight people it treated had symptoms consistent with nerve agents like sarin. The medical charity said it had also been to hospitals where it had noted a strong smell of chlorine, another toxic agent. The World Health Organization said victims appeared to show symptoms consistent with exposure to organophosphorus chemicals. Sarin is an organophosporus compound, while chlorine is not. Some of the dead, including children, showed no visible injuries, indicating the gas had killed them in their beds, said Mouin Abed al-Menem, a doctor who treated several victims. Rescue workers found the bodies of a woman and two children on Wednesday in a cave where they had been sheltering, according to the civil defense emergency service that operates in rebel-held areas. "The pilot carried out the bombing in one go, four bombs together," said Salloum, who said he observed the raid from about 1.5 km (one mile) away and used walkie-talkies to alert rescue workers. The service he works for includes a network of volunteers who track aircraft movements and radio traffic in order to warn of potential air strikes, Salloum said. "We discovered it was toxic gas from a civil defense worker who went to the place quickly," he added. "He told us there was an unusual smell. Less than a minute later, he told us he was dizzy and fainting. We lost contact with him." Twenty of the dead were children, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The explosions woke up civil defense worker Khaled al-Nasr just after 6:30 a.m. (0330 GMT). He arrived at the scene to find several of his colleagues suffering from the effects of the gas. "I COULDN'T BREATHE" "We saw everyone was on the ground. People were squirming. Some had foam coming out of their mouths. We started picking people up," Nasr said. Shortly after arriving, he too felt a burning sensation in his eyes but kept working until he was unable to continue. "I couldn't breathe," he said. Rescue workers undressed victims and doused them with water. "Immediately, apply water, then get them out," he said. The victims were sent to hospitals and facilities around Idlib, including a medical position next to a civil defense operating center near the town. An air strike hit that medical position later in the morning, the civil defense and the Observatory said. Some victims were also sent across the border to Turkey for treatment. "There was a rocket, a rocket explosion that had a lot of smoke coming out of it," said one of the victims, speaking to Reuters TV at a hospital in Turkey. "There was a lot of smoke and there was a smell, it was very difficult to breath," she said. A second victim said he fell to the ground as the gas took effect. A crater that rescue workers identified as the site of the chemical strike was about 1 meter in diameter. The surrounding ground appeared scorched, a Reuters photo showed. Khan Sheikhoun was largely deserted on Wednesday. The casualty toll continues to rise. Menem, the doctor in Idlib, said the medical facility where he works received 68 of the victims, 21 of them dead. "Almost two thirds were children. Some of them were alive at the site of strike, but died on the way," he told Reuters. "Most had foam around their mouths, agitation and constricted pupils." "We treated them with available medicine, mostly with cortisone," he added. "We are still getting patients. Today we also admitted around 18 people, from areas a bit further from the site of the strike, in addition to two rescue workers," Menem said. "They were impacted 24 hours later." (Writing by Tom Perry; editing by Giles Elgood)
During the eight years I served as President Obamas science advisor and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), people not closely familiar with how the executive branch works often asked me why these roles exist: Why does the president need a science advisor and a whole White House office focused on science and technology policy? What do they do?

Every US president starting with Franklin D. Roosevelt in his third term has had a senior scientist or engineer advising him directly. A supporting full-time staff in the White House was added during President Eisenhowers second term. Given this history (interrupted only briefly when President Nixon, unhappy with the advice he was getting, fired his science advisor and dissolved the corresponding White House office), one might suppose there are good reasons for the existence of these positions. My OSTP colleagues and I were always happy to explain what those reasons are. (Among many other venues, we did that on the OSTP website, archived here.)

But President Trump has not yet named a science advisor and/or OSTP director. (These two roles, which are administratively distinct, have traditionally been filled by the same person, although there is no legal requirement to do that.) OSTP has been limping along with a skeleton crew of career civil servants and exactly one member of the Trump landing team in residence. Some people close to the new president have publicly questioned whether these science positions are needed in the White House at all. And Trumps other appointments, budget proposals, and executive orders to date betray little evidence of input rooted in understanding the importance of science and technology to the nations well-being.

So let me explain again here the roles that senior scientists and technologists have historically played in the White House, and why it would be unwise in the extreme for the president to let the current vacuum in science advice in the White House persist.

Read more: Obama vs. Trump: Early report card on how health and science are changing

Insights from science and technology are relevant to many of the decisions about actions and policies that a president must make  whether they deal with the economy, public health, urban issues, transportation, agriculture, land use, the environment, or national security. What are the potential benefits of new gene-editing technologies, and what are the risks? What effect does hotter weather have on agricultural productivity? Could terrorists make an effective nuclear bomb if they were able to steal or buy plutonium or highly enriched uranium?

While scientific insights wont be the only factors the president considers in any given decision, it would be foolish for him to make policy or take action without having the relevant scientific facts. If access to those facts is to be timely, the president needs people close at hand, in the White House, who can find, vet, and explain them.

The first responsibility of the science advisor and the OSTP, then, is to make sure the president and his other senior advisors have  and understand  the relevant scientific facts. To do that, the science advisor must draw upon the best experts inside and outside government, and ensure that the information provided to the president and his advisors is the most up-to-date and authoritative possible. This function is often called science and technology for policy. Its effective execution requires that the science advisor have direct access to the president and that the senior officials of a well-staffed OSTP be at the table for all policy discussions where insights from science and technology might be germane.

The second responsibility of the science advisor and the OSTP is to help the president develop policy for science and technology. This work aims to answer questions like these: How much money should federal departments and agencies spend on research and development and how should it be allocated? Should the government strengthen the incentives for the private sector to invest in research and development? (In the United States, the private sector currently pays for about 70 percent of all R&D while the federal government pays for a bit less than 30 percent  but for more than half of all basic research.) What kinds of public-private-academic partnerships could accelerate progress toward societal goals, such as defeating cancer or slowing climate change, and what can the federal government do to help build such partnerships? With what countries and on what topics should government-to-government cooperation in science and technology be pursued?

Read more: Trump budget calls for slashing biomedical and science research funding

The third responsibility of the science advisor and OSTP is to represent the presidents science and technology priorities and policies in interactions with other senior White House officials, Cabinet departments and agencies with science and technology responsibilities, the Congress, the national nongovernmental science and technology community, and both governmental and nongovernmental foreign science leaders. Carrying out this responsibility means attending cabinet meetings; regularly testifying before congressional committees; and meeting with university presidents, directors of national laboratories, CEOs of high-tech industries, the leaders of science- and technology-oriented civil society groups, and the science ministers and chief governmental science advisors of other countries.

Every president stocks the White House with people who can advise him on the economy, national defense, and foreign relations. And nearly all presidents in modern times have understood that science and technology are so central to all of those top-tier issues  and practically every other issue on the nations agenda  that science and technology advice in the White House is no less essential.

One must hope that President Trump comes to understand this, too.

John P. Holdren is professor of environmental policy at Harvards Kennedy School of Government. He served as President Obamas science advisor and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from January 2009 to January 2017.
When a plane crashes or goes missing, we become obsessed with knowing exactly what happened. Such tragedies, though statistically rare, capture our attention because it feels inexplicable to lose so many souls in an instant.

It turns out that our curiosity doesn't end there. New research published Wednesday in Science Advances shows that plane crashes trigger collective memories of similar past events. That might sound obvious, but the researchers used a clever strategy to understand how this dynamic works. In the process, they revealed new insights into collective memory.

SEE ALSO: You use this word to help you through hard times without even knowing it

Traditionally, scientists who wanted to research how the public recalls past events spent a lot of time and money conducting interviews and surveys. They looked for patterns in how people remembered the past and built a narrative around it. The rise of the internet, however, has yielded vast amounts of data on human behavior, including what people search for and read when a major event becomes all we can talk about.

For this study, the researchers turned to Wikipedia, which makes its page view statistics publicly available, and identified articles on high-profile plane crashes in the recent and distant past. The team, made up of a sociologist, computer engineer, and two physicists, found that when a plane was lost, interest in a similar incident that took place years or decades before also spiked.

"The most important factor was the original importance of [the] past event itself," says Taha Yasseri, the study's team leader and faculty fellow at the Alan Turing Institute. "That suggests some of the events are naturally more memorable than others."

When a Germanwings flight crashed in the French Alps in 2015, for example, people sought more information on Wikipedia about the crash of an American Airlines flight outside of New York City in November 2001.

Story continues

Yasseri thinks the interest in the latter flight may be related to the pilot's role in each incident. The American Airlines plane went down due to pilot error; the Germanwings pilot is believed to have intentionally crashed his aircraft, though that was not immediately clear at the time. The increased interest in the 2001 incident lasted for several days, and the researchers confirmed that no hyperlink connected the two Wikipedia articles during that time period.

This graph shows that in the days following the 2015 crash, viewership spiked for the 2001 crash article.

Image: Taha Yasseri, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, 2017

The researchers collected page view data for Wikipedia articles on minor and major aircraft incidents that occurred between 2008 and 2016. Anything that occurred during that time period was considered a recent event while incidents prior to 2008 were categorized as past events.

To minimize background variability in their model, the team narrowed the list of recent crashes down to 11 high-profile instances, including the Air France flight that plunged into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009, the Metrojet flight destroyed mid-air by a bomb in 2015, and the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared on its way to Beijing in 2014. Their statistical analysis evaluated increased page views for articles on past events a week after a recent major crash or disappearance.

Whether or not a new incident triggered memories of something that happened in the past largely depended on the importance of the original event. Many accidents, for example, led to a surge in views of Wikipedia articles on the planes that crashed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Unsurprisingly, crashes with many deaths tend to be most remembered. Timing is important as well. Events are more frequently associated if less time has elapsed between them.

Another relevant factor was whether a hyperlink on one Wiikipedia article directed readers to a past event. But even when the team removed such instances from its analysis, a similar pattern of remembering emerged. The team also found that memory of aircraft incidents, both deadly and non-fatal, lasted for about 45 years.

"As far as I know, this is the first attempt to provide a mathematical model to predict the flow of attention towards past traumatic events, and paves the way to a new approach to the study of collective memories," Michela Ferron, a researcher at Fondazione Bruno Kessler in Italy who has studied the role of Wikipedia in remembering the past, said in an email. Ferron was not involved in the new study.

While promising, Ferron believes this technique is just one aspect of understanding how collective memory works. Researchers should also explore patterns in how people reflect on and discuss events online, which leads to a "continuous (re)shaping" of memory, she said.

In the study, Yasseri and his co-authors could not account for how media exposure influenced reader behavior. If, for example, a reader heard about the Germanwings flight along with additional reporting on major aviation disasters, it could prompt them to look up information about past crashes.

It's possible, Yasseri says, that people navigated their way to articles about older incidents by exploring Wikipedia categories featured on those webpages, such as related links on airline accidents involving commercial aircraft or more than 50 deaths.

"This exploratory behavior is very much fitting to the idea of an online encyclopedia that gives you information about everything and allows you to be very creative about what to read," Yasseri says.

The model, he adds, could be adapted to look at how the public remembers terrorist attacks or mass shootings in the wake of similar current events, but he doesn't know if it would work for analyzing memories around positive viral events (think BBC Dad or Batkid).

Negativity, Yasseri says, helps news spread faster and farther, potentially making the incident something people talk about and remember for longer periods of time. In other words, "bad news" travels faster, farther and lasts longer.

So the next time you find yourself reading about the past on Wikipedia because of something that just happened, know that what may seem like a few simple clicks is actually a complex series of choices that triggers old memories.

WATCH: This MIT professor with a reality show is the Kardashian of physics
The following material contains graphic images that may be disturbing. Parents are advised that these images may not be suitable for young children.

Months ago, Dakota visited The Doctors to tell her story of disfigurement and pain after she received cosmetic injections from a neighbor with no medical license. Now we catch up with Dakota to see how shes doing and if the damage has been reversed.

Watch: Woman's Life Destroyed by Black Market Butt Injections

Dakota says she had a friend who was a professional model, who recommended a local woman who performed silicone injections. A year later, she woke up in pain and found that the silicone had migrated, creating unsightly, hard lumps on her thighs. She lived with the condition for years, but she constantly worried that it would prove fatal.

The Doctors send Dakota to Plastic Surgeon Dr. Tansar Mir, who volunteered to help her for free. Working with a team, Dr. Mir removes dozens of lumps of hardened silicone that have migrated all over her bottom and thighs. He also finds large areas of dead tissue surrounding more silicone.

Dakota joins The Doctors. One of the best things for me is just seeing you walking out here, and then just sitting down without pain! ER Physician Dr. Travis Stork tells her. I feel better, she says. I feel like how I felt before!

Watch: Can Damage Due to Black Market Butt Injections Be Repaired?

Dr. Mir explains that these shots can cause inflammation throughout a patients rear end, spreading up the back or down the thighs. We try to get out as much as we can safely, but at the same time we dont want to disfigure them. He worked through the smallest possible opening to reach silicone that had traveled around Dakota's body.

Its just a reminder to people out there, concludes ER Physician Dr. Travis Stork, Just be very careful who you go to, to get these injections done.
Mimi Mbah had the perfect response to a troll who insulted her skin tone [Photo: Instagram/dopelike_mimi]

An aspiring model has won the Internet after shutting down a racist Twitter troll who said shed be more attractive if her skin was lighter.

Its a pretty sad state of affairs that colourism still exists in 2017. But while for most of us the colour and tone of our skin makes not a jot of difference, a small, narrow-minded minority still have something to say about it. Thankfully, though people arent going to let the colour-shamers come out on top. Just ask Mimi Mbah.

The 19-year-old student who is originally from Cameroon, but now lives in Maryland has her heart set on becoming a model. A few of her Intagram snaps were recently shared by Twitter page @_AFRICANS_. And boy did she look amazing.

But while most people had nothing but praise for Mimi and her stunning shots, one particularly unpleasant user felt the need to throw down their insulting opinion on her skin colour.

[If] she was lighter, shed be fire, they wrote.

A post shared by Mimi???????? (@dopelike_mimi) on Mar 30, 2017 at 7:54pm PDT

Thankfully, Mimi was well up to the task of dealing with the situation with class and confidence.

No thanks I wouldnt trade my skin colour for the world, she fired back to a social media round of applause. Still fire tho.

Within hours Mimis clap-back tweet racked up thousands of retweets, over 57K likes and hundreds of messages of support.

Handled with class, I would have gone crazy mad, one user wrote.

Your skin is perfection hes insecure, agreed another.

Others couldnt believe that in 2017 were still dealing with incidences like this.

Theres still people with this mindset? one woman asked.

I'm done posting pics in this bathing suit now lol A post shared by Mimi???????? (@dopelike_mimi) on Mar 31, 2017 at 1:22pm PDT

Though the inspirational college student was disappointed by the hateful tweet about her skin tone, sadly she wasnt surprised.

Thankfully, shes always been pretty confident in her own skin.

I used to put myself down for the things that made me who I am today, and I can definitely say now Ive learned to embrace self-love and appreciate the skin Im in, she told Elite Daily.

Story continues

A post shared by Mimi???????? (@dopelike_mimi) on Mar 28, 2017 at 2:28pm PDT

Now Mimi hopes that the attention her tweet has garnered will help her raise awareness that colourism still exists.

She told BuzzFeed News: Now I feel like I have a platform which I want to use to talk about things like that and give advice to other dark skin women who are going through similar situations and probably blaming themselves for itI actually wanted people to see that colourism is still real.

And Mimi has a message for other women of colour who find themselves on the end of hurtful comments about their skin tone.

Despite what others may say youre beautiful and should feel confident in the skin youre in, she told Elite Daily.

Keep preaching Mimi!

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK

Read more from Yahoo Style UK:

Toddler has the perfect response to racist worker who told her to pick a different doll

This viral post is being called out for exemplifying white privilege

Meghan Markle speaks out about the racism shes faced

Model calls out fashion industry for ignoring black womans natural hair
For the first time, a federal appeals court has ruled that a 1964 civil rights law, as now understood, protects gay and lesbian employees from discrimination in the workplace based on their homosexuality. The Supreme Court has never ruled on the issue, but it is now likely to reach the Justices because of the split that the new decision on Tuesday created at the appeals court level.

In an 8-to-3 decision, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit declared that the main federal law against sex bias on the job  Title VII  outlaws discrimination based on sexual orientation. That result agrees with a position that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has held for the past two years; the commission had joined in urging the en banc Seventh Circuit to reach the decision it did.

All of the other federal appeals courts that have ruled directly on the question have decided that Congress did not mean that the Title VII phrase  discrimination on the basis of sex  would apply to gays or lesbians on the job.

Since 1990, Congress has been asked repeatedly to write a new law extending Title VII as the new ruling did, but it has never passed such a measure.

The majority of the en banc Seventh Circuit Court spoke through three separate opinions, but the result was explicit and clear: a gay or lesbian worker has a legal right to pursue a claim that he or she was not hired, was not promoted, or was fired or otherwise was treated unequally because they were gay or lesbian.

Chief Judge Diane P. Wood (above), who wrote what is the lead opinion, stressed that the ruling did not deal with the newest legal claim being made under Title VII  that it also outlaws discrimination based on gender identity. That was an issue the Supreme Court was preparing to consider at its current term, but chose instead to send the case back to a federal appeals court after the Trump Administration had notified the Justices that it was abandoning the Obama Administration policy in favor of equal rights for transgender people. That is a Virginia case that involves the same phrase against sex discrimination, but in a different civil rights law  Title IX, dealing with education.

Story continues

Judge Wood also noted that the decision did not resolve how Title VII should be interpreted in a sexual orientation case involving a religious employer or one in the public sector. Thus, the ruling spelled out Title VII only for such claims by private sector employees.

The result in favor of a broader reading of the 1964 law was based upon the majoritys view that the Supreme Court, especially in decisions in 1989 and 1998, had said that the law might actually provide greater protection as time goes on and circumstances change, even though the language of the law remained the same.

Judge Wood also relied in part upon a wide interpretation of the Supreme Courts 1967 ruling in Loving v. Virginia, permitting interracial marriage, and on a series of more recent decisions by the Justices broadening gay rights  including the ruling two years ago in favor of same-sex marriage.

The ruling cleared the way for a lesbian who was a part-time teacher at a community college in Indiana to pursue her Title VII claim that she was repeatedly turned down for a full-time position because she was a lesbian. The teacher, Kimberly Hively, was an adjunct faculty member on the South Bend campus of Ivy Tech Community College, which has 32 locations in the state.

Although eight judges of the Seventh Circuit Court joined in all or major parts of the chief judges lead opinion, Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner and Circuit Judge Joel M. Flaum (joined by Circuit Judge Kenneth F. Ripple) used different reasoning to support the same outcome.

Circuit Judge Diane S. Sykes  who was on one of President Trumps lists of potential nominees for the vacant seat on the Supreme Court  wrote the dissenting opinion, joined by Circuit Judges William J. Bauer and Michael S. Kanne.



The dissenters argued that the majority was simply inventing a new meaning for the 1964 law, substituting its own preference for the way Title VII was written and had long been understood.

Tuesdays decision overturned a ruling by a three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit Court, which said it was bound by earlier circuit precedents excluding sexual orientation claims from the laws coverage. Because the new decision was issued by the en banc Seventh Circuit Court, any appeal from it by the college would go next to the Supreme Court. For now, the school has said it won't appeal.

Legendary journalist Lyle Denniston is Constitution Dailys Supreme Court correspondent. Denniston has written for us as a contributor since June 2011 and has covered the Supreme Court since 1958. His work also appears on lyldenlawnews.com, where this story first appeared.
By Laila Kearney

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street workers who make fortunes with quick deals and fearless trades faced a threat to their fast-paced work style on Wednesday that could not be negotiated: the New York area public transit system.

Two days after a New Jersey Transit train derailed during rush hour at New York's Penn Station, bankers, traders and other finance workers reported absent colleagues and crippling travel times as employees who commute into the city were forced to work from home or find expensive alternative routes.

Some could work remotely, but others, including those who make their money on the floor of Manhattan's frenetic stocks and commodities exchanges, had to get to work some way, somehow.

"You adjust to the market; the market doesn't adjust to you," said Cuttone & Co Senior Vice President Keith Bliss, who works from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

The New Jersey resident said traders would find alternative routes, even if they add hours to their commute, to make it in time for the 9:30 a.m. opening bell.

But empty desks abounded elsewhere.

"It's pretty easy to see who actually lives in Manhattan now," said a major financial service company's vice president who did not want to be quoted by name.

The derailment affected commuters from New Jersey most severely, but residents of Long Island and other surrounding towns and cities also felt the pain.

The Long Island Rail Road was running with delays on Wednesday, while NJ Transit was operating a holiday schedule through Thursday night on two of its lines into Penn Station, which 600,000 commuter rail and Amtrak passengers use daily.

"Customers are advised to build in additional travel time as delays and overcrowding conditions are anticipated," NJ Transit said in a statement.

Amtrak was also operating on a modified schedule through Thursday.

"It is absolutely outrageous," said Ritholtz Wealth Management Chief Executive Officer Josh Brown, who had to drive to work in Manhattan from his Long Island home.

Story continues

On top of the $300 or so he pays for a monthly railroad pass, Brown had to dole out hefty parking fees.

But some saw hope in the latest headache. Bliss said financiers would benefit from the infrastructure spending that is so clearly needed.

"There's opportunity," he said, " ... and I'm sure I'm not the only Wall Street banker-trader that's thinking that way."

(Additional reporting by David Randall and Lawrence Delevingne in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
After hovering within the top 10 list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants over the last few years, New York's Eleven Madison Park finally slid into the top spot Wednesday to claim the lofty title of best dining destination on the planet.

Winners of the ranking were announced at a gala event out of Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, attended by some of the most powerful and influential chefs and restaurateurs around the world.

Overall, France, Spain and the US dominated the leader board, each with six addresses on the list.

France's performance is particularly notable, as the country doubled the number of restaurants this year compared to 2016, bringing to mind the fuss kicked up in 2015 when local gastronomes loudly decried the list as "silly" nonsensical and opaque "schmozzle" that promotes chemistry-set cooking.

The outrage stemmed from the fact that the ranking was conspicuously weak in French representation, and led to the launch of the France's answer to The World's 50 Best, La Liste.

Meanwhile, when last year's winner, Italian chef Massimo Bottura, was announced as the recipient of the second spot for his restaurant Osteria Francescana, a murmur of understanding swept through the room.

Eleven Madison Park, helmed by chef Daniel Humm and partner Will Guidara, first debuted on the list at No. 50 in 2010, and rose through the ranks to hover within the top 10 list over the last four years.

The triple Michelin-starred restaurant serves modern European fare in a multi-course tasting menu. Standout dishes include roasted duck glazed with honey and lavender and celery root cooked in pig's bladder.

Interestingly, the win comes ahead of a major renovation plan scheduled for the summer, when the restaurant will close for three months.

In an eloquent acceptance speech, Guidara spoke of the chef and restaurateur's role as a means of escapism, in an increasingly strange world.

"We get to create these magical worlds where people can escape in a world that increasingly needs a little more magic," he told the star-studded culinary audience.

Story continues

"And that's something we choose to do because it's something we believe in. I don't think any of us here do what we do for the accolades, but affirmation is a beautiful thing. It fills your gas tank and it fuels you and gives you the ability to keep pushing. And this, because it comes from every one of you here, this is the greatest affirmation of all."

Other big winners from the 15th edition of the awards include Cronut inventor Dominique Ansel, who took the title of world's best pastry chef and Peruvian chef Virgilio Martinez, who took the Chefs' Choice Award.

Here are the top 10 restaurants 2017 on the World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards:

1. Eleven Madison Park, New York

2. Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy

3. El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain

4. Mirazur, Menton, France

5. Central, Lima, Peru

6. Asador Extebarri, Axpe, Spain

7. Gaggan, Bangkok

8. Maido, Lima, Peru

9. Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain

10. Steirereck, Vienna, Austria

Chefs' Choice Award: Virgilio Martinez, Central, Lima, Peru

Highest New Entry: Alleno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen, Paris at No. 31

Sustainable Restaurant Award: Septime, Paris

Miele One to Watch Award: Disfrutar, Barcelona (previously announced)

Lifetime Achievement Award: Chef Heston Blumenthal (previously announced)

World's Best Pastry Chef: Dominique Ansel

World's Best Female Chef: Ana Ros, Hisa Franko, Slovenia (previously announced)

Art of Hospitality Award: El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain

Highest Climber: Blue Hill at Stone Barns, New York, up 37 spots to No. 11

Best Restaurant in Asia: Gaggan, Bangkok

Best Restaurant in South America: Central,, Lima, Peru

Best Restaurant in Europe: Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy

Best Restaurant in North America: Eleven Madison Park, New York

Organized by the UK-based Restaurant magazine, more than 1,000 food writers, critics, chefs, restaurateurs and "gastronomes" cast their votes for their favorite dining destinations this year. For the full list visit http://www.theworlds50best.com.
By Sonali Paul MELBOURNE (Reuters) - New York's Eleven Madison Park nabbed the top prize at the World's 50 Best Restaurants on Wednesday, only the second non-European restaurant to win the gong. The restaurant overlooking Madison Square Park was praised for its sense of fun in blending a creative tasting menu with gracious hospitality. It rose from third place last year, overtaking Italy's Osteria Francescana and Spain's El Celler de Can Roca. "We get to help people celebrate some of the most important moments in their lives or give them the grace to forget something for a moment," said co-owner Will Guidara on receiving the top gong with Swiss-born chef Daniel Humm. The restaurant, where Humm's prized dish is celery root cooked in a pig's bladder, has just extended its lease for another 20 years and will close for three months for an overhaul. "We're about to embark on a completely new journey," Guidara told reporters, calling the prize a fitting end to the first phase of Eleven Madison's journey. Since the inception of the award in 2002, California's French Laundry is the only other non-European establishment to claim the top prize. It won in 2003 and 2004. The top 10 included two Peruvian restaurants, Central, which slipped to no.5 from fourth place last year, and Maido which climbed to no. 8 from 13. Peru is becoming a dining hot spot as the country has so many terrains at different altitudes for creative chefs to gather ingredients, one of the voters for the award, German food writer Christoph Teuner, told Reuters. The only Asian restaurant in the top 10 was Bangkok's Gaggan, where owner-chef Gaggan Anand has created a modern take on his native Indian cuisine by deconstructing favorites like samosas and tikka masala. Spain continued to dominate the line-up with three restaurants in the top 10, including Mugaritz, while France had only one in the top 10 - Mirazur in the south-eastern town of Menton. Rounding out the top 10 was Vienna's Steirereck, housed in a glass cube, where freshwater mountain fish is cooked at the table in hot beeswax. The list was created by William Reed Business Media, and the gongs are now as coveted as Michelin stars. Danish restaurant Noma, in the top 10 for nine successive years and winner of the award four-times, dropped out of the list as chef Rene Redzepi has closed the restaurant while moving it to a new venue in Copenhagen. There are no criteria for putting a restaurant on the list, which is based on a poll of more than 1,000 chefs, food critics and other industry insiders spread across 26 regions. Each member gets 10 votes and at least four of those votes have to be for restaurants outside their region. (Reporting by Sonali Paul; Additional reporting by Melanie Burton, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
Photo credit: Getty

From ELLE

Another year, another Equal Pay Day. It's been more than 20 years since the National Committee on Pay Equity began the campaign to mark the day when the average women has earned enough to match what the average man made last year. While the difference has shrunk somewhat, women still make 80 cents for every dollar that a man makes, keeping Equal Pay Day stuck in the spring.

So what would it really take to eliminate the pay gap, once and for all? One tactic that promises to actually make progress is being debated abroad.

Iceland isn't necessarily a feminist utopia, but its women have made a number of strides ahead of us in public and political life. They had their first female head of state in 1980-the first democratically elected female president in the world. Nearly half of its parliament is female; our Congress is more than 80 percent male. Thanks to a gender quota that requires large Icelandic companies to ensure at least 40 percent of their board members are women, they hold 45 percent of seats. Here, women hold less than 20 percent.

Now the country is aiming even higher. Last week, Iceland became the first country to consider a legislative requirement for all companies to prove that they pay women and men equally. Nowhere else in the world yet requires employers to verify that they pay people fairly.

As things stand now, it's technically illegal for an American company to pay an American woman less than a man for the same work. Yet women who work full-time, year round, on average still make just 80 percent of what men do. The gap hasn't made any significant progress in nine years.

Why is this the case? One part of the problem is that even with a law on the books saying men and women must be paid equally, there are huge hurdles facing a woman who wants to claim that right. First she has to find out that she's being paid less. That's difficult in an environment where, although there is legal protection for discussing pay at work, about half of American employees say their bosses either discourage it or ban it outright.

Story continues

Then, once an employee finds out that she's being paid less, she has to collect enough evidence of the difference in pay and the fact that she and her male colleagues are doing basically the same work. She has to have the resources to file a lawsuit and the wherewithal to stand the risk to her reputation and relationship with her employer. And then, at the end of possibly years or decades in court, she may not even be successful. About two-thirds of the equal pay cases the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission takes on end in favor of the defendant, not the person claiming pay discrimination. She could wind up with nothing for all her trouble. In short, much of the risk and responsibility lies with the woman.

Iceland could soon flip this process on its head. If it were to pass the legislation parliament is now considering, companies and government entities would have to regularly audit their own pay scales. Any wage gap between people doing the same work of more than 5 percent would have to be remedied. In other words, the entire onus would be on the employer, not the employee.

If it were to pass the legislation parliament is now considering, companies and government entities would have to regularly audit their own pay scales.

This idea isn't entirely foreign to the U.S. In the late '70s and '80s, a number of state governments imposed pay equity requirements on themselves, requiring not just equal pay for the exact same job but equal pay for substantially similar work-so that a housekeeper and a janitor, for example, would make the same. (The pay gap is often dismissed by people who claim that you can't compare apples to oranges; the pay audits used a system to determine which jobs were essentially comparable.) In Minnesota, one of the states that participated, all city and county governments, school districts, and other government agencies had to comply.

One important aspect of such regimes was the requirement that these entities regularly assess their pay scales to ensure no pay gaps had crept back in and fix any that they uncovered. Minnesota, whose program is still in effect, conducts audits of government agencies every three years. In 2013, about a third of them found pay gaps that had to be fixed. By the end of the audit, nearly all are compliant-that is, until the next audit, when discrepancies will likely surface again.

These efforts were highly successful. Between 1983 and 1992, the state governments that undertook pay equity assessments doled out over $527 million in raises to more than 335,000 female workers in order to make their pay fair, in the process eliminating around 20 percent of the gender wage gap. A national effort could have gotten rid of more than a quarter of the overall difference in pay between men and women.

Unfortunately, many of the programs that attempted to implement this policy were slowly abandoned, and Minnesota is likely the only state still pursuing regular audits. The idea also never spread to the private sector, despite efforts from advocates to push legislation that would impose such requirements on businesses. In 2014, Minnesota lawmakers introduced legislation that would have required companies that contract with the state government to analyze their compensation for pay gaps, but it was eventually abandoned.

Iceland's equal pay mandate, if it becomes reality, wouldn't close the country's 20 percent gender wage gap all by itself. Such a law doesn't touch some of the other causes of the gap, such as the fact that men tend to be in better paying jobs and women are more likely to pause their careers to care for their families. But it would shine a glaring spotlight on the places that pay women unequally.

The waning (albeit formerly bipartisan) support for pay equity audits in the late '80s doesn't bode well for how such legislation might fare here. Republicans in Congress, in fact, just rolled back a requirement that companies verify that they comply with wage laws before getting government contracts, saying that it's too onerous. President Trump signed the repeal, despite his daughter Ivanka's pledge that he would "change labor laws" to benefit women's equality. There's little appetite for more business regulation.

If this country forced companies to prove that they pay women fairly, there would certainly be some that wouldn't have to adjust a thing to comply. But isn't it worth finding out which ones would have to give women raises, and then get those raises added to their paychecks without putting the burden entirely on women themselves?

If nothing else, it would at least inch us closer to Equal Pay Day finally falling on January 1 and not three months into the year.

You Might Also Like
The company that makes Tasers announced that it is offering free body cameras for a year to any police department that wants them

The company that makes Tasers announced Wednesday that it is offering free body cameras for a year to any police department that wants them, a move that could lead to thousands more officers adopting the technology.

Axon - a police technology company that officially changed its name on Wednesday from TASER International, like the stun gun for which it is known - announced that it will provide free cameras, software, training and data storage to police officers anywhere in the country for a year, after which departments would have to pay to keep the devices. Axon officials say they hope the offer persuades police departments that are on the fence about adopting cameras - and that those departments could eventually wind up being Axon customers.

We feel pretty confident that having a body camera for a cop is like having a smartphone for a consumer, says Axon CEO Rick Smith. You didnt know you needed it, but once you had it, youre like, Im not giving this back.

Police interest in body cameras has accelerated in the last few years following a number of high-profile deaths at the hands of police officers. Many of the nations largest police departments - including New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago - have signed multi-million-dollar contracts with body camera companies. In New York, the citys mayor and police commissioner have announced that all officers will wear body cameras by 2019. Similar plans are underway in Chicago for all officers to be equipped with cameras by 2018.

There are no definitive numbers on how many police departments in the U.S. are currently using cameras. A 2013 Department of Justice report found that one-third of all departments are using them, while Axon estimates that roughly 150,000 out of 800,000 officers - or about 20% - are currently using them.

But the appetite from departments is there. A recent survey conducted by the Major Cities Chiefs Association and Major County Sheriffs Association found that 95% of police departments were either using or planned to use body cameras, while only 18% of those surveyed said they currently had cameras that were fully operational.

Story continues

For companies like Axon, the body camera market shows enormous growth potential. The market now includes roughly 60 companies that manufacture cameras; the two dominant ones are Axon and Vievu, which has added a number of big-city clients recently, including the NYPD.

Vievu is a big competitor of [Axons] that has made some inroads, says Seth Stoughton, a University of South Carolina law professor who studies police technology. He thinks Axon is likely feeling pressure to innovate in a crowded marketplace.

Axons bet is that once a department takes the cameras on, itll be difficult for them to give them up.

We think taking a body camera from an agency thats been using it for a year would be like taking my daughters iPhone away six months after she got it, Axons Smith says.

The body camera offer comes as the company is changing its name from TASER, signifying its move beyond the stun gun. The Taser product still made up a majority of the companys revenue last year, but the name change signals the companys overall shift toward body cameras, software and artificial intelligence. Axon recently acquired two AI companies that will allow it to help departments more quickly redact identifying information in the video being collecting from body cameras. Axon has also been growing its cloud-based software business - evidence.com - where it collects the vast amounts of data from body cam footage.

The publicly traded company saw total revenues of $268 million last year and has about $100 million in cash on hand. The company has been preparing for the body camera announcement for months, getting thousands of cameras ready that could potentially cost the company tens of millions of dollars depending on how many departments sign on.

Smith adds that he thinks there might be some complaining from his competitors, but says: Ultimately what we think is going to happen is that theyre going to follow suit.

This article was originally published on TIME.com
2016 was a year of ups and downs for Samsung. Early on, the company was sitting pretty as consumers were snatching up Galaxy S7 devices en masse. In fact, thanks to incredibly strong demand for the S7 and the S7 Edge, Samsungs profits during the second quarter of 2016 reached a level the company hadnt seen in years.

By the time August rolled around, Samsung was poised to reach even greater heights when it released the Galaxy Note 7, a device universally praised by tech reviewers and users alike. Of course, as we all now know, it wasnt long before we began seeing sporadic reports of Galaxy Note 7 devices catching fire and exploding. While these reports initially seemed to be isolated incidents, it soon became apparent that Samsungs flagship phablet suffered from a fatal design flaw. Ultimately, Samsung had no choice but to issue a worldwide recall, a move which wound up costing the company billions in lost revenue in the process.

Don't Miss: Oh good, Samsung found a way to ruin the Galaxy S8s gorgeous design

Samsung may have been down, but it has since managed to put last years Note 7 fiasco behind it for good, an impressive feat to say the least.

Last week, the company introduced the Galaxy S8 and the S8 Plus, two devices which have Android users excited to upgrade and which will reportedly help Samsung reach record profitability during Q2 of 2017.

According to a new research note from IBK Securities analyst Lee Seung-woo (via ZDNet), Samsung this quarter may post an operating profit in the $11 billion range, representing a year-over-year increase of nearly 50%. As a point of reference, Samsung during its second fiscal quarter of 2016 posted an operating profit of $7.22 billion.

If Samsung can reach the $11 billion projection for operating profits, it will mark the companys most successful quarter to date, easily besting the existing record set back in 2013 when it posted an operating profit of $9.2 billion thanks to the wildly popular Galaxy S4.

Story continues

Of course, Samsung is a conglomerate with income coming in from every direction imaginable. That said, the companys semiconductor business and swelling OLED panel business will also help it achieve record profitability over the next few weeks. As we reported earlier in the week, Apple has reportedly inked a massive deal to purchase upwards of 70 million OLED panels from Samsung for the upcoming iPhone 8.

The larger takeaway here, though, is that Samsung has seemingly pulled off the impossible. Aided by the passage of time, Samsung has successfully managed to help people forget about what is arguably the most embarrassing and harrowing product recall in tech history, all in a matter of seven months no less. I suppose a side-effect of an industry that moves at breakneck speed is that consumers tend to have relatively short memories.

Trending right now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Germany's Cabinet has approved new rules to ensure that most marriages involving under-18s aren't legally recognized in the country. The issue arose following the influx of migrants to Germany in 2015, and the main aim is to protect girls who were married abroad. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

BERLIN (AP)  Germany's Cabinet on Wednesday approved a new bill that punishes social networking sites if they fail to swiftly remove illegal content such as hate speech or defamatory fake news.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet agreed on rules that would impose fines of up to 50 million euros (53.4 million dollars) on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.

German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said that the companies offering such online platforms are responsible for removing hateful content. He said the new bill would not restrict the freedom of expression, but intervene only when criminal hatred or intentionally false news are posted.

Germany poses a particular problem for U.S.-owned social networking sites accustomed to American standards of free speech. Due to its Nazi past, Germany bans public Holocaust denial and any overt promotion of racism. The issue has come to the fore amid the recent influx of migrants to Germany, which has sparked a backlash among some Germans including a rise in online vitriol.

Social networks need to ensure that obviously criminal content  as defined by German law  will be deleted within 24 hours and other illegal content after seven days.

"Just like on the streets, there is also no room for criminal incitement on social networks," Maas said.

"The internet affects the culture of debate and the atmosphere in our society. Verbal radicalization is often a preliminary stage to physical violence," he added.

The minister pointed out that social networks don't delete enough punishable content, citing research that he said showed Twitter deletes just 1 percent of illegal content flagged by users, while Facebook deletes 39 percent.

Maas also said that measures to combat hate speech and so-called fake news will ultimately have to be taken at the European level to be effective.

The bill still needs parliamentary approval.
It appears we now have confirmation that theres going to be a successor to the Pixel XL smartphone in the near future. The codename for the larger Google flagship phone has just been discovered in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).

On Tuesday, Android Police reported about its latest discovery in Googles Android mobile platform development initiative. Before, the tech site only found the codename for the Pixel 2 which is walleye. But now the codename for the larger next-generation Pixel is present in the AOSP as well. After looking for new information in the open-source platform, the tech site found the codename muskie.

Walleyes and muskies are types of fresh water fish found in North America. Google is known for using names of fish for its smartphones. Last year, before the Pixel and Pixel XL were outed to the public, they were swimming in various rumors and reports with their codenames sailfish and marlin. Lets not forget that even the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P were known internally as bullhead and angler before they were launched. The two new codenames are being linked to the successors of the current Pixel phones. Basing on the sizes of the walleyes and muskies, the latter is believed to stand for the larger Pixel XL 2.

READ: Google Pixel C has a new look

Another codename present in the AOSP is taimen, which is part of the salmon family. Very little about this third codename is known as of late. When it was first spotted in mid-March, it quickly stirred speculations that it could be the working title of a third-generation Nexus 7 tablet. Techies are also not ruling out the possibility that this could be another phone. If it is, then it could be the largest handset out of the three upcoming Google devices.

Unfortunately, there are no details to confirm that these codenames really stand for the aforesaid devices. No information about the phones and the possible tablet is available as of this time. Taiwanese company HTC is expected to be the manufacturer of the next-generation Pixel devices. However, Android Headlines has learned that other companies like LG, TCL and Coolpad are trying to secure contracts to build the new devices as well.

Story continues

Google Pixel

Photo: Reuters/Beck Diefenbach

Related Articles
A few months back, we covered a nasty and incredibly advanced piece of malware dubbed Pegasus. Created by a relatively obscure Israeli security company called the NSO Group, Pegasus seemingly set a new bar for mobile hacking sophistication. Built upon three previously undisclosed iOS zero-day exploits, Pegasus, once installed, was able to eavesdrop on conversations, remotely spy on a userss text messages, location, browsing history, calendar records, photos and more.

Apple has since patched the aforementioned zero-day exploits, but an Android variant of Pegasus has since been discovered by security researchers from Google and Lookout and, believe it or not, its even more dangerous than the original.

Don't Miss: Expert says Galaxy S8 has best phone display ever, and thats great news for the iPhone 8

The Android version of Pegasus is being called Chrysaor and, not surprisingly, houses an extensive list of surveillance features similar to the list above, along with some other goodies such as keylogging, live audio capture and more. Additionally, Chrysaor has the ability to spy on all types of popular messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Twitter, Skype and Facebook.

What makes Chrysaor more worrisome than Pegasus, however, is that it doesnt rely on zero-day exploits in order to infect a targeted device. In effect, its a lot easier to infect an Android device with Chrysaor than it was to infect an iOS device with Pegasus.

Lookout notes:

Pegasus for Android does not require zero-day vulnerabilities to root the target device and install the malware. Instead, the threat uses an otherwise well-known rooting technique called Framaroot. In the case of Pegasus for iOS, if the zero-day attack execution failed to jailbreak the device, the attack sequence failed overall. In the Android version, however, the attackers built in functionality that would allow Pegasus for Android to still ask for permissions that would then allow it to access and exfiltrate data. The failsafe jumps into action if the initial attempt to root the device fails. This means Pegasus for Android is easier to deploy on devices and has the ability to move laterally if the first attempt to hijack the device fails.

Story continues

Speaking to the sophistication of the malware, security researches also discovered that Chrysaor is designed to self-destruct any time theres a possibility it may be discovered. Lookout notes that a self-destruct mode will initiate in a handful of circumstances, such as if the SIM MCC ID is invalid or if an infected device has not checked in with the servers after 60 days.

As for where compromised devices were found, Google today published the following chart while noting that it unearthed an extremely small number of installs. Googles chart doesnt list any specific figures, but the search giant claims that it observed fewer than 3 dozen installs of Chrysaor on victim devices.

Notably, no apps on the Google Play store were found to contain Chrysaor. So, as always, Android users would be well-advised to play it safe and avoid downloading apps from third-party sites.

Trending right now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
A big change is coming to South Korea's banking industry.

Hot on the heels of the launch of Korea Telecom's internet K Bank, another online-only bank is about to be launched by Kakao Talk, the country's biggest messenger app.

SEE ALSO: You can now manage your bank account with emojis

Both banks allow customers to bank just from their smartphones, from opening accounts to applying for loans.

The digital-only banks won't have any actual bank branches, but of course users can stop at real-world ATMs to get cash.

K Bank, which launched this week, saw over 60,000 sign-ups in the first two days of operation alone, reports Yonhap. It's backed by a group that includes Alibaba's Ant Financial.

This success is expected to be repeated by Kakao Bank, which is backed by several companies including China's Tencent, which owns WeChat, China's biggest messenger app.

KakaoTalk is the dominant chat app in South Korea.

Image: AP/Shutterstock

Kakao Bank plans to use data from its affiliated companies, such as ride-hailing app KakaoTaxi, to help it determine users' credit scores, according to the Korea Times.

Korean financial regulators gave their stamp of approval for the bank on Wednesday, and the service is expected to launch as early as May.

Plans to launch digital-only banks in the country have been around since Nov. 2015, when the country's regulators gave preliminary approval for both Korea Telecom and Kakao to set up internet banks.

Digital-only banks are starting to pop up at an increasing rate globally. In the West, the U.K.'s Atom, Germany's Fidor, and Ally in the U.S. are quickly gaining popularity.

DBS, a Singaporean bank, set up mobile-only Digibank in India last year, and in China, Tencent-backed WeBank and Alibaba-backed MYbank are squaring off outside of the social media space.

WATCH: This inventor built a real-life 'Iron Man' suit and it's awesome
By Marine Pennetier CESSON-SAVIGNE, France (Reuters) - Huddled around their computers, two dozen French 20-somethings have been typing away feverishly for seven hours. Their objective is clear. Eliminate a virus crippling the systems of a government environmental agency. "Mission accomplished! They have done what they were asked to do. Analyze, identify and then develop a code that wipes it out," says Patrice, a French military officer testing potential recruits at a cyber defense center in western France. The exercise was one of dozens held across the country between March 20 and 31, involving 240 people from 12 elite technology colleges, part of a plan to create an army of talented cyber spies to counter digital destabilization efforts. Officials want them to be ready to face cyber warfare that could target civil infrastructure such as water, electricity, telecommunications and transport. They will also be expected to protect French democracy itself, amid allegations that Russia interfered in the U.S. presidential election last year. Cyber defense has become one of France's national security priorities as states like Russia, China and Iran, criminal groups and even some allies sharpen their own digital abilities. "The threats will grow. The frequency and sophistication of attacks is increasing without respite," Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in December after unveiling the army's new cyber operational command. "The next challenge in cyber defense will not just be detecting the attacks, but to continue our military operations amid a cyber attack, while using cyberspace to launch our own counter operations." The "fourth army", as it has now been labeled, will see an initial billion euros invested up to 2019. The objective is to have 3,200 digital soldiers in place by then, from just 100 six years ago. Another 4,400 reservists will be waiting in the wings if required. SEEKING NUGGETS At Cesson-Savigne, a center for French cyber defense excellence, the twenty budding digital soldiers know this could be the opportunity to defend their country. They are put through intense workouts on tasks ranging from tackling basic infiltration efforts via system compromise to full loss of control of the network. "It really is the opportunity to spot the golden nuggets," said Eric, a colonel who heads the operations pole of the army's cyber defense command center. In line with French military rules, officers are not allowed to give their family names. The annual exercise, which has been running since 2013, has so far enabled France to recruit 35 percent of the reservists it needs. More and more students are also seeking full-time posts, with starting salaries of 3,000 euros ($3,195) a month. "The profile we're after is someone young who enjoys rummaging around a little and is extremely curious in the digital world," said Stephane, a commander who heads up a cyber unit that trains about 1,000 people each year. On the other side of the Atlantic, there is concern that the U.S. National Security Agency risks a brain-drain of hackers and cyber spies due to tumultuous reorganization and worries about the acrimonious relationship between the intelligence community and President Donald Trump. Cyber security executives in the United States told Reuters they had witnessed a marked increase in the number of U.S. intelligence officers and government contractors seeking employment in the private sector since Trump took office on Jan. 20. Among the French potential recruits was David, an engineering graduate who at 30 is too old to join the army. He said signing up to do his bit for his country was a no-brainer. "In the future, we'll see more and more cyber attacks instead of terrestrial ones. The army will need ground troops, but they will also need people like us for the logistics and the technological side so we'll be there to help them carry out their mission," he said. (Writing by John Irish; editing by Andrew Roche)
The ban was imposed amid fears the Islamic State group was developing a bomb concealed in a laptop (AFP Photo/JOHN MOORE) (GETTY/AFP/File)

Washington (AFP) - The United States may soon expand its ban on air passengers carrying computers on board on US-bound flights, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Wednesday.

The threat of a terror group trying to blow up an aircraft mid-flight is constant, he told a Senate hearing on border security, suggesting that the current ban might not have gone far enough.

"It's real, I think it's getting realer," he said of the threat.

"We may take measures in the not-too-distant future to expand the number of airports."

Last month, Washington banned passengers on direct flights to the United States from 10 airports in eight countries from carrying on board laptop computers, tablets and other electronic devices larger than cellphones.

The affected airports are in Turkey, North Africa and the Middle East.

Britain followed with a similar ban applying to incoming flights from six Middle East and North African countries.

The move, which forces passengers to put their devices into checked baggage, came as counter-terror officials developed concerns that jihadist groups were devising bombs disguised as batteries in consumer electronics.

A bomb that blew a hole in the fuselage of a Somalian airline in February 2016, killing one person, is believed to have been built into a laptop computer carried into the passenger cabin.

Dozens of terrorist cells discuss such attacks "on any given day," Kelly said.

"You just watch them over time and see if they go from talking to actually doing something," he said. "There is a real threat all of the time."

"If we cannot get our arms around the current threat, you can expect additional protocol adjustments in the very near future," he added of the computer restrictions.
President Nana Akufo-Addo on Tuesday welcomed Princess Anne, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, to the Flagstaff House.

Click here to get the latest news in Ghana.

Princess Anne is on a two-day visit to the country to celebrate the unique friendship between the UK and Ghana at a time that Ghana is observing its 60th independence anniversary.

READ ALSO: Is Anyidoho now a hunter in opposition? His latest photos will drown you in laughter and tears

Akufo-Addo and the princess discussed how to strengthen bilateral ties between Ghana and the UK.

The princess also shared an interesting news with Akufo-Addo to the effect that the UK was interested in helping to improve access to education for Ghanaian children.

Princess Ann also presented the president with a gift she brought from the UK.

YEN.com.gh understands that as part of her visit, the princess will meet a number of dignitaries, including the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and former President JA Kufuor.

She will also undertake a wide-ranging programme that builds on her previous visits in 1998 and 2011, with a focus on empowering women who act as role models for others, exploring the importance of support for girls, female education and entrepreneurs in delivering Ghanas future.

She will also meet with a number of UK volunteers, including the alumni of UK sponsored scholarship programmes, Chevening, Commonwealth and the Queens Young Leaders.

Share your views on this with us in the comments section.

READ ALSO: Mahama chills, wines and dines with Rev. Jesse Jackson in US and the pics will blow your mind away

Source: YEN.com.gh
Samson Lardy Anyenini, a lawyer and journalist with Multimedia, has been involved in a terrible accident on the Accra-Tema motorway.

Click here to get the latest news in Ghana.

READ ALSO: Your cruel gov't is making us teach on empty stomachs - Teachers angrily blast Akufo-Addo

Anyenini took to Facebook on Wednesday after to express appreciation to God for saving his life.

Stressing that he had been saved by grace, the lawyer said he was on his way back to Accra from a court session in Tema when another car which was heading to Tema suddenly rose into the sky and landed on his vehicle. He said the vehicle then fell into the bush.

Anyenini said the driver of the other car died instantly.

I was Accra bound after a court session in Tema. He was Tema bound. How his vehicle found itself on top of mine before it headed to the bush killing him I cant tell.

All I saw was his car was in the skies. All I realized was I was alive after it landed on mine," he said.

On social media, many Ghanaians have been celebrating with Anyenini and expressing gratitude to God for his life.

Share your views on this with u in the comments section below.

READ ALSO: Addai-Mensah has just called Akufo-Addo's bluff and shocked him at Flagstaff House over a top appointment

Source: YEN.com.gh
China denounces India hosting Dalai Lama in disputed region of Arunachal Pradesh

China said on Wednesday that India's decision to host Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on a contested stretch of land on the India-China border would cause serious damage to relations between the two countries.
Cyber-bully faces extradition to Canada in Amanda Todd case

A Dutchman has lost his appeal against extradition for his alleged role in the cyber-bullying case of a 15-year-old Canadian girl who took her own life.
Dahal to appear before PAC hearing on Sunday

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal will appear before the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearing on Sunday, chairman of the committee Dor Prasad Upadhyay told the Post.
Donors concerned about education in new local set-up

As the country adopts powerful local bodies after their restructuring, the donor communities have enquired with the government as to how the education sector would function in the new local set-up.
Anup Ojha is a reporter for The Kathmandu Post primarily covering social issues and human interest stories. Before moving to the social beat, Ojha covered arts and culture for the Post for four years.
Eminent Persons Group meeting underway

The meeting of Eminent Persons Group on Nepal-India relations is underway in Kathmandu.
Foreign insurers told to maintain capital fund

The Insurance Board (IB) has instructed foreign insurance companies operating in Nepal to transfer 20 percent of their net profits to a capital fund to strengthen their risk-absorbing capacity.
Islamic State kill 31 in Tikrit attacks - security sources, medics

At least 31 people were killed, including 14 police officers, and more than 40 wounded in attacks overnight by Islamic State militants in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, security and medical sources said on Wednesday.
Man loses legs to flesh-eating bug in Australia

A man has had his legs amputated after being infected with a flesh-eating disease in Australia, his family says.
Maoist Centres preparations in full swing

The ruling CPN (Maoist Centre) has involved its organisation in the Kathmandu valley in preparation for the May 14 local level elections.
NACs gross negligence grounds plane in Bangkok

Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) Boeing 757 has been grounded at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok for the last five days, incurring huge amount of losses due to negligence from the management.
Nine military officers sacked over Kabul hospital attack

Nine military officers have been sacked over last month's attack by militants on the military hospital in Kabul, the Afghan defence ministry says.
NOC increases scrutiny of fuel stations in East

The Eastern Region Office of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has increased scrutiny of refueling stations located in the eastern Tarai suspected of smuggling to neighboring cities in India. Price of diesel is Rs 20 cheaper per litre in Nepal compared to India as well as price of petrol being Rs 13 cheaper per litre in Nepal.
North Korean ballistic missile fired into the Sea of Japan

North Korea has test-fired a ballistic missile from its eastern port of Sinpo into the Sea of Japan.
NTL to sell land at Teku to pay off employees

The Supplies Ministry has planned to sell 51 ropanis of land at Teku owned by National Trading Limited (NTL) and use the money to pay off its employees.
PAC instructs MWSP to complete works on time

The parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has directed the government to complete the works of Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP) before Dashain.
Pakistan census team hit by deadly blast

At least six people have been killed in a suspected suicide attack targeting census workers and their security escort in the Pakistani city of Lahore.
Perennial delay

Delay in the construction and repair of public works is a perennial problem in Nepal. One such project that is taking forever to complete and that is directly affecting public life is the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP).
Property Expo 2017 to kick off on April 7

Property Expo-2017 will be held at the Exhibition Hall in Bhrikutimandap from April 7. The four-day expo will be inaugurated by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari.
Teacher held for sexually abusing student in Mahottari

Police has arrested a teacher for allegedly sexually abusing a girl student in the name of giving her tuition classes at Gaushala Municipality Bazaar in Mahottari district.
Third EPG meeting to begin in Capital today

The third meeting of the Eminent Persons Group on Nepal-India Relations begins in Kathmandu on Wednesday.
Two murder suspects held

Police have arrested two persons in connection to the March 28 murder of Nepali Congress leader Rabindra Shumsher Shah in Khalanga, the district headquarters of Jajarkot.
UN calls emergency talks after Syria 'gas attack'

The UN Security Council is to hold emergency talks after an alleged chemical attack in Syria left dozens of civilians dead and wounded.
UN calls talks over Syria 'gas attack'

The UN Security Council is to hold emergency talks after a suspected chemical attack in Syria left dozens of civilians dead and wounded.
Unmanaged slaughterhouses deemed hazardous to public health

The animal slaughterhouses in Kathmandu Valley are not operating with standard health measures and have been deemed harmful to public health.
ABC/Image Group LAChris Young will headline this years Independence Day celebration in Nashville.

The festivities known as Let Freedom Sing! July 4 in Music City will take place on the Riverfront in downtown Nashville. Chris, a native of nearby Murfreesboro, Tennessee, will take the stage alongside the legendary Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

The free event also boasts the largest fireworks show in the country, with a half-hour of pyrotechnics synchronized to a performance by the Grammy-winning Nashville Symphony.

Rocker Sheryl Crow played last years event.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
1. Yes. Taxpayers are funding its operation; they should have a voice in the naming process.

2. Yes. The city should operate with a spirit of inclusivity. Residents will be responsive.

3. No. Public input can be problematic; rejection of suggestions can be divisive for residents.

4. No. Residents elect council members to make decisions on their behalf. No input is needed.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say whether public input would be more of a benefit or a hindrance.

Vote

View Results
By Moses Kyeyune

Former UPDF political Commissar, Col Felix Kulaigye who is also an army representative in parliament has emphasized the importance of the presence of the military in the House saying it helps them keep track of proceedings.

Kulaigye was addressing military officers and students from Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa who are undergoing training at the Senior Staff College in Kimaka and had paid a courtesy call to parliament for benchmarking.

He was responding to queries on impartiality raised by Lt.Col Norman Kristen from South Africa.

The presence of the army in Parliament remains a subject of debate as sections of the opposition and civil society consider it a constitutional error.
By Ruth Anderah

Mathew Kanyamunyu the key suspect in the shooting of NGO worker Keneth Akena has gone to the Court Appeal to challenge the decision of High court Judge Yasin Nyanzi to deny him bail.

Through Alaka and Company Advocates, Kanyamunyu says he is dissatisfied with part of the high court ruling and wants Court of Appeal to review it.

On 28/March/2017 Justice Yasin Nyanzi denied Mathew Kanyamunyu bail saying there was no guarantee that he would not interfere with witnesses.

The Judge also ruled that it was the Courts duty to balance Kanyamunyus constitutional right to get bail on the presumption of Innocence, and to protect the society from lawlessness.

He then directed that Mathew Kanyamunyu remains on remand in Luzira Prison and wait for trial.

Kanyamunyu is jointly charged with his girlfriend Cynthia Munwangari and his brother Joseph Kanyamunyu for the alleged murder of Social Worker Kenneth Akena that occurred on 12/November/2016 at Lugogo along Kampala-Jinja high way.

However Munwangari and Joseph Kanyamunyu have since been released on bail on grounds that they were mere accomplices to the crime allegedly committed by Mathew Kanyamunyu. They have been ordered not to leave the country.

Related Stories

Kanyamunyu has re-applied for bail

DPP fails to commit Kanyamunyu
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. High around 55F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 36F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
ANGOLA  The Angola Common Council met in its newly remodeled chambers Monday night.

One major topic of discussion was whether to approve an amendment between the city and Wessler Engineering for improvements to a lift station located at 1903 N. Wayne St., Angola.

The proposed amendment is for financial compensation services from $46,100 to $68,500.

Wastewater department Superintendent Craig Williams requested the amendment because of the way the project has evolved from the original plan.

Williams said his staff came up with the idea to convert the station into a submersible station, determining the conversion a better option for worker safety should something fail and have to be repaired.

The current lift station requires a worker to go 20 feet below the surface into a small space to repair it, Williams said. We want to re-purpose the existing wet well at the site into something that can grow and be safer.

The amendment includes designing the submersible station, demolition plans, Indiana Department of Environmental Management permitting, preparation of contract documents and coordinating with the selected contractor throughout the process.

Council also saw a presentation from John Sampson on the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership. The mission of the partnership is to build, market, and sell Northeast Indiana to increase business investment. The counties in the partnership are LaGrange, Steuben, Kosciusko, Noble, DeKalb, Whitley, Allen, Wabash, Huntington, Wells and Adams.

This 11-county region is the strongest collaborative region in the state, Sampson said. These counties are doing things that we were told wouldnt happen. In 2006 when we started coming up here, I never imagined it would be this successful.

The Local Economic Development Organization partners in the counties are launching studies on housing, which Sampson said has never been a need until now. People are wanting to move into the region.

The biggest threat to economic development in the area is population, Sampson said. Our young people go away for college, get internships, then jobs and dont come back. We need to fix that.

Retaining the under 30 crowd is a big focus.

Sampson said projects like The Enterprise Center in Angola and the addition of the Thunder Ice Arena at Trine University will be beneficial to the area because of jobs and retention of population.

The role of the partnership is to get people into rooms, both classrooms and board rooms, to get exposure for the area.
Noble County Public Library

An informational seminar to help navigate the Medicare system will be held at the Noble County Public Library Saturday, April 8, at 10 a.m. Those attending will have chances to get pertinent information and an opportunity to ask questions on this sometimes confusing topic. For more information, visit MedicareMadeClear.com

State park passes are once again available for checkout at all three NCPL branches. Patrons can check out passes with their Evergreen library card for one week at a time. The passes can be used at any Indiana state park.

New adult books: Bone Box, by Faye Kellerman, Broken Glass, by V.C. Andrews, Echoes in Death, by J.D. Robb, Tiffany Girl, by Deeanne Gist, Two Suitors for Anna. by Molly Jebber and Victory and Honor, by W.E.B. Griffin.

Teen books: Awe, by Travis Thrasher, Immortal City, by Scott Speer and Substitute Creature. by Charles Gilman.

Childrens books: 123 Zooborns, by Andrew Bleiman, Bad Kitty Does Not Like Snow, by Nick Bruel, Bedtime for Peppa. by Barbara Winthrop and A Recipe for Bedtime, by Peter Bently.

New movies on DVD: Arrival, rated PG-13 (also in Blu-ray), Bunyan & Babe, rated PG, Eleana and the Secret of Avalor, rated G, Jackie, rated R and Moonlight, rated R.

New TV series on DVD: Central: Arrow, season 3, Chicago Med, season 1. East: Chicago P.D., season 1, The Middle, season 7. West: Brooklyn Nine Nine, season 2.

April adult programs at Central: Craft Therapy Thursday, April 6, at 5 p.m. Celebrate the arrival of spring with an upcycled Wine Bottle Hummingbird Feeder. This program is free, but pre-registration is required for materials.

Paint & Party Thursday, April 27, 6 p.m. SOZO Art Studios Peggy Tassler will be at the Albion American Legion to teach different techniques to create this spring-inspired hydrangea painting while sipping on a glass of something sweet. Adult beverages and light appetizers will be provided courtesy of the Noble County Public Library. No painting experience necessary. There will be a $25 class fee. Checks can be made out to SOZO Art Studio.

Central Book Discussion group will meet Thursday, April 27, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss Fates and Furies, by Lauren Groff.

Childrens April programs: Storytimes for April will be the 18th and 25th at 9:15 and 10:30 a.m. Book Buddies will be Tuesday, April 11, at 9:15 and 10:30 a.m.

Wolf Lake Afterschool Club will be Wednesday April 12, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Albion Afterschool Club will be Wednesday, April 19, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Wolf Lake Afterschool movie will be Wednesday, April 26, from 3:30-5 p.m. We will be watching Sing.

Teen programs at Central: Afterschool Club will have dinner and a movie Thursday, April 6, from 4-6 p.m. in the Shultz Room. Open to all grades and must register. Tinker Tote on Wednesday, April 12, from 4-6 p.m. in The Vault. This program is open to all grades. We had so much fun last time, Erika decided to bring it back. The tote has been replenished with even more awesome things. Afterschool Club Wednesday, April 19, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in The Vault. We will be making jelly bean candles. Teen Spring coloring contest the week of April 24-28. Winners will be announced Monday, May 1.

All NCPL branches will be closed April 14 for Good Friday and April 20 for an in-service.

Look for us at myncpl.us and on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.
ALBION  A theft charge has been filed against former Noble County surveyor Scott Zeigler, stemming from allegations in a state audit that he misused public funds.

Zeigler, 48, Albion, is facing a single Class D felony charge of theft. That charge carries a potential penalty of six months to three years in jail, if convicted.

The Noble County Prosecutors Office has recused itself from the case, and the criminal charge was filed by special prosecutor Donald Shively.

The criminal case is running parallel to a civil case filed by the Indiana Attorney Generals Office in early March, in which the state is trying to collect more than $125,000 from Zeigler and more than $30,000 from an insurance company that bonded him while he was in office.

The charges stem from alleged incidents during Zeiglers last term as surveyor, running between 2009 and 2012, that are outlined in an audit report released in March 2016.

At the time, Zeigler had filed a 20-page response disputing the findings of the audit.

The criminal charge is based on only one alleged incident, a June 2, 2011, purchase of rebar caps used in surveying that were personalized to say SDZEIGLER, according to court documents. The purchase allegedly was made with $169.50 of county money.

In Zeiglers response to the audit, he had offered to repay the county for the caps, but under strong protest.

The civil plenary case was filed on March 3 and seeks to collect money the state claims Zeigler misused. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., which bonded Zeigler during his time in office, is also listed as a defendant in the case.

The civil filing is broken down into three counts, with the first two seeking money from Zeigler, specifically, and the third seeking money from Nationwide Insurance.

In the first count, the civil case details multiple purchases and expenses the Attorney Generals Office claims Zeigler used for personal gain or for projects that were not for the countys benefit.

According to court documents, the state is seeking reimbursement for purchases totaling $19,054.67 it claims Zeigler made for personal use, including $922.23 for plumbing parts; $632.37 for electrical parts; $1,116.07 for tractor parts; $2,161.40 for lumber and building supplies; $1,363.91 for tools and equipment; $279.79 for power inverters; $184.65 for diesel oil and cans; $753.09 for gloves and clothing; $316.97 for concrete mix; $7,961.48 for other tools; and $145.56 for other personal items.

The filing also identifies $2,516 for a construction plan that solely benefited a private property owner; a $5,149.70 payment to a contractor for a drainage project on private property that was not for the countys benefit; $994.90 for 10 galvanized gates for private property and $169.50 for rebar caps used for private survey work; $1,398.17 for a fence construction project in a pasture near a private property owners barn after a sinkhole formed due to a collapsed drain pipe; $98.86 for Zeiglers spouses cellphone plan and late fee; $108.76 in charges from usage fees with insufficient documentation to show they were for county business; and $2,117.98 in materials that were shipped to Zeiglers home or other private addresses.

In total, the state is seeking repayment of $32,214.85.

In a second count in the civil filing, the state is requesting a judgment for $94,644.55, detailing most, but not all, of the same purchases and payments in the first count. The amount is larger because Indiana law allows for the state to seek relief at three times the actual loss.

The third part of the civil case seeks repayment of $31,207.81 from Nationwide Insurance for funds misappropriated, diverted, or misapplied by Zeigler while he was covered by a professional bond.

An initial hearing in the theft case is set for April 28 in Noble Superior Court 1.

In the civil case, Zeiglers attorney, Bill Eberhard Jr., requested a time extension to respond to the complaint on March 17. No hearing dates are currently scheduled, according to online court records.
ALBION  Residents have been paying a new local option income tax for public safety since January, but Noble County still is trying to decide how it will use the revenue.

Sheriff Doug Harp, Noble County Council members and county coordinator Jackie Knafel tossed around ideas at Mondays council meeting. Although there were some different suggestions bandied about, all sides seemed to agree that a couple items, such as police pensions and vehicle purchases, should be paid for out of the public-safety money.

The council adopted the 0.25 percent income tax last year to help with the countys tight budget. The tax was adopted to sustain public-safety spending, while freeing up money in the countys general fund that could be used for other purposes, such as health insurance spending or employee salaries.

The county has been receiving the new tax revenue since the beginning of the year, but officials have opted to sit on it until at least midyear in order to build up a balance before making decisions about whether to start paying bills out of the new account.

On Monday, Harp came forward with a list of several items he thought would make sense to move over to the public-safety fund, including inmate medical expenses, vehicle purchases and police pension contributions.

Harp also wants to be able to use some of the money to pay for an electronic records management system upgrade that could cost about a half-million dollars to buy and implement.

Moving the medical contract would get about $190,000 out of the general fund, while shifting vehicle purchases would free up $115,000 from the county economic development income tax fund. Harp said that could provide more funding for the county highway department or other development projects.

We can probably do away with that funding and pick that up with the public-safety tax, Harp said.

The county also picks up the cost for police pensions, which have seen some sharp increases in recent years. Some of that is being paid for out of the general fund, which is eating up money needed for other expenses.

The sheriff is also working on the records system upgrade since the current system is out of date. Hes been coordinating with other police departments and the county probation and prosecutors offices to research systems, as well as trying to get other agencies to chip in some money toward the upgrade, which he said will benefit everyone countywide.

It could be four to six weeks before he gets firm prices on that, and then he would need to communicate again with other departments.

Once we get those numbers, Ill go back to the other police agencies and other people interested in this, Harp said. These are things we need that are really critical to law enforcement.

Harp also suggested salary increases for his employees, which would cost about $165,000 total and make Noble County more competitive with other counties, cities and towns in terms of pay. Harp frequently has noted he has problems retaining staff, with low pay being an issue.

Knafel presented her own ideas, which included moving pension and vehicle payments over to the public-safety fund. But she suggested that if the county shifted 12 deputies salaries out of the general fund, it would free up about $500,000.

That would be enough to fund salary increases for employees across all departments, which could help with employee retention throughout county government.

Council President Mike Toles agreed with moving pensions and vehicles to the public-safety fund, but he reminded Harp the goal of the tax was to sustain public-safety spending.

Harp wants to add employees at the Sheriffs Department to help with a recent upsurge in property crimes and other issues.

Ultimately, the County Council didnt make any official decisions Monday. Members will meet jointly in the near future with the sheriffs merit board and the Noble County Board of Commissioners to discuss options.
ABC/Randy HolmesMartina McBride is heading to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, where she'll host the Recording Academy's ceremony honoring Keith Urban for his work with music education.

Keith himself will perform at the gathering, known as Grammys on the Hill, and Wynonna and Blues Travelers John Popper will also be on hand to perform.

The annual event at the Hamilton Live in the nations capital celebrates cooperation between lawmakers and the music industry. This year, Senators Susan Collins and Tom Udall will both be recognized for their support of the National Endowment for the Arts as well.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
ALBION  They made no official decision, but Albion Town Council members are leaning toward using new Public Safety Tax revenue to fund a full-time fire chief.

Albion Town Council President Max Weber brought up the idea during the councils regularly scheduled meeting March 28, which included the decision to go with Noble County Disposal for its curbside cleanup on

I think it would be a good move, personally, current Fire Chief Brad Rollins said.

Another firefighter in attendance at the meeting, Shane Coney, seemed to disagree. He questioned whether the move would increase the towns insurance rating or the benefits overall.

How is that going to provide better service, having one extra person there? Coney asked the council.

The town has been receiving approximately $10,000 per month since Jan. 1.

Town Attorney Bill Eberhard said in communities he has worked, having a full-time chief provides many benefits, including better business and school inspections.

Town Manager Stefen Wynn said part of the money could be set aside to pay a portion of the cost of new software that would benefit both the Albion Police and Fire departments.

Wynn said he would discuss with department heads to determine what their needs are and then a list to the town council.

Curbside cleanup set

Also at the March 28 meeting, the Town Council voted to award a contract to Noble County Disposal to handle curbside pickup during its annual clean-up day on May 13.

In 2015, the town paid approximately $7,000 for the annual clean-up service to allow town residents to throw away a bevy of unwanted items. But last year, that amount increased to $11,693 as the tonnage of waste put out jumped dramatically.

A part of the problem was residents allowing people from out of the town limits to bring items to town, the council reported on March 14.

The town agreed to give the service one more chance. Noble County Disposal will not pick up electronic items curbside, but it will have a trailer at the Albion Municipal Building to collect it. There will be no charge for most electronics, but proof of residency will be required in the form of mail or a town bill.

Refrigerators, freezers and tires will be taken for a price.

No fluorescent bulbs will be picked up.

Albion Street Department Superintendent Brian Stimpson estimated the service would cost the town approximately $7,700.

Its hard to give you a good figure on that, Stimpson said. I dont know how many tons well get.

The council said each residence would be limited to an area eight foot wide by eight foot long and four foot high. Stimpson said his department would be driving around town to make sure residences were in compliance.

The council also:

 heard that some residents may not have received a self addressed stamped envelope to return the income survey mailed by Region 3A. The income survey is critical to the towns efforts to apply for grants. If someone did not receive a self addressed stamped envelope, they should contact the Albion Town Hall and a stamped envelope will be provided.

 approved a request from the Noble County Economic Development Corp. to give $2,000 so the economic organization can pay for a countywide housing study. The EDC is going around to all communities in the area, requesting $2,000.

Town Councilman John Morr spoke in favor of doing the study, and was quickly joined by Weber.

There is a need for housing in Albion, Weber said. We have to be proactive.

 heard Town Marshal Tom Lock report significant progress had been made in enforcing town ordiances. Lock took over enforcement of these ordinances on March 3.

He had set a preliminary goal of issuing 10 warnings per month for people to remove their junk vehicles and otherwise clean up their properties or to enforce the downtowns two-hour parking limit. As of the March 28 meeting, he had already exceeded that total for March.

He said some tickets had been issued, but for the most part people had been responsible to the warnings.

The citizens are doing a pretty good job, Lock said. They have been compliant.

The council also lauded Lock for his efforts to limit overtime for his department. He said credit belongs to his reserve officers, who have stepped up to take on additional shifts.

They have done an outstanding job for our community, Lock said of his reserve officers.

Lock also credited his departments emphasis on traffic stops for a reduction in the number of traffic crashes in town. In February 2016, there were 14 crashes. That number dropped to 10 in February 2017.
KENDALLVILLE  The cost of the citys Fairview Boulevard reconstruction project came in nearly $1 million under the engineers original estimate.

City officials announced Tuesday the Indiana Department of Transportation has awarded API Construction Corp. the construction-only contract for $2.3 million.

The LaOtto-based companys bid was the lowest of the four bids submitted to the state, and well under the engineers construction-only estimate of $3.2 million.

The three other bids received ranged from $2.58 million to $2.76 million.

The final cost will include preliminary engineering, estimated at $392,630; right-of-way acquisition, $50,300; and construction inspection, estimated at $349,733; in addition to the construction cost, for a total estimated cost of $3.12 million.

A federal grant is paying 80 percent of the projects cost, with 20 percent coming from local sources, including revenue from the Eastside tax increment financing district.

The Fairview Boulevard reconstruction project will include:

 New asphalt paving, with concrete curbs and gutters, on the street between Dowling Street and U.S. 6;

 New pedestrian crossings, with two midblock crossings for enhanced safety;

 New ornamental street lighting to match streetlights throughout the city;

 A new multiuse path to connect to the Dowling Street path and extend north across U.S. 6 to the Detering Nature Preserve; and

 New street name and regulatory signs.

Work on the project is expected to begin soon.

The work schedule, along with other aspects of the project, will be discussed at a town-hall meeting Wednesday, April 19, at 6:30 p.m. at Impact Institute, 580 Fairview Blvd. City officials, design professionals and contractor representatives will be present to answer questions and explain the project.

Im excited to get this much-needed improvement underway, said Mayor Suzanne Handshoe. This project represents our continued emphasis on the need for infrastructure upgrading and its important role in keeping Kendallville a great place to do business and raise a family.
The following editorial appeared in the March 31 Minneapolis Star Tribune:

The rationale heard repeatedly in Congress from Minnesota Rep. Jason Lewis and others during the debate over the Republican health reform plan boiled down to this: We should vote for this bill because we made a campaign promise to repeal Obamacare.

What Lewis and his party need to grasp, especially in the wake of the GOP plans recent failure, is that voters judgments are going to be based far more on pragmatic metrics than political ones. Primarily, did Republicans now controlling Congress help friends, family and neighbors better afford quality care and coverage?

In our view, the Republican plan, known as the American Health Care Act (AHCA), would have made health insurance more affordable for some  the young and wealthy  but with unacceptable trade-offs, such as dramatic premiums increases for older people, the loss of coverage for 24 million people and cuts to long-term care funding. Ongoing Republican arguments for this plan are moot. They dont have the numbers to pass it.

Those with an eye toward re-election in 2018 and beyond should see the current situation as an opportunity not a setback. While President Trump has said accurately, if belatedly, that health care is hard, fixing the Obama health reform laws flaws need not be. There is widespread consensus in health policy circles on what should be done. Those doing political calculations should also factor in that fixing whats in place vs. starting over with something brand-new is an easier sell to voters. Thats why the 2010 Obama law has broad support, while polls showed that fewer than 20 percent supported the AHCA.

A message from congressional leadership saying that pragmatic fixes are the strategy, even for the short-term, would help stabilize the individual health insurance market right now. This market, where about 5 percent of Minnesotans buy coverage, is where consumers buy plans if they dont get insurance through employers or public programs such as Medicare. Uncertainty over congressional action has made insurers leery. The result: fewer choices and higher-priced premiums to cover their risk.

More specific strategies for improving competition and affordability shouldnt be a heavy lift, either. Congress should revive the Obama laws temporary financial-risk protection programs for insurers. These funds were put in place to help insurers adjust to an individual market that reformers knew would be made volatile by new consumer protections and better access to coverage. But a 2015 measure backed by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., undercut one of these aid programs, a move that led to rising premiums.

Expanding and extending another one of these financial risk programs  reinsurance  is also worthwhile. Reinsurance offsets medical care costs for consumers with expensive medical needs. Just a few of these patients can sharply drive up premiums. Minnesota legislators have passed a reinsurance measure this session, but continuing that level of state funding is daunting.

Congress also should back away from its efforts to derail the Obama laws cost-sharing provisions, which helped consumers meet deductibles. In addition, the Trump administration should signal that it will vigorously enforce the individual mandate to buy insurance. That would enlarge the insurance risk pool and help drive down premium costs for everyone.

The brash real-estate developer in the White House might also consider going beyond incremental improvements. Allowing Americans 55 and older to buy into Medicare, the federally run program for those 65 and up, would likely have broad voter appeal and reset the health debate.

Launching a Medicare buy-in would be more complex than it first appears, but backing it would allow Trump to rebrand himself as a health care innovator. That could be a boost for an administration struggling to find its footing.
Are you looking for ways to finance your new idea or to grow your business? Do you know what information you need to compile, what to say to financial professionals or where to go for help? At the next Inventors and Entrepreneurs Club meeting, Julie Emslie, a rural small business consultant for the Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC), will present Getting financing for your business. She will discuss the 5 Cs (Collateral, Capital invested, Cash-flow, Credit history, Character) that lenders consider, basic concepts for financing, how to understand your cash flow/financials, and what lending resources are available to entrepreneurs.
Black River Falls Public Library is set to mark National Library Week with activities next week.

The local library is taking part in the national event, which has a theme of Libraries Transform and is set for April 9-15.

The theme is a time to celebrate the nations libraries and library workers and the evolution of technology, information literacy, collections and community engagement.

The theme is seen locally at Black River Falls Public Library: the Fillmore Street facility underwent a physical transformation in 2016 and since has focused its efforts on creating more programming and developing the collection to best serve users and the communitys needs.

We are proud that the Black River Falls Public Library is a go-to institution for library materials and resources, in addition to relevant community programming for area residents," said Tammy Peasley, director of Black River Falls Public Library.

"We continue to evolve and transform to meet the needs of our users and provide resources they both need and enjoy."

Black River Falls Public Library continues to experience an increased number of new patrons and use of electronic materials. Visitors not only check out and utilize physical pieces of the collection but also electronic books. In addition, they take time to utilize the available computers and their own devices in the Internet cafe.

The library has evolved to meet advances in technology and interests, including holding events on technology-related topics.

Libraries are an information resource - whether in print or digital form, and we keep adapting to provide those tools to our visitors and community members, Peasley said. We look forward to Library Week and hope that people will stop down to see all our library has to offer.

Black River Falls Library Week activities kick off on Tuesday, April 11 when people of all ages are invited to make an Origami bookmark from 1:30-4:30 p.m. Children are invited to a showing of the newly released movie, Sing, on Thursday, April 13 at 2 p.m. Adults must accompany children for this family event.

Tuesday, April 11 also is National Library Workers Day and will recognize librarians, support staff and others who provide library services. The BRF library plans to soon hang an outdoor banner that reads, National Library Week: Libraries work because we do! and the Friends of the Black River Falls Public Library group also plans to honor the local library staff next Tuesday.

We hear frequent remarks about how nice our library is. We not only have a beautiful community facility but we also have dedicated library staff that strive to assist all library visitors, Peasley said. In a recent library survey a patron commented, The BRFPL staff are amazing! All are kind, helpful, knowledgeable, and will do everything in their power to answer a question or find a resource."
Encounters between humans and apex predators such as wolves and wildcats are reportedly increasing as animals numbers and the area of their territories increase.

The status of wolves and wildcats in Wisconsin will be the topic of the Friends of the Black Rivers April meeting. The meeting will be held beginning at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 12, in the Jackson County Bank community room. The public is encouraged to attend the free program.

Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist Scott Roepke will present the program and intends to cover general ecology, distribution and presence of wolves, bobcats and cougars in the state.

Well take both a local and statewide look at each species, said Roepke.

Wisconsin is one of about a dozen states where timber wolves live in the wild. Also known as gray wolves, timber wolves are the largest wild members of the dog family. Wolves are social animals, generally living in packs. A packs territory can extend between 20 to 120 square miles; although, there are incidents of individual animals going off on their own to find new territory.

The DNR has been monitoring the growing population in the state; there are an estimated 800 individuals now calling Wisconsin home. In pre-European settlement times in the 1830s, the number of wolves roaming the state is thought to have been between 3,000 and 5,000 animals. However by 1900, timber wolves were nonexistent in the southern two-thirds of the state.

Over the past decades, however, wolf numbers have been increasing with packs calling Jackson County home. Because of their increased numbers, wolves were federally delisted as an endangered species in January 2012, but were relisted two years later.

Cougars, also known as pumas, mountain lion, panther and catamounts, are the largest wildcat species in North America existing north of Mexico. One of three wild cat species native to Wisconsin, along with the bobcat and Canada lynx, cougars once roamed throughout the state.

Generally, the large cats avoid humans. However, there has been an increase in reported sightings in recent years.

Bobcats are more prevalent and have, at times, been mistaken for cougars. Bobcats weigh about 20 pounds and have large ears sporting short pointed tufts of hair at the ends. In 1970, hunting bobcats was prohibited in the state. After a 20-year hiatus, the DNR removed the protections and set up hunting and trapping seasons for the animals.

Bobcats have also been mistakenly identified as lynxes, but Canada lynxes are now very rare in Wisconsin. Lynx were once trapped for their fur, and with the over-harvesting of the northern forests, the lynx population declined to the point biologists do not think there are any breeding animals in the state.

Roepkes presentation is part of FBRs ongoing mission to bring educational programs about the Black River, its watershed and environmental and conservation issues to the community.

For more information about the program and FBR, email info_fbr@yahoo.com.
Courtney L Aichele, 36, Fairchild, was arrested March 30 for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Yvette L Brown, 44, Black River Falls, was arrested March 29 for disorderly conducting and resisting or obstructing an officer.

Kevin M Conant, 44, Black River Falls, was arrested March 30 for criminal damage to property, kidnapping, battery, false imprisonment, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Leonard R Hopinka, 29, Black River Falls, was arrested March 31 on a warrant.

Ashley M Littlegeorge, 32, Black River Falls, was arrested March 28 on a warrant.

Enchanting B Littlewolf, 20, Wisconsin Dells, was arrested March 29 on a warrant.

Sergio F Moreno, 28, Black River Falls, was arrested April 1 for misdemeanor bail jumping.

Gerald Never Misses A Shot, 38, Oneida, was arrested March 28 for disorderly conduct.

Deanna E Ramirez, 19, Black River Falls, was arrested March 30 on a warrant.Jina M Savaglio, 43, Black River Falls, was arrested March 28 for disorderly conduct.

Karrie L Strukell, 41, Black River Falls, was arrested March 30 on a warrant.

Shanna R Tondola, 18, Melros, was arrested March 31 for two counts of felony bail jumping.

Vincent R Vasquez, 25, Black River Falls, was arrested March 28 for criminal damage to property, battery, false imprisonment, and strangulation/suffocation.
Last month, Wisconsin Transportation Secretary Dave Ross addressed a group of construction workers and employers like me the day after Gov. Scott Walkers budget had been released.

The candor with which Ross spoke was frankly refreshing. Although the audience certainly did not agree with the governors proposed transportation budget, we respected Ross willingness to listen to the concerns of the industry.

What was also welcome was the frankness with which Ross discussed the governors proposed repeal of Wisconsins prevailing-wage laws. Ross repeatedly told the crowd that construction workers were not overpaid and were not the problem and even directly took on state Sen. Duey Stroebels fictitious example of flaggers in Wisconsin making $100,000 a year.

Thats right, less than 24 hours after the governor rolled out his plan for the state, which involved slashing wages for blue-collar, middle-class construction workers, his WisDOT secretary told an audience representing that very industry that they were not the problem and that construction workers are not overpaid.

As you can imagine, the 100-plus people in attendance and I left the room scratching our heads. We continue to wonder why the governor is hell-bent on pursuing this destructive path for Wisconsins construction industry.

The governor, through his spokesperson, has defended slashing wages for middle-class construction workers by saying the purported savings will create more jobs. You can imagine our growing confusion when the governor earlier this month said having fewer manufacturing jobs would not be such a bad thing for Wisconsin, as long as the wages for the remaining jobs were increasing. Specifically, Walker, when challenged about the loss of more than 4,000 manufacturing jobs in the 12 months leading up to last September, said, Its not just how many jobs  its are those jobs paying at a significant level? He continued, If we see wages go up in manufacturing, to me, thats my ultimate goal.

So which is it, governor  higher wages or more jobs at lower wages? I can tell you what Wisconsinites want  both more jobs and higher wages. Unfortunately this budget, with its lack of sustainable transportation funding and cuts to worker wages, accomplishes neither for the blue-collar construction worker who is trying to remain in the middle class and support a family.

Walker has also said workforce development is his highest priority this legislative session. You can understand why the construction industry is scratching its collective head in bewilderment.

As someone who is responsible for running a construction business, I can tell you that recruiting qualified candidates is exceedingly difficult. As a life-long Republican  I even ran for political office  I can tell you from experience that waging a battle against blue-collar, middle-class workers and cutting wages are not ways to make recruitment easier for Wisconsin businesses.

Furthermore, Wisconsins private construction trade unions pay for 95 percent of the workforce and apprenticeship training that goes on in Wisconsin, spending about $30 million a year on training and safety in the construction industry. In states that eliminate prevailing-wage laws, apprenticeship programs have declined by as much as 42 percent because workers who are subjected to huge wage cuts become less willing and able to allocate part of their pay toward training programs.

Those same states are experiencing significant skilled labor shortages, leading groups like the Associated Builders and Contractors to promote public policies that would allow guest workers from other countries to supplant local workers. The one industry where we always thought our jobs could not be shipped overseas is now seeing workers shipped here.

Is this the future we want for Wisconsin?

In 2015, the non-partisan Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau concluded there would be no budget savings by repealing Wisconsins prevailing-wage laws. Likewise, Walkers 2017-19 budget cannot and does not assign any budgetary savings to the proposed elimination of prevailing wages on state projects.

Let me repeat that  the governors budget does not, because it cannot, assign any savings to his proposed repeal of prevailing wages. So what does Walkers proposal accomplish? Lower wages for Wisconsins construction workers, out-of-state workers taking our jobs and our money, and subpar projects that will need to be repaired or completely redone.

Wisconsins prevailing-wage laws set a fair minimum wage for the skilled construction tradesmen and women working on our public infrastructure. It pays for training to ensure our projects are built to quality standards. It is only fair to pay those workers a wage that is in line with their skill, training and expertise.

My message to the governor and my fellow Republicans  stop making blue-collar construction workers the enemy because, in case you didnt notice, these men and women are the very ones who voted you and Republicans across the country into office this last election. Dont be fooled into thinking that will continue if you cut their wages.
What do the League of Women Voters, the American Civil Liberties Union and the John Birch Society have in common? They all think legislation calling for a federal constitutional convention is a bad idea. A very bad idea.

The last time we had a constitutional convention was a long time ago in 1787 to be exact. At that time, the entire United Stated Constitution was rewritten.

Some lawmakers are calling for a new constitutional convention. They want the convention to consider a Balanced Budget Amendment. However, there are no guarantees that Congress who calls the convention will limit the call to a Balanced Budget Amendment; or that, once called, the convention will limit itself to a Balanced Budget Amendment. Then what?

As the nonpartisan League of Women Voters testified, a convention is a particularly dangerous path to take.

First, lets consider a bit of background.

Article 5 in the US constitution allows two ways to change our Constitution. The first, and the only way used in the last two hundred and thirty years, is to change the constitution one amendment at a time. The specific language of the amendment must pass both Houses of Congress with two-thirds vote and be ratified by three-fourths of the states.

The second way is for two-thirds of the states (34 states) to call for a convention to propose amendments. When the 34-state threshold is reached, Congress issues the convention call. Delegates are selected by states and those delegates decide on rules governing the convention.

About four years ago lawmakers belonging to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) began meeting to discuss how to bring states together for a constitutional convention. Groups supporting the idea targeted 11 states including Wisconsin and Kentucky who are now taking up the issue. If both adopt the proposal, they would be the 30th and 31st states of the required 34.

Last week after a hearing lasting almost eight hours during which dozens of people opposed the idea, our Senate Committee voted to call a convention. My colleague Senator Risser and I were the only no votes.

Before the hearing I did some research. Much of what I learned about an Article 5 convention comes from the Congressional Research Service.

Once called, the convention and its delegates write the rules of the convention. They can write any rules upon which they can agree. They can take up any action upon which they can agree. More unsettling, as re-writers of the Constitution, the delegates become the sovereign power of the land. In its analysis, the Congressional Research Service, referred to the doctrine of constitutional sovereignty quoting Cyril Brickfield who in 1957 wrote,  the convention is possessed of sovereign powers and therefore is supreme to all other Government branches or agencies.

In short, the liberties and freedoms we hold dear, those values that make us uniquely American, even our system of government, could be changed.

Perhaps this is why the conservative John Birch Society (JBS) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) both opposed the bill. Larry Greenley of JBS reminded our committee the last constitutional convention in 1787 not only completely rewrote the Constitution, they also changed the ratification process so that only 9 (not all 13) states had to agree.

Proponents of the Wisconsin efforts say their plan is to only take up a balanced budget amendment. But after repeated questioning from Senator Risser, no one could describe how such amendment might be worded or how, if passed, the amendment might work. We heard, instead, the convention itself would decide the rules and the specific language of any proposals. The safeguard, if one could call it that, was that the states would have to ratify what the convention proposed.

At odds with this reasoning was the history Mr. Greeley pointed to  the 1787 convention invented its own ratification process. The hearing left me agreeing the idea was a dangerous path to take.

A more prudent approach, one we have always taken since 1787, is to change the Constitution, when necessary, one specific amendment at a time.
City of La Crosse Clerk Teri Lehrke easily turned back challenger Audrey Kader in Tuesdays election.

With 31 of 34 precincts reporting, Lehrke had received 3,874 votes, or about 73 percent of the vote, to Kaders 1,374 votes, or 26 percent.

Lehrke said she is excited about continuing her 24-year tenure as clerk.

I look forward to continuing the good work I think Ive been doing, Lehrke said. Im pleased with the outcome, and Im very grateful and thankful to the voters who came out and cast their vote.

Lehrke said she intends to continue to educate the public about elections and educate her staff about all their duties with the city. She also said she hopes to maintain good customer service and streamline application processes.

Lehrke is one of 68 certified professional clerks in Wisconsin and one of 40 master municipal clerks in the state as recognized by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks.

Kader was only the second opponent Lehrke has faced during her time as city clerk. Kader said she based her decision run against Lehrke on the citys recent redistricting from 17 to 13 districts and her concern over the quality of service in the city clerks office.

Kader has 34 years of public service experience, serving on school boards in the 1980s, joining the city council in 1993 and representing her district on the La Crosse County Board from 1998 to 2012. She chose not to run again for a council seat after redistricting put her in the same district as council member Phillip Ostrem.

Lehrke also thanked her supporters Tuesday evening.
Most La Crosse County voters support the idea of paying more in sales taxes to generate money to repair the county highway system.

Tuesdays ballot featured an advisory referendum asking county voters for support to establish a premier resort area tax, which adds a half-percent to all taxable sales at businesses designated as tourism related. The referendum won decisive approval by a vote of 8,361 to 6,853 (55 to 45 percent).

La Crosse County Board Chair Tara Johnson said she was pleasantly surprised at the referendums margin of victory, especially considering the push by the opposition in the past couple weeks.

Nobody is jumping up and down and screaming for joy about a new local tax, Johnson said.

The state Revenue Department estimates the tax would raise $6.6 million annually, with the county planning to use $5 million of that for catching up on an $87 million backlog of road work and sharing the remainder with the countys 18 municipalities.

According to the Revenue Department, the tax would be charged at roughly half the businesses in the county. The categories of business types at which the tax would be charged are based on industry designations that each business decides itself, based on where it gets most of its revenue. For example, gas stations are required to collect the tax, but a business like Kwik Trip that generates a lot of revenue from sales of food and beverages, might designate itself as a grocery store, which would be exempt.

The complicated nature of the tax might have deterred some from supporting it, but Jenna Ring, a sophomore at UW-La Crosse, voted for it even though she was learning of it for the first time at the polls. She said if the roads need to be fixed and the county was asking for this money, it must be needed.

Josh Soine also voted yes, saying the need for more investment in roads is plain. The moneys got to come from someplace, he said.

An older couple outside the La Crosse Public Library, who asked not to be identified, voted against the tax, saying it was unfair to visitors and that they werent convinced that the county was spending its money wisely on road work. They were concerned too much was being spent on bike trails.

Another voter, a La Crosse man who didnt want to be identified, gave the county credit for creativity but said the sales tax might not be the best route. The solution really has to come from Madison, he said.

Johnson agrees the real issue is lack of support from the state and she said the referendum will help drive that message home. For me, the takeaway is voters have definitely expressed a desire to fix local roads, she said. I think it has been a really healthy, for the most part, constructive conversation about how challenging paying for roads is. We expect the state to do better than they have.

Tuesdays referendum was just the first step toward establishing a premier resort area tax. The next step will be for state Rep. Steve Doyle, an Onalaska Democrat who also sits on the county board, to meet with Gov. Scott Walker and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to see if he can get traction with the legislation giving the county permission to charge the tax. Walker has twice signed such legislation for municipalities, but La Crosse County is the first county to go after the tax.

State law allows any municipality or county that has at least 40 percent of its equalized property value in tourism-related businesses to charge the tax. Those that fall short like the county, which has only 5 percent, must seek an exception from the Legislature.

If the referendum results are a strong enough statement of support to convince Walker and the Republican-controlled Legislature to give La Crosse County an exception, the county board must approve the tax by a two-thirds majority and then conduct another referendum.

The voters will always get the last word, Doyle said.

Doyle said he believes the margin of victory shows enough support to make a good case in the Legislature for giving the county the new taxing authority.

When the electorate says were willing to take that step, that sends a pretty powerful message, Doyle said. I think what the voters said is theyre willing to take it to the next step.

Joe Heim, a UW-La Crosse political scientist, said the passage of the referendum was the single biggest surprise in an election of unexpected outcomes.

I dont know a single person who thought that was going to pass, he said. Historically when a referendum has organized opposition usually it loses. In this case there was opposition out there. Clear opposition, and yet it won.

Heim interpreted the win as a statement on the condition of county roads.

It kind of tells you the people who voted drive. If you drive around lax co you know the roads are in trouble. People felt from personal experience that something had to be done.  It sure was an indication that people are willing to tax themselves.
In March, for the second year in a row, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker issued an executive order regarding the states open records law.

It notes that the American republic and the state of Wisconsin were founded on the basis of broad accountability of government to the people. And it declares that the free flow of information from the government to the people instills trust and confidence in our democracy and ensures that our government is accessible, accountable and open.

The order directs state agencies to track and post their record response times and, like last years order, gives procedural guidance that should make it easier for citizens to request and receive records.

It instructs agencies to charge no more than 15 cents per page for provided photocopies and to charge no more than $30 per hour for government employees time spent locating records. It directs that agency meeting notices be posted in a centralized location on Wisconsin.gov, making these more accessible to the public. And it prescribes records training for all employees and members of all boards, councils and commissions.

The governor issued his executive order just as media outlets were analyzing state agencies performance since the 2016 order. The Wisconsin State Journal reported that state agencies were responding more quickly to public records requests since Walker issued the 2016 executive order, though some agencies performed better than others. Overall, the paper found, the average records response time has fallen from 13 to nine days.

USA Today Network-Wisconsin also compared state agency public records requests and responses and found that some agencies took considerably longer than others to fulfill requests, even after the 2016 executive order directed that small and straightforward requests be fulfilled within 10 days whenever practicable and directed that sufficient staff be allocated to ensure that all requests be fulfilled as soon as practicable.

According to this analysis, the governors office received fewer requests but took longer to respond than other agencies. Like other agencies whose response times were on the slow end, the governors office blamed the complexity of the requests for the delays in responding.

With greater scrutiny, there may be more occasion for agencies to be called upon to explain poor performance. This is the way that government is supposed to operate: The public is supposed to know when government is operating well, and when it is not. Without transparency, there cannot be accountability.

To that end, the 2016 and 2017 executive orders are welcome steps in the right direction. A year from now, we hope there will be fresh outside analysis of state agencies performance and still more guidance from the governors office regarding concrete improvements that can be made.

A word to local government officials: Theres no need to wait to follow the governors lead in seeking to improve records and open meetings practices. If the state can challenge itself to do better, then local government leaders, individually and through collective associations and groups, can and should do the same.
Throughout its history, the United States Senate has experienced disgraceful filibusters (Strom Thurmond against the 1957 Civil Rights Act), entertaining filibusters (Huey Long in 1935 reciting a fried oyster recipe) and symbolic filibusters (Rand Paul making a point about drone strikes in 2013). But the filibuster that Chuck Schumer is about to undertake against Judge Neil Gorsuchs nomination to the Supreme Court is perhaps the institutions dumbest.

It wont block Gorsuch, wont establish any important jurisprudential principle and wont advance Democratic strategic goals  indeed the opposite. A Gorsuch filibuster would be an act of a sheer partisan pique against the wrong target, with the wrong method, at the wrong time.

The Democratic effort to portray Judge Gorsuch as out of the mainstream has fallen flat. He has the support of President Barack Obamas former solicitor general Neal Katyal. He got the American Bar Associations highest rating. Hes been endorsed by USA Today. He will receive the votes of at least three Democratic senators. Some radical.

From the moment of his announcement by President Donald Trump to the very last question at his confirmation hearings, Gorsuch has been an exemplary performer, whose deep knowledge has been matched by his winning temperament. The attack on him as an enemy of the little man is based on a few decisions where he clearly followed the law, even though it resulted in an unsympathetic outcome.

Much has been made of a case involving a driver for TransAm Trucking who had pulled over on the side of the road in freezing temperatures and, fearing for his safety, drove off in defiance of a direct order of a supervisor. Days later, he was fired. Alphonse Maddin claimed that the company had violated a whistleblower protection under federal law. In a dissent from the decision of the 10th Circuit, Gorsuch carefully argued that the statues protections didnt apply to the trucker, although he stipulated that it might be fair to ask whether TransAms decision was a wise or kind one.

If Schumer upholds the filibuster against Gorsuch  and it looks like he has the votes  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will almost certainly exercise the so-called nuclear option eliminating the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations. Schumer portrays this as an act of procedural vandalism against the Senate, although he has no standing as vindicator of Senate tradition.

First, a partisan filibuster against a Supreme Court nominee is unprecedented (Lyndon Johnsons nominee for chief justice, Abe Fortas, was successfully filibustered by a bipartisan coalition). Second, Democrats already nuked the filibuster for other nominations besides the Supreme Court back in 2013, with Chuck Schumers support at the time. Finally, Democrats talked openly about how theyd use the nuclear option if Republicans filibustered a Supreme Court nomination from a prospective President Hillary Clinton.

In short, Democrats are departing from the Senates longtime practices and excoriating the GOP for responding with a tactic that Democrats themselves pioneered. Process questions are always a festival for partisan hypocrisy. This is still a bit much. Regardless, Ed Whelan of the Ethics and Public Policy Center notes that there isnt much of a rationale for keeping the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees if it has already been eliminated for all other nominations.

Putting all this aside, a Gorsuch filibuster doesnt even serve Schumers narrow interests, besides placating the left-wing #resistance to Trump that is demanding it. It would be shrewder for Schumer to keep his options open for a future nominee. If theres another vacancy, perhaps Trump will nominate a lemon, or the Republicans wont be so united, or the higher stakes of a conservative nominee replacing a liberal justice will create a different political environment. In these circumstances, its possible to imagine Democrats filibustering and Republicans not managing to stick together to exercise the nuclear option.

Maybe, but now we may never know. Because Chuck Schumer is about to make Senate history  for astonishing shortsightedness.
The problem of homelessness in Wisconsin is an issue that often follows the saying, Out of sight, out of mind. Though we can all recognize the people standing on corners or sleeping on benches, there are many unseen people living out of their cars, moving from motel to motel, or consistently on the verge of eviction. These hidden homeless are hard to recognize and quantify, making funding for preventing and ending homelessness equally difficult.

In 2015, Wisconsin had 27,532 clients who received services and shelter from agencies that enter into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Wisconsins homeless population has seen a slight decline over the last few years, with total homeless numbers going down by 6.1 percent since 2015. This reduction is largely due to an increased advocacy for homelessness resources and funding. With homelessness presenting an ever-growing need for aid and, ultimately, rehabilitation, preparing legislation that serves the most vulnerable of constituents is a top concern.

I understand the importance of putting forth pointed measures to end homelessness in Wisconsin. Wisconsin funded homelessness services and shelter for over 27,000 people in 2015. As a conservative, I recognize that these funds could be better utilized to bring people facing homelessness a permanent solution  a stable job and steady income. In 2016, we saw that almost half of people experiencing homelessness were part of a family with children, while 1,133 veterans were exposed to homelessness. I know that most people experiencing homelessness are motivated to find a solution that works. Giving Wisconsinites the tools needed to move them towards independence is crucial.

In the 2017-18 legislative session, we in the Assembly have clear steps that can begin to take on the issue of homelessness head-on. Exploring the possibilities of no-cost legislation in tandem with measured government spending, we can move the state forward in achieving a goal of every person in Wisconsin having a place to call home.

Solutions to end homelessness come in many different packages. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to individual circumstances. An attention to job creation and retention will be a big contributor to providing people with the tools needed to be housed and successful, while a focus on administrative policies and funding will help define sustainable solutions for the state and the homeless population. It is clear that a coordinated approach among local units of government, the state, and federal programs, coupled with a healthy private sector partnership, will produce the best results.
Dwight Swenson lives in the Town of Curran. His home used to be virtually sand free, but today sand piles up on his window sills due to a neighboring sand mine.

There is a noticeable increase in silica grit in the atmosphere and that was evidenced by the material that ends up on your windows, any type of glassware that is outside and patio furniture. During the growing season, you want to be out on the deck, so you can wipe off the patio furniture and as soon as you wipe it off, you can go right back and do it again, Swenson said.

Residents that live next to sand mines, especially those that are downwind, often complain about having visible sand buildup on their homes. While this is concerning, what some people are more worried about is the sand that is in the air that you cant see, also commonly referred to as silica dust.

Silica dust comes from sand or dirt. It has been known to cause health problems including silicosis and lung cancer(1). While silica dust can be found on a sand mine, it can also be found on a construction site, while tilling the soil and really any profession that creates dust.

Silica dust is the primary concern the CDC has while mining because silica dust is a serious health concern(1).

These concerns have been brought up by those living next to sand mines, especially when neighbors can visibly see sand that builds up on their homes.

These concerns are what prompted Wisconsin and Minnesota to begin testing the air quality near the perimeter of sand mines. To test the amount of sand in the air, Minnesota used a monitor that tests for various levels of particulate matter.

We look for several sizes of particulate matter, which is a regulatory term that describes what some people think of as dust, said Jeff Hedman, who is one of those leading the regulatory measures for sand mines at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Hedman said monitoring is being used to test the potential impacts for the local community, using local weather data, specifically wind direction and speed, to help assess how weather affects their results.

So far we have found concentrations that have been lower than national ambient air quality standards, which is a good thing, Hedman said generalizing the data collected so far.

However, Hedman did say that the monitors near one sand mine, Jordan Sands in Mankato, Minn., did measure exceedances of the states secondary daily total suspended particles (TSP) standard on its North monitor once and South monitor three times.

The other two sand mines that Hedman has been monitoring have not had any events like this one.

Hedmans findings include monitoring for PM10, PM4, PM2.5 and TSP.

Air quality testing has also been conducted near sand mines in Wisconsin for PM10 with similar results. Sand mines are not currently routinely tested for PM2.5 or PM4, which are considered more dangerous to peoples health and can travel further distances.

The 2016 Health Impact Assessment of Industrial Sand Mining in Western Wisconsin report, which was conducted by the Institute of Wisconsins Health, Inc., helped to lay out the results of various air quality tests being conducted on sand mine facilities in Wisconsin.

All of the PM10 measurements collected at the 14 different industrial sand mine monitoring locations have been below the primary standard, according to the report. Please note these findings did not provide vast research on PM2.5-sized particulate matter.

A study conducted in Trempeauleau County by the University of Iowa did test for PM4 near homes that were near a sand mine. According to the letter the University sent to residents, Of the 17 collected samples, 13 have been analyzed, revealing low respirable mass concentrations as follows: (mean = 10 g/m3; standard deviation = 2.8 g/m3; range = 6 to 15 g/m3). Crystalline silica (-quartz) was detectable in 6 of the 13 samples but represented only 2% to 4% of the mass, indicating very low concentrations.

In this case, PM4 was indicated at very low concentrations near these homes that were located near sand mines.

PM10 is the size of the particle the monitors are testing for. Particles larger than PM10 are generally too large to remain suspended for great distances and so should not enter into your lungs easily. The smaller the particle, the more damaging it is to your health because it can travel further into your lungs, which causes more damage.

To try and combat the amount of sand that gets carried by the wind, the best practice is to use water to reduce the amount of sand drifting off of a sand mines piles.

We are just trying to minimize the dust on a terrible day like today by actually having water cannons trying to spray some of the sand to try and reduce the dust, said Jack Mitchell, owner of Wisconsin Proppants, LLC. We try to do the best we can to reduce that dust.

In Wisconsin Proppants case, on a really windy day they use a combination of trucks and a sprayer system over their sand piles to put water on the sand.

While Wisconsin Proppants takes these precautions, not all sand mines do follow best practices, so there are some variances in the amount of effort a sand mine takes to minimize the silica dust being expelled.

If you are interested in information for a sand mine near you, the air quality data used in the 2016 Health Impact Assessment report is also available to the public, and the data is currently still being collected on many sand mines across the state and in Jackson County. To view a sand mine near you, go to www.dnr.wi.gov/topic/Mines/AQSandMap.html.

You can get PM10 air quality data on Hi-Crush near Taylor, Taylor Frac, LLC near Taylor and Wisconsin Proppants near Hixton. All of these facilities have stayed below the PM10 primary standard while being tested. PM2.5 or PM4 data is not currently availabe.

If you would like to report problems with blowing dust or sand from a sand mine near your home, the DNR encourages you to contact the local mine or your regional DNR office.

1. According to one of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health pages on the CDC website. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/topics/RespirableDust.html
MADISON  Three months after Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker called on the Legislature to take swift action to combat the states opioid epidemic, the state Assembly nearly unanimously passed nine pieces of legislation Tuesday, though not without some partisan conflict.

The Assembly passed all but two of the 11 bills Republican Rep. John Nygren wrote based on recommendations from Walkers opioid task force, which he co-chairs. The remaining two bills are still in committee.

Almost every single person, somehow, has been impacted  by a person that they love in their family, a neighbor, a coworker or perhaps even a stranger that they have seen struggle with addiction, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told fellow lawmakers before the vote. Today is a proud reminder of why every single one of us ran.

The measures, almost all of which drew unanimous support, include $4.8 million to expand treatment programs, $50,000 to start a high school for students recovering from addiction, $126,000 to train more doctors in addiction, $420,000 annually for four new drug investigation agents and $200,000 to train school staff to screen students for addiction.

Democrats introduced last-minute amendments on the floor that would have required the state to accept money from the federal government to expand Medicaid, which Gov. Scott Walker previously turned down.

Democrats argued the anti-opioid measures would be largely symbolic without additional funding behind them, while Republicans blasted them for using the discussion as a political opportunity. Nygren, who before the votes had commended lawmakers bipartisan efforts and contributions from Democrats, said the spirit of collaboration was dealt a serious blow when Democrats sent a fundraising appeal during the floor debate.

Democratic Minority Leader Peter Barca said while the timing of the email may have been ill-advised, the note reiterated that one of Democrats priorities is expanding funding for health care.

Nygren has worked intently on the issue of drug abuse since his daughter, Cassie, battled opioid addiction. He said she is in recovery but still faces a daily struggle.

Walker has signed more than 15 bills as part of his HOPE agenda meant to target opioid addiction since 2013. Deaths caused by opioid overdoses more than tripled in Wisconsin from 194 in 2003 to 622 in 2014.

The bills passed by the Assembly still have to pass the Senate before they go to Walker to become law.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Director: Joseph Mathew & Dan DeVivo | Producer: Joseph Mathew & Dan DeVivo

Genre: Documentary | Produced In: 2006 | Story Teller's Country: United States

Synopsis: With Americans on all sides of the issue up in arms and Congress embroiled in a knock-down-drag-out policy battle over how to move forward, "Crossing Arizona" shows how we got to where we are today.



Heightened security in California and Texas has pushed illegal border-crossers into the treacherous Arizona desert in unprecedented numbers  an estimated 4,500 a day. Most are men in search of work, but increasingly the border-crossers are women and children seeking to reunite with their families. This influx of migrants crossing through Arizona and the attendant rising death toll have elicited complicated feelings about human rights, culture, class, labor and national security.



Crossing Arizona examines the crisis through the eyes of those directly affected by it. Frustrated ranchers go out day after day to repair cut fences and pick up the trash that endangers their livestock and livelihoods. Humanitarian groups place water stations in the desert in an attempt to save lives. Political activists rally against anti-migrant ballot initiatives and try to counter rampant fear-mongering. Farmers who depend on the illegal work force face each day with the fear that they may lose their workers to a border patrol sweep.



And now there are the Minutemen, an armed citizen patrol group taking border security into their own hands. As up-to-date as the nightly news, but far more in-depth, Crossing Arizona reveals the surprising political stances people take when immigration and border policy fails everyone.

KJ

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2017/04/at-the-movies-crossing-arizona.html


The smell of smoke from cooking fires has stayed in the memory of Ravindra Sunku.

While growing up in Hyderabad, India, Sunku smelled too much oil and wood burning in his neighborhood. His neighbors were just cooking their meals.

But, years later, he wondered if his neighbors developed lung disease from breathing smoke from the cooking fuel.

Now, he is doing something about it.

Sunku is a director at a technology company in Silicon Valley.

An area south of San Francisco Bay, Silicon Valley is home to many of the biggest and best known technology companies in the United States.

Recently, Sunku used his technology skills to help BURN Manufacturing, a Kenyan company that makes stoves that burn less fuel. It hopes to make people healthier and to reduce the cutting of forests for firewood.

Sunku recently told VOA that the cook stoves could have saved the lives of people in his childhood community in India.

Sunku volunteered to help the Kenyan company through RippleWorks, a program in Silicon Valley. RippleWorks connects technology experts with groups around the world that have humanitarian goals.

RippleWorks has helped 28 projects and it plans to help 40 more this year. The program chooses companies that work on improving education, healthcare, clean energy technology and access to financial services.

RippleWorks has helped companies like NeoGrowth, a company in Mumbai, India, that provides loans to small businesses.

It has also helped Zoona, a company that provides financial services to people in countries such as Malawi and Zambia. In Mexico City, RippleWorks has connected a technology marketing expert with Cignifi, a company providing credit to customers through mobile phones.

RippleWorks identifies a specific problem for companies it helps. Then, it joins the company with an expert who has dealt with that problem before. RippleWorks manages the project and sets up weekly video-conference meetings.

Doug Galen is the co-founder and CEO of RippleWorks. He says the secret to his organizations success is: managing projects to make sure everyone is doing their duties.

RippleWorks helped Ravindra Sunku work with BURN Manufacturing.

Tech experts help solve growth problems

Sunku came to the United States to attend school in Oklahoma. There, he received a masters degree in industrial engineering. He worked in a metal factory near Los Angeles before moving to the San Francisco area to develop computer programs.

In California, he worked and raised a family. He also volunteered in his community. The work involved building a playground and filling bags of food to help the hungry.

Then, through RippleWorks, he volunteered to work for six months with BURN Manufacturing.

Sunku did not have go to Kenya. He used video conferencing and other technology to communicate with the company.

Since 2013, BURN Manufacturing has provided 250,000 cook stoves to African families.

BURN Manufacturing has grown quickly, with a factory, employees, products and customers since its start. It needed technology to manage information about things like sales, pay for employees and supplies.

Once a week, Sunku arrived at work in San Francisco early in the morning for a video conference with BURNs chief financial officer and general manager. He also volunteered for three hours on the weekend: two hours on BURN projects and one hour with the RippleWorks project manager.

He helped BURN choose software. He also helped them develop processes for hiring technical help in Nairobi.

After he saw that the managers were taking his advice, he found the job satisfying.

The final part of Sunku's work with BURN was a trip to Nairobi. He was able to take the trip because his job gives workers unlimited time off.

Sunku is director of information technology at StitchFix, a web company that makes clothing selections using technology.

I never thought someone like me, originally from India who moved to the U.S. and has been in this country for more than 30 years, would make a contribution to Africa," he said.

Im Phil Dierking. And Im Alice Bryant.

Michelle Quinn reported this story for VOA News. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

__________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

access - n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone

masters degree - n. degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after one or two years of additional study following a bachelor's degree

video conference - n. A video conference uses technology to create visual connection between persons in separate places

playground - n. an outdoor area where children can play that usually includes special equipment, such as swings and slides

customer - n. someone who buys goods or services from a business
Most people would say they disapprove of breaking rules. But one highly respected university in America is offering a big prize for exactly that.

The Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge will award $250,000 to an individual or a group for breaking rules. One condition, however: the disobedience must help society.

The MIT Media Lab is seeking nominations for candidates from all over the world. The best candidates are doing or have done difficult and important work that is not always recognized.

The award is open to people in all fields, including science, politics, law, journalism, medicine and human rights. The Media Lab is looking for rule breakers who have taken a personal risk to help society.

The award is the first of its kind at the school.

Joi Ito directs the Media Lab at MIT. He says, You dont change the world by doing what youre told.

But, he says he is not suggesting people break laws or rules without reason.

Sometimes we have to go to first principles and consider whether the laws or rules are fair, and whether we should question them, he says.

Ito suggests that history shows disobedience has served society.

The American civil rights movement wouldn't have happened without civil disobedience. India would not have achieved independence without the pacifist but firm disobedience of Gandhi and his followers. The Boston Tea Party, which we celebrate here in New England, was also quite disobedient.

Media Lab says the award will not support acts of violence, terrorism or dangerous behavior.

Reid Hoffman is an entrepreneur and co-founder of the social network, LinkedIn. He is donating the $250,000 in prize money.

The nominating period will be open until May 1. Anybody may nominate an individual or group for the award. Self-nomination is not permitted. Nominations will be accepted on the MIT Media Lab Rewarding Disobedience webpage.

Media Lab will present the winner or winners with the prize at a ceremony July 21. A short list of candidates will be announced before the event in Massachusetts.

Im Dorothy Gundy.

Dorothy Gundy reported on this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

principles  n. a moral rule or belief that helps you know what is right and wrong and that influences your actions

achieved - v. to have gotten or reached (something) by working hard; to have become successful by reaching a goal

pacifist - n. someone who believes that war and violence are wrong and who refuses to participate in or support a war

New England - n. region in the U.S. including the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut

network - n. internet-based programs used for making connections with friends, family, classmates, customers and clients.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
This is Whats Trending Today.

American reporters and news media are praising a group of high school students from southeastern Kansas.

The students attend classes at Pittsburg High School and work for its newspaper.

The school has about 900 students.

Amy Robertson was named Pittsburg Highs new principal in early March. School officials said she lived in Dubai. They said she would move to Kansas and start her new job before the next school year.

Robertson said she works as an education consultant in the United Arab Emirates.

After reading a press release from the school and speaking with her on Skype for a newspaper story, the high school students had some questions.

One of the students, Connor Balthazor, told The Washington Post that there were some things about Robertson that just didnt quite add up.

He and others from the school newspaper decided to look at Robertsons credentials.

The number-one thing they found is that Robertson claimed to have high-level degrees from Corllins University in California. When they went to the Corllins website, it did not have the look of the website of a serious university.

The site had spelling mistakes and no information about how to become a student there or which classes are required to complete a study program. It also lacked information about a university library or how much money students have to pay for their education.

The high school students worked on the story about Robertson for three weeks, and published their findings on March 31.

The students said they had found inconsistencies in Robertsons credentials and raised their concerns to the school district. The Pittsburg Community Schools superintendent asked the students to continue their investigation.

The newspaper said it could not find evidence that Corllins University ever held classes in California.

And Robertsons problems did not end there. The students had further questions about her work at universities in both the United States and Britain.

On Tuesday, the school district announced that Robertson resigned.

Trina Paul is an editor of the student newspaper. She told the Kansas City Star we wanted be assured that she was qualified and had the proper credentials.

Separately, Robertson told The Star that the students concerns are not based on facts.

Pittsburg Community Schools plans to reopen the position for the high schools principal.

When the news of the students investigation came out, journalists and organizations that critique U.S. media expressed their admiration.

Todd Wallack works for an investigative team at The Boston Globe newspaper. The team was recognized in the film that won the Best Picture Oscar at the 2016 Academy Awards.

Wallack tweeted to the students, writing: great investigative work.

And thats Whats Trending Today.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reports from the Washington Post, Kansas City Star and the Booster Redux. George Grow was the editor.

What do you think of the students work? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

consultant  n. a person who gives work-related advice or services to companies

credential  n. a quality, skill, or experience that makes a person equipped to do a job

superintendent  n. a person who directs or oversees a place, office or organization

admiration  n. a feeling of great respect and approval

principal  n. a chief or head of an educational organization


During his campaign for the presidency, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would not collect the yearly $400,000 presidential salary.

On Monday, the president followed through with his promise. Trump gave the money he has earned so far as president to the U.S. National Park Service.

The donation totaled $78,333.32.

Trump is the third U.S. president to have rejected a salary. John F. Kennedy and Herbert Hoover were the others. Both were extremely wealthy men like Trump.

Trumps press secretary, Sean Spicer, announced the first of Trumps donations during a daily press meeting Monday.

Spicer presented the donation, in the form of a large check, to Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke. The National Park Service is part of the Department of the Interior.

Standing next to Zinke was Tyrone Brandyburg. He is superintendent at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia.

Zinke said in a statement that Trumps gift will be used to help repair national battlefields and military parks within the National Park Service.

These historic places tell the story of conflicts that helped shape our countrys history, Zinke said. Im honored to help the president carry out his love and appreciation for our warriors and land.

However, critics say that Trumps donation to the National Park Service is small compared to the amount of money that it -- and the Interior Department as a whole -- may lose under Trumps proposed budget.

His plan would cut $1.5 billion dollars from the department, or 12 percent of its total budget.

The National Park Service says it needs almost $12 billion to pay for long-needed repairs to many of its more than 400 sites.

Zinke said Monday that were about $229 million behind in deferred maintenance on our battlefields alone.

The National Park Service operates 25 sites that are considered battlefield parks or sites and military parks. Among the most popular is Pennsylvanias Gettysburg National Military Park -- the site of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. More than 1 million people visit that park each year.

Im Ashley Thompson. ______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

salary - n. an amount of money that an employee is paid each year

charity - n. an organization that helps people who are poor, sick, etc.

appreciation - n. a feeling of being grateful for something

warrior - n. a person who fights in battles and is known for having courage and skill

defer - v. to choose to do (something) at a later time

maintenance - n. the act of keeping property or equipment in good condition by making repairs, correcting problems, etc.
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week for talks expected to focus on trade and North Korea.

The meeting will be held Thursday and Friday at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in the southern U.S. state of Florida.

Difficult trade talks

Trump was highly critical of China during his presidential campaign and has continued to make strong statements in office. He has accused China of unfair trade practices and undervaluing its currency.

Chinese officials have said they do not want a trade war to break out over possible changes in U.S. trade policies.

Last week, Trump tweeted that his upcoming meeting with Xi would be a very difficult one. He said the U.S. can no longer have massive trade deficits and job losses. This is in keeping with the presidents pledge after taking office to put America first in many policies, including trade and foreign affairs.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer noted several other big problems between the U.S. and China. He cited Chinese activities in the South China Sea and the North Korean nuclear dispute.

There are big issues of national and economic security that need to get addressed, and I think theres going to be a lot on the table when it comes to that over the two days that they will talk.

China has warned the U.S. not to get involved in its disputes with other nations over the South China Sea. Chinese officials have also strongly condemned the deployment of the American-built THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea. The deployment came after North Korea carried out a number of missile tests.

North Korea nuclear development

Many security experts believe China will have to be an important partner with Washington in efforts to make progress on North Korea.

In an interview with Britains Financial Times newspaper, Trump noted that China has great influence over North Korea. While he hopes China will cooperate on North Korea, he said if Beijing is not willing to help resolve the problem, we will.

Trump also warned that if North Koreas fast advancing nuclear and missile capabilities are allowed to continue, it won't be good for anyone.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley urged China to take steps to show it is serious about North Korea and stop making "excuses that they're concerned, too."

They need to show us how concerned they are. They need to put pressure on North Korea. The only country that can stop North Korea is China," Haley told ABC television's This Week.

Economic sanctions and international negotiations have failed over the years to persuade North Korea to stop its missile building and nuclear development.

It is possible that Trump will seek a deal with Xi that involves both trade and security issues, according to Bong Young-shik, a professor of North Korean studies at Yonsei University in Seoul.

So the question is whether Washington is willing to, and able to, make concessions giving Beijing enough incentives so that the Chinese government will make a fundamental shift in its dealings with the leadership in Pyongyang.

In the Financial Times interview, Trump said trade will be the main incentive the U.S. will use in negotiations with China.

Last month during a visit to South Korea, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said all options regarding North Korea were being considered, including possible military action.

James Nolt is a political and economic expert with the World Policy Institute. He says the U.S. may decide that military strikes against North Korea are an acceptable risk to maintain U.S. security.

I think that is a very plausible action because it doesnt look necessarily warlike. It looks like a relatively reasonable response to a threat, and yet undoubtedly from North Korea its going to look like its very provocative.

Yun Sun is with the Stimson Center policy institute in Washington, D.C. She told VOA she believes China will send Xi to the United States with a generous gift package in hand.

This package could include a large commitment for Chinese investment in building roads and bridges in the U.S. Yun said this could be a good political move for both China and Trump, who has called for major projects to create American jobs.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from VOA News, the Associated Press, Reuters and other sources. Hai Do was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

deficit  n. amount of something that is less than the amount needed

concession  n. giving in to something to reach agreement

incentive  n. thing that encourages a person to do something

shift  n. change in position or direction

plausible  adj. possibly true

provocative  adj. causing discussion, thought or argument

generous  adj. giving freely of money, time or other things

commitment  n. promise to do or give something


This week, the U.S. Senate will vote on whether to accept Donald Trumps nomination for the Supreme Court.

The president has asked Congress to approve federal judge Neil Gorsuch, who is 49 years old.

If he is approved, Gorsuch will fill the position that has been open since February 2016, when Justice Antonin Scalia died. Under the U.S. Constitution, the president nominates Supreme Court Justices, and Congress decides whether to approve them.

If Gorsuch is approved, he will be permitted to stay on the Court for the rest of his life, and to help determine the meaning of the countrys laws -- including on disputed issues related to guns and abortion. He would restore the 5-4 conservative majority before Scalias death.

In the days leading up to the Senates decision, many people are arguing about the vote. Two words especially are coming up: filibuster and nuclear option.

Democrats, who in general do not support Gorsuch, are threatening to filibuster. And Republicans, who support him, are threatening to use the nuclear option.

But what do these words mean?

The filibuster

A filibuster is a way of delaying a vote. The political party with the smaller number  or minority  in Congress can use it to prevent lawmakers from voting.

The filibuster has been part of Senate rules since the 1800s.

Historically, senators filibustered by speaking for many hours -- often overnight -- to block votes.

For example, during the 1930s Senator Huey Long of Louisiana spoke against bills he said favored the rich over the poor. Once he talked for 15 hours, the Senate Historical Office says. Long filled the time by reading from William Shakespeares plays and sharing his favorite food recipes.

Now, senators do not usually talk continuously to filibuster. Instead, they insist that the majority party come up with 60 votes to end debate and schedule a vote. If the majority party falls short of 60 votes, the vote is blocked.

Democrats, who are in the minority party in the Senate, say they will filibuster the vote on Gorsuch.

The nuclear option

But Republicans who want Gorsuch to start hearing cases right away are preparing to counter the Democrats move.

Under Senate rules, lawmakers can stop a filibuster. If 60 out of the 100 senators agree, debate can be stopped and a vote scheduled.

But Republicans do not have the 60 votes to stop the Democrats filibuster. Only 52 of the lawmakers are Republicans and not enough Democrats will support their move to stop the filibuster.

And that explains why Senate Republicans say they will use the nuclear option.

In this case, the phrase means to change a rule in the Senate. Republicans will move to change a rule that would allow a simple majority of senators to end debate and schedule a vote. A rule change only requires a majority vote.

Why is it called the nuclear option?

This change in Senate rules was first described as the nuclear option back in 2003.

The reason: Some compared a difficult political situation in the Senate to the Cold War between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. It was said that nuclear deterrence -- that both nations had enough nuclear weapons to destroy the other -- meant neither country was likely to attack the other.

Gregory Koger teaches political science at the University of Miami in Florida.

As was the case with the Soviet Union and the U.S., Koger said, Democrats and Republicans know the party that approves the nuclear option will pay a price. For Republicans, it will come when Democrats reclaim the Senate majority and are able to confirm Supreme Court justices with a simple majority.

Koger said the Senate has long worked on the common belief that nobody gets everything they want, and that compromise is needed to get things done. A vote to end the filibuster for Supreme Court judges, he said, signals the end of that way of doing things.

Why are we in this situation?

The current fight over the Gorsuch nomination goes back to the Obama administration.

Republicans blocked votes on many judicial and administration nominees from President Barack Obama, a Democrat, particularly in his second term.

Senate Democrats responded by changing Senate rules in 2013. No longer would 60 votes be needed to end a filibuster against judicial nominees and top positions in the government.

But the filibuster remained available for Supreme Court nominations -- a rule Senate Republicans are ready to change this week.

Republicans took over the Senate majority from Democrats in 2015. And in 2016, Republican leaders refused to hold hearings or vote on Obamas final nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Merrick Garland. Republican leaders said the choice should go to the next president.

And now Trump, a Republican, is president. Less than two weeks after taking office, he chose Gorsuch for the Supreme Court.

I'm Bruce Alpert.

And I'm Dorothy Gundy.

Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

restore - v bring back

recipe - n. a set of instructions for making food

counter - v. to say something in response to something that another person has said

phrase - n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence

deterrence - n. developing a lot of military power so that other countries will not attack your country

particularly - adv. more than usually
LEXINGTON  Forty-six years later, on the exact date when Corporal James D. Davis died, his comrades were at his graveside to honor him.

Davis  a member of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division  was killed on April 1, 1971, during Lam Son 719, the last major battle of Vietnam.

On Saturday, 13 veterans from Charlie Company gathered at St. Anns Cemetery in Lexington to honor the life of Davis, known simply to many as Jimmy.

These brothers in arms came from as far away as Connecticut, Tennessee and Ohio.

They were joined by a group numbering 100, which included members of Davis family  some who knew him in life and some who had never had the chance to meet him.

William Davis, an older brother of Davis, who served 27 years in the U.S. Army and achieved the rank of colonel, said his brother was a normal, everyday young man.

William Davis said the family had 11 children and the siblings would often play around the farm together, often getting into trouble, and out in the country until it was time for supper.

Lt. Ken Pitetti said Davis was killed while manning a foxhole when a 155 millimeter howitzer struck him, as he was holding his position fighting alongside his brothers in Charlie Company. According to Frank Matsko, another member of Charlie Company, during a 45-day period, which spanned from February to April 1971, Charlie Company lost five men, including Davis, with a total of 219 Americans killed at that time.

Matsko said although Davis could be a quiet young man, he had a sense of humor.

Its for Jimmy. Its for us also. It brings a lot of closure for us, said Tom Weides, with Charlie Company, about holding the memorial for Davis.

Weides noted that in Vietnam, when soldiers were fighting in mountains and jungle, when a guy was lost they had to keep fighting and a memorial came later when back at camp.

The historical significance of each act done to honor Davis was shared at the memorial: such as the story of Taps, why veterans place a coin on the grave of a fallen comrade and the significance of the battlefield cross.

In addition to sharing information about who Jimmy was as a person, family members were given items to remember Jimmy and his service such as an American flag, a guidon flag and a specially made memorial plaque.

The 13 members of Charlie Company who attended the memorial were Dave Simons, Connecticut; Ronny Middlebrook, Tennessee; Bob Lister, Ohio; Frank Matsko and Bob von Almen, Illinois; Rolland Christiansen, Glenn Green and Gary Gilliam, Missouri; Glenn Shuman, Oklahoma; Ken Pitetti, Kansas; Jim Harris; Wyoming and Leigh Freeman and Tom Weides, Nebraska. Not able to be present were Jerome Minihan of Arkansas, who had planned to attend, and Phillip Pireira, Davis best friend in Vietnam who now lives in Australia.

Gary Gilliam talked about why, 46 years after his death, it was important to remember Davis.

Its been a long time coming. When we left Vietnam we got medals, were told we served honorably and we flew home to find the nation in chaos. The nation didnt share our sentiment, Gilliam said.
The National FFA Foundation builds partnerships with industry, education, government, foundations and individuals to secure resources for the future of education, agriculture and student leader development. Monsanto works with local farmers to sponsor the Grow Communities programs which offers farmers the opportunity to enroll for a chance to win a $2,500 donation to direct toward their favorite community nonprofit organization. We appreciate Dick and Janet Ibach for recognizing the hard work of the SEM FFA Chapter and choosing us as a recipient.

Dick and Janet Ibachs donation to the department will be used to fund the many recent successes in Leadership Skills Events, Career Development Events and Proficiency Awards. These funds will help purchase hotel rooms and an etiquette meal for the students while at State Convention. These students will also be awarded for their events during the local banquet held on May 1, 2017. Currently the SEM FFA is preparing for the Nebraska State FFA Convention. SEM FFA has qualified 9 teams and 5 individuals in speaking and job interview contests. There will be 7 students awarded the highest honor the State Association can bestow, in the form of a State Degree. In addition SEM has 4 Proficiency Finalists. The SEM FFA Chapter has qualified 27 members for the State FFA Convention on April 5-7.
LEXINGTON  Children gathered around Kelli Benders vehicle in a Lexington neighborhood two years ago because they wanted to go with Bender to Wednesday night church.

Bender, a Lexington first-grade teacher, said she had gone to the unfamiliar neighborhood to pick up another family for the weekly Awana childrens ministry at Parkview Baptist. However, Bender didnt have room for the rest of the children in the neighborhood.

And so God just laid it on my heart to figure out a way to reach more kids, she said.

As Bender was reading the Bible one morning, she said she thought, After school. Weve gotta reach these kids after school because theyre already here, and the parents dont have to take them.

That is when she researched the Good News Club, a Christian after-school program through Child Evangelism Fellowship. Bender said the program allows children who arent necessarily involved in a church to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Bender and fellow Lexington first-grade teacher Christy Franz implemented the program in all four of Lexingtons elementary school buildings with the permission of the Lexington school board and superintendent. The duo also petitioned for volunteers from local churches.

Our initial dream was to have it in at least one school. After we spoke to the churches, we got volunteers wanting to do it. ... We were able to put it in all four elementaries, Bender said.

Children participating in the after-school program are given permission by their parents to attend, Bender said, and they are notified of the program outside of the school.

The week before the first club date, we had volunteers handing out fliers to parents and children on the sidewalks outside of the school, Bender said. We are not allowed to be on school grounds. We are very respectful of this law.

Within the 20-minute program, the children have play time, sing worship songs, eat snacks, memorize Bible verses, read a short Bible lesson and then pray at the end of the program.

By the end of that first school year, Franzen said five churches were involved, they had enlisted 30 volunteers and 258 children were affected.

Because of Benders passion for spreading the gospel in Lexington, Franz nominated Bender for the Hubs Religion Freedom Award.

I saw this in the paper at my parents house on my dads birthday, and I said, Oh, I know exactly who Id nominate for this. It was easy, hands down, Franz said. Shes doing it out of the goodness of her heart because she knows the importance of spreading the gospel.

Bender said she got started volunteering with Parkview Baptist 10 years ago as a Sunday school teacher and then led Bible story time at Wednesday night Awana. Around that time, she also started volunteering for vacation Bible school at Parkview.

For those children who cant go to VBS at the church, Bender and Franz take VBS to the mobile home courts in Lexington. The five-day VBS clubs feature a Bible lesson, songs, a memory verse and games for about an hour at each trailer court, Bender said.

The VBS is in someones yard or community gathering places within the court, and there are usually about 30 kids who attend at each location.

I have always just had a desire to tell kids about Jesus, and I just love interacting with them, Bender said.

Bender is now the Sparks director for the kindergarten through second-grade children at Awana. She also is the childrens ministry team leader at the church. In this role, she encourages volunteers to make the ministry program the best it can be for the kids.

Bender and Franz have expanded their outreach to families of children in the community.

We reach out to the kids all the time, but wanted to do something to where the families could come and hear the gospel, Bender said.

The way they did that was by having a carnival and gospel outreach through Parkview Baptist last fall at Plum Creek Park.

Bender said there were games and prizes, bouncy houses, and food for the children and families. Parkviews pastor and a Spanish-speaking pastor from another church then spoke about the gospel, Bender said.

About 300 people attended that outreach program, Bender said, so she plans to have another event just like it in the fall.

Benders go-getter attitude is why Franz believes Bender is perfect for the Freedom Award.

She goes above and beyond everybody else that I know. She inspires a lot of people to do more and be more, Franz said.

Bender doesnt like to take the credit for all the work that has been done.

It takes a body of believers to do Gods work, and so Im not alone in this, and Im just so grateful and thankful to all the people that have sacrificed their time and have come alongside, you know, Jesus mission with Christy and I, Bender said.

Franzen is quick to say that she is not a co-leader in their mission work.

I just listen a lot, and I encourage the dreams and the aspirations she (Bender) has, Franz said. She has a lot of big ideas and dreams on how to bring the gospel to the community, and shell probably make it happen.
Facebook has officially announced plans to build a massive data center south of Papillion.

The announcement from the social media giant came at a press conference Tuesday morning at Papillion City Hall attended by Gov. Pete Ricketts, Papillion Mayor David Black and a Facebook representative.

The data center project has long been in the works. Using the code name Project Raven, Facebook has already gone through multiple layers of approval from Papillion as well as finalized land negotiations. Property owners werent told in advance who was buying their land.

The data center campus will occupy a 146-acre site north of Capehart Road at Nebraska Highway 50. Capehart Road is still gravel here, in a more rural part of Sarpy County.

The data center will have a total of four 610,000-square-foot buildings east and west of Highway 50. A tunnel under the highway will connect the two campuses. The center will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Its largest shift of workers will have fewer than 150 employees, according to the projects final plat.

Facebook will be in good company in Sarpy County, which already boasts data centers from Yahoo, Fidelity, Cabelas and Travelers. Facebook also built a $300 million data center in Altoona, Iowa, in 2015.
This website is inclusive of tolerant people of all faiths, without exception. Neither anti-Semitism nor Islamophobia nor homophobia should ever be acceptable to anyone. We must all strive to live in peace and harmony with each other, regardless of religious affiliations, or none. Intolerance is the mother of strife and conflict.   Mark Alexander

We Britons are Europeans!Wir Briten sind Europaer! Nous, les Britanniques, sommes europeens !  Mark AlexanderEmail me at:markalexander.librabunda@gmail.com
A former reporter for Breitbart who spent time in Twin Falls last year covering refugee resettlement has gotten a job with a Russian government-owned news agency.

Modeled on Crossfire, Stranahan said his show would be called Fault Lines and would feature him and left-wing commentator Garland Nixon. In an interview with The Atlantics Rosie Gray, Stranahan rejected the narrative that the Trump administration is too close to Russia and also said his new job wouldnt lead him to change his views on anything or restrict what he can say and do.

Im on the Russian payroll now, when you work at Sputnik youre being paid by the Russians, he told Gray. Thats what it is. I dont have any qualms about it. Nothing about it really affects my position on stuff that Ive had for years now.

In its announcement, Sputnik said that while Stranahan and Nixon hold sharply contrasting beliefs, their mutual respect will allow for productive and insightful debates  something conspicuously missing from many conversations in these divisive times. The show will air five days a week, online worldwide and on HD2 radio in the Washington, D.C., area.

The show is informative, original and very entertaining  especially in this era where the establishment media is trying to tell Americans how to think, Stranahan is quoted as saying. I invite everyone who is skeptical about Fault Lines with Nixon and Stranahan to listen for themselves and make up their own minds. Garland is my polar opposite on most issues  hes a progressive Democrat and Im a Trump-supporting Republican  but hes a great guy and experienced broadcaster.

Stranahan was in Twin Falls primarily to cover the story of a 5-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted by three boys from refugee families at the Fawnbrook Apartments in June. The three boys pleaded guilty earlier this week and are awaiting sentencing. Stranahan also wrote general articles on refugee resettlement in Idaho, attempting to tie the program to the citys growing food processing industry, particularly Chobani, as well as covering the case of another refugee who was charged with sexual assault last August. (The charges in that case were later dropped.)

Breitbarts reporting often comes from a nationalistic point of view and is frequently critical of refugee resettlement and immigration. It rose to particular prominence during the 2016 campaign for coverage friendly to now-President Donald Trump, and Steve Bannon, who used to be Breitbarts executive chairman, joined the Trump campaign in August 2016 and is now the presidents chief strategist. Stranahan left Breitbart in March amid a dispute with Breitbart Washington political editor Matt Boyle over Stranahan covering the White House.
Laura James, 47, is a successful journalist and author. She's a wife to Tim and mother to four adult children. She likes fashion, cats and writing. She's eloquent and quick-witted.

She also has autism.

She was surprised when the idea was first suggested to her back in 2015 by a friendly nurse during a hospital stay in London.

Laura was undergoing tests for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a rare connective tissue disorder, and returned to her hospital room exhausted, hoping to find the air conditioning on, a tuna sandwich on the table and some peace and quiet.

Instead, the room was stifling, the food was absent and a child was screaming nearby.

"I just had an overwhelming meltdown ... a proper explosive meltdown," she said. The nurse who was with Laura took her to a quieter, cooler room, Laura recalled. "She said, 'don't worry, we see a lot of autistic people here.'

"I just assumed she was muddling me up with another patient," Laura explained, half-smiling at the recollection.

But then she started reading about autism online. "I got to some traits of girls with autism and it was just like, 'Oh my God, that's so me.'

"I had never thought about autism, ever ever ever," she said emphatically. "I thought that autism was 'Rain Man,' I thought it was boys... All of the stereotypes I absolutely believed because there's nothing else out there to dissuade someone."

Misdiagnosed from an early age

Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) are about 4.5 times more common in boys than in girls, according to one study. Other studies of autism around the world consistently show much higher rates of diagnosis for males than females.

But not everyone is convinced that these numbers reflect reality. There are now countless studies that cast doubt on the gender ratios associated with ASD. There is also compelling evidence of generations of lost girls and women, struggling to cope with being different to those around them, who were (or are) undiagnosed, misdiagnosed or diagnosed far later in life than their male counterparts.

A 2012 study by the UK's National Autistic Society (NAS) found that only 8% of girls with Asperger syndrome (now known as high-functioning autism) were diagnosed before they were age 6, compared to 25% of boys, with earlier studies conducted in the US in 2009 and 2010 finding similar trends.

It's something that Carol Povey, director of the Centre for Autism at the NAS, is deeply concerned about. "In the old days we always thought that autism was very much a male condition," she said. "What we are now starting to realize is that it's not quite as simple as that, and that there are -- and always have been -- girls and women who are on the autism spectrum, but they present differently.

"Those girls and women often struggle for many years, and there is a higher likelihood of a misdiagnosis," she said.

Laura was misdiagnosed several times. Her childhood doctor was convinced that she had an eating disorder. She was misdiagnosed with hyperventilation syndrome in her early twenties. And several doctors suggested she may have generalized anxiety disorder.

Laura's eating problems and anxiety were signs of her autism but were misinterpreted for more than four decades. Hyper-focus, a common trait in people with autism that allows them to focus intensely on one thing for a long period of time, meant she often forgot -- and still often forgets -- to eat. Her sensory issues and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome also made it unbearable to eat particular foods.

Most of the anxiety Laura experiences is linked with her autism and it began early in life. "I distinctly remember as a child feeling different and behaving differently to other girls. I simply remember thinking that everybody else seemed to kind of get it. Everyone else seemed to know what to do and how to do it, like there was an instruction manual that I'd lost and they all had."

Why girls aren't diagnosed

Sensory issues were, and still are, a big problem. "If there was a label that rubbed in my clothes or sock seams, or (if I was made to eat) food I didn't want to eat, then I would really melt down. And my meltdowns were so extreme that I would hold my breath until I passed out."

Her family doctor was dismissive. "She's just being naughty," he told her parents, "Just give her a slap."

Problems with social communication and sensory issues are typical signs of autism, so why was the possibility never raised?

"The words 'masking' and 'camouflaging' are often used to describe (autistic) girls and women," Povey explained. These girls will often notice who in their class "looks like they are doing the best in the classroom, which girl looks like they are succeeding the most. Then often those autistic girls copy what they see."

Laura remembers doing just that. She's also convinced that social conditioning is a big factor in the differences between boys and girls with autism. "Boys are allowed to be louder and more confrontational, more challenging, whereas girls are taught to be nice, quiet and polite." Girls are more likely to internalize their difficulties, she thinks, which then go unnoticed.

Povey agreed. "Those same difficulties that the boys were experiencing ... the girls may internalize far more."

Crucially, this means unknown numbers of girls and women struggling with autism may be diagnosed late or not at all. "What we're often seeing is clinicians who don't recognize the presentation in girls," Povey said. Clinicians need the "skills to be able to phrase the questions right ... You have to be able to get underneath the masking to be able to understand if the girl really does get what goes on around her."

The stereotype of autism as a male condition lingers. "I still hear of parents who are told by their doctor that girls don't have autism," said Povey.

Studies that look at the role of neurology or testosterone, or the possibility of female resistance to mutations, in the development of autism are still being published and give credence to the idea that the condition is more prevalent in males.

But researchers are often aware that this ratio may simply be wrong. Christine Ecker, professor of neuroscience at the Goethe University in Frankfurt and lead author of a study that showed how people with "male characteristic brains" are more likely to develop autism, avoids calling autism a "male condition."

"I think as soon as we change (diagnostic) tools, maybe adapt them to ... the girls' symptoms, that we will find more (autistic girls)," Ecker said.

A new normal

For Laura, diagnosis was a mixed blessing. "The moment of walking out was brilliant -- I've got an answer -- but then it gets harder before it gets easier," she said.

Reflecting on how she now sees herself, she said, "I think of myself as autistic, I don't like 'with autism.' The reason I don't like it is because it's not something that's ever going to go away ... Being autistic shapes pretty much everything in my life, in the way that, for me, being female does as well, or being a mother does."

After being diagnosed, she looked online for high-profile autistic women who she could relate to. She only found Temple Grandin, "who is awesome, amazing, but couldn't be more different from me."

And although many people were supportive, reactions to the diagnosis from friends and acquaintances were often conditioned by the same stereotypes that Laura herself believed until recently. "People look at very outward things. I care about clothes and fashion ... and I think people think that autistic women shouldn't be like that."

So she started writing -- at first articles and now a book -- about her experiences as an autistic woman. "Odd Girl Out" is being published this month.

But she's keen to emphasize that "my experience is one experience ... all autistic people are different."

Autism affects everything in Laura's life -- from what she wears, when and what she eats and how she travels, to her social life and emotions. But there are positives too. She's very logical and can spot future trends and patterns. "It makes me good at my job," she said, "and I think it makes me good at motherhood. If there's a problem ... I don't react emotionally, I react more logically," she explained.

"I don't think inherently it's either good or bad. It's like having brown eyes," she said. "It's not a tragedy, it's not a disaster. We are different, we are not less."

Diagnosis changed her life. "Everything made sense," she said. "You know that bit at the end of the Bruce Willis movie 'The Sixth Sense,' when he realizes he's dead and he goes and plays all those scenes in his mind and it becomes obvious? I think getting a late diagnosis is like that. Suddenly, you think, that's why I did that, or that's why that happened ... I felt different and I didn't know why. Now I know why and it's very reassuring."

She reflects on how her life would have been different if she had never met that nurse or if her tuna sandwich had arrived on time.

"I wouldn't have had a terrible life -- I'd have had a very nice life -- but it wouldn't have been as rich and fulfilling, and I would have died not understanding myself."
JEROME  If an offer seems too good to be true, its probably a scam, the police chief says.

Police Chief Dan Hall reminds residents that scammers can be very convincing. But a recent incident appears to be more than a scam, Hall said in a release.

A Jerome woman on Tuesday reported receiving a phone call from someone saying she had won a new car.

The caller stated that all she had to do to claim her prize was to meet him in the Walmart parking lot and present him with a check for $3,400 to cover the necessary taxes and fees, Hall said in the release.

A family member intervened before the woman followed through with the callers instructions.

What is very concerning in this case is the would-be thief asked to meet the victim in person which is very unusual, Hall said. Its possible the caller was setting the victim up for a more serious crime such as robbery.

If you have valuable information about this or similar crimes, you are encouraged to contact your local law enforcement agency.
Twin Falls County

Monday arraignments

Timothy James Ford, 27, Twin Falls; aggravated assault, $50,000 bond, public defender appointed, preliminary hearing April 14.

Nicholas Emmet Stewart, 23, Buhl; grand theft by possession of stolen property, $5,000 bond, public defender appointed, preliminary hearing April 14.

Cesar Solis Jr., 27, Twin Falls; no-contact order violation, own recognizance release, public defender appointed, pretrial May 23.

Kodi Nakomah Linton, 18, Twin Falls; possession of marijuana, own recognizance release, public defender appointed, pretrial May 23.

Nevada Kenneth McCutcheon, 34, Twin Falls; violation of protection order, own recognizance release, public defender appointed, pretrial May 16.

Olivia Baxter, 26, Jerome; driving under the influence, $1,000 bond, public defender appointed, pretrial May 16.

Olivia Baxter, 26, Jerome; fugitive (Oregon warrant), $10,000 bond per warrant, public defender appointed, fugitive identification April 14.

Andrew James Taylor, 24, Jerome; trafficking in heroin, conspiracy to traffic in heroin, $100,000 bond, public defender appointed, preliminary hearing April 14.

Matthew Russell Searby, 34, Kimberly; domestic battery in the presence of a child, injury to child, own recognizance release, public defender denied, pretrial May 16.

Shaneaqua Shanae Winters, 21, Kimberly; possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia, $500 bond, public defender appointed, pretrial May 23.

Kara Ruth Scott, 35, Twin Falls; possession of paraphernalia, $500 bond, public defender appointed, pretrial May 23.

Rogelio Moreno Pina, 37, Twin Falls; possession of a controlled substance, $10,000 bond, public defender appointed, preliminary hearing April 14.

Natasha Vivian Jones, 31, Helena, Mont.; possession of a controlled substance, own recognizance release, public defender appointed, preliminary hearing April 14.
Image Group LA/ABCRick Ross and one of his bodyguards pleaded no contest to charges that they held and pistol-whipped two of Ross' employees, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

In a plea agreement, reached Tuesday, Ross and bodyguard Nadrian Lateef James pleaded no contest to misdemeanor kidnapping and assault and were sentenced to five years probation each. Both also pleaded no contest to three counts of pointing a pistol at another person. In addition, Rick pleaded no contest marijuana possession. Probation conditions prohibit Ross and James from having drugs and alcohol and from having contact with the victims.



The charges stem from a 2015 incident in which the pair allegedly assaulted two service worked who threw a party at Ross's 235-acre home in Fayetteville, Georgia. The two men said that Ross and James took them to a guest house on the property where they were assaulted.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
KIMBERLY  Construction will likely begin this month on a new Kimberly elementary school.

The Kimberly school board approved construction bids Thursday presented by contractor Starr Corp., totaling $10.7 million.

We feel the estimates before diving into the project are pretty solid, Superintendent Luke Schroeder said Tuesday.

A new 50,000-square-foot elementary school will open in fall 2018 to help alleviate overcrowding. Then, remodeling will begin on the existing elementary school.

The new 10-acre campus will be at the corner of Polk Street West and Emerald Drive North, east of Ballards Way subdivision.

The new school, the second elementary campus in Kimberly, will be paid for using a $14 million bond voters approved in May 2016.

The school district is using a design-build model, with CTA Architects Engineers handling the design and Starr Corp. building the school.

Starr Corp. put out 26 bid packages that were returned within the last two weeks, Schroeder said. Every different package is a different aspect of the building.

Each package, for example, covers an element of the project such as fencing, electrical and windows.

The Kimberly School District is aiming to break ground by the end of this month. But its still waiting to finalize the land purchase for the school site.

School trustees approved an appraisal and purchase agreement in mid-December with Ronald Lee Taylor and Phyllis Jo Taylor for $375,000.

The district then received approval from Kimberly City Council to have land annexed into city limits. But its waiting on council action in late April to subdivide the land. The citys planning and zoning commission was slated to review the request Tuesday night.

The school will be a single-story building and exterior design is masonry combined with metal panels, said Jason Derricott, project manager for Starr Corp.

He anticipates construction crews will be moving dirt starting April 17, weather permitting.

Derricott said he expects construction will be finished by summer 2018. Then, construction crews will begin remodeling the existing elementary school, a $3 million project that will be done by January 2019.

Another project for the school district: forming elementary school attendance zones and deciding on a name for the new school. A committee will meet for the first time within a couple of weeks.

For Kimberly residents, tax rates are expected to remain flat for the $14 million bond. Thats because an existing bond for Kimberly High School will be paid off.
Opinion: Gov. Brad Little and the Idaho Legislature are asking you to approve an advisory question about tax cuts and school budgets on the Nov. 8 ballot. Tell them what they want to hear. Vote yes  even grudgingly.
TWIN FALLS  A Twin Falls man was crushed to death April 5 while unloading trash from his company truck at Southern Idaho Solid Wastes Twin Falls transfer station.

Delfino Pep Martinez, 53, was at the transfer station unloading a Magic Valley Disposal truck when he got trapped by the trucks compactor and killed, Twin Falls County Coroner Gene Turley said.

I think what happened, as the compactor was coming forward to the front, Pep saw some debris and was trying to clean it out, Turley said. He misjudged the timing and was half way in, half way out. His right side got caught inside.

Magic Valley Disposal is owned and operated by Martinezs family, Turley said.

Emergency crews were dispatched to the transfer facility at 1:30 p.m., according to police scanner traffic. The reporting party did not initially know if the person trapped was injured.

But the first responders to the scene  sheriffs deputies and the Twin Falls Fire Department were both dispatched  quickly reported the incident as a code black, police scanner code for a death.

The coroners office was requested shortly thereafter.

Stewart and coroners personnel were seen comforting a woman outside the facility about 2 p.m.
October 18, 1980  April 1, 2017

RUPERT  Larry Edward Eugene Fries, 36, of Rupert passed away Saturday, April 01, 2017 at Portneuf Medical Center.

On October 18, 1980, the world was forever changed by the birth of Larry. On December 24, 1981, the Fries family was forever changed when they met and fell in love with Larry. They brought him home that night and he was theirs from that moment on. When they looked at his sweet face, the immediately knew he was theirs. In December of 1982 it became official when his adoption was finalized.

Larry grew up in Rupert, attending school there. In 1999, he was crowned Prom King and graduated later that same year from Minico High School. He continued living in Rupert with his parents until his life adventure took him to Pocatello, ID in 2001. He lived with his sister Kelli, brother-in-law Clark, and his little booboo Kailynn. While living in Pocatello he attended Idaho State University for one year, he then decided he had bigger dreams and goals to accomplish. He dedicated himself to advocacy for those with disabilities. Larry was a great teacher and leader; he spoke at several schools in Pocatello and Mini-Cassia areas.

Larry is survived by his loving parents Paul and Connie Fries. Sisters Patty (Aaron) Dixon, Paula (Jim) Austin, Kelli (Clark) Geslin; brothers Mike (Rita) Praegitzer, David (Kaylene) Praegitzer , Kojak (Amy) Fries and Manuel Fries, and Uncle to 39 nieces and nephews.

Larry was preceded in death by his maternal and paternal grandparent, numerous aunts and uncles and his niece Georgia Fries. It can be said of Larry that he defiantly lived life on his own terms.

Funeral services will be held 1:00 p.m. Saturday, April 8, 2017 at Grace Community Church with Pastor Travis Turner officiating. Viewing for family and friends will be held 6:00-8:00 p.m. Friday, March 7, 2017 at Hansen Mortuary and one hour prior to services at the church. Services are under the direction of Joel Heward Hansen Mortuary. On Line Condolences may be shared at hansen-mortuary.com
March 20, 1922  April 2, 2017

EMMETTRobert Bob Edward Louder 95, formerly of Eden, ID passed away peacefully in his sleep on April 2, 2017 in Emmett, ID. Bob was born March 20, 1922 in Beloit, Kansas. He was the 2nd of three sons born to Edmund & Carolyn (Carrie) Redgwick Louder.

In 1937, the Louder family left the Kansas dust bowl and moved to Idaho where they took up farming in the Eden-Hazelton area. Bob graduated from Eden High school.

During WWII, he was drafted into the army. Bob was a soldier in the 75th Infantry and was wounded during active duty in the Battle of the Bulge. Bob was awarded the Purple Heart for his service & bravery during combat. Bob finished out his tour of duty working in the army Post Office in California. Then he returned home to farm with his dad and brother David (D.L.).

After retiring Bob continued to live on the family farm until his health declined in Sept 2014. At that time he moved to Emmett, ID to live with his niece, Susan Crumrine & her husband. When Susan & Calvin could no longer care for him, Bob was moved to The Cottages assisted living home in Emmett.

Bob enjoyed daily trips with his friend Jim Roice to Pizza Cache for coffee and gossip with the other farmers. When he was out and about with nephew Jim or niece Susan that meant we had to swing through Arctic Circle for soft serve twist cones. Bob enjoyed visiting Susan & Calvin in Seattle, traveling to Ireland with brother Don and attending the inauguration of President Eisenhower with Ray Kincaid.

Bob is survived by several nieces & nephews including Jean Stewart, Mary & Bruce Kroll, Jim & Sandy Louder, Susan & Calvin Crumrine, Laurie & Mike Ruiz, Ken & Carol Louder, Roger & Jan Louder, John & Annie Louder, Leonard & Becky Louder and numerous great-nieces & great-nephews.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, both brothers and their wives: D.L. & Juanita Louder and Don & Dollie Louder. Also by his nephew Steve Louder and great-nephew Mike Louder.

A graveside service will take place at the Hazelton, ID cemetery on Thursday, April 6th at 2:00 PM. Arrangements are under the care of Parkes Funeral Home of Twin Falls.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to the Silver & Gold Sr Center, PO Box 331, Eden, ID 83325.

Bobs family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to The Cottages of Emmett for their passion & concern for his well-being during the past year. And especially during his final hours.
Congress faces a deadline at the end of April to pass a spending bill to fund federal agencies or face a possible government shutdown.

Bipartisan leaders on the spending panels in the House and Senate are making progress on a deal that would wrap several individual spending measures into one "omnibus" spending bill they hope to approve before the deadline. But time is short and both sides warn that any move to add significant money to build President Donald Trump's promised border wall could blow up that effort.

"I personally wouldn't gamble a trillion-dollar bill over $3 billion bucks," Oklahoma GOP Rep. Tom Cole, a key negotiator told reporters Tuesday, warning it wouldn't be worth shutting down the government over the $3-billion Trump wants for a wall on the southwest border between the United States and Mexico.

Cole said Congress could deal with that controversial funding request in the future.

Multiple members of both parties tell CNN they want to avoid a bill that simply extends current funding levels for government agencies across the board -- a measure called a "continuing resolution" -- because a "CR" doesn't update funding policies and priorities the way new appropriations bills do.

"I sense from (Senate Minority Leader Chuck) Schumer and others, there is a genuine desire not to do a continuing resolution. And that would be good for everybody," Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn, the number two leader, said Tuesday, suggesting that the final details will have to be brokered by the top Senate Democrat and the White House.

"But ultimately there are two people who have to do that negotiating. It's going to have to be Sen. Schumer, because he's going to have to provide some votes. And it's going to have to be the President or his designee," he added.

Schumer's deputy, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, told reporters the ball is in the GOP's court.

"The Republicans are in charge of the strategy on this," Durbin said. "We're just waiting and watching."

Top GOP leaders like House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell dismiss the chances that they will fall short and fail to get a deal that could trigger something like the 2013 government shutdown that occurred when the GOP insisted that the must-pass funding bill strip money for Obamacare.

But Democrats are eager to point out that the GOP has needed their help to pass annual spending bills for the last several years -- a factor that gives them party leverage in these talks.

"If the government shuts down, it will be all on them, period," the number two House Democrat, Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, told reporters in the Capitol on Tuesday.

He said flatly, about the Trump administration's request that Congress approve money in the package to begin constructing the barrier along the border, "we're not for the wall. We think the wall is a very bad idea."

In previous debates on funding bills, Republicans pushed to defund Planned Parenthood, causing Democrats to balk. But Ryan has signaled the GOP plans to shift that issue to the health care reform package that Republicans are still negotiating meaning it shouldn't be a sticking point now.

Republicans also have vowed to increase defense spending and cut back on spending for domestic programs -- a big problem for Democrats. But negotiators are still working out how non-defense spending levels will be impacted, as Democrats argue that environmental, educational and other programs shouldn't be short changed.

One thing most members agree on is that nothing will be decided before the deadline.

Both chambers are scheduled to head home for a two-week recess starting this weekend, which means that they will have roughly four days in Washington when they return to get a bill through the House and Senate and signed by the President.

"When we have a calendar deadline, April 28, you should not expect the Congress that I've been part of since I came here six years ago to want to get it done, say on the 14th or the 21st, it will be the 28th," Arkansas GOP Rep. Steve Womack, a member of the Appropriations Committee, told reporters. "I mean that's how this business runs up here. I don't agree with it. I think we should have had this thing put to bed months ago."

Already there are discussions about passing a short-term bill to give negotiators a few days, or a week to finalize a broader deal.

"I've heard that song before," McCain warned reporters on Tuesday, insisting again that Congress needed to finish its work by the April 28 deadline. "I bought that bridge before."

Cole didn't hide his frustration that Congress has spent too much time tackling other thorny issues and hasn't dealt with it's basic responsibility.

"We got caught up in chasing the great white whale of health care and tax reform and that's great, but how about just making the government work first and then go and looking for Moby Dick?" the Oklahoma Republican said Tuesday. "It's strange to me."

CNN's Ted Barrett contributed to this report.
The Twin Falls School District launched a nationwide search for its new superintendent. Turns out he was right here in Twin Falls the whole time.

Longtime district teacher, principal and administrator Brady Dickinson got the job Monday, beating out two other top finalists to replace outgoing Superintendent Wiley Dobbs.

Dickinson has worked for the district for the past 22 years and knows it inside and out. He started in 1995 as a social studies teacher at Robert Stuart Middle School. He was named the first principal at Canyon Ridge when the citys second public high school opened. And as an administrator, he helped shepherd through a $74 million bond in 2014 thats funded three new schools.

Clearly, Dickinson was the best positioned of the three candidates to help the district through its next phase, likely to be marked by even more growth.

Nothing against the other two candidates, for sure. Jim Shank , the superintendent of a small district in Washington state, and Monte Woolstenhulme, the superintendent in Driggs, both brought previous superintendent experience Dickinson lacks.

But based on interviews the three candidates gave to a Times-News reporter before the announcement was made, we were impressed by Dickinsons grasp of the districts financial position, his goals and his strategies for improving the district.

Plus, Dickinson is already tapped into the citys circle of movers and shakers. He knows the personalities. He knows how to build relationships. He knows Twin Falls.

We should also note that Dickinsons hire was also a nod to the work of Dobbs, who has been superintendent since 2003. If the board felt the district needed a new direction, it would have tapped an outsider. That instead it pegged Dickinson, an internal candidate and one of Dobbs top advisors, is proof positive that the board feels the district is already on the right track.

We agree.

Still, Dickinson is sure to face challenges ahead, especially when it comes to growth. As Twin Falls continues to add workers and new housing, more students are sure to follow. And that means building even more new schools or updating old ones, which is likely to mean turning to voters again soon for more building bonds.

Dickinson will also have to grapple with shifting funding formulas coming out of the Statehouse, new systems to evaluate teachers and a local teacher shortage that must be addressed very soon.

As superintendent, Dickinson says he wants to focus on improving standardized test scores, especially in math, and reshaping how K-12 students think about higher education, whether thats college or technical training. That kind of thinking could go a long way to sustaining our regional economic growth by positioning students early for careers right here in Idaho.

Dickinson is a natural-born leader. We wish him the best of luck in this new endeavor.
Here's what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.

By the way, you can also get "5 Things" as an e-mailed newsletter. Sign up here.

1. Syria attack

We may have grown numb to the daily drumbeat of horror coming out of Syria's civil war. We see yet another picture of a bombed-out building and just divert our attention. But you can't look away from this. You can't look away from the suffering of children -- victims of a suspected chemical attack in Idlib that killed at least 70 people. Activists in the area say the Syrian regime is responsible for all of this suffering after it dropped a chemical bomb. Russia blames a Syrian airstrike on a "terrorist" ammunition storehouse. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's military denies using chemical weapons.

2. North Korea

Time's up. Now what? Everyone is asking that question after the White House issued a rather ominous warning about North Korea. A senior official said, "The clock has now run out and all options are on the table." OK, but what the heck does that even mean? Does it mean President Trump intends to pursue a go-it-alone strategy to stop North Korea's nuke program without China? Does it mean even more economic sanctions, or is the US now seriously considering military action? Almost on cue, North Korea early this morning lobbed a ballistic missile into the sea. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's statement on that was equally head-scratching. In a nutshell, he said, no comment.

3. Russia investigation

Susan Rice pushed back against allegations she "unmasked" the names of Donald Trump's associates from intelligence reports for political purposes. Rice, who was President Obama's national security adviser, said, yes, asking for more info about names in intel was a routine part of her job, but, no, she didn't leak the names of people from Trump's camp in intelligence reports to the media. Trump's supporters say all this validates the President's baseless claim that he was spied on by the Obama administration. CNN's Chris Cillizza says it's just another Trump smokescreen on the (never-ending) Russia questions.

4. Health care bill

5. LGBT rights

A federal appeals court ruling that the Civil Rights Act prohibits workplace discrimination against LGBT employees could be a game-changer. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a woman who sued a community college, saying it violated the landmark 1964 law's Title VII when it denied her employment. The court agreed, but the ruling conflicts with one last month from the 11th Circuit Court, which said Title VII doesn't bar discrimination based on sexual orientation. It means the Supreme Court would have to settle this one.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.

Pop flop

In a new ad, Kendall Jenner joins a street protest and offers a cop a Pepsi. Social media, and Black Lives Matter, were not amused.

Big league

A New Jersey teen has a big decision to make, after she got accepted to all eight Ivy League schools.

'Doomsday' library

First there was a vault to protect humanity's seeds. Now there's one to protect humanity's data. But wait, isn't that what the cloud is for?

Give me a beat

A Syrian-American woman celebrates Muslim Women's Day with, you guessed it, a rap video.

TODAY'S NUMBER

21

The number of companies that have pulled ads from Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" after reports about settlements with women who alleged sexual harassment or verbal abuse by host Bill O'Reilly.

AND FINALLY ...

Grandma's got jokes

Watch this sweet grandmother trick her trusting husband into falling for the old disappearing coin trick. (Click to view)

CNN's Milena Veselinovic, Richard Roth, Kristina Sgueglia, Hande Atay Alam, Judith Vonberg, Nick Thompson, Jomana Karadsheh and and AJ Willingham also contributed to this report.
Bahrains Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa stated that President Trumps administration has a better understanding of the Middle East than Obamas.

We see a much clearer understanding from the White House of the threats we are facing here in the region and especially the ones that are coming from the Islamic State, he told Reuters in an interview.

The new American governments policy in the Middle East is still blurry but Sheikh Khalid explained that it is understandable because every new administration will always start in a way that will seem unclear, but clarity is coming.

Bahrain is a strategic ally to the US in the Gulf. However, relations strained over the past years due to human right abuses in the Gulf country, which prompted Washington to halt some military supply.

The Bahraini Foreign Minister thinks however that a new page in bilateral relations would be opened. He noted that things are working in America amid the difference in the personality of the president which he said could be giving an overwhelming picture of the situation. Donald Trump has been a controversial figure since his campaign and his actions as president have been questioned.

Focusing on domestic matters, Sheikh Khalid claimed that Bahrain is facing a whole project from Iran and vowed that Manama will continue to defend itself until Tehran changes its course from the way it is now  hegemonic, theocratic, theo-fascist  to a regime that would answer the aspirations of its own people.

Bahraini authorities have been accusing Iran of backing terrorist groups on its territory but Tehran refutes the allegations.
President Erdogan of turkey has voiced concern over the developments in neighboring Iraq before warning that the future military operations will have not (only) a Syrian dimension, (but) also an Iraqi dimension due to the situations in Tal Afar and Shingal.

His message is directed to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) based in Qandil, which has recently deployed a noticeable military presence in the towns close to the Turkish border.

The Turkish president estimated that there are around 2500 troops in Shingal; a town almost 55 kilometers from Turkey. He claimed that it is part of an effort to create this second Qandil before warning that a military operation to go into Iraq will be launched if necessary.

Last week, Turkeys National Security Council announced the successful completion of its Euphrates Shield military operation in Syria but Prime Minister Binali Yildirim hinted that the end of the operation does not mean that Ankara would not be involved militarily in Syria if the need arises but any operation following this one will have a different name.

Ankaras focus on the war in Iraq was increased with the hoisting of Kurdish flags on public buildings and institutions in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk. President Erdogan said the move is a mistake by the Kurds before urging them to correct it by immediately bringing the flags down.

The Kirkuk Provincial Council has not heeded his request. Similar requests from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi as well as from Iran were also ignored. The Kirkuk Provincial Council argues that its act is in accordance with article 140 of the Iraqi constitution and is demanding for a region-wide referendum to determine the future governance of the province.

President Erdogan stressed that Kirkuk is for the Turkmen, Arabs and Kurds before warning that Kurdish claims that it is theirs will harm dialogue with Turkey and lead to paying a heavy price.
Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank.
Buckingham noted that the advance wouldnt be possible without the willingness of people like the Kurtzigs to participate in trials. We have been very fortunate to have a diabetes community thats interested in doing studies and collaborating with us, he said.

Knowing that the device is not yet FDA-approved for children younger than 14, Sara Kurtzig is committed to the importance of participating in trials.

Weve had such a positive experience and have reached a new level of stability in Jamies glucose control. So if we can play a part in making this technology available to all Type 1 diabetes patients, it feels like we are really making a difference, she said.

Jamie blogs about her experience and said the device has given her both freedom and responsibility she didnt have before. I do more things for myself now, but I still have to deliver insulin manually when Im eating carbs because it doesnt do that on its own yet, she said.

The Kurtzigs believe the improved control Jamie has seen with her closed-loop system has been worth the pricks, pokes and inconveniences that come with it. I wanted to sleep better and I wanted my mom to sleep better. I also really wanted to help other families and to contribute to science all around the world. Because of the trial, I really feel like I get to be a part of diabetes history, Jamie said.

Refining the systems

The goal of hybrid closed-loop systems is to make patients diabetes care less of a burden and to keep their glucose values in a safe range so they can be healthier. To make further progress toward this goal, the Stanford team has been part of a multicenter, NIH-funded study group that is trying to eliminate the need for patients to give themselves an insulin dose (or bolus, as it is known in the diabetes world) before eating  an onerous task, particularly when it has to be done at every snack and every meal.

Part of our mission is to ensure that the system will be used properly by young patients.

In todays closed-loop systems, the insulin comes on a little slower and lasts a little longer than we would like, said Buckingham. Those lag times make it difficult to provide insulin delivery for a meal in a full closed-loop system. We are looking forward to working with fast-acting insulins  and more rapid delivery  to improve meal glucose control and decrease the daytime burden of diabetes.

To that end, Stanford is the only institution involved in four National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases research projects, which begin in the 2017-18 fiscal year. The projects will test multiple automated, closed-loop devices in what could be the final steps before requesting regulatory approval for permanent use.

Korey Hood, PhD, professor of pediatrics and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the School of Medicine, will lead the pediatric diabetes psychology research team that is investigating how to best help children and their families use these systems, and is partnering with Buckingham on the research.

Part of our mission is to ensure that the system will be used properly by young patients, meaning that it has the desired impact on both a patients health and quality of life, Hood said. To that end, we evaluate the user experience by administering surveys and focus groups, and then we use those responses to generate new strategies and solutions to help the closed-loop system user.

Testing the bionic pancreas

Because the pancreas controls glucose both by releasing insulin to lower glucose levels and by releasing glucagon to raise glucose levels, another approach to closed-loop control is to give both insulin and glucagon. Stanford has participated in an NIH-funded, multicenter study that is testing the bionic pancreas developed at Boston University. This system has the potential to eliminate the need for carbohydrate counting before meals while also preventing hypoglycemia through the provision of glucagon. The Lancet recently published an article on this study.

David Maahs, MD, the new division chief of pediatric endocrinology at Packard Childrens, said the program will continue paving the way for better care, not just for our patients at Packard Childrens, but for people with Type 1 diabetes everywhere.
Rwandan capital Kigali hosted more than 100 Moroccan investors and government officials on Monday in the second edition of Africa Business Connect, meant to prospect business and investment opportunities between the two countries.

According to the East African nations acting head of investment promotion, Ngangure Kabega, Kigali is expecting more than $100 million in investments from the North African Kingdom.

We are looking at approximately $100 million worth of investments from Morocco, said Ms Kabega.

The money would be invested in different sectors, including tourism, energy and infrastructure.

A 5,000-unit low-cost housing project worth $68 million for example, was meant to kick-off in Kigali later this year.

Moroccos ambassador to Rwanda Youssef Imani noted that Kigalis economic transformation had been profound and that is a major reason why Morocco is seeking friendship and economic mutual benefits with Rwanda through private sector investments.

The two countries, besides cementing economic and political ties, are also seeking to boost trade flows.

Back in October we signed a partnership agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal aversion with respect to taxes on incomes, Ms Kabega recalled.

Under the framework, the two countries agreed to share information on taxation.

Last October, King Mohammed VI paid a visit to Rwanda, the first by a Moroccan monarch to the East African country. The visit was crowned by the signing of 19 agreements setting the stage for cooperation in vital sectors such as agriculture, housing, vocational training, finances, taxes, banking, new technologies, air transport, tourism and renewable energies
Members of Benins parliament have rejected on Tuesday a draft bill tabled by President Patrice Talon for an amendment of the West-African nations constitution.

According to Articles 154 and 155 of the constitution, constitutional revisions must be passed by three quarters (75 percent) of the members of the National Assembly before they can be submitted for final approval in a referendum.

On the Tuesday vote, only 60 MPs voted for the draft bill while 22 voted against it.

The draft bill according to President Talon will correct the shortcomings of the present constitution. The draft proposes among other changes putting in place a single 6-year presidential term. it also includes measures to increase the independence and the oversight capacity of the judiciary, and amends public financing for political parties to reduce the influence of economic interests on politicians.

Experts consider this a major blow for the President who had promised to reduce the presidential term limit last year.

Benin with its million-strong population is seen as a stable democracy in West-Africa after several peaceful transitions of power.

Patrice Talon has promised to turn the cotton fortunes of his country around by the end of his five-year term in 2021.

In December, Talon unveiled a $15 billion five-year economic plan that would spur economic development in the small nation.
Hundred and sixty nine Gambian migrants have been sent back home from Libya after their unsuccessful attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

According to Reuters, the migrants who stepped off a jet at the airport in Banjul were mostly young men in their 20s most of them were in jail in the North African nation. Some women and children were also aboard the plane.

The International Organisation of Migration (IOM) and Gambian government helped release them from detention centers in Tripoli and elsewhere, Reuters reported.

Two weeks ago, 141 young men returned home, abandoning the illegal, life-threatening Back Way to Europe.

It was the first time the IOM helped repatriate a group of Gambians willing to return home.

Every day, scores of lives perish in the desert crossings or in the Mediterranean Sea.

Despite a small population of less than 2 million, the West African tiny nation is one of Africas largest per capita people exporters. Last year, 7% of the migrants who arrived in Libya were Gambians, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

Since the beginning of this year, at least 590 migrants have died or gone missing off the Libyan coast, excluding the latest capsizing, the IOM estimates.
Some 550 Kenyan students will be awarded scholarships to study in Sudanese universities, Sudanese Ambassador to Kenya Elsadig Abdalla Elias told reporters in Nairobi.

The Scholarships include 30 slots of oil-related programs and studies in medicine, pharmacy, agriculture and technology. The move aims to boost ties between the two countries, Elsadig Abdalla Elias said.

We believe the best thing to give to a developing nation is education. It is the best tool for developing oneself, family and the country  We are receiving and reviewing applications and whoever qualifies, we will accommodate them, the diplomat said.

Sudan and Kenya enjoy cordial bilateral relations in political, economic, and cultural fields, and the countries share common positions on various regional and international issues.

There is a lot we can learn from Sudan especially in oil and gas and mining. You are here as our Ambassadors. Continue promoting our good name, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta told Kenyan students he met in Khartoum last year during an official visit.

According to Nairobi-based Daily Nation website, Sudan remains Kenyas second-largest buyer of its tea in Africa, and fifth globally.

In 2016 alone, the country imported 25 million kilos of tea from Kenya, according to Trade Mark East Africa.
Opening Ceremony of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway (BTK) Will be Held in June

The opening ceremony of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway (BTK) will be held in late June, Turkish media cited the countrys Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communication Ahmet Arslan as saying.Arslan added that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend the ceremony. The minister stressed that diesel locomotives will transport cargo via the BTK, and added that the BTK corridor will help establish continuous railway communication between Europe and China.While using alternative routes, for example via the territory of Russia or Iran, as well as cargo transshipment by sea, 45-60 days are required for cargo transportation from China to Europe, he said. Cargo will be transported from China to Europe in 12-15 days via BTK.He added that the BTK will also make an important contribution to the development of Turkish trade.At present, 26.5 million tons per year account for the cargo transported via the Turkish railways, the minister said. At the same time, an additional annual volume of 10 million tons of goods transported via BTK will account only for Kazakhstan. In general, after the BTK is commissioned, the volumes of cargo transported via the Turkish railways will double.Construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is in its final phase, and Azerbaijan has already allocated 630 million USD for this railway project for Georgia.
Visa free benefits for occupied regions

By Messenger Staff

At any meetings or briefings, Georgian top officials highlight the importance of the Georgia-EU visa waiver, and stress that this success is also for the people living in the occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia).The issue was also highlighted at the Georgian PMs meeting with President Jean-Claude Juncker of the European Commission on March 28.Today is the beginning of a period of great success, Jean-Claude Juncker at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili.Jean-Claude Juncker stressed that success on the path to visa liberalization is a result of joint efforts from both Georgia and the European Union."Mister Prime Minister, welcome to Brussels on this historic day for the people of Georgia and the European Union. Georgian citizens can now enter the European Union visa-free for 90 days in any 180-day period, whether it be for tourism, family visits, or business. This was made possible thanks to the ambitious and complex reform path undertaken by the Georgian Government and the Georgian people," the President of the European Commission stated.Kvirikashvili referred to the launch of visa-free travel as a very important event for Georgian's population, including those in the occupied territories.Kvirikashvili hoped that visa liberalization will bring about tangible results and cement people-to-people contacts.Georgias visa-free travel in the EUs Schengen Zone is also of significant importance from a different perspective.Georgias progress and fast European integration, as well as upgrading the living condition of the people in Georgia, will be a good signal for the people living in the occupied territories that their current situation under Russias control is beyond democratic and with no prospect.Georgias visa liberalisation is very likely to be especially attractive for the youth living in the occupied Georgian regions.The youth are the future of any country, and if they see the benefits of living in Georgia, this will be a step forward to reintegrating the territories.
THE TRUE COST OF ALL THAT 'CHEAP' LABOR 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.
ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump said he thinks Susan Rice, the former national security adviser for President Obama, may have committed a crime when she had the names of Americans -- which turned out to be Trump associates -- unmasked in intelligence reports, according to a report.



Do I think? Yes, I think," Trump told the New York Times in an interview in the Oval Office, while declining to give evidence or say if he personally viewed intelligence to back his claim.



Trump was unclear what crime specifically he is accusing Rice of committing.



I think its going to be the biggest story, Trump said. Its such an important story for our country and the world. It is one of the big stories of our time.



In a statement Wednesday, a spokesperson for Rice, Erin Pelton said: "I'm not going to dignify the President's ludicrous charge with a comment."



Rice previously called allegations that she requested the unmasking of Trump campaign and transition members for political reasons "absolutely false."



Her position as national security adviser had allowed her to request the unmasking, or the identifying of American citizens, in intelligence reports.



"There were occasions when I would receive a report in which a U.S. person was referred to  name not provided  just 'U.S. person.' And sometimes, in that context, in order to understand the importance of the report and assess its significance, it was necessary to find out or request the information as to who the U.S. official was," she said in an interview with MSNBC Tuesday afternoon.



"The intelligence community made the determination as to whether or not the identity of that American individual could be provided to me."



Leaking classified information can be a criminal offense, which Rice denied doing - "I leaked nothing to nobody," she told MSNBC.



Last month, House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., made waves when he announced that the communications of Trump transition team members had been 'incidentally' swept up by U.S. intelligence agencies while they were conducting legal foreign surveillance.



Nunes also said he confirmed that "additional names of Trump transition team members were unmasked."



President Trump took Nunes's findings as vindication of his allegations that President Obama ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower during the campaign, a claim that FBI Director James Comey and others said they have no evidence to support.



The White House and Trump himself later said that the wiretapping allegations referred to broader surveillance by the Obama administration.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
via @adamsmithtimes

The campaign of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum says the Tallahassee mayor has raised about $765,000 for his campaign, including $243,000 for his campaign and $522,000 for his affiliated Forward Florida Committee that can accept unlimited donations. He has $635,000 on hand heading into the second month of his campaign.

Prominent donors include George and Alex Soros, but the campaign says he received support from 56 of Florida's 67 counties, 3,500 online donations. Other prominent financial backers include Vin Ryan, Chris Findlater, Allison Tant, JP Austin, Leslie Kroeger, Tarra Pressley, Laurie Schecter, state Rep. Loranne Ausley, Jennifer Stearns Buttrick, Don Hinkle, Mimi Graham, and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Barbara Jordan.


via @ngameztorres

Two months after the Trump administration announced a total review of U.S. policy toward Cuba, several controversial proposals are being circulated at the White House with no clear front-runner on the issue.

But Sen. Marco Rubio says he has spoken with President Donald Trump three times about Cuba.

Weve been walking through all these issues with the president and his team, figuring out the right steps to take and when, Rubio told el Nuevo Herald.

I am confident that President Trump will treat Cuba like the dictatorship it is and that our policy going forward will reflect the fact that it is not in the national interest of the United States for us to be doing business with the Cuban military, he added.

The Miami Republican of Cuban descent declined to say whether the president had made any commitments to him on Cuba policies. But a Rubio spokesman told el Nuevo Herald that the senator and his staff have been working behind the scenes on Cuba policy.

The Cuban government has taken notice of Rubio's rising voice in U.S. policy toward Latin America, and the state-run Granma newspaper recently criticized his efforts to have the Organization of American States condemn Venezuela's human rights record.

But the Granma article carefully avoided insulting Trump. And the Raul Castro government, in a rare show of restraint, has said little about the Trump administration as it waits for the ongoing review of overall U.S. policies toward the island.

Spokespersons for the White House and the State Department have said that the National Security Council (NSC) has the lead in the multi-agency review. Several knowledgeable sources have said that Jill St. John, a low-level NSC staffer, is coordinating the work. The White House did not immediately reply to el Nuevo Herald questions about St. John.

More here.

Photo credit: Rainier Ehrhardt, Associated Press
@NewsbySmiley

As Florida lawmakers grow closer to establishing the parameters for an expanded medical marijuana industry, one of the state's seven licensed cultivators and distributors appears to be cashing out.

CHT Medical, an Alachua cannabis distributor owned by Chestnut Hill Tree Farm, is on the verge of selling most or all of its assets to a private company affiliated with Aphria, a publicly traded Canadian medical marijuana corporation based in Ontario.

A pending transaction has been announced as part of a U.S. expansion for the Canadian firm. Aphria intends to operate its business in the states through a partnership with DFMMJ Investment Ltd., a company to be later named Liberty Health Sciences Inc. and known publicly as Aphria USA.
via @learyreports

Steve Bannon's removal from the National Security Council brought bipartisan praise from Florida.

Steve Bannon's removal from National Security Council is welcome news. I called for him to write himself out in Jan https://t.co/LX3hoWiEBH  Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (@RosLehtinen) April 5, 2017

Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Miamicalled it "welcome news."

Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Orlando had also pushed for Bannon's removal.

Todays decision to remove Steve Bannon from the National Security Council is a huge victory for democracy and a strong step toward depoliticizing our national security, she said. In February, I introduced a bill to remove political advisers like Bannon from the NSC, and it received nearly 200 cosponsors and a groundswell of national public support. This is proof that democracy works and that the American people, when they make their voices heard, can affect change."

--ALEX LEARY, Tampa Bay Times


via @AndresViglucci

The natural oasis in the middle of Kendall where Janet Renos mother built a family home by hand, and where the former U.S. attorney general lived most of her life until her death last year, will be preserved and donated to Miami Dade College, the family says.

The wooded property and the rough-hewn family cottage were on the edge of the Everglades when the modest wood house went up in the 1940s. The site, around four acres, now sits a few blocks from the Palms at Town and Country mall, but in spirit and feel remains a throwback to the Miami of yore and miles away from the suburban sprawl that surrounds it. The Reno ranch and the home at its center, which is reached by a dirt road, are completely screened off from view by thickets of trees and vegetation.

Its amazing, said Coral Gables attorney Alan Greer, who is representing the Reno family in negotiations with the college. Its like going back in time.

Greer said the parties are ironing out a final agreement for donation of the ranch, which would become part of the environmental center at MDCs Kendall campus. The center, nestled in a similar natural subtropical hammock, is a half mile south of the Reno property off Southwest 112th Avenue. The Renos were well known for their love of the outdoors and environmental activism.

Were working on all the details, Greer said. Im confident were going to get there. Its in conformity with Janets wishes.

A spokesman for the college declined a request for comment.

More here.

Photo credit: Tim Chapman, Miami Herald file
It seems McDonalds and Wendys are having some Twitter beef over whose hamburger patties are fresher.

On March 30, McDonald's tweeted:

Today weve announced that by mid-2018, all Quarter Pounder burgers at the majority of our restaurants will be cooked with fresh beef.

Wendys, which has been playing the Always fresh, never frozen card for the past 10 years, responded to the incursion:

@McDonalds So youll still use frozen beef in MOST of your burgers in ALL of your restaurants? Asking for a friend.

Follow-up tweets from Wendys were equally giddy, and understandably so. McDonald's failed on day one at invading Wendys fresh burger space, and Wendys owned McDonald's on Twitter in the process. Best of all, McDonald's designs on the fresh burger meat market will help legitimize the absurd idea that fresh hamburger meat is in any way better than frozen.

The fresh-is-best message is an attempt to exploit the kind of people who want to eat healthy at a fast food restaurant. McDonald's recent salad was a huge failure, because people go there for burgers. With a focus on fresh, they can insert the perceived health and quality benefits into that disc of mangled flesh, and fry it up!

In reality, frozen hamburger meat, properly thawed, tastes as good as fresh hamburger meat.

Meanwhile, fresh meat is not intrinsically healthier or safer than frozen. In fact, the opposite is more likely to be true.

The essential problem with raw meat is that it is always going bad.

This creates conditions for a conflict of interest over what to do with meat thats close to the edge of its shelf life. In a fresh-is-best world, some manager, somewhere, is going to push his or her luck on some meat that isnt quite so fresh. Best case scenario, of course, is they throw away the old meat, which goes to waste.

When I walk by the fresh meat section in the store, Im like, 'Hmm  I wonder how long that has been sitting around?' Ive got a freezer full of deer and elk meat, so luckily I dont have to roll those dice very often. But when I do buy meat at the store, I look for frozen options, which are often cheaper. (You want to be able to see the contents, and evaluate how well its been sealed.)

Ironically, frozen burger is often nutritionally superior to fresh. Scott Barger, who raises grass-fed beef for Mannix Brothers Ranch in Montana, told me the best-quality meat comes from cattle slaughtered in mid-summer, because thats when feed quality is at its highest. Then its frozen.

"This would offer our customers the most healthy product, from a nutritional standpoint, because of the high omega-3's, the conjugated linoleic acids and other benefits of grass beef that come from our animals eating a living product. When you remove those animals from eating live feed and put them on a stored feed ration, those nutritional levels in the meat go down."

Ask any hunter, assuming he or she knows how to properly wrap the meat, how bad the burger is when it's four months old. They will laugh. Ask if any are disappointed in finding a piece of year-old elk backstrap (aka rib eye).

It isnt some closely guarded secret that there is nothing wrong with frozen meat. But momentum of beliefs is a powerful thing.

If you want to cook with frozen hamburger meat, you need about an hour lead time. That is the entirety of the inconvenience that using frozen burger will cause you.

You dont want to thaw it in the microwave, or in water that is so hot it cooks the meat. Just submerge it in a bowl of cold water. If the frozen meat makes the water too cold, change it.

When the meat is soft, make your burger. Dont overthink it.

If burger patties are not in the cards, oftentimes you can also just throw the frozen chunk of burger on a pan with oil, or under the broiler without oil. For dishes like soup or stew or meat sauce, a pan thaw or broiler thaw works fine. Depending on the cut, you have to stir it a lot, maybe hack at it with a cleaver. Dont burn yourself. And next time, try and remember to take it out of the freezer ahead of time.

Top-quality meat can be frozen as well, with all of the advantages, and non-disadvantages, that frozen burger meat has over fresh. The only difference is that with a nice expensive cut like steak, youll want to thaw it overnight, in the fridge.

Then, proceed as if you were using fresh meat. For all practical purposes, you are.
HELENA  After two measures to address Montana's gender wage gap failed this session, Gov. Steve Bullock hosted a rally in the Capitol on Tuesday in celebration of Equal Pay Day.

The governor brought forward both a wage transparency bill and one to expand early childhood education this session, which he said would benefit Montana women in the workplace and the states economy. Both, however, were rejected by Republican legislators.

The governor said he was disappointed the paycheck transparency bill failed in committee and again when blasted to the Senate floor, but touted other steps taken by the Equal Pay for Equal Work Task Force to close the wage gap. Those actions include asking businesses to take an equal pay pledge, completing a state pay audit and providing training on pay negotiation.

All Montanans should be able to support themselves and their families, knowing they are earning a fair days wage for a fair days work, Bullock said.

Several members of the task force acknowledged the work left to do to close the wage gap. In Montana, women earn 72.5 percent of what men earn for doing the same full-time work, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sen. Diane Sands, D-Missoula, said she was encouraged by the work done at the state level by Bullock and nationally during the Obama administration. She carried a bill for the governor that would have prevented employers from requesting previous salary information and allowed employees to discuss wages without retaliation. The bill had overwhelming support during testimony, but Republicans on the committee voted to table it after saying the bill would encourage workplace disruption, and litigation would increase due to pay discrepancy complaints.

After her wage transparency legislation failed, Sands said she was furious to see President Donald Trump revoke the 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order. It was signed by former President Barack Obama to make sure companies with federal contracts adhere to 14 labor and civil rights laws.

The order lifted a mandate that forced employers with federal contracts to submit to the government salary details that would expose wage gaps.

The order also lifts a ban on mandatory arbitration clauses. Often called cover-up clauses, they allow private proceedings with secret court filings. Such proceedings can be used to keep sexual harassment claims secret.

The second measure from Bullock would have expanded early childhood education. Research shows affordable child care reduces the wage gap by encouraging women to enter the workforce and in turn will benefit the economy, according to the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute.

A large part of the pay gap is attributed to women taking more time off to care for children or work in more flexible industries to combine work and child rearing. The Economic Policy Institute released a report in 2016 calling for the expansion of early childhood education and child care subsidies to allow families to work and start families.

The Economic Policy Institute suggests an investment that capped child care expenditures at 10 percent of family income would increase overall womens labor force participation enough to boost the United States Gross Domestic Product by roughly $210 billion. If implemented in Montana, the states economy is expected to grow 1.1 percent, or by $472 million.

The governors proposal to expand early childhood education was killed in committee on a party line vote. The bill would have provided $12 million in grants to support preschool for 4-year-olds if their parents make less than twice the federal poverty level. National studies have shown similar programs improve outcomes at school and reduce the likelihood of a child needing expensive special education services.

Before rejecting the proposal, some Republicans said the state didnt have the money to fund a preschool program this biennium, but others disagreed with research showing the benefits of early childhood education.

Rep. Scott Staffanson, R-Sidney, said there are existing private programs and children that young should be at home with their mothers.

I think were discouraging families, he said. And putting them in school at an age when many of them are not old enough to learn a lot of the things the kids need to know by the time theyre ready for school.
Even before the historic election that put a real estate mogul in the White House, the ACLU of Montana staff noticed a heightened interest from donors and supporters of civil liberties.

"There was just a kind of energy and excitement about the ACLU that was really qualitatively different," said Caitlin Borgmann, executive director of the ACLU of Montana.

The momentum continued after the polarizing campaign and election of Donald Trump as president of the United States. In December, at an event in Bozeman, 150 people showed up, and it was the first time many had engaged with the organization.

Now, the statewide membership has nearly tripled, from roughly 1,500 before the election to at least 4,300, said Borgmann, who grew up in Missoula.

Tuesday, on her way through Missoula to headquarters in Helena, Borgmann talked with the Missoulian about the dramatic increase in interest in the organization that works to protect liberties.

The former law professor from City University of New York School of Law also shared some of the trends she sees, and spoke of a shift in the work of the ACLU, and some of the priorities on tap for protecting people's rights to equal treatment.

It's too soon to tell if the momentum that's built over the last few months will having staying power, but Borgmann said activism is cyclical, and the quieter period may mean a bright side for the mission of the organization.

"Hopefully, we're not going to be in this kind of civil liberties crisis indefinitely," she said. "And when the sense of urgency is lessened, then I think we'll see a drop off in engagement."

Even before the election and ensuing women's march that fired up activists around the world, the ACLU had been planning to help people organize. Many people want to do more than write a check or sign an email petition, she said, so the ACLU created a "People Power" platform that helps activists plan events and mobilize support.

The new initiative has been able to capture the enthusiasm and motivation of the political current, a new wave for the ACLU.

Borgmann said one challenge is that the Trump administration has brought threats to liberties on many different levels, from reproductive rights, LGBT equality and environmental justice to the free speech rights of protesters, and that's led to concerns around privacy and the targeting of immigrants and refugees.

It's a full menu, and people can choose their own causes.

"One of the goals of People Power is for activists to be able to decide for themselves what they want to do and just equip them with the tools," Borgmann said.

***

In just one weekend after Trump had taken the oath of office, the national ACLU received $24 million in donations, which one of its officials called "unprecedented." The president had started signing controversial executive orders, such as "extreme vetting" of people from seven Muslim-majority countries, an order since revised but again challenged in court.

The ACLU of Montana benefits from its relationship with the national organization, but because of complex financial sharing rules, the membership money from Montanans doesn't flow directly to the ACLU of Montana, Borgmann said.

In fact, the ACLU of Montana is two related organizations, she said: It's a 501(c)3 where people can make tax-exempt donations, and also a 501(c)4, a union that can lobby. It's important for some people to be "card carrying members" of the ACLU and join the union through a membership fee, but she said the other entity is also important.

"Giving to the Montana foundation is still really important because that's where the bulk of our income comes from," Borgmann said.

***

Despite the swell of interest in a variety of issues, the ACLU of Montana has set its own priorities for activism, she said. One is criminal justice reform, specifically reducing incarceration due to income level, Borgmann said.

People end up in the criminal justice system simply because they can't pay a fine, and it then becomes harder and harder for them to dig themselves out, she said. The ACLU of Montana is looking at probation and parole reform in response, and it also aims to help people reintegrate into society after having been incarcerated.

"Some of the stories around who ends up in the prison system are really pretty heart-wrenching," she said.

Borgmann also said there's bipartisan support for criminal justice reform because it saves money over time.

The organization is focused on racial justice, too, and a new full-time organizer is traveling across the state and meeting with people on reservations to pinpoint specific issues and campaigns. Native Americans will set the direction, Borgmann said, and some of the concerns include the treatment of Native students in public schools, tribal jail conditions, and policies for dealing with the meth crisis in Indian Country as a health issue, not criminal one.

The ACLU of Montana can make proactive progress on specific criminal justice and racial justice issues, but she said it will also stay trained on its mission.

"The ACLU is always going to cover the broad waterfront of civil liberties issues," Borgmann said.
Royce Engstrom, former president of the University of Montana, will return to the university to teach chemistry.

Engstrom is expected to teach Chemistry 104 and an honors course titled "The ways of knowing," according to the University of Montana's Academic Planner.

As first reported Wednesday in the Montana Kaimin and confirmed by UM spokeswoman Paula Short, Engstrom will begin teaching courses this fall.

The honors course is "a critical assessment of contrasting epistemological stances expressed in various views of the divine, nature, society, and the self," according to the Academic Planner.

It describes Chemistry 104 as "an introduction to chemistry for those who feel they have an inadequate background to enroll in CHMY 121N or 141N." Each course is worth three credits.

Chemistry classes present a retention problem, said Chris Palmer, who chairs the UM Chemistry Department. Engstrom wants to help with developing these classes to help students stay with the subject, Palmer said.

It is typical for administrators to be tenured with a department of their specialty, Palmer said. When Engstrom left his position as president, he was given the option of joining the chemistry department faculty, Palmer said. Engstrom was enthusiastic about the chance to contribute on the introductory level, Palmer said.

The honors course Engstrom will be teaching is a core class meant for first-year honors students, said Brock Tessman, dean of Davidson Honors College. The class curriculum is centered around students evaluating how they come to know truths in the world.

The university does not have an official salary level for Engstrom at this time, according to Terri Phillips, UM associate vice president for Human Resource Services. Engstrom's salary during his final year as president was $303,145.

In late November, Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian asked Engstrom, who became president in 2010 after George Dennison retired, to step down. Sheila Stearns now serves as interim president.

Only two other former university presidents have returned to teach after leaving the top position, according to university archives. In the 1940s, George Simmons resigned as university president and returned to his position as a zoology professor. In 1990, James Koch left the president's job and went on to teach a few history classes at the university.

Engstrom began his academic career as a chemistry professor at the University of South Dakota. He served in many capacities there, including chair of the department and eventually serving as provost before joining the UM administration in 2007, where he also served as provost before being chosen as president.
It was a new Americas loss that Lewis and Clark didnt have an artist with them on their epic journey west in 1804-06.

But that didnt stop later painters and sketchers from depicting the expedition, correctly or otherwise.

Hal Stearns, long-time Missoula teacher and historian, returns to the Lolo Community Center at 7 p.m. Thursday for a talk titled Perspectives of Lewis and Clark Art.

Im going to look at the art  the good and bad, accurate and questionable, Stearns said. And some of the art is funny, silly and downright wrong. I will share my take.

Hell focus his presentation on, among others, Montana artists such as Charlie Russell, Edgar S. Paxson, Charles Fritz, Bob Morgan and J.K. Ralston.

The monthly program is sponsored by the Travelers Rest Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. It's free and open to the public.
BONNER  First graders of Bonner Elementary School can look out the window every day at a piece of the town's history.

Kristin Vogel, who teaches one of the school's first grade classes, has created a four-week unit to help her students understand the town they live in.

Bonner, a former company town built before the 20th century, was once home to the largest lumber mill in the Northwest and later the largest plywood plant in North America.

The lumber Bonner produced was sent all over the country, Vogel told her students Tuesday. The mill was the major reason the town existed.

Vogel grew up in Billings and began teaching at Bonner School about three years ago. She began to learn about the story of Bonner, getting a detailed history about the town, the school and her own neighborhood.

"The best lessons come from bringing things you're interested in into the classroom," Vogel said.

After talking to Judy Matson at the Bonner Milltown History Center, Vogel said she was inspired to share the collective history of the center with her students.

For 6-year-old Leigha Boothman, it was the first time she'd learned about her dad's job. Her dad came into the classroom Monday to tell the kids about his work as a logger and show them photographs of loggers working in the 1900s.

Using tongue depressors to represent the lumber from the mill and binder clips to represent the studs, Vogel told the kids to build anything they wanted. She encouraged them to be creative and have fun above all else.

"Be thinking about back in the day, when our mill was running," Vogel said.

Bob Yates, a classroom volunteer, remembered the Bonner plant when it was still running. He remembers watching towering scrap fires in the tepee burner. Yates had worked at a different plywood plant in Montana before it shut down and he later moved to Bonner. He called the plant shutting down a blessing in disguise. The work was hard on his body, he said.

The Bonner mill, which opened in 1886, closed its doors in 2008. New companies have settled in Bonner since then, including a company making pedicabs, the Kettlehouse Brewing Company and a wood-chipping operation. Pointing out the window of her classroom, Vogel was able to show the kids a major part of not only Bonner's history, but the country's as well.

Vogel started her history unit by teaching the kids about Native American use of the land. Local historian Willie Bateman showed the kids artifacts he had found in the area when he was a kid, Vogel said. Now all the kids want to go hunting for arrowheads, she said.

Next week, Vogel will teach the kids about the history of Bonner's school and the following week's lessons will be about the early home life of Bonner citizens, Vogel said. This will include learning about old kitchen equipment and other artifacts from the Bonner Milltown History Center. The kids will then learn to make bread as a class. The final week will include a field trip to the history center.

"These kids should know their history and take ownership of it," Vogel said. "It isn't a kid concept to think about where they live and how it is shaping them."
We, the people of Montana, have an unusual, unique and important opportunity to shape the path of our nation and improve our democratic electoral processes.

For only the third time in our history, Montana faces a special congressional election where there will be debate and different views on many issues. However, all three candidates, and all Montanans, can come together on one overarching, urgent issue. Our congressman can and must stand with the people of Montana in support of a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to rid our elections of the corrupting influence of big money - the kind of money that is already pouring into Montana for this special election.

For over 100 years, Montanans have insisted, at the ballot box, that we the people should govern  not money, nor corporations, nor wealthy donors, nor special interests. In initiative elections from 1912 to 2012, large majorities of Montanans have spoken clearly and agreed that reasonable limits on campaign contributions and election spending are necessary.

Today however, without a constitutional amendment, Montana cannot enforce the reforms we have approved for our state. This is because the U.S. Supreme Court wrongly struck down campaign finance laws, both state and federal, as violations of the free speech rights of corporations and the wealthy. Many of Montanas current campaign laws either have been negated or are under attack.

Just as they did in 1912 when they voted in our Corrupt Practices Act, Montana voters overwhelmingly approved Initiative 166 in 2012, instructing Montanas congressional delegation to work to pass a 28th Amendment. Montana voters established "a state policy that corporations are not entitled to constitutional rights because they are not human beings, and charge[d] Montana elected and appointed officials, state and federal, to implement that policy. With this policy, the people of Montana establish[ed] that there should be a level playing field in campaign spending, in part by prohibiting corporate campaign contributions and expenditures and by limiting political spending in elections.

This powerful peoples initiative not only received 75 percent of the vote, it passed handily in every one of Montanas 56 counties and was upheld by our Supreme Court.

Today, 18 states and nearly 800 cities and towns across America have followed Montanas lead. As Wyomings former Sen. Alan Simpson recently said, We need a constitutional amendment because the Supreme Court, in cases such as Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, has made a series of dangerously wrong decisions that make effective reform virtually impossible without a constitutional amendment.

Since our 2012 vote, the domination of big money and corporate interests has only gotten worse here and across America. The 2016 election was the most expensive ever, with billions of dollars in spending from few, often secret sources. Over $200 million in super political action committee money came from just three billionaires alone, and money from corporations, the wealthy and special interests now makes up most of the political money in our system. Ordinary citizens of Montana and our country are overwhelmed and disregarded because of this tsunami of tainted money.

In this upcoming special election, we are asking that every candidate, of whatever party, stand with Montanans and pledge to work for a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to expunge corrupting money from our elections. We ask every candidate to comply with the very clear instructions of the people of Montana. And we encourage voters to support only candidates who pledge to follow Montana voters call for a 28th Amendment to put government back in the hands of the people.

Before you vote, we will keep you posted on how the candidates stand.
When you stop and think about it, its a wonder anyone ever signs up to be a firefighter or emergency responder. Especially in Montana, where theres a lot of ground to cover and the closest fire station may be miles away, it takes someone special to commit to intensive training, irregular hours, and work that is both mentally and physically demanding.

The firefighters of the Missoula Rural Fire District, for example, train every shift and in every season, staging rescues from icy rivers in January and burning buildings in August. They are trained to rescue people in any situation, be it an overturned car or the bottom of a steep ravine. They respond to both wildfires and structure fires, as well as incidents involving hazardous materials, and they do so in urban, suburban and sparsely populated neighborhoods.

The districts firefighters are also emergency medical technicians, and in fact, medical calls make up nearly half their responses. And lets not forget their fire prevention and fuel mitigation activities. Or their regular child car seat checks.

To do all this, the district has only 42 career firefighters, but can also accommodate up to 12 resident firefighters and 20 volunteer firefighters. Regular volunteers serve a minimum of 24 hours each month, not counting their training hours. Resident volunteers work 12-hour shifts, usually in the evenings, and live at the fire station. They do not get paid, but they arent charged rent either and, if theyre students, the district can reimburse up to $3,000 of their tuition.

Sound like a good deal? Then hurry and sign up, because these days, the district is always looking for more volunteers. Earlier this year, in fact, one-third of its resident positions were vacant and more openings were expected as a couple more residents planned to leave. Residents serve for at least two years, but are welcome to stay longer.

Missoula, like many other communities in Montana, has witnessed a growing shortage of volunteer firefighters and EMTs in recent years. Locally, statewide and nationally, the ranks of firefighters and emergency responders are thinning. Fewer firefighters and EMTs not only puts a greater burden on those who remain, it also means longer response times for people in life-threatening situations.

The National Fire Protection Associations most recent report noted that nearly 70 percent of the nations firefighters are volunteers, and 95 percent of these volunteers work in districts with a population of fewer than 25,000 people. However, the rate of volunteer firefighters has fallen from more than eight per 1,000 people three decades ago to about six per 1,000 people at last count.

Meanwhile, the average age of volunteer firefighters has steady crept upward, and now almost one-third of the volunteers in the smallest communities are age 50 or older.

Montana appears to be seeing the same patterns, which is surprising because the Treasure State is rich in volunteerism and civic involvement. The Corporation for National and Community Service regularly ranks the state among the top 10 for its volunteerism rate, and this year the Peace Corps ranked Montana third for its number of Peace Corps volunteers per capita.

Fortunately, a Senate Joint Resolution sponsored by Missoulas Sen. Diane Sands promises to get to the bottom of this puzzle. SJ 21 calls for an interim study of emergency medical and volunteer fire protection services, including an examination of coverage areas, personnel shortages, training requirements and compensation, and resulting in recommendations for enhancing these services. If approved, the study would be ready to share with the public by Sept. 15, 2018.

Unfortunately, the resolution is still stuck in committee, and its first hearing was held just last week.

Montanas legislators ought to be especially motivated to provide firefighters with some relief after the House Business and Labor Committees wretched vote last month to table a bill that would have allowed firefighters to receive workers compensation for serious illnesses  such as lung disease  they contracted as a result of their job.

That bill, sponsored by Hamilton Republican Rep. Pat Connell, would have extended presumptive coverage for these diseases only if firefighters met a strict set of conditions. Montanas senators approved it on a vote of 33-14. The House committee, however, considered the financial costs too high.

Now, the least legislators can do for Montanas firefighters is to approve a study that will hopefully result in meaningful measures to provide them some much-needed support.
National monuments protect treasures of America's natural beauty, culture and history for the benefit of Americans now and into the future. I was overjoyed to see Bears Ears in Utah designated a national monument at the end of 2016. Bears Ears is a stunning landscape of Wingate sandstone cliffs and beautiful desert plains, home to more than 100,000 Native American archaeological and cultural sites. It absolutely deserves to be protected as a monument.

Unfortunately, opponents of public lands in Congress are working to roll back protections for Americas special landscapes, including Bears Ears. Removing protection for the area would threaten this treasure with oil and gas development, mining and vandalism.

We can't allow that to happen. I am counting on Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, the Trump administration, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and U.S. Sen. Steve Daines to keep Bears Ears and all of our public lands in public hands  and protected for future generations.

Skye Borden,

Missoula
Dear Donald Trump voters, Republicans and science deniers, you are to be congratulated on reversing a ban on the pesticide chlorpyrifos; a victory to stop government overreach.

Barack Obama had believed environmental scientists and liberals who had pushed this ban forward. These social worriers had seen research that linked this widely used pesticide in our food chain, that makes much money for Dow AgroSciences, to inference on correct brain development of fetuses, babies and children.

Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt does not believe such nonsense, so suck it up, fetuses, babies and children, and welcome to the new order.

Rudy Gideon,

Missoula
Recently, President Trump announced that he would begin rolling back the Clean Power Plan, a project established by the Obama administration with the aim of reducing carbon emissions by 26-28 percent by 2025. This program has set a strong global precedent for action on climate change since the Paris Climate Accord, while also allowing for state specific decision making in implementing the best sustainable strategies for state specific resources.

Under the guise of standing up for workers rights and job security, President Trump has just confirmed his true political motives: protecting the bank accounts of his friends in the fossil fuel industry through corporate deregulation that permits wide scale attacks on public health with no degree of accountability whatsoever.

Part of what makes me proud to be an American citizen is our countrys ability to step up to the big challenges and provide necessary global leadership to build a brighter future. Climate change is one the biggest challenges to face our global community yet, and to deny its existence, defund necessary progress and negligently line the pockets of those responsible for the problem is a disservice to American values and our history as an honorable nation.

Emma Patrash,

Missoula
OFFICER ATTACKED IN JAIL

A prisoner at the Butte jail is accused of assaulting a corrections officer around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Police said the officer had escorted Jeremiah Marry, 31, Anaconda, to the jail telephone and was walking him back to his cell when Marry punched him in the face two to three times. Marry was subdued and booked on an additional charge of felony assault on a peace officer. Marry was booked on March 19 for felony drug possession, obstruction and resisting arrest, and faces another assault charge for allegedly attacking another prisoner in the jail over use of a toothbrush on March 29.

EX-GIRLFRIEND ARRESTED

Officers went to a home on the 400 block of West Granite Street around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday after a man called police when his ex-girlfriend showed up at his door yelling. When officers arrived they ran the suspect's name, Nancy Roth, 59, and arrested her on a criminal contempt bench warrant for failing to appear in Butte city court.

MAN ARRESTED AT PARTY PALACE

Workers at the Party Palace, Park and Main, called police around 3 a.m. Wednesday to report a drunken man banging on the outside doors trying to get in. Police said when they arrived the man, Michael Farrell, 54, was highly intoxicated, and was arrested for disorderly conduct. During a pat down search police located a marijuana pipe and Farrell was additionally booked into jail for possession of drug paraphernalia.
MISSOULA  A bill making its way through the Montana Legislature that would allow breweries to increase their production limit from 10,000 barrels to 60,000 barrels and still sell beer to customers on the premises was significantly gutted in a committee Tuesday.

The Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee voted to make the limit 12,000 barrels, which would only be a 2,000 barrel increase from the current production cap.

The Montana Brewers Association has argued that the current production cap stifles economic growth and hampers job creation, because breweries that hit the 10,000 barrel cap must either stop selling beer in the tasting room or stop canning more beer.

Tom Facey, a Democrat from Missoula who represents Senate District 48, tried to get a compromise and get the limit set at 30,000. However, his amendment failed. The bill, House Bill 541, which was originally introduced by Democrat Rep. Ellie Hill and Republican Rep. Adam Hertz, both of Missoula, now will be heard on the floor of the Senate sometime in the next 23 days but as early as Wednesday. The bill was approved by the House of Representatives earlier this year.

Facey believes pressure from the Montana Tavern Association on lawmakers was the reason the production limit was drastically reduced.

The reason for the 12,000 barrel limit is to force the breweries to the negotiating table, he said. But going to 12,000 barrels doesnt help anybody because you need to pay (business equipment loans) off.

The bill would have largely impacted three breweries in the Missoula area. The owners of Big Sky Brewery, which produces much more than 10,000 barrels and must give away beer for free in its tasting room, testified that they've given away $4 million worth of beer in the past decade, which they say has cost the state $250,000 in lost excise and income taxes. KettleHouse Brewing Co., which is going to be producing more than 10,000 barrels at its new Bonner location, doesnt yet have plans for a tasting room at the new location. And Bayern Brewing in Missoula, which is pushing right up against the 10,000 barrel limit, cant produce more beer while still selling in its popular tasting room.

KettleHouse Brewing Company posted Tuesday on its Facebook page that the amendments could effectively force the brewery to shut down its Northside Taproom.

They neutered a perfectly good bill, said KettleHouse owner Tim OLeary. It was easy and simple and wouldnt have hurt really anybody because this 10,000 barrel production cap applies to breweries that are established and are actually helping bar owners provide Montana-made beer to serve in their bars. That helps them compete against startup taprooms. So now if you are at 9,999 youll say to hell with it, Im not going to expand and send beer to Billings or White Sulphur Springs, Im going to save it for my taproom. 

OLeary said that the way he interprets the language of the amendments, the Northside Taproom would no longer be able to serve Cold Smoke, one of the breweries flagship beers. KettleHouse went through a complicated workaround system and OLearys wife actually owns the Northside Taproom and contract brews Cold Smoke for the brewery. OLeary said that other breweries in town, due to federal law and complicated ownership structures, dont have the ability to find a way to purchase a separate beer license like his family was able to do at the Southside location.

This is like the least harmful solution to what faces a successful brewer and it continues to help bar owners who want our beer, OLeary said. We certainly want our Facebook tribe to contact their legislators and tell them (the original bill) makes sense.

***

Facey said he feels like the current production cap is stifling job growth in Montana and especially in Missoula.

Its unfortunate because in talking to Bayern, they could expand and add jobs if they had a consistent and predictable business environment, Facey said. I made my thing to 30,000 because to get a canning line and get that capital loan and get things built up, they are not built for small increments like that.

The Montana Tavern Association has opposed the bill. John Iverson, the government affairs director for the MTA, said when the bill was introduced that his organization wants to see changes happen as part of a broader compromise.

If you sell the same product to the same people, you need to play by the same rules, he said.

Breweries cant purchase a beer and wine license unless they use a complicated third-party system, they must stop serving by 8 p.m. and can only serve 48 ounces per customer a day. The Tavern Association has battled bills that would allow breweries to expand in the past, arguing that since they dont own expensive beer and wine licenses that they need different rules. The Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee is chaired by Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls, who owns a bar. Buttery did not return a phone call. Sen. Dee Brown, a Republican from Senate District 2 in Flathead County, also is on the committee and could not be reached for comment.

Facey said he believes that raising the cap to 30,000 or 60,000 barrels wouldnt hurt taverns that are represented by the Montana Tavern Association.

Tavern owners wont get any relief in the pressure their businesses have if this bill passes or fails, Facey said. Its just a punitive measure against KettleHouse, Bayern, Big Sky and other breweries.

Facey said there is no limit on the number of breweries that can open  thereby taking business away from taverns - but its just the larger breweries that are trying to expand and create jobs that will be hurt.

Ive seen data that shows when you open your brewery you make money the more beer you sell, but you get to a point where the pub doesnt make any more money from the tasting room because you are limited by the number of customers you can have and the quantity of beer they can drink and the hours you can be open, Facey said. Breweries are limited by hours, then they plateau out. The only way to make more money is by selling it in stores and bars. So reducing this production limit is just truly hurting the number of jobs in the manufacturing industry. So by taking that cap down, its not providing any relief to the tavern owners.

Facey said the committee also killed an amendment to put large breweries into another tax bracket.
HELENA  Parents of students who miss school excessively could lose their drivers licenses or temporary cash assistance meant to help needy families get back on their feet under a proposed law that has moved through the Montana Senate.

The senator carrying the bill, Chas Vincent, R-Libby, said school principals in his northwestern Montana district asked him for extra arrows in the quiver for parents who do not work with attendance officers to make sure their children are attending school.

I know its delicate when you start talking about things like benefits, but were not trying to hurt anyone here. Were trying to help kids. There is a problem, and we have to help get these kids to school.

But opponents to the bill, including the state health department, argue that taking financial help away from already struggling families is not a good tactic.

Montana does not track truancy or get involved with enforcement at the state level. The Office of Public Instruction did not take a position on the bill, but Superintendent Elsie Arntzen issued a statement this week saying she supports local control.

As superintendent I believe in local control. In Montana, local school districts, not the state, are responsible for administering and enforcing truancy laws.

The next hearing on Senate Bill 361 is set for Monday at 3 p.m.

Under the bill, attendance officers would create a contract between the student, school and parent or guardian to fix truancy problems. Parents would be required to attend a parenting class and pay a $10 fee, and do anything else required by the truancy officer to decrease the likelihood of continued truancy.

Parents who fail to meet the requirements of the contact would no longer qualify for public assistance, and truancy officers would report that to local public assistance offices. This is something local school districts can choose to do and not a new requirement.

During the first hearing on the bill, Vincent said the majority of families with children who are truant are on some sort of public assistance. But to keep the bill from targeting the poor, he also included a provision to take away drivers licenses from parents who do not address truancy issues.

I didn't want to have folks say we were just trying to pick on the less well-off in society because there is a small percentage of parents that are what I would maybe call middle class that also have truancy issues, Vincent said.

The bill does allow for parents to drive to and from work or other essential driving.

While the Department of Public Health and Human Services said it supports efforts to address attendance, a staff attorney warned measures like this do not impact truancy rates but can increase pressures on struggling families.

Efforts to ensure attendance should focus on identification of underlying issues. Those efforts should not risk making those underlying issues worse, said Nicholas Domitrovich.

Domitrovich said the bill could increase the number of children in foster care and put a huge burden on the already strained Office of Public Assistance.

The money Vincent proposes taking away is Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and comes from a federal block grant. The program is meant to boost families out of poverty, Domitrovich said.

Families that qualify must have resources of less than $3,000 and not have a monthly income of more than $1,317 for a family of four. That family would be eligible for $709 a month. Adults can get payments for a maximum of 60 months in their lifetime.

Domitrovich warned the bill could put more children into the already overburdened foster care program because it would reduce parents ability to care for them. He also said local Offices of Public Assistance do not have the ability to share information on assistance eligibility with schools.

The bill also singles out families who receive assistance, which may be unconstitutional because it discriminates against people based on social conditions, Domitrovich said. It creates two classes of person.

Under past Superintendent Denise Juneau the state Office of Public Instruction had an Attendance Matters initiative, an cousin of the Graduation Matters program, that encouraged better attendance.

And while the state does not track overall truancy, it does look at the issue for schools that are a part of the Schools of Promise program.

Attendance rates at some schools, such as Pryor Elementary, increased from 63.7 percent to 88 percent from 2009 to 2014, but dropped at other schools in the program, with Plenty Coups High School going from 81 percent to 77 percent.
BILLINGS  U.S. House candidates Rob Quist and Greg Gianforte have differing approaches to Montanas coal economy, though neither advocates putting a stop to mining or burning the fossil fuel.

Both candidates tell Lee Montana Newspapers they will work to keep Montanas coal economy running, though Quist, a Democrat, and Republican Gianforte, split on whether President Donald Trumps recent actions to encourage coal development were beneficial.

In recent years, Montanas federal delegation has weighed in on federal coal pricing, establishing seaports for export coal sales and American Indian tribal rights to develop coal. Theyve also influenced federal climate change policy affecting how coal is mined and burned.

Quist, Gianforte and Libertarian Mark Wicks are vying to replace Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke as Montanas only Congressman. Zinke resigned last month after being appointed to his cabinet position. Absentee ballots for a special election will be mailed April 28. Voting ends May 25.

Montana has an opportunity to lead the nation in building an energy future that provides efficient and affordable energy sources, Quist said. And we need to support coal communities and keep good-paying jobs in our rural areas as the economy transitions.

Quist framed coals future in the context of developing natural resources responsibly, including investment in clean coal technology, while also developing energy from wind, solar, biomass and geothermal sources, all of which are currently small players in the Montana energy production.

Federally subsidized projects to capture carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants have been expensive, though large-scale projects havent materialized. But the science gets bipartisan support from coal state politicians.

Coal will continue to be a significant part of our nations energy portfolio and we must make the necessary investments in clean coal technology, Gianforte said. Its essential that America continue to lead the way in clean coal technology and that we dont cede leadership on this issue to other countries like China.

Climate change drives the debate on clean coal technology as coal-state lawmakers attempt to keep coal a part of the U.S. energy future. A majority of scientists have concluded that carbon dioxide released by fossil fuels contributes to the trapping of the suns heat within the earths environment, which warms the planet causing adverse climate change.

There's no doubt that climate change is real and affects Montana farmers and ranchers and our outdoor industry, Quist said. If we don't take action, this could have a serious impact on our farms, ranches, and our economy."

Gianforte does not think shutting down coal-fired power plants is a recipe that helps climate change.

The climate is always changing. The reality is, the U.S. could shut down every coal-fired plant in the country and global CO2 emissions would have a negligible impact, Gianforte said. Even President Obamas former EPA Administrator, Gina McCarthy, testified before Congress that U.S. action would have an insignificant impact on global CO2 emissions. It would be grossly irresponsible to eliminate over 7,000 Montana jobs and see little to no reduction in global carbon emissions.

The job loss Gianforte cites is from a University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research study of the consequences of shuttering Colstrip Power Plant. The estimate includes non-coal jobs lost as money from paychecks of power plant workers and miners stopped circulating in Montanas economy. Part of Colstrip is slated to shut down no later than 2022, as a result of a lawsuit settlement concerning Colstrip air pollution.

However, theres been a pivot in federal coal policy since Trump became president and Gianforte and other Republicans say coals prospects should improve.

Gianforte said Trumps repeal of a moratorium on new federal land coal leases should greatly benefit Montanas economy and workers.

New coal leasing was suspended in January 2016 by the Department of Interior, which contended the public wasnt getting a fair royalty price for its coal. The department estimated theres a 20-year coal supply available without new leases, enough to keep mines from being coal-starved while the federal government established a more equitable royalty rate, while also considering coal environmental impacts.

Opponents to the leasing ban had argued that the uncertainty surrounding future leases of government coal had a chilling effect on the U.S. coal industry.

Supporters of higher royalties argue that federal coal sales have been undervalued for years, costing the public $30 billion in profits as coal prices remained low.

Monday, Secretary of Interior Zinke, Montanas former at large U.S. representative, promised that federal royalties paid by coal companies would be more transparent to assure the public they were getting a fair royalty price.

Montana will now have the opportunity to develop and sell more of its coal resources. This will put more Montanans to work, generate additional tax revenues for our schools and communities, and provide a reliable and affordable energy source for Montana families, Gianforte said. It's more important to be transparent and ensure coal developers have the certainty they need and that rates don't make coal development uneconomical as its important for job creation, tax revenue, and economic growth.

Much of the debate around federal coal deals centered on Powder River Basin coal in Montana and Wyoming that was mined on federal land and sold to foreign buyers. Royalties were determined when the coal was sold at the mine, usually to a subsidiary of the company that mined the coal. But then the coal was shipped to seaports in the Pacific Northwest, where Obamas administration argued the coal was sold again at a much higher price. It was the higher seaport price that should have been used for setting royalties, Obamas Department of Interior argued.

Quist echoed the Obama administrations concerns about pricing, lumping domestic sales into the equation, also.

Congress must make sure taxpayers get a fair deal for leasing our natural resources for development, Quist said. Right now, multinational coal companies can get a sweetheart deal by selling coal to their own subsidiaries and paying low royalties -- before jacking up the prices by the time its turned into the energy that powers our homes. These are public resources mined from public lands and the public deserves our fair share.

There are costs associated with shipping the coal to seaport that increase the sales price of coal by the time its sold to foreign buyers, Gianforte said. That sale price does not reflect the real market value of the coal.
State lawmakers from southwest Montana expressed renewed optimism Tuesday that funding for a long-sought military veterans home in Butte will win approval this session.

But they suggested veterans groups in these parts lean on veterans in other House districts in hopes they will pressure more lawmakers  especially Republicans  to support the home as part of an overall infrastructure package.

We want our local veterans to call their veteran counterparts in districts where there may be some swing votes and have them contact their representatives, Senate Minority Leader Jon Sesso, D-Butte, said Tuesday.

A lawmaker from Sidney in northeastern Montana, Sesso said as an example, is going to pay a lot more attention to veterans in his home town than he would one calling or writing from Butte 500 miles away.

A veterans home in Butte has been talked about and pushed by Democrat lawmakers in Anaconda-Deer Lodge and Butte-Silver Bow counties since 2009 and is backed strongly by Republicans from Madison and Beaverhead counties as well.

Supporters secured $5 million in state funding several years ago and have been looking for another $10 million until federal money comes through. The project has been authorized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs but has ranked too low to get federal dollars.

Funding was included in a package that passed the Republican-controlled Senate in the 2015 session, but it fell short by one vote in the GOP-led House.

It was included in a $98 million bonding package approved by the Senate this session, but an initial House version would pay for only $33 million in projects  and they did not include the veterans home.

Rep. Jim Keane, D-Butte, was dismayed when he learned of the lean House proposal two weeks ago, saying it was lukewarm and milquetoast. He doubted then that House Democrats would support it because its not even worth it.

But a newer, $78 million proposal that includes the veterans home is before the House now, and although it fell just short of 67 votes needed to pass it last week, it is to be reconsidered in that chamber.

Rep. Ryan Lynch, D-Butte, said Tuesday it was a reasonable package that includes building projects and infrastructure for both rural and urban areas and there was an appetite to get something done by both parties.

Rep. Ray Shaw, R-Sheridan, said the southwest Montana delegation would stick together and do what is right and Keane, too, said he was optimistic funding for the home would emerge this session.

Like Sesso, Keane suggested supporters outside of the Legislature call representatives who are so far opposed to a larger bonding package that includes the veterans home.

All of us are already in, he said.
MUSCATINE  Lynn Pohren learned to love reading later in life. She did not excel in school and reading was not something she enjoyed.

But she found her inner bookworm years later when she read the Bible. She grew to love words and books of scripture so much that she became a bookstore owner.

It didnt work out so well the first time around.

She opened a Christian bookstore in downtown Muscatine in the 1980s, creating a space that would bring Christians together. But bills mounted and she could no longer afford to pay the rent or keep the lights on. After a four-year run, she closed the store.

It was a hard time for my family, we almost lost everything, she said.

So when she wanted to open a new Christian bookstore downtown in 2002, she was nervous to tell her husband and children about it. But the urge was too strong to ignore.

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were still fresh in people's minds, and Pohren wanted to create a loving, welcoming space again. She prayed, asking God if it was the right time.

It was.

Pohren, who always loved lighthouses, named the store Beacon of Hope Christian Bookstore. Fifteen years later, it is still in business.

It hasnt been easy. Amazon and other online bookstores hurt her sales, and mall traffic isnt what it used to be.

Ive looked at the checkbook with $50 (in it) thinking, Lord, where are we going with this? she said.

But Pohren persists, because her store, as she sees it, is more about community than the bottom line. In her store, customers  often women  feel free to ask questions, talk about hardships and share joys. Pohren listens and recommends books that would help them cope with death, divorce and other life crises. And then she prays for them.

Some customers, she said, come to buy a gift for a religious aunt, and take their first steps back to faith because the crosses and books in the store remind them of their roots.

A lot of people can relate to a symbol if they are struggling, she said. A cross can make them think of Jesus.

Having survived in a particularly challenging market, including a prolonged recession, when other Christian bookstores have not, means a lot to her.

It blows my mind, really, she said.

Coming to the store every morning, in good times and bad, Pohren said, is an act of faith.

Gods called (me) to stay even if its hard, so (Ill quit) when I hear Youre done, daughter and that can be even tomorrow  but in my life I try to listen to what He tells me to do, she said.
It was half past noon Monday when Chuck Grassley, the genial chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked for a show of hands: Did senators debating the Neil Gorsuch nomination to the Supreme Court want to break for lunch?

Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., interjected with a parliamentary inquiry: "Could the majority cater this lunch?"

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, spoke in the affirmative: "I vote for plowing right through, Mr. Chairman."

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., gave the proposition bipartisan support.

The Republican chairman was flummoxed. "Actually the people who wanted to adjourn for half an hour had the most votes," he reported. The committee dissolved into confusion and side conversations.

Observed Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the panel: "We can't even agree on lunch."

These are indeed grim times for the committee -- which approved Gorsuch's nomination on a party-line vote Monday -- and for the Senate, for Washington and for America. This week, the problems are going to get noticeably worse.

The government has in many ways ceased to function, because of a cycle of partisan rancor and retaliation culminating in the ascent of Donald Trump. Now Democrats, justifiably furious that Republicans essentially stole a Supreme Court seat by refusing for nearly a year to consider President Barack Obama's nominee, are threatening to block President Trump's nominee. And Republicans are threatening to respond with worse -- abolishing the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees (and before long, most likely everything else). That "nuclear option" would destroy what's left of the Senate as a deliberative body, eliminating a staple of American democracy that has existed in some form since 1789 to forge consensus.

"The damage done to the Senate is going to be real," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told his colleagues Monday, saying it would undermine "the traditions that have been in existence for 200 years." Judges are going to be more ideological, presidents will be able to appoint justices only when their party controls the Senate, and every Senate election will be a "referendum" on the court, he said.

Graham, a frequent Trump critic and the rare Republican who voted for both of Obama's Supreme Court nominees, found culpability on both sides. "We can all look in a mirror, find some blame," he said -- and he's right. Though Republicans' conversion into a far-right, anti-government party is responsible for most current dysfunction, the Democrats opened the door to ending the filibuster, changing the chamber's rules in 2013 to abolish filibusters for lower court appointments.

I wrote at the time that Democrats eventually would "deeply regret what they have done." True, GOP obstruction had been intolerable: Half of the filibusters of executive and judicial nominations in the nation's history up to that point had occurred during the Obama presidency. But, predictably, chipping away at the filibuster -- an institution that has existed in some form since the founding -- now haunts Democrats.

Worse, there seems to be no solution, no talk of a compromise that might, say, let Gorsuch through with a majority vote but restore the 60-vote threshold if Trump gets the chance to replace a liberal justice. During four hours of statements before Monday's vote, the bickering judiciary-panel members generally agreed on only one thing: They are about to do something very bad.

"I wish," said Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, an anti-Trump Republican, "that we would instead change the behavior of senators rather than change the rules of the Senate."

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., noting that his 42 years in the chamber made him dean of the Senate, lamented that "I cannot vote solely to protect an institution," because "the Senate I would be defending no longer exists."

And Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., offered an emotional appeal to all combatants. "The reality we are in requires us  to consider what both Republicans and Democrats have done to erode the trust that has long lasted between us and consider whether we can stop the undeniable momentum toward abolishing the traditions that make the Senate unique and important."

But can they? Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the body and a 20-year veteran, didn't sound hopeful. "It breaks my heart to find us in this position," he said, recalling "what it used to be like" and "the pride we took" in the Senate. "Senate traditions will change this week. In honesty they started changing a long time ago. I hope, I just hope, at the end of the day we can resurrect what this institution was all about."
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 []
In the face of overwhelming evidence, hundreds of Kenyans have come out on social media in support of the conman bishop David Ngari, better known as Gakuyo. There was even an I Stand With Gakuyo protest in Thika town yesterday.

KTNs investigative reporter Dennis Onsarigo investigated the scam that is Gakuyo and Ezeka real estate saccos, which Ngari owns.

Basically, Gakuyo promised members 2 and 3 bedroom houses with no initial deposit. You can look at it as a mortgage arrangement where members of the sacco would repay a certain amount for periods of more than 10 years. Only later were they told that they would pay between Sh50,000 and Sh60,000 a month so as to own the houses after more than a decade. Never mind that most of those who were lured to take up the deal dont see anywhere close to that in a month.

However, each interested person was required to show commitment by paying a small registration fee of Sh20,000. In a phone interview with Onsarigo, Gakuyo himself stated that this money was a registration fee and not a deposit guaranteeing that the house will be built.

Watch The Lead: The Vicious Sacco with Dennis Onsarigo

Thousands registered and Gakuyo collected more than Sh300 million.

The first lot of members were to receive their house keys last month, after waiting for more than a year. However after being taken on a site visit, the land is was as dry as a desert with no hint that construction will start soon. Kiambu and Machakos county governments confirmed that not a single plan has been submitted by the two saccos for approval.

In typical conman fashion, Gakuyo has come up with a series of excuses. A South African investor pulled out.. Sh20,000 is no longer enough Were waiting for a machine from Italy Kiambu and Machakos county governments have not approved our building plans My political enemies have ganged up.. etc.

Meanwhile, Gakuyo is said to have recently bought a chopper for use in his campaign. (He was interested in the Kiambu governor seat but has since joined Babayaos camp with rumours that hell be made the lands secretary in Babayaos cabinet).

From the confessions of an employee at Ezeka, the sacco has no financial systems, and uses Excel spreadsheets to keep records.

In this age of digital processes, depositors of Gakuyo and Ezeka are issued with a passbook where financial records are manually inputted.

Those who have requested their money back are required to return the original passbook and all receipts they have been issued, and then wait for 60 days for their money to be returned.

If this is not confiscation of evidence, I dont know what is. Like with every scam, the first might get their cash, but when the whole thing collapses too bad.

Bishop Ngari is all over Kiambu county with Waititu Babayao blaming Kabogo for his woes. The funny thing is some people commenting on social media believe this narrative and still trust Gakuyo Real Estate to deliver the houses. If you know any, please break the news to them that their money is gone.

Apart from his newly acquired chopper, Gakuyo is said to have bought a new house in one of Nairobis leafy suburbs. Robert Alai posted this video showing Gakuyos daughter showing off the new property on social media. (Her instagram page appears to have been deleted).

Well, heres one house Gakuyo truly delivered.
Nominated Senator Elizabeth Ongoro has defected from the Orange Democratic Party citing frustration from the opposition party.

Ongoros decision comes a day after 400 aspirants were handed direct tickets to contest in the August General Election.

She was barred from contesting for Ruaraka parliamentary seat in an apparent disciplinary action after her supporters clashed with those of area MP TJ Kajwang in Mathare last month, leaving two people dead.

According to sources, Ongoro turned down offers to vie for woman representative or senator.

She accused ODM of denying her the chance to exercise her democratic right to seek the Ruaraka MP seat.

The legislator is expected to announce her new party under which she will vie for MP.

She will reportedly join a party in the National Super Alliance.

On twitter, she was a trending topic as users shared their reactions to the news expected to deal ODM a big blow as her mobilisation skills had turned her into an asset for the party.

Some twitter reactions:

How Elizabeth Ongoro is regretting taking all that teargas for Babus sycophancy. I have a feeling Joho is next pic.twitter.com/xcJbX3ZvlX  El-Gringo (@davitorreto) April 4, 2017

Elizabeth ongoro ditching Odm is not a problem.The problem is,where will she go to??Nobody ditches baba and survive politically  Oscar pentium (@Oscarpentium) April 4, 2017

Elizabeth Ongoro is a kind of woman who packs her belongings when her husband farts in the blanket only to regret later. Who cooked???  Kenyan in Diaspora (@AmbroseSir) April 4, 2017

Elizabeth Ongoro ditching @TheODMparty for another party joins the political dustbin that Ababu, Balala were thrown to. They wont survive  Agot Bonface (@agot_bonface) April 4, 2017

Elizabeth Ongoro defects from ODM. I officially declare the silly season open..  Boore Duncan (@BooreDuncan) April 4, 2017

Elizabeth Ongoro alikula teargas pia, she met a requirement for one to be issued with direct ODM nominationwhy? pic.twitter.com/ytzGSNAdd6  THE SEASON (@castrofy26) April 4, 2017

Elizabeth Ongoro defecting from ODM not asuprise,she has dug her own political grave,Tupatane 2022.  Yuvencius Onyisi (@Yonsinyo) April 4, 2017

@KTNKenya Elizabeth Ongoro has always remained loyal to ODM, why missed direct nomination????  Kennedy Otieno (@kenotieno426) April 4, 2017

Elizabeth Ongoro ODM doesnt like this woman..Frustrated in 2013 in her senatorial bid again in 2017 in her parliamentary bid.  MT.KENYA SPONSOR (@Kiki_raze) April 4, 2017

How Elizabeth Ongoro has fought for Raila on diff fronts & the pain of realizing u r not among his chosen few in ODM pic.twitter.com/9qZx5vDw8E  BenA  (@Bawse17) April 4, 2017

Sad if ODM could frustrate the ambitions of a diehard Baba supporter like Elizabeth Ongoro.

Did i ever see her shed tears on tv? pic.twitter.com/da88B4oaFn  Sam (@wagurasam) April 4, 2017

Elizabeth Ongoro ditches NASA and Oh D Minus and I be like pic.twitter.com/zvoiJyxW9k  Lennox Abiolah (@Lennox_Abiolah) April 4, 2017

Elizabeth Ongoro has finally opened her eyes. She has been frustrated by internal party favorism in ODM party pic.twitter.com/jYJGhjoJfE  KIPLETING MANUUELA (@MarketerManuela) April 4, 2017

Elizabeth Ongoro Baba should have just said chama ina wenyewe hao wegine ni tenants!  Hadlee (@hadleekirio) April 4, 2017
A police officer on Monday night accidentally shot himself and a suspect he had arrested in Nairobis Kayole estate.

The law enforcer and his two colleagues had arrested a group of suspects and were in a police vehicle when the officers gun went off.

The officer and suspect were both hit on the legs and rushed to Mama Lucy hospital.

The officer is still admitted but the suspect was treated and discharged, Area OCPD Joseph Gichangi said.

Elsewhere, a policeman attached to Sambojo police post in Bungoma shot himself dead in his house on Sunday night under unclear circumstances.

Bernard Irungu reportedly shot himself in the head at around 8pm after he was assigned night duty.

Confirming the incident, Mt Elgon OCPD Peterson Gitaga said Irungu was to go for regular police patrols with other officers.

He excused himself, went to his house and we heard a gunshot ten minutes later, he said.

When other officers sought to find out what happened, they found him lying in a pool of blood on his bed.

The police boss said Mr Irungu lived alone at the station while his family resides in Central.

His body was taken to Kaptora mortuary as we continue with investigations on why he decided to take his own life, Gitaga said.

Gitaga described the officer as a humble person who loved his job.
Are you running a business from home?

Got insurance for that?

There are more than 3 million businesses in California. According to the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, 52 percent of them are home-based businesses.

Thats well over a million home-based businesses!

So, its likely that many of my readers in Napa Valley are running a business from home, or you know someone who is. And thats what makes my topic this week so important.

The tale of Awesome Adam and the Trippy-Toes customer

Adam just opened a small engine repair shop called Awesome Adams Repair Shop. And Adam is truly awesome. He can fix just about anything, and hes a nice guy too. (Plus, hes fictional and bears no resemblance to any living person.)

Adam always wanted to run a business out of his home. First, he contacted the city before opening his business and obtained all the proper zoning and licensing. (Good job, Adam!)

Then he also made sure that his licensing with the state was in order. Awesome Adam knows that you cant be too careful.

Oh, and insurance?

Yes, Adam believes in good insurance. So, he will call his agent later and take care of that. Besides, he has homeowners coverage  that should be good enough for now, right?

He hung out his sign in his front yard, and waited for his first customers.

Unfortunately, Adams first customer was Trippy-Toes. (Hes also fictional.)

Trippy-Toes drove up Adams driveway and around to the side door of the shop. He got out of the car holding three weed-whackers, two leaf blowers, and a partly disassembled lawn mower engine. He was overloaded and distracted.

As he stumbled up the driveway, he failed to see the large crack in the pavement that Adam had been meaning to fix. (Even fix-it men have things that need fixing.)

Trippy-Toes tripped.

He fell hard, and broke several things on his body. He was in the hospital for two weeks.

Trippy-Toes sued. Adams homeowners insurance denied this business-related claim. Suddenly, Awesome Adam wasnt feeling so awesome.

What every home-based business needs right now.

If you operate a business out of your home, you almost certainly need more than your standard homeowners insurance coverage. Yet many small business owners arent aware of this.

Why do you need additional coverage?

First, most standard homeowners policies do not provide any business-related liability protection when a business owner has more than the occasional customer or delivery-person coming to their door.

What is occasional?

The insurance company decides this, usually after a claim is filed. You dont want to be in the situation where the insurance company is deciding the answer to that after someone is hurt.

If you have customers coming to your door, you need additional coverage.

Second, most standard homeowners policies provide very little coverage for business equipment or tools. Typically, its $2,500 or less. In a situation like Awesome Adams, the homeowner/business owner can have thousands of dollars of tools and equipment that might not be covered.

Finally, some home-based businesses are specifically excluded from homeowners policies. This includes any food-based businesses, personal care products, and others.

My advice:

If you have a home-based business, talk to a local agent who is experienced in these matters. You most likely will need at least an endorsement to your current homeowners policy. Often, that can be enough. Or, you may need a separate Business Owners Policy. See my previous column on that topic.

You might be surprised to find out just how affordable and simple it can be.
Inspired by the whimsical sounding National Hug a Newsperson Day, Gayle Keller-Dierkhising hosted a reception Monday at Hydro Grill and encouraged the city to proclaim April 4 a Day of Appreciation for Free Speech in Journalism at Tuesdays city council meeting.

Its time to recognize and publicly appreciate the daily efforts of journalists and newspersons in our community and around the country, who simply report the news, inform the public and detail potential outcomes of an action or policy, Keller-Dierkhising wrote in a letter to the editor (Observe Hug a Newsperson Day, March 23).

Keller-Dierkhising co-owns with her husband Alex Dierkhising All Seasons Bistro and Hydro Grill, where a reception was held to honor the work of journalists. A handful of local journalists, including retired photojournalist Chick Harrity and his wife Yvonne Henry and former San Francisco Chronicle reporter Jack Rannells, were joined by a dozen or so community members who came to hug a newsperson.

Journalists were given playful nametags to wear that earned them a free drink at the bar. The womens tags read, I didnt go into journalism for money or fame, and the mens tags instructed huggers to keep it short because they are on deadline.

At Tuesdays council meeting Mayor Chris Canning presented a signed copy of the proclamation to both The Weekly Calistogan and the Calistoga Tribune. In part it read, Whereas the guaranteed right of freedom of the press is as important a component of society in small, rural communities as it is in our major metropolitan areas; and  National Hug a Newsperson Day is an annual, non-partisan, commemorative event, taking place on the 4th of April to celebrate and to raise awareness of the importance and inviolability of free speech and a free press in the United States, thereby furthering the vision of our Founding Fathers.

Canning added, The level of discourse we have between local electeds and our local papers is seriously different than whats happening at the national level.
Dubbed Sarafornia: The Arts of Calistoga, Calistogas four-day weekend kick-off to the countywide month-long Arts in April celebration was a feast for the senses.

During a proclamation declaring April as Arts in April Month at Tuesdays City Council meeting, Mayor Chris Canning said, You did Calistoga well. You did Calistoga proud. It was outstanding, referring to Calistogas feature portion of the month-long event that took place last weekend.

Expertly and creatively designed floral arrangements tickled olfactory senses with aromas of carnation, rose, iris, hydrangea, lily, almost a flower shop that filled the barn at T-Vine Winery from March 30 to April 2 where the inaugural Flower Bomb show displayed art both by local artists and well-known public domain art that was used as inspiration for the floral designs.

Tenae Stewart, events and membership coordinator for the Calistoga Chamber of Commerce, called on her arts history background and worked with colleague and friend Danielle Smith, producer of Arts in April, to develop the free Flower Bomb show, which is based on the Bouquets to Art program at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.

A call went out to local artists to submit paintings for the show that floral designers would study and draw inspiration from to create a floral arrangement that would be their response to the art.

From the public domain, Stewart selected other works of art that had a composition she believed would be easy to work with for a floral designer. She has a personal connection to floral design through her mother, Tina Chiotti-Stewart of Calistoga in Bloom, who designed an arrangement filled with monochromatic orange-colored blossoms that beautifully complemented Sir Fredrick Leightons 1895 Flaming June.

In another example, Tenae Stewart chose Aaron Douglass 1936 painting Aspiration that Calistoga floral designer Erica Grube of EV Floral used as her inspiration to create an arrangement with gradations of violet, purple, lavender, pink and burgundy colors that evoke the same light and shadows as the famous painting.

Barbara Frohlech, a student in Santa Rosa Junior Colleges floral design program, created her own piece of art with her response to Calistoga artist Karen Lynn Ingallss Big Red Heart when Frohlech built a structure to represent the mandap, a canopy-like structure used in Hindu wedding ceremonies.

Ingalls said she was thrilled with Frohlechs gorgeous, thoughtful and creative response to her painting.

She took it to a whole new level, Ingalls said. My colors reminded her of an Indian wedding. I loved her pieces colors, its creativity, its sacredness  it almost felt like an altar. And it was definitely all about love.

Brightly colored carnations, mums and other flowers created an almost curtain-like backdrop and canopy above an elephant snow globe in the center. Elephants are part of almost every Hindu wedding, Frohlech said, and she wanted to be sure to include an elephant in her design. Small incense cups placed at the corners of the frame held flower petals representing incense that would burn during a wedding.

Metallic elements such as the wire used to hold the flowers that draped off the frame and a bowl at the base that held more flowers picked up the silvery edge that surrounded the big red heart in Ingalls painting, noted Carlene Moore, CEO of the Napa County Fairgrounds and a member of Arts Council Napa Valley.

The Flower Bomb was an event best experienced in person, Moore said, because all the elements  the paintings, floral displays, aromas of the flowers, food, wine and people  were all under one roof, and photos and descriptions of such an event just cant do justice to it.

That was Thursday night. Friday night was all about the ENGAGE Preview Party: Let the Party Pop! avant garde affair at the Fairgrounds.

The utilitarian Tubbs Building was transformed into an art gallery where on Friday night guests were encouraged to dress in white to become part of the canvas. A variety of passed hors doeuvres created by Solbar and its new Executive Chef Massimo Falsini were served along with a Napa Valley selection of wines offered by such wineries as Jessup Cellars, Haute Couture French Bubbles, and Define rose, among others, as artists demonstrated their work.

Ingalls interacted with visitors throughout the weekend as did a number of other artists, including Vincent Thomas Connors and Daniel Hua, who paused their work to answer questions about such things as their style, influences or techniques.

Connors had prints of work that demonstrated his evolution from landscape to linear, and share the story of how his path led from painting rolling hills to the lines of vineyards.

The free art gallery included paintings, jewelry, sculpture, live music and more.

Arts in April continues throughout the month with more free art shows and other events. Visit ArtsCouncilNapaValley.org for a full list.
Mindful of the citys diverse population, American Canyon leaders Tuesday night proclaimed their support for immigrants and their importance to the community.

The City Council adopted a Community Statement on Immigration that mirrored a similar proclamation endorsed by the Napa County Board of Supervisors on March 21. Mayors of American Canyon, Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga attended that board meeting and promised to bring the written declaration to their respective councils for consideration.

Mayor Leon Garcia, the son of an immigrant and whose wife emigrated from the Philippines, said at the board meeting: This is an important issue for all of us.

Garcia mentioned that American Canyon experienced an ugly incident of hate mail in 2013 targeting the citys Filipino community. He said American Canyons response was to post yard signs reading: We [heart] everyone in American Canyon.

On Tuesday, Garcia held up a newly reissued version of the same yard sign at the City Council meeting.

Today is the relaunching of the We heart everyone in American Canyon, said Garcia. Its a statement about how we feel about our community.

City Manager Dana Shigley said the new signs are available for residents to pick up at City Hall, the Parks and Recreation Office, and the Public Safety Building.

As for the proclamation, Garcia said its words were relevant for many in American Canyon, a city known for its many ethnic groups and cultures.

We not only celebrate diversity in American Canyon, the mayor said, we live it. Its who our neighbors are. Its who we hang out with.

Many of us here share that immigrant history at some point in our families time, he said.

The Community Statement on Immigration reads: We aspire to be a model for inclusion and equity for all populations, including immigrants, refugees, and other newcomers, and are committed to supporting the ongoing inclusion and long-term economic and social integration of newcomers, and to demonstrate values of unity and acceptance.

The proclamation noted the contributions of immigrants to the local economy, as well as their strength in numbers.

It cited statistics from a 2012 report by the Migration Policy Institute that showed 23 percent of Napa Countys population was comprised of foreign-born residents.

These individuals collectively account for over $1 billion of the regions Gross Domestic Product each year, according to the proclamation.

In light of the anti-immigration policies and rhetoric of the Trump administration, the community statement further said, The building of a welcoming community is fundamental to a vibrant and inclusive Napa County. We want to assure immigrants, refugees, and other newcomers opportunities for empowerment, civic engagement, safety, and freedom from discrimination, oppression and violence.

It is important, it went on to say, for our leadership to make a statement of support to the immigrant community and for our county to be a place of trust and safety for immigrants who live and work in our communities.

Supervisor Belia Ramos, who represents American Canyon, supported the proclamation at the March 21 Board of Supervisors meeting.

She said the U.S. and the Napa Valley provided her father, a farm worker from Mexico, with an opportunity to build a life here that could not have existed anywhere else.

Ramos also pointed out that she now sits at the top of county leadership because of the hard work and contributions of immigrants like her father. In fact, Ramos is now at the very top of the Board of Supervisors, having been elected its chair on Tuesday.

In an email to the American Canyon Eagle Tuesday evening, Ramos said the proclamation recites the values and policies of the county when it comes to this issue of immigration.

As the daughter of an immigrant and a resident of Napa Countys most diverse city, I am committed to upholding the rights of all residents and to treat all people with dignity, Ramos wrote. This proclamation says just that. I am proud the county and cities have come together on this issue.
Kick up your heels on May 5

The American Canyon High School Alpha Wolf Club will host a night of fun, food and dancing as part of Cinco de Mayo on May 5. The event, dubbed Kick Up Your Heels for Education, will begin at 7 p.m and take place in the American Canyon Community Gym, 100 Benton Way.

The event will include a silent auction with prizes that include wine experiences and excursions, plus graduation seating and parking. Proceeds from the event will go to the Alpha Wolf Club. Tickets are $25 per person, and can be purchased online at https://squareup.com/store/achs-alliance-alpha-wolf-club.

The Hubs upcoming events

April at The Hub, located at 350 Georgia St. in Vallejo, will feature a variety of activities, which are held at The Hub unless otherwise noted. Call The Hub at 707-561-6514 for more information or to register (advanced registration highly recommended) for the following:

April 8, 15, 22, 29, 9-12 p.m. Hula Hoop Exercise Class. Join the community for a morning of hula hooping. Hoops available for purchase. Free admission. All ages and talents welcome. Learn to Hula Hoop.

April 15, 12-4 p.m. Fantasy Role Playing Games. Join us for an afternoon of adventure. Whether you have tried RPGs before or not, you are welcome to give our games a try. We will be playing characters and exploring an imaginary world, complete with challenges, happenings, learning and progress. We will have pregenerated characters from which you can choose, or you can contact nathanstout@sonic.net, to meet an hour or two earlier on game day to make your own personal character.

April 6, 20, 8-11 p.m. Dance Tribe hosted by Tymn Lyons. Dance Tribe is a conscious/ecstatic dance inspired by nature-centered wisdom traditions. Groove to live DJ music woven with live improvisational music and drums and inspiring rhythms of world beat, tribal, soul, funk, deep house, ambient and more. Family friendly, clean & sober event, and a Dogma Free Zone. For more information and tickets: www.dancetribe.org. Fee: $5 to $15, no one turned away. Doors open at 7:30 pm.

April 9, 12-5 p.m. Second of three clay sculpting class. This class will concentrate on fine tuning the sculpture and making a mold of silicone rubber so you can reproduce many sculptures perfectly. Fee: $20 (12 yrs to adults). Materials fee: $30 per project. Limited to four.

April 13, 27, 7:30-9 p.m. Poetry by the Bay at The Hub. Come read, listen and share poetry. Free admission. Donations accepted.

April 14, 6-10 p.m. Art Walk at The Hub, part of the monthly Art Walk. Additional artists set up in the center of The Hub. Come shop the boutique, gallery and invited artisans. Free admission. All ages welcome. The monthly Art Walk is a community wide art event. This Friday the theme is Steampunk. Artisians wanting to rent a table or space outside, contact SherryMoyse@comcast.net.

April 15, 2-4 p.m. Hub CAP (Community Art Party). Come, create, and take home a project designed by you. Join members of your community for an afternoon of creative fun. This event is available to youth and adults, all skill levels. Free. Donation appreciated. Materials provided.

April 19, 6-9 p.m. Figure Drawing/Painting Session. Figure will be clothed for this session. All skill levels welcome. Fee: $20. Bring your own supplies & easel. Limited to 30.

April 23, 12-5 p.m. Third of three clay sculpting class. This class will concentrate on mold making lessons as you will create a support or (mother) mold to lock the silicon rubber mold into position. You will then cast a reproduction in plaster. Fee: $20 (12 yrs to adults). Materials fee: $30 per project. Limited to 4.
Using remote cameras to track the health of wildlife populations within its preserve network provides more than just scientific insight to Land Trust of Napa County. Sometimes it can provide a smile.

One of my favorite shots is of a mountain lion lounging by a creek, said Erin Erickson of the Land Trust. Hes got a big Garfield grin while soaking up the sun.

Data for this large-scale project comes from a grid of 20 motion-activated cameras deployed across nearly 5,000 acres in northern Napa County. Using an internationally recognized scientific protocol referred to as the Wildlife Picture Index (WPI), the Land Trust hopes to learn more about the animals that are out there.

This projects marks the Land Trusts first effort to get good baseline information on wildlife species within its preserves, and it will allow us to monitor wildlife abundance and diversity over longer time periods, said Mike Palladini, stewardship program manager.

Weve done a lot of good work documenting and tracking our botanical resources, but we know far less about what wildlife we have and how those species are doing.

The cameras, installed just over half a mile apart, will take a burst of pictures at five-second intervals when triggered, capturing photos of wildlife species as they move through these protected habitats.

Volunteers and staff retrieve photos from the cameras periodically. Once all the photos are downloaded and key data is logged, a statistical analysis of those pictures provides valuable information on not only which animals are out there, but how abundant they are and how that changes seasonally and annually.

The project is already yielding good data on a diverse array of mammal species, from large animals like black bear and puma, to mid-sized species like bobcat and gray fox, on down to little guys like Sonoma chipmunk and dusky-footed woodrat, Palladini said.

The project will help to inform preserve management strategies, and can also be utilized with other WPI projects across the region to assist with collaborative conservation efforts. Other organizations that have installed WPI camera arrays across the North Bay include Pepperwood Preserve, Audubon Canyon Ranch, Sonoma Land Trust, Sonoma County Agriculture Preservation and Open Space District, Tamalpais Land Collaborative and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

By placing the Land Trust data in greater context, we can see connectedness and how healthy overall our ecosystem is, said Susan Townsend, a consulting wildlife ecologist on the project.

To see a full gallery of wildlife photos from the project, along with updates as it progresses, visit the Land Trust website at https://www.napalandtrust.org/protecting-land/land-stewardship/wildlife-picture-index-project/
Hi. My name is Michael and I am married to a serious genealogist. I remember, years ago, asking my wife Mary how she would know when she was done assembling her genealogy. Thats easy, she said. Youre never done. I thought that was a glib answer to a serious question but now 40 years later I realize she spoke the truth and shes delighted that its never done. The search goes on.

As a person only marginally interested in genealogy, I may be able to provide some perspective on this all-consuming passion for family history research.

Ten years ago on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of my high school graduation, we drove to St. Louis for the reunion festivities and to make contact with the few cousins who still live in the area.

We then took six weeks to drive back to California, following, more or less, the route Marys mother and family traveled in the teens and twenties in their migration westward. Marys mother kept a journal and later wrote an account of those years, including a great deal of detail about the persons, places and things they encountered.

We visited almost every location mentioned in the journal and searched for houses, churches, and schools. We were able to find many of the specific locations and take photos.

In addition, we visited county courthouses and record offices and cemeteries. Given a few names to look for, I became quite good at walking cemetery rows and finding grave markers.

Many of the courthouses had security concerns so I would find a comfortable bench outside to sit and wait. Most courthouses, especially in the smaller towns, provided benches on the town square for loafers like me to sit and observe the passing parade. I have a battery-powered word processor to record my observations, books to read, blank paper for notes  all I need to happily pass the time.

All the while, Mary was indoors searching through records of vital statistics, property records, and city directories looking for traces of her family. In some cases they were in a particular location too short a time to have left a trail, but in others there were definite signs and hints to why they had moved on.

Libraries are another research information resource and very friendly to the non-researcher. I spent many pleasant hours in libraries reading my books or theirs and seeing how the people of the town went about the business of living there.

Often hours spent in searching come to nothing but sometimes there is a major prize to be had. In one small museum in Kansas in a town where the family lived for only a year, Mary discovered a class photo showing her mother in junior high school. Mary was able to take a photo of the photo for her records and give the museum some corrections to the information on the caption.

We have made many voyages of family history discovery around the United States and to England and the Azores. I enjoy it all in the unstructured time it allows us together. I still honestly confess that I do not care about genealogy but I can make myself useful to one who does.

And what sort of person loves the research process? I can only offer one example, but Im sure she is not unique in tell-tale characteristics. Mary is a puzzle person. As a reward for finishing a project shell happily sit down with a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. And for dessert shell look in the back of a magazine for a word puzzle to solve.

And when she hits a dead end on researching a particular family line shell switch to a different branch for a while or just help someone else with their research. Its the thrill of the chase as much as the results that are exciting.

As a genealogists spouse I look forward to more of the same, a trip east in May and perhaps another visit to the family history mecca in Salt Lake City. The secret to happiness, I have found, is being able to make a good time out of the simplest raw materials at hand. Being the tag-along spouse provides all the materials I need to be happy and satisfied, and thats my confession.
Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro predicted Tuesday that the investigations into President Donald Trump's campaign's ties to Russia would lead to imprisonment for some of the key players.

"I wouldn't be surprised after all of this is said and done that some people end up in jail," Castro told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room."

No hard evidence has been produced demonstrating that Trump or his associates colluded with Russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, though the FBI has told Congress at a public hearing that the agency is investigating Trumps' campaign as part of its probe into Russia's interference with the US election last year. Castro did not offer any proof beyond his suspicion.

Castro reaffirmed that it was his "impression" that it would be multiple "people" -- not one person -- who would end up in jail. Asked to elaborate, Castro declined.

"I wish I could, but I can't at this time," Castro, a member of the House intelligence committee, said. "My impression is that people will probably be charged, and I think that people will probably go to jail."
ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- Unmasking is the word of the week inside Washington, D.C.



What's in question is whether former national security adviser Susan Rice did anything wrong in asking for the names of associates of President Donald Trump to be revealed in classified intelligence reports regarding surveillance of foreign citizens.



Allies of Trump are suggesting that her actions prove Trump's unsubstantiated claims from a month ago that he was wiretapped at Trump Tower by the Obama administration.



Trump himself said Wednesday that he believes Rice may have committed a crime. I think its going to be the biggest story, Trump told The New York Times. Its such an important story for our country and the world. It is one of the big stories of our time. The president did not offer any evidence for his claims.



But Rice staunchly denies any allegations of wrongdoing. On Tuesday, she told MSNBC that it's "absolutely false" that she or any other Obama administration officials unmasked names of Trump's presidential campaign and transition team members for political purposes. "I leaked nothing to nobody," she said. On Wednesday, she said of Trump's comments, "I'm not going to dignify the president's ludicrous charge with a comment."



Nevertheless, Rice, who has a history of being a controversial figure within the Obama administration, was involved in examining intelligence related to individuals affiliated with Trump's campaign and transition team, and her actions are being heavily scrutinized.



Here's what we know:



What is unmasking?



Unmasking is a term used by the intelligence community to describe the process of unveiling the identity of a U.S. person who appears in a classified foreign intelligence report. The law requires that identities of U.S. persons picked up or mentioned during the course of foreign surveillance be masked; that is, that they be shielded from people reading the reports.



However, there are 20 high-ranking officials within the U.S. government who have to power to approve requests to reveal those identities if they deem that information is necessary to understanding the value of the intelligence. That process is called "unmasking," and Rice had the authority to do so while serving as national security adviser.



When a name is unmasked it is only provided to the official who requested it, and therefore unmasking is not equivalent to leaking the name.



Trump's original claims



Much of this story goes back to a series of Saturday morning tweets from President Trump on March 4, when he said that the Obama White House wiretapped him at Trump Tower during the campaign. FBI Director James Comey and the director of the National Security Agency, Mike Rogers, have since said they have seen no evidence to back up Trump's allegations.



A source close to the matter told ABC News that Trump had no knowledge of the unmasking when he wrote those tweets.



The White House never explained exactly why Trump tweeted what he did, but right-leaning news reports making that claim were brought to Trump's attention at the time, as previously reported by ABC News.



What did Rice do?



Rice publicly admitted Tuesday that she engaged in unmasking Trump officials late in President Barack Obama's term, but insisted it was not politically motivated as her detractors have suggested. She called the unmasking process routine and said she only did it when it pertained to matters of national security.



Rice did not detail which Trump officials she unmasked or why, but current and former U.S. officials have told ABC News it happened on a number of occasions. In many instances, one official said, she did it to understand, per Obama's request, how far Russian meddling in the presidential election had gone and whether or not there was any possible collusion with Trump officials.



Rice alluded to that Russia probe in her interview, saying it was of "grave concern." Ultimately, she said no evidence of collusion between Russian officials and Trump associates was found, and that finding was shared by the intelligence community in a report at the end of Obama's term.



However, the probe into Russia's interference in the election is ongoing and the subject of two congressional investigations.



A source also told ABC News that on one occasion Rice requested the unmasking of Trump transition officials in a foreign intelligence report that had nothing to do with Russia.



Nunes' controversial announcement



Rep. Devin Nunes, R-California, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, caused a firestorm last month when he held a press conference in which he indicated that members of the Trump transition team, and possibly the president, were incidentally surveilled in a way that could be improper.



The press conference came after Nunes reviewed classified documents that he says he got from a secret source. Nunes has provided limited details about the information he obtained, but said there are "dozens of reports" showing that "incidentally collected information about U.S. citizens involved in the Trump transition" was gathered during the course of "normal foreign surveillance."



Nunes first viewed the documents on White House grounds a day before briefing the president, creating an air of suspicion that he was doing the White House's bidding. Nunes has denied acting on behalf of the White House.



It was Nunes who first raised the unmasking allegations, saying that some names were unmasked in the documents he reviewed. Nunes later clarified that "for the most part" the names were not revealed, but "it was pretty clear who they were talking about," he told CNN in late March. Nunes has since said he was unsure whether associates of Trump participated in the intercepted communications or whether those persons were simply mentioned or referred to by others.



Nunes was heavily criticized for making the announcement to the press and briefing the White House before he shared the information with the rest of the intelligence committee. Weeks after that press conference, only Nunes' Democratic counterpart, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, has seen those documents and they have still not been shared with the full committee.



Nunes has apologized for the way he presented his information, but that hasn't stopped Democratic and Republican leaders alike from questioning his ability to oversee a fair investigation of the Russia matter. Nunes has said he will not step down from his position as chair of the House Intelligence Committee.



Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
The 2300 block of Bueno Street was quiet on Wednesday afternoon, just 24 hours after one of its residents was shot dead by law enforcement. Th
The Native Sons Hall was a busy spot again last Saturday as 200 diners from all over the Bay Area arrived to support the California Cadet Academy and enjoy the organizations 11th Annual Lobster Feed and Auction. There was beer, wine, live and silent auctions, door prizes, a raffle, and, of course, lobster.

But during the feed there was a second story: a story about the dedication and commitment of individuals and organizations that support this small and essential local nonprofit.

The California Cadet Academy (CCA) provides high school students with real-world exposure into the fields of firefighting, law enforcement and emergency medical services. Its a crucial organization, according to founder Tony Heuschel, designed to help students examine, evaluate and prepare for careers in these public sector services.

The CCA accomplishes its mission by creating a week-long summer camp for selected high school students. The camp provides hands-on training combined within an educational curriculum led by experienced, certified instructors who mentor students as they explore their dreams of entering the public service sector.

The camp adheres to a paramilitary model to foster discipline, according to Heuschel, to ensure student and public safety, and to establish realistic personal goals of each student.

But were not a boot-camp, Heuschel said after the event. Instead, were focused on giving these kids the tools and experiences theyll need to evaluate their hopes and dreams of entering these careers. Our primary focus is to ensure the success of each student.

The students are divided into squads of six, led by squad leaders, who report to the Company Commander, who provides direction down through the chain of command to achieve the goals of each days agenda.

Certified instructors who have volunteered their time will give hands-on training in areas such as driver training, off-highway vehicle training, traffic control, emergency vehicle operations, police procedures, criminal law, officer safety, fire science, basic first aid, equipment maintenance and search and rescue operations. A large component is the physical training for each day along with educational lectures preparing students for their training sessions.

Kimberly Meza, a current San Francisco State student and an alumnus of the CCA, told the 200 diners at the Lobster Feed of the CCAs importance in helping her toward her goal of joining the FBI.

Meza first attended the CCA at the age of 15 as a cadet, and progressed through the program, focusing her attention on law enforcement as she worked her way up the command hierarchy.

Meza spoke of her background and the influence of strong women role models within her family that combined with the support of the CCA. She stressed how the program has fortified her self-confidence, and how its helped her overcome her concerns about her small physical stature.

I know that I can reach my goals despite the obstacles that others perceive that I will face, she said.

Later, when asked how Mezas talents fit into the CCA, Heuschel said, Kimberly always wants to volunteer. Her determination, her stamina and her leadership talents have made her a model success story within the CCA. Heuschel said that, if Meza can work it into her busy summer college schedule, she will become the CCAs Company Commander for this years summer camp.

California State Senator Bill Dodd sent Field Representative Alex Pader to the event, presenting certificates of appreciation to eight individuals who have been key participants and supporters in the CCA. Certificates were given to Chief Steve Potter of the Napa Police Department, Chief Mike Josephson of the Lake Pillsbury Fire Department Protection District, Tiffany Kraft of the American Canyon Walmart, Del Shank of Best Fire Equipment in Napa, Richard Hiteshew of A-1 Guaranteed Heating and Air Conditioning, Linda Francois-Edwards, a community leader from Antioch, Millie Binz of Binz and Company; and Meza.

A live auction was conducted by local auctioneer Bob Fellion. David Abreu of Abreu Vineyard Management and Jim and Laura Regusci of Regusci Vineyards also were generous supporters of this years fundraiser according to Heuschel. Sorensen Catering Napa Valley provided the feast, with John Sorensen donating his crews time for the event.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from the event, Heuschel said, will be used to reduce the cost of tuition so that more students can attend the summer camp. Heuschel also said that the CCA has a vehicle donation program and encourages individual donations to help high school students defer the $300 cost of the one-week camp.

Started in 2006, the CCA is a 501(3) nonprofit public benefit education corporation. This year the CCA Summer Camp will be held Monday, July 10 through Friday, July 14 in American Canyon.

For more information about donating to the California Cadet Academy and to learn more about its summer program and curriculum visit calcadet.com or call 429-2800.
The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone has asked the City Council to overturn the Planning Commissions rejection of its plans to expand its dorms on Pratt Avenue.

The CIA filed its appeal on Tuesday. A council hearing could be set for April 25 or May 9.

The commission voted 4-0 in March to deny the CIAs application to build two- and three-story dorms, which would increase the dorms capacity by 123 beds, for a total of 224. Commissioners cited neighbors concerns about size, traffic, wastewater, parking and other impacts on the neighborhood.

The CIAs plans also involve reconfiguring the layout of its educational facilities at the Greystone campus, replacing the old Wine Spectator restaurant with a smaller student-run restaurant, and expanding enrollment from 200 to 300 students.
Picture this scene: This year in Napa, we have benefited from frequent and significant rain. Bay Area Air Quality Management Districts hotline announces an increasingly rare permitted burn day. An inversion layer, however, can cause smog and smoke to remain near ground level.

We all know what happens next: The match is struck and the stage is set for the kind of smoky burn that disturbs neighbors and sets a bad example of what it means to farm in the Napa Valley.

Can the industry do more to prevent the occurrences of these types of burns? Yes  ask the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Vineyard Burning Task Force.

Recent data show that in 2016, 24,000 people suffered from diagnosed asthma in Napa County. This is clear motivation to come up with innovative, community-based solutions to minimize effects on air quality from various sources including transportation, building energy use, wood burning stoves and agricultural practices.

The NVG Vineyard Burning Task Forces Best Practices for Low Smoke Agriculture Burning Program sets an example of how individuals can make a difference.

This is also a pertinent time for grapegrowers to raise awareness, because if we do not take it upon ourselves, growers will be at risk of losing a practice that is necessary for protecting vineyards from detrimental pests and diseases, leaving us without a workable alternative. Recent smoky burn events exacerbate the issue and undermine the work being done to promote best practices that reduce smoke.

The good news is that the NVG Vineyard Burning Task Force views the spotlight on the issue as an opportunity to raise awareness of a program that we have been working on since November 2015.

At that time, the NVG Task Force convened to address collective concerns over the occurrences of smoky burns. Within the first couple meetings, we made a commitment to develop a three-year plan to reduce smoke and preserve air quality in Napa Valley. Now one year into that three-year program, we are celebrating milestone successes while recognizing that more work is needed.

In its first year, the NVG Task Force developed a technique that promotes proper vine drying times, removal of excess dirt, careful lighting, and tarping to keep the center of the piles dry during rain. The result is a virtually smoke-free burn. This goes beyond current regulations, which significantly restrict the timing of burns and yet do not guarantee low smoke.

The NVG Task Force has also hosted two successful field days in both Spanish and English with demonstrations on this new protocol. Although we need to broaden our reach to get more participation, we are pleased with the initial reception of these improved techniques.

The NVG Vineyard Burning Task Force is also analyzing current regulations and looking to compare alternative methods of vine disposal and their associated costs and ramifications.

In order to map out the potential advantages and disadvantages of each method, we are pursuing science-based, data-driven answers to questions including whether certain methods sequester more carbon or simply change the ways in which greenhouse gases are emitted.

For example, one alternative method is chipping vines. Proper carbon accounting of this method should factor in the effects of trucking in a chipper, lengthy use of machinery, hauling woody debris to new locations, and finally natural decomposition.

The most cost-effective alternative method to burning vines is to simply haul plant material to a landfill. However, excessive organic matter buried under anaerobic conditions such as a landfill produces methane and other detrimental greenhouse gases and competes for limited landfill space.

Its also important to consider why vines are pulled. Replanting a vineyard can provide a vineyard owner with the opportunity to improve vineyard layout to elevate quality and sustainability. These changes can include transitioning to drought-tolerant rootstocks, row spacing that facilitates greater use of cover crops or row orientation that maximizes the use of natural resources. These types of changes sequester carbon and reduce the amount of irrigation needed.

One of the most important reasons to replant involves halting the spread of pests and diseases that cause substandard fruit and even vine death. When these diseases spread, they threaten adjacent vines and blocks, as well as neighboring properties. In this case, pulling vines is considered a last resort. Generally, a grower will assess whether the percentage of affected vines is great enough to justify the associated costs and loss of two or more years of revenue.

In this regard, its as much about the pests and diseases we dont know, as the ones we do. The effects of the European Grapevine Moth, for example, were not well known until the moths arrived in California vineyards. The recent eradication of the European Grapevine Moth required mandating federal and state permits, inspections, quarantine zones, and strict restrictions on movement of all grapevine plant materialat the cost of $115 million in public and private funds.

Future vineyard pests could pose a similar threat, and moving material from a vineyard to other locations would help hasten their spread. As such, grapevine woody debris is best disposed of on-site and through disease-eliminating processes such as burning.

Often there is no one right answer to any sustainable best practices question, but as responsible farmers, we pursue practices that complement and protect the environment and natural resources found in Napa Valley and work proactively to find sustainable solutions.

So, here is the NVG Vineyard Burning Task Forces challenge to Napa Valley landowners: Lets focus on doing all we can to reduce the amount of smoke generated in Napa Valley Vineyards with the use of NVGs Best Practices for Low-Smoke Agriculture Burning.

Napa Valley Grapegrowers Brochure on Best Practices for Low-Smoke Agriculture Burningcan be found In English and Spanish at https://napagrowers.org/
The NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms. Rose Gottemoeller will visit Kiev on 6 and 7 April 2017.

During her visit the Deputy Secretary General will meet with the Prime Minister, Mr. Volodymyr Groysman, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr. Pavlo Klimkin, the First Deputy Minister of Defence, Mr. Ivan Rusnak and other high level officials. She will also have a meeting with Crimean Tatar leaders.

On Thursday, 6 April, Ms. Gottemoeller will attend the opening of the Kiev Security Forum where she will deliver a speech followed by a Q&A session, on Friday 7 April.

The Deputy Secretary General will also deliver a speech followed by Q&A to students of the National Shevchenko University.

For additional information on the event, please consult the website http://ksf2017.openukraine.org/en

Still imagery of the visit will be available from the NATO website after the event.

Follow the Deputy Secretary General on Twitter (@Gottemoeller). Also follow us at @NATOPress.
(Natural News) Every day, we are being bombarded with aluminum. Even though aluminum is known to be a toxic substance, it can be found in many of our everyday products, such as processed food, cookware, vaccines, medications, baby products, cosmetics, antiperspirants, sunscreens, cleaning products, tap water, and even in the air we breathe.

Aluminum is a toxic metal that accumulates in the body over time, especially in the brain. It has been linked to many diseases such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons, multiple sclerosis (MS), chronic fatigue, autistic spectrum disorders, and other neurological or auto-immune diseases.

To protect your body and brain, drink silicon-rich water every day

Professor Christopher Exley, a scientist from Keele University in Staffordshire, U.K., has called the period from the early 20th century to now the age of aluminum. Today, aluminum is so abundant in our surrounding environment that it is practically impossible to avoid. Therefore, Dr. Exley has dedicated over two decades of his life to researching the effects of aluminum toxicity. During his research, he has come to the conclusion that drinking silicon-rich mineral water may be the solution to protect your body and brain from aluminum buildups and brain damage.

His data showed that drinking silicon-rich water (with 35 milligrams of silicon per liter) over a period of 12 weeks significantly improved cognitive functions in people with Alzheimers without any known or visible side effects. During the clinical trials, involving both healthy individuals and people with Alzheimer disease, Exley and his team found that drinking around one liter of silicon-rich mineral water every day can speed up the excretion of aluminum via the kidneys and urine by up to 70 percent. (RELATED: Find more information about how to keep your body toxin-free at Detox.news.)

Drinking silicon water is a non-invasive way to remove more aluminum from the body, something which benefits everyone, including vaccinated children and people with diseases such as Alzheimers, dementia, and Parkinsons. While the evidence of aluminums health damaging effects is apparent, this toxic substance is still allowed in everyday products that are slowly destroying our health.

As reported by Dr. Exley, everybody should start to drink silica water daily to protect themselves against aluminum toxicity and the many diseases it can cause. If you buy silica water, you should look for brands with a minimum concentration of 30 milligrams silica per liter (or 30 ppm) mentioned on the label. Good silicon-rich mineral water brands include ACILIS (also sold under the name Spritzer), Volvic, and Fiji. While silica-containing water can be difficult to find, there are many natural silica-rich foods that can also help reduce the aluminum load.

Foods naturally high in silica include:

Oats (595mg/100g)

Millet (500mg/100g)

Barley (233mg/100g)

Potatoes (200mg/100g)

Jerusalem artichoke (36mg/100g)

Red beets (21mg/100g)

Asparagus (18mg/100g)

Bananas (13.60mg/250g)

Cooked green beans (6.10 mg/250g)

Raw carrots (4.58mg/200g)

Brown rice (4.14mg/200g)

Number of aluminum-containing vaccines is on the rise

Next to being abundantly found in our food chain, aluminum is an ingredient in nearly all vaccines. Dr. Exley explained that this makes things even worse. When aluminum is injected straight into the bloodstream, it bypasses the normal elimination or excretion channels, and goes straight to the brain or heart.

Many pro-vaccine or pro-aluminum trolls claim that aluminum is the most common mineral on the planet and therefore harmless. Emerging scientific results, however, do not agree with their vision. Furthermore, Dr. Exley added that the mining and usage of aluminum correlates with the increase in neurological diseases.

A key aspect of Dr. Exleys research is to help protect our children from neurological vaccine damage. In the past, he has used a form of silica known as silicic acid to treat kids with an autism spectrum disorder or other neurological damage from vaccines with excellent results.

Sources:

HippocraticPost.com

RealFarmacy.com

GreenMedInfo.com

ResearchGate.net

HealingLifeIsNatural.com
(Natural News) Though Starbucks may be known to most Americans for its lattes and friendly staff, one thing that the international coffee giant tends to have trouble with is conservative outreach. As a matter of fact, in the past Starbucks has done things that have really gotten under the skin of those on the right, from their support for gender-neutral bathrooms to the hiring of 10,000 refugees. But after all of the outrage and tension Starbucks has stirred up between themselves and right-leaning Americans, the coffee chain now appears to be taking a more, shall we say, civil and tolerant approach to business.

Last week, Starbucks launched a new initiative aimed at bringing conservatives and liberals closer together. The app, created with the help of the Harvard Business School start-up Hi From The Other Side, encourages people from both sides of the political spectrum to engage in rational, civil discussions without any of the name calling or bitterness that is commonly heard in mainstream politics.

The app allows users to connect via the Internet to others nearby who hold political views that differ from their own. In other words, a conservative would be automatically connected with someone who is more liberal in his or her beliefs, and a liberal would be connected with someone who is more conservative. Once the two users are connected, each of them receives half of the information, although as of right now it unclear what that means.

The only way both of the users will be able to obtain all of the information is if they meet up and talk to each other one on one. Once they solve this puzzle together, they will each be able to get a free cup of coffee.

Of course, while the intentions of this app are good, the reality of having two people of differing political ideologies sit down and talk could go either way. Either the program will work as intended and Republicans and Democrats will learn how to speak to each other with civility, or tension between the two users could build up to the point where the conversation turns into a screaming match.

Regardless of the potential consequences, you have to give Starbucks credit for trying to accomplish the impossible. Rational and civil debate is simply not something that people seem to be capable of engaging in today, and any individual or company that tries to change that is deserving of some praise and respect.

Sources:

GrubStreet.com

HiFromTheOtherSide.com
(Natural News) As the month of March came to an end, a majority of European Union members voted against a proposal that would bring in two new types of genetically modified maize. Sixteen members of the EU took a stand against the introduction of new GMO crops, but will that be enough to keep them out of Europe?

The two new varieties of maize include DuPont Pioneers 1507 and Syngentas Bt11. Both varieties kill insects by producing their own pesticides, and are resistant to Bayers glufosinate herbicide. If they are approved, Eco Watch reports that they will be the first new GMO crops approved for cultivation since 1998  nearly twenty years ago.

Even though a majority of the EU voted against the approval of these new GMO varieties, it appears that simply is not enough to keep them out. As Reuters explains, the votes were not considered decisive because the opposition did not include a qualified majority, which is defined as including countries that make up at least 65 percent of the EU.

Monsantos GM corn variety, MON810 was also up for debate, as the EU voted on whether or not the GM crops license should be renewed. MOn810 is currently the only genetically modified crop that is cultivated in the EU, and it is primarily grown in Spain and Portugal. Less than 1 percent of the farmland in the EU is dedicated to cultivating Monsantos GM corn, however, and in total, 19 nations of the EU have banned MON810 entirely. Overall, most of the EU has traditionally expressed opposition towards GM crops, and all EU nations require labeling of GM foods.

As Friends of the Earth Europe reportedly explains, the fates of these three GM crops now reside in the hands of the European Commison. Jean-Claude Juncker, head of the organization, is no doubt feeling the pressure as the call to reject the GMO corn varieties continues to grow louder.

In a recent statement, Mute Schimpf, food campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe, boldly declared, Whether he likes it or not, the buck now stops at Jean-Claude Juncker.

He can put himself on the side of the majority of countries, citizens and farmers who do not want genetically-modified crops, or he can back the mega-corporations behind the industrialization of our countryside, she said.

According to Greenpeace EU, even if the three crops gain approval, they will not be commonly grown. The approval would only be valid in nine of the 28 EU countries, along with three regions: Flanders and the Brussels regions of Belgium, and England. The remaining 19 countries and regions of the EU have chosen to opt-out and prevent GMO crops from being grown within their borders.

Even a small amount of GMO crop cultivation can be of great concern, however. Friends of the Earth Europe is calling upon Juncker to take a stand against corporate interests and do what is right for the people of Europe and the regions environment by denying approval to these test-tube concoctions that the biotech industry tries to pass off as crops.

There is no political or public support for genetically-modified crops; farmers dont even want them. Its time for President Juncker to pull the plug on this failed technology once and for all, and to focus on how we make farming resilient to climate change, save family farms and stop the destruction of nature. Its time to close our countryside to genetically-modified crops and move on, Schimpf proclaimed in her recent statement. [RELATED: Read more stories about GMO crops at GMO.news.]

Sources:

EcoWatch.com

Reuters.com

FOEEurope.org
In September, the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) opened on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., after decades of voices calling for a space dedicated to the complex, painful, inspiring, and evolving story of African Americans.

Emory alumnae Michelle Joan Wilkinson 97G 01PhD and Rhea Combs 09PhD are curators at the new museum, contributing their knowledge of African American art, media, and history to the space, which has already had a profound impact on visitors.

Wilkinson works on projects related to contemporary black life and is cocurator of two inaugural exhibitions at the NMAAHC: A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond and A Century in the Making: Building the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which chronicles the history of the museum itself and the challenges of bringing it to life.

We knew we had to tell the story of how we came to be. Instead of a plaque about it, we wanted to talk about how we did it, why the building is where it is, and why it looks like it does. It is the creation story about the people who were involved in getting the legislation passed to make it happen, she says, adding that efforts to establish a memorial to the African American experience in Washington date back one hundred years.

View Full Story in Emory Magazine 
The little boy died at home, without medical attention, before his fifth birthday.

It happens to as many as one in five children in poor African and South Asian countries. The boy was deeply mourned, but never counted. His death was not noted in any registry. Except for a fever, no one had any idea why he diedinformation that might have been lifesaving for family members, or helped health officials recognize and address a widespread problem, or been the earliest indication of a smoldering epidemic.

In 2015, when the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation wanted to learn why so many die young, they turned to the Emory Global Health Institute (EGHI) to lead the Child Health and Mortality Prevention and Surveillance Network (CHAMPS), designed to help high-child-mortality countries strengthen their capability to collect, analyze, interpret, and share data.

Innovative methods include training local teams to visit families soon after a child dies,gathering information on symptoms and, with permission, taking small needle tissue biopsies, which when examined with specialized tools developed at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) can identify the specific organisms causing illness and death.

While we would think we have a pretty good idea of why children are dyingrespiratory disease, enteric infections, fevers, and sepsis from different microorganismswe dont know those specific causes, says Jeffrey Koplan, former director of the CDC and now Emory Vice President for Global Health and EGHIs founding director.

There are a lot of different things that can cause respiratory failure. A lot of illnesses can lead to gastroenteritis and then death. The objective of this grant is to identify the specific causes of death so that we can develop programs to address them and save lives.

CHAMPS is big: A $75 million investment for the first three years of a projected twenty-year study, involving hundreds of partners at field sites and programmatic support from Emory, the CDC, and other Atlanta-based and international partners.

But EGHI was created to serve as the mainframe for just such large-scale, long-term efforts  whether addressing high rates of maternal and childhood morbidity, understanding the spike of diabetes in developing nations, or increasing access to safe water.

Borders dont mean much to infectious diseases, from shape-shifters like HIV and drug-resistant tuberculosis to sudden outbreaks like Ebola, SARS or Zika.

Chronic problems like diabetes and cardiovascular disease no longer belong primarily to richer, fatter nations but take an increasingly heavy toll on the economic stability, development, and even national security of developing nations, all with global impact.

View Full Story in Emory Magazine 
The Emory community gathered Friday, March 31, to celebrate the very last DUC Day, the annual festival that has been a tradition at the Dobbs University Center.

"Journey through the DUCades" was the theme of the final festival, as the DUC, which opened in 1986, will be torn down to make way for a new Campus Life Center to better serve the Emory community.

Student dining will move to a temporary facility  under construction in front of the Woodruff PE Center and already dubbed the "DUC-ling"  at the end of this semester. The Campus Life Center is projected to open in May 2019.
April is National Financial Literacy Month, and Emory will offer a series of public events and a new online personal finance program aimed at highlighting the importance of financial literacy and practicing healthy financial habits.

The goal of Emory's Financal Literacy Program is to help Emory students, alumni, staff and faculty improve their understanding of financial concepts and services so that theyre empowered to make informed choices for their current and long-term financial well-being, says John Leach, director of Emorys Office of Financial Aid.

This year, well be rolling out a new product we are using to help promote financial literacy  Salt, an online tool where students and alumni can find tutorials and up-to-date information about student loans and personal finance, Leach says.

Offered in partnership with the nonprofit American Student Assistance and available online at www.saltmoney.org/Emory, Salt is a free, dynamic multi-channel educational program that teaches visitors how to borrow less for college, borrow the right types of loans, make repayment stress-free, apply for scholarships, and build money skills that will last a lifetime, he explains.

The program combines money management advice, personalized help with student loans and straightforward budgeting tools, including:

Interactive education modules to help users get up to speed on financial fundamentals, such as budgeting, banking, credit and taxes.

Plans that can help lower or temporarily pause student loan payments or even forgive student loans altogether.

Educational articles and advice on money-related topics, from credit cards to salaries and more.

Daily blogs that provide commentary and advice on loans, personal budgeting, careers and other financial topics in a fun, relatable format.

A simplified platform for information on where to find scholarships and different types of student loans, and ways to decrease college costs.

Access to an online community where users can talk with both experts and peers about money, student loans, scholarships and related topics.

Salt is offered through the Financial Literacy@Emory program in the Office of Financial Aid. Throughout April, the financial aid team will be working to highlight financial literacy and promote the importance of sound financial habits.

Other campus events will include:

Wednesday, April 5

National Financial Literacy Month Kickoff Celebration,11 a.m., Wonderful Wednesday

Alpha Phi Omega: Financial Literacy 101," 6 p.m., Candler Library Room 124

Tuesday, April 11

Alumni Relations hosts Adulting 101: Personal Finances and Budgeting, 5 p.m., Psychology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Room 230

Friday, April 20

Latino Student Organization and FLIP: Financial Literacy 101, 4:30 p.m., el Centro Latino

Thursday, April 27
The requested page is currently unavailable on this server.

Back to [RTHK News Homepage]
Health care organization recognizes two SIU students

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The MidAmerica Healthcare Executives Forum is honoring two Southern Illinois University Carbondale students for their academic excellence, volunteerism, leadership and involvement in health care activities.

Dennis Ramsook, a senior business management major with specialization in management of health-care enterprises from Terre Haute, Ind., and Jacqueline Nash, a sophomore health care management major from Bettendorf, Iowa, are the 2017 recipients of the MidAmerica Healthcare Executives Forum Award.

Nash was selected as a recipient of the award by the School of Allied Healths Health Care Management Program faculty and administration. The College of Business Department of Management faculty and administration selected Ramsook for the recognition.

The awarding organization comprises more than 200 health care professionals who serve as leaders for hospitals, health care systems and other health-care related businesses and operations throughout central and Southern Illinois.

Ramsook was born in Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica, but spent his childhood in Rockaway, N.J., before moving to Indiana. He is a 2014 graduate of Terre Haute South Vigo High School, earning a Core 40 with Academic Honors diploma.

At SIU, he is also completing minors in accounting and marketing and has been a founding father and president of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. In addition, his campus involvement includes serving as executive director of the Residence Hall Association, a Saluki Ambassador for Undergraduate Admissions, vice president of external affairs for the United Nations Association registered student organization and as a recruiter and site leader for The Big Event: A Saluki Day of Service.

Ramsook plans to graduate in 2018 and continue his education in graduate school, pursuing dual masters degrees in health care administration and public health.

Nash is a graduate of Pleasant Valley High School, where she was a four-year honor roll student, swim team captain, National Honor Society member and mentor for special needs students. At SIU, she is also completing a minor in rehabilitation services while working as a student manager for the SIU mens and womens swim and dive team. She is the recipient of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts Honors Award for 2015-2016 and has been on the Deans List all three semesters thus far. In addition, Nash earned recognition as a Top 5% Psychology Student award-winner during the fall 2015 semester.

Passionate about helping others, Nash plans to seek a career putting her organizational and leadership skills to good use working in health care management in a hospital setting. She will enhance her practical experience this summer through an internship at UnityPoint Health-Trinity in Rock Island, Ill.

Officials from The MidAmerica Healthcare Executives Forum will present the awards to Nash and Ramsook before the end of the spring semester. The honor includes a certificate and a monetary award.
Fulbright scholar to study unknown biodiversity in Poland

Karolina Weclawska is the first UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation undergraduate to receive a Fulbright scholarship.

For six months after she applied for a Fulbright Research Scholarship, Karolina Weclawskas life was on hold. The University of Florida School of Forest Resources and Conservation senior said people would ask about her plans for after graduation this spring, and all she could say was, Well, thats up to the Fulbright Commission.

You cant make alternate plans for the opportunity of a lifetime.

After months of waiting nervously while the commission deliberated over thousands of applications, the commission responded.

I almost brought down the foundation of my house jumping around and screaming, Weclawska said.

Her project targets an underappreciated area of biodiversity  forest mosses. Mosses provide habitats for microscopic organisms, in turn creating miniature ecosystems. As Weclawska described it, a patch of moss is basically a tiny forest.

And, as allowing other, seemingly unimportant, species to go extinct has shown, neglecting mosses could have unforeseen consequences.

Its like saying, were going to eliminate trees, but youre eliminating trees for that level of the ecosystem, she said.

Beginning September 2017, she will spend nine months to a year creating an index of critically understudied mosses in Poland, her birth country. Poland is home to Biaowieza Forest, one of the last primeval forests in the world, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage Centre for its biodiversity.

However, most of the woodlands in Poland belong to the government, and are used for industry. Because of this, many of the plant species they house have gone unresearched.

Even so, Weclawska said scientists believe there is enough deadwood within the forests for mosses to thrive.

As there is no complete index of moss species in Poland, part of Weclawskas proposal involves expanding the list of known species. She has a background in nature photography and plans to use her findings to create a booklet for moss identification.

I really want to try to capture photos of these mosses that show non-scientific people how beautiful they are, she said.

The project will culminate with Weclawska giving talks about her research to scientific and lay audiences. One idea involves helping schoolchildren build their own terrariums.

As enthusiastic as Weclawska is to preserve a valuable part of the natural web, she is also looking forward to the other opportunities working in Poland will provide, like traveling and the career boost that pursuing a Fulbright project can bring.

Although she was born in Poland, Weclawskas family moved to the U.S. when she was small, and she hasnt traveled anywhere in Europe besides her birth country.

Combining community outreach, science and art those are all things that are important to me, she said. This was just the perfect next step in my life, and Im just really, really glad I got it.
Sense of fashion and style comes naturally to the people of northeast, especially the youngsters, be it about making a personal statement or following trends, people from the region are known for their impeccable sartorial sense. Similarly, a 23-year-old from Zeliang community, Nagaland, Achunbo Chawang, a dynamic and an upcoming fashion designer from the northeast region has already set a benchmark in a sartorial world. Achunbo, a self taught designer, started sketching and designing during his school days for family, friends and relatives for special occasions. However, this talented young lad got his first breakthrough from the costumes he designed for Purple Fusion's vocalist Lamtsala H Sangtam in their "Hoy Hey! You Came Along" official video. Since then, there's no looking back for Achunbo and he has found a niche in the fashion industry with more shows and designs in hands. "Well, first I gave myself to music, I played piano and then in the year 2010, for Mr. International India, I was there as a viewer and I was keen to see those dramatic costumes of different states of India. That's where I got the feeling for the fashion and that same year, while I was in the hostel, I started sketching, then later on, I started stitching for my own dress and my family members. That's how I started my career in fashion industry', said Achunbo. A multi-faceted persona, Achunbo is not only a fashion designer and a pianist but also a photographer. His Unique Selling Points (USP) are clean cut and chickness. He designs for both men and women. His first preference is ready-to-wear garments, followed by bridal wear. "In India, within Delhi, I have done once for NE festival and once for Northeast Fiesta which is in Saket Select City Walk and then, once in Punjab collaborated with Wills Lifestyle last year. And this year, I did for Vientiane wow fashion week 2017 in Bangkok. I am not sure how many shows I have done so far. Maybe around 15 to 16 shows", added Achunbo. When asked about his experience at the recently concluded Vientiane Wow Fashion Week 2017 in Bangkok, Achunbo said, "To be honest, I think I never deserved to be there and to represent India because there are more deserving fashion designers from India and also from NE Nagaland. But I was pre-told by the prayer warriors, I am a Christian and so I believe in prayers, that I'll be going for international for higher level. So I agreed with that. And within few months, I got a call from Bangkok and then, they came to Delhi. They told me to get five garments for my representation and then I was selected that day itself for the show." For his designs showcased at the fashion week in Bangkok, Chawang drew inspiration from humanity. The concept and colour patterns of his designs were inspired by Mother Teresa, who symbolized peace and humanity. Apart from that, some of his spectacular designs including his showstopper costumes worn by one of the Chinese actress, Chawang used an embroidery technique from his own community, called 'Nethuinina'. "Being in the fashion industry, most of them say like fashion is more about art and something else but for me, I think I go more into humanity. In most of my garments, you will see very formalities in those dresses, not so much open cut. You will see mostly casuals, office wears and wedding garments for white bridal. For me, traditions, they gave me more creativity and for my concept, I think mostly I take inspiration from monuments because there are lots of patrons there. So I love to travel more, I want to shoot pictures and from there, I get inspired," added Achunbo. The unisex designer, apart from clothing lines, has designed a custom made hand bags for both the gender, making a way forward to launch more designs. Such young innovative and success is an inspiration and blessings to many especially the youngsters to follow their passion and dreams and be the example setter. (ANI)
Since the time U.S. President Donald Trump has taken command over the White House, he has been a figure of controversy, specially his anti-Immigration stance caused a lot of uproar and continues to do so. Many celebrities have been vocal about the policy, with supermodel Bella Hadid as the latest one to criticize Trump administration, for the second time in less than three months. The 20 year-old-supermodel, recently in an interview with Porter Magazine told about her father's heritage and said that "she is proud to be a muslim," reports the Independent. Bella told the magazine, "He was always religious, and he always prayed with us. I am proud to be a Muslim." She also revealed that his father was a refugee and discussed his religion. "My dad was a refugee when he first came to America, so it's actually very close to home for my sister (Gigi Hadid) and brother and me." In January, the Hadid sisters were spotted carrying a sign saying, "We are all humans," as they joined the No Ban No Wall march in New York to oppose Trump's immigration policies. After the march, the American model said to a leading magazine that everyone "deserves respect and kindness." She shared, "We shouldn't treat people as if they don't deserve kindness just because of their ethnicities. It's just not right. And that message - to be compassionate whenever possible - that's so important to me." (ANI)
As per a recent survey conducted by Fortis Flt. Lt. Rajan Dhall Hospital, Vasant Kunj (FHVK) to calculate the understanding of Alzheimer's and Dementia, it is found that forgetfulness is not considered as a disease among youth of India. According to World Alzheimer report 2015, The Global Impact, 'today over 46 million people are living with dementia, and by 2050 this number will have risen to 13.15 million. In just three years' time the global economic cost of dementia will reach US$1 trillion. And among the top 10 countries India is at no. 3 position with 4.1 million dementia patients.' By 2050 68% of all people living with dementia will live in low and middle income groups, hence it is vital to know its understanding among youth. The FHVK Survey conducted by Dr Madhuri Behari, Consultant, Neurology at Fortis Flt. Lt. Rajan Dhall Hospital, Vasant Kunj (FHVK), aimed to know youth's perspective towards Alzheimer's. The sample answers were collected from December 2016-January 2017 wherein 2000 people participated within the age group of 15-40yrs and the findings are: -91% youth don't consider forgetfulness as a disease -85% don't know about Alzheimer as a disease -82% said no - does diabetes predispose to dementia -72% said no- do you know if alcoholism can predispose to dementia -90 % said no- do you know that repeated stroke can cause memory impairment -97% don't know the cause of dementia -91% don't know that dementia is reversible Even people are not sure about the gender and age group of people affected with dementia. According to Dr Behari- "Every minute someone in India develops dementia and with no known cure on the horizon. The directly attributed cost of dementia treatment may exceed that of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and cancer. A patient not only needs medication but adequate care by family members to deal with the disease. They become more dependent on their immediate family members for survival. It all starts with minor forgetfulness and progresses to a situation where a person is not able to identify their near and dear ones. Loss of visual and verbal memories such as misplacing object and losing way in known surroundings is very common. Imagine a situation when you are 60 or 70 and not able to find your way to home from market or found in an uncomfortable situation." The symptoms appear slowly and progress slowly. In most people it starts with memory disturbance especially for recent events, like events that may have happened the same day, what they might have eaten, or where they had gone etc. Some other patients do not recall words, that need to be spoken or the context in which they are to be spoken or their correct pronunciation, some patients cannot comprehend what is said. Some other patients cannot remember the way inside or outside the house and get lost. They go to kitchen thinking it is toilet, pass urine there without realizing, or cannot recognize the time, get up any time thinking it is morning and go and have bath, they do not know how to wear clothes, and do not recognize their relatives. For them time has become to a standstill. They think that they are what they were when the disease started. So they may think they are only 40 year old and their wife who might have become older, treat them as strangers. On the findings Sandeep Guduru, Facility Director, FHVK said- 'While in Asia the number was 22.9 million in 2015 which will grow to 38.5 million in 2030 to 67.2 million in 2050. Today more than 80% people living with dementia live in the G20 countries, in India the numbers of Alzheimer's patients is expected to double by 2030 and the costs involved will increase three folds. This study was aimed to build a base for comprehensive development of dementia program. And there is urgent need by government and private players to create a program where dementia caring program will be developed.' It is equally becoming important to use the brain in the form of intellectual activities like brain teasers, Sudoku and other puzzles to prevent brain decline. It is also important for people to continue to do some brain related games and activities for brain. It is said "use it or lose it". (ANI)
Coming down heavily on the Uttar Pradesh Government after it waived off Rs. 30, 729 crore worth loans of small and marginal farmers, the Congress party on Tuesday said it is a positive step, but it is just like a drop in an ocean."The promise made by the Uttar Pradesh Government is just the half truth. This is a positive initiative but it is just the half truth. Out of Rs. 52,241 crore loans, only Rs. 36,000 crore loan of 86 lakh farmers has been waived off, till now the framers has to pay the term loan of Rs. 56, 000 crore. It's just like a drop in an ocean," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told ANI. Surjewala also added that the farmers of Uttar Pradesh have lost hope in the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government after this Cabinet meeting. "They had promised to waive off the loan of all the farmers. What about the term loan? They have just waived off crop loan. The framers will always have to carry the burden of term loan burden," he said. He also requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Adityanath to stand up to the promises made by them at the time of assembly elections, adding that the framers don't want their sympathy, they just want their right. Resonating similar sentiment, the Samajwadi Party which formed a pre-poll alliance with the Congress for the state assembly elections said the loan waiver was a 'laughable' decision. "Decisions made are laughable. I want to request Yogi ji not to work as per his officers. If they will work as per the people then it will be more beneficial for them," Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agrawal told ANI. Agrawal also added that the people of Uttar Pradesh have been cheated with this decision. The Uttar Pradesh Government earlier in the day waived off Rs. 30, 729 crore worth loan amount of the small and marginal farmers of the state. The decision will be benefitting 2 crore 15 lakh farmers of the state. Along with this, the government has also decided to forego Non-Performing Assets (NPA) worth Rs. 5,630 crore of eight lakh farmers. "Uttar Pradesh has 2, 30,00,000 farmers. We have waived off Rs. 30, 729 crore loan amount of the farmers," Cabinet Minister Siddharth Nath Singh told the media here. Cabinet Minister Shrikant Sharma said that the government has decided to keep a target of 80 lakh tonnes of wheat purchase. "All the district Magistrates (DMs) have been instructed to purchase more where there is more produce," Sharma said. Also, 7,000 purchase centres would be opened in the state. Singh also intimated that the government would introduce 'farmer bond' for the welfare of the farming community. (ANI)
The Dalai Lama, who was set to reach Tawang today was forced to change his schedule due to bad weather, and reached Bomdila this evening.

The Tibetan Spiritual leader was set to leave Guwahati by a chopper, but the inclement weather forced him to travel by road and change his stop to Bomdila, where he will make a public appearance tomorrow.

After staying there for two days, he will proceed to Tawang.

After several hours of thundershowers, members of Tibetan refugee community of Monpas and residents of the northwestern town of Arunachal Pradesh were out of their homes to clean the road to welcome their spiritual leader.

Tawang monastery, a place where Dalai Lama is going to stay for next four days is decorated with religious flags and coloured clothes with mantras inscribed on them.

In 1959, along with thousands of supporters the spiritual leader escaped from China and crossed over at Chuthangmu post. On global stage, China has repeatedly warned India that Dalai Lama's visit would hit the bilateral ties significantly.

Dressed in traditional costumes, around 800 monks will welcome their spiritual leader Dalai Lama in the 400 year old monastery which is India's largest and world's second largest.

During his visit he is also expected to hold a religious discourse at the stadium of Tawang's senior secondary school and will also deliver a public talk on 'Secular Ethics and Happiness' at the Kala Wangpo Convention Centre.

On April 9, he will be inaugurating the Thupsung Dhargeyling Monastery.

Security arrangements are also deployed by the Arunachal Pradesh Police and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) to avoid any unwelcomed tensions. (ANI)
A recent study has revealed a secret that can play an important role in helping students succeed at even the most disadvantaged school, i.e. social capital. Most factors that help make schools successful cost lots of money - think teachers, technology and textbooks. But a new study suggests one factor that doesn't need any cash to implement. That factor is what scientists call social capital: The network of relationships between school officials, teachers, parents and the community that builds trust and norms that promote academic achievement. In a study of 96 public high schools in Ohio, researchers found that schools with higher levels of social capital also had students who performed better on state-mandated math and reading tests. The results held true as much for urban schools in high-poverty areas as they did for wealthy suburban schools. In schools with high social capital, teachers reported more contact with parents, high levels of trust with students and an orderly and serious learning environment. "The results provide some good news," said Roger Goddard, co-author of the study and Novice G. Fawcett Chair and professor of educational administration at The Ohio State University. "Social capital is available to all schools, regardless of wealth, and can provide real benefits for student achievement." Goddard conducted the study with Serena Salloum of Ball State University and Ross Larsen of Brigham Young University. The results are significant because while scientists generally agree on the benefits of social capital, some have thought it wasn't really available to those from disadvantaged areas. "One argument has been that social capital is just a proxy for community wealth - that you can't have one without the other," Goddard said. "But that's not what we found." That's not to say there's no relationship between community wealth and social capital. The study found that schools in wealthier areas did tend to have higher levels of social capital than those in more disadvantaged neighborhoods. However, the majority of the difference in levels of social capital between schools could not be explained by their socioeconomic status, the study found. "Wealthy schools do have an advantage in terms of social capital, but it is not overwhelming. All kinds of schools can develop high levels of social capital that will help their students," Goddard said. The researchers surveyed teachers in the 96 participating Ohio high schools. Teachers were asked to rate how much they agreed with statements that measured the amount of social capital in their schools. For example, they were asked to rate whether teachers in their school had frequent contact with parents, whether teachers trusted their students, and whether parental involvement supported learning. Each school was then given a total score on social capital based on the teacher evaluations. The researchers then examined whether social capital scores were linked to the proportion of each high school's students that passed math and reading tests - after taking into account whether the schools were in urban areas, the socioeconomic status of families in the school area, the size of the school and the percent of student cohort that passed the most recent previous tests. Even after controlling for all of these factors, levels of social capital still predicted how well a school's students did on the state tests. "This suggests that a student's success isn't just based on the wealth of his or her neighborhood," Goddard said. "That's an important and hopeful message. The involvement of parents and community members in support of student and school success matters to children's learning." But he emphasized that even if schools in wealthy areas didn't have all the social capital, they still did have an overall advantage. "We still need to find ways to help all schools fully develop the social capital they have available to them," he said. Much of that is determined by school leaders, Goddard explained - which suggests principals have to be open to involvement by parents and community members, and should encourage teachers and parents to talk to each other. "School leaders drive a lot of this. They can have open houses, meet with parents, and invite them into their schools. They need to organize and engage people across the community and not only parents. School leaders are the key to setting the tone." (ANI)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday castigated the Delhi Government's decision to pay legal fees of a defamation case filed against the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijendra Gupta told ANI that Delhi Government is only hell-bent upon saving Kejriwal with the public money. "Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has given strict orders to pay lawyer Ram Jethmalani Rs 3.86 crore not only to save Arvind Kejriwal, but other AAP leaders like Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadda. This raises few questions: is this a case of misuse of official position? Is this a case of splurging of public funds?" asked Gupta. "These accused AAP leaders first levelled baseless allegations against Arun Jaitley for gaining political advantage and when a defamation case was filed against them then now they are trying to defend themselves with the public money," he said. Mocking Kejriwal and AAP, the BJP leader said what has changed now is that those who used to bat for austerity and pooh-poohed red-beacon cars have become so important that they need services of high-profile lawyer like Jethmalani. Jethmalani, who is Kejriwal's counsel in the defamation case filed against him by Jaitley, has reportedly sent bills for Rs. one crore in retainership and Rs. 22 lakh for each appearance in court to the Delhi Chief Minister. Jethmalani has made 11 appearances so far, leading to a total of Rs 3.42 crore. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has signed on the bills and sent them for clearance to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, who has sought the opinion of experts on how to proceed. Baijal's move comes after the Delhi Government's Law Department, responding to a note by Sisodia, said that Lieutenant Governor's permission for clearing the bills was necessary.(ANI)
With all hopes resting on Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh Government's decision to waive off the farmers' loans, the farming community on Tuesday expressed the dire need to do the same. The farmers in Varanasi requested the government to waive off at least some portion of their loan amount in order to enable them to pay the rest without being overburdened. "We can only expect them to waive off our loans and not force them. We expect them to at least let forego three-fourth of the loan if nothing. The rest we will manage, but we won't be able to pay the entire amount," a distraught farmer told ANI. Another farmer also appealed for the same urging the government to let forego at least half of their loans. "We have made this government won. As poor, our loans should be waived off. At least, half of our loans should be waived off," he said. The first Cabinet meeting of Adityanath-led government will be held in Lucknow later in the day. The Cabinet, chaired by the Chief Minister is likely to take up several key issues including a loan waiver for farmers. During the recent assembly polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had promised to waive off agricultural loans of farmers in the first Cabinet meeting after coming to power. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared at an election rally that he would ensure the BJP government in its first Cabinet meeting takes decision to waive off the farmers' loan. (ANI)
As the Congress in Delhi plunged into a crisis ahead of the MCD elections, party leader Sandeep Dikshit on Tuesday defended the top brass but stated that the turmoil is indicative of what is going wrong. Dikshit told ANI that the manner in which Delhi Congress is running for the past few days is extremely worrisome. "To leave a party is very saddening. Everyone could have differences, even I have. But leaving the Congress is not a solution.if a senior leader like him does something like this than it is very sad. It is not right to point fingers at the leadership. The turmoil in the Delhi Congress is indicative of what is wrong with the party everywhere," he added. Another Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee also attempted to downplay the ongoing row post former Delhi minister A.K. Walia threatening to quit the party and said that ticket distribution was made giving weightage to the grass-root level workers. "After every ticket distribution, there is bound to be differences. There are about 10,498 applicants. Out of that only 272 had to be selected and for the first time a very transparent process of ticket distribution process have been adopted," said Mukherjee. "Not that the senior leaders were not consulted but the choice of the grass-root workers were given a lot of weightage. So, there is nothing to worry about," she added. A. K. Walia had yesterday offered to resign from the membership of Congress Party while stating that some of the tickets were given to 'outsiders' in his constituency. Former Delhi legislator Amrish Gautam on Monday quit the Congress and joined the BJP. Former Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely and former minister Haroon Yusuf have also expressed concern over functioning of Delhi Congress headed by Maken. (ANI)
The addition of Genfour expands Accenture's ability to apply intelligent automation solutions that help clients transform and re-engineer their business processes. Clients can take advantage of data-driven insights that enable faster, more informed business decisions and better quality of service to their customers.

Genfour's automation professionals will join the Accenture Operations global Intelligent Automation team and be an integral part of the new Accenture Center of Excellence for Intelligent Automation in the United Kingdom.

"Intelligent automation is transforming the way businesses across industries operate, driving new levels of productivity, innovation, compliance, quality user experiences and improved decision making," said Manish Sharma, group operating officer, Accenture Operations.

"With a strong track record of building and managing flexible, scalable automation solutions, Genfour's highly skilled professionals will help accelerate the transformation and re-engineering of our clients' business processes through intelligent automation, enhancing our ability to deliver on the promise of as-a-Service." Sharma added.

Accenture has trained more than 70,000 professionals on new architectures, intelligent platforms and automation over the past year. To date, automation solutions have been implemented for more than 80 percent of Accenture Operations clients.

"With growing demand for intelligent automation solutions, we're excited to be joining Accenture to help build better automated processes and tackle complex process opportunities for clients," said James Hall, CEO, Genfour.

Founded in 2012, Genfour is a privately held company headquartered in Cwmbran, in Wales, United Kingdom, serving clients across multiple industries, most notably in insurance, banking and utilities. (ANI)
The Congress Party on Tuesday came down heavily on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's bid to have his legal bills footed from the government's exchequer and demanded that he should pay his legal fees from his own pocket. Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee told ANI that the people of Delhi would like to know as to why Kejriwal is wasting their money for his defence. "Mr Kejriwal has made some objectionable statements about Mr Arun Jaitley and the later filed a defamation case against Kejriwal. How Delhi taxpayers' money comes into this?" she asked. "When the Delhi Government has its own team of lawyers then why a high-profile and costly lawyer like Ram Jethmalani has been brought into the picture?" she added while alleging that Kejriwal is using public funds for his own interest. Taunting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo, Mukherjee said it seems Kejriwal doesn't see any difference between public fund and private fund. Echoing similar sentiments, another Congress leader J.P. Aggarwal asserted that the Delhi Government cannot pay Kejriwal's personal legal expenses. "Mr Kejriwal is facing a personal suit filed by Arun Jaitley and the Delhi Government cannot pay the legal fees of his personal case. The Delhi Government's funds are the hard-earned money of the Delhiites and not the personal property of Mr Kejriwal," said Aggarwal. Veteran lawyer Ram Jethmalani, who is Kejriwal's counsel in the defamation case filed against him by Jaitley, has reportedly sent bills for Rs. one crore in retainership and Rs. 22 lakh for each appearance in court to the Delhi Chief Minister. Jethmalani has made 11 appearances so far, leading to a total of Rs 3.42 crore. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has signed off on the bills and sent them for clearance to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, who has sought the opinion of experts on how to proceed. Baijal's move comes after the Delhi Government's Law Department, responding to a note by Sisodia, said that Lieutenant Governor's permission for clearing the bills was necessary. (ANI)
Clearing the air over alleged irregularities in the Aircel-Maxis dead, former finance minister P. Chidambaram on Tuesday issued a statement, saying that Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval for the transaction was done in 'normal course of business'. "With reference to the news report about the investigation into the approval given to the Aircel-Maxis transaction, let me recall the facts that FIPB consists of five Secretaries to the Government of India. They examine the cases and recommend approval or rejection. They apply the rules/guidelines and submit each case to the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) or the Finance Minister depending upon the value of the investment," the statement read. In the statement, Chidamabaram further said that the FIPB submitted the case to him and sought approval following which he granted approval in the normal course of business. He said that the Central Bureau of investigation (CBI) has recorded statements from every official. who dealt with the case. "Everyone, including the then Secretary and the Additional Secretary, has affirmed that the case was rightly submitted to the Finance Minister who was the competent authority to grant approval and that the approval was granted in the normal course of business," the statement added. The Supreme Court yesterday asked the CBI to file a report on the status of its investigation on the controversial deal. The Enforcement Directorate also filed a status report yesterday in the apex court regarding violation of the FIPB while stating the alleged role of Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis case. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for May 2. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy had filed a petition in the apex court on the issue and last month was asked by it show " some concrete documentary proof " of Chidambaram's role in the alleged illegality. Swamy said Chidambaram illegally granted FIPB clearance to the Rs .3500-crore Aircel-Maxis deal in 2006. The Aircel-Maxis deal refers to a series of allegations of kickbacks in the telecom sector, which was part of the wider 2G scam. In 2011, former Aircel head C. Sivasankaran complained to the CBI that he was being forced by then telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran to sell Aircel to the Malaysia-based Maxis Communications group owned by T Ananda Krishnan. Earlier this month, a special court dropped all charges against former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi Maran and others in the Aircel-Maxis deal cases lodged by the CBI and the ED. (ANI)
The education system in Afghanistan has taken a severe hit due to decades of conflict. Many Afghans fled their homes and took refuge in Pakistan, India, Middle East and Europe. There are approximately 10,000 Afghan refugees in New Delhi. Several organisations are working to provide basic education to their children. One such institute is the Bridges Academy. The school is dedicated specifically to serve the Afghan community living in Delhi. "The Bridges Academy works under a registered trust called Transerve Educational Foundation. It mainly caters to the educational needs of refugee Afghan teenagers in Delhi, since most have to come to Delhi due to the prevailing war-like situation in Afghanistan. Some of us who initiated this foundation felt that they were not having adequate educational facilities in Delhi." informed David, the principal of the Bridges Academy in Lajpat Nagar. The academy is giving an opportunity to hundreds of Afghan children to learn and complete their education.The academy focuses on teaching English to the children, besides making them learn basics of science, mathematics and social studies. Sara, an Afghan student, said, "The education system of Afghanistan is very different from India. In Afghanistan, the teachers used to beat the children while teaching and I think it the worst way to teach and in that way no one learns. The Bridges Academy has helped me a lot. I have joined this academy last year, and since then, I have learned a variety of things like communication and language, etc. the teachers are very nice, they don't only teach us the subjects, but help us to understand the basic concepts. Most of the students are not able to get admission in government or private schools in Delhi. The system which the institute is following is equivalent to high school education called GED: general educational development. If the Afghan children clear this examination and get a certificate they can gain entry in most of the universities in America and Canada. The biggest challenge for the students and the institute is language, as most of the students have studied in Dari language in Afghanistan. "Since they didn't study subjects in English medium, they have to start from scratch. And if their English is reasonably okay then we will admit them in eighth grade and they will pick up English and gain terminology related to science, social studies and mathematics. It's a tough thing and we have to cope with the situation and do our best because we are serving this community and in one sense they are underprivileged so we wanted to cater to their needs it's a big challenge for us," said David. If some students wish to pursue their education in India, they have an option of appearing in the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). With this education curriculum, the children can gain dual certificates and complete their education either in India or abroad. This school is a boon for the Afghan children to continue their studies and make a bright future for themselves. (ANI)
British Chancellor Philip Hammond will participate in high-level talks aimed at deepening the UK's economic and trading relationship with India and showcasing Britain as one of the best places in the world to do business. Building on the Prime Minister's ambitious vision for the India-UK Strategic Partnership last November, the ninth EFD will involve a series of events over a two-day period, including discussions on trade, financial services, and infrastructure. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney and the CEO of the Financial Conduct Authority, Andrew Bailey, will also take part in the dialogue with Mr Jaitley. The Dialogue itself will take place in Delhi will also focus on how the UK and India can forge a stronger strategic partnership together. In Mumbai, the Chancellor will meet Indian FinTech start-ups at Barclays RISE, as well as the Chairman of Mahindra group, and will give a speech at the UK-India FinTech conference. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said:"As we prepare to leave the European Union, it is more important than ever that we strengthen our relationship with India, one of the world's leading economies and one of our oldest friends and allies. "Our trade and investment relationship is already strong - the UK has been the largest G20 investor in India during the last 10 years and India is a leading global investor in the UK, creating over 7,000 new jobs last year alone, but there is much more we can do. I am looking forward to positive and productive talks with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and his team." Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark, said:"As we deliver on the shared commitment to provide sustainable, secure and affordable energy in both our countries, the India-UK Energy for Growth Dialogue will enable us to explore the immense shared economic opportunities lying ahead. "India invests more in the UK than in the rest of the EU combined, while the UK is the biggest G20 investor in India. I look forward to discussing how the UK Government's Industrial Strategy will increase the prospects for shared trade, investment and energy innovation between our two great countries." Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, Baroness Neville-Rolfe said: "The UK is a great, global trading nation and we are determined to strengthen our relationship with old friends like India as part of our plan for Britain. "Nowhere is this more true than in financial services, where the UK's world leading financial sector is helping to support growth all over India. "I want this to continue long into the future and I am therefore delighted that we are deepening our collaboration in FinTech to advance cooperation in this fast-growing sector." HM Treasury's special envoy for FinTech, Eileen Burbidge, said: "It's brilliant to see so many FinTech-related initiatives announced as part of this Economic Financial Dialogue. Since the UK is the world's leading FinTech hub, we look forward to supporting the growing FinTech ecosystem of India -- and exchanging ideas, talent and investment between our two countries. As the UK regulator deepens its cooperation with India this is an important signal to UK FinTech companies, SMEs and larger financial services institutions alike, and I find it encouraging that this collaboration will now be made even easier." Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for International Trade, Mark Garnier said:"The UK and India enjoy a strong trading relationship, we are the largest G20 investor in India and in 2015-16 India was the UK's second biggest job creator. With the world' largest young population and an ambitious reform agenda, there are huge opportunities for UK businesses as we have the skills, expertise and technology to meet India's demands. As we prepare to leave the EU, we will continue to ensure our businesses seize the global demand for British goods and services and I look forward to discussing how we can forge even stronger links with this key trading partner." In the same week Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will participate in the first-ever India-UK Energy for Growth Dialogue and meet with his Ministerial Counterparts to deepen energy cooperation between the two countries. Through the Dialogue, India and the UK will agree priority areas for bilateral collaboration and a business delegation of over 40 companies will explore commercial opportunities. Since 2000 the UK has invested over 19 billion in India, more than the US or any other European country and Indian companies play a major part in the success of the UK economy. Many of these operate in fast growths sectors such as technology & telecoms (32%), pharmaceuticals (19%) and financial services (10%). Ministers will showcase how Britain is open for business by making a series of announcements on including: Encouraging more City of London investment into India's rapidly growing energy and renewables market, through a UK-India sub-fund of India's National Investment and Infrastructure Fund. With an a core investment of 120 million from each government, this will aim to raise 500 million for vital Indian infrastructure projects Increased collaboration between the UK and Indian Fintech sectors - taking forward a regulatory cooperation agreement that will make it easier to share information about innovations, emerging trends and regulatory issues and make it easier to invest in FinTech in both India and the UK. Chevening Financial Services Scholarships - eight top Indian financial services leaders of the future will attend an eight week intensive course in financial services in London in spring. Standard Chartered is sponsoring the scholarships, which is being supported through the Government's Chevening scheme. A number of commercial deals are expected to be signed during the visit, creating and securing jobs at home and demonstrating market confidence in the strength of the British economy. These include: Mumbai based Indsur Group, will invest 12 million in UK-based Western Thermal Limited, creating 100 jobs in the UK. Barclays will create a UK-India Fintech Exchange Programme, where three Fintech start-ups from both the UK and India will travel out to each other's countries and work closely with mentors and finance professionals. Barclays Rise Accelerator Mumbai, the successful scheme to support Fintech start-ups, will now expand and take in firms continuously from around the world, including the UK. Lloyd's of London will welcome the opening of its Indian reinsurance branch in Mumbai and the successful registration of MS Amlin as the first Lloyd's syndicate to operate there, which will provide speciality reinsurance protection onshore in India for the first time. World First, a UK-based foreign exchange company, will announce that they are opening their first office in Bangalore in autumn 2017, with plans to handle half a billion pounds in international transfers by 2020. HDFC, a leading Indian financial conglomerate, will issue a 400 million masala bond as part of a new Medium Term Note programme listed on the London Stock Exchange. Arecor, a leading UK formulation technology research company, will sign a 45 million licencing agreement with Cadila Pharmaceuticals to research and develop insulin glargine for diabetes. AstraZeneca, one of the UK's leading biopharmaceutical companies invested in a Global Technology Centre (GTC) in Chennai two years ago with more than 2,000 employees. The company will announce a further expansion of this GTC this month with the opening of a new facility that will focus on IT and non-IT services. WealthObjects a UK company that provides a B2B Robo Advisory, Financial Planning and Engagement ready-made platform or modular APIs for Consumer Banks, Fund Managers, Investment firms, and Insurance firms. This helps firms launch a customised and automated digital wealth proposition faster and at a fraction of the cost. WealthObjects will shortly be launching these in India to add to their growing list of clients. With its 4th global FinTech program, Startupbootcamp will continue its objective of fostering collaboration between corporates and startups in financial innovation by announcing its first cohort of start-ups from its Mumbai programme. List of delegates Mark Carney, Governor, BoE Andrew Bailey, CEO, FCA Chris Woolard, Executive Director, FCA Gerry Grimstome, Standard Life John Nelson, Lloyd's of London Chris Davies, CEO HSBC International Nikhil Rathi, CEO, LSE Ashu Khullar, Co-head Corporate Banking EMEA, Cit Group John Laws, Managing Director, Head of Regulatory and Government Relations, Asia Pacific, Barclays Eileen Burbidge, Partner, Passion Capital and HM Treasury FinTech Envoy Christoph Rieche, Co-founder Iwoca Ltd Sajeev Viswanathan, Earthport Rohit Bammi, Earthport Kristo Kaarman, Co-founder, TransferWise Husayn Kassai, Onfido Nikhil Saigal, Onfido Kush Patel, Tallysticks Raj Pofale, SCA Alistair Tebbit, RELX Jeff Parker, Managing Director for Asia-Pacific, World First Emma Davis, WorldFirst Rahul Tripathy, Fundaura Uday Bhaskar, WealthObjects Julie Lake, FinTech50 (ANI)
His Holiness The Dalai Lama, who was set to reach Tawang today has been forced to change his schedule due to bad weather, and will now reach Bomdila by evening. The Tibetan Spiritual lead was set to leave Guwahati by a chopper, but the inclement weather has forced him to travel by road and change his stop to Bomdila, where he will make a public appearance tomorrow. After staying there for two days, he will proceed to Tawang. After several hours of thundershowers, members of Tibetan refugee community of Monpas and residents of the northwestern town of Arunachal Pradesh were out of their homes to clean the road to welcome their spiritual leader. Tawang monastery, a place where Dalai Lama is going to stay for next four days is decorated with religious flags and coloured clothes with mantras inscribed on them. In 1959, along with thousands of supporters the spiritual leader escaped from China and crossed over at Chuthangmu post. On global stage, China has repeatedly warned India that Dalai Lama's visit would hit the bilateral ties significantly. Dressed in traditional costumes, around 800 monks will welcome their spiritual leader Dalai Lama in the 400 year old monastery which is India's largest and world's second largest. During his visit he is also expected to hold a religious discourse at the stadium of Tawang's senior secondary school and will also deliver a public talk on 'Secular Ethics and Happiness' at the Kala Wangpo Convention Centre. On April 9, he will be inaugurating the Thupsung Dhargeyling Monastery. Security arrangements are also deployed by the Arunachal Pradesh Police and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) to avoid any unwelcomed tensions. (ANI)
Speaking to ANI here, social activist Ruby Mukherjee said, "It is a shameful incident and we must condemn it. This should be stopped immediately as such type of incidents are pushing India lower, we feel ashamed of ourselves."

Mukherjee further said those found guilty should be given strict punishment.

Echoing similar emotions, Mumbai-based advocate and activist Abha Singh asserting that it was a shocking incident.

"It is shocking that people are still emboldened to rape foreigners. This clearly shows that the police are not serious towards the foreigners and it is sending a very wrong image of India abroad, "Abha Singh told ANI.

Singh further stated that the tourist coming to India numbers have fallen because they think India is unsafe country for women.

"In fact a few countries have issued advisories warning women not to travel India," she added.

The social activist said strong action needs to taken to stop such types of crime.

"It is the duty of the police to provide adequate security to women so that they feel safe and it will not give bad name to India," Abha said.

Earlier on Sunday evening, a German national filed a complaint with Mahabalipuram police that she was kidnapped and raped by two unknown men.

She was immediately taken to Kanchipuram General Hospital for a medical check-up and was later moved to the resort where she is staying. (ANI)
Hailing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's suggestion that a 'Grand Alliance' of non-BJP parties is needed to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) on Tuesday asserted that such a coalition is the crying need of the hour. Speaking to ANI here, JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav said, "I agree with Nitish Kumar's suggestion. They way the Opposition parties are scattered, it has benefitted BJP party. It is the crying need of the hour that the Opposition should unite together to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led-BJP party." Resonating similar views, JD (U) member of the Rajya Sabha Pawan Verma said that the 'Mahagathbandhan' of non-BJP parties at the national level can be an effective challenge to the BJP. "It is important to remember that Nitish Kumar said this before the 2017 Uttar Pradesh elections that if the opposition parties can come together on a basis of a credible narrative with an alternative agenda and vision for our country. This will be the effective challenge to the BJP," Verma said Varma further stated that Nitish Kumar repeated his statement this time in particular to the Congress party which is the largest opposition party, so that they take their first step in this direction. "The question of leadership within the opposition parties will be resolved once you they have a credible alternative vision to present," he added. Earlier on Monday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that a grand alliance of opposition parties, similar to that in Bihar on the national level could stop the dominance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. "As the grand-alliance was successful here, if it is emulated on the national level, it could achieve grand success," Kumar said. The Janata Dal United (JDU) leader said that he held talks with other Left leaders and the Congress in this regard and asked them to take an initiative to throw the BJP-led NDA alliance out of power. Kumar further said that being the oldest party, the Congress should take the responsibility of brining all other opposition parties on the same platform. The architect of grand alliance in Bihar said that there is no dearth of leaders for the post of Prime Minister. (ANI)
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said that it is unfortunate to term the criminal act on Nigerian nationals in UP's Greater Noida, which was triggered following the untimely death of a young Indian student under suspicious circumstances, as 'xenophobic and racial.' MEA added that India is committed to ensuring safety and security of all the foreign nationals in the country, including African nationals, who remain our valued partners. MEA's reaction comes after Dean of African Head of Missions (HOM), in a statement, termed the recent attacks against African students as 'racial and xenophobic.' "We have seen the statement by the Eritrean Ambassador to India, who is also the Dean of the African Head of Missions, apparently issued on their behalf. it is unfortunate that a criminal act triggered following the untimely death of a young Indian student under suspicious circumstances has been termed as xenophobic and racial," MEA said in a statement. "Investigations on the death of Indian teenager and the subsequent incident by local authorities are ongoing," the statement further read. The Indian Government had condemned and described the attack on a few Nigerian nationals in Greater Noida as 'unacceptable.' MEA said the significance attached to addressing the matter is reflected in the detailed statement by the External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj and the discussion in the Parliament. Local authorities had expeditiously arrested suspects following Swaraj's conversation with the Chief Minister of the State of Uttar Pradesh immediately after the incident. Police had registered an FIR and are investigating the matter comprehensively. Local authorities have also taken measures to strengthen safety and security of the Nigerian nationals. Ministry of External Affairs has further sensitised the local authorities towards ensuring safety and security of Africans in general and African students in particular. "It may be noted that a subsequent report of assault on a Kenyan national has been withdrawn and the Government has been informed by Kenyan High Commission that the concerned Kenyan national, whose tourist visa has expired, is returning to Kenya. Nevertheless, the Kenyan High Commission has expressed appreciation for prompt response by local police authorities on her complaint," MEA said. Earlier, dubbing the recent violence against African students in India as 'Xenophobic,' Heads of African missions in India called for an independent investigation by the Human Rights Council as well as other human rights bodies into these incidents. The envoys also expressed disappointment that these acts of violence were not "sufficiently condemned by the Indian Authorities." The development comes after four Nigerian nationals were thrashed by the locals in Greater Noida last week when a Class 12 student in NSG Black Cats Enclave died due to suspected drug overdose, which the locals blamed on the Nigerian students. However, according to sources, a very small number of African HOMs may have been consulted in the issuance of the press release by the African HOM Dean and also some of the prominent African HoMs denied that they attended the reported meeting or were consulted. (ANI)
The ceasefire along LoC in Poonch sector's Degwar took place at around 09: 05 a.m.

Today's ceasefire violation is the fourth such incident in less than 48 hours along the LoC.

Yesterday, Pakistani troops had resorted to firing and shelling of mortar bombs on forward posts in Bhimbher Gali sector of Rajouri district and it continued for few hours.

Pakistan's Foreign office on Monday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner J.P. Singh over the alleged killing of a Pakistani civilian in a cross-border firing.

Pakistan's Director General (SA & SAARC), Dr. Mohammad Faisal, who had summoned Singh, condemned the alleged ceasefire violation by the Indian forces on April 1 along the LoC in Chirikot sector, in which the Foreign Office (FO) claimed an 18-year-old civilian, Muhammad Attique Qureshi was killed.

Faisal urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations, and instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC. (ANI)
Sub-Inspector of West Bengal Police ChandanTalukdar was today mowed down and killed by a cattle-laden truck during frisking on vehicles in this border district of West Bengal, officialsources said. They said it was hit and run case as the police officer of Shimultalaunder Dinhata was leading a frisking operation on vehicles in a bid to stop smuggling of arms, illegal import and export of cattle heads in this Indian border district with Bangladesh. The mishap happened when the officer had tried to stop the truck forchecking, it suddenly accelerated and run over SI Chandan Talukdar, who was declared brought dead at Dinhata mohokuma hospital. The truck after mowing down fled. On Monday night a woman was killed and 15 others were injured, four of them children, when a private bus from Siliguri hit a tree and fell into a nearby ditch at Simultala.UNI XC-PC KK -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0212-1216935.Xml
Japan's Nikkei share average rose on Wednesday morning after the yen rally paused, but financial stocks slipped on falling U.S. yields, while North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile hurt the overall market sentiment.Investors kept to the sidelines as focus turned to a crucial meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later in the week.The Nikkei rose 0.3 percent to 18,873.34 in mid-morning trade, after falling to a 10-week low the previous day."Investors are on the sidelines as they are cautious ahead of the U.S.-China meeting, Trump's economic policies and U.S. jobs data," said Takuya Takahashi, a strategist at Daiwa Securities."It may take a while for the Nikkei to trade above the 19,000-mark again and stay above that line."While gains were limited, index-heavyweight Fanuc Corp soared 3.2 percent, adding 28 points to the benchmark index.North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday from its east coast into the sea off the Peninsula, South Korea's military said, ahead of a summit between U.S. and Chinese leaders who are set to discuss Pyongyang's arms programme.Market participants said that overall impact from North Korea's missile launch is limited to the market although it has made investors averse to risk.Automakers continued to slip as dismal March U.S. auto sales dragged on sentiment. Toyota Motor Corp dropped 1.2 percent and Honda Motor Co shed 1.9 percent.Banks and insurers, which seek higher yielding products, underperformed after benchmark U.S. Treasury yields touched their lowest in more than five weeks.Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group declined 1.3 percent, Mizuho Financial Group fell 0.9 percent and Dai-ichi Life Holdings tumbled 1.6 percent.The broader Topix was flat at 1,504.31 and the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 was flat at 13,468.21. REUTERS CJ PM0859 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1216884.Xml
For the third consecutive day today, Pakistani troops fired unprovoked on forward Indian posts thus violating the ceasefire agreement on the Line of Control in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir."Pakistani Army this morning initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars at 0905 hrs on Indian Army posts along the Line of Control (LC) in Poonch sector," a defence spokesman here said.He said that the Indian Army posts are retaliating strongly and effectively. "The firing is presently on while no injury or any damage has been reported so far," he added.Yesterday, Pakistan shelled on forward posts in Bhimber Gali area of Rajouri.On April 3, Pakistani troops fired heavily in Poonch and Rajouri sectors. UNI VBH SV SB 1029 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1216919.Xml
A city businessman, identified as Rakesh Chowdhury, was arrested yesterday on charges of rape, extortion and blackmailing a girl student from Guwahati in Assam. The arrest of the businessman, who is in his mid 30s, was made last night from his Salt Lake residence following a complaint by the girl who is inher early 20s. The girl, who had undergone medical tests at the SSKM Hospitalyesterday, alleged that the businessman was introduced by one of her friends in south Kolkata. Rakesh gave her drinks at a party and she fell unconscious and was raped some time last year. Since then the businessman had been blackmailing her threatening her that he would make public the video tapes of her obscene pictures. The girl on mustering courage lodged the complaint with the police. She had come to the city to pursue higher studies and put up in a rented flat in south Kolkata. Police said they have filed cases of non-bailable arrest against thebusinessman who would be produced before the Alipur court later today.UNI PC KK -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0212-1217002.Xml
Tripura High Court today asked the state government to clarify the reason for awarding the job of maintaining Rashtriya Swastha Bima Yojana (RSBY) Helpdesks in 88 empanelled government hospitals of the state to an insurance company. According to report, IFFCO Tokyo, a general insurance company of India, was awarded the job to maintain helpdesks in all the empanelled hospitals early this month. The helpdesks offered assistance to patients to avail the benefits of billing for necessary drugs and diagnostics among other support services under RSBY scheme. However, with the previously engaged firm's tenure coming to closure, the state government chose to award the work to IFFCO Tokyo allegedly without holding any tender. Challenging the decision of the state government, the previous service provider moved High Court of Tripura. After hearing the case today, Justice Subhashis Talapatra ordered the state government to show cause for its decision to engage the Delhi-based Insurance Company without tender within April 17 next. The court ,however, issued stay on the engagement of IFFCO Tokyo for the job of maintaining RSBY helpdesks. The petitioner alleged that engagement of Insurance Company to keep track of benefits drawn by the patients from a state sponsored health insurance scheme was most absurd.UNI BB KK -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0212-1217036.Xml
In a further escalation of the diplomatic row over the attacks on African students, Dean of the African Heads of Mission was today summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs here and given a very strong message by India that they were carrying the matter too far by threatening to take the issue to the UN. Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj told the Lok Sabha that her Deputy Gen V K Singh called the Dean and candidly conveyed to him that their terming the attacks ''racial and xenophobic'' was unfortunate and there was no need of the threat to involve the UN when in India itself there were so many democratic and judicial means available to get justice. Responding to the issue raised during Zero Hour by KC Venugopal, Congress, and others, Ms Swaraj termed ''absolutely wrong'' their conclusion that the political leadership did not take adequate action to prevent such accidents. ''The Government of India action cannot be called inadequate. The legal process was on, six persons have been arrested and the guilty will be punished,'' Ms Swaraj said. The heads of African Missions here, in a statement issued after a meeting on the attack on Nigerian students in neighbouring Greater Noida, on Monday described the recent attacks on African nationals as ''racist and xenophobic'' and said they would take the matter to the Human Rights Council of the UN. They said that no sufficient and visible deterring measures were taken by the Government to prevent such attacks. The envoys also decided to report to the matter to the African Union. ''The Dean's statement was surprising and painful. I called him today, and Gen Singh spoke to him and candidly told him that if they were not satisfied, they should have sought a meeting with the External Affairs Minister,'' she said . They were told in very clear terms that the government action against the attacks could not be called ''inadequate'' by any means, and why they should talk about taking the matter to UNHRC when so many judicial and legal platforms were available in India for securing justice, she said.More UNI NAZ RSA 1319 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-1217103.Xml
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to fly to New Delhion Friday on the invitation of the President to attend the ceremonial dinner in honour of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. President Pranab Mukherjee has formally invited Ms Banerjee to the ceremonial dinner that he is going to host for Ms Hasina, official sources at Nabanna here said today. The president is keen to have Ms Banerjee face to face with the Bangladesh PM to break the deadlock on Teesta water sharing issue between the two neighbouring nations. Ms Banerjee, who is now on an official tour of south Bengal districts, is likely to attendthe bilateral talks to be hold by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Bangladesh counterpart in the national capital. Ms Hasina will reach New Delhi on Friday for a three-day visit to India.UNI PC RN AD 1350 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1217148.Xml
Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Wednesday downplayed China's concern over his visit to North East India and said that he has no problems even if someone calls him a demon. Talking to the media here, the Dalai Lama said , "No problem, even if some consider me a demon." Hailing the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Tibetan government-in-exile yesterday said that China should not have any problem with it as the spiritual leader's visit is purely religious. "He has been invited by the people of Tawang to come and give teachings and blessings. He is visiting as a religious leader. He travels all over the world and give teachings on Buddhist philosophy, inter religious harmony and peace. There is no reason for China to protest the Lama visiting to the places where his followers are there," Tibetan government-in-exile spokesperson Sonam Dagpo told ANI. He further said China is not protesting against the Dalai Lama's visit for the first time. "He has been visiting Tawang for the last many years. So, you don't see any kind of Chinese projects coming openly. But may be about five-six years now whenever he is being invited by the people of Tawang, China begins to protest against the Indian Government," he added. Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday also warned against any 'artificial controversy' being created and asserted that the Dalai Lama's visit was strictly religious and not political. "His (Dalai Lama) visit is purely religious in nature and there should be no political angle given to that," Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju told the media here. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) yesyerday issued a statement, saying that no additional colour should be ascribed to the Dalai Lama's religious and spiritual activities. The Dalai Lama, who was set to reach Tawang today, has been forced to change his schedule due to bad weather and will now reach Bomdila by evening. The Tibetan spiritual leader was set to leave Guwahati by a chopper, but the inclement weather has forced him to travel by road and change his stop to Bomdila, where he will make a public appearance tomorrow. After staying there for two days, he will proceed to Tawang. During his visit, he is also expected to hold a religious discourse at the stadium of Tawang's senior secondary school and will also deliver a public talk on 'Secular Ethics and Happiness' at the Kala Wangpo Convention Centre. On global stage, China has repeatedly warned India that the Dalai Lama's visit would hit the bilateral ties significantly. Protesting Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, China earlier on Friday warned India to avoid damaging bilateral relations between the two nations and adhere to political pledges or else face the consequences. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is arriving tomorrow in Sahibganj to lay the foundation stones for building a bridge over Ganga river and a port. Official sources said the prime minister is going to arrive in a special plane of the Air Force at Purnea in Bihar from where he would go to Sahibganj in a helicopter at 1220hrs. After the programme, he would be leaving for Purnea at 1410 hrs. Besides the foundation laying programme, he would also be distributing appointment letters to those selected for the Paharaia Battalion and also distribute smart phones among the members of thewomen sakhi mandals. Several other schemes and programmes would be launched by Mr Modi tomorrow. In the wake of the PM's visit, elaborate security arrangements have been made in Sahibganj. As per the request of the state government, five companies of central para military forces, acompany each of the rapid action force, rapid police forces and anti-terrorist squad have also been deployed. A bomb disposal squad and 14 fire tenders have also been stationed at the venue. The Jharkhand police has also deployed more than 1800 policemen, including 3 SP and 35 DSP rank officials to maintain full proof security during the function. The district administration has put a ban on the movement of boats and steamers between Mahadeoganj and Sankrigali today and tomorrow. Police forces have also been deployed on the banks of Ganga river to keep an eye on any suspicious activity through the river. Chief Minister Raghubar Das along with several Union Ministers would be present at the function.UNI AK AD1533 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1217368.Xml
The beautifully decorated Rama temples all over the two states reverberated withRama nama sankeertanas as the pundits performed the marriage of the divine couple.

The historic temple town of Bhadrachalam,the venue of the main "kalayana mahavotsvam", wore a festive look as an estimated two lakh people from different parts of the country thronged the famous Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy temple on the banks of the Godavari to watch the celestial wedding of Lord Rama with His consort Sita. The celestial wedding was performed at the tastefully decorated "mandapam" at Midhila stadium adjoining the temple complex by scores of vedic mantras chanting priests. Union Minister of state for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya and Telangana deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari were among the prominent people who attended the elaborate ceremony.

Minister Indrakaran presented the traditional silk clothes and "muthyala thalambralu" (pearls) to the divine couple.

The state Road transport corporation plied special buses from different points in the two states to Bhadrachalam for the benefit of pilgrims..The South Central Railway also ran a special train between Secunderabad and Bharachalam. Tight security arrangements were made in view of the Srirama Navami celebrations in the temple town.UNI SMS CJ 1458

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1217130.Xml
Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICG) Shoor saved 25 lives on board a cargo vessel MV MSC Daniella which had been engulfed by fire last evening off the coast of Colombo. The cargo ship, registered in Panama, was nearly 32 nautical miles off the coast of Colombo and was en route Suez from Singapore carrying "dangerous'' cargo, according to reports received by the Indian Coast Guard. It had caught fire and was about to break and sink. Indian Coast Guard ship Shoor doused the flames on the 350-metre long container, laden with 6000 tonnes of cargo and prevented it from sinking. "A major disaster was averted, the crucial Colombo Channel through which most of the commercial shipping takes place could have been blocked had the ship gone down," Director General Indian Coast Guard Rajendra Singh said. Sri Lankan authorities had received the first distress call from the Daniella at about 2030 hrs yesterday. Sri Lanka turned to India for help. ICG Shoor, on an overseas deployment at Colombo, was diverted immediately and it reached the cargo ship in two hours.The fire raging on board MV MSC Daniella was brought under control as ICG Shoor used its External Fire-Fighting System consisting of water cannons and foam mixture. It took about three hours to douse the flames and the daring operation on the high seas was called off early this morning. Sri Lankan Coast Guard chief Rear Admiral Samantha Wimalathunge called his Indian counterpart to laud India's efforts and timely help. UNI VT SW ADG 1745 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1217600.Xml
Haryana Government today reinstated two state Police Service Officers with immediate effect. On reinstatement, Mr Satish Kumar has been posted as DSP/HVPNL against newly approved ex-cadre post while, Mr Jagat Singh has been posted as DSP/HVPNL against Joginder Sharma, DSP whose posting orders will be issued later on.UNI JS JW 1820 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1217683.Xml
The Bombay High Court was today informed by the state government that it has mooted a proposal to hike the compensation to the victims of rape, sexual assault and acid attacks from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. Under the 'Manodhairya Yojana' launched in October 2013, the Maharashtra government had decided to give compensation of up to Rs 3 lakh to the victims of rape and other crimes against women. Apart from the monetary compensation, the government provides counselling to the victim and vocational or educational training, if required. The High Court had asked the state government to consider increasing the amount to Rs 10 lakh in some cases, looking at the gravity of the offence and the condition of the victims. Following this, government lawyer Abhay Patki today told the division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chelur and Justice GS Kulkarni that the proposal to increase the compensation has been initiated and a final decision would be taken within six weeks. The bench had earlier slammed the Devendra Fadnavis government for its insensitive approach and said that the 'Manodhairya scheme' was "insulting, inhuman and shameful.''UNI AAA RP1935 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-1217866.Xml
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and its French counterpart, Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC), France to implement Technical Cooperation Program in civil aviation sector.The Technical Cooperation Program will be beneficial for enhancement of skills and expertise of AAI's officers. This MoU is also beneficial for imparting training of engineers, technicians, managers etc.UNI ADP SHK 2100 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0429-1218111.Xml
The Cabinet today gave its approval for the agreement on Audio Visual Co-Production India and Bangladesh. Under the agreement, it would cover co-production of films, documentaries, and animations films. An audio-visual co-production made in accordance with the proposed agreement shall be entitled to all the benefits which may be accorded to any national audio-visual work by both countries in accordance with their respective laws and regulations. The development would lead to exchange of art and culture among the two countries and create goodwill and better understanding among the peoples of both the countries. It will provide an opportunity to create and showcase our soft power. India has so far entered into audio-visual co-production agreements with Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, France, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Canada, China and the Republic of Korea. UNI ASH SHK 2120 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0388-1218135.Xml
President Pranab Mukherjee today said if India has to become a great economic power, it has to invest heavily in innovation and entrepreneurship. ''Every Indian mind is an innovative mind. It has the potential to come up with the solution to our problems. We need people to turn problems into opportunities and work at expanding the scale of operation,'' the President said while addressing the special plenary of the Summit on 'Mentoring Grassroots Entrepreneurs in Smart Grams for Inclusive Growth' at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President said India will grow when whole of India grows. ''With 68 per cent of our population still living in villages in the rural areas, smart development can take place only if villages and villagers become smart. Last year, in the month of May the President's Estate became a Smart Township,'' he said. He was convinced that the initiative undertaken in the President's Estate can, with some experimentation, be extended to our villages. Central to his thought process was Mahatma Gandhi's vision of a self-reliant village.'' Our new Gandhian model is an effort to develop a policy paradigm based on convergence of resources of both the Central and State governments, PRIs, public and private sector organizations, NGOs and enlightened citizens to make our villages economically vibrant, socially harmonious and to the extent possible, self-reliant,'' he said. "Under the Smart Gram initiative, we are working in the fields of infrastructure development, health and wellness, education, agriculture, energy and skill development and entrepreneurship and have so far made substantial progress. The five villages today have 24x7 electricity, Common Service Centers, Training Centers and medical clinics and wellness centres. So far, more than 30 organizations have joined the SMARTGRAM consortium. These include, government organizations, public, private and philanthropic organizations, academic institutions and of course the villagers themselves," the President said. ''Encouraged by our early successes, we have expanded the project from 5 to 50 villages in the region in the month of February this year,'' he said. He said he was confident of expanding this project to 100 villages by the end of May, 2017.The President said today, roughly, 12 million youth enter into the labour market every year. Population below the age of 35 years is about 65 per cent.''The Indian innovation strategy has to focus on generating ideas that promote inclusive growth and benefit those who are at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid. Imparting skill and providing gainful employment is essential for meeting the demographic challenge and for harnessing the enthusiasm, energy and ambition of our youth to contribute to economic development. India has a huge domestic market and this provides an advantage for the enterprises that use local material and technologies to produce low cost but good quality products for the market. Let us all take this mentoring movement for entrepreneurship development forward,'' he said.On the occasion, the Secretary to the President, Omita Paul said Smart Gram is an initiative of President Mukherjee aimed at transforming rural areas into sustainable spaces by developing infrastructure, building skills and creating jobs at the local level. The central theme for converting Rashtrapati Bhavan into a 4 'H' heritage, humane, hi-tech and happy township was creating an eco-system that spreads happiness and promotes the well-being of the residents. ''The same theme has been carried forward in our concept of Smart Grams where happiness and harmony are of paramount importance,'' she said. She stated that the focus of Rashtrapati Bhavan is on creating a sustainable and inclusive development model that can be easily replicated. This model is based on the convergence of resources and effort by the Central Government, State Government, District Administration, Panchayati Raj Institutions, public sector, private sector and enlightened villagers. The Summit is being organised by the Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST), as part of its Silver Jubilee Celebrations with the aim of supporting employability initiatives in the country and encouraging youth to take up entrepreneurship. The day-long Summit had sessions on various themes including setting a national agenda for youth entrepreneurship for inclusive growth and promoting 'Smart Grampreneurs'; Gurukul Diaries: in conversation with a Mentor; and "Entrepreneurship: How it can power urban development. Besides, 'Guftgu' a freewheeling dialogue on mentoring was also held.On the occasion, the President also presented BYST Young Grassroots Entrepreneur Awards in various categories.UNI AR PY SHK 2249 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1218264.Xml
Trump retweeted a story by a portal called 'The Daily Caller' under the headline 'Rice ordered spy docs on Trump?'

The story, which cites former U.S. Attorney Joseph diGenova as its source, claims Rice asked U.S. spy agencies to produce 'detailed spreadsheets' of phone calls involving Trump and his aides during the campaign.

The Obama administration's national security advisor played a central role in 'unmasking' several Trump campaign officials who had been swept up in U.S. surveillance operations against foreign targets during last year's presidential election campaign, according to current White House officials and sources on Capitol Hill.

Rice had requested that names be provided for otherwise unidentified U.S. people in dozens of raw intelligence reports relating to the Trump campaign, sources told The Washington Times on Monday. (ANI)
Liam Neylen, 19, Ben Harman, 20, James Neves, 22, Ellie Leite, 19, a 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy were charged on Tuesday after Reker Ahmed was attacked near a bus stop in Croydon.

The six suspects will appear in custody on Tuesday at Croydon magistrates court alongside Kyran Evans, 23, and a 17-year-old girl. All eight are accused of violent disorder.

Earlier, five people were charged in connection with the brutal attack on the asylum-seeker that left him with serious head injuries.

The teenager was a Kurdish Iranian and suffered a fractured skull and a blood clot on his brain.

The Police has said that as many as 20 people were involved in the attack on the 17-year-old, which they said was being treated as a hate crime.

The teenager remained in intensive care in a hospital on Monday, where his condition was "serious" but not life threatening. He had sustained serious head and facial injuries as a result of the attack.

Police arrested nine people over the weekend and another person on Monday in connection with the attack. (ANI)
The St. Petersburg metro attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, the Kyrgyz Foreign Minister has said. Kyrgyz authorities had earlier identified a Russian national born in Kyrgyzstan Akbarjon Djalilov as a suspect in the blast. Meanwhile, the death toll in the blast was raised from 11 to 14 by the Russian health ministry although it was unclear whether that included the attacker. Four of the people injured are said to be in critical condition, Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova has said, TASS reports. The Russian state media had earlier reported the death toll to be 10 and the count of the injured to be 50. What we know so far: - No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which led to the shutdown of the city's metro system - Analysts speculated that the bomber could be affiliated with either a Chechen separatist group or ISIS - U.S. President, Donald Trump, dubbed the explosion at St. Petersburg as a 'terrible thing' "Terrible. Terrible thing. Happening all over the world. Absolutely, a terrible thing," Russian state-owned news website Sputnik quoted Trump as saying. - Russians laid flowers and tributes at memorials and a three-day period of mourning has begun - St. Petersburg explosion was a terrorist attack, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Facebook "Those who suffered during the terrorist act in the St. Petersburg metro will be provided with all the necessary assistance. All instructions to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Emergency Situations are given. My most sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the explosion. This is a common pain," he wrote - The Prosecutor General's office in St. Petersburg called the explosion a terrorist attack, TASS reported - United States President Donald Trump was briefed on the situation in Russia, deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders told CNN - "Terrible news. Condolences to relatives and loved ones," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova posted on her Facebook account - Alexander Yakovenko, Russia's ambassador to UK, shared a message on Twitter thanking people for offering sympathy in the wake of blast - An additional device was found at a second St. Petersburg metro station -- Revolutionary Square -- but was secured, the National Anti-terrorism Committee said in a statement - Unidentified explosive device caused the blast, says Russia anti-terror spokesperson Investigators believe an explosive device is the cause of the blast, Andrei Przhezdomsky, a spokesperson for the National Anti-terrorist Committee, told state-run Russia 24. He added that evacuation was over and medical assistance was being offered to the injured. - Putin expressed his condolences and has indicated that there will be an investigation. He said he was in contact with the FSB security services and law enforcement to determine the reason behind the explosion - President Vladimir Putin was in the city speaking at an event early Monday morning - The explosion took place in a tunnel between two metro stations, Russian state media reported, citing officials - The Russian state media initially reported the death toll to be ten - An explosion at the Sennaya Ploshchad metro station shook the Russian city of St. Petersburg. State media originally reported that there were two blasts. (ANI)
According to Anas al-Diab, an activist with the Aleppo Media Center, airstrikes hit the city of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province giving off a poisonous gas that led to this asphyxiation.

Three more strikes hit the same city center location but did not result in any gas, al-Diab added.

Doctors are attempting to evacuate the wounded to Turkey.

The death toll is said to be at least 67, according to al-Diab, while the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported it to be 58.

The High Negotiations Committee claimed the death toll could be as high as 100 with up to 400 injured.

Activist groups have blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime for the attack.

The Syrian Coalition, an umbrella opposition group, referred to the attack as a "crime similar to that in Eastern Ghouta in 2013 that the international community allowed to pass without accountability or punishment," in a Twitter post. (ANI)
Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan asked participants at a high-level meeting to ensure strict implementation of rules and regulations, and to revise and update visa rules.

He said introduction of online visa regime to bring in transparency, minimise discretion and expedite the entire process should be ensured.

Indifference to this responsibility in addressing the problems of the people will invite serious notice and action, the Express Tribune quoted him, as warning on Monday.

He said central visa database is essential as it would enable Pakistani state institutions to keep a tab on all those travelling to Pakistan on any visa category.

To ensure strict surveillance of Pakistan's land, sea and air route entry and exit points on borders, Nisar ordered speedy completion of a concept paper for modern Immigration and Border Control Department (IBCD).

The minister observed that as a first step, a separate body of IBCD should be set up under the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

He said modern immigration department would strengthen border control management of the country which is currently managed by the FIA.

The FIA officials also gave a detailed briefing to the interior minister about the recoveries in various cases, including human trafficking and the recoveries made from various petroleum marketing companies in lieu of petroleum levy.

The meeting was attended by interior secretary, NADRA chairman, advocate general, ICT chief commissioner, Islamabad acting IG and senior officers of FIA and Ministry of Interior. (ANI)
United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has said that the Trump Administration will try to be part of efforts to deescalate tensions between India and Pakistan. "It's absolutely right that this administration is concerned about the relationship between India and Pakistan and very much wants to see how we deescalate any sort of conflict going forward," she told media here on Monday after the United States assumed the presidentship of the United Nations Security Council for the month of April. Ambassador Haley, who is of Indian ancestry, was asked whether Washington would make any effort to get India and Pakistan to engage in peace talks. It was the first comment by a member of the Trump Administration on escalating tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi. (ANI)
Pakistan Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua said Tuesday Islamabad remains committed to its policy of non-interference in the conflicts of Muslim countries. She gave the assurance during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs which discussed the issue of clearance given to former army chief retired General Raheel Sharif to lead the Saudi-led 39-nation Islamic military alliance and Pakistan's relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran. "The Islamic [military] alliance is against terrorism, not any [specific] country," Janjua said in response to a question by committee chairman Awais Leghari. She was addressing concerns that Islamabad's decision to send the former army chief to lead the alliance will complicate the already fraught Pak-Iran ties. The Dawn quoted Janjua, as saying that Pakistan is making efforts to reduce the tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. "It is difficult for Pakistan to maintain equal relations with both countries but Pakistan will not go against Iran's interests," she assured the panel. General Raheel Sharif will not act against Iran as the head of the military alliance, she asserted. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's (PTI) Shireen Mazari and Shah Mehmood Qureshi raised concerns that the Foreign Office's (FO) statements regarding the Saudi military coalition are contradictory and said that Pakistan must make careful decisions regarding the Islamic alliance. The PTI leaders were of the view that a tilt towards either side in Pakistan's ties with Saudi Arabia and Iran is not advisable. Meanwhile, Qaumi Watan Party Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao questioned why Pakistan had agreed to become a member of the coalition without first finding out the aims and objectives of the alliance. The Foreign Office has avoided an immediate reaction to media statements by Iranian Ambassador Mehdi Honardoost who expressed reservations about Pakistan clearing Gen Sharif to lead the military alliance put together by Saudi Arabia. Gen. Sharif is likely to assume command of the anti-terrorism alliance, dubbed the 'Muslim Nato', in April. The government had issued an NOC for Sharif to join the alliance after an understanding was reached between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on the matter, retired Maj Gen Ijaz Awan, a defence analyst and close associate of the former army chief, had told Dawn. Earlier, the Foreign Office avoided reacting to a statement by Iranian Ambassador Mehdi Honardoost who expressed reservations about Pakistan clearing former army chief Gen Raheel Sharif to lead a 39-nation military alliance put together by Saudi Arabia. Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said he would be looking into the matter. (ANI)
Stating that the Trump administration will try and "find its place to be a part" of efforts to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan, United States Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Nikki Haley has suggested that President Donald Trump may participate in the mediation process. "It's absolutely right that this administration is concerned about the relationship between India and Pakistan and very much wants to see how we de-escalate any sort of conflict going forward," Haley said in a press conference. When asked whether the U.S. would make any effort to get India and Pakistan to engage in peace talks, she said "I would expect that the (Trump) administration is going to be in talks and try and find its place to be a part of that (process)." "We don't think we should wait till something happens. We very much think that we should be proactive in the way that we are seeing tensions rise and conflicts start to bubble up, and so we want to see if we can be a part of that," the US envoy added. "I think that will be something that you will see members of the (US) National Security Council participate in, but also wouldn't be surprised if the president participates in that as well," she said. The UN has been continuously voicing concerns over the continuing tensions between India and Pakistan. (ANI)
Pakistan's relationship with the U.S. has often been touted as that of a 'frenemy', as Islamabad has on several occasions been accused of playing a double game - securing U.S. aid to fight terrorism and then using that aid to maintain its Islamist assets, but Islamabad's relentless criticism of its former Ambassador to the U.S. Hussain Haqqani proves that it is no friend of the U.S. Associate professor at Georgetown University's Security Studies Program C. Christine Fair highlights in his recent article that since the earliest years of the so-called global war on terrorism, Pakistan on one hand has taken some USD 33 billion from Washington in the name of partnering with it to fight Islamist militancy in Pakistan and Afghanistan and on the other hand, it continued to kill Americans and their Afghan partners, as well as NATO and non-NATO allies in Afghanistan, through its varied proxies such as the Afghan Taliban, the Jalaluddin Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba and others. The article appearing in The National Interest says that while Pakistan has tenaciously maintained the viability of these so-called Islamist militant assets, it has prosecuted a brutal campaign of violence and threats of violence against Pakistanis who are fighting for a saner Pakistan. It offers the recent example of how Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States from 2008-2011. A recent article by Haqqani in the Washington Post on how diplomats build contacts with incoming administration officials was described in Pakistan variously as a "confession" or "admission" of secretly helping the Americans in finding al-Qaeda founder and 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden. Haqqani said in his article that while having lived most of the Pervez Musharraf's military dictatorship years in exile in Washington, he had established close ties with members of Congress and others influential in policymaking. These ties later helped in closer cooperation between Pakistan and the United States in fighting terrorism and eventually these connections enabled the United States to discover and eliminate bin Laden without depending on Pakistan's intelligence service or military, which were suspected of sympathy toward Islamist militants He discloses that friends he made from the Obama campaign were able to ask for help in stationing U.S. Special Operations and intelligence personnel on the ground in Pakistan. These requests were taken directly to Pakistan's civilian leaders and approved. "Although the United States kept us officially out of the loop about the operation, these locally stationed Americans proved invaluable when Obama decided to send in Navy SEAL Team 6 without notifying Pakistan," he said in his article. Fair writes that post Haqqani's article the Pakistani politicians and media are busy condemning him for inadvertently helping conclude the hunt for the world's most wanted terrorist by granting visas to American operatives who, along with Pakistani nationals, located bin Laden while ignoring the question of why and how bin Laden lived for years in Pakistan. Fair cites a report by Carlotta Gall, in her 2014 volume The Wrong Enemy, in which the author asserts that Pakistan's notorious intelligence agency, the ISI, had a desk dedicated to overseeing bin Laden's protection. Laden was "hiding" in plain sight a mere mile or so from the famed Pakistan Military Academy. His home was a Spartan but fortified compound with high walls, limited communications and a small electrical profile for the outsize compound. They even burned their trash in the compound itself. His security was surprisingly absent, suggesting that bin Laden felt reasonably secure. Pakistan's position on bin Laden is difficult to parse as when the United States initially offered Pakistan, in the words of one highly-placed official, "a ride on the victory bus," Pakistan had no interest, says Fair. Soon thereafter, civilian and military leaders alike vocally decried the U.S. raid that killed him as a breach of Pakistan's sovereignty. Fair writes that Haqqani is not the only foe of terrorism that the state is hunting but in recent years, the Pakistani state has launched a tenacious crackdown upon a wide array of activists who oppose the perduring state project of jihad. These activists include secular bloggers and other social media activists, civil rights lawyers, journalists, musicians, and other dissidents, such as Baloch and Sindhi ethnic activists. These diverse activists generally oppose the army's instrumentalisation of so-called jihadis as principal tools of foreign policy and the government's tacit alignment with Islamism and for this reason, they are considered "enemies of the state" and have been relentlessly harassed and threatened with violence. Meanwhile, the article also accuses the United States of having emboldened the Pakistani military and its intelligence agencies over the last fifteen years to hunt down reformers at home, because it believes the United States needs Pakistan more than Pakistan needs the United States. Pakistanis frequently lament that while the United States never brought down a civilian regime, its historical support to the military ensures that a praetorian junta, unaccountable to any law, truly governs the state. It further calls upon the United States to correct this course and demand that Pakistan knock off its jihad habit while at the same time working to ensure this relentless liberal witch hunt ends. The article says that to achieve this, the United States has many tools at its disposal, ranging from sanctions, to declaring Pakistan to be a state sponsor of terror, to significant curbs on military assistance. (ANI)
The United States Government has announced that it will take steps in order to tightene controls over new H1B visa applicants, sending out a reminder that it is closely monitoring the popular work visa. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has said that it would take a "more targeted approach" in site visits to the workplaces of H-1B petitioners, while the Justice Department issued a statement "cautioning" employers petitioning for H-1B visas to not discriminate against American workers. Both the announcements are bound to deal a crippling blow to outsourcing companies. "The H-1B visa program should help U.S. companies recruit highly-skilled foreign nationals when there is a shortage of qualified workers in the country. Yet, too many American workers who are as qualified, willing and deserving to work in these fields have been ignored or unfairly disadvantaged. Protecting American workers by combating fraud in our employment-based immigration programs is a priority for USCIS," read the statement by Homeland Security. Targeted site visits will allow USCIS to focus resources where fraud and abuse of the H-1B program may be more likely to occur, and determine whether H-1B dependent employers are evading their obligation to make a good faith effort to recruit U.S. workers. USCIS will continue random and unannounced visits nationwide. However, the government has made it clear that the site visits are not meant to target nonimmigrant employees for any kind of criminal or administrative action but rather to identify employers who are abusing the system. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice has said that it will not tolerate employers misusing the H1B visa process to discriminate against U.S. workers, asserting that American workers should not be placed in a disfavored status, and the department is wholeheartedly committed to investigating and vigorously prosecuting these claims. (ANI)
As President Xi Jinping heads to the USA on 6-7 April for his first meeting with President Donald Trump, protocol and face off will be at the top of the Chinese leader's list of priorities. More than anything, he wants to be treated as an equal, as the paramount leader of a rejuvenated China. Already, with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's deferential visit to China last month, the new U.S. leadership has uncritically accepted China's narrative without batting an eyelid. On that occasion, Tillerson said, "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." However, his choice of word distinctively echoed what President Xi himself said on previous occasions, lending credence to China's egotistical pretensions to equality in terms of global power. Indeed, the Global Times cloyingly trumpeted that "Tillerson has implicitly endorsed the new model of major power relations". There have been a number of recent indications of Beijing's far-from-honest approaches to a range of governance issues. One was the election of Hong Kong's new chief executive on 26 March. Carrie Lam, the former chief secretary, was duly selected as the next leader with a runaway total of 777 votes out of the 1,161 cast. Of course, the election committee consisted mostly of Beijing loyalists, so there was no hope of anyone other than Beijing's top pick from winning. However, there was murky insider dealing going on throughout the election process. Some of this was revealed in the online publication Hong Kong Free Press. Mark Pinkstone, the chief information officer for one of the candidates running for chief executive nomination, Regina Ip, lifted the lid on this Pandora's box. He stated: "The chief executive election makes one commonly known, but not spoken about, point: It is all controlled by the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government. The whole election protocol is a farce." Pinkstone claimed that Lam had been anointed as early as midway through 2016 to succeed C.Y Leung. Remarkable was Lam's reversal of her decision not to run in the leadership race after earlier expressing a desire to retire. One of the other contenders, John Tsang was the most popular candidate in terms of public opinion, but the Liaison Office attempted to lure him out of the race with an offer of the position of CEO of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Furthermore, Pinkstone claimed the Liaison Office phoned every member of the nominating committee advising them to reject Ip and throw their weight behind Lam. Pinkstone continued with his allegations, even though Ip quickly distanced herself from them. "Almost every weekend prior to the elections, clandestine meetings were held in Shenzhen with Beijing officials, members of the Hong Kong Liaison Office and election committee members to discuss the outcome of the March 26 chief executive elections." Such allegations demonstrate that the Liaison Office violated Article 22 of Hong Kong's Basic Law, which prevents the Chinese government from interfering in affairs rightly administered by the territory itself. Pinkstone lamented, ".The Central Government has lost all trust of the Hong Kong people in maintaining the One Country Two Systems principle." Of interest, the South China Morning Post, now controlled by Jack Ma of Alibaba fame and with a decidedly pro-Beijing stance on every issue, refused to publish Pinkstone's claims. On the other hand, Chinese-language newspapers were not reluctant at all about plastering Pinkstone's revelations on their front pages. As occurred with the Hong Kong election, China is renowned for its all-encompassing propaganda machine, one that will no doubt be in full flow during the Trump-Xi summit as it dignifies the Chinese president. Just how nefarious Chinese propaganda tactics are was revealed by Bonnie Glaser, a senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She tweeted, "China Daily solicits articles on US-China relations, but only wants analysis of positives, win-win and mutual respect." She showed a copy of a recent letter from the China Daily asking inviting her to submit an opinion piece for online publication. The letter stipulated, "We hope you could focus more on mutual respect, cooperation (especially on economic and trade) and win-win instead of conflict and confrontation.We prefer a piece of the bigger picture to that of criticism of China or the US.Thus, we look forward to you [sic] could find a topic related to this theme and write us a piece." Such letters have been received by other academics too, where Chinese media organizations have specified the tone and content of the puff pieces they want. As if party censorship within China was not enough, state-run media are alarmingly using exactly the same methods in the West too. There are other reasons why Trump should call out China on its atrocious proclivity to silence its people and instead herald China's and Xi's unparalleled glories. One glaring example was the sentencing of two citizens for supporting pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2014 on social media. A Guangdong court sentenced Su Changlan to three years in prison for "incitement to subvert state power" on 31 March. The judge's verdict said she had "created an influence, attacking the socialist system, [and] inciting others to subvert state power". Chen Qitang, meanwhile, was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison on the same charge. His crime was taking photos of the Hong Kong protests and posting them on WeChat, as well as voicing support for Su. They had been tried in April 2016 but the court had repeatedly delayed its verdict. Ironically, Su was stripped of her political rights for a period of three years. Obviously, one must question what kind of political rights Chinese citizens have in the first place? It seems the only right people have is to agree with the Communist Party of China. Her lawyer described the verdict and proceedings as "extremely absurd". Religious freedom is another area where Trump should attack Xi's faade of global leadership. It recently emerged that churches in Wenzhou, often referred to as China's Jerusalem because of the preponderance of Christian churches and an estimated one million believers, are being forced to install surveillance cameras for so-called "anti-terrorism and security purposes". Cameras were to be located at gates, rostrums and offering boxes. The order was given late last year and began to be implemented in January, sometimes by sufficient force that believers have had to be hospitalized. In 2014 Wenzhou grabbed the headlines because churches were forced to remove around 360 rooftop crosses, purportedly because they were illegal structures. Pastor Huang Yizi was jailed for one year for protesting these removals, and he has subsequently been closely monitored. The Christian community is simply suffering what the Muslim Uighur population has been enduring for years. In the latest restrictions implemented on 1 April, Xinjiang Province passed new regulations banning any "manifestations of extremism". The measures include women wearing veils, men wearing "abnormal beards", what names are given to children and damaging legal documents. Other crimes are refusing to watch state television or listening to state radio, or stopping children from receiving a regular education. In many respects, China has not acted wisely in international relations either. While all countries can be blamed for parochialism, China's behavior over the US Army deployment of a THAAD missile defense system in South Korea has been particularly one-eyed. Beijing has complained vociferously that the associated radar will impinge upon China's own security, but it has conveniently forgotten that South Korea and Japan are directly facing the threat of North Korean ballistic missile launches. Indeed, such a reality is totally absent from China's tide of invective. Indeed, one could argue that China has brought this upon itself, for Beijing has done very little to dissuade Pyongyang from its belligerent pathway to ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. By the same token, China conducted clandestine oceanographic tasks with research vessels around Benham Rise in waters to the east of thePhilippines. The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs revealed this was not the first time China has shown unusual interest in the area off the Luzon coast, after applying for permission to conduct "marine scientific research" there in 2015. Manila refused to give such permission, with China's main aim likely to be study of the ocean floor to benefit submarine operations. Yet Beijing vociferously protests the presence of US Navy research vessels within the South China Sea, again underscoring that China is willing to take but never to give, even where required under internationally accepted practices. Trump has many reasons to take Xi to task over the way China is being run so authoritatively. Legal injustices, censorship, political interference and religious persecution are all rife within China, and these influences are spreading beyond its shores. Trump has made a name for himself by being blunt, so this is a good opportunity to continue in that vein. If Xi, China's "core leader", wants to sit at the global table, then he should be required to grant basic freedoms to his countrymen and start treating others with respect. Trump promised the meeting with Xi would be "a very difficult one", but this has to be for reasons beyond mere trade and jobs.(ANI)
According to a statement from the White House, Trump spoke with Putin by phone on Monday expressing his condolences and offering support to the Russian people.

Both Presidents agreed that terrorism must meet a swift end.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the explosion on the St. Petersburg metro, although the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev described it as a "terrorist act."

This was the first official call between the two leaders since shortly after Trump took office, he spoke with Putin as well as four other world leaders in the same day.

Putin also congratulated Trump hours after his electoral victory in November.

St. Petersburg was shaken by an explosion that tore through a metro train on Monday, leaving at least 10 people dead and dozens injured.

The attack occurred as Putin was visiting the city to address a media forum and meet the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

"Naturally, we always consider all options -- both domestic and criminal, primarily incidents of a terrorist nature," Putin said.

The attacks come at a time of domestic political upheaval is Russia, as anti-corruption demonstrations have been held across Moscow and dozens of other cities over the past two weeks, with thousands of Russians taking to the streets to protest against corruption. (ANI)
President Donald Trump praised his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for doing a "fantastic job" as he hosted the latter in his Oval Office and pledged unstinting support for the authoritarian ruler. "We agree on so many things. I just want to let everybody know in case there was any doubt that we are very much behind President el-Sisi. He's done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation. We are very much behind Egypt and the people of Egypt. The United States has, believe me, backing, and we have strong backing," New York Times quoted Trump as saying. President Sisi had been barred from the White House ever since he seized power in a military takeover nearly four years ago. Trump's predecessors considered authoritarians like Sisi to be distasteful and at times shied away from them. However, Trump meeting Sisi is being seen as a shift in American foreign policy. Sisi's visit is the first visit by an Egyptian president to United States since 2009, when former president Hosni Mubarak had visited the country. "I just want to say to you, Mr. President, that you have a great friend and ally in the United States and in me," Trump told Sisi. Responding to Trump's Statement, Sisi informed Trump that he and Egypt will always stand with him in bringing about an effective strategy in the counterterrorism effort He called Trump's effort to negotiate peace between Israelis and Palestinians as an effort to find a solution to the problem of the century in the deal of the century and also pledged his support for this. (ANI)
The president laid a bunch of scarlet roses in memory of those killed in the terror attack on Monday.

"Vladimir Putin arrived at the entrance way to the Tekhnologichesky Institut metro station where he laid flowers in memory of those killed in today's metro blast," Russian state-owned news agency Tass quoted Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov as saying.

At least eleven people were killed and several others injured in an explosion inside a metro train at the Sennaya Square station in Russia's St. Petersburg.

According to the National Anti-terrorist Committee, the blast claimed 11 lives and injured forty-five people.

TASS news agency reported that an unidentified device exploded in a train car.

Meanwhile, investigators in Russia are suspecting two natives of Central Asia, a man and a girl, involvement in the blast.

Earlier, Russian President Vladmir Putin expressed his condolences and indicated that there will be an investigation with respect to the blast.

Putin said he was in contact with the Federal Security Service (FSB) and law enforcement to determine the reason behind the explosion.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called the St. Petersburg explosion a 'terrorist attack.'

"Those who suffered during the terrorist act in the St. Petersburg metro will be provided with all the necessary assistance. All instructions to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Emergency Situations are given. My most sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the explosion. This is a common pain," Medvedev wrote on his Facebook page.

Seven metro stations in the city have been closed following the blast.(ANI)
Queensland Police Service(BRISBANE, Australia) -- A terrifying moment for a motorcyclist was caught on camera in Australia after a mattress flew off the back of a truck and directly in front of the rider.



Queensland Police Service released footage of the incident, which occurred on Tuesday, March 28, in Brisbane.



In the video, you can see the mattress lift off the trucks trailer and land in the path of the motorcycle going 50 mph. The driver, Aaron Wood, managed to drive several feet before coming to a stop with the mattress mangled underneath the bike.



Good Samaritans can then be seen pulling up to help move the mattress to the side of the road.



The Queensland Police Service has launched an investigation into the incident.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
US President Donald Trump condemned the "intolerable" alleged chemical attack on civilians in Syria and blamed the Bashar al-Assad regime, media reports said. "Today's chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world," Efe news quoted Trump as saying on Teusday in a statement. Trump said that "heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution", referring to former President Barack Obama, who "said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons" in Syria but then "did nothing". "The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack," the President concluded. Shortly before Trump issued his statement, a senior State Department official, who asked for anonymity, told reporters that everything pointed to the fact that the chemical attack was a "war crime" and that the countries backing Assad -- Russia and Iran -- have much to answer for. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also had harsh words for Russia and Iran in his own statement condemning the attack, which killed at least 58 people in the town of Khan Sheikhoun. "While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism," said Tillerson in the statement. Tillerson also said that the attack is the third complaint about the use of chemical weapons in Syria in the past month. The US accusations come after Syria denied that either its forces or Russian forces were behind the attack. --IANS vgu/ ( 281 Words) 2017-04-05-06:30:07 (IANS)
"The Islamic [military] alliance is against terrorism, not any [specific] country," the Dawn quoted Janjua as saying in response to a question by National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs chairman Awais Leghari.

She assured that Pakistan is committed to its policy of non-interference in the conflicts of Muslim countries.

Janjua made these remarks during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs which discussed the issue of clearance given to former army chief retired General Raheel Sharif to lead the Saudi-led 41-nation Islamic military alliance and Pakistan's relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran.

"It is difficult for Pakistan to maintain equal relations with both countries but Pakistan will not go against Iran's interests," she said.

Janjua said Pakistan is making efforts to ease tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Pakistan Foreign Secretary's remarks came after Iran expressed concerns over former Pakistan Army Chief Retired Gen Raheel Sharif heading the Saudi-led 39-nation Islamic military alliance, saying it is not 'satisfied' with the coalition.

The Pakistan Government had last month given its approval to former chief of army staff general (Retd) Raheel Sharif to lead a 39-nation alliance of Muslim states led by Saudi Arabia by providing him with a No-Objection Certificate (NOC).

Earlier in January, former chief of army staff (COAS) General (retd.) Raheel Sharif was appointed as the chief of Islamic military alliance and posted in Saudi Arabia

In 2015, Saudi Arabia had announced the formation of a 34-state Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism and Pakistan was made a member of the coalition. (ANI)
The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul confirmed that the missile was launched from Sinpo, South Hamgyong province, eastern North Korea, at 6.40 local time, Efe news reported.

They added that the launch was made from land and not from the sea, ruling out the possibility that it was a ballistic missile launched from a submarine (SLBM), as Pyongyang has launched before from the sea off the coast of Sinpo, where its main centre of development for these projectiles is located.

Seoul and Washington are currently analyzing both the missile type and the possible range of the missile launched by Pyongyang, the Yonhap news agency reported, adding that it was most likely a KN-15 medium range ballistic missile.

This latest launch comes just ahead of US President Donald Trump receiving his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Florida for a meeting which will have North Korea as one of the main topics.

Trump has called on Beijing, Pyongyang's closest ally, to exert more pressure on Kim Jong-un's regime to abandon the development of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.

On March 6, the Pyongyang regime launched four medium-range ballistic missiles, three of which landed in Japan's Special Economic Zone, just 200 km off the archipelago's shores, and two other missile tests since then apparently failed.

--IANS vgu/

( 253 Words)

2017-04-05-07:22:07 (IANS)
A senior Uighur official in China's restive western region of Xinjiang has admonished other Communist Party "cadres" from the mostly Muslim Uighur minority for failing to pull their weight in the fight against terrorism, state media said.China has increased security in Xinjiang to fight what it sees as a grave threat from Islamist extremists stirring up ethnic tension.Rights groups say that party restrictions on the religion and culture of the Uighurs create simmering resentment of the state and of policies that encourage the majority Han people to move to the region in vast numbers."I have become deeply aware, in these severely complicated circumstances, that we Uighur cadres have not taken on the bulk of the work (in fighting terrorism)," said Mehmet Emin Bekri, a top official in south Xinjiang's Kashgar city, according to a post on an official city account on WeChat, a popular social media app."(Our) work ethic is superficial, (our) stabilty measures half-hearted, and there is a clear gap between (our) security work and the demands of the central, regional and prefectural party committees," he said.A former trading post, Kashgar is central to China's One Belt, One Road initiative, President Xi Jinping's signature foreign and economic policy that aims to create a new "Silk Road" of trade and infrastructure links between China and the developing nations of Euroasia.But the city and nearby towns in southern Xinjiang are also among the most unstable in the region, creating a threat to plans that the party is combating with mass police rallies and a raft of new "anti-terror" measures."We must be soberly aware that... the infiltration of religious extremist thought is intense, the group influence is large, the scope wide, the level of poison deep, especially among people born in the 1980s and 1990s," Bekri said.Bekri's remarks were published alongside photos of him meeting with white-bearded elderly Uighurs wearing traditional hats over meals of flat bread.The party encourages ethnic minorities to become cadres, but Uighurs still number far fewer than Han officials in the region, and as all party employees are expected to be atheist, they are often seen by fellow Uighurs as having abandoned their cultureREUTERS CJ NS1114 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1216948.Xml
Russia's economic growth will be capped at 1.5-2.0 percent in the absence of structural reforms, regardless of oil prices, Russian central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina said at an economic conference on Wednesday.Finance Minister Anton Siluanov echoed her comments, saying that a growth of 1.5-2.0 percent was expected this year. He said Russia needed structural reforms to grow at a faster pace.REUTERS CJ NS1405 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-1217123.Xml
''The use of chemical weapons is a war crime and is prohibited in a series of international treaties,'' including the Hague Declaration concerning Asphyxiating Gases, the 1925 Geneva Protocol, the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), a WHO statement said.

Doctors in Idleb have reported that dozens of patients suffering from breathing difficulties and suffocation had been admitted to hospitals in the governorate for urgent medical attention, many of them women and children.

WHO officials said it was in continuous contact with health partners in Idleb to monitor health impact and needs, and was working with cross-border partners to reduce morbidity and save lives.

Noting that the capacity of hospitals in the surrounding area was limited, especially as a number of facilities have been damaged as a result of the ongoing conflict, the statement said.UNI SD SW ADG 1712

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0005-1217539.Xml
Israel's transport minister proposed today linking its freight railway network with Jordan and Saudi Arabia and said he presented the idea to US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy last month.Under the proposal, goods could travel by rail from Israel's Mediterranean port of Haifa through Jordan to Saudi Arabia's Gulf port of Dammam via Jordan.The minister, Yisrael Katz, declined as a news conference to say whether Arab states had agreed to join his initiative.After Syria's civil war began in 2011, Israel opened its Haifa port as a conduit for goods coming from Turkey and Europe to be trucked to Arab countries further east, but traffic has been limited due to small capacity and political opposition.A railway connection would formalise links across tense borders. Israel, which has fought three wars with its Arab neighbours, has peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, but not with Saudi Arabia.Katz, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, told reporters that Trump envoy Jason Greenblatt expressed enthusiasm about the plan when it was presented to him during his regional visit."I have already started working ... I am in touch with very senior elements in the U.S. administration," said Katz, who has said he intends to eventually succeed Netanyahu as Likud leader.Katz said he did not believe a rail route would make a serious dent in the high volume of commercial traffic through Egypt's Suez canal linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.Israel has set its sights on normalising relations with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab states that Israeli leaders say share Israel's concerns about regional rival Iran.Katz said his plan could also give the Palestinians far greater ability to export goods from the occupied West Bank to the Arab world. Palestinians say Israel's control of that border has limited their trade prospects.In outlining the plan for the rail network, Katz said only a short length of track was still needed to link Israel and the northern West Bank near a Jordan River crossing with Jordan."If the Palestinians connect to a railway system, the entire area will get a significant economic boost," he said.Jordanian officials were not immediately available for a comment on the proposal.Katz, who has held the transportation portfolio under Netanyahu since 2009, has proposed building an island off the coast of the Hamas Islamist-run Gaza Strip that would house an airport and sea port to serve the Palestinians.Israel maintains a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, citing security concerns, and tightly regulates the overland passage of goods and people through its border with the territory.Egypt, at odds with Hamas, keeps its frontier with the enclave largely closed.REUTERS PY BL2032 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1218099.Xml
MOSCOW, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan's State Security Committee suspected a Kyrgyzstan-born Russian citizen of carrying out the bombing attack in the St. Petersburg metro, the Kyrgyz foreign minister said Tuesday.

Erlan Abdyldayev disclosed the findings at a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

The blast took place on Monday afternoon in a metro train carriage in St. Petersburg, Russia's second largest city, killing 14 people and wounding dozens.

Abdyldayev said it was too early to link the suspect to the Islamic State or other terrorist groups.

Lavrov responded that it was inadmissible to connect the attack to the origins of a person or a religion. He added that terrorism has no nationality and represents "a crime against all humanity and all world religions without exception."

Speculations are "cynical and mean" that the metro attack could be an act of revenge for Russia's participation in anti-terrorist operations in Syria, said Lavrov.

Earlier in the day, Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said the explosive device was possibly detonated by a man, whose fragmented remains were found in the blown-up train.

"Investigators are now continuing their inquiries, including reviewing CCTV footage," Petrenko said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 05:16:50|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

UNITED NATIONS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The head of the African Union (AU) and United Nations peacekeeping operations in Sudan's Darfur, Jeremiah N. Mamabolo, said here Tuesday that the Darfur status quo could lead to more bloodshed as a "different" Darfur has emerged since 2003.

Mamabolo said while briefing the UN Security Council that "the Darfur of today is a very different place from what the region was in 2003, when the armed conflict began, and from that of a year ago."

Fighting between forces of the government of Sudan and the main three non-signatory armed movements has considerably diminished. However, against the backdrop of economic hardship and social depression, banditry and criminality continue to be widespread.

Mamabolo said that efforts to get parties to the conflict to sign a cessation of hostilities agreement and to start direct negotiations towards an inclusive peace agreement have remained inconclusive.

He warned that the status quo is hurting all parties and can only lead to more bloodshed.

Meanwhile, he also stressed the need to identify durable solutions to enable the return of internally displaced people to their places of origin or reintegration.

"In view of the current circumstances in Darfur, a pragmatic reconfiguration of UNAMID (the AU-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur) will become necessary and the AU and UN will have to focus on how best that could be done without compromising the gains thus far made," said Mamabolo.

He said that on March 5-17, UNAMID received an AU-UN strategic review team, which met with the government of Sudan in Khartoum and Darfur, and travelled throughout the Darfur region. UNAMID awaits the outcome of these deliberations.

The three strategic priorities established by the Council in 2014 continue to provide a framework within which UNAMID implements its mandate to protect civilians, mitigate inter-communal conflicts and mediate between the government and the non-signatory armed movements.

The past three months have also witnessed a continued reduction in the number of inter-communal security incidents, in particular as a result of the more effective involvement of the native administrations and the impact of security measures by State governments, leading to an increased number of peace agreements.

Furthermore, UNAMID has not seen any new displacement in 2017.

Cooperation with the government has noticeably improved in terms of humanitarian access. UNAMID and the UN country team have repeatedly been able to visit previously off-limits areas in Jebel Marra while UN humanitarian partners are commencing regular helicopter flights to Golo.

However, efforts by the AU High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) to get warring parties to sign a cessation of hostilities agreement and start direct negotiations towards an inclusive peace agreement to end the conflict have remained inconclusive, Mamabolo said.

Although the Sudan Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid al-Nur (SLA/AW) is no longer capable of mounting and sustaining significant military operations, it continues to refuse to join the peace process and seems to want to continue to fight, he explained.

"We would like to appeal to this Council and those with influence and leverage on him to persuade him to recognize the importance of a political settlement and desist from bringing more suffering to the very people that he professes to represent," Mamabolo said.

In February 2015, a tripartite committee composed of Sudan's government, the UN and the African Union, was formed with the aim to reach a deal on UNAMID's exit from Darfur.

UNAMID took over the peacekeeping task in Darfur from the African Union Mission in Sudan on Dec. 31, 2007.

The UNAMID is considered the second biggest peacekeeping mission in the world, after the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It consists of over 20,000 personnel of military, police and civilian components, with a budget of 1.4 million U.S. dollars in 2013.
KHARTOUM, April 4 (Xinhua) -- African judicial leaders called on Tuesday here for establishment of an African Court of Justice to act as reference for conflict resolution.

The appeal was filed at the first meeting of the African Conference of Chief Justices and President of Supreme Courts, which issued a Khartoum Declaration.

The declaration also called for establishment of an African Arbitration Center for Dispute Resolution among African states in accordance with legal frameworks.

It further urged for formation of an effective African judicial alliance and enhancing the judicial cooperation to ensure the rule of law and independence of the judiciary.

The declaration stressed the conference outcomes relating to the scientific and legal topics which included the African experience in conflict resolution, independence of the judiciary, transnational crimes and development of the judicial system mechanisms.

It also urged necessary measures to enhance the role of the African judiciary combating corruption, terrorism and extremism.

Representatives of 34 African countries attended the conference, which started sessions on Sunday, while China, India and Indonesia participated as monitors.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 05:46:54|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

MEXICO CITY, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Mexico is bolstering the capacity of its ports as part of efforts to promote free trade, President Enrique Pena Nieto said on Tuesday.

Pena spoke at the inauguration of a second container terminal at the Pacific coast Port of Lazaro Cardenas, in Michoacan state, built with an investment of 525 million U.S. dollars.

"If we are betting on free trade, on opening up more to the world -- so goods made in Mexico can conquer other markets and world products, Mexico -- we had to expand the capacity of our ports," said Pena.

According to the president, when he took office in 2012, Mexico's ports moved 260 million tons of goods a year, "and we proposed doubling that capacity to 500 million tons."

Currently, the nation's ports handle 406 million tons of merchandise, national agency Notimex said, with the new terminal boosting the Lazaro Cardenas Port's capacity from 27 million tons to 49 million tons.

Danish firm Maersk will be operating the container terminal and Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen was on hand for the opening ceremony.

"We must destroy trade barriers. We must not build new walls nor barriers, because it is not about a zero sum game, it is about the opportunity to give the entire world a chance to win," said Rasmussen.

Pena also touted Mexico's plans to create four Special Economic Zones "to spur industrialization and economic development" in the country, including in Lazaro Cardenas.

The port's Container Terminal II features a 750-meter-long pier capable of handling cargo ships carrying up to 15,000 containers, the latest technology, and seven cranes capable of moving 1.2 million containers a year.
PARIS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- French favorite to win French 2017 presidential race, Emmanuel Macron, in a televised debate on Tuesday night, blasted far-rightist candidate Marine Le Pen's nationalist platform as an old lie that will lead to "an economic war."

"Europe, it allows to protect. What you are proposing is the decline of the French's purchasing power. What you are proposing is an economic war," Macron said.

"Nationalism is war. I know it. I come from a region that is full of graveyards," he added, referring to his native region of Somme, north France, a battle field in World World I.

Hitting back, Le Pen said "you shouldn't pretend to be something new when you are speaking like old fogy that are at least 50 years old."

"Sorry to tell you this, Madame Le Pen, but you are saying the same lies that we've heard from your father for forty years," Macron retorted.

"I have Europe at heart because I think it makes us stronger, but I do not have naive Europe... I am in favor of reform but with a constructive dialogue," added the centrist and pro-Europe contender.

Le Pen who pledged to quit the euro and restore local currency and internal borders had also been lashed out by conservative candidate Francois Fillon who said she lacked economic policy.

"Le Pen has an economic program with a lot of expenses and which is based on an exit from the European Union and the European currency. However, large majority of French people do not wish to leave the European currency, which means that there is no economic policy for Madame Le Pen," Fillon said.

In the second televised debate ahead of April first round, the lesser-known six candidates Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, Nathalie Arthaud, Philippe Poutou, Jacques Cheminade, Jean Lasalle and Francois Asselineau joined the top five contenders to defend their chances in the presidential contest which pollsters predict to be a two-horse race between La Pen and Macron.

A survey released on Tuesday showed Macron and Le Pen tied on 25 percent of voting intention in the April 23 election.

For the decisive round on May 7, pro-liberal Macron would comfortably beat the nationalism advocate by 61 percent to 39 percent, the survey says.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 07:07:04|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

Video Player Close

TORONTO, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Canada's main stock market closed ahead for a second straight session on Tuesday, as gains in energy stocks from strong gains in crude oil and natural gas futures outpaced losses in the health care sector.

The Toronto Stock Exchange's benchmark Standard & Poor's/TSX Composite jumped 84.67 points, or 0.54 percent, to start the week at 15,669.07 points. Seven of the 10 sub-groups ended the session ahead.

The TSX Energy group continued its recent ascent, rising 1.48 percent following jumps in crude oil and natural gas prices.

A barrel of Brent for June delivery in London rose 1.94 percent to close at a four-week high of 54.13 U.S. dollars. The benchmark crude oil had lost a combined 10.47 percent since late February.

Since then, it has bounced back by trading ahead in six of the last eight session for a cumulative gain of 7.10 percent. Meanwhile, May natural gas on the New York Mercantile Exchange soared 5.02 percent to 3.291 U.S. dollars per million British thermal units.

As a result of the price jumps, a group of Calgary energy firms received boosts during the session. Birchcliff Energy Ltd, Baytex Energy Corp, and Spartan Energy Corp were the standouts, leaping 3.36 percent, 3.12 percent, and 2.66 percent, respectively.

Suncor Energy Inc, the largest crude oil producer in the country, saw shares climb 0.91 percent to 41.90 Canadian dollars (30.02 U.S. dollars).

The remaining groups that finished Tuesday ahead were: Industrials (0.85 percent), Materials (0.84 percent), Telecommunications (0.76 percent), Information Technology (0.41 percent), Financials (0.18 percent), and Utilities (0.15 percent).

The Materials group, which is comprised of producers of gold, precious metals, and raw materials, benefited from gains in gold, silver and copper.

The spot price for an ounce of gold and silver both advanced 0.22 percent to 1,255.70 U.S. dollars and 18.27 dollars. Meanwhile, a pound of copper advanced 0.48 percent to 2.6113 U.S. dollars.

Gold miners Yamana Gold Inc and Barrick Gold Corporation shares boosted 1.07 percent and 0.97 percent, each.

Meanwhile, Copper producers saw the most gains within the group during the session, as shares of Toronto-based HudBay Minerals Inc soared 4.04 percent and Vancouver-based Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. jumped 3.62 percent.

The IT group also contributed to the overall gains, as Waterloo-based Blackberry Limited saw shares ascend 3.64 percent to 10.83 Canadian dollars (8.08 U.S. dollars).

On the losing side, the health care sector was the biggest deterrent for a second straight session, slipping 1.39 percent after medical marijuana distributor Canopy Growth Corporation shares declined 1.28 percent to 10.50 Canadian dollars (7.50 U.S. dollars).

Shares of the Smith Falls-based firm were the eleventh most traded stock on the day with volume exceeding 3.75 million.

A trio of Quebec-based pharmaceutical firm also contributed to the group's demise. ProMetic Life Sciences shares dipped 3.51 percent, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International retreated 2.51 percent, and Knight Therapeutics slipped 1.55 percent.

The Consumer Discretionary and Consumer Staples group rounded out the list with respective declines of 0.44 percent and 0.02 percent.

On the economic slate, Statistics Canada reported that international merchandise trade in February was a 972 million Canadian dollar deficit, compared to analysts' expectation of a 500 million Canadian dollar surplus.

Month-over-month exports slipped 2.4 percent to 45.340 billion dollars, while imports rose 0.6 percent to 46,312 billion dollars. Exports to China dipped 17.3 percent to 1.989 billion dollars, while imports climbed 4.3 percent to 3.338 billion dollars.

The Canadian dollar fell 0.11 cents to close the session at 0.7459 U.S. dollars.
MINSK, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Russia will restore oil supply volumes to the previous level no later than April 13, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko said on Tuesday.

"Russia will resume oil supplies to Belarus in the amount of 24 million tonnes per year, which is set by the existing agreement. The volumes will be supplied through 2024," Semashko told the Belarus one TV channel.

The official also said Belarus had been released from an obligation to export 1 million tonnes of refined oil products to Russia per year. According to experts, this will help Belarus to earn an additional 150 million U.S. dollars a year.

Differing interpretations of the formula for pricing supplies of Russian gas to Belarus gave rise to a non-payment dispute that resulted in Russia reducing crude oil supplies to Belarusian refineries nearly 20 percent to 18.6 million tonnes in 2016.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 07:12:05|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

Video Player Close

BUENOS AIRES, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Former Argentinean president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is trialed by a federal court for charges of conspiracy and money laundering on Tuesday.

A statement by the court added that federal judge Claudio Bonadio had frozen assets belonging to Fernandez de Kirchner, who was in power from 2007 to 2015, worth 130 million pesos (8.4 million U.S. dollars).

Bonadio, of Buenos Aires' 11th Federal Criminal and Correctional Court, is investigating Fernandez de Kirchner for her alleged role in a conspiracy when she was president. She is accused of laundering assets and of blurring the line between her political role and business interests.

The case has become known in Argentina as "Los Sauces," the name of the former president's family company, dedicated to real estate.

The court is seeking to determine whether the former president and her children, Maximo and Florencia Kirchner, received money through Los Sauces from companies who were then handed public works contracts, gaming licenses and oil exploration contracts.

Bonadio's ruling, which is 392 pages long, also opened a trial into her children "for playing a leading role in a conspiracy," as well as entrepreneurs Cristobal Lopez, Lazaro Baez, Fabian De Sousa and Osvaldo Sanfelice, as "organizers."

The judge also ruled that none of the concerned were allowed to leave the country.

This is the second case opened into Fernandez de Kirchner. In December, another federal judge accused her of conspiracy and fraud because of dealings in Hotesur, her company dedicated to hotel investments.

The case saw other assets worth 10 billion pesos being frozen.

On March 23, Bonadio demanded that Fernandez de Kirchner appear in court to testify on whether, in the final days of her presidency, she conspired with executives at the central bank to carry out financial operations against the interests of the treasury.

According to the charge, the Central Bank sold U.S. dollars at a rate of 10.65 pesos, almost 50 percent lower than the price set by the New York Stock Exchange at the time.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the opening meeting of the 61st session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women at the UN headquarters in New York March 13, 2017. AntonioGuterres said on Monday that women's empowerment must be a key priority in a male dominated world. (Xinhua/UN Photo/Rick Bajornas)

UNITED NATIONS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said he is deeply disturbed by reports of alleged use of chemical weapons in an airstrike in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.

Media reports said about 70 people were killed, 200 others were wounded Tuesday in a gas attack in a rebel-held area in southern Idlib.

"The United Nations is not currently in a position to independently verify these reports," said a statement released by Guterres' spokesperson.

According to the statement, the Fact Finding Mission of Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has announced that it has begun gathering information to confirm the use of chemical weapons.

Guterres also noted that the Security Council has determined the use of chemical weapons anywhere constitutes a serious violation of international law.

Earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said warplanes launched intensive airstrikes on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib, killing 58 people, mostly civilians.

The Syrian opposition accused the Syrian Air Force of being behind the attack.

Without providing proof, the U.S. government condemned the gas attack as "heinous actions" by the Syrian government.

The Syrian army categorically denied launching such a toxic attack, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported on Tuesday.

The Syrian army said the accusations against it were completely baseless as it had not used, nor would use such weapons in the future. It held "terrorist groups" responsible for using chemical weapons.

The United Nations special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura said the attack was believed to be chemical and was launched by air, noting there ought to be a "clear recognition of responsibility and accountability."
WELLINGTON, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government on Wednesday condemned a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of people in the northwest of Syria.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully called on the United Nations Security Council to take action over the bombing in order to avert further such attacks.

"I was appalled to learn of another attack in an area where chemical weapons have previously been used," McCully said in a statement.

"Our thoughts and sympathies are with the victims of this barbaric attack, which is especially horrific for the number of children killed and injured," said McCully.

"We join others in calling for a full investigation into the atrocity and for the perpetrators to be held to account," he said.

"This adds yet another sad chapter to the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Syria."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday warplanes launched intensive airstrikes on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib, killing 58 people, mostly civilians.

The Syrian opposition accused the Syrian Air Force of being behind the attack.

The Syrian army categorically denied launching such a toxic attack.

The Syrian army said the accusations against it were completely baseless as it had not used, nor would use such weapons in the future. It held "terrorist groups" responsible for using chemicalweapons.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 09:16:37|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

People participate in a demonstration to protest against a debated amendment of the act on higher education and to show support and solidarity with the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, Hungary, on April 4, 2017. The Hungarian Parliament adopted Tuesday a debated amendment of the act on higher education that could end in the closing of the Central European University (CEU), founded by Hungarian-born U.S. billionaire George Soros. (Xinhua/Szilard Voros)
YANGON, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Himalaya Airlines of Nepal is planning to expand its flight between Nepal and Yangon twice a week starting October this year, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Wednesday.

Currently, the Himalaya airlines operates a flight between Nepal's Tribhuvan International Airport and Myanmar's Yangon International Airport once a week on every Friday. It will extend the schedule on Monday and Friday.

The Himalaya Airlines resumed the direct air link with Myanmar after a long gap by launching first commercial flight to Yangon on Feb. 24 as part of its initiative to strengthen direct connection with around 300,000 people of Nepali origin residing there.

The direct flight will help the economy as well as tourism industry of both countries, Himalaya airlines Vice President Vijay Shrestha was quoted as saying.
YAGNON, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Austrian government has pledged 5 million U.S. dollars' development loans to Myanmar to implement projects in three sectors, official media reported Wednesday.

The development projects cover healthcare, security and environmental conservation, Commercial Counselor with the Austrian Embassy Gunther Sucher was quoted by the Global New Light of Myanmar as saying.

Depending on the results achieved in the first year of the development projects, further monetary assistance will be given to Myanmar government annually, he told Myanmar entrepreneurs at the Office of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Tuesday.

Austrian entrepreneurs are also said to have interest in Myanmar's farming industry.

According to the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration, Austria's investment in Myanmar amounted to 72.5 million U.S. dollars, ranking 21st in the country's foreign investment line-up.
CANBERRA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government has promised to crack down on the illegal "black economy" which is costing the nation billions of dollars in lost tax revenue, ahead of its federal budget set to be handed down in May.

Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has already announced a "Black Economy Taskforce," which will be given powers to investigate the trend of under-the-table cash payments for work, which not only avoids tax revenue for the government but costs workers valuable welfare payments.

Head of the taskforce, the Australian Taxation Office's (ATO) Michael Andrew told Fairfax Media on Wednesday that he was astounded at the scale of the "black economy," suggesting that it has cost the government 15 billion Australian dollars (11.4 billion U.S. dollars) in tax revenue.

He said avoiding tax when paying workers had become "almost a national sport" for some employers, who are described as taking advantage of low income earners, students and overseas visa holders.

"It's a huge problem. It's really large and unfortunately it's going to take a significant amount of work to turn around societal attitudes," Andrew said.

He said while a lot of those partaking in the black, cash economy were crooks, there were some who were trying to do the right thing, but were unsure of the laws.

"You have to fill out 48 different government forms and have 72 licences just to set up a restaurant in New South Wales. That's causing people to lose confidence in the system."

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the black economy is worth up to 1.5 percent of Australia's gross domestic product (GDP), or about 21 billion Australian dollars (15.9 billion U.S. dollars) overall.

Andrew told Fairfax Media "black economies" were most common in cafes and restaurants, hairdressers, building and construction companies, and "labor-for-hire" companies.

Andrew said the Australian Taxation Office was already using new data-matching technology to hunt down tax cheats.
ATHENS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will visit Beijing to take part in the Belt and Road forum on May 14-15, for international cooperation reviving the Silk Road trade route over land and sea, the Greek national news agency AMNA reported Tuesday.

This will be Tsipras' second visit to China in less than a year. He paid an official visit to Beijing and Shanghai in July 2016, during which the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to deepen bilateral collaboration in many sectors.

According to an announcement from Greece's General Secretariat of Information and Communication, the forum opens on May 14 with a high-level dialogue ensuing on May 15, where there will be a two-session round table discussion and a working lunch at the Yanqi Lake resort in eastern Beijing.

China-Greek friendship and cooperation have blossomed in recent years, in particular following China's active support for Greece during its debt crisis.

In 2016, China's COSCO (China Ocean Shipping Group Company) acquired a majority stake in Piraeus Port Authority after having successfully managed to expand part of the port's container terminal in the past seven years.

Piraeus port, Greece's largest port, holds a key role in the Belt and Road Initiative as a main gateway in the European South.
SEOUL, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Wednesday test-fired one ballistic missile into eastern waters, South Korea's defense ministry said.

A Seoul ministry official told Xinhua that the ballistic missile was fired at about 6:42 a.m. local time from Sinpo in North Hamgyeong province, in northeastern DPRK. The missile flew about 60 km into its eastern waters.

It was not known what type of missile it was as the military authorities of South Korea and the United States are still analyzing the firing.

According to Yonhap news agency report, it was not an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or a submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM).

On March 22, Pyongyang test-launched what was presumed to be a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile from its eastern region, but it failed as it exploded in midair.

On Feb. 12, the DPRK successfully test-fired a new type of intermediate-range ballistic missile, called Pukguksong-2.

The test-firing came as combined forces of South Korea and the United States are conducting joint annual spring war games, codenamed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle that are scheduled to end by the end of this month.

A variety of U.S. strategic weapons were mobilized to the war games, including a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, a nuclear-powered submarine and nuclear-capable bombers.
CANBERRA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister has acknowledged concerns raised by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) that housing debts were rising out of control compared to wage growth.

The prime minister said the government will introduce a housing affordability package in the upcoming federal budget.

Speaking to the press from the state of Tasmania on Wednesday, Turnbull said the government would take into account RBA governor Philip Lowe's warning that the future of housing affordability could have a negative effect on the economy.

"I encourage everyone to wait for the (federal) budget," Turnbull told the press.

"There is always a concern about when property prices rise too quickly and this is particularly an issue in Sydney and in Melbourne.

"This is the role of the central bank to monitor these movements in prices and ensure that there is some restraint and you can see that the restraint or the restriction in the amount of interest-only loans made to investors is a very timely one."

Overnight, Lowe warned Australians that sluggish wage growth combined with ever increasing housing prices would only spell doom for the Australian economy, and urged "strong intervention" to avoid a sudden crippling downturn.

"(Home) lenders need to ensure that the serviceability metrics that they use are appropriate for current conditions," Lowe said at a business dinner.

"The concern has been that the longer the recent trends continued, the greater the risk to the -future health of the Australian economy"

"Stretched balance sheets make for more volatility when things turn down. For many people, the high debt levels and low wage growth are a sobering combination."

Lowe said that "too many loans are still made where the borrower has the skinniest of income buffers after interest payments", warning that many banks and home lenders are too happy to offer home loans to those who may not be able to truly afford them."

"In some cases, lenders are assuming that people can live more frugally than in practice they can, leaving little buffer if things go wrong," he said.

Meanwhile Treasurer Scott Morrison who will hand down the budget on May 9, said the government was on top of the issue, and the housing affordability would be a key issue in the budget papers.

"This is why the government in addressing these demand side issues in the housing market has always preferred working with the regulators to ensure they use their common sense calibrated and measured responses," Morrison told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Wednesday.
SEOUL, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Wednesday test-fired one ballistic missile into eastern waters, South Korea's defense ministry said.

A Seoul ministry official told Xinhua that the ballistic missile was fired at about 6:42 a.m. local time from Sinpo in North Hamgyeong province, in northeastern DPRK. The missile flew about 60 km into its eastern waters.

It was not known what type of missile it was as the military authorities of South Korea and the United States are still analyzing the firing.

According to Yonhap news agency report, it was not an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or a submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM).

On March 22, Pyongyang test-launched what was presumed to be a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile from its eastern region, but it failed as it exploded in midair.

On Feb. 12, the DPRK successfully test-fired a new type of intermediate-range ballistic missile, called Pukguksong-2. The U.S. Pacific command estimated Wednesday's launch was the test-firing of the Pukgungsong-2, according to Yonhap.

The test-firing came as combined forces of South Korea and the United States are conducting joint annual spring war games, codenamed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle that are scheduled to end by the end of this month.

A variety of U.S. strategic weapons were mobilized to the war games, including a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, a nuclear-powered submarine and nuclear-capable bombers.

A spokesman of Moon Jae-in, a presidential candidate of the country's biggest Minjoo Party, criticized the missile launch, saying the DPRK's repeated military provocations would only isolate the country and cause pressures and sanctions.

A presidential by-election is scheduled for May 9 as former President Park Geun-hye was impeached and arrested last month.

The presidential Blue House held a national security council meeting, chaired by top presidential security advisor Kim Kwan-jin. In attendance at the meeting were presidential chief of staff, ministers of foreign affairs, unification and defense, the intelligence agency chief and senior presidential secretary for security and foreign affairs.

The South Korean government is being led by Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn who is serving as an interim leader.

Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement that the DPRK's ballistic missile launch was a blatant challenge to the series of UN Security Council resolutions and a threat to peace and security in the Korean Peninsula as well as the whole international community.

Pyongyang is banned from testing any ballistic missile technology under UN resolutions.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 11:27:45|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

Video Player Close

HAVANA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Cuban Commercial Caribbean Nickel and Chilean RM Consulting firms signed a contract Tuesday on feasibility studies on a future joint project to recover minerals, marking a new step for foreign investment in Cuba's mining sector.

The ceremony covers the technical and economic viability of the Colas Negras mining project in the province of Holguin, some 800 km east of Havana.

And once the research is completed and positive results are obtained, a joint venture would be formed to explore and commercialize the minerals present in the area, especially iron.

According to the directors of the two parties, existing capacity in the area could reach 120 million tons of iron, with an estimated operational lifespan of the project for 20 years.

Ronny Munoz, representative of the Chilean company, told Xinhua that Cuba's potential is enormous and as a growing economy, Cuba is a country with many possibilities. "We have the capacity to contribute to what Cuba needs in certain areas such as capital."

Munoz added that as a very important country in mining, particularly in copper and iron, Chile can contribute with its technological experience, and along with the qualified Cuban labor force, good results would come.

The project is the first to come from a public-private commercial mission, carried out by the Chilean Foreign Ministry, to Cuba in 2015.

"This first step contributes to the Cuban strategy of increasing foreign investment. And we will contribute to the future extraction of iron for export to international markets through this contract," said the Chilean ambassador in Havana, Ricardo Herrera.

Mining is one of the pillars of foreign investment in Cuba. And currently, the extraction of nickel in the east of the island, carried out jointly with Canadian company Sherritt, is one of the government's main sources of revenue.

Official data indicates that with China, the EU and Canada being the main customers, the profits of nickel exceed 500 million U.S. dollars per year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 11:58:01|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

Video Player Close

WASHINGTON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- A new U.S. poll released Tuesday found that Americans' views of China have greatly improved in the past year.

The poll was published ahead of the first meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump in Florida later this week.

The Feb. 16-March 15 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center showed that 44 percent of Americans have a favorable view of China, a 7-percent rise over a year ago.

The rise in Americans' favorable ratings of China may be related to the easing of Americans' concerns about the U.S. economy, Pew said.

Currently, 58 percent of Americans say the U.S. economic situation is either very or somewhat good, up from 44 percent in 2016, and 40 percent in 2015, the poll showed.

There are notable differences along partisan lines, with Democrats significantly more likely than Republicans or independents to offer a positive opinion of China, Pew said.

Despite the negative rhetoric about China by candidates during the 2016 presidential campaign, ratings of China have become more positive among both Republicans and Democrats, according to the survey.

Now 39 percent of Republicans have a favorable opinion of China, up from 27 percent a year ago. Among Democrats, 49 percent hold a favorable opinion, up from 39 percent a year ago, the poll found.

Americans are more worried about China's economic strengthening, at 52 percent, than its military power, at 36 percent, the poll discovered.
HANOI, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam is joining negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which is expected to bring in numerous benefits to the country's garment, textile sector in terms of cost, market scale, and material supply, according to Vu Duc Giang, Chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS).

The RCEP, if comes into force, will create huge impetus for Vietnamese garment, textile sector as the country will not have to bear many trade barriers, local Bao Cong Thuong (Industry and Trade News) online newspaper quoted Giang as saying on Wednesday.

The RCEP covers 16 countries, including 10 members of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations and their regional trading partners of China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India.

When participating in the RCEP, Vietnam will have a strategic market in Asia with three major benefits. The first thing is lower transportation fees due to geographical proximity. Secondly, RCEP market will help Vietnamese firms with supply of raw materials.

Thirdly, the cultural similarities among Asian countries will help the RCEP negotiation and signing processes take place faster, said Giang.

According to the VITAS chairman, so far, Vietnamese firms have had orders till the end of August this year. Giang forecast that the garment, textile exports would experience a growth of 13-14 percent in 2017, compared to 9.2 percent in 2016.

However, the deeper the integration is, the fiercer the competition will be, said Giang, urging local companies to enhance management to ensure providing products with more competitive price, higher quality, and shorter delivery time.

In the first quarter of 2017, Vietnam earned 5.6 billion U.S. dollars from garment, textile exports, up 10.2 percent year-on-year, while spending 2.3 billion U.S. dollars on fabric imports, up 5.5 percent, according to the Vietnam's General Statistics Office.
WELLINGTON, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Ministers of New Zealand and Angola met in Wellington Wednesday to discuss increasing trade flows between the two nations.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said the visit by Angolan Minister of External Relations Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti was an opportunity to deepen the relationship with the southwest African nation.

"Angola had one of the fastest-growing economies of the past decade, and appointed its first ever ambassador to New Zealand, resident in Singapore, last year," McCully said in a statement.

Both countries served as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council from 2015 to 2016.

"Angola is a leader in the southern African region, and it provides an important voice on African peace and security issues. Our mutual Security Council terms also provided an opportunity for increased engagement between our two countries," said McCully.

Chikoti would also meeting Trade Minister Todd McClay and Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy to discuss business opportunities with the fisheries sector.
SEOUL, April 5 (Xinhua) -- South Korea posted current account surplus in February at 8.4 billion U.S. dollars thanks to recovering exports, central bank data showed Wednesday.

The country's current account balance stayed in the black for 60 month to February as export recovery raised the trade surplus for goods to the highest in five months, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).

Trade surplus for goods reached 10.55 billion dollars in February, up from 7.81 billion dollars the previous month. It was the largest since September last year.

Exports, which account for about half of the economy, jumped 23 percent over the year to 44.63 billion dollars in February. Imports soared 20.2 percent to 34.08 billion dollars.

The export growth rate was the highest in more than five years since December 2011. Leading the rapid increase were higher oil product prices and strong demand for semiconductors.

Oil product exports surged 72.6 percent from a year earlier to 2.94 billion dollars in February, with those for chips advancing 56.7 percent to 6.57 billion dollars.

Services account balance logged a deficit of 2.23 billion dollars in February, more than doubling the deficit tallied a year earlier. The services account remained in the red for 27 months since December 2014.

Travel account deficit reached 1.17 billion dollars, while transport account deficit grew from 230 million dollars in January to 570 million dollars in February.

BOK Governor Lee Ju-yeol told a meeting with economic experts that household income should be improved by creating more jobs though the export recovery led a moderate growth of the economy.

Lee said policy efforts would be urgently needed to enhance the weakened domestic demand, adding that it will be a desirable, fundamental solution to add more jobs and increase the household income.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 13:08:11|Editor: Yamei

Video Player Close

QUITO, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Ecuadorian President-elect Lenin Moreno won the presidency with a pledge to deepen social welfare programs initiated by his predecessor Rafael Correa, experts said on Tuesday.

"In reality, voters opted for the continuation of the progress made in the past 10 years in health, education and social security," political scientist Katalina Barreiro told Xinhua.

"Moreno has also been clear about looking at these three areas with an eye to making changes. For example, he has proposed promoting technical education to allow the creation of productive specialties," said Barreiro.

In the decade since Correa came to power, "there has been substantial access to certain services that the population consider to be gains they do not want to risk losing," she added.

According to sociologist Carol Murillo, Moreno is aware of "the political lifelines" that kept Correa in office, and "he knows that from here on, his job is to deepen the concept and the practice of social and political policies for everyone."

On Tuesday, Ecuador's electoral body officially announced Moreno won Sunday's presidential runoff with 51.16 percent of the votes, with 48.84 percent for his conservative rival Guillermo Lasso.

Following his victory, Moreno, 64, said he will continue the left-leaning "Citizens' Revolution" launched by Correa and his ruling PAIS Alliance, and he also promised to head a government open to dialogue and seeking consensus.

"Without doubt, there are going to be changes, but changes for the better," said Moreno.

While Moreno ran on a clear platform of pursuing social progress, Lasso's campaign lacked a social program, said journalist and academic Fernando Casado.

"Lasso was affected by his condition as a former banker, of his ties to the bank bailout (of 1999) and his alignment with politicians identified with the so-called 'partyocracy'," said Casado.

Moreno was also buoyed by the fact that he nearly won the first-round vote on Feb. 19, falling just shy of the 40 percent of the votes, with a 10-point advantage, which he needed to forego a second round, said Casado, who teaches at the National Institute for Higher Learning.

In the first round, Moreno garnered 39.36 percent of the votes to Lasso's 28.09 percent, and going in to the runoff, all the polls gave him a decisive lead.

"There is going to be a continuation of the goals outlined by the Citizens' Revolution," said Casado, with Moreno striving "to improve everything that has been done so far."

Ecuador has already made headway in raising educational and healthcare standards, but still needs to bolster infrastructure, said Casado.

To that end, "one of (Moreno's) electoral promises has to do with building housing for the poorest," he added.

Moreno also aims to strengthen agriculture through increased credit lines, eradicate infant malnutrition and improve life for the elderly.

The analysts agreed that Moreno will differentiate himself from the outspoken Correa not in policy, but in a softer, less confrontational approach.

"They have two very different personalities," said Casado, adding "Moreno is more inclined to dialogue."

Defense Minister Ricardo Patino, an influential figure within the PAIS Alliance, said Moreno's win was both "a recognition" of the party's decade in power, and "a warning, because we were hoping for a wider margin of victory."

The results "signal that some things need to be done better," he added.

With a clear majority in Congress, the ruling party won 74 of the 137 seats and Moreno will have the support he needs to carry out his program.
WELLINGTON, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Defense ministers from around the South Pacific will gather in Auckland this week to discuss ways to strengthen regional security.

Fiji would be joining the South Pacific Defence Ministers' Meeting for the first time when it convened in Auckland on Thursday, New Zealand Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said in a statement Wednesday.

"The South Pacific Defence Ministers Meeting will bring together the highest levels of defense leadership from around our region to address common security challenges, and to improve cooperation and coordination on regional defence issues," Brownlee said.

"I am particularly pleased to welcome Fiji as the newest member."

Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief would be on the agenda, alongside peacekeeping developments, women in armed forces and young leaders, and future military exercises.

"Responding to natural crises is a feature of our ongoing cooperation. Experienced leaders will share observations on improvements we can make together," said Brownlee.

The meeting of ministers, chiefs of defense forces and senior representatives from member countries was last held in Papua New Guinea in 2015.

New Zealand and Fiji formally resumed defense cooperation in late 2014, following a normalizing of relations.

The New Zealand Defence Force was heavily involved in the response to the Tropical Cyclone Winston, which killed at least 42 people, and damaged or destroyed thousands of homes and other buildings in February last year.

Other Pacific nations imposed sanctions on Fiji after Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama seized power in a military coup in 2006.

Relations thawed after elections in September 2014, when Bainimarama was elected Fiji's Prime Minister with about 60 percent of the vote.
KABUL, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Kabul municipality has hired 170 women to clean the streets in the densely populated city, a local newspaper the Daily Outlook reported on Wednesday.

This is the first time that the entity has been hiring women to clean streets in the conservative society, the paper added, writing that the Kabul Municipality plans to employee 2,000 street cleaners in the current year and 500 of them will be women to keep the city clean.

Citing officials with the municipality, the paper added that 25 percent of the newly employed street cleaners will be women.

Kabul, a city with some 5 million population produces hundreds of tons of garbage daily, according to officials, and population of the city is on constant rise as many families from countryside leave their houses due to security concerns for Kabul almost every month.

Talking to the leading private television channel, Tolo, a street cleaner woman has welcomed the initiative of Kabul Municipality and said that providing job to women would help many families to improve their living conditions.
KABUL, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Eighteen militants were killed after Afghan Special Operation Forces carried out raids in two provinces within the last 24 hours, said a military statement on Wednesday.

In one operation, 16 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed as the troops struck their hideout in Achin district of eastern Nangarhar province, the command of Afghan Special Forces said in the statement.

In addition, two members of IS group were detained by special forces in Jalalabad city, capital of Nangarhar, 120 km east of Afghan capital of Kabul.

"Afghan Special Operation Forces also killed two insurgents of Taliban outfit and confiscated 14 motorcycles in Chinarto locality, southern Kandahar province over the same period," the statement noted.

The latest operations and elimination of the targeted militants would further improve the public security in Kandahar and Nangarhar, the statement asserted.

The Afghan Special Operation Forces have eliminated 415 terrorists and detained 131 others across the country besides destroying narcotics estimated around 20.5 million U.S. dollars since early February this year, according to figures released by the command of Special Forces.

They have also freed 32 civilians from militants' custody over the same period.
NEW DELHI, April 5 (Xinhua) -- New Delhi and Britain have jointly agreed to set up a fund with corpus contributions of 149.35 million U.S. dollars each to finance India's rapidly growing energy and renewables market.

The fund aims at raising 298.7 million U.S. dollars to focus on initial investments in the sector.

"Both governments reaffirmed their commitment to anchor invest up to 120 million British pounds each in the joint fund which aims to raise around 500 million pounds, and has the potential to unlock much more in future. The two finance ministers announced that the fund will focus initial investments on India's rapidly growing energy and renewables market and that a fund manager is expected to be selected by the Autumn," an official statement said on Tuesday.

British Finance Minister (Chancellor of the Exchequer) Philip Hammond is currently in India leading a trade mission to promote bilateral ties between the two countries.

On Tuesday, Hammond along with his Indian counterpart Arun Jaitley addressed ninth Britain-India Economic and Financial Dialogue in Delhi.

Hammond on Wednesday is scheduled to attend a conference in Mumbai, India's financial capital, along with governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney and British government ministers.

Britain is world's largest exporter of financial services and the leading center for FinTech.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 14:28:22|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

Video Player Close

SANTIAGO, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Latin American can serve to meet the region's development goals, if channeled correctly, the Santiago, Chile-based Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) said on Tuesday.

To that end, the FDI should be directed to strategic sectors such as infrastructure, digitalization and clean energies, ECLAC's Executive Secretary Alicia Barcena said during Chile's Sixth International Investment Forum being held in the capital.

"Our region expects FDI flows to be able to contribute to productive diversification and innovation, to the development of new industries with a lesser environmental impact and to the creation of direct and indirect jobs," said Barcena.

"The main challenge is to attract quality foreign investment that can increase capital in innovation, that can align with national development plans, that can build capacity in receptor countries," she added.

By boosting the FDI, the forum, organized by Chile's Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (InvestChile), "helps the development of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Barcena noted.

However, investment alone is not the answer, said Barcena, stressing the need to focus on new technologies.

"To become more competitive, Latin America has to take part in the digital revolution," said Barcena.

The world today "is characterized by geopolitical changes that are redefining the roles of powers such as China, Europe and the United States, in addition to growing inequality (and) the rise of the so-called fourth industrial revolution centered on digitalization," she added.

Barcena urged the region to invest in innovation and technology, noting that "in 1990, Latin America and the Caribbean was responsible for 2 percent of patent applications worldwide, and in 2014 that percentage remained the same, while China went from 1 percent to 35 percent in the same period."

Chile's President Michelle Bachelet, along with the director of InvestChile, Carlos Alvarez, inaugurated the forum attended by Chile's ministers of Finance, Economy, and Tourism.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 14:43:24|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

Video Player Close

WASHINGTON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday urged Russia and Iran to exercise influence on Syria to prevent further chemical attacks in the war-torn country.

Tillerson issued the call in a statement released after media reports said about 70 people were killed with 200 others wounded Tuesday in a gas attack in a rebel-held area in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.

"The United States strongly condemns the chemical weapons attack in Idlib province, the third allegation of the use of such weapons in the past month alone," the top U.S. diplomat said.

The United States calls upon Russia and Iran again "to exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again," Tillerson said.

He added that Moscow and Tehran, as "the self-proclaimed guarantors to the ceasefire negotiated in Astana," bear great moral responsibility for these deaths.

Earlier, White House Spokesman Sean Spicer told in a briefing that the United States condemns the gas attack against innocent civilians as "heinous actions" by the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad.

But he offered no proof to show that the Syrian government has carried out the attack.

The Syrian army on Tuesday refuted the accusations as completely baseless, saying it had not used, nor would use such weapons in the future. It also held "terrorist groups" responsible for using chemical weapons.

Earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said warplanes launched intensive airstrikes on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib, killing 58 people, mostly civilians.

The Syrian opposition accused the Syrian Air Force of backing the attack.

The attack was believed to be chemical and was launched by air, said the United Nations special envoy to Syria Staffan de Misturanoting, noting that there ought to be a "clear recognition of responsibility and accountability."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 14:47:44|Editor: ZD

Video Player Close

By Shen Chenchen

LOS ANGELES, April 4 (Xinhua) -- During the lunchtime of a typical weekday at BYD Lancaster Bus Factory, a steady stream of people, mostly Caucasians and Hispanics, were lining up to order food from several food trucks outside the factory building.

"When I came here three years ago, there were only five employees," a food truck owner called Carolina told Xinhua while busy serving tacos, burgers, and coffee to her customers. "There are hundreds of people working here now. I am having more customers and competitors," she added.

As the world's largest manufacturer of rechargeable batteries and electric vehicles, the Chinese company BYD established its factory in Lancaster, California in May 2013. Now with over 560 employees, the BYD factory has become one of the major job supporting companies in Lancaster.

"I was the first employee when I started with BYD. I worked alone for a week, then they hired five more people, and then 20 more," production line supervisor Alvaro Jimenez recalled.

The BYD's 110,000-square-feet (10219 square meters) facility is undergoing an expansion to 446,000 square feet (41435 square meters) by this July, with 1,000 to 1,500 more job opportunities coming along, and its yearly production capacity will increase from 350 to 1,500 vehicles.

"The local economy has already realized a significant boost thanks to the addition of much-needed jobs through our growing partnership with BYD," said Rex Parris, mayor of the Lancaster City at the announcement of the expansion.

Most employees at the factory are local residents. Vern Lawson, Economic Development Directer of the Lancaster City stated that many people have lost their jobs since "the severe economic downturn" in recent years. The BYD factory brought over 560 job opportunities, helping people get back on their feet.

A 60-year-old worker Peter Gibson, who started working here two months ago, was transporting heavy parts with his co-workers. "I have 12 children, and my job here is very stable. As long as I work hard and do not make mistakes, they won't fire me," Gibson said with satisfaction.

"We often talk about wealth importing jobs, which bring new payrolls into this community," Lawson told Xinhua. "We have service jobs such as teaching, newspaper, gas stations, restaurants. But they can only survive on a strong basic economy, which is based on wealth importing companies. That's precisely what BYD is."

In the dense plants, electric buses were built from zero on the production line, where over 400 technicians were doing assembly, plate shearing, bending, testing and painting.

At a lunch break, Jose S. Hernandez, a 29-year-old technician was still working under an overhanging bus. "I am doing the final chassis check," said Hernandez, who used to work at an auto repair shop but wanted to learn more. "I want to become an engineer and I think electric car is the future. That's why I chose BYD," he added.

Yet not everyone of the BYD employees have relevant experiences, so BYD offers them a 30-day Training Program.

"Before they come to BYD, they might have been doing cleaning, delivering, or some other low-tech jobs. So for the first week, we teach them some basic knowledge, then we take another three or four weeks to train them in welding, installing or some other skills," Stella Li, Senior Vice President of BYD explained.

"Build Your Dreams" is what BYD stands for and what the employees believe in. "I do not see any difference whether it was a Chinese company or an American factory. I see a future in it," Jimenez said with a smile.
ISLAMABAD, April 5 (Xinhua) -- At least six people including four army personnel and two civilians were killed and 14 others injured in a suicide attack in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province on Wednesday morning, officials said.

Provincial government spokesperson Malik Muhammad Khan said that the bomber attacked a van carrying a census team in Bedian road of Lahore, the capital city of the province.

He said that the security of the census team has been beefed up following the incident and the census process would not be affected by the incident.

Khan said that no group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, however, a search operation has been kicked off in the area to arrest the facilitator of the bomber.

Local media reported that the bomber aged between 18 and 24 blew himself up near the van.

The bomber, whose body parts have been shifted to a lab for investigation, was carrying some 10 kilograms of explosives in his vest.

Several nearby vehicles and motorbikes were destroyed in the explosion.

The injured people have been shifted to a military hospital where three of them are said to be in critical conditions.

Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain condemned the blast and directed hospital authority to provide best medical treatment to the injured people.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 15:02:48|Editor: Xiang Bo

Video Player Close

BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- China has shown it is serious about addressing global climate change in recent decades, and has underscored that policies will not be affected by external changes.

Following are a selection of key facts and figures about China's achievements in cutting emissions, its international cooperation in recent years, and its commitments for the next few years:

ACHIEVEMENTS & COMMITMENTS

-- In the early 1980s, China put forward a development policy that "stress[ed] both energy development and conservation, while giving priority to conservation."

-- In the 1990s, "sustainable development" became a national strategy.

-- From 1981 to 2011, China's energy consumption experienced an annual growth of 5.82 percent, which helped sustain 10-percent annual growth of the economy.

-- In 2009, China announced it would cut its carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 40-45 percent from the 2005 levels by 2020.

-- From 2006 to 2011, energy consumption for every 10,000 yuan (about 1,451 U.S. dollars) of GDP dropped by 20.7 percent, saving energy equivalent to 710 million tonnes of standard coal.

-- By the end of 2011, non-fossil energy accounted for 8 percent of primary energy consumption, which meant an annual reduction of more than 600 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission.

-- In 2012, the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China included "ecological civilization," along with economic, political, cultural and social progress, on the country's overall development plan.

-- In 2014, China's energy consumption and emission of carbon dioxide per unit of GDP decreased by 29.9 percent and 33.8 percent respectively, compared to 2005 levels.

-- From 2010 to 2015, China's carbon dioxide emissions dropped by more than 17 percent, while energy consumption per unit of GDP was cut by 18.2 percent in the same period.

-- In June 2015, China submitted its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, pledging to cut its carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 60-65 percent, raise the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to about 20 percent and increase forest stock by around 4.5 billion cubic meters from the 2005 levels by 2030.

-- In September 2015, China unveiled its plan for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

-- In September 2016, China's legislature ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change, the third document to attempt to address climate change, following the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

-- In December 2016, China launched a carbon dioxide monitoring satellite to record greenhouse gas levels.

-- China is expected to inaugurate an unified carbon trade market nationwide in July 2017 based on seven pilot programs that have been running since 2013.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

-- Before the United Nations conference on climate change in Paris (COP21) in late 2015, China had already signed a series of bilateral statements on climate change with India, Brazil, the European Union (EU), the United States, France and others.

-- In September 2015, China and the United States issued a joint statement on climate change, following one announced in November 2014. The same month, Beijing announced the establishment of an independent South-South Cooperation fund of 20 billion yuan to help developing countries affected by global warming.

-- In November 2015, China and France jointly issued a statement on climate change, and the two countries agreed to have a five-year review process to assess and strengthen national commitments to be sure that there won't be more than 2 degrees of global warming by the end of the century.

-- In December 2015, China and 195 other parties to the Paris climate conference reached agreement on holding the average global temperature increase below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and preferably below 1.5 degrees.

-- Since 2016, China has embarked on a project that aims to build ten pilot low-carbon demonstration zones, start 100 mitigation and adaptation programs in other developing countries and provide them with 1,000 training opportunities on climate change.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 15:28:33|Editor: Xiang Bo

Video Player Close

by Yang Meiju, Jamila Najmuddin

COLOMBO, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Sinhala Pedige Athanayake, a Sri Lankan farmer in his late 50s, is now enjoying his life to the fullest.

Sitting under a shade in his house, Athanayake resides in a small village located between Anuradhapura and Trincomalee situated in Sri Lanka's northeast district, around 300 km from capital Colombo.

In a few months, Athanayake will be moving out of his house and settling in a new village. The land he owns will soon be filled with water as part of the mega Yan Oya Irrigation Project, which is a Sri Lanka-China cooperated project, aimed at improving the lives of farmers in the remote areas.

"I was born in this house and have lived here all my life. It is sad that I have to leave but I know it is for the best. My life has improved a lot since I started working for this project and I know it will benefit my children and other farmers too," Athanayake said.

The area where this farmer's house is located belongs to a tropical marine climate zone. The area experiences a dry climate throughout the year with distinct rains.

The farmers, here, have suffered from the low production of agriculture for years due to the lack of water.

However, the farmers are now hoping once the Yan Oya Irrigation project is completed, it will provide water to over 10,000 farmer families.

The project, costing Rs. 36 billion, aims to increase crop intensity in the Yala and Maha seasons and facilitates villagers with drinking water.

It is being constructed by China CAMC Engineering Company.

"This project is mostly built for public welfare," Zheng Zhihong, deputy general manager of the No. 4 Engineering Department of CAMCE, told Xinhua.

Zheng explained that the Yan Oya project would provide water for irrigation purposes and would expand irrigational area to 6,346 hectares. It would also increase the paddy crop.

After the construction of the proposed reservoir, the nearby lakes would also be suitable for developing fisheries and livestock.

Following the construction of the main project, a shorter road to Trincomalee, which would be less than 30 Km, will be also completed.

Zheng said the people in the area would have a continuous drinking water supply and more than 12,000 families would benefit direct and indirectly from the reservoir.

Along with the immense benefits, the Yan Oya project has also improved the lives of the local people through the available job opportunities.

As the first local to be recruited at the project office, Athanayake said his life had improved immensely.

"I was recruited to be in charge of security of the project as I was educated and fluent in my English. Later my son in law also joined the team and was able to get a higher salary. With this project my family was able to beat poverty," Athanayake said.

Athanayake and his son in law earn Rs. 100,000 a month (around 680 U.S. dollars).

"This is much higher for local people in this area. We bought one truck under a loan and leased it out. The loan will be repaid in August this year. Our lives have turned for the better," Athanayake said.

According to Zheng, the total construction period of the Yan Oya Irrigation Project is 172 weeks. The work began in February 2015 and will be completed by June 2018. And for now 93 percent of total work has been completed, with 11 percent advance in progress.

"There are over 1,200 employees among them almost 1,000 employees are from the local area," Zheng said.

There are more people like Athanayake whose lives have changed due to the construction of this project, especially in northern Sri Lanka which suffered from decades of terrorism.

Most of the people in the north, especially the youth who had not gained an education due to years of conflict are now benefitting from the construction of this project.

"The Yan Oya Irrigation Project provides a large number of job opportunities. We even offer training to young people who have no experience," Zheng said.

"Thanks to this project, the old school in the area has been repaired and upgraded. The run-down, narrow road was flattened and widened. A bridge was built across the Yan Oya river so people now have easy access. I can't fully express my thanks and gratefulness to the Chinese company and China," Athanayake told Xinhua.

Wickramatillaka Palitha, a Sri Lankan irrigation Officer, said the local people and officials are now eagerly awaiting the completion of the project.

Based on the present progress, the project will be completed one year ahead of schedule.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 15:48:36|Editor: Xiang Bo

Video Player Close

by Le Yanna, Taojun

HANOI, April 5 (Xinhua) -- "The Chinese martyrs who died helping Vietnam in the war against the Americans, are interred here and I am taking good care of them as if they are my own people," Nguyen Duc Quyet, the 69-year-old custodian of Kim Anh Chinese Martyr Cemetery, told Xinhua on Wednesday.

On the same day, a delegation of the Chinese embassy officials in Vietnam, Chinese companies, institutions, students and media representatives, together with accompanying Vietnamese officials, paid tributes at the cemetery on the occasion of Tomb Sweeping Day, or Qingming Festival.

"I live nearby to better take care of the cemetery," said Quyet, who has been the custodian at the cemetery, located in Minh Phu Village in Soc Son County, some 40 km away from the capital Hanoi, for the past 25 years,

He said as a soldier, who also fought in the war against the American invaders, he felt grateful for the help from China, especially from the martyrs.

According to the Chinese embassy in Vietnam, in the latter part of the 20th Century, especially in the war against the United States invasion in the 1960s, upon the request of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people, more than 320,000 Chinese troops joined Vietnam's army in defending the country's independence and territory.

After the war, more than 1,400 Chinese who died in the fighting were laid to rest in Vietnam.

The Chinese martyrs were buried in 40 cemeteries in 22 provinces across northern and central Vietnam.

Five soldiers, from four provinces and cities of China, were buried in Kim Anh Chinese Martyr Cemetery.

"People from both Vietnam and China come to pay their respects to the martyrs during particular festivals and holidays, showing the martyrs are not forgotten," stated Quyet, while trimming the flowers in front of one of the tombs.

"The current development of China-Vietnam relations, characterized as a comprehensive strategic partnership, has proved that Chinese blood spilt during the Vietnam-U.S. war was not in vain," said Hong during his address.

"They are Chinese martyrs who sacrificed themselves here in Vietnam for our country's independence, therefore, we are taking care of them the same as we take care of our Vietnamese martyrs," Quyet said.
Incense-maker Pu Lianggong selects spices.

Pu Lianggong knows every bit of incense making -- a dozen steps and hundreds of spices -- just like his Arabian ancestors did about 150 years ago.

The 63-year-old is the tenth generation in an incense-making family of Arab descent in Quanzhou City, east China's Fujian Province. His spice merchant ancestors set sail from Arab and arrived at the Chinese port city, which is known as the starting point of the ancient maritime Silk Road, in around 1646. They settled down and made a living by selling spices.

Generation after generation, the Arabians gradually married local Chinese and began to adopt the Chinese surname Pu. About 150 years ago, the Pu family began to make incense using abundant bamboos there and spices from their homeland.

Despite its Arabic origin, Pu's incense is different from the scented chips called "bukhoor" in most Arab countries. Similar to Chinese stick incense, it is bamboo sticks wrapped by grinded spices.

Today, there are machines that can make dozens of kilograms of incense in an hour, but Pu Lianggong insists on making incense by hand. The adept craftsman is never tired of selecting spices, pulverising ingredients into fine powder and applying the powder to bamboo sticks.

Pu Lianggong still uses an old packaging for his incense.

Incense has been widely used in China in ceremonies and as medicine for more than 2,000 years. Influenced by the Pu family, incense making has become a local industry in Dapu Town of Quanzhou City. There are about 300 incense manufacturers in Dapu, with more than 30,000 people working in the industry.

Incense is dried in the sunshine in a manufacturer in Dapu.

A worker dries incense in a manufacturer in Dapu.

Pu Lianggong is teaching his younger son all he has mastered. To keep up with the booming e-commerce today, Pu, with the help of his younger son, is selling his hand-made incense to Southeast Asia and Europe online.

Pu Lianggong (R) teaches his younger son how to select spices.

Now, the incense that originates from the other end of the ancient maritime Silk Road begins to emanate fragrance from the starting point along the route, thanks to China's Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa.

"The initiative means great opportunities to incense makers like us," said Pu Lianggong, "We must grasp the chance to promote our family legacy worldwide."

(All photos by Wei Peiquan)
KATHMANDU, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The third meeting of the Eminent Persons Group on Nepal-India Relations (EPG-NIR) begun here Wednesday to review various aspects of bilateral relationship between the two countries.

The two-day meeting will be focused on reviewing the Nepal-India Peace and Friendship Treaty (1950) in order to update and revise it in line with the needs of the changing times, according to EPG Coordinator of the Nepalese side Bhes Bahadur Thapa.

The Nepalese side has proposed to review and contextualize the Nepal-India Peace and Friendship Treaty which is often termed as the bedrock on modern relations between the two South Asia nations, local media reports said Wednesday.

This time the two sides will have discussions on the Nepal-India Peace and Friendship Treaty.

"The meeting is focused on reviewing or revisiting the treaties, agreements and arrangements between the two countries by chalking out a roadmap of the bilateral ties that is characterized by social, economic, religious and cultural aspects," Executive Director at the EPG Nepalese office Yadav Khanal told the media.

The EPG-NIR is mandated to submit a comprehensive report containing recommendations on various aspects of bilateral issues such as political, security, social, economic, trade, transit, border management and water resources to both governments.

Nepal and India established the EPG-NIR in February 2016. The first meeting of the panel was held in Kathmandu in July 2016 while the second meeting took place in New Delhi in October.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 17:38:54|Editor: Xiang Bo

Video Player Close

TIANJIN, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Tesla Motors China said Wednesday that Tesla delivered 25,000 electric cars globally in the first quarter, a quarterly record.

From January to March, Tesla produced 25,418 new cars, another quarterly record, the company said.

Of the cars delivered, 13,450 were Model S electric sedans and the remainder were model X utility vehicles. The two models are the two main existing models of the company.

The quarterly delivery marks a 69 percent increase over the same period last year, the company said.

The California-based car-maker plans to mass-produce Model 3, an affordable, entry-level model in September, the company said.

In March, Jon Mcneil, Tesla's head of global sales, said in Beijing that the company's Chinese market will continue to expand.

In 2016, Tesla took in one billion U.S. dollars from the Chinese market, about 15 percent of its global revenue. China's internet company Tencent bought a 5 percent stake in Tesla for 1.8 billion U.S. dollars.

Mcneil said Tesla will continue to increase investment into Chinese market, boost sales, service and build more charging stations.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 18:29:03|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Fourteen cities -- including Beijing, Tianjin, Tangshan and Baoding -- had issued orange pollution alerts, the second highest warning, as of Wednesday.

Seven inspection teams are currently reviewing the implementation of air pollution policies in Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Tangshan, Baoding, Langfang, Xingtai and Handan after being dispatched by the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP).

Chen Jining, head of the MEP, on Tuesday visited factories in Beijing, such as Yanshan refinery, to supervise the implementation of emergency response measures during bouts of heavy air pollution.

MEP deputy head Zhao Yingmin led an inspection team to Tianjin.

In Shijiazhuang, a number of Dongfeng-registered trucks lacked environmental information lists, while diesel buses in Xingtai seriously exceeded emission standards and some gas stations lacked certain equipment.

They also found "poor" air pollution emergency plans at several construction sites.

A medicinal chemical company in Shijiazhuang is currently being investigated by the police for severe emissions due to outdated production equipment, and its factory floor was subsequently closed.

There were also firms that refused to cooperate with inspectors. In Tianjin, a concrete firm did not cooperate with inspectors and failed to provide the required materials.

The MEP has submitted all discovered issues to local governments, accompanied by demands for prompt corrections and feedback.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 18:39:05|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

TOKYO, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Ex-officials from Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries were found to have secured post-ministry positions in firms facing allegations of being involved in a number of bid-rigging cases, local media reported Wednesday.

According to Kyodo News, former farm ministry officials were found to have landed jobs in government-affiliated companies involved in farmland cleaning projects in areas hit by the quake, tsunami and nuclear disasters in Japan's northeast.

The Japan Fair Trade Commission raided 10 construction firms on Tuesday, with reports stating that at least three of them had hired ex-ministry officials.

Recent probes suggest that a number of government ministries here have been involved in illegal job placement rackets, known locally as "amakudari" (descent from heaven), involving ex-ministers landing top-notch jobs in the same sectors they used to oversee.

A probe was launched two months ago by the education ministry and Cabinet Office into the illegal practice, which unearthed 62 cases carried out by education ministry employees and retired officials.

A government-wide investigation has since been launched to find out how deeply-entrenched the illegal practice is within the public sector and how many other ministry's are involved.

Japan antitrust watchdog is currently looking into whether former government officials found to be working for the companies involved in bid-rigging had any part to play in securing projects ordered by the farm ministry's Tohoku regional administration office, local media said.

The public projects are believed to be connected to treatment works for contaminated soil and building aqueducts in three prefecture in Japan's northeast.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 18:54:07|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

SEOUL, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The latest opinion poll in South Korea heralded a neck-and-neck race in the upcoming presidential election between Moon Jae-in of the biggest Minjoo Party and Ahn Cheol-soo of its splinter People's Party.

According to the survey released Wednesday, Moon kept the top post by gaining 38.0 percent support, followed by Ahn who garnered 34.4 percent support.

It was the first opinion survey after five major political parties ended primaries and fielded respective presidential candidates earlier this week.

The result was based on a survey of 1,042 voters conducted Tuesday. It has 3.1 percentage points in margin of error.

Moon, the runner-up to former President Park Geun-hye in the 2012 presidential election, was fielded as a single candidate in the opposition bloc four years ago thanks to Ahn.

At the time, Ahn abandoned his run for presidency to throw support behind Moon.

The software tycoon-turned-politician was respected especially in 2012 by younger generations as he developed and offered the country's first computer security program to private citizens free of charge.

Currently, Ahn seemed to be viewed as a center-right politician for his conservative stance on security issues and a liberal tendency on economic affairs.

Ahn, who had been affiliated with the Minjoo Party, defected from it and founded the People's Party in early 2016 together with tens of former Minjoo Party lawmakers.

Hong Joon-pyo of the former ruling Liberty Korea Party ranked third with an approval rating of 10.4 percent.

Sim Sang-jung of the progressive Justice Party came next with 3.6 percent, trailed by Yoo Seong-min of the Righteous Party, a conservative party breaking away from the Liberty Korea Party, with 2.1 percent in support scores.

On the assumption that the Liberty Korea Party and the Righteous Party agree to field Yoo as a single candidate, the poll showed Ahn's approval scores at 41.0 percent, higher than Moon's 39.0 percent.

The agreement on the single candidate in the conservative camp would encourage many conservative voters to move to Ahn.

If the two conservative parties and the People's Party agree to field Ahn as a single candidate, Ahn was estimated to win the upcoming election with 43.7 percent of ballots, beating Moon garnering 39.4 percent.

In a simulated two-way showdown between Moon and Ahn, the poll logged Ahn's approval scores at 47.0 percent while Moon's scores were 40.8 percent.

The overall survey results showed a strong anti-Moon sentiment among conservative voters, which was believed to be formed by local media reports.

Moon, the center-left politician and former chief of staff to late progressive President Roh Moon-hyun, has been exposed to and criticized by conservative local media outlets for a long time.

An early presidential election in South Korea is scheduled for May 9. The official three-week election campaign is set to kick off on April 17.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 18:59:08|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

STRASBOURG, April 5 (Xinhua) -- An overwhelming majority of lawmakers voted Wednesday in favor of a resolution officially laying down the European Parliament's key principles and conditions for its approval of the United Kingdom's withdrawal agreement.

And any such agreement at the end of UK-EU negotiations will need to win the approval of the European Parliament, said the parliament in a statement following the vote.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 19:04:09|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

SINGAPORE, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Singapore shares closed 0.08 percent lower on Wednesday.

It will be their first face-to-face meeting since Trump took office on January 20, with trade and security issues set to be the main agenda. DPRK fired a medium-range ballistic missile from its east coast into the sea on the eve of the summit.

Meanwhile, oil prices rose due to an unplanned production outage in the North Sea and growing concerns about diminishing U.S. oil inventory.

Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index fell 2.51 points to 3,176.55 points. Trading volume was 3.13 billion shares worth 1.21 billion Singapore dollars. But advancers outnumbered decliners 271 to 197.

Fischer Tech jumped 7.4 percent to 2.47 Singapore dollars. The electronics maker announced before market opening on Wednesday it has entered into discussions with regards to the possibility of the company's sale. It has received a non-binding expression of interest from a "third party", and understands that "certain shareholders" have agreed to enter into exclusive discussions with the unnamed entity.

KS Energy surged 7.5 percent to 8.6 Singapore cents. It said it has been awarded a contract for the "KS Java Star 2" jack-up drilling rig. The work in Vietnam is expected to commence in April 2017. The expected value of the new contract is approximately 11.1 million U.S. dollars.

Among the top gainers, Jardine Strategic rose 1.9 percent to 42.35 U.S. dollars, whereas Singapore Exchange became one of the top losers by falling 1.2 percent to 7.64 Singapore dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals to 1.40 Singapore dollars)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 19:14:10|Editor: Xiang Bo

Video Player Close

HELSINKI, April 5 (Xinhua) -- China and Finland agreed Wednesday to establish and promote a future-oriented new-type cooperative partnership, with both sides pledging to enhance political mutual trust and deepen pragmatic cooperation.

During talks between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto, the two heads of state stressed that to build a more forward-looking and strategic bilateral relationship that keeps pace with the times is in the fundamental interests of both countries and their peoples.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 19:19:11|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

DHAKA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi government has signed a 113 million U.S. dollars financing agreement with the World Bank (WB) to modernize the country's meteorological and hydrological information systems.

Kazi Shofiqul Azam, secretary-in-charge of Bangladesh's Economic Relations Division, and Qimiao Fan, WB country director for Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, signed the financing agreement on behalf of their respective sides on Wednesday in Dhaka.

The Bangladesh Weather and Climate Services Regional Project (BWCSRP) will help strengthen the weather, water, disaster risk and climate information services in Bangladesh.

The project will also pilot a community-level early warning system for flash floods, thunderstorms and droughts in four districts, namely Netrakona, Sunamganj, Rajshahi and Naogaon.

The pilots will benefit more than 1 million people.

According to a WB statement, the project will set up an Agro-meteorological Information System portal, agromet information kiosks in 487 sub-districts and agromet display boards at 4,051 Unions.

This will enable more than 30,000 farmer households to gain access to weather and water related information, and enable them to make better planning and decisions to deal with climate uncertainties.

"With Bangladesh often exposed to extreme weather events, the lack of reliable forecasting and information on weather can cost lives and hurt the productivity of key sectors, such as agriculture, which contributes to about 16 percent of GDP, and employs 45 percent of the population," said Qimiao Fan.

"This project will strengthen disaster preparedness, as well as help farmers better adjust to weather variability at the farm level, and thus improve productivity."

Bangladesh is among the most disaster-prone and climate vulnerable countries in the world, frequently hit by floods, drought, and tropical cyclones.

The project will help at least five international agencies engaged in regional and global modelling.

"Globally, Bangladesh is well recognized for disaster preparedness," said Kazi Shofiqul Azam. "Realizing that weather pattern is not restricted to one single country, with this project, we are looking forward to broader collaboration with our neighboring countries, and modernizing the weather and climate monitoring framework to further improve early warning systems at community level."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 19:29:12|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

ISLAMABAD, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Wednesday claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a census team in the country's eastern Punjab province, which left six people killed and 15 others injured, local Urdu media reported.

Express News said that TTP spokesperson Muhammad Khurasani took credit of the attack in a statement.

Spokesperson of Punjab government Malik Muhammad Khan said that the suicide bomber attacked a van carrying the census team in Bedian road of Lahore, the capital city of the province.

He said that the killed people included four soldiers and two civilians.

The country's army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa said that all the soldiers and civilians who got killed in the attack were on census duty.

Census is a national obligation and will be completed on every cost despite the attack, he added.

The crime investigation department (CTD) shared initial reports of the blast with the province's Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, saying the attacker was aged between 18 and 24 and was carrying an estimated 10 kg of explosive materials in his vest.

The CTD said that the bomber was on foot and attacked the van from the backside when the van was passing by the crowded Bedian road.

A nearby rickshaw and three motorbikes were destroyed in the explosion.

The injured people have been shifted to a military hospital where three of them are said to be in critical conditions.

Both the country's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Mamnoon Hussain condemned the blast and directed hospital administration to provide best possible medical treatment to the injured people.

Pakistan's sixth population and housing census started on March 15 after a hiatus of 19 years.

The census teams are being provided security by the army, police and paramilitary troops in the country.

The first phase of the process will end on April 15 while the second phase will conclude on May 25.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 19:54:17|Editor: Xiang Bo

Video Player Close

BRUSSELS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) regulators gave green light to ChemChina's merger of Swiss Syngenta with condition on Wednesday.

"ChemChina has offered significant remedies, which fully address our competition concerns. This has allowed us to approve the transaction," the EU Commissioner for competition Margrethe Vestager told a press conference.

Syngenta is a leading pesticide supplier worldwide. ChemChina is currently active in pesticide markets in Europe through Adama, its wholly-owned Israel-based subsidiary which is the world's biggest producer of generic pesticides.

The approval came following a set of commitments made by ChemChina as the commission had concerns that the merger would have reduced competition in a number of existing markets for pesticides and plant growth regulators, said the European Commission, the bloc's executive body which overseas competition policy.

To win the approval, ChemChina has promised to divest significant parts of Adama and Syngenta pesticides and plant growth regulator business, said the commission in a statement.

The deal, worth up to 43 billion U.S. dollars, was reported to gain approval from the U.S. regulators on Tuesday.
Burnt cars are seen at the site where a car bomb exploded in a crowded street in the Iraqi city of Tikrit , Iraq March 15, 2017. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

TIKRIT, Iraq, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Up to 35 people were killed and some 28 others wounded when IS militants attacked a neighborhood in Tikrit, the capital of Iraq's northern central province of Salahudin, a provincial security source said on Wednesday.

The attack occurred late on Tuesday night when IS militants disguised in military uniform attacked security checkpoints and stormed several houses in Zuhour neighborhood in the western part of Tikrit, some 170 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The attackers broke into the houses during the night and opened fire on families randomly, the source said, adding that at least one of the attacked houses believed to be belonging to a family of a police officer.

Iraqi security forces surrounded the neighborhood to prevent them from moving to adjacent neighborhoods, while fierce clashes with the attackers broke out in Zuhour neighborhood, the source said.

The clashes resulted in the killing of at least five IS militants, three were shot dead while two others detonated their explosive vests, the source said citing latest police report.

"Most of the victims were civilians from the attacked families and the rest were security members who were killed or wounded by the clashes," the source added.

In the morning, the governor of Salahudin province imposed a curfew in the city on Wednesday, the source said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the IS terrorist group, in most cases, had been behind such deadly attacks targeting security forces, civilians, and crowded markets such as cafes and mosques across Iraq.

The predominately Sunni Arab province of Salahudin has been the scene of a major offensive by Iraqi security forces and allied paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units, which managed to retake control of the province from the hands of IS militants who seized large part of it in June 2014.

The attacks came as the Iraqi security forces backed by anti-IS international coalition are carrying out a major offensive to drive out the IS militants from their major stronghold in the western side of Mosul in northern Iraq.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 20:04:21|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

COLOMBO, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's cabinet, on Wednesday, approved to develop capital Colombo as a performing and exhibition hub in South Asia, in order to attract more tourists.

Cabinet Spokesperson, Gayantha Karunathilleke told a media briefing here that more than 2 million tourists visited Sri Lanka in 2016 and 70 percent of them arrived with the purpose of recreation and 25 percent arrived to visit friends and family.

He said although there was potential in attracting tourists by highlighting Sri Lanka's traditional culture, only 1 percent of tourists arrived in Sri Lanka with religious and cultural aspects.

Accordingly, following a proposal made by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs, the cabinet approved to appoint a committee of senior officials for cultural promotion.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 20:28:43|Editor: Xiang Bo

Video Player Close

SHANGHAI, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese salvage ship Dali returned to Shanghai on Wednesday after working 590 days to hoist the sunken Sewol ferry in the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Sewol, lying some 44 meters deep on the sea bed, was raised from the waters off the southwest coast of the ROK on March 25, some three years after it sank in April 2014 with 476 people on board.

Together with support vessels, the 2,500-tonne floating crane Dali was sent to the ROK in August 2015 by Shanghai Salvage Company to fulfill the salvage mission.

The Chinese state-run company won the bid to carry out the operation in an open tender issued by the ROK government in July 2015.

Around 60 workers arrived to Shanghai with the Dali. More than 90 Chinese personnel still remain in the ROK with another salvage ship, Shenqian, which will return later, company officials said.

More than 300 people were left dead when Sewol capsized. A total of 295 bodies were recovered, while nine remained unaccounted for.

Deputy director of Shanghai Salvage Jiang Yan said it was extremely difficult to lift the ship, which fell on its left side, tilting 90 degrees.

Divers and workers were also challenged by poor visibility and unpredictable waters, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 20:39:28|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

NEW DELHI, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The recent news of attacks on African students in the northern Indian city of Greater Noida near Delhi have apparently exposed the harsh reality of "racism" rooted in this country.

Some four Nigerian students were attacked by a mob after a young boy died reportedly of drug overdose, with his parents and relatives suspecting Africans to be the drug suppliers.

While India responded swiftly and promised action against the perpetrators, the attacks exposed the discriminatory nature of people based on race and colour, say experts.

"The attacks were so gruesome that the African envoys also condemned them, calling them xenophobic and racial. This means no good for India, which now caters to a huge number of African students in the area of education," said Prof Ajay Singh, a Delhi-based expert.

In fact, after its independence, India emerged as the hand of hope for Africans, especially its young population. As per the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, Africa is among the top 10 nations that sends large number of students annually to India.

Students from African countries like Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Sudan, among others come to India at a growing annual rate of more than 10 percent to study medicine, social sciences and management.

As per the Association of African Students in India, there are about 25,000 African students in India, a fifth of who live in and around the national capital. Not only do the students come with hope for a better future here, but also a belief that they will be accepted. However, the reality is different.

"India was a land of my dreams. It is the destination for higher education for us. Back home, we look forward to coming to India, learn something and take it back to our country. However, my experience has been a very difficult one. I have been teased, abused, cheated and discriminated here. I want to go back now," said Alfred Aguim, an African student.

Experts recalled the special bond that India and Africa have shared historically.

"It was in 1893 when these relations were cemented based on the experiences of a young lawyer from India who was thrown out of a train in South Africa based on his race. The lawyer was so moved at this racial discrimination that it changed the course of his life," said Prof Singh.

"He stood against exclusion on the basis of race and colour and became a ray of hope for people around the world. Mahatma Gandhi, as he later came to be known as, also became a campaigner for non-violence after this incident. For those who were abused and excluded because of their colour, Gandhi represented hope for an equal world," he added.

Another international affairs expert S.K. Gupta said: "A century later, Africans across the world continue to view India as the land of Gandhi. India also played a crucial role in not only ideologically supporting Africa's independence but also accepting its people as its own."

"Till today, India-Africa relationship stands strong politically, economically and ideologically, cemented by Gandhi's philosophy and Nelson Mandela's struggle against racism that inspired the world," he added.

In fact, India had strongly supported Mandela's fight against apartheid. Mandela, who was inspired all his life by Gandhi, had famously said that India deserved a place of glory among Africa's closest allies whose contribution to the abolishment of apartheid and the making of South Africa particularly was undeniable and immeasurable.

Colour, however, continues to attract scorn and things are no different with African women.

"When I move around Delhi, I am aware of the stares, of eve-teasers and words being said. But I choose to keep quiet. This is how life has been here for me. But after these attacks, I fear going out of the house," said Monica Moeka, a Nigerian student studying at Noida International University (NIU).

The NIU is itself a symbol of hope that education in India holds for international students, especially Asians. Nearly 1,000 students from different African countries are estimated to study here.

After the attacks however, some students were wary of attending the university. "I have had a mixed experience in Delhi. Some of my friends accept me as I am, but there are others who link us with drugs and our women with prostitution. It is frustrating sometimes," a Kenyan student Cisse-Mady said.

Drugs and prostitution are the most common allegations used against the African community in India.

"Due to their colour and distinct facial features, African continue to be excluded and harassed. They are refused accommodation and end up being ghettoized which only adds to their troubles. These are signals of inherent racism and prejudices prevalent in the minds of the people which can only be addressed by sustained political and social efforts," said Prof Gupta.

However, India has a lot to lose if these attacks continue. This impact will not only be seen in the education sector. A significant affect could be felt in India-Africa trade relations as well which have been growing at an opportune rate of 25 percent in the last few decades.

In January, India had also hosted the India-Africa business summit to encourage investment in Africa and to help the continent's development. Attacks like these and the continued stereotyping of Africans could push them out of the country and seek better opportunities across other Asian countries.

Therefore, a stronger response is required from both the government and the civil society to address these concerns, said experts.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 20:39:28|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

GARISSA, Kenya, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan authorities said Wednesday they are holding seven Somali refugees for hosting Al-Shabaab terrorists and human trafficking at the Dadaab refugee camp in northeast region.

A regional government official Mohamed Saleh said the suspects who are kingpins of human trafficking through the refugee complex were arrested during a joint security operation conducted on Tuesday at the sprawling camp.

"The suspects have been facilitating refugees to move to Nairobi for documents to enable them to move to Europe and Canada. The suspects have also been hosting terrorists at the camp," Saleh said in Garissa.

He said the suspects have also been linked to the syndicate in the complex that facilitates Al-Shabaab activities in the world's largest refugee camp in northeast Kenya.

Saleh said the court has granted the police ten days to continue holding Bartie Mohamed Kalif, Ahmed Abdi Mohamud, Omar Mohamed Kalif, Bare Hussein Mahat, Shamsudin Dubow, Nasra Abdi Noor and Anab Mohammed Mahamud as investigations are done before they can take a plea in court.

"The human trafficking is for Somalis who they bring into the country and acquire fake documents and then they find their way either into our country or proceed to Europe or Canada as Kenyans," Saleh said.

The immigrants are said to be using Kenya as their transit route to other countries such as South Africa or other European countries.

The Kenyan authorities have blamed the vastness of the region for the runaway influx of foreigners into Kenya through the porous border with Somalia.

Several aliens from Somalia have managed to sneak in the county with the help of brokers after paying hundreds of shillings.

But refugee rights organizations and aid agencies have blamed poverty in Africa for the rising cases of human trafficking.

They said that the huge supply of labour both skilled and unskilled makes them vulnerable to criminal syndicates.

Kenyan authorities have also blamed the militants for being behind spates of kidnapping of expatriates working in the sprawling refugee camps in the incursion-prone northern region and tourists in the coastal archipelago towns of Mombasa and Lamu.

Analysts say refugee camps often do pose security challenges for host countries. Armed groups throughout the world have used them for recruits, shelter, and food, and it is likely Al-Shabaab does the same.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 20:39:28|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

STRASBOURG, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Members of European Parliament (MEPs), meeting here for a plenary session in Strasbourg, voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to adopt a resolution outlining major conditions for the approval of any final settlement on the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union (EU).

Adopted by 516 votes in favor to 133 against, with 50 abstentions, the resolution establishes the key principles by which the European Parliament will be willing to greenlight the outcomes of Brexit negotiations.

In the resolution, MEPs emphasized the need to protect citizens' rights by securing equal and fair treatment for EU citizens living in Britain and British citizens living in the EU.

Citizens' rights were highlighted in the resolution, which noted in particular the Irish citizens. The resolution called on all parties to remain committed to the Northern Ireland peace process and avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

MEPs also stressed that until its official withdrawal, Britain remains a full member of the EU, with all the privileges and obligations implied by membership. In particular, this includes financial commitments which may extend beyond the British withdrawal.

Britain's obligations as an EU member also make it illegal for London to enter into trade talks with a third country before it leaves the EU, and to engage in bilateral negotiations with one or some EU member states.

The text of the resolution also warns against use of security cooperation as a bargaining tool for a future EU-UK economic relationship, reiterating that the four freedoms, namely free movement of goods, capital, services and people, are indivisible preconditions of access to the EU single market, and refusing any cherry-picking on economic arrangements.

The European Parliament also insisted that any future economic relationship can only be discussed in terms of transitional arrangements, and only after "substantial progress" has been made on the terms of the UK withdrawal.

MEPs also sought to establish their ongoing and close involvement in the negotiations, intending to build on the elements set out in the resolution as negotiations develop, for example by adopting further resolutions, including on specific matters or sector-specific issues.

The resolution's conditions will guide the imminent negotiations, as any final agreement will need to win the approval of the European Parliament prior to implementation.

Related:

Spotlight: Post-Brexit EU has to adapt budget for loss of second biggest contributor

BRUSSELS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- After the conclusion of Brexit negotiations, the European Union (EU) will have to adapt its budget to take into account the loss of funding from Britain, its second biggest contributor, members of European Parliament (MEPs) told Xinhua. Full story

Tusk reiterates no punitive approach to Brexit
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 20:43:48|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

JAKARTA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The governments of Indonesia and Afghanistan on Wednesday pledged to bring their bilateral cooperation to a higher level.

"Indonesia is ready for sharing experience on reconciliation for creating peace," Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Wednesday after meeting with his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Ashraf Ghani at the State Palace.

"Going forwards, we agree to enlarge cooperation in human development, including in the fields of law, public housing, fiscal policy and higher education," he said.

On trade, the two leaders shared the same opinion that the two nations have high potential for expanding cooperation too.

President Widodo said that they would encourage and facilitate businesses from Indonesia and Afghanistan.

Deals concerning cooperation in education, agriculture and government administration, were inked after the meeting.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 20:49:33|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

ATHENS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- European Council President Donald Tusk appeared cautiously optimistic about the conclusion of the pending review of Greece's third bailout program soon during a visit here on Wednesday.

"I really feel that we are very close to the conclusion of this phase of the procedure. And I believe that this grand finale will come thanks to the determination of the Greek people and their sacrifices," Tusk said during a meeting with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos.

"Today I feel more optimistic than yesterday and I hope tomorrow we both will be more optimistic," Tusk repeated during his talks with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

According to the initial timetable, the assessment should have closed in February 2016.

Tusk cautioned that "We are still far away from talking about a success story in the Greek economy."

For his part, Pavlopoulos noted the big sacrifices made by Greek people in order to stick to the European course.

"We cannot consider our future outside the European Union and its hard core, the euro zone," the Greek president said, underlining the need of change for Greece and the EU.

"The European Union must become strong and attractive, proving wrong those who rushed to leave it," Pavlopoulos said referring to Brexit, which was also on the agenda of discussions.

According to the prime minister's office, Tsipras told Tusk that "it is of vital significance to make important decisions to guarantee stability and unity" considering the pledges made recently during the Rome summit on the future of the EU.

"All member states need to assume their responsibilities in order to keep Europe united and safe," the Greek leader underlined, noting that this is the only way to leave the crises behind.

Regarding the refugee crisis, Tsipras said that all sides should work hard to keep alive last year's EU-Turkey agreement aimed at stemming the refugee influx into Europe.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 20:49:33|Editor: xuxin

Phil Miles (L) and Dave Bedell of Maine Coast company pack lobsters in Portland, Maine, the United States , March 29, 2017. In 2016, China bought 40.9 million dollars' worth of lobsters from Maine, where most of America's lobsters are caught. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Xia Guangfeng, a businessman from Shanghai, still remembers the moment he made his first sale of American lobsters using an e-business platform.

"It was on December 27, 2012, and the buyer was from Bazhong city, Sichuan Province," Xia recalled.

"The order value was 292.5 yuan (42.39 U.S. dollars), and the delicate flavor of the lobsters won high praise from the customer," he said.

Over the last four years, Xia's aquatic products company has been selling American lobsters through several e-commerce platforms, with an annual turnover of more than one million yuan (145,182 dollars), while the daily sales of his physical stores have reached 1.5 million yuan (217,773 dollars).

In China, there is a large number of dealers who are engaged in American lobster businesses, just like Xia.

The Associated Press said in a recent report that in 2016, China imported more than 108 million dollars' worth of lobsters from the United States, surpassing the previous high of about 90.2 million dollars in 2014.

The market is growing so quickly, said Matt Jacobson, executive director of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative. In 2016, China bought 40.9 million dollars' worth of lobsters from Maine, where most of America's lobsters are caught.

The Chinese market is growing at an annual rate of 30 percent to 50 percent, he said, adding that the big market is becoming more and more important to them.

Affordable prices, improved logistics and the rise of China's middle class are believed to be the main reasons for American lobsters' quick entry into the Chinese market.

A series of related industries in the two countries, such as fishing, transportation, distribution and e-commerce, are also showing increasing vitality.

Annie Tselikis, marketing manager at Maine Coast Company, told reporters that her company could ship live lobsters by air to Beijing and Shanghai within 20 to 40 hours.

The quality of the lobsters from Tselikis' company is evaluated in the customer feedback on some famous Chinese e-commerce platforms like Tmall or Taobao.

Imported lobsters can be delivered alive to the majority of Chinese customers, including those living in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China. Comments like "Very fresh" or "Good taste" can be seen quite often in the customer reviews on those lobsters.

Jeff Bennett, senior trade specialist with the Maine International Trade Center, told Xinhua that Maine has opened an office in Shanghai to go after more Chinese investment.

While explaining the reason Maine set up the investment office, Bennett said the lobster industry, as one of Maine's key industries, has created big job opportunities.

The Chinese market witnessed the rapid growth during the past five or six years, Bennett said, adding that he believed the Chinese market still has great growth potential.

Behind the growing export of American lobsters to China is the fact that China and the United States have shared interests and have high stakes in each other.

China-U.S. trade volume grew from 2.5 billion dollars in 1979 to about 519.6 billion dollars in 2016, surging 211 times within 38 years, according to statistics of China's Ministry of Commerce.

Bilateral service trade volume totalled over 100 billion dollars while mutual investment exceeded 170 billion dollars by the end of 2016.

The figures were reached against the backdrop of a global economic slowdown and sluggish international trade in general.

"Under such circumstances, China-U.S. trade has seen growth, rather than a fall, which shows great potential for the development of both countries' trade and economy," Li Wei, a researcher at the National Academy of Development and Strategy at Renmin University of China, told reporters.

"The potential originates from the highly complementary nature of the two countries' economic structures. China ought to become America's most important economic partner," Li said. "The United States needs to fully understand that the increasing consumption level of the Chinese will stimulate America's exports to China. American people will perceive tangible benefits from China's economic growth."

Sonny Beal, a fisherman of Beals Island off Maine's east coast, said that he was grateful for China.

China's increasing need has largely helped the local lobster industry, he said.

Gerry Cushman, a fisherman from Port Clyde, also said American lobsters have not only appeared as cuisine on Chinese people's dining tables, but have also become a sensation on the Internet, which is a surprise.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 20:53:52|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

TIRANA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Albania and Russia are willing to promote and expand economic cooperation mainly in fields such as tourism, culture, education and trade, representatives of both countries said, local media reported Wednesday.

Albanian Vice Economy Minister Adela Karapici told the Russian delegation chaired by the First Deputy Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation Sergey Gerasimov that Albania was interested in establishing a sustainable mechanism of mutual cooperation.

Karapici emphasized the possibility of increasing the trade volume between the two countries.

For his part, the Russian official confirmed the interest of Russian companies in investment in Albania, mainly in projects of energy, transport and tourism.

He also announced that Russia was interested in launching charter flights of Russian tourists to Albania, calling for greater media promotion of Albanian tourism in Russia.

The two sides positively assessed relations between the two countries and expressed the need for promoting economic cooperation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 21:09:40|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

PHNOM PENH, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodia's Interior Ministry on Wednesday formally recognized Kem Sokha as the new leader of the country's main opposition party, according to a letter signed by Interior Minister Sar Kheng.

"The Interior Ministry recognizes Mr. Kem Sokha as the president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP)," he said in the letter sent to Sokha.

The recognition came after the CNRP's central committee re-elected Sokha as the party's president on April 2 following the Interior Ministry recognized the CNRP's amendments to its internal rules on March 31.

Sokha replaced his long-serving predecessor, Sam Rainsy, who resigned on Feb. 11 due to "personal reasons".

Rainsy, 68, has been living in self-exile in France since November 2015 to avoid at least eight-year-prison sentence for defamation and incitement cases.

Sokha was first elevated to the post of the party president on March 2 by a party's congress, but the Interior Ministry did not recognize him, saying that his election was made in violation of the party's internal rules mandating an 18-month waiting period before electing a new president.

In the letter on Wednesday, Sar Kheng, who is also a deputy prime minister, said the Ministry still did not recognize Pol Ham, Eng Chhay Eang and Mu Sochua as the CNRP's vice presidents, saying that their elections by the party's central committee on April 2 contravened the party's amended internal rules.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 21:24:01|Editor: Xiang Bo

Video Player Close

BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- China once again called on parties concerned to continue to support the resumption of negotiation on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Wednesday.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Wednesday test-fired a ballistic missile into eastern waters, according to the Republic of Korea (ROK) defense ministry.

UN Security Council resolutions have clear stipulations about launch activities using ballistic missile technology by the DPRK, said Hua.

She said under the current circumstances, all relevant parties should stay restrained and avoid intensifying regional tension.

Hua called for a rational and balanced solution to address the security concerns of all parties concerned.

China has made unremitting efforts in pushing forward the denuclearization of the Peninsula, she said.

China proposed a "dual-track approach" to promote denuclearization of the Peninsula and establish a peace mechanism in parallel and a "suspension for suspension" to defuse the looming crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

As a first step, the DPRK may suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for the suspension of large-scale U.S.-ROK military exercises.

"The ultimate goal is to pull the Korean nuclear issue back on to the right track of peaceful resolution through dialogue and consultation," said Hua.

She reaffirmed China's opposition to the U.S. deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on the Korean peninsula.

China hopes the ROK side can face the reasonable security concerns of China and stop the deployment of the THAAD system, she added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 21:24:02|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

STRASBOURG, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Members of European Parliament (MEPs), meeting here for a plenary session, voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to adopt a resolution outlining major conditions for the approval of any final settlement on the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union (EU).

Adopted by 516 votes in favor to 133 against, with 50 abstentions, the resolution establishes the key principles by which the European Parliament will be willing to greenlight the outcomes of Brexit negotiations.

"Your resolution will be the first political position taken by a European institution in response to last week's letter addressed to the President of the European Council by Prime Minister Theresa May," Michel Barnier, Brexit chief negotiator for the European Commission, told MEPs during a Wednesday morning debate that preceded the vote for the resolution, which would set the tone for the coming negotiations.

Barnier stressed unity in the negotiations, saying it would be important for both the EU and the United Kingdom, as disarray would likely result in a painful lack of agreement.

"The stronger we are at 27, the stronger we will be in the negotiations," declared Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, while praising the European Parliament for its rapid action in drawing up a resolution in response to British PM May's letter triggering Article 50 on March 29.

"It is normal that your parliament will have a say," Juncker told MEPs, "but more importantly, you are the checks and the balances on the negotiations themselves."

For MEPs, Wednesday's resolution sets out a blueprint for what it means for a country leaving the European Union, with Britain being the first country to do so in 60 years since the signing of the Rome Treaty launched the EU's predecessor, the European Economic Community (EEC).

"What does it mean to leave the European Union?", asked Manfred Weber (Germany), Chairman of the European People's Party, the largest political group in the parliament. "It means that a country that has decided to leave the European Union cannot have a better deal than a Member State of the European Union."

The German MEP also voiced against "cherry-picking," saying "On security, you cannot be part of Europol and benefit from the Schengen Information System. On research, you cannot take part in EU-funded programmes of cooperation between universities. On trade, you cannot benefit from the Single Market."

In the resolution, MEPs emphasized the need to protect citizens' rights by securing equal and fair treatment for EU citizens living in Britain and British citizens living in the EU.

"We believe fundamentally that we have a duty to safeguard the acquired rights of the EU citizens living in UK and UK citizens living in the EU based on equity and reciprocity," declared Gianni Pittella (Italy), president of the Socialists and Democrats group.

Speaking of citizens involved, the Greens/EFA group co-president Ska Keller (Germany) said "They should be given peace of mind about their future, not treated as pawns to be traded."

Citizens' rights were highlighted in the resolution, which noted in particular the Irish citizens. The resolution called on all parties to remain committed to the Northern Ireland peace process and avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

MEPs also stressed that until its official withdrawal, Britain remains a full member of the EU, with all the privileges and obligations implied by membership. In particular, this includes financial commitments which may extend beyond the British withdrawal.

"The UK must honour all outstanding financial commitments - when you change your apartment, you had better first pay the electricity bill for the old one," said Gianni Pitella.

Britain's obligations as an EU member also make it illegal for London to enter into trade talks with a third country before it leaves the EU, and to engage in bilateral negotiations with one or some EU member states.

The text of the resolution also warns against use of security cooperation as a bargaining tool for a future EU-UK economic relationship, reiterating that the four freedoms, namely free movement of goods, capital, services and people, are indivisible preconditions of access to the EU single market, and refusing any "cherry-picking" on economic arrangements.

The European Parliament also insisted that any future economic relationship can only be discussed in terms of transitional arrangements, and only after "substantial progress" has been made on the terms of Britain's withdrawal.

"Our message is clear: we first negotiate the divorce, then we talk about the future Treaty; we need to put an end to the uncertainty in which citizens concerned are living," declared Manfred Weber during morning debate.

MEPs also sought to establish their ongoing and close involvement in the negotiations, intending to build on the elements set out in the resolution as negotiations develop, for example by adopting further resolutions, including on specific matters or sector-specific issues.

The resolution's conditions will guide the imminent negotiations, as any final agreement will need to win the approval of the European Parliament prior to implementation.

Brexit negotiations cannot begin until the European Council has approved directives for the talks during its next summit scheduled on April 29. Observers expect that the negotiations will actually be launched in late May.

Related:

Spotlight: Post-Brexit EU has to adapt budget for loss of second biggest contributor

BRUSSELS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- After the conclusion of Brexit negotiations, the European Union (EU) will have to adapt its budget to take into account the loss of funding from Britain, its second biggest contributor, members of European Parliament (MEPs) told Xinhua. Full story

Tusk reiterates no punitive approach to Brexit
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 21:39:07|Editor: Xiang Bo

Video Player Close

BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Vice Chairmen of the Central Military Commission (CMC) Fan Changlong and Xu Qiliang have called on the Chinese military and armed police to uphold the concept of green development.

The senior military officers made the remarks during a tree planting activity in Beijing on Wednesday.

They also called on the military and armed police forces to take part in and support the efforts to promote environmental progress and to make greater contributions to the building of a beautiful China.

This year is the 35th consecutive year that senior CMC officials have attended tree planting activities in Beijing.

Guo Jinlong, secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, also attended Wednesday's activity.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 21:39:08|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

GAZA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The decision of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) consensus government in Ramallah to cut 30 percent of the monthly salaries of civil servants and former security officers in the Gaza Strip has outraged on Wednesday the coastal enclave's populations.

Civil servants and employees were totally shocked and outraged, when they went on Wednesday morning to get their money from cash withdrawal machines outside banks all over the Gaza Strip and found out 30 percent cuts in their salaries.

Thousands of employees, their children and their wives demonstrated in Gaza city center against the Palestinian government's decision issued on Tuesday. They called on the government to regret its decision.

"The daily life and the economical situation in the Gaza Strip has been deteriorating over the past ten years, and cutting around one-third of our salaries would damage our life and increase our daily suffering besides the existing pain and poverty," said Ahmad Ghanim, one of the employees said.

The employees gathered at the square of the Unknown Soldier in the city's downtown in protest to the decision.

They chanted slogans against the government of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and called for regretting the decision and stopping increasing the suffering of more than 2 million people live in the Gaza Strip.

"These salaries are not paid for us to enjoy or have fun, the money we receive every month is for our children, for their schools and universities and for their foods and medicines," said a employee, who is a former security office that used to work in the police before Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007.

Spokesman of the Palestinian consensus government in Ramallah, Yousef al-Mahmoud, said Tuesday that the reason the government decided to cut salaries of the employees "is because of the suffocating fiscal crisis the Palestinian (National) Authority is passing through."

He stressed that this decision is not permanent and it could be changed and get back on track as soon as the PNA passes its fiscal crisis.

He justified the decision that it was made due to the fiscal siege that the international donors and Israel are imposing on the PNA.

The cuts in the salaries had targeted around 70,000 civil servants, former police and security officers in the Gaza Strip, excluded employees in the West Bank and those who are living abroad.

The decision was largely slammed by many activists and unions.

Social media activists slammed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah for the decision that targeted the Gaza Strip, which basically suffers from high rates of poverty and unemployment.

Senior leaders, activists and members in Abbas Fatah Party expressed deep outrage following the decision.

Dozens of them announced that they decided to quit from the part on the light of the decision. They called on the party's high-ranking establishments to act in order to annul the decision.

Meanwhile, Fawzi Barhoum, spokesman of Islamic Hamas movement said in an emailed press statement that Hamas expresses full sympathy with the employees.

"Hamas movement calls on the government of Hamdallah and the authority of Abbas to regret their decision, cancel it and stop cutting 30 percent of the employees salaries," said Barhoum, who warned that the decision "would mount the humanitarian crisis that was a result of an unfair siege imposed on Gaza."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 21:39:09|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

MANILA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government and the leftist rebels have reached agreement on a bilateral ceasefire during their talks in The Netherlands, a local television ANC said on Wednesday.

The TV report also said that both sides have agreed to mutually release four police officers and soldiers under the rebel custody and at least 23 more political prisoners in the coming days.

The Philippine government has yet to issue an official statement on the reported interim joint ceasefire agreement.

The peace negotiators of both sides are continuing their talks in Noordwijk in The Netherlands. Norway is brokering the talks.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 21:44:52|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

MOSCOW, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Six Central Asian nationals were detained Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Russia, on suspicion of facilitating terrorist activities and recruiting their compatriots for terrorist groups, Russian authorities said.

"The suspects had been recruiting Central Asian natives for the Nusra Front and the Islamic State since November 2015. They also tried to involve the recruits in other illicit armed groups, including those acting in other states," the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement.

Investigators have seized Islamist extremist literature, items and documents at the suspects' residences, the statement said.

The detention came after 14 people were killed and dozens injured in a bomb attack in the St. Petersburg subway Monday.

The committee said currently there is no evidence that the six detainees have links with the perpetrator of the deadly blast, but it will check all their contacts and connections.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 21:49:52|Editor: Xiang Bo

Video Player Close

HONG KONG, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong launched Wednesday an outdoor art project that aims to "dress up" the city by decorating 20 stairways at various landmarks with paintings of flowers.

The art project, named "City Dress Up: Blossoming Stairs", was launched to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

The stairways will be decorated by images sourced from famous flower-themed paintings or artefacts selected from the collection of the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

The decorations will be changed each season from March to December, allowing visitors to view a total of 80 different designs across the four seasons, Hong Kong's Secretary for Home Affairs Lau Kong-wah said at the launching ceremony.

The artworks selected for decorating the stairways cover a great variety of works including traditional Chinese paintings, historical pictures from the 19th century, contemporary art pieces and antiquities such as textiles, lacquer ware and bamboo carvings.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 22:35:12|Editor: Xiang Bo

Local staff and their family members take part in a Christmas party held by BYD, a Chinese automobile manufacturer, at BYD's Lancaster factory in California, the United States, on Dec. 9, 2016. Apart from the contributions to the local economy and job opportunities, Chinese enterprises have made continuous efforts in education projects, charity events and community works in the United States in the past years. (Xinhua/Huang Zhe)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 22:14:14|Editor: Lu Hui

Video Player Close

TEHRAN, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday strongly condemned the recent use of chemical weapons in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province, Tasnim news agency reported.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi offered his condolences to the Syrians over the deaths of people in a recent chemical attack in Syria's Khan Sheikhoun that killed scores of people and wounded hundreds more.

"We strongly condemn any use of chemical weapons regardless of its perpetrators and victims," Qasemi was quoted as saying.

"This painful disaster" is not the first case of using chemical weapons in the Syrian crisis, he said, adding that adopting double-standard stances toward the issue will hamper efforts to address such disasters.

Qasemi also emphasized that Iran is ready to admit for medication those injured in the incident.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 22:14:15|Editor: Lu Hui

Video Player Close

ISTANBUL, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The 20th Eurasian Economic Summit opened Wednesday with a call for the establishment of a new global economic order in a way to protect free trade principles and individual wealth.

"This vision will undoubtedly address not only the economy but also prosperity and happiness," Ibrahim Caglar, head of Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, said at the opening session of the summit.

"For this, it is necessary for countries in Eurasia to take firm steps toward regional economic integration," he said.

Speaking of the important developments in the last 100 years, Caglar noted that new technologies and communications have progressed at an extraordinary pace while Eurasia has never lost its strategic priorities in the process.

"This vast geography has a strategic place in the world's politics and economy in terms of geopolitical developments, population, energy resources and global trade points," he said.

He urged regional countries to tap more the power of Eurasia and its dynamism "in the name of the future of mankind."

Other speakers highlighted the importance of large transnational projects that have been constructed under the New Silk Road and the Belt and Road Initiatives in improving regional and global economic cooperation.

In this context, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway now nearing completion emerges as a critical project that would connect Asia and Europe.

The railway is expected to carry 1 million passengers and 6 million tons of freight annually in the middle term, according to media reports. By 2034 it is projected to carry 3 million passengers and 17 million tons of cargo.

Akkan Suver, president of the Marmara Group Foundation, host of the summit, urged participant countries to make progress in creating sea routes in the development of a new Silk Road.

Referring to the fact that China chose Greece's Piraeus port as the main center in the new Silk Road in Europe, he said it will not be enough if not supported by Turkish ports in the future.

Stressing that Turkey places great importance on China's Belt and Road project that encompasses 65 countries with a gross domestic product of 21 trillion U.S. dollars, Suver called for bilateral cooperation in the Aegean Sea.

Politicians, academicians and civil society pioneers from over 40 countries are attending the two-day summit, which will also address the issues of migration and terrorism.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 22:24:59|Editor: Xiang Bo

Video Player Close

BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council on Wednesday mapped out key tasks for economic system reform this year, stressing continued reform efforts to boost development and prepare for the tough job of ensuring employment.

The country should continue to boost reform in key sectors with supply-side structural reform as the main theme, according to a statement released after a State Council executive meeting, which was chaired by Premier Li Keqiang.

All departments should lose no time in detailing key reform plans in accordance with the tasks put forward at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and make concrete steps in reform tasks such as capacity reduction, it said.

Work should be done to improve government services, strengthen mechanisms to facilitate innovation-driven development and promote reforms in areas such as opening-up, environmental protection, education and health-care.

The employment situation for China this year is "grim," and the government should make employment a priority and implement more proactive policies, the statement said.

When formulating major economic policies, authorities should comprehensively evaluate their potential influence on employment, it said, calling for more efforts to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship.

The State Council urged support for those with difficulties in finding work, especially college graduates and workers who lost jobs in production capacity cuts, encouraging local governments to offer them subsidies and assistance.

Authorities should also enhance vocational training and employment services and support entrepreneurship and innovation by graduates who have returned from abroad, it added.

The government has set a higher employment target of 11 million new urban jobs this year, one million more than last year's target.
MADRID, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Spanish police on Wednesday arrested a 19-year-old woman in the town of Terrassa, close to Barcelona, on charges of recruitment and incitement of others to join the Islamic State (DAESH).

Spokesman for the Interior at the Catalan regional assembly said the arrested was born in Morocco, but had spent many years living in Spain.

According to the spokesman, the girl had carried out "intense activity" on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other "more private accounts in order to avoid detection," in which she "incited jihadism" and "violence in public spaces."

And the girl had "been in contact" with other suspected jihadists who had been arrested in the Catalan region in the north-east of Spain, said the spokesman.

He added that the Catalan regional police have carried out "two operations" against presumed jihadist sympathizers in 15 days.
OSLO, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Norwegian police security service (PST) has asked local municipalities to prepare for the arrival of Norwegian children who might have been indoctrinated by the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, newspaper Aftenposten reported Wednesday.

The children who were born in or were taken by their Norwegian parents to IS-dominated areas in Syria grow up in a reality where violence, hate and murders are a natural part of life, the report said.

According to the report, at least 40 Norwegian children under five or six years old live under the IS governing, where children are taught to kill those who do not believe in the IS doctrines.

"Here we have something different than vulnerable asylum seekers. This is a new phenomenon," said Benedicte Bjornland, head of the PST.

"We are potentially in danger of receiving very vulnerable children who were exposed to powerful indoctrination and were taught that all the others than themselves are unfaithful and that it is legitimate to take lives of the unfaithful ones," she said.

According to Yngve Carlsson, special advisor in the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities, Norwegian municipalities have experience in working with traumatised children from different war zones, but receiving children from IS-areas will be "specially challenging."

Carlsson added that Norway do not have apparatus that is ready for receiving children who have been indoctrinated by the IS.

According to a report made by Quilliam, a London-based think tank, the terror group IS has used children in ways that the world has not seen before.

Quilliam researchers concluded that the so-called IS-children who were exposed to a lot of brutal violence since birth will be "so damaged that it will be difficult to integrate them back into the society."
A demonstrator wearing a badge of UK and EU flags is seen in London, Britain on March 29, 2017. (Xinhua/Tim Ireland)

STRASBOURG, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Members of European Parliament (MEPs), meeting here for a plenary session, voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to adopt a resolution outlining major conditions for the approval of any final settlement on the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union (EU).

Adopted by 516 votes in favor to 133 against, with 50 abstentions, the resolution establishes the key principles by which the European Parliament will be willing to greenlight the outcomes of Brexit negotiations.

"Your resolution will be the first political position taken by a European institution in response to last week's letter addressed to the President of the European Council by Prime Minister Theresa May," Michel Barnier, Brexit chief negotiator for the European Commission, told MEPs during a Wednesday morning debate that preceded the vote for the resolution, which would set the tone for the coming negotiations.

Barnier stressed unity in the negotiations, saying it would be important for both the EU and the United Kingdom, as disarray would likely result in a painful lack of agreement.

"The stronger we are at 27, the stronger we will be in the negotiations," declared Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, while praising the European Parliament for its rapid action in drawing up a resolution in response to British PM May's letter triggering Article 50 on March 29.

"It is normal that your parliament will have a say," Juncker told MEPs, "but more importantly, you are the checks and the balances on the negotiations themselves."

For MEPs, Wednesday's resolution sets out a blueprint for what it means for a country leaving the European Union, with Britain being the first country to do so in 60 years since the signing of the Rome Treaty launched the EU's predecessor, the European Economic Community (EEC).

"What does it mean to leave the European Union?", asked Manfred Weber (Germany), Chairman of the European People's Party, the largest political group in the parliament. "It means that a country that has decided to leave the European Union cannot have a better deal than a Member State of the European Union."

The German MEP also voiced against "cherry-picking," saying "On security, you cannot be part of Europol and benefit from the Schengen Information System. On research, you cannot take part in EU-funded programmes of cooperation between universities. On trade, you cannot benefit from the Single Market."

In the resolution, MEPs emphasized the need to protect citizens' rights by securing equal and fair treatment for EU citizens living in Britain and British citizens living in the EU.

"We believe fundamentally that we have a duty to safeguard the acquired rights of the EU citizens living in UK and UK citizens living in the EU based on equity and reciprocity," declared Gianni Pittella (Italy), president of the Socialists and Democrats group.

Speaking of citizens involved, the Greens/EFA group co-president Ska Keller (Germany) said "They should be given peace of mind about their future, not treated as pawns to be traded."

Citizens' rights were highlighted in the resolution, which noted in particular the Irish citizens. The resolution called on all parties to remain committed to the Northern Ireland peace process and avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

MEPs also stressed that until its official withdrawal, Britain remains a full member of the EU, with all the privileges and obligations implied by membership. In particular, this includes financial commitments which may extend beyond the British withdrawal.

"The UK must honour all outstanding financial commitments - when you change your apartment, you had better first pay the electricity bill for the old one," said Gianni Pitella.

Britain's obligations as an EU member also make it illegal for London to enter into trade talks with a third country before it leaves the EU, and to engage in bilateral negotiations with one or some EU member states.

The text of the resolution also warns against use of security cooperation as a bargaining tool for a future EU-UK economic relationship, reiterating that the four freedoms, namely free movement of goods, capital, services and people, are indivisible preconditions of access to the EU single market, and refusing any "cherry-picking" on economic arrangements.

The European Parliament also insisted that any future economic relationship can only be discussed in terms of transitional arrangements, and only after "substantial progress" has been made on the terms of Britain's withdrawal.

"Our message is clear: we first negotiate the divorce, then we talk about the future Treaty; we need to put an end to the uncertainty in which citizens concerned are living," declared Manfred Weber during morning debate.

MEPs also sought to establish their ongoing and close involvement in the negotiations, intending to build on the elements set out in the resolution as negotiations develop, for example by adopting further resolutions, including on specific matters or sector-specific issues.

The resolution's conditions will guide the imminent negotiations, as any final agreement will need to win the approval of the European Parliament prior to implementation.

Brexit negotiations cannot begin until the European Council has approved directives for the talks during its next summit scheduled on April 29. Observers expect that the negotiations will actually be launched in late May.
CAIRO, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Foreign Ministry condemned on Wednesday the deadly attacks in the Syrian province of Idlib which killed and injured dozens of civilians, the ministry said in a press statement.

"We strongly condemn the random bombardment of Khan Sheikhoun village in Idlib which killed and injured tens of civilians, including children," the ministry said in a press statement.

The ministry stressed the importance of supporting the political settlement of the Syrian crisis in line with international resolutions with the UN Security Council Resolution No. 2254 on top of them.

On Tuesday, media reports said about dozens were killed and more than 200 were wounded in a toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhoun.
LJUBLJANA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Slovenia's total jobless number dropped 13.6 percent year-on-year in March to 95,189, the Slovenian Press Agency reported on Wednesday quoting the country's National Employment Service.

The statistics show that the jobless number is also 6.1 percent down over February.

In March, a total of 5,892 people registered with the Employment Service, which is 0.5 percent less than over February and 3.6 percent lower than a year ago.

Out of the 12,042 people removed from the unemployment register in March, 9,690 got jobs or started a business, which is 53.7 percent more than February but 3.1 percent lower over the same period of last year.

In the first three months of the year, 24,794 people registered as unemployed, a drop of 7.5 percent over the same period last year, according to the STA report.
NEW DELHI, April 5 (Xinhua) -- At least six members of a family were killed Wednesday after a stockpile of fireworks exploded in their house in central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, police said.

The blast took place at Seondha in Datia district, about 439 km north of Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh.

"In an unfortunate incident today, six members of a family were killed in an explosion inside their house," Irshad Wali, a senior police officer told Xinhua over telephone from Datia.

The house suffered a massive damage due to the series of explosions.

According to Wali, the house owner had stored fireworks inside his house.

"The cause of blast is said to be explosion of firecrackers that house owner had stocked," Wali said. "Our forensic teams have collected samples from the spot and we are sending them for detailed examination."

Police officials said they rushed to the spot immediately after the blast to carry out rescue work.

The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has expressed grief over the deaths in the explosion.

Accidental explosions due to fireworks are common in India.

In India, firecrackers are set off during festivals, weddings and other merrymaking ceremonies.
MANILA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government and the leftist rebels signed on Wednesday "an agreement on an interim joint ceasefire" during their talks in The Netherlands in a bid to foster "goodwill and trust" between the two sides.

Elisabeth Slattum, Norwegian special envoy to the Philippine government and National Democratic Front of the Philippines, the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines, made the announcement during a press conference in The Netherlands.

A few minutes after the announcement, both sides signed the agreement.

"The agreement contained rules governing the presence of armed units in local communities and the creation of buffer zones and monitoring and verification mechanisms," Slattum told a news conference.

She said the agreement also prohibits both sides to make "hostile and provocative acts."

The agreement calls for a "ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanisms in relations to the implementation of the ceasefire and the handling of complaints and alleged violations," she added.

Moreover, the agreement calls for the ceasefire committees of both sides "to meet in between formal talks, to discuss, formulate, and finalize the guidelines and ground rules for the implementation of the (newly-signed) agreement."

Both sides also agreed to forge a more stable and comprehensive joint cease-fire agreement in the future to ensure an "enabling environment for eventual and early signing of he Comprehensive Agreement on Social and economic Reforms."

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said that President Rodrigo Duterte has already approved the bilateral cease-fire agreement.

"This is another closer step to our dream," Dureza said at the same news conference.

He said both sides signed the truce agreement to ensure that the peace talks move forward. "Let's stay the course," he said.

"What matters most is (the condition) on the ground (because) it is there on the ground that we are facing a lot of challenges," he said, referring to the skirmishes between government troops and the rebels.

Dureza appealed "to the public and the all the groups that are on the ground to bear with us in our final destination having just and lasting peace in the country."

The Philippine government has yet to issue an official statement on the interim joint cease-fire agreement.

The Duterte administration is holding talks with the rebels in a fresh attempt to end the nearly five decades insurgency.

The peace negotiators of both sides are continuing their talks in Noordwijk in The Netherlands. Norway is brokering the talks.
KIGALI, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda targets to decrease the use of charcoal and fire wood by 2018, in an effort to help protect the country's forest cover and avert disastrous effects of climate change, Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) has said.

Coletha Ruhamya, director general, REMA told reporters on Wednesday that local technology initiatives in line with efficient cooking stoves will be identified and introduced to Rwandans in the framework of the government's policy to reduce wood fuel and emissions.

"We are targeting to see 27 percent of Rwandans in urban centers use improved cooking stoves in bid to reduce the use of charcoal and fuel wood by 2018," she added.

Many households across rural Rwanda look to forests as a source of income, cutting down trees to supply growing markets for charcoal and timber, however Ruhamya urged them to embrace sustainable charcoal production to protect the country's forest cover.

"If we are to protect our environment, we must accord high priority to forest conservation while subsidizing households to use alternative energy sources," she said.

Last year, Rwanda launched a campaign to enhance forest cover by planting more than 23 million of trees in one year in a bid to help the country fight climate change.

The campaign dubbed; "Forests, the Source of Clean Air" will see millions of trees planted on most degraded lands and forests, and continue to improve existing forest across the country.

Rwanda targets to have a forest cover of 30 percent by 2018, a goal that is likely to be achieved earlier given that, presently, forest cover is at 29.6 percent of the nation, according to the ministry of natural resources.

The small central African country has also committed to restore two million hectares of deforested and degraded land by 2020.

More than 700 million hectares of land are ripe for restoration in Africa, according to analysis by World Resources Institute and International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Rwanda's ambitious forest restoration plan is in line with the Bonn Challenge, a global ambition to restore 150 million hectares of the world's deforested and degraded lands by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030. It was launched by world leaders at a ministerial roundtable in Bonn, Germany, in September 2011.

It is estimated that over 1.6 billion people globally rely on benefits that forests offer, including food; unfortunately, an estimated 13 million hectares of forests, for instance, were lost each year between 2000 and 2010 due to deforestation.
BRUSSELS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Members of European Parliament (MEPs) on Wednesday approved an European Union (EU) aid for floods recovery in Britain.

The proposed over 60 million euros (64 million U.S. dollars) aid comes from the EU Solidarity Fund.

The money will be provided to repair damage caused by floods in Britain in 2015-16.

From December 2015 to January 2016, 11 UK regions were hit by heavy rainfall and strong winds, which led to flooding and infrastructure damage.

The aid, together with assistance to Cyprus and Portugal, was approved by 681 votes to 11, with 31 abstentions.

In a resolution voted by MEPs on Wednesday regarding Brexit talks, MEPs stressed that until its official withdrawal, Britain remains a full member of the EU, with all the privileges and obligations implied by membership.
TOKYO, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Japan's electronics retailing giant Bic Camera Inc. said on Wednesday that it will start accepting payments in virtual currency bitcoin at two of its outlets in Tokyo from Friday in a bid to attract more foreign customers.

The payments will be accepted for purchases of up to 100,000 yen (some 900 U.S. dollars) at the BICQLO Shinjuku East store near Shinjuku Station and at the Yurakucho store in Chiyoda Ward in downtown Tokyo, said the retailing giant.

The company said that it made the decision in response to requests from foreign customers, and will decide whether to expand the service to other stores after gauging the demands in the two trial stores.

Bic Camera will be the first major retailer in Japan to launch the bitcoin payment service, though the service is already available in 4,500 outlets in Japan, including bars, cafes and restaurants, according to local reports.

Bitcoin is a major digital currency without ties to any bank or government. It is underpinned by blockchain technology, a digital ledger system that uses cryptography.

Credibility of the virtual currency has been a concern to many people, especially after the sudden shutdown in 2014 of the Japanese bitcoin exchange MtGox Co..

The virtual currency has also raised controversy over its potential use for money laundering and capital flight, as it allows users to spend and transfer money anonymously.

Japan revised its law last year to regulate the dealings of virtual currencies including bitcoin, so as to prevent their use in terrorism or money laundering and protect the interests of the owners.

According to the revised law, virtual currencies could be used for settlement. But exchanges dealing virtual currencies shall be registered with the Financial Services Agency.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-05 23:50:13|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

Photo taken on April 2, 2017 shows the Greek Old Parliament house in Athens, Greece. More than 90 private and public buildings in Greek capital Athens opened their doors to thousands of architecture and design enthusiasts during the past weekend amid the fourth Open House Athens. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

by Valentini Anagnostopoulou

ATHENS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- More than 90 private and public buildings in Greek capital Athens opened their doors to thousands of architecture and design enthusiasts during the past weekend amid the fourth Open House Athens.

Open House, one of the most important institutions for the promotion of architecture, started in London in 1992 and features to this day 32 cities around the globe.

The project invites the public to explore and understand the value of architecture, and get better acquainted with both the city's heritage and its latest architectural acquisitions.

In Athens, the list of "exhibits" was long and exhilarating, having visitors racing from one spot to the next and queuing for long hours in order to get a guided tour inside their building of choice. From landmark buildings and historical monuments of the 19th century to ultramodern cultural centers and from former industrial spaces turned into luxurious lofts to 1930s art deco and Bauhaus constructions, every aspect of Athenian architecture was on the menu.

"Athens combines diverse architectural styles. Apart from its classical ancient landmarks, such as the Acropolis, which are more known abroad, Athens features many neoclassical and modern buildings, and of course contemporary architecture which keeps blooming despite the crisis," Renata Douma, creative manager of Open House Athens, told Xinhua.

Driven by a growing tendency for introspection and reevaluation, over recent years many Athenians have come to see their city in a new light, becoming more and more eager to learn the history each building hides, rediscover the beauty of the city's countless neglected architectural gems and shake away the stereotype of Athens as a "cement jungle." In this context, Open House Athens, which first started in 2014, became an instant hit attracting more and more visitors each year and reaching 29,000 in 2016.

Antonia Panagi, a student of Architecture in the University of Athens, is one of the 450 volunteers of the project. She's a guide to the impressive Old Parliament House, a building with a long history at the city center.

Its construction started in 1858 on the plans of French architect Francois Boulanger in order to house the parliament. However it took a radical modification of plans by Panagis Kalkos and 17 years to complete, due to lack of resources.

"The National Assembly convened here for 60 years, from 1875 to 1935," Panagi said. In 1935, the Parliament moved to the Old Palace, the building where it still is now at Syntagma square, and the Old Parliament House was then decided to house the collections of the National Historical Museum of Greece.

The outbreak of World War II may have postponed the relocation for another 26 years, but nowadays the National Historical Museum is among the most visited of Athens, hosting some true treasures of the nation's recent history.

"This building is a typical example of Athenian neoclassicism. Its facade, being perfectly symmetrical and divided in three horizontal sections is also typical of this style," Panagi explained. The interior is structured around the simple, yet imposing, auditorium of the Parliament, a room that has witnessed one of the most turbulent periods of modern Greek history.

"It is in here that Charilaos Trikoupis (former Greek prime minister) said in 1893 his famous quote: "Unfortunately, we are bankrupt" and in this room was held the trial of the six officials held responsible for the Greek military defeat in Asia Minor in 1922," Panagi said.

At the other side of the city center, at the hippie neighborhood of Gazi, people are queuing at the entrance of Athina Art Apartments, seizing the rare opportunity to peek inside a private space of high architectural standards. The modern building of four 70 sqm two-storey residences destined for short-term rental, constructed in 2015 and designed by sm.pa architects, stands out as a fine example of relaxed urban living.

"We wanted the residents to perceive the apartments as simple and minimal, homey and industrial at the same time, and definitely not as something too loud," Christos Patakos, one of the architects, said.

Inside the apartments, the limits between the indoor and outdoor space fade out, as a play of light and shadow prevails. "Their main characteristic is the open plan and the play with light," Patakos stressed.

In the heart of a formerly industrial quarter and close to the railway, the position inspired the architectural team to design a building that reflects this industrial background, but also brings in something new. "Our solution was to build a perforated shell around the building that casts shadow play inside the apartments and also gives a sense of movement to passers-by, so as to create a recognizable landmark for the whole area," Patakos explained.

The shell, which also protects the west-oriented building from intense sunlight, consists of 69 unique laser-cut pieces, perforated in simple, linear shapes.
File photo shows two released crew members of South Korean fishing boats arrive in Aden, southern Yemen, Nov. 13, 2007. (Xinhua/Li Teng)

by Abdi, Hashi and Chris Mgidu

MOGADISHU, April 5 (Xinhua) -- European Union anti-piracy taskforce has reiterated the need for continued vigilance for all ships transiting the piracy high area at sea amid resurgence of Somali pirates who are holding an Indian vessel.

EU Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR)) also urged the foreign vessels to adhere to self-protection measures laid down in the Best Management Practices 4 (BMP4) and to report any suspicious sightings to the UK's Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre.

The call follows the pirating of an Indian registered cargo dhow with 11 crew off Somalia coast on April 1.

The EU naval force said its Spanish maritime patrol aircraft has over flown the dhow, which is being held at anchor less than two miles from the coast near to Hobyo in Galmadug.

"Despite several attempts to communicate via VHF radio, EU Naval force has not been able to speak to the crew. It is not clear if a ransom has been demanded for the vessel's release," the naval force said in a statement on Tuesday night.

The cargo vessel, the Al Kaushar was en route from Dubai and Somalia's Puntland port of Bosasso, but on 30 nautical miles off Hobyo was approached by small fishing boat with one man, who outwit crew that wants provisions and food, but later boarded the vessel and threaten the crew with machine gun.

According to regional maritime expert, Andrew Mwangura, the armed pirate succeeded to take control and to seize the merchant vessel, heading to the Somali coast.

"I have not established when the pirates have demanded for a ransom but they are still holding the dhow," Mwangura told Xinhua by phone on Wednesday.

Somali pirates have in the past received hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom from hijacking vessels resulting in some hostages being injured or killed in the process.

Sources said the vessel was carrying sugar and wheat to the semi-autonomous region of Puntland when Al Kausar was hijacked in the vicinity of Socotra (Island).

Somali pirates tend to be well-armed with automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade (RPG) and sometimes use skiffs launched from mother vessels, which may be hijacked fishing vessels or dhows, to conduct attacks far from the Somali coast.

The pirating of the Indian dhow comes just three weeks after the fuel tanker, Aris 13, was held for four days by armed pirates.

Whilst not yet confirmed, EU NAVFOR said it's also investigating reports of another potential piracy incident with a dhow off the coast of Galmadug on Monday.

The naval said its warships and maritime patrol aircraft are continuing their counter-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.

Ben Lawellin, Oceans Beyond Piracy's Project Manager for the Horn of Africa said the hijacked Indian dhow is in the vicinity of the town of Ceel Huur which is south of Hobyo but could not confirm if the pirates have demanded ransom.

"The latest information we have indicates that the dhow is in the vicinity of the town of Ceel Huur which is south of Hobyo. I have heard that a ransom demand has been made, but cannot confirm at this time if this is true or not," Lawellin told Xinhua.

The African maritime industry, along the Indian Ocean, had been greatly affected by piracy that often raise the costs of shipping as insurance companies and private ship security companies increased their premiums to mitigate the risks.

The piracy incident had also affected the shipping sector by rise of cost of insurance as shippers took extra covers for war risk, kidnap and ransom in addition to conventional underwriting of cargo and hull.

Since Somali piracy is largely a hijack-for-ransom business, it relies heavily on onshore support for infrastructure that provides food, water, fuel and the leafy narcotic khat to the militiamen who guard the hijacked ships throughout the ransom negotiation process.
WARSAW, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Poland doesn't agree with the introduced European Union (EU) climate policy norms, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo announced Wednesday.

"As for climate policy, our position is clear: we do not agree with the norms that have been introduced. We will be consistent in protesting and looking for new solutions," Szydlo said.

She made the remarks at a press conference when asked about Poland's strategy towards the EU climate directive, considering that the country's power industry is based mainly on coal.

Szydlo referred to an amendment to the National Emission Ceilings Directive (NEC) that aimed at reducing emissions from industry, traffic, power plants and agriculture. National emission commitments concern the period after 2020, but targets after year 2030 are also set.

The prime minister added that the EU climate norms were not only problem to Polish economy but to the other central European countries as well. "We will protect our economy," Szydlo said.

Asked about her statement that she was immune to "blackmail and pressure, which are also used in Brussels," Szydlo explained that she was talking about a pressure in the EU, a good example of which were the climate solutions.

She said that according to the treaties, the solidarity within the EU should be respected and interests of every country, not just the strongest ones, should be taken into consideration.

The NEC directive requires that the countries commit themselves to decreasing emission of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, non-methane volatile organic compounds, ammonia and fine particles. The estimated costs for Poland, compared with other EU countries, is much higher, mostly due to coal-based economy and poor air quality.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-06 00:00:15|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

SHIJIAZHUANG, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Establishing the Xiongan New Area and developing the area to absorb non-capital functions from Beijing are vital measures to advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, said Zhao Kezhi, party chief of Hebei Province Wednesday.

China announced Saturday it will establish the Xiongan New Area in Hebei Province, about 100 km southwest of downtown Beijing, spanning three counties.

"Establishment of the Xiongan New Area comes against the backdrop of advancing coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The move is of huge significance for long-term development in the region," said Zhao, secretary of Hebei Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

"Xiongan features geological advantages, convenient transportation, an excellent environment, ample resources and lots of room for development," said Zhao. "The area is the first choice for pooling some non-capital functions from Beijing."

Beijing has announced it will move some municipal administrative organs from the downtown area to the east suburb of Tongzhou.

Xiongan and Tongzhou will form "two wings" for Beijing, said Zhao, adding that the new area is conducive to optimizing the region's urban layout and exploring a new model of optimized development in densely populated areas.

The announcement attracted investors to the counties of Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Anxin in the new area, driving up housing prices there.

The preparatory committee of the new area said Tuesday it will control illegal land and housing purchases as well as construction. The committee had discovered 765 real estate violations, and seven people had been arrested for real estate violations as of April 4.

"The new area aims to become a gathering place for high-tech industries, not a place for large-scale real estate investment and property speculation," said Zhao.
PARIS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- French President Francois Hollande on Wednesday urged international community to take swift act against the alleged use of fatal gas in Syrian city of Idlib which he described as "a war crime."

The French president made the call during a defense council at the Elysee Palace.

Hollande on Tuesday accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of being responsible for an alleged gas attack in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province.

However, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the Syrian army doesn't have any kind of chemical weapons.

Moreover, Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told pan-Arab Mayadeen TV that the rebels who are supported by France, Britain, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia were the ones behind the chemical attack.

On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry also said the deadly gas contamination in Idlib was caused by the explosion of chemical weapons produced by the rebels.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 58 people were killed and tens of others wounded by the gas attack in the rebel-held Idlib on Tuesday.
NAIROBI, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Africa Logistics Properties (ALP), which is partly owned by International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank's private sector arm, plans to build modern logistics parks across East Africa in order to improve supply chain efficiency in the region, officials said on Wednesday.

ALP CEO Toby Selman told a media briefing in Nairobi that the firm will deliver the first 140,000 square meters of warehouse space in Kenya in the next two years.

"We also have a number of pipeline projects in Uganda that will help reduce cost of logistics in the country," Selman said during the launch of the Broll Kenya Market Report 2017.

ALP will design, build, finance and lease the logistics parks to businesses in need of storage. Selman said that existing godowns in the region are very small, congested and not fit for purpose.

"As a result, the cost of logistics in the East Africa region is very high, making goods costly for consumers," he said.

Experts have indicated that logistics account for 40 percent of cost of goods sold in East Africa compared to a global average of less than 20 percent.

The logistics parks are part of efforts to reduce the cost of doing business in East Africa so as make the region a competitive producer of goods.

The warehouses will hold fast moving consumer goods as well as fresh produce.

ALP also plans to build modern logistics parks in West and North Africa.
NICOSIA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus signed a natural gas exploration and exploitation agreement with a consortium made up of ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum on Wednesday.

Two more agreements with Italian ENI and French Total are scheduled to be signed on Thursday.

ExxonMobil was the latest energy company to join ENI, Total and U.S.-based Noble Energy in obtaining a license to drill in Cyprus' continental shelf for hydrocarbons.

Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis said after signing the agreement that ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum executives expressed their commitment to Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades to make their first exploration drilling in 2018.

ExxonMobil senior Vice-president Andrew Swiger told reporters after the signing that the company likes the prospects and the geology of Block 10 for which it obtained the drilling concession.

But he added that more three-dimensional seismic data are needed to pinpoint drilling areas.

Block 10 of Cyprus' exclusive economic zone is within a few kilometers from a giant gas field discovered by ENI in Egyptian waters, containing an estimated 30 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

Qatar Petroleum President and CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said the agreement he signed expands his company's "upstream footprint into the Eastern Mediterranean for what is hopefully one of the most promising opportunities in the area."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-06 01:05:23|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

ACCRA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Health authorities in Kumasi, Ghana's second largest city, on Wednesday identified meningitis as the cause of death of four senior high school students.

The revelation followed autopsy reports on the bodies of the students of the Kumasi Academy Senior High School who died within a period of nine days.

"Through the collaborative efforts of experts from the Ghana Health Service at the district, regional and national levels, together with an experienced colleague from Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and the School of Medical Sciences, we can note the cause of these deaths as Meningitis," Simon Osei Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister, told the media in Kumasi.

The strain of meningitis was however not disclosed.

He said health officials had intensified surveillance to contain the disease and prevent further outbreak.

The school has recorded 26 more cases after the students' death.

Meningitis is a serious and potentially fatal disease caused by different bacteria.

It is an inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal cord, and usually occurs during the dry season, with symptoms such as fever, body aches, headaches, loss of appetite and stiffness in the neck. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-06 01:05:23|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

ACCRA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Ghana has suspended the renewal of mining licenses to small-scale miners due to the destructive nature illegal mining activities pose to the environment.

Lands and Natural Resources Minister Peter Amewu announced here Wednesday that the government had also placed a moratorium on the issuance of new licenses to small-scale miners.

Amewu, speaking on an Accra-based television station, observed that the measures would be in force until sanity prevailed in the mining sector.

The activities of illegal small-scale mining has caused destruction to several hectares of the country's arable land and polluted major aquatic bodies and other natural resources.

Some environmentalists have predicted the country risked importing food and water from abroad in the near future if the situation persists.

This has therefore attracted national discussion with calls on the Ghanaian government to clamp down on the activities of illegal miners.

The Lands and Natural Resources Minister further said the fight against the menace had failed in the past due to non-enforcement of the laws.

He expressed the commitment of the government to step up the fight to save the country's environment. Enditem
BRATISLAVA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Slovak military police officers will serve as part of the EUNAVFOR MED Sophia naval operation in the Mediterranean Sea as of August, it was announced Wednesday.

"We are seriously concerned about the security situation in the Europe. We are an integral part of the solving the problems on the EU borders," stressed Slovak Defense Minister Peter Gajdos.

Slovakia plans to dispatch to that area up to ten police officers who will serve in two rotations lasting six months.

Slovak military police will operate from a German ship. They will be tasked with inspecting vessels in the Mediterranean Sea.

In 2015, the European Union (EU) launched in the Mediterranean Sea the operation codenamed Sophia, which is aimed at patrolling international waters close to the Libyan coast and apprehending all individuals suspected of smuggling migrants to Europe.
TIRANA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Albanian police announced Wednesday that they on Tuesday seized one tonne of hashish in the coast of Karaburun, south Albania.

Police found the drugs around 100 meters away from the shore, which were divided in 96 packages of different sizes.

This came only few days after police of Vlora seized 1.3 tonnes of cannabis near the Zvernec area that was ready to be smuggled to Italy. Officers inspected two vehicles and found the drugs in 52 small plastic packages divided in ten sport bags.

Albanian authorities launched in February a nationwide operation to find and destroy cannabis plantations.

A police statement said 3,100 officers have been deployed around the country checking greenhouses, old army depots and tunnels or abandoned houses where cannabis seeds and small plants may have been hidden.

Last year, Albanian authorities destroyed about 2.5 million marijuana plants, four times more than the year before while many tonnes of cannabis were seized at border crossing points or from boats bound for neighboring Italy or Greece.
iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK)  The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss the suspected chemical weapons attack that killed more than 50 people in a Syrian town on Tuesday.



UN ambassador Nikki Haley condemned the attack via Twitter, placing the blame on Syria's president Bashar al-Assad.



"Assad must be held accountable for these barbaric attacks against his own people," Haley wrote.



The Syrian military has denied responsibility.



Government officials have not confirmed what chemical was used to attack these civilians in Khan Sheikhoun early Tuesday morning, but experts agree that video released by Syrian activists showing men, women and children struggling to breathe as rescue workers rush to wash the substance off their bodies suggest that chemical weapons were used.



Rebecca Hersman, the former deputy assistant secretary of defense for countering weapons of mass destruction for the Obama administration, told ABC News that the deployment of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict represents one of their most widespread uses in modern history and cited continued failure of the international community to hold those responsible to account.



"I think all of the deaths in Syria are incredibly tragic," Hersman said. "The loss of life is almost beyond imagination. But when we see the loss of life tied to the complete failure of an international regime and the unwillingness of the international community to step up and document these cases and discern a path to accountability and make the security council work the way it's supposed to make the OPCW Executive Secretary work the way its suppose to, then we should be even more disappointed."



White House press secretary Sean Spicer called the attack "an intolerable act" made possible by the "weakness and irresolution" of Donald Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, as Syria descended into chaos.



"Today's attack is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world," Spicer said. "These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution. President Obama said in 2012 that he'd establish a red line against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing. The U.S. stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable act."



Following a 2013 chemical weapons attack that killed more than 1400 people outside of Damascus which a U.S. government intelligence assessment concluded likely used a nerve agent, the Obama administration threatened retaliation but ultimately called off planned airstrikes after Assad agreed to turn over the majority of his chemical weapons arsenal to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, an international watchdog group.



Hersman said world leaders should focus on evidence and accountability. She called for immediate investigations to determine what chemicals may have been used and noted that in February Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution to impose sanctions on the Syrian government for its repeated use of chemical weapons  for the seventh time.



Russia has been a key backer of the Assad government, supplying government forces with weapons and, since September 2015, launching air strikes against "all terrorist" targets, though U.S. allies in the region have been mistakenly hit on occasion.



She urged the Trump administration to "press on the Russians" and seize the opportunity to lead.



"The United States needs to lead any effort to build a response and hold parties responsible," Hersman said. "Whether it's to impose sanctions to record and document things for future war crimes or to just stand up and make sure the Assad Regime know that we're watching ... It's urgent that we respond, and it's not enough to that we cast concerns about what happened in the past."



Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
PARIS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Tuesday's long televised debate, which pitted all 11 French presidential candidates against one another, revealed a deep schism across the political class and French public opinion on the question of Europe.

With less than three weeks to go before the first round of voting, candidates battling for the highest position in the French Republic participated in a first-ever televised joust, lasting nearly four hours.

On the debate menu were jobs, security and social programs. But it was the European Union which provoked the most heated exchanges.

The format of the debate meant talking points were simplified. The favorites for the presidency had more to lose than to gain in the event, but none of them committed a major gaffe.

According to the Elabe survey for BFMTV, Jean-Luc Melenchon from the far-left Unsubmissive France won the evening thanks to his oratory skills with 25 percent favorable opinions, beating Emmanuel Macron from "En Marche!" (21 percent) and Francois Fillon from the Republican party (15 percent).

"I observe that of the 11 candidates, 10 approve the principle of European construction," said the ultra nationalist Francois Asselineau from the Popular Republican Union, "Either we continue to mislead the French, or we make serenely, legally, like the British, an exit from Europe," suggested the "Frexit" promoter.

Many candidates considered the EU as being responsible for the woes of the French. However, Macron stood by the Union, proclaiming to have "Europe in my heart because it makes us strong," adding it needed reform nevertheless.

The former economy minister also thrashed the Front National plan to leave the euro, saying "This is what you propose, Madame Le Pen, it's in effect, loss of buying power for the French. What you propose is economic war."

Rightwing candidate Fillon sought to position himself as the only candidate capable of putting France back on track.

Socialist Party's Benoit Hamon underlined "austerity no longer works" in the European Union.

The overall exchanges on Europe made it clear the schism between the pro and anti-Europeans parties replaced the traditional right-left confrontation in the French political landscape.

The New Anticapitalist Party's Philippe Poutou accused Fillon and Le Pen of having "pinched from public coffers."

According to an Ipsos-Sopra Steria survey for France Television and Radio France published Wednesday, 65 percent of French citizens think honesty and integrity are the qualities most important for a president of the Republic.
PARIS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- A French magistrate will lead a deeper investigation into the killing of a Chinese national by police in Paris last month, a local newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Investigative magistrates will look into the death of Liu Shaoyao, a Chinese national at his Paris home on March 26, the report said.

A judicial probe was opened for "voluntary violence which lead to the death without intention to give it, by a person having a public authority," it added.

On March 26, a police officer shot dead the Chinese father of five children at his home in Paris after a neighbor called the police to report a domestic dispute.

According to French media, the policeman opened fire against "an assailant with scissors," who "attacked" and "injured" the officer.

Local Chinese reports, quoting a daughter of the man, said the 160-cm-tall man did not attack the policeman at all.

French Interior Minister Matthias Fekl stressed that "investigations will continue under the authority of the Justice and will establish the facts."

The killing of the Chinese national sparked outrage among the ethnic Chinese community and protests.
LONDON, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Members of the British Royal Family Wednesday joined political leaders and relatives of those killed and injured in last month's terror attack on Westminster at a service of hope.

Two of Queen Elizabeth's grandsons, Prince William and Prince Harry were at the service at Westminster Abbey along with William's wife, Princess Catherine.

Prince William, third in line to the British throne, addressed the 2,000 strong multi-faith congregation, reading the Biblical story of the Good Samaritan.

The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend John Hall praised the unity of British people and Londoners after the attack which left four people dead and dozens injured.

The attacker Khalid Masood was shot and killed by armed police at the Houses of Parliament. Seconds earlier, Masood had fatally stabbed Metropolitan Police officer Keith Porter who was on duty at the entrance to the Houses of Parliament.

In his address, Hall referred to the crowds of who gathered peacefully in Trafalgar Square, and the group made up mainly of Muslim women who stood holding hands on Westminster Bridge.

He also spoke of the unity of faith leaders and the messages of defiance scattered among the flowers on the bridge.

The Dean, in his speech told how the attack had left the nation bewildered. Prince William lit a candle which was then passed around people at the service so they could light candles to reinforce the message of hope.

Other readings at the service were given by the mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Home Secretary Amber Rudd.

Also taking part were a number of multi-faith leaders and ambassadors and Metropolitan Police Commander Mak Chishty.

This weekend, the body of slain police officer will lie in state in a chapel at the Houses of Parliament ahead of his funeral.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-06 01:45:29|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (R) meets with European Council President Donald Tusk at the prime minister's office in Athens, Greece, April 5, 2017. European Council President Donald Tusk appeared cautiously optimistic about the conclusion of the pending review of Greece's third bailout program soon during a visit here on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

ATHENS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday called for an emergency euro zone summit in April if the Eurogroup meeting on Friday does not conclude a bailout review.

The remarks were made during joint statements here with visiting European Council President Donald Tusk.

According to a press release issued by the Greek prime minister's office, Tsipras blamed creditors for the delay in the closure of the assessment.

According to the initial timetable agreed in 2015, the second review should have concluded in February 2016.

The Greek prime minister said Athens expects an agreement during the Eurogroup meeting in Malta this Friday, otherwise it will seek initiatives at a higher level to resolve the issue.

"We must have a positive development before Easter, in any case in April, even if we need to convene a euro zone summit," he stressed.

Tusk also expressed the hope that deal could be reached on Friday.

"I hope that we will be able to reach a deal this Friday at Eurogroup. I would like to underline that all sides participating in this process are sharing the responsibility to reach this agreement," said the European Council president.

During talks with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos earlier, Tusk appeared cautiously optimistic about the conclusion of the review soon.

"I really feel that we are very close to the conclusion of this phase of the procedure. I believe that this grand finale will come thanks to the determination of Greek people and their sacrifices," Tusk said.
BRUSSELS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- EU lawmakers called for global measures to manage the unprecedented numbers of migrants on the move worldwide in a resolution voted on Wednesday.

The resolution was approved by 333 votes to 310 with 46 abstentions by members of European Parliament (MEPs) in Strasbourg, according to the European Parliament.

It calls for a "multilateral governance regime" for international migration, and closer cooperation between EU, UN specialized bodies, development banks, regional organizations and other players.

MEPs also urged EU assistance and cooperation to be "tailored" to third countries in relation to their development and growth.

MEP from Spain Agustin Diaz de Mera said during the debate: "We need a more lasting and holistic approach, with closer links between humanitarian sphere on one hand and development on the other."
BERLIN, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Following Peugeot owner PSA Group's merger with Germany's Opel, its chairman Carlos Tavares assured German economy minister Brigitte Zypries Wednesday that the company will honor all existing employment and plant guarantees.

"I have reaffirmed PSA's commitment to continue the valued cooperation with employee representatives," Tavares said after a high-level meeting here.

The current jobs and wages agreement is in place until 2018 and continued investment into German sites is also secured until 2020. The long-term future of the Opel plants is as yet unclear as the German car brand has been operating at a loss for many years.

A joint release by PSA and the German Federal Government said PSA's intention to create, together with the unions and the works council, a long-term perspective for all Opel brands, sites and the development center in Russelsheim.

Tavares further confirmed PSA's intention to continue operating Opel Group (including Britain's Vauxhall) "as a stand-alone and unified company with independent brands."

PSA will pay 2.2 billion euros (2.35 billion U.S. dollars) to General Motors, the current owner of Opel, for its European business including the financial division.
BERLIN, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The German Federal Cabinet on Wednesday approved the submission of a new legislative bill to parliament that will see social media companies subject to fines of up to 50 million euros for failing to remove hate speech and illegal fake news.

The cabinet has acted swiftly so that parliament can pass the bill into law before the summer break, after which election campaigning begins.

Illegal content such as defamation or hate speech must be deleted by the operators of social networks within 24 hours after receipt of a user complaint or one week of being posted.

The legislation was proposed by Federal Minister of Justice Heiko Maas to "substantiate the existing obligation to remove hate crime and malicious fake news" by the operators of social media services.

"We cannot accept anymore that companies in Germany don't abide by the law," Maas told German TV channel ARD.

Despite lengthy negotiations and promises by the social media firms over the past year, there has been little progress on this issue.

And the number of deletes made by the social media companies hugely varied. According to a new study by the Ministry of Justice, Twitter deletes less than 1 percent, Facebook less than 50 percent and YouTube over 90 percent.

The new legislation encountered criticism from Green Party politician Renate Kuenast, who told ARD "My fear, and that of many, is that the version [of the law] he is proposing, in the end, will lead to a severe limitation of freedom of speech since all that will be done is deleting, deleting, deleting."

Addressing the fears for a possible privatization of censorship, Maas said "Freedom of expression ends where the criminal law starts. Our law applies to illegal content only."

Actually, social media companies are indeed obliged to delete unlawful content.

And social media providers are also obliged to cooperate with the prosecution of those who practice hate speech because the legal process is hindered by anonymity.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-06 02:10:34|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

GENEVA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday condemned the alleged use of chemical weapons on the Syrian town of Khan Shikhoun, saying that it was "alarmed" at the use of toxic chemicals as a weapon in the war-torn Middle Eastern country.

"The images and reports coming from Idlib today leave me shocked, saddened and outraged," said Peter Salama, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, in a statement.

"These types of weapons are banned by international law because they represent an intolerable barbarism," he added.

Located in southern rural Idlib, rebel-held Khan Shikhoun was reportedly struck by toxic chemicals in an attack on Tuesday which killed least 70 people and wounded hundreds more, according to WHO.

WHO warned that the capacity of hospitals in the area to cater to the needs of the wounded was limited amid shortages of medicines and damaged infrastructure.

The Geneva-based organization said it had sent critical drugs such as Atropine and steroids to health care services in the area, and that Turkey-based experts were providing advice on how best to diagnose and treat affected patients.
KHARTOUM, April 5 (Xinhua) -- African countries on Wednesday called for efforts to confront armed groups in the continent against mercenary and foreign terrorists.

The Committee of Intelligence and Security Services in Africa (CISSA) also called for exchanging of information on activities of negative NGOs.

Representatives of CISSA countries, regional and international organizations concluded a three-day regional workshop here, discussing security and stability in Africa.

Sudan's First Vice President and Prime Minister, Bakri Hassan Saleh, praised the workshop as yielding a "unified African vision," noting that enemies of the human development should be defeated, whether they are "mercenaries, foreign fighters or negative NGOs."

Meanwhile, CISSA's Executive Secretary, Shimelis Woldesemayat, said that the threats of mercenary, terrorist fighters and negative NGOs require a great attention from the intelligence communities.
KIEV, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine has started receiving money from the fourth tranche of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) aid package, the country's Finance Minister Oleksandr Danylyuk said on Wednesday.

"The process of transferring funds from the fourth IMF tranche has started," Danylyuk wrote on Facebook.

The financing of 1 billion U.S. dollars, which will be transferred to the account of the National Bank of Ukraine in the coming days, are designed to boost the country's foreign exchange reserves, support local currency and maintain stability on the financial market.

The IMF executive board completed the third review of Ukraine's economic program late Monday, enabling a release of the fourth portion of aid from its 17.5-billion-dollar bailout package.

By the end of the current year, Ukraine targets to receive three more tranches of the IMF aid, which are worth 4.5 billion dollars in total.

Under the cooperation program launched in 2015, the East European country has received more than 8 billion dollars from the global lender, which helped its economy to avoid collapse in the Ukraine crisis.
LUSAKA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The governments of Zambia and the Czech Republic on Wednesday committed themselves to enhancing bilateral ties.

Harry Kalaba, Zambia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Czech Ambassador-designate to Zambia Radek Rubes pledged to enhance the ties during a meeting held in Lusaka, the Zambian capital.

The Zambian minister said his country was keen to learn from Czech's advancement in various sectors such as energy, agriculture and manufacturing.

He added that Czech's decision to open up an embassy in Zambia was a clear indication of the confidence the country has in Zambia and assured that the southern African nation remains a beacon of peace on the African continent.

According to him, the signing of a memorandum of understanding in agriculture between the two countries was significant as it comes at a time when the African nation has prioritized the development of the agriculture sector.

On his part, the Czech envoy assured of his government's commitment to enhance bilateral ties with Zambia.

He revealed that Czech's minister responsible for agriculture will be visiting Zambia at the end of this month with a delegation from 10 companies to seek cooperation in the agriculture sector.
ASTANA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The first phase of Steppe Eagle - Spring 2017 tactical-special peacekeeping exercises kicked off at the base of Iliyskiy training centre of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

Kazakhstan, the U.S. and British peacekeepers exercise in patrolling zones of responsibility, control of transport highways, installation of roadblocks and crowd control.

Trainings in negotiations, protection of the peacekeeping base, convoying and escorting individuals and humanitarian goods, the clearance of mined areas and rendering of the first medical aid are held as well, the Kazakh Ministry of Defence said.

The main phase of the exercises will be held from July 22 to Aug. 4 in the territory of the training centre. As a result, experts from NATO countries will evaluate the participation of Kazbat Kazakh peacekeeping battalion in peacekeeping missions.

The "Steppe Eagle" peacekeeping exercises have been held annually since 2003. They are designed to check the ability of peacekeepers to perform complex tasks as a part of multinational forces and under a unified command. Every year more than 1,500 soldiers and officers take part in the drill.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-06 02:50:39|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

Hungarian National Bank (MNB)'s executive director Daniel Palotai addresses the Budapest RMB (renminbi, or Chinese yuan) Initiative conference in Budapest, capital of Hungary, on April 5, 2017. The Hungarian renminbi (RMB) market has grown successfully, and RMB (renminbi, or Chinese yuan)-based loans, accounts and deposits are available, Hungarian National Bank (MNB)'s executive director Daniel Palotai said Wednesday at the Budapest RMB Initiative conference. (Xinhua/Attila Volgyi)

BUDAPEST, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian renminbi (RMB) market has grown successfully, and RMB (renminbi, or Chinese yuan)-based loans, accounts and deposits are available, Hungarian National Bank (MNB)'s executive director Daniel Palotai said Wednesday at the Budapest RMB Initiative conference.

"This year, we expect growth in the use of RMB in commerce, in clearing transactions, and the RMB quota of the MNB is also increasing, strengthening the RMB-HUF (Hungarian forint) market as well," said Palotai, who is also the chief economist at the central bank.

"It is not yet sure if the Panda bond (a bond issued in Chinese yuan for the internal Chinese market) will be available in Hungary," he said. "It is also to be seen how the Budapest Stock Exchange wants to develop the RMB market," he said.

The purpose of the Budapest RMB Initiative is to expand the investment spectrum and financing sources of Hungary and to foster Chinese-Hungarian economic partnership. MNB's goals for the initiative are to create money, foreign exchange, and capital market infrastructures; develop the settlement system; and start negotiations about Chinese capital market licences with the major stakeholders of renminbi settlements.

Chinese-Hungarian commercial relations are continuously developing and the relations between the central banks of the two countries are excellent, Palotai said.

"Last year, Chinese exports towards Hungary reached 4.4 billion euros (4.7 billion U.S dollars), as the Chinese imports from Hungary reached two billion euros," Palotai said. "In 2015, the Bank of China opened an RMB clearing center in Budapest," he added.

Chen Xin, director of the economic division of the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, spoke about the importance of the internalization of RMB.

After a short briefing on the Chinese economy, he said that China "was still in a growing phase, even though its speed has slowed somewhat."(1 euro=1.06 U.S. dollars; 1 Chinese yuan=42 Hungarian forints)
Iraqis stand near a heavily damaged house in the western part of the northern city of Mosul on April 5, 2017, as Iraqi forces advance in their offensive to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. (AFP photo)

MOSUL, Iraq, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces on Wednesday fought heavy clashes against Islamic State (IS) militants and freed a new neighborhood in the western side of the city of Mosul, the Iraqi military said.

The commandos of the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) liberated al-Maghrib neighborhood in west of Mosul's old city center and raised the Iraqi flag on some of its buildings after heavy clashes with the IS militants, Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Yarallah, from the Joint Operations Command (JOC), said in a statement.

The elite CTS special forces also initiated new progress in the adjacent neighborhoods of Aabar and Matahin, Yarallah said.

Wednesday advance is part of slow advance toward 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.

The elite troops have been fighting heavy street-to-street clashes during the past few days in the nearby neighborhood of Yarmouk, of which large part is in the control of the troops, a security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, the federal police and interior ministry special forces, known as Rapid Response, continued their battles on the southern and western front lines at the edge of the old city center in an attempt to surround the extremist militants in the areas around the historical al-Nuri Mosque in the middle of Mosul's old city center, the source said.

The advance in the old city center have been slowed after the troops restricted the use of bombs and increased sniper fire against terrorist militants holed up in densely populated old city center, the source added.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces, announced the start of an offensive on Feb. 19 to drive extremist militants out of the western side of Mosul, locally known as the right bank of the Tigris River which bisects the city.

Late in January, Abadi declared the liberation of Mosul's eastern side, or the left bank of Tigris, after over 100 days of fighting 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 Iraqi capital Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when government forces abandoned their posts and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
A member of the hackers collective Downsec Belgium, accused of cyber attacks on government sites, wears a Guy Fawkes mask ahead of the start of the trial against Downsec Belgium at the Brussels correctional court, on February 28, 2017, in Brussels. (AFP Photo)

KIEV, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine is to set up a consolidated centre of cyber security to better protect its cyberspace, the Ukroboronprom state defense conglomerate said on Wednesday.

"There are many highly-qualified experts in Ukraine and we aim to unite them in order to create a powerful centre of cyber security," Dmytro Budorin, the deputy head of the Ukrinmash Company, an exports and investment arm of Ukroboronprom, said in a statement.

According to the statement, Kiev will involve consultants from Turkey's HAVELSAN center of cyber defense technologies and information security professionals from NATO to assist with the establishment of cyber security centre in Ukraine.

After the formation of a special police unit in 2015 to shore up the country's cyber security, the number of cyber crimes in Ukraine has dropped.

Last year, the Interior Ministry has registered about 1,500 cyber-crime cases in Ukraine, compared with more than 2,000 cases in 2015.
VIENNA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Prince Charles of Britain and his wife Camilla Parker Bowles commenced a two-day visit to Austria on Wednesday by meeting with the nation's leaders.

They were first received by Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and his wife at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, where all four initially held talks, and later just the two men, local media reported.

The president's chancellery later confirmed the topics included climate change and sustainability, as well as bilateral relations and current issues in both Austria and Britain.

The royal couple then walked on foot to the office of Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern, with keen observers looking on behind specially-erected barriers along the way.

The two parties then held talks, the nature of their content as yet unconfirmed.
White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon leaves after a press conference in the East Room of the White House March 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. (AFP PHOTO/Brendan Smialowski)

WASHINGTON, April 5 (Xinhua) -- White House Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon was removed from his controversial seat in the National Security Council(NSC), U.S. media reported Wednesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump made the adjustment in a National Security Presidential Memorandum that outlined the members and their respective duties in the NSC, which did not include Bannon's role.

National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster was left in charge of setting meeting agendas and overseeing Tom Bossert, the Homeland Security Advisor.

Bannon was given a seat the NSC shortly after Trump ascended into the White House, a rare responsibility for senior White House advisers.

In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, Bannon said "Susan Rice operationalized the NSC during the last administration. I was put on to ensure that it was de-operationalized," Bannon was quoted as saying.

"General McMaster has returned the NSC to its proper function," Bannon said.

Multiple U.S. media cited White House officials as saying that Bannon's leave was not a demotion nor a result of power struggle, but that his role was no longer needed.

Under the new arrangement, Bannon can still participate in NSC meetings, but not necessarily all NSC meetings.

Flynn was ousted in February due to a scandal that involved inappropriate connection between Flynn and Russia, McMaster was appointed to succeed Flynn.
VIENNA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker Wednesday rejected Austria's request to be exempted from taking in refugees as part of an European Union migrants relocation program.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern last week confirmed he would be writing to the Commission, claiming that via illegal immigration his country has already taken in a significant number of refugees.

Under the terms of the relocation program agreed upon in 2015, Austria is obligated to take in about 1,900 refugees from Italy and Greece by September.

Austria Press Agency reported the response from Juncker was made in a letter, where he noted that Austria is legally obligated to hold to the agreement.

He further stated he is "personally expecting Austria to fulfill these obligations."

Juncker said he is aware that Austria has in the past two years been "one of the most important representatives and supporters of a comprehensive European migration policy," though the nature of the situation has changed, including that Austria now has fewer asylum applications.

As such the burden on countries such as Greece and Italy must be relieved, he added.

"Relocation is an expression of solidarity and a just distribution of responsibility. For this the active contribution of all member states is necessary," he wrote.

Kern last week already acknowledged the appeal would be tough to see through, while other cabinet ministers also expressed their doubts.
RABAT, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Morocco's Prime Minister Saadeddine El Othmani said on Wednesday that his new government will pursue the reforms launched by the former one.

El Othmani said that the government members have agreed to boost the implementation of the reforms launched by the previous government "to reach the goals that have been set."

The swift formation of the government was imposed by the harmful effects of the deadlock on the country as well as its economic, especially small businesses, El Othmani told the press following the appointment of his government by King Mohammed VI.

"We will put the interests of the Moroccan citizen beyond any other consideration," he insisted.

At the Royal Palace in Rabat, the king received El Othmani and formerly approved list of his 39-member cabinet.

The ministries were divided between the six partnering parties in the governmental coalition depending on their results in the parliamentary elections last October.

The government coalition is made of the leading Islamist Justice and Development Party, the liberal National Rally of Independents, the nationalist Popular Movement, the Constitutional Union Party, the leftists parties of Socialist Union of Popular Forces Party and the Party of Progress and Socialism.

The appointment of the new government ended a nearly six-month political deadlock.
COPENHAGEN, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said here on Wednesday that he is impressed by the reform agenda in Ukraine, which he described as "ambitious".

At a joint press conference with visiting Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Rasmussen said everyday life of the Ukrainian people is characterized by instability and uncertainty.

"Against this background, I am impressed that you, Petro, has managed to set an ambitious reform agenda," said Rasmussen.

"I can assure you that Denmark will continue to support Ukraine," he added.

Denmark has been appointed to lead the EU's anti-corruption initiative in Ukraine.

Poroshenko said cooperation between Denmark and Ukraine is something special.

"Denmark is our most important partner in the EU, which has helped to make important decisions for our country," he told the press conference.

"Denmark has a clear understanding that a secure Ukraine is essential for a safe Europe," Poroshenko said.

In a statement released Tuesday ahead of Poroshenko's visit, Rasmussen said Ukraine has a long way to go in reform although it has already taken many steps forward.

"Denmark stands ready with both experts and assistance that can help move Ukraine into a new era," Rasmussen said.

During their meeting, Rasmussen and Poroshenko discussed the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, promoting reforms in Ukraine and the growing trade between their two countries.

Rasmussen said Denmark will support Ukraine in its fight against corruption, promoting human rights and more efficient use of energy.

When it comes to the relations between Ukraine and Russia, Rasmussen said Denmark will continue to press to implement the Minsk agreement.

Before meeting with Rasmussen, Poroshenko also met with the Queen of Denmark Margrethe II at the Amalienborg Palace.
Rick Kimberley, an Iowa farmer, is introducing his tractor at his farm in Des Moines, capital of Iowa, on Feb. 17. (Xinhua/Zheng Qihang)

DES MOINES, United States, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Farmers in Iowa are cautiously expecting better U.S.-China economic ties though economists and policymakers are furiously debating impacts of possible trade policy changes by the Trump administration.

"I hate the thing that he has got a big tariff," said Tom Rooney, a farm owner in central Iowa, when asked about the reaction to Trump's rhetoric of levying 45 percent tariffs on imports from China. "Hopefully, he has got a way to work that out to balance the trade," he added.

Tom Rooney is standing in front his barn in Des Moines, capital of Iowa, on Feb. 17. (Xinhua/Zheng Qihang)

Possible escalation of trade tension between China and the United States has cast some shadow for the Kimberley family. "It's a little concern to us. We can get along and everybody keeps trading but uncertainty is our concern," said Rick Kimberley, an Iowa farmer who is attending around 4,000 acres of farmland in a suburb of Des Moines with his son Grant.

Farmers are definitely concerned that the tough trade talk continues, Chad Hart, an agricultural economist at the Iowa State University, told Xinhua.

Hart added that for soybeans, China is such a huge export market for the United States that any sort of disruption there could have a major impact on crop prices.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Chinese market absorbs about two-thirds of all U.S. soybean exports, or roughly a quarter of the total U.S. soybean crop.

Despite their concerns, farmers in Iowa remain cautiously optimistic about the trade relationship between the United States and China because they have felt the importance of trade to both countries.

Rick and Grant Kimberley are explaining how their grain elevator operates to Xinhua at their farm in Des Moines, capital of Iowa, on Feb. 17. (Xinhua/Zheng Qihang)

Grant Kimberley, who also works as a director of market development at Iowa Soybean Association, said that there has been record demand for soybeans and the trend would continue.

"Farmers in Iowa will increase their soybean acres in the next growing season," Grant told Xinhua, adding that China is one of the major contributors to the strong demand and they are on their record pace for soybean exports to China.

"Compared to corn, soybean prices right now are relatively better. So profitability may be a little bit better with soybeans," said Rick, Grant's father.

The Kimberleys are not the only farmers in Iowa who are optimistic about their product outlook. Rooney was also in a light mood after attending a local beef expo where cattle auction price has risen. "After Mr. Trump was elected, it seemed like everybody had a lighter attitude about things," Rooney quipped.

Grant Kimberley considered Trump's trade rhetoric as part of his negotiation tactics, and said ultimately both sides could come up with a solution and meet each other half-way.

Rick Kimberley said that trade is important for both countries and it is beneficial for both to trade because they are not isolated countries anymore.

Farmers are also encouraged by Trump's pick of Iowa Governor Terry Branstad as ambassador to China. "Our Governor Branstad is going to China. This looks a huge step to me," said Rooney.

Grant Kimberley believed that Branstad will be a great person to make sure that lines of communication always remain open and get facilitated in a positive way back and forth, "even if occasionally somebody doesn't exactly agree with."

The farmer said the biggest concern would be that dialogue and communication are interrupted.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-06 04:41:05|Editor: Yamei

Video Player Close

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) meets with Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila in Helsinki, Finland, April 5, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)

HELSINKI, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila here on Wednesday, pledging to boost pragmatic cooperation in key areas between the two countries.

In recent years, China and Finland have witnessed frequent high-level exchanges, fruitful results in pragmatic cooperation, vibrant cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and good communication on international affairs, Xi said.



China and Finland have highly compatible visions and strategies on development and enjoy broad prospects in mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, he added.

China is ready to join hands with Finland to promote pragmatic cooperation in such key areas as scientific and technological innovation, energy conservation and environmental protection, the Arctic affairs, tourism and sports, Xi said.

Against the backdrop of sluggish global economic recovery, the Chinese economy maintains good momentum of development, Xi pointed out, adding that the country has been deepening the supply-side structural reform.

Xi said China has both confidence and capability to maintain sustained and healthy economic development to create more opportunities for and deliver more benefits to other countries, including Finland, across the world.

The development of Europe is conducive to promoting world peace and stability, Xi said, adding that China expects Europe to be prosperous, stable and open, and the European Union to develop further and become stronger.

He said China expects Finland to play a more active role in boosting the development of China-Europe relations.

Noting that Finland serves as the rotating presidency of the Nordic Council this year, Xi said the Chinese side stands ready to join efforts with the Finnish side to push for more fruitful results in China-Nordic cooperation.

For his part, Sipila said the Finnish side appreciates the active role China has played in global affairs, and speaks highly of the important speech Xi made at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos at the beginning of the year.

Finland is ready to expand cooperation with China in areas such as investment, environment and clean technologies, tourism, winter sports, education and the Arctic affairs, and within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

Finland supports the development of Europe-China relations and is willing to push for fresh achievements in Nordic-China cooperation.

Also on Wednesday, Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, who is in Finland to accompany her husband, visited the Design Museum and the Sibelius Museum, the former residence of Jean Sibelius, who was a renowned Finnish composer and violinist of the late Romantic period.

While visiting the Sibelius Museum, Peng said cultural and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between China and Finland enjoy a solid foundation and huge potential.

Xi arrived here Tuesday for a state visit. After Finland, the Chinese president will travel to Florida, the United States, for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday and Friday.

That will be the first meeting between Xi and Trump as the heads of state of the two biggest economies in the world.
CAIRO, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Egypt received three more Rafale fighter jets from France as the third batch of a deal signed in February 2015, said the Egyptian Defense Ministry in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement showed a video of the three French-made warplanes flying over the sky of Cairo in celebration of joining the Egyptian armed forces that now have nine Rafale jets.

According to the agreement, France is to provide Egypt with 24 Rafale warplanes and a FREMM multi-mission frigate. Egypt already received the FREMM frigate in June 2015, three Rafale jets as the first batch in July 2015 and another three as the second batch in January 2016.

The deal is seen by military experts as a real development in the capabilities of the Egyptian armed forces and a massive addition to their air fleet.

Egypt seeks to upgrade its military forces amid the ongoing turmoil in Middle East region and growing conflicts in fellow Arab states including Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and South Sudan.

Signed between Egypt and France in mid-February 2015, the deal is worth 5.6 billion U.S. dollars.

Later in October 2015, the two countries signed another contract to buy two French Mistral warships, whose sale to Russia was cancelled by France over the Ukrainian crisis. The two French-made warships had already been delivered to Egypt.

Egypt is also scheduled to receive an advanced submarine, Type 209/1400, from Germany in June 2017 to be the second of its type to join the Egyptian naval forces after the country got the first in mid-December 2016.
LISBON, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Portugal slammed the chemical attack in Syria on Wednesday, saying it was "testimony of the extreme barbarism and conflict in the country".

Portugal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that a profound investigation should be carried out after it was confirmed that a chemical attack was carried out in Syria's Idlib province.

Portugal also reiterated "the urgency to assure all humanitarian relief for the Syrian people and to reach an inclusive political solution for conflict", it said.

Over 70 people were killed and scores of others wounded in the attack in the rebel-held Idlib on Tuesday.
ALGIERS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve on Wednesday started a two-day visit to Algeria as part of regular consultations between the two nations.

Upon his arrival at Houari Boumediene International Airport of Algiers, Cazeneuve was welcomed by his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmalek Sellal.

During the visit, Sellal and Cazeneuve are due to examine means to boost bilateral ties, according to a statement of the Premier Office.

Exchanging views on regional and international issues of common interest is on the agenda of this visit, added the source.

The economic field will also be the core of the visit, as France is struggling to maintain its share in the Algerian market amid completion from other countries, including China.

It is the third visit of a French PM to Algeria under the era of President Francois Hollande.

The two nations are still unable to overcome their "painful" past and therefore lagging behind full normalization of bilateral ties, due to the fallouts of the 130-year-long French colonial era in Algeria from 1830 to 1962.
COLOMBO, April 6 (Xinhua) -- China has been providing Sri Lanka with support and assistance in various fields ever since the signing of the famous Rubber-Rice Pact between the two nations 65 years ago, Chathuka Senanayake said.

Chathuka, grandson of one of Sri Lanka's most popular politicians -- R.G. Senanayake who signed the pact in 1952, made the comments in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"China and Sri Lanka have always shared very cordial relations even before the start of their diplomatic ties and my grandfather knew China would be one of the world's most powerful nations some day," Chathuka said.

Back in 1952, Sri Lanka was facing a severe shortage of rice and R.G. Senanayake, the then minister of trade and commerce, made great efforts to secure the agreement which even 65 years later is still spoken about and valued by both nations.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two nations as well as the 65th anniversary of the signing of the pact, Chathuka said, highlighting that the pact "has benefitted both the countries."

Chathuka, 32, who never met his grandfather, said he realized the importance of the agreement from tales narrated to him by his grandmother and by other foreign and local political leaders. He is proud of his grandfather's achievements and the ties he shared with China.

"My grandfather realized that China would be a strong trading partner. And amidst great opposition in Parliament, he made a speech saying that with 500 million people in China and with the nation being an Asian giant, China is bound to be significant in the future. He had that foresight at that time," Chathuka said.

"My grandfather also saw a lot of potential between both countries ... I am sure he saw great potential in the Sri Lanka and China ties," he added.

Chathuka's mother, Surani Senanayake, also remembers the great achievements of her father-in-law -- R.G. Senanayake. She adds that although those achievements were made several decades ago, China has not forgotten the late politician's family.

Sixty-five years later, Chinese politicians and officials still visit the Senanayake's in remembrance of late R.G. Senanayake. Surani and Chathuka have also maintained close Chinese ties in Colombo and considered China a dear good friend of Sri Lanka.
BUCHAREST, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Romania and Germany on Wednesday urged European countries to preserve the pro-European governing orientation and say no to the populist and anti-European trends.

The call came in a statement following a meeting between between Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Norbert Lammert, president of Bundestag, or the lower house of German Parliament.

The two politicians discussed bilateral cooperation and Europe's future during their meeting, according to a statement released by the Romanian Presidential Administration.

Iohannis and Lammert discussed the political situation in Europe in the context of electoral processes underway in several EU member states, including Germany.

They stressed the necessity of preserving the pro-European governing orientation, as well as the importance of combating, in this context, the extremist, populist and anti-European trends and forces, according to the statement.
TIRANA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Two Albanian ministries signed Wednesday a cooperation agreement to turn the southern Sazan Island into a tourist destination during summer seasons.

The agreement was signed between Albanian Ministry of Economic Development, Tourism and Trade and the Ministry of Defense.

Sazan Island is the largest island in Albania with a surface area of 5.7 square km. It is a military facility with no civil population. It will be open to tourists from early May to late October, the ministries informed.

According to economy minister Milva Ekonomi, the opening of Sazan Island has been a constant request of Albanian tour operators, travel agencies which are trying to offer more destinations to tourists seeking to explore Albania.

Minister of defense Mimi Kodheli told reporters after signing agreement that tourism as a significant sector of the Albanian economy.

"Due to the fact that many military bases are located in prominent places of particular natural beauty such as the seaside, we should make it possible for tourists to visit them thus making their stay more appealing," Kodheli told reporters.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-06 06:21:29|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

SANAA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Unites Nations on Wednesday called on Yemeni warring parties to keep Red Sea port of Hodeidah safe, warning that any military campaign in its vicinity, from the ground or air, would have devastating civilian consequences.

"The port is located in a densely populated urban center where thousands of people live," the Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen said in a statement.

"The continued military escalation in Yemen, specifically the militarization of large regions on its Western Coast and the associated increase of humanitarian access obstacles and population movement restrictions are of grave concern to the humanitarian community," it said, warning that it would result in more displacement, more institutional collapse, and more suffering.

"Hodeidah Port is the major lifeline for imports into Yemen. The country has historically been 80 to 90 percent dependent on imported food, medicines and fuel, all vital for Yemen's survival today. Close to 80 percent of imported goods flowed through Hodeidah Port. Following airstrikes in August 2015, it now operates at reduced capacity," said the UN agency.

This is the second warning message by UN humanitarian agencies in a week following reports that the Saudi-backed Yemeni government is preparing to advance into the port.

The Yemeni government has accused Houthi movement of smuggling weapons through the port, an accusation which Houthis denied.

Last week, UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, warned against any war escalation in the port and strongly condemned the destruction of five cranes in Hodeidah port that he said has forced dozens of vessels to line up offshore.

McGoldrick's remarks signal a potential military escalation soon between Saudi-led military coalition backing the Yemeni exiled government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and their foe of Iranian-allied Shiite Houthi fighters backed by forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

UN humanitarian agencies are warning of deadly famine looming on the Arab country, where nearly 25 million Yemenis have been suffering from bloody civilian war since two years ago.

The UN has warned that at least 12 million Yemenis, roughly half the population, face the threat of famine and conditions are worsening.

In March 2015, the oil-rich Saudi Arabia led a mostly Arab military coalition to fight the dominant Houthi fighters, who seized most of northern Yemen including the capital Sanaa and Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

The coalition announced its goal to restore power to the expelled but internationally recognized government of President Hadi.

Houthis ousted Hadi and seized control of northern Yemen in September 2014.

Two years on, the ground war and coalition airstrikes have killed more than 10,000 people, half of them civilians, and displaced over two millions, according to humanitarian agencies.
ALGIERS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Algerian counter-terrorism forces managed to kill 35 terrorists and arrest 18 others in the first quarter of 2017, said Defense Ministry in its official monthly magazine El-Djeich.

The source noted that 59 individuals were arrested over charges of providing support to terrorist groups.

During operations since the beginning of this year, army troops also retrieved 272 weapons of different types, in addition to 242 vehicles and trucks used by terrorists and arm smugglers, the source added.

It also said that army troops deployed all along the border arrested 3000 illegal migrants and a number of smugglers and drug traffickers.

Last month, army Defense Ministry announced the killing of two senior officials at Islamic State-affiliated group in Algeria.

Located in a region plagued by unprecedented security and political instability, Algeria faces ongoing terrorist threats, experts said.

A few militants affiliated to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and recently established IS affiliate groups are still taking refuge in the dense woods in the north, and remote desert areas near the troubled Libya and Mali.
Crime doesnt pay

Crime doesnt pay, said Derrick Aberdeen whose son Keston Aberdeen was killed along with Ken Ramlal.

I just have to say to the youths out there, refrain from crime. Derrick Aberdeen said yesterday he has no idea what his son was doing in Laventille. He (Keston) and Ramlal are said to be from La Brea.

At the Forensics Science Centre in St James, the grieving father told Newsday that his son had two matters before the court, one for car theft and another for robbery. He said he never confronted Keston about claims that he was involved in illegal activities.

What he was doing was his business. I heard about those things but I never saw it and I never asked him about it. I dont even want to know who killed my son, I just want to know what he was doing all the way up in Port of Spain. He said he does not believe anything will come out of the investigation into his sons killing.

Ramlals relatives said they just wanted to mourn in peace.

I dont have much to say on the matter, said one relative.

All I can say is that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The family is in a mess over this. We are in total shock. Police have not yet been able to ascertain a motive for the killings.

It was shortly before 5.30 pm when residents of St Rose and Belgrade streets heard gunshots.

When they checked, they found Aberdeen and Ramlal dead in a blue Mazda 323 car.
Dillon: More security for central

Speaking in the Senate, he said these additional resources include members of the Rapid Response Unit, Inter-Agency Task Force and Guard and Emergency Branch.

He said this has resulted in an increased number of mobile and foot patrols in the area.

Dillon also disclosed that the managerial capacity of the Central Division of the Police Service has been strengthened with the creation of the portfolio of Assistant Commissioner of Police (CoP) Central, an executive officer at the rank of Assistant CoP being assigned the responsibility to oversee the entire division.

He explained that in this new arena, the Central Division will receive more focused attention as it will be grouped with one other division, as opposed to the original arrangement of being one of the three divisions.

He continued, Officers attached to stations in the Central Division are well equipped with the requisite protective gear including bulletproof vests, firearms and vehicles to enable them to perform their duties effectively.

Asked by Opposition Senator Wade Mark whether armoured personnel carriers would be acquired for the security forces given what is being reported as sophisticated equipment being used by criminals in central Trinidad, Dillon replied that law enforcement officers are well equipped to treat with any eventuality at this time.

Earlier in the sitting, Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee- Scoon said TT remains attractive to investors despite the challenges posed by crime. She cited political stability, easy access to the Americas and low-cost energy as some of the reasons why businesses continued to invest in TT.
Relatives: He was set up

I could not believe what I was hearing until I heard it from the rest of my family, said a relative who wished not to be named.

Richardson was last seen alive by his parents on Monday morning.

Newsday was told that he had gone to his workplace in Arima to collect his pay check. When he returned, he spoke with family members then left. Richardson was shot dead at about 8.50 am just off Nelson Street.

When police arrived on the scene they found Richardson in a pool of blood in a track. He was taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Relatives described Richardson as a hard-working and helpful young man who would do anything for his family especially the person who relatives believe has something to do with his death.

If he (Kadeem) had a plate of food, he would eat half and give half to him. If the boy comes to our house, he and Kadeem would drink from the same bottle. They grew up like brothers. Relatives explained that Richardson lived at Factory Road, Diego Martin, but moved to Laventille years ago.

He then left Laventille, which is said to be controlled by one gang, and moved to Duncan Street which is said to be controlled by another. No arrest has yet been made
Students robbed in school

The students were then robbed of their money however they were able to alert other students who called a teacher and the principal.

Officers of the Freeport Police Station were notified and they went to the school and detained the three suspects.

The parents of the three students were contacted and statements were being recorded yesterday.

A report on the matter has been sent to the schools supervisor for the area and the Ministry of Education.
Bakr wants case against him dropped

Notice of the letter having been sent was relayed to Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar by Bakrs lead counsel Wayne Sturge when the matter came up for hearing in the Port of Spain Eight Magistrates Court yesterday.

In the letter, dated April 4, 2017, Sturge reminded DPP Roger Gaspard, SC, of his power to intervene and discontinue prosecutions.

Sturge also reminded Gaspard of his (Gaspards) own appearance at the enquiry at which he offered suggestions to the commissioners for the taking of Bakrs testimony after the Muslimeen leader, through his attorney, expressed his reluctance to appear, citing pre-trial publicity at his sedition trial.

Sturge, in his letter to Gaspard, referred him to a similar decision he took in the Clico and HCU commission of inquiry and of his previous decision to prosecute Bakr for failing to appear before the 1990 commission.

Sturge gave Gaspard 14 days in which to intervene in the magisterial proceedings against Bakr.

At yesterdays sitting, Bakr was expected to open his defence after Ayers-Caesar, on March 24, ruled that he had a case to answer.

The matter was adjourned to April 19.

The complaint was brought by the secretary to the Commission of Enquiry after Bakr failed to heed a summons to appear before the enquiry in September 2013.

Representing the commission are attorneys Senior Counsel Israel Khan and Larry Lalla while Sturge and Criston J Williams appear for Bakr.
Richardson defends SOE arrests

We had cogent, compelling intelligence before us that something bad was to happen and we had to act, Richardson said as he gave evidence in a false imprisonment claim brought by Boney against the State.

Justice Vasheist Kokaram is the judge hearing the matter in the Port of Spain High Court. Boney, who is on remand for gang-related charges, was present yesterday.

He was one of some 17 people, including a police sergeant, who were arrested in connection with a threat to assassinate the then prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and three members of Cabinet as well as create public disorder and panic.

The mens plan was supposed to have been executed on November 24.

Boney was released without being charged after being in custody for some five days.

This was an assassination plot, Richardson said. It was a big deal. According to Richardson who led the investigations, police acted immediately to detain all the players to pre-empt the plot.

I still had the view that if we did not take pre-emptive action we would have had a situation injurious to good order, he said.

Thank God we acted in the way we did. Richardson also partly revealed that the security agencies received intelligence that a person from the Far East was expected to arrive in Trinidad as part of the plot.

He said when he received the report on the alleged plot two weeks before November 21, 2011, he was instructed by Persad-Bissessar to conduct a full-scale investigation and within days people were detained, interviewed and useful information obtained.

Richardson said Boneys name was on the list of suspects and surveillance and discreet inquiries were conducted by police.

He also defended the continued detention of Boney and the others after the 24-hour period under the Emergency Powers Regulations expired. Intelligence kept coming. Richardson said investigators had asked for more time to investigate and interview Boney and the others. He also said they received information that Boney was a gang member and denied that it was wrong to say police had no intention to charge him for anything.

He also denied a suggestion by Boneys attorney that the only reason for his arrest was that the authorities wanted him to give them information they thought he had on criminal activity.

That was never the reason, Richardson responded.

Richardson also disclosed that the late Senior Counsel Dana Seetahal was advising him and his team of investigators, although he admitted that the advice of the DPP was not sought by them.

He also said he briefed the national security minister and opposition leader Dr Keith Rowley on the alleged plot.

Attorneys Coreen Findley and Rachel Thurab are representing the Attorney Genera
Neighbour ordered to tear down fence

This was the order of High Court Judge Justice Joan Charles yesterday in the San Fernando High Court after Davika Bhimull-Bisnath agreed to reduce the height of the fence which had prompted Santi Bhimull to file a lawsuit in November last year.

Bhimull contended that the fence disrupted her view, prevented her from getting sunlight and blocked her airspace at San Francique Road, Penal.

She argued that as neighbours, a fence between residential properties must not exceed more than seven feet in height if permission from the Minister of Planning has not been obtained. Bhimull-Bisnath, however, justified her construction of the fence claiming that Bhimulls family members often bathed naked in their yard. She even tendered photographs to support her claim.

Earlier this year, the Town and Country Planning Division wrote to Bhimull-Bisnath and invited her to apply for permission to construct a wall of such height.

When the matter came up before Charles, attorney Stephen Boodram instructed by Jeevan Rampersad representing Bhimull, made submissions.

Attorneys representing Bhimull-Bisnath also replied. In the end, Charles ruled that by consent, the parties arrived at a compromised position in full and final settlement of the claim and counterclaim
Attorneys write CoP, PCA on Moruga shootings

The attorneys are calling for disclosure about the police investigations thus far. Rodriguez, 24, and Thomas, 29, of Fifth Company Branch Road, were at a bar when, during an altercation, Rodriguez was shot at close range.

Thomas sustained gunshot wounds in the melee.

Two letters were sent on Monday, the first to Williams and the other to West. Attorney Vivek Lakhan-Joseph instructing attorney Dinesh Rambally, called for a fair, thorough and impartial investigation into the shooting.

The letter stated that relatives of the brothers have instructed the attorneys to write to Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard to request that criminal proceedings be initiated against the police officer.

And in the event that happens, Rambally and Lakhan-Joseph will be seeking formal authorisation to prosecute the policeman.

In their letter to the commissioner, the attorneys requested that they be furnished with the names, regimental numbers and statements of police officers who are involved in the investigations.

Reports, documents, memos and any material including tape recordings, photographs, videotapes, movies, charts, graphs, diagrams pertaining to the incident should be furnished as well. They are also seeking the names and addresses of witnesses, details of the weapon used, bullet fragments, photographs and all information contained in computers of the respective police departments concerning the investigation of the incident.

The attorneys have advised West to investigate the shooting as well as probe the investigations that have been conducted into the shooting thus far.
BODY IN CESSPIT

Police believe the body is that of the missing man Deoraj Bedassie. Police said the body was chopped into pieces and the parts stuffed in a black garbage bag and dumped in the cesspit.

A 25-year-old villager was assisting police with their investigations up to late yesterday.

At about 1.30 pm, police officers of the Homicide Region Three went to Bedassies house along Black Street, Reform Village.

They spent several hours searching the forested area before they made the gruesome discovery.

Bedassie, who lived alone, was last seen alive by relatives at his home on March 26, his birthday.

One day later, relatives found blood stains in his gallery and contacted police officers. A missing persons report was also made at the Gasparillo Police Station.

At the scene yesterday, relatives told Newsday Bedassie had complained to them on several occasions about being beaten by a group of villagers who wanted him to move out of the area.

Bedassies niece Cindy Benjamin said the villagers had also threatened her uncle. She said on each occasion he was beaten he reported the incident to police.

Only a few months ago I remember seeing my uncle with bruises all over his body and he told us that he was beaten by these men, an emotional Benjamin said.

Police have also obtained information from an eyewitness who saw three men planassing Bedassie in his gallery on the night he disappeared. The eyewitness reported that she heard Bedassie scream out in pain and pleaded with his attackers to desist from harming him.

It is believed that Bedassie was beaten in the gallery of his home and dragged to the back of his house as there was a trail of blood in the backyard.

We have been searching everywhere for the past ten days for him and nothing, Benjamin said.

We searched health centres, hospitals, we called relatives and his friends. But because of the blood in the house I knew he was hurt. Whoever did this is not human but a monster. My uncle did not deserve this. These people are heartless. Benjamin said Bedassie wanted to spend a peaceful birthday.

He left home that morning and told us he just wanted to spend the day liming with friends. He did so and came home in the evening and that was when he was attacked. Investigators said DNA samples will be taken from relatives to confirm the identity. The body parts were sent to the Forensic Science Centre for further testing.

Villagers told Newsday that for the past few days they had been getting a foul stench near the house.

Member of Parliament for the area Rodney Charles, in a media release, extended condolences to the family. Charles said the discovery of the body has now cast a dark shadow over the quiet area of Black Street.

The wanton disregard for human life is evident as bodies are strewn on our streets on a daily basis, he said. A sense of hopelessness pervades our nation.
Principals in Black

Calling their gathering a fraternity meeting so as to avoid disciplinary action for staging a protest, some principals from the South Eastern District wore black and gathered outside the South Eastern Education District Office yesterday to show their support for Paul. This entire week, we are calling on all principals and teachers to wear black to stand in solidarity with Mr Paul, said Cogland Griffith, President of the Primary School Principals Association.

But throughout the day yesterday, confusion reigned over whether Paul was actually suspended as was previously reported or merely asked to not report for duty pending the outcome of investigations into the alleged bullying attack against Tristan Khan in February.

In a release to the media, TTUTA President, Lynsley Doodhai, said Paul was formally served a notice of suspension from the Service Commission on Friday on account of a report from the District School Supervisor III who, after investigating, alleged that Paul committed acts of misconduct by being negligent in the performance of his duties. On the other hand, Minister in the Ministry of Education Dr Lovell Francis yesterday said in a text message to Newsday that Paul was not suspended. He has been asked not to report for duty which is non-punitive. The investigation is on-going. Despite this, both Doodhai and Griffith say they remain unclear as to the actual reason for the action taken against Paul. Griffith is calling for an urgent meeting with the Education Ministry to discuss the matter. He said he hopes that the Ministrys position that Paul was not suspended was not just semantics.

TTUTA yesterday showed its support for Paul, saying he will be given the full representation of the organisation as they believe he will be vindicated. TTUTA is not convinced that the MOE carefully considered the facts before arriving at the decision to recommend to the Teaching Service Commission disciplinary action against Mr Paul. When due diligence is not observed the affected teacher suffers emotional and trauma and mental anguish. Paul did not show up for work on Monday or yesterday.
San Fernando lawyer arrested

Wilston Campbell, 74, was confronted by the police shortly before 8 am while he was preparing to go to the High Court.

He was served with a warrant and police officers began their search. After about three hours of searching and questioning Campbell, the police led him out of his office. An attorney for 40 years, Campbell was held around the left arm by a policeman while the rest of them walked behind him from the nearby Court Street, past the Traffic Court to the San Fernando Police Headquarters building.

Campbell was up to late yesterday being questioned about some documents which were seized from his office.
Tobago Jazz at Turtle Beach goes ahead

A way forward on the protection of sea turtles was also a positive outcome of the meeting.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Secretary of the Environment, Kwesi DesVignes said the meeting was called because of public concerns over the impact of the jazz event on nesting turtles.

DesVignes said while the THA wants to encourage enterprise and entrepreneurship in Tobago, it also has a brand to protect in the Tobago Jazz Experience as well as oversee protection of the islands ecology and environment.

We need to ensure that at all times, we keep our environment and the sustainability of our environment at a high level, hold it in high regard, of course you know that is where we hold our competitive advantage as it regards tourism in particular, he said.

DesVignes said what would have come out of the meeting was the way forward regarding the protection of the turtles which nest on the islands beaches between March to September annually.

there has to be a set policy moving forward and today, we would have outlined a process that we all agreed to and that we can also adapt going forward for all events, not only at Turtle Beach but also beaches across Tobago as long as the environmentally friendly species (turtles) is called into question or they are being disturbed or disrupted in any way, he said.

As for the jazz event, he said he was comfortable that the impact on nesting turtles would be minimal.

I think that is one of the things that we have been missing today a lot of facts would have been laid on the table. I am very comfortable that we are able to get the facts out. The event is not on the beach  a fence was erected more than a month ago in consultation with SOS Tobago so, we are comfortable that the event is not on the beach and that there are several mitigative measures being taken that would ensure that there is minimal impact, he said.

EMAs representative Gillian Stanisclaus said the EMA was satisfied with the measures that promoters of Tobago Beach Jazz have/are putting put in place  fencing to prevent human traffic on the beach, arrangements with SOS to have patrols, with help from the Forestry Department, lighting and sound.

SOS Tobagos representative Tanya Clovis said she was pleased the EMA and the THA facilitated discussion on the impact on the turtles of the jazz event.

We are actually looking forward to this process being repeated for all events on Turtle Beach going forward. Everyone who expressed concerns about this event, we appreciate their concern and we also recognise that there are a lot of events that cause a great deal of concern to us as well as to the general public during the nesting season at Turtle Beach, Clovis said.
PS: All sectors must address youth delinquency

Research has suggested that there is a strong link between delinquency in the early years and later acts of criminality.

Therefore, it is our responsibility to address the root causes of the issues which affect these young people because these problems could only fester if not addressed cooperatively by all sectors of the criminal justice system, and include an appropriate role for the business sector,community leaders, teachers and parents, she said.

She was speaking yesterday at the Opening Session of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Technical Working Group on Preventing Crime by Focusing on At-Risk Youth and Vulnerable Populations, Banquet and Conference Centre MovieTowne, Port-of- Spain.

Jacobs said this country has benefitted from several different initiatives aimed at addressing the problem of at-risk youth and vulnerable populations within local communities.

One such initiative is the Juvenile Court Project (JCP) which is currently being implemented by the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Currently, our criminal justice system is based largely on the punitive approach, and for children caught in the system, this approach fails to deter them from a life of crime. The JCP therefore aims to strengthen the capacity of the Judiciary to deal with matters relating to children using a rehabilitative, restorative and less retributive approach, she said.

She explained there were three components of the JCP, which include, the Children Court, Peer Resolution and Public Education and Communications.

The successful implementation of these three areas is expected to address the deficiencies in the current juvenile justice system and hopefully stem the increased rate of recidivism by children for serious crimes, Jacobs said.

Jacobs said research shows young offenders who receive appropriate interventions will not continue to behave as criminals into adulthood.

Taking this into consideration, the Ministry of National Security is committed to supporting this and other projects that emphasise the implementation of rehabilitative and restorative approaches for children who may come into contact with the criminal justice system, she said.
Pritchard warns against death penalty quick fix

Noting the calls for the restoration of the death penalty, he said fixing the system needs to be done in a calm, objective, evidence-driven way and it is in the national interest as well as the international reputational interest of any country in the world which wants to fast track capital punishment to make sure that this is done in an evidence- driven way.

Pritchard was speaking with journalists during a news conference at the residence of the British High Commissioner in Maraval after a day of talks with key actors on the death penalty. He said he would prefer to see an informed debate before any fast-tracking or changes in the law takes place and to see what is the latest data and statistical and academic analysis globally so that at least any changes or any fast-tracking is done in an informed way. He said he was impressed with the calibre of the people in the local criminal justice system as well as with the politicians he had met. He said there were some very able public servants and he believed that the majority of them would like to see any change in the law be an evidence- driven one and any debate be an informed debate and not a rush to judgement, a rush to headlines and a fast-tracking of a process without due process and without evidence. Asked if he has stressed to the Government the danger of using the death penalty as a quick fix, Pritchard said he had done so but, the Government officials responded that it was the law of the land but I think they also are conscious that any change in Government policy or fast-tracking of existing legislation would be more carefully and considerably received if those recipients internationally and in-country were to see that the Government had provided an imperical evidence base to that amendment to a law or a change to the law, to going round the law, if you can go around the law, whatever it might be. And I think it is important to listen to retired justices and chief justices and senior judges in this country and to listen to academics. He said while he was visiting from another country, if he were a citizen of this country, he would be pressing for an objective review which would try and understand what people are really thinking as opposed to what they think they are thinking based on data from 2011. He said that in addition to that review the Government should try and have an informed debate based on the best evidence and academic studies available.

British High Commissioner, Tim Stew, said that in tackling the backlog in the criminal justice system, a number of legislative measures needed to be put in place but this needed to be done as a package.

For one thing, he observed there is no plea bargaining in the system and said there was no reason why someone facing the death penalty would plead guilty and why their attorney would advise them to do so. He added that the mandatory nature of the death penalty also slows down the course of justice because if there were alternative forms of sentencing, perhaps having to do with the length of time the guilty person would spend in prison if that period was appropriate to the nature of the crime, would encourage plea bargaining and this would inevitably shorten the length of court cases and speed up justice. However, he said he would not advocate any one measure as the solution to the countrys problems but what was needed was a package of measures and a programme of work which he said was already being developed with help from the United Kingdom to make the changes and speed up justice in Trinidad and Tobago.
708 ex-Caroni workers receive leases

When Caroni was closed, approximately 7,965 workers were offered VSE P. Thousands of them have since received their leases in different disbursements under various governments.

The latest set was distributed by Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Minister Clarence Rambharat.

Speaking at a ceremony at the Couva Chamber of Commerce office yesterday morning, Rambharat said it was disheartening that so many former workers are still receiving leases after waiting for 14 years.

He recalled his commitment to having the entire process completed by December 31, 2016, but said the process was held up due to their inability to reach approximately 1,800 beneficiaries despite several attempts including newspaper advertisements.

The delay resulted in some beneficiaries dying, leaving their families with the challenges of managing their estate.

Nevertheless, Rambharat said, There is no question about Governments commitment to complete this VSE P exercise.

The Government, and I personally, stand committed to seeing this to the end. He said the remaining residential leases would be available for distribution by the end of the year and reiterated his commitment to facilitating much needed fundamental change to the agricultural sector.
Young: Gas for TT up to 2019

This assurance was given yesterday by Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young during a conversation with reporters at the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Tower in Port-of-Spain.

Young accompanied Rowley to his meetings in Houston.

Young also disclosed that BHP Billiton recently discovered new reserves of natural gas in deep-water acreages off east Trinidad.

He said Government is working to resolve the gas supply issue with Methanol Holdings Trinidad Ltd (MTHL) which led to the closure of two of that companys five plants at the Pt Lisas Industrial Estate. Certain formula is being worked on with respect to gas and diversion of gas that we are hoping will allow them to restart their plants, he said, adding the final decision will be MTHLs.

Stressing that the National Gas Company (NGC) will remain the aggregator of natural gas, Young said the Government has no intention of opening up the market to allow up-streamers to provide gas directly to down-streamers as this would kill NGC. He also reiterated that poor policy decisions by the former Peoples Partnership (PP) government contributed to the gas shortage and has resulted in NGC having to deal with $3 billion in claims from certain entities.

Describing last weeks trip to Houston as very successful and the conclusion of months and months of discussions with energy multinational companies based there, Young said, We managed, we think, to continue to give buoyancy to the industry for the next few years and in fact to attract investment beyond 2019. He said one of the things which was successfully negotiated with BP and Shell is a continued supply of gas up to 2019, to keep us at the levels that we are at now. He said these companies also agreed that any increase or finds of gas or increased efficiencies on their part will see them selling to NGC to assist the downstream industry. Young said, From that aspect, weve gotten more gas going until 2019. Noting the Juniper project will be on stream in the third quarter of 2017 and will maintain the countrys gas production at its current levels, he said, When you are in a situation like this, any more scuffs of gas is going to assist. He said, What we have been speaking to them about is an allocation of more gas to the downstream (industry). Young said the Government has been meeting with the downstream companies over time and telling them if they can come up with any methods they think they can suggest to also assist, we would be willing to listen to that. On the Angelin Project which will supplement Juniper, he said the PP had come off the gas regarding discussions to move that project and that is what led to a delay with Angelin. He also said certain fiscal policies by the PP resulted in TT being deprived of much needed energy revenues.

On discussions with Exxon Mobil, which is active in Guyanas emerging energy sector, Young said, The Prime Minister had prefaced that with meetings with President (David) Granger in Guyana. TT is about to sign a new MOU on energy with the Government of Guyana but, we are really looking to play a supporting role to the government of Guyana going forward. He also said Exxon was invited to TT to see the infrastructure that is available here.

They were interested in our deep-water harbours. They have been utilising our service companies and providers. We want to see how we can build it, Young said.

The minister said there was no discussion about Exxon acquiring or becoming involved in Petrotrins Pointe-a-Pierre refinery.

He also said the Gas Master Plan which stalled under the PP is being worked on and will be laid in Parliament this month.

Once laid it would be sent to the Energy Joint Select Committee of Parliament for scrutiny.
Frankie returns: Thankful to all, especially TTs citizens

Taking the floor to contribute to the debate on the Andean Development Corporation Bill, Khan said, So I feel good. Not so good and so brave as my good friend Mr Panday who said, if he sees me fighting a lion, he will be sorry for the lion. To laughter, he said, At this point in my life, I am not looking for any fight with no lion. The occasional fight with (Opposition) Senator (Wade) Mark will suffice. Apart from thanking all the members of the Senate for their sentiments on his recovery, he thanked the thousands of ordinary citizens who sent messages, expressed their concerns and prayed for him.

Sometimes as politicians we feel vilified, he said, but this experience has taught me that there are a lot of ordinary citizens out there who genuinely care about their leaders. To them all, I thank them sincerely. Speaking briefly about his illness, he said that while on vacation in Thailand in December last year, he fell ill. Gravely ill. As a matter of fact, I was hospitalised for 12 days in what turned out to be a cardiac event, he said.

On his return to Trinidad and Tobago, he said, he had additional testing and immediate bypass surgery on January 8.

Thanking is medical team in Thailand and Trinidad, he said, After about three months I am here standing by the grace of God. He said, I must say that the Thai medical system was first class, and so too was my treatment here in Trinidad. He thanked his wife and children for their support and being close to him during surgery and recovery.

Thanking Government and Cabinet, he made special mention of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley for his support, understanding, care, and concern.

Not sure if he should say this, Khan said, though, he was given clearance to resume duties since March 20, when he told him, he quoted Rowley as saying, No way. Take two extra weeks. I want to be sure that you are rested and fit to take office. He also thanked acting Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Colm Imbert who gave support to his wife while she was in Thailand, and for taking over his energy portfolio even though Imberts ministry is challenging. Imbert also acted for him as chairman of the Peoples National Movement.

He also recognised Senator Paula Gopee-Scoon who acted as Leader of Government Business while he was on leave.
Super Fast sailing for Easter

After providing this answer to a question in the Senate, Sinanan stated that in March, Cabinet gave the Port Authority the approval, to initiate the process for the charter of a vessel for three years. He said this process should be completed by the end of May and the Authority will also,  begin the process for the purchase of a new built cargo vessel to ensure that the inter-island cargo ferry needs are not jeopardised in this manner in the future. Sinanan said the ministry was advised by letter dated March 28 by Inter- Continental Shipping Ltd that the Galicia was being removed from local service. He said the ministry received that letter on March 31.

Sinanan said in discussions with the charter last December and in January, the duration of the contract for the Galicia was changed from 18 months to five years.

The Government was not willing to enter into any five-year contract until we recognise the need for the cargo vessel that will service the Tobago route in a very efficient and cost effective manner, Sinanan declared. The minister dismissed claims from Opposition Senator Wade Mark that former Port Authority chairman Christine Sahadeo attempted to block the renewal of the Galicias contract.

 I have no information of the former chairperson of the port blocking any agreement with anybody, Sinanan said. In March, Sahadeo and other members of the Port Authoritys board resigned.

At that time, Sinanan said, We have appointed a new board. The entire board had resigned. They were not fired. There is no crisis. Sinanan and Attorney General Faris Al Rawi said there was no issue of dissent between board members. Al Rawi said the resignation of the other board members was appropriate, lest there could have been perceived to have been something by way off stand-off.


Double Threat, winning team of SLIME CUP 2016

###

Original Nickelodeon Australia Press Release, via Indulge Magazine Following a hugely successful first season, Nickelodeon Australia is bringing back the slime with family-favourite adventure series! With crazier challenges, bigger spills, and even more ways for kids to get covered head-to-toe in slime, the six-episode series, hosted by Kristy Best, will premiere onKids across Australia and New Zealand need to partner up with their sibling or best friend and audition to be one of the 15 teams selected to take part in theand battle it out for the ultimate title.is open to all kids aged 9  13 in Australia and New Zealand. To enter, kids can either submit their audition videos online or pre-register to complete a series of challenges at on-ground events. For the first time ever, Nickelodeon is bringinglive tryouts to Queensland (Sunday, 9 April from 9am  4pm at Sea World on the Gold Coast) and returning to NSW (Sunday, 23 April from 9am  4pm at Westfield Mt Druitt).From the live tryouts and online auditions, 15 teams of superstar besties will be selected to compete in theand take on a series of larger-than-life inflatable challenges that will test their stamina, strength and stomachs to determine the final four teams. The Finale episode will see these four teams compete on an all-new inflatable obstacle extravaganza to win the ultimate prize, the 2017 Nickelodeon SLIME CUP trophy.One of the family highlights of2016 was the parents or teachers involvement, where adults were put in the drop zone and covered in stank if their team received one of the two slowest times. In 2017 Nickelodeon is bringing back the parents for a whole new messy challenge.will be hosted by Kristy Best and a U.S. based Nickelodeon star yet to be announced. Sydney-based Kristy will be front and centre on the sidelines reporting on the slime, the wipe-outs and the wacky challenges kids will face throughout the series.Kids who think they have got what it takes to be Nickelodeons nextcan go to www.slimecup.com.au to register for the Gold Coast and Sydney live tryout days or submit their best audition video up until Tuesday, 25th April 2017.will premiere on Nickelodeon at 5.30pm on Friday, 30th June 2017. Kids can check out www.slimecup.com.au to create their own SLIME CUP courses, watch short-form clips, play games and see all the behind-the-scenes action.
We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.
Moroccan military capabilities will be enhanced with 317 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder missiles to be supplied by the American defense company Raytheon, according to press reports.

The contract awarded to Raytheon also includes 199 Block II captive air-training missiles to be used during military exercises. Sidewinder missiles are infrared-tracking weapons used for short-range air-to-air and air-to-ground combat. The munitions have been integrated on F-15, F-16, and F/A-18 aircraft.

Moroccan Royal Air Force has a fleet of US-made warplanes. The North African Kingdom, one of the major US allies in the region, is in the process of upgrading its armed forces and is modernizing its military equipment, including fighters, trainer aircraft and frigates.

Morocco and the United States forces held lately Exercise Flintlock 2017, a three-week military training exercise in Morocco, with the participation of six other African nations. The drills were sponsored by US Africa Command.

More than 2,000 military personnel from 24 African and Western nations participated in the tenth iteration of the exercise, which was established in 2005 to [strengthen] security institutions, [promote] multilateral sharing of information and [develop] interoperability between counterterrorism partners from across Africas Sahara region.

In Morocco, Marines from Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) trained with their Moroccan counterparts on small unit special operations forces tactics, weapons training and fire support, lifesaving first aid and trauma care, command and control and force protection.

These types of activities, as well as other joint combined Moroccan-American exercises, help to foster military cooperation ties between the two countries.

A press release announcing the exercise stated, In all of American history, no other country has maintained its treaty relationship with America for as long as Morocco. Flintlock 2017 is the most recent in a long line of actions and expressions of solidarity between the two nations.

Since the 1990s, Morocco has also served as host of African Lion, the largest annual US joint military exercise in Africa, designed to improve interoperability and mutual understanding of each nations tactics, techniques and procedures.

Military exercises like Flintlock and African Lion are just one of the many ways the US and Morocco coordinate on security measures. Designated as a major non-NATO ally since 2004, Morocco was the first Maghreb country to be a member of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition.

And this year, Morocco served as co-chair with the Netherlands of the US-established Global Counterterrorism Forum.
As issues relating to Russian influence in the EU, US and the Middle East are in the limelight, Russia continues to quietly make inroads in North Africa where it has been gaining a foothold in Libya and boosting its military exports to Algeria and Egypt while strengthening economic ties with Morocco and Tunisia, said the leading international relations magazine, Foreign Affairs.

Oren Kessler and Boris Zilberman, the co-authors of the article, dubbed Russias Charm Offensive in North Africa, highlighted the increasing Russian influence in North Africa saying that Egypt, a traditional US ally, has shifted sides and allied with Russia since President Sisi took power. The administration of Barack Obama, wary of Cairos heavy-handed tactics to stamp out dissent, kept some distance from Sisi, who then turned to Russia to help fill the void.

The reinvigorated ties between Egypt and Russia were reflected in Cairos support for Moscow at the UN. In October 2016, Egypt voted with Russia against a UN Security Council resolution that sought to end air strikes in Syriaa vote denounced across the Arab world as a bid to curry favor with Moscow, recalled the authors.

The strengthened ties between the two countries paved the way for holding joint military drills, named Defenders of Friendship. Cairo and Moscow are said to be weeks away from finalizing an agreement on a nuclear-power reactor outside of Alexandria. Russia is slated to begin delivering nearly 50 Alligator attack helicopters to Egypt this year and a similar number of twin-engine Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets in 2020the largest such deal since the two countries Cold War alliance, they noted.

In Libya, Russia has been backing militarily and diplomatically Libyas strong man General Khalifa Haftar whose forces are at loggerheads with the internationally recognized government in Tripoli. Haftar reportedly signed an agreement with Russian officials to allow their forces to operate in areas of Libya under his controlas they apparently did last month said the authors, quoting Thomas Waldhauser, the top U.S. commander for Africa affirming the presence of Russian troops on the ground in Libya.

They argue that economic interests are also a driver for Russias increasing involvement in Libya, adding that head of Rosneft energy giant agreed with head of Libyas state oil company to cooperate on rebuilding the countrys war-ravaged energy sector.

The analysis also points to Tunisia as an increasingly popular destination for Russian tourists notably after the downing of airplanes in Egypt and Turkey. Russia is now Tunisias top source of tourists, and a vital income stream for a country dependent on the tourism industry but that is still reeling from the 2015 terrorist attacks.

Algeria, for its part, continues to be a key customer of Russian armament. In 2014, the two sides signed an estimated $1 billion deal in which Algeria would use kits from Moscows state arms supplier to build 200 tanks.

Last year, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra welcomed his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Algiers, which has already begun receiving an order of 14 Sukhoi SU-30 fighter jets, the authors add.

Morocco, In the westernmost side of North Africa, has also seen ties fostered with Russia following the kings visit to Moscow last year. The visit was marked by the signing of a declaration of Deep Strategic Partnership and agreements on counterterrorism and energy, underscored the authors, noting that Russias increasing influence in the region imposes complications for the US and EU strategies in the Mediterranean.
South African paper, The Conversation, highlighted that Morocco managed to outmatch Algeria and South Africa diplomatically and economically in Africa thanks to a reinvigorated African diplomacy that culminated with a triumphal return to the African Union.

Morocco has been on a massive diplomatic drive, using both its political and economic muscle. Since his coronation in 1999, the king has led over 40 visits to African countries south of the Sahara. And 85% of Moroccan foreign direct investment is in other African countries; explained The Conversation in an analysis entitled Morocco reaps rewards of major changes in its diplomatic strategy.

The paper went on to enumerate the levers of Moroccos African foreign policy stressing notably the landslide support received by the Kingdoms application to return to its African institutional family.

Moroccos application to rejoin the now strengthened African Union was supported by 39 out of 54 votes, with a majority of AU members, 28 out of 54, petitioning to suspend the SADR as a member, The Conversation says.

The paper also underscores the moribund character of the Maghreb Union and Moroccos quest for alternatives. In this respect, Moroccos request to join the west African economic community (ECOWAS) reflects a willingness to boost regional integration, said the paper adding that the kingdom had also joined the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD).

The Conversation notes that Africa has much to gain from Moroccos membership. At the economic level, the Kingdom boasts one of the most diversified economies in the continent and the fifth largest GDP. In addition to tourism and food exports, Morocco has deftly used free trade area partnerships with the EU until it has, for example, built up over one hundred companies that are partners in aerospace global supply chains, the paper noted.

This niche surpasses both South African and Egyptian manufacturing. Morocco is also installing some of the largest solar power plants in Africa, monetizing the Sahara sunlight, the Conversation concludes setting the tone of an optimistic future for Moroccos economic and diplomatic clout in the continent.
Twenty U.S.-designated terrorist organizations operate in the Afghanistan-Pakistan subregion; seven of the twenty organizations are in Pakistan. So long as these groups maintain safe haven inside of Pakistan they will threaten long-term stability in Afghanistan. Of particular concern to us is the Haqqani Network (HQN), which poses the greatest threat to coalition forces operating in Afghanistan, Gen. Joseph Votel said in his

before the Senate Armed Services Committee.





The Taliban and the Haqqani network are the greatest threats to security in Afghanistan, Gen. John Nicholson said in his February 2017 statement before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the Situation in Afghanistan. Their senior leaders remain insulated from pressure and enjoy freedom of action within Pakistan safe havens. As long as they enjoy external enablement, they have no incentive to reconcile. The primary factor that will enable our success is the elimination of external sanctuary and support to the insurgents.





After fifteen-plus years, the war in Afghanistan remains a strategic stalemate because defeating an enemy requires taking away its capacity and will. The coalition and Afghan forces have hit the enemys capacity year after year, but the Talibans willtheir senior leaders, support, resources, rest, regeneration and armscontinue to benefit from sanctuary and support from Pakistans security establishment. In his testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee in February of this year, the theater commander, Gen. John Nicholson, stated that he believed the war in Afghanistan was a stalemate. It has been a strategic stalemate for at least the last ten years and arguably for the last fifteen years. The former top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. John Vines, stated publicly as early as 2003 that the Taliban were benefiting from Pakistans sanctuaries to regroup. - More




Darkness is bad. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

On Wednesday, Trump reorganized his National Security Council, removing his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, and returning National Intelligence Director Dan Coats and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford to their previous status as regular attendees of the NSCs principals committee.

The shake-up also reduced the authority of Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert, according to Bloomberg. Now, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster will be empowered to set the agenda for meetings of both the NSC and Homeland Security Council.

McMaster became national security adviser after Trumps original pick for that position, Michael Flynn, was forced to resign. The lieutenant general brought a more conventional (a.k.a. less heinously Islamophobic) outlook to the council. Early in his tenure, he advised his staff against using the phrase radical Islamic terrorism, thereby raising the eyebrows of the bodys Bannonites.

A power struggle reportedly ensued, with Bannon trying to purge the NSCs staff of Obama holdovers and suspected globalists. Its unclear whether McMaster ultimately won this internal tussle, or if Bannon was bounced for other reasons.

Its also far from certain that Bannon will no longer have the power to shape American foreign policy. He remains the White Houses chief strategist, and thus retains his proximity to the presidents ear.

Regardless, the New York Times Max Fisher argues that the Breitbart masterminds demotion will strengthen the NSC.

This will strengthen NSC. Bannon was leading internal witch-hunts to purge supposedly disloyal elements. Chilled NSCs ability to do its job  Max Fisher (@Max_Fisher) April 5, 2017
Bill OReilly and Rupert Murdoch in 2008. Photo: Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

As more and more companies pull ads from Bill OReillys prime-time program, Fox News staffers are beginning to speculate over how  or if  OReilly can survive the sexual harassment scandal swirling around him. The intensity of the backlash appears to be growing, not abating. As many as 18 sponsors have bailed on OReillys program and the National Organization of Women has called for his firing.

Right now, its too early to predict where the scandal will lead. OReilly has weathered prior spells of self-inflicted public outrage, from the 2004 Andrea Mackris sexual harassment scandal to his 2007 comment that he was surprised to see black diners at Sylvias ate normally. In each case, OReilly was saved by the loyalty of his viewers (after the Mackris scandal his ratings went up).

The person with the most power to decide OReillys fate is Rupert Murdoch. In the wake of Roger Ailess ouster last summer, Murdoch stepped in and assumed day-to-day control of Fox News, working out of the office suite that formerly belonged to Ailes. According to Fox News insiders, Murdochs instinct will be to protect OReilly as long as possible. His show generates more than $100 million in revenue per year, and while advertiser boycotts appear damaging on the surface, in many cases the companies in question shift ads to different parts of the Fox schedule. The impact of these boycotts can be cosmetic, one insider told me. The feeling is lets keep our heads down and hope this blows over.

But pure business logic could also lead to OReillys toppling. Much has changed since his previous controversies. His scandal is playing out at a moment when the wheels seem to be coming off Fox News as current and former employees file gender- and racial-discrimination lawsuits. As one of the networks original stars, OReilly is a public face of a toxic culture that Ailes built over 20 years.

Questions about Fox News culture are becoming an increasingly urgent business problem for Murdoch. The stock price of Fox News parent company 21st Century Fox dropped 1.2 percent today. Insiders at Fox News worry the scandal could threaten to derail Murdochs $14 billion bid to acquire all of the European pay-TV service Sky. Its happened before: Murdochs previous bid to acquire Sky was scuttled by the London phone-hacking scandal. At Fox News, there is talk that the post-Ailes scandals are giving new ammunition to critics who oppose the takeover. OReilly will be gone if Murdoch thinks it will help the Sky merger get approved, an insider said.
Steve Cohn protests in front of the Capitol on July 2, 2014. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call,Inc.

A federal appeals court in Chicago ruled on Tuesday that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBT employees from discrimination in the workplace. Three weeks ago, another appellate court in Georgia came to the opposite conclusion, and the matter is likely to end up before the Supreme Court.

For now, gay-rights groups are hailing the ruling as a major victory. This decision is game changer for lesbian and gay employees facing discrimination in the workplace and sends a clear message to employers: it is against the law to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, said Greg Nevins of the nonprofit Lambda Legal.

The decision allows Kimberly Hively to proceed with a 2014 lawsuit in which she claims that Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend, Indiana, decided not to hire her for a full-time position because she is a lesbian. According to CNN, Hively filed the suit herself when she couldnt find a lawyer who would take it. A lower court dismissed her suit, and a three-judge panel of the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected her appeal.

Lambda Legal helped Hively request a rehearing, and this time all 11 judges considered her appeal. They ruled 8-to-3 in her favor on Tuesday, which is particularly notable because the court is fairly conservative. Five of the eight judges who ruled in the majority were appointed by Republican presidents.

The AP reports that the decision came down to the meaning of the word sex in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which says employers cant discriminate against workers based on their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Any discomfort, disapproval, or job decision based on the fact that the complainant  woman or man  dresses differently, speaks differently, or dates or marries a same-sex partner, is a reaction purely and simply based on sex, Judge Diane Wood wrote for the majority.

However, Judge Diane Sykes, who was on President Trumps list of potential Supreme Court nominees, said sex could not be stretched to mean sexual orientation.

Its understandable that the court is impatient to protect lesbians and gay men from workplace discrimination without waiting for Congress to act, Sykes said. Legislative change is arduous and can be slow to come. But were not authorized to amend Title VII by interpretation.

Ivy Tech said on Tuesday night that it does not intend to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. The college denies that it discriminated against the plaintiff on the basis of her sex or sexual orientation and will defend the plaintiffs claims on the merits in the trial court, said Jeff Fanter, the schools senior vice-president for communication and marketing.

The Supreme Courts legalization of same-sex marriage left LGBT people open to many other forms of discrimination. In January, President Trump promised not to revoke President Obamas executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against workers due to their sexual orientation or identity, but last week Trump quietly rolled back some of those protections.

Hively said she hopes the ruling ultimately closes the gap that was left when the marriage law passed, and that it gives people pause when theyre bullying someone over their sexual orientation.
With two weeks to go until a special congressional election in Georgia, Democrat Jon Ossoff still seems to be creeping up toward the majority he needs to avoid a runoff. Photo: Melissa Golden

Hot on the heels of Republican claims that Democrat Jon Ossoff is losing ground in the House special election campaign in the 6th district of Georgia, two new polls indicate hes still in pretty good shape and could reach the magic 50 percent threshold that would eliminate the need for a June runoff and make him an unlikely congressman on April 18.

A SUSA survey of likely voters for an Atlanta television station shows Ossoff pulling 43 percent of the vote  his high-water mark in the polls so far. Republicans Karen Handel (15 percent) and Bob Gray (14 percent) are jockeying for a runoff spot. If no candidate clears 50 percent the first time around, there will be a runoff in June. Seven percent of voters are still undecided.

Another new poll from pro-Ossoff MoveOn by Lake Research also shows the 30-year-old to be in pretty good shape, with 40 percent in the first round (trailed by Handel with 18 percent and no one else in double digits), with 19 percent still undecided. More importantly, the survey shows him tied with Handel at 45 percent in a hypothetical runoff.



Just yesterday Paul Ryans super-PAC was suggesting that its own polling showed Ossoff slipping, though it released no head-to-head numbers for various candidates. As an analysis from Daily Kos Elections noted, this negative rap about Ossoffs standing is belied by heavy national GOP spending against the Democrat in this traditionally Republican district.

Aside from Ossoffs numbers in the new published polls, Republicans might be concerned by the nasty competition that has sprung up between Handel and Gray. The Club for Growth, which has endorsed Gray, has already gone harshly negative on Handel, the early front-runner. You can imagine the intra-GOP contest getting even nastier over the next two weeks, which might give Ossoff fresh hope even if he is forced into a runoff.
Bannon out, Perry in. Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images

The National Security Council shake-up that sent President Trumps chief strategist, Steve Bannon, out into the wilderness, is bringing a few new fresh faces into the fold. Among them is Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

The Trump administrations January reorganization of the NCS Principals Committee, a group of the top council members, removed the Energy Secretary from the group. That was effectively a demotion for the cabinet official in charge of the nations nuclear stockpile. The weeks re-reorganization brings the position back onto the committee.

And with that, Perry becomes the first former Dancing With the Stars contestant to be involved in the highest level of national-security policy making. We now go to Perry for his reaction:
As expected, state legislator Jimmy Gomez ran first in the low-turnout top-two primary in CA-38. But he will not be facing a Bernie Sanders surrogate in the general election. Photo: California State Assembly

It did not get remotely the kind of national attention being devoted to the special election in the Sixth District of Georgia, mostly because it involved an absolutely safe Democratic seat. But the very first congressional election of the Trump Era was held yesterday in Los Angeles, to replace Representative Xavier Becerra, who resigned last year to succeed Senator Kamala Harris as attorney general of California.

As it happened, voters in the top-two primary in the 38th congressional district, a heavily Latino and solidly progressive area, delivered a bit of a surprise. Yes, everyone figured Democratic Establishment darling Jimmy Gomez, whose Assembly district covers about half the 38th, would run first and win a slot in the June special general election (under top two, the two leading candidates, regardless of party or percentage, proceed to the general election). But the second position among the 24 candidates was expected to go to a fellow Latino pol, and likely one of the several candidates boasting of involvement in Bernie Sanderss 2016 presidential campaign, which carried the 38th in Californias primary. Heres how the Washington Posts David Weigel explained it:

Arturo Carmona and Wendy Carrillo, two veterans of the Bernie Sanders campaign, won a combined 10.24 percent of the vote, and Carmona had been on track to do better before a series of social media posts by former female co-workers accused him of harassment and general arrogance.



In an interview with The Post, Carmona denied those charges, but they effectively snuffed out the chance of a pure Berniecrat victory in the 34th.

Instead of a Berniecrat, the candidate joining Gomez in the general election is a little-known Democrat and former member of the Los Angeles Planning Commission named Robert Lee Ahn, who ran a well-funded campaign focused heavily on turning out his fellow Korean-Americans, a relatively small but distinct presence in the district. In the widely scattered field, it was enough for a solid second-place finish (as of this morning, Ahn had 19 percent of the vote to Gomezs 28 percent). Gomez will be heavily favored to win in June.

Aside from failing to deliver a struggle for the soul of the Democratic Party story line, the 38th did little to reinforce the impression that Democrats are impatiently waiting to snake-dance to the polls this year in massive numbers to smite Donald Trump and his allies. Its hard to figure final turnout just yet, with a lot of provisional and mail ballots still out. But L.A. is famous for terrible turnout, and there was much hand-wringing over bad turnout in last months municipal elections. Perhaps California Democrats should have found a way to bait the president into a tweet storm insulting them as the special election approached.
In the middle of January, while Donald Trump and his aides were devising a tale of American Carnage to be delivered a few days later to a modestly sized inauguration crowd in Washington, Chinese leader Xi Jinping was addressing a more rarefied audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trumps speech would be dark and angry. Xis was hopeful and assured  a high-minded paean to openness and cooperation and global community. It pledged that China would act not just for its own well-being, but for the well-being of people everywhere, before concluding with a call to march arm in arm toward a bright future.

Xis upbeat message might have seemed surprising given events of the previous months. The incoming U.S. president had launched his campaign declaring, You have a problem with ISIS. You have a bigger problem with China, and gotten ferocious applause during the race proclaiming, We cant continue to allow China to rape our country. He had threatened to overturn the understanding that underpinned the two countries diplomatic relationship, the One China policy, and that goes to the heart of Beijings most acute national-security concern. He had broken protocol to take a call from the president of Taiwan. His most influential adviser, Steve Bannon, had blithely expressed no doubt that America would go to war with an arrogant and expansionist China by 2025. His nominee for secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, had hinted at a belligerent new approach in the South China Sea.

But in the run-up to Inauguration Day, another dynamic  far less frightening from the Chinese governments perspective  had started to become apparent. With skillful handling, Xi and his officials could not only manage Trumps bluster and bravado, they could turn his posturing to their own considerable advantage.

Before long, Xi, by doing nothing more than delaying a phone call, had compelled Trump to reverse course on the One China policy. (The president always gets something, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer insisted of the reversal, but the only apparent concession from China since Election Day had been suddenly favorable treatment of Trump Organization trademark requests.) Secretary of State Tillerson had shown up in Beijing and parroted Chinese talking points before a meeting, and then parroted them again afterward for good measure. (He was aware of his word choice, Tillersons spokesman later confirmed, while Chinas state-run media crowed that the talking points had never been used by anyone in the Obama administration.) And soon enough, Xi had gotten just the sort of personal gesture he wanted: an invitation to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago this week, for a two-day encounter heavy on flattering photo ops and light on bothersome media interaction.

Ahead of Xis arrival on Thursday, the dynamic is playing out again. Trump has issued the usual tough-guy ultimatums. The meeting next week with China will be a very difficult one in that we can no longer have massive trade deficits and job losses, he tweeted. Well, if China is not going to solve North Korea, we will, he said in an interview. The clock has now run out, and all options are on the table, a White House official added after another North Korean missile test this week.

Xi knows how such ultimatums should be handled. He has prepared the ground through informal channels, with his adept ambassador to Washington cultivating the ever-self-confident Jared Kushner and working around the more watchful diplomats and policy makers in the rest of the U.S. government (who mostly objected to the Mar-a-Lago meeting happening at all). He has crafted a package of pledges designed to give the U.S. president some tweetable promises to present as victories, as the Washington Post put it, shiny objects that will placate Trump without ceding real ground. As the White House gloats in triumph, the Chinese will be happy to play along. And Xi will go home having gotten what he needs to strengthen his domestic position: praise for skillful handling of Washington and credit for exposing his American counterpart as a paper tiger.

For all the well-warranted focus on Russia these days, Washingtons approach to China remains the most consequential issue in American foreign policy. Even before Trumps victory, the U.S.-China relationship was at a challenging moment, with friction growing on various issues despite interdependence in everything from economics to environmental challenges. The White Houses malevolence tempered by incompetence may be Americas salvation when it comes to key pieces of Trumps domestic agenda. But in foreign policy, arrogance compounded by ignorance could do irreversible damage.

I beat China all the time, Trump has boasted. All the time. Xi has no reason to disabuse him of that notion  though events could always do so on their own. What happens if Trump discovers that gestures of Chinese cooperation in addressing North Koreas nuclear-weapons program cant necessarily stop Kim Jong-un from testing missiles that could hit California? Or that commercial announcements made with great fanfare wont restore Americas manufacturing sector?

Xi will try to avert any breakdowns: He has an interest in stability ahead of a November Communist Party Congress that will launch his second term. So, starting at Mar-a-Lago, he will play to Trumps narcissism and political needs while taking advantage of the strategic opportunity at hand.

And for Chinas leaders, the opportunity is significant. In Trump, they suddenly have an American president who sees the world in a way they can exploit  and has expressed only disdain for the rules-based liberal order his predecessors have worked to uphold. He cares little about how other powerful governments treat either their own people or less powerful countries they consider within their sphere of influence. He shows no interest in offering an alternative approach for American economic leadership in Asia after scrapping the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, leaving it to Beijing to set the rules instead. Even while talking tough about China this week, he included a gratuitous swipe at alliances  exactly the kind of comment that makes our allies worry that, especially in the face of a rising China, American promises are no longer worth much.

Trump is happy to sacrifice long-term advantages for the sake of a deal that serves his own narrow interests in the short term: Like a customer in a pawnshop, he is so desperate for an immediate payout that he doesnt worry about the ultimate value of what hes giving up. Xi, meanwhile, can seamlessly claim the role of responsible world statesman. At Davos, he had only to say the right words to elicit cheers from the crowd. Following another speech in support of the Paris climate accord the next day, The Economist deemed him the global grown-up of our time. He wins acclaim for celebrating openness and cooperation abroad even while continuing to restrict freedoms and crack down on dissent at home.

Most important, Trump allays one of the biggest sources of anxiety for Chinas Communist Party leaders: the security of their position. Since 2008, they have held up the financial crisis as proof of the bankruptcy of the American economic model; now they can point to disarray in American democracy to deny the superiority of the political model  and bolster their legitimacy by extension. Xi can worry less about making the case for his own leadership. Trump is making it for him.
Trump hater. Photo: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images

In the first ISIS statement on President Trump since his inauguration, the terror groups spokesperson lashed out at the stupid idiot who now occupies the White House, according to NBC News. Other translations of the audio suggest that ISIS only meant to call Trump an idiot, or perhaps harebrained or riffraff.

In any case, ISIS thinks Trump is bad for the U.S. In addition to its grade-school-level taunt, the group said, America, you have drowned and there is no savior. It added, You are bankrupt and the signs of your demise are evident to every eye.

The most obvious sign, ISIS says, is that the U.S. is run by a stupid idiot who does not know what Syria or Iraq or Islam is.

The statement, which doesnt mention Trump by name, ends more than two months of official silence by ISIS on Trump. While the Times reports that this puzzled some analysts, ISIS members themselves have explained why they dont need to talk about Trump. He makes it clear through his own words that he hates Muslims, one member of ISIS told Politico. Trumps doing all their work for them.
Neil Gorsuch. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Republicans have painted Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch as a man whose character and legal scholarship are unimpeachable, but on Tuesday night he became the latest Trump pick to be accused of plagiarism.

Politico and BuzzFeed reported that in several sections of Gorsuchs 2006 book The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, and in an article on the same subject published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy in 2000, he repeats the facts, words, and structures of other sources without citing them.

The most egregious example is a summary in Gorsuchs book of a 1982 case involving a baby with Down syndrome. Gorsuch repeats about 11 sentences from an Indiana Law Journal article by Abigail Lawlis Kuzma, omitting and altering only a few words and sentences. Rather than giving Kuzma attribution, Gorsuch cites the same sources that she relied on.

Politico reports on documents showing that SCOTUS nominee Neil Gorsuch plagiarized the work of others. Behold: https://t.co/XQnCmd62Ia pic.twitter.com/ooc2TkG2bA  Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) April 5, 2017

In another example, Gorsuch appears to lift his description of euthanasia activist Derek Humphry from the 2003 book A Merciful End: The Euthanasia Movement in Modern America by Ian Dowbiggin. Heres Gorsuch:

In 1989 Humphry left his second wife, Ann Wickett, soon after she had undergone surgery for breast cancer. During the divorce, Wicket alleged that when Humphry purported to help her mother commit suicide, the resulting death was not fully consensual.

And heres Dowbiggin:

In 1989 he left his second wife, Ann Wickett, shortly after she had undergone surgery for breast cancer. Their subsequent divorce was made messier by Wicketts allegations that her mother had not died willingly when Humphry had participated in the suicides of her own parent.

The White House launched a vigorous defense of Gorsuch. This false attack has been strongly refuted by highly-regarded academic experts, including those who reviewed, professionally examined, and edited Judge Gorsuchs scholarly writings, and even the author of the main piece cited in the false attack, said White House spokesman Steven Cheung. There is only one explanation for this baseless, last-second smear of Judge Gorsuch: those desperate to justify the unprecedented filibuster of a well-qualified and mainstream nominee to the Supreme Court.

The White House provided statements to back up those claims. Kuzma said she did not have a problem with Gorsuch failing to cite her article:

I have reviewed both passages and do not see an issue here, even though the language is similar. These passages are factual, not analytical in nature, framing both the technical legal and medical circumstances of the Baby/Infant Doe case that occurred in 1982. Given that these passages both describe the basic facts of the case, it would have been awkward and difficult for Judge Gorsuch to have used different language.

The Gorsuch teams other defense, according to Politico, is that the criteria for citing work in dissertations on legal philosophy is different than for other types of academia or journalism.

Gorsuchs book is based on the dissertation he wrote at Oxford University, and Dr. Chris Mammen, who was a student there at the same time, claimed, The standard practice in a dissertation is to cite the underlying original source, not a secondary source, that supports a factual statement.

However, Politico notes that the passages appear to violate Oxfords guidelines for avoiding plagiarism, and six independent experts on the subject disagreed with the arguments offered by the White House. Rebecca Moore Howard, a Syracuse University professor, said Gorsuch is guilty of heavy patchwriting  the term for borrowing from another work, with only small alterations  and hides his sources, which gives the appearance of a very deliberate method. I would certainly call it plagiarism.

Watch Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley hold the floor with a 15-plus-hour marathon speech to protest Gorsuchs nomination.



Christopher Sprigman, a New York University law professor, said Gorsuchs method of attribution is questionable, but his intentions probably werent mendacious. Its a little bit risky, but I wouldnt say it rises to the level of a bad act, he said. I think some people would say its sloppy.

Even if the possible plagiarism had been revealed a few weeks earlier, it probably wouldnt have had a significant effect on the confirmation process. Forty-four Democratic senators have pledged to filibuster Gorsuch, and one, Oregons Jeff Merkley, staged a protest on the Senate floor on Tuesday night. Complaining that Gorsuchs views are too extreme and the Supreme Court seat was stolen from Obama nominee Merrick Garland, Merkley began speaking around 7 p.m. and was still at it ten hours later.

Jeff Merkley is now reading from the Politico story on Gorsuch committing plagiarism, which broke after the filibuster began. #holdthefloor  Wanda (@itsWanda) April 5, 2017

Regardless, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is prepared to go nuclear on Thursday, and Gorsuch is expected to be confirmed by a simple majority vote on Friday.
President Hillary Clinton, DAlternative Universe. Photo-Illustration: Daily Intelligencer; Photos: Getty Images

Imagine what the political world would look like for Republicans had Hillary Clinton won the election. Clinton had dragged her dispirited base to the polls by promising a far more liberal domestic agenda than Barack Obama had delivered, but she would have had no means to enact it. As the first president in 28 years to take office without the benefit of a Congress in her own partys hands, shed have been staring at a dead-on-arrival legislative agenda, all the low-hanging executive orders having already been picked by her predecessor, and years of scandalmongering hearings already teed up. The morale of the Democratic base, which had barely tolerated the compromises of the Obama era and already fallen into mutual recriminations by 2016, would have disintegrated altogether. The 2018 midterms would be a Republican bloodbath, with a Senate map promising enormous gains to the Republican Party, which would go into the 2020 elections having learned the lessons of Trumps defeat and staring at full control of government with, potentially, a filibuster-proof Senate majority.

Instead, Republicans under Trump are on the verge of catastrophe. Yes, they are about to gain a Supreme Court justice, no small thing, a host of federal judges, and a wide array of deregulation. Yet they are saddled with not only the most unpopular president at this point in time in the history of polling, but the potential for a partywide collapse, the contours of which they have not yet imagined. The failure of the Republican health-care initiative was a sobering moment, when their early, giddy visions of the possibilities of full party control of government gave way to an ugly reality of dysfunction, splayed against the not-so-distant backdrop of a roiled Democratic voting base. They have ratcheted back their expectations. But they have not ratcheted them far enough. By the time President Trump has left the scene, what now looks like a shambolic beginning, a stumbling out of the gate, will probably feel like the good old days.

The Republican Party recovered from its cratering under the Bush administration by having the good fortune to lose control of the White House at precisely the moment that a global financial crisis began to inflict deep, ruinous pain upon the public. They used that backlash to gain control of Congress and stymie Obamas agenda, especially any measures to hasten the recovery or patch up Obamacare, frustrating his supporters. A sense of how deeply the GOPs position depended upon not holding the White House can be seen in public support for Obamacare. The unpopularity of the law has been the bedrock of the Republican strategy for nearly eight years. Republican control of government has made it  popular.

Health care presents the party with an especially acute dilemma, forcing them to choose between promises they made to the public (lower premiums, lower deductibles, protections for sick people) and conservative ideological commitments that make them impossible. But it is by no means unique. Trump won the presidency by running a campaign that went far beyond the usual sunshine every president sells on the campaign trail. Trumps populist vision collapsed every policy dilemma into a simple question of negotiating skill that he could solve easily and painlessly. Trump has few clear paths to bolster his popularity while holding together his partisan base. Building the wall will be difficult and time-consuming. Renegotiating Nafta in a dramatically favorable way, as Michael Grunwald explains, is probably impossible. Republican standbys like cutting taxes for the rich and loosening regulations on Wall Street and greenhouse gases are feasible, but all deeply unpopular. All those achievements would also be easily reversible in a way Obamas biggest policy accomplishments were not. The tax cuts will almost certainly have to expire automatically after a decade. Trumps deregulatory agenda will be reversed by the next Democratic president.

Speaking of Obamas policy accomplishments, heres the best argument youll see on why his victories will not be so easily erased.

Trump mortgaged everything to win the election by making promises that he lacked any remotely practical plan to fulfill. The gains for him and his party will be scant, and the political costs of obtaining them high.

Trump could try to break with his party to sign popular bipartisan bills to patch up Obamacare, reform taxes in a way that does not help the rich, and build up infrastructure. But this would cost him the Republican lockstep support he needs to quash investigations into his corruption and campaign ties to Russia. Even a shrewd politician would have difficulty navigating the box in which Trump finds himself trapped.

And Trump is not a shrewd politician. A string of horrifying leaks has depicted a man far too mentally limited to do his job competently. The president is too ignorant of policy  he simply agrees with whomever he spoke with last  to even conduct basic policy negotiations with friendly members of Congress who want him to succeed. Nor does Trump know enough to even identify competent people to whom he can delegate his work. Hes a rank amateur who listens and delegates to other amateurs. (In a normal administration, the hilariously broad portfolio charged to his political novice son-in-law would be seen not as a joke but as a crisis.)

And all of this assumes a relatively straight-line political path. Trump has not yet faced a crisis that isnt of his own making, as every presidency does with regularity. Trumps partisan opponents cannot be gleeful at the fallout from an erratic, uninformed president and an understaffed Executive branch trying to manage a major calamity. Partisan politics in a two-party system is a zero-sum exercise. But the world is not a zero-sum place. One Republican staffer, dismayed by Trumps flailing, told Ezra Klein, If we get Gorsuch and avoid a nuclear war, a lot of us will count this as a win.

Avoiding nuclear war should be understood as shorthand for a long list of national disasters that could ensue from Trumps incompetent leadership  pandemics, wars, natural-disaster response  that would be terrible for the country as a whole and also terrible for the Republican Party. The damage could last a long time.

The last Republican presidency failed so spectacularly it created a generational chasm. Young voters, who mostly followed the same pattern as their elders before George W. Bush, have broken heavily Democratic in every election since 2004. The 2016 election showed slight signs of erosion in the pattern when white voters under 30 supported Trump, 4843. That is far smaller than the margin by which older whites flocked to Trump, and also far smaller than the margins Republicans will need to sustain among white voters to stay competitive nationally. As the white proportion of the electorate continues to shrink, Republicans will need to either improve among minorities or else steadily increase their share of the white vote, which currently hovers around 60 percent.

But the experience of Trump as president has reversed whatever small momentum the party had gained by 2016. Voters under 30 disapprove of his performance by margins exceeding two-to-one. My recent magazine story describes Trumps strategy of dividing the country along racial lines, in a way that would allow his party to claim an ever-growing share of the white vote. But the issues Trump hopes to use to attract younger whites to him instead repel them. In the CNN survey, about three-fourths of white Millennials opposed the border wall and about three-fifths rejected the temporary seven-nation immigration ban, explains Ron Brownstein. In the Pew survey, both Millennials overall and young whites were also more likely than any other age group to say the United States benefits from increasing racial and ethnic diversity, more likely to say they personally knew a Muslim, and least likely to say American Muslims were sympathetic to extremism.

The power of ethnonationalism, which I tried to communicate in the story, is that it manipulates the most base and emotionally accessible ideas about politics. But that power is also a source of danger to the party that tries to weaponize it: If it backfires, it activates equally powerful emotions against it. And while the fight to preserve the American ideal from Trumps ethnonationalism is hardly assured, there is every sign it will backfire.

Michael Antons now-iconic essay, The Flight 93 Election, made the case for Trump as a desperation gamble. (Hence the metaphor to a hijacked airline flight whose passengers had to choose a desperate and probably doomed fight over certain death.) Anton, now a staffer in Trumps administration, saw another four years of Democratic presidencies as the end of white America and conservative America. Most Republicans  even those, like Anton, deeply suspicious of Trump  ultimately agreed. Almost the entire GOP decided its hatred or fear of Clinton overrode their misgivings about their own nominee, and, with varying levels of enthusiasm, supported Trump. They brought disaster upon their country, but as a small measure of compensatory justice, they have also brought it upon their party. By the time Trump has departed the Oval Office, they will look longingly at a staid, boxed-in Clinton presidency as a road not taken.
Tillerson at a press conference with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-Se in Seoul on March 17, 2017. Photo: JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images

In an unsurprising move, North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on Wednesday, a day before Chinese president Xi Jinping is set to meet with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago. However, people were taken aback by the terse response from U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. His full statement reads:

North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment.

Some interpreted this as another sign that Tillerson would rather not be secretary of State, while others saw it as an ominous suggestion that the U.S. is on the verge of doing something dramatic in North Korea.

In the lead-up to Xis visit, administration officials have made a number of aggressive statements about North Korea. Earlier on Tuesday, CNN reported that senior White House officials told reporters, The clock has now run out and all options are on the table.

In a Financial Times interview over the weekend, Trump reiterated his call for China, North Koreas closest ally, to do more to reign in Pyongyangs nuclear program. He threatened that the U.S. will stop North Korea if China fails to do so, but he didnt elaborate on what that means.

China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they wont. And if they do that will be very good for China, and if they dont it wont be good for anyone, Trump said. If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will. That is all I am telling you.

When the Trump administration launched a review of North Korea policy last month, they stressed that using military force toward Pyongyang was under consideration. On Sunday a senior U.S. official told Reuters that the review recommended cyberattacks against North Koreas leadership, increasing economic sanctions  including secondary sanctions against Chinese companies that do business with North Korea  and beefing up South Korean and Japanese anti-missile defenses. They said preemptive military strikes are not off the table, but the plan de-emphasizes direct military action.

President Trump is not obligated to follow those recommendations, and his administrations North Korea strategy remains unclear. Many believe hes blustering, rather than seriously considering unilateral military action (which would have dire consequences, even if all went according to plan).

On Tuesday General John Hyten, the commander of U.S. Strategic Command, contradicted Trumps claim that the U.S. will take action, even if China wont. Hyten told the Senate Armed Services Committee its his job to present the president with military options, but he believes any solution to the North Korean problem has to involve China.



While Beijing is irritated by North Koreas belligerent actions, the New York Times Roger Cohen predicted that Xi will simply shrug if Trump starts making demands. He notes:

China has leverage over Kim, but its strategic patience with him is infinite. Its priority is the survival of the totalitarian regime as a buffer. The dictator is Chinas insurance against a nuclear-armed united Korea at its doorstep. Millions of North Koreans flooding over its border in the event of a regime collapse is the last thing China wants.

China wants the U.S. to deescalate tensions, and restart negotiations with Pyongyang. The Times reports that even some of Trumps closest aides are questioning whether completely disarming North Korea is still feasible, and some experts say the goal now should be deterrence.

President Obama warned his successor that North Korea could be his greatest foreign-policy headache, and clearly theres no easy solution. One thing that does seem clear, however, is that the Trump administration leaving the world guessing at its North Korea policy isnt helping matters. Daniel Pinkston, Northeast Asia deputy project director at the International Crisis Group in Seoul, told Time that the uncertainty has made the situation even riskier.

If U.S. alliance commitments are undermined, weakened or terminated, that undermines reassurances to allies. It also signals to potential challengers or enemies that there may be opportunities to revise the status quo, Pinkston said. Under conditions of uncertainty you dont know where the red lines are  youre going to challenge the other actors and see what you can get away with.
Democrats are much less likely than Republicans to turn out for non-presidential elections. But that could change with a GOP president  especially this GOP president. Photo: Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images

Democrats are becoming excited about the excitement of their Trump-hating voters, and hoping their enthusiasm will produce exceptional turnout in 2017s special and off-year elections, and in 2018s all-important midterms. Thats a big deal, because in recent years Democrats have become exceptionally dependent on segments of the electorate  principally young and minority voters  who have never shown up proportionately for non-presidential elections.

Usually this issue is discussed in the context of exit polls, but today Nate Cohn offers an analysis based on stronger voter-file data. And he has some bad news and good news for Democrats. The bad news is from the last two midterm elections:

The Democratic turnout in those elections has been extremely weak  worse than many public analysts have suggested. Democrats have depended on young and nonwhite voters, two groups that produce low turnout in midterm contests. Nationwide, Republicans were more than 20 percent likelier to vote than Democrats (defined by party vote history and registration) in 2010 and 2014, according to an Upshot analysis of voter file data from the company L2.

As it happens, Ive written obsessively about the midterm falloff problem for years, and even I did not think it was that extreme!

But heres the good news: Cohn finds data from Iowa indicating the falloff phenomenon for Democrats is mostly a phenomenon of midterms where Democrats control the White House.

On average, Republican turnout has been just 6 percent higher than Democratic turnout in midterm elections when Republicans have held the White House, like in 1982, 1986, 1990, 2002, and 2006. Republican turnout has been 17 percent higher than Democratic turnout in midterm elections when Democrats have held the presidency  like in 1994, 1998, 2010, and 2014. The same pattern shows up in the lower-quality data available elsewhere.

Iowas not the most typical state, of course; its electorate is very white. Still, if partisan midterm turnout skews one way or the other in a relatively homogenous state, it might be even more powerful where voters who do and dont typically show up for non-presidential contests reside in larger numbers.

The data on the strong Democratic reaction to Republican presidents, to be clear, is from elections where the Republican president is not named Donald J. Trump. Thus it may be stronger than ever in 2017 and 2018.

Indeed, Cohn looks at very early non-congressional special-election data from Delaware, Iowa, and Virginia  and from early voting in the special congressional election in GA-6  and finds that there are already signs of a turnout surge for the Donkey Party. Whether or not Democratic turnout is strong enough to flip traditionally Republican districts like GA-6, its an indicator that Democrats could well cast off the shackles of their large recent non-presidential turnout disadvantage.
Screenshot from Dawn of the Dead Right-Wing Health-Care Bill. Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images

There are many reasons why Republicans pulled the plug on President Trumps first health-care bill without even giving it a vote. To name the big ones:

1) The Republican Partys objections to Obamacare are radically different from those of the general public. The GOP hated the law because it raised taxes on millionaire investors to subsidize the medical expenses of the poor, sick, and elderly (and, also because a black, Democratic president passed it). Much of the public disliked the law because its subsidies were not generous enough to make insurance truly affordable for many Americans (and/or because a black, Democratic president passed it).

The GOP was aware of this discrepancy, which is why it did everything it could to focus attention on the black-president part  and then, when Barack Obama left the scene, pretended that their problem with his health-care law was that it didnt do enough to lower deductibles and the rate of the uninsured. But since their actual policy goal was to cut subsidies (and, thus, increase deductibles and the uninsured rate) to finance a tax cut for the rich, they couldnt help but produce a bill that made what they claimed to hate about Obamacare worse.

2) They tried to rush through a major structural reform to one-sixth of the American economy in 17 days, composing much of the legislation without the benefit of a score from the Congressional Budget Office.

3) The House GOP leadership managed to design a system of health insurance subsidies so flawed, it would actually leave more people uninsured than if you just repealed Obamacare without a replacement.

4) To get the Houses hard-liners onboard, the White House offered changes that would have made the bill dead on arrival in the Senate for reasons both ideological and procedural (you probably cant scrap Obamacare regulations through a budget-reconciliation bill).

5) Even after those changes, Trumpcare remained too left-wing for the House Freedom Caucus, and too right-wing for the (relatively) moderate Republicans of the Tuesday Group. This made finding a happy middle ground between the two factions impossible.

These problems were prominently featured in the countless autopsies that followed the bills demise. All of them are pretty straightforward and easy to understand.

And yet, the White House apparently convinced itself that the only thing wrong with their approach to health-care reform was that they let Paul Ryan take the lead instead of Mike Pence.

This week, the Trump administration facilitated talks between the House GOPs moderate and conservative factions, with the hope of drafting a new Obamacare-repeal plan, and bringing it to a vote by Friday  thereby sparing Republican lawmakers from having to return to their districts for the April recess empty-handed.

To pull this off, the White House reportedly sought to win over the Freedom Caucus by allowing states to opt out of Obamacares Essential Health Benefits rule, which requires insurers to cover a set of basic health-care services including maternity care, mental health, and prescription drugs. Additionally, Vice-President Pence led the tea-party hardliners to believe that the new bill would also let states waive Obamacares community ratings rule, which bars insurers from charging exorbitant premiums to people with preexisting conditions. Together, these provisions would return many of Americas nonaffluent cancer patients to the pre-Obamacare status quo  leaving them to chose between bankruptcy and death.

In other words: After reflecting on the lessons of Trumpcare 1.0s failure, the White House decided that this time it would try to pass a version of health-care reform that would do the opposite of what Republicans had promised by appeasing the Houses hard-liners with changes that would make the bill D.O.A. in the Senate, doing nothing to address the flaws in the bills subsidy system, and giving itself a five-day deadline to push a major structural reform to one-sixth of the American economy through the House, leaving lawmakers to vote without any guidance from the CBO.

As for the inescapable divide between the Houses moderates and conservatives, the White House hoped leaving controversial issues up to the states would work. And, when that didnt, Pence apparently tried to bridge the chasm with a clever little legislative maneuver that D.C. insiders call lying. As Politico reports:

Pence told hard-line Freedom Caucus members Monday night that changes to the bill would allow governors to opt out of Obamacares community rating provision, which prohibits insurers from charging higher premiums to people who are sick, are older or based on their gender. Without it, insurers could charge more to people with cancer or other medical conditions, though supporters say it would drive down premiums for healthy people.



Meadows said they were told governors would be allowed to opt out for all community ratings with the exception of gender. But moderate GOP members who met with Pence the same day say they were under the impression that governors would only receive community rating flexibility based on a persons age  not their illness or other factors. They argue the community rating provision goes hand-in-hand with Obamacare regulations that bar insurance companies from rejecting people with pre-existing conditions  and that without it, the pre-existing conditions protections are meaningless because insurance companies could price sick people out of the market by charging them exorbitant premiums.



Thats not the only discrepancy. Some Freedom Caucus members say the White House also floated the idea of letting governors opt out of the laws guarantee issue, which bars insurance companies from turning away sick peopleBut thats not at all what centrists said they heard from Pence.

Even if Pence was telling the Freedom Caucus the truth, some of its hard-liners still wouldnt be satisfied.

The federal government is the big boss and we may throw some crumbs to the states, Texas congressman Louie Gohmert complained to reporters. The states shouldnt have to ask the federal government for waivers. The federal government should have to ask states for permission.

Now, Zombie Trumpcare is staggering back to its grave; House Republicans will spend their vacations being chewed out by constituents who wanted to see Obamacare repealed (and by those that didnt); the president has once again undermined his reputation as a deal maker; and when GOP lawmakers return to Capitol Hill after Easter, theyll have one week to avert a government shutdown.

The Republicans must be so sick of winning.
Kashmiri earthquake survivors wait for free medicine at a temporary hospital. Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

On the third day of Donald Trumps presidency, he reinstated a rule that will affect womens health worldwide; the Global Gag Rule bans federal funding for international nongovernmental organizations that offer (or even discuss) abortions. Then, on Monday, his administration announced it will put yet another dent in funding for womens health care  according to the New York Times, it will strip all U.S. funding from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The fund provides family-planning and reproductive-health services to women and girls in more than 150 countries. The U.S. is its fourth-largest donor; without U.S. funding, it will lose $32.5 million from the 2017 budget, the State Department said.

Trumps administration is justifying the move by claiming that funding UNFPA violates the 1985 Kemp-Kasten Amendment, which bars the U.S. from giving money to organizations that participate in forced sterilization or abortions. In a memo, the State Department said the UNFPA partners with Chinas National Health and Family Planning Commission, responsible for overseeing Chinas two-child policy  a loosened version of the notorious one-child policy in place from 1979 to 2015.

But a statement on the UNFPAs website refutes the claim, and that same State Department memo goes on to say that theres no evidence of U.N. support for forced abortions or sterilization in China to back it up.

As is the case with the Global Gag Rule, its pretty much tradition for incoming Republican presidents to strip the UNFPA of U.S. funding, and for incoming Democrats to reinstate it. When George W. Bushs administration blocked the organizations funding (also by citing the Kemp-Kasten Amendment), a Guardian op-ed estimated it would result in 2 million unintended pregnancies and the deaths of 77,000 children.

Last year, UNFPA used funding from the U.S. government to reach 9 million people in crisis situations with HIV/AIDS-prevention services, domestic-violence counseling, pregnancy checkups, safe childbirth, and other critical services, a UNFPA spokesperson said in an email. Eliminating this funding will have dire consequences for women and families globally.
Photo: View Stock/Getty Images/View Stock RF

Jeanie Koval, 56

Steel-mill worker

Burns Harbor, Indiana

I work at ArcelorMittal in Burns Harbor, Indiana, just due east of Gary. Ive been working here for 38 years at the end of this month. I was hired into the cold mill  when we were Bethlehem Steel, it was called the cold mill, but the name got changed to the finishing mill later on down the line.

I didnt really aspire to be a steelworker. I came here when I was just on the verge of being 19 years old. My husband went off to school and that was really hard, being a young adult and missing my boyfriend. At that point I couldnt decide if I wanted to go to college or if I was just taking some time off. I came for the application-day and got the job. I said, Oh, Im going to work here for two years and save my money; then Ill figure out what Im going to do. Here I am 38 years later, because life happens. Listening to my friends who graduated from college, now they cant find jobs or at least find a good-paying job. I was making more money than they were  and thats still the case.

Molten steel gets poured into these forms that turn them into the big slabs. Then from there they go through the plate mill, where the plate mill will hammer them down into thinner material and from there, I dont know exactly where it goes  to something like the hot mill that will bring the gauge down even more, into a coil.

The coils vary in sizes. Small coils run 20,000 pounds. The heaviest coil we have is probably 65,000 to 70,000 pounds. Then it comes into the finishing mill, which is where I work. It goes through a process; it depends on what type of steel that is ordered. Somebody might want a softer steel that is bendable, where it goes into a stamping plant for a vehicle where they can mold it. Or it could be a very hardened steel that doesnt mold easily. They would use that for steel drums for chemicals or oils.

The shipping department is the last stop before the coils go out the door to the manufacturers. We produce most of the steel for the automotive industry. We also see a lot of trains going to Mexico. We package and ship them. They get transferred with forklifts and big tractors. The crane puts them on a truck or a train.

If you can imagine, the coils come down on a conveyor, theyre on a track that travels from point A to point B in a straight line, without stopping, down through the warehouse until they reach the crane. Then the crane picks them up and delivers them to the shipping department for us to package. Or, if theyre already packaged because they got banded at the mill, they go right into the warehouse to be stocked and then manifested.

I work in the loading department now. We load the coils out on railcars or ship them out on trucks. We usually put four to five coils on a railcar. Its a physical job in the respect that you are pulling the bulkheads, which are 15-inch-wide plate-spacers that are in between the coils. They have chains on each end of them and therell be one person on each side of the railcar and theyll pull the bulkhead to the coil to secure it on the railcar. If were not loading railcars, were loading trucks and theyre being put on there by the crane. All I do with that is to check to make sure its the proper coil. Were pretty automated now. We have a kiosk and an RFID reader. If its not working then thats where I am to fill in the gap.

Most of my career I have been in the shipping department, banding or wrapping coils. My friend used to say I was a gift wrapper. I dont mind my job. Ive been here for so long that its second nature to me. In the summer, its extremely hot because theres not a lot of airflow in the building and its not climate controlled. Its a warehouse, so you can imagine the sun beating down on the building. In the winter its extremely cold because we dont have a lot of heat.

Once you do something for so long you get a pace going. Im used to it. To me my job is like a workout. Its physical. When we dont have any coils, we take a break until more coils come. They dont stop, thats for sure. They just keep coming.

My father was a steelworker. He worked at U.S. Steel, in Gary. I had an aunt who worked in the steel mills, too. She was older than my dad. She worked at the metallurgical lab, testing the steel to make sure all of the properties were correct. If she were here today, Im sure we could have some conversations about what its like to be a woman working in a steel mill.

I grew up in Gary. I have classmates who I work with. Theres a lot of people here that I hired in with in 1979. Never in a million did I think Id be working for 38 years. I thought I was going to retire with 30 years.

In the early 2000s, Bethelehem Steel went bankrupt, but we didnt lose our jobs. Wilbur Ross saved the mill. That was a great feeling because we were worried that the bankruptcy was going to close the doors. A lot of people would have lost their jobs and this area really depends on the steel mills to support all of the businesses around here. It was a good feeling because we knew that there was some hope then.

When Bethlehem Steel filed for bankruptcy, that changed everything for everybody. They offered a buyout. A lot of people took the buyout, mostly people that had 30 years or more. They also offered to pay for you to go to college and get a degree as part of their severance package. One of my co-workers took the buyout, he was in his late 40s, and he went to school and he was on the deans list. But even today, he wishes he had his job back. Hes not making as much money as he made in the steel mill. He regrets it. The job he has now doesnt offer him as good health insurance and pension.

When they went bankrupt, if you had less than 30 years, you lost two-thirds of your pension. I had 24 years at the time. Oh my goodness, it was devastating. It just gives you a sinking feeling that all of the hard work that you devoted to this company is not being rewarded at the end like you thought that you were. It gives you a pit in your stomach. You have to rethink your game plan about retirement.

So Im working on a whole new pension.

Most steelworkers are Democrats. But its actually a topic of conflict because a lot of people voted for Donald Trump. He said that he wants to bring all of the jobs back to America. We want to try to keep all the steel in America and stop the steel from coming in from other countries. Thats always going to be an issue. People wanted change. A lot of young people didnt really understand Hillarys vision and when they heard Donald Trump say that he wanted to bring jobs back to America and keep the steel industry intact, that really piqued their interest.

I would say people were 50-50. Im trying to give him a chance. Ill have to assess his goals as times goes on. But Im not a big fan of Donald Trump. Hes a businessman, not a politician. He doesnt have very good manners, thats for sure.

The union means everything to us. The union negotiates our wages and our benefits, and our benefits package is huge. Our package for our benefits is probably the same as it is for our wages. So we have medical insurance, sickness and accident pay, prescription benefits, vacation pay, retirement benefits. All of that stuff is negotiated with the company through the union. We have job protection and a safety team thats also negotiated in our contract. Safety is big. Its very important. Last year I think we had the least amount of lost work days as weve ever had.

Every job has its hazards, but a steelworker has a lot of hazards. Youre putting your life at risk when you walk through the door. You have to wear your hard hat, your steel-toed boots, your safety glasses, and long sleeves and pants. We have a lot of hazards, such as slipping and tripping. You always have to be aware of your surroundings because theres overhead cranes and forklifts and big steel-hauling tractors or big tractors that pull buggies with six coils on them. You have to be very careful of everything, even the steel itself. You can get cut on the steel.

The very first accident that I actually witnessed was last year. I was banding coils off of a production line with this gentleman, a very tall lanky guy. We started to band the coil but the conveyor was moving and he accidently had his foot underneath the coil. The conveyor was actually moving over his foot. Its not a good practice to band the coils with the conveyor moving, but it moves at a really slow pace so we do it in order to get the coil banded before the next coil comes off. Like I said, they dont stop. As it was happening, he was saying to me, Jeanie, the conveyor is running over my foot. I thought he was kidding, I was like, no, its not, and he said, yes, it is, and I could tell by his eyes that it was.

So I hit the emergency stop and, thank goodness, he didnt get hurt. His boot saved his foot. He got lucky. He was shaken up. He couldnt move. His foot was wedged. Theres not very much clearance between the coil and the floor plate. We had to call 911 and we all went into action trying to help him. The electricians had to come and reverse the conveyor. It was a pretty dramatic scene for a minute there. I dont want to be a part of that again.

I would want anybodys children to work in a steel mill. Theyre good jobs. Good-paying jobs. Good benefits. My father raised a family of five girls on a steelworkers wage. My husband and I worked hard to get our daughters through college and get them on their own, and I think we did a good job doing that.

The lake means everything to me. I live to go to the beach. Where I live, in Gary, its just a block away from my house. When I look to the west, I see U.S. Steel and Im reminded of my father and aunt and uncle who all worked there. When I look to the east, I can see where I work. Now that were planning for retirement, were getting ready to build a house that we can retire in thats a little bit closer to the beach than we are now. Ill be about 100 steps away.
Portugal pulls in Millennial wine fans

Portugal is outperforming other countries in the mid-range price bracket, with the younger generation  and females in particular  driving growth, according to an industry expert.

Nuno Vale, marketing director for Wines of Portugal, told OLN: It is consumers in their 20s and 30s driving growth in sales of Portuguese wines and we are seeing strong growth in the two key channels for us: independent retailers and restaurants.

We realised that the good thing about Portuguese wines is also the challenging thing, which is that some of our wines are difficult to explain. So our strategy continues to be that we are targeting independents and restaurants where the sale is more of a hand-sell, and where they understand the diversity of Portuguese wine, and they have time to teach their staff.

The growth is coming specifically from these value-added wines, so the regional specialities and DOP wines; these are the ones that are better aligned to those channels.

Younger wine drinkers are looking for authenticity, plus they want to learn and they are prepared to trade up. Added to this is the fact that tourism is booming in Portugal at the moment, specifically in cities like Lisbon and Oporto, so consumers specifically want to try Portuguese grapes like Touriga Nacional.

Vale said this year the Wines of Portugal tasting event in London had been opened up to consumers, following the trade tasting event.

He explained: We wanted to give consumers the opportunity to try wines they might not be able to try otherwise, and to experience the diversity of our wines. We sold all 250 tickets and most of these consumers are aged around 30 years-old.

Lucia Barbarosa of Quinta de Soalheiro, said the company has seen strong interest for its Alvarinho wines.

We only work with this grape and we can now produce different styles of wine from different parts of our vineyard; the wines are different from the Albarino wines from Spain because often Spanish wines with this grape undergo Malolactic fermentation but ours dont so they maintain the aromatics of the grape.

Sarah Abbott MW, a consultant for Wines of Tejo, told OLN that in her view, tapping into the UK consumers interest in aromatic wines, such as Alvarinho, is one of the big opportunity for Portugal.

Portugal has some great indigenous grapes and many of these are doing well now in the UK, but winemakers are also seeing success when blending them with international varieties, as this is a good way to introduce people to a new region.

Tejo is a relatively unknown region in an under-estimated country but we have got importers for Tejo wines now and we have secured some more UK listings.

To some extent we are riding on the coat tails of Vinho Verde, which has helped raise the profile of Portuguese whites. Wines of Portugal is also building on this reputation so there are lots of opportunities for white wines, as well as the reds.

Antonio Costa, wine business development manager at Portugalia Wines (UK) told OLN: Portugalia represents some wine co-operatives and it used to concentrate on just the Portuguese market but I joined in 2014 to help expand distribution out to other markets. So now we have managed to get some listings with specialised wine shops, mostly within the M25 region, and particularly some small supermarket chains.

"Simply Fresh in Bethnal Green, for example, started with four of our wines and they now have ten. Usually retailers need to hand-sell our wines but this is harder in a convenience store, so its great that sales have been good at Simply Fresh. Its mainly the wines from Vinho Verde and the Douro that are selling but we are now planning to do a wine tasting event in the store to help promote some of the other wines. It all comes down to education but we love challenges.

Related articles:
good for Brittany,





but wow folks...priorities.

Reply

Thread

Link

slay a bit, Brit!

Reply

Thread

Link





Esp. since she's going on a where are the rest of the tour dates???Esp. since she's going on a break next year, I need to know if I'll ever get to see her.

Reply

Thread

Link

It's so amazing she's coming to Israel. I've seen here in Vegas, I wonder if the show would be different on the tour.

Reply

Thread

Link

According to the rumours, the setlist will be slightly different (they want some kind of Glory tour supposedly) but some stuff from Vegas will also make it. Apparantly, the tree is staying in Vegas because it would be very complicated to move it.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I read that it's supposed to be marketed differently than her vegas show. So I'm expecting more stuff from Glory

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Wow at her performing in Israel.



Supporting genocide I see

Reply

Thread

Link

Bloop

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

oop

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

mte

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

mte

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link



honestly, it must be nice to live in such a bubble

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link





Edited at 2017-04-05 06:30 pm (UTC)

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Of COURSE Britney has a concert in the Philippines right when I'm studying abroad gdi

Reply

Thread

Link

Wait, should people not perform in Israel? Idgi it's not like the US is Denmark here.

Reply

Thread

Link

Don't forget while posting on a Russian owned website

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

"Its Britney's world, we all just live in it" -Israel

Reply

Thread

Link

you have to go into the show with the right mentality. If you expect Britney from a decade ago youll be sorely disappointed.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

This is probably the best show post-2004 she's performed, and it's filled with hits (which is unlikely she'll do all of them again). I think it's a really good pop show, value for money

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

RELEASE THE LATIN AMERICAN DATES AND PRICES

Reply

Thread

Link

MTE. It would have had more impact if she had released all the dates at the same time.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Maybe they're trying to push the Asian leg of the tour first...? I know you wanna know so badly!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

YES! (though I don't live in Brazil)

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Werk, Brit Brit!

Reply

Thread

Link

SLAY QUEEN OF SWIMSUIT WORK-OUTS <3

Reply

Thread

Link

ONTD hates Israel too? lol

Reply

Thread

Link

Most of them are americans, so hate is natural on their blood.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I mean as an African I'm fond of places that sterilize my people but keep being cute :)





I agree with the America hate though.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link
BREAKING: Bannon removed from National Security Council https://t.co/56qYpHGBeA pic.twitter.com/hZFwcBcLx8  Bloomberg (@business) April 5, 2017





THIS IS DISTRACTING US FROM SOMETHING BIG. BUT TAKE IT AS A VICTORY STILL. THIS IS DISTRACTING US FROM SOMETHING BIG. BUT TAKE IT AS A VICTORY STILL.

Reply

Thread

Link

YAS

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Something is happening today!

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

oooohhhhh I'd love to see him put in jail. a dirty one, that's like a human zoo. "let's go to the jail and look at the traitors!"

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

He's still sitting in on the meetings though apparently.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

YAS

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Lmaooooooo

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I think it's all to make it look like Bannon is getting a reduced role in the administration to fend off criticism. But nah... not gonna work.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

It's Gorsuch's plagarism they are trying to distract from...fucking idiots all of the news media covering this when he DID NOT LOSE HIS SECURITY CLEARANCE.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I'm bothered by their silence when Obama dropped 20,000 bombs on Syria in 2016



Edited at 2017-04-05 04:53 pm (UTC)

Reply

Thread

Link

soooooo happy to see Bannon get removed from the NSC... that pretty much means he colluded with the Russians tho right

Reply

Thread

Link

He still has a job in the White House so let's slow down a bit

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

seems like a step towards something, but yeah, its dumb to get my hopes up

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I'm trying to take small victories were I can (re: Bannon) but we've been played too many times and know some shit is coming

Reply

Thread

Link

It's one thing to not know what complicit means and another to willfully play dumb so you don't have to answer for it. Ivanka's performance was insulting.

Reply

Thread

Link

Ivanka's terrible. She only gets a free pass cause she's a pretty white chick. Same reason people are excusing Kendall Jenner for her willful ignorance.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Yup.



Ivanka is revolting and people fall all over themselves to defend her. It's gross.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

There are plenty of people speaking out against both of them, hence why The View discussed both topics today.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

She is constantly playing dumb, but she only does softball interviews so no one calls her on it. I hate her so much.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

ivanka only cares about herself and women who look like her ie white women. she doesn't give a shit about anyone or anything else including lgbtq people and it is fucking infuriating that she is treated with kid gloves and not called out on her shit enough. people bend over backward to protect poor basic white women ivanka and melania and it is so telling why

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I guess it's okay that Vanks doesn't know what it means to be ~complicit. Scarlett Johansson doesn't know what it means, either.

Reply

Thread

Link

Seems like many white women posing as feminists don't know what that word means.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

So. Many. Some commentator on the news this morning called Ivanka "Schrodinger's feminist" and I about fell out

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

op thank you for the daily posts!



Did you guys see that Gorsuch plagiarized his book?





Reply

Thread

Link

your welcome. as long as there is a view episode there will be a daily post. i'm just worried come summer.



i did see about the book plagiarizing by gorsuch.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

that means no spicey today?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

that can't be what this bannon news is supposed to be distracting us from

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

This Bannon news is probably a misdirection and I don't buy the reasoning behind him leaving for a second.

Reply

Thread

Link

ivanka can choke. fuck her.

Reply

Thread

Link

I hate that entire family.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

yesss loving the ivanka hate in this post.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Fuck ivanka. Both husband and wife are complicit.

Reply

Thread

Link

The White House's attitude towards our psychotic neighbors of the north, North Korea, makes me twitchy. I like being alive and would like to keep it that way tyvm.

Reply

Thread

Link

I can't stand to listen to tr**p talk

Reply

Thread

Link

What about Russia's role in the Syrian war?

Reply

Thread

Link

Shocked! Trump is going to bat for POS Bill O'Reilly! Water is wet. Grass is green. Trump is a disgrace.

Reply

Thread

Link

Sexual predator is as sexual predator does. Fuck 'em both, I hope their penises shrivel up and fall off

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link
Oil prices have rallied more than 6 percent since last week, which has largely been attributed to growing confidence in a six-month extension from OPEC combined with a temporary outage in Libya and slightly better numbers from the EIA regarding refined product inventories. It still seems that the oil market is woefully oversupplied, but there are growing bits of evidence that when stitched together, start to resemble a market on the mend.

For example, the Financial Times reported that seaborne oil tanker traffic is down this year by 16 percent, a sign that the OPEC cuts are showing up at sea. Not all oil is traded at sea, obviously  some is shipped via pipeline or moved directly from the wellhead to refineries, processing facilities or storage. But such a drop off in the volume of oil moved at sea suggests that the supply cuts are being felt in the market.

It may seem curious then that oil investors are not picking up on this fact but Vortexa, an oil tracking firm, told the FT that the record high levels of inventories in the U.S. are probably disguising tightening conditions elsewhere. That is compounded by the fact that the U.S. provides the most thorough and timely data, while data tracking is much trickier elsewhere. That results in the U.S. having an outsized impact on the market narrative.

Vortexa says their data suggests that a fall in maritime trade this year is evidence of a tightening market. Water is where the market changes first, Fabio Kuhn, Vortexa CEO, said in an interview the FT. We think this is some of the first evidence that supply cuts are having a major effect.

Another small piece of evidence of a tightening global market can be found in the Caribbean, where oil inventories have already declined substantially. Bloomberg reports that crude inventories at Caribbean storage facilities have dropped by 10 to 20 million barrels over the past month and a half, a development that oil traders attribute to the OPEC cuts. Overlooked by the market until now, the drawdown suggests global supplies are moving closer to balance. "Caribbean and other storage has drawn down rapidly over the past weeks," Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects Ltd., wrote in a research note. "The first indications that the rebalancing has begun are here." Related: U.S. Shale - The New Swing Producer

A growing number of investment banks and hedge funds are picking up on the tightening conditions in the market and coalescing around a more bullish picture than previously. For example, UBS wrote in a research note that oil prices could hit $60 per barrel within three months because of rising demand. Similarly, BNP Paribas said that inventory drawdowns will lead to a balancing of the supply overhang, resulting in Brent averaging $60 per barrel in 2017. Pierre Andurand of Andurand Capital Management went further, making a rather bullish call: oil will hit $70 this year. By late summer, Andurand says, oil futures will flip from contango into backwardation, ushering in sharper inventory drawdowns and higher prices.

This bullishness stands in contrast to some of the recent moves by major investors. Hedge funds and other money managers slashed their bullish bets yet again in the week ending on March 28. As Reuters points out, these investors have reduced their long positions by the equivalent of 170 million barrels over the last five weeks while increasing their short bets by 139 million barrels. The liquidation of bullish positions came after a remarkable buildup in net-long bets, so the unwinding of these positions was not a surprise.

While the selloff in bullish positions by major investors should drag down prices, it also puts the market on more stable footing going forward. The one-sided nature of the bullish positions this year through the end of February heightened the risk of a correction. Now, with investors taking a more balanced position on oil futures, there is less of a risk of another slide in prices. So, in a way, the selloff allows more room for oil prices to move back up. Related: U.S. Shale - The New Swing Producer

The next steps for oil prices, as has been the case for some time, depend largely on what OPEC does over the next few weeks. The group meets again in a few weeks and could issue a recommendation on an extension of the supply cuts for the official May meeting. OPECs Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo said this week that the deal is working. I remain cautiously optimistic that the market is already rebalancing," Barkindo said on April 2. We have started seeing stock levels coming down.

Iraq bolstered the chances of an extension when it reported this week that it reached a 98 percent compliance rate with the OPEC deal. Because Iraq was one of the few OPEC members that had been dragging its feet regarding its pledged cuts, the higher level of compliance will improve trust when the members meet to discuss an extension. That is bullish for oil prices.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The crude complex is feeling charitable today, giving away most of its overnight gains, as last night's bullish API report head-faked the market. As Nonfarm Friday looms next on the radar, hark, here are five things to consider in oil markets today.

1) In the latest feature on NPR's Texas Standard, we discussed how crude waiting offshore in the US Gulf dropped to its lowest since mid-November last week, amid a lull in arrivals from the Middle East. Crude fell 9 million barrels over a two-day period, before rebounding again over the weekend amid a slew of arrivals from Venezuela. Hark, the interview is here, while the drop - and subsequent rebound - can be seen below:

(Click to enlarge)

2) Mexican crude flows to the U.S. have been gradually dropping in recent years, as the Latin American nation looks to diversify away from its main customer (the U.S.), and also amid an ongoing decline in its domestic production.

However, as Canadian heavy crude imports to the U.S. could drop in the coming weeks amid supply disruptions (due to a fire at an Alberta oil sands plant), Mexican barrels could step up to the plate to fill this potential void. The U.S. is still the destination for about a half of Mexican exports:

(Click to enlarge)

Related: OPEC Deal Extension Looks Shaky As Shale Hedges Production

3) Today's inventory report has been fairly underwhelming for the bulls, in light of yesterday's API report which showed three chunky draws to inventories. Today's build to crude stocks and minor draws to the products is causing a tempering of bullish optimism.

Three months into the OPEC production cut & new patterns are starting to emerge. Find out more about how the markets are rebalancing from Clipperdata's Market Snapshot Report.

Refining activity continues to increase, in line with last year, as we exit from refinery maintenance and look ahead to driving season. The aggregated picture, however, disguises a fairly mottled backdrop on a regional basis in the last week.

While Gulf Coast crude inputs dropped by nearly 200,000 bpd on the week prior, the East Coast saw a strong rebound in activity, albeit from an extremely low level. After crude inputs reached their lowest level since February 2015 in recent weeks, PADD1 runs have rebounded by 167,000 bpd, up to 73.6 percent in terms of the utilization rate, from 60.5 percent last week.

(Click to enlarge)

4) With U.S. crude grades heading further afield, the below chart is a useful guide to show when U.S. crude has arrived on Chinese shores - and what grade. As the trend of reverse-lightering and co-loading continues to grow from U.S. shores, an increasing number of U.S. barrels are set to discharge in China in April and May.

(Click to enlarge)

5) Finally, this article provides the stat of the day, as waterborne vessels may have to spend an additional $60 billion each year on fuel come 2020, as new emissions rules kick in. Rules have been approved by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to cut the amount of sulfur in fuel on merchant ships, from 3.5 percent to 0.5 percent, driving up transportation costs.

Only 2.2 percent of the merchant ship fleet will have scrubbers installed by 2020, meaning the rest will have to buy cleaner, more expensive fuel.

By Matt Smith

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
China plans to start imposing consumption taxes on oil by-products such as light cycle oil and bitumen blend, which could upset the plans of traders and refineries who export such products to China, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing four sources in the know.

Chinese officials are said to be proposing consumption taxes of the equivalent of more than $145.20 (1,000 yuan) per ton for mixed aromatics, bitumen blend, and light cycle oil (LCO), among others. This would effectively impose stricter regulations on imports of those products and boost the sales of domestically produced oil by-products.

If taxes are imposed, I think this market will be dead, a source with a South Korean refiner told Reuters.

According to two of the sources, China plans to impose a consumption tax of $203.30 (1,400 yuan) per ton of LCO, which is being sold as low-grade diesel in China. Consumption tax on bitumen blendwhich is widely used as feedstock by the local independent refiners, the so-called teapotsis expected to be $174.30 (1,200 yuan). The consumption tax for mixed aromatics  which include benzene, toluene and mixed xylenes  could be as high as $305 (2,100 yuan) per ton, similar to Chinas consumption tax on gasoline. Those mixed aromatics that are petrochemical products are used for blending with gasoline to achieve higher octane levels.

Related: OPEC Deal Extension Looks Shaky As Shale Hedges Production

Chinas imports of LCO soared 135 percent annually to 4.46 million mt in 2016, Platts reported in February, citing data from Chinas General Administration of Customs. Blending with 1 mt of LCO could get 2-2.5 mt of off-spec gasoil that is chiefly used in the construction and fishing sectors.

Imports of mixed aromatics jumped by 81.4 percent compared to 2015, to stand at 11.7 million mt in 2016, which suggests that there was a significant rise in blending activity last year. According to Platts calculations, roughly 3 mt of mixed aromatics are needed to blend 10 mt of gasoline.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Egypts General Petroleum Corporation and energy sector construction company Petrojet plan to re-establish their presence in Libya, a Libyan official said yesterday, after a meeting with company representatives that also included the chair of Libyas National Oil Corporation Mustafa Sanalla.

NOC and EGPC also agreed to form a partnership to study possible oil and gas projects, although no further details were provided.

This is the first Egyptian visit to Libya in the last two years. The country imports crude and fuels from Libya, and at the meeting, whose principal host was the deputy leader of the Presidential Council Ahmed Maetig, Egypt asked for an increase in monthly shipments to 2 million barrels of crude and fuels. Apparently, the Libyan side could not supply that, so the final agreement will see Egypt import one million barrels of fuels per month from Libya.

The meeting comes a few days after the Foreign Minister-designate of the UN-backed Government of National Accord accused Egypt of working against its interests in Libya. The remark came after an argument between the Presidential Council delegation and the Egyptian delegation at the Arab Summit.

The argument concerned how NOC is referred to in the Arab version of an official statement of the event. While the GNA delegation insisted that the companys full name included Tripoli, where the GNA is based, the Egyptians rejected the idea, suggesting they dont share the belief that the Tripoli-based division of the oil company is the only legitimate one.

NOC split along political lines years ago, with the Tripoli-based division backing the UN-supported GNA and the eastern division affiliating itself with the House of Representatives, Libyas parliament and rival government.

Related: U.S. Shale - The New Swing Producer

Last year, the two divisions agreed to unite in the common interest, but the unification process was recently rattled as one eastern NOC representative left the negotiations table, sparking doubts about another split.

Libyas oil output recently suffered a 250,000-bpd decline as an armed group blocked the pipeline feeding crude into the Zawiya terminal from the countrys largest field, Sharara, but order was quickly restored and Libya is again producing around 700,000 bpd.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Pakistan would not go against Iran interests: Pak Foreign Secretary

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua said on Tuesday that it was difficult for Pakistan to maintain equal relations with both the countries, but Pakistan would not go against Iran's interests.



Briefing members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, who met at the Parliament House - with Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari in the chair- to discuss the issue of clearance given to former army chief Gen (r) Raheel Sharif to lead the Saudi-led 41-nation Islamic Military Alliance and Pakistan's relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran, Tehmina Janjua said that Pakistan was making efforts to reduce tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.



She informed the Lower House that Pakistan remained committed to its policy of non-interference in the conflicts of Muslim countries. She told the committee that the Islamic Military Alliance was against terrorism, not any country. "Pakistan wants Muslim countries to stand united against terrorism"



She was addressing concerns that Islamabad's decision to send the former army chief to lead the alliance would complicate the already fragile Pak-Iran ties.



"Raheel Sharif would not act against Iran as the head of the military alliance," she asserted, and informed the lawmakers that Oman was the 41st country to have become a member of the alliance. About the former army chief joining the alliance, she said that any retired military officer was free to accept any job.



Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi raised concerns that the Foreign Office's (FO) statements regarding the Saudi military coalition were contradictory, and said that Pakistan must make careful decisions regarding the Islamic alliance.



He said Pakistan's tilt towards either side - Saudi Arabia and Iran - was not advisable.



Meanwhile, Qaumi Watan Party Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao questioned why Pakistan had agreed to become a member of the coalition without first finding out the aims and objectives of the alliance.



Briefing the lawmakers, Tehmina Janjua said that Pakistan would continue to observe the neutrality aspect in relations with "our brotherly Islamic countries".



At present, the world was passing through a transitory phase and realignment of relations among different states was in process, she said. "In this connection, Pakistan has challenges as well as opportunities to tap the potential of these fast changing international scenarios."



She said that Pakistan and Iran enjoyed cordial and brotherly relations, and had no border disputes between them. She also said trade with Iran would touch new heights after easing of international sanctions from Iran.



In the end, she welcomed the views and inputs of the members on the subject and hoped that the support of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs in the form of its recommendation would be a guideline for maintaining the country's delicate relations with its neighbours and other important power players of the present time.



The committee chairman appreciated the briefing and acknowledged the keen interest demonstrated by the members, and further informed the committee that they would continue to discuss this subject in the next meetings in the presence of experts invited by the committee with their consent.



The chairman directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to explore the possibilities of setting up a NADRA office in the Pakistani High Commission in Malaysia in consultation with the Ministry of Interior to solve the problems of the Pakistan community living in Malaysia. He also placed on record a document containing the names of the countries having dual nationality arrangement with the government of Pakistan.



It may be mentioned here that the Foreign Office had avoided an immediate reaction to media statements by Iranian Ambassador Mehdi Honardoost who expressed reservations about Pakistan clearing Gen (r) Raheel Sharif to lead the military alliance put together by Saudi Arabia.
PPP will have prime minister next time: Asif Zardari

NAUDERO / GARHI KHUDA BUKHSH: Asif Ali Zardari, president of the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians, has said that his party is ready for elections and people will elect a PPP prime minister next time.



Addressing a public meeting held in Garhi Khuda Bukhsh Bhutto on Tuesday to observe the 38th death anniversary of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, he said despite having no majority in the Senate we had won the chairmanship of the Senate.



He said the PPP had survived against all ups and downs and excesses. Z.A. Bhutto talked of Pakistan and fought for the rights of people. Despite knowing the threats to her life, Benazir Bhutto had returned to Pakistan and was determined to continue her journey for democracy.



He said with his stay in Punjab only for 15 days, the condition of paper lions had worsened and the situation would deteriorate for them when he toured divisions and districts of the province amid slogans of Jeay Bhutto.



Mr Zardari said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was the PPPs achievement. He said Z.A. Bhutto had given the nation the nuclear programme but the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leadership was taking credit for it. The current rulers, he said, were only capable of giving the yellow cab scheme.



Bilawal warns rulers against weakening the federation

Due to inefficiency of the present rulers, the nation was facing paucity of water and prolonged power outages. He said the PPP was waiting for the Supreme Court verdict in the Panama Papers case.



Addressing the gathering, chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari warned rulers against playing the dangerous game of weakening the federation and said the PPP being the party of the federation would not permit it.



He said by dishing out Rs33 billion schemes of natural gas to Punjab the PML-N was generating a sense of deprivation in smaller provinces.



Mr Bhutto-Zardari declared the next year as the year of elections and said his party was ready for it.



The party, he said, was working on its manifesto and it would be in consonance with the vision of Z.A Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. It would focus on tapping new employment avenues, opportunities for education, and health provisions for all coupled with a comprehensive programme for peasants and workers, he said.



The PPP chairman said his party believed in pro-people politics which always served the masses. He said he want to see a progressive Pakistan and asked youths to support him because the country needs you.



Amidst slogans of go Nawaz go, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said time had come to get rid of inefficient, coward and corrupt rulers and urged women to side with him as progress without their participation was incomplete and referred to her mothers plan of empowering women in all segments of society.



Calling April 4 the darkest day in history when a democracy-loving third-world leader who gave a unanimous constitution was hanged, he posed a question why Mr Bhutto was hanged and what his crime was.



He said Mr Bhutto was hanged because he really loved people, made the country a nuclear state and gave an independent foreign policy.



He said Mr Bhutto sacrificed his life for democracy, peace, strong defence. Bhutto is the name of a philosophy and struggle, but 40 years ago a dictator came and sowed the seeds of extremism and we are still facing that menace, he added.



Talking about the Prime Ministers visits to Sindh, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said people know you well and the hollow promises you made in Hyderabad and Thatta. He reminded Mr Sharif of his commitment of giving a grant of Rs2 billion in Mithi two years ago.



He said the rulers were least bothered about national security. The PML-N was spending a huge amount of money on advertisements but they could not befool people because they could not deceive 200 million people of Pakistan.



If the kind of development you are trying to portray in advertisements then why foreign loans continue to swell, exports had nosedived while imports were on the increase, the gas and electricity loadshedding kept on increasing, why profit-earning industries were being privatised?



Talking about terrorism, he said the nation was still standing at a juncture where it was some two years ago. He alleged that the rulers did not listen to his demands of implementing the National Action Plan, judicial reforms and taking stiff action against terrorists in Punjab.
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
A young female police officer who made what has been described as an insulting ethnocentric comment against the people of Wa in the Upper West Region is likely to face disciplinary action from the Service.



Believe Amedzro has been summoned by the Inspector General of Police for her comments on facebook which denigrated the residents.



Criticising a demonstration by youth in the area, the police woman suggested that Wa was "hell" with a hot scorching sun. "I don't know whether I am in hell or earth," she said.



Her comments have added a spark to an already angry residents who are protesting police shooting of a teacher.



Over the weekend shots were fired, tyres were burnt, cars were smashed all in protest over the shooting incident.



Just when the tension appeared to be easing, Believe Amedro threw in her tantrums on facebook, much to the chagrin of the youth in the area.



According to Joy FM, the whole community is talking about the publication.



"It is not right for her to insult us. The lady has to be dismissed; we stayed together with her, why should she insult us?" an angry resident asked.



"If you have the opportunity to serve us, serve us with diligence and don't insult us," another said.



The Upper West Regional Minister Suleman Alhassan told Joy News full scale investigations have begun.



He said the lady in question has been invited to Accra to explain the circumstances under which she made the comments.



Suleman was worried at the timing of the comments, particularly when the Upper West Police were attempting to resolve clashes between the residents and the police.



He was emphatic the comment is likely to deepen the mistrust between the police and the residents and called for better engagement between the police and the residents in order to solve the problem.



Meanwhile, the Upper West Regional Police Commander has apologised profusely for the conduct and "unguarded" comments by the officer.

Tweets below-

Residents of Wa in the Upper West region are seething with anger following abusive words heaped on them by a Policewoman on Facebook.



The officer, Believe Amedzro, described the residents as fools and their forefathers criminals, on her Facebook wall Tuesday morning.The Cop is reportedly angered by the reaction of some residents following the unprovoked shooting of a motor rider by a Police officer in the town last Saturday.



The comment has sparked massive anger among residents with many calling for her immediate transfer from the Municipality. Others have also threatened to exact their own justice on her if the Police command does not take immediate action.

Source: starrfmonline/joy news









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




Vistas de pagina en total

Precio del Brent To get the BRENT oil price, please enable Javascript.

Precio del WTI To get the oil price, please enable Javascript.

Precio del Oro To get the gold price, please enable Javascript.

Dolar USA Vs Euro

Archivo del blog





































PROHIBIDO OLVIDAR



OTAN = Asesinos



OTAN = NATO = Muerte



Mas temprano que tarde los derrotaremos



Hipocresia 3.0



El principe Carlos habla sobre el alto costo de la vida Es un chiste?



Las verdades son simples



Opinar es un peligro



Ejemplo de dignidad



El Nuevo Orden Mundial



Historica foto para el record Guinness







Se pegaron un tiro en el pie



Si palabras



Ya no enganan a nadie



No hacen falta palabras







Lo volvio a hacer



Capitalismo=embuste



Historico Bitcoin



La bateria mas grande de Holanda



El futuro es solar



Nec plus ultra, nec variatur



Fisica y culturalmente



Jamas nos callaran



Sin ellas, no seremos



Deja vu



Nada que celebrar



Hasta cuando?



Colombia Hoy



Para nunca olvidar



'Parasite' painted on a statue of Queen, Elizabeth in Kent, England



Sin palabras



La UE le apunta a la paz



Cada vez mas solo



LULA y su Pueblo



Bye Bye



Homenaje al genial Quino



Fueron ellos



Una imagen que resume



Tan bajo ha caido que se deja tocar el trasero?



Porky y el Nene (archiconocido narcotraficante)



Ladrones al poder



Asi mira el perrito a su amo



Crazy



Clamor popular



La nueva inquisicion



Bolivia



Chile Hoy



Eso es todo amigos!



Piensalo!



Pinerachet



No More Trump



Adios Macri, hasta nunca



La Marioneta se desinfla



Asi o mas cinico



Almugre



Mexico en 1794



Mas arrastrado imposible



Hasta cuando!



La pura verdad



Solidaridad con Palestina



Serie Capitalismo



Espejismos de la clase trabajadora



Asi es!



Comerciantes o delincuentes



No pasaran!



Asi es la vida



USA HOY



01/01/1959



La avaricia no tiene limites



AYUDA HUMANITARIA?



Chile Hoy



Asi son las cosas



Mapa Electoral de Venezuela



Patagonia argentina?



Un aniversario mas del mayor genocidio de la Humanidad



Retrato del franquismo en Espana



Visca Catalunya!



El Chulo de Madrid



Cuando la policia se roba la democracia



Una imagen dice mas que mil palabras



La purita verdad



Asi gobierna la maldita burguesia



Mi pobre clase media



Como Chavez nadie



Comparte La Colmena via twitter Twittear

Programa de la MUD



Asi o mas clarito



Por que Trump no ataco Corea del Norte?



Hace 15 anos Por que la OEA no se pronuncio?



Una verguenza nacional



La luz que nos guia



La Union Europea Premio Nobel de la Paz?



Feudalismo ayer y hoy



Obama, el mentiroso



Curiosa coincidencia



Un mundo de cerdos



No es extrano?



La Marioneta



Los ricos protestan, los pobres celebran



MARICORI Y OBAMA



Cuantas muertes este ano?



USA TODAY



USA HOY 6



USA HOY 5



USA HOY 4



USA HOY 3



USA HOY 2



USA HOY (1)



Insaciable



Cronologia de un agresor



Guarimbear en USA



Mexico hoy



Bolivar y Chavez



Primero Amargado



Dios los cria y ellos se juntan



USA hoy (III)



USA hoy (II)



USA hoy



Mexico hoy



Mexico hoy



Mexico hoy



Obama



La verdad sea dicha



Los ricos



Que no nos vea Obama



Pobre Obama



SOS PALESTINA



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



Archivo del blog Archivo del blog marzo (4) abril (9) mayo (8) junio (10) julio (11) agosto (10) septiembre (17) octubre (11) noviembre (15) diciembre (10) enero (9) febrero (10) marzo (8) abril (5) mayo (6) junio (8) julio (13) agosto (10) septiembre (7) octubre (12) noviembre (8) diciembre (15) enero (17) febrero (11) marzo (11) abril (12) junio (6) julio (11) agosto (15) septiembre (5) octubre (15) noviembre (14) diciembre (11) enero (13) febrero (9) marzo (10) abril (8) mayo (7) junio (12) julio (12) agosto (8) septiembre (8) octubre (4) diciembre (8) enero (35) febrero (20) marzo (29) abril (19) mayo (21) junio (27) julio (21) agosto (28) septiembre (40) octubre (47) noviembre (21) diciembre (34) enero (62) febrero (81) marzo (117) abril (141) mayo (114) junio (111) julio (126) agosto (98) septiembre (160) octubre (234) noviembre (493) diciembre (319) enero (219) febrero (267) marzo (230) abril (291) mayo (347) junio (223) julio (179) agosto (191) septiembre (239) octubre (350) noviembre (406) diciembre (353) enero (284) febrero (202) marzo (274) abril (250) mayo (232) junio (251) julio (188) agosto (249) septiembre (230) octubre (178) noviembre (141) diciembre (164) enero (187) febrero (147) marzo (211) abril (190) mayo (199) junio (164) julio (162) agosto (174) septiembre (182) octubre (225) noviembre (114) diciembre (132) enero (223) febrero (147) marzo (133) abril (108) mayo (387) junio (465) julio (785) agosto (748) septiembre (485) octubre (681) noviembre (754) diciembre (805) enero (708) febrero (896) marzo (735) abril (831) mayo (723) junio (555) julio (658) agosto (619) septiembre (457) octubre (455) noviembre (295) diciembre (269) enero (534) febrero (556) marzo (205) abril (119) mayo (194) junio (255) julio (294) agosto (182) septiembre (207) octubre (340) noviembre (351) diciembre (281) enero (114) febrero (128) marzo (216) abril (195) mayo (116) junio (141) julio (182) agosto (181) septiembre (50) octubre (72) noviembre (104) diciembre (88) enero (168) febrero (102) marzo (151) abril (207) mayo (43) junio (72) julio (35) agosto (146) septiembre (54) octubre (46) noviembre (48) diciembre (57) enero (133) febrero (218) marzo (196) abril (177) mayo (156) junio (158) julio (264) agosto (456) septiembre (524) octubre (473) noviembre (132)

Chavez Cuanto te queremos!



Por culpa de Chavez



Cerveza Polar







Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar







Translate













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!


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...
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,

I love you simply, without problems or pride:

I love you in this way because I dont know any other way of loving.

April is National Poetry Month. When I think about how poetry enhances lives, changes lives and sometimes even alters cultures, I am in awe. And it gives me pause to think of all the amazing poetry that has been passed from one to another over the course of history.

A few years ago, when we were living deep into the forest at the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains not far from the small town of Nellysford, VA, my husband and I would get up before the sun rose to share writing time. Taking turns, one would select a line of poetry and we would both write for about 20 minutes from that line. We filled several journals with our shared words. And when we look back on it, we recall the time as a sort of meditation.

For centuries poets have been asking and wondering and bringing to life pieces of our world we may not have noticed or pieces that enrage us. For me there are so many brilliant poets; too many to mention them all.

Some I love include Pablo Naruda, Frederico Garcia Lorca, Rita Dove, Rainer Maria Rilke, Mary Oliver, Amiri Baraka, Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni, Octavio Paz, Sylvia Plath and slam poets like Shane Koyczan and Mark Kelly Smith.

Tonight (April 5), Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs, hosts their monthly Open Mic Poetry night, starting at 7:30 p.m.; Battenkill Books, 15 East Main Street, Cambridge, is hosting a poetry night on April 27 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. You are encouraged to bring one or two poems to share (yours or someone else's).

Nationally, on April 19, the Academy of American Poets will hold its annual Poetry & the Creative Mind celebration at Lincoln Centers Alice Tully Hall, hosted by Meryl Streep. Celebrating poetrys important place in our lives, the event features actors, dancers, artists, musicians, and public figures on one stage sharing their favorite poems; and at the end of the month, on Poem in Your Pocket Day, people around the country will select a poem, carry it in their pocket and share it with others throughout the day.

Who is your favorite poet? Your favorite poem?
The ambulance Tom Ordway was on was headed to a hospital in northern Iraq, and as it passed another ambulance leaving the hospital, he noticed the other vehicle was heavily damaged.

It had been hit by two mortars. The back doors were blown right off, he said.

Body armor was a standard part of the uniform for Ordway during the 18 days he spent in Iraq last month as part of the volunteer group NYC Medics, treating victims of the brutal war to oust the radical group ISIS from the country.

He returned last week to resume his duties as a paramedic with the Glens Falls Fire Department, after nearly three weeks of helping civilians and members of the Iraqi military at a triage center in western Mosul.

The mobile medical centers are known as trauma stabilization points, and Ordway and his fellow paramedics  volunteers like him from the U.S.  were tasked with providing the first medical care to people injured in combat and vicious attacks by ISIS personnel. They moved as the front lines moved.

Their goal was to stop bleeding, administer pain medications and prepare patients to be taken to area hospitals, work that he described as helping waves of patients with only minutes devoted to each one.

You have 15 minutes with a patient and that was it. Stabilize, start IVs, stop the bleeding with tourniquets, he said.

He recalled an injured 16-year-old prisoner of war coming in at one point, and wonders how that teen could endure what he went through at such a young age.

The craziest day was when scores of injured were brought in after ISIS terrorists detonated a bomb hidden in a front-end loader in a military convoy, Ordway recalled.

We had 37 patients come in in 25 minutes, he said. It was unbelievable. You would have dozens of patients, and then your down time was spent getting ready for the next wave of people.

Ordway has been working as an emergency medical technician since he was 16, first serving with Johnsburg Rescue Squad and then spending years in Brooklyn before settling in Glens Falls to work as a paramedic with the Glens Falls Fire Department. He said there were days in Brooklyn he felt more in danger than in Iraq.

He credited Joe Connelly, president of the Johnsburg Rescue Squad, with letting him know about the opportunity to help with NYC Medics. Connelly, a co-founder of the group, was in Iraq in February.

Connelly said he has gone to other disaster scenes with NYC Medics, but his trip to Iraq was his first to a war zone.

Each team lasts about two and a half weeks, overlapping slightly to help transition, Connelly said in an email.

Ordway said he didnt hesitate when the offer was broached. He got an email at about 7 a.m. one day in January, seeking volunteers, and by 7:15 a.m. he had responded that he was willing.

He said the Iraqi military did a great job keeping the volunteers safe.

There wasnt a time there where I didnt feel that I would come home safe, he said.

And he said he may return there later this year, if hes needed and the opportunity is offered.

It was absolutely an amazing experience, he said.

Ordways team was the subject of an article in the Los Angeles Times during its assignment, which can be found at www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-iraq-american-medics-2017-story.html.
A proposal to have some teenage criminals prosecuted as juveniles instead of adults could cost counties millions of dollars, resulting in more teens in juvenile detention centers and on probation.

This could have a broad budgetary impact for counties, unless the state decides to fund the anticipated cost increases if 16- and 17 year-old defendants are sent to the Family Court system instead of criminal court.

The raise the age proposal has been blamed at least in part for the delays in passing a state budget in recent days.

State legislators have weighed making a change for several years, as New York is one of just two states in the nation that allows the prosecution of 16-year-olds as adults. But many police and prosecutors have opposed the move, as New York already has programs for the teens such as youthful offender that wipes arrests from defendant records based on their age.

In Warren County, county Probation Director Robert Iusi said arrest numbers show that 75 to 80 teens ages 16 or 17 are arrested on criminal charges annually in the county, and those defendants would be prosecuted as juveniles in Family Court instead of municipal or county courts. That process would include more of them being supervised by probation officers, he said.

But it has been unclear whether the state would provide money for the increased costs.

I am concerned about the lack of funding, Iusi said.

Among the greater costs that would be seen would be a need to place the most troublesome teens in secure detention centers, Iusi said. Secure juvenile detention can cost more than $10,000 per month per person, and the nearest detention facilities are in the Albany and Utica areas. A detention home in Queensbury that the county used for years has closed.

That will drive up police transportation costs as well.

Iusi said most of the teens who will be prosecuted as juveniles would be diverted to probationary supervision.

If they are low risk, we keep them out of the (criminal justice) system, he said. The Probation Department would look at diversion for the majority of these cases.

State Assemblyman Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, said he has heard from a number of prosecutors, police and probation officers in his Assembly district with concerns about the possible law change. The big questions still to be answered are: Which serious charges will result in teens being prosecuted as adults, and how will the additional costs will be paid?

Some in law enforcement have concerns that drug organizations will recruit 16- and 17-year-olds knowing they will not face significant penalties in Family Court, he said. Teens do not face state prison terms in the Family Court system, and they believe there would not be significant deterrents for them in that system.

Stec said misconceptions about how the state handles cases involving young offenders is playing a part in the debate. New York built protections into the law for teens years ago, such as mandatory youthful offender treatment of first-time offenders charged with misdemeanors, and discretionary for those charged with felonies. Jail inmates who are 16 and 17 are not housed with adults in New York jails, either.

We addressed this a different way decades ago, Stec said.
FORT EDWARD  Two $2,800 truck bases have become Washington Countys prize dump trucks.

But the program in which the county bids on surplus military trucks might be drying up.

The county had hoped to buy another cheap truck this year. Officials bid on a truck at the beginning of the year, but all of the bids were denied. The entire group of trucks being offered was pulled, Public Works Superintendent Steve Haskins said.

Now hes on the lookout for another truck, hoping there will be more. Hes not sure more will be offered.

Because President Trump is considering a military expansion, there are concerns being raised that it may impact the flow of surplus equipment, Haskins said.

Although its unusual for the entire surplus lot of trucks to be pulled, hes not giving up hope.

Its not definitive by any means, he said. We can go months and not see any and then in one month see 60.

A military expansion also doesnt necessarily mean the military will use these trucks. The county bought two 1992 trucks that had been barely used  one had 3,000 miles on it, the other 31,000 miles.

They just dont get used by the military, Haskins said.

Once the county buys them, workers turn them into completely different vehicles.

You have to do a lot of work to them, he said. Its just the cab and chassis. Thats all you get.

The county adds plows, the dump body, hydraulics to run the plow and wing, and a computerized system for salt dispensing. The trucks are also sent out for repainting.

Including the purchase cost, the county spent $50,000 on each of the trucks last year. But a new truck could have cost more than $200,000.

Haskins has enough money in his budget to buy another military truck this year, but not enough to modify it. That would be in next years budget.

The newer trucks are in the $7,000 range, he said. We are looking. We havent seen any advertised.
Voter enrollment in the 21st Congressional District has become more partisan since the November presidential election, with the proportion of unaffiliated active registered voters dropping off by about a half percent, a new state Board of Elections report shows.

Active enrollment in the 12-county congressional district increased by 779 voters between Nov. 1 and April 1, while the number of unaffiliated voters decreased by 1,674 over the same period.

Most political parties gained enrollment, with the exception of the Conservative, Independence and Working Families parties.

Here is the breakdown by political party, as of April 1, according to the state Board of Elections:

Democratic  120,064, compared with 118,711 on Nov. 1 and 115,566 on April 1, 2016;

Republican  169,387, compared with 168,133 on Nov. 1 and 165,228 on April 1, 2016;

Conservative  6,031, compared with 6,095 on Nov. 1 and 6,004 on April 1, 2016;

Green  1,241, compared with 1,161 on Nov. 1 and 1,078 on April 1, 2016;

Working Families  1,625, compared with 1,696 on Nov. 1 and 1,654 on April 1, 2016;

Independence  24,723, compared with 24,850 on Nov. 1 and 24,025 on April 1, 2016;

Womens Equality  52, compared with 36 on Nov. 1 and 25 on April 1, 2016;

Reform  53, compared with 40 on Nov. 1 and seven on April 1, 2016;

Other parties  136, compared with 139 on Nov. 1 and 113 on April 1, 2016;

Unaffiliated  83,683, compared with 85,357 on Nov. 1 and 81,023 on April 1, 2016;

Total  406,977, compared with 406,198 on Nov. 1 and 394,723 on April 1, 2016.

Stefanik votes with Democrats

Four of the 16 co-sponsors of a resolution that U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, introduced recognizing the importance of addressing climate change joined with Stefanik on March 30 in voting against legislation to revise the process of selecting members of the Environmental Protection Agency Scientific Advisory Board, according to the clerk of the House roll call vote record.

The legislation, among other measures, prohibits individuals who have received EPA grants within the past three years from serving on the board.

The EPAs Scientific Advisory Board should be comprised of the most knowledgeable experts whose views are grounded in scientific research, Stefanik said on her congressional office Facebook page, explaining her vote.

The legislation  HR 1431  passed by a 229-193 vote, with two Democrats voting yes, and five Republicans voting no. In addition to Stefanik, the following other Republican House members voted against it: Carlos Curbelo, Fla.; Ryan Costello, Pa.; Brian Fitzpatrick, Pa.; and Ryan Costello, Pa.This is the sixth time in 2017 that Stefanik has voted against the majority of the Republican Conference.

Stefanik co-sponsors legislation

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, on March 28 co-sponsored legislation Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Ind., introduced Feb. 9 to prevent the National Labor Relations Board from asserting jurisdiction over American Indian tribe-owned businesses on tribal lands, according to the Library of Congress government information website.

The legislation would clarify federal law and immediately end a dispute that began when the United Food and Commercial Workers union filed a complaint when union workers at the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indian-owned gambling casino in southern California received smaller bonuses than non-union workers, according to a House Education and Workforce Committee press release.

The NLRB traditionally did not take jurisdiction on cases on tribal-owned lands until 2004, according to the press release.The legislation  HR 986  had 16 co-sponsors as of Friday, with 13 Republicans and three Democrats.

Celebrating 1916

This is the latest in a series of posts about the 1916 presidential election between Democratic incumbent Woodrow Wilson and Republican challenger Charles Evans Hughes, a Glens Falls native.

Charles Evans Hughes was a trendsetter in 1916 when he became the first Republican presidential candidate to have a womens campaign team  known as The Hughesettes.

The trend did not take long to catch on.

All three early Republican presidential candidates in 1920 had womens campaign teams, Martha Coman reported in the March 14, 1920, issue of The Sun and the New York Herald.Women are now advancing to the more important arena of practical politics, Coman wrote.

Miss Harriet Vittum, womens campaign director for Gen. Leonard Wood in 1920, was a veteran of the Hughes campaign.

Vittum, of Chicago, was a delegate to the 1916 Progressive National Convention and managed the Western department of Hughes 1916 womens campaign.She was head of Northwestern University Settlement for 14 years and helped organize the Chicago Womens Club.

She was director of the Illinois Section of the Council on National Defense and ran once for Chicago Alderman.
Town of Wilson Referendum

Under State law, if a municipality imposes a new fee or charge to pay for garbage collection services that had been funded by the municipality's general tax levy in 2013, the municipality must reduce its tax levy limit by an amount equal to the total estimated revenue from the new fee, unless otherwise authorized to impose a new fee or charge on an ongoing basis to pay for garbage collection services without reducing its tax levy limit? If approved, the Town could either (a) continue operating the Town drop-off site at an estimated cost per household of $50 per year, or (b) perform mandatory curbside pickup and close the drop-off site at an estimated cost per household of $180 per year, or (c) perform mandatory curbside pickup while keeping the drop-off site open once per week for yard waste only at an estimated cost per household of $200 per year. If not approved, the Town may close the drop-off site, which would require residents to contract directly for garbage collection services.

1 of 1 Precincts Reporting - 100%
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
Multiple news outlets reported Tuesday night that portions of one chapter in Gorsuch's 2006 book, "The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia" and an academic article from 2000 contain text borrowed from other works without credit to the original authors.

In some instances, Gorsuch allegedly "borrowed from the ideas, quotes and structures of scholarly and legal works," Politico reported, citing documents related to the matter.

One example cited by Politico notes that, in Gorsuch's book  which was adapted from his Oxford University dissertation  some passages were lifted from an article originally published in the Indiana Law Journal. Text was copied without attributing the article's original author, Abigail Lawlis Kuzma. Gorsuch apparently cited Kuzma's sources instead, while copying her verbiage nearly word-for-word without crediting her, Politico's John Bresnahan and Burgess Everett wrote.

Critics have suggested the incidences call into question Gorsuch's qualifications for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court, which itself has been a long-playing battle in Congress since Justice Antonin Scalia died last year.

Kuzma and the White House have both come to Gorsuch's defense. Kuzma, who is now Indiana's deputy attorney general, said These passages are factual, not analytical in nature. It would have been awkward and difficult for Judge Gorsuch to have used different language, Politico reported.

White House spokesman Steven Cheung waved off any suggestions that Gorsuch acted improperly, calling it a "false attack" by critics "desperate to justify the unprecedented filibuster of a well-qualified and mainstream nominee to the Supreme Court."

But Syracuse University professor Rebecca Moore refuted those defenses in an interview with Politico, saying "Each of the individual incidents constitutes a violation of academic ethics. I've never seen a college plagiarism code that this would not be in violation of."

The plagiarism accusations surfaced on the same night that Democrats dug in their heels on the Senate floor to stall a vote on Gorsuch's Supreme Court confirmation. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon held the floor for hours Tuesday nightwhile a threat from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell loomed, opening up the possibility of a rules change that would eliminate the filibuster and hasten Gorsuch's confirmation.
Launched at 6:42 a.m. local time, the missile was reported to have traveled around 37 miles, according to South Korean Defense Ministry officials cited by CNN.

Officials also suggested that it may have been an attempt by the North Koreans to launch a land-based version of a rocket from a submarine, given its proximity to a known North Korean submarine base, The Washington Post reported.

Though officials from US Pacific Command (PACOM)  the US's regional asset in the area  detected a KN-15 medium range ballistic missile during their initial assessment, they determined it was of little threat.

"The North American Aerospace Defense Command determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America," said Cmdr. Dave Benham, a spokesman for PACOM, to CNN.

A spokesperson for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson delivered a brief statement in regards to the incident on Tuesday evening:

The missile launch, one of many in recent months, also took place the same day senior White House officials delivered a stern message on North Korea's nuclear program.

"The clock has now run out, and all options are on the table," one of the officials said in a CNN report.

The warning came from two senior White House officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, during the pivotal time when President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at his estate in Florida later this week.

The officials also pointed toward the failure of prior administration's efforts to curb the growing threat of North Korea's nuclear capabilities, and said that North Korea is a "matter of urgent interest for the President and the administration as a whole."

Additionally, the officials said they planned on pursuing a way to influence China  North Korea's closest ally  into restraining North Korea's ambitions.

The comments from the officials echoed the same tone as Jack Keane, a four-star US Army general who declined a cabinet position from Trump, who recently addressed the issue on North Korea.

"A pre-emptive strike against launch facilities, underground nuclear sites, artillery and rocket response forces and regime leadership targets may be the only option left on the table," Keane said to The Times of London. "We are rapidly and dangerously moving towards a military option."

In an interview with The Financial Times earlier this week, Trump also mentioned that the US would act unilaterally to stop North Korea, if China did not assist with the process.

"China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they wont," Trump said. "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will."

After Financial Times published its interview with Trump on Sunday, Gen. John Hyten, the commander of US Strategic Command, was quick to assure that any option to address North Korea's nuclear program would have to involve China.
Harrisons death shocked the nation. He had been inaugurated just 30 days earlier, making him to this day the shortest-serving president in US history.

Harrison is commonly believed to have died of pneumonia caught while giving his famously long Inaugural Address  although that theory is disputed by some modern historians.

It took several days  for the news of Harrisons death to spread across the country, as evidenced by newspaper archives available on the Library of Congress' website.

Check out how some newspapers reacted below:

New York Tribune, New York City

The New York Tribune reported Harrison's death on April 10.

It wrote:

"The painful tidings of a Nation's deplored bereavement have already been borne on the wings of the wind to every portion of the land. WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON IS NO MORE!"

The Caledonian, St. Johnsbury, Vermont

On April 13, Vermont's The Caledonian, reprinting a report from the New York Express, gave a play-by-play of President Harrison's final hours.

An excerpt:

"5 o'clock  The President wanders, and is at times quite insensible. All his symptoms are worse. His family are hanging in anxiety over his bedside, his Physicians watching every motion."

Boon's Lick Times, Fayette, Missouri

The news didn't reach Fayette, Missouri's Boon's Lick Times until April 17  two full weeks after Harrison's death.

It wrote:

"Our palsied pen refuses a response to our feelings, and leaves us mute with the varied and commingled emotions inspired by the intelligence from the National Metropolis. Too pure for earth, a great and good man has been translated to the society of Washington, and Franklin, and the kindred spirits of olden time,  his exemplars while here, and his associates hereafter; forever and ever."

The Madisonian, Washington, DC

The Madisonian's April 12 obituary included a tribute in the form of a poem by Baltimore poet John Hill Hewitt.

The first stanza reads:

Conservative, and Holly Springs Banner, Holly Springs, Mississippi

For the editors in the tiny town of Holly Springs, Mississippi, Harrison's death came just before press time.

As the report says, the editors of the paper barely had room to squeeze in a blurb about the president's demise before their April 16 issue was published.

"The Journal and other papers received this morning confirm the heart rending intelligence," the report reads. "THE PURE, THE GOOD, THE NOBLE-HEARTED HARRISON IS NO MORE!"

Richmond Enquirer, Richmond, Virginia

Virginia's Richmond Enquirer flirted with existential crisis when reporting Harrison's death on April 6, calling attention to the president's brief tenure.

It wrote:

"In announcing this melancholy event, all other reactions are absorbed in the thought of the nothingness of life, the emptiness of earthly grandeur. One brief month has witnessed his ascent to the summit of human ambition  and his passage to the tomb. 'What shadows we are, and what shadows we pursue!'"

North-Carolina Standard, Raleigh, North Carolina

Several newspapers, including Raleigh's North-Carolina Standard on April 14, published a note by five of Harrison's six Cabinet members. The note was originally published by Washington's Daily Intelligencer and distributed around the country.

It reads:

"The People of the United States, overwhelmed, like ourselves, by an event so unexpected and so melancholy, will derive consolation from knowing that his death was calm and resigned as his life has been patriotic and useful, and that the last utterance of his lips expressed a fervent desire for the perpetuity of the Constitution and the preservation of its true principles. In death as in life, the happiness of his country was uppermost in his thoughts."

Sunbury American and Shamokin Journal, Sunbury, Pennsylvania

On April 17, 1841, Pennsylvania's Sunbury American and Shamokin Journal was one of many papers to publish the address of Vice President John Tyler, who assumed the presidency after Harrison's death.

"For the first time in our history the person elected to the Vice Presidency of the United States, by the happening of a contingency provided for in the constitution, has had devolved upon him the Presidential office," Tyler said.

The unprecedented death of a sitting president caused a brief crisis, as the Constitution did not specify how much power the vice president should get in such a situation. Some believed Tyler should serve merely as "acting President," although Tyler quickly established his right to fully succeed Harrison, setting future precedent that eventually inspired the 25th Amendment.
Castro made the stunning comment after Blitzer asked him whether he has seen any "hard evidence" that Trump associates had worked to collude with Russian government officials in any way.

Castro did not directly answer that question but offered his "impression."

"I guess I would say this  that my impression is ... I wouldn't be surprised after all of this is said and done that some people end up in jail," Castro said.

A somewhat surprised Blitzer asked, "Really?" He subsequently asked Castro how high his "suspicion" went.

"That is yet to be determined," Castro responded, adding he could not divulge any additional information at the time.

"If I was betting, I would say yes," he continued. "My impression is that people will probably be charged, and I think people will probably go to jail."

Castro's comments came days after The Wall Street Journal reported that ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn offered to testify before both the House and Senate Intelligence Committee, as well as the FBI in exchange for immunity  or, as his attorney outlined in a statement, a guarantee he would not be subjected to "unfair prosecution."

None of the entities have accepted his offer.

Trump defended Flynn in a tweet Friday morning, one day after The Journal story broke.

"Mike Flynn should ask for immunity in that this is a witch hunt (excuse for big election loss), by media & Dems, of historic proportion!" Trump tweeted.

Flynn isn't the only Trump associate who has found himself close to the investigations being conducted by both committees and the FBI. Several other Trump associates and campaign officials, including confidant Roger Stone, former campaign manager Paul Manafort, former adviser Carter Page, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have volunteered to be interviewed by at least one of the entities.
"Today's chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world," Trump said in a statement. "These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution."

Trump cited President Barack Obama's inaction after issuing a "red line" in 2012 that suggested that the US would intervene militarily if the Assad regime used chemical weapons.

When evidence that Syrian forces had used chemical weapons to attack civilians emerged, the US declined to retaliate with military action, opting instead to broker a deal in which the Assad regime agreed to remove chemical weapons from Syria.

"President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing," Trump said. "The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack."

But it doesn't appear that the Trump administration is planning to urge Assad to step down. And Trump didn't seem to want Obama to enforce the red line at the time, tweeting in 2013, "AGAIN, TO OUR VERY FOOLISH LEADER, DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA - IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN & FROM THAT FIGHT THE U.S. GETS NOTHING!"

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters while he was in Turkey last week that the "longer-term status" of Assad would "be decided by the Syrian people." And the US's ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, told reporters that the Trump administration's "priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out."

The remark signaled a shift in America's official position on the Syrian strongman. Though they were criticized for failing to act against Assad, Obama and former Secretary of State John Kerry had long called for Assad to step down in a monitored transition of power.

Tillerson released a statement on the chemical attack on Tuesday, saying the US "strongly condemns" such actions.

"While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism," Tillerson said in the statement, which stopped short of calling on Assad to relinquish power.

Tillerson instead shifted responsibility to Russia and Iran, two of Assad's biggest allies, saying they "bear great moral responsibility for these deaths."

"Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions," Tillerson said. "Anyone who uses chemical weapons to attack his own people shows a fundamental disregard for human decency and must be held accountable."

Tillerson called on Russia and Iran to "exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again."
Yet since the dawn of the Space Dawn, they've all turned into garbage the moment we ignite their engines.

That paradigm shifted in a major way on March 30, 2017: when SpaceX  the rocket company owned by tech mogul Elon Musk  achieved the first-ever full reuse of an orbital-class booster, which is the most expensive part of these launch systems.

"This is going to be a huge revolution for spaceflight. It's been 15 years to get to this point," Musk said during a live broadcast of the launch. "I'm at a loss for words."

The event was historic not just for the launch of a communications satellite into orbit atop a used rocket booster. Minutes later, the major rocket part landed itself for a second time on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean, as SpaceX's newly released photos show.

It's really this moment Musk has been waiting for, since it means his company can repeatedly launch and recover the biggest part of its $62 million Falcon 9 rocket system:

To that end, Musk told reporters on Thursday that SpaceX will soon try to launch, land, and re-launch the rockets in 24 hours  an aggressive goal, but one that Musk said makes it "possible to achieve a hundredfold reduction" in the cost of getting stuff into space.

"This is potentially revolutionary," John Logsdon, a space policy expert and historian at George Washington University's Space Policy Institute, previously told Business Insider. "Reusability has been the Holy Grail in access to space for a long, long time."

However, Musk and his company aren't stopping their spaceflight conquest with Falcon 9 rockets.

The company is also due to debut its similarly reusable but more powerful Falcon Heavy launch system this summer, send its first human passengers into space in 2018, and begin blanketing Earth with high-speed internet using 4,425 satellites.
Panera will be a privately held company following the transaction and continue to be operated independently by its management team.

A leader in the "fast-casual" restaurant mode that combines speed with freshly-prepared food and a savvy marketer of its avoidance of artificial ingredients, Panera has managed gradual growth over the last five years while larger chains have struggled.

Sales rose 4.2 percent to $2.8 billion in 2016. Panera has more than 2,000 restaurants in the United States and Ontario, Canada.

"Over the last five years, we have developed and executed a powerful strategic plan to be a better competitive alternative with emerging runways for growth," said Panera chief executive and founder Ron Shaich.

"The themes we have bet on - digital, wellness, loyalty, omni-channel, new formats for growth - are shaping the restaurant industry today."

JAB chief executive Olivier Goudet praised Panera's "vision for the future" and strategic efforts.

Financed by the German family Reimann and led by Goudet, JAB already holds extensive US food assets, including Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Peet's Coffee & Tea.

The transaction priced Panera at $315 per share in cash, a 30 percent premium to the 30-day average stock price prior to March 31, when news reports speculated about a possible takeover.
Touching on the topic Artiste Bookings & Performances, both gentlemen schooled (Budding) Musicians, Artiste Managers, Event Organizers and On Air Personalities in the Region for over 2 hours.

Edem who spoke extensively on the topic was very excited about the growth of new music talents in the Region and how hungry they are to reach the top. Below is a brief culled from Edems one hour presentation at the seminar:

Impact is most important than doing multiple songs. Order of performance is key. Do your ground research. The crowd you meet each time is a good of diverse people so you always have to go the extra mile to impress them. Regardless of the crowd size, make sure give the best performance. Dont condemn yourself when you flop on a show. Give people the value for their money. Dont be intimidated by fans when they are giving you away or they dont like your showmanship; instead, find a way to psych them up to cheer you up by finding a good way to better your act. You have to steal the spotlight for yourself as an upcoming act. Your performance can kill or promote your song depending on your own approach. When people dont know (about) your song or music, it is about your artistry and performance  which when done well will win your more fans and appeal. Dont believe in the hype, but use the hype. Using the hype means you are building something you want to become that will come to benefit you. Focus on building your craft through social media instead of commenting on silly posts on social media. Music is like any other job, it takes time to grow. Network is good but it has to be good. Dont give any industry person pressure. Dont be bitter for your things that dont work, you are delaying your future success. Your performances makes you last longer than your songs. Believe in what you have than what you dont. use the CLAMP formula (i.e) C-oncept, L-yrics, A-ppearance, M-usic, P-erformance.

Elorm Beenie, the main Host of the programme (before Edem spoke), also touched on some key areas of Booking & Performance. He took them through the various steps of Booking an Artiste, the need for Event Producers/Coordinators to always keep a Running Order, how Artistes/Managers to put a Technical Rider together amongst other key things.

The music workshop was started by Elorm Beenie a month ago as a platform for mainstream artistes (especially from the Volta Region) to interact with their talents back home. Its the 2nd time the seminar was run within a month.

We had a very successful show and I am personally happy Edem came through to help out and directly speak to these budding artistes. They need these stepping stones to help them make the right decisions on the administrative side of the music, its not just about hitting the booth to drop lyrics or doing interviews or shooting music videos or performing them. Its a whole industry and we need to educate the budding ones a lot; thats the best way we can produce very good musicians that can last the test of time. Next date and venue will be communicated. Were running this in the Volta Region now but I look forward to partnering other people in other Regions as well to help educate our musicians, especially the upcoming ones. The attendance was very encouraging; the 1st seminar had 37 attendees and this 2nd one had over 60  thats an improvement I think, Elorm Beenie added.
According to Crime Alerts, the body of the deceased was found over the weekend at by janitors cleaning the room she had slept with her guest.

Her colleagues held placards with the inscriptions, Sex workers: dont kill them, Sex workers have right to live, 'Sex workers: Support them'.

Jacob Kanake, a director for the Mombasa Criminal Investigation Department mentioned that investigations has began into the murder.

ALSO READ: Father of 2 dies in hotel while soliciting sex from customer
Fast rising Ghanaian rap kid, Tee Rhyme is accusing AMG Business label owner, Criss Waddle of theft.

According to Tee Rhyme, Criss Waddle stole the title of his 2016 released Hip-hop track titled Bokoor De3 featuring Cabum.

Waddle, on April 3 dropped a track called Bokoor De3 and immediately caught the attention of Tee Rhyme. Tee, who thinks he owns the title considered it theft.

Explaining why he decided to hound the issue, Tee Rhyme told Pulse.com.gh that he just want karma to take its turn.

It could be recalled that in 2016, Criss Waddle accused Shatta Wale of similar crime. He claimed that the term Bie Gya belonged to him, therefore, Shatta Wale should not have used the same title for his song.

I also dropped a song with the title Bokoor De3 featuring Cabum in 2016 and had a good rotation. You can attest to that. And to my surprise, the same person (Criss Waddle) who accused his colleague (Shatta Wale) of similar incident took the title for his latest single, he told Pulse.com.gh

When catechised whether he will drop the case or not, he vociferously responded: No! I will never drop the issue until he realises his mistake.
In a statement, the Fighters said the root of the galamsey menace is due to foreign domination of the nations natural resources.

It said through the active connivance with foreign forces, our presidents over the years have entered into questionable contractual arrangements with foreign monopoly capital making our people the worst for it.

The statement, signed by Commander Hardi Yakubu, said all ownership of the resources have been taken away from us. This is the root of the galamsey menace.

The group proposed the followed measures to solve the galamsey menace:

We call for the full nationalisation of the Mining Industry in Ghana. Anglo Gold, New mont, IAMGOLD Corp, Gold Fields Adamus Resources Ltd., African Gold plc, Moydow Mines International Inc.,Pelangio Mines Inc., Perseus Mining Limited and Xtra Gold Resources Limited have to be sacked for good. They are causing the same harm as the chinese and illegal miners.

We call for the immediate amendment of Article 257 clause 6 of the 1992 constitution that vests all our mineral resources in the President on behalf of, and in trust for the people of Ghana to an expanded body of trusted persons drawn from the broader masses of the people.

READ MORE: Leading cocoa companies in the world pledge to help Ghana fight illegal mining

Finally, the pollution of our water bodies and destruction of our environment is an attack on the country. If we have a President of Ghana who is the Commander in Chief of the Armed forces then we expect an immediate action of full deployment of the Army into the enemy held zones to go fight and to free our country once and for all.

The statement comes after weeks of intense media discussion on illegal mining.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu said the situation is unfortunate and would not allow them to have the time to due diligence on the nominees.

Even if you have genuine reasons for changing the timetable or the schedule, at least you should have called us, the other side, to discuss how we can also amend our programmes to suit the new schedule. This will afford us the opportunity to find out how we can do due diligence and the background investigations on the nominees, but they did not do this.

READ ALSO: Joe Ghartey committee finds Mahama Ayariga guilty of contempt

They are just rushing everybody through the exercise without recourse to due diligence and background checks. Article 79, Article 94 of the constitution have been put aside because they just want to form their government immediately. We dont want to be part of it, we dont know the agenda they have set to achieve for which reason they are rushing through the process. We will leave it to the good people of this country to judge, he told Accra FM.
I have not signed a single small-scale mining licence since I assumed office. This is an attempt to sanitise the system.

"Some of the small-scale miners who are originally mandated within the regulatory framework and with a concession to mine in a sustainable way are also not doing that, Mr Amewu told Accra-based Joy FM.

The illegal mining (galamsey) menace continues to serve as a threat to water bodies, aquatic life, and agriculture in the country.

However, several efforts by previous governments including setting up an inter-ministerial taskforce in the previous administration seem to have proved futile.

The famous Pra and Tano rivers are among the most polluted water bodies in the mineral-rich Western Region.

Farming activities at many communities in the Ashanti Region, which are also endowed with precious minerals, have also been curtailed due to galamsey.
READ MORE: Kasoa interchange to be closed

Many drivers entering the city were stuck in a long traffic jam stretching meters away from the toll booth while a lucky few enjoyed clear roads in the other direction.

The interchange was closed Tuesday morning, and according to the Brazilian construction firm, Queiroz Galvao, the road will be opened to traffic on Saturday April 8.

Many commercial drivers who spoke to Pulse.com.gh said they were not informed about the closure of the road.

They just closed the road today without telling anybody, one commercial driver said.

Another said: They did not make provision for alternative route for us to use. They know Kasoa is a busy town so they cannot just close the road at will.
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
The officer, Believe Amedzro, described the residents as fools and their forefathers as criminals, on her Facebook wall Tuesday morning.

READ ALSO: Violent protests in Wa after policeman shoots teacher for riding unregistered bike

The 24-year-old teacher, Ali Rashid, was said to have been shot at by a police officer who was stationed at the Wa main traffic light after he resisted arrest for riding an unregistered motorbike.

But the young people in the area said they were not pleased with the action of the Police Officer and subsequently hit the streets of Wa to register their displeasure about the incident.

But criticising the move by the residents, the policewoman wrote on her timeline that Wa was "hell", adding that "I don't know whether I am in hell or earth."

The said comments have angered residents with many calling for her immediate transfer from the Municipality.

Meanwhile, the Upper West Regional Minister Suleman Alhassan has announced that investigations have begun.
The four new ministers include Professor Kwasi Yankah, Minister of State in-charge of Tertiary Education, Minister of State in-charge of Agriculture Dr. Jule Nura, Minister of State responsible for Procurement, Sarah Adwoa Safo and Brian Acheampong also a Minister of State.

President Nana Akufo-Addo at the swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at Flagstaff House described them as critical to the success of the government.

He said the four persons will be good team players in ensuring the collective commitment that the agenda of the government is fulfilled. He noted that he will "provide an honest, competent government for the people of Ghana".
Two more planes carrying Afghans deported from

have arrived in Kabul after their asylum request was rejected under an agreement between the

and Afghan government.





The arrivals mean 248 people have been deported from Europe to

this year, compared with 580 throughout 2016, said Hafiz Ahmad Miakhel, spokesman for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations.





Fifteen deportees arrived by chartered flight from

on Tuesday, while 19 landed on Wednesday from

and 10 from

. Another flight, from

, is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday.





European governments say those deported back have failed rigorous asylum tests and that major cities like Kabul are sufficiently safe.





The EU signed an agreement with the Afghan government in October allowing its member states to deport an unlimited number of

, and obliging the Afghan government to receive them. - Read More,




What better to release some stress than cruise at the beach this weekend. To make the mini vacation more fun and memorable, you can visit with your family and friends. Get active and engage some family friendly games while sporting your various beachwear.

Enjoy local delicacies

Tired of eating frozen sea foods? Fish is the worlds best source of omega-3 fatty acids and incredibly good for the whole family. There are many food vendors who sell local dishes prepared with fresh fish, meat, and vegetables to promote your health.

READ ALSO: 5 beautiful places to visit in Ghana

Cultural display

Our customs and traditions strengthen us together as a nation. Evenings at Kokrobite are mostly crowned with dancing and drumming at various pubs and restaurants to entertain and teach guest about various Ghanaian cultures.

Go fishing

Most people love consuming fish but they know nothing about the fishing process and how to store fish to maintain its nutrients for a long time. Once you spend your weekend in the Kokrobite community, it is quite daring to have interaction with the seamen and learn some tip bits about fishing. Additionally, you will get fresh and affordable fish for friends and family.

Affordable artifact and paintings

Aside from the gentle hospitality, the people of Kokrobite are very talented when it comes handmade goods. They have creatively designed many artifacts to tell the history of Ghana. They also have paintings to depict real life situations and tell the African style through the stroke of their brush. All these serves as good decors for homes and offices.

Affordable house for rent
The decision was reached at the extra-ordinary General meeting its member held on the same day at the Exchange House, Lagos.

Demutualization connotes a process of converting a member-based organization to a shareholder-owned organization. This also change its purpose from non-profits to profits making organization. Historically, stock exchanges are promulgated by law, self-regulating and mutually governed with profits making is not a strong motive of operation.

Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, Mr. Aigboje Imoukhuede, the President of National Council, Nigeria Stock Exchange, said this approval of the NSE demutualization plan marks the achievement of an important milestones towards completion of the exercise.

He further stated that the demutualization of the Exchange will bring Nigerian capital market at par with other major exchanges. While noting that this would enhance governance, transparency and visibility whilst attracting more strategic partners, investors and good quality issuers...

Also commenting on the development, the CEO of NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema, stated that the approval of the demutualization process will generate sustanital motivation for the development of an agile Exchange thereby consolidating its innovativeness and strengthening its leadership at both local and international levels whilst adding value to its stakeholders.

NSE commenced the process in 2015 by appointing a consortium of Rand Merchant Bank, a South-Africa Investment Bank, and Chapel Hill Denham, a leading Nigerian investment bank, as the financial advisers of the process.
The judge in the case awarded the former founders and managers of the creative agency $3.2 million (2.6 million), less than the $4.4 million (3.6 million) the plainants were seeking.

The judge has yet to rule on costs, which could add another $2.4 million (2 million) to Publicis' bill.

The lawsuit alleged that "critical information" was withheld from the former shareholders of KNAS in "circumstances so appalling that Publicis own employees have subsequently reacted with embarrassment and guilt."

Publicis Groupe acquired KNAS in 2011 to merge it with the London Digitas office. After the deal, the terms of the earn-outs for KNAS execs were linked to the performance of the new agency formed in the acquisition. When the KNAS team found out 52.7% of Digitas UK's revenue came from one client, Procter & Gamble, they wanted to be sure of the strength of the relationship and were told it had the "confidence of a retainer."

Only later did the claimants learn that the "impending loss of Digitas UKs P&G business had in fact been widely anticipated within Publicis and Digitas UK since as early as July 2010," before the acquisition of KNAS was completed.

Marc Nohr, one of the founders of KNAS, told Business Insider: "I am relieved that justice prevailed. And pleased to have honoured the commitment we made to our chairman Jeremy Shaw before he sadly passed away, that we would fight until the end and not be daunted by the size of our opponent."
In an unprecedented move  as far as I can recall  Apple pre-announced products it's working on: a new version of the Mac Pro, a high-resolution computer display, and some retooled iMacs with more powerful features.

The new Mac Pro and display won't launch for at least another year, and the iMacs are coming later this year, although that's as specific as Apple would get.

But there's a lot of history behind the decision to break with tradition and pre-announce a bunch of stuff that isn't even finished yet, and it comes after a series of missteps that gave the impression the company was ignoring some of its most important customers.

Apple has earned a reputation for abandoning professional users  the graphic artists, video producers, and programmers that rely on top-notch hardware to get work done. Although it's a relatively niche group today, it wasn't that long ago that professionals like these were the core of Apple's fan base.

But Apple essentially ignored its pro hardware and put its engineering prowess behind more consumer-friendly products like the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

The result? A lineup of Macs that hasn't been significantly updated in the technological equivalent of a lifetime.

The current Mac Pro desktop was introduced about three and a half years ago. The Mac Mini, a sort of in-between device for "prosumers," hasn't been updated in about two and a half years. The new MacBook Pro, which launched last fall, rubbed a lot of professionals the wrong way because of its lack of common ports that meant you needed to buy dongles to use many accessories, as well as poor battery life and not enough options to upgrade the memory.

Meanwhile, competitors like Microsoft have swooped in to attract the pro market Apple left behind. Microsoft's new all-in-one PC, the Surface Studio, features a gorgeous touchscreen display and accepts stylus input and a new method of control with the Surface Dial, which is perfect for artists and designers. And the Surface Book is a powerful Windows laptop with a touchscreen and all the ports professionals love.

In short, it has never been easier to switch from a Mac to a more powerful and capable alternative, and it looks like that won't change for at least another year.

Apple appears to have realized it's losing the high ground in the pro market, so it invited a handful of journalists to its headquarters this week to chat with two top executives about its plans to reassure one of its most dedicated fan bases that it's finally going to turn things around.

In that meeting, Apple's senior vice president of marketing, Phil Schiller, and SVP of software engineering, Craig Federighi, revealed just enough details about the upcoming Mac Pro to whet the appetites of users who had been waiting for something new, especially a new graphics processing unit that'll help the computer push out better graphics, and an Apple-made display to replace the Cinema Display that died last year.

In the meantime, Apple is throwing pros a bone: The current Mac Pro was updated Tuesday with some faster chips, and those new iMacs launching later this year will get an internal boost, too.

But there were other curious aspects about this soft product announcement, especially the company's cagey reply when asked about the Mac Mini in the Mac lineup. Schiller said there weren't any immediate plans to update the Mac Mini, even though it has been over 900 days since its last update, and he didn't elaborate.

The execs also reiterated that they didn't want to add touchscreens to Macs  something pros have grown to love on Windows machines.
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
"Fashion is a long term thing, a generational thing. This is not a thing where you just wake up and think you are going to make all the money in the world from it, some people are lucky and some people are not" he reveals in the chat with Guardian Life.

"Being a creative in Nigeria is truly a test of patience. Majority of Nigerians want fast money and are not ready to grow in business and fashion is not the place to do it because you will become frustrated".

While dishing on how his brand as "simplicity with edge", the fashion business rakes in the least amount of money for him, stating his most lucrative work is as a creative director closely followed by styling and then designing.

The fast growing almost two year old brand in Nigeria also hinted at a possible diffusion line in the offing in the nearest future while stating that the Tokyo James aesthetics won't change but will roll out accessories line soon; "I probably might do a diffusion line but that will be down the line. Further down there would be women accessories and male accessories".

Cover Credits:

Photography: Niyi Okeowo | @niyiokeowostudio

Makeup: Eyesome Beauty | @eyesome_beauty

Styling: Tokyo James | @tokyojames
In this edition of the magazine, Chimamanda Adichie speaks on feminism and religion as well as her support of Hilary Clinton during the US elections.

A few people wondered why the famous author endorsed Hilary Clinton during the election period despite her shaky track record in Africa when she was Secretary of State.

"You are talking about her intervention in Libya for example. I dont expect American policy to think of Africas wellbeing as a primary thing. Lets be realistic, Americas policy will be about America and protecting America. Personally, I thought that the whole Libya thing was a complete disaster and was ill-conceivedbut I dont take it as a personal failing of Hillary Clinton. If anything, I think of it as a failure of American foreign policy" said Adichie.

On how feminism and Christianity can go together she says "Lately, I have been thinking about how Christianity works and is such a force on the continent of Africa. I actually believe that its possible to forge a feminist platform around ChristianityMy point being people who are feminists and see religion as part of the problem, which I think is also true, but I also think that within religion, we can in fact create a platform that is feminist" she tells New African Woman Magazine.
PM Express reports that the couple who reside at Ogundipe Street in Santos Layout in Akowonjo area of the state, had lured the victim to Greenland Hotel located in Egbeda, where they drugged her, took her into a room they had earlier booked, raped and recorded the sexual violation with a video phone.

A police source close to the case said while Obinna forcefully had sex with the victim, his wife was videotaping the act with her phone though she cleverly blocked out her husband's face from being seen in the video.

It was gathered that after the dastardly act, Obinna and his wife downloaded the video and shared it on the social media and among their neighbours.

The matter was reported to the police and the suspects were later arrested and charged before Magistrate Akeem Fashola at the Ejigbo Magistrates' Court.

While the motive behind their action was not disclosed by the suspects to the police, it was learned that the victim was close to the wife before the incident happened.
State police commissioner, Hafiz Inuwa made the disclosure in a chat with newsmen adding that the suspect, also known as 'Ability', will be charged to court as soon as investigations have been concluded.

Ability and his gang members specialize in the snatching of so many Jeeps within Cross River state and beyond and some of these Jeeps he takes them down to Akwa Ibom, Abuja to dispose.

The suspect is presently with us and will be charged to court at the end of our investigation.

"Meanwhile, we are now tracing all the Jeeps that he has so far robbed from people," the police CP stated.

ALSO READ: Drama as car thief stripped of charms is left crippled
The judge, Alhaji Umar Kagarko, however, gave Zamani an option of N14,000 fine and ordered him to also pay N50,000 compensation to the plaintiff, Kiki Samuel.

He warned Zamani to be of good behaviour and to desist from committing crime.

The police said that Zamani was convicted on a two-count charge of joint-act and stealing.

The Prosecutor, Fedelix Ogubwe, had told the court that the plaintiff of Bwari, Abuja, reported the matter at the Wuse Police Station on March 30.

Ogubwe said while the plaintiff was waiting for the traffic light to allow him move his car at the Wuse Market, junction, Abuja, the convict and one other person at large, distracted him.

He said the convict told the plaintiff that the boot of his car was open and while the plaintiff was trying to check the boot, Zamani stole his cell phone worth N42,000 and wallet, which contained N8,360.

The prosecutor said the offences contravened Sections 79 and 287 of the Penal Code.
Ugbaja, whose address was not provided, is facing two-count charge of possession of a secret society document and assisting in the management of a secret cult.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Christopher Okoliko, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on March 15 at about 1.15 a.m., along Nnobi Street, Ikate-Surulere, Lagos State.

Okoliko said that the defendant had in his possession, a letter belonging to NEO Black Movement of Africa, Aye Secret Cult.

He added that the act showed that Ugbaja was assisting in the management of the cult, known to be an unlawful society.

According to him, the offences contravened sections 42(a) and 41 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

However, the defendant pleaded not guilty and the Chief Magistrate, Mr A.A Paul, granted him bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum.

He said one of the sureties must reside in his property in Lagos State, while the other must be gainfully employed.

The magistrate also ordered that the sureties should provide evidence of tax payment with their addresses verified.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Momodu had alleged that Saidat was into fetish practice.

My wife is fetish; I came back from work one day and discovered that a portion within my compound had been cemented.

I was curious to know what was buried inside the ground, so I called my people and we dug the ground and saw a charm buried there.

My wife wanted to kill me so that she can inherit my property, Abu said.

The 70-year-old businessman presented pictorial evidence of the buried but later excavated charm; which he alleged, was the handiwork of his wife.

He said that his wife was no longer cooking for him nor was she washing his clothes.

My wife cannot do any house chore; I am married but living like a single man, I can no longer tolerate her, he said.

He also accused his wife of inscribing, This house is not for sale notice on the wall of his house without his consent.

The petitioner urged the court to dissolve the marriage, saying he was fed up.

However, the respondent, Saidat, alleged that her husband did not only commit adultery but incest.

My husband was having an affair with my sister; she aborted two pregnancies for him.

I decided not to fight him in order to save my marriage, she said.

Saidat, mother of two daughters, also described her husband as a wicked and callous man.

My husband took me to one hospital where he connived with the doctor to remove my womb so that I will not be pregnant again.

After destroying my womb; he is now telling me that he wanted to marry another woman, so that he can have a son that will inherit his property.

He also told me he wanted to sell our house so that he can settle our daughters and rent an apartment for me before he moves on with his life.

The 57-year-old trader, however, begged the court not to grant her husbands request, saying she was still in love with him.

Who will marry me now after my husband has destroyed my womb? Please do not grant his request, she said.
Last year, Minister of Science and Technology accompanied, by a team including the Vice Chairman of NASENI visited the Indonesia Ministry of Research and Technology and Technology Development Agency and the Agency for Nuclear Energy and the state-owned company that produces arm and ammunition and produce aircraft.

During their visit, they discussed developing an MoU but it is still in the process because of technical issues; the Nigerian side needs to secure the calculations, estimations of the value of every project in every state while Indonesia is not providing the value and Nigeria needs it because they want to put on their budget for next year.

They are in the process of discussing how the draft MoU will look like and be signed.

Cue out audio

According to the envoy, officials expressed interest in the various ways nuclear science can develop other sectors and impact on the daily lives of Nigerians.

He added that the concept of nuclear science and technology is not complicated and can be done by developing countries like Nigeria.
Dr. Chizoba Wonodi, Convener of Women Advocates for Vaccine Access (WAVA), expressed pleasure at the decision via a statement.

My heart bleeds for all Nigerians who have lost loved ones or have been hospitalized following the meningitis outbreak in the country, Wonodi said.

We at WAVA are however, consoled by the fact that all arms of government are working together to deal with the outbreak decisively. The resolution by the Senate to support free Meningitis C vaccination and supplementary appropriations to procure the vaccines is highly commendable.

We urge the National Assembly to go further and appropriate sufficient funds for all vaccines as Nigeria transitions from Gavi support. We laud the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the state governments, the World Health Organization and other partners who are dealing with this outbreak.

The Meningitis C vaccine, like other vaccines, saves lives, prevents illness and saves the cost of treatment. Nigerians should cooperate with the outbreak response and avail themselves of the Meningitis C vaccine.

Government has an important role to play in assuring that we have vaccines to protect the health of our people. This role is now more important than ever before, as Gavi gradually withdraws its funding support over the next five years. The government and people of Nigeria must rise to the occasion and raise the needed funding for vaccines," she added.

ALSO READ: 10 things you should know about meningitis outbreak in Nigeria
Yari said, on Tuesday, April 4, that various sins, including the sin of fornication committed by Nigerians cause God to send the epidemic.

However, because people refused to stop their nefarious activities, God now decided to send Type C virus, which has no vaccination, the governor said.

People have turned away from God and he has promised that if you do anyhow, you see anyhow that is just the cause of this outbreak as far as I am concerned, he added.

Read Nigerians reactions to Yaris comments below:
The party made the call in a statement by the Publicity Secretary of its National Caretaker Committee, Mr Dayo Adeyeye, on Wednesday in Abuja.

It advised the government not to play politics with the menace.

It condoled with the families of all those who had died as a result of the scourge since the outbreak.

We urge all Nigerians to drink more water, sleep in a ventilated environment and report symptoms to the nearest health centre within their areas for quick medical attention, it said.

The party, however, expressed concern on the news of the outbreak of the disease in the country and the lukewarm reaction of Zamfara and Federal Governments at curtailing the scourge.

It said that the primary responsibility of any government was to protect the lives and property of its citizens and that it was disheartening the way the menace was being handled.

As of Tuesday, April 4, about 336 Nigerians had lost their lives due to the outbreak of type C Cerebrospinal Meningitis and the Federal Ministry of Health has not taken any concrete step to contend with the spread.

 It is on record that the PDP Government in 16 years did not allow such display.

It stated that it was more worrisome that a statement credited to the Governor of Zamfara, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, attributed the outbreak of the ailment to Gods making.
Allison-Madueke, who was described in the charge as still at large, is charged alongside, three officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on seven counts of money laundering.

They are: Christian Nwosu, Yisa Olarenwaju and Tijani Bashir.

The charges were read to the three accused, who were present in Federal High Court Lagos, and Nwosu pleaded guilty to the charges, while Adedoyin and Bashir pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo then informed the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Idris, that Nwosu had elected to enter into plea bargain with the EFCC.

Oyedepo added that already Nwosu had made a refund of N5 million and surrendered the title document of a landed property he purchased for N25 millon in Delta State.

Reacting, Nwosus lawyer, Mrs Adeku Nbangba, confirmed the position and pleaded with Justice Idris to temper justice with mercy in deciding the fate of the accused.

The judge adjourned till April 7, for sentencing and ordered that Nwosu be remanded at the EFCC custody.

Meanwhile, the judge granted bail in the sum of N50 million each to Adedoyin and Bashir, adding that they should deposit their international passport with the courts registrar.

The prosecution had alleged that the accused committed the offence on March 27, 2015 by accepting bribe from the ex petroleum minister.

They were also alleged to have conspired to take possession of the sum of about N264 million which sum they reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act of gratification.

The accused were also said to have made cash payments of the sum of about N235 million, which sum exceeded the amount authorized by law, without going through a financial Institution.

EFCC further alleged that Bashir (fourth accused) also made a cash payment of about N70.1 million to Adedoyin (third accused) without going through a financial institution and which sum exceeded the amount authorized by law.

The prosecution also alleged that Bashir also directly took possession of the sum of about N165 million which sum he ought reasonably to have known formed part of an unlawful act of gratification.

In count seven, Nwosu (second accused) was alleged to have directly used the sum of N30 million which he ought to have known formed part of an unlawful act of gratification.
The committees on Tuesday, April 4, jointly expressed dissatisfaction over the ministry while visiting its headquarters in Abuja

The committees on aviation; land transport; maritime safety and administration; ports, harbours and waterways had visited the ministry, which is led by Rotimi Amaechi, on oversight function.

Chairman of the committee on Maritime Safety and Administration, Mohammed Bago, said the ministry presented different documents to the committees, and the documents did not contain facts.

Bago said that the ministry received N243 billion in 2016, and has not exhausted it, adding that if the money is not used before the end of the month, it will receive no allocation in 2017.

He said: "The different positions made to the committee of the house on both land transport, ports and harbour, maritime safety and administration as well as aviation has varied.

"We have received three different documents till date and all of them are not consistent and that is why we have asked for a new document to ascertain the value of what this project is all about.

"We are not going to appropriate on this budget until we have the fact and figure and if we do not have the facts and figure, the ministry of transport will get zero allocation.

"They have received 243 billion and they have not spent it when ministry of health needs money because people are dying of meningitis, Nigerian soldiers are dying in Sambisa, no money to fund the soldiers.

"The ministry of transportation is seating on billions of Nigerians' naira released to it and is not utilised."

On his part, Chairman of the committee on ports, harbours and waterways, Patrick Asadu, said members are at the ministry to ensure that money given to the ministry is well spent.

He said the money allocated to the ministry is not well spent.

He said: "Our being here is to help the ministry to ensure that money given to it was spent for what it was given for.

"But when this money is not well spent, we are not going to release further money; we are trying to look at what happened in 2016 budget; we are insisting that the ministry spends it or we give it to other agencies."
The ASUU President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi made the call on Wednesday while answering questions from newsmen after the inauguration of a new secretariat constructed by the ASUU chapter of Kano State University of Science and Technology, Wudil.

NAN reports that the new ASUU secretariat was named after Nasir Hussein, a founding member of the union in the university.

Ogunyemi said the union was not happy with the allocations to the sector in the last three years and said that the National Assembly must change the narrative.

In this years budget 6.1 per cent was allocated, last year it was eight per cent and we rejected it and the year before was 11 per cent.

So the allocation to the education sector has been on the decline and what we are saying is that we will no longer take it.

We went to the National Assembly during the budget defence and argued our case, the ASUU president said.

He expressed hope that the lawmakers would do something urgently to address the issue, to enable Nigerian universities have the necessary facilities for uninterrupted academic activities and be able to compete with other universities across the world.

We hope the National Assembly will address the issue of funding and address other problems bedeviling the universities in the country.

We have always been engaging government on what they need to do to make our universities globally competitive to attract and retain the best academics.

According to him, the union is also working to promote policies that would address the welfare of its members as well as improve the quality of lives of Nigerians.

Ogunyemi also commented on salary shortfalls in some universities, saying that the union would no longer tolerate such.

We have written to the government. We met at Yola last week and we put it on the table that as from the end of March, we will no longer accept any reduction in what is due to our members as their entitlements.
Ngilari was recently sentenced to five years imprisonment, but a Yola High Court had last week granted him bail on health grounds.

It was later found that the medical report that aided the ex- governor's release was not authorized by the prison authorities.

According to a statement released on Tuesday, April 4, by the Prisons spokesperson, Francis Enobore, the suspended senior officers were indicted for the roles they played in the issuance of the unauthorised medical report.

The affected officers are Peter Tenkwa, the controller of Prisons for Adamawa State and Abubakar Abaka, the Deputy Comptroller and John Bukar, a Superintendent of Prisons.

In the suspension letter dated 3rd April, 2017 and signed by the Director/Secretary of the Board, Sunday Ogu, the officers were relieved of their official duties pending the outcome of all necessary investigations into the matter.

ALSO READ: Adamawa prison command rejects medical letter on convicted Ngilari's health

A new Controller and officer-in-charge has already been posted to take over the state command and Yola prison respectively.

A medical doctor was also deployed to oversee the prison clinic, the statement said.

However, the prison authorities did not indicate any intention to either re-arrest the Ngilari or appeal his controversial bail.
Addressing newsmen in Maiduguri, Dashe also lauded the military for restoring peace to the sub-region.

He however urged security agents to intensify efforts to rid the sub-region of pockets of activities of the insurgents as indicated by cases of suicide bombings.

He called for the involvement of Christian bodies in the rebuilding plan of the North East.

The plan for the rebuilding the North-East should involve the church; if the church has been part of assisting the victims of insurgency, it should equally be involved in the rebuilding plan.

The Federal Government should get the church involved in the efforts at reconstruction.
The protesters who stormed the APC state headquarters, condemned the comments by Jibrin, who represents the area in the House of Representatives.

NAN reports that Jibrin is currently on a suspension imposed on him by the House of Representatives over the 2016 budget padding scandal.

Speaking at the occasion, the Kofa ward APC chairman, Alhaji Hudu Musa who presented a petition to state party chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, said the statement did not reflect the views of the constituents.

The entire people in the constituency are totally against the statement made by the lawmaker, he said.

Also, the APC local government chairmen of Kiru and Bebeji, Alhaji Muntari Isiyaka and Alhaji Sani Kanti-Ranka respectively, said the people of the area have a history of respect for elders.

We are here to inform the party leadership that the people of the constituency are not happy about the statement he made against President

We hope the party will take the necessary punitive measures against him.

Responding, Abbas, the state party chairman, thanked the protesters for taking the pain to come to the state headquarters of the party.

This is an indication that the people of the two local government areas are in support of President Buhari and Gov. .

He said the party would take a decision on the petition based on its constitution.
Adesina, who is the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, said the inauguration of the Plan was in furtherance of the current administrations drive to sustain and build on the successes so far recorded in tackling corruption, improving security and re-revamping the economy.

According to him, the formal inauguration of the Plan will take place in the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, at 11 am.

The Medium-Term ERGP was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) during one of its meetings in 2017.

ERGP has among its broad strategic objectives, to restore sustainable, accelerated inclusive growth and development; invest in the people and build a globally competitive economy.
Plaintiffs in the matter with suit number M/4853/17 were George Uboh and George Uboh Whistleblower Network.

Muhammad struck out the suit on the ground that the applicants lacked the locus standi to compel the Attorney- General to investigate past chairmen of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).

According to the judge, the applicants have no power under the provisions of the law to decide for the AGF who to prosecute.

I have examined the application of the applicants seeking an order of the court to commence an action of mandamus on the respondents.

Applicant must have a locus standi before such an application can be granted, the judge said.

According to Muhammad, a private legal practitioner has no locus standi to compel the AGF to prosecute a person.

The judge added that Section 383 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) was specific on when a private legal practitioner could compel the AGF to investigate an individual

The applicants had prayed the court, to exercise its powers under Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution and order the AGF to investigate and prosecute former and present EFCC chairmen.

Those listed for investigation were Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Mrs Farida Waziri, Mr Ibrahim Lamorde, Ibrahim Magu and Access Bank Plc.

They averred that the EFCC chairmen were fraudulent, and refused to account for recovered money in accordance with Section 15, 16, and 17 of the EFCC Act.

The plaintiffs said that the respondent owed them a duty to prosecute the EFCC chairmen.
According to Mr Tyopev Terna, its spokesman, several others also sustained injuries in the violence that enveloped the area Wednesday afternoon.

Those injured have been taken to the Pankshin General Hospital, but we have restored normalcy and arrested three persons in connection with the fracas, Terna told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said that anti-riot policemen had been deployed to the area to forestall further breakdown of law and order.

Mr Titus Panshak, Chairman, Pankshin Interim Management Council, who spoke on the incident, described it as embarrassing, unfortunate and shameful.

We are saddened by developments in Ampang over a dispute bordering on the headship of that District.

Killing and maiming each other is not good for anyone; this incident is strange and we hope it will never repeat itself, he said.

He traced the violence to the death of the District Head of Ampang in 2015, and the disagreement between the two ruling families over who should succeed him.

The former District Head, who was installed in 1978, died in 2015. We had thought that the succession will be quiet and natural, but that was not to be as the two ruling houses could not agree, he said.

Panshak appealed to the Ampang Community to embrace dialogue and allow peace to reign so that meaningful development could flourish.

He wondered why people should take to arms over a matter they could resolve amicably, and prayed to God to console relations of the deceased and heal those injured.
He said I am happy to inform the people of the state that we are embarking on these projects across the 23 local governments of the state.

These projects would include rehabilitation and construction of irrigation facilities, earth dams, as well as provision of water for irrigation and livestock.

Tambuwal added that the state government had paid N1.3 billion as counterpart contribution to the NEWMAP project.

The governor noted that the World Bank gave N5.5 billion as its contribution to the project.

He explained that under the project, the Lugu dam which was devastated by flood in 2012 would be rehabilitated, so also the Wurno irrigation scheme.

He said that the collapse of the dam in 2012 resulted in the destruction of 1,200 hectares of irrigable land, while over 3,000 farmers lost their means of livelihood.

The state government would team up with the World Bank and other partners to mitigate desertification, deforestation and other ecological challenges.

The World Bank Task Team Leader of the project, Dr Amos Abu, said 19 states were currently benefitting from the project.

Abu commended Tambuwal for the courage, conviction and integrity to the project.

The National Task Team Leader of the project, Alhaji Salisu Dahiru, represented by the Communications Specialist, Dr Adebayo Thomas, hailed the state government for the swift payment of its counterpart fund.
They were arraigned by the Federal Government on charges bordering on criminal conspiracy to receive gratification in various ways, contrary to Section 8(1)(a) of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act 2000.

Okeke in his ruling on the no-case submission of the defendants, held that the prosecution did not adduce enough evidence to warrant the defendants to enter defence.

He said that the prosecution did not establish a prima facie case against the defendants.

He held that no iota of evidence to proof that the defendants were guilty of the charges levelled against them.

Okeke said that the prosecution should carry out proper investigations before suspects are arraigned.
The minister made the comments on Tuesday, April 4, during a meeting with Nigerian content developers at the MIPTV conference in Cannes, France.

I want to say it loud and clear that there is no iota of truth in the rumour that we are selling the national theatre to the Lagos state government, Mohammed said according to Vanguard.

We do not have the capacity to do so and will never do so. What is happening is that we are fortunate to have a governor like Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos who is very passionate about the creative industry.

The governor decided that he is going to mark the 50th anniversary of Lagos with cultural activities, films, music and he was looking for a befitting venue. He now decided to take the opportunity of this 50th anniversary to collaborate with the federal government to revamp the national theatre to use it as a venue for most of the programmes and at the same time laid the foundation for a viral and dynamic creative industry.

The governor is asking for nothing, rather he is foresighted in knowing that a renovated and functional national theatre will be a catalyst for the film industry, theatre art, music.

He also realized that by revamping the theatre, more young men and women will be able to exhibit their talents and more jobs will be created and more taxes will accrue to Lagos state purse.

Therefore, for everybody it is a win-win situation and there is no attempt whatsoever to sell any national asset to anybody, he added.
The Commandant of the Corps, Mr Makinde Ayinla, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Wednesday.

Ayinla said that one person was arrested for pipeline vandalism and for being in possession of 2,100 litres of illegally refined AGO also known as Diesel within the period.

He decried the increasing rate at which illegal refineries were springing up in the state and advised government at all levels to create jobs for the unemployed.

According to him, an idle mind is the devils workshop, and that government should create employment for the jobless youth.

He said that within the period under review, seven persons were arrested in connection with illegal mining as their documents were not updated.

The commandant also said that three persons were arrested for operating illegal and unregistered Private Guards Companies in the state.

He said that the command had arrested 15 persons for piracy, on the invitation from the Theatre and Motion Pictures Producers Association of Nigeria.
The refunds were part of over-deductions from State allocations to offset loans from the Paris-London club.

In December 2016, the Osun State government paid out the sum of N13,645,546,673.04 to clear salaries, leave bonuses and pension arrears of four (4) months, State executives told Pulse.

The Accountant General of the state of Osun, Mr. Akintayo Kolawole, said the state government accountably expended the sum of N11,744,237,793.56 received from the federal government in November 2016.

The sum was first tranche of the Paris Club refund.

Speaking with Journalists in his Osogbo office, Kolawole revealed that the Osun Revenue Apportionment Committee headed by Comrade Hassan Sunmonu agreed for the total Paris Club refund to be spent on clearing workers salary arrears.

The revenue apportionment committee agreed that the Paris refund be used in paying salaries and that the sum of N1.9B be added by the State government to augment salary payment to local government workers, Kolawole noted.

Speaking on how a total of N13.6B was used in paying salary arrears, Kolawole explained:

The sum of N8,519,437.233.43 was paid out as salaries for September, October, November and December.

"Similarly, the sum of N924,676,305.24 was paid out as leave bonuses for the four months, while the sum of N2,496,605,100.64 was paid in pensions for the same period.
Over the years in Nigeria, some homosexuals have found themselves beaten to death or even lynched by angry Nigerians.

On January 13, 2014, former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, signed into law the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, which imposes penalties of up to 14 years in jail.

"Hell or High Water" tells the story of a young married pastor, who is loved and adored by the members of his church.

Things take a different turn for him when he has to confront his sexuality - an act that breaks him spiritually, emotionally and psychologically.

The story explores the reality of sexuality amidst spirituality and family.

In "Hell or High Water," Gbolahan (Enyinna Nwigwe) and Kelechi (Daniel K Daniel) represent hundreds of Nigerians, who, out of the fear of becoming second-class citizens, bullied, excommunicated from church or even killed, marry a wife for appearances.

Hauwa (Chika Okeke) and Ejide (Ashionye Raccah) represent women who unfortunately find themselves in loveless marriages because their partners are battling with their sexuality.

Hauwa and Ejide's reactions to their husbands' sexuality is as realistic and believable as they come. Their characters reflect the hurt and pain that comes with being married to most homosexuals.

Homosexuality is a spiritual matter in most homes and in "Hell or High Water," it is addressed in a scene which sees a prophet (Gregory Ojefua) flogging a younger Gbolahan to chase out the demon.

One of the movie's most powerful scene, where Gbolahan writes 'I will not do it again' on several pages of a book, communicates the battle most homosexuals fight - the urge to be free of what is widely considered an affliction.

"Hell or High Water" is simple, beautifully made and skillfully interpreted by extraordinary actors.

The movie isn't without humour as seen in a scene from the third act, which sees Gbolahan's parents address their son's predicament and their loss as a result of his sexuality.

The script also avoids those popular cliche that are usually presented in Nollywood movies with homosexuality themes. Oluseyi simply refuses to present stereotyped gay characters.

Should homosexuals be accepted, lynched, beaten to death, rejected, prayed for or excommunicated? These are questions you might expect to be answered in "Hell or High Water." However, Oluseyi takes an open-ended route.

There are no moral judgements in "Hell or High Water" as he resists the urge to justify, support or condemn homosexuality.

With "Hell or High Water," the cast and crew bring to life a refreshing short film that starts a much-needed and rarely addressed on-screen and off-screen conversation about homosexuality, stigmatization, sexuality and spirituality.
Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, APC National Publicity Secretary, gave the advice in a statement issued in Abuja, saying that such utterances could derail the partys effort to make peace between both arms of government.

The party specifically urged Prof. Itse Sagay, Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC) to exercise restraint in his comments.

According to him, the party also charged him to desist from making utterances that may be misconstrued as an attack on the institution of the National Assembly.

We believe the comments attributed to Prof. Sagay are uncalled for, regrettable and could further complicate the relationship between these vital arms of government.

The party wishes to reiterate its earlier position admonishing all elected or appointed government officials to desist from utterances that may ruin efforts to build a harmonious relationship between the two arms of government.

Prof. Sagay should not operate outside this admonition.

Our expectation would be that as a Law Professor of repute, Prof. Sagay would appreciate the need not to denigrate the institutions of democracy, be it the executive, legislature or judiciary, he said.

Abdullahi said the party objected to the Professors call on the Senate to withdraw invitation extended to him.

This, he said, was unacceptable and potentially injurious to the peace efforts by the party, especially on the background that he was appointed by the APC government.

He said the party acknowledged the fatherly role being played by President Muhammadu Buhari to resolve outstanding issues with the National Assembly by setting up a committee led by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

He further charged government appointees to help the Vice President makes friends that would make his job easier.

Abdullahi expressed happiness with its recent meeting with the Senate caucus and confidence that all the issues raised would be addressed.

He also urged the National Assembly to further intensify its efforts to ensure timely passage of the 2017 national budget.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Sagay had earlier referred to the confirmation of presidential nominees by the Senate as a mere exercise.

The Senate, in a unanimous decision, had on March 28, stood down the confirmation of 27 Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for two weeks following the statement.

Most lawmakers saw Sagay`s comments on the senates power to confirm nominees of the president as disrespectful, uncouth and a lack of recognition, coming from a Professor of Law.
The comment was made by INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu on Tuesday, April 5, during a stakeholders conference in Abuja.

If a candidate that emerges from party primaries is changed, how can INEC intervene? We can only appeal to the political parties to respect their rules. The laws say that INEC has no power to reject names submitted by the headquarters of a party, he said.

In some cases, some of the candidates shouldnt have been nominated. Some parties recommend ex-convicts for election, certificate forgery, only for the court to nullify that election and for INEC to conduct fresh election. The parties should do basic due diligence, he added.

ALSO READ:INEC vows to punish staff indicted in Rivers rerun report
Sagay was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC).

In a statement by APC spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi on Wednesday, April 5, 2017, the ruling party described Sagays comment as uncalled for and regrettable.

The statement reads:

The APC urges Prof Itse Sagay (SAN) to exercise restraint and desist from making utterances that may be misconstrued as an attack on the institution of the National Assembly.

Our expectation would be that as a Law Professor of repute, Sagay would appreciate the need to not denigrate the institutions of democracy, be it the executive, legislature or judiciary.

ALSO READ: Itse Sagay: Senate is being occupied by the most unserious set of Nigerians

"Moreover, as an appointee of Mr. President, we should expect the learned Professor to key into his principal's temper and help him to make friends that would make his job easier and not make enemies of people who, by virtue of the position they occupy under our law, are critical to the running of government and the nurturing of our democracy.

"APC specifically objects to the Professor's call on the Senate to withdraw invitation extended to him. As someone appointed by our government, we find this kind of posturing unacceptable and potentially injurious to the peace efforts by the Party.

"APC wishes to reiterate its earlier position admonishing all elected or appointed officials of our government to desist from utterances that may endanger efforts to build harmonious relationship between the two arms of government. Prof. Sagay should not operate outside this admonition."
19 year old and fresh, Zara Larsson represents all that is different and glitzy about life. Since she pushed to fame with winning Swedens Got Talent at ten years old, she has steadily grown through the ranks in Europe. And theres just a lot of buzz around her as she became a fresh outlet for pop music on the continent. Shes grown to become an international star now, and her second album So Good is meant to mark this time of her life.

Pop music is her forte, and Larsson has wasted no time in dishing out some of the bet songs on the project as singles.

Chart-topping lead single Lush Life is extremely immersive, and its power pushed her to the top in 2015, Her follow up, Never forget you, which featured UKs MNEK showed a part of her drama that is mixed with darkness, while also highlighting the power in her voice and melody.

And where sentiment was once her mantra, she dumped them for desire in the overtly sexual Aint My Fault and I Would Like, which adds a mature tone to the project. Larsson is layered, and she is not shy about it. She captures it in her art and spins hits from it. Turns out sex can line the pockets too.

Theres also Nigerias Wizkid in Sundown, who contributes the Afro-Caribbean swag and riddim to complement her zest.

But pop isnt all that Zaras arsenal holds. She fires off less bouncy songs, designed to drop the tempo and carry the listener through different pleasant and stable moods. Dont Let Me Be Yours and One Mississipii are kind of short on fire and spice, while I cant fall in love with you is a Disney ballad with a difference.

Rating 3.5/5.

Ratings Board
Most of America, and the world have been in protest mode for quite some time now, and Pepsi thought "Oh, this might be a great time to join the protest wagon".

But they got it completely wrong. And the Internet is not letting this slide.

Now, here's the thing, Pepsi made an ad that makes it look like protests are just places where cool kids go to hang out.

But this is what protests and clashes with real security forces actually look like.

Or like this.

Protests are about wanting change. About demanding. About dissatisfaction. About anger. Not a video looking like a backyard garage party. Let's not even start with how it was Kendal Jenner they chose to use.

And yes, people already made parodies, and this one is just outright hilarious.

In a statement to Business Insider, Pepsi commented on the ad, saying:

"This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think that's an important message to convey"
"Hey murderer Assad, how are you going to escape from their curse?" Erdogan said at a rally in the western city of Bursa, referring to the victims.

At least 72 people, among them 20 children, were killed in Tuesday's attack in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun, and dozens more were left gasping for air, convulsing and foaming at the mouth, doctors said.

Erdogan, in his first public reaction to the incident, said that over 100 people, including children, "became martyrs due to chemical weapons".

The World Health Organization said there was reason to suspect a chemical attack, with some victims displaying symptoms suggesting exposure to "a category of chemicals that includes nerve agents."

The UN Security Council was meeting Wednesday to discuss a draft resolution presented by Britain, France and the United States that urges a swift investigation into the attack.

Erdogan, a vocal critic of Assad, also denounced the world's "silence" on the killings.

"Hey, the world that remains silent, the United Nations that remains silent. How will you be brought to account for this?" Erdogan said.

Russia, Assad's main ally, has said a Syrian air strike had hit a "terrorist warehouse". Erdogan made no reference to the Russian claim.

Turkey said Wednesday that about 30 people were being treated in Turkish hospitals after the attack, adding that it had evidence the strike was caused by chemical weapons.

The wounded were brought from Idlib through Turkey's Cilvegozu border gate for the treatment in the Reyhanli district of Turkey's southern Hatay Province.
This would be a bombshell for a country already wallowing in two years of recession and the fallout from the massive "Car Wash" corruption investigation.

Analysts say there is little chance of this, however, with Temer likely to keep his seat until regularly scheduled polls at the end of 2018.

The issue dates back to 2014 when Temer was vice president on the winning ticket of leftist Dilma Rousseff's reelection to the presidency. Last year, Rousseff was removed in an impeachment vote and Temer took over the top job.

Temer and Rousseff are now accused -- as are swaths of other politicians caught up in the Car Wash probe -- of taking undeclared campaign funds or bribes from corrupt donors. The TSE's job is to rule on whether the election was fatally compromised.

Both Temer and his former partner on the presidential ticket deny any wrongdoing.

Deliberations were to begin Tuesday and end on Thursday.

Brazilian media report that the judge overseeing the case, Herman Benjamin, will recommend that the full panel impose sanctions against Rousseff and Temer, with new elections.

However, Temer's center-right PMDB party and allied parties control Congress and they have the backing of big business. Following the Rousseff impeachment, there is little appetite for yet another abrupt change of president just when economic reforms are underway.

One way of kicking the can down the road would be if defense lawyers succeed in asking for more time to answer the case. A judge on the court may also decide he needs more time to study the huge quantity of evidence.

Another option is that the court could decide that Rousseff and Temer did take illegal donations but that the evidence does not support annulling their victory. It is also possible that the court will rule to scrap Rousseff's victory, while finding Temer not guilty and able to carry on.

"There's total calm. The president has time on his side, because there are many legal options," said a government source, who asked not to be named.

Since he took over, Temer has been plagued by rock-bottom approval ratings and a wave of corruption allegations against his close allies.
"Special Adviser of the Secretary-General (SASG) on Cyprus, Mr Espen Barth Eide, has announced the Cyprus Talks will resume following consultations with both sides and today's meeting between the Secretary-General and the Turkish Cypriot leader," a UN statement said.

"The leaders will resume negotiations at 10am on Tuesday 11 April 2017. The meeting will be held under the auspices of SASG Eide," it added.

The announcement comes after Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Akinci met for dinner on Sunday for the first time since talks were suspended in February.

The four-hour dinner was held at the Ledra Palace Hotel in the buffer zone in the divided capital, Nicosia.

Outside the venue, scores of Greek and Turkish Cypriots chanted for a "solution now".

Earlier on Tuesday before the UN announcement, Anastasiades told reporters the Greek Cypriots were ready to resume talks at any time.

"Our position remains that we are ready at any given moment to continue the dialogue... The whole effort is focused on our desire for a solution to the Cyprus problem," Anastasiades said.

Anastasiades and Akinci have been engaged in fragile peace talks since May 2015 that observers saw as the best chance in years to reunify the island.

Climate of trust crumbled

But the UN-backed process came to a standstill in February in a row over Greek Cypriot schools marking the anniversary of an unofficial 1950 referendum supporting union with Greece.

Akinci suspended his participation in the talks after the Cyprus parliament approved a move for Greek Cypriot schools to commemorate the poll.

Since the bill passed, a previous climate of trust between the two sides has crumbled, with each blaming the other for the impasse.

Parliamentarians are now expected to amend the bill, allowing the education minister, rather than parliament itself, to decide on such issues.

Much of the progress in recent talks was based on the strong personal rapport between Anastasiades and Akinci, leader of the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Obstacles to progress will remain even when the negotiations resume, as the leaders are still far apart on core issues such as power sharing, territorial adjustments and property rights.

Also added into the mix is a Greek Cypriot presidential election next February and the republic's search for oil and gas.

New exploratory drills are expected in June, but Ankara wants to see these stopped until peace talks have reached an outcome.

The eastern Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded its northern third in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking Enosis -- the Greek term for political union between Greece and Cyprus.

After a failed referendum on a UN peace plan in 2004, the Cyprus republic now headed by Anastasiades joined the European Union as a divided country.
However, his family claims that he cannot afford bail, set at 200,000 euros ($213,000).

Tsochatzopoulos has a heart ailment, and was in treatment at an Athens hospital when the ruling was released.

At the time of his conviction in 2013, judges said Tsochatzopoulos employed his position as defence minister from 1996 to 2001 to pocket bribes paid through offshore companies for the procurement of a Russian rocket defence system and German submarines.

The kickbacks were added to the final cost to the Greek state which ended up paying overcharges worth millions of euros (dollars).

Prosecutors say the illegal proceeds were used to make several choice real estate purchases in Athens by Tsochatzopoulos and members of his family.
A police official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, confirmed the casualty figure.

Pakistan is currently carrying out its first census since the last was held in 1998. The military is helping the Civilian Bureau of Statistics carry out a door-to-door survey of the population.

Aljazeera reports that the vehicle that was carrying the census team was approached on the outskirts of Lahore by the suicide bomber who was riding a motorcycle.
Although the prosecutors' statement did not name Martinelli as the owner, the former leader and his lawyers confirmed ownership.

Martinelli, who went to live in self-exile in the United States after his 2009-2014 term, said on Twitter he was preparing a lawsuit for "helicopter theft."

"The Martinelli family acquired a helicopter abroad, registered it in North America's jurisdiction and transferred ownership to a North American trust," one of Martinelli's lawyers, Alejandro Perez, told a news conference in Panama.

"This helicopter was paid with funds that have absolutely no relation to the Odebrecht case," he said, referring to the Brazilian group.

Panamanian authorities accuse Martinelli's sons -- Ricardo and Luis Enrique Martinelli, who are also outside the country -- and 15 others of taking more than $20 million in bribes from Odebrecht in return for helping it receive lucrative public contracts.

Odebrecht has admitted to paying $788 million in bribes to win fat construction contracts in 12 countries. It has agreed with the US Justice Department to pay a record $3.5-billion fine.

Ricardo Martinelli, a businessman who owns a chain of supermarkets in Panama, is being investigated on separate charges of corruption and spying on opponents.
Led by several drummers, protesters blew whistles and carried placards saying "You are gone" and "You are not my president." One young man waived a big red flag with Che Guevaras portrait.

Similar demonstrations were held in Novi Sad in the north and Nis in the south, Serbia's second and third largest cities, respectively, local media reported.

Vucic on Sunday won the presidential election in the first round with a clear majority, garnering 55 percent of votes, and will take office as president in late May.

It was not clear if any group was behind the protests as participants said they had no leader and were organised through the Facebook social network.

But their complaints echoed those of Serbia's opposition which had cried foul over an "unfair" election campaign that was marked by Vucic's omnipresence in the media. It also claimed that voters had been intimidated and threatened.

On Monday Vucic said that "everyone has a right to be unhappy with the election results."

"It is fine as long as it is peaceful," Vucic said.

His main rival, ex-ombudsman Sasa Jankovic who came second in the vote with 16 percent, supported the protest but urged participants to keep it non-violent.

"Dear young people on Belgrade streets, express freely your protest over unfair elections. Just (do it) non-violently and do not allow provocations. That is your right!", Jankovic wrote on his Twitter account.

And Luka Maksimovic, a 25-year-old satirist who ran as the fictional Ljubisa Preletacevic -- nicknamed "Beli" (White) -- and came third with 9.3 percent of the vote, called for protesters to remain calm and avoid "being used by (someone's) personal and party interests".

"So please take it easy and be smart," Maksimovic wrote on his Facebook page, while denying any involvement in the protests or calls to join them.
General John Hyten, who heads the US military's Strategic Command, told lawmakers that a single ground-launched cruise missile is not a significant threat, but the calculus changes if multiple missiles are launched.

"We have no defense for it, especially in defense of our European allies," Hyten told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"That system can range and threaten most of the continent of Europe depending on where it is deployed. ... It is a concern and we're going to have to figure out how deal with it as a nation."

US officials have not described the missile deployed by the Russians, but experts say it could be easily tipped with a nuclear warhead.

The 1987 INF treaty put an end to a mini-arms race triggered by the Soviet Union's deployment of SS-20 nuclear missiles targeting Western European capitals.

Russia says it has not violated the INF treaty, but has accused Washington of doing so itself.

Russia is modernizing its entire nuclear force, and Hyten said the breaching of the INF treaty was a "concern" that "we're going to have to consider as we look forward to how we deal with Russia."

The general also warned about the growing threat to America's satellites, an essential component of its global security apparatus.
The ministry said the visit on April 11-12 would include talks with counterpart Sergei Lavrov covering international security, including the fight against Islamic State and conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

"We positively rate the stated aim of the new leadership in the US to change the situation for the better, but we think we should judge from real actions," a statement said.

The State Department confirmed the visit and said that Tillerson will discuss "Ukraine, counterterrorism efforts, bilateral relations and other issues, including the DPRK (North Korea) and Syria."

Tillerson's visit comes as contacts with Russia remain a highly sensitive issue for Trump's administration, with law enforcement agencies and lawmakers probing alleged ties between his campaign and the Kremlin.

Relations between Moscow and Washington plummeted to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War after Moscow's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
At a preliminary hearing in Milan, a judge decided that Berlusconi's case should be integrated into the parallel trial of 22 young starlets and close allies accused of taking bribes from the media magnate, which will begin on July 3.

The ex-premier is accused of paying more than 10 million euros ($10.7-million) between 2011 and 2015, in cash, gifts, cars and housing to guests at his Arcore residence near Milan, to testify in his favour in the so-called "Ruby" affair.

The charges stem from Berlusconi's previous trial for allegedly paying for sex with young women, the best-known being an exotic dancer nicknamed Ruby the Heart Stealer, who was under 18 at the time.

Berlusconi was initially convicted and sentenced to seven years in jail for soliciting minors for prostitution and abusing his power.

But he was cleared in 2015 following an appeal. The judge said he could not have known that Ruby -- real name Karima El-Mahroug -- was a minor.

Prosecutors suspect the 80-year old tycoon bought the silence of those involved, but Berlusconi has said his lavish gifts were simple benevolence and his lawyers insisted they had "around 80 witnesses" ready to testify to his "altruistic" generosity.

El-Mahroug allegedly received gifts worth seven million euros.

She testified that she did not have sex with Berlusconi, claiming she was lying when recorded on a wiretap telling friends the contrary.

Frustrated prosecutors emerged from that trial determined to prove that many witnesses had lied under oath after being bought off.

Billionaire businessman Berlusconi has beaten numerous criminal charges over the years with his only conviction to date being one for corporate tax fraud, which led to him being kicked out of parliament.

Even if convicted there is little chance of Berlusconi ending up behind bars because of Italy's restrictions on penal sanctions against the elderly.
Ahead of a key visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump had said the United States was prepared to go it alone in bringing Pyongyang to heel if China did not step in.

"US Pacific Command is fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security," the military command in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region said.

"The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America."

PACOM said it determined the launch of the KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile took place at 11:42 am (2142 GMT), landing in the Sea of Japan at 11:51 am, in line with findings by the South Korean defense ministry.
The environment ministry said the "ambitious emergency plan" to save the vaquita marina porpoise would be carried out with help from international conservation groups.

However, the plan is controversial with conservationists, some of whom say the vaquita is not an animal that can thrive in captivity.

Scientists warned in February that there are only 30 vaquita remaining, saying the species faced extinction by 2022.

The porpoise is native to the Gulf of California, where illegal fishing nets are threatening to wipe it out.

Under the Mexican plan, "some animals will be transferred to a refuge, where they will be able to reproduce without the risk of being caught in gillnets," the environment ministry said.

"However, experts recognize that there is uncertainty about how the porpoises will behave during the search, capture and temporary relocation to the refuge."

The government has allocated $3 million for the plan, to be matched by funds from international conservation groups, it said.

The most common cause of death for the vaquita is getting caught in illegal gillnets meant to catch another endangered species, a large fish called the totoaba.
Type in #LetMusicFlowQC on Facebook or Twitter and your screen will be filled with photos and videos of Quad-Citians  of all ages and skill levels  playing the same colorful piano.

Thats what the Quad-Cities Community Piano Project looks like, so far.

Since January, the piano, painted by art students at Davenport Central High School, has toured area venues, such as the Quad-City Botanical Center, the River Music Experience and the Putnam Museum. You can now see (and play) the piano at the Figge Art Museum until April 17 before the project ends its run at the Adler Theatre.

The idea comes from the Quad-City Symphony Orchestra, or QCSO, as a way to celebrate its 102nd season, which wraps up with a performance Saturday at the Adler Theatre.

Marc Zyla, a principal horn player and director of education with the symphony, noticed an unused piano sitting around in the QCSOs offices. And he was inspired to do something with it.

The symphony plays eight times a year over the course of the year and were always looking for ways to engage the community when were not playing concerts directly, Zyla said. Its a way to bring music into a space where you cant take an 80-person orchestra.

Zyla, who is originally from West Virginia and has performed with QCSO for seven seasons, took a note from street pianos available in others cities. For example, several pianos are scattered around the pedestrian mall in downtown Iowa City.

We wanted to give the community the means to make music. Wherever it is, people have been playing it, he said. It proves to me that people are really supporting and valuing the arts in the Quad-Cities.

To make the plain piano more inviting, Zyla connected with Kit Sayles, the visual art department chair at Davenport Central. Zyla gave her class one rule  to paint along QCSO's seasonal theme, "Joined By a River."

We brainstormed lots of ideas of things that remind us of the river, Sayles said. We wanted the design to be playful and imaginative, so people would feel comfortable to play.

The students covered the upright piano with images such as fish, bridges as well as runners and bikers often spotted along the Mississippi River.

It gives them a lot of pride for them to go somewhere like the Figge and see it," Sayles said. "Its something they will remember."

Over the past few months, Zyla has heard stories of seasoned pianists preparing pieces to play in public and stories about first-timers spontaneously stopping to attempt a few notes. He's also seen those moments online by searching the designated hashtag #LetMusicFlowQC.

To see someones face light up the first time they touch the piano and hear music come out, he said, its incredible.

Over the weekend, during the pianos last days at Milltown Coffee, a 9-year-old played a few songs, prompting a standing ovation inside the Moline coffee shop.

And that was only one of several bright moments spurred by the piano, according to Milltowns general manager Ben Kuebel.

If I could keep it here, I would, Kuebel said. It brightens peoples days, which goes hand-in-hand with what we try to do here  we want to be a place for people to gather and to come and relax.

From kids banging on the keys, to adults who were curious to see if they still have it, Kuebel said the piano was a hit at the coffee house.

You hear a lot of people say they wish theyd stuck with it and Im no different, he said. It brings back memories for lots of people.

That also goes for Melissa Mohr, the Figges director of education. She started piano lessons when she was 5, but hasnt played in recent years  until she recently passed by the painted instrument in the lobby of her workplace.

I sat down and played the first few bars of the Beethoven piece from my senior year recital, she said. Its amazing  when you sit down, your fingers still know where to go.

The Figge doesnt house many interactive art pieces, so it's a nice change, Mohr said, to offer visitors something hands-on.

It very well pulls together multiple types of art and thats what were all about  theres this intersection of visual arts and fine arts in one piano, she said. It awakens a creativity thats been resting for some time."
1. A little bit of rap and rock

Go to see Oxymorrons, the group from Queens, New York, that blends hip-hop, alternative rock and plenty of other sounds, and you'll probably hear a little bit of everything. That idea is the inspiration for their latest album, "Complex But Basic." Hear Oxymorrons with rock group Sons of Mars, at 8 p.m. Friday at Triple Crown Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel, 304 E. 3rd St., Davenport. Tickets, $12 in advance, are available at raccoonmotel.com.

2. QCSO's season finale

The Quad-City Symphony Orchestra is wrapping up its 102nd season with "Masterworks VI: St. Matthew Passion." You have two chances to see the performance, which includes six vocal soloists, two organs, the Quad-City Symphony Orchestra, Quad-City Choral Arts. See it at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Adler Theatre, 136 E. 3rd St. Davenport and 2 p.m. Sunday at Augustana College's Centennial Hall, 3703 7th Ave., Rock Island. Tickets, from $6-$62, are available at qcso.org.

3. Pimprov comedy show

This improv show comes with a side of gold chains. Pimprov, a Chicago-based comedy group, is returning to the Quad-Cities. The show is set for 8 p.m. Saturday at The Speakeasy, 1818 3rd Ave, Rock Island. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Reserve tickets through the Circa 21 ticket office, 1828 3rd Ave., Rock Island or by calling 309-786-7733 or online at thecirca21speakeasy.com.

5. From the curator

Want to know more about "The Art of Persuasion," an exhibit on display at the Figge Art Museum? Curators Danielle Knight-Lueth, assistant professor of Art History and Gallery Director at Coe College, and Andrew Wallace, the museum's manager of collections and exhibitions, will clue you in during a talk set for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Figge, 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport. Admission is free.

6. Rock the East Village

See five rock groups on one stage starting at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Village Theatre, 2113 E. 11th St., Davenport. The lineup includes Dead to Fall, Ignite The Will, Still Standing, Those Dirty Thieves and Upon The Death Horse. Tickets, $10 in advance, are available at eventbrite.com.
DES MOINES  Lawmakers shared stories of pregnancies  theirs and others  as they slow-walked their way toward a decision Tuesday evening on legislation that would ban nearly all abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy.

However, after 3 hours of debate, the House deferred on Senate File 471, and adjourned for the night.

Democrats repeatedly questioned language in the bill they said would prohibit the use of many common forms of birth control and ban abortion from fertilization, rather than after 20 weeks.

With a 59-41 majority, House Republicans say they are confident they have the votes to adopt a Human Resources Committee amendment that is similar to, but not identical to SF 471, which was passed 32-17 by the Senate.

Even before the floor debate began, Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, warned that Republicans were employing circular logic in constructing the bill in such a way as to make all abortions illegal.

She pointed to the language of the Human Resources Committee amendment  which became the bill  that bans abortions after 20 weeks, but also says Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as determining life to begin at 20 weeks post-fertilization. Instead it is recognized that life begins at fertilization.

That clearly established there is a backdoor attempt to go back to the language that was before the 20-week ban, which was fertilization, said Rep. Brian Meyer, D-Des Moines. It contradicts itself (because) life begins at conception means that certain forms of birth control are murder.

He suggested Republicans were trying to be too cute by half in trying to allow the more extreme members of their caucus to say they passed life begins at fertilization.

Rep. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley, rejected that, explaining that the life begins at fertilization language was a belief statement.

There are legislators like myself who dont feel comfortable voting on something that may be interpreted as rendering that life begins merely at 20 weeks because that is where we put a ban on abortions, he said.

He also rejected the suggestion the GOP majority was trying a backdoor effort to ban all abortions.

If we were pushing life at conception we would have a life-at-conception bill on the floor today, Windschitl said. Unfortunately, we dont have consensus behind that type of legislation. What we do have is consensus around a 20-week ban.

The language is not to placate the most ardent anti-abortion members of the caucus or groups pushing for more restrictive language, Windschitl said.

Its merely a statement of intent so I can go back home and tell my constituents that yes, I believe life begins at conception, he said. I can say I believe life begins post-fertilization. Moving forward, if we can build consensus around other ways to move that concept forward, were going to try to do that. But right here, right now, today, what we can build a consensus around is banning abortions at 20 weeks and later.

Several attempts to alter the bill and the committee amendment were offered. Among them was one from Rep. Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville, to ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat was detected  often as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. She withdrew the amendment.

Salmon fought for another amendment requiring a 72-hour waiting period after a woman considering an abortion has had an ultrasound and outlining information she must be presented before an abortion is performed. It was ruled not germane, but Republicans voted 56-40 to suspend the rules and adopted the amendment 56-41.

Wessel-Kroeschell sought an amendment to say that a medical procedure performed because in a physicians reasonable medical judgment it would save the life or improve the health of the fetus would not be considered an abortion. The proposal was ruled not germane. An attempt to suspend the rules was defeated 41-57.

An amendment to specify that SF 471 would not prohibit the use of any means of contraception or fertility treatment not prohibited by federal regulatory agencies also was ruled not germane.

Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City, proposed exceptions for the health and life of a mother, fetal anomaly, rape, incest, medical emergency or to preserve the life of the unborn child. It failed 41-54.
DES MOINES  A bipartisan group of state senators voted Tuesday to make significant changes to expand firearm rights that proponents said would protect Iowans and their constitutional rights but opponents worried would escalate gun violence in a state with a strong safety tradition.

"It's a great day for Iowa, a great day for the Second Amendment," declared Sen. Rick Bertrand, R-Sioux City, before four Democrats joined 29 majority Republicans in approving House File 517 by a 33-17 margin. The bill  opposed by 16 Democrats and one independent  goes back to the Iowa House after senators amended several provisions of the comprehensive gun rights legislation.

Included in House File 517 was a controversial "stand your ground" provision that states a law-abiding citizen does not have a duty to retreat in a public place before using deadly force when confronted with danger to life or property.

The bill also would allow children below the age of 14 to handle pistols or revolvers under the supervision of an adult parent, guardian or instructor, preempt local ordinances restricting gun rights, create a uniform permit to carry weapons and provide for five-year permits to acquire handguns rather than single-year permits.

"This is a great bill," said Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, the bill's floor manager. Modifications and improvements were made to the House bill, he said, including a change to the "stand-your-ground" language to address concerns by requiring that a person has the duty in a reasonable amount of time after using deadly force to contact law enforcement, prohibiting the destruction of evidence or the tampering with witnesses as a defense against "bad actors," he said.

However, opponents argued Iowans already have protections for defending themselves in deadly situations that balances the rights of gun owners with public safety and House File 517 will disrupt that balance with immunity provisions that people cannot be charged with a crime or sued if they shoot to protect themselves and their property.

"This bill presents a significant shift in our laws," said Sen. Nate Boulton, D-Des Moines.

Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, said Second Amendment rights are important but not unlimited and carry "incredible" responsibilities. She expressed concern the bill would take away government officials ability to regulate weapons in public buildings and expand the use of deadly force in Iowa.

"Members, this bill does nothing to add to the public safety," Jochum told her colleagues during a Senate floor speech. "This bill goes too far. It is no longer balanced. This bill is not needed."

However, backers said they were delivering long-overdue changes that their constituents have pressed for and representatives of gun-rights groups who were in the Senate gallery for Tuesday's debate worked for years go accomplish through lobbying and political activism.

"Iowans have spoken and their legislators are answering," said Sen. Jeff Edler, R-State Center, who told his Senate colleagues as a father of five children, the proposed changes that Gov. Terry Branstad is likely to sign will guard his right to train his children about gun safety and protect his family.

Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, read from the Constitution and said Tuesday's action was designed to restore Second Amendment rights that had been taken away. "Stand your ground is not a license to kill," he said, noting that Iowa has court procedures and prosecutors to deal with deadly force situations.

Sen. Mark Chelgren, R-Ottumwa, called Tuesday "one of the most exciting days" he had in the Iowa Senate, while Sen. Jake Chapman, R-Adel, called the bill "the first step in moving in the right direction of affirming" Iowans' constitutional rights, saying the bill's provisions "come from the people of Iowa. It's what they expect, it's what they want, it's what they're demanding of us."

Independent Sen. David Johnson of Ocheyedan tried unsuccessfully to strike the provisions dealing with local preemption and allowing Iowans with permits to bring guns into the state Capitol building. At one point he showed Dawson his permit to carry and noted he didn't have to prove he had been properly trained to use a gun at issuance. He also took issue with a number of controversial issues being rolled into one omnibus bill rather than being dealt with individually in the legislative process.

"Iowa is a right to carry state and I think our Capitol should be a beacon of that," Dawson countered.

Senate Minority Leader Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, thanked majority Republicans for keeping requirements for background check and permits but "simply goes too far" in expanding the use of deadly force and restricting local governments.
Quad-City filmmaker Kelly Rundle will discuss and present portions of his documentary, Lost Nation: The Ioway, on Wednesday, April 12, at a Black Hawk College Lifelong Learner Lunch.

In the documentary, Ioway elders join historians and archaeologists to tell the dramatic and true story of the small tribe that once claimed about 60,000 square miles between the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Many aspects of Ioway culture  including the language  have been lost or are in danger of being lost.

Lunch will be at 11:30 a.m. followed by the program. The cost is $23. The deadline to register is April 5.

Lifelong Learner Lunches are designed for those age 55 or older, but learners of all ages are welcome.

To register, call BHC Professional and Continuing Education at 309-796-8223.
SIOUX FALLS | Police are searching for a man they consider a person of interest following a homicide at an apartment in Sioux Falls.

Police are looking for 43-year-old Irving Duane Jumping Eagle. He is described as five-feet-nine inches tall, one hundred and ninety pounds, with a shaved head. Irving was last seen at approximately 1:00 p.m. Monday at a gas station near Streeter, North Dakota. He was driving a black 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix with South Dakota license plates 1V8805.
SIOUX FALLS | A South Dakota man has been jailed on $1 million cash bond after prosecutors charged him in the death of his wife.

Forty-three-year-old Irving Jumping Eagle appeared in court Wednesday following his arrest in the death of 33-year-old Alicia Jumping Eagle. She was found dead in the couple's Sioux Falls apartment Monday.

Irving Jumping Eagle is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and four counts of manslaughter. His public defender did not return a phone call for comment.

Police allege Irving Jumping Eagle had blood on himself Monday afternoon while at a gas station about 300 miles away near Streeter, North Dakota. The Argus Leader reports the car he was driving hit a bridge pillar Tuesday morning in Deuel County, in eastern South Dakota. He was taken to a hospital and then jailed in Sioux Falls.
SPEARFISH | June Claire was born on May 27, 1927, in Mobridge to Frank and Fern (Schwartz) Heisler. She passed away peacefully on April 1, 2017, at the Dorsett Health Care Facility in Spearfish, at the age of 89.

After leaving the Mound City/Herreid area, the family relocated to Newell and later to Belle Fourche. June graduated from Belle Fourche High School at the age of 16, with the Class of 1944, and went to work in the war effort as a secretary at the San Diego Naval Base. She returned to Rapid City after the war and worked as a bookkeeper in Rapid City, where she met her future husband, Wayne Pluimer, an aspiring Electrical Engineering student at the School of Mines. June and Wayne were married on June 5, 1948, and their first son, Edward, was born in August 1949. The couple relocated to Sioux Falls shortly thereafter to pursue Waynes engineering career.

As fate would have it, Wayne and June were offered the opportunity to return to their home town of Belle Fourche to manage a service station for Tom and Doris Gay, where Wayne had worked while finishing high school. They gladly accepted that opportunity and would later purchase Gays Mobil station. The couples son, Richard, was born in 1951 and son, Mark followed in 1952. Daughters, Jaka and Janet came in 1955 and 1957. While Wayne and June were building a new state-of-the-art truck stop, Waynes 24-Hour Conoco at the junction of newly relocated Highways 85 and 212, Julie was born in 1958, and youngest daughter, Jill, completed the family unit on election day in 1960.

June was a leader ahead of her time. In addition to her duties as a mother of seven, June was a full partner in the truck stop business, attending to all bookkeeping and financial matters. She was a Toastmistress, and very active in Republican politics on a local, state and national level, attending the 1964 and 1976 Republican National Conventions. June was also a full business partner with son, Mark, in acquiring the KBFS radio station in Belle Fourche and started her own clothing business, the Denim Depot, with help from daughter, Jill. She was a world traveler both with and without Wayne. After the couple retired in 1984, June excitedly pursued classes at Black Hills State in Spearfish while she continued to sew, quilt, knit and crochet, and to open her home in generous hospitality to friends, family and strangers alike.

Junes faith was a vital element of her life. She was a long-time member of the Open Bible Church (now Summit Fellowship) in Belle Fourche, where she taught Sunday School and girls etiquette classes. June especially enjoyed listening to old hymns, a pleasure that continued to feed her kind and gentle spirit despite the dementia/Alzheimers that plagued her for many years.

June is survived by her seven children and their spouses, Ed and Peggy of Minneapolis, MN, Dick and Gloria of Spearfish, Mark and Dee of Colorado Springs, CO, Jaka and Leo Imolati of Omaha, NE, Janet and Dan Monlux of Sioux Falls, Julie and Earl Haeflinger of Aurora, CO and Jill Pluimer of Aurora, CO; 15 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren, with more on the way.

June was predeceased by her husband, Wayne; parents, Frank Heisler and Fern Holt; her stepfather, Erwin Holt; as well as brothers, Wally and Erwin; sister, Bonnie; and son-in-law, Richard Roorda.

A time of sharing and stories will be held at 10: 30 a.m. Friday, April 7, at Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapel, with a viewing time at 10 a.m.. Burial will follow at 12:30 p.m. at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis.

A memorial is established to provide continuing professional education and development to memory care staff.
Is this the time for me to give my speech about how much we need an addition? said Tri-State Museum and Visitor Center Director Kristi Thielen, when she introduced the First Saturday Brunch speaker, Reid Riner of the Minnilusa Pioneer Museum.

The audience of 120 laughed and settled in; every chair in the building had to be brought in to accommodate the crowd.

Riner is a western South Dakota historian of long standing who gave an excellent overview of the Boss Cowman, who was a legend in early regional history, having been a rancher; a founder of the Western South Dakota Stockgrowers Association; a columnist for the Belle Fourche Bee; the founder of the town of Lemmon; and a supporter of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, which was pivotal to the growth West River South Dakota.

In addition to all else, Lemmon was a colorful character who told wonderful stories  some of which were even true.

Riner closed his presentation by reflecting on the impact that figures such as Ed Lemmon had on not just the business and culture of this area, but their impact on regional character as well.

He noted their belief in themselves, and what they were building and the fact that they were willing to roll the dice on one of the most significant things a person can have: an unshakeable idea of what could be.

Riners presentation attracted audience members from Belle Fourche, Spearfish, Rapid City, Box Elder, Black Hawk, Piedmont, Meadow, Sturgis, Faith, Deadwood, Hot Springs, Hermosa, and Vale, as well as Aladdin, Beulah, Colony, Gillette, and Rozet, Wyoming. There was also an attendee from McCook, Nebraska.
Past and present military personnel will now receive free entrance into South Dakota state parks when participating in special events that they host.

Were proud to be able to offer this additional benefit to our veterans and members of the military, said South Dakota State Parks director Katie Ceroll.

Under the new rule, park entrance licenses are not required for those participating in an eligible military group event. It includes South Dakota military veterans, members of the SD National Guard and reserve units and patients of veterans hospitals in South Dakota.

he exemption also extends to family members and guests in attendance at the event.

Ceroll said examples of eligible events would include a veterans group picnic, a veterans home or hospital outing or a National Guard recruitment day.

The rule expands on the current veterans discount, which allows South Dakota veterans having a 100 percent, service-related disability to obtain a free lifetime park entrance license and half-price camping.

For more information, call GFP at 605.773.3391. To host a military event in a state park, complete the special event application at gfp.sd.gov.
Nine Chadron State College students enrolled in Generalist Methods Lab (SW 431L) taught by Rich Kenney will share their interviews today, April 5, from 12:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the King Library, Room 111.

The event, Looking at Life through Someone Elses Eyes: Interviews from Around the World, will consist of students experiences and findings from interviewing someone from another country.

Countries represented in the 15-20 minute presentations will include Curacao, Morocco, Rwanda, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Mexico, Czech Republic, Lebanon and Jamaica. Audience members are encouraged to come and go, as needed.

Kenney, assistant professor in the Counseling Psychological Sciences and Social Work department, has taught the class for five years, but this is the first time he has included this project.

He said the idea came to him during the semester break. Kenney, who is a member of the CSC diversity committee, said he felt this was a great opportunity for students to combine diversity and social work.

He said the lab focuses primarily on interviewing since it is a key component in a social work career.

I especially want the students to take into consideration the interviewees culture, Kenney said.

The assignment consists of four sections: research of the interviewees country, the interview, cultural observations and presentation of the project.

Jaime Brinamen, a junior from McCook, interviewed Jeff Mugongo, a CSC student.

Brinamen said Mugongo was born in Rwanda, Africa, but moved to a refugee camp in Tanzania when he was four or five. His family moved from camp to camp waiting to be put on a list to come to North America.

When Mugongo was 14, his family received the news that they had been put on a list, allowing them to make the move.

Just the struggle their family had to endure for those years was crazy, Brinamen said. They were in camps with tons of families who were just looking for some asylum.

Brinamen said the project was designed to help those enrolled to become culturally competent and more fluent in their interviewing skills.

Even with it being intimidating, it was also really cool to just compare my life as an American to someone who hasnt lived here all their life, said Brinamen.

Hannah Andersen, a junior from Gordon, conducted her interview while on a mission trip to Costa Rica over spring break.

I had no idea who I would find to let me interview them, if there would be a language barrier, or how much information I would get to be able to write a lengthy paper and do a 15 minute presentation, Andersen said.

Andersen said she quickly learned that her host family did not speak much English.

Toward the end of the week my host mom and I began to communicate quite well, whether it was through my butchered Spanish or lively charades, Andersen said. Her daughters boyfriend was able to translate for us, which made for a much smoother and elaborate interview when it came time to do it.

Kenney said Andersens experience illustrates the purpose of the project and that is to help the students gain cultural knowledge allowing them to be more effective in their careers as social workers.
He watched one battle for Whiteclay from behind a camera, chronicling activists efforts a decade ago to blockade the flow of beer from the northwest Nebraska outpost onto its dry reservation neighbor to the north.

This week, Mark Vasina plans to view another battle for Whiteclay from a seat in the audience.

Hell load up his Toyota Prius and make the nine-hour drive from Plano, Texas, to the Nebraska State Capitol, for what activists view as a pivotal moment in their fight to stop a century of Whiteclay alcohol sales.

This is historic, said Vasina, who produced the 2008 documentary, The Battle for Whiteclay.

This has never happened, he said. In the history of Whiteclay, it has never happened.

Citing concerns about law enforcement, the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission is forcing Whiteclays four beer stores to explain why they should be allowed to continue operating in a dozen-person town on the doorstep of South Dakotas Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where alcohol is banned.

For the store owners, it ranks among the most significant threats to their livelihoods in generations of legal and public relations fights.

Attorneys for Arrowhead Inn, State Line Liquor, D&S Pioneer Service and Jumping Eagle Inn have sought a last-minute cancellation of Thursdays hearing, a request that is still being considered by a Lincoln judge.

If the hearing occurs as scheduled, it is expected to draw the attention of national media outlets and protesters from across the region.

Hobie Rupe, the Liquor Commissions executive director, will preside over the hearing and wants the crowd on its best behavior.

There will be no clapping, no booing, no hissing, Rupe said last week. This is not a public forum. This is an administrative hearing that is open to the public to view.

As such, it should feel more like a courtroom than like the legislative hearings usually held at the Capitol. Only witnesses called by state officials, the beer stores or Sheridan County residents who are formally protesting renewal of the stores licenses will be allowed to testify.

Those witnesses will be questioned by lawyers for each party to the case: the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office, representing the state; Warren Arganbright of Valentine and Andrew Snyder of Scottsbluff, representing the beer stores; and Dave Domina of Omaha, representing the opponents.

Rupe hopes to have the hearing wrapped up in a single day.

A ruling is expected by months end  when the beer stores licenses are set to expire  but all sides agree the issue will almost certainly be appealed in court. The stores ultimate fate could take months, even years to decide.

Words uttered six months ago at another public hearing triggered the beer stores current trouble.

Sheridan County Commissioner Jack Andersen told members of the Legislatures General Affairs Committee that local officials absolutely do not have adequate resources to police the tiny, unincorporated village on the countys northern edge.

Lawmakers had called the October hearing to examine ways to boost law enforcement in Whiteclay, with its decades-long reputation as a skid row on the prairie. But the Liquor Commission seized on Andersens comments.

Instead of automatically renewing their licenses, the commission ordered the stores to reapply, effectively holding them to the same standards as someone seeking a new liquor license.

Under state law, the Liquor Commission can deny applications for new licenses if law enforcement in the area is inadequate.

The stores reapplied, and 13 Sheridan County residents formally challenged them. That triggered Thursdays hearing.

Andersen has said his comments were taken out of context, and the Sheridan County board recommended in January that the licenses be renewed.

Even if the Liquor Commission agrees, the beer stores still face significant tests in the coming months.

The Attorney Generals Office has accused the stores of selling to bootleggers, keeping inadequate records and other violations of state liquor law.

A separate hearing on those charges is scheduled for May.
STURGIS - Later this month, officials representing the City of Sturgis will go before the South Dakota Supreme Court for oral arguments related to the process in which Buffalo Chip Campground was awarded municipal status by the Meade County Commission.

Sturgis City Manager Daniel Ainslie said the oral arguments are set for 9 a.m. on April 25.

The city appealed the February 2015 County Commission decision to approve the incorporation election, which resulted in Circuit Court Judge Jerome A. Eckrich issuing a 31-page Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law that ruled in favor of the private landowners and the city. Following the ruling made by Judge Eckrich, Meade County appealed that decision to the South Dakota Supreme Court.

Ainslie said the city has the backing of the SD Municipal League because, they too, believe the actions taken by the petitioner and Meade County Commissioners did not follow established statutory requirements.

The Meade County landowners who are most affected by this decision are also standing firm in their objection to the countys decision," he said. The outcome of this case has the potential to affect many landowners across South Dakota.
Rasmussen Mechanical Services held a grand party for the ribbon cutting at their new Sturgis location last week.

Rasmussen employees from across the region were on hand as well as local officials.

Brian Rasmussen, chief operating officer of Rasmussen Mechanical Services was also at the event. He said the company began the process of searching for a new home about two years ago. He said the company had outgrown its current location at 1715 Samco Road in Rapid City.

Rasmussen said the company was running out of space at its previous location. They contacted Pat Kurtenbach, president of the Sturgis Economic Development Corp., who brought the location in the Sturgis Industrial Park to their attention.

"The economic development team here in Sturgis is awesome to work with. That was really a big part of our decision to come here," he said.

Economic development incentives from Meade County also were a factor in locating in Sturgis, Rasmussen said. Meade County's discretionary formula offers 5-year tax relief on new commercial construction. Since its inception, commercial construction starts throughout Meade County have surpassed $31 million.

The new 10,000 square-foot building houses Rasmussen's inventory. The company provides industrial boiler, burner and heating, ventilation and air conditioning services.

The move means Sturgis native Ryan Aldren, manager of the Rapid City office of Rasmussen Mechanical Services, is headed back to his hometown.

The company is headquartered in Council Bluffs, Iowa with other regional locations in Sioux City, Iowa, Kearney and Lincoln, Neb., Commerce City, Colo., and Rapid City. They have been in business since 1970 and in the Black Hills for about 12 years.

"We came out here with just one technician and a truck, and kinda just built it from there," Rasmussen said. "We bought this land here in Sturgis so we would have room to grow."

They now have nine field technicians and four office staff. Rasmussens western South Dakota location serves industrial, commercial and institutional customers in a wide-ranging territory stretching from the North Dakota border west to Las Vegas, as far east as Ainsworth, Neb. and south to Imperial, Neb.
DEADWOOD | While experiencing fewer incidents of violent crime and no murders in this Northern Hills tourist town during 2016, police saw a drastic 130-percent spike in felony drug arrests, the vast majority tied to methamphetamine, echoing a trend plaguing the nation.

In my opinion, the illegal distribution of methamphetamine, heroin, prescription drugs and other narcotics is the primary threat to public safety in our region, Deadwood Police Chief Kelly Fuller said in his annual report.

Last year, Deadwood police saw total drug offenses rise nearly 46 percent, while felony drug arrests skyrocketed by 130 percent, Fuller said in an interview this week. The chief said 90 percent of those felony arrests in 2016 were tied to meth use and distribution, and that his officers had already made 10 felony arrests in 2017 that were related to possession and distribution of controlled substances.

Overall, I think the justice system is not holding people accountable like we should, Fuller said. As far as sentencing, many of the felony drug offenders receive presumptive probation. The system is not effective. These distributors need to be in prison, which would serve as a deterrent, and we need better treatment programs for users who want a better life.

Fuller said his department recognized that legalized marijuana in states as close as Colorado had driven the street price down, causing drug cartels to concentrate on building meth distribution networks that now extend to rural America.

In order to maximize profits, the cartels are infiltrating more rural areas, bringing meth to areas like South Dakota where they have a higher profit margin, he said. The cartels couriers are using interstate highways, such as the one that extends west to east through our state, to transport these drugs, a factor that has led us to see more meth in our area.

Full-time drug investigator

To combat the epidemic, Fuller said the Deadwood City Commission had approved funding a full-time drug investigator who started at the department Jan. 1. That officer focuses on drug-related crimes and education, as well as cooperative communications with other local law enforcement agencies, he said.

This officer allows us to take a proactive approach to drug investigations, Fuller said. The way I look at it, if theyre selling drugs in Lead or Spearfish it affects all of us. We all have limited resources, so its important we work together on this issue.

With a higher incidence of drug use has come an increase in associated crimes, Fuller noted.

Weve seen more evidence of drugs in our schools, the chief said. People dont realize that the reaches of drug abuse are far-ranging, all the way to the elementary school level. When you have a drug epidemic, it affects other crimes, including a rise in property-related crimes such as burglary and thefts, more and more reports of prostitution-related offenses attributable to the drug trade locally, and many violent crimes have a drug component to them.

With the exception of the increase in drug offenses, Fuller said 2016 witnessed some positive trends. His report shows a reduction in violent crimes and no murders during the year, as well as a marked decrease in arrests for driving while intoxicated.

A decade ago, Deadwood police hit a record with 252 DUI arrests in one year, according to city statistics. In 2015, officers made just 60 DUI arrests, and in 2016, that number fell further, to 47, the report said. Fuller attributed those declines to education, enforcement efforts and more opportunities for partiers to take public transportation.

We now have the Deadwood trolley, 20 licensed taxis in town, and shuttles running from nearby towns during special events, he said. Those have helped us meet our goal of making our highways safer and reducing the number of alcohol-related injury traffic accidents.

'Community-based policing' paying off

Fuller, who has been chief for 13 years, said his philosophy of community-based policing was paying dividends by reducing the number of assault cases, as well as speeding and parking tickets. By using hundreds of foot and bike patrols and increasing the visibility of officers, particularly during bar closing hours, simple assault arrests were reduced to just 52 in 2016, he said.

Deadwood police statistics also show officers issued 356 citations and 818 written warnings for various traffic violations during the year, including 190 citations and 277 written warnings for speeding, the report showed.

Meanwhile, officers issued 2,870 parking tickets in 2016, down 14 percent from the previous year. Despite writing 466 fewer parking tickets, and by raising parking meters from 50 cents to $1 per hour in 2016, the city also realized its objective of steering traffic to its Broadway parking ramp and saw parking revenues increase by 17 percent over the previous year to $273,757, the report said.

The Deadwood Police Department, composed of 13 full-time, four part-time, four reserve and two ordinance officers, operates on a $1.1 million annual budget, Fuller said.

In addition to day-to-day duties, the department provides school resource officers, teaches DARE courses, implemented a safety program called ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) to handle the threat of an active shooter, and delivered 1,520 backpacks containing food, school supplies and clothing to needy elementary school students over the course of the year.

Deadwood police also are available for training for businesses concerned about underage use of fake IDs and wanting to have staff certified in the proper methods of CPR, as well as to local residents concerned about identity theft and scams, Fuller said.

If our residents see an issue or have questions, our officers will meet with any group, the chief said. Our door is always open.
Medical staff members at Regional Health gave CEO Brent Phillips a vote of "no confidence" regarding his leadership on Tuesday night.

A source who wished to remain anonymous told the Rapid City Journal the vote was more than two to one in the "no confidence" category. The results of the vote have been given to the Regional Health Board.

Another medical professional told the Journal earlier that the staff is unhappy with the way Phillips has created dissension among the hospital staff by not fostering teamwork within and across departments at the hospital, and that he has mismanaged relationships between Regional and other medical providers in the area.

In response to the vote, Regional Health sent out an email statement indicating support for Phillips, including a statement from Regional Health Board Chair Lia Green.

Over the last two years, Brent Phillips has worked to advance our vision for Regional Health  to reshape our organization to evolve with the changes in health care and improve the wellness of our region, Green said. We recognize there have been significant changes implemented over the past two years, which the Board believes are important so Regional Health continues to be a strong not-for-profit health care provider for many years to come.

This isn't the first time Regional's medical staff has used a vote of no confidence to try to change leadership.

In 2003, Rapid City Regional president Adil Ameer stepped down after a no-confidence vote by doctors and after the federal government fined the hospital $6 million for improper Medicare billing.

Phillips was hired as CEO of Regional Health in November of 2014. Before that, Phillips served as Senior Vice President of Medical Group Operations for Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, and later his role expanded to include PresidentGreater Milwaukee South, overseeing four hospitals for Aurora Health Care.
South Dakota livestock owners whose brands were canceled in May 2015 have until May 1 to rerecord brands.

Owners of canceled brands have two years after the renewal period to rerecord their brand. The rerecording and registration fee of $125 must be paid by May 1.

Brands can be registered for cattle, horses/mules, sheep and bison. The next brand renewal period is Jan. 1-May 1, 2020. The South Dakota Brand Board currently has 25,825 registered brands statewide.

Livestock brands help prevent livestock theft, and with the investigation into and return of stolen or missing livestock. Anyone wishing to check a brand registration may call 773-3324 or check the online brand book at sdbrandboard.com.
A US F-16 crashed several miles outside Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday, two Air Force officials told CNN.

The crash took place about six miles outside the base, which is located in Prince George's County.

The pilot ejected in "an unpopulated area" and "is OK," one of the officials said, adding that the F-16 was from the 113th Fighter Wing.

Additional information was not immediately available.
New rules that allow internet service providers to collect and share their clients information with a third party wont change a thing for customers of smaller ISPs like Stevensville-based Rocky Mountain Internet.

None of our clients information is ever exposed to the outside world, said Martha Weifenberger, who owns the ISP with her husband, Terry.

On Monday, President Donald Trump approved a resolution that repealed protections requiring internet service providers to seek permission from their customers before collecting and sharing data.

Those protections were approved by the Federal Communications Commission in the final days of the Obama administration, but had yet to go into effect. Under the Obama administrations proposed rules, internet providers would have been required to notify customers about the types of information collected and shared.

Supporters of the repeal say the protections created an unfair playing field between internet service providers and tech companies such as Facebook and Yahoo. The tech companies already collect data from users without asking for permission.

The decision to repeal the Obama administration rules was supported by Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana.

In an email, Daines office said that since the rules were never implemented, consumers are not at a greater risk now, nor will their online privacy suddenly be sold on the market.

The recently passed resolution will allow the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission to work together to create a consistent set of privacy rules that does not favor one industry over the other. In the meantime, Daines office said there are federal and state rules in place to continue to protect consumers privacy.

As someone who spent 12 years at a cloud computing company, Steve understands the power that big data holds and wants to ensure Montanas Fourth Amendment rights are protected, said Katie Waldman of Daines office. We need smart policy that encourages innovation and protects consumers  not more regulations by unchecked government agencies. Steves priority is always Montanans privacy and he will continue to put that first.

On Tuesday, Sen. Jon Tester took to the Senate floor to slam Congress for passing the legislation that he said violates civil liberties and presents the latest threat to Montanans right to privacy.

This bill allows companies to sell your data, snoop through your search history, and track the sites you visit, Tester said on the Senate floor. It allows internet companies to profit by invading your privacy and it gives them the ability to collect and sell your physical location, information about our children, your social security number, and your web browsing history.

Tester said Montanans have the right to question the priorities of those who supported the bill.

Everyone has a fundamental right to privacy and the government shouldnt be in the business of violating individual rights, Tester said. Especially when they are doing the bidding of big companies looking to make more profits at the expense of your privacy. I want it to be known that Montanans dont want anyone snooping around in their private lives, neither the government nor corporations.

Montana is one of several states that has begun writing its own legislation to protect broadband privacy after Congress voted to repeal the regulations.

Montana state Sen. Ryan Osmundson, R-Buffalo, introduced a measure Monday that would bar internet providers like Charter and Comcast from being awarded state contracts if they collect data from their customers without consent.

Minnesota and Illinois area also consider legislation to address the broadband internet privacy issue.

It has become apparent to us that they have the ability to use your information in ways to market to you, and, quite frankly, sell that information, Osmundson said of the internet providers, according to the Associated Press. Were basically saying they cannot do business with the state if theyre collecting personal information without the consent of the individual.

For smaller companies like Rocky Mountain Internet, the decision doesnt change anything in the way they do business.

I think that all of the local homegrown ISPs have the same desire to keep their client base as secure as possible when it comes to privacy, Weifenberger said. Our customers can assume that we are their firewall and head gate.

The world is a different place since the advent of the internet, she said. There are many ways that personal information can be compromised if people arent careful.

Just look at the mess at Facebook, she said. Everyones accounts are getting hackedwhen you get outside your normal day-to-day activities and look for a more global approach, you have to be careful that you dont leave breadcrumbs that will bring someone back to your doorstep.

Were constantly battling that negative side of people trying to get in the backdoor, she said. Its just like life. Theres good with the bad. You have to stay vigilant.
Registered voters in Corvallis, Florence and Hamilton will decide school trustees and Victor residents will vote on a levy for Victor schools at School Elections.

Ballots will be mailed April 17 and must be returned by May 2.

Voters will decide the Hamilton School levy and bond request in a walk in election on the Special Federal Election Ballot, May 25.

Absentee ballots are unaffected by the recent decisions in Helena.

Regina Plettenberg, Ravalli County Election Administrator, said preregistration is closed for the school elections. Now voters must go to the election office in Hamilton to late register. They need to bring photo identification.

Corvallis School District is having their first mail ballot election for trustees.

District Clerk Vanessa Bargfrede said the ballots will be sent to every active registered voter in the district.

The trustee race is contested with Ginny Hoffman, Dan Wolsky, Michael Hoyt and Becky Anderson running for the positions held by Adam Sangster, Hoffman and Wolsky.

Corvallis Schools are not running a levy.

Darby schools are not seeking a levy this year and are not holding an election. According to Darby business clerk Lisa Poe, the trustee positions are unopposed and so will be elected by acclamation.

Barbara Burnham Edmunds will continue in the trustee position she was appointed to for the next two-years and Christina Harrell will remain on the board and serve a three-year term.

Florence District Clerk Jessica Pyette said Florence is not running a levy or bond. The school board has and has two trustee positions open, each with three-year terms. Board Chair Tara Zeiler and Jay Dixon currently hold the positions.

Candidates Tara Zeiler and Kourtney Zeiler have filed along with write-in candidate Benjamin Crocker.

The county is conducting the Florence-Carlton election, which will be held by mail ballot with an additional drop box at the Florence-Carlton District Office until 8 p.m. on May 2.

The Florence school election is in conjunction with the Florence Fire district trustee and Three-mile Fire district trustee, which is in Lone Rock.

Stevensville Schools are not running a bond or levy and will not conduct elections.

Stevensville School District has four trustee positions two with two-year terms currently held by Sean Lenahan and Lucas McCormick and two with three-year terms currently held by Tim Schreiber and Bonnie Coleman.

Business Manager Bill Schiele said four residents applied for the positions and the candidates will be proclaimed by acclamation. Incumbents Tim Schreiber and Sean Lenahan will fill the three-year terms. Incumbent Lucas McCormick and Billy Donaldson will fill the two-year terms.

The Lone Rock school board had three open trustee positions currently held by Gary Leese, Ray Larson and Nancy Preston. Leese filed to run for his current position. Julie Logan filed to fill the one-year term currently held by Ray Larson. No one filed for Nancy Prestons position and the board will appoint someone to that three-year position in May.

Lone Rock business clerk Jeannie Morgan said the school will not hold an election this year, the two that have filed will be elected by acclamation. Wayne Stanford and Paula Short are remaining on the board.

Victor School District is running an operating levy of $196,000. Voters will decide in a mail ballot.

Superintendent Lance Pearson said the levy would cost less than $3.50 a month for a $100,000 home or $7 per month for a $200,000 home. It would be Victors first operating levy allowing the school to operate with more than the base budget of 80 percent funding from the legislature.

The Victor School Board has two positions open that will be filled by acclamation. Mary Allred has filed for the three-year term of the seat she was appointed to fill last fall. Marci Smith will fill her current seat for another three-year term.

Pearson said he has been visiting with groups around Victor sharing the needs and answering questions about the levy. He said if anyone has questions or wants more information to call him at 406-642-3221.

The Victor School District levy would be good for the community and good for the school, Pearson said.

Hamilton School Board has two trustee positions currently held by Elke Olbricht and Jim Shea.

Olbricht and Shea have filed to run, as have Tim Greek, Jeni Seifert and Jesse Casterson. The school will conduct a mail ballot for these two trustee positions, with a deadline of May 2.

Hamilton Schools are running a $400,000 levy and a $9,750,000 bond. Hamilton voters will decide about the levy and bond in a walk-in election on the May 25 Special Federal Election Ballot to replace the vacated seat by Congressman Zinke.

On May 25, the polling place for Hamilton voters has moved from Hamilton High School gym to the commercial and floral buildings at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds. For the Special Federal Election, May 25, Hamilton is the only polling place that will be in a new location. All other regular polling places in the Bitterroot Valley will be open.

Plettenberg said the failure of SB 305 did not affect current absentee voters.

She said voters who are on the absentee list, and typically receive a ballot in the mail, will still receive a ballot at their mailing address. Ballots go in the mail Monday, May 1, to everyone on the absentee list. Voters may confirm whether they're on the list to receive a ballot in the mail at www.MyVoterPageMT.com.

If people know they are going out of town they can call, Plettenberg said. The sooner they call the better, but the deadline is May 24 at noon.

For more information, visit online: ravalli.us/145/Elections or call 406-375-6550. The Ravalli County Election Office is located at 215 South 4th Street, Suite C, in Hamilton.

The Ravalli Republic will publish profiles of the candidates running for school board positions over the next week.
CAIRO - New Chinese investments in the field of textiles are coming soon to Egypt's Suez Canal economic region, an Egyptian official said on Saturday.

Ahmed Darwish, head of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone), said during a business conference held in Cairo that a number of investment contracts would be signed in the SCZone with Chinese international firms.

At the two-day first round of the Belt and Road Industrial and Commercial Conference, held under the slogan of "Egypt ... Your Gateway to BRICA," the Belt and Road Industrial and Commercial Alliance, Darwish said that the SCZone has become largely attractive to investors, particularly those of China.

He added that China's TEDA Corporation, one of the oldest industrial developers in the zone, has been developing an area of over 7 square km in Ain Sokhna district of the Suez Canal Corridor east of Cairo.

The SCZone chief hailed TEDA's work in the region that attracted some 68 enterprises, including Jushi, a fiberglass giant from China.

Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative is meant to revive the ancient trade way known as the Silk Road, including land and sea trade routes between China and countries in Asia, Africa and Europe.

The first round of the annual Belt and Road Industrial and Commercial Conference is organized by Egyptian Businessmen's Association and China Federation of Industrial Economics, Egypt and China being the founding members of BRICA.

Held under the auspices of the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry, some 150 Egyptian businessmen and 160 others from the BRICA states took part in the conference, besides large financial institutions including China Development Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, African Development Bank and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea fired a ballistic missile into its eastern waters Wednesday, U.S. and South Korean officials said, amid worries the North might conduct banned nuclear or rocket tests ahead of the first summit between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week.

The U.S. Pacific Command said it detected and tracked what it assessed as North Korean missile launched from land near the eastern coastal city of Sinpo. A U.S. statement said initial assessments indicate the type of missile was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile flew about 60 kilometers (37 miles).

The KN-15 missile reportedly refers to what North Korea calls the solid-fuel "Pukguksong-2. The use of solid-fuel missiles is a worrying development because the fuel already being inside the rocket shortens launch preparation times and make it harder for outsiders to detect what's happening before liftoff.

When North Korea test-fired this missile in February, South Korean officials said it flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles) before landing in international waters. It wasn't immediately known if the much shorter distance of Wednesday's flight meant a failed launch.

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something to coincide with the Trump-Xi summit, perhaps conduct a nuclear test. The missile launch may be a precursor, with more to come as the summit starts later this week, Cossa said.

"I've joked before that they don't mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored," Cossa said.

Recent outside satellite imagery show possible preparations for a new nuclear test at the North's main nuclear test site, such as communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data being already laid. North Korea's state media has also said the world will soon witness what it calls "eventful successes" the country achieves in the space development. Washington, Seoul and others call the North's space program a cover for its long-range missile development program.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the country lodged a strong protest over the launch.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged the launch in a statement but said the U.S. had spoken enough about North Korea and would not comment further.

Analysts says North might time nuclear and long-range rocket tests to the April 15 birthday of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility. Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

The North's latest missile launch also came as it is responding annual military drills between the United States and South Korea with weapons tests and harsh rhetoric. North Korea sees the drills as an invasion rehearsal.

Two weeks ago, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch. Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.
Kathmandu, Nepal: Communist Party of Nepal(CPN) chairman Netrabikram Chand aka Biplab has claimed that his party has not murdered the Nepali Congress leader Rabi Shamsher Shah of Jajarkot district.

Issuing a press release in Kathmandu on Wednesday, Biplav has made the claim so stating that his party has no any role in the murder of Shah.

Since Jajarkot district committee of our party has already made it clear that the party had no any plan to attack Shah, why the CPN is still being linked to the assassination of Shah Biplav has raised question in the press release.

The police have already claimed that the arrested murder suspects have their links to the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) led by Biplav. Our party is carrying out an investigation into the Jakarkot incident, Biplav has stated in the press release.
Kathmandu, Nepal: The third meeting of the Members of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) from Nepal and India has begun in Kathmandu on Wednesday to discuss over bilateral issues between the neighboring countries.

Though the Nepal-India EPG was formed in 2014 with the jurisdictions even to replace, update, or scrape the 1950s historic treaty signed between the two neighboring counties on the basis of new context, the EPG has done nothing yet except holding discussions.

It seems that the third meeting would not bear any fruits as of former two meetings. Nepal has to raise the issues to scrape discriminatory provisions of the 1950 treaty but Nepal has been hesitating to forward the issue as the agendas of the meeting.

It was claimed that EPG had already decided to revise all the bilateral agreements and arrangements between the two countries starting with the 1950 treaty.

But Nepal has not made any preparation to revise the agreements, thanks to the India for not willing to revise the discriminatory provisions. The third meeting of Nepal-India EPG had been put off two times in the past as India had a fear that Nepal would raise the issue in the meeting.

As per the agreement reached between the two countries in 2011 to establish the EPG, the two countries had agreed to prepare its terms of reference in 2014. Since then just two meetings one in Kathmandu and another in New Delhi of India were held just to formalize the decision to establish the EPG.

The EPG, Dr Bhekh Bahadur Thapa, Nilamber Acharya, Rajan Bhattarai and Surya Nath Upadhyay are representing Nepal whereas Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Jayant Prasad, BC Upreti and Mahendra P. Lama are representing the India.
"the inaction of the State Government in the past should not be a shield for imposing a state of almost prohibition.a and aCompliance of law should not end in deprivation, the cause whereof may be attributable to the inaction of the State Government.a ...
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to present his annual report on MINURSO and the latest developments in Western Sahara on Friday (April 7), while tension persists in the area.

Tension erupted after the Polisario positioned its armed militiamen in the demilitarized buffer zone at the Moroccan border post of Guerguerate.

According to the UN Security Council agenda for April, the UN SG would submit his draft annual report to the fifteen members of the Council, whose rotating presidency is held this month by the United States.

The renewal of the MINURSO mandate, which expires on April 30, is among the main points to be debated at this session. The UN Security Council might also discuss again the question of the return of a part of the MINURSO civilian component, expelled by Rabat in March 2016, and the extension of its mandate to the monitoring of human rights in the Sahara.

Guterres s draft report on the Sahara issue also mentions the risk of a possible resumption of armed hostilities between Morocco and the Polisario, due to the fact that the Front maintained a dozen armed elements in the area, which normally falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the peacekeepers of the Minurso.

Morocco had rejected a previous American proposal to extend the MINURSO mandate to human rights monitoring. The Moroccan diplomatic mission at the UN has already begun contacts and consultations with members of the group of friends of the Sahara (France, Spain, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) to stop the re-emergence of a similar draft proposal deemed contrary to Moroccos interests and to its efforts to promote human rights, including in its southern provinces.

In his draft report, Guterres mentions the appointment of a new UN Secretary-Generals personal envoy for the Sahara, as the former mediator, Christopher Ross, resigned before the end of his term.
Be careful what you wish for In August of 2009, many health care practitioners were taken aback when Ohio pharmacist, Eric Cropp, was sentenced to six...

Show tolerance of others opinions Dear Editor: It is extremely sad that some of the members of our community did not practice tolerance of other...

Expand womens rights Dear Editor: I say this every election year, When it comes to the abortion argument, I am neither a Hatfield...

Pregnancy is a choice Dear Editor: Thank you  Timothy Kern and David McArthur for the biblical and statistical facts on abortion. As a...
The city of Santa Maria will recognize Ralph Martin for his years of service as the police chief, his service to the community and his dedicat
Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
You have permission to edit this html.

Edit Close
Rock Star Composers Electrify The Crowd At WonderCon 2017 Panel From Stage To Screen

-- Celebrity moderators Stephanie Corneliussen (Mr. Robot) and Amber Midthunder (Legion) follow six rock stars, and their transition into film and television composing --

April 1, 2017

(Anaheim, CA)  Some of the most talented composers in film & television came together at WonderCon 2017 to discuss their transitions from soaring on stages, to rocking the screen for audiences across the world. With diverse backgrounds, from industrial rock forerunners Nine Inch Nails, to alternative rock/post-grunge legends Tonic, the composers drew a packed crowd for the opening panel of Saturday morning. The panelists consisted of Jeff Russo (Fargo, Legion), Charlie Clouser (Saw, Wayward Pines), Mac Quayle (Mr. Robot, American Horror Story), Siddhartha Khosla (This Is Us), Jeff Cardoni (Training Day, Silicon Valley), and Alec Puro (The Fosters, Sweet/Vicious). The panel was also moderated by celebrity guests Stephanie Corneliussen (Mr. Robot, D.Cs Legends of Tomorrow) and Amber Midthunder (Legion, Hell or High Water).

The panel began by first exploring what prompted these six musicians to put their respective band careers on hold and enter the realms of composing. "The Saw movies came from strange remixes that I had done for Nine Inch Nails. But the director had used them in the early versions of the Saw movies, explained Charlie, before remarking and 14 years later here we are. Mac Quayle discussed his work as a touring musician and producer, saying that in the early 2000s, the music industry saw its first down year in sales, and I realized it was time to find something new. I toyed with the idea of film & TV composing and began reaching out to composers I admired. I wanted to learn from people who had a similar style to what I wanted to be doing. For Jeff Cardoni, meanwhile, the scoring opportunity came about during much more dire circumstance; I played in a band trying to get signed and met a music supervisor. The band failed miserably, so I was thrilled by my first big composing break, which was CSI Miami, he said.

Next, the questions shifted more towards the struggles that come with handling the vast array of episodes, and multiple shows at once. You try to keep fresh, but it is difficult to try and make things different, explained Jeff Russo, fortunately, because the projects Ive been able to work on have such a unique creative identity, it's almost like every episode it comes up with the music on its own." Alec Puro felt similarly, emphasizing an approach that also looked at the project from a holistic perspective; "My approach, no matter the genre, is trying to come up with the best thematic notes for the show. The composition is the most important part for me," he told the audience.

The questions also gave the artists opportunity to meditate on the fluidity of their musical journey, and how they draw on band experience in their current shows. Siddhartha Khosla discussed the origin of his highly successful original song for This Is Us, We Can Always Come Back To This- which has been on top of the Blues Billboard chart for over a month; I come from much more of a songwriter background, and I think that when Im brought onto a show, its creators are very much aware of that, he told the audience. And so, its not unusual for them to provide the opportunity for some original songs. With This Is Us, I knew that I was working on a show with such a high bar of quality, and such an intelligent audience, that when I created We Can Always Come Back To This, I really felt like I could put my all into it, and write a really beautiful mo-town meditation on death, and what comes after.

The panel concluded with a series of questions from the audience, which gave the panelists a chance to talk about their personal favorite shows (for Jeff Russo, Siddhartha Khosla, and Charlie Clouser, they were The A Team, Twin Peaks, and Scooby Doo, respectively), followed by a long argument over the merits of Pro-Tools vs Logic. Finally, the panel ended with a question of how  as theyve moved from project to project, and faced innumerable obstacles  they have all managed to keep up the faith in their craft. For Charlie, he candidly admitted, I always just managed to keep music as a way to avoid doing anything that felt like real work, he explained. For Jeff, however, it was less about constructive procrastination, and more about sheer faith in the craft; you need to believe in what youre doing, he explained, otherwise theres no way youll be able to overcome all the challenges this job will throw at you.
If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE).
 How many prior sentenced federal prisoners might now have "Dean claims" (assuming Dean is retroactive)? | Main | "Criminological Perspective on Juvenile Sex Offender Policy" 

April 5, 2017

Alabama poised to ban judicial override of jury life recommendations in capital cases

As reported in this local article, the "law in Alabama is about to change so that juries will have the final say on whether to impose the death penalty or life in prison in capital murder cases." Here is more on this notable capital development:

The House of Representatives this afternoon passed a bill that would end the authority of judges to override jury recommendations in capital cases. Alabama is the only state that allows a judge to override a jury's recommendation when sentencing capital murder cases. The bill, by Sen. Dick Brewbaker, R-Montgomery, passed the House on a vote of 78-19 and is now headed to Gov. Robert Bentley, who said he plans to sign it into law after it undergoes a standard legal review. Rep. Chris England, who had a similar bill in the House, substituted Brewbaker's bill for his on the House floor today, allowing it to get final passage.... According to the Equal Justice Initiative. Alabama judges have overridden jury recommendations 112 times. In 101 of those cases, the judges gave a death sentence. "Having judicial override almost undermines the constitutional right to trial by a jury of your peers," England said. England's bill, as introduced, would also have required the consent of all 12 jurors to give a death sentence. Current law requires at least 10 jurors. Brewbaker's bill leaves the threshold to impose the death penalty at 10 jurors. England said there was not enough support to pass the bill with the requirement for a unanimous jury to impose the death penalty. He said ending judicial override was the main objective this year but he might propose the unanimous jury requirement again in the future. He said he still thinks the change is needed. "Why would it take a unanimous jury to convict but less than a unanimous jury to send someone to death?" England said.... England said the fact that Alabama had become the last state to allow judicial override helped build support for the bill this year. England also said there was some question about whether Alabama's death penalty law could be found unconstitutional in the future. Ebony Howard, associate legal director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, issued a statement applauding the bill's passage. "Alabama should do everything it can to ensure that an innocent person is never executed," Howard said. "The bipartisan effort to pass a bill that would keep a judge from overriding a jury's vote in capital cases is a step in the right direction. As of today, Alabama is one step closer to joining every other state in our nation in prohibiting judicial override in the sentencing phase of death penalty cases."

The Supreme Court's decision in Hurst last year striking down, as violative of the Sixth Amendment, Florida's quirky approach to jury involvement in death sentencing surely paved the way for this notable change in Alabama procedure. Notably, in Florida, Hurst was ultimately interpreted to also preclude death sentencing based on only a 10-juror recommendation. Apparently legislators in Alabama feel more confident that capital cases can roll that way in the Yellowhammer State.

April 5, 2017 at 10:57 AM | Permalink

Comments

Would a Judge imposing a death sentence, over a jury's recommendation of life in prison (with or without parole) seem to violate the principles of Apprendi and its progeny?



Posted by: Jim Gormley | Apr 5, 2017 11:01:13 AM

If not Apprendi, Ring and Hurst would certainly suggest there are issues. The justification is the jury has to find the aggravating factors while the Judge still determined the weight of those factors compared to mitigating factors.

Posted by: Erik M | Apr 5, 2017 1:08:14 PM

Jim, no, not if the jury found beyond a reasonable doubt that at least one aggravating factor that elevates murder simpliciter to capital murder.

Erik, Ring and Hurst did not deviate from the fundamental holding in Apprendi that as far as the Sixth Amendment is concerned the only constitutional role the jury plays is to convict a defendant of a crime which exposes the defendant to the potential of death. As Scalia makes clear in his concurrence in Ring, after that finding is made, (which he thinks should be made in phase one), anything else can be left to the judge.

bruce

Posted by: bruce cunningham | Apr 5, 2017 4:43:34 PM

Post a comment
 "Criminal Employment Law" | Main | Alabama poised to ban judicial override of jury life recommendations in capital cases 

April 4, 2017

How many prior sentenced federal prisoners might now have "Dean claims" (assuming Dean is retroactive)?

As reported in this post from yesterday, and as explained a bit more via this write-up I provided to the fine folks at SCOTUSblog, the Supreme Court yesterday in Dean v. United States, No. 15-9260 (April 3, 2017) (available here) ruled that the Eighth Circuit had been wrong to hold that, "in calculating the sentence for [a] predicate offense, a judge must ignore the fact that the defendant will serve the mandatory minimums imposed under 924(c)." According to the government's briefing in Dean, most of the circuits had also ruled like the Eighth Circuit (incorrectly) on this statutory sentencing issue  though I suspect that, in practice, a number of district courts did not consistently ignore 924(c) mandates when sentencing predicate offenses.

Given this background, I was surprised I did not think of the question in the title of this post until former AUSA Steven Sanders sent me an email with this query: "Any thoughts on whether Dean applies retroactively on 2255, on the (Montgomery) theory that the decision opens up the range of punishment and thus is substantive for Teague purposes?" Regular readers familiar with my views about finality rules and sentencing errors (basics here, law review article here) should expect me to have plenty of thoughts about Dean retroactivity, most of which center around the view that Dean qualifies as retroactive. Put simply, Dean seems to me to be a substantive ruling that applies retroactively.

Assuming Dean is retroactive, this recent "Quick Facts" publication from the US Sentencing Commission suggests there could be thousands (perhaps even tens of thousands) of federal prisoners with plausible Dean claims. Specifically, that publication indicates that, in Fiscal Year 2015, over 1100 federal defendants were convicted under both section 924(c) and another predicate offense not carrying a mandatory minimum, and that the average sentence for this group was over 11 years in prison. Assuming 2015 was a fairly representative year  and the USSC publication actually suggests a larger number of defendants getting longer sentences in prior years  it is possible that well over 10,000 defendants (and maybe many more) could be in federal prison serving sentences that were imposed based on an understanding of applicable sentencing principles that Dean has now disrupted.

For various procedural and practical reasons, I doubt we will see thousands of "Dean resentencings" in the federal courts in the coming months even if thousands of prisoners got sentenced based on the wrong understanding of the applicable laws here. But I do expect that there will be many more than just a handful or "Dean resentencing" efforts.

April 4, 2017 at 10:45 PM | Permalink

Comments

"...it is possible that well over 10,000 defendants (and maybe many more) could be in federal prison serving sentences that were imposed based on an understanding of applicable sentencing principles that Dean has now disrupted."

The appellants made $thousands from their crime. The Supreme Court defied the plain English of the law. Now the lawyer appellate bar will make $millions from their crime.

Posted by: David Behar | Apr 5, 2017 10:54:46 AM

Post a comment
A 13-year-old managed to escape the clutches of a 50-year-old man who kidnapped her, sexually assaulted her, made her smoke weed, injected her with meth, and then scratched his name into her skin with a razor blade over the weekend in the North Bay. It is a scary story of a runaway teen gone really wrong, to be sure, and also just an insane tale about about an insane, tweaker rapist.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports that the girl's ordeal began at 3 a.m. Friday when she was hanging around a gas station in Napa, following an argument with her mother earlier that night. She got picked up by 50-year-old Timothy Lee Marble of Napa, who proceeded to drive her out to the middle of nowhere to smoke some pot. The girl told authorities that she tried to fend off Marble's sexual advances, but that he then tied her to a tree and raped her. He then allegedly injected her with methamphetamine, and would later do the razor work, and assaulted her twice more in his truck.

The girl then jumped out of his moving vehicle in Bodega Bay early Saturday, 27 hours into this terror, and hid from Marble in some bushes. When he couldn't find her, Marble then, insanely, called 911 to report that she was missing, and had jumped out of his truck.

Sonoma County deputies responded to the scene at 5:40 a.m. Saturday, and were talking to Marble by the side of Highway 1 when the girl stumbled out of the bushes and told them that he had raped her. She also claimed that while she was hiding, he said he was going to kill her if she didn't come out.

Marble was arrested on suspicion of numerous counts of sexual acts with a minor, kidnapping, and child abuse.

According to Sonoma County Sgt. Spencer Crum, Marble has a long criminal history that includes previous sexual assault offenses, and in 2011 he was convicted on eight felony charges after trying to sell drugs to an undercover agent with the Napa Special Investigations Bureau (I'm guessing meth!).

As KRON 4 reports, Marble is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday on eight felony charges in connection with the weekend kidnapping and assault.

The girl was briefly hospitalized Saturday and returned to her mother.




The just-released, Bay Area-based Netflix show 13 Reasons Why, produced by actress Selena Gomez, has been cause for concern for the San Mateo-Foster City School District, which sent out a letter to parents on Friday, the day the show was released. As we discussed earlier, the show centers on a girl's suicide, and cassette tapes she leaves behind detailing the reasons why she took her life. It's based on the bestselling 2007 young adult mystery novel of the same name, and was shot in Vallejo last year.

As NBC Bay Area reports, the school district's letter warned parents that over spring break, while teens may be consuming more TV, they should be aware of the content of the show and should perhaps talk to their kids about how it details a tragedy, rather than glorifies suicide. Also, it included talking points about encouraging teens to seek help from loved ones if they experience suicidal thoughts.

The show is available for viewing now, and tells the story Hannah (Katherine Langford), a high school girl, and her friend Clay (Dylan Minnette), who receives the box of tapes after her death, along with multiple other friends. Screen Rant, for what it's worth, says it's better than the book.

Previously: Watch The Trailer For 'Thirteen Reasons Why,' A Bay Area-Shot Netflix Show Produced by Selena Gomez



If you are in crisis, text "BAY" to 741741 for free, 24/7, confidential crisis support from Crisis Text Line. And if you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, you or they should call the San Francisco Suicide Prevention crisis line at (415) 781-0500.

If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.


30-year-old Alix Tichelman, the high-end call girl who pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter in 2015 in connection with the fatal heroin overdose of Google X executive Forrest Timothy Hayes in 2013, was released from prison in Santa Cruz County last week into the hands of immigration authorities. As the Santa Cruz Sentinel reports, Tichelman holds dual Canadian and American citizenship, and ICE had requested a hold on her shortly after her sentencing in 2015.

Santa Cruz County Sheriff Sgt. Chris Clark tells the Sentinel that the department refused an ICE request to hold Tichelman an extra 24 hours past the end of her six-year sentence, which was completed in half that time on March 29 with credit for time served prior to sentencing. And "ICE agents were on hand at 5 a.m. March 29 when Ms. Tichelman was released," Clark says.

It's unclear how this works given the dual citizenship, but Clark tells the Associated Press that this is the fifth time so far this year that Santa Cruz has released an inmate into ICE custody.

Tichelman was nicknamed the "Harbor Hooker" following the high-profile case which made national news in part because of the surveillance cameras on the victim's yacht in Santa Cruz Harbor, installed by the victim, that captured her administering the lethal dose of heroin, and then calmly stepping over the body and drinking wine before she fled the scene.

51-year-old Forrest Hayes was married with five children and had apparently had multiple encounters with Tichelman before that fateful night on November 26, 2013. Tichelman was later arrested in July 2014 after an undercover agent posed as a potential client to lure her back to Santa Cruz for a trick. The story would later be turned into an episode of 48 Hours, and the yacht was put up for sale.

At the time of Hayes's death, Tichelman was living with a boyfriend in Folsom, California, construction worker Chad Cornell, who told 48 Hours he had no idea that his girlfriend was a prostitute. She said she was making money from modeling gigs, and that night in 2013 she told him she was heading to Santa Cruz to see some friends.

Tichelman also had an older ex-boyfriend just a few months prior in 2013, Atlanta nightclub owner Dean Riopelle, who suspiciously died at home alone from a mixture of heroin, oxycodone, and alcohol, and Tichelman was the person who called 911. Also, suspiciously, Tichelman had another ex who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for administering a lethal dose of heroin to a young woman and then leaving her to die without calling for help.

Previously: Prostitute Pleads Guilty In Google Exec's Death, Sentenced To Six Years
Landlords like the one who evicted Angelique Rochelle and her three children from a San Francisco apartment in 2014 under the false pretense of an owner move-in eviction  the landlord simply raised the rent on the unit and found new tenants  may soon face repercussions for abusing this aspect of San Francisco tenant law.

Owner move-in evictions are fully legal: "A landlord can evict a tenant if the landlord is going to move into the unit to live, or (only if the landlord is also going to be living in the building) for a close relative to move in and live there," the law says. But the city's rent board rarely investigates these situations to ensure that owners really do move in to units after evicting their tenants, and no landlord in at least a decade has been prosecuted for abusing this law.

Last year, NBC Bay Area's investigative unit conducted a survey of more than 100 addresses at which a landlord had claimed their own or a family move-in as grounds for eviction, discovering that as many as a quarter of them were fraudulent like Angelique Rochelle's. They even created a map to go with it.

NBC Bay Area now reports that two pieces of legislation seek to reign in abuse of owner move-in evictions as a result of their investigation. First, Supervisor Mark Farrell is proposing an ordinance today to require landlords or family members to present evidence that they moved into the unit in question, such as a utility bill. And second, Supervisors Jane Kim and Aaron Peskin propose to make it easier to fine or even jail landlords if they wrongfully evict tenants in order to charge higher rent to new ones.

"If you own a piece of property and want to move back in, I think everyone should have the right to do so," Farrell told NBC Bay Area. "But Im not going to sit here and stand by idly when you see and hear of cases where people are blatantly breaking the law."

To the Examiner he explained that his legislation would provide a "legal hook" to "make people think twice before they intentionally move forward with what is an illegal eviction," hopefully giving teeth to prosecution efforts.

Finally, Farrell thanked NBC Bay Area. It was the great work of NBC that really turned up the volume to really talk about and identify and expose the amount of fraudulent practices that are happening in this area and really spur us into action.

Previously: One In Four Owner Move-In Evictions Could Be Fraudulent According To New Investigation
It was SHN's turn to announce their upcoming season of theater today, and included among the Broadway-tour offerings are the first national tours of current Broadway hits School of Rock, Alladin, and Waitress, as well as first tours of recent Tony Award winners and nominees An American in Paris, The Color Purple, On Your Feet!, and Something Rotten.

Opening the 2017-2018 season on August 15 will be the hit musical Something Rotten, a comedy from the director of Aladdin and co-director of The Book of Mormon and the producer of Rent, Avenue Q and In the Heights that tells the tale of two playwright brothers, Nick and Nigel Bottom, living in the time of Shakespeare, who learn from a soothsayer that the next big trend in theater will involve singing and dancing. They set out to create the world's first musical, and what unfolds is a hilarious send-up of musical tropes set against a Renaissance backdrop. It's directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winner Casey Nicholaw, with music and lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick.

Following that on September 12 is An American in Paris, a new musical adaptation of the classic 1951 film, featuring the music of George and Ira Gershwin, which took home the Tony Awards for Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations, Best Lighting Design, and Best Scenic Design in 2015.

Disney's Aladdin opens at the Orpheum on November 1 following three successful years on Broadway (and counting), and that will be followed on February 6, 2018 with a return engagement of The Book Of Mormon, now on its fourth (?) pass through town, making this basically an annual thing.

A year from May, The Color Purple arrives in SF following the smash hit revival that garnered a Tony Award for Best Revival last year, followed on June 27, 2018 with School of Rock  though some may have gotten a sneak preview of this, at least in an amateur, kids production, last year at The Curran.

And, looking way ahead, SHN has basically announced the beginning of the 2018-2019 season today as well (though these may be included in 2017-18 subscription packages), which will include the SF premieres of the Gloria Estefan musical On Your Feet! on September 11, 2018, and Tony nominee Waitress, featuring music by six-time Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles, which will open at the Golden Gate Theater on October 16, 2018.

Current season ticket holders can reserve their tickets now for next season at SHN's website, and starting May 3, new subscribers can sign up.

Single-show tickets will go on sale at a later date.
The ex-owner of Hong Kong Lounge and Hong Kong Lounge II in the Richmond, 58-year-old Ming Lian Zhou, received a sentence Tuesday of six months in communal confinement in a halfway house, followed by six months home detention and two years of probation, as the Chronicle reports.

Zhou was investigated over five years ago and ordered by the U.S. Labor Department to pay over $90,000 in unpaid overtime to his employees, something that he stubbornly tried to get out of doing not once, but twice. First, he signed government forms claiming he had paid the employees when he had not, coercing them to do the same, and then when authorities discovered this they had him pay the monies directly to them so they could issue government checks to the employees themselves. He was then nabbed back in 2015 when it was discovered that he was forcing the employees to sign those checks back over to him.

He ultimately pleaded guilty in late 2016 to a felony charge of concealing a material fact from a government agency.

Hong Kong Lounge II, in Laurel Heights, has received some wider acclaim than its larger progenitor in the Outer Richmond, and the restaurant's primary owner, Annie Ho, has said that Zhou is no longer involved in the business at all. Michael Bauer has in recent years been including it on his Top 100 list, saying its dim sum is great but the restaurant also "just as good at night."

Zhou's is one of several similar cases involving Bay Area restaurateurs allegedly mistreating employees or failing to pay wages. In 2014, the owners of Yank Sing were similarly given a drubbing by the Labor Department and forced to pay back $4 million in back wages to employees, most of them immigrants who did not speak English. More recently, the owners of Burma Superstar have been embroiled in a similar suit, this one brought by several former employees, though that remains unresolved.

Previously: Shady Former Hong Kong Lounge I & II Owner Pleads Guilty To Labor-Related Felony
People with cool, provocative political messages will have to save it for their bumper stickers. As of today, political ads on Muni buses and trains are are prohibited, ABC 7 reports, following a unanimous vote yesterday by the SFMTA board of directors. That brings the city into line with most of its peers.

Specifically, per the board of directors meeting, the amended advertising policy will "prohibit advertisements concerning a political or public issue, containing profanity or violent descriptions or images, are intended to be insulting, degrading, disparaging, demeaning or offensive, are reasonably likely to be harmful or disruptive to the SFMTAs transit system, encourage or depict unsafe transit behavior or are adverse to the interests of the SFMTA, effective April 5, 2017."

Ads that fall into this category will include the kind of Islamophobic, pro-Israel signs that are frequently paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, drawing a steady stream of criticism whenever they appear. Speaking to Breitbart News, that Initiative's president, Pamela Geller, said "San Francisco really is the last city where the Geller ban is not in affect," taking credit for bans on political ads for most public transit systems. In September, Geller launched the below ads, calling a ban on her ads "a ban on the truth."

#AFDI new ad campaign rolled out on hundreds San Francisco buses countering the Jew haters https://t.co/glp94uvudF pic.twitter.com/NE0gsKjGMr  Pamela Geller (@PamelaGeller) September 9, 2016

Mayor Lee registered his approval for the SFMTA rule change. "I think they can be so hurtful to lots of people,"Lee tells ABC 7, "I've seen some of the graphics and I shake my head." SMH, SFMTA.

For her part, Geller is threatening to sue  she just submitted an ad last week, she says. "It is shocking to me that San Francisco, which is the left-wing mecca of radical liberalism, is moving towards shutting down free speech."

Wait, is being "the left wing mecca of radical liberalism" supposed to be good, or bad?

Horrendously dishonest pro-Apartheid Israel bus ads launching on @sfmta_muni buses today. pic.twitter.com/yupsrBZXqg  Zahra Billoo (@ZahraBilloo) September 6, 2016

The SFMTA, the seventh largest public transit system in the US, authorizes ads on SFMTA facilities and property from trolley cars to buses. Existing rules already prohibit ads concerning "a declared political candidate or ballot measure scheduled for consideration by the voters in an upcoming election or an initiative petition submitted to the San Francisco Department of Elections."

Related: Tragic Ads Attempt To Glorify Desperate Hell Of Gig Economy
It was June of 2007, when then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom declared "We have too many garbage cans in the city," and ordered SF's Department of Public Works to remove half of the city's on-street trash containers. The cans' removal, Newsom said, would help "reduce litter in the city by 50 percent over the next five years," the Chron reported at the time. My friends, that didn't happen  and now the city is returning cans to one busy SF corridor, at a hefty price.

From the moment Newsom issued his edict, saying "I'm still pro-garbage can...I'm just not pro-400 garbage cans in four blocks," the first term Mayor was under attack, with then-Richmond District Supervisor Jake McGoldrick sneering "What's next? Is he going to stop street sweepers from coming around because people are throwing their trash in the street? I don't understand the rationale."

McGoldrick wasn't the only critic of the policy  as my SFist co-founding-writer Rita Hao mused at the time, "Why don't they just have rule-breakers get garbage service, but also leave some trash cans outside for folks like us who want to throw our finished cup of Mitchell's Mexican Chocolate ice cream away without going back into the store?"

The rationale, it seemed, was that pulling the cans would curb illegal dumping from scofflaws the city can't catch. As Newsom said when announcing the program, We want there to be room in the garbage cans, and theres often not. Theyre overflowing because other residents are using them inappropriately," the Ex reported in 2007.

According to then-DPW director Fred Abadi they "removed trash cans from places where they were being misused, underused or where there were more than enough," the Ex reported at the time. "The status quo is not working, Mayoral spokesperson Nate Ballard said at the time. This is a program that deserves a chance.

And a chance it received  nearly a decade-long chance, as DPW continued to cut the city's then-5,000 cans to the 3,200 we have today. But Tuesday DPW trumpeted a so-called "Yes We Can! Project" via press release (I uploaded the whole thing for you to read here), in which the department will bring 38 new bins back to Mission Street between 14th and Cesar Chavez Streets, putting the new total along that stretch to 73.

It is one of our top priorities to keep our streets and neighborhoods clean and livable, Lee said in the release (which did not mention the policies of our now-Lt. Gov AT ALL). To help maintain the beautiful nature of our city, we continue to explore different strategies, such as the Fix-It initiative and the Yes We Can pilot program, to help our thriving and active corridors.

Because, you guys, it apparently took the city ten years to figure out that people who illegally dump their trash in city cans will (gasp) just dump it on the street if no can is available. Who on earth could have predicted that. Also:

As long ago as 2009, Mission Local suggested that the can removal plan wasn't working in their coverage area of the Mission District. In a report from September of that year, they wrote that "a new litter study by the Department of Public Works is expected to demonstrate only a slight improvement" and that people continue to "leave their garbage in public trashcans along the street, or in other peoples bins...with fewer cans on the street, more trash is likely to end up around them." This is borne out by the Chron, which reports this week that "In 2016, more than 5,800 complaints about overflowing garbage cans came into the citys 311 service portal. Of those, 445, or nearly 8 percent, came from the Mission."

Will those 38 new cans along Mission help reduce those calls, if for no other reason than now illegal dumpers have a can in which to dump? It's obviously too soon to say, and DPH says they program is just a six-month pilot. According to Mission Local, "Public Works will also monitor the programs effectiveness by tracking 311 service requests and using on-site evaluations to determine whether the additional cans actually result in less street-dumping and littering. If successful, the program will likely be implemented in other other neighborhoods."

That implementation, in the Mission or beyond, will come at a price: the Chron reports that each new can costs the city $1,600 to install. A drop in the bucket given our overall operating budget, but still tooth-gnashing when you think about how, if we'd just kept all the cans there in the first place ten freakin' years ago, we wouldn't be spending a dime.

Related: In Confusing Bid To Reduce Litter, National Park Service Pulls Ocean Beach Trash Cans
OMAHA | Carole King may not have had as much adventure as Frankie Valli but the musical celebrating her life is just as hit-packed as Jersey Boys.

Detailing her rise from ambitious songwriting teen to Grammy-winning recording artist, Beautiful offers up so many songs youll wonder if anything was omitted. (For the record, some were.) The show, which plays the Orpheum Theater in Omaha through April 9, doesnt really explain how King and her first husband, Gerry Goffin, created magic, but it sure lets their songs live.

Whether theyre sung by 60s rhythm and blues groups or by musicians noodling in a studio, theyre given fairly lavish presentations and a dizzying approach to storytelling.

The young Carole (played by Sarah Bockel on Tuesdays opening night) pitches a song to Don Kirshner (James Clow), meets Goffin (Liam Tobin) and the show is off and running. While a lot of Douglas McGraths script is light on details, it doesnt skip on angst  particularly when it comes to Goffin. Routinely, hes the one who feels boxed in, restless and dissatisfied. Director Marc Bruni never explains the root of his discontent, but its clear hes the complex one, King is the enabler.

The songwriting couple meet two other aspiring writers at 1650 Broadway, the hit-making factory, and soon it becomes a competition between Carole and Gerry and Cynthia Weil (Erika Olson) and Barry Mann (Ben Fankhauser). Although this is billed as The Carole King Musical, their stories are just as important (and, at times, more interesting) as hers.

Bockel sings the heck out of the songs, particularly during Kings big Carnegie Hall appearance, but shes given such dowdy costumes and wigs its easy to see why Goffin strayed. While big chunks of this appear to cut him a break, Beautiful boils down to: Carole King wrote a lot of songs, some based on marital unrest. Goffins lyrics are the revelation. Presented in this context, they affirm just how good he was.

While Tobin looks like he has to tiptoe around some of the story to avoid looking like a villain, he gives Bockel just enough ammunition to get the audience on her side. The show is a series of one-liners punctuated by songs. Actors playing the Drifters, the Shirelles, Little Eva and the Righteous Brothers give them full-on production values, even though the shows sound is so loud at times theyre often difficult to enjoy.

As much as Bockel is the shows centerpiece, shes often upstaged by a piano that rolls on and off for just about every scene. Designer Derek McLane has stripped this down to essential set pieces. Like Jersey Boys, it relies too much on a scaffold to suggest everything from a hospital to an apartment building to a recording studio. Peter Kaczorowskis lights are much more vital, providing the flash needed even when the story doesnt call for any.

As Weil and Mann, Olson and Fankhauser are real scene stealers. Shes a brassy force of nature, hes a Woody Allen-level hypochondriac. They offer the color Tobin and Bockel often cant.

Bad costumes aside, Bockel sells every one of her numbers and gets such a deep emotional reaction to Youve Got a Friend itd take a hard heart not to be moved.

Beautiful isnt a complex show, just a fun night at the theater. It isnt equal to the impact King made on the music industry, but it offers one fine night, nonetheless.
SIOUX CITY | Sitting at a table inside Bodega 401, manager Jason Nelson was happy to recount the strange-but-true story surrounding The original Bodega, which opened at the same 401 Pearl St. location more 120 years ago.

"Back in the day, Sioux City was home to 72 saloons despite Iowa's anti-liquor laws," he explained. "Heading up a faction that wanted to abolish alcohol was a fiery preacher named the Rev. George C. Haddock."

On the night of Aug. 3, 1886, Haddock was shot to death on the corner of Third and Water streets. Witnesses identified the shooter as John Arensdorf, a local brewer.

Brought to trial twice and acquitted each time, Arensdorf reputedly celebrated his legal victories by going out drinking with the jury.

"About nine years after (Haddock's death), Arensdorf opened the first Bodega at this very site," Nelson said. At the location: a sign that says, "Bodega 401: Est. circa 1895/Revived 2017." "While this certainly isn't a celebration of those events, we simply wanted to acknowledge Sioux City's storied past."

Indeed, the new Bodega -- the Spanish word for grocery store or wine cellar -- is full of archival images from the city's colorful past.

"Sioux City's history is pretty interesting," Nelson said. "Since we opened a bar and restaurant here, we're playing it up a bit."

Which is fine by Nelson, who, ironically, spent more than 15 years working as a probation officer.

"This is my first experience (in the hospitality field)," the Sioux City native said. "And I'm having the time of my life."

Describing Bodega's decor as sleek, urban and minimalist, Nelson said the vibe is inviting for guests wanting a beer, some wine or a specialty house-infused cocktail.

"While we consider ourselves to be mainly a bar, we're also very proud of our food menu."

So, what's good to eat at Bodega 401? Nelson recommended the 12-inch brick-oven pizzas.

Named after Sioux City's former nickname, Bodega's "Li'l Chicago" pizza is made with beef, sausage, Canadian bacon and pepperoni while the "Bad Hunter" (Nelson's personal favorite) is a veggie-heavy pizza that contains pesto, peppers, tomatoes, red onions, mushrooms and arugula.

"If you don't want a strictly veggie pizza, feel free to add pepperoni to the 'Bad Hunter,'" he suggested. "I'm not going to tell anyone."

While Bodega has several appetizers on its menu, guests can get a bit of everything from the "Lump 'em Together" sampler platter.

"Our sampler contains jalapeno cheese curds, hand-cut fries, deep-fried pickles as well as some chicken lollipops," Nelson said, setting a platter on a table.

Exactly what is a chicken lollipop?

"Well, it's a chicken wing where the meat is cut loose from the bone end and then pushed down a bit," Nelson explained. "It looks like a lollipop made from a chicken and it is delicious."

Since a soft opening on St. Patrick's Day, Bodega has been well received by customers, Nelson noted.

"We want Bodega to be a bit different from other Pearl Street bars while still being a nice place for customers to come before and after shows at the Hard Rock," he said.

As the weather warms up, Nelson said a garage door on the far west side of the building will open to an outdoor patio. In addition, stairs will lead to an outdoor bar on Bodega's top level.

"You just wait," he said. "People will be amazed at how beautiful downtown will look (from the vantage point of the top level bar)."

This is important to Nelson.

"Sioux City has a wonderfully rich history and so does Pearl Street," he said. "Bodega 401 is simply acknowledging that past while looking at the future."
When you browse the menu at Niroj Kurdish Cuisine in Agoura Hills, Calif., youll probably be tempted to order the cold mezze platter. Its a colorful display of five dips served alongside a basket of warm homemade bread.

Two of the dips, the hummus and baba ghanoush, are very Middle Eastern but I would not claim them as Kurdish, says Niroj chef-owner Luqman Barwari. But the other three  hesandin dip, piyas and Riha ezme  are specific to Kurdish cuisine. They are like recipes back home, but with my twist, Barwari says.

Hesandin means stuffed, and the dip is similar to muhammara, containing a blend of roasted red peppers pureed with fresh carrots and walnuts, and flavored with notes of garlic, pomegranate molasses and a touch of Aleppo pepper. Piyas, meaning onions, is a vibrant sort of salad, a diced blend of colorful fresh bell peppers, red onions and parsley, brightened with a squeeze of fresh lemon and lightly sweetened with pomegranate molasses. Riha ezme is named after the city of Riha, which is known as Urfa in Turkish. The dip, a puree of roasted peppers with a variety of fresh herbs, also has a hint of spice from pepper paste and ground Aleppo pepper. Riha is where Aleppo pepper comes from, and I use the pepper a lot in my cuisine.

Barwari, who has lived most of his life in the United States, is a former scientist but switched gears a few years ago to follow his other passion: cooking. Being in America for so long, I realized how much we were lacking in good Kurdish food; no one really claims our cuisine here.

Niroj celebrated its fourth anniversary in February. The restaurants name is a take on Newroz, which means new day in Kurdish; the holiday, celebrated in a number of countries throughout the Middle East, commemorates the arrival of spring. Each nation celebrates Newroz a little differently,says Barwari. The Kurds generally go out from the cities and villages to the mountains to picnic.

The Kurds lived in Mesopotamia for thousands of years, says Barwari. The area is mountainous, and the cuisine relies heavily on the plants and vegetables, herbs and spices collected locally. For Barwari, Kurdish food is not very spicy, but it is the most flavorful, in my opinion, in the Middle East. At Niroj, Barwari has developed close relationships with many of the farmers at the nearby farmers markets, centering his dishes around the local produce.

Riha ezme especially highlights the fresh herbs the chef finds at the markets, and he loves to eat it not just as an appetizer but also with his rice and as part of a wrap. Its not on the menu, but I make my own lavash, and I add the sauce, along with kebabs and vegetables and onions. Sounds like perfect picnic food. Yes, he says, laughing. It is.
CHARLOTTE, N.C.  Some of the best food in Charlotte has found its way to the citys homeless women and children in recent days, thanks to a rush of emergency support from restaurants, catering services, food trucks and churches.

The act of kindness was in response to a call for help from the Salvation Army Center of Hope, which had been without stoves or refrigerators for a week.

Its a predicament that is unavoidable, because of a long overdue renovation of the shelters kitchen. The work, paid for by donations, began March 13. The Salvation Army couldnt afford to have meals catered, which meant the possibility of serving only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for eight days.

People such as Will Bigham and Christopher Soto kept that from happening, however.

On March 14, the two pulled up into the parking lot of the shelter with their Stomp/Chomp/Roll food truck (called the Oinker), and began serving the kind of food homeless women and children only dream of. Made-from-scratch baked ziti, barbeque smoked for 12 hours and hand pulled, homemade macaroni and cheese, salads, cold slaw and special sauces and dressings.

The truck fed about 150 people, from toddlers to grandmothers. No one paid a dime.

We gave them a choice of the baked ziti or the barbeque, but some wanted a combination of both, said Bigham, a restaurateur known for The Pizza Peel & Tap Room and The Improper Pig.

I see what were doing as spreading love to people in need. Theres no better way to bring people together than to share a meal.

Salvation Army officials said they needed about 25 meals covered in all, and someone volunteered in every case, including Myers Park United Methodist Church, True Pizza Truck and ERDs Eatery & Catering.

Two anonymous donors also came forward to cover a $60,000 gap in the money needed to finish the renovation.

The $150,000 project comes at a time when the 25-year-old shelter is inundated with homeless families, hosting about 400 people a night (half of them children). Thats about 60 over capacity. Those people without beds sleep on the floor.

A volunteer group called Kairos organized the project campaign. Kairos is made up of 13 women who have been showing up once a month for 13 years to buy and cook a homemade dinner for families in the shelter.

Many of the donations were made in honor of group member Sheila Tuttle, a Charlotte business owner who has been recognized by the Salvation Army as one of its most outstanding volunteers.

If all goes as planned, the new kitchen will reopen Monday, though ovens and fryers may not be installed until Wednesday.

Major Larry Broome, area commander for The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte, says the entire project has been taken care of largely by average people doing whatever they could afford. That impresses him.

This is all happening because of small scale donations of $25 or $50, he said.

It really is a grassroots project involving individuals and small groups who came together and made a big difference. That really says a lot about the generosity about this community.
CHARLOTTE, N.C.  If you go online to read one of Alex Jenkins reviews of Charlotte restaurants, you might notice a few things.

Theres the type of restaurants he likes  small, local places with mid-range prices. Theres the kind of food he prefers  heavy on ribs, stuffed potatoes, cheese-steak sandwiches and cream-topped desserts. Theres the writing  less precious gushing about trendy ingredients and curated cocktails, more detail on handicapped accessibility and how a waiter acted when Alex asked for his food to be cut up.

Jenkins is the same as a lot of aspiring young writers. His blog, Food With the Dude, is his attempt to find a career, to turn something he loves into a life for himself.

Theres one big difference: Alex, 25, is doing it with cerebral palsy. Hes doing it with limited use of his hands and one of his legs, with food allergies that limit what he can eat, with an inability to drive that means someone has to take him everywhere.

Problems with his facial muscles make it hard to tell whether hes smiling or glowering. Problems with his diaphragm mean he talks softly, often running out of air before he reaches the end of a sentence.

Alex has something big going for him, though: Hes got a team in his corner. Spencer Moore, his therapist and daily caregiver, is happy to go anywhere Alex wants to go and is with him usually at least 8 hours a day. His stepfather, Paul Heenan, didnt come on the scene until Alex was 21 but hes fallen right in as a cheerleader.

And then hes got the lion, his mother, Lisa Heenan, who has spent every day of the last 25 years helping Alex be everything Alex can be.

We take his lead, all of us, she says. Spencer, myself, my husband.

Hes definitely got a village.

RAISING A DUDE

Lisa hardly ever calls Alex Alex. She calls him the dude, little d. When he was younger, she had a pet name for him, my little monkey man. One day, he declared, Im not a monkey. So she asked him, OK, what are you? He said: Im a dude. After that, thats what he became for Lisa: Always and forever, the dude.

Heenan picks her way carefully through Alexs adult life, trying to find the line between doing what he needs without doing too much. Many parents of grown children can relate to her struggle.

When Alex meets with a reporter, Lisa drops by, unannounced, to translate and make sure its going OK. But she does it carefully, always asking his permission: Can I tell her this, dude? Is it OK to tell her that?

As a single mother for most of Alexs life, it was always the two of them. Born four months prematurely, Alex weighed less than 2 pounds. Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the brain either before or during birth. It can create a wide range of issues, from muscle spasms and limb control to speech and vision impairment. Intellectual development can range just as widely, from severe learning disabilities to simpler speech difficulties.

As a child, Alex had so many surgeries to correct so many problems, his picture was on the cover of a catalog for Carolinas Medical Center. One, a selective dorsal rhizotomy, involved cutting nerves along his spine to relieve rigidity thats common with cerebral palsy. It allowed him to finally sit up on his own when he was 3.

He could only eat baby food until he was 5. At different times, he briefly used a wheelchair, along with a walker, a leg brace and arm crutches. His cognitive skills, says Lisa, are a mixed bag: He can read well, and speak some of several languages. But he struggles with math and processing information. He graduated from high school, but has had trouble finding a college program that fits him.

Through all of it, Lisa focused on letting Alex try anything he wanted to try. The only thing she said no to was skydiving.

CANT COOK, LOVES TO EAT

Alex always had an interest in food, but not always successfully. When he was 4 or 5, he had a toy Playskool kitchen he played with constantly, always making Lisa food. One day, she was getting ready for work when she smelled something burning. Alex was on the floor in the kitchen, stuffing paper towels into the electric baseboard heater: Im making toast, Mom.

Alex has since banned himself from the kitchen, except for the microwave. His right hand is twitchy, making a knife dangerous, and hes easily distracted. Hes afraid hed forget the stove is on and set a fire.

He never lost his interest in food, though. Always, when they were out, he would spot little restaurants near their home in northwest Charlotte.

Hes got this innate knack for knowing whats good, she says: Hell taste something and know immediately how it was made or whats in it.

Two years ago, he spotted a small cafe called CCs Sweet Potato Pies & Cafe, on Couloak Drive. They thought it was just a bakery, then discovered that owner Cora Copeland also made cheese steak sandwiches, a family obsession.

They loved it so much, they became regulars. Copeland, it turned out, was a former special-needs teacher. When she heard Alex talking about wanting a job, she offered him one. He started at an hour a week, stocking the drinks cooler. Today, he and Spencer are there six hours a week, greeting customers and helping put Copelands pies into containers.

With Alexs constant interest in restaurants and food, another idea started to dawn on Lisa. On his daily excursions with Spencer  to Freedom Park to run dashes, to the gym for the treadmill and stationary bike, to Abari to play video games  lunch is always a big deal. They like places like the Chicken Box, or small Asian restaurants. His favorite is anything Greek, Turkish or Lebanese, especially the Kabob Grill.

We dont agree on everything, Spencer says. Were human. But I wouldnt know half these restaurants if it werent for him.

Listening to Alex talk about restaurants, thats when it hit Lisa: You ought to start a food blog had become a running joke, but maybe it wasnt.

Wait, she thought. Hes got a knack for this. Lets follow his lead.

THE RIGHT TO WRITE

Lisa works at home, doing technical development for a financial institution. So she used her computer skills to set up a simple Word Press blog for Alex. At first, she hoped hed be able to do the writing himself, so they got a laptop with voice recognition. But with his speech difficulties it didnt work.

It doesnt speak dude,  she says. It brought him more frustration.

Instead, she works with him, doing the typing while he tells her what to write. She pushes sometimes, pulling out details, but she focuses on capturing Alexs writing voice and making the blog his.

Since hes often out on his own with Spencer but cant take notes well, Alex came up with a solution: He had Lisa make him a business card. On the front, theres a picture of a waiter, his contact information and his slogan: I eat, I blog about it.

On the back, theres a key to his rating system, from 1 (Dont go there) to 5 (WHY ARE YOU NOT ALREADY THERE?). Under that, there are his criteria: Service and accessibility, sanitation, friendliness of staff, service time, overall taste and bang for your buck. When theyre out, Spencer handles the pen, marking the card and shooting pictures of the food. Then he shoots a picture of the card and emails it all to Lisa.

At home later, she goes through the notes and pictures and helps Alex figure out what he wants to say.

Was the potato the size of your head? That potato looks huge, dude. Whats on that?

Barbecue chicken.

Are you serious? Is that why Spencer needed a nap?

If they debate a point, she says, he always wins. Hell say, Its my blog and Ill write what I think. Im like, Yes, sir.

From the beginning, Alex decided that if he was going to do it, he was going to be professional about it. He joined the Association of Food Journalists and started reading up on the ethics of restaurant reviewing. Sometimes, Lisa hears him upstairs at his own computer, talking to himself. Hes reading other reviewers and arguing out loud.

They wrestle with what to do about negative reviews, trying to be fair without being rude about it, she says. Weve had to find a balance. Being honest is good and too honest is not.

Slowly, hes building up entries and even gets a few comments from fans. His first entry, on CCs, was five sentences. His most recent, on J Peters Grill & Bar in Mount Holly, went on for 27 paragraphs and six pictures, including a croissant dripping with honey glaze. (Mom really loves croissants. So do I. One of these days, we might fight over one.)

As a therapist, Spencer has noticed changes in Alex since the blog started.

Ive noticed hes more confident, he says. Even though hes soft-spoken, he speaks a little louder. He used to be king of the one-word answers, but finding written words is helping him find spoken words, too.

All these words, Lisa marvels. Where has this been? Its opened a whole other version of Alex.

If you ask Alex what his goal is for the blog, he struggles a little to express it.

I want to do the blog as long as Im able, he finally says. My favorite part of writing is the people. I like that people are reading the blog.

Turning a food blog into a career is a tough challenge, though. While reliable numbers are difficult to come by, one company that used to track blog categories estimated there were 16,588 food blogs in 2012, a number that has certainly climbed. According to lifehacker.coms survey of 1,000 food bloggers, more than 80 percent said they never make any money from it, and those who do usually have strong skills in marketing and technology, building websites with multiple streams of content and advertising. A single blog rarely leads to economic success.

For Lisa, thats not really the goal, though. She sees it as a framework, a way to do something that engages his interest and builds his confidence while letting him discover what he can do.

If you ask Alex, his main goal in life is I want to be independent. (The blog) seems to be allowing him a channel of independence he wouldnt ever be able to have. My goal for him? Enjoy it, and maybe translate it into something that lets him be more independent.

On Jan. 24, Alex got important news: Hes been accepted into a program at Central Piedmont Community College that helps people with disabilities get ready for college classes. Spencer will be able to go with him, and one of his classes, on health and safety, even includes nutrition.

Alex gives some of the credit to his blog: He thinks building his writing and verbal skills helped him pass the placement test.

For Lisa, its a part of doing what she has always done for her son: Let Alex take the lead.

I hate to say you surprised me, dude, she says to him. But you did.
ONAWA, Iowa | An Ankeny, Iowa, man arrested in November on suspicion of trying to lure children into his vehicle in Onawa has now been charged with multiple other crimes of the same nature months earlier.

On Nov. 16 of last year, Jeff Lee Altmayer, 57, drove into a residential area in Onawa and offered a 6-year-old girl $100 to get in, court documents said. Another child screamed and neighbors ran to confront Altmayer, where he told them he was a police officer and he had a gun, before speeding away.

He was brought into custody a short time later by the Iowa State Patrol after getting a vehicle description. While being booked in the Monona County Jail, a bottle containing 16 Xanax and 7 Viagra pills was found on him, unprescribed. He was charged with three counts of enticing a minor with the intent to commit sexual abuse, impersonating a public official, and possession of controlled substances.

Further investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and other law enforcement agencies linked Altmayer to similar crimes against minors three months earlier in Iowa, a Tuesday press release said.

Documents say Altmayer has been charged with three counts of enticing a child and one count of enticing a minor in an Aug. 2 incident in Grundy County.

Fifteen days later, authorities in Jasper County say Altmayer offered two children $100 to help him with yard work at his house in Des Moines. One of the girls got into the vehicle and Altmayer drove away and allegedly started groping the girl. He is charged with first-degree kidnapping and second-degree sexual abuse in that incident.

The release said the investigation in ongoing and additional charges may be forthcoming. The Iowa Attorney Generals Office is handling the prosecution of Altmayer.
ONAWA, Iowa | The Onawa Racing and Events Complex recently entered into a multi-year sanctioning agreement with the International Hot Rod Association.

The complex, to be constructed at the old municipal airport site, is a $1.3 million effort that began taking shape in 2016. The Federal Aviation Administration, the Iowa Department of Transportation and the City of Onawa closed Onawa Municipal Airport on July 1, 2015, to pave the way for this effort.

Bill Wonder, a member of the group selling $1,000 shares to help finance construction of a new 1/8-mile drag strip at the old airport site south of the Onawa Country Club, noted that the City of Onawa has committed $500,000 in Tax Increment Financing funds for the project, and an additional $300,000, also in TIF funds, to help build a structure at the site that will house a concession stand, restrooms and a multi-purpose hall within which the group may host events year-round.

"We've sold about 150 shares of stock to people in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota," Wonder said. "Now that we've signed this sanctioning agreement, people may see that it's going to happen."

Wonder and the group are still seeking to sell shares to help trigger the dirt work and more. The best-case scenario, he said, would see the drag-strip up and going by the end of the summer.

Currently, the nearest drag strips to Sioux City are Thunder Valley Dragways near Parker, South Dakota (93 miles from Sioux City), and I-29 Dragway at Pacific Junction, Iowa (117 miles).

A 3,400-foot drag strip may support races broken into three categories: 1/8-mile, 1,000 feet, or 1/4-mile.
SIOUX CITY | Woodbury County Supervisor Keith Radig saw a building and expanse of county-owned land, which could become homes for people in a rural setting just east of the Sioux City limits.

The other county supervisors saw an aging building filled with problems that no developer would want, with little chance that people would choose to live so close to a Sheriff's Office firing range.

Therefore, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday declined to vote on a plan by Radig to attempt to sell the building and part of the grounds of the county-owned Prairie Hills jail annex, located at 1600 County Home Road. Radig made a motion to list the property for sale through a commercial real estate agent, but no other supervisor seconded his motion, so it died.

"I'd just like to have an up or down vote," Radig said.

Since 2015, county officials have signaled that Prairie Hills will be closed, since it has numerous flaws associated with upkeep.

County officials have said it would cost an estimated $8.8 million to fully modernize Prairie Hills, where low-risk inmates were held until recently. The supervisors instead are making plans to modernize the downtown jail in the Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center, at 407 Seventh St.

Radig in recent board meetings aired his proposal to list the property for sale, hoping to find a buyer who would want to convert the building for apartments or a retirement home.

Radig, a former Sioux City councilman who is in his first year as a supervisor, contended people who like rural living would be open to living in a remodeled facility.

The Prairie Hills tract includes not just the building, but also 160 acres just off County Road D25, some of which Radig contended would be desirable to some housing developer. He said any such developer would be financially way ahead, when compared to creating a new building at a cost of $5 million or more.

Supervisor Jeremy Taylor said Radig had a misguided assessment of the building's quality and that it could have a future life with housing.

"I don't think anyone will pay $1 for it," Taylor said during a prior meeting.

In a memo, supervisors Taylor and Matthew Ung wrote the building is "dilapidated, aging and eventually dangerous."

The main Prairie Hills building is 100 years old. It was initially a so-called County Home, an institutional place for paupers and others. A wing was added in 1975, with two large classrooms, a full-size gymnasium and a large weight room and workout area for employee training.

The county converted Prairie Hills to a jail annex in 2000. A program hailed as a way to help inmates with alcohol problems and reduce jail numbers was ended at Prairie Hills in 2015.

Sheriff Dave Drew said he was puzzled that Radig never spoke with him about the proposal. Drew said besides the gun range, Prairie Hills is also used for K-9 police dog training and vehicle maintenance.

"I have great concerns when you talk about getting rid of this property...Who in their right mind would want to live next to a firing range?" Drew said at the previous weekly board meeting.

Responding to dissenting views on attempting to list Prairie Hills, Radig said no buyers could be pinpointed if the property isn't listed for sale.

Further, Radig said if the county doesn't sell Prairie Hills, the shuttered facility will deteriorate and end up causing the county millions of dollars. That's why he sought a vote Tuesday to put supervisors on the record publicly on the issue.

"Failure of this board to act would leave taxpayers with a serious future liability," Radig said.

After Radig's proposal languished, Taylor and Ung directed the Building Services Department director to bring back sketches and a cost estimate to create a new building on Prairie Hills grounds as a regional training center for law enforcement workers.
DAKOTA CITY | An Arkansas woman has pleaded guilty to charges related to a high-speed chase that ended near South Sioux City.

Shelbi Nichols, 23, of Bonnerdale, Arkansas, entered her plea Tuesday in Dakota County District Court to charges of possession of stolen property and operation of a motor vehicle to avoid arrest. Sentencing was set for May 23.

As part of a plea agreement, the prosecution and defense will recommend that Nichols be placed on two years probation. Charges of no operator's license nonresident and open alcoholic beverage container will be dismissed.

Nichols was the driver of a car involved in a Feb. 14 chase that began in Washington County just north of Omaha and headed north. The chase ended on U.S. Highway 77 between Dakota City and South Sioux City after the car was disabled by spike strips that flattened three of the car's tires. The car was reported stolen in Arkansas.

Nichols' passenger, Dusty Nash, 31, of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, awaits arraignment. He was arrested on charges of possession of stolen property, criminal impersonation, obstructing a peace officer and open alcoholic beverage container.
AURELIA, Iowa | A 15-year-old girl was killed and two other people were injured in a crash at an uncontrolled intersection Wednesday in rural Cherokee County.

Nicole Sofia Peterson, of Cherokee, was pronounced deceased at the scene of the crash, which occurred shortly before 8 a.m. at the intersection of T Avenue and 560th Street west of Aurelia.

According to an Iowa State Patrol crash report, Peterson was sitting on the passenger side of a 2005 Chevrolet Impala driven by Natalie Rose Peterson, also 15 and of Cherokee. The report said Peterson was driving north on T Avenue and failed to yield the right of way to an eastbound 2015 Chevrolet Silverado pickup driven by 30-year-old Andrew Allen Bierman, of Aurelia, at the road's intersection with 560th Street.

Bierman's truck struck the car in the passenger side door area, and both vehicles came to a rest in the northwest corner of the intersection, the report said.

Nicole Peterson had to be extricated by mechanical means and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the report. Natalie Petersen and Bierman were transported to Cherokee Regional Medical Center by the Cherokee Ambulance with suspected minor injuries. All occupants had been wearing seat belts.

Agencies reporting to the scene included the Aurelia Volunteer Fire Department, the Cherokee County Sheriffs Department, the Cherokee Regional Emergency Medical Services and the Iowa State Patrol.

The Iowa State Patrol is continuing to investigate the crash.
We hope this session marks the last time we hear and read about traffic camera debate in the Iowa Statehouse. We have lost count of how many sessions have included this obsessive discussion, with no change resulting.

This year, the Senate passed what in our view is a reasonable compromise on these divisive devices (after first rejecting a ban on them). Our hope is the House joins the Senate, passes the bill and finally puts the issue to rest, at least at the Capitol.

The Senate bill keeps traffic cameras in place, but requires local officials to justify placement of cameras on state and local roads and allows the equipment only in high-risk and high-crash areas. Money generated from traffic fines would have to be spent on road construction projects or public safety.

In our view, these rules strike an acceptable balance. Local jurisdictions would identify dangerous traffic locations, make the case to the state on why these locations are acceptable sites for cameras, and money produced by cameras at these locations would be directed to related areas of local budgets.

As we have said before, for reasons of public safety we prefer speed and red-light cameras remain legal traffic enforcement tools within a uniform set of rules, including fines. We also believe local officials, including our own here in Sioux City, should protect against overuse of them.

To these ends, we support the Senate bill and urge similar passage in the House.

If the courts rule against traffic cameras at some point in the future, so be it.

Until then, the Legislature should send to the governor a bill to regulate them, then move on.
Where did the money go? We now have a major spending problem in the state of Iowa. It is dumbfounding to me that we have been experiencing a positive growth in revenues ranging from 3.5 to 6.2 percent in the last four years, but we are not able to fund the basic public needs of our state.

This is a prioritization problem that is hurting education. Public schools, community colleges and universities should be a top priority like it used to be. The top priorities have shifted to tax credits, tax breaks, Medicaid and targeted new spending for constituency groups. As one state official shared with me, This is the new normal. I would challenge the new normal in that it is a choice of how we prioritize our resources. I never thought that in my education career Iowa would be in this position in regard to defunding education. Public schools have been the backbone of our democracy - the great equalizer. An educated public is needed for a strong democracy. The public doesnt understand how shortsighted it is to continue funding declines in education. Our society needs all individuals to be educated or the impact will be a decline of our society.
DES MOINES | Legislative Republicans and Gov. Terry Branstad have agreed they will spend $7.245 billion from the states general fund next fiscal year  a target that is $38.6 million lower than Branstads already revised plan and about $15 million less than current funding.

Rep. Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, and Sen. Charles Schneider, R-West Des Moines, told reporters Wednesday theyre sticking with an additional $40.1 million commitment made earlier to K-12 schools in fiscal 2018, but theyre hesitant to commit to Branstads call for a 2 percent hike for both K-12 schools and higher education in fiscal 2019.

We dont want to over-promise as has been done in the past. We want to make sure that when we set a budget number for education, that its something that we can keep, Schneider told a news conference.

K-12 education was one of the few areas spared from reductions in the new targets.

Branstad had sought legislative support to spend more than $7.283 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Currently, the state is slated to spend nearly $7.26 billion for the fiscal year that ends June 30.

House and Senate Republicans continue to believe that the state budget should be managed just like families and businesses manage their own, Grassley and Schneider said in a joint statement. This budget takes a responsible and cautious approach to spending in recognition that revenue may continue to come in less than anticipated.

Branstad issued a revised budget plan last month that preserved the 1.11 percent increase for K-12 education and addressed other priorities. But the governor had to pare back the fiscal 2018 request by $173 million to reflect slower-than-expected revenue growth, leaving only about $24 million in new money after earmarking $131 million over two years to refill reserves needed to cover a current shortfall.

The GOP plan issued Wednesday includes fully funding the additional $40 million passed earlier this session for K-12 schools as well as an initial $20 million installment to repay the cash reserves in fiscal 2018, with more payments coming in fiscal 2019.

Schneider said GOP budget-makers were looking to leave a larger year-end cushion in case revenues failed again to keep up with projections.

The GOP legislative targets are $11.8 million below the governors suggested $920.25 million for education, and $10 million below his proposed $1.776 billion for health and human services. Republicans also were $6.72 million below the governors $741.7 million for justice systems, $5.28 million lower on agriculture and natural resources, $2.76 million lower for economic development and $1.33 million lower for administration and regulation.

David Roederer, director of the Department of Management and Branstads budget director, said the governors office has had discussions with legislative Republicans to reach consensus.

These are more global numbers that theyre talking about and well continue to work with them as they start working through their subcommittees and trying to decide how theyre going to allocate those funds, Roederer said.

Minority legislative Democrats were critical.

Republicans are once again balancing the budget on the backs of working Iowans, said Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Senate Democrats will not support drastic cuts that threaten public safety, the quality of education, and the safety net for seniors, children and vulnerable Iowans, Bolkcom added. These budget cuts could have been avoided if Republican legislators, Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Reynolds had delivered on their promises to increase family income by 25 percent and create more than 200,000 new jobs in Iowa.

His House counterpart, Rep. Chris Hall, D-Sioux City, said the GOP targets were an indication that Republicans want Iowa families to pay for corporate tax giveaways that have put the state budget in the red while failing to build a skilled workforce or protect Iowas most vulnerable citizens.
The following companies are subsidiares of PepsiCo: Alimentos Quaker Oats y Compania Limitada, Alimentos del Istmo S.A., Amavale Agricola Ltda., Anderson Hill Insurance Limited, Asia Bottlers Limited, BAESA Capital Corporation Ltd., BFY Brands, BFY Brands LLC, BFY Brands Limited, BUG de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Balmoral Industries LLC, Bare Foods Co., Barrhead LLC, Be & Cheery, Beaman Bottling Company, Bebidas Sudamerica S.A., Beech Limited, Bell Taco Funding Syndicate, Bendler Investments II Ltd, Bendler Investments S.a r.l, Beverage Services Limited, Beverages Foods & Service Industries Inc., Bishkeksut OJSC, Blaue NC S. de R.L. de C.V., Blue Cloud Distribution Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arizona Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arkansas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Colorado Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Florida Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Georgia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Illinois Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Indiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Iowa Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Kentucky Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Louisiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Minnesota Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Mississippi Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Missouri Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nebraska Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nevada Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of North Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Ohio Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Oklahoma Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Pennsylvania Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of South Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Tennessee Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Texas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Virginia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Wisconsin Inc., Blue Ridge Sales LLC, Bluebird Foods Limited, Bluecan Holdings Unlimited Company, Bokomo Zambia Limited, Bolsherechensky Molkombinat JSC, Boquitas Fiestas LLC, Boquitas Fiestas S.R.L., Bottling Group Financing LLC, Bottling Group Holdings LLC, Bottling Group LLC, Bronte Industries Ltd, C & I Leasing Inc., CB Manufacturing Company Inc., CEME Holdings LLC, CMC Investment Company, Caroni Investments LLC, Centro-Mediterranea de Bebidas Carbonicas PepsiCo S.L., Ceres Fruit Juices Pty Ltd, ChampBev Inc., China Concentrate Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Chipsy International for Food Industries S.A.E., Chipsy for Food Industries S.A.E., Chitos Internacional y Cia Ltda, Cipa Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cipa Nordeste Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cocina Autentica Inc., Comercializadora CMC Investment y Compania Limitada, Comercializadora Nacional SAS Ltda., Comercializadora PepsiCo Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., Compania de Bebidas PepsiCo S.L., Concentrate Holding Uruguay Pte. Ltd., Concentrate Manufacturing Singapore Pte. Ltd., Confiteria Alegro S. de R.L. de C.V., Copella Fruit Juices Limited, Copper Beech International LLC, Corina Snacks Limited, Corporativo Internacional Mexicano S. de R.L. de C.V., CytoSport Holdings Inc., CytoSport Inc., Davlyn Realty Corporation, Defosto Holdings Limited, Desarrollo Inmobiliario Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Dilexis S.A., Donon Holdings Limited, Drinkfinity USA Inc., Drinkstation Inc., Drinkstation Innovation Co. Ltd., Drinkstation Limited, Dutch Snacks Holding S.A. de C.V., Duyvis Production B.V., EPIC Enterprises Inc., Echo Bay Holdings Inc., Elaboradora Argentina de Cereales S.R.L., Enter Logistica LLC, Environ at Inverrary Partnership, Environ of Inverrary Inc., Eridanus Investments S.a r.l, Evercrisp Snack Productos de Chile S.A., FL Transportation Inc., FLI Andean LLC, FLI Colombia LLC, FLI Snacks Andean GP LLC, Fabrica PepsiCo Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Fabrica de Productos Alimenticios Rene y Cia S.C.A., Fairlight International SRL, Far East Bottlers Hong Kong Limited, Food Concepts Pioneer Ltd., Forest Akers Nederland B.V., Forty-Six Peaks Holding Inc., Fovarosi Asvanyviz es Uditoipari Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Freshwater International B.V., Frito Lay Gida Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Frito Lay Poland Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay de Guatemala y Compania Limitada, Frito-Lay Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Frito-Lay Dip Company Inc., Frito-Lay Dominicana S.A., Frito-Lay Global Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Inc., Frito-Lay Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Manufacturing LLC, Frito-Lay Netherlands Holding B.V., Frito-Lay North America Inc., Frito-Lay Sales Inc., Frito-Lay Trading Company Europe GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company Poland GmbH, Frito-Lay Trinidad Unlimited, Fruko Mesrubat Sanayi Limited Sirketi, GB Czech LLC, GB International Inc., GB Russia LLC, GB Slovak LLC, GMP Manufacturing Inc., Gambrinus Investments Limited, Gamesa LLC, Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Gas Natural de Merida S. A. de C. V., Gatorade Puerto Rico Company, General Bottlers of Hungary Inc., Golden Grain Company, Goveh S.R.L., Grayhawk Leasing LLC, Green Hemlock International LLC, Grupo Frito Lay y Compania Limitada, Grupo Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Grupo Mabel, Grupo Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Gulkevichskiy Maslozavod JSC, Hangzhou Baicaowei Corporate Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co, Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Tao Dao Technology Co. Ltd., Health Warrior, Health Warrior Inc., Heathland LP, Helioscope Limited, Hillbrook Inc., Hillgrove Inc., Hillwood Bottling LLC, Hogganfield Limited Partnership, Holding Company "Opolie" JSC, Homefinding Company of Texas, Hudson Valley Insurance Company, IC Equities Inc., IZZE Beverage Co., Inmobiliaria Interamericana S.A. De C.V., Integrated Beverage Services Bangladesh Limited, Integrated Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd., International Bottlers Management Co. LLC, International KAS Aktiengesellschaft, Inversiones Borneo S.R.L., Inversiones PFI Chile Limitada, Inviting Foods Holdings Inc., Inviting Foods LLC, KAS Anorthosis S.a r.l, KAS S.L., KFC, Kevita Inc., Kinvara LLC, Kungursky Molkombinat JSC, Larragana S.L., Latin American Holdings Ltd., Latin American Snack Foods ApS, Latin Foods International LLC, Lebedyansky, Lebedyansky Holdings LLC, Lebedyansky LLC, Limited Liability Company "Sandora", Linkbay Limited, Lithuanian Snacks UAB, Mabel, Marbo Product d.o.o. Beograd, Marbo d.o.o. Laktasi, Matudis - Comercio de Produtos Alimentares Limitada, Matutano - Sociedade de Produtos Alimentares Lda., Mid-America Improvement Corporation, Mountainview Insurance Company Inc., Muscle Milk, NCJV LLC, New Bern Transport Corporation, New Century Beverage Company LLC, Noble Leasing LLC, Northeast Hot-Fill Co-op Inc., Office at Solyanka LLC, Onbiso Inversiones S.L., One World Enterprises LLC, One World Investors Inc., P-A Barbados Bottling Company LLC, P-A Bottlers Barbados SRL, P-Americas LLC, PAS Luxembourg S.a r.l, PAS Netherlands B.V., PBG Canada Holdings II LLC, PBG Canada Holdings Inc., PBG Cyprus Holdings Limited, PBG Investment Partnership, PBG Midwest Holdings S.a r.l, PBG Soda Can Holdings S.a r.l, PCBL LLC, PCNA Manufacturing Inc., PR Beverages Cyprus Holding Limited, PR Beverages Cyprus Russia Holding Limited, PRB Luxembourg S.a r.l, PRS Inc., PSAS Inversiones LLC, PSE Logistica S.R.L., PT Quaker Indonesia, Papas Chips S.A., Pei N.V., Pep Trade LLC, Pepsi B.V., Pepsi Beverages Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bottling Group Global Finance LLC, Pepsi Bottling Group GmbH, Pepsi Bottling Group Hoosiers B.V., Pepsi Bottling Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bugshan Investments S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Colombia Ltda, Pepsi Cola Egypt S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Panamericana S.R.L., Pepsi Cola Servis Ve Dagitim Limited Sirketi, Pepsi Cola Trading Ireland, Pepsi Logistics Company Inc., Pepsi Northwest Beverages LLC, Pepsi Overseas Investments Partnership, Pepsi Promotions Inc., Pepsi-Cola Advertising and Marketing Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bermuda Limited, Pepsi-Cola Bottlers Holding C.V., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company Of St. Louis Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Ft. Lauderdale-Palm Beach LLC, Pepsi-Cola Company, Pepsi-Cola Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Pepsi-Cola Far East Trade Development Co. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Finance LLC, Pepsi-Cola General Bottlers Poland Sp. z o.o., Pepsi-Cola Industrial da Amazonia Ltda., Pepsi-Cola International Cork, Pepsi-Cola International LLC, Pepsi-Cola International Limited, Pepsi-Cola International Limited U.S.A., Pepsi-Cola International Private Limited, Pepsi-Cola Korea Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Management and Administrative Services Inc., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Company Of Uruguay S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing International Limited, Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Mediterranean Limited, Pepsi-Cola Marketing Corp. Of P.R. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mediterranean Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Metropolitan Bottling Company Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mexicana Holdings LLC, Pepsi-Cola Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Pepsi-Cola National Marketing LLC, Pepsi-Cola Operating Company Of Chesapeake And Indianapolis, Pepsi-Cola Sales and Distribution Inc., Pepsi-Cola Technical Operations Inc., Pepsi-Cola Thai Trading Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola de Honduras S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola of Corvallis Inc., PepsiAmericas Nemzetkozi Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, PepsiCo ANZ Holdings Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Alimentos Antioquia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Colombia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Ecuador Cia. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Z.F. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos de Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Amacoco Bebidas Do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCo Asia Research & Development Center Company Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Cyprus Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Limited Partnership, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 1 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 2 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Australia Holdings Pty Limited, PepsiCo Australia International, PepsiCo Austria Services GmbH, PepsiCo Azerbaijan Limited Liability Company, PepsiCo BeLux BV, PepsiCo Beverage Sales LLC, PepsiCo Beverage Singapore Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Beverages Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Beverages International Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Italia Societa' A Responsabilita' Limitata, PepsiCo Canada Finance LLC, PepsiCo Canada Holdings ULC, PepsiCo Canada Investment ULC, PepsiCo Canada ULC, PepsiCo Captive Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Caribbean Inc., PepsiCo China Limited, PepsiCo Consulting Polska Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo De Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Del Paraguay S.R.L., PepsiCo Deutschland GmbH, PepsiCo Eesti AS, PepsiCo Euro Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Euro Finance Antilles B.V., PepsiCo Europe Support Center S.L., PepsiCo Finance Americas Company, PepsiCo Finance Antilles A N.V., PepsiCo Finance Antilles B N.V., PepsiCo Finance South Africa Proprietary Limited, PepsiCo Financial Shared Services Inc., PepsiCo Food & Beverage Holdings Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Foods A.I.E., PepsiCo Foods China Company Limited, PepsiCo Foods Group Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Foods Guangdong Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Nigeria Limited, PepsiCo Foods Private Limited, PepsiCo Foods Sichuan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Taiwan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Vietnam Company, PepsiCo France SAS, PepsiCo Global Business Services India LLP, PepsiCo Global Business Services Poland Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Global Holdings Limited, PepsiCo Global Investments B.V., PepsiCo Global Investments S.a r.l, PepsiCo Global Mobility LLC, PepsiCo Global Real Estate Inc., PepsiCo Global Trading Solutions Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Golden Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Group Finance International B.V., PepsiCo Group Holdings International B.V., PepsiCo Group Spotswood Holdings S.a r.l, PepsiCo Gulf International FZE, PepsiCo Hellas Single Member Industrial and Commercial Societe Anonyme, PepsiCo Holding de Espana S.L., PepsiCo Holdings, PepsiCo Holdings LLC, PepsiCo Holdings Toshkent LLC, PepsiCo Hong Kong LLC, PepsiCo Iberia Servicios Centrales S.L., PepsiCo India Holdings Private Limited, PepsiCo India Sales Private Limited, PepsiCo Internacional Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., PepsiCo International Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo International Limited, PepsiCo International Pte Ltd., PepsiCo Investments Europe I B.V., PepsiCo Investments Ltd., PepsiCo Ireland Food & Beverages Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Japan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Light B.V., PepsiCo Logistyka Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., PepsiCo Management Services SAS, PepsiCo Manufacturing A.I.E., PepsiCo Max B.V., PepsiCo Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo Nederland B.V., PepsiCo Nordic Denmark ApS, PepsiCo Nordic Finland Oy, PepsiCo Nordic Norway AS, PepsiCo Nutrition Trading DMCC, PepsiCo One B.V., PepsiCo Overseas Corporation, PepsiCo Overseas Financing Partnership, PepsiCo Panimex Inc, PepsiCo Products B.V., PepsiCo Products FLLC, PepsiCo Puerto Rico Inc., PepsiCo Sales Inc., PepsiCo Sales LLC, PepsiCo Services Asia Ltd., PepsiCo Services CZ s.r.o., PepsiCo Services LLC, PepsiCo Twist B.V., PepsiCo UK Pension Plan Trustee Limited, PepsiCo Ventures B.V., PepsiCo Wave Holdings LLC, PepsiCo World Trading Company Inc., PepsiCo Y LLC, PepsiCo de Argentina S.R.L., PepsiCo de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo do Brasil Industria e Comercio de Alimentos Ltda., PepsiCo do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCola Interamericana de Guatemala S.A., Pet Iberia S.L., Pete & Johnny Limited, Pine International LLC, Pine International Limited, Pinstripe Leasing LLC, Pioneer Food Group Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Groceries Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Group Ltd., Pioneer Foods Holdings Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods UK Ltd, Pioneer Foods Wellingtons Pty Ltd, Pipers Crisps Limited, PlayCo Inc., Pop corners, PopCorners Holdings Inc., Portfolio Concentrate Solutions Unlimited Company, Premier Nutrition Trading L.L.C., Prestwick LLC, Prev PepsiCo Sociedade Previdenciaria, Productos Alimenticios Rene LLC, Productos S.A.S. C.V., Productos SAS Management B.V., Punch N.V., Punica Getranke GmbH, Q O Puerto Rico Inc., QFL OHQ Sdn. Bhd., QTG Development Inc., QTG Services Inc., Quadrant - Amroq Beverages S.R.L., Quaker Development B.V., Quaker European Beverages LLC, Quaker European Investments B.V., Quaker Foods, Quaker Global Investments B.V., Quaker Holdings UK Limited, Quaker Manufacturing LLC, Quaker Oats Asia Inc., Quaker Oats Australia Pty Ltd, Quaker Oats B.V., Quaker Oats Capital Corporation, Quaker Oats Europe Inc., Quaker Oats Europe LLC, Quaker Oats Limited, Quaker Sales & Distribution Inc, Raptas Finance S.a r.l., Rare Fare Foods LLC, Rare Fare Holdings Inc., Reading Industries Ltd, Real Estate Holdings LLC, Rockstar Energy Drink, Rolling Frito-Lay Sales LP, S & T of Mississippi Inc., SIH International LLC, SVC Logistics Inc., SVC Manufacturing Inc., SVE Russia Holdings GmbH, Sabritas LLC, Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Sabritas Snacks America Latina de Nicaragua y Cia Ltda, Sabritas de Costa Rica S. de R.L., Sabritas y Cia. S en C de C.V., Sakata Rice Snacks Australia Pty Ltd, Sandora Holdings B.V., Saudi Snack Foods Company Limited, Sea Eagle International SRL, Seepoint Holdings Ltd., Senselet Food Processing PLC, Senselet Holding B.V., Servicios GBF Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Servicios GFLG y Compania Limitada, Servicios Gamesa Puerto Rico L.L.C., Servicios SYC S. de R.L. de C.V., Seven-Up Asia Inc., Seven-Up Light B.V., Seven-Up Nederland B.V., Shanghai PepsiCo Snack Company Limited, Shanghai YuHo Agricultural Development Co. Ltd, Shoebill LLC, Simba (Proprietary) Limited, Simba Proprietary Limited, Sitka Spruce, Smartfoods Inc., Smiles and Bites Holdings S.de R.L. de C.V., Smiths Crisps Limited, Snack Food Investments GmbH, Snack Food Investments II GmbH, Snack Food Investments Limited, Snack Food-Beverage Asia Products Limited, Snacks America Latina S.R.L., Snacks Guatemala Ltd., So Spark Ltd., Soda-Club CO2 Atlantic GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 Ltd., Soda-Club Switzerland GmbH, Soda-Club Worldwide B.V., SodaStream, SodaStream Australia Pty Ltd, SodaStream CO2 SA, SodaStream Canada Ltd., SodaStream Enterprises N.V., SodaStream France SAS, SodaStream GmbH, SodaStream Iberia S.L., SodaStream Industries Ltd., SodaStream International B.V., SodaStream International Ltd., SodaStream Israel Ltd., SodaStream K.K., SodaStream New Zealand Ltd., SodaStream Nordics AB, SodaStream Poland Sp. z o.o., SodaStream SA Pty Ltd., SodaStream Switzerland GmbH, SodaStream USA Inc., SodaStream Osterreich GmbH, South Beach Beverage Company Inc., South Properties Inc., Spitz International Inc., Sportmex Internacional S.A. de C.V., Springboig Industries Ltd, Spruce Limited, Stacy's Pita Chip Company Incorporated, Star Foods E.M. S.R.L., Stokely-Van Camp Inc., Stratosphere Communications Pty Ltd, Stratosphere Holdings 2018 Limited, Streamfoods Ltd, TFL Holdings LLC, Tasman Finance S.a r.l, The Gatorade Company, The Good Carb Food Company Ltd., The Pepsi Bottling Group Canada ULC, The Quaker Oats Company, The Smith's Snackfood Company Pty Limited, Thomond Group Holdings Limited, Tobago Snack Holdings LLC, Tropicana Alvalle S.L., Tropicana Beverages Limited, Tropicana Europe N.V., Tropicana United Kingdom Limited, Troya-Ultra LLC, United Foods Companies Restaurantes S.A., V-Water, VentureCo Israel Ltd, Veurne Snack Foods BV, Vitamin Brands Ltd., Walkers Crisps Limited, Walkers Group Limited, Walkers Snack Foods Limited, Walkers Snacks Distribution Limited, Walkers Snacks Limited, Whitman Corporation, Whitman Insurance Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Beverages JSC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Brands Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Central Asia-Almaty LLP, Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods LLC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Georgia Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann JSC, and Wimm-Bill-Dann Ukraine PJSC.

Read More
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
Krista Lynn Chastain, 31, of Bryantown, was charged with assault and traffic violations.

LA PLATA, Md.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at so.md/expungeme.

(April 05, 2017)The Charles County Sheriff's Office today released the following incident and arrest reports.WOMAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULT AND TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS: On March 31 at 3:11 p.m., officers responded to the 1100 block of Princeton Lane in Waldorf for the report of a domestic-related assault possibly involving a weapon. When officers arrived, they attempted to make contact with a woman who was inside a car. She ignored the officers and drove toward one officer before fleeing onto St. Charles Parkway. Officers pursued the woman who refused to pull over. As she got to the intersection of St. Charles Parkway and Billingsley Road, she struck the bumper of a car which was stopped at a red light and she continued on. At that point, one of the pursuing officers swerved to avoid striking stopped cars and crossed onto the median. His vehicle had minor damage. Additional officers deployed stop sticks near Radio Station Road. The woman,, suddenly stopped the car and was taken into custody after a brief struggle. She was charged with assault and numerous traffic violations. Officer R. Ondrish is investigating.DEATH INVESTIGATIONS: On April 4 at 3:58 p.m., officers responded to a wooded area in the 11100 block of Billingsley Road in Waldorf for the report of two people found deceased inside a tent. A preliminary investigation showed a family member went to check on the two peopleVictoria Nicole Crossley, 31, of Waldorf, and Andrew Charles Boyle Jr., 31, of no fixed addresswho were known to live in the tent periodically. When the family member looked inside the tent, it was apparent both Crossley and Boyle were deceased. Detectives with the Criminal Investigations Division responded and found evidence of narcotic use on the scene. There were no signs of trauma to either person and foul play is not suspected at this time. Detective C. Shankster and Detective R. Forbes are investigating.ATTEMPTED SALE OF STOLEN CELL PHONE LEADS TO SUSPECT'S ARREST: On April 3 at 2:45 p.m., a woman was attempting to sell an iPhone after agreeing to meet with a potential buyer on Glenview Place in Waldorf. The woman coordinated the sale with the use of a cell phone app. During the sale, the buyer suddenly grabbed the woman's phone and fled. The woman reported the incident to police. The following day, the victim located her cell phone on another app indicating it was for sale. She notified detectives and then contacted the seller and agreed to buy the phone. The suspect set the meeting for 1:30 p.m. in a local parking lot. Officers set up an operation and apprehended the suspect as he was attempting to sell the phone. Officers verified the phone for sale was indeed the phone that had been stolen from the victim the day before. The suspect, a 17-year-old male from Waldorf, was arrested and charged with theft. The CCSO is reminding people to take precautions when meeting to sell items. Consideration should be given to making the transaction in the parking lot of a police station, during the daytime if possible. In addition, sellers and buyers are encouraged to take someone with them and to take pictures of the item being sold, especially if it has a serial number. Officer D. Jones and Detective J. Feldman investigated.THEFT OF MAIL: On April 4 between 10:13 a.m. and 10:20 a.m., occupants of a newer model, black or dark green hatchback drove up to a mailbox in the 2400 block of Pimpernel Drive in Waldorf and stole a piece of mail. A short time later, officers received a call for a suspicious car driving through a nearby neighborhood. The vehicle had three occupants and was a dark colored Toyota. The CCSO is reminding people never to leave outgoing mail in a personal mailbox. Thieves steal the mail, which is usually payment of bills, and alter the checks to be made payable to them and change the amount written on the check. Pfc. R. Smith is investigating.THEFT FROM AUTO: On April 4 at 4:30 a.m., officers responded to the 2400 block of Creston Place in Waldorf for the report of thefts from autos that occurred overnight. Investigation showed unknown suspect(s) broke into several unlocked vehicles and stole electronics and money. The CCSO is reminding residents to remove all valuables from unattended cars and to lock car doors overnight. Pfc. D. Butler is investigating.MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH: On April 3 at 1:52 a.m., officers responded to the area of Gallant Green Road and Woodville Road in Waldorf for the report of a single vehicle crash. A preliminary investigation showed the driver of a 1969 Camaro was traveling north on Gallant Green Road when he failed to stop at a stop sign and crashed into a telephone pole. The driver, a 24-year-old male from Huntingtown, and a passenger, a 22-year-old from Waldorf, were flown to a hospital with serious injuries. M/Cpl. J. Hopkins is investigating.THEFT FROM SHED / CRIME SOLVERS OFFERING REWARD: On April 2 at 7:20 p.m., a homeowner observed a lone male suspect exiting a shed in her backyard in the 4500 block of Stratford Road in Pomfret. She confronted the male who was holding some lawn equipment. The woman threatened to take a picture of the man and he dropped the items and fled in an older model, royal blue car. The suspect is described as a white male in his late 30's, 5'8", with a thin build. Anyone with information is asked to call Pfc. R. McMullen at (301) 932-2222. Tipsters wishing to remain anonymous may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS, texting CHARLES + the tip to CRIMES (274637) or submitting tips online at tipsubmit.com. Crime Solvers is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in this case.COMMERCIAL ARMED ROBBERY / CRIME SOLVERS OFFERING CASH REWARD: On March 31 at 9:47 a.m., officers responded to a gas station in the 2800 block of Crain Highway in Waldorf for the report of an armed robbery. Investigation showed a lone male suspect entered the business and attempted to purchase a pack of cigarettes. During the course of the transaction, the man jumped over the counter, produced a weapon and ordered the employee to give him cash. After obtaining money, the suspect fled on foot. The suspect is described as a black male in his 20's, 5'9", medium build, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and dark pants. He was armed with a knife Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Wimberly at (301) 609-6491. Tipsters wishing to remain anonymous may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS, texting CHARLES + the tip to CRIMES (274637) or submitting tips online at tipsubmit.com. Crime Solvers is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in this case.
In Matt Wolf's short, sweet film "Bayard and Me," Walter Naegle, a gay man in New York, recalls his relationship with Bayard Rustin (1912-1987). Rustin was the openly gay civil rights leader who worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King in organizing the March on Washington in 1963. Because of his homosexuality, Rustin has often been left out of history.

Wolf, a younger gay man who grew up in San Jose California, is a long time admirer of Rustin. The filmmaker, who currently lives in New York, points his camera at Naegle and lets the now 68-year-old share his memories. Parts of "Bayard and Me" were shot in the New York apartment where Rustin and Naegle made a life together. That apartment remains Naegle's home three decades after Rustin's passing.

"Bayard and Me" is only 16 minutes long. Wolf manages to include an impressive amount of information in the film's scant running time. As Naegle walks through New York's once seedy Times Square, he recalls his first meeting with Rustin in front of a newspaper stand in 1977. Both men were waiting for a red light. They looked into each other's eyes and instantly connected, remaining together for the rest of Rustin's life.

Bert Andrews.

At the time Rustin was 65. Naegle was 27--he speaks honestly and matter-of-factly about their age differences. Both men knew that their time together would be limited. Naegle also recalls a mom that many gay men of the period might have wished they had. Though concerned for the many taboos her son was breaking (a gay, interracial, inter-generational relationship) at a time when LGBT equality laws were still a dream and when intolerance was still the norm, Mrs. Naegle accepted their relationship and embraced Rustin.

As he sits in the home they once shared, a home still filled with the many beautiful objects d'art which Rustin collected and loved, Naegle reminds us what life was like in those pre-marriage equality days. Rustin wanted to be sure that Naegle could remain in their home after his passing. To give Naegle legal status, Rustin adopted Naegle as his son, a common practice among same-sex couples during generations past. Mrs. Naegle, bless her heart, signed the necessary paperwork giving up her own parental connection to her son so the adoption could move forward.

The best films leave you wanting more. When "Bayard and Me" fades out, most viewers will be thirsty for more. In 2013 Naegle accepted the Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in honor of Rustin's civil rights work. It was a long overdue honor, yet it is not mentioned in "Bayard and Me." Hopefully Wolf and Naegle can collaborate on a longer version of this lovely work, so that more insight into the couple's life and Rustin's work can be offered.

"Bayard and Me" will screen at the Florida film Festival on Sunday April 23 and Friday April 28.

Details here: http://www.floridafilmfestival.com/program/films/6-x-real-documentary-shorts-2

For more information about seeing the film, please visit Super Deluxe Films: https://www.superdeluxe.com/ or the filmmaker's website: http://www.mattwolf.info/
A civil defence member breathes through an oxygen mask, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria April 4, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday urged Russia and Iran to exercise influence on Syria to prevent further chemical attacks in the war-torn country.

Tillerson issued the call in a statement released after media reports said about 70 people were killed with 200 others wounded Tuesday in a gas attack in a rebel-held area in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.

"The United States strongly condemns the chemical weapons attack in Idlib province, the third allegation of the use of such weapons in the past month alone," the top US diplomat said.

The United States calls upon Russia and Iran again "to exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again," Tillerson said.

He added that Moscow and Tehran, as "the self-proclaimed guarantors to the ceasefire negotiated in Astana," bear great moral responsibility for these deaths.

Earlier, White House Spokesman Sean Spicer told in a briefing that the United States condemns the gas attack against innocent civilians as "heinous actions" by the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad.

But he offered no proof to show that the Syrian government has carried out the attack.

The Syrian army on Tuesday refuted the accusations as completely baseless, saying it had not used, nor would use such weapons in the future. It also held "terrorist groups" responsible for using chemical weapons.

Earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said warplanes launched intensive airstrikes on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib, killing 58 people, mostly civilians.

The Syrian opposition accused the Syrian Air Force of backing the attack.

The attack was believed to be chemical and was launched by air, said the United Nations special envoy to Syria Staffan de Misturanoting, noting that there ought to be a "clear recognition of responsibility and accountability."
The Florida House of Representatives, in a yes or no vote, declined to mandate ridesharing companies initiate anti-discrimination policies.

Representative David Richardson (D-Miami Beach) forced the vote through the amendment process on Tuesday in Tallahassee. Richardsons amendment would have prevented companies such as Uber and Lyft from discriminating against drivers and riders on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, handicap, age, marital status, sexual orientation or gender identity.

Ultimately, house bill 221 failed on a 70 to 44 vote.

Once again, Miamis own State Representative David Richardson shows what it looks like to be a champion of #equality, just in time for pride week, read a Facebook post from SAVE Dade, a South Florida human rights organization.

Richardson told the Tampa Bay Times those who identify as LGBT have no statewide protections in using a transportation network company. He took to Facebook to express disgust with his house colleagues who voted no on the anti-discrimination amendment.

A fair question to ask : Are they only supporting the CWF (Competitive Workforce) bill because they know it will not be heard in any committee in the Florida House of Representatives? Now we know which members are with us, and which members oppose extending full rights to the LGBT community. The fight continues!, Richardson posted.

Meanwhile, the bill has one more reading in the House. Its counterpart in the Senate (SB 340) is scheduled to be heard in the rules committee on Thursday.
Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



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




The five-member Expedition 51 crew consists of (from left) Jack Fischer, Fyodor Yurchikhin, Thomas Pesquet, Peggy Whitson and Oleg Novitskiy. Credit: NASA. NASA

Three Expedition 50 crew members are getting ready to end their stay aboard the International Space Station and return to Earth April 10. Two Expedition 51 crew members, who will replace them, are in Russia finalizing their mission preparations before they launch April 20.

Commander Shane Kimbrough and Flight Engineers Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko have been living in space since October 19. The trio will enter the Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft on Monday and undock from the Poisk module at 4 a.m. EDT. They will land in Kazakhstan at 7:20 a.m. ending their mission after 173 days in space. The crew departure and Soyuz landing will be televised live on NASA TV.

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will take over command of the station the day before Kimbrough and his crewmates leave. Staying behind with Whitson will be European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet and cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos. This will be Whitsons second stint as commander of the orbital laboratory having last led the Expedition 16 crew in 2008.

Back in Russia, two Expedition 51 crewmates, Jack Fischer of NASA and Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos, have completed their final qualification exams. They will fly to Kazakhstan on Wednesday for ceremonial duties, check out their Soyuz MS-04 rocket and wrap up mission training before launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

On-Orbit Status Report

Return minus 15 (R-15) Human Research Program (HRP) Collections: The 48S returning crewmember performed a fasting blood draw followed by urine collections. Both blood and urine samples were stowed in Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) for freezing and storage for return and analysis. The Biochemical Profile experiment tests blood and urine samples obtained from astronauts before, during, and after spaceflight. Specific proteins and chemicals in the samples are used as biomarkers, or indicators of health. Post-flight analysis yields a database of samples and test results which scientists can use to study the effects of spaceflight on the body. The repository is a storage bank used to maintain biological specimens over extended periods of time and under well-controlled conditions. This repository supports scientific discovery that contributes to our fundamental knowledge in the area of human physiological changes and adaptation to a microgravity environment and provides unique opportunities to study longitudinal changes in human physiology spanning many missions.

Habitability: The crew completed two Habitability activities, both the fifth in the series. The first activity was a walk-through video of areas used for recreation activities, explaining what activities are performed and where, and focusing on considerations for designers of future vehicles. The second activity was a Narrated Task Video of the Node 3 ventilation cleaning, capturing details such as volume needed to perform task, vehicle planning considerations, and systems interface issues, as well as any other human factors concerns. The Habitability investigation collects observations about the relationship between crewmembers and their environment on the ISS. Observations can help spacecraft designers understand how much habitable volume is required, and whether a missions duration impacts how much space crew members need.

Lighting Effects Meter Reading: The crew set up and configured the Light Meter hardware and took readings in the Node 3 and US Lab. Both modules still use the legacy General Luminaire Assembly (GLA), while the lights in Node 1 have been upgraded to the Solid State Lighting Assemblies (SSLAs). The Lighting Effects experiment hopes to better quantify and qualify how lighting can effect habitability of spacecraft. The light bulbs on the ISS are being replaced with a new system designed for improved crew health and wellness. The Lighting Effects investigation studies the impact of the change from fluorescent light bulbs to solid-state light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with adjustable intensity and color and aims to determine if the new lights can improve crew circadian rhythms, sleep, and cognitive performance. Results from this investigation also have major implications for people on Earth who use electric lights.

Node 2 HMU 220 Power Cable Re-route: Today the crew completed re-routing an existing power cable (HMU 220) from Node 2 to a previously routed wire harness. HMU 220 previously provided power to the Node 2 Zenith berthing port through the HTV Node 2 Jumper. The power cable was routed from the Node 2 Forward Endcone toward the Node 2 Deck Crew Quarter Standoff and mated to wire harness W8553 to support a redundant power feed for the previously installed Node 1 Galley Rack. During the HMU 220 task, Shell Heater temperature sensor 1B in Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA) 2 failed high. Wire harness HMU 671, adjacent to HMU 220, provides data routing for the failed sensor. The crew was directed to inspect the harness for damage but none was reported. There is sufficient redundancy on shell heater 1A. Grounds teams are reviewing telemetry.

On Board Training (OBT) Soyuz Descent Drill: In preparation for departure from the ISS scheduled for next Monday, April 10th, the 48S Crew completed this nominally planned descent drill.

N3 Deck Starboard Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Fan Inlet Cleaning: The crew cleaned this location to remove Foreign Object Debris (FOD) from IMV fan inlets and silencers.

Todays Planned Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

Soyuz 732 Stowage Ops

Preparation of Reports for Roscosmos Web Site and Social Media

URAGAN. Observation and photography

EKON-M. Observations and photography

Lighting Effects Sleep Log Entry

Acoustic Dosimeter Reminder

ARED Photo/TV Reminder

Reminder HRF Generic Frozen Blood Collection

HRF Generic Urine Collection

HRF Generic Frozen Blood Collection

VHF-2 Emergency Communication Check Out from 49S over US Ground Sites

SPHERES Battery Swap

EHS Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Water Recovery System (WRS) Sample Analysis

Acoustic Dosimeter Setup Day 1

HRF Generic Refrigerated Centrifuge Spin

HRF Generic Sample MELFI Insertion

Habitability Walk-through Video

ISS Crew departure preparation

Soyuz 732 Descent OBT

Photography of Glass on SM Windows No.1,12 and ??2 in in DC1

Node 2 Power Cable (HMU 220) Reroute

SPHERES Battery Swap

Vascular Echo Flashdrive Install

Closing Shutters on windows 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14.Note 6

Lighting Effects Light Meter Readings Alternate 1

Maintenance activation of Atmosphere Purification System Emergency Vacuum Valves [??? ???] from the Spares Kit (??1??_3_321_1, bag II-1/256-1, cover for [???] (007223R)))

USOS Window Shutter Close

DAN. Experiment Ops

HRF Generic Urine Collection

In Flight Maintenance (IFM) Node 3 Deck Starboard Intermodule Ventilation (IMV) Cleaning

Brine transfer to Progress 435 Rodnik H2O Tank 1, flushing connector B1

Habitability Narrated Task Video Setup

Node 2 Power Cable (HMU 220) Rerouting

Soyuz 732 ??? Test prior to undocking

Soyuz 732 [???] Activation

Habitability Narrated Task Video End  Subject

External Wireless Instrumentation System (EWIS) Network Control Unit (NCU) Power On

KORREKTSIYA. NEUROIMMUNITET. Experiment

Rodent Research 4 Clean up 1

Vascular Echo Software Transfer

EHS Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Sample Data Record

External Wireless Instrumentation System (EWIS) Network Control Unit (NCU) Power Off

Dose Tracker Data Entry Subject

NEUROIMMUNITET

Completed Task List Items

Manufacturing Device Print Removal, Clean and Stow

Remove Lamp Housing Assembly NOD3FO2 and Replace with Light

Ground Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

Node 2 (N2) Power Cable re-routing support

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Wednesday, 04/05: Galley PWD install, EMU loop scrub, Crew Quarters cleaning, crew departure prep

Thursday, 04/06: Rodent Research inventory, Google Street View image acquisition, 48S prepack, VEG03 install

Friday, 04/07: Crew off duty

QUICK ISS Status  Environmental Control Group:

Component  Status

Elektron  On

Vozdukh  Manual

[???] 1  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV1)  Off

[???] 2  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV2)  On

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab  Standby

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3  Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab  Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3  Operate

Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA)  Process

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA)  Process

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab  Off

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3  Full Up
For a guy who used to make board games, Brian Beyke is well-steeped in the world of coffee. Nowadays he works in digital sales, marketing, and communications for Louisville, Kentuckys Quills Coffee, but even before that Beyke built not only a devoted following but his own mini-coffee empire. Together with Brian Schiele of @letsbrew.coffee, he is the co-host of the I Brew My Own Coffee podcast, as well as running his own blog, Abandon Coffee.

Beyke originally got into coffee because he was having trouble with two of his other favorite drinks: beer and wine. The beverage world has always intrigued me, but about nine years ago I noticed that drinking beer or wines would give me migraines. I stayed away from them for about six years or so, and coffee was something that allowed me to still explore, says Beyke. Now, I didnt exactly go into coffee thinking, hey, this is your new thing. It just sort of grew over time.

As his own learning curve about coffee developed, so did his desire to share it with others, and if theres one thing that comes across in Beykes workwhether its his Instagram feed or his podcastit is that hes there for the joy of sharing. While other coffee lovers on Instagram may just focus on a beautiful image, for Beyke its as much about explaining whats in the image as the image itself; you always get a sense of his excitement for whatever he is drinking, and you want to drink it too.

Ive started to unravel a lot of things in the world of coffee and sort of made it my personal goal to learn as much as I can on a home level, says Beyke. Brewing, extraction, espresso preparation, education, etc. Sharing any info Ive learned along the way is also exciting for me.

We caught up with Beyke to learn more.

How would friends of yours finish this statement Brian is?

Brian is always excited, and whatever he is talking about is currently the most important thing he knows.

You share coffee photographs on Instagram as @abandoncoffee. What do you hope that people take away from your feed?

I really enjoy cafes, their aesthetics, the beauty of people at work and just having conversation and the conversations themselves I have over coffee. I try to post in, or close to, real-time and try to capture those in the moment shots, but also nothing all too unfamiliar to what anyone else could capture. At home, I just try and post about the various coffees I get in, or how Ive been playing with the brewing methods. Overall, I just try and stay consistent with the look and feel overall. I hope people notice the feeling behind the shots or can see themselves in the spaces, and that they dont mind seeing all the chocolate I consume.

How has your photography changed and evolved over the years?

The feed has definitely changed over time. The concept in the very, very beginning (back when it was @losantivillecoffee) was only to be seen as a tool for folks local to Cincinnati. As I started writing about my brewing experiences more on the website, I started getting in more coffees and it just sort of took off from there. I dont ever really use hashtags, I dont try to fish for followers, I just share photos of coffee and I think people have learned to trust that. I dont have expensive gear, I really only shoot with my phone or Canon eOSM which is a little mirrorless point and shoot for under 300 bucks. Im fortunate to get to try a lot of coffees and gear, and I want to (to the best of my ability) share that information with others who may be curious about it too.

How have you seen the world of coffee change in the last several years? How do you think social media has affected that?

In the specialty coffee world, in general, Ive seen several trends from brands switching to newer, sleeker packaging, to an increased focus on home brewing and the home brewer setup (in terms of gear and gadgetry). Ive also seen way too many products going to Kickstarter or crowdfunding sources, but thats a topic for another time. In terms of social media, and I didnt think about this at the time, but Ive been contacted by a lot of companies and roasters and friends Ive made in the industry thanking me for the recognition that has come from highlighting or trying to spread the word about them. I think we all know social media is great for businesses because a lot of times other people are doing the marketing and communication work for them for essentially free. I like to think of myself as a loyal guy, and I like to promote what I think is good and worthy of being talked about, regardless of any gain I may get from it.

You run the I Brew My Own Coffee podcast together with Bryan Schiele. Tell us a little bit about how that podcast started and what you try to do with it and what you hope listeners get out of it.

The I Brew My Own Coffee Podcast has been a really fun tool. My co-host Bryan Schiele and I both were previously guests on the show when it was being run by Alex Carpenter. Bryan and I had previous conversations about the desire to start our own podcast at some point, but we never followed through on anything, not wanting to step on Alexs toes with what he was doing (there werent really a lot of coffee podcasts at this time.) When Alex was looking to let go of the reins, he reached out to [see if] either of us would be interested in carrying it on, and we both vocalized that interest. Bryan and I have been very privileged to organically weave our coffee experiences and growth as home brewers with one foot in the door of the greater, professional specialty coffee world and that comes with making a lot of friendships and connections to roasters, brands, and farmersfrom Acaia to the Lamastus Family to Baratza to AKA Coffee to Mahlkonig to Mistobox and on and on. With those connections, we try to stay true to Alexs home brewer roots but with some interesting insight from professionals on current coffee issues. A few I still want to get into would be parallels with cacao and coffee, coffee branding, water, and probably more than any, farm-level stories. We had really incredible reception with our From-The-Farm series with Wilford Lamastus, and I find for anyone, not just the home brewer, that there is incredible insight that comes from that.

One thing I think weve failed to do, and something I want to fix, is having a wider range of diversity on the podcast. Most of our episodes have been with men, and most of them in our general age range. Im not happy with that, and I recognize there are listeners who arent also. Thats a goal I have moving forward.

What are some of your sources of inspiration?

Im always inspired and challenged by Bryans (@letsbrew.coffee) eye for products and photography. In terms of lifestyle, general tone and eye for architecture, landscape, and people: @jalexandertan, @mynameiscolton, @bbenzer. In terms of exploration of beverage and all things that give them inspiration (which in turn gets me excited as well): @sethmills, @caldwellcoffee, @pilgrimaged. I am daily inspired by things not on a feed at alljust being around people, looking at people, watching people interact. Moments being created, good or bad, are fascinating to me.

What coffee are you drinking right now?

Im currently drinking the Kayon Mountain from Quills on V60 01, EK 43 ground. Fourteen grams to 228 water, and I cant get enough of this coffee. Beautiful florals, pronounced acidity, very fruity with incredible juiciness. One of those washed Ethiopian coffees that give me a lot of characteristics that I love from a Gesha variety.

Favorite coffee shop?

Maybe it is due to being one of the freshest experiences Ive had, but I had a really amazing experience when I went to Black Fox in Manhattan during the New York Coffee Festival. Beautiful space, delicious food, and an array of wonderfully prepared coffees. On top, they had tableside service, I believe through our time there we were checked on four times if we needed to order more coffee or needed anything. Definitely an inspiring place.

If you could drink coffee with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

As the list of friends who have met the two of us grows, Bryan and I have still never met in person! We talked about heading out to the West Coast together, meeting at SCAA or something and then road-tripping the coast, coffee shop hopping, and obviously taking a ton of photos.

Anna Brones (@annabrones) is a Sprudge.com staff writer based in the American Pacific Northwest, the founder of Foodie Underground, and the co-author of Fika: The Art Of The Swedish Coffee Break. Read more Anna Brones on Sprudge.

Photo of Brian Beyke by Jenn Chen.
The Cape Breton Horsemen's Association's auction and dance held this past Saturday (April 1) was a huge success, raising funds to cover the costs of the new racing surface and some upgrades at Northside Downs.

The event raised $5,000 to cover the upgrades at the North Sydney, N.S. racetrack for the 2017 harness racing season, which kicks off next month and runs through November.

The Cape Breton Horsemen's Association would like to thank all of the sponsors and attendees of its recent auction for their support. The event was a huge success thanks to the support of all involved.
Contact: J.P. Duffy or Alice Chao, 866-FRC-NEWS or 866-372-6397



WASHINGTON, April 5, 2017 /Standard Newswire/ -- The NCAA has announced the end to its boycott of North Carolina after the state adopted an HB 2 compromise law.



Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement:

"It would appear the NCAA is beginning to address the question that NCAA's Mark Emmert raised in his press conference last week at the Final Four: 'what's the appropriate role for a national athletic association in public policy issues?' The NCAA's latest decision to accept the slight modifications the North Carolina legislature made to HB 2 suggest either they decided to stick to sports or they are starting to ignore the small but rowdy agitators who have used the NCAA to fight their losing political battle over North Carolinas public safety bill.



"It's now clear that there is no way for the NCAA to placate the far Left which will accept nothing less than the total surrender of those opposed to its agenda of opening every shower, locker room and bathroom to both men and women.



"The NCAA announcement is also positive news for supporters of the Texas Privacy Act, a bill quite similar to the law now in effect in North Carolina. We encourage the Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, who has said he wont block the Texas Privacy Act, to schedule a floor vote on this legislation to help ensure the safety and well-being of Texas women and children," concluded Perkins.
NOM, CitizenGO and IOF Wrap Up Successful, Enlightening #FreeSpeechBus Tour

Contact: Joseph Grabowski National Organization for Marriage , 202-276-4404WASHINGTON, April 5, 2017 / Standard Newswire / -- The National Organization for Marriage (NOM), CitizenGO and the International Organization for the Family (IOF) wrapped their #FreeSpeechBus tour intended to spark a national discussion about the biological truth of gender with a visit to the nation's capital in Washington, DC. The organizers said the tour revealed the ugly side of the LGBT movement, which engaged in violence and assault, and inflicted substantial property damage, in a failed effort to derail the bus tour. They also said that the response to the tour indicated deep coordination between the LGBT movement, Democratic politicians and anarchists who are committed to the destruction of civil society. Organizers said the tour was a success in that it highlighted the vicious intolerance shown to anyone in society who expresses dissent regarding the transgender agenda."We launched the #FreeSpeechBus tour as a way to spark a conversation about gender, that it is determined by biology rather than by emotions and feelings, and to call for all sides to respect the free speech rights of citizens to debate these issues without fear of being demeaned, harassed, or threatened with retaliation," said Brian S. Brown, president of NOM and IOF. "What we encountered was a sustained, violent, coordinated attack designed to shut us down and force us to just go away. They failed to stop the tour or silence us, and, ironically, in the process made our very point that they don't want to debate the issues and instead will use force and political power to silence Christians and all Americans who understand that biology determines gender."On the first day of the bus tour, the #FreeSpeechBus was attacked by two LGBT activists while parked near the United Nations in New York City. They assaulted the African American bus driver and destroyed several of the bus's windows with a hammer, while also using graffiti to cover the bus with militant "trans liberation" messages. After repairs, the bus continued the tour to Boston, New Haven, Philadelphia and concluded in Washington, DC. Along the way, it was frequently met by an angry mob of LGBT extremists and anarchists. It was revealed that prominent Democratic politicians were involved in promoting the violence and hate, including coordinating with anarchist groups."In Philadelphia, Mayor Jim Kenney's office was deeply involved in organizing the violent demonstrations against us, including coordinating with anarchist groups that are closely watched by the FBI," said Ignacio Arsuaga, president of CitizenGo. "The mayor's Office of LGBT Affairs proudly referred to themselves as 'an accomplice' in organizing protests which turned violent, with attacks on the bus and on police officers by gay activists and anarchists. At least one of them was arrested and bus organizers were prevented from speaking, an act of intolerant bullying the Mayor's office takes pride in. Meanwhile, while we were being prevented from engaging in a discussion with the protestors, the mayors of both Philadelphia and Boston ordered LGBT/transgendered flags to be flown at City Hall."Brown noted that the intolerance and violence shown to those who hold traditional, majoritarian beliefs about the biological nature of gender is a powerful argument why Congress should move forward immediately to pass the First Amendment Defense Act, legislation which would prevent the federal government from discriminating against people of faith based on their views of gender and similar matters. "No American should be subjected to discrimination or harassment by the government simply for standing by their deeply held beliefs about the nature of gender, marriage and similar subjects. Citizens on both sides of these debates should be able to express their viewpoints without the heavy hand of government harassing and discriminating against them."To schedule an interview with a representative from NOM, IOF or CitizenGo, please contact Joseph Grabowski, jgrabowski@nationformarriage.org , (202) 276-4404.
More than 60 businesses have benefitted from the program, which was extended through May 1 while a permanent program is in the works.
Castle Rock has made a point of making itself more livable with time-honored improvements: New streets, lighting and sidewalks and rows and baskets of flowers planted around downtown every summer.

The next improvement is a digital one, and its made the city part of a national trend: A month ago it installed free Wi-Fi service to the downtown area. Signs alerting residents and visitors alike went up Tuesday.

The sign-on to connect is decidedly simple: Castle Rock.

Its something for people to enjoy while theyre having a cup of coffee or to use to check out attractions and businesses in town, said city Public Works Director Dave Vorse. He said Castle Rock is the first city in the county to install free Wi-Fi.

I think this benefits us in a couple different ways, Vorse said. We see it as an economic benefit as people spend more time in town as they find a place to stay or have lunch. And this adds to the quality of life for residents who live here. This is our model for economic growth  to develop quality of place, to be a place where people want to live, work and play.

Users will be limited to an hour of connection at a time. The download speed is 25 megabytes per second.

Its not meant for people to stream movies or for businesses to use for their routine operations, Vorse said.

Castle Rock is among the smallest cities in the United States that has installed what is commonly called Muni Wi-Fi, shoft for municipal Wi-Fi. Bostons Wicked Free Wi-Fi network is primarily for outdoor use to seach for places to shop, eat or connect with other residents of the city. New York is converting old pay phones into Wi-Fi hotspots.

No current number of cities offering Muni hot spots was available Tuesday. A Wikipedia listing from 2014 included the names of about 100 U.S. cities, most of them metropolitan areas and all of them much larger than Castle Rock, which has a population of 2,000.

Castle Rock used a $70,000 Rural Economic Development grant from Cowlitz County to get the service installed. The coverage area is most of the downtown area, the north trail head area and the Park and Ride lot out by the freeway. The project involved installing Wi-Fi units around the town, and they had to be wired together with fiber optic cable by Cascade Networks, Vorse said.

We think it has a lot of potential benefit, Vorse said.
hidden

New York state's highest court on Tuesday rejected Facebook Inc's challenge to 381 search warrants to uncover suspected widespread Social Security disability fraud by its customers. By a 5-1 vote, the Court of Appeals said it lacked jurisdiction to hear Facebook's appeal over warrants obtained by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.

The decision is a defeat for Internet privacy advocates such as the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, as well as technology and social media companies including Apple, Google, Microsoft and Twitter that supported Facebook's appeal.

Prosecutors had in July 2013 obtained the warrants ordering Facebook to turn over account information belonging to people suspected of criminal fraud. Sixty-two of the Facebook users were later indicted in the probe, out of 134 overall, court papers show. Among the targets were retired police officers and firefighters suspected of feigning illness after the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.

Facebook argued that the warrants were overbroad, and that Vance went too far by prohibiting the Menlo Park, California-based company from telling users that the warrants existed. It complied with the warrants after prosecutors threatened to hold it in criminal contempt, but continued the appeal.

Writing for the appeals court, Judge Leslie Stein said it was up to targets of the warrants, not third parties such as Facebook, to challenge the warrants' validity. While Facebook's concern about overbroad warrants, and its effect on users' privacy rights including under the U.S. Constitution, "may not be baseless," it was up to the state legislature to change the law, Stein wrote.

Tuesday's decision upheld a July 2015 ruling by an state appeals court in Manhattan. One judge recused himself. Judge Rowan Wilson dissented, saying the decision deprived Facebook of "any meaningful recourse" against the "en masse" data seizure, including from high school students who had the misfortune of knowing people suspected of disability fraud.

"Although seizing social media content to help curtain widespread disabilities fraud may seem to some a good bargain," Wilson wrote, "the concern of this case ... is not with crime waves, but with the protection of the individual against the power of the government."

Facebook said it was disappointed by the decision and evaluating its legal options, but "encouraged to see the thorough dissent that supports Facebook's position arguing for people's online privacy." Joan Vollero, a spokeswoman for Vance, said his office was pleased with the outcome. The case is In re: 381 Search Warrants Directed to Facebook Inc, New York State Court of Appeals, No. 16.

Reuters
hidden

Most people who search on Google, share on Facebook and shop on Amazon have never heard of Sir Tim Berners-Lee. But they might not be doing any of those things had he not invented the World Wide Web.

Berners-Lee, 61, is this year's recipient of the AM Turing Award, computing's version of the Nobel Prize.

The award, announced Tuesday by the Association for Computing Machinery, marks another pinnacle for the British native, who has already been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and named as one of the 100 most important people of the 20th Century by Time magazine.

"It's a crowning achievement," Berners-Lee said in an interview with The Associated Press. "But I think the award is for the Web as a project, and the massive international collaborative spirit of all that have joined me to help."

The honor comes with a $1 million prize funded by Google, one of many companies that made a fortune as a result of Berners-Lee's efforts to make the Internet more accessible. He managed that largely by figuring out a simple way to post documents, pictures and video - everything, really, beyond plain text - online.

Spinning the Web

Starting in 1989, Berners-Lee began working on ways digital object could be identified and retrieved through browser software capable of rendering graphics and other images. In August 1991, he launched the world's first website, http://info.cern.ch

Besides coming up with the Web's technical specifications, Berners-Lee "offered a coherent vision of how each of these elements would work together as part of an integrated whole," said Vicki Hanson, president of the Association for Computing Machinery.

In an even more significant move, Berners-Lee decided against patenting his technology and instead offered it as royalty-free software. That allowed other programmers to build upon the foundation he'd laid, spawning more than a billion websites today that have helped lure more than 3 billion people online.

Caught in the Web

The Web's widespread appeal gratifies Berners-Lee, who now splits his time shuttling between the US and Britain as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Oxford.

But he fears parts of the Web will become less accessible in the US if the Federal Communication Commission dismantles regulations protecting "net neutrality." That's the principle that Internet service providers should treat all websites equally instead of favoring some destinations that might be willing to pay for special treatment.

If the Trump administration tries to dump net neutrality, "it's going to have a fight on its hands because I think the American people realise it's important," Berners-Lee said. "It allowed America to benefit from a thriving Internet market for connectivity and content. It has become part of the spirit of America."

Berners-Lee also worries about governments around the world using the Internet as a surveillance tool, calling it a "recurrent threat." He admits that preserving personal privacy as technology advances remains a thorny problem, one that he doesn't have a ready solution for. But figuring that out is "really important to the future of society," he says.

"As an individual, I should be able to keep my own notes, keep my own journal and not share it with anybody. That is just part of being a person."

Beyond the Web

Like several other prominent figures in technology, Berners-Lee isn't sure if humanity will be better or worse off as computers grow better at thinking like people via artificial intelligence.

"Computing has grown exponentially more powerful, so it's only logical that it will get to the point when computers will become smarter than us," Berners-Lee said. "So, yes, we should logically think about those consequences."

This is the 50th anniversary of the AM Turing award, named after English computer scientist Alan Turing, whose revolutionary work with early computers and artificial intelligence helped crack Nazi Germany's codes during World War II. Previous award winners include Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn, who did some of the pioneering work on the Internet that Berners-Lee spun into the World Wide Web.

Associated Press
This Page

has moved to a new address:

Sorry for the inconvenience

Redirection provided by Blogger to WordPress Migration Service
How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time. Kindness is a gateway for all of us to connect and care for each other.  Morgan Freeman Whether its a supporting...

MAKING CONNECTIONS Editors note: The following random acts of kindness were emailed or called into County Press editor Jeff Hogan at jhogan@mihomepaper.com. The following acts of kindness experienced by County Press readers...

Ed-Tech students connect with community ATTICA TWP.  The Lapeer County Education and Technology Center (Ed-Tech) is a place where students can get a taste of the career opportunities that exist in their field of...
More than half a million sign petition demanding Melania Trump`s move into the White House

New York expects to spend around $146,000 a day for safety of Melania Trump during her stay at Manhattan.

AFP, New York :

More than half a million people have signed a petition demanding that First Lady Melania Trump move into the White House or foot the expense of living in New York herself.

The Slovenian-born former model and mother of one has continued to live at her Manhattan penthouse apartment more than two months after husband Donald Trump was sworn in as 45th president of the United States.

The first lady has said that she and 11-year-old son Barron will move to Washington after the current school year ends in the summer.

New York expects to spend an average of $127,000-$146,000 a day for the police and $4.5 million annually for the fire department to protect the first lady and her child while they live in Trump Tower, city police chief James O'Neill wrote February in a letter to local members of Congress.

Police spent $24 million on protecting the family from election day on November 8 2016 to inauguration day on January 20, on the eve of which the New York real estate tycoon moved to Washington.

"The US taxpayer is paying an exorbitant amount of money to protect the First Lady in Trump Tower," said the petition set up on Change.Org.

"As to help relieve the national debt, this expense yields no positive results for the nation and should be cut from being funded," it added.

The petition, which was started two weeks ago, has already been signed by more than 514,200 people. It has a goal of reaching one million supporters.

The petition is to be delivered to Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, both prominent Trump opponents on the left of US politics.

The president has not returned to New York since moving to Washington but has spent multiple weekends at his estate in Palm Beach, Florida to the frustration of some residents there.
Sonia Hossains first TVC of this year

Sheikh Arif Bulbon :

Last year Sonia Hossain passed busy times with acting, hosting and modeling. This year she has totally concentrated on hosting. For this reason, she is hosting special programmes most of the time. Though she performed as a model in different TV commercials last year but this year she did not work.

This year for the first time Sonia performed as a model in a TVC. This week she has performed as a model in a TVC of a multinational companys stove. Shipon has made the TVC. Shooting of the TVC was done in the citys Coke Studio at Tejgaon recently. To perform in the TVC, she had to take part in shooting for 18 hours at a time.

While talking about her new TVC Sonia told this correspondent, I have worked in the TVC cordially. I took part in its shooting for 18 hours at a time. Though I have to remain every scene of the TVC so I couldnt get leisure time,; in fact, I wanted a good work. Director, performers, unit members - everybody were very much cooperative. Within very short days the TVC will go on air in different satellite channels.

Last year Sonia performed as a model in a TVC of chocolate. On the occasion of coming Eid, Sonia will work in a faction play under Mabrur Rashid Bannahs direction. Therefore, she will also work in other plays for Eid.

After staying in London for several years Sonia returned to Bangladesh few years ago.

After returning home she acted in Rajs serial Dost Dushmon and Adnan Al Rajibs faction play Middle Class Sentiment. In small screen, her acted first play was Gias Uddin Selims Premey Porar Golpo. Intekhab Dinar was her co-actor. Sonia acted only movie was Alvi Ahmeds U-Turn. Shipon Mitra worked against her in the film. She is now hosting Desh TVs magazine Suranjoli.


One killed in road mishap

Chittagong Bureau :

One person was killed and several injured in a road accident in Patenga Sea Beach area in the city early on Tuesday.

The deceased was identified as Abdullah Al Mamun, 30, hailed from Teknaf Upazila of Cox'sBazar district.

Sources with Patenga police station said the accident occurred when a sea beach bound private car carrying the victims hit a roadside island after its driver lost control over the wheel around 2 am last night.

The accident left driver Mamun dead on the spot and four others injured. The injured persons were sent to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for treatment.


2 ICS activists arrested

Chittagong Bureau :

Members of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) detained two activists of Islami Chhatri Sangstha (ICS) while distributing anti-state and anti Boishakhi leaflets from a Madrasa under Bakalia thana on Tuesday.

The ICS activists were Umme Habiba and Rahanuma Rouno, both are the students of Chittagong College.

On a tip-off, a team of the Bakalia Thana Police conducted a raid at "Ahamidia Karimia Sunniya Madrasa" and detained the ICS activities around 12.30 pm, Duty Officer of the police station said.


Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) President Saber Hossain Chowdhury MP delivering his presidential address at the 136th IPU Assembly yesterday.
Mayor Bulbul assumes office

UNB, Rajshahi :

Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) Mayor Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul joined in his office following the High Court verdict that stayed the government

order suspending him from his post.

He took charge around 11:45 am. The RCC councilors and leaders and activists of BNP greeted him with flowers. After sitting on his chair he prayed and a doa was held at his office. When talking to the reporters, he said "I had made a pledge to the RCC dwellers to give a green, healthy and clean city while taking charge but it could not be possible following suspension and I was outside the city corporation in the last two years. I don't know the present situation of the office. I'll try my level best to make a friendly relation with the others and it will be my first challenge."

Earlier, on Tuesday, the High Court stayed the government order suspending Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) Mayor Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul.

The government on Sunday suspended the BNP-backed Mayor several hours after he took over, as the Supreme Court upheld a High Court order that declared his suspension illegal on March 5.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives issued a circular suspending him again.

UNB Court Correspondent report, the High Court on Wednesday asked the Local Government Ministry to give permission for hajj to Habiganj municipality Mayor GK Gaus within three days.

It also asked the Home Secretary and the Immigration officers to not harass GK Gaus during his journey to Airport. An HC bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan passed the orders following a petition filed by senior Lawyer Khandaker Mahbub Hossain.

Earlier, Habiganj municipality Mayor GK Gaus made an appeal to the Local Government Ministry, seeking permission to go to hajj on March 23. Later, he sent a legal notice to the Ministry on March 29 as the authorities concerned did not pay any heed to their appeal. Getting no response again, GK Gaus filed a writ petition before the High Court.


World must be ready to destroy Assad to save humanity

A NERVE gas attack in rebel-held northwestern Syria on Tuesday killed dozens of civilians including children and left many more sick and gasping causing widespread outrage at global level. The barbaric attack on the town of Khan Sheikhun left at least 58 civilians dead while dozens suffer respiratory problems and symptoms including vomiting, fainting and foaming at the mouth as international news media reported.



Syrian aircrafts dropped the sarin nerve gas in bombardment in the rebel-held town but Russia blamed the rebels for it and said it would publicly stand by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad despite outrage over the banned chemical weapons attack. The latest tragedy has set Donald Trump's new US administration on a course of head-on diplomatic collision with Moscow as people wonder how he (President Trump) would deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to whom he is too such supportive.



Washington, Paris and London have drawn up a draft UN Security Council statement condemning the attack and demanding an investigation. But Russia has the power to veto it, as it used previously. They would protect Assad from being harm internationally. It is a pity that Russia is protecting killer Assad blocking every move to put him on trial for crimes against humanity. So far every UN move has failed to end war or restraint Assad from more and more killing because of Russian backing.



The Syrian civil war now in its six-year has so far killed over four lakhs people and left several millions as homeless refugees looking for shelter in Europe and elsewhere. It is already a curse for humanity and shame on the civilized world as to why they are tolerating such a bloodthirsty despot aided by Russian killing machine from the air and on the ground. Assad has no feeling for human life and yet the Trump administration is now signaling that they no longer insist for his removal from power. Such policy is indicative of Trump administration's acquiesce of Russian President Vladimir Putin's position in Syria; which means peace may remain illusive for many years to come while killing will continue until Assad will finish all his people. .



President Obama was on the verge of bombing Syria in 2013 when the regime forces had similarly used nerve gas killing innumerable people. But Russian mediations destroying Assad's chemical stockpile averted the danger and saved Assad as Obama administration decided to continue in the sideline.



Whatever others say Trump's 'America First' policy is no hope for facing Russia in punishing Assad regime to save the Syrians from crimes against humanity. Besides, President Trump is a Muslim hater. The free world must know that mere expressing outrage is most unkind if nothing is done to destroy the killer of humanity. Please listen to the call of Syrian children to stop the war and save them.






Agitation against new housing plan

MEDIAS report said hundreds of people protested on Tuesday holding long human chain in the outskirt of the city from Kalatia to Bosila in Keraniganj area as Rajuk is working on a plan to set up a Model Town over 2,500 acres of land. Villagers from Savar and around the area vowed to protect their land at any cost.



They made the valid question if they lose their valuable land they inherited from their forefathers and the new town being built on such land how they would survive as the land now produce crops to feed their families. The most sensitive question is that they can't abandon their forefathers' graves and allow desecration of their resting places. They raise question that evicting households can't be justified to distribute such land to the wealthy and powerful people. It means others will take possession of the land by way of buying expensive housing plots while they will become homeless to look for rehabilitation at other places. It may not be affordable to many despite the fact that they would get compensation. They said they would not let it happen.



Opposing the government or resisting new plans is very difficult for people when the state has unlimited power to ignore their opposition. It is true that the government can take plans to build new cities and create new accommodation for people in and around the city. The city is steadily expanding. But the fact is that it makes many homeless while the rich buy housing plots in their names or against the name of their family members as a means of amassing future wealth; because, the price of land multiplies over time and it is the safest investment for future.



The experience of people already removed from ancestral land in other areas around the city such as Purbachal or Uttara shows that the compensation is not enough to buy new land and build new homes. People fall victims of harassment and have to pay bribes to get payment of compensation. When a whole village community has to be evacuated it destroys the age-old social bond and they never get the fraternity back again. So Rajuk must listen to the perils of the villagers as they are facing the generational challenge whether or not to become homeless.



Rajuk officials said the scheme named "Keraniganj Model Town" would not affect people's existing homestead and the one should not pay heed to such protest to crate misgivings. It is unfounded and ill motivated. But we must say it is also unfortunate for the villagers to part with their ancestral land. Their risks are too big to ignore.
Mamata to meet Hasina in Delhi

bdnews24.com :

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has agreed to meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Delhi. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials told bdnews24.com that Mamata will be reaching Delhi on Friday night-the same day Hasina arrives.

Mamata will be present at the meeting between Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Saturday.

She will be present when the two prime ministers

launch the Khulna-Kolkata Bus service on Saturday through video-conferencing. Later on Saturday night, Banerjee will join the dinner hosted by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in Hasina's honour.

Rastrapati Bhavan sources said Mamata Banerjee has confirmed joining the dinner after Mukherjee spoke to her on Monday. So far, Mamata has been complaining that the Indian government was sidelining her on the Teesta water sharing negotiations.

She even alleged that the Modi government was planning to sign the deal with Bangladesh on May 25.

MEA rubbished the allegations and its spokesperson Gopal Bagley said all stakeholders including West Bengal will be brought into the discussions at the right time.

Initially, as reported by bdnews24.com, the plan was to leave President Pranab Mukherjee to take the lead by getting PM Hasina face-to-face with Mamata. The idea was to consult her on bilateral issues that would affect West Bengal. Now that seems to have graduated to a formal engagement that seeks to bring her into the discussions involving the two prime ministers. Analysts say that raises the possibility of a breakthrough on the Teesta water sharing and the Ganges Barrage projects. "The ice seems to be melting. Once she is part of discussions, she will have no excuse to complain that she has been left out," says Bangladesh watcher Sukhoranjan Dasgupta.




MEPs agree Brexit negotiation plan

BBC Online :

The European Parliament has backed a motion setting out its position for the Brexit negotiations by 516 to 133.

Although MEPs will not participate directly in the exit talks they will have to vote in favour of the final deal for it to go ahead.

UKIP's Nigel Farage accused MEPs of trying to impose conditions that were "impossible for Britain to comply with" and likened them to the "mafia".

The motion for debate was supported by the two largest groups of MEPs.

It set out general principles at the start of the two year negotiations for the UK to leave the European Union under the Article 50 process.

At a press conference following the vote, Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's Brexit negotiator, said the vote meant that "the UK on the one hand and the [European] Commission on the other hand now know the position of the Parliament, what the red lines are".

He said "the interests of our citizens is our first priority" and called for an early resolution of the status of EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens elsewhere in Europe.

What are the red lines?

The motion backs a number of positions taken by EU leaders, including the need for a "phased approach" to negotiations.

This would require progress on the terms of Britain's

withdrawal, including settling financial commitments, before talks on a future trading relationship can start.

It also backs the call for transparency in the talks, and for the UK to be considered liable for financial commitments that apply after it leaves the EU.

During the debate in Strasbourg Manfred Weber, chairman of the largest group of MEPs, the centre-right European People's Party, said: "Cherry-picking will not happen.

A state outside the European Union will not have better conditions than a state inside the European Union."

Gianni Pitella, chairman of the European Socialists and Democrats also argued that the UK "can not benefit from the same conditions as members do" and added: "If you leave the house, you still have to pay the bills."

The motion is not binding on European Commission officials but President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker told MEPs: "The role of this parliament is more important than ever. You must scrutinise and validate the final agreement."

He added: "We will of course negotiate in friendship and openness and not in a hostile mood, with a country that has brought so much to our union and will remain close to hearts long after they have left, but this is now the time for reason over emotion.

"What's at stake here are the lives of millions of people. Millions have family or professional links to the United Kingdom."

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, warned that "a disunited union could actually lead to there being no deal".

He added: "The 'no deal' scenario is not the scenario we are looking for. We are looking for success, not against the United Kingdom but with the United Kingdom."

Helga Stevens from the Conservatives and Reformists group, which includes MEPs from the UK's ruling Conservative Party, said Brexit "should not be a nasty breakup" and cautioned MEPs against "making excessive demands in advance" of Brexit talks.

"If we do anything less, history will judge us harshly as being small and petty," she claimed.

But UKIP MEP Mr Farage argued: "Already you've made a series of demands which are not just unreasonable but in some cases clearly impossible for Britain to comply with."

He accused the EU of seeking to impose a bill of 52bn on the UK and likened this to "a form of ransom demand", adding: "What you could have mentioned is we're actually shareholders in this building and other assets and actually you should be making an offer to us that we can't refuse, to go."

When he accused MEPs of behaving like the mafia, the parliament's Italian president, Antonio Tajani, intervened to object. Mr Farage responded: "I do understand national sensitivities. I'll change it to gangsters."

The former UKIP leader also insisted that Gibraltar should be a "deal breaker" in any negotiations.

Later, Spanish centre-right MEP Esteban Gonzalez Pons accused the UK government of "preventing Scotland staying part of Europe while at the same time they want... Gibraltar to continue to be a tax haven".

At the post-debate press conference, Mr Tajani emphasised the need to uphold the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland and "working for peace".

He also highlighted security co-operation with the UK, saying: "Terrorists know no borders and they do not care about Brexit."




Rain disrupts city life

The heavy downpour the capital city experienced Wednesday afternoon has submerged the equipment and construction materials in the Malibagh-Mouchak flyover area and caused potholes, inviting fatal accidents anytime. The city dwellers feel it urgent that th

Staff Reporter :

A knee-deep water submerged parts of Dhaka city because of torrential rains on Wednesday afternoon, causing much suffering to city residents.

After a cloudy day, it rained hard around 4pm and continued for more than an hour triggering huge traffic jam in different city streets.

Roads, lanes, and bi-lanes to Green Road, Tejturi Bazar, Mirpur-10, Shenpara-Parbata and Kazipara, Rokeya Sarani, Bijoy Sharani, Moghbazar, Mouchak, Malibagh, Shantinagar, Kakrail, Sabujbagh, Khilgaon, Merul Badda, Rampura, Motijheel, Shyampur, Demra and Dhanmondi and other low-lying areas were inundated.

The scenario of the knee-deep water once again exposed the poor drainage system in the city.

Commuters suffered mostly as vehicles and rickshaws were not available due to the rain.

The commuters blamed the poor drainage system for creating such unexpected situation.

Habibul Bashar, a banker, told The New Nation that the City Corporations lacked strong drainage system. It digs the drain just ahead of rain. Interestingly a road is dug five to six times in a year, which is very unfortunate and unwanted. There is no example in the world like this." Meanwhile, commuters underwent unbearable pains while traveling by roads connecting Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover due to the on going construction work as the roads are riddled and paddled with huge potholes.

On the other hand, the Dhaka Met Office in its weather forecast said rainfall might continue with temporary gusty wind and thunder in parts of the city and outer Dhaka.

The met office forecast rainfall in Rajshahi, Rangpur, Khulna, Barisal and parts of Mymensingh, Sylhet and Chittagong today.

The rainfall occured due to trough of low lying over West Bengal of India and adjoining areas up to the North Bay, said Bangladesh Meteorological Department.
Curb on movement in city`s 25 points

Staff Reporter :

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has restricted 25 points of different roads for a few hours ahead of the 'Ulema-Mashayekh Grand Conference' marking the 42nd founding anniversary of the Islamic Foundation Bangladesh (IFB) at Suhrawardy Udyan this (Thursday) afternoon.

Tight security measures have been taken in and around the venue as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the conference as the chief guest at 3:00pm, said DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Miah in a press briefing on Wednesday.

Vehicles will not be allowed to move through 25 points in the city from 12:00pm, while both sides of the road from Shahbagh to Matsya Bhaban and Doyel Chattar will remain suspended from 10:30am, the DMP Commissioner said.

The bar will be withdrawn as soon as the Bangladesh Islamic Foundation conference ends, the police official said.

The Suhrawardy Udyan and its surrounding areas will be monitored through CCTV cameras operated from three makeshift control rooms. The Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and bomb disposal unit members will remain alert around the venue, the DMP chief said. Police personnel will check everyone entering the venue through five entry points with metal detectors, he said. "Around 2,500 additional vehicles will enter Dhaka carrying over 200,000 people from across the country to join the rally. A team of six khatibs and imams of Saudi Arabia's Masjid-al-Haraam and Masjid-e-Nababi will take part in the conference," the Police Commissioner said. Participants have to carry the invitation cards provided by the Islamic Foundation, he said asking others not to crowd the zone. "Traffic congestion may occur as many roads will remain blocked. We request city dwellers not to travel around the Udyan unnecessarily. Please do not go to New Market, Bashundhara City Shopping Complex, Gausia, Elephant Road and other adjacent markets if it is not urgent," he added.

The restricted points are Bijoy Sarani crossing, Khamarbari, Bangla Motor, Moghbazar, Poribagh, Sakurar Goli, Police Bhaban crossing, Shobji Bagan Crossing, eastern side of Mintu Road, Officer's Club, Kakrail Church, Lane to Shilpakala, lane to ACC office, Carpet lane, Matsya Bhaban, Kadom Foara, High Court, Shahidullah Hall, Bakshi Bazar Crossing, Palashi Crossing, Nilkhet Crossing, Romana Intersection, Kataban Crossing, Shahbagh and Aziz Super Market.
Govts, ruling party MPs suppress opposition

Kibria murder, August 21 grenade attack trials must be completed soon

The Inter-Parliamentary Union [IPU] standing committee on democracy and human rights affairs has received specific allegations of human rights violation against 459 lawmakers of 42 countries across the globe.

Of the victimized lawmakers, 112 come from ruling party, 336 from opposition party and 11 independent. Of the total, 155 represent America continent, 110 Asia, 63 Europe, Middle-East and North Africa 39 and three from South Pacific.

The IPU committee also found that mainly the opposition party lawmakers are the victims of repression by the governments or the ruling party lawmakers.

"In the Dhaka conference, the legislators have thoroughly discussed the incidents of human rights violation against the lawmakers in 173 countries," Fawzia Koofi, committee's chairperson and lawmaker of Afghanistan, said on Wednesday.

Over the human rights violation issue, the standing committee in its resolution said: These victims [lawmakers] have been deprived of getting justice. Most of them have been ousted from the parliaments illegally without maintaining any rules and regulations.

Some of them have also been arrested. In most cases, there is no scope for freedom of speech to the opposition lawmakers, the resolution adeed.

Fawzia Koofi, however, categorically blamed "the culture of impunity" for such incidents, where many are getting death threats too. "Illegal suspension, parliament without democracy, ban on freedom of speech and other relating things are creating an unhealthy atmosphere," she said.

Echoing the same, former chair of the committee and lawmaker of Bangladesh Parliament Fazle Karim Chowdhury said: "It's a matter of grave concern that, a large number of lawmakers have become victims of repression in different ways by government or ruling party lawmakers in different countries." Committee sources said in comparison to other countries, the number of repression on opposition parliament member is highest in Turkey where 60 legislators are victims of human rights violation.

The Turkish Government has framed charge against 60 lawmakers accusing them in different criminal offenses including terrorism. Of them, 55 are lawmakers of opposition Democratic Party.

In the same way, 21 opposition lawmakers are facing harassment in Nicaragua, 19 in Malaysia, 14 each in Myanmar and Zimbabwe, five from Sri Lanka, and some others in Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen, Bahrain, Rwanda and Burundi, the sources said.

Meanwhile, the IPU standing committee on democracy and human rights has expressed grave concern over the slow trial process of two highly-sensitized terror hits - Kibria killing and August 21, 2004 grenade attack. It also demanded explanation for the delaying.

The killing incident of former Finance Minister SAMS Kibria was specifically raised by the lawmakers at IPU's different forums. The IPU in its conference in Dhaka has also expressed concerns over Kibria's assassination.

"In the Dhaka conference, the issue of SAMS Kibria killing was raised by the lawmakers. Though he was assassinated in 2005, the trial is yet not finished. The IPU has expressed grave concern over the issue. The IPU also wanted explanation why it is taking long time to finish the trial ," IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong said on Wednesday.

"The Bangladesh side, however, has raised the August 21 grenade attack. I hope, the trial of both cases will be completed very soon and the real culprits will be punished," he said.


State appeals against stay on Ariful`s suspension

The state yesterday filed an appeal with the apex court challenging the April 3 High Court order that recently stayed a government notice suspending Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) Mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury. "Chamber Judge Court of the Appellate Division passed 'not today' order as it came up for hearing, leaving the matter to be heard on another day," a court official said.

Ministry of LGRD and Cooperatives on April 2 suspended Ariful for second consecutive time as he was accused in two criminal cases. The High Court however, stated the government order the very next day.

A Habiganj court on December 30, 2014, sent Ariful to jail in a case lodged over murder of former finance minister AMS Kibria. He was also shown arrested in the case lodged over bomb attack on a rally of Awami League leader Suranjeet Sengupta in Sunamganj on June 21, 2004.
$113m deal with WB

Staff Reporter :

With a view to modernising the country's meteorological and hydrological information system, including weather forecasting, early warning systems, and delivery of weather and climate services, the government on Wednesday signed a $113 million financing agreement with the World Bank.

Kazi Shofiqul Azam, Secretary-in-Charge of Economic Relations Division (ERD) and Qimiao Fan, WB's country director signed the agreement on behalf of their respective side at the NEC conference room.

With the fund, the Bangladesh Weather and Climate Services Regional Project (BWCSRP) will help strengthen the weather, water, disaster risk and climate information services in Bangladesh. The project will also pilot a community-level early warning system for flash floods, thunderstorms and droughts in four districts -Netrakona, Sunamganj, Rajshahi and Naogaon.

The project will benefit more than 1 million of people.

The project will set up an Agro-meteorological Information System portal, agromet information kiosks in 487 Upazilas and agromet display boards at 4,051 unions. This will enable more than 30,000 farmer households to gain access to weather and water related information, and enable them to make better planning and decisions to deal with climate uncertainties.

"Globally, Bangladesh is well recognized for disaster preparedness," said Kazi Shofiqul Azam.

"Realizing that weather pattern is not restricted to one single country, with this project, we are looking forward to broader collaboration with our neighboring countries, and modernizing the weather and climate monitoring framework to further improve early warning systems at community level," he added.

"With Bangladesh often exposed to extreme weather events, the lack of reliable forecasting and information on weather can cost lives and hurt the productivity of key sectors, such as agriculture, which contributes to about 16 percent of GDP, and employs 45 percent of the population," said Qimiao Fan.

"By ensuring reliable and systematic weather and climate information, this project will strengthen disaster preparedness, as well as help farmers better adjust to weather variability at the farm level, and thus improve productivity," he added.

Bangladesh is among the most disaster-prone and climate vulnerable countries in the world, and is frequently hit by floods, drought, and tropical cyclones, with significant losses of lives and substantial costs to the economy.

The project will support regional collaboration to share knowledge, leverage economies of scale in forecasting and development of services, and improve preparedness and resilience. The project will help at least five international agencies engaged in regional and global modelling.

The zero-interest credit from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's grant and interest-free credits arm, has a maturity of 38 years, including a 6-year grace period; and carries a service charge of 0.75 percent.
Get ready for next election

Stating that her party's mayoral candidate in Comilla polls had to win facing many obstacles and odds, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on Tuesday night asked her party leaders and activists to get ready for the next general election.

"They (AL) will quit only after the destruction of the country. We need to prepare to oust them to save the country. We'll turn victorious and successful if we can prepare our soldiers well in every district to fight like him (Sakku)," she said. Khaleda further said, "Being happy over Sakku's victory is not enough. Instead, we need to prepare our party so that we can cross the election hurdles through a strong fight."

The BNP chief came up with the remarks as Comilla City Corporation Mayor-elect Manirul Islam Sakku met her at her Gulshan office. Sakku and his wife Afroza Yasmin Tikly greeted Khaleda presenting a bouquet.

Khaleda also congratulated Sakku and the voters of Comilla on his victory in Thursday's election.

The BNP chairperson came down hard on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda saying he could not ensure a fair and neutral election in Comilla. "We had expected he would act neutrally as Comilla City polls were his first test. But it's regrettable he worked for Awami League. He couldn't prove his neutrality." She also alleged that no fair election is possible under current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the CEC.

Khaleda claimed that Sakku could have won the election with a margin of 50,000 votes had the election been fair. The BNP chief, however, praised the media for their role in the city polls and expressed her gratitude to journalists. Mentioning the country is now under an unelected, illegal and undemocratic government, she urged the country people to get united to restore democracy.

Impressed with Sakku's wife's speech at the programme, Khaleda asked her party leader to accommodate her and other new leaders in the committees of Comilla city and district units of the party.

She also asked her party leaders to arrange training for the BNP activists who will work as election agents in the next polls. BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Nazrul Islam Khan, Mayor Sakku and his wife Afroza addressed the programme.

Earlier, Sakku arrived at the BNP chairperson person's Gulshan office around 9pm.

Sakku won the Comilla City Corporation polls for the 2nd straight term on Thursday defeating his rival Awami League's Anjuman Sultana Sima with a margin of 11,085 votes.
The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option.
Hurricane Update: Fears arise that Gov. Ron DeSantis may reroute Hurricane Ian from Florida coast to Martha's Vineyard

Study: People who define themselves by what they stand against, are usually afraid to tell people what they stand for

Liz Cheney: Voters need to ask themselves, why they are so out of touch with their politicians

White House: IRS toy guns for children are now politically correct, mandatory

BREAKING: Biden's economic sanctions on the U.S. to be partially lifted prior to November election

GOP's new slogan for midterms: Make Dissent Patriotic Again

PSA: Due to high gas prices police departments will now be responding and making arrests via Zoom.

NYT: Roe vs Wade to be renamed the "Don't Say Fetus" law

Democrats insist on carrying unwanted presidency to term

Elon Musk went to bed thinking he owns Twitter. Then the mail-in ballots arrived at 2am...

Obama: "If you like your information you can keep your information"

Fact checkers reveal Biden handler not a real Easter bunny

Biden 2021: you'll save $0.16 on 4th of July BBQ!

Biden 2022: you'll save a ton of $$ if you don't eat this 4th of July!

Disney to buy Epstein Island for new theme park

The Biology Underground is like the Weather Underground, except they are real biologists and they've had to go underground

"Psssst. Hey you, kid. Ya wanna watch a Disney movie with me?"

"I am not suicidal," says COVID-19 after being contracted by Hillary Clinton

Trans-swimmer Lia Thomas's trophy is smaller than for male swimmers, and only 73% gold

Sources: U.S. now considers majority of U.S. citizens a threat to U.S.

BREAKING: Russian General claims he was beaten up outside Ukrainian bio lab by two Nazis who poured vodka and caviar over him and yelled "This is NATO Country!"

Global warming news: 100,000 Russian migrants fleeing climate change about to march into Ukraine

Future headline: Donald Trump to buy CNN for one dollar

Georgia Governor Stacy Abrams feels honored to be the new Supreme Court justice

President Biden: 'Vote for me or I'll shoot this foot'

Fact checkers give Pinocchio's speech four Bidens

Fauci: The only thing we have to fear, is a lack of fear itself!

Study: Most people have had sex more violent than January 6th

Facebook permanently bans Facebook from Facebook for violating Facebook community standards

New remake of the 1950's horror movie Them to be titled Them/They

Teachers Union: Idea that CRT is being taught in K-12 just a conspiracy theory by white supremacists trying to maintain their systemically racist police state

Xze/She/He who controls the past controls the future; Xze/She/He who controls the present controls the past

S ocialists vow to fight against Critical Socialism Theory

A more perfect Soviet Union: the Party pretends it unites us, and we pretend we are united

Biden solves border crisis with free direct flights from Central America to major metropolitan areas

Critical race theory: destroy the world of systemic racism, build a world of systemic race-baiting

In the future everyone will get canceled for fifteen minutes

Biden proposes bill to spend two trillion dollars on more money printing factories

Social unity: They pretend to hold elections and we pretend we voted

Immigrants to Texas and Florida from New York and California break down and cry when they realize all their sacrifices for a better tomorrow were based on lies

China anal swabs detect new 'silent but deadly' transmission of covid-19 variant

Social science breakthrough: 'White' is the new way of saying 'Bourgeois'

Biden administration swat teams make sweeping arrests of underground female-only track meets

'Green energy' to be renamed 'blackout energy' for easier comprehension of climate complexities

New children's game: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Science







Texas: Biden administration sends emergency wind turbines to help fight the blackouts

BREAKING: Biden signs executive order canceling the number 45

ATTENTION: It is your duty to report anyone who says this is no longer a free country. Fact-checking commissars are monitoring all state-approved social media platforms for your convenience

OUT: If you don't vote, you can't complain!

IN: If you didn't vote Democrat, you can't complain!

Social media justice: followers removed from pro-Trump accounts will be added to Biden's Twitter account

Fact check: a democratic election is the one in which votes are counted until Democrats win

JUST IN: China bans Twitter for being too totalitarian

Pelosi introduces new House rule to replace 'gender' terms like mother, daughter, father, son with the word 'comrade'; the only acceptable pronoun will also be 'comrade'





Sources: Biden transition team demands access to White House basement to begin renovations

BREAKING: President Trump pardons America for its past

Prime Minister Modi: to avoid accusations of racism India will change its name to Cleveland

Biden creates Antifascist Librarian Justice Committee; the first book scheduled for burning is Fahrenheit 451

Media study: 148% of Americans believe voter fraud doesn't exist

2020 Election forecast: if Joe Biden emerges from the basement on Election Day and sees his shadow, expect four more years of Trump

BREAKING: President Trump pardons Corn Pop

Toobin, though on administrative leave, is still pulling for Biden

Chinese whistleblower: Biden-20 was genetically engineered in a Wuhan lab

Nancy Pelosi sponsors a bill to create the office of removal of the President

New college humanities major: Critical Trump Studies

Opinion: Joe Biden is just an idea

CNN: Biden took a solid second place in the debate, while Trump only came next to last

Having ordered that all Californians switch to electric cars by 2035, Gov. Gavin Newsom follows up by mandating them to have electricity by 2035

Election 2020: Joe Biden pledges to a peaceful post-election transfer of power to George Soros

Out: Flatten the curve. In: Flatten the country.

Breaking: the Democrat Party has finished transitioning from being the party of JFK to being the party of Lee Harvey Oswald

Paradigm shift in Chromatics: Study shows Indigo (#3F00FF) mixed with Jamaic (#C0FF01) yields Black (#000000)

Study: the trouble with wokeism is eventually you run out of victims

Stacey Abrams refuses to concede to Harris; declares herself Biden's VP

Election 2020: Spunky former presidential candidate wins VP slot by a head

Churches in many states to hold services in opened up pubs and bars

Election 2020: Xi Jinping still undecided on vice president for Joe Biden

Reports: Republicans pounce on 'Republicans pounce' reports

Minneapolis launches online looting app to combat Covid-19

DNC study finds lockdowns no longer necessary as the economy is now being destroyed more effectively by looters and rioters

With America in lockdown, China offers to host Democrat primary

Bernie Sanders tests negative for President

In related news, Joe Biden follows other candidates in withdrawing from race and endorsing Joe Biden

New York Governor Cuomo shuts down all 'non-essential' business, surprised to find himself out of a job

Biden commits to picking a woman as running mate as long as she passes his sniff test

Joe Biden's coronavirus prevention tips: always rub hand sanitizer on young girls before sniffing and fondling them

Russian lawmakers warned that the American Democrats are meddling to re-elect Putin

Joe Biden promises lucrative board member jobs as door prizes to get people to his rallies

Democrats now worried they might even lose the illegal alien vote

Soleimani's remains FedExed back to Iran and now no one knows what happened to the box

BREAKING: massive search underway in Iran after Soleimani's boxed FedEx'd remains stolen off front porch

Liz Warren harshly critical of Biden's suggestion to coal miners that they should learn to code, offers to have them trained as romance novelists instead

Pelosi: "First we have to impeach Donald Trump before we can find out why we impeached him."

Schiff calls his Amazon Alexa to testify: 'She knows absolutely everything'

Iran answers to new Reagan statue in Berlin by erecting Obama statue at Tehran airport where he delivered pallets of cash

California accepts award for most progressive environmental policies; further progressive developments to be announced as blackouts permit

BREAKING: Romney DNA test reveals he is 1/1024th Republican

California Governor Gavin Newsom blames electricity blackouts on Ukrainian kulaks, vows revenge

Rat falling from White House ceiling fears for his life, begs reporters for protection, offers a tell-all memoir

Latest UN climate report shows this month so far has seen the scariest climate pronouncements on record

Climate science: there's no need for climate protests in China because China is already communist

Islamic clerics split on whether Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib should be traveling around the world without an accompanying male relative

Dem candidates call for the Beatles' song 'Get Back' and the 'White Album' to be banned; surviving two white guys of the group must pay reparations

Bond's number is up: next 007 will be a black woman, played by Barack Obama

NYT: moon landing was one small step for Man, one giant leap for White Male Supremacy

HURRICANE WATCH: Tropical storm Barry has records sealed, once offshore expected to change name to Barack

Trump politicizes the 4th of July, declares it henceforth to be called the 45th of July, or July the Trumpth

Barack Obama critical of Trump for failing to insert 'I, me, my' into his 4th of July speech: "very unpresidential!"

Congressional Democrats: John Dean's testimony proves Trump is Nixon in disguise and must be impeached

Bernie Sanders admits to being a millionaire, promises to eat himself if nominated

International Women's Day observed, women only paid 73% of attention afforded to men

Democrats: anti-Semitism means never having to say you're sorry

AOC: aborting babies helps preserve the planet for the next generation

Bernie Sanders launches presidential campaign, promises to "build a great big beautiful Iron Curtain" around America if elected

West Virginia renames itself Eastern Kentucky to avoid further embarrassment from Virginia

BREAKING: Justice Ginsburg released from hospital after breaking 3 ribs at late night bar brawl in Adams Morgan

DNA news: Senator Warren tanking in latest totem polls

Orwell studies: 84% of academics believe problems raised in 1984 can be fixed with solutions from Animal Farm

Progress in gender justice: online dating industry issues recommendations for men to wear body cameras, bring attorneys as chaperones

Study: the only people who don't know what socialism is are the socialists

Poll: 1 in 3 #FightFor15 activists believe movement is related to lowering the age of consent across America

CNN expert: Kavanaugh confirmation will increase global warming by 3 degrees

Harry Reid comes forth to say Judge Kavanaugh didn't pay any taxes in high school

Hollywood to America: If you've got a flag on the Moon, you didn't plant that; some other country made that happen

Protest march in straight jackets against Trump ends in chaos as participants try but fail to free themselves

HEADLINES YOU WILL NEVER SEE: California Gov. Jerry Brown single-handedly stops wildfires in his state by issuing an immediate statewide ban on wildfires

San Francisco closes all Planned Parenthood clinics after sting operation catches employees using plastic straws

Vegan mother undergoes experimental surgery to force her breasts to produce almond milk

With none of his emails answered, frustrated Nigerian man commits suicide and leaves $100bn fortune to charity

California gives new meaning to strawman argument as caped Strawman battles supervillains in restaurants, bars, and fast food joints

Violence increases in Mexico as cartels switch from smuggling drugs to plastic straws to San Francisco

Obama proposes a Paris Economic Change agreement among nations to address how world will cope with future runaway economic warming

Stormy Daniels plans border visit to give migrant children freebies

San Francisco: man dumping off 20 lbs of human waste in plastic bag on street corner cited for using non-biodegradable plastic bag

BREAKING: ICE renamed Planned Citizenship, immediately absolving it of all criticism

Senate Democrats demand Supreme Court nominee not be unduly influenced by U.S. Constitution

BREAKING: In 2018, Obama and Biden can finally celebrate Recovery Summer

IG Report: the FBI broke the law, but since there was no criminal intent, no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case

Pelosi on Trump's MS-13 "animals" comments: "Four legs good, two legs bad"

Iran nuclear talks set to resume between the United States and John Kerry

Report: The Mueller investigation has finally determined that the lyrics to Louie Louie are not about Trump and Russian collusion

MARKETS: Demand for carbon credits spikes as Hamas seeks to undo damage to Earth's atmosphere caused by burning 10,000 tires on Gaza border

BREAKING: After state reassignment surgery Pennsylvania will henceforth be known as Transylvania

Experts: If we don't act now, unicorns will be extinct in just ten years. Children will ask, "Mommy, what's a unicorn?" Women and minorities will be forced to seek alternative hallucinations

Korean war must continue: Hawaiian federal judge declares Trump's peace effort unconstitutional

New York: feminists march on Broadway, demand the street be given new, non-misogynistic name

Experts: California's planned transition of all state jobs from citizens to illegal aliens by 2020 will help to avoid bankruptcy and save money for social programs for illegal aliens

Putin: If I didn't want Hillary to be president she would be dead

Doritos maker PepsiCo to introduce snack line for women; new Doritas chips will be 77% as big as Doritos and won't make any scary 'crunchy noises'

TMZ: Tooth Fairy accused of sexually assaulting millions of children, outs self as Transgendered Tooth Recovery Specialist

RUSSIA COLLUSION: Trump offers Putin to trade Rep. Maxine Waters for two unnamed members of the State Duma

Ikea founder dead at 91; his coffin arrived in a box with confusing instructions and took 3 hours to assemble

This Thanksgiving ex-president Obama continues with his tradition of apologizing to turkeys everywhere for the injustice they suffered since America's founding

Oslo, Norway: 2017 Nobel Peace Prize goes to advocacy group about which you'll forget immediately after reading this headline

Cambridge, MA, library to replace racist 'Cat in the Hat' with inclusive 'Che in a Beret'

Millions of men worldwide eagerly await broadcast of Hugh Hefner's funeral, solely for the articles

Bill Gates offers to pay for Trump's wall on condition he gets to install Windows

Bernie Sanders introduces single-payer public transportation bill to end America's unequal, unfair, and expensive private transportation system

DNC embroiled in controversy after official Twitter account accidentally 'likes' pictures of US Constitution and Bill of Rights

Hurricane Irma hits Cuba, causes millions of dollars worth of improvements to property and infrastructure

Climate study: extreme weather may be caused by unlicensed witches casting wrong spells in well-meaning effort to destroy Trump

Ex-president Obama declares Irma "Hurricane of Peace," urges not to jump to conclusions and succumb to stormophobia

CNN: Trump reverses Obama's executive order banning hurricanes

ISIS claims responsibility for a total solar eclipse over the lands of American crusaders and nonbelievers

When asked if they could point to North Korea on a map many college students didn't know what a map was

CNN: We must bring America into the 21st century by replacing the 18th century Constitution with 19th century poetry

Pelosi: 'We have to impeach the president in order to find out what we impeached him for'

BREAKING: As of Saturday July 8, 2017, all of Earth's ecosystems have shut down as per Prince Charles's super scientific pronouncement made 96 months ago. Everything is dead. All is lost. Life on Earth is no more.

DNC to pick new election slogan out of four finalists: 'Give us more government or everyone dies,' 'Vote for Democrats or everyone dies,' 'Impeach Trump or everyone dies,' 'Stop the fearmongering or everyone dies'

Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power" is humanity's last chance to save the Earth before it ends five years ago

Experts: The more we embrace diversity the more everything is the same

BOMBSHELL: TMZ offers Kathy Griffin $5 mil to keep any future sex tape private

DEVELOPING: CNN, WaPo, NYT anonymous sources say Vladimir Putin may have ties to Russia

BREAKING: Manning and Snowden have come out with strong condemnation of Donald Trump leaking classified information to Russia

Gun store goes into lockdown over report an "active university professor" roving the grounds

Dozens injured at Ralph Lauren & Louis Vuitton headquarters after Ivanka calls in missile strikes on rival fashion houses

BOMBSHELL: Evidence proves Donald Trump conspired with his campaign to defeat Hillary Clinton

University ranked "very intolerant of free speech" fights the accusation by banning the study and all involved

Concerned that Russians don't consume enough alcohol in the month of March, Russia's Orthodox Church makes St. Patrick's Day official holiday

Grassroots group calls for "The Million Regulators March" on Washington, supported by all who fear the loss of their betters telling them what to do

Experts: Starbucks CEO Schultz's hiring of 10,000 Muslim refugees likely to blow up in his face

Will the groundprog be frightened by its own shadow and hide - or will there be another season of insane protests?

Trump signs executive order making California and New York national monuments; residents have two days to vacate

Women's March against fascism completed with 400,000 fewer deaths than anticipated

Feminist historians uncover ghastly concentration camps where so-called "housewives" were forced to live inauthentic lives slaving away in kitchens

Dictionary of the future: Global Warming was a popular computer simulation game, where the only way to win was not to play

"Anti-fascist" groups violently protest misspelling of their original name, "aren't-we-fascists"

Post-inauguration blues: millions of democrats distraught as the reality of having to find real jobs sets in

"Journalism is the continuation of war by other means" is exposed as a fake quote by mainstream media journalists

Congressional Democrats: "We cannot just simply replace Obamacare with freedom because then millions of Americans will suddenly become free"

Schoolchildren jailed for building only white snowmen

Obama's reckless attacks on Russia serve as recruitment tool to create more Russian hackers

Hillary: "I lost, so I'm going to follow our democratic traditions, poison the wells, and scorch the earth"

Children in Venezuela cook and eat their Christmas toys

Hillary: "I can hack Russia from my bathroom"

Hillary suggests to counter "fake news" with government newspaper called "Truth" ("Pravda" for Russian speakers)

BREAKING: Millions of uncounted votes found on Hillary's private voting machine in her Chappaqua bathroom

New York Times: Fidel Castro world's sexiest corpse

After years of trial and error, CIA finally succeeds with the "waiting it out" technique on Fidel Castro

Post-election shopping tip: look for the PoliticsFree label at your local grocer to make sure you don't buy from companies that don't want your business anymore

In Hillary's America, email server scrubs you

Obama transfers his Nobel Peace Prize to anti-Trump rioters

Democrats blame Hillary's criminal e-mail server for her loss, demand it face prison

Afraid of "dangerous" Trump presidency, protesters pre-emptively burn America down to the ground

Clinton Foundation in foreclosure as foreign donors demand refunds

Hillary Clinton blames YouTube video for unexpected and spontaneous voter uprising that prevented her inevitable move into the White House

Sudden rise in sea levels explained by disproportionately large tears shed by climate scientists in the aftermath of Trump's electoral victory

FBI director Comey delighted after receiving Nobel Prize for Speed Reading (650,000 emails in one week)

U.N. deploys troops to American college campuses in order to combat staggeringly low rape rates

Responding to Trump's surging poll numbers, Obama preemptively pardons himself for treason

Following hurricane Matthew's failure to devastate Florida, activists flock to the Sunshine State and destroy Trump signs manually

Tim Kaine takes credit for interrupting hurricane Matthew while debating weather in Florida

Study: Many non-voters still undecided on how they're not going to vote

The Evolution of Dissent: on November 8th the nation is to decide whether dissent will stop being racist and become sexist - or it will once again be patriotic as it was for 8 years under George W. Bush

Venezuela solves starvation problem by making it mandatory to buy food

Breaking: the Clinton Foundation set to investigate the FBI

Obama captures rare Pokemon while visiting Hiroshima

Movie news: 'The Big Friendly Giant Government' flops at box office; audiences say "It's creepy"

Barack Obama: "If I had a son, he'd look like Micah Johnson"

White House edits Orlando 911 transcript to say shooter pledged allegiance to NRA and Republican Party

President George Washington: 'Redcoats do not represent British Empire; King George promotes a distorted version of British colonialism'

Following Obama's 'Okie-Doke' speech, stock of Okie-Doke soars; NASDAQ: 'Obama best Okie-Doke salesman'

Weaponized baby formula threatens Planned Parenthood office; ACLU demands federal investigation of Gerber

Experts: melting Antarctic glacier could cause sale levels to rise up to 80% off select items by this weekend

Travel advisory: airlines now offering flights to front of TSA line

As Obama instructs his administration to get ready for presidential transition, Trump preemptively purchases 'T' keys for White House keyboards

John Kasich self-identifies as GOP primary winner, demands access to White House bathroom

Upcoming Trump/Kelly interview on FoxNews sponsored by 'Let's Make a Deal' and 'The Price is Right'

News from 2017: once the evacuation of Lena Dunham and 90% of other Hollywood celebrities to Canada is confirmed, Trump resigns from presidency: "My work here is done"

Non-presidential candidate Paul Ryan pledges not to run for president in new non-presidential non-ad campaign

Trump suggests creating 'Muslim database'; Obama symbolically protests by shredding White House guest logs beginning 2009

National Enquirer: John Kasich's real dad was the milkman, not mailman

National Enquirer: Bound delegates from Colorado, Wyoming found in Ted Cruzs basement

Iran breaks its pinky-swear promise not to support terrorism; US State Department vows rock-paper-scissors strategic response

Women across the country cheer as racist Democrat president on $20 bill is replaced by black pro-gun Republican

Federal Reserve solves budget crisis by writing itself a 20-trillion-dollar check

Widows, orphans claim responsibility for Brussels airport bombing

Che Guevara's son hopes Cuba's communism will rub off on US, proposes a long list of people the government should execute first

Susan Sarandon: "I don't vote with my vagina." Voters in line behind her still suspicious, use hand sanitizer

Campaign memo typo causes Hillary to court 'New Black Panties' vote

New Hampshire votes for socialist Sanders, changes state motto to "Live FOR Free or Die"

Martin O'Malley drops out of race after Iowa Caucus; nation shocked with revelation he has been running for president

Statisticians: one out of three Bernie Sanders supporters is just as dumb as the other two

Hillary campaign denies accusations of smoking-gun evidence in her emails, claims they contain only smoking-circumstantial-gun evidence

Obama stops short of firing US Congress upon realizing the difficulty of assembling another group of such tractable yes-men

In effort to contol wild passions for violent jihad, White House urges gun owners to keep their firearms covered in gun burkas

TV horror live: A Charlie Brown Christmas gets shot up on air by Mohammed cartoons

Democrats vow to burn the country down over Ted Cruz statement, 'The overwhelming majority of violent criminals are Democrats'

Russia's trend to sign bombs dropped on ISIS with "This is for Paris" found response in Obama administration's trend to sign American bombs with "Return to sender"

University researchers of cultural appropriation quit upon discovery that their research is appropriation from a culture that created universities

Archeologists discover remains of what Barack Obama has described as unprecedented, un-American, and not-who-we-are immigration screening process in Ellis Island

Mizzou protests lead to declaring entire state a "safe space," changing Missouri motto to "The don't show me state"

Green energy fact: if we put all green energy subsidies together in one-dollar bills and burn them, we could generate more electricity than has been produced by subsidized green energy

State officials improve chances of healthcare payouts by replacing ObamaCare with state lottery

NASA's new mission to search for racism, sexism, and economic inequality in deep space suffers from race, gender, and class power struggles over multibillion-dollar budget

College progress enforcement squads issue schematic humor charts so students know if a joke may be spontaneously laughed at or if regulations require other action

ISIS opens suicide hotline for US teens depressed by climate change and other progressive doomsday scenarios

Virginia county to close schools after teacher asks students to write 'death to America' in Arabic

'Wear hijab to school day' ends with spontaneous female circumcision and stoning of a classmate during lunch break

ISIS releases new, even more barbaric video in an effort to regain mantle from Planned Parenthood

Impressed by Fox News stellar rating during GOP debates, CNN to use same formula on Democrat candidates asking tough, pointed questions about Republicans

Shocking new book explores pros and cons of socialism, discovers they are same people

Pope outraged by Planned Parenthood's "unfettered capitalism," demands equal redistribution of baby parts to each according to his need

John Kerry accepts Iran's "Golden Taquiyya" award, requests jalapenos on the side

Citizens of Pluto protest US government's surveillance of their planetoid and its moons with New Horizons space drone

John Kerry proposes 3-day waiting period for all terrorist nations trying to acquire nuclear weapons

Chicago Police trying to identify flag that caused nine murders and 53 injuries in the city this past weekend

Cuba opens to affordable medical tourism for Americans who can't afford Obamacare deductibles

State-funded research proves existence of Quantum Aggression Particles (Heterons) in Large Hadron Collider

Student job opportunities: make big bucks this summer as Hillarys Ordinary-American; all expenses paid, travel, free acting lessons

Experts debate whether Iranian negotiators broke John Kerry's leg or he did it himself to get out of negotiations

Junior Varsity takes Ramadi, advances to quarterfinals

US media to GOP pool of candidates: 'Knowing what we know now, would you have had anything to do with the founding of the United States?'

NY Mayor to hold peace talks with rats, apologize for previous Mayor's cowboy diplomacy

China launches cube-shaped space object with a message to aliens: "The inhabitants of Earth will steal your intellectual property, copy it, manufacture it in sweatshops with slave labor, and sell it back to you at ridiculously low prices"

Progressive scientists: Truth is a variable deduced by subtracting 'what is' from 'what ought to be'

Experts agree: Hillary Clinton best candidate to lessen percentage of Americans in top 1%

America's attempts at peace talks with the White House continue to be met with lies, stalling tactics, and bad faith

Starbucks new policy to talk race with customers prompts new hashtag #DontHoldUpTheLine

Hillary: DELETE is the new RESET

Charlie Hebdo receives Islamophobe 2015 award; the cartoonists could not be reached for comment due to their inexplicable, illogical deaths

Russia sends 'reset' button back to Hillary: 'You need it now more than we do'

Barack Obama finds out from CNN that Hillary Clinton spent four years being his Secretary of State

President Obama honors Leonard Nimoy by taking selfie in front of Starship Enterprise

Police: If Obama had a convenience store, it would look like Obama Express Food Market

Study finds stunning lack of racial, gender, and economic diversity among middle-class white males

NASA: We're 80% sure about being 20% sure about being 17% sure about being 38% sure about 2014 being the hottest year on record

People holding '$15 an Hour Now' posters sue Democratic party demanding raise to $15 an hour for rendered professional protesting services

Cuba-US normalization: US tourists flock to see Cuba before it looks like the US and Cubans flock to see the US before it looks like Cuba

White House describes attacks on Sony Pictures as 'spontaneous hacking in response to offensive video mocking Juche and its prophet'

CIA responds to Democrat calls for transparency by releasing the director's cut of The Making Of Obama's Birth Certificate

Obama: 'If I had a city, it would look like Ferguson'

Biden: 'If I had a Ferguson (hic), it would look like a city'

Obama signs executive order renaming 'looters' to 'undocumented shoppers'

Ethicists agree: two wrongs do make a right so long as Bush did it first

The aftermath of the 'War on Women 2014' finds a new 'Lost Generation' of disillusioned Democrat politicians, unable to cope with life out of office

White House: Republican takeover of the Senate is a clear mandate from the American people for President Obama to rule by executive orders

Nurse Kaci Hickox angrily tells reporters that she won't change her clocks for daylight savings time

Democratic Party leaders in panic after recent poll shows most Democratic voters think 'midterm' is when to end pregnancy

Desperate Democratic candidates plead with Obama to stop backing them and instead support their GOP opponents

Ebola Czar issues five-year plan with mandatory quotas of Ebola infections per each state based on voting preferences

Study: crony capitalism is to the free market what the Westboro Baptist Church is to Christianity

Fun facts about world languages: the Left has more words for statism than the Eskimos have for snow

African countries to ban all flights from the United States because "Obama is incompetent, it scares us"

Nobel Peace Prize controversy: Hillary not nominated despite having done even less than Obama to deserve it

Obama: 'Ebola is the JV of viruses'

BREAKING: Secret Service foils Secret Service plot to protect Obama

Revised 1st Amendment: buy one speech, get the second free

Sharpton calls on white NFL players to beat their women in the interests of racial fairness

President Obama appoints his weekly approval poll as new national security adviser

Obama wags pen and phone at Putin; Europe offers support with powerful pens and phones from NATO members

White House pledges to embarrass ISIS back to the Stone Age with a barrage of fearsome Twitter messages and fatally ironic Instagram photos

Obama to fight ISIS with new federal Terrorist Regulatory Agency

Obama vows ISIS will never raise their flag over the eighteenth hole

Harry Reid: "Sometimes I say the wong thing"

Elian Gonzalez wishes he had come to the U.S. on a bus from Central America like all the other kids

Obama visits US-Mexican border, calls for a two-state solution

Obama draws "blue line" in Iraq after Putin took away his red crayon

"Hard Choices," a porno flick loosely based on Hillary Clinton's memoir and starring Hillary Hellfire as a drinking, whoring Secretary of State, wildly outsells the flabby, sagging original

Accusations of siding with the enemy leave Sgt. Bergdahl with only two options: pursue a doctorate at Berkley or become a Senator from Massachusetts

Jay Carney stuck in line behind Eric Shinseki to leave the White House; estimated wait time from 15 min to 6 weeks

100% of scientists agree that if man-made global warming were real, "the last people we'd want to help us is the Obama administration"

Jay Carney says he found out that Obama found out that he found out that Obama found out that he found out about the latest Obama administration scandal on the news

"Anarchy Now!" meeting turns into riot over points of order, bylaws, and whether or not 'kicking the #^@&*! ass' of the person trying to speak is or is not violence

Obama retaliates against Putin by prohibiting unionized federal employees from dating hot Russian girls online during work hours

Russian separatists in Ukraine riot over an offensive YouTube video showing the toppling of Lenin statues

"Free Speech Zones" confuse Obamaphone owners who roam streets in search of additional air minutes

Obamacare bolsters employment for professionals with skills to convert meth back into sudafed

Gloves finally off: Obama uses pen and phone to cancel Putin's Netflix account

Joe Biden to Russia: "We will bury you by turning more of Eastern Europe over to your control!"

In last-ditch effort to help Ukraine, Obama deploys Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson's Rainbow Coalition to Crimea

Al Sharpton: "Not even Putin can withstand our signature chanting, 'racist, sexist, anti-gay, Russian army go away'!"

Mardi Gras in North Korea: "Throw me some food!"

Obama's foreign policy works: "War, invasion, and conquest are signs of weakness; we've got Putin right where we want him"

US offers military solution to Ukraine crisis: "We will only fight countries that have LGBT military"

Putin annexes Brighton Beach to protect ethnic Russians in Brooklyn, Obama appeals to UN and EU for help

The 1980s: "Mr. Obama, we're just calling to ask if you want our foreign policy back. The 1970s are right here with us, and they're wondering, too."

In a stunning act of defiance, Obama courageously unfriends Putin on Facebook

MSNBC: Obama secures alliance with Austro-Hungarian Empire against Russias aggression in Ukraine

Study: springbreak is to STDs what April 15th is to accountants

Efforts to achieve moisture justice for California thwarted by unfair redistribution of snow in America

North Korean voters unanimous: "We are the 100%"

Leader of authoritarian gulag-site, The People's Cube, unanimously 're-elected' with 100% voter turnout

Super Bowl: Obama blames Fox News for Broncos' loss

Feminist author slams gay marriage: "a man needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle"

Beverly Hills campaign heats up between Henry Waxman and Marianne Williamson over the widening income gap between millionaires and billionaires in their district

Biden to lower $10,000-a-plate Dinner For The Homeless to $5,000 so more homeless can attend

Kim becomes world leader, feeds uncle to dogs; Obama eats dogs, becomes world leader, America cries uncle

North Korean leader executes own uncle for talking about Obamacare at family Christmas party

White House hires part-time schizophrenic Mandela sign interpreter to help sell Obamacare

Kim Jong Un executes own "crazy uncle" to keep him from ruining another family Christmas

OFA admits its advice for area activists to give Obamacare Talk at shooting ranges was a bad idea

President resolves Obamacare debacle with executive order declaring all Americans equally healthy

Obama to Iran: "If you like your nuclear program, you can keep your nuclear program"

Bovine community outraged by flatulence coming from Washington DC

Obama: "I'm not particularly ideological; I believe in a good pragmatic five-year plan"

Shocker: Obama had no knowledge he'd been reelected until he read about it in the local newspaper last week

Server problems at HealthCare.gov so bad, it now flashes 'Error 808' message

NSA marks National Best Friend Day with official announcement: "Government is your best friend; we know you like no one else, we're always there, we're always willing to listen"

Al Qaeda cancels attack on USA citing launch of Obamacare as devastating enough

The President's latest talking point on Obamacare: "I didn't build that"

Dizzy with success, Obama renames his wildly popular healthcare mandate to HillaryCare

Carney: huge ObamaCare deductibles won't look as bad come hyperinflation

Washington Redskins drop 'Washington' from their name as offensive to most Americans

Poll: 83% of Americans favor cowboy diplomacy over rodeo clown diplomacy

GOVERNMENT WARNING: If you were able to complete ObamaCare form online, it wasn't a legitimate gov't website; you should report online fraud and change all your passwords

Obama administration gets serious, threatens Syria with ObamaCare

Obama authorizes the use of Vice President Joe Biden's double-barrel shotgun to fire a couple of blasts at Syria

Sharpton: "British royals should have named baby 'Trayvon.' By choosing 'George' they sided with white Hispanic racist Zimmerman"

DNC launches 'Carlos Danger' action figure; proceeds to fund a charity helping survivors of the Republican War on Women

Nancy Pelosi extends abortion rights to the birds and the bees

Hubble discovers planetary drift to the left

Obama: 'If I had a daughter-in-law, she would look like Rachael Jeantel'

FISA court rubberstamps statement denying its portrayal as government's rubber stamp

Every time ObamaCare gets delayed, a Julia somewhere dies

GOP to Schumer: 'Force full implementation of ObamaCare before 2014 or Dems will never win another election'

Obama: 'If I had a son... no, wait, my daughter can now marry a woman!'

Janet Napolitano: TSA findings reveal that since none of the hijackers were babies, elderly, or Tea Partiers, 9/11 was not an act of terrorism

News Flash: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) can see Canada from South Dakota

Susan Rice: IRS actions against tea parties caused by anti-tax YouTube video that was insulting to their faith

Drudge Report reduces font to fit all White House scandals onto one page

Obama: the IRS is a constitutional right, just like the Second Amendment

White House: top Obama officials using secret email accounts a result of bad IT advice to avoid spam mail from Nigeria

Jay Carney to critics: 'Pinocchio never said anything inconsistent'

Obama: If I had a gay son, he'd look like Jason Collins

Gosnell's office in Benghazi raided by the IRS: mainstream media's worst cover-up challenge to date

IRS targeting pro-gay-marriage LGBT groups leads to gayest tax revolt in U.S. history

After Arlington Cemetery rejects offer to bury Boston bomber, Westboro Babtist Church steps up with premium front lawn plot

Boston: Obama Administration to reclassify marathon bombing as 'sportsplace violence'

Study: Success has many fathers but failure becomes a government program

US Media: Can Pope Francis possibly clear up Vatican bureaucracy and banking without blaming the previous administration?

Michelle Obama praises weekend rampage by Chicago teens as good way to burn calories and stay healthy

This Passover, Obama urges his subjects to paint lamb's blood above doors in order to avoid the Sequester



White House to American children: Sequester causes layoffs among hens that lay Easter eggs; union-wage Easter Bunnies to be replaced by Mexican Chupacabras

Time Mag names Hugo Chavez world's sexiest corpse

Boy, 8, pretends banana is gun, makes daring escape from school

Study: Free lunches overpriced, lack nutrition

Oscars 2013: Michelle Obama announces long-awaited merger of Hollywood and the State

Joe Salazar defends the right of women to be raped in gun-free environment: 'rapists and rapees should work together to prevent gun violence for the common good'

Dept. of Health and Human Services eliminates rape by reclassifying assailants as 'undocumented sex partners'

Kremlin puts out warning not to photoshop Putin riding meteor unless bare-chested

Deeming football too violent, Obama moves to introduce Super Drone Sundays instead

Japan offers to extend nuclear umbrella to cover U.S. should America suffer devastating attack on its own defense spending

Feminists organize one billion women to protest male oppression with one billion lap dances

Urban community protests Mayor Bloomberg's ban on extra-large pop singers owning assault weapons

Concerned with mounting death toll, Taliban offers to send peacekeeping advisers to Chicago

Karl Rove puts an end to Tea Party with new 'Republicans For Democrats' strategy aimed at losing elections

Answering public skepticism, President Obama authorizes unlimited drone attacks on all skeet targets throughout the country

Skeet Ulrich denies claims he had been shot by President but considers changing his name to 'Traps'

White House releases new exciting photos of Obama standing, sitting, looking thoughtful, and even breathing in and out

New York Times hacked by Chinese government, Paul Krugman's economic policies stolen

White House: when President shoots skeet, he donates the meat to food banks that feed the middle class

To prove he is serious, Obama eliminates armed guard protection for President, Vice-President, and their families; establishes Gun-Free Zones around them instead

State Dept to send 100,000 American college students to China as security for US debt obligations

Jay Carney: Al Qaeda is on the run, they're just running forward

President issues executive orders banning cliffs, ceilings, obstructions, statistics, and other notions that prevent us from moving forwards and upward

Fearing the worst, Obama Administration outlaws the fan to prevent it from being hit by certain objects

World ends; S&P soars

Riddle of universe solved; answer not understood

Meek inherit Earth, can't afford estate taxes

Greece abandons Euro; accountants find Greece has no Euros anyway

Wheel finally reinvented; axles to be gradually reinvented in 3rd quarter of 2013

Bigfoot found in Ohio, mysteriously not voting for Obama

As Santa's workshop files for bankruptcy, Fed offers bailout in exchange for control of 'naughty and nice' list

Freak flying pig accident causes bacon to fly off shelves

Obama: green economy likely to transform America into a leading third world country of the new millennium

Report: President Obama to visit the United States in the near future

Obama promises to create thousands more economically neutral jobs

Modernizing Islam: New York imam proposes to canonize Saul Alinsky as religion's latter day prophet

Imam Rauf's peaceful solution: 'Move Ground Zero a few blocks away from the mosque and no one gets hurt'

Study: Obama's threat to burn tax money in Washington 'recruitment bonanza' for Tea Parties

Study: no Social Security reform will be needed if gov't raises retirement age to at least 814 years

Obama attends church service, worships self

Obama proposes national 'Win The Future' lottery; proceeds of new WTF Powerball to finance more gov't spending

Historical revisionists: "Hey, you never know"

Vice President Biden: criticizing Egypt is un-pharaoh

Israelis to Egyptian rioters: "don't damage the pyramids, we will not rebuild"

Lake Superior renamed Lake Inferior in spirit of tolerance and inclusiveness

Al Gore: It's a shame that a family can be torn apart by something as simple as a pack of polar bears

Michael Moore: As long as there is anyone with money to shake down, this country is not broke

Obama's teleprompters unionize, demand collective bargaining rights

Obama calls new taxes 'spending reductions in tax code.' Elsewhere rapists tout 'consent reductions in sexual intercourse'

Obama's teleprompter unhappy with White House Twitter: "Too few words"

Obama's Regulation Reduction committee finds US Constitution to be expensive outdated framework inefficiently regulating federal gov't

Taking a page from the Reagan years, Obama announces new era of Perestroika and Glasnost

Responding to Oslo shootings, Obama declares Christianity "Religion of Peace," praises "moderate Christians," promises to send one into space

Republicans block Obama's $420 billion program to give American families free charms that ward off economic bad luck

White House to impose Chimney tax on Santa Claus

Obama decrees the economy is not soaring as much as previously decreeed

Conservative think tank introduces children to capitalism with pop-up picture book "The Road to Smurfdom"

Al Gore proposes to combat Global Warming by extracting silver linings from clouds in Earth's atmosphere

Obama refutes charges of him being unresponsive to people's suffering: "When you pray to God, do you always hear a response?"

Obama regrets the US government didn't provide his mother with free contraceptives when she was in college

Fluke to Congress: drill, baby, drill!

Planned Parenthood introduces Frequent Flucker reward card: 'Come again soon!'

Obama to tornado victims: 'We inherited this weather from the previous administration'

Obama congratulates Putin on Chicago-style election outcome

People's Cube gives itself Hero of Socialist Labor medal in recognition of continued expert advice provided to the Obama Administration helping to shape its foreign and domestic policies

Hamas: Israeli air defense unfair to 99% of our missiles, "only 1% allowed to reach Israel"

Democrat strategist: without government supervision, women would have never evolved into humans

Voters Without Borders oppose Texas new voter ID law

Enraged by accusation that they are doing Obama's bidding, media leaders demand instructions from White House on how to respond

Obama blames previous Olympics for failure to win at this Olympics

Official: China plans to land on Moon or at least on cheap knockoff thereof

Koran-Contra: Obama secretly arms Syrian rebels

Poll: Progressive slogan 'We should be more like Europe' most popular with members of American Nazi Party

Obama to Evangelicals: Jesus saves, I just spend

May Day: Anarchists plan, schedule, synchronize, and execute a coordinated campaign against all of the above

Midwestern farmers hooked on new erotic novel "50 Shades of Hay"

Study: 99% of Liberals give the rest a bad name

Obama meets with Jewish leaders, proposes deeper circumcisions for the rich

Historians: Before HOPE & CHANGE there was HEMP & CHOOM at ten bucks a bag

Cancer once again fails to cure Venezuela of its "President for Life"

Tragic spelling error causes Muslim protesters to burn local boob-tube factory

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu: due to energy conservation, the light at the end of the tunnel will be switched off

Obama Administration running food stamps across the border with Mexico in an operation code-named "Fat And Furious"

Pakistan explodes in protest over new Adobe Acrobat update; 17 local acrobats killed

White House: "Let them eat statistics"

Special Ops: if Benedict Arnold had a son, he would look like Barack Obama







AD GOES HERE
PINCKNEYVILLE  Perry County voters decided on their next school boards on Tuesday night. Here are the results:

Du Quoin District 300

Du Quoin District No. 300 voters chose a newcomer to their next board and opted to give another term to a man appointed to the board in 2015, while opting not to re-elect one incumbent.

Elected Tuesday night to the new board are Mark A. Woodside, a Carbondale high school teacher who was appointed to fill out the remainder of someone else's term; Patrick Riley, a family practice doctor; and Trenton L. Waller, an Illinois State Police officer.

 Mark A. Woodside, 877 votes (26.84 percent)

 Patrick Riley, 760 votes (23.26 percent)

 Trenton L. Waller, 602 votes (18.43 percent)

 Dennis Cole, 519 votes (15.89 percent)

 Mark Gates, 509 votes (15.58 percent)

Pinckneyville District 101

District 101 voters returned three incumbents to the Pinckneyville school board  Gregory Thompson, the board's president, to a second term; Lisa Stanton, secretary, to a second term; Brian Kellerman to a third term  and selected a newcomer, Jeffrey D. Suchomski.

 Gregory D. Thompson, 596 votes (21.32 percent)

 Lisa Stanton, 563 votes (20.14 percent)

 Brian Kellerman, 543 votes (19.42 percent)

 Jeffrey D. Suchomski, 520 votes (18.6 percent)

 James C. Denny, 297 votes (10.62 percent)

 Darrell Schweizer, 277 votes (9.91 percent)

Pinckneyville District 50

Pinckneyville District No. 50's new school board was chosen Tuesday night, returning incumbents Austin Marlow, board president, and Kyle Pursell to new terms, and electing newcomers Gideon Hutchcraft and Aaron Johnson to the next administration.

 Austin Marlow, 455 votes (26.58 percent)

 Kyle Pursell, 423 votes (24.71 percent)

 Gideon Hutchcraft, 337 votes (19.68 percent)

 Aaron Johnson, 272 votes (15.89 percent)
PINCKNEYVILLE  Voting more than two to one, Perry County voters OK'd a proposition allowing the school district to reallocate money from one of its accounts into its Education Fund.

Voters said yes to the proposition, 152 to 72  67.86 percent yes to 32.14 percent no  for Pinckneyville Community Consolidated School District No. 204 officials to move money into the Education Fund.

"We're real excited about it passing," school superintendent Jerry Travelstead said shortly after the votes were tallied on Tuesday night. "We are very excited about the outcome. It's a vote of trust for the school board and administration itself, and we are definitely going to do everything in our power to be fiscally responsible."

Travelstead said Monday that the district's Education Fund had about $30,000 more expenses than money to cover it. He was eyeing money in its Tort Fund or its Building Fund, for instance, to move into the Education Fund to cover those unmet expenses.

As written, the proposition asked voters to approve a 1.75 percent annual tax rate for educational purposes, above the established 1.50 percent. Travelstead said the district would not be increasing the tax rate to that amount, but would do a much smaller increase  not something tax payers would necessarily notice.

We just want to take what we got right now and put it where we need it, Travelstead said Monday. Its not that were hurting for money, but our Ed Fund is.

Pinckneyville Community Consolidated School District No. 204 is an area about 74 square miles that is located east of Pinckneyville, with 150 students. About 40 percent of the school's kindergarten through eighth-graders receive free or reduced-cost meals.
The Varsity Theater closed its doors in May 2003. Now, nearly 14 years later, The Varsity Center will be testing the waters with a one-time Blues & Brews show to benefit community radio station WDBX.

The concert will take place from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, April 7, and will feature Devin Miller & Tawl Paul, American Lion, Joey Odum, Alex Kirt, and Kelven. Tickets are $5 at the door. A full range of beer and wine will be available for purchase in the cash bar.

The Varsity Center staff said in a Wednesday news release they hope to garner awareness and support for the viability of the 400-person performance space as well as the need for funds to complete a full renovation of venue space. Since the beginning of 2017, The Varsity Center has rehabilitated sections of the large theater, including reassembling much of the seating and removing debris that had accumulated.

This event comes in the final weeks before the completion of the Balcony Theater, a 142-seat space that will be equipped with a state-of-the-art sound and lights system.

For more information please visit Facebook.com/VarsityCenter.
BENTON  In an overwhelming majority, Franklin County voters declined a sales tax increase that would have allowed the county to replace its aging courthouse.

Franklin County Board chair Randall Crocker was disappointed.

"I feel like we gave it a good shot," Crocker said of his and fellow board members' efforts to raise awareness about the need for the tax. He said the voters must not have been ready to increase taxes.

Crocker had said all along that mitigation for the myriad problems at the courthouse was not really an option. However, now that replacing the courthouse is not an option, Crocker said the county may be able to move some of the functions of the courthouse into the Campbell building across the square, which is currently being renovated. However, he said this is not a long-term solution.

It was a busy first quarter for the Franklin County Board as several of the members traveled through each town in the county, big or small, to try to sell the power of the penny. They made presentations to encourage support for the proposed 1 percent sales tax increase.

Crocker said the courthouse is, at this point, beyond repairing. The limestone foundation is crumbling, the electrical system and heating system are dated, and its capacity for technology is limited given that the building was constructed nearly 150 years ago. Crocker also said the building does not currently comply with many mandates of modern courthouses, including many parts of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Crocker said construction for the new courthouse was estimated to cost $20 million. The tax was estimated to have generated $2.2 million a year.

Crocker said he knew raising taxes was not a popular idea, but said the burden of this tax would be shared by visitors pulling off the interstate  it would not have fallen solely on the shoulders of Franklin County residents.

Local business owners gathered in West Frankfort to express concern over the tax increase. Sloan Brown, president of E.R. Brown Furniture, said he has lost sales in the past because of sales tax differences from other counties, and said this increase could only have made this worse.

During its January meeting, the board approved putting the tax on the April ballot. The tax had a sunset clause, meaning it would have lasted no more than 20 years. The increase would not have included groceries, titled vehicles or medicines.
HARRISBURG  Saline County's new top prosecutor made a vow Tuesday to continue his predecessor's legacy of fighting to protect children, and to hold responsible those who abuse or neglect them to the fullest extent of the law.

Saline County States Attorney Jayson Clark said his predecessor, Mike Henshaw, who died unexpectedly two weeks ago in his home, leaves behind a legacy of being a strong advocate for the children of Saline County. Clark said he intends to carry that banner forward.

In most cases the office handled, Henshaw trusted his assistants to handle their work without his input, said Clark, who previously worked for Henshaw. But Henshaw took a special interest in cases involving suspected child abuse and neglect, he said.

That was really the exception, Clark said, during a gathering in front of the Saline County Courthouse in recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention Month. I know he cared deeply about those cases and we had many conversations about those cases and what he expected all of his assistants to do.

Clark was named to the position after Henshaw, 72, died from injuries he sustained from a fall in his home on March 22.

"I intend to continue all the work he was doing to  punish those who abuse and neglect children, and protect children who are victims of that abuse."

Tuesdays event marked the 10th annual Hands Around the Courthouse event hosted by CASA of Saline County to raise awareness about child abuse and prevention efforts in the southeastern Illinois county. Dozens of Harrisburg East Side Intermediate School students participated in the event.

CASA is an acronym for Court Appointed Special Advocates. Across the state, nonprofit CASA agencies recruit and train volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the court system. In Saline County, there are an estimated 450 reports of child abuse or neglect each year, according to CASA of Saline Countys website. More than 100 children are wards of the court at any given time, the majority of whom are served by CASA of Saline County.

Trina Irwin, the organizations executive director, said the annual event with schoolchildren is intended to serve as a public reminder for people to speak up and take action. She said people wondering what they can do to help might consider making a donation to an organization such as CASA of Saline County, or volunteering to serve as a court advocate. Training events take place twice a year, in the spring and fall.

Irwin said that many of the abuse and neglect cases throughout the region can be attributed to drugs and parents who neglect their children because of their addiction. As is the case throughout much of Southern Illinois, the child abuse rate in Saline County is more than double that of the statewide rate, according to data from the Department of Children and Family Services.

In fiscal year 2015, the rate of substantiated cases of child abuse in the county was 22.3, compared to the statewide rate of 9.7. There were 136 cases of substantiated child abuse that year, of the 465 cases that were alleged and investigated, the DCFS data indicates.

Saline County Judge Todd Lambert, who also spoke to the children, said its a difficult event to speak at year after year, because he has to relay a lot of bad statistics" that are not showing signs of improvement.

Unfortunately, child abuse doesnt seem to be going anywhere, he said. Nationally, the statistics are climbing rather than declining even though we have some outstanding agencies that work every day to try to combat it. Lambert said its easy for people to assume that the child abuse problem is only elsewhere, but unfortunately its a local problem and we need local answers.

Lambert issued a call to action. He said there are plenty of people throughout Southern Illinois who abhor the idea of child abuse and neglect. What we need, he said, are people who want to do something about it.

He encouraged people to take a stand, educate themselves, learn the warning signs, volunteer, and donate to agencies leading the fight to end child abuse. Try and recruit one other person to fight this fight with you, he said. Lets do something about it.

Harrisburg Mayor John McPeek read aloud a proclamation declaring the month of April National Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month in Saline County. After the event, the third- through fifth-grade children in attendance did one lap around the Saline County Courthouse, talking and laughing with their friends and enjoying the sunny day before heading back to school.

John Weir, a CASA of Saline County board member from Eldorado, came out to support the cause, along with his grandson, 3-year-old Carter Townsend. Weir is a retired administrator of DCFSs Harrisburg office. Weir said he spent his career in social services, including time as a case worker. He said hes been involved in a number of heartbreaking cases involving child victims.

Im here to help get the word out for kids who are involved in the Saline County Court system for one of those reasons, that theres a helpful voice for them in the court system, he said.
The following guest view was submitted by regular letter-writer Daryl Ice of Benton:

How many of you have seen the Chinese Yin Yang symbol?

I'm referring to the two teardrop shapes linked together forming a circle. It is part of the South Korean flag. It basically represents opposites coming together as one  hot-cold, night-day, man-woman, well you get the idea.

But, the main point is that for every action there is a reaction.

This comparison could not be more appropriate concerning what we've recently witnessed through the attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act or "Obamacare." There's the Freedom Caucus (tea party) who wants to return to the good ol' days of a medical bankruptcy every 30 seconds nationwide and the left wing who wants the single-payer government plan such as Europe.

When Joe Lieberman ran for vice president, he proposed a bill which would make everyone 50 and older eligible for medicare. This was a common-sense idea, but, like many politicians, he turned his back on what could actually work to suit his own best interests.

This would have drastically reduced premiums for the working middle class and companies would be more willing to offer medical benefits to their employees since younger people would be far less likely to get sick. This was a cornerstone for Obamacare. But, this idea was insufficient since the brunt of the cost has been unfairly placed on the older working middle class people stuck with unsustainable rising premiums.

Friends of mine are not only coping with the extreme stress of dealing with the recovery of cancer for the husband, but also mounting costs. Their hope is to hang on financially for a couple more years until they qualify for medicare.

There is no doubt that the Affordable Care Act has produced many positive results, such as the working poor having their eligibility for Medicaid raised and those with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage, just to name a few.

But, on the other side of this coin, my friends that I've mentioned aren't thinking about that right now.

The failed attempt to repeal Obamacare was not defeated by the far right or left, but by the moderates who see a need to fix, not destroy, our current system.

The first president to suggest government assistance in helping those who couldn't afford adequate health care was President Roosevelt.

No, not Democrat Franklin, but Republican Theodore in the early 1900s. He showed that socialism and capitalism could work together like Yin and Yang.
To the Editor:

There is a great deal of angst about developments in the Middle East. While it is important to keep up with current events, without some context they can seem overwhelming and confusing. One avenue for getting a feel for the people of these countries is to read novels by their authors. You can learn historical facts and gain a human connection missing from daily news reports.

I am no expert on literature. I just like to read and decided to read some books from the Middle East. Below are five that I have read. I do not know if they are the most representative. It would be interesting to hear recommendations from people from the region.

Orhan Pamuk is a Turkish author and Nobel Prize winner. He has written a good number of books, but the one I read was entitled Snow. It describes the struggle in Turkey between secularists and Islamists.

The Polymath, by Moroccan writer Bensalem Himmich, is an historical novel about the life of the fourteenth century Arab philosopher Ibn Khaldun and his search for an ethical path within the complexities of dynastic political intrigues. He reminds me of Diogenes  the Greek philosopher in search of an honest man.

Alaa Al Aswanys novel, The Automobile Club of Egypt, is set in Egypt during the period of British domination. It deals with conflicts between ones duties to family and society.

Perhaps you remember The Stranger by the French existentialist writer Camus from your school days. It depicted the murder of an anonymous Arab man in Algeria by a French national. Now, seven decades later, comes a literary response by Kamel Daoud, an Algerian writer, in The Meursault Investigation. It is the story of the younger brother of the victim.

The Wandering Falcon, by Jamil Ahmad, describes life along the Afghan-Pakistan border. It was originally conceived as a collection of short stories and is a bit uneven in places. But it paints a hunting picture.

Mike Sullivan

Carbondale
To the Editor:

Liberal U.S. judges in robes playing God are going against the U.S. Constitution for President Donald Trump's six nations Muslim terrorists travel ban in the United States!

U.S. President Donald Trump has rights as president of the United States to protect the American citizens with national security in the U.S. Constitution.

There are 51 other Muslim nations that President Trump isn't blocking with the travel ban, so you can't say it's discrimination.

Liberal U.S. judges are playing dirty politics to block it and going against the law of the land called the U.S. Constitution, and it's endangering the safety of the American citizens from Muslim terrorist attacks in the U.S.

It's not religious discrimination because it treats the Christians and Muslims the same.

The U.S. Supreme Court will overrule the six-nation travel ban.

Please Jesus, send the American citizens fair, honest and unbiased U.S. judges who will obey the U.S. Constitution and protect us from harm!

George Culley

Pinckneyville
Gear up for round two of severe weather in The T&D Region.

The Columbia National Weather Service is forecasting the potential for severe thunderstorms Wednesday and Wednesday night.

"There will be more severe weather than Monday," NWS Meteorologist Tenia Morrison said, adding there will be stronger winds and more instability in the atmosphere relative to Monday.

Morrison said the forecast calls for two severe periods, most likely from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then from 4 to 9 p.m.

"The threat could go on into the night," Morrison said.

She said severe weather is not unusual for the area in April.

The chance of thunderstorms on Wednesday is 60 percent and will most likely begin after 2 p.m., according to the NWS.

The chance of storms increases to 80 percent Wednesday night, with rainfall forecasts of up to an inch possible.

The chance of showers and thunderstorms is forecast to decrease on Thursday.

According to the NWS, the storms will be the result of a strong low aloft moving out of the plains toward the Great Lakes region, with a trough extending southward into the lower Mississippi River valley.

As the trough pushes east through the day and evening, low-level moisture will be rapidly moving northward as a strong low-level jet out of the southwest sets up across the region.

Models continue to indicate plenty of instability by late morning through the afternoon on Wednesday. Forecasts indicate moderate to strong instability developing with surface heating.

The NWS says there will be a risk of long-lived supercell storms, large hail, damaging winds and strong tornadoes given the steep mid-level lapse rates and deep-layer shear.

Timing is still somewhat of an issue, with models seeming to indicate the possibility of two rounds of convection: one early Wednesday afternoon and then another round late Wednesday evening or overnight ahead of the main cold front and upper trough, the NWS reports.

The American Red Cross offers these tips for severe weather:

Before the storm

 Pick a safe room  a basement, storm cellar or interior room on the lowest floor with no windows.

 Move items inside that could be picked up by the wind such as lawn furniture, trash cans and hanging plants.

 Watch for tornado danger signs such as dark, often greenish clouds; a wall cloud or cloud of debris; large hail; a roaring noise or a funnel cloud.

During a tornado

 Go to an underground shelter, basement or safe room. If these are not available, go to a small, windowless interior room or hallway on the lowest level of a sturdy building.

 Mobile homes are not safe during tornadoes. Do not seek shelter in the hallway or bathroom of a mobile home. If you can get to a sturdy shelter or vehicle, abandon the mobile home immediately and go to the nearest sturdy building, using your seat belt if driving. Do not wait until you see the tornado.

 If caught outdoors, seek shelter in a basement, shelter or sturdy building. If you cant get to one quickly, get into a vehicle, buckle your seat belt and try to drive to the nearest sturdy building.

 If driving, either stay in the car with the seat belt on and put your head down below the windows, covering with your hands and a blanket if possible. Or, if you can get noticeably lower than the level of the roadway, get out of the car and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands.

The severe weather forecast comes on the heels of a strong line of storms that rolled through The T&D Region on Monday. An EF-2 tornado, packing winds between 115 and 120 mph, touched down near Cameron and St. Matthews, downing trees and causing structural damage.

There were no reported fatalities or injuries.

Breezy conditions expected Wednesday night through Friday will likely prompt a lake wind advisory.

Clear, sunny and cooler conditions are forecast for the weekend.
CAMERON -- John Perrow got off work early and came home to take a shower knowing the forecast was calling for severe weather.

Little did he know his house on Mourning Dove Road would be in the path of a confirmed EF-2 tornado.

"I was standing in my kitchen window looking out trying to see what was going on," Perrow said, noting it was shortly after 5 p.m. "My TV had gone out and I had been watching weather reports."

Then his girlfriend called him and told him a tornado was heading his way.

"She told me to get in the closet and, after about the fifth time she told me to get in the closet, I turned around and looked out the window and it went from no wind to about 100 mph," Perrow said. "So I ran into the closet."

"I had two pillows in there for some reason," he said. "I buried myself under them and, within 10 seconds, it was over."

Perrow said he remembers the sound well.

"It just sounded like a big whistle coming through," he said. "This house is not very air tight, so usually when the wind is blowing 30 mph, you can hear it whistling anyways. The rain sounded like hail on the windows."

Perrow said while he was in the closet, he heard a loud boom.

"I was on the phone with my dad trying to stream the Internet trying to see where the path was coming," he said. "I was saying prayers in my head. After I heard the loud boom when all the trees fell, I did not hear anything right on top of me so I didn't think it was that bad outside."

"I wanted to make sure it was over, and then I walked out and saw everything down in the yard," Perrow said.

What he saw then and a day later still takes his breath away, he said.

The winds picked up his carport and moved it, scattering its contents all over the yard, Perrow said. One of his barns, which housed old wood, was completely destroyed and another barn with farm equipment in it had its roof blown off and one piece of equipment was damaged, he said.

A pecan tree fell on a portion of the back of his house and some of its roof was torn off, he said. The house also sustained water damage, Perrow said.

In addition, he said, "I had a board fly off one of the barns and hit a window in the laundry room and shatter the glass."

The experience was like nothing he has ever experienced, Perrow said, adding that he never wants to experience it again.

"The (October) hurricane was one thing with all the wind," he said. "This was way worse."

Perrow said despite the damage and the cleanup ahead, he is thankful to be alive.

"If it had been 30 feet closer to the house, it would have been a whole different story," he said. "I am just glad I was able to walk out of the closet and not be trapped inside my house."

The Columbia National Weather Service on Tuesday confirmed the property damage sustained by Perrow and others in that part of Calhoun County was caused by a tornado. The NWS survey team reported an EF-2 tornado, packing winds between 115 and 120 miles per hour, touched down there.

The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale) rates the intensity of tornadoes based on the damage they cause.

An EF-2 tornado has winds between 111 and 135 mph.

"It was a tornado down here," NWS Meteorologist Leonard Vaughan said. "It is a rural county, and that is a good thing because there is a lot of farmland. But it did hit a couple of areas where there are properties and residences."

Vaughan said the tornado's path, at its widest, measured between a quarter of a mile and a third of a mile on Belleville Road. Survey crews did not immediately have data on how long the tornado was on the ground.

The hardest hit areas were Belleville Road, Sikes Road and Mourning Dove Road, Vaughan said.

No injuries or fatalities were reported.

A survey was conducted of the area Tuesday after images from a storm spotter showed multiple trees snapped and uprooted, along with downed power lines and damage to a barn.

Trees and power lines were down on Sikes Road and Moorer Road near Belleville Road. Reports noted that two commercial structures also sustained damage.

After visiting Calhoun County, Vaughan and his team will travel to Burke County, Georgia, and Barnwell County. NWS teams were also in Lexington and Aiken counties, as well as Augusta, Georgia, surveying storm damage.

Lightning

strikes house

In addition to the tornado damage, an Elloree family's home on Canebrake Court was destroyed when lightning struck it as the storms rolled through around 5:43 p.m. Monday.

"The occupant of the house did say it began as a flash of lightning hit the house," Orangeburg County Fire Operations Officer Teddy Wolfe said, noting the fire was reported to be in the wall of the house. "The lady was in the house and she reported hearing a big boom and then saw the fire."

Wolfe said the woman was able to rescue her pets from the house.

About six hours later, the fire rekindled; fortunately, the occupants of the house had vacated the property after the initial fire.

While no one was injured, the house is a total loss, Wolfe said.

The American Red Cross is responding to the family's needs.

The Elloree, Santee and Providence fire departments responded to the blaze.

Union man

killed in tornado

In Union County, a Whitmire man was killed when what is believed to have been a tornado flipped over his mobile home.

The man was still alive when his brother reached him, but died before first responders could arrive, according to a report by The Associated Press.

The exact cause of the man's death hasn't officially been determined.

History of Calhoun tornadoes

According to records obtained from the Tornado History Project website, 15 tornadoes have been reported in Calhoun County since April 1958. The largest were EF-2 tornadoes that occurred on five occasions.

The most damaging, which caused one fatality and four injuries, occurred Oct. 22, 1990, off of Belleville Road near Pasture Lane, according to the THP.

The Tornado History Project is a free, searchable database of all reported U.S. tornadoes from 1950-2015.
The year has been a bad one for fire in South Carolina.

Locally, high-profile fires at Piggly Wiggly supermarket in Neeses and the historic Cattle Creek Campground near Rowesville caused extensive damage. House fires in Orangeburg have been front-page news even during a winter that saw less need for heating.

As tragic as destruction of property is, the loss of life is the real cost of fires. And the toll is high in South Carolina this year.

The state had 69 fire deaths in 2016, according to numbers from the U.S. Fire Administration. So far in 2017, more than 30 people have perished in fires, including four people in one fire in Lexington County in March.

In protecting property and saving lives, local firefighters, many of them volunteers, do a job for which the community can never say "thank you enough. Still it is up to people to do their part in preventing fires -- and keeping fires from becoming tragedies when they do occur.

The most effective tool for preventing loss of life and extensive damage from fire is to install smoke detectors in homes.

Home fires continue to be the largest disaster facing families in South Carolina, said Rebecca Jordan, executive director for the Red Cross of Central South Carolina. Having a working smoke alarm nearly doubles your chances of surviving a home fire."

The American Red Cross, Office of State Fire Marshal, S.C. Firefighters Association and local partners announced in March that 20 lives have been saved through the efforts of the Home Fire Campaign in South Carolina. Ten of the lives saved were in homes in Dalzell and Kershaw County.

At 2:45 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2017, a mother and her five children were asleep in their home on Light Wood Knot Road in Dalzell when smoke alarms went off. The mother awoke, realized there was a fire and evacuated her five children from the residence. The smoke alarms had been installed several months earlier by the Red Cross and the Lee County Fire Department as part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign.

On Nov. 13, 2016, a father was napping when his daughter turned on the stove to heat grease for french fries. The grease caught fire and smoke alarms went off, waking the father, who quickly evacuated his daughter and her two children from the house. The smoke alarms had been installed previously by the Red Cross and the Buffalo-Mt. Pisgah Fire Department as part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign.

During the course of smoke alarm blitzes in the counties served by the Red Cross of Central South Carolina, volunteers from the Red Cross and firefighters installed more than 10,400 smoke alarms, protecting more than 7,000 residents. They spoke with families about creating escape plans and making sure that the entire family would know what to do should a fire start in the home.

Since the start of the Home Fire Campaign, more than 35,000 smoke alarms have been installed in South Carolina by Red Cross and its partners, protecting more than 10,000 families.

Though served by the Red Cross of Central South Carolina, the counties of Orangeburg, Calhoun and Bamberg have not been part of the Red Cross campaign on smoke detectors.

Josh Stout, home fire campaign coordinator for the Red Cross in South Carolina, said the non-profit agency has assisted some local fire departments with alarms and materials, but expansion of the program is not in the offing. He said it is coming to an end.

The Red Cross will be an advocate for installation of smoke detectors, Stout said, encouraging anyone unable to install an alarm to contact his or her local fire department and ask for assistance.

Not to be forgotten is the role the Red Cross plays in assisting families affected by fire.

Right now, Red Cross disaster-trained volunteers are assisting an Orangeburg County family, consisting of three adults, after their home on Cranebrake Court in Elloree was destroyed on Monday. The Elloree Fire Department responded to the blaze.

The Red Cross is helping by providing services to meet their immediate needs, including personal hygiene items and financial assistance for temporary lodging.

The Red Cross, on average, responds to a home fire every four hours in South Carolina. Because of volunteers and financial assistance from the community, the Red Cross was able to help more than 7,100 individuals affected by disasters, the majority of those being home fires, in the state last year.

We thank the Red Cross for being there to help after fires and other emergencies.

Remember, the Red Cross is a charitable organization  not a government agency  and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission.
DENMARK  The dogwood blossoms were subdued for this year's Dogwood Festival in Denmark thanks to freezing temperatures last month, but the smiles of hundreds of festival-goers helped brighten the festivities on Saturday.

Also helping to add some spring color were giant dogwood blossoms that local high school students painted on the city's streets for the celebration.

From its inception, the Dogwood Festival has been scheduled the first weekend in April to coincide with the blooming of the city's thousands of white and pink dogwood trees.

Trina Brailey, a Norway resident who said this was her third time attending the event, noted, That freeze came through several weeks ago, and that is probably the reason the dogwood trees are not in bloom.

She said she was looking forward to her grandson, Marius Brailey, a trombonist in the Hunter-Kinard-Tyler High School Carolina Blue marching band, perform in the Dogwood Festival Parade.

Another of her grandsons, Marquis Brailey, 10, a student at H-K-T Elementary, said, I get to see my brother play. I get to see lots of cool cars (in the parade). I get to see my family have fun. I like the rides, too!

Mrs. Brailey added, I am also looking forward to eating fried mushrooms and funnel cakes."

Not far from the Brooker Center, bounce houses, carnival games, a fun house and food, toy and craft vendors lined Beech Avenue.

The fairly lengthy parade ran the gamut from horseback riders to firetrucks to decorated floats, including one featuring the winners of the 2017 Dogwood Festival Pageant.

Amira Johnson, a Voorhees College freshman and member of the college's choir, sang the national anthem to kick off the parade.

Organizations represented at the festival included the Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School class of 1985. Member Bessie Sapp of Bamberg was one of those manning the class's booth, selling chicken wings, fries and drinks primarily as a fundraiser for the 32-year class reunion trip to the Bahamas.

The group was also providing food and drinks to people in need at the festival, Sapp said.

We give away lots of free things -- food and drinks -- to those in need," she said. "For others who can afford it, we charge for the meal as a fundraiser" for the trip.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
By Trend





Azerbaijan is committed to laying a strong foundation to bolster its overall bilateral and multilateral relations with Ethiopia, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, said in an interview with The Ethiopian Herald.

Hajiyev said Ethiopia and Azerbaijan have similar culture and civilization.

Ethiopia is one of the oldest birthplaces of human civilization, art and development which made it akin with Azerbaijan, he added.

In terms of strengthening bilateral ties, he noted that Azerbaijan has a strong will to have an increased experience sharing.

For instance, Azerbaijan is keen on drawing best practices of Ethiopia in the areas of tourism, agriculture, mining industry and the like, he said.

Hajiyev added that the two countries are working to have extraordinary ties in all aspects, particularly in education.

He said the two countries would soon lay down a strong foundation through political dialogues.

We believe that there are ample opportunities in trade and economic relations between the two countries, Hajiyev said. That is why we both are interested in organizing joint business forums in tourism, energy and mining.
By Azernews





By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijans Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, who is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, has met with the Crown Prince, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Defense Minister Muhammad bin Salman.

Azerbaijans Defense Ministry informed on April 5 that the ministers discussed the questions of military, military-technical cooperation between the two countries, as well as the regional security issues.

As part of the visit to Saudi Arabia, Hasanov also visited the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition where the Azerbaijani delegation was informed about its activities.

Back on March 10, Hasanov discussed military cooperation between the two countries with Saudi Minister of State for Gulf Affairs Thamer Al-Sabhan.

Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan in 1991.The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992.

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Riyadh was opened in 1994, and since 1999, the embassy of Saudi Arabia has been operating in Baku.

Over the past years, the economic relations with the increased interest in investment strengthened and expanded. Several companies of Saudi Arabia operate in various fields in Azerbaijan.
By Azertac





French President Francois Hollande has sent a letter to Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and France.

The letter reads:

Dear Mr President,

The 21st of February marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and Azerbaijan.

I am happy that over these 25 years our countries have built strong relations that are consistently developing and diversifying. I had the opportunity to reiterate this during my visits to Azerbaijan in May, 2014 and in April, 2015.

Our close political dialogue, rich trade and economic exchange, as well as accomplishments in the fields of culture and university by the example of the French-Azerbaijani University prove the dynamism and potential of our relations in all areas.

I wish that our countries would move forward on this path and strengthen relations in order to build real cooperation.

You can rest assured that France will work actively and continue its commitment as a co-chair of the Minsk Group in order to find a negotiated and lasting solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that will be of benefit to the whole region.

Dear President, please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.
By Azernews





By Rashid Shirinov

A group of foreign students studying in Azerbaijani universities and representatives of the media visited the liberated Jojug Marjanli village of the countrys Jabrayil region on April 5.

During the visit organized by the Education Ministry, Deputy Minister Firudin Gurbanov informed the students about the history of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the atrocities committed by Armenians in Jojug Marjanli village, which was occupied in 1993.

The village was liberated from the Armenian occupation as a result of the Azerbaijani armys Horadiz operation in 1994. As Armenians occupied the strategic height Leletepe before the April battles in 2016, it was impossible to live in the Jojug Marjanli village," Gurbanov said, adding that it became safe to live in the village only after the Azerbaijani Armed Forces liberated the height.

The foreign students were also informed about efforts to restore the village in accordance with the presidential decree, including the activities on mine clearance and construction works in Jojug Marjanli.

The visitors also got acquainted with the construction of a new 150-seat school, the foundation of which was laid in February. They also visited the Gaziyevs family, the only family living in Jojug Marjanli for more than 20 years. The visitors planted trees in the village.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.

Due to the ethnic cleansing policy carried out by Armenia and the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions of Azerbaijan, the number of refugees and internally displaced persons hit more than 1.2 million. With a population of over 9.8 million, Azerbaijan is among the countries carrying the highest IDP caseload in the world in per capita terms.












By Kamila Aliyeva

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov is expected to visit Kazakhstan on April 12, Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said at a meeting with representatives of the diplomatic corps, TASS reported.

"The recent visit of the Uzbek president to Kazakhstan was successful, and the Turkmen President will soon arrive in Astana. Thus we can see that the political life of our country is full of major events," Abdrakhmanov said.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev invited his Turkmen counterpart to visit Astana during a telephone talk in February. The two Presidents stressed the importance of further strengthening ties in the political, economic and cultural-humanitarian spheres.

Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan were established on October 5, 1992. The legal framework of bilateral cooperation includes more than 70 documents.

The Kazakh-Turkmen Intergovernmental Commission (IC) on Economic, Scientific-Technical and Cultural Cooperation plays a crucial role in the implementation of the economic potential of the two countries.

The trade turnover between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for the end of 2015 amounted to $319.7 million, while in January-August of 2016 it was $177.1 million.

Plant products, metal goods, natural calcium phosphate, timber and its products, rolled metal products, as well as flour, confectionary and flour products are major export items of Kazakhstan.

In its turn, Turkmenistan exports to Kazakhstan gas, oil and petroleum products, motor vehicles, fresh and refrigerated tomatoes, engines and power plants.
By Azernews





By Kamila Aliyeva

The recent suspected use of chemical weapons in the city of Idlib of Syrian Arab Republic shows failure of international community to find a political solution of the six-year conflict and casts doubts on the benefits of all international talks and negotiations held recently without actual breakthrough.

The UN Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic has begun investigating reports of an alleged chemical attack in the province of Idlib and the subsequent attack on the hospital, RIA Novosti reported citing a statement released by the Commission on April 4.

"Concerns have been raised about reports that indicate that this attack was committed using chemical weapons, and the Commission is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack, including reports on the possible use of chemical weapons, as well as the subsequent attack on the medical institution where the wounded received help," the statement said.

The Commission emphasizes that "the use of chemical weapons, as well as a targeted attack on a medical institution, can be regarded as war crimes and constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law."

It is extremely important to find and punish those who are behind these attacks, according to the statement.

"The fact-finding mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is currently operating in Syria, and the independent Joint Investigative Mechanism, in addition to the Commission of Inquiry in Syria, should receive full support in order to investigate the incident," the statement said.

The National Coalition of Opposition and Revolutionary Forces of Syria (NCDC) reported about 80 victims of chemical attack in Khan Sheikhun city of Idlib province and 200 wounded. The oppositionists blamed the government troops of Syria for the attack.

The Syrian military said it categorically denied responsibility. In response, a source of the Syrian Armed Forces told RIA Novosti that the Syrian army does not possess any chemical weapons, and the opposition's statements can be part of a propaganda action against the government army.

The world community has already reacted to what had happened in Idlib. Thus, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called the use of chemical weapons in Syrian Idlib a crime against humanity, and stated that the perpetrators must be punished.

Despite the fact that all borders have been crossed, the West demonstrates indifference towards what is happening, according to the Turkish minister.

"I am sure that those who are trying to teach us a lesson on human rights will try to hide the chemical attack while this is unacceptable for us and can negate the political settlement in Syria," Cavusoglu said.

"We strongly condemn the attack from the regime in the city of Khan Sheikhun, where dozens of people died, most of them are children, indicating that the regime continues to use chemical weapons, openly violating UN Security Council resolutions 2118 and 2209, the official statement of theTurkish Foreign Ministry said.

The United States also commented on the recent events in Syria as Donald Trump denounced the attack as a heinous act that cannot be ignored by the civilized world. But he also laid some of the responsibility on Barack Obama, saying in a statement that the attack was a consequence of the past administrations weakness and irresolution.

"Today's chemical attack in Syria on innocent people, including women and children, are worthy of condemnation and cannot be ignored by the civilized world," official spokesman for White House Sean Spicer said.

The United States urges Russia and Iran to exert pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, commenting on the recent chemical attacks.

While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is obvious that this is how Bashar Assad acts: with cruel and frank barbarism and those who defend and support it, including Russia and Iran, should not have any illusions about Assad or his intentions," the statement of the U.S. Secretary of State said.

As the self-proclaimed guarantors of the ceasefire, Russia and Iran also bear a huge moral responsibility for these deaths, the Secretary of State added.

On April 5, the UN Security Council is expected to discuss the situation in Syria's Idlib, where chemical weapons were reportedly used, the U.S. permanent representative to the UN (the chairman of the Council in April) Nikki Hailey said earlier.

This attack will refocus attention on the failure of the international community to prevent the worst abuses in Syrias war.

Armed conflict continues in Syria since March 2011. Government troops are confronted by militants of different armed rebel groups. Russia has begun airstrikes on terrorist facilities in Syria since September 30, 2015. The Russian military involvement follows an official request from President Bashar Assad to President Vladimir Putin.

The UN has repeatedly tried and failed to end the Syrian conflict, which has killed 300,000 and displaced 11 million since it began five years ago.
By Azernews





By Kamila Aliyeva

An overwhelming majority of the European Parliament (516 votes in favor, 133 against, with 50 abstentions) adopted a resolution officially laying down the European Parliaments key principles and conditions for its approval of the UK's withdrawal agreement (Brexit).

Voting took place in the framework of the plenary session of the EP in Strasbourg.

The document contains some key principles that actually determine the tone of the upcoming Brexit talks, which should begin in the coming weeks between London and Brussels. It also asserts that the UK must respect its membership obligations until it leaves the EU.

"Negotiations should be transparent," the resolution reads, "Great Britain is obliged to comply with previously accepted commitments, including financial ones within the framework of European budget."

"Discussion of future relations between the EU and Great Britain will be possible only after the achievement of substantial progress in the talks on the withdrawal of the UK (from the EU)," the document says.

MEPs consider that London cannot claim free access to the all-European market without complying with the "principle of free movement of goods, capital, services and people."

From the very beginning, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker insisted that the remaining 27 states "must show unity of position" in the face of the challenges that the union is facing with the upcoming "divorce" with Britain. In this regard, the adopted resolution emphasizes that European countries cannot conduct "unilateral talks" with the British authorities on the issue of Brexit.

Finally, the EU members decided that regardless of the course of the discussions between London and Brussels, "the process of peaceful settlement in Northern Ireland must continue."

On June 23, 2016 about 52 percent of UK voters cast ballots to for the island nation to leave the EU. The full terms of the UK's exit have yet to be negotiated, but much hinges at stake.

Particularly, UK citizens and outside observers wonder whether Britain will keep some economic ties with the EU in the form of tariff-free trade, or whether the UK will trade with the EU like any non-EU country under rules stipulated by the World Trade Organization. Another issue is how migrants entering and leaving the UK will be treated.
Award-winning independent trust, fund and corporate services provider Crestbridge has established a presence in the GCC following the completion of its acquisition of Ohad Trust, a leading Bahrain-based trust, fund and corporate services provider.



With regulatory consent having now been received from the Central Bank of Bahrain, Ohad has with immediate effect become part of the Crestbridge Group, which also has complementary offices in Jersey, London, Luxembourg and the Cayman Islands, said a statement.



A full rebranding of Ohad is planned for later in 2017 to bring the business fully under the Crestbridge brand, said the statement.



Ohad was the first licensed provider of trust services in Bahrain when in 2005 it obtained its ancillary services provider license and is the market leader in the provision of Private Investment Undertakings (PIUs). A highly-regarded provider of Sharia compliant and Islamic Finance products such as Sukuk, Ohad benefits from an experienced team.



Paul Perris, group managing director, said: This is a significant achievement in delivering our strategy to provide a wider range of services to our clients and demonstrates Crestbridges continued commitment to the region. As a leading independent provider of trust, fund and corporate services to UHNW and institutional clients we are delighted to add Bahrain to our network of jurisdictions. We welcome the team from Ohad which has a wealth of experience of operating in the region spanning almost 15 years. The Middle East is strategically important and having on the ground capability in Bahrain enables us to continue to add value to clients who require increasingly sophisticated support in relation to their local and international assets.



Graham Journeaux and Naser Obaid will continue to lead the Bahrain office, which consists of more than 10 staff and will be supported by staff transfers from the Crestbridge Group.



Naser Obaid, director at Ohad, added: We have worked very successfully with the team at Crestbridge over the last few years and see this initiative as a very exciting opportunity for us and for the region. Crestbridge is a highly-regarded service provider in the region and brings a great deal of knowledge and expertise combined with a broad service range.



Crestbridges new office is located at the Bahrain World Trade Centre, Manama.  TradeArabia News Service


The Omani part of the 726-km-long road linking Saudi Arabia directly with the sultanate is now ready to open, said a report, citing a top government official.



The giant road project, once completed, will help reduce the travel distance between the two countries by over 800 km and replace the existing route, which passes through the UAE and stretches around 2,000 km in length, reported Al Eqtisadiah Arabic newspaper.



The road runs through the Rub Al Khali (Empty Quarter desert). The highway on the Oman side is about 160-km long, starting from Tanam in Ibri and ending at the Saudi border, according to Arab News.



From Saudi Arabia, it stretches 247 km from the Omani border to the Shaybah Oil Field and 319 km from Shaybah to the Batha-Haradh road, which leads to Riyadh.



The new road will cover 160 km in Oman, with the remaining 566 km being in Saudi Arabia, it added.
A growing and aging population, the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, higher healthcare spending, and a rising number of high-income households region are the growth drivers for the healthcare sector in Mena, said an industry expert.



I believe that healthcare in emerging markets will offset slower growth in North America and Western Europe, added Dr Helmut Schuehsler, chairman and CEO of Dubai-based TVM Capital Healthcare, speaking at the Healthcare Business International conference in Westminster, London, yesterday (April 4).



He highlighted healthcare as an industrial megatrend in the Mena region and other emerging markets including South Asia.



Healthcare spending has increased significantly across the GCC in recent years, with a five-year compound annual growth rate of 11 per cent (201014).



Dr Schuehsler added: But in spite of growing healthcare spending in the GCC, public expenditure as a percentage of GDP lags the developed world by a significant margin. GCC governments increasingly rely on the private sector to help meet the rising demand for health services, and to help shift the burden of spending on healthcare.



This, coupled with the recent introduction in some GCC countries of mandatory health insurance, provides a significant opportunity for investors. It is vital that investors examine business models as well as relationships with government when operating in emerging markets. Companies that are close to the regulatory authorities and remain aligned with the various licensing rules and reimbursement systems are more likely to perform.



TVM Capital Healthcare has a strong track-record of investing in healthcare services and devices that address unmet medical needs. TVM Capital Healthcare Partners builds market leaders, which in turn build sustainable ecosystems in the various geographies where they operate.



Healthcare Business International is an annual conference aimed at senior healthcare leadership and investors, offering an opportunity to discuss insights and viewpoints on how the industry landscape is changing across Europe and Emerging Markets.  TradeArabia News Service
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), an international aluminium smelter, has revealed that its sales volume and throughput are up by 4.9 per cent and 5.6 per cent, respectively, year-over-year (YoY) in the first quarter of this year.



Sales volume in the first quarter of this year topped 242,932 metric tonnes (mt) versus 231,538 mt in the first quarter of last year, while its production reached 248,776 mt, an increase of 13,298 mt compared to 235,478 mt in Q1 2016, said a statement from Alba.



In addition, value-added sales jumped to 56 per cent in the quarter versus 52 per cent in the first quarter of 2016, it said.



Albas chief executive officer Tim Murray said: We are pleased to finish the first quarter of this year with this strong volume momentum in our sales and production.



We were able to step-up our performance thanks to our plant reliability, integrated marketing approach and most importantly our people who aim to exceed the Company set-targets, he said.



Alba will release its first quarter 2017 financial results to the public on April 23.  TradeArabia News Service


Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) has reported a net loss of Dh19 billion ($5.2 billion) for the financial year 2016 as it wrote down the value of oil assets after prices slumped.



Announcing the results, Taqa said it booked a post-tax impairment of Dh16.9 billion, primarily related to its oil and gas assets, in response to the lower commodity price environment. This contributed to a pre-impairment net loss of Dh2.1 billion.



The impairment is a one-time non-cash charge, and has no impact on the company's ability to meet its obligations, including its ongoing debt service obligations, the Emirati firm stated.



A leading global energy company headquartered in Abu Dhabi with operations in 11 countries worldwide, Taqa said in 2016 it had completed a two-year transformation programme which delivered cumulative savings of Dh 13.2 billion, including a capital expenditure reduction of Dh8.6 billion from 2014 to 2016.



Additionally, the company has delivered a 25 per cent reduction in global headcount with over 1,000 positions reduced across its global operations.



Taqa has also completed the transformation of its balance sheet. This was achieved through several measures, including the utilisation of certain land areas on which Taqa's UAE power and water plants are located.



According to Taqa, the privatisation of Abu Dhabi's power and water assets has unlocked significant long-term value which has been utilised by the company through signing a land lease agreement valued at Dh18.7 billion as of December 31, 2016.



The valuation of the land lease rights was undertaken by two international, independent valuation experts. A previous agreement with a related party regarding Taqa's oil and gas assets is no longer in effect.



Taqas 2016 full-year results highlighted the operational efficiency gains and financial savings achieved through the transformation programme, most notably through record power generation of 93,246 gigawatt hours (GWh), limited oil and gas production decline despite 70 pere cent reduction in oil and gas capex, significant reduction in energy unit operating costs, down 33 per cent compared to 2014, and successful refinancing of Dh6.4 billion in maturing bonds at lower rates, said the company in its statement.



Taqa also completed the transformation of its balance sheet. This was achieved through several measures, including the utilisation of certain land areas on which Taqas UAE power and water plants are located.



On the results, Saeed Mubarak Al Hajeri, the chairman of the board of directors, said: "The successful delivery of the Transformation Programme has significantly reshaped the business, making Taqa a more efficient and focused organisation."



"In addition, the recent additional support now provides Taqa with the solid foundation to capitalise on future opportunities and achieve greater success. The land lease also avoids any share recapitalisation or dilution of the existing shareholders, and provides a greater opportunity for Taqa shareholders to realise long-term value from their investment," he noted.



According to him, the privatisation of Abu Dhabis power and water assets has unlocked significant long-term value which has been utilised by Taqa through signing a land lease agreement valued at Dh18.7 billion as of December 31, 2016.



The UAE operations produced 66,652 GWh of electricity and 257,169 million imperial gallons of desalinated water, continuing to deliver the vast majority of water and electricity requirements of Abu Dhabi, he explained.



"While challenging macroeconomic conditions in the oil and gas industry continue to impact performance, the completion of a two-year business Transformation Programme initiated to combat lower commodity prices, generating Dh13.2 billion in cost savings while maintaining safe and reliable operations, is a clear demonstration of our commitment to delivering sustainable efficiencies," stated Al Hajeri.



Mohammed Al Ahbabi, the acting chief financial officer, said: "We have aggressively reduced our capital expenditure and cash costs, in our efforts to achieve cash flow neutrality despite low commodity prices."



"We are pleased that external markets recognised these efforts as we successfully raised Dh6.4 billion to refinance maturing bonds at competitive rates despite challenging industry conditions. We continue to maintain our strong rating and liquidity position with the long-term objective being to deleverage the company," noted Al Ahbabi.



"The net impact of the equity contribution and the impairment taken in relation to our Oil & Gas assets, is major step in that process," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
A major petrochemicals complex being developed by Oman Oil Duqm Development Company at the Duqm Special Economic Zone (SEZ) will feature 10 large-scale plants involving several billion of dollars in investment, a report said.



The company provided an overview of the scope and strategic nature of this initiative at the 2nd Oman Downstream Exhibition & Conference (ODEC) which opened at the new Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre in Muscat, said the Oman Daily Observer report.



Hilal Al Kharusi, executive managing director, was quoted by the report as saying the dedicated zone earmarked for the development will host 10 plants producing over 20 products.



The products will range from commodities to specialty products and pave the way for more than 30 chemical processing downstream businesses.



The centrepiece of the ambitious development is the Duqm Refinery, a greenfield refinery. Oman Oil Company (OOC) and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation are the 50:50 equity joint venture partners in the estimated $6 billion venture.

A formal partnership agreement will be signed in Muscat for the project on April 10.

Once the refinery is completed, it will have the capacity to process around 230,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Diesel, jet fuel, naphtha and LPG are to be its primary products.



Duqm Refinery has completed its 900 hectares site preparation work and received the final technical submissions from bidders for EPC packages one and two, which are the process units package and the utilities and offsites package, respectively.



The technical evaluation is now completed and bidders have been invited to submit their commercial bids. Invitation to tender has been sent to prequalified bidders for EPC package 3 (offsite facilities) consisting of the product storage and export terminal in Duqm, crude storage tanks in Ras Markaz, and the 80 km crude pipeline from Ras Markaz to the refinery complex.



Duqm Refinery will be one of the growth engines for the special economic zone. It will provide development opportunities for new projects that will directly and indirectly interface with the refinery. These projects will look to benefit from the refinerys products as well as provide different logistic services to the refinery.
Oman Air will start its new daily flight between Muscat and Manchester, UK, from May 1, 2017; the latest move in the airlines ambitious and dynamic programme of fleet and network expansion.



The daily service from Oman Air will be operated by an A330 -200 and is in addition to the double daily flight from London Heathrow, making Manchester the only airport outside of London to have direct flights to Muscat.



The 7.5 hour flight will depart Muscat International Airport at 1400 and arrive Manchester at 1905.



Paul Gregorowitsch, chief executive officer of Oman Air, said: This is an incredibly exciting expansion in the UK, allowing our guests to enjoy the convenience of flying direct from Oman to the north of England and also the opportunity to connect with Oman Airs global network. It demonstrates our commitment to developing Oman Airs global network and in particular catering for the growing demand for our award winning product and inflight service.



This service will cater to the 22 million people in the Manchester catchment area who will be impressed by Oman Airs fantastic on-board product and will take advantage of the direct route to Oman as well as extensive onward connections available from Muscat.



In the last few years Oman has been generating a lot of noise in the tourism sector with a 17.7 per cent increase in visitor numbers since 2014 to just under 5 million globally, with the UK & Ireland contributing 150,000 visitors in 2015. With considerable investment in new hotels, not to mention the conference, meetings, exhibitions and incentive market and the increasing airlift into Muscat from the UK, these figures are expected to grow. - TradeArabia News Service
Leading hotel company Deutsche Hospitality is continuing to expand its Middle East portfolio with the recent signing of an agreement for a third IntercityHotel in Oman, said a report.



The 120-room IntercityHotel is scheduled to open in Nizwa by 2019, said a report in Muscat Daily.



The hotel will be operated in partnership with Nizwa Integrated Real Estate Company (NIREC) and will offer event spaces, a spa complete with gym area, a swimming pool, a restaurant and a bar.



Nizwa is located about 180km from Muscat. Set in an oasis, the city is considered to be a cultural hub and is the historic trading centre of the sultanate. Featuring lush vegetation and an old fortress, Nizwa attracts tourists from all over the world throughout the year.



This is the second contract to be signed by Deutsche Hospitality in the sultanate within a short period of time. An InterCityHotel is currently under development in Muscat, and is scheduled to open in 2020, the report said.



Together with the IntercityHotel Salalah, which was launched in July 2016, the new hotel brings Deutsche Hospitalitys total representation in the sultanate to three hotels.



The Arabian Peninsula is an important growth location for Deutsche Hospitality, said CEO Puneet Chhatwal. Being able to set the seal on a further project in Oman so shortly after signing the agreement for Muscat very much proves that our expansion strategy is moving in the right direction.



The group has been represented in Dubai in the form of the Steigenberger Hotel Business Bay since 2015, and a second InterCityHotel will open in 2018. A Steigenberger Airport Hotel is also under construction in Doha (Qatar). All of this will increase Deutsche Hospitalitys overall presence in the Middle East to six hotels over the coming years.


The TransGriot is available for speaking engagements, college lectures, panel discussions, media interviews, conferences or Trans 101 education efforts for your school, business or professional organizations.



For local Houston area, Texas or national events, you can e-mail me at transgriot@yahoo.com



For events outside the Houston metro area, I ask that my travel and lodging expenses be covered.



This is separate from my speaking fee.



If you are interested in having me appear as a speaker or panelist, you can e-mail me with the date and details of your proposed event.

Please book as early as possible because my speaking and event calendar slots during the year rapidly fill up.
Larsen is among Americas most prolific and performed living composers with a catalog of more than 500 works spanning virtually every genre. This is her fourth and final visit as the UW music departments eminent composer-in-residence. A master classes and other musical events also take place this week.
Quilts of Valor

every Wednesday

The Central Wyoming Chapter of Quilts of Valor meets every Wednesday, 1 to 4 p.m., to sew at the Central Wyoming Senior Services Center, 1831 E. 4th St. Quilts of Valor are made entirely by volunteers. Donated fabrics, supplies or monetary donations are appreciated. The group makes all quilts for service men and women who have been touched by war. These quilts are a tangible reminder of our appreciations and gratitude to our service members. Our chapter awards quilts to veterans who reside in the Central Wyoming region. Dues are $5 per year and new members are always welcome. If you have any questions, please contact Yung Hui Torske at 258-5578, Sandy Elliott at 307-5540331 or any chapter member.

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.

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.

Community baby

shower April 8

The Natrona County Prevention Coalition 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.

Youth mental

health training

Mercer Family Resource Center will host a Youth Mental Health First Aid Training from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., on Saturday, April 22, 2017, at Mercer Family Resource Center, located at 535 W. Yellowstone HWY. This free training is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, neighbors, health and human service workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12 to 18) who is experiencing a mental health, addictions challenge, or is in crisis. To register for the training, please contact Mercer Family Resource Center at 265-7366.

Originally created in Australia in 2001, Youth Mental Health First Aid is a program of the Mental Health First Aid USA that is managed, operated, and disseminated by the National Council for Behavioral Health and the Missouri Department of Mental Health. A certified Mental Health First Aid instructor teaches the training. Youth Mental Health First Aid is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people.

Great Cloth Diaper Change

Casper parents, please join us for the Great Cloth Diaper Change on April 22  Earth Day! If you are a cloth-diapering parent, or if you would like information on cloth diapering, please consider attending this free event. Cloth diapers have come a long way in the last few years, and using cloth provides substantial savings both to your diaper budget and the environment. We will have door prizes, raffles, activities for the kids and free swag bags for the first 25 people through the door. If you would like to participate in the Great Cloth Diaper Change you must: have a baby currently in diapers or training pants, bring a 100 percent reusable cloth diaper or trainer (or borrow one), to change into at the event. If you have more than one baby that qualifies for the change, youll need to bring an extra person for each baby.

Doors open at 10 a.m. in the gymnasium of College Heights Baptist Church, 1927 S. Walnut St. in Casper. The change will be at 11 a.m. and a free informational diaper class will follow the change. For information, call Cheryl Wilson at 307-267-1903 or visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CasperWYGCDC/.

QPR training April 9

Safe Haven and J.R.s Hunt; for Life, in partnership with the Prevention Management Organization of Natrona County and the Natrona County Suicide Prevention Task Force, are offering a two-hour QPR Suicide Prevention Training from 2 to 4 p .m., on Sunday, April 9, at the 12-24 Club (500 S. Wolcott, 2nd floor).

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer, the three simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.

This training is open to the public. If you have any questions, please contact Rob Johnston at 259-5026 or email him at rjohnston@pmowyo.org.

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.

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: 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.
Steak feed Friday at Elks

Friday Night Feed at the Casper Elks Lodge is steak with all the fixings. Sirloin steak for $7 per person or Rib eye steak for $15 per person, children 5 to 12 are $3. The meal is served from 6 to 7 p.m., while it lasts. Members, significant other and guest accompanied by a member. For more information, call 234-4839. The menu is subject to change. All proceeds go to Elks Charities.

Friday Melrose music

Cory McDaniel Duo will be at Melrose Coffee House, 1511 S. Melrose, from 7 to 10 p.m., on Friday. Without Cory and Amy, there may have never been a coffee house. Their song writing is highly literate, running the gamut of Americana from alt/country to cabaret blues. As always, the bands play for tips so let them know they are appreciated. Espresso drinks, soft drinks and desserts are available for a super reasonable price. Part of the spring proceeds will go to Food for Thought.

3 Hip Band at

senior center

The 3 Hip Band, featuring the Neefer Dude, Birdy and Jim, will play from 7 to 10 p.m., at the Casper Senior Center. Admission is $5. We welcome all ages. Snacks and refreshments will be served after 8 p.m.

Low vision support

meets Monday

The Casper Area Low Vision Support Group meeting will be held at 10 a.m., on Monday, April 10, at the Casper Senior Citizens Center. Jill Smiley will share her experiences in distributing eye care items in Africa and India. We are collecting eyeglasses, cases, frames, magnifiers, and other related items to donate to this cause. If a ride is needed, call Howard at 234-5867.

Womens

networking April 11

The Heart Link Network is a womens networking event held monthly, every second Tuesday, (April 11, May 9), from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Cheese Barrel, 544 S. Center Street. The cost is $20 per person and the meal is included. Pre-registration is a must. Come enjoy the fellowship of women in business and showcase what you have to offer. For more information and to register for the event, please call Amy Lund at 262-7475 or visit www.82601.theheartlinknetwork.com.

Journey to the Cross

Rocky Mountain Men of Integrity, a non-denominational Christian mens organization, presents the annual Journey to the Cross at 7 a.m., on Saturday, April 15. Meet at Faith Assembly of God, 4301 Casper Mountain Road. Participants who wish to walk to the cross should dress warmly, with solid footwear, as the cross is located about a quarter-mile north of the church. Women and older children of all faiths are welcome, as well as men. The aim is for the event to be reverent, with prayer and worship singing, during the opening remarks and walk, but joyous in fellowship at the free breakfast that follows. If they prefer, participants may remain in the sanctuary for prayer. The men and women who have participated in this event have said they were deeply moved. For more information, call 267-6138.

Pancake festival May 6

The Casper Mountain Lions Club is having a Pancake Festival from 7 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 6, at the Mills Community Center.

Enjoy all the pancakes, sausage, milk, juice, coffee, you can eat for only $4 per adult and $1 per child.

Proceeds go to benefit the many Casper Mountain Lions Club projects, such as Lions Braille Trail on Casper Mountain, Lions Club eyeglasses program, Casper Mountain Lions Club scholarship at Casper College and many other community projects.

For more information, call Bryon, 266-6933 or 315-7074.

Felt scarf workshop at Nic

An amazing felt scarf workshop will be held from noon to 3:30 p.m., on Saturday, May 13, at the Nicolaysen Art Museum, instructed by Tatiana Lushnikova. Fees are $40 for members, 30 for students with valid student ID, and $55 for non-members. Please pre-register and pay by May 8. Bring a friend and save $10 on your class fee. This class is recommended for high school students and older.

Join the Nic for an introduction into the world of felt making, a simple technique requiring very little equipment and less time needed for creating a finished product than other textile techniques. In this class, students will learn the process of wet felting and produce their own piece of handmade fiber art. The artist will demonstrate the felting techniques, carefully instructing students in safe and appropriate handling of the tools and materials.

For more information, contact Zhanna G. at zgallegos@thenic.org or call 235-5247.

Nic summer camps

The Nicolaysen Art Museum has announced its schedule for summer camps.

June 14-16, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Zombie Survival, ages 7-9 and 10-14.

June 27-30, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Art & the Cosmic Connection, ages 9-14.

July 17-21, 9 a.m. to noon for ages 6-9; 1 to 4 p.m., ages 10-14, Eye on the Sky: Solar Eclipse.

July 24-28, 9 a.m. to noon for ages 6-9; 1 to 4 p.m., ages 10-14, Dirty Works: Exploring Clay and Messy Art.

For more information, contact Zhanna G. at zgallegos@thenic.org or call 235-5247.
Wednesday support meetings

Alcoholics Anonymous: 6:30 a.m., 917 N. Beech; 8:30 a.m., 500 S. Wolcott; 10 a.m., 328 E. A; noon, 500 S. Wolcott; 2 p.m., 917 N. Beech; 5:09 P.M., 917 N. Beech; 5:30 p.m., 1124 Elma, Imitate the Image Church; 7 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott; 8 p.m., 328 E. A; 8 p.m, 328-1/2 E. A, closed; 8:23 p.m., 719 3rd St., Evansville. Douglas: 7:30 p.m., 628 E. Richards (upstairs in back); 7:30 p.m,. 805 E. Richards, Ste. 1. Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are open. Casper info: 266-9578; Douglas info: (307) 351-1688.

Al-Anon: Stepping Stones to Recovery, 303 E. 2nd St., First United Methodist Church, east doors, downstairs, room 12. 7 p.m.

Narcotics Anonymous: noon, 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club; 8 p.m., 302 E. 2nd St., Methodist Church, enter east side. Web site: http://www.urmrna.org.

Nicotine Anonymous: noon, 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club. Info: Pam M., 577-0518.

OIF/OEF Support Group: 6:30-8 p.m., Casper Vet Center, 1030 N. Poplar St., Ste. B. All OIF/OEF Veterans are invited to attend. No need to pre-register. Info: 261-5355.

Teen Addiction Anonymous: 7- 8 p.m., 12-24 Club Teton Room. Info: 258-7439.

TOPS #35 Weight Loss: 6:45 a.m., First Christian Church, 520 CY Ave. Weight Loss Support Group, Weigh-in is from 6:30 a.m.-8 a.m. Info: 258-2063 or 234-5644.

TOPS #162: 8:30 a.m., United Methodist Church, 1880 Poplar. Anyone interested is invited to join. Info: 472-4926.

Coffee, Tea and Dee

The public is invited to attend Coffee, Tea and Dee on the first Wednesday of each month from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Tate Geological Museum. Everyone who stops by can enter their name to win a $5 Tate gift certificate.

The coffee and tea is provided by P. Hawk Coffee Roasters and is free of charge courtesy of the museum. Coffees served include a special blend, Pleistocene Epoch Coffee  Mammuthus columbi, along with varieties of Rooibos tea.

The Tate Geological Museum is on the Casper College campus, and the event is free and open to the public.

Wellness conference opens

The 29th Annual Casper College Wellness Conference will be held Wednesday through Friday in Strausner Hall on the Casper College campus. Wednesday and Thursday sessions are free and open to the public, while Fridays professional workshops require registration and fees.

Put on by the Casper College Wellness Center, this years conference will look at a variety of wellness topics including the benefits of laughter wellness, health disparities impacting the LGBT community, animals for emotional support, issues related to working as a caregiver for older adults, marijuana, yoga plus therapy, addictions and the child welfare field, obesity prevalence, nutrition and mental health, and secondary trauma. Presentations will begin on both Wednesday and Thursday at 9 a.m. and continue in the afternoon starting at 1 p.m.

A schedule for all three days, as well as a registration form for Friday, can be found at www.caspercollege.edu/events/wellness. For more information contact Joanne Theobald at 268-2255 or joannetheobald@caspercollege.edu. Strausner Hall is on the Casper College Campus.

Blogging & Vlogging

The Natrona County Library will offer a Blogging & Vlogging class from 10 a.m. to noon. Learn about both blogs and vlogs and understand their popularity, their uses and how to find them. Several blogging and vlogging platforms will be covered along with the process for creating and maintaining a blog or vlog.

Free tax help

The Natrona County VITA Program, a United Way of Natrona County initiative, is open through April 12 for free tax return assistance. This is a first come, first served program; no appointments will be scheduled. Individuals must bring their Social Security card, photo identification and paperwork. For a list of paperwork, visit www.wyomingfreetaxservice.org.

Hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Aspen Creek Building, 800 Werner Ct., Ste. 206. Closed Sunday and Monday.

For more information, call 307-333-5588 during hours of operation or look on Facebook. The initiative is supported by funding from the Wyoming Free Tax Service and local United Way.

Brain injury group hosts fundraiser

Wyoming Brain Injury Alliance and Buffalo Wild Wings are holding a fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Buffalo Wild Wings, 5071 E. Second St.

The Brain Injury Alliance is raising money to help support its outreach and support efforts on behalf of individuals with brain injuries.

To participate in the fundraiser, get a ticket. Tickets will be either emailed or obtained by phoning the Brain Injury Alliance at 473-1767. You can also screen shot a ticket on the Wyoming Brain Injury Alliance Facebook page.

Then take the ticket to Buffalo Wild Wings and present it when you order. Ten percent of the bill will be donated to the Brain Injury Alliance.

For more information, call the Brain Injury Alliance at 473-1767.

Quilts of Valor every Wednesday

The Central Wyoming Chapter of Quilts of Valor meets every Wednesday, 1 to 4 p.m., to sew at the Central Wyoming Senior Services Center, 1831 E. Fourth St. Quilts of Valor are made entirely by volunteers. Donated fabrics, supplies or monetary donations are appreciated. The group makes all quilts for servicemen and servicewomen who have been touched by war. Our chapter awards quilts to veterans who reside in the Central Wyoming region. Dues are $5 per year and new members are always welcome. If you have any questions, please contact Yung Hui Torske at 258-5578, Sandy Elliott at 307-5540331 or any chapter member.

After school, make Easter cards

The Natrona County Library will host an Easter cards workshop for elementary-age students at 4 p.m. All supplies provided. Call 577.READ x5 for more information.

Community impact at Pizza Ranch

Pizza Ranch, 5011 E. Second St., hosts Community Impact nights from 5 to 9 p.m. normally on Mondays and Wednesdays. Members of nonprofit groups bus tables for tips, and 20 percent of meal tickets from diners who mention the group are donated as well. Dine-in, delivery or pickup orders qualify. Wednesdays nonprofit is the Midwest Physics Club.

Baked potatoes at the Elks

Wednesday Night Special at the Casper Elks Lodge is a potato bar with all the fixings, plus dessert for $1. All you can eat for $7 and children 5 to 12 are $3, serving from 6 to 7 p.m. or until gone. Members, significant other and guest accompanied by a member. For more information, call 234-4839. The menu is subject to change. All proceeds go to Elks Charities.

Marijuana expert speaks at CC

Ben Cort, speaker, author and expert on marijuana and other drug issues, will present a talk on marijuana during the Casper College Wellness Conference at 6 p.m. The free presentation is open to the community and will take place in the Wheeler Concert Hall, in the Casper College Music Building.

The Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police and the Casper College Addictionology and Psychology departments are tagging up with the Casper College Wellness Center to bring Ben to campus, said Diana Quealy-Berge, addictionology instructor.

Cort resigned from his position with the University of Colorado Hospital chemical dependency treatment service in January 2017 to focus on marijuana education and consulting.

Co-sponsors of the event include the Casper College Student Organization STARS, the Casper College Criminal Justice Student Organization, the 12/24 Club, the Natrona County Meth Project, the Wyoming Prevention Management Organization and REACH High School.

Auto club meets

The Oil Capitol Auto Club would like to invite all members to the meeting of the Memorial Day Car Show Committee at Stan & Judys as usual at 6:30 p.m. All members are urged to attend. Call Jerry Barton with questions at 251-1377.

Archaeologists meet

The monthly meeting of the Casper Chapter of the Wyoming Archaeological Society will be held at 7 p.m. on the ground floor of the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Building, 2211 King Blvd. Please use the entrance on the east side of the building.

Following a brief business meeting, Dr. Jason Toohey, assistant professor at the Department of Anthropology, director of the Callacpuma Archaeological Project, and fellow of the UW Center for Global Studies at the University of Wyoming, will present a program titled The Callacpuma Archaeological Project: Investigating Long Term Social and Political Development in the Northern Peruvian Andes. Visitors and potential new members are welcome. Please contact Mavis Greer, chapter president, at mavis@greerservices.com, if you have questions.

Reserve for Dem Forum

Two views of Wyomings 2017 legislative session which just ended will be offered to the Democratic Womens Forum at its April 8 luncheon at the Ramkota Hotel. The Democratic Womens Forum luncheon meetings are open to all persons interested in attending, regardless of gender. The buffet costs $15 per plate, which includes tax and gratuity. Reservations should be made by Wednesday by calling Jerre at 234-8625.

Meeting for buffet and program at noon, members will hear from Rep. Debbie Bovee, D-Casper, and Phoebe Stoner, executive director of the Equality State Policy Center of Wyoming. They will be providing their perspectives on bills passed during the recent session, and how the legislation is expected to affect people in Casper and throughout the state.
Local law enforcement has declined to file charges based on allegations made by Aimee Kidd, who rallied a group of women to protest how the Casper Police Department investigates sexual assault, that she was raped last winter by Joseph Sonny Ramirez.

Based on the totality of the evidence gathered by the CPD, there is insufficient proof that Joseph Ramirez sexually assaulted Kidd, Assistant District Attorney Michael Schafer wrote in a memo last week.

Kidd, who began speaking publicly about her case before Casper City Council last fall, said that Ramirez raped her while she slept in bed with her young child in January 2016.

Kidd filed a police report two months later after finding she was pregnant and realizing that Ramirez had been at her house around the date of conception.

Schafers memo suggests Kidd acted vindictively toward Ramirez after she discovered that he had given her and his ex-girlfriend the same gift on Valentines Day.

Evidence also indicates that Kidd became pregnant with her sixth child, which several have different fathers, and she was worried about her reputation, Schafer wrote.

Reached Tuesday, Kidd criticized the memo but declined to comment further.

Investigation describes incident

Kidd did not recall what happened on the night that she alleges that Ramirez raped her but said she woke up naked from the waist down and with an unusually strong hangover incommensurate to the amount she drank.

Kidds friend Heidi Anderson, who was also at Kidds house on the night in question, told police that Ramirez asked if he could spend the night and said he and Kidd could just cuddle.

Anderson said that Kidd did not respond and that she believes Kidd went alone to her bedroom, where her child was sleeping.

Well, Im just going to cuddle with her, Anderson said Ramirez told her.

Ramirez told police that Kidd asked him whether he was spending the night and that the two had consensual sex.

While Schafer notes that Andersons account suggests Ramirez may have been lying, he credits Ramirez with not being secret about wanting to spend the night with Kidd and wanting to crawl into bed to cuddle.

The fact that Kidd does not recollect the events of January 30, 2016, does not establish proof that she was physically helpless at the time the intercourse occurred, Schafer wrote.

The investigation revealed text messages between Kidd and Ramirez from the next morning in which Ramirez mentions spending the night.

It was too dark n u kept pushing me off the bed, Ramirez wrote.

Kidd did not tell Ramirez at this point that she did not want to have sex with or date him, Schafer wrote.

Much of the information gathered as part of the investigation indicated just the opposite, that there was a continuing, somewhat intimate, relationship, that occurred between January 30, 2016 and early March, 2016, Schafer stated.

He notes that Ramirez stayed at Kidds house again several days after Jan. 30, the date that she alleged he raped her.

While the language of the report makes it unclear who offered this account, the memo states that Kidd contacted Ramirez around the first week of March and asked him when they were first together.

Kidd said she was pregnant and was trying to determine the father. Kidd asked Ramirez whether he believed someone had drugged her that night, and Ramirez said no.

On March 3, Kidd sent Ramirez a photo of an ultrasound on Facebook.

It looks Kool. I got 3 kids n never saw that, Ramirez replied.

He added, It takes two so just dont blame me.

Kidd said she knew that Ramirez did not drug her but wondered if someone else had. She recalled small pecks on the lips at the bar and that is it.

I dont sleep around, Kidd said. I would never sleep with u. I mean, I love ya to death...but Im not interested in u that way at all. I figured you knew that.

No I didnt, Ramirez wrote back. U were all in to me the first night n told me u want me to come in n cuddle u all night... I figured u were really in to me after the first night n u told that other fool to get lost. guess I was the fool ... I feel like you lead me on.

I just have a flirty personality, Kidd replied. I didnt mean to.

Ramirez told police that Kidd became hateful after she found out in February that he had given her the same Valentines Day gift as his ex-girlfriend, with whom hed recently reconnected.

Schafers memo is based on a 58-page report submitted to the District Attorneys Office by Casper police Detective Tiffany Elhart. That report is not publicly available.

District Attorney Mike Blonigen said his office could not comment on the investigation or the decision not to file charges in the case.

We can not even acknowledge we reviewed the case, he wrote in an email. In essence, the law prevents meaningful discussions about why a sexual assault case is not filed. Horrible law.

Ramirezs attorney Don Fuller provided a copy of the memo to the Star-Tribune. Fuller said the memo showed police thoroughly investigated the case and that Kidds claims were unfounded.

Inconsistencies cited

Schafers memo cites several inconsistencies between the account Kidd provided to police and evidence discovered during the investigation.

For example, text messages and Facebook communication confirm that Ramirez and Kidd met earlier in January. But Kidd told investigators that she did not recall that initial meeting, which raises concerns that she does not recollect things very well when she has been drinking.

The memo also notes that Kidd messaged Ramirez to tell him that she was at the bar before he arrived.

A bartender told police that Kidd had been arguing with a man at the bar and that Ramirez escorted Kidd out of the bar to calm her at the request of the bartender.

The police investigation also found that in the weeks following the night on which Kidd said Ramirez raped her, the two were messaging each other in a flirtatious manner, spending time together, and going out on dates.

Kidd did not, or could not, provide this same information to Detective Elhart.

A different CPD detective determined that it appeared some messages between Ramirez and Kidd were missing from Kidds cellphone, which leads one to believe there are missing messages that were deleted.

Public criticism

Kidd first described her case to City Council in September and criticized what she considered a slow response from police.

Several other women soon came forward with similar complaints regarding how CPD investigated sexual assault and domestic violence crimes.

Parts of the memo appear to back some of Kidds criticism. She has stated that throughout the fall the police had not interviewed Ramirez. The memo states that the first interview with him took place in February  nearly a year after Kidd filed her initial report and months after she went public at Council meetings.

Due to legal restrictions, police Chief Jim Wetzel has been unable to speak publicly about any of the womens specific cases, but he has defended his departments sexual assault investigation process.

Its uncertain whether the decision to close Kidds case without filing charges will affect the chorus of complaints about CPDs response to sexual assault reports.

Amanda Huckabay was elected to Council in November on a platform that prominently included improving police response to such cases, and Council recently approved a plan to bring an outside firm to comprehensively review the police department.

Casper police review policy on sex assault cases following criticism The Casper Police Department is reviewing its policy regarding sexual assault cases after mu
Dozens of Casper police officers say they are likely to look for new jobs due to what they described as a toxic environment created by department leadership and city indifference to their concerns, according to a recent survey of the majority of the department and interviews with seven current and former officers.

For approximately three years, employees of the Casper Police Department have suffered under a failed leadership, the local branch of the Fraternal Order of Police wrote in a cover letter attached to the survey. The letter states that numerous officers and civilian employees shared their criticism of department operations with the organization after repeatedly approaching city and department leadership and feeling ignored.

Much of the criticism was directed toward Chief Jim Wetzel, who has led the department since February 2014. Wetzels style of management has created a culture of fear within the police department that has had a chilling effect on officers work, one current officer said. Investigators and patrol officers are afraid to do their jobs aggressively because they fear they will be written up for small discrepancies or for policies that did not previously exist.

I get calls almost weekly from officers and supervisors, and Ive never seen such misery and fear of doing their job, one former officer said.

City Councilman Chris Walsh, who served as police chief before Wetzel, and Mayor Kenyne Humphrey called for an investigation Tuesday into the department.

This appears to be a breakdown in our entire city management system, Walsh said.

In an interview Tuesday with the Star-Tribune, Wetzel said he had never heard the vast majority of the criticisms leveled against him in the survey. He said change is difficult and described the atmosphere within the department as a clash of cultures as he works to move the department in a different direction.

When you seek to adjust or shift a prior culture, its expected that will come with resistance from those who dont want to shift, he said.

Seven current and former officers representing a variety of ranks throughout the department and with more than 100 years of combined law enforcement experience spoke to the Star-Tribune for this story. They all requested anonymity because they said they were afraid speaking out would affect their current work or future job prospects.

All of the officers bemoaned what they saw as a degradation of the departments effectiveness. One pointed to the recent criticism that the department has faced over how it handles sexual assault investigations as a symptom.

Things are seriously a mess in that department, one former officer said. Something needs to happen before something seriously bad happens.

More than 20 current officers  of the departments total of 99  are actively searching for new jobs outside the department or are contemplating leaving law enforcement altogether because of the change in the departments leadership, former and current officers said.

Of the 84 people who took the survey, including both sworn officers and civilian staff, 49 said they were extremely or very likely to look for another job.

At first we were all trying to help steer the ship, a current officer who is looking for another job said. Now were all just putting on our life jackets and waiting to crash into the iceberg.

Survey results

A total of 84 officers and civilian staff out of 115 took the survey conducted by the Casper branch of the Fraternal Order of Police, a nationwide law enforcement organization, between Feb. 14 and March 20. In the memo attached to the survey, the organization explained that it initiated the survey after a steadily growing number of officers approached them.

Some of the survey results are positive, including the fact that the majority of the officers feel they are well-paid and that supervisors expectations are realistic. However, more than 65 percent of respondents said the administrations expectations are not realistic at all and about 40 percent said they were extremely or very dissatisfied with their job.

The chief said he knew the order was conducting the survey and supported it. Wetzel said he was disappointed that he didnt receive a copy of the survey before it was made public.

After a series of charts, individual comments to each question are listed. In those comments, a number of officers directly called for the chief to step down.

Three years of Chief Wetzel has hurt this department and city very badly, one officer wrote. The department is very young and inexperienced due to Chief Wetzels decisions.

I love being a cop, another wrote. I love helping people in Casper and I love catching criminals. But under this administration I absolutely hate this job.

The dissatisfaction is causing the large number of officers to look for other jobs, which could create a public safety issue, according to the Fraternal Order of Police memo.

This is a staggering number, which would undoubtedly leave the City of Casper in a crisis, if it comes to fruition, the memo states. Quantitatively, you should also realize that in many instances, the Casper Police Department already operates at minimum staffing levels, and would not be able to absorb the departure of personnel described above.

In the meantime, many of the officers said they dont feel they can do their job effectively because they dont feel they have the support of their administration and are afraid of being written up.

You got a department that doesnt care anymore and they wont go out of their way to work, one former officer said.

This department is broken, when the majority of the department has lost faith in the administration as a whole and the city council, human resources and city manager do NOTHING but play passive, one survey respondent wrote. The citizens deserve better policingnot intel gathering or spy wear but community interaction, victims of crimes deserve better investigations, and our officers deserve better from our administration and city management.

Quick rise in rank

Former city manager John Patterson promoted Wetzel from sergeant to chief in February 2014. At the ceremony, Wetzel acknowledged that it was unconventional for a sergeant to be promoted to chief, bypassing lieutenants and captains.

Wetzel is a Casper native and a decorated lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves. He has served more than 20 years on active duty and reserves in the Marines. Patterson said the only reason Wetzel had not become a lieutenant was because of his time spent with the Marines.

Wetzel joined the police department in 1999, and between time spent in the Marines, he worked as a patrol officer, an officer on a state narcotics task force, a patrol sergeant, a detective and a sergeant who oversaw the detectives.

In a phone call with Patterson five days after his appointment, Wetzel acknowledged that a few officers were scrambling to try and come up with funds to, as you said, vote with their feet, alluding to officers finding money to buy out the rest of their time toward retirement. A recording of the conversation became public after a records request by the Star-Tribune.

Patterson then said the departures would allow Wetzel to hire new people, to which Wetzel responded:

Its going to be a particular brand, those who are leaving, that I sadly have to say are not going to be impacting ... their departure will not be impacting the forward movement of the department. Sadly enough, but so be it.

In a later interview, the chief clarified that he meant that he planned to make changes to the department regardless of who stayed and who left.

But current and recently departed officers said that the sudden departure of much of the departments most experienced officers has damaged the agencys effectiveness. Four of the former officers who spoke to the Star-Tribune said they left the department because of Wetzel.

I just decided it wasnt worth it to stay and put up with all of that, one former sergeant said. Police work is hard enough.

Since Wetzel took charge of the department, a total of six sergeants, two lieutenants and two captains have left the department. While not all of those officers left due to Wetzel, there wasnt a similar exodus of top-level officers after Walsh became chief in March 2011, according to department rosters. During his nearly three years as chief, only one lieutenant left.

Excluding detectives, about half of all officers have less than six years on the force, according to a Star-Tribune analysis of the departments roster as of Jan. 1, 2017.

Some former officers said they were sidelined between the time they announced they were leaving and the time they actually left. They attended required meetings but were not assigned tasks and were left to twiddle their thumbs.

I just sat in there most days and did absolutely nothing, said one former command staff officer. I just stared at the walls.

The sudden loss in experienced officers has forced the early promotion of less-qualified officers to supervisory roles, current and former officers said. And now new officers are often missing the mentorship of officers with 15 or 20 years of experience.

Guys are being promoted to positions of authority who have no respect among the line guys and dont know how to do the job, one former officer said.

We left a vacuum that they have not been able to fill, said a former sergeant with more than 20 years of experience.

Wetzel acknowledged there was no substitute for experience, but doesnt think the relative inexperience of his department is affecting the quality of its police work. He said his department remains the best in Wyoming and that the hiring and training process creates effective officers.

Because were doing excellent work, he said.

City knowledge

City management and human resources is well aware of the problem within the department and has done little or nothing to fix the situation, all the current and former officers said. The memo from the Fraternal Order of Police echoes those concerns.

Almost the entire command staff  captains and lieutenants  met individually with City Manager V.H. McDonald in a series of meetings between March and May of 2016 to discuss a lengthy document outlining their concerns with Wetzels leadership, former officers said.

It wasnt a personality thing, it was a document that specifically pointed to policy decisions that were being made that were in direct conflict with policies or rules and regulations, one former command staff officer said.

McDonald listened to their concerns but ultimately did nothing and recommended that everyone try to get along, the officers told the Star-Tribune.

V.H. just blew it under the rug, another former officer said. He had a vote of no confidence from the entire command staff. But V.H. didnt do anything about it.

V.H. and Tracey (Belser, assistant city manager) dont have the strength to confront him about the way things have been going because they dont know what to do if they do have to get rid of him, one former officer said. I honestly dont understand why theyve let this slide so long. Its going to become a public safety issue before its solved.

The city managers office hadnt received a copy of the survey, Belser said Tuesday afternoon. She declined to comment but noted the city is planning an external review of the department.

Ironically, now the citys going to spend ($53,000) to see what the problem is when theyve known for the past 10 months, the former command staff officer said, referring to the city managers talks with command staff. We gave them their answer 10 months ago.

The memo from the Fraternal Order of Police also stated that department employees have attempted to resolve their concerns through a logical progression of steps. It also outlined the meetings in spring 2016 between command staff, McDonald and Wetzel.

Sadly, approximately one year after this meeting, there has been no communication, no follow-up, and most importantly, no resolution, the memo states.

McDonald was out of the office Tuesday. He responded to a text message informing him of the survey but did not call a reporter for an interview.

Humprey, the mayor, said Tuesday afternoon that the council could serve as a resource for officers or civilian staff who had criticism of the department and felt it wasnt being heard.

Not one single officer better be reprimanded, fired or anything for speaking up in the survey, she said.
The University of Wyoming will turn its Honors College building into an American Indian center, the culmination of more than 10 years of work by a handful of academics and activists.

The building, a house sitting on the corner of 10th and Ivinson streets, is an improvement from the cramped quarters into which the American Indian Studies program used to squeeze.

Right now American Indian Studies is four small offices, and our student space is tiny, said AIS director Caskey Russell. We dont have a large native community here, but its the buzz on campus with our native students.

Russell said his program will move in over the summer. The building, which the Honors College outgrew, will house at least one classroom, along with offices, student services, UWs High Plains American Indian Research Institute and more. It will be the focus point for university efforts to recruit and retain Native American students, officials said.

Russell praised a number of people in helping get the project finished: Sen. Affie Ellis, a years-long supporter of the idea as well as a graduate of UW; James Trosper, a former UW board trustee and the project coordinator for the High Plains American Indian Research Institute; Judith Antell, the former director of American Indian Studies at the university; and UW President Laurie Nichols.

The project is part of Nichols plan to increase the schools American Indian population, according to a news release heralding the announcement. Russell praised Nichols for helping to expedite the project, which he said gained momentum after she came to campus last year.

Ellis, a Cheyenne Republican who had enrolled in the American Indian Studies program while at the university, said she suspected that Nichols previous experience helped her gain an understanding of the need for recruiting and retaining indigenous students. Prior to coming to UW, Nichols was the provost at South Dakota State University.

This is a remarkable step forward for the University of Wyoming, Ellis said. Shes a newly elected state senator who had supported UWs program getting its own building for years. Shes also a member of the Navajo Nation. I was proud to hear that plans were going forward.

She added that turning the Honors Building into a headquarters for the AIS program would help recruit more indigenous students to come to UW. Russell agreed.

It provides an immediate sense of community for American Indian students who may feel isolated being far from their families, he said.

Russell said AIS doesnt bring traveling elders or prospective students  or any visitors, really  to its current location, those four small offices. The program holds feasts in classrooms. Its graduation has been held at a nearby hotel, an expensive inconvenience.

But the Honors House, whose new name has yet to be determined, will allow AIS to hold graduation in a space all its own. Russell was excited at the idea of indigenous peoples, visiting from countries like New Zealand and Australia, coming to a building dedicated to Native American studies and research. They could eat there, hold discussions, teach language classes.

Russell said they planned to host a summer institute in the new building for high school students from the Wind River Reservation, who can come and see the campus and the community building there.

Positive impacts on indigenous students at UW have far-reaching effects, he said.

We need our native students here thriving as part of the program and succeeding in their education and bringing it back to the reservation, Russell explained.

Thats key, Ellis said.

I know that some of the administrators and teaching professionals at Wind River have expressed interest in having more native teachers, she said. A lot of tribes have invested heavily in their justice system, hiring native attorneys to represent their tribes. Wind River would benefit from students graduating from the University of Wyoming with advanced degrees in medicine and law.

The building requires little renovation before Russell and his colleagues move in this summer. Russell said theres been some talk of repainting it, and hed like to add a commercial oven so people can cook. Eventually, ASI will install greetings in the languages of the Shoshone and Arapahoe tribes near the front of the building, Russell said.

But other than those tweaks, its ready to become the center of what officials hope will be a burgeoning community at the university.
PHOENIX  Maricopa County's new sheriff announced Tuesday that he's shutting down a complex of jail tents that helped make his predecessor, Joe Arpaio, a national law enforcement figure.

Paul Penzone said at a news conference that the nearly 24-year-old Tent City complex will be closing in 45 to 60 days.

Arpaio opened the complex in August 1993 as a way of easing jail overcrowding. The barbed-wire-surrounded compound was part of a broader campaign by Arpaio to enact get-tough measures in his jails, such as banning cigarettes, creating inmate chain gangs and dressing them in old-time striped prison uniforms.

Closing Tent City complex would undo a critical piece of Arpaio's six-term political legacy. Penzone, who defeated the 84-year-old Arpaio in November, is already phasing out his predecessor's practice of making inmates wear pink underwear.

The tents were popular among voters who believed jail is supposed to be a difficult place to live. There are no air conditioners in the tents to provide relief from Phoenix's triple-digit summertime heat, though inmates can pass the time in an air-conditioned room.

Critics said the complex was a way for Arpaio to garner media attention and contributed to a culture of cruelty within his jails.

Hundreds of inmates at Tent City rioted for several hours in November 1996, arming themselves with poles from their tents, setting fires and taking several jail officers hostage. In the end, eight sheriff's employees were injured, and the jail sustained about $130,000 in damages.

Arpaio touted the tents as a cost-saving measure, but the tents provided Arpaio with fodder for countless news releases and TV interviews over the years.

His office promoted celebrations for the upcoming anniversaries of Tent City and bragged in news releases that four presidential candidates had toured the tents and that a liberal magazine had deemed the complex one of the worst jails in America.

Arpaio posted a neon "vacancy" sign on an observation tower and another sign that said more than 500,000 people had spent time in the tents.

Tent City also was a fixture in Arpaio's stump speeches.

In a December 2009 address to an anti-illegal immigration group in Texas, Arpaio reflected on TV crews that came from across the world to shoot footage of Tent City. He said he came up with the idea of hanging a thermometer in Tent City so reporters could see he wasn't lying about the heat. Then he pointed out that the heat got more intense near the tops of the tents.

"Actually, there's a trick. If you go higher and hit the canvass, you gain about 20 degrees," Arpaio said, drawing laughter from the crowd when he explained that the ploy raised the temperature reading to 142 degrees.

Even though Arpaio insisted the complex was safe and run smoothly, Tent City was a regular target of criticism.

A jury awarded a $948,000 verdict in favor of Jeremy Flanders for a permanent brain damage he suffered in May 1996 when several hooded inmates pulled him from his Tent City bunk as he was sleeping, kicking and hitting him.

One witness said an inmate used a piece of steel rebar, which was used to secure the tents to the ground, to beat Flanders on the head, neck and shoulders.

A 2002 decision by the Arizona Court of Appeals in the Flanders case raised questions about the security of the complex, saying the flaps on the tents could be lifted up easily and that inmates freely roamed in and out of the tents.

The court also said fights among inmates were common and that inmates regularly got hold of banned items  cigarettes, lighters, fireworks, drugs, knives and food  that were sneaked into the complex by people who tossed them over the fences that surround Tent City.

In an interview with KTAR-FM two months ago, Penzone said a committee examining Tent City has discovered that the vast majority of inmates preferred to be incarcerated outdoors rather than being locked up behind the walls of conventional jail cells. Inmates at Tent City can move freely, have to report to their bunks only three times a day and can pass the time in a nearby air-conditioned room, Penzone said.

Russell Pearce, a former Arizona lawmaker who earlier in his career worked as Arpaio's top aide, has said he had proposed erecting tents as a cost-effective way of easing jail overcrowding, though Arpaio would ultimately take credit for the idea.
Three Southern Arizona Payless ShoeSource stores, including one in Tucson, will be closed immediately after the shoe chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The Topeka, Kansas-based retailer said Tuesday that it will be immediately closing nearly 400 stores as part of the reorganization. It has over 4,400 stores in more than 30 countries and was founded in 1956.

The Southern Arizona stores on the closure list released Wednesday morning are the Menlo Park location, 1223 W. St. Marys Road; a Sierra Vista store in Plaza Vista Mall; and a Nogales location at 108 N. Morley Ave. Four other stores in Glendale and Phoenix are also on the list.

Payless is the latest retailer to succumb to increasing competition from online rivals like Amazon.

Payless plans to reduce its debt by almost 50 percent, lower how much it pays in interest and line up funds. The company says some of its lenders have agreed make available up to $385 million to keep the stores running.

This is a difficult, but necessary, decision driven by the continued challenges of the retail environment, which will only intensify, said Payless CEO Paul Jones in a statement.

Shoppers are increasingly shifting their buying online or going to discount stores like T.J. Maxx to grab deals on designer brands.

That shift has hurt traditional retailers, even low-price outlets like Payless.

In fact, Moodys Investor Service said earlier this year that the number of distressed retailers  those with cash problems and lots of debt that are facing strong competition  is at the highest rate since 2009. It named Payless as one of the retailers.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has awarded Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems a $59.6 million contract to develop a multi-warhead missile interceptor, the Pentagon said in a contract notice.

Raytheon is competing with Lockheed Martin for an eventual contract to produce the Multi-Object Kill Vehicle, which would mount several kill vehicles  non-explosive warheads that destroy their targets by high-speed impact  on a single booster rocket in order to intercept multiple targets in space.

The Raytheon contract, along with a similar, $53 million contract awarded to Lockheed in March, are part of a so-called technology risk reduction phase in which the contractors further develop technology to reduce risks in development and cost.

The Mutltiple-Object Kill Vehicle is expected to take more than a decade to fully develop.

Raytheon already makes the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle, or EKV, for the Ground-based Missile Defense system and is competing to produce a redesigned kill vehicle after several flight failures of the EKV.
The Portland, Oregon, indie pop dance band The Slants is coming to Tucson, but not to the Rialto Theatre, Club Congress or another concert venue.

The quartet on Thursday is heading to the James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona, where group founder Simon Tam will recount the bands eight-year legal battle that is now in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court over trademarking their name.

I dont think anyone can reasonably imagine going to the Supreme Court for naming their band The Slants, Tam said Tuesday, not long after talking to a UCLA law class about the case.

The high court is expected to decide the case this summer. Oral arguments were presented in January.

The ruling could have ramifications on free speech as well as U.S. trademark laws, said UA law professor Derek Bambauer, who is coordinating the bands Tucson visit.

The cases outcome could determine how big a role the government plays in deciding what defines offensive and derogatory language, Bambauer said.

The Slants legal journey started after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected their application to trademark their name several times.

The government ruled that the name violated the Lanham Act, which prevents applicants from trademarking disparaging terms. The agency cited as evidence a reference in UrbanDictionary.com, which said the term was used to disparage Asian-Americans.

Even when we provided them with independent, national surveys that showed that 92 percent of our community supports us, and we sent them over 2,500 pages of evidence including letters from directors of numerous social-justice organizations and concentration camp survivors and every single Asian-American media source in the country, they still went with the Wiki article citation, said Tam.

He said slant is used so rarely as a racial slur that the New Oxford American Dictionary removed any reference to its use as a racial slur.

I would say (the governments) premise is outright incorrect, he said.

In late 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit agreed with The Slants and ruled that the government violated the bands First Amendment rights.

The government appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court.

Trademark cases are kind of unusual in the Supreme Court because they are too geeky, Bambauer said. But I think this is a First Amendment/free speech case that just happens to come up in trademark law.

The Slants UA visit on Thursday is part of the groups The Band That Must Not Be Named Tour hitting college towns around the country. Bambauer, who teaches intellectual property law and also covers trademark law, said the band approached the university about the visit.

We are delighted whenever we can get somebody who is a litigant in a case like this, Bambauer said. Its unusual to get the litigants. Most of the times you get the lawyers.

Tam said he is glad he can shed light on a legal matter winding its way through the highest court in the country.

This is a chance for students to actually see whats behind all of that  beyond the legal briefs, said Tam, whose latest recording, The Band Who Must Not Be Named four-song EP, commemorates the Supreme Court fight.

In some ways, (the case) has brought more attention to our social-justice work and causes we support. In others, its been a distraction, Tam added, noting that every mention they get in the media references their case, not their music.

The enormous amounts of money, time and energy spent fighting a court case could have been invested into music, touring and production, instead, he said.
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some April 5 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.
Customs officers in Nogales found five pounds of fentanyl inside a stroller where an infant girl was sitting.

Officers arrested a 24-year-old Mexican woman on Monday at the Morley pedestrian gate after a drug-smelling drug alerted to the stroller, according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The infant and another child were turned over to the woman's mother.
An air tanker drops retardant as it attacks the 50-acre Molino Fire near milepost 4.5 on the Mount Lemmon Highway. The Mesa Hotshots will accompany two crews from the Arizona Division of Forestry and Fire Management, a crew from Saguaro National Park, two helicopters, three engines, water tenders (tankers) and will continue to fight the blaze, which started Tuesday, according to the Forest Service Facebook page. The highway is closed from the base to milepost 7.
PHOENIX  Calling the statute a grievous threat to due process of law, a federal judge has released a convicted child molester after ruling the law imposes unconstitutional burdens on defendants to prove their innocence.

In an extensive analysis of the issue, Judge Neil Wake said someone can be convicted of molesting for the intentional and knowing touching of the private parts of a child. But the law says a defendant can seek to escape conviction by proving that touching was not motivated by a sexual interest.

But Wake said that turns the law on its head.

He said it is the legal obligation of prosecutors to prove all elements of a crime. And that, said Wake, means its up to the prosecutor to prove the person touched the child with a sexual intent, not for the person, already arrested, to prove otherwise.

Wake said the Arizona law instead criminalizes wide swaths of conduct with no element of the crime to differentiate between culpable, innocent, and constitutionally protected conduct.

By prohibiting touching, fondling or manipulating of a childs private areas, Arizonas child molestation law criminalizes sexual fondling of children, sitting a child down in a chair, diapering and bathing an infant, medical treatment, and religious circumcision alike, the judge wrote.

The ruling is at odds with what the Arizona Supreme Court decided last year when it rejected a similar challenge to the law. In that case, which the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to review, the Arizona justices said prosecutors are unlikely to charge parents, physicians, and the like when the evidence shows that the touching was not done with a sexual intent.

Wake said that clearly isnt the case, citing other cases, including one from Pima County, where a father was brought up on charges after bathing his child, only having to defend himself in court.

Just trusting the government to do the right thing is poor dressing for constitutional wounds, Wake wrote.

The ruling resulted in the release last week of Stephen E. May, convicted in 2007 on five counts of child molesting. He was sentenced to consecutive 15-year terms for incidents in Mesa that the Attorney Generals Office, which sought to uphold the convictions, said involved touching two girls and a boy through clothing or bathing suits.

The Attorney Generals Office is asking the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn what Wake did and send May back to prison.

The decision also drew an angry reaction from Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, whose agency prosecuted May. He said Wakes ruling shows an outright disrespect for last years Arizona Supreme Court ruling, the ruling the U.S. Supreme Court left intact.

Wake, however, said that was the first time anywhere in the country that a court had concluded that people charged with molesting have the burden of proving they had no sexual intent.

And he specifically criticized the states high court for concluding that theres nothing wrong with shifting the burden.
About a dozen people slept overnight Monday around Veinte De Agosto Park downtown, part of a new effort by activist Jon McLane to help the homeless.

McLane sees the new encampment, which focuses on helping homeless veterans, as a successor to the controversial effort several years ago that had dream pods  wooden boxes that homeless people sheltered in  lining sidewalks around the park.

That effort, called Safe Park, resulted in a lengthy legal fight with the city, which eventually closed the park to the public and forced the homeless to remove their possessions.

City officials note that Veinte De Agosto Park, near Congress Street and Church Avenue, is still closed and the city is prepared to enforce its new rules  upheld by the courts in the first legal fight  in the area around the park.

After the 9th Circuits (Court of Appeals) decision, the rules are very clear on what can and cannot occur in city parks and on city sidewalks, and well be following the guidance the court has provided, said Mayor Jonathan Rothschild.

McLane, who recently became an ordained minister, said Veteran Rescue Mission will focus on helping homeless veterans, pairing them with services and helping them get off the street. McLane said he is going through the process to register his church as a nonprofit.

In what he identifies as the first of four phases for this outreach, Operation Home is 24-hour-a-day education, resource and sleep site near the park where homeless veterans can pick up donated items, get a meal, meet with social workers as well as get some sleep. Several people have spent the night near the park, he said.

Later phases envision a 5-acre camp somewhere, run by other veterans, that is outfitted with tiny homes for people to live in. He also wants to build a small, nondenominational church.

The veterans mission hes set up near Veinte De Agosto Park, however, has one of the same problems that plagued the last homeless camp that sprang up: opposition from city officials.

McLane and another homeless advocate, John Cooper, filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking millions in damages for harassment from city officials over the previous homeless encampment. The men won a court injunction that temporarily prevented the city from enforcing a policy of what possessions a person could have while sitting on the sidewalks in downtown.

The city eventually closed the park, and an appeals court in May 2016 sided with the city, allowing it to enforce the rules over possessions that can be kept on a public sidewalk.

Tucson settled with Cooper and McLane, giving them each $20,000 with no admission of fault from the city.

On Tuesday morning, McLane found himself in jail again after a Tucson police officer saw him smoking marijuana near the park. McLane  who was arrested on drug charges during the first Safe Park effort  admits he was smoking pot but maintains it was legal since he has a medical marijuana card.

A spokesperson for the Tucson Police Department said that having a medical marijuana card does not give the cardholder the right to smoke in public. McLane was released a few hours after his arrest, going directly back to the park.

Councilman Steve Kozachik said there are plenty of nonprofits that help the homeless in Tucson, and he vowed to continue to work closely with those groups, but not McLane.

There are plenty of homeless advocates who are doing a ton of work on behalf of the less fortunate in our community, he said. Thats where the focus should be, not on a guy whos out promoting himself, getting busted over and over, and just playing into the stereotype the homeless unfortunately are all too often shackled with.
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!)
OPINION: "Im sure you will see, as I have, that for all the 'God talk' that Christian nationalists throw around, their attitudes and actions are starkly antithetical to the gospel of love and inclusion for all advocated by the Jesus they claim to believe in," writes Rev. Gary Nelson, a former conservative pastor in Payson.
Help India!

TCN News

Aligarh : Noted journalist Mr. Saeed Naqvi today delivered a talk on Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair at the Cultural Hall of Maulana Azad Library of Aligarh Muslim University.

Support TwoCircles



Saeed Naqvi said that historically Indians have enjoyed a plural and secular culture in which Islam and Hinduism and other faiths complemented and celebrated each other and Urdu culture merged with Awadhi and Brajbhasha.

He added that it is pity that certain forces are trying to destroy the unique social fabric and glorious culture of India. We Indians have always been proud of how different faiths have been co-existing peacefully and creating a culture that drew upon the best that each community had to offer, said Mr Naqvi.

He further said it is feared that soon only a pale shadow of the harmony that once existed will remain unless we do something about it.

During the talk, Mr. Naqvi threw light on various deliberate and inadvertent acts that have contributed to the othering of certain communities in India. He spoke on how divisions between different religions began in the modern era.

AMU Vice Chancellor, Lt. General Zameeruddin Shah (Veteran) in his presidential remarks said that if there is hatred and if there are differences, it is important to identify the quislings and prevent attacks on our Countrys social fabric.

General Shah pointed out that the real danger lies in the silence of people and it is the need of the hour to speak up in genuine terms on the behalf of all communities. He further said that people need to speak from their mind and avoid being aggressive.

AMU Vice Chancellor also said that AMU students are the future of the nation and they should make the maximum use of their time in reading and understanding things for the betterment of the country.

Delivering the welcome address, Professor Shafey Kidwai said that Mr Naqvis books in general and Being the Other-The Muslim in India in particular is an essential read for those interested in understanding the forces that have shaped the religious divide and its consequences.

Prof. Kidwai added that in the course of reading the book, readers can investigate the major missteps that took place after independence and see how some instances could have been better handled. He also pointed out that Mr. Naqvis book points out at how our politicians, power brokers, ordinary citizens have failed to reach out to bridge the divide between various communities.

While proposing the vote of thanks, AMU Public Relations Officer, Mr Omar S Peerzada conveyed gratitude to the Vice Chancellor and Pro Vice Chancellor for having constituted the Bicentenary Committee for the celebrations of the 200th birth anniversary of AMU founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan under the able leadership of Professor A R Kidwai in much advance.

He added that AMU holds an emotional bond with Mr. Naqvi and looks up to him for educating the young minds in the campus. I am sure, Mr. Naqvis mesmerizing talk on the chosen subject of his interest has left a deep impact on everyone present in todays program, said Mr. Peerzada.
By Amit Kumar, Twocircles.net

This is the third and final part of a three-part series of stories documenting caste discrimination against Dalit, Bahujan and Adivasi students /faculty at the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala.

Read part one here

Support TwoCircles



Read part two here

An alternative Political platform.

These four words were enough for them to deem me as dangerous and fit enough to be attacked.

When Vivek Kumaran said in this during our conversation, it was followed by a pause. Vivek sipped his tea, looking for more words, wondering if he wanted to add anything to this. Then he said, Just two words actually: Political platform. That is what they took out from a day-long meeting. The issue was never about an alternative to their politics. The issue was who was raising it, and for whom.

The Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU) in Kottayam is a reputed state university and attracts students from across Kerala, including hundreds of students from the marginalised communities. With students from diverse backgrounds, it would also be fair to expect student politics in the campus reflecting the same, but that is not the case in MGU. In fact, it is not even close to representing student demographics. The CPI (M)s Students Federation of India (SFI) has such a tight grip on students politics in this University that the moment you step inside the campus, you could be forgiven for believing that SFI is the only student party here: SFI signboards shine right in front of the university gate, the college roads stenciled with SFI, and SFI flags and banners the only ones that don the campus. And in conversation with students from the marginalised communities, it becomes clear that the SFI has a simple rule: its their way or the highway.

As Vivek found out.

Vivek, who belongs to the Pulaya caste (Schedule Caste), joined MGU in March 2016. Just over a month ago, Rohith Vemula had committed suicide at the University of Hyderabad, and in MGU also students were discussing this extensively and raising their voice against caste-based discrimination faced by the students. The SFI too joined, and of course, led the protests, as Vemulas tragic death and exposed the role of the then HRD Minister Smriti Irani, the local BJP MP and the pro-BJP Vice Chancellor of the campus Apparao Podile. However, as Vivek soon found out, the SFI was not so welcoming to such issues being brought up on their own campus. Not that this surprised Vivek.

As a graduate student in Aluva Union Christian College, Vivek had been for a short period, a member of the Kerala Students Union (KSU), the Congress student wing and one-time rival to SFI. I joined it because my friends were part of it. It was an extension of my friend circle, he said. However, as he dealt with the history of marginalised communities in the country, and read the works of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, he realised that the KSU form of politics was not his cup of tea. That party could never represent my community or my politics. It is based too much on idolising certain people, he says.

In fact, such was his disillusionment that during his Masters in Social Work from Kannur, he stayed away from campus politics completely. But it was not as if I was away from politics itself. I was reading, learning and understanding Ambedkarite ideology. It became clear to me that neither SFI, with its idea of vanguard politics, nor KSU with its blind following of the Congress would be of much use to me, he says.

No wonder then, that when he arrived in MG University in Kottayam, he saw a lot of discussions about the institutional murder of Rohith Vemula. In some ways, that was my first brush with Ambedkarite politics, and the way we organised against institutional bias, Vivek said. However, this was not an effort to challenge SFI, he added. It was more an attempt to organise a platform for marginalised students to voice their grievances. We never got together to form an alternative against SFI. That was not the aimcaste discrimination goes much beyond one organisation or an institution. It is embedded in our system across all walks of life, and our protest was against that, he added.

Amedkarite thoughts and the discomfort of SFI

The campus students started meeting, discussing and understanding Ambedkarite thoughts and ideas, along with other prominent scholars like Periyar, Phule, and others. The Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) was not formed yet, but the elements were there. And this, the SFI did not seem to like.

On January 10, the threats and insinuations turned life-threatening, and it had nothing to do with speaking against SFI per se. We had organised a day-long seminar for the LGBT people in the campus and were discussing ways to address their grievances. Along with this, there were also discussions to talk about how they can also be represented in students politics to ensure that they do not face discrimination of any sort, he says. LGBT people, in my opinion, are also marginalised and hence there was a need to address that. Towards the end of the seminar, we decided to form an alternative political platform so that they are adequately represented, he added.

And that is what the SFI took exception to. I guess they could not digest the fact that I, a Dalit, was speaking about a political platform which completely ignored the SFI, he says. They created a ruckus towards the end of the seminar, but I thought that was the end of it. It was not.

Beaten up for daring to speak up

That night, some SFI cadre barged into his room, including the University secretary, and started abusing him, bringing his caste into the equation. How did you dare stand up against SFI? You will not be allowed to work like this. If you repeat this, your life will not be spared. You are here to study, stick to that, they said. But before Vivek could reply, he was struck by the SFI cadre on his head, and kicked. Vivek had had a bad accident in his past and his head had suffered extensive damage then. After he was beaten up, he soon started vomiting and before long, he had fainted in his room. I was taken to the hospital by my friends, where I stayed for four days. I sustained head injuries, he says. After he was discharged, he went home to Ernakulam for a few days, before returning to the campus on January 28.

Two days later, Ambedkar Students Association was formally launched on the campus. However, Vivek says that the attack on him had nothing to do with the announcement since it had been a long-time coming. He also added that he held no posts in the party and that he would not do so in future also. My aim is not to be a leader. I am merely a student of Gandhian studies and a follower of Ambedkarite ideas. I will continue doing that, and despite threats and attacks, I will never stop, he says. He added that he would, however, support ASA in all ways possible.

The SFI party leadership refused to even acknowledge that they had attacked Vivek, and never apologised. Instead, in order to defend their actions, they began to spread lies about Vivek. I was called a Ganja (weed) peddler who supplied it to all the students. My morality was questioned, and the SFI people started saying things like I was sleeping with a lot of women. Rumours were started that a lot of people were complaining about the condoms thrown in the toilet near my room. SFI calls itself progressive, but they can give the ABVP a run for its money when it comes to tarnishing a students image by using morality as a point.  he adds.

As for the follow-up on the attack, Vivek says that the FIR was filed just a day after the attack, but that there had been almost no police follow-up on the same. The charge sheet was filed only a week ago, and there have been no arrests. But this is expected since the police are likely to follow the orders of the government. Even the administration did not take any action against the students, and that is also understandable given the grip of CPI (M) on the faculty. Their control is absolute in this area, but even then one Dalit student speaking up scared them so much. It says a lot about their politics, Vivek adds.
Help India!

By Siddhant Mohan, TwoCircles.net

Varanasi: The growing debate of nationalism and patriotism is seeing a number of steps being taken by district administrative personnel and authorities intended to boost the patriotic feeling in civic bodies employees, and this is not going down well with the Muslims of the state.

Support TwoCircles



Varanasi mayor Ramgopal Mohley has made national anthem and Vande Mataram, the national song, mandatory in all the meetings of Varanasi municipal corporation. This order has also been replicated by Gorakhpur municipal corporation. Earlier, the same kind of rule was imposed in civic bodies of Bareilly and Meerut.

The decision is being opposed by representatives from both Congress and SP. Congress state spokesperson Satish Rai said, The decision comes from those who have never sung these songs in past. It is surprising. Varanasi congress president Prajanath Sharma has said that a workshop over national anthem will be organised in citys Maidagin chowk on April 6, where awareness will be spread about the national anthem. Its history and development will be discussed.

The mayor Mohley said that action would be taken against SP and Congress members for insulting the national anthem and song and raising derogatory slogans.

Earlier in Meerut, Muslim corporators walked out after mayor Harikant Ahluwalia announced the same decision in the meeting. Reportedly, a resolution was passed in the house to cancel the membership of Muslim corporators who walked out. Earlier this week in Bareilly too, BJP corporators hailed the decision to sing the National anthem before every house meeting approved by the mayor approved.

When asked about the problems associated with the new rule, Muslim corporators said that they do not have the problem against national anthem, but singing Vande Mataram is against Sharia.

This is because while the first two (yet popularly known) verses of Vande Mataram are about the nation and are sung widely, in later verses Hindu goddesses Durga and Laxmi are worshiped. The English translation of the controversial portion of the song by Naresh Chandra Sengupta and Aurobindo Ghosh are 

Thou art Durga, Lady, and Queen,

With her hands that strike and her swords of sheen,

Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,

And the Muse a hundred-toned,

Pure and perfect without peer,

Mother lend thine ear,

Rich with thy hurrying streams,

Bright with thy orchard gleems,

Dark of hue O candid-fair

At the time of freedom movement the selection of song, which was chosen as the national anthem, was questioned by Muslim league and Muhammad Ali Jinnah due to the same reason. Back in 2006, Maulana Kalbe Sadiq of AIMPLB has already raised the question over the word Vande. He asked whether Vande means Salutation or Worship?

Shafiqurrahman Burq, the BSP leader now in AIMIM, walked out of the assembly in 2013 as the soon Vande Mataram was played.

When we asked Meerut mayor Harikant Ahluwalia about the dissent over such decision, he said, I know few corpoators are not willing to sing the national song and we will not impose such on them. But at least they could still be in the meeting room while the song was being sung or played by other fellow corporators. But they chose to walk out.

Rest of the corporators are incensed after this behaviour of those Muslim corporators and they have asked for some strong action against them, I have ordered the action against them, said Ahluwalia.

Coming over to the controversial verses of the national song, Ahluwalia said, God is same everywhere. Cant they be more open-hearted?

But Varanasi mayor Ramgopal Mohley follows a dictators way in implementing the new rule. He said, I have made the decision and this is final. And if someone has a problem with the national song, strong action will be taken against them.

It seems that municipal corporations in various cities of Uttar Pradesh have started to lit the nationalism in their own terms, but the choice of religion and religious freedom is put on the stake.
Help India!

New Delhi, (IANS): Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students here on Wednesday continued their protest against the cut in seats for M.Phil and Ph.D courses.

Some 100-120 students shouted slogans against the Human Resource Development Ministry and the Delhi Police.

Support TwoCircles



There is not much of hope now, but we cannot be stopped from demonstrating our anger, Dileep, a student leader, told IANS.

The curtailing in the seats occurred after the Universtiy Grants Commission order related to faculty-student ratio for research guidance was adopted by the JNU last year.

The order entailed a limitation in the number of Ph.D and M.Phil students who can be taken up for guidance by a faculty member.

The Delhi High Court last month also ruled in favour of the university which had approached it as a consequance of repeated protests by students against the decision.
Help India!

Kolkata, (IANS): BJP Bengal units President Dilip Ghosh, known for shooting off his mouth, triggered a fresh controversy by describing the Ram Navmi celebrations in the state on Wednesday as a fight between Ramzada (one born of Lord Ram) and Haramzada (illegitimate- born).

The controversial leaders latest comments came on a day the RSS-led Sangh Parivar backed by its political wing Bharatiya Janata Party organised Ram Navmi celebrations on a grand scale, but faced strident criticism from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for appropriating festivals and trying to divide people.

Support TwoCircles



Ram belongs to the entire world. We believe Ram is there in all the creations. One who is afraid of Ram, Ram does not belong to him.

Here (in Bengal) there is a fight going on between Ramzada and Haramzada. It is a test to decide who is on the side of Ram, and who is not, Ghosh, a veteran Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh hand, said while leading a Ram Navmi rally in his constituency Kharagpur of West Midnapore district.

His comments are a virtual echo of Union Minister of State Sadhvi Niranjan Jyotis remarks at a rally ahead of the Delhi assembly polls in late 2014 where she told voters to choose between Ramzadon and Haramzadon.

The ruling Trinamool Congress, which organised Hanuman worship and brought out Ram Navmi processions of its own to counter the BJP during the day, reacted sharply.

This gentleman has lost his mind in the heat of Kharagpur. He doesnt know what he says. He is polluting our culture. Even people chatting in the drawing rooms use better language. He lacks mental balance, said Trinamool Secretary General and state minister Partha Chatterjee.

Communist Party of India-Marxist legislature party leader Sujan Chakraborty dismissed the BJP leaders comments as nonsensical and uncultured.

This is also reflective of his unsocial nature, he said.
Whilst in Italy tremendous protests rise against the construction of the pipeline TAP (which has to transport gas from the Balkanic peninsula to Belpaese), for environmental and safety reason, the European Union is facing a big problem related to energy: the cyber security.

The protection in a digitalized industry, threaten by crackers, is mainly necessary for the energetic sector, where dangerous material (gas, oil) are transported often using the international networks, as stated in a report by Energy Expert Cyber Security System Platform, dated February 2017.

A digital single market

A digital single market (DSM) strategy would be necessary, with two recommendations: 1) a contractual public-private strategy on cyber security; 2) a definition on missing technological standards, related to the use of big data, the security, the cloud computing and the Internet of things.

Nevertheless, the different energetic choices of all the European countries make hard identifying an international framework. Shale gas, which a few years ago has been considered the new energetic source of the millennium, is not accepted in all country, because of environmental fears and uncertain rights of exploiting the subsoil. Gas And Oil remain the main sources in the continent.

A big subject to safeguard

The need for an increasing interdependence among market players is clear in gas and oil sub-sector. Pipelines networks are mainly national (till now) because their management affected national security strategies, and the decisions on it are taken with a "top-down approaches that establish national objective and priorities", states the quoted report.

It is not difficult to understand why. Only a big subject can safeguard exploitation and transport of dangerous material, knowing the problems in the different hubs and possessing information and power to prevent or solve them. However, in a Union pretending to be interdependent in every sector, it should be international, better than a national one.

Cyber security for wind power

Less dangerous are renewables sources. Yet, also in these cases, the lack of the network is an obstacle. Spain produced a surplus of the wind and the solar energy, but connections are not so advanced in Spain and France to sell it to Germany, former president of Italian oil company ENI Giuseppe Recchi tells in his 2014 book "Nuove energie. Le sfide per lo sviluppo dell'Occidente".

However, wind farms are exposed to cyber attacks too and they need to reinforce security system, secretary of ANEV (Italian wind energy association) Davide Astasio Garcia stated on the 14th of March, looking for a smart solution for developing the sub-sector and increasing the cooperation between operators.
Labour have been heavily criticised by many over their handling of anti-Semitism within the party, but has the issue been blown out of proportion? Ken Livingstone has been suspended for a further year from the Labour Party over comments made about Hitler and links to Zionism bringing the party into disrepute. After comments, several prominent figures and media widely condemned him alike, but have his comments been skewered to further inhibit the opposition?

The quote in question he said: Its completely over the top but its not antisemitism. Lets remember when Hitler won his election in 1932, his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel.

He was supporting Zionism  this before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews.

Anti-Semitism or historical fact?

The quote was from an interview with the BBC over whether Naz Shah was anti-Semitic, in which he stated that Shahs comments were over-the-top not anti-Semitic. Recently it has become apparent that if you criticise the Israel state you are called anti-Semitic but if you are critical towards Palestine you are labelled as a supporter of the brutal Israel regime. The current geopolitical situation that has engulfed Israel-Palestine is a complicated historical conflict that cannot be labelled in such simple terms.

Last year the UK government have banned public bodies and student unions from shunning goods from Israel.

This is a direct contradiction to a free society. The current apartheid Israel regime is brutal and has been vocal in its desire to remove Palestine from existence by subsuming the state. But historically the Palestine regime hasnt glorified itself either. The conflict has been ongoing for decades with historical differences dating back centuries before it became its own state in 1947, unfortunately many take to social media to pick a side without researching.

Being critical of Israel does not mean an individual is anti-Semitic and Livingstones comments about Hitler have be spun. He was stupid for saying it the way he did, fully knowing how it would likely to have been reported. But he stated fact about Hitlers manifesto at the time he was elected. He should have left the he was supporting Zionism out of his comments but that is the benefit of hindsight because this does not mean he stated that Hitler was a Zionist, this is obviously not true.

Shifting the focus

Why though does a fair chunk of the media focus on what is said by Labour politicians rather than what the Conservative government are doing? Cosying up to Saudi Arabia whilst they bomb Yemen and selling them the means to do this, cutting benefits from the poorest in society and allowing the 20bn tax breaks to go through for corporations. The millions saved from the benefit cuts do not even pay for a quarter of cutting corporation tax to 19%.

The disproportionate distribution of wealth is increasing and plunging 250,000 more children into poverty. Yet the focus is on Labour and the apparent anti-Semitism that is in the party. When it is not rife at all and this idea pedalled by many inhibits the ability to be an effective opposition, when lies on this scale are spread.

Whatever weaknesses Corbyn has, it is hard to lead and fix them properly when at every opportunity, you are attacked for no real reason. This furore is a falsehood that is purposefully been blown out of proportion to continue to weaken Labour as an opposition.
I am writing an article here which many would believe to be controversial, antagonistic and possibly inappropriate. But I will persist anyway. I want to write about Israel, the perception of apartheid and Palestine.

Fighting the apartheid claim

There are many who claim that Israel is like apartheid South Africa, but I just do not understand why. I think the claim is made due to the wall that was built to provide security from the West Bank. But let us be very clear, Palestinian people are allowed in Israel; they just have to go to through the check point.

In addition to this, there are many Palestinians living in Israel; they are just known as Israeli Arabs. It is important to note that, as stated on BBC, about one fifth of Israel's population (around 1.45 million people) are of "Palestinian Arab descent". Further on from this, Arab citizens do enjoy equal rights; they have the freedom to pray, to assemble, to work and to generally live, like any other citizen. It is clear that Israel is no apartheid state.

Palestine

Moving on, I would like to discuss the issue of Palestine. As we all know, before 1948 what was Israel was Palestine. But now there is only the occupied territories. Now, whilst many criticise Israel for this occupation, it is important to note that this is not the first time that the Palestinian people have been subjected to outside rule.

Before Israel controlled the occupied territories it was Jordan who was in control. And before there was Israel, it was the British who controlled Palestine and before them the Turks.

I mention this so that people understand the truth and fight the misconception. That is all.
Ken Livingstone has become embroiled in fresh controversy concerning his comments about Israel, the Jewish people and Adolf Hitler. Let us investigate.

What was initially said?

The problems started last year when Livingstone made comments, as reported in the Express newspaper, that Adolf Hitler was a Zionist. He also claimed that there was a "well-orchestrated campaign" against the Labour party by the "Israel lobby", according to the Telegraph newspaper. As a result of his comments, Livingstone was suspended by the party, who stated that "we are not tolerating anti-semitism in any form".

Recurring problems

However, whilst we hoped that that would be that, it has not turned out to be like that. It has recently emerged that Livingstone stated that Zionists "collaborated" with Nazis "right up to the start" of the Second World War. It has led to him being suspended for another year. In analysing what was said, whilst he may have truly believed what he said, after what happened last year, why say anything at all? He must have known that he would get in to trouble and what good is it doing for the Labour Party itself? They already have a number of problems and just did not need this. It is fine to have your opinions, but just keep them private. Unfortunately he did not.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May is apparently reported to have suggested that the European Unions free movement into the United Kingdom could be extended. As per online reports an implementation phase will help the government as well as the citizens to adjust to the new applicable rules.

Brexit means better border control for UK

The Brexit is expected to allow better border control and security to UK. Uk Pm Theresa May as per online reports have claimed that even post the implementation phase, the immigration policies will be controlled by the government.

What the future immigration policy will look like is still a huge question mark but it will definitely be safer as it will be under UKs control completely.

Transitional phase might last for a total of three years

Reports have suggested that this transitional phase might last over three years post which the EU migration to UK will be slashed down tremendously. It is natural for British citizens to feel anxious as no concrete plan as to the future relationship and future partnership between the Brexit countries is developed as yet and also the transitional phase needs much more detailing than thats done currently for all citizens to be at peace with the exit.

The Saudi Arabia tour for future development

The UK Prime Minister is currently on a Saudi Arabia trip that aims to develop post Brexit deals for UK. While she is being criticised for the visit, she is reported to bring in investment from the oil rich nation. Her three day Middle East tour will thus improve chances of foreign investment for UK or at least that is what the tour is expected to result into.

It is interesting to note that Saudi Arabia is Britain's biggest trading partner in middle east with exports worth millions of Euros being shipped every year. She also has a four senior member team looking after the Brexit negotiations and more. The committee is chaired by UK PM Theresa May herself and is expected to meet regularly to discuss matters relating to Brexit and UK's development in the process.
The resolution at the UN

The United Kingdom, the United States and France recommended the adoption of a resolution at the UN, in order to condemn the chemical attack in Syria. The vote will be placed on the agenda of the UN today. These countries blame the regime of President Assad for the attack that killed dozens of people. The Syrian army has rejected responsibility, adding that they would never use chemical weapons.

UN mediator Staffan de Mistura said that the "terrible" chemical attack arrived from the air. The draft text, which is owned by Reuters, contains both that the Syrian government should allow researchers to the international community's plans for the year and the notes from Tuesday, along with the names of all squadron commanders.

He added that it is necessary to provide access to the air base from which it is likely that the attack was launched. The draft also said that it is expected from the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, reports on a monthly basis about whether the Syrian government cooperates with international investigators, to reveal the causes of the attack with chemical weapons.

The use of chemical weapons continues

The draft resolution expresses dissatisfaction with the fact that the killing and injuring individuals continues with the use of chemical weapons in Syria. The draft also expresses determination that all those responsible are brought to justice.

Currently, it is not clear how will Russia, which is an ally of Assad, and China, look on such a move.

In February, Russia, supported by China, invested his seventh veto to block attempts by the West to impose sanctions on the Assad regime. The investigation of the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has established that the troops of the Syrian government responsible for three attacks using chlorine in 2014 and 2015, and found that the ISIS used mustard gas.Therefore, it is agreed with the Syrian government that the destruction of stocks of chemical weapons in 2013, which was the result of an agreement between Moscow and Washington, must happen. The UN Security Council endorsed a resolution according to which the "all who are transferring or using chemical weapons in Syria face measures of sanctions".
Genres : Drama, Thriller

Starring : Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan

Director : Sam Taylor-Johnson

Plot Synopsis

The worldwide phenomenon comes to life in Fifty Shades of Grey, starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan in the iconic roles of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. Ana is an inexperienced college student tasked with interviewing enigmatic billionaire Christian Grey. However, what starts as business quickly becomes an unconventional romance. Swept up in Christian's glamorous lifestyle, Ana soon finds another side to him as she discovers his secrets and explores her own dark desires. What results is a thrilling, all-consuming romance as Christian and Ana test the limits they will go to for their relationship.
On Wednesday President Trump removed his most senior advisor and strategist, #Stephen Bannon, from the National Security Council, an elite policy-generating committee that can make world-changing decisions in regard to military, diplomatic and national security policy. Trump restored the very senior military and intelligence officials who he demoted when he arrived to the Oval Office in January, causing a stir in both the media and intelligence circles.

The reshuffle was coordinated by #Lieutenant McMaster, who became Trump's national security adviser after #Michael Flynn was forced to step down.

Flynn was essentially asked to leave when it was revealed that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with the Russian ambassador.

#General McMaster has had to manage protests over Stephen Bannon's position in the security council since taking on the role, and in inheriting such an inflamed set up he has had challenges to deal with. Critics claim that Bannons presence in such a key national security policy-making organization has had a large potential to risk the politicization of foreign policy.

Originally Bannon was a member of the principals committee that usually includes high-level officials like vice presidents, defense secretaries and secretaries of states. In making #Bannon, a former chairman of Breitbart News, a member of the principals committee, Trump thereby excluded the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff as only intermittent partakers in high-risk and strategic issues.

The order that #President Trump made on Tuesday removes Bannon from this highly regarded principals committee, and restores intelligence director and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff along with the energy secretary, the CIA director and an ambassador from the United Nations.

The White House speaks unofficially

A White House official spoke to the New York Times on Wednesday and said that the move was not indeed a setback in any way for Stephen Bannon, but rather a logical move in the ongoing functioning of the committee.

Bannon, the same official claimed, had first been placed on the principals committee to keep an eye on #Michael Flynn and to also iron out operational issues left over from the Obama administration's hold on the National Security Council.

Another official who was within #Bannon's inner circle emphasized that the move was not about the President's wavering support of Bannon, and that he still had Trump's full backing.

In fact, Bannon will still maintain a role in making national security decisions, and he continues to hold elite security clearance in the West Wing.

#General McMaster has fought to gain control of national security, and the reshuffle was seen as a win for him. As well as the shifting structure of the principals committee, the newly announced order gives General McMaster authority over the Homeland Security Council instead of making the council a separate entity.

General McMaster was aware of the volatile situation in Trump's office and worked concisely but without too much speed to implement these changes. Bannon fought to keep his position under any new reorganization by #General McMaster, but the president was eventually convinced that taking Bannon off the committee was a better and wiser choice.
A group of reporters and editors of the Booster Redux, the newspaper of the Pittsburg High School, is getting some worthy praise for their efforts. The team of youngsters  consisting of five juniors and one senior student  decided to investigate their new principal who started at the school on March 6. What they discovered led to her resignation.

Researching the principal's credentials

The team had a meeting about Amy Robertson, their new principal, and started researching her background. They quickly uncovered several discrepancies in Robertsons education credentials.

One aspect of their research was Corllins University, where Robertson had said she got a masters and her doctorate degrees several years before. However, they instantly found the private universitys website wasnt functioning and they could find no evidence that it was, in fact, an accredited university.

What the students did discover was that Corllins University was portrayed in a number of articles online as being a diploma mill, where people can buy themselves a diploma, degree or certificate. The university was certainly not accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. They also found no physical address existed for the university in the Better Business Bureaus website.

Speaking to the Washington Post, one of the students, Connor Balthazor, 17, said there were several things that didnt add up.

They then began an investigation that lasted several weeks, resulting in an article published in the School Newspaper on Friday last week. The article put into question the principals degrees and her experience as an educator. On Tuesday, Robertson handed in her resignation. The Pittsburg Community Schools then said in a statement that in light of some issues that have arisen, the principal thought it was in the best interest of the school district to resign.

Student journalists in the nationwide news

After the article, followed by the Principals resignation, the student newspaper staff got into the local, state and even national news. Reportedly professional journalists from all over the country applauded the students for their work, saying they asked some tough questions and ended up prompting change in the school administration.

The newspaper advisor, Emily Smith, said that people kept telling the students to stop poking their nose in where it doesnt belong, but they persisted anyway. However, Smith did note that the students couldnt understand why something that was easy for them to spot hadnt been noticed by adults in the school district. According to Barthazor all that information had been overlooked and he said you would expect authority figures to notice this.

Reportedly Robertson was living in Dubai for over 20 years before getting hired at the school. She was allegedly the chief executive of an education consulting firm there. According to the students, the principal gave them incomplete answers, along with inconsistencies and conflicting dates when she spoke to them in a conference call.

She also reportedly said she attended Corllins University prior to its losing accreditation.

How brilliant is this?



High school journalists investigated a new principal - days later, she resignedhttps://t.co/AFt89Xyul3 pic.twitter.com/xbIfWcsHrA  James McEnaney (@MrMcEnaney) April 5, 2017

After the publication of the article and Robertsons resignation, she was reportedly contacted by the Kansas City Star. She told that newspaper that all her degrees were authenticated by the U.S. government. However, she would not comment about the students questions relating to her credentials, saying their concerns were not based on fact. However, according to Smith, during an emergency faculty meeting on Tuesday at the school Robertson could not produce a transcript to confirm her University of Tulsa undergraduate degree.

As for the students themselves, Balthazor said that in the beginning, it was exciting, like a movie where a journalist is chasing down a lead. However, as things progressed, they realized there was much more to the story. When the story broke nationwide, Balthazor was amazed at so many people paying attention to a school journalism story from southeast Kansas.
In an interview with CBS News on Tuesday, Ivanka Trump spoke about her role in the White House and her attitudes to the Trump administration's controversial policies.

Last week, Ivanka announced that she would be unpaid for her work in the administration. Since November, she has been involved in her father's policies and even sat in on state meetings. Her husband, Jared Kushner, is however an employee whose job covers an enormous amount of issues, ranging from peace in the Middle East to relations with China and Mexico.

Agree to disagree

Speaking to CBS's Gayle King, Ivanka said: "Where I disagree with my father, he knows it and I express myself with total candor.

Where I agree, I fully lean in and support the agenda. There have been leaks in the press about Ivanka being a moderating influence on her father's administration -most notably with gay rights and environmental protection. However, Trump is still planning to revoke laws meant for combating climate change, which were passed during Obama's term.

Ivanka did not go into detail about which issues in particular, she disagrees with, only that there are many ways to have your voice heard. Recently it has been revealed that Ivanka would be an unpaid adviser in the White House. She has already sat in on Trump's meeting with the Japanese prime minister and was part of the state visit with Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau.

'Complicit'

A recent Saturday Night Live sketch titled "Complicit", in which Scarlett Johansson plays Ivanka, drew negative attention to the president's daughter. The sketch exposes Ivanka's hypocritical attitudes, and presents her as complicit in Trump's policies. "If being complicit is wanting to be a force for good and to make a positive impact, then Im complicit," she answered on CBS News.

Even though her reaction to the sketch was cold at best, it was much calmer than her father's explosive Twitter tirades against Alec Baldwin, who impersonates him on SNL.

During Donald Trump's campaign, there were hopes by some women's rights activists that Ivanka would be a source of protection for women in D.C. After all, she did push a pro women's rights platform during the campaign.

However, she stayed either silent or absent as policies which impact women were sent to the White House. For example, last month when Trump eliminated maternity-care coverage from his health-care bill, Ivanka was on a ski trip. She concluded the interview by saying that she hopes time will prove she did a good job, and that her father's administration will be successful.
Documents exclusively obtained by the Guardian show how the New York Police Department spied on Black Lives Matter activists. The surveillance was carried out amid the protests surrounding the death of Eric Garner.

The spying carried out by the NYPD involved undercover officers posing as activists, but also intercepting text messages and filming the protests. Lawyers are questioning the motives of the NYPD.

Emails reveal police surveillance

The documents which were obtained largely consist of emails between undercover police officers and other officials.

A freedom of information lawsuit, led by a New York law firm, enabled the release of these documents. The lawyers in this case, noted that the information obtained raises serious questions about the NYPD and their compliance with city rules. David Thompson, one of the attorneys in the case, said that there is no evidence of a crime being committed by the protesters, but that the police carried on with undercover activities "as if they were al-Qaida".

Undercover officers successfully posed as protesters, even within small groups. For example, an email shows that one of the police officers was part of a group of seven protesters. They also gained access to information regarding demonstrations and locations of individual activists.

In addition, some police members shared pictures of group texts. This means that some officers gained considerable trust among the movement.

Black Lives Matter activists react

Elsa Waithe, one of the organizers of Black Lives Matter, told the Guardian that the activists compromised themselves. Regarding pictures of private text messages, Waithe said: "That text loop was definitely just for organizers, I dont know how that got out.

Someone had to have told someone how to get on it, probably trusting someone they had seen a few times in good faith."

Another activist, Keegan Stephan, noted that an officer would have to develop a friendship with protesters to gain access to small groups. Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD detective sergeant, claimed that the undercover surveillance probably went on for quite some time in order for the police to gain such intimate access.

Michael Price, who works as legal counsel, noted that it is hard to conclude whether the New York police crossed the line. However, police are prohibited from taking pictures and videos of public events unless there is a case of unlawful activity. From the emails obtained, there appears to be no evidence for any unlawful activity by activists, but quite the contrary - the protesters were often described as peaceful and orderly.
The state prosecutor of Central Floridas Ninth Judicial Circuit has been expelled from 21 homicide cases. Florida Governor Rick Scott made the declaration effective on Monday. Aramis Ayala was removed after her refusal to consider the death penalty in court cases. In rebuttal, Ayala blames Scott for manipulating his power and authority just to compromise the judiciary system. Florida is 1 out of 31 states that proceed with the death penalty after criminal prosecutions.

Fired for no death motivation

Ayala covers court cases in Orlando, FL. She took to her position as state prosecutor in January.

By March, her actions started a debate after the state prosecutor declined to consider capital punishment for the murder of a cop in Orlando. She said legal chaos was her motivation not to seek criminal execution.

Many people were in support of her choice. They even engaged in a marching campaign out of Tallahassee, FL just to rally for her. However, the Florida governor stated on Monday, "Ayala's total disregard to consider the death penalty during her term in office sends a derogatory note that she is not keen on considering each accessible choice when fighting for justice."

Since removing Ayala, Governor Scott has turned all her cases over to State Attorney Brad King- including the other 21 cases she was expelled from.

Capital punishment: Supreme Court versus Florida

The concept of capital punishment has been a controversial topic in the state of Florida for over a year. The death penalty has been subject to debate since the U.S. Supreme Court decided in January 2016 that the state's capital punishment was illegal. The high court ruled that the sentence coming out of Florida gave more authority to the judge rather than the jury.

In a counter attack against the Supreme Courts choice, Scott signed an executive order in March that would require juries to suggest on things that empower a judge to enforce the death penalty in court.

Statistics show that 1,436 people were executed after being sentenced to death in the United States from 1977 through May 2016.

Their deaths were primarily a result of lethal injection. Most capital punishment cases are usually connected to espionage, murder, conspiracy, terrorism, and treason.

People like Rick Scott who favor the death penalty consider it viable in the preservation of law and order. However, people like Aramis Ayala say it has no deterrent effect on criminal activity.
A secret meeting between the United #Arab Emirates, Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a Russian with close ties to President #Vladimir Putin was arranged in January according to both European, Arab and US officials. They say that the purpose of the meeting was to establish a back channel so that Donald Trump and Putin's Moscow's administration could talk.

The alleged meeting happened around January 11, which was nine days before Trumps inauguration and it was located in the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean, those officials claimed. The details of the agenda of the meeting are hazy, but the UAE stepped into facilitate and broker the meeting to explore, amongst other possible reasons, if #Russia would agree to diminishing and eradicating its relationship with Iran, including in Syria.

This was a Trump administration strategic aim that would then facilitate key dispensations to Moscow regarding the US sanctions that were imposed by Obama.

Thought the Russian wasn't identified by the officials, they did say that Prince had no formal role with the Trump campaign and merely presented himself as an unofficial envoy to the high-ranking Emirates officials involved in managing the secretive meeting with Russia. Erik Prince was, however seen at the Trump transition offices in New York in December 2016, when speculation about Trump-Russian alliances and interference wasnt quite as heightened as it is now.

Prince gave money to Trump

Not unsurprisingly, Prince was a keen supporter of Trump and gave $250,000 to Trumps campaign, a pro-Trump super PAC led by GOP mega-donor Rebekah Mercer and also the national party, this as records show.

Of course, he has financial and business ties with Trump's inner circle, including #Stephen Bannon, Trump's most senior advisor and the architect of  as many say  Trump's presidential persona and playbook. Also, Prince's sister is the educational secretary #Betsy Devos, who was sworn in in February amongst remonstrance from Democrats who disagree with her take on private education and funding private schools, which then causes public schools to miss out.

DeVos also has a religious bent that also causes liberals much pain.

The United States officials said the #FBI has been studying and dissecting the Seychelles meeting as part of its larger investigation into Russian medalling in the 2016 election, which then caused Trump to win. At the time there were alleged communications between #Putin and Trump, who both vehemently deny the charges today.

The White House is not a keen fan of the Russian-Trump narrative either, and are distancing themselves through the press secretary Sean Spicer. We are not aware of any meetings, and Erik Prince had no role in the transition, Spicer told the press this week. The Seychelles encounter, which an official claimed lasted for two days, adds to an escalating network of potential connections and communications between Americans who have ties to Trump and Russia. The White house has not wanted to admit that these associations are real, that is until the press has illuminated them for the American public.
Opposition is never easy but on Tuesday the country saw a unique case of peaceful opposition in a period when government nationally is becoming more intolerant of dissent at its decisions and where announcements are expected to be received unquestioningly. The example comes from a book that warns of dictatorship.

Cinemas

When Donald Trump became President the sales of George Orwells book 1984 surged and it returned to the New York Times bestseller list. As reported by the BBC, yesterday more than 200 art house cinemas around the country showed a movie version of the film.

The date is a symbol of the book which marked the first day of the protagonists act of rebellion against Big Brothers dictatorship; by writing a diary.

Themes

The book returned to popularity because its themes of dictatorship and censorship are perceived by many members of the public as being relevant to the current White House. While the protests may seem an act to supporters of the President, it does raise issues that are more than relevant to any government and not just to the current Administration.

In fact, one of the strange things about the big increase of sales of the book is that it should send warning signals to the Congressmen and Senators of the Republican Party. For a Party with a proud tradition of defending Democracy in the United States and abroad, it should be more than a little dismaying for many of them that their own President is seen as authoritarian and not authoritative.

Democracy

Orwells book makes frightening reading and the one aspect that has most relevance to the current Administration is the use of language to falsify the past and the present to change the future.

Its protagonist Winston Smith works in the Ministry of Love, the dictatorships propaganda branch, and his job is not only to change the definition of words but also to eliminate rivals or delete whole chapters of history to justify changes of direction by Big Brother or to explain that losses were actually defeats.

When Kellyanne Conway used the phrase alternative facts and President Trump accuses the Press and his opponents of spreading fake news they tacitly acknowledge the warning contained in the book and the film.

Worse still, the refusal to acknowledge worries by the Democrats and the protests of the public against Oval Office orders or against changes of laws such as the Affordable Care Act that affect the quality of life for the general public are a denial of a simple fact of Democracy, that the government represents all the population and not only a small part.

Role

For this reason in any Democracy the Opposition has a vital role to play in the proper running of government. This is officially recognized with the structures of the permanent Committees in both the Senate and Congress with the majority as the Chair and the minority as the Deputy.

This recognition should extend to the whole Administration beginning within the White House and also to the Supreme Court where the over representation of any single group is a potential danger to the neutrality of the countrys highest Court, a danger that the Republicans at times seem to forget.

While it may be easy to see an election as a competition with the winner taking all, Democracy is not this. Electoral victory gives responsibility to the Office holder and does not give him or her absolute power, which is the antithesis of Democracy.

Intolerance of dissenting opinion may disguise the fact that the dissention may in fact be the right answer to a problem. Automatically following orders is not Democratic because it does not allow for proper examination of any law or order before it is issued. These are all matters that have hit this Administration since the Inauguration.

For these reasons we must remember the message of 1984 and also of a popular American saying There is only one thing worse than a bad loser, thats a bad winner.

There is a reason for opposition and it is important, it is the price of Democracy.
As we proceed towards the end of the Donald Trumps honeymoon period in the White House, it is appropriate to understand why a man who won a hotly contested election in November now has a record low approval rating for a newly installed President. The reason may be found in two words.

Businessman

The man who entered the White House after the January 20th Inauguration was a businessman whose whole life had been dedicated to running his own company and had never had any experience in politics, diplomacy or the military. Donald Trump was the first President to enter office with no experience of any of the roles that form the central platform of the Office of President of the United States.

As his modus operandi as an entrepreneur was to expect his orders to be followed blindly by his assistants President Trump then took this attitude into the Oval Office from the first day. No dissention is allowed from staff members and any criticism directed towards the man in the political hot seat, from any source, is greeted within undisguised intolerance from its subject.

While these tactics may work in boardrooms, they do nothing to ensure proper administration of the system of government of a major democracy. These differences can be summarized by looking at two words that are the difference between Democracy and Dictatorship.

Definitions

According to the Oxford Dictionary to govern is to Conduct the policy, actions, and affairs of (a state, organization, or people) with authority.

On the other hand to rule is defined as have a powerful and restricting influence on.

In most commentaries on forms of government the first form is that used towards a Democracy and therefore by elected officials, whereas the second verb is commonly used in reference to monarchies and even dictatorships. Effectively the verbs define the essential differences between a Democracy and any form of unelected government.

In the same manner they define the difference between a person who runs his or her own business and those who run the Administration of a country.

Politician

Since his first day in office Donald Trump has been running the country as though the Oval Office was the boardroom of Trump Tower rather than the place of an elected official with the added responsibilities and duties tied to the position.

These differences in attitude explain the intolerance towards court challenges to his orders, just as they make us understand the criticism of the judges who decided in favour of the challenges. These differences also allow us to understand his attitude to the personal Conflicts Of Interest as he sees his the Oval Office as his new business and thus he considers there is no conflict between the private businessman and the public official.

In this he shares many similarities with the other businessman become politician, Italys Silvio Berlusconi, who once answered criticism of his own conflicts of interest by saying If by acting in my own interest I am also acting in the interest of the country, where is the conflict?.

Warning

Donald Trump would do well to look at the example provided by Silvio Berlusconi because the entrepreneur from Milan paid the ultimate price for his mistaking governing for ruling. The former Italian Prime Minster was expelled from the Italian Senate and has been banned from public office.

Nobody wishes this fate on President Donald Trump but it should serve as a warning to make the businessman understand that the stakes for anyone in politics are much higher than those of a private entrepreneur and the price to be paid is much higher and also much more public.

Finally, now is the time for the Republican Party to play its true role as Berlusconis own party was unwilling to do; to provide the assistance and direction that will allow the businessman to become the governor of the country. Is the GOP capable of doing so?
While the oval office will always try to impose its timetable on domestic and world politics, the worlds superpower must always be ready to face challenges on the world stay that demand urgent attention from Washington. In the last 24 hours #President Donald Trump was given international hot potatoes to handle in two separate continents that will draw his attention away from the domestic issues he must also handle.

Syria and North Korea

In Syria the suspected gas attack on the rebel held town Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province that killed large numbers of civilians including children drew swift condemnation from the international community.

The town had been attacked by Syrian air force and it is suspected that they used gas in their attack.

The Russian government, which supports the Bashar al-Asssad regime in Syria, has replied by stating that the source of the gas was an ammunition store struck by government bombs. This matter is now the subject of an urgent debate in the United Nations where the Russian where the British and French governments want the attack considered a war crime and the appropriate action.

As reported by the BBC, overnight North Korea launched another ballistic missile test from the port of Sinpo which landed in the Sea of Japan. The timing of this test is very specific in the light of the visit to the United States this week by Chinas President Xi Jinping where he will spend the weekend as a guest at President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

North Korea was already on the meetings agenda as a result of previous tests and follows on from President Trumps recent remarks that the United States may be willing to act on Pyongyang on its own if China did not pay a more active role in controlling the behaviour of Dictator Kim Jong-Un.

State Department

Dealing with these two matters has been made more complicated by a still incomplete State Department senior staff structure.

According to the Huffington Post, many top posts of the governments diplomatic branch are still unfilled or are being occupied by temporary acting officials.

In addition the Department headed by Secretary Rex Tillerson also faces massive cuts in the Oval Offices proposed budget. These two factors combined seem to indicate an Oval Office that does not consider diplomacy a priority.

America first

While Donald Trump promised during the presidential campaign that his aim was America first, international politics is unavoidable, as the two matters listed above show.

Syria directly involves #Russia which has backed and continues to back Al-Assad, even with military intervention against ISIS and the other rebels against the regime.

North Koreas testing not only involves China, it also worries Americas Asian allies who are already uneasy easy about Chinas intentions in the South China Sea which saw the presence recently of an American naval flotilla including the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.

Test

Two such international incidents so close to each other will provide a true test for President Trump and Secretary Tillerson and will give the first real answers to whether or not the new Presidents political agenda and business skills will be able to handle the challenges of international politics.

The judgments on these issues will not only be made by the American public but above all by the worlds leaders, friends and foes alike.

As the traditional three month presidential honeymoon period draws to its end the true testing of the new President of the United States has truly begun.
Are jax taylor and Brittany Cartwright headed for their very own "Vanderpump Rules" spinoff show? For the past several months, rumors have been swirling in regard to the possibility and earlier today, after traveling to New York City to appear on "Watch What Happens Live," Taylor addressed those reports.

"I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to it," Taylor admitted during an interview with E! News on March 6. "I know they were talking about it... They're talking about spin-offs all the time with all of us, so I don't know what's going on." Rumors of a spinoff series first began swirling late last year, around the time of the "Vanderpump Rules" season five premiere.

Since then, further reports have claimed Taylor and Cartwright's alleged series will be based out of Kentucky, where Cartwright's family resides.

Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright are nearing their two-year anniversary

Taylor and Cartwright have been dating since early 2015 after meeting one another during a visit to Las Vegas. At the time, the couple completely hit it off and within a short time, Cartwright packed her belongings in Kentucky and headed west to Los Angeles where she began living with her boyfriend.

When Cartwright first moved to Los Angeles, she attempted to get a job at SUR Restaurant but because she was unprepared for her impromptu interview with Lisa Vanderpump, she was turned down.

In turn, she got a job at Hooters before eventually being hired at SUR.

Jax Taylor may soon move out of Los Angeles

Taylor continued on in his interview and revealed that his days working as a bartender at SUR Restaurant may be numbered. "I'm not staying in California," Taylor explained to E! News, revealing that he prefers the slower pace of Florida.

"I say that, though, and then I go [to Florida] and I'll probably be like, 'OK, I'm bored out of my mind. I want to move back.'"

To see more of Jax Taylor, Brittany Cartwright and their co-stars, tune into "Vanderpump Rules" season five on Monday nights at 9 p.m. on Bravo TV.
lifetime network is known for airing stories based on real life events. "The New York Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell" is premiering on Lifetime on Sunday, April 23 at 8 p.m. The movie includes the intricate details about the June 6, 2015 prison break that stunned the nation. It is about an insecure prison tailor who fell in love with two prisoners and helped them escape from Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York. People know some of the details that were in the headlines, but Lifetime is sharing more details leading up to the prison break.

Lifetime's version

According to Lifetime, the network will show how Joyce Mitchell believed the two convicted murderers were in love with her. Because the movie is titled "The New York Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell," it is believed that the movie will focus more on the woman than on the convicted murderers.

Joyce Mitchell's admission

The married mother of three admitted that she fell in love and was intimate with both Richard Matt and David Sweat who were both serving life sentences for murder. She also admitted to her part in the escape including smuggling tools to them in frozen hamburger meat.

Mitchell, played by Golden Globe and SAG nominee Penelope Ann Miller, had planned to run away to Mexico with them.

Their plan failed when the woman got cold feet and became so ill that she ended up in the hospital and failed to show up to be their getaway driver. She told officials that the men had planned to kill her husband, and she didn't want him to die.

Rest of the story

This is not a spoiler because the nation already knows that the manhunt went on for three weeks and cost $23 million.

Richard Matt was tracked down and the 48-year-old murderer was fatally shot on June 26, 2015. David Sweat pleaded guilty two days later when he was captured. He was sentenced to up to 14 years in prison to be served consecutively with the life sentence he was already serving. Mitchell, 51, pleaded guilty for her part in the escape. She was sentenced to up to seven years in prison.

Watch the movie when it premieres on Lifetime on Sunday, March 23 at 8 p.m.
Wu Lebin, chairman of Chinese Academy of Sciences Holdings Co [Photo provided to China Daily]

China is investing heavily in North American shale gas in order to commercially extract methanol for use as an environmentally sustainable motor fuel, a leading executive behind the multibillion-dollar project said.

Spearheaded by Shanghai Bi Ke Clean Energy Technology Co Ltd, a State-owned enterprise focused on methanol production, a plant has been set up in the state of Washington to produce methanol from the shale gas, said Wu Lebin, chairman of Bi Ke's parentthe Chinese Academy of Sciences Holdings Co Ltd.

He said the plant had attracted $6 billion in funding from both Chinese and United States investors.

Wu said that he expected the first batch of methanol to be shipped to China via seaborne carriers by 2019.

"If we replace diesel, coal and gas with methanol to power vehicles, emissions of PM2.5 (a critical air pollutant) would be slashed by 80 percent, and carbon emissions would be halved," he said, adding that the cost is only two-thirds that of coal.

China has factored in environmental concerns while maintaining economic growth, by transitioning from the use of coal to other cleaner energy such as liquid natural gas.

Utilizing methanol as a source of power has been adopted by a number of Chinese companies, Wu noted, but the technology to convert shale gas into methanol is "cutting-edge", he added.

The US is a favorable source of shale gas thanks to easy access, the low cost of electricity and a close location for international shipping, Yuhuang Chemical Inc CEO Charlie Yao said.

Yao's company has also established a plant in the USin Louisianato produce methanol for the Chinese market.

By 2020, proven reserves of shale gas will surpass 1.5 trillion cubic meters, according to the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) on the energy sector released by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration.

China has steadily increased its ability to extract shale gas in recent years and aims to substantially improve its shale gas yield in the next decade and beyond.

Annual output is expected to reach 30 billion cu m by 2020 and jump to a range of 80 to 100 billion cu m in another 10 years, the NEA said.
JAKARTA - A consortium of Chinese and Indonesian firms on Tuesday signed a contract with KCIC, a firm tasked with monitoring the high-speed train project linking Jakarta to Bandung, unveiling the construction phase of the project.

The Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract was signed in the premises of Indonesia's state-run construction firm Wijaya Karya (Wika) here on Tuesday afternoon.

The 142-km-long railway project is the first of such in Indonesia as well as the first in the whole region of Southeast Asia.

It is expected to be built in three years and the high speed train could reach a speed of 350 kilometers per hour.

The train would make passengers experience shortened traveling time of around half an hour between the two cities, spurring economic activities along the line.

On behalf of firms of the consortium, Project Director of High Speed Railway Contract Consortium (HSRCC) Xiao Songxin said that through good cooperation and communication, the project can be finished in 2019 as scheduled.

"We will work hard to attain the best quality standards for the Jakarta-Bandung high speed railway train project," he said.

KCIC President Director Hanggoro Budi Wiryawan said that the firm has settled most of the lingering problems, including the official permits and form of enterprises to run the first project of high speed train in the country.

Hanggoro was also optimistic about negotiations with China Development Bank (CDB) over $4.7 billion of fund to partly finance the project.

The signing of the contract was witnessed by Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Xie Feng and Indonesia's Presidential Chief of Staff Teten Masduki.

Ambassador Xie believes that with full support of the Chinese and the Indonesian governments and hard work of contractors, the project can be settled on scheduled time.

Hailing the signing of the contract, Masduki said that the project would lead to a breakthrough in Indonesia's national train transport system.

"This project would become the cornerstone for Indonesia's train modernization," he said.
VIENTIANE - Full steam ahead for the China-Laos railway construction, Laos has speeded up machinery import from China, local daily Vientiane Times reported Monday.

Hundreds of trucks carrying machinery and equipment for construction of the China-Laos railway have entered Laos after being delayed at the border. A special lane has now been allocated at the Mohan-Boten border crossing point to facilitate the passage of the trucks, project coordinator in northern Lao province Luang Namtha, Chanthachone Keolakhone told Vientiane Times on Friday.

A taskforce team was set up last week to man the special truck lane. It will inspect and approve the imported items, which are exempt from tariff payments in Laos.

Authorities in charge met last Tuesday and Wednesday in Oudomxay and Luang Namtha provinces of northern Laos to discuss ways to accelerate the railway construction. They planned to speed up the import of machinery and equipment and arrange for compensation and resettlement for people who will have to relocate to make way for the railway.

Preparations are now underway to start the boring of tunnels, and work is expected to begin before the upcoming rainy season, Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport Lattanamany Khounnivong said on Friday.

"Tunnel entrances are being prepared for boring. We expect to begin boring before the rainy season and once the rain comes we can work inside the tunnels," said Lattanamany.
ISLAMABAD - Gwadar, a poorly-known port town previously in Pakistan has been becoming a new economic engine for the country with the construction of a free zone co-built with China.

"We have finished 60 percent of the first-phase construction for the port's free zone, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year, one year earlier than we planned," Hu Yaozong, deputy general manager of the Gwadar Free Zone Company, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Chinese engineers and their Pakistani counterparts are working around clock in the construction site with the hope of seeing the free zone is open to operation as early as possible.

The free zone is a key step towards developing the Gwadar port into an important regional hub that will benefit not only South Asia, but also the countries in Central Asia and the Middle East.

The free zone, which covers about 923 hectares of land and will be developed in four phases. It is designed to take advantage of Balochistan's rich fishery and mineral resources to develop relevant industries for overseas market and to develop light industry for the domestic consumption.

As a part of the light industry plan, China's Linyi overseas market, a comprehensive shopping mall project, will soon be introduced into the free zone.

"It is quite alike the renowned Yiwu small commodities market in China. The Linyi market in Gwadar will develop an overseas warehouse so as to make their goods not only available in the Pakistan market, but also in markets around the region," said Hu.

According to Hu, the first round of investment has almost completed with projects on fishery and electric motors settled and business center enterprises moved in.

The second-phase construction of the free zone is featured with a huge stainless steel factory, which, Hu added, would create a considerable number of jobs for locals in Gwadar, which has a population of less than 100,000.

With the further development of the port and free zone, work forces in other villages around Gwadar are expected to flow into Gwadar.

According to the deputy general manager, a training school donated by China will be completed soon. After short-term training, local people are expected to find a position in the developing Gwadar, he said.

Munir Ahmad Jan, director general of the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA), also shows high expectations on Gwadar's future.

Besides Chinese and Pakistani investors, a lot of investors from other countries have come to the GPA to consult on business opportunities in the free zone, he said.

In 2016, the Pakistani government issued a financial act which ensured a 23-year tax exemption policy for the Gwadar free zone in a bid to attract more international investors.

Jan said that as businesspeople have seen the bright future of the Gwadar port, a lot of Pakistani real estate investors came to Gwadar to purchase land.

He said the land prices now in Gwadar are increasing fast and real estate related industries have witnessed real momentum in the small city.

"We feel that Gwadar's free zone area needs further expansion and we have requested for more area," said the official.

"China and Pakistan have an equally long history, but China developed rapidly due to sincere Chinese leadership and now it has become the leading economy in the world. We shall try to maximize our experiences, cooperation and assistance from China to develop our own country and improve common people's lives," Jan told Xinhua.

The development of the Gwadar port is not only in the economic field, but also at a broader social level.

A vessel carrying construction material from a China-donated emergency center reached Gwadar in March.

The medical center, which will come into service as early as in May, is designed to carry out basic diagnosis and treatment, conduct small surgeries and emergency rescues.

It will initially be operated by Chinese medical teams and be gradually handed over to the Pakistani side in the future.

In September last year, a China-donated primary school came into use in Gwadar. The school had planned to enroll about 150 pupils, but more than 300 students of different grades attend the school as many locals believed that the school had better teachers and facilities.

"We are very thankful to the Chinese people who have long been very active in Pakistan's infrastructural development. I think our relationship will be further strengthened with the passage of time because of the sincere leadership on both sides," Jan concluded.
A cat greeter at a restaurant in Beijing, March 16, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

Here is a good restaurant for cat-lovers in Beijing. At the restaurant, guests can play with these cute four-legged animals. However, people must be gentle with them.

Of course, if guests are willing to order food for these cute animals, the cats are sure to be attracted by the guests.
The price of ivory in China has dropped sharply - from $2,100 per kilo in 2014 to $730 in February - and that's good news for elephants.

Wildlife conservation groups worldwide have been applauding China's plans to end the legal trade in ivory later this year (instead of the end of 2021 as has originally been planned). Now a new survey of ivory prices in markets across China by Save the Elephants, a leading elephant conservation group, suggests those plans may already be having a positive impact.

Chinese demand for tusks has been blamed for driving African elephants toward extinction and the Chinese government in recent years has taken steps to stop the trade in ivory, which is used for ornaments and souvenirs. China's ivory factories were to have been shut down by last Friday, followed by the closing of retail outlets by the end of this year.

Harry Peachey, an adviser to the International Elephant Foundation, calls the drop in prices since 2014 "a harbinger of what will happen once the market is shut down completely."

Conservationists say tens of thousands of elephants have been killed in Africa in recent years as demand for ivory in Asia, particularly China, increased. Past estimates of Africa's elephant population have ranged from 420,000 to 650,000. Some conservationists estimate that up to 20,000 elephants have been killed by poachers every year to meet demand.

"This is a critical period for elephants," said Iain Douglas-Hamilton, president and founder of Save the Elephants, which carried out the new survey.

"With the end of the legal ivory trade in China, the survival chances for elephants have distinctly improved. We must give credit to China for having done the right thing by closing the ivory trade. There is still a long way to go to end the excessive killing of elephants for ivory, but there is now greater hope for the species," he said.

Other factors behind the drop in the price of ivory include a slowing economy with fewer people able to afford luxury goods, and a crackdown on corruption that has dissuaded business people from buying expensive ivory items as "favors" for government officials, the report says.

Peachey said advocacy has also helped. "Consumer education has been part of the process as China moves to shut down the trade," he told China Daily, "and those efforts might very well have played a part in both demand reduction and drop in price - let's hope so."

According to the new survey, the 130 licensed ivory outlets in China have been gradually reducing the quantity of ivory items on display for sale, and recently have been cutting prices to boost sales, the Associated Press reports.

"China has demonstrated that it is all about action and not words - in stark contrast to the United Kingdom Government, which has proclaimed itself a leader on elephant protection issues and has promised to end all domestic ivory trade in the past two election Manifestos," Will Travers, president of the Born Free Foundation told China Daily.

Travers said that the drop in price has been predictable in light of trade restrictions, political pressure, more effective field conservation, improved intelligence gathering and tougher sentencing for wildlife criminals.

"The key variable that will determine the effect on poaching is not prices. It is profits," Prof Alejandro Nadal, economist at El Colegio de Mexico, told China Daily. Without knowing how the markets are structured, he said, "We don't know how the profitability of illegal traders is being affected by these price declines."

Wildlife authorities in Kenya, the main conduit of ivory smuggling in the region, welcomed the news of a price reduction in China.

"Once they don't have an appetite for ivory it will no longer be attractive to kill elephants. We are hopeful that China will meet this deadline (to ban the ivory trade) and we will see our elephant populations restored in the parks," said Patrick Omondi, the deputy director in charge of species at the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Travers reminds us that we're not out of the woods yet, as "tens of thousands of African elephants are still losing their lives each year. Only unified action across the entire internal community can bring the trade and slaughter to an end."

Contact the writer at chrisdavis@chinadailyusa.com.

(China Daily USA 04/05/2017 page2)
More people in the United States have favorable views of China, according to the latest surveys by Pew Research Center and Gallup.

The Pew survey released on Tuesday finds that 44 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of China, up from 37 percent a year ago. It described the growth in positive ratings for China as partly due to declining concerns about economic threats from China.

"The share of the public that sees the amount of US debt held by Beijing, the loss of jobs to China and the trade deficit with China as very serious problems has dropped significantly in recent years," the Pew survey says.

Only 44 percent said trade deficit was a very serious problem, compared with 61 percent in 2012.

Most US economists have dismissed bilateral trade deficits as a problem. Rather, they point out that it was a fiscal policy issue for the US. This contrasts to US President Donald Trump's rhetoric of blaming trade deficits with China, Germany and Mexico for US job losses and economic woes.

A study by the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University showed that 85 percent of the job losses are attributed to technological change, largely automation rather than international trade.

Yukon Huang, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former official with the World Bank and US Treasury Department, pointed out that conventional wisdom on many of the bilateral economic issues, such as trade deficits, job losses and exchange rate, is often wrong.

The Pew survey was basically in line with a Gallup poll released in early February, which showed that Americans have been feeling more positively toward China in recent years. It showed that 50 percent of 1,035 respondents interviewed in the US from Feb 1-5, say they have a favorable opinion of China, compared with 44 percent in 2016 and 41 percent in 2012. It was the highest rating in about 28 years.

The latest Pew survey shows that Democrats and young people have more favorable views towards China.

Republicans' view of China has also improved to 39 percent today compared with 27 percent a year ago when then-presidential candidate Trump and other Republican contenders shouted negative rhetoric about China on the campaign trail.

Republicans generally hold more negative attitudes toward China and express stronger worries about economic challenges in the US-China relationship. This was reflected by 71 percent of Republicans saying job losses to China are a very big problem for the US, compared with only 47 percent of Democrats.

While jobs are the top Republican concern about China, among Democrats it is China's impact on the global environment. More than six-in-10 Democrats call it a serious problem, compared with only 44 percent of Republicans, according to the Pew survey, conducted among 1,505 respondents in the US from Feb 16 to March 15.

The Pew survey also finds that people in the US tend to be more concerned about China's economic strength than its military prowess. For example, the amount of US debt held by China is the top concern among the eight sources of tension between the two countries included in the survey.
Internally displaced people who fled Raqqa city stand near tents in a camp in Ain Issa, north of Raqqa, Syria on April 3, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

DAMASCUS - The Syrian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the Syrian army doesn't have any kind of chemical weapons.

The ministry blasted in a statement as completely baseless reports accusing the Syrian air force of carrying out a toxic gas attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in the country's northwestern province of Idlib earlier on Tuesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 58 people were killed and tens of others wounded by the attack.

The ministry stressed that "the Syrian army doesn't possess chemical weapons and hasn't used them before in any Syrian city."

Meanwhile, Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told pan-Arab Mayadeen TV that the rebels who are supported by France, Britain, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia were the ones carrying the chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun.

He also said that his country has fulfilled all of its commitments toward the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

The Syrian official also urged the international community to hold accountable the parties behind the attack.

Mekdad noted that the Syrian government had provided information to the OPCW weeks ago about the smuggling of toxic materials by the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front into northern Syria.

The Tuesday attack wasn't the first reported in Syria, as chemical weapons were said to have taken place in several areas in Syria in the past years, with the government and the rebels trading accusations.

As many as 1,400 people were killed when several opposition-controlled areas in the suburbs around Damascus were struck by rockets containing chemical agent sarin on Aug 21, 2013. Both the opposition and the government traded accusations.

In the same year, a chemical attack hit the then government-controlled town of Khan al-Asal in the countryside of Aleppo, in which several Syrian soldiers and civilians were either killed or suffered from suffocation. The government accused the rebels, who, in turn, denied the accusation.

In October 2013, the OPCW officials arrived in Syria to monitor the dismantlement of the Syrian chemical weapons arsenal, after Damascus officially joined the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Convention.

The OPCW later said that the government has made its chemical weapon production facilities inoperable.

The dismantlement of the Syrian chemical weapons was due to a US-Russian understanding, the first sign of a consensus between both powers on the Syrian conflict.

Since then, reports of poisonous gas attacks kept emerging once in a while.
SEOUL - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Wednesday test-fired one ballistic missile into eastern waters, South Korea's defense ministry said.

A Seoul ministry official told Xinhua that the ballistic missile was fired at about 6:42 am local time from Sinpo in North Hamgyeong province, in northeastern DPRK. The missile flew about 60 km into its eastern waters.

It was not known what type of missile it was as the military authorities of South Korea and the United States are still analyzing the firing.

According to Yonhap news agency report, it was not an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or a submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM).

On March 22, Pyongyang test-launched what was presumed to be a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile from its eastern region, but it failed as it exploded in midair.

On Feb 12, the DPRK successfully test-fired a new type of intermediate-range ballistic missile, called Pukguksong-2.

The test-firing came as combined forces of South Korea and the United States are conducting joint annual spring war games, codenamed Key Resolve and Foal Eagle that are scheduled to end by the end of this month.

A variety of U.S. strategic weapons were mobilized to the war games, including a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, a nuclear-powered submarine and nuclear-capable bombers.
State of the Blog

I'm not keeping up the blog like I used to. Posts will be here and there, as the mood strikes. Most of what I have to say is in my book. Thank you for reading.


When I say that I have tried very, very, VERY hard to avoid reading about the sex scandal surrounding Apostle Suleman of the Omega Fire Ministries, I mean every word of it. This is like the story of Ese Walters and the COZA pastor all over again, and we all know how that ended. In case you have forgotten, he said the holy spirit was going to give him a robust response, and till today, the holy spirit is yet to responded. The issue has been swept under the carpet, the church is probably still growing, and everyone is walking around pretending that their pastor isnt a huge fuck up.

You shouldnt blame Apostle Suleman for his fuckery because nobody  not his wife, not his accuser, not his congregation, not the government, not the Nigerian leaders, and definitely not the Nigerian laws and people  will hold him accountable. His wife even released a new song and music video (called My Hero) that screamed of utter, undiluted foolery, but what do I know about speaking of the man of God.

I know that this isnt just a Nigerian problem, but I am focusing on Nigeria and Nigerians right now because you are my people. That said, as a nation, we [Nigerian Christians] are so afraid of anyone who claims to be the man of God. Although there is proof of Sulemans transgressions, it does not matter because he is the alleged man of God. In fact, even if his congregation were to catch him deep inside his accusers vagina, they would still spin the story. It would be reported as a woman who used juju to harden the penis of their precious man of God and then proceed to jam it inside her vagina, all without his knowledge and consent. And of course, he hated it the whole time.

The reason why people from other religions look at us and laugh at us and disrespect us is because while we (Nigerian Christians) pretentiously wander around saying God bless you, to everyone, we dont actually know God. We dont reverence Him, and we do not care to do so. Were more concerned about the carnal beings who stand on the pulpit and tell us what God told them to tell us, and we are ever ready to pay any price for Gods words. We cling to every word that falls out of their mouth, forgetting that this God we claim to serve actually sent His only son to die for us so that we, ourselves, will have direct access to Him.

No, wed rather be broke and hungry because we have given all our money to God so that He, in turn, can give it to the Pastor to fund his sexcapades  because we all know how much God just loves to fund our sins and make sure that while we dishonor Him with sexual deviance, adultery, and lies we do it ever so abundantly and comfortably. Thats the God we act like we serve.

Apostle Suleman is only one man that we know of. There are many, many more. While we salivate over the men (and women) who claim to hear from God, lets remember that we are called to be Christ-like, not pastor-like.

Let us then approach Gods throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)
Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page.

Loading...

Checking your browser before accessing the website.

This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly.

Please wait a few seconds.
Caged-fish rearing on a reservoir with state support__Photo: Quang Duy/VNA

, , ,

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recently introduced a draft law on fisheries, adding provisions on protection of aquatic resources in the context of scarcity and environmental pollution seriously affecting the habitat of natural and cultivated aquatic species.The draft law, with 100 articles arranged in eight chapters, provides that aquatic resources belong to all people, and must be protected, regenerated and developed in order to ensure the biodiversity and protect the environment and natural landscapes.Compared to the law currently in force, the draft specifies more acts involved in aquatic activities to be banned to suit the reality, such as release of exotic aquatic species into natural water areas, use of exploitation methods of mass destruction nature and inclusion of impurities in aquatic materials and products.It also has an article clarifying the model of community-based fishery management, which has been successfully implemented in a number of localities but is not yet provided in the current law, and proposes granting a limited number of licenses for certain aquatic activities based on aquatic reserve surveys.However, at a conference to review the draft law on fisheries held by the National Assemblys Science, Technology and Environment Committee on February 25 in Hanoi, while highly appreciating new provisions on protection of aquatic resources, many experts proposed the drafter to require fishing activities to be standardized to conform with international regulations in order to make aquatic products exportable to overseas markets.Nguyen Thi Hong Minh, former president of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said the draft law lacked provisions on modernization of fishery activities to meet international standards.The rearing, exploitation and processing of aquatic resources can effectively develop only when local aquatic products become globally marketable, she stressed.Agreeing with Minh, VASEP vice president Nguyen Hoai Nam said that as aquatic imports and exports of Vietnam has found their niche in the global market and is always regarded as the major factor to boost the aquatic development in the future, the draft law needs to create a legal framework to enable Vietnamese exporters to meet requirements of commercial agreements and importing countries.-
HA NOI  Asanzo Viet Nam JSC plans to introduce its first smartphones this summer, ictnews.vn has reported.

The Vietnamese brands new product will aim at rural, low-income markets.

Pham Van Tam, Asanzo general director, said the company will invest about US$2 million in the project.

Asanzos smartphone will meet the criteria of competitive price, beautiful design and good service quality," Tam said. The brands first smartphone is expected to cost VN3-5 million ($131.5-$219.3)

Asanzo is a Vietnamese brand that was launched in 2014. The company owns a production line in Vinh Loc A Industrial Park in HCM City with over $20 million in investment capital, specialising in manufacturing household electrical appliances, especially televisions.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam should have savvy foreign direct investment (FDI) policies that direct capital to modern and environmentally friendly technologies and promote technology transfer to make local firms more competitive, experts say.

They say it was a good sign that the manufacturing and processing industries were drawing significant FDI sums. Statistics compiled by the Viet Nam Foregin Investment Agency show that in the first quarter of this year, nearly 85 per cent of registered FDI, or US$6.54 billion, went to manufacturing and processing industries.

According toTran Van Tho, economics professor at Waseda University, Tokyo, FDI has a significant role to play in promoting domestic industries and driving economic growth.

However, if Viet Nam does not have wise FDI policies, the economy will be at risk of depending heavily on foreign companies and domestic firms will fail to accumulate resources like technology and capacity, Tho was quoted by a recent Viet Nam News Agency report as saying.

He said this might lead to distortions in the economic structure in the long term and the industrialisation process would not be sustainable.

External force is important but it is the inner force that decides, Tho said.

He said that Viet Nams industrialisation process was currently heavily dependent on foreign investment, but the FDI sector was not closely linked to the national economy.

Tho citied statistics showing that FDI accounted for 50 per cent of the countrys industrial output and 70 per cent of exports. Some export products, like mobile phones, were solely FDI.

He said that Viet Nam would need to have policies that encourage FDI inflow into high quality hi-tech production and technology transfer.

Nguyen Thi Tue Anh, Deputy Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management, said that the FDI sector was not linked closely with domestic firms, which hinders technology transfer. At the same time, domestic firms had not engaged deeply with the supply chain of the FDI sector in Viet Nam.

It is important that FDI attraction is targeted at promoting technology transfer and improving competitiveness, Tue Anh said, adding that policies should direct investment to environmentally friendly and hi-tech sectors.

Rapid globalization and the fourrth industrial revolution requires Viet Nam to be selective in FDI attraction, with a focus on quality rather than quantity, he said

Other experts, meanwhile, said its time Viet Nam focused on attracting investment from giant corporations in the world.

They noted that with the Government hastening efforts to improve the investment climate, Viet Nam was becoming more attractive to foreign investors.

In the first quarter of 2017, FDI surged to $7.71 billion, jumping 91.5 per cent over the same period last year.

Economist Nguyen Mai was quoted by the Nhan Dan (The People) newspaper as saying: We should not worry about how to attract FDI but focus on selecting the best projects.

However, the problem was that the licensing of many FDI projects was now under local authorities, with the result that many poorly-performing projects had been approved.

This showed that the Government should act fast to issue regulations that direct FDI attraction and other mechanisms towards enhanced supervision and project efficiency, Mai said.

FDI to HCM City up 56.7%

HCM City attracted $574.71 million in FDI in the first quarter of 2017, a year-on-year increase of 56.7 percent, according to the municipal Department of Planning and Investment.

The city granted investment certificates to 141 projects with a total investment of $133 million and 42 existing projects with a combined capital of over $89 million. Besides, it approved 401 foreign investors registration to contribute capital, purchase shares and buy back financial contributions from the citys firms to the tune of $352 million.

Malaysia topped the citys FDI sources with over $44 billion (33.3 percent of the total), followed by Japan with $29 billion (22 percent) and the Netherlands with $16 million (12 percent). Information and communications sector was the top sector, luring $51.77 billion, or 38.7 percent, as much as 3.1 times over the same period last year.

The citys Planning and Investment Department has launched an online investment registration system for foreign investors who want to contribute capital to firms in the city. After five months of operation, the system received 432 documents. The second phase of the programme will include other procedures.

Regarding domestic investment, more than 7,900 new enterprises with a total registered capital of VN99.4 trillion ($4.3 billion) were licensed by the city, up 14 and 61.7 per cent respectively over corresponding figures last year. - VNS
PRINT | EMAIL | PERMALINK Best of Burque 2017 Civic City Best City Politician to Get a Pat on the Back Mayor Berry Mayor Richard Berry was way ahead of the pack in this category. Clearly his visionary infrastructure programs like ART as well as investments to the tune of $300 million to build up Downtown have convinced Alibi readers that hizzoner means business. And with Berry-launched initiatives like partnerships with the University of New Mexico and nearly 300 quality of life programs begun and sustained through his tenure, Berry certainly deserves a pat on the back. 2) Pat Davis 3) Michelle Lujan Grisham

Best City Politician to Get a Punch in the Nose Mayor Berry Or maybe the current mayor deserves a punch in the nose. Although we dont recommend it and would never advocate violence, our readers voted on this hypothetical scenario and determined, again by a sizable margin, that Berry was their man. Maybe it had something to do with the APD debacle or the ART debacle or the stagnant economy debacle or the crime on the streets debacle (which may be part of the APD debacle, but you get my drift). 2) Susana Martinez

Best Citywide/Statewide Scandal Pizzagate During a big meeting of big Republicans at a big hotel in the big city of Santa Fe, our current governor, no doubt feeling the agency and political capital that comes from being part of such a Grand Old Party, allegedly committed verbal abuse upon hotel staff and security, had a run-in with the commander of the State Police and commented blithely, authoritativelyand perhaps, again allegedly, drunkenlyabout the pizza party going on in her private suite. The resulting brouhaha, termed Pizzagate by the media, was voted a top scandal by Alibi readers for a second year in a row. 2) ART Project
HA NOI  San Miguel, the Philippines largest brewery corporation, is evaluating and may bid for Viet Nams Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corporation (SABECO), company president Ramon Ang told Bloomberg reporters on March 31.

Viet Nam may provide an anchor to increase firms brewery business, as consumption in the country is growing at an annual rate of at least 10 per cent, five times that in the Philippines, he said, adding that his company sells nine out of every 10 beers in the Philippines.

The businesses we ventured into have matured, therefore the company is in a very stable position, Ang said, citing compounded annual growth of 20 per cent in recurring profit and a near fourfold increase in assets since 2008 following San Miguels diversification from food and drinks into non-allied industries such as toll roads and resources. Excluding one-off items, profit will rise at least 20 per cent, to some 60 billion pesos (US$1.2 billion) this year, he said.

Saigon Beer, or Sabeco, Viet Nams largest brewer with 40 per cent market share, has received government approval to hire consultants to advise the State-owned company on its planned stake sale this year. Heineken NV, Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and Asahi Group Holdings Ltd are among seven foreign companies that previously registered bids.

Ly Minh Hoang, head of Sabecos Shareholders Relations Department told Viet Nam News in a telephone interview on Tuesday that he was aware of the news reports but Sabeco was yet to receive an official offer from the Filipino company.

Sabeco listed nearly 641.3 million shares (under code SAB) at a starting price of VN110,000 per share on the HCM Stock Exchange (HOSE) on December 6, 2016. After two months of listing on the southern exchange, the company boasted a net profit of nearly VN4.5 trillion, 22 per cent higher than its yearly target. Its share price doubled on the debut day to touch VN215,400 a share.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nams import value of animal feed and material for production of animal feed witnessed a year-on-year increase of 41.6 per cent in the first quarter of this year.

This was stated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The value reached US$955 million in the first three months, including $343 million in March.

The ministry said that Viet Nam mainly imported those products from Argentina, accounting for 47.2 per cent of total imports; the United States, 15.7 per cent; India, 4.2 per cent; and China, 3.4 per cent.

In another development, the ministrys Department of Livestock Production sent official letter 468/CN-TACN to animal feed importers in Viet Nam to ask them to stop the import of some animal feed products containing antibiotics stimulating growth from January 1, 2018.  VNS
VIET TRI  When we drink water, we remember its sources.

When we eat a sweet fruit, we are grateful to those who plant it.

Gratitude to ancestors is an axiom of Vietnamese life and culture, and the event that gives greatest expression to this gratitude is the Hung Kings Memorial Day, which falls on the 10th of the third lunar month (which falls on April 6 this year on the Gregorian calendar).

The nation as a whole pays tributes to its legendary founders on this day.

After lighting incense at the Celestial Temple on top of Nghia Linh Mountain to pay tributes to the nations founders, Le Hong Van, chairman of Viet Tri Citys Peoples Committee, cited the above-mentioned homilies on gratitude.

These are the reminders that are handed down from generation to generation, he said.

At 6.30am sharp, many people were standing in line for the nonstop, uphill walk to the top of the Nghia Linh Mountain, where the 6th King Hung Huy Vuong of the Vietnamese legend was buried.

Vietnamese people from all parts of the country had made their way to Viet Tri City to pay their tributes to their ancestors.

We come here from Binh Duong Province, ang Thi Giau told Viet Nam News. Theres one temple dedicated to the Hung Kings at the ai Nam Complex near where we live."

But this is the original site where our ancestors were buried so we want to come here, she said as she prepared to light incense and pray at the Celestial Temple.

In the last six years, Giau has been here five times with a group of six friends in their 70s and 80s.

But it is not just the elderly who take the 500 or so steps to the temple atop the mountain. Many young people, students, and people of all ages and walks of life come here to connect with their roots.

It is estimated that over the last two days, a staggering two million people have visited Hung Kings Temple, truly the countrys biggest pilgrimage site every year.

Leading an entourage of more than 100 civil servants in Viet Tri and a royal carriage on the shoulders of a dozen strong men to the mountain top, Le Hong Van, chairman of Viet Tri Peoples Committee, lit incense in the inner altar, open to a very limited number of people.

Today we stand at the Celestial Temple at the top of the sacred Nghia Linh Mountain with enormous gratitude toward our ancestors: the Hung Kings, our nations founding fathers, he said.

We share a common heritage, he continued, and all of us commemorate the Hung Kings Memorial Day every year. It is our tradition, our common background, our great unity.

Legends and artifacts

Vietnamese people tend to disagree with each others on many things, but there is no difference of opinion on one important thing that the Hung Kings are our ancestors.

The blend of history and legend has it that the first ruler of what is Viet Nam today was Kinh Duong Vuong, a great-grandson of the Agriculture God, who looks over all farming work in Heaven. He then married the Dragon Queen and give birth to Lac Long Quan, or Dragon King.

Lac Long Quan met his future wife Au Co, or the Phoenix Queen in a cave during one of his travels around his kingdom. He took her to settle down at the Nghia Linh Mountain. The couple gave birth to one hundred men.

One day Lac Long Quan told his wife, My dear, I belong to the Dragon family, while you to the Fairy family. So we cannot live together for long.

So when their sons become adults, Lac Long Quan sent 50 sons to go with their Mother Au Co to live in the mountains. He took 49 other sons and headed out to sea.

They left their eldest son Hung Quoc Vuong to rule the country known as Van Lang.

Hung Quoc Vuong lived in the Van Lang Citadel, now Viet Tri City. The Hung dynastry lasted for 18 generations.

Dragon steps: The palanquin team from Chu Hoa Commune at the foot of the Nghia Linh Mountain is accompanied by a dragon dance team.  VNS Photo Nguyen Trung Kien

In his book, The Hung Kings Temple  Historic Memorial, writer Vu Kim Bien lists all the 19 Hung Kings and the duration of their reigns.

But legend has also been infused into the list. It is said the first Hung King ruled for 221 years and lived up to 260 years, and that the second Hung King ruled for 300 years and lived up to 646 years.

While these are obviously legends orally handed down from ancient times, some of the legendary stuff has been supported by artifacts unearthed by archaeologists.

The last Hung King did not have a son to continue his lineage, so he gave the throne to a nephew. Thuc Phan An Duong Vuong defeated the last of the Hung Kings in 257BC.

Later, Thuc Phan lost his kingdom to the neighbouring Qin dynastys general Zhao Tuo, who used his son to seduce, marry and gradually steal weaponry secrets from the daughter of Thuc Phan An Duong Vuong. This story, known to every Vietnamese, is purportedly a legend, but several details of the story are backed by real-life artifacts.

The earthen spiral citadel, or Co Loa, 16km northeast from central Ha Noi, was the location of the Au Lac Kingdom, with Thuc Phan as King An Duong Vuong.

The giant turtles claw, used as trigger on the magical crossbow that can fire thousands of bronze arrows at a time, is the stuff of legends. Many bronze arrows can be seen today at the National Museum of History in Ha Noi.

Archaeologists have also found bronze drums at the Co Loa Citadel site. Produced in 600BC or even earlier, the drums are one of the finest examples of metal works creted by the ong Son Culture. Weighed up to 100 kilos each, the drums are intricately decorated with geometric patterns, scenes of daily life, wartime, birds and other animals, and boats. The drums were objects of trade and family heirlooms.

Same ancestors

The Vietnamese people have always valued the dedication and sacrifice of previous generations and see the anniversaries of their death as an opportunity to pay tributes. This custom is observed by every family, with children sharing the cost of the family feast or making the best offerings they can at the ancestors altar.

The same tradition applies when it comes to worshipping the national founding fathers.

This year four localities, including Ha Noi, Thai Binh, Binh Phuoc and Ben Tre Province, offered to co-host the ceremonies and series of accompanying activities during the Hung Kings Memorial Day.

I am the master of ceremonies and I have been entrusted to chair the ceremony commemorating the Hung Kings, said Luong Phu Thuan, 80.

Vietnamese, wherever life takes you to, he said, remember to turn your heart and soul toward the Hung Kings Temple. The Kings will bless you.  VNS
HA NOI  Findings from the 2016 Viet Nam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI), which was released yesterday, revealed that concerns about the environment have become a more salient topic among Vietnamese citizens.

Over 14,000 citizens randomly selected from all 63 provinces were interviewed for the 2016 PAPI report, which assesses citizens experiences with national and local government performance in governance, public administration and public service delivery, which helps to motivate public officials, civil servants, and public employees at different levels and in different sectors to perform better in citizen engagement.

Within the framework of the report, citizens were asked to describe their issues of greatest concern in 2016. While poverty remained the most important issue for respondents, 2016 witnessed a significant increase in concern for environmental issues. More than 12 per cent of respondents cited the environment as their most important concern, which is a dramatic 10 per cent increase from 2015.

The most obvious explanation for the sudden, dramatic shift was the widespread reporting of the mass fish death in central Viet Nam due to toxic industrial discharge into the sea, as well as saline water intrusion in the Mekong Delta, and rising air pollution in big cities and the Red River Delta, the PAPI report said.

The report went further and asked for the willingness of people to trade off support for the environment against other concerns like poverty reduction and economic development.

In terms of variation by geography and demographics, further analysis reveals that respondents in the North Central Coast provinces of Nghe An, Quang Binh, and Ha Tinh were more willing to sacrifice growth for the environment.

And in terms of demographics, education level was the strongest determinant, with more educated citizens far more likely to rank the environment over economic growth compared to less educated citizens.

When asked about the most important environmental concern facing the country, 60 per cent mentioned some form of water or air pollution. Respondents were conclusive in saying that water quality has declined. More than 67 per cent of those polled said water quality was worse than three years ago.

Regarding air quality and the change over time, respondents were evenly split, with 36 per cent indicating that air quality was worse compared to three years ago, and 38 per cent responding that it had improved.

Six dimensions

PAPI details provincial performance in six dimensions, including participation at local levels, transparency, vertical accountability, control of corruption in the public sector, public administration procedures, and public service delivery.

Of these six dimensions, the greatest gain was seen in public service delivery, with 35 provinces improving their scores in 2016 compared to 2011.

The PAPI report says that in particular, citizen perceptions of public health quality surged due to a jump in the proportion of citizens with health insurance, from 62 per cent in 2015 to 73 per cent in 2016. There was also a significant rise in the reported quality of free child health care, with 32 per cent saying that the service for children under 6 years of age was excellent compared to 23 per cent in 2015.

There was a slight increase in the overall provincial performance in the health service sector, bringing it back to its 2011 level after falling in 2014 and 2015. The main contributor to the positive move was a higher percentage of respondents who felt that public health care workers at district hospitals did not request bribes (51 per cent) compared to 2015 (48 per cent).

However, the trend of declining provincial performance in control of corruption in the public sector continued in 2016, with noticeable spikes in the numbers of respondents saying citizens had to pay bribes for state employment, for land use right certificates, and for teachers to pay sufficient attention to their children in public primary schools.

For example, approximately 54 per cent of respondents felt that bribes were needed in order to get a government job, up from 51 per cent in 2015 and 46 per cent in 2011. Reported cases of public officials diverting state funds at the local level also increased.

Meanwhile, the bribe amount citizens are willing to tolerate kept rising in 2016, with victims of corruption saying they would not make a denunciation in a case unless the bribe being asked reached around VN25.6 million, higher than the reported figure in 2015.

Equity in state employment contributes significantly to a strong and clean (non-corrupt) state apparatus. However, the PAPI report said that it seemed difficult to reach this goal, especially when personal relationships and informal payments still play an important role among those who wish to pursue careers in the public sector. This has recently been recognised as a danger to an effective and facilitating government by the Government of Viet Nam, with the Prime Minister requesting dismissal of any bureaucrat whose appointment was influenced by nepotism.

The 2016 PAPI results paint a mixed picture. On the one hand, there has been steady improvement in the performance of public service delivery over the past six years. However, most provinces can do more to improve the competence and attitude of civil servants and public employees, and enhance the transparency, responsiveness, and accountability of their institutions, said Kamal Malhotra, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Viet Nam, said.

ang Ngoc Dinh, Director of the Viet Nam Center for Community Support and Development Studies, said he hoped that with the 2016 PAPI data and evidence from PAPI surveys over the next five years, the Government of Viet Nam can better oversee how it moves towards the government that facilitates development and serves its people.--VNS
Adjustments to the draft Law on Management and Use of Public Assets were high on the agenda at the National Assembly full-time deputies meeting yesterday in Ha Noi.  VNA/VNS Photo Phuong Hoa

HA NOI  Adjustments to the draft Law on Management and Use of Public Assets were high on the agenda at the National Assembly full-time deputies meeting yesterday in Ha Noi.

A majority of the deputies agreed on the scope of the adjustments.

They reached a consensus on deciding the name of the laws, settling on the Law on Management and Use of Public Assets, as it is relevant to the current institution and legal system.

However, about a dozen deputies were concerned with some regulations on the management of intangible public property, particularly those including natural minerals and resources, saying they were not sufficiently clear.

They said unclear and unspecific laws could lead to loose management and result in vast losses for important public assets.

Meanwhile, some others lawmakers commented that regulations on public asset management in the draft law did not accurately cover the concept of public assets.

Specifically, they said, according to the draft law, public property is property owned by all people and managed by the State, which is regarded as the ownership representative and manager.

Public assets can be tangible or intangible. They include those for State management and others services for the benefit of the State, such as services for national armed forces, public infrastructure, State financial funds, State foreign funds, lands and natural mineral resources.

However, the deputies said the draft law mainly refers to the management of existing tangible assets and the management role was assigned to agencies and units which can also use the assets. Other types of assets which are suffering from losses are yet to be mentioned, said some of the deputies.

For intangible assets like natural mineral resources, for example, the deputies proposed to specify the use and management roles of authorities at all levels.

Many deputies demanded those authorities which, although not directly involved in the management or use of the assets, must also have responsibility for losses of the assets if they occurred.

At the meeting yesterday, the full-time lawmakers also proposed more specific wording for the roles and duties of provincial departments in the management of public assets, including the management of natural resources and minerals in local areas.

The draft Law on Management and Use of Public Assets aims to replace the 2008 Law on Management and Use of State Assets, which is currently in force.

According to the Ministry of Finance, six years after the laws implementation, the management and use of State properties has notched up some achievements.

Properties in healthcare, education, culture and sport, and other sectors have dramatically increased to become an important financial resource for the countrys socio-economic development.

But the law also exposed some shortcomings.

The present law on State property management lacks a clear definition of the responsibilities and rights of managers and users, the separation of the responsibility and rights of those people, and the decentralisation of management.

The Law on Management and Use of Public Property is intended to solve these shortcomings.  VNS
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) receives Mongolian Foreign Minister Tsend Munkh Orgil in Ha Noi yesterday. VNA/VNS Photo Thong Nhat

HA NOI  Viet Nam wants to reinforce traditional ties with Mongolia  an important partner in its external policy, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told Mongolian Foreign Minister Tsend Munkh Orgil during a reception in Ha Noi yesterday.

The PM suggested the two countries continue high-level visits and exchanges as well as further extend ties across diplomacy, national defence and security.

While lauding effective cooperation between the countries inter-governmental committees, PM Phuc asked for increased collaboration in agro-fisheries to lift two-way trade. Similarly, Viet Nam and Mongolia need to work together on culture, education and tourism, he said.

The government leader hoped that both countries would offer further support at regional and global forums, adding that Viet Nam asks Mongolia to support the country and ASEANs stance on the maintenance of peace and stability, and guarantee of security, maritime and aviation safety and freedom in the East Sea, full respect to diplomatic and legal processes, and settlement of disputes by peaceful means in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Orgil, for his part, emphasised that Mongolia attached special importance to developing ties with Asian-Pacific countries, including Viet Nam.

Informing the host of the outcomes of his talks with Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, he said both sides pledged to push forward with wide-ranging ties, and the two nations inter-governmental committees were working to further improve the efficiency of their partnership.

He expressed his belief that Viet Nam would successfully host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit 2017.

He affirmed Mongolias willingness to cooperate with Viet Nam in fields of its strength such as apparel, leather and footwear, and wanted Viet Nam to share its experience and boost links across culture, education and the arts.

According to him, the two sides should boost people-to-people exchange to foster traditional friendship between the two peoples.  VNS
Fourteen people were killed and more than 50 others injured by an explosion inside a subway train in St Petersburg on Monday.  Photo Reuters

HA NOI  President Tran ai Quang yesterday extended his condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the St Petersburg subway blast. Fourteen people were killed and more than 50 others injured by an explosion inside a subway train in St Petersburg on Monday.

In a related move, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang has said Viet Nam strongly condemns the terror attack on the St Petersburg subway on Monday.

She said yesterday that Viet Nam was stunned upon hearing news of the blast in St Petersburg, Russia, which killed and injured dozens of people on Monday.

Viet Nam strongly condemns this terror attack and offers the deepest condolences to the Government and people of the Russian Federation and families of the victims, she stressed.

The spokesperson expressed her belief that the culprits would soon be brought to justice.

Hang also quoted the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia as saying that there havent been any reports of Vietnamese victims in the blast.

The Foreign Ministry has ordered the embassy to keep a close watch on the situation and provide emergency aid to any Vietnamese involved.

President Quang has also sent messages of condolences to his Colombian and Peruvian counterparts Juan Manual Santos Calderon and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski over the great losses of lives and property caused by recent landslides and downpours.

The landslides and downpours hit many localities in the two nations, killing 262 people in the Republic of Colombia, and 90 in the Republic of Peru. The floods in late March in Peru also left over 340 people injured and 20 missing, and caused serious property losses. VNS
HCM CITY Pham Ngoc Thach Medical Universitys Viet Nam-German Faculty of Medicine on Tuesday signed a contract of co-operation with Germanys Klinikum Braunschweig Hospital on clinical training for medical students.

Under the co-operation, students at the Viet Nam-German Faculty of Medicine will be sent to Klinikum Braunschweig Hospital for one year of clinical training.

In 2013, Pham Ngoc Thach Medical University in HCM City and the University Medical Centre at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz established a joint Viet Nam-German Faculty of Medicine.

The Mainz University Medical Centre helps its Vietnamese partner university restructure its medical syllabus so that it meets the requirements of the new study regulations at the university in Mainz.

All of the students at the Viet Nam-German Faculty of Medicine will complete five years of study in Viet Nam and the final three semesters of clinical training in Germany.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam will soon complete policies, mechanisms and a national standard system to develop organic farming in the future, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nguyen Xuan Cuong has said.

It is also one of the new directions for Vietnamese agriculture, he affirmed at a conference discussing measures to promote the production and consumption of organic agricultural products, held in Ha Noi yesterday.

Demand for organic farm produce has increased significantly both in Viet Nam and globally.

The early promotion of organic farming will play an important role in the restructuring of the agricultural sector, responding to the general trend of domestic consumption and export, Cuong said.

According to statistics from the Organic Agriculture Institute, in Viet Nam, organic agriculture was performed on around 76,000ha of land in 2015, an increase of 3.6 times compared with 2010.

Organic farming took place in Ha Noi, Hoa Binh, Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Ha Nam, Lam ong and Ca Mau provinces, and some organic products have been consumed in the domestic market and exported to Japan, Germany, the UK, the US, South Korea, Russia and Singapore.

There are some successful organic models such as Hoa Sua Foods organic rice brand by Ca Mau-based Vien Phu Organic and Healthy Foods Joint Stock Corporation, vegetable production by Organik a Lat, a unique thick-skinned orange in Ham Yen, Tuyen Quang Province, and others. However, only 30 out of 63 provinces across the country have implemented an organic farming model, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

There are 3,000ha of coconut in Ben Tre Province and 448ha of grape, apple and vegetables in Ninh Thuan province, and some other organic farms in Ha Noi, and the provinces of Hoa Binh, Lao Cai and Tuyen Quang province, the ministry said.

Delegates at the seminar agreed that most farmers do not want to switch to organic farming due to rigorous production processes, significant time for land reclamation, high production costs and unstable markets.

Additionally, the standards for certifying produce as organic are not clear, according to Ha Phuc Mich, chairman of Viet Nam Organic Agriculture Association.

"Viet Nam still lacks a national standards system and a comprehensive legal framework for production, certification and quality control of organic agricultural products while trust of organic products among consumers remains low," said Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam.

"We have to plan and protect the land and unpolluted water for organic farming to motivate people to participate in organic farm produce, Nam said

The system of standards, production, processing and quality certification should be completed soon, he said.

At the same time, the work on inspection and supervision of organic agriculture production should be done regularly to help consumers gain peace of mind in using organic food which have been certified and qualified, Nam added.

MARD is encouraging businesses to invest in organic farm production, organic and bio-fertilisers and biocides, he said.

The government needs to prioritise land and credit policies for organic agriculture development, and issue good policies to attract investment in organic farming," said Nam.

The ministry will collect shortcomings and propose that the Government issues resolutions on organic farming produce, minister Cuong said.

At the same time, it will also work with related ministries of science and technology and natural resources and environment to complete the standards system and remove difficulties related to land policy for enterprises, he said. - VNS
HA NOI  Expenses for the launching of basic projects and constructions will be reduced by 100 per cent in the 2016-20 period, according to the Ha Noi Peoples Committee.

However, these do not include national projects that add great value to the socio-economic development of the city, the committee said.

This decision is included in a programme on saving national resources in the four-year period, which was recently issued by chairman of the citys Peoples Committee Nguyen uc Chung, the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The city will also reduce 10 per cent of recurrent expenditure from the governments budget until 2020, as well as 12 per cent of the expenses for organising seminars, conferences, festivals and ceremonies.

It also aims to reduce 15 per cent of expenses on sending diplomatic delegations to foreign countries and welcoming foreign diplomatic delegations to Viet Nam, as well as not including the expenses of the former (taking diplomatic delegation to foreign countries) in the countrys recurrent expenditure.

Scientific research proposals that are repetitive and infeasible will not be approved and funded, the programme states.

All houses and lands that were provided for government officials in the city that have not been used effectively or used for wrong purposes will be confiscated by 2020, it says.

Saving national resources must start from the expenditure planning period and will be used as a criterion to evaluate, remunerate and designate government officials, the committee said.  VNS
By Hong Minh

Man bites dog, is an old journalistic aphorism that remarks on how the unusual is more newsworthy (than a dog biting a man).

Something very unusual happened last weekend, and as is the digital ages wont, the news, in the form of photographs, went viral.

And almost immediately, a debate raged on the propriety, or the lack thereof, of two foreign women sunbathing in their bikinis on the banks of Ho Guom (Sword Lake) in the heart of Ha Noi.

Within the hour, the photo garnered more than 1,500 likes and thousands of shares and comments on Facebook.

Most comments criticised the behaviour of the tourists as unacceptable and disrespectful at what is a sacred, historical and cultural spot for the Vietnamese.

A popular Facebook Group with over a million members for all vehicle lovers also shared the photo with text: Dont know what they are thinking when inconsiderately sunbathing in a walking area around Ho Guom. Foreign tourists coming to Viet Nam are all welcomed warmly and thoughtfully. But it seems that many of them come to Viet Nam just do things that do not respect our culture and customs.

Some people tried to be a bit more understanding, and came to the tourists defence. I think maybe its because foreigners are open-minded and have a free living style, and such activities are very normal in their countries.

However, I have to say that its not appropriate to do so in Viet Nam especially here at Ho Guom, a sacred cultural site.

Many others wondered if the two tourists had bothered to learn about Vietnamese culture before visiting the country.

It has been reported that the Ho Guom Management Board, on hearing about the incident, quickly arrived at the site and asked the tourists to leave the lawn.

They obeyed, and giving them the benefit of doubt, it was assumed that they did not know what they did was unacceptable here, and they were not fined for violating the recently issued Code of Conduct for people in Ha Noi about dressing appropriately in public spaces.

I said at the beginning that this was unusual. It was, but it was not the first such instance of what most people would say was inappropriate behaviour.

In July last year, two Irish tourists reportedly took off their clothes and jumped into Ho Guom to swim in it, an activity that is not permitted.

In October the same year, another foreign female tourist swam naked to the Thap Rua (Turtle Tower) in the heart of Ho Guom and began singing and dancing there. Officials had to row a boat to the tower and take her ashore.

Some inappropriate behaviour by foreign tourists reported recently at Ho Guom are mostly sudden, impromptu actions stemming from their lack of understanding about the culture and customs in Viet Nam; and applying their own cultures, said o inh Hong, director of the Ha Noi Department of Tourism.

To avoid such incidents, the department will step up dissemination of information about the countrys culture and customs to foreigners, Hong said.

However, he said, foreigners should also learn about local culture and customs on their own, and show appropriate respect.

Some backlash

Unfortunately, or otherwise, matters did not rest there.

When the photograph of the bikini-clad foreigners was shared in another popular Facebook group that comprises both locals and foreigners, there were some ripostes from the latter.

When some Vietnamese citizens expressed their anger and disappointment over others disrespecting their culture, some foreigners turned the blame on the locals themselves.

Most Vietnamese people have no respect for their country and environment, they claimed, asking the locals to look in the mirror before criticising others.

People throw rubbish, piss, sh*t, spit, allow their dogs to sh*t and piss by this historical and culturally significant lake and not a word is said, said Phillip, an Australian man who has been living in Viet Nam for sometime.

That argument just does not wash.

For one, there are many instances of Vietnamese citizens deploring the lack of civic sense among their brethren in very strong language. In fact, this happens all the time.

And, as Facebook user Kyle Nguyen noted, Two wrongs dont make a right.

I thought, being from civilised cultures, you were all taught to respect others, accept that you are not at your beloved first world country anymore, realise your wrongdoing and not try to divert attention to justify it.

Indeed.

I would go one step further, though. Even without reading up on a place before visiting it, being respectful is a matter of common sense, too. It is obvious as you walk around the lake that nobody is jumping into it or sunbathing in skimpy clothes. It is obvious that there is a temple in the lake where thousands of locals pray everyday.

Willful ignorance of or indifference is also uncivilized behaviour, no matter where you come from or where you go to.

I want foreigners to show due respect to my city and my country. We welcome everyone to visit Viet Nam, and we also welcome constructive feedback and criticism because we know there is always room for improvement.

We do not appreciate disrespectful behaviour, or backdoor, defensive attempts to justify it. -- VNS
WATERLOO  Since Chads Pizza opened in Cedar Falls around two years ago, theyve been doing everything they can to spread the word about their business.

So setting up a booth at the Strictly Business Expo on Tuesday was a no-brainer.

We get to network with other companies and end up finding out they need lunch, said Tyler Recker, assistant manager at Chads. Businesses help businesses, and well try to do the same.

Thats what the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance and Chamber was hoping to hear at its 26th annual Expo, which brought a sold-out 69 vendor exhibitors and an expected 450 attendees to the Tuesday afternoon event.

While the public was invited to browse, the event catered especially to business owners for networking purposes, said event director Bette Wubbena.

The main mission of the Expo is business to business, she said as the event kicked off inside the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center. That is an ongoing campaign of ours, because we want businesses to support other businesses in the Cedar Valley.

Keith Kaspari was working to woo the business crowd to the Waterloo Regional Airport, showcasing the new, quieter planes, more frequent flights and lower prices hes been able to implement as director of aviation over the past few years.

What were trying to do is just encourage the businesses in the area to give Waterloo another try, he said, noting hes been coming to the Expo for a few years.

It was Midtown Chimney Sweeps first time at the Expo, said office manager Danielle French. Like Chads Pizza, the company with locations in Waterloo and Cedar Falls was looking to let businesses know they are available for professional cleaning.

Its more so just getting our name noticed, French said. Were pretty new.

Businesses passed out flyers, pens, business cards and handshakes, and a full bar offered to loosen up the conversation as the evening progressed.

The business community has always been very supportive of the Expo, and that has allowed us to grow, Wubbena said.
NEW YORK (AP)  The Waterloo Payless ShoeSource will remain open even though the chain has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the company says.

The Topeka, Kan.-based retailer said Tuesday it will be immediately closing nearly 400 stores as part of the reorganization. It has more than 4,400 stores in more than 30 countries and was founded in 1956. The local Payless is located at Crossroads Center mall and will remain open, the company said. Two Iowa locations are slated for closing, in Davenport and Carroll.

Payless plans to reduce its debt by almost 50 percent, lower how much it pays in interest and line up funds. The company says some of its lenders have agreed make available up to $385 million to keep the stores running.

This is a difficult, but necessary, decision driven by the continued challenges of the retail environment, which will only intensify, said Payless CEO Paul Jones in a statement.

Shoppers are increasingly shifting their buying online or going to discount stores like T.J. Maxx to grab deals on designer brands. That shift has hurt traditional retailers, even low-price outlets like Payless.

In fact, Moodys Investor Service said earlier this year the number of distressed retailers those with cash problems and lots of debt that are facing strong competition  is at the highest rate since 2009. It named Payless as one of the retailers.

Several retailers have closed stores or gone out of business in 2017. The Limited closed all 250 of its remaining stores early this year. It had operated nearly 400 stores at the end of 2000. Teen retailer Wet Seal in January said it would close its 171 stores.
WATERLOO  A jury has found a Waterloo man guilty of a lesser charge after he was accused of breaking into his grandmothers home in December.

Shean Henry Holmes, 28, had been charged with third-degree burglary after he was found inside the home wearing his grandmothers clothing and jewelry.

Trial began last week, and Thursday the jury found Holmes guilty of the lesser charge of misdemeanor trespassing.

During trial, defense attorney Ted Fisher had sought to dismiss the burglary charge, arguing there was no evidence Holmes planned to remove any of the property. Prosecutor Israel Kodiaga argued to keep jurors from hearing information about Holmess mental health history during the trial.

At the time of the incident, Holmes was on parole in a 2008 manslaughter and burglary case where he reached into a vehicle and punched a woman as part of a larger altercation. The woman, 18-year-old Jasmine Mills, later died of head injuries.

Waverly man guilty

of abusing girl

WAVERLY - A Waverly man has pleaded guilty to allegations he abused a girl.

Kevin Tyler Aldridge, 24, had been charged with four counts of second-degree sexual abuse, each of which carries up to 25 years in prison.

But as part of an agreement with prosecutors, Aldridge pleaded guilty to three counts of lascivious acts with a child. Under the arrangement, he will be sentenced to one 10-year and two five-year sentences run for a total of up to 15 years in prison.

He will also be on lifetime probation following his prison time and will have to register as a sex offender.

Formal sentencing will be in May.

Authorities allege that in 2009 and 2010, Aldridge fondled a girl who was age 14 and younger and solicited her to commit a sex act. He was 16 and 17 at the time and was arrested in January 2017.

La Porte City

chase ends in crash

WATERLOO  A Tuesday morning pursuit in La Porte City came to an end when the fleeing vehicle crashed and the driver was arrested.

Michael Paul Eaton, 39, of 318 Cataract Ave., Waterloo, was arrested for first-offense operating while intoxicated, possession of methamphetamine and felony eluding after he was examined at Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo. His bond was set at $13,000.

According to police, a La Porte City patrol officer attempted to stop Eaton after he noticed his vehicle speeding and swerving on Main Street around 2 a.m. Tuesday. The vehicle sped up, eventually reaching speeds of 90 mph in 55 mph zones on Eagle Road and Tama Road.

The vehicle eventually crashed into a ditch in the area of Spruce and Eighth streets. Police found a bag of meth in the vehicle.

Apartments gutted

by Sheffield fire

SHEFFIELD  The fire that destroyed an apartment complex in Sheffield on Sunday started in the kitchen, an official said.

The blaze was reported just before 6 p.m. Sunday at Sunrise Homes.

Sheffield Fire Chief Dan Fields said everyone got out of the apartments, but one occupant was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Firefighters were on the scene for six hours. The complex on South Second Street is restricted to the elderly or disabled.

Officials say four of the five units were occupied.

The one-story, brick building was gutted.

Fields said the blaze started in a kitchen. It has been ruled an accident.

A member of Sunrise Homes board of directors said all of the residents were able to move in with family who lived nearby.

A local nonprofit, The Sharing Shoppe, has offered to provide clothes and other items to the buildings occupants.

The complex is owned by Murphy Realty and Management of Algona.

Waterloo man arrested for burglaries

WATERLOO  A Waterloo man has been arrested in connection with numerous vehicle burglaries in recent days, including an incident where a shotgun was stolen from a sport utility vehicle.

Dilail Salkic, 20, of 1101 Hawthorne Ave., allegedly told police he was stealing to get money for gasoline, court records state. He was arrested Saturday and ultimately charged with 10 counts of burglary to a vehicle. His bond was set at $15,000.

According to police, officers were investigating a rash of vehicle break-ins in the area of Kent Circle on March 20. Items including books, sneakers, clothing, a laptop computer and a wallet were taken, and some property was found behind a building on Flammang Drive. Surveillance cameras showed a man in the area driving a black SUV with a taped-up back window.

Around the same time, officers received a complaint of a person in the Ocwen parking lot on Hammond Avenue and found Salkic. He was arrested on an unrelated drug charge.

On March 22, a coat and other items were taken from a vehicle parked in the 2200 block of Edgemont Avenue, and on March 31 a Benelli 12-gauge shotgun, credit cards and a checkbook were taken from a GMC Denali parked at the Motel 6 on La Porte Road.

Then on Saturday, a patrol officer was in the Friendship Village area when he noticed a suspicious person. The man started running when the officer pulled up. The officer eventually detained Salkic, who had just broken into a Pontiac Grand Prix parked in the 300 block of Southbrooke Drive, court records state.

Police also linked Salkic to the Kent Circle break-ins as well as the Edgemont and Motel 6 crimes, court records show.
IOWA FALLS  An Iowa Falls woman has pleaded not guilty to allegations she injured a toddler she was babysitting in February.

Kimberly Murray, 27, entered a written arraignment to charges of child endangerment causing bodily injury, a felony, and misdemeanor assault on March 28. Trial has tentatively been set for later this month.

According to court records, Murray runs a day care, and a 2-year-old boy was found with severe bruising on his back side and buttocks on Feb. 20. Murray allegedly admitted she struck the child and her son because they were misbehaving.

Murray was arrested March 1 and was released from jail pending trial.
EVANSDALE  Authorities have declined to comment on any investigation into possible links between Jeff Lee Altmayer and the disappearance and deaths of cousins Lyric Cook-Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins.

Altmayer, 57, of Ankeny, is charged with attempting to lure children into his silver passenger car as far west as Onawa  near the Nebraska border  to a mobile home park just east of Dike. Hes also a person of interest in a similar incident at a Cedar Falls park.

Lyric, 10, and Elizabeth, 8, disappeared while riding their bikes in Evansdale on July 13, 2012, and their bodies were found Dec. 5, 2012, in a rural wilderness area in Bremer County. No arrests have been made in their deaths.

Black Hawk County Attorney Brian Williams said investigators in the cousins case are aware of Altmayer. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation agent who filed the criminal complaint in Altmayers Jasper County case is the lead agent in the cousins probe.

In the past, authorities have commented about the rarity of double abductions when talking about the cousins case, and Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson said he found interesting the fact at least one of Altmayers crimes involve approaching a pair of girls at the same time.

The double abduction angle also has been a red herring for cousins investigators. In 2013, authorities began looking into Michael Klunder for possible ties to Lyric and Elizabeths deaths. Klunder, a 42-year-old farm worker who had served prison time for abductions, picked up two girls near a Dayton bus stop in May 2013. One fled, and he killed the other before taking his own life. Investigators eventually ruled out Klunder as a suspect in the cousins case after accounting for his whereabouts.

Reached Wednesday, Elizabeths father, Drew Collins, said he wasnt familiar with the Altmayer case and said authorities havent contacted him about it. However, he remembers hearing about the enticement attempts last summer before Altmayer was arrested.

Collins is skeptical about any connection to his daughters death.

It doesnt seem like that would fit, Collins said. Whoever this is, I think if he takes a couple of little girls, why would he let them go if he already killed a couple kids.

Collins said hes heard countless leads and rumors since his daughters death. It can be maddening, he said.

I think something different every day, man. I think in my head, it could be this, but the next week or the next day or 20 minutes later, Im thinking its this guy or that guy. Ive heard a ton of names, I cant keep them all in my brain. All I can do is speculate, and I think about it all day, every day, Collins said.
GRUNDY CENTER  An Ankeny man awaiting trial for kidnapping and enticement charges in Jasper and Monona counties has now been charged with attempting to lure away four children in Grundy County.

And Cedar Falls police are looking at him in an incident that mirrors the Grundy County incidents.

Jeff Lee Altmayer, a 57-year-old former security company employee, was charged with four counts of enticing a child March 29 in Grundy County District Court. He has entered a written not guilty plea.

Two incidents happened Aug. 2 and two others on June 21. The incidents happened near Dike City Park and at Dietrick mobile home park east of Dike near the Black Hawk County line, said Grundy County Sheriff Rick Penning.

They involve four different girls, three are described as age 13 or under and one age 16 or under. All fled unharmed after Altmayer approached them, and court records allege Altmayer intended to commit sex crimes with the children.

Three of the charges - relating to the younger victims - are Class C felonies, punishable by up to 10 years in prison upon conviction. The third charge is a Class D felony, which carries up to five years in prison.

In Jasper County, Altmayer faces a first-degree kidnapping charge, which has a mandatory life sentence. He is also charged with second-degree sexual abuse, which has a 25-year maximum, and enticing a child. That incident happened in the city of Colfax, population 2,000.

The Monona County charges include three counts of enticing and one count each of impersonating a police officer and possession of a prescription drug without a prescription. Those crimes happened in the town of Onawa, population 2,900.

Altmayer is being held in the Jasper County Jail in Newton. Bond in the Jasper County case is set at $385,000.

Officials with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation on Tuesday said Altmayer was originally detained in November following an incident in Onawa. Further investigation determined he was behind similar crimes across Iowa and linked him to the earlier incidents in Grundy County and Colfax, DCI officials said in a prepared statement.

On the same day Altmayer allegedly approached two children near Dike  Aug. 2  Cedar Falls police were called to an attempted abduction at Clay Park in the 1600 block of Clay Street around 3:30 p.m., according to Courier archives.

A man had pulled up in a silver four-door car and offered three girls money if they would get into his vehicle. The children declined, and the man left.

Cedar Falls police chief Jeff Olson said his department is aware of Altmayer.

We are looking at him. He is a person of interest in our case, in the Clay Street Park case that we had, Olson said. The DCI is working with all the agencies involved in this because of the seriousness and the multiple agencies involved.

Altmayer hasnt been charged in the Cedar Falls incident.

At the time, authorities drew connections between the Cedar Falls incident and similar sightings in Dike, noting the suspect descriptions were close, and both involved a silver vehicle.

The Iowa Attorney Generals Office is handling prosecution of the Altmayer cases.

Court records allege Altmayer would approach children and offer them money  usually $100  to get into his vehicle.

In Colfax case, Altmayer is accused of approaching two girls under age 13 while driving a silver car Aug. 17. The girls were walking down a street when Altmayer introduced himself as Jimmy and offered to pay them $100 to do yard work at his home in Des Moines. One girl declined the offer, but the other girl climbed into the front passenger seat, and as they drove off, Altmayer started squeezing her breasts and rubbing her groin over her clothing, court records state. He also allegedly forced her hand toward his groin.

The girl protested, and Altmayer pulled over and let her out by the city library, records state.

Altmayer was ultimately captured after he allegedly tried to lure a 6-year-old girl into his car in Onawa on Nov. 16.

The incident happened at about 4:05 p.m. He told the girl to get in his vehicle and offered $100, court records state. Another child in the area began yelling, and neighbors came to investigate. Three residents confronted Altmayer, who claimed to be police officer and told them he had a gun, court records state. A short time later, a real officer  a trooper with the Iowa State Patrol  arrived, and Altmayer was detained.

As he was being booked into the Monona County Jail, authorities found 16 Xanax pills and seven Viagra pills, records state.

When prosecutors filed a trial information in the Monona County case, they added enticement charges relating to two other children, both age 11, that also happened on Nov. 16.

DCI officials said the investigation into Altmayer is ongoing.
DES MOINES (AP)  Officials say a rural Tama County man has pleaded guilty to poaching a deer in southern Marshall County late last year.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said in a news release Tuesday that 61-year-old Ralph Ray Rozevink pleaded guilty on Feb. 22. Officials say he shot and killed a doe from a public highway in Marshall County on Dec. 18. Rozevink was charged with illegally taking a deer and illegal transportation of a deer.
OSAGE  Residents of the Osage School District rejected a proposed $9.9 million school bond referendum Tuesday.

For the second time, the vote failed as it did not receive 60 percent approval to pass.

Osage Superintendent Barb Schwamman said she was disappointed and surprised by the outcome.

The bond received 52.1 percent approval with 816 yes votes and 751 no votes. The first bond referendum only received 48 percent in yes votes.

Schwamman was pleased with the high voter turnout, about 200 more voters than last vote.

We want to thank everyone for participating, Schwamman said.

The bond would have supported changes including a tornado-safe room at both locations, new heating and windows, remodeling classrooms, new preschool classrooms, gymnasiums, music, band and art classrooms, administrative offices and more.

The district plans to continue to find a way to make the necessary improvements to the schools.

Doing nothing is not an option, Schwamman said. The district hasnt had a lot of big projects over the years.

Had the referendum passed, the tax impact would have been a maximum of $1.82 per $1,000 of net taxable value on property.

For the district, its back to the drawing board, Schwamman said.

The $9.9 million was $5 million less than the first bond referendum. The total cost of the project to renovate the schools is estimated at $20 million.

Well have to go back and discuss our options, Schwamman said. Its time to be creative again.
NEW HAMPTON  Former County Supervisor Rick Holthaus, who was being considered for the position of Chickasaw County Veterans Affairs administrator, has withdrawn his name after hearing complaints from veterans who want a veteran in that position.

When Dave Jacobsen retired from the Veterans Affairs director position, the Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors began looking for a replacement and found Holthaus was willing to do the job.

However, last week about 15 veterans gathered to argue because they do not hold meetings in the winter months, they were unaware of Jacobsen retiring and the job opening, even though the county went through the correct steps of advertising through the county newspapers.

Former Chickasaw County Supervisor and veteran Arnie Boge told supervisors he believed applications for the position were given to people who shouldnt have gotten them because they were not veterans.

We would like a veteran in that office, said Boge.

He also said he had heard the field of applicants was narrow, and he told the board by re-advertising for the position he thinks the board will get more applications.

I ask you to stop the current appointment process and re-advertise it, said Boge. The position wasnt well published or advertised. I think it could be better advertised through veteran networks.

Boge also told the board he would like to see the Veterans Affairs Commission be changed from a three-member board to a five-member board.

Although Holthaus is not a veteran, he said his father-in-law is one and he has incredible respect for him.

He said during his years on the board he had promoted events and been a big booster of the Chickasaw County Veterans Memorial built in front of the courthouse.

Holthaus said he believes he has supported veterans every way he could.

County Veteran Affairs commissioners under Iowa Code have to be veterans, but they can employ a person to run the VA office who is not a veteran.
DES MOINES  Legislative Republicans and Gov. Terry Branstad have agreed to spend $7.245 billion from the states general fund next fiscal year  $38.6 million less than Branstads already revised budget and about $15 million less than current funding.

Rep. Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, and Sen. Charles Schneider, R-West Des Moines, told reporters Wednesday theyre sticking with an additional $40.1 million commitment made earlier to K-12 schools in fiscal 2018, but theyre hesitant to commit to Branstads call for a 2 percent hike for both K-12 schools and higher education in fiscal 2019.

We dont want to overpromise as has been done in the past. We want to make sure that when we set a budget number for education, that its something that we can keep, Schneider told a news conference.

K-12 education was one of the few areas spared from reductions in the new targets.

Branstad had sought legislative support to spend more than $7.283 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Currently, the state is slated to spend nearly $7.26 billion for the fiscal year that ends June 30.

House and Senate Republicans continue to believe that the state budget should be managed just like families and businesses manage their own, Grassley and Schneider said in a joint statement. This budget takes a responsible and cautious approach to spending in recognition that revenue may continue to come in less than anticipated.

Branstad issued a revised budget plan last month that preserved the 1.11 percent increase for K-12 education and addressed other priorities. But the governor had to pare back his fiscal 2018 request by $173 million to reflect slower-than-expected revenue growth, leaving only about $24 million in new money after earmarking $131 million over two years to refill reserves needed to cover a current shortfall.

The GOP plan issued Wednesday includes fully funding the additional $40 million passed earlier this session for K-12 schools as well as an initial $20 million installment to repay the cash reserves in fiscal 2018, with more payments coming in fiscal 2019.

Schneider said GOP budget-makers were looking to leave a larger year-end cushion in case revenues failed again to keep up with projections.

The targets are $11.8 million below the governors suggested $920.25 million for education, and $10 million below his proposed $1.78 billion for health and human services. Republicans also were $6.72 million below the governors $741.7 million for justice systems, $5.28 million lower on agriculture and natural resources, $2.76 million lower for economic development and $1.33 million lower for administration and regulation.

David Roederer, director of the Department of Management and Branstads budget director, said the governors office has had discussions with legislative Republicans to reach consensus.

These are more global numbers that theyre talking about, and well continue to work with them as they start working through their subcommittees and trying to decide how theyre going to allocate those funds, Roederer said.

Minority legislative Democrats were critical.

Republicans are once again balancing the budget on the backs of working Iowans, said Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Senate Democrats will not support drastic cuts that threaten public safety, the quality of education, and the safety net for seniors, children and vulnerable Iowans, Bolkcom added. These budget cuts could have been avoided if Republican legislators, Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Reynolds had delivered on their promises to increase family income by 25 percent and create more than 200,000 new jobs in Iowa.

His House counterpart, Rep. Chris Hall, D-Sioux City, said the GOP targets were an indication Republicans want Iowa families to pay for corporate tax giveaways that have put the state budget in the red while failing to build a skilled workforce or protect Iowas most vulnerable citizens.
DES MOINES  Lawmakers shared stories of pregnancies -- theirs and others -- as they slow-walked their way toward a decision Tuesday evening on legislation that would ban nearly all abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy.

However, after three-and-a-half hours of debate, the House deferred on Senate File 471 and adjourned for the night.

Democrats repeatedly questioned language in the bill they said would prohibit the use of many common forms of birth control and ban abortion from fertilization  rather than after 20 weeks.

With a 59-41 majority, House Republicans say they are confident they have the votes to adopt a Human Resources Committee amendment that is similar to, but not identical to SF 471, that passed 32-17 in the Senate.

Even before the floor debate started, Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, warned Republicans were employing circular logic in constructing the bill in such a way as to make all abortions illegal.

She pointed to the language of the Human Resources Committee amendment  which became the bill  that bans abortions after 20 weeks, but also says Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as determining life to begin at 20 weeks post-fertilization. Instead it is recognized that life begins at fertilization.

That clearly established there is a backdoor attempt to go back to the language that was before the 20-week ban, which was fertilization, said Rep. Brian Meyer, D-Des Moines. It contradicts itself (because) life begins at conception means that certain forms of birth control are murder.

He suggested Republicans were trying to be too cute by half in trying to allow the more extreme members of their caucus to say they passed life begins at fertilization.

Rep. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley, rejected that, explaining that the life begins at fertilization language was a belief statement.

There are legislators like myself who dont feel comfortable voting on something that may be interpreted as rendering that life begins merely at 20 weeks because that is where we put a ban on abortions, he said.

He also rejected the suggestion the GOP majority was trying a backdoor effort to ban all abortions.

If we were pushing life at conception we would have a life-at-conception bill on the floor today, Windschitl said. Unfortunately, we dont have consensus behind that type of legislation. What we do have is consensus around a 20-week ban.

The language is not to placate the most ardent anti-abortion members of the caucus or groups pushing for more restrictive language, Windschitl said.

Its merely a statement of intent so I can go back home and tell my constituents that yes, I believe life begins at conception, he said. I can say I believe life begins post-fertilization. Moving forward, if we can build consensus around other ways to move that concept forward, were going to try to do that. But right here, right now, today, what we can build a consensus around is banning abortions at 20 weeks and later.

Several attempts to alter the bill and the committee amendment were offered. Among them was one from Rep. Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville, to ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat was detected  often as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. She withdrew the amendment.

Salmon fought for another amendment requiring a 72-hour waiting period after a woman considering an abortion has had an ultrasound and outlining information she must be presented before an abortion is performed. It was ruled not germane, but Republicans voted 56-40 to suspend the rules and adopted the amendment 56-41.

Wessel-Kroeschell sought an amendment to say that a medical procedure performed because in a physicians reasonable medical judgment it would save the life or improve the health of the fetus would not be considered an abortion. The proposal was ruled not germane. An attempt to suspend the rules was defeated 41-57.

An amendment to specify that SF 471 would not prohibit the use of any means of contraception or fertility treatment not prohibited by federal regulatory agencies also was ruled not germane.

Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City, proposed exceptions for the health and life of a mother, fetal anomaly, rape, incest, medical emergency or to preserve the life of the unborn child. It failed 41-54.
WAVERLY  Members of the Waverly City Council faced off against each other Monday night over an eminent domain proceeding to increase the size of the Waverly Municipal Airport.

At-large councilwoman Edith Waldstein, Ward 2 councilman Dan McKenzie, Ward 4 councilman Mike Sherer and Ward 5 councilman Tim Kangas said an eminent domain proceeding was necessary to help negotiations to acquire an unoccupied, fire-damaged home in order to expand the airports runway, or safety zone, by 400 feet.

This is necessary for the airport, period, said Mayor Charles Infelt.

City staff noted the runway lengthening was needed if they wanted to comply with Federal Aviation Administration safety standards, build more airplane hangars and lower airport users insurance premiums, which are currently higher due to the shorter runway.

City attorney William Werger noted the city has repeatedly attempted to negotiate with the children of the late Eugene Miller, who jointly owns the farmland, home and outbuildings under CLAN Properties LLC.

Were just not getting anywhere, Werger told the council, noting the offer currently on the table was for $285,000.

Christine Elley, speaking for CLAN, said before her father died he had been in talks with the city about buying his farm for the expansion, but after his death the siblings wanted to keep it in the family.

She said they dont live in the house and havent repaired it after a fire because they knew the city was looking to acquire it and they lease the land.

She told the council the siblings wanted more money than was offered.

We know what its worth, and were not going to give it away, Elley said.

At-large councilman David Reznicek, Ward 1 councilman Dan Lampe and Ward 3 councilman Wes Gade argued the proposal was taking a home and workable farmland from a family for not much benefit.

You want to help someone lower their insurance rates at the expense of someones home? Gade asked, saying the airport was fine the way it is.

Reznicek showed the council information the airport is seldom used, extending the runway would not allow for larger planes and it would not add to the citys business development.

Theres literally 15 people that use that airport, he said. People forced out of a farm and home as well for 15 people? Personally, I dont feel ethical in doing that.

Ultimately, the council approved the resolution to go ahead with proceedings on that 4-3 split. The FAA will reimburse the city at 90 percent of the full cost, including legal proceedings in the matter.
Its a little early for peak wedding season, but I decided to make Italian wedding soup last week since I was heading to Indiana for my cousin Katelyns exchange of vows with her longtime boyfriend.

Being out of town threw off my weekend cooking schedule. So, making this soup made for one very long Wednesday night  and a very late dinner. It was so worth it. Adapted from a Lidias Italy recipe, Im not sure words can describe how delicious this soup tastes.

Its got lots of moving parts  making a pestata for a quick broth, simmering vegetables for a long time, concentrating the broth even longer, and making meatballs. When it all comes together  the soup may get its name from being served at weddings, or its marriage of flavors, its amazing, and oh-so Italian.

Italian Wedding Soup





For the pestata:

1 small onion, cut into chunks

1 stalk celery, cut into chunks

1 small carrot, cut into chunks

4 bulbs garlic

 cup basil leaves (about 1-0.75 ounces package)

 cup olive oil

For the soup:

3.5 quarts cold water

1 bunch Swiss chard, cut into  inch-shreds

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into about -inch cubes

1 large zucchini, cut into about -inch cubes

1 tablespoon salt

For the meatballs:

4 ounces breadcrumbs (plain or Italian)

 cup milk

1 pound Italian sausage without fennel seeds (I used regular ground breakfast sausage with Italian breadcrumbs, so I didnt have to remove casings for Italian sausage; if you use Italian sausage, you can use plain breadcrumbs)

1 large egg, beaten

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

For serving:

Olive oil

Parmesan or provolone cheese, shredded

Using a food processor, mince pestata ingredients, except olive oil. Grind vegetables and basil into a smooth paste. Heat olive oil in a large pot (to hold 3 1/2 quarts water and soup ingredients) over high heat; scrape in pestata. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until pestata has dried out and just begins to stick topan bottom.

Pour cold water into pot; stir pestata. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Then lower heat and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Then stir in chard, fennel, zucchini and salt. Return to simmer; and cook covered for about 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove lid; cook 45 minutes more until soupreduces in volume and flavors are concentrated to your taste.

Meanwhile, prepare meatballs. Heat oven to 400 F. In a large bowl, pour milk over bread crumbs; let soak in for a few minutes. Add in sausage, egg, salt and pepper and parsley; mix together with hands. Form 1-inch meatballs (about 1 heaping teaspoon of mixture); place on a baking sheet. Makes about two dozen. Cook 20 minutes or until cooked through.

To serve: Place a few meatballs in bowl; ladle on soup. Drizzle with olive oil; spring on cheese. Stir together, and enjoy!
League forums

JEAN SEELAND

Forum coalition convener

WATERLOO  In response to, Rogers wont attend LWV forums, here are several facts: There is a coalition of 31 sponsors for these forums representing a broad base of organizations. The League of Women Voters is only one of the 31. Routinely Republicans, Democrats and independents attend, and many forums have been packed with people standing at the sides, back and sometimes in the hallway. In 2017, topics included education, privatization of Medicaid, water, budget and taxes.

Moderators represent our community. Mr. Rogers attended only one forum this year, the first one on education. As chairman of the House Education Committee, he faced a packed room of people upset about the cuts to education as well as the degradation of Chapter 22 for public employees.

There are unintended consequences for attributing his lack of participation on an audience that includes members of both parties as well as independents and has broad support from 31 organizations. Rogers owes his constituents an apology.

Liz Crowley

Members of the Harbaugh-Williams Education Promise Fund Advisory Board WATERLOO  The recent death of Liz Crowley leaves a real void in our community. Years ago, when she was principal at Dr. Walter Cunningham School of Excellence, Liz gathered together a first-grade class of students she thought could benefit from extra support. In 2006, we had the opportunity to start working with Crowley and these young gentlemen. During the past few years Liz served on our advisory board as we guided these young men toward high school graduation and college.

Over the years we appreciated and benefited so much from Lizs honesty, patience, humor and above all her wisdom. She brought a calm perspective to our group that somehow reassured us that everything would eventually be alright.

It was an honor to know and work alongside Crowley, and her commitment to our community touched hundreds of young lives in a positive way during her many years as a teacher and principal.

Of course you were right, Liz. It will be all right in the end, but we sure do miss you. Your life was a shining example of how to lead and how to live. Rest in peace, for a job well done.

Head start

VELMA FLAUCHER-FALCK

CEDAR FALLS  If memory serves me, the area Head Start program had its beginning 50 years ago this May.

Wayne Moores, Sid Morris and Lynn Cutler were some of those in administration. There were two teachers in each unit that moved to a different location every three months. Mary Paup was one teacher, and I was the other one. My aide was Dorothy Wright.

Our first location was in Evansdale. Other locations were the old Castle Hill School, which had been vacated. We stayed there until I found the water in the bathroom was frozen. From there, we went to River Hills. Several churches made us welcome, including the Methodist Church in Cedar Falls.

I was with Head Start for a year and a half. During this time, my two preschool sons were in day care at First Presbyterian Church in Waterloo. When the older one started kindergarten, I could no longer juggle a schedule.

Fifty years go by fast. These are good memories. It truly takes a village. Hopefully, Head Start is still flourishing and will continue to do so.

Disingenuous?

RUTH WALKER

CEDAR FALLS  Dennis Clayson (March 19) claimed global climate change is a religion, and someone is lying. His quotes were from comments posted to a Feb. 22, 2016, summary of a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that they have greater than 95 percent certainty at least half of more than 5 inches of sea level rise they detected during the 20th century was directly caused by global warming.

What religion is evidence-based or estimates probability? He omitted from those reader comments:

Rising seas may be the least of our problems. Tipping points have long been a concern among individuals aware of global warming. Paul Beckwith is a climate scientist who recently presented a video titled Arctic Ocean Blowtorch Attacks Sea-Ice. It suggests the large amount of heat increase in the Arctic Ocean is likely to cause an extremely dangerous tipping point no later than 2020 and possibly earlier.

Stop listening to those who are protecting their profits over the planet. Does Clayson also invest in fossil fuels or get paid to write that? The cartoon at tinyurl.com/agnostic-lies says the rest.

But then, his profession could mean hes an expert at selling a bill of goods.
The iron ore transshipment and storage facility in Uruguays Nueva Palmira Free Zone can transship 10 million tons per year.



Navios South American Logistics, a subsidiary of Navios Maritime Holdings, inaugurated its newly-completed iron ore transshipment and storage facility in Uruguays Nueva Palmira Free Zone on Thursday.

The facility currently sits on 150 acres, but has an additional 70 acres left for future expansion, the company said.

Navios Logistics Chairman Angeliki Frangou said the facility was completed in four years and can transship 10 million tons per year with a loading rate of 3,900 tons per hour.

The facility can accommodate simultaneous loading of ocean-going vessels and unloading barges and has an initial storage capacity of not less than 700,000 tons of iron ore, Frangou said. The facilities include a new pier for loading ocean-going vessels, a new pier for unloading river barges, and a new mooring location for barge convoys. When the iron ore facility is fully operational, we expect to double the number of our employees to a total of 320 people.

Navios Logistics has a 20-year commitment to provide storage and ore transshipment services at a minimum of 4 million tons annually for Vale International S. A.
Q: Regarding the volunteer firefighters in Cedar Falls: Are they a Firefighter I , certified in hazardous material training, water rescue training, etc.?

A: Cedar Falls Fire Chief John Bostwick responds: Cedar Falls does not have volunteer firefighters but does have classifications for city staff who work in other divisions who are also firefighters, and has two part-time firefighters. All firefighters (full-time and alternative staff) in Cedar Falls are certified to the Firefighter 1 level and hazardous materials operations level. Many other training skills and certifications occur as deemed necessary and appropriate by the Fire Division. At minimum all firefighters receive training on a monthly basis.

Q: What is the name of the lady who plays the ADA and Tom Sellecks daughter on Blue Bloods?

A: Thats actress Bridget Moynahan.

Q: A while back the doctors article in The Courier wrote about a vaccination teens should have to prevent some type of cancer. Can you print the name of the vaccination and what is the cancer it prevents?

A: The column was about the vaccine against HPV (human papilloma virus). HPV has been shown to be the cause of virtually all cervical cancer cases in women, and in men it can lead to penile cancers, anal cancers and oral cancers.

Q: During the presidents address to Congress, in the audience was a group of women all dressed in white. When did they start allowing groups to come in and sit where elected officials are supposed to sit? Who were these ladies?

A: According to CNN, Many of the 66 Democratic women representatives and delegates who make up the House Democratic Womens Working Group wore white clothing, dubbed suffragette white in a nod to the womens rights movement in the early 1900s, which encouraged its supporters to dress in white.

Q: Does the state of Iowa recognize common law marriage? What does it consist of?

A: Under the Iowa Code, there are three requirements for a common-law marriage to be recognized: The couple must express the desire to be married to one another; they must have lived together continuously; and they must make public declaration they are married.

Q: Was something done with late night host Stephen Colberts right ear?

A: Hes been deaf in that ear since he was a child, when surgery meant to fix a perforated eardrum caused damage to his inner ear, according to interviews hes done.

Q: What other Kmart stores are they closing in Iowa besides Waterloo?

A: The stores in Dubuque and Sioux City are also closing.

Q: Concerning the article on Cooks Outdoors: Where does Jim Cook and his family live, who is his partner and where does he live?

A: Jim Cook and his family live in Cedar Falls. The article states Cooks partner is Ken Syhlman, who lives in the Cedar Valley.

Q: The Courier editorial April 2 said we dont have any insight into Rogers complaint about League of Womens voter moderator and decorum.  Why doesnt the Courier have insight? They are open meetings.

A: We werent privy to discussions, if any, between the LWV and Rogers regarding his concerns.
Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required.

Your Full Name: (optional)

Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required.
past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 17 (6) May 16 (5) May 15 (7) May 14 (3) May 13 (3) May 12 (9) May 10 (3) May 09 (7) May 08 (4) May 07 (3) May 06 (5) May 05 (8) May 03 (9) May 02 (1) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (8) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (5) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (1) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (2) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (2) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (2) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (7) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (6) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (10) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (5) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (7) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (8) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (12) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (8) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (8) Feb 28 (7) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (6) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (1) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (2) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (6) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (6) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (2) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (8) Jan 30 (2) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (1) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (4) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (2) Jan 20 (2) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (6) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (1) Dec 31 (5) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (5) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (2) Dec 17 (1) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (2) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (2) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (1) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (5) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (10) Nov 28 (6) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (6) Nov 19 (2) Nov 18 (5) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (5) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (9) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (6) Oct 22 (4) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (4) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (1) Oct 06 (10) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (1) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (6) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (6) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (5) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (8) Sep 05 (6) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (5) Aug 31 (8) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (6) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (7) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (7) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (8) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (8) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (8) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (10) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (1) Jul 16 (10) Jul 14 (7) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (7) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (7) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (2) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (5) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (6) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (8) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (10) Jun 05 (14) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (6) Jun 02 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (7) May 30 (2) May 29 (7) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (4) May 25 (5) May 24 (4) May 23 (5) May 22 (5) May 21 (5) May 20 (3) May 19 (10) May 18 (6) May 17 (3) May 16 (6) May 15 (2) May 14 (3) May 13 (5) May 11 (1) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (4) May 07 (2) May 06 (4) May 05 (6) May 04 (5) May 03 (5) May 02 (1) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (7) Apr 28 (8) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (14) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (1) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (1) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (1) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (2) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (6) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (9) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (9) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (13) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (6) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (9) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (9) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (10) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (2) Feb 03 (8) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (5) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (7) Jan 26 (8) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (6) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (12) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (8) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (7) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (9) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (8) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (4) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (5) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (1) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (10) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (12) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (6) Dec 08 (7) Dec 07 (12) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (13) Dec 04 (6) Dec 02 (8) Dec 01 (8) Nov 30 (6) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (8) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (11) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (7) Nov 17 (6) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (5) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (14) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (11) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (10) Nov 01 (8) Oct 31 (12) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (13) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (8) Oct 22 (5) Oct 21 (11) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (10) Oct 12 (11) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (10) Oct 09 (7) Oct 08 (5) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (14) Oct 04 (9) Oct 03 (12) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (9) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (7) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (10) Sep 21 (12) Sep 20 (12) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (11) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (8) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (10) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (9) Sep 07 (8) Sep 06 (11) Sep 05 (2) Sep 04 (8) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (9) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (4) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (2) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (6) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (6) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (7) Aug 06 (7) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (11) Aug 02 (6) Aug 01 (9) Jul 31 (11) Jul 28 (7) Jul 27 (11) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (1) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (2) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (7) Jul 15 (4) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (5) Jul 06 (6) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (3) Jun 30 (8) Jun 29 (5) Jun 28 (6) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (7) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (6) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (7) Jun 05 (5) Jun 04 (7) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (9) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (8) May 30 (7) May 29 (5) May 28 (5) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (3) May 23 (5) May 22 (2) May 21 (3) May 20 (7) May 19 (11) May 18 (1) May 17 (7) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (4) May 11 (11) May 10 (2) May 09 (6) May 08 (6) May 07 (2) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (5) May 03 (8) May 02 (4) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (13) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (2) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (9) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (2) Apr 19 (2) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (6) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (2) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (6) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (7) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (9) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (6) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (8) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (6) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (6) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (9) Feb 24 (11) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (7) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (6) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (2) Feb 12 (5) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (10) Feb 08 (9) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (2) Feb 05 (9) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (7) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (7) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (14) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (10) Jan 18 (11) Jan 17 (9) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (10) Jan 06 (8) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (5) Jan 01 (14) Dec 30 (13) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (5) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (7) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (5) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (9) Dec 16 (8) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (17) Dec 09 (8) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (10) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (7) Nov 30 (9) Nov 29 (6) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (15) Nov 24 (7) Nov 23 (15) Nov 22 (9) Nov 21 (6) Nov 20 (11) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (13) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (7) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (13) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (8) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (8) Nov 01 (6) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (15) Oct 26 (10) Oct 25 (10) Oct 24 (13) Oct 23 (9) Oct 21 (8) Oct 20 (13) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (8) Oct 16 (14) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (13) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (15) Oct 07 (7) Oct 06 (11) Oct 05 (18) Oct 04 (14) Oct 03 (1) Oct 02 (10) Sep 30 (11) Sep 29 (11) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (15) Sep 26 (7) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (17) Sep 20 (20) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (11) Sep 16 (10) Sep 15 (12) Sep 14 (9) Sep 13 (12) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (8) Sep 09 (9) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (13) Sep 06 (15) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (10) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (12) Aug 31 (14) Aug 30 (14) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (8) Aug 27 (9) Aug 26 (12) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (6) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (11) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (5) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (9) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (8) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (6) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (6) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (15) Jul 15 (14) Jul 14 (5) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (12) Jul 11 (8) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (10) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (10) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (7) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (11) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (14) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (8) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (11) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (16) Jun 03 (8) Jun 02 (12) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (7) May 30 (15) May 28 (7) May 27 (5) May 26 (21) May 25 (14) May 24 (10) May 23 (7) May 22 (8) May 21 (11) May 20 (5) May 19 (4) May 18 (10) May 17 (11) May 16 (5) May 15 (6) May 14 (7) May 13 (12) May 12 (10) May 11 (7) May 10 (13) May 09 (4) May 08 (7) May 07 (3) May 06 (6) May 05 (9) May 04 (14) May 03 (7) May 02 (10) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (8) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (14) Apr 22 (16) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (16) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (10) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (11) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (8) Apr 10 (12) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (13) Apr 07 (9) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (15) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (15) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (11) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (10) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (12) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (8) Mar 24 (7) Mar 23 (15) Mar 22 (17) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (8) Mar 19 (4) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (19) Mar 15 (13) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (20) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (13) Mar 08 (13) Mar 07 (7) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (16) Mar 02 (16) Mar 01 (13) Feb 29 (8) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (16) Feb 26 (10) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (12) Feb 23 (14) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (12) Feb 18 (12) Feb 17 (11) Feb 16 (8) Feb 15 (9) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (10) Feb 12 (11) Feb 11 (13) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (13) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (19) Jan 31 (21) Jan 29 (11) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (13) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (2) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (13) Jan 21 (11) Jan 20 (9) Jan 19 (13) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (11) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (13) Jan 13 (9) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (7) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (7) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (8) Jan 01 (5) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (9) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (1) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (6) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (13) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (10) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (11) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (9) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (10) Dec 08 (13) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (8) Dec 04 (11) Dec 03 (12) Dec 02 (16) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (11) Nov 28 (15) Nov 27 (16) Nov 26 (11) Nov 25 (9) Nov 24 (13) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (1) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (10) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (10) Nov 13 (14) Nov 12 (8) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (12) Nov 05 (17) Nov 04 (12) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (12) Oct 31 (11) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (10) Oct 28 (18) Oct 27 (16) Oct 26 (11) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (12) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (12) Oct 20 (17) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (15) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (10) Oct 14 (16) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (12) Oct 09 (21) Oct 08 (22) Oct 07 (19) Oct 06 (18) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (17) Oct 03 (13) Oct 02 (14) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (14) Sep 29 (15) Sep 28 (12) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (15) Sep 25 (13) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (10) Sep 22 (12) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (12) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (16) Sep 16 (21) Sep 15 (14) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (10) Sep 11 (16) Sep 10 (7) Sep 09 (8) Sep 08 (10) Sep 07 (7) Sep 06 (5) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (9) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (10) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (14) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (13) Aug 20 (9) Aug 19 (13) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (8) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (12) Aug 11 (9) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (14) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (1) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (6) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (2) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (6) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (6) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (5) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (9) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (1) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (13) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (7) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (9) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (3) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (7) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (11) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (2) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (8) Jun 03 (9) Jun 02 (6) Jun 01 (4) May 30 (7) May 29 (9) May 28 (13) May 26 (8) May 25 (5) May 24 (2) May 23 (8) May 22 (9) May 21 (7) May 20 (4) May 19 (6) May 18 (7) May 17 (8) May 15 (9) May 14 (5) May 13 (8) May 12 (6) May 11 (6) May 09 (7) May 08 (6) May 07 (11) May 06 (7) May 05 (4) May 04 (11) May 03 (5) May 02 (4) May 01 (9) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (9) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (10) Apr 22 (8) Apr 21 (9) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (4) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (6) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (5) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (2) Apr 05 (2) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (7) Apr 02 (7) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (2) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (2) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (6) Mar 20 (9) Mar 19 (9) Mar 18 (8) Mar 17 (9) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (11) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (12) Mar 11 (9) Mar 10 (12) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (5) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (11) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (8) Feb 27 (9) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (8) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (10) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (7) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (2) Feb 14 (8) Feb 13 (12) Feb 12 (8) Feb 11 (10) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (2) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (12) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (8) Jan 26 (13) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (12) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (10) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (11) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (4) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (8) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (9) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (10) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (10) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (9) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (10) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (1) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (9) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (7) Nov 25 (12) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (6) Nov 18 (10) Nov 17 (12) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (12) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (7) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (9) Nov 03 (6) Nov 02 (14) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (9) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (8) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (2) Oct 19 (11) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (7) Oct 15 (7) Oct 14 (8) Oct 13 (5) Oct 12 (8) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (5) Oct 09 (11) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (8) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (10) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (7) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (8) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (11) Sep 24 (15) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (10) Sep 17 (10) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (8) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (7) Sep 02 (7) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (9) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (12) Aug 19 (8) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (8) Aug 11 (7) Aug 10 (12) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (4) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (12) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (8) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (8) Jul 20 (6) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (8) Jul 17 (2) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (9) Jul 13 (10) Jul 11 (9) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (7) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (7) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (15) Jun 26 (10) Jun 25 (9) Jun 24 (16) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (12) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (6) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (13) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (14) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (16) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (18) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (8) May 31 (3) May 30 (6) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (6) May 23 (4) May 22 (8) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (2) May 18 (9) May 17 (1) May 16 (5) May 15 (5) May 14 (7) May 13 (7) May 12 (7) May 11 (4) May 10 (4) May 09 (5) May 08 (10) May 07 (4) May 06 (13) May 05 (4) May 04 (10) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (9) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (9) Apr 24 (7) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (10) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (7) Apr 14 (11) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (9) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (6) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (10) Apr 03 (9) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (8) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (8) Mar 22 (7) Mar 21 (14) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (11) Mar 17 (12) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (8) Mar 14 (13) Mar 13 (8) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (8) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (3) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (15) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (12) Mar 02 (20) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (11) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (14) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (8) Feb 16 (11) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (7) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (6) Feb 07 (5) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (2) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (2) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (7) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (7) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (4) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (1) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 27 (1) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (8) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (1) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (7) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (9) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (2) Dec 01 (8) Nov 29 (5) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (5) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (12) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (12) Nov 11 (6) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (9) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (11) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (7) Oct 26 (7) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (7) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (2) Oct 21 (7) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (7) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (20) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (21) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (34) Oct 04 (24) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (7) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (5) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (5) Sep 26 (6) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (2) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (9) Sep 19 (11) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (6) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (11) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (6) Sep 06 (10) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (5) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (8) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (7) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (8) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (7) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (4) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (6) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (7) Jul 23 (10) Jul 22 (8) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (7) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (10) Jul 16 (11) Jul 15 (5) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (12) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (8) Jul 03 (10) Jul 02 (12) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (23) Jun 27 (18) Jun 26 (12) Jun 25 (14) Jun 24 (15) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (15) Jun 20 (9) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (11) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (6) Jun 15 (6) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (9) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (2) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (3) May 30 (5) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (2) May 25 (8) May 24 (7) May 23 (6) May 22 (9) May 21 (6) May 20 (5) May 19 (6) May 18 (9) May 17 (10) May 16 (11) May 15 (5) May 14 (11) May 13 (6) May 12 (7) May 11 (7) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (10) May 07 (8) May 06 (11) May 05 (5) May 04 (9) May 03 (3) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (5) Apr 29 (8) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (10) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (10) Apr 16 (8) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (11) Apr 11 (6) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (9) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (2) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (5) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (9) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (10) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (2) Mar 10 (1) Mar 09 (6) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (6) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (9) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (4) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (2) Feb 17 (1) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (7) Feb 11 (2) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (5) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (9) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (10) Feb 01 (9) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (5) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (8) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (1) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (1) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (2) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (4) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (8) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (8) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (7) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (7) Dec 02 (1) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (16) Nov 27 (7) Nov 26 (5) Nov 25 (2) Nov 24 (6) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (15) Nov 19 (8) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (5) Nov 08 (8) Nov 07 (9) Nov 06 (9) Nov 05 (1) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (8) Nov 02 (6) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (8) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (1) Oct 22 (6) Oct 21 (1) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (10) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (15) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (7) Oct 10 (1) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (6) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (8) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (8) Sep 24 (8) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (9) Sep 20 (7) Sep 19 (8) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (7) Sep 12 (7) Sep 11 (9) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (10) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (15) Sep 04 (5) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (7) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (11) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (15) Aug 24 (6) Aug 23 (8) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (7) Aug 19 (2) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (9) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (5) Aug 08 (7) Aug 07 (9) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (11) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (5) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (6) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (8) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (14) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (6) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (8) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (14) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (12) Jun 15 (12) Jun 14 (10) Jun 13 (10) Jun 12 (9) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (12) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (12) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (3) May 25 (5) May 24 (9) May 23 (16) May 22 (12) May 21 (11) May 20 (7) May 19 (10) May 18 (8) May 17 (8) May 16 (10) May 15 (8) May 14 (5) May 13 (1) May 12 (6) May 11 (9) May 10 (9) May 09 (10) May 08 (9) May 07 (6) May 06 (5) May 05 (7) May 04 (10) May 03 (7) May 02 (9) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (12) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (9) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (2) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (10) Apr 14 (7) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (7) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (8) Apr 05 (8) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (6) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (11) Mar 30 (12) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (6) Mar 24 (9) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (12) Mar 20 (14) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (8) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (12) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (8) Feb 29 (11) Feb 28 (5) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (13) Feb 25 (10) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (10) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (18) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (5) Feb 16 (9) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (8) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (10) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (12) Jan 30 (7) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (7) Jan 27 (12) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (11) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (6) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (12) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (6) Jan 17 (11) Jan 16 (9) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (9) Jan 10 (10) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (10) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (10) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (7) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (9) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (8) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (1) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (6) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (13) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (7) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (7) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (9) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (7) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (8) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (10) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (10) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (8) Nov 17 (9) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (12) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (7) Nov 07 (8) Nov 06 (10) Nov 05 (8) Nov 04 (7) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (11) Nov 01 (10) Oct 31 (5) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (8) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (5) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (11) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (7) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (9) Oct 14 (7) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (8) Oct 09 (9) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (12) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (13) Oct 04 (11) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (14) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (12) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (7) Sep 25 (10) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (8) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (7) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (14) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (11) Sep 14 (13) Sep 13 (11) Sep 12 (9) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (13) Sep 08 (11) Sep 07 (11) Sep 06 (16) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (8) Sep 01 (7) Aug 31 (1) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (5) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (7) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (10) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (12) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (13) Jul 28 (10) Jul 27 (6) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (12) Jul 22 (14) Jul 21 (6) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (12) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (6) Jul 15 (8) Jul 14 (15) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (6) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (9) Jul 06 (15) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (10) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (11) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (11) Jun 24 (9) Jun 23 (10) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (8) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (5) Jun 18 (15) Jun 17 (8) Jun 16 (13) Jun 15 (15) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (6) Jun 12 (15) Jun 11 (7) Jun 10 (7) Jun 09 (18) Jun 08 (20) Jun 07 (17) Jun 06 (9) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (12) Jun 03 (13) Jun 02 (14) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (13) May 30 (8) May 29 (6) May 28 (8) May 27 (17) May 26 (8) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (9) May 22 (4) May 21 (4) May 20 (11) May 19 (14) May 18 (6) May 17 (10) May 16 (4) May 15 (5) May 14 (28) May 12 (9) May 11 (17) May 10 (15) May 09 (12) May 08 (5) May 07 (4) May 06 (10) May 05 (8) May 04 (10) May 03 (5) May 02 (6) May 01 (8) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (12) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (5) Apr 22 (10) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (13) Apr 19 (11) Apr 18 (11) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (11) Apr 14 (17) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (16) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (1) Apr 09 (18) Apr 08 (14) Apr 07 (6) Apr 06 (10) Apr 05 (21) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (13) Apr 01 (8) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (11) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (10) Mar 23 (12) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (8) Mar 20 (4) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (9) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (14) Mar 11 (13) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (17) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (7) Mar 05 (13) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (14) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (18) Feb 28 (8) Feb 27 (2) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (13) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (13) Feb 22 (12) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (16) Feb 18 (17) Feb 17 (15) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (15) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (8) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (15) Feb 10 (11) Feb 09 (13) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (15) Feb 04 (15) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (14) Feb 01 (15) Jan 31 (11) Jan 30 (9) Jan 29 (19) Jan 28 (9) Jan 27 (9) Jan 26 (16) Jan 25 (19) Jan 24 (17) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (15) Jan 21 (9) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (12) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (14) Jan 12 (11) Jan 11 (13) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (20) Jan 07 (11) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (14) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (14) Dec 30 (15) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (10) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (11) Dec 24 (9) Dec 23 (9) Dec 22 (15) Dec 21 (12) Dec 20 (11) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (6) Dec 16 (12) Dec 15 (14) Dec 14 (11) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (17) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (12) Dec 07 (16) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (5) Dec 04 (12) Dec 03 (15) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (12) Nov 30 (16) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (13) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (15) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (8) Nov 19 (9) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (9) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (10) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (7) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (14) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (13) Nov 01 (9) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (18) Oct 28 (13) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (12) Oct 25 (14) Oct 24 (20) Oct 22 (18) Oct 21 (18) Oct 20 (19) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (18) Oct 15 (8) Oct 14 (11) Oct 13 (9) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (27) Oct 08 (14) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (10) Oct 03 (6) Oct 02 (9) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (13) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (9) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (14) Sep 24 (4) Sep 23 (14) Sep 22 (20) Sep 21 (11) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (14) Sep 17 (8) Sep 16 (17) Sep 15 (6) Sep 14 (11) Sep 13 (9) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (14) Sep 09 (12) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (9) Sep 04 (20) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (16) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (13) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (11) Aug 25 (10) Aug 24 (14) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (13) Aug 21 (10) Aug 20 (13) Aug 19 (15) Aug 18 (8) Aug 17 (10) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (11) Aug 13 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (10) Aug 10 (17) Aug 09 (6) Aug 08 (13) Aug 07 (11) Aug 06 (13) Aug 05 (11) Aug 04 (11) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (10) Jul 30 (21) Jul 29 (14) Jul 28 (13) Jul 27 (16) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (15) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (15) Jul 21 (19) Jul 20 (17) Jul 19 (9) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (26) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (20) Jul 14 (16) Jul 13 (19) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (13) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (16) Jul 05 (9) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (15) Jul 02 (11) Jul 01 (14) Jun 30 (13) Jun 29 (19) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (9) Jun 26 (16) Jun 25 (22) Jun 24 (17) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (15) Jun 21 (14) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (17) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (10) Jun 16 (17) Jun 15 (13) Jun 14 (14) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (13) Jun 11 (15) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (10) Jun 08 (23) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (20) Jun 05 (10) Jun 04 (11) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (21) Jun 01 (14) May 31 (10) May 30 (14) May 29 (8) May 28 (23) May 27 (20) May 26 (16) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (10) May 22 (18) May 21 (14) May 20 (12) May 19 (18) May 18 (14) May 17 (13) May 16 (4) May 15 (7) May 14 (16) May 13 (13) May 12 (8) May 11 (18) May 10 (8) May 09 (7) May 08 (13) May 07 (11) May 06 (15) May 05 (18) May 04 (17) May 03 (7) May 02 (5) May 01 (11) Apr 30 (19) Apr 29 (21) Apr 28 (18) Apr 27 (16) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (20) Apr 22 (23) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (16) Apr 19 (13) Apr 18 (6) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (16) Apr 15 (18) Apr 14 (13) Apr 13 (14) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (14) Apr 08 (12) Apr 07 (18) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (11) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (16) Mar 31 (16) Mar 30 (22) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (19) Mar 26 (31) Mar 25 (25) Mar 24 (26) Mar 23 (27) Mar 22 (22) Mar 21 (22) Mar 20 (13) Mar 19 (21) Mar 18 (20) Mar 17 (24) Mar 16 (18) Mar 15 (9) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (29) Mar 12 (15) Mar 11 (11) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (20) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (6) Mar 06 (21) Mar 05 (22) Mar 04 (19) Mar 03 (9) Mar 02 (20) Mar 01 (11) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (27) Feb 26 (15) Feb 25 (18) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (19) Feb 22 (24) Feb 21 (10) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (25) Feb 18 (16) Feb 17 (19) Feb 16 (23) Feb 15 (8) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (16) Feb 11 (12) Feb 10 (18) Feb 09 (12) Feb 08 (14) Feb 07 (8) Feb 06 (27) Feb 05 (28) Feb 04 (24) Feb 03 (17) Feb 02 (20) Feb 01 (23) Jan 31 (16) Jan 30 (20) Jan 29 (26) Jan 28 (17) Jan 27 (21) Jan 26 (24) Jan 25 (16) Jan 24 (14) Jan 23 (16) Jan 22 (17) Jan 21 (19) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (17) Jan 18 (13) Jan 17 (14) Jan 16 (10) Jan 15 (21) Jan 14 (16) Jan 13 (19) Jan 12 (30) Jan 11 (14) Jan 10 (11) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (23) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (21) Jan 05 (15) Jan 04 (18) Jan 03 (9) Jan 02 (12) Jan 01 (15) Dec 31 (18) Dec 30 (7) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (6) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (28) Dec 23 (12) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (17) Dec 20 (19) Dec 19 (19) Dec 18 (22) Dec 17 (24) Dec 16 (17) Dec 15 (29) Dec 14 (22) Dec 13 (12) Dec 12 (22) Dec 11 (24) Dec 10 (25) Dec 09 (18) Dec 08 (15) Dec 07 (21) Dec 06 (24) Dec 05 (30) Dec 04 (28) Dec 03 (26) Dec 02 (22) Dec 01 (33) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (9) Nov 28 (18) Nov 27 (25) Nov 26 (17) Nov 25 (23) Nov 24 (27) Nov 23 (12) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (15) Nov 20 (23) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (24) Nov 17 (21) Nov 16 (20) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (15) Nov 13 (27) Nov 12 (23) Nov 11 (19) Nov 10 (21) Nov 09 (13) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (16) Nov 06 (32) Nov 05 (24) Nov 04 (20) Nov 03 (29) Nov 02 (12) Nov 01 (15) Oct 31 (20) Oct 30 (22) Oct 29 (27) Oct 28 (20) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (21) Oct 25 (15) Oct 24 (23) Oct 23 (26) Oct 22 (27) Oct 21 (28) Oct 20 (24) Oct 19 (13) Oct 18 (9) Oct 17 (30) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (20) Oct 14 (14) Oct 13 (17) Oct 12 (16) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (19) Oct 09 (22) Oct 08 (16) Oct 07 (18) Oct 06 (23) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (15) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (22) Sep 30 (25) Sep 29 (20) Sep 28 (17) Sep 27 (13) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (15) Sep 24 (24) Sep 23 (23) Sep 22 (18) Sep 21 (20) Sep 20 (11) Sep 19 (24) Sep 18 (25) Sep 17 (25) Sep 16 (19) Sep 15 (21) Sep 14 (15) Sep 13 (10) Sep 12 (23) Sep 11 (23) Sep 10 (25) Sep 09 (25) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (17) Sep 05 (14) Sep 04 (24) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (19) Aug 31 (20) Aug 30 (11) Aug 29 (24) Aug 28 (24) Aug 27 (16) Aug 26 (26) Aug 25 (21) Aug 24 (15) Aug 23 (19) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (25) Aug 20 (27) Aug 19 (19) Aug 18 (24) Aug 17 (14) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (15) Aug 14 (16) Aug 13 (21) Aug 12 (30) Aug 11 (19) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (12) Aug 08 (17) Aug 07 (21) Aug 06 (26) Aug 05 (23) Aug 04 (21) Aug 03 (12) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (19) Jul 31 (21) Jul 30 (25) Jul 29 (29) Jul 28 (23) Jul 27 (17) Jul 26 (11) Jul 25 (21) Jul 24 (14) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (19) Jul 21 (15) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (10) Jul 18 (15) Jul 17 (22) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (21) Jul 14 (20) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (29) Jul 10 (19) Jul 09 (17) Jul 08 (26) Jul 07 (21) Jul 06 (18) Jul 05 (14) Jul 04 (20) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (24) Jul 01 (23) Jun 30 (23) Jun 29 (18) Jun 28 (16) Jun 27 (16) Jun 26 (17) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (32) Jun 23 (29) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (17) Jun 20 (25) Jun 19 (28) Jun 18 (19) Jun 17 (25) Jun 16 (23) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (14) Jun 12 (22) Jun 11 (19) Jun 10 (17) Jun 09 (15) Jun 08 (16) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (29) Jun 05 (27) Jun 04 (24) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (22) Jun 01 (13) May 31 (9) May 30 (26) May 29 (19) May 28 (15) May 27 (15) May 26 (23) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (24) May 22 (13) May 21 (21) May 20 (18) May 19 (16) May 18 (7) May 17 (12) May 16 (25) May 15 (24) May 14 (23) May 13 (19) May 12 (17) May 11 (8) May 10 (6) May 09 (14) May 08 (21) May 07 (26) May 06 (14) May 05 (14) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (24) May 01 (13) Apr 30 (15) Apr 29 (24) Apr 28 (24) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (13) Apr 24 (27) Apr 23 (15) Apr 22 (21) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (17) Apr 19 (8) Apr 18 (20) Apr 17 (27) Apr 16 (27) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (8) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (22) Apr 09 (15) Apr 08 (15) Apr 07 (17) Apr 06 (14) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (19) Mar 31 (25) Mar 30 (13) Mar 29 (9) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (23) Mar 26 (22) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (25) Mar 23 (16) Mar 22 (13) Mar 21 (24) Mar 20 (27) Mar 19 (20) Mar 18 (24) Mar 17 (17) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (20) Mar 13 (28) Mar 12 (30) Mar 11 (20) Mar 10 (21) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (8) Mar 07 (17) Mar 06 (20) Mar 05 (19) Mar 04 (15) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (12) Feb 28 (16) Feb 27 (17) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (23) Feb 24 (15) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (10) Feb 21 (24) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (24) Feb 18 (19) Feb 17 (27) Feb 16 (13) Feb 15 (11) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (13) Feb 12 (13) Feb 11 (21) Feb 10 (16) Feb 09 (15) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (17) Feb 06 (21) Feb 05 (17) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (23) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (8) Jan 31 (17) Jan 30 (22) Jan 29 (23) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (24) Jan 26 (12) Jan 25 (9) Jan 24 (12) Jan 23 (19) Jan 22 (19) Jan 21 (14) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (12) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (20) Jan 16 (14) Jan 15 (23) Jan 14 (8) Jan 13 (20) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (18) Jan 09 (11) Jan 08 (18) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (12) Jan 05 (12) Jan 04 (11) Jan 03 (10) Jan 02 (9) Jan 01 (9) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (13) Dec 26 (15) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (8) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (14) Dec 19 (17) Dec 18 (14) Dec 17 (14) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (9) Dec 14 (9) Dec 13 (11) Dec 12 (16) Dec 11 (18) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (24) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (19) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (26) Dec 04 (15) Dec 03 (20) Dec 02 (17) Dec 01 (11) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (18) Nov 28 (21) Nov 27 (10) Nov 26 (22) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (18) Nov 21 (9) Nov 20 (17) Nov 19 (16) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (21) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (20) Nov 12 (16) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (9) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (15) Nov 06 (18) Nov 05 (19) Nov 04 (16) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (17) Oct 31 (17) Oct 30 (21) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (16) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (16) Oct 24 (18) Oct 23 (14) Oct 22 (17) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (6) Oct 19 (8) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (12) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (19) Oct 14 (15) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (10) Oct 10 (23) Oct 09 (13) Oct 08 (15) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (13) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (16) Oct 03 (17) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (20) Sep 30 (17) Sep 29 (9) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (14) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (19) Sep 24 (13) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (21) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (20) Sep 16 (16) Sep 15 (10) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (18) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (24) Sep 10 (17) Sep 09 (16) Sep 08 (16) Sep 07 (10) Sep 06 (20) Sep 05 (13) Sep 04 (23) Sep 03 (14) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (11) Aug 31 (11) Aug 30 (13) Aug 29 (18) Aug 28 (14) Aug 27 (21) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (8) Aug 24 (10) Aug 23 (17) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (14) Aug 20 (20) Aug 19 (20) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (9) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (12) Aug 14 (14) Aug 13 (19) Aug 12 (14) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (12) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (18) Aug 07 (16) Aug 06 (16) Aug 05 (20) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (12) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (16) Jul 30 (16) Jul 29 (11) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (9) Jul 26 (17) Jul 25 (20) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (11) Jul 22 (18) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (14) Jul 18 (11) Jul 17 (15) Jul 16 (12) Jul 15 (10) Jul 14 (8) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (17) Jul 11 (18) Jul 10 (16) Jul 09 (13) Jul 08 (10) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (8) Jul 05 (16) Jul 04 (14) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (13) Jul 01 (16) Jun 30 (19) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (19) Jun 27 (21) Jun 26 (27) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (23) Jun 23 (12) Jun 22 (9) Jun 21 (18) Jun 20 (15) Jun 19 (24) Jun 18 (21) Jun 17 (13) Jun 16 (9) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (18) Jun 13 (24) Jun 12 (18) Jun 11 (23) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (24) Jun 08 (27) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (25) Jun 05 (30) Jun 04 (23) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (16) Jun 01 (17) May 31 (18) May 30 (19) May 29 (17) May 28 (23) May 27 (15) May 26 (10) May 25 (19) May 24 (16) May 23 (16) May 22 (27) May 21 (20) May 20 (26) May 19 (6) May 18 (8) May 17 (20) May 16 (8) May 15 (18) May 14 (5) May 13 (21) May 12 (9) May 11 (8) May 10 (12) May 09 (18) May 08 (11) May 07 (27) May 06 (12) May 05 (16) May 04 (19) May 03 (14) May 02 (18) May 01 (18) Apr 30 (25) Apr 29 (27) Apr 28 (11) Apr 27 (10) Apr 26 (18) Apr 25 (10) Apr 24 (29) Apr 23 (29) Apr 22 (14) Apr 21 (15) Apr 20 (20) Apr 19 (22) Apr 18 (16) Apr 17 (32) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (21) Apr 13 (15) Apr 12 (13) Apr 11 (14) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (20) Apr 08 (36) Apr 07 (22) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (28) Apr 04 (20) Apr 03 (29) Apr 02 (32) Apr 01 (18) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (15) Mar 28 (22) Mar 27 (24) Mar 26 (17) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (13) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (15) Mar 20 (18) Mar 19 (19) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (10) Mar 16 (6) Mar 15 (18) Mar 14 (24) Mar 13 (18) Mar 12 (18) Mar 11 (17) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (18) Mar 07 (25) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (16) Mar 04 (22) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (23) Feb 29 (19) Feb 28 (25) Feb 27 (26) Feb 26 (23) Feb 25 (12) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (15) Feb 22 (26) Feb 21 (31) Feb 20 (12) Feb 19 (21) Feb 18 (15) Feb 17 (10) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (19) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (20) Feb 11 (9) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (28) Feb 08 (20) Feb 07 (22) Feb 06 (20) Feb 05 (19) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (16) Feb 02 (28) Feb 01 (37) Jan 31 (27) Jan 30 (31) Jan 29 (18) Jan 28 (14) Jan 27 (10) Jan 26 (18) Jan 25 (26) Jan 24 (34) Jan 23 (21) Jan 22 (21) Jan 21 (18) Jan 20 (18) Jan 19 (18) Jan 18 (26) Jan 17 (24) Jan 16 (23) Jan 15 (30) Jan 14 (20) Jan 13 (18) Jan 12 (24) Jan 11 (11) Jan 10 (23) Jan 09 (22) Jan 08 (17) Jan 07 (17) Jan 06 (9) Jan 05 (18) Jan 04 (15) Jan 03 (19) Jan 02 (14) Jan 01 (6) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (15) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (7) Dec 26 (10) Dec 25 (16) Dec 24 (13) Dec 23 (16) Dec 22 (11) Dec 21 (26) Dec 20 (28) Dec 19 (14) Dec 18 (25) Dec 17 (23) Dec 16 (19) Dec 15 (22) Dec 14 (38) Dec 13 (26) Dec 12 (25) Dec 11 (27) Dec 10 (31) Dec 09 (15) Dec 08 (30) Dec 07 (31) Dec 06 (27) Dec 05 (38) Dec 04 (25) Dec 03 (27) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (36) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (17) Nov 28 (23) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (16) Nov 25 (14) Nov 24 (18) Nov 23 (21) Nov 22 (21) Nov 21 (24) Nov 20 (20) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (17) Nov 17 (17) Nov 16 (34) Nov 15 (25) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (21) Nov 12 (18) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (12) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (4) Oct 29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1)
According to legislative sources on Monday, Paraguay's lower house is delaying a vote on an amendment to the constitution that would allow current and previous presidents to stand for re-election, after violent protests broke out in the capital.

The move would allow current President Horacio Cartes and leftist former president Fernando Lugo impeached in 2012 via a parliamentary coup to run in 2018.

Senators opposed to re-election asked the Supreme Court to rule on the legality of the vote and force the lower house not to vote on the measure, while new protests are planned in front of Congress for Monday night.

Late on Sunday in a Facebook post, Cartes, a former soft-drink and tobacco businessman, called on different political factions to meet and discuss ways to reduce tensions in the South American country of 6.8 million. The message, which avoided any mention of the constitutional amendment, came after Pope Francis publicly called for a national dialogue.

Hugo Velazquez, the head of the lower house and Cartes ally, told journalists that as long as dialogue continues "and we are trying to find solutions to the problems we have, the chamber of deputies will not consider the amendment."

On Friday a young protestor was fatally shot by anti-riot police after supporters of the opposition Liberal Party set parts of the Congress building on fire. The violence began after a group of senators called a special closed-door meeting outside of the Senate chamber and without the president of the Senate, Roberto Acevedo.

Twenty-five lawmakers voted for the measure, two more than the 23 required for passage in the 45-member upper chamber.

The bill appeared to also have strong support in the 80-member lower house, where Cartes' Colorado Party holds the majority. The measure would also benefit other former presidents, including leftist Lugo.

Paraguay's 1992 constitution prohibits presidential re-election, a sensitive subject ever since a 35-year dictatorship fell in 1989.

Senator Lilian Samaniego, a Cartes ally, said re-election supporters would not be deterred. "The proposal will not be withdrawn," she said after leaving a meeting in the presidential palace with governors, mayors and other politicians.

The leader of the opposition Liberal Party, Efrain Alegre, responded that he would only participate in the dialogue called by Cartes after an investigation into the protester's death was completed and Friday's Senate vote was annulled.

"First we have to get things in order and then we can have a thousand meetings if that's what it takes," he said.

Both Efrain and Acevedo rejected the dialogue unless Cartes participates also, saying they consider him as one of the main people responsible for the current crisis.
Apr 5, 2017 | By Benedict

Justyna Stasiewicz is performing a rare balancing act. Despite currently studying for a PhD, the Polish designer runs her own 3D printed jewelry company, Stasiewicz Jewelry. And as if that wasnt enough to keep her busy, she has also recently been involved with the Open BioMedical Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to producing and distributing open source 3D printable prostheses for those in need. After hearing about her (many) activities through Open BioMedicals Valentino Megale, we got in touch with the talented designer to talk 3D printed jewelry, 3D printed prostheses, and Couchsurfing.

Could you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

My name is Justyna Stasiewicz and I come from Koszalin, a small town in the north of Poland. Currently, I live and work in odz (1.5 hours away from Warsaw). I am in the third year of PhD studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz. At the same time, I teach students on extramural studies to design jewelry in a 3D program. I am an active artistevery year I take part in numerous exhibitions and jewelry contests. What is more, I run my own company (Stasiewicz Jewelry) and blog where I write about jewelry both in Polish and English.

3D printed jewelry seems to be really taking off at the momentwhen and how did you get into the field?

I had my first contact with 3D design during my studies. For the past six years I have been constantly expanding my knowledge on this subject. If you use new technologies in your creative work, it is very important not to settle for what you know and quickly learn whatever new appears. One program is often not enough to fully show your capabilities, or it would take too much time.

Has the Polish and Eastern European market been receptive to your 3D printed jewelry, or do you consider your work more of an international project?

I am open to both: Polish and international markets. So far it is hard for me to assess how much the Polish market is prepared for my jewelry, because my company opened half a year ago. Thus, I am at the beginning of my journey in the land of luxury goods.

I often come across the belief that jewelry made by a machine cant be unique. I totally disagree. If we didnt move with the times and didnt use what technological advances offer, we would still be in the Stone Age! Progress is necessary. 3D printing is first and foremost a toolwhether the project created with its help will be good depends primarily on what skills and knowledge a person using the program has.

Youve been active in some contrasting areas of 3D printing, from 3D printed jewelry to 3D printed prostheses. How did you end up on these parallel paths?

My adventure with the Open BioMedical Initiative started by chance. My great passion is traveling, so I often use a portal called Couchsurfing. When I cant travel, I use the portal to help people who visit Lodz. That's how I met Valentino Megale, who is one of the founders of the Open BioMedical Initiative. He told me about what his organization was doingit turned out that we were working in the same 3D programs and that their project would need a woman's touch. I really liked the idea that I could actually improve the comfort of someone's life by using my skills. And because their previous project, Will, hadnt been finished, I proposed that I would design a new hand for them.

Could you tell us a bit more about the TINA prosthetic hand and your work with the Open BioMedical Initiative? (And did your experience creating rings and bracelets come in handy when making a prosthetic hand?)

TINA is a prosthetic hand, which was supposed to be not only functional but also pleasing to the eye. The first prototype was printed here, in Poland, on my boyfriend's printer. The Open BioMedical Initiative provided me with information on the proportions of the hand and technical specifications that determined how much space I had to leave for the components to keep the hand mobile.

The project was a lot of fun, because it required the same precision that accompanies me every day when working with jewelry. It turned out that the skills Id gained as a jewelry designer were great for a prosthetic design! This an international collaboration was such a great experienceI think it has developed me a lot.

Where do you get your jewelry inspiration from? Can you describe your style in a few words?

I am strongly connected with nature, which is my main inspiration. The multitude of shapes and colors of the world that surrounds us affects me very strongly. I like the fact that nature is not only accidental, organic forms but also mathematical, complex structures.

Which 3D printers, printing materials, and 3D design software do you usefor jewelry and other projects?

I use very different materials and technologies, not limiting myself to only one. For larger, artistic works, I mostly use FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) or SLS (Selective Laser Sintering). Smaller objects are created with the use of a Polish company which prints on a Solidscape 3D printer, or via Shapeways, which gives you the opportunity to print directly in silver. All items are designed with the use of Matrix 7.0, an addition to Rhinoceros.

Different designers seem to have very different ways of going from jewelry concept to creation. Could you describe your process a little?

It depends on the projectthere is no consistency in my working method. Often before I start the project I collect materials and create moodboards. Later, it varies: I either sketch or model right in the program. With more complicated forms, I usually make plastic models first. Before 3D printing, I always recalibrate the project and print it on a regular 2D printer. This allows me to judge whether the details arent too small. The program always makes everything seem bigger.

You selected the spectacular Snow Queen piece for the Baselworld Design Competitionis that a favorite work in your collection? If not, which piece(s) would fit that description?

Snow Queen is definitely one of my favorite projects. For the first time I have faced the setting of such small stones, and in this project I used as many as 50 of them. I also like a large ring from the Reef collection. It wasnt as demanding as the Snow Queen, but the final effect surpassed my expectations.

Finally, do you have any other 3D printing projects on the horizon?

Yes, of course. All my PhD will be printed in 3D. The topic of my work is The impact of artwork in relation to haptic aesthetics based on designer jewelry collection. I hope I can finish working on it this year.

Justyna Stasiewiczs jewelry website can be found here. While youre here, why not revisit previous 3Ders interviews with fellow 3D printed jewelry designer John Robertson, Shining 3D CEO Li Tao, and post-process-free 3D printer manufacturer Rize.

Posted in Interviews

Maybe you also like:












Apr 5, 2017 | By Tess

Not sure what to have for lunch? How about a salad, expertly assembled and tossed by a robot named Sally? The food-making robot, developed by robots for restaurants startup Chowbotics, is the latest in automated cuisine coming out of Silicon Valley.

Surprisingly, this is not the first salad-making robot weve encountered, though it is immeasurably better than its jokey counterpart. The machine, which resembles a sort of 3D printer/coffee dispenser hybrid, is designed to make a variety of fresh salads, with scientifically perfect proportions. Sally the salad robot houses 21 ingredients, such as romaine, kale, cherry tomatoes, olives, grilled chicken, cheese, and more, and is capable of making over one thousand different salad combinations, each in a minute or so.

Sally is the latest food-service robot to come from Chowbotics, a startup based in San Jose (CA) that is hoping to make an impact with its automated, tech-inspired food-making machines. The company, founded by Deepak Sekar, has gained a lot of attention recently, even securing $6.3 million in funding from various venture capital firms such as the Foundry Group, which has ties to Fitbit, Sphero, and 3D printer company Makerbot.

Chowbotics 350-pound salad robot is not only capable of assembling salads, however. It can help users control calorie intake by letting them know exactly how many calories are going into their saladsa notable advantage over salad bars. Its creators also say that Sally is more hygienic than self-service salad bars or even restaurant kitchens, where many people come into contact with the food you are eating.

Still, Sally still requires some human help, namely to chop the salad ingredients before they are put into the robot for the day. Sally is the next generation of salad restaurant, said Sekar. I've always believed that cooking is fun. But during the week, life is so rushed between work and family. When I looked at time I spent cooking, 85 per cent was spent doing repetitive tasks, like chopping. I wanted to do something else with that time.

At present, the salad-making robot is listed for $30,000, but will also be available to businesses for a monthly lease of about $500 a month. According to the company, Sally will make her public debut on April 13 in San Francisco (at Galvanize, a co-working space), and then this spring at Mama Mias, a restaurant in Silicon Valley, and H-E-B Grocery Co., a corporate cafeteria in Texas. Pre-orders for the food service robot will be fulfilled by Chowbotics as soon as the third quarter.

Sally is being targeted at a wide variety of venues, including hotels, airports, convention centers, gyms, and even existing food chains like McDonalds. As Sekar suggested, If a location installs Sally, they'll have a thousand kinds of salad, using fresh ingredients, while their kids are eating Big Macs and fries.

(Images: Kristen Loken | Chowbotics)

Taking off from the Sally salad robot, Chowbotics is now also planning on developing different kinds of food-making robots which will be geared towards various ethnic cuisines. In fact, one of the first robots Sekar built was designed to prepare Indian dishes, such as fried cauliflower. The machine I created for Indian cooking looked like a modified 3D printer," explained Sekar. "But instead of plastic shapes, it was making food."

Recently, Chowbotics also brought on Charlie Ayers (Googles original chef) to be its executive chef. Ayers, who is well versed in cooking for huge groups, thinks that food service robots are going to be the future of food prep. When asked about how they would affect kitchen jobs for humans, he didnt seem too concerned, stating that automation is taking hold across most industries and that you can either fight it, or be on the team that makes it happen.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

Maybe you also like:









I.AM.Magic wrote at 4/6/2017 7:43:56 AM:By "salad", they mean "chopped vegetables" right? where do they store all the fresh food?




Apr 5, 2017 | By Tess

As desktop FDM 3D printers become increasingly accessible in terms of cost and user experience, one aspect of the technology has remained somewhat prohibitive (or, at the very least, frustrating): printing speed. Fortunately, however, a joint team of researchers from Binghamton University, the State University of New York, and MIT have pinpointed some existing obstructions in 3D printers that can be addressed to make the entire 3D printing process much faster.

Z Corp 3-D Printer-Spectrum 2 at Binghamton University

(Image: Binghamton University)

The research paper, entitled Rate Limits of Additive Manufacturing by Fused Filament Fabrication and Guidelines for High-Throughput System Design, was recently published in the online journal Additive Manufacturing and addresses how FDM/FFF 3D printing technology has the potential to be sped up significantly.

The researchers, led by one Professor John Hart from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity at MIT, have identified a number of elements that are currently built into most FDM 3D printers which ultimately hinder how fast the machine can operate.

As they explain, most commercial desktop and professional 3D printers are capable of printing objects at a rate of about 10-20 cubic cm an hour at a 0.2 mm layer height, a speed which is determined largely by a pinch-wheel mechanism that feeds the filament into the 3D printer. The pinch-wheel is apparently limited in terms of the force it can exert, which is about 60 newtons, and its feed rate, about nine millimeters per second, both of which allow the printer to properly melt the 3D printing material.

Scott Schiffres, an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at Binghamton, commented on the research: We found that the rate at which a polymer melts is limiting in many implementations. The pressure required to push the polymer through the nozzle is a sharp function of temperature. If the core is not hot enough, the printer will not be able to squeeze the polymer through the nozzle.

FDM 3D printing

Though not much has been divulged about how this limitation will be overcome by the research team, even the fact that it has been identified is promising. As Schiffres added: The work has implications for how to scale up additive manufacturing and the trade-off between higher-resolution printing and speed. We hope it will inspire future work to investigate pre-heating of the polymer, and printing with multiple extruders.

The research paper, which was co-authored by MIT graduate students Jamison Go and Adam Stevens, received funding and support from the Lockheed Martin Corporation, the Department of Defense, the MIT International Design Centre (IDC), and MIT MakerWorks.

For anyone who has begrudgingly stayed up all night to keep an eye on an important print, this discovery from the 3D printing research world is nothing but good news.

Posted in 3D Printing Technology

Maybe you also like:









Joe D wrote at 4/7/2017 4:35:24 PM:I see that the Volcano head also generally needs to print thicker layers to really show its speed. But, thinner layers are where the incresed print speed is really needed. I suppose another approach is to use a multi-inlet single-outlet type of head, similar to some of the color print heads that accept multiple color filament. This approach has been used for large format printers for decades. The idea is that you can choose to install color print heads (typically CMYK), or multiple black ink heads. The all-black option increases print speed around 4x the color option. In the 3D printer world, a print head that accepts 4 filaments as input, that is output through one nozzle, could extrude at 4x the rate of a single filament.Norm wrote at 4/5/2017 8:52:53 PM:Volcano heads have pretty much eliminated the melt speed problem. CoreXY mechanism helps with carriage inertia. IMHO the real problem is layer adhesion strength drops dramatically as speed increases.Folatt wrote at 4/5/2017 1:57:59 PM:How much faster is a whole lot faster? Two half a lots faster?




Apr 5, 2017 | By Benedict

axial3D, a 3D printed medical model specialist based in Belfast, UK, has raised over 500,000 ($624K) in seed funding to bring its medical 3D printing tech to new markets. Techstart NI, the largest single investor, pledged 100,000 in the round, and has now contributed 250,000 in total.

axial3D board members Dr Sandy McKinnon, Patrick Hurst MBE, and Wesley Hanson (l-r)

While its claim to having the most state-of-the-art 3D printing service in healthcare might be up for debate, theres no doubt that Northern Ireland-based additive specialist axial3D is cementing its place in the rapidly growing field of medical 3D printing.

The companys rise continued apace yesterday, as it announced the acquisition of more than half a million pounds in seed funding, 20 percent of which came from North Ireland-based technology investment group Techstart NI.

axial3D says it will use this newly acquired money to develop axial3D Insight, an innovative workflow solution that facilitates efficient access to 3D printed patient-specific anatomical models for surgical planning.

3D printed surgical models are now in demand across the world, and are consequently being produced by a large number of medical device manufacturers. But the ubiquity of 3D printed medical models hasnt stopped axial3D from attracting more than its fair share of interest.

The axial3D business model

The UK company says demand has never been higher for its 3D printed models, which it says can be used to better understand a patients unique pathology, facilitate preoperative planning, and improve the surgical outcome for patients, as well as functioning as practice models for surgeons attempting new procedures.

Techstart NI, the largest single investor in the funding round, pledged 100,000, bringing its total investment in axial3D to a quarter of a million pounds.

axial3Ds personalized anatomical models are already making profound impacts in both the quality and cost of surgical interventions, said Dr Sandy McKinnon, Investment Director at Techstart NI. These physical 3D printed models allow surgeons to see and interact with their patients anatomy, removing the guesswork involved with interpreting MRI and CT scans.

The unparalleled insight the models give really does help the surgeon get it right first time and saves the healthcare provider both time and money.

In addition to securing additional funding for axial3D Insight and other projects, axial3D has also attracted leading entrepreneur Patrick Hurst MBE, an early adopter of 3D printing, to invest and join the Board of Directors as axial3D Chairperson. Hurst, once CEO and co-owner of Whale, had been a non-executive director of and investor in axial3D since early 2016.

Three things compelled me to become involved with axial3D: the calibre of the team, the pedigree of its 3D printing technology and services, and its exceptional commitment to client delivery, Hurst commented.

I firmly believe that axial3D is set to disrupt the 3D printing landscape, creating opportunities to revolutionize patient care. Im looking forward to working with the team and seeing this service rolled out globally.

axial3D raised a whopping 300,000 around Christmas 2015 in order to develop its 3D Printing Facility and 3D printing services. The company runs an online ordering service through which medical professionals can upload medical scan data. Upon receiving this data, a team of software engineers, biomedical scientists, and 3D printing technicians will 3D print and send a high-quality physical model of the scan.

Posted in 3D Printer Company

Maybe you also like:









James hu wrote at 5/16/2017 8:06:49 PM:There is something very wrong in all these companies raising millions and using low cost printers and open source software... not good




Sean Guillory at Bookforum:

Then there's the second question: whether we are in a new Cold War. You can find the Cold War meme at work both among Russia's friends, such as The Nation's Stephen Cohen, and its foes, such as Edward Lucas of The Economist. Like the "Who lost Russia?" question, the ghost of a new Cold War has been haunting us pretty much since the end of the old Cold War. In every dust-up between the US and Russia of the past two decades, one or both sides have charged the other with having a "Cold War mentality" in order to shame and caution them against further escalation. It's a favorite insult, intended to point out the other side's backwardness. Sadly, it's lately begun to feel like rather less of a laughable throwback. The idea of a replay of the Cold War expresses itself as both trauma and desire. A new Cold War is scary because in theory it places the entire world at the mercy of US-Russia relations. By the same token, it's weirdly consoling for both sides, even offering a certain measure of nostalgia. Both powers were at their peak during the Cold War's tensest periods, and both understood the rules of engagementthe Cold War framing restores a sense of familiar, binary order in a rapidly changing world. We shouldn't entirely discount the subconscious appeal a return to that greatness and simplicity might offer, especially at a time when the US and Russia are both experiencing internal shocks, newer powers are on the rise, and there are signs of utter chaos elsewhere.

more here.
Here's what's on the San Francisco foodie agenda this week.

Burma Superstar Dinner + Book Signing

Burma Superstar founder Desmond Tan and his coauthor Kate Leahy will toast the release of the restaurant's eponymous cookbook with a special dinner and book signing at Burma Love on Thursday. Tickets ($120) include a signed copy of the book as well as a feast: chicken with mint, wok-tossed broccoli, chili beef, pumpkin pork stew, and, of course, that famous fermented tea leaf salad. // Thursday, Apr. 6, 6:30pm, 211 Valencia (Mission); get tickets here.





King Solomon's Table Cookbook Lunch at Mourad

Join James Beard Awardwinning author Joan Nathan for a special luncheon ($105; price includes lunch, drinks, and a book), featuring recipes from her latest cookbook, at Mourad on Monday, April 10. King Solomon's Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking From Around the World brings to the modern kitchen more than 170 traditional dishes spanning the millennia, including Yemenite chicken soup, spinach and feta bourekas, and hummus with preserved lemon and cumin. Yum. // Apr. 10, 11:30am to 2:30pm, 140 New Montgomery St (SoMa); get tickets here.





[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2Fimages%2F2016%2F06%2F14%2Ft-magazine%2F14tmag-situ-slide-1E1C%2F14tmag-situ-slide-1E1C-superJumbo.jpg&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic01.nyt.com&s=460&h=94d7e158a0f2f27edc6f663aed6b24b96e2ce537a0083adf8d909453fb3c4f97&size=980x&c=3927853639 image-library="0" caption="Chef Corey Lee" pin_description="" crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252Fimages%252F2016%252F06%252F14%252Ft-magazine%252F14tmag-situ-slide-1E1C%252F14tmag-situ-slide-1E1C-superJumbo.jpg%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fstatic01.nyt.com%26s%3D460%26h%3D94d7e158a0f2f27edc6f663aed6b24b96e2ce537a0083adf8d909453fb3c4f97%26size%3D980x%26c%3D3927853639%22%7D" expand=1 photo_credit=""] Chef Corey Lee

Corey Lee + Kwangjuyo Ceramics at Asian Art Museum



Join chef Corey Lee (Benu, In Situ) for a talk with Korean ceramicists Lucio Cho and Daeyong Kim for a talk ($5) about Korean dining and their collaborations in creating truly unique dinnerware for Lee's San Francisco restaurants. // Thursday, Apr. 13, 7pm, at Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin St (Civic Center), asianart.org





Atwater Tavern's Opening Day Block Party

It's Giants season! And to celebrate, Atwater Tavern is hosting an opening day block party with DJs, cocktails, and food just steps from AT&T Park. Consider your pre-game party planned. // Monday, Apr. 10, 10am to 9pm, 295 Terry A Francois Blvd. (Mission Bay), atwatertavern.com
Alabama high school senior Bryce Maine set off lots of awws and likes across the internet when he asked his grandmother to be his date at the school prom while also celebrating his 18th birthday.

My grandma is the most important woman in my life, and shes never had a prom before, so I figured why not let her go with me, Maine told Inside Edition. He surprised her with the invitation accompanied by a PROM sign, posted on social media, which stirred gushes of approval across the country.

But what many saw as a sweet proposal across generations, others spurned as a disruption of prom rules.
What was South Dakota's biggest lottery winning? Here's the top 10.

The top 10 biggest lottery winners in the state's history, according to the South Dakota Lottery.


Appointment of James D Calaway as Non-Executive Chairman

Sydney, April 5, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Global Geoscience Limited ( ASX:GSC ) ("Global" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr James D. Calaway as non-executive Chairman effectively immediately.



Highlights



- Former non-executive Chairman of Orocobre Ltd ( ASX:ORE ), James D. Calaway, appointed as non-executive Chairman of Global Geoscience



- Incoming Chairman and related parties to invest US$4m (approximately A$5m) in Global



Mr. Calaway is a respected business and civic leader residing in Houston, Texas, with considerable experience and success in building junior companies into successful commercial enterprises. He has played major roles in the development of both public and private companies engaged in lithium operations, oil and gas exploration and production, enterprise software and solar farm development.



Until his retirement in July 2016, Mr. Calaway served for eight years as non-executive Chairman of the Board of Orocobre Ltd, ( ASX:ORE ) ( TSE:ORL ), helping lead the company from its earliest development to becoming a significant producer of lithium carbonate and a member of the ASX 300. With Orocobre being the only other lithium company with a significant exposure to boron, his Orocobre experience ideally suits him to help lead Global to become a leader in the lithium and borates businesses.



Mr. Calaway currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Distributed Power Partners Inc, a leader in the development of clustered distributed solar power in Chile. Mr Calaway previously chaired several public and private companies including many years as the chairman of Datacert Inc, a world leader in legal operations software that was sold for US$310 million to a NYSE company.



Throughout the previous thirty years, Mr. Calaway has also played leading roles in various civic organizations, including the past chairman of the Pl Center for Houston's Future, the greater Houston regions "think tank", and Chairman of the Houston Independent School Districts' Foundation. Mr. Calaway holds a MA from the University of Oxford in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, and is a graduate of the University of Texas with a BA in Economics, Phi Beta Kappa.



As a condition of accepting the role of non-executive Chairman, Mr. Calaway has requested Lithium Investors Americas LLC (his nominee) to invest US$3m in Global by way of a private placement. A company that routinely invests alongside Mr. Calaway will invest a further US$1m in the placement. The placement is expected to be completed imminently and upon completion, will result in the issue of approximately 40 million fully paid ordinary shares in the Company for a total consideration of US$4m (at current exchange rates this is approximately AUS$0.125 per share). The price is based on a 15% discount to the average share price over the past ten trading days.



Upon commencement of Mr. Calaway's engagement, the Company has also agreed to issue a total of 40,000,000 options, each with a 5-year term and with following exercise prices:



- 16,000,000 options each exercisable at $0.15;

- 12,000,000 options each exercisable at $0.20; and

- 12,000,000 each exercisable at $0.25.



Mr. Calaway commented: "Since retiring from Orocobre, I have taken the learning from those years of helping to build a terrific lithium producer, and have taken a hard look at whether there was another undeveloped lithium project that I thought made practical and economic sense. I found it in Nevada. After months of deep due diligence, I am now convinced that there is an economic pathway, using well understood processes, to make the Rhyolite Ridge resource into a significant producer of lithium and boron in America. I look forward to helping the company bolster its team and build its capacity to execute its plans to become a meaningful participant in the industry."



Global's Managing Director, Bernard Rowe commented: "Global is extremely pleased to welcome James Calaway as non-executive Chairman of the board. Mr Calaway's proven track record in overseeing the development and growth of emerging resources companies, in particular Orocobre Ltd, will prove invaluable as Global embarks on the transition towards production. Furthermore, Mr Calaway's commitment to invest significant capital into the Company further supports our belief in the potential for the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project to become a major lithium-boron producer."



About Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project



Rhyolite Ridge is a lithium-boron deposit located in southern Nevada. The deposit contains a Resource of 3.4 million tonnes of lithium carbonate and 11.3 million tonnes of boric acid, making it one of the largest lithium and boron deposits in North America. The Resource is open in most directions and is likely to increase in size with additional drilling.



The Resource contains a high-grade Li-B zone comprising 65Mt at 1.0% Li2CO3 and 9.1% H3BO3 for a total of 650,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate and 5.9 million tonnes of boric acid - sufficient material to support a 3Mtpa mining operation over 20 years. The mineralisation is hosted within shallow, flat-lying sedimentary rocks, representing a potential third source of lithium - in addition to brine and pegmatite types.



Rhyolite Ridge is located close to existing infrastructure and is 25km west of Albermarle's Silver Peak lithium mine and 340km by paved road from the Tesla Gigafactory. It has the potential to be a strategic, long-life, low-cost and reliable source of lithium and boron.





About Global Geoscience Limited





Global Geoscience Limited (ASX:GSC) is a Sydney-based mineral exploration company specialising in greenfield exploration and mineral discovery. The Company's main focus is for copper, gold and silver on its mostly 100%-owned projects in Nevada and Arizona in the United States, and Peru in South America.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh issued a statement on the occasion of the anniversary of the end of military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh in April, 2016, the Artsakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed.

April 5, 2017, 16:59 Artsakhs Foreign Ministry issues statement on anniversary of April events

STEPANAKERT, APRIL 5 ARTSAKHPRESS: The full statement is presented below:

Today marks exactly one year since the end of military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh with a view to resolving the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict by force. On the night of 1 to 2 April 2016, in flagrant violation of the ceasefire, the Azerbaijani armed forces launched a large-scale offensive along the entire border using heavy equipment, artillery and aviation. Only after suffering heavy losses in manpower and military equipment, on 5 April 2016, Azerbaijan was forced to ask for a cessation of hostilities with the mediation of Russia.

The April aggression of Azerbaijan against Artsakh, which was accompanied by numerous violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes, has become a serious challenge to regional peace and security and has caused great damage to the negotiation process for the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the mediation efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

During the year that has passed since the end of the hostilities on 5 April 2016, the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have been making efforts to ensure conditions for a full restoration of the negotiation process. The Republic of Artsakh has been consistently supporting the statements of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on the need for the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement of 12 May 1994, practical application of the provisions of the agreement of 6 February 1995 on strengthening the ceasefire regime, as well as implementation of the agreements reached in Vienna (16 May 2016) and in St. Petersburg (20 June, 2016) on introduction of a mechanism for investigating incidents and increasing the capacity of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

Azerbaijan not only rejects these proposals, but also disrupts any initiative aimed at excluding the possibility of resumption of hostilities. Moreover, throughout this time Azerbaijan has been sparing no effort to transfer the logic of confrontation to the spheres of economy, culture and even human contacts.

While demonstrating complete unwillingness to reach a negotiated peace settlement, the Azerbaijani authorities threaten to unleash another war. By consistently increasing the degree of tension on the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan and continuing the policy of confrontation and hostility, Baku deliberately deepens the mistrust between the parties and tries to make the process of peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict a hostage of its destructive policy and maximalist demands."


Drilling to Resume at the Mexi Nickel Prospect

Adelaide, April 5, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Mithril Resources Ltd ( ASX:MTH ) is pleased to advise that it will shortly resume drilling at the 100% owned Mexi nickel sulphide prospect (located 50 kilometres north-northeast of Kalgoorlie Western Australia - see Figure 1 in the link below).



- RC drill program to test for nickel sulphides beneath a broad zone of anomalous nickel - copper - PGE's within weathered ultramafic rocks



- Presence of elevated copper and PGE's along with nickel potentially indicative of nickel sulphide mineralisation at depth within fresh rock



- Mexi lies within same structural corridor as high-grade Silver Swan Nickel Deposit 9 kilometres to the south



- Drilling to commence in two weeks



Reverse Circulation drill holes are targeted both down dip of and along strike from a broad zone of nickel - copper - platinum + palladium (PGE's) anomalism previously intersected by Mithril aircore drilling within weathered ultramafic rocks (see Figures 2 and 3 in the link below).



The new drilling, comprising two, 200-250 metre holes will test for nickel sulphides and provide a platform for future downhole EM geophysical surveying.



Mexi lies within a broader structural corridor which is interpreted from aeromagnetic and gravity data to extend from known high-grade nickel sulphide mineralisation at the Silver Swan nickel deposit located 9km to the south.



The presence of elevated copper and PGE's along with nickel at Mexi is highly significant as they are potentially indicative of nickel sulphide mineralisation at depth.



Following a recent rain delay the rig is now scheduled to commence in two weeks' time and Mithril looks forward to informing the market when results become available.



To view figures, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/BK5QXQQ6





About Mithril Resources Limited





Mithril Resources Limited (ASX:MTH) is an Australian resources company whose objective is the creation of shareholder wealth through the discovery of mineral deposits.

The Company and its exploration partners are actively exploring throughout the Kalgoorlie, West Kimberley and Murchison Districts of Western Australia for economic nickel, copper, zinc, and vanadium deposits.

In the Kalgoorlie District, Mithril is exploring for nickel on the Kurnalpi, Lignum Dam and North Scotia Projects which lie along strike from, or adjacent to previously mined high-grade nickel at the Silver Swan and Scotia Nickel Deposits.

In the West Kimberley, Mithril is exploring for zinc on the Billy Hills Project which lies adjacent to the previously mined Pillara Zinc Deposit.

In the Murchison, Mithril is exploring for copper, nickel and zinc mineralisation on the Nanadie Well Project and for copper, silver, zinc and lead on the Bangemall Base Metal Project. Mithril's exploration partner  Monax Mining Ltd is also exploring for vanadium on the Limestone Well tenements.


First Cannabis Crop Harvested at Duncan Facility

Perth, April 5, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - MMJ PhytoTech Limited ( ASX:MMJ ) ("MMJ" or "the Company") is pleased to advise that its wholly-owned subsidiary United Greeneries Holdings Ltd. ("UG") has successfully completed its first cannabis harvest at the Duncan Facility in Canada.



- First crop of OG Kush strain successfully harvested at Duncan Facility yielding approximately 60kg of dried cannabis buds



- Cannabis buds have passed strict internal quality control measures and will be ready for shipment in coming weeks



UG's first crop of the OG Kush strain has yielded approximately 60kg of dried cannabis buds, with the harvest passing strict internal quality control measures. The Company expects the cannabis buds to be ready for shipment by late April.



Cultivation activities are continuing to be scaled up at the Duncan Facility, as UG looks to establish a first-mover advantage in the soon to be legalised Canadian recreational market, which will have an estimated value of CAD$5 billion per annum.



The Company will provide the market with further operational updates in the coming weeks.





About MMJ Group Holdings Ltd





MMJ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX:MMJ) is a global cannabis investment company. MMJ owns a portfolio of minority investments and aims to invest across the full range of emerging cannabis-related sectors including healthcare, technology, infrastructure, logistics, processing, cultivation, equipment and retail. For MMJ's latest investor presentation and news, please visit: https://www.mmjphytotech.com.au/investors/
In accordance with the arrangement reached with the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) mission on Wednesday conducted a planned monitoring of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan, in the direction of the Hadrut Region, near Karakhanbeyli.

April 5, 2017, 16:56 OSCE monitoring in direction of Hadrut region passed without incidents

STEPANAKERT, APRIL 5 ARTSAKHPRESS: From the positions of the NKR Defense Army, the monitoring was carried out by field assistants to the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (CiO) Mihail Olaru (Moldova) and Ghenadie Petrica (Moldova), and staff-member of the OSCE High-Level Planning Group (HLPG), Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Farrelli (Ireland), the Artsakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed.

From the opposite side of the Line of Contact, the monitoring was held by staff member of the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE CiO Peter Svedberg (Sweden), personal assistant to the CiO Personal Representative Simon Tiller (Great Britain), and head of the OSCE HLPG, Colonel Hans Lampalzer (Austria).

The monitoring passed in accordance with the agreed schedule, and no ceasefire violation was recorded.

From the Nagorno-Karabakh side, the monitoring mission was accompanied by representatives of the Republic of Artsakh Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense.
Since its inception, the Air Force has consistently broken barriers as an element of the finest joint warfighting team on the planet, and its Airmen have refined its mission through innovation and teamwork.There were only 318,744 Airmen within the Air Force at that time, but their accomplishments within the first decade quickly let the world know they were a force to be reckoned with.The first Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Carl Spaatz, set the standard for the service when he said, We'd better be prepared to dominate the skies above the surface of the earth, or be prepared to be buried beneath it.On Oct. 14, 1947, 24-year-old Capt. Chuck Yeager piloted the experimental rocket-propelled Bell Aircraft XS-1, through the sound barrier  one of the first steps toward the forces future in air superiority.That breakthrough established the importance of velocity and ensuring that airframes and humans could operate effectively at high speeds, said Air Force Senior Historian, Dr. John Q. Smith.Within its first year, the Air Force faced a major test in capabilities after the Soviet Union instituted a blockade of rail and road lines between the American, British, and French occupation zones of western Germany and their occupation sectors in western Berlin. In response, the Allies launched the Berlin airlift, with air transport the only option for transporting much-needed supplies into West Berlin. Between June 26, 1948, and Sept. 30, 1949, American aircrews made more than 189,000 flights, totaling nearly 600,000 flying hours and exceeding 92 million miles. In June 1950, Communist North Korea invaded the Republic of Korea, and the United States joined other nations to help defend South Korea.The battle for air superiority was vital and also reflected the end of propeller-driven fighters and the supremacy of jet aircraft, Smith said.After the Air Force lost its advantage to the North Korean, Chinese and Soviet MiG-15 pilots, it responded with the F-86 Sabre, which flew neck-to-neck with the MiG-15, but had a better gun platform.Even though peace talks began in July, 1951, they stalled for two years, largely due to issues about the release of prisoners of war, Smith said. With a stalemate on the ground and a deadlock in negotiations, U.S. air power ultimately motivated the Communists to reach an agreement. The armistice ending the fighting was signed on July 27, 1953.During the early decades of Air Force history, there was a near-constant awareness of the challenges posed by the nuclear age. The sheer destructiveness of nuclear weapons resulted in an uneasy peace based on a doctrine of mutually assured destruction.Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson assigned responsibility for developing intercontinental ballistic missiles to the Air Force on Nov. 26, 1956. The service responded by activating its first ICBM wing within a year. The first Atlas ICBM launched less than a month later, and its warhead landed within its target area after a 500-mile flight.Then, on Sept. 9, 1959, Strategic Air Command fired an Atlas ICBM from Vandenberg Air Force Base, which traveled 4,300 miles. Gen. Thomas S. Power, SAC commander, declared the Atlas operational, establishing the ground component of the nuclear triad.The Air Force may have changed the way the world viewed the U.S. military, and it also led the charge in acceptance of diversity within the Armed Forces. The branch of service was the first to plan for racial integration, even before President Trumans Executive Order No. 9981 directed the desegregation of the U.S. military.The new service also saw important steps in the breaking of the gender barrier, Smith said. The Womens Armed Service Integration Act, passed by Congress on June 12, 1948, provided for the establishment of Women in the Air Force, giving women permanent status in the regular and reserve forces of the Air Force.Whether in the sky or within its ranks, the first decade in Air Force history established a heritage of innovation, teamwork and breaking barriers.To view more Air Force Birthday news, photos, videos and art, check out our special website "70".
Retired CMSAF connects with Airmen

Retired Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Robert Gaylor is no stranger to visiting Airmen worldwide, sharing stories of his time in the Air Force and encouraging the younger generation to take pride in everything they do.



During his visit March 30, Airmen with the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center had the opportunity to hear his message and meet the fifth chief master sergeant of the Air Force.



Any time we get to meet and hear from a retired chief is a privilege, said Master Sgt. Anthony Foremski, an AFIMSC budget analyst. Theyve been there and theyve set the stage for us.



Foremski said one of the chiefs messages was about trust, which is part of the four Ts: training, technology, tribe/family and trust. Gaylor uses the four Ts to explain how he believes the Air Force has changed throughout the years.



I entered an Air Force absent of trust. When I first became an air policeman we were issued our badge, but had to turn it right back in. They were afraid we would abuse it to get free bus rides or into movies, Gaylor said. But through our hard work, guys like me proved that we could be trusted and wouldnt abuse it, but rather wear it with honor. And now Airmen keep their badges.



This was one example of many the chief shared about how the Air Force has evolved into a more trusting organization through the professionalism of past generations. Foremski said he felt a direct connection when hearing that.



Even though he was talking to the entire room, I felt as if he was singling me out, Foremski said. I am big on accountability and took it to heart when he shared his stories and then followed by saying, remember us, dont screw it up; weve set the stage, keep carrying the torch.



This isnt the only connection Foremski made with the chief during the speech. In a separate story, Gaylor shared his experience of the time he held the door for a top Air Force leader and how that helped him stay grounded despite his accomplishments.



When I was a two-stripe Airman, I got to open the door for the then-secretary of the Air Force when he visited our base, Gaylor said. That was my only job  to hold the door open, but I felt so proud. I called my mom to tell her the news and ever since then anytime I visit with Airmen, I recall that moment and treat them as I were in their shoes talking to me.



Foremski said he was also humbled by a similar experience while a student at Airman leadership school at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.



I have my own door story and [Gaylor] was there, Foremski said. Five former chief master sergeants of the Air Force were visiting the base and I was picked to hold the door for them. And as a senior airman at the time, that was a big deal.



The then-Senior Airman Foremski went on to complete ALS and at graduation took a photo that he says brings him full circle to Gaylors present day visit.



It was just like any other graduation; you come up, get your certificate and picture taken, and move on, but that time was different. Foremski said. The photo was with the fifth chief master sergeant of the Air Force, chief Gaylor.



After hearing that Gaylor was visiting JB San Antonio-Lackland, Foremski grabbed the 17-year-old graduation photo and headed for the chief Gaylors all call.



It made me feel special when he signed it, Foremski said. It wasnt just a signature, he spent his time looking at it and asking about the details of when and where it was shot. It made me realize that he is genuinely interested in all the Airmen he visits.



Gaylor considers it an honor to be around Airmen and spend time connecting with them.



To have a senior noncommissioned officer come up to you with a photo they took with you as a three-stripe Airman years ago and request a signature, is amazing. I cant describe the feeling, Gaylor said. That made my day.



At age 86 and despite fighting health issues, Gaylor continues to visit Airmen, because he says it makes him feel like hes still part of the Air Force and can still make a difference in their lives.



Visiting with Airmen is what I live for  and its better than taking medication, Gaylor said.
9th AF provides first Rear Mission Support Element training

Sixty Airmen who completed the first two official Air Force Rear Mission Support Element training courses are participating in War Fighter Exercise 17-4 at Fort Hood, Texas, through April 12. The exercise is part of their deployment training to support operations at Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve headquarters.



Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein directed the training be accomplished by Ninth Air Force.



The Rear Mission Support Element is an organization stood up at Shaw AFB to organize, train and equip Airmen in accordance with the chief of staff of the Air Forces focus area No. 2, Strengthening Joint Leaders and Teams, said Chief Master Sgt. Fred Turner, Jr., the Ninth AF RMSE superintendent.



The RMSE course strengthens the Air Forces capabilities by providing specialized training to Airmen, giving them the skill sets needed to be part of a joint headquarters as well as making them proficient in joint planning.



The fact that Airmen do well all the time tells us we have such a high caliber of people that if we deliberately train and educate toward that group of people, send them forward as a team, [the Air Force] may end up the headquarters of choice for certain conflicts, and that is the idea behind [the training], said Col. Chuck Douglass, the Air University warfighter education director.



The course is scheduled to be offered about six times a year and is currently only available at Shaw AFB for Airmen assigned to the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve headquarters.



The four-week training course includes two weeks of instruction on military doctrine, joint operation planning, course of action development and OIR specific products taught by certified Air University LeMay Center instructors.



The Airmen then spend a week completing expeditionary skills training including chemical warfare and small arms qualification.



The last week, which is not concurrent with the first three weeks, consists of a major exercise where Airmen practice their skillset as a team in a model JTF to refine the processes and tasks they will need to accomplish at the CJTF-OIR headquarters level.



As an Air Force member, were typically used to working within our component, but working in a joint environment, its crucial for us to get this type of training, said Staff Sgt. Christopher Martinez-Hernandez, a 737th Training Squadron personnelist from Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.



According to Turner, the curriculum takes Airmen from multiple Air Force specialty codes and puts them through training and exercises with fellow Airmen they will be deploying with, giving them an opportunity to get to know each other and form a unit prior to setting foot at the deployed location.



After RMSE training, the next step in the development of the Air Forces future joint warfighters is to deploy to CJTF-OIR headquarters and apply the lessons learned while gaining joint force experience, he added.



The biggest takeaway is to understand what it means to be an Airman in a joint environment and understand where they fit in the joint force, said Douglass.



The RMSE course will continue to provide joint warfare training to strengthen Airmen by shaping their capabilities in a JTF environment, giving them the tools they need to accurately and effectively work in a joint headquarters setting.
250th Air Force Community Partnership signed

Leaders from Joint Base Charleston and the surrounding community signed the 250th Air Force community partnership agreement last week. This one aims to reduce emergency response time for local military and civilian first responders.



Early intervention to a medical emergency is the key to saving someones life, said Tech. Sgt. Lee Fast, the 628th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Departments NCO in charge of the emergency communication center. If help gets there on time, we can try and make sure that persons life is saved.



With the formal signing of the memorandum of agreement on March 30, 2017, call centers for Charlestons 628th Security Forces Squadron and fire department are now merged under the Charleston County Consolidated 911 Center. All emergency calls and texts will now be centrally answered by the Charleston County Consolidated 911 Center



The new streamlined dispatch process replaces an older system that required multiple agencies and call transfers. Previously, a caller would first need to be transferred to the appropriate authorities where they would have to relay the same information each time upon transfer before emergency units could be dispatched.



The Air Force Community Partnership Program oversees the creation of mutually beneficial partnerships to leverage resources, combine similar services, and improve relationships of Air Force bases and surrounding communities.



This partnership is of particular interest to the Air Force because of its ability to be easily replicated at other installations and communities across the country, Teran Judd, the AFCP Program director said. Our goal is to spread the good word of these innovative partnerships to increase value and benefit for others as well.



Since January 2013, the AFCP Program has inspired 61 installations and communities to implement more than 1,000 initiatives and 250 agreements that generated $32 million in Air Force benefits and $24 milion in community benefits.



The AFCP Program guides installations and communities to identify partnership opportunities across the spectrum of installation and community services, and mission support.



Installations and communities leverage the AFCP framework to identify and develop mutually beneficial partnerships, such as shared medical training, municipal services, and refuse management services.


Seventy-five years ago-in 1942-the 90th Fighter Squadron, formerly known as the 90th Bombardment Squadron, operated out of Northern Territory, Australia. Fast forward to 2017 and members of the squadron returned down under; this time in a peacetime training capacity rather than a combat role.

Airmen from the 477th Fighter Group, 302nd Fighter Squadron and 90th Fighter Squadron participated in a bilateral exercise with the Royal Australian Air Force at RAAF Base Tindal, Northern Territory, Australia. They spent more than 45 days training with the RAAF as part of the Enhanced Air Cooperation program.

Force Posture Initiatives like this one between the U.S. and Australia build mutual relations and operational capabilities with other nations. According to Capt. Joshua Gunderson, 90th FS C-Flight Commander, working with the Australian counterparts was seamless.

"The Australian tactics and our tactics are very similar," Gunderson said. "We were able to work and operate together to provide realistic and robust scenarios for our pilots.

JBERs Total Force Enterprise Airmen used their professional skills and training to execute mission after mission with our TFE and international military counterparts, creating a centrifuge of collective forces.

The trip was a true testament to the  squadron and its personnel, said Staff Sgt. Aaron Rimer, Raptor Keeper from the 477th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. The maintenance squadron demonstrated their flexibility and air power capability by their ability to be sent to a remote environment in another country, with limited parts, difficulty of getting supplies, and climate adjustments, and successfully complete the mission.

The participating fighter pilots, maintainers, logistics members, security forces and combat communications Airmen made up an historic exercise force.

Collectively, the deployed team's efforts were boundless as they were able exploit the benefits from the strengths of each component despite challenging logistical issues and they accomplished a lot of great 'firsts', said Maj. Rebecca Daugherty, 477th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Commander. During the trip, they also gained efficiencies that directly contributed to increased combat capabilities while partnering with the Royal Australian Air Force  I couldn't be more proud of everyone and all the hard work and dedication they demonstrated to ensure mission success.

Being part of the largest rotation of fifth-generation aircraft to train in Australia defiantly had its challenges, said Technical Sgt. Michela Dahm, 477th Fighter Group Weapons System Coordinator. I believe we were able to strengthen our relationships with our Royal Australian Air Force counterparts, as well as learn a lot for future training opportunities where our resources were limited.

"We know them now on a personal level, and it makes it much easier to break down the barriers to get things done," Gunderson said. "We were able to crosstalk every single day, and fly on their E-7A Wedgetail to see how the crew works, to enhance the Raptors and the [F/A-18A/B] Hornets capabilities.

"During the EAC, the 90th FS was able to create tactical problems no individual aircraft type could solve on its own, said Lt. Col. David Skalicky, 90 FS Commander. That forced the squadrons to work together more closely than they ever have before.

Our mission in Australia was truly a success. Getting the opportunity to travel to a beautiful place like Australia and work side by side with our TFE partners in the 90th FS was great learning experience, said Senior Master Sgt. Keith Long, 477 FG Munitions Flight Chief. I have never seen so many maintainers work so hard with so little equipment and still get Aircraft off the ground. The hard working Airman of the 90th FS and 477th FG pushed the boundaries of our combat capabilities and they deserve a ton of recognition.
Patriot Delta prepares AES teams for deployment

The medical manikins were gently laid out on the ground on litters, wrapped in blankets and bandages to protect their injuries. Airmen shifted restlessly, inspecting bandages and triple-checking charts to ensure they were correct. The ambulance bus was backed up, the door open, awaiting a simple phone call.



Finally, the phone rang. Like a perfectly primed engine, the Airmen from the 60th Inpatient Squadron kicked into gear. The patients were efficiently loaded onto the bus and taken to the flightline at Travis Air Force Base, California, where a C-130 Hercules from Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station, Pennsylvania, sat with running engines, ready to take the injured to their simulated final destination.



This was one of more than 700 events played out during Patriot Delta, an Air Force Reserve Command centered exercise designed for aeromedical evacuation squadrons to train with those who are in the same deployment bucket. The key participants were from the 911th Airlift Wing at Pittsburgh ARS, the 908th AW at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama; the 932nd Airlift Wing at Scott AFB, Illinois; and the 349th Air Mobility Wing at Travis AFB.



Since all of our units are scheduled for deployment around the same time, Patriot Delta provided the opportunity for us to meet people we would work with and train on airframes we dont have at our home stations, said Maj. Kelly Rose, 349th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron operations flight commander and planner for Patriot Delta.



Though most of those participating in Patriot Delta were Reservists, there was a team of 10 active-duty Airmen from the 60th IPTS that performed enroute patient care in the exercise as well.



Enroute patient care consists of receiving a patient from a flight, taking them to a hospital via AMBUS, coordinating a departure flight to the final destination, ensuring accuracy of the patients paperwork, and keeping the patient as healthy as possible, until they deliver the patient on the departing flight.



The Airmen also staged all of the patients in Patriot Delta with a variety of injuries for the medical personnel to properly care for.



We wanted to utilize all of our resources for this exercise, Rose said. Not all bases have ERPSF (enroute patient staging facilities), and they are at deployed locations. Since we have them here at Travis, and have a great relationship with them; we reached out to them.



The partnership for this exercise was mutually beneficial for the Reservists and the Active Duty, said Maj. David Whitehorn, 60th IPTS commander.



We have a lot of new folks in our squadron, Whitehorn said. Patriot Delta provided an excellent training opportunity for them.



The 60th IPTS is often very busy with real-world enroute patient care, so new Airmen often dont have time to receive real training in a safe space where they can make mistakes, learn and ask questions, he added.



Their ERPSF is always on call, so they dont always have training time, Rose said.



The partnership between the Reservists and the Active Duty was important to this exercise.



This is real world, Whitehorn said. When deployed, we do this together. There is no difference between Active Duty and Reserves.



Increased collaboration was a key component to this exercise, Rose said. These are the people who will work together downrange.



Once the patients were delivered onto the C-130, the Airmen jumped back onto the AMBUS, skirting around the flightline to a KC-135 Stratotanker where they received more patients and delivered them to the hospital.


For Capt. (Dr.) Kim Burford, 60th Dental Squadron general dentist, participating in humanitarian efforts reinforces why she wanted to join the dentistry field.



In high school, Burford took a career development course where she had to shadow a profession, said Burford. She decided to shadow one of her friends orthodontists.



Its funny how you can remember the exact day that you realized what career field you wanted to go into, said Burford.



From that day, Burfords efforts were placed in accomplishing her career goals. However, professional success was a mere side effect of her compassion and service to others.



She has an interpersonal leadership style, said Capt. Kara Dern, 60th DS general dentist. She was the person that every Airman in this clinic went to, if anything was going on or they needed help. I think it speaks to hear ability to get to know people and have that trust level.



I love my patients, especially the ones that are ongoing, said Burford. Its bad that they have a lot work to do, but its fun to interact and talk.



The passion to care for others pushed Burford to find further service in the Jamaican Outreach Program.



The people the team saw and seeing how grateful they were to receive the dental treatment they needed was awesome, said Burford.



We had some hygienists go, because some of these people had never ad a cleaning in their entire life, said Burford.



Burford took heart in teaching individuals how to care for their own oral hygiene, especially young children. She believes that starting individuals young in understanding dental care is the best way to diminish future pain and suffering.



We did a lot of hygiene education, said Burford. There was a little tiny school thats right next to the clinic. A group of us would go over there and give fluoride treatments and emphasize the importance of hygiene.



She really enjoyed teaching and mentoring people with hands on experience during her humanitarian mission, said Dern.



During the three-day humanitarian trip, the team cared for 431 patients.



The Jamaican Outreach Program strengthened Burfords love of dentistry and service. She is now working to bring that experience to her peers. Burford is planning an upcoming humanitarian mission scheduled for May.



Burford is an example of perseverance and leadership to her fellow Airmen.



She has overcome a lot of personal and medical struggles and still not have it affect her ability to do her job, which is amazing to watch, said Dern. She still does everything she is capable of doing and manages the emotional side of everything else in her personal life.



Burford continually works to better herself for her patients, Airmen and the mission. She strives to be and do more for the benefit of those she impacts.


Airmen train, advise, assist Iraqi AF

Airmen of the 370th and 770th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadrons play an important role in assisting the Iraqi military by sending critical cargo and forces downrange to support the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. These Airmen are responsible for advising and assisting the Iraqi air force in maintaining and flying the C-130J Super Hercules.



We help train, assist and advise the Iraqi air force so they can provide a safe and reliable air enterprise for their C-130 program, said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kyle Robinson, a 770th AEAS crew chief advisor. The C-130Js are their main cargo and personnel transport for their fight against ISIS.



Before they can work on the aircraft, the Iraqi Airmen must be fully trained and knowledgeable of the C-130.



We are trying to build a training program with them right now, Robinson said. All the Iraqis are very knowledgeable from my personal experience and are all very motivated to get the job done.



The mission hasnt come without some unique difficulties, said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Roberto Flores, a 770th AEAS air fuels advisor. For instance, its been unusual for the coalition trainers to step back and allow their Iraqi counterparts to fight the war rather than doing it themselves.



(One of the) challenges with working as an advisor is its not my air force we are running here, Flores said. So Im coming here bringing some of the tips and tricks of the trade, without actually getting hands on turning wrenches and pushing fuel.



Another challenge of the job is working alongside airmen from another culture.



A lot of the challenges we face are mostly language barrier, but working with interpreters help bridge that gap, Robinson said.



Learning about culture is key to working with the Iraqi Airmen. The work day often starts with sharing a drink common among the people of Iraq: tea, or chai as its known by the Iraqis.



Drinking tea is part of their custom, something thats incorporated in their daily activities, Flores said. If you are offered chai with one of these guys, you are doing something right.



The advise and assist program has brought military members from different cultures and backgrounds together to work for a common goal: victory over ISIS.



They (coalition trainees) are a big help for us, supplying us with everything we need, said Iraqi air force Maj. Sarmad Kamal, a loadmaster. If we go to a tactical mission, these guys are the first to show up.



The airmen from the U.S. and Iraq now share a bond as a result of working so closely together.



They are like brothers to me, Kamal said. I love my job and love the flight here.
Thursday 6

Tiny House, Big Living: How Are They Now? (DIY 8pm) I hear one of them had to find a new artisanal beard oil, because the old one wasnt gluten-free. But, dont worry, everyone is still smug as ever about the superiority of their wee houses.

Friday 7

American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story (Amazon streaming anytime) The famed nudie mag founder is the focus of this 10-part docuseries which draws from the 17,000 hours of film footage and 2,600 scrapbooks in Hefs personal archive.

First Dates (KOB-4 7pm) The big twist in this docu-reality dating show is that it follows real people on their first dates. ... Wait, thats not a twist at all. Oh well. Its produced by Ellen DeGeneres and narrated by Drew Barrymore. Yes, thats how exciting these dates are: They need a narrator. Also, its just a remake of a British show. How do you do it, Hollywood?

The Toy Box (KOAT-7 7pm) Eric Stonestreet (from Modern Family) hosts this knockoff of Shark Tank in which people can only pitch ideas for toys. How do you do it, Hollywood?

You The Jury (KRQEDT-2 8pm) Yup, 2017s Hell In a Handbasket tour continues with this landmark reality show in which ordinary viewers get to hand down verdicts in controversial civil court cases. Trumps favorite shouty newscaster, FOX News Jeanine Piro, hosts. Think The Peoples Court, but ickier.

Saturday 8

The Son (AMC 7pm) Pierce Brosnan stars as a charismatic Texas rancher in this sweeping family saga (based on the book by Philipp Meyer) that spans 150 years and three generations.

Sunday 9

The Psycho She Met Online (LMN 6pm) So, Lifetime, what ordinary suburban convenience are we supposed to be terrified of this week? Airbnb? Cool, well get right on that.

National Film Board of Canadas Animation Festival (TCM 6pm) Four and a half hours worth of cartoons from our neighbors to the north? Im in!

The Face of Jesus Uncovered (History 7pm) Sure, they already did this with The Real Face of Jesus, but this time they totally nailed the soulful look in his eyes. Spoiler alert: Hes still really Jewish.

Talking With Chris Hardwick (AMC 9pm) Chris Hardwick has spent the last few years on AMC talking about Walking Dead, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Now, evidently, hes free to talk about subjects other than AMC shows.

Monday 10

Help My Yelp (Food Network 8pm) Just hire a bunch of Russian hackers to spam your Yelp page with positive reviews. Problem solved.

Tuesday 11

Unprotected (Oxygen 10pm) In this docu-comedy (Im already not laughing), were introduced to the Cantarella family. They used to be in the witness protection program. Yup, thats it. Once upon a time, they were vaguely interesting. Now they raise two kids in Scottsdale, Ariz. and have a reality show.

Wednesday 12

Hollywood Darlings (POP 6:00pm) Former child stars Jodie Sweetin (Full House), Christine Lakin (Step by Step) and Beverley Mitchell (7th Heaven) star as exaggerated versions of themselves in this improvised sitcom.

Return of the Mac (POP 6:30pm) Former New Kids on the Block member Joey McIntyre stars as an exaggerated version of himself in this sitcom about Joey McIntyre trying to land a role in a sitcom. Oh, POP, I think youve found your gimmick.
The regular session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council will be held on April 14 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

April 5, 2017, 17:57 Supreme Eurasian Economic Councils another session to be held on April 14 in Bishkek

STEPANAKERT, APRIL 5 ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: The decision was made during the Council session of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Opening the session, Tigran Sargsyan, Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission, firstly extended condolences over the terror attack that took place in St. Petersburg metro on April 3. This is a crime against humanity that cannot be justified. On behalf of the Commissions Board, all employees and personally myself, I wish a speedy recovery to all affected people. I want to express support to families of those who were killed. I wish them courage so that they can overcome the consequences of this tragedy, Tigran Sargsyan said.

During the session the Vice Prime Ministers of the Eurasian Economic Unions member states discussed cooperation issues on the customs and trade policy fields. A special attention was paid to the topic of international economic cooperation with the third countries. The draft report on Implementation of major directions of international activity of the Eurasian Economic Union for 2015-2016 was approved at the session, which will be submitted to the discussion of the Presidents of the EAEU member states.

The issue of cooperation with Iran was discussed which will also be discussed during the upcoming session.

The upcoming session agenda includes the issue of discussing the statement of Moldovas President over the countrys becoming as an observer state in the EAEU.
U.S. Strategic Command, Norway sign agreement to share space services, data

U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) entered into an agreement with the Norwegian Ministry of Defense and Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries to share space situational awareness (SSA) services and information.



The arrangement will enhance awareness within the space domain and increase the safety of spaceflight operations. It was formalized in a memorandum of understanding signed by U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Clinton E. Crosier, the USSTRATCOM director of plans and policy, April 4, 2017, at the 33rd Annual Space Symposium, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Norwegian Army Maj. Gen. Odd-Harald Hagen, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense Department of Defense Policy and Long-Term Planning director general, and Arne Benjaminsen, Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries Research and Innovation Department director general, March 1, in Oslo, Norway.



Maintaining freedom of navigation as an international norm is best approached via coalitions formed through an intersection of interests, said Crosier. Space situational agreements are a prime example of this, helping to strengthen our alliances while at the same time increasing our resiliency.



This situational space awareness memorandum of understanding is an important milestone for Norways development as an active and responsible space nation in the High North and Arctic, said Hagen. This represents a practical and symbolic evidence of the strong relationship and continuing development between our two nations."



Norway joins 12 nations (the United Kingdom, South Korea, France, Canada, Italy, Japan, Israel, Spain, Germany, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Belgium), two intergovernmental organizations (the European Space Agency and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) and more than 60 commercial satellite owner/operator/launchers already participating in SSA data-sharing agreements with USSTRATCOM.



Besides defending this nation against all threats, we also have to protect the space environment so it is available to current and future generations everywhere, said U.S. Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten, the USSTRATCOM commander. One of the ways we do that is through space situational awareness  to understand what is going on in space  so that our space systems can continue to provide national, military, civil, scientific and economic benefits to the global community.



SSA data-sharing agreements enhance multinational space cooperation and streamline the process for USSTRATCOM partners to request specific information gathered by USSTRATCOMs Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The information is crucial for launch support, satellite maneuver planning, support for on-orbit anomalies, electromagnetic interference reporting and investigation, satellite decommissioning activities and on-orbit conjunction assessments.



"We have worked hard over the last couple of years to make the case that we want space to be a domain that is available for everyone to use," said Crosier. "But to do that we need to understand what is going on in space and the best way to do that is through transparency  to share information  because just like in the air, land or sea domain, we are stronger when we operate together."



One of nine DoD unified combatant commands, USSTRATCOM has global strategic missions, assigned through the Unified Command Plan. They include strategic deterrence, space operations, cyberspace operations, joint electronic warfare, global strike, missile defense, intelligence, and analysis and targeting.


An Islamic State group spokesman called on Tuesday for countries attacking it to be targeted, in an audio recording in which he also insulted US President Donald Trump.

The recording posted on jihadist sites online was Abulhassan al-Muhajers first since December.

Since then, IS has been under sustained assault in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and also in Syria.

Muhajer said the bankrupt United States was run by an ugly idiot who doesnt know what Syria is, what Iraq is, and what Islam is.

He said Washington should apologise for the past and retreat or face consequences, urging what he called the caliphates soldiers to attack the criminal infidels.

Iraqi forces have been engaged in a grinding battle for west Mosul since last month, prompting more than 200,000 civilians to flee the city.

The jihadists also face an offensive against their bastion Raqa in northern Syria conducted by a Kurdish and Arab coalition supported by the US-led coalition fighting the group.

IS has suffered heavy losses over the past two years in both countries.
By Dan Burns



Heres a teaser the TV sitcom series Im writing, Saving Zero. My writing partners are Sandra Williams, theater director and Artist in Residence with the Oklahoma Arts Council, and Robert Reynolds from the Actors Studio, NYC. Weve outlined a full-season series of 22-minute episodes and are scripting three episodes on spec. Were looking for a producer.

Im writing this based on my experience as a co-founder and fundraiser for a group home in Austin, Texas. In my sitcom, Josh -- father of Benjy, a 25-year-old son with autism -- intends to establish an archipelago of group homes, ranches, and villages where teens and young adults with autism can find or create jobs. But Zero, a new arrival at Hope Ranch, has no intention of working. He intends to sabotage the ranch and pursue his destiny.

Maybe youve seen Speechless, comedy series about a mom on a mission who will do anything for JJ, her eldest son with cerebral palsy. Like Speechless, my series focuses on the struggles facing staff and ASD residents at the Ranch.



Josh -- father of Benjy, a 25-year-old son with autism -- intends to establish an archipelago of group homes, ranches, and villages where teens and young adults with autism can find or create jobs. In this scene Josh takes on a charismatic and possibly pathological teen.

SAVING ZERO: DEAD PRESIDENTS CASH BOX

EXT. GRAVEL PARKING AREA BEHIND STAGE  DAY

A Pontiac GTO hardtop gas-guzzling muscle car ROARS into the gravel parking lot and pulls up beside JOSH. HOLD ON the driver, DR. BUCK SANDERS -- bolo, goatee, straw cowboy hat. Beside him is LULU, a bored teen, LIPSTICK in one hand, CELL PHONE in the other. The DEAD PRESIDENTS CASH BOX is between her knees. Sanders hand is on her leg.

BUCK (to Josh): Are you in charge here?

JOSH: About as in charge as Im gonna get. (extending his hand) Im Josh Jackson. Chief Fundraiser.

BUCK: A good man.

JOSH: You are . . .?

BUCK: Dr. Buck Sanders, Professor of Agronomy, Small Grains.

ZERO (from the back seat, unseen): He makes wice have sex.

BUCK: Will you shut up? Im trying to have an adult conversation.

JOSH: Whats the problem?
It is now two-and-a-half years since a case of alleged corruption began against the head of one of Papua New Guinea's biggest legal firms, Paul Paraka of Paul Paraka Lawyers.

He says that when writs for the election are issued on 20 April, GRUF will showcase its 111 candidates, the most fielded by a single political party in a PNG election.

Mr Paraka has established his own party, the awkwardly named Grassroots United Front, or GRUF.

THE controversial lawyer Paul Paraka has decided that his dealings with politicians should turn a new page as he makes his run for parliament in June-Julys national elections in Papua New Guinea.

In 2013, Paul Paraka was arrested and charged with 18 counts of receiving about AUS$30 million in allegedly fraudulent payments from the PNG Finance Department for legal work his firm claimed it had performed for the PNG Government.

The following year he was hit with another 32 charges of conspiracy to defraud, money laundering and misappropriation.

Paraka contests the charges and is still out on bail. In fact, he is now claiming even many more millions from the PNG Government in interest charges for money he says his firm is still owed. Lawrence Stephens, chairman of Transparency International PNG, says the bills for legal work arose out of what was touted to be fee-free.

GRUF will open its headquarters and launch its campaign in a three-day spectacular later this week that will feature singsings, inspirational addresses from the leader and fundraising dinners at The Stanley hotel and Sir John Guise Stadium.

The first GRUF national convention will then be held on Wednesday next week.

"During the convention, the party's 100 policies will be unveiled," Mr Paraka told Loop PNG

"For the first time in the history of PNG, a well thought out set of unique party policies and guidelines for future development and progress of this country will be spelt out meticulously and intelligently.

"The policies are uniquely-tailored and designed to raise the living standards of all Papua New Guinean grassroots."

The party will hold regional launches in Lae, Mt Hagen and at Baiyer River, Mr Paraka's home village.
Traffic remains steady on I-20 eastbound, left, and I-20 westbound across the Savannah River near North Augusta on Friday.
Shoe chain Payless ShoeSource has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, becoming the latest retailer to succumb to increasing competition from online rivals like Amazon.

The Topeka, Kansas-based retailer said Tuesday that it will be immediately closing nearly 400 stores as part of the reorganization, and on Wednesday morning, it released a list of the closing stores.

The company's lone Cayuga County location, a Payless store at Auburn Plaza on Grant Avenue in Auburn, was not among the stores being closed. Stores in Oswego, North Syracuse, Dewitt and Clay were on the shutdown list.

Payless has over 4,400 stores in more than 30 countries and was founded in 1956.

Payless plans to reduce its debt by almost 50 percent, lower how much it pays in interest and line up funds. The company says some of its lenders have agreed make available up to $385 million to keep the stores running.

"This is a difficult, but necessary, decision driven by the continued challenges of the retail environment, which will only intensify," said said Payless CEO Paul Jones in a statement.

Shoppers are increasingly shifting their buying online or going to discount stores like T.J. Maxx to grab deals on designer brands. That shift has hurt traditional retailers, even low-price outlets like Payless.

In fact, Moody's Investor Service said earlier this year that the number of "distressed" retailers  those with cash problems and lots of debt that are facing strong competition  is at the highest rate since 2009. It named Payless as one of the retailers.

Several retailers have closed stores or gone out of business in 2017. The Limited closed all 250 of its remaining stores early this year. It had operated nearly 400 stores at the end of 2000. Teen retailer Wet Seal in January said it would close its 171 stores.
Legislation backed by central New York's congressman and the state's two U.S. senators has cleared its latest hurdle.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources advanced a bill last week that would study whether Fort Ontario and the Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum in Oswego should be granted national park status.

The measure is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Rep. John Katko and would authorize a special resource study  the first step in the process of adding new sites to the national park system.

With the committee signing off on the bill, Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said it's closer to becoming law.

"This site is one of central New York's gems, and it has had outsized importance throughout New York state's long and rich history, including most recently as a shelter for Jewish refugees of the Holocaust," Gillibrand said. "This legislation would give Americans from all around the country the opportunity to learn about this important place."

Fort Ontario was a military installation during the French and Indian War, Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Near the end of World War II, it was used to house nearly 1,000 refugees, a vast majority of whom were Holocaust survivors.

When World War II concluded, the fort was transferred to the state, which utilized the facilities on the property to provide housing for veterans and their families.

Fort Ontario was designated a state historic site in 1953.

A House committee approved the measure in June 2016. Katko announced last summer that the National Park Service would conduct a reconnaissance study of Fort Ontario. A reconnaissance study isn't as comprehensive as the required special resource study. The reconnaissance review doesn't require congressional approval in order to proceed.

The House approved Katko's bill in September, but it didn't advance in the Senate.

Gillibrand and Katko reintroduced their bills in the new Congress, which began in January. For Katko, the Fort Ontario legislation was the first measure he introduced in the 115th Congress.

The House passed Katko's bill in late January.

Supporters now await action by the full Senate. Once it's approved by the Senate, it will head to President Donald Trump for his signature.

"Fort Ontario is one step closer to getting across the finish line to start the process to make it a (national park)," Katko said last week in Oswego.
April 4, 2017

Congressional pressure on President Donald Trump to act forcefully against the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria escalated dramatically April 5 following reports that a chemical weapons attack had killed at least 60 people in Idlib province.

Democrats wasted no time faulting the president for his apparent disinterest in playing an active role in ending the six-year conflict while downplaying the Barack Obama administration's own failures. Several cast the White House as beholden to Moscow amid investigations into Russia's ties to Trump's presidential campaign.

"While President Trump cozies up to [Syrian President Bashar al-] Assad and the Russians, children and civilians have once again been gassed in Syria," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement. She went on to demand a "comprehensive" intelligence briefing "as soon as possible."

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., also pointed the finger at Russia because of its responsibility to remove chemical weapons from Syria under a deal reached in 2013 with the Obama administration following a gas attack on the Damascus suburbs.

"History will judge how America responded, and so far, our response has been insufficient  failing to create humanitarian safe zones, shutting the door on Syrian refugees, and now this White House is cozying up to Assads No. 1 supporter and enabler: Vladimir Putin," Durbin said in a statement. "President Trump and the UN Security Council must show leadership to address these crimes against humanity that violate the Chemical Weapons Convention and the 2013 agreement brokered by the US and Russia to remove all chemical weapons from Syria."

The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs panel, Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, in turn slammed Trump for putting the United States on the "sidelines" when it comes to Syria. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has declined to call on Assad to step down and skipped recent international peace talks, while refusing to comment on the attack when asked about it during his meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the State Department. Tillerson later issued a statement calling on Iran and Russia to "exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again.

Engel, who recently introduced bipartisan legislation to sanction countries that support Assad, said, "Sadly, the Assad regime is likely feeling empowered right now. This week, the administration moved toward appeasing the butcher in Damascus and accepting how Moscow and Tehran have enabled and protected him."

Predictably, Republicans in turn blamed what they portray as six years of dithering under Obama for the current situation.

"These heinous actions by the Bashar Assad regime are a consequence of the past administrations weakness and irresolution," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said at his April 5 briefing. Spicer said the United States stood with its allies to "condemn this intolerable act," but did not preview any US response. Trump himself later issued a statement saying the attacks were "reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world."

Meanwhile, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., released a brief statement that made no mention of Assad, implicitly deferring to the White House on Syria policy.

"No words can capture the depth of this horror. Nothing can justify the mass murder of innocents, especially children," Ryan said. "We join the Trump administration in condemning this barbaric attack on the Syrian people."

Some Senate Republicans were much more forceful.

Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., ripped into Trump for continuing Obama's largely hands-off approach.

"I want to hear him say we're going to arm the Free Syrian Army," McCain told CNN. "We're going to dedicate ourselves to the removal of Bashar al-Assad. We're going to have the Russians pay a price for their engagement. All players here are going to have to pay a penalty and the United States of America is going to be on the side of people who fight for freedom."

Such rhetoric has alarmed groups that fear the United States' getting further dragged into the 6-year-old civil war. Last week, the nonprofit Christian Solidarity International launched a "No Arms for Terrorists" campaign and hired a lobbying firm to further legislation from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, to restrict weapons transfers to Syrian rebels.

"No Arms For Terrorists believes that under no circumstances is giving money and weapons to al-Qaeda and other groups the US government knows to be terrorists and their collaborators a legitimate option or a valid use of Americans' tax dollars," CEO John Eibner said at the time. "This is a particular problem in Syria, where over the past six years of conflict American tax dollars have been used directly, or indirectly via US allies, to arm jihad terror groups in a bid to overthrow a secular, socially pluralistic ruling elite and replace it with a sharia-based Sunni supremacist one."

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., has also struck a hawkish tone.

"The US, along with our European partners, must strongly condemn this moral outrage and demand accountability for Assads war crimes," he said in a statement.

His Democratic counterpart on the committee, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., agreed.

"The United States must lead the international community and insist on holding Assad accountable for his war crimes and crimes against humanity," Cardin said. "I hope the administration will clarify its position on Assad. He has no role in a future Syria.
April 4, 2017

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  After months of deliberations between Gaza- and Ramallah-run education ministries, an agreement was reached March 29 ending the crisis at Al-Aqsa University in the Gaza Strip  the largest public university in the Palestinian territories. The crisis lasted for a year and a half and threatened the future of 1,000 employees and more than 27,000 students.

The crisis broke out in September 2015 when the Hamas-run Ministry of Education and Higher Education appointed Mohammed Radwan  without consulting the Ramallah-based Ministry of Education and Higher Education  as acting president of the university. This occurred after former chairman Ali Abu Zuhri submitted his resignation. The ministry in Ramallah resisted this appointment and threatened to withdraw its accreditation of the university if its counterpart in Gaza did not take back its decision to appoint Radwan.

On Nov. 30, 2015, the ministry in Ramallah dismissed the administrative measures adopted by its counterpart in Gaza for Al-Aqsa University, considering them to be a violation of Article 17 of the 1998 Law of Education and Higher Education that states, Any license for an educational institution granted through a decision from the minister is canceled if the said institution fails to meet one of the licensing conditions and to settle its situation within six months at least from having received a written notification of the above.

The ministry in Gaza refused to rescind Radwans appointment, thus prompting the consensus government to freeze the salaries of 13 academic and administrative staff at the university on Nov. 3, 2015, because they were connected to Radwan and disobeyed the orders of the Education Ministry in Ramallah. In response, the Education Ministry in Gaza expelled four deans from the university board because they abided by the decision of the ministry in Ramallah and did not attend the board of trustees sessions in the Gaza Strip.

The disputes peaked and spilled over to students. The ministry in Ramallah exempted students from tuition on Jan. 30, which was not to the liking of its counterpart in Gaza. The latter believed the decision was made to set off a financial crisis at the university, which pays its operational expenses with student tuition.

Radwan told Al-Monitor that the agreement that was reached March 29 is final and irreversible. He noted that it includes 13 provisions related to the disputed issues between the two ministries.

He added that the most important of these provisions was the appointment of the chairman of the board of trustees, Kamal al-Sharafi, as president of the university, and preserving the rights of its staff, mainly those hired following the Hamas-Fatah 2007 rift. The provisions also called for releasing university money frozen by the Education Ministry in Ramallah.

Radwan, who now returns to just being a member of the university's board of trustees, said the two ministries agreed on forming specialized committees to examine some administrative issues  such as forming the board of trustees through consensus  that remain pending between them, and also agreed to distance the university from any political brawls and to protect the rights of students to get their degrees certified by the university.

A source from the Education Ministry in Ramallah told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that Sharafi, who was appointed by Education Minister Sabri Saidam, assumed his position March 30 as head of the university, in the framework of the agreement reached with the Education Ministry in Gaza. He said Saidam will arrive in Gaza this week to formally announce the agreement. However, Palestine Now reported April 2 that Saidam apologized for not being able to make it to the Gaza Strip for unknown reasons, while saying the agreement still will come into effect eventually as agreed upon by both parties.

The source said one of the terms of the agreement stipulates the formation of an administrative committee for university employees appointed by the Education Ministry in Gaza; the university has been run by around 230 Hamas employees in recent years. The reasoning and legality behind the appointments will be examined and the committee will determine who is eligible to continue to work there.

The source stressed that the universitys frozen funds, which amount to 7 million Jordanian dinars ($9.8 million), will be unfrozen after the minister announces the agreement later at the university.

Al-Monitor tried to contact several officials from the Education Ministry in Gaza, but they refused to comment on the topic.

The crisis at the university led to a drop in the number of new students, which amounted to only 500 during the first semester of 2016-17, compared with 3,000-4,000 students during the first semester of 2015.

For their part, students expressed their satisfaction with the agreement that ended the crisis at their university. Monzer Mohammad, 19, told Al-Monitor, The agreement made me reconsider the decision I had taken to transfer to another university in Gaza. After seeing thousands of students struggle over the past couple of years because their degrees were not certified due to the disputes between Gaza and Ramallah, it got me to seriously think about transferring to another recognized university.

Mohammad added, It is really shameful for the internal political division to affect educational institutions, which were the only institutions left that could unite us. He called on the minister of education to visit the university to verify the implementation of the agreement and reassure students that the crisis will end.

Meanwhile, student Yasmine Jadallah, 21, told Al-Monitor, Can you imagine that in a year I would have graduated from university without a certified degree from either MoEHE [Ministry of Education and Higher Education] because of the political disagreements between Gaza and the West Bank?

She added, But the agreement reassured me and thousands of students like me that the years we spent in our university will not be in vain.

The parties to the agreement hope that no differences will arise during the relevant committees examination of the staff members appointed by the Education Ministry in Gaza, which could break the agreement and take things back to square one if many are denied employment.
April 5, 2017

Victims of yesterdays suspected chemical attack in Syrias northwestern Idlib province continue to receive treatment in Turkey amid growing signs that they may have been exposed to the banned toxin sarin. The injured are being treated at several private and state hospitals in Antakya, Reyhanli and Iskenderun, according to a statement from the office of the governor of the border province of Hatay.

Turkish Health Minister Recep Akdag confirmed that 30 people had been brought to Turkey, which is home to nearly 3 million Syrian refugees, for treatment. We have some findings of a chemical attack. We are documenting the findings and will send them to the World Health Organization, Akdag said.

Two of the victims brought to Turkey have died.

A team from Doctors Without Borders treating the victims found patients symptoms were consistent with exposure to an agent such as sarin gas, the charity said in a statement.

At least 72 people died and hundreds of others were wounded when warplanes struck the town of Khan Sheikhoun, about 30 miles from the city of Idlib in the early hours of Tuesday as many residents slept.

The Syrian military denied using any chemical agents. Its ally Russia claimed an airstrike hit a rebel depot full of chemical munitions.

But many Western governments remain unconvinced. UK Foreign Minister Boris Johnson dismissed the denials today, telling Sky News, "All the evidence I have seen suggests this was the Assad regime  using illegal weapons on their own people."

The UN High Representative for Disarmament told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that if confirmed, this one will be the biggest chemical weapons attack in Syria since August 2013, when 1,000 people were killed in the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Ghouta.

Turkeys Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it had reminded Russia and Iran of their responsibility to monitor a shaky cease-fire that was brokered by Turkey, Russia and Iran and came into effect on Dec. 30.

Yesterday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the latest crisis in Syria, calling the attack inhuman.

The massacre has put Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party on the spot over its efforts to mend ties with Russia since it downed a Russian jet in November 2015, sending critical trade and diplomatic ties into a tailspin.

Graphic images of dead children and other victims gasping for air and spewing saliva have provoked widespread outrage among the governments pious base. Murderers, screamed the headlines of the pro-government daily Karar, which ran front-page photographs of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The government is in an extremely difficult situation over its relations with Russia because of Syria, said Osman Atalay, a member of the executive board of the pro-Islamic Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), a Turkish aid agency that is very active in rebel-held areas of Syria. IHH doctors have rushed to Idlib to help treat victims.

The charity, among Turkeys biggest, has come under scrutiny over accusations that it concealed weapons amid aid materials destined to areas controlled by jihadist groups including the al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, the most powerful group in Idlib. Atalay, who dismissed the claims as black propaganda in a telephone interview with Al-Monitor, said, The aim of the chemical attacks is clear. Russia and the regime want to do to Idlib what they did to Aleppo: to crush it, to empty it. But it wont be so easy this time.
April 3, 2017

The Russian media portrayed the visit by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Moscow March 27-28 as a big deal. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart discussed numerous issues, ranging from international conflicts to culture, signed 16 cooperation agreements and declared an unprecedented increase in bilateral trade as the pivotal indicator of their successful relations. Analysts were largely optimistic about the meeting, forecasting a bright future for the Moscow-Tehran alliance, or at least a credible effort. The real reasons for the meeting between the two leaders, who could have settled issues without a high-ranking official display, lies offstage. One reason was Rouhanis desire to make his last official trip before presidential elections a memorable and high-profile visit.

Any suggestion of possible Russian interference in Iran's May 19 presidential election with the aim of installing a more desirable, conservative candidate is likely a conspiracy theory. What should be considered, however, is how Rouhani's Moscow visit serves the aims of his re-election campaign. Indeed, he is the person whose name is attached to the decision to invest in improving Irans relationship with the West. As hopes of continuing on this path began to fade with the election of Donald Trump as US president, followed by Trump's executive orders on travel affecting Iranians, Rouhani felt the need to publicly demonstrate good relations in another area of his administration's foreign policy. Today in Iran, domestic issues are being overshadowed by discussion of Trumps victory and its consequences for Iran and not least the threat of the Islamic State.

Essentially, with the list of presidential candidates unknown until April 11, when registration begins, it is hard to make credible predictions about the result. Rouhani already feels the need, however, to counter the criticisms being lodged against his administration for its policy outcomes. Conservative media did not decry his pro-Russian effort. Although the visit was more gesture than substance, it was in line with the preferences of some in the Iranian government and society who are skeptical about improving relationships with the West.

Despite the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) resulting in visits by Western delegations, foreign investment in Iran and the economy remain sluggish, providing an opening for conservatives to sharply attack the sheikh of diplomacy and his team, whom they portray as practically having betrayed Iran's revolutionary ideals. They will not hesitate to claim that Rouhani has basically done nothing or has actually made matters worse by sacrificing national dignity in agreeing with the six world powers to the JCPOA. Among such voices are former Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Director Ezatollah Zarghami, who has already announced his intention to run for the presidency, and former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has aggressively critiqued the 11th government, has attacked Rouhani personally, tagging his Instagram posts #margbarrouhani (Down with Rouhani), and supports Hamid Baghaeis candidacy for the presidency.

The theory that Putin will try to bolster a conservative as the "Kremlin's candidate" in the election is belied by an important contradiction. Proponents of the theory cite the supposed 70% increase in bilateral trade between Russia and Iran from 2015 to 2016 as an incentive, but bilateral trade reached its lowest level at the end of the 10th government, headed by Ahmadinejad. Should it be in Russia's interest to secure expanding economic ties with Iran, Moscow's support for the conservative camp would not necessarily point toward that path.

To be fair, however, the figure of a 70% increase is itself dubious. The Iranian sources referring to it have either lifted it from Putins opening remarks at his meeting with Rouhani or from a statement by Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak in February. Either way, they did so without corroborating official Iranian data, which does not confirm such success. As the Russian analyst Igor Pankratenko has rightfully noted, the difference in trade between 2015 and 2016, using the cited figures of $710 million and $1 billion, respectively, can be calculated as 70% growth only if the latter figure includes unfinished business. Even if the purpose is to emphasize the strategic character of the trade relationship between the two countries, the numbers are nowhere comparable to those Russia has with Turkey, the United Arab Emirates or South Korea.

Some Iranian media outlets referred to Reuters quoting energy expert Reza Mostafavi Tabatabaei, who suggested that the purpose of Rouhanis visit had been to try to cut some sort of oil-related deal and secure arms from Moscow to prove to his opponents and to the general public that realization of the JCPOA had yielded results. Indeed, it may take some time for Western companies, such as France's Total, to conclude that it is safe for them and their subsidiaries to enter the Iranian market. Meanwhile, meeting with the Russian president could improve the prospects of cutting a deal in the near future, the fastest possible channel for achieving large-scale goals.

A joint statement by Rouhani and Putin said that special attention had been paid to broadening cooperation on oil and gas in various areas. The heads of oil companies were not, however, present at the meetings, meaning that even if there was movement to secure Russian investment in Iran's energy sector, it held more political than technical weight.

We are moving to strategic relations, Rouhani said optimistically in Moscow. It might well be the case if Moscow and Tehran set time frames for their projects and focus the relationship, namely, define the relationship as devoted to military and security issues, because that is where the interest and understanding of both parties lie.

Rouhanis team in place in Moscow has put great effort into expanding bilateral relations. Yet it remains to be seen how internal factors, such as Iran's upcoming presidential election, or external events, such as shifting winds in the international system, affect these relations. In going to Moscow, Rouhani simply seemed to be taking care of a pre-election chore  it was his ninth meeting with Putin in four years  and decorating it with the word strategic for effect.
New York legislators want security improvements in the aftermath of assaults by inmates targeting correctional officers in prisons across the state.

The reported attacks highlighted by the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association have occurred at medium and maximum security facilities.

At Five Points Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison in Seneca County, an officer who was attacked by an inmate sustained a facial fracture and separated shoulder.

An officer at Downstate Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison in Fishkill, was attacked by an inmate. The guard needed several sutures due to injuries to his face.

Mike Mazzella, NYSCOPBA's vice president for the Mid-Hudson region, accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision of ignoring the violent inmate-on-officer attacks.

Mazzella said Cuomo and DOCCS "seem to turn a blind eye." He called for arming correctional officers with pepper spray and other tools to ensure their safety.

This week, NYSCOPBA reported an assault targeting a female officer at Mid-State Correctional Facility in Oneida County. An inmate who's a convicted rapist attacked the officer while she was in the officer's station.

State Sen. Pam Helming, who represents six counties in the Finger Lakes region and serves on the Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee, said she's "deeply troubled" by the recent attacks on officers.

"These attacks come at a time when money is being spent to provide inmates with 'extra comforts' such as computer tablets," Helming, R-Canandaigua, said. "It's time to stop this type of spending and put it towards increasing prison safety for our guards. Limited manpower leaves (officers) at risk and exposed."

NYSCOPBA has long pushed for increased staffing and resources in state prisons. Three Republican assemblymen, including Assemblyman Gary Finch, said shutting down prisons across the state created a more dangerous environment in existing facilities.

Finch, R-Springport, and his colleagues noted that there were 760 assaults on correctional officers in 2016, up 45 percent from 2012.

"These numbers are simply unacceptable," the legislators said. "These brave men and women are on the front lines of public safety. Their job is inherently dangerous. As a society, it is unconscionable that we would make their job even more hazardous because we weren't willing to provide them with needed resources."

DOCCS has repeatedly said that the decision to close prisons  13 facilities have been closed since 2011  is due to a reduced number of inmates who commit drug and other nonviolent offenses. The reduction has allowed the agency to eliminate approximately 5,500 underutilized prison beds and save taxpayers $162 million.

Since 1999, the overall prison population has decreased from 72,600 to 51,380 today.

DOCCS also touted several security initiatives that have been implemented in recent years, including training for staff, de-escalation tactics and a pepper spray program. The agency said these initiatives have helped reduce assaults on staff by 15 percent and staff-related injures attributed to assaults by inmates have declined by 23 percent.

The state has invested in Cellsense, which detects contraband and other technology, such as heartbeat detectors and thermal imaging devices. Fixed cameras are being installed in facilities across the state and the department is unveiling a body camera pilot program at two prisons.

DOCCS also reiterated its commitment to appropriate staffing levels. These levels are "continuously reviewed," the agency said. Over the last two years, 268 new security jobs have been added. The agency aims to maintain an inmate-to-correction officer ratio of approximately 3-to-1.

"The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has made significant improvements enhancing the safety and security of staff and inmates in New York's correctional facilities," DOCCS spokesman Thomas Mailey said. "Millions of dollars have been invested in additional security staffing, technology and training, which have resulted in a dramatic decline in assaults and injures to staff. The department will continue to work closely with its hardworking staff to address any safety concerns they may have."
April 5, 2017

On April 17, about 3,500 Fatah prisoners incarcerated in Israeli prisons plan to begin a hunger strike. The strike is being organized by the organizations high-ranking member Marwan Barghouti, who was sentenced in 2004 to five consecutive life terms and is being held in a prison in the south of Israel.

According to data presented by the Israel Prison Service, about 2,900 Fatah prisoners are incarcerated in Israel. Qadura Fares, the head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, told Al-Monitor that there are about 3,500 Fatah prisoners when including Fatah detainees under investigation (meaning those detained but not sentenced yet) and administrative detainees (many of the detainees and prisoners are held in the southern Ketziot Prison). The 2,900 sentenced prisoners make up close to half of the Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Fares said he believes the hunger strike can be averted: He said Israel should enter into negotiations regarding the prisoners demands, to reach a compromise. But, he said, Instead of acting rationally and logically, Israel prefers to create a field hospital near the Ketziot Prison and prepare for the strike.

Fares was referring to Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan's statement that Israel will not surrender to the demands of the prisoners and is making advance preparations for the hunger strike. For example, a field hospital is to be erected close to Ketziot so that if hundreds of prisoners go on strike, they will not have to be transferred to Israeli hospitals, which could wreak havoc on Israels health system. Among other steps, Erdan ordered a call-up of reserve soldiers.

Tension among security prisoners in Israel has been high for many months. The Palestinians claim that as the number of inmates rises in the prisons, Israel toughens its policy toward them; the cells are more crowded and prison conditions are worsening, bringing the situation to a boiling point. Fares said that according to data received by the Palestinian Prisoners Club, the number of Palestinian prisoners from all the organizations has risen by almost 2,000 following the eruption of the recent terror wave in October 2015. This brings the total number of inmates to almost 6,000, very similar to the number of prisoners during the second intifada.

Fares ticked off the main problems causing the agitation among the prisoner leaders. He said that the main issue is the International Red Cross' May 2016 decision to decrease the frequency of family visits to inmates from twice a month to once a month (at the time, the Red Cross explained that because of the difficulties of West Bank families to travel to Israel, there were few demands for second visits). Fares said the Palestinians proposed that Israel allow the Palestinian Authority (PA) to replace the Red Cross in overseeing prison visits; this would include the logistics connected to ferrying family members to the site and coordination with the prisons. However, Israel rejected the proposal. A situation has been created in which thousands of family members, most of whom cannot enter Israel [from the PA], are not able to visit their incarcerated relatives, Fares said.

The unrest within Israeli prisons started some seven years ago when Israels Committee of Ministers decided to stiffen Palestinian jail conditions to resemble the conditions under which Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit was then held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. And so, in May 2010, the committee resolved to revoke family visits and academic studies  privileges that had been accepted in Israels prisons for many years. In fact, until then, prisoners who exhibited good behavior were given the opportunity to study for Israels matriculation exams and even undergraduate degree studies through the Open University. Many security prisoners took advantage of the opportunity to acquire a higher education during their incarceration, and this opportunity also served as an incentive to maintain a relatively calm environment in the prisons. Eventually, this resolution was frozen and never carried out, so as to avert a crisis among the prisoners.

Fares cited one more important element where prison conditions have deteriorated: Israel removed public telephones from the prisons, telephones that had allowed them to speak to their families once or more a month. This, too, had a calming influence. And this decision is especially crucial in light of the lowering of the frequency of family visits.

Israels Prison Service belittles the demands of the prisoners. It says even Barghouti knows that Israel will not accede to the new demands, which include installing new public telephones and allowing pictures to be taken of the inmates with their family members to be disseminated in the territories. These are unreasonable (from the Israeli point of view) and unacceptable requests due to obvious security considerations.

At the Fatah conference in Bethlehem in December, Barghouti was soundly defeated when he ran for the position of deputy to President Mahmoud Abbas. Until that conference, Barghouti had been viewed as Abbas successor, at least among the security prisoners and other backers. These had even waged a campaign to pressure Israel to free Barghouti from jail to serve as a moderate, evenhanded leader in the PA. But Abbas managed to expel most of Barghoutis backers from the Fatah list just as he did to another political rival, Mohammed Dahlan.

Some sources in Israel claim that prisoners are arguing among themselves regarding the efficacy of a hunger strike. True, prisoners who choose not to strike may be viewed as traitors and expelled from the community. However, the prison service is of the opinion that there is no certainty that all the prisoners will obey Barghoutis call to strike. And even if the majority does, initially, join the strike, prison service officials estimate that the strike wont last long; the prisoners will realize that Barghoutis motives are political in nature, and that most of his demands are not reasonable.

However, Fares vehemently rejected claims of political considerations in Barghoutis call to arms. He said the prison service tried to inject political elements in the past [in other strike cases], and today they argue that Barghouti wants to strengthen his position. Still, Fares said that the position of the famous, elite prisoner is strong and stable, and that Israel should enter negotiations before building field hospitals.
April 5, 2017

The horrifying images of the gas attack in Idlib on April 4 shocked many in Israel and led to a wide range of responses in the country, including a call for an emergency Cabinet session by Minister Naftali Bennett.

The Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) Intelligence Division and the Mossad seem to have suffered the greatest shock, however, since they are responsible for assessing the chemical weapons capabilities of the Syrian regime. The fact that the regime is suspected of using sarin nerve gas against the population casts their current assessments into doubt and challenges Israel's working assumption about when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad might use any chemical weapons still in his possession. Just two weeks ago, two senior intelligence sources told Al-Monitor that Assad has very limited chemical weapons capacities, mainly chlorine gas. These weapons were described as "neutralizing," i.e., they can kill their targets but not on a wide scale. Photos from Idlib contradict this statement.

Before Syria reached a chemical weapons disarmament agreement with the world powers in September 2013, the IDF assessed that Assad would only use his chemical weapons against Israel if his regime found itself "with its back against the wall." The disarmament agreement, which was only signed after US President Barack Obama deliberated over whether he should embark on military action against Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles, was received with optimism in Israel.

Both the IDF's Intelligence Division and the Mossad concluded that the agreement had been fulfilled in its entirety, and that Assad did, in fact, forgo this strategic asset. According to intelligence sources, Assad was concerned that an American cruise missile and aerial assault would lead to the final collapse of his regime. In other words, he did have "his back against the wall," and decided to give up his chemical weapons arsenal to survive. Israel believed that the Syrian regime kept only "residual" chemical capabilities, i.e., something symbolic, or an "emergency supply" of chemical weapons, to be used only if Assad is forced to flee for his life. The same Israeli assessment also claimed that some 98% of Assad's arsenal of sarin or VX nerve gas (about 1,300 tons) no longer existed.

If it was, in fact, Assad, who used nerve gas in Idlib on April 4 (no one else is capable of launching such an attack), these assessments by Israeli and other sources have been invalidated.

This has long-term implications. After reaching an agreement that Syria would rid itself of its chemical weapons stockpiles, it seemed obvious to Jerusalem that Israel was out of danger when it came to the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) against its population. This assessment of the situation led Israel to abandon existing procedures to defend civilians from chemical weapons. Until then, every Israeli citizen received a chemical weapons defense kit from the government, which included a gas mask and other equipment. It was a convoluted and expensive setup, which was difficult to maintain (every newborn needs new equipment, mask filters must be replaced, etc.), but it remained in force as long as Israel felt threatened. And so, ever since 2013, this defense procedure was abandoned, and the manufacture of gas masks in Israel came to a halt. The April 4 incident in Idlib raises questions about that decision.

A senior Israeli source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, "Assad is well aware that if he dares use chemical weapons against Israel in his current state, he will be wiped off the map by morning." Yet even this statement sounds problematic now. Assad is backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and it looks like the April 4 massacre in Idlib will pass without Assad suffering as much as a scratch. The Syrians deny that they used gas, the Russians claim that the Syrian regime bombed a rebel gas factory and the Americans blame Trump. That's it.

The shock in Israel on April 4 was resounding. As a people, Jews are especially sensitive to the use of gas, even if it happens beyond their borders in a hostile nation. Images of children suffocating from nerve gas sent shockwaves through the media and led to responses by everyone from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to opposition leader Isaac Herzog. Former head of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amos Yadlin even called for Israeli military intervention. Yadlin, who heads the Institute for National Security Studies and maintains close ties with the military establishment, later explained that he meant an aerial response, not necessarily overt, which would target Syria's chemical weapons division and even attack the aircraft allegedly responsible for the gas assault.

Within a day, the mood started to calm down. One senior Israeli military source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, "Ultimately the basic situation hasn't changed. So it is possible that Assad does have a small supply of nerve gas, amounting to a few dozen or perhaps a few hundred kilograms. And it is possible that his recovering self-confidence allowed him to use the weapons locally, in Idlib. That still doesn't change the basic situation in the region."

Not everyone agrees with this assessment. It is safe to assume that quite a few meetings about the situation took place in Israel's various intelligence agencies and divisions the night of April 4. If Assad really is capable of using nerve gas during a local incident in Idlib, it indicates that this is a different, new and more dangerous Assad, as one senior Israeli source told Al-Monitor.

And there is another issue. Who can now assure Israel that Assad has not managed to transfer some of that residual nerve gas to Hezbollah? A transfer of chemical weapons can be very low key, without any long convoys or heavy trucks. Hezbollah could then use Iranian technology to install the gas on its missiles. The result would be a very different Hezbollah than what Israel has been used to until now.

These horrific scenarios still sound unfounded, but in the Middle East, unfounded scenarios sometimes turn into reality. At this stage, there can be almost no doubt that Israel will need to reassess its intelligence and working assumptions and reconsider what steps to take in response to the WMD held by Assad, and especially by Israel's most imposing enemy today: Hezbollah.
April 4, 2017

RAMALLAH, West Bank  On March 16, the Palestinian police foiled an attempt to smuggle an antique statue from the city of Nablus in the West Bank to be sold outside the country. A week before, the police had announced the arrest of five people on charges of illegal excavations of antiquities in Jenin. On March 5, the police seized a 2,500-year-old mill in a house in Hebron.

Police spokesman Louay Zreikat told Al-Monitor that thwarting smuggling attempts of antiquities is seen as a major achievement by the police, because in the past it has been easy to smuggle antiquities abroad. Today, Palestinian police have been increasingly able to control and foil these operations.

We have lost several relics and antique statues in the past. We are better equipped today to track down illegal excavators and thus thwart more smuggling operations. In March, we were able to recover relics that are more than 4,000 years old.

These smuggling and illegal attempts are nothing new. Since its inception, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has been dealing with ongoing attempts on the part of antiquity dealers stealing relics through illegal excavations. According to Saleh Sawafta, the director general of the Antiquity Protection Department at the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, this has caused the loss and smuggling of hundreds of pieces outside the country, first to Israel and then abroad.

Sawafta told Al-Monitor that the theft of antiquities from Palestinian territories started with the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967. Many of the archaeological sites were looted, which made it difficult to keep records of the stolen pieces.

Since it came to control the West Bank in 1995, the PA has been employing concerted efforts, specifically in the areas under its full control, to prevent theft attempts. However, the most challenging task to this effect, according to Sawafta, is in Area C, which is out of the PA control, and where 60% of the archaeological sites are located  estimated at about 7,000 sites and 50,000 historical buildings.

Sawafta said that in 2015, the number of seized antiquities registered with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities was estimated at 20,000 pieces. This figure, however, dropped in 2016 to 2,400 pieces, most of them taken from Area C. The ministry has yet to determine the value of these pieces.

Sawafta noted that the seized relics are not just pottery, metal or stone artifacts but mostly metal pieces, as smugglers rely on metal detectors in digging up antiquities.

Jihad Yassin, the director general of the Archaeological Excavations Department at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, told Al-Monitor that Palestine was the center of attention for many exploration teams between 1885 and the occupation of the West Bank in 1967.

During the Israeli occupation and before the advent of the PA, Palestinian antiquities were at the hands of the occupation authorities. Several illegal excavations by antiquity dealers were done with impunity, whereas Palestinians working in Palestinian institutions were banned from carrying out any excavations or explorations back then, Yassin said.

He pointed out the significant losses of Palestinian relics and archaeological sites during that time. There are no official and public reports or statistics to this effect, but according to Yassin, there have been about 1 million artifacts smuggled from Palestine to Israel and then abroad.

Since 1995, the PA has launched organized scientific excavations in the historical areas. Yassin noted that the ministry starts impromptu excavations to try and detect new locations upon sudden discoveries. The budget allocated to the Ministry of Tourism stands at about 20.9 million Israeli shekels ($5.7 million). However, there are no specific figures on the size of the budget for exploration and excavations, especially because donors usually fund them.

Yassin said that when new antiquities are found or seized from antiquity dealers during the excavations, the ministry runs preliminary tests to classify the pieces in the ministrys national record; every piece has an identification card, with a serial number and detailed explanation.

He also spoke of the PAs efforts to recover the relics that were smuggled but located abroad later.

Efforts are ongoing to this effect despite the many challenges. We tried to recover some of the lost pieces, especially those that we were able to locate in different countries in the world. We did so through UNESCO, but since we are a state under occupation, things are very difficult for us, Yassin said.

He added that some pieces can be found in the booklets and catalogs of famous museums around the world. The ministry is currently working on recovering them by contacting the parties that hold them through UNESCO.

According to Louay Abu Saud, an archaeology expert, the nonapplication of the law with regard to illegal excavations is what makes things worse. He told Al-Monitor, The perfect solution would be to apply the law on thieves and smugglers. It is practically impossible to protect the Palestinian monuments in the absence of a strict application of a modern law that is commensurate with the magnitude of the crimes that are being committed at archaeological sites."

He noted that the applicable archaeological law in the area controlled by the PA is the Jordanian law of 1966, which does not serve as a deterrent and needs radical changes. He said, It is imperative to issue a new modern law to impose strict penalties on illegal traders and excavations.

Abu Saud said that Palestine is akin to a historical museum, given the successive civilizations that thrived in this part of the world, as it was ruled by the Assyrians, Persians, Greeks and Romans, who all left rare relics behind, some of which were discovered later.

He also stressed the seriousness of the antiquities thefts, calling upon the PA and the civil society institutions to start awareness campaigns in mosques during Friday sermons, at schools and universities, and on television, to reach the community and highlight the importance of the Palestinian archaeological sites and history.
April 4, 2017

ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan  The democratic self-rule administration in northeast Syria implemented a decision on March 14-15 requiring all unlicensed political parties, groups and civil society organizations not under the umbrella of the administration to obtain licenses within 24 hours. Otherwise, their offices would be closed and their activities halted. The administration, which governs areas in northeast Syria and the Kurdish areas in Afrin, Kobani and Jazeera, issued the decision on March 13.

The decision affected dozens of offices. It complies with the provisions of the party law issued by Jazeera's legislative council, as per Decree No. 7, on April 15, 2014. The joint authority of Jazeera approved of the law, according to Chairman of the Jazeera executive council Abdul Karim Sarokhan. He told Al-Monitor, The decision aims at organizing social and political life, and it ingrains the legitimacy of the legislative council that is formed of social components: the Kurds, Arabs and Syriacs.

He said, The laws of the legislative council apply to everyone, and the council is the product of the revolution of July 19, 2012, which is an extension of the Syrian revolution that represents  along with the military force  the people.

The main parties affected by the decision to shut down unlicensed groups include the Kurdish National Council (Kurdish acronym is ENKS), a coalition led by the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria (PDK-S). The Democratic Union Party (PYD) spearheads the democratic self-rule administration, and Sarokhan claims that the PYD has a license granted by the self-rule government.

Abdul Salam Ahmad, the co-chairman of the public relations committee of the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM), told Al-Monitor that the parties that shut down their offices had the chance to obtain a license to make their work legal, but they did not act on it. He said that many other licensed parties continue to operate. Ahmad believes that any decision issued by the legislative council in the democratic self-rule areas requires commitment and respect to organize social life.

Ahmad does not believe the decision undermines the democratic process in the region. The parties affected by the decision thought it was forced on them by a political party, the PYD, which has the support of Kurdish parties in the region, namely the Peoples Protection Units and the Syrian Democratic Forces. Sarokhan said that democracy itself needs discipline and organization, adding that democracy does not thrive on chaos.

Mohsen Taher, a member of the PDK-S political bureau in Syria and chairman of local councils at the ENKS, told Al-Monitor, The decision stems from an oppressive policy against the Kurdish people.

He said, The ENKS will not cave in to the extortion from an authority monopolizing life with the power of arms [in reference to the PYD], and we will escalate all forms of peaceful militancy and democracy to protest the decision.

The parties whose offices were shut down agree that the decision goes against freedoms. Imad Youssef, the general coordinator of the Kurdish Youth Movement that was affected by the decision, told Al-Monitor, The decision was part of a systematic plan of political elimination that one party is conducting against its opponents. The office shutdown came after a series of arson [attacks] and other attacks on the offices of the ENKS and other youth movements.

He added, The Kurdish movement has gotten used to working in spite of the authorities will for years, and it will stand its ground with high morale and strong resolve.

Youssef believes the decision stems from the failure of the PYD to market itself abroad and to be present at international conferences on Syria, such as in Geneva.

Shafan Ibrahim, a member of the Secretariat of the Student and Democratic Youth Union of Kurdistan in Rojava (the Kurdish term for western Kurdistan in Syria), whose offices were also closed, told Al-Monitor, The decision to close the offices of the union and halt its activities in Derek, Alian, Qamishli, Hasakah, Amouda, Ras al-Ain and Derbasiya hinders a youth movement from developing society and offering sports, music and artistic services."

The decision did not affect parties under Syrian state control like the Baath Party and the National Progressive Front. Ahmad said that the decision only involved parties in the regions of the self-rule administration. Those two parties do not have offices in the areas under our control.

The decision not only closed partisan and youth movement offices but also shut down the Kurdistan Women Union (KWU) offices. Indeed, a KWU office in Derek was raided by a military force and closed for good.

KWU official Aria Jomaa told Al-Monitor that despite the self-rule government slogans about womens rights, the decision hit womens work and activities hard.

About whether this unilateral decision undermines democracy in society, Ahmad said that the democratic self-rule government includes several parties, movements and groups, and the closure decision does not target everyone.

Sarokhan believes the decision is legitimate, noting that if international organizations condemn the incident, the response would be that the decision of the self-rule administration is legal.

In turn, the leader of the Kurdish Yekiti Party in Syria, Mohammed Khair Banco  whose party was subject to the closure decision  told Al-Monitor, The ENKS does not recognize the legitimacy of this administration, pointing out that the decision hides a grudge against the targeted party. The decision was not limited to the closure of offices, as most of the offices were attacked by youth groups affiliated with the democratic self-rule government."

The decision was not limited to Kurdish parties, but also included the offices of the Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO)  an Assyrian-Syriac party that opposes the Syrian regime and is part of the Syrian opposition. The organization condemned the decision saying it incites civil strife.

The organization reopened its offices on March 28, without giving details on the reopening mechanisms. The prominent Kurdish parties whose offices were closed also included the Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party (KDPP) in Syria, which issued a statement condemning the closure of offices, describing the decision as arbitrary.

When asked about the reopening of the offices of some parties, Sarokhan said ADO had opened its office and that the KDPP was also entitled to reopen its offices since the two parties had referred to the democratic self-rule administration 24 hours following the issuance of the decision on the need for a license, which was the defined time limit for submitting licensing applications to the government.
April 5, 2017

Mayor and two-time presidential candidate Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has announced that he does not intend to run in the presidential elections May 19. The move came amid widespread speculation that Ghalibaf would take a third shot at the presidency, having been the runner-up to Hassan Rouhani in the 2013 elections.

Following his statement, there were reports in Iranian media indicating that Ghalibaf is upset with the conservative coalitions decision to not back him as its consensus candidate. Some reports claim that Ghalibaf has reached an agreement with conservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi, the custodian of the holy shrine of Shiite Imam Reza in the city of Mashhad, to serve as his vice president if the latter runs and is ultimately elected.

According to the moderate Entekhab news site and the conservative Tasnim news agency, Raisis candidacy is certain, as he has reportedly resigned from the election monitoring committee, as required by law. However, Entekhab is quoting sources claiming that Raisi has not agreed to the conservative coalitions demand that all conservative candidates withdraw at the last minute in favor of the sole conservative candidate who has the greatest chance [of winning the vote].

Of note, the conservative coalition, which is formally called the Popular Front of Revolutionary Forces and known by its Persian acronym JAMNA, will hold a summit April 6 to make a decision about how to approach the presidential elections. JAMNA aims to choose five candidates from the present 14, and in the end, the one who has the greatest chance will be chosen as the only conservative candidate. However, it still seems as if some conservative candidates, including Mostafa Mirsalim, have not agreed to potentially be excluded from the final list of five conservative candidates.

On April 5, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held a press conference for the first time in almost four years. He spoke about a range of issues, including the upcoming presidential elections and US President Donald Trump.

At the press conference, Ahmadinejad accused the moderate government of President Rouhani of publishing false information about the state of Irans economy. He also said that the Rouhani administration has caused setbacks for Iran. In reaction to reports about corruption in his government, Ahmadinejad said, They accused me of all the corruption that has happened in history. Have any of the accusations been proven?

In response to a question about whether he is defying Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneis advice last autumn that he not run in the upcoming vote, he said, The [supreme] leader told me not to run; he didnt tell me to be indifferent [toward the vote].

Ahmadinejad continued, I dont have any plan for the presidential elections, but I support [my former Vice President] Mr. [Hamid] Baghaie as the most deserving candidate."

He added, "There is no reason for Baghaie to be disqualified [by the Guardian Council]. I will do my best to get him approved, but we have chosen an alternative [candidate in case of Baghaie's disqualification]."
April 4, 2017

Attempts by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq to expand its territory, while inching its way toward independence, may augur more difficulties for Turkey in a region where it already faces multiple problems.

Amicable ties with the KRG  one of the few friends Turkey has left in the region  remain important for Ankara and ensure measured Turkish responses to such moves by Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Given the antipathy Turkish nationalists have for all things Kurdish, however, the situation could spin out of control with unexpected developments on the ground, leaving Ankara with yet another hostile neighbor on its borders.

The first signs of potential crisis between Ankara and Erbil came when the Kurdish-dominated provincial council in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk decided, as part of this years Nowruz celebrations, to raise the Kurdish flag alongside the Iraqi flag over the citys historic citadel and other official institutions.

This alarmed Turkey, where nationalist sensitivities prevail when it comes to Kirkuk, which is widely believed to be a historic Turkmen city even if its demography was altered by the Kurds after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Turkish nationalist lore also says Kirkuk was unfairly pried away from Turkey after World War I by the great powers. The feeling that it belongs by right to Turkey continues to be pervasive.

The Turkmen members of the provincial council boycotted the vote on raising the Kurdish flag while Arab members, barring one, voted against it.

Turkish nationalists were already agitated by the visit of KRG President Massoud Barzani to Istanbul on Feb. 26 for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when the Kurdish flag was raised at Istanbul's airport on Barzani's arrival.

In its statement regarding the Kurdish flag in Kirkuk, the Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed concern over this incorrect development.

We consider this decision  as a unilateral act that directly concerns the disputed status of Kirkuk and that contradicts the Iraqi Constitution, the statement said, warning that it could jeopardize efforts to ensure lasting security and stability in Iraq, and calling for common sense, responsibility and restraint to prevail.

The idea of an independent Kurdistan remains a red line for Turkey, which fears it will prompt its own restive Kurds to seek secession.

Ankaras dilemma, however, is that it relies on its good ties with the KRG for economic reasons, which includes cooperation in the energy field, as well as political and security reasons.

Barzani remains a potential bulwark for Turkey against the spread of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq  especially in the Sinjar region. He is also a Sunni ally against the Shiite-dominated administration in Baghdad, with which Ankara has serious differences, especially over Mosul.

Ankara is not alone, though, in sounding a warning over Kirkuk. The central government in Iraq has also said that the KRG does not have the authority to raise the Kurdish flag there, while the Iraqi parliament voted to repeal the Kirkuk provincial councils decision.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim held a phone conversation with his Iraqi counterpart, Haider al-Abadi, to discuss the issue  despite the chill in ties between Ankara and Baghdad. Yildirim later told CNN Turk that Ankara and Baghdad were in agreement on this issue.

The United Nations and Iran have also weighed in to oppose the Kurdish flag in Kirkuk. Kurdish officials, however, remain unperturbed. It is impossible for Kurdistans flag to be lowered again, said Rebwar Talabani, the acting head of the provincial council.

Turkish feathers were ruffled even further when KRG officials made it known in the presence of UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres  immediately after the raising of the flag in Kirkuk  that they would hold a referendum on independence in the near future.

Hemin Hawrami of the Iraqi Kurdish presidency told reporters that Gutteres had been informed during his recent visit to Erbil of their intention to hold this referendum at the earliest possible time.

The situation was further aggravated when the Kirkuk provincial council voted earlier this week to hold a referendum on the annexation of the city by the KRG.

Using relatively mild language, Erdogans spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, told reporters in Ankara that these were wrong steps at a time when Iraq was passing through a fragile period.

KRG spokesman Safin Dizayi, who is also a senior figure in Barzanis Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), insisted, however, that Kurds would seek independence, but said they wanted this to be a friendly separation.

Dizayi  who is a well-known figure in Ankara, where he served as KDP representative  told the daily Hurriyet that their efforts for a democratic and federal Iraq had been snubbed by Shiite-dominated governments in Baghdad, which, he said, also failed to honor their pledges to the Iraqi Kurds.

Our only option is independence for Iraqi Kurdistan under these conditions, Dizayi said, stressing that they wanted to achieve it through friendly negotiations with Baghdad.

Cagri Erhan, who lectures in international affairs at Istanbuls Kemerburgaz University, says that maintaining Iraqs territorial integrity has vital priority for Turkey because it will ensure regional stability and prevent the spread of terrorism.

Erhan also insists that the right to self-determination does not mean that any community can declare independence when it likes. He argues that under prevailing circumstances holding an independence referendum will be difficult for the KRG. Erhan also maintains that these latest steps by the Iraqi Kurds have more to do with their own domestic political squabbles than anything else.

Ilnur Cevik, Erdogans adviser on international affairs, also believes that Barzani is playing to a domestic gallery. He says the ruling KDP faces great opposition from other Kurdish parties in northern Iraq, such as the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), led by Jalal Talabani, and the Gorran movement.

To show that they are a step ahead of Barzani, Talabanis men first got the provincial council to vote to raise the flag in Kirkuk, and then ruled on the annexation of the city to the Kurdish region, said Cevik, who has had extensive business dealings with the KRG.

Barzani for his part suggested an independence referendum to show the Kurdish public that he is one step ahead, Cevik added.

Hurriyet Daily News commentator Verda Ozer, on the other hand, sees an Iranian hand in the decision of the provincial council in Kirkuk, which she says is dominated by the PUK. Iran is certainly rubbing its hands  following this decision since it comes after enhancing its influence in Kirkuk via [the] PUK. Along the same lines, the governor of Kirkuk and the PUK are also in pursuit of approaching Iran, Ozer said.

This, however, is at odds with an official statement from Iran indicating its opposition to raising the Kurdish flag in Kirkuk.

Developments also belie the view that the call for an independence referendum is the result of rivalry between the main Kurdish groups. KDP and PUK officials appeared to have put this rivalry aside over the weekend when they met in Erbil to determine a timetable for the referendum. They also reflected a common position regarding Kirkuk.

Given existing difficulties, Iraqi Kurdish plans for independence may remain wishful thinking for the foreseeable future, even if a referendum is held for symbolic reasons, or to strengthen Erbils hand against Baghdad.

But the task of putting Iraq together again remains a daunting one, with no assurance of success. Circumstances could therefore leave Turkey facing another regional fait accompli in the end.

In a late development April 4, Erdogan called for the Kurdish flag raised in Kirkuk to be pulled down immediately, saying that Kirkuk, with its Turkmens, Arabs and Kurds, belongs to everyone.

Addressing the Iraqi Kurds without naming them, he warned them that claiming Kirkuk the way they were doing would come at a high cost.

Erdogan was speaking at a rally in the Black Sea city of Zonguldak where he was canvassing for the upcoming constitutional referendum, which he hopes will make him Turkeys executive president.

Given Erdogans close ties to Barzani, many considered his remarks to be aimed essentially at the nationalist audience at home that he is relying on for a strong return from the April 16 referendum that would give the Turkish presidency greater powers.

Nevertheless, his remarks demonstrated the potential volatility of the situation.
April 3, 2017

A day before the long-awaited March 30 visit of new US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Ankara, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim dramatically announced that Operation Euphrates Shield, Turkey's military intervention in northern Syria, had successfully come to a close. A precursory postmortem of the vaunted military campaign raises a number of questions, including what caused its termination and why it was not reported immediately? The answers lead one to wonder what comes next.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had said after al-Bab's capture in late February from the Islamic State (IS) that the operation would continue on to its next target, Manbij, and after that to Raqqa. Not only Cavusoglu, but the ultimate decision-maker on Turkey's Syria policy, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, also repeatedly stated Turkeys intention of removing the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Peoples Protection Units (YPG) from Manbij and replacing the SDF as Washington's main ally in the campaign to capture Raqqa.

Those objectives have not been achieved. One might therefore logically conclude that Operation Euphrates Shield ended rather unsuccessfully. Of additional note, it took the Turkish military and its Free Syrian Army allies more than three months and a relatively high number of casualties to capture al-Bab, the southernmost point of Syrian territory that Turkey controls, some 18 miles south of the Turkish border.

The big question is why did it take Ankara a month after al-Bab's capture to declare the successful end of Operation Euphrates Shield? The answer is because capturing al-Bab was not Turkey's real or ultimate aim. The actual goal was to push the Kurdish military presence west of the Euphrates and end US military cooperation with the Kurds.

As March progressed, however, it became clear that that wasn't going to happen. The Americans moved their special operations forces from south of the Sajuk River to north of Manbij to deter their NATO ally, Turkey, from taking military action against the SDF, which the United States considers its main ally in confronting IS west and east of the Euphrates.

Even more bewildering to Ankara, Russia provided the Kurds a protective umbrella in Afrin, the northwestern-most Kurdish area of self-rule in Syria. Russian military personnel, ostensibly deployed to Afrin to monitor the cease-fire agreement reached at Astana, Kazakhstan, wore the YPG's insignia. Thus Russia sent an unequivocal signal to Ankara that Turkeys partnership with Moscow in Syria has its limits, and one such limit was Erdogans efforts to push the Kurds from the picture.

The United States had sent Ankara the same message in March. Erdogan had hoped that the administration of US President Donald Trump would differ from its predecessor, but Tillersons visit to Ankara could not salvage the troubled relationship. The Americans still had no enthusiasm for replacing the SDF with Turkish troops for future Raqqa operations. In statements surrounding Tillerson's visit, Turkish officials could not conceal their disappointment.

The worst-case scenario for Ankara has been the possibility of US-Russian coordination in Syria, which would not leave much, if any, room for the role Turkey wants to play. From Afrin to Manbij and Raqqa, that seems to be exactly what is happening. Turkeys anti-American partnership in Syria is not paying dividends.

After Turkey downed a Russian fighter plane in November 2015 and relations between Ankara and Moscow soured, Russia blocked Turkey from Syria. The rapprochement achieved after Erdogan apologized to Russia allowed Turkey to regain access to Syria, but its room to maneuver was limited by restrictions Russia placed on the area west of the Euphrates. East of the Euphrates, Turkey was limited by Washington.

The snubs by Washington and Moscow, apart from political reasons, have military explanations as well. Contrary to what the Turkish public has been told, Turkeys operation in Syria was a poor military performance. The Kurds' success in capturing Manbij had prompted Ankara to launch Operation Euphrates Shield with the goal of preventing two Kurdish cantons controlled by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party from ultimately connecting with Afrin. The main objective of the operation had never been to oust IS from its positions, but to remove the perceived Kurdish threat to Erdogans nationalist Turkey.

Another make-believe military success was the taking of Dabiq, a city only 6 miles south of the Turkish border, from IS. That was in October, two months after the start of Operation Euphrates Shield. IS put up no real resistance in either Dabiq or Jarablus. The resistance came in al-Bab, and victory there took three months, with Russian air support. With such a poor record, there was no compelling reason from a military perspective for Moscow or Washington to replace the Syrian Kurds on the ground with the Turks from the north.

Turkey's control of 770 square miles of Syrian territory, sandwiched between Russian-protected Afrin and US-protected Manbij, could become a problem. How long will Ankara maintain a military presence there? What if the Syrian regime, whose legitimacy is already suspect in Ankara's eyes, asks Turkey to leave or to hand the area over to it? A potentially bigger question is, if Moscow and Washington act in tandem and ask Ankara to withdraw its military from Syria, will Turkey comply or will it defy them and come to be regarded as an occupation force?

This last question raises additional issues. Could Turkey endure as an occupation force in Syria? Is there a danger of a standoff between the Syrian army and the Turkish Armed Forces? Is there any chance Turkey could turn its international isolation from a weakness into a position of strength in Syria?

These are questions to be explored in Middle Eastern geopolitics, but they do not preclude writing Turkeys postmortem in Syria following the announcement of Operation Euphrates Shield's conclusion.
April 5, 2017

Lowering the minimum age of candidacy for parliament to 18 from the current 25 is one of the constitutional changes being debated in addition to the constitutional change that will make Turkey an executive presidential system. Ultimately, there are 7.5 million voters in the 18-25 age range, making their role in the upcoming referendum crucial.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been defending its proposal on the basis of Turkeys dominant young population that calls for more youth in politics. The AKP had lowered the age of parliament candidacy to 25 from 30 in 2006.

The proponents of the proposal are claiming that this amendment has nothing to do with the executive branch, but that it is supposed to strengthen the legislative organs and broaden fair representation in the parliament. They cite this as an already widespread practice in the world. The Turkish parliaments Research Commission prepared a report, citing information from 172 countries that said in 51 countries 18 is the lower limit for entering parliament, 21 is the possible age in 62 countries and the limit age is 25 in 59 countries, including Turkey.

Moreover, the argument goes, the new amendment would close the gap between electing  as in voting at the age of 18  and being elected, for which one has to be 25 years old in the current system. According to the proponents argument, as reiterated by Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag: If one young person becomes a legal adult at 18, has the right to get married, to have a profession, to be a soldier, to die if necessary, it is a big contradiction not to have permission to run for parliament.

Fadime Ozkan, a columnist for the pro-government daily Star, elaborated on a terrorism-related argument why this amendment is beneficial for Turkey: Opening the doors of legitimate politics wide open is one way of not having youth snatched by terrorist organizations. Ozkan reminded readers that terrorist organizations like to enlist young members. She also asked whether the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) would close the door to its own youths who would want to be elected.

It turns out that in 2015, CHP deputy Mahmut Tanal had proposed a law to lower the age limit for someone to be nominated as a deputy to 18.

Many of those who oppose this amendment believe age is necessary to gain not only interest in politics but to participate in political activities that would prove ones talent. Hence, acquiring experience is indispensable for being able to participate in approval of legislation as a deputy. In relation to this amendment, opponents fear the consequences of the presidents vast powers under the new constitution.

As Cumhuriyet daily columnist Emre Kongar wrote, the president could appoint 18-year-olds who have a primary school education as a deputy or a minister, and they would run the country in case of the presidents absence. Kongar sarcastically noted that the pool of the presidents possible deputies or ministers might also include 19-year-olds who are only middle-school graduates. On top of that, all of these deputies or ministers would not be prosecuted and would gain political immunity for life.

Columnist Can Atakli called this amendment nothing more than [the AKPs] trick, suggesting that hundreds of thousands of youth will be fooled by the idea of being able to enter parliament. Besides, he wrote, it would be technically very difficult for any young person to enter politics very early on unless as a protege of someone prominent in the party. The problem is not confidence [in youth], Cumhuriyet daily columnist Nuray Mert argued, calling the ruling partys initiative another populist move. If you look at that we dont trust the old ones with your mindset either, that is not the subject, stating that the proposed system is the main problem, regardless of the age of the deputies.

When CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu criticized the proposed lower minimum age for parliament, he suggested that the children of poor people wouldnt become deputies, but martyrs in the army. Kilicdaroglu also depicted the amendment as coverage for the AKP elites sons to escape the army service. Erdogan already expressed his views that duty in parliament is not easier than army service. Kilicdaroglu also stated March 11 that as young deputies, They would not only not go to the army, but would earn the right for early retirement two years later."

That insinuation of cronyism is strongly rejected by the proponents of the amendment. Along with Erdogan, who accused Kilicdaroglu of lying, they reiterate it would not be possible to retire before reaching the eligible age and paying premiums for 25 years.

Appearing as a guest on a private TV channel March 23, Erdogan tactfully turned Kilicdaroglus criticism on the matter into an opportunity to show the AKP is a believer in youth. Addressing a meeting of Turkeys Youth Foundation on March 27, he referred once more to the military coup attempt, this time underlying the youths role in the heroic epic. On July 15, those youngsters stood up to F-16 planes, tanks.  But where were you [that night]?" He used Kilicdaroglus criticism to compare himself to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, as Ataturk greatly appreciated youth. Erdogan mentioned the Ottomans as another emotional chord, this time of typical AKP voters: "My ancestor Fatih [referring to Sultan Fatih, conqueror of Istanbul] came as a 19-year-old, became a sultan when 21 years old. He ended one era, opened another one." He praised the youths in the audience: Are you children of the conquerors?  By taking office in parliament, you also will govern the future of this nation.

The young deputies would be eligible to be in parliament in 2019, so it is not easy at the moment to find young people who would want to run then and seek their opinions on the proposal. But AKP Antalya deputy Sena Nur Celik, who became the partys youngest deputy at age 28, stated her support for the proposed amendment as very important for participatory democracy and so that youths could raise attention to issues of their concern.

The pro-government media cited 22-year-old Samed Agirbas, described as one of the first names that crosses ones mind when speaking of youth in Turkey. He started entrepreneurship clubs at 16 years old and founded them in Turkeys 81 provinces, and he continues at the Union of Turkeys Municipalities and as president of Istanbul Municipalitys Youth Assembly. According to Agirbas, a lot of successful CEOs of major holdings are young names, so not only would younger people in governance contribute to democracy, but to economic growth as well. To use the potential and strength of Turkeys young population, they need to be given more voice and acknowledge their governing rights.

But even more important, to recognize the value of youth is also ensuring that it is not impoverished or uneducated. It is not news that youth unemployment poses a threat to Turkey. The question of election age could be a matter of preference, as seen from a variety of countries around the world. But to give importance to the youth also means ensuring that they receive opportunities to get to the point of being elected. We need to show them through example how to lead politics not of revenge but of reconciliation, while respecting pluralism instead of suffocating it.
Justin Sacks packed his bags in 2013 and left sunny San Diego to work for a fast-growing gaming company in Huntsville.

Justin Sacks, CEO of Chrono.gg. (Courtesy)

Today, the young professional is on his own, running a digital gaming distribution platform with business partners Zak Steltz, Dusty Clark and Adam Whipple. Chrono.gg, which recently garnered a $1 million investment led by angel network AIM Group, is working to build its team, launch new services and scale operations in Huntsville.

"The funding allows us to grow our team in a pretty substantial way," Sacks said. "We'll be bringing on a few folks in business development, engineering, and operations. Additionally, having the capital allows us to really jump a few levels and begin working with more partners that need upfront guarantees."

AL.com caught up with Sacks this week to discuss his company.

1) How was the Chrono concept born?

Sacks: The idea for Chrono was born from identifying some of the missing pieces/challenges in the gaming industry and how well they aligned with my and my team's unique knowledge and networks. Particularly seeing just how influential gaming personalities were becoming in (a) gamer's purchase decisions, and how challenging curation was becoming for both gamers and developers. We believed we could build a platform that helped solve both of those.

2) How would you describe Chrono to someone who isn't a gamer?

Sacks: Chrono.gg is a platform that features just one awesome game every day on our website, typically at the lowest historical price for that game -- and we connect with the most well-known personalities in gaming to drive attention to those sales.

3) Where do you operate Chrono now and how many employees do you have?

Sacks: Chrono is based out of the second bedroom of my apartment. We have five employees and a few contractors. Four of us are local to Huntsville with the rest remote around the country.

4) What is your five-year vision for the company?

Sacks: We've done a really solid job of proving the foundation of our model in our first year, which is connecting influencers and game developers all around a single focused sale. The next steps are to scale that model to the most well-known game publishers and developers as well as working with more and more influencers in the space. When we build Chrono.gg into the habitual experience of many gamers, we'll have built something truly special -- getting hundreds of thousands of people to visit our site every day to see the new game can really shine a spotlight on incredible products and deliver extreme value to our partners.

5) What local resources have you utilized since 2015 as you have launched your business?

Sacks: There's a lot of incredible talent here in Huntsville, from the great people I worked with at Curse to the people I've met at local small businesses or awesome local events. There's a very strong focus from the city to support entrepreneurship, which has been very encouraging.

6) What advice do you have for other startups in Huntsville?

Sacks: Find something that creates real value for your industry and community. Once you've built something that others come to love and depend on, everything else gets easier. The Huntsville community wants nothing more than to support great companies. There's plenty of people who would be happy to get involved, whether it's from mentorship to investment.

Check out Chrono.gg here.
Bill O'Reilly

In this Oct. 1, 2015 file photo, Bill O'Reilly of the Fox News Channel program "The O'Reilly Factor," poses for photos in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

(Richard Drew)

Here are the top business stories on AL.com for Tuesday, April 4, 2017. Follow all of Alabama's business news here anytime.

Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai, both of which have auto plants in Alabama, have pulled advertising from Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" following sexual harassment claims against host Bill O'Reilly.

Mobile still lags far behind Huntsville and Birmingham in the state's craft beer boom, but two planned downtown breweries continue to move forward.

Alabama's first Warby Parker will open on Saturday. The New York City-based eyewear brand will open its first store in the recently completed Pizitz building at 1821 2nd Ave. N.

U.S. light-vehicle sales dropped 1.7 percent in March, with sales down for Hyundai and Honda, and Mercedes up slightly. But Honda continues to see heavy demand for light trucks.

In early 2016, as the ride-sharing behemoth Uber began showing up along Alabama's beaches, the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach had questions and basic demands. Now, they're making nice.

A career fair designed for workers with disabilities will take place this month in Huntsville. The University of Alabama in Huntsville and the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services will host the second-annual Ability Career Fair from 8:30 a.m. to noon April 19.

The public will have more opportunities to give input on the future of downtown during meetings this week in Huntsville. The City of Huntsville, Urban Design Associates and Downtown Huntsville Inc. will have representatives at UG White on 115 Clinton Ave. East from 5:30-7 p.m. April 4-5.

Little Rock's Stephens Insurance has opened a property and casualty office in downtown Birmingham. Stephens Insurance is an affiliate of the investment banking firm Stephens Inc. The office is in the Wells Fargo Tower at 420 20th St. N.

Boeing unveiled preliminary design concepts this week for a deep space station that would orbit the moon as a base for humans to safely explore space from the moon to Mars.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo tapped two top women in his administration to lead a study examining the gender pay gap in New York.

The study, announced on Equal Pay Day, will be led by Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon. At least four public hearings will be held. The hearings will be announced in the near future.

The state will invite testimony from a range of experts, including business owners and employees. Written statements should be sent to payequity@labor.ny.gov. The deadline to submit written testimony is June 1.

Those submitting testimony are advised to identify causes of the gender wage cap and how it can be closed.

"New York leads the nation in progressive values  setting the bar high for other states to follow suit, and it is critical that we do all we can to address the wage gap in our country," Cuomo said. "This wage gap study will ensure that we are evaluating every possible solution to ending this egregious inequity once and for all."

Cuomo said working women in New York earn 89 cents for every dollar earned by men. Based on federal figures, the state has the lowest wage gap. But the gap is larger for African-American women and Latinas, according to the governor's office.

The state marked Equal Pay Day by presenting a proclamation at a rally in New York City. Reardon attended the event.

Equal Pay Day is an unofficial holiday that intends to mark how far into the year women must work to earn the same amount men earned in the previous year.

Hochul thinks New York can eliminate its gender wage gap.

"By studying the nature of the gap in the state, we will be able to further develop targeted, effective policies in response," she said. "I look forward to working closely with our partners in the Labor Department to ensure the success of this study."
If anybody had told Kerri Kasem that one day her life would be devoted to protecting the elderly, she likely wouldn't have believed them.

The daughter of radio legend Casey Kasem - best known for hosting American Top 40 for decades - had her own successful career in radio and was living out her dream.

But she was thrust into the role of activist in 2013 when she and her siblings found themselves in an emotional and protracted legal battle with their father's wife of more than 30 years, Jean Kasem, who they said barred the family from seeing the ailing Casey Kasem.

"Four years ago, I was told I was never going to see my dad again by his wife,'' Kerri Kasem said, chronicling how Jean Kasem cut the entire family out of his life. "She isolated him."

"I had a talk radio show five days a week and my countdown show on the weekend. I was making money. I was happy. This was my dream,'' she said. "I left the job to fight for my dad, and I couldn't be happier."

Kerri Kasem told the heartbreaking and well-documented story of her father's final months and days Tuesday night at the 6th Annual Walker County Crime Victims' Candlelight Vigil in Jasper. As they do every year, hundreds of community members, crime victims and family members of crime victims, joined together as part of National Crime Victims' Rights Week.

Kerri Kasem and Casey Kasem

Walker County District Attorney Bill Adair launched the memorial six years, not only as the county's top prosecutor but also as someone who knows firsthand the ravages of crime. His father, William "Sonny" Adair, was fatally shot, once at close range, by a man with whom he had worked in Lawrence County in 1981. The killing helped propel the younger Adair into a law career, and instilled in him a compassion for victims and their families.

When he took office in 2011, Adair held a small dinner at steakhouse for families of crime victims. During that gathering, the victims created a Victim's Rights Council and planned a candlelight vigil for the following year during National Crime Victims' Rights Week in April. The memorial has grown each year and, in 2013, he helped to unveil an out-of-order fountain in the Walker County Courthouse square that was lovingly restored by crime victims' families as a memorial to not only those slain in the county, but to all who are victims of violence.

"What happened to my father is just part of why I do this,'' Adair said Tuesday night. "Like Kerri said earlier, she's trying to carry on what her father would want her to do and that's what this is for."

His message for victims and their families is this: "You're not alone."

The vigil was held at the Jasper Civic Center, and attended by law enforcement and residents from throughout the county and beyond. Another victim's advocate, former Birmingham television reporter Deborah Vance Bowie who is now the CEO of the United Way of North Central Florida, spoke about her ordeal after her sister - Sharon Anderson - was murdered in Florida in 1994.

Bowie has traveled across the U.S. speaking about her journey for justice and her sister's murder which was recorded on a hidden camera. There have been numerous trials and the appeals process has repeatedly victimized her family. She said she doesn't consider herself, however, a victim and that's the message that she hopes to send to other victims and survivors.

"You can choose what role you want to play,'' Bowie said. "They took my sister, but they're not going to take the rest of my future."

But horrific crime - which also left two others dead - did shape her future. "My promise to her was I'll see it through to the end,'' she said. "You never forget somebody you love. You never forget family."

Keith Nation was among those in attendance Tuesday night. His father, 78-year-old Glenn Nation, was murdered in 2005. His brother, Michael, was convicted in the killing and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Nation has long been active in Walker County's crime vigils and said being with others who have endured similar tragedies is a comfort of sorts. "You have other people you can share your feelings with. There are feelings that come out that you weren't even aware were inside you,'' he said. "You can help each other. It gives you a shoulder to lean on, a helping hand. It helps to know you're not the only one going through anything like this."

Kerri Kasem chronicled her ordeal with her father. In 2007, Casey Kasem was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, but that diagnosis was later changed to Lewy body dementia for which this is no cure. At the time of his diagnosis, he signed a power of attorney giving his three children from his first marriage the authority to make medical decisions for him if he became unable to make those decisions for himself.

But as time went on, and Casey Kasem became gravely ill, Kerri Kasem said she and her siblings and other family members were kept from seeing him by his wife. Kerri Kasem thought she could just call the police, but they couldn't help her. She called Adult Protective Services, but they had no answers either. Surely, she thought, once a judge heard her story, the nightmare would be over. Again, there was no relief.

"I quickly realized there was no law in place to help adult children see their ailing parents, even though my father said to the court-appointed doctor, the court-appointed lawyer and the judge, 'I want to see my children,''' she said. "The judge couldn't rule on visitation because his caretaker (Jean Kasem) said no, and they were at their home."

There were many twists and turns in the saga, including Kerri Kasem and her sister leading a protest outside of their father's Los Angeles mansion, numerous court hearings about whether Casey Kasem would be kept alive despite is directive, and even allegations that his wife took him out of the hospital and out of the country to keep from following the judge's decision.

On June 15, 2014, the 82-year-old Kasem died at a Washington hospital. The immediate cause of death was reported as sepsis caused by an ulcerated bedsore. His wife later had him buried in Norway, despite his family's objections.

That same year, Kerri Kasem founded the Kasem Cares Foundation, a non-profit organization to stop elder abuse and to establish and fight for the rights to have visitation and reasonable access to an ailing parent, especially when under the care and control of an uncooperative spuse or sibling.

"I thought, 'This is crazy and we have to change the law' and that's what we did,'' Kerri Kasem said Tuesday night. The Kasem Cares "Visitation Bill" was passed first in California and eight other states, including Alabama. "I'm so proud of Alabama,'' she said. "It took one year. A lot of states take two to three years."

Similar laws, she said, have been passed in other states for a total of about 20. "Elder abuse is a major epidemic,'' Kerri Kasem said. "It's a huge problem. It's where child abuse and domestic violence were 30 years ago - nobody talks about it."

She said 10,000 people a day turn 65 and by the year 2030, there will be more senior citizens in this country than any other age group, something that's never happened before. The problem of elder abuse will only grow as do the numbers of elderly, and it's important that it be addressed and handled.

The abuse starts and flourishes, she says, when the elderly are isolated. "Once you isolate an individual, you can abuse them,'' she said. "You can physically abuse them, you can financially abuse them, you can verbally abuse them.

"Isolation is abuse, especially for people with dementia,'' Kerri Kasem said. "They die 50 percent faster when they're not around people love and in familiar surroundings."

She said her message is simple: "Prevention, prevention, prevention and awareness. It's easier to prevent something than to go through a traumatic situation."
ethics commission april 5 2017.jpg

The Alabama Ethics Commission will hear testimony today on ethics complaints filed against Gov. Robert Bentley.

(Mike Cason/mcason@al.com)

The Alabama Ethics Commission is hearing testimony today about ethics complaints filed against Gov. Robert Bentley.

The five-member commission hears testimony and evidence in closed session.

The commission would reopen its meeting to the public before voting on whether there is probable cause that Bentley broke the ethics law or campaign finance law.

It would take a vote of three of the five commission members to find probable cause and refer the matter to the attorney general's office or a district attorney.

The governor has denied any wrongdoing. Ethics complaints filed against Bentley, at least in part, concerned his relationship with former political adviser Rebekah Mason.

The meeting opened with an interesting proposal before the commission went into closed session.

Commissioner Stewart Tankersley proposed that the commission define sex as a "thing of value" under the ethics law. Tankersley said he considered that a common sense addition to the list of things of value.

Commissioner Charles Price said it should be up to the Legislature to define sex as a "thing of value."

Tankersley's motion died for lack of a second.

Former Alabama Law Enforcement Secretary Spencer Collier, a potential witness, arrived at the commission this morning.

In March 2016, Collier, who is now Selma's police chief, was the first to publicly accuse Bentley of having an affair with political adviser Rebekah Mason. Collier said he advised Bentley to end it and warned Bentley that using state resources to carry it out would be a crime.

Collier also said Bentley fired him because he provided an affidavit to prosecutors in the Mike Hubbard ethics case against Bentley's orders.

State Auditor Jim Zeigler, who filed an ethics complaint against in March 2016 alleging multiple violations, is at the Ethics Commission this morning.

Zeigler, whose complaint was based at least in part on media reports, said he is on call as a potential witness. Zeigler is a frequent Bentley critic and has filed lawsuits against the governor.

Stacy Lee George, a state corrections officer who said he filed six ethics complaints against Bentley, is also here. George said he spoke to investigators on Tuesday and said it was possible, but unlikely, that he would be called as a witness.

George ran against Bentley in the 2014 Republican primary.

Media are gathered outside the commission meeting room while the closed door session continues.

Witnesses are using an alternate entrance, mostly out of view of the press.

Potential witnesses seen in the building today include Seth Hammett, former chief of staff for Bentley and former Alabama House speaker, and Secretary of State John Merrill.
Prosecutors have asked Jefferson County Circuit Judge Tracie Todd to step aside from presiding over the capital murder trial of a man charged in the 2013 deaths of twin brothers in Wylam because they question her impartiality if she had to decide whether to impose the death penalty.

Last year Todd had ruled in four capital murder cases, including the one in which prosecutors are now asking her to recuse herself, that Alabama's death sentencing statute is unconstitutional because it allows judges to override jury recommendations of life without parole and instead impose a death sentence. Within months, her ruling was overturned by state appellate courts.

The Alabama Attorney General's Office last week asked that Todd recuse herself from the capital murder case of Stanley Chatman because of that opinion.

"While this Court has shown that it gives serious consideration to capital cases, an ordinary person would have a reasonable basis to question the Court's impartiality in a capital case and its ability to fairly consider the death penalty," the Attorney General's Office stated in its motion.

But Chatman's attorney, Emory Anthony, said he believes Todd would be fair and that the issue of Todd's impartiality should no longer be in question anyway because the Alabama Legislature on Tuesday approved a law doing away with judicial override. The bill now goes to Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley for his signature.

"That (the bill) is very supportive of the judge's decision," Anthony said. "This is a huge, huge, huge, statement by the Legislature."

Alabama had been the lone state to allow judicial override after the U.S. Supreme Court in January 2016 ruled in Hurst v. Florida that Florida's death sentencing law, which also allowed overrides, was unconstitutional. Juries, not judges, should decide whether someone is eligible for the death penalty, the court said. Delaware also abandoned judicial override after court rulings in that state last year.

Alabama prosecutors have said that Alabama's law is different than the one in Florida. In Alabama, juries unanimously decide at least one aggravating factor (kidnapping, robbery, multiple victims etc..) that would make someone eligible for the death penalty when convicting someone of capital murder. In Alabama, at least 10 of the 12 jurors must agree before they can recommend death in the sentencing phase. But no matter what the jury's recommendation is, the judge can override it.

Todd ruled in March 2016 that she found the state's sentencing law under the Hurst ruling unconstitutional. She ordered that Chatman's and co-defendant Terrell McMulln's cases were ineligible for the death penalty. She also ruled that two other capital murder defendants - Kenneth Eugene Billups and Benjamin Todd Acton in unrelated cases - would be ineligible for the death penalty.

Billups, who is already on death row for multiple murders in a separate crime, and Acton, have both entered plea deals to lesser charges since Todd's ruling.

Acton's attorney, Jacqueline O. Morrette, was glad to see the Alabama Legislature to take death penalty sentencing out of the hands of judges who are elected in partisan voting. "It's about time for Alabama to do the right thing. Life or death should never be about politics, but sadly, in many jurisdictions it has been for many years," she stated in an email to AL.com.

Acton pleaded guilty to felony murder and will serve 25 years in prison under his plea deal.

Billups pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in a 2005 case involving the shooting death of Stevon Lockett, which he will serve while awaiting execution on Alabama's Death Row for the 2003 slayings of four men in Center Point. A jury had unanimously recommended death in the Center Point slayings and the judge agreed. But another jury had recommended Billups get life without parole for the Lockett slaying and the judge overrode that verdict and sentenced him to death.

While Billups' conviction and death sentence was upheld, the Alabama Supreme Court in 2010 ordered a new trial for the Lockett slaying because of improper jury instructions.

Billup's attorney, Charles Salvagio, said he believes that getting rid of judicial override is long overdue because of the possibility that it could be used by a judge running for re-election to prove they are tough on crime. "It's about damn time," he said of the Alabama Legislature's override bill.

Chatman

The Attorney General's Office noted in their motion that Chatman was indicted on five counts of capital murder for the June 2013 robbery- and burglary murders of 17-year-old twins Jeremi and Jonathan Berry.

"This was hardly Chatman's first brush with the judicial system," according to the Attorney General's motion. "He was convicted of manslaughter for a 2005 shooting death, released from prison in November 2012, and murdered Derrick King in March 2013 -- a crime for which he was on bond at the time of the Berry twins' slaying and for which he is now serving a ninety-nine-year sentence."

Prosecutors plan to pursue the death penalty if Chatman is convicted in the twins' slayings.

The day Todd issued her order declaring the death penalty sentencing unconstitutional and preventing the state from seeking the death penalty in the four cases, the judge discussed the order in a videotaped interview with AL.com and an audio interview with WBHM.

In June 2016, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals overturned Todd's order and told her to allow the prosecutors to pursue the death penalty in the four cases. It held that Alabama's capital statutes are constitutional.

In September 2016, the Alabama Supreme Court seconded the Court of Criminal Appeals' decision as to the constitutionality of the state's capital statutes in another case.

In asking that Todd be removed from Chatman's case the Attorney General cites the judge's opinion, her interviews with reporters after issuing it, and her decision to give a man (Marcus Benn), who she had previously sentenced to death, a new life without the possibility of parole sentence.

"Recusal is a serious request, and the State does not approach this matter lightly," according to the Attorney General's motion. "Still, in order to preserve the integrity and independence of the judiciary, recusal is required here to avoid a situation where an ordinary citizen would question this Court's impartiality and ability to follow the law in a capital case, based on this Court's previous opinions and statements."

"While this Court may, in all good faith, insist that it can be impartial and follow the law in this matter, the facts of recent months give an appearance to the contrary," the motion states.
The Alabama Supreme Court has set execution dates two weeks apart for convicted killers Tommy Arthur and Robert Melson.

For Arthur, May 25 will be his eighth date with an executioner at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore. Melson is to be executed June 8, according to another Alabama Supreme Court order.

The orders were issued Tuesday but were served on the inmates Wednesday.

Arthur's previous seven execution dates have been stayed by appeals courts. His last execution was delayed throughout the night of Nov. 3 - past the appointed hour - by the U.S. Supreme Court before justices finally stayed it to consider whether they would review two appeals by Arthur.

Arthur, 75, was asked about his eighth execution being set by an AL.com reporter on Wednesday. "It's absurd. There shouldn't have been a first one," he said.

Arthur was sentenced to death for the 1982 murder-for-hire shooting death of Troy Wicker. Juries at three trials convicted Arthur on charges that Wicker's wife hired him to kill Wicker. Arthur had a romantic relationship with Wicker's wife, according to testimony at his trial.

Arthur denies he killed Wicker.

Arthur's attorney, Suhana Han, was not immediately available for comment.

The Alabama Attorney General's Office declined comment.

Melson

Melson, who has been on death row since May 16, 1996, was convicted in Etowah County, along with another man, Cuhuatemoc Peraita, in the shooting deaths of Tamika Collins, 18, Nathaniel Baker, 17, and Darrell Collier, 23, during the April 1994 robbery at a Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits restaurant in Gadsden.

The lone survivor, Bryant Archer, was shot four times. Archer identified Melson as the one who fired the shots. Prosecutors said Peraita planned the crime.

Peraita was sentenced to life in prison but joined Melson on Death Row in 2001 after he was convicted of taking part in the 1999 stabbing death of fellow Holman Prison inmate Quincy Lewis.

Seven of the eight justices concurred in setting an execution date for Melson. Justice Tom Parker recused himself from voting on that order because he had prosecuted Melson's case on appeal during his time working for the Attorney General's Office.

Melson's attorney, Assistant Federal Public Defender John Palombi, issued this statement regarding the execution date:

"We are disappointed that the Alabama Supreme Court scheduled an execution date for Mr. Melson. Alabama's method of does not work as the State claims it does. The executions of Christopher Brooks and Ron Smith (in 2016) prove that midazolam does not anesthetize a condemned inmate, as it is required to do. Alabama should not rush to execute Mr. Melson using a failed method that has been found unconstitutional by a federal court in Ohio and drugs that Arizona and Florida no longer use."

The Alabama Attorney General's Office in February had asked the Alabama Supreme Court to set a new execution date after Arthur lost the two appeals before the U.S. Supreme Court. The Attorney General made the request the day after Arthur had lost the second appeal.

The Attorney General's Office also asked the Alabama Supreme Court to expedite the request for a new execution date and consider putting it ahead of an earlier request to set an execution date for Melson.

"For thirty-four years, since his February 1983 conviction of the capital murder of Troy Wicker, Arthur has engaged in nearly constant litigation in every state and federal court available to him, and he has thoroughly exhausted his appeals at every level," the Attorney General stated in its motion. "Arthur has successfully manipulated the state and federal courts with meritless litigation to avoid his execution date seven times."

Bolin opinion

Six justices agreed to set the execution date, Justice Glenn Murdock dissented, and Justice Kelli Wise recused herself from the vote.

Justice Michael Bolin issued a special opinion favoring the setting of another execution date for Arthur.

Bolin stated that Arthur was convicted of second-degree murder in 1977 for killing the sister of his common-law wife by shooting her in the right eye. Then while out on work release from that crime, Arthur killed his girlfriend's husband, Wicker, also by shooting him in the right eye.

Bolin noted Arthur's unsuccessful legal challenges to Alabama's lethal injection law since 2007.

"The citizens of the State of Alabama, through their elected representatives, long ago stated their policy, both definite and clear, that certain acts committed by individuals disqualified them from continuing their lives in a civilized society and that the ultimate price must be paid for the commission of those acts," Bolin wrote.

Bolin also stated that Arthur has continued to use the courts "as pawns challenging the manner of his execution."

"I recognize that it is not the mandate of this Court, nor is it even possible for this Court, to bring 'closure,' as that term is commonly used, to Troy Wicker's family and friends at this late date," Bolin wrote. "However, this Court, and the American criminal justice system, can bring "legal" closure and finality when Arthur has had the full benefit of the protections of the United States Constitution and the Alabama Constitution."

"May God have mercy on both Thomas Douglas Arthur and those from whom the victim, Troy Wicker, was so brutally taken," Bolin wrote.

Two executions in two weeks isn't a record and no where near the 8 planned by Arkansas this month. Arkansas hasn't had an execution since 2005. But the state recently announced it had a new supply of a lethal injection drug that expired earlier this year, clearing the way for four double executions.

Alabama had two executions in 2016.

The following is a timeline of Arthur's appeals and previous seven execution dates pieced together by the Alabama Attorney General's Office. One victims' rights advocate has called Arthur the 'Houdini' of death row for the number of times he has avoided executions.

Updated at 12:20 p.m. April 7 to note Parker had recused on vote because he had worked on Melson's case while a prosecutor at the AG's office.

Tommy Arthur Execution Timeline by KentFaulk on Scribd
The father of Amber Alert subject Elizabeth Thomas had messages for his daughter and her accused kidnapper, Tad Cummins, when he spoke at a National Crime Victims' Rights Week event today in Tennessee.

Elizabeth's father, Anthony Thomas, pleaded for his daughter to come home and for Cummins to surrender to law enforcement. Thomas was speaking at a tree planting event at Riverwalk Park in Columbia, Tennessee. The video of Anthony Thomas' comments was published by The Tennessean newspaper.

"Elizabeth, that man may be telling you that nobody is looking for you or he may even be telling you that nobody wants you home. Don't listen to that," Anthony Thomas said to his daughter in the video. "Everything he said to all the kids, not just to you, has been a lie.

"We all want you home," the father continued.

Cummins, a 50-year-old ex-teacher is accused of kidnapping 15-year-old Elizabeth Thomas more than three weeks ago. Amber Alerts remain active in Alabama and Tennessee following their March 13 disappearances. Their last known location is March 15 in Oklahoma City, where surveillance cameras at a Wal-Mart store captured video and photos of the two shopping for food.

"Tad Cummins I know you're keeping up with all this and you're filtering," Anthony Thomas said today. "You're not letting her see how much people out here love her. It would make better sense for you to turn yourself in to law enforcement. If you turn yourself in, there are laws that will guarantee your general safety."

Elizabeth Thomas was Cummins' student at Culleoka Unit School in Maury County, Tennessee. Authorities have said Cummins may have groomed and lured the girl before the kidnapping.

As of Tuesday, the Tennessee Bureau had received more than 1,300 tips, but didn't have any new information about the whereabouts of Cummins and Thomas.

Before surveillance footage was discovered at the OKC Wal-Mart, the last location investigators identified for Thomas was Columbia, Tennessee the day of her disappearance. Later that day, investigators place Cummins in Decatur, Alabama. The video and images from Oklahoma showed their appearances had been altered, including darkening Cummins' hair and changing Thomas' hair color to red.

Cummins' wife, Jill, who has publicly encouraged her husband to surrender, filed for divorce this past week, citing irreconcilable differences that have arisen in the marriage.

Cummins was fired by the school system the day after the abduction, although as far back as January he reportedly was caught kissing Thomas in his classroom. Read more about how the school system handled the situation here.

Authorities are encouraging the public to share information about the Amber Alert with anyone they know south of the U.S. border. While investigators don't have any information placing Thomas and Cummins in Mexico, they say it's possible the two have made it that far. Mexican police have been notified about the case.

The public is asked to be on the lookout, particularly in rural or secluded areas. Hunters are asked to watch for Cummins and Thomas. Investigators are asking people to be vigilant in parking garages and lots, parks, campgrounds and other off-the-grid places.

Thomas is a white female possibly with red, strawberry or blonde hair and hazel eyes. She is 5 feet and weighs about 120 pounds. Cummins, believed to be armed with multiple guns, is a white male possibly with dark hair and brown eyes. He is six feet and about 200 pounds. They may be traveling in a silver Nissan Rogue with Tennessee tag 976-ZPT.

Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND. Anyone who sees Cummins, Thomas or the vehicle should call 911.
The financial pressure facing the Auburn Enlarged City School District this budget season is strictly related to a lack of foundation aid from New York state. It has nothing to do with the turf project. The coincidental timing of the turf project and the budget issues are unfortunate, as they can easily create confusion among the community, but they are unrelated.

It is important to understand how New York funds school districts. State aid comes in three separate categories, and they are not interchangeable. Building aid is used to offset capital construction projects approved by district voters, such as the turf project. Categorical aid, which is issued based on student population, is used for things like textbooks, transportation, special education, BOCES services, etc. Foundation aid is issued based on a per-pupil formula, and it is used for daily operating expenses such as payroll, supplies, utilities, etc. We cannot stress enough that the money in these categories cannot be shifted around. We cannot use building aid to pay teachers or buy textbooks. Roughly 53 percent of the district's annual revenue comes from state aid or grants. The remaining 47 percent comes from school taxes levied against property owners.

The turf project is a capital project that was approved by district voters last year; therefore it will be funded by building aid. The project is moving ahead as scheduled, but it is still in its infancy, and once it begins, New York state will pay approximately 85 percent of the cost. We have not borrowed money for the district's share of the cost, nor have we received bids for project construction. The districts share of the project, which is approximately 15 percent of the total cost, will be amortized over 15 years from the start. In rough numbers, this means that if the project ends up costing $2.8 million, which is the maximum amount approved by the community, though it could be less, the districts share would be $420,000, plus interest. Amortized over 15 years, the turf project will cost the district roughly $28,000 per year, plus interest. New York limits the levels of debt districts can carry on their buildings, which is why we had to wait well over a year after voter approval to begin the project. Remember: The state pays the vast amount of the debt, so it sets the rules. As we begin the turf project, other debt associated with Auburn Junior High School will be paid off and therefore will no longer be a cost to the district. In the context of a $73,400,000 annual budget, the turf, including a good faith estimate for anticipated interest costs on the loan, will represent less than 3/25ths of 1 percent of our annual expenditure. Even if we were to cancel the turf project tomorrow, it would have absolutely no impact on the current budget pressure the district is facing.

Letter: Auburn turf field project timeline on track The timeline for the installation of an artificial turf field at Holland Stadium is still on

The current budget issue facing the district stems from the state Legislature and governors refusal to properly fund the foundation aid formula they established in 2008 as a means of providing aid to state school districts. The foundation aid issue is flawed in many areas: It is underfunded, it does not distribute the aid equitably to school districts based on need (the poor districts are getting poorer, the rich districts are getting richer), and the formula uses data from 2003 to determine what level of state aid each school district needs to operate. These three major flaws have created a snowball effect for districts like Auburn, where our foundation aid shortfall has grown each year. In the funding announced by the governor for the 2017-18 school year, the Auburn district is receiving approximately $5.5 million dollars less than we should receive if the state funded its formula to the level it mandated when it created the formula. Not only has the state refused to fund the formula, it is also using data from 2003 to determine how much foundation aid a district needs to operate. Using the data from 2003, Auburn is identified as an "average needs" district, meaning we don't need as much financial assistance from the state to operate because we can generate sufficient revenue from the taxpayers to offset the shortfall. In other words, the state views Auburn the same as Jamesville-DeWitt, West Genesee and Cazenovia districts in terms of "need." The Auburn district has actually been a "high needs" district since 2008, but the state has not utilized the updated data, so we remain an "average needs" district for aid purposes. This use of old, incorrect data, applied to a flawed formula that was never funded to the promised level, has caused the Auburn district to suffer massive cuts to our foundation aid for years. Again, in the context of a $73,400,000 annual budget, the $5.5 million shortfall in this year's foundation aid represents 7.49 percent of our annual expenditure. This shortfall must be closed by either spending reserves, cutting programming and staff, or raising taxes. To generate $5.5 million in additional revenue through a tax increase, we would need to pass a 19 percent tax increase, which is something we obviously cannot even consider.

The board of education has been aware of this problem for years and has spent countless hours meeting with our state legislators both in Albany and locally, seeking relief. We have attended legislative forums focused on this issue throughout the Finger Lakes area in an attempt to obtain a legislative fix. We have partnered with the Central New York School Board Association twice in the past two years to bring school finance experts to Auburn to present to the community on this issue. We have attempted to inform the community through newspaper articles, appearances on local radio and television stations, and publicly advertised open board budget workshops and forums specifically focused on the budget, not to mention countless discussions at regular board of education meetings. This is a well-known problem with little disagreement as to its cause and impact. The problem is, no one wants to fix the problem because it will cost the state more money.

The board of education and district staff appreciate and share the communitys concerns and frustration. This issue can often be confusing for individuals not well-versed in the intricacies of state education financing. We fully understand the problem and realize the impact the foundation aid shortfall has on current and future programming. We will continue to work diligently on a remedy.
The Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce this week announced the recipients of its 2017 Chamber Awards. The winners will be honored at a luncheon in May.

The Phyllis Goldman Award, which recognizes women business owners who show "noteworthy entrepreneurial pursuit" and inspire other women to pursue similar paths, will go to Susan Riordan of Riordan Realty.

The winner of the Terri Bridenbecker Young Professional Award, which recognizes individuals under 40, is Katy Vitale of Creme della Creme Copywriting & Communication.

Prison City Pub & Brewery will receive the Small Business of the Year Award/In Business Less Than 5 Years honor while the Small Business of the Year Award/In Business 5+ Years will go to COAST Physical Therapy.

The winner of the Business Leader Award, for employers that "continually invest in Cayuga County and have shown leadership by taking an active role in our community," is Buffalo Wild Wings.

The Non-Profit of the Year Award is Seymour Library, while the Community Leadership Award, which recognizes a Leadership Cayuga alumnus for their achievements, will go to Jennifer Haines of the Auburn Office of Planning and Economic Development.

This year's awards luncheon is set for 11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 18, at The Springside Inn, 6141 West Lake Rd, Fleming. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased by calling (315) 252-7291 or emailing admin@cayugacountychamber.com by May 11.
President Xi Jinping heads to Washington to meet Donald Trump, a leader who bashed China throughout his campaign.

On Wednesday, while filming on the Great Wall of China at Badaling, near Beijing, I met Stephanie Drew.

A surgeon, on holiday from the US, she overheard me delivering lines to camera for my report previewing the meeting of Chine President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump.

We got talking. As a New Yorker in China, what did she make of the current US-Chinese relationship?

Im a big supporter of President Trump, she told me, and Im very proud to know that hes taking the time to meet with the people of China.

As for where US-Sino relations are going:

I think money makes the world go round, and if he [Trump] can make a path to make everybody successful then it will make us all happy again.

Money makes the world go round. No doubt Trump would agree.

But money also goes around the world. And Trumps beef with Xi is the direction most of it goes  more from the US to China than the other way around.

Better trading relationship

The view from China is that, for Trump, everything comes back to money. Trump has made no secret of his desire for a better trading relationship with China.

But in Beijing, that causes confusion.

No one is forcing Americans to buy from us, Ive been told more than once, they choose to.





As consumers, Americans get cheaper products than they would if they bought items made at home. Tariffs  Trump has threatened import taxes of up to 45 percent  would hit American consumers as much as Chinese producers.

A trade war would hurt both countries economies. Few Ive spoken to in Beijing, though, really think Trump wants one. They think Trump is smarter than he seems.

He knows that the trade surplus China runs with the US is exaggerated by the way the US measures such things: it includes the total value of all finished products imported from China, even though many of their component parts are actually from other countries  or even US exports coming back.

He knows, too  they say  that accusations China is a currency manipulator, intervening to keep the Renminbi low and its exports cheap are  at best  out of date. If anything, Chinas government is working to prop up its currency, not push it down.

INFOGRAPHIC: China and US  Face-to-face

All that talk  people say  is rhetoric. Its bluff.

What people in Beijing think is that Trump  the dealmaker  is using a trade war as the threat to get action from China in other areas.

Do more to rein in North Korea or your economy will suffer; stop militarising the South China Sea or risk a big tax on your cars; Dont want One China questioned? Then stop selling us cut-price steel.

But the Americans, Chinese academics think, are asking too much, too fast. They think Chinese negotiators would prefer a slower approach.

I asked Jia Qing Guo of Peking University what China wanted from the talks in Washington:

I think, first, to set the tone of the relationship, he told me. We want to have a good start. We want to have the leaders of the two countries meet, get to know each other and get on friendly terms. Second, we want to decide between the two how to conduct dialogues and consultation between the two governments.

So, Jia says, the priority for China is to slow the pace.

On North Korea, its often said the Chinese preference is for strategic patience. They may think the same approach suits Trump too.

Since Richard Nixon visited in 1972, every US president except Jimmy Carter has come to Beijing. All of them  except Gerard Ford  had their picture taken on Chinas Great Wall. A photo there has become a sign that relations are good, and getting better.

Clearly thats not the situation now. But Trump will hope that can change.

Hed probably like to visit. After all, he does like walls.
Little attention is paid to reporters from the Global South who are killed, abused, or left stranded by foreign media.

Taha avoids giving his last name to journalists, but not out fear of the Sudanese government, whose harassment he fled in 2015.

I dont want any of the people I worked with to know Im here, he tells Al Jazeera, writing by instant messaging from a temporary residence for refugees in the French city of Calais.

I want to avoid causing any embarrassment or awkwardness, he adds.

The colleagues Taha refers to are journalists who covered the ongoing war in Sudans western province of Darfur.

The father-of-two worked as a stringer, fixer, and translator there for a number of major broadcasters based in the UK and South Africa .

However, as the conflict dragged on, coverage dried up because of restrictions placed on foreign media by the Sudanese government and as editorial agendas shifted to other wars in the region.

Taha says his track record as a journalist was enough to attract unwanted attention from the Sudanese authorities, but it was his next move that sealed his fate.

I helped to set up a school for IDP (internally displaced) children in Khartoum, which was very successful and had about 800 students.

READ MORE: What is UNESCO-Al Jazeeras Journalism Matters project?

Most of the pupils at the school were from the two conflict-stricken regions of Darfur and South Kordofan.

The Sudanese government, in an apparent bid to punish him for his journalistic work, eventually accused Taha of receiving money from foreign organisations.

After a cycle of harassment, arrests and releases, he decided to flee.

His first port of call was the Egyptian port city of Alexandria, from where he set sail with scores of others on a poorly maintained vessel headed for Europe .

The overcrowded boat capsized in the Mediterranean, but Taha was among the survivors after Greek rescuers plucked him from the waters.

After time in a Greek holding facility, Taha made his way across Europe eventually reaching northern France , from where he hoped to cross the English Channel and reach the UK , where his brother lived.

With one final hurdle left to overcome, however, Taha became ill with a benign tumour growing on his spine.

In the year since the diagnosis, his attempts to enter Britain have been put on hold while he undergoes treatment.

Taha hopes to join his brother who lives in the English city of Liverpool, but is resigned to the idea his appeals to the British Home Office for asylum will not succeed.

His story is just one of many that highlights the struggle of journalists from the Global South when western media outlets pack up and go.

Double standards

The work of stringers, in particular, is crucial in ensuring good coverage in difficult reporting environments, but when the story dies down, they are often left to deal alone with hostile governments or non-state actors.

Tahas experiences are far from unique or limited to Sudan , which is ranked 140 of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders 2016 World Press Freedom Index.

According to UNESCO, at least 929 journalists were killed between 2006 and 2016.

Of those killed, 94 percent, or at least 869 were local reporters. Sixty were foreign correspondents.

Most were killed in the Middle East and North Africa and Asia and the Pacific.

UNESCO recorded at least 12 killings of local journalists in Afghanistan in 2016, making it the deadliest country for reporters last year.

Local Afghan journalists have experienced large numbers of threats against them, Rachael Jolley of the Index on Censorship told Al Jazeera.

Many Afghan journalists have stopped reporting and some have fled the country after threats against their lives.

Jolley noted a surge in threats towards journalists in that country from around 2014, further blaming armed groups and gangs for harassing those in the media.

In other countries, journalists face the risk of kidnap and murder, while those who work with international media outlets face particular suspicion as potential spies, Jolley said.

In Yemen, for instance, local journalists are threatened, kidnapped and released. The same tactics have been used in Syria to close down reporting.

In some cases, the international media and those that work with it are also in massive danger, they are seen as traitors or spies.

But despite the threats they face, journalists in the Global South receive little attention from their fellow colleagues around the world when targeted.

Lack of coverage

In March alone this year, in Mexico, for instance, at least three journalists have been killed  Miroslava Breach who chronicled murder, columnist Ricardo Monlui and Cecilio Pineda Birto.

Their stories were covered by local and regional media, but largely ignored by international newspapers, websites and television channels. Their names did not trend worldwide as hashtags on social media .

In 2016, of the 100 journalists who were killed, 93 were citizens from the Global South, according to UNESCO.

Even in death, there is apparently a double standard in the newspaper world: one yardstick to measure the killing or abduction of, say, a reporter from the New York Times or the Washington Post and another yardstick to measure the kidnapping and murder, for example, of a journalist in Bangladesh, Nepal or Sri Lanka. by Farhana Haque Rahman, director general, Inter Press Service

Farhana Haque Rahman, the director general of the Inter Press Service, said that the level of coverage and outcry each case received depends on where journalists are from and whether or not they are affiliated with western outlets.

Even in death, there is apparently a double standard in the newspaper world: one yardstick to measure the killing or abduction of, say, a reporter from the New York Times or the Washington Post and another yardstick to measure the kidnapping and murder, for example, of a journalist in Bangladesh, Nepal or Sri Lanka, she told Al Jazeera.

Rahman put the double standard down to a mindset in Western newsrooms that reflected the interests of their audience, but added journalists have a responsibility to change that.

Change in perspective has to come from the inside, not from the outside.

But according to City University Department of Journalism academic Abdullahi Tasiu Abubakar, differing responses were more closely related to whether journalists were members of staff or contractors for media outlets.

The double standard involves full-time (staff) correspondents and freelancersthats a more clear demarcation in terms of how its treated, he said, adding mainstream media tend to treat their full-time reporters with more care and concern than freelancers.

Abubakar explained that as the main market for stringers, fixers, and freelancers was in the Global South, it meant they were most affected by the differing standards of treatment.

Mainstream media tend to treat their full-time reporters with more care and concern than freelancers. by Abdullahi Tasiu Abubakar, academic at City University Department of Journalism

He said there was also a disparity in information flow from the Global South and Global North that translated into uneven levels of coverage for events depending on where they were happening.

This is, he said, was not exclusive to journalists but a wider reflection of which societies in the West prioritised.

Abubakar, himself a former reporter in Nigeria and producer for the BBC World Service, told Al Jazeera that media organisations should take on further responsibilities for their stringers, including the provision of adequate hostile environment training.

Media organisations in the West have a massive responsibility to protect the journalist who work with them and in cases where their freelancers are being persecuted, they should put pressure on their governments to act against the offending government.

In a similar vein, the Index on Censorships Jolley said that the risks journalists faced are not limited to threats from other people or government; she said inadequate training for local journalists also puts them in danger.

[Index] has reported on freelance Iraqi journalists who had been reporting from the battlefield without any special training or equipment  Safety and security training is vital in these situations.

Weve been told that mainstream media channels in the UK, at least, are now refusing to use freelancers from locations that they would consider too dangerous for a staffer.

READ MORE: Journalism is a dangerous job for Palestinians

For Taha in Calais, those decisions have come too late; such prospects make very little difference to his current situation.

His treatment has gone well and he now plans his days planning how he will reach the UK.

Despite his experience and reluctant acceptance things could have been different if he had a different ethnic background, Taha is grateful to be in Europe and harbours no ill will towards those he worked with.

Like many journalists, his interest in current affairs is difficult to shake off, and his days are spent discussing politics with his fellow refugees.

A recent round of deportation of Sudanese asylum seekers by the French authorities has rattled his optimism but he is careful not to dwell on it.

God willing, I will be in the UK by Ramadan.
Tourists stopped coming during the countrys electoral crisis, but the new government is hopeful good times are ahead.

Bakau, The Gambia  With his legs crossed and his gaze fixed firmly on the tarmacked road in front of his small shop, Pap Sidibe looks worried. His business depends on tourists, but no matter how hard he wills it, none appear.

The 49-year-old father-of-three longs for the old days, when he could make $300 a week selling his sculptures as souvenirs. But these are lean times and now hes lucky if he takes home $20 a week.

It is very slow, he says as he adds the delicate finishing touches to a traditional drum made of wood and cattle hide. I dont remember, ever, it being like this.

Things were nice before the election, he continues, referring to the vote in December when the countrys opposition candidate beat the incumbent, Yahya Jammeh, who had been in power since leading a military coup in 1994. Jammeh responded by rejecting the result, although his attempts to hold on to power were thwarted by the regional bloc ECOWAS.

A day, I used to sell more than 10 sculptures, Sidibe explains. [But] I havent sold anything the last five days. At most I sell one sculpture a week now. It is very stressful and hard.

Too low for the high season

February and March are typically the high season for tourism in this tiny sun-soaked West African country, as European tourists flee the cold winters of the northern hemisphere. But that changed when the elections were scheduled for December.





The country witnessed a hard fought campaign as, in an effort to unseat Jammeh, the opposition formed a coalition behind Adama Barrow. Western embassies in the capital Banjul started issuing statements advising their citizens who wished to visit the country to exercise caution.

After the electoral commission declared Barrow the winner, Jammeh refused to step down. Those embassies then warned their citizens to stay away.



As the political deadlock dragged on and ECOWAS threatened to send in troops, the embassies evacuated their people.

A total of 30 flights [a week] from Europe used to land at Banjul bringing in foreign tourists, explains Adama Njie, the director of marketing at The Gambias tourism board. He is trying to find ways to bring those flights  and their passengers  back.

After the political impasses, all the flights stopped, says Njie, raising his index finger to emphasise the point. Hotel occupancy went from 98 percent to zero. Absolute zero. That was beyond shocking to everyone.

Bringing tourist back

A short drive from Banjul, Djemba hotel sits in a prime location  the blue and white one storey building hugs the sandy beach of the Atlantic Ocean on one side and faces the restaurants and the main road on the other.

It used to be a tourist magnet and in normal circumstances would have been fully booked at this time of year.

But these are unusual times, and Malleh Sallah, a broad-shouldered, clean-shaven man in a grey suit, is pacing up and down the marble-floored lobby, talking on his phone. On the other end of the line are European tour operators whom hes trying to persuade that his country is safe. He wants them to start sending their tourists back.

We are down by more than 60 percent on where we should be in terms of the numbers of tourists that we should be seeing at this time of the year, says Malleh, who is the hotels manager in addition to being the chairman of The Gambias hotel association.

He has been in the industry since 2000 and says he has witnessed many setbacks before, but none of this magnitude.

We have had elections before in our country. All previous elections were very peaceful. It is true [an] election is a nervous time for the industry and some tourists stay away. But the last one was nothing short of a disaster, he reflects as he takes a seat on a leather sofa in the hotel lobby.

We have 250 rooms. Only four were not occupied. Then two days after the election, all 250 rooms were empty and all the tourists were gone.

Malleh employs 275 people in the three hotel he runs. So far, he says, he has decided against laying off any of his staff.

As hoteliers, we decided to keep all our staff. The government is trying its best to help us in terms of giving us concessions and has promised to lower the fees and taxes we pay.

READ MORE: Barrow to be officially sworn in as Gambias president

Good times ahead

The tourism sector is one of the countrys main revenue generators, contributing 20 percent of its budget. It also employs thousands of people.

In the town of Bakau, a group of young men are sitting beneath a mango tree near a stagnant body of green water. They are the employees of Kachikally Crocodile Pool. Its a popular tourist attraction with more than 100 crocodiles, some as old as 74.

Tourists come to see us feed the crocodiles, explains Kemp Jadama, a 27-year-old guide who has worked at the pool for seven years.

These crocodiles only eat fish, so tourists can touch and take photographs with them, he adds.

Before this political problem, we used to get 600 or more tourists a day. Now we are very lucky if we get 30 a day.

Peter Omtzigt and Diny Koekoen, a couple from the Netherlands, are among the few tourists visiting the pool. They say they are glad to have finally made it to The Gambia.





We were meant to come at the end of January, but we postponed it because of the political situation in the country, Koeken explains. We were advised against visiting Gambia.

We have been here for nine days and we have absolutely loved it, adds Omtzigt. We will absolutely recommend to anyone to visit Gambia. Beautiful country.

The countrys tourism board says that the worst of the storm has passed and they expect record numbers of visitors now that there is a new government.

Last year, 116,000 tourists came to our country. This year, we expected 190,000 tourists to come to our country, says Njie, from the tourism board. Travel warnings have been lifted. Flights are slowly coming back. We are back in the Commonwealth. Gambians living abroad will also be visiting the country now that the former president is gone. We are at the beginning of the good times.

It is an optimism shared by Sidibe, the sculptor. The new government will bring them back, he says, taking a wet cloth to remove the dust from the sculptures lined up in front of his shop. Im sure. Very sure.
There are some three million EU nationals whose futures have been thrown into doubt after Article 50 was triggered.

Glasgow, United Kingdom  When Britains prime minister, Theresa May, triggered Article 50 last week, the countdown to the UKs official departure from the European Union began in earnest.

Article 50  the formal mechanism for quitting the EU  has been widely discussed since the people of the UK voted narrowly in favour of ending its decades-long membership of the European institution last year. EU Council President Donald Tusk responded to Mays official notification of divorce at a Brussels press conference on March 29 with the words: We already miss you.

Among those looking on during last weeks events were some three million EU nationals who currently call the UK home. Their long-term status and prospects were immediately cast into doubt when the June 23, 2016 referendum on remaining in the EU saw the leave majorities in England and Wales negate the remain majorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Today, as two years of negotiations lie ahead, the countrys EU residents are facing an uncertain time as questions surrounding their future right to live in the UK remain unresolved.

Because youre dealing with peoples lives, theres certainly an ethical and moral side to this issue, said academic Thomas Lundberg, of the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

But there are also issues for businesses here  that they make sure they get to keep the employees they have. We dont want to see people being shipped out  that would have a detrimental impact on a UK economy that is already facing a problem with Brexit as it is.

READ MORE: Brexit: What is Article 50?

Dividing statistics

According to Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures, Polish nationals  at some 850,000  make up the largest EU contingent in the UK. They lead Irish citizens who, at around 330,000, are the second largest EU group. Portuguese and Romanian nationals come in equal third, with some 175,000 from each nation currently living in Britain.

A great many Britons, remainers especially, believe EU citizens have made a valuable contribution to life in Britain  thriving in roles across its ever-beleaguered National Health Service (NHS) and in businesses up and down the land.

The widely reported British scepticism over EU immigration, particularly among leave voters, has, however, propelled many EU nationals to consider their futures in the country, even if guarantees of remaining in the UK can be agreed during forthcoming Brexit talks.

Nerea Gonzalez is a 27-year-old Spaniard currently living in Bristol, in Englands southwest. She told Al Jazeera that her dismay at Brexit has changed little since last years referendum result.

I felt really sad and really disappointed after the Brexit vote, said Gonzalez, who works as an architect.

Nobody around us could believe the result  including all my English friends: I really dont know anyone who voted to leave, but it must be because I live around people who think like me.

The Basque Country native said that she was always intending to return to her home nation at some point in the future, but when Brexit happened, it made me think about leaving earlier than I thought.

Christian Allard, a French national and one-time member of the Scottish parliament for the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), said he believed that the Brexit vote had been coming for some time. Based in Aberdeen, in Scotlands northeast, Allard told Al Jazeera that the rise of British intolerance towards foreigners and the rise of thinking that everything that comes out of the EU is wrong provided the basis for the UKs withdrawal.

When I came to Britain 30 years ago, it was a different Britain, it was a welcoming Britain, said the 53-year-old, who is running for an SNP council seat in Aberdeen in Mays Scottish council elections. The United Kingdom nowadays is a different place altogether and Ive met a lot of EU citizens and foreigners who feel the same.

Allard, having spent his three decades in the UK living in Scotland, which voted by 62 percent to 38 percent to remain in the EU, has given little  if any  thought to returning to France because of the Brexit vote. As a father and grandfather, Allard said he had built a life in the UK  in Scotland particularly  and scoffs at the notion of abandoning his friends and family.

To go back to what? ponders Allard at the idea of returning to France. I left 30 years ago as a young man, so it doesnt make sense.

The uncertainty experienced by EU nationals in the UK  as they weigh up their options and wait for their futures in Britain to be resolved during Brexit talks between London and Brussels  is mirrored by many of the 1.2 million British citizens currently living across the EU.

READ MORE: British government takes next steps towards Brexit

Growing uncertainty

Gareth Warner is a 40-year-old married father-of-one living in the Spanish capital, Madrid. For him, the Brexit vote threw a sense of uncertainty in the air  not just for life in Spain, but for life in another EU country, potentially, in the future.

I dont think its having any impact on our lives, yet, added the English teacher to Al Jazeera. There could be a flood of implications coming our way in the next year or two. Everyone has discussed it, but conversations have been limited as we know so little so far. As things become clearer, or not, then well have more to talk about.

Reports that many EU citizens in the UK have been busy tackling an 85-page application form in order to gain permanent residency have been widespread. Where, for decades, simply being an EU citizen was enough to guarantee the right to live and work in the UK, those EU nationals who have always relied on their Polish, French or Spanish passports, for example, are today being forced to think again.

But a lifeline, in the form of the will of political leaders both in the UK and in the EU to come to some form of reciprocal agreement, appears to exist.

Yet, for many EU citizens, a record number of whom left the NHS last year prompting fears of a Brexit staffing crisis, life in the UK took a permanent turn for the worse following the vote to quit the EU.

Im not trying to be dramatic  but Ive been talking to my friends since Brexit happened about how I dont feel comfortable any more, said Gonzalez. Ive been told a few times, in a pub or somewhere else, Speak English, when Ive just been with my Spanish friends  and its made me feel really uncomfortable.
Survivors and aid workers share their stories of horror and shock after suspected chemical attack in Syria.

Survivors of a suspected chemical attack in Syrias Idlib province and aid workers on the scene say they are still in shock and struggling to recover from the distressing event of the attack.

Its just indescribable, Othman al-Khani, local activist and witness said. We saw people suffocating while their lungs were collapsing. The hardest was watching the children as we stood there unable to provide any sort of assistance, and medics sprayed them with water to disperse the chemical substance, Khani told Al Jazeera.

Tuesdays air raids on the Khan Sheikhoun neighbourhood left at least 70 civilians killed and 557 wounded, according to local medics.The United Nations said it would investigate the attack as a possible war crime.

READ MORE: How chlorine gas became a weapon in Syrias civil war

Hani Ahmed al-Qutaini, another witness, described the attack as a painful experience.

When the first strike hit at approximately 6:30am, people were asleep in their homes, nobody was aware what kind of attack this was, said Qutaini, who is also a volunteer with the Syrian Civil Defence, otherwise known as the White Helmets.

Qutaini was at home, a few kilometres away from the scene of the attack, when the first bombs hit. We rushed on to the streets and as we were approaching the scene, we were shocked to see people saying that there was an extremely bad smell that took over the area  everyone who approached the scene got extremely dizzy and fainted, he told Al Jazeera.

According to Qutaini, there were a total of four air strikes on the same area. As he and a team of first-responders approached the scene, he said they realised it was poisonous gas that hit the village. We were not all equipped. We wore basic masks and dont have access to advanced anti-gas masks, he said. Some of the medics were affected as a result. A handful fainted and they had to request for backup.

We found bodies all over the floor. We are simply speechless, there is nothing left to say, Qutaini said.

He added that an ambulance was able to transfer casualties, many of whom were women and children, to 100 emergency points, including hospitals.

It was a very painful experience. The effect of the gas is instant. It was so strong. There were three or four gas bombs in one area, within 500 metres of each other. Can you imagine? Qutaini added. They were four bombs and many people died on the spot. There was virtually no time for people to react.





According to local medics, the attack caused people to vomit and discharge foam from their mouths.

My eyes are until this very moment itchy and red. Until this very moment, all I can see are blotches of darkness, Anas al-Diab, a local civil defence worker who was wounded in the attack, told Al Jazeera.

I stood 10 metres from the basted area, for about 30 seconds to document the scene with my camera. Upon my return to the clinic some two and a half minutes later, I felt so light-headed and couldnt see, he said.

At the scene of the attack, Diab said he was helping his colleagues take off the victims contaminated clothes before transferring them inside the emergency clinics.

We saw cases of suffocation. These were by no means normal cases, he said. They were poisonous ones. We had to barge into homes to transfer family members who were incapacitated on the floor.

Ten air strikes demolished the only hospital in Khan Sheikhoun, and nearly destroyed the local civil defence building, he said.

Safwat, a senior health official in Idlib who preferred not to use his full name, told Al Jazeera that there are currently 557 wounded civilians. Among them are 23 children and 16 women.

He said he expects the total death toll to rise. Vulnerable victims suffered the most. Children suffered the most. Among the dead, most were children, he said, adding that 53 Syrians had been transferred to hospitals in Turkey for further treatment.

Safwat explained that the symptoms were common across all of the cases. Muscle spasm, difficulty in breathing and suffocation, are what caused most of the deaths, according to him.

Khan Sheikhouns sole hospital was attacked and destroyed three hours after the first airstrike hit.

Two days prior to this attack, Idlibs main hospital in the south of the province was also attacked. Were massively short-staffed with very little supplies, he said. We need mobile oxygen masks, the one supply that is the most vital for the victims survival.

Out of Idlibs 20 hospitals, Safwat said there are nine that can currently receive these cases. Many of the hospitals have been forced to share scarce supplies.

People in surrounding areas across Idlib are just so scared. Theyre scared to be the next victims of a chemical attack, he said. We had seen such cases in the media and on television, but in reality, we had never experienced this before.

READ MORE: Tracking Syrias deadly toxic chemical attacks

Syrian opposition groups and activists blamed the attack on the government of Bashar al-Assad. But the Syrian military rejected the accusation, saying it denies using any toxic or chemical agents in Khan Sheikhoun today, and it did not and never will use it anywhere.

Khani, however, believes the attack was intended to target civilians.

They claim to have been targeting a military base, but this was just a civilian neighbourhood, he said. The scene is even more gruesome than can ever be described. Everybody was panicking, especially those who had to watch their own children die in pain.
While the government invokes risks of economic collapse due to refugees, the reality on the ground is far more complex.

Beirut, Lebanon  The Lebanese government intends to request $10-12bn from donors at the Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region conference hosted this week by the European Union in Brussels. These sums, requested over 5-7 years, represent double the amount currently received by Lebanon.

While the government is invoking the risks of civil unrest and economic collapse, and threatening to force refugees away if not enough funds are received, the reality on the ground is far more complex and hints at the political opportunism of the countrys ruling class.

Lebanon continues to have the highest share of refugees per capita in the world: An estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees, almost a quarter of the countrys population. While this large influx has definitely added social and economic pressures to an already fragile country, evidence on the economic and fiscal repercussions of the refugee crisis remain sketchy at best.

The official public discourse, backed by several international development agencies and leaders of the countrys main political parties, pushes the arguments that refugees have negatively affected public services; put public finances and economic growth in the red; and have driven many Lebanese out of their jobs.





Based on this assessment, public authorities have built a case to donors requesting funding to invest in water, electricity, schools, roads and other public services; in order to help the host communities and compensate for the damages inflicted by the growing number of refugees.

In parallel, authorities decided since 2014 to toughen the entry and residence regulations for Syrians, who used before that date to enter the country freely and work in the agriculture, construction and similar sectors with no restrictions (given the lack of Lebanese workers in the low-skilled categories).

Using a populist protectionist rhetoric, the Lebanese authorities required that Syrians obtain residency permits even if they were registered as refugees. These permits were linked to obligatory notarised pledges not to work and to abide by Lebanese legislation, and for those seeking jobs, a letter of sponsorship from the employer was mandatory.

All these requirements came with fees ranging from $300-1,000, sums beyond the reach of any refugee family. As a result, only 21 percent of Syrian refugee households had legal residency permits in 2016, compared to 58 percent in 2014.

READ MORE: Lebanon  No formal refugee camps for Syrians

Restrictions on refugees not only expose them to higher vulnerability and exploitation, but are also at odds with the refugee populations substantial contribution to the local economy. Refugees spend almost all of their income in Lebanon: Estimated in 2016 at an average expenditure of $106 a person per month, the total yearly internal consumption of refugees reached $1.5bn.

This large sum is spent mostly on food, rent and basic needs purchases, mainly in Lebanese shops and small businesses. Also, most Syrian refugees rent apartments in residential buildings, with an average monthly rent of about $200-300.

More than half of these apartments are below 35 square metres, with poor conditions and inadequate amenities. The rental market for refugees generates every year nearly $50m in revenues for Lebanese landlords.

Refugees have also provided a large pool of cheap (and unfortunately, unprotected) labour for the Lebanese economy. Most Syrians work in sectors that the Lebanese tend to avoid, earning on average $250 a month, much lower than the national minimum wage set at $450.

And since they do not have formal contracts, employers are not obliged to pay social security or insurance contributions. This situation has caused, for several years now, a very low wage bill in substantial sectors of the Lebanese economy, allowing profits to be accumulated and consumer prices to remain stable.

There is also a lot of data that discredit the claim that the Lebanese economy is on the verge of collapse because of refugees. The country received since the beginning of the Syria crisis more than $1.5bn every year in aid funds, mostly spent on humanitarian and basic needs assistance, in areas not covered by local public spending.

The governments revenues, mostly made up of consumption taxes, increased by $800m between 2011 and 2016. Local demand increased substantially due to refugees, and this stimulated local commerce. Imports of food and beverages increased by 12 percent in volume between 2011 and 2016, and those of petroleum derivatives by 44 percent.

The number of mobile phone subscribers almost doubled from 2.9 million in 2011 to 5.7 million in 2016. This increase could be largely attributed to Syrian refugees subscriptions, as recent survey data has shown that 85 percent of refugee households owned a mobile phone. And while it is true that tourism, foreign investment, and other economic indicators may have declined during the same period, the net overall effect on the economy remains balanced at best, but definitely not negative.

READ MORE: Lebanon  Beirut protesters decry racism toward Syrians

Given this, why would a government that denies the basic rights of a sizeable proportion of a resident population and contributes to its exploitation be given additional funds? Isnt it the case that a more equitable, sustainable and cost-effective solution resides in legalising the residency and work status of Syrian foreign residents and refugees, and requesting tax contributions from all these residents to cover the cost of public amenities?

Public infrastructure projects should be funded through a well-crafted, long term and self-financing plan, and not be subjected to political profiteering. Knowing that most of the new funds recently requested by the Lebanese government will come in the form of loans, and given the already poor track record of governmental institutions in terms of transparency, efficiency and accountability, these new funds will only benefit the patronage networks of Lebanons rulers, and add more liabilities to an already oversized public debt.
The attack on CEU is a reminder of the dark path the Hungarian government is on.

On Tuesday, April 4, thousands of people took to the streets of Budapest to protest against yet another authoritarian measure of the Hungarian government. The protest followed another one of similar scope which took place on Sunday.





The second demonstration was called almost immediately after a swift debate in Parliament on the modification of the law regulating higher education. The cabinet led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban pushed through a proposal which on the surface looks like it is to reform the regulation of international private universities working in Hungary.

But the political intentions behind it did not escape the attention of the media, and the public declarations made by several senior members of the governing Fidesz Party, including the PM himself, just confirmed the suspicions: The government is mounting an attack on Hungarys most prestigious university, the Central European University (CEU).

Accusations against CEU

The institution, founded by the business magnate George Soros 25 years ago, has fared very well in most of the certified international higher education rankings. Over the years it has given home to thousands of Hungarian and foreign students, coming predominantly from Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, and has integrated well into Hungarian academic life.

By waging a war on Brussels, NGOs, refugees, etc, Orban is putting up the appearance that he is leading a strong nation state which is fighting threats one of the other. by

The governments claims against the university are a great example of media spin from the post-truth age. Government spokespeople emphasised that they had found certain irregularities in CEUs activities  a statement that was quickly denied by the countrys Educational Authority itself. Later the government started claiming that CEU was in violation of the law.

However, the only law it is allegedly violating is, in fact, the recent legislative proposal which is not yet in effect. Prime Minister Orban declared on public radio that he found it unfair to Hungarian universities that CEU was issuing diplomas accredited both in Hungary and the United States.

CEUs management, on the other hand, is saying that the proposed law is a targeted measure which constitutes a clear discrimination against the institution. CEU is claiming that once passed by parliament, the amendment would make its future operation impossible.

The bill is linking the operation of foreign universities to a bilateral agreement between Hungary and the state which the university originates from. Furthermore, it requires that foreign universities undertake educational activities in their country of origin as well, not only Hungary. Both measures would incapacitate CEU as we know it today.

Beside the two demonstrations, the attack on CEU has given rise to a global wave of solidarity  tens of thousands of academics, intellectuals, alumni and politicians have issued declarations in support of the university. The US State Department has also issued a communique in which it calls upon the Hungarian government to reconsider the adoption of the bill.

Since its overwhelming electoral victory in 2010, Fidesz has stripped lawmaking of any constitutional guarantees and made it into the mere expression of executive will. It this way, the cabinet has legalised large-scale political corruption, and the attack on independent NGOs and press organisations. After the attack on human rights NGOs in 2014, the government is now targeting not only CEU but other organisations related to the Open Society Foundation, an independent NGO fund also connected to George Soros. There is now another proposed law which would force Hungarian NGOs getting international financial aid to register as foreign agents, just like in Russia, Turkey and Israel.

Looking for an enemy

Orbans lawfare has one purpose: to further solidify his own rule. It is unclear whether what motivates him is the threat that independent institutions pose to the total monopolisation of power, or the possibility of presenting his electorate with yet another foreign enemy threatening the country.

Plagued by acute social problems, large-scale poverty, material insecurity of large portions of society, a decaying educational system and health services, the persistent invention of foreign enemies threatening the sovereignty of Hungary is practically the only measure that can maintain Orbans power. That and the many antidemocratic restrictions that were introduced into parliamentary procedure, electoral law, and so on.





The generalised material insecurity is not only an issue that might threaten Orbans rule, but it is also something that helps Fidesz propaganda. Twenty-seven years since the transition to democracy, many Hungarians still do not feel the benefits of democracy and EU integration.

While globalisation made political and economic processes more obscure, many legitimately feel that the strengthening of the nation state can bring control over politics and the economy back in the hands of the people. By waging a war on Brussels, NGOs, refugees, etc, Orban is putting up the appearance that he is leading a strong nation state which is fighting one or another of these threats.

However, the strengthening of national sovereignty means only the strengthening of Orban and his business clientele, while it leaves the rest of the country vulnerable to poor wages and punitive workfare programmes. Beside his cronies  or national bourgeoisie in Fidesz parlance  multinational corporations are also given extensive tax breaks and rollbacks on labour rights.

According to recent opinion polls, the large majority of people would prefer a different party in power after the 2018 elections. But elections are won at the ballot box and not in opinion polls, and so far Fidesz has a considerable lead over its opponents.

Its core constituency is repeatedly mobilised by the ongoing freedom struggle  like the one against CEU  while the majority of Hungarians are being actively demobilised by various political and social measures taken by the government. The crackdown on free media has left most of the countryside without independent news sources, while the different political machinations have rendered the opposition fragmented and impotent, unable to be a credible alternative to the government.

The fate of the CEU might now be in the hands of the Constitutional Court, which despite leaning strongly towards the government, will have plenty of reasons to annul the law. In rare occasions the court has already annulled some governmental decisions and if international pressure continues to grow, the government might be tempted to use the court to withdraw the measure without losing political face. However it may be, the CEU case is yet another reminder that the Hungarian government is heading down on a dark path from which there might be no return.

Szilard Pap is an independent Hungarian journalist and blogger. He blogs at Kettos Merce.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Dozens of people have been killed in a series of attacks in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, according to security sources.

The overnight attacks on Wednesday came after several suspected ISIL fighters infiltrated Tikrit, around 170km north of the capital, Baghdad.

The attackers, who reportedly wore police uniforms and used a police vehicle to enter the city, targeted a security checkpoint and the house of a police colonel, who was killed with four members of his family, according to officers.

Two suicide bombers detonated their vests when surrounded by police, and three others were killed in separate clashes.

READ MORE: UN expanding camps near Mosul as 300,000 people flee

A total of 31 bodies were taken to hospital, including 14 belonging to policemen, Nawfal Mustafa, a doctor at the citys main hospital, told the Reuters news agency.

The death toll rose in the morning as more bodies were found, belonging to civilians killed in their shops.

The violence, which also left at least 42 people wounded, prompted Tikrit authorities to declare a curfew in the city. Sporadic gunfire could still be heard on Wednesday morning.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but ISIL fighters have carried out similar attacks in Tikrit in the past, in an apparent diversionary tactic as Iraqi forces push ahead with a US-backed offensive to dislodge the group from the remaining districts under its control in Mosul, further north.

ISIL, or the Islamic state of Iraq and the Levant, seized Tikrit during a lightning offensive that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in the summer of 2014, but Iraqi forces recaptured it the following year.
On Thursday, 238 candidates from nine political parties will vie for the 53 parliament seats up for election.

The Gambia will hold its first election on Thursday since the downfall of longtime leader Yahya Jammeh.

Expectations are high that new lawmakers will overhaul the national assembly once derided as a mere rubberstamp by many in the country.

Gambians have long complained that under Jammeh, who ruled for 22 years, laws were often made by executive decree and buttressed by legislation much later on, if at all.

Campaigning ended on Tuesday for the 238 registered candidates representing nine different political parties who are vying for the 53 seats up for election.

READ MORE: The Gambias missing sons and daughters

Five seats are to be appointed by President Adama Barrow, totalling 58 spots in the small west African nations parliament.

Kemo Bojang, a first-time voter speaking to Al Jazeera by phone, said there is a lot of excitement surrounding this years election.

This is a breakthrough for us, voting for someone who will actually represent us, Bojang, 20, who resides in the western town of Bakau, said.

He added he has witnessed many within his community actively engaged in the political process, something he said many feared to do while Jammeh was in power.

Ive seen people who were not into politics before engaged in political discussion this time around, Bojang said. Now there is not fear and the feeling that no one can stop you from speaking your mind.

Altered landscape

The landscape of Gambian poltics have shifted dramatically since the last legislative elections in 2012, when Jammehs Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) took 43 seats, with a large number of them uncontested because of an opposition boycott.





Bojang said he believed the number of parties participating goes to show how democratic this year will be.

Among the parties running this year, the United Democratic Party (UDP) is fielding the most candidates after long being seen as the strongest opposition force in The Gambia.

Alagie Darboe, deputy administrative secretary of the UDP who is standing for a seat in The Gambias West Coast Region, said the party was aiming to win in 44 constituencies.

The support we are getting from the electorate during the campaign is a clear indication that we are going to win, he told AFP news agency.

Barrow, who won Decembers presidential race, was a former UDP treasurer who resigned to run as the candidate of an unprecedented opposition coalition.

After a drawn-out crisis caused by Jammehs initial refusal to step down, mediation efforts by west African leaders and the threat of military intervention eventually delivered the countrys first ever democratic transition in January.

Barrows cabinet is made up of the heads of seven different political parties, all of which will field candidates in Thursdays election.

The president had initially said the opposition coalition was a family and would run again as a group in the legislative poll, but internal tensions broke apart the agreement.

As a result, parties whose leaders govern together as ministers will be pitted against each other at the ballot box, stoking tensions that some close to the government say could play into the hands of the APRC.

Yankuba Colley, the APRCs campaign chief, said the party knew mistakes were made during the presidential election, but added his candidates were working hard to show it was still a vital force.

We are optimistic that we are going to defeat our opponents in the 29 constituencies [where] we fielded candidates, he said.

READ MORE: The Gambias journalists find new freedom of expression

But Bojang, like many Gambians he said, hope the APRC will fade away.

The fact they are only running 22 candidates goes to show their popularity and how they wont be successful in this election, Bojang said.

And he hopes that after Thursdays election, the country will again unite as many Gambians did against Jammeh in December.

I liked to see The Gambia more united than we are at the moment, he said.

If were able to continue that unity, I think it will go a long way in keeping our freedom and the democracy.
Draft law wants social networks to remove fake news and abusive posts within a week or face $53m fines.

The German government has approved a draft law to fine social networks up to 50 million euros ($53m) if they fail to remove hateful postings and fake news reported by users quickly, prompting concerns over freedom of expression.

Wednesdays move comes as German politicians worry that a proliferation of fake news and racist content, particularly about refugees, could sway public opinion in the run-up to national elections in September.





There should be just as little tolerance for criminal rabble-rousing on social networks as on the street, Justice Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement.

It is clear that freedom of expression is of huge importance in our vibrant democracy However, freedom of expression ends where criminal law begins.

He also said he would seek to push for similar rules at a European level.

Maas said a government survey showed Facebook deleted only 39 percent of content deemed criminal and Twitter only one percent, even though they signed a code of conduct in 2015, including a pledge to delete hate speech within 24 hours.

Content police

Organisations representing digital companies, consumers and journalists, accused the government of rushing a law to parliament that could damage free speech.

It is the wrong approach to make social networks into a content police, said Volker Tripp, head of the Digital Society Association consumer group.

THE STREAM: Germanys new hate speech bill

A spokesman for Facebook  which has 29 million active users in Germany, more than one-third of the total population  said the company was working hard to remove illegal content, but expressed concern at the draft law.

This legislation would force private companies, rather than the courts, to become the judges of what is illegal in Germany, he said, adding that Facebooks partner Arvato would employ up to 700 staff in Berlin for content moderation by years end.

A spokesman for Twitter declined to comment on the legislation, but said the company had made a number of changes in recent weeks, including adding new filtering options, putting limits on accounts it had identified as engaging in abusive behaviour, and stopping those users from creating new accounts.

READ MORE: 2016 and the truth behind fake news

Beyond hate speech and fake news, the draft legislation also covers other illegal content, including child pornography and terrorism-related activity.

The draft law still requires approval from parliament.

The legislation would give social networks 24 hours to delete or block obviously criminal content. The companies would have seven days to deal with less clear-cut cases, with an obligation to report back to the person who filed the complaint about how they handled the case.

Failure to comply could see a company fined up to 50 million euros ($53m), and the companys chief representative in Germany fined up to five million euros ($5.3m).
UN weighs possible war-crime probe as medical workers in rebel-held Idlib province struggle to cope with casualties.

WARNING: The above report contains images some may find distressing.

Hospitals across Syrias rebel-held Idlib province are overwhelmed with casualties from a suspected chemical attack that has killed scores of people and wounded hundreds more, a local health official has told Al Jazeera.

The attack in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Khan Sheikhoun drew widespread international condemnation, with the UN saying it would investigate the bombing raid as a possible war crime.

Air raids targeted Khan Sheikhoun again on Wednesday morning, Hamid, a local official of the Syrian Civil Defence, a rescue group that operates in rebel-held areas, told Al Jazeera.





Munzir Khalil, head of Idlibs health directorate, said on Wednesday that medical workers were struggling to cope as the number of victims was expected to increase.

We can confirm the names of 74 people killed, he said, but the hospitals expect the number to rise to 107 because many have gone missing and we suspect they have been killed in the attack.

Khalil said at least 557 people were wounded in the attack and transferred to medical centres and field hospitals across Idlib, in Syrias northwest.

I can say almost all of Idlibs medical facilities include victims of yesterdays attack. Not to forget, air strikes destroyed a central hospital in Maaret al-Numan on Monday, a facility that once took care of up to 30,000 patients a month.

That hospital is now out of service and we are in a state of shock.

Khalil said al-Rahma hospital in Khan Sheikhoun was also targeted by an air raid shortly after the suspected chemical attack.

The United Nations Security Council is expected to hold an emergency meeting later on Wednesday.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the monitoring organisation, on Wednesday put the death toll at 99 people, including 37 children.

READ MORE: How chlorine gas became a weapon in Syrias civil war

The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), which runs several field hospitals in Idlib, had earlier said that at least 72 people, including 11 children, were killed in the attack.

SAMS doctors on the ground said the attack caused people to vomit and foam at the mouth. Others lost consciousness and suffered muscle spasms.





The group said the symptoms, which also included constricted pupils and slow heart rates, were indicative of an organo-phosphorus compounds agent  a category of toxic gases which includes sarin.

The World Health Organization also said some survivors had symptoms consistent with exposure to a category of chemicals that includes nerve agents.

The images and reports coming from Idlib today leave me shocked, saddened and outraged. These types of weapons are banned by international law because they represent an intolerable barbarism, Peter Salama, executive director of the UN agencys Health Emergencies Program, has said.

The Syrian National Coalition, an opposition group, said a gas similar to sarin was used in the attack, which it said was carried out by government fighter jets.

Syrias military rejected the accusation, saying in a statement on Tuesday that the army denies using any toxic or chemical agents in Khan Sheikhoun today, and it did not and never will use it anywhere.

Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said on Wednesday that Syrian aircraft did carry out a raid, but the chemicals were part of a terrorist stockpile of toxic substances that had been struck on the ground.

The Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on Tuesday said that it was in the process of gathering and analysing information from all available sources.

If it is confirmed, it would be the deadliest chemical attack in Syria since sarin gas killed hundreds of civilians in Ghouta, just outside the capital Damascus, in August 2013.
King of Jordan welcomes Trumps holistic approach as US leader vows commitment to bringing stability to Middle East.

King Abdullah II of Jordan has expressed his trust in US President Donald Trumps vision of tackling challenges in the Middle East, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Speaking in front of the White House together with Trump, the Arab monarch said on Wednesday that the US leaders early engagement is beginning to bring Palestinians and Israelis together.





I am very delighted for your vision and holistic approach to all the challenges in the region, he told Trump.

There is a lot of responsibility for all of us in the international community to support the president of the United States and the American people to bring brighter days to all of us.

Trump said he was working very, very hard on trying to finally create peace between Palestinians and Israel and I think we will be successful, I hope to be successful.

He also said the Jordanian leader  a tireless advocate for a solution  would help him with his mission.

Working together, the United States and Jordan can help bring peace and stability to the Middle East and in fact to the entire world. And we will do that, said Trump.

A two-state solution  the idea of Israel and Palestine living side-by-side and at peace  has been the bedrock of US diplomacy for the past two decades.

The Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with the capital in East Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in the 1967 Middle East war.

Trump sparked international criticism in February when he suggested, in a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that he would no longer insist on the creation of an independent Palestinian state as part of any future peace accord.

In an interview several weeks later, he clarified that he would be satisfied with whatever [solution] makes both parties happy.

Netanyahu committed, with conditions, to the two-state solution in a speech in 2009 and has broadly reiterated the aim since. But he has also spoken of a state minus option, suggesting he could offer the Palestinians deep-seated autonomy and the trappings of statehood without full sovereignty.

OPINION: US and Israel join forces to bury Palestinian statehood

While Netanyahu has paid rhetorical tribute to the two-state solution, the construction of Jewish-only settlements in occupied territory under his administration has escalated dramatically. Analysts have repeatedly hinted the idea of a two-state solution is dead.

Since January the Israeli government, emboldened by Trumps inauguration, has authorised the construction of more than 6,000 illegal settlement homes in the occupied West Bank, including 719 in East Jerusalem.

Analysts say the increase in settlement marks a shift in strategy from the Israeli governments more cautious approach under the Obama administration.





In recent weeks a number of Israeli Knesset members have proposed a law to annex the West Bank settlement of Maale Adumim to Jerusalem, along with other settlements in close proximity to the city.

In February of this year, the Israeli parliament passed a bill that retroactively legalises the seizure of private Palestinian land on which settlements have already been established.

More than half a million Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to leading Israeli rights group BTselem.

Unsustainable status quo

Former Jordanian prime minister Samir al-Rifai told Al Jazeera the kings visit to Washington was important for Jordan and for the Middle East as a whole.

At this juncture, given the conflicts in the region along with the deterioration of the peace process, the status quo is not sustainable, he said.

Rifai also praised the Jordanian leaders efforts to urge the US government to play a constructive role to end the plight of the Palestinian people and establish a Palestinian state.

OPINION: Donald Trump and the death of the two-state solution

The continued reluctance to drive the process forward and establish an independent Palestinian state is hindering any chance for peace and security in the region and is fuelling the fire of hate and giving various actors fodder to continue with their destructive agendas, he said.

Adnan Abu Odeh, Jordans former information minister and chief of the royal court under the late King Hussein, told Al Jazeera he was sceptical whether the US could really help advance peace in the region, particularly by ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands or advancing a two-state solution.

The United States and Israel are one side, therefore the US should not be treated as a third party who is supposed to be a broker of peace talks with Israel, he said.

While the US is falsely presenting itself as a third party, Arab states constructed an alternate reality in order to believe it.

Al Jazeeras Ali Younes contributed to this report
Youths build barricades, burn rubbish and hurl rocks at soldiers and police who respond with tear gas and water cannon.

Venezuelan security forces have quelled masked protesters with tear gas, water cannon and pepper spray in Caracas after blocking an opposition rally against socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

The clashes began on Tuesday after authorities closed metro stations, set up checkpoints and cordoned off a square where opponents had planned their latest protest against the government and a crippling economic crisis.

In skirmishes on backstreets and highways around the capital, youths built barricades, burned rubbish and hurled rocks and bottles at soldiers and police. Various opposition leaders organised roadblocks.

Police used pepper spray on National Assembly head Julio Borges, two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles and rights activist Lilian Tintori, as they led protesters onto highways and jostled at barricades, witnesses told Reuters.

Nine protesters were injured, including one who was shot in the leg, said Ramon Muchacho, mayor of one of Caracass districts. None of the injuries were life-threatening, he said.

IN PICTURES: The crisis in Venezuela

Opposition activists said armed pro-government gangs joined the fray and opened fire.

About 50-100 guys arrived on bikes and started to shoot in the air, protester Bernardo Sanchez told local media, saying a bullet had lodged in his thigh.

In one street, kneeling women sang the national anthem as neighbours banged pots and pans from nearby buildings in a show of anger against a government they blame for a deep recession that has led to shortages of food, medicine and other supplies.

Were going to get rid of them but we have to fight, said Jose Zapata, 57, an electrician, as he marched with a stick in his hand.

Pro-Maduro rally

With thousands out on both sides, supporters of the 54-year-old president organised their own rally, in a volatile scenario seen constantly during the 18 years of leftist rule in the South American nation.

They want an intervention in Venezuela, said prisons ministry worker Juan Aponte, 34, who wore the red colours of the ruling Socialist Party.

Protests also were staged in other cities and more are planned across the country for Thursday.

The government accuses opposition parties of abetting a US-led plot to topple Maduro, who has ruled Venezuela since the 2013 death of Hugo Chavez.

Tensions have soared in the countrys long-running political standoff after the pro-Maduro Supreme Court last week annulled the opposition-led Congress functions.

Although the court retracted that ruling over the weekend, the National Assembly remains powerless due to previous court judgements.

Foreign pressure on Maduro has risen as opposition protests resumed late last week.

Here the world can see the dictatorial path Mr Maduro has chosen, Capriles said.

Maduro says the US government and other foes are whipping up hysteria against him to lay the ground for a coup.

From the north [the United States], they give the order to the defeated fascist right of Venezuela to fill the streets with violence and blood, Maduro said on state TV.

The Organization of American States on Monday urged Venezuela to restore Congress authority and guarantee separation of powers, but Venezuelas representative walked out, as did the envoy from fellow leftist Bolivia, which holds the OAS presidency.

The OAS has surpassed itself in aggression against Venezuela, Maduro said afterwards. It is a real court of inquisition, carrying out abuses and vulgarities.

Venezuelas opposition won a National Assembly majority in late 2015, but the Supreme Court has overturned almost all its measures.
Appointments come after new prime minister agreed to form government with five parties, ending a political deadlock.

After six months of post-election deadlock, Moroccos King Mohammed VI named a new cabinet on Wednesday led by the main Islamist Justice and Development (PJD) party, which lost a key ministry in negotiations with rivals.





PJD won parliamentary elections in October, but the formation of a government was delayed during negotiations with parties who critics say were too close to royalists uneasy with sharing power with Islamists.

In March, Moroccos new Prime Minister Saad Eddine el-Othmani agreed to form a coalition government with five other parties, something former prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane failed to do, leading to his dismissal.

Under Moroccan law no party can win an outright majority in the 395-seat parliament, making coalition governments a necessity in a system where the king holds ultimate power despite ceding some authority during protests for reforms in 2011.

The new cabinet includes PJD, pro-market parties RNI and UC, conservative MP party, and the socialist parties USFP and PPS. Together they hold 240 seats in the 395-seat House of Representatives, the lower house of parliament.

Several key ministerial portfolios remain unchanged and under the control of the RNI, which clashed with PJD during talks over its insistence on including the USFP in the coalition, the state news agency MAP said. PJD had resisted under Benkiranes leadership.

READ MORE: Moroccos February 20 movement: Demands still alive

Aziz Akhannouch, RNI leader and close friend of the king, remains minister of agriculture and fisheries.

RNI members Mohammed Boussaid and Moulay Hafid Elalamy remain heads of the Ministry of Finance and Economy and Ministry of Trade and Industry, respectively.

But PJD lost its control of the key Ministry of Justice and Public Freedoms, previously led by Mustafa Ramid, who had been critical of the security services record during his days as a lawyer and human rights activist.

As minister of justice since 2012, Ramid spearheaded a series of reforms after PJD had won elections in 2011 amid protests inspired by the Arab uprisings across the region. He will remain as minister of state in charge of human rights.

Critics have argued that since the 2011 protests, royalists have tried to push back Islamist influence.

Dismissing claims of royal interference, the palace has said the king maintains an equal distance from all parties.
US-South Korean announcement follows threats by the North of retaliation against expansion of international sanctions.

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, according to South Korea and the US military.

The development comes just days after North Korea threatened to retaliate if the global community expanded sanctions targeting the country.

South Koreas defence ministry said the missile had flown about 60km on Wednesday. It was launched from the Sinpo region on North Koreas eastern coast.

The military is keeping a close watch over North Koreas provocative moves and maintaining a high defence posture, it said.

The US military said it was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile which it had determined posed no threat to the US mainland.

OPINION: Whats on Kim Jong-uns mind?

Rex Tillerson, the US secretary of state, confirmed that North Korea had launched yet another intermediate-range ballistic missile.

The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment, he said in a statement.

Japan condemned the launch and said it violated UN Security Council resolutions.

Japan never tolerates North Koreas repeated provocative actions. The government strictly protested and strongly condemned it, Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary, said.

Trump-Xi meeting

North Korea is on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year.

Wednesdays developments came after US President Donald Trump said, before a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, that the US was prepared to go it alone in bringing the North to heel if China did not step in.

North Koreas foreign ministry on Monday criticised the US for its tough talk and for an ongoing joint military exercise with South Korea and Japan which the North sees as a dress rehearsal for invasion.

The reckless actions are driving the tense situation on the Korean peninsula to the brink of a war, a ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the official KCNA news agency.





The idea that the US could deprive North Korea of its nuclear deterrent through sanctions is the wildest dream, it said.

Trump and Xi will hold their first face-to-face meeting on Thursday at the US presidents Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida where the growing tensions on the Korean peninsula are expected to be high on the agenda.

The hardened US stance followed recent North Korean missile launches that North Korea described as practice for an attack on US bases in Japan.

In February the North simultaneously fired four ballistic missiles off its east coast, three of which fell close to Japan.

North Korea is barred under UN resolutions from carrying out ballistic missile launches or nuclear tests.
Diplomats meet in New York to discuss a suspected chemical attack in Idlib that killed at least 72 people.

The UN Security Council has met to discuss a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria that killed at least 72 of people, including 20 children.

Britain, France, and the United States presented a draft resolution demanding a full investigation of the attack on a rebel-held town in Idlib province, but Russia defended its ally in Damascus and said the text was categorically unacceptable.

The draft resolution calls for a full investigation by the Organisation of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) of the attack in the early hours of Tuesday in the town of Khan Sheikhoun.

If confirmed, the attack would be among the worst incidents of chemical weapons use in Syrias brutal civil war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the pre-war population.





Images and video published shortly after the incident showed dozens of men, women and children gasping for air , convulsing, and foaming at the mouth.

Experts whove dealt with the gas say all the symptoms seem to indicate that Sarin was involved, Al Jazeeras Alan Fisher, reporting from Beirut.

The World Health Organization said there was reason to suspect a chemical attack, with some victims displaying symptoms suggesting exposure to a category of chemicals that includes nerve agents.

Medical charity Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said people it treated had symptoms consistent with nerve agents such as Sarin.

MSF saw eight patients with symptoms  dilated pupils, muscle spasms, involuntary defecation  consistent with exposure to neuro-toxic agents such as Sarin, the group said in a statement.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said at least 160 people suffered the effects of the gas.

The proposed measure requests the joint UN-OPCW investigative panel begin work immediately to identify the perpetrators of the attack.

The text also calls on Syria to provide flight plans, flight logs, and other information on its military operations on the day of the assault.

Damascus would be asked to provide the names of all commanders of helicopter squadrons to UN investigators and allow them to meet with generals and other high-ranking officials within five days of their request, the draft resolution said.

Syria would also allow UN and OPCW teams to visit air bases from which the attacks involving chemical weapons may have been launched.

READ MORE: Chemical attack in Syria draws international outrage

Ahead of the emergency session on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for Russias foreign ministry said the draft resolution was anti-Syrian, adding it pre-empts the results of an investigation and just immediately designates the guilty.

Moscow, which launched a military intervention in 2015 in support of Assads forces, earlier defended Damascus against accusations of responsibility for the attack.

It said the deaths were caused when a Syrian air strike hit a terrorist warehouse used for making bombs containing toxic substances, and pledged to continue its military support for Assad.





Syrias army has denied any use of chemical weapons, saying it has never used them, any time, anywhere, and will not do so in the future.

Syrias permanent representative to the UN Munzer Munzer rejected what he called a falsification of the facts in Khan Sheikhoun, adding that terrorist groups had gained access to toxic chemicals with Turkish government assistance.

But Syrias denials did little to quiet international condemnation, with UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday saying the horrific events showed that war crimes are going on in Syria.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said: How many more children have to die before Russia cares?

Haley hinted that in light of a UN failure to prevent such attacks, certain states may be compelled to act on their own.

READ MORE: How chlorine gas became a weapon in Syrias civil war

In a statement to the Security Council meeting, Frances Ambassador to the UN Francois Delattre refuted arguments made by Russia and the Syrian government.

There was no fire, even though such a strike [on an alleged chemical warehouse] would have caused a fire, and the consequences would have been much more serious for the civilian population, he said.

UK Ambassador the UN Matthew Rycroft said the attack bears all the hallmarks fo the Assad regime.

Theres only one air force that has used such weapons in Syria, he said.

The Security Council meeting was adjourned without a vote scheduled as ambassadors continued negotiations privately.
A massive blast outside a coffee shop in Somalias capital kills at least seven as a series of attacks continues.

At least seven people have been killed in a massive car bomb blast in Somalias capital, the fourth deadly attack in the past few weeks.

The explosion occurred at lunchtime on Wednesday at a restaurant near the ministries of internal security and youth.

Seven people, most of them in the coffee shop, were killed in the blast. We carried wounded bodies into the hospital, police officer Hussein Ahmed told Al Jazeera, adding that at least eight others were wounded.

No group claimed responsibility for the explosion. However, the al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabab often carries out such attacks.

READ MORE: Car bomb kills at least five in Somalias capital

Police pulled the bloodied body of a man from the rubble and said there may be more. Soldiers pushed back a surging crowd and fired in the air to disperse people.





Those blood-suckers give no care to human lives whether they are civilians or others, said police Captain Mohamed Hussein, who blamed al-Shabab for the attack. He stood near the bloodied body of a man and shattered glass. The blast largely destroyed the restaurant.

Al-Shabab was forced out of the capital and other major urban areas in Somalia by national and African Union multinational forces, but it continues to carry out deadly bombings and attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere. Targets have included hotels, military checkpoints, and the presidential palace.

In March, 10 people were killed and scores wounded in three separate car bombings.

Al-Shabab has denounced new Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed as an apostate and warned Somalis against supporting him. The armed group was kicked out of Mogadishu under Mohameds brief term as prime minister in 2010-2011.

Mohamed, who was elected in February, has vowed to make security a priority in the long-chaotic nation, where the fragile central government is trying to extend its control beyond selected areas including the capital.

Abdirizak Mohamud Tuuryare contributed to this report from Mogadishu
Some were shot as they tried to flee. Others had their throats slit before their bodies were strung up from door frames. Two children were run down by a car.

These are the testimonies from South Sudanese refugees as hundreds fled into Uganda for a second day on Wednesday following an attack by government forces on the border town of Pajok.

At least 17 people were killed, according to a Reuters news agency tally, while roughly 3,000 refugees crossed into Uganda this week.

Their stories offer a glimpse of the brutality of a three-year civil war ripping apart the worlds youngest nation.

Password Okot, 30, a farmer, recounted how he lost two brothers.

Having fled the initial fighting, he crept back to his home in Ywayaa village on Pajoks outskirts to collect his belongings. There he saw government soldiers grab his brother, 35-year-old mechanic Ayela Peter, from a crowd, tie his ankles, slit his throat and sling up his body in a doorway.

When they saw them slaughtering my brother, people scattered and started running. When they were running, they shot my other brother, Okot said at the Ngoromoro border crossing.

READ MORE: South Sudan: There are only dead bodies

The government denies its Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) forces target civilians and said Mondays operation in Pajok, a town of more than 10,000 people 15km north of the Ugandan border, was to flush out rebels.

A military spokesman blamed bandits for killing civilians.

SPLA deputy spokesman Colonel Santo Domic Chol said his troops had orders to refrain from entering and taking over Pajok. What I know is that the bandits are looting and killing the population in Pajok, starting on Friday, Saturday.

South Sudan, which split away from Sudan in 2011 after decades of conflict, has been mired in civil war since President Salva Kiir sacked his vice president Riek Machar in 2013. Thousands have been killed as the civil war rages into its third year and more than 1.5 million people have fled the country in the past nine months alone.

The United Nations said in December it had evidence of ethnic cleansing by both government forces and rebels, with soldiers showing callous disregard for civilian life.





The Pajok assault is the latest in a string of attacks in the fertile Equatoria region that is emptying towns and villages near the border with Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Two refugees spoke of the SPLA troops overrunning Pajoks hospital and killing a medical worker.

Omal Koloro, 52, a businessman, said the doctor had tried to prevent SPLA soldiers from entering the compound. Four others at the hospital were also killed, Koloro said.

In another incident, he said children were targeted as they ran across a bridge at the first outbreak of gunfire. Two were run over and two they just shot, he said.

OPINION: South Sudan: A country captured by armed factions

The Ugandan government and United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) are scrambling to complete a half-built refugee settlement near Ngomoromo for the latest arrivals, who are living in the bush at the Ugandan border.

Were trying to work out the best place for them to be accommodated, UNHCR spokesman Alvin Gonzaga said. Were trying to ready the site but we need the signature of the landowners.

Even when they reach the relative safety of a settlement camp, many refugees face an agonising wait for loved ones who went missing in the panic two days ago.

The phone signal to Pajok has been cut.

My mother is still there, Okot said. We dont know whether shes alive or dead.
Amnesty says British filmmaker and translator were tortured after investigating alleged chemical attack in Darfur.

Amnesty International accused the Sudanese authorities on Wednesday of torturing a British journalist and his translator who were seized in war-torn Darfur while investigating suspected chemical attacks by government forces.

Phil Cox, working for Channel 4 TV, and his Darfuri translator Daoud Hari were abducted in December when they were commissioned by the channel to probe reports by Amnesty that Sudanese security forces had used chemical weapons against civilians in the mountainous Jebel Marra district.

Cox was released in February but on Wednesday Amnesty alleged he and Hari had been tortured while they were in custody.

For nearly two months, the two journalists were locked up in a prison and tortured, simply for doing their job, Amnestys Muthoni Wanyeki said in a statement.





They were beaten, subjected to electric shocks, deliberately deprived of oxygen and subjected to mock executions.

The two men were also chained to a tree in North Darfur when they were detained there, Amnesty said, adding that the two were later moved to Khartoums Kobar prison.

The journalists ordeal indicates that the Sudanese authorities have something to hide in Darfur, Amnesty said.

If no chemical weapons were used, then why not let the journalists get on with their jobs?, Wanyeki said. This is one more reason, if any were needed, why the alleged chemical attacks which killed an estimated 200 to 250 people must be thoroughly and independently investigated.

Amnesty said in a September report it had credible evidence of Sudanese government forces repeatedly using chemical weapons in Jebel Marra between January and August 2016.

The UN Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said at the time it needed more information and evidence to draw any conclusion based on Amnestys report.

READ MORE: Sudan accused of chemical weapons attacks in Darfur

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and war crimes in Darfur, has dismissed the Amnesty report as just empty lies.

Deadly conflict broke out in Darfur in 2003 when ethnic minority groups took up arms against Bashirs government, which responded with counter-insurgency operations.

At least 300,000 people have since been killed and 2.5 million displaced in Darfur, the United Nations says.

While in Darfur, the two filmmakers were abducted by members of the Rapid Support Forces, who are part of the military and a central element in the Sudanese government efforts to stem the flow of refugees to Europe, Amnesty said.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Channel 4 News is scheduled to air a documentary titled Hunted in Sudan recounting the journalists ordeal, Amnesty said.
Police investigate attack on census workers and soldiers guarding them in nations second biggest city, Lahore.

Islamabad, Pakistan  A suicide bombing targeted a Pakistani government census team, killing at least six people in the eastern city of Lahore, officials say.

The blast on Wednesday morning in Pakistans second largest city also wounded at least 18 people, many with serious injuries.

According to a police report, two attackers on a motorcycle approached a van carrying the census team. One attacker disembarked and exploded his suicide vest as the other sped away. The dead included four military personnel and two civilians.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan group claimed responsibility, saying it was a suicide attack.

The target seems to be the census team and the soldiers guarding them, Malik Ahmed Khan, a spokesperson for the Punjab government, told local television news channel Geo.

Act of terrorism

Rana Sanaullah, a senior provincial minister, told Geo the attack appeared to be an act of terrorism.

Sacrifice of precious lives of civil enumerators and soldiers is beyond any doubt a great sacrifice, Qamar Javed Bajwa, Pakistans army chief, said in a statement, without giving any details about the number of soldiers killed in the bombing.





Conduct of census will be completed at any cost.

Pakistans Bureau of Statistics launched its first door-to-door population census since 1998 last month, working in conjunction with the military, which has deployed 200,000 troops to provide security for the exercise.

At least 119,000 government employees are taking part in the exercise as enumerators.

The lead-up to the census has been marked by political debate on how the results may show changing demographics  potentially redrawing electoral constituencies  across the country.

Television footage from the scene showed a destroyed vehicle and debris scattered on the road, as police formed a security cordon around the sites perimeter.

Surge in violence

Pakistan has seen a surge in violence in the past two months, starting with a series of attacks that killed more than 130 people in mid-February.

Those attacks were claimed by the Pakistan Taliban and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

At least 13 people were killed in Lahore when a suicide bomber targeted police at a protest demonstration on February 13

In response, Pakistans military announced it was launching a new operation  dubbed Radd-al-Fasaad, or Elimination of Mischief/Chaos  across the country, to cement the gains made against the Pakistan Taliban during a previous three-year operation launched in 2014.

Additional reporting by Alia Chughtai in Karachi
Suspected chemical attack in Idlib province that killed 86 becomes subject of diplomatic stand-off at Security Council.

The United States has warned it could take unilateral action if the United Nations fails to respond to a suspected chemical attack on a rebel-held town in Syria that killed more than 80 people, including many children.

When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said on Wednesday.





The warning came during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council called by France and Britain after an early morning attack on Tuesday in Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province.

Britain, France and the US presented a draft resolution demanding a full investigation of the attack, which they blamed on the Syrian government.

But talks ended without a vote after Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said the text was categorically unacceptable.

Syria has denied the allegations, while Russia had blamed the rebels, saying the deaths occurred when a government shell hit a rebel chemical weapons depot.

Horrific acts

Haley lashed out at Moscow for failing to rein in Damascus, standing in the council chamber to hold up photographs of victims  one showing a young child lying lifeless, a mask covering his face.

How many more children have to die before Russia cares? she asked.

If Russia has the influence in Syria that it claims to have, we need to see them use it, she said. We need to see them put an end to these horrific acts.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said at least 86 people, including 30 children, were killed in the raid on Khan Sheikhoun.

Dozens more were left gasping for air, convulsing, and foaming at the mouth, doctors said.

If confirmed, it will be be the worst chemical weapons attack in Syria since 2013, when sarin gas was used on a rebel-held area of Damascus.

If we are not prepared to act, then this council will keep meeting, month after month to express outrage at the continuing use of chemical weapons and it will not end, Haley said.

We will see more conflict in Syria. We will see more pictures that we can never unsee.

READ MORE: Chemical attack in Syria draws international outrage

The draft resolution backs a probe by the Organisation of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and demands that Syria cooperate to provide information on its military operations on the day of the assault.

Russias Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told the council the proposed measure was hastily prepared and unnecessary, but voiced support for an investigation.

The main task now is to have an objective inquiry into what happened, he said.

Negotiations continued on the proposed resolutions throughout most of Wednesday. Diplomats said it could come up for a vote at the council as early as Thursday.

Many, many lines crossed

In a press conference at the White House later in the day, US President Donald Trump said the chemical attack had crossed many, many lines and had abruptly changed his thinking about Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.





Only days earlier multiple members of Trumps administration had said Assads ouster was no longer a US priority, drawing outrage from Assad critics in the United States and abroad. But Trump said Tuesdays attack had a big impact on me  big impact.

My attitude towards Syria and Assad has changed very much, he said, but refused to telegraph any potential US military retaliation.

Since the attack, Trump has been under increasing pressure to explain whether it was egregious enough to force a US response.

Robert Ford, former US ambassador to Syria, expressed scepticism that Trump would resort to military action.

As a presidential candidate he could not have been more clear that he wanted to avoid military involvement in the Syrian civil war, he told Al Jazeera. For him to order military strikes, even limited military strikes, in response to the chemical attack in Idlib, would be a gigantic change and not one that Im at all sure that the administration is actually going to do.

Ford said all fingers point to the Syrian government as the culprit of the attack.

I find it laughable that governments such as Russia would suggest that rebels have a chemical weapons capacity but they always seem to use it on their own people and never on the Syrian army, he added.

Idlib hospitals overwhelmed after suspected gas attack

Trumps first reaction to the attack was to blame former president Barack Obamas weakness in earlier years for enabling Assad.

Obama had put Assad on notice that using chemical weapons would cross a red line necessitating a US response, but then failed to follow through, pulling back from planned air strikes on Assads forces after Congress would not vote to approve them.

Trump and other critics have cited that as a key moment the US lost much global credibility.

I now have responsibility, Trump said. That responsibility could be made a lot easier if it was handled years ago.

Joshua Landis, director for the Centre of Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told Al Jazeera that the US would likely warn Moscow if it was to resort to using military might in Syria.

They have to disambiguate and they have to make sure that they dont hurt any Russian soldiers, he said.

But theres a wide palette of things they can do. They can bomb airports and destroy the runways so that Syrian planes cant fly for some time, they could kill a bunch of Syrian soldiers, they could destroy command centreswell have to wait and see.

But Landis said it was unlikely that Trump would push for all out regime change in Syria.

[Trumps] entire policy for the Middle East has been based on reversing the notion of regime change. He supports strong men, he said.

Now that hes got a strong man in Assad who is violating human rights and this norm of not using chemical weapons, he has to calibrate his policy and try to insist on human rights even as he supports dictators.
Fault Lines investigates the Alabama prison system, as prisoners lead a bold campaign to reform it from the inside.

The US state of Alabama has the fifth highest incarceration rate in the world. Its prison system has become so dangerously overcrowded that in 2016, for the first time, the US Justice Department launched a federal civil rights investigation into the entire states prison conditions.

If you trace it back to the slave plantation, this is where solitary confinement punishment started. If you tried to run away they would put you in a box. If you talked back to the slave master, they put you in a box. And so it has evolved from a small box to a small cell. by Melvin Ray a.k.a Bennu Hannibal Ra Sun, co-founder of the Free Alabama Movement

Meanwhile, prisoners have been taking matters into their own hands.

In September 2016, inmates at Holman Prison went on strike to protest against what they call cruel and unusual forms of punishment  including labour, for little to no pay.

Inmates used smuggled cellphones to spread the word about the strike, which took hold in about two dozen states.

How did a group of prisoners calling themselves the Free Alabama Movement organise the single largest prison strike in US history?

Fault Lines Josh Rushing travelled to Alabama to find out more about them  discovering two of the groups leaders are now in solitary confinement. Despite their isolation, through letters and videos they are still finding ways to get their message to the world.
A UF alumnus communication app is now available for UF organizations to try out.

The app, Agora, is a platform for student group communication, said Steven Buchko, the apps creator. It integrates organizational tools such as messaging, alerts, calendars and location services into one app to improve communication between large groups, said Buchko, who graduated from UF in 2015 with a bachelors degree in industrial and systems engineering.

The ultimate goal is simplicity, the 24-year-old said.

He said the beta version is now available for UF student organizations to use. The official launch is set for August on all iOS and Android smartphones for free, but students can start using the current version now by emailing Buchko through Agoras website.

Once the app is released, there will be an undetermined cost for premium service features.

Buchko said he began brainstorming ideas for the app his sophomore year at UF after being discouraged by how his fraternity, Zeta Beta Tau, handled organizational duties.

We were using an email Listserv to handle fraternity duties, he said. It was disorganized and confusing.

He said he chose the name Agora because its an ancient Greek term for public meeting spaces.

Pictured is a depiction of the Agora app on a smartphone.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now
What makes a person good or evil? For many, the answer lies in intent and individual responsibility. Today, Im going to tell you why it has little to do with either. At least, not in the way you think.

Western society has had a long love affair with dichotomy. Choices are put to us as one or the other. This is comfortable, it is easy, and it draws clear lines between right and wrong. When former President George W. Bush said Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists, he deliberately created a dichotomy for Americans to declare which side was theirs and which was wrong. While most people understand that the world is not this black and white, we continue to behave as though it is.

When it comes to morality, our principle concern is addressing another dichotomy: Is so-and-so a good person or a bad person? Even when the issue is less clear, we tend to treat people as though they are one or the other. Odds are, someone in your circle of friends has done something you disagree with. For a while you feel what is called cognitive dissonance; the conflict between the belief that your friend is not a good person and the behavior of continuing the friendship. After a time, you either let the incident slide, or you stop being friends. You resolve this dissonance by sorting the person into one camp or the other: bad or good; friend or not.

Our biggest concern, though, is not with our friends moral status, but with our own. Am I a good person?, or What would a good person do? This way of framing moral questions is a pillar of what I will call puritanical morality. Puritanical morality in religion is chiefly a concern for the state of ones soul, but as a way of looking at morality it has become pervasive in Western culture as a concern with ones status as good or evil. Because puritanical morality derives from a belief in judgement after death, where one was believed to receive either absolute punishment or absolute paradise, it requires that morality be reduced to two opposites.

This reduction creates two problems for puritanical morality. First, it is concerned only with the sum of our actions. If a person is mostly good, then we treat them as wholly good. This approach means we overlook many small evils and believe that evil actions can be outweighed by unrelated good actions (or, more strangely, by suffering as penance). We see this in fiction constantly. At the end of Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader, the villain, rescues the protagonist, Luke Skywalker, in what is meant to be a redemptive moment, and we forgive his reign of fear and violence. Of course, this action hasnt changed the past. Vader still killed countless innocents, and he has made amends to no one he actually harmed. Whether he was a good person is irrelevant: his actions and their effects remain.

This brings us to the second issue with puritanical morality: its concern with intent. If being a bad person means knowingly doing harm, then we cannot be evil if we dont understand the harm we are doing. This is why we avoid seeing documentaries like Food, Inc. and An Inconvenient Truth. So long as we refuse to learn, we can plead ignorance. When facing judgement, we can say we are still good because we didnt know our actions were bad.

The problem is, the harm exists whether you know it or not, whether you atone for it or not. Whether you are a good person is irrelevant, intent makes no difference, and ignorance is no excuse. Every person reading this paper has the resources to make informed decisions: from libraries to the internet. What you dont have is an excuse.

David Billig is a UF linguistics masters student. His column appears on Wednesdays.










English News Commentary: Xi Jinpings big diplomatic move draws global attention

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 4 Avril 2017



Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Finland before he heads to Florida for a meeting with his US counterpart Donald Trump next week. During the four-day trip starting on April 4, he will meet with Trump in Mar-a-Lago.

By Zhong Sheng from Peoples Daily Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Finland before he heads to Florida for a meeting with his US counterpart Donald Trump next week. During the four-day trip starting on April 4, he will meet with Trump in Mar-a-Lago.



The international community places high expectation on this big diplomatic event, hoping that the tour will give a positive signal about Chinas mutually beneficial cooperation with Europe and the US.



Finland was among the earliest Western countries to establish diplomatic ties with China. The inter-governmental trade and payment agreement they inked in 1953 was also the first of its kind between China and the capitalistic West.



Back in 1970s, Finland rendered its support to China in restoring the latters legitimate seat in the UN. The bilateral ties between the two countries in recent years have moved forward along a positive track.



Its worth noting that Finland, as a world-known innovation pioneer, and China, which is now devoted to economic transformation and innovation-driven development, can complement their economic advantages and cooperate in a number of fields.



Xis Finnish tour will inject new vitality into bilateral relations, intensify their political mutual trust and cement pragmatic collaboration in various fields.



His upcoming state visit to Finland, coming at a time when the EU stands at a crucial juncture, will be this years first trip to an EU member state by the Chinese head of state.



Not long ago, the EU held commemorative events to mark the 60th anniversary of Treaty of Rome, during which it reiterated the European voice on persistence to its integration process.



As an important part of the world, Europe has a great influence on the world architecture. Backing the European integration process as always, China also expects a united, stable, prosperous and open EU.



The forthcoming European trip of the Chinese president indicates that China will, from a strategic and long-term perspective, commit itself to building the four major China-EU partnerships featuring peace, growth, reform and civilization and join efforts with the European side to seek a peaceful, open, inclusive and prosperous globe.



The meeting between the heads of state of China and the US, as the largest developing and developed countries, respectively, as well as the top two economies in the world, has drawn global attention.



Since Trump took office, the US and Chinese heads of state have maintained sound communication through phone conversations and messages. Thanks to the close communication and joint efforts of both nations, bilateral ties are now developing in a positive direction.



In their important phone conversation last month, both heads of state confirmed the importance of adherence to the one-China policy and vowed to propel bilateral ties for greater progress at the new starting point, charting a course for the future bilateral relationship.



During the upcoming meeting, China and the US will enhance communication, thus pointing a way for their relations as well as cooperation in bilateral, regional and global range.



As a Chinese saying goes, when important things are addressed first, secondary issues will not be difficult to settle. When you ascend to the top of Mountain Tai, you will find other mountains much less challenging.



Given the importance of China-US ties to both countries and the world, they need to bear more historic lessons and foresightedness in mind when drawing the roadmap for their relationship.



Reviewing their relations from a historic perspective, it is found that the progress of bilateral relations since the two countries established diplomatic ties has brought the two peoples tangible benefits and given a boost to peace, stability and prosperity in the world and the region.



Facts have proven that cooperation is the only correct choice for China and the US. Todays world bets more on a stable development of China-US ties, while the latter is now presented with important opportunities.



The Financial Times in a recent article commented that the future of our world heavily depends on relations between the US, a young country and the incumbent superpower, and China, an ancient empire and a rising superpower.



However contrasting the two countries may appear, they do share interests, the paper added.



Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, during his China visit in 2013, said that the emerging forces are rising in the changing world, and in such a globalized world, equality must be given more weight in state-to-state relations.



China, when dealing with its relations with Europe, the US or other sides, always hope to beef up cooperation based on mutual respect and equal treatment.



The world has every reason to believe that Xis Finnish and US visits will exhibit a high sense of historic and future responsibility. Chinas closer cooperation with Europe and the US will contribute more to world peace and development.



Caption: Mar-a-Lago, an estate and National Historic Landmark in Palm Beach, Florida. Source: Xinhua News Agency



Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)










English News Sudan: Torture of Channel4 journalists highlights need to investigate Darfur chemical attacks

Alwihda Info | Par Amnesty international - 6 Avril 2017





The torture of two journalists abducted en route to Jebel Marra, in Sudans Darfur region, is not only a grave affront to press freedom, but also proof the Sudanese authorities have something to hide in the region, said Amnesty International today ahead of the airing of a film detailing their harrowing six-week ordeal.



Phil Cox, a British national, and Daoud Hari, a Darfuri translator and author, had been commissioned by the UKs Channel4 TV to investigate reports by Amnesty International that Sudanese security forces had used chemical weapons against civilians in Jebel Marra between January and August 2016.



For nearly two months, the two journalists were locked up in a prison and tortured, simply for doing their job. They were beaten, subjected to electric shocks, deliberately deprived of oxygen and subjected to mock executions, said Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty Internationals Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.



The lengths to which the Sudanese government went to keep the two journalists out of Jebel Marra, including acts of torture, only suggests one thing: that it has something to hide. If no chemical weapons were used, then why not let the journalists get on with their job?



This is one more reason, if any were needed, why the alleged chemical attacks which killed an estimated 200 to 250 people, must be thoroughly and independently investigated.



While in Darfur, the two filmmakers were abducted by members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who are part of the military and a central element in the Sudanese government efforts to stem the flow of refugees to Europe under the EU-Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative, also known as the Khartoum Process. Amnesty International has expressed concern that EU funds to Sudan under the Khartoum Process maybe inadvertently financing the RSF, a group accused of egregious human rights violations.



After a week spent chained to a tree in North Darfur, the two filmmakers were transferred to other Sudanese government forces and moved to Kober Prison in the capital, Khartoum, where they were held for six weeks with other detainees, including human rights defenders, dozens of whom were being held without charge.



Now that a pattern of arbitrary detention and torture at Kober has been exposed, the international community must take action. They must insist that all detainees still held there be either released, or charged with a recognized offence in an ordinary and civilian court of law, said Muthoni Wanyeki.



Background



Sudanese government forces that participated in chemical attacks in Jebel Marra, committed numerous crimes under international law and human rights violations, including unlawful killings, indiscriminate aerial bombings, forced displacement, rape and pillage.



Over the last few years many opposition activists, students and human rights defenders have been arbitrarily arrested, tortured and forcibly disappeared by agents of the National Intelligence Security Service (NISS).



The NISS has also been used to gag the press by harassing and arresting journalists. Newspapers are also heavily censored and sometimes entire print runs confiscated if they criticize the government.



Although the majority of cases of arbitrary arrests have been by NISS agents, there have been multiple reports of such arrests carried out by Military Intelligence officers.



Hunted in Sudan, a documentary on the journalists ordeal, will be broadcast on Channel 4 News on 5 and 6 April 2017 at 7pm in the UK.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's Beidou reaches world-leading level: white paper Silk Road e-commerce promotes trade among Belt and Road countries Irrigation project in Jiangsu gets world heritage designation Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)
Dateline: Canada

A Nova Scotia man is fighting with the government to prove that his last name isnt too offensive for a vanity license plate. Lorne Grabher told CTV hes so proud of his German family name he had the vanity plate GRABHER made for his father back in 1991. Since then, the name plate has crossed Canada and been held by three different generations of Grabhers. But in December, Grabher received a notice from Nova Scotias Registrar of Motor Vehicles, informing him it had gotten a complaint and had deemed the license plate socially unacceptable. Grabher complained and got back a response from Janice Harland, road safety director at the Registrar of Motor Vehicles, saying, While I recognize this plate was issued as your last name, the public cannot be expected to know this and can misinterpret it as a socially unacceptable slogan. The term grab her has become an infamous one, ever since audio of current US President Donald Trump explaining how he could grab any woman by a certain part of her anatomy was released just prior to the election. Grabher says he is considering taking his case to court to get his personalized license plate back.

Dateline: England

A team from Oxford University defeated a team from Cambridge in a long-standing boat race competitionbut not until a marine policing unit removed an unexploded World War II-era bomb from near the start of the race. The seventysomething- year- old bomb was discovered by a member of the public near Putney Bridge in southwest London, just yards from the starting line of the famous row-off. The aged ordinance was found submerged on the Chelsea shoreline of the River Thames and had to be removed before the race could start. London was heavily bombed by German planes during World War II, and unexploded devices are occasionally uncovered in the city. Oxford ended up winning the 163rd boat race by a length and a quarter. No explosions were reported.

Dateline: Germany

Someone stole a gold coin weighing 200 pounds from a museum in Berlin. The coin, which has a diameter of more than 20 inches, was taken from the Bode Museum sometime after 2am on the morning of Monday, March 27. Nicknamed The Big Maple Leaf, the coin was issued by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007 to commemorate Queen Elizabeths state visit to Germany. The extra-large pizza-sized coin has a purity of 999.99/1000 gold and is currently valued at 3.7 million euros ($4 million). The coin has been in the Bode Museum collection since 2010 when it was lent to the institutions coin collection by wealthy art collector, real estate developer and vice-president of the World Jewish Congress Boris Fuchsmann. Its an absolute catastrophe for the museum, an absolute catastrophe for us all, Bernhard Wiesser, the director of the Bode Museums Numismatic Collection, told Englands Globe and Mail. Berlin police say they found a ladder near some railway tracks close to the museum and believe it was used to access a window on the museums top floor during the 2 1/2 hours in the early morning when Berlins public transportation is shut down. Police believe the entire crimeincluding shattering a bulletproof case and lowering the 200-pound coin down on a winchtook less than 25 minutes. Its definitely a case that involved a high amount of criminal energy, said Mr. Weisser.

Dateline: Japan

A famous hot springs resort is offering visitors a chance to bathe in a pool of hot maple syrup. The Hakone Kowakien Yunessun is offering a hot cake bath in honor of Japanese confectionary company Morinaga, which is celebrating the 60th anniversary of it iconic pancake mix. According to rocketnews24.com, the special bath is scented like sweet maple syrup with gentle notes of vanilla. Three times a day staff refresh the bath by pouring in bottles of real maple syrup. The hot cake bath is located in the resorts swimsuit area, meaning unlike the more traditional hot springs, bathers are not nude. Hakone Kowakien Yunessun is famous for its bizarre baths. Past promotions have afforded visitors the opportunity to swim in ramen, coffee and wine. The resort is located about two hours from Tokyos Shinjuku Station. The hot maple pool will be open until April 25.
Hundreds of years ago, when medical science was undevelopeed, people lost their lives for simple and easily preventable diseases. There was a time, for example, when bubonic plague was mans number one enemy. Everybody, even those with no knowledge of medicine, longed to find a cure for the illness. Yet diseases were so terrifying that should anyone try to help halt the progress of the disease, he could be treated as a traitor to humanity. No logic is needed to attest that in our present time, terrorism, if not number one enemy, is mans one highest anxiety.

Hassan Abbasi is an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps strategist and theoretician

The regime of ayatollahs in Iran is supporting militias operating in different parts of Iraq. Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps  IRGC- is heavily involved, in concurrence with Lebanese Hezbollah, in Syria in support of the dictator Bashar Al Assad. It also funds and arms the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The fact that U.S. and other lawmakers are pressing for IRGC to be named as a terrorist organization reveals the long history of Irans participation and sponsorship of terrorist activities abroad  especially through Quds Force, IRGCs foreign operations wing. A recently emerged video clip shows a top IRGC commander threatening to unleash terror in the United States. Hassan Abbasi (pictured above) who is known as an IRGC strategist and theorist, threatening to lead global guerrilla organizations against the United States military and vulnerable targets:

If only 11 people carried out 9/11, do you realize that the possibility exists for us to do what we want? We dont need nuclear weapons.

Abbasi was bragging in his address to the new government in the United States. Iran is the worlds only state that for almost four decades has been under the rule of fundamentalist mullahs. The regime of ayatollahs has used a misleading interpretation of Islam to suppress the people inside and to pursue terrorism in the neighboring countries, for them the use of Islam is nothing but a cynical means of safeguarding their dictatorship.



Abbasi, Irans IRGC theorist, continues bullying the West in his countrys terrorist activities, It wont even be an Iranian-only guerrilla movement, but from all Islamic countries, he said. You can deport all the Muslims, but we are involving and working on Mexicans as well, and Argentinians too. We will organize anyone who has problems with the United States

Irans neighboring country, Iraq, became the worlds number one terrorism-stricken state after Irans covert invasion following the Gulf War. Thousands of innocent Iraqis lost their lives or received irrevocable injuries by bomb explosions or through other operations waged by Irans proxy terrorist groups. The National Council of Resistance of Iran, NCRI, the coalition of resistance forces determined to disseat the religious dictatorship, ridiculed Foreign Minister Zarif when he claimed his government was fighting against terrorists in Iraq. A recent statement by the coalition says, The IRGC is the most powerful military-security organization that represses internal clashes and exports warmongering plans in the region. NCRI adds, This organization is almost involved in all key industries and businesses in Iran.

Countries in the Middle East region are pursuing talks to form an alliances to protect their citizens against Irans destabilizing threats. An article, published by The Wall Street Journal on Feb. 15, reported talks between Trump administration and representatives of Arabic countries. These talks aimed to form a military alliance to encounter the common enemy, Iran. Un-trustable is a common word, used around the globe, to describe the ayatollahs in Tehran. While campaigning for the presidency Trump told reporters, Another mess I inherited. We have imposed new sanctions on the nation of Iran, which has totally taken advantage of our previous administration. And they are the world's top sponsor of terrorism. And we're not going to stop until that problem is properly solved, and it's not now. It's one of the worst agreements I've ever seen drawn by anybody.

Deeds and words of all Iranian officials, in the present and the past, have put on show the nature of this regime. Putting IRGC in the foreign terrorist organization list (FTO), as many Western lawmakers are suggesting would be a step forward against fundamentalism and terrorism . . . and would save lives.

Police in Bahrain arrested 25 members of an Iran backed terrorist group.

Hassan Mahmoudi is a human rights advocate and social media journalist seeking democracy for Iran and peace for the region.
So now it appears that short-lived national security advisor Mike Flynn made speeches before various Russian entities and was paid for it. To those suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome this is further evidence of collusion with the Russians. Collusion to do what is to ever said, though it was probably Putin who kept Hillary from campaigning in Wisconsin, made Debbie Wasserman Schultz sabotage Bernie Sanders, and forced Donna Brazile to leak CNN debate questions to Team Clinton.

Speaking of the Clinton News Network, CNN has been reduced to fact-checking jokes about Team Trump members using Russian dressing on their salads:

Proving that the rabidly partisan journalists at CNN have way too much time on their hands, reporter Michelle Krupa on Wednesday actually fact checked a White House joke about Russian salad dressing. During his daily briefing on Tuesday, Press Secretary Sean Spicer teased, If the President puts Russian salad dressing on his salad tonight, somehow that's a Russia connection. The humor-challenged CNN sprung into action. On CNN.com, Krupa wrote, Thing is, Russian dressing isn't Russian." Wait for it, here is the devastating bombshell: The mayo and ketchup concoction -- often dressed up with horseradish and spices -- was created in Nashua, New Hampshire. It was grocer James E. Colburn who invented the spread in 1924, according to "New Hampshire Resources, Attractions and Its People, a History," by Hobart Pillsbury. The Washington Post cites the 1927 text, which says Colburn sold the condiment to "retailers and hotels across the country, earning 'wealth on which he was enabled to retire.'"

Democracy and our republic are safe. Another Team Trump lie has been exposed. For all the righteous indignation about Michael Flynns dealings as a private citizen with Russia, one would have thought he was Bill Clinton, making speeches to foreign entities seeking influence with his Secretary of State wife for ungodly sums while donations poured into the Clinton Foundation from foreign governments and individuals to pay, among other thigs, for Chelsea Clintons wedding dress and lifestyle.

One would have thought for all the outrage against Flynn and other members of Team Trump, maybe the chattering class has Flynn confused with John Podesta, the doofus whose password was password and may have violated federal disclosure laws for not disclosing he was paid to sit on the board of various Russian entities:

Hillary Clintons campaign chairman, John Podesta, may have violated federal law when he failed to fully disclose details surrounding his membership on the executive board of Joule Unlimited and the 75,000 common shares he received. The energy company accepted millions from a Vladimir Putin-connected Russian government fund. Podesta joined the executive board of Joule Unlimited Technologies -- a firm partly financed by Putins Russia -- in June 2011 and received 100,000 shares of stock options, according to an email uncovered by WikiLeaks. Podestas membership on the board of directors of Joule Unlimited was first revealed in research from Breitbart News Senior Editor-at-Large and Government Accountability Institute (GAI) President Peter Schweizer. Podesta never disclosed his position on Joule Unlimiteds board of directors and failed to include the stock payout in his federal financial disclosures, as required by law, before he became President Obamas senior adviser in January 2014 -- a possible violation for federal law, according to the Daily Caller News Foundations Investigative Group (The DCNF).

Team Trump and Flynn critics focus on a bogus charge of collusion for which there is no concrete evidence, only reports and speculation about speculation while ignoring the one thing we do know -- that the leaking of intelligence surveillance is a felony. Heres an idea -- how about going after the real criminals?

Let us concede that short-lived national security adviser and former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency Gen. Michael Flynn did a dumb thing when he misled Vice-President Pence on whether he discussed sanctions on Russia in a conversation with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak before President Trump was sworn in January 20.

Flynn may even had said some dumb things in a conversation he should have known was being recorded. But an incoming National Security adviser talking with a Russian counterpart is a violation of the Logan Act, which forbids private citizens from conducting what is essentially foreign policy with foreign governments. Flynn was clearly not a private citizen at the time. He was a member of an administration whose president, Donald Trump, has historically demanded loyalty and truthfulness from his subordinates. Flynn hung Vice President Pence out to dry and gave the administrations enemies ammunition and a scalp they had been looking for. For that his resignation was well-deserved.

Critics of hard-liner Flynn have shamefully accused him and President Trump of being soft on Vladimir Putin and Russia and cite Flynns conversation with the Russian ambassador as proof. Congressional Democrats want a full investigation. Yet they had no problem with Bill and Hillary Clinton brokering deals giving Russia and Putin 20 percent of our uranium supply to benefit Clinton Foundation donors, including Canadian billionaire Frank Giustra.

Giustra earlier had a cozy relationship with Bill Clinton and participated in and benefitted from his involvement in a scam run by the Clinton Foundation in Colombia.

Clinton donor Giustra benefited significantly from his association, even if the people of Columbia didnt: When we met him (Senator Jorge Enrique Robledo) in his wood-paneled office in Colombias Capitol building in May, his desk was stacked high with papers related to Pacific Rubialess labor practices, the result of years of investigative work by his staff. He did not see the Clinton Foundation and its partnership with Giustras Pacific Rubiales as either progressive or positive. The territory where Pacific Rubiales operated, he said, thumbing through pages of alleged human-rights violations, was a type of concentration camp for workers. In September 2005, Giustra and Clinton flew to Kazakhstan together to meet the Central Asian nations president. Shortly thereafter, Giustra secured a lucrative concession to mine Kazakh uranium, despite his companys lack of experience with the radioactive ore. As Bill Clinton opened doors for Giustra, the financier gave generously to Clintons foundation.

As the New York Times reported, this mutual back-scratching gave Clinton donor Giustra control of a significant portion of the worlds uranium supply:

Late on Sept. 6, 2005, a private plane carrying the Canadian mining financier Frank Giustra touched down in Almaty, a ruggedly picturesque city in southeast Kazakhstan. Several hundred miles to the west a fortune awaited: highly coveted deposits of uranium that could fuel nuclear reactors around the world. And Mr. Giustra was in hot pursuit of an exclusive deal to tap them. Unlike more established competitors, Mr. Giustra was a newcomer to uranium mining in Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic. But what his fledgling company lacked in experience, it made up for in connections. Accompanying Mr. Giustra on his luxuriously appointed MD-87 jet that day was a former president of the United States, Bill Clinton. Just months after the Kazakh pact was finalized, Mr. Clintons charitable foundation received its own windfall: a $31.3 million donation from Mr. Giustra that had remained a secret until he acknowledged it last month. The gift, combined with Mr. Giustras more recent and public pledge to give the William J. Clinton Foundation an additional $100 million, secured Mr. Giustra a place in Mr. Clintons inner circle, an exclusive club of wealthy entrepreneurs in which friendship with the former president has its privileges. In February 2007, a company called Uranium One agreed to pay $3.1 billion to acquire UrAsia. Mr. Giustra, a director and major shareholder in UrAsia, would be paid $7.05 per share for a company that just two years earlier was trading at 10 cents per share.

Now isnt that special. Both the Clintons and their donor made off handsomely. Uranium One, which was gradually taken over by the Russians, would later be involved in a curious deal involving Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State. As the New York Times reported:

At the heart of the tale are several men, leaders of the Canadian mining industry, who have been major donors to the charitable endeavors of former President Bill Clinton and his family. Members of that group built, financed and eventually sold off to the Russians a company that would become known as Uranium One. Beyond mines in Kazakhstan that are among the most lucrative in the world, the sale gave the Russians control of one-fifth of all uranium production capacity in the United States. Since uranium is considered a strategic asset, with implications for national security, the deal had to be approved by a committee composed of representatives from a number of United States government agencies. Among the agencies that eventually signed off was the State Department, then headed by Mr. Clintons wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton. As the Russians gradually assumed control of Uranium One in three separate transactions from 2009 to 2013, Canadian records show, a flow of cash made its way to the Clinton Foundation. Uranium Ones chairman used his family foundation to make four donations totaling $2.35 million. Those contributions were not publicly disclosed by the Clintons, despite an agreement Mrs. Clinton had struck with the Obama White House to publicly identify all donors. Other people with ties to the company made donations as well. Soon, Uranium One began to snap up companies with assets in the United States. In April 2007, it announced the purchase of a uranium mill in Utah and more than 38,000 acres of uranium exploration properties in four Western states, followed quickly by the acquisition of the Energy Metals Corporation and its uranium holdings in Wyoming, Texas and Utah.

So Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, along with husband Bill, in exchange for donations, gave nuclear power Russia and Putin control of 20 percent of the worlds uranium supply. Is that what Hillary Clinton meant by a Russian reset? Yet neither congressional Democrats, who accuse Trump and Flynn of being too cozy with Moscow, nor their wholly owned subsidiary, the mainstream media, are eager to talk about the Clinton uranium deals with Russia. They are more curious about an illegally released transcript of an illegally monitored conversation.

Investigate Hillary Clintons collusion with the Russians, not Michael Flynn.

Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
As President Trump won the 2016 Republican nomination and then the national election, Democrats accused him of colluding with the Russian government to steal the election.

While some voters may see this as a startling revelation proving that Trump is anti-American and seeks to undermine the nation, all it reveals is that Democrats are just dragging out their old playbook. Remarkably, these exact same tactics and accusations were used fifty years ago against the iconic leader of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1975 Senator Frank Church chaired a committee in the senate to investigate the potential abuse of the FBI and the intelligence community by the White House and Justice Department ten years before. What they discovered is that the FBI, under Director J. Edgar Hoover, used the FBI to organize a smear campaign against Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The details are startling and reveal that the exact same accusations were used against Dr. King as against Donald Trump. For example, the smear campaign against Dr. King officially began when the FBI initiated a COINTELPRO (counter intelligence program) against Dr. King. In order to provide some justification, the FBI labeled Dr. King a communist. Today President Trump is accused of colluding with the Russians. So far not a single word of evidence has been found to prove these allegations against Trump. Just as the FBI could never prove that Dr. King colluded with communists back in the 1960s.

The truth didnt matter then and it doesnt matter now. While today two committee hearings have been started to investigate President Trump, what the Democrat-led FBI did in the 60s was to investigate Dr. King personally. The communist label was accepted as a trigger to enable the FBI to investigate Dr. King. President John F. Kennedy appointed his brother Robert to be the Attorney General of the United States, a post Jeff Sessions holds today. So both Kennedys were involved in this startling and disturbing tactic: since AG Kennedy could not provide any evidence that Dr. King was a communist, he could not obtain a warrant to wiretap Dr. King. He bypassed that legal requirement and simply ordered the FBI to wiretap Dr. Kings home and the Atlanta, GA Southern Christian Leadership Conference offices. This was done in October, 1963, the month before JFK was assassinated, so JFK knew of this and approved it

On December 23, 1963, a month after JFKs assassination, FBI headquarters held a nine-hour-long conference. In a memorandum, FBI Assistant Director William C. Sullivan stated the conference was: a complete analysis of the avenues of approach aimed at neutralizing King as an effective Negro leader. He recommended: the FBI select a new national Negro leader as Dr. Kings successorand named one. Sullivan stated this action can and will be done. When confronted with this memorandum at the Church Committee Hearing Sullivan responded: Im very proud of this memorandum, one of the best memoranda I ever wrote.

The SCLC was labeled a black hate group. This phony label justified the FBIs continued investigation of SCLC and Dr. King. J. Edgar Hoover himself stated that the goal of the activities against black hate groups should be to prevent the rise of a messiah who could unify and electrify the movement. In 1964 Hoover sent a letter to FBI COINTELPRO offices instructing agents to expose, disrupt, discredit, or otherwise neutralize the activities of black nationalist groups such as the SCLC. Today Donald Trump and his cabinet members are accused of spreading hate speech.

As Dr. King traveled to make speeches, FBI microphones were planted in his hotel rooms to record intimate conversations between King and women. Tapes were mailed to King with a warning which Dr. King and his associates interpreted as an invitation to suicide.

Remember Senator Chuck Schumer publicly warned Trump the Intel community has six ways from Sunday to discredit Donald Trump and this threat was followed by weeks of Intel community leaks.

The similarities dont end there. Just as someone at the IRS leaked Donald Trumps income tax return to Rachel Maddow, the IRS was used in the 1960s to harass Dr. King and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The IRS investigated the tax returns of both Dr. King and the SCLC and found that all the tax returns will properly completed. And the phony news story of the "Russian dossier" with its perverse sexual content has a precedent: the Warren Commission obtained a sexually explicit photograph in a dossier in an attempt to discredit one of their critics.

The FBI also contacted potential donors, using fraudulent letters with forged Dr. King signatures, advising the donors that the IRS was checking SCLC tax records. The purpose of this activity was to cause concern and eliminate future contributions by donors to the SCLC.

For example, documents show that in October 1966 the FBI wanted a third party to contact the Ford Foundations Director McGeorge Bundy and inform him of the subversive backgrounds of Kings principal advisers. (p. 135). However, Mr. Bundy rebuffed these rumors and the FBIs effort to interfere with the Ford Foundations grant to the SCLC was thwarted.

Other potential donors were sent letters suggesting that Dr. Kings alleged liaisons with women would put them in a bad light. Bill Moyers, now a PBS liberal journalist (media-speak for Democratic operative) was LBJs personal assistant and approved distribution of an FBI memorandum summarizing tapes of Dr. King with women to Federal executive agencies and newspapers. He was rewarded with a lifetime career in Public Broadcasting, a position he still uses to criticize Republicans, Donald Trump and others who may become threats to Democrats.

Donald Trump was accused of having improper relations with women by the New York Times. All the women refuted the quotes that were attributed to them. FBI Director James Comey made improper comments about how no prosecutor would pursue a case against Hillary. Thats not his job, and never has been the job of an FBI director. That decision is under the authority AG Loretta Lynch but she turned around and played her role on the tag team and said if the FBI director said theres no case, well I guess theres no case.

The history of the Democratic Party reveals focused efforts to use the FBI, the Intel community, the New York Times, the Washington Post, MSNBC, CBS, NBC, ABC, and CNN among others, to portray their opposition as a communist sympathizer or Russian colluder, as in the case of Donald Trump. The tactics are remarkably similar and prove a conscious, directed and malicious effort to simply smear the person who opposes them in elections with personal attacks, wiretapping, etc. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Trump were both targeted with the identical smear tactics.
Long before President Trump got to be President Trump, leftists warned that, in the White House, he would assume dictatorial powers  would be a Mussolini, perhaps even a Hitler. An early promoter of this bizarre line came from Danielle Allen, in the Washington Post, February 21, 2016. (Ms. Allen contributes a column to the Post's op-ed page and is director of the Safra Ethics Center at Harvard, a position that seems kind of oxymoronic, to this observer, in view of her anti-Trump rants.) Her February 21, 2016 Post column opened:

Like any number of us raised in the late 20th century, I have spent my life perplexed about exactly how Hitler could have come to power in Germany. Watching Donald Trumps rise, I now understand. Leave aside whether a direct comparison of Trump to Hitler is accurate. That is not my point. My point rather is about how a demagogic opportunist can exploit a divided country.

Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, and accelerating since the inauguration of President Trump, January 20, leftists have been warning that President Trump will be an authoritarian figure who will undermine our democracy (with or without the aid of Russia's President V. Putin).

It came, then, as rather a surprise when Chuck Todd, moderator of NBC's Meet the Press, had this to say about President Trump on the April 2 program:

He does not instill fear in this town. And he did instill fear in this town before he took the office. He's eroding away. And by the way, a president needs a little bit of that if you want to get something done.

Imagine, now, that Hillary Clinton had been elected president. Would the Monolithic Media, to alter an observation in March 31 New York Post editorial directed at Trump coverage in the New York Times, print "nonstop anti-Clinton hysteria"? Would the Monolithic Media dare hold an adversarial posture toward President Hillary Clinton? Clearly, the media would be as compliant and fawning toward Hillary Clinton in the White House as they were toward former President Obama.

Could it be, however, that President Obama also instilled a sense of fear among reporters  a sense of fear that would have prevented Chuck Todd, for example, from regularly ranting against the former president as he regularly rants against President Trump? (He usually opens the program with derisive comments aimed at President Trump.) This observer has no doubt that a President Hillary Clinton would have instilled fear among reporters and, more importantly, among editors and publishers. (Indeed, it would not surprise me if it turns out that Hillary Clinton was deeply involved in the surveillance operation conducted by the Obama administration on the Trump campaign and transition, to save the nation  as Danielle Allen would likely put it  from the dangerous Donald Trump.)

We should thank God that Hillary Clinton lost in 2016. Her loss was the nation's gain; it protected, you see, the spirit of a vigorous free press. Had Hillary Clinton won, the Monolithic Media would have been transformed into her pet poodles.
The Democrats' expected filibuster of Judge Neil Gorsuch may be the "dumbest" in the Senate's history, as Rich Lowry writes at the New York Post, but it's all about keeping their agitated base at bay.

Nate Silver, writing at fivethirtyeight.com, as posted at Real Clear Politics, makes the case that while the "Democrats' political endgame is unclear" the Gorsuch filibuster "may simply be a sign of the liberal base's increasing influence over the Democratic coalition."

Based on data from an outside "Election Study," Silver finds that 69 percent of "politically active Democrats," defined as those who donated, went to meetings, put up signs, and the like, "identified as liberal."

These were some of the voters who helped propel Bernie Sanders to almost two dozen primary and caucus victories last year.

Silver's article includes a state-by-state table showing the 23 Democrat senators up for re-election in 2018 (plus two independents) alongside estimates for the liberal base in each state.

The table shows that in 30 of 50 states, more than two thirds of politically active Democrats identified as liberals. In addition, seven of the ten Trump-state Democrats up for re-election are from those 30 states.

In a Trump-state like Montana, where Democrat Jon Tester is up for re-election and has said he will vote against Gorsuch, 76 percent of the active Democratic base identifies as liberal. Silver explains that Montana and other red states tend to have a higher share of liberals among their Democrats:

It's not that Idaho and Utah are blue states, obviously; they're among the most Republican in the country. Nonetheless  perhaps because a lot of moderate voters identify with the GOP in these states  the few Democrats that remain are overwhelmingly liberal.

Regarding Senator Tester, Silver observes:

Nonetheless, he'll be relying on his base for money, volunteers and a high turnout on Election Day. In Montana, the conservatives are conservative  but the Democratic base is fairly liberal also.

North Dakota and West Virginia have lower shares of liberals among Democrats, according to Silver, possibly explaining why Senators Heidi Heitkamp and Joe Manchin plan to support Judge Gorsuch:

But Heitkamp and Manchin probably face more risk from the general election than from a loss of support among their base.

While Mr. Silver provides a numerical rationale for the Democrats' urge to filibuster, some left-leaning pundits, also posted at Real Clear Politics, seem to be grasping at straws to justify a futile attempt at a filibuster.

A CNN column by Julian Zelizer contends that the Gorsuch filibuster "could turn out to be a defining moment for the party in its struggle against the Trump presidency."

Zelizer seems to discount the possibility of the nuclear option, adding:

Stopping Gorsuch, shortly after the collapse of American Health Care Act, would be a massive victory for the party and stimulate the kind of activism that pushed many Republicans away from repealing Obamacare. It would be a defining issue to get Democratic voters out in the midterm election and improve the possibility of a wave election, which becomes more likely with every drip from the Russia scandal.

Note the reliance on the "Russia scandal" to fuel a Democrat wave election.

The Nation's Ari Berman posits "five good reasons" to push the filibuster, starting with the "stolen seat" and adding these:

We know enough about Gorsuch to surmise that he was nominated by Donald Trump to be a smooth-talking advocate on the bench for a far-right ideology. ... The fourth reason is that the president who nominated Gorsuch is under FBI investigation for colluding with Russia, which casts further doubt on the legitimacy of this process.

Not content with the dumbest filibuster in history, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer proposes a constitutionally novel solution that would be laughable if he weren't serious:

So instead of changing the rules, which is up to Mitch McConnell and the Republican majority, why doesn't [sic] President Trump, Democrats, and Republicans in the Senate, sit down, and try to come up with a mainstream nominee?

The hand-wringing over the filibuster belies the fact that the filibuster is largely an anachronism that has long outlived its usefulness. Former White House press secretary Ari Fleisher, quoted at newsmax.com, contends that the opposing sides in the Senate have "tied each other in knots" with a once "rarely-used device" that is now "used standardly":

Its meaning has been distorted. The purpose of it has been obliterated. It is now the device that teaches people that if you get elected to the Senate your job is to block and oppose. It's not to get anything done, and that's the problem. You're pointing it out when a reasonable man like Neil Gorsuch can't even get 60 votes because of the Democrat objections. What makes you think anything can get 60 votes? So what are we going to do, wait until the next election?

While the Democrats' endgame may be unclear, the endgame for the filibuster may be at hand.
Alliances in the byzantine Middle East have a lifespan roughly equivalent to how long it takes for the ink to dry. In 2013, when the Obama administration invited the Russians into Syria to monitor and control Bashar Assad's use of poison gas, Putin used this occasion to cement an alliance with Iran, the Revolutionary Guard, and Hezb'allah. From the standpoint of the parties involved, this alliance made eminent sense.

The alliance defeated rebel forces opposed to Assad. Assad's government became a puppet entity controlled by ventriloquists in Moscow and Tehran. A Shia agenda was inserted into Syria, notwithstanding Assad's Alawite tradition, and the Shia quest for an imperium in the area moved on unabated. The Russians, with a modest investment of military assets, reinforced its carrier base in Tartus, built a major airport in Latakia, established long-term economic development projects in Syria, organized arms deals with Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and supplanted the U.S. as "the strong horse" in the region.

That said, the alliance is starting to fray at the edges. It was recently reported that the Israeli Air Force intercepted Syrian rockets using the Arrow defense battery for the first time. The firing of missiles from Syria, most likely by Hezb'allah, toward Israeli aircraft is unusual. Another report found on the website Ya Sour quoted Hezb'allah sources as saying the group intends to fire long-range projectiles at the Jewish state from mountain ranges under Shia control on both sides of the Syrian and Lebanese borders. U.S. officials noted that Iran poses the most significant threat to U.S. Central Command's complex area of responsibility. What these events suggest is that Hezb'allah and Iran have goals that may be beyond the scope of Russian interests.

It is instructive that on March 7, 2017, the chiefs of staff of the U.S., Russian, and Turkish militaries met in Antalya, Turkey to discuss security problems in Syria and Iraq. Conspicuous in its absence at the meeting was any Iranian representation. In fact, there appears to be evidence of a Russian rapprochement with the U.S. and Turkey at the expense of Iran. It would seem that Iran's role in the arena of Syrian developments is being eliminated or restricted. After all, Russia played its assigned role in the fall of Aleppo and the defeat of the rebels, but it did not sign on to the strategic goals of Iran in the region.

A Russian news website, Pravda.ru, indicated that "Iran is becoming a major problem, first and foremost for Russian interests." Other sources said Iran is "an unpredictable partner." Although this stance may be beneficial for the Trump administration, it is best to recall that Russia will not be swept up into the pathologies of Middle East battles. Iran could also be seen as a bargaining chip in which Russia expects the U.S. to lift sanctions in return for opposing Iranian sponsored terrorism.

In order to mitigate the risk of miscalculation, an open line of communication among the three states has been established (U.S., Turkey, and Russia). There is little doubt that this seemingly benign gesture has the Iranian leadership upset. What it will do to counter the emerging demarche remains to be seen. But on one matter, there cannot be any doubt: Putin achieved his goal in the eastern Mediterranean and will not sacrifice that leverage for Iranian imperial objectives. That may be good news for the United States, but it is too soon to give it a firm thumbs-up.
Following the gas attack on a town in Syria's northern Idib province that killed at least 11 civilians  most of them children  President Trump issued a statement saying the attack was a "consequence" of President Obama's failure to follow through on his 2012 "red line" threat of striking Syria if Syria used chemical weapons again.

Obama was spared total humiliation when he backed off his threat as Russia volunteered to remove all Syrian chemical weapons from Syria's control.

Since 2012, there have been dozens of chemical attacks carried out by the Syrian air force.

Fox News:

President Trump responded with this statement: "Today's chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world. These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution. President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a "red line" against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing. The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack." Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reacted, "While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism. Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions. Anyone who uses chemical weapons to attack his own people shows a fundamental disregard for human decency and must be held accountable." Mohammed Rasoul, the head of a Syrian ambulance service, told the BBC that first responders found people choking in the streets. "Our team is still there, moving patients from one place to another because of overcrowded hospitals," he said. "I am speaking to my team and they are doing fine, but the situation over there is very bad and most of those who are suffering are children." The media center published footage of medical workers appearing to intubate an unresponsive man stripped down to his underwear and hooking up a little girl foaming at the mouth to a ventilator. There was no comment from the government in Damascus or any international agency in the immediate aftermath of the attack. It was the third claim of a chemical attack in just over a week in Syria. The previous two were reported in Hama province, in an area not far from Khan Sheikhoun, the site of Tuesday's alleged attack.

As has been the pattern after these attacks, Syrian or Russian planes proceeded to bomb hospitals in the area, immensely complicating the treatment of victims.

It is unknown exactly what kind of gas was used in the attack. Assad's chemical of choice in the past has been chlorine. But observers on the ground are saying it is likely that there was more than one chemical used in the attack  possibly also sarin gas, which affects the nervous system and not just breathing.

So is Trump right in blaming Obama? The left points to Trump tweets in 2013 that cautioned Obama about bombing Syria.

AGAIN, TO OUR VERY FOOLISH LEADER, DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA  IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN & FROM THAT FIGHT THE U.S. GETS NOTHING!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2013

But that tweet was posted almost a year after Russia saved Obama from having to completely walk back his "red line" threat. By then, bombing Assad's forces made little sense unless the U.S. was willing to go all in for the rebels  something almost everyone believed would facilitate a showdown with the Russians.

Obama's failure to follow through on his threat is dramatic evidence of what happens when a U.S. president puts his enormous power and prestige on the line in threatening military action if a red line is crossed. Assad crossed that line in 2012, and he got away scot-free. As a consequence of Obama's failure, Assad continued to use chemical weapons against rebel-sympathizing civilians.

No better illustration of what happens when a president loses credibility can be found in recent history.

The left can wail and howl all they want. Trump is absolutely, 100% correct. The chemical attack this week is a direct result of President Obama's appalling weakness in the face of clear and unmistakable violations of international law and common decency. Every one of those casualties in Idib province owes his suffering to the former American president.

And Trump was right to call him out for it.
Candidly, I have taken a small break from my intense political activism. Mary and I are preparing to move to West Virginia, where it is cold and the mountainous winding roads do a number on my stomach. Our parents are up in years, and we feel led to move close to them. We have been consumed with moving issues  boxes, etc.

My dear friends at Conservative Campaign Committee emailed me on their campaign to Defeat Jon Ossoff. Quoting Michael Corleone in Godfather III, "just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." The CCC email exposing how the Dems are using the Georgia special election got my blood boiling, pulling me back in from my political hiatus.

Folks, we cannot just sit this one out. The Democrats are using this special election to test the strength of their spoiled-brat anti-Trump backlash. Ossoff is the poster boy of their anti-Trump resistance.

The Dems have pumped $4 million into their effort to elect far-left radical Ossoff for Congress in Georgia. Ossoff marched in the vile Women's March to Resist Trump. That is all you need to know about him, folks. The guy is awful.

The election is April 18. However, in the early voting, the Democrats are outvoting Republicans 2 to 1. We all know how shady Democrats are when it comes to early voting. Anyway, we must fight back!

My bottom line is, we cannot let down our guard for a moment. As patriots, we must stay engaged. Between preparing for our move and donating clothes and stuff to the Goodwill, I must keep at least one eye on what the Dems and the left are doing to block Trump. If leftists are nothing else, they are relentless in their efforts to stop and destroy Trump. We simply cannot allow that to happen. Stay engaged, folks. Please, stay engaged.

Oh, by the way: my patriot sister Amy Kremer, formerly of Tea Party Express, has thrown her bonnet into the ring as a Republican in the Georgia congressional race. Amy is "good conservative people." Please show Amy some love.

Now, please advise. What is the best way to move our second car from Florida to Paw Paw, West Virginia (population 500)?

Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American

Author: Confessions of a Black Conservative: How the Left has shattered the dreams of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Black America

Singer/Songwriter and Conservative Activist

mr_lloydmarcus@hotmail.com

http://www.lloydmarcus.com
This week, the Daily Caller published a story on the Obama administration's use, through national security adviser Susan Rice, of NSA information assets to spy on its political opponents. That story ends with these words:

Other official sources with direct knowledge and who requested anonymity confirmed to The DCNF diGenova's description of surveillance reports Rice ordered one year before the 2016 presidential election.

It seems highly unlikely that Susan Rice knew, one year before the election, that Trump would be Hillary's opponent  so her order would have made sense only if it covered all the serious candidates.

And that suggests an interesting question: did Obama spy on Bernie, too?
Or someone even higher up?

The quote is from the film National Treasure. It is a terrific film about the theft of the Declaration of Independence from the National Archives. The film is chock-full of real American history mixed with actual patriotism, the bete noire of the left.

We Americans find ourselves at a tipping point. It appears that the Obama administration, with the willing submission of our intelligence agencies, surveilled Donald Trump, his campaign, and his transition team beginning as early as October 2015 and escalated the activity after he won the election. Why? No one thought in October that he would win the presidency, and yet surveillance began three months after he announced his candidacy. What did these spies hope to discover? Something to take him out, to be sure. Of what were they so afraid? That he could actually win? Indeed, they were apparently afraid of exactly that and were determined to prevent it.

Because Obama, by executive order and design, made such illegally gathered intelligence available to many more agencies than the past and to so many more people, leaks to the media were assured. That was the plan, especially after Trump won. It worked: D.C. media leaked like a sieve.

But what if someone, anyone, discovered their intense surveillance of the Trump campaign? That would be a big problem. What to do? Invent a reason for all the laws already broken. Oh! They've got it! Accuse Russia of interfering with the election and accuse Trump of colluding with Russia and for causing Clinton's loss. So, retrospectively, they developed this scheme. They had surveilled Trump and his associates, his family, to unearth anything that would take him out of the race, be it some kind depravity or perversion. Collusion with Russia never occurred to them until he won. That was desperation on the fly. And now that plan is collapsing.

Certainly, as a world-class businessman, Trump and his associates might be talking to people around the world. Anyone could have concluded that. The Obama administration already knew there was no "collusion." So what? They could make their scheme work. They could take Trump down, get him quickly impeached with their "plan." The subsequent strategy was not developed until after Trump won. They had to cover their tracks, to invent a reason for their surveillance of his campaign in the event it came to light.

Now, the fact that it was Susan Rice who, if she did not order the surveillance but viewed and unmasked the principals and distributed it, was party to the plan, the plot sickens. Rice is a piece of work. She had no problem lying to all five Sunday news programs after U.S. ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens was murdered in the 2012 Benghazi attack. She made up, or at least acquiesced to, the phony video-did-it story, long ago disproved as an outright fabrication. Like Hillary Clinton, Rice is a pathological liar thoroughly at ease with her prevarications. She was interviewed by the oh, so solicitous Andrea Mitchell on Tuesday, denying any wrongdoing but admitting it all the same. A few weeks ago, she knew nothing about this; now she admits to unmasking but not to leaking. Hmmm. Selective memory: the refuge of the guilty.

Obviously some very serious, Soviet-style crimes have been committed by operatives in the Obama administration. Obama transformed America, to be sure; he moved us toward the socialist totalitarianism that has devastated every nation in which it has taken root. But now they've been caught. And someone has to go to jail. This kind of attack on our country cannot stand. The promulgators of the Russia-Trump collusion meme have yet to produce the tiniest bit of evidence to prove their claim. Now that their calumny has been discovered, they are going to fight back like cornered Tasmanian devils. CNN has essentially refused to cover the story. They do not report what they do not want to believe. The MSM are frantically searching for and publishing ridiculous stories they think will convince us of Trump's collusion with Russia.

Another quote from the Declaration of Independence and National Treasure: "Of all the ideas that became the United States, there's a line here that's at the heart of all the others: "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and provide new Guards for their future security."

As difficult as it is for many Americans to accept Trump as their president, he just may be our savior, the new guardian of our future security. Those who participated in the Obama administration did transform America. They felt entitled to become despots, to diminish the citizenry and the Constitution. It was and remains our duty not only to throw them off, but to bring them to justice. Egregious crimes have been committed by the previous administration. Someone has to go to jail.
Ecuador is bitterly divided over the presidential election last Sunday. Some experts are saying Ecuador is bucking the movement to the right that we saw in Argentina and Brazil. Frankly, I would not jump to conclusions about an election that half of the country is not accepting. There are some rough days ahead for this little country in South America.

Down in Ecuador, we saw protests again:

Supporters of Ecuadorean opposition leader Guillermo Lasso gathered in the streets for a second night Monday to protest what they consider fraud at the ballot box that tilted a presidential runoff in favor of his leftist rival. Sunday's razor-thin election win by ruling party candidate Lenin Moreno bucked the trend of right-wing electoral victories in South America following 15 years of leftist domination. Even as calls from Latin American governments congratulating Moreno poured in, Lasso, a conservative banker, vowed to keep up the fight against the installation of an "illegitimate" government.

The current score is Lenin Moreno 51%, Guillermo Lasso 49%, with 99% of the vote reported. The raw numbers are roughly 200,000 out of 4.8 to 5 million votes.

Lasso is challenging results because several exit polls had him up, one by 5-6 points.

The right is pointing out that there were serious problems with the official website counting votes  i.e., memories of 1988 Mexico, when the official computer crashed.

Furthermore, violence was also reported in some provinces, and it may be related to voter suppression.

The other issue is that the right just does not trust the bureaucracy put together by incumbent President Rafeal Correa, a leftist leader who has divided the country terribly. Let's call it "Deep State, Ecuador-style.

Back to the article:

Part of the problem is the opposition's distrust of the National Electoral Council, which it says has become an appendage of the executive in the way the electoral board in Venezuela has all but lost independence under President Nicolas Maduro, a key ally of Correa. "We're looking at an unprecedented situation: those behind the fraud are the judges themselves," Lasso told foreign reporters, adding that his campaign would seek a recount once the results are certified. "We expect they'll deny our requests but in doing so they'll be confirming the fraud." Despite such heated rhetoric Lasso so far has failed to present any evidence of vote tampering except for a single voting act of 248 ballots from a rural area whose tally is says was reversed in favor of Moreno when official results were computed.

The left will probably win this one thanks to the Deep State.

Again, it's not what the country needs. Mr. Assange in London may be the only person in the world who feels good about this count.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
There are reports that the Trump administration is considering what it is calling "extreme vetting," which would seem to consist of asking potential visitors for their phones to see whom they've been calling and get access to their social media accounts.

President Trump's administration is reviewing ways to enact the "extreme vetting" practices he often mentioned during his campaign, The Wall Street Journal reported. Administration officials told the newspaper they are evaluating whether to require foreign nationals who visit the U.S. to divulge cellphone contacts and passwords for social media.

This is ridiculous to the extreme. Once word gets out about this, terrorists are not going to bring their cell phones to the airport. They'll bring a new phone that has a record of only a few harmless calls on it. They will make up social media accounts that are similarly benign.

The fact is, there is no way to do "extreme vetting."

If someone is suspected of plotting a terrorist attack in America, the authorities can investigate. They can look at phone records. They can look at internet activity. They can follow and surveil, and they can interview acquaintances.

But our government doesn't have the ability to do this with people in other countries. That's why if he is not already on some terrorist watch list, we can have no idea if someone coming into the country is a terrorist or not. That's why we rely so heavily on the home country for information. If someone is coming from France, we can contact the French government and find out if this person has a suspicious background. The same with Canada and Germany and many other countries.

The problem is with countries that are state sponsors of terrorism, like Iran, or countries that have no government, like Somalia or Syria. There is no way people from these countries can be vetted.

Conservatives laughed at Obama when he insisted that refugees from these countries are vigorously vetted. Trump's idea of "extreme vetting" by checking Facebook pages is similarly preposterous.

The only way to be safe is not to let people in from such countries. It is a pity that President Trump has already gone back on his promise not to let any more Syrian refugees into the country. During the campaign, he promised to send the ones here back to Syria.

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump says if he takes the White House, he will send back Syrian refugees coming to the U.S. "I'm putting the people on notice that are coming here from Syria as part of this mass migration," he told an audience in Keene, N.H. "If I win, they're going back. They're going back. I'm telling you. They're going back."

He won, but they aren't going back. I'm telling you. In fact, President Trump has been letting even more in.

In March alone, he let in 282 from Syria. No court or judge forced Trump to admit these refugees; the decision to award refugee status is one made only by the executive branch. President Trump also let in 335 from Somalia, another lawless land full of Islamic extremists, as well as 192 from Iraq and 101 from Iran.

Perhaps the Trump administration checked the Facebook pages of those Syrians and Somalis and concluded they weren't a threat. A better solution would be not to let them in at all.

Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.
President Trump said if the Ryan "Obamacare Lite" bill failed, there would be no more efforts to repeal Obamacare. He then proceeded to trash the House Freedom Caucus and to demand their ouster in the 2018 primaries.

But that was last week.

This week, there are news stories indicating that President Trump's people are negotiating, behind the scenes, with the Freedom Caucus on an Obamacare repeal compromise. One of the major problems the Freedom Caucus had with the Ryan bill was that it did not repeal the "essential health services" requirement, which required all policies to cover a number of very expensive options. For example, one essential service is providing unlimited health coverage. If one person needs ten million dollars of health care, it raises the premiums for everyone else. Another is requiring insurers to insure people with pre-existing conditions. People who waited until they got sick before getting insurance are "free riders," having paid nothing into the system but forcing everyone else with insurance to pay for them, again with higher premiums.

The compromise being worked out would allow states to apply for a waiver that would permit insurers in their states to issue policies that do not cover what the Obama administration considered essential health services. That way, at least "red state" Americans could enjoy the lower premiums that would result from being able to buy policies without all sorts of mandates built into them.

Among the changes intended to woo conservatives is a proposal to let states seek a federal waiver from key Obamacare regulations they say are driving up health insurance premiums. One option being considered, for instance, would allow governors to opt out of Obamacare's "community rating" provision, a protection that prohibits insurers from charging sick people higher premiums. That measure would be coupled with an increase in dedicated funding to bring down premiums for the sick.

In practice, however, such a compromise would be no compromise at all.

1) People in blue states would still be locked into paying higher premiums, since their Democrat legislatures would not seek such waivers. People in blue states would be denied any relief, and believe it or not, there are actually some Republicans in California and New York.

2) The waiver system would last only until a Democrat became president. Once that happened, he could simply rescind the waivers and require all states to cover all "essential health services." It would not even take an act of Congress.

3) By letting states individually opt in or out of "essential health services," we are deprived of interstate competition among insurers. We need that greater competition to lower premiums, especially in underserved markets with only one or two insurers.

Some conservatives in Congress recognize this.

"I don't know of a single Republican that got elected promising to be generous with waivers from our all-powerful position," said Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), who said the proposal would still fall short of a full repeal of Obamacare. "I want to get to where we promised." Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), who's also had separate conversations with the administration, said federal waivers would be susceptible to changes by future presidential administrations. The changes, he said, "may be sufficient to persuade some people to accept an otherwise bad piece of legislation but in and of itself is insufficient to persuade me."

The bottom line is, it should be up to the consumer, not the state, and not the federal government, to decide what kind of insurance policy he wants and what kind of coverage he desires. Until choice is returned to the consumer, premiums will remain high. Any temporary "fixes" that rely on having a Republican president for the rest of our lives aren't worth the paper they're written on.

Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.
A former Flagstaff business owner has admitted to years of not paying taxes.

Robert Burrell plead guilty to one count of tax evasion in a Tucson Federal Court on Friday.

Burrell is the owner of Arizona Brothers and Company, which specializes in repairing mining equipment.

According to court documents, in 1996, Burrell created an account at a Chase Bank branch for his business under a false IRS employer identification number. He didnt file any income tax returns for the income from the business for 2009, 2011 and 2012. He also failed to file personal income taxes with the federal government in 2010.

He used the trusts and the bank account to pay for vacations, painting his home in Flagstaff, painting his mothers home, payment on his mothers car, payment on property taxes for homes in Tucson and Flagstaff, a concrete driveway for the home in Flagstaff and payment toward a divorce settlement.

He also used one of the trusts to disguise the fact that he owned property in Tucson.

The IRS stated that Burrell knowingly had an unreported $554,741 in taxable income from 2009 to 2012.

His sentencing is set for June 13.

Burrells plea deal states that he will serve five years of probation and pay $344,012 in restitution no later than 14 days after his sentencing.

The plea deal states that one of the reasons that Burrell did not receive jail time was because he has a terminal illness; however, the court document does not state what that illness is.

A federal judge is not required to accept Burrells plea deal, and if the deal is denied then Burrell will face his original charges of three counts of tax evasion and one misdemeanor count for failure to file an income tax return.
The Flagstaff Police Department is urging residents to remember the effects of gun violence on communities and the importance of safe firearm use.

The Flagstaff Police Department is committed to doing its part in preventing incidents of gun violence, Department PIO Corey Runge said via a press release. This effort starts with communicating with our citizens in order to emphasize the extent of the issue and the importance of firearm safety.

The press release cited national data to show the full extent of gun violence, but Runge also said that national data does not indicate a gun-problem in Flagstaff.

According to data from the Every Town for Gun Safety website, 93 Americans are killed with guns on an average day and there have been 58 incidents in 2017 where a child has killed or injured someone with a gun.

The release also mentioned law enforcement officers killed by gun violence.

According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, 38 law enforcement officers were killed by firearms in 2015.

Runge said that many of these fatal accidents can be prevented if people are more aware of safe gun use.

Individuals who own or operate firearms should be familiar with principles of gun safety and safe gun storage, Runge said. Some resources for these topics include the National Rifle Association, Project Child Safe or an in-person gun handling course.

Runge went on to say that the purpose of the police department's public service announcement was not to single out gun owners.

We recognize the constitutional right to bear arms, and we appreciate the countless individuals who are safe and responsible in owning firearms, Runge said. We hope that the information and resources we have shared will increase the number of people who follow these safe practices so that their guns will not be used illegally to inflict harm.

The departments press release is part of a series on gun violence prevention. The second part of the series will come out next week.
The nighttime closure to add turning and passing lanes to State Route 89A has more than tripled the commute for some Flagstaff residents working in Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon.

The project originally required the entire highway to be closed between 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., but pleas from commuters and local elected officials promoted the U.S. Department of Transportation to delay the closure an hour, instead closing the highway from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Courtney Hom, the restaurant manager at the Junipine Resort in Sedona, commutes from Flagstaff every day. The 89A closure extended her usual 21-mile commute to more than 60 miles one way.

All of Homs staff in the restaurant live in Flagstaff and commute for work, as well as 35 percent of the total resort staff, she said.

When the closure took effect, Hom wrote a letter to the Federal Highway Administration as well as local elected officials asking for the closure times to be adjusted and proposing alternate routes for commuters during the construction period. After reaching out to Supervisor Matt Ryan, Hom said the FHA was willing to begin the closure at 9 p.m., which gives Hom and her staff a better chance of taking 89A home after work, instead of having to take Interstate 17.

This has left us in a predicament, with very little time to figure everything out, Hom wrote in part. This road closure will add an hour to two hours and triples the number of miles to my staff's daily commute, which is not ideal, as Im sure you can imagine.

Hom said the resort was only notified a few weeks before the closure went into effect, leaving employees with few options and managers with little time to plan.

Other businesses in Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona said they have felt the effects of the closure as well.

Kevin Harrison, an employee at Orchard Canyon on Oak Creek, said the detour has affected both employees and guests. Harrison said employees have had to tell guests that their day trips to Flagstaff or the Grand Canyon might require substantially more drive time, depending on when they choose to come back.

Weve had to tell guests they have to take the long way instead of the short way, he said.

Now that the daily closure time has been moved back an hour, Hom said she and her staff are sometimes able to use 89A.

Now, at least we are able to use the switchbacks one way, she said. But, if a customer stays in the restaurant until 8:45, then we have to go around to get home.

The resort has decided to compensate employees for the extra gas expense caused by the closure, which Hom said has been a big help for her and her colleagues. Without the extra compensation, Hom said she feared some of her staff might quit their jobs and look for something closer to home, rather than drive an extra 40 miles daily for the next six or seven months.

The closure will also affect the tourists who come to Sedona to stay and travel around northern Arizona, Hom said.

Weve had guests say they didnt want to drive to the Grand Canyon because of the closure, she said. Were losing our tourism.

While staff are often able to leave work before the closure goes into effect, Hom said if the restaurant is busy or they cannot get everything done in time, they have to take the I-17 instead.

Its something we just have to deal with, she said. We have to just suck it up and go the other way.
Braving near white-out snow conditions Monday evening, dozens of people poured into the Coconino County Board of Supervisors Chambers to express near-unanimous opposition to a request by the states largest electric power company to increase its rates.

Bob Burns and Doug Little, who sit on the Arizona Corporation Commission, traveled to Flagstaff to hold a public hearing for the rate case Arizona Public Service filed with the state utility regulator last year.

As the utilitys proposal stands now, residential rates would increase an average of $6 per month, new customers would be temporarily restricted from some plan options and solar customers would face limitations on their rate plan choices as well as reductions in the price they receive for electricity exported back to the grid. The utilitys proposal includes flat rate, time of use and demand-based options as well as a pilot program for customers with certain energy-saving and self-generation technologies like solar panels.

The commissioners are holding several hearings throughout the state before evidentiary hearings in the case begin later this month. The case will go before commissioners this summer.

Attendees had problems with many of the components of APS rate proposal, including one the increases the basic service charge for the standard flat-rate plan from about $8.50 per month to about $15 per month. About 40 percent of APS customers are currently on that type of plan. A 76 percent increase is especially concerning for lower income residents that make up a sizeable portion of the countys population, said Sonya Montoya, chair of the Community Action Agency Advisory Board.

Without even increasing electricity use, low-income households will pay more just in service charges, Montoya said. She noted that 23 percent of Coconino County residents live at or below the poverty level and that people in the county who earn less than 50 percent of the poverty level pay 24.5 percent of their annual income toward home energy bills, the highest ratio in the state.

Also drawing ire from public speakers was the part of the APS plan that requires new customers to initially go on a time of use or demand-based plan, both of which charge customers more for energy use during peak times of the day and are meant to spur energy conservation.

Currently, about 570,000 of APS 1.1 million customers are on a time of use or demand-based plans while 480,000 are on flat rate plans.

Under the APS proposal, new customers must stay on either of the former two plans for at least 90 days before being allowed to transition a plan with a flat, per-kilowatt-hour charge.

While time of use and demand-based rates are well-meaning, they dont always work well for lower income customers, said Janet Regner, director of Coconino County Community Services.

Lower income consumers many times are working two and three jobs and those are at shifts when they cannot control when they are cooking meals for their family or when they are doing their laundry. And we all know, human nature being what it is, that opting out of a situation is much more difficult and time-consuming. Consequently, it usually doesnt occur, she said.

Regner also responded to statements by Commissioner Little that suggested those concerned about APS rate increases should explore federal assistance available to help low income residents to cover their energy costs.

The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program funds that APS receives to help Coconino County residents cover just 5 percent of people eligible for that assistance, Regner said. The program has already seen reductions and President Donald Trumps budget proposes to cut funding for the program entirely, which leaves those residents in an even tougher spot, she said.

Many other speakers made clear that they want to see an APS rate structure that supports and encourages renewable energy in the state. The hearing was attended by several representatives of the solar industry, including Seth Holland, co-founder of Rooftop Solar.

We are leading in solar, we are growing companies, we are employing people. Lets continue down that path, lets not let one company's interest interfere with that, Holland said.

While not directly related to the APS rate case, several people, including Coconino County Supervisor Art Babbott, commented about the lack of transparency or disclosure regarding unconfirmed reports that APS parent company spent millions in 2014 to help elect Little and fellow Republican Tom Forese.

People must be able to have confidence that our regulators are free of undue influence, Babbott said.

The hearing in Flagstaff didn't come without a bit of controversy. Though city officials as well as Mayor Coral Evans sent requests to the commission for a local hearing on the APS rate case, such an event wasnt scheduled until late last moth when Burns went public with his struggles to get his fellow commissioners to even consider a Flagstaff hearing. Then, a news release announcing the Flagstaff event initially didn't include any acknowledgement of Burns' efforts, crediting only Little for expressing an interest in a hearing here. It was soon revised.

Little did credit Burns at the hearing.

"Commissioner Burns did the heavy lifting to get it to happen," he said. "I was just a helper on it."
WASHINGTON  Arizona saw a 6 percent increase in solar jobs in 2016, bouncing back from a sharp drop the year before but still trailing well behind the national average growth of 25 percent in solar jobs.

Arizonas 7,310 solar-related jobs put it seventh-most among states last year, according to the Solar Foundations 2016 National Solar Jobs Census released Monday.

But experts said the nearly 400 new jobs in the state last year followed a drop of more than 2,000 in 2015, when a change in utility company charges to owners of solar-powered homes drove down demand for solar power installation.

We used to be number two right next to California, now were number seven, said Harvey Bryan, senior sustainability scientist at Arizona State University.

Bryan and others blame the change on the states net metering rules, which had allowed solar system owners to get credits for excess electricity they put back on the grid. But utilities began imposing a fee on solar customers in 2015, and Bryan said the rooftop solar industry in Arizona collapsed.

Utilities like SRP eliminating net metering in their service area or on any new installations literally killed rooftop solar in the SRP territory  so almost every installer left the area because they cant make the projects pencil out, Bryan said.

The attractiveness of rooftop solar is just not there anymore because there is a surcharge that has to be paid to the utility for connecting your system, he said.

But an SRP spokesman defended the practice Monday, saying the new price plan for residential solar customers lets the utility adequately recover the cost rooftop solar customers impose on maintaining the energy grid, which they still rely on for electricity at night and when skies are cloudy.

Customers in SRP service territory who install solar on their homes today continue to save on their monthly SRP bill, said Jeff Lane, the spokesman.

Calls seeking comment from other utilities and the Arizona Corporation Commission were not immediately returned Monday.

But an official with the Solar Foundation said net metering is an important part of the favorable policy environment that states need to ensure consistent growth in their solar industries.

One of the important things is the ability to sell your excess power back to the grid at the retail electric rates, said Ed Gilliland, senior director of programs at the Solar Foundation.

About 45 states in the country allow you to do that. If you put solar power on your roof, an excess goes back to the grid at the retail rate, he said. A lot of utilities are pushing back on that rate.

Gilliland said solar industry growth has started to spread from its traditional base in California and the Southwest, as payment incentives such as net metering have been effective in other parts of the country.

He said states like Massachusetts and Vermont, not typically thought of as centers of solar jobs, are going strong because they have encouraged solar development and have policies that support the industry. Massachusetts 14,000 solar jobs put it second to California, which dwarfed other states with 100,050 jobs last year.

Nationally, there were more than 260,000 solar workers in 2016, a near tripling of solar jobs in just six years.

Were not just having a good year, were having a lot of good years, said Andrea Luecke, president and executive director of the Solar Foundation. Seventy-eight percent of jobs are on the demand side, they have to do with people saying, I want solar, and all those companies clamoring to make that happen.

Luecke said growth is a direct result of falling solar costs for consumers.

The Solar Foundation report said it expects Arizona to see solar job growth of about 17 percent this year. Despite that projected increase, Bryan said the states net metering policies are not helping the situation.

The utilities are legacy companies that want to protect their interest and theyre threatened now by distributed solar, Bryan said. Theyre creating as many impediments to the industry as possible, but its subtle. It adds up to creating a really negative climate in this industry.
PHOENIX  Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery is asking Gov. Doug Ducey to veto legislation to make it more difficult for him and other prosecutors to seize property unless changes are made in the measure.

And the governor said he is listening.

Montgomery told Capitol Media Services on Tuesday he does not believe it is necessary to change the law so that a judge would have to find there is clear and convincing evidence that the cash or property a prosecutor wants to take is linked to a crime before it must be forfeited to the state. He said the entire controversy has been generated by groups on the right who have also used it for fundraising.

The county attorney said there's nothing wrong with the current preponderance of the evidence standard, even though that is far easier to prove. Some proponents of the change said the higher standard is appropriate, especially as there is no requirement of prosecutors to actually charge anyone with a crime.

That's usually from very narrow minds who couldn't understand that the entire focus of a process like this is on the property, not the person, Montgomery said, with the laws designed to deprive criminals and their organizations of their assets versus locking someone up. He said that's why the standard of proof is different.

Some of these pretend conservative organizations usually understand the difference between criminal courts and civil courts, he said.

Montgomery did not name names. But the legislation was supported by a broad spectrum of groups, ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union to the Free Enterprise Club, the Institute for Justice, the Goldwater Institute and Americans for Prosperity.

But they've somehow forgotten it when it came to this issue, he said.

Despite those complaints, Montgomery insisted the real reason he wants a veto is because HB 2477 would give each county's board of supervisors the power to approve  or veto  how the proceeds are spent. And worse yet from his perspective is that the supervisors could hire another attorney to advise them on how the elected county attorney should be spending the cash.

Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert, who crafted the legislation, sniffed at Montgomery's objections to the oversight. He said that's the purpose of the elected supervisors who control the county budget.

And he rejected Montgomery's contention that there's no reason for the board to be able to hire outside counsel for advice.

If you're going to have a board that has oversight, it makes absolutely no sense that the person they have oversight of gets to choose who's going to give them the legal advice to decide if they're engaging in lawful practices, Farnsworth said.

Montgomery also complained about new reporting requirements in the statute, detailing how prosecutors  and the police agencies that work with them  are spending their money. He said the kind of detail that would have to be produced in formal reports really reflects the incompetence of some of these groups in being able to file a proper public records request.

All that information is available in reports that have to be filed now, Montgomery said. And he said while a new report won't be a problem for his agency, that isn't the case for smaller, rural counties.

They don't have the people who can be working on this 24/7, he said. It does represent a serious resource impact.

And Montgomery said something more sinister may be at work here.

If it's the goal of these special interest groups to deny the ability of rural counties to use asset forfeiture in the first place, well, then, they're going to be doubly successful, he said.

Farnsworth said that argument about resources holds no water, saying prosecutors can use forfeiture proceeds for such reports. Nor was he persuaded about the problems in rural areas.

It's always more difficult for small counties to do everything the legislature asks, he said.

Under that argument, we wouldn't do anything, Farnsworth continued, such as making certain things a crime solely because the smaller counties don't have the same budget as larger counties to house inmates.

If it turns out to be overly burdensome, then we'll have to figure something out, he said.

The governor, for his part, said he wants to see some sort of legislation.

I think this is an area of law in need of reform, Ducey said.

But Ducey said he is getting lobbied by prosecutors to quash the measure if it arrives on his desk in its current form. And he would not say whether he is willing to sign this legislation which was approved unanimously by both the House and Senate.

I've heard from people I respect on both sides who I think are making very significant points, the governor said, calling this legislation I want to get deeper into the weeds on.
Pierre Omidyars new journalism is no truth serum for fake news

Combatting the rise of so-called fake news is billionaire eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, who will pay $100 million to fund investigative journalism. Omidyars Omidyar Network, his philanthropic investment company, aims to give $1 billion to good causes.

The company could, of course, pay more taxes and let democratically elected Governments invest the money. In 2016, eBay paid 1.1 million tax on 1 billion of UK sales. But thats another argument. Corporations pay tax on profits not revenues. And being tax efficient might be a badge of honour. This one is about fake news.

Omidyar aims to alter the root causes of the global trust deficit. Omidyar Network partner Stephen King adds: A free and independent media is key to providing trusted information and critical checks and balances on those in positions of power.

Good news, then. Free speech has a new champion. And hes got very deep pockets and long arms.

But the Washington Post says the money is to boost journalism and fight hate speech. But hate speech is free speech. How can you talk truth to power it you cant offend the powerful for fear of being called a hater? How can you encourage government accountability and transparency if you cant say things they would rather no-one knew?

As for fake news, the incessant talk of its unbridled power to corrupt society speaks less of a mistrust in journalism (you can and should read more than one news source) than it does of the elites panic rooted in the popular vote for Donald Trump and Brexit. Unable to grasp the truth that the majority employed reason when they voted against the status quo, the condescending losers call them thick. No need to work out why the working classes grabbed their chance to revolt and say enough when you can reduce them to pliable, unthinking goons. But the knowing are not without sympathy for the fools who got it wrong. You deplorables didnt understand you were voting badly because you were tricked by a Russian news bot and demented demagogues. We should take your right to vote away but lets see if you can first be re-educated.

The knowing should take care not to use any text book featuring dodgy dossiers about Weapons of Mass Destruction, Jews drinking gentile blood, Benjamin Franklins tales of platoons of scalping Indians working in league with King George III to slaughter patriots and the myriad other fake news stories the powerful have employed down the ages to prop up the establishment.

Nowadays anyone can pump out a bogus news story. The power has shifted.

So will a big investment in investigative journalism help us see the truth of things and reveal stories the powerful, famous, protected and criminal dont want revealed? It cant hurt. Itll also be interesting to see which stories keep appearing at the top of Omidyars objective news cycle.

And amplifying alternative voices is a lot more attractive than any paternalistic regime acting as journalisms gate-keeper, checking the facts and telling us what is and is not true. There is always more than way to view a story. But if look hard enough, truth can be discovered. More news is good news.

Paul Sorene

Posted: 5th, April 2017 | In: Key Posts, Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
(ANSA) - Rome, April 5 - Last year's earthquakes in central Italy, immigration and the environment were the focus of talks between President Sergio Mattarella and Britain's Prince Charles at the presidential palace in Rome Wednesday.

"Italy is in our hearts" and British citizens were "very disturbed by the terrible series of earthquakes" that hit Italy, Charles told Mattarella. The "cordial" talks also touched on the issue of immigration and the importance of cultural heritage and the defence of the environment, sources said.

The head of State thanked Charles - accompanied by his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall - for his visit to the quake-hit village of Amatrice which had brought "much comfort" to the population on Sunday.

Mattarella explained to the prince how delicate reconstruction work is in countries that are so full of history.

The president than voiced gratitude, via the heir to the throne, for Britain's action in the Mediterranean where the migrant emergency remains very high and a greater collective commitment is needed.

Charles earlier met Premier Paolo Gentiloni, with whom he had half an hour of "friendly" talks, officials said. He also visited the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organisation, telling Secretary-General Jose' Graziano da Silva and other officials how much he "admired your work in the field".


NEW YORK- The gas attack that killed 72 including 20 children at Khan Sheikhun in Syria Tuesday "is also a tragic reminder that international law and the resolutions of this Council continue to be blatantly violated," Italy's permanent representative at the UN, Ambassador Sebastiano Cardi, said Wednesday.



"As long as no one is found responsible for these war crimes and crimes against humanity, the incentive will be to continue to carry them out," he said, reaffirming Italy's support for draft resolution from the US, France and Britain condemning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Assad has denied responsibility.



Cardi went on: "This is the reason why the fight against impunity must be a priority shared by this Council".



Cardi said Italy was "shocked" by the despicable" attack and reaffirmed that the solution to the Syrian crisis could only be political, not military.



Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said those responsible for war crime must be brought to justice.



The UN said Wednesday the attack was the worst since 2013.



Save the Children said that 2.5 million Syrian children were going without aid because of the fighting.

5 kids, 16 women killed in Syria attack, doc to ANSA. All suffocated, toll of 74 set to rise 'over 100'

BEIRUT - There are 25 children and 16 women among the 74 civilians killed in Tuesday's gas attack in Syria, Dr Ahmad Dbays told ANSA Wednesday. He said the overall toll of 74 was "destined to rise, perhaps above 100," because of the critical condition of many of those injured. Dr Dbays said the symptoms of the victims "indicate the use of sarin". (ANSAmed).
Lebanon 'ticking time bomb' due to Syrian war fallout, PM Residents 'will seek a home elsewhere' barring changes

(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, APRIL 5 - Lebanon is a ''ticking time bomb'', Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Wednesday, due to consequences of the Syrian war and huge refugee community resulting.



''Lebanon cannot and won't continue to sustain the consequences of hosting 1.5 million displaced on its territory unless a new plan is put in place,'' Hariri said, addressing the Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region.



He noted that there are 4 million Lebanese in the country, alongside 1.5 million Syrians and over half a million Palestinians, comparing the situation to if 500 million EU citizens had to deal with 250 million people ''arriving in a single night'' and having to deal with them even if the EU was already experiencing difficulties. Hariri called on countries at the conference to ''invest in hope'', warning that otherwise desperation and radicalization would grow. Given worsening economic conditions of the country, he said that this would lead many Lebanese and Syrians to ''seek another home''. (ANSAmed).




Italian cinema triumphs at Tetouan MedFilm festival Indivisibili by Martone wins Grand prix

(ANSAmed) - ROME, APR 5 - Italian Cinema triumphs at the 23rd Mediterranean Film Festival in Tetouan. Two years after the success of Il Giovane Favoloso by Mario Martone, Italy is back onto the top step of the podium with Indivisibili by Edoardo De Angelis which on Friday April 1st, was awarded the Grand prix de la ville de Tetouan.



The Jury, chaired by Panos Karkanevatos (Greece) and composed by Cristiana Paterno (Italy), Francais Bordat (France), Kadhy Toure (Ivory Coast) Fatima Loukili (Morocco) e Cristina Plazas (Spain) unanimously assigned the prestigious recognition to De Angelis' film.



Cristiana Paterno, guest of the Italian delegation as jury member, said that "in the selection, I appreciated the great variety of styles and points of view about both the film industry and society. I don't know if there is a Mediterranean cinema, but looking at reality from this viewpoint is stimulating and innovative. In the end, the Italian film prevailed. We all learnt a lot from such a rich and sincere competition, the Tetouan Festival deserves to further grow and I would like to stress that it has always given relevance to the Italian film industry, thanks to the collaboration with the MedFilm in Rome. There was a strong female presence both in the jury as well in the selection of the official competition which has presented mainly stories of women and many films directed by women". The Forum of the Mediterranean Film Commission was one among the special events proposed by the Festival. Italy was represented by Luciano Sovena, President of the Foundation Roma Lazio Film Commission: "I'm happy and proud for having attended the Tetouan Festival - he said - and in particular, the meeting between Film Commissions from Spain, France and Morocco which has received an important contribution from the Roma Lazio Commission. We are about to launch a platform for the Mediterranean film industry to exchange ideas, proposals, to coproduce films of common interest. An agreement among the Mediterranean countries will be reached to provide a new form of cultural, social and industrial collaboration." In the framework of the Festival, a meeting was held on "When the cinema goes beyond man-made frontiers" with the participation of journalist Beatrice Fiorentino. "An incredible opportunity - she said - for a cultural enrichment further enhanced by meeting, sharing and exchanging views, perspectives, approaches. This edition, in particular, highlighted the theme on frontiers and on the power of cinema to go beyond the borders imposed by men, thus providing an opportunity to investigate the very same nature of the seventh art under different angles: from the mere linguistic and narratological aspects up to the unavoidability of a militant aesthetic process to analyse topical issues such as migrations affecting the Mediterranean".




We dont wish to make anyone feel unwelcome in Flagstaff, much less someone who has committed to moving from his longtime home in a faraway state to lead a major public institution here.

So our comments on the selection of Michael Penca of Mason City, Iowa, to lead the Flagstaff Unified School District will be directed at the search and hiring process that brought him here. By all accounts, Mike Penca is a good man. But whether he is a good fit for FUSD superintendent seems in doubt.

To start at the end, Pencas hiring was clearly rushed. He was one of two finalists announced in late February. Within two weeks, one finalist had dropped out, to be replaced by a second. They were interviewed in Flagstaff on the same day in late March and the board agreed the next day to offer the job to Penca.

Why the hurry? Within two weeks, Kim Khatibi, one of three FUSD board members out of five who voted to hire Penca, announced she was leaving the board to join her husband at his new job in Seattle. She had wanted to stay long enough to make the new hire, she told the Daily Sun.

Usually, school boards look to reach consensus when making such an important decision. If they cant agree, they will re-evaluate the job criteria or the pay  even change consultants  then launch a new search.

In this case, one board member, Kara Kelty, wasnt on board with either of the two finalists. Another, Carole Gilmore, had an undisclosed conflict of interest and couldnt vote. That means 40 percent of the group that will be the new superintendents boss didnt vote for him.

Kelty said she had nothing personally against either finalist. Her concern was that they were from much smaller districts in less diverse communities and with no experience dealing with Arizonas complex school funding process.

That all seems true about Mason City, Iowa, and its schools, where Penca is the interim superintendent. It is a city of 28,000 that lost population between 2000 and 2010, according to the census. Yet when the city had the chance to get a meat packing plant with 1,800 jobs last year, it denied the company a permit. The school district has fewer than 4,000 students (FUSD has nearly 10,000) and is 95 percent white (FUSD is less than 50 percent white).

On the other hand, Mason City has an All-American reputation as the model for The Music Man written by city native Meredith Wilson. And its Kraft Foods plant produces the entire U.S. supply of refrigerated ready-to-eat Jell-O pudding snacks.

If the other finalists had different backgrounds, at least the board would have had a choice. But one was from Gallup, N.M. (pop. 21,000) and the other from tiny Hiawatha, Kansas (pop. 3,400). Again, both are no doubt good people to get where they are today. But a 10,000-student, highly diverse school district in a university city and in a state that underfunds its schools presents challenges where relevant experience would be very handy, even essential.

At this point, Penca has likely signed a contract  FUSD hasnt provided any more information. It has in Dave Dirksen a very experienced interim superintendent who could continue to fill in if a new search is needed. If not, wed recommend that Dirksen be retained in a consulting capacity to help get Penca through what could be a very steep learning curve. We wish him success. But we also wish the board had done what was needed to broaden the field with more experienced and diverse candidates.
RABAT - The latest single by the rap group most-loved by Moroccan king Mohammad VI, Fnaire, has gone viral.

The group performed at the inauguration of the UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech in November on the king's wishes.

Their new single,'Ngoul Mali', has now been watched almost 2 million times in a single week. After the success of 'Chayeb' and 'Amir Nadif', their two previous ones, the Moroccan group set the video clip in the old community granary in Agadir, a place that is considered symbolic of the Berber culture. The piece is a journey through images and choreography into an apocalyptic future where the essence of humanity has been lost, against a backdrop of music that mixes the sounds of the Gnaoua Afro and electronic music traditions.
Rapper and ex-illegal migrant Master Sina returns to Tunisia Performances back home, a million fans now

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, APRIL 5 - Anis Barka, known to his fans as Master Sina, will be going on tour throughout his home country of Tunisia. The former undocumented migrant in Italy, who went on to become a rap star, said that ''it has an effect that I cannot describe. It is always wonderful to go home and perform in front of my public,'' he said. In Tunisia, his performances are eagerly watched on television and even many of his lyrics in Italian have been memorized by most young people. Anis is a migrant ''success story'': having escaped to Europe at age 12 by hiding in a lorry on a ship, then in Italy, Parma and Bologna he worked in a wide range of jobs, followed by managing a restaurant in Reggio Emilia while spending his evenings as a DJ and rapper. Now, at age 28, he is one of the most famous rappers in Tunisia and is also widely known in Italy for his style of mixing Tunisian Arabic with Italian.



This ''has only been done by a few Arab rappers thus far with French, while no one had done it in Italy,'' Anis said proudly, convinced that trying to live ''the Italian dream'' is still worth it despite all the well-known difficulties. ''Italy is not racist with those who behave well and do not create ghettoes,'' Anis said, conveying a positive message in the line of what his cheerful rap songs do. (ANSAmed).




25 kids, 16 women killed in Syria attack, doc to ANSA All suffocated, toll of 74 set to rise 'over 100'

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, APRIL 5 - There are 25 children and 16 women among the 74 civilians killed in Tuesday's gas attack in Syria, Dr Ahmad Dbays told ANSA Wednesday. He said the overall toll of 74 was "destined to rise, perhaps above 100," because of the critical condition of many of those injured. Dr Dbays said the symptoms of the victims "indicate the use of sarin".



(ANSAmed).




Syria: 20 kids die in chemical attack, US drafts resolution Russia calls reports 'false' and says escalation may result

(ANSAmed) - ROME, APRIL 5 - At least 20 children were killed in a chemical attack allegedly carried out by the Syrian regime on the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun on Tuesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) added on Wednesday that 17 women were among the 72 confirmed dead thus far. The US has meanwhile presented a draft resolution to the UN Security calling for Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad to collaborate with an investigation into the incident. The Russian foreign ministry has said that reports on the incident in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib were false and might lead to an escalation in Syria and the entire region. Putin's spokesman Dmitri Peskov said Russia would continue to support the Syrian regime. The UN Security Council draft resolution - drawn up by the US, France and the UK and of which ANSA has seen a copy - condemns the attack and calls for Assad to collaborate and to provide data on military flights the day of the attack as well as the names of the individuals in charge of teams and helicopters and access to the air bases from which the chemical weapons are thought to have been launched. Initial analyses show that the attack was of a chemical nature and evidence will be sent to the World Health Organization (WHO), Turkish healthcare minister Recep Akdag said on the hypothesis that Sarin gas had been used. He added that 30 of those injured were currently being treated in Turkish hospitals near the border. (ANSAmed).




Find culprits in Syria attack or risk more - Italy to UN Fight agst impunity says Ambassador Cardi

(ANSAmed) - NEW YORK, 5 APR - The gas attack that killed 72 including 20 children at Khan Sheikhun in Syria Tuesday "is also a tragic reminder that international law and the resolutions of this Council continue to be blatantly violated," Italy's permanent representative at the UN, Ambassador Sebastiano Cardi, said Wednesday.



"As long as no one is found responsible for these war crimes and crimes against humanity, the incentive will be to continue to carry them out," he said, reaffirming Italy's support for draft resolution from the US, France and Britain condemning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Assad has denied responsibility.



Cardi went on: "This is the reason why the fight against impunity must be a priority shared by this Council".



Cardi said Italy was "shocked" by the despicable" attack and reaffirmed that the solution to the Syrian crisis could only be political, not military.



Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said those responsible for war crime must be brought to justice.



The UN said Wednesday the attack was the worst since 2013.



Save the Children said that 2.5 million Syrian children were going without aid because of the fighting. (ANSAmed).




If youre considering a subscription to the Disney Plus streaming service, you may be wondering how much it costs. The service is available on both
Kristen Woods

Tim Keller, a former state senator who represented the International District in Albuquerqueand currently the state auditoris now setting his sights and political acumen on the whole city of Albuquerque. As a mayoral hopeful, the up front and open-minded progressive has a plan to make Albuquerque a better place. More than that, Keller has developed a set of policies that enumerate the steps that will be necessary to accomplish his goals.

In person, Keller is congenial but serious; he realizes Burque has its share of problems. But Keller doesnt want to let those problems develop into a bigger crisis for this towns identity and progress. A candidate with gravitas, an experienced politico and lifelong resident of the area, Keller has seen his share of problems grow and manifest themselves in our high desert burg; he is sure he has the solutions and can provide results that will restore the Burque we all know and love.

Weekly Alibi chatted with candidate Keller with just days to go before the publication of our Best of Burque issue. What follows is a brief transcript of the beginning of that encounter. Keller was comfortable and knowledgeable discussing the wide range of issues that face the Duke City, but the beginning part of our conversation centered on crime.

The entire interview and Kellers discussion of other issues such as economic development, public transportation and public schools is available to view.

Weekly Alibi: Tim, could you please introduce yourself to our readers and tell them a little bit about yourself?

Tim Keller: Sure. I was born and raised here in Albuquerque and [am] also raising a one- and three-year-old here in town. For me, a couple things about our city: You know its a very strong and special place, thats something that has called me back, even when I was gone for a few years. We have some major challenges as well, though.

I really feel compelled to run because a lot of the things that Ive learned in my experience as a state senator for the International Districtand as state auditorcontinue to point to long-standing issues weve avoided in our city. And so, I think its really time to step up and approach [those issues] head-on, and get back to a city we believe in and that works for all of us.

What are some of those challenges and long-term issues that you will address as mayor?

If we think about a couple of things, obviously crime is front and center. Crime is the highest its been in about a decade. And we also have too few job opportunities in New Mexico, specifically in Albuquerque, the economic center of our state. We also have long-standing challenges in our public school system. Homelessness and mental health, issues like that, are also very important [to me]. Against that backdrop, weve seen a mayoral administration, more recently, [that] isnt owning up to those challenges. They [the Berry Administration] will say Well, Santa Fe has to fix a law or change a bill so we can, you know, get more [police] officers. Or its about waiting for this magical company that will move here and hire us all. Thats the Tesla thesis. Or saying that police shootings are a national trend. To me: no more waiting for someone else to deal with these ... to me its the job of the mayor and its the job of city hall to step up and take ownership of these challenges. What are we going to do to fix these [problems] today? Thats why Im running.

Lets go about this piece by piece. First of all, how are you going to address the crime issue?

Number one, weve gotta start by saying, There has to be change at the top. Thats not personal. Ive worked with ... rape kits and other issues in the city, I know a lot of folks there [at APD]. But we need new leadership right away at APD. That, to me, is just a starting point.

The second thing is, weve got to get folks over there who believe in community policing. I used to see this, when I was a senator. We knew our officers names, cell phone numbers. We talked about the meth houses down the street. We discussed who and where drugs were being dealt, who was stealing cars. That was a community discussion; it was a core aspect of transforming the International District. Weve really gotten away from that.

Now 400 units short of 1,200 officers, there isnt really a developed police presence in this town. How do we change the system on both ends of the structure?

Community policing is an ethos that goes throughout policy and procedures. Its a value set. Moving away from a lawyer mentality and into a guardian mentality

It [should be] woven through the academy training curriculum. A lot of our officers are familiar with this because we used to be very good at it. To your point, about the shortage: To me this is where the city must step up. This [officer shortage] should be the number one priority for a mayor, for a chief of police.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh Ruben Melikyan recently completed a ten-day tour in the US organized by the ANCA Eastern Region to highlight Azerbaijans human rights abuses and the potential war crimes committed during the Four-Day War in April 2016, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) reported.

During the tour Melikyan visited Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Washington, DC, New York, and New Jersey holding over 40 meetings with government officials, media representatives, and NGOs active in the fields of human and legal rights.

It is important to deliver Artsakhs message throughout major capital cities in the world, Ruben Melikyan said. Melikyans visit to Washington, DC also included an interview with the renowned Foreign Policy Magazine, as well as discussions with reporters from The Washington Post. He also met with Congressmen Adam Schiff, Dave Trott, Jackie Speier, David Valadao and Jim McGovern.

Summarizing the visit results, ANCA-ER Community Outreach and Communications Director Artur Martirosyan stated: We were happy to be able to connect Mr. Melikyan with key officials and groups during his visit to the U.S. Today, in the midst of rising autocratic and populist tendencies in the entire region, Artsakh stands as a beacon of democracy, human rights, and freedom. We are proud of the progress that the Artsakh Republic has made in upholding Western values and traditions since its independence a quarter century ago.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh issued a statement on the occasion of the anniversary of the end of military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh in April, 2016.

Armenpress presents the full statement:

Today marks exactly one year since the end of military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh with a view to resolving the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict by force. On the night of 1 to 2 April 2016, in flagrant violation of the ceasefire, the Azerbaijani armed forces launched a large-scale offensive along the entire border using heavy equipment, artillery and aviation. Only after suffering heavy losses in manpower and military equipment, on 5 April 2016, Azerbaijan was forced to ask for a cessation of hostilities with the mediation of Russia.

The April aggression of Azerbaijan against Artsakh, which was accompanied by numerous violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes, has become a serious challenge to regional peace and security and has caused great damage to the negotiation process for the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the mediation efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

During the year that has passed since the end of the hostilities on 5 April 2016, the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have been making efforts to ensure conditions for a full restoration of the negotiation process. The Republic of Artsakh has been consistently supporting the statements of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on the need for the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement of 12 May 1994, practical application of the provisions of the agreement of 6 February 1995 on strengthening the ceasefire regime, as well as implementation of the agreements reached in Vienna (16 May 2016) and in St. Petersburg (20 June, 2016) on introduction of a mechanism for investigating incidents and increasing the capacity of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

Azerbaijan not only rejects these proposals, but also disrupts any initiative aimed at excluding the possibility of resumption of hostilities. Moreover, throughout this time Azerbaijan has been sparing no effort to transfer the logic of confrontation to the spheres of economy, culture and even human contacts.

While demonstrating complete unwillingness to reach a negotiated peace settlement, the Azerbaijani authorities threaten to unleash another war. By consistently increasing the degree of tension on the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan and continuing the policy of confrontation and hostility, Baku deliberately deepens the mistrust between the parties and tries to make the process of peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict a hostage of its destructive policy and maximalist demands.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. The regular session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council will be held on April 14 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, reports Armenpress.

The decision was made during the Council session of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Opening the session, Tigran Sargsyan, Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission, firstly extended condolences over the terror attack that took place in St. Petersburg metro on April 3. This is a crime against humanity that cannot be justified. On behalf of the Commissions Board, all employees and personally myself, I wish a speedy recovery to all affected people. I want to express support to families of those who were killed. I wish them courage so that they can overcome the consequences of this tragedy, Tigran Sargsyan said.

During the session the Vice Prime Ministers of the Eurasian Economic Unions member states discussed cooperation issues on the customs and trade policy fields. A special attention was paid to the topic of international economic cooperation with the third countries. The draft report on Implementation of major directions of international activity of the Eurasian Economic Union for 2015-2016 was approved at the session, which will be submitted to the discussion of the Presidents of the EAEU member states.

The issue of cooperation with Iran was discussed which will also be discussed during the upcoming session.

The upcoming session agenda includes the issue of discussing the statement of Moldovas President over the countrys becoming as an observer state in the EAEU.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. Republic of Armenias Civic Coalition in Support of the UN Charter has sent a complaint letter to the Secretary General of the UN Antonio Guterres over Azerbaijanbi Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloglus nomination for the post of Director-General of the UNESCO. The same letter has been sent also to the representatives of the 58 Member States of the Executive Board of the UNESCO and other relevant bodies.

Armenpress presents the full letter.

As the Republic of Armenias Civic Coalition in Support of the UN Charter, we felt extreme surprise and indignation receiving the news of nomination of Polad Murtuza oglu Mammadov, known under the nickname Bulbuloglu, to the post of Director-General of UNESCO.

Regardless of his political agenda, ethnicity, race or religion, Polad Bulbuloglu throughout his career, showed a personal character with no respect for moral integrity, humanitarian and cultural values or diversity. If Bulbuloglu is elected as Director-General of UNESCO, he will set a precedent by being the first Director-General in the history of UNESCO who has destruction of UNESCO Cultural Heritage of Humanity in his resume. The mere nomination of Bulbuloglu could set a very dangerous precedent and jeopardize all that UNESCO stands for.

For eighteen consecutive years Polad Bulbuloglus acted as the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan (from 1988 to 2006) which were filled with numerous crimes against cultural values of the South Caucasus region as well as his own people were registered.

During his tenure as a Minister, dozens of thousands Armenian Cross-Stones /Khachkars/ (inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity) were systematically and methodically destroyed in a medieval (historically Armenian) cemetery in the Djulfa region of Nakhijevan, while ten European MEPs were denied access to the area. Various satellite imagery studies (such as those conducted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2009 and by the International Council on Monuments and Sites in 2003 and 2006-2007) serve as undeniable proof of khachkars being destroyed. Meanwhile Bulbuloglu, the man charged with protecting the cultural values and diversity of Azerbaijan, has never uttered a single word of disapproval and has made no efforts to stop these atrocities.

Polad Bulbuloglu also should be kept accountable for the forced assimilation of ethnic minorities of Azerbaijan, for creation of deliberate obstacles on the way of preservation of languages and culture of Lezgin, Talysh, Avar, Tat, Tatar, Tsakhur, Udin, Kurd and Armenian minorities. The 2007 Report of The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) is a good indicator of the state he had left Azerbaijan in as a result of his eighteen-year-old tenure as the Minister of Culture. Moreover, his tenure has been marked by a culture of oppression of those in the Azerbaijani intellectual and cultural elite, including writers, artists, and journalists who had dared to defy the cultural and political-historical agenda of the government. In the words of his own friend of fifty years, Muslim Magomayev, the Soviet Sinatra of the USSR and a cultural icon of Azerbaijan: As an artist I cannot allow myself to visit Baku as long as Polad Bulbuloglu leads the Ministry of Culture. I do not want to live in a country where my culture has been long and methodically destroyed by the Minister of Culture. (Regnum News, 2005).

UNESCO Constitution states: Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed. Nonetheless, UNESCO could soon have a Director-General, who has continuously used pro-war rhetoric when expressing opinion towards the resolution of the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict during his tenure as the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia, declaring his willingness to charge on the battlefront with a weapon in his own hands, with complete disregard of humanitarian values.

We, as the Civic Coalition of Armenia in Support of the UN Charter, without any political or national agenda in mind, believe that Polad Bulbuloglu, based on his personal character derived from the precedents of his activities throughout his career, if elected as the Director-General of UNESCO, will shatter the very foundations on which UNESCO is built and dark ages of gross negligence and bias regarding cultural and human values worldwide shall be upon us.

As we have not seen any reasonable explanation to this unacceptable choice and having in mind the serious repercussions which the election of Polad Bulbuloglu could have on the prestige and authority of the distinguished international organization, we call to take necessary actions to prevent this disastrous development both for UNESCO, for the South Caucasus and the World Culture. The original text of the letter contains more detailed information and all of the necessary links and references to the sources.
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. The Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations in France has expressed deep concern over the attack in front of the Armenian Evangelical Church of Alfortville on April 2. Armenpress reports, citing Nouvelles dArmenie, the statement assesses the incident as vandalism, which could have irreversible consequences on the Father and his wife.

This attack occurs during a worrisome atmosphere of religious intolerance both in our country and in the context of violence and extremism against Christians of the East. In addition this incident took place on the 1st anniversary of the 4-day war unleashed by Azerbaijan against the Armenians of Artsakh, reads the statement.

The Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations in France has called on French leadership to pay more attention to the security of French-Armenian community and the religious establishments during the complicated period. The organization also expressed solidarity with Father Leonyan and his wife whose lives were jeopardized by the attack.

Unidentified persons attacked the Armenian Evangelical Church of Alfortville on April 2 trying to burn it down. The attack is the second incident during the last 12 months. 8 days prior to the incident unidentified people has thrown stones in the direction of the church. Alfortville Mayor has condemned the act expressing solidarity with the church followers.
Department of Natural Resources and Mines has granted an associated water licence to allow the safe operation of the mine.

Melbourne: Indian energy giant Adani's controversial Carmichael coal and mine project in Australia has received approval for a water licence from Queensland state government, a "milestone" in the approval process for the 21.7 billion dollar project.

Adani Australia confirmed this on its Facebook page by stating that it has achieved another milestone in the approval process for the project.

"The Department of Natural Resources and Mines has granted an associated water licence to allow the safe operation of the mine. The modelling assessed by the department shows that up to 4.55 GL of groundwater could be taken per year," it said.

With the granting of the associated water licence there are now 100 conditions related to groundwater including specific conditions relating to monitoring and reporting, the company said.

It said that under the conditions of the associated water licence for groundwater, Adani will also need to establish good agreements with groundwater users who could potentially be affected by changes to water availability or quality.

Adani Australia CEO Jeyakumar Janakaraj, at a recently held 'Energy and Resource: Mega projects' told a business forum that the company was eyeing to start the rail and mine construction in August/September this year.

"This project will get funded and will see execution this year," Janakaraj said. While highlighting the growing need for energy consumption in India, Janakaraj said to meet the growing demand Adani had imported 77 million tonnes of coal from Australia last year.

"(India) does have resources but those resources are limited, they have their own challenge(s) because they also have to feed 1.2 billion people and this is exactly where countries and vast areas like Australia play a very strategic role in terms of the food security, the energy security and long term strategic partnership between large countries," he said.

"India's demand in terms of gigawatt and in terms of coal will continue to grow and that is something that, as a market, we will need to be extremely well prepared to take on," he said.

"We are the largest power generator in the private sector and in India the mix of energy is always a very interesting one to see. The balance of energy mix will shift and thats a very important thing and a very good thing as well," he said.

"We have a large solar ambition in Australia as well," he said and disclosed that Adani's first solar plant will be in Moranbah, Queensland, with the intention of operating in the solar space in Australia before 2022.

"It is extremely important for us to keep this strategy in the right direction. We are an energy player so we play in the long-term sustainable economic growth of renewable energy," he said.

Meanwhile, Australia India Business Council (AIBC) today issued a statement to support Adani Group's Carmichael project and dubbed it as a "critical part" of the Indian infrastructure giant's energy strategy.

AIBC National Chair Sheba Nandkeolyar said the project will actually contribute to reducing carbon emissions because coal from the Carmichael mine produces around 30 per cent less carbon than coal sourced locally in India and imported from Indonesia.

"The Australia India Business Council understands the importance of the Adani Carmichael project for the Australia-India relationship. AIBC supports the project and commends Adani's patience to see this investment through," Nandkeolyar said.

AIBC noted Adani as the single-largest Indian investor in Australia and said it encouraged more Indian companies to consider investing in Australia. Nandkeolyar said the Australian environmental authorities have imposed strict conditions to mitigate any environmental risks.

"This project will provide jobs for thousands of people in rural Queensland and at the same time help meet Indias soaring energy demand with cleaner coal than is currently being used for cooking and power generation," she said.
India's exports to China grew by 8.69 per cent to USD 8.94 billion.

New Delhi: India's trade deficit with China was recorded at USD 46.7 billion during the April-February period of the last fiscal, Parliament was informed today.

Overall trade with China during the 11-month period decreased marginally by 0.87 per cent to USD 64.57 billion, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Rajya Sabha.

During this period, India's exports to China grew by 8.69 per cent to USD 8.94 billion while imports from the neighbouring nation declined by 2.26 per cent to USD 55.63 billion, resulting in a shrinkage of 4.1 per cent in India's trade deficit with China, she said in a written reply to a question.

She said both sides have signed a Five-Year Development Programme for Economic and Trade Cooperation in order to lay down a medium-term roadmap for promoting balanced and sustainable development of economic and trade relations.

Replying to a separate question, she said after the launch of the 'Startup India Action Plan' in January 2016, 742 startups have been recognised by the ministry.

On another question on soap, she said technically uniform sphericity and particle size of microbeads create a ball- bearing effect in soaps, skin cream and lotions, enhancing a silky texture, spreadability, smoothness and roundness in the feel.

"Regarding harmful effects, the issue is before the National Green Tribunal for adjudication which is being perused by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change," she added.
The actress says that she, Kapil Sharma and her co-star Ayushmann Khurrana were 'enough' on the show.

Parineeti Chopra seemed unperturbed with the absence of Sunil Grover from the show after his controversial exit from the show after being abused by Kapil Sharma.

Mumbai: Actress Parineeti Chopra has said working with filmmaker Rohit Shetty in 'Golmaal 4' is an honour as the film will be a refreshing change for her as well as the audience.

The film also features Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Kunal Khemu and Shreyas Talpade.

The team recently wrapped up the first schedule of the movie. They will soon be flying to Hyderabad for the next schedule.

"I don't think I have a genre at all. I'm just trying to do all kinds of films. It's an honour for me to work with Rohit Shetty, he is the biggest commercial director of the country, making the biggest franchise 'Golmaal'," Parineeti told reporters.

"I am enjoying it very much. It's a lot of fun. After Meri Pyaari Bindu, Golmaal will be a nice change for me as well as the audiences," she added.

The actress, who will also be seen with Ayushmann Khurrana in 'Meri Pyaari Bindu', recently went to promote their romance drama on 'The Kapil Sharma Show.'

Talking about her experience, she said, "Kapil and we sang around 10-15 songs. I told them initially that this will be a musical episode not a comedy episode. It was a lot of fun," the actress."

When asked if she missed any cast members of the show, in an apparent reference to Sunil Grover and others who have stopped shooting for the show, Parineeti said, "We were enough. No one else was needed. Kapil, Ayushmann and I killed it. You all should catch the episode."
The authorities at IGNOU said their norms for admission to foreign students don't permit them to take in the cousins.

New Delhi: Two Pakistani Hindu refugee cousins have sought help from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj after the IGNOU denied them admission for the want of student's visa.

Kawesh Kumar and Wikeesh Kumar had approached civil rights group 'Social Jurist' following cancellation of their application by the IGNOU, which in turn tweeted to Swaraj seeking her intervention.

The authorities at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) said their norms for admission to foreign students don't permit them to take in the cousins.

"IGNOU denies admission to Pakistani Hindu Refugee students for want of student Visa. Please help @SushmaSwaraj," education activist Ashok Aggarwal tweeted.

Kawesh, who came to Delhi in January, has completed his schooling from Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education BS Sukker, Sindh, Pakistan.

Wikeesh has passed out from Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan and has been living here since 2015.

"We want to take admission in the IGNOU but they refused because we do not have a student's visa. We came here with our family on a visiting visa and since we don't want to go back we apply for extension every time.

"In Pakistan also we faced many problems and now here we are facing problems with our admission," Kawesh said.

When contacted, a senior IGNOU official said, "As per the norms, international students residing in India can pursue IGNOU programs for which they need to submit their admission forms along with a copy of valid study visa for the minimum duration of the programme".

"A no-objection certificate from the Embassy concerned in India regarding study in IGNOU is also needed," the official added.
Lucknow: A total of 26 illegal abattoirs have been shut down in Uttar Pradesh, Health Minister Siddharth Nath Singh said on Tuesday.

"As many as 26 illegal slaughterhouses have been closed in the state. No illegal slaughter house will be allowed to operate," he told reporters.

Singh said instructions have also been issued to officials that they should not act in an "over-enthusiastic manner."

The minister, however, did not specify the total number of slaughter houses operating in the state at present.

"The orders of the Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal will be followed in letter and spirit," he asserted.

The BJP leader clarified that there was no objection in renewal of licenes of meat sellers.

A delegation of meat sellers had recently met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath following the state government's crackdown on illegal slaughter houses.

Commenting on the anti-Romeo squads constituted by the BJP-led state government to keep an eye on eve-teasers and for ensuring safety of girls, Cabinet minister Shrikant Sharma said, "A sense of insecurity prevailed among the school going girls due to passing of lewd comments and stalking, for which the anti-Romeo squads were formed. They are doing a good job."

He said instructions have been issued to ensure that no innocent was harassed while strict action was taken against the guilty.

"Couples sitting in parks, coffee shops, rickshaws and other public places should not be unnecessarily frisked," he said.

Sharma added that if any official was found exercising vigilantism, stringent action would be taken against him/her.
Sources in the home ministry told this newspaper that a recent statement by outlawed Ulfa-I against the Dalai Lama was dictated by China.

Guwahati: In what has alarmed the Ministry of Home Affairs, China has roped in militant groups of Northeast to launch a proxy war against India.

Authoritative security sources in the home ministry told this newspaper that a recent statement of outlawed Ulfa-I against the Dalai Lama was dictated by China.

The statement of Ulfa-I was aimed more at propagating Chinese view point on territorial dispute between India and China, than targeting the Dalai Lama.

The security sources said that Ulfa chairman Abhizeet Asoms statement was framed and dictated by China. In the list of Indian illegal occupation is of course Nan Zang (Southern Tibet). The cunning Indian premier of the day, Nehru grabbed the opportunity of attempting to undo the acceptance of Tibet a part of China in 1951, the Ulfa-Is statement said.

A few Chinese agencies drafted the statement of Ulfa-I, which was released to media on March 28, a day before China launched its aggressive campaign against the visit of the Dalai Lama to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, security sources said.

The statement, addressing the Dalai Lama said, Despite the deceitful drawing of the McMohan line then, and your Holinesss acceptance that your homeland is an autonomous region of China, you are perpetrating the fallacy of 1914 by reiterating that Tawang belongs to India.

The security sources said that this was not the first instance Ulfa-I was playing into the hands of China. In 2015, Ulfa was instrumental in floating a Tibet Support Group in Assam to launch a proxy war against India at the behest of China.

Pointing out that elusive Ulfa-I chief Paresh Baruah was taking shelter in China, security sources said that Ulfa, in 1992, had described Bangladeshi immigrant as builder of Assam. It was the period when Ulfa leadership was looking for shelter in Bangladesh. However, stiff opposition in Assam forced Ulfa to give up that narrative subsequently.

Asserting that China was not interested in organizational strength of Ulfa-I, security sources said that China intends to intensify its proxy war against India in the Northeast through the separatist groups.

Indicating that home ministry was vigilant on growing nexus of northeast militant groups in China, sources said that despite aggressive opposition of China, India has refused to curtail the visit of the Dalai Lama to Tawang.
Four other persons, named in the FIR, were also questioned but were let off, police said.

Saseendran resigned after an audio tape of alleged sexual harassment was aired on a regional channel. (Photo: YouTube screengrab)

Thiruvananthapuram: The Chief Executive Officer and four media persons of a private television channel were arrested on Tuesday night in connection with the telecast of a purported sleaze audio clip which led to the resignation of Kerala minister A K Saseendran.

CEO of Mangalam TV channel R Ajit Kumar and media persons S V Pradeep, M B Santhosh, Feroz Muhammed and Jayachandran were arrested by the special investigation team after questioning them for hours.

They would be produced before a court on Wednesday, police said.

Four other persons, named in the FIR, were also questioned but were let off, police said.

On Tuesday, Kerala High Court had rejected the anticipatory bail plea of the nine accused.

Last week, police had registered an FIR, under section 120B (common intention) of the IPC and 67A of the Information technology Act, against nine persons, including 'Mangalam' channel's CEO and Managing Director R Ajit Kumar on a complaint by the youth wing of Nationalist Congress Party for airing "obscene conversation".

The channel on its opening day on March 26 aired an audio clip of the purported talk of Transport Minister A K Saseendran, NCP representative in the LDF cabinet, with a woman, following which he had resigned the same day.

The TV channel had tendered an apology for airing the contents and admitted that it was a "sting operation" involving one of their women journalists and not a housewife, as it had claimed earlier.
Bangladesh PM is arriving in New Delhi on April 7 on a four-day.

New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to meet Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during a dinner hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee on April 8 in New Delhi.

Mamata, who will arrive in the capital on April 7, is also likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discuss several issues including central funds to her state and the contentious Teesta water-sharing issue, sources said.

Bangladesh PM is arriving in New Delhi on April 7 on a four-day visit during which she will have a series of meetings on various issues including on enhancing rail, road and water connectivity.

The sources said Mamata, who had raised objections over the Teesta water-sharing agreement, is expected to meet Modi in the banquet.

However, TMC sources said there is no confirmation if it will be an exclusive meeting between Modi and Mamata.
Srinagar: National Conference (NC) president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said that those who pelt stones are just fighting for the nation, and have nothing to do with tourism.

"Our fight is against those people who want to divide us on the basis of religion. I want to tell Modi saheb that tourism is our life, no doubt about that, but a stone pelter has nothing to do with tourism. They (stone pelters) will risk starvation, but will throw stones for the nation - that's what we need to understand," Farooq Abdullah told party workers in Srinagar.

He further said if India and Pakistan cannot resolve their issues, then America should come forward and facilitate as third party to resolve issues between the two countries.

The NC president said it is not a fight between parties like PDP and NC, it is a fight to defeat communal forces and to protect secularism.
Swaraj also objected to the African missions demand for an investigation by the Human Rights Council.

New Delhi: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said that the statement of the African mission, describing the recent attacks on African students in greater Noida as xenophobic and racial was unfortunate, painful and surprising.

According to her, the Indian response in the matter wasnt inadequate by any means.

She told the Lok Sabha that racial crimes were pre-planned, which was not the case with the recent attack on the African students by a mob in Greater Noida, asserting that the government was committed to their safety. She added that it was not proper to call the crime racially motivated before the probe is completed. Six people have been arrested by the UP police in the case so far.

Ms Swaraj also said that when an Indian was killed recently in the African nation of Mozambique, India never claimed it was motivated by racial hatred. She said Gen. V.K. Singh (Retd.) had spoken to the Dean of African Heads of Missions about the prompt response taken by her as well as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and told him that the Dean could have sought a meeting with the External Affairs Minister if they were still not satisfied with the steps taken. The Deans statement that our political leadership is silent is completely contrary to facts... his statement was surprising and painful. We have said that it was unfortunate. The Indian governments response cannot be called inadequate by any means, she said.

Ms Swaraj also objected to the African missions demand for an investigation by the Human Rights Council. She said that India had robust human rights bodies and NGOs, besides an independent media and judiciary.

Her statement came after MP K.C. Venugopal (Congress) attacked the government over the development and accused it of diplomatic failure.

Swaraj said another purported incident of attack on an African student has turned to be untrue as the Kenyan woman, who had made the allegation, has admitted she had lied. She had withdrawn the complaint and our inquiry has found that her visa had expired long back, the minister said.
Beijing says move wont benefit obstinate India.

New Delhi/ Bomdila (Arunachal)/Beijing: China lodged a protest with Indias ambassador in Beijing over the Dalai Lamas visit to Arunachal Pradesh and warned that it would take necessary measures to defend its territorial sovereignty interests. Chinas contention was that India has obstinately allowed the Tibetan spiritual leader to visit the disputed parts of the state thereby causing serious damage to bilateral ties. India had already asked China on Tuesday not to create any artificial controversy over the visit since the Dalai Lama is a revered religious leader and that therefore no political colour be ascribed to his religious and spiritual activities and to his visits to states of India.

The 81-year-old spiritual leader  who reached Bomdila in West Kameng district of the state, thereby starting his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh  said that India has never used him against China, even as he urged Beijing to give Tibet meaningful self-rule and autonomy. China refers to Arunachal Pradesh as south Tibet and claims it is part of its territory, even as New Delhi has always regarded it an integral part of India.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying was quoted by news agencies as saying, India in disregard to Chinas concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lamas visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to Chinas interests and China-India relations. China firmly opposes this move. Chinas stand on the eastern part of the borders is consistent and clear. India is keenly aware of the role played by the 14th Dalai Lama. She added that by arranging his visit to those sensitive and disputed areas not only ran counter to the Indian sides commitment to the issues related to Tibet, but also escalated disputes over the border area. China maintained that this went against the momentum of the sound growth of bilateral relations and would not benefit India in any way. China will firmly take necessary measures to defend its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests, said Ms Chunying. However, when asked what measures the country would take, Ms Chunying did not elaborate. We demand the Indian side immediately stop its actions using the Dalai Lama to undermine Chinas interests and not hype up sensitive issues between the two countries and not artificially damage the foundation of the talks between the two countries on the border issues and bilateral legislations and take concrete actions to safeguard the China-India relations, she said. She further asked if India honestly believed that Dalai was only a religious leader. I think the answer is known to all. He is not just a religious figure. Therefore, his visit to the place will not be purely of religious purpose. So using the empty words to defend this arrangement is not reasonable, she added.

The Dalai Lama in his discourse at the Buddha Park in Bomdila said that India had never used him against China. He added that he was a messenger of the ancient Indian thought and spoke about ahimsa, peace, harmony and secular ethics wherever he went. Many Chinese love India but there are some narrow-minded politiciansthey consider me a demon. We (Tibetans) are not seeking independence. We are willing to remain within the Peoples Republic of China. I always admire the spirit of the European Union. Individual nations sovereignty is important, but thats not so important. What are important are the common interests. So for material development to remain with the Peoples Republic of China is in our interest. So, the Chinese government also should feel okay. At the same time the Chinese government should give us meaningful self-role/autonomy.

He also thanked the government of India for taking great care of him since 1959 and said he was the countrys longest staying guest. When I got freedom, when I first reached India, I entered through Arunanchal Pradesh. I have an emotional connect with the state. It is a special place for me, he said, adding that he was a Buddhist and that the entire Himalayan range had been traditionally following Buddhist dharma.

The spiritual leader, who arrived here last evening from Guwahati accompanied by Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu on Thursday, will speak at Dirang and confer the Avalokiteshvara Permission at Thupsung Dhargyeling monastery in the morning. From April 8 to 10, The Dalai will deliver discourses in Tawang. Owing to the rescheduled visit, he will reportedly not be able to go to Itanagar.

New Delhi had earlier on Tuesday said: The government has clearly stated on several occasions that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a revered religious leader, who is deeply respected as such by the Indian people. No additional colour should be ascribed to his religious and spiritual activities and visits to various states of India. The government, therefore, urges that no artificial controversy be created around his present visit to Arunachal Pradesh.
The apex court had convicted AIADMK chief V.K. Sasikala and two others in the case, while abating proceedings against Jayalalithaa.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court dismissed the Karnataka governments petition seeking review of its verdict by which it had abated the proceedings against late J. Jayalalithaa in the Rs 66-crore disproportionate assets case.

The petition wanted a direction to declare the former Tamil Nadu CM a convict and guilty of corruption for the recovery of Rs 100 crore fine imposed on her by the trial court.

The Karnataka government had on March 21 moved the SC against its February 14 order contending that once the proceedings were abated, it would not be possible to recover the fine.

The apex court had convicted AIADMK chief V.K. Sasikala and two others in the case, while abating proceedings against Jayalalithaa.

The SC held that the appeal in the DA case against the former CM ended with her death in December last year.
The Opposition party raised the matter after the question hour.

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday moved a privilege notice against finance minister Arun Jaitley, accusing him of misleading Parliament on the issue of appointment of Lokpal, the anti-corruption watchdog.

The Opposition party raised the matter after the question hour.

The finance minister said that the bill was pending with the standing committee. He misled the House. The bill has been cleared by both the Houses and the President has also given his approval, Congress MP K.C. Venugopal said.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan intervened saying the matter was under her consideration, but that did not impress the Congress.

He is such a learned lawyer. How can he mislead? You should refer the matter to the privileges committee, Congress leader Mallikarjuan Kharge demanded.

I cannot do it right away. I am looking into it, the Speaker replied.

On March 29, the Opposition had unleashed a stinging attack on the government over the delay in appointment of Lokpal, a day after it had informed the Supreme Court that the anti-corruption ombudsman cannot be appointed without amending a law.

Even then, Mr Venugopal had strongly objected to attorney general Mukul Rohatgis comment in court that the existing law will have to be changed to substitute the Leader of Opposition with the leader of the single largest Opposition party in Lok Sabha, as a member of the Lokpal selection committee.

The Congress has also accused the government of weakening the agencies and institutions responsible for fighting graft and bulldozing laid down rules and procedures.

The attorney general told the Supreme Court that appointment of the Lokpal has been delayed as amendment in law will have to be brought in. He is blaming Parliament for the delay. How can he blame Parliament? This is not acceptable, Mr Venugopal said.

As several other Opposition lawmakers joined the Congress MP in attacking the government, Mr Jaitley intervened and said the required amendment in law was being considered by the parliamentary standing committee concerned.

When the issue was raised by Mr Venugopal in the Lok Sabha on March 29, the finance minister had said, There is an amendment pending before the standing committee, let the report of the standing committee come expeditiously, we will follow it.

On Wednesday, Mr Venugopal said he had moved a privilege motion because the minister misled the House. Finance minister said the bill is in the standing committee, that is not true. The minister misled the House. I am seeking a privilege motion, he said.
Swaraj asserted in the Lok Sabha that it would be wrong to think that India will let go of any part of its territory.

New Delhi: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday slammed Pakistans move to declare Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth province and said the whole of Jammu and Kashmir, including areas under Pakistans occupation, is Indian territory.

Ms Swaraj asserted in the Lok Sabha that it would be wrong to think that India will let go of any part of its territory.

The ministers response came after the issue was raised by Biju Janata Dal member Bhartruhari Mahtab during Zero Hour.

He questioned the government response to Pakistans move, and said both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha should pass a resolution to condemn the development.

The Pakistan government has unilaterally decided to declare Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth province. At the time of Partition, a British political agent in charge of Gilgit and Baltistan allowed Pakistani soldiers to take over the area, even though Indian Constitution recognises Gilgit-Baltistan as an integral part of our country, Mr Mahtab said.

Noting that some countries had criticised Pakistan, and that the British Parliament had recently passed a resolution condemning Islamabads move, saying the region is part of Jammu and Kashmir, and illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947, he asked, What is our governments response?

In her response, Ms Swaraj said that India rejects Pakistans move, adding that the governments stand on Jammu and Kashmir being an integral part of India should not be doubted.

The Indian government, she said, had opposed Pakistans move the very day it got to know about it.

This government has always said that Kashmir, where (Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Shyama Prasad) Mookerjee was martyred, is ours. There should be no doubt, she said.

Even raising a doubt over this government that it will let go of some area will be wrong, she added, according to news agency reports.

She noted that both Houses of Parliament had passed resolutions reiterating Indias claim over the PoK, including Gilgit-Baltistan, and the government was bound by it. We are bound by Parliaments resolutions and also our resolve, she said.

A ministry statement last month reacted strongly to Pakistans move on the Gilgit-Baltistan region, saying it is entirely unacceptable.
Congress seeks farm loan waiver for all, not only for UP.

New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Uttar Pradesh governments move to waive off farm loans was a step in the right direction.

He said it was a partial relief and asked the government to evolve a national response to agrarian crisis.

Mr Gandhi said the Centre should not discriminate among states and no politics should be played with farmers suffering across the country.

A partial relief for UP farmers, but a step in the right direction. Congress has always supported loan waivers for farmers in distress, he said.

Im happy the BJP has finally been forced to see reason. But lets not play politics with our farmers who are suffering across the country, he added.

A delegation of senior Congress leaders met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of agrarian distress on the last day of the winter session of Parliament.

They demanded that farm loans should be waived off across the country, and issues like minimum support price and procurement hurdles should sorted out soon.

Delivering on BJPs poll promise to small and marginal farmers, Adityanath Yogi government on Tuesday decided to waive crop loans up to Rs 1 lakh, totalling a staggering Rs 36,359 crore.

The move will benefit over 2.15 crore farmers, besides seven lakh others who had secured loans.
UPs meat industry is worth Rs 15,000 crore and employs 15 lakh people.

Lucknow: The Allahabad high court has given the Yogi Adityanath government in UP ten days to draw up a plan so that its crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses does not deprive people of their choice of food or livelihood. The courts Lucknow bench said on Monday that choice of food and trade in foodstuff are a part of right to life, an observation that comes amid closure of UPs most meat shops and non-vegetarian food joints to protest alleged harassment by officials.

UPs meat industry is worth Rs 15,000 crore and employs 15 lakh people.

The court, while responding to a petition filed by a meat seller, said that various food habits had flourished in UP, the countrys biggest meat producer, and these were an essential part of the states secular culture.

The petitioner has sought directions for the government to renew his meat shop licence because the delay was preventing him from carrying out his trade. Many establishments have alleged that they were shut despite their applications for licence renewal pending with the government. Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi and Justice Sanjay Harkauli said, An immediate check on unlawful activity should be simultaneous with facilitating the lawful activities, particularly that relating to food, food habits and vending that is undisputedly connected with the right to life and livelihood.

The court noted that food that is conducive to health cannot be treated as a wrong choice, and that it was the duty of the state to ensure supply of healthy foodstuff.

Government counsel Dheeraj Srivastava said that a meeting would be convened shortly under the chairmanship of the chief secretary to decide on the issue of illegal slaughterhouses.

UP has 38 legal slaughterhouses, which mostly export meat. There are about 10,000 illegal slaughterhouses (small and big) across UP that cater to domestic demand for goat and buffalo meat.

The government told the court that there was no plan to ban consumption of meat or to close all slaughterhouses. The intention was to ban illegal ones and regulate their functioning in keeping with a Supreme Court order, it said.

The court clubbed with the current plea all petitions filed before the Lucknow bench against the crackdown. The case will now be heard on April 13.

A day after he was sworn in, CM Yogi Adityanath ordered a clampdown on unauthorised slaughterhouses in the state.

The decision forced closure of several food joints, and meat traders went on strike to protest alleged harassment by officials. Though the strike was partially called off on Sunday, non-vegetarian joints in most parts of the state have remained closed demanding that the issue be resolved.
Two months after encounter with militants in J&K, CRPF commandant discharged from AIIMS.

CRPF commandant Chetan Cheetah with his wife Uma and doctors after he was discharged from AIIMS in New Delhi. (Photo; Asian Age)

New Delhi: A senior CRPF official, Chetan Cheetah, who showed remarkable courage despite being shot nine times during an encounter with militants in Kashmir, made a miraculous recovery and was finally discharged from AIIMS on Wednesday nearly two-months after he was admitted in a critical condition.

Lauding Cheetahs courage, home minister Rajnath Singh said he wanted to see the officer back in action. Fortune favours the brave. Extremely happy to know that Cheetah has made a miraculous recovery. I thank the team of doctors who have helped Chetan Cheetah in his recovery. Hope to see Cheetah back in action soon, Mr Singh said on Twitter.

Minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju, who visited the CRPF commander at AIIMS Tauma Centre said he was proud of the exemplary courage shown by the officer. Cheetah said he felt proud about his contribution being recognised, and thanked both Mr Rijiju and the army chief general Bipin Rawat who visited him in the hospital.

Cheetah was admitted to AIIMS on Feb 14 after being airlifted from Srinagar in an extremely critical condition. Doctors attending to the officer said he displayed steely resolve while responding to the treatment.

Prof. Subodh Kumar of trauma surgery at AIIMS described the recovery as nothing short of a miracle. Amit Gupta, Additional Medical Superintendent at the AIIMS Trauma Centre said, Cheetah was in coma for 16 days and spent a month in the ICU. He is fit to be discharged now.

Cheetah, who was heading CRPFs 45th battalion in Kashmir Valley sustained bullet injuries in his brain, right eye, abdomen, both the arms, left hand and in the buttock region.

When he was brought in, he was in coma, had bullet injuries in his head, badly fractured torso and the globe of his eight eye had ruptured, Mr Gupta said.

Within 24 hours of admission, surgery was conducted to remove a portion of the skull which had suffered the bullet injury to reduce intra-cranial pressure. After that he underwent multiple surgeries. Cheetah also developed signs of sepsis due to his wounds which was managed by critical care specialists in ICU. His wounds were regularly debrided, Mr Subodh Kumar said.

The doctors claimed that though Cheetah would be left with some amount of disability but with proper rehabilitation and physiotherapy he is likely to improve over a period of time. ``His comeback to normal life has shown the true grit of a warrior, said Anurag Srivastava, Chief of AIIMS Trauma Centre.

The officers wife, Uma Singh, who stood beside him with an unshakable conviction that he will make it through, said she had a firm belief that would fight back like he did in the face of terrorists.

``He is a fighter. He fought this battle with death as he does when he wears his uniform to combat terrorists and militants. I was sure he will be victorious as he has always been in the line of duty, Ms Singh said.

While remembering the day her husband was grievously injured in the counter Ms Singh said,``his eyes were closed, he was completely unconscious but the moment I saw him breathing, I knew he will make it through.

``Doctors would say he was in coma, but whenever I would meet him and hold his hands, he would respond by moving his fingers. That strengthened my faith that he was coming back to me, she added.
The former White House occupants have been far too busy enjoying their free time.

Come April 1 and fake news peaks. The jury may have already come to the conclusion that most of the outlandish stories from last week had no basis in reality and that media tries real hard to make them sound as realistic as possible! Many failed the test because they were way too obvious.

But amidst the news breaks that were swirling around the start of a new month marked by All Fools Day, was a snippet that claimed Barack Obama, the former US President, was contemplating a visit to a famous yoga centre in South India.

Now, it is a well known fact that both Barack and Michelle are ardent yoga fans. Inspired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the White House in 2014, when he was fasting for Navratri with all of his energy and stamina intact, Obama has shown great interest in the physical culture of yoga.

The President also expressed interest in having a conversation about yoga. There were some very personal, very human moments of interaction, a White House spokeswoman had said in response to a reporters question then. Now that Obama has far more free time on his hands, he might use some of it to whet his curiosity about yoga for fitness and health.

However, the former White House occupants have been far too busy enjoying their free time. They have been visiting exotic islands in the Caribbean as well as in Polynesia even while writing books for their multi-million dollar contracts with Penguin Random House.

Among the listed public events that Barack Obama would be going to soon is a visit to Milan for a food festival, when the Mayor will also be presenting him with a key to the city. There is nothing in his itinerary yet to suggest a visit to India although Isha Yoga near Coimbatore would love to play host to the former US President if he desires to soak in the yoga culture. If the visit does come about however, not just the ashram, but millions of Indians would be mighty pleased, most of all the Prime Minister, for whom yoga is a way of life now.
Accused had been harassing victim, a JNU student, since 2012.

In her complaint, the victim stated that Meena had been stalking, harassing and threatening to kill her as well. (Representational image)

New Delhi: An Indian Engineering Service (IES) officer was arrested on Sunday for allegedly sexually assaulting a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University. He also stalked, abused and threatened to kill the woman, the police said.

The accused has been identified as 26-year-old Rakesh Meena, a native of Rajasthan, who was presently working as an assistant executive engineer in the ministry of road transportation and highway.

The victim, who is in her early 20s, on Monday filed a complaint at the Vasant Kunj (North) police station, alleging that the officer had been harassing her since 2012 when she was a minor.

She had been facing the abuse for the last five years, but couldnt muster the courage to approach the police, said a senior police officer.

On Sunday, we had received a compliant against the officer that he has been sexually assaulting the complainant since 2012. He was called for questioning and was arrested immediately thereafter, said additional deputy commissioner of police Chinmoy Biswal.

In her complaint, the victim stated that Meena had been stalking, harassing and threatening to kill her as well. He uses to send obscene text and pictures to the victim on social media.

The accused and the victim used to stay in the same locality in Alwar, Rajasthan. They became friends, but the accused started harassing her and she started avoiding him, a police official said.

She told the police that she had asked him to stop calling and messaging her, but he didnt pay heed to her and continued to harass her, Mr Biswal said.

During interrogation, Meena told the police that he knew the complainant for the past couple of years and the two had got into a fight. He claimed that they were friends for many years. The woman did not want to be in touch with him, but he continued to harass her, said a senior police official.

The police have booked the accused under sections 4/8 of Pocso Act because the victim, now in her early 20s, was a minor when the abuse began. Meena has also been booked under 354 (assault), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (following a woman), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), and 509 (insulting modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code.

After the accuseds arrest, he was produced before a city court after which he was sent to judicial custody, said Mr Biswal.
Birthday wishes

Call 281-422-8302 or email sunnews@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun.

Happy Birthday Wishes
The deceased, Ratan Singh, worked as tailor at the godown, where the mishap occurred reportedly due to a short circuit.

New Delhi: An 80-year-old man was killed in a fire that broke out at a tent godown in southeast Delhi's Sunlight Colony this afternoon.

The fire broke out around 1.21 pm and eight fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse it, said a senior officer from Delhi Fire Services.

The deceased, Ratan Singh, worked as tailor at the godown, where the mishap occurred reportedly due to a short circuit, police official said.

"We found him after a police and a fire team entered the building. He was rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre hospital by a PCR van where he was declared brought dead, " said the senior police officer.

His body was thereafter sent to the mortuary for post-mortem.

The call was made to the fire department that a fire broke out at 1st floor of New Variety Decorators limited in Jeevan Nagar in Sunlight colony.

The police was immediately informed as well, who reached the spot and started evacuating people from there. Meanwhile, fire tenders reached the spot and started dousing the fire.

Police said preliminary investigations suggest that the fire broke due to a short circuit in one of the air-conditioner in the building.

"Prima facie it seems that the fire broke out due to a short circuit. Further investigation in the matter is on. We are probing the matter from all angles and also investigating whether there was anybody's hand behind the fire or not," said the police official.

The fire is of medium category and the fire tenders are still working to douse the fire that has spread across the four-storeyed building, said the fire department officer.

It is suspected that the elderly man died due to suffocation, but the autopsy will clear the cause for his death, police said.
The burglary happened on March 31 and it was the driver, V. Kuttan Pillai, who informed the police about the burglary.

New Delhi: Burglars allegedly decamped with valuables from the house of the personal secretary to Union minister Venkaiah Naidu in Lutyens Dlehi.

The burglary happened on March 31 and it was the driver, V. Kuttan Pillai, who informed the police about the burglary. Mr Kumars residence is located close to the office of Delhi polices security wing.

S. Suresh Kumar, secretary to Mr Naidu, is in the US for higher studies and the house has been unoccupied for a year, the police said.

Since Mr Kumar is not in India, it is still not known what valuables were taken away by the accused. Kumar has gone to the US for a year-long course. It appears that a large amount of cash and valuables were not kept at home, said a senior police officer.

An employee of Mr Kumars office came to meet the investigators and told them that some electronic items were missing, but he also didnt have much of an idea, he said.

Mr Kumars driver Pillai stays in the servant quarters and informed the police after he saw that the house had been ransacked. He informed Mr Kumar and made a PCR call.

Forensic teams analysed the spot and police is scanning the CCTV footage from the adjoining areas to gain clues to the accused.

Mr Kumars house didnt have any CCTV cameras installed so the police doesnt know at what time the incident happened.
At the rally several Congress, NCP and SP leaders reiterated the Oppositions demand of a farm loan waiver in Maharashtra.

Mumbai: Uniting against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) government, Opposition parties in Maharashtra have united in a grand show of strength over the farmers loan waiver issue. The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) top brass shared a stage along with leaders of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Peasants and Workers Party of India and the Communist Party of India among others.

This is the beginning of a new future. The merging of party flags is the political future of the state. Times are bad and we need to stick together, said Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Ashok Chavan in a speech at a Panvel rally.

At the rally several Congress, NCP and SP leaders reiterated the Oppositions demand of a farm loan waiver in Maharashtra. We hear that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has announced a loan waiver. Why cant they do it in Maharashtra when Devendra Fadnavis had announced the same during his election campaign, asked senior Congress leader Narayan Rane.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar asked the BJP governments in the state and at the Centre whether they had forgotten the loan waiver promise. From information made available in Parliament, I have learned that 20 nationalised banks have Rs 2,80,494 crore net NPAs. The government is ready to help these banks but not farmers, he said.

Imploring farmers not to take their own lives, Mr Pawar said that it is now time for them to make the lives of their rulers unbearable.

In the first leg of its campaign, the Opposition had embarked on the Sangharsh Yatra from Chandrapur five days ago. The yatris travelled from 16 districts, covering parts of Vidarbha, Marathwada, Western Maharashtra and the Konkan. This is one of the first on-road agitations launched by the Opposition since the BJP-led government came to power in 2014. NCP leader Jitendra Awhad, one of the organisers of the Yatra, clarified that the Opposition would not stop after the first leg. We have just begun. The second step will be announced soon, he said.
His body was recovered from the sea at around 3 this afternoon, police said.

Mumbai: A 23-year-old accused in a rape case died while attempting to escape from the police custody in suburban Borivali, a senior police official said on Tuesday.

"We had summoned one Salman Patel in connection with a complaint filed by a girl with Aarey police, a day ago," said an official attached to Aarey police station.

"When the youth was at Aarey police station we got a call from Gorai police enquiring about Patel, who was booked in a rape case there last month.

"He was then taken into custody by Gorai police after completing all the formalities," he said.

Patel was brought to Gorai early on Tuesday, said another senior official.

"He was being taken to hospital this morning for a medical checkup when he tried to escape by pushing aside a cop escorting him. As the police started chasing him he jumped into the sea near Palm Beach. Police tried to rescue him but he got drowned," the official said.

His body was recovered from the sea at around 3 this afternoon, police said.

Police have registered a case of accident, the officer said.
Sena chief calls for meeting of party leaders on April 6; Old faces may go, new ones may come in.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has convened a meeting on April 6 of his party leaders at Matoshree to discuss a possible reshuffle of Sena ministers in the Cabinet. Sources in the party said that after receiving complaints from Shiv Sena MLAs about some ministers, the party chief might remove old faces and give an opportunity to new leaders.

Bickering among the Shiv Sena MLAs and ministers came to fore during the ongoing budget session of the legislature. In a party meeting held at the Assembly, Shiv Sena MLAs expressed their anger over some of its ministers failure to complete work and fulfil the promises.

The MLAs even lodged complaints with the party chief Uddhav Thackeray. After receiving complaints, the party chief held separate meetings with ministers and MLAs.

The sources in Shiv Sena said Mr Thackeray might induct young and fresh faces in the Cabinet in May 2017.

The Cabinet reshuffle was on the cards for a long time. The Sena did not induct new faces last time when BJP inducted a few new faces in the Cabinet. There is a possibility that the Shiv Sena chief would go for the Cabinet reshuffle, the sources said.

The Sena chief is likely to seek opinion of senior party leaders about the reshuffle. The sources said that he would even review the performance of the ministers who are handling various portfolios in the state Cabinet.

Based on their performances, a few might have to go, and young faces would be given a chance, the sources said. Though the Sena chief has convened a meeting on April 6, the reshuffle is likely to take place in May.

In June, the state Assembly will hold its monsoon session, and the new ministers would get some time to get a grasp of how their departments function, the sources added.
Singh was rushed to state-run G.T. Hospital in south Mumbai early on Wednesday morning where he is undergoing treatment.

Mumbai: Two days after a 24-year-old student jumped to death from the 19th floor of a hotel in Bandra on Monday, a 19-year-old polytechnic student attempted to commit suicide on Tuesday by consuming phenyl and slitting his left wrist. The extreme step was taken following a quarrel between the youth, Chandan Singh, and his Mumbra-based hostels inmates. Singh was rushed to state-run G.T. Hospital in south Mumbai early on Wednesday morning where he is undergoing treatment.

While talking to The Asian Age, Dr Vikas Medad, deputy superintendent of G.T. Hospital said, Chandan Singhs condition is critical and he is on ventilator. The wrist wounds are superficial but dressing has been done. He will be in ICU for three more days.

Singh took this step after his friends confronted him about a complaint he had made to the hostel authorities about the inmates having dinner after the stipulated deadline of 9.30 pm.

Singh is a student of Government Technology College and was staying the college hostel in Shildaighar. Sources revealed that after the confrontation, Singh was very depressed and left the hostel premises on Tuesday morning. Following his sudden disappearance, his friends sent him a message asking for his whereabouts, to which Singh replied that his body would reach the hostel by night. Stunned by this message, his friends and teachers approached Thanes Shildaighar police station. On the same night, Singh attempted to commit suicide.

Speaking to The Asian Age, DCP Manoj Kumar Sharma, Zone-1 said, The boy is currently admitted in the hospital and is being treated. We will record his statement only after he regains consciousness. We are still probing the case and can draw inferences only after his statement. We have registered a case of attempt to suicide against him under section 309 (attempted suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.

On Monday evening, Arjun Bharadwaj, a 24-year-old student of a Vile Parle based college, leaped to death from the 19th floor of the plush Taj Lands End hotel. He was live on Facebook when he took the extreme step, according to the police.
'I want to reach the edge of space, for which we are talking terms with the Russian agency to fly the MIG-29,' she said.

Jammu: A commercial pilot licence has brought this 21-year-old girl from Jammu and Kashmir unbound happiness as she has not only achieved her dream but has also become the youngest pilot in India.

Ayesha Aziz, who got her licence last month, has already set her next target  to fly a MIG-29 fighter jet at Russia's Sokul airbase.

"I want to reach the edge of space, for which we are talking terms with the Russian agency to fly the MIG-29. So, that is going to be the next expedition  to fly the MIG-29 fighter jet," NDTV quoted Ayesha as saying.

Ayesha Aziz, who studied in Mumbai and whose parents hail from Baramulla district in north Kashmir, was awarded a student pilot licence by the prestigious Bombay Flying Club when she was just 15.

She has also earned Flight Radio Telephone Operator's Licence (FRTOL) and is a member of Indian Women Pilots Association (IWPA).

While she was studying in class 12 at Christ Church School in Mumbai, a NASA team visited the school and selected her, along with two boys, for a space training programme.

During the two-month course, she received advanced training in space shuttle mission, multi-axis training, micro-gravity, manned manoeuvring unit and extra vehicular activity (EVA).
If the British feel any remorse about their plunder, it is not made explicit in the arrangement of such objects.

That the castles and museums of the United Kingdom are filled with the treasures of its former colonies is a fact well known to all. Upon entering Windsor Castle one sees the crown (among various others) of the kingdom of Togo. Also on display are other things from other kings: the finery of Maharaja Ranjit Singh stares from inside one glass case; a 500-year-old Persian carpet adorns the cordoned-off centre of another room. The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) houses one of Tipu Sultans swords and the infamous musical organ carved into a wooden sculpture of a tiger felling a British soldier.

If the British feel any remorse about their plunder, it is not made explicit in the arrangement of such objects. Instead, how these artefacts are curated, presented and lit all seem to reiterate what the British very likely believe: the exemplary safekeeping and artful exhibition is a favour to those to whom these objects belong, who would have otherwise destroyed, smuggled or sold them off.

One of the latest exhibitions mounted in the V&A follows a similar line. Comprised mostly of objects from the museums extensive collection, the exhibit titled Lockwood Kipling: Arts and Crafts in the Punjab and London commemorates the career of the man who was father to Rudyard Kipling and the force behind the Mayo School of Industrial Arts, now National College of Arts, in Lahore. It is a tale compellingly told through Kiplings sketches of local craftsmen, intricately carved doors from Chiniot and beautiful silver inkwells.

The arrangement of the objects, and the anointing of Lockwood Kipling as a curator, illustrator, architectural sculptor and visionary par excellence presents a very particular thesis regarding the British and their activities in India. Pages from The Journal of Indian Art, his crucial role in the establishment of art schools in Bombay and Lahore, his training of craftspeople, and his conversion of ordinary objects into objects of art all point to the larger premise that the British hold dear: without them there would be no Indian art, and definitely no appreciation of art.

This, then, is the more pernicious thesis about empire, increasingly en vogue and cherished in post-Brexit Britain. The day I happened to walk through the exhibit was in fact Brexit Day, the official occasion when British Prime Minister Theresa May delivered the letter to her European Union counterparts. The year since the Brexit vote has undoubtedly been one of great uncertainty for the British. Those who voted to leave allege that being in the EU was a raw deal, not quite worth it. There had never been enough reciprocity, never enough gratitude.

All of these premises are interesting to consider when walking through the Lockwood Kipling exhibit at the V&A. While Britains relationship with the rest of Europe was certainly not the exploitative one that defined its colonial enterprise, there are some commonalities of tone and tenor here that are worth noting. Chief among them is the premise that Britons generally give more than they receive. It is, in sum, a message to fellow Britons: we have done much good in the world, and the world has not paid us back.

All of this is, of course, a lie. The British plundered India, used its natural resources, eviscerated its existing institutions and generally created a hierarchy that they dominated and that enabled them to cart away Indias treasures for the sort of safekeeping they still claim to be undertaking. The former colonies who suffered under them have long known these British claims to be untruths; they have also been forced to reckon with the aftermath, with the realisation that the lost glory of the past  whether it was Mughal or Ottoman or Rajput  cannot be the basis of the victories of the present.

Perhaps, for the first time since Partition, Britain is once again in retreat. Seventy years ago, it looked away from India, carrying away its spoils and treasures to the extent it could, leaving behind borders and hatreds that still bleed today. Now, it turns away from Europe with the same sulky petulance, the same attitude of having been inadequately rewarded for its imaginary magnanimity.

This second retreat, however, while different in character and circumstance, suggests an inwards gaze that the British have perhaps not seen since the colonial era. If the British Empire in retreat created revisionist histories that placed colonisers at the heart of the preservation of the subcontinents art and heritage, post-Brexit Britain will similarly create ones that suit the purposes of the present. In a supreme irony, the conquering British of the past can, in this sense, learn from those it once conquered who are used to looking back, indeed, very far back for consolation and confirmation of their own glory.

By arrangement with Dawn
Patralekha Chatterjee focuses on development issues in India and emerging economies. She can be reached at patralekha.chatterjee@gmail.com

Nearly five women die every hour in India from complications developed during childbirth.

Despite all the paeans to glorious motherhood, India still has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world  167 per 100,000 live births, as per the latest official statistics. Compare this to 27 in China, 23 in Iran, 29 in Sri Lanka, 31 in Maldives and 120 in Bhutan.

Nearly five women die every hour in India from complications developed during childbirth, with heavy blood loss caused by haemorrhage being a major factor. This comes to nearly 45,000 deaths, or about 17 per cent of the global total of deaths linked to childbirth.

But do you see nationwide hand-wringing or hear high-decibel outrage about this? The answer, of course, is an emphatic no.

The figures, however, offer a useful context to the outrage that the death of cows has begun to generate in this country. What are our priorities?

Last week, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani was in the news for proclaiming that protection of cows is the single-most important principle towards saving the whole world from both moral and spiritual degradation. The state government has just made cow slaughter punishable with life imprisonment. Mr Rupani also wants Gujarat to become totally vegetarian.

Interestingly, Gujarats latest salvo in the battle to protect the holy cow comes just when the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India has criticised the state over a spurt in maternal deaths.

A CAG report tabled in the Gujarat Assembly last Friday noted maternal mortality in the state had risen in the past three years, from 72 in 2013-14 to 80 in 2014-15 and to 85 in 2015-16.

In an affluent state, why is this so? One key reason is the stark disparities between different regions. In three districts, the maternal mortality rate was even higher than the states abysmal average Valsad (94), Dahod (93) and Surat (89).

Health experts will analyse this spurt in Gujarats maternal deaths in greater detail in the coming days. But clearly, one contributing factor is the reduction in the states social sector budget.

The CAG report notes that the Gujarat governments expenditure on social services  notably education, health and family welfare  has gone down by around 11 per cent in 2015-16 compared to the previous year.

The findings of the CAG are revealing. The report draws attention to the many factors that could and would put pregnant womens lives at greater risk. One telling example is how women are taken home after delivery. The usual method in rural areas is to use rickshaws designed to carry goods. The effect of the jolting  specially on women who have just undergone a caesarean operation  can be easily imagined. The CAG report catalogues several other lapses pointing to poor healthcare systems in parts of the state.

Gujarat has done a better job in reducing infant deaths and newborn deaths. But when it comes to maternal deaths, its record is worse than that of many neighbouring states, including Maharashtra.

The CAG had drawn the Gujarat governments attention to gaps and deficiencies in the healthcare sector earlier too. But Gujarat is not the only state which needs to take far better care of our human matas.

As the latest compilation of data by the Niti Aayog shows, many states are doing worse. Assams record is the worst  at 300 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births between 2011 and 2013.

Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand come next at 285, followed by Rajasthan at 244, Odisha at 222, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh at 221, Bihar and Jharkhand at 208 maternal deaths, and so on.

In Chhattisgarh, too, chief minister Raman Singh declared anyone found killing cows in the state will be hanged.

Uttar Pradesh has a new chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, who has made the crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses and cattle smuggling the flagship priorities of his administration.

Everyone knows that the cow is sacred to Hindus, who make up the vast majority of our population. But what should our priorities be? Is the continuous hullabaloo about gau mata distracting us from the protection of human matas? Though things have improved, clearly the progress is not commensurate with Indias economic status.

Indeed, as is evident from the statewise data on maternal mortality, affluent states are not necessarily the best performers when it comes to many health indicators, including our mothers survival.

The southern states have typically done far better on education and health indicators than the rest. This holds good for maternal health as well. Most southern states have reduced their maternal mortality ratio to double digits  Kerala to 61 deaths per 100,000 live births, Tamil Nadu to 79 and Andhra Pradesh-Telangana to 92. Only Karnataka trails behind, at 133.

Even West Bengal, which has many other problems, has a better record of saving our mothers. Its maternal mortality ratio of 113 is significantly better than that of Gujarat, Punjab or Haryana  all far more affluent states.

So economic growth, while necessary, is not sufficient to deliver good health. We all know this. Signalling matters.

Lets face it. Whether it is old India, or Narendra Modis New India, a maternal death does not spark public outrage or provoke protest rallies, demonstrations or even candlelight vigils. We have grown accustomed to it.

We have normalised the staggering number of such deaths, even when other countries we consider our peers have done far better than us on maternal health. We are not outraged enough by maternal deaths unless our score on this or any other health indicator is worse than that of Pakistan. Then hell breaks loose.

Bharat Mata and Gau Mata are centrestage. What about turning the spotlight too on the ordinary mata?

If chief ministers got as excited about the alarming number of Indian women who become anaemic during pregnancy, about the delays and deficiencies in public healthcare, about the entrenched neglect that leads to a woman dying during or after childbirth as they evidently are about cow slaughter, change would begin. But will they?
Spokesman said Washington should

Cairo: An Islamic State group spokesman called on Tuesday for countries attacking it to be targeted, in an audio recording in which he also insulted US President Donald Trump.

The recording posted on jihadist sites online was Abulhassan al-Muhajer's first since December.

Since then, IS has been under sustained assault in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and also in Syria.

Muhajer said the "bankrupt" United States was run by "an ugly idiot who doesn't know what Syria is, what Iraq is, and what Islam is".

He said Washington should "apologise for the past and retreat" or face consequences, urging what he called "the caliphate's soldiers" to attack "the criminal infidels".

Iraqi forces have been engaged in a grinding battle for west Mosul since last month, prompting more than 200,000 civilians to flee the city.

The jihadists also face an offensive against their bastion Raqa in northern Syria conducted by a Kurdish and Arab coalition supported by the US-led coalition fighting the group.

IS has suffered heavy losses over the past two years in both countries.
Speaking at a White House business forum on Tuesday, Trump called North Korea a humanity problem.

China is still grappling with Trump's mercurial nature after the relative transparency and predictability of the bilateral relationship under Barack Obama. (Photo: AP)

Washington: The White House is talking in more urgent terms about North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons, as President Donald Trump's talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping approach. One senior administration official warned that the "clock has now run out" on Pyongyang.

Trump and Xi will huddle on Thursday and Friday at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, a venue chosen to give the summit a more informal feel. White House officials said on Tuesday that trade and security would be high on the new American president's agenda, including pushing China to exert more economic pressure on North Korea.

Speaking at a White House business forum on Tuesday, Trump called North Korea a "humanity problem." A White House official later said "all options are on the table" for the US, though the official would not say what steps Trump was willing to take to curb Pyongyang's pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast on Wednesday, US and South Korean officials said, in a reminder of the simmering tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Like many nations, China is still grappling with Trump's mercurial nature after the relative transparency and predictability of the bilateral relationship under Barack Obama. Both during his campaign and after his victory, Trump complained repeatedly about China's allegedly unfair trade practices, its perceived lack of assistance in reining in North Korea and its drive to cement control over the South China Sea.

Some analysts believe Xi might be willing to hand Trump a symbolic victory on trade to put a positive spin on the meeting.

"Xi probably can't accommodate Trump on sovereignty and security issues, but he has a lot of leeway on economics," said Robert Sutter, a China expert at George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Yet even if Xi is able to offer Trump deliverables, he will still have to deal with "a restless US president valuing unpredictability and seeking advantage for his agenda going forward," Sutter said.

Trump was seen as moving trade even more to the forefront when he signed a pair of executive orders Friday focused on reducing the trade deficit. Coupled together, the orders appeared to be a symbolic shot at China, which accounted for the vast bulk  USD 347 billion - of last year's USD 502 billion trade deficits.

While aides insisted the timing was coincidental, the administration touted the moves as evidence of an aggressive but analytical approach to closing a yawning trade gap that is largely due to the influx of goods from China.

Still, Trump told the Financial Times newspaper that during his meeting with Xi, he doesn't "want to talk about tariffs yet, perhaps the next time we meet." A second White House official said Tuesday that the topic may come up, though there was not expected to be any resolution.

The officials would only discuss the upcoming summit on the condition of anonymity in order to avoid pre-empting the president.

Looming over the visit will be North Korea's nuclear provocations. China continues to oppose the tough measures demanded of it to address the issue, fearing a collapse of the Pyongyang regime would bring a crush of refugees and possibly US and South Korean troops on its border.

Trump told the Financial Times the US is prepared to act alone if China does not take a tougher stand against North Korea's nuclear program.

"China has great influence over North Korea," he said. "And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won't. And if they do that will be very good for China, and if they don't it won't be good for anyone."

Add to the mix the issue of the South China Sea, where Beijing has built and armed man-made islands despite the concerns of neighboring countries; and Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that China claims as its own territory, and which some in Trump's administration would like to see in a stronger relationship with the U.S.

Despite such divisions, Beijing seems committed to establishing a positive relationship between the two leaders.

"It is fundamental for them to improve understanding between each other," said Xiong Zhiyong, a professor at Peking University's School of International Relations. "Both sides have shown their willingness to cooperate and they are expected to make a commitment for cooperation."

China, Xiong said, realizes that Trump "is a leader with a strong personality." The White House said Trump and Xi would hold meetings and a dinner on Thursday, then gather again Friday for more discussions and a working lunch. First lady Melania Trump and Xi's wife, famed songstress Peng Liyuan, plan to attend the dinner.

As personalities, Xi and Trump are a study in contrasts. A lifelong Communist Party apparatchik and son of a former vice premier, Xi has built his career with a cautious approach, avoiding controversial reforms and rarely speaking out in ways that would distract from his core message.

His nearly five years as head of the ruling party have been defined by a campaign to achieve the "Chinese dream" of increasing prosperity while tackling endemic corruption.

Still, outwardly cordial relations with US presidents are also a longstanding Chinese tradition, in recognition of the importance of the bilateral relationship. Xi had taken pains to appear at ease in the company of Obama, avoiding the rancor that characterized the relationship between the American leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a separate case, Belen has been accused of beating 78-year-old Delor Cabral to death during a home invasion in 2013.

Providence: A Rhode Island man has been convicted of repeatedly raping his then-girlfriend after he became angry that she smoked their last cigarette.

The Providence Journal reported the attorney generals office as saying a Superior Court jury convicted 36-year-old Leopoldo Belen of Woonsocket of four counts of first-degree sexual assault for the April 2014 attack.

Prosecutors said Belen violently assaulted the then-21-year-old woman, who fled the Woonsocket apartment wearing only a bed sheet. A neighbour called 911.

Belen is accused in a separate case of beating 78-year-old Delor Cabral to death during a home invasion in 2013. Authorities have said that Cabral, a landlord, was trying to defend one of his tenants from being robbed.

Belen has pleaded not guilty to 13 charges. His lawyer didnt immediately comment.
Travis Malouff had been participating in a contest to eat a doughnut the "size of a small cake.

Denver: A man trying to eat a half-pound glazed doughnut in 80 seconds as part of a Denver doughnut shop's eating challenge choked to death, one of two people who died in such contests this past weekend.

Travis Malouff, 42, died early Sunday of asphyxia due to obstruction of the airway, a coroner said. He had been participating in a contest to eat a doughnut the "size of a small cake," witness Julia Edelstein said Tuesday.

Winners get the doughnut for free and a button saying they won the challenge, which Voodoo Doughnuts said it was suspending, according to statement given to Denver news station KUSA-TV.

The station first reported Malouff's death, which came the same day as that of 20-year-old Caitlin Nelson, who had choked during a pancake-eating contest days earlier at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.

In Denver, Edelstein said the mood was festive as she stood in line at Voodoo Doughnuts, a Portland, Oregon-based business known for its creative, colorful pastries that sell for about $3 each.

People waiting to buy a doughnut around closing time were singing and dancing along to the music playing in the shop when Edelstein heard an employee announce the challenge: "Let's give him a round of applause."

Malouff tore the doughnut in half and started eating it, walking around looking determined, Edelstein said. The employee announced the elapsed time: 30 seconds. Malouff took a sip of water, another bite of doughnut and then hunched over the counter and starting pounding on it, Edelstein said.

"Watching somebody participate in an eating contest, it looks like they're distressed," she said. "The whole thing looks like a sign of distress. Nobody realized what was happening."

Part of the doughnut was still in Malouff's hand when he turned away from the counter, his face blue, and collapsed. Two customers broke his fall and desperately tried to help him until paramedics arrived. Malouff died at the scene, according to the coroner and police.

Multiple calls and emails to Voodoo Doughnuts were not immediately returned.

"We weren't running in front of cars, we weren't playing with guns or anything that causes death. We were just out having fun," Edelstein said of her shock that an eating contest could turn deadly so fast.

Nobody returned phone messages left at a number listed for Malouff's family in Alamosa, Colorado, which is listed as his hometown on Facebook.
The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader on Tuesday reached Bomdila, starting his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

Beijing: China said on Wednesday it has lodged a diplomatic protest with India for allowing the Dalai Lama to visit the "disputed" parts of Arunachal Pradesh.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it has lodged the protest with India's Ambassador in Beijing Vijay Gokhale.

The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader on Tuesday reached Bomdila in West Kameng district, starting his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as southern Tibet.

The Dalai Lama's visit to Bomdila comes eight years after he visited Arunachal in 2009, which was exactly 50 years after he had passed through the town on his way from Lhasa in Tibet to India. He is due to visit Tawang later this week.

Beijing had previously warned New Delhi that the visit by the Dalai Lama to Tawang, which happens to be the birthplace in 1683 of the sixth Dalai Lama and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism, will seriously damage the bilateral ties.

On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, "India in disregard to China's concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lama's visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border causing serious damage to China's interests and China-India relations."

Earlier, Minister of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said India never interfered in Beijing's affairs, has respected the "One China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in

India's internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lama's visit.

"There is no political angle behind his holiness's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is completely religious."

Separately, the External Affairs Ministry said that no "artificial controversy" should be created about the visit.

However, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson rejected Rijiju's comments, saying "China upholds the policy of not interfering with other countries internal affairs. This is unquestionable."

"But... This issue goes beyond internal affairs," she said.
The Chinese reaction to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh came in an article in the state-run Global Times.

Beijing: India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China's "bottom line", Chinese state media said today, threatening that New Delhi may have "underestimated" Beijing's determination to protect its core interests.

The Chinese reaction to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh came in an article in the state-run Global Times, which is part of the ruling Communist Party publications an is known for striking nationalistic postures.

"Unlike his predecessors, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have taken a different stance on the Dalai issue, raising public engagements with the monk and challenging Beijing's bottom line," Chinese state media said according to an NDTV report.

"Beijing has voiced concerns over the issue, but New Delhi claimed that China shouldn't intervene in its 'internal affairs'," the article said, referring to Indian Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju's comments on Tuesday.

"This is absurd," the article said. Rijiju has said India never interfered in Beijing's affairs, has respected the "One China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in India's internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lama's visit.

"There is no political angle behind his holiness's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is completely religious." Separately, External Affairs Ministry has said that no "artificial controversy" should be created about the visit.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry is yet to react to Rijiju's comments or the External Affairs statement yesterday. However, the state media asked India to "overcome its suspicion" of Beijing. "China doesn't allow India to free ride on its economic growth while jeopardising Beijing's core interests."

It warned, "New Delhi may have underestimated Beijing's determination to safeguard its core interests. Many countries have pledged not to extend invitations to the Dalai Lama.

As the two largest emerging economies, China and India have great potential for cooperation." Today's article also accused India of playing the "Tibet card" as it is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance on India's bid for Nuclear Suppliers Group membership and its attempts to add Masood Azhar, the chief of Pakistan-backed militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), to a UN Security Council blacklist.

"Therefore, Delhi attempts to play the Tibet card against Beijing," it said, adding that "unlike his predecessors, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have taken a different stance on the Dalai issue, raising public engagements with the monk and challenging Beijing's bottom line," it said.

India and China have had discussions on the two issues, yet the matters are far from being resolved, leading to strain in ties. Also, China is sensitive to the visit of the Dalai Lama, who it calls an "anti-China separatist", to Arunachal's Tawang region which happens to be the birthplace in 1683 of the sixth Dalai Lama and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.

China has in recent days upped its rhetoric on claims to parts of Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls southern Tibet, and even warned India of "serious damage" to ties if New Delhi allowed Tibet's exiled spiritual leader's visit to go ahead.

The article added, "India is also exploring the option of linking the strategic border district of Tawang with a railway network, another provocation against Beijing. India has also invited a 'parliamentary delegation from Taiwan in February'."

Citing other instances like the Dalai Lama's meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee in December, which Beijing sees as a "provocation", it quoted Rijiju as having said to an international news agency in an interview that "it's a behavioural change you are seeing. India is more assertive."

It said that the Dalai Lama is "now openly used by India as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage." Last night, another piece on the newspaper's website said India was using the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang "to upset" China.

An unnamed Chinese analyst told the newspaper that the 14th Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang will hurt Sino-Indian ties. "The Dalai's visit to the controversial area, especially Tawang, which China hopes will be returned, will affect relations between China and India," the analyst from the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the paper on the condition of anonymity.

The analyst too pointed out the religious significance of the Tawang to Tibetans, saying it's the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso. The analyst said this was not the first time India has used the Dalai Lama to express its displeasure to China, especially when bilateral talks fail to include their demands or to "pander to domestic anti-China issues".
Nalla pleaded guilty to a charge of promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race at the State Courts.

The imam had last week apologised in front of Christian, Sikh, Taoist, Buddhist and Hindu representatives as well as members of the Federation of Indian Muslims. (Photo: AFP/File)

Singapore: The Indian imam in Singapore, who was expelled and fined for making divisive remarks against Christians and Jews during his Friday sermon at a mosque, has shown remorse and regret, Singapore's Law Minister said on Wednesday.

K Shanmugam, who is also the Home Affairs Minister, called on the Imam, Nalla Mohamed Abdul Jameel, who was accompanied by members of the Federation of Indian Muslims and Jamae Chulia Mosque at Ba'alwie Mosque.

The Minister said Nalla had shown regret for his remarks and commended him for apologising to other faith leaders.

"He also met the leaders of other faiths, including the Rabbi at the synagogue to apologise for his actions. That showed real sincerity and courage. I thought it would be good to meet and tell the Imam that I appreciated the sincerity with which he had shown his remorse," Shanmugam said of his decision to accept the invitation for the meeting.

The Channel News Asia showed Shanmugam embracing the Imam and handshaking with him in the presence of community leaders. Action "had to be taken against the Imam" but, referencing an earlier statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), "action against him was taken with some regret", he said.

The Imam had last week apologised in front of Christian, Sikh, Taoist, Buddhist and Hindu representatives as well as members of the Federation of Indian Muslims, saying that he was "filled with great remorse" for the inconvenience, tension and trauma caused by his remarks.

MHA has said the Imam will be repatriated to his home country India. On Monday, Singapore ordered the expulsion of Nalla after he was handed a nearly USD 3,000 fine by a court here for making divisive remarks against Christians and Jews during his Friday sermon at a mosque.

Nalla pleaded guilty to a charge of promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race at the State Courts.
Police and army officers said that the attack, which began on Tuesday night, also wounded at least 42 people.

Baghdad: Militants opened fire and later blew themselves up in the Iraqi city of Tikrit, killing at least 31 people in an attack claimed Wednesday by the Islamic State group.

Police and army officers said that the attack, which began on Tuesday night, also wounded at least 42 people.

A police lieutenant colonel said three militants shot dead three policemen in central Tikrit and then opened fire on civilians, before later blowing themselves up inside homes in the area.

IS issued a statement claiming the attack, saying it was carried out by seven militants who clashed with security forces until they ran out of ammunition and then detonated explosive belts.

IS seized Tikrit during a lightning offensive that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in the summer of 2014, but Iraqi forces recaptured it the following year.

Iraqi forces are now battling to retake west Mosul -- the country's last city in which the jihadists hold significant ground.

But the jihadists still hold other areas in western Iraq and eastern Syria, and they will remain able to carry out deadly bombings even if all areas under their control are recaptured.
The United States has blamed the chemical attack on Syrian government forces.

The Syrian Observatory said the chemical attack was carried out by warplanes believed to belong to the Syrian military. (Photo: AP)

Beirut: Warplanes mounted five air strikes on Wednesday in a rebel-held area of north-western Syria where dozens of people were killed the day before in a suspected chemical attack, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The Syrian army could not immediately be reached for comment on the reported air strikes in town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province on Wednesday. An Observatory report did not identify the warplanes.

The United States has blamed the chemical attack on Syrian government forces. The army has denied any role.

Russias defence ministry said on Wednesday that poisonous gas contamination in the area was the result of gas leaking from a rebel chemical weapons depot after it was hit by Syrian government air strikes.

The Observatory said the chemical attack was carried out by warplanes believed to belong to the Syrian military.
Theresa May is getting a mixed reaction on social media to the move. Some see it as a display of feminism, while others call disrespectful.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: British Prime Minister Theresa May has forgone wearing a headscarf during her visit to Saudi Arabia.

May stepped off a plane in the Saudi capital of Riyadh Tuesday morning without the headscarf the kingdom favors for women.

Under the kingdom's dress code, Saudi women are required to wear a headscarf and loose, black robes in public, but covering one's head is not required for foreigners.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama also declined to wear headscarves during visits to the country.

May is getting a mixed reaction on social media to the move. Some users see it as a display of feminism, while others call it disrespectful.

May's Downing Street office had no comment on her wardrobe choice.
by Nirmala Carvalho

The Syro-Malabar Synod of Bishops issued a note for the clergy, saying that yoga is beneficial for the body and the mind, but should not to be confused with spirituality. The practice is compulsory in Indian schools, but is often used to promote a Hindu lifestyle."

Mumbai (AsiaNews)  The Syro-Malabar Church, one of the three rites of the Catholic Church in India, has issued a note to its clergy, saying that "Yoga is not a means to experience the divine, although it may contribute to physical and mental health".

In the statement, the Churchs Synod of Bishops recognises the important role yoga plays in Indian culture, but adds that it "must be considered as a physical exercise, a posture to concentrate or meditate." By contrast, "the divine experience does not need any particular posture."

For former Synod spokesman Fr Paul Thelakat, yoga is acceptable and useful for concentration, meditation and for the holistic well being of body and mind. However, he told AsiaNews, the Synod does not consider yoga as a mythic or esoteric short cut to the spiritual life.

Yoga is a practice of mental and physical relaxation that originated in India and spread around the world. It combines physical exercises and breathing techniques. However, in Hinduism, the practice also represents a spiritual quest through which people experience the contact with the deity.

In India, yoga is a required subject in schools. Every year, on International Yoga Day of (21 June), education in schools takes a back seat to yoga events and initiatives.

In the recent past, some Indian activists and intellectuals have claimed that the observance is mandatory, forcing students to sing Hindu hymns and mantra. This limits freedom of worship among minorities and represents a lack of "sensitivity" towards Christian and Muslim students.

Against this background, a Pentecostal pastor was arrested in Tamil Nadu last week because he had criticised "compulsory yoga in schools and elsewhere, which forcibly promotes a Hindu lifestyle." At the same time, he had also highlighted yogas beneficial properties for mind and body.

The note, signed by Card George Alencherry, head of the Synod, clarifies the position of the Church in the matter. The "God in whom we believe is a personal God, it reads. God is not someone who can be reached through a particular posture. For this reason, "It is not quite right to think that the experience of God and the personal encounter with the Lord is possible through Yoga."

In view of this, every one should take utmost care to avoid getting into those prayer groups and spiritual movements which are against the Catholic faith and do not recognise the official teachings of the Church".

In fact, the Synod does not consider yoga as a mythic or esoteric short cut to spiritual life, Fr Paul Thelakat added. The Catholic Church teaches the ways of self-purification and union with God are found in asceticism and prayer.

As a Catholic priest, who has practiced yoga for years, he believes the Synod is right "to point out the Church's teaching on spirituality, which has nothing to do with magical practices."
by Bernardo Cervellera

The upcoming meeting (6-7 April) comes with fears and expectations. After fiery words, the US administration wants to boost mutual cooperation with no conflict, no confrontation. Chinese capital might finance Trumps infrastructure plans. Will Trump be different from Clinton when it comes to dissidents?

Rome (AsiaNews)  The supreme leaders of China and the United States, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, will meet tomorrow and Friday at the latters Mar-a-Lago estate, in Florida.

endly meeting came last Friday from diplomatic sources in the two countries. Around the world however, the tete-a-tete has raised fears and expectations.

Fears are based on Trumps threat in the recent US presidential campaign to slap a 45 per cent tariff on China for manipulating its currency to boost exports at the expense of US jobs.

The US president also recently complained that Beijing was not doing enough to contain North Koreas nuclear aspirations. Instead, he threatened to move unilaterally against Pyongyang, not ruling out military action.

For a moment, Trump also seemed to be calling into question Americaes commitment to the One China policy, a direct jab at Chinese nationalism and the mainlands claim to the rebel island of Taiwan.

At the same time, some conciliatory signals have been made. The two leaders have spoken on the phone, the One China policy has been reaffirmed, and US Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson stated that the US side is ready to develop relations with China based on the principle of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation. Still, the latter will not be easy to achieve.

If Trump promised to put "America First" and make America great", creating millions of new jobs in the US, with next Octobers Communist Party Congress approaching and his leadership at stake, President Xi wants China to be treated as an equal. He needs results that showcase his Chinese dream and, as it were, make China great.

A trade war would be a disaster for the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the two big powers. Chinas export-oriented development cannot lose the US market whilst the United States cannot readily do without cheap Chinese consumer goods, which save the average US household US$ 850 a year.

Some analysts are now saying that China could invest a portion of the capital destined for its One belt, one road, its new silk road, in the United States. Trumps infrastructure plans might need up to US$ 8 trillion in financing. Chinas participation might create new jobs and give Beijing room in the US economy.

This, however, would not touch the more intractable issues affecting bilateral relations. In Davos, Xi Jinping championed globalisation, but his country continues to place limits and duties on imports and joint ventures with foreign companies. The two parties might reach an agreement here.

One topic that will probably be missing at the meeting is human rights. In Washington, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) called on Trump not to overlook Chinas political prisoners.

As President Trump welcomes Chinese President Xi to Florida, we cannot forget the men and women who languish unjustly in prison, the family members who do not know the fate of their loved ones, and the professionals who have disappeared for simply doing their job, CECC chairman Marco Rubio said in a statement.

These people are not statistics, Rubio added. [T]hey are booksellers and pastors, writers and Nobel laureates, lawyers and rights defenders. While recognising the broad scope of US-China bilateral relations, it is unacceptable for President Xi to get a pass on human rights.

For CECC co-chairman Chris Smith, Trump has an historic opportunity to make a difference. We too easily forget that behind the trade deficits and security concerns, real people pay a huge price for standing up for freedom. For this they are heroes and their unconditional release should be a prominent part of this weeks summit.

Trump could use the occasion to be different from Hillary Clinton. In 2009, on her first trip to China as secretary of state, she told a reporter who asked her whether she discussed human rights, Clinton said everything was on table for discussion but US interests came first.
Traces of the suicide bombers DNA have been found on the bag containing a second bomb. The first victims have been named.

Moscow (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Russian investigators have identified the likely culprit in Mondays St Petersburg metro attack, which killed and wounded scores of people. Akbarzhon Jalilov was born in the Kyrgyz city of Osh in 1995, but was a naturalised Russian citizen.

Traces of his DNA were found on a bag containing a second bomb, left in the station and later defused. CCTV camera footage appears to confirm that one man was involved with both bombs.

This morning, investigators searched Jalilovs home and examined other video footage showing him leaving the house with a bag and a backpack.

Jalilovs remains were found at the blast site, but it was unclear whether he was one of the victims. The official list of dead and wounded included a man from Kazakhstan, who was wrongly named as a suspect. Maksim Aryshev, 20, was a student at the State University of St. Petersburg.

The youngest victim, Ksenia Malyukova, was 18. The dead include Irina Medyantseva, who died trying to shield her daughter.

The number of victims rose from 11 to 14 as three more people died of their injuries. Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said 49 people are still hospitalised.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) group had called for attacks against Russia over its military intervention in Syria against Jihadis.

Russia has also been battling Islamists in the Caucasus for a number of years. Several bloody attacks have occurred in the region.

At least 7,000 young Chechens and Central Asians have gone to fight in Syria with IS (Daesh). Many have returned home.
by Shafique Khokhar

The caravan, set to travel to various cities across Pakistan, is the initiative of the Rwadari Tehreek Movement and activists of various religious confessions. Its goal is to achieve peace by promoting respect for diversity. Four police officers are killed in attack against officials.

Lahore (AsiaNews)  The Rwadari Tehreek Movement (Movement for tolerance and pluralism) launched a "caravan for tolerance" yesterday in Lahore (Punjab) that will travel to various Pakistani cities to promote peace over the coming days.

The Rwadari Caravan set off at the Lahore Press Club in the presence of Sheikh Iftikhar Rasool Rwadari Tehreek Punjab information secretary, and Riffat Saud, Rwadari Tehreek general secretary in Lahore.

Activists from various religions came from the provinces of Sindh, Punjab, Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa  all with the goal of promoting religious tolerance and harmony.

Sadly, this effort was marred today by a suicide bomber who killed six people, including four police officers, in an attack against census officials who were conducting the survey for the first time in 19 years.

Now the caravan will travel to various cities and places of interest, like Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, the Sachal Sarmast temple, and the Qalandhar Lal Shahbaz temple in Sehwan Sharif. It will then move on to Hyderabad before it finally reaches Karachi for the Rwadari Festival on Saturday.

"Our future is closely linked to peaceful co-existence, said caravan chairman Samson Salamat. This is not possible unless we adopt and spread a culture of religious tolerance and respect for the religions and differences in our society."

The activist noted that Pakistan is going through a period of "suffering because of various forms of violence, perpetrated mainly in the name of religion. Thats enough. We must make every effort to get this situation under control. To live in a peaceful environment is our right."

For Saadia Sohail, a Member of the Provincial Assembly, "It is truly regrettable that two years after the approval of the National Action Plan (against terrorism), the leaders and members of terrorist groups banned by the government still organise events, meetings and other activities in broad daylight, threatening the lives of people and making hateful speeches.

Prominent writer Salman Abid believes that "such efforts need to be implemented at this time of need. This is a message for everyone in Pakistan. We can bring peace to society through religious tolerance and respect for diversity."
Dozens of donor countries attend Syria conference in Brussels. EU notes that 13.5 million Syrians need humanitarian assistance:  3.4 billion inside the country and  4.7 billion for refugees outside. Archbishop of Aleppo says a US-Russian agreement is the "way to peace", calls for action on aid in a spirit of justice and cooperation.

Brussels (AsiaNews)  Caritas agencies call on western countries to do more for Syrian refugees. Speaking at a two-day conference (4-5 April) in Brussels (Belgium) centred on three themes Empower, Protect, Sustain, they call for action that goes beyond the immediate emergency in favour of long-term plans to build social cohesion and development.

The European Union and the United Nations are hosting the conference, which follows the London meeting last year where US$ 11 billion were pledged in humanitarian aid for the war-torn country.

The head of Caritas Syria, Chaldean Archbishop of Aleppo Mgr Antoine Audo, told AsiaNews that "we have international aid" but "if there is no peace the problem remains." The lack of security creates "weakness, migration," he said. This is why pledges of support are not enough. Instead, what is needed is a political solution, a reconciliation process that opens the door to the return of the refugees."

For the prelate, "One of the main problems is the lack of jobs". This is tied to "widespread poverty and a high cost-of-living", which make survival that much harder.

"The situation varies from region to region. In Aleppo, things are calmer now. Water is now available but there is still no electricity. Perhaps this problem will be solved in four months, but for now power is often cut off. Then there is Damascus and its outlying areas, Idlib and Raqqa. Syria is divided into at least five sectors, very different from one another."

Since March 2011, when civil war broke out, more than five million people fled to neighbouring countries. At least 400,000 have died in the violence, which displaced almost half of the countrys population. The European Union estimates that in Syria itself 13.5 million Syrians need humanitarian aid.

Speaking about the displaced, Mgr Audo highlighted the differences among them. Some rich families found refuge in Lebanon and Europe, especially the young. Others sought work and stability. In this case, especially among the young, it is difficult to imagine a return to the country of origin, and this is a serious problem because it will deprive Syria of a key group for its development and future renaissance.

Another issue concerns the increasingly difficult fate of assets and properties left in Syria by all those who fled abroad in search of safety, including many Christians.

Meantime, the United Nations say that  3.4 billion (US$ 3.6 billion) is needed for internal humanitarian aid this year, and  4.7 billion (US$ 5 billion) is required for refugees.

Turkey, which was invited to the Brussels conference but was a no-show, has taken in about three million refugees, Lebanon more than a million (out of a total of 4.5 million). Jordan has about 600,000, but Jordanian authorities say the real number exceeds a million. Experts warn that the priority should be on using the funds for longer-term development of Syrian refugees.

Caritas hopes that the meeting in the Belgian capital can deliver a new deal by providing more investment to neighbouring countries hosting refugees to create employment opportunities and stimulate economic growth that benefit both refugees and host communities alike.

It is necessary to organise aid in a spirit of justice and co-operation," said the Chaldean Archbishop of Aleppo. "In the eastern part of the city held by the rebels for years, we started with Caritas a series of activities that seem to work."

The Catholic charity has focused its efforts on five points, with education and health care as the top priority. "We handed out food parcels and aid to families in [Aleppos] eastern sector. We are working on rebuilding houses destroyed in the war, Archbishop Audo explained. Similar steps are being taken in Damascus as well, although health is the priority in the capital. We are working on jobs like electricians, masons, to give young people some professional future."

"For reconstruction and reconciliation to get underway, an agreement between the US and Russia is necessary. The Syrian crisis is in the hands of the two powers; it is up to them to find a way to peace."

Meanwhile, most of the refugees survive in makeshift settlements on farmland in Lebanon, in cramped flats in Jordan, or emergency shelters in Turkey. This precarious situation makes jobs, education, and health care that more urgent.

Governments in the region should develop policies to help refugees support themselves economically, finding a job without risking jail as illegal migrants. This way, experts believe refugees could contribute to the economic development of host communities.

In Lebanon, for example, the Lebanese are often the ones already employing Syrians informally, said Alan Thomlinson, Programme Manager for Syria of the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD).

Apart from jobs, there is also a need to lift legal and political barriers that put refugees outside the law and deprived them of educational opportunities as well as basic services such as healthcare, he added.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said Monday that Syria would need an initial US$ 10.7 billion to US$ 17.1 billion to revive agricultural production, depending on how the conflict plays out.

It estimated that the war has caused more than billion in lost crop and livestock production and farming assets.

During that same period, the UN agency has provided assistance to some 2.4 million Syrians in rural areas and on the outskirts of cities like Aleppo, Homs and Damascus. (DS)
Church leaders speak for and act on behalf of the people affected by the disaster a year ago. For Fr Anton ang Huu Nam, "Many of the victims have not been compensated for the physical and mental harm they endured." Mgr Hoang Duc Oanh, the company continues to dump toxic waste into the sea. Mgr Phaolo Nguyen Thai Hop noted that we are responsible for our nation and future generations.

Hanoi (AsiaNews)  Exactly a year tomorrow after an environmental disaster ravaged four Vietnamese central provinces), tens of thousands of victims are still waiting for reparations and compensation.

As the waiting gets longer, the sense of injustice and resentment has grown against the government, accused of corruption and failed policies.

Last year, a steel mill owned by the Taiwan-based Formosa Plastics Corporation discharged 12,000 cubic metres of liquid toxic waste into the sea through drainage pipes in what is the worst incident of its kind in the country.

The waste killed 70 tonnes of fish, negatively impacting the population of Vietnams central provinces. About 250 km of coastline suffered serious environmental damage and more than 40 000 fishermen lost their livelihood.

In an agreement signed by the Formosa Plastics Corporation and the government without any public hearings, Hanoi accepted compensation to the tune of US$ 500 million on behalf of the victims. The money however has never been handed out.

The Catholic Church supports affected residents and has taken a stance against the authorities and their shortcomings.

"Five hundred million dollars in compensation from Formosa Plastics is very little compared to the scale of the disaster, Fr Anton ang Huu Nam, from Quynh Phu parish in Yen Luu (Nghe An province), told the media. I know that the government has spent only 150 million for the victims."

"Many of the victims have not been compensated for the physical and mental harm they endured, he added. In addition, local authorities are unfair when it comes to compensation, which has been handed out arbitrarily.

"The death of the waters, as well as the fish, is only the most immediate aspect of the problem, said Archbishop Giuse Ngo Quang Kiet. The main impact of this devastation has been the death of societys human soul, which must awaken human conscience. We need rationality, morality, and a proper political system, so that we can save this situation [. . .]. Everyone must be aware of problems so that we become aware of our right to life."

In Vinh, the diocesan commission supporting marine environmental pollution victims and some organisations have called on the government of Taiwan to exercise its authority and push the Formosa Plastics Corp to take responsibility for its way of doing business in Vietnam".

Fr Phero Maria Hoang Anh Ngoi, from Con Se parish, slammed Formosa Plastics for the environmental contamination and the authorities for helping and shielding the dangerous company.

The clergyman also criticised the regimes repression. Government officials, he said, "have not listened to the voice of truth. They are not part of the people."

"We sued Formosa Plastics Corporation not only for us but also for our grandchildren and future generations said Mgr Hoang Duc Oanh. This is a win-win situation for the nation and the people.

Nevertheless, The government still allows the Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation to exist. They covered up for and protected the dangerous company so that it can continue to dump toxic waste in the sea in some areas in the central provinces, as was recently the case. They have no intention of cleaning up the waters. This is a problem that the public wants clarified."

Mgr Phaolo Nguyen Thai Hop told clergy and laity in the diocese of Vinh that "As Catholics and citizens, we are responsible for our nation and future generations. We are determined to build a fairer and more humane society, protect the environment and express our solidarity to the victims of the environmental disaster."
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Pope Francis has expressed his horror and condemnation of the attacks that have hit Syria and Russia in recent days. After the general audience today, he said: "My thoughts go at this moment to serious attack in recent days in the St. Petersburg subway, which resulted in casualties and loss of life among the population. As I entrust to God's mercy those who have tragically been lost, I express my spiritual closeness to their families and to all those who suffer because of this tragic event. "



"We look on in horror - he added  I firmly deplore the unacceptable carnage that took place yesterday in Idlib province, where scores of helpless people, including many children, were killed. I pray for the victims and their families, and I appeal he consciences of those who have political responsibilities, on a local and international level, to halt this tragedy and bring relief to the population that has been sorely tried by war for far too long. In addition, I encourage the efforts of those who, despite insecurity and distress, strive to get help to the inhabitants of that region ".
As St. Paul says he took upon himself all the filth of humanity, he was raised us up, so that all the people wounded by sin, look at him. And those who do not recognize this man who "through the power of God who became sin to heal", will die in their sin.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "The Church proposes dialogue with the mystery of the cross, with this God who became sin for love", to save us. This is how the crucifix should be worn , and not just as a symbol of belonging, "a badge" or even as an ornament, said Pope Francis at Mass in Santa Marta. Three times, Pope Francis said, in todays liturgical reading Jesus says to the Pharisees: You will die in your sins. Thats because their hearts were closed and they did not understand the mystery of the Lord. To die in your sins he said, is a bad thing.

Reflecting on the First Reading in which the Lord tells Moses to make a saraph serpent and mount it on a pole and whoever looks at it after being bitten will live, the Pope said the serpent is the symbol of the devil, the father of lies, he who caused humanity to sin. And he recalled that Jesus said When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own. This, Francis said, is the mystery of the Cross. The bronze serpent was the sign of two things: the sign of sin and of the seductive power of sin, and it was a prophecy of the Cross, he said.

The Cross, he continued, is not only a symbol of belonging, but it is the memory of God who was made sin for love. As Saint Paul says: For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin. Taking upon Himself all the filth of humanity, the Pope said, He was lifted so that all men wounded by sin would be able to see Him. "Salvation comes only from the Cross, from this Cross that is God made flesh he said. And he pointed out: There is no salvation in ideas, there is no salvation in good will, in the desire to be good ... The only salvation is in the crucified Christ, because like the bronze serpent, He was able to take all the poison of sin and heal us.

Then the Pope asked: what is the Cross for you? Yes, it is the Christian symbol. We make the sign of the Cross, but often we do not do it well For some, he said, the Cross is like a badge of belonging, they wear it to show they are Christians, or even in search of visibility, they wear it as an ornament decorated with precious gems. But, he reminded the faithful: "God said to Moses whoever looks at the serpent will live; and Jesus said to his enemies When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am the son of God. He who does not look to the Cross with faith, the Pope said, will die in his sins, will not receive salvation.

Today, Pope Francis said, the Church proposes a dialogue with the Mystery of the Cross, with God who became sin for our sake. Each of us can say He became sin for love of me he said. Inviting all faithful to think about how theywear the Cross, and how aware they are when making the sign of the cross, the Pope concluded asking each of us to look to this God who became sin so that we do not die in our sins, and to reflect on the questions just suggested.
This mornings launch aimed at provoking greater disaccord between China and the United States. The medium-range missile launched from Sinpo landed in the Sea of Japan. Beijing does not want the fall of Kim Jong-un, or the unification of the two Koreas.

Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - North Korea this morning carried out a new missile test, on the eve of a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump. The missile was fired from the Sinpo base, in the northeast of the country and flew for 60 km until before crashing into the Sea of Japan. According to the US military the missile should be the KN-15 medium-range type.

Japan spoke of "provocation" and expressed "strong protest" for the experiment.

The launch comes after a series of tests in recent months, with joints missiles in international waters close to Japan. Pyongyang justifies its actions as a reaction to the annual joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea.

This mornings launch seems aimed at provoking greater disaccord between China and the US, on the eve of the two presidents meeting in Florida. Days ago, Trump said in an interview that if China did not help to contain Pyongyang, the United States would do it "alone."

After all embargoes and UN sanctions, China is still the closest ally of North Korea, although in the last two years, relations have become more difficult following China's accession to UN sanctions for refusing to stop Pyongyang tests and its nuclear program.

On the other hand, according to analysts, Beijing does not seem to want either the fall of the regime of Kim Jong-un - which would bring a wave of refugees to its borders - nor the unification of the two Koreas, which would make the new state a strong and dangerous competitor.
Damascus (AsiaNews) - The UN Security Council is meeting today for an emergency summit which will discuss yesterdays chemical attack in Idlib, city controlled by the rebels in the northwest of Syria, which caused dozens of deaths and injuries among civilians. The international community has reacted indignantly to the raid, with unanimous and harsh condemnation led by the European Union, the United States, Israel and Britain. Damascus has vehemently denied the use of chemical weapons and Moscow, an ally of the Syrian government, has given a different version of the facts that exonerate the Assad regime.

Church sources contacted by AsiaNews in Syria call for "prudence" and advocate a "thorough fact check" to ascertain the truth. Even in the past, the source added, there have been attacks that have raised indignation and condemnation, but "they never clarified responsibilities with certainty " in the context of a growing "war of propaganda and information".



The updated death toll provided London based NGO Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, close to the rebels and backed by the Saudis, speaks of 72 dead, including 20 children; hundreds injured. First, to report the "chemical attack" yesterday, the group adds that "there are also 17 women among the victims" and the number "may rise again" because there are "missing."



Dramatic images of the attack are circulating on social networks: men, women and children are vomiting and foaming at the mouth as a result of the use of chemical and toxic agents. According to reports from the area controlled by the rebels, and difficult to independently verify, the Syrian air force also targeted hospitals where affected civilians were hospitalized. Today the site "Shaam", close to the opposition, spoke of chlorine bombs; the healthcare professionals on the ground report effects caused by sarin gas. Both are banned by international conventions.



In the hours after the attack the Western governments and Israel accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the government, calling it a veritable "war crime". The attack has also cast a shadow on the ongoing meeting in Brussels on Syria, which sees the presence of 70 donor countries engaged in the collection and distribution of humanitarian aid to the local population and the refugees who had fled across the border to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.



Since March 2011, the date of beginning of the conflict, more than five million people have crossed the borders of the Arab country and have registered as refugees in neighboring countries. At least 400 thousand are victims of the violence, which forced nearly half the population to flee their homes. EU estimates report that 13.5 million Syrians need humanitarian assistance in the country.



To respond to the attack yesterday, France and the United Kingdom have requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. For the London representative of the United Nations Matthew Rycroft the incident is "very bad news" for hope "for peace in Syria". He speaks of "war crime" and hopes that, this time, some allied nations Damascus [Moscow laws, although in the past as well as China was opposed to condemnation] "resolutions do not use the veto to defend the indefensible" .



The US president Donald Trump called the attack "a despicable act" of the Assad government and the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke of "barbarism." There was greater prudence from the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, who he described the story as "horrible", but hoped at the same time for "a clear identification of responsibilities" and that the perpetrators be brought to justice.

Moscow, an ally of Damascus, has provided a new version of the facts based on "data bases monitoring the airspace" to exonerate, at least in part, the Syrian government. The Russian Defense Ministry speaks of a governmental aviation airstrike that hit a chemical factory used by insurgents in Khan Sheikhoun. The explosions released toxic substances in the area, which then caused victims among the civilian population of the area. The factory housed a "laboratory" for the realization of "bombs with toxic substances". Moscow has not clarified whether the deposit was hit deliberately or accidentally.

It is not the first time that chemical weapons have been used in the context of the Syrian conflict. In 2013 the government and rebels exchanged accusations and responsibility for attacks with chemical agents. The United Nations has opened several investigations following complaints of gas use, both from the regular army and rebel militias. The last of these dates back to August, when UN experts have denounced the use of chlorine gas on "at least two occasions" by the government army. Allegations that were rejected by the Damascus government.
A Beatrice man pleaded not guilty in Gage County District Court to violating his requirement to register as a sex offender.

Michael R. Melroy, 25, was arrested by Gage County Sheriffs deputies in February for failing to register following an investigation with probation officers.

The department conducted a joint investigation with Nebraska State Probation officers that began after a probation officer contacted the sheriffs office regarding Melroy, who was not following the terms of his probation and is a registered sex offender.

According to a press release from the Sheriffs Office, the investigator and the probation officer learned that Melroy was working at Neapco after being assigned there through a temporary staffing agency in Beatrice.

Melroy had been working there since Oct. 28, 2016 and through the initial date of the investigation in January, had been employed there for 94 days.

A registered sex offender must report his employment or change in employment to the Sheriffs Office within three business days and Melroy had not done so, according to the sheriffs office.

The Sheriffs Office is the agency in Gage County that maintains and updates information regarding registered sex offenders. Each registered sex offender receives notifications of his or her reporting requirements and the location they are to report such information.

Some of the information collected by the Gage County Sheriffs Office is utilized by the Nebraska State Patrol to report information to the public about registered sex offenders.

According to a press release, at any given time there are approximately 60 registered sex offenders living in Gage County.

A pretrial conference in the case is set for May 10.
Turn on the news or open up the paper today and theres a good chance you might see a story that says bipartisanship is dead in Congress. As someone who serves in Congress, I dont believe that to be so. For the past five years, Ive had success in working with my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to make meaningful progress for Nebraska families.

My working relationship with Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey is one example. Senator Booker and I are different people and we represent different states. Hes a Democrat and a vegan from New Jersey. Im a Republican and a cattle rancher from Nebraska. When I was a Nebraska state senator, my legislative district was the size of New Jersey.

Despite our differences, Senator Booker and I have developed a strong, bipartisan partnership in the Senate. I am the chairman of the Senate Surface Transportation Subcommittee; he is the top Democrat or ranking member. Together in this committee, weve had legislative successes on a wide-range of issues. Increasing pipeline safety and improving our maritime transportation system are two of them.

We also work together on new technology issues, particularly on the Internet of Things.

What is the Internet of Things? Its the rapidly developing, global network of connected technology that can change our lives. In fact, it already does. Fitbits can track our activity, refrigerators can tell us when we need more milk from the store, and thermostats let us control the temperature away from home.

Senator Booker and I recently spoke together at an event on Capitol Hill on this topic. Specifically, our discussion focused on this central question: is government taking the right steps to make America a world leader in the Internet of Things?

We both agree Congress should do more to clear obstacles for the people who will make us that world leader.

Those people work in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the Haymarket District, and in Omahas Old Market, two cities where the tech industry is doing so well its called Silicon Prairie. They are the innovators, inventors, programmers, coders, and restless dreamers who like to solve technical problems. They are also the millions who support them, by rewarding their ingenuity, by buying their products or stock, and by keeping alive that spirit of innovative discovery.

To help clear the way, Senator Booker and I joined Senators Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Cory Gardner of Colorado to reintroduce the Developing Innovation and Growing the Internet of Things (DIGIT) Act. The bill would facilitate a working group of federal agencies and private sector stakeholders. That group would then provide recommendations to Congress about how to plan for, and encourage, the Internet of Things. It gives those innovators a forum to make their voices heard, but it would also help Congress identify problems: like regulatory silos. It would ensure Americans can seize the benefits of this growing, global network.

The most important parts of the Internet of Things arent things at all. They are people. We care about the Internet of Things because of what it can do for our families, our children, and our world: Solving everyday headaches, like being stuck in traffic on our daily commute. Connecting people living in the vastness of rural America. Delivering new, potentially lifesaving treatments for patients.

I look forward to continuing my bipartisan work with Senator Booker on this very important issue.
SumoSalad moves beyond food courts, new sites needed





SumoSalad is on the hunt for new restaurant locations as part of a change in business strategy for the health-orientated fast food chain.

Until now, SumoSalad has primarily been located in food courts across Australia, but is now looking to close some of these restaurants and open up in hospitals, transport hubs and universities.

SumoSalad said the change in direction is aimed at taking advantage of the growing demand for healthier foods.

Chief Executive Officer of SumoSalad, Luke Baylis, said the new locations are more in line with the SumoSalad brand.

The move away from food courts is one we have been considering for some time but its only become a reality following the trialling of pilot sites of Sumo outlets in new strategic locations, such as the Caltex Foodary in Concord, as well as two hospital sites, and two universities within the last 12 months, which has been a huge success, he said.

Up to 10 food court stores to go

Baylis said SumoSalad was currently looking to close up to 10 stores located in Australian food courts over the next few years with trading conditions in food courts continuing to incur severe cannibalisation from other fast food outlets within the same shopping centres.

He however reinforced that other new SumoSalad outlets will be opened to replace the ones which close.

There are currently 108 SumoSalad outlets operating and we expect total store numbers to grow to approximately 115 locations, Baylis said.

SumoSalad has employed leasing firm, The Urban Food Collective, to help with its location move.

Over the next three months, SumoSalad will open at the Sydney International Airport, the Virgin Terminal in Melbourne, Monash University and at more Caltex sites.

The chain has also signalled it will be testing home and office delivery for the first time.

Related articles
Wesfarmers in hot water over bottled water advert





Wesfarmers Target has received heavy criticism in the wake of Cyclone Debbie in Queensland over an in-store sign stating a slab of 24 bottles of water would cost $72.

An outpour of social media complaints was posted on the Target Australia Facebook page after a customer shared a photo of the $72 sign placed on a slab of bottled water in the Target Bowen store.

Bowen was one of the locations in the Whitsunday region of coastal Queensland most affected by the impact of Cyclone Debbie with fruit and vegetable farmers in the area suffering from millions of dollars in damages. The flooding also temporarily caused water supply outages.

Online complaints to Target about the bottled water pricing made accusation that the store was gouging customers impacted by the cyclone.

Target responded to the social media outrage on Tuesday 4 April 2017, posting on its Facebook page that the sign was a misunderstanding with the bottles of water meant to be sold individually at $3 per bottle, not in bulk.

We would like to confirm that no water was sold in a pack of 24 at $72, Target said.

On behalf of Target and the Bowen store team, we sincerely apologise for this situation, Target stated.

Related articles
Australian laws allow real estate corruption says report

Australia is one of four countries where loopholes in the law make it easy for corruption in the real estate markets according to a new report.



Transparency International analyzed Australia, along with the US, UK, and Canada; and found several weaknesses in regulations and laws which allow money laundering and other issues related to luxury property.



The study says that none of the four jurisdictions are meeting international monitoring obligations for anti-money laundering while only the UK requires professionals including real estate agents and lawyers to identify the beneficial owners of real estate as part of due diligence procedures.



That means that trusts and other legal entities can purchase real estate without an actual person being identified. Furthermore, foreign companies can purchase real estate without providing details of their real owners, except in Australia but even then, not in relation to money laundering.



There is also an over-reliance on financial institutions carrying out money laundering checks for real estate transactions. This varies across the four jurisdictions but can mean that cash purchases do not have the same level of monitoring.



Even where there are requirements on real estate professionals to conduct anti-money laundering checks, compliance and enforcement is often weak and Transparency International also found that none of the four jurisdictions has a fit and proper test for professionals working in real estate.



Although Australia has checks in foreign investors in property, there are no requirements to disclose beneficial owners hiding behind entities. The report also highlights that lawyers and other professionals are not subject to the provisions of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing Act 2006.



Asia Pacific remains global epicentre of IPO activity

Asia Pacific has led the gains for global IPO activity so far in 2017 analysis from EY shows.



The region, led by Greater China, saw 70 per cent of the IPOs by volume and 48 per cent by global proceeds in the first quarter with 182 hosted by China. Australia hosted 23 of the IPOs, just short of Japans 27.



IPO activity in Asia-Pacific has been powering ahead due to the regions relative insulation from political uncertainty elsewhere in the world, ample liquidity in emerging markets and strengthening investor sentiment on the back of reduced volatility and steady stock market gains, explained EY Asia-Pacific IPO leader Ringo Choi.



He added that outside of Mainland China and some ASEAN exchanges there may be a slowdown in the second and third quarters before a rebound in the fourth.



Client leaves Morgan Lewis due to Trump link

An investment fund has ended its relationship with Morgan Lewis due to the law firms representation of Donald Trump.



Wallace Global Fund said that the law firm has legitimized what the fund claims is a false separation of the US presidents business interests and his public office.



The Wall Street Journal says the funds co-chair Scott Wallace wrote to Morgan Lewis partner Sheri Dillon and said that the law firms appearance at a press conference in January did not solve the presidents conflict of interest.
A federal judge in the US has convicted a Toronto man who duped more than 100 American lawyers out of US$23m.Henry Okpalefe, 49, was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering by US District Judge John Jones III. The US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania warned that the scheme may be ongoing.Between 2008 and 2011, Okpalefe and his co-conspirators stole millions from hundreds of lawyers in the US contacted via email. The scheme involved the bogus client alleging a person owed them money and that supposed debtor sending a fake cheque through the mail as payment.The lawyer or law firm would then deposit the cheque into their client trust accounts before wiring the claimed money to the fake clients offshore bank account in Asia. Before the lawyer or law firm found out that the cheques were fake, the wire transfers would have already been completed and the money withdrawn and distributed by co-conspirators in Japan and South Korea to bank accounts in Nigeria and Canada.The US Attorneys Office said that the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) has reason to believe that this scheme is ongoing. The agency said lawyers receiving cheques in the mail should work closely with financial institutions to verify their authenticity, even if funds are immediately made available upon deposit of the cheque.Okpalefe faces up to 20 years in prison, supervised release, and a fine. The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the USPIS, which were assisted by the Toronto Strategic Partnership and the Toronto Police Service.
The Queensland Law Society paid tribute to former Supreme Court Justice Martin Moynihan AO, who died on Sunday. He was 76.He was a man before his time in many ways, as a lawyer he was renowned for mentoring young lawyers at a time when it was not fashionable. This was especially the case in his promotion of women in the legal profession, the Law Society said in a statement.Moynihans best known protege is Susan Kiefel , the newly appointed and first ever woman chief justice of the High Court of Australia , who began her career as his secretary.Christine Smyth, Law Society president, said that Moynihan was one of the legal professions true leading lights.The son of barrister and acting Supreme Court Judge Nicholas Moynihan, he was born into one of the states most renowned legal families, Smyth said. Moynihan was admitted to the Bar in February 1965, took silk in November 1980, and was appointed justice of Queensland Supreme Court in February 1984.Moynihan presided over the landmark Mabo land rights case, which resulted in changes to the entitlement of indigenous Australians.He also served as the president of the Industrial Court from 1986 to 1993 and as the Supreme Court senior judge administrator from 1991 to 2007. He was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001 and appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in June 2002.His funeral service will be held at St Brigids Catholic Church at Red Hill, at 2pm Friday.
Free newsletter

Subscribe to our FREE newsletter service and well keep you up-to-date with the latest breaking news, cutting edge opinion, and expert analysis affecting both your business and the industry as whole.

Please enter your email address below and click on Sign Up for daily newsletters from Australasian Lawyer.
A top boutique litigation firm in the US acting for Amazon Web Services (AWS) has been fined by a federal judge in Manhattan after it did not follow correct spacing in order to cram more words into a brief.Judge Victor Marrero of the US District Court of the Southern District of New York said that Susman Godfreys memorandum opposing a preliminary injunction motion from CafeX Communications was 24-point spaced, not double spaced. This allowed the firm to submit a substantially longer memorandum than the 25 pages provided by this Courts Individual Rules, Marrero said.The flouting of this Courts Individual Rules was a deliberate choice by counsel for Amazon to gain some slight advantage in this litigation, the judge wrote Under the courts rules, all memoranda should be double-spaced and in 12-point font with 1-inch margins. Ignoring the rule has netted Susman Godfrey and AWS a $1,048.09 fine, the cost of preparing the complaint memorandum.Susman Godfrey, which specialises in high-stakes commercial trials, has just over 100 lawyers working out of offices in Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle. The firm is ranked by Vault as the best litigation boutique in the US.
By Gabriel C Rau, Lecturer, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CVEN) & Connected Waters Initiative Research Centre (CWI

Shutterstock

When returning from a swim in the ocean, sometimes it seems as though your towel has moved. Of course, its just that the water line has shifted.

The natural rise and fall of the ocean at the beach is an excellent demonstration of gravitational forces exerted by the Sun and the Moon. Although the tidal force is small, it is strong enough to pull regularly on the ocean, making an enormous volume of water rise and fall.

What you might not know is that tidal forces from the Sun and Moon also influence the air we breathe and the solid ground we stand on. These effects are referred to as atmospheric and Earth tides.

While we dont tend to notice Earth and atmospheric tides, they do affect both the land and the worlds largest freshwater resource located underneath our feet: groundwater. This occupies the pores that exist in geological materials such as sand or soil, much like water in a kitchen sponge.

We have developed a method that incorporates tidal influences to monitor our precious groundwater resources without the need for pumping, drilling or coring.

Water beneath our feet

It has been estimated that groundwater makes up 99% of the usable freshwater on Earth. If all of Earths groundwater were extracted and pooled across the worlds land surface, it would be enough to create a lake 180 metres deep.

While this sounds like a lot of water, it is important to remember that not all groundwater is available for use. In fact, groundwater is currently mined on a global scale, especially in drier parts of the world, where groundwater underpins human activities during times of drought.

Groundwater extraction can lead to a downward shift in the land surface level (known as subsidence), particularly if groundwater is removed from underground zones that contain soft clays. This is a significant global problem, especially in coastal areas, due to urbanisation and associated water demand.

Alternatively, a long wet period with excess rainfall can cause the groundwater to rise up and cause flooding.

Effect of tides on groundwater

Deeper groundwater buried underneath layers of different types of sediments is under great pressure (in groundwater terminology this is called confined). The gravity change from Earth tides squeezes the sediment, and therefore changes the pressure of the water in the pores.

The atmospheric tides add to the weight that is sitting on top of the groundwater and cause a change in stress that results in a downward squeezing.

Groundwater at that depth responds to these stress changes, which can be measured as tiny water level fluctuations inside a groundwater borehole.

We have developed a new approach that exploits these tidal influences to calculate important subsurface properties. For example, this can predict how the pressure is lowered when groundwater is pumped, and by how much the land surface would sink as a result of shrinking subsurface material (just like squeezing a kitchen sponge).

The method basically allows accurate calculation of the compressible subsurface properties from the groundwater response to Earth and atmospheric tides.

This development is significant because it will allow analyses of a subsurface water reservoir (called an aquifer) without human-induced stresses such as pumping or taking physical samples of the material through drilling or coring in addition to constructing a borehole.

All thats needed for this analysis is a roughly 16-day period of continuous measurements of groundwater levels and atmospheric pressure at hourly intervals.

Groundwater levels are routinely recorded as part of water monitoring programs around the world and in Australia, as funded by the Federal Government groundwater NCRIS scheme. Atmospheric pressure is a standard parameter measured by weather stations, such as operated by the Bureau of Meteorology.

The effects of tidal forces on groundwater might be less apparent to us than their effects on the ocean, but theyre just as important. Our new method of understanding the influence of tides on groundwater significantly reduces the effort to predict the response to groundwater pumping and the potential for land subsidence.

This technique can make passive use of existing boreholes and could be applied to the global archive of groundwater levels to inform more sustainable groundwater resource development in the future.

Gabriel C Rau received funding from the NSW Government Research Acceleration and Attraction Program in 2016 to support the federally funded NCRIS Groundwater Infrastructure.

Ian ACWORTH receives funding from the ARC NCGRT program

Landon J.S. Halloran and Mark O Cuthbert do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.

Originally published in The Conversation.
The India-spec Jeep Compass will be unveiled on April 12, 2017. We tell you what to expect

Jeep may not have had a flying start in India, given the lofty prices for its Grand Cherokee and the Wrangler. However, the SUV-maker has an ace up its sleeve in its upcoming model  the recently revealed Compass  which it plans on assembling here at parent company Fiats Ranjangaon facility in Pune. Jeep has already unveiled the Compass in various left-hand drive markets globally. The carmaker will showcase the first right-hand drive Compass on April 12, 2017 in India. The Compass is touted as a scaled-down version of the Grand Cherokee and with which it shares its styling cues, like the squared-off wheel-arches, the seven-slat grille, the projector headlamps with LED treatment, high ground clearance and big alloy wheels (up to 18-inch). For reference, its a size bigger than the Hyundai Creta.

Jeep Compass engines

Internationally, the Compass is being offered with a long list of engine and gearbox combinations; Jeep claims a total of 17 powertrain options for the car. However, for India, the model is expected to pack in a Fiat-sourced 172hp 2.0-litre turbo-diesel thats likely to be localised for our market. The engine is likely to be married to a nine-speed automatic gearbox which will send power to the front wheels on base variants. However, higher variants will get a four-wheel drive.

For the petrol Compass, it will be a 1.4-litre Multiair engine that puts out 140hp. The engine uses a turbocharger and has electro-hydraulic solenoids between the camshaft and the valve to achieve precise variable timing. This helps the engine to claim more power and efficiency than a regular variable valve timing engine. True to Jeep's off-roading credentials, the 4x4 system will have a low ratio and a traction management system for various terrains like sand, mud, rocks, etc.

Jeep Compass equipment and features

The Compass is expected to come equipped with features like an 8.0-inch touchscreen for its U-Connect infotainment system, and as many as seven airbags. This being a Jeep, enthusiasts will be keen on the four-wheel-drive versions which are likely to get a low-range gearbox and a locking differential to enable the car to get out of sticky situations. For hardcore off-roaders, theres also a Trailhawk variant thats jacked up by 20mm, gets off-road tyres, extra body cladding, and underbody protection. However, it remains to be seen whether the Jeep Compass Trailhawk would make it to our shores.

Jeep Compass price and rivals

With prices likely to hover around the Rs 20-lakh mark, the Compass could really win some serious fan following. Rivals will include SUVs like the Hyundai Tucson, the Ford Endeavour, the Toyota Fortuner and the upcoming Volkswagen Tiguan though the Compass off-road credentials could give it a very different flavour.

Jeep Compass photos
Stock ranges from two-wheelers to large commercial vehicles; likely to export some and convert others to BS-IV.

Home-grown carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra has an inventory of around 18,000 BS-III vehicles, ranging from two-wheelers to trucks. The carmaker has issued a statement in this regard to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

Carmakers across India raced against time to clear their stocks after the Supreme Court banned the sale of vehicles that did not comply with Bharat Stage IV emission norms from April 1, 2017.

Mahindra, like others, offered a discount up to 15 percent and could clear more than half of its BS-III inventory worth a little over Rs 2,000 crore before the ban. It now plans to export some of the stock and convert some to BS-IV.

"The company and industry has incurred a loss because of the heavily discounted sale that it had to do on March 30 and 31, 2017. The company may be able to export some of these vehicles which will not incur much of a cost; and convert some of these vehicles to BS-IV, which will have a cost of as little as Rs 3,000-4,000 [on each] for some of the small commercial vehicles to as much as Rs 200,000 [on each] for heavy commercial vehicles, the statement to BSE read. It has also informed that some of the vehicles can neither be exported nor converted to BS-IV.

Shortly after the Supreme Courts decision on March 29, Mahindra said the unexpected ban had perplexed the industry and would have a one-time material impact even on the company. The largest utility vehicle maker argued that the law on BS-IV emission standards implementation from April 1 provided for allowing the sale and registration of BS-III vehicles manufactured before April 1, 2017, in the same manner as all such transitions have occurred over the last 12 years.
This week may be all about Sun n Fun and the Aero Friedrichshafen show in Germany, but its not too soon to start planning a trip to EAA AirVenture  especially if you intend to fly your own airplane there. The traffic into Oshkosh requires that a slew of special procedures are put in place, so planning ahead is key. The FAA this week released the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017 Notice to Airmen, featuring detailed arrival and departure procedures for the show, coming up July 24-30.There are quite a few changes from last years Notam, EAA says, so even if youve done it all before, be sure to get a copy.

The Notam covers all operations during the show, from 6 a.m. local time on Friday, July 21, until noon on July 31. Special procedures are in place at Wittman Regional Airport at Oshkosh, as well as nearby airports. Pilots can download a digital version of the Notam at EAAs AirVenture website, or order a free printed copy. On June 14, EAAs volunteer Notam chairman Fred Stadler will host a webinar with special tips and insights regarding the fly-in procedures. Register at the EAA website. In addition, EAA recommends reviewing the NTSBs Safety Alert (PDF) about flying in to a major aviation event.
The noise-cancelling aviation headset has been with us for three decades and may have now reached a plateau in further development, according to Allan Schrader of Lightspeed Aviation, which just released the Zulu3, an incremental upgrade to its best-selling Zulu2.

So what could be next? Theres little reason to make a quieter headset. We learned from PFX that its hard to change everybodys life with even more quieting, Schrader told us in this podcast recorded at Sun n Fun this week. He said the PFX product was the quietest headset Lightspeed had ever made but the tradeoff was a larger, more complex control box and shorter battery life. Buyers were lukewarm about it.

He believes wearability and comfort are where future developments will occur. I think we have to look at wearability in a different way now, maybe for instance to put active noise into earbuds. Thats not something thats been done before. But not everybody likes earbuds.

That quieting technology is evolving, he said. And it actually is available in a product made by Japanese electronics giant Pioneer. Lightspeed will be offering these high-tech earbuds as a premium for Zulu3 purchases, Schrader told us.
For many Mooney owners  and a few would-be buyers  a second cabin door has always been on the wish list and on Tuesday at Sun n Fun, Mooney delivered just that. The company rolled out the fully certified Acclaim Ultra, sporting both the new left-side cabin door and a lighter, spiffed-up interior. Mooney first announced two new models in the M20 line as part of a major retooling just over a year ago. The revised airframe has a new composite plug section and redesigned fuselage cage to accomodate the new door.

Mooney CEO Vivek Saxena told AVweb in this video interview on Tuesday that with the fresh certification approval, the company is poised to resume modest sales, which he estimates could rise to about 80 aircraft a year, mostly in North America. The turbocharged M20V Acclaim Ultra is priced at $769,000 while the stablemate M20U Ovation Ultra is set at $689,000. Both aircraft are equipped with Garmins new G1000 NXi glass panel suite. Production is underway at the companys overhauled Kerrville, Texas, factory with initial deliveries scheduled for later this year. As we reported in early 2016, Mooney has invested significantly in factory and production improvements at the Kerrville facility.

Meanwhile, at Mooneys Chino, California, engineering and design center, the company is evidently rethinking the M10 series, which was annouced two years ago this month. The diesel-powered M10 was first revealed at the big airshow in Zhuhai and featured at Sun n Fun two years ago. It was orginally intended as a trainer model, but without going into much detail, Saxena told us the airplanes design is now being nudged toward a next-generation piston product. What I can tell you is that we are very seriously engaged in developing the next-generation piston aircraft, Saxena said. Its time for a new airframe for this market segment because there hasnt been one for 20 years, he added. Details of the projects new direction will be revealed later.
The U.S. Navy grounded its fleet of T-45 trainer jets on Wednesday, after instructor pilots refused to fly, complaining that the oxygen systems were not working properly and had caused lightheadedness and blackouts. We take the concerns of our air crew seriously and have directed a two-day safety pause for the T-45 community to allow time for naval aviation leadership to engage with the pilots, hear their concerns and discuss the risk mitigations, as well as the efforts that are ongoing to correct this issue, said Cmdr. Jeanette Groeneveld, a Navy spokeswoman, according to The Washington Post.

All 197 of the single-engine jets will be grounded as engineering experts meet with pilots this week at training sites in Kingsville, Texas; Meridian, Mississippi; and Pensacola, Florida, Groeneveld said. The grounding could be extended depending on what investigators find. A Navy officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Post that complaints about problems in the T-45 have been getting worse recently. He characterized the decision of flight instructors to not fly as not so much a strike, but instead instructors invoking their responsibility to not fly when there is significant enough risk to the aircraft and personnel.
E-volo is debuting its new electric-powered VTOL, the Volocopter 2X, at Aero, in Friedrichshafen, Germany, this week. The new version of the companys two-seat multicopter represents the evolution of the VC200 prototype towards everyday use, the company said. The 2X has been developed for approval as an ultralight aircraft and is expected to be certified as a Sport Aircraft under a newly created Multicopter type category in Germany next year. The new sporty design includes glazed doors and optional leather seats, plus a new battery replacement system that allows for a quick swap in just a few minutes.

The 2X is designed to be easy to fly and extremely safe thanks to its automatic height and position control plus a highly redundant power system thats failure-resistant, the company says. The Volocopter also is emission-free, and has a low noise output. E-volo added they are striving to obtain a commercial registration for the Volocopter, which would allow for the transportation of passengers in commercial taxi flights. The development of a four-seat Volocopter with international approval (EASA/FAA) is one of the next planned steps in development, the company said. The Volocopter has not yet been to a show in the U.S., but company representatives have told AVweb several times they would love to come to Oshkosh, so well see.
Former leading New Zealand publisher and bookseller, and widely experienced judge of both the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, talks about what he is currently reading, what impresses him and what doesn't, along with chat about the international English language book scene, and links to sites of interest to booklovers.
5 April 2017 11:27 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Armenians' attacks on the Azerbaijani music and culture continue today, said Niyazi Rahimov, the Vice-Chairman of Azerbaijan's State Committee for Standardization, Metrology and Patents.

He made the remark while addressing a conference titled National musical instruments of Azerbaijan: Our past - Our present in Baku on April 5.

Armenians, who have always differed for vandalism towards Azerbaijani music, cuisine, history and cultural values of Azerbaijani people, have also periodically made attempts to grab Azerbaijani musical instruments, said Rahimov. They tried to misappropriate, nationalize and transform them into Armenian musical instruments. This process continues today.

He added that Azerbaijans Culture and Tourism Ministry together with other relevant government agencies have taken necessary steps for the study, preservation and development of the Azerbaijani culture and will continue this work in future.

Chairman of Azerbaijans Copyright Agency Kamran Imanov, who also participated in the event, noted the importance of preventing the misappropriation of Azerbaijans cultural and spiritual values by Armenians.

He noted that Azerbaijan conducts active work in this direction, appropriate steps have been taken, and literature based on historical facts is published.

The purpose of misappropriation of Azerbaijans tangible and intangible heritage is to show that Hayas [Armenians] are allegedly the most ancient indigenous people of the Caucasus, to demonstrate the great Haya culture, to collect fake materials for the realization of dreams of Greater Armenia and to mislead the international community, Imanov said, adding that the roots of the Armenian plagiarism are closely connected with the illegal territorial claims of Armenians.

Imanov also noted that such Azerbaijani and Eastern musical instruments like tar, kamancha, balaban, zurna, ud, which Armenians want to misappropriate, existed long before the Armenians settled in the South Caucasus.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

Overall, since the beginning of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and occupation of Azerbaijani territories, Armenian aggressors destroyed 1,200 historical and architectural monuments, looted 27 museums, over 100,000 items were exported to Armenia. In addition, the Armenian occupiers destroyed 152 religious monuments and 62 mosques, 4.6 million books in 927 libraries, including the Holy Quran and rare Islamic manuscripts.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 16:40 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Increasing number of Armenian soldiers continue to fall victim of the aggressive policy of the government of this country. Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor Office has informed that 16 private and contract soldiers have died in the Armenian Armed Forces since the beginning of 2017.

Of the total deaths, eight occurred as a result of violating the ceasefire, two deaths were caused by murders, two soldiers died of accidents, one committed suicide, and another one died of health problems. Circumstances of another incident are not yet established.

The situation in the Armenian army units leave much to be desired. Soldiers of some Armenian units do not receive even the minimum of the necessary provision.

The soldiers are fed with poor-quality food, while unsanitary conditions prevail in military units; contagious diseases, especially the infectious ones are wide-spread there.

In addition to these terrible conditions, the Armenian army officers often abuse their soldiers, as well as steal and sell their clothes and food. There are also many deaths of Armenian soldiers in mysterious circumstances.

Of the 16 deaths, four were recorded in Armenia itself, while 12 occurred in the occupied Nagorno Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, where Armenian troops illegally remain for more than two decades.

The conflict between the two countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly expressed its consent to come to the negotiating table with Armenia to solve the conflict by peaceful means, but Armenia continues to play for time in order to preserve the status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh. Moreover, Armenia tries to provoke and sabotage the Azerbaijan Armed Forces on the contact line, but receives a strong rebuff.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 17:18 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

A group of foreign students studying in Azerbaijani universities and representatives of the media visited the liberated Jojug Marjanli village of the countrys Jabrayil region on April 5.

During the visit organized by the Education Ministry, Deputy Minister Firudin Gurbanov informed the students about the history of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the atrocities committed by Armenians in Jojug Marjanli village, which was occupied in 1993.

The village was liberated from the Armenian occupation as a result of the Azerbaijani armys Horadiz operation in 1994. As Armenians occupied the strategic height Leletepe before the April battles in 2016, it was impossible to live in the Jojug Marjanli village," Gurbanov said, adding that it became safe to live in the village only after the Azerbaijani Armed Forces liberated the height.

The foreign students were also informed about efforts to restore the village in accordance with the presidential decree, including the activities on mine clearance and construction works in Jojug Marjanli.

The visitors also got acquainted with the construction of a new 150-seat school, the foundation of which was laid in February. They also visited the Gaziyevs family, the only family living in Jojug Marjanli for more than 20 years. The visitors planted trees in the village.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.

Due to the ethnic cleansing policy carried out by Armenia and the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions of Azerbaijan, the number of refugees and internally displaced persons hit more than 1.2 million. With a population of over 9.8 million, Azerbaijan is among the countries carrying the highest IDP caseload in the world in per capita terms.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 10:38 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

New agricultural machinery and laboratory equipment was presented to the seed-growing farm of Nakhchivan Grain Products Industrial Complex on April 5.

The machinery and equipment was delivered to Nakhchivan under an agreement on technical and economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and China, Azertac reported.

Chairman of the Supreme Assembly of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Vasif Talibov and Chinese ambassador to Azerbaijan Wei Jinghua attended the ceremony.

Vasif Talibov, addressing the event, said the new machinery and equipment will help develop seed-growing in Nakhchivan.

He hailed relations between Nakhchivan and China. We implement joint projects in a number of areas, including education, communications and advanced technologies.

Ambassador Wei Jinghua praised relations between China and Nakhchivan, noting that this ceremony is another evidence of China`s interest in expanding the relations.

China is a huge opportunity and a priority market for Azerbaijan. More than 50 agreements were signed between the two countries so far. The two countries have great potential in energy, transport, in high technology and tourism.

Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and China reached $641.39 million in January-September 2016, $145.81 million of which accounted for export to China, according to Azerbaijan's State Customs Committee.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 13:03 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has instructed to introduce a special customs regime for the logistics center of Azerbaijans Azersun Holding in Aktau.

President Nazarbayev accompanied by Azerbaijans Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev familiarized with the logistics center of Azersun Holding in Aktau on April 4, the Ministry told Trend.

While reviewing the center, Mustafayev stressed that the introduction of a special customs regime is expedient for increasing the efficiency of the logistics centers activity.

Highlighting the economic and political relations between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, the minister added that as a result, a number of economic projects, including the logistics center, have been successfully implemented.

Mustafayev further said that the establishment of a logistics center in Aktau will significantly facilitate an access to the markets of the Customs Union countries for Azerbaijani exporters.

The project cost is $20 million. The total area of the logistics center is 8,730 square meters. The center has been provided with modern equipment from Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Japan and Turkey.

The center located in the Aktau Sea Port special economic zone creates favorable conditions for the supply of industrial, agricultural and food products produced in Azerbaijan to Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries.

A memorandum of understanding on the construction of the Aktau logistics center was signed in August 2013. The Aktau terminal which is currently considered to be the main gate of Kazakhstan in the Caspian Sea implements its operations at the breaking point of its carrying capacity.

Azersun production and logistics center is the first logistics center of Azerbaijan, located outside the country. Being Azerbaijan's first relevant projects abroad, the logistics center will create new export opportunities for entrepreneurs.

The logistics center will pave the way for the development of non-oil sector of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, the expansion of transit and export opportunities in the region, as well as the development of trade and economic relations between the two countries.

--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 16:00 (UTC+04:00)

"Bank Silk Way" invites everyone to visit the 16th Azerbaijan International Travel and Tourism Fair Exhibition, AITF 2017, which will be held in Baku on April 6-8.

At the joint stand of AZAL and its exclusive partner Silk Way Bank, visitors will be able to communicate with representatives of the airline and bank. Also, they will be able to get full information about the bank's products and order online miles cards.

Visitors who ordered a card on the stand will receive an additional 100 bonus points. At the time of registration, the existence of an identity card is mandatory.

During the exhibition it is planned to raffle off free air tickets to the destinations, where Azerbaijan Airlines fly, as well as other valuable prizes Visa Classic Miles, Visa Gold Miles & Visa Platinum Miles cards among visitors of the stand.

AITF is the main event in Azerbaijans fast growing tourism market attracting a large number of international participants and trade visitors from various countries of the world annually. It is where important meetings are organized, partnership agreements are concluded, new programs and destinations are announced.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan's People's artists Hamida Omarova and Rafiq Aliyev, honored art workers Ayaz Salayev and Orkhan Fikretoglu, honored artists Bahram Bagirzade, Murad Dadashov, Senuber Iskenderli and Nargiz Jalilova, Rahib Azeri and Azer Garib have supported the Second Booktrailer Festival to be held in Baku.

In their video messages, the celebrities encourage the youth to participate in the project.

The festival, which takes place under the slogan "Promote a book, get promoted with a book!" is timed to the World Book Day or World Book and Copyright Day, held annually on April 23.

Booktrailers are short videos that promote a book or an author, providing a good illustration of the book content. Book trailers are a form of advertising for a book. Produced by publishers, and sometimes authors themselves, they are tools to pique interest in the novel and raise their popularity.

The winner will get a prize in the amount of 1000 manats ($ 558), while the winners of the second and third places 800 manats ($446) and 500 manats ($279), respectively.

Send your booktrailers via www.wetransfer.com and [email protected] until April 10, 2017.

Boooktrailers need to be registered at the link: https://goo.gl/NIM9Sh

For more information, please visit:

www.booktrailer.az

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/BooktrailerFest

For all questions, please contact: [email protected].

Media partners of the event are Trend.az, Day.az, Milli.az, Azernews.az

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 12:07 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

For fans of travel and Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", the Azerbaijan State Russian Drama Theatre prepares a surprise.

The musical "New Adventures of Alice" will be shown on April 23, Trend Life reported.

Audience will enjoy a completely new and unexpected interpretation of Lewis Carroll's story. A colorful varied scenery, unique costumes and expressive bright music will not leave indifferent young audience and adults.

New Adventures of Alice will sparkle with brand new colors. Surrealist mushrooms, Mad Tea Party, light effects, the fight between good and evil, the confrontation between White Queen and Red Queen all these contradictory reality will find harmony and understanding through the power of the human heart.

The musical show "Alice towards new adventures" is not only a favorite story about the journey of a curious girl in a fairytale land, it is also an exclusive decoration, which fully recreated the fantastic world described by Carroll tale "Alice in Wonderland".

The musical will be shown at 12:00  15.00.

Ticket price is 10-25 AZN ($ 5-14).

For more information, please contact:

050 291 50 51

050 856 01 02

012 493 00 63

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 14:40 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

A scientific conference National musical instruments of Azerbaijan: Our past - Our present was held in Baku.

Co-organized by the State Committee on Standardization, Metrology and Patents and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the event featured exhibition of national musical instruments, Trend Life reported.

Deputy Chairman of the State Committee on Standardization, Metrology and Patents Niyazi Rahimov ,addressing the event, said that the protection of intellectual property rights are considered important not only in industry and trade, but also in culture.

Rahimov noted that the protection of objects of patent law is essential for passing of scientific and intellectual knowledge on to future generations, and for protection of cultural and national heritage.

In turn, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Adalat Valiyev stressed that the national music, including musical instruments, occupy an important place in the history of every nation.

Valiyev noted that the country has the State Museum of Musical Culture, which holds more than 50 ,000 exhibits, including old musical instruments.

He further stressed that the state pays great attention to the development and promotion of the national musical art.

Chairman of Azerbaijan`s Copyright Agency Kamran Imanov , Rector of Azerbaijan National Conservatory, professor Siyavush Karimi, Chairman of the Azerbaijan`s Union of Ashugs, honored art worker Maharram Gasimli and others also ddressed conference.

Later, the scientific conference heard reports on restoration and improvement of the musical instruments.

The Land of Fire enjoys a rich, varied musical tradition. Most of the instruments were appeared in ancient times, while most of them were improved and reached our time. Lets see some of them.

Saz is the stringed musical instrument of the lute type. The instrument has a pear-shaped body, a neck with tied sliding frets, a wooden soundboard and double or triple strings.

Kamancha is bowed string instrument, which is widespread amongst Eastern and Central Asian peoples under a variety of names.

The folk instrument is described in the works of medieval classical poets. Mir Seyid Ali, representative of the 16th-century school of painting, depicted the barbat (lute), daf ( frame drum) and kamancheh in his work called "A Musical Gathering".

The tar, a long-necked plucked lute, is one of the most important musical instruments in Iran and the Caucasus. The tar is traditionally crafted and performed throughout Azerbaijan, and is depicted on the Azerbaijani national banknote of one manat nominal value.

Oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument with 11 or 13 strings grouped in 5 or 6 courses. Four strings of musical instrument likened to the four elements of nature: fire, water, earth, air. It was often represented in the works of miniature painting.

Balaban is cylindrical-bore, double-reed wind instrument with seven finger holes and one thumb hole. When you play balaban you should use fingers of both hands to open and close certain holes. Balaban can be made of mulberry or other harder woods, such as walnut.

Nagara is a folk drum that is played with the bare hands. It is one of the most popular percussion instruments of the Azerbaijani folk music.

This instrument is described in the Early Middle Age Azerbaijani literary epic, "Kitabi Dada Gorgud. The rhythmic beat of the nagara is believed to strengthen the heart. Gosha-nagara is Azerbaijani version for small kettledrums.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
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
5 April 2017 12:41 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

An exhibition devoted to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Azerbaijan has opened at the Russian Information and Cultural Center in Baku.

The demonstrated photos reflect the important events in the development of Russian-Azerbaijani ties, Trend Life reported.

Charge d'affaires of Russia in Azerbaijan Oleg Murashev and Head of the representative office of Rossotrudnichestvo in Azerbaijan Valentin Denisov welcomed the guests of the event.

A similar exhibition was earlier opened in Moscow, where Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov took part.

Russia and Azerbaijan are linked by relations of strategic partnership based on equality, respect for each other's interests and good neighborliness. Currently, there are more than 80 interstate and intergovernmental agreements signed between two countries.

The trade and economic cooperation is successfully developing, while the Russian-Azerbaijani trade turnover amounted to over $1,954 billion at the end of 2016.

Today, about 600 enterprises and organizations operating in the majority of subjects of the Russian Federation are involved in foreign trade with Azerbaijan. A total of 17 of them have cooperation agreements with Azerbaijan.

The cultural relations between the two countries are highly evaluated. A Year of Azerbaijan was declared in 2005 in Russia, and 2006 was the Year of Russia in Azerbaijan. During these two years, the two countries held 110 special cultural events. Although Azerbaijan gained independence from USSR in 1990s, learning and speaking Russian language remain welcome in the Azerbaijani society.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 13:50 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijans State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater will present ballet "Maiden tower", devoted to the 110 birthday anniversary of People's Artist of Azerbaijan, eminent composer and conductor Afrasiyab Badalbeyli on April 15.

People's Artist Gulagasi Mirzoyev (Polad), honored artist Tamilla Mammadzade (Gulyanag), Makar, Fershtadt ( Jahangir Khan) and other artists will perform the main roles in the play, Trend Life reported.

The performance will be conducted by People's artist of Azerbaijan, Professor Javanshir Jafarov.

Afrasiyab Badalbeyli entered the history of Azerbaijani music as prominent composer, as well as an academic musicologist, linguist, publicist, and a translator.

His ballet "Maiden Towe" is the first Azerbaijani ballet and the first ballet in the Muslim East. The ballet written in 1940 has remained popular in Baku and has also been performed internationally.

The story is based on an old Eastern legend about Bakus most famous landmark. The ballet consists of three acts with a prologue and epilogue.

The premiere took place on 18 April 1940 at the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. Since that time, Badalbeyli's work firmly entrenched in theater's repertoire. It notably featured the first Azerbaijani ballerina, Gamar Almaszadeh, Badalbeyli's wife at the time.

Many years later, appreciating the value of this ballet, famous Azerbaijani composer Soltan Hajibeyov wrote:

"Following the path paved by Uzeyir Hajibeyli, young at that time, the musician has collected and carefully treated many amazing folk melodies that found under the pen of the professional musician new attractive features. New ballet suggested a bold creative solution of important and fundamental problems - organic synthesis of folk dance with classical. And it was true, progressive start towards the formation of national choreography. In "the Maiden tower" an ancient oriental legend shone with new colors..."

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 17:05 (UTC+04:00)

In accordance with the mandate of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, the OSCE mission conducted a monitoring on the line of contact of troops located in Azerbaijan`s Garakhanbayli village in Fuzuli region on April 5.

Azerbaijan`s Defense Ministry reported that the monitoring ended without an incident.

On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring was held by field assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Peter Svedberg, Simon Tiller and head of the High Level Planning Group, Colonel Hans Lampalzer.

On the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenian troops, the monitoring was carried out by field assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Mikhail Olaru, Ghenadie Petrica and representative of the HLPG Lt Col Patrick Farrelly.

Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims to Azerbaijan. Since the 1990s war, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, but they have not been enforced to this day.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign State with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 10:03 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has extended congratulations to president-elect of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic.

I extend my sincere congratulations to you on your election as President of the Republic of Serbia, President Aliyev told Vucic in his letter.

Azerbaijan-Serbia ties are successfully developing, the president added. The relations between our two countries in political, economic, cultural, humanitarian and other fields have expanded over the past years and reached the level of strategic partnership.

I believe that we will make joint efforts to further deepen friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Serbia, Ilham Aliyev said.

I have pleasant recollections of our meetings and exchange of views with you, the president said. Taking into account the importance of high-level visits in terms of the development of our bilateral relations, I invite you to pay an official visit to Azerbaijan at your convenience.

I wish you robust health, happiness, and success in your responsible activity for the prosperity of the friendly people of Serbia, Ilham Aliyev said.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 10:10 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev has sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Russia.

Please accept my most sincere congratulations on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation, President Aliyev told Putin in his letter.

This jubilee is a good occasion to look back at the path made by our countries, sum up the outcomes and define future plans, the president said. In a historically short space of time we have managed to both preserve and multiply positive outcomes of our common past and reach a qualitatively new level of cooperation.

Relations between our states today reached the level of strategic partnership, which is based on mutual respect for each others interests, equal rights, centuries-long traditions of friendship and good neighborliness between the peoples of our two countries, he said.

It is with great satisfaction that I emphasize the development of confiding relationship and intensification of political, inter-parliamentary and inter-department contacts at all levels, consistent deepening of cooperation in a variety of areas, Ilham Aliyev said.

Humanitarian ties play a special role in strengthening friendly and good-neighborhood relations, President Aliyev said. We in Azerbaijan care about the Russian language and Russian culture, preserve common historic and cultural legacy.

We highly appreciate the Russian Federations efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the president said.

I am confident that inter-governmental relations, multifaceted Azerbaijan-Russia collaboration will continue to serve the best interests of our peoples, peace, stability and progress in the region, the president added.

I wish you robust health, happiness, and the friendly people of Russia peace and well-being, Ilham Aliyev said.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 12:53 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijans Charge de-affairs in China Matin Mirza has delivered a lecture at the Beijing University of Foreign Languages on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Mirza highlighted Azerbaijan's ancient history, as well as its statehood traditions, rich culture and modern development, Azertac reported.

He said the stability was ensured in Azerbaijan thanks to wise policy of national leader Heydar Aliyev. "Large-scale energy and transport projects carried out under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, attracted the view of the world countries. Thanks to President Ilham Aliyev Azerbaijan turned to the leader state of the region," he added.

The charge de-affairs further spoke about relations between Azerbaijan and China, stressing that national leader Heydar Aliyev and President Ilham Aliyev`s visits to China in different years played a significant role in development of the cooperation.

He also provided an insight into the cause and consequences of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"Armenia refuses to honor decisions and resolutions of the international organizations on immediate and unconditional withdrawal of its troops from Azerbaijan `s occupied lands", he said.

Then, publications on Azerbaijan presented were to the library of the University.

Azerbaijan and China are enjoying good relations in different fields. The two countries opened a new page in their relations after President Ilham Aliyev visited China in December 2015. During the visit, several meetings, negotiations were held and 10 documents were signed. Cooperation issues almost in all spheres were discussed.

Azerbaijani language will be taught in China for the first time. The Beijing University of Foreign Languages will train specialists on Azerbaijani language upon the decision of Chinas Education Ministry.

China is a huge opportunity and a priority market for Azerbaijan. More than 50 agreements were signed between the two countries so far. Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) has recently opened a representative office in China to support and encourage relations between the two countries businessmen, as well as expand Azerbaijani goods export to the Chinese market and attract China's leading investment funds to the Azerbaijan economy.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 15:17 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijans Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, who is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, has met with the Crown Prince, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Defense Minister Muhammad bin Salman.

Azerbaijans Defense Ministry informed on April 5 that the ministers discussed the questions of military, military-technical cooperation between the two countries, as well as the regional security issues.

As part of the visit to Saudi Arabia, Hasanov also visited the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition where the Azerbaijani delegation was informed about its activities.

Back on March 10, Hasanov discussed military cooperation between the two countries with Saudi Minister of State for Gulf Affairs Thamer Al-Sabhan.

Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan in 1991.The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992.

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Riyadh was opened in 1994, and since 1999, the embassy of Saudi Arabia has been operating in Baku.

Over the past years, the economic relations with the increased interest in investment strengthened and expanded. Several companies of Saudi Arabia operate in various fields in Azerbaijan.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 15:23 (UTC+04:00)

President of China and leader of the ruling Communist Party,Xi Jinping has sent a letter to Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and China.

The letter reads:

Dear Mr President,

On behalf of the government and people of China and on my own behalf, I am honored to extend to you and the friendly people and government of Azerbaijan my most sincere congratulations and best regards on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the People`s Republic of China and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Over these 25 years since the founding of diplomatic relations between the People`s Republic of China and the Republic of Azerbaijan, Chinese-Azerbaijani relations have been excellently and stably developing. Mutual political confidence is constantly deepening, we have achieved practical outcomes in different areas of cooperation, and we continue close collaboration on international and regional issues.

All this is of real benefit to prosperity of both states and their peoples. I attach great importance to China-Azerbaijan relations. As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations I would like to take this opportunity to express my readiness to combine efforts with you to strengthen the foundations of friendly cooperation between China and Azerbaijan, and to tirelessly work to ensure development of the bilateral relations and collaboration in various areas for the prosperity of our states and peoples.

I wish Azerbaijan prosperity and development, and its people happiness and peace.

Please accept my best wishes for your robust health and success.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 16:37 (UTC+04:00)

French President Francois Hollande has sent a letter to Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and France.

The letter reads:

Dear Mr President,

The 21st of February marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and Azerbaijan.

I am happy that over these 25 years our countries have built strong relations that are consistently developing and diversifying. I had the opportunity to reiterate this during my visits to Azerbaijan in May, 2014 and in April, 2015.

Our close political dialogue, rich trade and economic exchange, as well as accomplishments in the fields of culture and university by the example of the French-Azerbaijani University prove the dynamism and potential of our relations in all areas.

I wish that our countries would move forward on this path and strengthen relations in order to build real cooperation.

You can rest assured that France will work actively and continue its commitment as a co-chair of the Minsk Group in order to find a negotiated and lasting solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that will be of benefit to the whole region.

Dear President, please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 14:11 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

The recent suspected use of chemical weapons in the city of Idlib of Syrian Arab Republic shows failure of international community to find a political solution of the six-year conflict and casts doubts on the benefits of all international talks and negotiations held recently without actual breakthrough.

The UN Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic has begun investigating reports of an alleged chemical attack in the province of Idlib and the subsequent attack on the hospital, RIA Novosti reported citing a statement released by the Commission on April 4.

"Concerns have been raised about reports that indicate that this attack was committed using chemical weapons, and the Commission is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack, including reports on the possible use of chemical weapons, as well as the subsequent attack on the medical institution where the wounded received help," the statement said.

The Commission emphasizes that "the use of chemical weapons, as well as a targeted attack on a medical institution, can be regarded as war crimes and constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law."

It is extremely important to find and punish those who are behind these attacks, according to the statement.

"The fact-finding mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is currently operating in Syria, and the independent Joint Investigative Mechanism, in addition to the Commission of Inquiry in Syria, should receive full support in order to investigate the incident," the statement said.

The National Coalition of Opposition and Revolutionary Forces of Syria (NCDC) reported about 80 victims of chemical attack in Khan Sheikhun city of Idlib province and 200 wounded. The oppositionists blamed the government troops of Syria for the attack.

The Syrian military said it categorically denied responsibility. In response, a source of the Syrian Armed Forces told RIA Novosti that the Syrian army does not possess any chemical weapons, and the opposition's statements can be part of a propaganda action against the government army.

The world community has already reacted to what had happened in Idlib. Thus, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called the use of chemical weapons in Syrian Idlib a crime against humanity, and stated that the perpetrators must be punished.

Despite the fact that all borders have been crossed, the West demonstrates indifference towards what is happening, according to the Turkish minister.

"I am sure that those who are trying to teach us a lesson on human rights will try to hide the chemical attack while this is unacceptable for us and can negate the political settlement in Syria," Cavusoglu said.

"We strongly condemn the attack from the regime in the city of Khan Sheikhun, where dozens of people died, most of them are children, indicating that the regime continues to use chemical weapons, openly violating UN Security Council resolutions 2118 and 2209, the official statement of theTurkish Foreign Ministry said.

The United States also commented on the recent events in Syria as Donald Trump denounced the attack as a heinous act that cannot be ignored by the civilized world. But he also laid some of the responsibility on Barack Obama, saying in a statement that the attack was a consequence of the past administrations weakness and irresolution.

"Today's chemical attack in Syria on innocent people, including women and children, are worthy of condemnation and cannot be ignored by the civilized world," official spokesman for White House Sean Spicer said.

The United States urges Russia and Iran to exert pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, commenting on the recent chemical attacks.

While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is obvious that this is how Bashar Assad acts: with cruel and frank barbarism and those who defend and support it, including Russia and Iran, should not have any illusions about Assad or his intentions," the statement of the U.S. Secretary of State said.

As the self-proclaimed guarantors of the ceasefire, Russia and Iran also bear a huge moral responsibility for these deaths, the Secretary of State added.

On April 5, the UN Security Council is expected to discuss the situation in Syria's Idlib, where chemical weapons were reportedly used, the U.S. permanent representative to the UN (the chairman of the Council in April) Nikki Hailey said earlier.

This attack will refocus attention on the failure of the international community to prevent the worst abuses in Syrias war.

Armed conflict continues in Syria since March 2011. Government troops are confronted by militants of different armed rebel groups. Russia has begun airstrikes on terrorist facilities in Syria since September 30, 2015. The Russian military involvement follows an official request from President Bashar Assad to President Vladimir Putin.

The UN has repeatedly tried and failed to end the Syrian conflict, which has killed 300,000 and displaced 11 million since it began five years ago.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Seminar Addresses Student Loan Debt Relief for Business Owners

Press Release:



WASHINGTON, NC For both current and prospective business owners and their employees, student loan debt can be a crushing burden. The vast majority of graduates and/or their parents are only vaguely aware of the options available to them, but have no specific information on how to choose or apply them effectively. Beaufort County Community College will hold a free seminar on the subject at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 6 in Building 8.



Student debt can have an impact on graduates in the decade, if not longer, after finishing college. The amount of outstanding student loan debt stands at $1.2 trillion according to the Los Angeles Times. This affects graduates' ability to apply for additional credit, including getting a mortgage or picking up a business loan. The majority of students will leave college with at least $10,000 in debt and one in four will leave with $30,000 in debt. Even if a business owners is able to pick up a loan, a business might not immediately produce the cash flow needed to cover the monthly loan payments.



In this presentation participants will learn the difference between various student loan repayment plans, as well as how to switch plans as debt holders' circumstances change. The seminar will cover loan forgiveness, the advantages of consolidating government loans to substantially lower monthly payments, how to pay off student loans at an accelerated pace and how reducing monthly student loan payments can be incorporated into a comprehensive plan to eliminate other types of debt.



Greg Frank, owner of the Financial Fitness Center & Superior Credit Care, will lead the seminar. He brings more than 15 years of experience in the debt and credit field to his work. In addition to being a consumer advocate specializing in debt and credit issues, Frank is also coauthor of the popular textbook "Invest in Your Debt".



This seminar is available through the Small Business Center at the Continuing Education Department at BCCC. To register, call 252-940-6375 or email continuingeducation@beaufortccc.edu.


5 April 2017 13:11 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov is expected to visit Kazakhstan on April 12, Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said at a meeting with representatives of the diplomatic corps, TASS reported.

"The recent visit of the Uzbek president to Kazakhstan was successful, and the Turkmen President will soon arrive in Astana. Thus we can see that the political life of our country is full of major events," Abdrakhmanov said.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev invited his Turkmen counterpart to visit Astana during a telephone talk in February. The two Presidents stressed the importance of further strengthening ties in the political, economic and cultural-humanitarian spheres.

Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan were established on October 5, 1992. The legal framework of bilateral cooperation includes more than 70 documents.

The Kazakh-Turkmen Intergovernmental Commission (IC) on Economic, Scientific-Technical and Cultural Cooperation plays a crucial role in the implementation of the economic potential of the two countries.

The trade turnover between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for the end of 2015 amounted to $319.7 million, while in January-August of 2016 it was $177.1 million.

Plant products, metal goods, natural calcium phosphate, timber and its products, rolled metal products, as well as flour, confectionary and flour products are major export items of Kazakhstan.

In its turn, Turkmenistan exports to Kazakhstan gas, oil and petroleum products, motor vehicles, fresh and refrigerated tomatoes, engines and power plants.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
5 April 2017 16:28 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

The growth of tourism in Azerbaijan and increasing number of tourists has necessitated construction of more hotels in the country.

Aydin Ismiyev, Head of the Tourism Department at the Culture and Tourism Ministry said that the demand for hotels in the economy-budget segment has gone up, and there is a need for construction of not only 2- 3-star, but also for 4-star hotels.

Ismiyev, addressing a press-conference ahead of the 16th Azerbaijan International Exhibition "Tourism and Travel" AITF2017, said that 25 hostels and 92 apartments for tourists operate in Baku, adding that all these facilities are private.



Apartments and hostels are created by individuals in their own houses, and are rented to low-budget tourists, he said.

Tourism in Azerbaijan is an industry that generates over 2 million arrivals per year, and is one of the most promising economic sectors. The sectors contribution to the national GDP is at the level of 4.5 percent.

Today, the country can accommodate about 40,000 tourists in its 535 hotels, which include a series of luxury hotels  Excelsior, Hilton, Four Seasons, Fairmont, JW Marriott, Kempinski  as well as several budget hotels for cost-conscious travelers.

The official went on to say that recently the number of tourists coming from Arab countries, Iran, Turkey and Russia increased. Compared to 2015, last year there was an 11.7 percent growth in the number of tourists, and the figure hit 2,242,780 people, according to Ismiyev.

The number of tourists coming from Arab countries increased by 10-15 or even 20 times compared to other tourists. The simplification of visa regime is the main reason contributing to increase of the tourist flow. In addition, Azerbaijan is a Muslim country and this also plays a key role, he explained.

Ismiyev also informed that according to the information, 80-85 percent of hotels rooms have been booked by the end of this April.

Azerbaijan is a gem between Europe and Asia and a place you will not regret visiting. This amazing country, also called the Land of Fire, is located in the South Caucasus region and has unspoiled natural beauty to complement its unique culture.

Tourists visiting Azerbaijan tend to be interested in every sphere  from historical and cultural sightseeing to leisure. Those who prefer to go unbeaten path, to explore less visited places and check national charisma will undoubtedly have an interesting experience in this small country in Southern Caucasus on the edge of Europe.

In addition to the natural and rural attractions, Azerbaijan has a rich cuisine, changing from region to region. Tasting Azerbaijan means enjoying juicy apples, pomegranates, grilled meats, kabab, dolma, bozbash, all perfumed with the herbs of untouched woodlands and the spices of the Silk Road.

--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. High 64F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low 47F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.


Click here for enlarged version of above

Photo  Tony Adams



Photo  A. Krause



Photo  A. Krause

Photo  A. Krause



I woke up this morning to find an Email in my inbox from an old combat brother. It tipped the scale about whether I should post my story on BCN. Here is an extract of the Email:This is an excerpt from my Vietnam Battle Dairy. It covers the battle of Ap Bao Go. It is part of a longer 36-page narrative that I compiled from ten (10) participants in the battle in 2009. It is interesting to me that I never knew any of the guys who contributed to the personal narrative of that battle. That is not unusual as the units often worked as either Company sized units or sometimes only Platoon sized. You did not go out of you way to befriend too many people due to the potential of them getting killed. I made contact with them through our Unit Website, and asked each to give me their memories of the battle. Apparently, many of them were haunted by that day, as was I. Perhaps one day, I will publish the narrative on the Unit Website for historical reference. The narrative was compiled by email and then combined by me into one document. Each remembrance was offered without knowledge of the contents of the other submissions beforehand.That compilation is far too long to include here, but suffice it to say, it was not a good day for the 2nd 12th Infantry or the 199th Infantry. The Army Daily Staff Journal summarizes the action in less than one paragraph.The complete Staff Journal is 11 pages long with details on location and hour to hour contacts. That is not a criticism of the Daily Staff Journal. The journal is a contemporaneous account from the officer of the day from Radio intercepts of S2, S3. It is a narrative that is devoid of the emotion of the battle and is a historical record of the details and statistics that the Army created for almost every unit action in Vietnam. All pictures except the last two are courtesy of A. Krause, Charlie Company 2nd 12th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. It should be noted that the Shultz noted in the pictures was David Schultz. Eddy Schultz died a month earlier from the same unit. It was the subject of another post. Here is the link to that post. See below for the last page summary:Below is the map of the AO with notations of various battles during that time frame.Below is a Google Earth shot of the same area:In 2010, The Web Master made a return trip to Vietnam and visited the site of this battle along with two others from our unit. Here are a few pictures from his trip.
We found these images on the internet, and if one wishes to view the larger image, click it to expand.

Jewish reference link Many years ago, I copied a chart of the 72 names in Hebrew without definitions from a long forgotten book title. I carried a small wallet size photo for years. Recently I found that chart with definitions on Google Images. The original idea was to use the chart for mediation.I did not acquire a skill for long meditation and prayer but did read the cliff notes for various other religions. Some gain revealed knowledge of future events and correct decisions of current problems. We all know about Nostradamus predictions or can Google the phrase.Many devout friends seek more than the standard Southern Baptist fare in a more complicated experience. I sought but did not find that journey to be productive. Now 72 and "close to glory" is guess it is time to get my act together.
As Republicans continue to surge in the polls in the days leading up to the midterm elections, Democrats report being confused as to why their official "Do More Of What Got Us Into This Mess In The First Place" message isn't resonating with everyday American voters.
Wardens for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will have their jobs restructured to emphasize less enforcement if the bill designating their funding for the next two years is passed as amended.

It will change things, no doubt about it, said Dave Loewen, FWP law enforcement chief. Well have to shift some priorities for sure.

The Montana Senate revised FWPs budget to cut controversial federal funding for wardens by half of what the House had proposed, dropping the federal dollars from more than $5 million to $2.4 million for the next two years. That still means that 25 percent of the wardens budget comes from federal dollars.

FWP receives no general fund money, instead generating its budget from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and federal tax dollars levied on hunters and anglers, which requires a 25 percent match. So using federal funds for enforcement does not save the state any money.

Last year Montana FWP collected about $28 million in Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson funds along with state wildlife grants. That money went to fund FWP biologists, wildlife management and habitat acquisition. The amount that went to fund wardens was only $587,000.

HB2

House Bill 2 passed the Senate 29-20 in its third reading on Tuesday and will now go to a House-Senate conference committee. The House had proposed paying almost half of the wardens budget from federal excise taxes collected from the sale of ammunition and firearms, as well as fishing tackle and some boats. But the federal funds come with a requirement that they cannot be used for enforcement duties.

The House was OK with that modification, saying that wardens arent always in enforcement mode. The federal money can be used for some education, relations with landowners, and research, which do make up part of a wardens duties.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks director Martha Williams fought the allocation, saying last week in a hearing before the Senate Finance and Claims Committee that it was impractical and would result in serious consequences to the enforcement division. The governors original budget had used only 7 percent of the federal dollars in the warden budget.

In order to meet the requirements placed on the money by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees disbursement of the funds, the wardens division would be hamstrung and have to drastically change the way it conducts its business, Williams said.

If the funding allocation were to stay the same, she said the state would no longer have an effective enforcement program.

House proposal

Similar arguments to the House fell on deaf ears. Rep. Carl Glimm, R-Kila, said a USFWS individual had told them in an email it was an accepted use of the federal tax dollars. His proposal had allotted $5.1 million next year and $5.4 million in 2019 of the federal tax dollars toward the wardens total budget of about $11.6 million. Glimm argued that it was a money-saving measure meant to delay any future increases in fishing and hunting licenses.

Although Sen. Mike Phillips, D-Bozeman, tried to revert the wardens funding back to the governors original proposal  with only 7 percent federal funding  his attempt was shot down 18-31 on the Senate floor on Monday.

If Sen. Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip, is any indication, Republicans may see FWP as too militarized and want wardens spending less time on enforcement. In response to one of Phillips' amendments that was voted down Ankney said, Part of the question is how many AR-15s do we need out there looking at our fish and game activities."

What next?

The ramifications of the budget decision are yet to be hashed out, just one of several FWP will deal with after this legislative session.

Dustin Temple, FWP chief of Administration, said the agency is expecting the modified bill to make it through the conference committee, meaning changes are coming for the embattled enforcement division that has taken some hard knocks in the past 10 years.

This is a significant increase in federal funding over what has been utilized in that division before, Temple said. Those jobs will have to be looked at.

If passed, wardens will need to do more administrative tracking of how they spend their time to ensure that if the USFWS audits the division it will be able to show that the $2.4 million did not go to enforcement, warden chief Loewen said.

One of my biggest concerns is something comes off the other end of the plate, Loewen said. Well see what gets sacrificed.

That could be a lessened warden presence during the hunting season or at invasive species check stations.

That (funding requirement) translates to about four months of a wardens work, Loewen added. Thats a pretty big chunk of time.
U.S. House candidates Rob Quist and Greg Gianforte have differing approaches to Montanas coal economy, though neither advocates putting a stop to mining or burning the fossil fuel.

Both candidates told Lee Montana Newspapers they will work to keep Montanas coal economy running, though Quist, a Democrat, and Republican Gianforte split on whether President Donald Trumps recent actions to encourage coal development were beneficial.

In recent years, Montanas federal delegation has weighed in on federal coal pricing, establishing seaports for export coal sales and American Indian tribal rights to develop coal. Theyve also influenced federal climate change policy affecting how coal is mined and burned.

Quist, Gianforte and Libertarian Mark Wicks are vying to replace Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke as Montanas only Congressman. Zinke resigned last month after being appointed to his cabinet position. Absentee ballots for a special election will be mailed April 28. Voting ends May 25.

Both want 'clean' coal

Montana has an opportunity to lead the nation in building an energy future that provides efficient and affordable energy sources, Quist said. And we need to support coal communities and keep good-paying jobs in our rural areas as the economy transitions.

Quist framed coals future in the context of developing natural resources responsibly, including investment in clean coal technology, while also developing energy from wind, solar, biomass and geothermal sources, all of which are small players in the Montana energy production.

Federally subsidized projects to capture carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants have been expensive, though large-scale projects havent materialized. But the science gets bipartisan support from coal state politicians.

Coal will continue to be a significant part of our nations energy portfolio and we must make the necessary investments in clean coal technology, Gianforte said. Its essential that America continue to lead the way in clean coal technology and that we dont cede leadership on this issue to other countries like China.

Climate change action

Climate change drives the debate on clean coal technology as coal-state lawmakers attempt to keep coal a part of the U.S. energy future. A majority of scientists have concluded that carbon dioxide released by fossil fuels contributes to the trapping of the suns heat within the earths environment, which warms the planet causing adverse climate change.

There's no doubt that climate change is real and affects Montana farmers and ranchers and our outdoor industry, Quist said. If we don't take action, this could have a serious impact on our farms, ranches, and our economy."

Gianforte does not think shutting down coal-fired power plants is a recipe that helps climate change.

The climate is always changing. The reality is, the U.S. could shut down every coal-fired plant in the country and global CO2 emissions would have a negligible impact, Gianforte said. Even President Obamas former EPA Administrator, Gina McCarthy, testified before Congress that U.S. action would have an insignificant impact on global CO2 emissions. It would be grossly irresponsible to eliminate over 7,000 Montana jobs and see little to no reduction in global carbon emissions.

Coal jobs

The job loss Gianforte cites is from a University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research study of the consequences of shuttering Colstrip Power Plant. The estimate includes non-coal jobs lost as money from paychecks of power plant workers and miners stopped circulating in Montanas economy. Part of Colstrip is slated to shut down no later than 2022, as a result of a lawsuit settlement concerning Colstrip air pollution.

However, theres been a pivot in federal coal policy since Trump became president and Gianforte and other Republicans say coals prospects should improve.

Gianforte said Trumps repeal of a moratorium on new federal land coal leases should greatly benefit Montanas economy and workers.

New coal leasing was suspended in January 2016 by the Department of the Interior, which contended the public wasnt getting a fair royalty price for its coal. The department estimated theres a 20-year coal supply available without new leases, enough to keep mines from being coal-starved while the federal government established a more equitable royalty rate, while also considering coal's environmental impacts.

Opponents to the leasing ban had argued that the uncertainty surrounding future leases of government coal had a chilling effect on the U.S. coal industry.

Supporters of higher royalties argue that federal coal sales have been undervalued for years, costing the public $30 billion in profits as coal prices remained low.

Monday, Interior Secretary Zinke, Montanas former at large U.S. representative, promised that federal royalties paid by coal companies would be more transparent to assure the public they were getting a fair royalty price.

Montana will now have the opportunity to develop and sell more of its coal resources. This will put more Montanans to work, generate additional tax revenues for our schools and communities, and provide a reliable and affordable energy source for Montana families, Gianforte said. It's more important to be transparent and ensure coal developers have the certainty they need and that rates don't make coal development uneconomical as its important for job creation, tax revenue, and economic growth.

Royalties

Much of the debate around federal coal deals centered on Powder River Basin coal in Montana and Wyoming that was mined on federal land and sold to foreign buyers. Royalties were determined when the coal was sold at the mine, usually to a subsidiary of the company that mined the coal. But then the coal was shipped to seaports in the Pacific Northwest, where Obamas administration argued the coal was sold again at a much higher price. It was the higher seaport price that should have been used for setting royalties, Obamas Department of Interior argued.

Quist echoed the Obama administrations concerns about pricing, lumping domestic sales into the equation.

Congress must make sure taxpayers get a fair deal for leasing our natural resources for development, Quist said. Right now, multinational coal companies can get a sweetheart deal by selling coal to their own subsidiaries and paying low royalties  before jacking up the prices by the time its turned into the energy that powers our homes. These are public resources mined from public lands, and the public deserves our fair share.

There are costs associated with shipping the coal to seaports that increase the sales price of coal by the time its sold to foreign buyers, Gianforte said. That sale price does not reflect the real market value of the coal.
A Bradenton officer who suffered injuries at the hands of burglary suspect is recovering from what he called the most frightening night of his career.

Lt. William Weldon attacked while investigating burglar alarm

Weldon, suspect grappled; suspect poked him in the eyes

Weldon not yet back on duty

OUR NEW APP: Watch Bay News 9 on the go or wherever you are with the new Spectrum TV app

Badly bruised with bloodshot eyes, Bradenton Police Lt. William Weldon said the incident started in the early hours of April 2, when he responded to the call of a tripped house alarm.



The alarm was, in fact, set off inside Joyeria Latina, a 9th Street West jewelry store. While investigating, Weldon found himself face-to-face with a masked burglar.



Weldon tried to arrest the suspect, who at first complied, then started resisting.



"I wasn't going to fire on an unarmed man, so I put my firearm away and attempted to take him into custody," said Weldon.



For more than 90 seconds, the two grappled. The suspect tried grabbing Weldon's weapon before gouging at his face and poking him in the eyes.



Temporarily blinded, Weldon felt around for the intruder, then struck him with his weapon.



"I feel I would have been justified in shooting him, but deadly force should be used as the last resort, and I had one other resort I could use and I used it," Weldon said.



Three days later, it was business as usual at Joyeria Latina. The staff was just grateful for Weldon's actions, and that the suspect, Issac Dubon, 23, of Honduras, is behind bars, being held on $12,000 bond.



"He's our hero," said employee Paola Suarez. "He put his life on the line for the community and he's our hero. You can see how he battled with the guy and just put the guy down."



The staff hopes to meet Weldon after he completes his recovery.



"We're looking forward to meeting the officer, and giving him a hug to say 'thank you!'" Suarez said.


The Florida Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved a measure to require the state to issue a formal apology to former students of the Dozier School for Boys who were victimized by the reform school's staff.

The vote followed an emotional round of testimony by "The White House Boys," a group of men who attended Dozier in the 1950s and '60s and were sent to a building -- the "White House" -- where brutal beatings were said to have been meted out.

"I would rather be sent back into the jungles of Vietnam than to spend one single day at the Florida School for Boys," Bryant Middleton told the committee.

For decades, stories of horrific physical and sexual abuse at the Panhandle reform school were met with disbelief. The state's power structure, former Dozier students say, had a vested interest in covering up the wrongdoing. When evidence of atrocities was literally unearthed with the recent exhumations of dozens of bodies on the school's grounds, however, silence turned to action.

"I cannot say with enough heartfelt remorse that it's taken this long for a legislature, with all the evidence that is before us, to come forth and apologize for what has to be one of the blackest moments in our state's history," House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R-Land O'Lakes) said after Tuesday's vote.

Corcoran noted he's had discussions with Attorney General Pam Bondi about pursuing prosecution of the only known surviving Dozier guard presumed to have had a hand in the beatings. A decision has yet to be made.

And while some White House Boys quietly mentioned their desire for reparations, most said an apology would be the most meaningful action the state could take to help bring closure to a troubling chapter of their lives.

"Though I am an officer, though I am an Army ranger, though I served our nation for more than 20 years, the pain of Dozier kept me awake last night 'til 3:30 this morning, thinking about even coming here and having to talk," Middleton said.
The widow of the Pulse nightclub shooter will be extradited to Orlando from California to face federal charges, according to a court document.

Noor Salman, widow of Omar Mateen, is charged with aiding and abetting and obstruction of justice.

According to court documents, Salman was scheduled to appear in a California court on Monday for a hearing to fight her transfer to Florida.

However, she waived her right to that hearing and will be transferred to Orlando to face trial.



Last month, a federal judge in California reversed a decision to release her on bond.

It is unclear when Salman will be returning to Florida.

She is been in custody since her arrest back in January.

Mateen killed 49 people and wounded more than 50 during a terror attack on June 2016.
Judge Neil Gorsuch is a brilliant attorney who has served 10 years on the Tenth Circuit, which includes Colorado and Wyoming. Working from Denver, Gorsuch knows issues of the West more intimately than most of the sitting justices. He is politically very conservative, making him a fitting successor to Scalia.

Its time to fill the seat that has been empty for more than a year, and to allow the Supreme Court to function as intended in the Constitution.

The Gorsuch appointment is probably the best decision Donald Trump has made among his many presidential picks. Montana Republicans have been solidly in favor of Gorsuch.

During his time as a judge on the Tenth Circuit, he built a solid reputation as a respected jurist with a distinguished record, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines wrote Monday, affirming his support for Gorsuch. He has a consistent record of defending the Constitution, including respecting the separation of powers, federalism and the Bill of Rights to protect our government from overreach and abuse.

Daines office also distributed a letter Monday from four Montana state judges who support Gorsuch. Yellowstone County District Judge Russell Fagg, state Sen. Nels Swandal, a former district judge; District Judge Jeffrey Langston and District Judge John W. Larson praised Gorsuch for his answers at Senate committee hearings that showed he is anything but a judicial activist.

Judge Gorsuch will provide valuable insight and perspective from the Western states on a Supreme Court that is dominated by justices hailing from the Eastern Seaboard, the Montana judges wrote. Hes not only established as a fair and impartial judge with an intimidating academic and professional background, hes also a Westerner who embraces the ideals and vision of more than half of the country that remains unrepresented on the court.

The judges addressed their letter to Daines, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Tester announced Sunday that he will vote against Gorsuch. Tester said he would support a filibuster if other Democrats try to use that Senate maneuver that would require 60 votes to proceed with a vote on Gorsuch.

McConnell is ready to eliminate the filibuster with a simple GOP majority vote to end it as it applies to Gorsuch and future Supreme Court nominees.

One political maneuver will be countered by another, and Gorsuch will still wind up on the Supreme Court. The difference will be a bruising partisan battle that further politicizes the court and erodes public confidence in the independence of the judiciary.

Now more than ever, America needs a judiciary that will stand up for separation of powers when either the executive or the legislative branches try to overstep their authority. The president who has severely criticized and insulted the federal judges these past several months has nominated a champion of judicial independence.

Tester should support Gorsuch for these reasons, and we call on our senior Montana senator to refuse to be part of a filibuster. Let the up-or-down vote on Gorsuch proceed without further politicking on the part of senators.

Supreme Court justices should have bipartisan support. Tester should join Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., in voting for Gorsuch.
The state of Montana has an obligation to provide its 25 percent share for the city of Laurel water intake project. The Montana House of Representatives has recently taken the opinion, almost unanimously, that the state executive branch needs to pay its share of the Yellowstone flooding disaster that occurred in 2011. Why has the governors office resisted doing this? Since 2013, the Legislature has been seeking to come up with a solution to this lack of funding.

Laurel has done its part by completing the paperwork requesting emergency funding and raising an emergency 2 mills on its residents to trigger the states 25 percent match. They have now been forced to come up with alternate funding to cover this artificial shortfall by borrowing much of the balance, to the detriment of their bond rating and the wiping out of their cash reserves.

The current governors office has refused to call this a disaster even though Gov. Brian Schweitzer declared it as such, as did the president of the United States. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which responds to disaster declarations such as this, has provided their 75 percent share of the intake project funding. The governors authorized representative has had input on this project in its entirety even to the point of requesting and approving an alternative site. Given these facts, why is the governors office opposed to fulfilling its obligation?

House Bill 586 addresses this 25 percent match from the states emergency funds. Currently, it has passed the House chamber 94-4 and has received a positive hearing from the Senate Finance and Claims Committee.

The trust of the people in our state government has been compromised, and the future reliance of the state government to fulfill its responsibilities is at stake. The city of Laurel and the CHS Refinery are an integral part of the economy of Montana and deserve to be supported.

I am quite sure the Senate will now acknowledge the states obligation to honor its part in funding the city of Laurels water intake project from its emergency funds, and look forward to the governors signature on this important bill.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A worker in a Spring day care has been arrested after he allegedly grabbed a 4-year-old girl by the arm and slammed her to the ground, causing her to bleed.

Investigators with the Montgomery County Constable Pct. 3 office said the child is expected to recover but may have long-term dental problems as a result of the injury.

Gregory Diglin, a worker at Children's Lighthouse of Spring - Harmony, is accused of assaulting the girl on March 22, the constable's office said in a release.

DAY CARE VIOLATIONS: Houston-area kids left unattended, unsafe conditions

Investigators said a video shows Diglin grabbing the girl and slamming her to the ground, striking her face on the floor. The video shows the girl screaming in pain, then shows Diglin "taking the girl to the other side of the room in an attempt to clean up her blood."

The constable's office was alerted to the incident by the girl's parents. Diglin is charged with injury to a child, a third-degree felony, and is being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $200,000 bond.

The day care is located at 2885 Waterbend Cove in Spring. Anyone with information on other possible victims should call 281-364-4211.

Children's Lighthouse of Spring - Harmony violations

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has listed the following violations at this address on the child care licensing website:

Dec. 15, 2016 - Inspector did not observe documentation of abuse and neglect training in 1 out of 4 personnel records evaluated.

Sept. 8, 2016 - A situation that placed a child at risk was not reported to Child Care Licensing within the required 48 hours.

April 13, 2016 - A caregiver was supervising 6 infants, more than the 4-infant limit, due to a staff shortage.

Oct. 22, 2015 - A child was left unsupervised on the playground for 1 to 3 minutes.

Sept. 22, 2015 - According to interviews with parents and staff, a caregiver in the 12-18 month room was not using good judgment (no other details provided).

June 30, 2015 - Inspector did not observe the specific points of information required by the Minimum Standards for Responding to and Preventing Child Abuse documented in the center's operational policies.
Lamar University officially dedicated their new Center for Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship on Wednesday with tours of the 20,000-square-foot building at the corner of Rolfe Christopher Drive and Jim Gilligan Way. The building was funded with disaster relief funds from the 2008 hurricane season.

The center was envisioned to bring together the school's science, engineering and business students, along with other economic development resources, to encourage creativity and turn scientific research into businesses. Along with research labs and spaces for group projects, the building also has office space for new business start-ups.
A new Gallup poll found a majority of Americans now support former President Barack Obama's ACA, Time reports.

Gallup surveyed 1,023 respondents on April 4, 2017.

Here's what you should know.

1. Fifty-five percent of Americans approve of the ACA. It is the first time in seven years that the law has had majority approval.

2. However, 40 percent of Americans want to make significant changes to the law. Twenty-six percent want to keep the law the way it is.

3. Only 30 percent of Americans want to fully repeal the law.
According to a Northern California Record report, Sherman Oaks, Calif.-based Beverly Oaks Physicians Surgical Center filed suit over unpaid medical services.

Here are five things to know:

1. The ASC filed suit on March 27 against Cigna Health and Connecticut General Life Insurance as well as Life Insurance Co. and unnamed entities, alleging they owe the ASC money for uncompensated patient treatment.

2. The suit alleges ASC physicians provided healthcare to Employee Retirement Income Security Act plan members, which was administered or underwritten by the three companies listed.

3. The defendant allegedly didn't pay for medical services provided and the ASC holds Connecticut General Life Insurance, Cigna Health and Life Insurance Co. and additional unnamed entities responsible.

4. The ASC seeks damages, interest and legal fee payment in the complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the central District of California, Western Division.

5. Los Angeles-based Lytton & Williams is representing the ASC.
After a recent bacterial infection left five patients sick in an overseas facility, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., wrote Tokyo-based Olympus requesting information proving their redesigned duodenoscopes were safe, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Here's what you should know.

1. The FDA linked infections to duodenoscopes, which Olympus recalled and repaired after a previous bacterial outbreak.

2. Sen. Murray asked Olympus to provide data showing providers could properly disinfect and use the repaired scope.. She led the initial investigation tying the duodenoscope to the previous outbreak in 2016.

3. An Olympus spokesperson told Sen. Murray's office the company would cooperate with the senator and answer her questions. The spokesperson reiterated to the LA Times, Olympus' stance that, "It is premature to reach a conclusion regarding the [outbreaks] cause or causes."
With an aging workforce and looming physician shortage, the medical community is divided on age-based physician competency assessments, according to Medscape.

Here are six things to know:

1. Several age-related conditions include declines in visuospatial skill and manual dexterity, which may inhibit a provider's ability to effectively care for patients. A 2006 study published in JAMA found physicians have a "limited ability to accurately self-assess."

2. However, 18 percent of physicians will be over 65 by 2020 and the Association of American Medical Colleges estimates there will be a national shortage of between 40,800 physicians and 104,900 physicians by 2030.

3. James Ellison, MD, MPH, the Swank Foundation Endowed Chair in memory care and geriatrics for Wilmington, Del.-based Christiana Care Health System, told Medscape the competency test allows the industry to police their profession without imposing mandatory retirement ages.

4. Those opposing the assessment cite age discrimination. After Stanford (Calif.) Hospital and Clinics imposed a policy mandating physicians aged 75 and older to undergo various assessments every two years, many senior faculty members voted to reject the policy.

5. Harrisburg, Pa.-based researchers conducted a review on a competency skills assessment program of 1,618 practices. The review found physicians over age 70 had a threefold increase rate for license cancellation due to competence, compared to physicians younger than 70.

6. Around the nation, health systems implement different age-based screenings, which raise questions about potential bias. To amend this issue, some industry experts said assessments should emphasis patient care.
As Montanas senator, one of my most important responsibilities is to advise and consent on Supreme Court nominees.

I took my time with this process because the Supreme Court is too important to play politics with and my decision needed to be informed by Montanans, our shared values, and due diligence.

This decision was not easy. It came with thoughtful deliberation, late nights, and the counsel of thousands of Montanans.

After meeting with Judge Gorsuch face-to-face, giving him a fair hearing, and reviewing his qualifications, I cannot support his confirmation.

Judge Gorsuch is a smart man but that doesnt make him right for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.

I cannot support a nominee who refuses to answer important questions.

With Gorsuch on the bench, Im deeply concerned that dark money will continue to drown out the voices and votes of citizens, the court will stand between women and their doctors, and the government will reach into the private lives of law-abiding Americans.

These are not Montana values.

Lawyers with degrees from Ivy League schools often get good at dodging questions, but a judge cannot hide from his opinions.

Over the years, Judge Gorsuch gave corporations the same Constitutional rights as a nurse from Plentywood, a teacher from Kalispell, or a farmer from Fort Benton.

In the controversial Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby decision, he ruled that a corporation can have religious beliefs just like people.

When it comes to the letter of the law, he believes corporations are people. If that were true, then I would invite Wells Fargo out to my farm to spend a few long days picking rock in the fields.

According to Judge Gorsuchs opinion in Riddle v. Hickenlooper, he believes campaign contributions deserve First Amendment protections.

Montanans know: money is not speech.

Not only does Gorsuch think corporations have the same rights as people, in Hobby Lobby he decided that the rights of a corporation outweighed the rights of Montana women.

Montana and America deserve a Supreme Court justice who will protect our freedom to make private health care decisions.

Its clear to me that, if confirmed, Gorsuch would threaten our access to a doctor and endanger the Constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.

While he is good on the Second Amendment, his views on the Fourth Amendment  guaranteeing the right to privacy  should be concerning to everyone.

In this country, we are innocent until proven guilty and we value our civil liberties.

Gorsuch has argued for a narrow interpretation of the Fourth Amendment which could subject Montanans to government overreach. Whether its searching a car that was illegally pulled over or trying to meddle in a private health care decision, Montanans rightfully want to keep the government out.

This decision is about the future of this country. I am concerned that if Gorsuch is confirmed, our future will be shaped with dark money and an expanding government that violates our fundamental freedoms.

This is not a future that works for Montana, and I cannot support this nomination.
Green Valley (Ariz.) Hospital filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy April 3. In its bankruptcy documents the hospital says it was "poorly managed" and "undercapitalized" since it opened less than two years ago, according to the Green Valley News.

The 49-bed for-profit hospital filed for bankruptcy to strengthen its financial performance and restructure its debt. "This is merely a procedural step, and to be sustainable we have to take this step to reorganize our finances and alleviate some of our debt burden," hospital CEO John Matuska told the Arizona Daily Star.

The hospital said in its bankruptcy documents that it recruited a team of managers in August that was tasked with reversing the hospital's financial downturn. However, the hospital was pushed into bankruptcy due to its unsustainable debt load, according to the Green Valley News.

In its bankruptcy petition, Green Valley Hospital listed its liabilities as about $95 million. The hospital said it owes a combined $1.07 million to 34 "critical vendors," which provide services and supplies to the hospital that are necessary for it to operate.

Two of the "critical vendors"  Tucson, Ariz.-based Pima Heart and Southern Arizona Gastroenterology in Tucson  have indicated they will stop providing services to Green Valley Hospital if it fails to honor repayment plans made prior to its bankruptcy filing. To maintain those services, hospital management has agreed to repay the $305,000 it owes Pima Heart in three equal payments in April, May and June. The hospital owes Southern Arizona Gastroenterology $23,300 and plans to pay off the debt by May 1, according to the report.

Green Valley Hospital will operate as normal as it restructures its debt and no layoffs are expected.

More articles on healthcare finance:

Political uncertainty doesn't change long-term outlook for healthcare, Fitch says

Hedge fund looks to take control of Adeptus Health as bankruptcy looms

Quorum Health records $348M net loss, considers adding more hospitals to sale pipeline
Here are 11 recent updates on revenue cycle management companies.

1. Minneapolis-based ABILITY Network, an applications and analytics provider for revenue cycle management, acquired San Diego-based ShiftHound, a cloud-based software-as-a-service healthcare workforce management solutions company.



2. Nashville, Tenn.-based Change Healthcare  a software and analytics, network solutions and technology services provider  deployed two additional provider collection solutions.



3. Streamline Health Solutions, a provider of healthcare revenue cycle solutions, agreed to provide services and technology to a nonprofit regional medical center with more than 600 beds located on the west coast.



4. Revenue cycle management services provider Meridian Medical Management selected Amendola Communications, a healthcare and health IT public relations and marketing agency, to assist with content creation.



5. Patient Accounts Services, a healthcare revenue cycle management provider, and The Sirrus Group, which specializes in insurance reimbursement services, merged under a new name: Acclara Solutions.



6. Media, Pa.-based Healthcare Administrative Partners, a provider of revenue cycle, coding and practice management services for specialty physician practices, unveiled Merit-Based Incentive Payment System compliance solutions.



7. Las Vegas-based Desert Radiology extended its agreement with Zotec Partners, a provider of radiology revenue cycle management services.

8. MCH Professional Care, a medical group of Odessa, Texas-based Medical Center Health System, selected Conifer Health Solutions, a provider of revenue cycle management solutions, for physician RCM services.



9. GeBBS Healthcare Solutions, a provider of revenue cycle management and health information management solutions, opened a global delivery center in Aurangabad, India.



10. Apria Healthcare Group, a medical equipment provider based in Lake Forest, Calif., is joining forces with CarePayment, a financial engagement company based in Nashville, Tenn., to expand payment options for patients.



11. HEALTHCAREfirst, which offers web-based home health and hospice software, billing and coding services and advanced analytics, partnered with ABILITY Network, an IT company that provides revenue cycle and clinical management apps and data analytic services.
Ruston-based LifeCare Specialty Hospital of North Louisiana will shutter its facility and terminate all employees by June 3, according to KSLA-12 News.

The 55-bed long-term care hospital issued a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification stating the first round of layoffs is effective April 15, with all employees scheduled to be laid off by June 3, according to the report. Approximately 168 employees will be affected in total.

The WARN states LifeCare will offer severance benefits to affected employees. The hospital will also provide re-employment workshops and orientation sessions to reintroduce employees into the workforce, according to the report.

A spokesperson for LifeCare told Becker's Hospital Review the hospital began notifying employees, patients and physicians of the hospital's impending closure this week. The hospital said it has discontinued accepting new admissions and will work with physicians and caregivers to ensure patients who require ongoing care undergo a smooth transition to another facility. Area residents will reportedly continue to have access to inpatient care and specialized post-acute care at LifeCare Hospitals of Shreveport's three facilities in Louisiana.

"The healthcare industry is constantly evolving and a number of factors influenced our decision to make this change. We appreciate the dedication of our approximately 168 Ruston employees and regret this decision will affect them in a deeply personal way. We are encouraging them to apply for open positions in our other hospitals," a spokesperson for the facility said in a statement to Becker's.

Editor's Note: This article was updated April 4 at 11:40 a.m. to include the hospital's comment.
Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens Boots Alliance's profit increased in the second quarter of fiscal year 2017, despite seeing a decline in sales due to challenges in its international business.

The company's retail sales in the U.S. were strong in the second quarter, while international sales struggled. Walgreens recorded a 1.5 percent year-over-year increase in U.S. retail pharmacy sales, while reporting an unexpected 14.5 percent drop in international sales. The company said the decline was due to the strong U.S. dollar reducing the value of sales outside of the country and challenging market conditions in continental Europe. The company's wholesale business, which also has operations in Europe, tumbled 10.6 percent year over year to $5 billion in the second quarter of FY 2107.

Walgreens ended the second quarter with net income of $1.06 billion, up from $930 million in the same period of the year prior.

"Our results this quarter were in line with our expectations despite some challenging conditions we faced in a number of markets," said Walgreens Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Stefano Pessina in an earnings release.

Mr. Pessina said the company is still trying to gain regulatory approval of the pending acquisition of Camp Hill, Pa.-based Rite Aid, a deal that was announced in October 2015. On a call with investors Wednesday, Mr. Pessina said he expects the deal to be approved in coming weeks, according to The Wall Street Journal. He said the transaction is still expected to close by the end of July.

More articles on healthcare finance:

Political uncertainty doesn't change long-term outlook for healthcare, Fitch says

Hedge fund looks to take control of Adeptus Health as bankruptcy looms

Quorum Health records $348M net loss, considers adding more hospitals to sale pipeline
Teaching hospitals and facilities with high bed counts are most at risk for breaches, according to new research published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The lead author  Ge Bai, PhD, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in Baltimore  worked with two co-authors to analyze HHS statistics on data breaches reported from late 2009 through 2016. They identified 216 hospitals that reported a total of 257 breaches, 15 percent of which were breached more than once.

Dr. Bai and her colleagues noticed the median number of beds for a breached facility was 262, compared to only 134 for hospitals that reported no data breaches. They also found 37 percent of the breached hospitals were teaching hospitals, while only 9 percent of non-breached hospitals had a major teaching mission.

"It is very challenging for hospitals to eliminate data breaches, since data access and sharing are crucial to improve the quality of care and advance research and education," Dr. Bai said. "More research is needed to identify effective and evidence-based data security practices to guide hospitals' risk management efforts."
As president and CEO of Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger Health System, Kevin Spiegel oversees the tenth largest public health system in the U.S.

Erlanger encompasses five hospitals, including the region's sole Level I adult and pediatric trauma center, five air ambulances, six emergency departments and one of the nation's largest regional comprehensive stroke programs.

Mr. Spiegel joined Erlanger in April 2013. Previously, he served for five years as CEO of Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., where he also worked as an assistant professor in the College of Medicine. He continues to fill that role today. Among other previous roles, Mr. Spiegel held the titles of president and CEO of Trumbull Memorial Hospital in Warren, Ohio, and COO of Southampton (N.Y.) Hospital.

On Monday, April 17 at 12:35 p.m., Mr. Spiegel, along with Erlanger CFO Britt Tabor, will deliver a presentation called "Climbing out of the red: Setting sights on both the top and bottom line."

To learn more about the conference and Mr. Spiegel's presentation, click here.

Here, Mr. Spiegel took the time to answer Becker's four questions.

Question: What's the biggest challenge Erlanger is currently facing?

Kevin Spiegel: The greatest challenge is managing our overall growth. Our net patient revenue has grown by over 15 percent annually for the past two years. During the past year we opened a new 107-bed community hospital, a comprehensive Orthopaedic Institute with six operating rooms, 12 post-operative beds and 50 contiguous beds. Also under construction is a state of the science Heart and Lung Institute with six cath labs, two [electrophysiology] labs, three open heart rooms and a minimally invasive/robotic room with 12 ICUs and 50 contiguous beds. And, this growth is occurring while implementing Epic for all five hospitals and 60 clinics in the Erlanger Health System.

Q: What do you see as the biggest opportunity?

KS: Erlanger Health System's biggest opportunity is aligning with the Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network, comprised of 60 hospitals and 4,000 physicians, to meaningfully address population health by improving patient care outcomes while lowering the cost of delivering care.

Q: How do you maintain optimism and engagement among staff despite the tumultuous and uncertain future of healthcare reform?

KS: First and foremost, I frequently communicate with our employees and physicians in an open and transparent manner. During uncertain times, it is essential to keep employees informed and the team focused on strategy, mission, vision and innovation. I believe uncertainty is our friend and you need to remain flexible and strategic each and every day. As the leader of the health system, it is important that I approach each day with a positive and optimistic outlook.

Q: What is the "top" line, and why is it important for health system finance leaders to focus on it in addition to the bottom line?

KS: The uncertainty of the healthcare market, the complex regulatory environment, the fast-paced change in technology coupled with the pressures on expense management necessitate "top" line growth in net patient revenue. Quite simply, without growth, one cannot sustain the business. Everything matters. Driving efficiency, quality and top line growth in a flat market must be a focused effort of the C-suite each and every day. We must reinvent ourselves, be creative and strategic to meet the growing demands of our aging population.
Facing financial troubles, Pascagoula, Miss.-based Singing River Health System terminated its neurosurgery services, forcing patients to seek care at other facilities in the region, according to The Clarion-Ledger.

A spokesperson for the hospital told Jackson County, Miss., officials Monday the health system can no longer afford the two surgeons required to continue neurological services at its facilities, according to the report.

The spokesperson informed county representatives patients with head trauma may be flown from Singing River to New Orleans-based Ochsner Medical Center for treatment, according to the report.
Humana's retired executive vice president and COO Jim Murray could get cash severance of $1.94 million as he moves to helm Plano, Texas-based LifeCare Health Partners.

Mr. Murray will receive severance equal to 18 months of his annual base salary, or about $1.3 million, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The severance will be paid in bi-weekly installments through March 15, 2018.

In addition, Mr. Murray may receive a lump payment of nine months of his base salary, or about $645,690, if he adheres to confidentiality and noncompete agreements through Dec. 31, 2018. He is also able to receive a prorated annual incentive payment based on the performance of Louisville, Ky.-based Humana's 2017 Management Incentive Plan. That prorated payment would be paid March 15, 2018.

Mr. Murray left Humana March 31 and became LifeCare's CEO April 1.

More articles on payer issues:

CHI Health joins BCBS of Nebraska's Medicare network

Kansas, other states pursue Medicaid expansion following AHCA withdrawal

Highmark names Dr. Charles DeShazer CMO
GlaxoSmithKline launched a voluntary recall of more than 593,000 asthma inhalers over a defect that could prevent them from releasing accurate medication doses, reports Reuters.

Here are five things to know.

1. The recall involves three production lots of the Ventolin HFA 200D inhalers produced at GSK's manufacturing plant in Zebulon, N.C., according to the report.

2. GSK on Tuesday said it received increased complaints about the device's wrapper bulging, which indicates a leak of the propellant used to deliver the asthma drug through the inhaler, according to the report.

3. The recall only affects products in the U.S., and does not pose a threat to patient safety, GSK spokesman Juan Carlos Molina told Reuters. He said patients are not being asked to return inhalers they've already purchased.

4. GSK said it is working to identify the cause of the defect and will take corrective action, as necessary, according to the report.

5. The manufacturing plant in Zebulon is still producing inhalers.

"We currently don't anticipate a supply impact to Ventolin HFA 200D inhaler as a result of this issue," Mr. Molina said.

More articles on supply chain:

4 thoughts on women in supply chain leadership from DSC Logistics' CEO

11 drugs on FDA's new safety alert list

EpiPen consumers launch class-action lawsuit against Mylan over price hikes
For more than 100 million Americans with chronic pain, finding an effective treatment can involve trying several different treatment options with each having very different clinical outcomes.1 At a recent roundtable discussion at the 2017 North American Neuromodulation Society Annual Meeting, leading experts in the field of pain management discussed how to improve the care continuum for patients with chronic pain and shared insights on recent research in spinal cord stimulation (SCS).

With long-term opioid prescriptions for chronic pain contributing to the nations opioid crisis, physicians are now evaluating how to treat chronic pain with options that reduce the over- reliance on opioids. One treatment option that many are revisiting is SCS which, since its introduction more than 40 years ago, has made great advancements in its ability to target pain and provide patients with long-term relief.

When people think about pain management, its often synonymous with opioids, said Julie Pilitsis, M.D., Ph.D., professor, neurosurgery and neuroscience and chair of the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Albany Medical College. We have to expand our treatment options and medical treatments to include interactive therapies and SCS.

In the discussion, which was moderated by Richard Rauck, M.D., founder, Carolinas Pain Institute, the panelists noted that there are a number of common conditions which indicates that a patient could be a candidate for SCS including failed back surgery syndrome and neuropathic pain. Patients with these conditions are frequently being treated with SCS.



Its critical to understand the root cause of a patients pain whenever possible. For a sizeable group of patients, SCS should be used earlier in the treatment algorithm, especially as the technology continues to advance to reach a broader range of patients with chronic pain, said Dr. Rauck.

James North, M.D., pain specialist, Carolinas Pain Institute and assistant professor, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center added, There is a vacuum of treatment options for neuropathic pain. Based on my clinical experience, SCS is an effective modality in treating the most refractory type of pain and thats neuropathic pain.

The evolution of spinal cord stimulation

The most advanced SCS systems are designed to address many of the challenges of earlier models where patients would experience stimulation of adjacent non-targeted nerves or possibly become non-responsive to the treatment over time. Recent technology uses 3D neural targeting which is engineered to enable physicians to precisely target the area in the dorsal column that is intended to best treat the patients pain. Additionally, these systems can more readily respond to pain as it changes over time by delivering waveforms of different shapes, intensity, frequency and duration.

What Ive noted in my practice with spinal cord stimulation is the technique and the quality of the technology has advanced to the point that were having unprecedented success. Its not uncommon for us to see 100 percent pain relief using this modality, shared Stephen Pyles, M.D., founder, Pain Treatment Centers.

The Boston Scientific portfolio of SCS Systems with the Illumina 3D Programming Algorithm incorporates these latest innovations. Its technology is based on a 3D anatomical model of the spinal cord that takes into account the electrical conductivity of spinal column structures, relative

lead location and vertebral level of the leads. Using these inputs, the algorithm is intended to calculate the optimal fractionalized program configuration to target the selected central point of stimulation. Once the recommended neural target is identified, MultiWave Technology allows pain therapy to be further customized for each individual patient through the delivery of a variety of waveforms and field shapes.

In a recent device registry evaluation of data using the Boston Scientific Precision Spectra System, 60 percent of patients used one or more advanced waveforms to treat their pain.

"Given the complex nature of chronic pain, it stands to reason that one type of stimulation is unlikely to be the answer to all pain phenotypes," said Dr. Julie Pilitsis.

Research highlights

A 24-month analysis that compared the effectiveness of 3D neural targeting used in the Boston Scientific Precision Spectra System with an earlier generation SCS system also from Boston Scientific offers new insight on treating low back pain. Thirty to forty percent of the patients in the LUMINA Study had low back pain only, making the LUMINA Study one of the largest observational cohort (213 subjects) studies in SCS of patients with this type of pain.

The roundtable participants noted that new research offers hope for these patients and the potential to address the impact chronic pain has on their life. Low back pain is a prevalent condition which costs the United States more than $100 billion annually with two-thirds of that due to lost wages and decreased productivity.2,3

For patients with low back pain only, the use of 3D neural targeting resulted in approximately 70 percent better pain relief than the Boston Scientific previous generation system.4 Additionally, the LUMINA Study showed a significant decrease in average pain scores sustained over a two-year period.4

"Chronic pain conditions involving the low back are one of the most difficult types of pain to treat," Dr. North said. The nerves that innervate the low back are very close to the nerves that innervate the rib. Older technologies were not able to precisely stimulate only those nerves. As the technology has evolved with the availability of neural targeting, Im able to more precisely hone in on the source of my patients pain.

The whole picture  how to measure pain accurately

Given the complex nature of pain, evaluating and measuring chronic pain is one of the key challenges physicians face. Many clinicians rely on the comparative pain scale to first assess a patients pain and then their response to treatment with SCS. While it helps physicians to understand how the patients are experiencing their pain, pain scores are subjective and fail to incorporate other factors that may influence how pain is impacting a patients life. The discussion noted the importance of considering both quality of life measures along with the relief they get with SCS.

It amazes me how often my patient will begin with a pain intensity of 8 out of 10. Then they come back and it's 7 out of 10. I say, well that's not very much. But their relief is 80 percent, said Mark Wallace , M.D., chair of the division of Pain Medicine in the Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego. Thats because pain intensity is a uni-dimensional measurement, whereas pain relief provides more qualitative factors that have a large impact on patients' quality of life, such as their mobility and quality of sleep."

With opioids, you might get a reduction in the pain score, but you dont get an improved health-related quality of life, noted Simon Thomson, M.D., consultant in pain medicine and neuromodulation, Basildon and Thurrock University NHS Trust. This is quite different from SCS, where the health-related quality of life and the pain score are maintained long term.

With advancements in technology and new clinical information available, the SCS of today is a different treatment option than what existed as recently as five years ago. New data illustrates that SCS can effectively treat patients with low back pain, a common pain-related diagnosis. Clinicians also now recognize that pharmacologic agents may not be effective for certain types of pain such as neuropathic pain and many patients are actively seeking treatment options that do not involve opioids. As the impact of the opioid crisis on patients, families and communities continues to increase, the need to expand the treatment paradigm is growing. The roundtable discussion concluded with a consensus among physicians that it is time for the medical community to evaluate the patient pathway and reassess which patients are good candidates for SCS. They believe a collaborative approach across medical specialties combined with broader awareness of advancements in SCS treatment has the potential to deliver better long term relief to patients suffering from chronic pain.

Institute of Medicine Report from the Committee on Advancing Pain Research, Care, and Education: Relieving Pain in America, A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education and Research. The National Academies Press, 2011. http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=13172&page=1 http://www.nap.edu/read/13172/chapter/2. Accessed March 25, 2016. Katz Katz JN. Lumbar disc disorders and low-back pain: socioeconomic factors and consequences. J Bone Joint Surg Am, 2006, 88(suppl 2):21-24. Rubin DI. Epidemiology and risk factors for spine pain. Neurol Clin, 2007, 25(2):353-371. Elias Veizi, MD, PhD, et al. Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) with Anatomically Guided (3D) Neural Targeting Shows Superior Chronic Axial Low Back Pain Relief Compared to Traditional SCSLUMINA Study. Pain Medicine 2017; 0: 1-15.

US Indications for Use: The Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS) Systems are indicated as an aid in the management of chronic intractable pain of the trunk and/or limbs, including unilateral or bilateral pain associated with the following: failed back surgery syndrome, intractable low back pain, and leg pain. Contraindications, warnings, precautions, side effects. The SCS Systems are contraindicated for patients who: are unable to operate the SCS System, have failed trial stimulation by failing to receive effective pain relief, are poor surgical risks, or are pregnant. Refer to the Instructions for Use provided with the SCS System or ControlYourPain.com for potential adverse effects, warnings, and precautions prior to using this product. Caution: Federal (U.S.) law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician.



Outside of US Indications for Use: CAUTION: The law restricts these devices to sale by or on the order of a physician. Indications, contraindications, warnings and instructions for use can be found in the product labelling supplied with each device. Information for use only in countries with applicable health authority registrations. Material not intended for use in France.

Results from clinical studies are not predictive of results in other studies. Results in other studies may vary.

NM-428001-AA_APR2017



More articles on devices:

After Unveiling in MIT Lecture, Xenco Medical Founder Announces Launch of Virtual, Holographic System for Surgical Planning

Conmed EVP purchases 440 company shares  5 insights

CyMedica Orthopedics enrolls 1st patient in clinical rehabilitation trial  4 details
Singing River Health System will no longer provide neurosurgery services, according to The Clarion-Ledger. The health system encompasses Ocean Springs (Miss.) Hospital and Pascagoula, Miss.-based Singing River Hospital.

Here are four insights:

1. Ocean Springs Hospital will offer helicopter transportation to New Orleans-based Ochsner Medical Center for patients with head trauma.

2. Singing River Hospital is unable to afford to keep on its two neurosurgeons.

3. The health system has faced financial hardship in the last few years, with $35 million short of cash two years ago.

4. The hospitals have decreased operating expenses.
To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below
Northern Ireland risked becoming more dependent on the UK market in the event of a hard Brexit, a senior economist has warned

A hard Brexit would lead to a "clear and present danger" for local businesses, an expert has claimed. John Fahey, senior economist with AIB, said Northern Ireland risked becoming more isolated from Europe and more dependent on the UK market.

Mr Fahey, who was speaking to dozens of business leaders during an event at The Merchant Hotel in Belfast hosted by First Trust, added that key sectors such as agri-food, manufacturing and tourism were particularly vulnerable to a hard Brexit.

Such an arrangement would likely see the UK giving up full access to both the single market and customs union.

Also speaking at the event was Mark McKeown, from First Trust, who also voiced concern about the future.

"While the economic forecast is for Northern Ireland to avoid recession in 2017 as consumers continue to provide support for economic growth, the key issue for both businesses and policy makers remains whether our strengths are sufficient to navigate the uncharted waters brought about by Brexit," he said.

"While we have particular reasons to be worried here in Northern Ireland, and indeed on the island of Ireland, we continue to see our customers remaining resilient and indeed cautiously optimistic.

"Against this backdrop of uncertainty, it is important we bring as much clarity to the concerns of businesses as possible."

Meanwhile, salaries for workers in the professional services sector in Northern Ireland will, according to a report, "continue to perform strongly in the face of uncertainties presented by the UK exit from the EU".

The survey by Abacus Professional Recruitment of 500 workers in 10 sectors showed almost 53% of employees in law, accountancy, compliance, sales IT and insurance received a pay rise last year, with the average increase 7.4%.

The Abacus survey also stressed that ongoing inward investment in Northern Ireland had "boosted the local economy and resulted in the growth and diversity of job roles."

And despite uncertainties in the political environment, 80% of workers expected their salaries to rise this year.

Abacus Professional Recruitment director Justin Rush said: "The research highlights that the professional service labour market in Northern Ireland remains resilient, and skilled professionals are in high demand within growing sectors.

"Total compensation packages, including salary increases and benefits, continue to perform strongly on the back of continued foreign direct investment from some of the world's leading companies in areas including law, technology and finance."
Deliveroo is serving up 1,000 new jobs at 30 new delivery-only kitchens across the UK.

The fast-rising technology firm said the platform will cater to more than 200 restaurants and allow businesses to target new areas of the country without setting up a high-street site.

The operation, called Deliveroo Editions, will hand restaurants the infrastructure needed to launch a delivery-only menu, including kitchens, marketing support and delivery riders.

Chief executive Will Shu said it offered a cheaper way to sell food than setting up a bricks-and-mortar restaurant.

He said: "By drawing on the unique technology that motors Deliveroo, we are able to identify gaps in the market and curate bespoke restaurant selections, meaning more choice for customers and the chance for our partners to scale. This is the biggest development in the market since Deliveroo first launched."

"If you think that it costs 500,000 to 1 million to put up a full-service restaurant, for them to operate one of these (delivery-only) restaurants, it is a fraction of that - the cost is much lower."

The restaurant delivery firm said the editions platform will involve setting up a series of mobile kitchens or buying a larger site, such as a warehouse.

The tech firm will also handle planning permission for the sites, meaning businesses could have an operation up-and-running within four weeks, instead of waiting six months to launch a standalone restaurant.

It said each agreement would be made on a case-by-case basis, with either Deliveroo or the restaurant putting forward the capital.

The nationwide launch follows London trials in Camberwell, Battersea, Dulwich and Canary Wharf. It plans to follow the UK roll-out with an international expansion.

It comes after Deliveroo sent a letter to the Government's Work and Pensions Committee, pledging to remove contract clauses that require couriers to agree that they are not Deliveroo workers and that they will not challenge their self-employment status in court.

The firm is also facing potential legal action from a group of Deliveroo riders who want to claim better employment rights, such as the minimum wage, sick pay and holiday pay.

Mr Shu said: "On the contracts, what we are doing is aligning the contracts with operational reality.

"We are really proud of the flexibility that we offer. In London, the average rider earns 10 an hour, which is more than the living wage, but they want flexibility around their working.

"We want to work with Government, maintaining flexibility but also offering entitlements. What that looks like in the future is hard to say."

Deliveroo, which employs more than 30,000 riders and works with 20,000 restaurants, is planning to move to new headquarters in London's Cannon Street in the summer.
James Brokenshire called on business leaders to "use their influence" to help re-establish power-sharing. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press

The Secretary of State has called on business leaders to "use their influence" to persuade the political parties to re-establish power-sharing.

James Brokenshire was speaking to industry chiefs at a business advisory group meeting at Belfast Harbour Commissioners.

"I urge members to use their influence to encourage political parties to deliver a functioning and effective Executive so we can continue to build an economy that works for everyone," he said.

Mr Brokenshire restated the Government's commitment to returning a devolved power-sharing Assembly.

"Political stability is a fundamental basis for industrial success. Securing strong, stable devolved institutions in Northern Ireland that will provide leadership, support innovation and boost skills will be integral to delivering on Northern Ireland's potential as a place to invest and do business.

"It is, therefore, vital that devolved government is returned to Northern Ireland as soon as possible, and the Government's clear focus is on achieving that."

The impasse at Stormont has already had a direct impact on the economy and business landscape here.

That includes confirmation that an April 2018 date for the devolution of corporation tax powers may slip.

Among the first casualties in the aftermath of the deadline passing without agreement are rates bills, which are now scheduled to go out a month late.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has welcomed the extension of the small business rates relief scheme until March 2018.

Wilfred Mitchell, FSB Northern Ireland policy chair, said: "The extension of the scheme avoids large, unexpected increases in the rates bills of around 20,000 small businesses across Northern Ireland and, crucially, a doubling of the bills for thousands of our very smallest businesses."
CASPER, Wyo.  Wyoming lawmakers and educators are preparing to replace the state's education funding model, which is currently facing a $400 million annual shortfall in the next few years.

The Casper Star-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2nAfLxD) the groups met on Monday to start the funding model examination process also known as recalibration. The process is meant to determine what is considered an adequate education and the cost to deliver that schooling.

The process occurs every five years and was scheduled for 2020, but was moved up after Wyoming lawmakers approved an education spending plan in March that cuts $34.5 million from K-12 education. Lawmakers opposed increasing taxes to raise new money for schools.

Campbell County School District is preparing a lawsuit against the state amid the funding cuts.

___

Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com
TK Maxx is to open a new store at Drumkeen Retail Park in south Belfast

A new TK Maxx store in Belfast is set to create 35 new jobs, after getting the go-ahead despite objections from the city's council and a major shopping centre.

The discount fashion retailer received the green light from Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council's planning committee this week.

It's now due to be developed at Drumkeen Retail Park in south Belfast. However, it drew significant objections from a number of businesses and groups.

That included Forestside Shopping Centre, which sits across from the Drumkeen Retail Park.

Read More

A letter to planners on behalf of Forestside Acquisitions Limited, owners of the shopping centre, said the company "has serious concerns" over the impact the new centre could have on its own business.

Belfast City Council had also objected to the new store.

In a letter to planners, it said the scheme "constitutes a real challenge to the town centre thrust of the Strategic Planning Policy Statement" and to the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan's "precautionary approach to out-of-centre retail development."

It also claims the main retail impact will be on the nearest TK Maxx store, located at Donegall Arcade in the city centre.

"Based on this prediction it is reasonable to maintain that a fair proportion of the estimated 6.9m turnover of the proposed TK Maxx unit will be diverted from its store in the centre.

"Such a diversion may undermine the viability of the city centre unit", the council letter said.

"While it is recognised that TK Maxx already operates from both Belfast and Lisburn City Centre, this does not automatically mean that it is entitled to develop out of town sites such as this."

TK Maxx has around 10 stores in Northern Ireland.

DUP councillor Nathan Anderson, who is vice-chairman of the planning committee, said: "The planning application was passed eight votes in favour to zero against after a mammoth planning committee hearing lasting nearly two hours.

"I was very pleased to speak in support of the application. TK Maxx will bring approximately 35 jobs into the area, deliver 150,000 per annum into council rates and provide a turnover of 6m each year."

"I believe that it is great that finally the unit is being put to good use.

"This decision will bring many positives to the area and financial benefit.

"It is great to see that popular substantive retailers are wishing to spend money in our council area.

"Lisburn and Castlereagh is very much open for business."
Shell is embarking on an ambitious cost-cutting drive and a 30 billion US dollars (24.6 billion) divestment initiative

Royal Dutch Shell is to sell its liquefied petroleum gas business in Hong Kong and Macau to DCC Energy for 150.3 million US dollars (120 million) as it continues a divestment drive.

The oil giant's interests in the territories date back almost 60 years and it currently supplies infrastructure to service the energy needs of more than 100,000 households.

DCC said that under its ownership the business is expected to deliver an annual operating profit of circa 15 million.

Shell downstream director John Abbott said: "This sale supports Shell's strategic commitment to focus downstream activities on areas where we can be most competitive.

"This is one of the last of our wholly owned liquefied petroleum gas businesses and this sale is another step in Shell's ongoing portfolio optimisation strategy to deliver 30 billion of divestments between 2016 and 2018."

Shell is embarking on an ambitious cost-cutting drive and a 30 billion US dollars (24.6 billion) divestment initiative.

To this end, Shell announced in January that it will sell off a package of North Sea assets for up to 3.8 billion US dollars (3 billion) to smaller rival Chrysaor.

DCC chief executive Tommy Breen said: "It is also DCC's first material step in building its business outside of Europe and gives DCC a platform for development in the growing liquefied petroleum gas market in Asia."

DCC also announced that Mr Breen will step down in July and be replaced by Donal Murphy, currently executive director and managing director.
Jim Brown, chief executive of Williams & Glyn, will leave around the end of next month, RBS said

The management team heading up Royal Bank of Scotland's Williams & Glyn business is quitting just months after the lender scrapped plans to sell off the branches.

The taxpayer-backed bank said Jim Brown, chief executive of Williams & Glyn, will leave around the end of next month.

Other senior managers in his team are also leaving, including chief financial officer Leigh Bartlett, chief operating officer Chris Davis and chief risk officer Rick Hunkin.

Paul Fox, managing director of retail and business banking at Williams & Glyn, will head the remaining team on an interim basis.

The announcement, which was first made in an internal memo to staff, came just a day after the European Commission launched an in-depth probe into Government proposals to spare RBS from being forced to sell off Williams & Glyn.

RBS had been looking to sell off around 300 Williams & Glyn branches, or float the business on the stock market, to meet EU rules on bank bailouts following its rescue at the height of the financial crisis.

But the lender has struggled to offload the branches, and in February the Treasury and RBS proposed scrapping the sale in favour of an alternative 750 million plan to boost competition in the banking market in an attempt to appease officials in Brussels.

The EU antitrust watchdog is now asking for responses to the plan, which it will "carefully review" before taking a final decision on whether or not to accept the alternative plan.

An RBS spokesman said: "Jim Brown and the senior team that supported him were brought in to create a standalone challenger bank.

"As this is no longer happening, Jim and some members of the existing executive team will be leaving the bank at the end of May.

"The remaining members of the leadership team will continue to lead this part of the business whilst the European Commission considers alternative options that would fulfil our state aid commitment."
He has opened up about why the role is so meaningful to him.

Matt Lucas said starring in Doctor Who was an emotional thing for him due to the fact that he and his late partner were both big fans of the show.

Former Little Britain star Matt, 43, returns to television screens as the character Nardole when the 10th series of the BBC One show stars on April 15.

Fans will have previously seen the character featured in the 2015 and 2016 Christmas Specials, so his return marks his first permanent run in the show.

Talking at a screening of the first episode at Londons Ham Yard Hotel, Matt said: I wanted to be in the show for a while but I had been a bit nervous about being in the show.

Partly because Im a fan and partly because my late partner was a huge fan of it and so it was a bit of an emotional thing for me and I needed to be ready and enough time had passed for me to say OK, Im ready to do this and once I was ready then I wanted to come back in it and be in it more.

Matt married Kevin McGee in a civil partnership in December 2006. The couple divorced just over two years later and McGee died in 2009.

The 10th series will be the swansong for current showrunner Steven Moffat and the Time Lord, Peter Capaldi, who will make his final appearance as the Doctor in the 2017 Christmas special.

Doctor Who returns to BBC One on Saturday April 15, with the first episode of series 10, The Pilot.
Martin McGuinness is to make a posthumous appearance in a new documentary being screened at the Belfast Film Festival tomorrow.

However, The Peacemaker is not focused on the late Deputy First Minister.

Its subject is author and professor Padraig O'Malley, who played a pivotal role in early contacts between Sinn Fein and the DUP.

Documentary director James Demo is in Belfast for the screening at Belfast Cityside cinema tomorrow at 7pm. "Padraig brought Martin and all the chief negotiators to South Africa, including Peter Robinson and Jeffrey Donaldson," he said.

"They met with Nelson Mandela a year before the Good Friday Agreement.

"McGuinness calls it 'a groundbreaking moment' in the film.

"Padraig also worked with Martin in Iraq in 2008 and 2009, trying to help the Iraqis come to an agreement."

In the documentary, O'Malley brokers peace using unorthodox methods and dogged determination.

With no formal training in conflict resolution, he argues his talent lies precisely where United Nations envoys and diplomats fail - gaining a person's trust. "Face to face with dogmatic leaders, O'Malley can get them to tell their stories," a spokesman for the film said.

But Demo, in following peacemaker O'Malley through crisis zones from Nigeria to Iraq, also discovers an even more fractious front line - O'Malley's personal life.

"The man who creates meaningful connections for a living returns home to an empty apartment.

"A recovering alcoholic, O'Malley's relationships with partners and an adopted daughter bear the scars of addiction to the bottle and work," the spokesman added.

"Struggling against time, his demons and an exhausting career, can this formidable character find salvation for both the world and himself?"

The first half of the film chronicles O'Malley's major accomplishments, with a lot of previously unseen background material. The second half becomes something "deeply personal and almost heartbreakingly poetic as O'Malley has to come to terms with his own failing health".

Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral of Mr McGuinness last month. He died of a rare degenerative disease that attacks the body's vital organs.
Strobing is the beauty technique you probably didn't know you needed. Still not fully au fait with what it means? It might sound like something out of a Star Wars movie, and strobing, you could say, is a bit like having a magic lightsaber in your beauty kit.

It's basically highlighting trickery - think of it as the more subtle, flattering sister of contouring - and though the trend started with faces, it's now transcended to hair, body, and even fingernails.

Because strobing is all about achieving that elusive lit-from-within look, it's the perfect trend to master for spring. Time to get glowing.

Goodbye balayage and babylights, hair strobing is the hottest new brightening technique for tresses.

"The idea of strobing is to accent hair with subtle strobes of colour to illuminate the face", explains Georgie Mathers, Toni&Guy technical artistic director. "In the right places, it can diminish areas of width or widen a narrow face shape."

You can now strobe your strands at home too, using quick-fixes like spray-on highlighting toners or brush-on 'hairshadow' (like eyeshadow for hair). Find them in typical hair tone shades, or more daring statement colours.

"Limit the placement to a few key areas you wish to highlight", Georgie advises. "You can use the colour accents in so many ways - to add depth, create a root ombre effect, a colour top-up, or even disguising greys."

STROBING KIT:

label.m Highlighting Toner, available in Blonde, Brunette, Red or Blue, 10.95 each (labelm.com/uk); Batiste Root Concealer, available in five shades, 12.99 each (boots.com); Bleach London Balayage Hair Kit Beach Lights, 7 (boots.com)

Limb-baring season is approaching, and body strobing is the ultimate shortcut for honed and toned limbs. Michelle Obama arms, anyone?

"Highlighting the areas of the body where light naturally reflects gives an instant sculpted effect", says James Harknett, tanning guru and Fake Bake ambassador. "The easiest parts of the body to strobe for spring are the shoulders, arms and shins - just always focus on areas the sun would hit and naturally tan."

James recommends using self-tan 24 hours before strobing, to up the contrast of your finish. Don't limit yourself to body specific products - some of the best strobing sticks and palettes are designed for the face but work just as well gleamed onto shins and shoulders.

STROBING KIT:

Iconic London Strobing Stick, 24.99 (iconiclondoninc.com); Smashbox Spotlight Highlighting Palette in Pearl, 26 (smashbox.co.uk); Madame LA LA Bronzing Ball, 14 (madamelala.com)

Sure, it's subtle - but nail strobing is still a thing. Pearlised, sheeny manis were on repeat backstage for SS17, to top off all that healthy-looking strobed hair and skin.

"Highlighting, or nail strobing, gives you a dewy, shimmery, healthy finish to the nails", says Jenni Draper, nail expert and OPI brand ambassador, who adds that even lengthened talons can be yours, with some clever strobing trickery: "Using an iridescent polish will create highlights down the length of the nail, giving the illusion of longer nails."

For low-key nail strobing, she recommends sticking to champagne tones for fair skin, golden tones for olive skin, and terracotta tones for darker skin. If you want to up the nail ante, make an impact with high-shine holographic or chrome finishes.

STROBING KIT:

Mavala Delicate collection, 4.95 each (johnlewis.com); OPI Nail Lacquer in Altar Ego, 12.50 (johnlewis.com); iZ Beauty Mirror Chrome Powder (above), 6 (izbeauty.co.uk).
Chris Conway, Group Chief Executive of Translink, gets grilled by Little Reporters from Blythefield Primary School and Darwin Templeton, Managing Editor of Independent News & Media NI.

Chris Conway, Group Chief Executive of Translink, gets grilled by Little Reporters from Blythefield Primary School and Darwin Templeton, Managing Editor of Independent News & Media NI.

Chris Conway, Group Chief Executive of Translink, gets grilled by Little Reporters from Blythefield Primary School and Darwin Templeton, Managing Editor of Independent News & Media NI.

Attention teachers! To celebrate Bus and Train Week 2017, Translink and Belfast Telegraph are challenging Key Stage 2 (KS2) classes across Northern Ireland to become Little Reporters, trying out their journalism skills by producing news reports for our real-life audience.

Translink is calling Primary 5, 6 and 7 classes to produce articles, photographs or videos to share with Belfast Telegraph readers which will tell them why public transport is so important to the people of Northern Ireland and why we should all get on-board.

The winning class will receive a wonderful school trip as well as a masterclass in Journalism and News from an award-winning journalist. To top it off their work will also be published in the Belfast Telegraph for all our readers to see!

Chris Conway, Translink Group Chief Executive, said: "I am delighted to launch our Little Reporters competition in association with the Belfast Telegraph. On June 5th, Bus and Train Week is back - a seven day celebration of public transport and we want young people from Primary 5 to Primary 7, to step into the shoes of journalists, reporting on why we should all get on-board our buses and trains.

"News is more accessible than ever and we are becoming increasingly tech savvy, therefore submissions can take the form of a written or video news article, supported with photography or all of the above. Entries should focus on one or more of Translinks six key Bus + Train Week themes including the economy, education, tourism, health, social inclusion and the environment.

"We know how much work it takes to put together a great news story  from thorough research to writing eye-catching headlines and the importance of capturing great pictures and videos. We cant wait to see what the young people create and reward them for their brilliant efforts!"

Darwin Templeton, Managing Editor of Independent News & Media NI, is delighted to be encouraging young people to get involved in journalism. "Not only is this a fantastic opportunity for classes to get creative with their writing, it is a chance for them to work as a team to produce inspiring, investigative content in the same way we do in the newsroom. We cant wait to see what big exclusives our budding journalists bring us!"

Closing date for entries is May 19 2017 at 3pm with the winning class announced during Bus and Train Week, June 5-11.

How to enter:

Teachers wishing their class to participate can download our information pack along with competition terms and conditions.
CASPER, Wyo.  Wyoming will study why its women earn less than two-thirds as much as men, a statistic that could be caused by discrimination or possibly the state's abundance of higher-paying, male-dominated jobs in the energy industry.

Wyoming ranks behind all U.S. states and Washington, D.C., for its wide gap between the incomes of women and men. Women in Wyoming who work full-time and year-round earn 64 percent as much as men, according to the National Partnership for Women and Families.

Last winter, Wyoming lawmakers approved a bill directing the state Department of Workforce Services to study the state's gender pay gap. A report is due by October 2018.

The bill was sponsored by two women, Democratic Rep. Cathy Connolly of Laramie and Republican Rep. Marti Halverson of Etna, on opposing sides of the issue, the Casper Star-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2nYYgKF).

One theory for Wyoming's wide wage gap is more men than women work in the state's high-paying jobs in the oil, natural gas and coal extraction industries.

Twelve-hour shifts in mines make it nearly impossible for women to accept natural resources jobs if they have children, Connolly said.

"I would argue that is the illusion of choice. That isn't a real choice," said Connolly, a gender studies professor at the University of Wyoming.

There are many reasons why women in Wyoming earn less, including their career choices, Halverson said in support of the bill last winter.

Halverson said the study is needed because Wyoming's reputation as a place where women earn less than men could hold the state back. The study will update a 2003 report and break down the gender pay gap by county, industry and position.

New York, Delaware and Florida have the nation's smallest gaps between men's and women's pay.

___

Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com
The Belfast Telegraphs former parliamentary correspondent Des McCartan has died after a tragic accident in London.

Mr McCartan fractured his skull in a fall on March 22, the day of the terrorist attack on Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament.

He was taken to St Marys Hospital in West London, the trauma centre which was also treating victims of the attack.

Des never regained consciousness and his life support was removed a week later.

Desmond joined the Telegraph in 1968, after previously working as a reporter for the East Antrim Times, and began reporting on the beginning of the Troubles when a period of serious rioting led to the arrival of the Army on Belfast streets.

He left the newspaper after 33 years to become chief press officer at the Privy Council Office with responsibility to Leader of the House of Commons, Robin Cook.

Saddened to learn Des McCartan, for many years the Belfast Telegraph's Westminster correspondent, has passed away. He was a fine journalist.  Ken Reid (@KenReid_utv) April 5, 2017

Sad to hear of death of Des McCartan from Belfast Evening Tel. Once asked office to stop being so rowdy as he was on phone...to Bill Clinton  Jason Beattie (@JBeattieMirror) April 5, 2017

Sad to hear that Lobby legend and sometime Harriet-handler Des McCartan has died. I learned so much from working with him.  Alex Marklew (@MarklewA) March 30, 2017
A deviant who sexually abused a mentally disabled woman while holding her prisoner in his house for eight years has been jailed.

Keith Baker was sentenced to 15 years in prison for keeping the woman as an invisible sex slave in a room with no light bulb, carpets or curtains at his filthy house in Craigavon, Co Armagh.

The door had no handle on the inside and the toilet was overflowing with human excrement.

Baker, 61, filmed many of his attacks for his own sexual gratification and held sway over his wife, who was also imprisoned, and another partner through his willingness to resort to violence and total immorality, a judge said at Craigavon Crown Court.

The victim was so badly emaciated she had only one tooth left once she was rescued by police in 2012 after Baker's second partner raised the alarm.

Judge Patrick Lynch QC said: "It is not easy to understand how these individuals have so lost their moral compass that they could subject an individual who clearly exhibited serious mental defects to mistreatment, in sexual terms depriving her of any dignity and even the most basic of living standards."

Baker's wife Caroline, 54, was imprisoned for three, with half to be served in the community under licence, after the pair were filmed sexually assaulting their victim.

The woman's learning difficulties were so severe her IQ placed her in the lowest 0.3% of the population.

She did not appear on the electoral register, was not with a GP or dentist and never claimed benefits.

Neighbours did not even know the victim, completely isolated from the rest of society, was there.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Detective Chief Superintendent George Clarke said: "Her basic human rights were stolen from her by people who can only be described as evil."

Keith Baker slumped in a wheelchair outside the dock. Caroline stood inside the box, with her head bowed throughout, even as she was led away in handcuffs by prison guards.

The judge concluded: "Mr Baker presented as a Svengali figure, exercising control on three women based on his dominance, willingness to resort to violence and total immorality."

The woman was reported missing in Cambridge in England in 2004. She was taken to Northern Ireland by Baker, the judge said.

Once there she was subjected to the most horrific of ordeals, naked and unable to defend herself.

She did not even know Keith Baker's correct name.

At one stage she was told by the perpetrators that she had "learned quite a bit" over the last few years, the judge said.

Keith Baker, whose address was given as prison, and Caroline Baker pleaded guilty to sexual activity involving penetration and causing a person with a mental disorder to engage in sexual activity.

He was also charged with rape and indecent assault. Caroline Baker was charged with aiding and abetting rape and other sexual offences including indecent assault.

Keith Baker had been raised in Guernsey and lived most of his life in Kent. He met his wife when they both worked for the Salvation Army.
Prosecutors are considering appealing against the sentences of a couple convicted of sexually abusing a mentally disabled woman while holding her captive for eight years.

Keith Baker was jailed for 15 years for keeping the victim as a sex slave in a room with no light bulb, carpets or curtains at his filthy house in Craigavon, Co Armagh.

His wife Caroline, 54, was imprisoned for three but will be released after 18 months under licence.

A Public Prosecution Service (PPS) spokesman said: "The Public Prosecution Service is currently considering if there is a basis to refer the sentences handed down in this case to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that they may be unduly lenient.

"An unduly lenient sentence is one that falls outside the range of sentence that a judge, taking into consideration all relevant factors and having regard to sentencing guidance, could reasonably consider appropriate."

Baker, 61, filmed many of his attacks for his own sexual gratification and also held sway over his wife and another partner through his willingness to resort to violence and total immorality, a judge said at Craigavon Crown Court on Tuesday.

The door of the room in which the victim was imprisoned had no handle on the inside and the toilet was overflowing with human excrement.

She was so badly emaciated she had only one tooth left once she was rescued by police in 2012 after Baker's second partner raised the alarm.

Keith and Caroline Baker were filmed sexually assaulting their victim.

The woman's learning difficulties were so severe her IQ placed her in the lowest 0.3% of the population.

Expand Close The room where the victim was kept which had no door handle. Inset: Keith Baker / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp The room where the victim was kept which had no door handle. Inset: Keith Baker

She did not appear on the electoral register, was not with a GP or dentist and never claimed benefits.

Neighbours did not even know the woman, completely isolated from the rest of society, was there.

Mr Baker had been raised in Guernsey and lived most of his life in Kent. He met his wife when they both worked for the Salvation Army, which helps the most vulnerable in society.

A spokeswoman for the Salvation Army said: "Our records do not reflect the Bakers in employment within our organisation, which may suggest that they met through a voluntary informal association.

"We abhor their crimes."

Suffolk Police said the victim was reported as missing by her husband on March 15 2004.

A spokeswoman added: "On 16 March 2004 police took a call from a woman who said her husband had reported her as missing.

"She told officers she was not missing but was on holiday with a friend.

"Police updated her husband to this effect and, as a result, inquiries were concluded.

"The woman used the mobile phone linked to the missing woman and there was no indication at the time to suggest that she was anyone but the named individual."
The light fitting, minus a bulb, in the room where his victim was held captive for eight years

A Women's Aid worker says she fears there could be similar cases to the horrific Keith Baker sex abuse crimes happening in other parts of Northern Ireland.

Noelle Collins, team leader of Belfast and Lisburn Women's Aid, manages the Department of Justice contract for female victims of human trafficking in Northern Ireland.

Read More

"Human trafficking is certainly a rising problem, and we would mainly deal with foreign nationals from Eastern Europe and African Countries," she revealed. "Internal trafficking of UK nationals wouldn't be common but it isn't unheard of. It can happen in Northern Ireland or anywhere - if someone is moved to be abused for trafficking from one village to another, or one town to another."

She recalled: "I have been at a PSNI presentation which showed a door in a brothel which they had raided in south Belfast.

"Someone had been digging their nails into the door to get the lock off, and they found human nails in that door.

"When you meet these young women who are totally traumatised, many have been on this journey for years, and many men have abused them.

"It's not necessarily that a woman is vulnerable because of a learning disability - for example, some woman get into a relationship in their home town and think this person really cares about them, and they say they will take them somewhere else and promise them a better life."

Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close A view inside the former home of Keith and Caroline Baker cascadenews.co.uk A rear view of the Bakers house The light fitting, minus a bulb, in the room where his victim was held captive for eight years Photopress Belfast / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp A view inside the former home of Keith and Caroline Baker

When asked what she believes the extent of the problem to be in Northern Ireland, Noelle responded: "How long is a piece of string?

"You can only deal with what you have in front of you.

"Like domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual exploitation are all hidden crimes, you don't know when you're going to get to the bottom of them.

"People would be horrified to think this is happening in Northern Ireland, but it would be my fear that this is happening in other parts of Northern Ireland."

Noelle said that in today's society, it can be difficult for people to identify victims of human trafficking living nearby. "We are living in a society where community spirit is not like it was years ago. So many houses are transitory. People don't pick up on it."

Maddi O'Neill is service manager for Victim Support NI's Belfast hub, which offers support services to victims of sexual violence. She said: "Sexual predators may look for vulnerabilities like learning difficulties, people who are easy to control or who will keep quiet, or won't have the level of understanding to know it's wrong.

Expand Close Keith Baker and his wife Caroline, whose image cannot be published for legal reasons cascadenews.co.uk / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Keith Baker and his wife Caroline, whose image cannot be published for legal reasons

"I find all types of sexual violence shocking, it's the worst thing you can do to a human being, but to keep someone locked up and take their freedom is very horrific. It's always a possibility other people in Northern Ireland could be suffering like this.

"There are always bad people who want to do bad things to vulnerable people. They aren't lurking around every corner, but reporting of sexual violence is on the increase."

Maddi believes Keith Baker's victim will need intensive support to overcome her horrific ordeal: "It's not just the sexual violence, it's the captivity - I imagine she will need counselling to overcome the trauma.

"Some people can get through it and it makes them stronger, other people don't have good coping or support mechanisms and may need to work for the rest of their lives.

"We would start with a comprehensive assessment of the victim's needs, and they would have support from our Independent Sexual Violence Advocates (ISVAs).

"We wrap support around a person so they don't have to go to 10 different agencies.

Expand Close Keith Baker attempts to shield his face on his way to court / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Keith Baker attempts to shield his face on his way to court

"In this woman's case, it would probably involve looking at her physical health needs first before her mental health needs. Her primary needs are shelter, somewhere secure to live, access to food and water," she added.

Meanwhile, DUP peer Lord Morrow has repeated his call for an enquiry into how the Baker case was able to occur in the first place and continue undetected for so long.

He stated: "No-one but the Bakers knew of this vulnerable woman's pathetic existence.

"She received no medical or dental treatment throughout her incarceration.

"On being rescued, she was frail, malnourished and extensively traumatised.

"One has to ask, what would have happened if she had become gravely ill or indeed outlived her usefulness in satisfying the perverse requirements of two such callous, controlling, self-indulgent individuals?

"I am continuing to press for an enquiry into all aspects of this case, in particular the failures of multiple agencies in England.

"Whilst it is accepted the like of such a case has mercifully never been encountered to this level before, there is no escaping from the fact [that] if concerns had been properly acted upon, this woman may not have endured tortuous years at the hands of unscrupulous persons.

"That cannot be permitted to simply be marked up as an oversight."

A spokesperson for the Southern Health Trust stated: "The Trust does not comment on individuals due to patient/client confidentiality."

Women's Aid's 24-hour Domestic Violence helpline can be contacted on 0808 8021 414. To make an appointment with Victim Support NI in Belfast, phone 028 9024 3133. For Foyle, phone 028 71 37 0086
Keith Baker and his wife Caroline, whose image cannot be published for legal reasons

It was a love affair that blossomed within the ranks of the Salvation Army in England, and ended in an Ulster courtroom yesterday as a judge caged Keith and Caroline Baker for their poisonous perversion against a disabled woman in a squalid house in Craigavon, and effectively banned them from ever seeing each other again.

As the monsters of Moyraverty were taken away to serve their sentences for one of the most sickening and sordid series of sex crimes here, wheelchair-bound Keith Baker struggled to snatch one last look at his wife and partner-in-crime in the dock at court number one in Craigavon.

But Caroline Baker, who was told she must never try to make contact with her evil husband again, didn't return his glance as she was shuffled out of court in handcuffs by security staff.

It was a departure that could scarcely have been in starker contrast to the Bakers' entrance into the same courthouse last October when they shared kisses, hugs and laughs before they pleaded guilty to the repeated rape and sexual abuse of a mentally disabled woman over eight years in their home at Drumellan Mews in the Moyraverty estate.

In court yesterday, Caroline Baker stood throughout the 40-minute hearing. She kept her head bowed, staring at the floor, lifting it only slightly to occasionally dab her face with a tissue, though there didn't appear to be any tears in her eyes.

She wore a grey jacket with a flowing red scarf, and she was guarded in the dock by a lone female prison officer.

Just feet away, Keith Baker sat in his wheelchair beside the dock. He wore a beige cardigan and brown trousers, and covered his face with his hand, though he did look up once or twice to hear what Judge Patrick Lynch QC was saying about him in a scathing re-visiting of the accused's 'immoral and depraved' abuse.

If Baker felt shame, he didn't show it. And there wasn't a flicker of emotion as the judge jailed him for 15 years after branding him a Svengali figure.

Mrs Baker, who was described as her husband's pawn, didn't look anywhere near the judge as he sentenced her to three years - half in jail, half out on licence - for her part in the debased attacks on the woman she and her husband kept locked up in what a police officer likened to a jail cell.

There was no heat, no bedclothes, no carpets, no curtains and no lights in what one social worker said was a living hell in Drumellan Mews.

Caroline Baker appeared to be somewhat taken aback as a prison officer slapped handcuffs on her for her journey to Hydebank Women's Prison at Newtownbreda. Another officer had her handbag.

Outside the court, Press photographers and TV crews lined up to try to get pictures of the vile couple who met while they worked as carers for the Salvation Army in England, nearly 40 years ago.

Keith Baker was from Guernsey in the Channel Islands.

The woman who caught his eye was from Northern Ireland, so their move to the province suited well.

Their home in Drumellan Mews proved ideal for their shameful sex attacks.

It consisted of two houses knocked into one and was at the farthest end of the Moyraverty estate, surrounded by walkways and green fields where daffodils swayed in the Spring sunshine yesterday.

But the Bakers' victim rarely, if ever, got the chance to admire her surroundings as she lived round-the-clock in a dirty room from which she had no chance of escape because the inside handle had been removed from the door.

The woman had been brought from England to Drumellan by Baker, whose designs on her were wicked and warped. Aided and abetted by his wife, he turned her into their helpless sex slave. Due to her severe learning difficulties, she didn't have the mental capacity to resist their assaults.

The victim's husband had reported her missing from Suffolk in 2004, but there was little or no chance that she would ever be found in Craigavon, where Social Services and the police didn't even know she existed because she wasn't on any medical, benefits or voting registers. However, the authorities weren't the only ones who were in the dark. The neighbours in Drumellan Mews never saw her either.

But behind the locked doors, the Bakers were regularly subjecting her to every form of degradation they could, often videoing their debauchery with cameras mounted in the tiny bedroom.

In court yesterday, there was stunned silence as Judge Patrick Lynch QC recounted in graphic detail the extent of the abuse committed against the woman by the Bakers, crimes which were too shocking to be reported in the media.

It wasn't until 2012 that the victim's ordeal in what lawyers had dubbed the house of horrors ended, after another woman, named in court as Miss X, who had been living in Moyraverty as Baker's second 'wife', raised the alarm.

The whistleblower, Mandy Highfield, waived her right to anonymity, identifying herself to the BBC and, in an interview yesterday, revealed that Keith Baker had exerted complete control over everyone in the household.

She said she had four children by Baker who beat her and stopped her talking to friends or family. She continued that she couldn't handle the abuse that was being inflicted on the disabled woman in the house, so she told police what was happening.

What the PSNI found in Drumellan Mews shocked even hardened officers and veteran social workers.

The Bakers' victim was horrifically emaciated, with just one sound tooth, and initially, after her rescue, she was too scared to leave the house that had been her prison and where her only toilet was overflowing with human waste.

Her nightmarish existence had, according to one police source, become normal because she knew nothing else.

One of her rare treats was reportedly Quality Street sweets, given to her "if she'd been good".

On a seized computer, the PSNI found hundreds of videos and photographs of the assaults on the victim who, almost unbelievably, didn't know the surname of the Bakers who, at first, told detectives that it was the woman who initiated the sexual engagement, not them.

At one point, Keith Baker even claimed the woman had been very sexually experienced "unlike me".

However, during one sexual assault, captured on camera, Baker was heard telling his victim: "You have learnt quite a bit in the last year."

Police were convinced all along that a "controlling and manipulative" Baker also subjected his wife, the mother of four more of his children, to domestic abuse, and experts who examined her said she was suffering from "battered woman syndrome".

The judge said she'd been abused and humiliated by her husband and he thought she was a victim as well as a perpetrator.

Detectives have described Keith Baker, who's been in the hospital wing at Maghaberry jail since 2013, as a sexually preoccupied deviant.

But Det. Chief Supt. George Clarke, the head of the PSNI's Public Protection Branch, said yesterday there'd been nothing in Keith Baker's past that explained his degenerate behaviour.

Asked if he had been surprised that the Bakers' victim had never come to the notice of the police or Social Services during her incarceration in Moyraverty, he responded: "That's a very hard question to answer.

"I know what it does do is to highlight the fact that we need to be vigilant and we need to think about looking after our neighbours and people living in our communities."

He admitted that the first the police had known about the Bakers' victim was in December 2012 when the whistleblower voiced her concerns about her.

The almost unthinkable reality is that, if Mandy Highfield hadn't alerted the authorities, the victim's terrible torment could still be going on
A Co Down mum has hailed the quick-thinking actions of an off-duty police officer who saved her choking son, saying she owes the woman her life.

Lynsey Hagen was on a visit to Ards Shopping Centre when suddenly her son Lucas began choking on a soft mint close to the entrance.

The four-year-old turned pale as he struggled to breathe. Mum Lynsey panicked and screamed for help.

"I've had the first aid training course but I just froze," she told the Belfast Telegraph, "I suppose when it's your own child it's different."

As people gathered around it was then that the off-duty police officer came forward.

"She was so calm. She put him over her knee and tried slapping his back and then she tried to get her arms around him to squeeze his stomach, but his knees kept buckling and it was tough to do," Lynsey continued.

"She called for an ambulance and I really feared the worst. I just knew that if we waited on an ambulance then he would be dead... But thankfully she managed to dislodge it."

Newtownards woman Lynsey said that such was her relief that her son was ok, that she only managed to say a quick thank you to the officer before they parted ways. She says her son, as with most little boys, is over his ordeal although he was shocked.

"I owe her my life and my son's and I just want her to know how grateful we are for it and would like to acknowledge that," the 26-year-old said.

"It's your worst fear, but she was there in the right place at the right time and able to step in and be so calm, we would love to thank her properly."

Expand Expand Previous Next Close Four-year-old Lucas. Lynsey Hagen and son Lucas. / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Four-year-old Lucas.

Posting on Facebook, PSNI Lisburn praised the woman. "Never Off Duty... You know who you are. Well Done!"
The plans, detailed in a document launched in Belfast yesterday, addresses the sticking point of national security considerations blocking disclosures

Proposals to help break the Stormont talks logjam on legacy issues have been made public by university researchers.

The plans, detailed in a document launched in Belfast yesterday, addresses the sticking point of national security considerations blocking disclosures. Under the blueprint, decisions on whether or not to redact information would be made by an independent judge or judges.

Read More

The research team behind the plan is led by Professor Kieran McEvoy, from the Senator George J Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice and the School of Law at Queen's University. It also includes academics from Ulster University and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The December 2014 Stormont House Agreement (SHA) mapped out a way forward on dealing with the past, covering the creation of structures, including a new historical investigations unit, to probe Troubles killings.

The SHA also envisaged a separate independent commission on information retrieval to allow victims' families to privately receive details of how their loved ones died.

A oral history archive was also proposed, along with the creation of an implementation and reconciliation group. But the new structures have stalled amid disagreement on the national security issue, principally between Sinn Fein and the British Government.

Under the model launched yesterday, decisions on potential redactions would be taken against specified legal criteria balancing the State's legitimate national security concern with families' right to truth.

The proposed criteria would rule out the redaction of information relating to illegal activities or now obsolete anti-terror techniques.

The decisions should be made following a hearing where the views of all of relevant actors are legally represented.

Professor McEvoy said: "We were deeply disappointed when the Fresh Start negotiations, which concluded in November 2015, failed to reach consensus on the implementation of the SHA past-related mechanisms.

"However, together with a number of NGOs which work very closely with families directly affected by the conflict, we resolved to continue to try and help overcome the outstanding obstacles.

"Given the political focus on questions relating to the proposed redaction of sensitive information from reports going to affected families on the grounds of national security, we concentrated our energies on these and related matters.

"The issue of redacting sensitive information in the context of dealing with the past is complex and sensitive.

"However, with political will and some legal imagination, it can be resolved and we hope that our model may assist that process."

The stalemate on legacy issues has also held up funding for inquests on specific Troubles-era killings.

Meanwhile, unionists and some Tory MPs have accused Sinn Fein of wanting to place excessive focus on past actions by security forces, rather than paramilitaries.
In 2014 there was a documentary made of my dad, Joey, William and me called Road. It's a cracking film. We contributed to it. I was followed for a year with cameras. I took time off work, gave up pay to do interviews. I'd never say, 'Don't watch it.' But I don't think the producers played us with a straight bat.

When it was finished, William and I went over to Coleraine for a private screening. I was looking forward to it. I thought the footage they found about Joey was really moving. Then the story moves on to my dad and I start twitching in my seat because it's uncomfortable seeing him up there.

It was just wrong. He should have been sitting with us watching it. I knew they were going to cover the accident because I'd been interviewed about it. What I didn't know was that they were going to show it.

This was 2014. I'd gone eight years without ever seeing the moment that took my dad's life. And there it was 15ft high on a f***ing cinema screen. Call me naive but I didn't expect it.

They showed the air helicopter camera tracking my dad and we just assumed they would get to the crucial point and it would stop. There was big swelling music going on and we expected boom, then the screen would go black. But they showed the accident and then it went off.

I was poleaxed. I was furious. You know, I don't mind that they included it. If they think that's what's going to make a better film, that's up to them. They're the experts.

But they could have warned us. It was too quick for us to turn away. And to this day I cannot get those scenes out of my head. Would it have been too much trouble for someone to say, 'Hey, boys, just to give you a heads up, in around 40 minutes we show the accident.'

You know, we could have prepared ourselves or even left the room. William was just as knocked out as me. But then he says, 'What about Mum and Nan?' 'Oh f**k, they saw the film this morning.' And they hadn't been warned either.

Darren Burns

The truth has a funny way of coming out. The rumour mill after Dad's accident said a dozen things. Dad had accidentally hit his brake button at top speed and gone over the handlebars. The front wheel had locked. The pistons had seized. There'd been an engine malfunction. Further down the line there was an inquest. All these boys gave evidence about Dad not being happy with the way the bike had been performing; he'd come into the pits just before the accident to try to get it sorted. And then the coroner concluded it was Dad's fault for hitting the brake.

In those days and months afterwards you want to lash out at someone. There was another person involved in the accident. Dad had just overtaken Darren Burns when he came off. Darren had no time to react, no time at all. He smashed into Dad and seriously damaged himself.

In my darker moments I think, Why was he there? What was he doing? But he was racing. Someone like my dad comes past, you probably want to be as close as you can to get a half-decent lap.

And the truth is, it could have been anyone. If William hadn't stopped at University Corner, maybe he'd be the one behind Dad. You just don't know.

He can't be blamed but I'm grieving and I need a target.

To this day I have never spoken to Darren about it because I might get angry. I don't trust myself not to and that's sad.

Guy Martin

He's a funny lad, is Guy. He started getting a wee bit of TV fame in 2009. Some cameras followed him around the TT and he'd been a natural on the screen, fair play to him. He'd go on to become a household name for his programmes about boats and speed and stuff.

But here's the thing. You mention the TT to non-racing fans and they think of Guy Martin. He's become the face of it because he's the one on TV all the time and people know of his association with the bikes. But how many TT trophies has he won?

Lots of people have one or two and you never hear of them. The big hitters like Mike Hailwood, with 14, or the boys with eight, nine or 10 - you'd know their names. But lower down, there are people who you never hear of who've won four or five TT races - which is a real achievement, believe you me - yet you do hear of Guy Martin, who's won precisely none.

For someone who's not a particularly successful TT racer - who is good without being great - he seems to have done very well as a TT racer, if you know what I mean. His fame from elsewhere means people assume he's had more success than he's actually had.

Don't get me wrong, he's a decent racer. He's beaten me enough times and he's paid his dues. There've been enough bones broken in his body to settle that score. And before he became Mr Speed you could have a real good conversation with Guy, one to one, no bother.

He's into his cars, his engines, that sort of thing - basically the sort of crap I like to talk about. V8s and V12s, we chew the fat on all that and the hours fly by. I have a real good time with him. We're a couple of men, we're equals, we've both been through the wringer.

But as soon as there's a sniff of an audience he changes. That's why he's a natural for the screen, I suppose. He starts pulling facts and stories out and playing to the gallery. Every person listening magnifies his bravado to the power of 15. He's a nightmare for that at press conferences.

Guy's made a few bob, though. I'll give him that. So I guess it works.

Falling out with William after a North West 200 race

It was wet and I was struggling. Me and the bike were like dance partners that had never met. We're both trying to lead. I got a terrible start and after that it was about trying to stay facing the right way as much as reel in the boys ahead of me.

As we went on and with a few miles under my belt, I got a bit of a feel for the BMW and, before long, it was just William ahead of me. Going into Metropole on the last lap I thought, Coming, ready or not and I got myself past him and into the lead.

In my head this was it, game over. Nobody told William that. We're that close the rest of the lap the crowds are going nuts. Along the Coast Road we're in formation like the Red Arrows. I still think I've got it in my pocket when we get up the top to the chicane and he goes past.

It doesn't matter. We're on Juniper Hill and I spy a chance. A small one. There's a wee gap up the inside so I go for it. And William slams the door. Now, I've done that move to enough people, but not my brother.

By the time we finished my blood was boiling and when I saw him in parc ferme I let my frustrations out. 'I would never have done that to you,' I say.

I instantly regretted it. In my own mind I've made this grand gesture to come back to racing, I'm expecting red-carpet performances from myself and it hasn't worked out like that. William's won and he thoroughly deserved his first international success, but it wasn't part of the script. Not my script.

But the second the words left my lips I knew I was out of order. Obviously when he came across me he'd had no idea I was there. I know that now. I knew it then. But I still said what I said.

Genuinely, deep down, I was happy for him, I still am; he earned it. I was just cross with myself, I was looking for someone to blame for my failure and I took it out on him. But I never told William that.

His drawbridge went up. He saw a side of me he didn't like, a side he didn't know, maybe didn't trust, and that ruined the rest of the meeting between us. I wish I could take it back. He's my brother and I'd do anything for him. But actually it was a long, long time after that before we got ourselves back on track.

Thankfully everything is fine now but it goes to show how one stupid remark can cause damage and pain.

First win at the Isle of Man

There's no big frantic start like in a wheel-to-wheel race. At the Manx everyone goes on their own, 10 seconds apart. One after one after one  The process is relentless. Every 10 seconds another lad goes off. It's like a human centipede getting longer and longer. My group was the fifth wave. I would go out 440 seconds after the first lad. It doesn't sound long but it felt like for ever.

I wish I could say that all the anxiety, all the palpitations I'd had on the grid, just washed away and some calm, serene driving God took over the bike. But that did not happen. Those final 10 seconds, I was so excited to get up the road and ride hard that my head was full. I don't know what of, but it was just full. The anticipation was killing me - and nearly the bike. When the tap on my shoulder came, I nearly ripped the clutch out to get off the line. I tell you now, that release when you finally pull away is overwhelming. Mind-blowing.

The thing I'd most dreamed of, of racing the Mountain Course, was right at my fingertips, and I couldn't tell up from down.

I felt something click. Like a flame on a cooker being turned off. And suddenly I could see everything. The emotions were gone. Reality was giving me a kicking. My head for just about the first time that day was clear. I know what I have to do. I wasn't there just to have a bit of fun. I wasn't tearing down Bray Hill, Braddan Bridge and Union Mills because I wanted to see the scenery.

I was there to win a race. Plain and simple. There was nothing else in my head. To win the race I just had to beat my class. I'd been quickest in practice; it should pose no real problem. But in time trials you never really know what the boys behind are doing.

So I did the only thing I could and drove the wheels off that bike. I brushed every hedge, pushed harder and harder, and when I started to close up on the group in front I took no prisoners. The way I saw it, those boys were on more powerful machines. They should not be letting a 125 get anywhere near them. They deserved what they got.

For all my ego, I knew that my engine could not compete with the 250s and 400s in a straight line. So the straights were out. But when those boys lifted for the corners, I didn't. I just said, 'I'm coming through. Like it or not.' Even leading the race, even having so much to lose, if you change the way you drive, if you start second-guessing yourself, that's when mistakes happen. I threw that bike through gaps that didn't exist. I swear, some of those boys' overalls were browner on the inside than the outside.

As I crossed the finish line I saw complete strangers clapping and waving. People I'd never seen before in my life were cheering me. I couldn't hear them over the engine but their faces shouted volumes. As I slowed down, I heard applause and I let myself begin to think, They know. They know the result 

I was the youngest ever winner, obviously. That added a few degrees of extra pleasure. I hadn't done it alone, mind. Getting me there, getting me a bike that was half-decent, getting me not chucked out of the meeting, had all come from my family. Speaking of which, William was over the moon. Ronnie was like a dog with a bone.

And my dad? Well, my dad was my dad. He came over, looked me in the eye just like he did at the start, and shook my hand. He never said a word. He didn't need to. We both knew what it meant to each of us. He couldn't have been prouder. And I couldn't have been more relieved not to have tarnished the family's reputation.

Adapted by Laurence White. Michael Dunlop will be signing copies of his new book at Easons, Donegall Place, Belfast on Saturday at 1pm.

Get 30% off the price of Road Racer by Michael Dunlop (RRP 20) at Belfast Telegraph Studio https://www.belfasttelegraphstudio.co.uk/ belfasttelegraph studio.co.uk/
Michael Smith, a suspect in a high-profile murder case who went missing earlier this year after being mistakenly released from prison, has been arrested in the Carryduff area.

Smith, who was on remand for allegedly killing Stephen Carson in his Belfast home in February 2016, was wrongly released from Maghaberry Prison in March to attend a family event.

The 38-year-old failed to return to the jail later that day and was last seen in the Finaghy area of south Belfast.

A PSNI spokesperson said: "PSNI have tonight arrested Michael Smith in the Carryduff area.

"Officers have been looking for him since his escape from prison whilst on remand for murder.

"Detective Supt Kevin Geddes would like to thank the public for all their assistance during this time."

Stephen Carson was shot dead on Thursday, February 26 at a house in south Belfast.

The 28-year-old was eating dinner at a house in Walmer Street of the Ormeau Road with his partner and nine year old son when armed men broke into the property.

The victim tried to hide in a bathroom but his attackers blasted him through the door with a shotgun.

Detectives from the PSNI's Major Investigation Team said at the time that they did not believe his murder was paramilitary related or sectarian.

Detective Supt Kevin Geddes said: "Our main line of enquiry, but not our only line of enquiry, was that Stephen was murdered as part of a criminal feud.''
The Ulster Orchestra and Belfasts Grand Opera House are among those facing uncertainty

The Ulster Orchestra and Belfasts Grand Opera House are among those facing uncertainty

Funding for more than 100 leading Northern Ireland arts organisations has been plunged into uncertainty by the Stormont power-sharing crisis, the Belfast Telegraph has learned.

Major players - such as Belfast's Grand Opera House, the Lyric Theatre, the Ulster Orchestra, the Mac and the Millennium Forum and Playhouse - are affected.

The bodies have been handed 50% of their intended allocations for the year ahead, but with a warning that the second half may never be paid, threatening some arts institutions with possible closure by the end of the summer.

That caveat - due to the absence of a Stormont budget - will inevitably take its toll on their ability to plan and organise events for the next 12 months.

The funding is earmarked to cover salaries and overheads, as well as performances.

The Belfast Telegraph has learned an email was sent to all affected groups this week from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

It stated that the 50% allocation "will enable the provision of cash for up to six months ending September 30 so that you can continue to provide services for this period".

But it added: "It must not, however, be taken to indicate that funding will continue after this date or that, if it does continue, it will do so at the same level for the remainder of this financial year."

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland last night confirmed: "In the absence of a Budget Act and consequent limited release of funds to departments, the Arts Council is at this time releasing 50% of its intended annual award allocation to each arts organisation.

"This is an interim measure designed to ensure that funds can continue to flow to maintain key public services until the necessary budget decisions can be taken by ministers.

"The total planned allocation of funding to 107 organisations may be subject to change, depending on the eventual budget allocation to the Arts Council."

The Ulster Orchestra said: "The current situation at Stormont has indeed had an impact on all arts organisations within Northern Ireland. However, as it is unfortunately out of our hands, the Ulster Orchestra is striving to manage our daily activity as best we can, given the circumstances, and look forward to a positive outcome from the talks."

Grand Opera House chief executive Ian Wilson said it will continue to work with the Arts Council to ensure that its funding is stable.

Playwright and arts commentator Martin Lynch described the latest setback to the arts as "atrocious and appalling". He said arts organisations planned for two years, but now they can't plan for six months.

"People will be tearing their hair out," he said. "A banana republic wouldn't have these sorts of problems. It's crazy."

Mr Lynch urged the politicians to sort out a deal to restore Stormont. "Northern Ireland society needs to function or things are going to grind to a halt," he said.

The lack of an Executive at Stormont means a senior civil servant is now in control of finances. David Sterling, the permanent secretary at the Department of Finance, is using emergency powers to release cash to departments to maintain public services, and in effect "keep the lights on".

Stormont sources are warning that the temporary situation will become unsustainable inside a matter of weeks.

There has been speculation Secretary of State James Brokenshire will push a Northern Ireland budget and rates order through Westminster after Easter if the DUP and Sinn Fein have not agreed a deal on saving devolution by that stage.
A Sinn Fein MLA has ventured through "no man's land" into "DUP territory" all in a quest to get to the vending machine at Stormont.

Barry McElduff posted a video of himself on Stormont's third floor on his mission to get to the vending machine for a Snickers bar.

The video has been viewed more than 58,000 times.

Posting the video he said: "Some people have to go through serious ordeals to get their Snickers. Me, I have to cross deep into DUP territory on Stormont's third floor."

The MLA, standing on the Sinn Fein side described the two areas as a bit like "East Germany and West Germany" and referenced the section in between as "no man's land".

He said: "This is the Sinn Fein side on the third floor and way down there is DUP territory, it's a bit like East Germany and West Germany.

"But that's where I have to go to get my snickers because the vending machine is in DUP territory."

He then travels along further and said: "I'm in no man's land now between the two areas."

As he walks along to the vending machine he narrates the journey and shows the offices belonging to Sinn Fein and DUP MLAs.

The video prompted hundreds of comments and was shared more than 200 times.
He has made many a sprint for the try line - but few dashes would have been as important to Tommy Bowe as that on Sunday morning.

Tommy and wife Lucy welcomed baby Emma Bowe who came across the line two-and-a-half weeks early, surprising her parents.

Former Miss Wales Lucy gave birth to their 6lb 15oz daughter at 11am on Sunday at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital.

Despite his recent leg break during a cameo appearance against Wales in the Six Nations, Bowe (33) was able to drive his wife (28) the five-minute journey to the hospital on Sunday.

"Thankfully it was my left leg and I've an automatic car," he laughed as he described the morning dash to the hospital.

The Ireland and Lions winger said: "Lucy only went into labour at eight o'clock in the morning and Emma arrived at 11 o'clock, so it was very fast and really caught us by surprise.

"We weren't expecting it to come so quickly but it was incredible. Everybody talks about their first baby going overdue and we weren't really expecting things to come on so fast.

"The adrenaline just kicks in and it just worked out so well that Emma was born so quickly. We are just delighted, little baby Emma, she is just gorgeous.

"I just have to hand it to Lucy, she was incredible. You know, what women go through really puts everything into perspective. Lucy really was incredible, I couldn't be more proud of her," said the proud new father, who hails from Emyvale in Co Monaghan.

Praising the midwives and staff at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Bowe said: "They couldn't have been more helpful, they were really brilliant."

BY Bairbre Power
Gardai investigating the death of Aidan O'Driscoll, 37, in Cork in December have arrested five people

Four men and one woman have been arrested over the murder of a former Real IRA boss in Cork before Christmas.

Aidan O'Driscoll, 37, was shot a number of times in an ambush in the Blackpool area of the city on December 7.

Detectives were investigating if he was the victim of a feud within dissident republicanism.

Investigating gardai said they have arrested three men aged in their 20s, who are being held under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act at Mayfield, Gurranabraher and Bridewell Garda stations.

A man aged in his 70s and a woman in her 20s are also being held under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act at Togher Garda station.

They are the first arrests in the investigation, a Garda spokesman said.

Mr O'Driscoll, from Ballyvolane in north Cork, was shot dead on Old Commons Road.

Nicknamed the "Beast", he was a one-time ally of Real IRA chief Alan Ryan, who was shot dead in Dublin in 2012.

It is understood he had not been active in the terror group for some time, having apparently been expelled.

He was shot in the leg in a so-called punishment attack carried out by former republican allies in 2013.
Kit bags are prepared by members of 16 Air Assault Brigade as they take part in an Army air assault exercise, Exercise Joint Warrior, at RAF Wattisham, Suffolk

Soldiers parachuted in from an RAF Hercules plane as part of a training operation to ensure British troops are ready to deploy at a moment's notice.

The three-week Exercise Joint Warrior involves 2,000 troops drawn from most parts of the Army and RAF, and some from the Royal Navy.

Lieutenant Colonel Duncan Mann, commanding officer of Second Battalion the Parachute Regiment (2 Para), said it is the biggest training exercise of the year and is to ensure they are "not strangers when we meet for the first time".

The final training exercise, to attack an insurgent stronghold, involved around 700 troops flying from Wattisham Airfield in Suffolk to Stanta training ground near Thetford, Norfolk.

A company of 180 jumped from an RAF Hercules in smaller groups, with the rest flown in by helicopter.

Lt Col Mann said 2 Para spent the last 10 months training to become a high readiness battalion, and alternates with its sister battalion 3 Para.

"Our training started as soon as we came off readiness last May and we always go back to basics," he said.

"We make sure that we've built the team from the bottom up and this effectively is testing the battalion working for the brigade at the highest level."
Robin Barnett suggested the current crossing between Northern Ireland and the Republic could only be maintained by a "bold and ambitious" free trade deal between London and Brussels. Addressing a parliamentary committee in Dublin, the senior diplomat also said arrangements for any border poll are already provided for by the Good Friday Agreement

There are "specific challenges" in allowing goods to move freely across the Irish border after Brexit, the British Ambassador to Ireland has admitted.

Robin Barnett suggested the current crossing between Northern Ireland and the Republic could only be maintained by a "bold and ambitious" free trade deal between London and Brussels. Addressing a parliamentary committee in Dublin, the senior diplomat also said arrangements for any border poll are already provided for by the Good Friday Agreement.

"This is an international agreement to which we remain 100% committed," he said.

Mr Barnett told the European Union Affairs committee there are "specific challenges" to keeping the 310-mile Irish border as seamless as possible.

But he added: "We firmly believe the basis for an effective way forward is a bold and ambitious free trade agreement between the UK and the EU."
In the wake of blizzards this winter season, Mandan city commissioners are looking at recommendations for improving snow removal.

The items include establishing a bid process for private contractors for snow hauling, marking city fire hydrants so theyre not buried by snow plowing, getting information to the public and ensuring theres more than one plow crew working during a major snowstorm.

Seven citizen members joined with an ad hoc committee of eight city representatives beginning in February to review city processes.

City staff presented a plan to the committee that would allow the city to staff at least two operators and snow plow equipment 24 hours a day, Scott Gerhardt, a committee member, said.

The plan would include utilizing staff and equipment, as well as hire contractors when necessary.

The Bismarck-Mandan area was hit hard this past winter, particularly in the final weeks of 2016 by a series of blizzards.

Committee members also said the city should consider using community access channels as an additional way of getting weather and snow removal information to the public.

The action items will be reviewed by the city for possible implementation.
Theresa May says there will be an 'implementation' phase once a Brexit deal has been struck

MEPs have voted in favour of a tough line on Brexit negotiations following a debate in Strasbourg in which Nigel Farage was heckled and rebuked for accusing the European Parliament of "behaving like the mafia".

The former Ukip leader was told to retract his "unacceptable" remark by the parliament's president, Italian Antonio Tajani, and said that, in respect of his national sensitivities, he would instead brand them "gangsters".

But Mr Tajani responded: "There are no mafia or gangsters here. There are representatives of the people. This is nothing to do with national sensitivities, it is to do with being civil and democratic."

MEPs heard the European Commission's president Jean-Claude Juncker and chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier restate their rejection of Theresa May's appeal for divorce and trade talks to be held in parallel, insisting that the EU could not deal with its future relations with the UK until the terms of withdrawal were "fully resolved".

Both men also said Britain would have to pay a divorce bill to settle financial commitments entered into as a member state, with Mr Barnier saying: "We do not seek to punish the United Kingdom, we are simply asking the United Kingdom to deliver on its commitments and undertakings as a member of the European Union."

Responding to the former Ukip leader's description of the financial demand, estimated at around 50 billion, as "a kind of ransom payment", Mr Barnier said: "In fact, Mr Farage, all we are doing is settling the accounts. No more and no less."

MEPs backed by a margin of 560-133 a resolution tabled by the leaders of the main party groupings, which set out red lines for the upcoming withdrawal negotiations under Article 50 of the EU treaties.

The parliament - which has an effective veto on the deal reached after two years of negotiations - insisted Britain must meet all its financial obligations and rejected any "cherry-picking" of privileged access to the single market for sectors of the UK economy such as financial services.

The resolution backed the commission's "phased" approach to dealing with the terms of withdrawal before moving on to the question of trade, and warned that there can be no trade-off between security and the future economic relationship between the EU and UK.

Mr Farage predicted that many other countries would follow Britain to the exit door if the EU stood in the way of a free trade agreement by insisting on unacceptable terms or trying to impose tariffs on UK goods and services.

"If you wish to have no deal, if you wish to force us to walk away from the table, it is not us that will be hurt," he said.

"We don't have to buy German motor cars, we don't have to drink French wine, we don't have to eat Belgian chocolate. There are a lot of other people that will give that to us."

He said the European Council's proposal to give Spain a veto on future agreements concerning Gibraltar could be a "deal-breaker".

"You have shown yourselves by these demands to be vindictive, to be nasty," he said.

"All I can say is thank goodness we are leaving. You are behaving like the mafia. You think we are a hostage - we are not, we are free to go."

Mr Barnier warned MEPs: "No deal would have very serious consequences, first and foremost for the United Kingdom, but also for the European Union.

"The 'no deal' scenario is not the scenario we are looking for. We are looking for success - success not against the United Kingdom, but with the United Kingdom."

The leader of the EPP group of centre-right MEPs, Germany's Manfred Weber, said Britain had to accept that the EU would take a "tough negotiating position".

The UK could not simply pick and choose areas such as security, scientific collaboration and free trade where it wanted to co-operate with the remaining 27 member states, he said.

"I feel London thinks it will find the perfect deal and will take the positive points and leave the negative points," said Mr Weber. "This will not happen. Cherry-picking will not happen.

"A state outside the EU cannot have the same or better conditions than a state inside the EU."

Italian socialist group leader Gianni Pittella insisted the European Parliament would be ready to veto a Brexit deal if the conditions of its resolution were not respected.

And in a direct message to Conservative Brexiteers, he said: "You wanted to take back control, but what did you want to take back control of? You were promising people a better future, but your lies have caused absolute chaos in the UK."

And the parliament's Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt predicted Britain would eventually change its mind on Brexit.

"There will be, one day or another, a young man or woman who will try again, who will lead Britain again into the European family once again, and a young generation that will see Brexit for what it really is - a cat-fight in the Conservative Party that got out of hand, a loss of time, a waste of energy and a stupidity," said the former Belgian prime minister.

Mr Juncker - who shook hands with Mr Farage before taking his place a few seats away from him in the parliament chamber - described Brexit as a "profoundly sad" event.

"The choice of the British people, however respectable that may be, does not fit into the march of history - not European history and not global history," said Mr Juncker.

Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder predicted that voters will give a negative verdict on Mrs May's handling of Brexit at the May 4 local elections and the parliamentary by-election being held on the same day.

Ms Bearder told the European Parliament: " Sixteen million Brits did not say they wanted to leave the European family. Those who did won't be fooled again by the false promises from nationalists.

"This month of May, the British people will send a message to Mrs May in local elections and the Westminster seat of Manchester Gorton. That message reads loud and clear - 'You lied to us, we are angry and we want our country back. It belongs inside the European Union'."

Scottish National Party MEP Alyn Smith said: "I'm heartbroken, not for myself but for the people I serve and future generations.

"Scotland will not be silent in this process as our rights are taken away by an administration we do not support, a vote that we clearly rejected and a process that is demonstrably against our interests."

But the leader of Conservative MEPs, Ashley Fox, said that Brexit would be "a beginning and not an end ... the start of a new relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom".

He said: "Although we will be leaving the EU, we want to forge a deep and special partnership with our friends and allies in Europe."

Following the vote, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "Theresa May's plans for a swift Brexit have been left in tatters. It's clear the Brexiteers' promises of a quick and easy trade deal with the EU were built on sand.

"We now face years of damaging uncertainty while living standards are squeezed and public services cut.

"But the door is being left open and Article 50 could still be revoked. That means the British people can still stop a hard Brexit and, if they want, choose to remain in the EU."

Speaking at a press conference afterwards, Mr Verhofstadt did not give a figure for Britain's exit bill, saying he wanted to agree a set of principles for the payment.

He said: "Our proposal is to agree on the principles and if we can agree with the UK authorities on the principles that all commitments have to be taken on board, that all liabilities have to be on the table, also the contingent liabilities, well then it will be easier, because if you agree on the principles, then you apply the principles and you have the figure."

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said: "It is important that the European Parliament has reached agreed guidelines, and we particularly welcome the emphasis that negotiations should be conducted in 'good faith and full transparency'.

"Labour also strongly support the Parliament's insistence that a future EU-UK deal requires the UK to retain international standards on human rights, climate change, social rights and the fight against tax evasion and avoidance. Labour's six tests for the final Brexit deal made clear that there can be no drop in EU-derived rights and protections."
Liam Fox is facing criticism for preaching "shared values" with the Philippines as he met its president Rodrigo Duterte, who has bragged of personally killing suspected criminals.

International Trade Secretary Dr Fox, whose department was created after the EU referendum to promote worldwide trade, made the comment as he called for closer ties with the nation.

More than 7,000 people have been killed in Mr Duterte's campaign against drugs, according to police figures, causing widespread condemnation.

He has also urged the public to kill drug addicts, who he said he would be "happy to slaughter" in their millions.

In an article for the Philippines' Business World, Dr Fox wrote: "The UK and the Philippines have a well-established and strong relationship built on a foundation of shared values and shared interests and we want this partnership to continue to flourish."

His comments came ahead of Prime Minister Theresa May's meeting with King Salman of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

Labour MP Harriet Harman, chairwoman of the joint committee on human rights, told the Guardian: "There is a real danger that in our desperation to conclude trade deals respect for human rights, which is in every EU contract, will just go out of the window.

"The Government must not let that happen."

Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner added that Dr Fox's comments were "frankly shocking".

"I'm sorry, but we do not have these shared common values with president Duterte who wants to bring back the death penalty and lower the age of criminal responsibility to nine," he said.

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Tom Brake added: "Duterte is one of the 21st century's most sinister leaders and Liam Fox has flown halfway around the world to grovel to him.

"The fact that the first visit made by Fox since triggering Article 50 is to the Philippines shows just how low this government is willing to stoop in order to secure even a minimal trade deal in the future.

"No amount of pandering to corrupt regimes can replace our membership of the single market, which is why the Liberal Democrats will continue to fight against the hard, divisive Brexit this government is pursuing."

Mr Duterte provoked outrage in December after he told business executives how he used to hunt down suspects himself to set an example when he was mayor of his home city of Davao.

"In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys (police) that if I can do it why can't you?" he said.

"I go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around and I would just patrol the streets and looking for trouble also. I was really looking for an encounter to be able to kill."

A Department of International Trade spokesman said closer ties would help Britain to address areas of concern.

He said: " We do not shy away from confronting barriers to trade and investment - including issues of human rights and corruption.

"Greater knowledge and understanding of one another will increase our ability to address those issues that concern us."
The Duchess of Cambridge attends the opening night of the hit musical 42nd Street at the Theatre Royal in Londons Drury Lane

the Duke of Edinburgh, Patron of the Britain-Australia Society, presents Kylie Minogue with the award for 2016 at Windsor Castle

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall during their audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican

Pope Francis has urged the Prince of Wales to work to bring peace in the world as the pair met in Rome for the first time.

The pontiff received Charles and Camilla for a papal audience in the heart of the Vatican City state.

During the traditional exchange of gifts that followed a half-hour private meeting, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church told the heir to the throne: "Wherever you go, may you be a man of peace."

Charles replied: "I'll do my best."

Meanwhile, the Duke of Edinburgh cemented Anglo-Aussie relations by charming pop star Kylie Minogue at Windsor Castle.

Philip (95) welcomed the much-loved star to the Queen's Berkshire residence to present her with a special award honouring her dedication to the bond between Britain and Australia.

Later, the Duchess of Cambridge dazzled in a maroon Marchesa gown as she brought some royal glamour to the red carpet at the opening night of the musical 42nd Street in London.

Kate attended the West End revival of the Broadway hit at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in her role as Royal Patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH).
A driverless vehicle is run as part of the self-driving vehicle trials in Greenwich, London

Members of the public are being given the opportunity to test a driverless vehicle for the first time.

Around 100 people will travel in a prototype shuttle on a two-mile route near London's O2 Arena over the next three weeks.

It is hoped the project could make it easier for smaller neighbourhoods in Greenwich to access existing public transport hubs.

Five cameras and three lasers will help the vehicle navigate along a riverside path used by pedestrians and cyclists at up to 10mph, although there will also be a trained person on board who can stop the vehicle if required during the tests.

Dr Graeme Smith, chief executive of Oxbotica, which is developing the electric vehicles, told the Press Association: "This needs to be like any other form of transportation. It shouldn't be a white-knuckle ride for passengers.

"We know we've got the software right when the journeys are unremarkable."

He went on: "The vehicle will see up to 100 metres ahead and if it detects something that it thinks is in its path it will come to a nice graceful halt.

"If it needs to emergency brake if somebody steps right in front, it can do that as well.

"It's been designed to be safe and fail-safe specifically in a pedestrianised environment. We look out for pedestrians, cyclists, cats and dogs."

Officials behind the 8 million GATEway Project believe the first paying passengers could use the system by 2019 on a trial basis, and it could eventually be rolled out to similar locations across the country.

Simon Tong, a research scientist at TRL, which is leading the programme, said: "Driverless vehicles could be part of smart cities.

"Existing transport hubs that are well used like the Tube, the Thames Clippers and the Emirates Air Line cable car that we have here , they're all situated at one end of the Greenwich peninsular b ut there's lots of businesses and residences that are much further away than that.

"This is a great way to connect all of those people with those existing transport hubs."

Self-driving cars were tested by a major manufacturer on public roads in the UK for the first time last month.

Nissan clocked up more than 300 miles using prototypes of its Leaf model with enhanced autonomous driver technology on busy routes in east London.

Last week the Government announced plans for the first phase of its 100 million investment in testing infrastructure to develop autonomous driving technology.

A "cluster of excellence" will be created along the M40 corridor, using existing testing centres in Birmingham, Coventry, Oxford, Milton Keynes and London.

N early six out of 10 (57%) UK adults believe connected and autonomous vehicles will improve their quality of life, according to a r ecent survey of 3,641 people by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

Automatic braking and parking, and the ability of cars to self-diagnose faults, were cited by respondents as features most likely to reduce stress.
Downing Street has played down the prospect of military action in retaliation for the use of chemical weapons against civilians in Syria, insisting "nobody is talking" about an armed response to the atrocity.

Britain and France are bringing forward a resolution at the United Nations Security Council condemning the attack in the largely opposition-held Idlib province, which is believed to have killed at least 72 people, including 20 children.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he had seen "absolutely nothing to suggest" the attack was carried out by anyone but the government of Syrian president Bashar Assad.

Witnesses have claimed the attack was carried out by jets operated by the Russian and Syrian governments. But the Syrian government "categorically rejected" this, instead blaming rebels.

Russia said the town of Khan Sheikhoun was exposed to chemicals from a rebel arsenal hit by a Syrian air strike.

Ahead of Wednesday's emergency meeting of the Security Council, a Number 10 source told reporters travelling with Theresa May in Saudi Arabia: " We want everybody to condemn what happened yesterday and let's see what happens.

"We hope that everybody will condemn what has happened and that there will be agreement that those responsible should be brought to justice."

The source said that "nobody's talking" about a military response, adding: "There's a UN resolution this afternoon. The Prime Minister ... made a very strong statement condemning this attack, and Britain has brought forward a UN Security Council resolution that will be debated this afternoon."

Arriving for a major aid-pledging conference for Syria in Brussels, Mr Johnson told reporters: "I've seen absolutely nothing to suggest, or rather to lead us to think, that it's anything but the regime.

"All the evidence I have - and there may be more to come out of this - all the evidence I've seen suggests that this was the Assad regime who did it in the full knowledge that they were using illegal weapons in a barbaric attack on their own people."

Mr Johnson added: "You cannot go on with a regime that's willing to use illegal weapons against its own people, a regime that's killed hundreds of thousands of its own people.

"What's needed now is a political process to get rid of that regime and give the people of Syria a chance."

Mr Johnson said he would like to see "those culpable pay a price", adding: " I think what it confirms to everybody is that this is a barbaric regime that has made it impossible for us to imagine them continuing to be in authority over the people of Syria after this conflict is over."

He added: "We need to wait and see exactly what has happened. If this is confirmed to have been another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime, with or without the complicity of the Russians ...

"I think what it shows is that this is a government that has absolutely no compassion for its own people that has put itself beyond the pale."

US President Donald Trump also blamed the Assad regime, saying the attack was "reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilised world".

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll had risen to at least 72, including 20 children.

Speaking at the aid conference, Mr Johnson said the Syrian regime was engaged in tactics of "starve or surrender".

He said: "As we sit here in Brussels it is still the case that the regime is preventing the UN from delivering aid to millions of Syrians - besieging over 475,000 people with the aim of starving them into submission.

"Together we should make clear our abhorrence of the regime's tactic of starve or surrender. We must remind all sides of their obligations contained in numerous UN resolutions to allow aid to reach all who need it wherever they may be.

"The people of Syria are today paying a price for our collective inaction over the last five years and decisions we took.

"We cannot now undo those mistakes but we can and we must work together to alleviate their suffering. To help Syria's neighbours and prepare Syria for the moment when peace finally returns."

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "The Government must immediately consider new sanctions on Russia and how the international community can create a humanitarian zone in Syria.

"Trump may be happy to blame it on Obama and look the other way, but our Prime Minister must rise above this and defend international law.

"We will not win against Isil in Syria without ending the civil war, and we will not end the civil war if we sit idly by as civilians are gassed.

"Britain and our allies must not stand by whilst this horror unfolds, we know from history there is a price of doing nothing and trying to look the other way.

"It is not one we can countenance paying."

Speaking at a press conference, Mr Johnson said no one could reasonably object to the UN resolution.

"We in the UK, together with our French friends, have called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. We have tabled a resolution which I hope absolutely everybody feels able to sign up to.

"Because all we are saying is that there should be condemnation of that chemical weapons attack, and secondly, that there should be a thorough and urgent international investigation, and I don't think anybody could possibly, reasonably, oppose such a resolution."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for a peaceful resolution and said those responsible should answer for their crimes in the criminal courts.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday he said: "What has happened is appalling, illegal and wrong and I want Syria to join the chemical weapons convention.

"The way forward has to be a political dialogue, it has to be a peace process, it has to be a return to the Geneva dialogues, that's what I'm calling on people to do.

"I think we have to put the pressure on Russia, we have to put the pressure on others who are supplying weapons into the theatre of war, we have to bring about a political solution.

"The use of chemical weapons is unacceptable in this world and I want Syria to be held accountable."

He added: "I think that there should be a report made to the UN and the international criminal court for the use of chemical weapons.

"It's disgusting, disgraceful, illegal and wrong what has happened.

"There has to be a peace process, there has to be all the political parties to have a resumption of a meaningful ceasefire and in the longer-term a political solution in Syria so that refugees can return home and live in safety and peace."
Tributes have been laid outside stations in St Petersburg after the bomb blast (AP)

A 22-year old suicide bomber born in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan was behind a blast on the St Petersburg subway that killed 13 people, Russian investigators have said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Monday afternoon attack, which came while President Vladimir Putin was visiting the city, Russia's second biggest and Mr Putin's hometown.

Russia's health minister said the death toll as of Tuesday stood at 14, including the bomber. The nation's top investigative agency said 10 of the dead have been identified and that genetic tests would be required to identify the rest.

Another 49 victims were in hospital, some of them in a grave condition.

St Petersburg city hall said there were several foreign nationals among those killed and injured. The foreign ministry of the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan said one of its citizens had been killed in the attack.

Although police originally were seeking two people as possible suspects in the hours after the attack, Russian investigators said on Tuesday that it was the work of a suicide bomber. They identified him as Kyrgyz-born Russian citizen Akbarzhon Dzhalilov, who turned 22 two days before the attack.

The Investigative Committee said that forensic experts also found the man's DNA on the bag with a bomb that was found and deactivated at another subway station in St Petersburg on Monday. In Kyrgyzstan, the State Committee for National Security confirmed the man's identity and said it would help the Russian probe.

The Interfax news agency on Monday said authorities believe the suspect was linked to radical Islamic groups and carried the explosive device onto the train in a backpack.

Residents have been bringing flowers to the stations near where the blast occurred. Every corner at the ornate, Soviet-built Sennaya Square station on Tuesday was covered with red and white carnations.

The entire subway system in St Petersburg, a city of five million, was shut down and evacuated before partial service resumed six hours later. Typically crowded during the rush hour, the subway on Tuesday morning looked almost deserted as many residents opted for buses.

"First, I was really scared," said Viktoria Prishchepova who did take the subway. "I didn't want to go anywhere on the metro because I was nervous. Everyone was calling their loved ones yesterday, checking if they were OK and how everyone was going to get home."

Monday's explosion occurred as the train travelled between stations on one of the city's north-south lines. The driver appeared in front of reporters on Tuesday looking tired but not visibly shaken by the events of the previous day.

Alexander Kavernin, 50, who has worked on the subway for 14 years, said he heard the sound of a blast while his train was running, called security and carried on to the next station as the emergency instructions prescribe.

"I had no time to think about fear at that moment," he said.

The decision to keep moving was praised by authorities, who said it helped evacuation efforts and reduced the danger to passengers who would have had to walk along the electrified tracks.

Oleg Alexeyev, 53, who trains sniffer dogs for the police, went to the Technological Institute station on Tuesday morning to lay flowers in memory of those who died nearby.

"I travelled on the same route this morning just to see how it felt and think about life. You begin to feel the thin line about life and death," he said.

Four stations on the subway were closed again on Tuesday due to a bomb threat, but later reopened.

People from Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian former Soviet republics are common sights in St Petersburg, home to a large number of migrants who flee poverty and unemployment in their home countries for jobs in Russia.

While most Central Asian migrants in Russia hold temporary work permits or work illegally, thousands of them have received Russian citizenship in the past decades.

Russian authorities have rejected calls to impose visas on Central Asian nationals, hinting that having millions of jobless men across the border from Russia would be a bigger security threat.

Patriach Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, led a service at Moscow's main cathedral on Tuesday for those killed in the blast.

"This terrorist act is a threat to all of us, all our nation," he said.

In the past two decades, Russian trains and planes have been frequent targets of attack, usually blamed on Islamic militants.

The last confirmed attack was in October 2015 when Islamic State militants downed a Russian airliner heading from an Egyptian resort to St Petersburg, killing all 224 people on board.

Separately, in the southern Russian city of Astrakhan, two police officers were killed in the early hours on Tuesday in a suspected Islamic militant attack. Alexander Zhilkin, governor of the region, said the attackers are on the run.

The Eiffel Tower will remain dark overnight to honour the victims of the St Petersburg bombing, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, officials in Berlin were being criticised for not bathing the Brandenburg Gate in the colours of the Russian flag, even though the city in the past has lit the gate with colours of various countries that have suffered terror attacks.

AP
A chemical weapons attack in an opposition-held town in northern Syria has killed dozens of people, including children.

The Trump administration blamed the Syrian government for the attack, one of the deadliest in years, and said Syria's patrons, Russia and Iran, bore "great moral responsibility" for the deaths.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 58 people died, including 11 children, in the early morning attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, which witnesses said was carried out by Sukhoi jets operated by the Russian and Syrian governments.

Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using fire hoses to wash the chemicals from victims' bodies. Haunting images of lifeless children piled in heaps reflected the magnitude of the attack, which was reminiscent of a 2013 chemical assault that left hundreds dead and was the worst in the country's ruinous six-year civil war.

Tuesday's attack drew swift condemnation from world leaders, including President Donald Trump, who denounced it as a "heinous" act that "cannot be ignored by the civilised world."

The UN Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday in response to the strike, which came on the eve of a major international donors' conference in Brussels on the future of Syria and the region.

In a statement, Mr Trump also blamed former President Barack Obama for "weakness" in failing to respond aggressively after the 2013 attack.

"These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution," Mr Trump said.

"President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing. The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack."

Mr Trump left it to his top diplomat, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to assign at least some blame to Russia and Iran, Assad's most powerful allies.

M r Tillerson called on both countries to use their influence over Assad to prevent future chemical weapons attacks, and noted Russia's and Iran's roles in helping broker a ceasefire through diplomatic talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

"As the self-proclaimed guarantors to the ceasefire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths," Mr Tillerson said.

In a statement, the Syrian government "categorically rejected" claims that it was responsible, asserting that it does not possess chemical weapons, has not used them in the past and will not use them in the future.

It laid the blame squarely on the rebels, accusing them of fabricating the attack and trying to frame the Syrian government. The Russian Defence Ministry also denied any involvement.

It was the third claim of a chemical attack in just over a week in Syria. The previous two were reported in Hama province, in an area not far from Khan Sheikhoun.

Opposition activists and a doctor in Idlib said it was the worst incident since the 2013 gas attack on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta that killed hundreds of civilians and which a UN investigation said used sarin gas.

Faced with international outrage over that attack, Assad agreed to a Russia-sponsored deal to destroy his chemical arsenal. His government declared a 1,300-ton stockpile of chemical weapons and so-called precursor chemicals that can be used to make weapons, all of which were destroyed.

But member states of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have repeatedly questioned whether Assad declared everything. The widely available chemical chlorine was not covered in the 2013 declaration and activists say they have documented dozens of cases of chlorine gas attacks since then.

The Syrian government has consistently denied using chemical weapons and chlorine gas, accusing the rebels of deploying it in the war instead.

Dr AbdulHai Tennari, a pulmonologist who treated dozens of victims of Tuesday's attack, said it appeared to be more serious than a chlorine attack.

In a Skype interview, he said doctors were struggling amid extreme shortages, including of the antidote used to save patients.

Most of the fatalities died before they reached hospitals, Dr Tennari said. "If they got to the hospital we can treat them. Two children who took a while before they were lifted out of the rubble died," he said.

His brother Dr Mohammed Tennari, a radiologist, said the attack was more severe than previous ones in the province.

"Honestly, we have not seen this before. The previous times the wounds were less severe," he said.

Mohammed Hassoun, a media activist in the nearby town of Sarmin, where some of the critical cases were transferred, said doctors there also believed it was likely more than one gas. "

Tarik Jasarevic, spokesman for the World Health Organisation in Geneva, said the agency was gathering more information about Tuesday's incident. The Syrian American Medical Society, which supports hospitals in opposition-held territory, also said it had sent a team of inspectors to Khan Sheikhoun and an investigation was under way.

The province of Idlib, which is almost entirely controlled by the opposition, is home to some 900,000 displaced Syrians, according to the United Nations.

AP
Lawmakers expect to negotiate a revised deal with Sanford Health within the next week on a previous agreement the health care group signed with North Dakota State University to take over the nursing school in Bismarck.

Dozens of NDSU nursing students packed the House Conference Room above the North Dakota House chamber Wednesday afternoon, hours after reports emerged of an amendment that had passed in the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. The amendment would end NDSUs operation of the department of nursing in Bismarck effective July 1, 2018. Under the amendment, control would revert to Sanford.

On Tuesday afternoon, NDSU President Dean Bresciani sounded the alarm to state higher education board members and the North Dakota University System chancellor via email that the program would end after the semester.

This was countered Wednesday morning by members of appropriations, who told reporters the idea is to either have Sanford assume the program again or to negotiate a better lease and overall deal with NDSU to alleviate state costs.

Its not closing today, House Majority Leader Al Carlson, R-Fargo, told the students at the meeting, which others echoed throughout the proceedings.

Lawmakers expressed concerns over what they deemed a poorly constructed deal struck by Sanford and NDSU in fall 2013, when a partnership was announced for the nursing program that began in fall 2014.

Sanford chose to pursue the partnership following Higher Learning Commission bylaw changes requiring colleges to become incorporated. Company officials said the changes would make it impossible for them to operate the program themselves.

We were facing an uphill battle with the Higher Learning Commission, Craig Lambrecht, executive vice president of Sanford Health in Bismarck, said. NDSU just rose to the occasion.

One issue that will be negotiated is the lease NDSU signed with Sanford: The beginning of the lease was set at either July 1, 2014, or when the building was occupied by NDSU.

Under the lease, NDSU was to pay $1 per year in rent for the first three years. After that point, the rent increases to $20 per square foot for 19,376 square feet of space available for lease, or $387,520 per year for the next two years of the five-year lease. It would increase from there in subsequent renewals.

What did the state gain from it? Rep. Roscoe Streyle, R-Minot, said.

The question was the big elephant in the room, repeated by several during the meeting.

The higher education budget, Senate Bill 2003, also would eliminate $3.5 million in the NDSU budget for the Bismarck program.

Lambrecht said the lease was the best deal that could be negotiated at the time between both sides. He said keeping the school open is critical to maintaining the number of nurses filling positions in the state; he estimated a statewide shortage of about 1,000.

Carlson at one point asked Lambrecht whether the programs cash flow was positive or negative when Sanford operated the program.

Losing about $1 million per year, said Lambrecht, adding that, despite the loss, Sanford has had positive returns by hiring 40 to 50 nursing students per year among those at the school. This is an investment. I want every single one of these nurses.

Carlson begged to differ on Lambrechts interpretation of the investment.

Guess whos funding this? Carlson said. Now weve got a lot more expenses.

A better deal, possibly even a public-private partnership, needs to be struck within the next four to five legislative days, according to Carlson.

NDSU is also working to raise money for a $28 million expansion of its school of nursing in Fargo to increase capacity. About $20 million has been raised to date.
The sincerity of Theresa May, Britain's Prime Minister, should not be taken lightly, when she said she is a devout believer in delivering a fair and just society, for the people of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Surely this is a moment of opportunity to offer the 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland an invitation to rejoin Britain?

The level-headed people of the present 26 counties of Ireland who possess any common sense must ask themselves if or when (where it is fair to assume, it's more when than if ) the European Union collapses, where do they go?

People like Gerry Adams and Nicola Sturgeon are hoodwinking the electorate by having the audacity that beggars imagination of mentioning the very words of 'national independence' when at the same time they are devout believers in EU membership, with their countries being governed by twenty seven foreign nations.

Should Ireland accept an invitation to join Britain, it would be the greatest beneficiary, for besides the economic benefits, the people of the 32 counties of Ireland would come together, and who could object to that?

harry STEPHENSON

Kircubbin
Keith Baker and his wife Caroline, whose image cannot be published for legal reasons

This isn't how we imagine evil. An ordinary looking man in an ordinary house in an ordinary street.

There is nothing that marks out Keith Baker as sinister.

No facial or other features which convey the wickedness in his heart.

Indeed, he looks like a pleasant, friendly man.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close A view inside the former home of Keith and Caroline Baker cascadenews.co.uk A rear view of the Bakers house The light fitting, minus a bulb, in the room where his victim was held captive for eight years Photopress Belfast Keith Baker attempts to shield his face on his way to court / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp A view inside the former home of Keith and Caroline Baker

You could see yourself having a pint and a bit of craic with him down the pub.

He seems the type of guy you would wish for as a neighbour.

And Drumellan Mews looks no different from thousands of other streets dotted around Ireland and Britain.

The Bakers' home appeared much the same as all the rest.

No clues gave away the house of horrors that lay behind the front door.

I struggle to read what Baker did to the mentally disabled woman he imprisoned there as a sex slave for eight years.

Every report contains a new detail that breaks your heart all over again.

This was the most vulnerable of victims.

She was 45 years old but she acted like a 12-year-old, a witness said.

She was terrified of Baker but he gave her Quality Street sweets when she was "good".

She told detectives that her favourite was "the purple one".

When police found her, she weighed only six stone.

To the outside world, she had been invisible.

She didn't appear on the electoral register and hadn't seen a doctor or dentist since her abduction.

She had only one tooth left in her mouth.

Baker repeatedly raped her and filmed the abuse taking place.

The room in which she spent almost 3,000 days and nights had no light bulb, curtains or bedclothes.

There wasn't even a sheet covering the filthy, stained mattress.

For all that time, she never breathed fresh air, felt the sun on her skin, or even stretched her legs outside.

Dogs in animal shelters enjoy a far more comfortable existence.

And this woman, whose name we don't even know, once had people who loved her.

She had a husband in England who reported her missing many years ago.

We've read of countless similar cases in the United States. Ariel Castro held three young women captive at his home in Ohio. Maybe we previously sought comfort in the fact that this was largely an American phenomenon.

But now we know that such monsters and their houses of horror can be found on our own doorsteps here in Northern Ireland too.

There will be families of missing women all over the country reading about Keith Baker's crimes in a state of absolute panic.

They will be wondering if the daughters and sisters who disappeared without trace months or years ago are being held against their will by a depraved beast in some similar hellhole.

And let us remember that while it was a woman who was the victim, it was another woman who bravely blew the whistle to the authorities, exposing the evil empire Baker presided over.

The eight children he had with two women lived in the house.

They will have been massively scarred by the circumstances of their existence.

The story may be over for us, but for the mentally disabled woman now freed from captivity, the torture will continue.

No matter what help and counselling is made available, nobody can ever recover from a nightmare like this.

While I have no criticism to make of the 15-year jail sentence Baker received yesterday, my own preference would be for him to face not a lengthy stretch in prison, but a firing squad.

This grotesque tale should be a wake-up call to us that all is often not what it seems.

To the outside world, Keith Baker was an upstanding citizen.

He had been in the Salvation Army.

Evil can come wearing the most convincing clothes.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D.  A man accused of stabbing to death his 33-year-old wife in Sioux Falls and who was spotted in southern North Dakota when he was on the run has been found near the Minnesota border in South Dakota and charged in her death.

Irving Duane Jumping Eagle, 43, was charged Tuesday afternoon with murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree and manslaughter.

An arrest warrant was issued with a $1 million cash bond. Jumping Eagle was in custody in nearby Brookings County and will be transported to Sioux Falls in the near future, said police spokesman Sam Clemens.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol found Jumping Eagle in Deuel County in northeast South Dakota about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday near the Minnesota border and east of Watertown and authorities then shortly began questioning him.

Jumping Eagle, 43, had last been spotted Monday afternoon about 1 p.m. at a gas station near Streeter, a small town southwest of Jamestown in southern North Dakota.

Jumping Eagle, driving a black 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix, asked to use the bathroom at the Streeter station to clean up, and an employee there saw blood on him, Sioux Falls police said. Jumping Eagles wife, Alicia Rhae Jumping Eagle, was reported missing Sunday by a relative.

The next day, her apartment manager opened the door to her unit and encountered a bloody scene, Clemens said.

"The apartment manager went inside the apartment and saw all the blood," he said. "As soon as the manager saw the blood, she left and called police."

When police arrived at the apartment building near West 13th Street and South Spring Avenue, they found the body of Alicia Rhae Jumping Eagle, Clemens said.

An autopsy was being conducted Tuesday to determine the exact cause of death, Clemens said..

Archie Ingersoll contributed to this report
The Dalai Lamas visit to the disputed northeast Indian border state of Arunachal Pradesh will surely raise tensions between India and China, analysts in India told BenarNews.

The exiled Tibetan Buddhism spiritual leader embarked Tuesday on a nine-day trip to Arunachal Pradesh, part of which China claims as southern Tibet, despite Beijings warning to New Delhi against allowing the visit.

China calls the 81-year-old Nobel laureate an anti-China separatist. He crossed into Arunachal Pradesh from Lhasa in 1959 after a failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule and has since lived in the northern Indian town of Dharamsala, which is home to the Tibetan government-in-exile.

There is bound to be a spike in tensions following the Dalai Lamas visit to Arunachal Pradesh. We will likely see a sudden spurt in incursions by the Chinese army along the border, G.M. Srivastava, a security analyst based in Assam state, told BenarNews.

As the Dalai Lama began a road trip from Bomdila district to Tawang, where he is scheduled to deliver discourses this weekend, China on Wednesday reiterated that it will take necessary measures to defend its sovereignty.

India in disregard to Chinas concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lamas visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to Chinas interests and China-India relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing, according to the Press Trust of India.

Arranging his visit to those sensitive and disputed areas not only runs counter to the Indian sides commitment to the issues related to Tibet, but also escalates disputed over the border area, she said.

The visit will for sure trigger Chinas dissatisfaction. This will not bring any benefit to India, Hua added.

India and China fought a full-blown war in 1962 about overlapping territorial claims in Arunachal Pradesh. The two sides routinely accuse each other of intrusions across the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a de facto border that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory in the state.

Belligerence

Chinas stance toward the region of Arunachal Pradesh and principally toward Tawang should come as a clarion call to India, the Center for Asian Strategic Studies (CASS), a New Delhi-based think tank, said in a statement.

India cannot afford to ignore such major belligerence by China toward the region of Arunachal Pradesh as simply a case of muscle flexing, it said.

The border negotiations between China and India [are] not visible in the foreseeable future but further conflict, especially centered around the Arunachal Pradesh region is plausible, it added.

The Dalai Lama, who was scheduled to reach Tawang on Thursday, said India had never used him against China.

I am a messenger of the ancient Indian thought and I talk about ahimsa [non-violence], peace, harmony and secular ethics wherever I go, he told reporters in Bomdila district, according to local media.

He was reacting to allegations leveled by Chinese state media that India was using him as a diplomatic leverage to challenge Chinas bottom line.

The Indian government said there was no political angle behind the Dalai Lamas visit to Arunachal Pradesh  his second to the state in eight years.

India urges China to not create artificial controversy

The government has clearly stated on several occasions that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a revered religious leader, who is deeply respected by the Indian people, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

The government, therefore, urges that no artificial controversy be created around his present visit to Arunachal Pradesh, it said.

Upon his arrival in Tawang, about 241 km (150 miles) from Lhasa, the Dalai Lama was expected to get a rousing welcome from more than 800 monks at the 400-year-old Tawang Monastery, according to local lawmaker Tsering Tashi.

China has been issuing repeated warnings but that will not deter us from receiving our spiritual leader, Tashi told local media.

Chinas territorial claim over Arunachal Pradesh stems from its reasoning that there existed historical ties between the Tawang Monastery and Lhasa Monastery of Tibet and hence the region should fall under the jurisdiction of the Peoples Republic of China, just as it claims Tibet does.

Security has been heightened in Tawang ahead of the Dalai Lamas visit, a top police official said.

We have made fool-proof security arrangements in and around Tawang Monastery, where the Dalai Lama is expected to stay. We are fully geared up to ensure his visit goes off smoothly, Tawang Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Meena told BenarNews.
Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury (third from right), the speaker of Bangladeshs parliament and chairwoman of the 136th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, briefs reporters at the end of the five-day conference in Dhaka, April 5, 2017.

A five-day meeting of parliamentarians from 134 countries ended in the Bangladeshi capital on Wednesday with MPs urging member-governments to adopt a collective strategy for countering terrorism, among other mutual concerns.

The 136th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union delegates from six continents met in Dhaka to discuss a range of issues including working together to promote sustainable development and address womens rights and extreme social inequalities. Parliamentarians said member-countries need to work collectively to combat terrorism.

Saber Hossain Chowdhury, an MP from host country Bangladesh who serves as the IPU president, said its 17-member executive committee had hammered out a strategy for countering violent extremism. India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are among Asian members of the IPU.

For the first time, we at the executive committee meeting devised a strategy to prevent violent extremism. Now, we have the outline of the strategy. We will execute the strategy in the coming years, Chowdhury told BenarNews after the Dhaka conferences concluding session.

Our focus is prevention, Chowdhury said. We, as the parliamentarians, will try to identify the root causes and address those root causes, whether through allocation of resources or whether through policies or legislation. That will be our work.

The lawmakers home country has been gripped by terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings within the past month, murders of secular bloggers and minorities over the past few years, and a terrorist siege of a cafe in Dhaka that left 20 hostages, mostly foreigners, dead in July 2016.

The IPU conference opened amid heightened security in Dhaka and as police were ending the last of four anti-terrorist raids in the northeast spanning a week, during which 21 people  10 militants among them  were killed.

Since the cafe siege, at least 59 suspected militants have been killed in raids, gunfights with security forces and suicide attacks, including during the last four raids in two northeastern districts.

In Bangladesh, the government has been neutralizing the militants with preemptive attacks at the dens through intelligence reports. So, the government focus is to take measures so that they [the militants] cannot attack, Chowdhury said.

Despite the anti-terror crackdown, Bangladeshs government has not been able to solve the root-causes of the domestic terrorist threat, and a more comprehensive approach is needed, the MP said.

Previously, we thought, in the Bangladesh context, that poor family members from rural areas and the Madrasa students have been involved in militancy. Now, we see that the youths who grew up in cities and were even from well-to-do families have become militants, he said.

He was referring to cases of well-educated youths from affluent families who were reported missing last year by Bangladeshi authorities. Some of the young men who carried out the terrorist attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe were from the countrys upper class, officials said.

Sameerah Ali Musawi, an MP from Iraq, whose government is battling the extremist group Islamic State  which claimed responsibility for the cafe attack in Dhaka  agreed that a collective strategy was needed to end the scourge of terrorism worldwide.

We, the Iraq delegation, agree that the governments are not doing enough to stop violent extremism. The MPs have a role to play, she told BenarNews, adding, We need regional and global cooperation to fight and eliminate terrorism.

But to win the fight against radicalism and violent extremism, governments need to understand what is behind it and how they can stop it at the roots, said Rebecca Kadaga, the speaker of Ugandas parliament.

We need preemptive campaigns against extremism. For instance, we have to see why a child from a wealthy family goes to fight for ISIL, she said, using another acronym for IS.
British child sex-abuser Richard Huckle roamed the streets taking pictures of children in this predominately poor Kuala Lumpur community, according to witnesses prior to his sentencing, June 3, 2016.

Ten months after a pedophilia case shook the nation, Malaysias parliament approved tougher prison terms for child-sex abusers, a move overshadowed by outrage over a politicians remark during debate on the bill that a 9-year-old girl is ready for marriage.

Passed on Tuesday following two days of debate, the bill considers a child competent to give evidence, including uncorroborated evidence at trial, if allowed by the court. The bill does not address child brides.

Comments by Shabudin Yahaya, a member of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, regarding a failed proposal to include a ban on marriages involving children, drew a backlash not only from opposition lawmakers and social media, but also from his colleagues in the coalition.

During debate on Tuesday, Shabudin said, they reach puberty at the age of 9 or 12. And at that time, their body is already akin to them being 18 years old. So physically and spiritually, it is not a barrier for the girl to marry, according to Reuters.

He also said there was nothing wrong with a rape victim marrying her rapist instead of facing a bleak future.

Despite video evidence and recordings from parliament, Shabudin said his remarks were taken out of context.

In June 2016, following the conviction in London of Richard Huckle, who admitted to 71 charges of sex abuse against children as young as 6 months, Malaysian pediatricians said legal action and punishment alone were not sufficient in dealing with abusers.

Huckle is believed to have targeted as many as 200 children over a span of nine years, posing as a photographer, English teacher and Western philanthropist to gain access to impoverished families, mostly in Malaysia.

We need preventive measures in the form of parenting skills on child safety, sex education in schools, educating children themselves on protecting themselves from potential sexual predators, Malaysian Paediatric Association (MPA) President N. Thiyagar told BenarNews at the time.

Harsher sentences

The bill that was passed this week provides jail term of up to 30 years and six strokes of the cane for those found guilty of making, possessing or distributing child pornography.

Those convicted of committing physical sexual acts including touching part of a childs body, making a child touch any part of another persons body or making the child touch his or her body without intercourse can be jailed for up to 20 years and whipped. Previously, a child abuse conviction carried a prison sentence of 10 years.

Those who sexually groom children, such as touching and befriending children as a prelude to sexual abuse, can be sent to prison for 10 years, fined 20,000 ringgit (U.S. $4,500), or both, upon conviction. Additionally, anyone withholding information on child sexual offenses can be subjected to a fine of 5,000 ringgit ($1,128).

A special court will be set up to deal with child sexual crimes more quickly.

Azalina Othman Said, minister in the Prime Ministers Department, said the government cannot entirely assure that sexual crimes against minors will be curbed.

(But the bill) is a start. Do not worry, there will be a follow-up to (enhance) the bill, she told the New Straits Times.

Child brides not included

Regarding the lack of coverage for child marriages in the bill, opposition lawmakers pointed out this could allow rapists to walk away free as there have been cases where they marry their victims, including children younger than 18, to avoid prosecution. Marital rape is not a crime in Malaysia.

Azalina dismissed that notion. Any case involving an individual who has had sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 16, with or without the childs consent, would be categorized as rape, she said.

Under civil and Islamic law, girls and boys younger than 18 can be married. Although civil laws stipulates the minimum age for marriage is 18, those 16 and older can get married if they have the consent of the state chief minister.

Under Islamic law, children younger than 16 may marry if a Sharia court approves this.
National Police Chief Gen. Chakthip Chaichinda (in white shirt) inspects the bomb scene in front of the old lottery office on Bangkoks Rajadamnoen Klang road, April 5, 2017.

Two women were injured when a pipe bomb blew up Wednesday night near Bangkoks Grand Palace and Monument of Democracy, police said, on the eve of the ceremonial signing of Thailands new constitution by King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

The explosion was the first bomb blast to hit the Thai capital since 20 people were killed and 125 injured in the bombing of the Erawan Shrine, a popular tourist spot in Bangkok, on Aug. 17, 2015.

Two Uyghur men are standing trial over charges stemming from that incident, but police had little information available on who may have planted the bomb that went off at around 8 p.m. Wednesday as a municipal sanitation worker emptied a trash bin.

The bomb exploded in front of the old national lottery office, at Rajadamnoen Klang Road. A Bangkok janitor cleaned up the area and the bomb went off. She suffered a slight injury, police Col. Pitak Suthikul, chief of the Chanasongkram district police station whose jurisdiction covers the bomb site, told reporters, according to local news reports.

Thai media identified the injured sanitation worker as Suriyaporn Pulsombat and a passer-by who was injured as Pimwara Raweenopasit.

The bomb was a low-powered explosive device made from black powder and PVC piping. Moving it could have caused it to ignite, said police Col. Kamthon Uycharoen, the chief of the police bomb squad who inspected the scene.

Its not an act of terrorism or an act to stir unrest, National Police Chief Gen. Chakthip Chaichinda told Reuters.

According to police Maj. Gen. Surachate Hakpan, the commander of police emergency services, the bomb likely belonged to members of a youth motorbike gang who left it in the bin to elude a police checkpoint in the area, according to reports.

The explosion occurred the night before Thailands new king is scheduled to sign the countrys 20th constitution in 85 years in a formality that will clear the path for the first elections promised by the Thai military since it seized power in a May 2014 coup.

The charter, which passed in a referendum last year, is controversial because it allows the military to retain influence over government, such as by allowing 250 senators appointed by the junta to join 500 elected MPs in picking a new prime minister for a five-year term.

Wednesdays blast also occurred a week before the nation will hold festivities to mark the Thai New Year. In the run-up to the festivities, which will take place from April 13 to 15, police have stepped up security measures across the capital, including mounting checkpoints and searching vehicles for explosives and other weapons.
Mexico was situated mostly in St. Stephens Parish & extended into the Parish of Middle St. Johns (containing 1450 acres more or less). This land had been purchased by Peter Porcher II from Blake Leay White. In 1796, Mexico became the home of Samuel Porcher (1768-1851), son of Peter Por Read moreHistorical account of the Mexico Plantation
ein Google-Unternehmen

Google-Dienste anzubieten und zu betreiben

Ausfalle zu prufen und Manahmen gegen Spam, Betrug und Missbrauch zu ergreifen

Daten zu Zielgruppeninteraktionen und Websitestatistiken zu erheben. Mit den gewonnenen Informationen mochten wir verstehen, wie unsere Dienste verwendet werden, und die Qualitat dieser Dienste verbessern.

neue Dienste zu entwickeln und zu verbessern

Werbung auszuliefern und ihre Wirkung zu messen

personalisierte Inhalte anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen

personalisierte Werbung anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen

Wenn Sie Alle ablehnen auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies nicht fur diese zusatzlichen Zwecke.

Nicht personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung werden u. a. von Inhalten, die Sie sich gerade ansehen, und Ihrem Standort beeinflusst (welche Werbung Sie sehen, basiert auf Ihrem ungefahren Standort). Personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung konnen auch Videoempfehlungen, eine individuelle YouTube-Startseite und individuelle Werbung enthalten, die auf fruheren Aktivitaten wie auf YouTube angesehenen Videos und Suchanfragen auf YouTube beruhen. Sofern relevant, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auerdem, um Inhalte und Werbung altersgerecht zu gestalten.

Wir verwenden Cookies und Daten, umWenn Sie Alle akzeptieren auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auch, umWahlen Sie Weitere Optionen aus, um sich zusatzliche Informationen anzusehen, einschlielich Details zum Verwalten Ihrer Datenschutzeinstellungen. Sie konnen auch jederzeit g.co/privacytools besuchen.
We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message.
For Immediate Release, April 5, 2017 Contact: Randi Spivak, (310) 779-4894, rspivak@biologicaldiversity.org House Republicans Push to Dismantle Alaska's Izembek National Wildlife Refuge Legislative Hearing Is Part of Broad GOP Anti-public-lands Agenda WASHINGTON The House Committee on Natural Resources will hold a legislative hearing this afternoon on a bill introduced by Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) that would remove hundreds of acres from Alaska's Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in order to construct a road across the refuge. The Interior Department has studied this issue exhaustively, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluding that the road would cause significant, long-term, irreparable damage to this internationally important fish and wildlife habitat and the wilderness values of the refuge. This public land giveaway would irreversibly harm the wildlife that call Izembek home, said Randi Spivak, the Center for Biological Diversity's public lands director. Building a road through this iconic and fragile wilderness is incredibly shortsighted and would deny future generations of Americans the opportunity to visit a unique, unspoiled wild refuge. Rep. Young's H.R. 218 would carve out 206 acres from Alaska's Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in exchange for low-quality state lands to build a detrimental road connecting the towns of King Cove and Cold Bay. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R- Alaska) has introduced a Senate companion bill, S. 101. The Izembek National Wildlife Refuge is a globally important area for millions of migrating birds as well as important habitat for grizzly bears and salmon. Congress designated virtually all of the refuge as a wilderness in 1980. Young's bill declares that this land swap is not a major federal action, thereby denying the public a right to have input into the bill. Rep. Young has a long history of trying to harm and dismantle America's public lands, Spivak said. The majority of Americans support the protection and preservation of our public lands and the Izembek giveaway would harm one of the most valuable wetlands and wilderness areas in the world. The Center for Biological Diversity's recent report Public Lands Enemies identified the top 15 members of Congress trying to seize, destroy, dismantle and privatize America's public lands. Both Sen. Murkowski and Rep. Young were on the public lands enemies list, having sponsored or cosponsored 35 anti-public lands bills between them since 2011. These attacks on public lands continue, even though 9 out of 10 American voters across political parties rank as important the protection and maintenance of national parks, public lands and natural places, according to a 2016 poll. Background

The federal government has repeatedly studied a proposed land swap and road through the refuge, and consistently rejected the project because of its negative effects on the ecological resources and wilderness values of the refuge. Izembek's lagoon complex is a globally important ecosystem that contains one of the largest eelgrass beds in the world, providing food and habitat for fish and crabs that feed migratory birds from multiple continents. Virtually the entire world populations of Pacific black brant and emperor geese, and a significant portion of the threatened Steller's eider population, visit the refuge to rest and feed during spring and fall migrations. The Department of the Interior determined that these birds would be particularly vulnerable to impacts from road construction and operation on the narrow isthmus. Furthermore, a road across the isthmus would have a major impact on brown bears and caribou. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.2 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
House lawmakers narrowly defeated a bill that some considered a major expansion of gambling in North Dakota on Tuesday.

Senate Bill 2221, which allowed for wagering on historic horse racing, failed in a 45-46 vote after passing the Senate last month. Rep. Lawrence Klemin, R-Bismarck, said bettors would wager on reruns of horse races, while another lawmaker compared the concept to a slot machine.

What you see are simulated horses, cartoon characters at the last few seconds of a race. Then youre on to the next one, Klemin said. This concept, I believe, is a phony excuse for expanding gaming.

A fiscal note prepared by the state Racing Commission, which would have regulated the historic horse races, predicted $250 million of wagering in 2019, which would then drop off to $200 million in each of the next two years. Some of the revenue would have gone to the states general fund, the compulsive gambling prevention and treatment fund, local government coffers and three funds administered by the Racing Commission.

The bill limited the number of sites that could conduct historic horse racing to 10.

Supporters denied that the bill significantly opened up gambling in the state. Rep. Roscoe Streyle, R-Minot, said the concept is different from slot machines because it requires skill.

North Dakota already allows wagering on live and simulcast horse races.

This is not a new type of gambling. It is a technology change, Streyle said.

Don Santer, the CEO of the North Dakota Association for the Disabled, a nonprofit that conducts charitable gaming, said in a letter to the editor late last month that the bill would be devastating to charitable gaming in the state.

Obviously, this bill will benefit the horse racing industry, he said. But that benefit will cost all the other gaming charities in North Dakota.

Streyle, however, said other charities supported the bill.

Rep. Mike Nathe, R-Bismarck, said the people involved in raising horses are ag-based people.

The money that can be garnered from this can help increase that business, help jump-start that industry, Nathe said.
For Immediate Release, April 5, 2017 Contact: Brett Hartl, (202) 817-8121, bhartl@biologicaldiversity.org Legislation Would Cut 4,000 Acres From Massachusetts's Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge Transferring Ownership of Submerged Lands to Massachusetts Would Set Dangerous Precedent Nationwide WASHINGTON The House Committee on Natural Resources will hold a legislative hearing this afternoon on a bill introduced by Rep. William Keating (D-Mass.) that would reduce the size of Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge by over two-thirds by giving nearly 4,000 acres of public submerged land and waters to the state of Massachusetts. Although the ownership of some lands and waters that make up Monomoy is currently being disputed in federal court, this legislation would short-circuit that legal process and undermine federal authority on public lands by encouraging states to file frivolous ownership claims on public lands in the hopes that Congress will intervene. National wildlife refuges are treasures that all Americans can enjoy. They shouldn't be dissected to appease special interests or satisfy the short-term political agendas of a few politicians, said Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity. Slashing the size of Monomoy by two-thirds will make it nearly impossible for the Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the imperiled species that call this refuge home. Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge is home to endangered piping plover and provides important habitat for the threatened red knot. In 2016, following substantial public comment and participation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized a comprehensive conservation plan that addresses the management of the refuge for the next 15 years. The plan addresses the needs of the state of Massachusetts, including allowing for shellfish harvesting within the refuge. This legislation sends the wrong signal about the value and worth of our wildlife refuges, said Hartl. If enacted into law, it will open a door to many refuges being targeted by state governments and politicians that are hostile to federal ownership of public lands. The refuge system has become a target in recent years, with several bills that would weaken or dismantle wildlife refuges, including proposals to build a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness Area, and legislation in the previous Congress, led by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), to dispose of thousands of acres of the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge in Puerto Rico. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.2 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
It was a bright morning in March 2010, when a group of tech-savvy youths converged at a small hall in Nairobi to discuss innovation and technology. Four young women exchanged phone numbers, clearly excited by plans they shared that would put some of the novel ideas they discussed to good use.

 Matthias Ziegler via 123RF

That was an auspicious week for Judith Ogiwar, Linda Kamau, Angela Lungati and Marie Githinji, all graduates of information technology-related courses. It was the week they launched AkiraChix, a non-profit organisation that aims to entice girls to embrace technology and offer them free basic training in information communications and technology (ICT) and entrepreneurship.

The word Akira is Japanese for intelligence, while Chix is slang for girls. That year, AkiraChix began training young people, mostly girls, in basic computer skills. They held classes outdoors and used laptops to train the enthusiastic young students.

AkiraChixs desire is to pass skills to young girls to enable them to appreciate technology as a viable career path and not a boys only club, says Lungati, a software development graduate of Strathmore University and also a director at Ushahidi, a Kenyan open-source software tech company whose products are used across the world.

In seven years, AkiraChix has grown in leaps and bounds, so much so that when former US President Barack Obama visited Nairobi in 2016, he scheduled a meeting with them. Two years earlier, former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon toured Kenya and paid AkiraChix a courtesy call, telling them: You are the hope of Africa.

Entrepreneurship

It is easy to understand why AkiraChix has been so successful. They offer more structured ICT training with full scholarships in addition to teaching their students entrepreneurship skills and mentoring them as they venture into small start-ups.

Their programmes are expanding to reach under-privileged girls and young women in primary and secondary schools and at universities, including technology workers and those who wish to pursue careers in technology, making it effectively a full-service programme.

With such success, soon donors came calling. From Infodev (the World Bank Innovation and Entrepreneurship arm), which first saw AkiraChixs potential; to Google Rise; iHub; Computer Aid; Seneca Group; the Kenyan government and many others; they rushed to provide financial support.

AkiraChix relies on grants and other external support for their services, giving hundreds of young women, especially from less privileged backgrounds, a chance to explore careers in technology. More than 60 students have earned diplomas in information technology and entrepreneurship.

When Africa Renewal visited their office in the capital Nairobi in January 2017, it found 22 eager young women in one classroom. They had come early for their hardware engineering class that Friday morning. Each student was working on a laptop provided by AkiraChix for the 12month course. The students have two daily classes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. They get free lunch, and this allows many of the girls to remain in class the whole day. The curriculum encompasses basic computer skills, programming (for both mobile and web applications), graphic design, entrepreneurship and business development.

We have had women mentors, women who had dreams and went ahead to work on them, so why not us? Why not me?" Valerie Khavai, 22, asked Africa Renewal rhetorically.

Khavai wants to be a computer programmer when she completes the one-year course and probably start her own business and employ other young women. But before then, she is taking every chance to share the knowledge she gets at the institution with friends back home in Kibera, Africas biggest slum, which is near the training centre.

"I tell the girls in my neighbourhood that it doesnt matter where they come from or where they are, but where they are going," says Khavai. Thats the mantra she picked up from the mentors from the IT industry who visit them regularly to motivate and urge them to achieve their dreams.

Regina Wanjiru, 22, sees a personal transformation in the short time she has been in the new class. "I know now that a woman can do anything if she puts her mind on it," she says with confidence, adding that the AkiraChix story of innovation makes her feel like she is on the verge of changing the world.

The AkiraChix founders have influenced the girls perception of life, motivated by their memories of being among the very few women in IT classes while at university.

How it was born

Since the four founders of AkiraChix met in March 2010 at the Nairobi i-huban open space where tech innovators meet to share ideastheyve gone from a group of four dreamers in a rented office along Nairobis Ngong Road with 20 students, to a highly professional and accomplished company much in demand worldwide.

One of the teachers, Clarence Killa, says the programme is so widely-respected that nearly all the students are assured of placement upon graduation. Some go on to start their own businesses.

Most of my 2016 students are now employed, says Killa, a trainer in hardware engineering. Two are being incubated in two tech companies and a few are on internship. They are confident of getting jobs when they complete the internship.

Githinji, one of the founders, says AkiraChix has transformed the lives of young women within a short time: We have seen them grow from not knowing how to switch on a computer to doing amazing layouts in graphics design, coding and coming up with new applications for mobile phones."

Source: Africa Renewal
With its Equal Rating Innovation Challenge , Mozilla called for creative and scalable ideas from entrepreneurs, designers, researchers and innovators to provide affordable access to the full diversity of the open internet.

From left to right: Steve Song (Canada), Freemium Mobile Internet (FMI), Dr Carlos Rey-Moreno (South Africa), Zenzeleni Do it yourselves Networks (ZN), Bruno Vianna (Brazil), Free Networks P2P Cooperatives, Tim Genders (South Africa), Afri-Fi: Free Public WiFi, Dr Sarbani Belur (India), Gram Marg Solution

The overall winning team which walked away with $125,000 in funding, was Mumbai-based Gram Marg Solution for Rural Broadband. This open source low-cost hardware prototype utilises unused white space on the TV spectrum to backhaul data from village wifi clusters to provide broadband access (frugal 5G). The team of academics and field workers leverages what people already have in their homes, and creates rugged receivers and transmitters to connect villages in even the most difficult terrains. The solution has been rolled out in 25 villages on a pilot basis so far.

South African team, Afri-Fi: Free Public Wi-Fi, scooped second place and received a funding award of $75,000.

Extension of Project Isizwe

Afri-Fi is an extension of Project Isizwe, where 2.9 million users all access 500MB of free daily Wi-Fi data. The key goal of Afri-Fi is to create a sustainable business model by linking together free Wi-Fi networks throughout South Africa and engaging users meaningfully with advertisers so they can "earn" free Wi-Fi.

Tim Genders (South Africa) presenting Afri-Fi: Free Public Wi-Fi.

The team has proven how their solution for a free internet is supporting thriving communities in South Africa, concluded Marlon Parker, founder of Reconstructed Living Labs, on behalf of the jury. Their approach towards community building, partnerships, developing local community entrepreneurs and inclusivity, with a goal of connecting some of the most marginalised communities, are all key factors in why they deserve this recognition and are leading the free internet movement in southern Africa, said Parker.

Tim Genders, COO of Project Isizwe, said: Free Wi-Fi removes the barriers to education, social inclusion, skills development and job applications. In short, free Wi-Fi empowers.

Strong African representation

Availability and affordability of internet access is one of the new grand challenges that the African continent is faced with. I was particularly delighted to see strong African representation in the semi-finalists, said Omobola Johnson, the former communication technology minister of Nigeria and partner of TLcom Capital LLP, the solutions were contextually innovative and they all emphasised a strong need to collaborate; big companies, local governments, rural communities, telcos, all working together to implement solutions where each of them come out a winner.

The Most Novel award worth $30,000 went to the Free Networks P2P Cooperative in Brazil. The Coop has created a financial and logistical model that can be tailored to different villages respective norms and community. The team experiments with ways to engage communities through barn-raising group activities, deploying open calls for leadership to reinforce the democratic nature of their approach, and instituting a sense of play for the villagers when learning how to use the equipment.

Following the announcement, Katharina Borchert, Chief Innovation Officer at Mozilla, noted in a blog post, Mozilla started this initiative because we believe in the power of collaborative solutions to tackle big issues.
Last year's outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in Brazil did not lower the country's birth rates, despite warnings from the government that women should delay pregnancy to avoid increased risk of severe birth defects caused by the virus.

Source: World Health Organisation

According to Marcia Castro, associate professor of demography at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, the stable birth rate is likely due in part to the ineffectiveness of Brazils birth control programme.

To have a decline in the unwanted pregnancy, that means that women should have control of it in the first place. Access to contraception doesnt seem to be the problem. Using it correctly is still a problem in Brazil, Castro said at a seminar held March 23, 2017 at Harvards David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, The Harvard Crimson reported.

She said that due to a high rate of contraceptive misuse, 40% of Brazilian pregnancies are unwanted. Access to safe, legal abortion in Brazil is severely restricted.

While Zika transmission rates have fallen, Castro predicted that the virus is likely to come back. She recommended reducing standing water areas where mosquitoes breed as a strategy for reducing Zika incidence.
A five-week strike by workers who produce baked goods for Pick n Pay appeared to end on Monday. The Johannesburg workers concluded reconciliation talks with management, resolving a strike that had been ongoing since 28 February.

Kristaps Eberlins via 123RF

The strike, which became protected on 2 March, began in protest at unfair working conditions, including long working hours, salary disputes, and unpaid overtime.

We are demanding R10,000 a month, 40 hours a week, and no more than two hours overtime a day, said Mandla*, the strike committees leader and a 7-year factory employee, before talks began.

The outcome of the talks resulted in Assist Bakeries committing to pay all employees at least R3,500 a month and ensuring that the weekly work roster does not include any shifts that exceed eight hours. The company will also begin contributing to labourers provident funds.

One striker, Thabo*, who has worked at the factory for nearly 12 years estimated that he spends 12 hours each week on the production line in unpaid overtime.

We are working so hard. We work long hours, he said. We are supposed to work 40 hours [per week], but [work] two [hours] more every day.

The 58 workers involved in the strike are all employed at a facility housing independent bakery operations located in Isando on the East Rand. The bleak conditions, workers and strike representatives say, are due in part to the fact that workers are not employed by Pick n Pay, where the goods they produce are sold, but instead by several third party labour brokers known as Assist Bakeries.

According to Pick n Pay representatives, the facility, owned by the grocery chain, was set up as a Black Economic Empowerment initiative through which several independent bakeries employ labourers on site. The fractured employment model makes it difficult for workers to organize and represent themselves.

They are taking advantage of us because we dont have a union, Mandla said.

David North, group executive of Strategy and Corporate Affairs at Pick n Pay, said that the issue is a wage dispute between independent bakeries and their employees. All employees are remunerated by their employers strictly in accordance with the Labour Relations Act, North said. He also said the project had been successful in transferring skills and in business training for entrepreneurs".

Assist Bakeries denied GroundUps request for comment.

According to Mandla, the company had refused to meet with protesters until the 3 April talks.

They didnt reply to any of us, he said.

As the strike wrapped up its fifth week, workers began to feel the effects of more than a months lost wages, putting pressure on a settlement. Some of us are breadwinners, so it is hard, said Thabo, who supports eleven people on the R3,200 monthly wage he earns at the factory.

Bakery workers have agreed to return to work on 10 April, even though the demands set at the outset of the movement have not been met.

I am not happy, but they know we are desperate, Mandla said.

* Not their real names.
Taste Holdings has announced a strategic restructuring that will result in the group focusing in future on food, and probably selling its luxury goods division during in 2017.

Pexels via Pixabay

On Tuesday, Taste said that a recent strategic review by the board had concluded that the group should concentrate future investments and management efforts on rapidly growing the food business, where returns were high and opportunities abounded.

"The luxury goods and food businesses are very different in their maturity, capital returns, and working capital requirements. In particular, the food business, with the recent Starbucks and Domino's investments, looks much like a startup and therefore requires more equity than debt to grow, while the luxury goods division, a mature and established business, requires the opposite to capitalise on its growth prospects.

"The board has therefore concluded that these businesses will best be served by having separate shareholders and management teams and be allowed to reach their full potential independently. This will most likely result in the sale of the luxury goods division during this year," the group said.

It was envisaged that after this strategic restructure, Taste would be a focused foods business, both owning and licensing leading global brands.

"Appropriate to a startup, it will initially be debt free, with necessary cash on hand to accelerate its Starbucks and Domino's roll-out. This singular focus will allow Taste to pursue opportunities to license further international food brands, selectively vertically integrate and expand its existing portfolio of brands in SA and Southern Africa," Taste said.

Source: BDpro
NEW YORK, USA - Ralph Lauren Corp. plans to shut its flagship Polo store on New York's Fifth Avenue and cut some staff as it shifts more resources to e-commerce, the American fashion label said on Tuesday.

The company will shutter other retail locations and upgrade its e-commerce system. It did not say how many jobs would be slashed. Goods from the Fifth Avenue store will be sold at other Ralph Lauren stores in New York. The moves will result in $370 million in one-time expenses.

"We continue to review our store footprint in each market to ensure we have the right distribution and customer experience in place," said chief financial officer Jane Nielsen.

"The decision will optimise our store portfolio in the New York area and allow us to focus on opportunities to pilot new and innovative customer experiences."

New ideas under review include "Ralph Coffee" at retail locations and "developing new store formats that connect the brand to loyal and new consumers," the company said.

The moves are the latest as the retail industry responds to the consumer shift to e-commerce that has led many to conclude that the US brick-and-mortar retail footprint is too big.

Gap and Macy's have also announced store closures in recent months, and on Monday, J.Crew announced that its longtime creative director Jenna Lyons would leave the company.

In February, Ralph Lauren announced that chief executive Stefan Larsson would step down on 1 May following creative disagreements with the label's founder.

Shares of Ralph Lauren fell 2.8 percent to $79.13 in mid-morning trade.

Source: AFP
Liquor group Distell has secured a majority stake in the Kenya-based KWAL, which manufactures spirits and wine, for an undisclosed sum.

Some of the brands in KWAL's stable.

On Tuesday, the JSE-listed group announced that it had increased its stake in KWAL from 26.43% to 52.43%, in a deal that would spread its wings in the East African country.

Kenya is widely expected to be one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa over the next decade, driven by rapid urbanisation and strong income per capita growth, Distell in a statement.

Distell's relationship with KWAL dates back to 1998 when KWAL started distributing a selection of the company's brands. In December 2014, Distell acquired a 26% shareholding in KWAL through a Kenya government privatisation process.

Source: AFP
So why hasnt the world become much more environmentally sustainable despite decades of international agreements, national policies, state laws and local plans? This is the question that a team of researchers and I have tried to answer in a recent article.

We reviewed 94 studies of how sustainability policies had failed across every continent. These included case studies from both developed and developing countries, and ranged in scope from international to local initiatives.

Consider the following key environmental indicators. Since 1970:

Humanitys ecological footprint has exceeded the Earths capacity and has risen to the point where 1.6 planets would be needed to provide resources sustainably.



The biodiversity index has fallen by more than 50% as the populations of other species continue to decline.



Greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change have almost doubled while the impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent.



The world has lost more than 48% of tropical and sub-tropical forests.

The rate at which these indicators deteriorated was largely unchanged over the two decades either side of the Rio summit. Furthermore, humanity is fast approaching several environmental tipping points. If crossed, these could lead to irreversible changes.

If we allow average global temperatures to rise 2 above pre-industrial levels, for example, feedback mechanisms will kick in that lead to runaway climate change. Were already halfway to this limit and could pass it in the next few decades.

Whats going wrong?

So whats going wrong with sustainability initiatives? We found that three types of failure kept recurring: economic, political and communication.

The economic failures stem from the basic problem that environmentally damaging activities are financially rewarded. A forest is usually worth more money after its cut down  which is a particular problem for countries transitioning to a market-based economy.

Political failures happen when governments cant or wont implement effective policies. This is often because large extractive industries, like mining, are dominant players in an economy and see themselves as having the most to lose. This occurs in developed and developing countries, but the latter can face extra difficulties enforcing policies once theyre put in place.

Communication failures centre on poor consultation or community involvement in the policy process. Opposition then flourishes, sometimes based on a misunderstanding of the severity of the issue. It can also be fed by mistrust when communities see their concerns being overlooked.

Again, this happens around the world. A good example would be community resistance to changing water allocation systems in rural areas of Australia. In this situation, farmers were so opposed to the government buying back some of their water permits that copies of the policy were burned in the street.

These types of failure are mutually reinforcing. Poor communication of the benefits of sustainable development creates the belief that it always costs jobs and money. Businesses and communities then pressure politicians to avoid or water down environmentally friendly legislation.

Ultimately, this represents a failure to convince people that sustainable development can supply win-win scenarios. As a result, decision-makers are stuck in the jobs-versus-environment mindset.

What can we do?

The point of our paper was to discover why policies that promote sustainability have failed in order to improve future efforts. The challenge is immense and theres a great deal at stake. Based on my previous research into the way economic, social and environmental goals can co-exist, I would go beyond our most recent paper to make the following proposals.

First, governments need to provide financial incentives to switch to eco-efficient production. Politicians need to have the courage to go well beyond current standards. Well-targeted interventions can create both carrot and stick, rewarding eco-friendly behaviour and imposing a cost on unsustainable activities.

Second, governments need to provide a viable transition pathway for industries that are doing the most damage. New environmental tax breaks and grants, for example, could allow businesses to remain profitable while changing their business model.

Finally, leaders from all sectors need to be convinced of both the seriousness of the declining state of the environment and that sustainable development is possible. Promoting positive case studies of successful green businesses would be a start.

There will of course be resistance to these changes. The policy battles will be hard fought, particularly in the current international political climate. We live in a world where the US president is rolling back climate policies while the Australian prime minister attacks renewable energy.
New Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba has moved a large entourage into the Treasury, amid signals that Treasury director-general Lungisa Fuzile could depart as soon as the end of April.

A departure by Fuzile would raise questions as to whether more of the Treasury's senior officials might walk out, eroding the technical expertise and institutional memory of the 1,000-strong Treasury.

Gigaba is understood to have moved into the Treasury's Church Square offices in Pretoria with 16 of the ministerial staff and advisers who served him in his previous post at home affairs.

His predecessor, Pravin Gordhan, shared a ministerial staff of just nine people with his deputy Mcebisi Jonas.

The Gigaba entourage includes political adviser Thamsanqa Msomi, who serves on the Denel board and has been reported to have Gupta links, and legal adviser Kholeka Gcaleka. The minister's spokesman, Mayihlome Tshwete, who declined earlier on Tuesday to name the advisers, provided the two names on Twitter, saying he would announce other key appointments when finalised.

The highly regarded Fuzile, who has been with the Treasury for 19 years and in his post for six years, said on Tuesday that he had not been asked to leave.

"Be fair to the minister, no, I have not been asked to resign."

However, Fuzile is understood to have been devastated by the insinuations against him in the so-called intelligence report, which President Jacob Zuma used to justify sacking Gordhan and Jonas.

Fuzile urged journalists at a media briefing on Monday not to "demonise" him if he did depart, saying the director-general's job was an extremely tough one and if SA wanted good people to join the public sector they should also be allowed to leave. He had hinted earlier that he might not see out his contract, which ends in May 2018.

Meanwhile, the minister revealed on Tuesday that S&P Global Ratings had made its decision to downgrade SA's foreign currency debt rating to subinvestment grade (junk status) on Friday morning, just hours after Zuma's cabinet reshuffle, but would not explain why. Although he had been informed confidentially of S&P's decision on Friday, he still assured media on Monday that SA would not be downgraded "because of just one person".

The minister also disclosed that it was felt there was no point speaking to S&P because the ratings agency was not going to change its mind, but he had spoken to Moody's and Fitch on Friday.

Moody's put SA's ratings on review for a downgrade on Monday night, just hours after S&P's downgrade was announced. A downgrade review typically took 30 to 90 days, a Moody's spokesman said, and the agency would therefore not go ahead with its scheduled statement this Friday.

In a detailed update published on Tuesday, Moody's said it could downgrade SA's rating if the recent reshuffle of the Cabinet "signalled a deterioration in the effectiveness of government or in the credibility of its policy-making and " in the country's economic and/or fiscal strength".

Though Moody's rating is two notches into the investment grade band, analysts say a two- notch downgrade, to subinvestment grade, is possible.

Moody's, also on Tuesday, put SA's five largest banks on review for a downgrade, citing the potential weakening of the government's credit profile. Also on review are the ratings of four insurance groups, Sasol, Bidvest, Transnet and development finance institutions.

Asked what he was going to do to stop the other two ratings agencies from downgrading SA, Gigaba said on Tuesday he had written to ANC officials, requesting a meeting to discuss the importance of the political management of change.

"I am concerned that discordant views are creating confusion in society and in the market and if we do not address the situation and speak with one voice on changes, it will continue to harm us," he said.

The minister also said he intended making calls to CEOs and heads of business organisations, as well as labour, to set up opportunities to meet these groups and invite them to come with him to see ratings agencies and investors
DEVILS LAKE -- Devils Lake police say the departments chief and second-in-command are to blame for low morale, lack of communication and discontent, according to a city assessment, with some saying the citys force is the laughingstock of law enforcement in the state.

An operations assessment for the Devils Lake Police Department was reviewed Monday night by city commissioners before they unanimously decided to place police Chief Keith Schroeder and Capt. Jon Barnett on paid administrative leave, Mayor Dick Johnson said. The decision was made after the commission closed Monday's meeting for an executive session to discuss the report, negotiate strategy and ask for instruction from the commission, City Attorney Tom Traynor said Tuesday.

A city human resources staff member questioned officers with the 18-employee police department. Most officers said they enjoy the work they do and like serving the public, but many said they do not respect Schroeder, who has been their chief for seven years, or Barnett, who joined the department in 1983 and has been captain for about 10 years. The report stated pride and moral have declined over time, describing the atmosphere as passive, stagnant and hostile.

Many officers/staff dont know what the chief and captain do all day every day, the report said. Several commented that the DLPD has become the laughingstock of law enforcement in the state.

By late afternoon Tuesday, Schroeder had not returned a message seeking comment. Barnett declined to comment.

Some said concerns likely wont be addressed if they are brought up. Officers noted they were rarely recognized and poor performance may not be addressed or be met with threats.

Officers said communication is poor at best and nonexistent at times. Officers also complained about a high volume of calls, broken and overused equipment, lack of competitive pay and staff shortages. More than half the staff are actively searching for a job elsewhere, the report said.

Devils Lake has about 7,350 residents, making it the states 11th largest city, according to a 2015 Census estimate.

Officers also said they witnessed the captain sleeping through training and at his desk, wearing dark sunglasses in the building and generally behaving very strangely, according to the report.

The chief lacks passion for his job, for the well-being of the officers and for the well-being of the department in general, the report said. The captain is very unpredictable. At times, he is very dictator-like, can be very vindictive.

Sgt. Jim Frank will take over as acting police chief, Commissioner Ben Sander said. Frank has been with the department for more than 30 years.

Its unclear when the captains and chiefs fate will be decided, but the city doesnt want to drag the process out, Sander said.

We want to make sure we do right by everybody and give them a chance to either have a rebuttal or response to it, Sander said.

Sander said he was surprised by the report but had heard rumblings about operations in the department. City Administrator Terry Johnston said recent complaints from officers prompted the assessment, though its likely the issues have been going on for a little while.

We have some great officers, and we dont like to see (morale) get so low, Sander said.

Schroeder did not return a message left by the Herald seeking comment by press time. Barnett declined to comment.
It is harvest season in South Africa. At the southern tip of the continent, winemakers across a 500km stretch of fertile soil are picking their grapes, the first step in an almost ceremonial exercise that ends with wine bearing the South African flag heading to all four corners of the globe.

In a global marketplace, the grape is a precious commodity for a country where unemployment levels are a constant concern. Agriculture is South Africas financial bedrock and winemaking is its star; the countrys third-biggest export behind only minerals and cars.

If the grape is a jewel, harvest season is the time when those jewels are assembled on the crown. March is crunch time, and to the west, in a tiny yet unique winemaking zone known as Koekenaap, production manager/winemaker Klaas Coetzee and his team at Stellar Winery are putting the finishing touches to this annual rite of passage.

Competing with winemakers on a global stage is no easy task, says Coetzee, who is Stellars chief winemaker. To date, South Africa accounts for a mere 3% of the worlds wines, but the upside is that grapes have a personality you cant surpass, and Koekenaap produces a flavour you wont find anywhere else in the world.

A unique terroir

Sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the mouth of the Olifants River to the east, Koekenaap is an anomaly: Cool and temperate, yet desert too. Temperatures are accommodating, yet rainfall stays away. The absence of rainfall minimises the potential for fungal disease, and the natural vegetation surrounding the organic vineyards protects them from contaminants, says Coetzee.

This unique terroir is one of the reasons Stellar ships as far and wide as Canada, Japan, Malta, Madagascar, and Reunion. In the United Kingdom alone, the brand has 40 different wines on sale, the majority of which herald from this small slice of land. Terroir is defined as the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced. The region accounts for 100% of Stellars white wine and 30% of its red wine grapes.

As every wine lover knows, terroir makes all the difference. The unique climate and prevailing weather of a region will not only determine whether grapes will grow but also how they will translate into wine. Koekenaap produces white wines with a flinty mineral character. Head a few kilometres inland, towards the Olifants River, and the flavour is different. Koekenaaps combination of cool temperatures and dry atmosphere influences a taste you dont get anywhere else.

Employing a state-of-the-art harvester

Coetzee and his team harvest the grapes at night when the even cooler temperatures preserve the freshness and fruitiness of the flavours. These precious fruit were once picked by hand, but Stellar now employs a state-of-the-art harvester to take care of the work. The harvester is dubbed the Pellenc Optimum, an innovation that has been in use at the farm since 2016.

In a business where you want grapes to be sent to the cellar as quickly as possible to minimise juice loss and oxidation, a machine such as the Pellenc Optimum has transformed fortunes. The Optimum was shipped all the way from France, but Coetzee and his team see it as a worthy investment. It is technology, Coetzee says, that has allowed South Africa to compete on a global stage.

Our bouquet is first-rate. Its a question of terroir, and having state-of-the-art equipment makes all the difference, Coetzee says.

Part of the global market

By April, the harvest will be over and the last grapes will be transported to the cellar to be fermented and bottled, before the wines of the new vintage leave South African shores, transporting the Koekenaap terroir abroad.

Overseas markets are picking up on our wine, says Coetzee, realising the quality and value we offer. International pundits agree. In 2016, Stellars Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon won the trophy for the best organic wine at the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirit Awards. This year could be even better. March temperatures have been lower and rainfall has stayed away, prompting Coetzee to point out that the aromas emanating from the fermentation bouquet are the best he has experienced in a long time.

The Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc will be bottled soon, with the first white wines available in Europe at the end of May or beginning of June.

It is a privilege to be a part of a global market and to represent South Africa, and our region in particular. Wine has a storied place in history; it is a fixture of art, culture and human expression, and this is our own unique offering.

While South Africa is a small winemaking nation, it is a growing one, and a brand like Stellar is helping to bring attention to the unique terroirs at the southern edge of the African continent.  Stellar Winery
It is vital that employers keep an eye on what employees are putting out on social media platforms in order to manage the organisation's reputation and ensure that it is not associated with any controversial, discriminatory or damaging (legally, financially or otherwise) views.

Kay Vittee, CEO of Quest Staffing Solutions, advises, Potentially damaging activities range from sharing confidential information, infringing on customer privacy and cyber bullying, to posting comments that can be perceived as discriminatory or inappropriate, all of which elicit consequences  for both employee and employer.

With the need for clear guidelines of what constitutes hate speech, defamation or racist content, the posts of staff on a public forum - even if in their personal capacity and out of working hours, can have a negative impact on an employer. As such, social media misconduct cases are becoming more common, with offensive remarks that bring employing organisations into disrepute being reported and employers taking the necessary action in terms of disciplinary hearings and/or dismissal.

A recent example of such a scenario is that of an individual in the medical field who was dismissed from her position after having allegedly made comments on social media relating to a medical procedure undertaken on President Jacob Zumas wife in the hospital in which she worked.

Dealing with negative employee social media activity

When an employee behaves in a way which makes the employer believe that a third-party may change his or her perception of the organisation, it is well within its rights to pursue legal action and dismissal.

While this is an effective reactive measure of dealing with social media misconduct, it is important for business leaders to consider some preventative procedures that focus on educating staff on what is expected of them and how offences will be addressed. With this knowledge and understanding, employees can be better prepared, exercise good judgment and be equipped to deal with the consequences of their actions.

It may seem obvious but, within an employers social media policy, it is crucial to outline that employees should never share confidential and proprietary information online, forgoing to include this simple point can result in serious financial and reputational harm.

Having a social media policy in place will, at the very least, act as a reminder for staff to be more aware of their online activities and think before they post.

We live in the digital age and while it is essential for businesses to establish and grow their social media presence to connect and engage with the public, one needs to always keep in mind that nothing posted online is truly private, Vittee concludes.
Often, little attention is paid to fire safety, as it requires more than merely drafting an evacuation plan but also capital investment. Some types of buildings are more susceptible to fire risk, depending on their contents, capacity and access. However, this does not mean that employers and/or building owners or managers can take a lax approach to fire safety.

With the recent factory fire in Durban, employers are reminded of how quickly a burning building can translate into tragedy and destruction. The fire broke out at a wax production facility south of Durban in late March 2017 and continued to rage for three days. Firefighters allegedly stated that the fire hydrants on-site had not been serviced and were inoperable or ineffective. The question arises as to whose job it was to service the fire-safety equipment.

OHSA obligations

The Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1994 (OHSA) places a positive obligation on employers to provide a healthy and safe environment for employees. Specifically in relation to fire-safety equipment, the Environmental Regulations for Workplaces, 1987, which are annexed to OHSA, state:

having regard to the size, construction and location of the workplace, and the amount and type of flammable articles used, handled or stored on the premises, an employer shall provide on the premises an adequate supply of suitable fire-fighting equipment at strategic locations or as may be recommended by the fire chief of the local authority concerned, and such equipment shall be maintained in good working order.

National Building Regulations

In addition to OHSA, the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act, 1977 provides various standards to which owners and occupants must adhere. Specifically, SANS 10400 provides any building shall be so designed, constructed and equipped that in case of fire:

the protection of occupants or users, including persons with disabilities, therein is ensured and that provision is made for the safe evacuation of such occupants or users; the spread and intensity of such fire within such building and the spread of fire to any other building will be minimised;

sufficient stability will be retained to ensure that such building will not endanger any other building: Provided that in the case of any multi-storey building no major failure of the structural system shall occur;

the generation and spread of smoke will be minimized or controlled to the greatest extent reasonably practicable; and

adequate means of access, and equipment for detecting, fighting, controlling and extinguishing such fire, is provided.



SANS 1475

Even if this is adhered to, the obligations on the occupants or owners do not end there. Further and specifically in relation to fire extinguishers, SANS 1475 provides that extinguishers must be properly serviced and maintained, indicating specific maintenance intervals for the various types of equipment. Approaching a fire with an incorrect or ill-maintained fire extinguisher can have dangerous and disastrous consequences.

Businesses should satisfy themselves that they comply with the relevant provisions and standards of OHSA and the National Building Regulations Act. Specifically, they should ensure that they have adequate fire detection systems in place and the correct type and quantity of extinguishers, which must be maintained on a regular basis.

Employers and property owners should think twice before ignoring or flouting fire-safety regulations, not only because of the consequences relating to loss of life or property in the event of an incident, but also because of the statutory ramifications of a hefty fine or imprisonment. A throwaway attitude may lead to runaway consequences.
Bongani Mabaso, a researcher working in collaboration with the MTN Solution Space at the UCT Graduate School of Business, launched an online maths club that has seen 30 students at Madonsi High in the Limpopo village of Gija-Mhandzeni sharpen their maths skills.

Mabaso had been researching connected learning in rural schools, as he was concerned that learners were missing critical skills in maths and technology and began running a Saturday mathematics club for Grade 8 and 9 learners using Facebook.

The initiative was part of my research into the development of 21st century skills in rural learners, Mabaso explains. When you look at the literature and speak to the teachers and learners in rural schools, you quickly realise that many poor and rural schools are not equipping their learners with 21st century skills. There was also a lack of teacher training.

The Connected Learning Mathematics Club that Mabaso set up had to overcome several logistical obstacles. However, the results were quite something to see.

The school had previously had a problem with maths assignments either being submitted late or not at all. By participating in the Club, this trend was reversed. Learners also showed signs of developing skills such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, technological literacy, and Information literacy, amongst others.

These are all skills that are necessary for life and career success in the 21st century. Membership to the club became a cool thing in the school and learners were excited by the prospect of participating in a learning format where they could revise mathematics concepts that might help them do better at the end of the year. The most exciting thing for me was to see learners, most of whom had not really bought into the whole mathematics thing, completely invigorated and excited about it.

Link between maths, employability

In South Africa, there has been a reported link between maths results, job grades and employability. Overall, the countrys 2016 Matric maths and science results suffered and the 2016 Trends in International Maths and Science Study (TIMSS) results placed South Africa in the second-worst place globally.

Mabaso believes connected learning can help turn the tide, as it increases learner buy-in and provides additional support to teachers.

The design of the club is based on connected learning theory, which argues that learning occurs best when it is interest driven, peer supported and socially embedded. Students can take it into their peer groups and are able to get support and assistance from teachers, parents and mentors when they need it. This allows learners to feel connected both to each other and to their community.

Facebook offered ideal platform

Facebook was an ideal platform, as Mabaso did not have to spend hours on a new design. Additionally, some learners and teachers were already familiar with it, so adoption was smooth.

A typical learning cycle would begin with a teacher giving a lesson, based on the national curriculum. The lesson would progress as usual, but with the understanding that there would be an online component later on. At the end of the day, the teacher would post exercises or assignments onto the Facebook platform, where a private connected learning group was created, so that students could collaborate and answer the questions. The teacher would then examine the progress on the platform and participate by answering questions and making announcements.

Learners had to bring their own devices that could access the internet, or if they did not have one, collaborate with a peer that did. Data was provided using a Wi-Fi hotspot created at the school.

Internet access and device distribution were challenges but not insurmountable. I had to set up a mobile Wi-Fi enabled router. The students managed to source mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops from the community itself. Most of these were old, some were broken but the group still managed to connect to Facebook.

This was cool because most research has treated rural contexts as a place of want and need but when you look at what happened with the maths club, it just goes to show that there are rural assets that can be leveraged for learning. Combine this with the fact that the solution was completely teacher-led and run and it starts to form a basis for a contextual way to improve rural learning.

Eager to rollout to more schools

Sabrah-Anne Arnold, manager of the MTN Solution Space, says, This kind of thinking  and action  that is exactly what the Solution Space, an innovation and entrepreneurship hub at the GSB, seeks to support and amplify.

Because complex challenges demand collaboration and partnership, we work with a mix of business, civil society, academia and government to pilot divergent action-learning experiments and co-create distinctively African solutions to African challenges, which are always influenced by poor infrastructure and low skills base. These are the realities that our continent faces and our aim is to provide a platform where startups and innovators such as Mabaso can try out new ideas to create value  even when the problems seem insurmountable.

Mabaso agrees, Where there is a will there is a way. It is early days but he is currently designing a new mobile app and a lite web version of the connected learning platform. He is keen to roll out the concept to other schools around the country and has been invited to present his research findings to the Department of Education in Limpopo in June this year.
Financially troubled, state-owned airline, South African Express (SAX), has had to fork out millions to get its four grounded aircraft operational again.

Limited funds have had an impact on the engine overhauls required for the grounded aircraft, public enterprises minister Lynne Brown said in a written reply to a parliamentary question made by Congress of the People MP, Deidre Carter.

As of January, all but one of the grounded aircraft had been out of action for more than a year with the days out of service totalling 455, 358, 415 and 253 respectively. The age of the SAX fleet has long been a concern for the airline and has compromised its operational reliability and profitability. While its aircraft were grounded, it had to make use of chartered planes, Brown said, to "maintain the schedule [and] protect market share as well as revenue".

Costs

The minister revealed that between January 2016 and January 2017, SAX used chartered airlines on 5,772 flights with 3,032 of these being provided by charter airline company, Solenta Aviation, and 1,728 by Star Air Cargo.

SAX has 22 aircraft at its disposal of which 18 are leased. The average age of the four it owns is 18 years. Brown said it would cost about $11.7m (about R150m) to get the planes operational again and SAX opted late in 2016-17 to lease engines to save on costs. This reduced the amount required to $6.5m (about R85m) excluding the monthly cost of about $600,000 "to service the component exchange and engine-support agreements".

Last month, Brown revealed the extent of SAX's financial problems when she said in Parliament that it was unable to repay R150m to two banks. Government intervention was required to reach a settlement on a repayment plan. She told MPs that the airline continued to face profitability and liquidity challenges.

Source: BDpro
OFM, the sound of your life in Central South Africa, is fighting for its rugby pride, the Toyota Cheetahs, and the station is urging its loyal listeners to join them in this effort.

The South African Rugby Union is due to make a ruling on 6 April 2017 as to whether the Toyota Cheetahs will be allowed to participate in the southern hemispheres premier rugby competition, the Vodacom Super Rugby tournament. This after SANZAR, the rugby authority in charge of Super Rugby, announced its intention to reduce participating teams from 18 to 15. This will see South Africa possibly lose two teams, with the Port Elizabeth-based Southern Kings and the Bloemfontein-based Toyota Cheetahs most likely to get chopped.

Says OFM General Manager Nick Efstathiou: The Free State has long been known as a breeding ground for future Springboks. Therefore it is almost unthinkable that the team might be kicked out of the tournament. SANZARs decision has put immense pressure on the team and a spate of injuries to key players has resulted in only two wins in their five games to date. Its time Cheetah supporters rally around the team and do all they can to support our boys in orange. We urge our listeners to sign our online petition to keep the Toyota Cheetahs in Super Rugby!

In addition, Efstathiou says lack of support at games could also be a determining factor in SANZARs final decision. He says fans should show up at games in droves, wearing orange to show their support.

OFM is the number one supporter of the Toyota Cheetahs and as a station we will do all we can to make sure the Toyota Cheetahs does not become an endangered species on the Super Rugby franchise list! says Efstathiou.

Go to www.ofm.co.za to sign the petition and keep the Toyota Cheetahs in Super Rugby and tune in to OFM for the latest updates on SARUs decision.




They're extremely sour candies and the posters were extremely simple, beautiful shots, portraits of people with the candy in their mouths with their faces extremely puckered. It's beautiful craft. That's how Steve Persico, GCD at Leo Burnett Toronto and One Show print and outdoor juror, introduced the entry that was a delight for him to watch.

The One Show and Art Directors Clubs judging took place on location on Bermuda. In order to keep the rest of the world intrigued and informed, theyve shared selected judges Picks of the Day throughout the judging process.

Persico explains more about why the posters for Super Zuper super sours speak to him in the video embedded below:

You can view this and other Art Directors Club and One Show entries by browsing this years entries and dont miss the 96th Annual ADC Awards on 8 May 2017 and the One Show Creative Week Festival from 8 to 12 May 2017, in New York  visit our One Show special section for all the latest updates.
We are a full-service Market Research Agency and now part of SA's leading Management Consulting firm IQbusiness. We use technology and a deep understanding of human motivations to uncover powerful insights to help our customers to grow.
Got a question or tip? Contact us at bizmojoidaho@gmail.com.
This resource is no longer available

This resource is no longer available. Return to previous page.
U Min Aung, Rakhine State Minister for Development, and U Aung Kyaw Zan, Rakhine State Minister for Electricity, Industry and Transport, met with journalists on April 1 in Sittwe, the state capital.

The government representatives said every effort is being taken to improve the transportation and power supply in Buthidaung, Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships, according to an account of the conversation in the Myanmar News Agency.

The northern, Muslim majority townships have been subject to a military crackdown as security officials look to root out an alleged Rohingya insurgent group. Since the campaign began in October, journalists and foreign observers have been prevented from accessing the operation areas except on government-accompanied tours.

The second such media tour concluded last week following a visit to Maungdaw, and then the meeting in Sittwe.

Residents in Maungdaw disputed the government officials claims that the state is working to improve local infrastructure.

A villager from Maungdaw town who spoke on condition of anonymity said there have been no changes to the power supply in Maungdaw since 2012, with power only available between the hours of 6pm and 10pm.

Maung Ni, a resident from Sittwe, said the government is paying lip service to stabilization plans amid pressure from the UN an the EU over the treatment of the Muslim Rohingya minority.

We need implementation, he said.

State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has said very little about the conflict-rent state and UN officials concerns about potential crimes against humanity committed by security forces. The state counsellor appointed an advisory commission headed by Kofi Annan to outline potential, development oriented solutions. The commission recently released interim recommendations, which include the government restoring full humanitarian access, working toward closing all internally displaced persons camps and encouraging reintegration of Buddhist and Muslim communities.

Edited by Laignee Barron
If the UNFC members still have not signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), they would not attend the conference as special guests and submit a paper through other methods, according to him.

If we still have not signed [the NCA], we have decided not to attend as observers. We have no reason to submit papers after making this decision. Some [ethnic armed] groups have collected public opinions to submit reports after holding national-level political dialogues. We werent allowed to hold national-level political dialogues. We didnt hold them. Even if we were allowed to hold them, we were told that they wont accept the results we have obtained. They didnt tell us not to hold the dialogues. If we are not able to attend the conference as observers, we dont have any plan to submit a paper, he explained.

Although the Peace Commission and the Delegation for Political Negotiation (DPN) have agreed on a nine-point proposal in principle during the meeting held on the first week of March and the DPN have discussed the proposal with UNFC members, the members want to discuss with their own respective organisations so no decision has been made on whether all UNFC members would sign the deal.

According to Khu Oo Reh, they can sign the NCA quickly if a decision on the proposals can be reached before the conference is held.

Some members made a request to negotiate the proposals that have been agreed in principle with the leaders, political groups, and the public from their respective areas so we still couldnt set down a decision up to now, he said.

The Ministry of the Office of the State Counsellor announced on 30 March that five UNFC members  the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the Arakan National Council (ANC), the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), and the Wa National Organisation (WNO)  will sign the NCA.

However, the UNFCs vice-chair Nai Hong Sar told RFA on 30 March that some UNFC members have not made any official decisions to sign the NCA and the UNFC will only make a decision after negotiating with the leaders of its member organisations.

The Ministry of the Office of the State Counsellor made the announcement after the State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi delivered a speech on the occasion of the one year anniversary of the government.

The second session of the 21st Century Panglong Conference is slated to start on the first week of May.

The UNFCs central executive committee members held an emergency meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand on 3 April.

Translated by Thida Linn

Edited by Laignee Barron
In a new essay for the Religion & Liberty Transatlantic website, Richard Teather has some surprising news about the pope:

Pope Francis has urged European political leaders to reduce government spending and lower taxes. Well, he didnt actually say that directly, but that is the unavoidable logic of his comments, although he might not understand enough economics to realise it.

He is referring to the popes address to the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, in which Pope Francis called on EU leaders to offer young people serious prospects for education and real possibilities for entering the work force. The pope also asked the EU27 to facilitate the material prosperity of our peoples through new industrial and commercial possibilities. Teather notes:

Across the EU, roughly 20 percent  one in five  people under the age of 25 are out of work. If that were not disgraceful enough, many countries are far worse than that average; 2016 saw more than 50 percent youth unemployment in Greece, 45 percent in Spain, more than 30 percent in Italy, almost 25 percent in France. Even Luxembourg, at the heart of the European project, saw more than 20 percent of its young people unable to find a job. And Sweden, supposedly so egalitarian and socially well-adjusted, was nearly as bad.

The function of expertise is to give direction to aspiration. Teather, a senior lecturer in tax law at Englands Bournemouth University, analyzes official EU data from Eurostat to show that employment prospects are brightest in nations that have lower taxes and spending.

The three charts may be seen here:

Teather fleshes out the full context and importance of these charts here. He concludes:

Pope Francis has, perhaps inadvertently, made the moral case for tax cuts. He is right that European Union governments should have aim to expand opportunity for all, so that everyone has the chance to lift himself out of poverty and provide for a family. Their failure to do so, the massive unemployment and even higher youth unemployment that have blighted much of Europe, is a scandal that deserves more attention. But what the pope may not realise is that the best way governments can do this is to get out of the way, to cut public spending, reduce taxes, and allow the economy to flourish. This is not just theory; the evidence of the last couple of decades shows clearly the lower-taxed countries in Europe are far more successful at generating the economic growth and the jobs the pope knows that people need.

Read his full article here.

(Photo credit: Edgar Jimenez. This photo has been cropped. CC BY-SA 2.0.)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (April 4, 2017) - The Alabama Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) chapter is pleased to announce that member Sara Franklin has earned her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) certification. Franklin, director of public relations for The Lollar Group and Alabama PRSA board member, will receive recognition at the April Alabama PRSA chapter meeting.



Franklin has been with The Lollar Group since 2012. She is also a member of the Alabama PRSA board. Franklin is likewise active in community efforts, including the Junior League of Birmingham, the Hoover City Schools Foundation Board, the Finley Committee, the Association of Proposal Management Professionals, Sight Savers of America Junior Board, and Leadership UAB, among others. She is a public relations and communication studies graduate of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

The process for earning APR includes a preparatory board review, a comprehensive exam, and a panel presentation to a team of public relations reviewers. The process can be initiated by public relations professionals after at least five years in the industry. Public relations professionals complete the rigorous APR process to enhance skills and increase their expertise in the industry.

The Alabama PRSA chapter has 50 members who have earned the APR credential. Nationwide, approximately 25,000 PR professionals have earned the distinction.

-30-

The Alabama chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is the state affiliate of the world's largest organization for public relations professionals. Our diverse membership includes professionals from organizations large and small who share the same commitment to effective, ethical and responsible practice of public relations. For more information on the Alabama Chapter, visit: www.alabamaprsa.org
The story of Tahlequah is tragic and heartbreaking but serves to remind us we must keep up the fight to save whales whenever, and wherever, we can. Photo by iStockphoto

1.3K shares







Youll sometimes hear apologists suggest that whaling is compatible with whale watching, and that the two can flourish together. But the fact is, they really cant, as a staggering incident last week, off the coast of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, made plain. There, according to local media reports, tourists on a whale-watching expedition were following a pod of four orcas when fishermen in speed boats chased down the animals and harpooned two of them right in front of the excursion group of some 40 tourists. A more horrifying, shocking assault on animals, in open view of people enjoying the splendor of the whales, you will not find.

This sort of thing has happened before, as Ive pointed out, with the same ghastly and revolting result. A few years ago, in northern Norway, tourists on a whale-watching boat reacted in horror as whalers harpooned a minke whale they were admiring. As one tourist soberly said: The blood flowed and it wasnt a pretty sight. This really wasnt what we came to see.

According to the media reports, the cruise operator involved in this latest incident, Thomson Cruises, announced that it would end all whale- and dolphin-watching tours during its calls in St. Vincent. Orcas are complex creatures with strong family bonds, and killing even one member of a pod can have devastating effects on the others.

Whaling in St. Vincent is hardly a tradition, originating instead with a single Scottish immigrant who co-established a whaling station in the 1880s. Its pursued by a small number of people in the Caribbean nation, and is essentially a commercial hunting operation masquerading as subsistence. Its worth noting that many of those folks recognize that the world is moving away from them. Gaston Bess, one of the last remaining harpooners there, participated in 20 successful whale hunts over the course of his 30-plus years at sea. When he retired in 2013, he declared that whaling, once a productive industry in St. Vincent, should be a thing of the past. It doesnt add anything to our economy. He now advocates replacing whaling with whale watching.

And so do we. The decision by Thomson Cruises makes pretty clear what is at stake for all parties involved  be they Vincentians or visitors. Many scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed on the island, it is a stable and inviting nation, and its tourism potential is high. Whaling as practiced there is a horrifying and unjustified remnant of its longer colonial history, not a culturally resonant or meaningful activity for the majority of its citizens. Their future, like the future of the whales, belongs to non-consumptive tourism and the satisfaction and opportunities that come with whale and dolphin watching, and the enjoyment of nature and hospitality in a beautiful island nation.

Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, announced on radio today that his government plans to introduce legislation outlawing the killing of orcas, in the wake of this latest incident. That should happen with all due haste. Until things change, and this sort of assault and killing stops, stay away from St. Vincent.


An unrelated file photo.

SEOUL (AFP): Nuclear-armed North Korea on Wednesday fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, South Korea and the US military said, days after Pyongyang warned of retaliation if the global community ramps up sanctions.



South Korea's defence ministry said the missile had flown some 60 kilometres (about 40 miles).



"The military is keeping a close watch over North Korea's provocative moves and maintaining a high defence posture", it said.



The US military said it was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile which they had determined posed no threat to America.



"US Pacific Command is fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security," the military command in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region said.



US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed Pyongyang had launched "yet another" intermediate range ballistic missile.



"The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment," he said in a statement.



Japan condemned the launch and said it violated UN Security Council resolutions.


Intercultural Center celebrates past, present and future

Photo/Madeleine Lopez The Intercultural Center PUSH Committee

For years, no one at Brandeis had the complete picture of how the Intercultural Center (ICC) came to be.

But that changed last fall when ICC director Madeleine Lopez discovered that the center, an on-campus space where students of diverse cultures and backgrounds connect and learn from one another, is actually celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

Its been an interesting journey, said Lopez. I am trained as a historian and when I first stumbled across documents about how students created the ICC, I learned that we were supposed to be celebrating a 25-year anniversary this year.

But I also found out the students original vision for the ICC, Lopez added. An array of culturally and ethnically diverse students finally saw the dream of an Intercultural Center realized. Their aim was to educate the Brandeis community about the cultures of people of color and to establish a central place on campus for all people to explore, share, and honor each others' cultural heritages."

In 1992, 31 students officially secured a space for the ICC in Swig Hall with support from faculty and the university administration, although efforts to build an intercultural center date farther back in Brandeis history. At the time of its founding, 11 clubs and organizations fit beneath the ICC umbrella, but five more have been added since that represent various cultures and traditions from around the globe.

The center officially opened its doors on March 4, 1992. A celebration took place that day themed, A Vision Realized, in recognition of the hard work done by the founding leaders, also known as the Push Committee, to secure a space for the ICC. Janice Johnson Dias 94, now a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a community organizer, served as Brandeis Student Union President and was on the Push Committee. She will return to campus on April 28 to give the keynote speech for the 25th anniversary celebration and talk about what it was like to be part of the effort to create the ICC.

We called on the university to not have us be in a corner somewhere, but have a dedicated space with staffing, resource support and a library, said Johnson, who was born in Jamaica but moved to Boston before attending Brandeis. The big charge was for us to be a part of the system rather than be on the fringes. Even though we were fringe as a small population, we needed to be structurally real.

Johnson Dias and her peers operationalized the ICC by helping expand the center and by gaining administrative support to secure a director and a work-study program for students. They also worked to integrate the ICC library with the main library.

Today, Lopez is building upon those initial, pioneering efforts by increasing collaboration with organizations and administrative offices across campus in hosting events and activities that promote community and celebrate diversity.

The majority of our students come from diverse backgrounds: Asian American, African-American, Indian-American, Caribbean, Latino, Lopez said. We have all these groups and they need to learn how to coexist because theyre going into a globalized world.

When our students come here, even if theyre from segregated backgrounds, they need to learn how to interact with other groups other cultures, Lopez said. The function of the ICC is to celebrate ones culture and provide a space for representatives of these cultures to dialogue, including on political, hot-button issues.

For many students, like Janice Fernandez 17, the ICC is invaluable. Fernandez, who is from the Bronx and majors in psychology, stumbled into the ICC one day as a first-year, and now thinks of it as a second home. Not only does she go to the ICC to study and spend time with friends, but she also serves as a team leader for ICC student staff, helping organize cultural events put on by the many clubs that collaborate with the center.

There is a community based here, said Fernandez. Its so important, because the ICC is a place to learn about different cultures and see different people. Having a center dedicated to minority groups is important, and its a real resource for our campus.

At the ICC, you have the chance to be exposed to different perspectives, Fernandez added. I think thats very important today, in light of societal and political changes. This is a space where you can feel safe and be educated and supported by a community.

To find out more about the Intercultural Center's 25th anniversary celebration on April 28-29 or to register, visit the ICC website.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 05/04/2017 (2043 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Evacuated residents in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation were given the all-clear to return home on Tuesday.

The Red Cross confirmed the evacuation order, in place for 11 residences in a low-lying area of the communitys northeast, had ceased.

The mandatory order was given Sunday night to 34 people when water from a rising creek washed over a bridge, the regions only all-season access. By next morning, the water already dropped a few feet, but the evacuation remained as a precaution.

Ian Froese/The Brandon Sun Water from the Assiniboine River approaches a Sioux Valley Dakota Nation home that has a dike surrounding the property on Monday.

In 2014, residents were evacuated from their homes for a month when the creek overwhelmed its banks. A total of 876 people were forced to leave.

Red Cross facilitated Sioux Valleys disaster response assistance into Brandon. It was also behind flood evacuations for 146 people in Peguis First Nation, north of Winnipeg, and 35 more people in Long Plain First Nation, beside Portage la Prairie.

Elsewhere in southwestern Manitoba, the effects of a quick spring melt and a heavy snowpack are reverberating through the region.

In the Municipality of Grassland, two families, evacuated on the weekend, may not return home until later this week, said Head of Council Blair Woods.

North of Lauder, a bridge spanning the Souris River and a nearby road became threatened, forcing the evacuation.

Since then, a total of three bridges have been closed, and Woods estimates between 25 to 30 roads, inundated by water which washed away gravel and punctured the roadway, will require upgrades once floodwaters recede.

Its subsiding in places, Woods said Tuesday of the municipal-wide flood threat, but even this morning we had two more roads go.

Given the amount of snowfall this winter, Woods isnt surprised at the pervasiveness of the water.

Were about at the level of the 2011 (flood) for the amount of roads we have damaged.

In the Municipality of Two Borders, which has been under a local state of emergency since last Thursday, 100 roads are closed, 75 of which require repairs, estimated Head of Council Debbie McMechan.

We have everything from a relatively minor spillover to areas where we think, Here, we go again, McMechan said, alluding to the 2014 flood, which resulted in damages worth millions of dollars.

The water has jeopardized approximately 10 homes at some point in the provinces most southwestern municipality. Some of the residences are now protected by Tiger Dams  a sandbagging alternative, wherein plastic tubes are filled with water.

She suggested the Stony Creek, South Antler Creek and 600 Creek are among the waterways causing the worst damage, but she said Tuesday you can definitely see the water is receding municipal-wide.

The worst of the flooding appears to have floated through St. Lazare, the site of a mass effort Monday involving firefighters and the provinces Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) to protect three residences.

Municipal Head of Council Barry Lowes was told Tuesday morning the QuAppelle River dropped a few more inches overnight.

Im quite optimistic that weve probably seen the high point, he said.

Downstream in Brandon, the city decided Tuesday to close Dinsdale Park and Queen Elizabeth Park, recreational areas neighbouring the Assiniboine River, as a response to rising water. Access to the pedestrian walking bridge at Riverbank Discovery Centre is now denied as well.

Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Dike work continues on the south side of the Assiniboine River west of 18th Street in Brandon on Tuesday. The crest of the rising Assiniboine is expected to reach the city next week.

The Assiniboine River has reached a height at First Street of 1,173.93 feet above sea level. The city is expecting the river to peak three feet above its present height sometime next week.

The dikes elevation is 1,186 feet above sea level.

The city is readying for the crest by sealing manholes, readying pumps and preparing to close outfalls, a press release indicated.

West of Brandon, Jean Mills, a retiree living in Kemnay, is frustrated to again walk into a flooded basement.

A representative from the Municipality of Whitehead visited her home yesterday to take pictures of the damage. Though flooding isnt overland in her place, she said water is again seeping into her basement, where Mills is using pumps and blankets to stop the leakage.

It would fill the whole basement if I let it, she said.

Mills refurnished her basement in 2014 after it filled with three to four feet of water. She received only $400 in disaster relief from the province, she said.

In Tuesdays flood update, the province expressed that southern Manitoba remains vulnerable to overflowing waterways and overland flooding, much of which is due to melting ice blocking the flow of rivers.

Some snowpack remains in the western part of the Souris River basin, Riding Mountain area, Parkland region and Duck Mountain area, which is a warning for increased runoff. A lot of snow has already melted in the provinces southern reaches.

A high water advisory was issued for the Little Souris River, which empties into the Assiniboine south of Brandon, due to a significant rise in water levels.

A flood watch has been issued for Pelican Lake and a flood warning is now in effect for the Pembina River on La Riviere due to overbank flows.

On Monday, the provincial government had eight states of local emergency on the books, including Two Borders, Grassland, Brenda-Waskada, Prairie Lakes, Dufferin, Grey, La Broquerie and the Town of Carman.

 ifroese@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ianfroese
SWBIBLE Easter Logo.jpg

Easter weekend at Southwest Bible Church, 14605 S.W. Weir Road, will include three family worship services beginning with Good Friday on April 14 at 7:00 p.m., and Easter Sunday on April 16 at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.

"What better time to visit SWBIBLE as we celebrate the message of Easter that sets people free," said Associate Pastor Larry Elliott.



"The theme "Finished/Glorious" celebrates what Christians believe is the most important event in human history - the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," Pastor Elliott said.

"We are people who have grasped what Christ did for us on the cross - he died to save us from the penalty (death) of our sinfulness (all have sinned). We get it. And, we really want everyone to hear and understand this truth," he added.

The Good Friday theme "Finished" will focus on Christ's death on the cross and the reason for it. The service will include music and scripture readings. Childcare is available through age 3.

At the Easter Sunday services, Senior Pastor Scott Gilchrist will deliver a special message, "Glorious," that will focus on how that first Easter brings hope to Christians today. Music will be provided by SWBIBLE's worship team led by Jonny McCormick.



"The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead that we read about in the Bible is not a myth or a symbol. Jesus Christ was a real man who really suffered and died - and on that first Easter he really rose from the tomb," Pastor Elliott noted.

"Jesus Christ not only came back from the grave almost 2,000 years ago - he is alive even today - and by his spirit he wants to come into our lives. Because he rose from the dead we can have hope right now - and hope for eternity. This Easter we invite you to put your faith and trust in him," he added.

Childcare and SWKIDS Corner are available through the third grade during the Easter Sunday services. Refreshments will be served in the atrium after both services.



For more information, contact the church office at 503-524-7000, or visit www.swbible.org.
Already have an account? Log in here 

The Royal Canadian Legion is inviting the public to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge on Sunday.

We need your support!

Local journalism needs your support!

As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.

Now, more than ever, we need your support.

Starting at $4.99/month you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.

or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.

Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
Already have an account? Log in here 

A new museum exhibit, being unveiled to the public on Friday, explores Canadas most famous battle in the First World War.

We need your support!

Local journalism needs your support!

As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.

Now, more than ever, we need your support.

Starting at $4.99/month you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.

or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.

Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
UPDATED

Nine states and the District of Columbia had turned in their state plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act as of Monday evening, according to an Education Week survey of states. One tricky issue states have to address in those plans is how to deal with schools where less than 95 percent of all students take required state exams.

Under ESSA, states are allowed to have laws on the books affirming parents right to opt their children out of these tests. But ESSA also requires that states administer these tests to all studentswith sanctions kicking in if the participation rate falls below 95 percentand meaningfully differentiate schools based on participation rate in some fashion. Just how states address this issue if the participation rate of all students (or a subgroup of students) at a particular school falls below 95 percent is up to them.

The opt-out movement sprang up in the last several years as part of a broader resistance to testing, and has been particularly strong in states like Colorado, New Jersey, and New York.

So how are states dealing with this issue? Heres a state-by-state breakdown of what weve seen, along with where you can find this in each states plan in parentheses. Were only highlighting the plans submitted to the U.S. Department of Education that have been made publicly available. As youll see, some states are specifying some consequences that seem pretty serious, while others are less clear about how exactly this issue will impact school accountability.

Looking for a specific state? Click on it in the menu below to jump to that state:

Connecticut : A school that would get one of the top two grades on the states accountability system would be knocked down one ranking if less than 95 percent of all students, or the high needs group of students, take the state exam. The high-needs student group is an unduplicated count of students in a school who are from low-income backgrounds, English-learners, or have a disability. (Page 41.)

Delaware : Each Delaware school not reaching 95 percent participation would have to submit a plan showing how it will increase test participation. For schools failing to hit that target over multiple years, the state would implement additional actions and interventions as appropriate. (Page 50.)

District of Columbia : The districts state office of education said it would implement a system of supports, technical assistance and monitoring for schools not hitting 95 percent participation. However, schools that miss this target wouldnt automatically be identified by the school system. Schools that miss the target over multiple years would be subject to additional actions and interventions. (Page 33.)

Illinois : Schools not reaching the 95 percent participation mark couldnt reach the highest score on the academic proficiency indicator. In addition, schools that fail to hit the mark three years in a row would be classified as chronically underperforming. The state will also factor participation rate into its method for identifying schools in need of improvement. (Page 98.)

Maine : Schools with participation rates between 75-94 percent would have to submit a plan; schools below 75 percent would have to show steps taken; participation not factored into summative school rating.

Massachusetts : A schools overall summative rating would decline if a school doesnt hit 95 percent participation. But the plan doesnt say by how much the rating would dip. (Page 49.)

Michigan : An eligible student who does not take a state exam would count for zero in terms of proficiency when making calculations in the state accountability system.

Nevada : The Silver State has a three-tier system for dealing with schools that miss the participation target: participation warning, participation penalty, and continuing participation penalty. In the warning stage, the schools failure to hit the target would be shown along with its index score and star rating. In the penalty stage, a schools status indicator would be reduced by a significant number of points. In the continuing penalty stage, schools would earn zero points for the student proficiency indicator. (Page 32.)

New Jersey : In a school that doesnt hit the participation rate, each student that contributes to the school falling below the 95 percent threshold would be counted as not proficient in the calculation of proficiency rates. Thats what ESSAs statutory language requires. (Page 73.)

New Mexico : A school will have its A-F letter grade dropped by one letter if 95 percent of its students dont participate on either the state English/language arts or math exam. This is an approach New Mexico has used in recent years.

Tennessee : Any school not hitting 95 percent participation for all students, or for subgroups of students, would get an F grade on the achievement indicator for the corresponding group of students. (Page 46.)

You might remember that the now-discarded ESSA accountability rules from the Obama administration would have allowed the Education Department to come up with a menu of options for states to choose from in dealing with schools with high opt-out rates, or come up with their own strategies.

Vermont : If less than 95 percent of students at a school take a required exam, the schools preliminary summative score would be multiplied by the percentage of students who did take the exam. That percentage would be the average of the percentages of all reportable student subgroups who did take the test.

Need a refresher about ESSA? Click here for our explainer . And check out a video version of our ESSA explainer here:

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 05/04/2017 (2043 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The editorial, Liberals Failing Throw Away Workers (The Bandon Sun, March 27), should be a must-read for all of us, hopefully to motivate us to ask what went wrong with our society that we accept that workers can be characterized and treated as throw aways.

There is no single idea, concept that can be pointed to which resulted in the model of throw away workers. It is probably a model which flows out of ideas such as neo-liberalism, free-market capitalism, neo-conservatism, social darwinism, even Christian fundamentalism.

Having said that, there is a term used to refer to workers which began to be used in the early 1980s. A term, including its conceptualization and its application, which seems to capture the necessary conclusion with respect to workers/employees which results from the above-mentioned ideas.

That term is human resources. A term used so often in articles, discussions about economics, a term with which we have become so familiar and comfortable, that we no longer question its meaning in terms of how workers/employees are viewed and the resultant impact on labour relations.

Workers, when defined as a resource, are indistinguishable from and share a characteristic with other resources such as oil, gas, coal, wood, metals. Inanimate. Shaped and manipulated. Cast off if standards are not met. No inherent potentiality for growth, adaptation.

Once defined in this way, it becomes reasonable, acceptable and responsible behaviour for employers to release a worker who no longer performs or contributes per the employers standards, regardless of reason (e.g. age, out-dated skills). It becomes responsible behaviour to release aging workers before having to invest in or pay out for training, retraining, health benefits, pensions and before the aging workers productivity deteriorates. It becomes responsible behaviour not to hire aging workers.

Hence, the throw away worker. Not just the aging worker. Included is the worker affected by robotization, by changes in methodologies and technologies, by changes in product lines, by out-sourcing. Included is the worker who may, for whatever reasons, require or demand that profits be diverted to development, training, retraining, benefits, wages.

It is fair to ask, how does a government deal with the phenomenon of throw away workers? Legislation? Rules? Programs? To do what? However, the first question that needs answering is how to change government from supporting the idea of the throw away worker through its legislative agendas which have steadily weakened or eroded the rights/privileges of workers/employees since the 1970s.

Or, should the first question be, what needs changing in the minds of, we, the people?

It will take a shift in societal thinking, perspectives, and priorities. The throw away worker phenomenon is supported by a powerful rationale based in our ideas of how a society functions, the priority of economic over social issues. All of which are choices we made and continue to make.

We can make different choices.

There are some of us who lived and worked during the period shortly after World War II to the mid-70s to early-80s. A period during which workers/employees and employers shared the bounty resulting from increased worker productivity, innovation, and economic and social growth. A period during which Canada experienced the rise of the middle-class and a period of unprecedented growth and income sharing. A period during which workers had not yet been referred to and characterized as human resources. A period during which workers were (shhh, not so loud) viewed by some employers as partners, both (selfishly?) motivated to make the businesses succeed (such heresy!).

The choice, as always, is ours. And, as always, ours is to choose.

ROSEMARIE and CHESTER LETKEMAN

Brandon
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 05/04/2017 (2043 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At some point during the crisis, three of Canadas banks  CIBC, BMO and Scotiabank  were completely under water, with government support exceeding the market value of the company. Without government supports to fall back on, Canadian banks would have been in serious trouble.

 David Macdonald, senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 2012

In the fallout from what has been dubbed the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009, its believed that Canadas largest banks accepted at least $114 billion, according to a report released back in April, 2012, by the CCPA.

The report concluded that Canadas major banking institutions were in a far more precarious situation than was previously believed up to that point. Indeed, Canadas banking system was lauded around the world for its stability in the face of the severe economic downturn that characterized the fall of 2008.

To put this in perspective, the CBC reported at the time that the $114-billion figure worked out to approximately 10 times the amount Canadian taxpayers spent on the auto industry in 2009.

That same reported noted that the Canadian Bankers Association disputed the notion that the funds in question were any sort of bailout, arguing they were routine transactions aimed at keeping the financial system liquid.

However you want to call it, the amount of federal cash handed to banks was also substantially more than Ottawa and the province of Quebec spent to bail out Montreal-based Bombardier. Last year the Quebec government gave the trains and planes manufacturer $1 billion for further work on the C Series project. The Liberal government was somewhat stingier, though it still doled out $375.5 million, which it called a loan.

But when Bombardier announced plans to offer hefty bonuses to six members of its senior executive team  thus raising their compensation by 50 per cent over last year  the public backlash was swift.

As CBC reported, two Quebec cabinet ministers called for Bombardier to rethink the pay packages last week, and about 200 people gathered outside the companys Montreal headquarters last weekend in protest.

If its private money they can do what they want, but now its public money, teacher Jessica Lacombe, who attended the protest, told the CBC. Its our taxes, its our money.

She is exactly right  what business does a private company have in taking billions in public money, and then giving top executives a hefty raise, especially when the company continues to hemorrhage cash? Can we ever expect, for example, that Bombardier will pay back that federal loan?

Since the fall out, Bombardier has reversed course  somewhat  by putting off half of its $32 million in bonuses until 2020, provided they meet certain financial targets.

As much as we agree with public anger over this issue  better to let such a tone-deaf company with oblivious executives be sold off to new owners, rather than bilk the public purse  we keep wondering why there is less public outrage when it comes to the actions of our banking institutions.

For example, CIBC  one of the three Canadian banking institutions mentioned by David Macdonald above that required federal bailout cash  just recently announced that it plans to eliminate up to 130 Toronto finance jobs and outsource work to India. This even as the company made $1.4 billion in profit in the last financial quarter.

In a memo sent to employees announcing the cuts, CIBC CEO Victor Dodig stated that outsourcing complements the work done by CIBC staff by helping manage peaks in demand, ensuring work can be done around the clock and helping the bank adapt to changing business needs, according to a CBC report. But that hasnt stopped customers from expressing their anger over the decision, many of whom have apparently called their branches to make complaints.

And just last month, Ottawa launched an investigation into the business practices of Canadas banks, after allegations surfaced that major banking institutions have been pressuring  or even tricking  customers into buying unnecessary products and services offered by the company.

Keeping in mind that Canadian banks also received taxpayer cash  bailout or not  behind the scenes banking institutions have routinely rewarded executives with large bonuses, even as they nickel and dime customers with extra service fees.

Outrage against Bombardier isnt misplaced. But theres plenty of other places to spread it around.
Lawmakers in at least 34 states have proposed legislation related to private school choice, but that doesnt mean they are becoming reality, according to a bipartisan organization that tracks state issues.

The National Conference of State Legislatures is watching state bills to expand or create new private school choice programsvouchers, tax credit scholarships, and education savings accounts. Watch an Education Week video explaining the various choice options.

More than half of those state legislatures have advanced bills to some extent, at least out of committee, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. But some efforts have failed or are struggling to push forward.

In Virginia, Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, vetoed Republican-sponsored legislation to create education savings accounts, along with other school-choice measures, according to the Virginia Gazette .

The number of bills is similar to recent years, despite the fervor about school choice as a top education issue in the Trump administration, said Josh Cunningham, the conferences education program manager. President Donald Trumps proposed budget calls for $1.4 billion in new federal investments in school choice , including vouchers for private schools.

I dont think what is happening at the federal level is having an impact at the state level, Cunningham said. School choice has been going strong since the 2010 elections.

In individual states, lawmakers have a bigger interest in education savings accounts and tax-credit scholarships, instead of straight-up traditional vouchers. Some states have proposals for more than one program. Arkansas and Maryland have amended their existing voucher programs, but only minimally, Cunningham said.

Heres how the various flavors of school-choice measures are shaping up so far:



Tax-credit scholarships: 21 states, including Mississippi and Virginia where bills failed.



Education savings accounts: 23 states, including Mississippi and Arkansas, where bills failed; Virginias bill was vetoed.



Traditional vouchers: 14 states, including a bill enacted in Arkansas.

Bills are often advancing in states where Republicans have taken power, but they might not move in one chamber or past the governor. Across the nation, Republicans are in control at the state legislature or governors office in 44 states. In 25 states, they are in control of both.

One struggling state is Texas, where a scaled-down education savings account bill passed the Senate last week, but the House may refuse to hear it, according to the Associated Press.

Its still fairly early, Cunningham said. A lot can happen toward the end of sessions.

See a previous Education Week story about 2017 school choice proposals by state legislatures and governors.

Contact Sarah Tully at stully@epe.org
The two main business groups in Cork have endorsed the OPWs 140m city flood defence plan, writes Eoin English.

Cork Chamber and Cork Business Association (CBA) have prepared submissions for the OPW before Fridays deadline which back the project. They also call for further engagement on the finishes of direct defences in certain areas; the use of more glass panels at certain locations; and fast-tracking of construction.

The Irish National Flood Forum has also endorsed the project.

The Save Cork City group, which is opposed to the scheme, said it is still finalising its submission but that it will be ready by Friday.

In a joint statement yesterday, the CBA and Chamber said they have pursued the need for flood defences in the city for some time.

Chamber president Barrie OConnell said the proposed scheme will provide flood protection to 3,179 properties including almost 400 protected structures, and deliver more than 1km of new public walkways, new public plazas, a 20m clean-up and restoration of over 3km masonry quay walls, as well as improving disability access to pathways.

CBA president Pat OConnell said the OPWs flood defence plan is the only realistic option and has been well considered, studied, and adapted to the needs of Cork City.

Chief executive Lawrence Owens said the CBA has been consistent in seeking to strike the right balance between an effective flood defence system and respecting the citys built and natural heritage.

This 140m will deliver on both fronts and we will continue to advocate for improvements in terms of finish and aesthetics.

Irish Flood Forum spokesman Jer Buckley said it has faith in the OPW to deliver for the city, given its record on defence schemes in Mallow, Fermoy, and Clonmel.

This story first appeared in the Read More: Irish Examiner.
Update 5.15pm: The Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan says Ibrahim Halawa may be released from an Egyptian prison on humanitarian grounds.

Minister Flanagan has told the Dail this evening that a formal request for Ibrahim's release was also made in court today.

He said: "Some progress was made today as eleven more witnesses were called to give evidence, which they did.

"At the end of the hearing Ibrahim's lawyers requested his release on medical grounds and the judge undertook to examine this matter. I very much welcome this development."

Update 4.30pm: The case of Ibrahim Halawa has been adjourned for the 21st time in Egypt today.

The Dubliner has now spent 44 months in prison, and it has been reported that the 21-year-old's health is deteriorating rapidly.

A spokesperson for Amnesty International Ireland, Fiona Crowley, said: "It is beyond farcical that Ibrahim Halawa has now endured 21 delays in his trial, spending 1,327 days imprisoned in Egypt. Amnesty researchers on the ground at the time of his arrest confirm that Ibrahim was sheltering in the al-Fath mosque and could not have committed the violent crimes he has been charged with.

"Amnesty also conducted a thorough, independent review of the prosecution evidence and concluded that Ibrahim was arrested solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of assembly and expression.

"His ongoing detention represents an inexcusable violation of both international and Egyptian law."

Earlier: The case of Ibrahim Halawa will come before a court in Egypt again today.

The Dubliner's trail has been delayed 20 times, with little hope of an end in sight.

Yesterday in the Dail, Taoiseach Enda Kenny confirmed that he had written to the Egyptian President calling for Ibrahim to be released.

It has been reported that the 21-year-old's health is deteriorating rapidly.

Sinn Fein MEP Lynn Boylan hopes some developments can be made.

"Well I suppose we kind of had these conversations every few weeks when the trial hearings come up," she said.

"But I suppose given that Enda Kenny had made that direct plea to President el-Sisi to release Ibrahim on humanitarian grounds, we're hoping that maybe his lawyer will be able to make that case to the judge today in the courts."
3 Common Types of Tax Fraud

Taxes can be scary for many people. The system is not necessarily user friendly. While debtors' prisons are supposed to be a thing of the past, failing to abide by tax laws can result in criminal penalties, including fines and jail time.

To make matters even more complicated, in addition to federal tax laws, there are also state and local tax laws that can have just as harsh, if not harsher, penalties, as one California man recently learned.

Below, you'll find three common types of tax fraud.

1. Underreporting Income

Underreporting income is extraordinarily common for any person who is paid, or earns money, in cash form. However, this is a form of tax fraud and tax evasion and can result in serious criminal consequences. The IRS, and even state tax boards, require that all income be reported, which includes cash earned from the sale of goods, tips, and even casino winnings. Because there can often be little-to-no paper trail for industries where workers receive cash tips, or cash payments, oftentimes cash income will go unreported.

However, not all underreported income will rise to the level of criminality, at least under federal law. It is conceivable that some cash income received is not reported due to ordinary negligence or a genuine mistake. However, underreporting can be charged as a felony with penalties including a couple years behind bars, and up to $250K in fines.

2. Using Fake Numbers

Fudging numbers can result in serious criminal penalties for tax fraud. A person should never just guess, and should especially never knowingly use incorrect numbers, as it can be considered as making a false statement or falsifying a document. There are some checks and balances in place, some of which are computer automated, as well as specialized systems and tools, which can alert the IRS to inconsistencies.

It will be hard to prove the defense that using wrong dollar amounts was unintentional, particularly if the results weigh in your favor, and there is not a clear explanation on how it unintentionally occurred. Fudging numbers is likely to be charged as a felony, and carry a few year jail sentence and up to $250K in fines.

3. Claiming Unqualified Deductions

Another common act of tax fraud is claiming deductions, credits, and expenses, that an individual or business does not actually qualify for. Doing so can expose an individual to felony charges, a few years in jail, and the same hefty fines listed above.

Related Resources:
By David Raleigh

A Limerick man involved in running a children's charity in Africa has been jailed for six years for the sexual defilement of a 13-year old girl.

Michael Casey, (aged 71), acted in a "predatory nature" and "took every opportunity to have his way with the victim", said presiding judge Tom O'Donnell in Limerick Circuit Court.

Casey, Cois Riogh, Caherconlish, and formally of Grey House, Mary Street, Limerick, was previously found guilty by a jury at Limerick Circuit Court of 16 counts of defilement of a minor. The jury acquitted him of three counts of sexually assaulting the girl.

The offences took place between June 2009 and December 2011, at various locations - including a wood, in the victim's family car and at the victim's home - over a two-year period.

Casey, described in court as "a salesman and shopkeeper", became a friend of the victim's family.

He began abusing the girl who was aged 13, while taking her on trips in her parents' car to locations to walk the family's pet dogs.

"There was digital and penal penetration of the girl. The accused told the girl he was preparing her for later life," judge O'Donnell said.

The abuse was uncovered when the victim told a school friend who in turn informed a school counsellor.

Casey continues to "emphatically deny" the charges.

Paediatric consultant doctor, Joanne Nelson, of the Galway child and adolescent sexual assault treatment services, examined the victim. Judge O'Donnell said Dr Nelson had concluded "that in her professional opinion, there was evidence of digital or penal penetration based on the (sexual) history of the victim; and that there was no forensic evidence to link the victim to the accused."

Casey told gardai he believed the victim had accused him "because he had left for Africa without saying goodbye" and that he made a "derogatory comment" about a boyfriend of the victim, during a conversation on Skype.

The victim kept a diary of the abuse, the court heard.

Casey has no previous convictions and was regarded as having a good work ethic.

He was involved in setting up a charity in Ghana, which provides literacy skills to children and adults. He was also involved in running a company providing mosquito repellant, the court heard.

In a victim impact statement the girl said the abuse left her severely traumatised, and that she is to receive assistance from HSE child and adolescent mental health service providers CAMHS, as well as therapy from the Cari Foundation, which provides counselling for victims of child sexual abuse.

"It is quiet clear the serious impact on her life. Her relationships have been affected. The pain is clear. The stress of the trial was hard to cope with. She can only hope she can gain some sort of closure," the judge said.

Casey did not offer an apology to the victim.

"The accused does not accept the verdict of the jury and the defence is not in a position to offer an apology at this time," judge O'Donnell said.

The court was told Casey had "led a productive life".

"He is a retired shopkeeper. He is still involved with charity work in Africa, which he continues to travel to regularly," judge O'Donnell said.

He added Casey "has been the subject of insidious abuse on social media".

"He has come back (from Africa) and honoured his bail conditions at all times."

Judge O'Donnell said the "aggravating factors" were "the defilement of a child", and the "grooming nature of the accused".

"He was trusted by the victim and the victim's family. He was given the loan of the family's van" to take the girl on dog walks."

He continued: "The predatory nature of the accused's actions; The physical and psychological harm caused to the victim. The age gap. She was 13 and he was 62 when abuse began.

"It was a breach of trust."

Judge O'Donnell described the abuse as "serious".

He added: "The accused took advantage of every opportunity to have his way with the victim, during walks, at (other locations), in the back of a van, at the victim's home, and at the accused's (home)."

Casey, who was placed on the sexual offenders register indefinitely, showed no emotion as the sentence was imposed.

"He still maintains his innocence. He's aged in his 70s, and any incarceration will prove very difficult (for him)," the judge said.
Rodrigo y Gabriela have announced two headline shows this July.

The band will play a fully seated performance at The National Concert Hall on July 15, followed by a standing show at The Academy on Sunday July 16.

The Mexican acoustic rock-maestros are on tour to celebrate the tenth anniversary re-release of their classic self-entitled break-out album.

Rodrigo y Gabriela are one of the most popular acoustic instrumental artists in the world.

Speaking of the Rodrigo y Gabriela album Rodrigo said, "We are busy at work on our new record, but looking back at this album, it's good to be reminded of how far we've come in ten years. Were looking forward to playing those songs this summer.

The re-release of Rodrigo y Gabriela includes the newly remastered album, plus two bonus tracks, plus a live album and DVD recorded at The Olympia Theatre in Dublin in 2006. Rodrigo y Gabriela (Deluxe Edition) will be released on 5 May 2017.

Tickets for their gig at the National Concert Hall on Saturday 15 July are priced at 30/37 including booking fee.

Tickets for their gig at The Academy on Sunday 16 July are priced at 37 including booking fee.

The tickets are to go on sale at 10am this Friday, 7 April at Ticketmaster outlets and www.ticketmaster.ie.
Australia's highest court has rejected an appeal by British company Reckitt Benckiser over a six million Australian dollar (3.6 million) fine for misleading consumers about the effectiveness of a popular painkiller.

The High Court refused to hear the appeal after Reckitt Benckiser's lawyers outlined its argument on Wednesday for why the fine imposed by the Federal Court in December was too high.

The Federal Court had upheld an appeal by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the watchdog that launched the court action, against the leniency of a 1.7 million Australian dollar (1 million) fine.

Reckitt Benckiser sold Nurofen painkillers that were marketed to relieve specific ailments, such as back pain and menstrual pain, when all of the products contained an identical amount of the same active ingredient, ibuprofen lysine.

The court ordered the company to remove the products from Australian stores.

The specific pain products were nearly double the price of Nurofen's standard ibuprofen painkiller and other general pain relief products sold by competitors.

The company sold 5.9 million packets of the specific pain products over four years for 45 million Australian dollars (27.3 million).

Rod Sims, chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, welcomed the High Court ruling.

He said that the same offences would likely be punished by fines of between 40 million Australian dollars (24 million) and 50 million Australian dollars (30 million) under proposed amendments to consumer law that could be legislated this year.

Reckitt Benckiser said it was disappointed by the High Court decision.

"Nurofen did not intend to mislead consumers and we apologise to those of our consumers who were misled," a company statement said. "We recognise that we could have done more to assist our consumers in navigating the Nurofen specific pain range."
North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast, US and South Korean officials said, amid worries that Pyongyang might soon conduct banned nuclear or long-range rocket tests.

The firing was also made as North Korea expressed anger over annual military drills between the United States and South Korea that the North sees as an invasion rehearsal.

The US Pacific Command said it detected and tracked what it assessed as a North Korean missile launched from land near the eastern city of Sinpo.

A US statement said initial assessments indicate the type of missile was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile.

US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said "the United States has spoken enough about North Korea" in reaction to the launch.

The State Department issued a terse statement from America's top diplomat acknowledging "yet another" launch and saying: "We have no further comment."

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a similar assessment, saying the missile flew about 37 miles - a much shorter distance than other North Korean missiles travelled in their recent test launches.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry called the North's latest missile launch a "reckless provocation" that posed a threat to international peace, while Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said the country lodged a strong protest.

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something to coincide with the Trump-Xi summit, perhaps conducting a nuclear test.

He said the missile launch may be a precursor, with more to come as the summit starts later this week.

"I've joked before that they don't mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored," he said.

Two weeks ago the South Korean and US militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch.

South Korean media speculated at the time that North Korea might have attempted to test a missile that it has not deployed.

Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 620 miles, with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

The North's latest launch came as outside satellite imagery show possible preparations for a new nuclear test at the North's main nuclear test site, such as communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data being already laid.

North Korea's state media has also said the world will soon witness what it calls "eventful successes" the country achieves in the space development.

Washington, Seoul and others call the North's space programme a cover for its long-range missile development scheme.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls US hostility.

Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental US within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

North Korea also often responds to US-South Korean military drills with its own military training and harsh rhetoric.

The allies say the drills set to run until the end of this month are defensive in nature.
A man has been charged with plotting to carry out a terror attack armed with a knife, police in the UK said.

Ummariyat Mirza was arrested by counter-terror police on Alum Rock Road, Birmingham, last Wednesday.

The 21-year-old, from St Agathas Road, Birmingham, is accused of buying a blade and conducting research to carry out a deadly assault.

West Midlands Police said he is also charged with possessing the bomb-making guide the Anarchist Cookbook and an extremist document called the Mujahideen Poisons handbook.

Officers also charged Zainub Mirza, 23, from Eastfield Road, Bordesley Green, with sending Islamic State propaganda videos and executions to others.

It is alleged she sent the extremist material, including a picture of a man holding two severed heads, to encourage terror attacks.

The arrests, made on March 29, were said not to be linked to the Westminster attack last month, in which four people died after a terrorist drove his car into crowds and fatally knifed a police officer.

Five homes and one business address were searched by counter-terrorism officers as part of the investigation, police said.

The pair will appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
Mississippi Can Keep Its Flag, 5th Cir. Rules

A federal appeals court rejected a black man's attempt to bring down Mississippi's flag, which features a Confederate battle ensign and enshrines the state's slave history.

Carlos Moore, an attorney, claimed the Confederate emblem violated his rights to Equal Protection. But the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal said he did not have standing to sue, even though he may have felt the stigma from the vestige of slavery in Moore v. Governor Dewey Phillip Bryant.

"Plaintiff's exposure to the Mississippi flag in courtrooms where he practices and his alleged physical injuries resulting from that exposure demonstrate that he strongly feels the stigmatic harm flowing from the flag," Judge Stephen Higginson wrote for the unanimous court.

However, the court explained, stigmatic injury is not injury-in-fact for standing purposes.

Stigma of Slavery

The appeals court affirmed a ruling last year by a federal judge, who dismissed the case for the same reasons. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves said Moore showed no "cognizable legal injury."

The judge also took the opportunity to refute protesters, who said outside the courtroom that Mississippi's secession from the union had nothing to do with slavery.

Reeves quoted the state's secession declaration, which said: "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery -- the greatest material interest of the world."

"To put it plainly," Reeves added, "Mississippi was so devoted to the subjugation of African-Americans that it sought to form a new nation predicated upon white supremacy."

"Hate Speech"

Moore claimed in his lawsuit that the flag was "discriminatory and racist in nature." He called it "hate speech," causing him emotional injury and inciting people to commits acts of racial violence.

The New Orleans based appeals court, however, said he had not showed an actual injury from the flag or that he had suffered discrimination because of it.

"That plaintiff alleges that he personally and deeply feels the impact of Mississippi's state flag, however sincere those allegations are, is irrelevant...unless plaintiff alleges discriminatory treatment," the court said.

Voters preserved the Confederate flag by referendum in 2001, but all the state's public universities have stopped flying it.

Related Resources:
ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry says she will lobby the federal government to commit to the final two years of the Gonski agreement at a meeting of state, territory and the federal education ministers this week.

But the education council meeting will not discuss future school funding, despite arrangements for 2018 and beyond not yet being clear.

The new school funding model, effective from 2018, is not yet known.

Instead, federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham has requested an additional gathering of education ministers in June ahead of a new deal being struck at that month's Council of Australian Governments meeting.

Ms Berry and the Association of Independent Schools of the ACT have made a plea for answers sooner to allow schools to plan for next year onwards.
Banks need to think harder about how they measure customer satisfaction to reward staff, according to the head of a government inquiry into banking remuneration.

Former Australian Public Service Commissioner Stephen Sedgwick told financial-industry executives at the AFR Banking and Wealth Summit on Wednesday that banks needed better metrics if they really want to reward their staff based on their performance with customers. Mr Sedgwick is leading a review into bankers' remuneration, due out later this month.Australia's biggest banks have been trying to move away from sales-based incentives after a series of scandals showed this can lead to risk taking and, in some cases, fraud.

Instead, banks have been reaching for "soft targets" like customer satisfaction, but when they tried to shift their pay structures, Mr Sedgwick said some simply didn't have the data and ended up just repurposing financial objectives.
Banks are dealing with an "implosion of trust and an explosion of scrutiny", former Queensland premier Anna Bligh has warned.

In her first speech since her controversial appointment as head of the Australian Bankers Association lobby group, Ms Bligh said it was her mission to reverse a "profound and fundamental shift in trust" against institutions like banks that is happening all over the world.

"Banks here in Australia are under an unprecedented level of pressure and scrutiny. I think there is a direct correlation between the implosion of trust and explosion of scrutiny," she told the Australian Financial Review's wealth and banking summit in Sydney on Wednesday.

While being the "envy of the world" for their strength and stability, even during the global financial crisis, Ms Bligh said the respect of customers did not match that level of peer respect.
A Kenyan-born lawyer placed in an unwinnable position on the Senate ballot paper at last year's election is expected to enter Parliament after the High Court ruled former Family First senator Bob Day was ineligible to be elected.

The High Court on Wednesday ruled that Mr Day had an inappropriate pecuniary interest with the Commonwealth because of the ownership structure of his Adelaide electorate office. He was ineligible to sit as a senator for South Australia from February 26, 2016, the court found.

Mr Day's vacancy will be filled by a special recount of the Senate ballot papers, with Family First's second candidate Lucy Gichuhi expected to replace him.

However Ms Gichuhi's own eligibility has been under a cloud because of speculation she was also a Kenyan citizen at the time of the last election.
Removing Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad following a deadly chemical weapons attack would exacerbate chaos in the war-torn country and see a more dangerous leader installed, a former Australian ambassador has warned in a grim assessment of the international community's capacity to respond to the atrocity.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Wednesday joined international condemnation of the strikes against the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun, in which 72 people are feared to have died, including 20 children.

Mr Turnbull said if Mr Assad was found to be behind the attack, as the United States believes, it would represent "a shocking war crime".

But Australia's ambassador to Egypt in the final years of the Howard government, Robert Bowker, said condemnation - and renewed calls for Mr Assad's removal - were futile.
1. Syria

Donald Trump says he never wanted to be drawn into the Middle East but said the chemical weapons attack on Syrians, including children and babies, had "crossed many, many lines" for him. The President appeared genuinely affected by the footage of the attack he has seen and said it had already changed his mind on Assad.

"When you kill innocent children, innocent babies, little babies with a chemical gas that is so lethal... that crosses many, many lines, beyond a red line," he said at a joint media conference with the King of Jordan. [C-SPAN]

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah II on Wednesday. Credit:AP

However the President hasn't said what he will do, if anything, in Syria, telling the media he doesn't canvass his military moves in public.
Eighty-nine-year-old fashionista Angela Nutt knows a thing or two about style.

For 50 years, she has operated her own clothes boutique, Angelica's, from the same spot in Lismore, keeping ahead of all the latest trends. In her own words, she also knows a thing or two about Lismore, which is why she may be one of only several traders in town who somehow survived the catastrophic floods unscathed.

"We did not leave it to the last minute like many," said Mrs Nutt, who turns 90 this month.

"We packed up all our garments, all of our stock and moved it out early. I think that's because I have lived here all my life. I witnessed the big flood in 1974 and I knew what to expect this time. As you can see, others did not."
Are Restaurants Required to Train Employees in First Aid?

Doing business in the food service industry comes with certain risks. Along with the normal profit-loss and customer satisfaction worries that all small businesses face, restaurant owners also need to be concerned with their customers' safety -- and not just from food poisoning or slip-and-falls. With eating comes the risk of choking, along with the subsequent risk of lawsuits if someone is inured or killed choking on food at your restaurant.

But are you legally required to train your restaurant employees in first aid, CPR, or the Heimlich maneuver?

Warning Signs

After a Colorado man choked to death during an eating challenge at a Voodoo Doughnut location in Denver, a 9News investigation discovered that state laws did not require first aid training for food service employees, nor did it provide legal protections for employees who might injure customers while trying to administer first aid or CPR. And the Mile High State is far from alone in this regard.

Just 14 states have laws specifically addressing aid to a choking victim in a restaurant or a similar food service business, and even then the most common requirement is that employers post a sign depicting food removal techniques. A report from Connecticut's Office of Legislative Research notes:

10 states require the state or a local public health agency to design or approve the signs;

7 states require the state public health agency to distribute signs to restaurants; and

3 states have statutory provisions stating that there is no charge for the signs.

Specific Northwest Statutes

Only Oregon, coincidentally where Voodoo Doughnut is headquartered, requires restaurants that serve food to mandate that their employees be trained to provide first aid to help a choking victim. The training must be completed within a reasonable time after date of employment, be in accordance with a training program approved by the local public health authority, and be based on the Red Cross-approved method known as the "abdominal thrust" procedure. Oregon also provides that neither restaurants nor their employees can be liable for injuries stemming from "good faith" efforts to provide first aid or CPR.

Customer satisfaction and customer safety are a restaurant's primary concern. If you have more questions about what the law in your state requires in terms of customer safety, contact an experienced injury attorney today.

Related Resources:
The mayors of Brisbane and Ipswich have called on Water Supply Minister Mark Bailey to make sure Seqwater's plans to spend up to $900 million to urgently upgrade Wivenhoe and Somerset dams do not stall.

Wivenhoe Dam no longer meets the national design standards for large dams, despite more than $100 million in upgrades, Fairfax Media reported on Wednesday morning.

Wivenhoe Dam releases water near Ipswich. Credit:Dean Saffron

The mayors, Graham Quirk and Paul Pisasale, would be, in effect, chief executives of the two cities to face flood disaster if problems emerged with the outdated dams.

Under the future-proofing proposals, major Somerset Dam upgrades could begin in 2022 and at Wivenhoe in 2025.
Traffic on the Eastern Freeway slows to an average speed of just 9km/h in the morning peak as it approaches Hoddle Street and Alexandra Parade.

New data taken from bluetooth tracking of vehicles by VicRoads in 2015, reveals the inbound lanes of the Eastern Freeway in Clifton Hill is the slowest section of Melbourne's freeway network and the only part that consistently moves at less than 20km/h during peak times.

Off-peak, freeway traffic there averages 25km/h, and in the evening peak 18km/h, still well below all other parts of the network that VicRoads monitors.
The condition of a man who lost both his legs after contracting an infection through what is thought to be a spider bite has stabilised, according to his family and the hospital where he is being treated.

After an earlier report suggested the man fell ill from of the bite of a white-tailed spider, experts have ruled out the possibility that the venom from any spider in Australia could cause a flesh-eating condition that requires amputation. Instead, they said, a spider bite  like any other abrasion  could serve as a "port of entry" for bacteria to enter the human body.

Filipino man Terry Pareja was visiting family in rural Victoria in February when he came down with a fever and noticed his foot was swollen. He went to the local medical clinic and was referred to Wimmera Base Hospital in Horsham, where, they said, doctors told them it appeared he had been bitten by a spider.

There, his right leg was amputated, and his spleen and part of his bowel were removed, according to his family. A spokeswoman from Wimmera Healthcare Group said the amputation had been performed "to treat a necrotising (flesh-eating) skin infection."
A car stolen while a family was on holiday was used to break into a car yard and later torched, police have said.

Victoria Police said that in February a Holden sedan was stolen from a garage in Cranbourne East while the owners were on holiday,

The silver HSV GTS Holden sedan at the car yard in Pakenham.

Two days later, at 8pm, the silver HSV GTS was used to break into a car yard in Pakenham.

Its entry set off an alarm, which prompted the yard's owner and his son to make their way down to the site.
The Family Court system is not working for families. Credit:Louie Dovis

It's time for a brand new approach to this long-standing and festering problem.

After 20 years of practising Family Law I think I'm qualified to give the Federal Government some well-intentioned free advice on addressing the Family Court fiasco and here it is. They need to fund a separation "triage" system to assess separated people early on. Think of it like the "Fresh Separation Clinic"  where people who are newly separated are entitled to minimum cost high-quality legal advice.

They can then proceed on the right track, with the right advice. People who get the right advice early are far more likely to settle. It is difficult to change someone's expectations when they have for months or years, held an incorrect belief as to their legal position, or they have never had advice at all and are simply using friends and family for advice. There is no point throwing more money at Legal Aid and the Court system unless we can assess and treat early.

Ideally the clinic should be manned by experienced Family Lawyers. Every year lawyers do the equivalent of 35 hours per year free legal work (or pro bono) each, so within the legal profession there is certainly a culture of giving back to the community. Presently many community legal centres are manned by private lawyers on a rotating roster and these positions are often sought after as it can be a source of new work for good quality lawyers.
You may want to take your lunch break or look up at the sky around two o'clock on Wednesday afternoon as an A350-900 Singapore Airlines aircraft will make a low flyby past Perth city.

Following its departure from Perth Airport, SQ226 will fly at 1500ft and will track along the Swan River in front of the city before heading towards the coast.

The stunt is to mark the 50th anniversary of Singapore Airlines flying to Perth.

Traffic came to a standstill around Perth Airport in May last year as thousands of people lined up against fences, along road verges and on the side of the road in an attempt to get a glimpse of the Ukraine-built Antonov An-225 Mriya.
A victim of a suspected chemical attack receives treatment at a makeshift hospital. Credit:AP But with Tuesday's horrific attack being one in a series since that deal was signed, it's clear that Assad held back some of his poisonous stocks. In 2013 Trump in particular and Republicans generally mocked Obama. A child victim of the chemical attack is treated at a makeshift hospital. Credit:AP But now Trump is President and the GOP rules Washington and the whole Syria mess is infinitely more complicated.

They own it, so what will they do about it? What can Trump do in the face of such a wilful demonstration by Assad of the seeming powerlessness of the world to deal with him? The attack coincided with a conference of European governments in Brussels, which pledged billions of dollars to rebuild Syria after the war so that the refugee masses in Europe might return home. While the White House was blaming Obama's inaction for Tuesday's attack, the State Department was blaming Assad and his Moscow and Tehran sponsors, with a spokesman urging the Russians and the Iranians to rein in Assad. White House spokesman Sean Spicer described the gas attack as a "reprehensible" act against innocent people "that cannot be ignored by the civilised world."

But in keeping with the administration's singular focus on countering IS, he insisted that the US was unlikely to change its thinking on Assad because of Syrian "political realities". "There is not a fundamental option of regime change as there has been in the past," Spicer said at his daily press briefing session. "Somebody would be rather silly not acknowledging the political realities that exist in Syria. "What we need to do is to fundamentally do what we can to empower the people of Syria to find a different way." Spicer refused to discuss actions Washington might take.

Then he went for Obama: "These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the last administration's weakness and irresolution." As much as Obama loathed Assad, he worried that there would be a vacuum in the absence of the Syrian leader, which would be filled by the likes of IS, al-Qaeda and other extremist groups. Despite expressions of horror at the White House over this latest gas attack, Trump has not been unduly bothered by the carnage of a six-year civil war in which more than 400,000 are estimated to have died. Last year Syrian diplomats speculated that they would come under less pressure from Trump than from his rival Hillary Clinton if she was to win the November election. And sure enough, as reported this week by The Washington Post, when Blackwater founder Erik Prince had a secret parley with a close associate of Putin's in the Seychelles in January, an agenda item as they explored a Washington-Moscow back channel was a deal to resolve the Syria crisis.

Trump too has alluded to some kind of joint effort with Moscow in Syria. But that now becomes an even more complex proposition. Because Moscow has come to depend on Syria for a foothold in the Middle East, and in getting into bed with Vladimir Putin, Trump also would be cozying up with a trio that, in the eyes of most in Washington, is utterly unsavory  Assad, Tehran and the Lebanon-based Shiia militia, Hezbollah. Both Haley and Tillerson earned a ticking off from Republican senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham on their seeming indifference to the plight of ordinary Syrians. Warning against any "Faustian bargain" with Moscow, McCain used blunt language: "Syrians can't decide their fate as they're being slaughtered."

"Trying to fight [IS] while pretending that we can ignore the Syrian civil war that was its genesis, and fuels it to this day, is a recipe for more war, more terror, more refugees, and more instability. "I hope President Trump will make clear that America will not follow this self-destructive and self-defeating path." And in a statement after Tuesday's gas attack McCain seemed to dare Trump to not act against Assad: "Assad believes he can commit war crimes with impunity and [the question is] whether we will take any action to disabuse him of this murderous notion." Loading Accusing Trump of "the biggest mistake" since Obama had failed his own red-line test, he said: "I hope these reports are not accurate, but if they are the war in Syria will never really end as the Syrian people want Assad removed from power".
Wellington: Floods and landslips blocked roads and closed schools across New Zealand's north island on Wednesday after it was swept overnight by the tail-end of powerful Cyclone Debbie, which left a trail of destruction in Australia.

In Auckland, the north island's biggest city, a cliff collapsed on to an apartment block and more than 1000 homes were without power. A state of emergency was declared in two other districts - Whanganui and Rangitikei - as river levels rose amid record rainfall.

A yellow truck drives through flood waters after heavy rain caused flooding near Clevedon. Credit:Chris McKeen/Fairfax NZ

No fatalities have been reported but police were investigating reports a person was missing on the Waikato River on Wednesday afternoon.

Floods forced the closure of several country roads and highways throughout the north island, including Auckland. Schools remained closed on Wednesday in Whanganui and Rangitikei, and in Clevedon and Brookby in rural Auckland. Some train and ferry services were replaced by buses due to landslides and flooding.
Madrid: Spanish police raided properties belonging to relatives of Bashar al-Assad as part of a money laundering investigation into a criminal organisation which may include several members of the Syrian leader's family.

Police searched 15 properties in the Marbella area belonging to Rifaat al-Assad, President Assad's uncle, and some of his children.

Judge Jose de la Mata has also moved to block 16 bank accounts held by individuals suspected of being connected to Rifaat al-Assad and deposit accounts belonging to 76 companies. Investigators believe that more than 250 million ($411 million) in Syrian public funds have been siphoned into these accounts.

The judge ordered the seizure of more than 500 properties owned by President Assad and his relatives, a court statement said. Real estate belonging to Rifaat al-Assad and his relatives in Spain is estimated at almost 600 million, including parking spaces in garages to villas, luxury apartments and country estates, virtually all in Marbella and nearby Puerto Banus, a glitzy marina development.
Relative measures: ensuring Australian banks remain in the top quartile of international peers as recommended by the Financial System Inquiry

ensuring Australian banks remain in the top quartile of international peers as recommended by the Financial System Inquiry Alternative measures: making sure banks are seen positively by various national and international ratings agencies

making sure banks are seen positively by various national and international ratings agencies Absolute measures: establishing whether banks can withstand extreme but plausible adversity

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) will continue to refine its response to rising levels of residential lending and corresponding capital risk factors as it further aims to make the national banking system unquestionably strong.In a speech at the Australian Financial Reviews Banking & Wealth Summit in Sydney yesterday (5 April), APRA chairman Wayne Byres told the audience how the regulator would act moving forwards.Probably the biggest issue we will need to resolve in ensuring capital is appropriately allocated is whether and how we adjust the risk weights for housing-related exposures.While last weeks prudential measures to further strengthen residential mortgage lending practice was a tactical response to conditions in the housing market, Byres said that a longer term and more strategic response was needed.This response will include an additional review of the relative and absolute capital requirements for housing exposures.That should not be taken to imply that there will be a dramatic increase in capital requirements for housing lending: APRA has always imposed capital requirements for housing exposures that are well above international minimum standards, so we do not start with glaring deficiencies.However, he highlighted the notable concentration in housing found in the Australian banking system  an issue that the regulator to definitely pay attention to.The increased concentration in mortgage lending by the banks implies the system has de-risked rather than de-leveraged, Byres said.But that assessment is itself premised on a critical assumption: that a high and increasing concentration in mortgages is generating a lower risk banking system. In the current environment, it is certainly an assumption that deserves a bit more scrutiny.APRA plans on releasing an information paper around the middle of the year which explains how the banking system is viewed through a variety of lenses:The paper will also go over the extent of any further strengthening required as well as the timeframe over which these measures can be achieved.Beyond establishing the aggregate level of capital, we will need to follow that up with consultation on how the regulatory framework should allocate that capital across the different types of risk exposure, he said.Changes will include greater limitations on the use of internal credit risk models and the removal of operational risk models  both of which will primarily impact the larger banks.
Top Legal Questions About the President's Power

There were certainly questions about presidential power during Barack Obama's presidency, especially when it came to Obamacare and his executive actions on gun control. But those questions have reached a fever pitch under President Donald Trump, as he has attempted to remake the presidency in his own image.

So what are the limits on the president's power, if any?

As a candidate, Trump proposed quite a few constitutional amendments. Now that he's president, can he make them happen? Even though a president can't unilaterally change the text of the Constitution, he can direct executive agencies in their interpretation and enforcement of its provisions.

There are reports of immigration officials pulling undocumented persons out of hospitals. Is this a new practice? And how much impact can President Trump have on choosing who to deport and why?

Trump's White House issued directives to several federal agencies, looking to limit public statements and social media posts regarding matters that the previous administration supported. But do those orders violate federal employees' First Amendment rights?

There are strict ethics rules regulating what government officials should do when they have a personal financial interest in a certain business or industry, generally requiring the official to disclose their interest and recuse themselves from work where there could be a conflict of interest. But the Trump administration appears to be playing fast and loose with those rules.

Previous President Barack Obama's administration brokered a historic nuclear agreement with Iran in 2015, an accord current President Donald Trump has called "the stupidest deal of all time." Does that mean the current administration can back out of the deal?

Related Resources:
The Reserve Bank of Australia ( RBA ) has expanded its scope of considerations when making its monthly cash rate call with its latest monetary note making a mention of household borrowing.The pace of growth in household borrowing, which is largely used to purchase property, was one of the key factors the RBA took into account when holding the cash rate at 1.5% yesterday (4 April).While the Bank noted that recently announced supervisory measures would help address the risks caused by increasingly rising levels of indebtedness, it called upon the banks and non-banks to take further action.Lenders need to ensure that the serviceability metrics that they use are appropriate for current conditions. A reduced reliance on interest-only housing loans in the Australian market would also be a positive development, the RBA said.With rate increases by lenders, particularly in the investor space, the Reserve Bank said that Australias financial institutions remained in a good condition to lend.The additional focus on household borrowing was not a surprise, said Harley Dale , chief economist at the Housing Industry Association (HIA).The RBA was always likely to beat its drum today on the need to reinforce strong lending standards in the Australian housing market. The Bank has had its eye on the situation for a considerable time.In its note, the Reserve Bank also pointed out that housing market conditions varied dramatically from region to region across Australia with prices in some markets rising while others fell.Dale warned that these variations required stricter measures than t hose presented by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) last week The RBA itself recognises in todays statement that conditions in the housing market vary considerably around the country, he said.The application of stricter lending standards to geographical areas, types of buyers or housing product that do not represent any risk to financial stability would exacerbate the prospect of an impending downturn in new home construction being larger than would otherwise be the case.This would present the RBA with an additional problem that it did not really need, he said.
Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams

76th Precinct

Carroll Gardens-Cobble HillRed Hook

Random attack

Three bruisers punched a guy in the face on Baltic Street on March 30, police said.

The 41-year-old victim told police the three unknown curs came up to him between Bond and Hoyt streets at 3:10 pm and started punching him repeatedly, causing a swollen forehead. But he refused medical attention, officials said.

It was lit

Cops cuffed a guy for having marijuana on him and then trying to hide the evidence on the corner of Nevins and Butler streets on April 1.

Police saw the 25-year-old suspect in possession of lit pot at a little before 8 pm, and then he crushed it under his foot, according to authorities.

Healing the common cold

Officers nabbed a guy for swiping cold medicine from a Smith Street store on April 3.

The suspect tried to leave the store between Warren and Baltic streets at about 9:55 am with multiple bottles worth of cold medicine, officials said.

Hubcap bandit

Police arrested a guy who they say stole four hubcaps off a parked car on Baltic Street on April 2.

A witness spotted the suspect grab the plastic caps off the silver 2005 Toyota Corolla parked between Smith and Hoyt streets at about 5:10 pm, according to authorities. The 55-year-old suspect also had an active warrant, police said.

In a split second

A jerk swiped a guys wallet he had left on a counter in a store near Lorraine Street on April 3, police said.

The guy told police he went to buy something in the store near Columbia Street sometime between 6:45 am and 8:15 am and walked out without his wallet, but when he went back inside, it was gone, officials said.

The sneak fled with his wallet containing two credit cards and a drivers license, according to authorities.

Missing money

A malefactor swiped a wad of cash from a Court Street spa on April 1, police said.

The baddie took off with $398 from a drawer inside the store between Degraw and Douglass streets at about 6 pm, police said.

Caught

Cops cuffed a 17-year-old man for having a loaded gun and narcotics on him near Baltic and Nevins streets on April 1.

The teen had a loaded 357-Magnum revolver on him at about 8:45 pm, along with narcotics, prescription medicine, and counterfeit bills, police said. And the suspect had stolen the gun, according to authorities.

Case of stolen identity

Police arrested one of several guys who were depositing stolen checks at a Court Street bank on March 31.

The 22-year-old suspect, along with two unapprehended sneaks, cashed in 14 payroll checks for a total of $4,126 in the financial institution between Union and Sackett streets at about 8:15 pm, according to authorities. Police charged the suspect with grand larceny, identity theft, and forgery, officials said.

 Julianne Cuba
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.
The awards were granted to U Ko Ni (posthumous), Daw Ja Nan Lahtaw and U Aung Myo Min.

"The Schuman Award recognises the merits of those who stand out in promoting core values of the European Union  and indeed universal values of humanity. U Ko Ni, Daw Ja Nan Lahtaw and U Aung Myo Min have dedicated their lives to working towards a better future for their country and all the people who call Myanmar their home. They are ambassadors for peace, democracy, human rights and equality. With this award, the European Union would like to honour the important work of our first Schuman Laureates," said EU Ambassador Roland Kobia.

The Schuman Awards  named after former French Foreign Minister and founding father of the European Union, Robert Schuman  were established in 2017 to recognise the merits of Myanmar personalities in defending core European values of peace, democracy and human rights. The awardees were jointly chosen by representatives of European Union Member States in Myanmar, out of a list of activists, researchers, politicians, social workers, journalists, lawyers and community leaders. The Schuman Awards aim at establishing a network of "Ambassadors for Peace, Democracy and Human Rights" and at contributing to the EU's friendship with people in Myanmar who stand up for the rights and values we share in common.

2017 Schuman Awardees:

U Ko Ni (posthumous)

The posthumous award to late NLD lawyer U Ko Ni, who was assassinated at Yangon Airport on 29 January 2017, gives merit to his strong engagement for democratic reform and his outstanding efforts to promote rule of law and civil rights during the transition process. As a member of Myanmars Muslim community, U Ko Ni also stood out for his engagement for interfaith dialogue and against discrimination.

The late U Ko Ni's wife, Daw Tin Tin Aye, and his daughter, Dr Yin Nwe Khaing, accepted the award on his behalf.

Daw Ja Nan Lahtaw

Daw Ja Nan Lahtaw is the director of Shalom Foundation which aims at establishing a just and peaceful society for all people in Myanmar. She has been actively involved in peace and political dialogue processes and works with local women and gender networks to promote women participation in the peace process. The Schuman Award recognises her outstanding engagement in promoting peace and gender equality in Myanmar.

U Aung Myo Min

U Aung Myo Min is the executive director of Equality Myanmar and took part in Myanmars 1988 student uprising. He spent 24 years in exile and has been an active and outspoken leader in the promotion of human and rights and equality since his return to Myanmar in 2013.The Schuman Award honours U Aung Myo Min's tireless efforts in promoting human rights and equality in Myanmar.
North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast today, just before the Trump administration's summit with Chinese leaders. Pyongyang's arms program is one of the topics Trump and China's Xi Xingpi are expected to discuss.

South Korea's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says the North Korean missile flew about 60 km (40 miles) from its launch site at Sinpo, a port city on the North's east coast. There's a submarine base there.

"The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment," U.S. Secretary of State and former Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson said in a bizarrely terse statement.

Reuters:

The launch comes just a day before the start of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping, where talks about adding pressure on the North to drop its arms development will take center stage. "The launch took place possibly in consideration of the U.S. -China summit, while at the same time it was to check its missile capability," a South Korean official told Reuters about the military's initial assessment of the launch. The missile was fired at a high angle and reached an altitude of 189 km (117 miles), the official added. Any launch of objects using ballistic missile technology is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The North has defied the ban, saying it infringes its sovereign rights to self defense and the pursuit of space exploration. The launch drew swift condemnation from Japan, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying further provocative action was possible.

Source: North Korea test-fires missile into sea ahead of Trump-Xi summit
From Burma to Buffalo topic of presentation

Buffalo News reporter Jerry Zremski and photographer Derek Gee will discuss their experiences reporting on the lives of refugees from Burma during From Burma to Buffalo, a presentation sponsored by the School of Social Works Immigrant and Refugee Research Institute.

Zremski and Gee, who spent 20 months reporting the series of stories detailing the arrival of more than 8,000 Burmese refugees in Buffalo, also will discuss how the Trump administrations stance on immigration and refugees will affect refugees in the resettlement program.

Their talk will take place from 3:30-5:30 p.m. April 12 in 403 Hayes Hall, South Campus. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Those wishing to attend should RSVP. For further information contact Isok Kim, assistant professor in the School of Social Work.
Higher taxes, trash pickup? Many special questions await voters Nov. 8

They're sometimes easy to miss, but many South Jersey communities have special questions before voters on their Nov. 8 ballots.
Amy Robertson was set to be the $93,000-a-year principal of Pittsburg High School in Kansas. But she quit before her first day after the student newspaper found that her Masters' degree and Ph. D. were from a diploma mill.

"She was going to be the head of our school, and we wanted be assured that she was qualified and had the proper credentials," said Trina Paul, a senior and an editor of the Booster Redux, the school newspaper. "We stumbled on some things that most might not consider legitimate credentials."  Pittsburg journalism adviser Emily Smith said she is "very proud" of her students. "They were not out to get anyone to resign or to get anyone fired. They worked very hard to uncover the truth." Students journalists published a story Friday questioning the legitimacy of the private college  Corllins University  where Robertson got her master's and doctorate degrees years ago. U.S. Department of Education officials, contacted by The Star, confirmed student reports; the federal agency could not find evidence of Corllins in operation. The school wasn't included among the agency's list of schools closed since 1986. Robertson earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Tulsa.

Robertson insisted "all three of my degrees have been authenticated by the US government," whatever that means, and that she would not respond to students' questions about he credentials "because their concerns are not based on facts."

You'd think "look them up on Google" would be part of the hiring process, but no!
Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app.

Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006.

Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more.

Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them.

26 years of website archives.
The Indian unit of German auto component maker is working on technology that would help vehicles meet the Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) emission standards, which will come into effect from April 2020.
Carmakers are realising the damage that strong association of a vehicle with the taxi segment does to long-term demand from private buyers. Firms are making conscious attempts to differentiate vehicles to cater to the taxi and the personal segments simultaneously.
Ltd, a leading port operator in the country with a current capacity of 140 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), is planning to build a Rs 10,000 crore greenfield commercial port in Gujarat's Dwarka, a senior company official said. Besides, with its modernisation project at its Vishakhapatnam port likely to be completed by September, the company also expects 50 per cent growth in cargo from the port.

Rajiv Agarwal, CEO and managing director of Ltd confirmed that the company has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) which administers and regulates the 41 state-owned non-major ports of Gujarat during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in January this year.

"We have signed an MoU during the Vibrant Summit in this regard. Work on a detailed project report (DPR) is on. We are now working on approvals for the project, which might take some time," Agarwal told Business Standard. Investment of over Rs 10,000 crore is planned for the project which is estimated to employ around 1,000 people.

This would be Essar's first commercial port in India, as it currently operates ports which are largely for captive cargo. It currently operates five ports in the country in Hazira (Gujarat), Paradip (Odisha), Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Salaya (Gujarat) and Vadinar (Gujarat).

In fact, Essar's port terminals recorded a 25 percent growth in cargo traffic in FY 2016-17. The consolidated cargo handling across the company's five operational ports rose to 72.86 million tonnes in FY 2016-17, compared to 58.27 million tonnes in the previous fiscal.

What is significant to note here is that third-party traffic grew by 60 per cent. Agarwal said that third party cargo is expected to go further up during FY18.



He added that with the modernisation work at Vishakhapatnam estimated to get over by September, the company expects to achieve a 50 per cent growth in cargo traffic there. "The present terminal is 25-year old. Post modernisation, Vishakhapatnam would be able to handle 7,500 tonnes per hour cargo (around 100,000 tonnes per day) and also handle 180,000 tonner capesize vehicle. From a 8 million tonne last fiscal, by conservative estimates, we expect it to handle around 12 million tonnes in FY18," Agarwal elaborated.

Meanwhile, during FY17, Essar's dry bulk cargo growth has been strong, registering a 52 per cent growth at 30.39 million tonnes (mt) as compared to 19.97 million tonnes in FY16. The anchor customer of Essar Ports' dry bulk terminals in Hazira, Paradip and Visakhapatnam is Essar Steel.

Agarwal said that with steel production in the country going up, the dry bulk cargo at the ports (mainly iron ore) has grown significantly.

The company is in the process to expand the 30 mt Hazira Bulk Terminal to 50 mt and also the 16 mt Vishakhapatnam terminal (which handles iron ore and pellets for Essar Steel NMDC and other major steel players) is being expanded to 32 mt. On the liquid cargo front, Essar's Vadinar terminal recorded a growth of 11 per cent and recorded a throughput of 42.47 mt in FY17.

As such Essar's 140 mtpa capacity is being expanded to 194 mtpa over the next few years.
SoftBank, which is trying to pull off the biggest consolidation in the Indian e-commerce ecosystem, again failed to convince the board of directors of Jasper Infotech Pvt Ltd, owner of Snapdeal, to sell the online marketplace to Flipkart.
Yogendra Vasupal (pictured), one of the founders of online accommodation aggregator Stayzilla, has filed a bail petition with the Madras High Court, almost three weeks after he was arrested by the police on a complaint filed by one of its vendors. .
Syed Zainul Abedin, the spiritual head of the Ajmer sufi shrine, was on Wednesday "sacked" by his brother for the "blasphemous" support to the ban on slaughter of "bovines" and selling beef in the country and declared a "non Muslim".

Syed Alaudin Alimi claimed he had the support of the family in sacking Abedin and anointing himself as the new "deewan", spiritual chief, of the Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti mausoleum in Ajmer -- one of the most famous Muslim shrines visited by millions of devotees from across the sub-continent every year.

The post is hereditary and belongs to heirs of the 12th-13th century sufi priest. Deewan has no control over the management of the shrine but gets a monthly remuneration from the management committee, which is appointed by the government.

"I am the new deewan. I have the support of the entire (Chishti) clan," Alimi told IANS, alleging that Abedin was an "apostate because he had spoken in violation of the Islamic law".

"I am not interested in salary. He (Abedin) can have the money. Buy I won't allow him to enter the shrine now. Whatever he has said is blasphemous. I have spoken to muftis (Islamic scholars who interpret sharia) and we will be issuing a fatwa (decree) against him. He is no longer a Muslim."

Abedin has been the deewan of the shrine since after the Supreme Court 1987 order, ruling him as the most direct and eldest descendant of the sufi priest.

He sparked a controversy on Monday by asking Muslims in India to stay away from slaughter of "bovine animals" and to stop consuming beef for communal harmony in the country.

He read his message during the 805th annual function at the shrine that was also attended by religious heads of various shrines from different parts of the country.

Abedin also announced that he and his family members "will never eat beef now".

"The government should widely impose ban on slaughtering of all bovine animals and sale of beef. This is one of the prominent reasons for communal hatred in India. Muslims should become an example by taking a resolution to not consume beef in the interest of communal harmony in the country," he said.
What happens if there is a dispute between the centre and a group of states or between the centre and a state? Article 143 of the constitution says the central government can refer the matter to the President of India with a request that he ask the Supreme Court to rule on the dispute. This difference of opinion could relate to an existing issue or one likely to arise in the future because of the enactments of Parliament already passed or likely to be passed or because of some judgment of constitutional courts or otherwise.
On the near-vertical slopes of the eastern Himalayas, workers are blasting and cutting treacherous rock faces to build a top-priority military asset: a 34-mile road to the countrys disputed border with China.
In a message at the launch of the governments Accessible India Campaign in December 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested the term divyaangwhich translates into divine bodyfor persons with disability, instead of the usual viklaang, or handicapped. He said persons with are divinely blessed with extra gifts.



Many disabled rights groups later wrote to the Prime Minister arguing that changing terminology alone would not end the discrimination that persons with face, and asking him to address the barriers that hinder their participation in the countrys economic, social and political life.
The civil aviation ministry, which has toyed with the idea of a biometric identification system at airports for long, is close to rolling it out. Similar to marquee airports such as Schiphol (Amsterdam), Brisbane and Hamad (Doha), travellers could soon enter Indian airports without flashing their identity cards and clear the check-in process through fingerprint and iris scan.
Even as the country braces for a harsh summer, 24,000 Mw of gas-based power projects would go off the grid, owing to no supply of fuel. The units affected belong to state-owned NTPC and the Gujarat State Electricity Supply Company, as well as private players such as CLP India, Torrent Power, GVK Industries, and Lanco Power GMR Energy.

The central government was supporting the projects through a subsidised gas-bidding programme, but has now decided to shelve it. This follows reluctance from the states that have refused to purchase power at Rs 4 per unit.

Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra, which have gas-based power projects, have refused to buy power from these plants, citing high costs. After the last round of bidding last year, states did not sign power-purchase agreements, said a senior power ministry official.

Piyush Goyal, minister of state with independent charge for coal, power, mines, and new and renewable energy, was also reported to have said, The scheme is being discontinued. But, if there is interest from all sides, we can resume it.

Of the 24,150 Mw of gas grid-connected power generation capacity in the country, 14,305 Mw has no supply of domestic gas.

Investment in these projects, to the tune of about Rs 60,000 crore, could become non-performing assets.

The remaining capacity (9,845 Mw), with investment of about Rs 40,000 crore, is working at sub-optimal levels, because of the limited domestic supply of gas.

The government floated a reverse e-auction process for to avail subsidy for buying costly imported gas  regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG). This involved a reverse bid for the subsidy amount to come from Power System Development Fund (PSDF) to purchase RLNG.

The bid amount reflects the amount of subsidy support that the power generators seek from the government. The bidding was held on the e-bidding platform built by public sector undertaking the MSTC.

The eligible bidders indicated the total incremental electricity they would generate using the e-bid RLNG. The companies also quoted the subsidy they required to ensure the net purchase price for the distribution companies to buy that power, without exceeding the target power load factor.

Rescue efforts June 2015: Government initiated programme to auction subsidised imported gas June 2015-September 2016: Four rounds of bidding Average power tariff: Rs 4.5 per unit Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra refuse to buy costly gas-based power In September, no state signed a power-purchase agreement

The four rounds were held in June 2015, and March, May and September last year.

Under a unique arrangement, every stakeholder in the supply chain would have to forego a part of their returns on operations. While the central government would give up service tax it levies on gas sourcing, power plant operators would forego return on equity.

GAIL would source the imported gas, and, along with Gujarat State Petronet, would forgo 50 per cent of their transmission rate and 75 per cent of marketing margin in supplying imported RLNG.

The lead banker to these plants would ensure all receipts of money would be utilised only for payments towards the variable cost of generation (fuel cost) and the operation and maintenance expenses, in accordance with regulatory guidelines. Debt servicing would be made after capping fixed cost.
The chorus for waiving off farm loans has grown louder in Odisha following the decision of the Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh to write off loans worth Rs 36,000 crore for the farmers.

At a review meeting with the chief minister Naveen Patnaik, the representatives of Bargarh and Puri panchayats today raised the demand for waiver of loans. Patnaik has been interacting with his party leaders at the grassroots level after rival BJP made unexpected gains at the recent panchayat elections, denting the ruling BJD's hegemony.
For a world that too often seems impervious to the horrors of Syrias civil war, the photos and videos from Tuesdays chemical weapons attack, which killed dozens of civilians, bore witness to a new level of atrocity. People gasping for breath, turning blue, lying dead in the street  all victims of airstrikes apparently by President Bashar al-Assads forces.
Tokyo, Moscow, Madrid, London, Brussels, and now St Petersburg. These major cities have all suffered attacks on their systems. The most recent events in St Petersburg, where a bombing killed at least 14 people, remind us of the challenges faced by underground transport systems in keeping people safe during an emergency. This is where engineering and psychology research can come in useful, helping to optimise evacuation procedures using insight into how people behave.
Dozens of people have been killed in a suspected chemical weapon attack in Syria, according to a war monitoring group. Videos and pictures have been posted online, which activists and medics claim show evidence of people dying from asphyxiation. One news agency report suggested at least 11 of the dead were children. There have also been reports that one of the hospitals treating the victims was attacked.
In a statement condemning Tuesdays chemical attack in Syria, President Trump faulted the administration of former President Barack Obama for not intervening more aggressively in that countrys civil war  contradicting his own, earlier advice.
The United States meets China this week in a position of weakness. Since taking office, has handed China a strategic gift by abandoning a trade pact designed to offset Chinese power in the region, been obliged to grovel after offending China over Taiwan, and turned President Xi Jinping of China into an unlikely poster boy for climate change concern and an open global trading system.
The UK government is eyeing to be a "key partner" of the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and is working on securing British business interests in the project to boost its trade ties post-Brexit.

UK trade minister Greg Hands held a roundtable with leading UK businesses, policy experts and senior representatives of the Chinese and Pakistani governments earlier this week.

"The UK is poised to be a key partner of the CPEC," said an official statement issued here on Wednesday.

The statement said the UK will be hosting a key conference on in Islamabad in May.

"Britain is a country of free-trade influence and can be an important partner for China and Pakistan in the delivery of huge infrastructure projects that are being planned between the two countries," Hands said.

"As part of an outward looking Global Britain, we have a clear ambition to increase trade with both China and Pakistan and UK businesses are well placed to capitalise on the new opportunities the region," he noted.

According to the UK's Department of Trade, China is supporting $51 billion of infrastructure development in Pakistan as part of the to develop key infrastructure projects like roads, railways and power stations which will modernise Pakistan's economy and boost access to trade.

It is part of China's broader 'Belt and Road Initiative' to replicate the ancient Silk Road trade routes with modern trading relationships and investments across Asia, the Middle East and into Europe.

India has protested over the project as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

China defends the project, saying it is a development oriented project aimed at improving lives of the local people and it makes no difference to its stand on the Kashmir issue.

The meeting hosted by Hands in London on Monday included the Chinese Ambassador, Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK and British High Commissioner to Pakistan.

Experts from City UK, the Royal United Services Institute and the China Britain Business Council as well as representatives from HSBC, Deloitte and Standard Chartered discussed how they and other British firms can support the delivery of CPEC.

A joint statement in 2015 between the UK and Chinese governments committed both countries to support each other's commercial co-operation in new markets.
The United States warned that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad must be held accountable for chemical weapons attacks and demanded that Russia and Iran bring their ally to heel.

"While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates, with brutal, unabashed barbarism," US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.

President Donald Trump and Tillerson issued separate written statements after a suspected chemical attack left dozens of Syrians dead in a rebel-held town outside.

The US administration has been under fire for concentrating its efforts on the defeat of the jihadist Islamic State group and not on ending Assad's civil war against his domestic opposition.

But Tillerson, who will visit Moscow next week, said the latest attack underlined the need for Russia and Iran to save the civil war peace process by reigning in their ally's excesses.

"Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions," he said.

"Anyone who uses chemical weapons to attack his own people shows a fundamental disregard for human decency and must be held accountable.

"We call upon Russia and Iran, yet again, to exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again," Tillerson said.

"As the self-proclaimed guarantors to the ceasefire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths.
Big Brother does just want to help  in Estonia, at least. In this small nation of 1.3 million people, citizens have overcome fears of an Orwellian dystopia with ubiquitous surveillance to become a highly digital society.
For the first time, Indian exporters have prepared a detailed promotion strategy for gems and jewellery, and set an annual target of $60 billion worth of exports, which they expect to achieve in the next five years. The move has come after the Prime Ministers advice on the issue.
The initial public offering (IPO) of the UTI Mutual Fund (UTI MF)  the first by a domestic asset management company (AMC)  could soon be a reality, with key stakeholders, including the State Bank of India (SBI), finally coming on the same page.
With (P-notes) losing their appeal as an investment vehicle, most banks that issue P-notes to foreign clients are changing their business model to shore up margins.
The crossed the 30,000 mark for the first time in about two years, as the Indian equity went up for a consecutive session. The Sensex gained 64 points, or 0.2 per cent, during the session to end at 29,974.2, while the NSEs Nifty closed at 9,265  27.3 points, or 0.3 per cent  higher. Both indices closed at new lifetime highs.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker Raja Balmiki was shot dead by three assailants in Muzaffarnagar's Khatauli on Wednesday early morning.

Balmiki was sitting in his shop when the three assailants came on a bike and fired at him. Valmiki, who was the member of BJP chief executive committee, died on the spot.

Police has recovered his body and sent it for post mortem. Police is investigating the matter.

Meanwhile, angry mobs have blocked the roads demanding the arrest of the assailants as soon as possible and later the mob was controlled by the police.

Last Monday, two BJP workers Amit Chauhan and Manu Kuswaha were also shot dead by bike-borne assailants in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the MoU between India and Australia on cooperation in the field of health and medicine.

The main areas of cooperation include the following:

1. Communicable diseases such as Malaria and TB;

2. Mental Health and Non-Communicable Diseases;

3. Anti-Microbial Resistance and responding to public health emergencies;

4. Regulation of Pharmaceuticals,vaccines and medical devices;

5. Digital Health;

6. Tobacco Control; and

7. Any other area of cooperation decided mutually between the two countries.

The MoU will involve cooperation through joint initiatives in the Health Sector and strengthen bilateral ties between India and Australia.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Tamilisai Soundararajan on Wednesday filed a complaint with the state CEO Rajesh Lakhoni over money distribution by the ruling and opposition parties ahead of by-polls in Chennai's R.K. Nagar constituency.

Earlier on Sunday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered mass transfer of revenue officials and police.

The commission directed the transfer of all poll-related officials upto the Assistant Returning Officers rank in the revenue side and from inspectors to additional commissioners of the police department.

The massive transfers are considered a rare measure taken by the Commission after the review of poll preparations by the Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha in Chennai recently.

On poll day, all the polling stations will be covered with central forces and will have web-casting in all booths - inside and outside the booths and proceedings outside the booth will be seen by general public.

Services of IAS/IPS probationers from the state will also be pressed into service.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former union minister and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday asserted that China has absolutely no locus standi on Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's visit to India, adding New Delhi must take a firm stand without being unnecessarily intimidated by Beijing's assertion.

Stating that we have to be uncompromising on this issue, Tharoor told ANI that Arunachal Pradesh is a state of the Indian Union and the people living there are Indian citizens.

"The Dalai Lama is a spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhist community. He has the right to go and visit the great monastery of his faith in which the sixth Dalai Lamas was born. It's perfectly normal for Dalai Lama to go and India should facilitate it," Tharoor said.

"China has absolutely no locus standi in the matter and we should take a firm stand without being unnecessarily intimidated by their spokesman," he added.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) yesterday issued a statement, saying that no additional colour should be ascribed to the Dalai Lama's religious and spiritual activities.

China has repeatedly warned India that the Dalai Lama's visit would hit the bilateral ties significantly.

Protesting the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, China earlier on Friday warned India to avoid damaging bilateral relations between the two nations and adhere to political pledges or else face the consequences.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With China protesting the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Tibetan spiritual leader on Wednesday said that some Chinese officials describe him as a terrorist.

"Some Chinese officials, I think, describe me as a terrorist," Dalai Lama told the media.

Earlier in the day, the Dalai Lama downplayed China's concern over his visit to North East India and said that he has no problems even if someone calls him a demon.

Talking to the media here, the Dalai Lama said, "No problem, even if some consider me a demon."

Hailing the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Tibetan government-in-exile had said that China should not have any problem with it as the spiritual leader's visit is purely religious.

"He has been invited by the people of Tawang to come and give teachings and blessings. He is visiting as a religious leader. He travels all over the world and give teachings on Buddhist philosophy, inter religious harmony and peace. There is no reason for China to protest the Lama visiting to the places where his followers are there," Tibetan government-in-exile spokesperson Sonam Dagpo told ANI.

Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday also warned against any 'artificial controversy' being created and asserted that the Dalai Lama's visit was strictly religious and not political.

"His (Dalai Lama) visit is purely religious in nature and there should be no political angle given to that," Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju told the media here.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had also issued a statement, saying that no additional colour should be ascribed to the Dalai Lama's religious and spiritual activities.

The Dalai Lama, who arrived in Bomdila earlier on Tuesday evening after heavy rainfall forced him to travel by road, is on a week-long trip to Arunachal Pradesh, despite China repeatedly denouncing India's decision and warning that this would hit the bilateral ties significantly.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng will pay an official visit to Pakistan and Sri Lanka beginning Wednesday.

Yu, who is the chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), will visit the two countries on the invitation of Pakistani Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani and Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya respectively, reports Xinhua.

In 2013, the strategic cooperative partnership between China and Pakistan was further enhanced, and bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields deepened. The two countries maintained frequent high-level exchange of visits and increased political mutual trust.

Cooperation in regional and international affairs was further strengthened as Pakistan continued to support China's position on Taiwan, Tibet and other issues. The two countries maintained cooperation on Afghanistan-related issues.

As for Beijing's partnership with Colombo, the two countries have supported each other on major issues, maintained close communication and coordination on regional and international affairs, and conducted sound cooperation on human rights and other areas.

In February this year, Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka during the 10th round of China-Sri Lanka diplomatic consultations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Delhi Court, on Thursday, is likely to take cognizance of the charge sheet filed against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in a Disproportionate Assets (DA) case.

Earlier on Monday, the Court adjourned the hearing in the case till April 6.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Friday, had filed a charge sheet against Singh in the case.

A day after being booked by the CBI special court in the disproportionate assets case, the Chief Minister accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of conspiring against him and asserted that all charges levelled against him were fabricated.

"The fight has just begun and I know the truth will prevail. All cases against me are fabricated. This is a conspiracy against me stitched by some BJP leaders like Prem Kumar Dhumal and Anurag Thakur. The BJP is misusing its power. There's no truth in it," said Singh.

He also said the case against him is a 'political vendetta' and he was ready to face the charges registered against him.

"This is a political vendetta. I am not afraid of it. I am ready to face the case," Singh told ANI.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following the comments by United States envoy to the United Nations Nikki Haley about possible intervention by the Trump administration to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday it will not accept any third party interference between New Delhi and Islamabad as it is a bilateral issue between the both the countries.

BJP leader S. Prakash told ANI that it is between both the countries to sort it out, adding the new administration will be made to realize the Indian stand properly.

"It is a bilateral issue the third party interference will not be accepted. Even during the Kargil war, then president of America invited both Nawaz Sharif and Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji for talks in Washington which was politely refused by Vajpayee that it is a bilateral issue and it is between Pakistan and India," he added.

Haley, a senior Indian-American member of the Trump administration, said in New York that the US would try and "find its place" in efforts to de-escalate Indo-Pak tensions and not wait till "something happens", indicating President Donald Trump could play a role in such endeavors.

"This administration is concerned about the relationship between India and Pakistan and very much wants to see how we de-escalate any sort of conflict going forward," Haley, who holds a cabinet rank in the Trump administration, said.

India has opposed external involvement in bilateral issues with Pakistan.

During his campaign in 2016, Trump had offered to mediate between India and Pakistan, but was careful to add that it was only if the two nations wanted him to.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Panthers Party (NPP) on Wednesday said that former chief minister Farooq Abdullah was adopting double standards by glorifying the stone pelters and alleged that he has been working as a silent agent for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) since long.

NPP leader Bhim Singh told ANI that Abdullah is changing his stand due to the upcoming by-polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Another reason is that the Conference and Farooq Abdullah have been working as silent agents for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) not from today but from the day first," Singh said.

"This is the double standard of Abdullah and the Conference that he is talking something which perhaps he does not believe in. This is undoubtedly the exploitation of Kashmir by Abdullah family," he added.

Meanwhile, Ladakh MP Thupstan Chhewang condemned Abdullah's statement while stating that the stone-pelters are not innocent.

"I condemn Farooq Abdullah's statement. When stone-pelters stop the security forces from working, it is an act of war," Chhewang told ANI in New Delhi.

Chhewang further stated it is clearly a war against India, adding tough action should be initiated against leaders like Abdullah.

Jammu and Kashmir activist Sushil Pandit on his part also lashed out at Abdullah for his remarks.

"We have given our Kashmir on lease for the last 70 years to people like Abdullah, that's why this is the condition of Jammu and Kashmir," Pandit told ANI.

Taking potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, Abdullah had earlier come out in support of stone pelters in Kashmir.

"If he (stone pelting youth) is giving up his life, he is not doing it for tourism. He is giving his life so that the destiny of this nation is decided which should be acceptable to the people of this place. This needs to be understood," he said at an election meeting in Sonawar constituency in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Recently the tunnel was opened. He (the Prime Minister) said the youth here should think whether they want tourism or terrorism. I want to tell Modi sahib tourism is our lifeline, there is no doubt about it. But he is a stone pelter. He has nothing to do with tourism. He will starve to death but he is pelting stones for his nation and there is a need to understand this," he added.

Abdullah, who was reacting to Prime Minister Modi's statement on April 2 at the inauguration of Chenani-Nashri tunnel that Kashmir's youth need to choose between tourism and terrorism, is contesting the bye-election to Srinagar Lok Sabha seat as the joint candidate of opposition National Conference and Congress.

The polling in the constituency will be held on April 9.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A delegation of the France-Pakistan Council in Islamabad has expressed a desire to invest in Pakistan.

M. Thierry Pflimlin, its chairman and and president of Total Global Services, was quoted by the Dawn, as saying that representatives of 16 French firms accompanying him on his visit to Pakistan, were quite satisfied with the overall environment to want to invest in the country.

The delegation is visiting Pakistan after a gap of 12 years, and will be here till April 6.

Pflimlin said sectors that have been identified for cooperation include agriculture, food processing, hydroelectric and renewable energy, digitisation of the industry, electronics, information technology, LNG storage and re-gasification etc.

He said the objective of the visit is to understand Pakistan and the opportunities it offers. He lauded the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), adding that Europe could also bring in investment for increased cooperation with Pakistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Wednesday down played China's concern over his visit to North East India, and said he has no problem even if someone dubs him a demon.

Talking to media here, the Dalai Lama said , "No problem, even if some considers me a demon."

Hailing the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Tibetan government-in-exile yesterday said that China should not have any problem with it as the spiritual leader's visit is purely religious.

"He has been invited by the people of Tawang to come and give teachings and blessings. He is visiting as a religious leader. He travels all over the world and give teachings on Buddhist philosophy, inter religious harmony and peace. There is no reason for China to protest the Lama visiting to the places where his followers are there," Tibetan government-in-exile spokesperson Sonam Dagpo told ANI.

He further said China is not protesting against the Dalai Lama's visit for the first time.

"He has been visiting Tawang for the last many years. So, you don't see any kind of Chinese projects coming openly. But may be about five-six years now whenever he is being invited by the people of Tawang, China begins to protest against the Indian Government," he added.

Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday also warned against any 'artificial controversy' being created and asserted that the Dalai Lama's visit was strictly religious and not political.

"His (Dalai Lama) visit is purely religious in nature and there should be no political angle given to that," Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju told the media here.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) yesyerday issued a statement, saying that no additional colour should be ascribed to the Dalai Lama's religious and spiritual activities.

The Dalai Lama, who was set to reach Tawang today, has been forced to change his schedule due to bad weather and will now reach Bomdila by evening.

The Tibetan spiritual leader was set to leave Guwahati by a chopper, but the inclement weather has forced him to travel by road and change his stop to Bomdila, where he will make a public appearance tomorrow.

After staying there for two days, he will proceed to Tawang.

During his visit, he is also expected to hold a religious discourse at the stadium of Tawang's senior secondary school and will also deliver a public talk on 'Secular Ethics and Happiness' at the Kala Wangpo Convention Centre.

On global stage, China has repeatedly warned India that the Dalai Lama's visit would hit the bilateral ties significantly.

Protesting Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, China earlier on Friday warned India to avoid damaging bilateral relations between the two nations and adhere to political pledges or else face the consequences.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday outrightly rejected Pakistan's move to declare Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth province, saying it is totally unacceptable.

Replying to an issue raised by BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Swaraj said India condemned the move the day it was made.

Swaraj said the Parliament had also earlier passed a resolution declaring the entire Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India.

"One should not doubt the intention and policies of the NDA Government with regard to Jammu and Kashmir," she added.

Earlier, the British Parliament also condemned Islamabad's announcement declaring Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth frontier, saying the region is a legal and constitutional part of Jammu and Kashmir illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947.

Pakistan's Minister For Inter-Provincial Coordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada had told Geo TV that a committee headed by Advisor of Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had proposed giving the status of a province to Gilgit-Baltistan.

He also said that a constitutional amendment would be made to change the status of the region, through which the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India today outrightly rejected Pakistan's move to declare Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth frontier, saying it is totally unacceptable.

Replying to an issue raised by BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said, India had condemned the move the day it was made.

The Gilgit-Baltistan area is Pakistan's northernmost administrative territory that borders the disputed Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

A committee headed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz recommended to grant the region a provincial status, reports the GeoNews.

Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh are four provinces of Pakistan.

However, India claims the Gilgit-Baltistan area as an integral part of its territory.

The area is significant to both Pakistan and China as the $46 billion CPEC passes through the region.

New Delhi has fervently maintained that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir, which includes areas currently under Pakistan occupation, is an integral part of the Union of India.

The British Parliament has also condemned this reported move by Pakistan last month.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Pakistani troops on Wednesday again resorted to mortar shelling and firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting the Indian Army to retaliate.

The ceasefire along LoC in Poonch sector's Degwar took place at around 09: 05 a.m.

Today's ceasefire violation is the fourth such incident in less than 48 hours along the LoC.

Yesterday, Pakistani troops had resorted to firing and shelling of mortar bombs on forward posts in Bhimbher Gali sector of Rajouri district and it continued for few hours.

Pakistan's Foreign office on Monday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner J.P. Singh over the alleged killing of a Pakistani civilian in a cross-border firing.

Pakistan's Director General (SA & SAARC), Dr. Mohammad Faisal, who had summoned Singh, condemned the alleged ceasefire violation by the Indian forces on April 1 along the LoC in Chirikot sector, in which the Foreign Office (FO) claimed an 18-year-old civilian, Muhammad Attique Qureshi was killed.

Faisal urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations, and instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to review its earlier order on the disproportionate assets case involving late Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa.

The Karnataka Government had sought a review of the apex court's order abating fine of Rs. 100 crore on Jayalalithaa.

An apex court bench headed by Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and also comprising Justice Amitava Roy dismissed the plea filed by the Karnataka Government.

According to the Karnataka Government, the Supreme Court's verdict of abatement of the corruption case against the late Tamil Nadu chief minister stands as a fault in the record, which deserves to be re-looked at.

Earlier in February, setting aside an earlier Karnataka High Court order, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court convicted V.K. Sasikala and ordered her to surrender to the law enforcement authorities immediately to serve the remainder of her four-year jail term.

The Supreme Court, however, concluded that the case against Jayalalithaa stood abated with her death.

The Karnataka Government had, earlier also, filed an appeal in the apex court, challenging the High Court's order that acquitted Jayalalithaa in the case. The government alleged she had an active role in six firms that helped her to accumulate huge assets.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nine students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to appear before a Delhi court today and record their consent or refusal to undergo lie detector tests in connection with the Najeeb Ahmed missing case.

Patiala House Court Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Sumit Dass, had earlier asked the students to appear before the court.

The Delhi Police had issued a notice to the students and asked them to appear before it for a lie-detector test.

After receiving the summons, the students had opposed the police's move.

Earlier in February, the Delhi Police was pulled up by the Delhi High Court over their slow progress in the case and was asked to explore other prospects of probe like polygraph test of other persons connected with the disappearance of Ahmed as all other leads in this case have not yielded any good result.

"The student had gone missing in October 2016; it is February now. Nearly four months have gone by and none of the leads are going anywhere. We asked for a polygraph test as the other leads have not yielded any results," the court observed.

The High Court was hearing an application by one of the nine students, who are suspects in the case, seeking recall of the High Court's order dated December 14 and December 22, 2016.

The application had alleged that by means of these two orders, the court was regulating the manner of investigation which was prejudicing the probe and violating their rights under Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution.

The applicant had also challenged a notice issued to him by the Delhi Police to appear before the trial court to give consent for lie-detector test.

The Delhi Government's counsel opposed the application, stating that the same student had moved a similar plea through another lawyer earlier and the High Court on January 23 disposed it off by asking the student to come forward.

A habeas corpus plea was moved by Najeeb's mother, Fatima Nafees, who sought direction to trace her son who has been missing since the intervening night ofOctober 14-15.

Najeeb, 27, a first year M.Sc. student, went missing from his JNU hostel, allegedly after a row with members of RSS student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

The case will be next heard on April 10.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In wake of the attack on the four African men in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida last month being attributed to racism, External Affairs Minister on Wednesday said it wasn't right to link the case with racism before the probe was over.

"Not right to connect with racism before probe ends. I said this in context of attacks in the United States too," Swaraj said while speaking on the issue in Lok Sabha.

Swaraj was referring to the incident where four Nigerian students were brutally assaulted after a protest over the death of a 17-year-old spilled over to Ansal Plaza mall in Greater Noida. The boy died of suspected drug overdose and his family alleged that their Nigerian neighbours had kidnapped and murdered him.

"You can't say our steps are inadequate. We are committed to ensuring security of all foreigners in India," she said while addressing the concerns raised over the safety of foreigners in the country.

"We are constantly working for security of African nationals. We told him calling us 'xenophobic' and then saying you will go to Human Rights Council was not right. V K Singh has spoken to them," she added.

A day before, the Heads of Missions of African countries in India slammed physical attacks on their compatriots as "xenophobic and racial" in nature, saying the government in New Delhi took no "known, sufficient and visible" deterrent action despite such incidents happening in the past.

In a strongly-worded press statement, the envoys of 44 African nations, had called for an independent investigation by the UN Human Rights Council as well as other human rights bodies.

Terming this as "unfortunate, painful and surprising", Swaraj said she was disappointed with what the African envoys had remarked.

"I am surprised and disappointed with what the Dean said, hence I called him today. We told him that if you weren't satisfied, you should've asked for meeting with the Prime Minister," she said.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier said it was unfortunate to term the criminal act on Nigerian nationals.

MEA added that India was committed to ensuring safety and security of all the foreign nationals in the country, including African nationals.

MEA's reaction came after Dean of African Head of Missions (HOM) termed the attacks as 'xenophobic'.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached properties worth Rs. 23.54 crore in connection with the Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam case.

The agency attached the properties in Delhi, Sonepat and Kanpur.

The properties were linked to the former managing director of Uttar Pradesh Small Industries Corporation (UPSIC).

During the investigation, the Enforcement Director found that the then MD of UPSIC and the supplier were involved in misappropriation of Government funds in NRHM.

The investigation also revealed that the medical kits were supplied at exorbitant rates and out of funds approximately Rs. thirty-two crore was misappropriated.

It also came into view that the then MD of UPSIC also shared the misappropriated money.

The supplier as well as the former MD was in process of disposing off their assets created out of proceeds of crime.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistani and Afghan military officials have established a hotline to discuss the border situation.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the first hotline communication took place yesterday between the Pakistan's Southern Army Commander Lt.Gen. Aamir Riaz and the commander of the Afghan National Army's 205 Corps Lt.Gen. Daud Shah Wafadar.

"Both sides discussed issues related to Pakistan-Afghan border, expressed satisfaction over establishment of hotline communication and vowed to continue such interactions in future," the ISPR said in a statement.

Relations between the two countries deteriorated significantly following a terrorist attack in Pakistan's Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine that claimed dozens of lives and which Islamabad blamed on terrorists hiding in Afghanistan.

In retaliation, Pakistan closed all its border crossings with Afghanistan on February 16 but reopened the borders on March 20 following a meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Afghan National Security Advisor Hanif Atmar in London.

.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With Uttar Pradesh Government waiving off Rs 36,359-crore loan for the state's farmers, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi expressed his happiness over the development saying that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has finally seen reason, but also called on the Centre to not discriminate amongst states.

In a series of tweets, Rahul said that the step was a 'partial' relief for UP farmers but a step in the right direction nevertheless, adding that the Congress supported loan waivers for farmers in distress.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray once again demanded a loan waiver for farmers in the state, as he congratulated Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for writing off loans of over 2 point 15 crore farmers totalling to 36,359 crore rupees.

While congratulating Adityanath for taking the decision in his very first cabinet meeting, Thackeray also took an indirect swipe at the BJP.

Thackeray said that Yogi Adityanath has shown that promises are not mere poll slogans for him, but posed a question asking if there can be a loan waiver in the country's biggest state, why should a pro-agriculture state like Maharashtra be left behind.

Thackeray said the maximum number of farmer suicides take place in Maharashtra, with indebtedness being one of the main reasons.

But Samajwadi Party president and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav was not impressed by the development.

A promise of complete loan waiver was made to the farmers, he said. "Millions of farmers were feeling cheated with the ceiling of Rs 1 lakh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In an effort to reach out to other Opposition parties to chart out a strategy, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury met in the Parliament today.

As per reports, both the leaders discussed about Goods and Service Tax (GST).

Earlier on March 29, the Lok Sabha passed four key GST Bills, rejecting amendments moved by the opposition. The Bills are related to Central GST, Integrated GST, UT GST and GST Compensation.

The Central GST deals with taxation related to Centre, integrated GST deals in taxation of inter-state movement of goods and services while the Union Territory GST Bill covers taxation in Union Territories.

The compensation law has been prepared to give a legislative backing to the Centre's promise to compensate the states for five years for any revenue loss arising out of GST implementation.

According to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the prime objective of the GST is to have one tax and each assesses with one assessing officer. Under the GST, for one commodity there will be only one tax rate in the country.

The 'revolutionary' bill, which is said to be a culmination of all indirect taxes under one bracket, is being scheduled for rollout on July 1, 2017.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russia has said that it will submit data from its Defence Ministry on an air strike on chemical arms production facilities in Syria at a UN Security Council session.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "Russia will at least cite in a well-argued manner those data that were mentioned by our Defence Ministry during the work in the UN Security Council," reported the Russian state-owned news agency Tass.

"Russia and its armed forces are continuing an operation to support an anti-terror mission for the country's liberation, which the armed forces of Syria are carrying out," the presidential spokesman added.

The United Kingdom, the United States and France have proposed that the UN Security Council should pass a resolution on the incident with chemical weapons in Syria.

The UN Security Council will hold an open session on Wednesday over the incident that killed 58 and injured about 300 people, according to data of human rights organizations.

The Russian and Syrian militaries denied their involvement in the chemical attack. However, Russia's Defence Ministry later said that on April 4, the Syrian air force had delivered an airstrike on the eastern outskirts of Khan Shaykhun to destroy militant facilities used to produce chemical munitions. These munitions were sent to Iraq and were previously used in Aleppo.

According to Anas al-Diab, an activist with the Aleppo Media Center, airstrikes hit the city of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province giving off a poisonous gas that led to this asphyxiation.

Three more strikes hit the same city center location but did not result in any gas, al-Diab added.

The death toll is said to be at least 67, according to al-Diab, while the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported it to be 58.

The High Negotiations Committee claimed the death toll could be as high as 100 with up to 400 injured.

Activist groups have blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime for the attack.

The Syrian Coalition, an umbrella opposition group, referred to the attack as a "crime similar to that in Eastern Ghouta in 2013 that the international community allowed to pass without accountability or punishment," in a Twitter post.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sending a stern message to the doctors' fraternity, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday asked them to talk to the patients politely and not indulge in private practice.

"Five lakh more doctors are required in Uttar Pradesh as of now. If a doctor talks to his patient politely, half the ailment disappears," Adityanath said after inaugurating 56 new ventilators in the King George's Medical University (KGMU) hospital here.

He said that health facilities should reach the end person in the queue, adding that kick-backs involved in medical transactions and poor people's exploitation in the name of expensive treatment should stop.

"Don't try to earn money, try to earn blessings of the people as well," he said.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said that six AIIMS like hospitals and 25 medical colleges will be made in the state in next five years.

Adityanath said that medical colleges are facing a crisis of faculties, adding the doctors don't stay at hospitals during night.

For improving the healthcare facility in rural areas, the Chief Minister also urged the medical students to practice in villages for at least two years after completing their MBBS.

Hitting out at the doctors, Adityanath said, "These days the doctors do not even spare a minute for patients, by seeing the report they pen down the medicines and ask the patient to leave."

"The poor reaches the doorstep of hospitals with a hope that he will be taken care of and will be cured but most of the ventilators in the hospitals are not in a working condition. The hospitals mention 150 of them to be in a working condition but it is contradictory of the reality," he added.

Stating that water in Lucknow's Gomti river is getting polluted day-by-day, the Chief Minister announced that the government would soon launch a water awareness plan where all the medical students can join in the cause.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a resolution in the first session of 115th Congress, the house of representatives on Wednesday recognised the day of Vaisakhi, a Sikh festival, as the creation of Khalsa in 1699.

The resolution was submitted by Congressmen John Garamendi and Patrick Meehan, who co-chair the American Sikh Congressional Caucus.

The resolution has come at a time when incidents of hate crime against the Sikh community are on the rise in the United States and the U.S. administration is apparently eyeing to create awareness to control such incidents.

The resolution said, "Vaisakhi is an annual Festival celebrating the spring harvest season and it is particularly significance to the Sikh religion and is one of the most important dates in Sikh History."

It adds, "for Sikhs, Vaisakhi commemorate the creation of the Khalsa, a fellowship of devout Sikhs by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699."

It is for the first time that the reference to the creation of Khalsa by the Sikh Guru has been made in the US Congress. Though the Vaisakhi celebration has been held in the premises of the White House but the recognition was first time endorsed in the House of Representatives.

Notably, the tenth Sikh spiritual master of the Sikhs Guru Gobind Singh founded Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib during a congregation on the occasion of Vaisakhi.

The Sikh Diaspora, which is concerned over the rising hate crimes due to the Sikhs' mistaken identity, hails the Trump government's move.

John and Patrick in the resolution stipulate the historic, cultural, and religious significance of the festival whereas Vaisakhi is celebrated in the Punjab region of South Asia for centuries and now it is also celebrated in communities throughout India, in the United States and around the .

Vaisakhi is an annual festival celebrating the spring harvest season and is of particular significance to the Sikh religion and is one of the most important dates in Sikh history, mentioned the resolution.

Highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, the Akal Takht welcomed the move. Akal Takht Jathedar said that the Sikhs are indebted to the US Congress for the initiative.

American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (AGPC) President JS Hothi, Coordinator Dr. Pritpal Singh, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Kirpal Singh Badungar also hailed the move.

Badungar said that the US had given respect to Sikh sentiments during the time when the community is facing trouble for which they are thankful to the US Congress.

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee President Manjit Singh GK said that it is a proud moment for the entire Sikh community.

JS Hothi and Dr. Pritpal Singh said that ''it is moment of pride and celebrations for the whole Sikh community and they are thankful to the US Federal government in general and house of representatives in particular for the initiative".

The AGPC also hailed Sikh Congressional Caucus which is a group of US Congressmen that work for the welfare and protection of the human rights of the Sikh community and said they appreciate the efforts made by the Caucus to submit the resolution.

The Friends of US Congressional Caucus head Harpreet Singh Sandhu also greeted the whole community on the upcoming festival of Vaisakhi and hailed the US Administration and US Congress for the move that has made the whole Sikh community grateful to US House and the government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As the Enforcement Directorate (ED) moved to attach property worth Rs. 28 crores in connection with a disproportionate assets case linked to him, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Wednesday accused Finance Minister Arun Jaitley of indulging in political vendetta.

"It is a political vendetta, and I have no hesitation in saying that Finance Minister Arun Jatiley is behind it, because he is a friend of former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and his son Anurag Thakur," Singh told ANI.

"He went to the extent of abusing his position and going out of the way to influence officers at all levels to fix me up. I know that other agencies are under pressure," he added.

On Monday, the ED attached a farmhouse worth Rs. 28 crores belonging to the chief minister. It has been alleged that the property was bought by routing funds through shell companies.

This came days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a charge sheet against Singh and his wife Pratibha and seven other accused persons, charging them with amassing assets worth Rs.10.3 crores between May 2009 and June 2012, when he was the union steel minister.

Meanwhile, Singh today filed an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging the court's order which had refused to quash the First Information Report (FIR).

Last week, the Delhi High Court had refused to grant a stay on the proceedings initiated by the ED against him.

The Enforcement Directorate had last year registered a money laundering case against Virbhadra Singh and others under provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognisance of a criminal complaint filed by the CBI in this regard.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russia has accused the western media of being quick to accuse Damascus of using chemical weapons in Syria and said that attempts were apparently made to put the onus on Moscow.

TASS news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying on Wednesday, "On April 4, Syrian Air Force carried out airstrikes on the eastern outskirts of the city of Khan Sheikhoun as part of the operation to deal with the aftermath of the recent breakthrough by armed groups in the Hama province. Reports on the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government against its own people appeared online and in some biased media outlets instantly."

Zakharova added, "Curiously enough, at first there were reports that ammunition stuffed with toxic substances was dropped from Russian aircraft followed by reports on the number of the so-called victims of the chemical attack and video footage showing dying and dead children, women and the elderly."

She noted that the information provided by the White Helmets, which was used as a basis for news reports about the developments in the region, was constantly changing. Various types of the warfare poisonous agents that were used during the strikes were mentioned.

She recalled that, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, Syrian aircraft carried out an airstrike on the eastern outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun in the afternoon on April 4 destroying the workshops where militants manufactured ammunition stuffed with toxic substances that were supplied to Iraq and were also used in Aleppo.

The White House and the UK have blamed the regime of President Bashar al-Assad for what appeared to be a targeted chemical attack on a rebel-held town in Idlib province, which caused the death of at least 10 children.

The Health Organization said the victims bore the signs of exposure to nerve agents, and Amnesty International said evidence pointed to an "air-launched chemical attack." International agencies were working to establish the provenance of the agents used in the strike.

.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Muslim woman in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur city has received talaq through speed post within three month of her marriage, thereby yet against raising controversy over the triple talaq practice.

The man Nasir Khan, who married Aliya Siddiqui in November 2016, sent her three divorce papers in January 2017 through speed post.

Aliya told ANI that Nasir, an employee of Sahayak Shram Ayukt at Bijnor, was married to some other woman since 2014, adding that he married her just for dowry.

"We even gifted them Swift Desire car as demanded by his family. But on the weeding day, they demanded a bigger car saying that he is a reputed government employee," she said.

Aliya further said that she even filed a complaint about it in Nasir's office in Bijnor after which her in-laws threatened her to take back the complaint.

"How can triple talaq happen through speed post? I will go to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and the Prime Minister for justice," she added.

The Allahabad High Court had in December 2016 held that the practice of triple talaq is 'cruel' and raised an issue that whether the Muslim Personal Law could be amended to provide relief to the Muslim women.

The High Court also stated that the form of 'instant divorce' is 'most demeaning'.

The Supreme Court is to hear multiple pleas challenging the validity of triple talaq, 'nikah halala' and polygamy practices among Muslims community on May 11 by a Constitution bench during the summer vacation.

Earlier on March 27, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told the apex court that the pleas challenging such practices among Muslims were not maintainable as the issues fell outside the realm of judiciary.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mr. Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Government of India, has emphasized that digital economy was critical for India to make government services and welfare benefits accessible to remote areas of the country seamlessly. He said that for smooth transition to Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing, the government was working on a policy, which addresses issues such as data security, data storage and privacy.

Mr. Abhishek said that to provide last-mile connectivity in far-flung areas, the government has expedited the process of connecting 150000 gram panchayats with broadband services.

Highlighting various initiatives of the Government of India, Mr. Abhishek said that India clocked the highest FDI last year and in 2017 has already surpassed the numbers of 2016. The ease of doing business and transparency in transactions were being brought about in business and trade.

Mr. Yaduvendra Mathur, Additional Secretary, NITI Aayog, said that by December 2017 all government agencies would adopt digital way of transacting. The digital way of living and the mass movement to move towards digitization would ensure inclusive growth.

He added that the government was working towards increasing the number of digital payments substantially in 2017 by creating appropriate policies and infrastructure.

Mr. Mathur said that ICC should work towards facilitating seamless trade finance across the globe as lack of such finance was hurting businesses. He added that ICC and FICCI should also engage in augmenting the number of arbitrators in India and develop capabilities to strengthen India's arbitration system.

Speaking about ICC and digital economy, Mr. Christiaan van der Valk, Co-Founder and President, TrustWeaver and Vice Chair, ICC Digital Economy Commission, said ICC's approach to advancing the global development of the digital economy and stable growth of ICTs combines policy and regulatory advocacy, along with the promotion of best practices aimed at business and governments alike. He added that the United Nations (UN) General Assembly has granted Observer Status to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), which had sent a powerful signal that the UN recognizes business as a vital partner.

Mr. Subhrakant Panda, President, ICC India, said that ICC's unique global network spans over 6.5 million members in more than 130 countries and this makes ICC the only business organization as the representative of every facet of business.

Leaders from more than 50 countries help businesses to comply with policy, legal and regulatory framework. He added that ICC was working towards ensuring stable functioning and sustainable and inclusive growth of the digital world.

Dr. A Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI, said that trade facilitation and trade finance were two areas that needed ICC's attention and added that linkage between digitalization and trading environment should be created. He assured FICCI's active support to ICC in this regard.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Key benchmark indices traded with small gains in early afternoon trade. At 12:23 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 39.80 points or 0.13% at 29,950.02. The Nifty 50 index was up 18.60 points or 0.2% at 9,256.45. The Sensex was trading below the psychologically important 30,000 level which it had hit at the onset of session.

The market sentiment was subdued amid lacklustre trading in Asian stocks. The BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.44%. The BSE Small-Cap index advanced 1.1%. Both these indices outperformed the Sensex.

The breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. On the BSE, 1,909 shares rose and 792 shares declined. A total of 122 shares were unchanged.

IT stocks also declined. TCS (down 0.55%), Infosys (down 0.94%), HCL Technolgies (down 0.83%) and Tech Mahindra (down 0.28%) declined. Wipro (up 0.15%) edged higher.

Metal stocks advanced. Steel Authority of India (up 3.49%), JSW Steel (up 3.17%), Hindalco Industries (up 2.32%), Tata Steel (up 2.26%), NMDC (up 1.68%), National Aluminium Company (up 1.33%), Jindal Steel & Power (up 1.22%), Hindustan Zinc (up 0.48%) and Vedanta (up 0.27%) edged higher.

Gufic Biosciences surged 4.53% after the company announced that its board at a meeting held on Monday, 3 April 2017, approved the amalgamation of Gufic Lifesciences with the company. The share exchange ratio shall be approved by the board of directors based on the valuation report of an expert to be obtained in due course and the effective date of amalgamation shall also be decided by the board. The announcement was made after market hours on Monday, 3 April 2017.

Overseas, Asian stocks were mixed. US stock markets closed with small gains yesterday, 4 April 2017, ahead of a key meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday and Friday.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Key benchmark indices hovered just below the flat line in morning trade. At 10:15 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 28.16 points or 0.09% at 29,882.06. The Nifty 50 index was down 4.55 points or 0.05% at 9,233.30. The Sensex was trading below the psychologically important 30,000 level which it had hit at the onset of session.

The market sentiment was subdued amid weakness in Asian stocks and lacklustre closing on the Wall Street overnight.

The Sensex lost 92.53 points or 0.3% at the day's low of 29,817.69. It rose 97.26 points or 0.32% at the day's high of 30,007.48, its highest level since 4 March 2015. The Nifty lost 22.45 points or 0.24% at the day's low of 9,215.40. It rose 27.10 points or 0.29% at the day's high of 9,264.95, its record high.

The BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.37%. The BSE Small-Cap index advanced 0.76%. Both these indices outperformed the Sensex.

Overseas, key Asian stock market indices edged lower amid concerns over North Korea's latest ballistic missile test which landed in the Sea of Japan.

US stock markets closed with small gains yesterday, 4 April 2017, ahead of a key meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday and Friday.

Closer home, the breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was strong. On the BSE, 1,590 shares rose and 658 shares declined. A total of 108 shares were unchanged.

Among sectors, realty stocks advanced. Unitech (up 7.69%), Prestige Estates Projects (up 6.8%), Indiabulls Real Estate (up 3.67%), DLF (up 1.57%), Godrej Properties (up 1.27%), Oberoi Realty (up 1.11%), HDIL (up 1.03%) and Sobha (up 0.79%) edged higher.

Auto stocks also edged higher. Maruti Suzuki India (up 1.65%), Ashok Leyland (up 1.07%), Eicher Motors (up 0.46%), Tata Motors (up 0.15%) and Hero MotoCorp (up 0.15%) advanced. Bajaj Auto (down 0.01%) edged lower.

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) was off 0.53%. The company announced that the total inventory of BS-III Vehicles that the company had before the Supreme Court verdict was worth little over Rs 2000 crore and the company has been able to remove more than half of it at a discount of upto 15%. The company and industry has incurred a loss because of the heavily discounted sale that it had to do on 30 March and 31 March 2017.

The company still has an inventory of about 18,000 BS-III vehicles (two wheelers to trucks). The company may be able to export some of these vehicles which will not incur much of a cost; and convert some of these vehicles to BS-IV, which will have a cost of as little as Rs 3,000-4,000 for some of the small commercial vehicles to as much as Rs 2 lakh for HCVs. Some of the vehicles can neither be exported nor converted to BS-IV. The announcement was made after market hours on Monday, 3 April 2017.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shares of Shankara Building Products will debut on the bourses today, 5 April 2017. The initial public offer (IPO) of Shankara Building Products received bids for 22.17 crore shares compared to 52.94 lakh shares on offer. The IPO was subscribed 41.88 times. The IPO opened on 22 March 2017 and closed on 24 March 2017. The issue price was fixed at top end of the price band of Rs 440 to Rs 460 per share.

The qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) category was subscribed 51.62 times. The non institutional investors category, made up of high net-worth individuals, was subscribed 90.68 times. The retail individual investors (RIIs) category was subscribed 15.35 times.

Shankara Building Products is one of the leading organized retailers of home improvement and building products in India, operating under the trade name, Shankara BuildPro, since the past two decades.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories will be watched. With reference to a news item captioned, "US FDA started Srikakulam inspection on March 27, 2017. No major observation from US FDA yet on Srikakulam plant," the company clarified that the reports being flashed by some media are speculative and unverified.

The company has not issued any statement as the audit is still in progress. The company said it regularly informs all concerned on material events and presently does not have any other information which is material to the company's operations or consolidated results. The clarification was issued after market hours on Monday, 3 April 2017.

NTPC said that Unit 2 of 250 megawatts (MW) of Bhartiya Rail Bijlee Company (BRBCL-a subsidiary of NTPC) has been commissioned on 3 April 2017. Further, NTPC has also commissioned its first wind turbine of 2 MW at Rojmal Wind Power Project (50 MW). With this, the commissioned capacity of NTPC and NTPC group has become 43534 MW and 50750 MW respectively. The announcement was made on Tuesday, 4 April 2017, when the stock markets were shut on account of local holiday.

The Committee of Directors of IL&FS Transportation Networks had approved on 31 March 2017, the allotment of 7,500 Rated, Listed, Redeemable, Non-Convertible Debentures of the face value of Rs 10,00,000 aggregating to Rs 750 crore on a private placement basis. The announcement was made on Tuesday, 4 April 2017, when the stock markets were shut on account of local holiday.

TVS Motor Company said its total sales rose 10% to 2.56 lakh units in March 2017 over March 2016. Total two-wheeler sales increased by 10.7% to 2.50 units in March 2017 over March 2016. Total three-wheeler sales fell 8.72% to 5,362 units in March 2017 over March 2016. Total exports grew 23.6% to 38,462 units in March 2017 over March 2016. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 3 April 2017.

Further, the company informed that it had commenced manufacture and sale of BS IV compliant inventory much before the transition date of 31 March 2017. Consequently, the stocks of BS III compliant products with the dealers were progressively coming down. However, on 29 March 2017 by its order, the Supreme Court of India permitted sale of such BS III emission compliant products only up to 31 March 2017. Accordingly, the company within the framework provided by the court order extended suitable required support to the dealers to enable them to offer attractive incentive schemes to customers to sell the BS III compliant stocks. The dealers have confirmed that majority of such stocks have been sold by 31 March 2017. The company is assessing the one-time impact of this transition on the financials of the company.

NMDC kept its iron ore prices unchanged in April 2017 compared with March 2016. NMDC said its lump ore prices were constant at Rs 2425 per wet metric tonne (WMT) in April 2017. Price of fines were constant at Rs 2185 per WMT in April 2017. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 3 April 2017.

MEP Infrastructure Developers said it entered into memorandum of understanding (MoU) with CIDB Holdings SDN BHD, a fully-owned subsidiary of the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB Malaysia), to strengthen, promote and develop their cooperation by knowledge sharing and introducing best practices towards joint development of sustainable highway and expressways projects in India and related investments. The activities mentioned above may be carried out in India or any other country as may be mutually agreed upon. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 3 April 2017.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
TVS Motor Company gained 2.5% to Rs 446.10 at 10:30 IST on BSE after the company said that its total sales rose 10% to 2.56 lakh units in March 2017 over March 2016.

The announcement was made after market hours on Monday, 3 April 2017.

Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex was down 6.39 points, or 0.02%, to 29,903.83.

On the BSE, 34,680 shares were traded in the counter so far, compared with average daily volumes of 1.1 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 447.80 in intraday trade, which is also a record high for the stock. The stock had hit a low of Rs 438 so far during the day.

The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 277.95 on 4 May 2016. The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 3 April 2017, gaining 1.36% compared with the Sensex's 3.74% rise. The scrip had, however, outperformed the market over the past one quarter, jumping 15.32% as against the Sensex's 12.26% rise.

The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 47.51 crore. Face value per share is Re 1.

TVS Motor Company added that total two-wheeler sales increased by 10.7% to 2.5 lakh units in March 2017 over March 2016. Domestic two-wheelers sales grew by 8.4% to 2.16 lakh units in March 2017 over March 2016. Scooter sales of the company grew by 23.5% to 84,173 units in March 2017 over March 2016. Motorcycles sales grew by 10.3% to 95,671 units in March 2017 over March 2016.

Total three-wheeler sales fell 8.72% to 5,362 units in March 2017 over March 2016. Total exports grew 23.6% to 38,462 units in March 2017 over March 2016.

Further, the company informed that it had commenced manufacture and sale of BS IV compliant inventory much before the transition date of 31 March 2017. Consequently, the stocks of BS III compliant products with the dealers were progressively coming down. However, on 29 March 2017 by its order, the Supreme Court of India permitted sale of such BS III emission compliant products only up to 31 March 2017.

Accordingly, the company within the framework provided by the court order extended suitable required support to the dealers to enable them to offer attractive incentive schemes to customers to sell the BS III compliant stocks. The dealers have confirmed that majority of such stocks have been sold by 31 March 2017. The company is assessing the one-time impact of this transition on the financials of the company.

TVS Motor Company's net profit rose 10.4% to Rs 132.67 crore on 3.1% growth in net sales to Rs 2952.85 crore in Q3 December 2016 over Q3 December 2015.

TVS Motor Company is a leading two and three-wheeler manufacturer.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 15 kg heroin was recovered by Border Security Force troopers on Wednesday following an exchange of fire with Pakistani smugglers in Punjab's Ferozepur sector, a BSF officer said.

The heroin is worth an estimated Rs 75 crore in the international market.

A BSF ambush team had stationed itself in the area following a tip-off from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Amritsar.

'Based on specific information provided by the NCB about smuggling of narcotics through the International Border, a special ambush was laid at night by the Khalra post troopers,' a BSF spokesman said.

'The team observed suspicious movement near the IB around 2.30 a.m. The Pakistani smugglers began throwing some packets over the border security fence.

'Our troops challenged them but they opened fire. The BSF also opened fire at the smugglers in retaliation and self-defence,' he said.

The smugglers, however, managed to escape, taking advantage of darkness and the standing wheat crop and undulating terrain.

At least 15 packets of contraband heroin were recovered when the BSF later searched the area.

Punjab shares a 553-km-long barbed-wire-fenced International Border with Pakistan.

--IANS

js/py/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
One of the worst chemical bombings in Syria that killed at least 20 innocent children and 50 other persons, sparked an international outrage on Wednesday and prompted the United Nations to call for a probe into the attack and to view it as a possible war crime.

The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria said in a statement the use of chemical weapons as well as any deliberate targeting of medical facilities "would amount to war crimes and serious violations of human rights law".

"It is imperative for perpetrators of such attacks to be identified and held accountable," said the independent panel led by Brazilian expert Paulo Pinheiro.

World leaders, including President Trump, blamed the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad for the attack and called on Russia and Iran to prevent a recurrence of what Trump termed a "heinous" act that "cannot be ignored by the civilised world".

Late on Tuesday, Britain, France and the US were pushing the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution that condemns the attack and orders the Syrian government to provide all flight logs, flight plans and names of commanders in charge of air operations, including those for Tuesday, to international investigators.

The draft resolution, negotiated among diplomats from the three countries, was later circulated to all 15 members of the UN Council. It could come up for a vote later.

Victims died -- some writhing, choking, gasping or foaming at the mouth -- after breathing in poison that possibly contained a nerve agent or other outlawed chemicals, according to witnesses, doctors and rescue workers.

They said the toxic substance spread after warplanes dropped bombs early on Tuesday. Some rescue workers became ill and collapsed from proximity to the dead.

The opposition-run Health Department in Idlib province, where the attack took place, said 69 people had died. It provided a list of their dead. The dead were still being identified, and some humanitarian groups said as many as 100 had died.

The Assad government, which renounced chemical weapons nearly four years ago after a large chemical attack that American intelligence agencies concluded was carried out by his forces, denied that his military had been responsible, as he has done every time such chemical attacks took place in the impoverished Arab country.

The attack would mark the deadliest chemical attack in Syria since sarin nerve gas killed some 1,300 civilians in Ghouta near Damascus in August 2013.

In the aftermath of the Ghouta massacre, a UN team supervised the surrender of Syria's sarin supplies, the removal of which was supposed to have been completed early in 2014. However, suspicions have remained that a portion of the stockpile was not declared to the UN inspectors.

Russia's Defence Ministry denied it was responsible, telling the state-run RIA news agency that it carried out no bombing runs in the area.

The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using such weapons in the past. On three previous occasions, though, United Nations investigations have found it guilty of using chemical weapons.

Britain-based monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, put the latest toll at 72, including 20 children. The monitoring group, which tracks the war through a network of contacts on the ground, was unable to confirm the nature of the substance used.

Tuesday's attack struck Khan Sheikhun area, where thousands of refugees from the nearby province of Hama live. The town is also on a crossroads between Hama and Idlib and is considered vital to any regime offensive towards the northern city of Idlib.

Idlib is reportedly one of the last bastions of the Islamic State in Syria, and has been subjected to a relentless campaign of aerial bombardment despite a supposed ceasefire brokered this year by Russia and Turkey that was aimed at paving the way for political negotiations.

The raid in Khan Sheikhun indicates Assad's growing confidence. He has wrested control of territory from the rebels, including the entire city of Aleppo, in recent months.

His regime has benefited from the unflinching support of Moscow and Shia militias backed by Iran, as well as waning support for the opposition by its allies in the region and the new US administration.

--IANS

ahm/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A person who claimed to be Inspector General (IG) of Police was arrested in Panchkula near here, police said on Wednesday.

Police also impounded his car bearing a Government of India sticker, IRS flag, and number plate with two stars.

"The accused, who is a resident of Sector 15, Panchkula, had purchased five mobile phones worth Rs 1.5 lakh from a mobile shop in Sector 11. He had been threatening the shopkeeper saying he was an IG of Police and refused to pay," said a police spokesman.

The shop owner filed a complaint in Sector 5 police station, and during the investigation, police came to know that the accused was an impersonator, the spokesman said.

--IANS

js/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After the federal cabinet of Pakistan approved the merger of tribal areas with Khyber-Pakhtunkhuwa province last month, India on Wednesday said that any attempt to alter the status of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is completely unacceptable.

"The government has seen reports that a committee headed by Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan has recommended that the so-called 'Gilgit-Baltistan' area of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is under illegal occupation of Pakistan, be given 'provisional provincial status'," Minister of State for External Affairs VK. Singh stated in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

"It is our consistent position that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Any action to alter the status of any part of the territory under the illegal and forcible occupation of Pakistan has no legal basis whatsoever and is completely unacceptable," he said.

The federal cabinet of Pakistan last month accorded approval to the recommendations of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) reforms committee, which included the merger of the tribal areas with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and repeal of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR).

Chairing the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the people of FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir would be given their due rights.

Sartaj Aziz , Advisor on Foreign Affairs to the Pakistan Prime Minister, said necessary amendments would be made in the constitution to enable the people of FATA to elect their representatives to the assembly in the 2018 general elections.

In his statement on Wednesday, Singh said that "Pakistan should immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation".

"Further, any step to alter the status of Pakistan-occupied territory cannot hide the grave human rights violations, exploitation and denial of freedom in these areas," he stated.

"Our position in this matter has been made clear to international interlocuters."

--IANS

ab/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Veteran actor Anupam Kher has shared his e-mail address on social media as he wants to connect with "lonely or depressed" people. He feels that there is a need to listen to the young generation and not pass off their silence.

Anupam's comment comes after Arjun Bhardwaj, an engineering student checked into a suite on the 19th floor of a hotel here before daybreak on Monday. Hours later, he broke a window and jumped, according to reports.

Anupam then shared his e-mail address with his fans, and asked them to connect with people, who are feeling lonely.

"Please write to me at anupam@anupamkhercompany.com if someone you know is feeling low, lonely or depressed. Will be happy to talk to them," he tweeted on Wednesday.

"Arjun Bhardwaj's suicide is a reminder that we live in the times where feeling lonely and depressed has become so common with young people," Anupam said.

The actor says he grew up in a joint family and didn't know what depression was.

"Having lived in a poor but a joint family during my growing up years... was always surrounded by people. Didn't know much about depression," he said.

"We need to talk to and listen to the young generation. Not pass off their changing moods and silences as 'they are like that only.' Arjun Bhardwaj," he added.

--IANS

dc/nn/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A new study that looked at appliance ownership in India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA xountries), shows that race (colour) seems to play a distinct role in the latter two in explaining ownership of washing machines while religion was found to play a role in the ownership of refrigeratorsin the south Asian nation.

The analysis from researchers at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) shows that the appliances people buy depends not only on their income, but also factors such as wealth, race and culture.

Using household survey data, Narasimha Rao and colleague Kevin Ummel looked at appliance ownership and assessed the links to appliance affordability, wealth, race and religion, along with other household characteristics but were "surprised at the extent to which non-income factors explain differences in appliance ownership" in countries.

"People with similar incomes in different countries have very different sets of large electric appliances. The affordability of appliances, wealth indicators and even culture and ethnicity in some cases, better explain ownership than does just income," said Rao in a statement on Wednesday.

"In India, they found that people have a strong preference for televisions over refrigerators, while in South Africa and Brazil, this is not the case. They also found that particular communities have a propensity for or against ownership of particular appliances. For example, Sikhs in India have a greater chance of owning refrigerators than others, and blacks in South Africa and Brazil are less likely to own washing machines than others," the statement said.

The reasons for these differences were "not fully discernible" in the data.

The researchers suspect that differences in appliance prices between countries play a role, as do particular cultural preferences, for example, Sikhs consume a large amount of dairy products.

Affordability of appliances, defined as their expenditure share, provides a more comparable metric for cross-country comparison than does just income. Indicators of wealth, such as ownership of vehicles or home size and quality, also influence purchases, the study said.

"Surprisingly, race (colour) seems to play a distinct role in both Brazil and South Africa in explaining washing machine ownership, while religion was found to play a role in refrigerator ownership in India. These differences could reflect cultural preferences, or differences in market access. This merits further exploration," the study notes.

"Our study suggests that to make appliances widely accessible to the poor, we need to consider affordability and price trends more carefully. Researchers should also evaluate other market dynamics that may influence differences in ownership, such as market access," said Rao about the study published in Energy Research & Social Science journal.

--IANS

sgh/vd/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The BJP on Wednesday urged Lt Governor Anil Baijal for a time-bound inquiry into the Delhi government's decision to use public money for paying Rs 3.4 crore to noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani for fighting the defamation case against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijender Gupta, also Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, met Baijal along with other BJP members and demanded an inquiry into the matter.

"To pay for personal legal matter out of public money is criminal breach of trust by Kejriwal. We demand time bound probe to bring guilty to book," he said.

Gupta alleged the Delhi government tried to "hide" the details of its decision by specifically ordering its departments not to send the files concerned to the Lt Governor's office.

"They just sent a one page note to the LG for post-facto approval.

"The issue wreaks of criminal conspiracy. The seriousness of the issue could be gauged from the fact that all efforts were made to hide facts from the Lt Governor," he said.

Gupta demanded criminal proceedings to be initiated against Kejriwal and others involved in what he alleged to be "criminal act of misusing public funds and the subverting constitutional procedure".

"Over the last six months, the complete file was not sent to the Lt Governor despite several reminders. It is beyond understanding why the government did not send over the file despite being asked repeatedly," he said.

He also accused Kejriwal of misusing the post of the Chief Minister for personal gains.

"It is Kejriwal's personal matter and has no relationship with Delhi government. Hence the decision to pay Jethmalani through public exchequer is a criminal offence," he said.

Interacting reporters after the meeting, Gupta said the Lt Governor had assured him that he was looking closely into the matter and had sent multiple reminders to the government to send the complete file.

The BJP on Tuesday slammed Kejriwal for reportedly fighting defamation suits filed against him by using public money.

Subsequently, Jethmalani declared that he would fight the case for free as he was keen on cross-examining Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who has filed the defamation case.

--IANS

vv/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rubbishing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegations that the BJP is trying to create a divide among the people in the state along religious lines, BJP leader and Union Minister Babul Supriyo on Wednesday asserted that his party is focused on its agenda of development for everyone.

"The BJP is not trying to create any divide in the state. Instead, our party is focusing on the motto of 'Sabka sath sabka bikash' (development for all). Prime Minister Narendra Modi successfully worked on it in Gujarat and the party is trying to do the same here," Supriyo said.

Accusing Banerjee of practising the of minority appeasement, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from West Bengal's Asansol said the growing support for his party in the state has compelled her to change tactics.

"Banerjee did the of minority appeasement in the state, but witnessing the massive wave of support for the BJP all around, she is now trying to please the other communities as well," he alleged.

Supriyo further claimed that the initiatives taken by the Trinamool Congress to organise Hindu religious festivals like the 'Hanuman worship' is nothing but a new form of vote bank that people of the state would "clearly understand".

"She has asked her party to observe Ramnavami and Hanuman worship at various places in the state on Wednesday. This might apparently look like a Puja but actually it is nothing but vote bank politics.

"She has realised that her policies of minority appeasement is creating major discomfort among the people of other religions in the state. So now she is trying to make up for it. But the majority community also clearly understands her motive of vote bank politics," he said.

However, he did not comment on Banerjee's claims of a CPI(M)-BJP nexus in the state saying a "seasoned politician" like her should be well aware of the political connections between different parties.

"I have nothing to say. She is an extremely seasoned and experienced politician. So she should be well aware of the dynamics between different political parties. If she thinks that there is a nexus between the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the BJP then that is her personal opinion. I won't comment on that," he added.

--IANS

mgr/ssp/lok/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The BSF has seized 24 kilos of cannabis and 725 bottles of Phensedyl near the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal's Nadia district, an official statement said on Wednesday.

Acting on a tip off, personnel of the Border Security Force's 43rd Battalion intensified their vigil in the district's Narsaripara area and observed movement of some suspected miscreants with bags towards the border on Tuesday.

The miscreants were undeterred when the BSF personnel challenged them, forcing the paramilitary troopers to lob three stun grenades. At this, the miscreants fled towards the Indian side taking care of the darkness leaving behind the bags, a BSF release said.

After a thorough search of the area, the troopers seized the bags containing 24 kgs of cannabis and 725 bottles Phensedyl which were to be smuggled into Bangladesh.

The seized items have been handed over to Hugalberia police station personnel for further legal action.

The BSF's South Bengal Frontier zone has seized 177.65 kgs of cannabis and 43,540 bottles of Phensedyl during the current calendar year.

--IANS

ssp/vd

A

A

A

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ahead of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India this week, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved various bilateral MOUs on river transport, judicial cooperation, audio-visual cooperation and media.

Among these Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) is one on the development of Ashuganj-Zakiganj stretch of Kushiyara river and Sirajganj-Daikhawa stretch of the Jamuna river to improve connectivity between the two countries.

An official release said the MoU will help reduce logistics cost of cargo movement to northeast India and also reduce congestion through the Siliguri's Chicken's Neck corridor.

Both countries will undertake necessary dredging jointly via the India-Bangladesh protocol route.

Another MoU pertains to passenger cruise services on coastal and protocol routes between India and Bangladesh to ferry people on water crafts between the two countries.

The MoU that got the nod aims at strengthening mutual cooperation between the judiciaries of the two countries through exchange of knowledge in infrastructure and information technology.

The agreement in audio-visual field will cover coproduction of films, documentaries, animations films, and utilisation of Indian locales for shooting.

India has so far entered into audio-visual co-production agreements with Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, France, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Canada, China and South Korea.

The MoU on mass media will facilitate training and study tour of media personnel and cooperation between educational, training and research institutions in mass media field.

This will also facilitate accredited mass media representatives to set up offices on reciprocity basis in the two countries.

India and Bangladesh are set to ink 35 agreements during the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India from April 7 to 10.

Hasina's last visit to India was in January 2010. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh in June 2015.

--IANS

rs-spk/tsb/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China on Wednesday reacted angrily to the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh and said that by ignoring Beijing's concerns over the issue New Delhi has caused "serious damage" to bilateral ties. India reiterated that no political colour should be attributed to the Tibetan spiritual leader's visit to the northeastern state.

Diplomatic tensions escalated with Beijing summoning the Indian envoy Vijay Gokhale to lodge its protest, even as the 81-year-old Tibetan leader, who arrived in Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday, said in Bomdila that India has never used him against China.

In a prelude to China's belligerence, the Chinese state-run media warned that New Delhi's inviting the Tibetan spiritual leader to the "sensitive region" would "gravely damage" India-China relations. China considers large parts of Arunachal Pradesh as south Tibet, while India has said that Arunachal is an inseparable part of its territory.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, addressing a regular briefing, voiced Beijing's "firm opposition" to the Dalai Lama's visit and said her country would lodge "stern representations with the Indian side".

Hua said that India "in disregard" to China's concerns "obstinately" went ahead to arrange the Tibetan leader's visit, causing "serious damage" to China's interests and China-India relations.

She said that India should "immediately cease using the Dalai Lama's mistaken behaviour to damage China's interests" and not "hype up sensitive" bilateral issues.

The state-run Global Times accused the Indian government of "openly using" the "as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage".

It said India was trying to play the Tibet card against China as "New Delhi is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance over its membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its request to name Masood Azhar, head of Pakistani militant group, to a UN Security Council blacklist".

Reacting to Beijing's objection against his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Nobel Peace Laureate said: "There are many in China who love India, but there are some narrow-minded politicians because of their certain views..they considered me as a demon."

Denying Chinese assertions that India was using him as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China, the Tibetan spiritual leader said: "I am India's longest standing guest. India has never used me against China."

On the Tibetan stand, he told journalists, ahead of proceeding to Tawang for a major Buddhist event: "We are not seeking independence. We are very much willing to remain with People's Republic of China. I always used to talk about the spirit of the European Union, individual nations, individual sovereignty but that is not so important, what is important is common interest."

"Tibet is materialistically backward but spiritually highly-developed. For material development, we need to remain with the People's Republic China as it is our interest. The government (of China) should feel ok for the mutual benefit," he added.

"China must give us meaningful self-rule, autonomy, and must take care of the environment in Tibet. China has the highest population of Tibetan Buddhists. Many Chinese intellectuals also fully support our cause," he said.

China had protested former US envoy Richard Verma's visit to Tawang last October and warned Washington against meddling in the border dispute between New Delhi and Beijing.

India on Wednesday reiterated that no political colour should be attributed to the Tibetan spiritual leader's trip and that the has visited Arunachal earlier on half a dozen occasions.

"We also urged that no political colour be ascribed to his religious and spiritual activities and to his visits to states of India, and no artificial controversy created around his ongoing visit," External Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said.

On Tuesday, India asked China not to interfere in its matters. Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, said: "India has always been non-interfering in the neighbours' internal affairs in our approach. In the same manner, we expect the same from our neighbours."
Diplomatic tensions visibly escalated over the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, as China on Wednesday lodged a protest with India and said that by ignoring Beijing's concerns over the issue New Delhi has caused "serious damage" to bilateral ties.

As the Tibetan spiritual leader entered Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh to proceed to Tawang for a major Buddhist event, China struck a strident note in its protest against the move.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, addressing a regular briefing, voiced her country's "firm opposition" to the Dalai Lama's visit and said Beijing would lodge "stern representations with the Indian side".

Later, the Chinese side lodged a protest with Indian Ambassador Vijay Gokhale in Beijing over the Dalai Lama's visit.

Hua said that India "in disregard" to China's concerns "obstinately" went ahead to arrange the Tibetan leader's visit, causing "serious damage" to China's interests and China-India relations.

She said that India should "immediately cease using the Dalai Lama's mistaken behaviour to damage China's interests" and not "hype up sensitive" bilateral issues.

The Foreign Ministry statement comes as the Chinese state-run media also slammed the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims is disputed and part of south Tibet. India has said that Arunachal Pradesh is an inseparable part of its territory.

The Global Times accused the Indian government of "openly using" the Dalai Lama "as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage".

It said India was trying to play the Tibet card against China as "New Delhi is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance over its membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its request to name Masood Azhar, head of Pakistani militant group, to a UN Security Council blacklist", it said.

On Tuesday, India said that no political motive should be attributed to the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh and asked China not to interfere in its affairs.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, said: "India has always been non-interfering in the neighbours' internal affairs in our approach. In the same manner, we expect the same from our neighbours."

--IANS

rn/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Shoor has helped fight and control fire that broke out aboard Panama-flagged container vessel MSC Daniella off Sri Lanka's coast, an official statement sad on Wednesday.

According to the Coast Guard, the Indian High Commission in Colombo informed it around 20.30 p.m. on Tuesday about the Sri Lankan Navy's request for assistance in extinguishing the fire that borke out on board MV MSC Daniella.

The merchant vessel reported the fire around 11 a.m. 120 nautical miles (around 216 km) west of Colombo while on transit from Singapore to Suez.

"ICGS Shoor, which was on overseas deployment at Colombo, was sailed immediately to render assistance... The ship also maintained constant communication with the master of the distressed vessel to ensure safety of the crew and the vessel," the statement said.

ICGS Shoor reached the site around 11 p.m. and started the firefighting operations.

"The distressed ship failed to douse fire on its self and moved towards the closest coast. The vessel anchored at 11 nautical miles off Colombo where Shoor began dousing the fire," Indian Coast Guard officials said.

"The vessel was carrying dangerous cargo and hence utmost caution was exercised in firefighting to ensure safety of the crew and the vessel," it said.

The fire on the port (left) side of the vessel has been doused and firefight is continuing on the star board (right) side of the vessel using external firefighting system, using water cannons mixed with foam to smother the fire.

The 25-member mixed nationality crew of MSC Daniella is safe, the statement said.

The Indian naval ships -- INS Gharial and INS Darshak -- also joined the operation on Tuesday night.

--IANS

rs/py/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A common antibiotic which is used to treat a wide range of diseases, from acne to urinary tract infections, may also help treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by suppressing fear memory, suggest results of a trial conducted in a group of health volunteers.

PTSD is a term for a broad range of psychological symptoms that can develop after someone experiences or witnesses a traumatic event.

The disorder is caused by an overactive fear memory, and the new research, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, showed that a common antibiotic, doxycycline, can reduce the fear memory response in healthy volunteers.

"We have demonstrated a proof-of-principle for an entirely new treatment strategy for PTSD," said lead author Dominik Bach from the University of Zurich in Switzerland.

The theory is based on the recent discovery that our brains need proteins outside nerve cells, called matrix enzymes, to form memories.

"Matrix enzymes are found throughout the body, and their over-activity is involved in certain immune diseases and cancers. To treat such diseases, we already have clinically approved drugs that block these enzymes, including the antibiotic doxycycline, so we wanted to see if they could help to prevent fear memories from forming in the brain," Bach, who is also affiliated to University College London, added.

"Our results support this theory, opening up an exciting avenue of research that might help us to find treatments for PTSD," Bach noted.

In the study involving 76 healthy volunteers, participants were given either doxycycline or a placebo and learnt to associate a certain colour with an electric shock.

The screen would flash either blue or red, and one of the colours was associated with a 50 per cent chance of receiving a painful electric shock.

A week later they were shown the colours again, accompanied by a loud sound but no shocks, and their fear responses were measured.

The fear response was 60 per cent lower in participants who had doxycycline in the first session compared to those who had the placebo, suggesting that the fear memory was significantly suppressed by the drug.

Other cognitive measures including sensory memory and attention were not affected.

"When we talk about reducing fear memory, we are not talking about deleting the memory of what actually happened," Bach said.

"The participants may not forget that they received a shock when the screen was red, but they 'forget' to be instinctively scared when they next see a red screen," Bach said.

The findings suggest that doxycycline can disrupt the formation of negative associations in the brain.

--IANS

gb/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After making a "miraculous" recovery, CRPF's breavheart commander Chetan Kumar Cheetah, who went into a deep coma two months ago on sustaining nine gunshot wounds in an anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir, walked out of hospital on Wednesday, doctors said.

"His (Cheetah) recovery is no less than a miracle... Despite several complications in the treatment causing hurdle, the team of doctors did their best and made him recover," Amit Gupta, AIIMS spokesperson, told IANS.

The Central Reserve Security Force (CRPF) said it was due to the specialised surgical and medical intervention by the All India Medical Institute of Sciences (AIIMS) that helped Cheetah come back to life.

Treatment of Cheetah, who was in coma for weeks after being brought to the Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre of the AIIMS, required the combined efforts of medical experts from six departments: Trauma Surgery and Critical Care, Intensivist, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedic, Opthalmology and Plastic surgery.

Cheetah, 45, was injured in a gunfight between three suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba militants and a joint team of the CRPF, the Indian Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police on February 14 morning in Parraypora village, in Bandipora district's Hajin area.

He suffered injuries to his head, upper limbs, waist, and pelvic region, hands, right eye and suffered a maxillofacial injury. He was initially treated at the Army Base Hospital, Srinagar, before being airlifted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he underwent a brain surgery.

According to the AIIMS, after he was shifted to the hospital, Cheetah was taken up by the division of Trauma and Critical Care.

"At the time of presentation, he was on mechanical ventilation and was hypotensive. He was then shifted to Intensive Care Unit and adequately resuscitated," said the AIIMS before Cheetah's discharge.

AIIMS spokesperson Amit Gupta said that a repeat NCCT -- a procedure for head -- was done which showed ruptures in the frontal injured tissue and skin and ruptured blood capillaries.

"After his treatment by the neurosurgeons and opthalmologists, he was again shifted to the ICU. He was on mechanical ventilation for 16 days. The patient in between developed CSF-rhinorrhea, which is the drainage of the fluid which surrounds the brain into the nose. It was managed with lumbar drain placement which was removed later," said the statement.

The hospital authorities also said that Cheetah developed signs of sepsis -- life-threatening complication of an infection -- due to his wound and injuries which was managed by critical care specialists in ICU.

"His wounds were regularly debrided in which all materials that may promote infection and impede healing are removed," said the statement.

According to the hospital, with progress in the health, Cheetah was shifted to special ward on March 16 where he underwent rehabilitation in the form of physiotherapy and speech therapy.

"The ICU stay was 30 days, subsequently the wounds were covered with skin grafting by plastic surgery team," said the AIIMS statement.

During the hospital stay, Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju visited Cheetah.

--IANS

rup/lok/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Even as China lodged a protest with India on the Dalai Lama's ongoing visit to Arunachal Pradesh, India on Wednesday reiterated that no political colour should be attributed to the Tibetan spiritual leader's trip to the northeastern state.

Asked for a response to China's reaction, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay referred to a statement issued on Tuesday which said that "the Dalai Lama is a revered religious leader and has visited Arunachal earlier on half a dozen occasions".

"We also urged that no political colour be ascribed to his religious and spiritual activities and to his visits to states of India, and no artificial controversy created around his ongoing visit.

As the Tibetan spiritual leader entered Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh to proceed to Tawang for a major Buddhist event, China on Wednesday struck a strident note in its protest against the move.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, addressing a regular briefing, voiced her country's "firm opposition" to the Dalai Lama's visit and said Beijing would lodge "stern representations with the Indian side".

Later, the Chinese side lodged a protest with Indian Ambassador Vijay Gokhale in Beijing over the Dalai Lama's visit.

Hua said that India "in disregard" to China's concerns "obstinately" went ahead to arrange the Tibetan leader's visit, causing "serious damage" to China's interests and China-India relations.

She said that India should "immediately cease using the Dalai Lama's mistaken behaviour to damage China's interests" and not "hype up sensitive" bilateral issues.

The Foreign Ministry statement comes as the Chinese state-run media also slammed the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims is disputed and part of south Tibet. India has said that Arunachal Pradesh is an inseparable part of its territory.

The Global Times accused the Indian government of "openly using" the Dalai Lama "as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage".

It said India was trying to play the Tibet card against China as "New Delhi is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance over its membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its request to name Masood Azhar, head of Pakistani militant group, to a UN Security Council blacklist", it said.

Apart from Tuesday's statement by the External Affairs Ministry about India's position on the issue, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, said: "India has always been non-interfering in the neighbours' internal affairs in our approach. In the same manner, we expect the same from our neighbours."

--IANS

ab/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Angry over the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Chinese state-run on Wednesday said New Delhi's inviting the Tibetan spiritual leader to the "sensitive region" would "gravely damage" India-China relations.

The Global Times, in a belligerent editorial, also said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi "unlike his predecessors" was taking a different stance on the Dalai Lama issue by "raising public engagements with the monk and challenging Beijing's bottom line" on Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing considers disputed and a part of south Tibet.

The editorial comes as the Dalai Lama entered Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday by road, en-route to Tawang where he is to attend an important Buddhist event.

On Tuesday as he entered Bomdila, in Arunachal Pradesh, the Dalai Lama was received by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, and members of the Tibetan community.

The Global Times said: "The Dalai Lama was received by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in December, and invited by Pema Khandu, "chief minister" of "Arunachal Pradesh," to Tawang this month. "It's a behavioral change you are seeing. India is more assertive," Rijiju openly said in an interview with Reuters earlier.

"Amid Beijing-New Delhi conflicts, the Dalai Lama is now openly used by India as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage," it commented.

According to the Global Times, India is trying to play the Tibet card against China as "New Delhi is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance over its membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its request to name Masood Azhar, head of Pakistani militant group, to a UN Security Council blacklist".

It says that "China has never thought of making trouble for India, and is handling these issues in accordance with international practices and UN regulations".

It said that India is also exploring the option of linking the strategic border district of Tawang with a railway network, and termed it "another provocation against Beijing".

India has also invited a "parliamentary" delegation from Taiwan in February.

It went on to say that "New Delhi may have underestimated Beijing's determination to safeguard its core interests".

"Many countries have pledged not to extend invitations to the Dalai Lama. As the two largest emerging economies, China and India have great potential for cooperation. India should overcome its suspicions against China."

It ended with a dire warning, "China doesn't allow India to free ride on its economic growth while jeopardizing Beijing's core interests".

The editorial comes a day after the Chinese Foreign Ministry termed the Dalai Lama as "an anti-China separatist" and also said the Chinese government is "resolutely opposed to any country's support and facilitation" for him and his "group's anti-China separatist activities" - without directly alluding to India.

On Tuesday, India said that no political motive should be attributed to the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh and asked China not to interfere in its affairs.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, said: "India has always been non-interfering in the neighbours' internal affairs in our approach. In the same manner, we expect the same from our neighbours."

"When Dalai Lamaji is in Arunachal Pradesh, he will be confined only to religious matters. He is not there to make any political statement and he is not there with any political motive," he said.

Rijiju, who is scheduled to go to Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday to meet the Dalai Lama, said India has never questioned China's sovereignty and "has respectfully adhered to the one-China policy".

"So we expect that China also should not interfere in our internal matters," he stated.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said the Dalai Lama has visited the state six times earlier and no "additional colour" should be given to his visit starting from April 5.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang last week said China was firmly opposed to any visit by the Dalai Lama to the disputed border region.

"China is gravely concerned about this. Our stance on the eastern part of the China-India border is clear and consistent," Lu said.

In another article in Global Times, a Chinese expert has said that the Dalai Lama's visit to the disputed zone "will hurt Sino-Indian ties".

"The Dalai's visit to Tawang, which China hopes will be returned, will affect relations between China and India," an expert from the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the Global Times on Tuesday.

--IANS

py/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Coming down heavily on the BJP, on a day when the RSS and its right wing affiliates held Ram Navmi celebrations across West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday slammed the party for "appropriating festivals" and accused it of insulting the 'Om' symbol by using it in political rallies.

"Do not hold Ram Navmi programme claiming the festival to be your exclusive thing. Do not try to incite unrest. For thousands of years, various religious organisations have been carrying on Ram Navmi rallies," she said at a public rally here.

"There is no connection with the BJP.A Party is planting flags and placing 'Om' symbols. You can sit at home and chant 'Om'. How can they (BJP) use religious symbols in political rally?

Is 'Om' your zamindari? Is it your party's symbol ? Everybody chants 'Om'. Who has given you the right to insult the 'Om' symbol? Go to Election Commission and get the symbol then. They are using God's names in party rallies," said a fuming Banerjee.

The Trinamool Congress supremo also lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for resorting to of divisiveness in Bengal.

"In UP, they (BJP) talk of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' and in Bengal they play divisive .. they want to divide the Hindus-Muslims... the Sikhs-Christians.

"One day if the Banerjees say that they have no relation with Chatterjees... if the tribals will say we will not live with Hindus... so on and so forth.... what will happen? Everything will shatter to pieces. The country will not remain united," she said, adding Basanti Puja was always celebrated in Bengal.

"Haven't we done Basanti puja? Is it something new? You should check. Basanti puja is the predecessor of present day Durga puja," she added.

Basanti Durga Puja is the celebration of Durga Puja during the spring time. It is a huge celebration in the eastern parts of India and especially in West Bengal. Basanti Durga puja coincides with the Vasant or Chaitra Navratri celebrations.

--IANS

sgh/ssp/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Indian Women's Press Corps and the Press Club of India on Wednesday condemned the levelling of charges under the Official Secrets Act against a journalist from The Quint who had tried to expose the 'Sahayak' system in the army.

In a joint statement, the two organisations also demanded that the invocation of the OSA against the journalist be withdrawn.

"We condemn the leveling of charges against 'The Quint' reporter Poonam Agarwal under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and of abetment to suicide," the two organisations said.

"It is clear that she wanted to expose the 'Sahayak' practice in the Army and not compromise national security in any manner. The reporter has already stated that she had obtained the Army's version to the story."

"Clearly, information obtained by her is not likely to cast any aspersion on the integrity of the country. We feel that OSA's invocation against her is unwarranted and it should be withdrawn," said the joint statement.

--IANS

rn/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An US court has rejected Facebook's challenge to quash the search warrants ordering it to hand over information of hundreds of accounts involved with a disability fraud case related to the 9/11 attacks.

According to a report in New York Times on Tuesday, the Court of Appeals in New York upheld a lower court ruling that said lacked standing to challenge search warrants in a criminal case on behalf of its clients.

The case dates back to 2013 when search warrants for information on 381 accounts were issued as part of an investigation into the fraud case.

"The information, which included photos and conversations, was used by the Manhattan District Attorney to obtain indictments for disability fraud against more than 130 people," the report said.

These included retired police officers and other former public employees accused of feigning illness after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre," it noted.

The new ruling is yet another challenge for social media networks who hope to enhance the privacy protections for its users.

Thus, Microsoft, Google and Twitter and other groups like New York Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have decided to stand by Facebook's appeal.

"We're disappointed by the court's ruling. But we are encouraged to see the thorough dissent that supports Facebook's position arguing for people's online privacy," the report quoted Jay Nancarrow, a spokesman for .

Nancarrow added that the company has not decided yet whether to take its case to the federal courts.

The case is seen as a fragment of the fight between the state and the tech over the law enforcement that request for the data under the Federal Stored Communications Act.
Former Congress MLA Vishwajit Rane, who quit the party and legislatorship in March, is all set to join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, state BJP President Vinay Tendulkar told reporters on Wednesday.

Tendulkar said that Rane, a former MLA from Valpoi, had been in talks with the party leadership for several days.

"He has expressed his desire to join the BJP. We did not make contact with him. He came to us," Tendulkar said.

BJP sources said Rane could soon be inducted into the Manohar Parrikar-led coalition cabinet.

Rane, who is the son of former Chief Minister and local Congress stalwart Pratapsingh Rane, resigned from the party and his legislative membership after the Congress failed to stake claim to form a government in Goa, despite winning 17 seats in the February 4 polls to the 40-member state assembly.

Rane had said internal bickering and failure of the Congress state leadership and the party high command, including All India Congress Committee General Secretary Digvijaya Singh, to stake claim had left him disillusioned.

"The Congress leadership had let us all down," Rane had said.

Rane is a three-time MLA from Valpoi assembly constituency and is known for his close links to Parrikar.

--IANS

maya/lok/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron clashed over Europe as the presidential candidates went head-to-head in the second live TV debate.

Macron on Tuesday said Le Pen's nationalist proposals amounted to "economic warfare", BBC reported.

She was also accused by the right of not being tough enough on France's membership of the European Union. Francois Fillon said that France needed Europe when up against the US and China.

Le Pen, leader of the National Front (FN) party, promised to restore control of France's borders and scrap the euro, or else hold a referendum on EU membership.

Speaking alongside 10 other candidates as things got a little heated in the second of three televised French presidential election debates, Le Pen said her presidency would improve the lives of French citizens.

Macron, the frontrunner, accused Le Pen of lying, and said that "nationalism is war".

"You are saying the same lies that we've heard from your father for 40 years," he said.

Le Pen, who also came under attack from conservative candidate Fillon, retorted: "You shouldn't pretend to be something new when you are speaking like fossils that are at least 50 years old."

Meanwhile, nationalist right-wing outsider Francois Asselineau said he was "the only true candidate of Frexit", and promised to trigger Article 50 -- the process to start the country's divorce from the EU -- immediately if he were to win power.

The debate was extended to include the six minor candidates, so inevitably it is on them that water-cooler conversation is going to focus.

On Jean Lasalle -- "son of a shepherd, brother of a shepherd" -- with his impenetrable Pyrenean accent; on Francois Asselineau with his "Frexit" obsession; on the rival Trotskyites Philippe Poutou and Nathalie Arthaud with their rousing calls to punish the bosses.

According to the BBC, after a while there were really only two people -- Francois Fillon and Emmanuel Macron -- defending the way things are.

Everyone else -- from Marine Le Pen to the uber-Gaullist Nicolas Dupont Aignan to the firebrand of the left Jean-Luc Melenchon (as brilliant as ever on stage) -- wants the rules of Europe and the economy totally rewritten.

Turning the topic to security, Le Pen said that France had become a "university for jihadists", prompting angry interruptions from the left-wing candidates.

Most polls suggest that Le Pen and Macron will face each other in the two-candidate run-off for presidency on May 7.

However, Tuesday's debate gave Fillon, 63, an opportunity to close the gap on the leaders.

Fillon was the frontrunner in the campaign until he was hit by the "fake jobs" scandal and placed under formal investigation.

He is accused of paying hundreds of thousands of euros to his family for work they did not do.

He was trailing third in the first round, according to polls, a position which would eliminate him from the race.

--IANS

py/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Post-demonetisation, there is a huge potential for India and Britain to become strong partners in the high growth FinTech sector, visiting British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said here on Wednesday.

India has 220 million active SmartPhone users, more than three times the entire population of Britain and India's demonetisation programmes means its financial services sector is undergoing a significant transformation, he said in his address to the UK-India FinTech Conference here.

"New FinTech payment firms, small finance lenders and insurance players are entering the market. These will be crucial in helping the RBI achieve its target of 90 percent of (Indian) population having access to banking services by 2034," Hammond said.

As the world leader in FinTech, Britain couldn't be better placed to help support this target and give more Indians access to crucial financial services than ever before, he added.

On Tuesday, India and Britain announced enhanced collaboration on FinTech which will help forge closer commercial ties between companies and comprehensive links between the regulators on both sides.

This collaboration will benefit ambitious FinTech firms from both countries looking for opportunities to expand their businesses, especially in London and Mumbai where deep pools of expertise and creative energies are available, he noted.

"A deeper partnership between our FinTech sectors will be good for our financial services industries, good for our economies, and good for our consumers in both countries," Hammond pointed out.

It also has an important role to play in the reforms programme developing successfully under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minsiter Arun Jaitley and would be in the interests of both countries to maximise economic collaborations, particularly in innovative FinTech sector, he added.

Dwelling on the existing scenario, he said British companies have invested more in India since 2000 than the US or any other European nation, accounting for 1 in 20 jobs in the organised private sector.

Similarly Indian companies invest more in Britain than in the rest of the Europe Union put together, with groups like Tata among the biggest employers in his country, he said.

Besides, more than 15 Indian banks play a central role in the Britain's vibrant banking community and Britain's financial services firms include some of the biggest names in India across insurance, asset management, FinTech and banking.

With its world-leading strength in the FinTech, Hammond said Britain wants to use it for the benefit of both countries, and India's appetite for investments, particularly infrastructure, can ensure that this desire is fulfilled.

--IANS

qn/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid Beijing's strident protests, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday said that India has never used him against China and urged that country to give Tibet meaningful "self-rule" and "autonomy".

Reacting to Beijing's objection against his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Nobel Peace Laureate said, "There are many in China who love India, but there are some narrow minded politicians because of their certain views.. like they considered me as a demon."

Denying Chinese assertions that India was using him as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China, the Tibetan spiritual leader said, "I am India's longest standing guest. India has never used me against China."

On the Tibetan stand, he said: "We are not seeking independence. We are very much willing to remain with People's Republic of China. I always used to talk about the spirit of the European Union, individual nations, individual sovereignty but that is not so important, what is important is common interest," he told journalists, ahead of proceeding to Tawang for a major Buddhist event.

"Tibet is materialistically backward but spiritually highly developed. For material development, we need to remain with People's Republic China as it is our interest. The government (of China) should feel OK for the mutual benefit," he added.

However, the Tibetan spiritual leader noted, "China must give us meaningful self-rule, autonomy, and must take care of the environment in Tibet. China has the highest population of Tibetan Buddhists. Many Chinese intellectuals also fully support our cause."

The Dalai Lama's statement comes as China on Wednesday lodged a protest with India over his visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, addressing a regular briefing in Beijing, voiced her country's "firm opposition" to the Dalai Lama's visit and said Beijing would lodge "stern representations with the Indian side".

The Chinese side lodged a protest with Indian Ambassador Vijay Gokhale in Beijing over the Dalai Lama's visit.

On Tuesday, India said that no political motive should be attributed to the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh and asked China not to interfere in its affairs.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, said: "India has always been non-interfering in the neighbours' internal affairs in our approach. In the same manner, we expect the same from our neighbours."

--IANS

rrk/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India has stated its keenness to buy MiG-29 aircraft from Malaysia and upgrade them for use by its air force, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said here after his visit to India, a media report said.

Prime Minister Najib said the proposal was among the aspects of military cooperation agreed to by both countries during his talks in India.

The Prime Minister said the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (TUDM) would look at the form of cooperation, including handling the Sukhoi aircraft and spare parts, Bernama news reported.

"There is a possibility too that they will buy our MiG 29 aircraft for refit. We reciprocate by accepting spare parts for our Sukhoi aircraft programme," Najib told a media conference, at the end of a six-day visit to India which started on March 30 in Chennai.

According to leading military aviation magazine, 'AirForces Monthly', the Royal Malaysian Air Force in 1995 procured 18 MiG-29N from Russia, and presently has 10 MiG-29N and 2 MiG-29NU (Trainers) in its fleet.

Najib termed his visit to India successful in terms of investments between the two countries, during which 31 memoranda of understanding (B-to-B) had been signed with investments totalling US$35.99 billion.

The bilateral cooperation encompassed construction of harbours and roads, development of solar energy, smart city, palm oil and coconut, technology park and higher education.

In addition, Topworth Group and Samarth Group from India had submitted their Letters of Intent to invest US$380 million in Malaysia, he added.

The Prime Minister said Samarth Group, which manufactures critical medical products, planned to invest US$80 million in Iskandar Malaysia, Johor, while Topworth, an aluminium foil manufacturer for packaging medicine, was keen to invest US$300 million in Bintulu, Sarawak.

Najib also said Malaysia was striving to obtain six highway construction packages totalling 3,000 km in Rajashtan involving an estimated investment of US$1.5 billion.

"My visit to Jaipur showcases Malaysia's keenness on the highway project in Rajashtan and the model to be implemented by Malaysia will be an example to the states neighbouring Rajashtan," he said, Bernama quoted him as saying.

--IANS

rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 14-day India-Mongolia military training exercise began on Wednesday at Vairengte in Mizoram, a Defence Ministry spokesman said.

Christened 'Exercise Nomadic Elephant - XII', it is aimed at training troops in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations under the United Nations mandate. It will continue till April 18.

The Mongolian Army is represented by nine officers and 36 soldiers of the elite 084 Special Forces Task Battalion while the Indian contingent comprises three officers, four Junior Commissioned Officers and 39 soldiers of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles.

The joint exercise will help strengthen defence co-operation and military relations between the two nations and is an ideal platform for both armies to share their experiences and gain mutually, the spokesman said.

The training encompasses important aspects like convoy protection, room intervention drills, ambush/counter-ambush drills while jointly conducting counter-terrorist operations under the United Nations mandate.

It lays emphasis on conducting operations by a cohesive sub-unit, comprising troops from both the armies, in intensive adverse operational conditions, thus enhancing the inter-operability between the two forces.

--IANS

ssp/tsb/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Naval Ship Shardul is on a two-month deployment in the south Indian Ocean with an aim to provide surveillance support in the region, an official said here.

"In keeping with India's national objective of ensuring a secure and stable regional environment to allow unhindered economic and social development, not just in India, but also in the Indian Ocean region," an official statement said.

The warship during the initial phase of deployment carried out joint EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) surveillance of Mauritius from March 8 to 26 in close coordination with that country's National Coast Guard.

After successful completion of joint EEZ Surveillance of Mauritius, the warship entered EEZ of the Seychelles on March 27, for Phase I of similar EEZ surveillance.

The coordination meeting with officials from the Seychelles Coast Guard and INS Shardul was conducted at the Seychelles Coast Guard Headquarters to discuss the modus operandi, extent of surveillance area and communication plan was framed.

INS Shardul then set sail from Port Victoria on March 31, with three Seychelles Coast Guard personnel on board for Phase II of EEZ surveillance and commenced it on April 1.

The warship will set sail from Port Victoria harbour on April 8 for Phase III of EEZ surveillance of the Seychelles before returning to India in mid April.

Since 2009, the Indian Navy has been deploying ships to the region bi-annually to assist in patrolling of the vast EEZ of the country based on request by host nations.

The last such deployment was by the same ship in December 2016.

INS Shardul is a Landing Ship Tank of the Indian Navy whose primary role is to transport troops, vehicles, armaments and accomplish all objectives of an amphibious operation which primarily includes landing of combat equipment and personnel to an Amphibious Objective Area.

INS Shardul has the capability to launch and recover Marine Commandos through sea as well as by helicopters. In addition, the ship can act as a "Hospital Ship" with facilities provided in containerised form as well as a "Fleet Tanker" for limited exercise.

--IANS

ao/ahm/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Global software major Infosys' Board is under fire again, this time from its former Board Member V. Balakrishnan for letting down its founders by giving a whopping wage hike to Chief Operating Officer U.B. Pravin Rao.

"The present Infosys' Board has let down its founders and lost credibility to continue. Its members should be replaced with new people," Balakrishnan told IANS on Wednesday, two days after the company justified giving Rao a 70 per cent wage hike even after Co-Founder N.R. Narayana Murthy opposed it in private.

Backing Murthy for raising the red flag at a time when the Indian IT industry was facing lot of pressure due to global headwinds, he said the present Board had lost moral courage by favouring executives and ignoring employees.

"What moral courage the Board will have to face the employees after denying them similar favour. You can't justify a 70 per cent wage hike for a senior executive when salaries of middle and senior level techies were muted," contended Balakrishnan.

Defending Murthy for sharing his concerns with the media on Sunday over the wage hike to Rao when entry-level and junior employees were not given wage increase over the last two-three years, Balakrishnan said the Chief Founder was forced to go public after the Board ignored his advice and feelers privately.

"What could Murthy do when the Board for the second time had not considered his opinion, which is valid, as evident from the points he raised in the e-mail to the media on April 2? I think it was his last option, having exhausted all avenues to convince the Board of his concerns and values," he said.

Murthy, who founded Infosys with six other co-founders 35 years ago, raised lapses by the Board in corporate governance in February, which blew into an all-out war between the promoters and the Board headed by Executive Chairman R. Seshasayee and CEO Vishal Sikka.

Noting that there was a disconnect between the Board and its founders who toiled to build the company from scratch, the former Director said when the industry was going through pain, it was immoral to pass it on to the employees than taking and enduring it.

"The Board should have deferred the decision and waited for the industry to turn around. There is a disconnect between the Board and its past, as none of its members carries the cultural legacy of the company and has no sense of history," lamented Balakrishnan.

Recalling the saying "practice before you preach", he said the leadership should take the pain and set an example.

"In this respect, Murthy raised a valid point because at the end of the day, it is the Board which should take the moral responsibility and face the pain than passing it to others down the line," he reiterated.

On the company's defence that 67 per cent of the shareholders had approved the wage hike proposal in a postal ballot, Balakrishnan said since one-third of shareholders had opposed it (proposal), the Board should have been sensitive to the latter's decision instead of going ahead with the majority.

"It is the for the first time the company's history that a Board proposal was voted against by a section of the investors in contrast to the unanimous approval of its resolutions in the past either through postal ballot or show of hands," he said.

Other Co-Founders, including Nandan Nilekani, S. Gopalakrishnan and S.D. Shibulal who steered the company as Chief Executives, however declined to join the issue in public though they had conveyed their views to the Board in private.

--IANS

fb/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rome, April 5 (IANS/AKI) The Italian Prime Minister's office on Wednesday presented a petition to be a civil plaintiff in a bribery trial against former Premier Silvio Berlusconi linked to his alleged "bunga bunga" sex parties.

Three young women who attended the parties at Berlusconi's villa near Milan, Ambra Battilana, Chiara Danese and Imane Fadil have also asked to be civil plaintiffs in Berlusconi's trial for allegedly paying several young women to lie under oath about the sex parties.

A lawyer for Battilana and Danese said the women's lives had been "irreparably ruined" by the negative publicity surrounding the notorious "bunga bunga" nights in Arcore.

Berlusconi's trial for the alleged bribery opened on Wednesday but proceedings were adjourned to July 3 after a brief hearing.

Prosecutors in the current trial accuse Berlusconi of paying 10 million euros to 17 young women between 2011 and 2015 to commit perjury at his earlier trial for paying for sex with a minor and abuse of office.

In their testimonies at the 2013 trial, the showgirls backed up Berlusconi's claim that he had only held "respectable dinner parties" at his Arcore villa.

Of the total 10 million euros of alleged bribes Berlusconi forked out to the showgirls, seven million euros went to Moroccan former nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug, who he was accused of paying for underage sex in 2010 when she was 17.

Berlusconi's defence claims the payments to El Mahroug and the other young women were "acts of generosity". He has 80 witnesses lined up including TV presenter Barbara D'Urso and former Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini who are ready to testify to his willingness to help others.

Berlusconi was initially convicted in the 2013 trial and sentenced to seven years in jail for paying an underage prostitute for sex and abusing his powers of office for trying get Mahroug released from police custody for alleged petty theft from her flatmate.

But he was acquitted of both charges in 2015 following an appeal. The judge said he could not have known that El Mahroug was a minor.

The appeals court ruling, however, concluded that "there is certain proof that Karima El Mahroug was involved in prostitution at (Berlusconi's villa in) Arcore".

Berlusconi is still leader of his centre-right Forza Italia party but his influence has waned along with the party's popularity.

Even if he is convicted in the latest trial, he is unlikely to go to prison due to Italy's limitations on penal sanctions against the elderly.

--IANS/AKI

vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Japanese spokesperson Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday said the firing of missile by North Korea is in clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions and strongly protested the act.

North Korea on Wednesday launched a ballistic missile, which flew for some 60 km before falling into the Sea of Japan, the South Korean military said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga said the missile was launched at 6.42 a.m. from North Korea's east coast. He said it did not fall within Japan's exclusive economic zone, Xinhua news agency reported.

Suga also said that planes and ships in the area have not reported any damage as a result of the missile falling into the sea.

--IANS

in/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani on Wednesday was in trouble when a Mumbai court issued a non-bailable warrant against him and his business partners in connection with the bouncing of a cheque of Rs 19 lakh issued by his Eva Group of Companies.

According to information available here, the Bhavnagar-based Eva Group, of which Vaghani is a partner, had bought a piece of land for Rs 10.85 crore in Mumbai's upmarket Bandra suburb in an auction in August 2010. The land was originally owned by Stan Rose Steel Ltd, which went into liquidation.

The company then re-sold it a higher premium to Novelty Power Infratech Company, which paid Rs 3 crore as the first instalment. But Novelty Power later cancelled the deal since the Eva Group was taking far too long to get title clearance for the land.

The Eva Group agreed to return the money along with interest and other expenses. But its first cheque of Rs 24 lakh was dishonoured for lack of funds in the account. This payment was the first instalment.

A metropolitan magistrate's court in Bandra issued a warrant against Vaghani and his partners under Sections 138 and 141 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The Eva group challenged the order in a higher court, which rejected its plea.

After this, the court issued a bailable warrant but the Gujarat Police returned the warrant claiming that the addresses were "untraceable". The Mumbai court now issued a non-bailable warrant and directed the Gujarat Police to go to Bhavnagar to execute the warrant.

But the Gujarat Police again claimed that despite two visits to his addresses on Monday and Sunday, the state BJP chief could not be found. However, Vaghani was available to reporters in Ahmedabad on Wednesday to allege that the case was "politically motivated to give a bad name" to his party.

Meanwhile, state BJP spokesman Bharat Pandya claimed that very next day after the cheque bounced, Vaghani had transferred Rs 19 lakh to the company through RTGS. "But some interested parties had suppressed the facts about his making the payment through RTGS and was misusing the social media to defame Vaghani and the BJP."

Vaghani himself, however, did not say anything about his transferring the money through RTGS.

--IANS

desai/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Centre on Wednesday dubbed as "misleading" media reports on the Right to Information (RTI) Act rules, saying no change has been effected in either the fee structure or the word limit for the .

Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, meanwhile, accused the Congress of spreading "misinformation", and said the opposition party was trying to shift the discourse from development.

"These issues are raised to shift focus from the narrative of development. Every time something good is done by the government, they try to shift the narrative," Naidu said.

"The Congress is propagating blatant lies against the government. We would like to remind the Congress that the BJP and other parties also fully supported the RTI Act," he said.

The government said it is committed to ensuring full and easy implementation of the Right to Information law.

"A factually incorrect and misleading report appeared in a section of the media that a new set of RTI rules has been formulated, which creates difficulties and hurdles in the rights of the citizens to get information from the government," the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions said in a statement here.

"It has been alleged that the size of the has been restricted to 500 words and a provision of fee increase has been unfairly introduced in the rules."

The Congress on Monday accused the Narendra Modi government of seeking to subvert the RTI Act, saying new draft rules give power to authorities to reject an application if it is of more than 500 words and also force a steep hike in charges on the applicant.

"The facts are totally to the contrary. On July 31, 2012, the central government notified the RTI rules under Section 27 of the Right to Information Act, 2005.

"A copy of existing rules is available on the official website of Department of Personnel and Training. The rules provide that an RTI application will ordinarily be not more than 500 words (subject to exception) with a nominal fee being charged from each applicant. These rules were framed and notified in 2012," the Ministry statement said.

"However, the legality of the Central Information Commission (Management) Regulations, 2007, was challenged before the Delhi High Court and these were quashed," the statement added.

The Ministry said the matter has been pending before the Supreme Court.

"The government, therefore, decided, in consultation with the CIC, that a comprehensive set of rules be notified by consolidating the key provisions of CIC (Management) Regulations and also the Rules of 2012," it said.

"The key provisions of the RTI Rules, 2012, have been identically incorporated verbatim. No change has been made in the RTI fee structure. The government is committed to ensuring full and easy implementation of the Right to Information Act," it added.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday assured that there is no need for Indians to be concerned about Islamic State (IS) as the terror group has little penetration in the country.

"There is no need for Indians to be worried about IS (penetration) in India. If a few youth get radicalised by them, we also have counter-radicalisation programmes," Rajnath told the Rajya Sabha.

In response to a question by a member whether unemployment and poor socio-economic background -- and not just religious fundamentalism -- were responsible for Indian youths' radicalisation, Rajnath ruled out the possibility.

"We are running several programmes for socio-economic uplift of minorities, including for the Muslims. These include skill development programmes, easy bank loans for business etc," Singh said.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh asked the Home Minister if Saifullah, killed in a police encounter in Lucknow on March 8, had links with the IS. He said an American intelligence website said as much.

To this, Rajnath Singh said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was probing the matter. He said that "because of things found on Saifullah, some people concluded he had links with IS".

The Uttar Pradesh police had called Saifullah a "self-radicalised terrorist", though Madhya Pradesh police said he was part of an IS module.

Earlier, Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said that the number of Muslim youth who have been radicalised so far by the IS was miniscule in comparison with the Muslim population in India.

"There is not much presence of IS in India. So far only 80 youth have been found to be radicalised by IS through social media and internet, which is a negligible number.

"We are monitoring the social media etc round the clock to check further spread of IS," Ahir said.

He pointed out that even Muslim clerics in India have urged the youth not to join the IS or be influenced by their propaganda, which he said was a welcome step.

Ahir also informed the House that 22 persons from Kerala had tried to join the IS. Of these, the NIA has taken action against 16 persons. The rest, he said, included women and children and their cases were being looked into.

Ahir also said that unemployment could not be a reason behind the radicalisation of some Muslim youth as unemployment or poverty in the country was "not restricted to just one community or religion".

He said that Muslim youth also get employment on merit.

--IANS

mak/in/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid speculation of a likely deal on Teesta during the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina this month, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said there is no water in the river.

Banerjee has maintained through the Teesta imbroglio that she will prioritise her state's interest while deciding on the proposed water sharing treaty with the neighbour.

She has also claimed the Centre has not consulted her over the issue.

"What will I do if there is no water? There is no water in the Teesta. Mukutmanipur has dried up... Mahananda has dried up. This is just April. Then May, June are up ahead. By the time the rains start... it will be July. So these three months... there are water woes," Banerjee said here at a rally, articulating the people's concerns over water crises.

She announced a slew of projects for the parched district.

"A project worth Rs 3,000 crore to build embankments in lower Damodar region has been taken up. We have started a new project worth Rs 500 crore to build check dams for irrigation. We will start a new water supply project for 8 more blocks of Bankura by August," she said.

Hasina will pay a three-day state visit to India from April 7, her first visit to the country in seven years.

--IANS

sgh/ssp/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress member and arrested MP Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav's wife Ranjeet Ranjan on Wednesday again raised in the Lok Sabha the issue of her husband's arrest in Patna.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she has sought details of the incident.

Ranjan alleged that the Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) leader was mistreated, and sought action from the Speaker.

"For five hours, police unnecessarily cordoned the house. They treated him like a criminal. They called you as well, and said he was running away, which was a lie," Ranjan said about the arrest.

The Madhepura MP was not given bail the next morning, she said.

Ranjan said: "They said it was a very high profile case and there was pressure."

"They have not given bail so far. The biggest surprise is he is not arrested for protest at the state assembly. He was arrested for some other incident," Ranjan added.

"This shows the intention was only to arrest and harass. We thought he may get bail in three-four days," the MP said.

"They wanted him to protest so that they can declare him criminal. A police official said we have instruction to insult," she alleged.

"It is not just about the privilege of an MP. If they treat an MP like this, how will they treat common people," the Congress MP asked.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge also supported Ranjan. "We should condemn how he was treated... Who has given you right to treat someone like this," Kharge said.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan assured action and said she has sought facts on the incident.

"I have a privilege notice as well. When the issue was raised on March 29, I talked to authorities. I have sought a factual note and we will see what can be done. Handcuffing is wrong, we will look into it," she said.

Pappu Yadav founded JAP after being expelled from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

The police in Patna on Monday night arrested Pappu Yadav, hours after his supporters clashed with police during a march towards the state assembly to protest a power tariff hike.

Police said the arrest was in connection with an old case relating to an incident near the Kargil Chowk in the city on January 24.

--IANS

ao/in/sac

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hailed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's decision to waive off farm loans calling it a step in the right direction.

He, however, cautioned the Central government against "discriminating among states".

"A partial relief for UP (Uttar Pradesh) farmers, but a step in the right direction. The Congress has always supported loan waivers for farmers in distress."

"I'm happy BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) has finally been forced to see reason," Rahul tweeted.

He also advised the Centre not to "play with our farmers who are suffering across the country".

"The Central government must have a response to the widespread distress and not discriminate...," he said.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday cleared a Rs 36,359-crore proposal allowing waiver of loans for marginal and small farmers of the state.
The Shia Personal Law Board on Tuesday called for an amicable settlement to the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute and sought a blanket ban on cow slaughter.

At the fifth meeting of its executive, members of the body raised the issue of cow slaughter and it was unanimously decided that in view of the tensions between two communities, it was in the interest of all that the government ban it.

In Quran, the members said, slaughtering of the cow was said to be against the tenets of Islam and should henceforth be banned.

A cleric from the Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Dargah in Ajmer, Syyed Jail Obaidin Ali Khan openly discussed the controversy surrounding cow slaughter and called for an end to it. "In the background of the rising tensions and the laid down sayings in Quran, we should ban slaughter of cows and sale of its meat," he said.

He also said that the custom of triple talaaq in modern day was not feasible, irrelevant and against the spirit of Quran.

Other speakers also agreed that when a marriage is solemnised with the consent of the bride and the groom, even a matter like divorce should have the consent of both.

--IANS

md/vd/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Six persons were killed and 22 injured in an attack on a convoy of census teams here in Pakistan on Wednesday.

Four security personnel and two civilians were among the dead, The News International quoted a government spokesperson as saying.

Punjab Law Minister said the security threat was imminent on census teams and the government has been very vigilant in this regard.

He said the process of census will not be stopped at any cost, and the government is determined to eliminate militancy from the country.

According to him, halting the census will be tantamount to succumbing to militants' pressure.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but terror outfit Jamat-ul Ahrar has been involved in similar attacks earlier.

--IANS

py/in/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least six Central Asian nationals were detained on Wednesday in St. Petersburg for recruiting individuals for terror related crimes in Russia, the Investigative Committee said on Wednesday.

There was no evidence of their ties with the perpetrator of Monday's subway terror attack that left 14 persons dead, TASS news quoted the Investigative Committee as saying.

The investigators have detained "six Central Asian Republics natives who came to Russia for earnings", the committee said.

They had been recruiting mostly natives of Central Asian Republics in St. Petersburg since November 2015 for terror related crimes involving Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State militant group.

"Russia's Investigative Committee will thoroughly check all the ties and the contacts of the persons detained but (right now) the investigation has no data on the detainees' link and acquaintance with the perpetrator of the St. Petersburg attack," it said.

The committee said the suspects were seeking to involve recruited citizens in the activity of other illegal armed formations, including on the territory of foreign states.

"Searches are being held at the suspects' living places, in the course of which investigators are seizing Islamist extremist literature, the items and documents important for investigating the criminal case," it said.

Investigators are currently deciding on arresting the detainees and bringing charges against them.

Measures are also under way to identify and bring the detainees' accomplices to criminal liability.

Meanwhile, the law enforcement agencies said Akbarzhon Jalilov, who is suspected of carrying out the attack, had a clean record.

"He had no criminal record and had never been on law enforcement's radar. His name was not among extremists in the intelligence database," the source said.

"Upon becoming a Russian citizen, there were no problems with him. Citizenship was granted to him based on legally established procedures," he added.

Investigators are currently checking his contacts including in social networks where he could be recruited by some extremist and terrorist organisations.

"Investigators are establishing whether or not he travelled to Syria to take part in hostilities. However, he could be supervised via the Internet where he could receive instructions on how to make bombs," the source said.

--IANS

py/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Paint company Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd (KNPL) announced its association with Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise as 'Official Sponsor for the 10th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which begins here on Wednesday.

This year, the defending champions will carry Kansai Nerolac's logo on their helmets as part of this association, according to a release.

Speaking on the association, KNPL Director Decorative Anuj Jain said: "We are delighted to associate with Sunrisers Hyderabad, a team known for an excellent blend of talented players who gloriously won the IPL title last year.

"Our association with Sunrisers Hyderabad resonates with the values of reliable performance against all odds and embodies the spirit of teamwork and simplicity."

Commenting on the association, Sunrisers CEO K. Shanmugam said that it is proud to "partner with such a prestigious brand".

The alliance with Sunrisers Hyderabad is the second such association in a row for Kansai Nerolac. In 2016, the company associated as official sponsor with Gujarat Lions. Nerolac will continue to be associated with the Rajkot-based franchise for this year's edition of IPL as well.

--IANS

pur/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump condemned the "intolerable" alleged chemical attack on civilians in Syria and blamed the Bashar al-Assad regime, media reports said.

"Today's chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilised world," Efe news quoted Trump as saying on Teusday in a statement.

Trump said that "heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution", referring to former President Barack Obama, who "said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons" in Syria but then "did nothing".

"The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack," the President concluded.

Shortly before Trump issued his statement, a senior State Department official, who asked for anonymity, told reporters that everything pointed to the fact that the chemical attack was a "war crime" and that the countries backing Assad  Russia and Iran  have much to answer for.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also had harsh words for Russia and Iran in his own statement condemning the attack, which killed at least 58 people in the town of Khan Sheikhoun.

"While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism," said Tillerson in the statement.

Tillerson also said that the attack is the third complaint about the use of chemical weapons in Syria in the past month.

The US accusations come after Syria denied that either its forces or Russian forces were behind the attack.
As competition gets fierce and margins turn razor-thin in the evolving Indian market, Chinese smartphones makers are fast reworking their strategies to gain an upper hand. But the road ahead is full of uncertainties.

Take the case of Shenzen-headquartered company Huawei. One of the top three global smartphone vendors (the other two being Apple and Samsung), it is yet to create a ripple in the Indian market.

The company had a mere one per cent share in India in the last quarter of 2016, and is expected to clock 0.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2017 (according to the data provided by the market research firm Counterpoint Research).

On the other hand, Beijing-headquartered Xiaomi is not faring well in the saturated home turf but clocked over $1 billion in revenue in the Indian market last year.

Chinese internet and technology conglomerate LeEco's is a curious yet shocking case. The Beijing-based company has buried its India growth story after creating much hype last year.

However, after the success of other Chinese players like Oppo, Vivo and Levono, all eyes are now on Huawei.

The company knows this. After securing a strong global position, Huawei has a renewed strategy for India where its sub-brand Honor is already doing well.

"It is never easy to overtake the competition in the top three positions of global leaders. But we at Huawei believe in making things possible. We have set small-term goals and are working towards them to achieve the coveted number one position," Peter Zhai, President-Huawei India Consumer Business Group, told IANS.

"We would replicate the same strategy across all our global markets and India is definitely one of the core overseas markets that we would be focusing on," Zhai added.

According to the US-based analyst firm Drexel Hamilton, Huawei, currently the world's second-largest Android smartphone manufacturer, will dethrone Samsung to become Apple's main challenger in the years to come.

"Our growth will be defined by our focus on evaluating local needs and regular investments in research and development to meet the needs of the consumers. Huawei is a leader in R&D investments and innovations with around 15 per cent of our profits being pumped into research. Our continued efforts towards innovating will help us outsmart our rivals," Zhai told IANS.

At the global level, Huawei advanced to become the world's 40th most valuable brand this year -- up seven places from its position a year ago, British brand valuation firm Brand Finance announced this week.

For industry analysts, Huawei surely has the capabilities to achieve the same in India but it is not going to be an easy task. Huawei is yet to crack two of the world's top three biggest markets (the US and India) but is continuously trying hard to scale up its operations in these markets.

"The biggest advantage Huawei has right now is the momentum and solid portfolio of products along with deep expertise in R&D. This has helped Huawei to partner with strong ecosystem partners in certain geographies like in Africa," Tarun Pathak, Senior Analyst, Mobile Devices and Ecosystems at New Delhi-based Counterpoint Research, told IANS.

According to Zhai, as part of its India strategy, it has planned a well-carved, dual-brand strategy to reach out to both online and offline consumers across different strata and market segments.

"We put the 'customers first' and are steadily growing in the Indian market through differentiated offerings and are poised to grow exponentially in the coming years. We now have presence in over 20,000 offline stores across the country with almost 6,000 In Shop Demonstrators (ISDs)," Zhai informed.

Smartphone brands which have potential to scale up going forward have one thing is common -- deep expertise in R&D.

"Entry in mature smartphone geographies demands rich IP portfolio and complying with various carrier guidelines. Hence, not many brands at this point are able to scale up to become a truly global player," Pathak added.

As Huawei is positioned to grab the second spot globally, Samsung has launched Galaxy 8 and 8 Plus which can foil Huawei plans.

"Galaxy S8 surely has the potential to become the best-selling flagship for Samsung in the launch year. A strong momentum will not only strengthen its share in the premium segment but also help win share in the Android premium smartphone segment, which Huawei is aggressively targeting," Pathak noted.

Zhai, however, is not threatened.

"We will focus on improving service quality and have set up premium service options to ensure that our customers receive the best-in-class service for all our products in India," the executive told IANS.

(Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ian.in)

--IANS

na/vm/sac

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress on Wednesday said its new government in Punjab will soon fulfil its promise of waiving farmers' loans, but was non-committal on when this will happen.

"Our party has been supportive of farmer-friendly actions and committed to fulfilling its poll promises," Congress spokesperson Rajeev Gowda told media persons here.

On the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to waive loans of small and marginal farmers, he said: "We are happy to see that (they have done it). We too will do it."

Talking about the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, the Congress leader said he hoped it will create more jobs in the years to come.

"There has been no job creation in the past two-and-half years but the GST will help in job creation," Gowda said, adding that all depends on its implementation though.

The Congress leader said the present government had a "terrible" record in collection of indirect taxes, and urged it not to impose indirect taxes since the poor were affected the most.

Gowda suggested centralised registration of companies to make it easy for them to carry out business across the country.

"Why can't the government think of centralised registration of companies," he asked, and said the government must "test GST before rolling it out".

--IANS

sk/tsb/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The UN Security Council convened on Wednesday to discuss a draft resolution proposed by the US, Britain and France, which would condemn Damascus for the reported use of chemical weapons in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province on Tuesday.

Russia criticised the draft resolution for being unbalanced and jumping to conclusions. It said the document would have to include several amendments, such as calling on the rebels controlling the area to provide full access to UN investigators and setting an unbiased and comprehensive probe into the incident as the primary goal of the resolution.

"This draft was penned in haste and adopting it would have been irresponsible," said Russian Deputy Acting envoy to the UN Vladimir Safronkov.

He also blamed Western members of the UN Security Copuncil for unwillingness to investigate previous cases of alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria, where rebel groups were accused of using toxin agents.

Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, hinted at taking its own action in Syria unless the UN Security Council moves to prevent the use of chemical weapons in the war-torn country.

"When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," the US ambassador to the UN said.

Haley delivered an emotional speech that included images of children to argue in favor of swift action. The pictures were used in reporting the alleged chemical weapons attack.

She claimed the incident carried "all hallmarks" of an attack by Damascus, adding that the toxin used in the alleged assault was "more deadly" than in previous cases attributed to the Syrian military by Washington.

The US envoy to UN also accused Russia of failing to ensure that there were no chemical weapons in the possession of the Syrian government.

"The truth is that Russia, Iran and (Syrian President) Assad have no interest in peace," Haley claimed.

In one of the worst chemical bombings in Syria at least 70 people were killed, including 20 innocent children, on Tuesday, the bombing sparked an international outrage on Wednesday and prompted the United Nations to call for a probe into the attack and to view it as a possible war crime.

--IANS

ahm/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gurugram Police Commissioner Sandeep Khirwar on Wednesday honoured and rewarded two women, who on Monday bravely fought off two armed men trying to rob an SBI money transfer centre.

Police on Tuesday had released CCTV footage showing two women fending off armed men that averted the bank robbery here.

Vimla Devi (45) and Poonam (28), employees of the State Bank of India's money transfer branch in Badshahpur, overpowered Deepak (21) and Mohit (21) when they tried to rob the bank.

The Police Commissioner rewarded and honoured both the women with a cash prize of Rs 5,000 each and appreciation letters for their courage and presence of mind.

The footage showed the thieves entering the bank on Monday afternoon and pulling out pistols from a bag. They tried to take on Vimla and Poonam at gunpoint.

At the time of the incident, the women were alone in the branch. Instead of surrendering, they snatched the pistols and raised an alarm.

The assailants were sent to two days police remand by a court on Tuesday.

--IANS

pradeep/lok/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After announcing its "Made for India" YouTube Go app during last September's 'Google for India' event here, Google's video-hosting platform YouTube on Wednesday released a beta version of the YouTube Go app in the Play Store in India.

The app, released after months of expanded testing and refinement, will be released in other emerging markets later.

According to a post, the YouTube Go was designed with four main principles in mind.

The app provides a fresh and relevant video recommendation tailored to ones preferences. It is designed to be offline first and improve the experience of watching videos on a slower network.

"It gives you more control over data usage, by providing choice and transparency into the amount of data spent on streaming or saving videos, and it's social, allowing you to share videos quickly and easily with friends nearby," the YouTube blog post said.

YouTube Go home screen features trending and popular videos in an area, so that a user can find and discover videos that his/her community cares about.

On YouTube Go, a user can see a preview of the video when he/she taps on a thumbnail, giving a better sense of what the video is about.

A user can also choose to save a video for offline viewing later.

With a tagline of "Mazze Udao, Data Nahi", YouTube Go now allows a user to preview and choose the size of the video.

With YouTube Go, users can share videos with friends and family nearby without using any data.

Johanna Wright, Vice President (Product Management) at YouTube, in September announced that YouTube Go has an easy user interface, works on low connectivity, cuts cost in data usage and offers personalised suggestions to the users.

Based on browsing history, patterns and languages, the new app will also serve 10 new videos every week.

--IANS

sku/gb/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Last week, two important events took place in the (EU). The first was the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which created the European Economic Community (EEC). The treaty was signed by six nations, the key ones being West Germany, France and Italy. The EEC envisaged free movement of goods, services and capital across the member countries and had evolved from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), in existence since 1951. In the 1870 Franco-German War, the basic dispute was about two major coal-producing provinces, Alsace and Lorraine. European statesmen like Robert Schuman believed that the ECSC made war between West European nations, particularly France and Germany, not only unthinkable but materially impossible. The EEC evolved into todays 28-nation (soon to be 27  or even less?) EU.
has prescribed the monthly average balance (MAB) requirement of Rs 5,000 for branches in six metros, Rs 3,000 for urban, Rs 2,000 for semi-urban and Rs 1,000 for rural branches in savings bank (SB) accounts (excluding Jan-Dhan Yojana, Surabhi accounts) from April 1.
Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation in order to curb the use of black money, a recurring theme in public discourse has been the use of such unaccounted wealth in financing political parties. Over the years, there have been several attempts in the form of Supreme Court and high court rulings and amendments to the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951, to address the situation, but evidence suggests that such efforts have largely failed to resolve the issue. In fact, the unhealthy use of black money and the lack of transparency in the functioning of political parties continue unabated. In his address to the nation in December-end last year, Mr Modi had urged political parties to give up their holier than thou approach and come clean on their own funding, much in line with the exacting standards of probity demanded of a common citizen in the wake of demonetisation. This had raised a lot of expectations from the central government in terms of follow-up action that would not only plug the loopholes that allow black money in party finances but also bring about all-round transparency in electoral funding. However, the amendments introduced in the Finance Bill, 2017, which received Parliamentary approval last week, leave a lot to be desired.
Penti Surender held ten life policies issued by Life Corporation of India (LIC). The total sum insured was Rs 19.75 lakh. In January 5, 2007, Surender, along with his motorcycle and mobile, went missing. A police complaint was lodged. Later, his dead body was recovered on April 18, 2007. According to police investigation, Surender had an ex-marital affair which the womans husband objected to. Subsequently, the woman and her husband constructed a temporary bathroom without light and ventilation.
With an eye on forging opposition unity in Uttar Pradesh for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and to protest what it calls the Narendra Modi government's "dictatorial" attitude in pushing through key legislations as 'money Bills', the Congress party is likely to support regional parties to stall the passage of a key constitution amendment Bill.
After fulfilling its poll promise to waive off farm loans of the states small and marginal farmers, constituting anti-Romeo squads to keep a check on harassment of women and crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses, the government is all set to bring relief to another significant support base of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)  the middle classes.
A BJP worker was allegedly robbed by two unidentified men, who also opened fire in the air to scare him away, at Anand Vihar, police said today.

The victim, Vikas Jain, told police that he was returning home last night on a two-wheeler when two men allegedly tried to stop them, police said.

The accused allegedly tried to ask them some address but Jain got suspicious and asked his friend to speed up, they added.

However, the accused overtook their vehicle and stopped them, police said.

The accused pointed a gun at him and when Jain tried to shout at him the other person also took out a gun, they added.

They snatched Jain's bracelet and fled. They also fired shots in the air.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Telecom operators Aircel, Reliance Communications and Airtel did not meet regulator TRAI's various quality norms for 2G services in multiple licence areas for the quarter ended December 2016.

"... Whereas Aircel is not meeting the various parameters in 27 licence areas, Reliance Communications in GSM services in 25 service areas and Airtel in 15 service areas," Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

The telecom regulator TRAI monitors the performance of service providers, including state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) against the benchmarks for various quality of service parameters through quarterly performance monitoring reports submitted by service providers.

Citing TRAI's December 2016 report, the minister said that for 2G services MTNL is meeting all the parametrise except one pertaining to percentage requests for termination and closure of services complied within seven days (whether the set benchmark is 100 per cent).

Similarly, BSNL is meeting benchmarks for all parametrise



except for one in West Bengal service area.

In the quarter ended December 2016, for 3G services, MTNL met the benchmark for all parametrise except one on congestion at the point of interconnect.

"Whereas Aircel is not meeting the benchmark for various parametrise in 14 licence areas," the minister said.

According to information shared by the minister, newcomer Reliance Jio has 94.28 per cent urban subscribers as on December 31, 2016. For Bharti, this number stood at 50.88 per cent, and in the case of Vodafone and Idea at 46.29 per cent and 45.23 per cent, respectively.

Responding to another query, Sinha said an estimated 55,000 villages in the country do not have mobile coverage.

Various schemes are being implemented with financial support from the Universal Service Obligation Fund for provision of services in commercially unviable rural and remote areas of the country.

To a separate question, the minister replied that the powers of the telecom department to impose financial penalty on various service providers for violation of terms and conditions of the licence agreement stands reinstated, with the pronouncement of an order of the Division Bench of High Court of Tripura in favour of Union of India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Four Pakistani soldiers were among six people killed and 18 injured in a targeted attack on army men escorting a census team by a young suicide bomber here, the latest in a series of bombings to hit the country.

The blast happened near a Cantonment area in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab province.

"Six people including four army men have been killed in the suicide attack. Over a dozen injured have been shifted to combined military hospital (CMH) and General Hospital Lahore," Punjab government spokesman Malik Muhammad Khan confirmed.

TV footages and photographs from the scene showed two vans and a motorcycle damaged in the blast.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blast so far.

Khan said the area has been cordoned off and law enforcement agencies were at the site collecting evidence.

The blast struck when the army personnel accompanied a team carrying out Pakistan's first census in 19 years and launched in March.

Security has been put on high alert in Lahore.

A Lahore police source told PTI the young suicide bomber came near the army vehicle on foot and then blew himself up. "The severed head of the suicide bomber has been found. It appears that some eight to 10 kilogrammes explosives were used," the source said.

An eyewitness, Taimur Shahid, said he was heading to a shop near the blast site to get groceries when he heard a loud bang metres away.

"I moved to the blast site and saw a number of soldiers lying in a pool of blood. The locals moved them to a nearby hospital. Later, rescue and army personnel reached the spot and cordoned off the area," he said.

Punjab Health Minister Imran Nazir said four of the injured were critical. He said an official of the Pakistan Air Force, who was passing by with his wife on a motorcycle at the time of blast, was among the four soldiers dead.

Lahore Corpse Commander Sadiq Ali said the people would not be cowed down by such cowardly attacks. "The war against terror will continue," he said.

Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said terrorism in Pakistan could not end till the terror camps of Jammatul Ahrar and other terror groups are not eliminated in Afghanistan.

On February 23, a suicide blast in an upscale area in Lahore killed eight people and injured 30 people.

Another blast targeting police officers at a demonstration in the city in the same month killed 13 people, six of them police men. Jammatur Ahrar had claimed its responsibility.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least seven people, including five Pakistani soldiers, were killed and 19 others injured today when a Taliban suicide bomber targeted army men escorting a census team here, the latest in a series of bombings that have rocked the country.

The suicide bomber, who appeared to be Uzbek, came close to a van carrying army personnel on Baidian Road at 7:45 AM and blew himself up, according to a Lahore police report submitted to Punjab Province Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

The army team had reached there to carry out census activity.

"It appears that the suicide bomber aged between 22 and 24 was present there...And he had knowledge about the arrival of the census team," the report said.

The injured driver Muhammad Usman has been taken into custody for investigation to ascertain as to why he stopped the van at a particular point, it said.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack. Police said that the suicide bomber appeared to be an Uzbek.

"The suicide bomber appears to be an Uzbek who was likely to enter here from Afghanistan," the police report said.

Following the attack, security has been put on high alert in Lahore.

Punjab government spokesman Malik Muhammad Khan also confirmed that it was suicide attack on the army personnel.

He said five soldiers were among seven dead. Officials said 19 others were injured in the attack.

Injured have been shifted to the combined military hospital (CMH) and the General Hospital Lahore where the condition of three was said to be critical.

The army personnel have been taking part in the ongoing census in the country which is scheduled to be concluded in September this year.

A Lahore police source told PTI that the young suicide bomber came near the army vehicle on foot and then blew himself up.

"The severed head of the suicide bomber has been found. It appears that some eight to 10 kilogrammes explosives were used," the source said.

An official of Pakistan Air Force, who was passing by along with his wife and son on a motorcycle at the time of blast, was also among the dead. His wife and minor son suffered injuries and are beiung treated at the General Hospital, the source said.

An eyewitness, Taimur Shahid, said he was heading to a shop near the blast site to get groceries when he heard a loud bang metres away.

"I moved to the blast site and saw a number of soldiers lying in a pool of blood. The locals moved them to a nearby hospital. Later, rescue and army personnel reached the spot and cordoned off the area," he said.

Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said terrorism in Pakistan could not end till the terror camps of Jammat-ul-Ahrar and other terror groups are not eliminated in Afghanistan.

An FIR has been registered against three unidentified terrorists on the complaint of an inspector of the Counter Terrorism Department Punjab police.

Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa in a statement said, the soldiers and civil enumerators who were killed were on census duty and it was a "great sacrifice".

He asserted that the census will be completed at any cost.

"These sacrifices will only strengthen our resolve and with the support of entire nation, we will cleanse the menace of terrorism from our soil. The operation against terrorists will continue across the country," he said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condoled the loss of lives in the blast. He directed the authorities concerned to extend all requisite assistance to the provincial government.

Lahore has been on edge since a wave of violent attacks across the country in February killed 130 people.

The attacks included a bomb blast in on February 13, which killed 14 people in an assault claimed by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a faction of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Ten days later a fresh blast sent panic through the city when it killed eight people, though officials later said it was a gas leak, not an attack as initially feared.

Today's explosion came days after at least 22 people were killed and 57 wounded last week, when a car bomb ripped through a market in a mainly Shia area of Parachinar, Kurram Agency.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The (AAI) incurred over Rs 70 crore loss, partly due to non-inclusion of certain portion of land in relation to lease agreement for the Delhi airport, CAG said on Tuesday.

The top auditor said AAI suffered a loss of Rs 41.68 crore due to lack of appropriate action and undue benefit extended to a contractor for advertising sites at the Kolkata airport.

In a report tabled in Parliament, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said AAI "sustained a loss of Rs 28.67 crore" with respect to non-inclusion of land in a lease agreement related to the Delhi airport.

AAI, in April 2007, had allotted a built-up space at Bijwasan to Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) for the purpose of providing dormitory accommodation for CISF personnel deployed at the airport here.

"While signing the agreement, AAI did not include in the lease agreement (March 2008) the area of land along with the built-up space and the lease rent payable for the same," CAG said.

The report said that after CAG pointed out the issue in its audit in July 2014, AAI raised the invoices for lease rent towards land measuring 19,525 square metres in January 2015.

"However, DIAL refused payment on the ground that there was no agreement to charge rent for such land. Thus, AAI sustained loss of Rs 28.67 crore," it noted.

DIAL, where diversified GMR group and AAI are among the joint venture partners, is operating the international airport in the national capital.

Flagging another issue, the apex auditor said AAI extended continued undue benefits to TDI International India Ltd, which had a licence for indoor and outdoor advertisements at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata.

"Deferred payment facilities were allowed for a year, contract period was extended even as the licensee initiated a dispute on payment and dues amounting to Rs 23.43 crore for the contract period (October 2007 to October 2014) remained unrealised," the report said.

Even after the contract period ended, the report said AAI did not use a notice for vacating the sites leading to TDI using the sites for another 14 months  October 2014 to December 2015.

This resulted in revenue loss of Rs 41.68 crore to AAI as "TDI did not acknowledge any dues in the absence of a contractual obligation", it added.

The conclusions are part of CAG's report for the year ended March 2016 related to 'Union Government (Commercial) Compliance Audit Observations'.

Further, the auditor said AAI did not carry out a realistic assessment of civil enclave requirements at Jaisalmer and Bikaner (Rajasthan) and Bhatinda (Punjab) due to which Rs 100.59 crore on creation of facilities at these places remained idle.

"AAI also incurred a recurring loss in the form of depreciation charges amounting to Rs 40.06 crore," it added.
Adani Australia on Wednesday donated $200,000 to assist the victims of Cyclone Debbie that wreaked havoc in Queensland state.

Jeyakumar Janakaraj, Adani Australia country head and chief executive officer, presented a cheque for $200,000 to the Salvation Army which is among the many NGOs providing front line assistance to help people recover from the disaster.

Jayakumar said the donation was particularly aimed at helping people living in the Whitsunday areas such as Bowen, Proserpine, Airlie Beach and Mackay.

"These people include members of the Adani 'family' who work at our Abbot Point bulk coal loading facility," Janakaraj said.

"It also includes people who we will soon employ as we start work later this year on our Carmichael mine and rail projects," Janakaraj said, adding that the company staff from Abbot Point was also deployed to work the local area disaster teams to help restore public areas.

"Adani Australia staff are proud members of these communities and we are happy to provide this assistance," Janakaraj said.

has maintained that the work on $21 billion controversial coal mine project in Queensland would begin this year that will create 10,000 jobs for the state.

The project involves dredging 1.1 million cubic metres of spoil near the iconic Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which will then be disposed off on land.

At least two people have died and several missing after torrential rain inundated large areas of Queensland and New South Wales states, flooding homes and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.

Category four Cyclone Debbie smashed into Queensland last week between Bowen and Airlie, ripping up trees and causing widespread damage that is still being assessed.
The US on Wednesday said that it is considering all options to tackle the threat posed by North Korea's repeated nuclear arms tests, hours after Pyongyang fired another ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan.

Confirming the missile launch, the US Pacific Command said that its systems "detected and tracked" what it assessed was a North Korean missile launch at 11:42 AM (Hawaii time) on April 4.

"The launch of a single ballistic missile occurred at a land-based facility near Sinpo," the Command said in a statement.

The missile was tracked until it landed in the Sea of Japan at 11:51 AM (Hawaii time).

"Initial assessments indicate the type of missile was a KN-15 medium range ballistic missile," it said.

" launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about . We have no further comment," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement.

The missile launch comes ahead of the crucial meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Florida tomorrow during which the two leaders are expected to discuss a range of global issues, including North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

The White House reacted strongly to the launch and said that the clock is ticking for Pyongyang.

"I can tell you that it is now urgent, because we feel that the clock is very, very quickly running out," a senior White House official told reporters at a news conference.

"We would have loved to see join the community of nations. They've been given that opportunity over the course of different dialogues and offers over the course of four administrations, with some of our best diplomats and statesmen doing the best they could to bring about a resolution.

"The clock has now run out and all options are on the table for us," the official said.

The testing of nuclear weapons by North Korea is expected to figure prominently in talks between the Trump and Jinping during their meeting, the official said on condition of anonymity.

"North Korea clearly is a matter of urgent interest for the president and the administration as a whole. The president has been pretty clear in messaging how important it is for China to coordinate with the United States, and for China to begin exerting its considerable economic leverage to bring about a peaceful resolution to that problem."



"It is going to come up in their discussions. Somewhere on the order of just shy of 90 per cent of North Korea's external trade is with China. So, even though we hear sometimes that China's political influence may have diminished with North Korea, clearly its economic leverage has not. It is considerable," the official said.

The US will be monitoring how well partners, including China, implement the UN resolutions with regard to North Korea.

"Coal is one very important area, given the volume of trade and what that means in terms of hard currency to the North Korean regime. And certainly we'll use whatever methods we have to monitor compliance," the official said.

The US will always act to defend its homeland and allies from any threat, particularly the one posed by Kim Jong Un's regime with the kinds of terrible weapons that they're developing.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today discussed the possibility of special employment programmes for youths with HDFC Bank and asked it to provide soft loans to young entrepreneurs.

The HDFC local branch banking head Govind Pandey had called on the Chief Minister at the Punjab Bhawan here, an official spokesman said.

The Chief Minister asked the bank to support the government's employment initiatives by providing soft loans to youths to make them self-employed, he said.

He also urged the bank to initiate training and skill development programmes for youngsters in Punjab to help them get jobs.

During the meeting, Pandey sought the government's support for welfare programmes for farmers and cited the bank's Sustainable Livelihood Initiative (SLI) as a robust business model that had helped empower thousands of people in rural India.

Through this initiative, the Bank intends to reach out to the 'un-banked' and 'under-banked' segment of the population, he said.

In doing so, it will help those at the bottom of the pyramid by providing them with livelihood finance, Pandey said.

He also spoke about the various initiatives undertaken by the bank to create sustainable livelihood through skill development programmes for inclusive growth in Punjab.

Pandey said more than 88,000 members had so far been trained in various skill development programmes and nearly 83,000 members had received micro-enterprise training in detergent, liquid soap and phenyl making.

Amarinder asked HDFC to start special training programmes to impart hands-on experience to the unemployed youth as drivers, tube well mechanics, electricians and plumbers, the spokesman said.

The Chief Minister promised to extend all possible government support to the bank's initiatives for the youth, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On the eve of President Donald Trump's first face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, a new survey has found that Americans' feelings towards the top Communist leader was "largely negative".

"President Xi gets largely negative ratings from Americans: 60 per cent have not too much or no confidence in him to do the right thing in world affairs," according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center.

Just 31 per cent say they have a lot or at least some confidence in 63-year-old Xi, also General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chairman of the Central Military Commission.

A key meeting of the CPC last October elevated Xi as China's "core" leader, a level comparable with that of the country's revolutionary leader Mao Zedong



Trump, 70, will host Xi at the President's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for two days from tomorrow for a series of high-stakes sit-downs.

The survey also points out that the share of the American public which views China as "primarily a military threat" has also risen over time, from 28 per cent in 2012 to 36 per cent now.

If an Asian ally such as Japan, South Korea, or the Philippines were to become embroiled in a military conflict with China, most Americans (58 per cent) would back the use of force against Beijing. Nearly two-in-three Republicans (65 per cent) and 62 per cent of independents hold this view. And by a 52 per cent-39 per cent margin, Democrats also favor using force to defend an Asian ally.

Military tensions between Washington and Beijing have risen in recent years, primarily related to US commitments to its allies in the region.

The US has attempted to pressure China to act on controlling its ally North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, with Trump saying this week that he would go it alone if necessary.

The survey also found that all is not gloomy for China in the minds of Americans.

Over the past year, Americans' stance toward China has softened, it said.

The survey found that 44 per cent of Americans have a favourable opinion of China, up from 37 per cent a year ago.

The growth in positive ratings for China may be due in part to declining concerns about economic threats from China, it said.

The share of the public that sees the amount of US debt held by Beijing, the loss of jobs to China and the trade deficit with China as very serious problems has dropped significantly in recent years.

For example, 61 per cent said the trade deficit was a very serious problem in 2012, compared with 44 per cent today. Concerns about Chinese cyberattacks have, on the other hand, risen to 55 per cent from 50 per cent five years ago.

Ahead of his meeting with Xi, Trump had said that "we can no longer have massive trade deficits and job losses."



He also signed two executive orders recently aimed at combating trade practices the White House said are abusive. But analysts warn that attempts to persuade American firms to make their goods somewhere other than China could backfire, and there is no guarantee they will bring factories back to the US.

Producing more of those goods in the US would create low- paying jobs, but it would also make them more expensive, pushing up the cost of living for Americans.

"On balance, Americans today tend to be more concerned about China's economic strength than its military prowess," the Pew report said.

Military tensions between Washington and Beijing have risen in recent years, primarily related to US commitments to its allies in the region.

The US has attempted to pressure China to exert pressure on its ally North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, with Trump saying this week that he would go it alone if necessary.

Pew surveyed 1,505 people in the United States from February 16 to March 15 for the poll, which has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit said today that a suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held town in Syria that killed 72 people was "a major crime."



"Targeting and killing civilians with these prohibited methods is considered a major crime and a barbaric act," Aboul Gheit said.

"Whoever carried it out will not escape from justice, and must be punished by the international community according to international law and international humanitarian law," the Arab League chief said, without specifying who he held responsible.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday's air strike on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib province was likely carried out by government warplanes, a charge the regime denied.

Britain and the United States have pointed the finger at President Bashar al-Assad's government for the attack.

But Russia, which holds a veto in the UN Security Council defended its Syrian ally saying that the "toxic substances" which caused the deaths were in a "terrorist warehouse" on the ground which had been hit by the government air strike.

The Arab League suspended Syria's membership at the end of 2011 following months of brutal repression of anti-government demonstrations and an opposition movement supported by Gulf monarchies.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Post SANTA FE -- Protest over Biden's Climate Bomb: Opening West to more Fracking No More Sacrifice Zones - Groups Protest in Response to Bureau of Land Management Proposed Fracking Auction of More Than 260,000 acres in ...

White Mesa Ute Spiritual March to Shut Down Uranium Mill



Mohawk Warrior Society Book Launch



Lakota Jean Roach: The True Story of Leonard Peltier



Justice for Dad: Taylor Dewey Shares the Harsh Road to Justice



Justice Dept Files Lawsuit Against Rapid City Hotel



Western Shoshone Ian Zabarte Speaks on Radiation



Archive

Search This Blog

About Censored News Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell. Since 2006, Censored News has received more than 20 million pageviews. As a collective of writers, photographers and broadcasters, we publish news of Indigenous Peoples and human rights. Contact publisher Brenda Norrell: brendanorrell@gmail.com

From the publisher Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell, a journalist in Indian country for 40 years. Norrell created Censored News after she was censored and terminated as a staff reporter at Indian Country Today in 2006. She began as a reporter at Navajo Times during the 18 years that she lived on the Navajo Nation. She was a stringer for AP and USA Today and later traveled with the Zapatistas through Mexico. She has been blacklisted by all the mainstream media for 14 years. Contact brendanorrell@gmail.com

Translate
The West Bengal government has declared around 275 km of state highways passing through various municipalities as 'arterial roads'.

The notification posted on the state PWD website on March 16 came in between the Supreme Court order on highway liquor ban on December 15, 2016, and its reaffirmation by the apex court on March 31.

The state government has not given any specific reason for the denotification which covers stretches along all the 16 state highways.

The apex court order is expected to hit the state's excise revenue to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore as around 1,700 liquor shops falling within 500 metres of both state and national highways had to stop vending liquor.

Regarding the national highways, the PWD sources said the state government was contemplating requesting the Centre to find ways on how to both implement the ban and to save the excise revenue loss and hundreds of jobs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Delhi BJP delegation today met Lt Governor Anil Baijal to demand a high-level probe into AAP government's move to pay lawyer Ram Jethmalani from the public exchequer for representing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a defamation case.

Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta accompanied by two other BJP MLAs met Baijal at the Raj Niwas and handed over a memorandum to him.

The LG is learnt to have sought Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar's advice for clearing legal bills for Jethmalani who is representing Kejriwal in a defamation case filed by Union minister Arun Jaitley.

"Paying the bill of Rs 3.8 crore to Jethmalani in a personal legal matter from government exchequer is a criminal breach of trust reposed by the public in Kejriwal," Gupta said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Brazil has sternly criticised Israel's approval for renewed large-scale settlement building in the occupied West Bank.

"The settlements in (Palestinian territory) are illegal and amount to an obstacle for the two-state solution and for a fair and lasting peace," the foreign ministry said in a statement yesterday.

Brazil reiterated its position in favour of the creation of a Palestinian state so that "Israel and Palestine can live in peace and security."



Brazil recognised the Palestinian state in 2010 and recalled its ambassador from Israel in 2014 in protest at "disproportionate" force used by the Jewish state in the Gaza Strip.

Tension also flared in 2015 when Brazil refused to accept Israel's choice of ambassador, Danny Dayan, a former settler leader. In January of this year, Israel backed down and nominated another ambassador.

The Israeli cabinet gave unanimous backing this month to the first officially sanctioned new settlement in the occupied West Bank in more than 20 years.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Britain said today it would help Saudi Arabia diversify its oil-dependent economy as British Prime Minister Theresa May visited the Gulf kingdom.

May and Saudi King Salman would discuss "tax and privatisation standards to help Saudi Arabia diversify its economy and become less reliant on oil", a statement released by her office said.

Saudi Arabia faces a significant budget deficit with billions of dollars in debts to private firms, largely in the construction business, after a drop in global oil prices by about half since 2014.

Britain will also assist Riyadh in "building a reformed Ministry of Defence" and reviewing defence capabilities, the statement said.

May is visiting the oil-rich kingdom as she seeks to secure investment and trade after Britain officially started a two-year countdown to leave the European Union.

But May has also come under harsh criticism for her visit to the ultra-conservative kingdom.

She has faced calls at home to raise rights issues with the kingdom's leaders, primarily over Britain's arms sales to a Saudi-led military coalition battling Iran-backed rebels in Yemen since March 2015.

Saudi Arabia has bought more than USD 5 billion (4.7 billion euros) worth of arms from the United States and Britain since then, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute think tank says.

Rights groups have called for an end to US and British arms sales to Riyadh over the coalition's involvement in the war.

More than 7,700 people have been killed in Yemen since March 2015, the United Nations says, and seven million Yemenis face starvation this year.

May yesterday held talks with a string of officials including Saudi Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef and Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman, who is second in line to the throne, as well as the country's oil and energy minister.

The British premier also met Sarah al-Suhaimi, the first woman to head the Saudi stock exchange and a Saudi investment bank, and Princess Reema bint Bandar, head of the women's section at the General Authority for Sports.

As part of its economic diversification strategy, Saudi Arabia has announced plans to increase women's participation in the workforce from 22 to 28 per cent by 2020.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chhattisgarh government is going to enlist youths who know local dialects as 'motivators' to promote government schemes in the Naxal-affected Bastar.

The youth who know Halbi and Gondi, widely-spoken dialects of Bastar, will be trained as motivators, a government official said here.

Chief Minister Raman Singh gave directions in this regard at a meeting of officials from Dantewada and Bijapur districts last evening.

"The CM emphasised the need of identifying youth who know Halbi and Gondi and train them as 'Prerak' (motivators) to promote government schemes," said the official.

Every month, these motivators are expected to encourage at least 100 villagers to avail of benefits of government schemes. They will be paid an honorarium.

In the meeting yesterday, the CM also expressed happiness over the speed of work for setting up tele-medicine service in three villages, Palnar, Badekameli and Nerali, of Dantewada district, the official said.

"The CM directed that this service should start in these three villages within a month," he added.

The tele-medicine service will enable the people of these villages to consult the doctors in Mumbai and Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Cabinet today cleared the pact between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and France's DGAC for technical collaboration in the civil aviation space.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) would be between AAI and Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC).

An official spokesperson tweeted that the Cabinet has approved 'India-France MoU in civil aviation' sector.

The pact will be "beneficial for enhancement of skills and expertise of AAI's officers", the tweet said.

Furthermore, the MoU will be beneficial for imparting training to engineers, technicians and managers, among others.

AAI manages a total of 125 airports, including 11 international ones, and also provides Air Traffic Management Services (ATMS) over entire Indian air space and adjoining oceanic areas, as per its website.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least seven people were killed and 10 wounded today when a car bomb exploded at a restaurant near the Somali ministry of internal security in Mogadishu, officials said.

"There was a huge blast at a tea-shop near the security ministry, the initial information we are getting indicates it was a car bomb explosion," said Somali police official Mohammed Ibrahim.

Abdifatah Omar Halane, spokesman for the Mogadishu adminstration, said "seven civilians were killed in the blast and more than 10 others wounded."



Witnesses said the area was swarmed by ambulances.

"The blast was huge and I saw ambulances rushing but the area was cordoned off by the police", said witness Abdisalam Sharif.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Dalai Lama's trip to Arunachal Pradesh today triggered a row between the two Asian giants with China accusing India of causing "serious damage" to ties by "obstinately" allowing the visit and an unfazed New Delhi sticking to its position that it was a "religious" act.

A riled China also lodged a protest with India's Ambassador in Beijing Vijay Gokhale over the Tibetan spiritual leader's visit.

"India in disregard to China's concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lama's visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to China's interests and China-India relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters, adding that China firmly opposes this move.

However, in New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said, "We clearly said that the Dalai Lama is a revered religious leader and has visited Arunachal earlier on half a dozen occasions.

"We also urged that no political colour be ascribed to his religious and spiritual activities and to his visits to states of India, and no artificial controversy created around his ongoing visit."



Contradicting India's assertion, Hua said, "Could you tell me honestly do you seriously believe that Dalai is only a religious leader. I think the answer is known to all. He is not just a religious figure.

"Therefore, his visit to the place will not be purely of religious purpose. So using the empty words to defend this arrangement is not reasonable. We demand the Indian side to stop this move of undermining Chinese interests."



The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader reached Bomdila in West Kameng district yesterday, starting his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

Asserting that China's stand on the eastern part of the borders is consistent and clear, Hua said by arranging his visit to those sensitive and disputed areas not only runs counter to the Indian side's commitment to the issues related to Tibet but also escalates disputes over the border area.

The Chinese spokesperson also stated that it goes against the momentum of the sound growth of bilateral relations and will not benefit India in anyway.

China will firmly take "necessary measures" to defend its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests, she asserted but did not elaborate on it.

"I don't have much to add. I want to add the issues concerning Tibet have a bearing on China's core interests. India in disregard of China's concerns obstinately arranged the visit," she said.

"We demand the Indian side immediately stop its actions using the Dalai Lama to undermine China's interests and not hype up sensitive issues between the two countries, not artificially damage the foundation of the talks between the two countries on the border issues and bilateral legislations and take concrete actions to safeguard the China-India relations," she said.

China claims parts of Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet and had previously warned that if India allowed the visit of the Dalai Lama, whom it calls an "anti-China separatist", it would cause "serious damage" to ties.

China is sensitive to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang region in Arunachal which happens to be the birth place of the sixth Dalai Lama, who was born in 1683, and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.

Hua also rejected Minister of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju's remarks that India never interfered in Beijing's affairs and has respected the "One China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in India's internal affairs.

"China upholds the policy of not interfering with other countries internal affairs. This is unquestionable."



"But in disregard to China's concerns, India arranged the visit of Dalai Lama to the disputed areas. This issue goes beyond internal affairs," she said.

Chinese officials in off the record conversations with the media said China is really angry about the Dalai Lama's visit specially because he was accompanied by a minister.

Unlike previous visits, the officials said the Dalai Lama was accompanied by a minister which makes it different.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On Wednesday China has warned India that it will take "necessary measures" to defend its territorial sovereignty and interests after India "obstinately" allowed the to visit the "disputed" parts of Arunachal Pradesh causing "serious damage" to the bilateral ties.

"India in disregard to China's concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lama's visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to China's interests and China-India relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters.

"China firmly opposes this move and will lodge representations with the Indian side," she said.

"China's stand on the eastern part of the borders is consistent and clear. India is keenly aware of the role played by the 14th . Arranging his visit to those sensitive and disputed areas not only runs counter to the Indian side's commitment to the issues related to Tibet but also escalate disputes over the border area," she said.

"It goes against the momentum of the sound growth of bilateral relations and will not benefit India in anyway," she said.

"China will firmly take necessary measures to defend its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests. We demand the Indian side immediately stop its actions using the to undermine China's interests and not hype up sensitive issues between the two countries, not artificially damage the foundation of the talks between the two countries on the border issues and bilateral legislations and take concrete actions to safeguard the China-India relations," she said.

The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader reached Bomdila in West Kameng district yesterday, starting his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

China claims parts of Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet and had previously warned that if India allowed the visit of the Dalai Lama, whom it calls an "anti-China separatist", it would cause "serious damage" to ties.

China is sensitive to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang region in Arunachal which happens to be the birthplace in 1683 of the sixth Dalai Lama and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.

On Tuesday, Minister of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said India never interfered in Beijing's affairs, has respected the "One China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in India's internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lama's visit. "There is no political angle behind his holiness's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is completely religious."



Separately, the External Affairs Ministry has said that no "artificial controversy" should be created about the visit.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson rejected Rijiju's comments, saying "China upholds the policy of not interfering with other countries internal affairs. This is unquestionable."



"But in disregard to China's concerns India arranged the visit of Dalai Lama to the disputed areas. This issue goes beyond internal affairs," she said.

"The role played by the Dalai Lama is clear to all. China's position on the eastern section of the boundary is also very clear," she said.

"The arrangement of Dalai's visit to the disputed area by India runs counter to its commitments on issues related to Tibet and it runs counter to benefits of bilateral relations. We demand that India stop this wrong action," she said.

About Rijiju's comments that it was a religious visit and should not be politicised, she said, "We have noted the statement of the official from the Indian side."



"Could you tell me honestly do you seriously believe that Dalai is only a religious leader. I think the answer is known to all. He is not just a religious figure. Therefore, his visit to the place will not be purely of religious purpose. So using the empty words to defend this arrangement is not reasonable. We demand the Indian side to stop this move of undermining Chinese interests," she said.
Chinese diplomats in India swept graves of Chinese soldiers killed in the World War-II during the just concluded Tomb-Sweeping Day, a traditional Chinese festival to honour the deceased.

Cai Zhifeng, Deputy Consul General of the Consulate General of China in Kolkata, made a special trip to the Chinese Anti-Japanese Aggression Expeditionary Force Cemetery in Ramgarh in Jharkhand during the Chinese festival which was held yesterday, the state media reported.

Cai and his party first presented flower baskets to the monument and placed white carnations in front of each martyr's tomb, the Chinese military online reported.

Chinese diplomats and representatives from Chinese-funded enterprises then lined up and made three bows to the monument to honour the Chinese soldiers.

The Chinese Expeditionary Force was established in 1941, and fought against Japanese invaders in India and Myanmar from 1942 to 1945, the number of casualties was nearly 67,000.

At present, there are a total of three famous cemeteries of Chinese Expeditionary Force in India.

The cemetery in Ramgarh was used to bury the fallen soldiers of the Chinese anti-Japanese aggression expeditionary forces from 1942 to 1945.

Among the existing 667 tombs, only 40 have names, the report said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In an act of desperation, a 31-year-old has "married" a robot he created after failing to find bride.

Zheng Jiajia, an artificial intelligence expert who designs and creates robots in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, created the "female robot" at the end of last year, theQianjiang Evening Newsreported.

The robot, which he named Yingying, can identify Chinese characters and images and even say a few simple words, the report said.

Zheng married the robot in a simple ceremony on last Friday the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

Yingying wore a black suit on the day and "her" head was covered with a red scarf during the ceremony, a traditional Chinese wedding ritual.

Witnesses to the event were Zheng's mother and his friends. One of his friends told the newspaper that Zheng had grown frustrated after failing to find a girlfriend.

Zheng planned to upgrade his robot "wife" to enable her to walk and even help out with household chores, the report said.

Zheng once worked for Chinese multinational telecoms firm Huawei, but he left the firm in 2014 and joined Hangzhou's Dream Town, an internet venture base, last year.

Recently a researcher had warned that 30 million Chinese men may end up single by 2030.

The number of unmarried Chinese men between 35 and 59 will reach 15 million in 2020 and 30 million in 2050, Wang Guangzhou, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences had said.

Poorly educated lower class men are far more likely to end up single. This is because males who only have a primary education or below increased to 15 per cent in 2010.

Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on January 20 showed that China's male population reached more than 708 million at the end of 2016, while the number of females was more than 675 million.
Thirteen rebels were killed as air raids by the Saudi-led Arab coalition struck their positions on the coast of western Yemen today, military and medical officials said.

Warplanes and Apache helicopters took part in the raids that targeted rebel positions in Taif and Nakhliya, 10 kilometres (six miles) south of the Red Sea city of Hodeida, a military official said.

Medical officials said 13 rebels were killed in the strikes.

The raids destroyed five fishing boats allegedly used by the Shiite Huthi rebels to deliver arms to the isle of Tarfa, around five kilometres offshore, the military official said.

The warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition, which intervened in 2015 in support of the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, target rebel positions regularly.

The government has said Hodeida is its next target in a military campaign to push rebels out of the lengthy Red Sea coast, mainly to stop arms smuggling to the insurgents.

The coalition called last month on the United Nation to place the port under its supervision, shortly after more than 40 Somali refugees were shot dead on board a boat off Hodeida.

The UN urged warring parties yesterday to "ensure the continued functioning" of the port because it remains the main point of entry for humanitarian aid.

More than 7,700 people -- most of them civilians -- have been killed in Yemen's war since the March 2015 military intervention of the coalition, the World Heath Organization says.

The United Nations says seven million people face serious risk of famine in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country unless international donors intervene.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A special court dismissed today the anticipatory bail plea of a private bank official, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a fraud case post demonetisation, in a related cheating case.

Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry denied the relief to 32-year-old Vineet Gupta, a branch manager in Axis Bank's Kashmere Gate branch who was suspended, in the case lodged against him by Delhi Police.

Gupta, who is in judicial custody in the case lodged by the ED, sought anticipatory bail saying he apprehends that police would arrest him if he gets bail in the ED's case which is pending before another court.

He said his bail plea in the money laundering case is pending before another court.

The prosecutor, however, opposed his plea saying he cannot be given a blanket order granting protection from arrest.

Earlier, Gupta had approached the court seeking to surrender in the cheating case to which the police had said it would take his custody at an appropriate stage.

The ED had lodged a criminal complaint against two bankers and others based on a Delhi Police FIR after three persons were intercepted with Rs 3.7 crore cash in old currency notes in November last year in front of the bank's Kashmere Gate branch.

Police booked Gupta for cheating and criminal conspiracy under the IPC and under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Besides Gupta, 33-year-old Shobit Sinha, suspended manager (operations) in the bank, and Kushwaha, suspected to be the mastermind behind floating of shell companies, are lodged under judicial custody in the money laundering case for alleged irregularities related to conversion of old currency and supply of new notes.

Axis Bank had said in a statement, "The bank is committed to following the highest standards of corporate governance and has zero tolerance towards any deviation on the part of any of its employees from the set model code of conduct. In this particular case, the bank has suspended the erring employee and is cooperating with the investigating agencies.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Cow protectionism was the spirit behind India's freedom movement, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today as she defended Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's decision to shut illegal slaughter houses.

Sitharaman was replying to a debate in the Lok Sabha on a bill on footwears during which members from Congress and Trinamool Congress raised the issue of availability of raw hide and skin for the leather industry in the wake of ban on cow slaughter in UP and other parts of the country.

The bill to declare the Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) an institution of national importance was later passed by the House with voice vote.

"Over the centuries there had been leather taning industry... That has not obstructed cow protectionism," Sitharaman said.

She said before the opposition criticises the UP government, they should realise that it was the "legitimate duty" that the Chief Minister was undertaking.

The minister said the Congress party should acknowledge that cow protection was the spirit behind the freedom movement.

"The Chief Minister is doing what is the spirit behind the freedom movement. We should not exaggerate a situation," she said.

Adityanath, after taking over as the Chief Minister last month, had banned illegal slaughter houses in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Talking about the footwear bill, Sitharaman said there are 7 FDDIs in the country and 5 more are coming up.

The total number of campuses will be restricted to 12 as of now as "we do not want to proliferate the number of campuses", the Commerce and Industry Minister said.

The bill seeks to make FDDI an institution of national importance for the promotion and development of quality and excellence in education, research and training in all disciplines relating to footwear and leather products design.

Replying to opposition charge of high cost of admission, Sitharaman said students passing out from these institutes have been placed in "very good jobs" and the rate of recruitment was also high.

"The course is self financed, capital expenditure is not recovered from the students. Since job opportunity is there, cost has not deterred students to come and join," she said, adding even as the fees was expensive but people eager as it provided employment right away.

Sitharaman said these institutes impart modern skill, provides trained manpower and updated technology to capture global market as the demanded is now towards branded leather goods.

She assuaged member concerns over admission of women in the institutes saying everyone is being given equal opportunity and there will be enough representation of the fairer sex.

Sitharaman also said that the prevailing rules for reservation of SC, ST and OBCs would be followed even in these institutes.

(Reopen PAR41)



Participating in the discussion, Mohammed Salim (CPI-M) mentioned about the death of a person in Rajasthan allegedly by cow vigilantes, provoking protests from the BJP members.

"These people are taking our country backwards," he said, in an apparent reference to cow vigilantes.

He said the adverse impact on leather industry would affect the livelihood of many people.

In an indirect reference to the incidents of cow vigilantism, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Cong) said some bigots in some areas are trying to indulge in "competitive fundamentalism".

Further, he remarked that leather industry cannot be run by vegetarianism.

Chowdhury demanded that leather-related industrial development board should also be set up.

Referring to ban on cow slaughter in different parts of the country, Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy wondered where the raw hide and skin would come for the leather industry.

Roy also said that there are no major Indian brands in the global leather industry and demanded that Kolhapuri name should be patented.

RJD member Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav said "flames of hatred" should not be allowed to spread in the country and emphasised that people who are left behind should be brought into the mainstream.

Yadav as well as Kaushalendra Kumar (JD-U) urged the government to set up a campus of the FDDI in Bihar.

M K Raghavan (Cong), Anju Bala (BJP) and Rahul Shewale also spoke.
The country's largest paramilitary force has been headless for over a month with the government not appointing a regular Director General (DG) for the CRPF till now.

The last full-time chief of the force K Durga Prasad had retired on February 28 and the Union Home Ministry had then issued orders appointing Additional DG Suddep Lakhtakia to hold the charge of the top CRPF post in an "additional" capacity.

Officials said while a panel of eligible IPS officers has already been prepared, there has been no finality on the name of the next DG for the nearly 3-lakh-strong force.

They said the names of three 1983-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officers - R K Pachnanda, R R Bhatnagar and S P Singh - and a few others has been included in the panel but a final decision is still awaited.

While Pachnanda is posted as National Disaster Response Force DG, Bhatnagar is heading the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Singh is DG of National Security Guard (NSG).

CRPF officials said while day-to-day operations and work is being conducted, the absence of a regular chief hits when big and important policy decisions are to be taken.

The force also witnessed a major setback in March when Naxals ambushed and killed 12 of its personnel in Naxal-hit Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.

"While the acting CRPF DG and senior Security Advisor in the Home Ministry K Vijay Kumar rushed to the spot and met troops the very next day, the absence of a regular chief at such crucial moments is felt," a senior officer said.

Two days back, 168 recruits of the force suffered food poisoning at their camp in Pallipuram in Kerala and had to be admitted to hospital for treatment.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh took strong exception to the incident and also convened a meeting of all paramilitary chiefs today asking them to keep a check on such instances.

"It is always good to have a full-time chief who is empowered to take confident policy decisions. It is surprising to see that the 3-lakh personnel force, which is also the largest paramilitary across the globe, is kept headless and without a regular DG for well over a month," the officer added.

The CRPF is not only the lead anti-Naxal operations force of the country but is also heavily deployed for rendering law and order duties in various states in assistance to local police and for conducting anti-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East.

It will soon observe its annual 'Valour Day' event, where gallant officers of the force are decorated, on April 9.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and actor Akshay Kumar will launch an exclusive website during the event that will allow common people to make monetary donations to families of paramilitary troops killed in action.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
International donors today pledged USD 6 billion in aid to Syria for 2017, the EU said, at a conference in Brussels overshadowed by a suspected chemical attack on a rebel town.

"Our conference is sending a powerful message, we are not letting down the people of Syria," EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos Stylianides told delegates.

"Delegations present here today have made a collective pledge of USD 6 billion for this year alone," he said to applause at the EU-UN-hosted conference.

"Thank you so much. It is an impressive figure," he added.

Stylianides did not clarify if the funding was new, or if it included some funds previously pledged by the international community for war-torn Syria.

The Brussels meeting is a follow-up to last year's London conference which raised USD 12 billion (10 billion euros) in two equal tranches for humanitarian aid programmes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today blamed the Syrian government for a suspected chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of people including children, calling President Bashar al-Assad a "murderer".

"Hey murderer Assad, how are you going to escape from their curse?" Erdogan said at a rally in the western city of Bursa, referring to the victims.

At least 72 people, among them 20 children, were killed yesterday's attack in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun, and dozens more were left gasping for air, convulsing and foaming at the mouth, doctors said.

Erdogan, in his first public reaction to the incident, said that more than 100 people, including children, "became martyrs due to chemical weapons".

The World Health Organisation said there was reason to suspect a chemical attack, with some victims displaying symptoms suggesting exposure to "a category of chemicals that includes nerve agents."



The UN Security Council was meeting today to discuss a draft resolution presented by Britain, France and the United States that urges a swift investigation into the attack.

Erdogan, a vocal critic of Assad, also denounced the world's "silence" on the killings.

"Hey, the world that remains silent, the United Nations that remains silent. How will you be brought to account for this?" Erdogan said.

Russia, Assad's main ally, has said a Syrian air strike had hit a "terrorist warehouse". Erdogan made no reference to the Russian claim.

Turkey said Wednesday that about 30 people were being treated in Turkish hospitals after the attack, adding that it had evidence the strike was caused by chemical weapons.

The wounded were brought from Idlib for treatment in the Reyhanli district of Turkey's southern Hatay Province.

"We are doing our best but that's not enough," Erdogan said. "They are our kids, our brothers. I am sad as a father."



Hours after the attack, Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin by phone that "this kind of inhuman attack was unacceptable".

Turkey also informed Russia and Iran that the attack was a violation of a fragile ceasefire brokered between Ankara and Moscow, Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu said.

While Russia and Iran back the regime with military might, Turkey has supported rebels fighting to oust Assad. But Ankara brokered a fragile ceasefire with Moscow.

Shortly after Tuesday's attack in Idlib, Turkey contacted the Russian and Iranian embassies in Ankara, reminding the "two guarantor countries" of their responsibility to prevent repetition of similar violations, the spokesman added.

Years of diplomatic efforts have failed to end the Syrian conflict, which has killed more than 320,000 people and displaced millions since it started in March 2011 with protests against Assad's regime.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The European Parliament today overwhelmingly adopted tough "red lines" for negotiations over a Brexit deal, on which EU lawmakers will have the final say in two years' time.

The parliament largely followed EU President Donald Tusk's draft guidelines issued last week after British Prime Minister Theresa May formally triggered the historic Brexit process.

But they omitted any mention of the flashpoint issue of Gibraltar, unlike Tusk's guidelines which said that Spain should have the final say over whether any eventual trade deal applies to the British outcrop.

The Strasbourg-based parliament is the first EU institution to formalise its stance on the Brexit talks, passing the resolution by 516 votes for, 133 against and 50 abstentions.

"You will set the tone for Britain," the bloc's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier told MEPs just before the vote.

The text insists that Britain must first make "substantial progress" on divorce terms -- the rights of three million EU citizens living in Britain, the exit bill and the fate of the border in Northern Ireland -- before striking a trade deal with the union.

It says that MEPs are prepared to accept a transitional deal to ease the effect of Britain's exit from the EU's single market in 2019, but that it should be limited to three years.

Barnier said the message on phased negotiations should be that "the sooner we agree the principles of an orderly withdrawal, the sooner we can prepare our future relations in trade."



The EU has rejected May's call in her letter for talks on the terms of the divorce and on a future trade deal to be held in parallel during the two years of negotiations ahead of Britain's exit in March 2019.

European Parliament President Antonio Tajani called for MEPs to be fully consulted on the negotiations, given that they must ratify the eventual agreement.

"I would like to recall that any possible final deal must be cleared by this house," he said.

The remaining 27 EU countries will rubberstamp Tusk's guidelines at a summit on April 29, paving the way for Barnier to begin formal negotiations with Britain at the end of May.

Barnier wants a draft deal by October 2018 so that national leaders will have time to approve it before a ratification by the European Parliament, most likely in early 2019.

The resolution won the backing of all the major groups in the parliament, from the conservative European People's Party (EPP), the biggest bloc, to the Socialists and Democrats alliance, as well as the ALDE liberals, the Greens and the leftist parliamentary group GUE.

Parliament's Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt said it was "key to have a united European Parliament together with the EU negotiator and the European Council," the forum for member states.

The EPP's leader, Manfred Weber of Germany, told the assembly that "we want a fair and constructive atmosphere," but warned that Britain cannot get a better deal by leaving the bloc, instead of staying inside.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The European Parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted "red lines" for negotiations over a deal, including demanding Britain first agree divorce terms before striking a new trade deal.

The assembly in Strasbourg, France, which will have a final veto on any deal in two years' time, adopted the guidelines by 516 votes for to 133 against with 50 abstentions.
Congress workers today staged demonstration at three places in the city in support of the agitating farmers in New Delhi, while nearly 110 party workers were arrested for attempting to stage demos at two places, where permission was not not given.

According to police, nearly 100 party activists gathered in front of South Taluk Office, some carrying plough and grains and raised slogans against the Centre for not giving attention to the agitating farmers for the last 25 days at the national capital demanding a drought relief package of Rs 40,000 crore from the Centre and farm loan waiver.

Similar demonstrations were held at two other places in the city, they said.

Meanwhile, a Erode report said more than 200 farmers belonging to Kalingarayan Farmers Forum observed a day's fast at Karumanmdampalayam village in the district expressing solidarity with the agitating farmers in New Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Cyber Crime Cell of Mumbai Police has arrested five persons for allegedly duping over 2,000 people to the tune of lakhs of rupees through an online sex platform, official said today.

The accused used to operate a call centre from Masjid Bunder in South Mumbai.

The issue came to light a few days back, when the city police received complaints of cheating through website.

Explaining the modus operandi of the accused, police said the customers had the facility to log in on three different websites.

"After registering on one of these websites and paying Rs 999, one could connect with a person of the opposite sex, like a friendship club. The payments were being made through PayTm in the account number mentioned on the website," police said.

After the registration, the customer used to contact a specific number, displayed on the website, but could not get response despite repeated calls.

"The registration fees paid by the customer used to get transferred into the bank account of a jeweller from the same area. The customers later used to realise that they have been duped," police said.

The Cyber Police, which was making inquiry into the complaints, came to know that the PayTm account number was being changed frequently, although the receiver remained the same.

"The operator of the sex website used to send his man to the jeweller, where he used to give gold coins of the amounts in exchange of money which he has received in the form of membership fees," police said.

Yesterday, when an aide of the website operator went to collect the gold coins from jeweller, a police team nabbed him on the spot by laying a trap.

After getting information from him, police raided three offices, including a call centre at Masjid Bunder area, from where all the operations were going on.

Cyber Police has arrested Mohd Shakib Abdul Malik Caotwala (24), Girish Harbansh Jaiswal (33), Kamal Suresh Vishwakarma (31), Arjun Ramprakash Kanoujia (28) and Sharif Afzal Ahmad Khan (24) from the spot. These accused include three website operators and a jeweller.

"Police have seized 16 hard disks, 300 mobile SIM cards, 3 laptops and 37 mobile phones. After arresting the accused, police produced them before the court, which remanded them in police custody till April 10," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime Cell) Akhilesh Kumar Singh said, adding that the accused have cheated more than 2,000 people.

The accused had procured multiple SIM cards, which they used for making calls to gullible customers, he said.

Investigation into the case is on, the DCP added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Germany's cabinet today plans to agree a ban on child marriages after the recent mass refugee influx brought in many couples where one or both partners were aged under 18.

The new law, set to receive parliamentary approval by July, is seen as a protective move especially for girls by annulling foreign marriages involving minors.

It will allow youth welfare workers to take into care underaged girls even if they were legally married abroad and, if deemed necessary, separate them from their husbands.

"Children do not belong in the marriage registry office or the wedding hall," said Justice Minister Heiko Maas in a statement sent to AFP.

"We must not tolerate any marriages that harm minors in their development."



"The underaged must be protected as much as possible," he said, adding that as a result of the change no minor must suffer restrictions on their asylum or residential status.

The age of consent for all marriages in Germany will be raised from 16 to 18 years. Currently in some cases an 18-year-old is allowed to marry a 16-year-old.

Foreign marriages involving spouses under 16 are considered invalid, and those involving 16 or 17-year-olds can be annulled by family courts.

Rare exceptions are possible if the couple were married as children but are now both adults and want to stay married.

The draft law would also punish with a fine any attempts to marry minors in traditional or religious rather than state ceremonies.

There were 1,475 married minors registered in Germany last July -- 361 of them aged under 14 -- according to the latest figures released after a parliamentary request.

Of these 1,152 were girls, said the interior ministry. The largest group, 664 children, came from Syria followed by 157 from Afghanistan, 100 from Iraq, and 65 from Bulgaria.

The conservative daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung welcomed the bill, saying that "archaic practises that harm women and children have no place" in Germany.

The aim was not to "paternalistically spread one's values or disrespect foreign cultures", but "enforcing fundamental and, in principle, globally recognised human rights".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The German government today approved fines of up to 50 million euros (USD 53 million) against online giants that fail to remove hate speech and fake reported by users within a week.

Executives of social media groups like Twitter and Facebook also risk individual fines up to five million euros in case of non-compliance, said the government in a statement.

"Hate crimes that are not effectively combatted and prosecuted pose a great danger for the peaceful cohesion of a free, open and democratic society," said Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet.

Since the arrival of around one million asylum seekers in Germany since 2015, the volume of xenophobic hate speech has exploded online.

Alarmed by the incendiary nature of many posts, the government has repeatedly warned the online giants to take action to better police the content on their networks.

But Merkel's government decided on the tough action after determining that social network giants were not doing enough to erase content that ran afoul of German law.

Beyond hate speech and fake news, the draft legislation also covers other illegal content, including child pornography and terror-related activity.

The companies would have 24 hours to remove any posts that openly flout German law after they are flagged by users.

Other offensive content would have to be deleted within seven days after it is reported.

The media groups also have to make it easier for users to report problematic posts.

The government said it was pushed into action as "there is currently a massive change in the online discussion".

"The culture of online debate is often aggressive, hurtful and hate-filled," it noted.

"Through hate crimes, anyone can be defamed because of his or her opinion, skin colour or origin, religion, gender or sexual orientation."



The draft law stills require approval from parliament, which is dominated by Merkel's grand right-left coalition.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Maharashtra government today told the Bombay High Court that it has mooted a proposal to hike the compensation to the victims of rape, sexual assault and acid attacks from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

Under the Manodhairya Yojana launched in October 2013, the state government had decided to give compensation of up to Rs 3 lakh to the victims of rape and other crimes against women.

Apart from the monetary compensation, the government provides counselling to the victim and vocational or educational training, if required.

The high court had earlier suggested the government to consider increasing the amount to Rs 10 lakh in some cases, looking at the gravity of the offence and the condition of the victims.

Following this, government lawyer Abhay Patki today told the court that the proposal to increase the compensation has been initiated and a final decision on the same would be taken within six weeks.

The court had earlier made the suggestion while hearing a petition filed by a 14-year-old girl, who claims to be a victim of rape, seeking compensation of Rs 3 lakh under the Manodhairya Yojana.

The girl was given a sum of Rs 2 lakh by the government after the petition was filed in October last year.

The bench had then slammed the government for its insensitive approach and had said that the Manodhairya scheme was "insulting, inhuman and shameful.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After a gap of nearly a quarter-century, the air at the Mumbai port may once again be filled with chanting of 'Talbiyah', a prayer Muslims invoke before they set off for or during the annual .

A high-level committee, formed by the government to frame the Haj Policy, 2018, is exploring reviving the option of sending pilgrims via sea route to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia next year onwards.

The practice of ferrying devotees between Mumbai and Jeddah by waterways was stopped from 1995 on account of M V Akbari, the ship which would transport pilgrims, growing old, a source in the Union Minority Affairs Ministry said.

The option is now being weighed in the light of a 2012 Supreme Court order to the government to abolish by 2022 the subsidy offered to Haj pilgrims who travel by air.

Dispatching pilgrims through ships will help cut down travel expenses by "nearly half" as compared to airfares, thus compensating them for the absence of subsidy, a source in the ministry said.

At present, devotees undertake the journey by air from 21 embarkation points, including Mumbai and Delhi, across the country.

An economy class ticket for the around five-hour flight between Mumbai and Jeddah would roughly cost anything between Rs 25,000 and Rs 52,000 (without subsidy). If one boards from Delhi, the ticket price for the same category varies from Rs 18,000 to Rs 61,000 per head.

"Another advantage with ships available these days is they are modern and well-equipped to ferry 4,000 to 5,000 persons at a time. They can cover the 2,300-odd nautical miles one-side distance between the two port cities within just two-three days," the source added.

One nautical mile is equivalent to 1.8 km.

When asked, MoS for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who attended the panel's meeting in Mumbai earlier this week, confirmed that the alternative is being given a thought to.

"The panel is exploring all the options available, including seaways, under the new policy. It will be a revolutionary, pilgrim-friendly decision, if things work out," Naqvi told PTI.

Besides Mumbai, Kolkata and Kochi ports are the two other coastal cities the panel has identified as probable embarkation points to facilitate pilgrims from eastern and southern regions of India respectively.

Naqvi said his ministry will discuss the issue with the Shipping Ministry too for the availability of ports.

He added the air services for Jeddah will continue to be there for those who can afford the journey.

Before the sea route was closed in 1995, it used to take nearly a week for the pilgrims to reach Jeddah from Yellow Gate in Mumbai's Mazgaon, the ministry source said.

Saudi Arabia had earlier this year increased India's Haj quota from 1.36 lakh to 1.70 lakh. A total of 1.35 lakh Indian devotees undertook the pilgrimage last year.
Former union minister Yashwant Sinha who was detained for taking out a Ramnavami procession near Mahudi village in Hazaribagh district on Tuesday was released today, the police said.

He was detained by the Hazaribagh district administration on charges of violating a prohibitory order imposed under section 144 of CrPC, the police said.

Sinha was detained at camp jail that was set up at Soil Conservation Research Guest House at Demotand.

Sinha after his release today made it clear that his intention behind taking out Ramnavami procession through the disputed Mahudi route yesterday was to permanently resolve the old crisis.

Addressing a press conference soon after his release, Sinha appealed to the people of Hazaribagh to celebrate the Ramnavami festival cordially.

He claimed that he had taken the decision to take out the procession on the Mahudi route after 33 years because he was determined to break the deadlock.

He said that during a meeting today, representatives of both communities assured him that the old dispute would be resolved at any cost.

He alleged that it was the district administration which caused a problem on Tuesday since they did not give any importance to his appeal and assurance that there will be no problem since members of both communities were determined to resolve the crisis.

BJP MLA from Hazaribagh Sadar constituency, Manish Jaiswal, who was also detained along with Sinha on Tuesday, said that the district administration agreed to resolve the dispute that started since 1984.

People of both communities would be able to take out procession from this route which is a state-owned road, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
French President Francois Hollande today called for an international response to the suspected chemical attack that killed scores of civilians in Syria, calling it a "war crime".

Hollande "reiterated his indignation over the use of chemical weapons in Syria and called for a reaction by the international community commensurate with this war crime," the president's office said in a statement.

The UN Security Council was to hold an emergency meeting later today on the attack, with Britain, France and the United States pushing a resolution demanding a swift investigation.

London, Paris and Washington have pointed the finger at President Bashar al-Assad's government for the attack, though the regime has denied using chemical weapons.

Russia, a key ally of the Assad regime, defended Syria over the attack, saying a Syrian air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India is keen to buy from Malaysia and upgrade them for use by its air force, Prime Minister Najib Razak has said.

Najib said the proposal was among the aspects of military cooperation agreed to by Malaysia and India during his just-concluded visit to New Delhi and talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said the India's Ministry of Defence and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (TUDM) would look at the form of cooperation, including handling the Sukhoi aircraft and spare parts, Malaysia's official Bernama news agency reported on Wednesday.

"There is a possibility too that they (India) will buy our MiG 29 aircraft for refit. We reciprocate by accepting spare parts for our Sukhoi aircraft programme," he said at the end of a six-day visit to India which started on March 30 in Chennai.

According to leading military aviation magazine, 'AirForces Monthly', the Royal Malaysian Air Force in 1995 procured 18 MiG-29N from Russia, and presently has 10 MiG-29N and 2 MiG-29NU (Trainers) in its fleet.

Najib said the visit this time to India was successful in terms of investments between the two countries, where 31 MoUs were signed with investments totalling $35.99 billion.

The cooperation encompassed construction of harbours and roads, development of solar energy, smart city, palm oil and coconut, technology park and higher education.

Najib also said Malaysia was striving to obtain six highway construction packages totalling 3,000 kms in Rajasthan involving an estimated investment of $1.5 billion.

"My visit to Jaipur showcases Malaysia's keenness on the highway project in Rajasthan and the model to be implemented by Malaysia will be an example to the states neighbouring Rajasthan," Najib was quoted as saying by the report.
India on Wednesday underlined its claim over territories of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) under Pakistani occupation amid moves by Islamabad to declare Gilgit-Baltistan as a new province.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asserted in the Lok Sabha that it would be wrong to think that India will let go of any part of its territory.

She made the statement after Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Bhartruhari Mahtab wondered if the government has even properly responded to Pakistan's move to make Gilgit-Baltistan its fifth province.

Noting that some Western countries had criticised it, he asked, "What is our government's response?"



He asked the government to not forget history or it will be condemned to repeat it.

In her response, Swaraj said the Indian government had opposed Pakistan's move the very day it got to know about it.

"Even raising a doubt over this government that it will let go of some area will be wrong," the minister added.

She noted that both Houses of Parliament had passed resolutions which had iterated India's claim over the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit-Baltistan, both under Pakistan's occupation, and the government was bound by it.

She also quoted a BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) slogan which underlines India's claim over the territory and noted that its founder Shyama Prasad Mookerjee had "sacrificed" his life over this.

"We are bound by Parliament's resolutions and also our resolve," she said.
The Islamic State has derided US President Donald Trump as a "stupid idiot" and said his rise to power was a sign of America's bankruptcy.

Targeting Trump directly for the first time since he took office, the ISIS terror group in the 36-minute audio released by its spokesperson Abu Hasan al-Muhajir yesterday called him an Arabic term that means an "idiot", saying the US President does not know anything about Islam, NBC reported.

Terming the US as "bankrupt", it said, "the sign of your elimination are now clearer to everyone, as the most clear of signs is that you are now ruled by a stupid idiot who does not know what Sham and Iraq are, or what Islam is, who continues to express his hatred and war against Islam".

The propaganda said Trump has expressed his "hatred and war" against Islam, the report said.

Other translations of the statement replaced "stupid idiot" with "riff raff" or "harebrained", it said.

Al-sham is a term ISIS uses to describe a region that includes Syria.

It appears to be the first time the Islamic State has referred to Trump since he took office.

ISIS, which controls large swaths of territories in Iraq and Syria, is currently being targeted by a US-led military coalition.

Trump has pledged to "totally obliterate ISIS," which swept across parts of Iraq in 2014.

Trump has been widely criticised in the past for his controversial statements on Islam.

The ISIS statement does not appear to directly refer to Trump's executive order temporarily banning people of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Seeking the Centre's intervention on the Supreme Court order banning liquor sale along highways, hoteliers today expressed hope that a solution will be reached in larger interest of the industry.

"The government has formed a committee and assured us it will try and find a way out. We are hopeful of a positive outcome," Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Chairman Emeritus and Principal Advisor (South Asia) K B Kachru told PTI here on the sidelines of Hotel Investment Conference - South Asia (HISCA).

Kachru said that the decision to ban liquor sale along the highways has impacted 30-40 per cent of the properties under the hospitality industry.

"About 30-40 per cent of the industry has already been affected by this decision. As a hospitality group, 30 per cent of our properties have been impacted."



This is not only about affecting revenues but jobs as well, he noted.

The Supreme Court has ordered closure of the liquor vends within 500 metres along the national and state highways from April 1. The SC, in its order on Friday, made it clear the ruling would also cover bars, pubs and restaurants as drink-driving leads to fatal road accidents.

ITC Hotels and WelcomHotels chief executive Dipak Haksar said that while the industry has been adversely hit, it was too early to estimate the quantum of the impact.

"Various industry associations have met with state governments, the ministry concerned and the Centre to find a solution on this issue. We believe that some positive solution will come out," Haskar added.

Mahindra Holidays and Resorts India chairman Arun Nanda, however, said that the main issue is to stop drink driving and not harm the industry.

"The focus should be on how to stop drunk driving rather than killing the hospitality industry. This will not only result in job losses, but also cause heavy revenue losses to the state governments," Nanda said.

Noting that it was too early to panic, Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris Managing Director and CEO Rakesh Sarna said, "We will get over this and moreover, it is too early to panic. I am sure things will come around soon."



Oberoi Group Managing Director and CEO Vikram Oberoi said, "There will be some intended and unintended consequences of this decision."



"We don't want people to drink and drive and kill people, which is an intended consequence of this decision. However, over one million people losing jobs, which is a huge number, is unintended consequence. We also have to address this problem," Oberoi said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 19-year-old LLB student was injured after allegedly being hit by a speeding Mercedes in north Delhi's Civil Lines area, police said today.

The accident happened last night when Trinesh Kumar, a resident of Mori Gate, was riding his motorcycle near Civil Lines metro station.

Kumar and his friend Yashasvi, who had come to meet him, were on two bikes when the car took a sharp U-turn towards the metro station and hit his bike.

Following the impact, he fell down and the car fled from the spot.

Yashasvi then rushed the victim to a hospital where his condition is said to be critical, police said.

Police is scanning the CCTV footage from the area to identify the accused. Last year, a teen driver, while driving his father's Mercedes had killed a man in the Civil Lines area.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Lok Sabha Secretariat has sought details from the Civil Aviation Ministry of the incident involving Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad and the subsequent ban against him by Air India for assaulting its staffer.

The report has been sought after the privilege motion moved by the Shiv Sena as its MP was banned by all major domestic airlines from flying, after he had assaulted an Air-India employee.

A letter has been written by Lok Sabha Secretariat to top officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry seeking details of the entire episode of assault of an Air-India employee by Lok Sabha MP Gaikwad following which he has been banned from flying, sources in the Lok Sabha Secretariat said.

Yesterday, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she was considering a privilege motion by the Shiv Sena on the ban by all airlines on the party MP.

Any MP of either house can give notice against anyone who is accused of breach of privilege. This privilege provides certain rights and immunities to MPs, MLAs and MLCs.

Earlier, Mahajan had pitched for an amicable resolution of the issue after domestic airlines' blanket ban on Gaikwad.

Last month, 57-year old Gaikwad, a Lok Sabha member from Osmanabad in Maharashtra, had abused and assaulted a 60-year-old duty manager of Air India with slippers just because he had to travel economy class on an all-economy flight though he had an open business class ticket.

Air India has refused to fly the MP, following which other private airlines too refused to fly him. An FIR was also registered against him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Eminent banker Madhabi Puri Buch today took charge as a Whole Time Member of capital markets watchdog Sebi and will oversee key departments relating to regulation, supervision and surveillance.

She will also handle economic and policy analysis, investor assistance and education and information technology departments, as also Sebi's education initiative NISM (National Institute of Securities Markets).

Buch, who has held various senior-level positions in the private sector in the past, including at ICICI Bank, is the first full-time women member of the board of the country's capital markets regulator.

As per the new work allocation plan at Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board of India), Buch's portfolio would include Market Regulation Department, Integrated Surveillance Department and Department of Economic and Policy Analysis, for which she would be assisted by Executive Director S V Murali Dhar Rao.

She would also handle the Market Intermediaries Regulation and Supervision Department (MIRSD) along with Executive Director S Ravindran, while another ED S K Mohanty will help her in handling of the Office of Investor Assistance and Education (OIAE) and the Information Technology Department.

She will have direct supervision of the National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM).

Besides Chairman Ajay Tyagi, Sebi's board has three whole-time members -- Buch, G Mahalingam and S Raman.

There are also part-time independent directors and nominee directors of the RBI, Finance Ministry and Corporate Affairs Ministry on Sebi's board.

Raman's portfolio includes corporation finance, legal affairs, investigations and commodity derivatives market regulation departments, as also the Special Enforcement Cell, the Office of International Affairs and the RTI-Appellate Authority.

Mahalingam will handle departments relating to enforcement, investment management, foreign portfolio investors and custodians, Collective Investment Schemes (CIS), general services, Parliament questions, enquiries and adjudication, human resources and regional offices.

Buch is an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and an alumnus of St Stephen's College, Delhi.

Before joining Sebi, she was heading Agora Partners, a consulting and incubation firm, and also the Singapore office of Greater Pacific Capital, a London-based private equity firm.

Prior to that, she was the CEO of ICICI Securities, the investment banking and broking arm of the ICICI Group and had also served as an Executive Director on the board of ICICI Bank.

She has also set up a small foundation that undertakes projects with grassroot NGOs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Maharashtra government has approved proposals from three municipal corporations seeking to change the status of the highways passing through their respective areas to city roads, in a bid to get around the Supreme Court order on liquor ban.

State PWD Minister Chandrakant Patil today told reporters here that the government had received proposals from Jalgaon, Latur and Yavatmal municipal corporations seeking de-notification of the highways.

The government has approved these proposals in the last two to three days, Patil said.

The Supreme Court had last week ordered banning sale of liquor within 500 metres of highways which applies to pubs, bars and restaurants too.

Notably, in many parts of the country, de-notification of highways is being used as a way to get around the ban.

As per the procedure, a municipal corporation passes a resolution de-notifying the part of highway passing through its area, and the commissioner sends it to the state's Chief Secretary for approval. It is then forwarded to the PWD.

A similar resolution was introduced in Akola municipal corporation today where Shiv Sena shares power with BJP. But Sena objected to the resolution and it could not be passed.

In 2001, the PWD had issued a circular which said a municipal corporation/council can acquire a part of highway passing thorough its jurisdiction.

Before the SC verdict on liquor sale along the highways came, the state hadn't received any resolution seeking de-notification of highway, a senior PWD official said.

"One of the major reasons was the civic bodies do not find it economically viable to maintain the highways," the official said, adding that the situation is likely to change now with the SC verdict.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A man was today arrested by Haryana Police for impersonating as an Inspector General of Police and threatening a shopkeeper here.

The man, claiming to be an IG, purchased five mobile phones worth Rs 1.5 lakh from a shop in Sector 11 here, police said, adding he refused to pay for the mobile phones and threatened saying he was a senior police officer.

The shop owner lodged a complaint against the said man and during the investigation, police found that the accused is a fake police officer.

However, police did not divulge his name.

Police also impounded his car bearing a 'Government of India' sticker, IRS flag, and number plate with two stars.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nearly 40 per cent of the total 4,605 nominations filed for April 23 elections to the 272 wards of the three municipal corporations have been rejected during scrutiny, Delhi State Election Commission said.

A total of 1,796 nominations have been rejected due to errors of different kind, said an Election Commission official.

Maximum 758 nominations out of total 1,833 filed for 104 wards in South Delhi Municipal Corporation, were rejected in scrutiny.

The nomination papers of the four BJP candidates in MCD polls were also cancelled, sources claimed.

The Election Commission, however, could not verify the information regarding cancellation of nomination papers of the four BJP candidates.

"The updates on scrutiny were being received from returning officers offices till late evening. It will take time to provide information regarding individual wards," said the Election Commission official.

BJP sources also claimed that nomination papers of the official candidates of party were also cancelled in Khayala and Wazirpur wards.

However, the "back up" party candidates were there to contest the polls.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The third meeting of the India-Nepal Eminent Persons' Group began today in the Nepalese capital which will discuss various bilateral issues including the revision of the crucial Peace and Friendship Treaty signed in 1950.

The 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship is a bilateral treaty between Nepal and India establishing a close strategic relationship between both countries.

Those who are attending the two-day meeting includes, Bhekh Bahadur Thapa, Nilamber Acharya, Rajan Bhattarai and Surya Nath Upadhyay from the Nepali side, and Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Jayant Prasad, BC Upreti and Mahendra P Lama from the Indian side.

The Eminent Persons Group on Nepal-India Relations (EPG-NIR) is a joint mechanism consisting experts and intellectuals from Nepal and India that was set up in February last year to provide necessary suggestions to update all existing bilateral treaties and agreements between the two countries.

Its first meeting was held in Kathmandu in Julyandsecond meeting in New Delhiin October last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Narayan Rane, a Congress stalwart from Maharashtra, today met party vice-president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi, a source said here.

Over the last few weeks, there has been speculation about Rane's future political plans. On Sunday, the Congress leader had met Maharashtra minister Jaykumar Rawal of the BJP.

"Rane wanted to discuss certain issues with the Congress leadership. Hence, he had sought an appointment with Rahul Gandhi. They had a discussion this afternoon," a senior Congress leader told PTI here.

Rane, a former Shiv Sena leader, was reportedly miffed with the Congress leadership after the fiasco in Goa, where in spite of emerging as the single largest party in the Assembly election, it failed to form the government.

Rane's son, Nilesh, had recently criticised Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan over his leadership style and demanded his ouster.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is toying with the idea of holding cabinet meetings outside the state capital once in a while to take governance to the doorsteps of the people.

"The idea is still in its infancy," a senior minister told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

Asked if there was a proposal to hold the next cabinet meeting in Allahabad, he said, "(It is) just a thought. Nothing final."



Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held his first cabinet meeting here yesterday in which he took a slew of decisions benefitting farmers and announced measures to generate employment and boost investment.

The idea of holding the next cabinet meeting in Allahabad could be in the context of the Ardh Kumbh Mela, slated to be held there in 2019, to enable the government to ascertain the reality on ground zero.

Adityanath has already issued orders to officials of various departments to start preparations for the Allahabad Ardh Kumbh in 2019.

"Pilgrims in large numbers visit Sangam to take a holy dip. Hence, efforts should be made to make the Ganga pollution-free and ensure that they do not face any problems. It is essential that the purity of Ganga-Yamuna is maintained as 12 crore pilgrims are expected to visit the 2019 Ardh Kumbh," he has said.

A senior BJP leader said it was a good idea to hold cabinet meetings outside the state capital of Lucknow, so as to take governance to the doorsteps of the people and assess the local issues closely.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Entertainment / Music

by Staff reporter

JAH Prayzah's collaboration with South Africa's multi-award-winning afro-pop duo  Mafikizolo is finally complete and will be released on YouTube today.The track about a school girl who is obsessed with partying was recorded in South Africa last year with the video being shot there in January this year."Sendekera is about a beautiful school-going girl who leaves home to enjoy the party life and is not willing to go back home," said Jah Prayzah who has already been giving local followers snippets of the track at his shows.The artiste, who is preparing for a tour of the United Kingdom next week, is certainly not slowing down for anything as he is now hard at work working on a duet with Nigeria's multi-award-winning artiste, Davido among other collaborations.Jah Prayzah and his team met with the Skelewu hit-maker in Johannesburg on Monday to discuss logistics for the recording of the song and its video.Excited by their partnership, the two artistes took to social media and posted a video confirming that a collabo was on the cards."It's going down, Nigeria-Zimbabwe, we're about to do something crazy," said Davido in the video.As if that is not enough, after the success of his hit  Watora Mari which features Tanzania's Diamond Platnumz, Jah Prayzah recently went back to the studio with the artiste for another song titled "I miss you". The song is set to be featured on Jah Prayzah's forthcoming album.Reflecting on the success of his music career and preparing people for the Sendekera music video launch which he hopes will be a success like Watora Mari, Jah Prayzah thanked followers for supporting him by watching his music videos online and attending his shows in numbers."I'm grateful for the path I've walked thus far and the milestones I've reached. As of today, I'm thankful for the one million mark that these songs  Watora Mari (4,8m views), Eriza (1.3m views), Hello (1,4m views), Mdhara Vachauya (1m views), Dali Wangu (1m views) and Kure Kure (1m views) have surpassed on YouTube."Some years back, I used to walk with my Mbira begging people to give me slots on stage as I was unknown and was trying to get people to listen to my music. But today, these one million YouTube views are not just numbers, these are actual people listening to my works and for that I'm very grateful. It can only be God," said Jah Prayzah who was expected back home from SA yesterday.His promoters however, said local fans would not be seeing much of the artiste this year as he is focusing more on collaborations as he hopes to dominate the international market."Jah Prayzah has his eyes on the international scene. He's already scheduled a collaboration with Davido and will also be collaborating with Zambia's Roberto if all goes according to plan."We're supporting him and the good thing about starving the local market is that when he does eventually perform, the shows will have an impact as the fans will have been starved," said one of the artiste's promoters who declined to be mentioned.Last weekend, Jah Prayzah performed in Bulawayo for the first time this year at a sold out show.
Pakistan said today that a "military solution" to the Afghan conflict was not possible and focused efforts were needed for a politically negotiated settlement to ensure lasting peace.

Pakistan Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, stated that Pakistan was pursuing a policy of strengthening relations with Afghanistan, according to the Foreign Office.

"On the issue of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, Adviser Sartaj Aziz reiterated that there was no military solution to the Afghan conflict and there was need of focused efforts for a politically negotiated settlement for lasting peace in Afghanistan," the Foreign Office said in statement.

"In this regard, Pakistan remained committed to continued efforts for facilitating an Afghan-owned Afghan-led peace process," it said.

Describing terrorism as a common threat, Aziz said that the bilateral mechanism recently agreed upon by the two countries provided an opportunity for engagement to address the issues of counter-terrorism and border management.

He said that with a view to further enhancing people-to-people exchanges, Pakistan was working on modernisation of the visa system and facilities at border crossing points.

The Pakistan government has announced another 3,000 scholarships for Afghan students in the country in the field of higher education after utilisation of the existing 3,000 scholarships, Aziz said.

On the Afghan transit trade, he urged the Afghan government to convene the next meeting of the Afghanistan- Pakistan Transit Trade Coordination Authority (APTTA) at the earliest for revising and strengthening the APTTA.

Aziz underlined the importance of close engagement between the two sides on connectivity projects in infrastructure and energy.

He said that the USD 500 million economic assistance from Pakistan could be utilised for initiating these connectivity projects.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistani troops on Wednesday violated the ceasefire by shelling mortar bombs on forward posts along the LoC in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, drawing retaliation from Indian troops.

This is the fourth ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops in the last 48 hours.

"Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing from small arms and fired automatic and mortar shells from 0905 hours on Indian Army posts along the LoC in Poonch sector," a defence spokesman said.

Army troops deployed on forward posts retaliated and the exchange was continuing till last reports came in.

Yesterday, Pakistani Army fired mortar shells on Indian Army posts along the LoC in Bhimbher Gali (BG) sector of Rajouri district.

On April 3, Pakistani troops had shelled mortar bombs on forward posts in Balakote sector of Rajouri district.

In the second ceasefire violation on April 3, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts along the LoC in Digwararea in Poonch sector.
A Delhi court expressed unhappiness over an "unsatisfactory" report of the Anti-Corruption Branch on threat perception to the complainants in the alleged PWD scam in which a criminal plea has been filed against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his relative.

Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra said no efforts have been made by the agency to contact the complainants or the SHOs and officials of police stations where three FIRs have already been registered regarding the alleged threat.

The court, which had asked the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) to file a report after assessing the threat perception, directed the Additional Commissioner of Police of the ACB to consider these factors and submit a detailed assessment report by April 11, the next date of hearing.

"No efforts have been made to contact these persons (complainants). There is no whisper in the report regarding the threat perception to the family members of the complainant (Rahul Sharma).

"No efforts have been made to contact the SHOs/IOs of the three FIRs to take account of the situation. No further attempt is made to seek reply from the office of the DCP (north west) regarding the assessment made by them so far. Accordingly, I am of the opinion that the report submitted is unsatisfactory," the magistrate said and directed that a copy of its order be sent to the Additional CP (ACB) for compliance.

Three FIRs have already been registered by the three complainants, including Sharma, at different police stations in Delhi and Noida on the allegations of threat and assault.

The ACB said in its status report that it has intimated the police of Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Budh Nagar and the DCP of northeast Delhi to assess the threat perception and provide security to Sharma.

It also annexed the reply of Gautam Budh Nagar's Senior Superintendent of Police stating that Sharma was not available at his house and no threat perception has surfaced.

The court had earlier directed the ACB to provide security to the complainants, observing that the plea has been filed against "influential persons" and security of the complainants are of "paramount importance".

The court had earlier also asked the Delhi Police's Economic Offence Wing (EOW) to assess the threat perception and provide security to the complainants but no action has been taken and later the case was transferred to the ACB.

The court was hearing a complaint filed by Rahul Sharma, the founder of Roads Anti-Corruption Organisation (RACO), for direction to police to lodge an FIR against Kejriwal, his brother-in-law Surender Bansal, proprietor of a construction firm, and a public servant for alleged irregularities in the grant of contracts for roads and sewer lines in Delhi.

Advocate Kislay Pandey, appearing for Sharma, has alleged "deep-rooted corruption" and said the documents showed no material was actually purchased for executing the projects.

The complainant has alleged that documents showing purchase of material were "concocted and forged", and a loss of over Rs 10 crore has been caused to the public exchequer.

The complainant alleged that Bansal operated through several dummy firms to obtain government contracts with the connivance of several senior PWD officials.

These contracts never got executed "whereas shockingly all the payments were cleared under pressure from Kejriwal", he alleged.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Inmates of Presidency Correctional Home, here are being imparted training for stitching costumes for fashion events in the first such initiative.

"These people will make fashion wear and that will be sold from boutiques. My team is conducting workshop within the correctional home premises and we have already set up 24 state-of-the-art sewing machines," well-known fashion designer Abhisek Dutta told PTI.

Most of the inmates are convicts in serious offences while the rest are undertrials and the correctional home authorities are extending all help, Dutta said.

"The correctional home authorities had approached me to do something for the inmates when I had previously met prison officials at an event and that's how it all began," Dutta, who is collaborating with West Bengal government-run Tantuja with his retail pretline, said.

Asserting there were certain misconceptions about correctional home inmates, he said, "My assistant designer and many other members of my team, most of them women, have been interacting with them for couple of days inside the premises. And never did they feel scared or threatened."



Those having shown skill in the one and half month long workshop will be inducted in the industry as weavers.

"We had seen due to prejudices they do not get employment after coming out of prison. If they become part of our fashion industry by consistently working during their prison term and get remuneration, they can be inducted formally after release," he said.

A Presidency Correctional Home official said, "In past there had been training programmes for inmates but no follow-up action was taken and hence they could not put to use their skill.

"We had discussed that issue with Dutta and he had also made it clear that he would only work on a long-term basis," the official added.

In another four-five year time, they will be called as 'Karigars', Dutta said adding, "Those oriented to art have been selected after we saw their sketch."



Danseuse-social activist Alakananda Roy said, "From my experience in working with them (correctional home inmates) in my cultural programmes, I know they have an aesthetic side which needs to be tapped and they should be allowed to come back to the mainstream of society."



Actor Parambrata Chatterjee also pledged support to the initiative and said he will lobby for the fashion wear stitched by them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress member Ranjeet Ranjan today raised the issue of the arrest and alleged handcuffing of her husband and expelled RJD MP Pappu Yadav in Patna.

She claimed in Lok Sabha that her husband taken into custody while demonstrating outside the state assembly. But he was arrested for an earlier protest he had held outside the Raj Bhawan.

She alleged that he was denied bail and taken to court later with handcuffs on, which was violative of Supreme Court orders.

Her demand was supported by Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge who said the House must condemn it.

Some BJP members were heard taking a dig at Congress saying their party was an alliance partner in the state's ruling combination.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she had spoken with the authorities in the state and sought a report in this regard. "We will see what action can be taken," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rains brought relief from hot conditions in northern states, which witnessed unusually high temperatures over the last fortnight, even as two persons were killed and 10 injured in a rain-related incident in Uttar Pradesh.

The untimely showers have left farmers worrying for their standing wheat crop, but may minimise the possibility of forest fires in the hills by depositing enough moisture in the air.

Delhi, which on Thursday recorded the maximum temperature for March in the last seven years at 38.3 degrees Celsius, had a pleasant start to the day after showers overnight brought down the minimum temperature to 20.1 degrees Celsius.

The city received 24.6 mm rainfall. Palam station recorded 14.2 mm, Ridge 0.8 and Ayanagar 76.0 mm rain. Safdarjung station gauged 24.6 mm rain, the weather office said.

Light showers in several parts of Punjab and Haryana eased hot conditions, but have triggered concerns about the standing wheat crop which is ready for harvest.

"Inclement weather is detrimental to ripened wheat and its continuation could lead to lower yield," Jalandhar-based farmer Sital Singh said.

The Union Territory of Chandigarh got light rains, leading to a drop in the maximum temperature. It also drizzled at a few places in Punjab, including Mohali, Ropar, Phagwara and Jalandhar, and Panchkula, Ambala, Kalka and Yamunanagar in Haryana.

Intermittent rain lashed many parts of Uttarakhand, bringing a nip in the air and causing a sharp drop in temperature which fell by 15-16 degrees Celsius.

Most places in Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar districts received showers in varying degrees since morning, MeT office Director Vikram Singh told PTI.

He said rain and hailstorm activity in Uttarakhand will continue till the morning of April 7.

Rains have led to a 15-16 degrees Celsius fall in the maximum temperatures at most places and the temperatures are going to remain 8-10 degrees Celsius below normal for the next couple of days.

This kind of weather is good as it minimises the possibility of forest fires by depositing enough moisture in the air, he said.

Forest fires had blighted vast tracts of land in Uttarakhand last year burning thousands of hectares.

Meanwhile, two persons were killed and 10 injured, including two police personnel, in an incident of lightning strike in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur district.

Gulshan and Tara Chand, both residents of Khadahan, died on the spot, while Station House Officer Sanjeev Kumar and Assistant Sub-Inspector Hoshiar Singh were injured.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rains brought little relief from hot conditions in northern states, which witnessed unusually high temperatures over the last fortnight, even as the mercury breached the 40-degree mark at many places in Odisha, Telangana and Maharashtra.

Banda in Uttar Pradesh was the hottest place in the country at 44.4 degrees Celsius.

The untimely showers have left farmers worrying for their standing wheat crop, but may minimise the possibility of forest fires in the hills by depositing enough moisture in the air.

Delhi, which on Thursday recorded the maximum temperature for March in the last seven years at 38.3 degrees Celsius, had a pleasant start to the day after showers overnight brought down the minimum temperature to 20.1 degrees Celsius.

The maximum temperature in the city settled at 34.5 degrees Celsius. The city received 24.6 mm rainfall, the highest on an April day in the last five years. Palam station recorded 14.2 mm, Ridge 0.8 and Ayanagar 76.0 mm rain, the weather office said.

Light showers in several parts of Punjab and Haryana eased hot conditions, but have triggered concerns about the standing wheat crop which is ready for harvest.

The Union Territory of Chandigarh got light rains, leading to a drop in the maximum temperature. It also drizzled at a few places in Punjab, including Mohali, Ropar, Phagwara and Jalandhar, and Panchkula, Ambala, Kalka and Yamunanagar in Haryana.

Intermittent rain lashed many parts of Uttarakhand, bringing a nip in the air and causing a sharp drop in temperature which fell by 15-16 degrees Celsius.

Most places in Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar districts received showers in varying degrees since morning, MeT office Director Vikram Singh told PTI.

The temperatures are going to remain 8-10 degrees Celsius below normal for the next couple of days. This kind of weather is good as it minimises the possibility of forest fires by depositing enough moisture in the air, he said.

Forest fires had blighted vast tracts of land in Uttarakhand last year burning thousands of hectares.

Meanwhile, two persons were killed and 10 injured, including two police personnel, in an incident of lightning strike in Himachal Pradesh's Rampur district.

Rajasthan also witnessed fluctuating weather conditions, recording light rains at many places even as Jaisalmer sweltered at 42 degrees Celsius.

Churu had a high of 41.2 degrees Celsius, Kota 40.5, Pilani 40.2 and Jaipur 40 degrees Celsius.

Some parts of Uttar Pradesh witnessed heat wave conditions despite light rain and thundershowers at isolated place in the state.

Banda sizzled at 44.4 degrees Celsius and was the hottest place in the state and Churk with 18.8 degrees Celsius was the coolest.

Heat wave conditions prevailed in Odisha with Jharsuguda recording a maximum of 43 degrees Celsius to be the hottest place in the state.

The mercury hovered above the 40-degree mark at more than 10 places, mostly in western Odisha.

The maximum settled at 42.5 degrees Celsius in Balangir, at 42.2 in Hirakud and at 42 in Sundargarh. Titlagarh recorded a high of 41.8, Bhawanipatna 41.5, Malkangiri 41.2, Angul 40.7 and Phulbani 40 degrees Celsius.

Parts of Telangana also reeled under intense heat with Adilabad district recording a high of 41.3 degrees Celsius.

Mahabubnagar recorded a maximum of 40.5 degrees Celsius, Nizamabad 40 and Hyderabad 39 degrees Celsius.

The local Met office said no respite from heat is expected in the next few days.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Rajasthan government is committed to ban illegal slaughterhouses in the state, Local Self Government and Urban Development Minister Srichand Kriplani said today.

The statement comes days after a congregation of Hindu priests here demanded a complete ban on all slaughterhouses in the state.

"Be it illegal constructions or illegal slaughterhouses, all such activities need action. The state government is committed to taking action against them," he told PTI.

Recently, 17 head priests of prominent temples of Rajasthan had held 'Dharam Sansad' at Laxminarayan Temple in Badi Chaupar here to demand a complete ban on slaughterhouses.

Swami Sampatkumar Avadheshacharya Ji Maharaj of Shri Galta Peeth reportedly demanded a ban on all slaughterhouses, claiming that even the legal abattoirs are undertaking illegal activities.

Officials of local self government department said taking action against illegal slaughterhouses is a routine work and there is nothing new about it.

"The government takes action against illegal slaughterhouses periodically. Notices are served and action is taken against those operating without license/permission," said principal secretary of local self government department, Manjit Singh.

When asked whether the government has shut down 16 illegal slaughterhouses in the last one week, Singh refused to reveal the figures.

The Jaipur Municipal Corporation is also coming down heavily on those butchers and meat shops whose licenses are not renewed.

"There were complaints that some people were slaughtering animals inside their shops. Several meat shops do not have proper licenses, we will act on all these complaints.

"The shops that are not do not fulfill the parameters, we will close all of them," Jaipur Mayor Ashok Lahoti said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A retired colonel of Pakistani army was gunned down today by two unidentified assailants here.

The bike-borne assailants chased his car and opened fire on the busy Shahrah-e-Faisal road near the Baluch colony flyover, police said.

"This appears to be a target killing. He was shot by a 9 mm pistol," a senior police officer said.

Two passersby were also injured in the attack when stray bullets hit them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: An amount of Rs 15 lakh has been seized in bypoll bound RK Nagar here and 28 persons arrested in connection with alleged distribution of money to voters and a related violent incident.

Seizure of Rs 14.92 lakh was made by flying squads and static surveillance teams of the Election Commission, according to the poll authorities.

While three AIADMK activists (Dinakaran's Amma faction) were arrested for allegedly attacking DMK cadres over a row, 25 others were arrested on the basis of 15 cases registered for alleged distribution of money to the voters, police said.

The attack on DMK men was over a row related to alleged money distribution, they added.

Meanwhile, videos of alleged money distribution in R K Nagar and markings made in the area to facilitate it are doing the rounds in social media and messaging app Whatsapp.

DMK Working president M K Stalin visited a hospital where his party cadres were admitted following the attack.

He alleged that Dinakaran-led AIADMK faction was trying to bury democracy by using money power.

Speaking to reporters here, he said his party was preparing to deal with the matter legally, besides taking it up with poll authorities.

Commenting on the alleged money distribution, PMK chief Ramadoss demanded countermanding of RK Nagar bypoll.

He said the bypoll should be held after the cash distribution's impact faded.

The bypoll should be held by drafting officers only from outside of Tamil Nadu and by deploying Central police forces, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
News / Africa

by Staff reporter

South Africa's ruling African National Congress backed President Jacob Zuma after calls for his resignation from various groups after he dismissed a respected finance minister, ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe said on Wednesday.Mantashe said the ANC would not be part of a movement to remove Zuma, despite a chorus of criticism by small ANC-allied parties and unions, religious groups, civil society and the opposition.Mantashe said the ANC had accepted the "irretrievable breakdown of the relationship" between Zuma and former finance minister Pravin Gordhan as the reason Gordhan was sacked, a move that deepened a rift within the ruling party.
Russia defended its ally Damascus today in the face of an international outcry over a suspected chemical attack that killed scores of civilians, saying a Syrian air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse".

The UN Security Council was to hold an emergency meeting later today on the attack, which killed at least 72 civilians, among them 20 children, in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun yesterday.

Washington and London have pointed the finger at President Bashar al-Assad's government for the attack, though the regime has denied any use of chemical weapons.

Moscow, which launched a military intervention in 2015 in support of Assad's forces, said the deaths were caused when a Syrian air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" containing "toxic substances".

The Russian defence ministry said in a statement that the building housed "a warehouse making bombs, with toxic substances", without saying if the strike was accidental or deliberate.

The ministry said the "arsenal of chemical weapons" was intended for fighters in Iraq, describing its information as "completely reliable and objective."



Syria's army had earlier denied any use of chemical weapons, saying it "has never used them, any time, anywhere, and will not do so in the future."



Its denials have done little to quiet international condemnation, with UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday saying the "horrific events" showed that "war crimes are going on in Syria".

Others have blamed Damascus more directly for the attack, including British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson who said "all the evidence I have seen suggests this was the Assad regime."



US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also pointed the finger at the regime, saying "it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism."



If confirmed, the attack would be among the worst incidents of chemical weapons use in Syria's brutal civil war, which has killed over 320,000 people since it began in March 2011.

It unfolded in the early hours of this morning, with airplanes carrying out strikes that released "toxic gas" on Khan Sheikun, in the northwestern province of Idlib, according to witnesses and a monitoring group.

"We ran inside the houses and saw whole families just dead in their beds," resident Abu Mustafa told AFP of the attack's aftermath.

"Children, women, old people dead in the streets."



The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said at least 160 people suffered the effects of the gas, with medical sources reporting incidents of vomiting, fainting, breathing problems and foaming at the mouth.

Medic Hazem Shehwan told AFP he saw victims with "pinpoint pupils, convulsions, foaming at the mouth and rapid pulses".

Medics worked frantically in the hours after the attack to treat a steady stream of patients, administering oxygen and hosing down victims to wash off chemical residue.

Even as they worked, air strikes hit a medical facility treating victims, an AFP correspondent said, bringing rubble down on top of medics and patients.

Air strikes hit Khan Sheikun again on Wednesday morning, the Observatory said. There were no immediate details on a toll.

Syria officially relinquished its chemical arsenal and signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013, to avert military action after it was accused of an attack outside Damascus that killed hundreds.

But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use since, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said it was "seriously concerned" by reports of yesterday's attack.

The UN's Commission of Inquiry for Syria said it had also begun investigating the "alleged use of chemical weapons".

Britain, France and the United States were to present a resolution to the Security Council today calling for the OPCW to quickly report findings on the attack.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russia today said a UN resolution put forward by the US, Britain and France on a suspected chemical attack in Syria was "unacceptable", after deflecting blame from its ally Damascus.

"The text as presented is categorically unacceptable," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, calling the project "anti-Syrian" and insisting it "pre-empts the results of an investigation and just immediately designates the guilty".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
South Korean consumer durables firm has emerged as the most trusted brand in the country followed by Sony and LG, while Tata Group is the only Indian company to feature in the top five, a report said.

moved up 17 positions to claim the top spot, replacing its mobile division, which slipped 154 positions, The Brand Trust Report 2017 said.

Sony and LG both retained their 2016 rankings, while US-based iPhone maker Apple took the fourth position, up 12 places from last year.

Tata Group and auto major Honda continued to occupy the fifth and sixth position, while the country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki came in at the seventh position, climbing four spots.

PC maker Dell is placed at eighth, followed by Lenovo at ninth that moved up from 27th position last year, while Bajaj dropped to 10th position from seventh last year.

"Of the 2016 list, four brands slipped out of the top ten list of 2017  Mobiles, Nokia, Godrej, and ICICI Bank," TRA Research Chief Executive Officer N Chandramouli said.

Over 2,500 respondents participated in the survey conducted by TRA Research across 16 cities and its findings have been compiled in the report.
AIADMK chief VK Sasikala has met visitors 12 times in a month at the Parappana Agrahara central jail here, where she is lodged following her conviction in the disproportionate assets case, allegedly in violation of prison rules.

According to information made availableby the Central Prison in response to a Right to Information (RTI) query, Sasikala met the visitors between February 16 andMarch 18.

Her relatives and co-convicts in the case, Elavarasi and VN Sudhakaran, met visitors four times and once respectively during thesaid period.

Among Sasikala's visitors were lawyers, her nephews TTV Dinakaran and Vivek J and Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Thambidurai.

Activist Narasimha Murthy, who had filed the RTI application, claimed to PTI that this was in violation of jail rules.

Undertrials and convicts are entitled to meet visitors as per the Karnataka Prison Manual and Karnataka Prison Rules.

The rules state that undertrial prisoners are eligible forone such meeting a week with their relatives, friends and lawyers, while convicts are eligible to have visitors once in 15 days.

While the jail authorities were unavailable for comments, reports quoting prison officials suggest that the jailer can use discretion in this regard.

On February 15, Sasikala was sent to jail after she surrendered before a trial court here, a day after theSupreme Court restored her conviction in the disproportionateassets case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Markets rallied to record highs today, with the Sensex ending just below the 30,000-mark and the Nifty finishing at 9,265.15, fuelled by bluechips RIL and Maruti.

Investors are in a wait-and-watch mode ahead of the RBI's first bi-monthly policy review for 2017-18 due tomorrow.

The central bank is widely expected to hold rates, but there are hopes of more steps being announced to address growing NPAs and excess liquidity, traders said.

The BSE 30-share index hit a high of 30,007.48 in intra-day trade, but slipped to 29,817.69 before settling at 29,974.24, up 64.02 points or 0.21 per cent.

This surpassed its previous high of 29,910.22, recorded on April 3.

The gauge had gained 289.72 points in the previous session on Monday amid sustained foreign capital inflows and a firming global trend.

Similarly, the broader 50-issue NSE Nifty touched 9,273.90 points on sustained foreign fund inflows. However, due to profit-taking at record levels, it shed some ground to close at 9,265.15, up by 27.30 points or 0.30 per cent.

It broke the previous record of 9,237.85 reached on April 3.

The Monetary Policy Committee, headed by RBI Governor Urjit Patel, began its two-day meeting today.

"With RBI meet underway, hopes of measures towards NPA resolution and excess liquidity extended banks' run, while other rate sensitive sectors also tagged along, helping indices to record peaks.

"Firm rupee and immigration woes continue to bother IT companies, and international cues should weigh more in the week ahead in light of US jobs data and FOMC minutes release," said Anand James, Chief Market Strategist, Geojit Financial Services Ltd.

Meanwhile, Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 534.45 crore on Monday, as per provisional data from the stock exchanges.

Shares of index heavyweight Reliance Industries maintained its winning streak triggered by Jio prime membership offer, rising 3.19 per cent to close at a fresh nine-year high of Rs 1,414.90.

Maruti Suzuki zoomed 4.40 per cent to end at an all-time high of Rs 6,339.40, while L&T surged 2.18 per cent to Rs 1,696.85 on reports of the company bagging huge orders.

Among the sectoral indices, realty rose the most by surging 4.08 per cent, followed by consumer durables (2.41 per cent), capital goods (1.53 per cent), auto (1.09 per cent), metal (0.94 per cent) and oil and gas (0.72 per cent).

Gainers among the 30 Sensex stocks were Adani Ports (4.50 per cent), HUL (1.82 per cent), Tata Steel (1.65 per cent), Axis Bank (up 1.54 per cent), Lupin (1.28 per cent), SBI (1.21 per cent), NTPC (1 per cent), Wipro (0.68 per cent), Bharti Airtel (0.67 per cent), Tata Motors (0.66 per cent) and M&M (0.37 per cent).

The broader markets too remained extremely bullish, with several stocks hitting 52-week highs, lifting the small-cap index by 1.12 per cent and mid-cap index by 0.46 per cent.

Brokers said investor sentiment remained upbeat after a monthly survey showed that manufacturing sector grew at its fastest pace in five months in March, marking the third straight month of expansion.

Besides, strong FIIs inflows and the Lok Sabha clearing four GST legislations, paving the way for the rollout of the new indirect tax regime from July 1, added to the momentum.

Globally, there was a firming trend at other Asian markets while the European shares rose in their late morning trade.

Investors are awaiting minutes of the Federal Reserve's last interest-rate meeting and US jobs data.

In the Asian region, Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.57 per cent, Shanghai Composite Index gained 1.48 per cent and Japan's Nikkei ended 0.27 per cent higher.

Among European markets, London's FTSE and Paris CAC rose by up to 0.23 per cent but Frankfurt's DAX was down 0.27 per cent.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Separatists in Kashmir today welcomed US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley's statement that the Trump administration would try and "find its place" in efforts to de-escalate Indo-Pak tension.

The statement of American Ambassador to the UN is "encouraging" as Kashmir is a long standing political issue in the south Asian region, moderate Hurriyat faction led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said in a statement here.

Despite bilateral talks between India and Pakistan the issue stands unresolved for the past 70 years and is heading towards dangerous proportions with each passing day, it added.

The Hurriyat said the two neighbours are nuclear powers and the lingering Kashmir issue has been the root cause of their "bitter relations and growing tension".

"Besides being a political problem in nature, Kashmir is a humanitarian issue as well. Therefore, the indication by America, being the super power at present, to play a positive role in the region is satisfactory for the people of Kashmir," the Hurriyat said.

It said that India enjoys good relations with America and should take advantage of this opportunity giving up its traditional "rigid" policy on Kashmir.

JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, who is at present under detention at Srinagar Central Jail, welcomed Haley's statement and said "peace and prosperity of south Asia is subservient to the resolution of Jammu Kashmir dispute".

"The Statement of United States envoy to UN is a welcome and appreciable step. Hope this statement will be translated into action," Malik said in a statement.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Shia LaBeouf's charges of assault and harassment have been dropped.

According to the Queens District Attorney the actor came clean due to insufficient evidence, reported E! online.

The 30-year-old actor was arrested in New York City early Thursday morning after getting into an altercation with a protester.

LaBeouf's fight, which began after an unnamed person got in front of the camera and said something that upset the "Transformers" actor, and arrest was caught on camera during his political protest's live stream.

The 30-year-old star grabbed the man's scarf and allegedly scratched him, and nearby cops who witnessed the act moved in and arrested him.

LaBeouf was released after being charged with misdemeanor assault and harassment.

The "Even Stevens" alum has had his fair share of legal troubles, having been charged with criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct after refusing to leave a Manhattan theater.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has apprehended a Sri Lankan boat and seven of its crew members for alleged illegal fishing in Indian waters.

"The Sri Lankan fishing boat was apprehended 150 NM (Nautical Miles) off Kanyakumai Coast while engaged in illegal fishing in Indian waters," a PIB defence release here said.

ICG Ship Vaibhav apprehended the boat and its crew yesterday, it said, adding, they would be handed over to the Coastal Security Group at Tuticorin for further investigation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Assam Police has suspended CID SSP N Rajamarthandan for disclosing crucial information of an ongoing investigation on the Silapathar incident, in which an office of the AASU was attacked by a group.

"Rajamarthandan has violated service rules and also allegedly falsified documents. He has been put under immediate suspension and a criminal case has been registered, besides initiating departmental inquiry," Assam Police Director General Mukesh Sahay told PTI.

It was alleged that he revealed crucial investigation information in reply to an RTI query, Sahay said.

"However, no RTI application was officially received the CID office. That means he has falsified some documents to get information of the Silapathar case out from the office. This is a criminal act," the DGP said adding, the officer unauthorisedly leaked information as the CID was fully exempted from RTI Act and investigation details cannot be revealed.

Incidentally, the SSP was the public information officer of the CID and was heading the Special Investigation Team formed to probe the Silapathar case.

In the mean time, Guwahati Police Commissioner Hiren Chandra Nath said a criminal case has been registered at Paltan Bazar Police Station in connection with the incident.

"The case is a very serious one. We have decided to hand it over to the Crime Branch. A team has been formed and a DSP rank officer will enquire into the case," he said.

Reacting to the development, All Assam Students' Union (AASU) general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi alleged a conspiracy was going on to free the main accused Subodh Biswas, all-India president of fringe group Nikhil Bharat Bangali Udbastu Samanway Samitee (NIBBUSS), which was blamed for the attack.

Biswas was arrested from West Bengal on March 22 and was currently under police remand.

On March 6, NIBBUSS had organised a rally followed by a march at Silapathar in Dhemaji district demanding citizenship to all Hindu immigrants from Bangladesh.

According to a report of an all-party delegation of the Assam Assembly, around 2,500 people marched through the town after the meeting and ransacked the AASU office, damaged a sahid bedi (martyr's memorial) and photographs of Bhupen Hazarika and Jyoti Prasad Agarwala.

More than 40 accused named in the FIR and subsequently found involved in the incident during investigation, were arrested from various parts of Assam.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal today urged Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to direct Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to immediately waive farm loans in the state.

"It was Capt Amarinder Singh's bounden duty to deliver on his promise to waive farm loans, but in case implementation of this promise was delayed, as is the case, Rahul should step in and provide immediate reprieve to Punjab farmers," he said.

Amarinder can learn from ex-Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and Uttar Pardesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he said.

Badal had implemented the free power facility for farmers immediately after taking over the reins of the state in 1997, he said.

He said the Adityanath government fulfilled BJP's poll promise by announcing a farm loan waiver in its first cabinet meeting and Amarinder should not be found wanting.

The SAD president said Rahul applauded the loan waiver decision of the UP government and called for replicating it in other states.

He said Rahul should lead by example and ask all Congress- ruled states, including Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, to waive farm loans.

The SAD president said Rahul had even more reason to intervene in case of Punjab as the state Congress had promised to implement a one-time complete farm loan waiver scheme in its election manifesto.

He said the manifesto was vetted and approved by Rahul.

"In such circumstances Rahul is morally bound to get this solemn promise implemented," he added.

"Punjab farmers are looking up to Capt Amarinder to announce a complete loan waiver and he should not disappoint them by delaying action by setting up committees," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
News / National

by Staff reporter

THE 308th Ordinary Session of the Zanu-PF Politburo meets in Harare today for high level talks that are expected to focus on issues affecting the revolutionary party and the nation at large.The Central Committee, which is the revolutionary party's highest decision making body outside Congress, will also have its 105th meeting on Friday.The meetings come on the back of nationwide demonstrations against high-ranking party officials among them deputy secretary for Women's Affairs Eunice Nomthandazo Moyo, Women's League treasurer Sarah Mahoka, National Political Commissar Saviour Kasukuwere and his half-brother Dickson Mafios who all face a litany of allegations from party supporters.As such expectations are high that the revolutionary party will deal with all pertinent issues.Zanu-PF secretary for administration Ignatius Chombo, yesterday confirmed the two meetings saying the agenda will be unveiled before the meetings start. "There are no changes and we are going to have those routine meetings as scheduled, beginning with the Politburo meeting tomorrow," he said. "As usual the meetings will take place at the Zanu-PF headquarters and members are expected to be seated by 1000hrs. Critical issues affecting the party and national development will be discussed during the meetings. Agendas will be availed on the day of the meeting."Both meetings will be chaired by President Mugabe, who is the Zanu-PF First Secretary and President.Sources said the Politburo was likely to discuss the issues pertaining to Cdes Moyo and Mahoka, who were last week expelled by the Women's League pending a Politburo determination.The Women's League national executive resolved to expel the pair for undermining the authority of the First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe. Dr Mugabe is the secretary for Women Affairs.Cdes Moyo and Mahoka, who last week saw countrywide demonstrations being held against them, are also accused of corruption, insubordination and fanning factionalism.Mahoka faces a further charge of denigrating President Mugabe's appointees. "While the Women's League referred the case of these two senior members to the party's disciplinary committee, the issue will obviously be discussed in the Politburo meeting," said a source. "There were countrywide demonstrations and the Politburo cannot afford to ignore such an issue which affects the party. If the necessary processes have been done then their fate can be sealed as early as tomorrow (today)."On the other hand, Cdes Kasukuwere and Mafios, could also to be under the spotlight amid growing calls for their removal from office. The Mashonaland Central executive met yesterday and endorsed the petition handed over during Monday's demonstration calling for the immediate resignation or expulsion of Cdes Kasukuwere and Mafios.The two are accused of plotting to topple President Mugabe.The province staged a demonstration on Monday against the two saying their untoward behaviour threatened Zanu-PF's victory in next year's elections.Zanu-PF Midlands province also held a similar demonstration saying it was fed up with Kasukuwere's leadership style.Said a source: "Again the party leadership cannot afford to ignore the demonstrations because here we are talking of a man who is central in the mobilisation of party members and we are headed for elections. The question is can a man who has been rejected by his home province face them again and be able to lure more cadres to the party?"Kasukuwere, together with his side-kick Shadreck Mashayamombe (Harare provincial commissar), also invited the wrath of the Women's League after they allegedly attempted to block their demonstrations against Mahoka and Moyo.
US President Donald Trump has strongly condemned a suspected chemical attack in Syria that killed 58 people, calling it "reprehensible", and alleged such acts are consequences of the Obama administration's weakness.

"Today's (Tuesday) chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilised world," Trump said in a statement yesterday.

"These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime is a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution," he said.

Trump claimed that Obama in 2012 said that he would establish a red line against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing.

He said the US stands with its allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack.

Earlier in the day, Trump was briefed by his national security team on the yesterday's attack on the town of Khan Sheikhun that claimed atleast 58 lives and saw dozens suffer respiratory problems and symptoms including vomiting, fainting and foaming at the mouth.

Meanwhile, talking about America's future course of action following the attack, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said, "Going forward we will have more on this, but I think we want to be very clear where we stand. I know countries throughout Europe are reaching out, making it clear what their position is. There's been some calls for action, the UN Security Council."



"I think, at this point, as things develop, I'm not ready to talk about our next step, but we'll get there soon," he said.

Asked if he would like Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down or thrown out of power, Spicer said it is in the best interest of the Syrian people to not have anybody who would do this kind of heinous acts.

"Any leader that treats their people with this kind of activity and death and destruction...I don't think that anybody would wish this upon anybody," he said.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also condemned the suspected chemical attack, which is reportedly the third of its kind in the last one month.

"There are reports of dozens dead, including many children. While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates with brutal, unabashed barbarism," he said.

"Those who defend and supporthim, including Russia and Iran, shouldhave noillusions about Assad or his intentions. Anyone who uses chemical weapons to attack his own people shows a fundamental disregard for human decency and must be held accountable," Tillerson said.

He said that it is also clear that the "horrific" conflict in Syria demands a genuine ceasefire and the supporters of the armed combatants in the region need to ensure compliance.

"We call upon Russia and Iran, yet again, to exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again. As the self-proclaimed guarantors to the ceasefire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths," he added.
A Syrian air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" containing "toxic substances", Moscow said today, a day after a suspected chemical attack in rebel-held northwest Syria that killed scores of civilians.

"According to the objective data of the Russian airspace control, Syrian aviation struck a large terrorist warehouse near Khan Sheikhun," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement, adding that the warehouse contained "toxic substances".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Some victims of a suspected chemical attack in Syria have symptoms consistent with exposure to a category of chemicals that includes nerve agents, the World Health Organization said today.

The UN health agency said the deadly attack in Idlib province yesterday appeared to have involved chemical weapons, pointing to the "apparent lack of external injuries reported in cases showing a rapid onset of similar symptoms, including acute respiratory distress as the main cause of death."



"Some cases appear to show additional signs consistent with exposure to organophosphorus chemicals, a category of chemicals that includes nerve agents," it said.

At least 72 civilians, among them 20 children, were killed in yesterday's attack in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun, and dozens more were left gasping for air, convulsing, and foaming at the mouth, doctors said.

Washington and London have pointed the finger at President Bashar al-Assad's government for the attack, though the regime has denied using chemical weapons.

But WHO said there was good reason to suspect a chemical attack, noting the dozens of patients admitted to hospitals "suffering from breathing difficulties and suffocation."



"The images and reports coming from Idlib today leave me shocked, saddened and outraged," Peter Salama, head of WHO's health emergencies programme, said in a statement.

"These types of weapons are banned by international law because they represent an intolerable barbarism," he added.

WHO warned that the capacity of hospitals in the surrounding area was limited and that many facilities had been damaged in the fighting.

The UN agency pointed out that the Ma'ara Hospital had been out of service since Sunday due to infrastructure damage, and that the Al Rahma Hospital was hit shortly after it began taking in patients from the suspected chemical attack and was forced to temporarily shut its doors.

Emergency rooms in the area were overwhelmed, and many patients had been referred to southern Turkey, it said.

As soon as word got out about the suspected chemical attack, WHO said it had begun dispatching medicines, including Atrophine, an antidote for some types of chemical exposure, and steroids for symptomatic treatment, from a warehouse in Idlib.

"WHO is shipping additional medicines from Turkey and is ready to provide more life-saving supplies and ambulances as needed," it said, adding that its experts were providing around-the-clock guidance on diagnosis and treatment.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A kind of mud therapy is being used on Taj Mahal as the white marble structure is changing colour, the government told the Rajya Sabha today after members voiced concern over the maintenance of the world famous monument.

Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said efforts are also being made to reduce the impact of insects on the 17th century structure.

During the Question Hour, members voiced concern over the maintenance of Taj Mahal, while referring to change in the colour of the marble structure and the damage caused by insects.

Sharma said a kind of mud therapy, involving application of a paste of 'multani mitti', was being undertaken to preserve the colour of the monument.

It has been applied on three-fourths of the structure and is "showing results", he added.

He added that the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has also submitted a report about the upkeep of the Taj.

To another question, Sharma said the irrigation department had proposed creating a barrage to raise the water level of the Yamuna which has been approved by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Now it is for the state government of Uttar Pradesh to take a further action, the minister said.

Sharma also said that his ministry was planning a tourism circuit in Western Uttar Pradesh which would include the 'Dalit Prerna Sthal', F1 circuit, night safari, Kasna temple etc.

He said a proposal related to construction of national highways and overhead bridges etc near the protected monuments was under the consideration of the Law ministry.

DMK member Tiruchi Siva wanted to know whether the government had rejected the findings of a previous committee on 'Ram Setu' as it has set up a new panel.

Sharma responded by saying that the government had not rejected the earlier findings.

He added that if there are any suggestions, there is a procedure and a new committee of experts may in the right perspective carry out a review.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
:Auto-major TATA Motors Ltd has drawn up plans including setting up of a new format showrooms, doubling of sales and service outlets, as part of its vision to become a top three automobile manufacturer in the country by 2019, a top official said here today.

"Our ambition is to be on Number 3 (automobile manufacturer) across the country by 2019. Right now, we are fifth (position). Already, in Tamil Nadu we are ranked No 3", Tata Motors Ltd, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, President, Mayank Pareek told reporters here.

Elaborating, Pareek said the company would tap technology to set up digital showroom expected to come up in Mumbai initially and had also planned to increase the sales and service outlets present across the country by 2020.

"Right now, our sales network is 700. We will more than double sales by 2020. That is the plan", he said.

On the outlook for financial year 2017-18, he said the company hopes to grow more than the industry growth.

"For next year, industry forecast is expected to be at 9-10 per cent growth. We will be doing better than industry. We certainly promise to do much better than industry growth", he said, without declining to reveal any figures.

Last year, industry grew by nine per cent while Tata Motors registered 22 per cent growth, he said.

On exports front, Pareek said the company would focus more on the domestic market though it ships some of its products in small quantities to various countries.

Pareek and senior company officials were here to unveil the latest compact sedan Tigor priced from Rs 4.82 lakh (ex-showroom Chennai) for base petrol variant while diesel top end variant is priced at Rs 7.28 lakh (ex-showroom-Chennai).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thai police are seeking ten soldiers over the fatal beating of a 22-year-old army conscript in a military prison, as the ruling junta races to limit damage from the latest abuse scandal to hit the armed forces.

The April 1 death emerged just as officers launched an annual draft that will see some 100,000 men aged 21 and over conscripted into the military for up two years.

Private Yutthakinun Boonniam, 22, died one day after he was brought to hospital from the army prison in southern Surat Thani province.

Doctors said he suffered kidney failure after a sustained beating by a hard object.

Images purportedly of the victim circulated on social media showed his face swollen nearly beyond recognition.

His mother has told local media her son was beaten in the military prison for minor disciplinary offences including oversleeping and missing guard duty.

"Police have submitted the evidence and names of five army officers and five privates... To ask for arrest warrants against them," Surat Thani's police chief Apichart Boonsrirote told AFP today.

"Based on police's investigation they are involved with the victim's death," he added.

The death is a public relations disaster for the army as draws on young Thai conscripts to fill its ranks.

Thailand's army chief moved quickly to condemn the death and assured the public of a swift and impartial investigation.

But rights groups have slammed the incident as the latest example of torture and abuse in the Thai military, which has run the country since a 2014 coup.

"The Thai army faces a chronic inability to end abuses against its conscripts," said Human Rights Watch Asia director Brad Adams, blaming a "culture of impunity".

The watchdog noted that there has been "no progress" in the prosecution of soldiers allegedly responsible for the death of another private in June 2011.

Thailand's military has also been repeatedly accused of extrajudicial killings and torture of civilians.

The military is investigating the fatal shooting in March of Chaiyaphum Pasae, a young community campaigner in the north of the country.

But the majority of allegations of army abuse and impunity come from the insurgency-torn 'Deep South' of the country, where allegations of killings of unarmed or innocent civilians are rife.

Yet no military personnel have ever been brought to justice over abuses in the southern conflict.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal today called for building a new India by exploiting resources to create jobs for all and eradicate poverty on the back of consumption by 1.3 billion-strong population.

"It is high time India had to eradicate poverty and create jobs. What can be a better time, when there is a stable government, 1.3 billion people and home consumption," Agarwal said while addressing the Global Natural Resource Conclave today.

He felt that natural resources are key to India's economic development.

He said, "India's geology is highly prospective for oil, bauxite, iron ore, fertiliser, rock phosphate, gold, uranium, marble and others, which are some of the resources our economy will need in abundance, to move people out of poverty and help to create jobs."



With a government "very focused" on technology, digitisation and communication, the Vedanta chief said: "I believe this decade will be ours. If we all join hands and work together, we will create a new India."



Agarwal also endorsed Narendra Modi's leadership, saying "for the world, there will never be a better time than this to invest in India... As he is taking the country from USD 2 trillion dollar to USD 20 trillion, and from red tape to red carpet".

About benefits of exploitation of natural resources, he said hundreds and thousands of medium and small scale industries can be set up to process the raw material for further manufacturing, which can create 10-15 crore new jobs.

"India is spending USD 500 billion on imports. With 7 per cent growth in 5-7 years, this can cross almost a trillion dollars," he said.

This revenue can be used for investment in education, healthcare, skill development and infrastructure, he suggested.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's with China was recorded at $46.7 billion during the April-February period of the last fiscal, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Overall trade with China during the 11-month period decreased marginally by 0.87 per cent to $64.57 billion, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Rajya Sabha.

During this period, India's exports to China grew by 8.69 per cent to $8.94 billion while imports from the neighbouring nation declined by 2.26 per cent to $55.63 billion, resulting in a shrinkage of 4.1 per cent in India's with China, she said in a written reply to a question.

She said both sides have signed a Five-Year Development Programme for Economic and Trade Cooperation in order to lay down a medium-term roadmap for promoting balanced and sustainable development of economic and trade relations.

Replying to a separate question, she said after the launch of the 'Start-up India Action Plan' in January 2016, 742 start-ups have been recognised by the ministry.

On another question on soap, she said technically uniform sphericity and particle size of microbeads create a ball- bearing effect in soaps, skin cream and lotions, enhancing a silky texture, spreadability, smoothness and roundness in the feel.

"Regarding harmful effects, the issue is before the National Green Tribunal for adjudication which is being perused by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change," she added.
A group of influential Democratic Senators today asked US President Donald Trump to raise several trade issues, including currency manipulation, with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during their meeting tomorrow.

Reminding Trump of his campaign promise that he would be tough on China "on Day-one", the dozen odd Senators ina letter rued that the US President has not taken any meaningful actions on the Chinese trade "cheating".

For workers with the deck stacked against them due to China's "cheating" on trade, the Senators called on Trump to deliver his promise.

Trump will host his Chinese counterpart at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida from April 6 to 7.

The Senators urged Trump to raise several trade issues of regional and national importance, including overcapacity, China market economy status, currency manipulation and industrial espionage during his meeting.

"Since joining the World Trade Organisation in 2001, China has consistently failed to comply with its international trade obligations. And workers across the US, including workers in our home states, have paid the price," the Senators wrote.

"You pledged to support American workers and go after trade cheaters, and we hope you take this opportunity with your first one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi to keep this promise to American workers and strongly affirm these priorities," said the letter.

Signatories to the letter included Bob Casey, Charles Schumer, Sherrod Brown, Debbie Stabenow, Amy Klobucher, Al Franken, Tammy Baldwin, Joe Donnelly, Gary Fetes, Jeffrey Merkley, Kirsten Gillibrand and Joe Manchin.

Observing that China's excess aluminum and steel production capacity is causing global market distortions and has forced the idling of numerous steel facilities and the layoffs of thousands of US workers, the letter requested Trump to urge Xi to live up to China's previous commitments to reduce its net aluminum and steel production capacity or face strong trade enforcement action by the US against Chinese imports in those industries.

Ruing that despite agreeing to commitments in its WTO accession protocol to transition to a market economy, China remains a non-market economy, the Senators urged Trump to reaffirm the position of the US that China is a non-market economy.

"We also urge you to express your commitment to aggressively defend US treatment of China as a non-market economy before the WTO," the letter said.

"Currency manipulation continues to be a significant concern to manufacturers across the country," the Senators alleged.

The Chinese government has a long history of undervaluing its currency to boost exports, it said.

"When this occurs, American manufacturers pay the price.

China continues to intervene in its exchange rate.

Data published on March 7, 2017 by the People's Bank of China, show foreign exchange reserves rose by USD 6.92 billion, during February, this is counter to expectations that reserves would fall by almost USD 3 billion," it said.

"We urge you to make clear to President Xi that the US will hold China accountable when they are found to manipulate currency to the detriment of American manufacturers," the Senators said as it also urged Trump to raise the issue of industrial espionage.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump today condemned as "horrible" and "unspeakable" the suspected chemical attack in Syria that left over 70 people dead.

"These are very troubled times in the Middle East. And we see what happened just recently, yesterday in Syria. Horrible. Horrible thing. Unspeakable," Trump told reporters as he hosted Jordan's King Abdullah in the Oval Office.

Trump said the two leaders were going to have some interesting discussions.

He described the use of chemical weapons against people as a terrible affront to humanity.

"Terrible. Terrible. It is a terrible affront to humanity. I can tell you. Terrible," he said.

"You'll see," Trump said when asked if he has any change of policy on the Syrian conflict.

(Reopens FES95)



Meanwhile, Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that after six years of indecision and inaction, Trump has been left with no easy options in Syria.

"Yet as difficult and complex as our challenges are, President Trump and his administration have an opportunity to finally change course and take action to address this strategic and humanitarian disaster, which has led to more than 400,000 Syrians killed and six million displaced," McCain said.

"Seizing this opportunity will require answering some very difficult strategic questions. But until we do, the war, the terror, and the refugees will continue, and America's national security interests will be placed at greater risk," he said.

McCain said the chemical attack against innocent men, women and children in Syria is just the latest evidence that the Obama Administration's much-lauded agreement with Russia to eliminate the Assad regime's chemical weapons stockpile was flawed and incomplete.

"As we once again bear witness to innocent people writhing on the ground and gasping for breath, we know Assad not only disregarded his chemical weapons commitments, but continues to carry on mass atrocities with impunity. Unless and until Assad pays a price for his brutality, the slaughter and destruction in Syria will go on," he said.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

The Sustainable Energy for All Forum was launched at the Duggal Greenhouse at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Monday.The event brought together leading experts on achieving SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and will also feature the release of key reports on progress made so far.While the Commission on Population and Development held under the theme: "Changing population age structures and sustainable development" was conducted on the same day.There was a press conference at 11 a.m. The New York Office of UN Environment Program will hold a press briefing on the Renewables Global Futures Report: Great Debates towards 100% renewable energy on Tuesday.Monday the Commission on Population and Development will hold the opening meeting of its fiftieth session under the theme: "Changing population age structures and sustainable development" in Conference Room 4.On Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001)concerning counter-terrorism will hold an open briefing on "Denying safe haven to those who finance, plan, support or commit terrorist acts, or provide safe havens, and preventing terrorists from abusing the asylum system, in conformity with international law" in Conference Room 11.On Monday the Economic and Social Council held its 2017 Partnership Forum under the theme "Partnerships for promoting opportunities, increased prosperity and sustainable development for all" in the Trusteeship Council Chamber.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers have urged US President Donald Trump to raise the issue of human rights violations in China in particular those related to Tibet when he meets his Chinese counterpart this week.

Simultaneously, influential US lawmakers have introduced legislations in both House of Representative and the Senate to promote access by Americans to Tibetan areas, which is routinely denied by Chinese authorities.

The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act was introduced in the Senate by Senator Marco Rubio and Tammy Baldwin, while in the House of Representative it was introduced by Congressmen Jim McGovern and Randy Hultgren.

Trump will host his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida from April 6 to 7.

"The crackdown on civil society and deterioration of rule of law in China in the past few years appears to signal a systematic effort by Chinese Communist Party leadership to tighten its controls on free expression and undermine the will of its own people," Senator Ben Cardin and Rubio wrote in a joint letter to the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

They said the US should not simply stand idly by as these universal rights are abrogated and the Chinese people suffer the consequences. A failure of US leadership on these issues is not a good message for the United States to send to China, its allies in the region, and the world, they said.

"We hope you will urge China to do more to improve the cultural and spiritual plight of Tibetans, not just their economic status...Just like in Tibet, China appears unwilling to comply with its international human rights commitments in Xinjiang, where Uighurs continue to report systemic torture, and restrictions on religious freedom," they said.

In a statement, McGovern said America needs to stand up for human rights at home and abroad.

"If the US is serious about protecting human rights in Tibet, we need to do more than talk the talk - we need to walk the walk. This bill will ensure there are consequences for China's repressive policies," McGovern said.

"The Chinese government's oppression of Tibet includes keeping it off limits to Americans, journalists and others who can shine a bright light on the human rights violations committed daily against the Tibetan people," said Rubio, chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.

"We should not accept a double standard where Chinese officials can freely visit anywhere in the US while they block our diplomats, journalists and Tibetan-Americans from visiting Tibet," he said, adding that the bipartisan bill will hold China accountable for its oppression and make it clear that if Chinese officials want to enjoy the privilege of entering the US, they must allow equal access to Tibet.

Welcoming the Congressional legislation, Matteo Mecacci, president of International Campaign for Tibet, said this bill is another example of the consistent support the US Congress has for Tibet.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The much-anticipated meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago in Florida this week will be candid, constructive, and business-like, a US official said today.

"The conversations, of course, between the presidents and among our Cabinet officials will be candid and constructive and business-like," Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton told reporters.

"We hope to identify some priorities to focus on going forward and discuss the full range of important issues that come up in our bilateral relationship, but also global challenges around the world," Thornton said during a conference call today.

Xi and Trump are scheduled to have a series of meetings at the latter's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, which is now being called the Southern White House.

While the two leaders have spoken a few times, this is the first meeting between them during which officials hope they would be able to establish a personal rapport.

"The two Presidents want to get to know one another. This will be their first meeting. They want to build up the type of personal rapport and working relationship that we'll be able to count on in times of opportunity, but also in times of crisis. We'll hope that we don't have any crises, but we need to have that relationship in that event," Thornton said.

The meeting comes in the aftermath of the recent Beijing trip of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, which laid the ground work of the US-China summit.

"We will be looking forward to this meeting coming up in Florida. We're looking to identify areas where we can come up with concrete outcomes and benefits for the American people. We're going to address some common challenges. And I'm sure you're going to be asking me about some of those," she said.

The Trump administration is going to be identifying the American priority on continuing to uphold the rules-based international system and to abide by international and universal norms and values.

"We have a relationship with the Chinese that is based on cooperation and candour. I'm sure that the meetings will reflect that spirit," she noted.

She noted that it has been a tradition in US-China relations that the high-level engagements are a very important part of the communication between the two countries.

"I think we will continue to have high-level engagements in the months and years ahead," she added.

Thornton acknowledged that North Korea would come up prominently in the meeting. "It's an issue that I think we feel has become very urgent," she said, adding that North Korea's nuclear weapons programme poses a global threat.

While climate change is unlikely to come up for discussion in detail, human rights issues would be raised during the meeting.

"The question of human rights, will of course be raised in the context of this US-China summit. It can't help but come up," the State Department official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Britain's energy minister will arrive in India tomorrow for the first-ever bilateral dialogue on energy, the latest in a series of high-level exchanges between the UK and India.

Greg Clark, secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, will reach New Delhi tomorrow for the first-ever India-UK Energy for Growth Dialogue.

"On my second visit to India since taking office, I look forward to discussing our shared priorities of providing secure, affordable and sustainable energy. It is clear that building greater collaboration between the UK and India in the energy sector has the potential to increase prosperity and growth in both our nations," Clark said before embarking on his two-day visit.

"The UK invests more in India than any other country in the G20, with significant oil and gas projects and increasing interest in renewable technologies. I hope that by bringing a British business delegation together with leading industry in Delhi, we can explore some of the many opportunities to strengthen our commercial ties further," he said.

According to UK officials, the Energy for Growth Dialogue takes forward a commitment made by Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Theresa May during her visit to India in November.

Representatives from across power, renewables, oil and gas sectors will discuss future direction for the energy sector, infrastructure financing and opportunities for wider collaboration.

In addition to energy, Clark's programme of meetings and events will include discussions on climate change and wider UK-India ties supporting research and innovation, which are key parts of the UK government's industrial strategy.

Clark's visit is the latest in a series of high-level exchanges between the UK and India.

He is next in line after the Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond led a trade delegation to India this week.

Hammond was in India for the UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD), which included discussions on infrastructure, finance and business engagement.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The UN human rights chief says he's "amazed" by President Donald Trump's support for torture in interrogations, calling the prospect of reviving torture in the United States "profoundly unsettling."



Yesterday at Vanderbilt University Law School in Tennessee, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein called torture "repugnant" and "useless."



White House officials declined to respond and cited Trump's previous statements that he'd defer to Defense Secretary James Mattis, who has said he opposes torture.

Zeid said that embrace of torture often appears to stem from anger and fear. He says there's a manipulated fear from populists who talk about outsiders stealing jobs and committing crimes.

Zeid has been an outspoken critic of Trump and other populist leaders. Before the election, he said Trump would be "dangerous from an international point of view.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Unidentified gunmen riding a motorcycle today shot dead at least four labourers while they were working on a highway, which is part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, in the restive Balochistan province.

"The labourers were working on a CPEC-route road when they were targeted in Gawash area of Kharan District," the Express Tribune newspaper reported, quoting sources.

The labourers died on the spot. They reportedly belonged to Ghotki area of Sindh.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

CPEC, an ambitious USD 46 billion project, will link the Pakistani city of Gwadar to China's Xinjiang via a vast network of highways and railways.

The troubled Balochistan province rich in minerals and natural resources has been hit hard by sectarian violence, terrorist attacks, and separatists who claim there is corruption in the provincial government.

In February, three personnel, including a Pakistan Army captain, were killed as a roadside bomb exploded near a security vehicle patrolling in Balochistan's Awaran district.

Last year in August, the suicide attack on Quetta's Civil Hospital claimed at least 74 people, most of them lawyers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bhartiya Kisan Union today said the loan waiver announced by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was a "temporary relief", and urged the Prime Minister to look at farmer suicides as a "national calamity".

"The loan waiver announced by the Uttar Prdesh government will definitely give some relief to the farmers in distress, but it will be just a temporary relief as a lot needs to be done for the class which feeds the nation," BKU president Bhupinder Singh Mann said here.

"The massive suicides by farmers should be treated as national calamity and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should use his discretionary funds to bail out the farmers," he said.

Mann said debt reliefs were temporary measures, "just like giving pain killers to a cancer patients."



"The solution lies in giving adequate prices for the crops as recommended by Dr Swaminathan," he said.

Although Modi had promised to implement this in his manifesto, he later backed out, the official added.

Delivering on BJP's poll promise to small and marginal farmers, the Yogi Adityanath cabinet had yesterday decided to waive their crop loans up to Rs 1 lakh, totalling a staggering Rs 36,359 crore, at its very first meeting.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has voiced "deep regret" at the US' decision to cut financial support for the Population Fund, saying the move could have "devastating effects" on the health of vulnerable women and girls around the world.

The UN chief said that cutting financial support for the UN Population Fund, formerly the Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), which is active in more than 150 countries and territories, is based on a misinterpretation of the agency's work.

"The Secretary-General deeply regrets the decision by the United States to cut financial support for the UN Population Fund, which could have devastating effects on the health of vulnerable women and girls and their families around the world," a statement issued by Guterres' spokesperson here said yesterday.

It said Guterres feels the decision is based on an "inaccurate perception" of the nature and importance of the work of the UNFPA.

The UN chief, who as High Commissioner for Refugees, saw first-hand the life-saving character of UNFPA's activities, appealed to donors to increase their support for the UNFPA to allow it to continue its "critical" work during this "difficult" period.

In a separate statement, the UNFPA regretted the decision by the US to deny any future funding for its work the world over. It also noted that the decision is based on the "erroneous claim" that the UNFPA "supports, or participates in the management of, a programme of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilisation" in China.

Refuting this claim, the UNFPA said all of its work promotes the human rights of individuals and couples to make their own decisions, free of coercion or discrimination.

"UN member states have long described UNFPA's work in China as a force for good," the UNFPA said.

The funding cut, which would go into effect during the 2017 fiscal year, was announced in a memo from the US State Department stating that the UNFPA "supports, or participates in the management of a programme of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilisation in China".

The agency said the support it received over the years from the US government saved tens of thousands of mothers from preventable deaths and disabilities, especially in the current rapidly developing global humanitarian crises.

With the previous contribution of the US, the UNFPA was combatting gender-based violence and reducing the scourge of maternal deaths in the world's most fragile settings, in areas of conflict and natural disasters, including Iraq, Nepal, Sudan, Syria, Philippines, Ukraine and Yemen, it said.

"We have always valued the United States as a trusted partner and leader in helping to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. We, therefore, look forward to continuing our work with the US to address these global concerns...," the UNFPA said.

The UN agency's aim is to deliver a world "where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled," according to its website.

In the past year, the agency saved the lives of more than 2,340 women from dying during pregnancy and childbirth, and helped to ensure more than 1,250 fistula surgeries.
The US Senate descended into acrimonious bickering as Republicans and Democrats clashed over President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick, with no signs that a potentially damaging showdown will be averted.

The Senate began yesterday formal debate on Judge Neil Gorsuch, as opposition Democrats insisted they have the necessary votes to defeat his nomination through use of a filibuster -- a procedure that essentially prevents a vote with endless debate.

Sixty votes are needed to overcome a filibuster in the 100-seat Senate. Republicans currently hold 52 Senate seats.

The vote to end an all-but-certain filibuster is due tomorrow, with a confirmation vote set for Friday, after which Congress heads home for a two-week recess.

Should Gorsuch not gather the needed 60 votes, Republican leaders are ready to employ the "nuclear option," changing Senate rules in order to advance the nomination -- and all subsequent Supreme Court nominees -- by a simple majority vote.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned that the Democrats' filibuster threat could do something "truly detrimental to this body and to our country."



Democrats, he criticised on the Senate floor, were "hurtling toward the abyss this time, and trying to take the Senate with them. They need to reconsider."



To overcome the filibuster, Republicans need eight Democrats to back Gorsuch, named by Trump to fill the seat of conservative justice Antonin Scalia who died in February 2016.

To date, just four Democrats have announced their support.

"They're pretty much dug in," Republican Senator John Thune said of Democratic colleagues.

McConnell will need to put the rules change to a majority vote. He said he has enough votes from his party for the change to succeed, but some Republicans have bristled.

Senator John McCain fumed to reporters that whoever thought it was a good idea to blow up the longstanding Senate rules "is a stupid idiot."



Democrat Richard Blumenthal warned that the nuclear option will only lead to fewer consensus Supreme Court nominees and more far-right or far-left justices.

"This fallout will be dangerously and perhaps disastrously radioactive for the Senate in years to come," Blumenthal said.

But there were no apparent signs of a deal to avoid the filibuster, or the nuclear option.

Top Democrat Chuck Schumer pointed to McConnell's refusal to hold hearings or a vote on then-president Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, who had been tapped to replace Scalia.

When Trump won the presidential election in November, the Garland nomination was dead, infuriating Democrats.

"We lost one, they lost one," Schumer said.

"No one is forcing Senator McConnell to change the rules," he added from the Senate floor. "He's doing it at his own volition.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A bipartisan group of lawmakers have tabled a resolution in the US House of Representatives to celebrate the annual festival of Vaisakhi observed by Sikhs.

Noting that Vaisakhi celebrates community, prosperity, and continued progress in the year ahead, the resolution introduced by Congressman John Garamendi expressed respect for all communities that celebrate Vaisakhi.

The resolution, introduced at a time when the Sikh community is facing increasing instances of hate crimes in the US, also recognises the significance of Vaisakhi to Sikh communities in the US and around the world.

The three other lawmakers who co-sponsored the resolution are Patrick Meehan, Judy Chu and David Valadao.

Noting that it is an annual festival celebrating the spring harvest season, the resolution said that Vaisakhi is of particular significance to the Sikh religion and is one of the most important dates in Sikh history.

"For Sikhs, Vaisakhi commemorates the creation of the Khalsa, a fellowship of devout Sikhs, by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699;" the resolution said adding that the festival celebrates community, prosperity, and continued progress in the year ahead.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
News / National

by Staff reporter

Warring Zanu-PF factions will have an idea of the fate of three leading figures today amid speculation that beleaguered Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere was taken ill late on Monday night with stress symptoms."The self-proclaimed Tyson can't take media or demo blows, hospitalised BP 180/140," Zanu-PF Gokwe-Nembudziya lawmaker Justice Mayor Wadyajena told his Twitter followers.While Kasukuwere was not answering his mobile phone yesterday, sources close to him claimed he was "fine"."He is fine, he was only taken in for a test  that's all," a source close to Kasukuwere said.However, another source claimed: "He was hospitalised at a private hospital (name withheld) in Harare last night (Monday) because of stress and high blood pressure."As conflicting statements over the issue flew around, Kasukuwere was said to have been released early yesterday morning before visiting the same facility again later in the day.Kasukuwere's younger brother, Tongai, a senior leader in the Zanu-PF youth league, refused to comment, saying: "No comment on anything. It does not benefit me."Zanu-PF Mashonaland Central provincial chairperson and Kasukuwere's half-brother, Dickson Mafios, said: "Why would he go to hospital? He is at home and we are not aware of that."Mugabe will preside over the ruling party's politburo today and central committee on Friday, where he is expected to deal with Bulawayo Provincial Affairs minister Eunice Sandi-Moyo and Hurungwe East lawmaker Sarah Mahoka's disciplinary issues as well as Kasukuwere's case.But it is the growing demands for Mugabe to expel Kasukuwere that could dominate."This is likely to take centre stage and given that the President has already spoken about it and indicated that it should be brought before the right forum, it means the politburo will likely discuss it," a source told NewsDay.The ruling party commissar stands accused of plotting Mugabe's ouster and creating parallel party structures, the same charges that led to the axing of former Vice-President Joice Mujuru from Zanu-PF in 2014.Ironically, Kasukuwere was among top party officials at the forefront of Mujuru's unceremonious removal.Since being appointed Zanu-PF political commissar, Kasukuwere has replaced at least nine provincial chairpersons elected at the 2014 congress and suspected of supporting a faction sympathetic to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa.The women's league has already decided that its deputy politburo secretary, Sandi-Moyo, and treasurer, Mahoka, must face disciplinary action.The politburo will now make a final determination on whether allegations of undermining First Lady Grace and abusing party finances are substantive enough.Mugabe on Monday said while he was not defending Kasukuwere, he was not happy with the manner in which the issue had been handled."If there are wrongs he has done, we have a dignified way of looking at ills and wrongdoings of all of us."This noise in the media and demonstrations is not the Zanu way; it was never the way of the party which created us," Mugabe said while addressing Information minister Christopher Mushowe and describing the picketing as "primitive".Political analyst Ibbo Mandaza said the ruling party was taking Zimbabweans for a ride."I think Zimbabweans are weary of the cynical way Zanu-PF is conducting itself. Nobody understands this party anymore," he said."It is the leadership that is taking us back to the Stone Age and we are tired. We all hope this nightmare will end soon."
The strength of a person's grip may help predict if they are at risk of developing diabetes at a later age, a new study has found.

Researchers, including those from University of Michigan in the US, investigated if normalised grip strength - which is defined as a person's grip strength divided by their body mass - could serve as a biomarker for both cardiometabolic disease and physical disability in American and Chinese adults.

The team used data on middle-aged and older adults from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2011 to 2012 and 2013 to 2014, and the 2011 portion of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.

These surveys were selected because they included measures of muscle strength capacity and the necessary information pertaining to disability and cardiometabolic diseases.

Researchers analysed normalised grip strength for about 4,544 US and 6,030 Chinese study participants 50 years of age and older.

The study group also had blood samples taken for nonfasting glycated hemoglobin and answered a questionnaire about impairments of functional limitation related to mobility.

A subsample of 2,225 adults had fasting measures for glucose, insulin and triglycerides.

Using weighted logistic regression models, the team assessed the association between normalised grip strength and diabetes, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, low High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, hypertension and physical disability.

They controlled for age, sex and numerous socio-demographic characteristics.

Researchers found that for every 0.05 decrement in normalised grip strength in US and Chinese adults, respectively, there were 49 per cent and 17 per cent increased odds for diabetes.

"Prevalence of chronic disease is highest in the US and China and there's a dire need to identify midlife predictors of disability and diabetes in both populations," Mark Peterson, assistant professor at University of Michigan.

"To asses someone's grip strength using a hand grip dynamometer takes less than 10 seconds, which makes it extremely attractive to adopt in a clinical or community setting at the population level," Peterson said.

The study was published in Journals of Gerontology Series A: Medical Sciences.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The RSS today claimed to have taken out over 200 Ram Navami processions all over West Bengal, using the festival 'to unite the Hindus' against what they called the "growing Jehadi activities" in the state.

The unprecedented scale of Ram Navami celebrations this year in the state appears to have rattled even Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who accused the RSS-BJP combine of trying to 'appropriate' the festival and asked them not to mix religion with politics.

Virtually seeking to paint the state saffron, right wing activists marched through the streets of various cities across the state, waving saffron flags, carrying posters pledging to build Sri Ram temple at Ayodhya and shouting 'Jai Sri Ram.'



At some places like Birbhum and Purulia, women and men were seen brandishing even swords and knives in colourful rallies and renting the air with slogans of 'Jai Siya Ram.'



Amid the unprecedented Ram Navami celebrations, held under the banner of Rama Navami Udjapan Samity across the state, police said there were no reports of any untoward incident from anywhere.

In Kolkata and its adjoining areas alone, more than 22 rallies were taken out.

In the state, a total 200 rallies and processions with participants varying from 2,000 to 20,000 were held, Bidyut Mukherjee, RSS organizational secretary for West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands told PTI.

"The response of the common people was very good. We have been able to unite the Hindus to a large extent through these rallies," he said.

The RSS-backed Ram Navami rallies were held on such a scale close on the heels of RSS' Coimbatore resolution last month in which it had expressed concern over the "growing Jehadi activities and declining Hindu population in West Bengal."



"If you have to unite a community then religious festivals are the best way to send out a message for uniting the society under one umbrella," said a VHP functionary.

Expressing support to the RSS programme, WB BJP president Dilip Ghosh said, "We fully support such programmes to celebrate Ram Navami. It will help people unite against the anti-national forces and vote-bank politics. If a rally can be taken out on Nabi Diwas, why can't one be taken out on Ram Navami? What's the harm in it?"



Facing heat from the right wing parties, ruling TMC had asked its leaders to organize Ram Navami rallies and special prayers for Lord Hanuman in their areas.

Apparently rattled by the scale of RSS-backed Ram Navmi celebrations in the state, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused BJP of trying to "appropriate" the festival and asked it not to mix religion with politics.

"The BJP should not describe Ram Navami as its own. The BJP has nothing to do with it. It should stop using religion (for politics)," she lashed out at the saffron outfits while addressing a rally in Bankura.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China central bank will pursue a crack down on illegal fund transfers via underground banks and offshore companies, it said in a statement posted on its website on Wednesday.

The People's Bank of China (PBOC) issued the message in a working meeting last month aimed at strengthening financial sector rules.

(Reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An anonymous tip to Dutch authorities on thousands of suspicious accounts at Credit Suisse could hardly have come at a worse time for Switzerland and its banks.

The information that triggered raids in five countries raises new doubts about the effectiveness of Switzerland's efforts to shed its decades-old reputation as one of the world's major tax havens.

"It's a wake-up call not only for the banking community but also for authorities," said Mark Pieth, an anti-corruption expert and criminal law professor at the University of Basel.

"Instead of really just being angry at others they should ask, have we really been zealous enough?"

Switzerland is among the countries that signed up to a global data-sharing programme led by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, known as the Automatic Exchange of Information, which was designed to root out tax dodgers.

Swiss banks, having paid more than $5 billion to settle allegations of helping wealthy Americans evade taxes, have trumpeted their reformed ways, publicly encouraging clients to sign up to government programmes allowing them to declare untaxed assets.

But last week's raids of Credit Suisse's offices in London, Paris and Amsterdam as part of a coordinated investigation in five countries show Switzerland still has a way to go to break with its past.

It is a wake-up call for financial markets as well.

"People really thought that, with the upcoming Automatic Exchange of Information and the cleanup of the European client portfolio completed, this stuff shouldn't be an issue anymore," Andreas Venditti, banking analyst at Vontobel, said. "Now the market seems to be confused about what to think."

Mark Branson, head of Swiss financial watchdog FINMA, said last week's was unwelcome at a time when Switzerland is presenting itself as a reformed financial centre whose selling point is stability and reliability rather than tax perks.

"These headlines will not vanish overnight although the business model has fundamentally changed," said Branson, speaking to reporters on Tuesday.

Another sign that Switzerland has to work harder to improve its reputation was the apparently deliberate efforts by Eurojust, the European Union judicial agency which helped coordinate last week's raids, to keep Swiss prosecutors out of the loop on enforcement actions.

Switzerland's Office of the Attorney General on Friday demanded a written explanation for the snub.

"PART OF DOING BUSINESS"

In the new investigation, raids began on Thursday in the Netherlands, Britain, Germany, France and Australia, with visits also made at three of Credit Suisse's offices. This followed a tip-off to Dutch prosecutors about 55,000 "suspect accounts".

One of the big questions is how many of the accounts represent existing client relationships at Credit Suisse, Switzerland's second-biggest bank, and how many are legacy accounts from when Swiss banking secrecy shielded customers' money from tax authorities.

Iqbal Khan, the head of Credit Suisse's International Wealth Management division, said in an interview he did not know where the 55,000 figure referred to by the Dutch office for financial crimes prosecution had come from as the bank had fewer accounts than that for all of Europe.

Khan, who is responsible for Credit Suisse's private banking operations outside of Switzerland and Asia Pacific, said it was not certain if existing clients would be implicated.

Branson said FINMA had been in contact with Credit Suisse about the raids but was not in a position to say what portion of the case related to old accounts.

One thing that does seem certain is legal and regulatory issues are increasingly considered as a cost of investing in Swiss private banks.

Moritz Baumann, bank analyst and client adviser at Swiss wealth manager Albin Kistler, said: "The fact is that legal issues are practically part of doing business as a bank."

(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.)
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will use domestic coal for its proposed 4,000 megawatt power project in Tamil Nadu, instead of imported it, Coal Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday, as the south Asian nation seeks to cut its overseas purchases.

He said the state power minister has agreed for use of domestic coal for the project.

(Reporting by Sudarshan Vardhan; Editing by Malini Menon)

(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.)
By Alex Lawler

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil hit a one-month high near $55 a barrel on Wednesday as a fall in U.S. crude inventories raised hopes OPEC-led supply cuts were clearing a glut, while an outage at the largest UK North Sea oilfield lent support.

U.S. crude inventories fell by a more-than-expected 1.8 million barrels last week, American Petroleum Institute data showed on Tuesday. The focus is now on whether the government's supply report on Wednesday confirms the decline.

"Should it confirm that U.S. crude stocks did indeed fall for what would only be the second time this year, it will mark the start of a sustained tightening in U.S. crude supplies," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

Global benchmark Brent crude was up 70 cents at $54.87 a barrel by 1334 GMT. It reached $54.95 intraday, the highest since March 8. U.S. crude gained 68 cents to$51.71.

Oil also rose after an outage at the 180,000-barrels-per-day Buzzard field in the North Sea. Buzzard is the largest field contributing to Forties, the most important of the four crude streams underpinning Brent.

"This outage more than offsets the increase in oil production in Libya," said Carsten Fritsch of Commerzbank, referring to the recovery in output at Libya's Sharara field.

"Now, it seems that crude oil stocks have peaked at least and are starting to decline," he added.

An output cut from Jan. 1 led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has helped Brent recover from a 12-year low near $27 last year, although rising U.S. output and stubbornly high stocks have limited the rally.

OPEC and non-OPEC producers, including Russia, together cut supply by about 1.8 million bpd for six months until June, and are considering whether to extend the agreement.

The inventory surplus is likely to be eroded, even without a prolonged cut, analysts at JBC Energy said.

"In the event of OPEC/non-OPEC not extending the cuts into the second half, the world would still continue to draw stocks at a mild pace of about 200,000 bpd until September, thereby lending support to prices one way or another," JBC said.

Still, a rise in U.S. output - prompted in part by higher prices due to the OPEC-led cut - is likely to provide a headwind for prices, analysts said.

U.S. drillers added rigs for an 11th straight week, data showed on Friday, as companies boost spending on new production.

(Additional reporting by Henning Gloystein in Singapore; Editing by Dale Hudson and Edmund Blair)

(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.)
1. Connect this region in the southeastern part of India, which is rich in iron ore and copper and hence its name translates to red earth, an East India Company administrator N S Brodie, Le Marais, the aristocratic district of Paris which had residents like Victor Hugo and Jim Morrison (Doors), Anand Mahindra and Kris Gopalakrishnan and what do you arrive at?



Gourmet Araku Valley coffee grown on the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh. An NGO called Naandi, funded by Mahindra and Gopalakrishnan, has opened its first luxury coffee store in the Le Marais area of Paris. N S Brodie was responsible for starting coffee planting in the Araku Valley
Several new-age logistics players such as Black Buck and Rivigo, Delhivery have raised close to $300 million in the past six months even as e-commerce firms have struggled to raise fresh money.
Two Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphones, left, the Gear 360 camera, center, and the Gear VR headset are on display after a news conference to announce new products, in New York (Photo: AP/ PTI)
News / National

by Staff Reporter

Joosbi Omar, the Zanu PF candidate for Mwenezi East by-election slated for April 8, 2017 has riled the Muslim community by allowing Christian pastors to lay their hands on his head and pray for his success in the elections.Omar whose religion is Muslim attended a two-day prayer meeting where pastors who refer to themselves as leaders of indigenous churches prayed and gave him their blessings to win the elections.Members of the Masvingo Islamic Society (MIS) who spoke to The Mirror said he betrayed the religion.However, Omar defended himself by saying all people pray to one God and it was never a sin for people to pray with other churches. The deputy Imaam for MIS, Ali Kandira said: "I could not even buy the newspaper when I saw the picture on the front page because it was an insult to the Islamic religion. If he wanted blessings we could haveprayed for him".Imaam for MIS, Dawood Witness said he was busy when The Mirror approached him for a comment.Kandira added that a Muslim is like a mirror to another Muslim so Omar's stance is a bad influence to other members as they would think that his behaviour is right."I was born a Muslim and I know our religion's principles as much as others do. I do not agree with people who say that my actions profaned Islam and Allah. We worship one God and it's never a sin to pray with other churches," said Omar.Another high ranking leader for the Islamic congregation in Mucheke who refused to have his name published said it is not in their power to judge but every Muslim is expected to behave in a way that does not tarnish the religion.
The Reliance Industries stock, which has been on a roll during the last five trading days, hit a new nine-year high level on Wednesday.

The stock hit an intra-day high of Rs 1,410 on the BSE today on the back of the firm saying on Friday its telecom arm Reliance Jio had recorded 72 million subscribers for its Prime Membership Offer.

In anticipation of the telco starting paid services and earning revenue from April 1, the stock closed at Rs 1,247 level on March 28, 2017. It began its upward trend and closed at Rs 1,371 level on Monday, a rise of 10 per cent since then.

On March 31, 2017 too, the Reliance Industries stock closed 3.93 per cent higher at Rs 1,319 level on the BSE. It closed 3.93 percent higher at Rs 1,320 on the NSE.

The telco expects to capture 50 per cent of the revenue share over the next four years with strong operating margins of 50 per cent as the data market touches Rs 3 lakh crore by 2020-21.

In a presentation, Jio said market expanded six times with introduction of Jio in less than six months. Jio anticipates earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation margin of more than 50%.

The telecom major has a user base of 100 million and even if 50 per cent of these users start paying for the data services, Jio will become the largest data provider of the country.



Prime Membership Offer

Reliance Jio on March 31 evening made a slew of announcements related to its Prime membership, including no tariff for the first three months under the scheme. To avail the offer, customers will have to first subscribe to the Prime membership by paying Rs 99 and also purchase Jio's Rs 303 and other plans.

Following which, they will get the first three months as "complimentary" and their paid tariff plan will begin from July.

Reliance Jio has been offering free 4g service and calls since its launch on September 5, 2016 in order to lure subscribers of other networks and those who want to enjoy 4G services afresh.


China warned today that it will take "necessary measures" to defend its territorial sovereignty and interests after India "obstinately" allowed the Dalai Lama to visit the "disputed" parts of Arunachal Pradesh causing "serious damage" to the bilateral ties.

China also lodged a protest with India's Ambassador in Beijing Vijay Gokhale over the Dalai Lama's visit. "India in disregard to China's concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lama's visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to China's interests and China-India relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters.

China firmly opposes this move, she asserted. "China's stand on the eastern part of the borders is consistent and clear. India is keenly aware of the role played by the 14th Dalai Lama. Arranging his visit to those sensitive and disputed areas not only runs counter to the Indian side's commitment to the issues related to Tibet but also escalates disputes over the border area," she said.

Hua stated that it goes against the momentum of the sound growth of bilateral relations and will not benefit India in anyway. "The visit will for sure trigger China's dissatisfaction. This will not bring any benefit to India," she said. China will firmly take necessary measures to defend its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests, Hua asserted.

Asked what measures China would take, Hua did not elaborate. "I don't have much to add. I want to add the issues concerning Tibet has a bearing on China's core interests. India in disregard of China's concerns obstinately arranged the visit," she said.

"We demand the Indian side immediately stop its actions using the Dalai Lama to undermine China's interests and not hype up sensitive issues between the two countries, not artificially damage the foundation of the talks between the two countries on the border issues and bilateral legislations and take concrete actions to safeguard the China-India relations," she said.

Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama rubbished media reports that India is using him as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China, the Tibetan spiritual leader said that India has never used him against China.

The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader reached Bomdila in West Kameng district yesterday, starting his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

China claims parts of Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet and had previously warned that if India allowed the visit of the Dalai Lama, whom it calls an "anti-China separatist" it would cause "serious damage" to ties.

China is sensitive to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang region in Arunachal which happens to be the birthplace in 1683 of the sixth Dalai Lama and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.

"We hope we can work together to maintain growth of India China relations. We know India and China are two close neighbours and countries in Asia. Cooperation between us will serve interests of the region," Hua said.

"We hope to maintain good momentum of growth but this move runs counter to this wish, so we hope India stop doing things that undermine our interests," she said.

Yesterday, Minister of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said India never interfered in Beijing's affairs, has respected the "One China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in India's internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lama's visit. "There is no political angle behind his holiness's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is completely religious."

Separately, the External Affairs Ministry has said that no "artificial controversy" should be created about the visit.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson rejected Rijiju's comments, saying "China upholds the policy of not interfering with other countries internal affairs. This is unquestionable." "But in disregard to China's concerns India arranged the visit of Dalai Lama to the disputed areas. This issue goes beyond internal affairs," she said.

"The role played by the Dalai Lama is clear to all. China's position on the eastern section of the boundary is also very clear," she said.

"The arrangement of Dalai's visit to the disputed area by India runs counter to its commitments on issues related to Tibet and it runs counter to benefits of bilateral relations. We demand that India stop this wrong action," she said.

About Rijiju's comments that it was a religious visit and should not be politicised, she said, "We have noted the statement of the official from the Indian side."

"Could you tell me honestly do you seriously believe that Dalai is only a religious leader. I think the answer is known to all. He is not just a religious figure.

"Therefore, his visit to the place will not be purely of religious purpose. So using the empty words to defend this arrangement is not reasonable. We demand the Indian side to stop this move of undermining Chinese interests," she said.

Chinese officials in off the record conversations with the media said China is really angry about the Dalai Lama's visit specially because he was accompanied by a minister. Unlike previous visits, the officials said the Dalai Lama was accompanied by a minister which makes it different.
Reacting strongly to the Indian government's tough stand on the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, Chinese state-run media on Wednesday said that unlike his predecessors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed to have taken a different stance on the Dalai Lama issue.

It further said that the Indian Prime Minister is doing this because 'New Delhi is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance over its membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its request to name Masood Azhar, head of Pakistani militant group, to a UN Security Council blacklist'. "Therefore, New Delhi attempts to play the Tibet card against Beijing," the Chinese media said.

Interestingly, the article justified China's stand on India's request to list Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a designated terrorist under the 1267 Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council. It said: "China has never thought of making trouble for India, and is handling these issues in accordance with international practices and UN regulations."



The latest round of fiery exchange between India and China started earlier this month when Chinese Foreign Ministry warned India of "serious damage" to bilateral ties if it allows Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh. It asked asked India to make a "choice".

However, India refused to come under Chinese pressure and said no "artificial controversy" should be created around the visit. Calling it a purely religious visit, India said: "No additional colour should be ascribed to his (Dalai Lama) religious and spiritual activities and visits to various states of India."

Making India's position clear on Arunchal Pradesh, Minister of State for Home Kiran Rijiju said: "Arunachal Pradesh is an inseparable part of India and China should not object to his visit and interfere in India's internal affairs." China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of south Tibet.

Despite India's firm reply to China, the State-run media said that the Dalai Lama has long been active in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion. "New Delhi inviting the Dalai Lama to sensitive region gravely damages the China-India relationship," the state-run Global Times said.

It reminded India that many countries have pledged not to extend invitations to the Dalai Lama. "New Delhi should overcome its suspicions against Beijing. China doesn't allow India to free ride on its economic growth while jeopardizing Beijing's core interests," the Global Times said.

The response from the Chinese media is not in isolation as it recently admitted that China would have to deal with a bolder India if Modi won the next general elections and dealing with New Delhi on border disputes could become difficult.

The article was published soon after the BJP recorded unprecedented victory in assembly elections that were believed to be a referendum on the Prime Minister's economic policies undertaken in his first half.

"If Modi wins the next election, India's current firm and tough manner is bound to continue. It will be without question good news for the country's own development. Nevertheless, it will likely mean more difficulties in making compromises in rows with other countries," the article had said.
After the sweeping victory in the Uttar Pradesh state assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has moved much closer to sending its choice candidate as the new occupant at Raisina Hill. The party is not keen to extend the tenure of the former Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee, and along with its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), many top league leaders see this as an opportunity to send in its ideologue. If that materialises, an RSS ideologue will occupy the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the first time.

There is a strong faction in BJP which believes that the choice of the president should help them in building a pan India footprint before the 2019 general elections. There is little challenge, though, in arranging the numbers. As of now, both the RSS and the BJP are exchanging notes to determine their best choice. After the recently concluded assembly elections in five states, the BJP has improved its numbers in the electoral college dramatically. A back-of-the-envelope state-wise calculation done by Business Today suggests that the BJP alone has 433,182 votes and along with its allies, the number rises to 524,088. This is still 25,354 votes short of the half-way mark in the universe of 10,98,882 votes. But this gap can be bridged with help from frenemies such as the AIADMK, BJD or the JD(U). However, all will depend on the choice of the candidate.

The President's election is likely to be held in June this year, and will be followed by the election of the Vice President. By the end of April, the BJP is likely to announce its final choice for the President of India. For the position of the Vice President, who also chairs Rajya Sabha (the upper house of Parliament), all MPs vote. Out of a total 772, the BJP has 321 MPs, and along with its allies and supporters, the number reaches 395--sufficient for winning. But going by recent occurrences, one never knows which way the Shiv Sena will vote. Therefore, the BJP may need some more support from its new friends. Here are some of the choices been being discussed between the BJP and the RSS leadership, along with the pros and cons.

The Presidential race: Six key contenders

L.K. Advani

Age: 89

Plus: He is the most prominent leader of the BJP and its prime ministerial candidate in 2009. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rise to national prominence led to sidelining of Advani. Already his request for appointment as the Lok Sabha Speaker was overruled. Still, many think his election as the President of India can be apt for his stature.

What's not in his favour: Not the favourite candidate of the RSS. The rift took place after his controversial comments on Muhammad Ali Jinnah's commitment to secularism during a visit to Pakistan. Many in PM Modi's camp see him as a possible threat.

Murli Manohar Joshi

Age: 83

Plus: A veteran RSS ideologue and a prominent Brahmin face from Uttar Pradesh (where the BJP recorded a sweeping victory in the recently concluded assembly polls), Joshi has good rapport with the allies, as well as with the JD(U), BJD and the AIADMK. RSS leaders think he can be a good choice as their first ideologue in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Over the past two years, he has also successfully bridged the gap with PM Modi.

What's not in his favour: There is not much support for him within the party. He has always been seen as the third in command in the line of leadership hierarchy, after Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani.



Ram Naik

Age: 82

Plus: An old warhorse with a good stint in the UP Raj Bhawan. Naik, a former Cabinet Minister in the earlier NDA government, also has good rapport with Modi, Amit Shah and the RSS leadership.

What's not in his favour: It will be difficult for the BJP to pick him and ignore the big two also in the fray.

Ramnath Kovind

Age: 71

Plus: The BJP's best bet as a Dalit face. He belongs to the Dalit community Koli and worked extensively in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar before being elevated as the Bihar Governor. Earlier, he headed the party's Dalit base and groomed several leaders for the BJP and the RSS. At one time, the party wanted to project his as an alternative to Mayawati in UP.

What's not in his favour: He does not have backing of leaders from other communities, both in the party and the RSS. Not having an impressive tenure as the Bihar Governor is another handicap. He has been close to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, but the proximity can backfire as well when it comes to his candidature.

Thawar Chand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Development & Entrepreneurship

Age: 68

Plus: A noted Dalit face and a Modi-Amit Shah loyalist, his elevation to the President's post can help BJP portray a pro-Dalit image, wipe out the weakening BSP in Uttar Pradesh and further extend the party's base among dalits in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra.

What's not in his favour: He does not have much backing from the RSS. Moreover, the Sangh believes he can still deliver as a Cabinet Minister and should serve the party at the national level.



Draupadi Murmu

Age: 58

Plus: A tribal woman leader from Odisha and currently the Governor of Jharkhand, Murmu may be projected as the first tribal President of India and that too, from the BJP fold. This can help the party expand its base in the tribal areas of the country.

What's not in her favour: She may not be too keen for this position as she is eyeing the Rajya Sabha and a meaty portfolio in the Union Cabinet.

Sumitra Mahajan, Speaker, Lok Sabha

Age: 73

Plus: A woman leader and a seasoned politician from Indore. Has a strong network among politicians across party lines. She is close to both PM Modi and party chief Amit Shah.

What's not in her favour: RSS may not favour her as a choice. It is still not clear, whether party leadership is considering her bet. She may lose out to Sushma Swaraj as a choice, who has all the backing from big RSS leaders. (Swaraj is pitching for VP post, but if women president needs to be made, she can be the first choice).

Amitabh Bachchan, Actor

Age. 73

Plus: Close to PM Modi and is first choice to be the face of the government's social campaigns.

What's not in his favour: His last tenure as a politician was a disaster. RSS may veto his name. Plus his wife continues to be Samajwadi Party's MP and a bitter critic of the RSS and the NDA government.



Rajinikanth, Actor

Age: 66

Plus: A huge fan base in Tamil speaking community across the world. His name will help BJP make inroads into Tamil Nadu before 2019. With the death of J Jayalalithaa, BJP sees as an opportunity to make a dent in Tamil politics.

What's not in his favour: BJP doesn't a large cadre in the state. The party's tallest leader down south is Pon Radhakrishnan.

Office of the Vice President: The four in fray

Sushma Swaraj

Age: 65

Plus: Currently the Minister of External Affairs and also responsible for overseas Indian affairs. Reports suggest that she is keen to go for the not-so-strenuous role due to health reasons as she has recently undergone a kidney transplant. Her stint as a Cabinet Minister is rated high and she has also worked as a backroom strategist. Swaraj is active on Twitter as the minister in charge of overseas Indians. She has also gelled well with Team Modi.

What's not in her favour: After the exit of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar--he is now Chief Minister of Goa--it is not easy for PM Modi to spare her as well. She is a key member of the team working on the China strategy and with the ongoing changes in the U.S. regime, she will be required even more.



M Venkaiah Naidu

Age: 67

Plus: Currently serving as the Minister of Urban Development and also in charge of Information and Broadcasting. Just like Swaraj, he, too, is keen to take on a lighter assignment due to health issues. A former leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Naidu has firm backing of the RSS leadership.

What's not in his favour: Once again, it may be difficult for PM Modi to spare Naidu, especially when Amit Shah is working on a mission to crack South India for the BJP. Naidu is required for his oratory skills and his friends across the party line down south to make this mission successful. Naidu as a choice can work both ways.



Kalraj Mishra

Age: 76

Plus: Currently the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister in the Union Cabinet, Mishra has played an active role in mobilising Brahmin votes in the UP polls. He has already celebrated his 75th birthday and is keenly pushing for the Office of the Vice President as an exit route.

What's not in his favour: Not an RSS choice and most of the leaders consider him as "close" to a particular caste. His work as the MSME head is seen as a below-average performance.



Parkash Singh Badal

Age: 89

Plus: Five-time Chief Minister of Punjab and a veteran of anti-Emergency struggle, he is only the second leader outside the BJP to be considered for the top role. During the first tenure of the NDA, another Akali leader, Simranjit Singh Mann, was elected as the Vice President of India. Badal was the Union Cabinet Minister for agriculture in PM Morarji Desai's government along with Advani and Vajpayee. However, Badal's party, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is now out of power in Punjab. The veteran leader may not contest the next polls because of his age, and can be rewarded with this office. It was only his presence in the government that led the BJP's central leadership to avoid a split with the Akalis before the assembly polls. But his exit from the state politics may enable the BJP to gradually move out of the alliance.

What's not in his favour: It will require the BJP leadership to exercise a great deal of manoeuvring to ward off other aspirants, especially when the party has comfortable numbers.


The Islamic State has derided US President Donald Trump as a "stupid idiot" and said his rise to power was a sign of America's bankruptcy.

Targeting Trump directly for the first time since he took ffice, the ISIS terror group in the 36-minute audio released by its spokesperson Abu Hasan al-Muhajir on Tuesday called him an Arabic term that means an "idiot", saying the US President does not know anything about Islam, NBC News reported.

Terming the US as "bankrupt", it said, "the sign of your elimination are now clearer to everyone, as the most clear of signs is that you are now ruled by a stupid idiot who does not know what Sham and Iraq are, or what Islam is, who continues to express his hatred and war against Islam". The propaganda said Trump has expressed his "hatred and war" against Islam, the report said.

Other translations of the statement replaced "stupid idiot" with "riff raff" or "harebrained", it said. Al-sham is a term ISIS uses to describe a region that includes Syria. It appears to be the first time the Islamic State has referred to Trump since he took office.

ISIS, which controls large swaths of territories in Iraq and Syria, is currently being targeted by a US-led military coalition.

Trump has pledged to "totally obliterate ISIS," which swept across parts of Iraq in 2014. Trump has been widely criticised in the past for his controversial statements on Islam. The ISIS statement does not appear to directly refer to Trump's executive order temporarily banning people of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.
When Sun TV's net profit went up by 17.6 per cent in 2015/16, its Executive Chairman Kalanithi Maran's annual compensation also rose 16.6 per cent. With Apollo Tyres' net profit rising 32.2 per cent in 2015/16, Chairman and Managing Director Onkar S. Kanwar got a raise of 28.2 per cent. Ramco Cements' net profit increased a staggering 130.4 per cent in 2015/16; accordingly, Chairman and Managing Director P.R. Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha got a whopping 92.5 per cent increase in yearly emoluments.

The list of the highest-paid executive heads of BSE 500 companies in India includes seven promoter-executives - those of Sun TV, Hero MotoCorp, Apollo Tyres, Divis Laboratories, Lupin, Amara Raja Group and Ramco Cements - and three professionals: A.M. Naik of Larsen & Toubro, C.P. Gurnani of Tech Mahindra and Vishal Sikka of Infosys. With the former group, the correlation is straightforward - their average emoluments increased 0.69 per cent against every 1 per cent rise in bottom lines of their companies in 2015/16.

Promoters vs. Professionals

This is hardly surprising, considering promoter-CEOs are in a position to decide their own remuneration. "All directors on a company's board - which has to endorse executive salaries - owe their presence on it to the promoter, even when they are independent directors," says an HR head of a global workforce management solutions company who did not want to be named. "Mostly, they do not question the promoter-CEOs' compensation." This is true even when promoters, as in some of the above seven seven cases, while retaining their positions, have largely passed on effective control of their companies to their sons and daughters.



For different reasons, no similar link can be established for professional CEOs in the top 10 list. Vishal Sikka joined Infosys only in 2014, so no comparison with previous years is possible. Gurnani's income dropped 72.6 per cent in 2015/16, compared to the previous year even though Tech Mahindra's net profit rose 42.7 per cent, but that was only because he had exercised a part of his stock options in 2014/15, resulting in his total income that year going up a massive 539 per cent. Again, A.M. Naik's income spiked 142.3 per cent in 2015/16 compared to the previous year, even though L&T's net profit that year rose just 5 per cent, mainly because he got a one-time "perquisites compensation" of Rs38.85 crore.

HR experts maintain that there is no direct correlation between a company's profits and its professional CEO's total compensation. "A significant amount of compensation is linked to the individual's potential in the eyes of the company's board, how it views his/her ability to turn around the company and lead it in the future," says Rituparna Chakraborty, President, Indian Staffing Federation. "But the size of salary packages shows that the new-age companies are compensating their CEOs well."

"It is also because companies want the top executives to be happy," says J.K. Agrawal, Managing Director, BTI Consultants. "If the company is doing well, credit goes to the CEO. If it isn't, they still get a pay increase because the company doesn't want their motivation to get impacted."

However, if bonuses or commissions paid to CEOs are looked at separately, and the list of highest-paid professional CEOs expanded from three to eight - including Aditya Ghosh of Interglobe Aviation (Indigo Airlines), N. Chandrasekaran of TCS (in 2015/16, before taking over as Chairman of Tata Sons), D. Bhattacharya of Hindalco Industries, Y.C. Deveshwar of ITC and Sanjiv Mehta of Hindustan Unilever, a clear connection does emerge. In seven cases out of eight, if the CEO's variable pay has risen, so has the company's profit after tax (PAT) and total income. "The rationale of variable pay ensures that CEOs get properly paid only if they deliver," says Suresh Raina, Managing Partner, Hunt Partners, an executive search firm.

The exception is Hindalco's Managing Director D. Bhattacharya, whose variable pay (performance bonus) rose to Rs6.87 crore in 2015/16 from Rs6.34 crore in 2014/15, even though his company's PAT declined to Rs607 crore from Rs925 crore the previous year. The reasons could be two-fold: first, all companies dealing in metals - Hindalco is a global leader in rolling aluminium - have suffered lately due to a global price crash and are only slowly recovering, and second, Bhattacharya has spent 13 years with the company, during which its market cap rose from Rs9,026 crore to Rs27,557 crore. "Earlier, a professional CEO's relationship with his company's promoter was much stronger and he would stay much longer with a company," says Raina. "Businesses were smaller and CEOs were paid a lot more in kind, such as company accommodation and gifts."



Overall, in the top 100 companies by market cap, compensation of CEOs - promoter-CEOs and professionals lumped together - has risen at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18 per cent between 2011/12 and 2015/16. (See Perks Rule.) But separate statistics also show that the rise has been mainly in variable pay - while variable pay increased in the range of 150-300 per cent in the same four-year period, the CEOs' fixed pay rose a mere 7-20 per cent. While the variable pay component of the CEOs' salary was earlier between 20 per cent and 40 per cent, it is now 40-60 per cent in large-cap companies, according to Aon Hewitt data. Even promoter-CEOs earn most of their salary from bonuses and commissions - bonus/ex-gratia comprised 81.6 per cent of Kalanithi Maran's remuneration in 2015/16, 77.15 per cent of Onkar Kanwar's.

Short-term vs Long-term

Variable pay is of two types: short-term incentives (STIS) such as bonuses and commissions and long-term incentives (LTIS) like stock options, restricted stock (which can be transferred only after prescribed time conditions are met) and performance shares (which can be transferred only after prescribed time and performance conditions are met). "Increasingly, and more so in large-cap companies, the LTI component of the variable pay has been increasing and is now between 30 per cent and 50 per cent," says Anubhav Gupta, Head, Executive Compensation and Governance, Aon Hewitt. "The division between STI and LTI ensures that CEO compensation is not just driving quarter-on-quarter performance, but is also linked to long-term value creation."



Companies that have an objective to get listed or raise funding and are seeing a certain growth spurt use LTIs to share wealth, says Sonu Iyer, People Advisory Services, Partner & Leader - India Region, EY.

Not surprisingly, within LTI, too, restricted stock options and performance shares are gaining ground. According to Aon Hewitt data, the prevalence of these two has gone up to 37 per cent and 29 per cent, respectively. Compared to stock options, restricted stock and performance shares are a more equitable means of compensation, since stock price is often temporarily affected by factors which have nothing to do with the CEO's performance. Indeed, some HR experts feel that the nature of incentives provided to CEOs, short term or long term, should be regularly re-examined.



In fact, another important factor that is closely being watched is the metric on which variable pay is to be paid out. The key defining metrics of business performance vary for each sector and CEO's incentives should reflect the progress on company's objectives, rather than only absolute outcomes, says Iyer of EY. The overall idea, she says, is that the executive's pay should reflect the company's performance. "Sink and sail with the organisation is the spirit with which executive pay is being structured."

As compensation increases in coming years, its variable component is likely to get even bigger. In the West, the variable component of a CEO's pay is as high as 89 per cent (STI and LTI combined) in really large companies. (See Performance Is All.) Indian companies are trending in the same direction. However, with increased focus on pay for risk, the caveat here is that it is fine now as the economy is growing, but if any of macroeconomic factors worsen, there will be a very different dip that will happen because of variability in pay, says Iyer of EY.

Some Are More Equal

But while CEOs are prospering, there has been no commensurate trickle-down effect. Average salaries in even highly prosperous companies are not increasing the way CEO emoluments are. "The rise in CEO salaries is creating a disproportionate disparity with the median wage of the company," says Shelly Singh, Chief Business Officer, PeopleStrong, a HR services firm. The salaries of company employees, both executive and non-executive, have been rising at a much slower pace. Growth in non-executive employee remuneration across companies has been 8 per cent to 10 per cent in the last two years, while that of executives has been around 20 per cent. Worryingly enough, for the former category, salary growth has been slowing, falling to 8 per cent in 2015/16 from about 17 per cent in 2012. For executives, it has increased from 9 per cent in 2012 to 23 per cent in 2015/16.

The current ratio of total emoluments of the top 10 executives of a company to its median salary is a staggering 700:1. Among professional CEOs, the ratio is around 500:1; for promoter CEOs, it is 900:1. In comparison, in the US, the CEO-to-worker ratio at 168 companies with revenues over $1 billion was 70:1, according to a report by US board intelligence solutions provider Equilar.

Indeed, in many Indian companies, the gap is even higher - Jayadev Galla, promoter-MD of the Amara Raja Group, earns 2,448 times the median salary of his company's employees, while Onkar Kanwar of Apollo Tyres gets 1,425 times, and Desh Bandhu Gupta of Lupin, 1,317 times. (See Staggering Gap.)

"It shows promoter-CEOs are brazenly taking care of themselves," says an HR consultant, who prefers not to be named. "They pay themselves whatever they feel they can get away with. A company's success depends on teamwork. No one drives growth all by himself, especially in large conglomerates. But India has borrowed the US concept that a great CEO makes all the difference - an erroneous idea that arose after Jack Welch as CEO transformed GE." Raina of Hunt Partners, however, suggests that the additional pressures on Indian CEOs - compared to their Western counterparts - justify their high remuneration. "There are only two or three top players in most sectors, which put great pressure on CEOs of these companies to maintain their leadership position," he says. "These companies are also expected to grow much faster than those in the West, because India is a growing economy." Hindustan Unilever, for instance, is growing at 8-10 per cent in India, whereas globally the company's revenue is increasing at only 3-4 per cent.

"A company's function also determines the median wage of its employees and in turn its ratio to the CEO's income," says Raina. A company such as Infosys has to employ a large number of coders and software engineers, whose market value is relatively modest - hence the gap between the median wage and the CEO's salary would be high. In contrast, Tata Communications, for instance, which builds communications infrastructure, would have fewer but more highly-paid specialists, reducing the salary gap. Besides, having brought in a global CEO - Vishal Sikka was formerly with SAP in the US - his earlier salary had to be surpassed. A number of other Indian companies - such as Tata Motors, currently headed by Guenter Karl Butschek, formerly with Airbus in the US - have also appointed global CEOs who have to be compensated accordingly. Some HR leaders also feel that a company's median salary depends on numerous factors such as the percentage of workforce on rolls and on contract, and the percentage based in India and outside.

T. Muralidharan, Chairman, TMI - a recruitment agency, strikes the middle path. "A CEO's contribution to his company's profitability is much more than that of the average employee," he says. "His salary increase could be two or three times that of the company average, but beyond that it isn't quite right."

Future Trends

The market cap of the top 100 BSE companies is growing at a slower pace than the total remuneration of its executives, which shows that companies are paying more than before to retain top talent. Job creation and employee headcount are reducing as large companies increasingly turn to automation. "In fact, it is themid-sized companies which are creating more jobs," says Raina.

There is also the possibility that the widening gap between CEO (and top executive) remuneration and that of the average employee may lead to shareholders asking uncomfortable questions. It has happened in the US. In India, too, a start was made by Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy recently, when he questioned the rationale behind a 55 per cent increase in Vishal Sikka's compensation. But HR experts are sceptical about the trend catching on. "It happened only because Murthy is now a shareholder," says Muralidharan. "Usually, as long as they get their dividends, shareholders don't raise any such concerns. Perhaps the financial institutions, which are these companies' biggest creditors, should begin to raise questions."

Data inputs by Niti Kiran


February 1, 2017 was a crucial day for Indian insurance: the day foreign reinsurance companies, for the first time, opened branch offices in Mumbai. It was the culmination of a process which began with the passing of the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill in March 2015, the same one which raised the cap on foreign insurers' participation in joint ventures with Indian companies from 26 per cent to 49 per cent. Among its other clauses, it also permitted foreign reinsurers to set up wholly owned branches in India. Though foreign insurance companies have been in India since 2000 - in joint ventures, with a cap of 26 per cent equity - there were no reinsurance companies among them. The sole Indian reinsurer so far was the publicly owned General Insurance Corporation (GIC Re).

GIC Re, with a turnover of `18,435 crore in 2015/16, handles around 52 per cent of the total reinsurance business in the country. The rest is already spread across global reinsurers, but with many of them now expected to set up branches in India, the business is likely to get a big fillip. Following the amendment, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), in October 2015, released guidelines on the registration and operation of foreign reinsurers in India - conditions they would have to satisfy to qualify for certification, followed by a three-stage clearance process they would have to undergo. IRDAI has since come out with a number of further clarifications and guidelines.

So far, Swiss Re (Switzerland), Munich Re and Hann- over Re (Germany), Scor Se (France) and Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) Life Re have passed all the three stages and set up their branches from February 1. A few others, including Gen Re (part of Warren Buffett's Berk- shire Hathaway Group) and XL Catlin, have already received final licence and started their operations. Axa (France) has also received partial licence. Lloyd's of London, which is not a reinsurance company but an insurance and reinsurance market, is also set to enter (IRDAI has issued separate guidelines for Lloyd's). In addition, GIC will have a domestic competitor as well, which has been given clearance - ITI Re, owned by Sudhir Valia's Fortune Financial Services. "Market participants have greatly appreciated the openness and willingness IRDAI has shown to understand reinsurers' challenges and create a welcoming environment for their entry," says Rohan Sachdev, Partner and Leader - Financial Services Advisory Services, EY.

Challenges and Hurdles

The insurance sector in India is growing at a healthy clip - the life segment at 11.84 per cent in 2015/16, the non-life at 13.81 per cent - against a global average of 4 per cent and 3.6 per cent, respectively, in 2015. There are 54 companies operating - 24 in life insurance, another 24 in non-life, five dealing solely in health insurance, and GIC. But the absolute size of the market, at $71.78 billion, is small compared to developed countries, as is insurance density and penetration. "The key challenge for us will be to offer the most relevant and innovative solutions for our clients, develop new products and help them grow their businesses," says Hitesh Kotak, Chief India Representative, Munich Re.

The retention ratios of Indian insurers - the portion of the risk they keep to themselves, rather than pass on to the reinsurer - are also relatively high, lowering the scope of reinsurance business. With private insurance only 15 years old, good quality, adequate data for pricing, modelling and underwriting of products is also lacking across the entire insurance value chain. "We need to work collectively to enhance underwriting standards, pricing and wording of policies," says Shankar Garigiparthy, CEO (Designate), Lloyd's India. "We also need to evolve a transparent dispute resolution mechanism to ensure that the Indian market flourishes in coming years."

Taxation is another worry for the foreign reinsurers, since there are a number of areas where clarity is yet to be provided - mechanisms for computing business profits of foreign branches, the service tax insurers will have to pay on reinsurance premium, the applicability - or otherwise - of service tax and Goods and Services Tax (GST) on reinsurance brokers, and more. Will Lloyd's, as a reinsurance market, have to pay GST? "To bring the Indian market in line with international norms and enable Indian reinsurers to compete on a level-playing field, the reinsurance business should not attract GST," says Garigiparthy of Lloyd's.

Global reinsurers have been attracted by the potential of the Indian market, but if they are taxed at around 40 per cent, as most foreign entities are - way higher than reinsurers in Singapore or the UAE - they may well limit their investment in India as well as scale down operations in the future if the global economy takes a hit. "If the government wants to build a robust reinsurance industry, it has to think of some tax concessions," says an industry insider, not willing to be identified. The doubt related to repatriation of surplus to the parent company by the branches has also not been fully resolved.

There is also the matter of the "order of preference" that IRDAI has prescribed. It has divided foreign reinsurance branches into two categories - those retaining at least 50 per cent of the reinsurance business they get (while passing on the remaining risk to their parent companies), and those retaining at least 30 per cent. Initially, IRDAI had ruled that the first choice of insurance companies should be an Indian reinsurer, but after strong protests from prospective foreign entrants, has put Indian reinsurance companies and foreign ones in the first category on par. Insurance companies can choose among any of them, but only after offering reinsurance to three companies in this category and being turned down can they move to the second category. Cross-border reinsurance - or reinsurance with global companies that have not opened branches in India - will henceforth be allowed only after both categories of foreign branches within India have declined. Even so, much of the nitty-gritty related to "order of preference" has yet to be spelt out, and is being anxiously awaited by foreign reinsurers, who are wondering to what extent the hands of Indian insurers will be tied.

Global insurers have also been allowed to set up branch offices in special economic zones (SEZs) - called International Finance Service Centres (IFSCs) - but IRDAI has issued a separate set of eligibility criteria and guidelines for these. "There is lack of alignment between the reinsurance regulations for the onshore market and the IFSC zone leading to lack of clarity," says Sachdev of EY. "If India is to develop as a reinsurance hub, this needs to be sorted out."

Sizeable Benefits

With IRDAI's guidelines requiring every foreign reinsurer to initially invest at least `100 crore in the Indian branch, the opening up will bring in more foreign direct investment (FDI). It will also generate employment, lower reinsurance costs further as competition rises, boost investment in capital markets and offer new risk transfer solutions. "Reinsurers can look at introducing innovative products to meet specific needs of specific clients," says G.L.N. Sarma, CEO of Hannover Re's India branch.

With foreign reinsurers bringing in their expertise, the primary insurance market is also expected to expand. The digital revolution and other major technological changes have increased the scope of insurance, with new kinds of covers - cyber liability, sharing economy-related liability, etc., - being developed worldwide, which the foreign entrants could bring to India as well. Their presence will gradually improve existing data collecting and modelling techniques, introduce global practices in risk management and claims management to benefit the entire industry and raise customer confidence. "Foreign reinsurers will need to work closely with existing insurers and intermediaries to educate the market participants," says M. Ravichandran, President - Insurance, Tata AIG General Insurance Company. "Product innovation will be the key to their success. Leveraging technology to reach the mass market and training local talent should also be their goals."

A number of insurance lines, currently at a nascent stage in India, are likely to grow following the entry of foreign reinsurers. Coverage for natural disasters remains extremely low, despite the floods and earthquakes of the recent past. Such cover is expected to increase, thereby reducing the financial hit - in paying compensation - the government takes following any such calamity. Similarly, taking liability insurance or the insurance companies, and even individuals take to bear legal costs in case they are sued - hardly exists in this country, but a beginning could well be made now. Liability insurance, as it operates in developed markets, can cover a company's directors and senior officers for any errors or omissions inadvertently made, matters of product and public liability, product recalls, and more.

"Sectors such as liability, aviation and energy are likely to see significantly higher growth than others," says Ravich-andran of Tata AIG. "Health, agriculture and microinsurance are other areas which will get a lot of interest from reinsurers." In agriculture, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna, announced in January 2016, and intended to extend crop insurance much further than before, is a major opportunity for the new reinsures. Title insurance, or insurance against any financial loss due to defects in the title deed to a property (and related issues), is also being considered by IRDAI. "As the regulator allows introduction of new products like title insurance, new areas of growth for the reinsurers will open up," says Sachdev of EY.

Potential Pitfalls

Some reinsurers sound a note of warning on getting too competitive in an already low-cost market. "By providing innovative risk transfer solutions and other offerings, reinsurers can optimise an insurance company's reinsurance buying," says Kotak of Munich Re. "This would be a better way of bringing down reinsurance costs rather than competing through predatory pricing for traditional covers." Since the Indian market is relatively small and dominated by retail insurance, another pitfall could be that of reinsurers writing lines of business they would traditionally not have participated in, simply to justify their investment in India. "Maintaining underwriting discipline will be a huge challenge in India, particularly against rising expenses," says Garigiparthy of Lloyd's. He also warns against the proliferation of brokers. "It is common practice in India for multiple brokers to seek reinsurance quotes on the same risk," he adds. "We would encourage brokers to collaborate and agree upon a framework as to who is the 'broker of record' relating to a particular placement, in line with international best practices."

At the same time, Indian branches should be allowed sufficient autonomy - if the parent company tries to remote control Indian operations, it will lose the benefit of the access to local data and expertise. "It is imperative that reinsurers provide the right blend of their technical pricing knowledge, international experience and local knowhow of the risks," says Kotak of Munich Re. "A strong underwriting backed approach is crucial for reinsurers as they don't have the investment income advantage of primary insurers to guarantee sustainability." Reinsurers should also prepare to be patient. "It is essential to carry out full due diligence before applying for a licence," says Garigi-parthy. "But once a reinsurance company has entered the market, it is extremely important for it to remain committed for the long term."


What changes will GST bring in to your sector?

The introduction of GST will incentivise the logistics sector in India. It is expected to act as the secondary factor that will build upon the primary foundation of a good infrastructure and faster adoption of technology in the sector. Implementation of GST would increase productivity and raise efficiency levels in the logistics sector and the economy as a whole. According to various industry estimates, freight times will come down by 30-40 per cent and logistics costs are expected to reduce by 20-30 per cent post GST. It will not only invite more investments and capital, but also ensure better implementation of investments and more access to better technologies.

How will the government's end-to-end delivery model, via a JV between Railways and DMIC, disrupt this space?

It will not disrupt the market. It is impossible for one company to cater to the entire logistics space, especially a market as big as ours. It is actually going to be helpful and will give a huge impetus to the sector, and help consolidate Apollo's logistics business.

The government plans to invest heavily in creating infrastructure. Will it make life any easier for logistics players?

The government announced huge investments in the infrastructure sector in the Budget which is in continuation with its increased focus on infrastructural development over the past few years. The total allocation for infrastructure stands at Rs 4,00,000 crore approximately, and the total capital outlay for the transport sector at an estimated Rs 2,50,000 crore. The Budget allocation for highways alone stands at Rs 64,000 crore in 2017/18. The increased investment in the infrastructure sector augurs well for the logistics players. Over the years, the industry lost out on a lot of business potential because of infrastructural deficiencies in our country. We are ready for this change as it will fasten the growth of the logistics industry in India.


"Indian companies have gamed the system and made the best use of this flawed immigration system" US Congressman Darrell Issa, who recently introduced a legislation for a massive hike in minimum salary for those employed on H-1B visas.

MUSK'S BRAINWAVE

Tesla Inc. Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Elon Musk, has launched Neuralink Corp, a company which will work on merging computers with brains, the Wall Street Journal has reported. Neuralink is pursuing the "neural lace" technology, which involves implanting tiny brain electrodes that may one day help in uploading and downloading thoughts.

AIR LINK BOOST

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has awarded regional routes under a new subsidy scheme to five airlines - Air India, Air Deccan, SpiceJet, Air Odisha and Turbo Megha. These airlines have been given rights to fly 128 routes if they cap half the seats at about 50 per cent fare. They would get `205 crore subsidy. The routes will be exclusive for three years.

Rs 1.04 lakh crore

This is the value of immovable enemy property, the Minister of State for Home, Hansraj Ahir, has told the Lok Sabha. Enemy property refers to any property belonging to, held or managed on behalf of an enemy, an enemy subject or an enemy firm. These properties have been vested with the Custodian of Enemy Property for India.

WOMEN IN NIGHT SHIFTS

Karnataka's legislature committee on women and child welfare, headed by N.A. Haris, has said it is not in favour of women working night shifts in IT and biotechnology companies, and wants them to be allocated jobs either in morning or afternoon shifts.

6,000 MAY OPT FOR SBI VRS

State Bank of India, or SBI, expects 50 per cent of the 12,000 employees of its associate banks who have been offered a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to opt for it. SBI is in the process of merging its associate banks with itself.


News / National

by Staff Reporter

Some 83 local councillors from local authorities throughout the country who had an opportunity to take courses on democracy under a Swedish programme met the new Swedish Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Sofia Caltorp in Harare last week.The Swedish Ambassador took the opportunity to take stock of the training programme which was facilitated the Institute of Local Democracy(ICLD) based in Sweden.The ICLD's main objective is to promote localdemocracy in order to reduce poverty by strengthening local institutions said Shanon Lovegren the program coordinator.Ambassador Caltorp recently presented her credentials to President Mugabe.The ICLD programme which runs for five weeks was introduced in 2010 and all groups that have benefitted from the programme since then were invited to the meeting with the Ambassador."The reunion not only allows us to recall the time you have been to Sweden but to rediscover all that has happened over the years in our professional lives, facilitated by where we were when we came back from Sweden and where we are now."It also enables us to take stock of how we have used the expertise we got from the training. ICLD will also use your experience over the years to design future programmes and also use this to measure the impact of their programmes," said Caltorp to the councillors."The programme was started in 2008 in Sweden with the main objective being to promote democracy at local level by capacitating councillorsthrough training on planning skills, how to engage the community, better communication skills, project implementation and leadership training amongothers."To date 83 councillors from across the country have received training in Sweden, these were selected by their chief executive officers from their respective councils and went through a selection process to gauge their ability to understand English and basic provisions of the Constitution of the country and this is done with the assistance of MSU," added Lovegren.One of the beneficiaries of the programme is Grace Mukungunugwa who went to Sweden in 2015. Tsungai Makore who is Shurugwi TownCouncil chairman who went through the training last year in September said what he learned has immensely benefitted his council.
This is the blog of Dr Caitlin Green FSA. It features posts on my main academic research foci alongside other topics that I'm currently working on, including drafts of papers, ideas and similarthese are usually identifiable by the presence of footnotes. You're free to cite these drafts if they are of interest, and are reminded that academic blogs are indeed citable under most citation systems. In addition, the current site also houses posts relating to my personal interests, including long-distance trade, migration and contacts; landscape and coastal history; early literature and legends; and the history, archaeology, place-names and legends of Lincolnshire and Cornwall. For further details of this website & how to contact me, please see the ' About ' page or @caitlinrgreen on Twitter.
News / National

by Staff reporter

#Zimbabwe opposition Nera rally ends. Small turnout. People going home. Riot police drive past to make sure they disperse peacefully pic.twitter.com/XytWZo1oaY  harumutasa/aljazeera (@harumutasa) April 5, 2017

#Zimbabwe opposition Nera rally ends. Small turnout. People going home. Riot police drive past to make sure they disperse peacefully pic.twitter.com/XytWZo1oaY  harumutasa/aljazeera (@harumutasa) April 5, 2017

Freedom square, venue of today's @NeraZimbabwe feedback rally. Seeing the place is still empty at 10:27, what time does the meeting start? pic.twitter.com/byyrtq31yO  sharon (@sharontawuya1) April 5, 2017

Only a handful of people so far at today's Nera "feedback rally" in Harare. What can @NeraZimbabwe do to regain the momentum?  Zim Media Review (@ZimMediaReview) April 5, 2017

Morgan Tsvangirai is not expected at the rally, as he is said to be in South Africa. Nelson Chamisa, who is the acting president of the Movement for Democratic Change is scheduled to address the rally, together with other opposition leaders from small parties.Patson Dzamara, an activist and brother to abducted activist, Itai Dzamara says: "I am appalled by what I am seeing. I for one was out of the country, attending to some personal business. I was supposed to return to Zimbabwe tomorrow but I had to change my ticket and I came back today in order to attend the rally."The lack of co-ordination and poor attendance is disappointing. I am totally surprised that it seems as though Zimbabweans are not yet ready to cross over. I wonder what more incentive we need to face Mugabe's morbid regime head on. Elections are around the corner and Zimbabweans are still dilly dallying. At this rate we may not make it through."The convener of the rally, Joelson Mugari, attributes the seemingly low turnout to hardships. He says people have no money for transport. He suggests in future opposition parties should give people a dollar each for transportMugari comes under attack from youths for the seemingly poor attendence"Poor organising and lack of political strategy which links people's expectations such as livelihoods and electoral fights have not been managed the pre-rally mobilisation was poor and the face of many parties can't be felt: says an official who works in Morgan Tsvangirai," speaking to News24 strictly on condition is not named.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Government has reversed a decision announced last week to levy a 10 percent tax on gross sales of tobacco farmers who do not have clearance certificates.This follows a meeting between Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made and his Finance and Economic Development counterpart Patrick Chinamasa over the emotive announcement which rattled the tobacco selling season, with farmers threatening to withhold their crop in protest.The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority last week instructed tobacco auction floors to deduct a 10 percent tax on gross sales of farmers who failed to produce valid tax clearance certificates as at March 31.Dr Made said farmers had pleaded with Government to reconsider the tax which they argued could cripple the nascent industry.He said they had resolved the matter with Minister Chinamasa that no farmer would have his/her money deducted.Dr Made urged tobacco growers to continue delivering their crop to the floors without fear as the tax issue had been resolved."Farmers had made a plea to Government. We had a discussion with Minister Chinamasa and I am pleased that we have amicably resolved the matter and reached an agreement that is expected to satisfy farmers and the Zimra," said Dr Made."Farmers should not blame Zimra as it was working within the confines of the law."Farmers should go on with their business. Tobacco should continue to come to the floors especially now as we are approaching the Easter and Independence Day holidays," he said.
| BY Lynchy |

CB Exclusive  Campaign Brief can reveal that, after nearly a decade, Toby Talbot is returning to Saatchi & Saatchi to partner Paul Wilson across the Auckland and Wellington offices in the newly created role of Chief Creative Officer.

Talbot is a highly regarded creative leader with over 20 years in the industry in New Zealand, Australia and the UK. He has held senior creative roles at Colenso BBDO, DDB (New Zealand and Australia), Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R in London, and Whybin/TBWA and Assignment in New Zealand.

Talbot (above right) is currently the No. 1 ECD in the world on the global Bestadsontv Creative Rankings over the last ten years. He has won numerous local and international awards including Campaign Asias Creative of the Year for Australia and New Zealand. He was also behind the most awarded mobile campaign in the world this year, #comeonin for Sydney Opera House, and led the creative and digital renaissance of DDB Sydney, Australias most awarded agency at Cannes last year with 12 Lions.

Since then CB has been hearing all kinds of rumours where Talbot was headed next, including the big Omnicom job at Unlimited in Chicago (looking after creative direction of McDonalds worldwide) as well as a return to Sydney at M&C Saatchi.

Talbot told CB: I last worked with Paul when, ironically, Id just left Saatchi & Saatchi. We have long talked about working together again so its great to finally make it happen. Paul and his senior team have created something really compelling; a truly collaborative, inclusive culture that not only am I drawn to, but so it appears, new clients are too. Creatively, Gus and Corey have done a fantastic job and now I am looking forward to building on this with them, forging new partnerships and generally getting stuck in.

Says Wilson (above left): Toby is a proven creative leader with extensive international and local experience. He is a fresh, progressive creative thinker and all round top bloke. We had a great time working together in the past, so Im really looking forward to working with him again. With Toby, Gus, Corey and the rest of our talented team in place, we now have an even more compelling creative force to offer our clients.

Adds Michael Rebelo, CEO for Publicis Communications ANZ: Tobys appointment further reinforces and acknowledges the momentum we have seen at Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand and the commitment we have to this market. Paul has done a great job leading our agency and shaping this into an exciting creative business thats fit for the future. Now with Toby joining the team, were in an even stronger position to grow and develop our offering in New Zealand.

Talbot begins his new role in late April.

CB Q&A with Toby Talbot

Whats the secret to getting a creative agency back on top?

Deep and unrelenting passion for the work from everyone, the trust of your clients and a shared agency vision. I am also a firm believer in spotting and nurturing young talent. You need to light a fire in an agency. Exceptional junior talent makes the best kindling.

How long do you give yourself to make Saatchi NZ top 3 in the region?

I aim to hit the ground running at Saatchi. Paul and I want to be top three in New Zealand first. Thats the focus for now.

What do you think of a minor trend for creatives to join the likes of Facebook, Google and major bean counters like Price Waterhouse Coopers? Is the creative ad agency still the place to be?

The big attraction of our people to tech companies is that the best advertising creatives are great storytellers and most ECDs or CCOs will have been tapped on the shoulder once or twice in the last few years. Yes, the financial appeal of the share price is a big carrot, then theres the fact that youre working for a giant tech business and the holy grail right now at Cannes is the sweet spot that is the convergence of technology and creativity. However, in my opinion, a creative ad agency still allows you more freedom because you can have multiple partnerships, youre not just wedded to one platform.

As for the professional services firms, I admire them greatly. They certainly have a far deeper understanding and strategic knowledge of their clients than a lot of agencies do. But deep knowledge is nothing without insight and creativity. And right now, they occupy a very different space in the market to one where creatives thrive. I dont see true creative convergence happening there for a good while yet.

Was it a mistake to leave DDB Australia for a smaller agency in NZ?

No. I was proud of what I achieved in the two years I was at DDB Sydney under trying personal circumstances, commuting every week being just one of them. After the great Cannes result last year and a complete reboot of the department, I felt I was leaving the agency in a much better shape than I found it and, importantly, I left on great terms with a network that has been really looked after me. And I left primarily because I wanted to be home with my family in New Zealand.

Are you ecstatic to be back in the real world of creative advertising at Saatchi?
| BY Lynchy |

Later today former Australian Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, will launch a new Australian beer brand, Hawkes Brewing Co., with the first product, Hawkes Lager, rolling out in a shortlist of iconic Sydney venues from today.

Hawkes Brewing Co. is founded by Australians, Nathan Lennon and David Gibson, who were working as creative directors at Droga5 New York when they began discussing the idea behind the brand.

It was Australia Day, yet we were stuck in an office and it was -5 degrees outside. Beers in the sun with our mates was 16,000 km away and homesickness was setting in, explains Lennon (below left, with Gibson).

Dave and I were chatting about who, given the chance, wed most like to have a beer with. We both said Bob Hawke. Our conversation drifted to what a beer brand with Bob Hawke might look like, which for us was all about recognising the kind-hearted, generous and community-centric values Mr Hawke embodies and then building a brand around that, and of course ensuring a great quality product was there to support the strength of that brand.

Before we knew it, we were on a Qantas jumbo back to Sydney and drawing up a business plan with our National Sales Manager, Luke Langton, before the three of us were sitting in the former-PMs kitchen, sharing our vision for Hawkes Brewing Co.

Hawke loved the teams proposal, particularly the brand ethos of giving back, and gave them his blessing.

Says Lennon: Its now one year to the day since the three of us met Mr Hawke. And after a tonne of work, here we are. What started as a remote dream on the other side of the world is now a dream opportunity to run this really special beer brand in our beloved home country, with the one person wed most like to have a beer with.

Hawkes Lager is available on tap at 11 pubs (Hawkes First XI) in Sydney and Newcastle from today. Cans are due to hit the market on April 25.

Hawkes Brewing Co. has entered into a partnership agreement with environmental not-for-profit, Landcare Australia, with a percentage of profits from the companys beer sales helping to support rural initiatives around the country.

I hope the efforts of this company will not only bring good friends together over a cold beer but also help raise awareness of the great work done by Landcare, said Hawke.

In 1989, Hawke played a critical role in driving national support for Landcare, calling on all Australians to unite with government to tackle the crisis in natural resource conservation. And the ex-Prime Ministers commitment to the environment is as strong as ever, with Hawke not receiving any financial benefit from the company, having instructed that all monies be passed on as donations to Landcare.

Says Landcare Australia CEO, Tessa Jakszewicz: Were delighted to form this partnership with Hawkes Brewing Co. to help raise funds to support community groups working across the country to protect the health of our land. Mr Hawke played an important role in the establishment of Landcare nationally almost 30 years ago and its really great to see his continued support of the movement today.

The companys first product, Hawkes Lager, is brewed by Justin Fox, former head brewer at Colonial Brewing Co., with brew production operating out of Port Melbourne. All ingredients are 100 per cent Australian.
| BY Lynchy |

Hitachi Cambodia, through its regional agency, Y&R, recently appointed ComZone Cambodia to be its creative, media planning and buying agency. The appointment was happily accepted by ComZone Group CEO, Lundy So, who is championing the local agency business in the country.

The business includes adaptation into Khmer language of materials for Hitachis home appliance products, media planning and buying for both print and out-of-home.

In pitching for the business, ComZone negotiated for the best rates for clients budget, leveraging the agencys long history of doing business with media entities in the Kingdom. Doing business the Khmer way is still the best way to do it, So said.
Much of the tension stemmed from discussions over where they would live; Mr Al-Harazi was desperately unhappy and wanted to return to Yemen, while Ms Al-Mdwali wanted to stay in Australia with her family.
Opinion / Columnist

We have expressed, in these lines before, the superlative admiration for one Joram Nyathi and his wisdom that comes oftentimes with a generous seasoning of dark and savage humour.For a good measure, this column continues many conversations with this wiser spirit, conversations held in corridors and boardrooms and wherever else.For better or worse, and perhaps strangely so, none have been nourished by waters of old wisdom!But settings matter very little; consider this heads up on social media, Facebook, in which Nyathi told us how he loved one South African woman called Helen Zille (hoping someone at home did not see the offensive post).Expectedly, last Friday, we got the full measure of who Zille is and the context of Nyathi's dark love for her.Zille is a female white politician aged 66 and, according to Nyathi, still beautiful for her age.She was, until 2015, leader of the Democratic Alliance party which is South Africa's second largest party and the official opposition in the National Assembly.DA is identifiable as largely a party for white interests and mostly remnants of apartheid, with pretences to liberalism.Zille, after ceding the leadership of the party to a young black man called Mmusi Maimane, remains the premier of Western Cape Province.Maimane got that position unopposed thanks to the efforts of Zille, who had long wanted to groom a black successor.She previously tried that with Lindiwe Mazibuko, who at some point was DA parliamentary leader but the two fell out spectacularly with the younger black woman quitting politics and going off to pursue studies in the US.The position of Maimane was always going to be difficult; he has had to show that he was his own man and more than a racial mascot.His job is difficult and thankless; you see him trying rather too hard to become a man, his own man; much more fashioning himself as some Barack Obama of South Africa.But the party has essentially remained the DA of Hellen Zille.In fact, Zille has just complicated Maimane's life.In the recent incident that caught Nyathi's fancy, Zille took to social media to justify colonialism saying it was not "only" bad giving ostensible benefits of colonialism such as healthcare systems, judiciary, piped water etc.This led to a tsunami of political reaction across the board with South Africa exploding in anger, something not unexpected in a country of simmering racial tensions.Zille apologised  but she did not!After giving a half hearted apology, she went further to justify the racial remarks and she has since not backed down, least of all heed calls to resign.For the record, Zille has a penchant for these racist remarks.According to reports in 2016, she appeared to defend the use of race on a bill at The Bungalow, an upmarket Cape Town restaurant, when two patrons were identified as blacks on their invoice.In 2012, she caused controversy when she referred to children who moved from the Eastern Cape to the neighbouring Western Cape for a better education as "refugees".In the latest imbroglio she staked her defence in a series of tweets and also appeared in the provincial legislature defending her remarks.All attention has been on Maimane to act.He has not been decisive, and did not move to suspend Zille pending disciplinary action.Over the weekend, though, he announced that the Democratic Alliance's Federal Legal Commission (FLC) had recommended that disciplinary action be taken against Zille.He was quoted as saying: "I referred Ms Zille to the Federal Legal Commission on 16 March 2017 for investigation in order for that body to determine whether the public assertions by Ms Zille amounted to prima facie evidence of misconduct in terms of the federal constitution."The Federal Legal Commission, in its report to the FedEx, confirms that there is a case for Ms Zille to answer, and therefore the FedEx has decided to proceed with disciplinary action."Maimane tries to sound important there. Nice try!There has been a push for Maimane to pursue a hard-line against Zille, especially by black Irish coffee elements in the party eager to prove Maimane is the man and that blacks have a say in the party.This only complicates life for Maimane.On the move to discipline Zille, he said: ''This has not been an easy decision to take . . . Helen Zille is a former leader of the DA and the Premier of the Western Cape. She has contributed immensely to the growth and success of the DA. In the course of her life, she has consistently fought oppression and discrimination."But he is faced with the task to pursue non-racialism, and according to him, "No one individual is bigger than this."That is the real test.From where we stand, nothing will happen to Madam Zille.She has the air of confidence around her that tells us that she will not back down.It is because she inherently and sincerely believes in what she said and thinks of black people.People like Maimane.That could as well be My-monkey.Some reports have suggested that My-monkey, sorry Maimane, knows Zille could as well unmake him as she did with Mazibuko.She has him on the leash.You should have seen a cartoon by the saucy Zapiro of Maimane chauffeuring Madam Zille and she making the instruction that he drops her off at the disciplinary hearing and wait for her outside!Ouch, boy, that's harsh!A couple of years back there was a graphic of Zille carrying Maimane in a baby carrier.The stakes are high and Zille appears to know that the majority white elements that possibly approve of her views and politics have her back.A commentary on the Daily Maverick suggests so.Maimane may decide to man up and be harsh on Zille, extraordinarily.But, according to a columnist, "Depending on how the chips fall, those close to her and what she is seen to represent may distance themselves from the party."It is such a big test.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) plans to open what it calls an infrastructure region in Sweden in 2018. The new AWS EU (Stockholm) Region will be comprised of three Availability Zones at launch. Currently, AWS provides 42 Availability Zones across 16 infrastructure regions worldwide, with another five Availability Zones, in two AWS Regions in France and China, expected to go live this year.

Andy Jassy, CEO, AWS said. The Nordics most successful startups, including iZettle, King, Mojang, and Supercell, as well as some of the most respected enterprises in the world, such as IKEA, Nokia, Scania, and Telenor, depend on AWS to run their businesses. An AWS Region in Stockholm enables Swedish and Nordic customers, with local latency or data sovereignty requirements, to move the rest of their applications to AWS and enjoy cost and agility advantages across their entire application portfolio.

Swedens innovation and enterprise Minister, Mikael Damberg, said: I am happy to welcome AWS to Sweden. Their decision to establish a new region in our country is a recognition of Swedens competitive position within the European Union (EU), with the highest levels of renewable energy in the power grid of any country in the EU, as well as a world-leading digital infrastructure and IT industry he said. The AWS investment in Sweden will strengthen our position in the global digital shift. For us, trade in a modern globalised economy is not only about goods, but also about services, sharing of knowledge, and the free flow of data.

AWS has been steadily increasing its investment in the Nordics to serve its growing base of customers. In 2011, AWS opened a Point of Presence (PoP) in Stockholm to enable customers to serve content to their end users with low latency.

In 2014 and 2015 respectively, AWS opened offices in Stockholm and Espoo, Finland. Today, AWS has teams of account managers, solutions architects, business developers, partner managers, professional services consultants, technology evangelists, start-up community developers, and more, helping customers of all sizes as they move to AWS.

When launched, the AWS EU (Stockholm) Region will enable organisations to provide even lower latency to end-users across the Nordics. Additionally, local AWS customers with data sovereignty requirements will be able to store their data in Sweden with the assurance that their content will not move unless they move it.

Trustpilot, another Nordic startup, used AWS to expand its business globally. The company provides over 150,000 e-commerce businesses, across 24 countries, with TrustScores. A TrustScore is a consumer rating that is based on more than 27 million online reviews. Trustpilot chose to go all-in on AWS from day one to enable us to support our rapid growth, said Rudy Martin, VP of Operations at Trustpilot, which serves over 1.6 billion website impressions per month.
TPG, which also owns wholesale carrier AAPT, first moved into the highly competitive Singapore market in December 2016 with 20MHz of spectrum in the 900MHz band and 40MHz in the 2.3GHz band. Now it has added a further 10MHz in the 2.5GHz band.

TPG acquired all of the spectrum available at the auction that was reserved for new entrants, said the company, which paid S$105 million (US $75 million) for the latest block of spectrum. In addition to the cost of the spectrum, TPG anticipates incurring capital investment in the range of S$200 million to S$300 million to establish a mobile network with nationwide coverage by September 2018, said the company.

TPG said it expects the fund the spectrum and the network rollout through its existing debt facilities and from cash generated by its Australian operations.

The company added: The company expects to start delivering services to customers in 2018 and forecasts that it will become EBITDA positive when it reaches a market share of between 5% and 6% which it believes should be achievable within a short period of time due to the excellent value of the offerings that it will bring to the market.

Singtel was the biggest bidder in the spectrum auction, paying S$564 million (US $402 million) for the maximum 75MHz that it was allowed under the governments terms. Starhub bought 60MHz for S$350 million (US $250 million) and M1 bought 30MHz for S$208 million (US $148 million).

The Singapore governments Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) raised a total of S$1.15 billion (US $821 million) for the 175MHz of spectrum that was on offer.

According to the ratings agency Fitch, TPG will compete on price by offering bundles of fixed and mobile services, using capacity leased from the countrys national fibre network. TPG is also expected to bit in Australias forthcoming spectrum auction, while may see a fourth company enter a market to compete against Telstra, Singtels Optus and Vodafone/CK Hutchisons joint venture.
Opinion / Columnist

Things aren't looking so good for Saviour Kasukuwere, Zimbabwe's minister for local government, who suddenly finds himself on the wrong side of the ruling party's messy faction-fighting. But - ominously for his critics - President Robert Mugabe knows exactly what he is doing.

Maynard Manyowa is a contributing Editor of Khuluma Afrika : A non-partisan centre for political analysis, investigative journalism, and social commentary. Article appears on The Daily Maverick.

Zimbabwe's Minister of Local Government and Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) Political Commissar, Comrade Saviour Kasukuwere, is not a happy man right now.He has no reason to be. Metaphorically speaking, he is staring down the barrel of a loaded gun. It's an especially uncomfortable position for him, given that he's more used to pulling the trigger, having seen political opponents despatched in a similar manner several times.Just last week, he was comfortable in his seat, and confident in his powers and the impunity they come with. So much so that he attacked journalists from state-owned media houses, calling them "sons of bitches".At the time, he was the most feared minister in the land. His combative approach to politics earned him the nickname "Mike Tyson", after the heavyweight boxer, usually abbreviated to just "Tyson".Kasukuwere is a former intelligence cadre with a shady past. He is accused of playing a part in the killing of Edward Chindori-Chininga, a lawmaker who had unearthed gross corruption and theft at Zimbabwe's diamond fields and massive irregularities surrounding the licensed diamond operations  illicit operations which even Mugabe concedes may have cost Zimbabwe over US$15-billion.When Mugabe's wife Grace first showed signs of wanting to join politics, and possibly take over from her husband, Tyson became one of her most vocal supporters. At one rally, he told people that he would personally deal with people who were against her: "Not here, not in this province," he said, sending a chilling warning to would-be dissenters.As minister of youth and indigenisation, Kasukuwere was repeatedly implicated in corrupt deals, including one in which several million dollars were plundered through dubiously awarded youth empowerment funds.As local government minister, he reportedly sold stands in a prime area to a local prophet, in a corrupt deal that allegedly angered Mugabe.Finally, Mugabe has taken action. A few days after his much-publicised insult to members of a "biased" fourth estate, Kasukuwere's province, Mashonaland Central, was reported to have resolved to pass a vote of no confidence against him.A massive demo was planned by his juniors against him. His peers, many of them handpicked and cherry-picked by Tyson himself, in his own back yard, want him out of government, out of the party, and out of the province.No one saw this coming. Tyson was extremely powerful, and also extremely wealthy - in Zimbabwe, money can usually buy loyalty. He is also rumoured to be extremely ruthless. But none of this looks like it was able to protect him.Another demo is planned for some time this week. Some reports say that out of the top 18 in the provincial party leadership, support for and against him is evenly split. His support is hanging by a thread.He is not the first of Grace Mugabe's allies to find themselves facing this fate. Sarah Mahoka, and Eunice Sandi-Moyo, both torchbearers for the Grace Mugabe campaign, were recipients of similar demonstrations against them. Now they have been fired. Having spent the best part of two years insulting Vice President Emmerson, Grace Mugabe's main rival to succeed Uncle Bob, they have now been hung out to dry.Kasukuwere, seemingly having outlived his usefulness to the president, is facing the same fate.But Kasukuwere's reputation, his past, his character and personality mean that few Zimbabweans feel sorry for him. In fact, some are celebrating his demise, albeit prematurely. In some quarters, the move is being hailed as a turning point, that perhaps the corrupt cabal of "young turks" may be on their way out, and Zimbabwe on its way up.But evidence of this is scant. In reality, it appears to be another masterstroke by Mugabe.When Mugabe wants to protect a cadre, no matter how corrupt and evil, he will do so. Another member of the "young turks", Professor Jonathan Moyo, the alleged brains behind Grace's ascendency, faced the daunting prospect of serious jail time after Zimbabwe's Anti-Corruption Commission investigated him for fraud, and found credible evidence of such. He escaped thanks to Mugabe's intervention: His prosecution was blocked, and the anti-graft commission was moved from the Justice Ministry to The Office of The President.What is instructive is that Mugabe chose to save Moyo, but appears disinterested in saving Kasukuwere.Supporters of Emmerson Mnangagwa are also celebrating Kasukuwere's downfall. Without him, Grace's campaign to succeed her husband is weakened, while Mnangagwa's hand is strengthened. But they shouldn't get ahead of themselves. Mugabe's track record suggests that as long as he remains in State House, the only person who benefits from his machinations is himself. (Daily Maverick)
Opinion / Columnist

Government's proposal for the setting up of a Teaching Professions Council is highly commendable as the move will bring sanity to one of the country's oldest professions and restore the profession's lost gleam and dignity.The teaching profession in this country used to be regarded as a noble profession. It was a profession that most school leavers wished to be associated with and happily joined after completing secondary education. However the situation nowadays shows that most people join the profession as a last resort and are always looking for elsewhere for greener pastures citing professional and economic reasons. The establishment of the Teaching Professions Council will therefore try to bring back the glory of this very important profession.Like nurses and lawyers in Zimbabwe, teachers also need their own Board which will monitor the entrance and exit of the educators as well as making sure that issues of ethics and professionalism in the Zimbabwe education system are maintained.Our neighbouring South Africa has its own teachers Board, the South African Council for Educators (SACE) which not only regulates and protects entry into the profession but also sets minimum requirements for entry into the profession. Zambians have their own Teaching Council of Zambia (TCZ) which was set up to improve the teaching profession and enhance the delivery of quality education.Currently there are ongoing consultations for the establishment of the Teaching Professions Council which is expected to be in place by the end of year. Last week there was one in Bulawayo where it was noted that for a very long time people have taken advantage of the teaching profession, it's a free entry, free exit profession with anyone from anywhere with a degree or diploma coming in to teach. But there is nothing like a temporary doctor or temporary lawyer.Government, the World Bank and teachers unions are discussing proposals for possible registration of teachers under a professional council. If approved, the proposal will see teachers joining other professions like doctors and lawyers who get certificates before they practice and could be deregistered if they fall foul of regulations.There has been a marked decline in the character and moral values of teachers and also an increase in cases of indiscipline, corruption, sexual and physical abuse in schools. The Teaching Professions Council will try to exorcise all these issues among others and improve the respected education sector.Teaching is hard work and requires dedicated individuals, and some teachers never grow to be anything better than mediocrity. They do the bare minimum required and very little more. The great teachers however work tirelessly to create a challenging, nurturing environment for their students. Great teaching seems to have less to do with knowledge and skills than with attitude towards students, subject and work. A great teacher maintains professionalism in all areas, from personal appearance to organizational skills and preparedness for each day, and his or her communication skills are exemplary.Teachers unions in Zimbabwe have never agreed over representation of educators with clear divisions around support or antagonism for and against Government, which has made it difficult to find consensus on critical issues affecting the profession.
HARWICH  In a teachers room tucked in next to the cafeteria of Harwich Elementary School, a group of students and adults meet weekly to give back to people theyve never met.

The elementary school offers after school enrichment programs through the Monomoy Cooperative Learning Program which give kids a fun and enriching activity to do after school. Gina Grenier, a teacher at Harwich Elementary, was inspired to propose an enrichment program that would not only provide students with an exciting after school activity, but also to contribute to less fortunate children thousands of miles of way.

When I first started here there was a new student who had just arrived from Haiti after the earthquake to live with a family while his parents tried to rebuild their life back home, she recalled.

This encounter has now turned a humanitarian dream into a budding enrichment program. Every Thursday afternoon once the bell dismisses them from school, six young girls rush down to the teachers room for a snack and some down time before getting to work. On their last Thursday meeting two weeks ago, the snack table was covered in various foods that children in Haiti would eat. There were mangoes, pineapples, plantains, and beignets, a form of banana fried dough. For refreshments, the girls enjoyed mango and papaya juice.

While the students get a taste of Haitian culture through their snacks, they also learn about how their lives compare to the children in Haiti. Grenier invited Cyndi McNamara, a special guest who goes on mission trips the Dominican Republic, to show the girls some pictures from her trips down south. The girls crowd around a laptop in awe of the scenes depicted in the pictures. They participate in inquisitive discussions about the poverty stricken families and they reflect on some of the comforts they have in their everyday life that Haitian children would see as a luxury. The overwhelming understanding of Haiti doesnt have as much stuff as we do was common among all of the girls.

As well as learning about Haitian culture, the girls made care packages to be brought down to Haiti on an upcoming mission trip. Inside the homemade bags decorated with cheerful drawings were dresses made out of pillowcases, travel-sized bottles of shampoo, knitted washcloths, handmade soap, and picture books that the girls filled out with some of the Creole words that they had learned. Every single item in these individual packages was made with the help of the girls and no two packages are alike.

Cyndi McNamara stressed to the girls that for some of these girls (in Haiti) it will be the very first time they get something new just for them.

The project not only provided an after-school activity for the girls, but the effects of its products will carry across thousands of miles to make a childs day a little bit brighter.
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
1. School Of Pharmaceutical Education And Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi

This is one of the best institutes for pharmacy management in the country. Entrance to the same is through GPAT and NIPER JEE. With companies like Novartis, Glenmark and Zydus visiting the campus, the placement scene here is highly commendable. The fee structure for the entire course is somewhere close to Rs 3 lakhs.

2. National Institute Of Pharmaceutical Sciences And Research, Mohali

The fee structure here is pretty nominal and stands at Rs 11,000 per year. This institute inculcates the interest for research in its students right from the undergraduate level and ensures that they master the core concepts of a course before moving to the next course. That way it is ensured that the college produces pharmacologists of exceptional calibre year after year.

Visit Us At: National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali

3. University Institute Of Pharmaceutical Research, Chandigarh

This college has been successful in achieving near 100% placement year after year. With a number of top-notch companies like Sun Pharma, Ranbaxy and Fresenius Kabi visiting the campus, the highest placement package goes all the way up to Rs 15 lakhs. The fee for the entire course here is somewhere close to Rs 12,000 per year.

Visit Us At: University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chandigarh

4. Institute Of Chemical Technology, Mumbai

This institute offers courses in almost all the areas of chemistry and applied sciences. The vast area of expertise of its faculty members is the biggest asset of this organisation. The pharmacological courses in this institute are particularly well known. The fee structure here stands at a little over a lakh per year.

Visit Us At: Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai

5. National Institute Of Pharmaceutical Education And Research, Hyderabad

With more than 100 companies visiting the campus every year, it is ensured that all the deserving candidates land with a job before they leave the campus premises. The fee structure here is about Rs 2.75 lakhs for the entire course.

Visit Us At: National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hyderabad

6. Birla Institute Of Technology And Science, Pilani

This institute focuses on internships and every student here has to take up two internships (one after the second year and one in the fourth) during their college life. This ensures that the students are able to apply what they learn inside the classroom to the actual pharmacological scene. The fee structure for the entire course is somewhere around Rs 1.5 lakhs.

Visit Us At: Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani

7. Manipal Institute Of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal

This is one institute that focuses on the all round development of the students. The students here are encouraged to participate in fests and other fun events. The fests have events where they can apply concepts they have learnt in the classroom.

This way it is ensured that fun and learning go hand in hand. The fee structure for the entire course here is somewhere close to Rs 2 lakhs. The placement scene here is also commendable and has only grown over the years.

Visit Us At: Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal

8. Poona College Of Pharmacy, Pune

This college has a very good infrastructure in terms of laboratory facilities and encourages its students to move towards the field of research and development. Being older than most other colleges in this list, it will be fair to say that this college has only grown in strength over the years.

In a field that is as dynamic as that of pharmacy, this college has adapted itself to the changing times and has stood tall to its core values. The fee structure for the entire course is close to Rs 3 lakhs.

Visit Us At: Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune

9. S R M Institute Of Science And Technology, Chennai

Amongst the main attributes of the department of pharmacy at this college are the lectures and seminars that it conducts. Imminent personalities come to give talks as guest lecturers and in this way students of this institute are exposed to the very latest in the field of pharmacy.

It is this type of exposure that makes the students of this institute an instant favourite amongst the companies recruiting them and the results reflect in the placement statistics.

Visit Us At: S.R.M Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai

10. J S S College Of Pharmacy, Mysore

This college has a major portion of its marking scheme based on projects and students are encouraged to come up with new and innovative solutions to problems of the pharmacological world. That way they learn to think outside the box and become better citizens.

The fee structure for the entire course is somewhere close to Rs 2.6 lakhs. This college has tie-ups with a number of foreign institutes and deserving candidates are given the exposure that they need to shine in this field.

Visit Us At: JSS College of Pharmacy, Mysuru
We are not alone Lessons from the Heart

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What...

One weird dude Lessons from the Heart

There are not a lot of places where someones personal style gets mentioned in the New Testament, so this one...
United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit. NEXTERA DESERT CENTER BLYTHE, LLC, PETITIONER v. FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, RESPONDENT CALIFORNIA INDEPENDENT SYSTEM OPERATOR CORPORATION AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON COMPANY, INTERVENORS No. 16-1003 Decided: April 04, 2017

Before: HENDERSON, TATEL and SRINIVASAN, Circuit Judges. John N. Estes III argued the cause for petitioner. With him on the briefs were Gerard A. Clark and John Lee Shepherd, Jr. Elizabeth E. Rylander, Attorney, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, argued the cause for respondent. On the brief were Robert H. Solomon, Solicitor, and Ross R. Fulton, Attorney. William H. Weaver argued the cause for intervenors California Independent System Operator Corporation, et al. With him on the brief were Daniel J. Shonkwiler, Roger Collanton, and Rebecca A. Furman.

TATEL, Circuit Judge: In this petition for review, a major producer of solar power challenges orders of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission denying its effort to obtain financial instruments known as Congestion Revenue Rights. Because FERC erroneously concluded that the relevant contract and tariff provisions unambiguously foreclose petitioner's request, we remand to the Commission so that it may consider the question afresh in light of the ambiguity we see. Cajun Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. v. FERC, 924 F.2d 1132, 1136 (D.C. Cir. 1991).

I.

This case concerns two solar power plants in the California desertthe Genesis solar plant in Desert Center and the McCoy solar plant near Blytheand a transmission project that connects them with customers in Southern California. Together, the facilities generate 500 megawatts of electricity, enough to power approximately 180,000 homes every year. See NEXTERA ENERGY RESOURCES PARTNERS, Genesis Solar Energy Center, https://goo.gl/tdbXt4; NEXTERA ENERGY RESOURCES PARTNERS, McCoy Solar Energy Center, https://goo.gl/mo3KlR. Producing all that power from sunlight requires an enormous scale: the Genesis plant alone occupies some 1,900 acres. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, Genesis Solar Energy Project, https://goo.gl/8qdMRM.

Prior to completion of the two facilities, Genesis and McCoy entered into long-term agreements to sell their power to electric utilities, including Southern California Edison Company. Petitioner NextEra Desert Center Blythe, LLC was then formed to connect Genesis and McCoy to the grid. In August 2011, NextEra, Edison, and the California Independent System Operator (CAISO)the authority tasked with operating transmission facilities in Californiareached an agreement to govern the interconnection of Genesis and McCoy to the CAISO-controlled grid. Central to this case, that agreement identified the need for high-voltage transmission upgrades, known as the West of Devers Upgrades, in order to safely and reliably deliver electricity from the two solar plants.

NextEra, however, soon grew concerned that the permanent West of Devers Upgrades would not be completed in time for it to meet its obligations to the electric utilities. In response, CAISO and Edison identified a temporary fix, known as the Interim Project, to meet NextEra's needs in the meantime. By subsequent letter agreement, NextEra and Edison committed to the Interim Project, with Edison responsible for construction and NextEra footing the bill. The parties then amended their initial agreement to incorporate the letter agreement. For simplicity's sake, we will refer to the amended agreement and letter agreement together as the Interconnection Agreement.

In December 2014, CAISO informed NextEra that it planned to release Congestion Revenue Rights (CRRs). CRRs arise from CAISO's method for setting wholesale electricity prices, which builds the cost of congestion into the price of energy. Sacramento Municipal Utility District v. FERC, 616 F.3d 520, 524 (D.C. Cir. 2010) (explaining how CAISO sets wholesale electricity prices). Put simply, energy costs more in areas requiring the use of congested transmission lines and less in areas that do not. Id. at 52425. CRRs are financial instruments that are principally used to allow the holder to avoid paying congestion costs. Id. at 527. Because the holder of a CRR is entitled to be paid the congestion costs associated with transmitting a given quantity of electricity between two specified points a party that pays for transmission and holds a corresponding CRR will receive back from CAISO the amount it paid for congestion. Id. (citation omitted).

According to NextEra, it was initially shocked to learn that the Interim Project would result in the release of CRRs. Even so, NextEra informed CAISO that, in its view, it is entitled to receive CRRs associated with the Interim Project under section 36.11 of CAISO's tariff, which provides for the allocation of CRRs to Project Sponsors of Merchant Transmission Facilities. CAISO and Edison disagreed. In response, and initiating the controversy before us, NextEra filed a complaint with FERC asking that the Commission direct CAISO to allocate it CRRs.

By order dated June 3, 2015, the Commission denied NextEra's complaint. NextEra Desert Center Blythe, LLC v. CAISO, 151 FERC  61,198, 2015 WL 3536557. NextEra filed a request for rehearing, which the Commission also denied. NextEra Desert Center Blythe, LLC v. CAISO, 153 FERC  61,208, 2015 WL 7345798 (NextEra Desert Center II). The two orders share a common rationale: according to the Commission, the terms of the Interconnection Agreement clear[ly] and unambiguous[ly] bar NextEra's attempt to receive CRRs under CAISO tariff section 36.11. Id. at *4. Given this interpretation, FERC declin[ed] to address whether NextEra would otherwise be entitled to CRRs under CAISO tariff section 36.11 because, in FERC's view, that provision is inapposite and does not apply to the Interim Project. Id. at *45.

Following the Commission's denial of rehearing, NextEra filed this petition for review. Both Edison and CAISO sought leave to intervene, which we granted.

II.

Where, as here, we confront a challenge to FERC's reading of a tariff and related contracts, we review the [Commission]'s interpretation under the Administrative Procedure Act's arbitrary and capricious standard of review, using a two-step, Chevron-like analysis. Colorado Interstate Gas Co. v. FERC, 599 F.3d 698, 701 (D.C. Cir. 2010) (citing 5 U.S.C.  706(2)(A); Old Dominion Electric Cooperative, Inc. v. FERC, 518 F.3d 43, 48 (D.C. Cir. 2008)). First, we consider de novo whether the [relevant language] unambiguously addresses the matter at issue. If so, the language  controls for we must give effect to the unambiguously expressed intent of the parties. Ameren Services Co. v. FERC, 330 F.3d 494, 498 (D.C. Cir. 2003) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). If, however, there is ambiguity, we defer to the Commission's construction  so long as that construction is reasonable. Koch Gateway Pipeline Co. v. FERC, 136 F.3d 810, 81415 (D.C. Cir. 1998). Importantly, if FERC's decision rests on an erroneous assertion that the plain language of the relevant wording is unambiguous[,] we must remand to the Commission so that it may consider the question afresh in light of the ambiguity we see. Cajun, 924 F.2d at 1136.

Although this dispute implicates a tangle of provisions within an intricate regulatory scheme, our resolution is straightforward: we find ambiguity where FERC found none. The Commission's interpretation of the Interconnection Agreement rests on a simple logical flaw.

From the outset, NextEra has claimed that it is entitled to CRRs for the Interim Project under section 36.11 of the CAISO tariff, which affords CRRs to the Project Sponsor of a Merchant Transmission Facility. According to FERC, three provisions of the Interconnection Agreement, when read in concert, plainly render NextEra ineligible. Its argument goes like this:

1. Under the Interconnection Agreement, NextEra is entitled to a refund for Network Upgrades. Interconnection Agreement, Article 11.4.1.

2. The Interconnection Agreement provides that CRRs under the tariff are available to NextEra only as an alternative to a refund for Network Upgrades. Interconnection Agreement, Article 11.4.

3. NextEra agreed that the Interim Project is not a Network Upgrade (at least until the Interim Project becomes permanent). Interconnection Agreement, Appendix A, Section 9(b).

4. Thus, NextEra is ineligible for CRRs in connection with the Interim Project.

The flaw lies in step 2. The relevant provision, Article 11.4, states that NextEra may elect to receive Congestion Revenue Rights as defined in and as available under the CAISO Tariff  , in lieu of a refund of the cost of Network Upgrades. Interconnection Agreement, Article 11.4 (emphasis added). As FERC sees it, the critical language is in lieu of a refund of the cost of Network Upgrades, which it takes to mean that NextEra may receive CRRs only if it is eligible for a refund for a Network Upgrade. But the only thing Article 11.4 clearly forecloses is the receipt of both CRRs and a refund for Network Upgrades. The clause beginning with in lieu of does not unambiguously mean that the lone avenue for receipt of CRRs is by way of a Network Upgrade.

This is, of course, NextEra's point: it thinks section 36.11 of the CAISO tariff offers another way to obtain CRRs for the Interim Project. Instead of addressing NextEra's argument, however, the Commission expressly declined to consider whether the company could avail itself of that section, declaring the question inapposite and not relevant. NextEra Desert Center II, 2015 WL 7345798, at *4. For our purposes, whether NextEra actually qualifies under section 36.11 is beside the point, as the reason given by the Commission for denying NextEra's claim was its flawed interpretation of the tariff and Interconnection Agreementan error that, under our cases, requires remand. Ameren, 330 F.3d at 49899.

In contrast to FERC, Intervenors CAISO and Edison address section 36.11 head-on. As they explain, NextEra is patently unqualified for CRRs under that provision because it never applied for  status as a Project Sponsor in accordance with Section 24 of the CAISO tariff. Intervenors' Brief at 2324. Whatever the merits of that argument, it is a well-worn principle that reviewing courts may affirm [an agency order] based only on reasoning set forth by the agency itself. Philadelphia Gas Works v. FERC, 989 F.2d 1246, 1250 (D.C. Cir. 1993) (citing SEC v. Chenery Corp., 318 U.S. 80, 87 (1943)). Hardly a fussy insistence that the agency show its work, this doctrine reflects the respect courts have for agency expertise. Congress explicitly delegated to FERC broad powers over ratemaking, including the power to analyze the relevant contracts, and because the Commission has greater technical expertise in this field than does the Court, we accord deference to the Commission's interpretation[s]. Lomak Petroleum, Inc. v. FERC, 206 F.3d 1193, 1198 (D.C. Cir. 2000) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). As such, it is altogether appropriate that we decline to reach issues of tariff interpretation without first receiving the benefit of FERC's considered judgment.

The Commission acknowledges that our precedent requires remand when its decision rests on the erroneous conclusion that a tariff is unambiguous. It argues, however, that we may nonetheless deny the petition based on an alternative Chevron step 2 analysis that it claims lurks in its order denying rehearing. In support, it cites Old Dominion, in which we afforded substantial deference to the Commission's interpretation despite petitioners' claim that the agency found the relevant documents unambiguous, explaining that the Commission considered policy concerns and extrinsic evidence  demonstrating it recognized [the documents] were ambiguous and exercised its discretion to resolve the ambiguities. 518 F.3d at 4849. FERC's reliance on Old Dominion is misplaced. In an especially mystifying portion of its order, FERC observed that even if the Commission found it necessary to look outside the four corners of the Interconnection Agreement, its conclusion about the inapplicability of section 36.11 would remain unchanged, in light of relevant portions of the CAISO tariff. NextEra Desert Center II, 2015 WL 7345798, at *6. Unlike in Old Dominion, however, FERC's cryptic discussion nowhere indicated that it understood the ambiguity we have identified. Rather, implicit in the Commission's reasoning is a continued reliance on its earlier, erroneous construction of the Interconnection Agreement. See, e.g., id. ([I]nterconnection customers have the choice of direct payments or CRRs for Network Upgrades. NextEra has agreed  that the Interim Project is not a Network Upgrade.). In other words, the Commission's orders contain no apparent Chevron step 2 analysis to which we can defer.

Moreover, even if we were to consider FERC's alternative analysis, we would conclude that the Commission fail[ed] to provide an intelligible explanation for its decision, which amounts to a failure to engage in reasoned decisionmaking. FPL Energy Marcus Hook, L.P. v. FERC, 430 F.3d 441, 448 (D.C. Cir. 2005). Specifically, the Commission leans heavily on two provisions of the tariff: Appendix DD and Appendix Y. The former provides, in relevant part, that [f]or Network Upgrades, for which the Interconnection Customer did not receive repayment, the Interconnection Customer will be eligible to receive [CRRs] in accordance with the CAISO Tariff Section 36.11. CAISO Tariff, Appendix DD  14.3.2.1. Appendix Y states that [i]nstead of direct payments, the Interconnection Customer may elect to receive [CRRs] in accordance with the CAISO Tariff Section 36.11 associated with the Network Upgrades. CAISO Tariff, Appendix Y  12.3.2.1. It follows, says FERC, that interconnection customers have the choice of direct payments or CRRs for Network Upgrades. NextEra Desert Center II, 2015 WL 7345798, at *6. But neither provision, at least not by any reasoning spelled out in FERC's orders, forecloses the possibility that an entity in NextEra's position may receive CRRs under section 36.11 by some route other than a Network Upgradeprecisely the theory animating NextEra's claim.

III.

We emphasize the narrowness of our holding, i.e., that FERC overlooked an ambiguity in the Interconnection Agreement. Nothing in our opinion should be taken to prejudge the conclusion that FERC may reach on remand.

10

For the foregoing reasons, the petition for review is granted, and FERC's orders are remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

So ordered.

Opinion for the Court filed by Circuit Judge TATEL.
While Apples self-driving car plans arent as ambitious as they once were, they still appear to be progressing following confirmation that the technology giant is working with Bosch.



Back in February, Apple published a list of suppliers it is working with and among them was Boschs office in Reutlingen, Germany, a facility that houses Boschs automotive electronics division.

Although Apple has refused to comment on its relationship, a Bosch spokesman did confirm to Automotive News that it was acting as a supplier for Apple.

At this stage, it is impossible to be sure of the extent of the two companies relationship but indications point towards it being automotive-related, especially since the Bosch division in question develops electronic control units and a multitude of vehicle sensors.

Not too long ago, Apple fuelled speculation of its self-driving ambitions after providing a public comment about the autonomous vehicle guidelines issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The company is investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation, and is excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation, Apple said.

Renderings via NeoMan Studios and ClickMechanic

PHOTO GALLERY
Lawmakers are making moves that could spell the end for diesel-powered vehicles.



After Volkswagens diesel emissions scandal of 2015, many in the European Union have taken an increasingly strong stance against diesel vehicles and now, have announced new rules that will prevent carmakers for selling vehicles that produce more emissions when being driven than in official tests.

On Tuesday, the European parliament voted in favor of a bill that will allow for fines of up to 30,000 euros ($32,000) per vehicle that fails to comply. According to the European Unions industry commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska, these measures will eventually spell the end of diesel cars, reports Technology Review.

Diesel will not disappear from one day to another. But I am quite sure they will disappear much faster than we can imagine, Bienkowska said.

Alongside this EU wide crackdown, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced new proposals that will charge polluting vehicles from entering the city and in the coming weeks, the national government may announce similar plans to limit or totally ban diesel use in 35 additional towns and cities throughout the country.

Last year, the mayors of Paris, Mexico City, Madrid and Athens announced that diesel cars and vans would be banned from their city centers by 2025 in a bid to improve air quality.

Although diesel vehicles are quite economical, they emit toxic soot and nitrogen oxide and are believed to be a key contributor in the premature deaths of over 3 million people per year due to poor air quality. While experts in the field wont be surprised about this, it seems apparent that world leaders needed the wakeup call that dieselgate provided to take action.

PHOTO GALLERY
Were not entirely sure what Aston Martin are planning to do with this prototype, but weve known for some time that changes were coming to the DB11 range.



So then, which of those changes might explain the new front bumper with large air intakes and a more pronounced spoiler lip? It could simply be a hotter version of the current V12-powered DB11, or perhaps the awaited V8-powered model. We ran a check on the plates, but Aston did not disclose the engine displacement or cylinders.

If its the latter, which is believed to debut later this year (though, Aston Martin shot down the possibility of a Shanghai show premiere), will boast a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, with around 530 horses, courtesy of Mercedes-AMG.

However, if were talking a hotter V12-powered DB11 (a DB11 S so to speak), then we should assume that the cars 608 PS (600 HP) output would climb to somewhere around 650 horses, which would make sense if you consider how theres not that big a difference in output between something like a Vanquish and a Vanquish S either.

As for the visuals, theres not much else to say apart from the more aggressive front fascia. The rear end seems to have a makeshift spoiler, but other than that, the bumper and exhaust tips remain unchanged.

Whichever DB11 this is, we look forward to its unveiling, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoops

PHOTO GALLERY
Between its eclectic art cars and the polarizing work of Chris Bangle, BMW has proven itself no stranger to avant-garde design. Now its tapped another eclectic talent to remake two of its EVs.



That designer is Lapo Elkann  who, aside from being brother to Fiat chairman John Elkann, has his own Garage Italia Customs studio. And not for the first time, hes been contracted to rework on the BMW i8.

Following the previous Futurism edition, Garage Italias latest take on the i8 (and an accompanying i3) draws its inspiration from the so-called Memphis Design Group  a collective of European designers who embraced bright colors and unusual shapes in the 1980s.

BMW and Elkann even got Michele De Lucchi  one of the original members of the Memphis group  on board for the project. And the results are anything but conventional, characterized by loud patterns, bright colors, intersecting lines, and sharp contrasts. Garage Italia also refitted the interiors to match in leather, Alcantara, and technical fabrics in bright colors to epitomize the vibrant Eighties style.

They pair will be displayed at the UniCredit Pavilion during the Salone del Mobile in Milan this week  the same event where the movement made its big splash 36 years ago. The i8 will then head Stateside for the Frieze New York art festival next month, but if your plans dont have you traveling to either location, you can check out the images in the gallery below. Just be prepared for the unusual.

Photo Gallery
Mercedes-Benz have taken their Actros, Antos and Arocs into the new MY by adding smartphone integration.



Available in conjunction with the Multimedia Radio Touch system in the aforementioned models, Apple CarPlay allows users to operate their iPhones and a variety of apps, safely and conveniently, on the move.

Drivers can select between four menus  radio, media, call or connect, and after connecting their smartphones via USB, a selection of apps, including telephone, music, maps, news, podcasts, iTunes, and others, will be displayed on the trucks infotainment screen.

Moreover, with the advanced voice function, they can control the connect menu via Siri, making phone calls easier, or they can use it to navigate from their location to the desired destination using voice command.

Android users can also connect their smartphones to the vehicles infotainment system using MirrorLink, which is available with the same Multimedia Radio Touch system, and after they do so, they will see and use their apps via touchscreen.

PHOTO GALLERY
The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is apparently too hard to kill, with the company announcing a new MY2018 version that will debut at the New York Auto Show.



The new Outlander Sport will feature new enhancements, both inside and out, and a new Touring package in a bid to remain Mitsubishis best-selling model in the US market.

The revisions are subtle and include a new front and rear bumper design and LED daytime running lights, while the cabin gets a new floor console, a new shift lever and a seven-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

The new, optional Touring package features a panoramic roof and a host of active safety systems, including Forward Collision Mitigation, Lane Departure Warning, Automatic High Beam, a rear camera and several improvements on the NVH department for a quieter ride.

There are no reported changes on the available engine range, which means that the Outlander Sport will continue being powered by either a 148hp 2.0-litre or a 168hp 2.4-litre engine, with a CVT gearbox offered as an option on entry-level FWD 2,0-litre models and as standard on the rest of the range.

The 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is scheduled to arrive in dealerships this fall, and will be available also in new exterior color named Alloy Silver.

PHOTO GALLERY
While Buick already unveiled the 2018 Regal ahead of its New York Auto Show premiere, its Asian twin is now getting ready to make waves at Auto Shanghai, in China.



Set to shine under the spotlight starting April 19, the midsize saloon is expected to be almost identical to the North American version.

This means bearing a strong resemblance to the Avista Concept (which debuted last year in Detroit), while being based on the new generation Opel/Vauxhall Insignia and Holden Commodore, with which it shares its many nuts and bolts.

Except for stating that the Regal gets wing-shaped dual LED daytime running lights and second-generation Matrix full-LED headlamps, and that its wheelbase has been extended by 92 mm (3.62 in) from the previous iteration, to 2,829 mm (111.37 in), the GM-owned brand has yet to release all details surrounding the Asia-specific model.

However, it could differentiate itself from the North American car by making use of other engines besides the 2.0-liter turbo unit that delivers 250 HP and 260 lb-ft (353 Nm) of torque in the FWD model, and 296 lb-ft (401 Nm) of torque in the AWD variant.

Previous data revealed that, besides the aforementioned powertrain, it could also get a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbo, with 163 HP, as well as a hybrid that combines a 1.8-liter petrol unit with a small electric motor.

ASIAN BUICK REGAL

NORTH AMERICAN BUICK REGAL
Tired of red Ferraris? Dont throw the bambino out with the proverbial bathwater. Because while it may be true that the majority of Ferraris come in shades of scarlet, not all of them do. And the ones we come across in less usual hues often catch our attention.



Take, for example, this 1966 Ferrari 330 GTC. It left the factory in this delicious shade of Nocciola (hazelnut), and its first three owners in Italy kept it that way. Once it was exported to the United States, it was repainted green and then (surprise surprise) red. But its since been returned to its original color, and glad we are that it was.

Following an extensive restoration in the UK, sponsored by the Swedish billionaire packaging mogul who bought it two years ago, its now certified by the manufacturers own Ferrari Classiche department in attestation to its historical accuracy.

Now its set to go up for auction in a little under two months from now at Villa Erba on Lake Como during the Concorso dEleganza Villa dEste, where were sure it will fetch a pretty penny. Itd be just the thing to accompany the Dino 246 GTS in the same color that the same auction house sold off last month at Amelia Island or, for that matter, the matte-bronze LaFerrari we spotted last week in Monaco. Check it out in the gallery below captured by Tom Gidden for RM Sothebys.

Photo Gallery
Photo: Google Street View

A busy intersection in Revelstoke is getting an upgrade.

Funding from the town and the province will improve traffic flow and reduce congestion through the Victoria and Mutas intersections.

Congestion at Victoria and Mutas intersections was causing traffic to back up on the Trans-Canada Highway  especially during the busy summer months, said Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone. The construction of a roundabout and associated improvements will prevent collisions at the Highway 1 and Victoria Road intersection by reducing the likelihood of queues extending through the highway intersection.

The City of Revelstoke is leading this project, which is already underway, with completion expected this spring. The Government of B.C. will provide up to $700,000 to the City of Revelstoke through the Community Safety Enhancement Program. The entire project is estimated to cost $2.1 million.

In 2015, the ministry added an Automax traffic signal timing system which improves traffic flow on the Trans-Canada Highway and reduces congestion during high traffic volume periods. Dual turn lanes from Victoria Road to the Trans-Canada Highway were also added to improve intersection capacity.
Photo: File photo

Kelowna will mark the 100th anniversary of Vimy Ridge this weekend, a First World War battle that took the lives of 47 Okanagan soldiers.

The B.C. Dragoons will parade from Brigadier Angle Armoury, near Richter Street and Lawrence Avenue, to City Park on Sunday. A wreath will be placed at the cenotaph at 1:30 p.m., followed by a return parade to the armoury.

On April 9, 1917, the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles, predecessors of today's Dragoons, joined Allied forces in the historic battle against the German army in France. The battle lasted until April 12.

The Okanagan regiment lost 47 soldiers in the victory, and 151 were wounded. Canada lost more than 3,500 soldiers in the four-day fight.

Today, Canada's national memorial to the First World War stands on the site of the battle.
Photo: Contributed

Psychiatry 101  Battling myths and stereotypes

It seems that practically every person who comes in for treatment has a different idea of what constitutes psychiatry and what they should expect when seeing a psychiatrist.

Many stereotypical impressions of psychiatry arise out of television shows or books.

In these stories, patients are portrayed lying on a couch, delving into the deep recesses of their childhood memories to discover why they have a problem with anxiety or binge eating in their present life.

While childhood experiences are sometimes important in psychiatric treatment, this method is definitely not the mainstay of the profession and the couch is out.

A lot of people are unsure what the difference is between a psychiatrist and a psychologist. Often, the two terms are used interchangeably, but they imply two very different professions.

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor. Every psychiatrist has gone through the same medical school training as a family doctor or heart surgeon, but has chosen to specialize in mental illness rather than surgery or general practice.

This medical background helps the psychiatrist to understand the biological underpinnings of psychological disorders. Unlike psychologists, psychiatrists can prescribe medication to treat mental disorders.

This is an important distinction because while psychologists can be very beneficial, and counselling is often an important part of treatment, some severe psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder cannot be effectively managed with talk therapy alone.

Also, psychiatric treatment is covered by Canadas health care system and visits are paid for through an individuals basic provincial medical services plan. This means that even without extended medical coverage, a person can see a psychiatrist and receive treatment for a mental illness.

There are no limits to the number of sessions per year or the number of years of therapy, as some of these illnesses are life-long.

A referral to a psychiatrist by your family doctor is necessary in order to qualify for MSP coverage.

Even when medications are used, there are other facets to treatment in almost every case.

First and foremost is education. Giving information about the disorder and why it has occurred is a crucial first step. There may be genetic predispositions, environmental contributions or both, as is usually the case.

Providing education about the treatment is also important  why it is recommended and how it will work to alleviate the problem.

In some cases, no medication is necessary and instead it will be important to identify real-life problems and how to work to solve them.

Contrary to popular characterization, a visit to a psychiatrist should involve more than passive listening on the part of the doctor. Following a diagnosis and education about your disorder, your doctor should discuss your treatment goals with you, explain the technique behind your treatment and give you specific activities to work on between sessions.

The psychiatrist should be supportive, giving real advice and guidelines while encouraging you to be independent in your actions and opinions.

Each session should have a specific focus and centre on themes such as ideas or belief systems.

An effective therapist will be confident and self-assured and will structure the session  introducing new topics and seeking more information or elaboration from you as well as presenting things in a new or different light.

As medical knowledge improves, it becomes easier to treat mental illnesses. This is a quickly advancing field and many effective treatments are now available.

The information outlined in this column may help to minimize some of the misconceptions about seeking psychiatric help.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: Google Street View

Residents of an illegal rental property on Bluebird Road in Kelowna say they are being left in the dark about the fate of the home.

City council denied an application by the owner to rezone the property, meaning three of the five suites will have to be decommissioned.

One of the longtime tenants reached out to Castanet News Tuesday, saying renters don't know what's going on.

The tenant, who didn't want to be identified, said he's frustrated residents were not made aware there was a problem with the legality of the suites until he read the story on Castanet.

Now, he says, the property management company hired to run the building for the owner  who lives in Eastern Canada  won't tell the tenants anything.

"They won't tell us anything, saying it's an issue between the owner and the city," he told Castanet.

The man says tenants are nervous and scared.

With the low vacancy rate in the city, he says people don't know where they will go.

Some are longtime tenants.

He adds they are being portrayed as the bad guys, when in fact they were never told some of the suites could be illegal.

Monday, city clerk Stephen Fleming informed council the owner entered into an adjudication dispute compliance agreement last year, outlining what she would do if council said 'yes' or 'no' to the rezoning request.

"They have agreed within 30 days to take out decommissioning permits to make the property compliant to the current zoning. The onus would return to the owner to make the lands compliant with the current zoning," said Fleming.
The provincial government formally announced Tuesday that Okanagan College would be launching a pilot for a two-year viticulture diploma.

Starting this fall, the program will train 20 students with hands-on vineyard skills such as pest control, vine training and sensory evaluation.

Focusing more on the technical operational side of it, but it also leads up into that supervisory level, for some of the smaller vineyards, according to Okanagan Associate Dean of Business, Jonathan Rouse.

While announced publicly on Tuesday, the industry is already well aware of the program. College President Jim Hamilton says the school has already received 38 applications for the 20 spots in the program.

So anyone that is thinking, I might like to do that one, well you know you better get moving quickly, he said.

Penticton MLA Dan Ashton stated the provinces wineries attracts about one million visitors a year, bringing in $460M worth of tourism to B.C.

"It does make a difference to have kids educated at home and be able to stay here, to grow, and be able to get into jobs that this valley can provide," he said.

The pilot project comes with $628,000 in funding from the province.
Photo: PRH

Brenda Coffin got to ring the bell in the Oncology Department at Penticton Regional Hospital.

Thats how many cancer patients celebrate the end of their chemotherapy treatment at PRH. The bell is engraved with the words: Never give up, never surrender.

Her familys story started on Christmas Eve 2015, when Brendas younger sister Peggy learned she had breast cancer.

I went to help her with her appointments in Calgary, and she told me I should get a mammogram done because of what she was going through, Brenda recalled.

Although her initial test was clear, a few months later Brenda discovered a lump on her breast that was confirmed malignant. Her doctor performed a lumpectomy at the cancer clinic in Kelowna last summer.

Brenda then started chemotherapy at PRH. After six rounds of treatment, her final chemo session turned into a family affair. Her two daughters, Chloe and Gracie, made a special sign to commemorate the occasion.

Theyre my sweeties, Coffin said. When I first told them I had cancer, they said: Mom, were going to help you, were going to get you through this.

Coffin is now undergoing follow-up radiation treatment in Kelowna.

The South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation still has $7 million to raise in its $20-million campaign to provide the medical equipment for the PRH expansion, now under construction.
Photo: Contributed

Police are using a few puns in an effort to bring attention to a large lettuce theft in Hamilton.

In a release Tuesday, they ask the public to "romaine calm" after the heist.

Investigators say a truck and refrigerated trailer containing $45,000 worth of lettuce was taken sometime between 8 p.m. on March 31 and 4 p.m. on April 1.

They say the truck was driven to Toronto, where the truck was left behind, but the trailer and the lettuce is still missing.

The Ontario licence plate attached to the trailer is P9002D.

On social media they're asking the public to "lettuce know if you have any tips."
Photo: Twitter

Maricopa County's new sheriff announced Tuesday that he's shutting down a complex of jail tents that helped make his predecessor, Joe Arpaio, a national law enforcement figure.

Paul Penzone said at a news conference that the nearly 24-year-old Tent City complex will be closing in 45 to 60 days.

Arpaio opened the complex in August 1993 as a way of easing jail overcrowding. The barbed-wire-surrounded compound was part of a broader campaign by Arpaio to enact get-tough measures in his jails, such as banning cigarettes, creating inmate chain gangs and dressing them in old-time striped prison uniforms.

Closing Tent City complex would undo a critical piece of Arpaio's six-term political legacy. Penzone, who defeated the 84-year-old Arpaio in November, is already phasing out his predecessor's practice of making inmates wear pink underwear.

The tents were popular among voters who believed jail is supposed to be a difficult place to live. There are no air conditioners in the tents to provide relief from Phoenix's triple-digit summertime heat, though inmates can pass the time in an air-conditioned room.a

Arpaio posted a neon "vacancy" sign on an observation tower and another sign that said more than 500,000 people had spent time in the tents.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Penticton's property taxation landscape will see some changes this year, but it was the business tax rate that stirred the most controversy.

The average household, valued at just under $370,000, is expected to pay $82 more than last year, after a 4.36 per cent tax hike was approved during the budget process in late February. That will make nearly $1,600 from the average household, bringing in more than $22 million in revenue for the city from residential properties.

However, it was a tax multiplier for businesses that sparked debate among councillors and the mayor, and ultimately led to a 4-3 voting split on the motion to approve the staff recommendation. The city uses tax multipliers to counter balance the tax burden on residential properties, which make up the vast majority of the city.

In 2015, council voted to incrementally reduce the business tax multiplier over four years to be more competitive in bringing businesses to town. However, on Tuesday, council voted to hold the business tax multiplier steady at 1.58 times the residential tax, rather than drop it to 1.54.

Because the city needs to bring in a set revenue for the year, dropping the business tax would mean an increase to the residential tax. With that in mind, dropping the business tax multiplier to 1.54 would have cost residential taxpayers $10 more this year, while business owners would save over $140.

Councillors Andre Martin, Helena Konanz and Max Picton were all supportive of dropping the business multiplier, each saying the city should stick to its original plan.

I dont know why we think business should pay way more than anybody else, Martin said. Yes, business has some opportunities in terms of tax, and yeah, they can charge their customers more, but we know what happens when somebody charges you more  you dont likely go back to that business.

Mayor Andrew Jakubeit said he didnt see how the minor differences to the business multiplier would be a major factor in a business decision to be in Penticton or not.

I dont think the goal to say were the lowest ... really is the determining factor of why a business comes here or stays here, Jakubeit said. Especially up and down the Valley, we certainly dont want to be top of the list, and we dont want to be bottom of the list, we sort of want to be closer to the middle.

Comparatively, most of the other cities staff looked at had business multipliers of over 2.0, including Vernon and Kelowna, while the Canadian Federation of Independent Business recommends cities keep it under 2.0. Penticton currently ranks at the sixth lowest business multiplier in the province.

The city will also be conducting a review of the city's competitiveness for attracting businesses to Penticton.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Confronted by one of his first foreign crises, President Donald Trump on Tuesday split the blame for Syria's worst chemical weapons attack in years between its Russian-backed leader and former President Barack Obama, as the new American administration struggled to explain what it might do in response.

In a surprising statement, Trump called the assault in an opposition-held town in northern Syria "reprehensible" and one that "cannot be ignored by the civilized world," rhetoric that harkened back to Obama's criticism in 2013 of an earlier chemical attack ascribed to President Bashar Assad's forces. Trump said Assad was responsible for Tuesday's deaths, yet also targeted his predecessor's failed strategy to deter such attacks.

"These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution," Trump said. It was a clear reference to four years ago, when Obama failed to deliver on his "red line" when he didn't authorize military action against Assad in response to a sarin gas attack that killed hundreds outside Damascus.

Obama aides declined Tuesday to comment on Trump's assignment of blame.

The political tone of Trump's statement took many U.S. officials by surprise. They noted that U.S. presidents have rarely attacked their predecessors so aggressively for events like a chemical weapons attacks that Democrats and Republicans both abhor.

Several officials involved in internal administration discussions said Trump's National Security Council had been preparing a different statement, until the president's closest advisers took over the process. The officials weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity.

Trump left it to his top diplomat, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to assign culpability to Russia and Iran, Assad's most powerful allies. Tillerson noted both countries signed up as guarantors to a recent Syrian ceasefire and said they must pressure Assad not to conduct more such attacks.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 58 people, including 11 children, died in the town of Khan Sheikhoun. Witnesses claimed Sukhoi jets operated by the Russian and Syrian governments were involved. Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using firehoses to wash the chemicals from victims' bodies and lifeless children being piled in heaps.

"Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths," Tillerson said.

The twin statements illustrated the competing forces pulling at the Trump administration. While Trump tries to show he's dealing with extremist groups in Syria more aggressively than Obama, his administration has suggested it could align with Russia, Assad's key military backer. And in recent days, top U.S. officials like U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley have suggested Assad's removal is no longer a U.S. priority.

But America's Arab and European allies oppose any accommodation with Assad. Tillerson, in Turkey last week, outraged some foreign partners when he said Assad's future was up to the Syrian people. And the idea of even an indirect alliance with a Syrian government that is gassing its own people will be a hard sell with a U.S. public appalled by the reams of footage of the six-year civil war's horror.

"It is at the least embarrassing to have Assad be massacring civilians with chemical weapons at the same time Trump is trying to make the case that they're potentially a partner," said Phil Gordon, Obama's top Mideast adviser from 2013 to 2015, including when the U.S. president declined to retaliate militarily against Assad. Obama opted instead for a Russian-backed agreement to remove Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles.

The chapter was seen internationally as a major blow to U.S. credibility and, for Obama's critics, a prime example of weak leadership. Syrian chemical weapons attacks continued after the deal with Russia and Syria.

Trump, Gordon noted, was facing the same dilemma and lack of solutions that plagued Obama's deliberations.

In 2013, internal debate focused on everything from so-called pinprick operations that would have negligible effect on Assad to a broader strategy to push him from power. But regime change had its drawbacks, too, because it would require significant U.S. military force and potentially leave a vacuum that could be filled by al-Qaida-linked and other extremist fighters among the opposition.

The Islamic State group's later emergence only hardened Obama's resistance to intervening. By the end of his tenure, the Obama administration had largely abandoned its pressure, first advocated by the president in 2011, for Assad to immediately leave power.

"President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing," Trump's statement said. But while Trump called the latest attack "intolerable," he offered no suggestion of what he would now do.
Madison Erhardt

Second-year engineering students have been tasked with designing a hovercraft.

Future engineers are working with a made up scenario, which involves a group of Okanagan farmers looking for a solution to efficiently and accurately deliver pesticides to several crops in one field.

Engineer groups competed Tuesday night to determine the best performing hovercraft.

A Hovercraft must be able to balance performance measures related to carrying as much mass as possible, accurately deliver a series of payloads and it also has to be quick.

UBC Okanagan Lecturer, Byrn Crawford says it's quite difficult to design the hovercraft.

"It can be quite challenging specifically because the constraints given to the students are very broad. Quite a bit of creativity is allowed. It has to complete the obstacle course while delivering payloads throughout.

Students were awarded a certificate for their efforts as well as pizza to conclude a hard few months of work.
Photo: Contributed

North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast on Wednesday, U.S. and South Korean officials said, amid worries that the North might soon conduct banned nuclear or long-range rocket tests.

The firing was also made as North Korea expressed anger over annual military drills between the United States and South Korea that North Korea sees as an invasion rehearsal.

The U.S. Pacific Command said it detected and tracked what it assessed as North Korean missile launched from land near the eastern city of Sinpo. A U.S. statement said initial assessments indicate the type of missile was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a similar assessment, saying the missile flew about 60 kilometres.

That is a much shorter distance than other North Korean missiles flew in their recent test-launches.

Two weeks ago, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch. South Korean media speculated at the time that North Korea might have attempted to test a missile that it hasn't deployed. Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 1,000 kilometres with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

The North's latest launch came as outside satellite imagery show possible preparations for a new nuclear test at the North's main nuclear test site, such as communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data being already laid. North Korea's state media has also said the world will soon witness what it calls "eventful successes" the country achieves in the space development. Washington, Seoul and others call the North's space program a cover for its long-range missile development program.
Photo: Contributed

A Chicago girl who was sexually assaulted in an attack streamed live on Facebook was threatened with a dog attack if she tried to flee, prosecutors said Tuesday as they revealed more details in the case.

During the initial hearing for a 15-year-old, one of the two boys charged in the case, Assistant State's Attorney Maha Gardner said a 14-year-old charged in the March 19 attack told the victim she could "have sex the easy way or the hard way."

Both suspects are charged with aggravated sexual assault and manufacturing and dissemination of child pornography.

"Both videotaped these egregious actions," Gardner said. "They didn't stop there. They put them up on Facebook for the world to see."

Gardner said the 15-year-old, who turned himself in Monday, was with another boy when they encountered the 15-year-old girl in a neighbourhood park on March 19 and lured her to a basement in the West Side neighbourhood of Lawndale, where authorities say she was assaulted. Both boys knew the girl, the prosecutor said.

The boys threatened to have a pit bull attack the girl if she tried to get away, Gardner said. The girl also was slapped several times during the attack, she said.

Judge Patricia Mendoza ordered the 15-year-old boy held in the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center while awaiting trial.

Assistant public defender Liliana Dago said prosecutors hadn't proven probable cause for the 15-year-old, particularly on the child pornography charge. She also said most of the sex acts were carried out by the 14-year-old.

The judge said the 15-year-old bore responsibility for the assault as well.

"The very nature that he's in the video ... one can assume he was manufacturing child pornography," Mendoza said.

Police say they expect other juveniles and an adult to be charged in the case. Police haven't released the names of any suspects.
Photo: File photo

A Marine Atlantic ferry that became stuck in thick ice off Cape Breton has been freed.

Earlier in the day, the MV Blue Puttees left Port aux Basques, N.L., to try to cut a path for the MV Highlanders to get out into open water.

In a tweet Tuesday evening, Marine Atlantic says MV Blue Puttees reached the stranded ferry with 209 passengers onboard along with 85 commercial trucks and 65 vehicles.

MV Highlanders got stuck after leaving North Sydney, N.S., for Newfoundland.

Spokesman Darrell Mercer says ice conditions suddenly became worse Tuesday as winds blew toward the coast.

The worst ice conditions in decades saw major disruptions in 2015, including some similar incidents.
Photo: CTV

At first, Graham Farquhar thought it was a joke.

The Toronto condo tenant was issued a notice that his rent was doubling from $1,650 to a whopping $3,300 a month.

Farquhar received notice of the price hike on April 1.

"We actually didn't even take it seriously, we thought it was a mistake or a joke at first," Farquhar said. "It wasn't until yesterday when the (landlord) called us and told us that that was the option, that we either pay the $3,300 a month or get out by July 31st, that it became a reality."

CTV News is reporting the same landlord is hiking the rent at another condominium unit in a building in Toronto's west end.

Farquhar said a corporation owns the unit.

Joeita Gupta, with the Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations, says part of the problem stems from a loophole that was intended to help tenants.

Under a rental law enacted during the Progressive Conservative government of Mike Harris, landlords who own properties built before Nov. 1, 1991 are subject to controls when raising rent. However, no such limits exist for properties built after that date, Gupta says.

"For landlords, and I hate to say it, it becomes a form of economic eviction," she said. "It is unfortunately a landlord's market."

News of the rental hike prompted Toronto Mayor John Tory to issue a stern warning to landlord over sharp rental hikes.

He said extreme hikes can "provoke" the kind of legislative and policy reaction that is "very much against the interests of future construction of rental accommodation."

- with files from CTV
Photo: Sannah Fletcher/ Osoyoos Loop Facebook

UPDATE: WED 12:00 p.m.

Three people were injured in a serious crash Tuesday afternoon in Osoyoos.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene at Highway 97 and 91 Street shortly before 5 p.m., where a gold coloured Pontiac Grand-Am was involved in a head on collision with a black Chevrolet pickup. A Smart Car was caught up in the resulting crash, according to the RCMP.

Injuries to the three victims range from moderate to serious, with at least one person being airlifted to hospital. The highway was closed for three hours while police investigated.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Witnesses are requested to contact South Okanagan Traffic Services at 250 499 2250.

ORIGINAL

DriveBC is reporting an accident has closed Highway 97.

The highway is closed in both directions eight kilometres north of Osoyoos because of an accident.

There is a single-lane alternating detour via 91st Street. DriveBC estimates the highway will open again at 8:15 p.m.
Photo: Twitter

A court has been told that two-year-old Eva Ravikovich was stuck inside a boiling SUV outside her daycare north of Toronto for about seven hours before her lifeless body was discovered.

Olena Panfilova, who owned the daycare in Vaughan, Ont., pleaded guilty Tuesday to criminal negligence causing death nearly four years after the fact, and one year after she was found guilty under Ontario's Day Nurseries Act of operating an illegal daycare.

Panfilova's husband and adult daughter were also found guilty of the same charge last year, and the trio was sentenced to 30 days in jail, to be served intermittently on weekends, and given two years to each pay a $15,000 fine with a victim surcharge.

Panfilova will face sentencing for the criminal negligence charge on May 19.

In an email to The Canadian Press, a lawyer representing Eva's parents said now that the criminal proceedings have concluded, the lawsuit against the daycare operators and the Ministry of Education can move forward.

"The Ministry had full knowledge of this illegal daycare and did not take appropriate steps to investigate it or shut it down," Patrick Brown alleged in the email. "It should not have taken the death of a child for the government to finally take action. This is not the standard that we should be expecting in Ontario."

An agreed statement of facts read in court Tuesday said Panfilova had a business licence for "Lena Daycare," but she never applied to be licensed under the Day Nurseries Act, which is required for daycares with more than five children under the age of 10.

Panfilova, who had 35 children at her daycare that day, did not realize she had left Eva sitting in the hot vehicle.
Photo: The Independent

UPDATE: 9 a.m.

The death toll from a suspected chemical attack on a northern Syrian town rose to 75 on Wednesday as activists and rescue workers found more terrified survivors hiding in shelters near the site of the assault, one of the deadliest in Syria's civil war.

ORIGINAL: 6:35 a.m.

The death toll from a suspected chemical attack on a northern Syrian town rose to 72 on Wednesday as activists and rescue workers found more terrified survivors hiding in shelters near the site of the harrowing assault, one of the deadliest in Syria's civil war.

According to a Syrian opposition group, renewed airstrikes hit the town of Khan Sheikhoun a day after the attack that the Trump administration has blamed on the government of President Bashar Assad, saying that his patrons, Russia and Iran, bore "great moral responsibility" for the deaths.

The Damascus and Moscow governments denied they were behind the attack. A Russian Defence Ministry statement later said the toxic agents were released when a Syrian airstrike hit a rebel arsenal.

The UN Security Council was to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday in response to the strike and in Brussels, officials from 70 nations gathered for a major donors' conference on the future of Syria and the region.

The attack on Khan Sheikhoun killed dozens of people on Tuesday, leaving residents gasping for breath and convulsing in the streets and overcrowded hospitals. Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using fire hoses to wash the chemicals from victims' bodies. Haunting images of lifeless children piled in heaps reflected the magnitude of the attack.
Photo: Contributed

A recall of Robin Hood brand flour announced last month by federal health officials has now been expanded to all of Canada.

The initial recall of 10-kilogram bags of flour was addressed to consumers in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The affected flour carries a best-before date of April 17, 2018 (and a UPC code of 0 59000 01652 8).

The Public Health Agency of Canada said in late March that there were 25 cases of E.coli infection in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador. No deaths have been reported but at least a half-dozen people required hospital care.

The agency said everyone who had fallen ill had either recovered or was recovering and that most of those who became ill were men with an average age of 24.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says customers who have the affected flour should toss it out or return it for a refund.
Group Pushes For Chance The Rapper To Run For Mayor In 2019

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Apr 4, 2017 9:26PM

It's been two years since Chance the Rapper sang "They screamin' Chano for mayor," and now a group has adopted "Chano for Mayor" as their rallying cry as they push for Chance to run against Rahm in 2019.

The website and Twitter handle for Chano for Mayor appeared on Sunday, and they're full of choice quotes from Chance the Rapper lyrics that allude to his potential political ambitions and policy priorities:



Text on the site explains the motivations behind it:



Rahm Emanuel has been in office since 2011. In that time weve seen the closure of 50 public schools, the largest in history. The city shut down 6 of its 12 mental health clinics. The Department of Justice found a pattern of civil rights violations by the Chicago Police Department, including but not limited to the murder of Laquan McDonald. Its time for change.

The site also includes a disclaimer that Chance did not make the site and is not involved with it. "If you are Chance the Rapper, and want this URL or for us to take it down for any reason, get in touch on Twitter @chano4mayor2k19," it says.

Chance, whose full name is Chancellor Bennett, is the son of Ken Bennett, a former aide to Mayor Rahm Emanuel. But that hasn't stopped him from being critical of the mayor in recent years. Indeed, as Chance's star rises in the music world, he has become more outspokenly political in general, hosting a free get-out-the-vote concert before the 2016 presidential election, meeting with Gov. Bruce Rauner and telling him "do your job," setting up an arts and literature fund for Chicago Public Schools, and saying in a May 2016 interview that Chicago "needs a new mayor."

With Chance's ever-growing popularity and speaks-for-the-people vibe, we almost wouldn't be surprised if he did take up the call to run for mayor.

We're on the edge of our seats, but so far, no word from Chance, whose latest Tweet Tuesday afternoon alluded to his need to rest and work on a sequel to his Magnificent Coloring World tour:



I'm resting for the next 2hrs. #mcw2  Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) April 4, 2017



[H/T Pitchfork]


Photo: The Canadian Press

UPDATED: 11:30 a.m.

A fighter jet pilot on a training mission ejected safely before the aircraft crashed Wednesday in a wooded area in a Washington suburb. Witnesses reported the sound of live ammunition.

The D.C. Air National Guard F-16C went down about 200 yards behind a small subdivision of two-story brick homes in the middle-class suburban community of Clinton, about 3 miles (5 kilometres) southwest of Joint Base Andrews. It wasn't immediately clear whether the plane was carrying live rounds. The military planned a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

About 20 homes in the area were evacuated as a precaution because of the possibility that the crash released hazardous materials, Prince George's County Fire and EMS spokesman Mark Brady said. Area residents were later allowed to return home.

No one on the ground was injured and the pilot was taken to a hospital in a military helicopter and was treated for minor injuries, he said.

Crystal Hollingsworth lives nearby and said she heard a "huge crash" followed by the sound of "live rounds."

"You knew something tragic was going on," she said, adding that she thought it might be a terrorist attack.

Her husband, Tony Hollingsworth, said the "house shook" and he also heard the sound of gunshots in the woods, something that "sounded like a shootout." He said it lasted for "10 to 15 minutes."

He said he saw a big fireball in the woods and the pilot's red and white parachute.

Crystal Hollingsworth said pieces of the plane fell in her neighbour's yard, damaging some of the home's siding. She said there were probably more than a dozen metal fragments, maybe about half an inch thick.

Pieces from the crash ranged in size, some about the size of a TV remote or a book. She said one was marked "confidential." Some of the debris was still burning when she saw it, she said.

Tyrone Wolridge and his wife said it felt like an earthquake and they saw a plume of smoke.
Photo: The Canadian Press

A woman was taken to hospital in critical, life-threatening condition Tuesday night after she was taken off an Air Canada flight following an emergency landing in Calgary.

Passengers aboard the Toronto-to-Vancouver flight say they were over Saskatchewan when the woman went into medical distress.

A decision was made to land in Calgary where emergency medical officials confirm that the passenger was taken to the Peter Lougheed Centre shortly after 11 p.m.

The trip to Vancouver resumed soon after.

There was no immediate word on what sparked the medical emergency.

Air Canada has not commented on the landing.
Photo: Contributed

UPDATED: 10:40 a.m.

President Donald Trump has removed chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council, reversing an earlier, controversial decision to give Bannon access to the high-level meetings.

A new memorandum about the council's composition was published Wednesday in the Federal Register. The memo no longer lists the chief strategist as a member of the Principals Committee, a group of high-ranking officials who meet to discuss pressing national security priorities.

Tom Bossert, the assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, also had his role downgraded as part of the changes.

A senior White House official said Wednesday that Bannon was initially placed on the National Security Council after Trump's inauguration as a measure to ensure implementation of the president's vision, including efforts to downsize and streamline operations at the NSC.

Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was at the helm of the NSC at the time, but the official said Bannon's role had nothing to do with the troubles facing Flynn, who was asked to resign in early February for misleading the administration about his communication with Russian officials.

Flynn's replacement, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, was given free rein to reorganize the NSC as he saw fit. McMaster immediately expressing a desire to run a less hierarchical organization and be more accessible to his staff, something that created widespread frustration when Flynn was in charge, according to three current and former administration officials familiar with the changes.

As a participant of the Principals Committee, Bannon would have had the authority to call a vote if the president's vision for the NSC was not being implemented. The committee, which includes top officials from various government agencies, meets regularly to address important policy issues.

The official said Bannon's removal from the NSC was not a reflection of any change in his standing as one of Trump's closest advisers. Bannon will maintain his security clearance as is standard for most top West Wing officials.

Trump's White House is facing allegations that it funneled secret intelligence reports to a Republican congressman leading an investigation into his campaign's possible ties to Russian officials as well as Moscow's interference in the 2016 election.
Photo: File photo

Prince Charles of Britain and his wife, Camilla, have arrived for a two-day visit to Austria that is scheduled to include a meal at a wine tavern and meetings with government leaders.

The royal couple landed in Vienna on Wednesday as part of a three-country European tour that started in Romania and then led to Italy, where Charles and Camilla met with Pope Francis.

They are scheduled to meet with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Christian Kern later in the day.
Photo: The Canadian Press

A court paved the way Wednesday for Poland's government to take control of a new World War II museum that has been the focus of a major ideological standoff over how to remember the war.

The conflict has pitted the creators of the Museum of the Second World War  who place Poland's war experiences in an international context and emphasize the fate of civilian populations  against the nationalistic ruling party, which prefers to focus on Polish suffering and military heroism.

Culture Minister Piotr Glinski sought to take control of the museum last year by merging it with an as-yet unbuilt museum, the Museum of Westerplatte and the War of 1939. Critics of the government described the manoeuvr as a legal trick aimed at pushing out the managers of the original museum.

The attempt was held up for months in the courts, giving director Pawel Machcewicz time to open the World War II museum to the public in March after more than eight years of development. It is located in Gdansk, where Germany fired some of the war's opening shots against Poland.

A decision Wednesday by the Supreme Administrative Court now paves the way for the Culture Ministry to take control of the Museum of the Second World War. The court overruled a lower court's decision to suspend the merger, which now can proceed.

The ministry said in a statement that the merger of the two institutions would take place "immediately" and will mean "a significant increase of their potential."

The ministry argues that it is not economically justifiable to operate two state museums on a similar subject in the same city.

Opponents of the ruling Law and Justice party see the step as part of the party's broader agenda to take control of state institutions and to reshape the nation to conform to its nationalistic worldview.

The museum project was launched in 2008 by then-Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who is now one of the European Union's top leaders. Tusk is a longtime rival of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the ruling party's leader, and many political observers think Kaczynski's opposition to the museum is at least partly rooted in that rivalry.
Photo: Interior Health

Interior Health has officially applied to Health Canada for a supervised drug consumption site in Kelowna and Kamloops.

According to officials with Interior Health, once approved, the supervised consumption site would be an additional feature of the mobile overdose prevention unit.

Dr. Trevor Corneil told the IH board it could be several months before Health Canada approved the supervised drug consumption component.

The mobile units are expected to roll out in both cities later this month or early in May.

The specially designed RVs have been retrofitted. Interior Health is now in the process of hiring, and training staff to operate the service.

The mobile unit will replace the current overdose prevention site at the Health Centre on Ellis Street.

Figures released by Interior Health indicate nearly 3,300 visits have been recorded at the three sites since mid-December. There have been 12 overdose incidents but no deaths as a result.

Most of the visits and incidents were recorded in Kamloops.
Photo: Google Street View

Traffic is jammed this morning on Clement Avenue.

A Castanet viewer reports construction is happening at Clement and Spall Road, creating long delays  and frustration.

"It's disgusting that they don't have any warning signs," says the viewer, adding traffic is creeping along after 10 minutes of delays.
Photo: The Canadian Press-University of Toronto's Media Commons A scene from the silent film "Secrets of the Night"

As a kid in Winnipeg, Richard Scott used to huddle in the basement with his family and watch 1920s-era silent films projected onto a bedsheet hung up with clothespins.

His dad, who worked at Eaton's, acquired the 16-millimetre films when the local department store discontinued its rental service and got rid of its stock in the late 1940s.

"We had piles of these movie tins," Scott recalled. "In total there were 15 feature movies, but none of them were the big-name actors of the time. They weren't Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton."

Still, one of them has turned out to be a gem.

"Secrets of the Night," which the Library of Congress in the United States had declared as one of the thousands of "lost" movies of the silent-film era, was among the titles in the Scott family collection.

"It's, dare I say, more than rare  it is unique," said Brock Silversides, director of the University of Toronto's Media Commons department, which received the film and many others from the Scott family.

Scott, who is retired, said the films had been kept in their original tins in an insulated box in his basement in Mississauga, Ont., for about 30 years.

When he started downsizing, he reached out to the university, which has since restored and digitized the copy of "Secrets of the Night," a 1924 murder-mystery comedy starring James Kirkwood, Madge Bellamy and ZaSu Pitts.

Last week, the school organized a special screening of the film with a pianist providing the soundtrack.

"They're extremely professional, they're good lighting, good editing, good acting, just good feature films."
Photo: Asaad Hannaa

The father cradled his nine-month-old twins, Aya and Ahmed, each in an arm. He stroked their hair and choked back tears, mumbling, "Say goodbye, baby, say goodbye" to their lifeless bodies.

Abdel Hameed al-Youssef lost his two children, his wife and other relatives in the suspected chemical attack Tuesday in the northern Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun that killed at least 72 people. In footage shared with The Associated Press, Youssef sits in the front seat of a van with the twin, his eyes red as he asks his cousin Alaa to video his farewell to them.

When the airstrike took place, "I was right beside them and I carried them outside the house with their mother," Youssef, a 29-year-old shopowner, told the AP. "They were conscious at first, but 10 minutes later we could smell the odour." The twins and his wife, Dalal Ahmed, fell sick.

He brought them to paramedics and, thinking they would be OK, went to look for the rest of his family. He found the bodies of two of his brothers, two nephews and a niece, as well as neighbours and friends. "I couldn't save anyone, they're all dead now," he said.

Only later was he told his children and wife had died.

"Abdel Hameed is in very bad shape," his cousin Alaa said. He's being treated for exposure to the toxin. "But he's especially broken down over his massive loss."
Photo: The Canadian Press

New Democrat House leader Murray Rankin says it is a rare thing for his party to join forces with the Conservatives, but that is exactly what it plans to keep doing to fight a Liberal effort to change the way the House of Commons operates.

The two opposition parties are set to resume their filibuster at the House procedures committee today, as negotiations behind the scenes have failed to end the impasse over a Liberal motion that would impose a deadline on their study of proposed changes to the ins and outs of parliamentary procedure.

The issue revolves around a discussion paper that government House leader Bardish Chagger released last month, which suggests changes such as allowing MPs to vote electronically, getting rid of sparsely attended Friday sittings and setting aside one day of the week for MPs to direct all their questions to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Conservatives and New Democrats want the government to agree not to push through any changes without consensus, but Chagger has said that would amount to giving the opposition parties a "veto" over Liberal campaign promises.

Rankin says he stands firmly with his Conservative counterpart Candice Bergen on the need to get everyone on side before making any changes, meaning it is unlikely the Liberals will be able to work out a deal with the NDP alone.

Chagger says she wants to get a sense of where the different parties stand on the issues and the way for that to happen is to start having the "conversation" at committee.
One Happy Effect Of Chicago's Amazon Bookstore: The Indie Shops Are More United Than Ever

By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 4, 2017 8:58PM



Getty Images / Photo: Justin Sullivan

The reviews are in for the new Amazon bookstore in Chicagoand they ain't kind. Christopher Borrelli likened the experience to body snatching in Monday's boom-lowering write-up in the Tribune. But the IRL arrival of the retailer behemoth has sparked a happy, unintended consequence. Chicagoland's independent bookstores, already supportive of one another, might now be more coordinated and collaborative than ever.

Several customers, including some high-profile authors, came into Volumes Bookcafe, in Wicker Park, the day that Amazon Books opened its store, in Lakeviewspecifically as a show of solidarity, Kimberly George, co-owner of Volumes, said. "They just wanted to say, 'we're here to support you,' which was really cool, George told Chicagoist. The authors also have product available through Amazon, of course, but it was clear where their affections live. "'We'd rather support you,' they all said."

Overall though, George and other bookstores we spoke to said there hadn't been a measurable rise or decline in foot traffic or sales since the launch of Amazon Brick, as it were. But it's specter did nonetheless solidify the working relationship between indie shops, according to George.

"Fortunately independent bookstores are very supportive to begin with. But now it's been really collaborative, which is great because we'e new to the group," George said, pointing out last year's expansion of the Wicker Park West Town Lit Fest last year. We can expect to see big collaborative things in the summer, too. "It's a big thing we have over something corporate like [Amazon]. We do recommend customers to other stores. We have that kind of camaraderie that theyll never have."

Nina Barrett, who helped create the Chicagoland Independent Bookstore Alliancea coalition of 23 area indie shops that organized in the wake of Amazon's Chicago store announcementagrees. "Chicago is a great bookstore tourism destination, with so many options and so many different personalities," Barrett told Chicagoist. And the sense of community on which that status rests has only solidified following Amazon's arrival, she said.

The fact that Amazon's Chicago store seems to function more as a data collection facility or test run for some similar future concept, but with furniture or appliances, than genuine, traditional bookstore gave Barrett a sense of relief, too. "We all suspect the store is much more about how they can sell other items or gather research," she added. Meanwhile, the indies will be over here, sticking to their vision, with an ever-greater spirit of community.
Photo: Contributed

A service will be held today to mark the first anniversary of a Victoria-area RCMP officer's death after a collision involving an alleged drunk driver.

Sarah Beckett died on April 5, 2016 when her cruiser was hit broadside by a truck in Langford, outside Victoria.

The 32-year-old married mother of two young boys had been a Mountie for 11 years and was serving with the West Shore detachment at the time of her death.

Today's noon-hour service in Langford will be held outside the detachment, and the public is welcome to attend.

Kenneth Fenton, who is scheduled to appear in court later this week, has been charged with impaired driving causing death, flight from police and dangerous driving causing death.

A probe is also underway by the Independent Investigations Office, which has forwarded a report to Crown counsel for consideration of charges against an RCMP officer who was chasing a vehicle that hit Beckett's cruiser.
Photo: File photo

As money continues to pour out of Victoria, some of that cash has been flooding into the Peace District.

Last June, a number of streams flooded, so the province has announced work on the creeks will be done before spring runoff.

The flooding last June was unprecedented, with repairs ongoing over the past nine months, said Peace River South MLA Mike Bernier. The majority of the cleanup effort has been completed at most of the affected sites and ministry staff and contractors are now doing additional work to prepare for this springs freshet.

At each site during last years flooding, stream channels were scoured and debris was deposited into the streams, reducing the amount of water volume the waterway can handle. The repair work will excavate this material to return the creeks to their pre-flood conditions and reinforce the stream banks to protect highway structures.

On June 15-6, 2016, a massive storm surge passed through the Peace District, resulting in more than 120 millimetres of rain in a 72-hour period. This, combined with heavy snow run-off at higher elevations, caused extensive damage to roads and highways in the region.

Ministry crews and contractors have been working since then to repair roads and open up highways in the area. The province has invested $27 million for repairs.
Photo: CTV

A noisy group of placard-carrying protesters greeted politicians for what was supposed to be a celebration at the start of construction for the George Massey Tunnel replacement project.

Before the news conference began, protesters took over the podium and held a mock news event, forcing Transport Minister Todd Stone and Delta Mayor Lois Jackson to take their event inside a nearby fire hall.

Stone told reporters that there is widespread public support for the new 10-lane, $3.5-billion bridge to replace the aging tunnel connecting Richmond to Delta.

The minister says it has taken four years of consultation with First Nations, municipal and regional governments, and a tremendous amount of technical work to get to the point where construction can now begin.

Stone says his government is supporting the many employees who will be working on the project, and his Liberal party is taking a stand when it comes to continuing to invest in infrastructure to meet the demands of B.C.'s growing economy.

The minister says protesters are entitled to present their opinion during the May 9 election, adding that's the beauty of living in a democracy and having elections.

"We absolutely respect the views, the opinions of folks who do not support this project and we respect their rights to make those views known."
Photo: Thinkstock.com

The RCMP has admitted it possesses a controversial high-tech spy device that allowed it to track cellphone data in 19 criminal investigations last year.

RCMP Chief Supt. Jeff Adam tells the CBC, the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail that the force owns 10 of the so-called mobile device identifier tools, which can gather "high-level data" about a phone's location.

It's believed to be the first official public acknowledgment by the RCMP that the force uses surreptitious devices to collect such information, known as metadata.

Adams says the RCMP's devices do not capture private communications, in keeping with department policy. He would not identify the model of the device in question.

He calls the technology a very important investigative tool, one the Mounties use to identify and locate suspects under investigation.

The briefing, a rarity for the RCMP, follows a CBC report that someone in downtown Ottawa has been using a device known as an "IMSI catcher," which can intercept and identify cellphone metadata.

The CBC report found the device being used in recent months in close proximity to Parliament Hill and the U.S. and Israeli embassies, among other locations.

The devices mimic a cellphone tower to interact with nearby phones and read their unique IDs  the International Mobile Subscriber Identity, or IMSI  which can then be used to track the phone and identify the owner.

Asked Tuesday about the CBC report, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson and CSIS director Michel Coulombe both confirmed that their agencies were not involved.

"The activity that was reported last evening does not, I repeat, does not involve a Canadian agency like the RCMP or CSIS," Goodale said. "Secondly, those activities are now under active investigation by both the RCMP and CSIS."
Photo: The Canadian Press In this courtroom sketch, Karim Baratov (right) addresses the court as his lawyer Amedeo Dicarlo (bottom left), Crown Heather Graham (second from left), lawyer Deepak Paradkar (top left) and Justice Alan Whitten look on

The father of a Canadian man accused in a massive hack of Yahoo emails told an Ontario court Wednesday that he'd keep all electronic devices locked away and out of his son's reach if his child is released on bail.

Akhmet Tokbergenov was testifying in a Hamilton courtroom at his son's bail hearing, saying he and his wife are prepared to do whatever the court orders if their 22-year-old is released from custody.

Karim Baratov was arrested under the Extradition Act last month after U.S. authorities indicted him and three others  two of them allegedly officers of Russia's Federal Security Service  for computer hacking, economic espionage and other crimes.

American authorities have alleged in court documents that Baratov, who was born in Kazakhstan, poses an "extremely high flight risk" in part due to his alleged ties to Russian intelligence agents and his financial resources. They've also noted that Baratov did not appear to have any "legitimate employment."

Baratov's lawyer has called the allegations against his client unfounded. He's seeking to have the young man released on bail as he awaits an extradition hearing, arguing his client poses no flight risk.

Baratov's father told the court he has no doubt his son will comply with any bail conditions.

"I had an opportunity to speak with Karim when he was in jail," Tokbergenov said through a translator. "He recognizes that he has to follow all the orders given by the court, he recognizes that (if he doesnt), not only will we lose our assets, all our assets, but also our family."

Tokbergenov said that every day since Baratovs arrest, he and his wife have discussed their plan should their son be released on bail.

"I have a very concrete plan. All electronic devices, all computers, everything will be put in a lockbox," he said. "My son will not have access neither to a TV, nor a computer, not to any electronics."

Tokbergenov added that he works from home and would be able to constantly monitor his son.
Photo: Contributed

There was no malicious intent when a young boy was urinated on at school, says the Abbotsford School District.

Instead, district Supt. Kevin Godden said in a statement to CTV News that the incident involving two kindergarten boys was "inappropriate play."

Crystal Tutt said last week her son, Ayres, had his hair pulled and was punched in the face. She said the final straw came when he was urinated on in a school washroom.

The school district wouldn't comment on the incident until this week.

Now it says school staff have "reinforced" bathroom etiquette with the boys.

"It is important to note, again, that there was no malicious intent from one student towards the other," said the statement.

"An important component of our procedures is to encourage students and parents to report incidents of bullying so that appropriate steps can be taken to prevent escalation and keep all parties safe."

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: Shambhala - JoffreyPhoto.com

Thousands of electronic music fans eagerly awaited the release of the headliners for the 20th anniversary of Shambhala, B.C.'s longest running electronic music festival, Wednesday morning.

This year will be headlined by A-Trak, Z-Trip, Pendulum, Jauz, Beats Antique, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Chris Lake, along with dozens of others. Kelowna's own Datsik and Excision will also be performing and festival-favourites, The Funk Hunters from Vancouver, will be performing with Chali 2na from 90s hip-hop group Jurassic 5.

The full lineup can be found here.

The world-renowned festival has come a long way since it's humble beginnings in 1998. While much has changed  the first year hosted just 500 people  the festival has always been held at the Salmo River Ranch, a 500-acre private farm surrounded by forest, 30 minutes south of Nelson.

The lineup for the 20th anniversary was highly anticipated and tickets sold out in under 24 hours, back in September.

For many, the lineup did not disappoint.

Don't mind me, just having a mini-heart attack, wrote Kaleah Hynes on the Shambhala Facebook page.

So far I've counted at least 50 sets I wanna see and they haven't even released the full stage lineups yet, wrote Curtis Desaulniers.

Anthony Jacques simply wrote: W.O.W.

No lineup can satisfy everyone though.

2015's lineup was way better, wrote Brooklyn Paige. I'm not gonna lie, I was expecting more for the 20th year.

Additional artists, along with the stages the artists are playing on, are expected to be released between April 17-23.

The festival has garnered attention in the past for it's progressive approach to harm reduction, including using the services of AIDS Network Kootenay Outreach and Support Society (ANKORS), to test festival-goers's drugs.

Last year, ANKORS set up a GoFundMe page to raise $30,000 for a mobile spectrometer that could determine if a sample has fentanyl in it.

You can't make people's decisions for them. We can only keep them as safe as we can and ultimately people are adults and they need to make safe choices, said harm reduction director at Shambhala, Stacey Lock, last July.

So far, the fundraising page has raised over $13,000.
Photo: Getty Images

DNA has spelled the undoing for a busy burglar.

Darcy Paul Knape, 52, of Vancouver, has been arrested and charged with nine counts of break-and-enter for a series of break-ins spanning the last decade.

DNA evidence linked Knape to at least 11 residential break-and-enters on Vancouvers West Side between 2005 to 2016, said VPD Const. Jason Doucette.

In many of these cases, the suspect smashed windows and skylights to enter the homes and steal items. Officers investigating the crimes at the time located and collected evidence that allowed for DNA analysis.

The most recent sample was submitted to the lab in May 2016, and it matched the same offender from 10 other unsolved break-ins. VPD Property Crime investigators identified a suspect, gathered additional evidence, and were able to confirm a DNA match.

Reducing property crime remains a priority for the VPD, and modern-day science is helping us make a difference, says Doucette.

We also rely on residents to record their propertys serial numbers and unique features to increase the chance of getting their property back if its stolen. It also increases the odds a thief may be arrested and charged if they are caught with that property."
Photo: The Canadian Press Susan Rice

Citing no evidence, President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused his predecessor's national security adviser of breaking the law, one month after he accused former President Barack Obama of illegally wiretapping him.

In an interview with The New York Times, Trump said Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, committed a crime when she asked government analysts to disclose the names of Trump associates documented in intelligence reports. Trump would not say if he reviewed new intelligence to support his claim. He told the Times he would say more "at the right time."

"I think it's going to be the biggest story," Trump said. "It's such an important story for our country and the world. It is one of the big stories of our time."

Rice is the latest target for Trump and his embattled defenders. She has firmly denied that she did anything inappropriate in requesting the identities of Trump associates. As the national security adviser, Rice would have been authorized to seek identities of people whose names were redacted from intelligence reports. Officials typically "unmask" Americans if it is deemed necessary for understanding the information. Some Trump allies have accused Rice of unmasking officials for political reasons.

"Absolutely false," Rice declared Tuesday.

Trump on Wednesday disagreed. When the Times asked him if Rice broke the law, he said, "Do I think? Yes, I think." The president did not specify what law he thinks Rice may have broken.

Erin Pelton, a spokeswoman for Rice, said, "I'm not going to dignify the president's ludicrous charge with a comment."

Trump's unfounded accusation fits a pattern for the president. Last month, he accused Obama of wiretapping his New York skyscraper and later said Obama had spied on his campaign. Neither allegation has been backed up by evidence.
Trump's Latest Jabs Against Chicago Focus On Public Schools

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Apr 4, 2017 10:26PM



Getty Images / Photo: Pool

Most of President Donald Trump's comments about Chicago have painted the city as a crime-ridden war zone of sorts. But on Tuesday morning his latest jabs centered on Chicago's public school performance, along with other major cities like New York and Los Angeles.

If you look at so many elements of education, and its so sad to see whats coming, whats happening in the country. Even the numbers, as goodyou say were doing better, but the numbers in New York, the numbers in Chicago are very rough. The numbers in Los Angeles, the cities, its a very rough situation. Trump said during an event called a "CEO Town Hall."

Trump's Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, has been criticized for having no experience working in the public education system and for celebrating school vouchers and charter schools with little demonstrated knowledge of how to improve public schools.

In the Town Hall, Trump state that he supports making "education more local," by empowering local districts to decide how they want to measure success, rather than through federal mandates like the Common Core teaching standards. "Common Core is, to me, we have to end it," he said, according to the Sun-Times.

The Mayor's Office released a statement Tuesday afternoon refuting the administration's suggestion that the "numbers" are very rough:



"Once again, facts don't matter to this administration. If they cared about facts and if they cared about the truth, they would know Chicago's students are outperforming their peers across the nation. Last year Chicago's students were among the nation's leaders in fourth grade reading gains and eighth grade math gains. Chicago leads all urban school districts for the increase in our graduation rate. Our students have achieved record highs for ACT scores and college acceptance. In fact, Chicago is the large urban system that grows its kids the most anywhere, according to an analysis done by Sean Reardon at Stanford University. That may not match what this administration thinks about our nation's public schools, but it's the truth."

The Mayor's Office also linked to recent New York Times and Huffington Post stories that address the analysis on student performance in Chicago.
Man, 19, Charged In South Shore Mass Shooting That Killed 4

By Stephen Gossett in News on Apr 5, 2017 2:43PM



Getty Images / Photo: Brad Thompson

A 19-year-old man has been charged in connection with last week's brutal quadruple homicide in South Shore.

Police announced early on Wednesday morning that Maurice Harris faces four counts of first-degree murder. Authorities are expected to release further details later in the morning at Chicago Police Department headquarters.



Maurice Harris / Chicago Police Department

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said at the time that the deadly attack may have been a gang-related retaliation.

The quadruple killings were part of a particularly deadly day in South Shore. Seven people, including a pregnant woman, were shot to death in the neighborhood that day. Police have not indicated that the other shootings are related.
Rahm's 'Ridiculous' New Education Mandate Sparks Backlash

By Stephen Gossett in News on Apr 5, 2017 6:40PM



Getty Images / Photo: Scott Olson

Rahm Emanuel made public on Wednesday an instantly controversial initiative that would require Chicago public high school students to have a letter of acceptance from either a college, military service, job program or an employment offer in order to graduate from high school.

"You won't be able to graduate ... unless you show that letter of acceptance to any one of the four outlets we talked about: college, community college, armed services or a trade," Emanuel said while appearing on CBS This Morning.

The unprecedented move would address concerns that many public school students are graduating without a clear path to higher education or employability. But it would also burden students with another graduation requirement, without necessarily addressing the barriers that keep them from succeeding. The announcement sparked a sudden outpouring of confusion and indignation online, with critics calling it short on specifics and potentially harmful for disadvantaged or special-needs students. Meanwhile, some education-law experts cast deep skepticism on such a program's efficacy or legal standing.

Micki Moran, a founding partner of the Child & Family Law Center, called the proposal "ridiculous" and "a great wish, but not grounded in reality." She said any such post-secondary acceptance requirement would require much more "scaffolding and support" from Chicago Public Schools to prepare kids. "But CPS has the worst transition track record I know of."

Moran, who works extensively in special education, said its unclear how developmentally challenged students would fit into Rahm's proposalbut the potential pitfalls would extend well beyond that group. "For disabled students, there aren't going to be any options... For some student of color in poverty where schools are failing them, it's out of their reach."

Such mandates could be effective in an ideal world, but for them to be fair would require "very significant institutional changes," Moran said. "Kids are graduating without basic life skills. We need to start there, not at the end."

Miranda Johnson, Assistant Director at the Education Law & Policy Institute at Loyola University Chicago, similarly said Emanuel's goal is "laudable" but expressed concerns about making acceptance letters mandatory. Children in foster care, kids with disabilities and homeless youth could have particular difficulty meeting the requirement, she said/

"Having this type of requirement being limited to a small subset of opportunities may limit post secondary plans in a way that would be counterproductive," Johnson said.

"Rather than some type of requirement in order to graduate, the question is, 'What can be done on the front end? ... How can the goal that Emanuel is setting forth be achieved through the proper supports and services?" she added.

Johnson, who said she had never heard of such a proposal in her career prior to Wednesday's announcement, was skeptical about where the legal command to impose such measure exists. "Im interested in seeing the legal authority in the district's ability to add requirements that above and beyond" the Illinois school code guidance, she said.
A group from Japan visits three Chinese women in Harbin on Tuesday who raised children abandoned by Japanese families after World War II. Three Japanese visitors had been among those children, but none had been raised by the women. [Photo by Liu Yang/China Daily]

A group from Japan mourned victims of Japan's invasion and occupation of northeastern China before and during World War II and called on their leaders to visit China to apologize for war crimes on Tuesday.

The group of 41 was organized by people abandoned as children in China by Japanese families at the end of the war, and included three of them who had returned to Japan. The visit took place on Qingming Festival, the most important occasion for Chinese to honor the dead.

They visited Unit 731 Museum in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province, and mourned the more than 3,000 people tortured and killed there. Unit 731 was the Japanese army's germ warfare division, which engaged in experiments on humans.

"It's horrifying to see some of the items on display. Some of them were beyond what I could bear to see," said Nakajima Yohachi, who helped organize the visit.

More than 4,000 Japanese children were adopted in China after World War II, according to media reports. Most have gone back to Japan.

Nakajima, 75, moved to Heilongjiang in 1942 with his family but was abandoned in 1945. He returned to Japan in 1958. He said he wouldn't have survived if it were not for his Chinese parents.

The left-behind children also met with three of the adoptive mothers and gave them gifts. The children they adopted were not in the group.

"Many Japanese are deceived as the history is either distorted or understated in Japanese textbooks," Nakajima said. "We volunteered to come with our own money. We are all peace lovers. We hope Japanese people will gain more knowledge of history, and we also hope there will be no war anymore.

"I think Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should come to China to apologize for the atrocities and reflect on history. If he doesn't come, many Japanese like me will feel sorry for that," he added.

Japanese dancer Yasuda Yuka, 34, said the atrocities were beyond her imagination.

"I am angry and sad as there are few records in Japanese textbooks about this history. Many young Japanese don't know history well and many even think it's dangerous to come to China," she said.

Six of those abandoned who still live in China accompanied the group. Gao Fengqin, 74, was adopted after her father was killed in the war when she was 5, but she still couldn't go back to Japan, which does not recognize her identity. "I am looking forward to going back to hunt for my roots," she said. "But forever, China is my home."
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 17, 2017. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

Steering the China-U.S. relationship in the right direction is a tricky business; however, it can be done - provided the two sides continue to work toward building a new model of international relations centered on mutually-beneficial cooperation.

This week's bilateral meeting at Mar-a-Lago in Florida is a step in the right direction, and the decision to meet early in the Trump presidency signifies the importance of the China-U.S. relationship. Getting it right is important for the prosperity and security of both countries, but also the world.

In 2013, roughly three months after President Xi Jinping took office, his American counterpart welcomed Xi to the Sunnylands estate in Palm Springs, California, in the words of Xi prior to their meeting, "to chart the future of China-U.S. relations and draw a blueprint for this relationship and continue our cooperation across the Pacific Ocean."

Now, at about the same time since Donald Trump took office, the two countries prepare to meet to chart the future of the China-U.S. relationship in the new era.

Since U.S. President Richard Nixon paid his historic visit to China in 1972, both sides have sought to develop a relationship based on win-win cooperation. In doing so, policymakers on both sides of the Pacific have explicitly rejected balance-of-power politics as the central organizing concept. Despite challenges, steady efforts to reject old concepts in favor of a new type of organization based on mutual respect and win-win cooperation has become the key element.

This rational approach to international politics rests on the belief that cooperation and trust are a key means of promoting peace and prosperity. In particular, it assumes that differences can be managed by the two sides in a constructive manner and mistakes avoided.

When the two leaders meet for the first time, at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, both sides will be under pressure to find ways to strengthen cooperation rather than competition. Although strengthening the bilateral relationship is not easy, one can at least see steady progress since Nixon made his historic visit to China.

Each year since 2009, for example, the two countries have held meetings under the Strategic and Economic Dialogue bilateral mechanism to advance economic and trade priorities and to enhance cooperation. And there are many other examples of the two countries working together. The question is, can the two sides find a way to bind the relationship to face the challenges of the new era?

With the Trump administration's about-face on climate change, infrastructure could become the new cornerstone for bilateral cooperation. It's easy to see how. After all, Trump admires China for its hard-won achievements in infrastructure and development. In his book Great Again, for example, he wrote, "You go to countries like China...and you look at their train systems and their public transport. It's so much better. We're like a third-world country."

Trump's admiration for China's growth and development is an opportunity for both sides to advance the bilateral relationship, with the key question being: can the Belt and Road initiative form the common ground in the new era?

For now, we can only speculate about the outcome of the bilateral meeting, but the simple truth is that neither side can go it alone. Infrastructure is an opportunity for developing China-U.S. relations in the right direction.

China is leading the world in infrastructure investment and engineering, and this can be leveraged for the benefit of businesses and the peoples of both countries. Leveraging the bilateral relationship in a way that helps both countries become "great again" would be the very essence of win-win cooperation.

Curtis Stone is an editor and columnist based in Beijing, China. His work focuses on China-U.S. relations.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
President Xi Jinping tells visiting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that the nations should enhance exchanges at all levels. They met on Sunday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. [Photo/Xinhua]

The eyes of not only China and the U.S., but of the world, will be on the President Xi Jinping-President Trump summit.

It would be a mistake to believe that only these countries have direct stakes in its success and all other countries are simply passive bystanders. Given the world's interconnected character, both China and the U.S. have to take into account the positions of other countries in forming the most effective national policy.

The reality is that the rest of the world has a direct interest in China's "win-win" approach, rather than any "American first" policy of the type some advisers in the Trump administration have verbally advocated -- although, to be fair, not yet acted on.

This is of direct help to China. Indeed, for reasons analysed below, China's policy is objectively more in the interests of the American people than are the alternatives. First the bilateral and then the multilateral aspects of these realities will be analysed.

The situation is clearest starting with the fundamentals. The U.S. contains 4 percent of the world's population, China has 19 percent. The U.S. is 25 percent of the world economy at current exchange rates, and 17 percent in comparable international prices (purchasing power parities -- PPPs). China is 15 percent of the world economy at current exchange rates and 17 percent in PPPs.

China and the U.S. are both approximately one sixth of the world economy in PPPs; the U.S. about one quarter at current exchange rates. They are the world's two largest economies and trading nations, creating a huge value of $519 billion in bilateral trade in 2016.

China's weight in the world economy has rapidly increased and the U.S.'s has declined. In 1980 in PPPs, preferable for long term comparisons, the U.S. was 22 percent of the world economy and China was only 2 percent. But China and the U.S. are at different levels of development.

China is one of the world's most advanced developing economy; by 2016 only 12 percent of the population of the developing countries was in states with higher per capita GDPs than China. The U.S. is the world's most advanced major economy.

In 2016 U.S. per capita GDP was $57,300 calculated in either current exchange rates or PPPs. For realistic comparisons of economic development, PPPs are preferable, and by this measure China's per capita GDP was 27 percent of the U.S.

Such differences mean both countries gain greatly from mutual trade. China possesses an overwhelming cost advantage compared to the U.S. in medium technology products -- including numerous consumer goods. As Wang Wen, executive dean of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, recently noted in the Financial Times: "Around $233.8 billion worth of consumer goods were imported from China to the U.S. in 2015. According to Oxford Economics, U.S.-China trade helps each American family save $850 every year."

Proposals from some U.S. figures to impose tariffs on Chinese imports would therefore mean a significant reduction in U.S. living standards due to the higher price of producing such goods in the U.S.

Nor would tariffs create U.S. jobs. A recent study of the 2009 U.S. tariff on tire imports from China found it raised the annual cost of tires to U.S. customers by $1.1 billion -- 1,200 jobs were added in the U.S. tire industry but costing $900,000 each. As U.S. tire workers' average annual salary was $40,070, it would have cost only a tiny fraction of these losses to U.S. consumers to directly subsidize tire workers.

The $1.1 billion extra spent on tires could not be spent on other items, causing job reductions in other parts of the U.S. economy -- 3,700 jobs were lost in U.S. retail compared to 1,200 gained in manufacturing. Anti-China tire tariffs therefore cost U.S. customers $1.1 billion and reduced the number of U.S. jobs by 2,500.

But conversely the U.S. has a competitive advantage compared to China in high technology products. Therefore, a strong mutually beneficial relation exists if China exports consumer and other medium technology products to the U.S. and imports high technology U.S. products. This parallels the highly mutually beneficial relations of Germany and China -- China in 2016 overtook the U.S. and France to become Germany's largest trading partner. Germany exports high quality capital equipment and similar products to China and imports China's consumer products in return.

Any "trade war" between the U.S. and China would therefore be "lose-lose" -- raising costs and lowering living standards, therefore costing jobs, in both countries.

But the combined size of both the U.S. and Chinese economies, which in real terms only amounts to slightly over one third of the world GDP, means neither can dictate policy for the world economy even if it wished.

"America first" means that over 95 percent of the world's population, and over three quarters of the world's economy, is supposed to subordinate itself to the U.S. - which they will not do. The days are gone when the U.S. represented by some calculations almost half the world economy and could dictate the structure of the international order.

Similarly, a sensationalist book titled "When China Rules the World" was created by an editor to produce an international best seller, but China cannot "rule the world" even if it wanted. This is why, in addition to bilateral ties, both China and the U.S. have to take into account the other countries which together make up the majority of the world economy.

China's "win-win" approach gives it a key advantage. If the U.S. lowers its living standards by cutting off imports of cost competitive Chinese products, other countries will not follow suit -- they simply want access to China's huge import market to sell goods in which they have a competitive advantage. Other countries are interested in maximizing global trade -- the foundation of China's "win-win."

China and the U.S. have an interest in a successful summit -- so does the rest of the world.

The author is Senior Fellow of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China.

John Ross is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/johnross.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
You are here: Home

 Flash

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a message condemning deadly metro attack in St. Petersburg, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Tuesday.

Erdogan expressed his condolences to the Russian people and to the families of the victims, and wished a speedy recovery of the wounded.

"Turkey, a country which has struggled with terrorism for many years, stands by Russia against this treacherous terror attack," Erdogan said in the message, quoted by Anadolu Agency.

The blast in St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, killed at least 14 and injured dozens on Monday, said Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee.

The explosion, later described as a "terrorist attack," occurred in a Metro train carriage in St. Petersburg.

Russia declared a three-day mourning starting on Tuesday.
 Flash

The Philippines and China have re-established direct talks for the first time in six years to discuss security and trade issues, the Philippines' top diplomat said Tuesday.

Philippine Acting Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said the biggest fruit of President Rodrigo Duterte's visit to Beijing in October last year was the re-opening of the lines that pave the way for direct consultations between the two countries.

"I think one of the benefits that have arisen from the president's visit last October is that we have restored various mechanisms to talk to China, not only on trade but also on political and security issues," Manalo told a forum in Manila.

"The key here is how to talk, how to settle or how to manage tensions in a peaceful way," Manalo said.

He said bilateral talks are the key because dialogue and cooperation will foster peace and prosperity in the region.

The Philippines and China are in talks to establish a bilateral consultation mechanism on the South China Sea.

Manalo said that the mechanism will provide the Philippines and China a good forum to have frank exchanges on vital issues.

"We're discussing with China in the context of trying to improve our relationship," he said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said last week that China is willing to strengthen dialogue with the Philippines to properly manage and control divergences and advance maritime cooperation to create a favorable atmosphere for pragmatic cooperation as well as the sound and stable development of ties.
 Flash

Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd L) and his wife Peng Liyuan (1st L) attend a welcoming ceremony with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto (2nd R) and his wife Jenni Haukio in Helsinki, Finland, April 5, 2017. [Xinhua/Lan Hongguang]

China and Finland agreed Wednesday to establish and promote a future-oriented new-type cooperative partnership, with both sides pledging to enhance political mutual trust and deepen pragmatic cooperation.

During talks between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto, the two heads of state stressed that to build a more forward-looking strategic relationship that keeps pace with the times is in the fundamental interests of both countries and their peoples.

"China and Finland are good friends and partners who respect each other, treat each other as equals and enjoy mutually-beneficial cooperation," Xi said. "The peoples of our two countries have always cherished a friendly sentiment toward each other."

Noting that the development needs of China and Finland fit well with each other, Xi called on the two sides to increase high-level exchanges, build up strategic mutual trust, explore potentials for cooperation and give support to each other in development.

Niinisto expressed warm welcome to the Chinese president for his visit on the occasion of the centenary of Finland's independence.

Finland highly values China's achievements in development and its important role in international affairs, he said.

The Finnish side hopes to carry out more high-level contacts and exchanges in all areas with China, and deepen cooperation in economy and trade, investment, innovation, environmental protection, tourism, winter sports and the Arctic affairs, as well as within the framework of the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative, Niinisto said.

Finland also wants to strengthen communication and coordination with China on major international issues and push for an even closer cooperation between the European Union and China, he said.

The B&R Initiative was put forward by President Xi in 2013, aiming to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes.

Wide-ranging cooperation expected

It is the first visit by a Chinese head of state to this Nordic country in 22 years.

The two countries upgraded their ties to the future-oriented new-type cooperative partnership in 2013, when Niinisto paid a state visit to China.

During the summit talks between Xi and Niinisto on Wednesday morning, the two leaders confirmed the establishment of the bilateral relationship by pledging to boost substantial cooperation in all areas.

The two sides reaffirmed their respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and their willingness to take into account each other's core interests and major concerns.

The Finnish side also reaffirmed its commitment to the one-China policy.

The two countries agreed to step up exchanges and cooperation between their governments, legislative bodies, judiciary authorities and political parties.

On economic front, the two sides pledged to seek synergy between their economic development plans, discuss cooperation within the framework of the B&R Initiative and jointly promote the interconnectivity of Eurasia.

Bilateral investment should be boosted and bilateral trade should grow in a more balanced way, the two leaders said during their talks.

Cooperation will be deepened in a wide range of areas, including circular economy, efficiency of resource utilization, sustainable development, environmental protection, construction of new-type urbanization and green, smart cities, agriculture, forestry, transport, information and communication technology, and innovation.

The two sides will also endeavor to build the Chinese-Finnish ecological parks.

On cultural front, the two sides vowed to enhance cooperation in sports, culture, education, tourism, rule of law, social affairs and giant panda research.

As China will host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, the two countries agreed to cooperate more in winter sports and preparation for the Winter Olympics.

The two sides will launch a China-Finland Year of Winter Sports in 2019.

On international and regional affairs, the two countries pledged to enhance communication and coordination to safeguard world peace and stability, improve global economic governance, help implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and actively participate in the multilateral process of climate change.

Xi's visit to Finland is his first trip to a European Union (EU) member state this year, and also his first visit to the Nordic region as president.

During their talks, Xi and Niinisto agreed that the future-oriented new-type cooperative partnership between China and Finland is complementary to the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.

The two sides said they will commit themselves to building the China-EU partnership for peace, growth, reform and civilization, promoting the implementation of the China-EU 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation, and boosting Sino-Nordic cooperation.

A joint declaration on establishing and promoting the future-oriented new-type cooperative partnership between China and Finland was issued after the summit talks.

The two heads of state also witnessed the signing of cooperation documents on innovation, judiciary and joint research on giant panda.

China and Finland have enjoyed long-term friendship and cooperation since they forged diplomatic ties 67 years ago.

Finland was one of the first Western countries to establish diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China, and the first Western nation to sign an intergovernmental trade agreement with China.

Currently, China has been Finland's biggest trading partner in Asia for 14 years.

Xi arrived here Tuesday for a state visit. After Finland, the Chinese president will travel to Florida, the United States, for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday and Friday.

That will be the first meeting between Xi and Trump as the heads of state of the two biggest economies in the world.
Dr. Mukta Panda, FACP, University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga has been awarded Mastership in the American College of Physicians, the national organization of internists.

Election to Mastership recognizes outstanding and extraordinary career accomplishments. Masters must have made a notable contribution to medicine. This includes, but is not limited to teaching, outstanding work in clinical medicine either through research or practice, contributions to preventive medicine, improvements in the delivery of health care, and/or contributions to the medical literature, said officials.

Mastership is conferred only on a select number of worthy candidates who are deemed distinguished through a combination of achievements, including the practice of internal medicine, academic contributions to our specialty, and service to the College, said Jack Ende, MD, MACP, chair of Awards Committee for ACP. In making decisions about each candidates suitability for Mastership, the Committee considered qualities such as strength of character, integrity, perseverance, leadership, compassion, and devotion, as well as clinical expertise and commitment to advancing the art and science of medicine.

Dr. Panda is assistant dean for Medical Education, professor of Medicine and the program director of the transitional year residency program at the UTCOM Chattanooga Health Science Center based at Erlanger Health System. Her scholarly work is focused on educational and curricular development, spirituality in medicine, addressing fatigue and stress and promoting wellness in health care providers. She facilitates regular retreats for health care professionals and trainees while also participating as the facilitator with the Center of Courage and Renewal.

As co-chair of the Associates Committee for the Tennessee Chapter ACP, Dr. Panda has contributed to the Associates activities at the annual chapter scientific meeting for many years. She has served multiple terms as member of the Governors Council of the Tennessee Chapter ACP and has co-chaired the chapter Scientific Planning Committee.

Dr. Panda has also authored over 60 publications and book chapters with many with her residents serving as co-authors. She has received multiple teaching awards from medical students and resident. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education recognized her as a 2008 recipient of the Parker Palmer Courage to Teach Award. The Tennessee Chapter ACP recognized her with the Laureate Award in 2011. In 2016 she received the ACP Award for Outstanding Educator of Residents and Fellows.

As a Master of the American College of Physicians, Dr. Panda embodies qualities such as a teacher and mentor, advocacy for quality in internal medicine, a commitment to social justice, deep interest in people, and the creation of communities of medicine, added Dr. Ende. She is recognized as a "citizen physician," educational innovator, humanist, and learner-teacher who inspires others to seek high standards and excellence in our cherished specialty of Internal Medicine.

According to ACP bylaws, Masters are elected on account of personal character, positions of honor, contributions toward furthering the purposes of the ACP, eminence in practice or in medical research, or other attainments in science or in the art of medicine. ACP activities are also taken into consideration for all candidates. This includes service to the ACP in an official capacity, participation in chapter activities, and involvement in the development of College products and educational programs. Volunteer and community service is also taken into consideration.
A luxury condominium and apartment developer plans to build as many as four residential towers across the street from Holy Name Cathedral, after striking a $115 million deal to buy a huge parking lot from the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Jim Letchinger, president of Chicago-based JDL Development, said his firm is buying the 96,000-square-foot development site just west of the Catholic church.

Advertisement

Letchinger declined to comment on terms of the deal. But a source familiar with the deal said JDL has a letter of intent to buy the Near North Side parking lot for about $115 million.

JDL plans to develop two to four apartment and condo towers on the site, Letchinger said. He did not disclose details such as the height of the buildings or the number of units, saying it's still early in the planning process.

Advertisement

Specific plans will depend on reaction from neighborhood groups and 2nd Ward Ald. Brian Hopkins, as JDL seeks zoning approval for the project, Letchinger said.

The site is bordered by Chicago Avenue and State, Dearborn and Superior streets along the edge of the River North and Gold Coast neighborhoods. Few sites near there, or in any densely populated area of Chicago, are large enough to accommodate a multi-tower development.

"I'm not aware of any other site that's a full city block in the Gold Coast or River North," Letchinger said. "It has a scale that allows us to create something really spectacular architecturally and from a lifestyle standpoint."

The archdiocese confirmed in an email that it reached an agreement to sell the site, but did not identify the price or buyer.

"Any future development will include an open, green space across from the cathedral and an increased number of parking spaces reserved for cathedral use," the email said.

JDL's deal to buy the site from the archdiocese was first reported by Crain's Chicago Business.

The site is within a half-mile of three other big JDL projects, including the 70-unit luxury condo project, No. 9 Walton, at State and Walton streets and the neighboring Two West Delaware project in which JDL is converting 153 luxury apartments into about 130 condos. JDL is also building a 23-story, 250-unit apartment tower on a River North site where the Ed Debevic's diner previously stood.

"I've had success in this area, so I believe in it," Letchinger said of the Holy Name project.

Advertisement

JDL's development partner on No. 9 Walton, Chinese private equity firm Cindat Capital Management, is believed to be a potential equity partner in the Holy Name project. Letchinger declined to identify likely investors, but said he is in talks with several potential equity partners.

rori@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @Ryan_Ori
Nivea has pulled a deodorant ad that declared "White Is Purity" after people protested that the slogan is racist, and after others hijacked the ad's online campaign with comments about white supremacy.

The ad, which appeared in a Facebook post last week, originally targeted the German skin care company's followers in the Middle East. It was intended to promote Nivea's "Invisible for Black and White" deodorant and depicted the back of a woman's head with long, wavy, dark hair that tumbled over an all-white outfit.

Advertisement

Underneath the woman's locks was the slogan in all caps: "WHITE IS PURITY."

I love a social media manger with a death wish. pic.twitter.com/M86Y4AhJaD  Nathalie Gordon (@awlilnatty) April 3, 2017

The caption on Nivea's Facebook post read: "Keep it clean, keep bright. Don't let anything ruin it, #Invisible."

Advertisement

The post was quickly condemned by those who saw it as promoting racist rhetoric.

"What the HELL is this? White Purity?" one Twitter user said. "Shame, Shame, Shame on you. Fire your marketing person and anyone who approved this ad."

Another Twitter user took images of racist comments that had been left on the Facebook post, some referencing the Holocaust.

"Wow @NiveaUSA. This is horrendous," the person wrote. "Your comments are FULL of society's refuse. This cleared your marketing department? #prnightmare"

Still others appeared to praise the ad - for the same reasons.

The Daily Mail captured an image of a post by a white supremacist group on Nivea's Facebook page that read, "We enthusiastically support this new direction your company is taking. I'm glad we can all agree that #WhiteIsPurity."

"Nivea has chosen our side and the most liked comments are glorious," another Twitter user said, with an image of the top comments on Nivea's Facebook post.

One showed Pepe the Frog, a meme that in recent years was co-opted by white supremacists and has been declared a hate symbol.

Advertisement

Another showed a picture of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler edited to depict him with glowing orbs of light for eyes.

A handful of threads on the anonymous online forum 4chan praised the Nivea ad slogan's apparent, if unintended, link to white supremacy and encouraged people to "LIKE ALL COMMENTS, BUY THEIR PRODUCTS."

"Is Nivea, dare I say, /our guy/?" one 4chan user wondered, referring to supporters of white supremacist groups.

Nivea has since deleted the Facebook post, though images of the ad are still widely available online. Metro UK reported that the post remained publicly visible over the weekend and was only removed Monday after the news outlet inquired about it.

Representatives for Nivea's parent company, Beiersdorf Global, did not immediately respond to an email request for comment Tuesday.

However, the company appeared to spend much of the day individually replying to people on Twitter who were outraged by the ad.

Advertisement

NiveaUK tweeted: @benjancewicz@plumandmustard@NIVEAUSA This was not a @niveauk post, the NIVEA Middle East post was not meant to be offensive. We deeply apologise and it's been removed.

... We truly value diversity and equality  (2/2)  NIVEA UK & Ireland (@niveauk) April 5, 2017

NIVEA USA tweeted: @maej43@wickdchiq@niveauk The NIVEA Middle East post was not meant to be offensive. We apologize. It's been removed. NIVEA values diversity and tolerance.

In a statement to BBC News, the company apologized for the post and said it had been removed after "concerns risen about ethnic discrimination."

"We are deeply sorry to anyone who may take offense to this specific post," the statement read. "After realizing that the post is misleading, it was immediately withdrawn. Diversity and equal opportunity are crucial values of NIVEA: The brand represents diversity, tolerance, and equal opportunity. We value difference. Direct or indirect discrimination must be ruled out in all decisions by, and in all areas of our activities."

An earlier "invisible" ad declaring that "Black Stays black. White Stays White." was still on the Nivea Middle East Facebook page as of Wednesday morning.

This is not the first time Nivea has attracted controversy with its marketing campaigns.

Advertisement

In 2011, an ad for "Nivea for Men" products came under fire for depicting a clean-shaven black man holding a disembodied head with an Afro - presumably his former self - and getting ready to toss it away.

The slogan on that ad? "RE-CIVILIZE YOURSELF."

Adweek noted there was a corresponding "Nivea for Men" ad that showed a white man holding his own disembodied head, but that one didn't include the "re-civilize yourself" slogan. Outrage over the campaign forced Nivea to publicly apologize on its Facebook page.

"Thank you for caring enough to give us your feedback about the recent 'Re-civilized' NIVEA FOR MEN ad," the company's 2011 apology read. "This ad was inappropriate and offensive. It was never our intention to offend anyone, and for this we are deeply sorry. This ad will never be used again. Diversity and equal opportunity are crucial values of our company."

The Washington Post's Abby Ohlheiser contributed to this report.
A Chicago woman is suing Uber and another passenger after she allegedly was stabbed in the face in an UberPool vehicle, highlighting the ongoing safety debate surrounding the ride-sharing platform.

Jennifer Camacho, 25, was out with friends one night in January and called an UberPool for a ride home. UberPool allows multiple passengers who don't know each other to share rides if they're heading in the same direction, resulting in lower fares.

Advertisement

But as soon as Camacho got in the vehicle, the passenger in the front seat allegedly turned around and began slashing Camacho with a 3-inch blade, according to the complaint, filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court. Though Camacho was able to fend off the alleged attacker, she suffered wounds to her face that doctors say will likely leave permanent scarring, according to her lawsuit.

Camacho's lawsuit argues Uber should have known that passengers could become violent with one another and states that riders, since they are strangers, have no means of checking each other's backgrounds.

Advertisement

"Uber is promoting a safe ride-share experience and is in the best position to make sure that its drivers and passengers are safe people," said Bryant Greening, the attorney representing Camacho. "They should be providing training for drivers on how to deal with these types of situations and mitigate violence if it does occur."

The suit alleges negligence by Uber and asks for a judgment of more than $50,000 to cover the cost of medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering, Greening said.

He said he was notified last month that Uber's insurance carrier denied coverage for Camacho because the incident was not an accident.

Uber spokeswoman Kayla Whaling declined to comment on the pending suit but wrote in an email that the company does not "condone this type of behavior on our app."

The incident occurred in the early hours of Jan. 30, just after the Uber picked up Camacho in the 3300 block of North Halsted Street in the Lakeview neighborhood.

Police responded and arrested the alleged attacker, 34-year-old Julie Ramer, according to Chicago Police Department records. The Logan Square neighborhood resident was charged with battery.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday also alleges one count each of battery and assault against Ramer and asks for a judgment of more than $100,000.

Ramer could not be reached for comment. Camacho declined to comment through her lawyer.

Advertisement

Incidents involving the safety of Uber drivers and passengers have captured headlines repeatedly, in Chicago and nationally.

For example, in Chicago last summer, an Uber driver faced allegations of sexually assaulting an intoxicated female passenger. In 2015, a California driver's dashboard camera captured video of his rider getting violent, which soon went viral.

Uber touts its safety  for passengers and drivers  on its website. Last year, however, Uber agreed to pay at least $10 million to settle allegations that it misled customers about its driver background checks.

There's a double standard for drivers and passengers when it comes to joining the platform, said Harry Campbell, a Los Angeles-based Uber driver who runs a blog called The Rideshare Guy.

Drivers undergo background checks and other measures, but passengers just need a credit card number and a few other pieces of information to sign up, Campbell said.

"A lot of the stories revolve around passengers feeling unsafe about their drivers, but as a driver, the busiest times to drive for Uber or Lyft are Friday or Saturday night, when everyone's drinking and intoxicated," he said.

Advertisement

That can spell trouble for drivers and passengers alike, Campbell said. Uber needs to work harder on educating drivers and passengers and to add other safety measures, such as a way to get live help if a violent situation does occur.

Uber has a duty to protect its customers, said Greening, the attorney representing Camacho.

"Ride-sharing is part of our lives, and it's an exciting part of our lives, but people need to understand that there are risks associated with it," he said. "(Customers) need to have the protection they deserve."

amarotti@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @AllyMarotti
The James Beard Foundation will host its gala event in Chicago for at least the next two years. (Photo illustration by Chicago Tribune)

I think it was a New York Times article that first dubbed the James Beard Foundation Awards "the culinary Oscars." That moniker has stuck (unofficially of course, as "the Oscars" is trademarked and copyrighted by you know whom), and it's as apt a description as I can imagine.

If you're a chef, pastry chef, restaurateur or baker, there is no higher honor than a James Beard award. Certainly there are other culinary honors out there, and chefs are understandably grateful and humbled to receive any of them. But there's only one No. 1, and the JBF is it.

Advertisement

A moment of disclosure: I've served on the JBF Restaurant and Chef Awards subcommittee, which I now chair, since 2007. So I'm not exactly a neutral party. But I've seen the awards up close, seen the joy on the winners' faces. This is as good as it gets. And "James Beard nominated chef," let alone "James Beard winning chef," not only looks good on the resume, but also sends a slew of customers to your door.

It also doesn't hurt that the awards ceremony itself is a grand, black-tie gala, from the red carpet (yes, really) on which the nominated chefs arrive to the star-studded chef tastings that follow the ceremony. It's hard not to be swept up in the glamour.

Advertisement

OK, the awards are a big honor. What else?

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

Over the years, the awards have proven to be an astonishingly accurate predictor of future success. In the first 10 years, outstanding chef award winners included Wolfgang Puck, Alice Waters, Daniel Boulud, Rick Bayless, Thomas Keller, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Charlie Trotter and David Bouley. You've probably heard of a couple of those people. Early winners of the rising star award (for young chefs showing great promise) include Todd English, Bobby Flay, Sarah Stegner, Traci Des Jardins, Michael Mina, Marcus Samuelsson and Andrew Carmellini. Which helps explain why Jimmy Bannos Jr., who won this award last year, was so thrilled.

In its year-round work, the JBF provides a stage for chefs to show their stuff at dinners at New York City's James Beard House. From cities large and small, chefs have made the pilgrimage to cook in New York; some of them likely will be accepting awards Monday evening.

In recognizing high professional standards and culinary excellence in virtually every corner of the country, the JBF has placed top chefs in the spotlight, giving them the attention and credibility that has enabled them to spread the messages of clean food, healthy food, ethically and sustainably raised food. In a very real sense, the nation eats better because of the Beard awards.

The first Beard awards ceremony took place 25 years ago on a yacht in New York City's harbor. This year, the foundation figuratively weighed anchor again, moving the gala to Chicago's Civic Opera House  the first time the ceremony has taken place outside of New York. (Get used to it, East Coasters; the awards return here in 2016 and 2017.) This, too, is a big deal, as it focuses the nation's attention on Chicago's remarkable dining scene and the chefs who make it so.

The fact that it reduces my commute is just a bonus.

pvettel@tribpub.com

Twitter @philvettel
Who needs a recipe for a quesadilla? Grab a flour tortilla, pile on shredded cheese and heat it up in a pan until the cheese melts. There, I summed up about 75 percent of the quesadilla recipes around, and you only had to read one sentence. Of course, you could add some chicken, which would account for another 10 percent of the recipes, but that's stretching the limit of most people's quesadilla comprehension.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with this kind of quesadilla. Gooey, melted cheese on a tortilla is almost always a fine and good thing, but it's not the only quesadilla available. In fact, it's helpful to think of quesadillas in two broad categories: those made with pre-made tortillas and those made with fresh masa.

Advertisement

The latter, especially, are less vehicles strictly for cheese consumption and more like empanadas or turnovers. In "Authentic Mexican," Rick Bayless describes them as "deliciously stuffed pockets of Mexican flavor, bearers of well-spiced vegetables, meats and cheese, transporters of chile-spiked hot sauce or smooth guacamole," which sums it up nicely. Notice how cheese isn't the sole ingredient?

In fact, numerous recipes exist for quesadillas made with fresh masa in which cheese plays a limited or, in some rare cases, completely nonexistent role. In "My Mexico," Diana Kennedy offers a number of quesadilla recipes in which the only cheese is some crumbled queso fresco sprinkled on top. Dudley Nieto and Bruce Kraig's "Cuisines of Hidden Mexico" includes a recipe for quesadillas de huitlacoche (the prized black corn fungus) with no cheese whatsoever.

Advertisement

How can a quesadilla exist without cheese? Honestly, you'd be forgiven for thinking of these as a kind of empanada. Though, there's a chance we're thinking about this too much. In their rambunctiously entertaining "Tacopedia," Juan Carlos Mena and Deborah Holtz delve into the paradox of "cheeseless quesadillas," noting that while it doesn't exactly make a lot of sense, "that's their name, so what can we do?" Good point.

Regardless of whether they have cheese or not, these kinds of quesadillas are mostly made with fresh masa, the same corn dough that's used to make corn tortillas. Occasionally other ingredients, like lard, wheat flour and baking soda are added to the masa, though not always. The masa dough is flattened into a circle using a tortilla press, a small amount of the filling is added across the middle and then the masa is folded up to form a half-moon shape. This is griddled or gently fried until it develops a golden-browned crust, ever so slightly crackly without being crisp.

There are a bewildering collection of variations for these kinds of quesadilla. Though rajas (charred strips of poblano) and huitlacoche (a black corn fungus) are very common, essentially any filling you could have in a taco can make the transition to quesadilla. The only rule is moderation. Add too much cheese or filling, and the dough will crack, unleashing the innards all over the skillet. Certain additions also change the name. The sincronizada often features ham in the mix, while gringas demand al pastor meat. These would both still be considered quesadilla variations.

It's tempting to crown quesadillas made with fresh masa as the pinnacle of the quesadilla-making arts. If you haven't experienced them, I'd suggest you give them a try. But it's important to know that there's no shame in using pre-made tortillas for quesadillas, as long as you treat them with the slightest bit of care.

Unlike quesadillas made with fresh masa, folded-over quesadillas basically require cheese. Forget, forever if you can, the pre-shredded "Mexican cheese" found in the supermarket. What you want is something tangy that melts easily. This can be as simple as a decent quality Monterrey Jack, or, if you're near a well-stocked Mexican grocery store, Chihuahua or Oaxacan cheese is deal.

While store-bought corn tortillas make fine quesadillas, especially if you add some fat to the skillet when crisping them, I do actually prefer the flakiness of flour tortillas here. When cooked in a little fat, the flour tortillas develop a gorgeous speckled browned appearance and hold the fillings without cracking.

The extra strength of flour tortillas also allows us to be slightly more liberal with the amount of filling. That means that you can add multiple components, just so long as you're smart about it. Let's tackle the most common meat-filled one out there: the chicken quesadilla.

The problem with most chicken quesadillas is that the meat and the cheese never join forces. Instead, the meat usually falls off after a few bites. The key to fixing this is use shredded chicken meat, instead of hulking grilled slices. Leftover roast chicken is great here.

Advertisement

I also like to add something acidic to help cut through the heaviness. That can be as simple as adding some canned pickled jalapeno slices, but if you have an hour, you can easily make quick-pickled jalapenos and red onions, which add an appealing freshness to each bite.

The only crime here is unmelted cheese. Cook over too high of heat and the outside of the tortilla burns before the cheese has time to melt, so make sure to cook over a steady medium, flipping the quesadilla occasionally to prevent the tortilla from burning.

Don't be afraid to get creative. Quesadillas thrive on innovation. Ever tried kimchi quesadillas, which were popularized by Los Angeles chef Roy Choi and his Kogi Truck? Sounds crazy, but the spicy pickled heat of the fermented cabbage works extremely well against a pile of gooey cheese. Honestly, my family often has quesadilla night when we need to use up leftovers. Nothing like thrift to lead you down unexpectedly delicious directions.

nkindelsperger@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @nickdk

Quesadillas made with fresh corn masa are filled with sauteed poblanos and onions, folded and sealed, then browned in a skillet. Food styling by Mark Graham. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune; Mark Graham / food styling )

Quesadillas with fresh corn masa

Advertisement

Prep: 35 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Makes: 8 quesadillas

Look for fresh masa dough at tortilla factories or Mexican grocery stores, or use masa flour for tortillas and follow the directions on the package to make the dough.

2 poblano chiles

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

Advertisement

1 large white onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped fresh epazote (if available) or fresh cilantro

12 ounces fresh masa dough

1/2 pound shredded Monterey Jack or queso Chihuahua

Advertisement

Guacamole for serving

1 If using a gas stove: Place poblano chiles on the grate above a burner. Turn heat to high. Cook until blackened on the bottom. Use a pair of tongs to rotate the chiles until blackened all over. Transfer chiles to a paper bag to steam, 15 minutes. Peel off blackened skin, and remove stems and seeds. Cut poblanos into 1/4-inch thick slices.

2 If using a broiler: Adjust oven rack to top, and heat broiler to high. Set chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet, and slide sheet underneath the broiler. Cook until blackened on top, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until blackened on the other side, another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer chiles to a plastic bag to steam for 15 minutes. Peel off blackened skin, and remove stems and seeds. Cut poblanos into 1/4-inch thick strips.

3 Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add poblano and onion slices; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until onions are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and epazote (or cilantro), and stir well. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Turn off heat. Transfer chile and onion mixture to a bowl; set aside until cool. Clean out the skillet.

4 Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium heat.

5 Divide masa into 1 1/2-ounce balls (about the size of a pingpong ball). Place an 8-inch round sheet of plastic (thin grocery store bags work extremely well) on the bottom plate of a tortilla press. Set one masa ball on the plastic, and place a second 8-inch round sheet of plastic on top. Flatten the masa gently with the tortilla press, until it's about a 4-inch circle and about 1/16-inch thick. You may need to press more than once for an even quesadilla, turning the disk 90 degrees between each pressing.

Advertisement

6 Carefully remove the top sheet of plastic. Place an ounce of cheese and a few strips of the poblano and onion on half of the masa circle. Using the bottom plastic sheet, fold the quesadilla in half to form a half moon shape. Compress the edges, so that no filling can get out. Gently roll the quesadilla onto your hand; transfer directly to the skillet. Cook, flipping the quesadilla every minute or so, until the exterior is nicely browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat with remaining masa balls. Serve with guacamole.

Nutrition information per quesadilla: 293 calories, 14 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 33 g carbohydrates, 1 g sugar, 12 g protein, 317 mg sodium, 3 g fiber

Chicken quesadillas are brightened with quick-pickled red onion and jalapenos and enriched with cheese, all folded into a tortilla. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

Chicken quesadillas with pickled red onion and jalapenos

Prep: 25 minutes

Cook: 4-6 minutes per batch

Makes: 4 quesadillas

Advertisement

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoon sugar

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

2 jalapenos, thinly sliced

8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack or queso Chihuahua

Advertisement

4 ounces cooked, shredded chicken breast

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

4 (8-inch) flour tortillas

1 tablespoon canola oil

Guacamole or salsa

1 Pour apple cider vinegar into a medium bowl. Add salt and sugar; stir until dissolved. Add red onion and jalapenos. Set aside for an hour. Drain before using.

2 Place a quarter of the shredded cheese and shredded chicken on half of a tortilla. Add pickled red onion and jalapeno slices to taste. Fold in half. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Advertisement

3 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place two of the quesadillas in the pan. Cook, 2 minutes per side. Repeat with other two quesadillas. Cut into triangles and serve with guacamole.

Nutrition information per quesadilla: 450 calories, 27 g fat, 13 g saturated fat, 74 mg cholesterol, 28 g carbohydrates, 3 g sugar, 25 g protein, 1,048 mg sodium, 1 g fiber






Playwright, actor and Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member Tracy Letts has two plays coming to the theater this year: "Linda Vista," which opens this weekend, starring Ian Barford, and then "The Minutes" in the fall, a play heading straight from Steppenwolf to Broadway. I spoke recently with Letts; the following is edited from our conversation.

Q: Why so suddenly prolific?

Advertisement

A: When you stop acting on stage, it frees up a lot of time. I'd been doing two or three shows a year for 30 years. When you're in a show, your whole life gets built around your show. It's in your body. You eat accordingly. You sleep accordingly. "The Realistic Joneses" was pretty easy. Ninety-minute play. Working with friends. But "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (which went from Steppenwolf to Broadway in 2012) really knocked the stuffing out of me.

Q: Not that you stopped acting entirely.

Advertisement

A: No. I am working on Season 2 of "Divorce" for HBO, right after opening night. And I have two movies coming out this year: "The Lovers" with Debra Winger, a film about middle-aged married people who are having affairs; and "Lady Bird," a movie by Greta Gerwig with Saoirse Ronan. Laurie Metcalf and I are both in that one. Believe it or not, it will be the first time we ever have worked together.

Q: Wait. Don't you also have another play that you can't find anybody to produce?

A: Yes. That one. The one I keep talking to you about. It's called "The Scavengers." It's too expensive to do. They break it down for me to explain why: It has sets, people, music and magic. I have offered to get rid of one of the elements. But I still can't get it done. I need to find the right director to help me get it into some kind of workshop stage.

Tim Hopper, left, and Ian Barford star in Tracy Letts' "Linda Vista," which opens this weekend at Steppenwolf. (Joel Moorman photo)

Q: So what's "Linda Vista" about?

A: It's about a 50-year-old guy who has gone through a terrible divorce and moved into his own apartment. He's trying to get his life started back up. It's a comedy. It's contemporary. You might say there is some connective tissue between me and that guy.

Q: He's a Chicagoan?

A: Yes. But he's living in San Diego. He's a camera repairman now, and a former photographer for the Sun-Times.

Q: He got laid off?

Advertisement

A: It's explained in the play. It's complicated.

Q: It's also long, I hear. Running time: Two hours and 50 minutes.

A: Hmm. Longer than we thought. (Looks out of window). Look! There are my new pages arriving right now. I've come in with some cuts today. It may not be that long.

Q: And "The Minutes"?

A: That's a play about politics.

Q: Of a Trumpian nature?

Advertisement

A: I was well into it, rounding the bend and coming in for the finish when Trump was elected. It was a job to keep my blinders on. But he has recontextualized everything. Even "Linda Vista" had to get rewrites.

Q: Why?

A: It's set right now and the lead character is very opinionated about life, politics, culture. The Cheney jokes were starting to fall flat.

MOST READ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS THIS HOUR

Q: You're working with the director Dexter Bullard on this first one.

A: It's great to be back with Dexter. Both Anna (Shapiro) and I agreed, at almost exactly the same moment, that she was not the right director for the show. Dexter has the right sensibility.

Advertisement

Q: Very good then.

A: You're not going to ask me about the Jeff Committee?

Q: Should I ask you about the Jeff Committee? OK, what about the Jeff Committee?

A: We are not inviting them to "Linda Vista." I asked Steppenwolf to do this for me, and they agreed, and all of my collaborators agreed, because I asked them first. I am asking the (Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee) to pay for their tickets. They ask for, like, 150 seats on Friday and Saturday nights. That's a lot of money, especially for theaters smaller than Steppenwolf. The Tonys are an organ of the American Theatre Wing. The Academy does a tremendous amount for the film industry. The Jeffs are more like a club to get free tickets. The Saints do a whole lot more for Chicago theater, and they have to usher. The Jeffs need to do some service, give away some scholarships.

Q: Is this to do with you not getting a lot of award recognition from them in the past?

A: They don't like me and I don't like them. Plus, it's a sea of white faces. Our theater community has changed. The Jeff Committee hasn't changed or diversified. Our community deserves a better service organization.

Advertisement

"Linda Vista" opens Saturday and runs through May 21 at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.; 312-335-1650 and www.steppenwolf.org

Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.

cjones5@chicagotribune.com

Twitter@ChrisJonesTrib

RELATED STORIES:

New Tracy Letts politics play will debut at Steppenwolf, go to Broadway

Advertisement

Big changes, notable names at Steppenwolf for 2016-17 season

'Rent,' 'London Wall' among winners at non-Equity Jeff Awards







Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
YouTube, the world's most popular website for free, short-form video, introduced its live pay-TV service Wednesday -- with a little help from raging zombies.

YouTube TV, which had been in testing, will soon add six cable channels from AMC Networks Inc., including AMC and BBC America, as part of a $35-a-month live TV subscription that already includes the four major broadcast networks and dozens of cable outlets. That gives the fledgling online service popular shows like AMC's zombie thriller "The Walking Dead."

Advertisement

The explosion of video from Netflix and Amazon.com, along with shrinking cable audiences, have led pay-TV providers and technology giants to court young viewers with online offerings they can watch on iPhones and TVs. Dish Network, AT&T and Sony are all selling small packages of channels on the web that include live programming and on-demand libraries of shows. These skinny bundles have amassed almost 2 million subscribers.

MOST READ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS THIS HOUR

Advertisement

AMC Networks, based in New York, is the only pure-play cable programmer chosen for YouTube TV, which has decided not to carry Time Warner Inc.'s CNN, TBS and TNT channels, for example. YouTube's other partners all own major broadcast networks and were able to use popular over-the-air shows as leverage to include their cable channels.

Media companies without that bargaining chip are fighting for spots in new skinny bundles - and facing more subscriber losses as such plans gain favor and traditional pay-TV loses viewers. Hulu said in March it would carry six channels from pay-TV programmer A+E Networks, including History, in its forthcoming online service. Viacom, the owner of MTV and Nickelodeon, won't be part of that plan.

With the YouTube deal, AMC Networks has secured a place in every new online package now in the marketplace, including Dish's Sling, AT&T's DirecTV Now and Sony's PlayStation Vue. The company doesn't have a deal with Hulu, which is owned by Walt Disney Co., 21st Century Fox, Comcast, the respective owners of ABC, Fox and NBC, as well as Time Warner.

Shares of AMC rose 4.1 percent to $61.49 at 1:23 p.m. in New York. They were up 13 percent this year through Tuesday.

AMC's flagship network airs "The Walking Dead,'' one of the most-watched shows on TV, as well as "Better Call Saul'' and "Into the Badlands,'' two of the most popular cable programs. Its other cable networks air critical darlings "Portlandia,'' "Orphan Black'' and "Doctor Who.''

"We have vital content that stands out above the pack,'' Chief Executive Officer Josh Sapan said in an interview. "The content is really desired by select groups of people. It's on their favorites list.''

AMC Networks demands less for its programming than some peers. Viacom charges more than $3 a month per subscriber for its suite of cable channels, including Comedy Central, according to data from S&P Global Inc.'s Kagan division. AMC charges less than half of that.

"Our wholesale rate is very agreeable and fair and appropriately priced,'' Sapan said. "Someone constructing their offering doesn't bust their budget, which they might if they buy from someone else.''

Advertisement

In addition to marketing a monthly live TV service, Google's YouTube will also offer premium services, like Showtime, for an additional fee. AMC Networks will take part in that as well, with the Sundance Now independent film and documentary service available for $7 a month and the $5-a-month horror flick service Shudder.

RELATED STORIES:

Five things 'The Walking Dead' needs to do to keep us watching

Let the bullets fly: 5 thoughts recapping 'The Walking Dead' Season 7 finale

No guns on the beach: 5 thoughts recapping 'The Walking Dead' Season 7 Episode 15

Tied up in knots: 5 thoughts recapping 'The Walking Dead' Season 7 Episode 14







Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Susan Seehaver, from left, Mia Magruder and Melanie Bowyer, of Charlottesville, Va., hold Founding Fathers stick puppets of Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, during a new Hamilton tour of Monticello. (Larry Bleiberg / Chicago Tribune)

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.  Alexander Hamilton never visited the home of archrival Thomas Jefferson. But the nation's first treasury secretary  and namesake of the hit musical  rules the house during the new Hamilton Tour Takeover at Monticello.

The after-hour visits are part history class and part civics lesson  with chances to rap and sing.

Advertisement

"Jefferson is definitely a villain of the musical, but this is not in any way a response," says Steve Light, Monticello's tour manager. "We want people to engage in the history."

The leaders' complicated and contradictory relationship becomes clear the moment you enter the mansion. Light points to busts of Hamilton and Jefferson, which the third president installed so they could remain "opposed in death as in life."

Advertisement

The guide distributes stick puppets of the Founding Fathers, and the nature of their conflict emerges as visitors read excerpts from source documents and lyrics from the musical. Hamilton, an "immigrant, orphan, bastard," believed in the leadership of aristocrats, while Jefferson, an aristocrat, trusted in the people, Light says.

"Who does he mean by the people?" asks Astrid Crookshank, visiting from Maryland with her college-age son. "Women? Slaves? Or white landowners?"

Visitor Tab Broyles, of Williamsburg, Va., holds a stick puppet of Alexander Hamilton during the Hamilton tour of Monticello. (Larry Bleiberg / Chicago Tribune)

Light answers by quoting "The Hamilton Mixtape" about the nature of history: "The reality is messier and richer, kids."

As the tour approaches the dining room, a visitor begins to sing "The Room Where It Happens," a showstopper from the play.

Light explains the famed meeting actually occurred in New York, where Hamilton, Jefferson and James Madison agreed the nation would assume states' debts in return for placing the capital in Washington, D.C. As the song says, Jefferson likely "arranged the menu, the venue and the setting"  with the help of his slave, Paris-trained chef James Hemings.

Tonight's tour ends in the recently restored Dome Room, where Light brings up the 1800 presidential election. Surprisingly, Hamilton played a crucial role in helping Jefferson defeat his running mate, Aaron Burr. "Jefferson has beliefs," Hamilton explains onstage. "Burr has none."

The west front of Thomas Jeffersons Monticello, where new Hamilton tours are being offered. (Jack Looney / Thomas Jefferson Foundation at)

As the evening sun streams through circular windows, Light asks his visitors their opinion: Are we living in Hamilton's nation today or Jefferson's? After some discussion, Crookshank speaks up.

"I think the country won," she says, "because we have both."

Advertisement

The roughly 90-minute tours cost $40 and are offered select Fridays and Saturdays through May, and in September; www.monticello.org.

Larry Bleiberg is a freelance writer.

RELATED STORIES:

An East Coast tour for die-hard Hamilton fans

Biking and baring it all on a cycling adventure around Lake Constance

Kiwis come to the rescue after accident derails New Zealand dream trip
Most rabbit holes look simple enough, but even a rabbit hole can be dangerous if unseen.

A good dog can break its leg in one. So can a horse, or a human. First there is a loud crack of bone, and then comes great pain.

Advertisement

But there's another kind of rabbit hole, the Washington kind. These are dug out not by furry rabbits that eat carrots, but by silky experts in the political shadows.

The Washington rabbit hole is full of half-truths, conspiracies, politics, spies and agenda-driven leaks in a town full of smiling liars. And from time to time Americans are invited, or goaded by media and political operatives, into entering one.

Advertisement

These are truly dangerous, because it is this kind of rabbit hole that an entire nation can step into and, when it does, a country can break more than an ankle.

A country can break its own back.

And it is in such a Washington rabbit hole that Susan Rice  the famed Benghazi liar and Barack Obama's former national security adviser  finds herself stuck.

There's little we can do about it. She's the one who got herself stuck in there. And she's the one who can dig herself out.

But Rice might start digging out by testifying before Congress without Fifth Amendment protection to prove she's got nothing to hide.

In this smelly business that has occupied Americans for months, there are two issues for congressional investigators, and the nation, to consider.

One involves the conclusion of intelligence that Russian-backed cyber thieves broke into Democratic National Committee emails and got them released to WikiLeaks to interfere with the American presidential election.

These leaks, of information that Democrats can't deny as false, damaged Hillary Clinton. There is no question about this. And clearly the Russians interfered. But we haven't been shown any real evidence, besides rabbit-hole shadows, that Trump or his team conspired with Vladimir Putin.

Advertisement

Still, Democrats cling to this Putin scenario on partisan grounds. It delegitimizes the president and makes Clinton's stupendous loss easier for them to handle.

Putin may have "hacked" the DNC. But he didn't "hack" the election.

And what was in those emails  about Democratic Party collusion with established media outlets on Clinton's behalf  still hasn't been dealt with by the institution of journalism. It's all been ignored and allowed to fester, as journalists continue on their Trump hunts.

But there is no doubt the Russians interfered with American elections, and that can't be tolerated. What also can't be tolerated is the hint that American intelligence was subverted for partisan political gain.

Did the Obama White House spy on its political opponents, namely Trump and his people, and leak intelligence information to reporters to damage him?

That's just as serious as the Russian business. If political spying on domestic opponents is allowed  especially with the kind of data gathering now available to our intelligence agencies  our republic will collapse in a spineless heap.

Advertisement

If you're a Democrat, you'll hold to one and brush off the other, and if you're a Republican, you'll do the opposite. So why not do what's right for the country and consider both?

As far as Rice is concerned, she could tell everything she knows about why U.S. Intelligence gathered information about Trump transition team officials and the Russians between Election Day and President Donald Trump's inauguration.

And she could testify about how those names were unmasked. The name of at least one Trump campaign official, Michael Flynn, was leaked to the news media, which is a felony.

"Let's see what comes," she told friendly interviewer Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC when asked if she'd testify before Congress. "I'm not going to sit here and prejudge."

She won't "sit here" and prejudge? That's a polite way of saying "No. There's no way I want to testify before Congress and have Trey Gowdy ask me questions I don't want to answer."

Perhaps that's because U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy is a former federal prosecutor. And he doesn't give off Team Obama sympathetic vibes like Andrea Mitchell, who got the Rice interview as news was breaking about Rice's role in unmasking the identities of Trump associates picked up during U.S. intelligence gathering.

Advertisement

American intelligence must be allowed to gather intelligence on foreign actors, and sometimes the identities of American citizens caught up in it must be "unmasked" or known in classified settings for proper analysis.

Americans will allow this as long as intelligence gathering isn't used for partisan political gain.

"The notion, which some people are trying to suggest, that by asking for the identity of the American person is the same as leaking it  that's completely false," said Rice on Tuesday in the friendly interview. "There is no equivalence between so-called unmasking and leaking."

Rice categorically denied ever leaking the name of her counterpart, Flynn, who was forced to resign in February after he reportedly misled Vice President Mike Pence about his discussions with the Russian ambassador.

"I leaked nothing to nobody," Rice said.

So while Republicans seize the Rice story in their teeth, liberals ignore it.

Advertisement

"I don't think we should just discount how big a deal it is that Susan Rice was looking at these (names)," Sen. Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican said. "She needs to be asked, 'Did President Obama ask her to do this? Was this a directive from President Obama?'

"I think she should testify under oath on this," Paul said.

Exactly. Out of the rabbit hole and into the light.

Listen to "The Chicago Way" podcast  with John Kass and Jeff Carlin  at www.wgnradio.com/category/wgn-plus/category/thechicagoway.

jskass@chicagotribune.com
Eileen Wagner, 99, who was raped at age 16 and recently reconnected with the daughter she had given up for adoption more than 80 years ago, sits at her home in Monroe, Wis., on May 13, 2016. (Anthony Souffle / Chicago Tribune)

Nearly a year after reconnecting with a daughter she gave up for adoption more than eight decades ago, a Wisconsin woman died peacefully at home Friday at 100.

Eileen Wagner, of Monroe, Wis., closed her eyes for the final time in the same chair overlooking her front window where she watched her daughter, Dorien Hammann, then 84, maneuver her walker up the driveway to meet her for the first time last April. Wagner's death was confirmed by her other daughter, Nancy DeLap.

Advertisement

"Both of us were very happy to have made the connection," said Hammann, who celebrated Mother's Day last year with her birth mother for the first time. At Thanksgiving, she prepared her first turkey dinner for her birth mother  with her rediscovered extended family on hand too.

The reunited mother and daughter, who spoke every few days by phone, were planning another visit later this month.

Advertisement

"I wanted to get to know her more and get to know how her life had been," Hammann said. "But she died the way all of us would want to go. She's in a better place."

For more than eight decades, Wagner told no one in her close-knit family about the baby she gave up as a 16-year-old. In 1932, she had been sexually assaulted by a young man in her hometown of De Pere, Wis., became pregnant and was sent to a home in Milwaukee for pregnant girls planning to give up their babies for adoption, she said.

She went on to get married and have two more children. Her family was well-known, with several businesses in Monroe. With the exception of her husband, with whom she confided the secret before they were married, she never uttered a word of the past to anyone.

"A couple of times, I was about to say something and I thought, 'Well, I better well let it be left alone,' " Wagner said in May when interviewed about the reunion. "If the Lord wanted things like that, he'd take care of it for me."

Hammann was adopted by a civil engineer and homemaker who lived in a Milwaukee suburb. The couple already had a 3-year-old boy adopted previously, and lived in a three-bedroom house on three-quarters of an acre not far from the Milwaukee River, Hammann said.

She said she had a happy childhood  just as Wagner had hoped  and never sought to find her birth parents, for fear of upsetting her peaceful upbringing.

It was her daughter-in-law, Jeannette Foster, who used internet sleuthing to discover Hammann's birth mother. When she found a name that matched, she dialed a phone number she found online, thinking she'd reach Wagner's surviving relatives. Instead, she found Wagner in good health.

Hammann and her husband, Fred, drove to Monroe last April for a tearful first reunion, where the three seniors in walkers maneuvered for long-awaited hugs.

Advertisement

The mother and daughter reunited again in May when the Hammanns drove two hours to Wagner's house from their home in Elkhart Lake, Wis., to celebrate Wagner's 100th birthday.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

National adoption advocates said it's the longest span of time between adoption and reconnection that they'd heard of.

"It's a wonderful feeling," Wagner said in December of their reconnection. "I'm sorry it took so long, but I'm glad that it finally came to a head."

The two extended families plan to keep in touch. They are planning a memorial service for later this year.

DeLap said she and other family members could see the sense of peace her mother had since finding her first child.

"Being able to let go of something you've kept a secret for that long had to be monumentally freeing for her," DeLap said. "But then being able to have a daughter that called her regularly and they could chat and she knew that she had a good life  I think it was easier for her."

Advertisement

vortiz@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @vikkiortiz
An online campaign at Chano4Mayor.com is urging Grammy-winning musicianChance the Rapper to consider running for mayor of Chicago in 2019. (Screen shot)

An online campaign is urging Chance the Rapper to consider running for mayor of Chicago.

The website Chano4Mayor.com developed by four 20somethings, states that Chicago needs a new mayor in 2019  a sentiment echoed by the rapper himself in a story in Complex magazine last year  given the closure of schools and mental health clinics, and systemic problems in the Police Department.

Advertisement

"We want a mayor who will fight for public education. We want a mayor who will reinvest in black and brown communities on the South and West sides. We want a mayor who will address our epidemic of gun violence without the brutality of police or prisons," said the site, which went live Sunday.

Its creators think Chance is the right person for the job, pointing out the work he has done to give back to Chicago.

Advertisement

Chance has broadened his profile in Chicago in the last few years by routinely hosting open-mic events for teens at the Chicago Cultural Center, headlining his own Magnificent Coloring Day music festival at the Sox ballpark last summer, encouraging young voters to go the polls in November and launching a coat drive for the homeless in winter 2015.

The Lollapalooza headliner sits on the board of trustees for the DuSable Museum of African American History and will be grand marshal of this year's Bud Billiken Parade.

Last month, after what he called an "unsuccessful" meeting with Gov. Bruce Rauner to discuss public school funding, the musician gave $1 million to Chicago Public Schools, a lead followed by the Chicago Bulls with another $1 million donated to CPS last week.

"It is my job, just as who I am, to bring light and attention to public school funding, broken formulas and especially how it affects my hometown," Chance said last week.

The website creators  Bea Malsky, Kalil Smith-Nuevelle, Jean Cochrane and Alex Soble  three Chicago residents and a former one ranging in age from 23 to 28, said the site is not a joke.

"We believe that there exists a wide gap between the priorities of the youth of Chicago and our current administration, and we see an opening for a candidate who can inspire us and lead the struggle for justice in this divided city," they said in a statement.

Chance the Rapper could not immediately be reached for comment.

Chance the Rapper holds a press conference at Westcott Elementary School in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood on March 6, 2017. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

When comedian Hannibal Buress in a podcast taped in December in Chicago asked the Grammy Award winner, who was born Chancelor Bennett and grew up on the South Side, if he would run for mayor of Chicago, Chance said no. "But I just think that's such a funny thing, like I could," he added.

Advertisement

Chance's song "Somewhere in Paradise," released in 2015, seems to suggest otherwise. "They say I'm savin' my city, say I'm stayin' for good. They screamin', 'Chano for mayor,' I'm thinkin' maybe I should," Chance said in a lyric.

He has been critical of Emanuel in the past. In a Billboard magazine interview in August, he criticized how Emanuel handled the 2014 fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald by Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke.

"In a time of crisis (Emanuel) tried to be strategic, and he should have been more compassionate," Chance told the magazine. "There's a larger conversation we need to have about the role of police officers, their relationship to the people as enemy or executioner, when they're not supposed to be either."

Chance's father, Ken Bennett, worked for Emanuel as deputy chief of staff and the director of the Mayor's Office of Public Engagement.

lvivanco@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lvivanco
Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, seen here in 2016, said a teachers strike on May 1 is no longer planned. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Teachers Union leaders won't ask the union's governing body to advance a proposal for a one-day walkout on May 1, CTU President Karen Lewis said Tuesday, although another union official said the issue is still up for debate.

The union's House of Delegates on Wednesday will consider a proposal that would keep teachers on the job but ask them to show support for worker demonstrations planned for May Day, Lewis said.

Advertisement

"No, we're not striking," Lewis said in an interview on Tuesday. "They're going to be asked to participate in May Day activities, because May Day is a really important day."

Another union official said it's not clear what plan would emerge after what's expected to be a heated debate at Wednesday's delegates meeting.

Advertisement

"There's still going to be a lot of member opinions on this matter," CTU staff coordinator Jackson Potter said. "There are other resolutions that we're hearing about that other members are also bringing forward. ... There's going to be a very robust discussion. I just don't think it's a done deal."

CTU last month asked teachers to discuss a one-day walkout that would be staged in an effort to bring attention to budget problems that Chicago Public Schools officials warn could force an early end to the school year.

Lewis and union officials have argued that ending the school year as many as three weeks ahead of schedule would violate the union's contract. But the strike idea has faced some skepticism from members, as well as legal opposition from CPS.

CPS restarted an effort to block teachers from walking out after state officials rejected a district request to enforce a ruling that a similar one-day strike by CTU last April likely violated state law.

Lewis said the union's executive board crafted a resolution "about how to support May 1, in terms of supporting our families and our communities."

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

The board wanted a resolution that focused on those issues, "as opposed to focusing on us," Lewis said.

The union is fighting a series of district cost-cutting efforts to close a looming year-end budget gap. Those cuts include three remaining furlough days, one on Friday and two more in June. Lewis said the union plans to focus on asking CPS to back off on furlough days, which don't affect classroom time but will cut teacher pay.

"What we really want to do is for them to uphold our contract," Lewis said. "We're trying to negotiate that. Those are the kinds of things that just take time."

Advertisement

CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey acknowledged last month that the union's faced "a hard discussion internally" over the potential work stoppage. On Tuesday, he said the delegates will have their say at Wednesday's meeting.

"We're going to have an internal discussion first, and our delegates are the highest decision-making body in the organization, short of all our members," the union vice president said. "Our delegates are famously opinionated ... and I want to talk to them first."

jjperez@tribpub.com

Twitter @PerezJr
Former Chicago Ald. Edward Vrdolyak enters the the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago on Nov. 22, 2016. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

An ongoing federal probe into former Chicago Ald. Edward Vrdolyak's connection to a massive settlement with the tobacco companies in the 1990s could result in far more serious criminal charges than the tax-related counts he currently faces, lawyers revealed in court Wednesday.

Vrdolyak, 79, has pleaded not guilty to charges filed in November alleging he obstructed an Internal Revenue Service investigation into a secret deal he cut to pocket millions of dollars from the state's record $9.2 billion tobacco settlement without doing any work. The charges carry a maximum of five years in prison on conviction.

Advertisement

Prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve to set a trial date Wednesday. But Vrdolyak's lawyers expressed concern, saying they expected a far-reaching superseding indictment to be filed in the case at some point.

"This is not going to be the case that we go to trial on. That's the problem," said Michael Monico, one of Vrdolyak's attorneys.

Advertisement

His co-counsel, Terence Gillespie, said the difference between the charges Vrdolyak currently faces with the counts expected in a new indictment was like "the difference between a heart and a heart attack."

"It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out," Gillespie said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu said prosecutors were still exploring the possibility of filing a new indictment and had "made no determination at this juncture." He said he did not expect that a new indictment would lead to new rounds of discovery.

Bhachu has previously said prosecutors were turning over hundreds of thousands of pages of documents, including tax returns filed by Vrdolyak, his wife and his law firm, the Vrdolyak Law Group.

None of the lawyers would comment after court. Vrdolyak, who is free on a $20,000 recognizance bond, was not required to appear at the hearing.

St. Eve tentatively set trial for March 2018, telling prosecutors that if any new charges are coming they should be filed in a timely manner so the date does not have to be pushed back.

The charges filed last year alleged Vrdolyak, who earned the nickname "Fast Eddie" for his ability to work the political angles to his own benefit, had made a secret deal with other attorneys to collect as much as $65 million from the tobacco litigation.

The case sparked controversy after it was announced that then-Attorney General Jim Ryan had negotiated a contingency arrangement promising 10 percent of the payout to four law firms that handled the litigation. That figure was dramatically reduced after years of court arbitration, but in the end, Ryan agreed to pay a total of $188.5 million to several law firms.

Advertisement

The lead firm was Seattle-based Hagens Berman, headed by attorney Steve Berman. According to the indictment, Berman, identified in the indictment only as Individual B, entered into a secret agreement in 1996 to pay Vrdolyak and another Chicago attorney, Daniel Soso, fees from the settlement and hide the payments from the attorney general and tobacco companies.

The firm has denied any attempt to conceal payments, and Berman has not been charged with wrongdoing.

Soso, a former Chicago police officer who once ran for alderman with Vrdolyak's backing, was originally charged alone in May 2015 with failing to pay about $780,000 in taxes related to the settlement money. Vrdolyak was added as a defendant in a new indictment filed last November.

According to the charges, while investigating Soso for failure to pay income taxes in 2005, the IRS learned that he had been receiving large payments from Vrdolyak and failed to report the income, the charges alleged. The IRS then served Vrdolyak with a levy notice requiring him to pay the IRS instead of Soso because of all the back taxes owed.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

That fall, Vrdolyak sent a fax to an IRS investigator claiming that he was no longer paying Soso and therefore he owed no money. The fax stated that if there were any payments made in the future he "intended to honor the 2005 levy served on him" and remit the funds to the IRS, according to the charges.

But according to the indictment, money again began changing hands two years later, with Soso hiding funds paid to him by Berman and Vrdolyak in accounts used by his relatives and girlfriend.

Advertisement

In 2011, Vrdolyak sent payments totaling $170,000 to Soso, including checks that a Vrdolyak relative wrote, the indictment alleged.

The indictment did not make clear how much Vrdolyak actually pocketed, but at his sentencing hearing on a separate fraud scheme in 2010, it was revealed the former alderman had a "guaranteed revenue stream" of $260,000 a year through 2023 from the tobacco litigation.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly ultimately sentenced Vrdolyak to 10 months in prison for his role in a $1.5 million real estate kickback scheme that had links to the federal probe that felled then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @jmetr22b
Mexican Federal Police block the road between the cities of Monterrey and Reynosa, Mexico, near the U.S. border, where dozens of mutilated bodies were discovered in 2012. (Julio Cesar Aguilar / AFP/Getty Images)

As a top Mexican police commander, Ivan Reyes Arzate was trusted for years with the most sensitive information surrounding U.S. investigations of dangerous cartel drug traffickers, from notorious Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the violent offshoot faction known as Beltran-Leyva.

But last fall, after secret details about a Chicago-based probe mysteriously wound up in the hands of the cartel, agents intercepted a stunning conversation between drug traffickers talking about meeting with a law enforcement officer named Ivan.

Advertisement

"Who is Ivan?" asked reputed cartel kingpin Angel Dominguez Ramirez Jr., in the Oct. 17 exchange, according to federal prosecutors.

"The boss," another trafficker responded in an apparent reference to Reyes' high-ranking position in the Mexican Federal Police.

Advertisement

A 42-page criminal complaint unsealed in Chicago on Wednesday alleged that Reyes had leaked crucial information to several targets of the undercover probe, including the identity of an informant who later had to be evacuated from Mexico for his own safety.

The complaint alleged that during a personal meeting with cartel leader Arturo Beltran-Leyva in 2009, Reyes revealed the identity of another informant who had been "instrumental" in securing an indictment against the cartel's bosses.

On Beltran-Leyva's orders, cartel assassins later kidnapped, tortured and killed the informant, according to the complaint.

Beltran-Leyva was killed in a firefight with Mexican authorities in 2009 before he could be brought to Chicago to face the sweeping narcotics trafficking charges.

The charges alleged an astonishing level of corruption even for a Mexican police force long alleged to have been compromised by cartel interests.

The involvement of Reyes, the highest-ranking member of Mexico's Sensitive Investigation Unit, a part of the Mexican Federal Police, dated back at least eight years and included many of the highest-profile drug cases to ever be brought in the U.S., according to the complaint.

Several informants, including other corrupt Mexican police officials, told authorities that Reyes was paid at least $3 million for his betrayal, the complaint alleged. He was fired in November.

The case was unsealed in Chicago's federal court just a week after the sitting attorney general for the western Mexican state of Nayarit was arrested at the U.S. border in California on charges he conspired with the Beltran-Leyva cartel to smuggle cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine to the U.S.

Advertisement

Reyes, who used the code name "La Reina," or "the Queen," was charged in February and turned himself in to authorities after traveling to Chicago voluntarily, according to Joseph Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office.

Reyes first drew attention last year during an investigation involving Chicago and San Diego authorities of a Beltran-Leyva-connected drug trafficking network that was allegedly importing multiple tons of narcotics from Colombia to Mexico for distribution in the U.S., according to the charges.

According to the complaint, a DEA agent in September asked Reyes to assist in surveillance of several targets in Mexico City. The agent sent Reyes a surveillance photo that had been taken in Cancun in April to help him identify the players and gave him the address of an apartment where they were believed to be living and the name of a restaurant where they often met, the charges alleged.

The next day, that same photograph was sent by someone using the screen name "Ayala" to one of the drug traffickers warning he was being targeted by the DEA, according to the complaint.

"Regarding yesterday's matter. Guess what? It's you," Ayala  who authorities later learned to be Reyes  wrote to the trafficker, according to the complaint.

Ayala also warned the trafficker to discontinue any use of cellphones and move locations if possible.

Advertisement

"I recommend you wait a bit, get rid of all (communication devices), and if you can move from where you are, due to the location of the phones you have now. ... Take care and we'll be in touch. No worries."

In October, authorities intercepted text messages between Dominguez, the kingpin, and an associate discussing how the cartel had leverage over Reyes because his code name  La Reina  had already surfaced in investigative files as that of a corrupt law enforcement officer.

"We can screw ivan," the unidentified associate said, according to the complaint.

In the texts, the two surmised the case against them was weak because it relied on the cooperation of one informant whom they repeatedly referred to as "the dirt bag." They also discussed various methods of getting the informant to "retract" the information he had given to the government, according to the complaint.

"If the dirt bag retracts everything, that's the only way we can make this work," Dominguez texted Oct. 26, according to the complaint. "Ivan should be there waiting for the process, that way he can come with the gueros (U.S. law enforcement) to do the work."

According to the complaint, Reyes met in person with Dominguez in Mexico City in November and discussed the leaked surveillance photograph.

Advertisement

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

Dominguez and one of the associates who dealt with Reyes have since been charged with narcotics offenses in federal court in San Diego, while a third cartel member faces similar charges in Chicago, according to the complaint. Both of those cases remain under seal, however.

On Feb. 2, federal prosecutors and Mexican Federal Police officials confronted Reyes at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, according to the complaint. In the interview, he denied being Ayala or "otherwise being the source of the leak of the U.S. investigation," but he did acknowledge meeting with Dominguez in November, the complaint said.

Reyes said the meeting was set up with cartel members "to discuss reducing violence" following the killing of a federal police officer a few weeks earlier.

In a statement Wednesday, Chicago's acting U.S. attorney, Joel Levin, said the charges were "the first step in holding" Reyes accountable for trying to impede what has been a successful "bilateral effort" by the U.S. and Mexico against the drug cartels.

"We remain steadfast in the unwavering commitment to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations and fight against corruption at all levels," Levin said.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

Advertisement

Twitter @jmetr22b
As public universities in Illinois struggle to make ends meet during the state's 22-month budget stalemate, Northeastern Illinois University announced Wednesday it will cancel three days of classes in a cost-cutting measure.

Northeastern Illinois interim President Richard Helldobler called the state's unprecedented budget impasse a "state of emergency" for the Chicago-based university, which will no longer hold classes Tuesday, Wednesday and May 1. Administrators are also in talks with the labor unions that represent their employees as school officials contemplate a universitywide shutdown for those three dates, according to a university news release.

Advertisement

If the university decides on a complete closure, it would be the second wave announced by the university in less than a month. After temporarily terminating 300 student aides, the university required its 1,100 employees to take five days off from March 20-24 over spring break.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, my frustration level is at a 22," Helldobler said in a statement Wednesday. "Springfield must understand that the lack of funding for higher education is having a negative and permanent impact, specifically on disadvantaged populations in the state. College access is critical for those who seek higher-paying jobs that contribute to a strong economy."

Advertisement

Without a clear timeline on when a state budget might be passed, school officials say additional furlough days will be inevitable.

"For Northeastern, this is a state of emergency," Helldobler said. "When we decided to implement furloughs during the five days of Spring Break, we did so with the intention of avoiding any impact on instruction even though we knew it could be problematic to our accreditation and licensure requirements. With these additional furlough days, we are now forced to cancel classes, which not only affects instruction but also critical core knowledge delivered by our highly qualified faculty."

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

Illinois has been operating without a complete budget since July 2015 amid political disagreements over the direction of state government.

Since then, public universities, including Northeastern Illinois, have had to adjust their operations in the absence of state funding.

In 2015, Northeastern Illinois eliminated 65 noninstructional positions in anticipation of cuts to its state funding. As the state budget predicament continued into 2016, the university required its employees to take one unpaid day off for each six-week period as a part of another furlough program. Save for a few exceptions, officials also instituted a hiring and travel freeze.

A stopgap budget passed last summer restored some state funding for higher education. However, that plan expired in January.

Northeastern Illinois, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this fall, will host its spring commencement ceremony as scheduled next month, and students continue to register for summer and fall courses.

tbriscoe@chicagotribune.com

Advertisement

Twitter _tonybriscoe
Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson announces that Maurice Harris, 19, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of four people in the South Shore neighborhood. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune) (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

A 19-year-old man shot and killed four people in the South Shore neighborhood last week in retaliation for the fatal shooting of his father the night before, according to police and prosecutors.

Maurice Harris's father, 37-year-old Jerry Jacobs, was shot and killed last Wednesday Mar. 29 at 79th Street and South Phillips Avenue, Chicago police Cmdr. Brendan Deenihan said. The following day, Harris went to the Nadia Fish and Chicken restaurant, several blocks away at 75th Street and Coles Avenue, to commit the quadruple homicide, police and prosecutors said.

Advertisement

Harris' defense attorney asked a judge for bond Wednesday so Harris could attend his father's funeral, but Harris was ordered held without bail in a hearing midday Wednesday in Cook County Criminal Court.

Maurice Harris, 19, faces four counts of first-degree murder, according to Chicago police. (Chicago Police Department)

During a Wednesday morning news conference at Chicago police headquarters, Deenihan said several eyewitness came forward to identify Harris as the lone shooter of the four victims: Dillon Jackson, 20, his brother Raheem Jackson, 19, Emmanuel Stokes, 28, and Edwin Davis, 32.

Advertisement

Deenihan said the 19-year-old did not offer a confession when he was being questioned by detectives.

"I don't know what Harris was thinking because he didn't tell us what he was thinking," said Deenihan. "So I think a reasonable belief would be that his father got killed and then subsequently he shoots and kills these four people.

"Does he do that randomly? I mean, only he can answer that question," the commander said. "I wouldn't suspect he would just pick four random people on the street. That wouldn't make sense to me."

Deenihan said Jacobs' slaying and the quadruple homicide had some gang overtones involving members of the Black P Stones and the Lafa faction of the Gangster Disciples.

The quadruple homicide was among seven killings that happened in South Shore last Thursday. The spate of violence came just as Chicago police were touting a drop in homicides and shootings in the first quarter of 2017.

A few hours before the restaurant killings, 26-year-old Patrice Calvin, who was four months pregnant, was found shot to death inside an apartment near 75th Street and Luella Avenue.

About seven hours after the quadruple slayings, a man and woman were in a silver van outside the South Shore Cultural Center on 71st Street near South Shore Drive when a black Jeep pulled alongside and someone inside fired shots, police said. The victims, Cornell Patrick, 27, and Dominique Scott, 23, were dead on the scene.

Deenihan said his detectives believe those two killings "may be related" to the quadruple homicide, but he would not elaborate. Law enforcement sources have said, however, that Patrick was known to be affiliated with the Lafa Gangster Disciples.

Advertisement

So far, Deenihan said, it does not appear that Calvin's death was connected to the other killings.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 25 Georgia Jackson, 72, is overcome with emotion upon learning that her two grandsons, Raheem, 19, and Dillon Jackson, 20, were found fatally shot near Nadia Fish and Chicken, at 2704 E. 75th St., in the South Shore neighborhood on March 30, 2017. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

Superintendent Eddie Johnson said at the news conference that the quadruple killings are another example of how criminals who use guns illegally have no worries about their actions.

This is Harris's first arrest as an adult, but he has an "extensive juvenile history" who is "no stranger to CPD nor is he unfamiliar with using an illegal handgun," Johnson said.

"Obviously we failed him as a juvenile," Deenihan. "If someone would do a deep analysis into him as a juvenile, it'd be no shock that we're here talking...today about this.

"We keep putting a person back in the exact same situation and environment, I mean, I'm not sure why we're expecting different results," said Deenihan.

He also said that Jacobs had been arrested 47 times and had been arrested for two homicides. Further details about Jacobs' criminal history were not immediately available.

Advertisement

"Despite the fact that we know these incidents were tied to gang conflicts, it doesn't lessen the weight of what happened," Johnson told reporters. "It certainly doesn't make me as a Chicagoan and as a leader of this department any less angry and disgusted at the destruction some individuals are willing to cause by their own hand."

The Chicago Tribune's Megan Crepeau contributed.
Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson announces that Maurice Harris, 19, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of four people in the South Shore neighborhood. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune) (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago police believe a teenage gang member shot and killed four men at a South Side restaurant last week to avenge the fatal shooting of his father a few blocks away the previous night.

Police and prosecutors said three eyewitnesses identified 19-year-old Maurice Harris as the lone gunman who killed the four in a "hail of gunfire" outside Nadia Fish and Chicken restaurant at 75th Street and Coles Avenue at 3:30 p.m. As two of the victims fled into the restaurant, Harris opened the entrance door and gunned them down, prosecutors said.

Advertisement

A day earlier, Harris' father, 37-year-old Jerry Jacobs, was shot and killed at 79th Street and South Phillips Avenue, police said.

The quadruple homicide was among seven killings in the South Shore neighborhood on March 30  a spate of violence that came just as Chicago police were touting a slight drop in homicides and shootings for the first quarter of 2017.

Advertisement

Maurice Harris, 19, faces four counts of first-degree murder, according to Chicago police. (Chicago Police Department)

During a Wednesday morning news conference at police headquarters, Chicago police Cmdr. Brendan Deenihan said a double slaying that occurred hours after the quadruple homicide may be connected, but he would not elaborate.

Police and prosecutors said that this marked Harris' first arrest as an adult but that he had an extensive criminal record as a juvenile, compiling 29 arrests and four findings of delinquency.

Deenihan said Harris refused to give a statement to detectives, so police can't be certain of his motive, but it seemed obvious enough with the slaying of his father the previous night.

"I think a reasonable belief would be that his father got killed and then subsequently he shoots and kills these four people," the commander said. "Does he do that randomly? I mean only he can answer that question. I wouldn't suspect he would just pick four random people on the street. That wouldn't make sense to me."

Deenihan said Jacobs' slaying and the quadruple homicide had gang overtones involving members of the Black P Stones and the Lafa faction of the Gangster Disciples.

Leon Pope talks at home in the South Shore neighborhood about family members Jerry Jacobs and Maurice Harris April 5, 2017. Prosecutors say 19-year-old Harris killed four people after his father, Jacobs, was slain the previous day. Harris has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder. (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune) (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Leon Pope, who identified himself as a cousin to Harris, disputed the murder charges against him.

"Just because his pops got killed ... they can't put them bodies up on him. Anybody could've done that," said Pope, 28, clad in a black hooded sweatshirt as he shivered slightly in the cold while standing Wednesday afternoon on the front porch of a South Shore home. "They just doing that because my little cousin just got out of jail, his daddy just got killed, the type of area we in, the people who we affiliated with."

Pope acknowledged the neighborhood can be a dangerous.

Advertisement

"I don't even like walking around here no more," he said. "There ain't no telling what would happen."

At a bond hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building earlier Wednesday, Cook County prosecutors identified Harris as a documented member of the Black P Stones' faction No Limit.

Harris, who is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, was ordered held without bond. Harris' attorneys had asked Judge Adam Bourgeois to set a bond in hopes that Harris could attend his father's funeral, but the judge refused.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 25 Georgia Jackson, 72, is overcome with emotion upon learning that her two grandsons, Raheem, 19, and Dillon Jackson, 20, were found fatally shot near Nadia Fish and Chicken, at 2704 E. 75th St., in the South Shore neighborhood on March 30, 2017. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Assistant State's Attorney Jamie Santini said three eyewitnesses identified Harris as the lone shooter of the four victims: Dillon Jackson, 20; his brother, Raheem Jackson, 19; Emmanuel Stokes, 28, and Edwin Davis, 32.

Santini said Harris emerged from a vacant lot by the restaurant and opened fire with a semi-automatic handgun as the four tried to flee the hail of gunfire. The Jackson brothers were both fatally shot in the back outside the restaurant, while the two others fled into the restaurant. Witnesses saw Harris standing in the doorway of the restaurant as he opened fire, gunning down Stokes and Davis, according to the prosecutor. Both were struck multiple times and died in the restaurant.

Witnesses reported hearing additional gunshots from outside the restaurant after Harris fled, Santini said.

Advertisement

Harris was arrested Tuesday afternoon in south suburban Blue Island, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said Harris' criminal record as a juvenile included his admission of guilt in 2013 to a charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm and a finding of delinquency to a charge of armed robbery and vehicular invasion in 2016.

At the news conference, Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Harris was "no stranger to CPD nor is he unfamiliar with using an illegal handgun."

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 9 Children look at a memorial for four people killed at a restaurant last week at the corner of 75th Street and Coles Avenue before the start of Operation Wake-Up, an anti-violence rally held by police in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood April 4, 2017. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

"Despite the fact that we know these incidents were tied to gang conflicts, it doesn't lessen the weight of what happened," Johnson told reporters. "It certainly doesn't make me as a Chicagoan and as a leader of this department any less angry and disgusted at the destruction some individuals are willing to cause by their own hand."

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

The bloodshed on March 30 began with the discovery of the body of 26-year-old Patrice Calvin, who was four months pregnant and found shot to death inside an apartment near 75th Street and Luella Avenue.

Deenihan said it does not appear so far that Calvin's death was connected to the other killings.

Advertisement

About 10:30 p.m., seven hours after the quadruple slaying, Cornell Patrick, 27, and Dominique Scott, 23, were seated in a silver van outside the South Shore Cultural Center on 71st Street near South Shore Drive when a black Jeep pulled alongside and an occupant opened fire, police said. Both were pronounced dead on the scene.

Law enforcement sources have said Patrick was known to be affiliated with the Gangster Disciples' Lafa faction.

Chicago Tribune's Peter Nickeas contributed.

jgorner@chicagotribune.com

mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com
Former Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said in a radio interview Wednesday that people have encouraged him to run for mayor, but he also said he's "not very good at" politics and did not say whether he would consider a bid.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel fired McCarthy in December 2015 amid the fallout of the Laquan McDonald police shooting controversy. Since then, McCarthy has done public safety and security consulting in the private sector and has appeared on occasional TV and radio interviews in which he mostly has criticized the city's handling of crime and the Department of Justice's civil rights investigation into the Chicago Police Department.

Asked Wednesday on WLS 890-AM if he would run for mayor in 2019 or support someone running against Emanuel, McCarthy laughed before offering a response.

"A lot of people are encouraging me to do that. Politics is not in my DNA. I'm not very good at that. As you guys know, I'm very straightforward," McCarthy said. "But I can tell you this: I would support anybody who would start thinking about performance-based government rather than politics, because that's what we need in Chicago. There's no measurements. There's nobody holding anybody accountable. It's all about politics and communication strategy, and I'm sorry, that just doesn't work to get things done in a big city."

Advertisement

McCarthy did not criticize Emanuel by name in the interview. But he made it clear he was not happy with the city's policing strategy since his departure, and he lamented the fact that homicides in Chicago have spiked dramatically. The former top cop suggested City Hall is more concerned with political optics than what it takes to properly police the city.

"The set of rules being applied are just preposterous. The problem in Chicago is not the police. It's illegitimate government. It's politics," McCarthy said. "It's doing the same things we've always done and expecting different results, which I believe Einstein said is insanity."

Emanuel declined to respond to McCarthy's comments at a morning news conference.

Advertisement

In the interview, McCarthy also praised the Trump administration's announcement Tuesday, in which Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered a review of court agreements that bind city police departments to reforms. The former superintendent said the Justice Department's report after its 13-month investigation into CPD was politically tainted and accused former Attorney General Loretta Lynch of lying when she said McCarthy did not make himself available for an interview as part of the investigation.

"The credibility of that report is seriously in question," McCarthy said. "The bottom line is this: That report was completely politically motivated. As you know, I was not interviewed, and the AG lied on national television, saying I was not available, which is nonsense."

bruthhart@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @BillRuthhart
Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat and budget negotiator, speaks to members of the news media at the Capitol in Springfield onFeb. 15, 2017. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

SPRINGFIELD  Illinois House Democrats on Wednesday advanced a plan to rush more than $815 million to state universities and social service providers, but that money might not arrive anytime soon because Gov. Bruce Rauner criticized the proposal and Senate Democrats still are working on their own plan.

Despite the political hurdles, supporters said they wanted to press ahead, contending that colleges and groups who care for the state's most vulnerable people are in desperate need of a "lifeline." A previous stopgap state budget expired at the beginning of the year as Illinois gets closer to going two years without a full spending plan in place.

Advertisement

"I want to do everything that's in my power to help these people," said Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat and key budget negotiator. "Is it going to solve the entire budget problem? No. But we have an opportunity to send three quarters of a billion dollars out into the state of Illinois to help people who have been suffering."

Under the measure, two specialized state accounts set aside for higher education and social service programs would be tapped to help relieve immediate financial pressure. Those funds are separate from the state's main checking account, and their money comes through a small portion of income tax revenues.

Advertisement

A total of $817 million would be spent from those special funds, with $258 million to be split among social service agencies and $559 million paying for community colleges, scholarships for low-income students and day-to-day operations at state universities.

The move came as Northeastern Illinois University announced it was canceling three days of classes in an effort to save on salary costs as it struggles to make ends meet without financial support from the state. School employees were already asked to take unpaid furlough days during the recent spring break.

Rauner, however, disputed the idea that the Democrats' plan would help. He posted a video on his Facebook page and said stopgap budgets do little to address long-term issues but "keep universities, community colleges and social service agencies on the verge of collapse with no permanent lines of funding."

The governor repeated an earlier pledge that he would not sign off on another one-time spending plan unless it also included provisions to "protect taxpayers" such as a permanent property tax freeze.

"Instead of focusing on stopgaps that serve the Springfield insiders, we should be coming together to pass real and lasting solutions to our problems," Rauner said.

Democrats countered that Rauner has continually "moved the goal post" when it comes to striking a budget agreement. They pointed to a broader, bipartisan budget proposal that remains stalled in the Senate, which Democrats blamed on interference from Rauner. That plan includes a property tax freeze, but it would be temporary.

A House committee approved the stopgap plan on a 10-5 vote Wednesday. Republicans opposed the plan, saying the focus should be on a more comprehensive agreement. They also complained about the timing of the legislation, saying they only had a few hours to review the bill before they were asked to vote. The measure could go before the full House as soon as Thursday.

Even if the House approves, its fate is uncertain in the Senate, where Democrats still are hoping to revive the more sweeping budget measure commonly referred to as the "grand bargain."

Advertisement

"We passed about half of the grand bargain. I'm still hopeful that we can do that," said Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago. "One of the things we have is an appropriation bill for this fiscal year, the one we're in right now, that's not fully funded, but it's got more funding than something which would be a stopgap. So I would like to focus on what we have pending over here."

A stopgap budget approved last year provided state school districts with money through the end of June, leaving them relatively untouched by the state's ongoing budget war. But a coalition of 17 Downstate school districts filed a lawsuit against Rauner and his administration Wednesday, contending the state has failed to provide enough money to deliver a "high quality" education for students.

The suit argues that Illinois' reliance on local property taxes to pay for schools creates a disparity in poorer communities where districts have less of a tax base to rely on. That makes it harder for students to meet educational standards adopted by the state as class sizes increase and programs are cut.

The school superintendents bringing the lawsuit want the state to put in place a different model to determine how much money the state should funnel to low-income districts in order for students to meet those standards, saying current assessments are "arbitrary and capricious."

Rauner's office issued a statement noting that he successfully pushed for an increase in education spending despite Illinois' larger budget problems. The administration also pointed to a bipartisan commission he put together to study ways to overhaul how education money is distributed in Illinois, though that effort has not produced specific legislation.

"I share their frustration," Rauner said at an unrelated event. "Our education funding system in Illinois is broken. It's not clear to me that it's unconstitutional, I think it probably is constitutional. But it's not fair, and so we've got to change it."

Advertisement

Chicago Tribune's Kim Geiger contributed.

mcgarcia@chicagotribune.com

hbemiller@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @moniquegarcia

Twitter @haleybemiller
Democratic gubernatorial candidates Ameya Pawar, left, and Daniel Biss haveraised more than $300,000 toward their respective campaigns. (Chicago Tribune photos)

Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield. Subscribe here.

Topspin

Democratic gubernatorial candidates Ald. Ameya Pawar and state Sen. Daniel Biss each have raised more than $300,000 in the first quarter of the year, their campaigns say.

Advertisement

Pawar's team said more than 1,200 people from across the state donated more than $325,000 to the Northwest Side two-term alderman.

"I'm not a billionaire, and I didn't start with a million-dollar war chest. I don't have the benefit of having led super PACs while entrenched in Springfield politics. But the groundswell of support as we visit people across the state has made it clear that Illinois families are hungry to put a progressive fighter in the governor's office," Pawar said in a statement.

Advertisement

Pawar's reference to "super PACs" is a reference to Biss, who headed up a $10 million federal political committee in the November election that sought to link Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to then-candidate Donald Trump. In releasing his numbers, Pawar said his fundraising dollars "are just one more sign that people are sick and tired of Donald Trump and Bruce Rauner's agenda."

Meanwhile, the Biss campaign said it has raised $313,861 in the January-through-March quarter, largely in small-dollar donations.

Biss launched his campaign for the Democratic nomination March 20, and his campaign said after that he raised $259,467 to close out the first quarter. The Evanston Democrat started the year with $1.35 million in his campaign bank account, and his campaign said it will end the quarter with $1.5 million available.

"What is certain now is we'll have the resources we need to build a campaign that wins because of the clear desire and energy for change in our state," Biss said in a statement.

"Do we want to flood politics with unlimited contributions or with thousands of people ready to take their state back?" he asked. "Based on the early results, we know the answer. I'm energized by the overwhelming grassroots response to our campaign, which sends a clear message that the people of Illinois are ready to take their state back from the forces of money and the machine."

In releasing the figures, Biss took a shot at rival Chris Kennedy, noting his haul compared with the Chicago businessman and heir to an iconic political dynasty who recently put $250,100 of his own money into his campaign. Kennedy's move lifted the limits on campaign contributions in the race for governor.

Campaign reports for fundraising and expenditures for the first three months of this year are due with the state April 17. (Rick Pearson)

What's on tap

*Mayor Rahm Emanuel will announce a new postsecondary plan to help more CPS graduates prepare for success after high school at Malcolm X College. Later he will attend the groundbreaking of a new therapeutic riding barn for students and the community at Chicago Agriculture High School.

Advertisement

*Gov. Bruce Rauner will visit a business in Alton.

*The Illinois House and Senate meet.

*James Madara, CEO of the American Medical Association, is set to talk to the City Club of Chicago.

From the notebook

*Another budget push? House Democrats are weighing a plan to rush money to social service providers and universities that have gone months without state funding, with some pushing for a vote this week before legislators leave town for spring break.

As with all things in the Capitol, plans remain fluid. But there's roughly $750 million set aside in special funds not currently being used that could potentially be tapped, said Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat and key budget negotiator. That's just a fraction of what would normally be spent on higher ed and care for the state's most vulnerable, but Democrats' hope is to provide a lifeline amid widespread cuts and layoffs.

Advertisement

"I think we need to do everything that we can to get some money to these folks as soon as we can," Harris said.

Talks of pushing the plan come as a bipartisan budget proposal in the Senate remains stalled, which Democrats blame on interference by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Still, Rauner continues to say he's hopeful the Senate can come up with a broad agreement, and he has generally opposed one-off spending plans. (Monique Garcia)

*Democrats keep after Roskam: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is up with a new digital ad, continuing its efforts to soften support for Republican U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam of Wheaton.

Roskam, a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, backed consideration of the failed Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Citing what it considers a litany of problems with the House Republican proposal, an announcer says, "And Peter Roskam voted yes? You deserve better." The DCCC contends 34,000 residents of Roskam's west and northwest suburban district would have lost health care coverage under the GOP plan.

Advertisement

Democrats are taking heart that Hillary Clinton won Roskam's traditionally heavily Republican district over Donald Trump. But efforts to defeat Roskam won't be easy.

Roskam has raised $1 million in the first quarter of the year among his two congressional campaign accounts and on behalf of the National Republican Congressional Committee, his campaign said. (Rick Pearson)

What we're writing

*Sessions memo creates further uncertainty for Chicago police consent decree.

*"Never lose hope," pope writes to Chicago families stricken by violence.

*Court: Civil Rights Act covers LGBT workplace bias.

*Late Tuesday, it appeared longtime Mayor Claar was holding on in tight Bolingbrook race. A roundup of suburban election results here.

Advertisement

*Children take to Capitol Hill to protest deportation of parents.

*Illinois video gambling parlors sue state over profit-sharing rules.

*More immigrants afraid to show up for ICE check-ins.

*CPS continues to press for quick ruling on state education funding lawsuit.

*Chicago Teachers Union's Karen Lewis: "No, we're not striking" on May 1.

What we're reading

Advertisement

*State high court denies Gov. Rauner bid for union contract appeal.

*With suburban strip club still closed, nuns next door may be victorious.

*America's Dog, with new menu and name, sets sights on expansion.

Follow the money

*Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here.



Beyond Chicago

*Republicans try to revive health care push.

Advertisement

*Obama aide denies using intel to spy on Trump advisers.

*McConnell bets the Senate on Gorsuch.

*Chemical attack kills dozens in Syria, U.S. blames Assad.
Roger Claar, the 31-year mayor of Bolingbrook, clung to an unofficial lead of about 100 votes April 5, 2017,with some mail and provisional ballots still to be counted. The candidacy of his opponent was driven in large part by a September fundraiser Claar hosted for President Donald Trump. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)

The razor-thin election result for a longtime southwest suburban mayor and outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump could prove instructive for Republicans starting their 2018 campaigns for some of Illinois' top offices.

Roger Claar, the 31-year mayor of Bolingbrook and a member of the Illinois Republican hierarchy, clung to an unofficial lead of about 100 votes Wednesday with some mail and provisional ballots still to be counted. The candidacy of his opponent, Democratic Will County Board member Jackie Traynere, was driven in large part by a September fundraiser Claar hosted for Trump in the village about 30 miles southwest of Chicago.

Advertisement

A day after he appeared to narrowly hang onto his longtime post as mayor, Claar acknowledged it was his support for Trump that led to a relatively huge turnout in the village and fueled the attention of the state's two Democratic senators, interest from national figures like Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and door-knocking visits to Bolingbrook by Democratic contenders for governor.

"I think it's a sign that there are going to be problems in 2018," Claar, who is a member of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee, said of his party.

Advertisement

"It's very troublesome that the civil unrest is taking place across this country and showing up at the ballot box," he said. "The unrest in Washington continues, and unless there's some real economic indicators or some home runs hit (by the White House and the GOP), it's going to be problematic in '18, and I don't know what that home run would be."

Now, one of the Democrats who worked against Claar, billionaire Chicago entrepreneur and investor J.B. Pritzker, is expected Thursday to formally announce his candidacy for governor to attempt to take on Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner next year, sources said. His exploratory campaign would not discuss Pritzker's plans.

The largely Rauner-funded Illinois Republican Party on Wednesday touted Democrats' apparent failure to oust Claar and noted that "Pritzker teamed up with Democratic activists" in the effort.

"Despite statewide Democrats descending on the town, and despite Pritzker's photo-op door knocking, Claar appears to have held on in a village with a heavy Democratic registration advantage," state GOP spokesman Steven Yaffe said in a statement.

Nearly 20 suburban mayors and village presidents lost re-election bids in the April 5 municipal elections. (Jonathon Berlin/Chicago Tribune)

Rauner has worked to avoid linkage with Trump, refusing to issue a vocal endorsement of him during last year's presidential campaign and trying not to mention the Republican president's name during public events, while presiding over a state that overwhelmingly voted last year for former Democratic Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Clinton's Illinois election results could be concerning to Republicans. She won all but one of the state's traditionally Republican-leaning collar counties in 2016. That result, and the narrow margin for Claar in Bolingbrook, could foreshadow contentious 2018 races in the key political battleground of Chicago's suburbs.

Already, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has sought to go after 10-year Republican U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam of Wheaton in his west and northwest suburban district that has been reliable for Republicans. Clinton won in the district last year while Roskam earned re-election.

"One data point is hard to say something about, but one thing you can say is it is potentially a precursor," said Christopher Mooney, director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois. "Donald Trump is going to be an issue in this state, in certain parts of the state, and on the statewide ballot, and the governor knows it and won't speak his name."

Advertisement

To be sure, every individual election has idiosyncrasies. Claar's lengthy tenure  which saw his village about double in population to around 75,000 people  as well as a string of controversies over his career were fodder for a challenge.

But Claar's connection to Trump provided a spark in what usually is a traditionally low-voter-turnout municipal election, providing a connection for current and aspiring Democrats to turn protests into votes  particularly for Traynere, a delegate for Sanders at last year's Democratic National Convention.

United Working Families, a progressive group with members like Service Employees International Union Healthcare Illinois and the Chicago Teachers Union, did fieldwork for Traynere. Its executive director called the turnout in Bolingbrook a "warning shot" for "Trump, Rauner, and complacent members of both parties."

"This matters for 2018," group Executive Director Emma Tai said.

Claar raised $340,330 in the year prior to the election, including cashing in on campaign fund investments. Traynere raised about $58,000, according to the State Board of Elections.

Claar also benefited from independent spending by a political action committee that was co-chaired by investor Ronald Gidwitz and Greg Baise, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association. Gidwitz was a major fundraising liaison for Trump's Illinois campaign. The committee, Economic Freedom Alliance, spent more than $77,000 to help Claar, records show.

Advertisement

But such dollars are expected to be a mere pittance to the state's marquee race next year when Rauner, a wealthy former equity investor, is set to go up against the winner of a still-evolving Democratic field.

Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotel family fortune, is worth an estimated $3.4 billion, according to Forbes. He has made it clear to Democratic allies that he is willing to fund his own campaign and help pay for the party's races for the legislature. And Rauner in December put $50 million of his money into his re-election campaign fund.

Pritzker was scheduled to make a Thursday announcement in Chicago, followed by a trip around the state, according to sources familiar with his plans but not authorized to speak for his campaign. His announcement would culminate an exploratory period he began last month, when he seeded his campaign with $200,000.

Pritzker and Chicago businessman Chris Kennedy, a member of the iconic political family, find themselves on one side of the developing race as moneyed establishment candidates. On the other side are North Side Ald. Ameya Pawar and state Sen. Daniel Biss of Evanston, who are trying to appeal to more populist progressive support. Bob Daiber, Madison County superintendent of schools, also has announced a run.

Incumbent Mayor Roger Claar agrees that allying himself with Donald Trump last year may have added a little fuel to the Bolingbrook mayoral race. April 4, 2017. (CBS Chicago) (CBS Chicago)

While the Democratic candidates seek to link Rauner to Trump, as Biss did in a federal super PAC effort last fall, it is uncertain where the Democratic rank-and-file will fall in selecting a nominee in which wealth is a political strategy and populism is a political emotion.

Some Democrats privately have expressed a desire to have a candidate who can directly take on Rauner's willingness to spend, while freeing up resources for the Democratic defense of control of the legislature. But others argue that having a wealthy candidate negates using a class argument against Rauner over the issue of income inequality.

Advertisement

Pawar noted the wealth issue in a new campaign video released Wednesday comparing the state to "family."

"We're not millionaires. My student loans and child care cost more than my mortgage. We get by because our family helps each other. We're for each other," he said. "Illinois is like a family when we're at our best. Some politicians try to divide us by where we live, where we're from, how rich we are. ... We're one state. One family."

Mooney, the political scientist, said the Bolingbrook experience might be as important to Democrats as Republicans because the results "might send some warnings to Democrats that they can do something" to channel their activism into voting.

As for the 71-year-old Claar, who may have narrowly survived the toughest campaign of his life, he says he still stands by Trump despite the political toll.

"I can't unwind the clock. I thought as a person I could select and support a presidential candidate of my choice," he said. "I was pounded by damn near the entire Democratic Party with money and support and walkers."

rap30@aol.com

Advertisement

Twitter @rap30
U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, left, Cecilia Garcia, Breanna Rossi, 10, and Mahalea Velasco, 10, in Washington on Tuesday to protest immigration and deportation policies of the Trump administration. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  More than a dozen children from the Chicago area, all U.S. citizens, came to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to protest because they have a parent who has been deported or is at risk of deportation.

They wore black T-shirts that read "Don't Make Me an Orphan" and "Born in the USA. Don't Take My Mommy or Daddy Away." They spoke out, prayed, sang, danced and cried.

Advertisement

Appearing with U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Chicago Democrat, the children spoke at a news conference to galvanize support for a lawsuit on their behalf, and also to draw attention to pro-immigrant demonstrations planned for May 1 around the country.

Immigration lawyers at the protest said a class-action suit on behalf of these and similarly situated children would be filed in Miami within 30 days and they hope the suit triggers more such cases.

Advertisement

Mahalea Velasco, 10, a third-grader from Chicago's West Elsdon neighborhood, tearfully told of how her undocumented father was deported to Mexico, leaving behind five children and her mother  all U.S. citizens.

"My dad is a good dad," she said. "I miss him every day. He worked to provide for the whole family and took care of us."

One of the organizers of Tuesday's event, Chicago pastor Emma Lozano of Familia Latina Unida, said the hope was that any deported person with a U.S. citizen child could be allowed to return to this country and anyone in those circumstances who was at risk of being deported would be spared.

Lozano's Humboldt Park church gave sanctuary a decade ago to Elvira Arellano, an activist whose year in the church gave her a high profile in the nation's immigration debate.

Lozano, 63, estimated that 8 million people who have been deported or are at risk of being deported have at least one child who is a U.S. citizen. The aim of the suit is to stave off future deportations and bring back those adults already deported, she said.

Mahalea's mother, Cecilia Garcia, 42, said in an interview that her husband came to the U.S. as a teen and first was deported in 1998. He returned to the U.S. a couple of weeks later, but was deported again five years ago, she said.

The family stays in touch through phone calls and Facebook video chats and she visits him in Tijuana about every six months, usually for a weekend, said Garcia, a medical assistant.

She said her husband, an auto mechanic, "was not deported for being a rapist, a murderer or a drug dealer." It's that he lacked documentation and already had one illegal entry on his record, Garcia said.

Advertisement

Gutierrez told the group he and other lawmakers in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus met Tuesday with John Kelly, the retired Marine Corps general who is secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, to alert him to the 5 million to 6 million children who are U.S. citizens with a mother or father who is undocumented.

Gutierrez called President Donald Trump a "bully" and said his presidency and policies were based on creating fear of immigrants, Muslims, Latinos, Mexico and Chicago. Gutierrez said Trump wants children with an undocumented parent to fear going to school or church or dialing 911.

"Look, President Trump doesn't have the resources to jail, deport, arrest and drive out 11 million people," the lawmaker said, so Trump relies on fear to make immigrants so scared they will return to their homeland and take their U.S. citizen children with them.

"It is attrition through terror policies to drive out immigrants," Gutierrez said.

kskiba@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @KatherineSkiba
Mayor Emanuel, speaking at Malcolm X College, says he asked for Chicago school reports to be sent to Betsy DeVos and Donald Trump. "It would be helpful if we didn't run down our kids... but held them up." April 5, 2017. (John Byrne / Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday touted gains made in Chicago public schools under his watch after President Donald Trump said this week that the "numbers" in Chicago schools are "very rough."

Emanuel has repeatedly jumped at the chance to publicly engage Trump after the president takes one of his frequent jabs at Chicago, positioning himself as a defender of the overwhelmingly Democratic city. On Wednesday, the mayor came to a news conference touting a school initiative and armed with copies of reports he says show Chicago Public Schools students making strides.

Emanuel said he would mail the reports to the president and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to show them the truth.

And the mayor connected Gov. Bruce Rauner to Trump, which harks back to Rauner's comment last year that Chicago schools are like "crumbling prisons."

Trump was meeting with business executives at the White House on Tuesday when he responded to a question about the college readiness of high school students in New York by also mentioning Chicago and Los Angeles.

Advertisement

"Even the numbers, as good  you say we're doing better, but the numbers in New York, the numbers in Chicago are very rough," Trump said. "The numbers in Los Angeles, the cities, it's a very rough situation."

Emanuel took a shot at Trump's penchant for talking about "fake news" while disputing the president's view of Chicago.

Advertisement

"Now, the president of the United States is allowed to have fake news, but the facts are the facts about the city of Chicago," Emanuel said. "Now, I know he has a view like, shared by our governor, which he referred to our public schools like prisons. So I've asked the office to send these reports to both Betsy DeVos, secretary of education, and the president of the United States."

jebyrne@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @_johnbyrne
Baltimore residents will have an opportunity in court Thursday to voice their thoughts on the proposed consent decree between the city and the U.S. Department of Justice after a judge rejected the Trump administration's last-minute attempt this week to delay the hearing.

U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar said in an order Wednesday that granting the Justice Department's request for a 90-day pause in the case "at the eleventh hour would be to unduly burden and inconvenience the Court, the other parties, and, most importantly, the public."

Advertisement

It was not immediately clear what the order means for the future of the police reform agreement. Bredar did not address the Justice Department's broader argument that top officials in the new administration needed more time to review the deal, which was struck in the waning days of the Obama administration.

The hearing has been scheduled since February. Justice Department attorneys asked for the continuance in the case late on Monday, citing a new directive from Attorney General Jeff Sessions for the department to review all such agreements nationwide to assess whether they are consistent with the Trump administration's focus on reducing crime.

Advertisement

The Justice Department declined to comment on Bredar's ruling Wednesday.

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said she was "pleased" by it.

"The City of Baltimore is ready to move forward to rebuild the important relationship which exists between the community and our police department," Pugh said in a statement.

Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund  which has worked for months to prepare local residents for the hearing  said Bredar's ruling suggests he has "a very clear eye about this case."

She said the courts "are abiding by the law and making proper judgements and not allowing themselves to be muscled or taken in by spurious arguments that the Justice Department needs more time."

But Ifill warned the ruling "does not suggest anything different about the Department of Justice or their attempt to move away from police reform" under Sessions.

She said the department's attempt to cancel a hearing designed to elicit public input shows its "lack of regard and respect for the pain of the people of Baltimore who are waiting for closure.

"It is important that the judge did not allow this."

Advertisement

City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young called on Baltimore residents to show up at the courthouse "en masse" on Thursday to show their support for the police reform agreement and their opposition to any delay.

He said the consent decree will help Baltimore build a "world-class police force."

In their motion, Justice Department attorneys cited President Donald J. Trump's executive order in February calling on the department "to prioritize crime reduction" and Sessions' formation of a task force to ensure that the agency is using its resources to push that agenda.

President Barack Obama used the Justice Department to investigate local police departments and the consent decree process to promote reform.

The Obama Justice Department turned to Baltimore after the 2015 death of Freddie Gray in police custody. Investigators found a pattern of unconstitutional and discriminatory policing, particularly in poor, predominantly black neighborhoods.

The city and the Justice Department completed negotiations on the consent decree before Trump took office.

Advertisement

Ian D. Prior, a spokesman for the Department of Justice, said before Bredar issued his order that the request for a delay did not mean Sessions opposes police reform.

"The Attorney General agrees with the need for police reform and the need to rebuild public confidence in law enforcement in Baltimore," Prior said. "Permitting more time for the Department to examine the proposed consent decree will help ensure that the best result is achieved for the people of the city and ensure that the BPD can carry out its mission of fostering trust with community members, safeguarding life and property, and promoting public safety through enforcing the law in a fair and impartial manner."

In denying the motion, Bredar wrote that the Justice Department offered "no real prejudice to them if the hearing proceeds as scheduled."

Pugh and other top Baltimore officials have pledged to reform the city's Police Department whether the Justice Department pursues the consent decree or not.

But they have also said having a legally binding order will help give the public confidence in the reform, and bolster her case for obtaining outside money and support to fund new technology and training for the police department.

When Justice attorneys hear from residents on Thursday, Pugh said, "they'll get a flavor of why this is important."

Advertisement

Police spokesman T.J. Smith said the department was pleased with Bredar's decision, "which affords us the opportunity to continue to strengthen our relationships with the community and build upon our reform."

City Councilman Brandon Scott, chairman of the council's public safety committee, called the ruling a "huge lift off our shoulders."

He said comments from Trump and Sessions have led many to believe they are "anti-Civil Rights and anti-equality."

"We can now focus on how to do things moving forward," he said.

Young said he was "really happy" about the ruling, but not surprised the Trump administration had lost an argument in court.

"I'm sure the judge knows we need to reform our police department," Young said.

Advertisement

Anyone interested in speaking at Thursday's hearing will be allowed to sign up beginning at 9 a.m. outside Courtroom 1A at the U.S. District Court at 101 West Lombard St., according to a separate order from Bredar.

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Speakers will be heard in the order they signed up, for three minutes each.

While the court "hopes to hear from all who sign up," Bredar has said, the hearing will end at 5 p.m. regardless of whether everyone who signed up to speak has been heard.

krector@baltsun.com

twitter.com/rectorsun
The North Korean flag flies at the country's embassy in China on March 8, 2017. The South Korean military said North Korea fired a missile off its east coast on April 4, 2017. (Fred Dufour / AFP/Getty Images)

North Korea fired a newly developed powerful ballistic missile into its eastern waters Wednesday, U.S. and South Korean officials said, amid worries the North might conduct nuclear or long-range rocket tests ahead of the first summit between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week.

The initial U.S. and South Korean assessments indicated it was a KN-15 medium-range missile, whose first publicly known test in February was considered by many foreign experts as a potentially worrying development. It uses solid fuel already loaded inside the missile, which would shorten launch preparation times, boost the weapon's mobility and make it harder for outsiders to detect the signs of its liftoff.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had said after the February launch that the missile, called "Pukguksong-2" in North Korea, provided another nuclear attack capability against the United States and South Korea. Most of North Korea's missiles use liquid propellant, which usually must be added on the launch pad before the weapon is fired.

The missile fired from land in the area of the eastern coastal city of Sinpo on Wednesday morning flew about 60 kilometers (37 miles), according to a South Korean military statement. The missile launched in February flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles), but it wasn't immediately clear if the shorter distance meant Wednesday's launch was a failure.

North Korean state media said the "Pukguksong-2" missile is a surface-to-surface missile that can carry nuclear warheads. It is likely to be an upgraded version of the submarine-launched missile named "Pukguksong" launched last summer. Many South Korean experts say "Pukguksong-2" missile would be a greater security threat because it can be launched anywhere from a ground-based mobile vehicle. While submarines are also a stealthy way to do that, North Korea doesn't have enough of them.

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something to coincide with the Trump-Xi summit, perhaps conduct a nuclear test. The missile launch may be a precursor, with more to come as the summit starts later this week, Cossa said.

"I've joked before that they don't mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored," Cossa said.

Recent outside satellite imagery show possible preparations for a new atomic test at the North's main nuclear test site, such as the laying of communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data. North Korea's state media has also said the world will soon witness what it calls "eventful successes" the country achieves in the space development. Washington, Seoul and others call the North's space program a cover for its long-range missile development program.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry called the North's latest missile launch a "reckless provocation" that posed a threat to international peace, while Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the country lodged a strong protest over the launch.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged the launch in a statement but said the U.S. had spoken enough about North Korea and would not comment further.

Analysts says North might time nuclear and long-range rocket tests to the April 15 birthday of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility. Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

The North's latest missile launch also came as it is responding annual military drills between the United States and South Korea with weapons tests and harsh rhetoric. North Korea sees the drills as an invasion rehearsal.

Two weeks ago, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch. Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

SEOUL, South Korea  Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.
The man in the Camden, N.J., police video is practically begging to be shot. After using a knife to menace a cashier and a customer in a fast-food restaurant, he strides down a street slashing at the air as police repeatedly order him to drop his weapon. The man keeps walking, defiantly waving the knife.

Several cops form a ring around him and move along at a safe distance, block after block. This goes on for several tense minutes, as the viewer waits for shots to ring out. But they never do. Eventually, the man drops the knife and is collared.

Advertisement

It's a reasonably happy outcome. Had the 2015 incident occurred a year earlier, before the department adopted new tactics, "we would more than likely have deployed deadly force and moved on," Chief J. Scott Thomson told The New York Times. Instead, the offender survived, and no cop had to deal with the trauma of killing him.

Camden is not alone in trying a different approach to such confrontations. In Chicago, where 17-year-old Laquan McDonald was shot to death in a similar encounter, the Police Department is revising its guidelines on the use of force in the hope of avoiding unnecessary bloodshed. All officers are being retrained.

Advertisement

The shift began as the U.S. Justice Department was conducting an investigation that found police here have a "practice of using force, including deadly force, that is unreasonable, in violation of the Fourth Amendment." It also determined that Chicago officers lack "adequate guidance to understand how and when they may use force, or how to safely and effectively control and resolve encounters to reduce the need to use force."

Though reducing the need to use force sounds irreproachable, Attorney General Jeff Sessions takes a dim view of such efforts. He has ordered a review of agreements his department has reached with police departments to curb abuses. But Mayor Rahm Emanuel and police Superintendent Eddie Johnson say they'll implement reforms regardless.

People with knives are a topic of particular importance, as University of California at Berkeley criminologist Franklin Zimring documented in his recent book, "When Police Kill." Police in America face a far higher risk of being killed on duty than police in Europe  because criminals here are far likelier to have guns. That difference accounts for the far higher rate of fatal shootings of police and by police in this country.

The risk an officer faces of being killed with a knife, however, is the same on both sides of the Atlantic. In a typical year, the number of cops killed with knives in the United States matches the number killed in England and Wales: zero. Criminals kill more police with their hands and feet than with knives.

But people armed with nothing but knives get killed by cops all the time in the United States  as many as 165 times per year, or more than three per week. In England and Wales  where sharp cutting instruments are no less available to criminals than they are here  there were only three fatal shootings of any kind by police between 2011 and 2015.

Police in those places don't kill people bearing knives  and they don't get killed by people bearing knives. They rely on tactics that minimize their use of deadly force without putting their lives in peril. And that is where American law enforcement agencies have room for humane changes.

In this country, a formula known as "the 21-foot rule" has shaped police responses. A 1983 article by a Salt Lake City police instructor said an attacker with a knife could close that distance before an officer could shoot. But the rule has little basis in actual experience. In six years of data, Zimring found no instance in which an assailant with a knife charged an officer and inflicted mortal wounds.

Body armor has made a big difference. But as the Camden episode shows, cops can also protect themselves by staying back, with guns or Tasers in hand, while imploring the person to surrender. A training guide published last year by the Police Executive Research Forum noted that with methods of this kind, police can buy time to build rapport with the subject and get other officers and equipment to the scene to effect a bloodless resolution.

Advertisement

The guide notes that officers sometimes ask how long they should let such encounters go on. The answer: "As long as it takes."

Steve Chapman, a member of the Tribune Editorial Board, blogs at www.chicagotribune.com/chapman.

Download "Recalculating: Steve Chapman on a New Century" in the free Printers Row app at www.printersrowapp.com.

schapman@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @SteveChapman13
As sheriff of the second-largest county in America for the last 11 years, I can tell you a lot about criminal justice, crime prevention and crime detection. I can also tell you about the tools we use to apprehend criminals, such as social media to obtain search warrants that help prevent and solve crimes.

I believe in an appropriate and limited use of such a tool to apprehend criminals. To invade people's privacy beyond that would be wrong, illegal and unethical. Why should people with no cloud of criminality be subjected to having their privacy violated with virtually no notice, no limits and no compelling reason other than financial profit? That is why I proposed the Right to Know Act, which seeks to increase transparency around the sale of personal data by companies to third parties.

Advertisement

Imagine yourself walking around your favorite store, filling your basket with items that you want to buy. As you head to the checkout to pay for these items with your hard-earned money, the cashier mentions that before he accepts your money, he'll need your name, age, address, occupation and marital status  possibly even information about your children. If you were to oblige, the cashier would take your information into a back room and close the door. In that back room, which you can't see or enter, your favorite store would put your information up for sale to the highest bidder, whose identity you will never know.

Does that sound like something you would be all right with while shopping at a department store? Increasingly, this is a reality that plays out online every single day.

Advertisement

Indeed, data have been called the "oil of the 21st century." Corporations make millions of dollars selling their customers' personal data to advertisers and data brokerages. Though, even if we hoped to trust the large social media sites and search engines of the world to handle our data responsibly, unregulated and secretive data brokerage firms still operate quietly and behind the scenes with our personal information. These are very large companies that you've likely never heard of, which are housing and reselling your personal information. I became aware last year after reading about one of the largest, which openly brags about having 1,500 pieces of information on 200 million Americans. Consumers are rightfully outraged when their cellphone provider or email services are hacked; imagine if a large data broker, which they didn't previously know about, was hacked.

This legislation, which has made steady progress through both chambers of the Illinois legislature, simply seeks to give consumers transparency into what companies are doing with their data. Consumers would have a right to know what categories of data are being collected and which third parties are buying it.

As you can imagine, the tech companies and big corporations are not a fan of this Right to Know. They would much rather you be complacent and complicit in sharing your data. They've argued that Right to Know would be onerous to doing business  without providing data on why or how that's true. The fact is this information is already on hand, and Right to Know is just asking that they share it with you, the consumer. With this information, consumers can make educated choices on the companies with which they want to do business. The corporations have also argued that consumers don't really care about this, which is patently false.

Right to Know was heard before a committee in the Illinois General Assembly last week, and in a matter of hours, more than 1,200 citizens filed proponent witness slips in favor of the bill. This show of concern and fervor has emboldened me and validated my own feelings about data transparency and privacy protection. Additionally, as a father of five children, I'm not OK with the idea that they will grow up in a world where corporations use their information as currency without their knowledge.

As every parent can probably relate, sometimes when we're fed up with an unruly or protesting child, we use the "because I said so!" line as a final say in the argument. We know this isn't based in logic or thoughtfulness  it's just a way to end the discussion. Corporations are giving us the "because I said so!" treatment when it comes selling our personal data.

It is my hope that Right to Know can be used as a guiding light for other states to draft their own data transparency and protection laws. The first step, though, is passing the Right to Know Act here in Illinois, and you can do your part by contacting a state representative or senator and urging him or her to stand firm by you and your family's right to know about use of your personal data.

Tom Dart is the Cook County sheriff.
To be a child in war-ravaged Syria is to know fear and suffering, death and destruction. But there is a difference, especially for children, between knowing terrible things and comprehending them.

Imagine the panic and confusion early Tuesday after the bombs dropped in northern Syria as children began struggling to breathe. There was something poisonous in the air, causing asphyxiation and foaming at the mouth: a gas attack!

Advertisement

Whole families were struck down in their homes and on the streets. Some children risked exposure looking for their parents, a witness told CNN, because it took time to realize what was happening. People rushing toward the scene to help were struck down, too.

Hospital scenes captured in photos and videos, devastating to the victims, were difficult merely to watch from half a world away: A man carrying a limp child. Babies on ventilators. Small children crying or staring vacantly.

Advertisement

Dozens of people were killed, including at least 11 children, and hundreds were injured in an apparent chemical weapons attack that, if proved, would constitute a war crime. Many people died quickly. Those taken to clinics stood a better chance of recovering, though an antidote, pralidoxime, is said to be in short supply.

Syria's chaos meant confirming details was difficult. The attack occurred in Khan Sheikhoun, a rebel-held town. Witnesses, including victims and anti-government sources, linked the gassing to a Syrian government aerial bombing. Doctors suspected nerve gas  a mix of sarin and chlorine. "The symptoms were pale skin, sweating, narrow or pin-eye pupils, very intense respiratory detachments," one doctor told CNN. "Those symptoms match the usage of sarin."

The war in Syria is a multisided affair that grinds on without mercy: The despot leader of the government, Bashar Assad, is squared off against anti-government forces in a vicious civil war; at the same time, Islamic State attempts to occupy the power vacuum in Syria's interior and struggles against the U.S.-led coalition. The Russians are in Syria, too, at Assad's side. The Syrian government denied responsibility for the gas attack, but Assad on several documented occasions has used chemical weapons on his own people.

Assad's war has killed nearly 500,000 people and driven 6 million from their homes and villages. There are so many victims in Syria, but we can't help but focus on the children. The fighting has lasted six years, which means many Syrian children know nothing of the world but war and worry.

Last summer, three Chicago-area doctors who are volunteers with the Syrian American Medical Society sneaked into Aleppo to treat civilian casualties at an underground hospital. The location had to be kept secret because Assad the madman targets hospitals for bombing. When the doctors returned to Chicago they visited the Tribune Editorial Board, and they too were thinking of the children. Zaher Sahloul, a critical care specialist at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, passed around his smartphone to share photos of the bloody children of Aleppo, torn apart by shrapnel from barrel bombs dropped by government helicopters.

To be a child in Syria is to live or die with these truths, secure in the knowledge that for six years the rest of us have let them happen.
President Donald Trump's administration  presently about as popular as a sweaty handshake  responds to bad news with just enough nonsense to make sane people feel like balsa wood boats in a tempest of bunk.

Plagued by a scandal over connections between Russians and members of his campaign, Trump has done everything possible to keep the issue on the front-burner, routinely tweeting about the whole mess (FAKE NEWS!), accusing (sans evidence, of course) then-President Barack Obama of illegally wiretapping Trump Tower and generally adding to the billowing clouds of smoke that suggest a fire is burning somewhere.

Advertisement

Now Trump and the far-right media absurd-o-sphere have decided the best way to prove something like a baseless, evidence-free claim of illegal wiretapping is with baseless, evidence-free finger pointing. And the curiously small, orange finger points to former national security adviser Susan Rice.

You see, the issue here is not the intelligence community's certainty that Russia interfered with the 2016 presidential election. It's not the growing list of people in Trump's orbit who we now know had contact with various Russians before and after the election. It's not the firing of Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn for lying about contacts with Russia or Flynn's request for immunity in exchange for testifying before the House and Senate intelligence committees.

Advertisement

It's Susan Rice and the nefarious-sounding term "unmasking."

Here's a synopsis: When U.S. intelligence agencies are surveilling foreign individuals, be they ambassadors or suspected spies, Americans are routinely swept up in the surveillance. The identities of the Americans are kept out of intelligence reports. But they can be unmasked by intelligence officials if it's deemed relevant to an investigation or necessary to understand the context of a surveilled conversation.

That doesn't mean those names are shared with the public, or even shared widely among intelligence officials. But requests to unmask unnamed Americans in foreign surveillance reports are not uncommon, and Rice would've been acting fully within her capacity as national security adviser to make such requests.

Most importantly, those requests would have to be approved by intelligence officials before Rice could see anything. That keeps the decision-making on the investigative side to protect against political shenanigans.

Based on what we know, Rice did nothing wrong and, in fact, was doing her job by scrutinizing Russian surveillance at a time when the intelligence community was investigating Russian interference with an election.

But the screeching headlines on Breitbart and other children's websites have made it sound like Rice is the second-coming of Richard Nixon. And so, Americans are drawn deeper into the unfolding Russian scandal, and Trump apparently doesn't understand focusing on Rice's unmasking requests only suggests that the story he claims is fake may well be very, very real.

If Rice was trying to unmask suspected members of Trump's campaign swept up in surveillance of agents of a foreign adversary, a logical question might be: WHY WERE SO MANY MEMBERS OF TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN TALKING TO SURVEILLED AGENTS OF A FOREIGN ADVERSARY?!?!

The accusations against Rice should be investigated, but as with the senseless wiretapping claim that brought us to this point, they're a ham-handed attempt to distract from the broader Russian scandal.

Advertisement

If you know your zipper is down, you don't try to get people to ignore it by talking incessantly about zippers.

The administration's response to Tuesday's horrifying chemical attack on innocent civilians in Syria followed a similar nonsensical path.

A statement from the president read: "Today's chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world. These heinous actions by the Bashar Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution. President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing."

Looking past the utter tastelessness of using the slaughter of innocents  including children  to take a political jab at a former president, Trump's words are not entirely wrong. The Obama administration and the rest of the world didn't do enough to stand up to Assad's brutality.

But the problem with Trump's comment now is that when Obama was considering military action against Syria in 2013, a private citizen named Donald Trump was vociferously encouraging Obama to stand down.

Trump sent a slew of tweets on the subject, writing things like "What I am saying is stay out of Syria"; "Do NOT attack Syria."; "Stay out of Syria!"

Advertisement

And just days before Tuesday's attack, Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, and his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, both made clear that Assad is not a priority of the United States.

"Are we going to sit there and focus on getting him out?" Haley asked. "No."

And Tillerson said Assad's fate "will be decided by the Syrian people."

So Trump says the chemical attack is Obama's fault because he wouldn't go after Syria back when Trump was telling him not to go after Syria. And the former president was too weak on Assad so the new president plans to get tougher by not focusing on Assad.

Also, Trump is so concerned with the humanitarian crisis in Syria that he wants to block all Syrian refugees from entering the United States. And Syria's brutal regime, the one we plan to ignore, is supported by  wait for it, because it's really fantastic  Russia!

The Trumpian bunk tempest shows no signs of letting up.

Advertisement

Hold fast to your boats, people. Storms like this can tear your sanity apart.

Listen to Rex Huppke and WGN radio host Amy Guth discuss presidential politics each week on the "Guth and Huppke on Politics" podcast at chicagotribune.com/guthhuppkepodcast.

rhuppke@chicagotribune.com
For over 100 years, the New Trier Citizens League, an auxiliary arm of New Trier Township government (unrelated to our high school, which shares the name) has decided who will be allowed to run for township trustee. The "approved" slate runs unopposed  and wins. Every time.

To no one's surprise that happened again in the April 4 township elections. But this time something was different: A second slate of candidates, best known for their commitment to cutting exorbitant property taxes and administrative costs, dared challenge the predominantly liberal "orthodoxy" here by getting onto the ballot too. The Independent Party slate, known locally as Kathy, Bob and Stacy, provided New Trier voters in Tuesday's township elections with something they haven't had in these races in a century: choice.

Advertisement

Well, just the idea of these challengers panicked the New Trier elders. In response to the upstart candidates, an electioneering organization that called itself Wilmette Friends  which never registered with Illinois election officials as a political action committee  sprung up to defeat them, not by engaging the candidates or their supporters on the issues in the marketplace of ideas, but by declaring that these newcomers had no right to even enter the marketplace of ideas.

We've seen this before. Wilmette Friends is made up of some of the same folks who tried to silence Parents of New Trier, the group of several hundred New Trier High School parents whose efforts to add intellectual diversity to the school's recent Seminar Day on race made national news.

Advertisement

Ironically, there was a strong connection between the Independent Party slate and Parents of New Trier. But it's not the outlandish dark money conspiracy theories Wilmette Friends activists worked hard to advance.

The real connection is that when it came to both Parents of New Trier and the Independent Party, the North Shore elders fought hard to shut out voices and thinking they don't approve of  not through engagement and debate, but through groundless attacks and fear campaigns.

The good news for the New Trier community, thanks in part to bold local candidates and New Trier parents and taxpayers willing to challenge the status quo, is that intellectual and philosophical diversity is slowly getting into New Trier Township anyway. The gates to fresh ideas have been cracked open on the North Shore in recent months, and this is already having positive impact here as more folks are feeling emboldened to speak out and work to change things. Regardless of the vote totals in Tuesday's elections, this is a win for all New Trier Township citizens.

 Betsy Hart, Wilmette
To commemorate that time long ago that Jewish children weren't subject to the 10th plague that wiped out Egyptian firstborns, head to one of these Passover events. The matzo ball soup won't eat itself.

All events take place on Monday, April 10 and Tuesday, April 11 unless otherwise noted.

Advertisement

Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab

60 E. Grand Ave. 312-379-5637

Joe's is serving up traditional Passover goodness with a three-course menu. Gefilte fish served with red beet horseradish will be on offer, as well as chopped liver and matzo ball soup. For the main course, diners can choose from herb roasted chicken, braised beef brisket with red wine bordelaise or wild Alaskan halibut, all served with ginger glazed carrots and potato pancakes. Are you hungry yet? 4-10:30 p.m. $49.95 per person.

Bistronomic

840 N. Wabash Ave. 312-944-8400

If you're not feeling the usual matzo ball soup, this Gold Coast bistro will offer a prix fixe menu for dinner from Monday, April 10 to Tuesday, April 18. Offerings include a warm asparagus salad with artisanal burrata cheese, housemade foie gras and foie blond mousse with arugula and apple salad, a fish of the day with fennel shaving salad or a glazed beef short rib. $39 per person.

Advertisement

Goddess and Grocer

Various locations

Get your Passover to go with a catering menu from Goddess and Grocer, with twists on each dish that'll make it hard for you to ever go back to traditional dinners. Lemon pomegranate beef brisket and matzo-crusted chicken breast are just two of the delicious updates your Passover meal will get. Available Friday, April 7 to Tuesday, April 18.

Mity Nice Bar & Grill

835 N. Michigan Ave. 312-335-4745

Mity Nice will be serving up a family-style feast for you and your loved ones to celebrate the liberation of Jewish slaves all those years ago. On offer to share (or a la carte if you're not feeling the love) will be matzo ball soup, glazed pot roast with green beans, mushrooms and natural gravy and potato crusted halibut with asparagus, lemon and arugula salad. $36.95 per person.

Summer House Santa Monica (Anjali M. Pinto)

Summer House Santa Monica

1954 N. Halsted St. 773-634-4100

Summer House's executive chef is serving up a Seder plate with matzo along with matzo ball soup, gefilte fish and chopped liver, a main course of slow-braised beef brisket andof courseflourless chocolate cake, among other traditional offerings. 5:30-9 p.m. $44.95 per person.

Jerry's Andersonville

5419 N. Clark St. 773-796-3777

If you're looking for a more casual meal for the holiday, Jerry's will be offering additions to its menu from Monday, April 10 to Monday, April 17, including chicken soup with matzo balls ($4 or $6), Jewish style brisket and house cured salmon sandwiches (each $14). Sandwiches can be served on matzo or as a salad.

Frankie's 5th Floor Pizzeria and Frankie's Scaloppine

900 N. Michigan Ave. 312-266-2500

If you're hoping to enjoy the comfort of a Passover meal in your home without the prep, Frankie's is the spot for you. Take your Passover dinner to go from Frankie's Scaloppine once you place your orders no later than Friday, April 7. The multi-course meal can also be enjoyed in-house at $39.95 per person. 5-8:30 p.m.

@shelbielbostedt | sbostedt@redeyechicago.com
Family Research Council Statement on NCAA's Decision to End North Carolina Boycott Contact: J.P. Duffy or Alice Chao, 866-FRC-NEWS or 866-372-6397



WASHINGTON, April 5, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- The NCAA has announced the end to its boycott of North Carolina after the state adopted an HB 2 compromise law.



Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement: "It would appear the NCAA is beginning to address the question that NCAA's Mark Emmert raised in his press conference last week at the Final Four: 'what's the appropriate role for a national athletic association in public policy issues?' The NCAA's latest decision to accept the slight modifications the North Carolina legislature made to HB 2 suggest either they decided to stick to sports or they are starting to ignore the small but rowdy agitators who have used the NCAA to fight their losing political battle over North Carolinas public safety bill.



"It's now clear that there is no way for the NCAA to placate the far Left which will accept nothing less than the total surrender of those opposed to its agenda of opening every shower, locker room and bathroom to both men and women.



"The NCAA announcement is also positive news for supporters of the Texas Privacy Act, a bill quite similar to the law now in effect in North Carolina. We encourage the Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, who has said he wont block the Texas Privacy Act, to schedule a floor vote on this legislation to help ensure the safety and well-being of Texas women and children," concluded Perkins.

Share Tweet
Judicial Watch Obtains Copies of 204 ICE Illegal Alien 'Detainer Requests' Denied by Travis County, Texas Sheriff

Illegal Aliens Protected by Sheriff's Department Included Inmates Convicted of 34 Acts of Violence, 14 Thefts/Burglaries



Contact: Jill Farrell, Judicial Watch, 202-646-5172



WASHINGTON, April 5, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- Judicial Watch today announced that it obtained 204 illegal alien Detainer Requests denied to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by the Travis County, Texas, Sheriff's Office. The illegal aliens protected by the Sheriff's Office were charged or convicted of 31 acts of violence, 14 thefts or burglaries, and three acts or threats of terrorism. Forty-four of the denied requests were for inmates originally detained by Homeland Security and temporarily transferred to Travis County (home to the state capital in Austin) for disposition of state or local charges.



The sanctuary policy, the "Travis County Sheriff's Office Policy on Cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement," limits the extent to which the Sheriffs Office will cooperate with ICE.



On February 2, 2017, the Austin American-Statesman reported that the Travis County Sheriff's Office had "declined 196 detention requests" from ICE. Once the ICE detainers were removed, 37 people were released on bail. These inmates may have been able to post bail prior to the new sanctuary policy, "but they would have been released into ICE custody for possible deportation."



Judicial Watch on February 3 submitted a Public Information Act Request to the sheriff's office asking for:

The 196 detention requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Such requests may include Department of Homeland Security Forms I-247N, I-247D or I-247-X; and

Any records provided to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement by the Travis County's Sheriff's office that declines the 196 detention requests.

Based on the "Immigration DetainerRequest for Voluntary Action" forms obtained by Judicial Watch, the illegal aliens protected by this sanctuary policy had the following criminal records:

58 DWIs;



34 acts of violence (assault, aggregated assault, assault with a deadly weapon, etc.);



14 thefts/burglaries or other crimes against property;



8 drug-possession charges; 6 firearms violations;



45 other assorted felonies and misdemeanors (including contempt and failure to appear in court);



and 35 unlisted or unclassified charges. [NOTE: Totals do not add due to multiple charges/convictions in some instances.]

"These documents provide disturbing evidence of how Travis County's sanctuary policy protects criminal illegal aliens, many of whom are dangerous felons, from deportation," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "Sanctuary policies such as these put the public's safety at risk."



Under the new sanctuary policy, the sheriff's office now honors only select detention requests for inmates charged or convicted of a crime on a narrowly specified list of such crimes as murder and aggravated sexual assault. For all other crimes, ICE must present the sheriff with a warrant or judicial order before the inmate will be detained:



MORE: www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-obtains-copies-204-ice-illegal-alien-detainer-requests-denied-travis-county-texas-sheriff
home World Danish churches attempt to boost attendance by opening more night-time services

As more and more Danes leave the Church of Denmark to become atheists, priests in the Scandinavian country are opening night-time services in an attempt to boost attendance.

According to a survey conducted by the Diocese of Copenhagen, some 33 churches in 25 towns and cities have opened the doors of their churches at night. While night services are typically conducted between 8 p.m. and midnight about once a month, believers in Copenhagen can visit their local church at night several times a week.

In the western Jutland town of Holstebro, one church opens from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays, a time when Danes are more likely to be found in bars or cafes, The Local reported, citing Danish news agency Ritzau.

Erik Ladegaard, a priest from the church, said that the aim of the night service is to provide an alternative to the traditional Sunday morning worship.

"It's our duty to be a church for people living now... and there are some that don't feel Sunday morning worship encompasses their spirituality," he said.

Visitors after 8 p.m. are allowed to light a candle, discuss a Biblical passage or contemplate quietly.

"There's a certain calm attached to an evening," said 61-year-old Ellen BrokhAj, who regularly attends the night services at the church in Holstebro.

"On one hand you are part of a community, on the other you can also be alone with God," BrokhAj added.

According to the report from Ritzau, the services can either be calm or be a raucous experience similar to a rock concert.

Ladegaard said that the concept of a night church allows the parishioners to play a more active role than they normally would.

Jes Heise Rasmussen, sociologist and Ph.D. student at the University of Copenhagen, asserted that one of the factors that make night churches an attractive option could be the concept of independent worship.

"They offer a different way to meet with the church," Rasmussen said, noting that the night time services could also be a way for priests to present a less stiff and formal image of the church.

It was reported in September 2016 that a record 10,300 people have decided to leave the Church of Denmark. It has been speculated that the high number was due in part to a campaign from the Danish Atheist Society, which ran a series of advertisements, asking questions such as: "Why believe in a god?," "Why should faith cost something?" and "Did Jesus and Mohammed speak with a god?"

The findings of a study conducted by the Pew Research Center in June 2015 indicated that the religiously unaffiliated are the second-largest faith group in Denmark.
home World Tajik churches under investigation for having underage attendees during services

Several churches in Tajikistan are now under investigation for having children and teens under 18 at religious services.

The Tajik government prohibits minors from taking part in religious activities, even if they are with their parents. According to a report from Mission Network News, several security officers attended Sunday services in two separate towns to film and take photographs for evidence.

Kristin Wright, Advocacy Director with Open Doors USA, said that her group is keeping an eye on the developing situation.

"Since then, there's been a criminal investigation against the church and against the members," Wright noted.

"These members are being questioned on a daily basis. It's a situation of real concern for Christians, not just of this church, but churches across Tajikistan where these severe regulations really prohibit parents from even bringing their children to church and introducing them to the Gospel," she continued.

According to Open Doors, the activities of the churches in the two towns have been suspended, pending the outcome of the court proceedings. Church members are being constantly summoned for repeated questioning.

One Tajik pastor noted that the authorities are already planning to close the churches and ban all their activities. The officers are also conducting an investigation on proselytism, and they even questioned why there were Uzbeks and Tajiks attending the services.

"Ethnically they are Muslims, so they should visit the Mosque a what are they doing in church?" the officers reportedly asked.

Wright further noted that Tajikistan has been designated by the U.S. State Department as a country of particular concern due to its stringent laws against freedom of religion and belief.

In February, a Christian with a Muslim background was arrested after he shared the Gospel with a stranger who began to speak to him. The Christian was apprehended by the stranger, who turned out to be an officer of the Security Service, after he tried to give him a copy of the New Testament. Tajik law prohibits the distribution of religious literature and "religious propaganda" in public places.

Open Doors stated that "dictatorial paranoia" is the main source of persecution in Tajikistan. However, pressure from Islamic extremism is also present in private, family and community spheres.

Tajikistan, which is 98 percent Muslim, has been ranked on the Open Doors World Watch List as the 35th country where Christians experience the worst persecution.
Saga Short Tales Tomo 2: Tales of the Land: Cotui is the second installment under De Los Reyes Cigars Short Tales line. As the name indicates, Saga Short Tales is a series of short smokes with each installment having a different theme to it. Last year, the first installment, Tomo (Volume) 1 Tales of High Priming was released. As the name indicates, Tales of High Priming focused on a blend built around high priming tobaccos. For Tomo II, Tales of the Land: Cotui, this cigar builds a blend using a never-before used wrapper that is grown in the Cotui region of the Dominican Republic. Today I take a closer look at Tales of the Land: Cotui. What I found is that Tales of the Land: Cotui is a very different cigar then its predecessor Tales of High Priming, however it does not mean it falls short in performance as this delivers a home run by De Los Reyes Cigars.

Saga Short Tales is the third line under De Los Reyes Saga brand joining the Saga Golden Age and Saga Blend No. 9. The Saga brand was launched by the Reyes family at the 2014 IPCPR Trade Show. Many know of the Reyes family through Augusto Reyes Sr, a very well-respected sixth generation cigar maker in the Dominican Republic. The Reyes family has been involved in the tobacco growing and leaf brokerage business for over 160 years. Recently, the company rebranded itself from Corporacion Cigar Export (CCE) to De Los Reyes Cigars, under the leadership of Reyes daughter Nirka.

Tales of the Land: Cotui incorporates packaging is designed in the form of a classic novel  complete with a story of the cigar included. Given it is the second blend in the series, Tales of High Priming is dubbed Tomo II  meaning Volume 2. There are ten volumes that De Los Reyes Cigars has produced and will be rolling out.

Without further ado, lets take a closer look at the Saga Short Tales  Tales of the Land: Cotui and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

As mentioned, the focal point of this blend is a never-before used wrapper grown in the Cotui region of the Dominican Republic. Cotui is a region in the Dominican Republic located about 60 miles Southeast of Santiago. The region is known for its gold mining as well as farming. In the region, the Reyes family worked with Monika Kelner, the daughter of Henke Kelner to produce the wrapper.

In addition to the Dominican-grown Cotui wrapper, the blend incorporates an Indonesian binder and combination of Dominican and North American tobaccos for the filler. The cigar is produced at the De Los Reyes Factory in the Dominican Republic.

Wrapper: Dominican Cotui

Binder: Indonesian

Filler: Dominican, North America

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (De Los Reyes)

Vitolas Available

Saga Short Tales  Tales of the Land: Cotui is available in one size  a 5 x 54 belicoso. The cigars are packaged in ten count boxes.

Appearance

The Dominican Cotui wrapper has a medium brown color to it. It will show off varying degrees of a colorado red tint depending on how the light hits it. There is some oil on the surface of the wrapper. I found this wrapper to be slightly on the bumpy side. The wrapper has some visible veins, but the wrapper seams are well hidden. There is a short, gentle taper to the toward the tip of this belicoso.

There are two bands on the Saga Short Tales  Tales of the Land Cotui. These are the same bands found on the Tales of High Priming release. The primary band is gold in color. Prominently displayed on the middle of the band is the text SAGA in a modern red-colored font. Above and below the text is a row of a gold rivet-like design. There is also a row of red rivets toward the top and bottom of the band.

The secondary band is green in color. The band features the text Short Tales in gold font and is trimmed in gold across the top and bottom.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I do with all figurado cigars, I went with a straight cut to remove the tip of the Tales of the Land: Cotui. For this cigar, I used my Credo Special T cutter with the 36 ring gauge hole to get an ideal cut. This allowed me to get a smaller ring gauge cut an to take advantage of the tapering of this cigar. I then moved on to the pre-light draw phase. The dry draw delivered a mix of cedar, cinnamon, and pepper. Overall I considered this to be an excellent pre-light draw. At this point I was ready to light up Tales of the Land: Cotui and see what the smoking phase had in store.

Flavor Profile

The start of Tales of the Land: Cotui delivered a mix of cinnamon, cedar, generic wood, and a mix of red and green pepper. The cinnamon and cedar notes moved into the forefront and provided a nice mix of sweetness and spice. Meanwhile the retro-hale delivered an additional layer of cedar and mixed pepper spices.

Later in the first third, the generic wood notes moved take over as the primary note. By the early part of the second third, some earthy notes were mixed in with the wood. The cedar and cinnamon moved into the background joining the red and green pepper. These background flavors complemented the wood and earth notes perfectly  adding in small doses of sweetness and spice at varying degrees.

The last third of Tales of the Land: Cotui are similar to the second third. There was a little more in the way of spice, but it was not overpowering. This is the way the cigar experience came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

From a burn perspective, Tales of the Land: Cotui maintained a straight burn path from start to finish. Early n, there was an occasional bit of jaggedness on the burn line. This only warranted an occasional touch-up and didnt prove to be problematic as the cigar experience progressed. While not a super firm ash, this ash still leaned toward being on the firm side. The ash itself had a silver-gray color. Meanwhile the burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

The draw to the Tales of the Land: Cotui performed outstanding. This draw had a touch of resistance  which is something I like. The belicoso tip where it was clipped, held up very well. I also found this cigar produced an abundant layer of smoke.

Strength and Body

If you are familiar with Saga Short Tales Tomo I  Tales of High Priming, you know that is not only a full strength, full-bodied cigar. I consider it one of the stronger cigars to have come out of the Dominican Republic. As for Tales of the Land: Cotui, this cigar has a different profile. This is a cigar that is medium strength and medium to full-bodied. I didnt find much in the way of variance with the strength and body throughout the smoking experience.

In terms of strength versus body, I gave the edge to the body.

Final Thoughts

De Los Reyes knocked it out of the park with this blend. One thing I like to say is that this cigar excelled in the area that matters most  flavor. This blend also really came together nicely in the short belicoso format. I also really like how De Los Reyes is creating unique smokes with each installment of Short Tales thus far. Not only are the cigars unique from one another, but they are quite unique of anything out on the marketplace.

This is a cigar that I would recommend to an experienced cigar enthusiast. At the same time, this is a great cigar for a novice looking for something in the medium plus format. As for myself, this is not only a box worthy purchase, but one I would fight Chuck Norris for.

Summary

Key Flavors: cinnamon, cedar, generic wood, red pepper, green pepper

Burn: Excellent

Draw: Excellent

Complexity: Medium

Strength: Medium

Body: Medium to Full

Finish: Excellent

Rating

Assessment: 4.5-Fight Chuck Norris for Them

Score: 93

References

News: De Los Reyes Releases Saga Short Tales Tomo 2-Tales of the Land: Cotui

Price: $8.50

Source: De Los Reyes

Reference: Saga
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.
In what is fast becoming a rite of passage for Chinese leaders, President Xi Jinping has decreed that the Xiongan New District be created in Hebei, about 160 km south of Beijing. The area will be developed with similar incentives and infrastructure that were put in place with the creation of Shenzhen and the Pudong New Area by predecessors Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin.

The Xiongan New District is set to include Anxin, Rongcheng, and Xiongxian counties around Hebeis Baiyangdian Lake. It will initially be a 100 km2 area but will expand to more than 2,000 km2 over time, and will house facilities such as markets, schools, research institutions, and hospitals that will be relocated from Beijing. The area is expected to form a triad between Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei.

To facilitate its development, Xi has promoted Xu Qin, previously the Party Secretary and Mayor of Shenzhen, to the Hebei Provincial Deputy Party Secretary. Further details at this time are unclear. However, the previous successes of Shenzhen, transformed from a small fishing village, and Pudong, redeveloped from marshland, augur well, especially as the Xiongan New District is a project directly instigated by the Chinese President.

RELATED: Business Advisory Services from Dezan Shira & Associates

What can be expected are new highways and high speed rail links to the new Daxing airport, which is currently under construction to the south of Beijing. Additionally, the Qinhuangdao Port facility will be further developed, and will likely mirror Shenzhen and Pudong by including tax incentives for import-export and to attract specific industry sectors, as well as by establishing free trade zones and bonded facilities.



Chris Devonshire-Ellis is the Founding Partner of Dezan Shira & Associates  a specialist foreign direct investment practice providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in emerging Asia. Since its establishment in 1992, the firm has grown into one of Asias most versatile full-service consultancies with operational offices across China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore and Vietnam, in addition to alliances in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand, as well as liaison offices in Italy, Germany and the United States. For further information, please email china@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Chris can be followed on Twitter at @CDE_Asia. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight.



Dezan Shira & Associates Brochure

Dezan Shira & Associates is a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm, providing legal, tax and operational advisory to international corporate investors. Operational throughout China, ASEAN and India, our mission is to guide foreign companies through Asias complex regulatory environment and assist them with all aspects of establishing, maintaining and growing their business operations in the region. This brochure provides an overview of the services and expertise Dezan Shira & Associates can provide.

An Introduction to Doing Business in China 2017

Dezan Shira & Associates Silk Road and OBOR investment brochure offers an introduction to the region and an overview of the services provided by the firm. It is Dezan Shiras mission to guide investors through the Silk Roads complex regulatory environment and assist with all aspects of establishing, maintaining and growing business operations in the region.
China is the largest exporter of military drones today, and it is ready to place a new model on the international market.

The TYW-1, developed by Beihang University in Beijing, one of China's top institutes for science and technology, is an unmanned aircraft for reconnaissance and combat based on the BZK-005 high-altitude, long-range reconnaissance drone, which the university also developed.

The BZK-005 is widely used by the People's Liberation Army and has performed many operations, foreign media have reported.

The drone is to make its maiden flight in September and will be placed on the international market in 2018, according to Wang Jianping, deputy general manager and chief designer at Beihang Unmanned Aircraft System Technology.

The firm was set up by Beihang University, formerly known as Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, to develop and market drones.

"We aim to tap the markets in neighboring nations, as well as in Southeast Asia and the Middle East," Wang said in an exclusive interview.

This would be the first time a Chinese university sells large unmanned combat aircraft on the international market. Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, has sold small, unarmed military drones to foreign buyers.

The best-known Chinese military drones are the Wing Loong family, made by Aviation Industry Corp of China, and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp's CH series.

CH drones have been sold to military users in more than 10 countries, while the Wing Loong II, which made its maiden flight in late February, has received the largest contract ever for a Chinese drone made for export.

Though facing competition, Wang said he has confidence in the TYW-1 because it is based on the BZK-005, which has proved itself with an outstanding service record.

"It's fair to say the BZK-005 is the best aerodynamic design in China, as it has the best lift-to-drag ratio of the drones of its kind," he said. Lift-to-drag ratio is a key indicator of an aircraft's capability.

"Taking advantage of the good design of the BZK-005, the TYW-1 will be able to fly for about 40 hours. With a maximum takeoff weight of 1,500kilograms, it will be capable of carrying six missiles or bombs with a total weight of 300 kg."

Another edge of the TYW-1 is its high level of automation. Wang said the drone can autonomously take off and land, and will be able to track a target and strike without manual control.

"It's very easy to learn how to operate this drone. It will take only a month to train an operator," he said.

The TYW-1 also will be an open and modular platform, which means it can use equipment and weapons developed not only by Chinese companies, but also by other nations, he added.

Wang Ya'nan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge, said the TYW-1 will have bright market prospects for two key reasons.

"First, its predecessor, the BZK-005, has a good reputation in this field through its performance in actual operations," he said. "Second, the drone's modular design will give users a wide range of options when it comes to the procurement of equipment and weapons, enabling them to choose the most suitable products.

"In addition, its long endurance in the sky will be attractive to nations that must monitor vast territorial waters."
You are here: Home

 Flash

Leaders of France, Germany and Russia were on the phone on Tuesday discussing ways to boost security cooperation to face terrorism threats after an explosion rocked St Petersburg metro station, claiming at least the lives of 14 people.

French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin "agreed to further improve their cooperation against terrorism, including the immediate exchange of all useful information," the French presidency said in a statement.

Hollande and Merkel reiterated their solidarity with Moscow and expressed sympathy with the Russian authorities and people.

The three leaders also held talks on ways to pursue diplomatic efforts aimed at fully implementing the Minsk peace deal, the statement added.
You are here: Home

 Flash

Kyrgyzstan's State Security Committee suspected a Kyrgyzstan-born Russian citizen of carrying out the bombing attack in the St. Petersburg metro, the Kyrgyz foreign minister said Tuesday.

Erlan Abdyldayev disclosed the findings at a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

The blast took place on Monday afternoon in a metro train carriage in St. Petersburg, Russia's second largest city, killing 14 people and wounding dozens.

Abdyldayev said it was too early to link the suspect to the Islamic State or other terrorist groups.

Lavrov responded that it was inadmissible to connect the attack to the origins of a person or a religion. He added that terrorism has no nationality and represents "a crime against all humanity and all world religions without exception."

Speculations are "cynical and mean" that the metro attack could be an act of revenge for Russia's participation in anti-terrorist operations in Syria, said Lavrov.

Earlier in the day, Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said the explosive device was possibly detonated by a man, whose fragmented remains were found in the blown-up train.

"Investigators are now continuing their inquiries, including reviewing CCTV footage," Petrenko said.
You are here: Home

 Flash

Policemen and firemen stand outside the metro station where a blast went off in St. Petersburg, Russia, on April 3, 2017. (Xinhua/Sputnik)

The Russian Investigative Committee (RIC) said Tuesday that 22-year-old Akbarzhon Dzhalilov carried out the deadly bomb attack in the St. Petersburg metro Monday afternoon.

The blast took place in a train carriage in the tunnel between two metro stations in St. Petersburg, Russia's second largest city, killing at least 14 people and wounding dozens.

"The conclusions of the genetic examination and the recording of the CCTV cameras give the investigators reasons to believe that it was Dzhalilov who committed the terrorist act in the train," said the RIC in a statement.

The statement did not disclose whether Dzhalilov had accomplices or connections to the Islamic State or other terrorist groups.

According to the statement, Dzhalilov left an additional explosive device at a third metro station, which has been defused by investigators.

Dzhalilov himself died in the blast, Interfax news agency quoted RIC spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko as saying.

RIA Novosti news agency and some Kyrgyz media outlets reported that Dzhalilov was born in Kyrgyzstan and attained Russian citizenship.

Born in 1995, Dzhalilov left Kyrgyzstan for Russia with his parents in 2011. Later, his parents returned to Kyrgyzstan, while Dzhalilov himself remained in Russia to earn money, Kyrgyz news agency 24.kg quoted their close relatives as saying.
You are here: Home

 Flash

Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli will visit Estonia, Slovenia, Albania, and attend meetings in Russia and Kazakhstan from April 11 to 19, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Wednesday.

China's relations with the 16 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, among which are Estonia, Slovenia, and Albania, have grown in recent years thanks to the rapid development of the "16+1" cooperation mechanism.

Zhang will co-chair the fourth meeting of the China-Russia Investment Cooperation Committee and will meet the Russian chair of the China-Russia Energy Cooperation Committee, spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.

He will also travel to Kazakhstan to attend the eighth meeting of China-Kazakhstan Cooperation Committee, according to Hua.
By Angus Whitley, Matthew Winkler, Bloomberg News | Apr. 05, 2017

The flood of cheap Chinese airfares that's undoing Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. is proving a boon for Qantas Airways Ltd.

Hong Kong-based Cathay posted its first loss in eight years last month, overwhelmed by pricing competition from mainland rivals including China Eastern Airlines Corp. and China Southern Airlines Co. For Qantas, it's doing the opposite - bringing a record number of Chinese visitors to Australia and generating new business for the flagship carrier, which ferries them on its local network.

"The growth opportunity is the Chinese market," Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce, 50, said in an interview at Bloomberg's Sydney office Tuesday. "We see the Chinese visitors exploring the entire domestic network."

The cut-price Chinese fares that are threatening marquee Asia-Pacific carriers such as Cathay and Singapore Airlines Ltd. are supercharging one of Australia's fastest corporate turnarounds. Joyce has led Qantas to record earnings and widened its profit margins by more than any of the world's 20 largest airlines in the past two years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Chinese tourists in Australia typically take two or three domestic flights to popular destinations such as Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef or Tasmania, according to Qantas. That's easy money for a national carrier that controls almost two-thirds of the local market, and whose domestic network makes almost twice as much profit as its international flights.

Job Cuts

Joyce is in the final months of a three-year, A$2 billion (US$1.5 billion) recovery plan that's seen him chop thousands of jobs, cut money-losing routes to Europe, and simplify the fleet. That helped propel Qantas's total earnings before tax and one-time items to a record A$1.53 billion in the 12 months ended June 2016.

The result was underpinned by Qantas's lowest fuel bill in at least a decade. The price of jet fuel, at about US$62 a barrel, is still less than half what it was five years back, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Not everyone is convinced the rebound is permanent.

Financial markets are most skeptical about Qantas's ability to keep its international business in profit as overseas rivals add capacity, said Sean Fenton, who oversees about A$1 billion of assets including Qantas shares at Tribeca Investment Partners in Sydney. Neither do investors know how well Qantas could withstand an economic downturn, he said.

"Airlines are still cyclical," said Fenton. "Does it swing to extreme losses or does it swing to smaller profits? That's what investors need to see."

Amid a glut of overseas capacity, operating profit at the carrier's international division dropped 23 percent to A$208 million in the final six months of 2016 as ticket prices fell. At the domestic business, profit declined 4 percent to A$371 million as travel tied to the resources industry ebbed following the end of the nation's mining-investment boom.

Qantas shares have fallen about 2.5 percent in the past 12 months after more than tripling in the previous two years. Cathay shares have fallen 14 percent in the past year while the Bloomberg World Airlines Index rose 2.3 percent.

Joyce says he needs to notch up a string of consistent results to win over skeptical investors.

"The market needs to see a couple of years of billion-dollar profits," he said. "The consistency argument comes around a bit."

He's also targeting the lucrative corporate market to China. In January, Qantas, which has an alliance with China Eastern, resumed services to Beijing from Sydney for the first time since the route was axed following the global financial crisis.

Even if the route isn't immediately profitable, Beijing will join Hong Kong and Shanghai among the carrier's top 10 business markets within two years, he said.

"It's a market you absolutely need to serve," Joyce said. "We're happy to develop a route if it's a new route and take a couple of years to make money."

China will displace the U.S. as the world's largest aviation market around 2024, according to the International Air Transport Association. Mainland Chinese airlines have opened 75 long-haul markets since 2006, led by Air China Ltd., according to the CAPA Centre for Aviation.

Australia drew 1.2 million Chinese visitors in 2016. In 10 years, that number could snowball to 4 million if projections bear out, Joyce said. Arrivals from China and Hong Kong reached fresh highs in January, Australian government data showed.

"The numbers are just phenomenal," said Joyce. "It's massive growth and a massive market."
New Delhi not only allowed the 14th Dalai Lama to visit Southern Tibet, a historical Chinese territory India has illicitly occupied and refers to as "Arunachal Pradesh", but the spiritual leader of "Tibetan independence" was also escorted on his trip by India's junior minister of home affairs.

To Beijing, that is a double affront.

The Times of India, for one, made it crystal clear: "Dalai Lama and Tibet: India's leverage against China", is the headline of an article published on Monday that says "Tibet and the Dalai Lama can help India counter in some measure the vice like veto China exercises on India's entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its move to bring Pakistan-based terrorist mastermind Masood Azhar under UN sanctions".

Calling Southern Tibet "an inseparable part of India", Kiren Rijiju, the Indian junior minister, said: "China should not object to the Dalai Lama's visit and interfere in India's internal affairs."

Rijiju might think himself cute in borrowing a line from Beijing's diplomatic representations, but he has ignored the fundamental distinction here: Like Taiwan and any other part of China, Tibet is a part of Chinese territory no matter whether New Delhi agrees or not. Southern Tibet, on the other hand, was stolen from China by his country's former colonial master taking advantage of China's internal strife.

Should he have any questions regarding the status of Southern Tibet, Rijiju can consult the historical archives. Neither the "McMahon Line", by which New Delhi justifies its actual control of Southern Tibet, nor the present-day "Arunachal Pradesh" has Beijing's endorsement. In other words, Indian occupation of the area is legally untenable. Using it as leverage, therefore, is not just unethical. It is outright illicit.

Despite the historical dispute, the China-India border area has by and large remained peaceful recently, particularly since Beijing and New Delhi began to get serious about border talks.

If New Delhi chooses to play dirty, however, Beijing should not hesitate to answer blows with blows.
People pay tribute to their loved ones at a public cemetery in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, on Tuesday. JI HAIXIN / FOR CHINA DAILY

While millions of visitors from neighboring cities swarmed into Suzhou, Jiangsu province, during the holiday to sweep tombs, people are finding it increasingly hard to buy new tombs there following a policy banning non-locals from buying spaces in public cemeteries.

"Those who are not Suzhou residents must get approval from the civil affairs authorities before they can buy a tomb here," said Zhang Jihong, deputy head of the civil affairs bureau in Suzhou.

The problem has been exacerbated by the aging population and urbanization, which has caused a shortage of tomb spaces in Suzhou and sent prices soaring.

The civil affairs bureau estimated that 6 million people from other cities visited during the holiday to pay tribute to relatives buried in Suzhou. A large number of visitors came from Shanghai, where a tomb costs on average twice the price in Suzhou.

As a result, many have chosen to bury their departed in Suzhou instead.

The trend has sparked online discussion, with accusations that the policy is pushing non-locals out by applying rules similar to those for buying houses.

"After the house purchase restrictions for the living, officials are turning their eyes to the dead," said Youming, a user of social media platform Sina Weibo, China's answer to Twitter.

The Suzhou civil affairs bureau's Zhang, however, said the policy was not exactly new but a reiteration due to the shortage of tomb places.

"Suzhou had a similar policy in 2004, but it was not well implemented," he said.

"We are not keeping all the non-locals outside. Those with spouses buried in Suzhou can still use the same grave after they die."

Gao Feng, deputy dean of the faculty of humanities and social sciences in Soochow University, said the policy was a consequence of unbalanced supply and demand.

"There is no other way than restricting tomb purchasing," said Gao. "The policy is not targeting people from particular regions."

The city reportedly aims to bring down the price of the tombs, the average price for which soared to 120,000 yuan ($17,420) per square meter in 2016.

The policy is also targeting those who buy tombs years ahead, leaving the land unused and adding to the tomb shortage.
Pizza on display at a Pizza Hut outlet in Beijing, Jan 7, 2007. [Photo/VCG]

US newcomer plans to take on established heavyweights

Pizza Hut and Papa John's may be the pizza pioneers in China, but another US company is looking to take a more gourmet approach to win a big slice of the Chinese mainland market.

Cottage Inn Pizza, founded in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1948, said it plans to expand internationally by adding many new locations in China, where it already has an outlet in Qingdao, in East China's Shandong province.

"Pizza Hut has perfected its craft. It's been in China for so long, it has established itself," said Joseph Langenbacher, Cottage Inn Pizza director of product development.

"Where we come in is that in the US we're more of a gourmet pizza chain that offers more of an upscale pizza product."

Cottage Inn opened its first location in Qingdao late last year, saying that the expansion into China was a "monumental step" in the company's history and that it had plans to open 200 stores in the next 15 years. The family-run company has 56 locations across the US and is looking to reach 100 stores by the end of 2017.

Investors from China expressed an interest in starting a mainland pizza chain, said Langenbacher, which led to scouting for locations in Qingdao and Beijing.

Qingdao was quickly selected as the first city, because it already had an established pizza culture and customer base, with many Pizza Hut and Papa John outlets already located there, he said.

"We wanted to have the same principles in China, so we really wanted to focus on the quality of product, whether it's the pizza or the expanded menu," he said.

Pizza Hut offers a sit-in restaurant experience and Langenbacher said Cottage Inn would offer a similar environment for its customers, with an expanded menu adapted to Chinese tastes.

"We feel like we have to offer the restaurant experience," Langenbacher said. "It's more suitable to have an actual dining experience for the area. They enjoy taking their time with their family and dining."

He said his company also looked at several existing pizza chains in China that have tried delivering pizzas and found that Chinese customers preferred going to a restaurant than eating pizzas at home.

"We really want to focus on the dine-in experience in China, because they really love the American culture, and we want to bring that to them," Langenbacher said.

The Chinese menu includes additions such as rice dishes, pasta dishes, popcorn chicken and pizzas catering to local tastes, such as with shrimp or durian toppings.

US-style flavors like buffalo sauce were removed from the menu because local consumers didn't fancy them, Langenbacher said.
Tourists visit the Shanghai Zoo during the Tomb-sweeping Day holiday, April 4, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

BEIJING - China's tourism industry raked in 39 billion yuan ($5.74 billion) in revenue during the Tomb-sweeping Day holiday, official data showed on Tuesday.

The revenue was driven by 93 million domestic tourist trips, the National Tourism Administration said in a statement.

Tomb-sweeping Day, also known as Qingming Festival, is an important occasion for Chinese to honor their ancestors. Many also spend the three-day holiday on leisure travel.

Most of the tourists hit the road for short-haul trips. Meanwhile, railway operator sent 35 million passengers, most of whom headed for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area and the Yangtze River Delta region.

China's tourism industry is key to the country's shift towards a more service-driven economy and is a useful indicator of the strength of consumer spending.
NEW YORK - China-US trade benefits both sides and China is not to blame for the loss of manufacturing jobs in the United States, said a renowned US expert on China.

Statistics from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce show that two-way trade of goods exceeded $519.6 billion last year, making China America's largest trading partner and America China's second largest.

"I think respectable economists, not people who were just working for politicians, all agree that bilateral trade has benefited both the US and China," Avery Goldstein, a political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The standard of living of the American people has became higher because of less costly Chinese products, added Goldstein, who was listed among the top 20 China experts in the United States by China Foreign Affairs University in 2015.

It is unfair for some politicians to blame China for America's loss of manufacturing jobs, Goldstein pointed out, noting that it is more about worldwide market competition, and about automation, which leads to higher productivity - and fewer workers - in factories.

"Of course, if the relationship is poorly managed, if the negotiations with China on trade don't go well, and if tariffs are imposed on China, Americans will quickly see the effect, which would be an increase in the price of goods," said the expert.

According to an Oxford Economics report, China-US trade was credited for creating some 2.6 million jobs in the United States and contributing $216 billion to US economic growth in 2015.

"We should not try to keep China poor or to prevent China from playing a bigger role in the global economy, but rather to figure out how to cooperate with China in addressing the problems of global economy and managing some of the difficult trade and financial issues that come up in international economics," said Goldstein.

Commenting on the upcoming meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Florida, the expert stressed that the significance of the event should not be underestimated.

The two leaders, first of all, will "get a deeper understanding of each other and each other's general views about the US-China bilateral relationship," said the professor, who is also director of the U Penn Center for the Study of Contemporary China.

"Beyond that, each side may want to lay out a general road map for dealing with some of the areas where cooperation looks most feasible, and some of the areas where it is clear the two sides will have to work hard to manage their disagreements," he added.

Noting that Trump, who has been in the White House for over two months, might not have a "comprehensive China strategy" in place with his entire foreign policy team being assembled, he observed that the US president is turning from "tough talk to pragmatism" on policies towards China.

Trump has reversed his previous assertions and pledged to honor the one-China policy, a cornerstone of China-US diplomatic relations. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has vowed that the US side is ready to develop relations with China based on the China-proposed principles of non-confrontation, non-conflict, mutual respect and win-win cooperation.

The upcoming meeting will provide "an incentive" for the Trump administration to "have a tentative outline of how they like to approach the US-China relationship, and help them understand how they may have to adjust," Goldstein said.

"But even such success will only be a start with much work to be done by both sides in subsequent months and years," as bilateral ties have become increasingly important and complex in recent years, said the professor.

Moreover, the two countries share responsibilities in dealing with many regional and global issues, like climate change, non-proliferation, counter-terrorism, disease control and disaster relief, he added.

"Look, the bottom line here is for President Trump," said Goldstein. "Domestic economy is the most important issue as it is for most presidents, and so he's going to have to calculate. It's pretty clear picking up a fight with China would not be good for the United States."
BEIJING - Sales of land for residential projects almost doubled in China's first-tier cities during January-March, according to the latest data released by China Index Academy, a property research organization.

Land sales in major cities, like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, totaled 5.08 million square meters in the first quarter, an increase of 98 percent from a year ago, the highest level over the past two years.

Surging land sale is part of the government's efforts to cool down the runaway housing prices in major cities where huge demand and limited supply pushed prices to record high.

Major Chinese cities are taking fresh measures including increased minimum deposits for second-home buyers, adding to the slew of steps taken since October in dozens of cities to prevent home prices from rising out of control.
TAMALE, Ghana - A United Nations official has stressed that China's investment in infrastructure across Africa is key to achieving the continent's development aspirations.

Nicholas Rosellini, UN Resident Coordinator for China told Xinhua here late Saturday that China's investment in Africa's energy sector, especially through renewable energy will go a long way to support the continent to create jobs on a large scale.

It is estimated that in Africa 600 million people don't have electricity.

"And that has affected of course many things. It makes it very hard to run business if you don't have reliable source of electricity. It makes it very hard to run clinics and hospitals; it makes it very hard for children to get educated and to get water. In terms of basic human needs, all of them nowadays depend to some extent on electrification," Rosellini argued.

He therefore lauded China for assisting various African countries in developing their renewable energy capacities, stressing that besides its role in promoting the real sector of the economies of Africa, electric energy is also necessary for developing and promoting basic human needs.

Particularly, the official also lauded China for supporting Ghana with expertise in developing its Renewable Energy Master Plan, calling for such initiatives across the continent.

"We often think of electrification in terms of city lights or in terms of industry, but it actually cuts across everything that we do in our modern life in terms of looking after children, educating the children, healthcare, transportation agriculture, industry, manufacturing," he pointed out.

"So it is really critical if Africa is going to move ahead in terms of creating jobs on a large scale... the backdrop of that has to be access to electricity, access to energy and renewable energy," he said.

The official who is also the United Nations' Development Programme (UNDP) Country Representative for China was in Ghana on an assessment tour of a trilateral irrigation project being financed by Denmark and China in Ghana, with support from UNDP.

The project supports poor smallholder farmers in Tamaligu, a suburb of Tamale, about 753 km north of the capital Accra with solar irrigation pumps for all-year-round crop production, as the high cost of diesel pumps and grid powered irrigation systems takes these facilities beyond the reach of the average farmer.

In replicating such programmes and projects across the continent, the official believes they need to be tested to see those that work in each community and those not feasible. "And then you can move ahead in terms of replicating that in more and more communities," he said.

The official added that China's Belt and Road initiative is intended to support countries to develop economic and social infrastructure. A global summit on Belt and Road initiative is also scheduled in May in Chinese capital Beijing.

"I think it will give a very important level of visibility to the initiative and it will give a platform for Belt and Road as a multilateral worldwide initiative. I think it will highlight some of the important programs and projects that are going to be launched," Rosellini projected.

He also pledged UNDP's support for China's initiatives in Africa, especially those programmes that are targeted at helping African countries achieve their Sustainable Development Goals.
[Ma Xuejing/China Daily]

Editor's note:

China announced over the weekend a historic decision to establish the Xiongan New Area in Hebei province as part of measures to advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Poised at the same level as the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Shanghai Pudong New Area, the area is "crucial for the millennium to come", according to an official circular. Now let's take a look at what foreign media is discussing about the plan.

"Beijing, home to 22 million people, is trying to curb population growth and relocate industries and other 'non-capital functions' to Hebei in the coming years as part of its efforts to curb pollution and congestion."

- China launches new economic zone in Hebei to promote integration

Reuters, April 1

"The removal of non-capital functions from Beijing is part of a greater strategy to integrate the development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei for a better economic structure, cleaner environment and improved public services."

-Xiongan is China's new special economic zone

The Straits Times, April 3

"Since 2014, the government has planned to jointly develop Beijing, the port city of Tianjin and Hebei province to boost regional and economic development in the northern region, and bridge the economic disparity between the capital and the industrial and rural areas surrounding it."

-China to establish new economic zone near Beijing

AP, April 1

"According to plans unveiled by the Chinese government, the New Economic Zone of Xiongan will cover 2,000 square kilometers and house a host of facilities relocated from Beijing - including markets, schools, research institutions and hospitals."

-China to build giant new city

BBC World Business Report, April 3
Workers assemble SUVs at a Great Wall Motor Co Ltd plant in Tianjin. The automaker is benefiting from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integrated development strategy. JIA CHENGLONG / FOR CHINA DAILY

Great Wall Motor Co Ltd, one of China's major SUV manufacturers, has benefited from the national strategy for the integrated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province.

After President Xi Jinping initiated the strategy in 2014, transportation among the three neighbors has become more convenient.

Great Wall Motor is headquartered in Baoding, Hebei province, about 150 kilometers southwest of Beijing and 180 km west of Tianjin. The Tianjin-Baoding high-speed train came into operation at the end of 2015. It shortened the travel time between Tianjin and Baoding to about one hour.

The convenience helps companies such as Great Wall Motor to bring in skilled workers more easily from Beijing and Tianjin, which have abundant talent and research and development resources. Unlike companies that are encouraged to relocate from Beijing or Tianjin to Hebei, Great Wall Motor does not need to move and can enjoy the benefits of its location.

To attract and keep talented workers, Baoding is also making efforts to catch up with Beijing and Tianjin in terms of facilities, education and medical services.

"This year, Hebei will strive to narrow the salary gap between the province and Beijing and Tianjin," said Yuan Tongli, deputy governor of Hebei.

Beijing is increasing the amount of quality resources it exports to its cities in Hebei, which can help attract workers from the capital to move there, where living costs are much lower.

Great Wall Motor sold 938,000 SUVs in 2016, seizing 10.4 percent of the domestic SUV market and retaining its No 1 position for 14 consecutive years. Zhang Wenhui, vice-president of Great Wall Motor, said the company's success is based on its technology and innovation.

In 2015, Great Wall Motor spent nearly 2.8 billion yuan ($405.72 million) on R&D. To support such research, the company requires a significant inflow of top-level professionals: it now has more than 7,000 R&D-related employees.

The past three years witnessed great progress in the region's cooperation in innovation-driven projects, according to the company, which led one such project.

At the beginning of last year, Great Wall Motor and 14 companies from Beijing established an innovation center for developing smart vehicles and transportation.
Ford cars are on sale at a dealership of Genser company in Moscow, Russia, February 14, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

BEIJING - Ford (China) will recall 5,798 cars in the Chinese mainland due to problems with airbags, China's top quality watchdog said Tuesday.

The recall, starting on June 30, involves imported 2016-2017 Lincoln MKX and Lincoln Continental models, said the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in a statement on its website.

Due to a problem with the airbag manufacturer, the driver-side front airbags may fail to completely fill during airbag deployment, and airbag cushions may detach from the airbag modules, increasing the risk of injury for drivers, it said.

Of the affected vehicles, 393 are Lincoln Continental cars manufactured between June 24 and Dec 5, 2016, while 5,405 were Lincoln MKX cars made between Jan 14 and Oct 26, 2016, according to the statement.

Ford urged owners of the vehicles to contact dealers as soon as the recall starts. The company said it would replace the defective airbags free of charge.
BEIJING - Faw-Volkswagen will recall 23 imported Audi vehicles in the Chinese mainland due to problematic airbag system, China's quality supervisor has said.

The recall, from April 10, will include the 2017 models of Audi A7, A8L and A4 allroad, according to a statement by China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

The chemical components in the gas generator are disproportionately infused, which could lead to malfunctions of the airbag system, the statement said.

The company will replace the problematic airbags for free after conducting inspections.
By MA SI in Beijing and MA ZHIPING in Boao, Hainan | China Daily | Updated: 2017-04-05 07:30

Chen Chi, CEO of Xiaozhu Inc [Photo provided to China Daily]

Home-sharing company Xiaozhu Inc is in discussions with its United States counterpart Airbnb Inc to cooperate in overseas markets, as the Chinese company seeks to establish a presence in Japan, South Korea and other Asian countries.

Chen Chi, CEO of Xiaozhu, said the two companieswhich initiated talks last yearare discussing whether it is possible to cooperate on data and resources.

The partnership is also likely to cover China, the world's biggest outbound tourist market, but the talks are in early stages, Chen said.

"Different from the car-hailing sector, where Chinese player Didi Chuxing competed fiercely against its US rival Uber Technologies Inc, we are more willing to cooperate with each other to grow the industry," Chen said in an exclusive interview with China Daily.

He said Airbnb Chief Financial Officer Laurence Tosi shared the same hope: that the home-sharing industry will be more open and different platforms can pool resources.

Chen denied reports that Airbnb will acquire Xiaozhu.

"We want to operate independently. After all, the Chinese market is so huge and we want to get deeply involved in the industry and come up with new innovations," Chen said.

A customer browses the site of US home-sharing giant Airbnb Inc on a tablet in Berlin. [Photo/Agencies]

Xiaozhu, which has about 150,000 listings, is a major domestic home-sharing platform. In November, it raised $65 million in its latest fundraising drive. Its backers include Legend Capital, Joy Capital and Bertelsmann Asia Investment Fund.

The company started to branch into overseas markets in 2017, with about 1,000 listings in Japan as of today. "We plan to open a branch in Japan later this year, to meet Chinese outbound travelers' growing demand for personalized home experiences," Chen said.

According to him, the company is also eyeing South Korea and other Southeast Asian countriesall the top destinations for Chinese travelersfor opportunities.

Statistics from the China National Tourism Administration showed that Chinese travelers made 122 million outbound trips in 2016.

Yu Fengxia, director of the Information Institute of the State Information Center, said earlier a growing number of Chinese are willing to be part of the sharing economy.
The logo of Huawei is seen at a store in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, Jan 19, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

NAIROBI - Chinese firm Huawei on Tuesday donated $20,000 to support the ICT Connected Summit 2017 that will take place from April 9 to 13, in the coastal county of Kwale.

Huawei Kenya Senior Director Public Affairs Adam Lane told a media briefing in Nairobi that the funds will be used to sponsor Corporate Social Responsibility activities of the summit.

"We will purchase laptops that will be donated to disadvantaged students in Kwale County," Lane said.

The beneficiaries of the equipment will also receive scholarships for six weeks training on ICT skills so that they find careers in the lucrative sector.

The ICT Connected Summit is an annual conference which brings together ICT industry players, key government decision makers, academia, innovators, academia and other stakeholders to exchange ICT knowledge so as to help Kenya achieve social and economic development.

Huawei said that the scholarships will enable the underprivileged students to get further education opportunities. "We have selected those who did not get a chance to go to university for various personal reasons," Lane said.

The senior director noted that the ICT sector is rapidly changing all societies. "We have seen what it had done for the developed countries as well as China and we hope it will be used to transform Kenya for the better," he said.

He noted that ICT has enabled citizens to access government services and information from anywhere at anytime.

"It therefore enables all citizens to become equal," he said. Huawei currently takes 10 Kenyan students annually to China for a two-week training program.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Tuesday that China strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the St. Petersburg subway that killed at least 11 people and injured 45.

"China is deeply shocked by, and strongly condemns, the terrorist attack. China expressed profound condolences to the families of the victims and the injured," Hua said in a statement, noting that terrorism is the common enemy of society.

"China is willing to enhance cooperation with Russia and the international community as well, to jointly address the threat and challenge of terrorism, to safeguard world peace and safety," she added.
The central government and local authorities will accelerate planning for the Xiongan New Area, the country's top economic planner said on Tuesday.

In addition, those governments will provide policy and financial support for key projects and budgeting, said He Lifeng, minister of the National Development and Reform Commission.

A master blueprint of the new area, overall and detailed blueprints of the initial area and a plan on ecological conservation of the Baiyangdian region, are among the first plans to be mapped out, He told Xinhua News Agency.

The commission will guide the Hebei provincial government and authorities as they draft these plans to ensure they meet the high standards of quality needed for the project, He said.

"Apart from having world-class urban planning, the architecture in the new area will also showcase Chinese cultural characteristics," He said.

"We'll also give support to major transportation, ecology, water conservation, energy and public service projects in the new area," he said.

The central leadership announced on Saturday a historic decision to establish the Xiongan New Area in Hebei province as part of measures to advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The new area, similar to the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Shanghai Pudong New Area, is of national significance and "crucial for the millennium to come", according to an official circular.

The area includes Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Anxin counties and their surrounding areas. It will eventually expand from the initial 100 to 2,000 square kilometers.

He said the site of the new area was carefully chosen, "based on practicality, and after rounds of comparison and rigorous research by experts".

The new zone has convenient transportation options; Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang are all within a half-hour's commute, He said. The zone is ecologically healthy and has a relatively strong environmental capacity as it is home to Baiyangdian Lake, northern China's largest freshwater lake.

The relatively less-developed economy in the region also offers developers plenty of room, He said.

He said the new zone will also take over many of Beijing's noncapital functions, thus becoming the other wing that complements Beijing's Tongzhou district, which has been designated as a subcenter of Beijing municipality.

Beijing's population has reached more than 21 million, creating urban problems such as traffic congestion and overburdened public resources. The root of these issues lies in the capital taking on too many noncapital functions, He said.

A development plan for Beijing has made clear it will be the center of politics, culture, international exchange, technology and innovation  the core functions of the capital.

He said another major task of the Xiongan area is to promote Hebei's economic and social development and help develop the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region into a world-class metropolitan area.

The new area, along with Zhangjiakou  where the 2022 Winter Olympics will be held  will become two driving forces for Hebei's development, He said.

People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China, said in an opinion piece posted on its WeChat social media account that the intention in building the new area is not to relocate the capital or to build another capital subcenter.

"It's to accommodate urban functions distributed from Beijing ... including administrative and public agencies, company headquarters, financial institutions, colleges and scientific research centers that are not related to the core function of the capital," it said.

Xu Kuangdi, head of the expert advisory committee on the collaborative development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, suggested that the construction of Xiongan New Area should focus on technological and innovative industries, and the region should attract high-end innovative talent and resources.

Supporting policies have to adapt to local conditions, he said.
BEIJING - A total of 10 people were killed in 3,351 fire accidents nationwide during China's Tomb Sweeping Day holiday that ended Tuesday, the Ministry of Public Security said.

During the three-day holiday, police responded to 8,164 fire alarms, rescuing 745 people in danger, the ministry said in a statement.

Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as Qingming Festival, is the most important occasion for Chinese to honor their ancestors by burning joss sticks and paper money.

Authorities at various levels sent more than 14,000 inspection teams and located over 73,000 hidden dangers of fire during the period, it said.

A total of 17,000 vehicles and 92,000 firefighters were sent to put out fire. No major fires were reported during the holiday, it noted.

Nearly 14.56 million Chinese visited 150 major cemeteries to honor their deceased relatives during the holiday, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.
Some of the capital's long-gone landmarks are being recreated in the virtual world. Yuan Quan reports for Xinhua China Features.

In the 1960s, the city planners left just "one and a half" city gates. The "one gate" is Zhengyangmen, on Beiijng's north-south axis at the south end of Tiananmen Square. Built in 1419, it is also known as Qianmen, or "Front Gate".[Photo provided to China Daily]

Advanced technologies are bringing China's past to life - and it all started with a little girl's question for her father.

People in Beijing can now see how the city's long-demolished gates appeared almost 70 years ago by using their smartphones to overlay historical scenes on photos of the actual sites in the modern metropolis.

The technology used is augmented reality, which enables people to scan an object with their smartphone to produce a three-dimensional animation of the structure that appears to overlay the actual site.

These virtual history lessons were the brainchild of Li Yingchao, 34, an augmented reality engineer with search engine Baidu, but the inspiration came from Miduo, his 4-year-old daughter.

One day, Li and Miduo were traveling on Beijing's Subway Line Two, which follows the route of the old city wall, when the girl asked, "Why do so many stops have the word men (gate) in their names?"

The question puzzled Li. He knew that eight subway stations were named after various dismantled gates, but he had no idea why.

Li Yingchao and his daughter Miduo.[Photo provided to China Daily]

The Old City

Beijing, China's capital since the 13th Century, once had 20 city gates. They were built as key passageways for different social classes - including the imperial family, civil and military officials, members of the public and even criminals - to come and go from the city.

During the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, Beijing had nine large city gates. They were mostly pulled down in the 1960s, along with the old city wall, to make way for new roads and subways, and to expand the metropolis.

Records show the gates were more complicated than they appeared. A city gate, topped by a two-story tower, usually comprised a gatehouse, an archers' tower and a barbican.

The city planners only left "one and a half" city gates. The "one gate" is Zhengyangmen, on Beiijng's north-south axis at the south end of Tiananmen Square. Built in 1419, it is also known as Qianmen, or "Front Gate".

Bereft of its side walls and barbicans, Qianmen has been restored with a new face. The "half gate" is the Deshengmen archers' tower.

This was news to Li. Born in Shandong province in East China, he arrived in Beijing in 2000 to attend college. Later, he found a job in the capital, married and had a daughter. He knew little about the city's past.

Long working hours meant he seldom played with his daughter. He decided to use the augmented reality technology that he and his colleagues used as a marketing tool for companies such as L'Oreal and Mercedes-Benz to "build" a city gate.

His idea resonated with his team of more than 20 developers. Like Li, they mostly hail from other parts of the country, and with an average age of 28, they had little time to study the history of their adopted home city.

In November, Li and his colleagues invited artists to paint pictures of the nine lost gates, based on written materials they discovered online, then posted them in stations. The group invited subway commuters to scan the pictures to get a visual and aural description of the area they were passing through. The visuals were accompanied by a short commentary on the vanished buildings.

When the project was launched in December, passengers loitered in crowded stations and tried the technology. Some enjoyed taking selfies with the virtual models.

In late January and February, a painting was posted at Chaoyangmen subway station on Line Two.

The project can now be seen at the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall at an exhibition called Technologies Awaken City Memories.

"It (augmented reality) helps people to learn about the city's history and the changes made," Hu Daxin, the hall's deputy curator, said. "The more you learn, the stronger your sense of belonging."

As Beijing has expanded and its population has risen, the subway's tentacles have stretched further and become more complex. Currently, there are 19 lines, covering 574 kilometers.

The demolition of the city gates and walls to build subways and roads has been a controversial topic for decades.

A shared duty

When the initiative was shared online, it became a public project. "I was born in Beijing in the 1940s, and I saw the city gates - great world heritage treasures," read a post on WeChat. "They were a great loss. When my child told me about their 'revival', I wanted to see it."

However, some people criticized the project because it provided inaccurate information.

The tech engineers received emails and comments saying there were many mistakes: some city walls were painted with angles, when they had actually been arched; the nine gates had encircled the inner city, but the engineers had lined them up; and they had ignored the details on each gate.

In response, Li and his colleagues pointed out that the paintings were works of art, so they could not be 100-percent accurate. The explanation cut no ice with some observers, though, with one commenting: "Mistakes will mislead the public. You cannot play with history."

Li and his colleagues realized how serious the issue was. "We had a bigger responsibility," he said.

The team invited scholars to give talks, and spent days in libraries to study the city's history. They also continued to test their design and decided to use black-and-white photos of the designated spots. "Photos are real, even though they are not much brighter than the paintings," Li said.

Preservation

Li's project isn't the first attempt to "revive" the city gates. Many Beijingers had already tried to bring them back to life in a variety of ways.

For example, a young photographer made a series of pictures of the gates looming between real buildings and with the busy Second Ring Road below.

He superimposed an old photo of the gates on a picture of the location as it appears today.

Moreover, a retired teacher painted pictures of many razed buildings, including the gates, based on his childhood memories. The paintings have been displayed in museums.

"I have realized that all citizens share a duty to protect the city's cultural heritage," Li said.

His daughter has benefited too. She now knows the different functions of all nine gates, and described the virtual model in her palm as "magic".
A giant panda born in captivity and then released into the wild died after being attacked by an unknown animal, researchers have concluded.

He Sheng, a 3-year-old male panda, was released into the Liziping Nature Reserve in Shimian county, Sichuan province, in March last year.

Experts at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding became concerned after receiving abnormal signals from the GPS tag on his neck on Sept 27 and launched a search for the animal.

The body was discovered the next day with wounds on its right shoulder, ear and leg, according to a statement by the base on Thursday.

An examination concluded that the panda had been attacked by an unknown animal and the wounds had caused a bacterial infection that resulted in fatal blood poisoning, it said.

The statement came after netizens accused the research base of not telling the public about what happened to He Sheng.

A source at the base who did not want to be identified said the State Forestry Administration had approved training He Sheng to live in the wild. The base reported to the administration shortly after the body was discovered,but it did not inform the public because researchers could not determine the attacker, the source said.

"Some experts thought the attacker was a dog, while others thought the attacker was a wild panda," the source said.

He Sheng was one of the first pandas chosen by the Chengdu research base in2014 for training to live in the wild. At a meeting in June, experts said they believed the animal had a strong ability to adapt to the wild because he could find food and water as well as protect himself from danger.

Training captive pandas for life in the wild is aimed at enlarging the wild giant panda population and protecting the endangered species.According to China's fourth panda census, released in 2015, there are only 1,864wild pandas in the world.

The Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan has released seven panda cubs into the wild since 2006. Five are believed to be faring well judging by GPS tags.The other two have died.

The first was Xiang Xiang, a male released in 2006 at the age of 5. He was found dead a year later. Researchers suspect he may have taken refuge in a tree after fighting with wild pandas, but had fallen.

Xue Xue, the other panda that died, was released in 2014 and only survived about 40 days. Zhang Guiquan, an expert at the Wolong reserve, said it was likely she had died of trauma from being caged for several days before the release.
A woman pays her respects at a graveyard in Wenling, Zhejiang province, on Tuesday.[JiN Yunguo/For China Daily]

Old traditions of national holiday inherited with modern adaptations

For more than 2,500 years, Tomb Sweeping Day, locally known as Qingming Festival, has been an occasion for Chinese to mourn the deceased and worship their ancestors. Today, although there have been changes, the tradition is well preserved.

"To me, it is an important holiday, second only to Spring Festival," said Shi Yukun, who spent 15 hours flying from Birmingham, England, to Kaifeng in Henan province via Germany and Beijing.

He recalled that when he was young, his entire family would plan a trip several days before the festival. They prepared sacrifices and went to a graveyard in groups.

"The little ones knelt down in front of the tomb while the adults performed rituals of worship," he said. "The children also had their tasks of folding the burning paper. The fastest would be rewarded during the picnic."

Shi went to England seven years ago. "Only after I moved away did I feel the emotional attachment of Chinese people to their ancestral home," he said. "Tomb Sweeping Day carries such feelings."

In Qinghai province, a retired railway construction worker, Zhang Shenglin, brought alcohol to his former colleagues' tombs, as he always does. Every Tomb Sweeping Day, he drinks and talks to them.

"Seven of my fellow workers died during construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, four of them in my arms," he said.

The 62-year-old was part of a crew that began digging a tunnel through a 3,800-meter-high mountain in 1974.

"We took three years to complete the tunnel, but some people died from floods during construction or were killed by falling stones," he said. "I miss them so much."
China to tighten securities trading rules for institutions

Xinhua | Updated: 2017-04-05 15:31

BEIJING - China's stock exchanges and securities depository and clearing authority are soliciting opinions on their new trading rules for institutions, which are designed to prevent errors that could cause volatility and even threaten the whole market.



The new rules aim to fend off abnormal transaction and settlement risks due to technical failures or "fat finger" trading incidents, according to the China Securities Journal.



Management on stock transactions on the own accounts of brokerages, fund companies and insurers will be improved, with a daily cap on buy orders to block abnormal transactions.



Trading of A shares, preference shares, bonds, warrants and repurchase agreements will be subject to the new rules.



Individual investors will not be affected, said a statement jointly released by Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses and China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation.



The move was considered a response to a serious trading glitch of Everbright Securities that resulted in a dramatic surge in the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index on August 16, 2013.
A former postal worker in Fuyang, Anhui province, has had his sentence of 22 months imprisonment upheld for opening and hiding letters addressed to local authorities in the city's Yingshang county, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Wednesday.

The postal worker, surnamed Bao, opened more than 30 letters and hid more than 40 addressed to official bodies including the county's Party committee, government and discipline inspection committee between 2007 and last year.

According to the court, Bao opened three letters that contained accusations of corruption against a former deputy director of the county's education bureau, surnamed Li, and offered them to him. He also opened another seven letters containing accusations against a former deputy chief of a court, surnamed Wang, and received cash and liquor from him in return for them.

Bao, who worked for China Post, was arrested in July and sentenced to 22 months in prison by the county's court, which was upheld by Fuyang's intermediate court on appeal.
A security officer stands guard as passengers line up and wait for a security check during morning rush hour at Tiantongyuan North Station in Beijing May 27, 2014.[Photo/VCG]

A Beijing resident who was hospitalized for almost two years and sustained life-changing injuries following a crush on the subway has been awarded more than 260,000 yuan ($37,700) in compensation.

Beijing Changping District People's Court confirmed on Wednesday that it had asked Beijing Mass Transit Railway Operation Corporation Limited, the company that operates Line 5 of the metro, to pay the medical fees of a man surnamed Liu.

Liu was attempting to board a subway train on Line 5 at Tiantongyuan North Station at about 7 am on Jan 15, 2014, when he was crushed in a surge of passengers.

The 59-year-old lapsed into a coma, but the train was so busy that his predicament was not noticed until three stations later.

After being removed from the train at Lishuiqiao Station, he was hospitalized for more than 700 days and now requires round-the-clock care.

Liu's family had initially demanded more than 1.9 million yuan in compensation when the lawsuit was filed.

The court said it had accepted the case in February 2015 and made its decision on March 30.

In the judgment, it said that the litigant's injuries were not directly caused by the metro operator, "but the case highlighted a lack of protection and security measures for passengers, especially during rush hours."

As the company did not provide enough evidence to prove it had taken reasonable steps to prevent Liu from being injured, the court decided to order that it pay his medical fees.
Photo shows a piece of rock sample from the seabed of South China Sea on April 2, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Researchers have drilled a 1,500-meter hole into the seabed of the northern part of the South China Sea in an expedition led by Chinese scientists, and the hole is ranked seventh deepest worldwide.The hole, identified as U1500B, is located at the seabed 3,800 meters under sea level. After drilling 1,400 meters of unconsolidated sediment into the seabed, the drill finally reached rock.In order to protect the hole from collapse during the drill, researchers installed 842 meters of single layer protective casing, setting a world record in drilling holes.As of March 25, researchers have drilled the hole 1,380 meters deep to reach basalt and then gathered more than 100-meters worth of rock samples from the hole.Huang Xiaolong, a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, said that the rock samples show obvious pillow structure, a typical structure that is formed by lava flowing underwater.He said that the samples might be mid-ocean ridge basalts, and if this is proved, with the information of rock samples from the 2014 expedition, it will help researchers understand the history of the South China Sea basin expansion.
The municipal government of Yaan in Sichuan province signed 28 investment contracts with domestic and foreign firms in the Sichuan provincial capital, Chengdu, on Wednesday.

With an investment of more than 15.4 billion yuan ($2.2 billion), the contracts are aimed at boosting the development of logistics, new energy, new materials and education, as well as infrastructure construction in Ya'an.

Some 300 representatives from more than 200 domestic and foreign firms witnessed the contract signing ceremony after government officials and entrepreneurs promoted the city's investment environment.

Located at the intersection of the Sichuan-Tibet and Sichuan-Yunnan highways, Yan'an is about a one hour drive from Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu.

It is best known as the birthplace of tea, its large areas of dove trees and, more important, as Sichuan's giant panda habitat.

In 1869, Armand David, a French missionary, became the first European to discover the giant panda in Dengchigou, Ya'an, and he introduced the cuddly bear to the West.
Champion Chen Qiyu from Tsinghua University speaks at this year's 21st Century National English Speaking Competition, sponsored by China Daily. [Photo provided to China Daily]

As English proficiency continues to be a ticket to opportunity for Chinese students, a national speaking contest provides a platform to excel. Zhang Zefeng reports.

Twenty-year-old Chen Qiyu stood center-stage, holding a crystal trophy, a certificate and a bouquet in her arms. The cameras lingered, dazzling with flashes. A continuous volley of applause swept through the large audience as she was crowned the champion of this year's 21st Century National English Speaking Competition.

The March 26 contest was a satisfying finale for Chen, who has engaged in public speaking since the age of 10half of her young life. While standing on the stage, she remained calm but felt a little disoriented. What would be her next step?

"Up on the stage, people see rosy images of winners surrounded by the spotlights," she says. "In real life, they are all ordinary students who still need to decide what to eat at the canteen and to meet school assignments' deadlines."

However, Chen felt inspired as she watched previous winners such as Liu Xin and Xia Peng, who have become elites in different professions, sharing their experiences from the stage.

"From their paths, I see more gateways and possibilities, which makes me think my future is promising," she says.

Over the past two decades, millions of talented students have taken part in the 21st Century National English Speaking Competition. This year, the contest attracted over 100,000 college students and 700,000 high school and primary students around China.

The competition is a stage to showcase contestants' English-language proficiency and ability to think in-depth about different issues. Meanwhile, the skills and experiences they gained from public speaking will benefit them greatly for the rest of their lives.
Beijing schoolchildren rehearse for their performance in Wellington to celebrate the "sister-city"status of Beijing and Wellington. CFP

WELLINGTON - Han Xuanting spins in a skirt typical of the style of China's Uygur ethnic group, with a dozen New Zealand girls in school dresses imitating her steps around her.

The midday dance class is given in Samuel Marsden Collegiate School on the outskirts of Wellington, capital of New Zealand.

For Han, a Chinese dance teacher, this has been her routine.

"Children learn very quickly, and they can easily master the skill of moving their necks while dancing," says Han, referring to a key feature of the Uygur dance from western China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

For Zhang Jianyong, it is busy time every Wednesday evening.

As a tai chi teacher in Wellington, Zhang teaches his students the moves of this traditional Chinese exercise once a week.

"Many Kiwis chose to take tai chi as their daily sport after learning that it benefits their health," Zhang says, adding that this exercise has become a good way of spreading Chinese culture.

Both Han's and Zhang's classes are part of the programs run by the New Zealand Chinese Cultural Center, which has been working to introduce Chinese cultural elements to the local public.

Recently, the center signed a memorandum with Wellington's Whitireia New Zealand to open an optional course of Chinese dance in the government-funded tertiary institute of technology.

The college is also Han's alma mater, where she once performed a traditional Chinese dance for teachers and students before her graduation.
Actress Liu Yifei uses her weapon prop in the film to pose with the actor Yang Yang. [Photo provided to China Daily]

After the popular TV series Eternal Love, adapted from the online novel Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Blossoms, a movie adaptation of the same book will hit Chinese theaters in the summer.

The novel is about the bitter-sweet romance between a fox princess and a dragon prince.

The TV series, which was broadcast earlier this year, topped the ratings on TV channels across the country, and saw a record 31 billion online views on five video-streaming sites, including v.qq.com and iqiyi.com.

On Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, the TV drama was discussed in more than 10.3 billion posts.

The TV series saw mainland actress Yang Mi and Taiwan actor Mark Chao, respectively, as the fox and the dragon, but their roles will be played by actress Liu Yifei and Yang Yang in the movie.

The movie is jointly directed by the photographer-turned director, Zhao Xiaoding, and Anthony LaMolinara, who won the Oscar best visual effects award for Spider-Man 2 in 2005.

Financed by Alibaba Pictures, the film division of internet giant Alibaba, the movie has up to 2,345 special-effect scenes. The scenes took 50 visual effects animators 15 months of work.

Liu, hailed by fans as a screen "goddess", showcased some of her dialogues with Yang at a Beijing event on Thursday.

The movie will open across the Chinese mainland on July 21.
Performers dance during a memorial ceremony to worship "Yellow Emperor" who according to legend reigned nearly 5,000 years ago and is regarded as the ancestor of all Chinese people, in Huangling county, Northwest China's Shaanxi province, April 4, 2017. Over 10,000 people attended the ceremony on Tuesday which is also the Qingming Festival, or the Tomb-Sweeping Day. [Photo/Xinhua]
[Photo by Shu Yu/China Daily]

State Council's document aims to help protect Chinese culture and heritage

A new plan aimed at further promoting traditional Chinese crafts, especially those listed as part of the country's intangible cultural heritage, has been issued by the State Council, China's Cabinet.

The Plan on Revitalizing China's Traditional Crafts, released on March 24, aims to inject momentum into the protection of Chinese culture and heritage.

It calls for better management of the industry and increased market competitiveness, with substantial improvements to be made by 2020.

According to the document, traditional crafts are set to play a more significant role in creating jobs, with the incomes of practitioners to be increased and industrial structures to be diversified. The country is also set to establish a national catalog of traditional crafts and increase the number of intangible cultural heritage inheritors.

Migrant workers are being encouraged to return to their hometowns to develop traditional crafts and grow their local cultural industry, with favorable polices being put in place to help them.

More efforts will be made to improve the design, production and quality of traditional products, as higher-quality materials and a modern management system are introduced.

The document also encouraged enterprises and practitioners of traditional crafts to protect their secrets, apply for trademarks and know their intellectual property rights.

In the meantime, further efforts should be made to enhance the promotion and sales of traditional products, the document said, recommending displays and roadshows at popular tourism sites.

The document also called for universities, enterprises and institutions to host seminars and training sessions for inheritors and practitioners of famous traditional crafts.

In addition, the country will support eligible universities to set up majors and courses in traditional crafts and cultivate professional talent. The country will continue to promote intangible cultural heritage education in universities, and in middle and primary schools, in an effort to enhance awareness.

As the Chinese economy grows, more attention has been attached to soft power, leading to cultural heritage, including traditional crafts, being promoted more by the central and local governments. To date, China has more examples of intangible cultural heritage listed by UNESCO than any other country in the world, with 38 entries.

The Plan on Revitalizing China's Traditional Crafts came as a result of the Ministry of Culture's announcement in January last year that it was compiling a new guideline to better protect traditional crafting techniques, especially those in danger of dying out.

Currently, the country has about 1,700 nationally-recognized inheritors of intangible heritage and the Ministry of Culture raised the subsidies they each receive to 20,000 yuan ($2,900) per year at the time of last year's announcement.

Xia Xueluan, a visiting professor of sociology at Sanya University in Hainan province, stressed the importance of preserving traditional crafts for the generations to come.

"Despite the government's efforts to conserve these techniques, some are still vanishing. The plan sets a direction for local authorities to protect this intangible heritage," Xia said, adding that the result will depend on how the plan is carried out.

Xu Chaoxing, a maker of pottery known as celadon in Longquan county, Zhejiang province, said the plan will help boost traditional crafts, which are an essential part of Chinese culture.

Longquan celadon is a type of green-glazed pottery that dates back more than 1,700 years. It was listed as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2009.

Xu has been making the traditional ceramics since 1956 and has personally witnessed the craft's revival and resurgence.

"I will continue to embrace 'the spirit of the craftsman' (a concept introduced by Premier Li Keqiang during last year's two sessions) and improve the techniques I utilize, which I hope will, in turn, contribute to the revitalization of China's traditional crafts," Xu said.
The 2017 Chinese Contemporary Art Month opens in Sydney on March 30, 2017. [Photo/Chinaculture.org]

The 2017 Chinese Contemporary Art Month recently kicked off at an art museum at the Sydney College of Arts in a bid to promote cultural communication between China and Australia.

The signature event, organized by the Chinese Cultural Center in Sydney, features two main exhibitions, four forums and several affiliated exhibits. The event has attracted 70 artists from different countries to participate, and will run until April 29.

The artists' works will be showcased at ten galleries in Sydney, including Art Atrium, Janet Clayton Gallery, Trevor Victor Harvey Gallery and Vermilion Art.

Chief curator Zhao Li said that he hoped the event would portray characteristics of contemporary Chinese art through the vast range of oil paintings, sculptures, art installations and video shows on display.

"Chinese contemporary art has undergone a tremendous change in recent years," he said.

"Many artists have made new explorations in art materials, mediums and technology... Through the exhibitions, we hope to showcase new trends and changes among young Chinese artists, and push for a greater understanding of people in China and Australia."
SHI YU/CHINA DAILY

State Council's document aims to help protect Chinese culture and heritage

A new plan aimed at further promoting traditional Chinese crafts, especially those listed as part of the country's intangible cultural heritage, has been issued by the State Council, China's Cabinet.

The Plan on Revitalizing China's Traditional Crafts, released on March 24, aims to inject momentum into the protection of Chinese culture and heritage.

It calls for better management of the industry and increased market competitiveness, with substantial improvements to be made by 2020.

According to the document, traditional crafts are set to play a more significant role in creating jobs, with the incomes of practitioners to be increased and industrial structures to be diversified. The country is also set to establish a national catalog of traditional crafts and increase the number of intangible cultural heritage inheritors.

Migrant workers are being encouraged to return to their hometowns to develop traditional crafts and grow their local cultural industry, with favorable polices being put in place to help them.

More efforts will be made to improve the design, production and quality of traditional products, as higher-quality materials and a modern management system are introduced.

The document also encouraged enterprises and practitioners of traditional crafts to protect their secrets, apply for trademarks and know their intellectual property rights.

In the meantime, further efforts should be made to enhance the promotion and sales of traditional products, the document said, recommending displays and roadshows at popular tourism sites.
Updated : 2017-04-01

(chinadaily.com.cn)

The opening ceremony of 2017 Wuxi International Cherry Blossom Week turned Wuxi's Turtle Head Isle into a festive flower-filled paradise.

The event gained extra attention on account of the presence of a young Japanese woman; Someya Tomomi, a 22-year old Japanese woman who stands as the current cherry blossom princess of the Japan Cherry Blossom Association.

Someya Tomomi, the 9th cherry blossom princess of Japan Cherry Blossom Association, takes part in the opening ceremony of 2017 Wuxi International Cherry Blossom Week at Turtle Head Isle, Wuxi, on March 28. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Someya's mission is to act as an ambassador of culture for Japan, promote the culture of her homeland, and further the ties of friendship between Japan and China. She was making her first visit to the East China city and was impressed by both the scenery and the hospitality of Wuxi locals.

She arrived in Wuxi on March 27 and has been involved in a range of activities to celebrate the 30th anniversary of a local cherry tree orchard that is symbolic of Sino-Japanese friendship. Over the coming days, Someya will take part in a tea ceremony, a traditional folk music performance, a cooking demonstration, and a lecture on the subject of etiquette.
President Xi Jinping tells visiting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that the nations should enhance exchanges at all levels. They met on Sunday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. [Photo/Xinhua]

During his meeting with President Xi Jinping last month, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson conveyed US President Donald Trump's wish to forge China-US relations for the next 50 years. More important, Tillerson said bilateral ties should be based on the principles of "no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation". The principles are part of the "new type of major-country relationship" Xi proposed to former US president Barack Obama as the future paradigm of China-US ties at their meeting in Sunnylands, California, in 2013.

The Obama administration's response to the proposal was mixed. It did not oppose the idea, even agreed to it at times. But most of the time, the Obama administration avoided using the term. For instance, the immediate response of Obama at the Sunnylands meeting was, "the two countries shall make new cooperation".

That is why some US policymakers were perplexed by Tillerson's use of China's idea to define future Beijing-Washington relations. For quite some time, US policymakers have stuck to so-called political correctness by distancing themselves from any Chinese attempt to frame bilateral relations, possibly because China has persistently asked the United States to honor its commitment to the three joint communiques.

Perhaps the US feels such commitment would restrain it from defining and interpreting Beijing-Washington relations according to its requirements.

The US' aversion to the three communiques indicates it wants to use its "power" to devise a framework for bilateral ties, probably because it "fears" they could undermine its interests. But the fact is, the communiques have not undermined any legitimate US interests. And since by accepting the three communiques, whose core is the one-China policy, the US has helped build a solid foundation for bilateral cooperation in business and security matters, both at regional and global levels, there is no reason for it to shy away from them.

To some extent, the "new type of major-country relationship" is similar to the one-China policy. And Washington needs not be averse to it, as it will never lead to any conflict, confrontation, non-respect or zero-sum relations.

If the US cannot accept China's framework for bilateral relations, it has to create its own version. In this context, however, Obama's "rebalancing to Asia" strategy was ill-defined and never worked. This means Trump has to devise a new framework, if he doesn't accept China's idea, for the crucial China-US relationship.

But that Tillerson "reiterated" China's proposal just before Trump meets Xi at Mar-a-Lago Resort in Florida indicates the US State Department has accepted, at least in principle, the Chinese vision of how bilateral relations should move forward.

Hopefully, Tillerson's statement is a genuine reflection of the US State Department's view. It seems the US has prepared well for the Xi-Trump meeting in Florida, where the two leaders should reaffirm their common grounds and search for new avenues of cooperation and collaboration on the basis of the "new type of major-country relationship".

Beijing, on its part, should emphasize the importance of the one-China policy, and reaffirm that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. As Trump has already promised to honor the one-China policy in his phone conversation with Xi, it should not be a challenge for him to reaffirm it.

As for his vision of "Buy American, Hire American", there will be ample room for the two sides to figure out how they can take their cooperation forward.

China and the US agree that the Korean Peninsula should be free of nuclear weapons. But since the Democratic People's Republic of Korea continues to push the envelope and the US is proceeding with its goal of deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in the Republic of Korea, Beijing and Washington have much to talk about to make "the new type of major-country relationship" a mutually fruitful policy.

The author is a professor at and associate dean of the Institute of International Studies, Fudan University, Shanghai.
People visit the Foreigner's Street in Dali ancient town of Southwest China's Yunnan province,Aug 2, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES in Dali, Southwest China's Yunnan province, should be aware that any leniency they show the illegal restaurants and guesthouses around Erhai Lake will lead to various forms of waste being discharged into the nation's seventh largest freshwater lake. Beijing Youth Daily comments:

The Dali government recently issued a notice to all the eateries and guesthouses in the core area of the Erhai Lake Nature Reserve that they should suspend operations before April 10 for environmental protection inspections.

Although many people applauded the government's notice as being humane, because it extended the deadline beyond the national holiday for Tomb Sweeping Day this year, a golden period for the tourism industry, it is in fact a notice that shows no consideration to the lake, whose environment and ecology are already on the brink of collapse.

Statistics show the catering businesses besieging the lake, about 90 percent of which are operating illegally, and have been for a long time, are the main source of pollution in the lake, whose self-cleaning capacity pales in comparison to the pollutants it is forced to swallow.

The burst of blue-green algae in January, a sign of the eutrophication of the lake, already rang the alarm that if the government continues to overlook the negative environmental influences of the tourism-related industries, the lake will become a pool of smelly water again, as it was about 20 years ago, when industry and the overuse of pesticides and chemical fertilizers in the drainage basin area were the main polluters.

The lake's worrisome condition entails emergency measures. Local authorities must cleanse the lakeside catering facilities thoroughly. Instead of, as many require, paying for the business owners' losses because of the suspension of operations, the authorities have every reason to demand environmental compensation from them according to a professional environmental evaluation, and hold the officials responsible accountable, as it is their dereliction of duty that has led to the polluting of the lake.
A surface-to-surface medium- and long-range ballistic missile Pukguksong-2 is test-fired by DPRK on Jan 12, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

The missile launch by the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea on Wednesday, which came ahead of the highly-anticipated China-US summit, once again highlights the importance of resolving the DPRK nuclear issue.

The talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida on Thursday and Friday offer a precious chance for China and the United States to bridge the differences that exist between them regarding the Korean Peninsula issues.

Pyongyang said earlier this year it is getting closer to developing its own intercontinental ballistic missiles, which many in the Trump administration believe could hit the US.

As a result, the Trump administration has said it might forgo the strategic patience of its predecessor, hinting at a direct strike at Pyongyang. However, that would only increase the uncertainties on the Korean Peninsula. A nuclear-free Korean Peninsula is thus in the shared interests of Beijing and Washington.

That explains why Washington appears to be keener to address the DPRK nuclear issue. Beijing too is concerned about its nuclear-minded neighbor, which conducted two nuclear tests and over 20 missile tests last year alone, as Pyongyangs frequent test-firings, have offered Washington and Seoul a convenient excuse to upgrade their military alliance. US aircraft carriers like the USS Carl Vinson are more often seen in the regional waters, and the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system is being deployed in the Republic of Korea. Such moves have added yet more tension to the security situation in Northeast Asia, putting at risk the national interests of regional players including China and Russia.

But resorting to military engagement is unwanted and counterproductive.

Tough rhetoric aside, the Trump administration has a lot more to worry about at home. Nor could it stand the economic consequences of starting a war in Northeast Asia, where most countries are in close trade ties with the US. China and Russia will surely oppose the idea of going to war as would most ROK citizens.

As for China and the US, there is still a long way to go to find a peaceful approach to the denuclearization agreed by both sides. China wants the DPRK to suspend its nuclear and missile programs, and the US and the ROK to halt their large-scale military exercises. This dual-halt approach is needed to alleviate Pyongyangs security concerns and notify the country in the meantime that its nuclear path only increases those concerns.

Given the needed amount of pressure, it is possible that the DPRK will make a long-awaited commitment to denuclearization. That could be a window of opportunity for all relevant parties to resume the Six-Party talks and put in action a peace mechanism. The success of the whole plan hinges on whether the US and the DPRK accept the dual-halt approach.

The author is a researcher in Asia-Pacific strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
An 8.2-centimeter-tall porcelain cup dating from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) has begun exhibiting at Chongqings Long Museum in Jiangbeizui CBD of Liangjiang New Area on March 30. The exhibition will run until July 2.

Referred to in English as the chicken cup on account of the ornate chicks that decorate the outside of the porcelain, has a worldwide reputation, one partly catalyzed by the 249 million yuan ($36 million) it fetched at Sothebys auction in Hong Kong on April 8, 2014- a world record for Chinese porcelain.

The cups quality is denoted by the fact it was forged in the imperial kilns and the Long Museum has set up a customized exhibition placing the cup in a special showcase room to best highlight its charming qualities.

The chicken cup dates from the Ming Dynasty and is on display at the Long Museum, Chongqing, in Jiangbeizui CBD of Liangjiang New Area. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

According to the museum authorities, the cup remains in pristine condition and was made using the doucai method of fashioning porcelain that began during the Ming Dynasty.

Wang Wei, director of the Long Museum is excited by the arrival of the exhibition and recently discussed the significance.

The chicken cup fetched HK$281 million ($36 million) to set a new record for a piece of Chinese porcelain sold at auction at Sothebys spring sale in Hong Kong on April 8, 2014. [Photo by Li Peng/Xinhua]

The cup has traveled a long way to arrive in Chongqing. It required complicated procedures to clear customs in Hong Kong and needed to obtain paperwork in Shanghai in order to reach this stage where the Chongqing audience has the chance to look at it close up.

The chicken cup dates from the Ming Dynasty and here is shown in a photograph taken for the auction at Sothebys spring sale in Hong Kong on April 8, 2014. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Edited by Richard Whiddington
Yang Weiren, chief of the Shanghai Education Exhibition delegation, exchanges gifts with Serbian education minister Mladen Sarcevic (L) at the 2017 Shanghai Education Exhibition, Serbian sector. [Photo provided to study-shanghai.org]

As Shanghai strives to strengthen its educational ties with Central and Eastern Europe, its annual education exhibition got underway in Serbia and Poland on March 27 and ran until March 31.

Twenty-seven prestigious local universities, such as Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and six middle and primary schools, led by the Shanghai High School, participated in the expo, which featured promotion of the Chinese language.

At the Serbian site, Education Minister Mladen Sarcevic expressed his appreciation for the two sides' prolonged friendship: "We have had talent exchanges under the guidance of government scholarships, and I'm looking forward to more down-to-earth connections with Shanghai schools in the future."

He also expressed his deep interest in popularizing study of the two sides' official languages. Serbia is in urgent need of a large number of experienced people who have mastered both Chinese and Serbian.

Vladimir Bumbasirevic, rector of the University of Belgrade and organizer of the Serbian part of the expo, shared his delight in cooperating with Shanghai: "Shanghai universities can send both teachers and students to study here in Serbia, and Serbian students can also enjoy opportunities to study abroad."

Yang Weiren (first from left), chief of the Shanghai Education Exhibition delegation, and Jan Kazior (first from right), rector of Cracow University of Technology in Poland, cut the ribbon at the Poland sector of the 2017 Shanghai Education Exhibition. [Photo provided to study-shanghai.org]

In Poland, He Juan, education chief at the Chinese embassy to Poland, spoke highly of the talent exchanges between the two sides.

"Thanks to our warm friendship, the Belt and Road Initiative and President Xi Jinping's official visit last June, mutual recognition of each other's higher education has grown and it is becoming more and more convenient for our students to study abroad," she said.

Jan Kazior, rector of the Cracow University of Technology and organizer of the Poland division of the expo, expressed his gratitude for the two sides' cooperative accomplishments over the years and briefed the attendees on both the educational importance of the city of Cracow and his school's history, development and educational strength.

A memorandum of understanding on educational collaboration between Cracow University of Technology and the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology was signed following Kaziors remarks.
Among the many industry sectors in China whose market potential foreign companies are eager to tap, tourism is one slice of the pie that is impossible to overestimate.

According to statistics from China Tourism Research Institute, China had approximately 120 million outbound tourists in 2015, spending around $104.5 billion. There will be about 200 million Chinese touring overseas by 2020, Daxue Consulting predicts.

For any company wishing to crack the China market, the first lesson they should learn well is to localize in accordance with a deep understanding of the culture and its people. Pairing brand names with a sleek and concise translation into local languages can make or break any effort.

A challenge indeed, localizing a brand name in Chinese ideally should convey the brand's story, position the product appropriately and generate favorable customer feedback. It shouldn't evoke unintended associations in Mandarin or any major dialect, which can backfire.

A recent example comes from San Francisco-based home-sharing service Airbnb's adopting a new Chinese brand name. On March 21, the company's CEO Brain Chesky announced: "Airbnb is committed to succeeding in China, and we now have a Chinese name - Aibiying - which literally means 'to welcome each other with love'."

The company explained that brand consultancy Labbrand had tested more than 1,000 possibilities to come up with the name for Airbnb in China.

Is Aibiying a good translation of the startup's English name? On the surface, it seems like it is. The pronunciation in Chinese resonates well with Airbnb. And the three Chinese characters - "love", "each other" and "welcome" respectively - reflect the company's mission to bring together people from communities all around the world.

However, the feedback at home and abroad from the new name is less than encouraging. There are two major problems with the term Aibiying.

First of all, Aibiying is difficult to articulate in Mandarin. The last two syllables - bi and ying - are too easily intertwined and become bing, which means "sickness".

Blogger Lu Guoliang wrote: "As a Chinese, I want to say it's a terrible name. Nobody wants to say it out loud 'cause it means nothing and pronounces weird."

Others echoed the same sentiment and suggested that whoever engineered the translation should be fired.

Many others argued that the pronunciation contains a vulgar implication associated with sex pills. "Nobody likes it Hire some real talented guy please. And the branding with this name is just like a copycat porn company," someone commented on Twitter.

In response to the backlash against Aibiying on social networks, Labbrand's corporate branding associate director Jacquelien Brussee wrote in an email that the company is "used to seeing a buzz following big announcements and changes around brands This level of attention shows us that people care about the brand, and that they really have created expectations," she wrote.

Meanwhile, industry observers say that Airbnb is considering a make-over of the Chinese name.

With an estimated market value of more than $30 billion, Airbnb has been working the Chinese market since 2015, partnering with deeply-entrenched local companies to create a localized platform, establish a positive brand reputation and adapt services and product features to cater to the needs of Chinese customers.

To date, they have enlisted about 80,000 properties on the Chinese mainland with a steady and scalable expansion, providing around-the-clock customer support in Mandarin and accepting local payment methods such as Alipay and WeChat Wallet.

Besides introducing the new name, Airbnb has also tripled its Chinese workforce from 60 to 180 and doubled its investment in China to appeal to young Chinese travelers.

Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com.
A group from Japan visits three Chinese women in Harbin on Tuesday who raised children abandoned by Japanese families after World War II. Three Japanese visitors had been among those children, but none had been raised by the women. [Photo by Liu Yang/China Daily]

A group from Japan mourned victims of Japan's invasion and occupation of northeastern China before and during World War II and called on their leaders to visit China to apologize for war crimes on Tuesday.

The group of 41 was organized by people abandoned as children in China by Japanese families at the end of the war, and included three of them who had returned to Japan. The visit took place on Qingming Festival, the most important occasion for Chinese to honor the dead.

They visited Unit 731 Museum in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, and mourned the more than 3,000 people tortured and killed there. Unit 731 was the Japanese army's germ warfare division, which engaged in experiments on humans.

"It's horrifying to see some of the items on display. Some of them were beyond what I could bear to see," said Nakajima Yohachi, who helped organize the visit.

More than 4,000 Japanese children were adopted in China after World War II, according to media reports. Most have gone back to Japan.

Nakajima, 75, moved to Heilongjiang in 1942 with his family but was abandoned in 1945. He returned to Japan in 1958.He said he wouldn't have survived if it were not for his Chinese parents.

The left-behind children also met with three of the adoptive mothers and gave them gifts. The children they adopted were not in the group.

"Many Japanese are deceived as the history is either distorted or understated in Japanese textbooks," Nakajima said. "We volunteered to come with our own money. We are all peace lovers. We hope Japanese people will gain more knowledge of history, and we also hope there will be no war anymore.

"I think Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should come to China to apologize for the atrocities and reflect on history. If he doesn't come, many Japanese like me will feel sorry for that," he added.

Japanese dancer Yasuda Yuka, 34, said the atrocities were beyond her imagination.

"I am angry and sad as there are few records in Japanese textbooks about this history. Many young Japanese don't know history well and many even think it's dangerous to come to China," she said.

Six of those abandoned who still live in China accompanied the group .Gao Fengqin, 74, was adopted after her father was killed in the war when she was 5, but she still couldn't go back to Japan, which does not recognize her identity." I am looking forward to going back to hunt for my roots," she said. "But forever, China is my home."

Contact the writers at houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn
A Syrian man from Idlib is carried by Turkish medics wearing chemical protective suits to a hospital in the border town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Turkey, April 4, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

BEIRUT - A suspected Syrian government chemical attack killed scores of people, including children, in the northwestern province of Idlib on Tuesday, a monitoring group, medics and rescue workers in the rebel-held area said.

The US government believes the chemical agent sarin was used in the attack, a US government source said, adding it was "almost certainly" carried out by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian military denied responsibility and said it would never use chemical weapons, echoing denials it has made over the course of the more than six-year Syrian civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands, created the world's worst refugee crisis and drawn in nations such as Russia, Iran and the United States.

The attack sparked political recriminations. US President Donald Trump blamed it on his predecessor Barack Obama's "weakness" on Syria, while a Syrian opposition figure said it was a consequence of recent US statements suggesting a focus on stopping Islamic State militants rather than ousting Assad.

If confirmed, the incident reported in the town of Khan Sheikhoun would be the deadliest chemical attack in Syria since sarin gas killed hundreds of civilians in Ghouta near Damascus in August 2013. Western states said the Syrian government was responsible for that attack. Damascus blamed rebels.

The head of the health authority in rebel-held Idlib province said more than 50 people had been killed and 300 wounded in the latest incident. The Union of Medical Care Organizations, a coalition of international aid agencies that funds hospitals in Syria, said the death toll was at least 100.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack killed at least 58 people and was believed to have been carried out by Syrian government jets. It caused many people to choke and some to foam at the mouth.

Director Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters the assessment that Syrian government warplanes were to blame was based on several factors such as the type of aircraft, including Sukhoi 22 jets, that carried out the raid.

"We deny completely the use of any chemical or toxic material in Khan Sheikhoun town today and the army has not used nor will use in any place or time neither in past or in future," the Syrian army command said in a statement.

The Russian Defence Ministry, whose forces are backing Assad, said its aircraft had not carried out the attack. The UN Security Council was expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss the incident.

Reuters photographs showed people breathing through oxygen masks and wearing protection suits, while others carried the bodies of dead children. Corpses wrapped in blankets were lined up on the ground.

Activists in northern Syria circulated pictures on social media showing a man with foam around his mouth, and rescue workers hosing down almost-naked children squirming on the floor.
A still image of suspect Akbarzhon Jalilov walking at St Petersburg's metro station is shown in this police handout photo obtained by 5th Channel Russia April 4, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

MOSCOW -- The Russian Investigative Committee (RIC) said Tuesday that 22-year-old Akbarzhon Dzhalilov carried out the deadly bomb attack in the St. Petersburg metro Monday afternoon.

The blast took place in a train carriage in the tunnel between two metro stations in St. Petersburg, Russia's second largest city, killing at least 14 people and wounding dozens.

"The conclusions of the genetic examination and the recording of the CCTV cameras give the investigators reasons to believe that it was Dzhalilov who committed the terrorist act in the train," said the RIC in a statement.

The statement did not disclose whether Dzhalilov had accomplices or connections to the Islamic State or other terrorist groups.

According to the statement, Dzhalilov left an additional explosive device at a third metro station, which has been defused by investigators.

Dzhalilov himself died in the blast, Interfax news agency quoted RIC spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko as saying.

RIA Novosti news agency and some Kyrgyz media outlets reported that Dzhalilov was born in Kyrgyzstan and attained Russian citizenship.

Born in 1995, Dzhalilov left Kyrgyzstan for Russia with his parents in 2011. Later, his parents returned to Kyrgyzstan, while Dzhalilov himself remained in Russia to earn money, Kyrgyz news agency 24.kg quoted their close relatives as saying.
The international community must continue to assist in mediation efforts to maintain stability in Darfur, said China's permanent representative to the UN.

"The Darfur issue involves a multiplicity of factors, such as political security, development, and humanitarian factors and must be resolved in a comprehensive manner in which political settlement is the foundation and the key," said Liu Jieyi on Tuesday at the UN Security Council.

"The international community must continue to support the mediation efforts of the EU high-level implementation panel to immediately assist the Sudanese government, the Darfur armed groups, and the opposition groups to implement a roadmap agreement, and resolve differences through dialogue so as to seek a sustained and peaceful settlement of the Darfur issue," he said.

A UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur  known as the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)  was established in 2007 to bring stability to the region. In light of an increased number of peace agreements, a continued reduction in inter-communal security incidents, and more effective involvement of the Sudanese administration, the African Union and the UN are considering a strategy for the peacekeeping force to eventually leave Darfur, according to the UN.

"The Darfur of today is a very different place from what this region was in 2003, when the armed conflict began, and from that of a year ago," said Jeremiah Mamabolo, deputy joint special representative of UNAMID, at the Security Council meeting.

Mamabolo said that fighting between Sudanese government forces and other armed movements has diminished considerably.

Liu said that on the 10th anniversary of the establishment of UNAMID, China hopes that the UN and the African Union can submit a report to the Security Council on a drawdown of the UNAMID, keeping in mind that "UN peacekeeping operations must follow the changing dynamics and the will of host country, adjust its mandate and size as appropriate.''

"This can not only improve the mission's efficiency and efficacy, but can also concentrate limited peacekeeping resources [to optimize] resource allocation," he said.
The actual Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 document and pen is on display in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US on July 1, 2004. [Photo/Agencies]

April 4 - For the first time ever, a US appeals court on Tuesday ruled that federal civil rights law protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees from discrimination in the workplace.

The ruling from a divided 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago represents a major legal victory for the gay rights movement.

It also allows a lawsuit to go forward in Indiana, where plaintiff Kimberly Hively said she lost her community college teaching job because she is lesbian.

"I have been saying all this time that what happened to me wasn't right and was illegal," Hively said in a statement released by the gay rights legal organization Lambda Legal, which represents her.

In its decision to reinstate Hively's 2014 lawsuit, which was thrown out at the local level in Indiana, the Court of Appeals ruled that protections against sex discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects people from job discrimination based on their sexual orientation.

In so doing, the full appeals court overruled a decision by a smaller panel of its judges to uphold the district court's decision in the college's favor.

In its 8-3 decision, the court bucked decades of rulings that gay people are not protected by the milestone civil rights law, because they are not specifically mentioned in it.

"For many years, the courts of appeals of this country understood the prohibition against sex discrimination to exclude discrimination on the basis of a person's sexual orientation," Chief Judge Diane Wood wrote for the majority. "We conclude today that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination."

In her lawsuit, Hively said that Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend passed her over for a permanent position and refused to renew her contract as an adjunct professor after school administrators learned she is a lesbian.

The school has denied the claims, and a representative was not immediately available for comment on Tuesday.

Reuters
An Iraqi boy bathes at a sulfur pond at Hammam al-Alil city south of Mosul, Iraq on April 3, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

HAMMAM AL-ALIL, Iraq - Some Iraqis in this town get massages in a spa or take muddy baths and relax in the morning sun on the banks of the Tigris. Others beg for food or rise at dawn to queue for water.

Hammam al-Alil, a town south of Mosul once famous throughout Iraq for its healing hot waters, is back in business after a US-backed offensive retook the area from Islamic State militants and authorities reopened its spa.

This oasis of leisure now coexists, however, with camps housing more than 30,000 of the people displaced in the region by the campaign to dislodge Islamic State from Mosul, its the last major city stronghold in Iraq.

"I come here three times a week," said 47-year old Ali Qader, a retired soldier, after showering with water from a natural spring. "It's refreshing and good for your skin."

Residents have been flocking back since Islamic State was expelled from the town in early November, ending the days when bathers had to wear a tunic covering them from knee to navel as part of the Sunni Muslim movement's strict modesty code.

"If you had only swimwear, Daesh (Islamic State) would whip you," said Wael Abdullah, 12, before diving into a pool.

"The hisbah came checking that everyone had the right dress," he said, referring to the religious police that monitored everything from men's beards to women's veils.

Across the street is an indoor pool where locals and soldiers taking a day off from the front get a soapy massage.

The spa used to be magnet for wellness tourists and rheumatism patients but had passed its heyday even before the Islamist militants arrived in 2014.

"We used to have visitors from Baghdad, the south and even the Gulf, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia," said Latif Mohammed, who was hired to help run the spa for 10,000 Iraqi dinars ($8.58) a day. "It was built in the '80s but needs refurbishing."

The elegant hotels at the spa are now shuttered or bombed out because Islamic State fighters used to live there. A machine gun nest at the entrance shatters any sense of normality.

On Monday, the spa opened only at noon due to rumours of an Islamic State attack, said a federal police officer.
STRASBOURG - Members of European Parliament (MEPs), meeting here for a plenary session in Strasbourg, voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to adopt a resolution outlining major conditions for the approval of any final settlement on the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union (EU).

Adopted by 516 votes in favor to 133 against, with 50 abstentions, the resolution establishes the key principles by which the European Parliament will be willing to greenlight the outcomes of Brexit negotiations.

In the resolution, MEPs emphasized the need to protect citizens' rights by securing equal and fair treatment for EU citizens living in Britain and British citizens living in the EU.

Citizens' rights were highlighted in the resolution, which noted in particular the Irish citizens. The resolution called on all parties to remain committed to the Northern Ireland peace process and avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

MEPs also stressed that until its official withdrawal, Britain remains a full member of the EU, with all the privileges and obligations implied by membership. In particular, this includes financial commitments which may extend beyond the British withdrawal.

Britain's obligations as an EU member also make it illegal for London to enter into trade talks with a third country before it leaves the EU, and to engage in bilateral negotiations with one or some EU member states.

The text of the resolution also warns against use of security cooperation as a bargaining tool for a future EU-UK economic relationship, reiterating that the four freedoms, namely free movement of goods, capital, services and people, are indivisible preconditions of access to the EU single market, and refusing any cherry-picking on economic arrangements.

The European Parliament also insisted that any future economic relationship can only be discussed in terms of transitional arrangements, and only after "substantial progress" has been made on the terms of the UK withdrawal.

MEPs also sought to establish their ongoing and close involvement in the negotiations, intending to build on the elements set out in the resolution as negotiations develop, for example by adopting further resolutions, including on specific matters or sector-specific issues.

The resolution's conditions will guide the imminent negotiations, as any final agreement will need to win the approval of the European Parliament prior to implementation.
Scientists at Manchester University, who discovered graphene, a tough material which comprises a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice and is 200 time tougher than steel, have found that it can be used as a sieve to filter seawater - and other non-drinkable water - to produce drinking water.

Charities such as Water Aid and Oxfam have already expressed interest, and the university is now seeking industrial investment, with Chinese companies one of their targets.

China's State-owned Aviation Industry of China, or AVIC, is already collaborating with the University to find uses for graphene in aircraft manufacture. Telecoms giant Huawei is also working with Manchester University to see what use graphene, which has extraordinary tensile strength and electrical conductivity, can have in its mobile handsets and tablets.

Ben Robinson, Manchester University's Graphene communications and marketing office, said: "The ability to filter water using graphene has been proven, and we have a working prototype in the laboratory. But universities in this country aren't really commercial enterprises, so it all depends on industry investment."

He said there had been a lot of interest already from various countries, and said the university was keen to attract Chinese investment, although he wouldn't give any details.

President Xi Jinping visited the university's graphene department during his state visit to the UK in 2015. Manchester University has almost 4,000 Chinese students and 170 Chinese staff members.

Graphene, apart from its strength, also has a much stronger ability to conduct electricity than copper.

Scientists led by Rahul Nair in Manchester have made a membrane using liquid graphene, or graphene oxide, and managed to control the size of the holes so salt from seawater can be filtered out.

Nair said unlike other applications:"Graphene oxide can be produced by simple oxidation in the lab."

He told BBC News:"As an ink or solution, we can compose it on a substrate or porous material. Then we can use it as a membrane. In terms of scalability and the cost of the material, graphene oxide has a potential advantage."

By 2025 the UN expects that 14 percent of the world's population will encounter water scarcity. As the effects of climate change continue to reduce urban water supplies, wealthy developed countries are also investing in desalination technologies.

Current desalination plants around the world use polymer-based membranes, but graphene-based filters are regarded as more efficient and potentially easier to produce.
The future of China-Finland business ties will be based on trade in environmental solutions as well as investment in high-tech manufacturing, multimodel logistics and telecommunication services, said officials and company heads from both countries.

Yin Zonghua, vice-chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said that even though the global economic setting has been affected by such challenges as trade protectionism and Brexit, the degree of interdependence between China and Finland remains stable in bilateral trade.

"China will continue to export consumer goods in exchange for Finland's high-tech products such as electronic products, water treatment equipment and machinery parts," said Yin. "Most of their imports are complementary. Therefore, it isn't direct competition."

China exports mainly construction machinery, manufacturing equipment, steel, electronics, textiles, garments and household appliances to Finland.

In addition to clean technology, telecommunication and pharmaceutical products, Finland ships agricultural and mechanical products, specialized vessels, transportation-related equipment and chemical products to China.

China has been Finland's largest trading partner in Asia for 14 years. Among nations worldwide, China ranks fourth after Germany, Sweden and Russia, according to data from the General Administration of Customs.

Bilateral trade volume between China and Finland amounted to $6.36 billion in 2016. China is Finland's fourth-biggest import source and sixth-biggest export destination.

China invested $217 million from the nonfinancial sector in Finland by the end of last year, while Finnish companies invested $1.36 billion in 541 projects including steel, shipbuilding and aviation in China, data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows.

Wartsila Corp, which has headquarters in Helsinki and is one of the world's largest ship power suppliers and manufacturers by revenue, and State-owned China State Shipbuilding Corp signed an agreement last month for an electrical and automation joint venture in Shanghai. The new plant is expected to be fully operational before midyear.

The Finnish company and CSSC also opened a new production facility under a joint venture format in Shanghai in January. This is the company's first in China capable of locally producing large-bore, medium-speed diesel and dual-fuel engines.

"Being close to our customers is central to our global strategy," said Han Jianfeng, president of Wartsila China.

"Wartsila really sees the growth in the marine market and China's demand for more energy-efficient vessels. The owners demand fuel flexibility, but they also need to have environmental solutions to satisfy environmental regulations, which are getting stricter these days," said Han.

Bai Ming, a researcher at the Beijing-based Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said China's long-term goal is to develop and invest in emerging and upcoming industries.

Driven by China's surging demand and Finland's technology edge, both sides have more room to cultivate new bright spots in energy saving, clean energy and environmental protection, Bai said.

zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn
Sanna Lauslahti has fond memories of when her husband lived and worked in Shanghai and she visited him regularly, since she could not leave her job in Finland.

"I have so many beautiful memories from that time," said Lauslahti, who commented ahead of President Xi Jinping's arrival in Finland on Tuesday. She said she loved the atmosphere of Shanghai and almost everything about China.

When Lauslahti moved from business to politics and became a member of the Finnish Parliament in 2007, she was able to turn her passion for China into efforts to "bring China into the Finnish Parliament" by organizing a series of activities.

"Even this morning, we had Chinese lessons, and six of my colleagues attended," said Lauslahti, who heads a China-Finland friendship group in Parliament. "I aim to introduce China to those who have not visited the country."

In 1950, Finland was one of the earliest Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing.

Ahead of Xi's visit, Lauslahti said she was expecting China's president to deepen the two countries' relations and find new areas for cooperation between them.

Xi will meet with Maria Lohela, speaker of the Finnish Parliament, and Lauslahti will attend the meeting.

Lauslahti said education and health are two areas in which Finland could share its experience with China.

"Personalized medicine and healthcare are big things for Finnish people, and we have done a lot of work in this area," she said.

Lauslahti said Finland is also willing to work as a bridge builder between China and the European Union.

"I hope China and the EU can be useful partners and deepen their relationship in the future," she said.

Lauslahti said she met Xi during his visit to Finland nearly seven years ago, when he was vice-president.

"I remember him as a gentle, polite and warm person," said Lauslahti. "I possibly won't have the chance to talk with him this time, but I do hope China and Finland can have more deep, open and trustful relations in the future."

Regarding Xi's meeting with US President Donald Trump later this week, Lauslahti said the biggest global players should give impetus to the stimulation of the global economy and speed up its growth. "Climate change and global peace should also top their agenda," she said.

Zheng Jinqiang and Zhang Zhaoqing in Brussels contributed to this story.
President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, arrive at Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, on Tuesday for a state visit. He will meet with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.Lehtikuva/antti Aimokoivisto/ Via Reuters

President lauded for 'deep thinking'; talks to include trade, climate change

Praising President Xi Jinping for his levelheaded and deep thinking, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said he was pleased at the chance for them to discuss free trade and the Paris climate change agreement.

Xi, who arrived in Helsinki on Tuesday evening, is making a state visit to Finland until Thursday. It is his first visit to Northern Europe as China's head of state.

"It is a short visit," Niinisto said in an exclusive interview with China Daily on Monday, but Finland will do its "best" to make the distinguished visitor and his wife "feel at home".

Niinisto said in the interview at Helsinki's presidential palace that he expects the two nations' relationship to be elevated to a new level.

Four years ago, during his visit to China, Niinisto said he agreed with Xi that a new kind of strategic partnership was needed between the countries.

"What we have seen in concrete terms is a lot of development in business, but also in our political contacts," he said, looking back on his first meeting with China's president since Xi became head of state in 2013.

Niinisto said he has a solid relationship with Xi. "It has been my great honor to meet him several times," Niinisto said, adding he was impressed by Xi's "deep thinking".

"It is great to have such a leader," and it is important for leaders to have contact with each other at a time when the world faces a range of problems, he said.

"Now that President Xi is continuing from here to the United States, I think the whole world is looking at how that visit will go," he said.

Niinisto said he appreciated the points Xi raised at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this year and especially his attitude toward free trade. He said Xi's opinions are similar to those of the European Union and Finland, which he said are both strong supporters of free trade. Finland joined the EU in 1995.

Niinisto also emphasized the importance of maintaining the Paris agreement, another area in which China and the EU share similar views.

"Apart from other questions, these are very big ones and how we enhance that kind of thinking is important," Niinisto said. "That is also one reason why we are so eager to see what is going to happen."

He said cooperation in green technology is one area in which the nations may work together closely.

"Innovation in clean tech is quite important because it is essential with urbanization still booming in China."

Chinese companies want to invest in Finland, he said, and are especially interested in renewable energy.

Contact the writers at fujing@chinadaily.com.cn.

Zheng Jinqiang in Brussels contributed to this story.
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.

0108263 License for publishing multimedia online



Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349
Rick Kimberley, owner of the Kimberley Farm, said his farm became famous after the visit of President Xi Jinping in 2012. In 1985, Xi visited the state as part of a delegation from Hebei. Xi at the time was a provincial agricultural official. Kimberley looks forward to Xi's first meeting with President Trump, and he says it is the first step to maintain a good relationship between both countries. (Zhang Yu'an)




China's Global Newspaper





Sorry, the page you requested was not found. Please check the URL for proper spelling and capitalization. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Chinadaily.com.cn, try visiting the Chinadaily home page
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.

License for publishing multimedia online 0108263



Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349
Chinese artists perform in the acrobatic show "Rainbow on the Silk Road" in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Aug 18, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

BISHKEK - Chinese artists performed acrobatic show "Rainbow of the Silk Road" in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, and received big applauses.

The two-day show, performed by the Troupe of Acrobatic Art from Shanxi, China, was held in the Kyrgyz National Philharmonic Hall and the first day of the show draw a full house of spectators on Thursday.

Chen Haiyan, deputy head of the group, told Xinhua that the show tells about the history of the Silk Road and various events associated with it, adding that the show was performed earlier in China, and has received numerous awards.

A Kyrgyz spectator who only gave her name as Kymbat told Xinhua that she was very impressed by the show and that it was the first time for her to see performance of Chinese artists.

"I saw more than expected. Chinese acrobats were well prepared, one by one they appeared on stage in various indescribable colorful costumes. And they performed such tricks, which thrilled the audience. Previously, I had seen such acrobats only on TV, but seeing acrobats alive is much better," she said.

Another spectator Nazgul, who came to the show with her children, said she was lucky to attend the exceptionally beautiful and inspiring charity event.

"This is a unique show -- the complex and spectacular stunts, beautiful costumes. My children and I watched the performance of actors in a burst of inspiration," she said.

The performance of the Chinese circus troupe is dedicated to the Year of History and Culture in Kyrgyzstan in 2016.
Xu Shaoshi (center), head of the National Development and Reform Commission and special envoy representing President Xi Jinping, watches as Hailemariam Desalegn, Ethiopia prime minister (left), and Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh (right) cut the ribbon to launch the new railway from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to the port of Djibouti on Wednesday in Addis Ababa. QIN BIN / FOR CHINA DAILY

High leaders, dignitaries mark opening of service between Ethiopia, Djibouti port

In the 1970s, China anchored the construction of the Tazara railway linking Tanzania and Zambia  a project that greatly boosted the two countries' economies. A little more than 40 years later, a new episode of railway history was written, again with a Chinese helping hand, as East Africa's first modern electrified standard gauge railway was inaugurated on Wednesday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The 750-kilometer railway, built by two Chinese companies and mainly financed by a Chinese bank, links Addis Ababa to the Red Sea port city of Djibouti. Designed for a speed of 120 kilometers per hour, it is expected to reduce travel time from seven days by road to about 10 hours, and provide landlocked Ethiopia with a faster access to the Djibouti port.

In a ceremony on Wednesday morning, Hailemariam Desalegn, prime minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and his neighbor, Ismail Omar Guelleh, president of the Republic of Djibouti, cut a red ribbon officially commissioning the infrastructure that traverses both countries.

The railway was developed by two Chinese firms  China Railway Engineering Corp and China Civil Engineering Construction Corp. China Export and Import Bank loaned 70 percent of the capital.

"This train is a game-changer," said Mekonnen Getachew, CEO of the Ethiopian Railways Corp. "Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. The connection to the ports (of Djibouti) will give a bounce, and our economy will grow faster."

In his keynote speech, Desalegn said the $4 billion railway project clearly showed Africa's desire and commitment to speed up the integration process.

"Ethiopia is once again in the continental map as a pioneer toward implementing modern infrastructure, courtesy of China," Desalegn said.

The Djibouti president, Guelleh, hailed the project as a symbol of friendship and integration between the two neighboring countries. He said the project was conceived in 1897 but was only made possible more than 100 years later by China.

"China has stood by us and has been instrumental in building not only our regional infrastructure but the whole of Africa," he said. "We see a prosperous future as a more integrated continent. This railway represents the new face of Africa, which is ready to take charge of its destiny."

Also present were Togo's President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe; Xu Shaoshi, special envoy of President Xi Jinping and head of the National Development and Reform Commission; and Yuan Xingyong, vice-president of Export-Import Bank of China.

Xu hailed the railway as an achievement of cooperation and friendship, calling it a road map to the future, but said more effort should be made to develop the local labor force.

There will be a three-month test period of the line. To address a shortage of railway personnel, a massive training program is being led by China.

In Ethiopia, which hosts most of the line, about 2,000 local stewards, technicians, drivers and others are receiving training from China Railway No 2 Engineering Group, a major builder and operator of the railway.

More than 20,000 workers from Ethiopia and 5,000 from Djibouti were employed during the construction.

China is a leading builder and operator of railways worldwide. As of the end of 2015, the country had put 121,000 kilometers of rail lines into service, including 19,000 km of high-speed rail.

Xinhua and Agence France-Presse contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at panzhongming@chinadaily.com.cn
Chinese embroidery is going to make a mark at the 8th BRICS Summit in India as four Chinese gurus have been invited to create handcrafted gifts for leaders of the five emerging economies during the summit over the weekend.

Bringing Chinese craftsmen's glory to the world

File photo shows Jin Jiahong stitching a piece of traditional Hangzhou embroidery in Moscow, Russia, on Dec 5, 2013. [Photo/people.com.cn]

Jin Jiahong, an inheritor of Hangzhou embroidery, is joining the other three masters to display the traditional Chinese handicraft in India, the host nation of the 2016 BRICS Summit. Together with artisans from the other four BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa), they will collaborate on design and produce a set of embroidered gifts for the upcoming summit.

"Exquisite gifts we create will include handbags, pillow cases and scarves," said Jin Jiahong, who has been working to upgrade the stitching patterns of Hangzhou embroidery for 30 years.

"In the meantime, I have also participated in the design of the logo for the summit, a blooming lotus with five different colors of petals representing the five nations. The logo itself is quite artistic and meaningful," Jin added.

Hangzhou is well-known for its rich history of producing silk and silk-related products that goes back thousands of years. Hangzhou embroidery can be dated back to the Warring States Era of ancient China and peaked during the Southern Song Dynasty, when Hangzhou became the capital city.

Meanwhile, three other masters, representing Suzhou embroidery (Su Xiu), crewel embroidery and Hunan embroidery respectively, were also chosen to attend the 10-day workshop.

Mutual learning process for artisans

File photo shows Fu Jian receiving a thumb up from Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah while stitching a piece of crewel embroidery in Brunei on March 16, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

Fu Jian, an expert in crewel embroidery, sees the high-level workshop as a great inspiration. "During the exchanges, we, the Chinese artisans, have learned the latest embroidery techniques from masters from the other four countries. I am particularly interested in the bead embroidery from India," said Fu.

Influenced by his father, the 29-year-old started exploring crewel embroidery at a very young age. Back in 2008, Fu established an embroidery institute and provided job opportunities for more than 200 rural women in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province.

"The technique of India's bead embroidery is very unique. I believe we could incorporate it into our traditional stitch work and develop more practical handicraft products in future," Fu said.

Organized by the Export-Import Bank of India, the exchange event also aims to enhance global markets for handcrafted products and show respect to craftsmen around the world.
The freight train from Yiwu of China to Riga enters the Central Station of Riga, Latvia, Nov 5, 2016. The first trans-Eurasia container train linking China and Latvia arrived here on Saturday afternoon, marking a milestone in the history of the two countries' cooperation in transport and logistics sectors. The train departed on Oct. 20 from Yiwu, a vibrant manufacturing hub in east China, and finished a journey of over 11,000 km following the China-Russia-Latvia route. [Photo/Xinhua]
Visitors at a forum on marine technology under the Belt and Road Initiative in Tianjin, March 7, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

TIANJIN - China and Russia are cooperating on marine technology in the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The cooperation includes offshore oil and gas exploitation equipment, underwater robotics as well as scientific utilization of the Arctic passages, according to attendees at a forum on marine technology under the Belt and Road Initiative, held in north China's Tianjin Municipality Tuesday through Wednesday.

During the two-day forum, Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) signed agreements with universities and institutes in Russia to research marine technology.
The United Nations Security Council on Thursday unanimously adopted a new resolution to extend the mandate of the UN assistance operation in Afghanistan, which also urged more efforts to strengthen regional economic cooperation through initiatives such as the Belt and Road.

The 15-member council extended the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for another year until March 17, 2018, in a move to emphasize its role in supporting an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.

According to the Resolution 2344, the council urges further efforts to strengthen the process of regional economic cooperation, including measures to facilitate regional connectivity, trade and transit. These include 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 was proposed in 2013 and has received support from more than 100 countries and international organizations, with more than 40 signing cooperation agreements with China.

The resolution urged all parties to provide a safe environment for the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, step up efforts to develop policy connectivity and promote pragmatic cooperation.

The resolution said that all parties should further regional cooperation in the win-win spirit to promote safety, stability and development in Afghanistan and the region, and build a community of shared destiny.

President Xi Jinping elaborated the concept of building a community of common destiny during his speech at the UN Office in Geneva in January.
(Photo : Energy Observer) Energy Observer (concept).

Advertisement

Energy Observer, the world's first boat powered by hydrogen and renewable energy, will be revealed to the world for the first time on April 14 at Saint-Malo, a port city in northern France, the birthplace of the concept that gave rise to this unique experimental boat.



Energy Observer is the first ship in the world capable of producing its own hydrogen on board from seawater and without greenhouse gas emissions.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

The specially designed boat has been in the works since 2013 with construction beginning in January 2016. The brainchild of Jerome Delafosse and Victorien Erussard, Energy Observer was developed in collaboration with engineers from the CEA-LITEN.



Delafosse and Erussard, who both hail from Saint-Malo, will lead the Energy Observer expedition on its six year-long circumnavigation of the world that begins in 2018.



CEA (Commissariat a l'energie atomique et aux energies alternatives) or the Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission is a French public government-funded research organization in the areas of energy, defense and security, information technologies and health technologies.



LITEN is a major European research institute and a driving force behind the development of the sustainable energy technologies of the future. The institute is spearheading the EU's efforts to limit dependency on fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions



A former racing catamaran, Energy Observer will test and prove the efficiency of a full production chain that relies on the coupling of different renewable energies. It's also powered by solar and wind energy.



Energy Observer, which cost $4.72 million, will be launched later this year. Starting in early 2018, the boat will sail for six years around the world as a floating exhibition and clean energy laboratory, with stops in 50 countries and 101 ports of call.



Energy Observer attempt to circumnavigate the world using only renewable energy is a feat similar to Solar Impulse 2's historic, solar-powered flight around the world completed in July 2016.



"There is no silver bullet to fight against global warming," said Erussard.



"There are solutions, which we must learn to make work between them. This is what we do with Energy Observer: to bring together the energies of nature, but also of our society, bringing together around this boat, the know-how of companies, laboratories, start-ups and institutions."



Advertisement

TagsEnergy Observer, Hydrogen, Hydrogen-Powered Boat, Jerome Delafosse, Victorien Erussard, CEA, LITEN
(Photo : Getty Images. ) North Korea has tested fires another ballistic missile test, which comes barely hours before U.S. President Donald Trump will host Chinese President Xi Jingping at South Florida.

Advertisement

A day before Xi - Trump's highly anticipated summit meeting, North Korea has again dared to test the patience of China and U.S. by test firing a latest ballistic missile. The isolated communist state test fired ballistic missile from its eastern port city of Sinpo towards the Sea of Japan, according to South Korean defence ministry.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

The latest test will put additional pressure on President Xi Jingping as he prepares to discuss the sensitive North Korea nuclear issue with U.S. President Donald Trump during his Florida summit. Trump has already stepped up the pressure on Beijing by declaring earlier this week that the U.S. is ready to fight all alone against Pyongyang, if China chooses to back out.



China has so far not issued any official statement on the latest missile test, while U.S. and its allies including South Korea and Japan have expectedly condemned the test. The U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that "The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment."



America has also made some initial assessments about the test, with United States Pacific Command claiming that the missile appears to have been a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile. KN-15 is usually the name that United States uses to refer to the Pukguksong-2, a new nuclear capable missile Pyongyang launched for the first time in February.



North Korea on a missile testing spree



After a brief hiatus, North Korea was back on the missile testing spree this year. Pyongyang's several missile tests this year appears to have been conducted as a show of strength against President Donald Trump, who has vowed to act more sternly against the isolated communist nation than all his predecessors.



Last month, the improvised communist nation belligerently challenged the international community by test firing four back-to-back ballistic missiles. The missile tests immediately drew international condemnation and brought back the pressure on China to do more to convince its communist neighbour on giving up its controversial nuclear program.



China, which is Pyongyang's sole ally, has repeatedly mentioned that holding direct talks or relying on UN sanctions are the only two options available to deal with the North Korea nuclear issue.



Advertisement

TagsNorth Korea, china, North Korea nuclear program, Xi Jingping, donald trump
(Photo : Twitter) The Xiaomi Mi 6 will feature the Snapdragon 835 processor.

Advertisement

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has confirmed that the Mi 6 is set to be officially launch in April.



The CEO of the Chinese tech company confirmed the news during a live video released by tech website MyDrivers. The Xiaomi Mi 6 has been at the center of several rumors making rounds online. Its launch date is likely to be April 11 or April 18. However, the company is yet to start sending out invitations for the device's launch.



Like Us on Facebook

Advertisement

The Xiaomi Mi 6 will come with two ROM and three internal storage options: 4GB/6GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB/128GB. On the other hand, the Xiaomi Mi 6 Plus will have either 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage, 6GB RAM with 128GB internal storage or 8GB RAM with 256GB internal storage.



The basic variant of the smartphone will sport Quad HD 2K OLED display with dual curved edge similar to the Samsung S7 Edge. It will feature the Snapdragon 835 processor and run on the Android 6.0 Marshmallow. For the rear camera, it will sport a 19MP camera with Sony IMX400 sensor and 1/2.3-inch lens. On the front, there will be a similar 8-megapixel Ultra Pixel camera for selfies and video calling. It will be powered by a 4000mAh Li-Po battery.



The Plus variant will have a dual-camera setup with both cameras sporting a 12MP Sony IMX362 sensor while the 8MP front camera will have an ultra pixel shooter. The smartphone will be powered by a large 4500mAh Li-Po battery, supporting Qualcomms Quick Charge 4.0 for fast charging technology. Also, it will have a Snapdragon 835 processor and will run on the Android 7.0 Nougat OS based on the MIUI 8.



The Xiaomi Mi 6 with 4GB of RAM and 32GB storage will cost CNY 1999, the version with 4GB of RAM and 64GB internal space is priced at CNY 2299, while the 6GB of RAM version with 128GB internal storage version costs CNY 2699. The Xiaomi Mi 6 Plus will have different prices as well: the version with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage costs CNY 2599, the one with 6GB of RAM and 128GB is priced at CNY 2999, and the version with 8GB of RAM and 256GB internal storage variant is priced at CNY 3499.



Advertisement

TagsXiaomi, xiaomi mi 6, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun, Xiaomi Mi 6 specs, Xiaomi Mi 6 price, Xiaomi Mi 6 launch date
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.
home World Chinese authorities order churches in Zhejiang to install 'anti-terror cameras'

The government in China's coastal Zhejiang Province has ordered Christian churches to install surveillance cameras for "anti-terrorism and security purposes."

In early March, the authorities mandated that Three-Self Churches in the province need to be equipped with surveillance cameras. Officials have been dispatched to forcibly set up the devices if the churches refuse the order, China Aid reported.

Hundreds of police officers gathered at Changlin Church in Wenzhou, Zhejiang from March 21 to 24, in order to carry out the order. The officials destroyed the gate of the church and other parts of the building. Christians who resisted the efforts to install the cameras were beaten, and some women who positioned themselves outside the church for fear of possible church demolition were arrested.

A local Christian said church members also questioned the need for additional surveillance as Three-Self Churches are already heavily monitored by the authorities.

In a statement released on March 23, the Shengai Church in Pingyang County, Wenzhou accused the government of violating the privacy, disrupting the internal affairs of religious organizations, and breaking laws by installing the cameras. The church maintained that the government needs the permission of the congregation to install the devices, or it would otherwise result in an abuse of power and religious freedom.

According to South China Morning Post, the order to churches in Wenzhou was issued late last year and was implemented before the Lunar New Year holiday in January.

One pastor said that the installation of the cameras reminded him of the "cross demolitions" in 2014. During that campaign, around 360 crosses were removed, and one church was demolished. It gained international attention and drew criticism from religious rights organizations across the globe. Before the controversial campaign, crosses from more than 2,000 churches in Wenzhou dotted the city's skyline.

Huang Yizi, a pastor from Wenzhou, was imprisoned for a year in 2015 for protesting against the removal of the crosses. He said that he has been closely monitored since last week when he told the international media about the installation of the cameras.

One churchgoer said that the authorities had been setting up the devices one by one, but they have not yet installed one in his church.

"I don't support the government's decision and I hope they will not put monitoring equipment inside our church," said the churchgoer.

"We Christians do good deeds and we don't do anything to endanger the public. I don't understand why the government wants to monitor us. The government's pressure on us will not deter us from our beliefs and will not affect the proliferation of our religion. The tougher the persecution, the more people will be encouraged to follow the religion," he added.
home World Christian churches pull together to rebuild communities devastated by ISIS in Iraq

Three major church groups have banded together to form a committee that aims to rebuild the communities that were devastated by the Islamic State terror group in Iraq.

The Syriac Catholic Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, and the Chaldean Catholic Church have formally established the Nineveh Reconstruction Committee (NRC), which is tasked with planning and supervising the rebuilding of more than 12,000 damaged or destroyed houses.

"Today we are truly a united Church - Syriac Orthodox, Chaldean and Syriac Catholic - united in the work of rebuilding these houses on the Nineveh Plains and in restoring hope to the hearts of the inhabitants of these villages and inviting those who have left them to return," Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Alshamany said, as reported by Assyrian International News Agency.

The Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has estimated that the rebuilding of the homes would cost at least $213 million. The charity said that it will be closely following the committee's initial operations and will help with the advocacy and fundraising efforts.

Alshamany thanked ACN for its role in developing the initiative. "We would like to thank ACN, which has helped us so much in the past, by providing help and food. Now this charity is playing a crucial role in the rebuilding of our houses," he said.

The committee is composed of two representatives from each of the three churches and three external experts suggested by ACN.

The signing ceremony was held at the Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil, where many of the 100,000 Christians resettled after they were displaced by the ISIS invasion in August 2014.

Syriac Catholic Archbishop Yohanna Petros Mouche of Mosul encouraged Christians who were living in the Nineveh Plains to return to their homes. He noted that the churches' efforts to join together demonstrate their willingness to accelerate the operation to rebuild the communities.

Iraqi forces backed by a U.S.-led international coalition have liberated several cities as well as eastern Mosul from ISIS last year. The security forces are currently locked in a battle to recapture western Mosul.

The ancient city of Qaraqosh, which was liberated last year, was leveled to the ground by the war, but the residents have hope that the land will be restored by God.

Professor Ryan Mauro, a national security analyst at the Clarion Project, said that the residents who paid a visit to the city "were adamant that their faith is even stronger than it was before and vowed to reopen the burned church and fill it with an even bigger crowd than before."
home US Millennials are least likely to have biblical worldview, according to new study

A new study has indicated that Millennials are least likely to possess a biblical worldview and also the least likely generation to become conservative in the future.

According to a study by the American Culture and Faith Institute (ACFI), only four percent of Millennials possess a biblical worldview. This compares to 16 percent of Baby Boomer and Builder generations and seven percent of Baby Busters, who possess a similar outlook.

The survey, which is part of the Worldview Measurement Project, was conducted last Feb. 1 to Feb. 5 among 1,000 Americans aged 18 or older.

The results also revealed that only 59 percent of Millennials identify as Christians, compared to 72 percent of adults from older generations. Only 18 percent of adults aged 30 or older claim to be in the atheist-agnostic-none faith preference category, compared to 29 percent among Millenials.

While 33 percent of older adults describe themselves as born-again Christians, only 20 percent of Millennials make the same claim.

Although conservatives outnumber liberals by a 2a1 margin among adults 30 or older, the opposite is true among Millenials, with only 12 percent identifying as conservatives and 26 percent describing themselves as liberals. As many as 44 percent of Millennials prefer socialism over capitalism.

When it comes to the subject of same-sex marriage, 43 percent of adults 30 or older were in favor of it, compared to 65 percent of adults under 30 who support it.

Out of 20 questions presented in the belief section of the Worldview Measurement Project, Millennials were found less likely than older adults to have a biblical view on 19 of the evaluated beliefs.

Millennials were more likely to have a biblical perspective than other adults only on the belief in the basic goodness of people. Forty-one percent of Millennials are less likely to believe that all people are basically good, compared with 22 percent of adults from the older generation.

George Barna, the Executive Director of ACFI, noted that "Millennials are so far to the left-of-center" that "even a typical amount of repositioning" will still leave them very liberal. He said that it is unlikely that even 10 percent of Millennials will ever hold a biblical worldview.

"Remember, a person's worldview is typically developed between the ages of about 18 months and 13 years," Barna explained.

"There is usually very little movement in a worldview after that point. You could say with confidence that the worldview a person possesses at age 13 is probably the worldview they will die with. Unless pre-existing patterns radically change, we are not likely to ever see the Millennial generation reach even ten percent who have a biblical worldview," he added.
home World Singapore expels Indian imam for remarks against Jews, Christians during sermon

Singapore has ordered the expulsion of an Indian imam after he made remarks against Jews and Christians during his Friday sermon at a mosque.

Nalla Mohamed Abdul Jameel, the chief imam at the Jamae Chulia Mosque, was fined SG$4,000 (US$ 2,860) after he pleaded guilty at the State Courts to a charge of promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement that Jameel has paid the fine and will be repatriated.

"Any religious leader from any religion who makes such statements will be held accountable for their actions," the MHA said, as reported by Times of India.

"Under Singapore law, we cannot, regardless of his religion, allow anyone to preach or act divisively and justify that by reference to a religious text," it continued.

A video that circulated online in February reportedly featured the imam reciting a prayer in Arabic, saying "God help us against Jews and Christians." Jameel came under police investigation after the video was posted on Facebook and sparked a heated debate. The controversy prompted Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim to call for peace and unity in the Muslim community.

The 46-year-old imam, popularly known as "Nalla," admitted making the remarks and issued an apology.

On Friday, Jameel apologized in front of Christian, Sikh, Taoist, Buddhist, and Hindu representatives, as well as members of the Federation of Indian Muslims. He also visited Rabbi Mordechai Abergel at the Maghain Aboth Synagogue to ask for forgiveness.

Abergel accepted his apology on behalf of the Jewish community in Singapore and highlighted the need to be constantly conscious of the delicate harmonious co-existence of the country's diverse communities.

Jameel's lawyer, Noor Marican, reportedly said that he has accepted the punishment and is grateful that he was not sentenced to prison.

"I fully respect the laws of the land and appreciate the concerns of her people," Jameel was quoted as saying.

"I am truly sorry that I had offended you, and I must bear full responsibility for my actions." he went on to say.

According to Hindustan Times, the imam could have been punished with three years' imprisonment, a fine, or both for promoting enmity between different groups.

The authorities also gave a stern warning to Terence Kenneth John Nunis, who released the video recording of the imam's sermon, as the public prosecutor assessed that his actions were in breach of the law.
home US Texas Senate passes bill that would require burial or cremation of aborted babies

The Texas Senate has advanced a bill that would require abortion facilities to bury or cremate the remains of aborted babies instead of being discarded as medical waste.

S.B. 258, introduced by Sen. Don Huffines (R-Dallas), was approved by the Senate on Wednesday by a vote of 22a9. Another vote is required before it heads to the House for consideration, according to Christian Network News.

The legislation would require the Department of State Health Services to create a form that would allow a pregnant woman to select the method of disposition of the remains of the fetus. The woman may be required to pay for the costs if she selects burial or cremation to dispose of the remains.

It also calls for the creation of a registry of non-profit organizations that are willing to provide financial support to mothers who are unable to pay for the burial of the baby. Abortion facilities that violate the rules would be fined $1,000 for each day of non-compliance.

Huffines said that he felt the bill was necessary because he believes that the unborn should be treated with dignity.

"We're not going to treat it like we do a cancer, like a tumor, like a diseased organ. We are going to treat the unborn with dignity and respect," he stated.

A similar bill was introduced by Rep. Byron Cook (R-Corsicana) in the House, but it failed to advance because of the concerns of abortion opponents who believe that the procedure should be outlawed altogether rather than regulated.

"When those on death row convicted of a most heinous crime are executed, we bury them," Cook said during a committee hearing.

"We don't put them down a garbage disposal or in a landfill. Even veterinary clinics have more human and dignified methods for placement of deceased animals," he added.

In December, the Department of State Health Services finalized a similar rule at the request of Gov. Greg Abbott, but it was blocked by U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks who ruled that such requirements place an "undue burden on a woman's right to seek a previability abortion."

Critics said that the rules will likely raise the costs for the abortion facilities, increase the stigma against women seeking abortions, and create logistical challenges for abortion providers across the state.

Some Democratic senators questioned the purpose of the measure and said that the bill is essentially "flaunting" the injunction issued by Sparks in January.
home US Trump overturns Obama's order that bans contracts with companies without LGBT protections

President Donald Trump has revoked an executive order that prevents the federal government from entering into contracts with companies and non-profit organizations that do not have policies that protect LGBT individuals against discrimination.

On Monday, Trump signed an order that rescinded E.O. 13673 or the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces order, which was signed by former President Barack Obama in 2014.

The order issued by Obama required companies receiving large federal contracts to demonstrate that they have complied with 14 federal laws, some of which prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Some have argued that revoking the 2014 order would make it harder to enforce the LGBT protections implemented by Obama for employees of federal contractors.

"It's sending a message to these companies...that the federal government simply doesn't care whether or not they violate the law," said Camilla Taylor, senior counsel at Lambda Legal.

According to Towleroad, Trump's order also affects E.O. 11246, which prohibits federal contractors from discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. President Richard Nixon added discrimination based on disability and age while President Bill Clinton added sexual orientation. Obama's order added gender identity, and it also prohibited federal contractors from discriminating against their employees based on the said categories.

Some conservative groups welcomed the Trump's decision to rescind the order. Abraham Hamilton III, a public policy analyst for the American Family Association (AFA), stated that the president is fulfilling his campaign promise to protect religious liberty.

"American citizens should not be forced to abandon their faith in order to contract with the federal government. We hope this is an early indication that religious freedom protection will be a defining feature of President Trump's legacy," said Hamilton.

Travis Weber, an attorney with the Family Research Council (FRC), stated that the bigger concern with rescinding the order was more about cutting down red tape for businesses rather than LGBT issues. He noted that Trump had repeatedly vowed to cut regulations by 75 percent so that businesses would spend more time working and less time filling out paperwork.

"This will help keep jobs in America and bring others back to the country," said Weber. "Yet now that the president is fulfilling his promise, LGBT groups have somehow found a way to make this paperwork reduction all about them," he added.
A Florida man is behind bars after he mistook a 66-year-old tourist with Parkinson's Disease for a vehicle thief, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Kevin Mena, a 21-year-old Orlando native, is charged with aggravated battery and battery on a person 65 or older.

Authorities said Mena saw a man pulling on his SUV door handle at a shopping plaza in south Orange County on Sunday. Camera footage showed Mena violently pushing the victim's head into the door.

EPIC FIGHT: A python and an alligator wrestled in Florida. Guess who won?

The victim, a 66-year-old South Carolina man with Parkinson's, had mistaken Mena's SUV as his daughter's vehicle. She found her father with blood around his mouth near the vehicle.

Mena reportedly said he thought the victim was trying to steal his Jeep. He left the scene but was arrested a short time later.

Authorities said the victim suffered broken teeth, a cut on his lip and possibly a broken nose.

JUST A WARM UP: Florida man arrested after some weird Starbucks antics

In the meantime, Mena remains behind bars in Orange County Jail. He was already on probation for a 2015 concealed weapon charge.
Police flooded the scene Wednesday after a fatal shooting at a northeast Houston convenience store.

The shooting happened about 2 p.m. at a Valero station at 10012 Tidwell near Brock Park Blvd., Houston police said.

A man later identified as Kejuan Doucett, 29, was in the Valero waiting to buy food when Ronald Green, 24, walked up. The two exchanged words and then Doucett went out to his car to grab a gun before walking back and firing repeatedly at Green, who took cover behind a car.

But Doucett still followed Green, until an unidentified person in Green's vehicle fired shots and hit Doucett.

Green fled on foot and the unknown shooter drove off in Green's car.

When first responders arrived at the scene, Doucett was taken to the hospital where he died. Green was found later and taken to the hospital as well.

Anyone with information on the identity or whereabouts of the shooter is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
Filling a ballroom on a Monday night is no easy feat, though the seventh annual Bon Vivant dinner had no problem selling every single seat.

To the Youth Development Center's credit, the organization managed to assemble an impressive roster of notable Houston chefs at the Royal Sonesta for an incredible cause. Jacques Fox of Artisans, newly departed Danny Trace of Brennan's, Michael Nutt of Cafe Rabelais, Ricardo Vargas of Capital Grille on Westheimer, Ara Malekian of Harlem Road Texas BBQ, Antoine Ware of Harold's, William Wright of Helen Greek Food and Wine, Mark Holley of Holley's Seafood and Oyster Bar, Jean-Philippe Gaston of Izakaya, Jonathan Levine of Jonathan's the Rub, Adison Lee of Kuu, Hassan Obaye of La Table, Daniel Bridges of Landry's Signature Group, Olivier Ciesielski of L'Olivier, Rene Hernandez and Shay Prigmore of Max's Wine Dive, Martha de Leon of Pax Americana, Jose Hernandez of Radio Milano, Richard Knight, Felix Florez and Ken Bridges of Ritual, Kevin Naderi of Roost, Robert Graham of Royal Sonesta, Jose Quintanilla of 1600 Bar and Grille, Elizabeth Stone of Silver Stone Events, Lyle Bento of Southern Goods, Bobby Matos of State of Grace, and Richard Kaplan of Weights + Measures each served five courses, paired with five wines, to some 260 patrons. The entire she-bang benefited the YDC's new educational facility in Fifth Ward  catchy, no?


Connor Balthazor, 17, was in the middle of study hall when he was called into a meeting with his high school newspaper adviser.

A group of reporters and editors from the student newspaper, the Booster Redux at Pittsburg High School in southeastern Kansas, had gathered to talk about Amy Robertson, who was hired as the high school's head principal on March 6.

The student journalists had begun researching Robertson, and quickly found some discrepancies in her education credentials. For one, when they researched Corllins University, the private university where Robertson said she got her master's and doctorate degrees years ago, the website didn't work. They found no evidence that it was an accredited university.

"There were some things that just didn't quite add up," Balthazor told The Washington Post.

The students began digging into a weeks-long investigation that would result in an article published Friday questioning the legitimacy of the principal's degrees and of her work as an education consultant.

On Tuesday night, Robertson resigned.

"In light of the issues that arose, Dr. Robertson felt it was in the best interest of the district to resign her position," Pittsburg Community Schools announced in a statement. The Board has agreed to accept her resignation."

The resignation thrust the student newspaper staff into local, state and national news, with professional journalists nationwide applauding the students for asking tough questions and prompting change in their administration.

"Everybody kept telling them, 'stop poking your nose where it doesn't belong,' newspaper adviser Emily Smith told The Post. But with the encouragement of the superintendent, the students persisted.

"They were at a loss that something that was so easy for them to see was waiting to be noticed by adults," Smith said.

In the Booster Redux article, a team of six students - five juniors and one senior - revealed that Corllins had been portrayed in a number of articles as a diploma mill, a place where people can buy a degree, diploma or certificates. Corllins is not accredited by the U.S. Department of Education, the students reported. The Better Business Bureau's website says Corllins' physical address is unknown and the school isn't a BBB-accredited institution.

"All of this was completely overlooked," Balthazor said. "All of the shining reviews did not have these crucial pieces of information . . . you would expect your authority figures to find this."

Robertson had been living in Dubai for more than 20 years before she was hired for the position. She said she most recently worked as the CEO of an education consulting firm known as Atticus I S Consultants there.

In a conference call with the student journalists, Robertson "presented incomplete answers, conflicting dates and inconsistencies in her responses," the students reported. She said she attended Corllins before it lost accreditation, the Booster Redux reported.

When contacted by the Kansas City Star after the publication of the students' article, Robertson said all three of her degrees "have been authenticated by the US government." She declined to comment directly on students' questions about her credentials, "because their concerns are not based on facts," she said.

In an emergency faculty meeting Tuesday, the superintendent said Robertson was unable to produce a transcript confirming her undergraduate degree from the University of Tulsa, Smith said.

During the course of their reporting, the students spent weeks reaching out to educational institutions and accreditation agencies to corroborate Robertson's background, even working through spring break. Their adviser, Smith, had to recuse herself from the story because she was on the committee that hired Robertson. So the students sought the help of Eric Thomas, executive director of the Kansas Scholastic Press Association, and other local and national journalists and experts.

Under Kansas state law, high school journalists are protected from administrative censorship. "The kids are treated as professionals," Smith said. But with that freedom came a major responsibility to get the story right, Smith said. It also meant overcoming a natural hesitancy many students have to question authority.

"At the very beginning it was a little bit exciting," Balthazor said. "It was like in the movie, a big city journalist chasing down a lead."

But as the students began delving deeper into the story, keeping notes on a whiteboard, "it really started hitting me that this is a much bigger deal," Balthazor said.

The students were among those packed into a school boardroom Tuesday night when the school board president announced Robertson's resignation. After the announcement, a parent in the audience stood up and asked school officials if they would be recognizing the student journalists for uncovering crucial details about Robertson's background. The superintendent said he would be meeting with the students Wednesday to personally thank them.

"We'd broken out of our comfort zones so much," Balthazor said. "To know that the administration saw that and respected that, it was a really great moment for us."

After local news broke that Robertson had resigned, numerous national journalists - including The Post's David Fahrenthold tweeted the students' story, congratulating them for their work.

"Holy crap," Balthazor thought, "why are these people paying attention to this little journalism story from southeast Kansas?"

While the high school junior was leaving track practice Tuesday night, he learned in a group message with his newspaper staff that Todd Wallack, a reporter for the Boston Globe's Spotlight Team, had tweeted the students' story, saying: "Great investigative work by high school journalists." Balthazor sat in his car in the parking lot and immediately called his mom to tell her the news.

"I honestly thought they were joking at first," Balthazor said. The Booster Redux staff had watched the movie "Spotlight" in class last year, Balthazor said. "It was awesome to know that such respected members of the journalism community had our backs."

After graduation, Balthazor said, he hopes to pursue a degree in creative writing or filmmaking. Even though he doesn't necessarily plan to stick with journalism, Balthazor said the past few weeks had been "surreal."

"Most high schoolers would never get even close to an opportunity to get to experience something like this," he said.

Samantha Schmidt is a reporter for The Washington Post's Morning Mix team. She previously worked as a reporting fellow for the New York Times.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Dozens of mourners in souped-up trucks gathered Tuesday to honor slain Chief Deputy Constable Clint Greenwood with a convoy winding through Baytown to a nighttime vigil that attracted more than 300 people at the scene of Monday's deadly courthouse ambush.

Tear-streaked crowds at the West Baker annex building sang "Amazing Grace" and "God Bless America" as an ever-growing stream of Greenwood's friends and supporters lit candles, took pictures and released balloons.

EXTRA PRECAUTIONS: Former DA Devon Anderson under armed protection after ambush of Clint Greenwood

"Assistant Chief Clinton Greenwood is the symbol of what an officer aspires to be," Deputy Constable Landon McDonald, a spokesman for Precinct 3, told the vigil crowd.

"When they go to the academy, that's the man they will forever talk about."

Greenwood, who told county officials last week that he felt threatened by a man he'd previously targeted in a corruption investigation, was shot to death before 7 a.m. Monday in what one top federal official described as "a hit." More than a day later, his killer is still on the loose.

Crowds looking to memorialize the 30-year law enforcement veteran started gathering outside the Baytown Buc-ee's by 5 p.m., and a small handful of mourners grew to more than 130 trucks and a smattering of motorcycles by the time the convoy pushed off.

Many in the convoy said they didn't know the slain deputy personally, but still wanted to send a message of support.

"It's important to show that there still are strangers that care, people that care about one another," said 34-year-old Frank Bejarano of Houston Area Off Road Recovery, the group that organized the earlier gathering.

THE VICTIM: Things to know about Clint Greenwood, the officer shot and killed in Baytown

"Today we're basically going to get a convoy going to show our respect and show, hey, we got big tucks and big Jeeps and we stand behind them," he said, adding that his group has held memorial events after other police shootings.

Tuesday's gathering was the second of two convoys honoring Greenwood. A similar event a day earlier attracted 30 to 40 trucks, Bejarano said.

"We just wanted to bring the officers' morale up and show them, 'Hey y'all ain't alone, we got your back,'" he said Monday.

Just before setting off for the roaring, colorful convoy down Main Street, the off-roaders and police covering the event gathered together for a moment of prayer.

Hours later at the start of the evening vigil, locals stood in silence, surrounding the deputy's former parking space, now adorned with a flag and flowers and rimmed in the blue tape.

REMEMBERED: Deputy constable killed in ambush mourned as 'cop's cop'

As the evening wore on, silence turned to song and Jordan Garrison, a 15-year-old who helped organize the event, addressed the crowd.

"This doesn't really happen in Baytown," he said. "It's not who we are. It really isn't."

But even as Greenwood's supporters gathered to honor his memory, police were still striving to find the killer. Officials are hoping the combination of a $65,000 reward and the release of surveillance footage will be enough to identify the shooter.

Police described a man seen in the area at the time of the slaying as white or Hispanic, about 6-foot to 6-foot-3, with short hair and a medium to stocky build.

Authorities were still following up on leads and tips Tuesday, but no arrests were announced.

"Officer Greenwood was one of us," Garrison said.

"He was a community of us. And we can't just let that go. We have to stay on the hunt for whoever murdered him."
Houston Police Department

Investigators with the Houston Police Department are searching for leads in the fatal shooting of a man at 12500 Sandpiper about 2:10 a.m. Wednesday, April 5.

The victim, Crystal Rose, 27, of 12500 Sandpiper, was pronounced dead at the scene.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Stonelake Capital Partners has hired commercial real estate brokerage CBRE to scout retailers and businesses in need of office space for the next phase of its development on Westheimer at Mid Lane.

The company is planning two four-story buildings each with 105,000 square feet of retail space on the first and second floors and another 105,000 square feet of office space on the top two floors.The commercial space will be built atop two levels of below-ground parking.

The project will compete with more established retail centers nearby: Highland Village, the Galleria and the newer River Oaks District.

"I think it bodes well for expanding the market for luxury retail but it's going to be competitive," said Uptown's BLVD Place developer Ed Wulfe. "There are not a lot of upscale retailers not in this market already."

READ MORE: Uptown a top spot for apartment living, study finds

Marketing materials show plans for Park Place River Oaks as "a unique mix of luxury brand retailers, home furnishing stores and chef-driven restaurants."

"The Uptown area is gaining more and more prominence as the place to go for upscale, upper-end retail," Wulfe said. "This is a major focal point for high-end luxury retailers for visitors from all over the world, particularly Latin America."

Stonelake recently demolished the 1970s-era office complex at the northeast corner of Westheimer and Mid Lane.

The company assembled the 11.5-acre site in five transactions beginning in 2010 and has since developed two multifamily buildings, The James and The Ivy, for a combined 641 units.

Last year, Stonelake said it planned to create a 5-acre park at the front of the site, but it was scaled back to 2 acres.

"The below-grade parking and substantial park are significant investments that we are confident will greatly enhance the pedestrian experience along Westheimer, providing an approachable and inviting project that all Houstonians will be able to enjoy," Stonelake's William Peeples said in a statement Wednesday.

Beck Architecture is the project designer and Studio Outside is the landscape architect.

Stonelake said it will break ground in the third quarter of this year with completion scheduled for early 2019.

Founded in Austin in 2007, Stonelake has raised a series of funds it manages on behalf of college endowments, foundations, family offices and pension funds. Its investments include industrial, retail, multifamily and office properties in the major markets in Texas.
A homeowner was injured early Wednesday morning during a home invasion that left him in critical condition when he was shot multiple times by at least one of four suspects.

The robbery happened at the intersection of Truxton and Shelburne streets in north Houston.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Lawmakers and University of Texas at Austin leaders debated a bill that would eliminate Texas automatic admissions rule, which gives top-ranked high school students automatic acceptance letters to UT. The committee recessed on Wednesday afternoon without voting on the bill.

Three-quarters of UTs students are admitted under the policy, which was established in 1997 in an effort to diversify UTs student body by geographic background and by race.

The law initially gave the top 10 percent of each high schools graduating class automatic admission, but lawmakers pared that figure back to about 7 percent as the automatic admissions students filled an ever-growing proportion of the entering freshmen classes.

BRAGGING RIGHTS: Texas graduate schools land near top of US News 2017 college rankings

On Wednesday, UT President Greg Fenves said, accepted students come from 62 percent of Texas high schools, compared to roughly 42 percent in 1996.

But since 2009, the number of students applying who do not qualify as automatic admissions has shot up to about 21,000 from 14,000  for about 3,300 spots, Fenves said. Without the automatic admissions policy, he said, the university could factor in applicants academic interests, test scores, personal adversity and demographics for a larger proportion of its freshman class.

Sen. Royce West, a Dallas Democrat who supports the law, pressed Fenves to confirm that the program had diversified UTs student body. But Fenves said he could not say definitively what changes to UTs student body came from the states changing demographics and what came from the law.

LEFT OR RIGHT: The most liberal, conservative colleges in Texas

Sen. Kel Seliger, an Amarillo Republican who introduced the bill, said the law is no longer necessary to ensure broad access to higher education institution across Texass demographic and geographic groups.

I believe that what the issue is really about is the role of government, he said. Should the state of Texas operate admissions (at) Texas universities?
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A 27-year-old University of Houston student has been missing since Friday.

An Vinh Nguyen was last seen driving an orange, 2016, four-door Jeep Renegade in northwest Harris County. He studies hotel restaurant management at UH, spokesman Mike Rosen said.

Nguyen is 5 feet 6 inches tall and 140 pounds with brown hair. He was last seen wearing a light yellow T-shirt. UH is assisting with the Harris County Sheriffs Office in the search, Rosen said.

Texas Equusearch sent out a missing persons notice on Tuesday, but it will not organize a search before locating Nguyens vehicle. We dont know whether to go east, west, north, south or what, Equusearch search operations director Frank Black said.

VANISHED: Texas family searching for retired firefighter who disappeared from Walmart

Nguyen was supposed to fly to Florida on Sunday night for a job interview on Monday morning, Black said. He didnt go.

Black said Nguyen has been described as dependable and that his phone is off, which is unusual. The car didnt have a tracking device. Weve got a big concern, he said.

The cars rear back door is dented, and the Texas license plate number is HJB-5077. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Harris County Sheriffs Office at (713) 755-7427 or Texas EquuSearch at (281) 309-9500.

>>>Scroll through the above gallery to see other missing persons cases in Texas
As investigators continue to run down leads and continue the search for Clint Greenwood's killer, thousands of the veteran lawman's relatives, colleagues are expected gather Thursday to bid him farewell.

Greenwood, 57, was killed Monday by a gunman who ambushed him as he arrived at the Harris County Precinct 3 Constable's Office in Baytown, where he worked as the department's assistant chief deputy.

He leaves behind a wife and four grown children.

Before joining Precinct 3 in January, Greenwood had spent his career working with cops - as a prosecutor, as a Precinct 4 reserve deputy constable, as a high-level officer in the Harris County Sheriff's Office, as a prosecutor, and as a defense attorney who represented police officers accused of wrongdoing.

"Greenwood's prevailing legacy will forever be remembered as influential, heroic and substantial," Precinct 3 Constable Sherman Eagleton wrote Wednesday.

Late Wednesday, Baytown Police - the department investigating his death - was combing through leads but not yet made any arrests in the case, Baytown Police Lt. Steve Dorris said.

The funeral will be held at Second Baptist Church at 6400 Woodway Drive, Houston, TX 77057. The church is near Houston Country Club in west Houston, near Piney Point and Hunters Creek villages.

Visitation is scheduled for 9 to 11 a.m. and the service is slated to start at 11 a.m. Doors will open to the public at 10 a.m.

According to a post from the Harris County Sheriff's Office, in lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donation be made to the 100 Club in Chief Greenwood's name. Donations can be made online at the100club.org, or sent to 100 Club Survivors Fund, 5555 San Felipe St., Suite 1750, Houston, TX, 77056.

REMEMBRANCE: Deputy constable killed in ambush mourned as 'cop's cop'

"Whether or not he was specifically targeted, or whether this was because of the uniform he was wearing or the place he pulled up to in the morning, we just don't know that right now," Dorris said.

Greenwood's death marks the second law enforcement officer to be killed in Texas on the line of duty in 2017. The first was Detective Jerry Ronald Walker of the Little Elm Police Department, north of Dallas.

Last year, eight Texas police officers were killed due to non-accidental gunfire, most of them in the attack that left five Dallas officers dead, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a website that collects obituaries and data on slain police officers.

NEED TO KNOW: Things to know about Clint Greenwood, the officer shot and killed in Baytown

Nationwide, the overall number of officer fatalities in 2016 increased by 10 percent compared to the previous year, a recent study by The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund found.

"Firearms-related incidents were the number one cause of death in 2016, with 64 officers shot and killed across the country," explained the study's news release. "This represents a significant spike - 56 percent - over the 41 officers killed by gunfire in 2015. Of the 64 shooting deaths of officers this year, 21 were the result of ambush-style attacks - the highest total in more than two decades."
Rice University has named James Tate, chief of police at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, as its new chief of police and director of public safety, effective May 1.

"During his nearly 30 years in law enforcement, James has served as a city, military and university police officer," Vice President for Administration Kevin Kirby said. "He also built the University of St. Thomas Police Department from scratch, which reflects his leadership and collaborative skills. That breadth of experience and skill set made him the ideal candidate to oversee the Rice University Police Department and build upon the success that Chief Johnny Whitehead had in strengthening the department before his retirement."

Tate said Whitehead befriended him three years ago and served as a mentor after learning that Tate was tasked with building the University of St. Thomas' campus security service into a full-fledged police department. "When I talked to people at Johnny's retirement reception, I saw how much they respected Johnny and the police department, and I realized at that point that Rice was someplace where I could thrive," Tate said.

He began his career in law enforcement in 1988 as a police officer for the city of Jonesboro, Ark., which is about 80 miles from his hometown of Marianna. "I've always had a sense of service to the community," Tate said, "and law enforcement is a very noble profession. At heart, I care for my community. If I can help make a community safe and be there for folks who need help or are not able to fend for themselves, I think that's a great thing to do."

In 1993 Tate joined the U.S. Army National Guard as a first lieutenant and worked his way up to lieutenant colonel, a position in which he oversaw the deployment and redeployment operations for 2,500 soldiers. During a major power outage in St. Louis, he supervised National Guard relief efforts and provided 700 military police officers to the city. While a member of the National Guard, Tate earned a bachelor of science in liberal studies from Regents College in Albany, N.Y., and attended U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kan. He retired as lieutenant colonel in 2010.

Before becoming chief of police at the University of St. Thomas in 2014, Tate served as a police officer for the University of Arkansas Police Department in Fayetteville and then as a patrol captain and assistant chief of police for the Lamar University Police Department in Beaumont, Texas.

"University police departments really lend themselves to the concept of community policing," Tate said. "They're not like working for the city or county, where you go from call to call to call. You have an opportunity to have a genuine partnership with students, staff and faculty. Community policing builds trust and credibility between the police department and the community we serve. You learn so much more about whom you're serving and working with, and they learn more about us and appreciate that sometimes our officers are in difficult situations and have to make decisions very quickly. When the community can sort of put themselves in your shoes, it's a win-win for the police department and the community."

At St. Thomas, a private Catholic university with an enrollment of 3,700 students, 14 percent of whom live in campus residential facilities, Tate had to write job descriptions and policies for a university that never had a police department. He also had to educate the community about how they could benefit from having campus police. While one of his newly hired officers was in training, Tate helped patrol campus and captured two armed-robbery suspects after a student reported seeing them in response to an emergency alert that Tate issued.

A 90-minute training session on surviving an active shooter that Tate developed for the university president and cabinet was so successful that the president mandated that all full-time employees receive the training. "It's very effective," Tate said. "People understand what they have to do if they're in an active-shooter situation."

In addition to building the department to its current staff of nine officers plus administrative support, Tate established relationships with local, state, federal and international agencies. He's a member of the Texas Police Chiefs Association, the Houston Area Police Chiefs Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators and a board member of the Houston chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

He will maintain that network at RUPD, which he considers to be "a professional police department that is well-staffed and well-equipped." He hopes to expand its community outreach program by adding a "coffee with the chief" program that will give students, staff and faculty an opportunity to meet with him in an informal setting to talk about various issues and provide ideas on how RUPD might better serve the community.

Kirby noted that Tate is inheriting a "very high-functioning" police department that is fully staffed and has received kudos for arresting suspects while they were still on or nearby campus in a couple of recent cases. The department just received national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc.

"I'd like to thank Capt. Clemente Rodriguez for serving admirably as interim chief of police since February while we conducted the national job search for Chief Whitehead's successor and commend RUPD for their hard work and recent successes with arrests," Kirby said.

RUPD currently has a team of one chief of police, two captains, seven sergeants, 21 officers and nine dispatchers, along with staff for security, parking enforcement and administrative support. Rice Emergency Medical Services is also part of RUPD.
Houston Methodist West Hospital, 18500 Katy Fwy, Houston, celebrated National Doctors' Day on March 30.

"Our doctors are invaluable members of not only the hospital, but also our community," said Wayne Voss, chief executive officer of Houston Methodist West. "We're so lucky to have an amazing, compassionate team of physicians that's leading medicine in their respective fields and in the community."

National Doctors' Day was first celebrated in 1933 when Eudora Brown Almond, a physician's wife, planned a luncheon in honor of all the doctors in her Winder, Georgia, community. The date of March 30 was chosen to in honor of the first day anesthesia was used in surgery: March 30, 1942. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed a resolution officially designating the date as National Doctor's Day.

"Thousands of patients in West Houston and Katy have trusted our doctors to take care of them and their families,' said Voss. "We want to thank all our physicians for the wonderful work they do. We're so glad to have you as part of the Houston Methodist West family."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Former Congressman Steve Stockman told a federal magistrate Wednesday he can't afford to pay for a lawyer to represent him against allegations he helped steal about $800,000 in charitable donations intended for conservative organizations.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Johnson agreed to appoint a lawyer for him and postponed a hearing on his case until Friday.

Stockman told the judge he needed to dismiss his hand-picked lawyers from the elite firm of Smyser Kaplan & Veselka and ideally he wanted the court to re-appoint them to the case at the government's expense. She said she'd consider the request.

He confirmed for the judge details on a disclosure form he'd filled out in front of a roomful of defendants in shackles and jail uniforms, indicating he owned a home, a rental property and two vans.

"But you have no assets?" Johnson asked.

"This is a four-year case," the former lawmaker said, indicating he'd been paying for legal support on these matters for a long time.

He told the judge he had just $17 left in his bank account, though he said his wife earns $6,000 a month.

Related: Ex-congressman Stockman headed complex criminal conspiracy, feds allege

Dodd Plea by Lise Olsen on Scribd

He is free on bond but said he cannot work because his job requires him to travel overseas, which is not permitted under his bond. The judge said he would have to contribute $100 per month toward his lawyer and she would increase the contribution after he got a job.

Stockman, who failed to unseat Sen. John Cornyn in the 2014 Republican primary, is accused of being the kingpin in a complex criminal conspiracy to illegally funnel charitable funds to personal and campaign expenses.

He and two aides are charged with accepting illegal campaign contributions, pocketing $1.2 million from three U.S.-based foundations and individuals and then laundering most of the money without paying taxes on it.

GOING DOWN: Texas brewery files for bankruptcy, tells customers it needs time

The 60-year-old Clear Lake Republican maintains his innocence and has said he expects to be vindicated.

At his first public appearance following the initial criminal allegations, he told reporters that the charges stemmed from a "deep state" conspiracy prompted by his criticism of the Internal Revenue Service while he was in Congress.

He is expected to plead "not guilty" to all 28 counts in his indictment during Friday's hearing.

>>>Scroll through the above gallery to see what the public learned from the indictment of former Congressman Steve Stockman
The Houston City Council member who - as a bail bondsman - found himself in the middle of an alleged murder-for-hire plot involving a prominent Montrose veterinarian and her boyfriend is set to speak about the incident Wednesday.

Michael Kubosh, who operates a prominent bail bond business, has said he alerted police to the alleged plot involving 39-year-old Leon Phillip Jacob and vet Valerie Busick McDaniel.
Harris County prosecutors on Wednesday dropped a murder charge against a registered nurse accused of staging her husband's suicide after the medical examiner's office ruled the man killed himself.

Thu Thien Huynh, 29, was accused of using a shotgun to murder her husband, Steven Hafer, and then calling 911 and reporting it as a suicide.

Initially, investigators grew suspicious of the former MD Anderson Cancer Center nurse when she started changing her story. The shotgun seemed to be wiped clean of prints and during the course of the investigation, Huynh admitted to having an affair with an ex-boyfriend.

But now, the Houston father's death in February has been ruled a suicide.

"It's way out of left field," said longtime friend Josh Becker. "Steve loved life."

He conceded that the couple's relationship was "quite a roller coaster" and had "a lot of intensity," but the ruling still came as a shock.

"You don't really feel like anyone would do it until after it happens," he said. "I guess I don't know what to think."

SPEAKING OUT: Tipster in murder-for-hire case to answer questions

This week, the Harris County District Attorney's Office dropped its case against Huynh, who was already out on bail.

"Investigators make tough decisions at crime scenes. After further review of the evidence, the medical examiner has concluded this was a suicide, not homicide," prosecutor David Mitcham said in a statement.

"Based on the evidence, we filed a motion that was signed by a judge and the charge has been dismissed. Whatever first impressions may be, ultimately decisions are based on the evidence."

Officials did not immediately explain what aspect of the medical examiner's findings sparked the change.

Huynh's attorney, David Armbruster, offered a statement soundly condemning the initial investigation as well as media coverage of the case.

"Ms. Huynh was arrested within hours of discovering her husband's body. News reports almost immediately began, in our opinion, skewing the facts to sell a story," he said.

VIGIL: More than 300 gather to mourn slain deputy in Baytown

"There was a rush to judgement by police, the press and others. There were even national news stories that assumed facts never alleged or supported."

Although he declined to offer many details about what prompted the case's dismissal, the Houston attorney confirmed that surveillance footage showed his client left the house early in the morning and did not return until well into the evening.

Huynh "does not desire to make any statements at this time and requests that people respect her privacy," her lawyer said.

But Hafer's supporters still have unanswered questions.

"Are they assuming he tried to frame her if the gun was wiped clean? Did he use a sheet to mask the fingerprints?" Becker asked.

"I feel like I could move on and accept the fact she didn't do it if I had more details."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The incoming Travis County Sheriff in February denied at least 204 detention requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement that dated back to 2016 and 2017. Those requests involved 58 people convicted of driving while intoxicated and 34 convicted of assorted acts of violence, including family violence and aggravated assault, according to public records released Wednesday by a Washington D.C. non-profit.

It remains unclear how many Travis County detainees have actually been freed under a controversial policy change enacted by Sheriff Sally Hernandez, who took office in late January.

ICE AND HARRIS COUNTY: Sheriff cuts ties with ICE program over immigration detentions

At least 37 of the 204 inmates whose waivers were denied back in February made bail, others were re-arrested, remain in custody or were turned over to ICE, said Kristen Dark, senior public information officer for the department. In several cases, ICE returned with warrants for the same inmates whose waivers were denied. Other inmates are serving time either in jail or in prison.

Copies of the 204 denied ICE requests were released Tuesday by the Washington DC-based non-profit Judicial Watch. The group obtained the documents from Travis County through a records request.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said the documents provide "disturbing evidence of how Travis County's sanctuary policy protects criminal illegal aliens, many of whom are dangerous felons, from deportation." He argued that "sanctuary policies such as these put the public's safety at risk."

EXPLAINED: Department of Homeland Security's sweeping immigration enforcement plan

Hernandez has defended her stance as one that supports the rights of immigrants and encourages them to report crimes and serve as witnesses without fear of deportation.

"I am following all state and federal laws, and upholding constitutional rights to due process for all in our criminal justice system," Hernandez said in a prior statement. "Our community is safer when people can report crimes without fear of deportation. I trust the court system and our judges to assess the risks and set appropriate bonds and conditions for all who are incarcerated. The voters, who elected state leaders and me, expect and deserve a collaborative effort to come up with solutions to this very complex issue."

President Donald Trump has more recently criticized Hernandez for continuing to decline more recent ICE detainer requests than other agencies nationwide in 2017, according to ICE's own reports.

But since February, the number of ICE detainers refused by the department dropped, Dark said.From Feb. 5- March 18, 49 additional requests were declined, Dark said. Again, she emphasized, not all inmates were freed. She did not have a more recent total.

EYES ON AUSTIN: Report: Federal judge claims Austin area targeted for ICE sting over 'sanctuary' policy

The newly-released records show that most of the 204 Travis County immigrants whose detainers were denied in February were pre-trial inmates who already had spent days or months in the county's 2,500-inmate jail when Hernandez took office. Nearly all of the detainers she initially denied were issued under the administration of former President Barack Obama. The Obama administration's deportation policy targeted DUI offenders as well as others convicted of crimes of "moral turpitude," which include both felonies and misdemeanors.

Under her new policy, Hernandez has reduced cooperation with ICE agents' requests to hold jail inmates who are immigrants for deportation for up to 48 hours after they would normally be released. The department still routinely honors requests for immigration detainers for inmates convicted of more serious violent crimes, such as capital murder and aggravated assault.

DEPORTATION IN TEXAS: 18 Texas sheriffs clamoring to join deportation push, after Harris County ends contract

But detainer requests are not automatically honored for immigrant inmates convicted of driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor on first offense, or for a non-felony assault case, under the Travis County policy. Rather each ICE request for a detainer is evaluated separately and prior convictions and previous deportations also are considered, said Dark.

Hernandez' pro-immigrant policy change also has been blasted by Gov. Greg Abbott, who has urged state lawmakers to cut off grant funding to her department. "Governor Abbott finds this report deeply disturbing, and it underscores the importance of banning this dangerous policy that puts the lives of innocent Texans at risk," said John Wittman, the governor's press secretary in response to the records released Wednesday.
The 7-year-old boy fatally struck by a car Tuesday evening was playing with his skateboard at a west Houston apartment complex, police said.

The woman who hit the boy, a mother driving with three small children, did not see the boy because he was lying down on the skateboard, police said. She was not intoxicated.
Arson investigators are looking into a Wednesday morning blaze that destroyed more than 20 units at a north Houston apartment complex.

There were no injuries reported in the two-alarm fire at the intersection of Aldine Mail Road and Determined Drive, Houston Fire Capt. Ruy Lozano said. Footage from TV helicopters showed a large building billowing black and gray smoke, with much of the roof collapsed.
A man from Sugar Land on death row for killing his family will stay there, at least a while longer.

Thomas "Bart" Whitaker lost a federal appeal on Wednesday, when judges rejected his claims of ineffective assistance of counsel or misconduct by Fort Bend County prosecutors during the guilt or innocence and punishment parts of the trial.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A Frisco, Texas man with a no-soliciting sign on his house was arrested Monday for shooting a door-to-door roofing salesman.

Police were dispatched to the 6000 block Larkspur Lane at roughly 4:20 p.m. where Radu Chivu, 45, was arrested, the Dallas Morning News reports. He faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and is being held at the Frisco Jail.

ARRESTED: Parents, grandparent arrested after meth found in 9-month-old child's system

Officers said they noted a sign on the home that read: "No Soliciting: We are not interested in discussing politics, religion, surveys or anything you are selling."

Police have not revealed whether Chivu allegedly shot the salesperson because he believed him to have violated the notice.

The victim, who has not yet been identified, was taken to a nearby hospital. His condition is currently unknown. Police said he was confronted by a homeowner before the shooting.

See another Texas case of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the video above.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

U.S. Border Patrol agents made a major meth discovery during a routine vehicle inspection this week near Uvalde.

NEAR HOUSTON: 5 arrested in La Porte meth, pill bust

According to a release on Tuesday from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 34 packages of crystal methamphetamine were recovered from a vehicle at a checkpoint inspection just west of Uvalde.

The estimated street value of the meth was $1,747,200, according to officials.

The driver of the vehicle is currently in custody, and the methamphetamine and the car have been turned over to Homeland Security for further investigation.

IN THE BURBS: 3 Spring suspects charged in meth bust

"A seizure like this hits smuggling organizations financially, while taking these deadly drugs off the streets. I am very proud of all those involved in this seizure," acting Del Rio Sector Chief Matthew J. Hudak said in a statement.

It was just last week that Laredo border officials discovered nearly $738,000 in meth during two inspections at checkpoints along the Lincoln-Juarez International Bridge.
Mayor Sylvester Turner has named Marvalette Hunter, an affordable housing developer and city planner who co-chaired one of the mayor's transition teams, as his new chief of staff.

Hunter, who started work on Monday and was introduced to the City Council at its regular meeting Wednesday, has served as chief operating officer for the Harris County Housing Authority and in two city roles during her career, as a project manager in the housing department and as a city planner in the planning department.
AUSTIN -- Hundreds of people clad in pink rallied and roamed around the state capitol Wednesday to tell lawmakers about why they support Planned Parenthood, an organization many conservative lawmakers would like to see disappear.

At a rally on the steps of the Texas Capitol, former gubernatorial candidate Sen. Wendy Davis, who is known for her 2013 filibuster to block an anti-abortion bill, urged women to tell their stories about the role Planned Parenthood played in their reproductive care. She added that women and advocates are facing "the worst political attacks on women's health in a generation."
Washington Post warns that deported illegal aliens will destroy wages in Mexico

With each passing day  especially since Donald J. Trump won the November election  we can see how the formerly mainstream media is really nothing but an anti-American propaganda entity representing the Democratic Party.

Trump handed Hillary Clinton a second loss in her bid for the White House largely on a single promise: Make America Great Again. The foundation of the popular slogan is that America should take care of America and Americans first and foremost, because that ought to be the obligation of government and our institutions.

But thats not how Democrats and their media sycophants see things. The Washington Post proved this once again in a recent story lamenting that Trumps enforcement of immigration laws would mean more people in the country illegally from Mexico will have to go home  where they will then depress wages there (like they were doing in the U.S.  more on that in a moment).

As reported by the Posts conservative D.C. competitor, the Washington Times, no mouthpiece in Washington is a more reliable one for crazy leftists in the Democrat Party than the Washington Post, which is out with yet another head-scratcher on illegal immigration.

The story not only reminds us how far out of their depth these people are when they try covering illegal immigration accurately, it also reminds us how hilariously obtuse they are about their own fake news and biases.

The crux of the Post report, says the Times, is that due to Trumps new enforcement policies (which are really just a policy of enforcing existing immigration law), Mexico is preparing for an influx of men and women like them. (RELATED: Trump effect: Illegal immigration has plunged 27 percent since #45 took office.)

The fear? Well, these returnees may transform Mexican society in the same way their leaving for the U.S. did over the years.

Whats interesting here is that the Left has for years insisted that millions of Mexican citizens flowing into the U.S. was not a big deal at all, but if you thought it was, then you were a xenophobe and a racist (and writers at the Post would call you out). Now, suddenly, with a reverse influx, if you will, those same people will become some kind of negative force on society.

The Post also notes that flights of illegal aliens  many with criminal records in the U.S. but many without one  have increased from the United States back to Mexico. That is a good thing  for Americans. But Mexican citizens and elected officials? They dont think so.

Thats because successive Mexican governments have been permitted by successive U.S. administrations, especially the most recently departed administration, to violate our immigration laws at will so the country could dump its poorest citizens in our laps. When U.S. taxpayers are ponying up for benefits like health care, welfare, child care and other social services  all without having any help from the illegal alien who is not paying income taxes (because they dont have Social Security numbers)  the Mexican government doesnt have to do it. Essentially, then, Mexico City has, for years, been exporting its poverty but then reaping the benefit as a source of income as Mexicans working in the U.S. illegally send large portions of their earnings back home.

Then comes this laugher from the Post: The paper actually found someone in Mexico City who is complaining that so many returning from the U.S. cant speak Spanish  the language of Mexico.

You seriously cannot make this stuff up.

Many of these people come not knowing how to speak Spanish, Amalia Garcia, Mexican labor department secretary, told the Post. They come feeling very bitter, very ashamed and very hurt.

[Hint: This can be fixed when citizens from Mexico stop coming to the United States illegally and remaining there for years.]

So if Americans say anything at all about wanting immigrants  legal and otherwise  coming into the country to speak English, why are we labeled racists and hate-filled xenophobes, but its totally okay for Mexicans to expect those returning home to speak the language? (RELATED: Mexico Joins The America-Hating Alt-Left In Defying Trump With Call To Citizens To Take Precautions, As Deportations Begin.)

As for wage depression, companies that hire illegal workers do so very often at far less than prevailing wages. This has the effect of lowering wages for all workers  including low-skilled American citizens who live in a country with a much higher (and more expensive) standard of living.

The Post and its Democratic supporters obviously have their hearts and sympathies in the wrong place  with people other than Americans. And they still wonder how Trump, with his America First message, won. Amazing.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

WashingtonTimes.com

FairUS.org

TheNationalSentinel.com
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.
Atlantic Immigration Pilot Project Witnesses Early Successes CIC News Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

Sans Font Size A

A

As the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) gains momentum in the early weeks of its implementation, further details are emerging about the programs operation and popularity. On Friday, March 31, 2017, Canadas Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen announced that 50 employers have already been designated to recruit foreign workers and international graduates to become Canadian permanent residents through the AIPP, adding that the program was off to a good start.

The AIPP is a new three-year immigration pilot program for the Atlantic provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island (PEI), and Newfoundland and Labrador. These four provinces together aim to welcome up to 2,000 principal applicants and their families in 2017.

The AIPP is divided into three streams:

An employer-driven initiative

The AIPP is employer-driven, meaning that a potential candidate must first obtain a job offer from a designated employer in order to be eligible to apply. Each provincial government is responsible for designating employers located within that province.

This process of designation is a new development particular to the AIPP. However, a representative of the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration said that, from the point of view of a foreign national seeking employment in the Atlantic provinces, the job search process has not changed significantly. Individuals interested in working in the Atlantic provinces are encouraged to use the resources available to them  including online resources such as the CanadaVisa Job Search Tool, or the Canadian governments Job Bank  to begin their search for a Canadian job.

Interestingly, employers do not have to undertake the process of obtaining a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)  a document that proves that no Canadian citizen or permanent resident was ready, willing, and able to fill the position  before hiring a foreign worker through the program.

Im pleased to say we are off to a good start, said Hussen at an event on March 31 announcing the pilot programs progress. Employers have been keen to get involved and provinces have started to receive applications from employers who wish to participate in the pilot. I look forward to continuing to work with our partners  including provincial governments, employers and settlement service provider organizations  as we move forward with this dynamic component of Canadas Atlantic Growth Strategy.

The Settlement Plan

Another interesting feature of the AIPP is the requirement for a settlement plan, developed in conjunction with a recognized settlement provider in the destination province. The employer also commits to providing assistance with the settlement process, and connects the candidate with a settlement service provider organization. The settlement plan connects newcomers to services in the region that can assist with integration and long-term settlement.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) states that the goal of the three-year pilot is to help attract and retain skilled immigrants in Atlantic Canada.

Gerry Mills, Executive Director of settlement service provider Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS), told CICNews.com that there has been significant interest in the pilot program already, and they have directed many calls to the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration.

Our role is to provide information to the employer around what settlement services are, because its an employer-driven pilot, she explained.

Settlement service providers such as ISANS meet with [the potential] employee plus adult family members, to develop those individual settlement plans, Mills continued, pointing out that these meetings could be with people who are already in the province on temporary permits, or with candidates outside Canada.

So far, ISANS has developed a number of settlement plans, and is expecting to develop many more such plans over time. Were still at the very beginning stages, Mills said.

An innovative first

IRCC called this collaborative style of drawing up settlement plans an innovative first in Canadian immigration policy. It is expected that this requirement will accelerate the settlement of newcomers to Atlantic Canada.

The immigration process doesnt end at the point of entry into Canada, as integration is equally important, says Attorney David Cohen.

For many newcomers to Canada, the integration and settlement process can be both exciting, and challenging. Implementing measures to ease the transition for new Canadians and their families is a welcome addition to this unique immigration program, and, if successful, could prove a model for other programs across Canada. It is great to hear that the Immigration Minister is personally invested in this new program and is providing updates  long may that continue.

If you have a job offer in Atlantic Canada and would like to discuss your AIPP eligibility in detail, please send an email to wp@canadavisa.com.

If you do not have a job offer in Atlantic Canada, but would like to find out if you are eligible for immigration to Canada under the currently available programs, fill out a free online assessment form.

 2017 CICNews All Rights Reserved
New Record Low Express Entry Minimum CRS Requirement: 431 CIC News Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

Sans Font Size A

A

For the fourth time this year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has set a new record low point requirement for Express Entry candidates to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence. In the latest draw, which took place on April 5, candidates with 431 or more Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points received an ITA.

A total of 3,753 candidates received an ITA in this latest round of invitations.

The previous record low had been set in the March 1 draw, when candidates with 434 or more CRS points were invited. In the interim period since then, another draw took place with a CRS cut-off of 441 points, and IRCC then announced that it would implement some changes to the CRS as of this coming June.

The latest decrease in the CRS requirement means that a wider range of candidates may submit an application. Accompanying family members may also be included on the application. While a decrease of just a few points may seem marginal, it means that an even greater range of candidates are in position to submit an application.

Take the following hypothetical scenarios as cases in point.

Abdul is 30 years old, has a Bachelors degree, and has never been to Canada. He has three years of work experience as a Computer Programmer. Abduls English proficiency is good, and he has scored an 8 in every section of his IELTS test (reading, speaking, writing and listening). His CRS score of 433 was sufficient to get him an ITA at the April 5 draw.

Rupa is 29, has a Bachelors degree, and has been working as an architect for three years. She is married to Dave, who is 27. He has one year of work experience, and also has a Bachelors degree. Both Rupa and Dave have an initial advanced proficiency in English and have only been to Canada to visit briefly. Rupas CRS score, as the principal applicant, would be 431.

Albert is 36 years old and is working in Canada. He completed a Bachelors degree in Ontario and has been working for two years in finance, in Canada on a post-graduate work permit. Prior to coming to Canada as a student, he obtained three years of experience as a retail manager abroad. Albert has demonstrated an adequate intermediate proficiency in English, and his credentials allow him to be awarded a CRS score of 431.

Jay is 38 and has a Masters degree. He has been working for six years as a management consultant. Jay has advanced English language proficiency and has never been to Canada. His CRS score would be 432.

Continuing the positive trend

The April 5 draw is the first draw of the second quarter of 2017. It follows a remarkable first quarter, during which the number of ITAs issued increased dramatically over any other period in the history of Express Entry, which was first launched in January, 2015.

Earlier this week, Attorney David Cohen was quoted as saying that if draw sizes remain relatively large . . . we may see lower CRS thresholds deeper into 2017.

Following the April 5 draw, Attorney Cohen added that it is clear that large draw sizes and decreasing CRS cut-off thresholds are linked. We can look forward to more invitations being issued through the second quarter of this year and beyond.

A New CRS Calculator is Available

Readers can use the new and improved CRS Calculator to find out what their score would be under the existing system, as well as under the tweaked system due to come into force as of June 6.

To find out if you are eligible to immigrate to Canada permanently, fill out a free online assessment form .

 2017 CICNews All Rights Reserved
DAVID CITY  A Columbus woman pleaded no contest to felony motor vehicle homicide related to a May 2, 2015, crash that killed a Duncan man.

Diane Hitz, 55, entered her plea Tuesday in Butler County District Court. Sentencing has been set for June 13.

Investigators say Hitz was drunk when her northbound 2013 Nissan Rogue rear-ended a 2003 Yamaha motorcycle driven by 51-year-old Michael Gross on U.S. Highway 81 about 5 miles south of Columbus.

The crash, which happened shortly before 10 p.m., killed Gross.

A Nebraska State Patrol investigators report indicates Hitz's vehicle was traveling between 93 and 101 mph when it struck the motorcycle. Her blood alcohol content was found to be .221 after the crash, nearly three times the legal limit to operate a motor vehicle.

Witnesses told investigators Hitz appeared to be under the influence following the crash. She told investigators she drank a couple glasses of wine and knew she hit something with her vehicle, but did not see the motorcycle in the rainy conditions.

The collision could have been avoided if the rules of the road had been observed, said Butler County Attorney Julie Reiter, reading the investigators report.

Reiter told the judge the victim's family approved of the plea agreement. About a dozen members of Gross' family were present during Tuesday's hearing.

Hitz originally pleaded not guilty to motor vehicle homicide, aggravated driving under the influence and willful reckless driving during a hearing in July.

Under the plea agreement, she was charged with a Class IIIA felony that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The prosecution dismissed the drunken driving and willful reckless driving charges and reduced the motor vehicle homicide charge from a Class III felony that carried a potential prison term of 20 years.

Motor vehicle homicide becomes a felony when it involves reckless or drunken driving.
DRESSED IN A CUBS JACKET, his hair slightly damp from the rain, Jeff Mayes rushed into a third-floor reading room at the Columbia College Chicago Library last week. Mayes, who runs the breaking news desk at the Chicago Sun-Times and is the papers Homicide Watch editor, was one of four participants in Covering Trumps Vision of Chicago, a forum about reporting on the citys rising gun violence. Mayes apologized for being late; he had been on deadline with news of a quadruple murder in the citys South Shore neighborhood that afternoon.

By the end of that night, seven people, including a pregnant woman, died in three separate shootings in South Shore. Those shootings provided a sobering backdrop for the evenings conversation, which featured Mayes, Chicago Tribune columnist Dahleen Glanton, WBEZ reporter Chip Mitchell, and University of Chicago Crime Lab research manager Kimberley Smith.

The problems are much deeper rooted than just people running around the city shooting. Theres reason those people are out there shooting. Theres reasons people are getting shot.

In late January, President Donald Trump infamously tweeted that he was going to send in the feds if Chicago did not reduce its carnage. Trump has continued to raise the issue during his first months in office. Last week, he grilled Chicagos Fraternal Order of Police leader at a meeting in Washington.

Were just an example of what he sees are just the numbers, Mayes said at the forum, which was sponsored by Columbia Journalism Review and the Chicago Reporter. I dont think he has any idea of whats really happening in the city as to the cause of this violence. The problems are much deeper rooted than just people running around the city shooting. Theres reason those people are out there shooting. Theres reasons people are getting shot.

The forum participants did not set out to refute Trump or to pit him against a city that overwhelmingly went for his Democratic opponent in the 2016 election. Rather, they explored the responsibilities that journalists have to cover and make sense of the violence outside of the political frame the president has placed around it.

Last year, 764 people were killed in Chicago, up from 485 in 2015. The violence was highly concentrated: five of Chicagos 77 neighborhoods accounted for nearly half of the citys increase in 2016, according to a gun violence report by the University of Chicago Urban Labs. Chicago objectively had a terrible 2016, said Smith, the Crime Lab researcher.

Sign up for weekly emails from the United States Project

However, the city still posted a lower homicide rate than Detroit, St. Louis or New Orleans. Its not a problem unique to Chicago, Smith said. Violence is occurring in many large US cities.

The discussion, moderated by Reporter publisher and editor Susan Smith Richardson, is part of an ongoing collaboration between CJR and local nonprofit news organizations to engage readers and viewers on local issues and how theyre reported. Participants are provided with a selection of news stories, and then meet to discuss them with community members. The reading list for the Chicago event included a story by the Chicago Tribunes Mary Schmich about a 10-year-old boys recovery from a gunshot wound and a column by Glanton about a two-year-old who was shot to death.

Although the discussion started with Richardson getting reactions to Trumps January tweet, the panelists spent the majority of the hour-long conversation reflecting on the reasons behind the citys increased murder rate and how it might be curbed. Glanton said Trump hasnt offered a solution.

My mission has been as a columnist to make people aware of the fact that hes not offering any real help, she said. People have opened the door to him. He doesnt want to talk about services.

Like Glanton, Mitchell said the underlying causes of the violence need to be addressed.

On the one hand, Chicago does need a lot of attention, and Im not sure what Trump has in mind is actually dealing with the problems, he said.

The underlying causes have to do with poverty and segregation and joblessness, especially among young men, especially among those young African-American men. I dont see any signs thats what he has in mind. It could be also that he doesnt have anything in mind. Hes appealing to a political base. That political base that he has is not in Chicago. Its mainly white working class people, and there could be some appeal to them of thinking of Chicago in terms of urban mayhem, and theres a heavy race component to that. Maybe thats the only thing going on here.

More than half of the homicide victims in the city last year were African-American men between the ages of 15 and 34a group that represents only four percent of the citys populationaccording to the Urban Labs report. To be young and black, then, is to be at disproportionate risk in Chicago.

Glanton talked about a column she recently wrote about a 15-year-old boy growing up in North Lawndale, one of the most violent neighborhoods in Chicago. The reason I did this piece, and it took me a really long time to do it, I wanted people to understand why young men feel as though they need to carry a gun, she said. In order to do that you have to understand the circumstances of how he lived, how he relates to his friends, how he feels about his aunt and this whole idea of, I am the protector of my family. I really wanted to humanize him in a way people wouldnt just turn it off.

Glanton said the Tribune tries to balance daily stories tallying the homicides in the city with more reflective pieces. The reason we do those daily stories about the numbers is because thats what people want to read, and they get a lot of clicks. But we have a responsibility to go behind those numbers, and thats what I try to do.

Mayes said its often hard to write about violence in the city because there are real people behind the statistics who are in pain. He talks frequently with family members who have lost loved ones for the Homicide Watch page, a community-based website that tries to chronicle every death in the city.

I had a woman call me, Mayes said. She was an elderly woman. She had witnessed a shooting on her street corner, and she was literally afraid to walk outside her door. Mayes continued:

I didnt really know what to tell her. She didnt want her name in the paper. She didnt want me to say anything about it. She just wanted somebody to know what was going on.

Richardson asked the journalists to discuss how they might help to address the problem. Are we in the business of also covering solutions? Richardson asked.

Glanton said she doesnt know the answers. I dont know how to solve this problem, she said. I dont think the mayor does. I dont think anyone does. But what I encourage people to do is to voice and to talk about it. In a recent column, Glanton pushed the city to hold community meetings in all 50 wards so people could talk about what can be done. I think the people who live in the neighborhoods have the best ideas how to solve these problems, she said.

Smith noted that many of the programs in the city that aim to reduce violence focus on boys in high school, but miss people caught up in violence as they grow older. A large share of policy response will need to focus beyond high school outreach or after-school programs, she says. That is something we are still trying to flush out.

Mitchell said its also important to get at why violence is increasing. Even if we have a hunch about some of these things, the solutions are not necessarily the exact opposite of those causes. It may be that, to deal with the sudden increase, its things like street mediation. Jobs. Why arent there the resources?

Mayes said journalists shouldnt look to civic leaders for the solutions. I really dont think the people at City Hall have the right answers, he said.

Mayes brought up the allocation of police resources and recalled that, during the summer of 2015, tourists in downtown Chicago were targeted for robbery. For a time, you could not walk in the downtown tourist areas without bumping into a police officer on every single corner, Mayes said.

But there can be a series of murdersjust this afternoon there were five murders on 75th Streetyou arent going to see a cop on every corner on 75th Street. Its just not going to happen. The police are utilized where the city thinks the money is. Thats just a fact. No one is going to say that. The police are not going to tell you that.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Jackie Spinner is CJRs correspondent for Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. She is an associate journalism professor at Columbia College Chicago and a former staff writer for The Washington Post. Follow her on Twitter @jackiespinner.
I ALWAYS CHUCKLE WHEN PEOPLE ALLEGE corporate sponsors or major donors are compromising the editorial integrity of American public broadcasting. In my dozen years in public media, Ive never seen sponsors or donors improperly influence coverage. Ive barely even heard rumors of it happening, and I intercept a lot of gossip as the host of a podcast about the public media industry.

Not enough public media outsiders seem worried about the constituency that, in my personal experience and according to my reporting, actually does compromise editorial integrity: the organizations that hold stations FCC licenses. And theres no better example of the cause for concern than the recent firing of Jacqui Helbert.

Helbert, a reporter at the University of Tennessee at Chattanoogas WUTC public radio station, angered some of the state legislators who hold the universitys purse strings. As Helbert pursues a lawsuit against the university, ShameOnUTC.orga site launched after her terminationhas provided jaw-dropping documentation of Helberts saga, including her surreptitious audio recordings of meetings with colleagues.

The relationship between Helbert, WUTC and the University of Tennessee offers the public a laundry list of everything that can go wrong in a system where universities hold the licenses ofand therefore effectively own47 percent of the public radio station organizations and 34 percent of the public television orgs. (Figures were provided to me by the Station Resource Group.) In the wake of Helberts firing, people across public media are reckoning with a serious ethical hazard that was built into their systemand that may be impossible to fully exorcise.

JOHN MCCORMACK HAD A RULE for the reporters who worked for him: avoid stories about politics and religion. McCormack ran WUTC from 1984 to 2015, and grew it from a mere repeater of Knoxvilles WUOT into a full-fledged NPR member station, albeit one with a hamstrung news department.

Sign up for weekly emails from the United States Project

If we did a story about domestic violence, it would be a story about a nonprofit helping domestic violence victims, says a WUTC employee who spoke on condition of anonymity because she or he was not authorized to do so. We would not, by contrast, be allowed to do a story about a controversial state law restricting gun ownership of people convicted of domestic violence. (Emails to McCormack seeking to confirm the employees claim went unanswered.)

That changed after McCormacks retirement, when UTC Associate Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communication Chuck Cantrell took on an additional role as station manager for WUTC. While handing direct management of a public radio station to a university PR flack would typically horrify most journalists, Cantrell actually set the reporters free to cover whatever they wanted, my source says.

We did mostly arts, fluff, community events and feel-good stories, the employee says. Until Chuck.

Ironically, that freedom led to the ongoing episode that, for some people, is the only reason theyve ever heard of WUTC. On March 21, Cantrells bossUTCs head flack George Heddlestonfired WUTC reporter Jacqui Helbert over a story shed reported, according to the lawsuit Helberts lawyer filed Thursday.

For her story, Helbert followed Tennessee high school students on a trip to their state capital and recorded them talking to legislators about a now-stalled bill that would compel transgender people to use the public school bathroom corresponding to their sex as assigned at birth. One legislator, state Sen. Mike Bell, shocked the students by blithely dismissing the legitimacy of transgender identities.

According to Helberts lawsuit, the lawmakers recorded by Helbert complained after they found out about her story, saying they didnt realize they were on mic. (The story, which was taken down on Heddlestons orders, is preserved here.) While the suit acknowledges Helbert did not verbally announce herself as a reporter when tagging along with the students, which would have been the best practice, it makes the case that Helbert was still conspicuous:

[Helbert] greeted Senator Bell wearing a lanyard stating WUTC with her press credentials. She also wore large headphones, visible gear with 3 wires, a satchel and recorder, and a large fuzzy microphone. She looked, in her words, cartoonishly like a reporter.

To appease the legislators, from whom UTC receives crucial state appropriations, university officials fired Helbert, according to the suit. Heddleston wrote on Facebook that Helberts firing was based on a violation of journalism ethics. But NPR officials, in a statement expressing their concern about UTCs actions, argued that Helberts misstep was not a firing offense, and that her dismissal did more to undermine the stations credibility than the original infraction.

THE ENTITIES THAT EFFECTIVELY OWN American public radio and television stations include colleges and universities, state and local governments, K-12 school systems, and community boards founded for the sole purpose of holding the license. Government licensees would seem to be the most ethically problematic; however, they generally erect an editorial firewall by delegating management of the station to an independent authority. After all, the only difference between public media and state media is editorial independence.

But universities, especially those in small towns, are virtual city-states unto themselves. And many exert direct control over the stations licensed to themalmost like a CCTV for Collegetownistan.

WUTC is not the only station to find itself under the marketing and communications branch of the university org chart. As public media newsroom consultant Judith Smelser wrote apropos of Helberts firing, This organizational structure is a holdover from a time when local public stations did little in the way of journalism, but times have changed, and this structure is no longer acceptable.

I asked Smelser to spell out exactly why its so unacceptable. She wrote back:

Journalists are accountable to the public. Their first responsibility is to provide accurate and complete information without regard to the agenda or image of any party involved. PR professionals are accountable to their employers. Their first responsibility is to advance and protect the employers agenda and image, often by attempting to influence and control the media. An organizational structure that puts journalists livelihoods into the hands of those who would control what journalists know, write, and say is fundamentally flawed.

The conflict Smelser articulates is even more pronounced for reporters at university-based stations, where much of the news they need to report either directly or indirectly involves the institutions that cut their paychecks.

This is not to say that individual PR professionals cannot be valiant defenders of independent journalism. The top spokesperson at Mercer University, where Im on the journalism faculty, is such a valiant defenderand no, he didnt make me type that.

But editorial integrity cannot hinge solely on the personalities of the people who happen to be in power, because they wont be there forever.

THERE ARE OTHER ORGANIZATIONAL structures designed to better institutionalize editorial independence at university stations. At my first station, Indiana Universitys WFIU/WTIU, the general manager reports to the provost. At the University of Missouri, KBIAs general manager reports to the dean of the School of Journalism. If I ran a station, Id rather report to an academic official than a flack.

Editorial independence is the equivalent of academic freedom in the classroom, says Malcolm Brett, who is in charge Wisconsins public radio and television networks and is employed by the University of Wisconsin Extension.

Many universities are accustomed to delegating control over things like scholarly publications and course content for which they could nonetheless be held legally or politically liable.

The university, as license holder, will always be ultimately liable, says Tom Rieland, general manager of Ohio State Universitys WOSU. But its to the institutions benefit, as well as our stations, to have the editorial firewall.

In recent years, both Rieland and Brett contributed to the Editorial Integrity for Public Media initiative, which developed model policy language by which stations can assert their editorial independence from their overlords. Of the 470 distinct organizations that operate public TV and/or radio stations in the United States, 319 have adopted that model language or something similar, according to the Station Resource Group, which co-organized the initiative.

Not surprisingly, WUTC is not among those 319. Id argue that audiences of WUTC and other station orgs that dont have editorial integrity codes on their websites should demand to see one before giving another dime during pledge drive.

WOSUs code is a particularly good example of what you should expect from your station, because it leaves no wiggle room: WOSU operates in the public interest by serving the needs of its audiences with editorial independence from University administration, and the OSU Board of Trustees. Simple, definitive, and clear as day.

FOR THEIR PART, PUBLIC MEDIA INSIDERS everywhere are feeling the distant seismic vibrations from Helberts firing. Public Radio News Directors Incorporated added a session titled Conflicts Between Newsrooms and Station License Holders to its upcoming annual conference in June. The conference location, Miami, is particularly appropriate; the Miami-Dade School Board recently moved to wrest control of its station, WLRN, from the independent nonprofit that now manages it, thus eliminating one editorial firewall.

However, no amount of policy language or organizational distancing will change the reality that all journalists, unless they work for free, answer to someone with money.

Minnesota Public Radio founder Bill Kling has famously argued for years that the missions of public stations and universities are fundamentally incompatible and that they should seek to part ways. KPLU and Pacific Lutheran University did just that last year; the rechristened KNKX is licensed to a community group created specifically for that purpose.

With all due deference to Bill Kling, says Ted Krichels, the former general manager of Penn States WPSU, there are lot a lot of radio and televisions stations that would not be able to existI mean, theyre off serving in very rural areasthat would have a very hard time functioning without that kind of institutional support.

Krichels, now a senior vice president at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, disputes the idea that university stations face particularly deep ethical pitfalls. Frankly, the same is true for state licensees and even community licensees, he says.

From my perspective, the ultimate solution to the problem isnt organizational, but professional. Strong, universally agreed-upon professional standards for journalists are what enable The Washington Post to report on damning lawsuits against its owners company, or allow me to have my students report unflattering stories about my university. You do your work without fear or favor and, if someone interferes, you either quit or get fired and proceed to tell the world what happened, as Helbert is doing now.

After that, its up to the public to bring the outrage. In that respect, the system for ensuring editorial integrity at WUTC is working just fineat least, for everyone but Helbert.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Adam Ragusea is a journalist in residence and visiting assistant professor at Mercer Universitys Center for Collaborative Journalism and hosts Current.orgs podcast The Pub.
Economic damage from a Colorado mine waste spill caused by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may be far less than originally feared after attorneys drastically reduced some of the larger claims, The Associated Press has learned.

Farmers, business owners, residents and others initially said they suffered a staggering $1.2 billion in lost income, property damage and personal injuries from the 2015 spill at the Gold King Mine, which tainted rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.

But the total now appears to be about $420 million. A single law firm that originally filed claims totaling $900 million for a handful of New Mexico property owners told the AP it had lowered their claims to $120 million.

Its still uncertain whether the White House and Congress  both now controlled by the GOP  are willing to pay for any of the economic losses, even though Republicans were among the most vocal in demanding the EPA make good on the harm.

Under former President Barack Obama, a Democrat, the EPA said it was prohibited by law from doing so.

Now that theyre in charge, Republicans have vowed to slash spending on the environment, leaving the prospects for compensation in doubt.

An EPA-led contractor crew inadvertently released 3 million gallons (11.3 million liters) of wastewater tainted with heavy metals from the mine, polluting the Animas and San Juan Rivers. The crew was doing exploratory excavation work at the mine entrance in advance of a possible cleanup.

Stretches of waterways turned an eerie orange-yellow, and the rivers were temporarily off-limits for agriculture and water utilities, as well as fishing and boating _ important contributors to the areas recreational economy. The EPA has said water quality in the rivers has returned to pre-spill conditions.

Native American reservations along the rivers also were affected.

The EPA said it received 73 claims for economic damage or personal injuries. The AP obtained copies of the claims through an open records request, although many details were redacted.

The Albuquerque, New Mexico, law firm Will Ferguson & Associates filed claims totaling $900 million for about a dozen residents of Aztec, a town of about 6,100 on the Animas River in northwestern New Mexico. The residents say the contaminated water damaged their wells, soil and plumbing and caused health problems including chronic intestinal pain, rashes and memory loss.

Will Ferguson, the firms managing partner, said the $900 million represented an opening position, and the attorneys never expected to recover that much.

Kedar Bhasker, another lawyer with the firm, said the claims were refiled in December. Bhasker called the lower amount more reasonable.

In January, the EPA was still using the $1.2 billion total for all the claims, which didnt reflect the law firms revisions. EPA officials didnt immediately provide an explanation in response to emails seeking comment.

The other claims ranged from river guides asking for a few hundred dollars in lost wages to the Navajo Nation seeking $162 million for environmental and health monitoring, among other things. The state of New Mexico asked for $130 million in lost taxes and other revenue. The state and tribe also are suing the EPA separately in federal court.

Ten tourist-dependent businesses filed claims, saying they lost money when travelers stayed away. Farmers and ranchers said crops died because the river couldnt be used to irrigate and that they had extra expenses from hauling untainted water to livestock.

Some property owners said the value of their land plummeted because of the stigma attached to the spill.

The EPA has acknowledged responsibility for the spill but said in January that federal law prevents it from paying the claims because of sovereign immunity, which prohibits most lawsuits against the government.

The agency noted it had already spent more than $31.3 million on the spill, including remediation work, water testing and payments to state, local and tribal agencies for their emergency response to the disaster.

But lawmakers were infuriated  especially Republicans, some of whom portrayed the spill as a glaring example of EPA mismanagement. They have pressed the new EPA chief, Scott Pruitt, to reconsider the decision not to pay damages.

At his confirmation hearings, Pruitt promised to review it. The EPA didnt immediately respond to emails and a phone call seeking comment on whether he had done so.

Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado said he believes Pruitt will make good on his promise to work with me and my colleagues in resolving the outstanding issues that remain from the Obama administrations EPA.

Colorado Democrats introduced a measure in Congress in 2015, shortly after the spill, intended to allow federal compensation for economic damages, but the bill died.

Now, Congress appears to be waiting on President Donald Trumps administration to make its intentions known.

We dont know what to expect from this administration in regard to that, said Liz Payne, a spokeswoman for Republican Rep. Scott Tipton of Colorado, whose district was hurt by the spill.

Its still a waiting game for us at this point, she said.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cathy-Harper-Lee-rhonda-blankenship.jpeg

Cathy Harper Lee, founder and director of the Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center, with Ronda Blankenship. Blankenship is the sole survivor of 2013 New Year's Eve robbery and murder in Barberton in which her boyfriend and his two teenage children were killed, and Blankenship was shot and stabbed.

(Summit County Prosecutor's Office)

AKRON, Ohio -- Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh and other officials announced Wednesday they are backing crime victim bill, Marsy's Law for Ohio.

The Marsy's Law for Ohio campaign is a movement to place a crime victims bill of rights into the Ohio Constitution. Similar issues were approved in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Illinois and California.

"One of my main goals as Summit County prosecutor has always been to do everything possible to ensure that no victim is re-victimized by our criminal justice system, but we need better laws to help us do our job," Walsh said during the press conference.

Under the Marsy's Law amendment, crime victims would be notified of all proceedings throughout the process. Victims would have the right to give input on all plea deals for offenders and the right to restitution resulting from the financial impact of the crime.

Walsh was joined by Cathy Harper Lee, founder and director of Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center, and Ronda Blankenship, who survived a home invasion in Barberton in which her boyfriend and his two teenage children were executed during a robbery.

"I myself am for Marsy's Law because I don't want any victims or survivors to go through what I went through," Blankenship said. "I'm here to stand up for your rights as long as I can stand up for mine too. This means a lot to me because if I can help change something to make it better I will be here."

The announcement coincides with National Crime Victims' Rights Week, which honors crime victims and reminds victim advocates to recommit to their mission of ensuring all victims of crime are afforded their rights.

"Far too many crime victims have been denied their most basic rights," Lee said. "Marsy's Law corrects this injustice by informing crime victims of their rights, the status of their cases and ensures they receive notice of hearings that can impact their safety."

Walsh also was joined by several members of Summit County's law enforcement community, including Akron Police Chief James Nice, Summit County Sheriff Steve Barry, Barberton Police Chief Vince Morber, Summit County Victim Assistance Director Leanne Graham and Battered Women's Shelter Director Terri Heckman.

The Ohio campaign has cleared initial legal hurdles and workers are starting to collect the 305,591 signatures needed to put the amendment on the November 7 General Election ballot.

The Marsy's Law movement began in 1983, when Marsy Nicholas was stalked and killed by her ex-boyfriend in California. A week after her murder, Marsy's family walked into a grocery store where they saw the accused murderer. The family, who had just visited Marsy's grave, had no idea the accused murderer had been released on bail.

Marsy's family founded Marsy's Law for All to ensure the re-victimization the family experienced does not happen to anyone else. The organization works to provide victims and their families across the country with constitutional protections and equal rights.
AKRON, Ohio -- The push is on to reinvigorate Akron's 24 neighborhoods.

Numerous initiatives, some requiring significant financial investment, are underway to return the city's most challenged areas back into thriving neighborhoods with fun things to do and safe places to gather.

Today we look at efforts to revitalize two of Akron's most challenged neighborhoods - Summit Lake to the south and Middlebury to the east.

Are the city and the other groups getting it right?

Would different efforts get better results?

Is it even possible to bring back places so long in decline?

Mayor Dan Horrigan's plan to boost population by improving neighborhoods was outlined in the city's Planning to Grow Akron housing report. The plan includes making neighborhoods walkable and bikeable, and playing up the individual characteristics of neighborhoods.

It's anchored by Akron's residential tax abatement program expected to start this summer to spur new residential development, and encourage large renovations on existing homes city-wide.

Add to the mix the Knight Foundation, which through its arts and cities challenges has pumped millions into Akron projects over the past several years. Other nonprofits and neighborhood groups are pitching in too, launching projects that work to revitalize streets, blocks and in some cases, entire neighborhoods.

Here are some of the initiatives underway in Summit Lake and Middlebury.

Summit Lake

Summit Lake Center for Art & Culture

Reimagining Summit lake

The Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition received a $5 million Reimagine the Civic Commons grant to connect and revitalize sites along the Ohio & Erie Towpath Trail, including Summit Lake.

Environmental assessment

To ensure Summit Lake is safe for water activities, Kyle Kutuchief, Akron program director for Knight Foundation in January initiated a $195,300 environmental assessment of the lake and surrounding property.

Middlebury

Well Community Development Corporation

The Well CDC bought the First Presbyterian Church in the heart of Middlebury to help boost home-ownership, create jobs and offer spaces for people to gather.

Compass Coffee

The new Compass Coffee offers a voucher program for for homeless patrons and hosts biweekly dinners for the community.

Middlebury Better Block & Neighborhood reborn

A Better Block was held last summer to help people imagine the full potential of the neighborhood. Neighborhood Reborn brought 150 United Way volunteers to Middlebury, who did repairs and landscaping work.

Economic development

SummaCare is moving its corporate offices to Akron's East End development by the Industrial Realty Group, which includes renovation of Goodyear Hall into apartments with retail space, and a $5.5 million streetscape.

Join us from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, April 5, for a constructive conversation about revitalizing Akron's most impoverished neighborhoods.

Comments will be reviewed by a moderator before they are published.

In a pre-curated conversation, comments are published after they are reviewed - promptly - to ensure they adhere to our community rules, which prohibit indecent, hateful, abusive or harassing comments, personal attacks, vulgar nicknames, personal information, email addresses belonging to others, anything inciting criminal behavior and copyrighted material for which you do not own the rights.

Comments that are not on the topic of this discussion will not be published.

Criticism is fine; make it respectful.

We seek a robust discussion, and civil discourse requires courtesy.
payless.JPG

Payless ShoeSource, the largest specialty family footwear retailer in the Western Hemisphere, has filed for bankruptcy protection, and plans to close 400 stores.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Payless ShoeSource, the largest specialty family footwear retailer in the Western Hemisphere, has filed for bankruptcy protection, and plans to close 400 stores.



The Topeka, Kansas-based company said Tuesday the closures are part of a reorganization plan, as the discount shoe chain becomes the latest brick-and-mortar retailer to grapple with increasing competition from online rivals like Amazon.

The retailer said the company will immediately close as many as 400 "underperforming" stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico in an effort to reduce debt by 50 percent. Additional closures are possible in the future.



The company has about a dozen stores in Northeast Ohio and three are closing: Chapel Hill Mall in Akron, Midway Mall in Elyria and Vineyard Plaza in Eastlake.

"This is a difficult, but necessary, decision driven by the continued challenges of the retail environment, which will only intensify," W. Paul Jones, Payless chief executive officer, said in a written statement.

Payless has approximately 4,400 stores in more than 30 countries. The footwear retailer joins a growing list of traditional retailers announcing closing, with Sears, HHGregg, Macy's, Kmart, J.C. Penney, Game Stop and Radio Shack all closing locations.

"We will build a stronger Payless for our customers, vendors and suppliers, associates, business partners and other stakeholders through this process. While we have had to make many tough choices, we appreciate the substantial support we have received from our lenders, who share our belief that we have a unique opportunity to enable Payless -- the iconic American footwear retailer with one of the best-recognized global brands -- to remain the go-to shoe store for customers in America and around the globe."
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Officials kicked off an expansive awareness campaign on the risks of prescription opioid abuse Wednesday, and touted it as a critical component in the fight against a heroin and fentanyl epidemic that has claimed thousands of lives in Cuyahoga County.

The "Know the Risks" campaign is a collaborative effort among local agencies and organizations, production companies, hospitals and media outlets, including cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. The campaign will include news coverage, public service announcements, commercials, print advertisements and social media outreach on the risks associated with prescription opioids.

Click here for cleveland.com's full coverage of the KnowTheRx campaign.

"While the opioid crisis is national, I don't believe any other community in the country has put together a collaborative effort like this one," Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish said Wednesday at a news conference.

"Know the Risks" began with a promotional blitz, but it is intended to be an ongoing campaign. The Cuyahoga County Opioid Marketing Task Force, which organized "Know the Risks," is planning additional events and advertising campaigns that will be announced later, Budish said.

"We see this as a continuing effort," Budish said. "This [epidemic] is something that is tragic for families in Northeast Ohio, and we can make a difference. This will not be a one-time thing."

The campaign is intended to combat a heroin and fentanyl epidemic that is becoming deadlier each year. Cuyahoga County reported a record 610 overdose deaths in 2016, and is on pace to report nearly 850 in 2017, county Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Gilson said.

The "Know the Risks" campaign could help reduce those numbers because many people develop an addiction to prescription opioids before transitioning to heroin and fentanyl, Gilson said.

"If we don't create a population of people who are addicted to pain medication, they won't seek out illicit substances down the road," he said.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson agreed, saying that education is key to stopping an epidemic that has claimed approximately 60 lives this year in his city.

"If we're going to make an impact, it has to be in several steps. And the first step is about education and prevention," Jackson said. "The more we're able to prevent ... the better of we'll be."

The Cuyahoga County Opioid Marketing Task Force is comprised of officials from Cuyahoga County, the city of Cleveland, the medical examiner's office, the U.S. Attorney's Office and local hospitals. Most of its members are marketing and communications professionals.

The "Know the Risks" campaign is intended to supplement ongoing efforts that have focused on treating addicts, supporting their families, stopping the spread of drugs and arresting drug dealers, officials said.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, and the Greater Cleveland RTA are all participating in the campaign by donating advertising space. Hospitals including MetroHealth and St. Vincent Charity Medical Center are also joining the effort.

"This, to me, is what Cleveland is all about," Dr. Akram Boutros, MetroHealth's president and CEO, said. "This campaign stops an epidemic in the best place to stop one: where it starts."

One of the community partners participating in the effort is Greg McNeil, who founded Cover2Resources after his son died of a heroin overdose. McNeil said he is confident the "Know the Risks" campaign will help families impacted by opioid addictions.

"This campaign is going to save lives," McNeil said. "This campaign is going to change the outcome for some families. This campaign is going to make a difference."

Media outlets will feature "Know Your Risks" content over the next few days. Here's a partial schedule of coverage:

Thursday, April 6

4:30 a.m. - 7 a.m. TV and radio news coverage.

6 p.m. - 8 p.m. IdeaStream hosts a live phone bank with experts taking calls. TV news stations will report live from the phone bank.

11 p.m. TV news coverage.

Friday, April 7

9 a.m. Coverage on "The Sound of Ideas" on IdeaStream.

Sunday, April 9

The Plain Dealer will highlight "Know the Risks."
Theft, Cedar Road: At 6:15 p.m. April 1, a man left the Cheesecake Factory, 24265 Cedar Road, without paying the $70 bill he rang up for the meal he ate. The man had been seen before dining at the restaurant without paying.

The man got on a bus and was not apprehended.

Theft, Cedar Road: At 6:40 p.m. March 27, two women walked out of the Cheesecake Factory without paying their dinner tab. An employee followed the women into the parking lot and walked them back into the restaurant.

The eatery's manager allowed the women to call an acquaintance who arrived shortly after with money to pay the women's bill.

OVI, Mayfield Road: At 3 a.m. April 3, an officer stopped a car that was weaving between lanes. It was subsequently found that the driver, a South Euclid man, 30, was intoxicated. The man was charged with OVI and his car was towed.

Warrant arrest, Mayfield Road: At 2:35 a.m. April 3, a bartender working at Scalper's, 5718 Mayfield Road, called police to report that a woman was lying on the ground, unconscious and possibly not breathing. Police found the woman, who was conscious when found.

Before the woman, who was intoxicated, was taken to the hospital, it was learned that she was wanted on a Warrensville Heights police warrant. The woman, 31, of Mayfield Heights, was not arrested, but Warrensville Heights police were made aware of her location.

Drug abuse, Richmond Road: At 12:10 p.m. April 3, police stopped a car for being driven too slow and without working taillights. During the stop, it was found that the driver, a Cleveland woman, 23, was wanted on a Bratenahl police warrant.

She was arrested on the warrant and also cited for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Disturbance, Churchill Road:

At 3:25 p.m. April 1, a woman called police while hiding in her car. The woman's car at the time was in the driveway of her former boyfriend. The two had argued and the man, as he attempted to leave his house, lightly struck the woman's car.

After police discussed the matter with the two subjects, the woman was issued a trespass warning and told to stay away from the man's house.

Juvenile problem, Mayfield Road: At 2:50 p.m. March 30, a man called police to report that his daughter, a fourth grader at Corpus Christi Academy, 5655 Mayfield Road, was assaulted by a third grade boy.

As the girl walked home, the boy jumped out from behind a bush, threw mud at the girl, then hit her on the head.

The boy told police that he was merely playing a game children play at the school. Police told the boy to leave the girl alone and the girl's father was satisfied that the situation had been settled.

Robbery, Richmond Road: At midnight March 28, a customer reached across the counter while at CVS/Pharmacy, 1443 Richmond Road, grabbed cash from the store's register, and went on to leave the premises in a car. The suspect was not apprehended.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our
COLUMBUS  Be patient.

Thats the message Mayor Jim Bulkley sent Monday night to motorists feeling some road rage while traveling the congested streets around the new Columbus High School.

Please bear with us, the mayor said while responding to traffic issues that have raised a lot of questions among frustrated residents since the school opened March 20 near the corner of 33rd Avenue and Lost Creek Parkway.

There is a process, and this process takes some time, takes some evaluation, Bulkley said.

That evaluation actually began a few years ago when Columbus Public Schools hired Omaha-based engineering firm HDR Inc. to complete a traffic study for the area that includes the high school, East Central District Health Department, Columbus Wellness Center, Lost Creek Elementary School and a recently opened convenience store.

Some proactive steps were taken to address the anticipated surge in traffic well before the school started holding classes.

Traffic signals were added at 33rd Avenue and 38th Street and 33rd Avenue and Lost Creek Parkway, and a stretch of the busy avenue from 38th Street to the parkway was upgraded from asphalt to concrete and widened, with a center turning lane added.

In addition to those changes, the city adjusted the timing of the traffic signals at 33rd Avenue and 27th Street in an attempt to keep vehicles moving smoothly.

But that didnt solve all the issues.

Bulkley said part of the problem is a majority of the people traveling to and from the high school are using 33rd Avenue instead of alternate routes such as Lost Creek Parkway and 38th Street.

The school district, he said, is encouraging students and staff to go north and west to alleviate bottlenecks along the avenue.

The mayor said it will take people some time to find their own path to the school.

Itll also take some time before any significant changes are made to the streets around CHS.

A delay in the schools expected opening, which was pushed back from January to March, means the city wont conduct another traffic study in the area until next fall, when Columbus Middle School students shift to the former high school along 26th Street.

The city plans to hire a consultant to re-evaluate traffic patterns, including at 33rd Avenue and 27th Street, around October before the findings are reviewed with the school district, which will be asked to split the study costs.

Any improvement projects wouldnt get underway until the spring of 2018.

In other business, the council:

 approved agreements with Kendig Keast Collaborative and Iteris Inc. to complete comprehensive and long-range transportation plans for the city. The total cost for the plans is $241,495 with the city paying $166,495 and federal funding covering $75,000.

 reappointed Rodney Supencheck to a three-year term on the Columbus Tree Board and Chris Steinke to a five-year term on the Civil Service Commission.
A barge loaded with Illinois Basin coal sits in the Ohio River on April 3, 2017 at Cairo, Illinois. Scott Olson | Getty Images

China, the world's biggest coking coal importer, is scrambling to cover Australian supply disruptions after Cyclone Debbie knocked out mines and rails by turning to an unusual source: the United States. Debbie, which hit Australia's Queensland state last week, caused the evacuation of several mines and damaged coal trains supplying export terminals, triggering two miners - Yancoal Australia and QCoal - to declare force majeure on its deliveries. With other miners like BHP Billiton and Glencore also affected by the storm's fallout, more disruptions may follow. Force majeure is a commercial term that means a buyer or seller cannot fulfill their obligations because of outside forces. It is typically invoked after natural disasters or accidents. Australia is the world's biggest coking coal exporter and is China's largest supplier. With markets there closed on Monday and Tuesday, its steel makers are clambering to find alternative supplies. "Markets may be closed Monday and Tuesday but there's certainly activity. The Chinese are fixing cargoes from the United States in order to replace the shortfall from Australia," one coal trader with knowledge of the matter said, speaking on the condition of anonymity as he was not cleared to talk about commercial deals. "More will make its way from the U.S. to China very soon," he said.

watch now

It was not immediately clear which American miners were providing the supplies but Thomson Reuters Eikon data shows that China already has imported more than 500,000 tonnes of U.S. coking coal in 2017, ending a two-year stretch when no coking coal was shipped between the two countries. More than 427,000 tonnes of U.S. met coal imports were counted in February by the Chinese government that likely arrived in January, said Chuck Bradford of Bradford Research, who has access to the data. The coal sold for nearly $190 per tonne, he said. Arch Coal did not immediately respond to a query on whether it had exported the coal to China this year. George Dethlefsen, Corsa Coal Corp's chief executive, said his company has been overwhelmed with inquiries for cargoes over the past few days from customers in Asia. "Right now we, like everyone else, are trying to figure out what tons are available and what we can produce to fulfill potential new orders," he said. Alpha Natural Resources , which emerged from bankruptcy last year, declined to comment. President Donald Trump has promised to revive the U.S. coal industry and issued an executive order last week to dismantle former President Barack Obama's regulations on the sector. Luke Popovich, a spokesman for the National Mining Association trade group, said it was not clear that the demand had any link to the administration's push to axe regulations.

watch now
Dvorchak, currently living in Beijing and managing director at Blueshirt Group Asia, had a recent dinner with Xi, and he has the photo to prove it.

But this week, now-President Xi is making another trip to America: this time to meet President Donald Trump.

"He was a young man, he was in his early 30s, he was with a delegation, he was a regular person," Dvorchak told CNBC.

More than 30 years ago, as a young communist party cadre, Xi Jinping stayed in Dvorchak's Iowa bedroom on an agricultural fact-finding mission to the U.S.

In fact, thanks to his old family connection, he has access to top Chinese officials. He also has some negotiating tips for Trump.

"The Chinese have a lot of work to do internally to develop the economy both from domestic consumption and for more exports, so I don't think we can be as forceful as we would like to be," he said. "We have to understand that, yes, we do need fair trade, but China is ultimately still a developing country and they need to sell before they can buy."

As for what Xi wants from the upcoming meeting, Dvorchak said he may be seeking to ease the tone of the relationship.

"I think he would like to have the rhetoric toned down a bit. Even though it's all talk for the most part really, it's culturally  the Chinese do not like that level of conflict," he said.

As for potential mistakes that the U.S. side could make, Dvorchak said: "If the public harshness translates into the private discussion across the table, I don't think it will be a productive meeting."

But Dvorchak also had some advice for Xi: Pick up a Trump tome.

"Read 'The Art of the Deal' because a lot of what he is doing he has done over and over his whole life," Dvorchak recommended. "That's what I think would be very helpful for President Xi  to understand the style, understand the approach he is going to have. That helps you think of ways to disarm it."

In fact, Dvorchak had his own copy of "The Art of the Deal," which he said was one of the first books he read for business.
In an age where more devices are connected to the Internet, and to each other, users need a lot more help from cybersecurity providers to tackle evolving digital threats, a senior executive at McAfee told CNBC on Wednesday.

The security software company, founded by American computer programmer John McAfee, has been around for three decades but was acquired by Intel between 2010 and 2011. This week, it became a new, jointly-owned independent cybersecurity company, with alternative asset management firm TPG owning a 51 percent stake and Intel retaining 49 percent. The deal was announced last September, and valued the business at approximately $4.2 billion.

"We spin out today to become a standalone  one of the largest standalone security companies globally, so we're very excited," Gavin Struthers, global SVP and Asia Pacific president at McAfee, told CNBC's "The Rundown" on Wednesday.

Asia Pacific  which is split between mature markets like Singapore and Australia and emerging Asia, where security levels are not as comprehensive  is a "hyper-growth" market for McAfee, according to Struthers.

He also reckoned no one is safe from hackers  from families at home trying to raise their children in a hyper-connected world to small and medium businesses, large corporations and even governments. "The bad actors are more sophisticated and they're coming after not just for profit, but sometimes for principle," he said.

That is where Struthers said McAfee can help with its numerous security technologies.

"McAfee has always been a broad portfolio company and that ability to connect multiple technologies together  we call it a platform  is something the rest of the market is not doing," he said. Struthers added access to a comprehensive global threat intelligence network and automation of technologies to detect and tackle breaches was what set McAfee apart from the competition.
Pyongyang is a "bad toothache" for Beijing, but instead of treating it with a root canal, the mainland uses painkillers instead, Hayden said at a Johns Hopkins University event, Yonhap News reported early on Wednesday.

Washington's deployment of the THAAD missile defense system in could push to take more action against , according to former CIA Director Michael Hayden.

To , increasing the toothache's pain is key, said the retired Air Force general.

"Frankly, we did that. President Obama did that with the deployment of THAAD," Yonhap quoted Hayden as saying.

The first elements of America's missile defense technology known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) have already arrived in South Korea to counter .

"We planted this high-end air defense system in South Korea that has obvious implications for the Chinese because the radar fans go all the way through Manchuria," Hayden said, according to Yonhap.

"There are things like that, actions we could take that are logical and useful to defend against this particular kind of threat that we should not forgo merely because it would ."

Deploying THAAD to Japan was another means to increase pressure on China, Yonhap quoted Hayden as saying.
Pyongyang's latest display of aggression on Tuesday elicited a brusque, three-sentence statement from the State Department.

In response to news that the rogue nation fired another ballistic missile into the sea, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued the following statement: "North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment."

Tuesday's incident follows a failed ballistic missile launch two weeks ago and March's test firing of four missiles towards Japan.

Washington's clipped tone drew surprise from various experts, including Hillary Clinton's foreign policy adviser during the 2016 presidential campaign.

I would have been fired if I ever wrote this. Wtf.
China is the world's second-largest pharmaceutical market, so it is inevitable that companies are clamoring at its door, but appealing to Chinese consumers isn't easy.

For Sigma Pharmaceuticals , an Australian pharmacy wholesaler and distributor, the secret to that market may be unexpected: mobile technology.

Speaking to CNBC's "Capital Connection" on Tuesday, Sigma CEO Mark Hooper said mobile is "the way of the world in China these days, using social networks and platforms to do everything in your life including payment."

In a market notoriously difficult for foreign entrance, Sigma recognized the importance of understanding the Chinese consumer's needs. In attempting to establish a foothold in the Chinese pharmaceutical market, it tapped the expertise of cross-border eCommerce solutions provider Azoya.

"Azoya was the perfect solution for us and I guess more critically, they had the experience in terms of the marketing support for that market," Hooper said, emphasizing the importance of access to local know-how.

The company's efforts may be paying off as it recently reported revenue figures from its Chinese Amcal pharmacy website that exceeded expectations. The company has since announced plans to expand into Hong Kong, with the possibility of additional expansion into Asia.

"We've already got the commerce platform that leverages into Chinese consumers and we feel like the next logical step is then to tap into the Hong Kong market," Hooper said.

Due to regulatory restrictions, the company has only been able to sell the Chinese consumer over-the-counter drugs. This is a change from the company's Australia business model, in which sales are driven by large-scale distribution to hospitals as well as the sale of prescription drugs for the treatment of diseases such as Hepatitis-C.

"It's very much a sort of just a toe in the water for us in terms of the e-Commerce presence we've got because one of the challenges is the challenging regulatory front in China," Hooper said.

Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.
Outgoing Federal Reserve Governor Daniel Tarullo told CNBC on Wednesday that robust March job growth at American companies provides more confirmation of a "solid trend" of strength in employment. He also said the economy is gaining traction.

U.S. companies added 263,000 jobs in March, according to the latest ADP and Moody's Analytics private payrolls report. That was well above the 185,000 expected from economists surveyed by Reuters. The government reports its March employment report on Friday.

Despite a better labor market, the CNBC Rapid Update, which tracks the outlook for economic growth, puts the median gross domestic product estimate for the first quarter at an advance of just 1.2 percent.

"Every year, it does seem as though the Q1 numbers are somewhat lower than people expected," Tarullo acknowledged. "The residual seasonality question continues to linger."

But forward indicators  including numbers on jobs, durable goods orders, and consumer confidence  also bode well for second quarter growth, he said. "There's also a fair chance that Q2 numbers are going to look pretty good."

The next Fed meeting on interest rates is on May 2-3. Central bankers put one rate hike for 2017 on the board at the March meeting. A major debate on Wall Street is whether the Fed increases rates two more or three more times this year.

There's also talk about when the Fed may start to wind down its $4.5 trillion balance sheet, which has swelled over the years through multiple rounds of quantitative easing, bond-buying and other loose-money measures.

It's time to start "in thinking about" a balance sheet reduction, said Tarullo. "The question ... is how one pairs that with interest rate normalization."
Alphabet, Google's parent company, is known for its aggressive approach to hiring top computer engineers. Now, it has its sights set on poaching top talent from life sciences and health care.

Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page have stressed in the past that Google will not become a health care company, in part because of the regulatory complexity associated with the field. But today, three of Alphabet's "Other Bets" are focused on the $3 trillion sector. Both of its venture arms, GV (formerly Google Ventures) and CapitalG (formerly Google Capital) are also investing in the space.

Sidewalk Labs is perhaps the most surprising. The Alphabet subsidiary, which aims to use technology to solve "big urban problems," this month posted new job listings for health care positions, including engineers, a chief health officer (a primary care physician) and a head of community health for an effort called "Care Labs." Not much has been shared publicly about Care Labs, aside from a Medium post that spells out a big vision to imagine "how care delivery might look in the digital era."

Alphabet's Calico, a drug development shop focused on longevity, and Verily, which was Google's life sciences arm, and have also hired heavily from life sciences and health care.

The company's star talent in the field so far includes Arthur D. Levinson, former CEO of Genentech and an Apple chairman, who is Calico's CEO; Tom Insel, the former head of the National Institute of Mental Health, who is at Verily; and Jessica Mega, a star cardiologist at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, now at Verily.

Alphabet is currently looking to hire computational biologists, robotics experts and top academic researchers, which are among the most competitive positions to hire.
watch now

Apple's decision to drop Imagination Technologies as a supplier might seem like a ruthless move, but it underlines the technology giant's ongoing push to have more control over hardware which will have implications on its margins and ability to own new areas like augmented reality (AR) in the future. On Monday, Apple said it would be "reducing its future reliance on Imagination's technology" over the next 15 to 24 months. Imagination, a U.K. firm that designs graphics processing units (GPU), is a key part of Apple's products like the iPhone. The U.S. technology giant said it would be developing its own independent graphics design. Apple's move is hardly surprising given its recent history of trying to bring hardware design in house.

Tim Cook Adam Jeffery | CNBC

"One of Apple's successes has been built on the fact they tightly control all elements of hardware, software and services, it's a unique set of assets," Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, told CNBC by phone. "The performance advantages to owning the whole hardware stack are substantial." Protecting 'super-normal' margins Apple's relationship with suppliers hasn't always been easy and has sometimes been aimed at driving the cost of components down. In January, Apple filed a lawsuit against chipmaker Qualcomm accusing it of charging royalties for technologies "they have nothing to do with". Apple claimed Qualcomm was overcharging it for certain technologies. Analysts at Jeffries said in the case of Imagination, Apple could be playing the role of "bargaining bully" by walking away from the company in order to get the lowest royalty rate. CNBC did not receive a comment from Apple when it reached out regarding the Jeffries note on Tuesday. At the same time, Apple has been developing its own technology internally. In the iPhone 7 released last year, Apple showed off the A10 processor, a chipset it designed itself and not for the first time. Apple is also looking to move away from reliance on rivals too. The U.S. tech giant has reportedly ordered 70 million organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels from Samsung for its upcoming anniversary edition iPhone. Given that Samsung has around a 90 percent share of the OLED market, Apple is unlikely to have had much room to negotiate on price, analysts said.

watch now
The hotly debated investor protection rule that would require financial advisors to work in your best interest when handling your retirement money has been pushed back. The "fiduciary rule" as it's also known, was to take effect on April 10. It's now delayed until June 9, according to the Department of Labor. Labor's move to slow down implementation comes after President Donald Trump issued a presidential memorandum in February, directing the department to review it and prepare an updated economic and legal analysis.

Getty Images

Impartial conduct

Legal experts said the Labor Department's announcement still keeps intact the core of the regulation. Among those are requirements that advisors charge no more than reasonable compensation, avoid misleading statements and act in your best interest when recommending investments. "The DOL is effectively regulating IRAs," said Marcia Wagner, managing director at The Wagner Law Group in Boston. "This is the DOL saying that this isn't up for debate." Indeed, some $7 trillion in IRA assets are at the center of the debate, as they are moneymakers for financial services firms and would fall under the rule's domain.

Consumer advocates said while it's encouraging that certain provisions of the rule will remain, the delay isn't helpful for investors. "We still need the full protection of the rule to become applicable  a meaningful and legally enforceable best interest standard," said Micah Hauptman, financial services counsel at the Consumer Federation of America.

Until June 9, you're on your own. Marcia Wagner The Wagner Law Group

"Enforceability wouldn't have kicked in until January 2018 for IRA investors, but that's what the rule calls for," he said. "It's critical that the entire rule become applicable as soon as possible  on time, as it was finalized."

Kupicoo | Getty Images

Other portions of the regulation concerning specific written disclosures advisors and financial services firms must make to clients won't take effect until Jan. 1, 2018, according to the DOL's post on the Federal Register.

Industry reaction

Organizations representing the financial services industry cheered the rule's delay  and some pushed for even more time. "ICI welcomes the Department of Labor's delay of the original implementation date of the agency's fiduciary rule until June 9," said Paul Schott Stevens, president of the Investment Company Institute, which represents the mutual fund industry, in a written statement. "But additional time is critically needed."

On your own

"Until June 9, you're on your own," Wagner said. "If I haven't heard from my financial advisor, I might reach out and ask, 'What's going on? What standard of care are you under?'" Start by digging up the details of your financial advisor's background: Look him or her up on BrokerCheck, a site maintained by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and the advisor page of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

watch now
Just five people were eating dinner on a recent weeknight at a Texas church that is a stopping point for newly arrived immigrants on the U.S.-Mexico border. On a typical night last year, hundreds of immigrants might come through the church.

Immigrants who are still coming say many people in their home countries are staying home amid fears about President Donald Trump's immigration rhetoric, putting off coming to the U.S. until they see how his policies play out.

"There are mothers who heard that Trump might change the law to remove parents and keep the children here," said Jose Gonzalez, a 29-year-old father of two from El Salvador. "That stopped a lot of people."

The first months of the new administration have seen a huge drop in the number of people being caught by agents on the U.S.-Mexico border, raising the possibility that a "Trump effect" is keeping migrants away.

Fewer than 12,500 people were caught at the southern border in March, the lowest monthly figure in at least 17 years and the second straight month that border arrests dropped sharply. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, in testimony submitted to a Senate committee, called the decline "no accident" and credited Trump.

But those working in shelters and experts on migration say it will take several more months to judge whether any drop-off is lasting, and that the numbers could surge again as quickly as they've fallen.

Trump's vows to step up deportations and build his signature border wall were widely spread in Central America, according to three migrants who recently arrived in Texas and spoke to the Associated Press. Kelly also announced last month that authorities might start separating adults and children crossing the border, to deter families from trying to enter the U.S.

For years, tens of thousands of migrants every month would cross the United States' southern border. Traffic has surged in recent years of people crossing into Texas from three Central American countries torn by gang violence and poverty: El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Former President Barack Obama's administration also publicized deportations and tried to dissuade Central Americans from heading north, particularly during the 2014 surge of families and children traveling alone to cross the border. Officials took credit when border arrests fell during his tenure, only to see the numbers rise again.

Some think the real "Trump effect" was pushing fearful people to move up their journeys and get to the U.S. before he took office. Border arrests in October, November and December increased by about a third compared to the same period in 2015, before falling this year.

"The election and the possibility that the wall, everything was going to happen, encouraged them to come now," said Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, which operates the shelter at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen.

Trump focused on the constant flow of migrants from the start of his campaign, when he denounced border crossers as criminals and rapists, and repeatedly promised to build a wall and step up deportations. His administration has started taking bids to build a wall and requested funding for more immigration judges and Border Patrol agents.
One of the foremost Brexit supporters in the European Parliament wants to cut European regulation and prevent new policies to be applied to the U.K. as the first step in the divorce process with the European Union. Daniel Hannan, member of the European Parliament for the ruling Conservative party, told CNBC the main Brexit priority should be slashing regulation in all policy areas. "I would get rid of the rules that disadvantage our up market with a sweet rule in the VAT (Value Added Tax), I would get rid of the REACH directive, which prevents our importers getting the chemicals they need, I would get rid of some of the rules that have disadvantaged our temping agencies, some of the rules on temporary workers, and I would stop some of the things that are about to happen," Hannan said. "For example the ports services directive, that was opposed by every port in Britain, every trade union, every British MEP for all its worth voted against and yet it's about to be imposed on us anyway if we stay in the EU," he added.

Hannan is a long-time advocate that the U.K. should not be a member of the European Union, having published books and delivered speeches on the issue since an early age. He also led the campaign that took the conservative party away from the centre-right parliamentary group EPP to the more eurosceptic European Conservatives and Reformists group. "Obviously, we are going to pay what's owed," Hannan added, regarding an exit bill that the EU demands from the U.K. before it leaves the bloc. The bill is estimated to be around 60 billion euros ($63.97), according to the European Commission. This has raised some controversy among U.K. government members, with Finance Minister Philip Hammond saying he doesn't recognize the figure.
U.K. telecoms operator BT has announced the signing of a new power agreement with a Scottish wind farm.



The power purchase agreement (PPA) is worth 185 million ($230.79 million) over 15 years and, in a statement earlier this week, BT said that thirteen wind turbines in the north of Scotland were providing the business with 100 gigawatt hours of renewable energy annually.

BT's general manager of power procurement said that the company had been purchasing 100 percent renewable energy in the U.K. since 2012.



"By 2020 we aim to be purchasing 100 per cent renewable electricity worldwide, so soon all of our power will come from sources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat wherever we operate across the globe - where markets allow," Rob Williams added.

Scottish Renewables' director of policy welcomed the deal. "The fact that we're seeing more and more large companies like BT contracting most or all of their power from sources like wind, solar, hydro and biomass shows that renewable energy makes good business sense," Jenny Hogan said.

"Renewables are already Scotland's biggest source of power  ahead of nuclear, gas and coal  and have the potential to provide half of all Scotland's energy  electricity, heat and transport -- by 2030."

Wind power is fast becoming an integral part of Scotland's energy mix. Scottish wind turbines sent more than 1.2 million megawatt hours of electricity to the National Grid in March, according to recent analysis of data from WeatherEnergy by WWF Scotland.

The environmental group said that turbines produced enough electricity to meet, on average, the electrical needs of 136 percent of Scottish households, equivalent to 3.3 million homes. This represented an increase of 81 percent compared to March 2016.
watch now

Changing tides in Europe may call for some portfolio changes, and Jim Cramer found one name that could make a strong play across the pond. "I happen to think that Santander is a great way to play a turn in Europe  as a spec, Santander, SAN, I really like it," the "Mad Money" host said. This advice came as the market received seemingly conflicting news about the state of the economy, and Cramer sifted through the uncertainty to find the market-movers that really matter. "In a market that can be whipsawed by a jobs number and the Fed minutes and Paul Ryan, it pays to be a little cautious, doesn't it? If you let your euphoria get the better of you this morning, you paid for it when we sold off this afternoon," Cramer said.

The Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Andre Caballero Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images

On Wednesday, Cramer spoke with Dr. Derek Chalmers, the co-founder and CEO of Cara Therapeutics to get a take on the pharma space. The company has been developing several breakthrough medications that target both pain and itching on a very large scale. Anti-itch medication in particular is highly soughy, Chalmers said. "This is really a very underserved market. Unlike pain, where we have some current medications that have some efficacy, but issue with side effects, itch is really an unmet need. And there's some 20 million patients here in the U.S. across various conditions  chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease, dermatological disease  unserved by any medication," he told Cramer. Chalmers said that the medication's unique chemistry prevents it from entering the brain, a challenge Cara Therapeutics was first to meet.

Rick Smith, CEO, Axon Scott Mlyn | CNBC

Cramer also spoke with CEO Rick Smith of Axon , who said that his company's name change from Taser International and its initiative to offer free body cameras for every U.S. law enforcement officer reflect a larger shift toward creating a "connected network." "There's something like a 15 to 1 return on investment for us by letting customers try this because ultimately, this is a network play," Smith told Cramer. Along with the cameras, every police department in the United States will be offer supplementary hardware and software that allows them to store unlimited data from the cameras for free for a year. Turning to a separate technology play, Cramer looked into Hewlett Packard Enterprise's recently completed transaction with Computer Sciences Corporation, out of which was born a new company called DXC Technology . Cramer thinks that Hewlett Packard, which spun off its enterprise services division into CSC, now DXC, and DXC itself can both outperform, and is holding on to both names for his charitable trust. "The transformations of HP Enterprise and the newly created DXC Technology are both complicated," Cramer said. "But I believe in management's ability to create value at both companies, which is why I acutally like both stocks. These are two attractive long-term stories. I like HPE right here, and would just like DXC to come down a tad  it's too hot  before I would the trigger."

Ronald 'Ron' Shaich, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Panera Bread Co. Peter Foley | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Cote and Shaich's leadership is why they are the two newest members of Cramer's Wall of Fame.

On Wednesday, privately-held European conglomerate JAB Holding announced it would buy Panera in a $7.5 billion acquisition , which Shaich said would give his fast-casual chain a "competitive advantage."

"Dave Cote, who retired last Thursday from Honeywell at right about the all-time high of the stock, and Ron Shaich, who just sold Panera Bread for a monster-good $315 per share, both deserve to have their numbers retired. These guys should be given a place of respect for other CEOs to aspire to," Cramer said.

Jim Cramer admits he has done a fair amount of bad-mouthing as the host of " Mad Money " over the years, but on Wednesday he celebrated two executives that led their companies to new highs.

During his tenure as the CEO and chairman of Honeywell, Cote took what Cramer called "one of the most poorly run conglomerates out there" and gave shareholders a 575 percent return over his 15 years with the company.

The 2008 financial crisis hit industry hard, but Cote used the downturn to Honeywell's advantage, buying up cheaper companies and creating an enterprise that offered parts for connected cars and airplanes.

"He developed world-class climate controls that are the envy of the industry. And he did it all in a quiet, self-effacing manner, stressing integrity and a customer-first ethos that many others would do well to emulate," Cramer said.

Shaich's career took off when he founded Au Bon Pain, which he later sold to focus on expanding Panera, which he also founded.

At the time, Cramer said the sale appeared to many as "a ridiculously outrageous and risky decision." But in the 20 years since Shaich's decision, the stock of Panera has increased by 80 times, the best-performing restaurant stock in the last two decades.

Cramer said he will never forget an interview of Shaich's when the CEO confessed he had not figured out Panera's mobile ordering problems, calling the pick-up area crowd a "mosh pit."

"Talk about a call to buy," Cramer said. "Ron vowed to conquer the mosh pit and he ended up creating Panera 2.0, which not only solved the mobile pay issue  one that dogs Starbucks to this day  but actually turned Panera into one of the few mid-single-digit growers in an industry that has truly struggled of late."

CEOs like Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Salesforce.com's Marc Benioff and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg still have room to run, which is why they are not yet bonafide Wall-of-Famers.

"No active players get into the hall, because in the immortal words of Yogi Berra, 'It ain't over until it's over,'" Cramer said. But, "to Dave Cote and Ron Shaich, congratulations for everything you've accomplished for your shareholders. Welcome to the 'Mad Money' Hall of Fame."

Questions for Cramer?

Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC

Want to take a deep dive into Cramer's world? Hit him up!

Mad Money Twitter - Jim Cramer Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Vine

Questions, comments, suggestions for the "Mad Money" website? madcap@cnbc.com
Bourses in Europe closed mixed on Wednesday with oil and mining stocks making gains, while auto stocks declined on weaker U.S. sales.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 was little changed at the close, barely making it into positive territory, up just 0.02 percent, with an equal number of sectors in the red and black. Auto stocks led the falls, down by 1.10 percent, extending Tuesday's losses after data showed a slowdown in car sales in the U.S.

The FTSE 100 in London rose 0.13 percent, the DAX in Frankfurt slid 0.53 percent and the CAC 40 in Paris slipped 0.18 percent.

Health-care stocks were also lower, down by 0.22 percent, as U.S. lawmakers made attempts to reconcile differences to replace Obamacare and drugmaker GSK announced it is recalling 600,000 asthma inhalers. The firm's shares were marginally lower.

At the other end of benchmarks, basic resources stocks outperformed their peers, rising 0.65 percent. Major miners were profiting from higher coal prices. Oil and gas stocks were also among the best performers, up by 0.53 percent, following indications of a gradual tightening in the market. Brent crude traded at $54.85 a barrel, 1.2 percent higher, and WTI was sold at $51.71, 1.3 percent higher.

Banking stocks also jumped on remarks made by Trump on financial regulation. He pledged Tuesday "to do a major haircut on Dodd-Frank"  a set of rules introduced in the wake of the financial crisis.

On Wall Street, stocks opened higher Wednesday after a solid employment data reading ahead of the release of Federal Reserve minutes.
The European electricity sector has announced its intention to move away from coal and focus on clean energy.



In an announcement on Wednesday, Eurelectric said that the European power sector was determined to "play a key role in providing clean energy for all Europeans" and to also "make electricity a central energy carrier for the low carbon economy."



Eurelectric represents 3,500 companies across Europe with an aggregate turnover of 200 billion euros ($213 billion).

An additional statement from Eurelectric, also released on Wednesday and adopted by its board of directors, said that the European electricity sector believed that achieving the decarbonisation objectives as set out in the landmark Paris Agreement, was "essential to guarantee the long-term sustainability of the global economy."



The statement went on to say that the European power sector did not "intend to invest in new-build coal-fired power plants after 2020." This intention was not supported by Polish and Greek member associations.



"The power sector is determined to lead the energy transition and back our commitment to the low carbon economy with concrete action," Antonio Mexia, Eurelectric president and CEO of the Portuguese energy group EDP, said in a statement.

"With power supply becoming increasingly clean, electric technologies are an obvious choice for replacing fossil fuel based systems, for instance in the transport sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Mexia added.
Delta Air Lines has won a prize for a new cabin design which jurors said offered a "First Class" experience for Business Class travelers.

The Crystal Cabin Award for 2017 for "best cabin concept" was contested by a number of entrants including Bombardier, United Airlines and Delta.

Delta was praised for its efforts to create a separate space for each traveler.

"Cabin areas enclosed with privacy partitions give a First Class feeling to Business Class travel.

"Carefully selected materials, mood lighting and technology work together to ensure an aesthetically exclusive travel experience," said the press release Tuesday from the Crystal Cabin Award Association.

Airbus also collected two gongs.

One category titled "Greener Cabin, Health, Safety and Environment" went to the European multinational for its "Re-trolley" concept.

The updated trolley is designed to recycle and compress passenger garbage while being pushed through the cabin by stewards.

The second award came to Airbus in the "Passenger Comfort Hardware" category.

Airbus, in collaboration with Recaro and THK, submitted a concept for an easily reconfigured cabin, allowing airlines to speedily adapt planes to reflect passenger numbers and flight loads.

Other winners included the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences for a wheelchair design that allows users to access on-board toilets without needing to call for help.

Vanema, in collaboration with Boxmark, also took out a prize for a new foam spring that is designed to improve seat comfort on long haul trips.
Thomas Edison may have co-founded General Electric , but that doesn't mean the massive conglomerate isn't interested in selling its consumer-lighting division, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

Sources tell the Journal that the company is interviewing investment banks about possibly selling the massive division, which the sources say could go for $500 million. The deal would not include Current, GE's commercial LED lighting company.

As the Journal notes, the sale would be likely be less about the money and more about continuing GE's retreat from the consumer sector in favor of business-facing ventures. The most recent big move in this direction was the conglomerate selling its appliances division to Haier Group, a Chinese company, last year.

A GE representative told CNBC that the company doesn't comment on rumors.

Read more at The Wall Street Journal.

Watch: GE to stop making curly light bulbs
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley took to the floor of the chamber for more than 15 hours Tuesday and Wednesday to protest President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch.

The Democrat had promised to speak "for as long I am able" as the clock ticked down toward the Washington Easter recess at the end of the week.

The former triathlete began at approximately 6:45 p.m. ET Tuesday and had to yield the floor at about 10:15 am ET Wednesday.

More from NBC News:

Ferguson, Missouri, Declines to Elect First Black Mayor

Cities Don't Want Justice Department to Back Off Police Reforms

Equal Pay Day: Women Rally Against Wage Gap, Workplace Discrimination

His point was that Gorsuch should not be considered until the investigation into alleged ties between Trump and Russia has been completed.

The record speaking time in the Senate is held by Strom Thurmond, the South Carolina senator who talked for over 24 hours in protest of civil rights legislation in 1957.

Merkley highlighted Republicans' desire to confirm Gorsuch and their opposition last year to President Barack Obama's pick, Merrick Garland, saying the SCOTUS seat vacated by the death of Antonin Scalia had been "stolen" by the GOP.

The speech didn't delay the debate or votes.

Speaking next to a board featuring the words "We the People" from the Constitution, he said: "I plan to keep speaking for quite a while longer, as long as I'm able."

His efforts were followed overnight on C-SPAN and inspired the social media hashtags #StopGorsuch and #HoldTheFloor.

@SenJeffMerkley: "I plan to keep speaking for quite a while longer, as long as I'm able" #StopGorsuch #HoldTheFloor

Gorsuch is especially unpopular with both of Oregon's senators because of his views on assisted suicide laws, according to The Oregonian which reported the senator's move in a live blog.

Before Merkley began speaking, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell insisted Gorsuch would be confirmed this week.

He said Republicans have enough votes for the so-called "nuclear option" of permanently changing rules that require the support of 60 senators. Such a change would impact future Supreme Court nominees and reduce the influence of the minority party.

Lawmakers were preparing to leave Washington for Easter recess at the end of the week. Despite many expressing concern about how the fight could forever change the Senate and the nation's highest court, members of both parties have remained firm in their respective partisan corners.

Republicans say that it's up to Democrats to stand down and allow Gorsuch to pass. They blame Democrats for ratcheting up a confirmation battle over a jurist that they say is well within the mainstream.

Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, however, says that McConnell has a choice and can ask President Donald Trump to send a new nominee.

"Both sides I know are pointing fingers at the other in this debate  saying that the other side started it. We did not even get our nominee, when Sen. McConnell broke 230 years of Senate precedent, didn't even allow Judge Garland a hearing or a vote," Schumer said Tuesday.

@BikePortland: Wondering how @SenJeffMerkley has the stamina to #holdthefloor all night? He's a triathlete!
Republicans have been excited all week in response to a report that says former Obama National Security Adviser Susan Rice asked the intelligence community to "unmask" the names of Trump campaign and Trump transition officials. They believe the report is likely proof of a deliberate and illegal smear campaign by the outgoing Obama administration against the Trump team. And now the GOP-controlled House Intelligence Committee wants Rice to testify about what she knows.

I have one piece of advice for those congressional Republicans: Don't do it!

Because a funny thing happens at a lot of congressional hearings meant to embarrass witnesses or get them to reveal information that hurts another political party; they often end up backfiring in a big way. And if there is anyone in Washington who is equipped and likely to do just that to the GOP, it's Susan Rice.

First off, we need one disclaimer. The Republicans and other defenders of President Donald Trump can come out OK in this demand for Rice to testify if she decides to take her Fifth Amendment rights not to appear before the committee. That result would fuel even more doubt about Rice even among more moderate voters.

But if Rice decides to testify, it's hard to believe she will do nothing other than continue the public process she began Tuesday during an MSNBC interview where she pushed back hard on these accusations and allegations that she misused intelligence data for political purposes.

Here was the key quote from that interview: "The allegations that somehow Obama administration officials utilized intelligence for political purposes are absolutely false," she said. "[Unmasking] is necessary to do my job. ... Imagine if we saw something of grave significance about Russia, or China, or anybody else interfering with our political process."

Rice's denial/explanation surely sounds solid enough to most Democrats and some others. And Republicans still expecting her to flip under less friendly circumstances should think harder about exactly how good a soldier Rice is. Remember, Rice is the one who went on national TV in 2012 and presented the outrageous notion that a obscure YouTube video was responsible for the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi. So this is simply not the profile of a woman who is suddenly going to reveal damaging new information before Congress.

But this goes beyond just Rice. We have several cases in recent history of high profile hearing witnesses who absolutely turned what were supposed to be devastating proceedings for them and their causes into absolute triumphs.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon attends a policy forum with President Donald Trump in the State Dining Room at the White House, Feb. 3, 2017, in Washington.

Ryan Falvey knew his organization, the Center for Financial Services Innovation, was highly regarded at JPMorgan , but he was shocked to see it so prominently featured in CEO Jamie Dimon's annual shareholder letter.

Falvey joined the non-profit CFSI in 2014 to lead the Financial Solutions Lab, a $30 million initiative from JPMorgan aimed at funding projects that could improve consumers' financial health. The lab is investing in nine start-ups a year.

Dimon called out CFSI and the lab on page 10 of Tuesday's 46-page shareholder letter, highlighting it as a centerpiece of the bank's focus on technology and innovation. Of the company's $9.5 billion investment in tech last year, $600 million went to fintech initiatives, including CFSI, Dimon said.

CFSI, whose projects "help consumers manage their daily finances and meet their long-term goals," have supported 18 companies that have gone on to collectively raise $100 million in follow-on capital, Dimon wrote.

"I was completely blown away," said Falvey, a managing director at CFSI, in an interview on Wednesday. Falvey said that when he was told CFSI was in the letter, "I was expecting it to be on page 60 of corporate responsibilities."

For Dimon, technology has become a central talking point and strategic priority. In addition to the bank's embrace of Silicon Valley start-ups, JPMorgan is turning into a sophisticated tech shop for its internal efforts.

The lead section in the addendum to Dimon's shareholder letter carried the title, "Technology continues to fuel everything we do."
Automation replacing jobs is inevitable, according to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. But, instead of trying to ignore advancements, governments should help educate and train citizens to help them find sustainable careers.

"We know that the job market is changing, and instead of resisting in vain, we're focused on funding research and innovation, like in AI and quantum computing, that'll help lead the change here in Canada," Trudeau wrote on Quora. "And while we do that, we're preparing Canadians to find good jobs through investments in education and training.

Quora is a question-and-answer site founded by former Facebook Chief Technology Officer Adam D'Angelo and ex-Facebook engineer and manager Charlie Cheever. Trudeau was responding to a question on the site asking, "What should governments do to prepare for the technological automation of human jobs?"

Canada's budget this year includes more grants and interest-free loans for students, in addition to investing in 13,000 "work-integrated placements" for students, Trudeau said. It is also proposing an "Innovation and Skills Plan," which is focused on growing its middle-class economy, Trudeau explained. Citizens who are part of the Employment Insurance program will be able to keep their status if they are pursuing self-funded training. The current proposal provides 132.4 million Canadian dollars ($98.7 million) over four years for the program beginning in 2018, and CA$37.9 million per year each year after.

"For unemployed workers receiving EI, this will mean that they can return to school to get the training they need to find a new job  without fear of losing the EI benefits they need to support themselves and their families," he wrote. "This will provide greater security to Canadian families at a time when they need help most."
The description below the ad on Pepsi's Global YouTube channel states: "A short film about the moments when we decide to let go, choose to act, follow our passion and nothing holds us back."

In the ad, Jenner is seen posing in a blond wig at a photo shoot, while a peace protest marches by. She then ditches the wig, grabs a can of Pepsi and joins the protest. Jenner gets to the front and hands the can to a police officer, who drinks as the crowd cheers.

An advertisement for Pepsi featuring model Kendall Jenner handing a can of soda to a police officer at a peace protest has sparked a backlash online, sparking the company to yank the ad.

The ad was an attempt to reach out to millennials, but following intense social media criticism, a Pepsi spokesperson said in a press release that it was pulling the ad.

"Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding," the release said. "Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are removing the content and halting any further rollout."

People took to Twitter to comment, with comedian Travon Free saying: "The Kendall Jenner Pepsi fiasco is a perfect example of what happens when there's no black people in the room when decisions are being made." It was retweeted more than 4,800 times.

TWEET

Another tweeter wrote: "Can't believe Kendall Jenner just solved institutionalized racism and oppression by giving a cop a Pepsi. Groundbreaking."

TWEET

The ad has also been compared with the image of Ieshia Evans who was arrested by police at a protest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2016. Taryn Finley wrote: "Could you be any more blatant with the disrespect and appropriation of a movement, @Pepsi? Is this a sick joke?!"

TWEET

A Pepsi spokesperson said in an emailed statement: "This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think that's an important message to convey."

Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.
watch now

PALM BEACH, Fla.  President Donald Trump is wreaking havoc on local businesses and wealthy aircraft owners who rely on the regional airports surrounding Mar-a-Lago, or what the president calls the "Southern White House." Trump will host Chinese President Xi Jinping here beginning Thursday, creating what could be the longest air traffic shutdown around his resort ever. It's hoped that the two world leaders will use the opportunity to hash out their differences on several global topics, but the business owners and executives who use this air hub, known locally as Lantana Airport, are losing patience and money because of Trump's frequent visits. They want to hash out their differences with the Secret Service. When Trump visits, the Secret Service issues a Temporary Flight Restriction before his arrival. That essentially shuts down the airport for the duration of his stay. This will be the seventh weekend Trump has stayed at Mar-a-Lago since his January inauguration. Aviation businesses run out of Lantana must come to a complete halt, planes are grounded and operations cease. The regional airport is 5 nautical miles south of Mar-a-Lago  which puts it right in the middle of the 10-mile no-fly ring.

Lantana Airport is about six miles southwest of Mar-a-Lago. Source: Google Maps

Phil Valente, a millionaire trial attorney, rents a hangar at Lantana for a plane he shares with several friends. He said it costs him thousands of dollars extra to house his plane at a nearby facility outside of the no-fly zone. He's also paying double the price in fuel, and he said his business is suffering because his plane is grounded. Standing inside his hangar by his sleek $2 million Piper Meridian M500, Valente said the shutdown couldn't be more of an inconvenience. "We have to move the airplane over to North County Airport, pay for extra fuel. Go through the manipulations of getting yourself over there and somehow get back. And you have to do it with a lot of planning," he said. "It costs me a lot of time out of the office. There's no easy or simple way to do it. ... It's a big hassle." Jonathan Miller, president of Stellar Aviation Group, sells fuel and rents hangars to aircraft owners like Valente. He says he's lost about $30,000 in net income each two-day weekend that Trump is at Mar-a-Lago. During this week's coming four-day visit, he said, he stands to lose as much as $55,000. Miller said his business is seasonal and generates 60 percent of revenue on the weekends. And just last month, a helicopter training facility moved its operations from here to Alabama. That amounted to an annual loss of $440,000.

President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump arrive on Air Force One at the Palm Beach International airport. Getty Images

"Something has to be done," Miller said. "We can't go on like this." Miller said he worked with Trump in the past when the real estate mogul would land in West Palm Beach for stays at Mar-a-Lago. Miller reached out to the president but is still waiting for an answer. The Palm Beach Flight Training School has also taken a hit. Office manager Michelle Smith said the business, which is based at Lantana, is grounded when Trump is in town. She said that year to date, it has lost $67,000 in revenue. In order to save the school, she has leased office space at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport to keep some of the weekend customers. "They're frustrated. Most of them cancel their flights," she said. "It's hard when they want answers, and we can't give them any."

We either have to have some concessions from the federal government or some concessions from the Secret Service. It can't go on like this, especially for four or eight more years. Jonathan Miller president, Stellar Aviation Group

About 300 aircraft are based at Lantana. It employees 250 people full time, with a direct economic impact of almost $15 million and a total community impact of over $27 million annually, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. The association has asked the Secret Service for several concessions. The groups met a couple of weeks ago but have yet to reach an agreement. Dave Johnson, who works on behalf of the association, said he voted for Trump during the election. He said he still supports him, but no one expected the president to visit as often as he has. And he expressed disappointment with the Secret Service for not working with them on a fix. A spokesperson for the Secret Service said the flight restrictions are temporary. She said the agency has worked "diligently" with the local community but does not expect to make changes yet. The pilot's association has asked the Federal Aviation Administration to create a cutout to exclude Lantana from the no-fly zone and let air businesses operate without TSA screening. But several businesses at Lantana said they would be willing to undergo heightened security checks in order to fly. Currently, TSA screeners are not required at the air hub because Lantana is a general aviation airport. This means it has no scheduled passenger or public charter service with more than 30 passengers. Commercial flights at Palm Beach International Airport are not affected because they undergo more rigorous security screening.

'Two sides to every story'
In a race to reboot their legislative agenda, Republicans in Congress have turned to tax reform as fertile ground for a big, and much needed, victory.

But there's already a simmering feud among key GOP lawmakers over what provisions should be included in any corporate tax overhaul  a spat that some fear could lead to a replay of last month's implosion over the Republican Obamacare replacement plan.

In the House, Republican leaders say any tax reform bill needs to include what they call "border adjustment" and critics call a new levy on imported goods. The goal is to spur more domestic manufacturing and remove an incentive for companies to relocate headquarters overseas.

More from USA Today:

Russia: Syrian airstrike on terrorist lab caused chemical deaths

Trump hits Obama while condemning Syria chemical attack

Inside America's money pipeline to the drug cartels

In the Senate, many Republicans think such a "border adjustment tax" is a terrible idea that could drive up consumer prices and spark a trade war, hurting American consumers and workers alike.

In the middle is President Trump. The president's top aides are also apparently divided on border adjustment, and Trump has sent somewhat conflicting signals on the proposal.

"You have this White House that has been a bit split (between) folks who are for it and folks who are against," said Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Ohio, a member of the Ways and Means Committee, which is crafting the House GOP plan. "And we haven't heard from the president yet, and that's really important."

Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, has been pitching border adjustment to business and advocacy groups since Election Day.

"Under today's tax code a made-in-America product is at a tax disadvantage here in America, and a tax disadvantage overseas, " Brady said Tuesday at a roundtable with regional reporters. "So a made-in-America product today loses in both directions."

His plan would lower the corporate income tax rate to 20% and base taxes on where a product is sold, rather than where it is made. Today, an American company that sells a product overseas pays taxes to the United States on the sale, but most global competitors remove their domestic value-added taxes from products that are exported here.

Under border adjustment, American companies would pay tax on the sale of imported products, but not on products sold overseas. Brady said that would remove any tax incentive to move manufacturing or research operations overseas and make it easier for American exporters to compete globally.

But retailers and other businesses that rely on imported goods say such a border tax could force them to raise prices dramatically, with American consumers taking the financial hit. They have formed a coalition  called Americans for Affordable Products  and launched an all-out campaign to kill the proposal.

"The Border Adjustment Tax  slaps outrageous taxes on imported goods  like clothing, food, medicine, and gasoline  products Americans rely on every day," the coalition says on its website. "Under the BAT, a U.S. large company may virtually pay no corporate taxes simply because it exports products, while another American company delivering affordable essentials to their consumers will be faced with crushing taxes."

That fierce opposition is also simmering in the Senate, where skeptical Republicans are quietly urging the Trump administration and House Republicans to back off the BAT. They say any tax reform bill that includes the House border adjustment plan will never pass the Senate, so a protracted debate over the idea is a waste of precious legislative time.

"Let's get on with it," Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, a member of the Senate's tax-writing committee, said last week during an interview on CNBC.

"Let's go for a more traditional approach at this point and see if we can build consensus around that," Portman said. "That would be lowering the rates, broadening the base, and doing the stuff we've talked about for a long time."

Complicating the dispute is that border adjustment helps provide $1.1 trillion in new revenue over the coming decade, which the House plan uses to offset lost revenue from lowering the top corporate rate to 20%.

And border adjustment is just one of several elements that could make the House Republican plan a tough sell in the Senate, where Republicans hold 52 seats. The House plan also significantly increases the standard deduction while eliminating many existing deductions in the individual income tax code, including the deduction for state and local taxes. That change could cost the plan votes from senators in states that benefit from those deductions.

So far, Brady has refused to drop his border adjustment tax, which is also embraced by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. But Brady has said he's willing to revise the plan by creating a "deliberate transition period" that would give companies time to bring manufacturing and supply chains back to the U.S.

"One of the lessons learned from the health care process is that the sooner that President Trump and House and Senate Republicans unify behind a tax plan and an approach, the better," Brady said last week.

Another lesson from the health care debacle: Republicans need to prove they can legislate  and quickly. But whether tax reform will lead to another self-inflicted defeat, or a sweeping victory, is unclear.

"Tax reform is a big deal for Republicans," said David French, senior vice president for government relations at the National Retail Federation. "It's a big deal for the economy. If they can get it done right, it's a win. And this White House and this Congress needs a win."
Gottlieb is a Washington fixture, with a medical degree, experience at the FDA and in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He is a fellow at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute and a respected health policy analyst.

"I want to earn and keep the public's trust," Gottlieb told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee hearing Wednesday. "I recognize the importance of bringing impartiality to this role."

President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Food and Drug Administration , Dr. Scott Gottlieb, said on Wednesday he'd use his drug industry experience as a force to improve the agency and agreed with his critics who said the FDA had not handled the opioid crisis well.

But his critics cite his ties to the drug industry and his role at New Enterprise Associates, which bills itself as the world's largest venture capital firm. It invests heavily in medical technology and healthcare companies.

They seized on the opioid crisis as Gottlieb's potential weak spot.

"Trump's nominee to be the next FDA commissioner, Dr. Gottlieb, is entangled in an unprecedented web of close financial and business ties to the pharmaceutical industry and was no doubt chosen because he is well-suited to carry out the president's reckless, ill-informed vision for deregulating the FDA's review and approval process for prescription medications, including opioids," Dr. Michael Carome, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, told reporters on a conference call.

"Dr. Gottlieb has had a cozy relationship with big drug companies for decades," added Sherrod Brown, a Democratic senator from Ohio. "He has supported allowing those same companies to rush their drugs  including potentially addictive opioid painkillers  onto the market before we're sure that they're safe," Brown added.

More from NBC News:

78 die from opioid overdoses daily

Nearly 12,000 kids poisoned by opioids

To cut opioid overdoses, watch doctors

Republican senators, however, used the hearing to lavishly praise Gottlieb. "I just want to compliment you," Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch said. "You have had a wealth of experience," he added.

The HELP committee chairman, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), said Gottlieb's experience should be an asset to the giant agency, which oversees approval of new drugs, medical devices and biological products; regulates food safety; and supervises some tobacco product marketing.

Gottlieb has said that if confirmed as FDA commissioner, he'd stay away for a year from decisions involving nearly two dozen companies he has been involved with, would divest himself of medical company stocks and would resign from his other positions. And he said he'd make the opioid crisis a major focus of the agency's efforts.

"I think this is a public health emergency on the order of Ebola and Zika," Gottlieb said at the hearing.

The opioid epidemic has the attention of Congress, Trump, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health experts, with deaths hitting a new high each year.

Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, a Democrat, says the FDA has done too little to control opioid misuse.

"For years, the FDA has granted unfettered access to Big Pharma and its addictive opioid painkillers to the American public," Markey told reporters in a teleconference.

"The result is a prescription drug, heroin and fentanyl epidemic of tragic proportions and the greatest public health crisis our nation currently faces," Markey added. "At a time when we need its leader to break the stronghold of big pharmaceutical companies on the FDA, Dr. Scott Gottlieb will not do the job."

But Gottlieb agreed the FDA had acted too slowly to address the overuse of opioids to treat pain.
Watch out, Starbucks .

At least that's what one restaurant expert warns, following Wednesday's big announcement from fast-casual chain Panera Bread.

"[Panera ] could be a competitive threat to Starbucks," Morningstar Global restaurant analyst R.J. Hottovy told CNBC's "Power Lunch" on Wednesday.

The St. Louis, Missouribased chain announced Wednesday it has struck a $7.5 billion deal with European headquartered JAB Holding, the owner of Caribou Coffee and Krispy Kreme, to take Panera private.

JAB has offered $315 in cash per Panera share, representing a more than 20 percent premium to the stock's closing price on March 31, its last trading day before media reports of a potential deal.

"[JAB] overpaid in this case," Hottovy told CNBC. But investors can also make the case that Panera has done a good job of tapping into consumers' preferences and leveraging technology to its advantage of late, he said. "You also have to factor in what JAB will [now] do with Panera."

"Panera will reportedly operate independent of JAB management, but we wonder if this signals a strategic shift from the defensive to the offensive for [the firm]," Morningstar wrote in a Wednesday note to clients. "... With this acquisition, we start to see some intriguing potential synergies."

Shares of Dunkin' Brands  the owner of coffee chain Dunkin' Donuts  fell slightly on Wednesday's takeover news. Some analysts thought JAB was considering buying Dunkin', but the Panera acquisition now makes the possibility of this much less likely, Hottovy said.

Panera, with JAB's help, could now do a whole host of things to compete with coffee giant Starbucks, Hottovy emphasized, including launching smaller-format stores, more delivery options, extending its mobile order platform across other JAB-owned brands and putting more packaged goods into grocery stores.

"Panera could be [JAB's] first move going after the likes of Starbucks," he said.

Shares of Starbucks traded slightly up under 1 percent on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Panera's stock soared more than 14 percent, hitting an all-time intraday high of $312.98 per share on the heels of the announcement.

Watch: Analysis of the deal
Whether you are buying a property to flip or a home to live in for decades, the location is as important as the home itself. If you aren't already familiar with a neighborhood, there are three simple ways you can quickly get up to speed on a new area, according to Sean Conlon, a self-made millionaire and real-estate mogul and the star of CNBC's "The Deed: Chicago." And you shouldn't commit to buying in that neighborhood until you've assessed it in these three ways.



1. Pound the pavement "The best way to get information: Walk the streets. There is no better way to get a handle on a place than by talking to the people who live there," says Conlon.

Photo by Drew Angerer

In the second episode of the show, business partners Mark Ainley and Bryan Sonn buy a two-story home in the Calumet Heights neighborhood at auction for $23,600. They do a gut renovation and plan to put the house back on the market for $215,000. They need Conlon's help, but before Conlon will invest, he does his own due diligence. On his walk through Calumet Heights, Conlon talks to a couple of ladies who have lived in the neighborhood for 41 years. "We always say it's kind of like a quiet secret," one lady tells Conlon. That's a good sign.

watch now

2. Figure out who's renting and who's buying When you are looking to make an investment in a neighborhood, get a sense of what percentage of the homes in the neighborhood are owner-occupied. "More home ownership, less renting, makes for a stable neighborhood and better real estate values," Conlon says.

Sean Conlon Photo by Brandon Ancil, CNBC
Maybe he's tired of being "missing" after all.

Richard Simmons, the once uber-flamboyant, now-reclusive fitness maven, has signed a new deal with a company that will handle his licensing, merchandising and endorsements, and launch a line of "motivation" and "inspiration" products.

The deal with Prominent Brand + Talent, whose executives include Simmons' longtime manager Michael Catalano, was reported Wednesday by the trade site License Global.

The news comes less than three weeks after the release of the final episode of the highly popular podcast "Missing Richard Simmons."

That podcast detailed how Simmons abruptly disappeared from the public eye and cut off of contact with his many friends without any explanation in 2014.

Catalano told CNBC on Wednesday that the new deal came about partly because of "the podcast" and a recent People magazine article on Simmons, which "created an outpouring of interest" in the celebrity.

"And a lot of that has been in the the licensing group area," Catalano said.

Asked if Simmons, who no longer does public appearances, will promote his existing products and new products in connection with the deal, Catalano said, "I don't know about promoting, but he certainly will be involved in the creation and the direction of the product, that's for sure."

"Richard really hasn't decided what, if anything, he's going to do to promote it in a public way. So it's really undetermined, at this point," Catalano said.

Simmons' withdrawal was particularly puzzling because for decades before he was known for his over-the-top, emotional television appearances, public events and private encouragement of people who were trying to lose weight. Simmons even had made a habit of dashing out to greet gawkers on tour buses passing by his Los Angeles home.

The six-episode podcast debuted a year after a Daily News story detailed how Simmons' closest friends had become "increasingly concerned" about him after he ceased communications with them, and stopped leading a weekly exercise class at his Beverly Hills studio, Slimmons. There was even speculation that Simmons was being held against his will or being controlled by his longtime housekeeper.

Both the story and the podcast had sparked welfare checks on Simmons by Los Angeles Police, who reported that he was "fine."

After the News article ran in 2016, Simmons did a phone interview with NBC's "TODAY" show, and said, "no one is holding me hostage," and dismissed as "very silly" the theories about his housekeeper.

"I just sort of wanted to be a little bit of a loner for a while," Simmons told "TODAY" at the time.

License Global, in its story Wednesday, reported that Prominent Brand + Talent "will now aim to create a collection of Richard Simmonsinspired products and build on the fitness icon's current lineup merchandise."

The story also noted that Simmons-related merchandise has sold more than $1.5 billion over the years through retailers that include Wal-Mart , Payless, QVC and Amazon.

Catalano told CNBC that Simmons had done 20 different infomercials over the years, and said that was an indication of Simmons' marketing power given the fact that if a product doesn't sell after an infomercial airs, the show is yanked.

Dan Levin, a managing member of Prominent Brand + Talent, was quoted in the License Global story as saying the company "has plans to launch a global line of thoughtful motivation and inspiration-based products that that will achieve the tenet Richard has always espoused  love yourself no matter what you weigh, make time to do good for others and laugh a little."

Catalano told CNBC that no decision has been made yet as to what those new products will be.

"It will all be in keeping with Richard's messaging. ... Richard's always been about helping people feel better about themselves," Catalano said. "We're certainly not going to do tires and party hats. We really want it to be meaningful."

In the last episode of "Missing Richard Simmons," Catalano told the podcast host Dan Taberski that Simmons did not want a "last bow."

"Most people want that last bow, not everybody," Catalano said on that episode, where he also asked Taberski and others "to please respect" Simmons' desire for privacy.

"He's earned it, this is his story," Catalano told Taberski. "He has, certainly, the right to write the ending."

On Wednesday, CNBC asked Catalano if Simmons would call a reporter to discuss his new licensing deal.

"He's not talking to anybody right now," Catalano said. "But I appreciate you asking."
Goldman Sachs told investors to avoid Shake Shack shares, citing the risk of opening too many restaurants in the same geographic area. The firm reiterated its sell rating on the company. "We have previously highlighted ... declining novelty and therefore excitement around unit opens as a risk to new store productivity, and  cannibalization as a growing risk to traffic trends at SHAK, as the company continues to add density in markets outside of N.Y.," analyst Karen Holthouse wrote in a note to clients Wednesday. "We look at the Washington, D.C., market  as a case study that largely confirmed both of these concerns." Holthouse lowered her Shake Shack price target to $30 from $34, representing 9.5 percent downside from Tuesday's close. She cited how the number of first-month Yelp reviews for Shake Shack's fourth Washington, D.C.-area location is 90 percent lower than the first restaurant and 50 percent less than the previous two openings. In similar fashion, the "buzz" on Twitter declined with each successive store, she noted. "Word of mouth and 'grass-roots' campaigns are key components of SHAK's marketing strategy around new opens," Holthouse wrote. "The second and third units experienced significant drop-offs, but were within the same range of one another.  Interestingly, the Logan Circle (fourth unit) open generated significantly lower interest (showing almost no material bump in Twitter mentions)." The D.C. example is a negative sign for Shake Shack as new restaurants outside of the New York area will now face an average of three stores within the same market, according to the analyst. As a result, Holthouse lowered her 2017 Shake Shack earnings per share estimate to 48 cents from 53 cents.  CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this story.

A worker takes a pager from a customer at a Shake Shack restaurant in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Ron Antonelli | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The U.S. Senate moved on Tuesday toward ramming through approval of President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee this week, as its top Republican said he had the votes to wipe away Democratic roadblocks but vowed to preserve the minority party's ability to hold up legislation.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to change the Senate's long-standing rules in order to eliminate the ability to use a procedural hurdle called a filibuster against Supreme Court nominees like Trump's pick, Neil Gorsuch, if a Democratic filibuster succeeds as expected in blocking a confirmation vote.

Senate confirmation of Gorsuch, 49, to the lifetime post would restore the court's conservative majority and enable Trump to leave a lasting imprint on America's highest judicial body even as he regularly criticizes the federal judiciary.

McConnell said he had the necessary votes to approve the rule change with a simple majority vote, expected on Thursday. Republicans control the Senate 52-48. The rule change has been dubbed the "nuclear option," and Trump has encouraged McConnell to "go nuclear."

Such a step would threaten to further erode trust between the parties in Congress.

"There's a reason they call it the nuclear option, and that is because there's fallout. And this fallout will be dangerously and perhaps disastrously radioactive for the Senate for years to come," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal told reporters.

Republicans were so confident they could use their muscle to pass the rule change that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said flatly that Gorsuch "will be on the Supreme Court Friday night."

Amid a fierce debate over both Gorsuch and the Senate's rules, McConnell tried to tamp down any speculation that Republicans would stage a monumental power grab by ending the filibuster for legislation.

McConnell said that as long as he was the Senate's majority leader, he would never remove the ability to mount a filibuster against legislation, as opposed to presidential appointments. McConnell fought against many of former Democratic President Barack Obama's legislative initiatives when Republicans were the minority party in the Senate.

"There's not a single senator in the (Republican) majority who thinks we ought to change the legislative filibuster, not one," McConnell told reporters.

The move to change venerable Senate rules reflects an intensifying of the already-toxic partisanship in Washington since Trump took office in January.

McConnell's promise to keep the ability to filibuster legislation could make it more difficult for Republicans to get key parts of Trump's legislative agenda through the Senate, considering the expected strong Democratic opposition.
Some told BuzzFeed News that Chinese merchants use AliExpress to sell replicas of their goods in bulk to other US retailers, and also go directly to consumers; the majority said they got nowhere when they tried to report the issue to the company.

But AliExpress can have a devastating effect on small American businesses like Ospina's, BuzzFeed News has found. The owners of 29 different US-based children's boutiques said their designs have been copied and sold on AliExpress, often using their own photography to advertise them.

Regulators and multinational brands have long criticized Alibaba, which saw 288% year-on-year revenue growth in its international commerce retail business in the last quarter of 2016. That rapid overseas expansion is partly due to AliExpress, the company's fast-growing site targeting Western consumers.

"You think this would happen to Nike or Louis Vuitton," she told BuzzFeed News. "You wouldn't think it would happen to small businesses."

She spent months requesting the site to remove the listings, but was met with silence. She quickly learned that she was not the first business to contend with this: The site's Chinese owner, Alibaba Group, has drawn scorn from many big Western brands that insist it has turned a blind eye toward widespread counterfeiting during its rise to the top of the Chinese online shopping industry.

Ospina, 32, runs Belle Threads from her home in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. She eventually found dozens of similar listings on the site, all selling knockoffs of her work, and all using the photo of her daughter, posted without her permission on the site.

It was a photo of her 2-year-old daughter modeling a mermaid romper she had sewn in her home, and it was being used to advertise a rip-off of her design, now being sold for a fraction of the price on a AliExpress, a site run by one of the world's biggest technology companies.

Last spring, as Tannia Ospina settled into bed after a long day running her children's clothing business, an Instagram message popped up that made her burst into tears.

While Ospina and the other small business owners try in vain to stamp out individual copies of their designs, Alibaba has boomed since the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014. The value of goods sold on Alibaba's Chinese marketplaces increased from $394 billion in the 2015 financial year to $485 billion a year later. To compare, Amazon reported nearly $136 billion in net sales last year, and eBay reported $79.5 billion worth of goods were sold on its site. By the sheer size of its marketplace, Alibaba is bigger than both eBay and Amazon combined.

Policing the world's largest online marketplace has become an ongoing challenge for the giant luxury goods corporations that own mega-brands like Louis Vuitton and Burberry. But it's a winnable fight for those businesses, thanks in part to their armies of lawyers and billions in revenue. For a one-person operation in the American suburbs, it's a completely different kind of battle.

"It feels like a game of whack-a-mole but if you don't do it you'll be flooded," said Roxanne Elings, a partner at the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine who helped shut down more than 4,500 Chinese websites selling counterfeit luxury goods. "With a small company, I feel for them, because it doesn't take much to really hurt. Luxury and fashion companies don't like it, but they have the resources to keep it at bay. It's tougher for small companies."

Alibaba, based in Hangzhou, China, broke records in 2014 when it held the largest initial public offering ever, raising $21.8 billion from investors and securing a valuation of $230 billion. Its outspoken CEO, Jack Ma, has become an international face of Chinese business, and one of the world's richest men, with a net worth of about $29 billion according to Forbes.

When Ma met with President Donald Trump in January, he made headlines by vowing to create a million new jobs in the US in the next five years. That ambitious number was based on plans to bring America's entrepreneurs and small businesses onto Alibaba's e-commerce platforms, exposing them to vast new markets in China and around the world.

Trump was elated, calling Ma a "great, great entrepreneur and one of the best in the world."

"It's jobs," the then-president-elect added. "Jack and I are going to do some great things."

The meeting at Trump Tower came just weeks after the US Trade Representative released a report labeling Alibaba's Taobao marketplace "notorious" for selling fake goods.

"Current levels of reported counterfeiting and piracy are unacceptably high," the report said. "Counterfeit and pirated goods pose a grave economic threat to US creative and innovative industries."

In a response at the time, Alibaba said the Trade Representative's report "ignores the real work Alibaba has done to protect IP rights holders and assist law enforcement to bring counterfeiters to justice" and questioned if it was "based on the actual facts or was influenced by the current political climate."

The report came after nearly a decade of lawsuits from international companies, including Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, and Balenciaga, that have accused Alibaba of failing to purge counterfeiters from its marketplaces. Even the Chinese government has singled out Alibaba for tolerating fakes hawked by unlicensed vendors.

The anger hit new highs last June, when Ma said "fake products today are of better quality and better price than the real names." Ma clarified the intent of his comments in a Wall Street Journal op-ed days later.

"Failing to protect original designs, trademarks and technology is akin to thievery, and it is detrimental not only to innovation but also to the integrity of the marketplace," he wrote in the column. "We do not and will never condone any act of stealing."

Months before Ma's snafu, Alibaba had taken some steps to double down on its fight against counterfeits, the company told BuzzFeed News in a statement. It said it has proactively removed more than 380 million infringing product listings from August 2015 through August 2016 and closed about 180,000 stores on its Taobao platform for intellectual property infringements.

In October the company streamlined its systems for reporting fakes into one site, which it calls its Intellectual Property Protection platform. Rights holders can use the site to report copycat products, opening an investigation in which the company reviews copyright documents to determine whether infringement has taken place, it said. The company said its takedown actions are stronger when rights holders are actively flagging infringing vendors on the platform.

That reporting system is itself vulnerable to bad actors, who file illegitimate takedown requests against competing vendors or products, and almost one-quarter of requests submitted to the system are made in bad faith, the company says. For brands with a track record of legitimate, successful requests, the company has developed an express processing system, which it said approves more than 99% of requests in less than one business day.

About 1,100 brands had signed up for the fast-track process by the end of 2016, the majority of them international ones. Getting smaller companies familiar with the reporting system is a priority for the company, Alibaba said, and "we are actively working to make it more user-friendly and efficient for all of its users, especially small businesses."

In January, companies including Louis Vuitton, Mars, and Samsung, entered into a partnership with the Chinese company to crack down on counterfeits, using Alibaba's systems to scan as many as 10 million product listings a day for fraudulent items, the company said.

R.J. Hottovy, a consumer equity strategist for Morningstar who follows Alibaba Group, told BuzzFeed News that he believes the company has been able to "constrain" the sale of knockoffs on its sites.

"I think they've been successful," he added. "You're never going to get 100% elimination. ... If the deal is too good to be true, it probably is. In a consumer marketplace like Taobao, it's hard to eliminate."

In May, Alibaba entered another program to combat fakes, joining the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC), a Washington-based trade association whose members include top luxury and tech brands, allowing rights holders to file takedown requests through the organization.

But that same month, the IACC suspended Alibaba's membership after complaints from members who said the company wasn't doing enough to weed out fakes on its marketplace.

At the time, Alibaba said that solving the counterfeiting problem requires "strong industry collaboration, and we believe that intermediaries, like Alibaba, must be an integral part of the solution." The company said it would keep working with brands to address the issue "whether or not we are a member of the IACC."

"Giving membership to a company who has been accused of being a major enabler of copyright infringement would really question what the purpose is of the organization," said Joseph Gioconda, an attorney and intellectual property consultant. "If you were going after the mafia, you wouldn't invite them to dinner and have a conversation about how you're going to go about working together."

Gioconda said Alibaba would have to show a "bona fide interest in actually taking serious measures to handle the allegations of rampant counterfeiting" for him to support the company's membership in the network.

Alibaba said 6,807 sellers have been banned and more than 197,000 potentially infringing listings were removed by September 2016 through the IACC program.

Other Chinese platforms like Jingdong  comparable to Amazon  have made the authenticity of items on sale one of their key selling points to Chinese consumers, particularly for electronics and branded goods. Another Alibaba site, Tmall, is marketed as a higher-end, more reliable Chinese online marketplace and has been praised for being tough on fakes.

"There are examples of other websites and e-commerce platforms even in China that do a much better job in addressing the issues," said Bharat Dube, an intellectual property consultant. "Alibaba seems out of control."

Ospina grew her small business out of her home as a passion project while also working a day job as an attorney. Her daughter was her first model, and she used her own home as her photo studio. The business took off in 2014 and she now employs a small team of garment workers to hand make each of her designs.

One of her most popular items  the mermaid romper  sells for $58. But on AliExpress, knockoffs are sold, sometimes in bulk, for anywhere from $4 to $8 each with cheaper fabric and materials. The competition has damaged her reputation, she said, and she doesn't have the money to challenge the sellers in court. Even if she had the funds to lawyer up, she has no idea who the sellers really are  and AliExpress has never responded to her complaints, according to correspondence she shared with BuzzFeed News.

Ospina's experience is far from unique, and other small business owners shared similar stories.

Last May, Jennifer Durham, the owner of Little Faces Apparel, found copies of her photos used by an AliExpress vendor, who was selling a copy of her design as part of a set that also contained replicas of a piece by Lindsey Callinsky, the owner of Little Dude N Dudette based in Portland, Oregon.

The AliExpress vendor, Tong Lok children's clothing, sells the T-shirt and legging set for less than $7, a fraction of what Durham and Callinsky sell their handmade items for in their shops. Durham's leggings sell for $32 and Callinsky's top sells for $26.

Durham messaged with a customer service representative from AliExpress after the company's online system kept giving her error messages when she tried to report the vendor.

"I'm, obviously, concerned about my design that's being copied," she told the representative.

"I see. It's like infringement," responded the representative, according to the correspondence reviewed by BuzzFeed News.

"It's definitely infringement," responded Durham.

"I see," wrote the representative. "This needs to be addressed at the soonest time."

Five days later, Durham tried to report the vendor again through AliExpress's reporting system and had the representative directly email their administrators. But her request to take down the product was ignored even after she sent evidence from her social media profile that the photograph advertising the product was hers. Almost a year after first reporting the issue, Tong Lok Children's Clothing is still selling her design.

"I'm a small business," Durham said. "I don't make a lot of profit to actually pay for an attorney to fight for this one design. It would take all of my profits to fight an international fight. Businesswise, it didn't make sense for me."

Like Durham, many of the small business owners who spoke to BuzzFeed News said they couldn't afford a lawyer to defend their products. Alibaba requires that businesses furnish proof they are copyright owners or evidence they originally made a product before they'll do anything about suspected knockoffs. But even the small businesses that had copyrighted their designs and retained a lawyer sometimes weren't able to protect their designs.

Mariana Toscas, who runs The Pine Torch outside of her full-time job managing a magazine in Chicago, is very familiar with the challenge of enforcing US copyrights on AliExpress.

Soon after she opened her online store in 2015, she said she found her copyrighted design being counterfeited and sold in bulk to small US retail stores by vendors on AliExpress.

"I swear to God every day I wake up and there's a new site selling my design," she said. "It's cancer. Once the providers provide from China, it's literally like trying to stop an infestation."

The copyrighted design, a drawing of two half avocados holding a bouquet of cilantro over the words "Let's Avocuddle," was originally drawn by Shaley Cochran, an artist with The Papered Tribe, a small design business in Utah. Cochran released the copyright to Toscas.

Even with an attorney and a copyright registration on file, Toscas got nowhere through the AliExpress complaint system. She estimates she's lost around $10,000 in sales from the knockoffs.

Lindsey Callinsky, the owner of Little Dude N Dudette, said she discontinued three of her top-selling items because "of the sheer amount of mass production on AliExpress of them." Besides her battle with "Hug Life" fakes, she found her top-selling shirt "Playas Gonna Play" sold wholesale by AliExpress and other US-based children's stores. She recently redesigned the shirt to stay ahead of copycats.

"We are moms, just trying to do good for our families offering high quality goods made here in America," she said. "This hurts. It has to stop but they are too big to take on."

Chinese regulators have worked to crack down on fakes in recent years, but the focus has been on knockoffs of luxury brands. Critics say it is incredibly difficult for small foreign companies to win copyright infringement cases in Chinese courts.

"We tell small businessmen that you can't delay trying to protect yourself," said Harley Lewin, a partner at McCarter & English, to BuzzFeed News. "That's the worst problem that they face. Something they make becomes a hit  then bang it gets copied."

Chinese copyright laws are about as strict as those in the United States and other developed countries. But legal analysts and businesses say the main problem lies in enforcement of those laws, which is often lax or inconsistent. Despite the government's efforts to crack down on the problem, 52% of counterfeit goods seized by US customs last year came from China.

An additional complication is that in many cases non-Chinese businesses must establish a trademark in China to be able to enforce intellectual property claims in Chinese court.

Alibaba has fed leads to local law enforcement about fraudsters, which helped authorities shut down 417 counterfeit rackets, according to a statement the company made in December. More recently, the company sued two Taobao vendors for $201,320 for selling fake Swarovski watches.

"No other company in the world has dedicated as much resources ranging from technology, people and partnerships with brands, governments and law enforcement to fight the counterfeits that plague both online and offline commerce," Alibaba said in a statement. In March, Ma said Chinese legislators should crack down on counterfeiting with the same energy they applied to a national effort against drunk driving years earlier.

The problem of fakes on AliExpress has even ensnared other American small retailers, who have become unwitting customers for the counterfeiters. Natalia Zurita, the 27-year-old owner of Trendy Bugs Boutique based in Salt Lake City, told BuzzFeed News she was horrified to learn that she had unknowingly bought a copyrighted design in April 2016 through an online marketplace called Oberlo, which gives new business owners access to AliExpress products to fill its stores.

She bought about 60 items to fill out her store from various AliExpress vendors who supplied her with the merchandise as well as marketing photos, according to purchase records reviewed by BuzzFeed News. But one item she bought in August turned out to be Shay Cochran's "Avocuddle" design.

She posted the item on her Instagram page which quickly filled with messages from store owners accusing her of stealing the image. Horrified, she quickly apologized in a post on Instagram and took down the item.

She told BuzzFeed News she felt caught "in the middle of a nasty scam."

"I never saw it coming and didn't know it could happen," she said. "It was terrible; it was horrible. I consider myself an artist and I would never try to hurt another artist."

She closed the shop in August, and said she wouldn't re-open until she could fill it again with her own handmade items. The experience left her "discouraged."

Tomas Slimas, Oberlo's chief marketing officer, told BuzzFeed News that about 95% of products imported with Oberlo come from AliExpress. The company warns merchants to avoid knockoff products that may be sold over their website.

"We've noticed similar issues in the past, and we have always informed our merchants that they might have imported a product which is copyrighted and they should take it down," said Slimas. "It's a huge problem existing in most of the Chinese marketplaces, but we can only rely on their ability to identify and remove those products."

Not all US boutique owners buying from AliExpress believe what they are doing is wrong, partly because it's not quite clear what is and isn't copyrighted.

Kelly Jones told BuzzFeed News she first opened Brighter Days Boutique out of her home in El Paso, Texas, as a personal project to manage the pain and isolation from medical conditions that keep her at home.

She buys most of her merchandise from a seller on AliExpress, who she declined to name to BuzzFeed News. The products are "fantastic," she said, and help to fill out her online store as she and her daughter work on their own line of handmade hair accessories.

"We're not stealing anyone's designs," she said. "I purchase designs and I don't know who the designs belong to. If someone contacts me and says it's their design and its trademarked, I ask them for the information ... If someone gets angry with me and harasses me and cannot verify the trademark, I will not take down the design."

She said only one person has produced a copyright which led her to take down the design and discontinue selling the product.

"Once you've been told, 'Hey this belongs to me' and you continue to buy it, then you do know that you're stealing," she said. "I've never gone back and purchased something that someone has approached me on."

Erin Hooley, the owner of Bailey's Blossoms, told BuzzFeed News that AliExpress vendors stealing a US boutique's photos and selling copies of its designs is part of the cost of doing business online. She has had countless designs and photos of hers taken and sold on AliExpress.

"Unfortunately you will spend so much of your energy trying to chase them down and play whack-a-mole," said Hooley. "I had to come to terms with where is my time most valuable? Is my time more valuable going after these people who have no business ethics or is my time more valuable in the drawing room? You can steal my picture and it's annoying but I have a loyal following and I have a million other ideas."

In August Ospina opened an email from Etsy notifying her that her shop had been closed due to infringement.

The email, shared with BuzzFeed News, accused Ospina of stealing the mermaid romper design and photos from an AliExpress vendor, selling under the name "Online Store 738716." But the vendor had actually stolen its product images from Ospina.

"It was crazy," she said. "I was really offended because I was like I can't believe now it's gotten to the point where they think I've stolen these images. And they're pictures of my own daughter."

She sent Etsy over 100 pictures of her bulk materials, sewing, and design process to prove to the company that the romper was hers. Etsy has since reopened her shop.

Ospina said that AliExpress vendors should abide by US laws if they plan to do business with American consumers. But she also believes US consumers of AliExpress products have a responsibility to support local businesses.

After being contacted by BuzzFeed News, AliExpress opened investigations into its own records of some of the small businesses who filed complaints with the company.

"People are choosing to buy from China because it's 90% off," Ospina said. "Obviously people rely so much on cheap products. But buy American-made goods because you're supporting real people that live in your community, or maybe your neighbor. I think people forget that."
White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has been removed from his seat on the National Security Council, reversing one of the most controversial decisions of the young Trump administration.

A filing on Tuesday in the Federal Register did not list Bannon as a regular attendee of NSC "principals committee" meetings, as he previously was. The change adds Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, back to the committee. It also adds Energy Secretary Rick Perry, who controls the nation's nuclear arsenal.

Despite the move, Bannon retained his security clearance, NBC said.

Bloomberg first reported the news Wednesday.

In late January, Bannon was given a full seat in a move that downgraded the roles of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the director of national intelligence. It is highly unusual to give a political advisor a seat on the committee.
Taser International revealed on Wednesday that not only will it change its name and ticker, but that it is launching a program to equip every U.S. police officer with a body camera, free of charge.

The law enforcement technology giant, now known as Axon, said in a press release that the program will also provide police departments with supporting hardware, software, data storage and training, all free for one year.

"We believe these cameras are more than just tools to protect communities and the officers who serve them. They also hold the potential to change police work as we know it, by seamlessly collecting an impartial record and reducing the need for endless paperwork," Rick Smith, founder and CEO of the Arizona-based business, said in the release.

Axon's offer comes in response to what the release classified as an increasingly challenging environment for police officers. "Limited resources, lack of staffing, and equipment issues" were among the top issues listed.

Body cameras would eliminate the need for time-consuming handwritten police reports, and combined with artificial intelligence, would streamline the reporting process for officers, the press release said.

"With this connected network of devices, apps, and people, officers can operate with confidence and focus on what matters: the people and community they serve," the release said.

The one-year trial offer includes one Axon Body 2 camera per officer, unlimited data storage on Evidence.com, two mounts per officer, a docking station for securely uploading footage and access to Axon Academy's entire online training library.

"Departments end up purchasing technology without the input of the people who use it every day, often with dismal results," the release said.

Axon's aim is to provide police departments in the United States with the technology so that officers  frontline officers in particular  can effectively try it, learn how to use it and offer insight on how best to implement it.

While Taser will remain one of the company's trademark products, the company attributed its name and ticker change to changing times and a burgeoning business.

"We are changing our name from TASER to Axon to reflect the evolution of our company from a weapons manufacturing company to a full solutions provider of cloud and mobile software, connected devices, wearable cameras, and now artificial intelligence," the release said.

The new ticker, AAXN, will become effective at market open on Thursday, April 6. Management will hold a conference call for investors at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

For more on Axon, watch "Mad Money" on Wednesday at 6 p.m. EST for an interview with CEO Rick Smith.
Tesla Motors Inc. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Tesla is aiming to be the Apple of the car business

To understand what the market might be thinking, it's worth remembering what happened in the cell phone industry a decade ago. Back in 2007, the cell phone market was dominated by Nokia with 435 million units followed by Motorola with 164 million units. Apple released the first iPhone that year but it sold fewer than 4 million units. So it would have been easy for a naive analyst at the time to dismiss Apple as a minor player. What that analyst would have missed, of course, was that the nature of cell phones was about to change. The kind of old-fashioned "feature phones" that accounted for the bulk of Nokia's sales was about to be rendered obsolete by the iPhone and a new wave of Android-based smartphones. Nokia executives weren't too worried. They didn't have the iPhone, but they had plenty of engineers and strong relationships with mobile network operators around the world. They assumed they'd be able to build a rival smartphone operating system and be a major player in the smartphone business. But making an iPhone-quality smartphone proved to be harder than they expected, and Nokia was caught flat-footed. Efforts to create its own software floundered, and a partnership with Microsoft to use Windows Phone software failed to gain traction. The company was forced to sell its mobile phone division to Microsoft in 2014  a humiliating end for a company that once led the cell phone industry. We don't know if something like this is in the cards for Ford and other conventional automakers, but it would be one way to explain why Tesla is so highly valued compared to Ford. Ford executives think they can easily pivot to making electric, software-driven cars, just as Nokia thought they could adapt to a smartphone world.

Apple sells 20 percent of smartphones and earns most of the profits

One other important lesson from the smartphone world is that profits in a high-tech industry are sometimes much more skewed than market share. Apple sells fewer than 20 percent of the world's smartphones. But the fact that Apple makes both the hardware and software for the iPhone helps it stand apart in the marketplace, allowing Apple to charge a much bigger premium than its Android-based rivals. The result: Despite the iPhone's modest market share, Apple's quarterly profits often dwarf the profits of all other smartphone makers combined. Like Apple, Tesla makes many components of its cars, from batteries to self-driving software, in house. Its roots in Silicon Valley mean that the software on its cars is likely to be better than software produced by a company like Ford  a factor that will become even more important as self-driving technology becomes an important factor in the industry. Like Apple, Tesla has a significant base of ardent fans who follow the company's every move and are eager to buy the company's new products.

Tesla's big bet on batteries could pay off handsomely
The European company that is buying Panera Bread may not be a household name, but its brands are.

JAB Holding, a privately held company and investment arm of the wealthy Reimann family, owns well-known brands such as Keurig Green Mountain, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Coty and Jimmy Choo. On Wednesday, the company, which has been steadily building a coffee and breakfast empire over the last five years, said it would add Panera Bread to that list in a $7.5 billion acquisition.

The German billionaires who own JAB are notoriously media-shy, and control a fortune that dates back centuries to the founding of the Benckiser chemical company. Today, JAB's holdings range from beauty products to food and luxury goods.

The family isn't active in the day-to-day running of the company, instead it is overseen by three senior partners  Peter Harf, Bart Becht and Olivier Goudet  and eight others who focus on business development, finance, legal, tax and human resources.

JAB began building its position in coffee and breakfast in 2012 when it took a stake in D.E. Master Blenders. At the time, the company had no plans to purchase the Amsterdam-based coffee company, it told Bloomberg then.

But later that year, it bought Peet's Coffee & Tea for $974 million and Minnesota-based Caribou Coffee for $340 million. In the years that followed, JAB would go on to spend billions expanding its coffee empire.

Eventually in 2013, JAB agreed to pay $9.8 billion to purchase D.E. Master Blenders. That company became Jacobs Douwe Egberts when JAB merged it with the coffee division of Mondelez International in 2015, which it bought for around $4 billion.

JAB in 2014 scooped up Einstein Bagels' parent company, Espresso House and Baresso Coffee.

In 2015, JAB purchased Keurig Green Mountain for $14 billion and coffee roaster and retailer Stumptown Coffee and coffee bar chain Intelligentsia coffee. The next year, Krispy Kreme was added to the portfolio.

JAB's coffee expertise may be just what Panera needs at this stage in its development. In turn, Panera has a few things it could teach JAB, including how to leverage mobile ordering.

"An acquisition of Panera Bread not only brings them a digital platform that ultimately that they can use across their portfolio, but also it provides them an opportunity for some vertical integration of the coffee business," Bob Derrington, senior research analyst at Telsey Advisory Group, said in an interview Tuesday with CNBC's "Power Lunch."

Last year, JAB was in the process of developing Coffee & Bagels, a new type of coffee chain that paired Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels, two of JAB's brands.

Panera's coffee products have long been seen as a weak competitor against coffee giants like Starbucks , however, JAB's acquisition could change that.

The coffee market has become more saturated in recent years, with chains like Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's stepping up their caffeine game by launching cold brew and other, more upscale coffee beverages.

Through its parent, Panera will have access to more than half a dozen partner brands that specialize in coffee.

"To the degree we can use any resources and capabilities of our partner brands within JAB to do a better job, you can count on us to take advantage," Panera CEO Ron Shaich said on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" Wednesday.

The 63-year-old Shaich said he plans to stay on as Panera's chief executive, and added, JAB is "a wonderful partner for Panera."

"They're long-term investors," he said. "They measure their investments in centuries, not decades. They are committed to our strategy. They're committed to our company franchise model. They're committed to our team."

Watch: Panera CEO says JAB shares company's values
watch now

When President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week to sweep away Obama-era climate change regulations, he said it would end America's "war on coal," usher in a new era of energy production and put miners back to work. But the biggest consumers of U.S. coal - power generating companies - remain unconvinced. Reuters surveyed 32 utilities with operations in the 26 states that sued former President Barack Obama's administration to block its Clean Power Plan, the main target of Trump's executive order. The bulk of them have no plans to alter their multi-billion dollar, years-long shift away from coal, suggesting demand for the fuel will keep falling despite Trump's efforts. The utilities gave many reasons, mainly economic: Natural gas - coals top competitor - is cheap and abundant; solar and wind power costs are falling; state environmental laws remain in place; and Trump's regulatory rollback may not survive legal challenges. Meanwhile, big investors aligned with the global push to fight climate change such as the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund have been pressuring U.S. utilities in which they own stakes to cut coal use.

watch now

"Im not going to build new coal plants in todays environment," said Ben Fowke, CEO of Xcel Energy, which operates in eight states and uses coal for about 36 percent of its electricity production. "And if Im not going to build new ones, eventually there wont be any." Of the 32 utilities contacted by Reuters, 20 said Trump's order would have no impact on their investment plans; five said they were reviewing the implications of the order; six gave no response. Just one said it would prolong the life of some of its older coal-fired power units. North Dakota's Basin Electric Power Cooperative was the sole utility to identify an immediate positive impact of Trump's order on the outlook for coal. "Were in the situation where the executive order takes a lot of pressure off the decisions we had to make in the near term, such as whether to retrofit and retire older coal plants," said Dale Niezwaag, a spokesman for Basin Electric. "But Trump can be a one-termer, so the reprieve out there is short." Trump's executive order triggered a review aimed at killing the Clean Power Plan. The Obama-era law would have required states, by 2030, to collectively cut carbon emissions from existing power plants by 30 percent from 2005 levels. It was designed as a primary strategy in U.S. efforts to fight global climate change. The U.S. coal industry, without increases in domestic demand, would need to rely on export markets for growth. Shipments of U.S. metallurgical coal, used in the production of steel, have recently shown up in China following a two-year hiatus - in part to offset banned shipments from North Korea and temporary delays from cyclone-hit Australian producers.

Retiring and retrofitting

Coal had been the primary fuel source for U.S. power plants for the last century, but its use has fallen more than a third since 2008 after advancements in drilling technology unlocked new reserves of natural gas. Hundreds of aging coal-fired power plants have been retired or retrofitted. Huge coal mining companies like Peabody Energy Corp and Arch Coal fell into bankruptcy, and production last year hit its lowest point since 1978. The slide appears likely to continue: U.S. power companies now expect to retire or convert more than 8,000 megawatts of coal-fired plants in 2017 after shutting almost 13,000 MW last year, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration and Thomson Reuters data. Luke Popovich, a spokesman for the National Mining Association, acknowledged Trump's efforts would not return the coal industry to its "glory days," but offered some hope. "There may not be immediate plans for utilities to bring on more coal, but the future is always uncertain in this market," he said. Many of the companies in the Reuters survey said they had been focused on reducing carbon emissions for a decade or more and were hesitant to change direction based on shifting political winds in Washington D.C.

watch now
Just as soon as President Donald Trump signed those executive orders rolling back President Obama's emissions rules, a cavalcade of experts immediately chimed in with hard-edged comments about how "useless" and "misleading" the whole process was.

Here are just a few of the headlines oozing with know-it-all certainty and elitist environmental snobbery that had all the subtlety of a slap across the face:

The fake war on coal: Trump moves to dismantle U.S. climate rules (Salon)

Trump's Pro-Coal Orders Are Doomed to Fail (Time)

Donald Trump ends 'war on coal' by declaring war on breathable air (Vanity Fair)

The implicit and often explicit message in these and many other pieces is that President Trump thinks the coal miners are stupid enough to believe that his executive orders will bring their jobs back when free market forces like automation and cheaper natural gas are the real reasons for the industry's contraction.

But when it comes to thinking people are stupid, it's the so-called experts who seem to be assuming that miners don't know the truth or at least as much about their own industry as the folks sitting in newsrooms in New York and Washington, D.C.

Now this doesn't mean those same pundits and experts are wrong about some of the basic environmental science. Coal has been a legitimate focus for environmental activists for decades. It is indeed dirtier and produces more emissions than natural gas, petroleum, and of course solar and wind power.

It's the demonizing and denigrating of the miners themselves that is a bridge too far.

To hear the know-it-alls in Washington or even on Wall Street tell it, the miners and mining companies believe Trump will "bring their jobs back," and will soon feel betrayed when those jobs don't come back.

But Coal News Publisher and Managing Editor Bill Reid has actually spent a lifetime listening to miners and mining companies. Reid says the miners are a lot more savvy than most people give them credit for.

"Contrary to popular belief, the modern coal miner is well-educated and highly experienced in operating multi-million dollar mining machinery," Reid says. "All they want is a level playing field without government interference so they can compete."

The "government interference" part is the key to understanding everything. The miners know they may lose their jobs to market forces, they just don't want Washington piling on or speeding up their economic demise.

The market they can accept; politically-charged policies made to look like environmental concern they cannot. And they suspect it's politically-charged chicanery and not legitimate environmental concern because of the increased political and financial relationships Democrats have cultivated with alternative energy companies, lobbyists, and investors. That includes green investors like Tom Steyer, who spent millions of his own money on Democratic candidates in 2016 and has become one of the most influential powers in the party.

And who could blame them for having those concerns after Hillary Clinton, even during the height of campaign scrutiny last year, had the temerity to say: "We're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business," during a town hall event in March. The Clinton campaign later backtracked from that comment, but the damage was done.

Speaking of the free market, Reid's relative optimism about preserving or even creating a few more coal jobs is not unfounded. Warrior Met Coal set its IPO range Monday valuing the company at $17 to $19, proving there are still investors willing to put their money in the supposedly dead commodity. And even natural gas industry leaders admit their prices are not going to stay low forever, justifying optimism about coal's future ability to compete at least at some level.

But don't those libertarian, accept-the-market-results miners want government help when it's offered? Like perhaps the big tax breaks and credits solar and even the regular oil companies receive? That's another misconception. When it comes to the government, it's not that they expect Washington to stay out of things completely, they just want a seat at the table.

William Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Miners Association, spoke out about this at the height of the presidential election last summer. Raney insisted that miners and mining companies had been allowed no input at all in the formulation of the Obama administration's environmental policies.

Whether Raney is referring to the fact that no coal lobbyists made a visit to the Obama White House or the simple fact that President Obama's coal curbing regulations came in the form of executive orders and not Congressional legislation, it seems like he has a point. Miners want to work with government just like everyone else, or at least as much as many of the nation's still less viable industries got to do with the previous administration. Big difference.

Yet somehow, many in the media who live far from coal country and probably never visited decided the most important thing to do in response to the Trump executive orders was to compose stories about what anyone who can read financial news has known for decades - that the coal industry has been shrinking mostly because of natural gas and automation. That's not helpful.

What is helpful is finding out about the educated opinions and concerns of thousands of American workers in an industry that is vital for our daily energy needs. Of course, listening to legitimate voices before enacting powerful economic rules is what democracy and representative government are all about. And in that context, it's decidedly anti-democratic to dance on an industry's grave instead of giving its representatives a seat at the table while it still produces crucially needed goods, services and jobs.

So no, President Trump cannot prevent the coal industry's demise. That will likely happen over the next century... or two. But he and his new policies can ensure that it dies of natural causes and not a mob-induced euthanasia.

Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
Susan Rice walks to a vehicle at Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Florida on December 6, 2016.

President Donald Trump alleged in an interview Wednesday that Obama National Security Advisor Susan Rice may have committed a crime with her actions related to Trump associates.

A spokesperson for Rice later called the claim "ludicrous."

In the interview with The New York Times, Trump claimed that other Obama officials may have been involved in efforts to get the identity of, or "unmask," people with ties to Trump who were caught up in intercepted communications. The Times said Trump declined "repeated requests for evidence of his allegations or the names of other Obama administration officials."

The newspaper said that when Trump was asked if Rice had committed a crime, he replied: "Do I think? Yes, I think."

"I think it's going to be the biggest story," Trump told the newspaper, which he has repeatedly attacked for its coverage and called "failing."

In a statement to NBC News, a spokesperson for Rice said "I'm not going to dignify the president's ludicrous charge with a comment."

In an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday, Rice said allegations that the Obama administration used intelligence for "political purposes" were "absolutely false."

Read the full New York Times report here.
[The stream is slated to start at 5:30 p.m., ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.]

Jeff Bezos appeared on Wednesday at the 33rd Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, where he said he would reveal more details on a rocket his start-up hopes will take tourists to space by late next year. The company's New Shephard capsule is designed to feature big windows, to let tourists get a taste of space.

"Reusability is the key to getting millions of people living and working in space," Bezos said.

The Amazon founder and CEO also founded Blue Origin, a reusable-rocket company that builds on Bezos' childhood dreams of space colonization. Start-ups like Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX have joined more traditional companies in the space race in recent years.

Colorado Springs, home to several large military bases and the U.S. Air Force Academy, is also surrounded by outposts of aerospace companies like Lockheed Martin and has become a gathering place for the space industry. Bezos first appeared at the event last year, The Denver Post reported, when he told the audience that he hoped to put the pieces in place to usher in a Golden Age of Space.
[The stream has ended.]

President Donald Trump held a joint press conference with Jordan's King Abdullah II on Wednesday afternoon, where he condemned an alleged chemical attack in Syria but did not detail how he would respond.

At the news conference, the pair of leaders addressed the massacre in Syria that killed dozens, including children, according to NBC News. Both men harshly criticized the attack, again pinning the blame on not only Syrian President Bashar Assad but also his the policies of his predecessor President Barack Obama.

The Syrian government has denied that it had a role in the attack.

Read related coverage:

Trump says Syria attack 'crossed a lot of lines,' but won't say how he'll respond
President and Chinese President may say little publicly about North Korea after they talk this week, but China has the leverage to quietly exert plenty of pressure on Pyongyang if it chooses, experts say.

North Korea sent a reminder about its weapons program when it fired a ballistic missile this week into waters off its east coast, just ahead of the first talks between the two presidents at Trump's private club, Mar-a-Lago, on Thursday and Friday. Trump may point to this latest incident as a way to get Xi on board to deal more seriously with 's nuclear ambitions.

"There's so much at stake, the Trump administration is going to work on a way forward. They're expecting much more from China. How Beijing responds to this call for action will be a clear signal to Trump on how serious they are about the U.S.-China tie," said Meredith Sumpter, director Eurasia Group.

"Ninety percent of North Korea's trade is with China, and the Trump administration sees that as clear leverage that China can use," said Sumpter.

China has tread softly with North Korea, in part for fear that making it unstable could result in a massive refugee flow across the Yalu River separating the two countries, destabilizing its own provinces and creating a domestic crisis.

"There is no love lost between Beijing and Pyongyang. Xi is in a tough space," said Sumpter. "He also has more experience with North Korea. Geographically speaking, his country is more at risk. By nature, Xi is going to be more cautious."

The U.S. has been toughening its talk on North Korea, with administration officials saying "the clock has run out" and "all options are on the table." Trump himself said in an interview last weekend that the U.S. will take unilateral action to end North Korea's nuclear threat unless China raises the pressure on Pyongyang.

"China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won't," Trump told the Financial Times. "If they do, that will be very good for China, and if they don't, it won't be good for anyone."
Gas is enjoying soaring growth. Plentiful and comparatively low carbon, it is expected to make up an increasingly large share of the global energy mix in 2050. As a result, its transportation is scaling up too. Never have so many LNG (liquefied natural gas) carriers crisscrossed the planet's seas. But, shipping still accounts for a big chunk of the final cost of a cubic meter of gas  too big, in fact. Both to whittle that down and for environmental reasons, Total has designed and begun construction of two LNG carriers offering improved energy efficiency, in large part because they will use some of the gas they carry for their own needs. Jacques Besse, vice president of LNG shipping at Total, explains the challenges and potential of these LNG carriers of the future.

There are two ways to move gas. One is by land, via gas pipelines; the other is by sea, aboard LNG carriers. Maritime shipping accounts for more than 31 percent of all the natural gas transported in the world1 and is expanding fast for two main reasons. The first is that major producing regions2 are located far from consumer markets.3 The second is that shipping is more flexible, making it easier to balance supply and demand. Geopolitical considerations and the advantage of reliably safe carriers are other key factors.

Natural gas must be liquefied before it can be shipped: In this way, 600 cubic meters of natural gas can be reduced to 1 cubic meter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). It's a four-step process, from purification, which removes carbon dioxide and sulfur compounds, to liquefaction, which cools the gas to -161 degrees Celsius at atmospheric pressure. The LNG is then ready to be loaded onto LNG carriers.
The holidays are creeping up on us
It's decades ago at this military site that handles long-range communications -- at the center of which are six high-power radio transmitters, says a pilot fish working as a tech there.

And there's another kind of high-powered problem on the way. "An inspector from the Inspector General's office was due to visit the site, and someone in our leadership panicked," fish says.

"Electronics tech types everywhere like to rat-hole their favorite spare parts off the books, 'just in case,' and somebody had been hiding a couple dozen mercury-vapor rectifier tubes."

Nobody is willing to authorize just throwing out the brand-new devices, so fish and his cohorts get their marching orders: Replace as many of the rectifier tubes already in the transmitters as possible, as quickly as possible.

As soon as they get the first set of rectifiers in, power is applied -- and the wall-mounted circuit breakers are immediately tripped.

Fish's superior tells him to reset the breakers. He does. The breakers trip a second time. Do it again, superior says. Fish does.

This time there's a flash and a bang, the wall-mounted breakers are no longer on the wall, and the lights go out. Thirty seconds later, fish hears the emergency power generators starting up.

"They didn't wait long enough for the mercury-vapor tubes to warm up, so they arced across, causing the first breaker trip," sighs fish. "The second breaker trip caused the damaged tubes to fuse the plates together. The second reset fused the burned wall breaker contacts, creating a direct unprotected path back to the main power distribution -- which tripped who-knows-what.

"And by the way, the IG inspector never did show up at the site..."

Help Sharky keep showing up every day with true tales of IT life by sending me your story at sharky@computerworld.com. You'll snag a snazzy Shark shirt if I use it. Comment on today's tale at Sharky's Google+ community, and read thousands of great old tales in the Sharkives.

Get your daily dose of out-takes from the IT Theater of the Absurd delivered directly to your Inbox. Subscribe now to the Daily Shark Newsletter.
The federal government is doing something it has never done before: It's encouraging people to file H-1B abuse complaints.

This week the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Labor each posted information about how to file a complaint against suspected H-1B abuse. It's a clear signal that government scrutiny of H-1B use will intensify and that the U.S. may challenge employers.

But it creates a dilemma aptly summed up by Norm Matloff, a professor of computer science at the University of California at Davis, in a blog post titled, "American Victims of H-1B Get Their Chance -- Will They Take It?"

There's good reason to believe that they won't.

Many workers have been reluctant to file complaints. This includes H-1B visa holders who have been hurt by the system, but especially U.S. workers who have been displaced by it. This problem was illustrated by the Southern California Edison (SCE) layoffs in 2015.

The Labor and Justice departments were asked by 10 U.S. senators to investigate the SCE layoff. Many of those IT workers had trained foreign replacements, but not one of the affected employees had complained to the Labor Department. A Labor official said it couldn't begin an investigation because it had "not received a complaint from an aggrieved party or a credible source."

The other problem is the law itself. The DOJ ended its investigation at Edison after determining that the company hadn't done anything wrong. Critics argued that both departments were misinterpreting the laws.

One of the critics of this lack of action was Sen. Jeff Session (R-Ala.) who is now the U.S. Attorney General, appointed by President Donald Trump.

On Monday, the DOJ issued a statement advising employers "seeking H-1B visas not to discriminate against U.S. workers." It was clear warning of future lawsuits over displacements.

The DOJ has never brought a lawsuit over IT worker displacements. The IEEE-USA has been arguing that the replacement of U.S. workers by visa holders is a form of discrimination.

The Labor Department followed with a particularly strong statement Tuesday.

It promised to "rigorously use all of its existing authority to initiate investigations of H-1B program violators," as well as work closely with other departments, including the DOJ.

It also promised to change the Labor Condition Application (LCA) "to provide greater transparency for agency personnel, U.S. workers and the general public." The LCA data is instrumental to discovering the work site locations of H-1B workers as well as their salaries.

People who wish to report abuse to the Labor Department can contact this agency through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service's new email address or via a special form. The DOJ has a worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688.

The question will be whether these government efforts at outreach will encourage affected workers to report abuse.

IT workers have long worried about jeopardizing severance terms or hurting re-employment chances if they complain. H-1B visa holders who want to report abuse may fear risking their ability to stay in the U.S.

The Trump administration is nonetheless encouraging this reporting.
Error 500

Oopsour servers taking a break while we frantically figure out what went wrong. We apologize for ruining your day. If you keep running into this error, please let us know.
One of the continuing stories across Colorado, and the Denver metro area in particular, is growth. The region is experiencing nearly unprecedented employment and population expansion, thanks to numerous sectors like, such as IT and cannabis. That has also led to a construction boom and the demand for more housing, which means it needs construction workers. Thats where the newly launched, Colorado Homebuilding Academy fits in.The Denver-based academy is aimed at training unemployed adults, military veterans and youth for careers in homebuilding and construction. It offers a "construction skills" boot camp that lasts for eight weeks. The academy already has partnerships with five high schools. We have high school training programs that last for a semester with our partner schools and our superintendent training program has 5 courses that last for about 9 months, explains Michael Smith, director of the Colorado Homebuilding Academy The training programs are offered at no cost to the participant if they can genuinely commit to wanting to enter the construction industry and are ready to start a career after training, Smith says. The tuition is covered by a blend of supporters from industry contributions, local government workforce development offices, and community grant programs.The need for construction workers is greater than ever as vocational training programs have waned. Our peers in commercial construction (Associated General Contractors) commissioned an economic impact report that stated over 30,000 people are needed for the Colorado construction industry over the next 5 years...and that count is not including those that are retiring over the same period, explains Michael Smith, director of the Colorado Homebuilding Academy.Over 80 percent of the builders polled by NAHB are experiencing labor shortages that are slowing down the home building process, Smith adds. Nationwide that means the homebuilding industry could add roughly 200,000 employees to meet the latest homebuilding boom.The new academy was initiated by Oakwood Homes  CEO Pat Hamill, who brought the industry together to support it. Oakwood Homes is leading the industry by providing substantial financial support for the development, operations and student tuition assistance programs for the Colorado Homebuilding Academy, Smith says.  Precision Building Systems , a manufacturer of trusses and wall panels for residential construction, has donated 25,000 square feet of their manufacturing plant to house the Academy offices and training center.The homebuilding industry has been plagued by a shortage of high-quality workers, Hamill says. Preparing and training the workforce is the key to ensuring our industry remains healthy.
Ben Roback is a Senior Account Executive at Cicero Group and a member of the US Embassys Young Leaders UK programme.

This will be a defining week in Donald Trumps short tenure so far, with critical events in Washington and Florida. The summit with Chinese premier Xi Jinping at the Presidents Mar-A-Lago resort will have a material impact both at home and internationally. Preceded by two new executive orders aimed at laying the foundation to driving down bilateral trade deficits, this White House is set to embark on its first major foray into foreign policy. The worlds two most powerful figures are on a collision course, having engaged in a passive and sometimes aggressive war of words since the President declared his candidacy. Trump told a Fort Wayne, Indiana rally last May We cant continue to allow China to rape our country. Then, three days before Trumps inauguration, the Chinese Premier rebuffed Trumps worldview in a staunch defence of globalisation and free trade: Pursuing protectionism is like locking oneself in a dark room. Wind and rain may be kept outside, but so is light and air.

The summit is a big opportunity for President Trump to restore his status as an expert deal-maker, having suffered political and reputational damage during the healthcare Bill failure. Combining trade, deal-making and negotiating, the US-China talks are precisely the kind of setting American voters imagined Trump succeeding in when they went to the polls on 8th November. Sent to Washington with a clear mandate to make trade deals work better for American wallets and workers, this is a chance Trump simply has to take.

The expense at which presentational victory could come remains unknown. In need of a public relations boost, the President might trade off realpolitik requirements in the South China Sea for the quick wins of billion-dollar Chinese investments in American infrastructure, creating masses of jobs and winning tweets in the process; an approach that speaks to the Presidents known transactional view of international relations. The American interlocutors enter the talks from a point of weakness, needing a short-term win to stave off headlines at home. Under no such pressure, the Chinese will play a more strategic, long-term game.

Cant win? Change the rules.

In Washington, the political focus turns sharply towards the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the vacant Supreme Court seat  and the process required to get him there that could change the Senate forever. The full Senate will vote on the nomination Friday, but the real action will come on Thursday when the Senate holds the cloture vote to end debate that could force Republicans into activating the so-called nuclear option.

If a vote is brought to the whole Senate, Gorsuch will need 60 votes to be confirmed. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said it is highly, highly unlikely that hell get 60 [votes]. With a 52-48 Republican majority in the Senate, eight Democrats are needed to confirm Gorsuch. Only three Democrats have declared they will vote for him, all of whom are under pressure to lend the President support as red state Democrats (representing states that voted for Trump in the presidential election).

Insufficient opposition support leaves Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell with two options: accept defeat on Gorsuch or change the rules, following the precedent set by former Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid, who in 2013 altered the filibuster rule for lower court nominees. Senator McConnell told Fox News on Sunday that Gorsuch will be confirmed one way or another, adding: Exactly how that happens will be up to our Democratic colleagues. It was a less than subtle suggestion that the Republicans will break the filibuster, removing the power of minority parties to filibuster Supreme Court nominees in the future. Institutional tradition would be disregarded, in a typically Trumpian manner that on this occasion was not driven by the President.

The rule change is significant in political circles but not much beyond the beltway. Within the halls of power, it points to yet another step towards institutional partisanship in Washington, making it less and less likely members will be willing to cross the aisle and vote with the opposition party for the foreseeable future. It is yet another indicator of political decision-making driven almost solely by party approach, with politics always outranking policy. Opining over the healthcare fallout, President Trump tweeted that good things will happen, however, either with Republicans or Dems. Going nuclear and confirming Neil Gorsuch as a Supreme Court Justice will rubber stamp an immovably partisan Congress for the foreseeable future. Picking up Democratic votes in a Republican-led House and Senate suddenly becomes even more difficult than ever before.

What does it all mean for the president?

The China talks represent an opportunity for the president to prove he is the ultimate deal maker, but with strategic and security risks attached. Meanwhile, getting Neil Gorsuch confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice will require political manoeuvring that would change the process and nature of the Senate forever. It turns out that getting deals done in Washington and around the world isnt easy after all. Some might even call it an art.
Cllr Ian Hudspeth is the Leader of Oxfordshire County Council.

With Oxfordshire County Council elections on the horizon, it is time to reflect on the last four years. They have certainly been challenging. There have been increases in financial pressures along with reductions in funding. And we have been one short of an overall majority, having failed to win the necessary 32nd seat for a majority in the 2013 elections  by just 16 votes.

Looking back to 2013, the political landscape was completely different. At that stage UKIP were on the rise and whilst they were not successful in winning a division, they took votes away from us across the county. For instance in Banbury Calthorpe 560 residents voted Conservative with another 491 voting UKIP, yet Labour won the division with 576 votes. Did those 1,051 voters really want to be represented by Labour? With Article 50 triggered, how will that effect UKIP? We cannot be complacent assuming those votes will come to the Conservatives  especially as Oxfordshire voted to remain within the European Union.

That fact might have been part of the reason why the Liberal Democrats gained the Minster Lovell ward in a recent by-election. That victory has given the Liberals a boost locally with talk of them targeting many divisions including my own, Woodstock. If you want to help burst their bubble send me an email to find out about campaign days.

We know that County Council elections should be fought on local events, however residents often vote on national issues. I do not think voters will switch to try to stop the democratic will of the people, in fact I know of at least three Remainers in Bladon who will be voting Conservative. The Lib Dem campaign will be interesting. Will we see the end of those bar charts saying only they can win here? Perhaps changing the wording to Vote Liberal Democrat for a county councillor who will ignore the democratic will of the people.

Labour is currently the main opposition in Oxfordshire, despite the national meltdown; locally they work hard, campaigning on local issues. They hold a number of divisions across the county. As I mentioned earlier, where the combination of right wing votes is greater than theirs, there is the potential for Conservative gains.

We have been campaigning hard since the autumn in key divisions trying to identify those extra votes that will make the difference on 4th May. Nothing beats hard working candidates knocking on doors well ahead of an election.

The plan has to be simple: to get the message out about all the good work we have achieved over the past four years in balancing the books and working within our means. We need to ensure that we retain all 31 divisions we currently hold, next find those extra 17 votes to achieve a majority, then work hard on other potential gains.

There is good reason to be optimistic but not complacent ahead of the campaign. Im sure there will be some surprises  however with a strong Conservative Government leading the country Im sure we can change Oxfordshire from NOC to a Conservative majority council.
Brown takes up Labour call for Brexit to loosen the Union

A couple of weeks ago this column reported on the latest moves by Carwyn Jones, the First Minister of Wales, to steer Labour towards federalism in the wake of Brexit.

Couched in pro-UK language, his proposals seem to harbour a horror of British government, seeking instead to replace it with quadrilateral councils of the Home Nations.

Now Kezia Dugdale, his Scottish counterpart and another enthusiast for federalism, and Gordon Brown have joined Jones in Cardiff to launch an official Labour enquiry into the subject.

Jones repeated his claim that a UK internal single market will require lots of new structures to operate, when it could simply have the rules set at the national level by the British Government.

That common decision making in our united Parliament should be so anathema to politicians who insist they want to strengthen the bonds between the British is puzzling  especially in light of NatCens eye-opening discovery that a strong majority of Scots back a common UK approach to Brexit and share Theresa Mays priorities over those of Nicola Sturgeon.

Such a focus is particularly baffling since any new powers accrued by Westminster will come from Brussels  where all three Labour figures wish they could remain  rather than diminishing any of the actual powers the devolved governments already have.

Britain already has some of the most powerful sub-state legislatures on earth. Bringing the British back together means restoring confidence in British institutions  precisely what Jones, Brown, and Dugdale seem to be striving to avoid in their bid for a more decentralised UK.

Its no surprise therefore to find Leanne Wood, the leader of the Welsh Nationalists, parroting Browns view that Brexit might leave Wales with a puppet parliament.

As Ive explained before, federalism is simply a new word for the same more powers! orthodoxy which has been failing the Union for some time. For Scottish Labour its a bid to find a split-the-difference panacea to their constitutional miseries; for Jones its about riding the nationalist tiger; and for Brown its the latest attempt to submit a second draft of his place in history.

If the Prime Minister really wants to strengthen the United Kingdom, then she must revive a waning Westminster. Brexit is her chance.

Brokenshire insists that restoring devolution to Ulster is still his focus

The Northern Irish Secretary has insisted that the British Government remains focused on restoring devolved government to the province as soon as possible, the News Letter reports.

James Brokenshire was speaking yesterday during day two of a ten-day window of extra time as the local parties try to find a deal that will prevent the restoration of direct rule.

Arlene Foster, the former First Minister, has reportedly described the first meetings of party leaders as constructive, but theres no sign of a deal yet.

One stumbling block is likely Foster herself: having (just) clung on to pole position during last months calamitous snap election, the Democratic Unionists are guaranteed the First Ministry. But she is deeply embroiled in the cash for ash scandal that collapsed the previous Executive.

Foster standing aside might make a deal easier to reach  but it would also make Marchs electoral disaster entirely pointless, which would be a very bitter pill to swallow.

The original deadline has already passed. If Brokenshire really wants to save devolution in the long term he must not be over-generous with the extra time now. A credible threat of direct rule may inject some urgency into the negotiators, most of whom draw salaries from Stormont. Endlessly pushing that reckoning back will only hurt the Governments credibility.

Is the Scottish Government looking for a way to defy May over indyref2?

According to the Daily Record the Scottish Government may be gearing up to try to have some sort of referendum without Westminsters permission.

John Curtice argues that it may be possible for the SNP to find a form of words sufficiently convoluted that it might not breach the statutory limits on Holyroods authority. He provides an example:

Should the Scottish Government be allowed to negotiate a settlement with the Government of the United Kingdom so that Scotland becomes an independent state?

This bears a striking similarity to the Quebec nationalists second push in 1995, which was fought on an arcane and very procedural question 43 words long  in response to which the Parliament of Canada reasserted its authority with the Clarity Act.

Nicola Sturgeon has also gone on the record as saying that whilst Westminster does retain control over the constitution, what exactly the constitution means isnt clear.

Whether or not such a referendum is politically advisable remains an entirely separate question. Unionists would very likely boycott a unilateral referendum, especially an illegal one, which some in the SNP recognise would fatally undermine its credibility.

Meanwhile, Dugdale has written an open letter to Sturgeon demanding that she get back to governing, as opposed to indulging her constitutional obsession. Perhaps the Scottish Labour leader might copy in her Welsh colleague.

Why not make Gibraltar actually British?

Twitter had a lot of fun this week with the idea that Michael Howard had somehow declared war on Spain  but Northern Irish unionists have been quick to speak out on Gibraltars behalf.

Foster has extended a hand of friendship to Fabian Picardo, its bullish Chief Minister. Both unionist MEPs have also spoken up, with the DUPs Diane Dodds insisting that no amount of diplomacy will see Gibraltars sovereignty sold or shared. Gibraltar is British.

Jim Nicholson, her Ulster Unionist counterpart, even compares Gibraltars position in his letter to Northern Irelands place as an integral part of the United Kingdom. Yet none of them make a seemingly obvious unionig point: if Gibraltar is British, why doesnt it actually accede to the Union?

It would be easy enough to fit the Rocks existing government into UK devolution, and Gibraltar would gain representation in the Westminster Parliament which does, after all, control some of its affairs. It would also become completely part of the British internal market, and thus part of any UK-EU trade deal without a Spanish veto.

This approach works for France, which gets a lot less grief for its Overseas Departments than does Britain for the Overseas Territories even though the combined population of the former is, at over two million, between eight and nine times the British total.
CANADA WIDE  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has announced that Smucker Foods of Canada Corp. is recalling Robin Hood brand All Purpose Flour Original.

The recall is due to fears for E. Coli contamination in the flour.

Originally, Smucker had recalled their popular brand of flour on March 28, but only in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia.

Only product with a best before date of April 17, 2018 (2018 AL 17) and the production code 6 291 548 is being recalled.

Anyone thinking that they have a bag of the recalled flour should throw it out or return it to the store where it was purchased.

Flour contaminated with E. Coli may not look bad or smell bad, but will still make consumers sick.

Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, mild to severe abdominal cramps and watery to bloody diarrhea, stated the Canada Food Inspection Agency on their website. In severe cases of illness, some people may have seizures or strokes, need blood transfusions and kidney dialysis or live with permanent kidney damage. In severe cases of illness, people may die.
LONG SAULT, Ontario  The South Stormont community gathered on Tuesday evening to discuss their next steps after the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) narrowly voted in favour of closing the communitys only high school.

Teri-Lynn Beckstead, one of the driving forces behind the Save Rothwell-Osnabruck campaign outlined the situation for the crowd gathered at the South Stormont Community Centre.

Even though we lost the vote to save R-O by the vote of one trustee, we would need three to flip to our side to get that vote overturned, Beckstead explained in response to a question from the crowd. Our best option now is to take this to the province..

She explained now how they hoped to encourage the province to review the Pupil Accommodation Review process.

The aim is to gather a petition of signatures from at least 30 percent of the parents who have children at Rothwell-Osnabruck. That 30 percent threshold if met is the minimum requirement to have the Ministry of Education consider whether a review is warranted.

We probably have at least that many here tonight, she said. I plan on taking this petition door-to-door. The more signatures we get, the harder it will be to ignore our request for a review.

A member of the crowd asked that if the process is reviewed, if that will mean the decision is overturned. While the review from the Ministry cannot overturn any school board decision, it can make recommendations on changes it thinks should be made.

One reason that supporters of R-O feel like a review is necessary, is because they feel that the UCDSB trustees were working with incorrect information, and not taking the whole picture into account.

The Board of Trustees voted to close R-O because according to the staff report, the school was 65 percent empty with 235 empty spaces.

Beckstead explained how this information was incorrect, and that the truth was that R-O Secondary is 79.2 percent full with only 48 empty spaces.

Ive done the math over and over again, said Beckstead. But they (the school board) did not want to listen.

She then explained the plan that the Save Rothwell-Osnabruck committee presented to the school board to fill those empty 48 seats to capacity. The Save R-O group wanted the school to have French Immersion reintroduced to encourage students from South Stormonts other elementary school, Longue Sault Public School (which does have a French Immersion program) to go to the high school in their township to continue their education.

While Longue Sault Public was originally scheduled for closure in the school boards initial draft report, it was ultimately spared in the final vote on March 23.

However, Beckstead explained that if R-Os secondary school program is closed, it could threaten Longue Sault.

Longue Sault Public was originally scheduled for closure, she said. When R-O Secondary is closed how do you think they are going to want to fill that suddenly vacant space.

Beckstead told the crowd that the next time the closure and consolidation issue is visited by the UCDSB they could leave South Stormont with one school in just one of their communities.

Petitions to send to the Ministry of Education are available at the Foodland in Ingleside and at the South Stormont Township Hall in Long Sault. The petitions organizers hope to have the petition sent off by the end of this coming weekend, Sunday, April 9.
That hunting scene is now only the second-most-disturbing thing we've seen involving Bambi's mother.

Continue Reading Below Advertisement

The piece, titled Trophy (we're sorry, were you still expecting subtlety at this point?), depicts two elk banging missionary-style, complete with kissing and intense eye contact. The piece appears to satirize the normalcy we now associate with injecting human characteristics into animal life, showing how the perfectly natural bland missionary (the Dane Cook of sexual positions) would look shockingly out of place in nature.

The completed work was placed outside of the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis. Though it was one of 15 sculptures commissioned to be placed around campus and the school attempted to place it somewhat out of sight, it still managed to find its way to being a topic of heated public discussion. Because if someone found the time to make it, you better believe people were going to find the time to bitch about it.

Wim Delvoye

Continue Reading Below Advertisement

"Let them watch ... I can only finish when they watch ..."

Its creator, Wim Delvoye, has a long a history of provocative sexual art pieces that make the natural seem unnatural and vice versa, such as his bondage bird houses or the series of x-rays he took of his friends boning, which must have done wonders for their fertility. But his most famous piece is a machine called "Cloaca" which, in his own words, had the primary goal of creating the most exact replica of human shit ever produced -- though most people still believe that everyone who calls themselves a "neo-conceptual artist" is doing exactly that.
By: Erin Shea, @BH_EShea



When Thoroughbreds reigned supreme in the hunter-jumper ranks, the road from racetrack to show ring for horses was mostly through connections made with people who knew their way around the backside.

As the dynamics of aftercare and sport horse purchasing changed in the age of the internetand with the rise of many aftercare organizations participating in retrainingthe path to second careers has evolved. However, the racetrackers who have an eye for potential and the connections to put a horse into a good home are still an important part of the aftercare market. One racetracker, Jen Ruberto, has made a name for herself as a go-to connector between racing and riding.

In addition to working alongside her husband, trainer Lou Ruberto Jr., and his parents, to help with the day-to-day operations of the family-run Ruberto Racing Stables, Ruberto also helps find new homes for racehorses once their on-track careers are finished.

From her base in Lisbon, Ohio, Ruberto said she has in some way helped move 40-50 horses in the past year, many coming from the nearby tracks: Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course, Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort, and Presque Isle Downs & Casino.

Through the 15 years Ruberto has been connecting racehorses and potential new owners, the tools of her trade have changed slightly. Instead of VHS tapes, she now uses a digital camera and social media. But what sets her apart are her connections, a good eye for horses, and heart to do what's best for the horse.

"I've heard some people call me a flipper. In a sense, I am flipping a horse for a profit, but I don't take the first money. I don't take the first person who shows up with a trailer," Ruberto said, adding that re-selling horses isn't a profitable trade and that many don't realize how costly of an endeavor it can be.

"The last thing I want to see happen is somebody get hurt, somebody spend their good money and waste it, and watch the horse just get passed along until it never finds its right home."

Since word travels fast around the OTTB community, Ruberto said keeping a good reputation and being honest with potential buyers has helped her build her client base.

"I keep my nose clean because reputation is everything," she said. "You build relationships and you build contacts within the sport horse world who keep coming back because they know they can trust youthat's really important to me."

Being able to speak both the language of the track and of the equestrian community has also been imperative.

"Jen has an excellent reputation for finding excellent horses," said Brit Vegas, an OTTB trainer who finished 10th in the 2016 Thoroughbred Makeover aboard Scotchnwater, a horse found by Ruberto that underwent only a month of training in preparation for the event.

"Because she knows racehorses so well, she knows more about those Thoroughbreds than just about anybody you can compare her to," she added. "I think the horses that she markets, you get exactly what she describes."



Jen Roytz, Brit Vegas aboard Scotchnwater, and Jen Ruberto at the 2016 Thoroughbred Makeover



With the internet and social media, especially Facebook groups, becoming an easy avenue to turn to when buying and selling OTTBs, being able to make your horses stand out while not overselling can be a delicate balance.

"Facebook has been huge," Ruberto said. "I try to take the best pictures and set (the horse) up the best that I can. The pictures and the videos are what's going to grab someone's attention, and if you don't have a good one the horse could stand there for weeks or months."

With more incentives for showing OTTBs, through the Retired Racehorse Project and The Jockey Club's Thoroughbred Incentive Program, Ruberto said demand for good horses has increased.

"The sales blew up with RRP," Ruberto said. "That program has definitely made sales explode, and horses are moving off the track a lot faster, but prices are higher.

"The racetrack people are starting to notice that the 17-hand horse with a bunch of white could sell for a lot of money. The prices are getting a little higher to buy off the track for the nicer horses."

Although some racing trainers actively try to move their former charges into new homes, having the help of someone knowledgeable like Ruberto can be a lifesaver for the buyer, the seller, and the horse.

"Everyone says (Jen is) so honest, but she really is. I buy all sight unseen from her because I trust her that much," said Michelle Craig, an OTTB re-trainer who is known for showing off her bridleless riding aboard Youmightbearedneck, another Ruberto find.

"I think it's her openness, honesty, and passion for Thoroughbred racing. We need more people like her in the transitioning phase."
...hang the dj is the headquarters for my old radio show Time Warp, which aired on 89X until March 2017.







Headquarters for all the content from the previous site cristinarocks.com







I currently host an independent, internet-based/streaming Classic Alternative show. Episodes debut Sunday mornings around 9am ET. Stream the archives here or here

...hang the dj is a music blog serving as a complement to my streaming program and features old school and classic alternative bands. Occasionally new music from, andgenres will be featured. If you have a project, feel free to submit music via email.Pleasepress releases, music submissions, comments/questions/etc here: hangthedjmag (at) gmail.comSocial:
It would be impolite not to express heartfelt thanks to the reporter who wrote the original article upon which this is based. Seldom can the energy sector respond to so many inaccuracies in one venue!

(Before you get too far in, make sure you read the first part of this story.)

The article provides some apparent intelligence information, The Coast Guard has received several reports that foreign ships attempted to probe the wireless networks of industrial facilities along U.S. waterways, federal authorities say. Homeland Security, which oversees the Coast Guard, declined to confirm details of any operation and intelligence but acknowledged a growing effort to protect oil, gas and chemical systems from hacking.

Wow. That sounds scary, right up to the point where you understand theres no data backing up that statement. Could it be the Chinese looking for vulnerabilities in our ports. Sure! It might also be your cousin Eddie is coming home on a cruise ship and trying to get a free wi-fi signal. Is every external contact counted as an attempt to probe the network, or just those attributed to potential threats? No information. Even an actual scanning attempt using an ICS-finding engine like SHODAN is not an indication of evil intent.

Technology is great at telling us how our networks are being scanned, but the technology will require integration with good, old-fashioned Human Intelligence (HUMINT) to determine why.

Antique road show

Kudos to the media for their next thought: many oil and gas facilities still use networks run by Windows XP, a 2003 system that Microsoft no longer updates, according to federal authorities and cyber security consultants. Others use even earlier versions of the Windows operating system from the 1990s; in rare cases, a few still use MS-DOS, the precursor to Windows.

Guilty. And its completely upon us in the energy sector to fix this. But when you say many, is that a majority? More than two? What do these systems control? Perhaps door locks, payroll, or something critical, e.g., ICS? Context, like words matters.

More often than not, Edwards said, we find that there have been corners cut or they havent taken a hard look at security when they designed those networks. Who is to blame here? Even more likely is the failure of the software and hardware industry to use parallel security and software processing in the development of code and systems. Until very, very recently, security was an afterthought.

In an immediate reversal of that line of thinking, the article says, Some companies have begun to install firewalls, anti-virus and anti-malware programs, and require stricter security measures from equipment manufacturers, among other improvements, cyber security consultants said.

Thats right; industry can no longer accept software and hardware lacking security features. For some time now, compelled by the energy sector and supported by many government agencies, manufacturers are incorporating security from the earliest stages of concept. The energy sector is voting with their checkbooks, selecting vendors that have already considered and implemented security in new devices.

Strict cybersecurity regulations govern power, chemical and nuclear facilities, but no federal laws impose such standards in the oil and gas industry, states the article. This is a split thought and misleading. The energy sector has strict cybersecurity regulations  oil and gas companies are free to develop those that work best for them. Do either of these approaches always succeed? No. Neither does the cybersecurity at the NSA (ask that traitorous little punk hiding in Russia).

The energy sector was early to realize that no one can legislate cybersecurity. Regulation often acts as a ceiling to cybersecurity innovation and deployment, whereas the process of security establishes a baseline without boundaries. Unless you can give me specifics on who, from where, will use exactly what code on exactly what device, and predict on what date it will happen  regulation and legislation wont work. Did I say this already? You cant legislate cybersecurity.

Not your business

When oil and gas companies have been infiltrated by a hacker, they arent required to report the incident. And if they turn to federal authorities for help, the specifics are typically kept secret because companies disclose information in exchange for anonymity and discretion. Thats right in some respects; so I hope that statement was meant to be positive.

Anonymity and protection of proprietary and personal information is mandated by the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), 2015. Heres the gist of the federal act:

The Act promotes the goal of sharing while simultaneously providing privacy protections in two ways: first, by specifying the types of cyber threat information that can be shared under the Act between and among non-federal and federal entities; and, second, by limiting sharing under the Act only to those circumstances in which such information is necessary to describe or identify threats to information and information systems.

The article makes a most insightful comment when it states: Most companies are loath to talk publicly about the security of computer systems and industrial controls for fear of providing information that could be used to exploit their operations. Yes. They are loath to talk publicly. Why? The energy sector is smart enough not to publish our game plan and make the adversary's job easier. If only the media would take the hint Stop outing our protective measures.

Loose lips sink ships

So do we, in the sector, disclose any information at all? More than 20 of the nations largest oil companies, including Exxon Mobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips, refiners Phillips 66 and Valero, service companies Halliburton and Baker Hughes, and pipeline operators Kinder Morgan and Enterprise Products Partners, declined to comment or did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The American Petroleum Institute, the national trade association of oil and gas, declined comment as well.

Sounds pretty tight-lipped, huh? Good. Our specific protections, defenses, and practices may be somebody elses concern, but its not their business.

The gas sector won't play with us

The Department of Energy has developed a model of best practices while trade groups such as the American Petroleum Institute have adopted industry standards, but none is mandatory. While not mandatory, the gas sub-sector has voluntarily complied with the Transportation Safety Administrations gas pipeline standard for years, and regularly coordinates through government-private sector security councils and meetings.

Overall, the energy sector complies with the Department of Energys Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model (C2M2). C2M2 has a generalized version as well as two separate versions for both Electric and Oil&Natural Gas. All three support, as well as measure, adoption of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework. The gas sub-sector doesnt need to be hit over the head with regulation, we voluntarily comply as well as constantly develop greater capability hand-in-hand with the U.S. government.

A global problem

Captioning a photo was, With a refinery that could be vulnerable to hackers behind it, a ship navigates through Buffalo Bayou heading to the Houston Ship Channel earlier this year. Ironically, its the most important (of the systems) but the least secure, said Joe Weiss, managing director of the international cybersecurity standards body ISA99.

Could. A refinery that could be vulnerable. A ship that could be vulnerable. Lights across town, connected to a smart grid that could be vulnerable. And the reporters smartphone could be vulnerable. Its all vulnerable. Its not because of or in spite of anything being done by the energy sector. Why tie it to us?



In the same vein, Cyber criminals have tried to steal money by sending employees fake invoices, reports the article. Other hackers lured workers to download malicious software designed to lock people out of computers or other devices until they pay a ransom. None of this is unique to energy. Ask hospitals, homeowners, municipalities, police departments, schools

Who's the baddest kid on the cyber block?

Phillip Quade, the former chief of the NSAs cyber task force, said the threat is more than theoretical, pointing to two viruses launched at energy operations: Stuxnet, which damaged thousands of centrifuges at an Iranian nuclear facility in 2010, and Shamoon, which wiped out computer files in Saudi Arabian oil and gas facilities two years later.

True, and chilling. Of course, the Stuxnet virus generally is attributed to the United States and was used as a weapon against Iran, while Shamoon is thought by many to be retaliation by the Iranians. The major player -- capable of doing the most damage to an energy sector target -- is us, the United States.

Train like you fight

The energy sector continues to conduct international, interagency, week-long exercises to practice defending the U.S. energy grid. A quick web search will reveal endless conferences, training sessions, and collaboration efforts with multiple government agencies. Internal safeguards like anti-phishing training programs, cybersecurity operations centers, and sharing through the ISACS create strong, credible, and flexible defenses for the energy sector.

Myth. Busted.

It is unfair and completely incorrect to paint our sector with every cyber threat known to man and call us vulnerable. Electricity, oil, and natural gas work together with our government partners and with each other 24/7. If youre reading this article by artificial light, in the comfort of your air conditioned or heated home, then were doing our job. Youre welcome, media.
As an industry not famous for cooperation among competing entities, the two dozen members around Central Kentucky that came together to plan and see to fruition the advent of Horse Country Tours deserve accolades. The farms, sales companies, equine clinics, and one feed company identified the need to create an enhanced experience for tourists coming into the area to see its famous Thoroughbred stars, and, banking on experience gleaned from the successful Bourbon Trail and from the Disney Institute, they have upped their game under the Horse Country banner.

Visitors now have choices of some three dozen destinations, each of which has trained staff to guide the tours and has put thought into the unique story it has to tell. At the tour stop we witnessed at Ashford Stud each of the 25 visitors was thrilled to have his or her picture taken with Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, and every customer left beaming.

But we quite agree with Duncan Taylor of Taylor Made Farm, one of the members in Horse Country. Taylor said it is all well and good to give a tour and sell some hats and T-shirts, but the real measure of success is whether some of these tourists can be converted into fans who visit racetracks and contribute to handle. The Ashford visitors we toured with had no familiarity with the racing game, underscoring Taylors point.

Thus, the most important aspect of Horse Country Tours likely is the more concierge elements it is developing. Through an agreement with Keeneland, the Lexington racetrack offers tickets to some Horse Country customers, with an impressive 62% redemption rate for the first go-around. Both Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton are establishing behind-the-scenes tours of Thoroughbred auctions with visitors able to get a close-up look at consignments.

Said Taylor, Whatever marketing racetracks do is geared toward existing customers. We have to market to people who are interested in horses so that we can create racing fans.

Horse Country Tours, in just its second full season, is off to an impressive start, having already handled 30,000 visitors to the Bluegrass. Getting them to the racetrack is the industrys next job.

Joyous smiles played across the faces of grizzled veterans such as myself and colleagues Tom Hall and Alicia Wincze Hughes (O.K., Alicia isnt grizzled) when we spent 30 glorious minutes with A.P. Indy on the occasion of his 28th birthday March 31 at Lanes End Farm. Bribed with a bag of peppermints, the 1992 Horse of the Year ambled over to us at his fenceline once he was good and finished pulling grass out of the ground of his lush paddock, giving us the honor of his company as he happily consumed a dozen treats and even stood for multiple kisses on his beautifully distinctive crooked blaze.

Long a favorite of ours and my personal BTF (Best Thoroughbred Forever), the pensioned son of Seattle Slew, whose sons Malibu Moon, Mineshaft, Bernardini, Jump Start, Majestic Warrior, Flatter, and Congrats are among the continents leading sires, is held in such esteem that he patrols the same paddock and stall he occupied when active, and he is still the first horse brought in when threatening weather approaches.

We are happy to report that his eye remains clear (and what an eye he has inherited from his sire) and his spirit (and appetite) strong. It has been more than 20 years since I first visited him at Lanes End, and my joy in seeing him is every bit as fresh now as then. The joyous thrill in visiting a Thoroughbred farm and reveling in a meeting with a famous inhabitant is not only for the uninitiated. The magic these horses perform on us reminds us of the great stories this game of horse racing has to tell, and of our responsibility to pass them along to as many as we can reach.


Scottrade Bank, a subsidiary of Scottrade Financial Services, Inc., recently secured a MSSQL database containing sensitive information on at least 20,000 customers that was inadvertently left exposed to the public.

The database was discovered by MacKeeper researcher Chris Vickery on March 31, when he was searching for random phrases on the domain s3.amazonaws.com.

Once the database was discovered, Vickery says he contacted the company and was eventually connected to a staffer on the Scottrade Bank security team who helped secure the data. Two days later, Vickery said, he confirmed that the problem was resolved.

Chris Vickery

The exposed database had no encryption and included 48,000 lessee credit profile rows and 11,000 guarantor rows, Vickery explained. Each row contained information such as Social Security Numbers, names, addresses, phone numbers, and other information that one would expect a bank to possess.

In addition, Vickery says the database also contained internal information, such as plain text passwords and employee credentials used for API access to third-party credit report websites.

Chris Vickery

In a statement, Scottrade spokesperson Shea Leordeanu said the database was secured in six hours, and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

"We are a customer focused company, and will always act in their best interests," said Leordeanu.

A written statement from Scottrade directed most of the questions Salted Hash asked to a third-party vendor used by the company called Genpact.

However, the company stressed this was a case of human error and that Scottrade Bank's own systems remain secure and were not involved. As for the API credentials, Scottrade said they were for a legacy, decommissioned system.

"On April 2, Genpact, a third-party vendor, confirmed that it had uploaded a data set to one of its cloud servers that did not have all security protocols in place. As a result, the data was not fully secured for a period of time. The file contained commercial loan application information of a small B2B unit within Scottrade Bank, including non-public information of as many as 20,000 individuals and businesses. Upon being alerted to the issue, Genpact immediately secured that information, and traced the issue to a configuration error on their part while uploading the file," the Scottrade statement explained.

Scottrade added that Genpact, a professional services firm headquartered in New York, works exclusively with the B2B banking unit and had no access to any other information.

"This appears to be a case of isolated human error by the vendor in handling the data set. It is important to note that we hold all of our third-party vendors to rigorous information security standards. The vendor has acknowledged responsibility for this incident," Scottrade said.

In their own statement, Genpact confirmed Scottrade's remarks.

"Genpact takes data protection very seriously and is undertaking an extensive analysis of the log files and the environment to determine to what extent the data may have been accessed. It has engaged a leading forensics firm to assist in the analysis. Genpact believes this to be an isolated incident that is unrelated to its broader operations and there are no indicators of any compromise of Genpacts systems, network, or work for any other clients."

Genpact said it will work with Scottrade to notify affected individuals, but didn't offer exact details of the process or a timeline.

In 2015, Scottrade Inc.  another wholly owned subsidiary of Scottrade Financial Services, Inc.  alerted 4.6 million customers about a data breach impacting their personal information. Scottrade Inc. learned about the data breach after being contacted by the FBI.

While the records exposed by the incident included Social Security Numbers and other sensitive data, the company said it believes contact information was the primary goal of those responsible for compromising the database where the data was stored.

Last October, it was announced that Scottrade Inc. would be acquired by TD Ameritrade and Scottrade Bank had reached a similar agreement with TD Bank Group. They are working though this transition, which is expected to close in FY '17.

Vent your frustrations over on our Facebook page.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

At his confirmation hearing Wednesday as President Donald Trumps nominee to be FDA commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, of Westport, won praise from Sen. Chris Murphy as a survivor of Hodgkins lymphoma, a two-time Food and Drug Administration veteran and a former practitioner at Stamford Hospital.

We are proud of him in Connecticut for his commitment to Stamford Hospital and the community of Westport, Murphy, D-Conn., said in introducing Gottlieb before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, of which he is a member.

One thing Murphy did not do is pledge to vote for Gottlieb.

I have disclosed to Dr. Gottlieb that I have not made up my mind as to his nomination, Murphy said. We have some serious policy disagreements between us, but I am very eager to take the opportunity to welcome an important Connecticut resident.

Home-state senators introducing nominees is a time-honored Senate tradition. But in this era of the new normal, thats no guarantee of what really matters in confirmations: votes.

Whats wrong with Dr. Gottlieb? Critics cite his cozy relations with drug manufacturers, including producers of opioids, and support of loosening drug regulations to speed new medications to market.

But he did his diplomatic best to woo Democrats like Murphy, telling the panel that opioids are a public health emergency on the order of Zika and Ebola, and that while clinical studies can be modernized, they remain the gold standard.

Will all this be enough to sway Murphy? Stay tuned. But for the record, he voted to confirm the last Connecticut resident he introduced: Small Business Administration chief Linda McMahon.

Selling climate insurance

The hearing of the House Science, Space & Technology Committee was titled: Climate Science: Assumptions, Policy Implications and the Scientific Method. But in reality, it was a food fight. One lone climate scientist who believes climate change is inextricably linked to human activity was in the Octagon with three climate-change deniers  an odd ration considering virtually all scientists believe its really real.

Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., a committee member, must have fallen back on her parenting skills in raising three children to sort through the sticky mess. After getting the fractious panel to nod in agreement that science involves testing and re-testing hypotheses until, bingo, you arrive at the truth, she pointed to Trumps skinny budget that would essentially eliminate climate-change scientific research.

Clearly theres not total certainty here, Esty said, doing her diplomatic best even though theres plenty certainty to go around. However, if the risk is sufficiently great, we take steps even without certainty.

Its like insurance, she insisted  Most of us carry insurance on our homes, even though weve never lived in a home thats burned to the ground.

Not the worst sales pitch ever.

I tried to bring it back to science and refocus on what is the role of silence, and also the role of the legislative body when there is imperfect science, she said after the hearing.

Blumenthal not budging

These are times that try Dick Blumenthals soul. Connecticuts senior senator is among those at Ground Zero as Senate Republicans drop the nuclear option  changing Senate rules to require a simple majority on Supreme Court confirmations instead of the current 60-vote threshold.

Blumenthal has already come out against President Trumps nominee, appeals court Judge Neil Gorsuch. But what happens if the planned filibuster sputters and dies?

There is a reason they call it the nuclear option, Blumenthal said. Its because theres fallout.

But couldnt some old-school Republicans defect, worrying that chickens might come home to roost if the GOP loses the majority?

My impression is the Republican leadership has imposed exceptionally persuasive techniques, he said, so I think any hopes or doubts about GOP defections are unfulfilled so far.

Gorsuch wasnt the only item on the menu Monday, when Blumenthal and other Senate Judiciary Committee members met to pass his nomination to the full Senate.

The committee also voted to do the same for Rod Rosenstein, nominated by Trump to be deputy attorney general.

Democrats on the panel joined Republicans in voting for Rosenstein with one exception. Yup, Blumenthal.

Why? Because Rosenstein would not commit to appointing a special prosecutor to oversee the FBI investigation of Trump campaign officials contacts with Russia, and bring indictments if the evidence warrants.

Since Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself, the option of appointing a special prosecutor would fall to Rosenstein, if confirmed.

So why was Blumenthal out there by his lonesome?

I spoke to other (committee Democrats) and they support the idea of a special counsel, but not through this means, said Blumenthal.

To be honest, I believe my colleagues may be assuming he will appoint a special prosecutor. But I would rather have him make that commitment before we confirm him.

 dan@hearstdc.com
Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media

HARTFORD  Rules for so-called angel investors to contribute to state business growth in exchange for tax credits, was expected to be approved Wednesday in the state House of Representatives on Wednesday.

The bill, which would move to the Senate, would allow state start-ups to gain needed capital, while giving individual investors 25 percent tax credits of up to $250,000.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

FAIRFIELDThe Sacred Heart University student who gave so much in life was also generous in her death.

Caitlin Nelson, 20, was declared dead in a New York Hospital Sunday following complications from choking during a Greek Life food eating contest on March 30.

On Tuesday, doctors completed the removal of her organs to be donated to those who need them, in keeping with her lifelong wishes, according to a source in familiar with operation who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Nelsons remains received a heroes escort by Port Authority police officers as they were taken to the New York Office of the Chief Medical examiner.

Officials determined the cause of Caitlin Nelsons death as "asphyxia due to obstruction of airway by bolus of food, and classified the incident as an accident.

She was treated for a blocked airway last week before her death.

More News Sacred Heart mourns death of student after eating competition

Caitlins father, Port Authority officer James Nelson, died on 9/11 while trying to get people out of one of the Twin Towers, according to the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association.

Like her Dad, who gave all he possibly could in the final moments of his life so others may live, Caitlin also gave all she could so others may live," said Paul Nunziato, president of the PAPB "My heart is broken for Caitlin's family.

While a student at Sacred Heart, Nelson studied social work, organized fundraisers and volunteered to mentor survivors of the Sandy Hook shootings, young people who experience trauma and loss.

"The Resiliency Center of Newtown was honored to have had Caitlin Nelson volunteer for us over the past several years, said director Stephanie Cinque, in an email. Caitlin helped with groups at the center, always offered an extra hand for events and was a counselor at both our camps. Caitlin will be missed immensely by the Newtown-Sandy Hook community, she touched the lives of so many and always did with such love."

Nelsons tragedy and final gift to those in need coincided with National Donate Life Month, an outreach effort intended to encourage people to register as organ donors.

Thousands of patients die each yearalmost one person every hourbecause they do not receive a suitable organ in time, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

Memorial services for Nelson are in the works, according to the Port Authority source. However, the source said that the funeral will be held in a Roman Catholic church, and that Port Authority officers will be supporting related events with an honor guard and other resources.
Shortly after the arrest of a Carlisle man Tuesday for a loaded weapon at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, a second person was arrested for the same crime, according to Transportation Security Administration.

TSA Wednesday said an Ellicott City, Maryland, woman was arrested Tuesday afternoon, just hours after the arrest of a Carlisle man.

TSA previously reported the man, whom they did not identify, was arrested Tuesday morning when he was caught with a .32 caliber handgun loaded with six bullets. The handgun was in one of his carry-on bags as it passed through the checkpoint X-ray machine. The man said he did not know it was there, according to TSA.

The woman told officials she keeps a gun in her purse for protection while working and forgot she had it with her when she arrived at the checkpoint, TSA said. The womans gun was loaded with seven bullets.

Both people were arrested by Maryland Transportation Authority Police and now face state weapons charges.

TSA said it does not believe the two incidents are related.

The two incidents mark the sixth and seventh guns caught at BWI Airport checkpoints this year. TSA reported that the number of firearms caught at BWI has increased since 2013, with 13 firearms caught in 2013, 14 in 2014, 16 in 2015 and 24 in 2016.

TSA advises passengers to look through bags thoroughly before coming to the airport to make sure there are no illegal or prohibited items. Weapons, including firearms and ammunition, are not permitted in carry-on bags, but can be transported in checked bags if they are unloaded, properly packed and declared to the airline, TSA said.

Passengers who bring firearms to the checkpoint are subject to possible criminal charges and civil penalties from TSA of up to $12,000.
I sometimes read Paul Janensch in the Connecticut Post, but not that often.

In his byline it says he was a newspaper editor and taught journalism so those two facts allow me to step out on a limb and assume what political stripe Paul might be.

I cant be 100 percent sure but I can safely guess that he could very well be biased towards the left. And therefore biased against the right, as was evidenced in his column praising Ted Koppel and dismissing Sean Hannitys complaint about edited fake news.

Koppel clearly said in his interview with Hannity that he thought Hannity was bad for America. Koppel did clearly say that.

Janenschs attempt to excuse or redirect is not unlike Bill Clinton trying to define what the definition of is is. Somehow, the New York Times quote of Hannity leading with his chin is deemed to be relevant in Janenschs defense of Koppel, but all I see is a rough and tumble Irish kid from Long Island reverently going toe to toe with one of his broadcast heroes.

If Koppel was in fact examining political polarization and not doing a profile of Hannity, why then did he interview Hannity?

Why didnt Koppel just proffer an opinion on what he thought was going on in American journalism from the conservative and liberal points of view and offer examples?

He could have pointed out that not one major issue was brought up on Barack Obama and his association with domestic terrorists during his two-term presidency.

He could have pointed out that Barack Obama attended a church in Chicago where the Reverend Wright condemned America weekly and virtually nothing was said about it in the mainstream media.

Koppel could have pointed out that Dan Rather was fired for outright lying about George W. Bushs military service.

He could have also pointed out Rachel Maddows attempt to discredit Trump with his tax returns that revealed nothing.

Funny that Hannity pointed out all of these facts (not ideology) and Koppel and his network never did. How does that make Hannity bad for America if all hes doing is pointing out facts?

Again, Im not disappointed that a college journalism professor and former newspaper editor took this stance as it was totally expected and indicative of a leftist ideology that has nothing but disdain for the truth.

Kim Raseman

Milford
New arrivals of US cruise companies Pearl Seas, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruises took place during the first quarter of 2017 to Havana, which is in line with the projections of the development of such attractive activity in Cuba.

Today the US Norweigan Cruise announced it will add 33 round trip sailings to Cuba from Miami in 2018.

The newly announced cruises begin on March 26, 2018 and are in addition to the 30 cruises that Norwegian is running to Cuba in 2017.

Havana and other Cuban ports appear as a destination desired by shipping companies which routes cover the Caribbean, a region that is consolidated as the main cruise market in the world.

This upward trend demands the country's efforts to promote the necessary infrastructures for the efficient operation of that source of income for the national economy.

With the increase of the aforementioned pillar of the leisure industry, the prestige of the port's officials has also been consolidated, and they have received praise from the executives of the visiting companies, especially in the complicated capital city.

The inclusion of Havana in the Caribbean tours is a result of the agreements to reestablish relations between the United States and Cuba, agreed by both governments in December 2014.

However, US travelers must comply with any of the 12 categories allowed by Washington, as its economic blockade of the Caribbean island prevents its citizens from traveling as tourists to the seductive Cuba destination.

As confirmed by the Ministry of Tourism, this year is expected to receive 4 million 200 thousand visitors in all travel modalities, 164,423 more than in 2016.

Both the companies and the travelers of the cruisers modalities and international flights describe Cuba destination as very attractive thanks to its natural resources (especially the beaches), historical values, climate, cultural and patrimonial wealth, atmosphere of tranquility and by the hospitality of the people.(acn)
Cuban and Chilean Business Executives Sign Contract on Nickel

Cuban and Chilean business executives signed on Tuesday in Havana a contract of the International Economic Association to begin a feasible study on the extraction of iron and chromium in the area of Nicaro in the province of eastern Holguin.

Mario Cabello Marante, President of the Commercial Caribbean Nickel S.A. and Ronny Munoz Caceres of the Chilean RM Accessories and Consultants LTDA, signed the document at the headquarters of the Ministry of Energy and Mining.

The objective of this association is to elaborate a Technical-Economic Feasibility Study to learn the viability of extracting iron and chromium contents in the residuum left after extracting nickel and cobalt in Nicaro where the Comandante Rene Ramos Latour Nickel Company worked, said Cabello Marante in an exclusive interview with ACN.

He explained that it is a contract of risk where the foreign party contributes with financing the investigation and in case the outcome is positive then a joint venture would be created to construct the industrial installation and begin the process.

They are stored in an organized manner in outdoor deposits and a forestation program has been applied for years on its several square kilometers surface, said the Cuban expert.

This outdoor warehouse has 120 million tons of such residuum.

On the issue, Munoz Casares expressed his interest for the project with many possibilities; \ its a good deal and we are convinced that the two year study will have positive results\.

We must now look for the best technologies and this is our first business with CCN although we expect for much more, said the Chilean representative.

The Nicaro Nickel Company was the first processing nickel plant constructed in the country, nationalized by the Revolutionary government and later called Rene Ramos Latour (1932-1958).

Ramos Latour was Commander of the Rebel Army and head of the Action and Sabotage of the 26th of July Movement, known with his pseudonym of Daniel after the assassination of Frank Pais in July of 1957.

The construction of the town currently in Mayari municipality, Holguin province began in 1942 and by the end of 1943; the site achieved its first production according to historians.

However, in 2002 it was paralyzed due to the high level of obsolescence of its installations despite Cuba being among the top 10 nickel and cobalt producers in the world.

At the end of 1956, the construction began in the second nickel company this time close to the municipality of Moa whose investor was Freeport Sulphur Company, but was also nationalized because its US owners refused to pay its taxes.

The company was later named Commander Pedro Sotto Alba (1935-1958) in association with the Canadian Sherritt International Corporation.

In 1986, a new installation was put in place close to the town of Punta Gorda in Moa, with the name of Commander Ernesto Che Guevara who, as Minister of Industries promoted the beginning of the Pedro Sotto Alba after its owners left the country with all the technical documentation of the installation.

The minerals that the three plants have not used constitutes raw materials for the fabrication of iron mixed with nickel with estimated reserves for over 60 years of production.

Nickel is mainly used for the production of stainless steel and there are over 300 thousand of its application and special alloy. (acn)
Investments to upgrade dairy industry in Cuba underway

Submitted by: Juana

Local

Business and Economy

04 / 05 / 2017



The Ciego de Avila Dairy Industry undertakes an investment process in the Base Business Unit (UEB) located in Moron, the investment aims at replacing and fixing its worn out equipment.

Ruben Pina Angelbello, provincial director of the Dairy Products Company, informed Cuban News Agency that the objective of the constructive work is to solve sanitary issues affecting the quality and safety of its productions.

The milk reception area is being remodeled as well as the storage facilities , such as tanks, homogenizers and chillers of fresh milk, that receive the product directly from the farmers, said Pina Angelbello.

He pointed out that although these appliances exceed three decades of exploitation, the general remodeling, valued at about 150 000 pesos, will return their value in use.

Together with this process they work on the reconstruction of the scrubbing areas and the arrangement of the sanitary filters, which will guarantee to reduce the pollution from the outside, he said.

While these tasks are being carried out, the UEB of the city of Ciego de Avila will assume the processing of both units, said Pina Angelbello.

The livestock sector has installed 38 terms in some municipal headwaters so as to contribute to the quality of milk, both that which comes from dairy farms and that which is pasteurized in the two industries in the province.

The engineer Leonardo Perez Rodriguez, a specialist in livestock, explained that they plan to mount new refrigeration equipment to complete the collection network, and to reach all points of collection.

Jeinict Cruz Alvarez, a specialist in the Provincial Delegation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, said that the Milk Company in the province is one of the entities that give priority to saving water in its production processes.

Among the measures taken are the use of water from cooling systems in the cleaning of the center and the installation of metro meters to other customers who benefit from a well located in the entity, he said. (acn)
04 Nisan 2017 Sal, 15:24

Erdem Gul



As the date of the referendum approaches, the AKPs attention is turning towards the MHP, the bulk of whose support base is shown by the polls to favour No even if its leadership has said Yes. The AKP has thus begun to talk about searching for a formula that will win over the MHP base while taking the sensitivities of Kurdish voters in the West, especially Istanbul, into consideration.

As opposed to other elections, the AKP has preferred to remain silent on the matter of polls. But, this silence does not mean that the AKP is not commissioning polls into the progression of the referendum. The AKP continues to have surveys made from province to province and region to region and for the whole of Turkey about the result that will emerge on 16 April. The AKP has seen in the polls that MHP voters are distant from Yes and, indeed, are closer to No, the issue that is dominating discussion of this referendum.

Alarm over the MHP

In the polls the AKP has got hold of, it emerges that two-thirds of MHP voters will not vote Yes and support No or are more favourable towards No. With these findings compounded by the impressions on the AKP side that the MHP is not conducting an effective grass-roots campaign and campaigning by pro-No MHP opposition figures is more fruitful, a full state of alarm has been launched over the MHP.

Coalition card

Discussions are being held in the AKP about formulas for persuading MHP voters and diverting them from No. The opinions being voiced are that the most effective formula for persuading MHP voters involves giving this party the chance to be in the government. According to the constitutional package, if Yes emerges in the referendum, since the presidential election will be held in 2019, it is envisaged that the present government will remain in office for a further two years. With this in mind, a proposal is starting to be touted such that the message will be given in an announcement: We will include the MHP in the government after 16 April. Certain ministries will be given to the MHP and a coalition will be established so as to win over MHP voters. As the MHP has not been in power for years, it is thought that talk of government partnership will have a considerable influence on MHP voters.

Concerns over Kurdish voters

However, this formula has as many minuses as plusses, and a decision on this matter has eluded the AKP for fear of negatively affecting the crucially important Kurdish vote. Even though the HDP is unable to campaign adequately due to its co-chairs and a large number of its MPs being in pre-trial detention, its voters are expected to vote overwhelmingly No. However, despite the presence of the HDP, there are also conservative Kurdish voters, a serious number of whom are expected to vote No. Conservative Kurdish voters do not live in the South East alone. The ranks of the conservative Kurdish voters are large enough to influence the result of the referendum in the West, especially Istanbul. The AKP has been unable to make a move over the MHP in the endeavour not to lose the Kurdish electorate in its entirety. The AKP has also decided not to play the coalition card at this stage because, in addition to concerns over Kurdish votes, it is also worried that any advantages conferred on the MHP might increase the number of secret No supporters within its own ranks.

Abdullah Guls preference

One of the hottest points of debate over the referendum is Abdullah Guls preference. Guls non-participation at two meetings held by Prime-Minister Binali Yldrm with people from his old party has been taken to mean that he sides with No. His failure to attend the rally in his home city of Kayseri has strengthened this perception. Guls older announcements about his opposition to a Turkish-style presidency are also being posted. Gul has said absolutely nothing about his preference in the referendum as events have unfolded. But, the word in the corridors is that Gul is not perturbed at the perception that he is on the No side, nor does he wish to be seen on the Yes campaign or make his preference known. The same assessments are being made with regard to former Prime-Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. It is known that relations between the two figures in the AKP over whose preferences there is most speculation have not been good since 2014, when Guls bid for a second term as president coincided with Davutoglus time as prime minister. It is no great secret that Gul in particular is angry at Davutoglu. Despite this, it is said in AKP circles that Gul and Davutoglu have come together and spoken during this process. It is stated that, for this reason, the two figures have adopted a shared viewpoint and distanced themselves from the Yes campaign. There is talk in the AKP that many MPs, also including ministers, and those in their entourage may be secret No supporters.
STORY LINK GBP to ZAR Exchange Rate Surges as South Africa?s Controversial Leader Holds Role

GBP Bolstered by Strong UK Services Data

ZAR Plummets as SA President Zuma Survives Calls to Quit

GBP/ZAR Forecast: Further Uncertainty Ahead for Rand Traders

Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues:

The British Pound to South African Rand exchange rate continued to edge higher on Thursday afternoon and tested the weeks highest levels.Despite the Pound weakening as the services PMI rally faded, it was still able to gain on the weak South African Rand. However, according to a Thursday Reuters poll, analysts believe the Rand will stabilise for the rest of 2017 as the events of the last week are already priced in to ZAR trade.[Previously updated 06/04/2017]The outlook for the Rand remains volatile, with demand for the risk-sensitive currency weakening in response to a more hawkish Federal Reserve outlook.Nevertheless, as confidence in the Pound quickly started to wane in the absence of fresh domestic data the GBP ZAR exchange rate was unable to hold onto its earlier gains.[Previously updated 05/04/2017]The British Pound to South African Rand has seen huge fluctuations this week. This is due largely to widespread political uncertainty in South Africa, following last weeks SA cabinet shuffle and sacking of the nations finance minister, Pravin Gordhan.GBP/ZAR opened this week at the level of 16.8416. The pair fluctuated earlier in the week and fell back to its opening levels on Wednesday morning. However, the pair surged to a new 2017 high of 17.2921 later in the day as SA President Jacob Zuma finds support.Demand for the Pound improved on Wednesday and the British currency firmed, allowing it to more easily capitalise on a weak and volatile South African Rand.Wednesdays UK services PMI for March, published by Markit, comfortably beat expectations. As a result, concerns that Britains economy was beginning to show sure signs of slowing faded slightly and the previously limp Pound gained support.The services print was expected to rise slightly from 53.3 to 53.5, but instead rose to an impressive 55. After poor UK manufacturing data on Monday, investors had become concerned that Britains services sector could also have slumped.While some analysts noted that employment in the services sector slowed in March, the print generally indicated that Britain was going through a solid period of growth.Last week saw South Africas controversial President, Jacob Zuma, shock markets when he reshuffled the government cabinet and sacked the nations popular Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan. This led South Africas credit rating to be cut to junk status.Since then, calls for Zuma to step down have increased from critics and allies alike. Political uncertainty and instability has left the South African Rand extremely weak.However, during Wednesdays session it was confirmed that a major decision making body in the African National Congress (ANC) was still supporting the President. The ANC is the ruling party of South Africa, of which Zuma is the leader.After considering the calls for Zuma to be fired, the ANC decided not to push for his resignation according to party officials.The South African Rand may not look appealing to forex market traders in the near future. Standard & Poors decision to cut South Africas credit rating to junk will have serious downside effects on the embattled currency that will not be reversed any time soon.Amid the markets current risk-averse mood, the Pound is simply far more appealing to traders than the Rand. This could lead GBP/ZAR to begin to recover even further from its 2017 lows and challenge the levels seen in late 2016.Fridays UK data could give the Pound a bit more of a boost if they impress investors.Februarys trade deficit report will be published and is expected to deepen slightly. If it comes in lighter than expected, the Pound will firm.Manufacturing and industrial production results from February will also be published.Last but certainly not least, Bank of England (BoE) Governor Mark Carney will be holding a speech on Friday. While its unlikely Carney will talk monetary policy, any indication of the banks current outlook on the UK economy could inspire GBP movement.South African foreign exchange reserves data from March will be published on Friday, but this typically low-influence result will likely be brushed over while investors focus on South Africas political uncertainty.

International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements.

TAGS: Currency Predictions South African Rand Forecasts
Prevailing Wage Bill Heads to Senate (HB 104)

The House approved legislation this week meant to make public construction projects more affordable for taxpayers. The bill would repeal Missouris prevailing wage law to help reduce the cost of construction and maintenance projects for municipalities and school districts.

Missouri law currently requires contractors and subcontractors working on public works projects to pay employees the prevailing wage for the particular locality in which the project is being completed. While the states minimum wage is $7.70 per hour, prevailing wage requires significantly higher wages. In St. Louis, the prevailing wage is approximately $37 an hour. The bill approved by the House would change Missouri law to require contractors and subcontractors to pay employees state or federal minimum wage, whichever is higher. Contractors and subcontractors would be permitted to pay higher than the minimum wage, but that would not be a requirement.

Supporters of eliminating the prevailing wage say that it causes many public works projects to be too expensive. Communities and school districts are either forced to pay too much for needed construction or maintenance, or to forego the projects entirely. Removing the prevailing wage requirement will allow the state to be better stewards of taxpayer dollars. If both chambers approve the bill and the governor signs it into law, Missouri will join states such as Kentucky, West Virginia, and Indiana, which have all repealed their prevailing wage laws in recent years. Missouri is currently one of 29 states with a prevailing wage law in place.

House Advances Legislation to Allow Missourians to Obtain REAL ID-Compliant Identification (HB 151)

Legislation that would give Missourians the option to obtain photo identification that complies with the federal REAL ID Act is now on its way to the Senate. The bill approved by the House this week would require the state revenue department to issue Real ID-compliant drivers licenses and identification cards to those who want them.

Passed by the U.S. Congress in 2005, The REAL ID Act was designed to enhance security procedures by establishing new minimum standards for drivers licenses. Missouri responded to the requirements by passing a state law in 2009 to protect the private information of Missouri citizens by prohibiting the Missouri Department of Revenue from complying with the federal act. Because the state has not complied with the requirements, Missouri licenses are no longer a valid form of identification at federal facilities and military bases, and will no longer be valid at airports as proof of identity for domestic flights beginning in 2018. For Missourians who do not want to comply with the REAL ID requirements because of privacy concerns, the legislation would allow them to request the existing style of Missouri identification that is not compliant with the federal act.

I believe this bill is designed to provide a reasonable solution ensuring Missourians arent burdened with having to get alternative identifications to access federal facilities or to visit family members on military bases. This bill is about giving Missourians the freedom to decide whether to obtain identification that is compliant with REAL ID.

House Moves to Protect Alternatives to Abortion Agencies (HB 174)

The Missouri House has approved legislation meant to protect the rights of alternatives to abortion agencies to provide their services without government interference. The bill is a response to a St. Louis ordinance that prevent agencies and the individuals who work there from providing their resources and counseling to expectant mothers.

I supported this bill to protect the free speech rights of agencies, and prohibit political subdivisions from creating rules to prevent pregnancy centers and maternity homes from providing resources to expectant mothers.

Missouris Alternatives to Abortion Program was created to assist women in carrying their unborn child to term instead of having an abortion, and to assist them in caring for their child or placing their child for adoption. Services are available during pregnancy and for one year following birth.

House Gives First-Round Approval to Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (HBs 90 & 68)

The Missouri House has given initial approval to a proposed tracking system for prescription drugs that supporters hope will fight opioid abuse in Missouri. The bill aims to help stop the practice of doctor shopping, which involves offenders going from doctor to doctor in order to obtain multiple prescriptions for valuable and addictive medications.

The Narcotics Control Act would allow Missouri to join the 49 other states that already have a prescription drug monitoring system in place. The bill would require the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to establish and maintain a program to monitor the prescribing and dispensing of all Schedule II through Schedule IV controlled substances. The bill would require information on these drugs being prescribed and dispensed to be reported within 24 hours. By the year 2020 the information would be updated in real time.

My research finds that prescription drug abuse is one of the fastest growing epidemics in the United States, and that a monitoring program would allow prescribers a way to find and address abuses. They note that because Missouri is the only state without such a program in place, border states see citizens cross into Missouri to doctor shop for prescription drugs. I supported this bill to get prescription pain medicines like OxyContin and Vicodin off the streets, and to lower the number of overdoses. The bill requires another vote in the House before moving to the Senate.

Honoring Missouris Vietnam Veterans

I was disappointed that I was unable to attend the ground breaking for the Veterans Memorial in Perryville this past week. However, I was honored to welcome veterans who served in the Vietnam War to the House Chamber to recognize them for their courage, sacrifice, and devotion to duty and country.

The observance of Vietnam Veterans Day was created in 2012. I want to recognize the courage and patriotism of those who served during the Vietnam Conflict who now reside in District 145 and throughout Missouri. I am so thankful for the veterans who bravely fought, served, and sacrificed during the Vietnam Conflict and returned home to no parades, ceremonies, or public celebrations to welcome them. Today, I stand in gratitude for their courageous service and sacrifices made on behalf of the nation.
How to save at Costco

If you're a Costco member, you probably know a thing or two about saving a buck. But there are ways to cut costs even further at the ubiquitous warehouse club, with its nearly 700 locations worldwide.

Consumer Reports offers these suggestions:

-- Start online. Check the Costco website for discounts, including savings on large appliances, exercise equipment and luxury items you might not expect.

-- Stock up on detergents. Some Kirkland detergents kept pace in Consumer Reports' tests with name-brand detergents that cost two and three times as much. If you use liquid detergent, try the Kirkland Signature Free & Clear, 11 cents per load.

-- Bring home the bacon. Costco's Kirkland Signature Regular Sliced Bacon is notable for its crispiness and balance of fat and meat flavors.

-- Hit the condiment aisle. In blind taste tests, Consumer Reports found the Kirkland Signature Real Mayonnaise to be just as good as Hellmann's, for about 60 percent of the cost; the texture did seem slightly less dense, however, so it might take some getting used to. Kirkland Signature maple syrup also delivered good value and flavor.

-- Charge up your electronics. If your home has a lot of electronic devices, including toys, remote controls, smoke alarms and flashlights, go for the bulk supply of Kirkland Signature AA Alkaline batteries. They were judged Excellent overall in Consumer Reports' tests and cost just 27 cents per battery.

-- Get your prescription filled. Costco's pharmacy department offers hundreds of prescription medications at deeply discounted prices -- so low you may not need your insurance at all. As a bonus: No membership required. Costco stores in nearly every state allow you to use their pharmacy for free.

-- Give paper products a try. Though Kirkland paper products don't make Consumer Reports' recommended list, they have some redeeming qualities -- in addition to the great price. Kirkland Signature toilet paper, 12 cents per 100 sheets, is quite soft and disintegrates easily; it lost points for strength and tearing ease in tests. In paper towel tests, the Kirkland Signature Premium Big Roll, $1.47, was extremely absorbent, though also a bit short on strength. Both products have been reformulated since the tests, so results may vary.

-- Take a look at eyeglasses. In Consumer Reports' latest ratings of eyeglass stores, based on a survey of nearly 20,000 subscribers, Costco topped the chart, beating out most other chains. And when it comes to the cost of frames and lenses, Costco shoppers spent much less than those who bought from independent retailers, private physicians or the specialty stores LensCrafters and Pearle Vision. The median price paid at Costco was $186, compared to about $300 at the other options. One caveat: Costco's frame selection is relatively limited.

-- Hit the free samples. It's a good way to try a new product without committing to the 5- or 10-pound bag. The handouts can also help introduce young picky eaters to new foods. And don't be shy about going back for seconds.

To learn more, visit ConsumerReports.org

Save money on prescription Hearing Aids

You may be considering hearing aids but are worried about the cost. Consumer Reports helps guide you to some affordable solutions.

-- Investigate your coverage. Veterans Affairs offers hearing aids for veterans. Some children, federal workers, and residents of Arkansas, New Hampshire and Rhode Island can get them covered by insurance. Some plans, including almost half of those from Medicare Advantage, offer at least partial coverage or discounts. If you have a health savings or flexible spending account, you can use it to pay for hearing aids and batteries with pretax dollars.

-- Shop around. Costco offers no-cost screenings at some stores and hearing aids for about $500 to $1,500 each. Buying aids online can save you as much as $2,000 per pair, but you may also need to mail them back for adjustments or pay a local specialist to adjust them. It's always wise to see a doctor or audiologist first to determine your hearing needs and rule out other medical concerns.

-- Don't buy more hearing aid than you need. Skipping extras you won't use -- such as Bluetooth capability -- can slash your bill by hundreds of dollars.

-- Ask for a price break. Almost half of the respondents to a recent Consumer Reports survey who tried to negotiate received a lower price.

-- Check out groups that can help. Some government, state and independent organizations, such as Lions clubs, may help you pay for hearing aids or offer discounts. (Go to asha.org and search for "funding.")

Are OTC Hearing Helpers Any Good?

Personal sound amplification products, or PSAPs, cost a fraction of the price of the average hearing aid. The more expensive ones are about $500 each; prescription aids generally start at about $1,650 each, including fees for the services of an audiologist or hearing-aid specialist. (Some less expensive prescription aids are available online and through retailers such as Costco.)

To find out whether these hearing-aid lookalikes can help people, Consumer Reports asked three of its employees who were diagnosed with mild to moderate hearing impairment to try four devices priced from $20 to $350. They wore them for three to seven days at the office, at home, in restaurants and in Consumer Reports' audio labs, where they were tested for how well the devices could help them pick out words in a noisy environment.

For an expert's opinion, a hearing-aid researcher assessed each PSAP in such areas as amplification, battery and microphone function, and sound distortion.

Consumer Reports found that some PSAPs, if properly fit and adjusted, can help some people with mild to moderate hearing loss. As with a hearing aid, the effectiveness of a PSAP can vary depending on the product. So it's best to have a professional hearing test first, and consider asking an audiologist or hearing-aid specialist for guidance in determining which device is right for you.

To learn more, visit ConsumerReports.org

Health Food doesnt have to cost more

When shopping for groceries and trying to decide between two items -- say, brands of granola bars -- how do you determine which is healthier?

Doing a little fact-checking as you shop can help you choose what's good for both your health and your wallet, says Consumer Reports. Here's how.

6 Ways to Shop Smarter

1. Keep "healthy" in perspective. In some cases, foods we may think of as healthier are costlier. For instance, organic foods are often more expensive than their nonorganic counterparts. It's important to know, however, that while organic food is guaranteed to be pesticide- and antibiotic-free, it isn't generally considered to be nutritionally superior. And some healthy foods are notably inexpensive: whole grains, beans and peanut butter, for instance, especially store brands.

2. Resist the allure of such claims as "healthy" and "natural." Technically, if manufacturers want to use the term "healthy" on a product, it must meet certain Food and Drug Administration nutrition standards. For example, products labeled as "healthy" that contain fats can have no more than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. And foods that bear the claim must contain less than 480 milligrams of sodium per serving.

But Consumer Reports' nutrition experts say that those requirements exclude some important components of health; they make no mention of sugars, for instance. And the term "natural" isn't regulated, so there's no guarantee it means anything beneficial for your health.

3. Scan the nutrition panel on the back or side of the package. When looking for healthy foods, be on the lookout for products low in saturated and trans fats and sodium. And check for the daily values of nutrients such as vitamins A, C and D, calcium, iron and potassium: 20 percent or more per serving means it's a good source. Scan for fiber as well. When you're looking for healthy foods, keep an eye out for those added sugars. For example, ingredients ending in "ose" -- sucrose, fructose and maltose -- are just some of many names added sugars go by.

4. Shop for produce strategically. Stick to in-season fruits and veggies, which are generally cheaper and more flavorful than items that travel a long way to reach your store. If you're craving blueberries in January, however, head to the freezer case. Frozen produce is usually just as nutritious as fresh.

5. Toss out less of what you buy. On average, a family of four wastes up to $1,500 worth of food each year. Making better use of your freezer can help. Buy fresh produce in season and freeze some for use later. Overripe fruit that's frozen, for example, can be added to smoothies, breads, jams or sauces.

6. Opt for fewer ingredients. It's often healthier to lean toward whole foods -- fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins -- rather than packaged, more processed items. And when you're buying boxed or canned foods, Consumer Reports' nutrition experts advise that you choose those with shorter ingredient lists.

To learn more, visit ConsumerReports.org
What to do in Pennsylvania if you made an error on your mail-in ballot

The state Supreme Court recently ruled that undated or incorrectly dated mail ballots cannot be counted. Here's what voters can do about an error.
Country

Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Canada Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cuba, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Dominican Republic Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Haiti, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Jamaica Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Mexico, United Mexican States Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu US Virgin Islands Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
Tuesday marks 49 years since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel. Some U of M experts weighed in on the impact that fateful day in 1968 had on the Civil Rights Movement and the city of Memphis.A

Aram Goudsouzian

Assistant Professor of history

Civil rights expert

aWe have a tendency to oversimplify the political situation upon Kingas death by using (it) as a dividing line between the faith of the old civil rights movement and the anger of the new Black Power movement. It is not accurate."

aThe ideas of Black Power percolated through the civil rights era, and King himself had increasingly become a radical critic of American politics and culture. He not only spoke out against the Vietnam War a called for a larger revolution of protest on the National Mall called the Poor Peopleas Campaign, which would call for a massive investment in anti-poverty programs."

aIt is also inaccurate to say that every American in 1968 mourned Kingas death. Most African Americans were shocked, anguished and angry. King represented their highest ideals. While many whites expressed genuine guilt and sorrow, many others muttered that King had invited his own death. They argued that his civil disobedience caused violence and hatred. For them, the riots that broke out nationwide upon Kingas death werenat a protest of racial inequality, but symptoms of moral sickness.a

Steven John Mulroy

Associate Dean of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law

Expert on civil rights

a(Martin Luther King Jr.as death) was a huge blow to the civil rights movement because it meant the movement lost its most prominent, widely respected leader. Not only that, Dr. King was trying to continue to insist on a nonviolent and non-separatist emphasis in the Civil Rights Movement, as well as an expansion in the movement to issues of poverty. Those efforts in particular suffered without him being around to give voice to them."

aIt hurt the movement because the movement lost its, at the time, most effective voice. To a certain extent, it allowed the movement to fracture along the lines of separatism versus integration. It hurt the ability of the movement to unite behind poverty and economic justice issues as well as strict civil rights issues.a

Saira Sikandar Dana Smith and son, Tyler, read about the replicated car of late Martin Luther King Jr. This is our second time coming [to the museum] since hes born, Smith said. Hes three now but I want him to learn young what Black people had to go through so he could have what he does.

Albert Okunade

Professor of economics

Expert on blacks in Memphis

aIt is generally thought to generate ongoing domestic and international conversations on the need to improve the civil rights of the racially oppressed peoples. These have produced domestic policies aimed at addressing particular civil rights."

aAmericans of all shades of skin color fought and still fight for these rights. Over the years, civil rights policies have been expanded to accommodate the inequities of other population segments including gender. However, the effectiveness of the various aspects of the civil rights struggles continues to depend on the political agendas that the citizens express at the local, state and national polling booths.a

Wanda Rushing

Expert in Memphis history

aDr. King lost his life while he was in Memphis supporting the Sanitation Workersa Strike. The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and advocate of nonviolent social change marched alongside the sanitation workers who made their demands for dignity and better wages with signs saying, aI am a man.a"

aThe city still struggles to come to terms with racial inequality as demonstrated in campaigns for public transportation, including the bus riders union, efforts to merge school districts and local governments and the Black Lives Matter movement. Metropolitan Memphis now ranks first in the nation in childhood poverty. Economic disparities are increasing in Memphis and throughout the United States, and these indicators suggest that much work needs to be done.a

Saira Sikandar Neema and Ammaar Ansari stand in front of the motel room where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. It is an important part of American history and especially of Memphis history, Ansari said.

Charles W. Crawford

Expert in Memphis and Tennessee history

aI consider that a very pivotal event because Memphis was a different city after the assassination of Martin Luther King than what it was before."

"People were committed to making the change, now they were slow, some of them were resistant to it, but they made it. It brought civil rights to Memphis, a lot of people worked on it for many years, but that one sacrifice was the most remarkable thing.a

Anthony Moss and Raven Copeland contributed to this story.
As confessions of incompetence go, Sir David Kings admission that he was absolutely wrong to advocate diesel cars could hardly be more damning

As confessions of incompetence go, Sir David Kings admission that he was absolutely wrong to advocate diesel cars could hardly be more damning.

In his role as the former chief scientific adviser to the government  and until last month, special representative for climate change  this is a man on whom the public were entitled to rely for scrupulously impartial judgment, based on facts.

Yet now this fervent campaigner against carbon emissions admits he let himself be duped by carmakers who claimed they had solved the more toxic problem of nitrogen oxides spewed out by diesel engines.

His confession comes too late for millions who tried to do the environmentally friendly thing by switching from petrol after Labour cut diesel fuel duty in 2001.

Nor can it help those whose health has suffered from diesel pollutants, which are linked to dementia and childhood breathing problems and, most chilling of all, are said to contribute to thousands of deaths.

So will it be the carmakers  still fiddling emissions tests on an industry-wide scale  who are punished for their deceit? Or government advisers and politicians such as Lord Prescott, Neil Kinnock and Gordon Brown, who banged the drum for diesel?

No, with depressing predictability, those footing the bill for this huge blunder will be the families who did as they were advised.

They now face crippling charges for driving diesels in low-emission zones, while the resale value of their cars  the second-biggest purchase of their lives, after their homes  is sure to plummet. As for King, he gets a knighthood!

Listening to the likes of London mayor Sadiq Khan, anyone would think diesel owners were the villains. Yet arent they owed a massive apology by the politicians and advisers who misled them?

How many other crimes against the environment, health  and our wallets have been committed in the name of green zealotry?

Brexit saboteurs

Just what do MPs on the Brexit committee hope to achieve by sneering at Theresa Mays insistence that no deal for Britain is better than a bad deal?

Cant they see that in the poker game now begun, undermining the Prime Minister can only encourage EU negotiators to push for a harder bargain?

Meanwhile, BBC interviewers bowl underarm at Remoaners such as committee chairman Hilary Benn  whose doom-laden report so little represents his own bodys members (let alone the public) that several of them refused to endorse it.

Yes, Today presenter Nick Robinson is correct to point out that with the campaign over, the BBC is free of its duty to balance each pro-Remain voice with one for Leave.

BBC interviewers bowl underarm at Remoaners such as Hilary Benn  whose doom-laden report so little represents his own bodys members that several of them refused to endorse it

But this cannot excuse his colleague Mishal Husain, who yesterday asked the Remoaner London mayor how the Government could stop jobs leaving the capital after Brexit. She even cited the decision by Lloyds to open a small office in Brussels  without pointing out that the insurance giant has said London will remain its centre of operations.

Shouldnt she have challenged Mr Khan to explain why jobs have flooded into the capital since the vote?

The BBC may no longer be bound to match opposing speakers, minute-for-minute. But emphatically, this does not give it the right to spread Remoaner scaremongering.

 Spoken like a true vicars daughter! It is ridiculous of the National Trust, says the Prime Minister, to bow to pressure from the sponsor of its annual Easter Egg Trail by renaming it the Cadbury Egg Hunt.

Shame on Cadbury and the Trust for giving marketing precedence over the most important festival of the Christian year. And well said, Mrs May.
King Felipe VI of Spains state visit to the UK from June 6 to 8 means the Queen will be invited to make a return visit to Spain  her first since 1988.

Can she do this and avoid Gibraltar, which she has not visited since 1954 to avoid upsetting the Spanish government and monarchy?

In 1988, she went no further south than Seville, despite pleas from Gibraltarians. Otherwise her visit would have been cancelled.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letiza are due to come on a state visit to the UK on June 6 to June 8

King Juan Carlos refused to attend Charles and Dianas wedding in 1981 after it was announced that their honeymoon cruise would begin from the Rock.

Discussing 49-year-old Felipes coming visit  originally scheduled for spring last year  and Gibraltar, I mused in October 2015: The Foreign Office hopes an old queen and a young king might just be able to heal some wounds.

Some hope!

Tony Blairs retired mouthpiece Alastair Campbell, interviews writer and Jeremy Corbyn fan Owen Jones for GQ magazine, asking him: Would you ever go to the House of Lords?

Jones: No. Are you kidding me?

Campbell: Shami Chakrabarti (the Labour-supporting human rights campaigner) did.

Jones: Fine. I am not her. Are you going to be in the House of Lords?

Campbell: Never. Turned it down several times.

And some wonder why the Labour Partys said to be dying.

Cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, who auctions some of his drawings at Sothebys today, caricatured New York intellectuals Norman Mailer and Arthur Miller in the 1960s.

When he arrived at Millers place, he was disappointed to find Mrs Miller was out. I consoled myself with the thought that Id shook a hand that had cupped the breasts of Marilyn Monroe, he says.

Then of course Mrs Miller, but not for long

Gerald Scarfe, who made this sketch of Arthur Miller had hoped to meet his then wife... but had to console himself that he 'shook the hands that cupped the breasts of Marilyn Monroe'

Hollywood veteran Shirley MacLaine, 82, has never made a film with her younger brother, Warren Beatty, 80, despite both having screen careers lasting 60 years, saying: To me, Warren was no more than a little nuisance, forever getting on the nerves of his bossy older sister. He thinks the stuff I write is plain crazy. Hes never been interested in spirituality or reincarnation, or UFOs.

Women appeared to be Warrens main interest.

Preachy comedian Steve Coogan, 51, claimed hed do everything in my power campaigning against the businesses of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Yet his TV comedy series The Trip, now in its third series, has moved from BBC2 to Murdoch-controlled Sky Atlantic.

Will he object to the series appearing on a Murdoch-controlled network?

After my item about the late disc jockey Jimmy Savile wearing a Royal Marines green beret in his coffin, a reader writes: I was in Commando school when Savile won his green beret. On one occasion he was introduced to the corporals wives. As he bent to give them a kiss he actually licked them instead. The wives all thought he was an absolute horror.
This moving photograph captures the exhilaration of a mother as her baby son is placed into her arms for the first time.

Natalie Bancroft, from Spokane Valley, in Washington, cannot conceal her joy after delivering the 11lbs 2oz baby with 'no interventions' in a water birth at her home.

Natalie, who asked Laura Fifield to capture the memorable moment, had not expected an '11 pounder' according to the photographer, who shared the picture on her website.

It drew a flood of responses, with one woman describing the picture as 'worth a thousand words'.

Natalie Bancroft (pictured above with newborn baby Simon), from Spokane Valley in Washington, was photographed right after giving birth - and the picture speaks a thousand words

'With no interventions, internal exams and no tearing she safely delivered their 11lb 2oz baby home at home,' Laura, who has been described as a 'birth photography ninja', wrote on her site.

She also shared the picture on her Facebook page, where one user wrote: 'They always say a picture is worth a thousand words and this is beautiful.

'What an amazing moment and emotion to capture and be able to look back for years to come and see exactly how you felt...'

Another said: 'I can't get enough of this photo! Her reaction is the absolute best. Reminds me of how I felt after my home birth.'

A third user: 'I'm in love with this picture. And Good Lord, that's a big baby!!! Congrats, Mama. You did it!!'

The photographer takes a 'fly-on-the-wall' approach and likes to quietly and quickly document all aspects of a birthing story.

Natalie (above beforehand) asked photographer Laura Fifield to capture the special moment

Natalie, already a mother of two, wanted her family to be present for the birth and so her older children were there to see their little brother's arrival.

Laura says that after a few pushes, she had a baby boy, which was came as a surprise as the family hadn't found out the gender beforehand.

People have taken to Facebook to comment on the pictures of Natalie (pictured before the birth) and say her reaction is 'amazing'

Laura writes: 'Once he was out we could tell he was a little chunker! Natalie and her husband were immediately in love with their new son.

'Once Simon was born, Natalie moved from where the birth pool was into the comfort of her bed.

'Imagine the surprise when her midwife announced 'Hes 11lbs, 2oz Natalie!'. Oh my goodness, we were all shocked!

'Her Spokane home birth was so empowering. With no interventions, internal exams and no tearing she safely delivered their 11lb 2oz baby home at home.'
Julius Panetta, a young boy with Down Syndrome, has been featured in Target's latest catalogue.

The seven-year-old, who has modelled for kids clothing brand eeni meeni miini moh in the past, was ecstatic to be in the toy section of the brochure.

His mother, Catia Malaquias, also got the opportunity to pose alongside her son in a beautiful photograph of the pair playing with dinosaurs.

Julius Panetta, seven, features in the latest Target campaign with his mother Catia

Ms Malaquias was featured alongside her son, who has Down Syndrome, and was pleasantly surprised to be involved

'Having both of us in the ad was so nice. When Julius was born I didn't see any other families like ours being represented,' Ms Malaquias told Daily Mail Australia.

As a result, four years ago the mum set up Starting with Julius - a not for profit project with the aim of fighting negative stereotypes surrounding the concept of disability.

'They [kids] do not have special needs they have the same basic needs as any child  to be loved, nurtured, educated and to be included in society in every way and to every extent possible,' the mum told 9Honey.

Target has included a range of children and adults in their latest catalogue

One of the core messages of Starting with Julius is trying to dispel the sentiment that people with disabilities are 'inspirational'.

'When we're trying to talk about inclusion, being labelled inspirational isn't helpful. People with disabilities are just living their life like everybody else,' Ms Malaquias told Daily Mail Australia.

The Perth-based family, which includes Julius, seven, and his sisters Laura, nine, and Drea, six, has high hopes for the three kids.

Julius began modeling for Queensland clothing company eeni meeni miini moh where he was an instant hit

Julius (left) began modeling when his mother approached Queensland clothing brand eeni meeni miini moh and asked them to consider representing a more diverse range of children in their ads

'I want Julius to get a good education in a rich diverse environment, to find a job where he is valued for his contribution and to live a life of his choosing, just like I do for his sisters,' Ms Malaquias told 9Honey.

Julius began modeling when his mother approached Queensland clothing brand eeni meeni miini moh and asked them to consider representing a more diverse range of children in their ads.

'They seemed to really make an effort to represent kids of different skin colour, ethnic background, different looks ... so I thought "this is a brand that is actually trying to celebrate diversity but its still missing this important part". I thought: "Well, you have a customer with Down syndrome",'' Ms Malaquias told the West Australian.

The seven-year-old's bright and bubbly personality made him a success on the set of eeni meeni miini moh

Change is coming: 'One in five Aussies have a disability. So while commercial advertising is taking great pains to show different body types they're not incorporating people with disabilities as often as we might hope,' Julius' mother said

They agreed to see Julius and were immediately charmed by his warm personality.

The Perth mum-of-three wants to see children of all kinds integrated seamlessly and not make to feel different from one another.

'One in five Aussies have a disability. So while commercial advertising is taking great pains to show different body types they're not incorporating people with disabilities as often as we might hope.

'When you're looking at diversity you can't overlook disability,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

Retailers like Target and Kmart have been featuring a diverse range of children and adults in their catalogues in recent years in an effort to represent their mass market, including a woman wearing a hijab in their back-to-school brochure.
A woman has opened up about the moment she became a first time mother at the age of 47 after 11 failed IVF attempts and a tragic miscarriage.

Fiona Lister, from Lismore in northeastern NSW, decided to turn to IVF when she was 39 years old after she struggled to conceive with her husband Paul.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the now 55-year-old said she had given up all hope of becoming a parent after three years of failed attempts following 12 rounds of IVF.

But the excruciating wait finally came to an end when the couple welcomed a beautiful, healthy baby boy named Izaak.

Fiona Lister (pictured with her son Izaak) has opened up about the moment she became a first-time mother at the age of 47 after 11 failed IVF attempts and one miscarriage

'When he was born, the first thing I asked the doctor was: "Is he normal? Tell me the truth, just tell me the truth... Is he normal?",' Ms Lister told Daily Mail Australia.

'When they said "yes", I just started crying... I sobbed and sobbed. I couldn't stop crying for four hours. I never thought I was going to be a mother.

'I was a midwife for 15 years so I was used to seeing newborn babies being delivered. And all of a sudden, I was handed this baby, I finally had my own.

'It was an overwhelming feeling of relief. The build up of all the tension and stress finally went away. I wouldn't say it was tears of joy but more of an amazing relief.'

However, motherhood didn't come easy after she tried desperately to fall pregnant naturally for four years from the age of 35.

'I met Paul when I was 34 - and we started trying for a baby a year later,' Ms Lister said.

'Paul, who was 44 at the time, had two older daughters of his own but he said he wanted to have more kids. So we started trying for a year but nothing happened.

'All the tests came back to say there was nothing wrong with me and Paul.

'Being a mid-wife, I thought you could have a baby at any age when you start trying. But I was gobsmacked when it didn't happen for me.'

Not only did she have a successful pregnancy, but she gave her elderly mother (pictured), who was 84 years old at the time, her first grandson

The now 55-year-old (pictured in hospital) said she almost gave up trying for a baby - until her IVF clinic contacted her about the two remaining embryos she had held onto

But five years later, she was given another chance to have a baby after her IVF clinic contacted her about the two remaining embryos she had held onto. Embryos get frozen and stored away for five years.

'The clinic gave us four options about what to do with the two embryos - give them to other couples, give them to science, use them or destroy them,' Ms Lister said.

'I thought I'd have one last go, I never thought for a second I'd fall pregnant. At the time, I basically resigned myself to the fact that I was getting old.

'And I told myself that it wasn't over until we use the two embryos. But at 19 weeks, the ultrasound was showing signs the baby was still alive.'

I kept my pregnancy a secret from everyone. I didn't want to face the humiliation of failure if it all went wrong again

Ms Lister said she decided to keep her pregnancy a secret from everyone, including her colleagues and own mother until she broke the news after 20 weeks.

'I actually kept my pregnancy a secret from everyone. I didn't want to face the humiliation of failure if it all went wrong again,' she said.

'It's humiliating, and you start to feel like you can't have a baby on your own. It's the most basic thing humans can do but I couldn't do it.

'The thought of it actually stopped me from being a midwife. I remember seeing the mothers getting grumpy when their babies were crying in hospital.

'I thought I had to leave the job before I said something horrible to them. I just couldn't bear to watch this anymore, it was getting too hard for me.

'I remember at one stage, I just lost my nerve and gave up trying. I couldn't cope with it. After the failed IVFs, I just lost the courage to do it again.'

The 55-year-old mother said having Izaak was the best thing that's ever happened to her

But nine months after her last-ditch attempt with IVF, she gave birth to a healthy son at the age of 47 - but there were challenges of motherhood along the way.

'I couldn't breastfeed Izaak because I didn't make enough milk at my age. So we had to bottle feed him. But life became easy from there,' she said.

'God sent me a good one when I had Izaak. He was the best thing that's ever happened to me.

'The only problem was you don't have people your age having babies. All my friends had adult children. And I didn't really do the mother's groups because most of them were so much younger than me.'

After twelve attempts of IVF in three years, I just couldn't bear the thought of doing it again so I gave up

Reflecting back on her pregnancy, the devoted mother-of-one said if she could turn back time, she would have started IVF at the age of 35.

'I should have got into it a bit younger,' she said.

'Twelve attempts in three years - it was a lot of money and drugs. The procedure really does screw with your mind.

'You get emotional each time you fail. It's really awful. People think you simply take drugs and then get excited the first few times because a baby will come out of this.

'But when you pay thousands of dollars and get nothing, and then do it again and think you'd get pregnant this time around but you don't... I just couldn't bear the thought of doing it again.'

After 11 failed IVF attempts, Ms Lister gave birth to a beautiful son named Izaak, now eight

Not only did she have a successful pregnancy, but she gave her elderly mother, who was 84 years old at the time, her first grandchild.

'Mum never thought she'd have a grandchild because there was just me after my brother died at the age of 39 - I was 26 years old at the time,' Ms Lister recalled.

My mother never thought she'd have a grandchild - but the birth of my son helped her through cancer after she was diagnosed

Her mother was diagnosed with cancer shortly after she fell pregnant.

'But I kept my pregnancy a secret from my mother until I was 20 weeks along, I gave her a birthday card with my ultrasound,' she said.

'The card said: "Dear Nanna, even though I'm not born yet, I hope to see you really soon". Mum then asked me: "Is one of your dogs having puppies?"

'I said "no, that's my baby". She burst out crying. My mother wasn't the type to cry but she was pretty excited. She had given up completely as well after my failed IVFs.

'But I think having a baby around helped her through cancer. She was around for four years and she helped me raise Izaak before she died.'

Little Izaak, who is now eight years old, loves telling people he is five years older than he is because he was an IVF baby, his devoted mother said

Ms Lister said her son, who is now eight years old, 'loves telling people he is five years older than he is because he was an IVF baby'.

'He has known for a long time that he's a special boy and he knows how much we wanted him and how much we love him. He's a very happy boy, very bright,' she said.

Izaak loves telling people he is five years older than he is because he was an IVF baby

And for women coping with infertility struggles, Ms Lister said 'don't leave it to the last minute like I did'.

'Start early. Do it early in life, earliest as possible as you can,' she said.

'Another advice is, if you start to get older, don't wait 12 months trying to get pregnant naturally. If you're already 35, start IVF. Change clinics if it doesn't work - we went to four different clinics.

'Just keep trying because no matter how difficult it is, the only thing you have on your side is time. Even if you wait six months, that's six months you can't get back.

'And get as much embryos stored away as possible before its too late.'
A fitness fanatic mother has been accused of lying about giving birth to her five children because of her flawless figure.

Simone Gately, 35, from Halifax, west Yorkshire, fits in two workouts a day in between looking after Summer 10, Chester, eight, Blossom, seven, India, six and Minnie, three.

But her physique has proven to be a source of envy for Simone's online critics, some of whom have suggested she could not physically have given birth to all five in the space of six years.

One online critic wrote: 'I wonder if her body went through the toll of birthing a child,' and raised doubts over whether Simone had really 'endured pregnancy'.

Simone, pictured with Summer 10, Chester, eight, Blossom, seven, India, six and Minnie, three, has been accused of lying about giving birth to her own children by 'vicious trolls'

Simone, who says she gained a staggering 18 stone across her five pregnancies, is keen to dispel the myth that she didn't give birth to her children once and for all

Simone, who has a degree in sport and exercise science, set up an Instagram account (@simonegatelyfitmum5) nine months ago to share her journey with other mums, and has amassed nearly 40,000 followers.

But the personal trainer, who gave birth to all of her children between 2006 and 2012, has found herself on the receiving end of 'wild accusations' from 'vicious mothers' accusing her of not giving birth - with some suggesting the blonde beauty had used a surrogate.

Now the part-time blogger, who says she gained a staggering 18 stone across her five pregnancies, is desperate to dispel the myth that she didn't give birth to her children once and for all.

Simone, who has a degree in sport and exercise science, set up an Instagram account nine months ago to share her journey with other mums and has amassed nearly 40,000 followers

The blogger, who gave birth to all of her children between 2006 and 2012, has found herself on the receiving end of 'wild accusations' from 'vicious mothers' in recent months

One online critic wrote: 'I wonder if her body went through the toll of birthing a child'

The fitness fanatic told FEMAIL how she kept up her fitness regime during and after all five pregnancies, but knows first-hand how hard it can be to keep the weight at bay during this time.

Yet she says she shifted the weight after each baby in around 10 to 12 weeks post birth 'simply by walking and healthy eating'.

And despite accusations of secretly using a surrogate, adoption, and even undergoing a tummy tuck, Simone insists her figure is simply down to hard work.

Simone while heavily pregnant. The fitness fanatic told FEMAIL how she kept up her fitness regime during and after all five pregnancies but knows how tough it can be

Naturally slim: The mother-of-five says she shifted the weight after each baby in around 10 to 12 weeks post birth 'simply by walking and healthy eating'

Defiant: Despite accusations of secretly using a surrogate, adoption, and even undergoing a tummy tuck, Simone insists her figure is down to nothing more than hard work

Simone, pictured with her brood, told FEMAIL: 'Women shouldn't feel pressure to spring back into shape straight after having babies and should take time to settle into motherhood'

Active family: Simone also loves to incorporate her children into her workouts, and tries to walk them to their activities when she can

'Women shouldn't feel pressure to spring back into shape straight after having babies and should take time to settle into motherhood,' she told FEMAIL.

'I am like any other normal mum who works and juggles the busy lives of her children by taking my brood to over 30 activities a week with no help from outside sources.

'Typically, my day starts at 6am with some sort of run or walk and includes the school run, helping with homework, running to the store, organising parties and activities, while also managing to squeeze in a workout at home.'

The super-fit blogger says of her lifestyle: 'With the right guidance and support busy mums can fit in exercise, but it just takes some planning and organisation'

Ambition: Simone is currently writing a book for women planning pregnancy to women whose kids may have even flown the nest and just want to look good for themselves

Simone insists: 'I am like any other normal mum who works and juggles the busy lives of her children by taking my brood to over 30 activities a week with no help from outside sources'

Simone also loves to incorporate her children into her workouts, and tries to walk them to their activities when she can.

'With the right guidance and support busy mums can fit in exercise, but it just takes some planning and organisation,' she added - citing meal planning and preparation as vital to her healthy lifestyle.

Simone is currently writing a book for women planning pregnancy to women whose kids may have even flown the nest and just want to look good for themselves.
Upcoming Netflix film The Swimmers (pictured, right) tells the real-life story of two sisters who were forced to flee Syria after the civil war broke out - before one went onto become an Olympian. Sarah, now 26, and Yusra Mardini, now 24,(pictured, left) left their home in Damascus in August 2015, four years after the conflict started in March 2011, in a bid to reach Europe. They planned to fly to Istanbul, before travelling to Greece via sea, then on land to Germany. But the journey nearly ended in tragedy when the motor on the dinghy they took across the Aegean Sea stalled, leaving its 18 occupants in peril. The sisters realised that the boat, which was designed to carry only seven people, couldn't take the weight of everyone onboard, and so they jumped into the icy waters. After making their way to Germany, and finding a swimming coach, Yusra took part in the Rio 2016 games (pictured, inset) as part of the newly formed refugee team. Now Netflix has immortalised their story in its film directed by Bafta winner Sally El Hosaini, and executive produced by Stephen Daldry.
The Duchess of Cambridge's swimwear designer Melissa Odabash is a stunning example of how women can defy their age.

The ebullient 52-year-old blonde mother-of-two shared this picture online of herself rollerblading in Florida.

'Women are taking much better care of themselves now, and with Botox no one can tell people's ages any more,' she tells me. I've seen some women of 50 looking ten times better than 25-year-olds.'

mother-of-two Melissa Odabash, 52, shared this picture online of herself rollerblading in Florida

Odabash has been hired by Kate's sister Pippa Middleton to design a bridal bikini for her honeymoon

Odabash has been hired by Kate's sister Pippa Middleton to design a bridal bikini for her honeymoon.

Pippa, 33, is no doubt hoping the elixir of youth rubs off on her.

Who would have thought punk designer Dame Vivienne Westwood had such a soft heart?

The dotty Dame, 75, who lives in South London with younger husband Andreas, 64, keeps their relationship alive by going for a walk together on Clapham Common every other night. 'I find it very romantic,' she trills.

Prince and the pop star's Kylie unlikely exchange...

It was perhaps only fitting that the princess of pop, Kylie Minogue, should receive the Britain-Australia Society Award from the Duke of Edinburgh, 95, at Windsor Castle this week.

Given Prince Philip's frisky reputation, Kylie, 48, was sensible to opt for a more demure look, swapping her trademark hotpants for a floor-length Alice McCall floral chiffon dress.

Given Prince Philip's frisky reputation, Kylie, 48, was sensible to opt for a more demure look when she received the Britain-Australia Society Award from the Duke of Edinburgh this week

But unfortunately, her outfit embarrassingly clashed with the carpet and sofa inside the White Drawing Room.

'I'm a proud Aussie but Britain has a very strong place in my heart having lived and worked here for many years,' said Kylie.

Philip, who was pictured grinning broadly, laughed and joked throughout the audience.

No doubt the normally gaffe-prone Prince was delighted the boot was on the other foot.

Night Manager star Elizabeth Debicki, who plays Tom Hiddleston's love interest in the BBC drama, seems ambivalent about having a second series

Night Manager star Elizabeth Debicki, who plays Tom Hiddleston's love interest in the BBC drama, seems ambivalent about having a second series.

Director Susanne Bier admitted last month that a script is 'being developed'.

'I'm usually one for 'less is more',' says Debicki. 'It's really difficult. The first season was so good that there's obviously pressure when you go back to making something. I would be really, really interested to see what they would do with it.

'I think John le Carre is interested in writing something else. We would really need his involvement. The material was all from his imagination in the first place.'

You wouldnt have thought that yoof TV pioneer Janet Street-Porter and Guardian writer Suzanne Moore were Tory rogue Alan Clarks type.

But veteran BBC producer Janet Lee recalls her time working on The Last Word  a mid-Nineties all-female late-night BBC chat show  when Street-Porter and Moore were panellists on its final outing: The last one we did we invited men on and that was really fun because we had Alan Clark on who just tried to pick everybody up. That was a party.
Standing on a vibrating platform seems like the easiest way to lose weight and get fit - but does it actually work or is it just the latest health fad?

According to one expert, the popular new therapy may help some people, but studies do not consistently prove it does more than a brisk walk.

Victoria University Associate Professor Nigel Stepto said despite a recent study showing it had similar benefits to a treadmill, it shouldn't be relied on.

Whole body vibration is increasingly popular as an alternative to moderate exercise, claiming to have the same fat burning and fitness benefits with less effort (stock image)

'Youll have far more benefits taking a 30-minute walk with friends, or engaging in 30 minutes of outdoor activities in the backyard or park with your family,' he wrote in The Conversation.

The machines vibrate rapidly, which is transferred to muscles and bones and causing them to contract and relax involuntarily multiple times every second.

It's claimed this improves muscle strength, coordination, balance, bone density and leads to weight loss the same way as going for a run.

Experts say the science is unproven and you're still better off walking, though it appears to help people with limited mobility and chronic health conditions (stock image)

Studies on obese mice, like one in the U.S. last month, found whole body vibration produced similar benefits to exercise in fitness and weight loss.

But Professor Stepto said research on humans had not yielded the same results, possibly because mice are much smaller and walk on four legs.

'Whole body vibration therapy alone, without exercise, does not support meaningful weight loss' of more than five per cent of body weight, he said.

However, he said many of the other health benefits were comparable if the therapy was used for at least half an hour every day.

The machines vibrate rapidly, which is transferred to muscles and bones and causing them to contract and relax involuntarily multiple times every second (stock image)

Professor Stepto said the greatest benefit would be for people with limited mobility or health conditions that made exercise difficult.

It wouldn't help them lose weight, but could help maintain it, improve bone health, functionality, and make it easier to stand up.

'These outcomes ultimately reduce risk of falls and fractures, and increase capacity to undertake activities of daily living,' he said.
When it comes to finding the money for a holiday, education or a new outfit, most people end up digging into their hard-earned savings.

But a lot of the time the money is sitting in their homes all along - they just don't know it.

Michelle Thompson-Laing, a 32-year-old from Sydney's Northern Beaches, managed to save $1,239 in just one week and while she admitted it did take a little time, it wasn't difficult at all.

'I didn't have to sacrifice anything, track money or otherwise budget specifically for it. It was basically 'free' money,' the mother-of-three and Keep Calm Get Organised founder, explained.

Michelle Thompson-Laing, a 32-year-old from Sydney's Northern Beaches, managed to save $1,239 in just one week and while she admitted it did take a little time, it wasn't difficult at all

DECLUTTER

What was decluttered? Car toy: $25 Octonauts stuff: $30 Sewing machine: $30 Baby toys: $40 Dining chairs: $100 Outdoor toys: $25 Outgrown kids clothes: $30 Puzzles and games: $20 Baby carrier: $45 Advertisement

One of the easiest things Mrs Thompson-Laing did was decluttering her home and selling items on Facebook.

'The benefit of decluttering for your bank balance is that you'll find stuff you can sell,' she said.

'My rule here is that if it hasn't sold in a week then it goes to charity (unless it is a big ticket item like a car obviously).'

Mrs Thompson-Laing descided to declutter any children's toys, baby items and homewares, with very impressive results.

The items she sold ended up making her $345 in the space of one week.

One of the easiest things Mrs Thompson-Laing did was decluttering her home and selling items on Facebook

COMPARE YOUR INSURANCE COMPANIES

While you might be happy with an insurance policy at first, it's important to go back every now and then and compare your options.

For Mrs Thompson-Laing, this decision ended up saving her $702.

'You'd be surprised by how much you can save on insurance simply by comparing prices and changing provider. For some of these the savings were actually much higher over a year,' she said.

'Remember that even if you've prepaid an insurance you can still change and get a refund for the remaining months in most cases.'

'The insurances all refunded me the money I had paid which I then paid the new insurance with, so there was an actual cash excess each time.'

Mrs Thompson-Laing saved $489.70 on comprehensive car insurance for two cars, $26.30 on health insurance (monthly) and $186 on home insurance.

While you might be happy with an insurance policy at first, it's important to go back every now and then and compare your options

CUT YOUR GROCERY BILL

While it may not be easy to cut down on grocery costs, there's often a lot of food in your fridge, freezer and pantry that you have forgotten about.

Mrs Thompson-Laing managed to save an impressive $111.40 off her regular grocery bill simply by using up everything in the house and only spending on necessities.

Her final grocery bill that week, for a family of five, was just $38.60.

While it may not be easy to cut down on grocery costs, there's often a lot of food in your fridge, freezer and pantry that you have forgotten about

ADD UP YOUR COINS

Most people would be surprised at how much money they could make by adding up all the coins they have lying around their house or in their wallet.

Mrs Thompson-Laing's case, she was able to find an impressive $81.25 in coins throughout the week.

'I started setting aside all coins remaining in my wallet (and hubby's) at the end of each day. I put them in a jar at the end of the day and added them up at the end of the week,' she said.

'I'd really not noticed them missing so I was pretty surprised to find I had accumulated $81.25 at the end of the week.'

Most people would be surprised at how much money they could make by adding up all the coins they have lying around their house or in their wallet
Whether you're suffering from any form of mental health issue or you just need a day off for your brain to get back on track, there's now a spa that claims to be able to help.

Brain Wellness Spa in Perth claims to be the first of its kind in the world, offering extensive treatments for a wide range of mental illness without using drugs.

Terri Bowman is the creator and CEO of Brain Wellness Spa in Perth

Founder and CEO Terri Bowman claims the spa has a 98 per cent success rate and helps over 400 people every month.

'We're called the Brain Wellness Spa because we actually offer a spa menu,' Ms Bowman told Daily Mail Australia.

'We wanted to get away from that typical, clinical approach to mental health.'

'We deal with hard stuff but we have a relaxing and supportive environment where people feel safe.'

Ms Bowman, who previously worked with mental health patients, says she trained in 'brain behaviour' in the UK and Germany before returning to Australia.

Brain Wellness Spa in Perth (pictured) claims to be the first of it's kind in the world, offering extensive treatments for a wide range of mental illness

How many Australians suffer from mental health issues? In Australia, it's estimated that 45 per cent of people will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime. In any one year, around one million Australian adults have depression, and over two million have anxiety. Help is available from beyondblue and Lifeline on 13 11 14 Advertisement

After suffering from a 'psychotic episode' before her 45th birthday, Ms Bowman found herself in the public health system.

'Without warning I found myself being admitted into the psych ward after experiencing a severe psychotic episode,' she said.

'I was eventually diagnosed with menstrual psychosis, a rare condition triggered by a late menstrual cycle that was a side-effect of the IVF drugs that I taken for many years whilst trying to fall pregnant.'

Ms Bowman said she was given a concoction of prescribed medication from her doctors who struggled to understand her condition, sending her into a spiral of depression and anxiety.

As a result, she set up a spa that offered an alternative therapies.

Ms Bowman created the 'Quantum Neuro Recoding' treatment, or QNR - a way of reprogramming the brain via the unconscious - that she now uses in her Brain Spa.

'QNR stops your brain from going down the pathway of a bad memory or behaviour,' Ms Bowman said.

Complete with relaxing music, soft decor and comfy chairs, the treatment sessions cost $195

'QNR works in the unconscious brain, which is actually where the root of ALL emotional and mental problems are found.'

Despite having a 'soft approach' to mental health, Ms Bowman's claims her team deals with all mental health issues from anxiety and depression to schizophrenia and post traumatic stress disorder.

'The only thing we give them at the end of the session is a bit of chocolate,' Ms Bowman said.

'The problem with people who are suffering from a mental health crisis is that their brain doesn't feel safe,' Ms Bowman said.

'So when you go into a psychiatrist, if the environment is not nurturing and supportive, the brain can trigger stress responses that can make you feel worse than you were before.'

Brain Wellness Spa in Perth is the first of it's kind in the world, offering mental health treatments in a day spa

Speaking previously to Huffington Post Australia she said: 'What we do is actually help people get into their emotional potential.

'When people come and see us they are generally unhappy, miserable, worried, negative, depressed or anxious.

'They're often the common emotions people feel when their lives are overwhelming. So what we have to do is teach them how to be happy again, and a way to do that is to take your brain out on a date.'

Ms Bowman told Daily Mail Australia that just because treatments may be 'alternative' doesn't mean they don't work.

The Brain Wellness Spa is set out as just that - a spa. Complete with relaxing music, soft decor and comfy chairs, the treatment sessions cost $195.

Ms Bowman plans on franchising her business in the future.
A mother has revealed she hopes her baby daughter will become a role model for other children growing up with port-wine stains, after she gained a legion of fans on Instagram.

Chasitty Haro, 25, of Bremerton, Washington, gave birth to Willow in September but shortly after her birth, her daughter developed a deep purple birth mark across her face and her body.

A ten-session course of laser treatment has dramatically improved the appearance of the birthmark and cute images of Willow have seen her Instagram followers soar.

Scroll down for video

Chasitty Haro's daughter Willow, now six months old, developed a port-wine stain shortly after birth, which quickly spread across her face and half of her body

The birthmark was so dramatic that doctors feared Willow, who lives in Bremerton, Washington, may have a more serious condition but tests proved otherwise. The cute baby girl is undergoing laser treatment, which has dramatically improved the look of the port-wine stain

Chasitty Haro says she now hopes that little Willow can be a role model for other children - and help families in a similar situation to them

The snaps of Willow, posing in cute outfits under the hashtag 'lil Willy style,' have been attracting fans on the social media site since she was four-months-old.

Now she is hoping to team up with companies and designers to make the photogenic tot a 'brand baby'  who wears certain clothing brands for advertising.

'I've always really loved baby clothes, and when I saw an advert with a child who had a birthmark, I burst into tears,' Chasitty, a baker, said.

'It made me so happy to see not everyone is born with perfect skin. People with port wine stains should be proud of how they look and I want Willow to feel like that too.'

Chasitty, who suffered severe nausea during her pregnancy, gave birth to baby Willow, weighing 6lb 2oz, at Harrison Medical Center, Silverdale, WA, on September 17 last year - 10 days overdue.

'She was such a perfect little girl,' she recalled. 'But when I started breast feeding, I noticed a really dark mark on the right side of her body, down her arm, and on her chest, like someone had spilt red wine on her.

Willow while undergoing the invasive - but highly effective - laser treatment that the family hope will eradicate the port-wine stain her skin

'I assumed it was just something that was normal after births, but it would fade and didn't worry too much about it.'

Told not to worry by her partner, dental receptionist, Andrew Wright, 27, just a day later a doctor expressed concern that baby Willow's face and right arm, leg and chest were still deep purple.

'I would love her to be modelling on a bigger stage. I think it's important she is being seen and she is still cute. She doesn't have to be self conscious just because she has a port wine stain. She's being normalised.' Chasitty Haro, Willow's mother

'Someone said it could be a rash, but one of the doctors referred us to Seattle Children's Hospital for tests,' Chasitty continued.

'Willow was two months old when doctors there took one look at her and said, 'it's a port wine stain'. There was no doubt about it.'

'I felt so overwhelmed by what I was hearing. I started thinking about how she would feel when she was older about the birthmark and my heart ached for her, I just wanted her to have a normal life and for no one to make her feel bad about her port wine stain.'

But medics were concerned that the port wine stain - a vascular birthmark caused by abnormal development of blood vessels in the skin - could develop into more serious Sturge-Weber syndrome, which can cause serious seizures.

Sent for an MRI scan in January this year, to her parents' relief, Willow's test results were negative for Sturge-Weber.

Willow with her father Andrew Wright during the early months after her birth

While the youngster was born with the mark clearly obvious, it was in the weeks after her birth that Willow's skin became raised and deep purple

But Chasitty was still worried about how other people would treat her daughter.

'It's hard, as you worry people won't know what's happened to her and why she's different. You get people who stare, but we haven't had any really negative comments yet,' she said.

WHAT ARE PORT-WINE STAIN BIRTHMARKS? Birthmarks are very common and come in many forms - around one in three babies a born with one. They vary in size and color, some fade over time while others are permanent. Doctors do not know what causes some children to develop them, or how they get there. They are not the result of something a mother does during her pregnancy, and there is no way to prevent them. A port wine stain, or capillary malformation is a red or purple mark on the skin, present from birth. They are caused by widened blood vessels, where blood flows slowly through the area all the time. Capillaries are the smallest blood vessels in the body and researchers believe these malformations occur while a child is still in the womb. They are the most common vascular malformation, with around one in 330 babies born with a port wine stain. They can occur anywhere in the body, but are more common on the face or neck. Source: The Birthmark Support Group Advertisement

'It's really hard to come to terms with, though, as you have in your mind an idea of what your life is going to be like with a new born.'

Willow started having 10 minute laser surgery sessions on her birthmark in January and will keep having the treatment, every two months, until September.

Carried out at Seattle Children's Hospital, the laser treatment uses a narrow beam of light that is absorbed by the red colour in the blood vessels in the port wine stain.

'The first time Willow had the treatment I cried the whole way through,' Chasitty said. 'She was screaming and it was really traumatic to watch.'

Medics hope the treatment over her first year will make the mark light enough so it is barely noticeable. She may then need top-up treatment when she is older.

Now far lighter than it was when she was born, however, Willow's birthmark turns a deep purple for two to three weeks after laser treatment.

But that doesn't stop her mum from snapping her in cute outfits, spending up to 160 a month on her clothes.

From beautiful bandanas and bonnets to cute onesies, Willow wears them with the panache of a top model.

'Willow is beautiful and I hope by sharing her pictures on Instagram, I will help other mums who are going through a similar situation to us,' Chasitty added.

'I would love her to be modelling on a bigger stage. I think it's important she is being seen and she is still cute. She doesn't have to be self conscious just because she has a port wine stain. She's being normalised.'
Queen Letizia of Spain had a fairytale moment tonight when she donned a dazzling ballgown for a banquet at Tokyo's Imperial Palace.

Letizia, 44, who is on a four-day state visit to Japan with her husband King Felipe VI, ensured she made an entranc ein a strapless sapphire gown with glittering embellishment and a full skirt.

The pair were welcomed by Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko as well as 150 well-heeled guests.

Letizia donned a sweeping sapphire gown for the state dinner at Tokyo's Imperial Palace

Guest of honour: The pair were welcomed by Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko as well as 150 well-heeled guests

In a speech during the dinner, King Felipe said: 'Nowadays, Spain and Japan are two nations with shared aspirations and points of view in the defence of international peace and order, in our commitment to progress, justice and human rights, and to sustainable development.'

He added that next year, as the two nations celebrate the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, he was keen to emphasise 'the opportunity to further boost our rich bilateral relationship and to strengthen the agreement between Hispano-Japanese in the multilateral arena.'

Special relationship: In a speech, Felipe called Spain and Japan 'two nations with shared aspirations and points of view in the defence of international peace and order'

The king also spoke of his excitement about next year, when the two nations will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations

Spain's Queen Letizia poses with Honda's humanoid robot Asimo at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo on Wednesday afternoon ahead of the dinner

King Felipe gamely shook hands with Asimo the robot as his wife looked on in Tokyo today

Queen Letizia and King Felipe arrived in Japan yesterday to kick off their four-day state visit.

After being greeted on the tarmac at Haneda Airport, the pair were whisked along a red carpet to a waiting car.

They appeared jet lag free today as they embarked on engagements in the Japanese capital, starting with their visit to the Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation.

Queen Letizia wore the red coat over a striking deep red velvet dress in Tokyo today

The Spanish monarchs looked amused as they posed with Honda's robot, Asimo, today

Letizia's deep red velvet dress and matching shoes were perfectly offset by her bold red coat

The royal couple also attended an official welcoming ceremony at Tokyo's Imperial Palace today.

They were greeted by Emperor Akihito and his wife, Empress Michiko, 82, who looked glamorous in a grey knee length dress with a co-ordinating cape and white gloves.

She and Queen Letizia were photographed greeting one another warmly at the reception at the palace.

Queen Letizia walks alongside Empress Michiko, who was glamorous in grey at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo today

Queen Letizia and Empress Michiko greeted one another warmly at the welcoming ceremony

King Felipe smiled as he greeted Empress Michiko with a kiss on the hand in Tokyo today
Charles and Camilla were welcomed as guests of honour at a state banquet staged at Vienna's Hofburg Palace tonight.

They joined a range of well-heeled guests from the environmental activists and fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood to sustainability campaigners.

The Duchess of Cornwall, 69, wore a chic Anna Valentine cream and gold chiffon dress while the Prince, 68, wore a dinner jacket and black tie for the final evening of their nine-day tour of Europe.

Dame Vivienne, who attended the event with her partner Andreas Kronthaler, said: 'I've met Prince Charles several times because I'm an activist for the environment and he's a big worker for the good of the environment, and we've been trying to save the rainforest and we will do.

Camilla and Charles join the Austrian president and his wife at the Hofburg Palace on Wednesday evening, topping off their nine-day Brexit charm offensive Europe tour

The pair were welcomed by Federal President of the Republic of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen and First Lady Doris Schmidauer when they arrived at Hofburg Palace

Busy day: The couple bid 'arrivederci' to Rome this afternoon for the next leg of their European tour as they touched down in Vienna, looking somewhat windswept as they made their way from and RAF plane

'I've come especially because I'm a friend of Prince Charles and especially it's wonderful we've got this green (Austrian) president it will make a difference - it might save the world.'

There were around 100 guests at the event hosted by Austria's President Alexander Van der Bellen and diners enjoyed the boiled beef dish tafelspitz, a classic Austrian meal, a fish course and for dessert was apricot strudel.

The couple bid 'arrivederci' to Rome this afternoon for the next leg of their European tour as they touched down in Vienna, looking somewhat windswept as they made their way from and RAF plane.

Royal glamour: The Duchess of Cornwall, 69, wore a chic Anna Valentine cream and gold chiffon dress for the final evening of their nine-day tour of Europe

Glittering event: There were around 100 guests at the event hosted by Austria's President Alexander Van der Bellen and diners enjoyed the boiled beef dish tafelspitz

Dame Vivienne, who attended the event with her partner Andreas Kronthaler (pictured), said: 'I've met Prince Charles several times because I'm an activist for the environment and he's a big worker for the good of the environment'

Camilla, who had changed out of the cream ensemble she wore earlier in favour of a navy coat with white embroidery, looked as if she was battling the elements as her hair was blown about and she shielded herself with a bouquet of flowers she'd received.

Their first stop of the day was a rather delicious one, as they visited the famous pastry shop and chocolaterie Cafe Demel, where they were treated to a cake making display.

During their visit, they will take a tour of the iconic Wiener Musikverein, where they will sit in on a rehearsal by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and view original manuscripts by composers including Mozart and Brahms.

Cheers! Charles clinks his glass with First Lady Doris Schmidauer at the state banquet

Austrian politician Dr. Alexander van der Bellen and the Duchess of Cornwall also raised a toast

Charles raises a glass to his hosts at the Hofburg Palace reception on Wednesday evening

A windswept Charles and Camilla battle the elements at Vienna International Airport earlier this afternoon

A cheerful Charles waves to the crowds in Rome this afternoon before flying to Austria

The royals watch chocolate cakes being made during a visit to Cafe Demel in Vienna

The Duchess of Cornwall watches a wedding cake being made during a visit to Cafe Demel in Vienna

Earlier today the pair were welcomed by Italy's President Sergio Mattarella at the presidential palace in Rome on day eight of Charles' European tour, widely viewed as a pre-Brexit charm offensive.

The Duchess, 69, was dressed in an elegant cream coat by her favourite designer, Anna Valentine, with fringing on the shoulders and cream shoes.

The couple were driven in a convoy to the Quirinal Palace, the Official Residence of the President of the Republic of Italy, in a convoy and greeted by Dr. Igino Rugiero, Head of the Presidential Protocol Office.

Taking shelter! Camilla uses her colourful bouquet as a wind barrier at Vienna airport

Camilla had changed into a navy coat with white embroidery for her journey to Vienna

Charles and Camilla greet dignitaries who had rolled out the red carpet to welcome them to the Austrian capital, Vienna

Camilla struggled with her coat as it was blown about in the wind on a blustery afternoon at Vienna International Airport

Charles is greeted by Muna Duzdar, the state secretary in Austria's Federal Chancellery

A Guard of Honour, made up of soldiers from the Primo Rataglione Granatieri di Sardegna, played a fanfare as they stepped out of their car.

They entered the palace where His Excellency President Sergio Mattarella was waiting to greet the couple and their entourage.

Charles and Camilla were invited to sit down on an elegant sofa for an official photograph before they embarked on what was described as a tete-a-tete meeting lasting around half an hour.

On his next stop of the day, the royal praised British aid workers for their famine relief work in Somalia today during a video link up as he visited the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome.

Charles and Camilla have landed in Vienna for the next stag of their European tour, aimed at strengthening bonds ahead of Brexit

The royal couple have landed in Vienna after spending the best part of a week in Rome

During their stay in the Austrian capital, the couple will sit in on a rehearsal by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

The heir to the throne, who was briefed on the crisis in the Horn of Africa by the UNFAO's representative in Somalia, Richard Trenchard, said: 'I am immensely proud of Britain's response and its contribution.'

He asked Mr Trenchard, a Briton, to pass on his thanks and best wishes to his colleagues working in the field to help 6.2 million people in need of assistance and 500,000 people at dire risk of famine in the region.

'Thank God for people like you,' the Prince said.

Britain's Prince Charles and the British Ambassador Leigh Turner, right, smile as they watch the production of chocolate cake during a visit to the Cafe Deimel coffeehouse in Vienna

Sweet tooth: Charles and Camilla watched traditional treats being made at a coffee house in Vienna

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were greeted by Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and First Lady Doris Schmidauer, left, at Hofburg Palace in Vienna

The royal couple were greeted by the president and first lady in Vienna this afternoon

Camilla looked elegant in a navy coat with floral white detailing on her arrival at the palace

Charles, who was welcomed to the UNFAO offices in Rome by Jose Graziano da Siolva, the Director General, was briefed on the crisis during a tour of the building. He met 50 FAO staff based in Rome and thanked them for their efforts.

Somalia is currently in a protracted crisis and is experiencing a major drought. The UN estimates that 6.2 million people are in need of assistance.

Almost 1 million children will be acutely malnourished this year -including 200,000 who could die soon - if they do not receive urgent medical treatment.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall meet the President of Italy Sergio Mattarella in Rome, Italy

The Prince of Wales arrives at the Headquarters of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation

The prince looked enthusiastic to greet the waiting crowds at the Headquarters of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation

The prince looked in cheerful spirits as he greeted wellwishers in Rome during his ongoing tour of Italy

Prince Charles is flanked by United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva, as he gives a speech praising the efforts of British aid workers in helping famine-stricken communities in the Horn of Africa

Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni welcoming Prince Charles in the courtyard of Chigi Palace in

The prince examines an infographic at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome

The prince was briefed about the ongoing crisis in the Horn of Africa during a tour of the building

But aid workers say famine is still preventable in Somalia with the right aid.

The UK is the biggest individual donor nation to the famine relief effort and has allocated 110 million to the drought response

Later Charles will meet with Italy's Prime Minister as part of what is being viewed as a post-Brexit charm offensive.

Pleased to meet you! The prince has received a very warm welcome throughout his tour of Italy

The royal tour of Italy is seen as an opportunity to forge bonds with European neighbours ahead of Britain quitting the EU

Europe Minister Sir Alan Duncan has joined the prince to take part in both the meetings.

His presence is being viewed as a sign of how important so-called royal 'soft power' is being viewed by the British Government as it embarks on its Brexit negotiations.

The couple touched down in the Italian capital yesterday after spending the last five days in Florence, where they were based while they carried out engagements around Italy.

Their European tour - which has also taken in Romania and will end in Vienna later this week.

The Prince of Wales inspects a Guard of Honour at the presidential palace in Rome

The pair received a warm welcome from the Prime Minister, with Camilla looking elegant in a cream coat dress

It's day eight of Charles' European tour, seen as an opportunity to strengthen ties with other European countries ahead of Brexit

Several further royal trips to the continent are being lined up to utilise the 'soft power' potential of the royals.

William and Kate have already visited Paris and will travel to Germany in July, with the Duchess also set to make a solo trip to Luxembourg in May.

In a speech in Florence last night Charles urged EU countries not too turn their backs on Britain.

Although the heir to the throne deliberately chose not to use the word Brexit, his appeal to countries such as Italy was clear.

The royals received a warm welcome from Pope Francis at the Vatican yesterday

Addressing diners at the black-tie event staged at Florence's famous Palazzo Vecchio Charles said: 'Although our relationship is deeply rooted in our shared history, today, I am delighted to say, it is more firmly embedded than ever before.

'In almost any field that one can think of, in culture, business, education, defence and security co-operation, innovation and research, even sport, the partnership between the United Kingdom and Italy brings tremendous benefits to our economies and to our societies.'

Charles was joined by the Europe Minister at an event where he unveiled a Henry Moore sculpture to mark the centenary of the British Institute in Florence, met the organisation's staff and interacted with local children.
Wearing bright colours is said to lift your mood.

And if the shocking pink dress she chose to welcome the UN Secretary General to Brussels today is any indication, it's a view Queen Mathilde of Belgium subscribes to.

The monarch, 44, was glowing in the bold, form-fitting dress she wore with a pair of classic nude heels.

The Belgian Queen wore a form-fitting pink dress and nude courts to greet Antonio Guterres (centre) with her husband King Philippe today

Queen Mathilde and her husband King Philippe met with Portuguese diplomat Antonio Guterres, who is serving as the UN Secretary General, at Laeken Castle today.

The royals appeared relaxed as they smiled and posed for photographs with the politician in the Belgian capital.

The monarch looked relaxed as she chatted to the UN Secretary General at Laeken Castle

Mathilde had forgone a jacket, and was suitably dressed for the onset of Spring in her knee-length frock.

The Belgian King and Queen recently returned from a state visit to Denmark, where Mathilde was given a tour of Copenhagen by the equally stylish Crown Princess Mary.

The two women were snapped in glamorous ensembles at an array of engagements in the city, including a boat tour along the river snaking through the picturesque capital, and a glitzy state dinner.
Ivanka Trump was born and raised in Manhattan, but the lifelong New Yorker insists she really loves living in Washington, D.C. with her three children.

The 35-year-old, who recently took on an unpaid White House role as the assistant to the president, admitted that she never thought her family would leave the Big Apple. However, she is enjoying touring the city with her husband Jared Kushner and their children, Arabella, Joseph, and Theodore.

'Never in my life would I have thought that I would have actually moved out of New York, not while my children were in school at least,' the First Daughter told Gayle King during an interview with CBS This Morning.

Touring! Ivanka Trump says she loves living in Washington, D.C. with her three kids. The mom is pictured with her children at Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

New city: The 35-year-old New Yorker lives in D.C's affluent Kalorama neighborhood

Fate? Ivanka told Gale King that she never though she and her family would leave New York

'My business was there. My life was there, so this is actually an amazing moment in time where I came to Washington and I told Jared, with my kids, I wanna treat it almost like Im a visitor,' she explained.

'Every week, I take my children to a different museum or cultural institution. We went to the Supreme Court. Weve been to five or six museums. We went to the monster truck show. So, just having real unique experience with my children.'

Ivanka frequently shares photos of herself out with her children, and last week they posed together at the Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

Having a blast: Ivanka took her five-year-old son Joseph to the Monster Jam truck show in Baltimore, Maryland, in February

Doting mom: Although she admitted it was 'not exactly a cultural experience', Ivanka said her son can't stop talking about it

Look of wonder: 'Every week, I take my children to a different museum or cultural institution,' Ivanka said. She and Joseph are pictured at Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History

Back in February she took her three-year-old son Joseph to Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, to see the Monster Jam truck show.

The mom admitted that the truck show was 'not exactly a cultural experience', but it meant a great deal to her son, who 'loved it'.

'They dont have them nearby in New York because Ive looked for years,' she explained. We went in Baltimore.

Getting an education: Ivanka visited the Supreme Court of the United States with her five-year-old daughter Arabella in February

Getting an education! Joseph is pictured in front of his favorite exhibit at the National Museum of American History, while Arabella can be seen at the International Spy Museum

Playing around: Ivanka said that one of the perks of living in Washington, D.C. is having a backyard, which even features a swing set. Joseph is pictured playing on a park swing

Ivanka said Joseph has not stopped talking about the truck show since they went, and she said he was so excited he talked about it for about three weeks before the event.

'Every week, I try to do something different and unique and really celebrate being in a different city and in a different community. And its been great.'

The former executive vice president of the Trump Organization often used to spend weekends at her family's country home in New Jersey, and she noted that her children now have more space to play at their new residence in D.C.'s Kalorama neighborhood, which they are renting for $15,000 a month.

Bigger than their apartment? Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner are pictured outside their six bedroom home in D.C., which they rent for $15,000 a month

Back in the Big Apple: Ivanka and her children returned to New York to celebrate Theodore's first birthday with their family in March

New Yorker at heart? Despite insisting that her life in Washington, D.C. is hunky dory, Ivanka couldn't stop grinning while visiting her Park Avenue apartment last week

Back home: During her trip back to Manhattan, Ivanka got her hair cut by stylist Rita Zito (pictured)

'I have a backyard with a swing set. As a New Yorker, that doesnt happen. So its a small backyard, and my kids swing into the hedge,' she said.

Gayle agreed that Ivanka does live in a 'very nice neighborhood', noting that former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have a house around the corner and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie Bezos also live in the neighborhood.

However, those aren't her only high-profile neighbors. Ivanka added that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Wilbur Ross, President Trump's commerce secretary, also live in Kalorama.

Say cheese! Arabella and Joseph are pictured in Aspen, Colorado, during their recent family vacation

Family vacation: Ivanka and her children had a great time skiing and touring Aspen in March (left and right)

Working family: Ivanka recently took a role as an assistant to her father, President Donald Trump, while her husband Jared is a senior adviser for her dad

'We have a nice community,' she said.

In addition to her new role in the White house, her husband Jared is a senior adviser for her father, but as for whether voters should be getting their 'Ivanka 2024 campaign signs out', she insists that she will not be running.

'Politics is a tough business,' she said.

However, her mind can certainly change. While her father was running for president, Ivanka initially said her role was to be a daughter, but now she has her own office in the West Wing.
A mother has revealed how she still commissions an annual family photograph with her ex-husband for the sake of their son.

Victoria Baldwin and Adam Dyson, who are both in the military and have a four-year-old-son together, Bruce, got divorced two years ago.

Despite the collapse of their marriage, Victoria, who is based in Alaska, said the former couple - who share parenting responsibilities for their son - decided to keep up the family photograph tradition.

In love: Victoria Baldwin and Adam Dyson, pictured as a married couple soon before the birth of their son Bruce, now four, got divorced two years ago

New parents: Victoria, who is based in Alaska, and her ex-husband, pictured with Bruce when they were still married, have a family tradition of getting an annual family portrait

Agreement: The former couple decided to keep up their annual picture tradition for Bruce, pictured with his parents after their divorce

The pictures - which show the former couple when Victoria was heavily pregnant, as a new family and more recently as separated co-parents - reflect the changing nature of their relationship before and after divorce.

Sharing their story on Facebook page Love What Matters, Victoria said that while she and Adam are 'not perfect co-parents', after their divorce they agreed to prioritize Bruce.

She wrote: 'Adam and I are not perfect co-parents, but we made a deal when we got divorced, to put our son first and to value the richness that we each bring to his life, for different reasons.'

Victoria said she frames the annual pictures and puts them up in Bruce's bedroom.

Changing dynamic: The photographs show the former couple when Victoria was heavily pregnant and more recently as separated co-parents, pictured

United front: Sharing their story online, Victoria said that she and Adam are 'not perfect co-parents' but that after their divorce they agreed to prioritize Bruce

'We still have a family portrait taken, and I still pay good money to have the images printed, framed, and placed in our son's bedroom; he may not grow up with parents who live in the same house.

'But he will grow up to see respect, kindness, empathy, compassion, perseverance, flexibility, and even sacrifice being modeled by both of his parents and he will know it is possible to fall out of love but never fall apart,' she wrote.

She said although they are no longer lovers, or even close friends, they are 'forever connected' by their son. 'We respect one another,' she wrote.

Her post, which has been liked by over 15,000 users, has attracted hundreds of comments from people who are divided by the ex-couple's family photographs.

Shared interest: She said although they are no longer lovers, or even close friends, the parents are 'forever connected' by their son. 'We respect one another,' she wrote

Trio: Her post on Love What Matters Facebook page has been liked by over 15,000 users but has also sparked debate among readers

Facebook user Janet Tobin wrote in support: 'What truly and permanently damages children is continuing bickering, fighting and disparaging comments about the other parent for the years following the divorce.

'Choosing to forgive your ex is the greatest thing you can do for your children to help them deal with divorce.'

However, Ryan Collinson claimed that Victoria and Adam's relationship is 'not healthy' for Bruce.

He said: 'As he gets older he will not understand what a true healthy relationship is of two compatible people...It's great you get along and that's what's right but the family pictures are more of a show than reality. Sorry.'
Some old-fashioned mothers might discourage their children from getting tattoos.B But one mom has instead decided to embrace the body ink trend by have a portrait of her daughter permanently inked on her body.

And it wasn't just any old portrait that Lonnie Taylor, 48, of California, chose of her daughter Rhandi Purnell, 18. In fact Taylor had her daughter styled as the Ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti before inking the unique image onto her body.

The tattoo, located on Taylor's forearm, depicts the iconic headdress of Queen Nefertiti, but with Purnell's face instead of the ancient ruler's. The result is a stunning tribute from mother to daughter.

Fresh ink: Lonnie Taylor got a tattoo (left) that combines a sculpture of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti with the face of her beloved daughter, Rhandi Purnell

#BFF: Purnell (left) and Taylor (right) have always been as close as best friends - they even have matching tattoos

The tattoo was inspired by Taylor's love for both her daughter and Egyptian history and culture.

When in college, Taylor became acquainted with an Egyptian art collector who educated her on all things to do with the subject, including Nefertiti.

When Taylor decided to commemorate her love for Egypt with a tattoo, she chose the striking bust of Nefertiti as her subject.

The only change? She swapped out the ancient Queen's face with Purnell's likeness.

'She chose me because she doesn't know anyone prettier,' Purnell told BuzzFeed.

Whatever the reason, there's no denying the resulting tattoo is certainly a stunning depiction of the teen.

Meeting of the minds: Taylor worked with tattoo artist Karen Roze to create a design combining Egyptian art and her daughter

But this isn't the first ink that's been spilled between this mother-daughter duo. They previously got matching tattoos that read 'Like Mother, Like Daughter' on their shoulders.

For the Nefertiti tattoo, no ordinary artist would do. According to Purnell's Twitter, Taylor worked with Karen Roze of Sacred Rose Tattoo in Berkeley, California for this special piece.

Roze has been tattooing for 25 years and has honed her craft with legendary tattoo artists like Ed Hardy.

When Purnell posted the image of her mother's tattoo on Twitter, people immediately began praising the beauty of the tattoo, as well as the beauty of this mother-daughter relationship. One Twitter user dubbed the tattoo the 'dopest thing' they've 'ever seen.'

Purnell admits that watching Taylor get the tattoo was a 'surreal' feeling for the both of them, and that her mother's gesture is 'beautiful and sweet.'
Reddit users were incredibly upset by a picture shared on the site this week, which depicted a man carrying two boxes of pizza vertically.

In the photo, which was taken by a stranger, a ringed man's hand can be seen holding a plastic bag stuffed with two pizza boxes. The boxes are stuffed into the box longways, so that the pizza is likely folding onto itself at the bottom of the box, with much of the cheese falling off.

'I think I'm witnessing a drug deal,' the poster wrote. 'I mean who the hell carries their pizza like that?'

What? People are outraged about this man carrying two pizza boxes vertically

'Godless monsters, that's who,' one person answered. 'Uncivilized beasts. Demonic bastards that seek to reign anarchy and chaos upon the earth are the only ones that carry pizza like that.'

'Clearly this man is new to pizza, wrote one commenter. Another chimed in: 'I worked at a Little Ceasers, this happens more than you would think'.

In fact, other unfortunate Redditors have posted pictures of their collapsed pizza after it was mishandled by delivery drivers.

What's inside? They imagine the pizza has been ruined, like this pie delivered to another Redditor

And in January of 2016, one particularly outraged pizza parlor worker took to Twitter to share a disturbing saga at his job.

'I've never hated anyone in my life except this next guy,' the man, named Joe, began. 'My old job I worked at a pizza place. Every week this guy came in and order 2 extra large pizzas.

'And every single week, I yell "Pickup Smith". He walks up to the counter. Shows me his receipt. I slide the pizzas across the counter. Mr. Smith picks up the two pies (18")... AND TURNS THE BOXES SIDEWAYS UNDER HIS ARMS. He walks out the door with 2 piping hot loaded pies. HE JUST NONCHALANTLY CARRIES HIS PIZZAS LIKE A HIGHSCHOOLER CARRYING TEXT BOOKS.'

The whole saga: Last year, a Twitter user went viral for his tale of a pizza place customer who carried pies out under his arm

Joe was not the only member of his team agitated by this. He said that the Spanish-speaking cooks 'couldn't take it', and seeing their work destroyed was hard.

There were a bunch of Spanish cooks working with me, that couldn't take it. They spend 70 hours a week making pizzas. And to see this.

'Some of the cooks would say things like "he should not do this", "why does he do this", "p*ta gringos", but no matter the nationality we agreed,' he went on.

'He had to be stopped. At first, I started carrying his pizzas out to his car for him. "Oh wow great service", he'd say. And then when I handed him the pies when we reached his Subaru, HE'D TUCK THEM UNDER HIS ARM THEN PUT THEM IN THE CAR.'

They tried offered to deliver the pizza for him, but the man liked coming into the store.

Finally, one day, Joe couldn't take it anymore: 'He picks them up, begins to tuck them under his arm. And in this moment I know. It's now or never. My five years at Philadelphia Style Pizza have come to this.

'He turns to leave. And suddenly as if without preparation I ask..."Why?" He looks at the me. Then the tucked pies. Then back at me. Pauses for a moment and says...

'"They're for my family I don't even eat pizza."'
When we met, the adoration was instant and mutual. Emma and I, both in our mid-20s and working at the same newspaper, were friends at first sight.

Wed make each other laugh until our cheeks ached; share work grumbles on lunchtime sandwich dashes; cheer one another up after a bad day. Before long, we were regularly spending Saturday nights together, giggling at dinner parties or dressing up for a night out dancing.

Lost touch: Sarah Ivens (right) and Emma on holiday. The pair met when they were in their mid-20s while working at the same newspaper and were friends at first sight

Founded in that manic stage before life gets too serious, our friendship became a safe harbour in turbulent times, from new jobs to family drama. Emma was a shoulder to cry on when I divorced at 30, and my bridesmaid when I remarried eight years ago. We were each others cheerleaders, confidantes and comic relief.

Yet somehow, when we found ourselves at dinner six months ago, aged 40, we hadnt seen each other for over a year.

We looked the same as we had when we first met (just more tired and with better wardrobes, perhaps), but everything else was different. I was happily married with two children, five-year-old William and Matilda, three, and had stepped away from the high-pressure world wed met in. Emma was single and running a magazine  a life so full of glamour and adventure I felt giddy just hearing about it.

After a few glasses of prosecco, Emma got a serious look in her eye. Do you feel like youve lost some of your friends? she asked. I think I laughed, but I was shocked and felt an unmistakable jab of pain.

Sarah on her wedding day with Emma. Emma was a shoulder to cry on when she divorced at 30, and her bridesmaid when she remarried eight years ago

What could she mean? I was famously efficient at sending cards and gifts to people I cared about, and used social media to keep up with what was going on in their lives. Im here tonight, arent I? I laughed nervously, realising she may be on to something. I grabbed her for a hug.

We spent three more hours reminiscing and then parted ways promising wed see each other the next week. We didnt. Life got in the way. Kids, work, illness, social commitments. New friends.

Then yesterday, I saw her announce on social media that she has a new boyfriend. A few years ago, I would have been top of her must-call-immediately list, getting day-by-day updates on a blossoming romance. Now I wasnt even close enough to be told directly.

So as other friends  most Id never heard of, let alone met  posted congratulations, I felt a discombobulating blend of jealousy, sadness and nostalgia.

I was gutted that I no longer warranted a call, or even an email, when something as wonderful as this had happened  especially when comments made it clear others had known about this romance for a few months.

My mind sprang back to a time when we shared everything. This punch-in-the-gut reminder that we are no longer the companions we once were was devastating.

Reunited: Sarah (right) and her oldest friend Claire as teenagers. When she was 22, she fell out with her Claire for 18 months, but the pair decided their friendship was worth saving

At that moment, I realised the sense of loss that comes with growing apart from a friend can be worse than the end of a romantic relationship. Marriages and love affairs normally finish with good reason (even if you dont appreciate it then) and spark sympathy and support.

But close friendships  despite their intensity and intimacy  dont demand the same attention when they end. They dissolve more silently, without the recognised need for grief.

Non-romantic love is often excluded from conversations about heartbreak and guilt, but it can be devastating to realise you have grown apart from a companion you shared many parts of your life with.

Treasured friends you assumed would always be part of your circle can slip out of orbit too easily, when circumstances take you in opposite directions. To be strangers with those whose strengths, dreams and quirks you once knew intimately can hurt  especially as the demands of modern life mean you may not realise it has happened until it is too late.

Treasured friends you assumed would always be part of your circle can slip out of orbit too easily, when circumstances take you in opposite directions. To be strangers with those whose strengths, dreams and quirks you once knew intimately can hurt  especially as the demands of modern life mean you may not realise it has happened until it is too late.

How had I let Emma slip away? I felt guilty that Id let our friendship wane, fooled into a false sense of security by the shallow closeness social media offers.

Tormented by ghosts of friendships past, I couldnt sleep, so spent the night trawling though photo albums. I realised Emma wasnt the only cherished friend who had crept noiselessly out of my life while I wasnt looking.

When I was ten and living in Chigwell, Essex, I met Amanda, who became my primary school best friend. We danced to Wham!, experimented with gaudy make-up, and took up rollerblading as the good-looking boys did it.

I vividly remember the relief I felt when we were placed in the same class at our intimidating new high school. We got through it together, inseparable for five years. Then I went into the sixth form while she headed to the local college, and I never saw her again, despite living just three miles apart.

I dont know who she is now. Does she still apply fluorescent pink lipstick and a sweep of glitter every time she leaves the house? Does she still slow dance in front of a mirror to Careless Whisper? My heart hopes so.

At Kent University, there was Vicki, a fellow politics student and a whip-smart feminist who made me laugh and think in equal measure. I was 6ft and she was 5ft so we made quite a funny-looking pair, but we didnt care.

Yet we drove away from Canterbury on graduation day and, after a few attempts to meet in London, went our separate ways. I miss her jokes and fierce intelligence. No one has replaced her.

Ive had similar deep connections with colleagues and neighbours who have  with the parting handshake of a promise to stay in touch  sneakily meandered on to Memory Lane. One of us moved house or switched jobs, or had children and found spare time disappeared into a vortex.

Looking at photos of friends Id loved filled me with sadness. Remarkable women had gone from shes a friend to I knew her once without my noticing.

A dramatic parting would have been more bearable  wed realise the comradeship wasnt what we thought it was  or solvable. If I had known I needed to fight for these friends, I would have.

When I was 22, my oldest friend Claire and I fell out and didnt speak for 18 months. I hated my life without her  shed been part of it since I was a toddler. I knew I was in the wrong. I apologised with what can only be described as a love letter, and we decided our friendship was worth saving.

We are now godmothers to each others daughters and go on holiday every year. She is the sister I never had. Losing her made me realise how much I needed her.

The others had left my life so stealthily I didnt know there was a problem until, in some cases, it was too late to fix it.

Ive just moved to a new city for work, and as the process of courting friends and building a network among strangers begins, I think about the happiness Emma, Amanda, Vicki and those other wonderful women gave me.

Though the pang of regret that I dont have them in my daily life remains, Im pleased they helped shape the person I am today. When the time is right, we may come together again. Without a huge fallout, it is possible. In fact, I emailed Emma to say I was writing about her and ask if I could share photos of us.

Please never think my new friends could ever take your place, she wrote. I think if we are brought back together again in distance and circumstance over the course of our lives, which I have a sneaking suspicion we will be, well be close again.

She always did know how to say the right thing: one reason she was  I mean, is  a dear friend.

Have you dumped or been dumped by a friend? Tell us at femailreaders@dailymail.co.uk
A breakthrough blood test could diagnose a heart attack within 18 minutes of a patients arrival in A&E.

The test  which takes between 12 and 18 minutes to provide a result  could speed up treatment for heart attacks and reassure those who are not seriously ill.

Some 188,000 patients have heart attacks in Britain each year. But six times as many  more than a million a year  arrive at NHS hospitals complaining of chest pains, the majority of which are not serious.

British experts have now developed a test which could mean most of these patients are sent home immediately.

The test  which takes between 12 and 18 minutes to provide a result  could speed up treatment for heart attacks and reassure those who are not seriously ill

Doctors currently have to wait at least three hours after the onset of symptoms before they can diagnose a heart attack.

And they often have to repeat tests over at least six hours before an attack can be ruled out and a patient discharged.

The heart attack blood test currently used by the NHS, called a troponin test, is not definitive for 47 per cent of patients, meaning many have to stay in hospital overnight for monitoring.

The new test, developed at Kings College London, is quicker, more sensitive and better at detecting damage.

It looks for a protein called cardiac myosin-binding protein C, and can be used within 30 to 60 minutes of a heart attack.

Kings College London cardiologist Dr Tom Kaier said: We can essentially measure it at the front door and tell patients whether they have had a heart attack or not.

Out of all patients presenting with chest pains only 14 to 17 per cent have had a heart attack. The current test can only be used three hours after the onset of chest pain, because troponin takes quite a long time to appear in circulation in the bloodstream.

More than a million Brits arrive at NHS hospitals each year complaining of chest pains, the majority of which are not serious

Dr Kaier added: We dont have to wait for three hours and we can make a decision earlier about whether that patient needs to stay.

The experts  whose work is published in the journal Clinical Chemistry  trialled the new test on 2,000 patients, with the results due to be released later this year. They are already in discussions with technology firms to make it widely available and say it could be in use in the next six months to a year.

Professor Sir Nilesh Samani of the British Heart Foundation, which part-funded the research, said: The main challenge for doctors is identifying who is having a heart attack, so people can be treated effectively.

'This new approach could ensure thousands of patients get life-saving treatment more quickly while reducing the burden on the NHS.
Worry no more about trying to get to sleep while your partner vigorously snores - the solution may have been found.

Those horrific sounds coming from your loved one can be blocked through a chin implant, scientists believe.

By delivering electrical signals to make the tongue contract, the tiny device prevents the airways from becoming blocked.

This is a known cause of obstructive sleep apnoea - a potentially deadly condition that often is responsible for the loud noises.

Those horrific snoring sounds coming from your loved one can be blocked through a chin implant, Belgian scientists believe

Twenty-five patients are set to test the painless gadget in a trial conducted by the Belgian company which created it next month.

Developed by Nyxoah, it is fitted during a small procedure. Users then stick a battery onto their chin before attempting to shut their eyes, The Evening Standard reports.

Upon waking up, the snorer then simply takes off the gadget and charges it up ready to use again the next night.

However, it still has to be approved before those desperately seeking a good night's sleep can purchase one off of Amazon.

Obstructive sleep apnoea is a disorder that occurs due to the collapse of the airway in the throat during sleep.

HOW DOES IT WORK? Created by Belgian scientists, the pill-sized gadget is stuck onto the chin before someone goes to sleep. Once placed onto the skin, it delivers electrical impulses that tell the tongue to contract. This stops the airways from becoming blocked overnight - a known cause of the loud noises. Advertisement

Not only does it cause loud snoring and interruptions in breathing, but it has been linked to heart disease and other serious conditions.

It is thought to affect about five per cent of the adult population to some degree, with figures suggesting that 1.5 million Britons suffer from it.

However, a further 25 million are thought to be habitual snorers with no signs of the disorder.

This comes after Israeli scientists announced in January that they had developed the world's first sleeping mask to block snoring.

Silent Partner, which will retail at 66, uses soundwaves to silence people from making the undesirable noises in the night.

This means the person wearing the mask will carry on snoring but their partner will not hear it, so both parties will sleep without any interruptions.
A man paralysed from the waist down has moved his legs for the first time after doctors inserted an electrode sending an electrical current to the spinal cord.

The electrode is connected to a computer-controlled device under the skin in the 28-year-old patient's abdomen.

The electrical stimulation on his spinal cord, along with intense physical therapy, enabled him to move his legs, stand and make step-like motions for the first time in three years.

The device enables the patient's brain to send signals to the motor neurons in the spinal cord, enabling him to create movement.

Mayo Clinic researchers, who tested the pioneering treatment, say these results offer further evidence that a combination of this technology and rehabilitation may help patients with spinal cord injuries regain control.

Spinal cord epidural stimulation mimics the signals that the brain normally transmits to initiate movement in patients

Previous research has been conducted in this area, but this is the first time a patient has been able to intentionally control previously paralysed functions within the first two weeks of stimulation.

'We're really excited, because our results went beyond our expectations,' says neurosurgeon Kendall Lee, principal investigator and director of Mayo Clinic's Neural Engineering Laboratory.

'These are initial findings, but the patient is continuing to make progress.'

The patient, who has not been named, injured his spinal cord in the middle of his back three years ago.

Epidural stimulation involves surgically implanting an electrode array over the lower spinal cord to activate the neural circuits

He was diagnosed with a motor complete spinal cord injury, meaning he could not move or feel anything below the middle of his torso.

The man underwent 22 weeks of physical therapy, involving three training sessions a week, to prepare his muscles. Then he had surgery to implant an electrode in the epidural space near the spinal cord below the injured area.

After a three-week recovery period following the operation, the patient resumed physical therapy with stimulation settings adjusted to enable movements.

In the first two weeks, he was able to stand independently using his arms on support bars and make step-like motions while lying on his side and standing with partial support.

The Mayo Clinic received permission from the US Food and Drug Administration to allow them to use the electrode off-label.

Researchers believe the data suggest that people with discomplete spinal cord injuries may be candidates for epidural stimulation therapy.

PREVIOUS RESEARCH ON EPIDURAL SPINAL STIMULATION A groundbreaking pilot trial in 2009 discovered that spinal stimulation, in conjunction with daily physiotherapy, could help patients with paralysis regain some ability to move. In that trial, Rob Summers, a young man paralysed below his chest, was able to gradually bear his own weight and eventually stand without assistance for up to four minutes. After seven months, he had regained some voluntary control of his legs. Further studies showed similar results. In 2015, five men with complete motor paralysis were able to voluntarily make step-like movements. The recent Mayo study was the quickest a patient has responded to treatment. Advertisement

'This has really set the tone for our post-surgical rehabilitation - trying to use that function the patient recovered to drive even more return of abilities,' says Kristin Zhao, co-principal investigator and director of Mayo Clinic's Assistive and Restorative Technology Laboratory.

The Mayo researchers worked closely with The University of California, Los Angeles on this study, which replicates earlier research done at the University of Louisville.

Gregory Gores, executive dean of research at the Mayo Clinic, said: 'While these are early results, it speaks to how Mayo Clinic researchers relentlessly pursue discoveries and innovative solutions that address the unmet needs of patients.

'These teams highlight Mayo Clinic's unique culture of collaboration, which brings together scientists and physician experts who work side by side to accelerate scientific discoveries into critical advances for patient care.'
One of the most dangerous pesticides has been found in drinking water, a new study reveals.

Scientists say neonicotinoids, which attack cells in the human nervous system, have been spotted in taps across the US.

The class of insecticides is one of the most commonly used across the country, branded as being safer than other chemicals on the market.

But chronic exposure to the pesticide has been linked in damage to the central nervous system that could result in paralysis or even death.

One of the most dangerous pesticides, neonicotinoids, has been found in drinking water, a new study reveals. Chronic exposure to the insecticide has been linked to damage to the central nervous system that could result in paralysis or even death

Neonicotinoids, most of which were released in the 1990s, were designed to be the most environmentally-friendly chemicals on the market and soon became the most widely used, especially in the Midwest.

The compounds don't just coat leaves and stems but work their way into plant tissue, meaning fewer sprays are needed.

But the neonics, as they are nicknamed, became reputable for being something else - a bee killer, wreaking havoc on insect nervous systems.

Past research has suggested that chronic exposure to the compounds can cause developmental or neurological problems in humans too.

A 2016 study suggested a link between neonicotinoid use and the drop in the bee population that was foraging on the crops treated with the pesticide.

A year prior, the US Geological Survey collected water samples from streams throughout the country and found neonicotinoids in more than half of the sample.

The current joint-study, from the US Geological Survey and University of Iowa, found the chemicals in drinking water as well.

The researchers say it marks the first time that anyone has identified this class of pesticide in tap water.

EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDES SPEEDS UP PUBERTY IN BOYS Exposure to pesticides can cause boys to hit puberty earlier, a shocking new study finds. Researchers at Zhejang University, in Hangzhou, China, studied more than 460 Chinese boys between the ages of nine and 16 They said the boys with a 10 percent increase of the chemicals in their body were up to 110 percent more likely to be in an advanced stage of puberty. This is because the pesticides increase levels of hormones that spur the production of testosterone. Previous research has shown that early puberty increases the risk of diseases in adulthood, such as testicular cancer in men and breast cancer in women. Early puberty also can stunt growth and cause behavioral problems. 'This is the first study to provide evidence that environmental exposure to pyrethroidsis associated with measurable effects on male pubertal development,' said lead investigator Dr Jing Liu. 'Given the growing use of pyrethroid insecticides, we must prudently assess these chemicals for their risks to children's health.' Advertisement

Neonicotinoids, like nicotine, bind to receptors of cells located in the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system.

They activate the receptors, causing nervous stimulation - electrical impulses running up and down the body.

High levels can overstimulate the body and block the receptors, causing paralysis and even death.

Typically, a neurotransmitter activates these receptors, which are broken down to terminate the signals.

But neonicotinoids can't be broken down and their binding is irreversible.

Co-author Dr Gregory LeFevre, a University of Iowa environmental engineer, told The Washington Post that the find was important but not cause for immediate alarm.

'Having these types of compounds present in water does have the potential to be concerning,' he said.

'But we don't really know, at this point, what these levels might be.'

The team tested water as it went through two different water treatment systems.

They found that a system serving Iowa City, which uses granular activated carbon filtration that dissolves organic compounds, removed 100 percent, 94 percent and 85 percent of the neonicotinoids clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, respectively.

But the rapid sand filtration system serving the University of Iowa, which uses relatively coarse sand and other granular media to remove particles, reduced the same substances only by about one percent, eight percent and 44 percent, respectively.

Regulators have not yet defined safe levels of neonicotinoids in drinking water, in part because researchers are currently working to understand if and how the compounds impact human health.

'There is no EPA standard for drinking water,' Dr LeFevre said.

Dr Melissa Perry, a public health researcher at George Washington University, told The Washington Post that the new study 'provides further evidence that neonicotinoid pesticides are present in our daily environments'.

'From a public health standpoint, this issue clearly needs better attention,' she added.

Because the study had a small sample size, Dr Perry says more comprehensive assessments are needed to detect how prevalent neonics are in national water supplies.

The chances of that happening are unclear.

'There is currently no national effort to measure to what extent neonicotinoids are making it into our bodies, be it through water or food,' she said.
Every year, millions of Americans take ambulances to the hospital.

But some are choosing a more unorthodox approach - opting to hail an Uber instead.

Drivers are sharing several stories of taking passengers to the emergency room with broken bones, asphyxia and even going into labor.

While figures are difficult to come by, the drivers say it has become increasingly common, with more stories emerging of people using the company for their medical emergencies.

There are several reasons why riders might choose a hail-cab service: short wait time, low cost, and a choice of hospital.

And with an ambulance ride costing upwards of $1,000, patients aren't just deterred by the steep fare, they likely can't afford it.

In recent years, there has been a surge in riders summoning Uber to take them to the hospital, using the cab service due to the low cost, short wait time and choice of hospital

In an online chat room, dozens of Uber drivers have been sharing their stories of being hailed for as a substitute for emergency services.

One driver in Michigan was summoned to pick up a girl from a party who was violently vomiting and possibly suffering from alcohol poisoning.

When he arrived, her friends asked him to take her to the hospital, saying she 'might die from drinking too much'.

'I identified myself as an off duty firefighter paramedic, and asked "You believe she has alcohol poisoning?"' he wrote.

'They responded, "Yes please take us to the hospital".

'I informed them, "Medically she needs an ambulance and I can't legally let her just puke and pass out in my backseat".'

But before the driver had a chance to call 911, the group got out to summon another Uber.

Another driver, from Santa Monica, California, picked up a woman who was having a severe allergic reaction to a bee sting.

About 10 minutes into the ride, she began swelling up and taking short, raspy breaths.

'Broke all kinds of laws in Beverly Hills getting her to the closest hospital, and they had to bring out a wheelchair to get her into the ER,' the driver wrote.

And in another case, an Uber driver in Texas picked up an elderly man who was sick and groaning in pain in her backseat the entire trip to the hospital.

When she first arrived, she saw the man being carried out by two younger men and assumed he disabled. But she quickly learned he was actually ill.

The party had requested the driver take them to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston - 35 miles away from the location where she picked them up.

HOW EXPENSIVE IS AN AMBULANCE RIDE? A Basic Life Support ambulance ride will start at around $600 with distance traveled and equipment used added to the cost. An Advanced Life Support ambulance ride will start around $1000, with distance and supplies added on top. Insurance companies will generally cover the ride with patients paying around $100 in co-pay. For those without insurance, however, the entirety of the sum is paid out of figures. Many ambulance services don't release how much they charge, but some do: LeMars, IA - $375-600

Urbana, OH - $650

Nichols Hills, OK - $1,100 + $9 per mile

Woodburn, OR - $1,200 + $20 per mile Reports have come out from people who've ridden in ambulances stating they have been sent bills ranging anywhere from $2,000 to $12,000. Advertisement

'I asked about his condition but NO ONE spoke English,' she wrote.

'Two other [passengers] jumped in my car with no explanation of the situation.'

The driver hit speeds of up to 85 miles per hour to race to the center. And although she was glad they made it in time, the circumstances left her 'pondering'.

'Since when do you call Uber in a medical emergency???? I honestly thought about pulling up to the nearest ER,' she said.

But patients have many reasons for choosing the hail-ride service to go to the hospital.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the price of an ambulance ride to the hospital can range from $600 to $1000.

And according to one report, an EMS can even charge around $160 per mile.

Meanwhile, charges for ride-hailing apps charge rarely hit three figures - and customers know the approximate price when they request their ride.

Ambulances, by contrast, send bills long after they are used, and often the final amount is unknown until the bill is received.

Last year, Chandra Steele, from New York City, told the story of how she summoned an Uber to go to the hospital after failing to flag down a cab.

According to Chandra, one of the benefits was the $100 she paid for the ride - and even that was more than she would have spent normally, except former President Barack Obama was in town that day.

'Steep for a cab ride, but hundreds of dollars less than I could have paid and certainly worth the comfort and convenience,' she wrote in PC Mag.

'What's more, Uber provides an estimate of how much you'll pay before you ride, which is a considerable advantage over waiting a few weeks for a potentially sky-high ambulance bill.'

Another reason for the surge is riders know the wait time. When an Uber driver confirms your request, the app displays a map of the car's location in relation to you and how long it will take to get there.

Actress Jaime King revealed on The Tonight Show, back in 2014, that she opted for an Uber when she went into labor over an ambulance.

She said: 'I know [Uber says] three minutes away and an ambulance you don't know.'

But there are pitfalls, such as a lack of medical care on the way there.

Driver UberLaLa relayed a story of picking up a man and his wife in Hollywood who asked to be taken to the emergency room.

The wife had just delivered a baby two nights prior and was having 'some sort of complications'. Although the driver made it to the ER fairly quickly, he couldn't help but question the dangers.

'The key with an ambulance is it comes with an EMT - anything happens on the way to the hospital and there is a trained medical tech to help immediately,' he wrote.

'And once the person needing medical attention gets to the ER they have to wait to be checked in and for someone to see them.

'In my opinion it is not smart for the rider needing immediate care to forgo an ambulance. They are risking it.'
Japan's SoftBank, which is one of the biggest investors in Snapdeal, is pushing ahead with a plan to go in for a fire sale-cum-merger of the loss-making Indian 'e-tailer' but the valuation of the company is posing a major sticking point among the existing shareholders.

According to sources, a consensus could not be reached for the sale proposal at Tuesday's board meeting of Snapdeal.

However, an announcement is likely to be made in the coming weeks. Sources disclose that Snapdeal, the country's third-largest online shopping platform, could be sold to larger rival and market leader Flipkart.

Co-Founder and CEO of Snapdeal Kunal Bahl has been hosting town hall meetings with employees as the company is facing a fire sale

Paytm's name has also come up as a potential buyer but its valuation of the company is reported to be much lower than that indicated by Flipkart.

Snapdeal and SoftBank both declined to comment on the matter.

Softbank has invested around $900 million in Snapdeal and is a stakeholder in the company as well as the digital payments platform Freecharge.

However, the Japanese company, which has drastically written down the value of its investments in Snapdeal, is looking at a fire sale in exchange for equity in Flipkart, India's largest e-commerce firm that is taking on rival Amazon.

Softbank is reportedly planning to invest around a $1.5 billion in Flipkart for significant stake in the company.

The deal is expected to lead to the exit of co-founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal from Snapdeal.

Hard bargaining is reported to be taking place over the compensation package for the duo.

The cash-strapped firm over the last few months has had to trim its workforce significantly and shut down non-core businesses.

Snapdeal was valued at $6.5 billion in its last funding round in February 2016.

Indian Money Rs 100 = 1.19 1 Lakh = 100,000 (hundred thousand) 10 Lakh = 1,000,000 (a million) 1 Crore = 10,000,000 (ten million) Advertisement

However, the valuation has shrunk since then and the potential deal could be struck at a highly discounted rate since the loss of the company has more than doubled during 2015-16 to a whopping Rs 2,960 crore from Rs 1,319 crore in 2014/15.

Snapdeal has been desperately seeking to raise more funds but has not been successful in doing so.

Indian e-commerce companies have been struggling in recent months as investors are focusing extensively on profitability and rationalisation of expenses.

With fierce competition from deep-pocketed rivals like Amazon and homegrown Flipkart, Snapdeal has been struggling to survive.

It has given pink slips to a large number of employees and is keen to get out of the non-core businesses.

Snapdeal is failing to compete against other 'e-tailer' giants such as the US company Amazon

The Snapdeal founders Bahl and Bansal have gone directly to employees with a string of town hall meetings in recent days promising profit and brushing off takeover talk.

Like most e-commerce players in India, Snapdeal is burning cash to sustain discounts and keep customers in a cut-throat online market.

But as the number three player, it also is under growing pressure from investors and its own employees to consider its bottom line, as well as market share.

One of the sources said there had been at least five town halls in recent weeks, with Bahl and Bansal delivering motivational speeches.

Snapdeal had also sought funding support in China, from Chinese funds and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, already an investor, but has come back empty handed.
Thank you for reading!

To read this article and more, subscribe now for as little as $1.99.
The Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh has upset Beijing. Since this is not the Dalai Lama's first visit to Arunachal or Tawang, Beijing's anger could be passed off as diplomatic bluster.

But this time around the global environment is markedly different.

Three factors are playing on China's mind. First, the two-day summit meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump begins on April 6.

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama arrives at the Thubchok Gatsel Ling Monastery in Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh

Hard talk on trade is inevitable. The summit is being held at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, not the White House.

While seemingly innocuous, that's a minor snub: no state dinner, just a walkabout in the sprawling 20-acre property.

Unpredictability

In a rapidly changing world order, Trump has introduced a mix of unpredictability and truculence.

He has kept China in the dark about how tough he intends to be on trade, currency, North Korea and the South China Sea.

The Chinese don't like uncertainty. Trump unsettles them.

The second cause of Beijing's touchiness is that Xinjiang, the country's northwest province which has a large Muslim Uighur population, is simmering.

A new Reuters report draws a grim picture of communal tension and Beijing's nervous, heavy-handed response: 'China says it faces a serious threat from Islamist extremists in Xinjiang.

Beijing accuses separatists among the Muslim Uighur ethnic minority there of stirring up tensions with the ethnic Han Chinese majority and plotting attacks elsewhere in China.

A Chinese security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the new security measures in Xinjiang were not politically motivated, but based on fresh developments and intelligence.

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama greets devotees

The Communist Party has vowed to continue what it terms a 'war on terror' against spreading Islamist extremism.

In Xinjiang, this can also be seen at weekly flag-raising ceremonies that Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking people who once formed the majority in Xinjiang, are required to attend to denounce religious extremism and pledge fealty under the Chinese flag.

The third reason for China's anxiety is its slowing economy. The government projects GDP growth in 2016-17 at 6.5 per cent.

International estimates place real, non-fudged growth at a slower 5.5 per cent.

In 2017-18, a further decline in growth is likely. Dissent is likely to grow as people, lulled for years by rising incomes, feel the pain of an ageing, more sober society.

The abandonment of Mao Zedong's one-child policy, which caused China to age dramatically, shows how seriously Beijing takes disaffection among citizens who have bartered freedom and democracy for prosperity and security.

Backdrop

It is against this grim backdrop that Beijing views the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang.

The Dalai Lama sought and received exile in India in 1959. Less well known is that he fled to India via Tawang to set up the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamsala.

As Dipanjan Roy Chaudhary wrote in The Economic Times: 'The Tawang monastery, known as the Galden Namgey Lhatse Monastery in Tibet, was founded by Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1680-81 according to the wishes of the fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso.

'It is also the seat of the Karma-Kargyu sect. the Chinese Communist party has been of the opinion that without controlling Tawang it cannot have legitimacy over Tibet.'

Jawaharlal Nehru, the Indian prime minister (left) having a talk with the 14th Dalai Lama, 1959

For India, the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang presents an opportunity to reset the relationship with China.

Significantly, the Dalai Lama's high-profile trip to Arunachal Pradesh will last for nine days, including two days in Tawang.

An agitated China has continued to issue statements opposing the visit: 'China and India are two major developing countries and we are close neighbours,' the foreign ministry said.

'It is very important for the two peoples to maintain sound and steady China-India relations.

'But such a relationship has to be built on certain foundations. Such visits will have deep damage on China-India relations.

China's President Xi Jinping

'We have asked India to stick to its political pledges and not to hurt China-India relations. It'll come down to India to make a choice.'

Choice In the past India has made that choice: sit on the fence. It allows the Dalai Lama freedom to travel anywhere in India but not make political statements.

The policy of placating China must now end. Beijing thumbs its nose at India over illegal construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

India's policy of appeasing China over the Dalai Lama has given India little geopolitical leverage.

Beijing treats India's objections over the CPEC in PoK with thinly disguised contempt.

India should return the compliment over Tawang. There's no better time to do this. A growing China-Russia-Pakistan axis threatens India's interests in the region.

The two-day summit meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump begins on April 6

As a counter, India must develop a strong pole with the US, Japan and Afghanistan. The Trump-Xi summit in Florida starting today will show how committed the US is to confront China on both trade and Beijing's bullying of littoral states in the South China Sea.

New Delhi must use all the cards it has, including Tibet, to keep China guessing. Speaking to Beijing in the dulcet tones of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) won't do.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi must take the dragon head-on and reset India's China policy at a time when Beijing is plagued by Islamist unrest in Xinjiang, a slowing economy and a truculent US President.
The CBI will press for restoration of criminal conspiracy charges against BJP veteran LK Advani and 19 other top party and RSS leaders when a crucial Babri Masjid demolition case comes up before the Supreme Court on Thursday.

Other important names on the list of 20 are Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Kalyan Singh and Vinay Katiyar.

Thousands of people died in sectarian violence after Hindu activists razed the 16th century mosque in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya city in 1992. The demolition followed a noisy campaign by Advani and others for a Ram (Hindu) temple on the site.

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders LK Advani

Criminal conspiracy? Left - Vinay Katiyar, founder president of Bajrang Dal and senior BJP leader. Middle - Governor of Rajasthan Kalyan Singh. Right - BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi.

Many Hindus believe the spot is the birthplace of one of their most revered deities.

The Central Bureau of Investigation had booked several BJP leaders including Advani, Joshi, Bharti and Singh but the conspiracy charges against them were dropped. In 2010, the Allahabad High Court once again confirmed this decision.

Sources said the central agency will also not resist if the SC orders filing of supplementary charges by indicting the accused of criminal conspiracy, as hinted by the court on the previous date of hearing on March 6.

'No, we are going ahead with the petition as it was filed originally,' they told Mail Today. 'There will be no change. There is no occasion to say otherwise.'

Observers say what decision the CBI takes on the March 6 notice will be a big test of its independence after being termed a 'caged parrot' by the apex court in 2013.

A temple dedicated to the god Rama in Ayodhya

The Ayodhya-Babri Masjid dispute In 1992 a large 'group' of Hindus demolished the 16th century Babri Mosque in the UP city of Ayodhya after a political rally at the site turned violent. The city is believed to be the birthplace of the Hindu god Rama and the mosque is believed to be built on Ram Janmabhoomi, the actual birthplace of the deity. On December 6 1992 the VHP and BJP organised a rally at the mosque and the 150,000-strong crowd overwhelmed security forces before tearing down the mosque. This came in a climate of inter-communal rioting between Hindus and Muslims that left at least 2,000 dead. A subsequent inquiry found that 68 people were responsible for the demolition, including leaders of the two political parties. The current Ayodhya dispute is a political and socio-religious debate in India concerning which religious group ought to possess the land. A 2010 landmark decision split the 2.77 hectare site equally between three parties - one Hindu, one Muslim, and one organisation trusted with maintaining the site. Advertisement

Detractors have suggested that the agency may not be inclined to press criminal conspiracy charges against the BJP and RSS leaders with the Narendra Modi government in power.

'A written submission which is to be given tomorrow (Thursday) in the court is still under preparation. It will say why the upholding of the dropping of charges under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC against these leaders by the special court, the decision of which was upheld by the Allahabad High Court, is erroneous,' said a source connected to the case.

The CBI on May 21, 2010 during the UPA government challenged the order of the HC dropping the conspiracy charges.

'Something very peculiar is going on in this case. See people cannot be discharged like this on technical grounds. Why don't you file a supplementary charge sheet? We prima facie do not approve of the way these people have been discharged,' a Supreme Court bench of Justice PC Ghose and Justice Rohinton Nariman told the CBI on March 6.

Two separate criminal cases in the Babri demolition incident were being heard by courts in Raebareli and Lucknow. The CBI, however, filed a combined charge sheet.

The SC is also hearing a separate petition filed in 2015 by one Haji Mehboob Ahmad, which claims that with the BJP government and a 'participant' Rajnath Singh as home minister, the probe agency - the original petitioner against dropping of criminal conspiracy charges - may not press for their restoration.

The Babri Masjid mosque was destroyed in 1992 by militant Hindu nationalist groups. The incident triggered riots all over India leading to over 2,000 deaths.

'One accused of the said criminal trial, Shri Rajnath Singh, is a cabinet minister and the leader against whom there is a charge of serious omission.

'One other accused (Kalyan Singh) is governor of a state. 'Although CBI is technically under the office of Prime Minister, but for all practical purposes, the home minister is also an important authority,' Mehboob's appeal states.

An Allahabad High Court judgment in 2010 had said Lord Ram was born under the central dome of the makeshift temple in Ayodhya and Hindus have the right to worship there.

The Ram Temple-Babri Masjid dispute has been ongoing for centuries and the current case in the Supreme Court is just one attempt of many to peacefully divide the land

That order was put on hold by the Supreme Court. The SC last month suggested an out-of-court settlement to resolve the decades-old dispute, which it called a 'sensitive and sentimental issue'.

Chief Justice of India JS Khehar even said he is ready to mediate. The Ayodhya issue has returned to the centre stage after the BJP took power in Uttar Pradesh last month with a stunning election victory.

It picked as chief minister priest-turned-politician Yogi Adityanath, a strong supporter of the construction of a temple at the site.
As MCD elections promise to be a referendum on the hitherto rule of the AAP and the semi-final to Delhi Assembly polls for the BJP, the saffron outfit has effectively used its well-oiled social media team to woo voters.

The BJP was the first party to effectively use social media as a political tool to win elections, starting in 2014 and perfected over several state Assembly polls, including the recently concluded UP polls.

According to party functionaries, the Facebook page of the Delhi unit of the party had a membership of 22 lakh people, while 1.45 lakh people followed the party's Delhi chapter on Twitter.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party, BJP, are successfully galvanising social media platforms like WhatsApp to reach its voters

If figures are any estimate of the strength of the party, nearly 85,000 party functionaries and activists from across the entire hierarchy ranging from state unit to the booth level are connected to each other via WhatsApp. Of these, 83,000 were booth-level karyakartas.

BJP claimed that apart from these functionaries and activists, nearly 3,500 volunteers have thrown in their lot with the party's poll efforts on social media.

These volunteers, who were not BJP members, were engaged in independent dissemination of the party's messages, said the party.

'We have also customised the content that we share on the social media, to cater to the specific consumption needs of such categories as women, youth, retired personnel.

The BJP is looking to take Delhi in the next polls

'The message that we are taking to the people comprises broadly two aspects - our achievements in MCD such as open gymnasiums and lush green parks, and the failures of the AAP and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

'A lot of visually appealing content is also being used and that too has been customised to the needs of the different categories of the voters,' said BJP's national head of IT and communications Amit Malviya.

In action from last year, the WhatsApp corps of Delhi BJP have achieved the maximum member count (allowed of 200) in their nearly 8,000 active groups,' said Sumit Bhasin, head of the party's IT cell at the BJP's state office.

Trickling down from the highest level - state WhatsApp groups - to the lowest level at the tehsil, the messages are exchanged robustly.

The strategy formulated by the team concentrates on ensuring BJP's presence by sending messages every day, just enough to trend and not enough to spam the users.

'We share six or seven graphics religiously every day on all 8,000 groups.

The BJP is looking to oust the AAP and its Delhi leader Arvind Kejriwal

'At this pace, we are not spamming the WhatsApp space but at the same time, we are on voters' mind,' said Kunal Kapur, co-convener of BJP's IT cell, operating from party's state office on Pandit Pant Marg.

The WhatsApp groups cater to different sections of Delhi voters.

'We have groups such as Yuva Morcha and Mahila Morcha on several levels.

'These WhatsApp members then forward the graphics on their private chats and family WhatsApp groups,' said Abhishek Sharma, a member of the core social media team.

The drill followed by these WhatsApp warriors neatly charts the chain in which over 1.5 lakh Delhi residents are receiving messages every day.

These messages highlight BJP's achievement on national and state level.

'Graphics on impact of demonetisation, GST bill, multi-level parking in Delhi, increase in Indian railways during PM Modi's regime are sent to our target voters,' Kunal told Mail Today.
National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah has defended the stone-pelting youth in Kashmir, saying they are fighting for the nation and for the resolution of the Kashmir issue.

The remarks by the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister came in for sharp condemnation from the state's ruling coalition partners PDP and the BJP.

The PDP dubbed the remarks as political opportunism while the BJP said it was worrisome.

Farooq Abdullah has defended the stone-pelting youth in Kashmir, saying they are fighting for the nation and for the resolution of the Kashmir issue

Abdullah, who also said that the stone-pelting youth were not giving up their lives for tourism, is contesting the by-election to Srinagar Lok Sabha seat as the joint candidate of NC and Congress.

The polling in the constituency is to be held on April 9. The NC leader was reacting to PM Narendra Modi's statement on April 2 at the inauguration of Chenani-Nashri tunnel that youth of Kashmir need to choose between tourism and terrorism.

'If he (stone pelting youth) is giving up his life, he is not doing it for tourism. He is giving his life so that the destiny of this nation is decided which should be acceptable to the people of this place.

'This needs to be understood,' Abdullah said at an election meeting in Sonawar here.

'Recently, the tunnel opened. He (Prime Minister) said the youth here should think whether they want tourism or terrorism.

'I want to tell Modi sahib tourism is our lifeline. But he is a stone pelter. He has nothing to do with tourism. He will starve to death but he is pelting stones for his nation and there is a need to understand this,' he added.

He also said if India and Pakistan cannot resolve issues, then the US should come forward and resolve the issue as a third party.

Union minister and senior BJP leader Jitendra Singh dubbed Abdullah's defence of stone-pelters as worrisome and accused him of getting tempted to speak the language of separatists.
The onset of summer in Jammu and Kashmir has brought a fresh challenge for security forces with Pakistani agencies and terror outfits across the border planning an all-out social media assault to create unrest in the Valley.

Army sources said: 'Pakistani groups have more than 70,000 twitter handles and are also acting through WhatsApp groups to provoke locals for a renewed campaign of anti-India protests.

'They also have seven or eight very popular Facebook pages which are quite big in terms of followers, along with some websites which have been active for the last few years.'

Pakistani groups have more than 70,000 twitter handles and are also alleged to be acting through WhatsApp groups to provoke locals for anti-India protests

The Pakistani social media keyboard warriors are spreading messages to provide training to youth on social media applications and develop them into 'power users' and use them as 'instrument for Kashmir uprise 2017.'

Zaki Ur Rehman Lakhvi faction of the Lashkar-e-Toiba is also holding workshops on social media in cities like Rawalpindi, Multan, Lahore and Sargodha.

'The Pakistanis are urging their youth to take up smart phones as weapons and use it for inciting people in Kashmir valley but we are also working on to match them on the social media front in a big way,' the sources said.

Indian security agencies have joined hands with intelligence agencies to counter the social media assault from Pakistan-backed groups, who first started using social media in 2010 for stone pelting.

Agencies admit that the Pakistani social media operatives have an advantage over India as they have been active for a long time in using social media to instigate anger and further spread their message through the Kashmiri population.

'Through their social media presence, they have been able to penetrate deeply among the youth whereas it is taking time for us to mark presence in this area.

'It will take a few years for us to match considering the number of followers they have on Facebook,' a source said.

Officials said the monitoring of WhatsApp groups which are generally used to instigate protests and gather stone-pelters for demonstrations in the cities is also being done using special resources.

'Some social media applications like WhatsApp and Facebook are used to gather youth at places of encounters.

Indian government forces stand guard near the scene of attack by suspected militants on the convoy of Indian military forces

'These groups are based in Pakistan. Security forces are dealing with terrorists exactly the way they should and will continue to do so. I want to say that we will definitely be successful,' union home minister Rajnath Singh had stated in Parliament a few days ago.

Sources said the Pakistani agencies have been using social media in a very effective manner against Indian interests in multiple ways as they employ their personnel for blackmailing, honey-trapping and extracting information from military personnel.

On the other hand, they also use social media to provoke people in Kashmir to rise against India by putting fake videos of atrocities committed by the Indian security forces against Muslims or minorities to encourage youth to join the jihadi movement.

Recently, the Pakistani social media groups backed by their Army had also tried to create a divide between officers and soldiers in Indian forces by posting a video about a Pakistani soldiers bragging about the high quality food provided to them by their officers.
Miracle? To those who know Chetan Cheetah, it is yet another example of his bravery and his will power

Doctors say it is nothing short of a miracle. But to those who know CRPF commandant Chetan Cheetah, it is yet another example of his bravery and will power.

Two months ago, Chetan Cheetah sustained nine bullet injuries, including one in the head, while fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

He fell into a deep coma and was admitted in the ICU at AIIMS trauma centre.

Doctors said chances of his survival were not good, but to their surprise on Wednesday, he was conscious and talking.

As he was wheeled into the ambulance after being discharged, loud chants of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Long Live Cheetah' rang in the air.

Cheetah's wife Uma summed up the mood best: 'Today is not Ram Navmi, this is Diwali for us.'

Doctors said Cheetah's wife had been like a rock as he made the wondrous recovery.

But it was not easy.

Chetan Cheetah had survived severe injuries to his head, upper limb, waist, pelvic region, eye and hand after the encounter on February 14.

A team of doctors, consisting of neurologists, trauma surgery and critical care, orthopedics, ophthalmologist and plastic surgeons, besides battery of nurses, hospital staff and radiologist worked relentlessly for over 50 days to treat the 45-year-old commanding officer of 45 battalion, CRPF.

He had been riddled with bullets while leading his team during a search operation in Bandipore district of Kashmir.

Cheetah's wife Uma (left) summed up the mood best: 'Today is not Ram Navmi, this is Diwali'

A terrorist hiding there fired at the troops, but Cheetah led from the front and sustained multiple injuries.

He even managed to fire 16 bullets after being hit.

He was rushed to 92 base hospital, Srinagar in a chopper, before being finally flown in an Air Ambulance to AIIMS trauma centre.

He was put on mechanical ventilation breathing through perforation in his neck. Subodh Gupta, who headed the team of doctors who operated on Cheetah, said 'his GCS score, a test to gauge the severity of brain injury, was M3.

'He was in deep coma. Now his score is M6. The severity of his injury was critical, a limit of 15 is seen as life threatening. But Cheetah was at a score of 40.'

But the journey of recovery is far from over. Doctors said the officer needs mental and physical rehabilitation spanning over two months or more.

Cheetah has also lost vision in his right eye, but ophthalmologists are trying to restore his vision on the left, which also received injuries.

But the officer had no complaints, and spoke like a true soldier. 'I am grateful that the Army Chief and minister of state Kiren Rijiju visited me. I am honoured.'

On Wednesday, Rijiju visited Cheetah again in the hospital, thanking doctors and telling the brave soldier that his fight will inspire others in the forces.

Three soldiers and a militant belonging to banned outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba got killed in the encounter in Hajin area of Bandipore district of Kashmir on February 14, where Cheetah was injured.

Sources said the terrorists had received prior information about the CRPF attack on their hideout.
I went into my Lloyds branch on November 21 and paid off the 423.41 owing on my Sainsburys Bank credit card. I got a receipt showing this.

My next statement from Sainsburys Bank showed it had not been paid.

Lloyds says it sent the money, but Sainsburys Bank says it did not get it. I have spoken to both parties several times and each blames the other. D. S., Cambridge.

Paid off: 'I went into my Lloyds branch on November 21 and paid off the 423.41 owing on my Sainsburys Bank credit card. I got a receipt showing this.'

Sometimes when I receive a letter, I just want to get hold of the customer services bosses and knock their heads together  figuratively, at least.

Could the banks not talk to each other and get to the bottom of the issue, rather than throwing it to you? Customer service? More like self-service!

Once I passed your letter to both of them, it was sorted out in a couple of days. It turns out that you were the source of the error, but this does not excuse the poor response you received.

You had two beneficiaries at Sainsburys Bank set up on your Lloyds account and when you paid using an ATM, you chose the wrong one.

Lloyds says it tried to reclaim the money on your behalf on several occasions after you made contact on January 9, but Sainsburys Bank didnt respond.

Sainsburys Bank admits its call centre did not deal with your six phone calls properly and should have done more to assist you.

The money has been credited to your account and the fees that were charged have been refunded. Sainsburys Bank has also put a note on your credit file, making it clear that you had not defaulted at any time. On top of this, it has added 75 by way of apology.

This is a reminder to those of us who use DIY banking to ensure that, when sending money, the account number matches that on the bill. As you  and, I suspect, many others  discovered, its all too easy, when we have more than one payment to the same source, to choose the wrong one.

Payment declined: 'Last September, I arranged for my car to be insured with AA Insurance and set up a direct debit'

Last September, I arranged for my car to be insured with AA Insurance and set up a direct debit. In November, I got a letter with a default notice saying the payment had been declined.

My bank told me this was because AA had not instigated the direct debit.

I rang the AA three times, waiting in a queue. I emailed and got no answers. I then wrote and enclosed a cheque to cover the November and December payments, thus giving them time to correct their mistake.

In December, I got a call from AA Insurance, asking for the payment again. I said I had sent a cheque. I was told AA had made a mistake, with a number of customers affected.

I was sent a cheque for 20 with a promise that problems would be resolved. In January, I received another letter saying I had defaulted on a payment and my insurance would be void if it was not paid by January 27. P. R., Surrey.

It seems the AAs systems had broken down. After a word in the right ear, your problems have been sorted.

A spokesman told me: The AA is transforming its systems with a multi-million-pound investment to streamline processes for customers. As the systems come on stream, rarely an error like this happens.

We recognise letters warning insurance cover might be stopped if payment isnt collected can cause alarm, as it did with Mr R.

Their prompt and very responsible action in sending off cheques has resulted in over- payment of Mr Rs cover.

Those overpayments have been refunded and they phoned you to apologise. The AA has also paid a goodwill gesture of 60, including 10 to cover the cost of registered letters you sent. Both you and I have been told your direct debit has now been set up properly.

The spokesman said that experiences such as yours can help them ensure similar errors dont recur and shows where customer relations can improve.

Were grateful to Mr R for his patience, while apologising for a mistake that should not have happened.

>Cut your motoring costs: Read our top ten tips to driving down insurance costs

Pension trouble: 'I married my husband in 1967. Eight months later, he died on a ship run by BP. He was buried at sea aged 22.'

I married my husband in 1967. Eight months later, he died on a ship run by BP. He was buried at sea aged 22.

I remarried seven years later. I called BP to tell them, thinking I was no longer entitled to the pension. I have now been told a widows pension is for life.

If so, I can retire. I am 71 and still working. Can you help? J. B., Kent.

I am sorry to say you were right the first time. BP found the policy and says, at the time, rules meant a pension stopped being paid if a widow or widower remarried.

This changed in 1985 so pension trustees could pay a remarried surviving spouse, but this came a decade too late for you.
An Isa is not just about putting away some spare cash for a rainy day  thousands of older savers rely on the payouts from these accounts for their retirement income.

And the new 20,000 allowance means you can shield even more of your savings income from the taxman. Its vital to find a manager who will ensure you get solid regular payouts from your nest egg.

But for many savers its also important that the manager grows the pot over time. That means your income rises, too, keeping pace with the rising cost of living.

An Isa can be a vital savings pot for many so it's important to choose one with a good income

However, its not easy to spot a fund manager who can give you bumper returns and a good income.

Last month, Neil Woodford, one of Britains most successful fund managers, launched a fund he thinks will provide the answer.

His new CF Woodford Income Focus fund is aiming to give savers an income of 5p for every 1 they invest by the end of 2018.

That would give you an income of 1,000 a year if you invested your entire 20,000 Isa allowance in the new fund.

Mr Woodford also has a very good track record of growing savers money in his other fund, CF Woodford Equity Income, despite performing poorly compared to some income funds last year.

Since his fund launched nearly three years ago, he has outperformed his rivals and turned 20,000 into an impressive 26,979. However, there is no guarantee his new fund will provide the 5p income or the top returns he is hoping for, despite his track record.

Experts say you shouldnt pile all of your money into Mr Woodfords fund and should also consider using other fund managers. Laith Khalaf, of broker Hargreaves Lansdown, says: You dont want to put all of your eggs in one basket.

Neil Woodford is a good manager, but you should never place all of your money with one manager.

You want to spread your cash over maybe four or five funds in case one of them doesnt perform as hoped.

Mr Khalaf tips Marlborough Multi Cap Income, which he predicts could give you 4.4p income for every 1 you invest. Its manager, Siddarth Chand Lall, has managed to turn 20,000 into 37,719 over the past five years by investing in a variety of small and large UK businesses.

One of his biggest holdings is WHSmith, the 225-year-old iconic British bookseller, which recently signed a deal to allow video game retailer Game to host concessions stands in its stores.

As so many of us rely on an Isa for a retirement income, it's vital to pick one with good returns

Another good option for savers, says Ben Yearsley, of adviser Shore Financial Planning, is JO Hambro UK Equity Income, which is currently paying 4.3p for every 1 you invest.

The funds manager, Clive Beagles, likes big dividend payers such as the oil giant BP, Vodafone and Barclays Bank. He has turned 20,000 into 35,940 over the past five years.

Clive has always stated that he wants to grow the income the fund produces by at least 5 per cent each year, says Mr Yearsley. Hes outperformed that in recent years.

But its not only that: he also has a long track record of producing good returns. Ive had money in this fund for some time.

Jason Hollands, of fund broker Tilney, says that there is no need for savers to rush into Mr Woodfords new fund. He recommends Schroder UK Alpha Income, which is managed by Matt Hudson, who is currently providing 4.5p of income for every 1 invested.

He has also managed to turn 20,000 into 32,620 over the past five years.

Nearly 5 in every 100 of money in his fund is invested in Diageo, the UK drinks firm that is the worlds largest producer of spirits. Diageo, which makes the iconic brands Johnnie Walker whisky and Guinness, has just rolled out a vegan-friendly version of its Baileys liqueur in the U.S.

Mr Hollands also tips Fidelity Money Builder Dividend, whose manager Michael Clark has turned 20,000 into 33,600 over the past five years. Mr Clark is paying savers an income of 4.2p for every 1 they invest.

One of his biggest investments is Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch makers of Hellmanns mayonnaise, Marmite and Persil laundry detergent, which accounts for 3.30 of every 100 of the funds cash.

In February, the consumer goods giant fought off a 115 billion take-over by U.S. rival Kraft Heinz, which makes Philadelphia cheese and juice drink Capri Sun.

p.thomas@dailymail.co.uk
OATH BROKEN Verizon has announced it will rename Yahoo Oath after it combines the tech firm with AOL, whose chief executive, Tim Armstrong, confirmed the decision on his Twitter account with the hashtag #TakeTheOath. But the name has been ridiculed on social media.

BEAN COUNTER OakNorth has appointed Cristina Alba Ochoa as chief financial officer. She was a senior figure at investment firm GE Capital International during its 80bn split from General Electric. Ochoa replaces interim finance boss Nick Price at the lender, which focuses on business banking.

AOL and Yahoo will be combined into a unit called 'Oath' after telecom titan Verizon buys the pioneering internet firm, according to a tweet on April 3 by the AOL chief

SERVICES SECURED Video analytics group Big Sofa has signed a services agreement with an unnamed research firm. Simon Lidington, chief executive of Big Sofa, said the three-year deal could be transformational. Shares in the firm rose 2.8 per cent or 0.62p to 23.38p.

ASIA DEAL Big data software provider Fusionex has announced a five-year, multi-million-pound contract with an Asian insurance firm. Shares were flat at 132p.

WATCHDOG PROBE Competition chiefs in the European Union are examining a plan for the Royal Bank of Scotland to spend 750 million on boosting bank competition. The proposal was put forward by the Government after RBS abandoned plans to spin off 306 branches to satisfy regulators. It was ordered to make changes after being handed a 46 billion bailout by taxpayers.

STRIKE CONCERNS Ryanair carried 9.4 million customers in March  up 10 per cent from the year before despite the low-cost airline cancelling more than 500 flights after strikes in France. Kenny Jacobs, chief marketing officer, said the air-traffic control disruptions in France had forced the airline to cancel flights and cut its traffic by around 100,000 customers.

SALES UP Energy and water consultancy Utilitywise has posted an 11 per cent rise in revenue for the six months ending January 31. The North Tyneside firm, which helps businesses reduce energy consumption and bills, said customers increased 17 per cent to 40,855. Profits stayed flat at 9.7 million. Net debt fell 43 per cent from 16.8 million to 9.8 million. Founder Geoff Thompson is becoming non-executive chairman.
City superwoman Nicola Horlick is facing legal action after she missed a deadline to hand over 250k for a movie business

City superwoman Nicola Horlick is facing legal action after she missed a deadline to hand over 250,000 for a Hollywood movie business.

She has accused crowdfunding website Seedrs of making her look like a criminal.

Horlick, 56, dubbed Superwoman for juggling a high-flying City career with raising six children, turned to Seedrs to launch her film finance outfit Glentham Capital.

She secured 400,000 from small shareholders between 2013 and 2015, and pledged to raise an extra 250,000 herself after a US investor pulled out  but the money had not arrived by last Fridays deadline.

A spokesman for Seedrs said as the funds had not arrived, we will be instructing our lawyers.

Horlick said: I feel somewhat aggrieved that Im being treated as some sort of criminal.

'Theres been a hold-up with the cash moving from one bank to another.
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
The boss of Asos has promised not to raise prices for UK customers  despite rising costs from the fall in the pound since the Brexit vote.

Chief executive Nick Beighton said the online fashion retailer would not follow in the footsteps of High Street rivals by raising the cost of clothes.

Beighton said the fall in sterling had boosted overseas sales with 20-something fashionistas, allowing Asos to invest in prices.

The boss of Asos has promised not to raise prices for UK customers  despite rising costs from the fall in the pound since the Brexit vote

We will significantly lower the price internationally and continue to do our utmost to hold the price for our UK customers, he said.

Revenue jumped 37 per cent to 911.5 million in the six months to February 28 and a strong performance in Russia helped drive international sales up 54 per cent to 548.4 million, while UK sales were up 18 per cent to 340.8 million.

Unlike High Street rivals, Asos benefits from strong exports, helping profits jump 14 per cent to 27.3 million, though shares fell 0.1 per cent or 6p to 5971p.
While investors in Imagination Technologies were left nursing heavy losses, there was at least one who would have been counting its winnings.

GSA Capital Partners, a Mayfair hedge fund led by one of Britains richest fund managers, was betting against Imaginations shares with a 0.7 per cent short position.

When the shares crashed by almost 62 per cent on Monday, it would have delivered a multi-million-pound fortune for GSA.

GSA was set up in 2005 by Jonathan Hiscock, an Oxford maths graduate who earned his stripes at Deutsche Bank

Many rival hedge funds had ditched their short positions in Imagination as they were convinced it was a takeover target  which would have set shares soaring.

GSA was set up in 2005 by Jonathan Hiscock, an Oxford maths graduate who earned his stripes at Deutsche Bank.

Hiscock, worth an estimated 300 million according to the Sunday Times Rich List, has modelled the firm on tech outfits such as Google rather than traditional finance houses.

It holds short positions in other London-listed companies, including Dairy Crest, Majestic Wine and Ocado.

As of March last year, it managed 3.4 billion of assets and is owned by its partners, with 42-year-old Hiscock controlling more than 25 per cent of the company.

Hiscock was among the partners who shared 112.3 million of profits in January last year, which worked out an average of 7 million each for the 18 partners at the time.
It was an explosive conclusion which cast a pall over the entire election: that the Kremlin was behind a hack of the Democratic National Committee which resulted in its embarrassing secrets being published.

First made in June 2016, it has overshadowed the election, transition and now presidency of Donald Trump.

And the FBI, CIA, NSA and 12 other intelligence agencies published an unprecedented joint report saying the Vladimir Putin ordered a hacking campaign to tip the election against Hillary Clinton.

But now the first expert company to make a link between the DNC hacks and the Kremlin is facing a damaging series of questions over its credibility, DailyMail.com can disclose.

Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike has had to retract portions of a report supporting its allegations of Russian cyberattacks  and is also refusing to address Congress about its findings on Moscow's election hacking.

Overshadowed: The entire election campaign from June onwards was hit by the Russian hacking and interference allegations, in a scandal which remains unresolved. But questions over the original source of a link to the Kremlin are revealed by DailyMail.com

Caught up: Debbie Wasserman Schultz called in CrowdStrike over fears the DNC was being hacked, which were confirmed. The firm then made the apparently definitive link to Vladimir Putin's Kremlin and remains the only one to have examined the DNC's servers

Resolute: The intelligence community under its Obama-era leaders of Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and CIA director John Brennan (right) concluded that Putin hacked the election to tip it in Trump's favor

Standing by his position: FBI Director James Comey told the House Intelligence Committee last month that the conclusion on Putin hacking the election was unchanged

CrowdStrike was hired by the Democratic National Committee to investigate suspicious network activity last May. In June it declared that the committee had been hacked by the Russian government, starting a firestorm over the campaign.

CrowdStrike, based in Irvine, California, is also the only group that the DNC allowed to directly examine its servers.

Not even the FBI has been granted access to the servers.

U.S. agencies have instead relied on CrowdStrike's work. There is no other known forensic evidence which has been publicly disclosed to link the Kremlin to the attacks, including in a series of intelligence community statements and reports.

But now questions are emerging about the reliability of the company's findings.

DailyMail.com can disclose that in March CrowdStrike quietly retracted portions of a December report that had made further Russian hacking claims, after the firm was found to have relied on inaccurate data posted online by a pro-Putin 'propaganda' blogger.

The errors prompted both the Ukrainian military and a prominent British think tank to issue public statements disputing CrowdStrike's data.

The errors, and retraction, surrounded a report in December which claimed that Fancy Bear, the same Russian hackers it said were behind the DNC attacks, were working on behalf of Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU.

CrowdStrike said it found evidence that Fancy Bear had also hacked into Ukrainian military technology using the same software it used to infiltrate the DNC.

According to the report, the hackers were targeting an app used by Ukrainian soldiers to improve the efficiency of ther 122mm howitzers. The hack resulted in Ukraine losing 80 percent of these weapons in its ongoing low-level battle with Russian forces in the east of the country, the report said.

The report received widespread attention, including from NBC News, Foreign Policy, and The Guardian.

Alperovitch used an interview with the Washington Post to push the report and said: 'The fact that [these hackers] would be tracking and helping the Russian military kill Ukrainian army personnel in eastern Ukraine and also intervening in the U.S. election is quite chilling.

And Donna Brazile, the interim chairman of the DNC who had been revealed by the leaked emails to have given CNN's debate questions in advance to Hillary Clinton, and who then lied about it, highlighted the CrowdStrike report on Twitter, saying: 'Cybersecurity firm finds a link between DNC hack and Ukrainian artillery'

Hacked? CrowdStrike claimed Russian hackers Fancy Bear managed to hack an app which made Ukraine's howitzers more effective. The hack allowed Russian forces, fighting Ukraine's in an unofficial war, to destroy 80 per cent of the howitzers, CrowdStrike claimed. But the 80 per cent figure came from a pro-Russian blogger and has now been abandoned

Not co-operating: CrowdStrike, under its president Shawn Henry (left) and chief technology officer Dmitri Alperovitch (right) is declining to give public testimony to Congress

High-profile: CrowdStrike's attention-grabbing claims on Russian hacking have been highlighted by multiple reports.

Vested interest: Donna Brazile was revealed to be a cheat who handed CNN's debate questions to Hillary Clinton and a liar who claimed falsely that the leaked emails had been altered. She promoted a Washington Post story based on the party-retracted CrowdStrike report

But questions about the report quickly emerged. The Ukrainian military posted a public statement disputing the claim that it was the victim of hackers and denying that it had lost such a large number of howitzers.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies  which CrowdStrike cited as the source of its claim that 80 percent of Ukraine's howitzers had been taken out, told the VOA that this number was inaccurate. It said the actual percentage of howitzer losses was closer to 15 to 20 percent.

It was soon discovered that CrowdStrike had not obtained this number from IISS directly, and instead relied on post published by a pro-Russian website called The Saker.

The Saker article was written by Russian blogger who goes by the name 'Colonel Cassad' and calls himself the 'bullhorn of totalitarian propaganda,' according to Voice of America.

Last month CrowdStrike quietly dropped the key claim of an 80 per cent loss, adding a short statement above the initial blogpost to say the report had been 'amended' and due to 'an update' from the IISS about the howitzer numbers.

But CrowdStrike did not explain why its researchers had used such inflated numbers, or say how this could impacts its conclusions.

It also did not address other concerns about the report from the Ukrainian military and the military app developer, who denied the hacking claim entirely.

While the retraction does not mean that Russia did not hack the DNC or Ukraine, critics say it calls into question CrowdStrike's work on the subject.

Cybersecurity expert Jeffrey Carr said this is part of 'a pattern' for the company, and raises concerns about its credibility.

'It shows a pattern, that CrowdStrike's intelligence reports were clearly a problem,' said Carr, who has authored books on cyber warfare and founded the security firm Taia Global Ltd.

'They just found what they wanted to findthey didn't stop for a moment to question it, they didn't contact the primary source,' added Carr. 'This is like an elementary school-level analysis.'

Withdrawn: How CrowdStrike abandoned its claims that 80 per cent of howitzers had been destroyed after a Russian hack

Source of claim: This is the website where the 80 per cent claim made by CrowdStrike was found. it is run by a virulently pro-Putin blogger

Alperovitch canceled a March 15 interview with Voice of America, the news outlet that first reported CrowdStrike had misstated data from the ISSS.

However CrowdStrike is proving hostile to further scrutiny of its methods, DailyMail.com can disclose.

Last month, CrowdStrike's co-founder Dmitri Alperovitch and its president Shawn Henry turned down an invitation to testify before the House Intelligence Committee about Russian interference in the U.S. election.

'They declined the invitation, so we're communicating with them about speaking to us privately,' said Jack Langer, a spokesperson for House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes.

There remain unanswered questions about the sequence of events which led to the secrets of the DNC being laid bare.

The DNC said it originally hired CrowdStrike in late April last year after discovering suspicious activity on its computer system indicating a 'serious' hack.

But according to internal emails, CrowdStrike was already working for the DNC to investigate whether Bernie Sanders campaign staffers had gained unauthorized access to its voter database.

That five-week investigation appeared to have wrapped up on April 29, 2016.

The DNC did not make its first payment to CrowdStrike until early May. Over the next three months, it paid the cybersecurity firm a total of $168,000.

HOW RUSSIAN HACK CLAIMS UNFOLDED June 14 2016: DNC hack is revealed as The Washington post says that hackers had access to its emails and chats for a year - including all its 'opposition research' on Donald Trump. 'Guccifer 2.0' claims responsibility. Hours later the Kremlin denies any involvement. June 15: CrowdStrike publishes lengthy blogpost explaining why it blames 'Cozy Bear' and 'Fancy Bear' - fronts, it says, for the Kremlin July 22: Wikileaks publishes the first of its DNC cache: 19,252 emails and 8,034 attachments. July 24: Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigns as chair of the DNC in disgrace, and a day later the FBI announce they are investigation. October 6: DNC Leaks publishes more DNC emails Leaked: John Podesta, Clinton's campaign chair, had 50,000 emails revealed October 8: WikiLeaks publishes the first of John Podesta's emails. That day the Director of National Security and the Department of Homeland Security publish a joint statement saying: 'The U.S. Intelligence Community is confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations.' December 9: Reports surface that CIA has concluded the hacking was to get Trump elected and that the Republican National Committee was hacked but the information never published; the latter claim is later denied by the RNC. December 11: Obama orders a review of the election hacking allegations. December 29: The FBI and Department of Homeland Security publish a 13-page document saying that 'a U.S. political party' was 'successfully compromised' by hacking groups APT28 and APT29. It listed Russian government hackers' aliases as including Cozy Bear and Fancy Bear, those named by CrowdStrike. January 6: The intelligence services - including the FBI, CIA, NSA and 14 others - present a 'unanimous' report to president-elect Trump. It concluded that Putin ordered a hacking campaign to tip the in Trump's favor. No new evidence of how the hacking was carried out is presented in the public version of the report. March 20: FBI Director James Comey and NSA head Michael Rogers testify to the House Intelligence Committee that their conclusions remain the same. Advertisement

Alperovitch said the company hooked up monitoring software to the DNC system on May 5, 2016 and it 'lit up,' indicating a breach.

The company immediately determined that the culprit was Russia, based on the hacking techniques and the location of the server that was stealing the data, he said.

CrowdStrike identified two anonymous hacking groups  dubbed 'Fancy Bear' and 'Cozy Bear'  inside the DNC system.

Both of these groups have a history of attacking opponents of Moscow, and CrowdStrike claimed they were also directly linked to Russian agencies.

In the weeks that followed, CrowdStrike said it built an entirely new computer and phone system for the DNC and monitored the hackers as they pilfered emails and research files.

Over a month passed before CrowdStrike finally booted the hackers out of the system on June 10, 2016.

The vast majority of the email theft appears to have occurred during this time. Although hacker 'Guccifer 2.0' claimed to have had access for a year, there did not appear to be the publication of emails to back this claim.

This period was also when many of the most politically damaging emails were sent  including DNC employees proposing media attacks on Bernie Sanders's 'Jewish heritage' and how his 'campaign was a mess.'

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, wrote in one May 21 email that Sanders would 'never be president.'

On the basis of her public statements that she had already called in CrowdStrike, she should have been aware of the risk of the that message being hacked.

The DNC announced that it had been hacked on June 14, 2016, and Crowdstrike released the report tying the breach to the Russian government.

'When we discovered the intrusion, we treated this like the serious incident it is and reached out to CrowdStrike immediately,' said Debbie Wasserman Schultz in a statement. 'Our team moved as quickly as possible to kick out the intruders and secure our network.'

But by the next month she had to resign in disgrace as her emails became public, revealing how , plunging the Clinton campaign into chaos.

CrowdStrike was already facing scrutiny from some intelligence experts before the retraction.

Carr says the proof CrowdStrike has published of Russian government involvement is thin, and could point to other possible culprits not directly working on orders from the Kremlin.

'I'm open to the possibility that Russia did do it,' said Carr. 'But I'm also open to the possibility that other people did itWe definitely need a higher standard of proof.'

Carr has published a number of detailed critiques of CrowdStrike's findings.

While he said there is evidence the hackers spoke Russian  such as their use of a Cyrillic keyboard  Carr wrote in December that there was 'ZERO technical evidence to connect those Russian-speaking hackers to the GRU, FSB, SVR, or any other Russian government department.'

However in December, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI produced a 13-page report on what it called 'Grizzly Steppe' a codename for Russian hacking, and repeated CrowdStrike's naming of 'Cozy Bear' and 'Fancy Bear' as fronts for the Russian intelligence services.

While the agencies could also have classified information supporting this conclusion, their public explanations appear to draw heavily from findings by CrowdStrike and other private sector firms.

That reliance generated criticism, including from Dan Goodin, the security editor of specialist computer website Ars Tehnica.

He wrote: 'Instead of providing smoking guns that the Russian government was behind specific hacks, [thereport] largely restates previous private-sector claims without providing any support for their validity.

In January, the intelligence community published its incendiary report concluding that Putin had the Russian election hacked to tip the scales against Hillary Clinton.

It offered no new evidence for its conclusions about how the hacking was carried out.

The intelligence community remains committed to that position.

In March, as he and FBI Director James Comey testified to the House Intelligence Committee on Russian election interference allegations, Rogers said there had been no reason to change the conclusion reached in January that the Kremlin had interfered in the election.

'Today, more than two months after we issued this assessment, we stand by it as issued,' he said.

Crowdstrike said it stood by both of its reports, despite the revisions on the Ukraine analysis.

'Regarding our report on malware targeting Ukraine, we fully stand by the analysis of the malware and its underlying malicious functionality,' said spokesperson Ilina Dimitrova.

'In terms of the DNC, we fully stand by our investigation findings and continue to maintain a high degree of confidence that the actors who attacked the DNC are affiliated with the Russian government. The CIA, NSA and FBI as well as several independent security firms have independently arrived at the same conclusion as described in their joint January 7 report and multiple congressional testimonies.'
A disgruntled fan has written an angry letter to NRL star Josh Dugan - calling him a 'tattooed f***ing w**ker' who has 'no respect' and should lose some of his body ink.

The St George Illawarra Dragons fullback was praised on social media for his relaxed response to the explicit hate mail slamming his heavily tattooed body.

Dugan gleefully shared the contents of the expletive-laden letter on his Instagram account late last week to a flood of support from fans.

A disgruntled fan has written an angry letter to NRL star Josh Dugan (right, with partner) - calling him a 'tattooed f***ing w**ker' who should lose some of his body ink

Dugan shared the contents of the explicit letter on his Instagram account late last week to a flood of support from fans

'You tatooed (sic) f***ing w**ker, you look like the biggest goose out,' the explicit letter began.

'And as far as sounding like one... it's an insult to a goose!'

The sender even called for the talented star to pack up and leave for France amid speculation he would like to play rugby union when his contract expires.

'F*** off to (France), we don't need you or respect you,' it read.

'Maybe get normal and remove the sh** on your body.'

Josh Dugan (left) enjoying a day on the water and showing off his famous ink

Josh Dugan pictured in his Kangaroo's jersey with his partner Jordan Danielle

Josh Dugan and his partner posing at the Rugby League Players Awards

Not taking the hate mail seriously, Josh Dugan responded on his Instagram with the comment: 'Not sure what I've done haha.'

He also wrote: 'Would like to thank all the true fans for the messages today! The letter did not bother me was more of a laugh, I appreciate the love.'

His calm demeanor to such a strongly worded letter gathered support on social media.

One Twitter user wrote in response to Josh Dugan's message: 'Josh Dugan you're one of the nicest NRL players I've had the pleasure to meet. Keep up the good work.'

Another wrote: 'Ignore them mate there will always be haters in life not worth your energy..Playing great footy Josh hope you and saints tie things up ASAP! (sic)'

Josh Dugan (right) showing his famous ink with his partner Jordan Danielle (left)
Bruce Shomper, 56, was arrested on Saturday

A Pennsylvania man was charged after he allegedly beat and raped the same woman twice just eight days apart, but he claims that he does not remember doing it because he was drunk.

Bruce Shomper, 56, allegedly entered a woman's home on March 23, and forced her to perform oral sex on him then proceeded to rape her, according to Pennsylvania police.

The intoxicated man then reportedly told the unidentified woman that he would kill her if she reported him to police.

He then returned to the same home eight days later on March 31, where he proceeded to assault the same woman in the previous fashion, officials said.

The Halifax Township, Pennsylvania, man now faces charges of rape, burglary, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse for the incidents, after he was arrested on Saturday.

The Halifax Township, Pennsylvania, man was charged after he allegedly beat and raped the same woman twice just eight days apart, on March 23 and March 31. He claims that he does not remember doing it because he was drunk

Shomper said he didn't remember the events on those particular nights and blamed alcohol as the reason he couldn't recall, reported Fox 43.

The day after the alleged second sexual assault, the woman reported the incident to Pennsylvania State Police at Lykens.

She told officers that Shomper entered her house the first night through an unlocked door. The woman claimed that on March 31, he banged on a door until she answered then allegedly pushed his way inside.

Shomper allegedly hit her in the face, choked her until she couldn't breathe and threatened to kill her in both sexual assaults, People reported.

Online court records don't list an attorney for Shomper, who remains jailed at Dauphin County Prison with a bond set at $50,000.
Police shot dead a 46-year-old man who tried to climb into their patrol car while wearing nothing but boxer shorts.

Jose Antonio Hernandez, originally from Puerto Rico, died after he tried to get into the officer's car on Monday night.

Pendleton Police Chief Doyle Burdette said he charged at an officer, who first used his stun gun to try to contain him.

Burdette said the officer shot Hernandez after he refused commands to stop and attempted to enter the officer's car.

The officer fired multiple times into the vehicle, and the patrol car ended up rolling backwards into a tree

Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore said a neighbor called police to notify them about a domestic disturbance at a home.

Shore said the Pendleton officer arrived to find Hernandez standing in the road wearing only boxer shorts.

He said: 'They saw the suspect get into the patrol car and start driving forward just a few feet and then start driving backwards.'

The officer fired multiple times into the vehicle, and the patrol car ended up rolling backwards into a tree.

He was shot four times, once in the head, once in the neck and twice in the left pelvis, Shore said.

The officer was not injured.

Hernandez was wearing only underwear and apparently trying to drive a police car

Speaking to the Independent Mail, Hernandez's wife Jessica said: 'He was passionate, full of life. He wasn't done living. He wasn't done loving. He wasn't done.

The Hernandezes had six children between them, including three living at the Pendleton home.

She added: 'He took these children's daddy. Did you really feel threatened enough to shoot him in his head?'

Burdette has refused to say which officer fired the fatal shot, referring those questions to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

The agency also has not disclosed the officer's name.

Burdette has not responded to questions about whether Hernandez was armed.

The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating.
Girls star Jemima Kirke took to Twitter on Tuesday to pen a heart-wrenching memorial to her younger brother who died last month just shy of his 20th birthday.

In sharing the memorial for her brother Simon Creager, the 31-year-old actress recounted 'why he is no longer with us', as she claimed the doctor who delivered him during birth allegedly made a mistake that left him severely disabled.

'Last week, march (sic) 31st was my little brothers (sic) birthday. He is no longer with us and let me explain why: His mother's pregnancy was absolutely healthy. As was the baby and the labor,' Kirke's note begins.

Kirke then claims that the doctor, who DailyMail.com will not publicly name, 'took his life on march (sic) 31st 1997'.

'With his heart rate dropping dramatically towards the end of the labor (due to the umbilical cord around him (sic) neck) Dr. (redacted) decided that it was a better idea to use a Vacuum rather than conduct an emergency c section on his mother.'

Girls star Jemima Kirke (above in February) took to Twitter on Tuesday to pen a heart-wrenching memorial to her younger brother who died last month just shy of his 20th birthday Kirke is pictured right with her brother Simon Creager who is center

In sharing the memorial for her brother Simon (left), the 31-year-old actress (right) recounted 'why he is no longer with us', as she claimed the doctor who delivered him during birth allegedly made a mistake that left him severely disabled

Kirke claims that the doctor 'pulled on that baby's head for close to 45 minutes.'

In the note, the British artist added: 'When he was finally delivered the abrasions to his crown were so bad and he'd been without sufficient oxygen for so long that he was left mostly brain dead.

'He wasn't expected to live past the age of 2 or 3.'

Kirke acknowledges that she believes the doctor did make a 'mistake', noting that everyone does in their particular field of work.

'But in her particular line of work, THIS kind of mistake should have cost her her job. 20 yrs. (sic) later. She's still working and practicing (redacted),' Kirke wrote.

'If you're in the area stop by her practice and let her know he lived.

In sharing the memorial for her brother Simon Creager, the 31-year-old actress recounted 'why he is no longer with us'. Above left and right is the note she shared to her Twitter account

'Tell her, 'Dr, (redacted), Simon Creager lived until he was 19! He died just shy of his 20th bday. (sic) Albeit, immobile, unable to talk or eat, blind and with severe cerebral palsy. But a spirit that survives on and offers nothing but love is a most valuable one. Just incase (sic) you're interested!'

'He changed all who came in contact with him. Including me.'

Calls placed by DailyMail.com to the doctor in question were not returned as of Tuesday afternoon

This seems to be the first time Kirke has spoken of Creager and what she claims happened during his birth. It's unclear who his mother is and where he was living. It's also unclear if Creager's family took any legal action.

Calls placed by DailyMail.com to the doctor in question were not returned as of Tuesday afternoon.

Since sharing the post about her brother on Twitter, one of her followers replied with words of simply towards the actress.

'Awful. Thoughts are with you & yours. Good on your bro for proving them wrong & living as long (albeit not nearly long enough) as he did,' @marap23 wrote to Kirke.

The tragic post about her brother comes three months after the actress announced she was divorcing husband Michael Mosberg.

The couple share two children together, Rafaella, six, and four-year-old Memphis.

'I got divorced, and I attribute that to acting,' she said. 'And just asking myself, 'Is this really me?' So much of my life has been about reaction, just following the flow rather than making a strong choice.'
The head of Homeland Security says arrests of people entering the United States illegally across the Mexican border plummeted last month. That's a signal that fewer people are trying to sneak into the US.

John Kelly says in written testimony submitted to a Senate panel that fewer than 12,500 people were caught crossing the border last month.

That compares with more than 43,000 who were detained in February. It's the lowest monthly figure in at least 17 years.

Kelly says the decrease is 'no accident' and credits President Donald Trump's approach to illegal immigration.

Homeland Security says arrests at the Mexico/US border (above in Arizona) are the lowest monthly figure in 17 years

General John Kelly, above, head of Homeland Security, credits his boss, Donald Trump, with the steep decline in people trying to cross the Mexican border in March

The Trump administration has not yet changed how the border is patrolled, but the president's tough talk on immigration and arrests of immigrants living in the country illegally have likely acted as deterrents.

It's unclear if the declines will continue. The number of people caught trying to enter the United States typically increases as the weather warms.

Arrests during the normally slower winter months were higher than in past years. It is possible that some migrants rushed to the border after the election and before Trump took office.

Arrests at the border plummeted in March, says Homeland Security, however, no one knows if those figures will continue

It's also unclear if migrants are waiting south of the border to see how Trump's border security efforts and plans for a wall develop.

In his testimony for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Kelly said fewer than 12,500 people were caught crossing the border illegally last month. That compares with more than 43,000 in December.

Kelly told lawmakers that the number of families and children traveling alone - groups that accounted for hundreds of thousands of illegal border crossers in recent years - also declined steeply.

Last month fewer than 1,000 children were caught at the border and fewer than 1,100 people traveling as families were found. In recent years most of the families and children traveling alone have been from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Kelly has said his agency is considering separating parents and children as a way to dissuade parents from making the trek from Central America.

News of the dramatic decrease in arrests comes on the same day that proposals for Trump's border wall were due to the government.

Last month, Customs and Border Protection published two notices asking for private companies to bid on the project.

The government intended to have successful bidders build prototypes in San Diego this year before selecting a final design.

Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan said Tuesday that while the Trump administration's budget request for a more than $2 billion down payment on the wall appears unlikely to win approval in Congress this year, Homeland Security has the money to start the process and fund the prototypes.
Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, pictured in January 2004, died Tuesday at a Federal Medical Center in Texas. She was 68

A woman convicted in an infamous 2003 Pennsylvania bank robbery plot has died in prison.

The failed robbery in Erie, Pennsylvania left a man dead when a bomb strapped to his neck by a metal collar exploded.

Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, 68, died Tuesday at the Federal Medical Center in Carswell, Texas, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said.

An office spokeswoman said she did not know the cause of the inmate's death.

Diehl-Armstrong was serving a life sentence plus 30 years for her role in the bank robbery plot.

She was found guilty in 2010 of armed bank robbery, conspiracy and using a destructive device in a crime of violence for bank robbery.

Scroll down for video

This photo shows the aftermath of a failed heist in which Diehl-Armstrong was implicated and for which she had been serving a life sentence plus 30 years. The plot ended with the death of Brian Wells, pictured on the ground

Wells, pictured, was 46 at the time of the August 2003 heist

The plot ended in the death of 46-year-old Brian Wells when a bomb locked to his neck exploded following the robbery.

Wells walked into a PNC bank in August 2003 with the collar bomb around his neck.

Dressed as a pizza delivery man, he escaped with $8,702 but was stopped by police shortly after.

They handcuffed him while they waited for a bomb squad to arrive, but before they got there, the bomb exploded, killing Wells.

The plot ended in the death of 46-year-old Brian Wells when a bomb locked to his neck exploded (seen shortly before the explosion)

Prosecutors later revealed that they believed the crime had been plotted by five people.

They said that Wells was in on the plot at first but probably did not realize until the last moment that his life was in danger.

Police tracked down Wells and called in a bomb squad to deal with the bomb attached to his neck via metal collar (pictured). It detonated before help arrived, and Wells was killed

Diehl-Armstrong proclaimed her innocence in the matter but was convicted of armed bank robbery, conspiracy and using a destructive device in a crime of violence for bank robbery in 2010. She is pictured at a press conference in 2008

It was determined that Diehl-Armstrong and three other men - one of whom had died of cancer before trial, another had been killed by Diehl-Armstrong and a third pleaded guilty and testified against her - were involved.

Defense attorney Douglas Sughrue argued that Diehl-Armstrong's mental disorders and a hostile relationship with at least one of the plotters made it unlikely she participated, while Diehl-Armstrong herself said she believed she had been framed.

William Rothstein was a handyman and substitute science teacher who prosecutors say constructed the bomb collar using two egg timers supplied by Diehl-Armstrong. He has since died of cancer.

Kenneth Barnes, 57, pleaded guilty and is serving 45 years in prison. He testified that Diehl-Armstrong planned the heist because she wanted to use the money to pay Barnes to kill her father.

Diehl-Armstrong had already been serving seven to 20 years after pleading guilty to killing her live-in boyfriend James Roden, 45. She had said she killed him because he was abusive.

U.S. Attorney Marshall Piccinini contended that Diehl-Armstrong killed Roden more than two weeks before the robbery because he was in on the plot and threatened to reveal it.
The new sheriff of metro Phoenix announced Tuesday he's closing down a complex of jail tents that helped make his predecessor, Joe Arpaio, a national law enforcement figure.

The decision by Sheriff Paul Penzone to close the 24-year-old Tent City complex will undo a critical piece of Arpaio's political legacy.

He is already phasing out Arpaio's signature practice of making the inmates there wear pink underwear.

Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone announced that he's shutting down a complex of jail tents on Tuesday in Phoenix

'This facility became more of a circus atmosphere for the general public. Starting today, that circus ends,' said Penzone, who plans to move half of Tent City's inmates to other jails within 45 to 60 days and complete the closure within six months.

Despite the complex's reputation for being a miserable place to serve time, Penzone said most inmates preferred the outdoor setting over 6-foot-by-8-foot indoor cells and instead were able to move around freely within the complex and spend time in a nearby air-conditioned room.

Arpaio opened Tent City in 1993 as a way of easing jail overcrowding.

The barbed-wire-surrounded compound was part of a broader campaign by Arpaio to enact get-tough measures in his jails, such as banning cigarettes, creating inmate chain gangs and dressing them in old-time striped prison uniforms.

Undocumented immigrants walk through the 'Tent City' jail complex in Phoenix in April 2010

Inmates sleep in county issued pink boxer shorts at the Maricopa County Jail's Tent City in Phoenix in July 2003

The decision by Sheriff Paul Penzone (R), seen here on Tuesday, to close the 24-year-old Tent City complex will undo a critical piece of former Sherifer Joe Arpaio's political legacy (L), seen here in April 2010 in Phoenix

Inmates watch as former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio gives a tour for church leaders through the jail called 'Tent City' in Phoenix in June 2012

The tents were popular among voters who believed jail is supposed to be a difficult place to live.

Critics said the complex was a way for Arpaio to garner media attention and contributed to a culture of cruelty within his jails.

Grant Woods, a former state attorney general who led a committee that recommended Tent City's closure, said the complex reflected poorly on people living in metro Phoenix.

'The rest of the country thinks we are that sort of person who would abuse and humiliate prisoners and put them in such harsh situations,' Woods said.

Arpaio, in an interview after the closure decision was announced, refuted Penzone's statement that those jailed there preferred the outdoor environment when he insisted that inmates found the complex to be a harsh place. He said he wasn't upset that his successor was reversing a key part of his legacy.

'I didn't do it for legacy,' said Arpaio, who was beaten by Penzone in November after six terms in office that spanned 24 years, from 1993 through 2016.

A guard booth with a play on the word 'intense' is seen at 'Tent City' in Phoenix in April 2010

Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is seen walking through 'Tent City' in April 2009

The complex jailed 1,700 inmates at its peak, but in recent years only 700 to 800 people were housed there. Penzone said the closure will produce $4.5 million in savings annually. He said prisoners will not be set free as a result of his decision and instead will do their time in the county's other jails, which have enough room for them.

Tent City was the location of a 1996 riot by hundreds of inmates. They armed themselves with poles from their tents, set fires and took several jail officers hostage. Eight officers were injured in the uprising.

Arpaio touted the tents as a cost-saving measure, while the tents provided Arpaio with fodder for countless news releases and TV interviews over the years.

Tent City also was a fixture in Arpaio's stump speeches.

In a 2009 address to an anti-illegal immigration group in Texas, Arpaio referenced the many television crews that came from across the world to shoot footage of Tent City. He said he came up with the idea of hanging a thermometer in Tent City so reporters could see he wasn't lying about the heat.

'Actually, there's a trick. If you go higher and hit the canvas, you gain about 20 degrees,' Arpaio said, drawing laughter from the crowd when he explained that the ploy raised the temperature reading to 142 degrees Fahrenheit.

Even though Arpaio insisted the complex was safe and run smoothly, Tent City was a regular target of criticism.

A jury awarded a $948,000 verdict in favor of Jeremy Flanders for permanent brain damage he suffered in 1996 when several hooded inmates pulled him from his Tent City bunk as he was sleeping and then proceeded to kick and hit him.

Inmates gather next to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio as he walks through the 'Tent City' jail complex in Phoenix in June 2012

Inmates walk through the courtyard in Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's 'Tent City' jail in Phoenix in June 2012

Undocument immigrants sleep in their tent in Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's 'Tent City' jail in Phoenix in April 2010

One witness said an inmate used a piece of steel rebar, which was used to secure the tents to the ground, to beat Flanders on the head, neck and shoulders.

A 2002 decision by the Arizona Court of Appeals in the Flanders case raised questions about the security of the complex, saying the flaps on the tents could be lifted up easily and that inmates freely roamed in and out of the tents.

The court also said fights among inmates were common and that inmates regularly got hold of banned items, such as cigarettes, lighters, fireworks, drugs, knives and food, that were sneaked into the complex by people who tossed them over the fences that surround Tent City.

Inmates are seen inside the air-conditioned communal area in Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's 'Tent City' jail in Phoenix in May 2010
A TV reporter has been captured on camera being the unfortunate target of a bird's droppings - not once but twice.

9News reporter Eddy Meyer copped two direct hits from a bird perched in a tree above him as he addressed the camera in North Sydney.

The first hit lands on Mr Meyer's arm, almost out of sight of the camera, but there was no denying the second drop - which landed squarely on the reporter's shoulder.

Nine News reporter Eddy Meyer copped two direct hits from a bird perched in a tree above him as he filmed a news report in North Sydney

Unfortunately, the messy encounter did not go unnoticed.

A group of workers on a building site across the road were in hysterics, laughing at the reporter.

After the first hit, Mr Meyer attempts to start over his report, standing outside an Aldi supermarket.

But after he cops the seconds direct hit, Mr Meyers couldn't keep the look of disgust of his face.

'How am I going to do this?' he asks the cameraman who tells him the white leavings are all over the reporter.

The first hit lands on Mr Meyer's arm, almost out of sight of the camera, but there was no denying the second drop - which landed squarely on the reporter's shoulder

A group of workers on a building site across the road were in hysterics, laughing at the reporter

Mr Meyer later said the incident is all part of 'the perils of the job'.

'You're having to battle with jackhammers, fire engines, wind, and when you're trying to get the right background, you're often standing in difficult positions,' he said.

'This time I happened to be standing under a tree.'

Mr Meyer has since taken the suit to be dry-cleaned.
A Tennessee woman has come forward saying she now thinks a teacher accused of abducting one of his teenage female students exhibited 'grooming' behavior with her when she was 15 years old.

Destany Parrish, now 19, described one instance where Tad Cummins, who is accused of aggravated kidnapping and sexual contact with minor Elizabeth Thomas, 15, sang her a 'love song' in the Culleoka Unit School music room.

Cummins, 50, and Thomas both disappeared on March 13 and were last seen together on surveillance video from a Walmart in Oklahoma City on March 15.

'I definitely think, on his end, it was a bit more than a friendship  its hard not to think that now,' Parrish told People magazine.

Scroll down for videos

Destany Parrish, 19, has come forward saying she now thinks a teacher accused of abducting one of his teenage female students exhibited 'grooming' behavior with her when she was 15 years old

'Wed sit [in his classroom] and talk about everything and anything,' Parrish said, describing her relationship with Cummins in 2011 and 2012, when he first began teaching the the Culleoka, Tennessee school.

'I never saw anything wrong with our friendship. He made me feel safe and he tried to do that with all of his students, so I never saw it as too weird.'

Her opinion changed, though, when she found out about Cummins' accused abduction and alleged sexual contact with minor Elizabeth Thomas.

Parrish said the coverage of the disappearance of Cummins and Thomas reminded her of a song he performed for her back she was only 15.

'I started recording because it surprised me how well he [played],' she said. 'I definitely didnt focus on the lyrics at the time. I kind of thought about it [later] but I didnt think about anything bad, I didnt process them because it was Tad, the person I trusted.'

Parrish recalled one line from the song to be, 'I could swim for a thousand miles in the oceans inside your eyes and never reach the side.'

'He was the one that everybody trusted,' Parrish said, adding that she shocked initially upon hearing the allegations lodges against Cummins. '[Up until recently] I was in a lot of denial.'

Elizabeth Thomas (left) and Tad Cummins (right) have been missing from Tennessee since March 13

Thomas's father, Anthony Thomas, said he believed Cummins used his time in school to 'groom' his daughter.

'He built up a system where she was dependent on him,' he said, of what he described as Cummins alleged efforts to woo the high school freshman.

Parrish described Cummins as presenting himself as a confidant for students.

This revelation from Parrish comes after Tad Cummins' wife of 31 years, Jill Cummins, filed for divorce earlier this week.

She cited 'irreconcilable differences' and 'inappropriate marital conduct' on her husband's part as reasons for the termination of their marriage, according to court papers obtained by WKRN.

Jill Cummins has previously spoken out, pleading with her husband to 'do the right thing' and bring Thomas back to her family.

Meanwhile, Cummins' wife Jill Cummins filed for divorce on Friday citing 'irreconcilable differences' and 'inappropriate marital conduct' by her husband of 31 years; she is seen here at a press conference aired on Fox

AMBER Alerts have been issued over the disappearance of Elizabeth Thomas on March 13

'This is not who you are. We can help you get through this,' she said. 'No matter how far youve gone or whats happening right now, Gods grace is sufficient for you, and He wants you to come home.'

It is not known at this time whether Thomas went willingly with Cummins, her former high school teacher.

Two weeks before Thomas and Tad Cummins disappeared, a student claimed to have caught the two kissing on January 23 and administrators pulled Thomas from the teacher's classes. Tad Cummins was later, though not immediately, suspended.

He was fired from his teaching job after the two disappeared on March 13.

Since then the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has received thousands of tips, but has confirmed only the March 15 Walmart sighting of the two together.

In the surveillance photo, Thomas appeared to have dyed her hair from blonde to red and wore a men's plaid flannel shirt while Cummins had dyed his beard from gray to black.

Additional video of the visit later showed the two in discussion as they entered the store, with the teenager looking upset with the man wanted for her kidnapping.

On their March 15 trip to Walmart the two purchased food supplies which Cummins paid for in cash before they left the store.

Prior to the Oklahoma City sighting, Cummins was last seen on March 12 buying hair dye at a Walmart, while wearing the plaid shirt that Thomas was seen in on the March 15 video.

The last time the pair was seen was on surveillance video taken at a Walmart in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on March 15

On their March 15 trip to Walmart the two purchased a few food supplies which Cummins paid for in cash before hitting the road

Thomas, who is one of ten children, made frequent posts on social media about romance and love in the weeks before she disappeared.

She also started calling herself 'wife' on Instagram and made several references to a 'mission' that was 'almost complete.'

On March 13, she told family she was going to spend the day with a friend. Thomas was seen on surveillance footage that same day carrying a bundle of clothes. One of her siblings has since revealed that the teenager told them to call police if she did not return home that night.

Authorities say they believe Cummins has been grooming Thomas her for sex for some time.

Thomas' estranged mother, Kimberly Ann Thomas, spoke to DailyMail.com earlier this month in an exclusive interview. She shared her fears about her daughter's alleged abduction.

Cummins was seen at a Walmart on March 12, one day before the disappearance, purchasing hair dye

She labeled her daughter's captor as 'disturbed' and said she worried Thomas would either end up pregnant or dead.

Elizabeth Thomas' sister, Sarah Thomas, also spoke about the situation on Good Morning America last week.

The young girl fought back tears as she revealed that Cummins had begun showing up unannounced at her sister's work shortly before the pair disappeared together, and that his last visit had come just two days before the alleged abduction.

'She would go and tell people to tell him she wasn't there and she would go and hide until he left,' said Sarah Thomas.

'She thought it was the only way. She felt uncomfortable.'

Elizabeth Thomas's family is still holding out hope that they will see the girl again, and are begging any person who might have information to reach out and contact authorities.

Elizabeth Thomas's sister, Sarah Thomas (pictured) said that Cummins had been showing up at Thomas's work unannounced

'She would go and tell people to tell him she wasn't there and she would go and hide until he left,' said Sarah Thomas, pictured here second from the R with members of the Thomas family

'It feels like she just vanished, and I know that's impossible, someone had to see her,' said the victim's sister.

Her father, Anthony Thomas, meanwhile was optimistic about the teenager's eventual return home to be with her family.

'We just live for that day where we are gonna get a phone call that says, "We're alright and waiting for someone to get me,"' he said.

Investigators have learned that the two had been sending love letters to one another which were at times sexually charged by writing draft emails on a shared classroom computer at Culleoka School.

They poured over email drafts that the two would send one another while in school for any clues into where the pair may be.

Those letters were all sent after the student claimed to have witnessed Tad Cummins and Elizabeth Thomas kissing in his classroom in January.

'They would write the message and let it save as a draft. The other person would log in, read the message and then delete it and then write another message that was saved as a draft,' said Maury County District Attorney Brent Cooper.

'If you read them you would immediately recognize you are reading messages between two people who have a romantic interest in each other.'

One of the emails uncovered by authorities was written by Tad Cummins and began: 'I saw you standing next to your backpack this morning.'

The teacher then told the student how nice one of her body parts looked to him in the note.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is leading the hunt for the pair.

Elizabeth Thomas;s last known whereabouts is believed to be Alabama. She was last seen wearing a flannel shirt and black leggings. She has blonde hair and hazel eyes, and is 5 feet 5 inches inches tall and weighs 120 lbs.

Cummins, who is described as being 'armed and dangerous,' was seen driving a Silver Nissan Rogue with Tennessee license plate 976ZPT, according to the TBI. He is 6 feet tall and weighs 200 lbs, with brown hair and eyes.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Tad Cummins and Elizabeth Thomas is being asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND.
Adrain Chiles has claimed that men are put off doing the dishes by the colour of rubber gloves

Ever struggled to get a partner, husband, son or brother to help with the washing up? Well the answer could lie in something as simple as the colour of the rubber gloves.

For TV and radio presenter Adrian Chiles has claimed that men are put off helping to clean the dishes by the sexist colours of Marigolds on offer.

The 50-year-old said that the gloves only tend to come in pinks and yellows, and that if a new range of men Marigolds were introduced it might help improve gender equality at the kitchen sink.

In a discussion about the gender divide in housework on his Radio 5 Live Daily show yesterday, he said: Even rubber gloves are kind of sexist arent they, because they dont come in manly colours.

'They only come in pinks and yellows. They ought to come in battle fatigue colours, camouflage or something. Men Marigolds.

Journalist Robert Crampton chimed in, saying: Wearing rubber gloves to do the washing up is quite unmanly.

He added: Sometimes I think its actually more important to women, some of the stuff, as in making the bed. I am not really bothered whether the bed is made or not.

Partly, possibly, women do more because it means more to them, it matters more to them.

On the issue of making the bed, Chiles  who was married to Womans Hour host Jane Garvey until 2009  said: Im with you. You are going to get back into it at the end of the day, so why bother making it? It seems absurd to me.

Chiles suggested a range of manly Marigolds in 'battle fatigue' colours

There are tactics herelike deliberately not doing it very well, until your wife says OK Ill do it.

The discussion of gender inequality in household chores was in response to two new books, The Unmade Bed and Drop The Ball, that have called on women to stop doing so much housework.

Official figures released in November 2016 showed that women do 40 per cent more unpaid chores at home than men.

The study, published by the Office for National Statistics, also found that men averaged 16 hours a week helping out at home compared with 26 by women.

Esther Dermott, a professor of Sociology at Bristol University, said that research suggests women do jobs you dont have so much choice over, whereas men tend to do episodic tasks, such as cleaning the gutter.
Following Donald Trumps extreme vetting orders, officials have revealed plans to greatly step up visa demands

British visitors to the US could be forced to hand over their mobile phones and reveal their social media passwords if they want to get in.

Following President Donald Trumps extreme vetting orders, Homeland Security officials have revealed plans to greatly step up visa demands for tourists, as well as refugees and aspiring immigrants.

This might involve applicants being quizzed on their political views, having phone contacts examined and disclosing financial records.

Insiders say the proposals could be extended to visitors from the 38 countries  including the UK, Australia, France and Germany  that participate in the Visa Waiver Programme.

The current system is designed to make it easier for people from friendly countries to enter the US by providing limited personal information online before travelling.

Although the application process already gives visitors the option of volunteering which social media sites they use, the procedures under discussion would be compulsory  and far more draconian. The measures come under a security review being conducted by the Trump administration after the US President, pictured, vowed to introduce extreme vetting to bar terrorists from entry.

As part of a rigorous evaluation of whether arrivals support terrorism or pose a danger to the public, they may be asked to hand over their mobile phones so their stored contacts and other information can be examined.

Some visitors have previously had phones examined when they arrive in the country but it has never been a routine request at the application stage. The goal is to figure out who you are communicating with, a senior Homeland Security official told the Wall Street Journal. What you can get on the average persons phone can be invaluable, he added.

Homeland Security officials have reportedly experimented by examining visitors public posts on sites such as Facebook and Twitter but want to extend scrutiny to what they message friends in private.

John Kelly, the Homeland Security Secretary, told a congressional hearing in February: We want to say for instance, What sites do you visit? And give us your passwords, so we can see what they do on the internet ... if they dont give us that information then they dont come.

British visitors to the US could be forced to hand over their mobile phones and reveal their social media passwords if they want to get in under new proposals

Sceptics have said the US would not have the manpower to check visitors phones and internet activity on anything but a very selective basis. Attempting to access visitors phone and online information is a strategy that was initially explored by the Obama administration.

Leon Rodriguez, who ran the US Citizenship and Immigration Services under the last government, warned such time-consuming measures could prove pointless.

Real terrorists would simply swap their phones for one free of any incriminating evidence, he said. However, officials believe getting suspects phone contacts alone could help to crack terrorist networks.

The Trump administrations attempt to impose a temporary ban on visitors from mainly Muslim countries has twice been blocked by federal judges and is now on hold as it goes through the courts.
Free movement of people from the EU could continue for five more years, Theresa May warned yesterday.

The Prime Minister said any Brexit deal would ensure Britain regained control of our borders.

But she refused to rule out allowing free movement to continue during a transitional period that could last three years while Britain completes the task of extricating itself from four decades of EU membership.

Speaking to reporters during a trip to the Middle East Theresa May said any Brexit deal would ensure Britain regained control of our borders. But she refused to rule out allowing free movement to continue

Asked directly whether free movement would end automatically when the UK leaves the EU in March 2019, she said there would be an implementation period to give business and government time to adjust.

Brussels has already made it clear that the UK will be expected to sign up to its rules, including free movement, during any transitional phase.

Speaking to reporters during a trip to the Middle East, she said: If you think about it, once weve got the deal, once weve agreed what the new relationship will be for the future, it will be necessary for there to be a period of time when businesses and governments are adjusting systems and so forth, depending on the nature of the deal.

'But a period of time during which that deal will be implemented.

What is crucial for the British public, what was part of the vote that they took last year, was that they want to ensure that we have control of our borders and control of our immigration and thats exactly what we will do when we come out of the European Union.

Alp Mehmet, vice-chair of Migration Watch, last night urged the PM to think again, insisting it was essential controls come in at the end of March 2019.

He said: We believe at the point of departure at the very least EU migrants looking for work should not be allowed in.

The reason so many people voted out was because they wanted controls on immigration. Its absolutely essential that immigration from the EU is controlled at the very first opportunity and that is 29 March 2019.

Ukip leader Paul Nuttall also criticised the stance, saying the backsliding is in full swing already.

But an ICM poll yesterday suggested most members of the public would accept a temporary extension of free movement as part of the deal to take the UK out of the EU.

The poll found that 54 per cent of people felt it would be acceptable for free movement to continue for a few years, compared with 29 per cent who did not.

Ukip leader Paul Nuttall (pictured) criticised the PM's stance, saying the backsliding is in full swing already. But an ICM poll yesterday suggested most members of the public would accept a temporary extension of free movement

By comparison, just 10 per cent of people would accept a Brexit divorce bill of more than 20 billion, while 70 per cent would not. The EU is currently demanding 50 billion.

Meanwhile, Mrs May said she was confident that Brussels will not block the UK from continuing with 50 trade deals the EU has signed with countries around the world, such as South Korea and Canada.

Some senior EU figures have warned the UK would have to start again on trade negotiations after leaving.

But the Prime Minister told Sky News: It will be possible for us to continue trade arrangements with countries where weve previously had them through the EU once we are outside the European Union.

But it also means we can negotiate our own free trade arrangements with various parts of the world. I think thats going to be important to us.

We want to have a deep and special partnership continuing with the European Union. But yes we want to build our relationships with old friends and new allies alike around the world.

Mrs May insisted the Brexit deal could be completed within two years, but acknowledged that the full trade deal, which would have to be signed off by every EU parliament, might take longer.

Theres obviously a legal situation in terms of how the EU can conduct trade negotiations, she said.

Chancellor Philip Hammond yesterday said some Tory MPs wanted Britain to leave the EU without a Brexit deal

Im clear that by the point at which we leave the EU, its right that everybody should know what the future arrangements, the future relationship, that future partnership between us and the European Union will be.

Thats the sensible thing, its the pragmatic way to look at this, and I believe thats what we will do.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Philip Hammond yesterday said some Tory MPs wanted Britain to leave the EU without a Brexit deal.

In an apparent dig at Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis, who have described this as a feasible option, Mr Hammond said it would be ridiculous.

On a trip to India, Mr Hammond told Bloomberg: There are definitely some people on both sides who do not want a deal, they do not want to see Britain continuing to collaborate in what the prime minister described in a letter as a deep and special partnership with the European Union.

I can tell you with a high degree of confidence that we will come up against tensions in this process.

Im clear that the objective from the UK side is to reach a deal and what Im hearing from my counterparts in Europe is that is their objective as well.

Those people who are hoping for no deal, I say we have to disprove their thinking by showing there is clear goodwill on the Europe side to reach a deal.

Mr Hammond said it would not be realistic to expect 100 per cent support at the end of the two-year negotiations.

The issue for most people in the UK is they want control of their borders and they want to be outside of the EUs structures, but within those constraints they want to go on trading as openly and freely as possible, he said.

What we need to do is negotiate a package with the EU that enjoys clear majority support from the British public as delivering the commitment that was demanded with the referendum vote but also protects the British economy and our future by getting the best free trade deals we can.
Ministers yesterday abandoned the Tories longstanding commitment to supporting marriage and encouraging couples to stay together.

A high-profile campaign to help troubled families will instead aim to stop conflict between parents, whether or not they are living together as one family.

The new drive to help troubled parents, led by Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green, is based on the idea that childrens chances in life are strongly influenced by their parents relationship  whether they are together or separated.

It will be backed by 30million of taxpayers money that will be devoted to help parents resolve conflict and improve childrens chances of succeeding in life regardless of whether the family has broken up.

Government ministers have abandoned plans to support marriages and encourage couples to stay together (file picture)

The effort to ease tension between parents  which will also try to encourage separated fathers to play a greater role in childrens lives  effectively reverses more than a decade of Tory policy in favour of marriage and keeping families together.

This dates from David Camerons campaign for the party leadership in 2005, when he said: Families come in all shapes and sizes and they all need support.

I think we should be clear that the evidence is that married couples stay together for longer. Therefore there is a very strong case for supporting marriage.

Children do better if their mother and father are both there to bring them up.

Mr Cameron backed his promise with a tax break, which from April 2015 has meant that married couples and civil partners who are not higher rate taxpayers can transfer 1,000 of their tax free allowance to their spouse or partner.

The then Prime Minister wrote in the Daily Mail in 2013 that marriage is an institution that helps to build a strong society and that it was something which we know can keep families together.

The new Government ambition to help broken families rather than keep couples together was set out in a paper put out by Mr Green yesterday, published alongside a pledge to spend 30 million on parental relationship counselling.

The new programme is a successor to the disastrous Troubled Families programme, which cost 1.3 billion but failed to get families into work or cut crime or truancy.

The paper said: If parents separate it is beneficial for children to maintain a relationship with both parents where it is safe to do so.

There are benefits to having a good-quality relationship between the child and the non-resident parent, most commonly the father, for children  and regular contact between the non-resident parent and the child is usually a good indication of a better co-parenting relationship.

A new 30million campaign aims to ease conflict between parents whether or not they are living together as a family

It added: Evidence clearly shows that children growing up with parents who have good-quality relationships, whether they are together or separated, tend to enjoy a wider range of better future outcomes.

Mr Green said: I dont want any child to be defined by the circumstances of their birth. Every child should benefit from a strong relationship between their parents  whether they are together or separated.

The abandonment of the attempt to keep parents together flies in the face of years of research evidence which has found that children do best when they live with both their parents, especially if their parents are married.

Only last week a major study from the London School of Economics said that children who grow up in a household with two married biological parents do better overall than those growing up with a single mother.

Repeated studies have found children brought up by two parents have better health, do better at school, are more likely to get jobs as adults, and are more likely to avoid drugs, crime and teenage pregnancy.

Yesterday Professor Gordon Harold of Sussex University said the new Government line is based on our research at the University of Sussex into how inter-parental relationships, whether parents are living together or not, significantly affects childrens mental health across all ages.

We welcome the move to support parents from an early stage and believe it will pay significant long-term dividends for children and future families, with a particular focus on supporting the needs of parents and children who experience economic disadvantage.

Former prime minister David Cameron previously backed keeping marriages together and previuously introduced a tax break from April 2015 that meant married couples and civil partners who are not higher rate taxpayers can transfer 1,000 of their tax free allowance to their spouse or partner

The counselling service Relate, which may benefit from the 30 million programme, said: We are very pleased today to see that family relationship quality, rather than family structure, will be used as a measure of progress  as whether parents have a good relationship with each other and their children is a much more insightful measure than if everyone lives under the same roof.

But Harry Benson of the Marriage Foundation think tank said: Family structure  whether parents commit to one another formally or not  is the elephant in the room that the Department of Work and Pensions have somehow ignored.

They have ignored findings from their own Families and Children Study that shows how lone parenthood pushes families into poverty and worklessness.

They have ignored the growing body of evidence showing that UK unmarried cohabiting families are the most unstable in the developed world.

Government will go on wasting money on doomed initiatives  such as the more-or-less defunct Troubled Families programme  until they address the fundamental issue of how couples bond to each other and their children.

'It is called commitment and it centres around marriage.
International Islam critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali has accused The Project host Waleed Aly of downplaying the threat of ISIS so the terror group can 'quietly expand'.

The ex-Muslim writer, who grew up in Somalia, launched a scathing critique of the Gold Logie-awarding winning Muslim media personality's argument that ISIS is weak, in an editorial that went viral online.

She compared his arguments about the Islamist terror group to political doublespeak in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Waleed Aly told viewers after the Paris terrorist attacks that ISIS was actually weak

'With statements like that, tell him we've all read George Orwell, you want to turn things around and turn things on their head, we know exactly what you want to do,' she told 7News.

'Don't talk about ISIS because it empowers them.

'Gee. So let's all pretend ISIS is not there so that they can quietly expand. That's basically what he means.'

In November 2015, Waleed Aly told viewers on The Project ISIS was weak, following the terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds of others.

'I know it doesn't look like it right now but it's the truth and they don't want you to know it which is why is it something we should talk about,' he said in his editorial which was viewed more than 16 million times online.

The 38-year-old Network Ten personality was previously an executive member of the Islamic Council of Victoria, whose board members have proposed separate sharia law courts in Australia.

In this same interview, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, 47, launched a scathing attack on sharia law and compared the burqa to a 'very big swastika'.

She made the comments on Tuesday after cancelled her upcoming Australian speaking tour over security fears.

'The burqa that covers the face... that is just like the ISIS flag. It's like wearing a very big swastika,' she said.

Controversial Islam critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali (pictured) has launched a scathing attack on Sharia law and compared the burqa to a 'very big swastika'

Ms Hirsi Ali was forced to cancel her upcoming Australian speaking tour over security fears

'Everywhere where Sharia law is applied women are robbed of their rights and their dignity.

'I cannot think of a system of law that dehumanises and degrades women more than Islamic law,' she said.

Ms Hirsi Ali also called for Islamic schools to be banned 'in Australia and all other liberal societies.'

The outspoken Islam critic was subjected to female genital mutilation as a child and set up the AHA Foundation to campaign against the barbaric practice.

Ms Hirsi Ali also compared the burqa to an Islamic State flag. Above, men and women dressed in burqas from the group 'Faceless' call for the banning of the conservative Muslim apparel

'The burqa that covers the face... that is just like the ISIS flag. It's like wearing a very big swastika,' she said. Above, she attends a book presentation in Germany in 2015

She became an lawmaker in the Netherlands after seeking political asylum there in 1992 in an attempt to escape an arranged marriage to a cousin.

For years she has lived with tight security as a result of her stance on radical Islamists.

Ms Hirsi Ali was due to speak at events in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland this week.

Organisers of her trip Think Inc advised on Monday of the cancellation.

Ms Hirsi Ali became an MP in the Netherlands after seeking political asylum in an attempt to escape an arranged marriage

For years she has lived with tight security as a result of her stance on radical Islamists

'Ayaan Hirsi Ali regrets that for a number of reasons including security concerns she must cancel her upcoming appearances,' Think Inc said in a statement on Monday.

'She wishes the event organisers success in their future endeavours and hopes to return to Australia in the not too distant future.'

Ms Hirsi Ali's trip to Australia had sparked protests from a group of Muslim women who accused her of hate mongering and bigotry.

Almost 400 signatures appeared on an online petition against Ms Hirsi Ali's speaking tour.

'Against a backdrop of increasing global Islamophobia, Hirsi-Ali's divisive rhetoric simply serves to increase hostility and hatred towards Muslims,' the petition, posted on change.org, said.

That petition was authored by Islamic Museum of Australia board director Sherene Hassan.
Nearly 400,000 households are trapped in properties with short leases that could leave them facing financial ruin, according to a report published today [weds].

Around 1.6million families live in houses or flats they have bought with leases  meaning they do not own the property outright and pay an annual fee to the freeholder.

But almost one in four of these homes  24 per cent, or 378,000  have less than 80 years left on their leases before full ownership resorts to the freeholder.

Around 1.6million families live in houses or flats they have bought with leases

The report, by the HomeOwners Alliance campaign group, estimates that the total cost of extending these leases could be well in excess of 5billion for the families concerned.

It warns many households are in a leasehold trap they cant get of because they cannot afford to extend the lease or buy the freehold, and face huge losses if they sell-up due to the detrimental impact of the short lease on the property price.

It is feared that families face financial ruin as a result.

The growing scandal over leasehold homes  dubbed the PPI of the housebuilding industry after the mis-selling of payment protection insurance by the banks  has sparked a fierce backlash from customers, MPs and campaigners.

Many of the victims are first-time buyers who used the government mortgage scheme Help to Buy to get on the housing ladder while others face ground rents that double every decade.

Young families and pensioners are thought to be disproportionately affected by the scourge of short leases because they are more likely to be in flats or houses ultimately owned by freeholders.

Paula Higgins, chief executive of the HomeOwners Alliance, said the unfair and rotten leasehold system too often turns the dream of homeownership into a nightmare.

Warning that families are being held hostage by these contracts, she added: The government needs to take urgent action to protect people from these practices, help people who are already trapped, and avert a full-blown crisis.

The shorter the lease, the more costly it is to extend, as the freeholder is closer to resuming full ownership of the property and can demand a higher fee.

For example, the cost of extending a lease on a typical 217,500 flat jumps from around 11,000 if there are 80 years left to between 36,000 and 40,000 if only 50 years remain.

The cost of extending the lease not only puts off potential buyers but also makes it difficult for them to get a mortgage  meaning it is almost impossible for the current occupiers to sell at a reasonable price.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid last week attacked the practically feudal practices of developers who build new houses and sell them with leases

The report suggests a property with an 80-year lease is generally reckoned to be worth 90 per cent of full market value while a property with a lease of 30 years will usually be only worth half.

Extending the term of a lease can be extraordinarily expensive, potentially a large share of the entire value of the property, the report warns.

Some leaseholders simply cant afford to extend. This can be a particular issue for pensioners who have lived in a property for a long time but can no longer take out a mortgage to pay for the lease extension.

In extreme cases, leaseholders with short leases face the dilemma of being trapped in their property with an increasingly short lease and declining property value, or selling it at a massive loss just to get out of it.

Ultimately, if or when the lease expires, the leaseholder loses any right to live in what they see as their own home.

The emergence of the 5billion leasehold trap comes amid a growing backlash against builders, landlords and investors over the treatment of families in these homes.

Some face ground rents that double every decade  pushing a fee that starts at 250 a year today to 500 a year in ten years, 1,000 a year in 20 years and 2,000 a year in 30 years.

Unless a cap is put in place, in theory, this ground rent would cost over 1million a year at the end of a typical 125-year lease.

Families can attempt to buy the freehold, but if it has been sold by the developer to an outside investor, they can face a huge premium.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid last week attacked the practically feudal practices of developers who build new houses and sell them with leases  forcing buyers to pay a yearly ground rent.

As the scandal over leasehold homes mounts, todays report warns that the number of leasehold properties has grown exponentially over the past 20 years.

In 1996, only 22 per cent of new builds were leasehold. By 2015, this had increased to 43 per cent.

The HomeOwners Alliance puts the increase in part down to the relatively new phenomenon of new build houses  not just flats  being sold leasehold.

Mrs Higgins said: Leasehold ownership can be traced back to the Domesday Book and it is a practice that should be relegated to history.

It is as complex as it is unfair, landing many homeowners with vast and exorbitant fees, punitive restrictions, and depriving them of many of the benefits of homeownership.

Far from subsiding, the problem of leasehold is growing. A whole industry has grown up, serving the interest of freeholders at the expense of leaseholders. It has been a slow burn scandal that is now simmering.
A man who won $90,000 in Sunrise's Cash Cow giveaway has been hailed as a Good Samaritan after opening his home to victims of Cyclone Debbie.

Despite a dodgy knee, John Wade wasted no time in rushing across his lounge room to answer the phone on Tuesday morning, knowing it may be a very profitable call.

And now the retired school teacher, from Kingscliff in northern New South Wales, has been revealed as a worthy winner, having taken in family who were affected by wild weather last week.

Scroll down for video

John Wade (pictured), who won $90,000 in Sunrise's Cash Cow giveaway, has been hailed as a Good Samaritan after opening his home to displaced victims of Cyclone Debbie just last week

Talking to Sunrise only hours after his life-changing winnings, Mr Wade was still in shock.

'It's still very hard to believe actually, but it's fantastic,' he said.

But despite his own excitement, Mr Wade told of the sobering reality of his extended family's struggles in recent days by Cyclone Debbie.

'My brother and sister-in-law are down at Tindarra which really copped it a lot,' Mr Wade said.

'And my sister-in-law's mother actually lost the house - it will really need to almost be rebuilt.'

While he described it as 'sensational serendipity', the win was seemingly a long time coming for Mr Wade.

His wife, Colleen, revealed he had entered the competition every day for the last four years and refuses to leave home in the morning until a winner has been drawn.

Mr Wade told of the sobering reality of his extended family's struggles in recent days, after being displaced by Cyclone Debbie

His wife Colleen revealed he had entered the competition every day for the last four years and refuses to leave home in the morning until a winner has been drawn

But while the Good Samaritan has been praised for lending a helping hand to those in need last week, it seems he may not benefit most from his winnings.

Having secured the $90,000 jackpot on Tuesday, Mr Wade's wife is now set to join him in retirement.

'These things don't happen to us,' Mrs Wade said, before admitting she would now stop teasing her husband about his obsession with the competition.
Shocking footage has been released showing people acting as 'Zombies' after taking drug Spice on the streets of Manchester.

The footage, shot on Tib Street in the Northern Quarter, shows three people trembling in a catatonic state after apparently taking Spice, which is a form of synthetic cannabis.

All three are virtually frozen, either standing, lying slumped or squatting.

This shocking footage shows a man frozen in position after allegedly taking the drug spice

It was revealed a month ago how a potentially deadly strain of the substance, which is still readily available from street dealers despite now being illegal, had been turning people into 'statues', paralysed while standing or squatting.

City centre youth charity Lifeshare told how the extra-potent batch of Spice had emerged around the end of February, prompting a series of collapses and a surge in ambulance call-outs.

Charity worker Julie Boyle said it was turning clusters of people into the 'walking dead'.

On Friday, it was revealed 11 people had collapsed in Manchester city centre after taking spice.

Two youths had fallen unconscious and two men were discovered collapsed and covered in vomit after taking the drug.

The CCTV video shows people slumped over and sitting on the floor while others are seen trembling

Spice, despite being illegal, it is still being sold on the street by dealers and is said to 'paralyse' people

Another man needed medical treatment after office workers found him 'catatonic' and alerted the emergency services.

Greater Manchester Police teams also detained two suspected Spice dealers on the same day, making a total of 43 arrests as part of Operation Mandera in the last two weeks alone.

Amanda Croome, chief executive of Manchester's Booth Centre homeless drop-in, said she was now seeing the kind of scenes shown in the latest video 'on a regular basis', adding: 'This batch of Spice is particularly bad and the ambulance service is being called out all the time.'
Don Lemon accused Bill O'Reilly of failing to cover his own sexual harassment allegations in a bitter Twitter feud on Tuesday.

The row began when O'Reilly claimed Monday's edition of CNN Tonight failed to cover former national security adviser Susan Rice's 'unmasking' story.

'CNN's Don Lemon refuses to cover Susan Rice story,' O'Reilly tweeted to his 1.69 million followers with a link to a clip of Lemon's segment where the host brands Rice's story a 'diversion.'

Lemon hit back at O'Reilly, branding his claim 'false'.

Don Lemon accused Bill O'Reilly of failing to cover his own sexual harassment allegations in a bitter Twitter feud on Tuesday.

The row began when O'Reilly claimed Monday's edition of CNN Tonight failed to cover a story surrounding former national security adviser Susan Rice

'I did not refuse to cover the story. But I did cover your sexual harassment allegations. Did you?' he asked.

O'Reilly made no mention of the multiple sexual harassment allegations made against him over the weekend in his first show back at work on Monday.

The New York Times ran an exhaustive story on him on Sunday's front page, outlining how five women who said O'Reilly had either sexually harassed or verbally abused him had been paid a total of $13 million in settlements.

However, Fox are already feeling the pinch after multiple advertisers, including Mercedes-Benz, said it was pulling its ads from his show saying the allegations were 'disturbing.'

O'Reilly vs Lemon: The Fox host (left) began the row by attacking the CNN anchor's (right) reporting of the Rice incident but has not responded after Lemon hit back saying O'Reilly had not reported his own sexual harassment allegations

O'Reilly has not yet responded to Lemon's clapback On Twitter.

Lemon's initial segment on Monday had been discussing Donald Trump's claims that Rice's alleged attempts to unmask top political figures in his transition team, somehow proved his own claims that he was wiretapped during the election campaign by members of the Obama administration.

Despite O'Reilly's claims, Lemon opens the show with the claim against Rice, promising to 'talk about that in detail on this very program.'

The CNN anchor said there was 'no evidence whatsoever that the Trump team (were) surveilled or spied on illegally' and that he did not plan to insult his viewers 'intelligence by pretending otherwise'.

'Nor will we aid and abet the people who are trying to misinform you the american people by creating a diversion.'

COMPANIES PULLING ADS FROM THE O'REILLY FACTOR BMW Mercedes Hyundai Mitsubishi Lexus Sanofi GlaxoSmithKline Bayer Constant Contact Mile IQ The Wonderful Company Ainsworth Pet Nutrition Untuckit T. Rowe Price Credit Karma Wayfair Allstate Esurance Orkin True Car The Society for Human Resources Management Advertisement

Despite O'Reilly's claims, Lemon and his guests actually devoted considerable time to Rice and the claims she had tried to unmask the names of some of Trump's team, caught up in surveillance, which could later be leaked.

The former national security adviser under Obama forcefully denied on Tuesday that she purposely collected classified intelligence information about Americans associated with the Trump campaign, and said any suspicion that she leaked names to the press were ridiculous.

'The allegations that somehow Obama administration officials utilized intelligence for political purposes, that's absolutely false,' she said.

She used the same words  'absolutely false'  to deny a report in The Daily Caller that she had requested intelligence information on Trump associates and compiled it into a spreadsheet.

Former U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice asked intelligence agencies dozens of times to 'unmask' the names of Donald Trump associates that were redacted from raw intelligence reports, it has emerged

President Donald Trump claimed in a series of March 4 tweets that Obama had 'wiretapped' him before the November election; he later clarified that he was talking broadly about secret surveillance

'No spreadsheet, no nothing of the sort,' Rice said.

She has been the subject of numerous news reports in the past three days, alleging that she was at the top of a plot to snoop on people in Trump's inner circle.

WHAT IS UNMASKING? When U.S. intelligence services conduct surveillance of foreign targets, it's possible that American citizens can be swept up in recorded conversations, intercepted emails or other surveillance. That can happen when Americans who are not targets of an investigation are 'incidentally' captured talking to a target. When this happens, intelligence analysts routinely delete the names and replace them with vague identifiers like 'U.S. Person Number One'. Senior intelligence officials can request the 'unmasking' of those names under certain circumstances, but that creates a risk that the names will be leaked. Advertisement

White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters late Tuesday morning that it was suspicious to see news reports denying Rice's involvement by citing anonymous sources.

'You would assume that if you stood by the comments that you made several weeks ago, that you wouldn't need someone who was close to you ... to defend it,' he said.

Spicer singled out CNN for labeling the Rice saga a diversion.

'I get that at some point they have an invested angle and narrative in this,' he said, but 'the more we find out about this, the more you learn that there was clearly something there.'

A half-hour later, Rice blasted President Donald Trump's tweeted claims a month ago that Obama had authorized surveillance of him and his team before and after the November election.

'There was no such collection, surveillance on Trump Tower or Trump individuals ... and by that I mean directed by the White House or targeted at Trump individuals,' she said.
A biker who attempted to steal from a car was foiled after the owner threatened him with a shotgun.

CCTV footage shows the man arriving at a shop in an unclear region of Malaysia and parking up his motorcycle next to a car.

He is seen looking at the car, looking at the shop, and then returning his gaze to the vehicle.

CCTV footage shows the man arriving at a shop in an unclear region of Malaysia and parking up his motorcycle next to a car

He is seen quickly opening the back door of the car, removing an item before reaching in to an open window in the passenger door and taking out a green box

The man quickly opens the back door of the car and removes an item before reaching in to an open window in the passenger door and taking out a green box.

When he gets back on his motorcycle he is confronted by the car owner, who comes out bearing a shotgun and points it at him, but doesn't shoot.

When he gets back on his motorcycle he is confronted by the car owner, who comes out bearing a shotgun and points it at him, but doesn't shoot

The motorcyclist then drops the items and drives off, leaving the owner and his things behind

The video was published on the Viral Video Malaysia Facebook page , where it has been viewed nearly 10,000 times

The motorcyclist then drops the items and drives off.

The video was published on the Viral Video Malaysia Facebook page, where it has been viewed nearly 10,000 times.
One of Lee Rigby's killers is set to cost taxpayers 250,000 per year after justice chiefs agreed to transfer him back to Broadmoor Hospital.

Michael Adebowale, 25, was jailed for life for killing the soldier in Woolwich in May 2013, and was initially sent to Broadmoor before being sent to HMP Wakefield in 2015 when he was ruled to be sane.

But it is understood he has now returned to the high security psychiatric hospital in Berkshire after refusing to comply with medical treatment at the prison.

The cost of treating a patient at Broadmoor is around five times as much as the 50,000 spent on keeping a prisoner at a Category A jail.

Michael Adebowale, 25, left, who was jailed for life for the murder of Lee Rigby, right, has been transferred back to Broadmoor Hospital from HMP Wakefield after 'refusing to comply with medical treatment'

The move to send him back to Broadmoor, pictured, has been criticised by Mr Rigby's mother Lyn, who said she wanted to be 'reassured Adebowale got the right punishment'

According to the Sun, Mr Rigby's mother Lyn, 50, is furious at the move after previously describing herself as 'delighted' when the killer was transferred to Wakefield.

She told the paper: 'I get the impression this whole situation is going to yo-yo back and forth for years because the authorities clearly don't know how to deal with him.

'I need to be reassured that the right punishment is being handed down to the man who took my son's life.

'I can't live with the thought he is slipping through a loophole to get out of proper jail time for what he did to my boy.'

Michael Adebolajo, pictured, was also found guilty of Mr Rigby's murder and jailed for life

Broadmoor is said to have 'gentler surroundings' than a prison and has been described as an 'easier life' for offenders.

Adebowale was jailed alongside Michael Adebolajo, 32, for murdering Mr Rigby with a meat cleaver and knives near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, south east London, in May 2013.

They knocked Mr Rigby down in a car as he walked towards the barracks and then hacked him to death.

Adebolajo was given a whole life order for the crime while Adebowale was ordered to serve at least 45 years.

Adebolajo has previously complained about being segregated from other Muslim prisoners.

He was moved from HMP Belmarsh in Thamesmead, south east London, to Frankland in County Durham over fears that he was trying to radicalise other inmates.

Adebolajo and Adebowale were raised as Christians but later described as British Muslim converts at their trial.

Adebowale had openly discussed murdering a soldier on Facebook, but that information had not been passed to the intelligence services.

Adebolajo issued a series of threats to the West after the bloody murder took place.

A shocking video of him was taken on a mobile phone while he ranted with a machete in his hand.
The Cabinet was at odds over Brexit last night as Philip Hammond said the option of leaving the EU without a deal was ridiculous, contradicting Boris Johnson and David Davis.

The Chancellor accused some Tory MPs of undermining the Prime Ministers negotiations by secretly wanting talks to break up without agreement so the country has a clean break from the EU.

In a dig at the Foreign Secretary and Brexit Secretary, who have claimed leaving without a deal would not be disastrous, Mr Hammond said it was not a sensible option.

Philip Hammond (left) said the option of leaving the EU without a deal was ridiculous, contradicting Boris Johnson (right) and David Davis

Last month, Mr Davis (pictured) said that leaving without a deal was not as frightening as some people think but not as simple as some people think

On a trip to India, Mr Hammond told Bloomberg: There are definitely some people on both sides who do not want a deal, they do not want to see Britain continuing to collaborate in what the Prime Minister described in a letter as a deep and special partnership with the European Union.

REMOANER BANKER'S U-TURN Brexit could be the EUs last chance to solve its problems and avoid collapse, the boss of JPMorgan has said. In a major U-turn, arch-Remainer Jamie Dimon confessed his business would move just a few of its 16,000 UK staff abroad in the next two years. And the Europhile Wall Street boss said he feared that the EU could disintegrate in coming years, with devastating economic and political effects unless the Brexit vote acts as a wake-up call. His bleak assessment of the bloc  and more compromising tone on the City of London  is a sharp contrast to the Project Fear campaign, when he threatened 4,000 British workers with the sack if the referendum did not go his way. While he last night talked of potentially moving some people, he explicitly stressed the figure would be low. His comments came in his banks annual report to US markets. He said: We hope that the advent of Brexit would lead the EU to focus on fixing its issues  immigration, bureaucracy, the ongoing loss of sovereign rights and labour inflexibility  and thereby pulling the EU and the monetary union closer together. Our fear, however, is that it could instead result in political unrest that would force the EU to split apart. Advertisement

He predicted with a high degree of confidence there would be tensions in the process, but added: Im clear the objective from the UK side is to reach a deal and what Im hearing from my counterparts in Europe is that is their objective.

Those people who are hoping for no deal, I say we have to disprove their thinking by showing there is clear goodwill on the Europe side to reach a deal.

Speaking in the Middle East, Theresa May insisted the Brexit deal could be completed within two years, but acknowledged that the full free trade deal, which would have to be signed off by every EU parliament, might take longer.

Mr Johnson, who was meeting Germanys foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel in London, said he was confident of reaching an agreement with the remaining 27 EU member states, but insisted if they failed the UK would continue to thrive.

It is possible to do a deal that is win-win. I dont want to be unduly pessimistic.

'I think we can get a deal, he said.

But if you ask me If we dont get a deal would the UK survive? I think we would more than survive.

Last month, Mr Davis said that leaving without a deal was not as frightening as some people think but not as simple as some people think.

Mr Hammond yesterday said it would not be realistic to expect 100 per cent support on both free movement and the economy at the end of the two-year negotiations.

The issue for most people in the UK is they want control of their borders and they want to be outside of the EUs structures, but within those constraints they want to go on trading as openly and freely as possible, he said.
Parents in England face paying a premium of up to 52,000 to live near a primary school rated outstanding by Ofsted, research has found.

The average primary school premium to live in an admission area of a top-rated school compared with that of a school with a requires improvement rating is 52,372 or 18 per cent.

Competition is so fierce to get into the best schools that parents are prepared to pay over the odds to live in homes nearby.

Parents are prepared to pay over the odds to live in homes near a top-rated primary school

Pushy families can get engaged in bidding wars to secure the properties  pushing up the cost of living in the area and pricing out poorer parents.

The research, by property website Rightmove, comes after Theresa May made the case for a new wave of grammar schools by pointing out England already has selection by house price.

She is working on plans to introduce the first new grammars in decades in a bid to boost attainment among disadvantaged pupils.

Today, the Centre for Policy Studies, a free market think tank, backs the Prime Ministers plans by suggesting grammar schools can end the unfairness of property prices dictating entry to good schools.

It says bright pupils who cannot afford to live near good comprehensives would benefit most from new grammar schools, as long as admissions rules are in place to allow them access.

It adds that the attainment gap between rich and poor at grammar schools is just 4.3 per cent compared with 25 per cent at all schools.

Theresa May is working on plans to introduce the first new grammars in decades

The house price premium research combines asking price figures from Rightmove with data provided by FindASchool by 192.com, which tells house hunters whether a property was in the previous successful admission area for a local school.

Ofsted grades schools on a scale of four  outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate.

The Rightmove study found that the house price premium to live near a school rated as outstanding compared with a school deemed to be good is 36,889, or 12 per cent, on average.

In London, parents face an 80,000 premium to live close to an outstanding school compared with one that requires improvement, the research found.

The smallest premium in cash terms is in the North East, where home buyers face paying 17,090 more to live near an outstanding school versus one that requires improvement.

The average primary school premium to live in an admission area of a top-rated school is 52,372

Miles Shipside of Rightmove said: Looking for the right home near the right school is one of the most important factors that home-hunters tell us they look for when theyre thinking of moving.

Many are willing to compromise on other factors if it means getting their children into a good or outstanding school.

It is now much easier for ambitious parents to make a coordinate their house-buying with choosing the best school because of online search engines.

Properties listed on Rightmove have a school checker tab with details of schools previous successful admission areas from FindASchool.

Dominic Blackburn of 192.com added: Our data is the first data that is based on whether the property would have secured a place at the school.

Living near a school is not necessarily a guarantee of securing a place. Some Ofsted outstanding schools having successful admission areas of less than 100 metres.

It is important that property seekers know if the house they are looking at was in last years successful admission area and how that affects the property price.

The skirmish to secure the best school places follows a baby boom fuelled by migration which has put pressure on primary schools around the country.

Around a quarter of primaries are now full or over-capacity  meaning some parents cannot get their child into any local school, let alone a good one.
Male garter snakes live shorter lives than females because they wear themselves out having an annual three-week frenzied orgy, a study has found.

Scientists at the University of Sydney found that male red-sided garter snakes die younger than females - and it is all because of their insatiable sex drive.

Scores of the male serpents, which are found in central and north America, meet for three weeks a year to furiously procreate.

Male garter snakes live shorter lives than females because they wear themselves out having an annual three-week frenzied orgy, a study has found

The snakes do not eat during the exhausting session, which sees them compete with hundreds of other men over several females.

Female garter snakes only visit the site of the orgy for one day during the three weeks of debauchery, making the experience considerably less tiring for them.

The researchers measured the length of telomeres - a genetic marker of ageing - in male and female snakes in Manitoba, Canada.

They discovered that male reptiles were ageing faster than females and that their bodies were in worse conditions.

Female snakes were found to be up to 30 per cent larger than males of the same age, suggesting that the males die younger, the study said.

The academics believe this is because the males spend more of their energy on mating than protecting their DNA and cell damage, whereas females focus on keeping their body in good condition so they can reproduce.

Scientists at the University of Sydney found that male red-sided garter snakes die younger than females - and it is all because of their insatiable sex drive

Scores of the male serpents, which are found in central and north America, meet for three weeks a year to furiously procreate

'Although we believe that all females mate every year, they only stay at the den sites (where mating takes place) for a short period of one to three days - much less than males, who remain for at least a week and up to 21 days, which seems to result in males ageing faster and dying earlier than females,' Dr Christopher Friesen, from the University of Sydney, said.

'Females reproduce every other year, which depends on their stored fat/energy reserves. Our previous research has shown that females can store sperm for up to 15 months or more before she uses the sperm to fertilise her eggs.'

The study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, added: 'The relationship between body condition and age differed strikingly between sexes, with females maintaining their body condition with age, while condition decreased with age in males.'

The snakes spend around eight months of the year underground and come out for the remainder of the year to breed, feed and have babies.

The female garter snakes were found to spend little time looking after their babies after birth, which is common among snakes.
This is the shocking moment a driver fell asleep at the wheel on a busy motorway and smashed into the central reservation.

The incident was caught on the dashcams of two vehicles on the Moscow Automobile Ring Road, the MKAD, which runs around the Russian capital.

The footage shows the white car veer from the left-hand lane into the concrete central reservation and bounce back into the carriageway.

The footage shows the white car veer from the left-hand lane into the concrete central reservation and bounce back into the carriageway

But the driver is unable to control his car which again smashes into the central reservation this time hard enough to make it overturn.

The vehicle goes into a roll, overturning several times, before coming to rest upside down in the middle of the road.

Fortunately, the drivers were quick-witted enough to hit the brakes and activate their hazard lights to prevent a pile-up.

Police believe the driver fell asleep at the wheel, was awoken when his car first clipped the central reservation but could not react quickly enough to control his vehicle.

But the driver is unable to control his car which again smashes into the central reservation this time hard enough to make it overturn

The vehicle goes into a roll, overturning several times, before coming to rest upside down in the middle of the road

Police are investigating the accident. There is no information on the condition of the driver of the white car. Nobody else was injured in the accident.

The dashcam footage of the spectacular incident is proving popular on video-sharing websites where it sparked a lively debate among users.

Netizen 'Koryushka' said: 'This could have ended pretty badly - not only for the sleepy driver, but for others too.'

And 'VladikS88' added: 'I would not have wanted to see something like this with my own eyes while driving.'

The Moscow Automobile Ring Road, or MKAD, runs 68 miles around the city.
They say dogs are a man's best friend, but one pup seems to have found a new favorite pal in the most unlikely of places.

Despite one being suited to the land and the other, water, a Golden Retriever and a dolphin have hit it off in the shallows of Rockingham Beach in Perth, Western Australia.

Video of the duo splashing about and chasing each other in the water was captured by the dog's owner on Sunday morning and after being shared online by Nine News, it went viral in no time.

Swimming out in water up to its neck, the dog and dolphin appeared to be enjoying a game of cat and mouse.

One instance captures the Golden Retriever barking as his dolphin friend goes deeper into the water, seemingly keen for his friend to come back.

The dog's owner Brett said it wasn't the first time the pooch had enjoyed playing with dolphins in the shallows at the beach.

A Golden Retriever and dolphin have seemingly become friends after playing together in the shallows of Rockingham Beach in Perth, Western Australia

In the footage, the owner can be heard calling 'where is he?' to his dog, leading the pet to bark again at the mammal.

According to Professor Lars Bejder from the Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit, the rare sighting of the dolphin in the shallows suggests it was hunting for fish.

'In most coastal areas, including Rockingham, we often see these bottlenose dolphins in shallow areas,' Prof. Bejder said.

The video has been viewed more than 1 million times since being posted online on Tuesday

'When they come across something novel, they want to check it out.'

According to the expert, relationships and ways bottlenose dolphins interact with other animals remains unknown.

The video has been viewed more than 1 million times since it was posted online less than 24 hours ago.
The High Court has ruled former Family First senator Bob Day was ineligible to have been elected at the 2016 federal election.

Mr Day formally resigned as a senator for South Australia on November 1 last year to deal with the collapse of his Home Australia group of companies.

But six days later the Senate referred his eligibility for election to the High Court on the grounds he may have benefited from the Commonwealth through a lease arrangement relating to his Adelaide electoral office.

The High Court has ruled former Family First senator Bob Day (pictured) was ineligible to have been elected at the 2016 federal election

Under section 44 of the constitution, a member or senator can be disqualified where there is 'any direct or indirect pecuniary interest in any agreement with the public service of the Commonwealth'.

The court decided on Wednesday Mr Day was incapable of sitting as a senator under Section 44 and the vacancy should be filled by a 'special count of the ballot papers'.

A single judge will make further directions and orders in relation to the count.

Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the government was to blame for the mess.

'The very deal that the Turnbull government did with Mr Day to keep him onside, is the very thing that rendered him ineligible,' Mr Dreyfus said.

Mr Day resigned as a senator last year to deal with the collapse of his Home Australia group of companies. His ineligibility for election is on the grounds he may have benefited from the Commonwealth through a lease arrangement relating to his Adelaide electoral office

Shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus (pictured) said the government was to blame for the mess and said Finance Minister Matthias Cormann was altered to the situation in December 2015 and did not act on it

'The government was told this arrangement was improper as early as February 2014, when the Department of Finance warned then Special Minister of State Michael Ronaldson.'

The department said at the time it had 'concerns about how such a transaction might be perceived'.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann was alerted to the situation in December 2015, but he did nothing, Mr Dreyfus said.

'Malcolm Turnbull turned a blind eye to doubts about Bob Day's eligibility to be a senator because he wanted Mr Day's vote to get his regressive legislation through the Senate.'
A member of the public has alerted police after discovering 'human bones' washed up on Bondi Beach.

Officers were called to the beach in Sydney's east at 9pm on Tuesday after reports of unidentified remains on the sand near the water's edge.

The bones have been taken away for forensic examination and the death is not yet being treated as suspicious.

Officers were called to the iconic Sydney east beach at 9pm on Tuesday to reports of unidentified remains found on the sand down and were still combing the sane on Wednesday (pictured)

Police were also seen combing the rocks at North Bondi beach at 9.30am on Wednesday

The examination will try to determine how long the remains had been at the beach for and where they came from.

At least 10 police officers were seen searching the beach on Wednesday morning for any more bones after Tuesday night's discovery.

Some carried what appeared to be metal detectors and shovels and combed the rocks at North Bondi as well.

Some carried what appeared to be metal detectors and shovels

The bones have been taken away for forensic examination and the death is not yet being treated as suspicious

At least 10 police officers were seen searching the beach on Wednesday morning for any more bones after Tuesday night's discovery
In the market for a new Android smartphone? You're in luck, because one of the most highly anticipated handsets of the year  the Samsung Galaxy S8  recently made its debut.

The S8, and its larger sibling the S8 Plus, are available for preorder now and are expected to hit store shelves on April 21. They come in several different colors, including Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue, and Maple Gold. The S8 retails for $720 to $750, while the S8 Plus goes for $840 to $850.

Before you go placing your order, read on for everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8.

The Galaxy S8 Features an Unusual Screen

Perhaps the defining feature of the Galaxy S8 is its tall, nearly bezel-free "Infinity Display," which measures 5.8" on the Galaxy S8 and 6.2" on the Galaxy S8 Plus.

The 2960x1440 display spills over the phone's sides, like the curved screen of the Galaxy S7 Edge. Samsung said the Galaxy S8 has a higher screen-to-body ratio than any of its other handsets, and the largest display of any smartphone in its size class. Even with more screen real estate, the skinny shape of the phone was designed to feel comfortable in your hand.

Perhaps the defining feature of the Galaxy S8 is its tall, nearly bezel-free "Infinity Display." It measures 5.8" on the Galaxy S8 and 6.2" on the S8 Plus.

"The conventional wisdom was that having a big screen meant having a ... big device," said Samsung's senior vice president of product strategy Justin Denison during the company's Unpacked event on March 29. "But with curved edges, we realized that we could increase the size of display without sacrificing that comfortable grip."

Note that Samsung has set default resolution for the phones to Full HD+ (2220x1080), but you can increase that up to Quad HD+ (2960x1440) in Settings, if you so choose. Lowering the resolution puts less of a demand on the phone's processor, which in turn could mean better battery life.

It Has an Odd 18.5:9 Aspect Ratio

That new hardware design gives the phone a strange 18.5:9 aspect ratio. Why does that matter? In most cases, it won't. But since the Galaxy S8's aspect ratio is a tad wider than the traditional 16:9 size many videos display at, the phone will throw a pair of black bars to the left and right of some content when you're watching in landscape mode.

There's No Physical Home Button

Samsung didn't just do away with bezels, it also bid adieu to the physical home button to save precious room on the screen.

SEE ALSO: When's The Best Time to Buy the Most Popular Smartphones?

The front of the phone is constructed from a single sheet of curved glass  no more physical button at the bottom. Though the device still has a home button in the usual place, now it's hidden under the display. The invisible home button "responds to pressure just like a physical button would," Denison said.

It Can Charge Wirelessly

The Galaxy S8 packs a 3,000 mAh battery (the same capacity as the Galaxy S7), while the Galaxy S8 Plus has a 3,500 mAh battery. According to Samsung, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus will have enough juice to power through up to 14 and 15 hours of WiFi internet use, respectively. Still, we'll have to wait for independent testers to release their reviews to get a better assessment of battery life.

When the phone runs out of juice, you'll be able to charge it wirelessly. This isn't a super-new feature  many of Samsung's other phones have supported wireless charging  but it's still a nice perk. Just keep in mind that you'll have to pay extra for a wireless charging pad.

The Phone Probably Won't Explode

This talk of batteries may be giving you flashbacks of the disastrous, explosive Galaxy Note7.

This is Samsung's first smartphone since the debacle that was the Note7. However, the South Korean tech giant has gone to great lengths to win back customer trust and ensure its new handset won't have any battery overheating issues. Following the exploding Note7 nightmare, Samsung did a thorough investigation and put in place changes to ensure that type of thing would never happen again.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy S7 Vs. S7 Edge: Which is Best for You?

"We put the Galaxy S8 through our toughest safety testing process ever, with an 8-point battery safety check that goes beyond the industry standard," Denison said. It should also be noted that the Galaxy S8's predecessor wasn't the Note7, it was the Galaxy S7, a great phone that hasn't had those overheating issues.

It Has an Iris Scanner and Facial Recognition

Physical safety precautions aside, the Galaxy S8 also provides a couple of cool biometric authentication options for digital security.

"Now instead of typing a password, you are the password," Denison explained.

The phone's iris scanner maps your eye and creates a unique digital signature, or an "eyeprint," similar to a fingerprint. It remains to be seen whether this feature will work when you're wearing glasses, however.

The phone also boasts facial recognition technology for quick unlocking. "Just hold your S8 in front of your face and it will pull up your home screen, instantly," Denison said. You can still use the fingerprint scanner to get into your phone, but Samsung has moved it to the back of the device to save screen space.

Bixby Is at Your Service

Apple has Siri, Amazon has Alexa, and now Samsung has Bixby. Just press the Bixby button on the side of the Galaxy S8, and tell the virtual assistant to call Mom, open YouTube, set an alarm, or put something on your calendar. Bixby is also integrated into the Galaxy S8's camera, offering a new way to search. Say you're at your dentist's office and really like a chair in the waiting room. Just open the camera, point it at the chair, and Bixby may be able to tell you where to buy it.

Just press the Bixby button on the side of the Galaxy S8, and tell the virtual assistant to call Mom, open YouTube, or put something on your calendar.

Bixby knows what's happening on your screen as well, letting you easily transition between voice commands and touch. Say you're meeting a friend and you need to tell them your location. Just open the Maps app, press the Bixby button, and say "capture this and send to Tom." Bixby will know to take a screenshot and send it to your friend.

The virtual assistant also learns and adapts to your daily routine in order to anticipate what you need. Swipe to the right on the home screen, and Bixby will take you to a personalized page showing information based on your location and the time of day. In the morning, it may show news, weather, and what's on your calendar. At night, you might see your alarm and step count.

The S8 Is Extremely Powerful

The Galaxy S8 is one of the most powerful smartphones you can get at this time  if not the most powerful. The device packs "the world's first" 10nm processor, according to Samsung  either a Snapdragon 835 processor, or Samsung's own Exynos 8895 chip, depending on where you purchase it. Both are exceptionally powerful and efficient, so expect fast-loading apps, smooth gaming, and great performance overall.

SEE ALSO: Surprise! Apple Just Released New Products

As for other specs, the Galaxy S8 boasts an 8MP front-facing camera that detects your face and a 12MP camera on the back. The handset is also IP68 water-resistant, meaning it can be submerged in up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes. It runs Android 7.0, has 64GB of storage, supports microSD cards up to 256GB, and boasts 4GB of RAM, a USB-C port, and a standard headphone jack on the bottom.

Wait to Buy It for a Bargain

If you don't need a new handset right away, consider waiting at least a month or two for the Galaxy S8's price to come down. Last year, we saw the S7 drop in price by more than 35% by the beginning of May  less than two months after its release. Patience pays!

Readers, what features are you most (and least) surprised to see in the Galaxy S8? Are you planning to buy it? Let us know in the comments below!
A man has been hospitalised with severed fingers and a slashed leg after being attacked with a machete in a brawl in Melbourne.

Police said the serious assault took place in Rosebud West in the Mornington Peninsula on Tuesday night.

Armed Crime Squad detectives believe a car with a group of people arrived at a property near Kingfisher Road about 7pm.

A man has been hospitalised with severed fingers and a slashed leg after being attacked with a machete in a brawl in Rosebud West in Melbourne on Tuesday night

Police said the serious assault took place in Rosebud West in the Mornington Peninsula on Tuesday night about 7pm on Kingfisher Road when two groups of people clashed on the street

One man received serious injuries to his fingers and knee. He was airlifted to Royal Melbourne Hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition (pictured)

An argument broke out in the street between two groups of people, believed to know each other, and one man received serious injuries to his fingers and knee.

The man was airlifted to Royal Melbourne Hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition, The Age reported.

Police are yet to speak to the man in hospital.

A second man was treated at a medical clinic in Rosebud after suffering a wound to his leg, believed to be a gunshot wound, in the same incident.

Neighbour Bec Waters (pictured) said: 'I asked if he was alright because I'd seen so much blood, it was terrifying really. He said that he was missing fingers, I saw a lot of blood there, and I saw his knee and it was ghastly'

While one man was sent to the Royal Melbourne Hospital (pictured) another was treated at a local medial centre for a suspected gunshot wound to his leg

He was advised to go to hospital but declined an ambulance and left the clinic.

Neighbour Bec Waters told 7 News: 'I asked if he was alright because I'd seen so much blood , it was terrifying really.'

'He said that he was missing fingers, I saw a lot of blood there, and I saw his knee and it was ghastly.'

Police want to speak to the driver of a dark-coloured Commodore seen at the incident to assist with their enquiries.

No arrests have been made at this stage and the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A country cop who interrupted his own press conference to arrest a beer-swilling man yelling abuse outside a police station says he was just doing his job.

But fans of Detective Inspector Winston Woodward, crime manager at Albury, on the NSW-Victorian border, have praised the officer's actions and reckon there should be more cops like him.

Albury mayor Kevin Mack - himself a policeman on unpaid leave - was unsurprised by how Detective Inspector Woodward handled himself on Monday morning.

Scroll down for video

'Winston doesn't take any c**p, mate,' Cr Mack told Daily Mail Australia. 'That's the thing with him.

'He's a no-nonsense character. Winston doesn't muck around. He was tooled-up and ready to go and he did what he did. Happy days.'

Video of Detective Inspector Woodward arresting the man who swore at him while he was trying to talk to reporters about a local fatal car accident has captured worldwide attention.

'I watched it this morning on Facebook,' Cr Mack said. 'It's pretty funny.'

Albury mayor Kevin Mack has praised Detective Inspector Goodwin for his actions

Detective Inspector Goodwin interrupts his own press conference when he hears a man swearing behind him

Detective Inspector Woodward ordered the man to empty out his beer

The senior officer had just begun a press conference outside Albury police station about 10.30am, when he heard someone yell 'bulls**t'. Turning around, he saw a man clutching a stubby of Budweiser beer.

Detective Inspector Woodward confronted the disheveled-looking man, who was wearing tracksuit pants and a T-shirt, ordering him to empty the bottle.

The cop then grabbed the man by the arm of his T-shirt and dragged him inside the police station where he was fined $500 for using offensive language.

The man was taken into Albury police station and fined $500 for using offensive language

A police spokesman said Detective Inspector Woodward had nothing more to say about the matter.

'His view is he was just doing his job,' the spokesman told Daily Mail Australia. 'That it was just something police do every day.

'There's no need to single him out. He's just a good officer and very modest.'

The man is led into Albury police station, where he was fined for using offensive language

However, Daily Mail Australia readers loved the no-nonsense cop.

''More like Winston please,' wrote youvegottalaugh from the United Kingdom.

Roodog from Melbourne wrote: 'Well done, pity there's not more action like that!!' Unelogical of Melbourne added: 'Good on the copper! Hardly ever give police commendation, this however is the rare time I do.'

Cr Mack was just as happy with how Detective Inspector Woodward reacted.

'I think it's pretty clear that he doesn't believe that police or the community should be disrespected,' Cr Mack said. 'I think Winston has given someone a very handy lesson.

'People think they can get away with anything. You've got to draw a line in the sand.

'To me, Winston sent a very strong message. I support his actions 100 per cent.'
When Michelle Leask noticed her bruised baby girl having trouble breathing and unable to make eye contact she wanted to take her for medical treatment.

But the then 21-year-old mother was terrified into inaction, fearful of the possible violent reaction from her abusive partner, who was more concerned about concealing his small cannabis plantation than his ailing daughter's welfare.

Their baby, Lili Cataldo, died in hospital on May 8, 2012, and on Tuesday Leask was sentenced to five years in jail after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the Brisbane Supreme Court.

But she has walked from court, with Justice Martin Burns wholly suspending the jail term, due to Leask's vulnerability and substantial impairment stemming from the abuse inflicted by her partner and Lili's father, Rick Cataldo.

Michelle Leask, 26, has escaped jail time after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of her seven-week-old daughter Lili Cataldo in 2012

The court heard the young mother noticed her bruised baby girl washaving trouble breathing and unable to make eye contact - but was too afraid to get help

On the evening seven-week-old Lili died, Leask found the pale, unresponsive and limp baby lying on a bed behind her sleeping father.

She then yelled at Cataldo.

'You told him your child was not breathing,' Justice Burns said.

'You wished to call an ambulance but again you were prevailed on by Cataldo not to do so because he was worried that a number of cannabis plants in his possession would be discovered.'

Leask took her blue child to Redcliffe Hospital and staff tried CPR for about half an hour but could not save Lili.

The court heard Cataldo had inflicted the fatal head injuries on his baby in one savage attack between seven and 10 days before she died.

Ms Leask's former-partner and Lili's father, Rick Cataldo, was more concerned about concealing his small cannabis plantation than his ailing daughter's welfare

Lili was left with a fractured skull, brain injuries and bruises but would have likely survived if she had been taken to hospital after being bashed

'At no time until well after the child had died were you aware that she had been assaulted or for that matter aware of the extent of the very serious injuries that had been inflicted on her,' Justice Burns said.

Lili was left with a fractured skull, brain injuries and bruises, but would have likely survived if she had been taken to hospital after being bashed.

Had she lived, she probably would have suffered brain damage, Justice Burns said.

'At all relevant times... you were an especially vulnerable person and in fear of Cataldo,' Justice Burns told Leask.

'You were operating with substantially impaired judgment.'

Since Lili's death, Ms Leask has turned her life around and is studying science at university and has been in a relationship for two years, the court heard.

Cataldo, who had also pleaded guilty to manslaughter, is due to be sentenced after reports are obtained from a forensic psychiatrist.

Since Lili's death, Ms Leask has turned her life around and is studying science at university and has been in a relationship for two years, the court heard
Advertisement

Residents who have decided to wait out the severe flooding in Queensland have helped the local council set up an enormous tarpaulin to protect their homes against a eight-metre wall of water.

The flooding is a result of the massive amounts of rain dumped on the region by Cyclone Debbie and authorities are preparing for a number of low lying areas to start to go under.

The local council set up the blue tarpaulin weighted down with sandbags on Wednesday, but Mayor Margaret Strelow said there is not enough money to protect the whole suburb with more than 200 homes threatened in Berserker alone.

Scroll down for video

Residents who have decided to wait out the severe flooding in Queensland have helped the local council set up an enormous tarpaulin (pictured) to protect their homes against a eight-metre wall of water

Residents were seen wading through the floodwaters on Wednesday to get to their homes in Depot Hill

The flooding is a result of the massive amounts of rain dumped on the region by Cyclone Debbie. Pictured is a flood gauge showing the Fitzroy River at a level of 8.3 metres on Wednesday

'I lost a lot of political skin a few years ago trying to get a levee that would protect the whole area. Not surprisingly, people are starting to talk about it again,' Cr Strelow told Network Seven.

'We can do it for about $120 million, $130 million ... and we would be sitting watching the mighty Fitzroy do its thing with almost no homes impacted.'

Reg Dummett has lived in the area for 40 years, and said the water should have risen to the levee bank by now.

'They (the council) must be doing something, because it should be here by now,' he told AAP.

Mr Dummett said he had been without power for two days, which was the first time his power had ever been shut off for a flood.

'It's ridiculous, I'm a pensioner and I'm having to run a generator paying I don't know how much for fuel,' he said.

Neighbour Cecil Balderson has lived in the area for 55 years, and had the good fortune to be on the 'dry' side of the levee, but even he thinks the council has got it wrong.

Most locals in affected areas have elected to stay in their homes, despite the risk of being cut off, with many owning boats or kayaks which they plan to get around in

This local hopped in his kayak to get around the streets as the floodwater continued to rise around homes in Depot Hill

This home in Berserker, Rockhampton, was completely surrounded by water on Wednesday as a result of cyclone Debbie

Mayor Margaret Strelow said there is not enough money to protect the whole suburb of Berserker with more than 200 homes threatened

Police have also urged drivers to be alert for animals moving across roads as the floodwaters are expected to rise to almost nine metres on Thursday

'They should have put it down on Water Street, that's where the water starts to come in'.

'They've been in panic mode since the Cyclone (in 2015) but I dont think we'll even see any water here.'

The Fitzroy River was at 8.25 metres early on Wednesday morning and slowly climbing.

It will be regarded as in major flood when it hits 8.5 metres, expected later on Wednesday.

At its height on Thursday the floodwater is predicted to hit almost nine metres, which will inundate just over 200 homes.

On Tuesday, a kangaroo was struck and killed by a car while trying to escape the rising floodwaters after losing her joey.

The animal was hit on Quay street, next to the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, north of Brisbane, with witnesses saying it was jumping erratically across the road.

Svetlana Mitin, from Wildlife Rockhampton, said the kangaroo almost certainly had a joey, but there was no sign of it near the accident site.

'She's lactating, so she had a joey but she probably lost it at some point recently as she was moving to higher ground,' Ms Mitin said.

The Fitzroy River was at 8.25 metres early on Wednesday morning and slowly climbing. Depot Hill locals who had opted to stay in their homes and wait out the flood were forced to wade through the water

The Fitzroy Hotel in Depot Hill almost had floodwater to its door and children were seen swimming past on Wednesday

A kangaroo was struck and killed by a car while trying to escape floodwaters in Rockhampton after losing her joey

The flooding is a result of the massive amounts of rain dumped on the region by Cyclone Debbie and authorities are preparing for a number of low lying areas to start to go under

The Fitzroy River was at 8.25 metres early on Wednesday morning and slowly climbing

'The injuries she had wouldn't have been enough to kill her, but I'd say she was very stressed, and the stress and the accident got her.'

Ms Mitin said the joey would unfortunately have very little chance of survival without its mother, especially if it was still suckling.

She said lots of land animals would be on the move because of rising floodwaters - including snakes - and urged locals to be extra vigilant, even if they were directly affected by floodwaters.

'Pythons will just climb a tree, but brown snakes and that sort of thing will seek higher ground, which means houses for the most part,' Ms Mitin said.

Police have also urged drivers to be alert for animals moving across roads.

An extra 60 police have been brought from other parts of the state to assist with patrols.

The city flooded in 2011 and again in 2013, as well as being hit with a cyclone and related flooding in 2015, and the mood of both local authorities and residents has been quiet preparedness as the river slowly inches higher.

This man waded barefoot through the floodwater to reach the entrance of the Fitzroy Hotel in Depot Hill, Rockhampton

Svetlana Mitin from Wildlife Rockhampton said the kangaroo almost certainly had a joey, but there was no sign of it near the accident site

Ms Mitin said lots of land animals would be on the move because of rising floodwaters

Most locals in affected areas have elected to stay in their homes, despite the risk of being cut off, with many owning boats or kayaks which they plan to get around in
At least 21 people were struck down with salmonella caused by a bad batch of eggs at a restaurant.

The outbreak, which left some diners hospitalized, has caused 'genuine distraught' to Food Republic's co-owner Vanessa Lekkas who said the Blackburn restaurant would no longer serve food made with raw egg products.

'In almost 30 years of working in the industry we've never seen this happen,' Ms Lekkas told Daily Mail Australia

'We sell thousands of eggs a year, it looks like one of those contained a bad batch of eggs.'

At least 21 people were struck down with salmonella caused by a bad batch of eggs at Blackburn restaurant Food Republic (pictured)

The Department of Health and Human Services was alerted to the outbreak after a number of people were treated for salmonella at Box Hill Hospital

'For this to happen, we're just shocked and devastated,' Ms Lekkas said.

'We want to assure customers that there's no threat to diners - out kitchen is all above board and clean and safe.

She said it's likely the source is from a raw egg egg base, however authorities couldnt find any trace of salmonella in the kitchen.

The Department of Health and Human Services was alerted to the outbreak after a number of people were treated for salmonella at Box Hill Hospital.

'We can confirm there has been salmonella identified from diners who went the Food Republic restaurant in Blackburn Rd on March 18,' spokesman Bram Alexander told Daily Mail Australia.

The outbreak, which left some diners hospitalised, has left Food Republic's co-owner Vanessa Lekkas 'devastated'

Authorities are now looking into the cause of the salmonella outbreak, which has now been contained

However Mr Alexander could not confirm the source of the infection and was reluctant to speculate.

'Investigations so far havent found the source of the salmonella,' he said.

'The tests performed of the samples hasnt found a positive result, there are a number of foods were testing.

'There's no ongoing risk to the public  the restaurant is operating as normal as people should continue to patronise it.'

Ms Lekkas said the restaurant would no longer serve raw egg based products like homemade mayonnaise to reassure customers.

Co-owner Ms Lekkas said they had been fully transparent with the Department of Health and Human Services and Whitehorse Council, who saw that Food Republic's food handling processes met industry standards.

The groups are now looking into the cause of the salmonella outbreak, which has now been contained.
Amanda Arbib, 26, is pictured prior to her appearance at the Downing Centre Local Court

A former private schoolgirl who traded in her privileged lifestyle for the 'worst ice addiction' her lawyers had seen has kicked her drug habit, gone to rehab and has a new man in her life, a court has heard.

Amanda Arbib, from Bellevue Hill, strutted into Sydney's Downing Centre court in statuesque platform stilettos on Wednesday for a brief appearance prior to sentencing in May.

Arbib, 26, has previously pleaded guilty to a string of charges relating to stealing credit cards and keeping them in her Gucci handbag, and other petty crime.

During a prior offence, she admitted to police she was 'keeping a bag of meth in her bra', police facts tendered to the court said.

Her lawyer Eidan Havas told the court he was 'utterly proud' of his client, saying she had been a 'quintessentially drug addict' in the 'worst of the worst' situation when they met, with her day revolving around getting her 'next fix'.

'She's since got herself into rehab, she's got herself cleaned up and in 10 days it'll be five months since the day she took drugs,' he told the court.

Mr Havas said it was 'very hard' to kick the habit, 'and that's where these offences arose.'

Scroll down for video

The former student of $30k-a-year Moriah College arrived at court in towering platform stilettos and a dark pair to sunglasses

Ms Arbib smoked outside court as she awaited her appearance. She's pictured on right in a candid mirror selfie from several years ago

Ms Arbib has been enrolled in a rehabilitation program since the alleged offences were committed

She entered the courtroom wearing a towering pair of platform stilettos

The matter was adjourned for sentencing in May.

Another one of her lawyers, Ahmed Dib, previously told the Downing Centre Local Court Ms Arbib suffered 'severe' depression following the death of her father.

In January, Mr Dib told the court she 'fell in with the wrong crowd' and became addicted to the deadly drug.

Police facts tendered to the court show she was also once found out the front of a 'well known drug den' with a plastic Coke bottle which reeked of GHB.

Ms Arbib - who attended the exclusive $30,000 a year Jewish school Moriah College - previously made headlines in 2015.

She was named when a Mercedes 4WD belonging to her family was firebombed on her street.

The former promotional model was expected to be sentenced after 2pm.

Ms Arbib - pictured here lying on the back of a motorcycle in andold photograph - attended court with friends

Ms Arbib (with friends) has pleaded guilty to a string of charges relating to stolen credit cards and more
A pregnant teenager has drowned after suffering an epileptic fit in her friend's bathtub.

Megan Walsh, 19, was pulled from the bath 'cold' and 'lifeless' after suffering an epileptic fit and sinking beneath the water's surface, 9News reported.

The friend performed CPR on Ms Walsh but she went into cardiac arrest and died in hospital after she was rushed from the home in Newcastle, north of Sydney, on Saturday.

Meg Walsh, 19, was pulled from the bath 'cold' and 'lifeless' after suffering an epileptic fit and sinking beneath the water's surface on Saturday

Ms Walsh was 14 weeks pregnant when she died on Saturday (ultrasound pictured)

She was 14 weeks pregnant and was so excited she was already looking at baby names.

The friend said she opened the bathroom door after her knocks went unanswered.

'I open the door and there she is lifeless in my bathtub. Cold, white, unresponsive, not breathing, blue lips, dead weight,' she told 9News.

'It was traumatising.'

Ms Walsh was diagnosed aged four with epilepsy and had been taking medication, but was suffering seizures more frequently after falling pregnant, her sister Jemma told 9News.

Loved ones have remembered the 'beautiful' 19-year-old in tributes on social media.

Loved ones have remembered the 'beautiful' 19-year-old in tributes on social media

Ms Walsh was diagnosed aged four and had been taking medication, but was suffering seizures more frequently after falling pregnant

'Fly high beautiful girl! I was lucky enough to have known you and been apart of your family. You will be dearly missed!' Teagan Murison said.

'So many beautiful lives getting cut short,' Jarred Kenneth wrote on Facebook.

'I miss you so much I still wait by my phone waiting to see your name pop up saying you miss me,' another friend posted to Facebook.

She was 'strong' and 'didn't care what people thought', another friend said.

A fundraiser has been organised for Sunday at the Tomago Bowling Club to help pay for funeral costs.

A GoFundMe page to raise funds for Epilepsy Action Australia has raised more than $2,200 in two days.
The woman allegedly raped in a laneway behind a Sydney nightclub was hunched over and unable to stand when her friend found her, a court has heard.

'I ran up to her and hugged her, she was crying hysterically,' the friend, who cannot be named, told a Sydney district court on Wednesday.

Luke Andrew Lazarus, 25, has pleaded not guilty to having non-consensual anal sex with the woman, then 18, behind the Soho nightclub his father owned in May 2013.

Luke Andrew Lazarus (pictured outside court in April 2016), 25, has pleaded not guilty to having non-consensual anal sex with a woman, then 18, behind the Soho nightclub his father owned in May 2013

Lazarus (pictured outside court in March 2015) allegedly told the woman he was a part-owner of Soho before he led her to the laneway, kissed her, and ordered her to put her hands on the wall and arch her back

His father, Andrew Lazarus, was an owner of the nightclub at the time.

Lazarus allegedly told the woman he was a part-owner of Soho before he led her to the laneway, kissed her, and ordered her to put her hands on the wall and arch her back.

The woman has previously testified at Lazarus' first trial, saying that she told him 'to "stop" at the beginning ... and I just kept saying, "I need to go back to my friend"'.

The court has previously heard after allegedly anally raping the woman, Lazarus handed her his phone and asked for her name.

Her name was later found on the bottom of a list of women in the notes section of Lazarus's phone.

Giving evidence on Wednesday, the friend said she was talking to someone on the dance floor and when she turned around her friend 'was no longer there'.

The court has previously heard that after allegedly anally raping the woman, Lazarus (pictured outside court with his mother in April 2016) handed her his phone and asked for her name

Lazarus (pictured outside court in April 2016) is facing a judge-alone retrial after an earlier conviction was quashed on appeal

She left the nightclub and tried to contact her friend to see where she was but she did not receive an immediate reply.

When her friend did finally call her she was 'breathing heavily, crying and she sounded scared.'

She found her friend on the street and said 'she was just a mess'.

'She was hunched over, she couldn't really stand and she was very upset,' she said.

Lazarus is facing a judge-alone retrial after an earlier conviction was quashed on appeal.

The trial is continuing.
LGBT employees are protected from workplace discrimination by the 1964 Civil Rights Act, a federal appeals court ruled for the first time Tuesday.

The historic ruling sets up a likely battle before the Supreme Court as gay rights advocates push to broaden the scope of the 53-year-old law.

The 8-to-3 decision by the full 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago comes just three weeks after a three-judge panel in Atlanta ruled the opposite.

The Atlanta court said employers are not prohibited from discriminating against employees based on sexual orientation.

For the first time, a court used the 1964 Civil Rights Act to rule that LGBT employees are protected from workplace discrimination. Pictured: Martin Luther King, whose marches against racism prompted Congress to pass the landmark civil law

The decision, with eight judges in favor and three dissenting, will likely set up a Supreme Court battle as advocates test the legal limits of the 1964 law. Pictured: Protesters at the Queer Dance Party for Climate Justice outside Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home on April 1

The ruling comes following a lawsuit filed by Kimberley Hively, who alleged that she was not hired full time at Ivy Tech Community College because she is a lesbian

The 7th Circuit is considered relatively conservative and five of the eight judges in the majority were appointed by Republican presidents, making the finding all the more notable.

The case stems from a lawsuit by Indiana teacher Kimberly Hively alleging that the Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend, Indiana did not hire her full time because she is a lesbian.

In an opinion concurring with the majority, Judge Richard Posner wrote that changing norms call for a change in interpretation of the Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin or sex.

'I don't see why firing a lesbian because she is in the subset of women who are lesbian should be thought any less a form of sex discrimination than firing a woman because she's a woman,' wrote the judge, who was appointed by Republican Ronald Reagan.

Ivy Tech, pictured left, denies it discriminated against Hively. Pictured right: The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, where judges issued the historic ruling

The ruling comes as Donald Trump's administration begins navigating its LGBT rights policy

The decision was made on April 4, 2017, 49 years to the day after Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968

The decision comes as President Donald Trump's administration has begun setting its own policies on LGBT rights.

Late in January, the White House declared Trump would enforce an Obama administration order barring companies that do federal work from workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual identity.

But in February, it revoked guidance on transgender students' use of public school bathrooms, deferring to states.

Hively said after Tuesday's ruling that she agreed to bring the case because she felt she was being 'bullied.'

She said that the time has come 'to stop punishing people for being gay, being lesbian, being transgender.'

'This decision is a game changer for lesbian and gay employees facing discrimination in the workplace and sends a clear message to employers: it is against the law to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation,' said Greg Nevins of Lambda Legal, which brought the case on behalf of Hively.

Ivy Tech said in a statement that its policies specifically bar discrimination based on sexual orientation and that it denies discriminating against Hively.

That aspect of the case is a factual question separate from the 7th Circuit's finding regarding the law.

Diane Wood, left, and Richard Posner, right, both ruled in the majority. Posner wrote: 'I don't see why firing a lesbian because she is in the subset of women who are lesbian should be thought any less a form of sex discrimination than firing a woman because she's a woman'

Diane Sykes was one of the three judges who dissented. The conservative wrote: 'We are not authorized to infuse the text with a new or unconventional meaning or to update it to respond to changed social, economic, or political conditions'

The Chicago ruling came on the anniversary of the assassination of civil rights icon Martin Luther King, whose marches against racism prompted Congress to pass the landmark civil law.

A GOP-majority House and Senate make it unlikely the current Congress will amend the Civil Rights Act, likely leaving it for the Supreme Court to decide.

Debate in the Hively case revolved around the meaning of the word 'sex' in Title VII, the section of the law that deals with discrimination.

Other courts have concluded that Congress meant for the word to refer only to whether a worker was male or female.

They said that it would be wrong to stretch the meaning of 'sex' in the statute to include sexual orientation.

The majority of the 7th Circuit sided with a broader meaning.

'Any discomfort, disapproval, or job decision based on the fact that the complainant  woman or man  dresses differently, speaks differently, or dates or marries a same-sex partner, is a reaction purely and simply based on sex.

'That means that it falls within Title VII's prohibition against sex discrimination ...,' Judge Diane Wood, a President Bill Clinton appointee, wrote for the majority.

The dissenting opinion  written by Judge Diane Sykes, a conservative who was on Trump's list of possible Supreme Court appointees  said the majority were stretching the meaning of the law's text too far.

'We are not authorized to infuse the text with a new or unconventional meaning or to update it to respond to changed social, economic, or political conditions,' she wrote.

The dissent alludes to the judicial philosophy of Trump's high-court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, who advocates adhering largely to original legislative texts in deciding legal disputes.

'It's understandable that the court is impatient to protect lesbians and gay men from workplace discrimination without waiting for Congress to act.

'Legislative change is arduous and can be slow to come. But we're not authorized to amend Title VII by interpretation,' Sykes wrote.

Posner, though, said sticking to outdated meanings and cultural standards didn't make sense.

'It is well-nigh certain that homosexuality, male or female, did not figure in the minds of the legislators who enacted Title VII,' he wrote in his concurring opinion.

'(Lawmakers in the 1960s) shouldn't be blamed for that failure of foresight,' he wrote.

'We understand the words of Title VII differently not because we're smarter than the statute's framers and ratifiers but because we live in a different era, a different culture.'
Murdered bride-to-be Stephanie Scott was a warm, dedicated and talented teacher, but she was also so much more than that, her student Adam Mitchell remembers.

Ms Scott, a much-loved English and drama teacher at Leeton High School in NSW's south-west, was raped and murdered by cleaner Vincent Stanford on April 5 2015 - just six days before her wedding to her childhood sweetheart.

Now on the two-year anniversary of the devastating tragedy, Mr Mitchell remembers the genuine and fun-loving 26-year-old who devoted so much time, energy and love to her students.

Murdered bride-to-be Stephanie Scott was a warm, dedicated and talented teacher, but she was also so much more than that

Former Leeton High School student says Ms Scott was a genuine and fun teacher on the two year anniversary of her murder

The former Leeton High School student remembers her infectious spirit who was really able to connect with her students.

'She wasn't just a teacher, she was so much more than that. Her drama class was more than just another class in the school,' he told whimn.com.au.

'She was only 10 years older than us but she was able to bridge that gap. I think fun is an understatement in terms of who she was.'

School cleaner Vincent Standford pleaded guilty in July last year to raping and murdering Ms Scott at the high school where they both worked.

As she left for the day, she wished the 25-year-old killer a 'Happy Easter' before he grabbed her from behind, put a hand over her mouth and dragged her into a store room before throwing her on the ground.

He began hitting Ms Scott in the face and punched her up to 40 times before stabbing her in her neck with a knife.

Ms Scott was raped and murdered by cleaner Vincent Stanford on April 5 2015  just six days before her wedding to her childhood sweetheart (Pictured with fiance Aaron Leeson-Woolley)

School cleaner Vincent Standford pleaded guilty in July last year to raping and murdering Ms Scott at the high school where they both worked

On April 10, Ms Scott's (left) burnt remains were found off an isolated dirt road in the Cocoparra National Park, more than 70km from Leeton

Ms Scott in the face, and punched her up to 40 times before stabbing her in her neck with a knife.

To honour their much-loved teacher's memory, students at Leeton High School banded together, letting Ms Scott's spirit of warmth and compassion live on through them

The day before she was due wed her partner Aaron Leeson-Woolley on April 11, her burnt remains were found off an isolated dirt road in the Cocoparra National Park, more than 70km from Leeton.

Mr Mitchell says Ms Scott's once energetic classroom, where students found refuge and forged strong bonds, had a cold air about it when term resumed following her death.

'There was a chill about it and I couldn't handle it for the first week, I was running out of the room crying, it was just too much. But over time you could feel her spiritual presence there and her warmth and her glow was in the room in still.'

To honour their much-loved teacher's memory, students at Leeton High School banded together, letting Ms Scott's spirit of warmth and compassion live on through them.
A police dispatcher gave an emotional testimony during the trial of the anti-government survivalist accused of killing a Pennsylvania police trooper and injuring a second in a 2014 ambush at their barracks.

Eric Frein is charged with killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson II and critically wounding Trooper Alex Douglass in a late-night attack outside the Blooming Grove barracks in northeastern Pennsylvania in 2014.

The 33-year-old led authorities on a 48-day manhunt in the Pocono Mountains before his capture by U.S. Marshals.

Frein's trial began Tuesday in Pike County, as State police dispatcher Nicole Palmer was the first witness called to the stand to testify about what took place that night on September 12, 2014.

Palmer had just arrived for her 11pm shift and was on the phone with a man complaining about his neighbor's fireworks when she heard a gunshot.

She opened the door to Blooming Grove barracks and found Dickson on his back looking up to her mouthing 'help me', she said.

Eric Frein is charged with killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson II and critically wounding Trooper Alex Douglass in a late-night attack outside the Blooming Grove barracks in northeastern Pennsylvania in 2014. He is pictured above center in 2015

If convicted for the ambush that left Cpl. Bryon Dickson II (left) dead and Trooper Alex Douglass (right) critically injured, Frein could face a death sentence

Palmer told the jury that after Dickson asked her for help, she ran back inside to try to alert others in the barracks, then returned to ask him what had happened.

'I've been shot. Drag me inside,' he managed to say, Palmer testified.

'I looked at him and told him, 'I can't,'' she recounted tearfully. He died a short time later.

Prosecutors showed surveillance video of the shooting, which showed Dickson falling to the ground, followed by Douglass, who had knelt beside his mortally wounded comrade.

Douglass then crawled into the lobby on his stomach - his legs immobilized by the gunfire - where a trooper dragged him through a doorway and out of sight.

Other troopers drove a patrol SUV into the parking lot and used it as a shield so they could drag Dickson into the barracks and begin attempts to save his life.

Palmer's dramatic testimony Tuesday captured a portion of the horror and chaos that unfolded at the barracks, when a sniper opened fire from a densely wooded area across the street, striking Dickson and Douglass.

As the trial opened on Tuesday, Pike County First Assistant District Attorney Bruce DeSarro asked jurors to deliver 'full justice' to Frein, calling him an assassin. Above Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin and other prosecutors arrive for the trial on Tuesday

Frein, who is an expert marksman, eluded capture for nearly seven weeks before U.S. Marshals found him at an abandoned airplane hangar.

When the trial resumed on Wednesday morning, trooper Benjamin Jones took the stand to testify about the dramatic moment where they worked to save the lives of those injured.

Jones said troopers heard the gunshot that felled Dickson and saw the 38-year-old Marine veteran gasping for air.

'I could see his chest rising rapidly. I called out to him to let him know we were coming to help,' Jones testified.

Jones described grabbing assault rifles to take defensive measures.

'We didn't know where the shots were coming from,' Jones said.

He explained that they performed CPR on Dickson but they were unable to save him.

As the trial opened on Tuesday, Pike County First Assistant District Attorney Bruce DeSarro asked jurors to deliver 'full justice' to Frein, calling him an assassin who targeted law enforcement in hopes of sparking a revolution.

Frein's defense team acknowledged the enormity of the crime during the opening statements for the trial. Above his defense team arrives to court Tuesday

Frein 'slithered through the underbrush,' concealed himself in the trees and took aim.

'Right then and right there, Cpl. Dickson's service and his watch on behalf of all of us came to an end,' DeSarro said.

Frein's own attorney acknowledged the enormity of the crime.

'It's a tragedy I don't know how this county will recover from,' Michael Weinstein told jurors in a six-minute opening statement.

DeSarro showed jurors the crumpled notebook pages that police found during the manhunt - part of a journal written in Frein's hand in which the gunman describes how he 'got a shot around 11pm and took it,' watching one of his victims fall 'still and quiet.'

He also showed them portions of a letter that authorities say Frein wrote to his parents while on the run.

In it, Frein spoke of revolution and said 'the time seems right for a spark to ignite a fire in the hearts of men.'

If convicted, Frein could face a death sentence.
A great-grandmother shook as she made a cup of tea and described the moment 'six heavily armed police' stormed through her home last week and charged her with being part of a drug ring.

Pensioner Barbara Blewden, 77, is accused of being the 'manageress' in a mid-level heroin supply ring operating in Sydney's notorious Kings Cross and inner-city.

A trembling Mrs Blewden told Daily Mail Australia police shouted as they searched the housing commission flat she shares with her 'troubled' son and her cat Meg, last Wednesday morning.

Barbara Blewden, 77, pictured with her cat Meg, has been charged with being part of a drug ring operating through Kings Cross, Sydney

The police had a warrant to search the pensioner's home after suspecting she was involved in a drug syndicate allegedly run by infamous Russell Street bombing suspect Rodney Minogue, pictured, and his wife Joanna Weber

The pensioner said the police looked like 'Ninja Turtles' when they came to search her home

'It was just before nine o'clock when I decided to go down to the shops but when I opened the door police in big jackets and helmets started yelling at me,' she said.

'It was very frightening, I just opened the door then six of them dressed like Ninja Turtles and with guns came in the door shouting at me to sit down and stay still.

'I didn't know what was going on they were all just shouting.

'Then some police in uniform came in and four little people with gloves who searched through everything,' she said.

She denies doing anything wrong: 'I'm not a criminal.'

The police had a warrant to search the pensioner's home after suspecting she was involved in a drug syndicate allegedly run by infamous Russell Street bombing suspect Rodney Minogue and his wife Joanna Weber.

The couple, who are based in Albury, have both been charged over their alleged roles in the drug ring.

She showed off a teddy bear given to her by Rodney Minogue who she considered a 'dear friend'

The great-grandmother has been left shaken after the police raid

Mr Minogue was a suspect in the 1986 bombing of the Russell Street police headquarters in Melbourne that killed police constable Angela Taylor and injured 21 others.

He was acquitted on appeal for being an accessory, while his older brother Craig William Minogue was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the explosion.

Mrs Blewden sat hunched over on her couch as she recalled her long friendship with Mr Minogue, who she 'met in a pub many years ago'.

'They kept asking if I knew Rodney Minogue and Joanna Weber  I have known Rodney for years, he has been a dear friend.

'I know his girlfriend Joanne Rose, she visits me every week to have a cup of coffee,' she said.

Mrs Blewden said her home was 'left in a mess' once the police had finished their search

She said they looked in all her cupboards and bags - after entering her home before 9am on Wednesday morning

In a statement of facts, police allege the great-grandmother was the 'managaress' of the large-scale drug syndicate supplying 'heroin and cocaine' to customers in inner-Sydney.

'When Weber returned to Albury each week, she would direct her customers and runners to see her "manageress" Blewden who was acting on her behalf,' police facts said.

The New-Zealand born Mrs Blewden told Daily Mail Australia she is 'petrified of going to jail' and leaving the housing commission flat she has called home for over 22 years.

'I'm so scared of jail and scared they might make me go back to New Zealand I haven't been there in over 50 years, I don't know anyone.'

The elderly woman claims she was told to 'stay still' and 'sit down' when police arrived

Mrs Blewden told Daily Mail Australia her son was 'asleep on the couch with a hangover' when the police arrived to search the home.

'He woke up when he heard all of the shouting and was very confused,' she said.

'They made a mess and went through everything and took me to the police station where I had to sit in a cell for five hours, it was so cold.'

Her daughter, Lisa, also spoke to Daily Mail Australia, expressing her concern for her elderly mother and said 'a week has felt like a month'.

'Mum has been really upset, and crying since it happened and I am just so confused, I don't know how to help her because I don't know the legal system,' she said through tears.

'I was in the police cell for five hours, it was cold,' she said

The New Zealand born woman is scared she will end up in jail or be deported following the charges

'My brother called me when the police were at the house and told me mum had been arrested, I couldn't believe it.

'I am really upset with Rodney as well.

'People are always taking advantage of mum's kindness, she would do anything for anyone.'

Mrs Blewden explained how she had let Rodney stay on her couch when he was in Sydney and how they had reconnected after meeting again at a Centrelink office.

'Mum has been really upset, and crying since it happened and I am just so confused,' her daughter Lisa said

'I hadn't seen him for ages and then I met him in line at social security  him and his girlfriend Joanne Rose.

'He started coming over and would take my son over to the pub for a drink or take me to play the pokies.

'He even took me to the dogs in November, he hasn't been here since then but he calls me all the time and tells me he will see me next week but never comes.

'His girlfriend comes instead to see how I am and have a cup of coffee.'

Police allege the drug ring supplies cocaine and heroin to 'addicts and users' in Kings Cross and the inner-city.

Mrs Blewden has been granted bail and is due to appear before the courts on May 10.
A horse that almost drowned in floodwaters last week has made a remarkable recovery and returned home to her family.

Tilly was rescued by two men who fought to keep her head above water for five hours after she was swept up in floods that ravaged Murwillumbah, in northern NSW, on Thursday.

Without their brave intervention, Tilly would have certainly died, Baldwin Equine Veterinary Services - who treated the 25-year-old horse - said on Facebook.

Tilly, a 25-year-old horse that almost drowned in floods that ravaged Murwillumbah last week (pictured), has made a remarkable recovery

Leigh Shepherd and his son Lee rescued the horse using a boogie board and rope, making sure to keep the horse's head up all the while feeding her apples

Tilly, who is 25-years-old, has now returned home (pictured with her owner Letrica Lucas and rescuers Leigh Shepherd and Lee on the far right)

'Despite being very tired, a little stiff and sore and having a deep laceration on one of her front legs, she was in a remarkably good way,' the veterinarian said.

'Hopefully she can make a full recovery.'

Tilly has since been returned to her owner, Letrica Lucas, who had been trying to move her to higher ground when the pair were separated.

'It was very devastating, almost surreal. The water came up so fast that my dad needed to take the horse and donkeys to higher ground, but the donkeys were scared,' Ms Lucas told Daily Mail Australia.

'They [donkeys] swam away and I think the horse must have come down [from higher ground] and got swept away.'

Tilly was found exhausted six homes away by Ms Lucas' friends, Leigh Shepherd and his son, Lee.

Mr Shepherd and Lee (pictured), fought to keep Tilly alive after she was separated from Ms Lucas (left)

The pair spotted Tilly struggling to keep her head above water, swam out on a boogie board, tied a rope around her and dragged her to the first floor of their flooded home.

'I couldn't stand all my friends saying "you let your wife swim out into flood waters, what were you doing?" So obviously I had to go out and get the bloody thing,' Mr Shepherd told ABC.

Once reaching the home's landing Tilly collapsed, he said.

Mr Shepherd and his son spent the next several hours holding her head above water, worried she would die.

Tilly had to be evacuated after the floods reached her farm (pictured)

They also fed her apples to keep her strength up.

'We thought if she wasn't going to drown maybe hyperthermia or something like that would have got her.'

Once the water subsided, Tilly was able to stand on her own.

Unfortunately the donkeys have yet to be found, but Ms Lucas hopes that they have made higher ground and are waiting.

Up to 423 millimetres of rain fell in Murwillumbah within 24 hours, Bureau of Meteorology said on Thursday.
An experienced halal butcher accused of murdering and decapitating a good friend was a proficient slaughterman who could kill animals with one cut to the neck, court documents state.

The headless body of Syeid Alam was found in a tidal creek running into the Fitzroy River at Rockhampton last April after he failed to return from one of his regular fishing trips with Mohammed Khan.

The men, both Burmese Rohingya refugees, had met in immigration detention and had been employed at the local meatworks and were housemates for two years.

Experienced halal butcher Mohammed Khan (pictured) has been accused of murdering and decapitating a good friend

'I would describe us a friends,' Khan said in an affidavit sworn on March 8.

'I was saddened and shocked to hear about Syeid's death.'

A search was sparked when Mr Alam's tearful wife contacted police, concerned about his absence.

Ten days later SES volunteers made a gruesome discovery.

'Observations of the torso indicated that the victim's head had been decapitated and the body was in an advanced state of decomposition,' Brisbane Supreme Court documents state.

Nearby, a small tomahawk and an item wrapped in black jeans were found.

Syeid Alam's (pictured) headless body was found in a tidal creek running into the Fitzroy River at Rockhampton, 600 kilometres north of Brisbane, last April

'The item appeared to be of similar size, shape and weight as a human head,' the documents state.

It was confirmed as such in an autopsy, which also revealed Mr Alam's head was severed with a small axe or similar weapon.

The major wound, however, was to the front of Mr Alam's neck and the incision was caused by a sharp blade, the documents state.

In a number of witness statements, Osman Chena, the head halal slaughterman at the meatworks where Mr Alam and Khan were employed, describes how he taught the accused murder to efficiently slit the throat of animals.

Khan, who had worked there for about four years, was 'very practised' and could usually kill an animal with one quick cut, Mr Chena said.

'The cut severs the windpipe, both arteries and weasand (gullet),' court documents state.

'The actual cut takes only one second.'

Proficient halal slaughtermen, such as Khan, were also good at avoiding blood flow, Mr Chena said.

Khan (pictured during arrest last year) maintains his innocence and is expected to face Rockhampton Magistrates Court on Wednesday

About six months before Mr Alam was killed he told his wife, Ferdous Ferdous, he couldn't afford to support the family and had lost between $20,000 and $30,000 gambling.

'She states that (he) gambled a lot with other Rohingyans,' court documents said.

Another witness, Nor Alam, met Khan and the victim in a card-playing group, and he stated Mr Alam owed him 'a few hundred dollars'.

It's expected 68 witnesses, including friends, family, co-workers and forensic experts, will be involved in legal proceedings.

The 35-year-old, who is in custody, maintains his innocence and was expected to face Rockhampton Magistrates Court on Wednesday afternoon.
A science experiment showing just what happens when Coca Cola is swallowed will leave soft drink lovers feeling sick in the stomach.

Video of the fizzy reaction between Coke and a substance said to simulate stomach acid is a worrying sign for regular consumers of the sweet drinks.

The footage, shared online by Molten Science, shows the two substances bubbling and fizzing from the instant they come in contact - before quickly going on to look like something that should not be inside your stomach.

Scroll down for video

A science experiment showing just what happens when Coca Cola is swallowed will leave soft drink lovers feeling sick in the stomach

As the coke is added slowly to the acid, the bubbles quickly rise higher and higher until they eventually spill over the glass.

While the newly formed substance initially moves easily, within minutes it begins to harden and smoke starts to rise from the foam.

Soon, the disgusting dark mass grows to resemble something more like road tar, to the point that it's hard to push a wooden stick through the mixture.

Not only does the substance toughen up, but it also increases in temperature, with the scientist touching the glass and remarking about its warmth.

Video of the fizzy reaction between Coke and a substance said to simulate stomach acid is a worrying sign for regular consumers of the sweet drinks

The footage shows the two substances bubbling and fizzing from the instant they come in contact - before quickly going on to look like something that shouldn't be inside your stomach

The disgusting dark mass soon grows in a hard substance, resembling something like road tar

While the incredible experiment has had its fair share of critics saying the acid used is not similar to stomach acid, others have defended the way it was conducted.

'I can tell you with 100% certainty, from my own personal observation, that this also happens in the human stomach,' one woman commented on the video.

However all were seemingly in agreement that this substance is not something they would like to have inside their stomach.

So far the video has been viewed more than 9 million times on Facebook alone.

It comes just months after an experiment showcased the enormous amount of sugar in normal Coke, compared to cans of Coke Zero

It comes just months after an experiment showcased the enormous amount of sugar in normal Coke, compared to cans of Coke Zero.

When Coke and Coke Zero were poured into a pan and boiled, they both began to break down.

However while the sugar-free drink left only a small amount of caramelised sugar in the pan, a thick dark tar remained when the classic Coke was boiled.
A modest two-bedroom Melbourne home that sold for $206,000 in 1999 is back on the market for $7million.

The value of the Box Hill house, which sits 14kms east of Melbourne's centre, has risen by more than 3,000 percent in almost 20 years.

The 762sqm property at 1 Rodgerson Road is a prime investment for builders and developers, according to Realestate.com.

The home, which has one bathroom and two parking spaces, has had several potential offers, but none have reached the $7million asking price

The house sits about 14 kilometres from the inner city - and is located in prime real estate position

The land is close to hospitals, schools and has easy access to public transportation.

'Situated within the most sought after development precinct, this is a perfect opportunity for investors, builders and developers to purchase an excellent development site which is situated in an elevated position within Box Hill,' realtors said.

The home, which has one bathroom and two parking spaces, has had several potential offers, but none have reached the $7million asking price.

The quaint two-bedroom brick house in suburban Melbourne is on the market with a staggering $7million-plus asking price

The value of the Box Hill house has risen by more than 3,000 percent in almost 20 years

The home, which has one bathroom and two parking spaces, has had several potential offers, but none have reached the $7million asking price

'At the moment we are negotiating with three or four parties,' Auctioneer Stuart Rooke, of Ray White Box Hill, told Nine News.

'If a developer wanted to do a 10-storey development in Sydney, they'd be looking at paying a whole lot more than this for the property,' he said.

'It's a no-brainer that they'd consider this a great option.'

Mr Rooke said the owners plan to go on a holiday overseas after the home is sold.
A doctor has been suspended for slapping a boy in the face after he refused to swallow a tablet after a tense, one-hour consultation.

David John Levick, a 68-year-old general practitioner from Bowen in north Queensland, had pleaded guilty to assaulting the child in December 2013.

The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal has suspended his registration for two months as a result of that 'power struggle' between Dr Levick and the boy.

David John Levick had spent 50 minutes trying to make the boy take ADHD medication (stock image)

'In one sense it might be said that he was over-conscientious, but the overwhelming inference is that he became involved in a power struggle and finally lost self-control,' the judgment delivered on Wednesday said.

Dr Levick moved to Australia in January 2008 after a three-decade medical career in South Africa and became a doctor in Bowen.

On December 12, 2013, during a tense morning consultation with the child's mother, the doctor had tried to make the boy swallow a pill to treat his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Out of frustration, he slapped the child on the face, leading to his mother filing a complaint with police who charged him with assault occasioning bodily harm.

Shortly after 9am on that day, Dr Levick had tried to make the boy swallow a pill.

But after 50 minutes, he still refused to take the capsule and fidgeted in his chair.

The doctor from Bowen in north Queensland was frustrated at the boy for not co-operating with him (stock image)

At one point, the doctor placed his feet on top of the boy's feet as he was wearing thongs but the boy refused to co-operate.

Dr Levick said words to the effect of: 'I'm going to wallop you.'

The boy asked: 'What does that mean?'

The doctor replied 'smack' and said he would strap him to the bed as he squeezed his cheeks with his hands.

This led to an argument with the boy's mother and her son, leading to Dr Levick intervening.

Out of frustration, he threw the medication across the room and slapped the boy across the face leaving a red mark before apologising.

The boy had been a patient of Dr Levick for almost five-and-a-half years, and he and his mother had previously enjoyed a good relationship with him.

The two-month suspension comes into effect on May 1.
A smiling assassin: Akbarzhon Dzalilov

Suicide bomber Akbarzhon Dzhalilov was radicalised just two months ago on a trip to his native Kyrgyzstan when he said goodbye to his parents ahead of the St Petersburg train massacre.

Victims' faces were ripped off when the the 22-year-old former sushi chef killed 14 and left 68 injured by detonating a bomb on a crowded metro train in the Russian city on Monday.

Sources say he flew in February and returned a completely different man.

Family friends in the city of Osk said Dzhalilov, an ethnic Uzbek, had 'golden hands' - as one revealed 'he could do any work, and do it very well' - but Russian law enforcement agencies are now urgently seeking to understand when he switched his skills from repairing cars and decorating houses to making bombs.

The killer's parents flew overnight to Russia from their native Kyrgyzstan to help a probe that needs to clarify if he was working alone or is part of a terror group plotting other explosions.

Russia's Investigative Committee said Wednesday it had detained six terrorist recruiters from Central Asia in Saint Petersburg, but insisted there was no proof yet of a link between them and the suspected metro bomber in the city.

The authorities said that those detained had been recruiting people to join groups including the Islamic State to carry out terrorist crimes and join illegal armed groups abroad.

Meanwhile, families of two young women have revealed that their faces have been wrecked by the devastating bomb - containing ball bearings and bolts - on the crowded metro train.

Anna Seleznyova, 20, who suffered what is described ' devastating facial injuries' in the blast

The student, pictured here, is said to be in a coma and cannot breathe independently

Anna Seleznyova, studying at the Russian Academy of Justice, was one of 68 injured

One of the blast survivors Evelina Antonova, whose face has now been completely disfigured

Evelina Antonova's nose was virtually blown off in the blast and her face severely burned.

The 24 year old graduate of St Petersburg State University injuries are so extensive that she was not recognisable after Monday's cruel suicide bombing - and she was so traumatised she could not remember her name.

Anna Seleznyova, 20, has also suffered devastating facial injuries and cannot breathe on her own as she lies in a coma in intensive care, say friends.

Evelina was initially labelled 'victim 511' when she came into Dzhanelidze hospital because her identity could not be established.

The St Petersburg suicide bomber's parents arrive in Moscow two days after the massacre

A passenger looks at a symbolic memorial at Technologicheskiy Institute subway station in St. Petersburg, Russia

Police officers walk passed piled of flowers at a memorial at Technologicheskiy Institute subway station in St. Petersburg, Russia on Wednesday, April 5, 2017

A picture taken from Akbarzhon Dzalilov showing the killer relaxing in a bar thought to be in Russia

House of the suicide bomber's parents in Osh, Kyrgyzstan - the country he was radicalised in

Evelina Antonova, whose nose was virtually blown off in the blast and her face severely burned

The pictured 24-year-old graduate of St Petersburg State University has been left unrecognisable after the horrific attack

Evelina Antonova was so traumatised by the massive explosion that she didn't know her own name

Other victims' accounts of the terror attack reveal the desperate scramble to save loved ones who had lost pieces of flesh.

Some have been left deafened by the blast and survivors were as close as three feet to suicide bomber Akbarzhon Dzhalilov.

Initial evidence suggests a trip to his home country for one month in February was decisive in his radicalisation by 'Islamic emissaries', reported Interfax.

A source told the news agency he 'travelled to Kyrgyzstan for about a month and returned from there a completely different man.

'He became unsociable and closed.

'Law enforcement agencies assume that Dzhalilov was recruited by extremists.'

Investigators are also examining a trip he supposedly made to South Korea three years ago.

The St Petersburg survivors' stories Fourteen people lost their lives in the St Petersburg metro massacre and 68 were left injured. As some fight for their lives in hospital, others are coming to terms with teh life-changing wounds they have been left with. Anna Stuzhina, 20, of the Eastern Studies Institute in St Petersburg, was standing close to the suicide bomber when the explosion was detonated. Anna Stuzhina, 20, of the Eastern Studies Institute in St Petersburg, was standing close to the suicide bomber when the explosion was detonated 'I was in that very carriage and some three steps away from the epicentre of the explosion but I did not see that man,' she said. The former London Meridian College student said: 'I saw a bright flash and heard a bang. 'I immediately closed my face with my hands, this is why they got burned. 'Doctors said that fire torched my hands. I've lost hearing in my left ear.' She recalls seeing 'people lying everywhere, either dead or injured'. Several others had miracle escapes from the blast. Alexandra Zyablitskaya, 15, from Barnaul in Siberia, appeared dead when her grandmother Vera, 58, found her in the wrecked carriage. Alexandra Zyablitskaya, 15, from Barnaul The pair had been on a trip to St Petersburg so that talented artist Alexandra - known as Sasha - could chose a graphic design college. 'We entered the carriage, and a few seconds later there was an explosion,' said Vera. 'I was thrown away from her by the blast. 'When I finally found her, Sasha (Alexandra) showed no sign of life. 'Her hair was burning, mine too. 'I extinguished the flames as well as I could.' 'After a few minutes my granddaughter finally responded,' she told The Siberian Times. 'I closed her eyes with my hands so that she would not see what was happening close by.... I saw how one body was just torn to pieces.' The girl is being treated in hospital, and is expected to need surgery. Lara Gall revealed her daughter Tereza is recovering in hospital after she was wounded in the hip and leg - and had a bomb part embedded in her nose. Tereza Gall who is recovering in hospital 'God saved her,' she said. 'Her right ear drum was torn, and part of the muscle from her hip was ripped out. 'There are lots of micro injuries from tiny particles, and its impossible to remove them, they are too small. 'A woman passenger from the next carriage brought her home, so many thanks to her. 'I don't know how my child got back home with such a wound in her leg, she only said: "I just wanted to get to my mama". 'We called ambulance from home and we were taken to the 26th city hospital. 'The shell part was removed from her hip and she stayed in the hospital, scans are good but the wound can't be patched yet.' But Tereza recovered her sense of humour after the horror. She wrote on Facebook: 'When your boyfriend rushed to see you from Moscow, but your hair is dirty because of the explosion in the metro, part of your forehead was shaved clean, stitches and medicine were applied, also there is a shell part in your nose, your hip lost a piece of meat, you are not allowed to walk, one ear hears nothing - but it is about love, what can we do?' Tereza being wheeled through hospital by her boyfriend who came from Moscow to visit Advertisement

Toys, candles and flowers are placed at a symbolic memorial at Technologicheskiy Institute subway station in St Petersburg, Russia

The suicide bomber's mother arrives in Russia to help police with their investigations

A smoking gun: Akbarzhon Dzalilov poses for a picture (left) and smokes a shisha pipe (right)

People lay flowers at a symbolic memorial at Technologicheskiy Institute subway station in St. Petersburg, Russia

Commuters pay their respects by laying flowers at the scene of the blast in the metro station

Akbarzhon Dzhalilov is said to have been radicalised just two months ago in Kyrgyzstan

A picture posted by the St Petersburg killer on social media showing cards, dice, bullets, two guns and wads of cash

'It is not excluded that in reality he was in Syria or Iraq,' said the newspaper, which added that his trip back to Osh this year was 'probably to say goodbye' to his parents.

'On his way back he did not go to Pulkovo (St Petersburg airport) as usual but to Moscow where he met somebody.

'It could have been the curator of the terrorist group or the real mastermind of the attack in the St Petersburg metro.'

Back in St Petersburg he was on the police radar - but only because he failed to pay traffic fines.

A family friend in Osh said: 'They are very good-minded and quiet family.

'The father used to go to the mosque on Friday, but none of them were ever religious fanatics.'

The bomber skilfully renovated the family home in Osh, making other neighbours jealous at the quality of his work.

Dzhalilov killed 14 when he detonated a bomb

His father worked in the car repair business in St Petersburg and six years ago took Dzhalilov to do the same job.

Recently, the father returned permanently to Kyrgyzstan.

'It is possible that the fact (the son) remained in Russia alone made him vulnerable, he may have come under the influence of recruiters,' said a neighbour.

'But no one knows this for sure.

'The guy had always been very obedient and ready to help.'

The bomber's home in St Petersburg has been searched.

There have been reports of a second bomber of accomplice but no details have emerged so far.

Russian premier Dmitry Medvedev said that while Dzhalilov died in his own blast 'nobody plots such crimes on their own, there are always a lot of abettors'.

He labelled the attackers as 'monsters'.

One victim from the blast remains unidentified, said Svetlana Petrenko, spokeswoman for the Russian Investigative Committee.

'More than 40 eyewitnesses, including passers-by and subway employees have been interviewed,' she said.

'Surveillance camera records have been obtained and are now being carefully studied by experts.'
An American tourist, who survived London's terror attack, broke down in tears as she spoke about the 'love of her life husband' who was killed on the bridge.

In her first interview since the horrific events two weeks, Mellisa Cochran said she bears no grudge against terrorist Khalid Masood - the man who murdered her husband Kurt.

Mrs Cochran, from Utah, has had to learn to walk again in hospital after surgery on her leg and said her family are keeping her strong as she recovers from the loss of her husband and her own physical injuries.

Mrs Cochran said she bears no grudge against the man who killed her husband Kurt

In newly released pictures Melissa Cochran can be seen slowly making her way up the stairs with the aid of two crutches and a nurse as she recovers from her injuries at a London hospital

She told the BBC: 'I'm extremely proud of him and very happy that the world now knows what a wonderful man he was. He would probably hate all the publicity. He was a very private man. He was kind, generous and sweet and the love of my life .

'Fortunately I have a wonderful family and am able to take their strength and recover. Kurt would have wanted me to keep going.

'I don't feel any ill will to him. I can't relate I just know that he didn't have the qualities and beautiful heart my husband had. I feel sorry for him. No hate.'

Mrs Cochran had not been told what had happened to her husband until her family arrived at the hospital.

She said: 'It was after my surgery on my leg. I had come out of recovery and they placed me in a hospital room and my parents had come to visit and were there waiting for me when I came out.

'I asked them to find out what had happened to my husband. Previously no-one could tell me - no-one had any information. My parents came back in the room and both held my hands and said that he didn't make it, which crushed me.

'Fortunately I have a wonderful family so I am able to take their strength and recover. It has been difficult, obviously, but Kurt would have wanted me to keep going and with such a beautiful family that I have it's been okay.'

Mrs Cochran, from Utah, is said to be 'getting stronger every day' and images were also released of her smiling and waving her crutches above her head on Saturday

In a picture taken on Saturday, Mrs Cochran can be seen slowly making her way up the stairs with the aid of two crutches and a nurse as she recovers from her injuries.

A second picture shows her smiling at the bottom of the staircase being hugged by a relative with one of her legs still in a metal brace.

Mrs Cochran, from Utah, is said to be 'getting stronger every day'.

It was the first time she has been seen outside her hospital room since the horrific terror attack in central London, which saw Masood mow down innocent people walking along Westminster Bridge on March 22.

The 46-year-old's husband, Kurt, died on the final day of the couple's European trip to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. He was thrown onto a concrete underpass.

Mrs Cochran spoke to the BBC today - her first interview since the Westminster terror attack

Melissa Cochran, from Utah, is seen smiling and waving her crutches above her head on Saturday. This is the first image of the 46-year-old outside the hospital where she is recovering from her injuries after London's terror attack that left her with a broken leg and widowed

Meanwhile, Melissa Cochran was left with a broken leg and a gashed head. A photograph of her being comforted by a passerby on the sidewalk in the aftermath became one of the defining images of the attack.

Her family has thanked people for the 'outpouring of love and generosity' they have shown for her and her late husband.

On Friday, the first images of the widow were revealed and showed her smiling while standing on crutches with her left leg in a cage after an operation.

Melissa Cochran says she is 'getting stronger every day' after losing her husband Kurt Cochran on March 22, where Khalid Masood mowed down innocent people on Westminster Bridge. She was pictured for the first time since the attack on Friday

She has also thanked people from all around the world for the 'outpouring of love and generosity' they have shown her and Kurt

Shocking: Mrs Cochran was left with a broken leg and rib and a badly cut head after the collision and was comforted on the pavement in one of the defining images of the attack

Much loved: Kurt and Melissa Cochran from Utah were among those run over by Khalid Masood. Kurt died while his wife was rushed to hospital with broken bones and a cut head

In the other she is shown smiling in bed while taking a selfie surrounded by her family and friends.

Her brother Clint Payne said on the family's GoFundMe page: 'Her health is steadily improving and she has been strengthened by the presence of her family. She is so grateful for the outpouring of love and generosity.

'So many people have been so kind, and we are deeply touched by their goodness and generosity.

'The most difficult part of all of this is that Kurt is no longer with us, and we miss him terribly. He was an amazing individual who loved everyone and tried to make the world a better place.'

Members of her family gathered at New Scotland Yard  and just 100 yards from the scene of the carnage  to thank all those who had helped them in recent days.

Family members of American tourist Kurt Cochran, who was killed during the Westminster attack, embrace each other

Clint Payne, Mr Cochran's brother-in-law, appeared with twelve other members of the family at a press conference and said: 'This has been a humbling and difficult experience but we have felt the love of so many people during these past several days. It's been a tender experience for our family to be together with Melissa here.

'Her health is steadily improving and she has been strengthened by the presence of her family. She is so grateful for the outpouring of love and generosity.'

Mr Payne thanked paramedics, medical personnel and all those who had helped them since the attack as it emerged the couple were fulfilling a dream to go sightseeing in London when tragedy struck.

'The most difficult part of all of this is that Kurt is no longer with us and we miss him terribly,' added Mr Payne. 'He was an amazing individual who loved everyone and tried to make the world a better place.'

The family refused to be angry or bitter about the horrific circumstances of Mr Cochran's death, saying they were determined to concentrate on the positives of his life. Pictured, left to right, family member Jason McFarland, Melissa Cochran's sister Sara Payne-McFarland, relatives Jennifer Burton, Angela Stoll and Melissa's parents Sandra Payne and Dimmon Payne

Mr Cochran and his wife had run a recording studio from their Utah home for 10 years - his family say he would had no ill will towards his killers

It emerged that the couple had been visiting Mrs Cochran's parents Sandra and Dimmon who have been working for four months as missionaries at the London Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Kurt and Melissa  also known as 'Missy' - were visiting London and other parts of Europe for the first time after arriving in Britain on March 3 before visiting Scotland, Ireland Belgium, Holland and Germany.

However, members of the family refused to condemn killer Masood or his actions as Clint Payne added: 'There is no ill feeling. We wouldn't bear ill feelings towards anyone and we can draw strength as a family from that.

An inquest has been opened into the death of Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood, who died from a gunshot wound

'Kurt's whole life was an example of focusing on the positive  not pretending that negative things don't exist but not living our life in the negative  that's what we chose to do.'

Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood was killed by a single gunshot wound to the chest, a court heard.

The 52-year-old killer was pronounced dead at 3.35pm  just under an hour after he embarked on his murderous mission on Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament, an inquest into his death was told.

Westminster Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox also took the unusual step of offering her sympathies to Masood's family, 'who are also victims of this incident'.

Coroners Officers Eric Sword told inquest that the terrorist had been identified by 'finger prints and DNA'.

Masood was taken to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, where he was later pronounced dead.

Mr Sword said: 'The cause of death was gun-shot wound to the chest. His time of death was recorded at 15.35.'

Detective Superintendent John Crossley gave the court a summary of the events that left four people dead  Kurt Cochrane, Aysha Frade, Leslie Rhodes and PC Keith Palmer  and over 35 injured.

The Counter Terrorist Bureau detective said: 'On Wednesday 22 March 2017 at approx 2.40pm a male drove a Hyundai motor vehicle, registration EK66 RWO, northbound over Westminster Bridge towards the Houses of Parliament.

'The driver mounted the pavement twice in the an apparently deliberate attempt to target pedestrians, before mounting the pavement for a final time and crashing his vehicle into the east parliament gates of the Houses of Parliament.'

Masood died in St Mary's Hospital after being shot in the chest during the attack last week

The aftermath of the attack in which Masood (top) was shot after stabbing PC Palmer (right)

US tourist Kurt Cochran and mother Aysha Frade died after Masood drove across the bridge

PC Keith Palmer (left) was stabbed beneath Big Ben. Pensioner Leslie Rhodes died the next day

Det Supt Crossley said there were some 140 'significant witnesses' to the carnage out of a potential 1,500 potential witnesses to the 82-second terror attack.

PC Keith Palmer, 48, was stabbed, American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, and Aysha Frade, 44, died from multiple injuries that afternoon and retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, died later in hospital of his injuries.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has launched an investigation into Masood's death and will report directly to senior coroner Dr Wilcox, the court heard.

No member of Masood's family attended the 15-minute hearing at Westminster's Coroners Court but Dr Wilcox offered them her sympathies.

She told the court: 'I take a moment to pass my sympathies to the family o Masood, who are also all victims of this incident.'

The inquest was adjourned until May and will be heard in full at the Royal Courts of Justice.

Earlier in his life, Masood, formerly called Adrian Elms, had lived in Tunbridge Wells, Kent and Rye and Eastbourne, East Sussex, where he picked up a number of convictions for petty crime and violence.

After having two children with a previous partner, he was jailed twice and is understood to have converted to Islam while in prison.

Upon his release, he married a Muslim woman and travelled to Saudi Arabia to teach English.

In the years before his attack, he lived near a number of known radicals in Luton before travelling between homes in east London and Birmingham.

It also emerged today that Masood was, as he claimed on his CV, a graduate, having received a bachelor degree in economic history in the 1990s.
Royal Marines accidentally invaded Spain 15 years ago when they landed on the wrong beach during a training exercise.

The troops were heading to Gibraltar for a training exercise, when they miscalculated the landing point and ended up a mile further up the coast, in Spain.

Lord Alan West was the First Sea Lord at the time and told the BBC about the potentially calamitous incident which was resolved before war was declared.

The troops should have landed on a beach in Gibraltar, but were a mile off course, going instead to the San Felipe beach in La Linea

The Marines should have been landing in Gibraltar, but Lord West, former first Sea Lord, admitted it was 'a bit complicated' with the various jetties and groins in the area

Instead, they ended up on the beach at La Linea de la Concepcion, which is in Spain, and confronted a fisherman who pointed out their mistake

He said: 'It wasn't one of the best days in my time. I had a phone call from the military commander saying, "Sir, I'm afraid something awful's happened."

'I thought, "Goodness me, what?" And he said, "I'm afraid we've invaded Spain, but we don't think they've noticed".'

Lord West told the Today programme: 'They charged up the beach in the normal way and confronted a Spanish fisherman who pointed out "I think you're on the wrong beach".

'And they all scrambled back in their boats and went away and I immediately had to get on the phone to the Foreign Office and the Governor of Gibraltar.'

Sir Alan West, The First Sea Lord, explained it was 'not the best day'

He explained the shape of the northern point was 'a little bit complicated', which is why the troops may have been confused.

'I was teased mercilessly, I had a postcard from the head of the Army and Airforce, that was a postcard of Gibraltar with an arrow pointing "theirs" and another "ours" so it was not a good day.'

Lord West confirmed there were no plans to invade Spain, but there are plans in case there is any further incursion of the waters around Gibraltar.

The revelation comes as Spain was ordered to leave Gibraltar's waters on Tuesday, with the Spanish Government denying an illegal incursion.

Disputes between Gibraltar and Spain over the waters are frequent but the latest comes days after the territory of some 33,000 people took centre stage in the wrangling over Britain's exit from the European Union, which was triggered on March 29.

Spain has long sought to regain control of the strategic territory since ceding its control to Britain in 1713.

It currently runs as a British Overseas Territory and its citizens run their own affairs with a chief minister. They voted 96 per cent to remain in the EU in the referendum.

Royal Marines carry out a training invasion on Browndown, Lee-on-Solent Beach in Hampshire

Spanish attacks were a common occurrence in the late 1700s, and to this day, there are some issues with the seas around Gibraltar, cited by Lord West.

The most recent vote on Gibraltar's future happened in 2002, where nearly 99 per cent of citizens voted against a shared sovereignty with Spain.

The Rock may have some difficulties in coming months during Brexit negotiations, as some jobs rely on the border being open between the British territory and the mainland of Spain.
A billionaire New York developer performed a lewd stand-up routine outside a divorce court after offering to give his estranged wife $1billion, a sum she has so far turned down.

Harry Macklowe, 79, is leaving his wife of 58 years Linda, 78, to move in with his 62-year-old museum president fiancee Patricia Landeau.

The real estate mogul seemed unconcerned about losing half his fortune as he cracked a series of 'take-my-wife-please' style jokes - including one about a vibrator - outside a Manhattan civil courtroom yesterday.

Harry Macklowe (left), 79, cracked a joke about a vibrator outside a divorce court after offering his wife Linda one billion dollars so he could get remarried to his fiance Patricia Landeau (pictured together, right)

The real estate mogul seemed unconcerned about losing half his fortune as he cracked a series of 'take-my-wife-please' style jokes on Tuesday (pictured with Linda in 2014)

He discussed handing his wife half his fortune so that she will sign legal papers - although so far she has not agreed, according to Page Six.

'As soon as this divorce is over, I'm getting remarried,' he said after the hearing.

Macklowe shocked reporters by launching into a joke about a husband pleasuring his wife with a vibrator for 30 years.

In the gag, the wife realises he has been using a sex toy and says 'I knew it, you jerk, explain the vibrator!' to which he replies: 'Explain the kids!'

Macklowe - who is developing the world's tallest residential building - also complained that his estranged wife Linda never laughed at his witticisms.

He also moaned about her refusing his $1billion offer and served him with divorce papers in London last year.

Harry (left with his estranged wife Linda Macklowe) is engaged in a bitter divorce after the real estate mogul told his wife of 57 years he was leaving her for girlfriend Patricia Landeau (right)

Now Harry and Linda Macklowe, who do not have a prenup, are 'going to fight over everything,' a source said.

The source compared the divorce to the 1989 movie 'The War of the Roses,' which stars Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner as a wealthy couple fighting over their possessions.

The couple's separation battle began when 78-year-old Harry went public with Landeau, who is president of the French Friends of the Israel Museum.

One source said that the couple's marriage began to fall apart when Harry was forced to sell his General Motors Building in 2008 to get out from a $7 billion debt.

Landeau (pictured) is the president of the French Friends of the Israel Museum. She and Macklowe reportedly met at a museum event

Macklowe is currently developing 432 Park Ave, the tallest residential building in the world (pictured)

Harry had been keeping Landeau in an apartment complex he owns on 737 Park Avenue.

Harry, who developed the Apple store on Fifth Avenue, is now spearheading development of the tallest residential building in the world, 432 Park Avenue.

He and his soon-to-be ex-wife were donors to the Israel Museum, where his new girlfriend is president, and were regular attendees of the museum's New York City gala.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has met a furious backlash after defending adultery by a powerful political ally.

Duterte said that like himself, House of Representatives Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez - who has made public his extramarital affairs - had 'many wives'.

Describing it as a 'non-issue', the President said in a speech on Tuesday night: 'This is a world of hypocrisy. Who among you here does not have a mistress?'

But the comments drew sharp rebukes in the conservative and mainly Catholic nation that remains the last holdout against divorce - apart from the Vatican itself.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, 72, whose first marriage was annulled and who is in a long-term relationship with another woman, has openly boasted about having mistresses and using Viagra to have sex with them

'All of it is sexist and misogynistic to explain improper behaviour simply by virtue of being male,' Senator Risa Hontiveros said.

'It sends a message that undermines the many struggles and gains so far for women's rights and gender equality.'

Alvarez, the country's fourth-highest official, is an old friend and political ally of Duterte.

The politician made headlines in the past week when he publicly admitted having sired eight children, six of them with two women other than his wife.

Duterte, in the televised speech to government employees in Manila, admitted his comments defending Alvarez's affairs were 'a chauvinist statement'.

'But really there are so many women and you (have) so short a time in this world. My God!' he said in comments that drew laughter from the crowd.

'The thing there is that you're able to support the children. That's it.'

House of Representatives Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez (far right), has made public his extramarital affairs

The President (pictured here meeting International Trade Secretary Liam Fox) said: 'This is a world of hypocrisy. Who among you does not have a mistress?'

Duterte said that unlike married Christian Filipinos who are allowed a single wife, Alvarez 'never converted to Christianity. So he is not bound by the rules of the number of women that you can have.'

Filipino critics dispute his comments, saying that while Muslim men are allowed to marry more than once, adultery is a criminal offence.

'All of it is sexist and misogynistic to explain improper behaviour simply by virtue of being male,' said Senator Risa Hontiveros (pictured)

Duterte, 72, whose first marriage was annulled and who is in a long-term relationship with another woman, has openly boasted about having mistresses and using Viagra to have sex with them.

'Who isn't entitled to happiness? Ask these lawmakers, how many of them have two, three or four mistresses? Ask them,' Duterte said on Sunday in his first public comments on the Alvarez controversy.

Duterte's defence of adultery smacks of a double standard, said Elizabeth Angsioco, national chairwoman of the Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines.

'These are men in positions of power so it's unacceptable and appalling that they just speak lightly of these things. It's very dangerous,' Angsioco added.

Duterte was elected by a landslide last year largely on a promise to kill tens of thousands of drug dealers and other criminals.

During the election campaign, the US and Australian ambassadors criticised Duterte for saying he had wanted to rape a 'beautiful' Australian missionary who was murdered in a 1989 provincial prison riot in the city where Duterte was mayor.

He reacted angrily to that criticism, saying his remarks had been misinterpreted.
A widower who lost his wife to cancer was accused of being a paedophile by Travelodge staff because he booked a double room for him and his daughter.

Craig Darwell, 46, was taking Millie, 13, to visit Thorpe Park and was forced to book the double room in Chertsey, Surrey, because there were no others available.

But when he checked in, suspicious staff demanded that he show them his daughter's ID.

Mr Darwell, who lost his wife to leukaemia when Millie was just four, explained that he did not have ID for his daughter and instead showed staff pictures of them together when she was a baby.

But even after seeing them, staff called the police and he and his daughter were forced into separate rooms and interviewed by a police officer.

Craig Darwell, 46, had taken 13-year-old Millie away for a couple of days to visit Thorpe Park and was accused of being a paedophile by staff at the Travelodge

The staff member at Chertsey Travelodge (pictured) had called the police, who then arrived at the budget hotel to investigate the claims

Mr Darwell, who felt 'knotted inside' after the accusation, said his daughter was 'distraught' and refused to leave the room after the ordeal.

'My little girl was in her room crying her eyes out when we were supposed to be going out for tea for a special weekend,' he told MailOnline.

He added: 'I lost my wife nearly ten years ago and I've done everything for her on my own ever since and this has never happened before.

'But if her mum was still around and she had been there with her and not me, this would never have happened.'

A manager asked him to prove that he was Millie's father (pictured together) by showing him her ID, claiming it was 'company policy', which Mr Darwell questioned

Mr Darwell, a self-employed car dealer from near Leeds, booked the hotel and tickets to Thorpe Park as a Christmas present for his 'thrill-seeker' daughter.

He booked the hotel in January and was told that all that was available was a double room so booked it, but was not told he would need to prove he was her father.

He claims that he left his daughter in reception while he parked his car after checking in, then faced the awkward questions on his return.

Taken aback, he showed the manager his customised phone cover, plastered with pictures of him and his daughter together.

He also showed him a touching Facebook post written about his daughter on her birthday, which read: 'Can't believe I have a teenager! Happy 13th birthday to my daughter Amelia Rose Darwell...Millie.... Been a struggle over the years and still is but I am proud to have seen you blossom into a wonderful little lady.'

Mr Darwell showed the manager touching Facebook post written about his daughter on her birthday, which includes a picture of her as a baby

Other staff looked uncomfortable and guests started watching, as Mr Darwell was told that the inquisition was 'company policy', he claims.

He was then given his key and went upstairs but was so shaken that he went back down to complain.

'If that really was company policy, then they should have told me and I could have brought her passport or something like that.

Ive been on my own for nearly ten years and I've never had anything like that before.

'I said I wanted to see the guidelines but he said it was internal, then smirked and said "and by the way, Ive called the police.

'A WPC arrived and she worked out in about two seconds what had happened. She was very nice but said she had to question me because the complaint had been made.

The father-of-one returned downstairs to complain about the way he had been treated and the manager informed him he had called the police, who questioned both him and his daughter

'The worst part was that she then had to go upstairs and question Millie on whether or not I was her dad. She was absolutely distraught.

'There was another member of staff who said he hadn't been there for long. Even he said I had been treated disgustingly.

The police officer said that he had obviously been on a training course and put two and two together and got ten.'

Mr Darwell complained and says that the company are now falsely claiming that he tried to pay by cash in order to justify their suspicion.

Millie, 13, was in floods of tears after the ordeal and refused to leave the room

'They say I insisted on paying cash when I arrived but its rubbish. I had already paid by credit card before I even arrived,' he added.

Travelodge say they are investigating the incident and have apologised to Mr Darwell, who said the ordeal totally 'ruined' the weekend.



The same thing happened to author and broadcaster Will Self, who was stopped by police while out walking with his 11-year-old son.

A security guard had called the police after seeing Self, who was 51 at the time, walking with the boy on a rambling holiday in Yorkshire.

'No Englishman enjoying a ramble with his son should face examination by police at the roadside on suspicion of being a sexual predator,' he said at the time.

Mr Darwell, from Leeds, said that in nearly ten years of taking his daughter to events and on outings alone since his wife died, this has never happened before.

The staff member told him it was 'company policy' to make such inquiries and made him go on Facebook to reveal messages between them, Mr Darwell claims.

A spokesman for Travelodge said: 'We take our responsibilities towards protecting children and vulnerable young people extremely seriously.

Despite what happened, Mr Darwell said that he and his daughter did eventually have an enjoyable weekend, staying at the Thorpe Park hotel the next night

'Our colleagues are trained based on current national guidelines from the NSPCC, the police and other agencies and in the past, hotel team actions have led to successful intervention to protect young people.

'Clearly fine judgements have to be made and we deeply regret any distress or inconvenience caused to Mr Darwell on this occasion.

'We are undertaking a full investigation into the circumstances and will take careful note of any lessons learned in due course, including additional training where appropriate.

'In the meantime, we would like to apologise to Mr Darwell for the situation he encountered and we will be making further contact with him as our investigation continues.'

Surrey Police said: 'We were called by a member of staff at the Travelodge on Guildford Street in Chertsey on Thursday, 30 March just after 8pm following a concern for safety.

Mr Darwell, who lost his wife Sarah to leukaemia when Millie was four, had been taking his daughter to Thorpe Park (pictured)

'Officers attended and made no arrests, no further enquiries will take place. Hotels, taxi companies and other licensed premises have recently been equipped with the right knowledge to identify children who could be at risk of exploitation under Operation Makesafe.'

Ray Barry, leader of Equal Parenting Alliance, said: 'If it is company policy, it is outrageous that someone should question a father and suggest that he is up to no good when taking out his daughter.

'These attitudes are at least 100 years out of date and must be challenged, we cannot just accept it or it will never change.

'Although often it is simply the prejudices of one person who uses guidelines to justify their own outdated attitudes.

'There is this presumption that a man with a female child might be up to no good and it doesnt work the other way.

'These attitudes are out of date and increasingly fathers are becoming more involved parents.'
A burglar who stole a chimpanzee wearing a top hat amid a 100,000 haul of stuffed animals has been spared jail.

Jason Hopwood, 47, swiped the exotic statues, which included a lion, crocodile, sloth, rhino, and zebra, from a taxidermy warehouse at the Wimbledon Stadium Business Centre, in south London.

Hopwood, from Romford in east London, admitted his role in the raid but was handed just a 21-month suspended sentence and ordered to carry out 200 hours community service, at Kingston Crown Court.

Pictured: The stuffed exotic animals stolen by Jason Hopwood and a gang of thieves from a taxidermy warehouse in Wimbledon, south London

Along with a gang of thieves, Hopwood broke into the warehouse with angle grinders and forced his way in.

The crew then loaded the items, which included antiques and 18 stuffed animals, into a van with fake plates and fled the scene.

The vehicle was later found abandoned, with the stolen animals left inside, in Essex with Hopwood identified as the owner.

Pictured: Among the haul from the raid was 18 stuffed animals and antiques with a total value of around 100,000

Police discovered the vehicle had sticky patches where false plates were believed to have been attached.

Hopwood told detectives that he had the sold the van and denied any knowledge of the burglary, but officers found a parking ticket given out on the day of the crime.

Hopwood admitted his role in the raid and was handed a 21-month suspended sentence

It was issued outside Hopwood's home address to the fake number plate.

DC Stuart Goss, from Wandsworth CID, said: 'This was a complex and challenging case and I was helped by colleagues across the MPS and Essex Police.

'I would also like to thank the media, as I am sure reporting of our appeal forced the criminals to abandon the stolen goods.

'This was not a random crime, this was a criminal enterprise and Hopwood was well equipped and well prepared.

'I am very proud to have been able to reunite the victim with these valuable animals and bring Hopwood before the courts.

'Cataloguing and exhibiting the stolen items was a truly unique and memorable experience, and this is certainly an investigation which will stay with me for years to come.'
EU chief Guy Verhofstadt dismissed Brexit as a 'stupid Tory catfight' today as he predicted we will eventually slink back into the Brussels club.

The European Parliament's chief negotiator delivered the snub to the historic referendum outcome as MEPs endorsed his hard line in the looming talks.

Giving their first response since Theresa May triggered Article 50 last week during a debate in Strasbourg, politicians queued up to make clear the UK must submit to a potentially huge divorce payment before a trade deal can be done, and insisted there will be no 'cherry picking'.

But Nigel Farage lashed back during the fiery debate accusing MEPs of behaving like the 'mafia'.

Guy Verhofstadt said the Brussels club transformed Britain from the 'sick man' of Europe into a thriving economy

Delivering its first response since Theresa May triggered Article 50 last week, The European Parliament insisted UK will have to submit to a potentially huge divorce payment before a trade deal can be done

Despite efforts by Ukip MEPs to water it down, the tough negotiating stance was comfortably passed by 560 votes to 133.

Mr Verhofstadt said the Brussels club had transformed Britain from the 'sick man' of Europe into a thriving economy.

'There will be, one day or another, a young man or woman who will try again, who will lead Britain again into the European family once again, and a young generation that will see Brexit for what it really is - a cat-fight in the Conservative Party that got out of hand, a loss of time, a waste of energy and a stupidity," the former Belgian prime minister said.

He added: 'Lets not forget: Britain entered the union as the sick man of Europe and - thanks to the single market - came out of the other side.

'Europe made Britain also punch above its weight in terms of geopolitics, as in the heydays of the British empire.

'And we from our side must pay tribute to Britains immense contributions: a staunch, unmatched defender of free markets and civil liberties. Thank you for that. As a liberal, I tell you, I will miss that.'

THE EU PARLIAMENT'S KEY DEMANDS FOR BREXIT TALKS There must be no discrimination against EU citizens in the UK before Britain officially quits. The principles of the divorce settlement must be agreed before talks can begin on a future trade deal. Future security relationships cannot be linked to economic ties. The UK must not be allowed to 'cherry pick' EU benefits such as good access to the single market or customs union. The Northern Irish peace process must continue and no hard border with the Irish Republic established. Advertisement

MEPs can effectively veto any Brexit deal as they will vote on it after national leaders have given assent.

Manfred Weber, chairman of the powerful EPP group and a close ally of Angela Merkel, set the tone for the debate in Strasbourg today by criticising how long the UK had taken to trigger Article 50.

'It took nine months to write a letter of six pages,' he said.

Mr Weber made clear there could be no compromise on the schedule for the talks - despite Theresa May's call for the divorce settlement and trade talks to take place in parallel.

'First the divorce, then the future treaty,' he said. 'I fear London thinks that we find a perfect deal and that means we take the positive points and we leave the negative points... cherry picking will not happen.'

Mr Weber said there could be no doubt that the UK 'will be excluded' from key decisions in the bloc.

'The UK is walking out of all these decisions. The UK has to accept the fact that there will be a tough negotiation position on the EU side,' he said.

Mr Farage was rebuked by the chair after comparing the behaviour of the bloc to the 'mafia'

Despite the intense clashes during the debate, Nigel Farage and EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker still managed to share a laugh

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier insisted failure to reach a deal would be more damaging for the UK.

'No deal would have very serious consequences, first and foremost for the United Kingdom, but also for the European Union,' he said.

'The "no deal" scenario is not the scenario we are looking for. We are looking for success - success not against the United Kingdom, but with the United Kingdom.'

Mr Farage sparked howls of protest and a rebuke from the chair by accusing the bloc of behaving like the 'mafia' - before changing it to 'gangsters' in recognition of 'national sensitivities'.

'Im sorry to say that the response to the triggering of article 50 has been all too predictable,' he said.

'Already you have made a series of demands that are not just unreasonable but, in some cases, clearly impossible for Britain to comply with.

'You began by telling us that we have to pay a bill, a cool 52billion, a figure that has clearly been plucked out of the air, effectively a form of ransom demand.

'You are behaving like the mafia. You think we are a hostage. We are not. We are free to go.'

He added: 'You have shown yourself with these demands that you are vindictive and nasty. All I can say is thank goodness we are leaving.'

The resolution insists Britain must meet all its financial obligations to the bloc, which some estimates have put as high as 56 billion.

It also makes clear there can no trade-off between security and the future economic relationship between the EU and UK.

No cherry-picking of EU membership will be allowed, according to the resolution, with access to the single market only permitted if the UK accepts free movement of workers.

The Northern Irish peace process must continue and no hard border with the Irish Republic established, according to the resolution.

The resolution also insists that any deal on future EU-UK trade arrangements be delayed until after Britain's withdrawal, and for a transitional period to a new trade deal to last no more than three years after the expected date of Brexit in 2019.

Manfred Weber, chairman of the powerful EPP group and a close ally of Angela Merkel, set the tone for the debate today by criticising how long the UK had taken to trigger Article 50

Mr Farage was clearly enjoying himself as he taunted his fellow MEPs over Brexit

The resolution suggests Britain could be offered 'association' status similar to that enjoyed by Ukraine, and rules out the UK engaging in any trade deals with third countries ahead of withdrawal, or conducting talks with EU states on a bilateral basis.

The session comes after Prime Minister Theresa May said curbs on freedom of movement would not come into force straight after Britain has quit the European Union.

Speaking during a trip to Saudi Arabia, Mrs May said there would be an 'implementation' phase once a deal had been struck, with business and governments needing a 'period of time' to adjust to the new rules.

'In terms of the deal that we negotiate and the arrangements that will come there, what we have talked about, you've used the phrase transitional phase; I have used the phrase implementation period,' Mrs May said.

'If you think about it, once we've got the deal, once we've agreed what the new relationship will be for the future, it will be necessary for there to be a period of time when businesses and governments are adjusting systems and so forth, depending on the nature of the deal - but a period of time when that deal will be implemented.
KFC is rolling out a home delivery service in New Zealand in a trial with NZ post that could prove a recipe for success.

NZ Post couriers will get behind the wheel to deliver the chicken chain in a bid to counter the dwindling revenue of the letter business.

Under the pilot scheme launched this week in the North Island town of Tauranga, KFC customers can order though the KFC website and have their food delivered by NZ Post drivers.

KFC is rolling out an inaugural home-delivery service in a partnership with NZ post in New Zealand

It's unclear during what exact hours the delivery is available, but the KFC stores in the Tauranga are open from 10am to 10pm.

KFC operator Restaurant Brands NZ said that while it knew how to produce food, it had no experience in logistics, making the postal service a natural fit.

'NZ Post has an extensive delivery distribution network around New Zealand, and KFC is available in most towns nationwide,' chief executive Ian Letele said.

'With the support of NZ Post, we hope to service the home delivery needs of many more KFC customers throughout New Zealand.'

While it's a first for KFC in the New Zealand, it's common to see KFC being delivered in China, Egypt, Malaysia and other countries around the world.

New Zealand Post has struggled in the digital age as email and texts have replaced traditional 'snail mail'.

Under the pilot scheme launched this week in the North Island town of Tauranga, KFC customers can order online and have their food delivered by NZ Post drivers

The state-owned service slashed 2,000 jobs, or 20 percent of its workforce in 2013, and two years later moved to three-day-a-week deliveries, down from six.

It said in its last financial statement that the fall in letter deliveries meant it was losing up to NZ$30 million ($21 million) a year in revenue.

However, it said parcel volumes were up due to rising online orders and NZ Post was concentrating on capturing more e-commerce business.

NZ Post's head of innovation Mike Stewart said the postal service was excited to be working with such a well-known brand as KFC.

'Our many years' experience, and growing strength in on-demand delivery makes us the ideal provider,' he said.
Margaret McDonnell pictured outside Dublin Circuit Criminal Court

A single mother went on a 'massive spending spree' after 43,7000 was accidentally deposited into her bank account.

For two weeks, Margaret McDonnell ate out every night, took her friends and family out and lavished them with gifts, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

When she was arrested, the court heard the 23-year-old said she knew she had done something wrong, but told police she 'just went on a high'.

She added: 'It was in my account so as far as I was concerned, it was mine.

'Any young girl on social welfare like me would have done what I did.'

McDonnell of Rathvilly Park, Finglas, Dublin, pleaded guilty to 13 counts of theft of cash from Bank of Ireland on dates between March 7 and 16, 2013.

A total of 21,419 (24,946) was taken. But she will only have to pay back 800 of the 21,400 she spent.

The court heard McDonnell bought items including bedclothes, clothes and shoes, two crystal vases and a 'crystal mushroom lamp'.

Detective Garda Karl Smith said she had 'flittered the money away' and had nothing to show for it.

McDonnell spent the money in shops including Tesco, Lifestyle Sports, Shoe Rack and New Look.

She was sent a letter by her bank which she ignored, the court heard.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court (pictured) heard McDonnell bought items including bedclothes, clothes and shoes, two crystal vases and a 'crystal mushroom lamp'

McDonnell, 23, was ordered to pay 800 (1,000) back to the bank within 18 months and do 150 hours of community service

Her defence told the court McDonnell was in receipt of a 214 (250) lone-parent allowance each week and could only afford to pay 12 (15) out of this to make up the stolen money.

The court heard that a customer was given the wrong IBAN code to transfer 44,483 (51,808) between two accounts.

This led to McDonnell's account getting the money.

Judge Cormac Quinn suspended a sentence of 18 months on condition that McDonnell, 23, pay 800 (1,000) back to the bank within 18 months.

He also ordered her to do 150 hours of community service.
This is the dramatic moment a brick thrown by yobs shattered a bus window just inches away from a nine-month-old baby sleeping in a pram.

Police said the horrifying incident in Sheldon, Birmingham - which happened in broad daylight - could have been 'a lot worse' and are appealing for witnesses.

The mother can be seen obliviously sitting on the bus with no idea of the imminent danger facing her child in video of the incident released by police.

The woman, pictured right, looks shocked as the glass beside her shatters on the bus

She quickly stands up and takes her baby, pictured in the pram, to safety after the terrifying broad daylight incident

Police have said the incident could have been 'a lot worse' after the baby and mother, pictured, escaped uninjured

Three people police are looking to identify in connection with the brick attack

Suddenly the yobs throw a stone at the window smashing it to pieces - but fortunately it does not shatter meaning the infant is protected from falling glass.

The horrified woman quickly rushes to protect the baby with the help of other shocked passengers.

It took place on the X1 bus on the Coventry road in Sheldon between 3.35pm and 3.45pm on Sunday 29th January this year.

PC Shaun Hickinbottom of West Midlands Police said: 'Although no one was hurt, a nine-month-old baby narrowly escaped injury'

The incident, pictured, took place on the X1 bus on the Coventry road in Sheldon between 3.35pm and 3.45pm on Sunday 29th January this year

West Midlands Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident, pictured

PC Shaun Hickinbottom of West Midlands Police said: 'Although no one was hurt, a nine-month-old baby narrowly escaped injury and it is clear that this incident could have been a lot worse.

'We are currently appealing for anyone who recognises these three people to get in touch.'

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Shaun Hickinbottom on 101 extension 803 6275 or s.hickinbottom@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk and quote crime reference number 20BE/20478D/17.
A smuggler posing as a Delta pilot tried to sneak $85,000 worth of cocaine through JFK airport.

Mario Hudson, a Jamaican citizen, was dressed in what appeared to be a pilot's uniform and claimed he was a 'dead-heading crew member.'

But during baggage inspection, Customs and Border Protection officers discovered he had a bag with fake Delta Airlines tags when he arrived at the airport on March 27.

He also had fake ID badges.

Mario Hudson, a Jamaican citizen, tried to smuggle cocaine through New York's JFK Airport while posing as a pilot for Delta airlines

When inspectors checked the bag they discovered five pounds of cocaine inside. TSA agents got suspicious when they noticed the bag was 'unusually thick and heavy'

When officers checked the luggage they noticed the sides and bottom appeared to be 'unusually thick and heavy.'

Mr Hudson was taken to a private search room where five pounds of cocaine - with an estimated street value of $85,000 - were found inside.

Mr Hudson now faces federal drug smuggling charges and has been turned over to Homeland Security investigators.

Leon Hayward, acting director of Field Operations in New York for CBP, said: 'This seizure demonstrates the vigilance and dedication demonstrated daily by CBP officers at JFK, in keeping these prohibited and dangerous narcotics off the streets of our communities.'

A deadheading pilot is one re-positioning as part of an on-duty assignment.

MailOnline have contacted Delta Airlines for comment.
Transgender women across Thailand, who are often known in the country as 'ladyboys', are being forced to attend conscription events for the nation's army despite not identifying as men.

Thailand requires every man over 21 years old attend a 'lottery' day where they must enlist in the military for two years.

Trans women can get exemption certificates, but must still attend the draft day with approximately 100,000 men because Thai law does not allow people to change their gender on their ID documents.

Transgender women across Thailand are being forced to attend conscription events for the nation's army because their IDs still say they are biologically male

Thailand requires every man over 21 years old attend a 'lottery' day where they must enlist in the military for two years

Unless trans women can provide an exemption certificate, they must attend the event because Thai law does not allow people to change their gender on their ID documents

Forcing them to partake has caused embarrassment and stress for many Thai trans women and caused outcry from LGBT communities, Khaosodenglish.com reports.

Among the recruits was Patra Wirunthanakij, the former Miss Mimosa Queen of Thailand, a contest only open to trans women

After a years-long battle, the Administrative Court ordered that biological sex doesn't have to match his or her gender so trans draftees could be exempt from conscription.

Still, trans women must present their exemption documents on the day of the draft to prove they are ineligible.

Among the recruits was Patra Wirunthanakij, better known as Nadia. She is the former Miss Mimosa Queen of Thailand, a contest only open to trans women.

In Thai culture, trans women are often known as 'Katoeys', controversially known in western culture as 'ladyboys'.

Also among the recruits was Rusanan Reuanmoon, who told Thai Visa: 'I don't want to be a soldier. I want to be a woman. I'm not 100 per cent yet as I haven't had my extra bits removed'.

Wisanu Nuanjan, from the Wangthong sub-district of Phrae, added: 'I work in Chiang Mai. I haven't switched over entirely yet.

After a years-long battle, the Administrative Court ordered that biological sex doesn't have to match his or her gender so trans draftees could be exempt from conscription

At draft days across the country, which are held each year in April, trans women line up with men for hours and find out their fate

Ahead of draft day this year, members of the government, media and LGBT community gathered to discuss guidelines for transgender recruits, saying the process is often 'stressful' as the media turns their attendance into a joke

'I have been in many beauty contests and I always come in first. I was scared of being a soldier  it is great not to be chosen'.

At draft days across the country, which are held each year in April, men and trans women line up for hours and find out their fate.

Photos from Phayao, Phrae and Korat showed hundreds of Thai citizens lining up as part of the process this year.

In Phrae, eight trans women who attended the conscription avoided selection by military officials. Of 500 attendees at the draft day event, only 60 men were chosen.

Thailand is often considered the trans capital of the world, with more gender reassignment surgeries than any other country.

Ahead of draft day this year, members of the government, media and LGBT community gathered to discuss guidelines for transgender recruits, saying the process is often 'stressful' as the media turns their attendance into a joke.

'Many in the Thai media still portray such news in a humorous way,' Ronnapoom Samakkeekarom of the Transgender Alliance for Human Rights said. 'Some of them even cause more stress to transgender recruits.'
It's $22 under list price. Buy Now at Amazon
Boris Johnson insisted Bashar Assad's reign 'can't go on' today as he made clear 'all the evidence' points to the Syrian regime being behind a chemical weapons strike which killed dozens of civilians.

The Foreign Secretary said he had seen 'absolutely nothing to suggest' the attack was carried out by anyone else.

The comments came ahead of an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting called by the UK and France to discuss the atrocity in Idlib province.

Downing Street has already dismissed the prospect of a military response to the deadly incident - saying the government will work through international institutions.

The Foreign Secretary, pictured with Liechtenstein counterpart Aurelia Frick, said Assad 'cannot go on'

Volunteers from the Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, tried to extract survivors from the rubble following reported air-strikes on the rebel-held town of Saqba

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says more than 70 people died in the attack, including 20 children.

Witnesses have claimed the strike was conducted by jets operated by the Russian and Syrian governments.

But the Syrian regime has 'categorically rejected' responsibility, instead blaming rebels and accusing them of making it up to frame the regime.

Russia said the town of Khan Sheikhoun was exposed to chemicals after a rebel arsenal was hit by a Syrian air strike.

Arriving for a major aid-pledging conference for Syria in Brussels this morning, Mr Johnson told reporters: 'I've seen absolutely nothing to suggest, or rather to lead us to think, that it's anything but the regime.

'All the evidence I have - and there may be more to come out of this - all the evidence I've seen suggests that this was the Assad regime who did it in the full knowledge that they were using illegal weapons in a barbaric attack on their own people.'

Mr Johnson added: 'You cannot go on with a regime that's willing to use illegal weapons against its own people, a regime that's killed hundreds of thousands of its own people.

'What's needed now is a political process to get rid of that regime and give the people of Syria a chance.'

Mr Johnson said he would like to see 'those culpable pay a price', adding: 'I think what it confirms to everybody is that this is a barbaric regime that has made it impossible for us to imagine them continuing to be in authority over the people of Syria after this conflict is over.'

He added: 'We need to wait and see exactly what has happened. If this is confirmed to have been another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime, with or without the complicity of the Russians.

Volunteers attempted to pull survivors from the rubble after the airstrike on the town

At least 11 of the 100 people who died in the chemical attack were children. Doctors treating victims at makeshift hospitals in the area say dozens of victims from Khan Sheikhoun are showing signs of sarin poisoning

'I think what it shows is that this is a government that has absolutely no compassion for its own people that has put itself beyond the pale.'

Addressing the conference later Mr Johnson said: 'As we sit here in Brussels it is still the case that the regime is preventing the UN from delivering aid to millions of Syrians - besieging over 475,000 people with the aim of starving them into submission.

'Together we should make clear our abhorrence of the regime's tactic of starve or surrender. We must remind all sides of their obligations contained in numerous UN resolutions to allow aid to reach all who need it wherever they may be.

'The people of Syria are today paying a price for our collective inaction over the last five years and decisions we took.

'We cannot now undo those mistakes but we can and we must work together to alleviate their suffering. To help Syria's neighbours and prepare Syria for the moment when peace finally returns.'

US President Donald Trump also blamed the Assad regime, saying the attack was 'reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilised world'.

His Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said it was 'clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism'.

He added: 'Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions. Anyone who uses chemical weapons to attack his own people shows a fundamental disregard for human decency and must be held accountable.'

Matthew Rycroft, the UK's ambassador to the UN, told reporters in New York that the attack was 'very bad news for peace in Syria'.

He said: 'This is clearly a war crime and I call on the Security Council members who have previously used their vetoes to defend the indefensible to change their course.

'We need to wait for the full investigation to take place, but, as I said, this bears all the hallmarks of a regime attack.

'It is only the regime that have the necessary equipment to deliver an attack like this and I've seen the same reports that you have about what the weapon might have been.'

However, Downing Street aides travelling with Mrs May on her trip to the Middle East played down the idea of a military response, saying 'nobody is talking about that'.

A No10 source told reporters: 'We hope that everybody will condemn what has happened and that there will be agreement that those responsible should be brought to justice.

'There's a UN resolution this afternoon. The Prime Minister ... made a very strong statement condemning this attack, and Britain has brought forward a UN Security Council resolution that will be debated this afternoon.'
Advertisement

The faces of the innocent victims of a chemical gas attack in northern Syria have been revealed after a father asked for photos of his twin children who died in the massacre to be shared.

Devastated Abdul Hamid Youssef was pictured cradling the bodies of his dead toddler-aged twins, Ahmed and Aiya, after they were killed during the chemical 'sarin gas' attack in Khan Sheikhoun, in the rebel-held central province of Idlib, Syria.

Youssef, who lost 20 members of his family including his wife in Tuesday's attack and is believed to be seriously ill himself, also shared images of his children, a boy and a girl, playing together before they were killed in the war-ravaged town.

It has been reported he is now very sick himself in hospital, suffering from chemical exposure.

Up to 100 people, including 20 children and 17 women, are dead following the chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun.

The latest official death toll being reported as 72, according to the UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Renewed air strikes hit Khan Sheikhoun on Wednesday, as cities around Syria were affected by raids.

A devastated father has been pictured cradling the bodies of his dead twins after they were killed during the chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun, in the rebel-held central province of Idlib, Syria

The man, who has not been named, was seen sitting on the ground as he hugged his young children following Tuesday's attack. Renewed air strikes hit Khan Sheikhoun on Wednesday. No casualties were reported because the area had been evacuated following Tuesday's attack

The children, pictured above, were among the 72 reported dead after Tuesday's chemical attack, which is believed to have been caused by the nerve agent sarin

Air strikes hit Douma, Kafr Batna and Saqba, a town in the Eastern Ghouta Region of Damascus, Syria, on Tuesday and Wednesday. A strike in Saqba killed four people, including two children, and injured ten others.

No casualties were reported following air strikes in Khan Sheikhoun on Wednesday because the area had been evacuated following Tuesday's attack.

'An unacceptable massacre': World leaders condemn chemical attack Pope Francis has called the suspected chemical weapons attack 'an unacceptable massacre'. The pope said Wednesday that he was 'watching with horror at the latest events in Syria', and said he 'strongly deplored the unacceptable massacre.' French President Francois Hollande accused Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad of responsibility for the 'massacre'. 'Those who support this regime can once again reflect on the enormity of their political, strategic and moral responsibility,' he said. EU Council president Donald Tusk said the attack is 'another reminder of the brutality' of Syria's regime and the perpetrators must be held accountable. Tusk said the Syrian regime bears 'the primary responsibility for the atrocities,' but also blamed supporters of Assad's government who share the 'moral and political responsibility.' German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday branded the deadly suspected chemical attack in Syria a 'war crime' and demanded Russia and Iran put pressure on President Assad. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri says people should not be shocked by the chemical attack because the international community is allowing such acts to happen. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that the use of chemical weapons is 'illegal and abhorrent.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the world must act to rid Syria of chemical weapons. President Donald Trump denounced the chemical attack, blaming it on Assad but staying coy about how, if at all, the US may respond. Trump split the blame between Syria's embattled leader and former Obama. While calling the attack 'reprehensible' and intolerable, Trump reserved some of his harshest critique for his predecessor, who he said 'did nothing' after Assad in 2013 crossed Obama's own 'red line.' 'These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution,' Trump said. On Wednesday he condemned the attack as 'horrible' and 'unspeakable'. Speaking as he hosted Jordan's King Abdullah in the Oval Office, the US leader described Tuesday's strike as 'a terrible affront to humanity.' Asked whether the attack could trigger a change of policy on the Syrian conflict, Trump replied: 'We'll see.' Advertisement

Russia's defense ministry said on Wednesday that the poisonous gas contamination was the result of gas leaking from a rebel chemical weapons depot after it was hit by Syrian government air strikes.

The United States has blamed the administration of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the attack, while British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also suggested the attack was caused by the Assad regime.

A team of rescuers is still finding survivors from the chemical attack, including two women and a boy who were found hiding in an underground shelter beneath their home.

The UN Security Council was to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday in response to the chemical strike and in Brussels, officials from 70 nations gathered for a major donors' conference on the future of Syria and the region.

The attack on Tuesday left residents gasping for breath and convulsing in the streets and overcrowded hospitals. It is believed that in addition to the nearly 100 deaths, 400 people were injured after being exposed to toxins during the attack.

Haunting images of lifeless children piled in heaps reflected the magnitude of the attack, which was reminiscent of a 2013 chemical assault that left hundreds dead and was the worst in the country's ruinous six-year conflict.

The Russian defence ministry said in a statement that the building housed 'a warehouse making bombs, with toxic substances', without saying if the strike was accidental or deliberate.

The ministry said the 'arsenal of chemical weapons' was intended for fighters in Iraq, describing its information as 'completely reliable and objective.'.

'Yesterday, from 11.30am to 12.30pm local time, Syrian aviation made a strike on a large terrorist ammunition depot and a concentration of military hardware in the eastern outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun town,' Russian defense ministry spokesman Igor Konoshenkov said in a statement posted on YouTube.

'On the territory of the depot there were workshops which produced chemical warfare munitions,' he said, adding that the chemical munitions had been used by rebels in Aleppo last year.

'The poisoning symptoms of the victims in Khan Sheikhoun shown on videos in social networks are the same as they were in autumn of the previous year in Aleppo,' Konoshenkov said.

Russia on Wednesday said it was pushing on with its support for President Bashar al-Assad's forces in Syria, after deflecting blame from Damascus over a suspected chemical attack.

'Russia and its armed forces are continuing the operation to support the anti-terrorist operation to liberate the country, which the Syrian armed forces are conducting,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

Foreign Secretary Johnson said as he arrived for a Syria aid conference in Brussels that the attack appeared to be caused by the Assad regime.

'All the evidence I have seen suggests this was the Assad regime... using illegal weapons on their own people,' Johnson said.

'What it confirms to everybody is that this is a barbaric regime which has made it impossible for us to imagine them (having) authority over Syria after this conflict,' he added.

US president Donald Trump called the chemical attack a 'heinous' act that 'cannot be ignored by the civilized world'.

Speaking as he hosted Jordan's King Abdullah in the Oval Office, on Wednesday, the US leader also described Tuesday's strike as 'a terrible affront to humanity.'

Asked whether the attack, which Washington has squarely blamed on Damascus, could trigger a change of policy on the Syrian conflict, Trump replied: 'We'll see.'

Doctors treating victims at makeshift hospitals in the area say dozens of victims from Khan Sheikhoun are showing signs of sarin poisoning, including foaming at the mouth, breathing difficulties and limp bodies.

Syrians dig a grave to bury the bodies of victims of a a suspected toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhun, a nearby rebel-held town in Syrias northwestern Idlib province

International outrage is mounting over a suspected chemical attack that killed scores of civilians in Khan Sheikhun on Tuesday

Up to 100 people have died from suffocation after a toxic gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, in the rebel-held central province of Idlib, Syria, early Tuesday morning. Pictured above, a child gets treatment at a hospital after Assad Regime forces attacked

The United States has blamed the administration of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the attack, while British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also suggested the attack was caused by the Assad regime. Pictured above, Syrian Veda Ajej, 35, receives treatment at Reyhanli State Hospital in Hatay, Turkey, following the attack

Syrian Mahmut Mansur, 14, receives treatment at Reyhanli State Hospital in Hatay, Turkey, after the chemical attack in Khan Shaykhun, a town of the Idlib district of Syria

An injured Syrian boy is being brought to Reyhanli State Hospital in Hatay, Turkey, to receive treatment after Tuesday's gas attack

Russia's defense ministry said on Wednesday that a poisonous gas contamination in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun was the result of gas leaking from a rebel chemical weapons depot after it was hit by Syrian government air strikes. Pictured above, children in Syria following the attacks

An interior view of a hospital, hit by Assad Regime's airstrike, following a previous Assad regime's strike staged with chlorine gas in Khan Shaykhun on Tuesday

The victims appeared to show symptoms consistent with reaction to a nerve agent, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

'Some cases appear to show additional signs consistent with exposure to organophosphorus chemicals, a category of chemicals that includes nerve agents,' WHO said in a statement.

BORIS JOHNSON SAYS ASSAD MUST GO - BUT DOWNING STREET RULES OUT MILITARY ACTION Following news of the attack, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called the attack a 'war crime', saying that it 'bears all hallmarks of an attack by the regime which has repeatedly used chemical weapons'. Mr Johnson told reporters: 'I've seen absolutely nothing to suggest, or rather to lead us to think, that it's anything but the regime.' Mr Johnson added: 'You cannot go on with a regime that's willing to use illegal weapons against its own people, a regime that's killed hundreds of thousands of its own people. 'What's needed now is a political process to get rid of that regime and give the people of Syria a chance.' Mr Johnson said he would like to see 'those culpable pay a price', adding: 'I think what it confirms to everybody is that this is a barbaric regime that has made it impossible for us to imagine them continuing to be in authority over the people of Syria after this conflict is over.' However, Downing Street aides travelling with Mrs May on her trip to the Middle East played down the idea of a military response, saying 'nobody is talking about that'. A No10 source told reporters: 'We hope that everybody will condemn what has happened and that there will be agreement that those responsible should be brought to justice. 'There's a UN resolution this afternoon. The Prime Minister ... made a very strong statement condemning this attack, and Britain has brought forward a UN Security Council resolution that will be debated this afternoon.' Advertisement

The WHO said it was likely that some kind of chemical was used in the attack because sufferers had no apparent external injuries and died from a rapid onset of similar symptoms, including acute respiratory distress.

It said its experts in Turkey were giving guidance to overwhelmed health workers in Idlib on the diagnosis and treatment of patients, and medicines such as Atropine, an antidote for some types of chemical exposure, and steroids for symptomatic treatment had been sent.

Moments after the attack a projectile hit a hospital in the area, bringing down rubble on top of medics as they struggled to treat victims.

Syrian opposition activists claimed on Tuesday that the chemical attack was caused by an airstrike carried out either by President Assad's forces or Russian warplanes. Russia said the town of Khan Sheikhoun was exposed to chemicals after a rebel arsenal was hit by a Syrian air strike.

The death toll is likely to rise, according to the Union of Medical Care Organizations, a coalition of international aid agencies that funds hospitals in Syria and which is partly based in Paris.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said those killed had died from suffocation and the effects of the gas.

The monitor could not confirm the nature of the gas, and said the strike was likely carried out by government warplanes.

A senior Syrian security source, however, claims that allegations that Syria's government killed dozens of civilians on Tuesday in a chemical attack on a northwestern rebel-held town are 'false'.

Victims foamed at the mouth and had pinpoint pupils - a side effect that happens when people come into contact with nerve agents and other banned toxins.

A Syrian military source denied that government forces used any such weapons, saying the army 'does not and has not' used chemical weapons 'not in the past and not in the future'.

'This is a false accusation,' the source said, adding that opposition forces were attempting to 'achieve in the media what they could not achieve on the ground'.

Its denials have done little to quiet international condemnation, with UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday saying the 'horrific events' showed that 'war crimes are going on in Syria'.

The attack unfolded in the early hours of Tuesday morning, with airplanes carrying out strikes that released 'toxic gas' on Khan Sheikun, in the northwestern province of Idlib, according to witnesses and a monitoring group.

'We ran inside the houses and saw whole families just dead in their beds,' resident Abu Mustafa told AFP of the attack's aftermath. 'Children, women, old people dead in the streets.'

Following news of the attack, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called the attack a 'war crime', saying that it 'bears all hallmarks of an attack by the regime which has repeatedly used chemical weapons'.

Air strikes hit Douma, Kafr Batna and Saqba, a town in the Eastern Ghouta Region of Damascus, Syria, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Pictured above, a young boy receives medical treatment after attacks in the Kafr Batna district of Eastern Ghouta in Damascus on Tuesday

More than 30 people were injured and one was killed in an attack in rebel-held Douma on Tuesday. Pictured above, children in Douba wait for treatment following the attack

An Injured child receives treatment in a field hospital after airstrikes by forces allegedly loyal to the Syrian government, rebel-held Douma on Tuesday

Search and rescue team members, along with civilians, remove the debris as they try to locate survivors after Assad Regime's airstrike over residential areas in Saqba Town of Eastern Ghouta Region of Damascus, Syria, on Tuesday. At least four civilians, including two children killed and ten others were wounded in the attack

Volunteers wrote the names of victims who could be identified on their shrouds after they were killed in airstrikes which hit the civilian areas of Douma

Prime Minister Theresa May has called for an investigation into the attack saying: 'If proven, this will be further evidence of the barbarism of the Syrian regime.'

Local reports quoted doctors saying the chemical that killed dozens of people in the region could have been chlorine or sarin, a colorless, odorless liquid nerve agent that's used as a chemical weapon.

RUSSIA DENIES THAT SYRIA IS TO BLAME IN CHEMICAL ATTACK Russia denied on Wednesday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was to blame for a poison gas attack and said it would continue to back him, setting the Kremlin on course for its biggest diplomatic collision yet with Donald Trump's White House. Western countries, including the US, blamed Assad's armed forces for the worst chemical attack in Syria for more than four years, which killed 72 people the town of Khan Sheikhoun in a rebel-held area on Tuesday. Washington said it believed the deaths were caused by sarin nerve gas dropped by Syrian aircraft. But Moscow offered an alternative explanation that would shield Assad: that the poison gas belonged to rebels and had leaked from an insurgent weapons depot hit by Syrian bombs. The United States, Britain and France have proposed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would pin the blame on Damascus. But the Russian Foreign Ministry called the resolution "unacceptable" and said it was based on "fake information". Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would take its case blaming the rebels for the poisoning to the United Nations. "Russia and its armed forces will continue their operations to support the anti-terrorist operations of Syria's armed forces to free the country," Peskov told reporters. The new incident means Trump is faced with same dilemma that faced his predecessor: whether to openly challenge Moscow and risk deep involvement in a Middle East war by seeking to punish Assad for using banned weapons, or compromise and accept the Syrian leader remaining in power at the risk of looking weak. Advertisement

Chlorine attacks are used quite often in Syira, to kill small groups of people in enclosed spaces where gas dissipates quickly.

But Tuesday's attack was different: people collapsed outdoors, in large numbers and suffered different symptoms.

A series of investigations by the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) found that various parties in the Syrian war have used chlorine, sulfur mustard gas and sarin.

Still, Damascus has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons.

Victims suffered from fainting, vomiting, foaming at the mouth and pinpoint pupils, medical sources told local reports.

Activists in northern Syria circulated pictures on social media showing a reported victim with foam around his mouth, and rescue workers hosing down almost naked children squirming on the floor.

The activist-run Assi Press published video of paramedics carrying victims from the scene by a pickup truck. The victims were stripped down to their underwear. Many appeared unresponsive.

Syrian activists said that makeshift hospitals soon crowded with people suffocating from toxins following the attack.

A medical doctor going by the name of Dr Shajul Islam on Twitter said his hospital in Idlib province received three victims, all with narrow, pinpoint pupils that did not respond to light.

He published video of the patients on his Twitter account.

Pinpoint pupils, breathing difficulties, and foaming at the mouth are symptoms commonly associated with toxic gas exposure.

'Our hospital getting full from sarin attack today,' he wrote of his hospital in Hama, which is a short drive away from Khan Sheikhoun. 'Anyone that wants evidence, I will video call you.'

Dr Islam, who trained in the UK and now works in northern Syria, said that seriously ill patients were still 'flooding' into his hospital.

'The patients keep just flooding in from this chemical attack,' he says in a Twitter video , purportedly taken inside a Syrian hospital this morning. 'Every one - every one - has got pinpoint pupils'.

'The patients keep coming, we've run out of ventilators,' the humanitarian aid added.

'We don't have enough ventilator space, so we're now taking out the transport ventilators we have in our ambulances and we're going to try to modify them to see if we can use them for our patients.'

Dr Islam said that it was 'definitely not a chlorine attack', suggesting that the more severe sarin was used.

Footage from his hospital shows adults and children lying on hospital beds unresponsive, as medics work to save their lives.

Theresa May said sarin gas use was proven, it would be further evidence of the 'barbarism of the Syrian regime'. A CBRN investigative team (pictured) has crossed the Turkish border and is en route to collect evidence

At least 11 of the 100 people who died in the chemical attack were children. Doctors treating victims at makeshift hospitals in the area say dozens of victims from Khan Sheikhoun are showing signs of sarin poisoning

A medical doctor going by the name of Dr. Shajul Islam on Twitter said his hospital in Idlib province received three victims, all with narrow, pinpoint pupils that did not respond to light. Pictured above, a Syrian child receives treatment following the attack

Civilians were seen carrying unconscious children to makeshift hospitals in hopes of receiving treatment following the attack

Some victims were foaming at the mouth following the toxin attack - a symptom of the poison sarin, which is used as a chemical weapon

People collapsed outside during the attacks on Tuesday, something that usually only happens when banned nerve agents are involved

An unconscious Syrian child is carried at a hospital in Khan Sheikhun, a rebel-held town in the northwestern Syrian Idlib province, following the gas attack

'I will show you the evidence again and again, but you know what? The world doesn't care and no-one is doing anything,' says Dr Islam. 'We urge you to put pressure on your government - put pressure on anyone - to help us.'

Mohammed Hassoun, a media activist in nearby Sarmin - also in Idlib province where some of the critical cases were transferred - said the hospital there had been equipped to deal with such chemical attacks because the town was struck in one chemical attack, early on in the Syrian uprising.

The wounded have been 'distributed around in rural Idlib', he told The Associated Press by phone.

'There are 18 critical cases here. They were unconscious, they had seizures and when oxygen was administered, they bled from the nose and mouth,' he added.

Hassoun, who is documenting the attack for the medical society, said the doctors there have said it is likely more than one gas. 'Chlorine gas doesn't cause such convulsions,' he said, adding that doctors suspect sarin was used.

An AFP journalist in Khan Sheikhun saw a young girl, a woman and two elderly people dead at a hospital, with foam still visible around their mouths.

Doctors at the facility were using basic equipment, some not even wearing lab coats, and attempting to revive patients who were not breathing.

A boy covers his face with his hands as doctors evaluate wounds to his legs and feet following the toxin attack on Tuesday

An unconscious Syrian child is carried at a hospital in Khan Sheikhun, a rebel-held town in the northwestern Syrian Idlib province

Sarin, which is made by combining the fluorine in sodium fluoride with carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and phosphorous, is considered one of the world's most dangerous chemical warfare agents. Pictured above, a Syrian man receives treatment after an alleged chemical attack at a field hospital in Saraqib, Idlib

The government denies the use of chemical weapons and has in turn accused rebels of using banned weapons. Pictured above, a wounded kid receives treatment following the attach

A father carried his dead little girl, her lips blueish and her dark curls visible, wrapped in a blue sheet.

As doctors worked, a warplane circled overhead, striking first near the facility and then hitting it twice, bringing rubble down on medics and patients.

Turkish officials have raised the number of Syrians being treated in Turkey after a suspected chemical attack to 58.

HOW PRESIDENT ASSAD HAS USED CHEMICAL WEAPONS ON HIS OWN PEOPLE Syria has a long history with chemical weapons dating back more than 40 years. Syria first developed chemical weapons in the 1970s, when it was given a small number of chemicals and delivery systems by Egypt before the start of the Arab-Israeli war in 1973. Damascus started acquiring materials to produce its own chemical weapons in the 1980s, reportedly with the help of the Soviet Union, according to the BBC. By 2011, Syria was still 'dependent on foreign sources of key elements' of its chemical weapons, the US director of national intelligence reported. In 2013, the country saw its worst sarin attack in Syria's civil war. In the wake of the 2013 attack, President Bashar Assad agreed to a Russia-sponsored deal to destroy his chemical arsenal and joined the Chemical Weapons Convention. The agreement came after hundreds of people - up to 1,429 according to a US intelligence report - were killed in chemical weapons strikes allegedly carried out by Syrian troops east and southwest of Damascus. His government declared a 1,300-ton stockpile of chemical weapons and so-called precursor chemicals that can be used to make weapons amid international outrage at a nerve gas attack on the outskirts of Damascus. Those weapons have been destroyed, but member states of the OPCW have repeatedly questioned whether Assad declared everything in 2013. The widely available chemical chlorine was not covered in the 2013 declaration and activists say they have documented dozens of cases of chlorine gas attacks since then. The Syrian government has consistently denied using chemical weapons and chlorine gas, accusing the rebels of deploying it in the war instead. But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use by the government since then, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015. The government denies using chemical weapons and has accused rebels of using banned weapons. Advertisement

A statement from the governor's office for the border province of Hatay says Wednesday the victims are being treated in several state and private hospitals in the towns of Antakya, Reyhanli and Iskenderun.

The statement did not provide any detail on their conditions.

Earlier, Turkey's health minister said about 30 people had been brought to Turkey and that the initial findings and symptoms pointed to a chemical attack.

He said Turkey was sharing its findings with the World Health Organization.

Following news of the attack, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, said he was 'horrified' by what had happened.

He said of Tuesday's incident: 'I am horrified by the reports of an attack near Idlib in Syria. The reports we are receiving strongly suggest the use of chemical weapons.

'And although we cannot yet be certain about what has happened, this bears all the hallmarks of an attack by the regime which has repeatedly used chemical weapons.

'The UK condemns the use of chemical weapons wherever and by whomever they are used and we will continue to lead international efforts to hold perpetrators to account.

'We continue to support the work of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and will work closely with them as they seek to investigate this latest incident.

'If this is shown to be the work of the regime, it is further evidence of the atrocities perpetrated against the Syrian people over six years of appalling conflict.'

He later added: 'If this were proved to have been committed by the Assad regime, it would be another reason to think they are an absolutely heinous outfit.

'Bombing your own civilians with chemical weapons is unquestionably a war crime and they must be held to account.

'It is unbelievable to think that in the long term, Bashar Assad can play a part in the future of Syria, given what he has done to his people.'

The province of Idlib is almost entirely controlled by the Syrian opposition and is largely controlled by an alliance of rebels including former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.

It is regularly targeted in strikes by the regime, as well as Russian warplanes, and has also been hit by the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group, usually targeting jihadists.

But the province is home to some 900,000 displaced Syrians, according to the United Nations.

The reports came on the eve of a major international meeting in Brussels on the future of Syria and the region hosted by the EU's High Representative, Federica Mogherini.

Claims of chemical weapons attacks, particularly the use of the chlorine agent, are not uncommon in Syria's conflict.

The worst attack was what a UN report said was an attack by toxic sarin gas in August 2013 on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta that killed hundreds of civilians.

Rebels and opposition officials have expressed concerns that the government is planning to mount a concentrated attack on the crowded province.

The Syrian Coalition, an opposition group based outside the country, said government planes fired missiles carrying poisonous gases on Khan Sheikhoun, describing the attack as a 'horrifying massacre'.

Syria's government officially joined the Chemical Weapons Convention and turned over its chemical arsenal in 2013, as part of a deal to avert US military action.

But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use by the government since then, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015.

Local reports quoted doctors saying the chemical that killed dozens of people in the region could have been chlorine or sarin, a colorless, odorless liquid nerve agent that's used as a chemical weapon

Mohammed Hassoun, a media activist in nearby Sarmin - also in Idlib province where some of the critical cases were transferred - said the hospital there had been equipped to deal with such chemical attacks because the town was struck in one chemical attack, early on in the Syrian uprising Syrian activists said that makeshift hospitals soon crowded with people suffocating from toxins following the attack

Idlib province is largely controlled by an alliance of rebels including former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front. Civil defense members tried to reduce the effects of chlorine gas with water as they carried out search and rescue works after a suspected chlorine gas attack in Idlib, Syria

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said those killed had died from suffocation and the effects of the gas. Symptoms of sarin poison include foaming at the mouth and having trouble breathing

Local reports quoted doctors saying the chemical could have been chlorine or Sarin, a colorless, odorless liquid nerve agent that's used as a chemical weapon

Moments after the attack a projectile hit a hospital in the area, bringing down rubble on top of medics as they struggled to treat victims

The government denies the use of chemical weapons and has in turn accused rebels of using banned weapons.

The EU Council president has condemned a suspected chemical attack that killed dozens of people in an opposition-held town in northern Syria.

Donald Tusk says Tuesday's attack in Khan Sheikhoun is 'another reminder of the brutality' of Syria's regime and the perpetrators must be held accountable.

HOW SARIN AND CHLORINE ARE USED IN CHEMICAL AND TOXIC GAS ATTACKS SARIN Sarin, which is made by combining the fluorine in sodium fluoride with carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and phosphorous, is considered one of the world's most dangerous chemical warfare agents. It disrupts the nervous system, over-stimulating muscles and vital organs. It is more than 500 times as toxic as cyanide. It can be inhaled as a gas or absorbed through the skin. In high doses, sarin suffocates its victims by paralysing the muscles around their lungs, and one drop can kill in minutes. CHLORINE Chlorine is a toxic industrial gas that irritates the throat can cause victim's lungs to fill with water, drowning them. The gas can also attack the skin and eyes, causing burning, swelling, itching and irritation. The first large-scale use of chlorine as a weapon, at Ieper, Belgium, on April 22, 1915, unleashed massive use of gas by both Germany and the Allies during the last three years of the 1914-1918 war. Chemical weapons killed nearly 100,000 and injured around 1 million more during the conflict. The horrific scale of World War I gas casualties  and the suffering they caused  helped launch what has been hailed as one of the most successful disarmament campaigns in history. It culminated in the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention and creation of the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The watchdog with 190 member states won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013. Advertisement

Tusk said Wednesday that the Syrian regime bears 'the primary responsibility for the atrocities,' but also blamed supporters of President Bashar Assad's government who he said share the 'moral and political responsibility.'

Assad's government has denied involvement in the attack, saying it does not possess chemical weapons, and laid the blame on rebel forces.

Tusk spoke in Athens, following talks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

A pair of Israeli lawmakers is urging parliaments around the world to hold 'emergency' discussions on the suspected chemical attack in Syria.

Erel Margalit and Nachman Shai, both members of the opposition Zionist Union, sent their request to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of national parliaments around the world.

In Tuesday's letter, they urged fellow parliamentarians to condemn the alleged attack, which they said is 'taking humanity 70 years backwards.'

'The day when mass extermination measures are taken against people is the day when we as members of parliaments should stand fierce in the fire front and stop the horror,' they wrote.

Israel has largely stayed out of the fighting in neighboring Syria, though it has carried out airstrikes on suspected arms shipments to Syrian ally Hezbollah.

NATO's chief is condemning the chemical attack in northern Syria and calling for those responsible to be held to account.

Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement Wednesday that 'this is the third report of the use of these barbaric weapons in the last month alone'.

He recalled that the use of chemical weapons is prohibited and that 'this international norm must be fully respected and upheld'.

He said Syria 'is responsible to ensure its full compliance with these obligations.'

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday branded the deadly suspected chemical attack in Syria a 'war crime' and demanded Russia and Iran put pressure on their ally President Bashar al-Assad.

'Even if the investigations are not yet completed, it must be pointed out that the Assad regime has been held responsible for chemical weapons use in the past,' said Merkel's spokeswoman, Ulrike Demmer.

Berlin said 'Russia and Iran, as allies of the Assad regime, carry a responsibility' for the attack on Tuesday that killed scores of people in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun.

Germany 'again urges the Russian and Iranian governments to push ... the Assad regime toward an immediate halt of all military operations and to respect the agreed ceasefire', she said.

Berlin also said it expected that 'Russia, in the UN Security Council and elsewhere, not interfere in the search for those responsible ... but actively support it'.

Tuesday's attack comes only days after forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were accused of using chemical weapons in a counter-offensive in neighbouring Hama province.

Syria's opposition National Coalition accused President Bashar al-Assad's government of a suspected toxic, and demanded a UN investigation.

A man breathes through an oxygen mask, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun

A Syrian doctor helped a boy following the suspected attack, which has been described as one of the worst in the country's six-year civil war

Idlib is regularly targeted in strikes by the regime, as well as Russian warplanes, and has also been hit by the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group, usually targeting jihadists. pictured above, a victim of a suspected chemical attack as he receives treatment at a makeshift hospital

A Syrian man is taken by civil defence workers to a small hospital in the town of Maaret al-Noman following the suspected sarin attack

People stand near a dead body, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria

'The National Coalition demands the Security Council convene an emergency session..., open an immediate investigation and take the necessary measures to ensure the officials, perpetrators and supporters are held accountable,' the body said in a statement.

Syrian and Russian air strikes have battered parts of Idlib, according to the Observatory, despite a ceasefire that Turkey and Russia brokered in December.

Jets also struck the town of Salqin in the north of Idlib province on Tuesday, killing eight people, the monitor said.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the suspected attack, Turkish presidential sources said.

They said the two leaders had also emphasised the importance of maintaining the ceasefire. Turkey's foreign minister called the attack a crime against humanity.

The European Union's top diplomat says Syrian President Bashar Assad's government must assume its responsibilities following reports of a suspected chemical attacks in northern Syria that killed dozens of people.

The international chemical weapons watchdog says it is gathering and analyzing information about the suspected chemical attack.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons says its Fact Finding Mission 'is in the process of gathering and analyzing information from all available sources.'

The mission will report its findings to the OPCW's executive council. Syria joined the organization in 2013.

The organization, which won the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize for its chemical disarmament efforts, says it 'strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere and under any circumstances.'

More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
Liam Fox was today accused of 'grovelling' to the Philippines' pro-vigilante president who has bragged of personally killing suspected criminals.

Rodrigo Duterte has urged his citizens to kill drug addicts and said he would be 'happy to slaughter' them in their millions.

The former prosecutor said that he once hurled a Chinese man suspected of rape and murder out of a helicopter and wouldn't have any qualms about doing it again.

Despite this International Trade Secretary Dr Fox has talked 'shared values' with the Philippines as he met its president in Manila today.

Allies: Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox has been panned for talking of 'shared values' with the Philippines as he met its president Rodrigo Duterte in Manila today

Controversial: Rodrigo Duterte (right) has urged his citizens to kill drug addicts and said he would be 'happy to slaughter' them in their millions

His department was created after the EU referendum to promote worldwide trade and he has called for closer ties with the Asian nation.

More than 7,000 people have been killed in Mr Duterte's campaign against drugs, according to police figures, causing widespread condemnation.

Dr Fox's department was created after the EU referendum to promote worldwide trade and he has called for closer ties with the Asian nation - pictured speaking there today

He has also urged the public to kill drug addicts, who he said he would be 'happy to slaughter' in their millions.

In an article for the Philippines' Business World, Dr Fox wrote: 'The UK and the Philippines have a well-established and strong relationship built on a foundation of shared values and shared interests and we want this partnership to continue to flourish.'

His comments came ahead of Prime Minister Theresa May's meeting with King Salman of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

Labour MP Harriet Harman, chairwoman of the joint committee on human rights, told the Guardian: 'There is a real danger that in our desperation to conclude trade deals respect for human rights, which is in every EU contract, will just go out of the window.

'The Government must not let that happen.'

Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner added that Dr Fox's comments were 'frankly shocking'.

'I'm sorry, but we do not have these shared common values with president Duterte who wants to bring back the death penalty and lower the age of criminal responsibility to nine,' he said.

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Tom Brake added: 'Duterte is one of the 21st century's most sinister leaders and Liam Fox has flown halfway around the world to grovel to him.

'The fact that the first visit made by Fox since triggering Article 50 is to the Philippines shows just how low this government is willing to stoop in order to secure even a minimal trade deal in the future.

'No amount of pandering to corrupt regimes can replace our membership of the single market, which is why the Liberal Democrats will continue to fight against the hard, divisive Brexit this government is pursuing.'

Mr Duterte provoked outrage in December after he told business executives how he used to hunt down suspects himself to set an example when he was mayor of his home city of Davao.

'In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys (police) that if I can do it why can't you?' he said.

'I go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around and I would just patrol the streets and looking for trouble also. I was really looking for an encounter to be able to kill.'

Hard line Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte (pictured) has branded European lawmakers 'crazies' for questioning his deadly war on drugs

The hard line Philippines president then branded European lawmakers 'crazies' for questioning his deadly war on drugs.

The 71-year-old spoke in English as he asked 'why do you have to f**k with us?' after the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning 'the high number of extrajudicial killings' in his war on drugs.

Duterte fired his broadside in a late-night speech last month in Myanmar and vowed again that all traffickers in his country will be killed.

'I don't get these crazies. Why are you trying to impose on us? Why don't you mind your own business,' said Duterte, who frequently uses swear words and other abusive language against his critics.

A Department of International Trade spokesman said closer ties would help Britain to address areas of concern.

He said: 'We do not shy away from confronting barriers to trade and investment - including issues of human rights and corruption.

'Greater knowledge and understanding of one another will increase our ability to address those issues that concern us.'
This is the moment a motorist swung for another driver, kicked his car and tried to rip off the wing mirror after he was 'sworn at' for not giving way.

Ash Thompson spotted the fight during the rush hour traffic in Ware, Hertfordshire and filmed the scenes as the row escalated.

He believes it all happened because of an extreme case of 'small man syndrome'.

The footage shows the 'little' driver kicking the door of a black Ford Galaxy and try to punch the man behind the wheel.

The mobile phone footage shows the 'little' man, who didn't let the other driver out at the junction, kicking the man's car and swinging at him

The victim gets out of his vehicle while the fuming motorist continues to try and throw punches - and even attempts to rip off the Ford's wing mirror - despite a man and a woman, believed to be his wife, desperately trying to hold him back.

As the man gets out of his car, it rolls forward, knocking into the 'little' man's silver car in front.

Construction worker Ash was stood with his son Harley, one, near the bus stop on the opposite side of High Street in Ware, Hertfordshire, when the altercation boiled over at around 8am on Friday, March 31.

Ash, 20, of Stevenage, Herts, said: 'I was just standing near the bus stop and I saw this guy in a big car trying to turn onto the road but the guy in the smaller, silver car wouldn't let him out.

'This big car was just left in the middle of the road. The driver did the w***** sign and shouted at the guy who wouldn't let him in.

Construction worker Ash was stood with his little boy Harley, one, when he saw the scenes unfold

'Next thing this angry little guy got out of his car and was banging on the big guy's window saying he was going to hit him.

'As soon as the big, bald guy rolled his window down, the little guy swung a punch. As the little guy tried to punch him, the bald guy must have taken his foot off the pedal.

'He went forward and hit the little guy's car - he went crazy. That's when I got my camera out and he booted the car. It was definitely a case of little man syndrome.

'It's such an extreme case of road rage over a little hand gesture, I've never seen anything like it.

'The little guy's wife got out the car to try to stop him. She was screaming and crying telling him to stop. And another driver got out to intervene and calm the little guy down.

'Everyone was beeping trying to get them out the road, it was crazy.'

Ash, who found watching the drama unfold 'enjoyable', said he had great respect for the Ford driver's restraint in not retaliating.

And without the intervention of another motorist, Ash thinks the 'little' man would not have given up - making for an 'even better' video.

Ash said: 'I don't understand why everyone was getting annoyed at them being in the road, I was getting ready to bring out the popcorn. It was an enjoyable start to a Friday.

Ash filmed the scrap on his phone, and admitted that it was an enjoyable start to his Friday morning. Another motorist had to intervene in order to stop the fight

Hertfordshire Police are investigating the incident and are looking for anyone with information to come forward

'There was an old lady stood next to me as I was filming and she was laughing away.

'If the young guy hadn't got out of his car to calm the little guy down then I don't know what would have happened, he definitely wouldn't have given up.

'I'm surprised the big guy managed to restrain himself. I think it must have taken all his willpower not to knock him out and fair play to him.

'He's obviously a nice guy and I respect that.'

Hertfordshire Police are investigating the incident and have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

A Hertfordshire Police spokesman said: 'Police are investigating an incident which occurred in Ware on March 31 between 7.50am and 8am.

'The victim, a man in his 50s who was driving a black Ford Galaxy, was attempting to turn right into High Street from Priory Road.

'The offender, who was driving a silver car, sped up preventing the victim from pulling out.

'The victim shouted to the man who then went over to the victim's car and tried to punch him through the window.

'He also kicked the car and attempted to remove the wing mirror before a member of the public intervened.

'The victim was not injured and the offender got back in his vehicle and drove off.

'Anyone who was in the area and who saw what happened should please contact the Herts Police non-emergency number 101 quoting crime reference number A1/17/1032.'
Ken Livingstone again refused to apologise for his Hitler rants today despite Jeremy Corbyn bowing to Labour outrage and ordering a new inquiry into his behaviour.

The former London Mayor said he did not 'see what all the fuss is about' after around 100 MPs and peers protested that he had not been expelled from the party.

The ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) dramatically stopped short of kicking Mr Livingstone out last night.

But amid a wave of fury he later condemned Mr Livingstone's comments as 'grossly insensitive' and said it was 'deeply disappointing' he had failed to apologise.

Mr Corbyn then told regional journalists he hoped his ally would now stay quiet and even suggested he could campaign in forthcoming elections.

The move came hours after Labour deputy leader Tom Watson said he was 'ashamed' of the outcome and the Chief Rabbi accused the party of failing Jews.

Jeremy Corbyn has sent Ken Livingstone's case back to Labour officials, admitting that after his slap on the wrist for Hitler rants he has continued to be offensive

Mr Livingstone was first suspended almost a year ago for a series of rants on TV and radio suggesting Hitler had supported Zionism before going 'mad' and killing six million Jews.

He said he was expecting to be expelled and slammed the party for setting up a 'North Korea' style court - but reacted with jubilation to his slap on the wrist.

In a written statement, Mr Corbyn said: 'Ken Livingstone's comments have been grossly insensitive, and he has caused deep offence and hurt to the Jewish community.

'Labour's independently elected National Constitutional Committee has found Ken guilty of bringing the party into disrepute and suspended him for two years.

'It is deeply disappointing that, despite his long record of standing up to racism, Ken has failed to acknowledge or apologise for the hurt he has caused. Many people are understandably upset that he has continued to make offensive remarks which could open him to further disciplinary action.

'Since initiating the disciplinary process, I have not interfered with it and respect the independence of the party's disciplinary bodies. But Ken's subsequent comments and actions will now be considered by the National Executive Committee after representations from party members.'

Speaking just minutes after issuing his statement, Mr Corbyn then told reporters: 'I would say to Ken Livingstone ''please recognise that the remarks you have made have caused enormous hurt to a large number of people and the best thing now would be to stop making any comments about this whole issue and contribute to our party's work in trying to win elections and oppose racism in any form''.'

Questioned on whether he believed Mr Livingstone should be involved in local council elections, he said: 'I think with Ken it is best he keeps quiet for a while.'

Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson has said he is 'ashamed' of his party for not kicking out Ken Livingstone over his Hitler rants (file picture)

Ken Livingstone was last night suspended from holding any Labour party jobs for another year over claims about Hitler's links to Zionists - but he will stay a party member

Speaking on LBC radio this afternoon, Mr Livingstone remained defiant, insisting his original remarks had been historically accurate.

RED KEN'S FIRST OFFENCE (THIS TIME) Ken Livingstone's current scandal began on April 29 last year, just days before the local elections. He was touring the broadcast studios to defend Labour MP Naz Shah, who had been suspended from the party for making anti-Semitic social media posts. The storm began during an interview with Vanessa Feltz on the BBC. He said: 'Let's remember, when Hitler won his election in 1932 his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel. 'He was supporting Zionism. [He then] went mad and ending up killing 6 million Jews.' Mr Livingstone doubled down in a series of interviews that day, clashed in the street with MP John Mann and has since mentioned Hitler in almost every single interview he has done. The former Mayor of London has been accused of anti-Semitism in the past. In 2006 a High Court judge said he made 'unnecessarily offensive' and 'indefensible' remarks likening a Jewish reporter to a Nazi concentration camp guard Advertisement

Asked whether he had brought shame on his party, Mr Livingstone said: 'Not at all. If you look at last week's edition of the Jewish News, there's an article, the headline is 'Ken shouldn't be expelled', the article explains I was misquoted by my critics, it goes on to explain that what I said was true and thankfully at the end reminded people of the Holocaust, because a lot of kids are growing up not knowing about it.

'So, if you can get that in the Jewish News I can't see what all the fuss is about.'

Meanwhile more than 100 Labour MPs and peers have signed a statement saying the NCC's decision has 'betrayed' the party's values.

The signatories include Shadow Cabinet members Peter Dowd, Barry Gardiner, Angela Rayner and Baroness Smith.

The statement says: 'This week the institutions of the Labour party have betrayed our values. We stand united in making it clear that we will not allow our party to be a home for anti-Semitism and Holocaust revisionism.

'We stand with the Jewish community and British society against this insidious racism. This was not done in our name and we will not allow it to go unchecked.'

In his statement this morning, Mr Watson said: 'When I read the words of Chief Rabbi Mirvis, who says that ''the Labour Party has failed the Jewish community, it has failed its members and it has failed all those who believe in zero tolerance of anti-Semitism'', I can't disagree with him.

'I wish I could, but I can't. I am ashamed that we have allowed Mr Livingstone to cause such distress.

'It isn't just Jewish people who feel disgusted and offended by what Mr Livingstone said and by the way he has conducted himself over this matter, and it isn't just Jewish Labour members who feel ashamed of any indulgence of his views anywhere in the Labour Party. This shames us all, and I'm deeply saddened by it.

'Mr Livingstone's unrepentant media appearances in recent days have continued to discredit the party I love.

'His current behaviour is still bringing the Labour Party into disrepute. It is hard not to conclude that his use of inflammatory language to dismiss the fully justified outrage of the Jewish community and others will incite further distortions of the Holocaust in our public discourse.'

Mr Watson said he would continue to fight against anti-Semitism from inside Labour.

Chief Rabbis Mirvis led condemnation of the decision last night, warning Labour had failed to demonstrate it did not tolerate anti-Semitism

Chief Rabbis Mirvis led condemnation of the decision last night.

He said: 'This was a chance for the Labour Party to show that it would not tolerate wilful and unapologetic baiting of the Jewish community, by shamefully using the Holocaust as a tool with which to inflict the maximum amount of offence.

'Worryingly, the party has yet again failed to show that it is sufficiently serious about tackling the scourge of anti-Semitism.

'The Labour Party has failed the Jewish community, it has failed its members and it has failed all those who believe in zero tolerance of anti-Semitism.'

The former Mayor of London was suspended from the party in April last year after claiming that Hitler supported Zionism in the 1930s 'before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews'.

He refused to apologise for his comments when speaking to the media after the hearing in Westminster, adding that had been 'suspended for stating the truth'.

The former Mayor of London was suspended from the party in April last year after claiming that Hitler supported Zionism in the 1930s 'before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews'

The decision was also slammed by senior members of the Labour Party.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said 'there should be no place for anti-Semitism in the Labour party' and branded the decision 'deeply disappointing'.

He said: 'As the Labour party it is our duty to lead by example and demonstrate that we take a zero-tolerance approach towards anti-Semitism wherever we find it.

'Sadly this gives the impression we are not fulfilling that duty.

'Labour must be committed to tackling racism in any form.'

Former Labour leader Ed Miliband demanded the decision be 'revisited' today in the 'light of his continuing offensive behaviour'.

He said: 'I was deeply offended by Ken's original remarks. Equivocation about anti-Semitism or rewriting Nazi history can have no place in Labour.

'The strength of our response goes directly to Labour's ability to be a credible vehicle to tackle prejudice and hate in all its forms.'

Former Labour leader demanded Mr Livingstone's 'status' be revisited as he continues to pursue 'offensive behaviour'

Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade Barry Gardiner said Livingstone had 'caused enormous offence and should have apologised'.

'He was found guilty of bringing the Party into disrepute and should be expelled,' he said.

Labour MP Luciana Berger, who is herself Jewish, tweeted: 'A new low for my party this evening. Appalling decision. Why is antisemitism being treated differently from any other form of racism?'

Lisa Nandy said: 'Standing against racism is one of the many reasons I'm proud to be in the Labour Party. Today is a sad day for this movement.'

Tulip Siddiq, who represents Hampstead and Kilburn, called the ruling 'absolutely ridiculous' and asked: 'Why has this man not been expelled?'

Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy added: 'What more does he have to say or do to be told there is no place for him in Labour movement?'

He refused to apologise for his comments when speaking to the media after the hearing in Westminster, adding that had been 'suspended for stating the truth'

Michael Dugher, who previously served as Shadow Secretary for Culture, Media and Sport under Jeremy Corbyn, told The Independent: 'Labour have spent 12 months investigating what to every sensible person is an open-and-shut case.

'This looks like an embarrassing fudge. The Jewish Board of Deputies said it was anti-Semitism, as did the Holocaust Education Trust, the Jewish Labour Movement and the chief rabbi.

'Is the party really saying it knows more about anti-Semitism than the chief rabbi? The current reluctance of the party to apparently take swift and severe action against Livingstone does us no credit whatsoever.'

A Jewish Labour Movement statement: 'One year suspension is insufficient for a party the claims zero tolerance on antisemitism.

'This is a betrayal of our Party's values. One year suspension allows for a revolving door for repeat offenders.'

Karen Pollock CEO of the Holocaust Educational Trust said: 'Ken Livingstone has continued to cause significant pain and great offence to the Jewish community with his persistent rewriting of history. We have spent over a year now having to tolerate misinformation and falsehoods about the Holocaust - including during this hearing.

'This verdict is a slap on the wrist for a serial offender. That a mainstream political party would consider these views to be welcome within their ranks simply demonstrates that antisemitism is not taken as seriously as all other forms of racism and prejudice.'

Joe Glasman, Head of Political and Government Investigations at Campaign Against Antisemitism said: 'Ken Livingstone has been portraying Jews as Nazis for decades.

'His claim that Hitler acted in support of Zionism, along with his constant repetition of that distortion, has been a repulsive spectacle.

'We felt sure that the Labour Party, blighted by antisemitism as it is, would reclaim some of its former self and expel him. Labour has long had a moral duty to expel Ken Livingstone, but instead it has allowed his vile views to gain support in the Party.

'Today's verdict confirms our worst fears: that it is possible to husband and broadcast such repellant beliefs and still remain a Labour Party member has shocked even us. This surely represents the last of the death throes of the Labour Party's long relationship with the Jewish community.

'The Labour Party had this one last chance to prove that it is not beyond salvation. Today's decision is the party's final act of brazen, painful betrayal.'

Mr Livingstone, who had threatened to launch a judicial review if he was expelled from the party, said he would now consult with lawyers about his legal position.

The ex-mayor said earlier he had expected to be expelled because the disciplinary panel investigating the case was dominated by 'right-wingers'.

Addressing a crowd of journalists immediately after the hearing, Mr Livingstone said: 'The panel have decided that I should be suspended for one more year and during that time I can't stand for Parliament or my local council.

'I expected them to expel me, so I've now got to consider whether I challenge this legally or just live with it.

Mr Livingstone, who had threatened to launch a judicial review if he was expelled from the party, said he would now consult with lawyers about his legal position

'As I'm not seeking a return to Parliament or to stand for the local council, it doesn't make a great deal of change.'

Mr Livingstone said the experience 'was like sitting through a court in North Korea'.

He maintained that he had not brought the party into disrepute, saying: 'There's an issue here that matters - should someone be disciplined for stating a historical truth, and I think that's really important.

'I'm not going to make an immediate decision, I've got to sit around and think about this with the lawyers.

Today's Labour Party panel extended my suspension for another year because of my political views, not because I have done anything to harm the Labour Party.

'The Labour Party's disciplinary process was not in accord with natural justice in a number of ways. For example the panel hearing was not held in public, despite the fact that it could have been under Labour's rules. I was suspended for more than 11 months before the hearing was held.

'Scheduling the final day of this disciplinary hearing, on the day the Labour Party launched its campaign for the May 4 elections, was a supreme misjudgment by whoever planned this in the Labour Party headquarters.

'It was clearly not in Labour's interests as the hearing will inevitably generate unfavourable headlines at a time when Labour should be focused on campaigning.

'I will be launching a campaign to overturn my suspension of party membership.'

On Saturday, 32 Jewish members of the Labour Party, including the mother of former leader Ed Miliband, backed Mr Livingstone ahead of the hearing conclusion in a letter to The Times.

The ex-mayor said earlier he had expected to be expelled because the disciplinary panel investigating the case was dominated by 'right-wingers'

A Labour Party spokesman said: 'The National Constitutional Committee of the Labour Party has today found that all three charges of a breach of the Labour Party's rule 2.1.8 by Ken Livingstone have been found proved.

'The NCC consequently determined that the sanction for the breach of Labour Party rules will be suspension from holding office and representation within the Labour Party for two years.

'Taking account of the period of administrative suspension already served the period of suspension will end on 27 April 2018. The Labour Party will make no further comment on this matter.'

Labour's shadow attorney general, Shami Chakrabarti, who carried out a controversial inquiry into allegations of anti-Semitism in the party before being made a peer by Jeremy Corbyn, said: 'Labour is the party of both equality and natural justice.

'This is demonstrated by its record of legislation in Government and its ability to look at itself fairly and carefully in the mirror in more difficult times, however painful this might be.

'I hope people might now revisit my report and remind themselves of better ways to argue about difficult issues without compromising our values of solidarity, tolerance and respect.'

The former Mayor of London was suspended from the party in April last year after claiming that Hitler supported Zionism in the 1930s 'before he went mad and ended up killing six million jews'

But in a striking turnaround as the leader shifted his position, Lady Chakrabarti said: 'I am horrified by Ken Livingstone's lack of contrition and repeated offence which could be potential grounds for further investigation by the party.'

After his suspension last year, he was then embroiled in a furious on-camera confrontation with Labour MP John Mann who accused him of being a 'Nazi apologist' and 'disgrace'.

But arriving in Westminster for the hearing of Labour's national constitutional committee last week, Mr Livingstone insisted he had nothing to apologise for.

'I simply said, back in 1933 Hitler's government signed a deal with the Zionist movement, which would mean that Germany's Jewish community were moved to what is now Israel,' he told reporters at the time.

'They started selling Mauser pistols to the independent Jewish army.

'You had, right up until the start of the Second World War, real collaboration.'

The Labour veteran, a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn, also complained that the hearing was being held in private.

'It's completely unfair. We have a tradition of law and that is open,' he said.

'There's absolutely no justification for something like this being done in private.'

Mr Livingstone was embroiled in a furious on-camera confrontation with Labour MP John Mann after his comments in April last year

Mr Mann branded the former London Mayor a 'Nazi apologist' and a 'disgrace' during the clash

He pointed out that he had been defending Labour MP Naz Shah after she suggested Israel should be 'relocated into the United States'.

'They have dropped all the charges that I'm anti-Semitic,' he said.

'They've dropped the charge that I said Hitler was a Zionist.

'It's really coming down to claiming I brought the party into disrepute by defending Naz Shah.

'As she's been readmitted to the party that does seem a bit excessive to try and expel me for supporting her.'

Mr Livingstone insisted he had nothing to apologise for, repeating his previous argument that he had only stated historical fact.

It is not the first time Mr Livingstone has become embroiled in an anti-Semitism row.

In 2006 a High Court judge said he made 'unnecessarily offensive' and 'indefensible' remarks likening a Jewish reporter to a Nazi concentration camp guard. But he was cleared of bringing the office of mayor into disrepute.

Mr Livingstone's hearing in Westminster could last until tomorrow

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said Mr Livingstone had persisted in causing offence.

She said: 'Even when it has been made blatantly clear that his comments have caused deep hurt and offence to Jewish people, and in particular to Holocaust survivors, still Ken Livingstone has persisted down this route promoting a misleading and misinformed version of history to further his agenda. Enough is enough.'

In a written submission to the panel, Mr Livingstone said he had 'raised the issue of the collaboration between Hitler and a section of Zionism in the early 1930s' as a result of a misunderstanding of presenter Vanessa Feltz's question during a BBC London interview.

He said he had 'no intention' to cause offence but was 'sorry' if his remarks did so.

He claimed 'supporters of Israel' had called on Labour to expel him to 'silence' his criticism of 'Israeli aggression'.

'I did not say or suggest that Hitler was a Zionist. I did not make any equation of Hitler and Zionism. I neither criticised the transfer agreement or the section of Zionism that participated in the agreement,' Mr Livingstone added.

Mr Livingstone, who was being represented by high profile lawyer Michael Mansfield QC, was previously expelled from the party when he announced he would stand as an independent in the London mayoral race after losing the Labour selection process.
Miriam Macarron'Arroyo, 42, from Bristol, was found in the Avon Gorge on January 10, four days after she was reported missing

A Spanish woman who fell to her death at a notorious suicide spot feared she was going to be deported out of Britain because of Brexit, an inquest has been told.

Miriam Macarron'Arroyo, 42, from Bristol, was found in the Avon Gorge on January 10, four days after she was reported missing.

The care worker's housemate Claire Tidman told an inquest that she feared she would be forced to leave her home in Easton, Bristol and sent back to Spain.

She said Miriam, who had a passionate interest in politics, was 'worried about Brexit and believed she would be deported one day as a result'.

Friend Yoko Earley added: 'I was of the opinion she became depressed because of Brexit, the lack of family ties and her job, which she hated because of her health.'

Avon Coroner's Court was told yesterday that Miriam was troubled by work problems at the time of her death.

She also had a lack of close family ties apart from with her mother, who lived in Madrid, and had been receiving letters relating to tax arrears, it was said.

Ms Macarron'Arroyo fell to her death at this notorious suicide spot in Bristol

Miriam's GP, Dr Victoria Bowler, of Eastville Medical Practice, told the inquest about medical records of depression, which she battled for much of her life.

The Spanish national, who joined the practice in 2012, previously attempted suicide and also had a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, a chronic pain illness, dating back to 2003.

At her last appointment, on December 19 last year, 'it was noted that she was frustrated that she was always ill'.

Miriam's friend Eleanour Jones, said when she last saw her on Christmas Eve it was 'the lowest I had ever seen her'.

She added: 'Miriam was one of the most caring people I have met.

Emergency services on the scene after the body of Miriam Macarron'Arroyo was discovered

'She was able to sympathise with people and their problems. It was a source of frustration to her that other people didn't empathise with her own.'

Assistant coroner Myfanwy Buckeridge ruled that despite Miriam's history of depression, there was no 'conclusive evidence' she intended to take her own life.

A post-mortem found traces of the prescription drug diazepam but these were 'within the therapeutic range'.

Ms Buckeridge said: 'I have no evidence before me as to how Miriam came to be in Avon Gorge with multiple injuries.

'On the balance of probabilities I consider that was probably due to a fall, but I have no conclusive evidence that she intended to take her own life.

'I cannot rule out the fact that this may have been a tragic accident or that something she intended to do somehow went astray.'

The coroner recorded a narrative verdict.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.
Advertisement

The Duke of Cambridge left a touching note to the victims of the London terror attacks as he placed a wreath on a memorial outside Westminster Abbey today.

The Prince laid a wreath of spring flowers, including red and white roses and gerbera, at the Innocent Victims memorial as he arrived at the Abbey with his wife and brother for a multi-faith service of hope.

The handwritten note said: 'In memory of the innocent lives, lost to us all on the 22nd March 2017. William.'

The Duke laid a wreath of spring flowers, including red and white roses and gerbera, at the Innocent Victims memorial

The Prince's message said: 'In memory of the innocent lives, lost to us all on the 22nd March 2017. William'

After the ceremony Mrs Cochran spotted paramedic Mo Adimora who came to her aid on that day and gave him a big hug

Prince William, Kate and Prince Harry stand silent during the service (left), while the Duchess of Cambridge flashes a smile (right)

Around 1,800 people gathered at Westminster Abbey for the Service of Hope, two weeks on from Khalid Masood's murderous rampage which saw five people killed and dozens injured.

American tourist Melissa Payne Cochran, who lost her husband in the horrific incident, also attended the service and smiled as she arrived at the Abbey accompanied by her parents. She sustained a broken leg and shattered ribs in the attack.

After the ceremony Mrs Cochran spotted paramedic Mo Adimora, who came to her aid that day, and gave him a hug.

A card on the wreath, signed by William, read: 'In memory of the innocent lives; lost to us all on the 22nd March, 2017.'

The royals were greeted by London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Metropolitan Police Acting Commissioner Craig Mackey before processing down the aisle, where emergency services personnel lined the front row.

The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend John Hall, led the service and Prince William gave a Bible reading from Luke, Chapter 10, about the Good Samaritan, while Home Secretary Amber Rudd read from Jeremiah.

Following the service William, Kate and Harry met in private with some members of the congregation, including the families of the victims and survivors of the attack.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry arrive for a Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey in London

American tourist Melissa Payne Cochran (pictured) who lost her husband, broke her leg and shattered her ribs in last month's terrorist attack, is pictured arriving at Westminster Abbey's Service of Hope this afternoon

It is the first time Mrs Cochran, who was in London with her husband celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary, has been seen in public since the attack although she has been pictured in hospital

Prince William gave a Bible reading from Luke, Chapter 10, while Home Secretary Amber Rudd read from Jeremiah

The royals held on to their services during the memorial ceremony in honour of the victims who died in the terror attack

After the service the royals met the families of victims and some of the survivors for a private meeting

Metropolitan Police officers are pictured at the Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey in London, following the terror attack

Each member of the congregation clutched a single candle as prayers were read by those of all faiths, including Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger and Mr Khan (pictured)

Witnesses and members of the emergency services involved in the response effort are among the congregation for the service - held just minutes from where the attack unfolded.

VICTIM'S TRIBUTE TO MURDERED HUSBAND By Anthony Joseph and Rachael Burford for MailOnline

An American tourist, who survived London's terror attack, broke down in tears as she spoke about the 'love of her life husband' who was killed on the bridge. In her first interview since the horrific events two weeks, Mellisa Cochran said she bears no grudge against terrorist Khalid Masood - the man who murdered her husband Kurt. Mrs Cochran, from Utah, has had to learn to walk again in hospital after surgery on her leg and said her family are keeping her strong as she recovers from the loss of her husband and her own physical injuries. Mrs Cochran said she bears no grudge against the man who killed her husband Kurt She told the BBC: 'I'm extremely proud of him and very happy that the world now knows what a wonderful man he was. He would probably hate all the publicity. He was a very private man. He was kind, generous and sweet and the love of my life . 'Fortunately I have a wonderful family and am able to take their strength and recover. Kurt would have wanted me to keep going. 'I don't feel any ill will to him. I can't relate I just know that he didn't have the qualities and beautiful heart my husband had. I feel sorry for him. No hate.' Advertisement

Five people, including terrorist Masood, were killed and dozens of others injured in the 82-second atrocity on Wednesday March 22.

Mrs Cochran's husband Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, and Aysha Frade, 44, died when the Muslim convert drove at pedestrians on Westminster Bridge.

The 52-year-old attacker was shot dead by armed police after fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer, 48, in the Palace of Westminster's cobbled forecourt.

Speaking at the service, Dr Hall told the congregation: 'We are all affected by the attack a fortnight ago on Westminster Bridge and at the gates of the Palace of Westminster, and we are all left bewildered and disturbed.

'But our sense of loss and diminishment is paled by comparison with that of the families of those who died: Aysha Frade, Kurt Cochran and Leslie Rhodes on the bridge, and Police Constable Keith Palmer on duty at the gates of Parliament, and all those who were injured. Our hearts go out to them in sympathy and prayer and love.'

He continued: 'What happened a fortnight ago leaves us bewildered. What could possibly motivate a man to hire a car and take it from Birmingham to Brighton to London, and then drive it fast at people he had never met, couldn't possibly know, against whom he had no personal grudge, no reason to hate them and then run at the gates of the Palace of Westminster to cause another death? It seems likely that we shall never know.

'No doubt it was in imitation of the attacks in Nice and Berlin. But what on earth did he hope to achieve? Such random acts of aggression are nothing new.'

In a poignant moment of reflection - The Act of Commitment - candles were lit while the choir sang.

Each member of the congregation clutched a single candle as prayers were read by those of all faiths, including Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger and Mr Khan.

It is the first time Mrs Cochran, who was in London with her husband celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary, has been seen in public since the attack although she has been pictured in hospital.

She attended the service with her parents Sandra and Dimmon Payne. Her siblings, who flew over to Britain for a press conference, have now returned to the United States.

Last night her brother Clint told MailOnline: 'Melissa will be attending a memorial service at Westminster Abbey with my parents and sister in London this Wednesday.

'I am told they will have a brief meeting with members of the royal family. We hope she will be able to return to Utah soon. I have returned with my siblings to the United States.'

Melissa Cochran's parents Sandra, and Dimmon attend Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey this afternoon

Prince Harry (left) looked sombre as he arrived for the ceremony with his sister-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge

Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, arrive at a Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey today

Prince William, Kate the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry stand together after William laid a wreath at the memorial

Family members were among those to attend the service, which took place at Westminster Abbey this afternoon

Police officers and families of those affected by the Westminster terror attack make their way inside for the service

The multi-faith Service of Hope is being held for the four people killed when Khalid Masood embarked upon his rampage

Survivors, witnesses and members of the emergency services have come together for the multi-faith Service of Hope

Ambulance staff and guests arrive at Westminster Abbey for a service to commemorate the Westminster terror attack

Amanda Rhodes, the niece of Westminster terror attack victim Leslie Rhodes, arrives for the service at Westminster

London Ambulance Service personnel arrive for the service at Westminster Abbey - minutes from the scene of the attack

Travis Frain, 19, was among those hit by Masood's car on Westminster Bridge, breaking his hand and foot. The politics student is seen arriving at the ceremony today (left). Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (right) was also in attendance

Metropolitan Police officers attending the service. PC Keith Palmer, 48, was killed during the terror rampage last month

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and MP Harriet Harman are pictured arriving attending a service of hope at Westminster Abbey

Armed police ahead of a Service of Hope at Westminster Abbey in London following the Westminster terror attack

Mrs Cochran in the immediate aftermath of the attack on Westminster Bridge. Her husband died during the incident

American tourist Melissa Payne Cochran, who broke her leg and shattered her ribs in last month's terrorist attack, is expected to leave her hospital bed for Westminster Abbey's Service of Hope. Her husband Kurt (left) died in the horrific incident

Retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, (left) and Aysha Frade, 44, (centre) died when Masood drove into people on Westminster Bridge. The 52-year-old attacker was shot dead by armed police after fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer, 48 (right)

Announcing the Service of Hope, Westminster Abbey wrote: 'A Service of Hope Following the Terror Attack in Westminster will be held in Westminster Abbey at Noon on Wednesday 5th April. 'The service will be attended by Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, and will be broadcast live on BBC Television.

An inquest has been opened into the death of Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood, who died from a gunshot wound

'Families of those killed in the attack, together with other victims, witnesses and first responders from the police, fire, paramedics, RNLI, lifeboat and NHS hospital services will be among the congregation.'

The service, which will take place at noon, will be broadcast live on the BBC.

Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood was killed by a single gunshot wound to the chest, a court heard last week.

The 52-year-old killer was pronounced dead at 3.35pm  just under an hour after he embarked on his murderous mission on Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament, an inquest into his death was told.

Westminster Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox also took the unusual step of offering her sympathies to Masood's family, 'who are also victims of this incident'.

Coroners Officers Eric Sword told inquest that the terrorist had been identified by 'finger prints and DNA'.

Masood was taken to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, where he was later pronounced dead.

Mr Sword said: 'The cause of death was gun-shot wound to the chest. His time of death was recorded at 15.35.'

The aftermath of the attack in which Masood (top) was shot after stabbing PC Palmer (right)

Survivor of Westminster terror attack Melissa Cochran cries as she speaks for the first time about the 'love of her life husband' who was murdered on the bridge

By Keiligh Baker, Anthony Joseph and Rachael Burford for MailOnline

An American tourist, who survived London's terror attack, broke down in tears as she spoke about the 'love of her life husband' who was killed on the bridge.

In her first interview since the horrific events two weeks, Mellisa Cochran said she bears no grudge against terrorist Khalid Masood - the man who murdered her husband Kurt.

Mrs Cochran, from Utah, has had to learn to walk again in hospital after surgery on her leg and said her family are keeping her strong as she recovers from the loss of her husband and her own physical injuries.

Mrs Cochran said she bears no grudge against the man who killed her husband Kurt

She told the BBC: 'I'm extremely proud of him and very happy that the world now knows what a wonderful man he was. He would probably hate all the publicity. He was a very private man. He was kind, generous and sweet and the love of my life .

'Fortunately I have a wonderful family and am able to take their strength and recover. Kurt would have wanted me to keep going.

'I don't feel any ill will to him. I can't relate I just know that he didn't have the qualities and beautiful heart my husband had. I feel sorry for him. No hate.'

In newly released pictures Melissa Cochran can be seen slowly making her way up the stairs with the aid of two crutches and a nurse as she recovers from her injuries at a London hospital

Mrs Cochran had not been told what had happened to her husband until her family arrived at the hospital.

She said: 'It was after my surgery on my leg. I had come out of recovery and they placed me in a hospital room and my parents had come to visit and were there waiting for me when I came out.

'I asked them to find out what had happened to my husband. Previously no-one could tell me - no-one had any information. My parents came back in the room and both held my hands and said that he didn't make it, which crushed me.

'Fortunately I have a wonderful family so I am able to take their strength and recover. It has been difficult, obviously, but Kurt would have wanted me to keep going and with such a beautiful family that I have it's been okay.'

Mrs Cochran, from Utah, is said to be 'getting stronger every day' and images were also released of her smiling and waving her crutches above her head on Saturday

Mrs Cochran spoke to the BBC today - her first interview since the Westminster terror attack

Melissa Cochran, from Utah, is seen smiling and waving her crutches above her head on Saturday. This is the first image of the 46-year-old outside the hospital where she is recovering from her injuries after London's terror attack that left her with a broken leg and widowed

In a picture taken on Saturday, Mrs Cochran can be seen slowly making her way up the stairs with the aid of two crutches and a nurse as she recovers from her injuries.

A second picture shows her smiling at the bottom of the staircase being hugged by a relative with one of her legs still in a metal brace.

Mrs Cochran, from Utah, is said to be 'getting stronger every day'.

It was the first time she has been seen outside her hospital room since the horrific terror attack in central London, which saw Masood mow down innocent people walking along Westminster Bridge on March 22.

Melissa Cochran says she is 'getting stronger every day' after losing her husband Kurt Cochran on March 22, where Khalid Masood mowed down innocent people on Westminster Bridge. She was pictured for the first time since the attack on Friday

She has also thanked people from all around the world for the 'outpouring of love and generosity' they have shown her and Kurt

The 46-year-old's husband, Kurt, died on the final day of the couple's European trip to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. He was thrown onto a concrete underpass.

Meanwhile, Melissa Cochran was left with a broken leg and a gashed head. A photograph of her being comforted by a passerby on the sidewalk in the aftermath became one of the defining images of the attack.

Her family has thanked people for the 'outpouring of love and generosity' they have shown for her and her late husband.

On Friday, the first images of the widow were revealed and showed her smiling while standing on crutches with her left leg in a cage after an operation.

In the other she is shown smiling in bed while taking a selfie surrounded by her family and friends.

Her brother Clint Payne said on the family's GoFundMe page: 'Her health is steadily improving and she has been strengthened by the presence of her family. She is so grateful for the outpouring of love and generosity.

'So many people have been so kind, and we are deeply touched by their goodness and generosity.

'The most difficult part of all of this is that Kurt is no longer with us, and we miss him terribly. He was an amazing individual who loved everyone and tried to make the world a better place.'

Members of her family gathered at New Scotland Yard  and just 100 yards from the scene of the carnage  to thank all those who had helped them in recent days.
Ffion Jones, 12, from Rumney in Cardiff, complained of aching and severe tiredness before Christmas and was forced to take time off school - she died four days later

A heartbroken family has paid tribute to a 'funny' and 'bubbly' schoolgirl who died just days after falling ill.

Ffion Jones, 12, from Rumney in Cardiff, complained of aching and severe tiredness before Christmas and was forced to take time off school.

But her condition rapidly deteriorated and within just four days of being off sick from St Teilo's Church in Wales High School she died.

Doctors discovered that the 12-year-old had been struck down with Addison's disease, a rare disorder of the adrenal glands.

'She was a wonderful daughter, and she was so funny,' said her mother Stephanie Jones.

'She was really sporty and her energy levels were always really high, so it was really out of character for her to be so lethargic.

'I needed to pick her up from school a couple of times because she felt so tired and sick.

'She was off school on the Monday and then died on the Thursday. That just shows how quickly this condition takes hold.'

Stephanie initially thought Ffion, who was a 'natural' at maths and had dreams of becoming a top chef, was suffering from flu or a stomach bug.

But after a trip to their local GP surgery she knew it was something far more serious.

Ffion's condition rapidly deteriorated and within just four days of falling sick she had died

WHAT IS ADDISON'S DISEASE? Addison's disease is a condition in which the body does not make enough of the hormone cortisol. When the body's cortisol levels drop too low, this can cause a range of symptoms. These include weakness, dizziness, fatigue and abdominal pain. A very low cortisol level can be life-threatening. This is because cortisol is vital as it helps regulate blood pressure and the immune system and it helps the body respond to stress. Addison's disease is treated with hormone replacement tablets. It is thought about 8,000 people in the UK have the illness and most cases first develop in people aged between 30 and 50. About 70 per cent of cases are thought to be caused by an autoimmune disease but it can also be triggered by TB. Source: patient.co.uk Advertisement

Stephanie added: 'We went to the doctors on the Wednesday as she was just so weak and dehydrated. I practically had to carry her through into the doctor's room.'

Ffion then suffered a cardiac arrest at the surgery and needed to be taken by ambulance to the A&E department at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

'One of the doctors on duty recognised some of the signs of Addison's disease. We'd never heard of it.'

After falling unconscious during the cardiac arrest, Ffion never woke up and died on December 8, 2016.

But the family said they were helped by charity 2 Wish Upon a Star which provided a bereavement box containing essential items to make the grieving process easier.

And to date more than 13,000 has been raised for the charity via two JustGiving pages.

And now Ffion's dad Anthony is planning on walking from Holyhead to Cardiff over six days for 2 Wish, starting on April 8.

'He'll be walking around 30 miles a day,' added Stephanie, who has another daughter called Sophie, 16.

Doctors discovered that the 12-year-old had been struck down with Addison's disease, a rare disorder of the adrenal glands

Ffion suffered a cardiac arrest at the surgery and needed to be taken by ambulance to the A&E department at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff (pictured) but died days later

'It will give him some space and thinking time. The whole family will be supporting him along the route.'

2 Wish Upon a Star works with all accident and emergency units in Wales and provides bereavement rooms for families to grieve in private.

'It provided us with somewhere non-medical,' said Stephanie.

'But we really couldn't fault the care the nurses and doctors offered us at the hospital. They talked to Ffion even when she wasn't conscious.'

A walk up Pen Y Fan in the Brecon Beacons, followed by a cycle ride back to Cardiff, is also planned for 2 Wish Upon a Star on June 25.
Sweden's Prime Minister has branded an Islamic school 'disgusting' for segregating children as young as six by their gender.

An undercover video captured girls at a private Islamic school in Stockholm being directed to the back door of a school bus while boys used the front door.

The country's leader Stefan Lofven said Tuesday 'it does not belong in Sweden' to have primary schools dividing children, aged between 6 and 10, by gender.

Undercover video footage of girls being loaded onto the back of the bus and boys at the front

The issue was highlighted by the Kalla Fakta, or Cold Facts, program on Sweden's TV4 channel.

Al-Azhar school head master Roger Lindquist told Sweden's TT news agency that the school management was not aware of the division, but a journalist was reportedly chased off the premises while trying to question school officials about the issue.

Lofven's comments were mirrored by his education minister Gustav Fridolin, who called the practice 'completely unacceptable'.

'Obviously, we have weak rules,' he told the the Swedish Expressen.

'It is clear that we both need to tighten the curriculum to prevent mechanistic gender separation from taking place, and to strengthen the regulatory framework when it comes to denominational schools.'

Mr Lindquist told TT the segregation was a mistake and added: 'This is not something that has been known or sanctioned by school management.

'Both the principal and I note, after seeing the video, that it has happened, but it is of course nothing we support.

'It is important to point out that the staff is not driven by religion but a passion to work with cultural and integration issues.

'It is also important that the school is not based on Muslim values but democratic ones.'

The school held a press conference in reaction to the fall out and insisted Islam was taught as a separate subject.

It has previously been in hot water over separating gym classes due to a ban in Sweden on single-sex classrooms.
It's not exactly a renowned holiday hotspot but a clan of French gipsies loves Derby so much that it's returned after being booted out last year.

The travellers descended on the city last summer to 'chill out and relax' and enjoyed it so much they vowed to come back.

True to their word, the French holidaymakers have returned to the East Midlands town and parked their ten caravans on a beautiful green park.

Easter holiday: Dozens of French gipsies have illegally set up camp for a two-week holiday in Derby

Locals were horrified when around ten caravans of French holidaymakers kept their word and returned to the East Midlands town on March 25

The family has already spent a few days on Pride Park before moving to the Markeaton Recreation Ground.

The gipsies say they will stay there for a few days before returning to France.

One traveller, who did not want to be named, said: 'We'll be back in France soon but we have really enjoyed our time in Derby.

'We came back to the same places we came last year because we enjoyed it so much.

'We don't want to be bothered by the media anymore though, we want to carry on relaxing.'

Residents are outraged after discovering the council could have to fork out as much as 5,000 to clean up after the gipsies leave.

John Williams, 52, said: 'It was one thing when they rolled up last year unexpected.

The group spent a few days on Pride Park before moving to the Markeaton Recreation Ground

One traveller, who did not want to be named, said: 'We'll be back in France soon but we have really enjoyed our time in Derby'

One local slammed the authorities, saying: 'The police have done nothing to prepare' for the travellers coming back

'But they said they would be back, and the police have done nothing to prepare for it.

'We were hoping they wouldn't keep their word, but they have and we have done nothing about it.

'Someone needs to stop them before this becomes a regular trip for them.'

Someone needs to stop them before this becomes a regular trip

Jessica Smith, 32, said: 'I can't believe this has been allowed to happen again.

'It's an absolute joke - they clearly only come here because we are a soft touch.

'They can state when they are going to come, how long they are going to stay, and no-one does anything to stop them. No wonder they love it here.'

Last year 13 caravans worth tens of thousands each and pulled by plush Mercedes and Porsches pitched up on private land at Markeaton Recreation Ground.

They said they had visited Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire and headed off to London afterwards.

The travellers (pictured in the summer) set up camp on private land in Derby city centre after coming from a range of European locations including France

One councilor said: 'I don't understand what their fascination is with coming on holiday to Derby'

Previous holiday: The gipsies from one family were enjoying the sun when they were here last year

But this time the travellers only stayed in Derby.

Councillor Paul Bayliss said: 'Why an earth did the council not realise there was the real risk the travellers would move onto Markeaton Recreation Ground after they were there last year?

'As far as I'm aware, nothing was done to stop them just moving on freely. I think it's terrible.

'I estimate it will be around 5,000 to get the case through the courts, the clean-up operation and the officer time that is being used to get this pushed through.

'It's terrible that Derby seems to have become a magnet for travellers.

'I don't understand what their fascination is with coming on holiday to Derby.

Last summer: Nina Boae, 63, who came from Norway, said the travellers were enjoying the vacation so much they would return

Residents are outraged after discovering the council could have to fork out as much as 5,000 to clean up after the gipsies leave

'We need to get tough and get this solved. We seem to be plagued by them. The cost of sorting out the problem is terrible.

'They're a nuisance and the people of Pride Park and Alvaston do not deserve this.

'It's a joke and very bad news. It's a complete disgrace.

'It makes me cross that they can keep coming back on that land. I know this is something that makes the public rightly very upset.'
During his first term, Clinton had been challenged by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on a number of occasions. In June 1993, following an abortive Iraqi attempt to assassinate former U.S. President George Bush during a visit to Kuwait, the U.S. bombed an intelligence center in Baghdad. In October 1994, Saddam Hussein moved his army toward Kuwait and the U.S. responded by airlifting military forces to Kuwait and warning Iraq not to invade, a threat that achieved its purpose.The U.S. was less successful in August 1996, however, when Iraqi troops, in cooperation with the KDP (the Masud Barzani faction of the Kurdish opposition), attacked the rival PUK faction of Jallal Talabani which had been aided by Iran, and drove it from Irbil, thus severely damaging U.S. efforts to force a united opposition against the Iraqi regime. The U.S. responded by expanding its "no-fly" zone in southern Iraq to the 33rd parallel, and by bombarding Iraqi air defense installations. France, which had hitherto cooperated with the U.S. in maintaining the "no-fly" zone, did not cooperate in the newly extended part of the zone. Furthermore, the Arab world viewed the limited U.S. cruise missile attacks as worse than useless, stirring up Arab popular anger while not threatening the bases of Saddam Hussein's power.Russia's relationship with Iraq would prove to be a continuing complicating factor, since Russia had its own agenda in the region. First, the Russian leadership sought to demonstrate to the world and to an often hostile Duma (parliament) that Russia remained an important actor in world affairs, one both willing and able to oppose the United States. Second, Russia seeks repayment of the $7 billion owed by Iraq to the Soviet Union, which can occur only after the lifting of sanctions on Iraq. Third, Russian arms manufacturers and oil and gas companies seek contracts in Iraq, even though they cannot actually begin operations until sanctions are lifted. With these interests in mind, it is easy to explain Russian behavior during the crises with Iraq in 1997 and 1998.In the fall of 1997, U.S. weapons inspectors, in Iraq as part of the UN inspection team (UNSCOM) checking on Iraq's development of weapons of mass destruction, were prohibited by Iraq from carrying out their mission and left the country, followed by the other UN inspectors. The U.S. threatened military action against Iraq and began to mobilize its forces. At the peak of the crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov met with U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright in Geneva on November 20, 1997. With the help of France, which was also pursing lucrative arms and business deals in Iraq, Primakov put together an agreement under which the weapons inspectors would be let back into Iraq in return for a vague promise about lifting the sanctions. The agreement proved short-lived, however, and in January 1998 Saddam Hussein backtracked on the agreement by prohibiting inspections of his "presidential palaces" which were suspected as weapons depositories. This led the U.S. and Britain to mass forces in the Persian Gulf and conflict appeared imminent.Factors Restraining an American ResponseSeveral factors, however, prevented the outbreak of war. First, Clinton was now beset by the Lewinsky affair, which had just become public and which eroded his political position. Second, domestic support for an attack on Iraq proved not as strong as the Clinton administration had hoped. On February 18, 1988, Secretary of State Albright encountered a hostile reception during a town hall meeting at Ohio State University on U.S. policy toward Iraq that was broadcast worldwide by CNN. A third factor was a clear lack of support from America's Arab allies who appeared to respond to Saddam's portrayal of his people's suffering. As the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram noted, despite U.S. support for the "oil for food" agreement that allowed Iraq to import substantial amounts of food and medicine, "the American position toward Iraq cannot be described as anything but coercive, aggressive, unwise and uncaring about the lives of Iraqis, who are unnecessarily subject to sanctions and humiliations." Arab criticism of the U.S. continued in February 1998 when Saudi Arabia announced it would not permit the U.S. to use bases on its soil to attack Iraq, reportedly because of the U.S. "inability to push forward the quest for a broader peace between the Arabs and Israelis."In the face of these constraints, as well as opposition from Russia and France to a U.S. military attack, President Clinton chose a diplomatic way out of the impasse with the help of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who extracted a promise from Saddam Hussein that the Iraqi leader would not interfere with UNSCOM inspections. The agreement, however, was strongly criticized by Republican leaders in Congress, such as Trent Lott, Jesse Helms, and John McCain, who, as Clinton weakened politically, became increasingly assertive spokesmen on U.S. foreign policy.On August 5, 1998, Saddam Hussein barred surprise UN inspections and said he would only allow remote monitoring and repeat visits to known sites. Three weeks later, the chief U.S. inspector on the UNSCOM team, Scott Ritter, resigned in protest at what he said were deliberate U.S. efforts led by Secretary of State Albright to derail inspections in order to avoid another military confrontation with Iraq.Since the Iraqi leader had long tried to hide evidence of Iraq's efforts to construct weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and the U.S., under Ritter, had been successful in ferreting out the WMD information primarily by surprise inspections (although the information released by Iraq after the defection in 1995 of Saddam's son-in-law, Hussein Kamil, was also helpful), Saddam's barring of surprise inspections meant the effective end of UN monitoring of Iraq's weapons programs. It was the U.S. failure to react to the Iraqi move, which Ritter (and many others) saw as in direct contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 687, which precipitated his resignation.While the U.S. was subsequently to get a unanimous Security Council condemnation of the Iraqi leader's action (following Saddam's decision to interfere with routine UNSCOM monitoring) along with a deferment of any decision on lifting sanctions, it appeared that Iraq was now relatively free to engage in a crash program to build weapons of mass destruction, although the continuation of sanctions appeared to limit Iraq's ability to do so.
Clothes giant Topshop is under fire for using child mannequins which look like 'famine victims' - despite vowing to ditch them two years ago.

The high street chain promised to remove the 'skeletal' dummies after shoppers expressed outrage in 2014.

But parents have hit out after impossibly-thin dummies were spotted in the window of the chain's Hereford store.

Herefordshire parents have hit out over these 'skeletal' mannequins used in a window display

Zoe Mason and her 15-year-old daughter were shocked at the display, posting an angry message on Facebook.

Ms Mason, from Kingsthorne, Herefordshire, wrote: 'I was quite taken aback when they first things that tumbled out of my girl's mouth were words full of crossness.

'She thrust her phone under my nose and showed me this picture and said, "Look at that, Mum! I mean just LOOK at it. Me and M couldn't believe it as we walked past!

'"I mean, it's not surprising that so many of my friends think they are fat or just don't like their bodies. Are girls not meant to be happy whatever size they are?".'

Zoe Mason said it is 'outrageous' that the high street store was using the thin mannequins

Ms Mason's daughter and her friends have vowed not to shop at the store in future.

The mother-of-four, 43, added: 'I went into Topshop and complained and went back the next day and all they've done is change the tops on the mannequins.

'It's just outrageous that a major high street store think it's okay to portray children in this way.

'What makes it even worse is that the company promised to get rid of these mannequins after the furore a few years ago but there they are being used again.'

Her post has already been shared almost 5,000 times on Facebook by outraged parents who are demanding the company replace the mannequins immediately.

Victoria Pelham, 43, from Hereford, said: 'This is absolutely disgusting, how dare they advertise such a warped view of what young girls should look like.

'It is really repulsive. Even the way they are standing with their feet all pigeon-toed makes them look like famine victims.

'My youngest girl is always looking in the mirror. I think stores like Topshop have a responsibility to promote a healthy body image.

'If I actually saw a girl the same size as those models I'd contact social services.'

Father-of-three Peter Johnson, 47, from Malvern, Worcestershire, said: 'We have a mental health crisis among youngsters in this country, and this sort of idea of what a woman should look like is not helping.'
Scotland's economy shrank in the final three months of 2016, dragged down by the ailing oil and gas industry.

The official statistics will be a blow to Nicola Sturgeon's renewed push for independence.

The data shows Scotland's economy shrank by 0.2 per cent in the final quarter of 2016 - while the wider UK economy grew by 0.7 per cent.

Another negative figure in the first quarter of 2017 would mean Scotland is officially in recession.

The official statistics revealing a 0.2 per cent shrinking of the Scottish will be a blow to Nicola Sturgeon, pictured in California yesterday, and her renewed push for independence

It means in 2016 overall Scotland grew much more slowly than the UK, by 0.4 per cent to 1.8 per cent.

Scotland has been falling behind the wider UK since the immediate aftermath of the 2014 independence referendum.

The statistics reveal that the struggles in Scottish production - dominated by an oil and gas industry battered by the collapse in the oil price - led the downturn.

The SNP blamed Brexit for the downturn.

Finance Secretary Derek Mackay said despite 'challenges' such as a slump in North Sea oil and gas, the 'foundations of our economy are strong'.

Mr Mackay said: 'Scotland's economy faces continued headwinds, such as the slowdown in the oil and gas sector and weak global demand.'

The data shows Scotland's economy shrank by 0.2 per cent in the final quarter of 2016 - while the wider UK economy grew by 0.7 per cent

Scotland has been falling behind the wider UK since the aftermath of the 2014 independence referendum

He added: 'Despite these challenges, the foundations of our economy are strong with growth in 2016, unemployment falling and early signs that the situation is improving for North Sea operators.

'Before the EU referendum, the UK Government told us Brexit will make us ''permanently poorer''. What is now quite clear is the economic reality of the Brexit vote.

'We have already seen significantly lower consumer confidence in Scotland since the vote last summer.

'Now we see that feeding through into our growth figures and all of this is before the UK actually leaves the EU.'

The Scottish Government report showed the biggest driver for change in Scotland was 'production' which includes the oil and gas industry. UK GDP was driven up by a surge in the services sector

Scottish Conservative shadow finance secretary Murdo Fraser said: 'These are deeply worrying figures which show that Scotland under the SNP is now on the brink of a recession.

'Nicola Sturgeon's Scottish Government must take responsibility for this mess.

'She has made Scotland the highest-taxed part of the UK and created more instability and uncertainty with her threat of a second referendum.

'Now we see the real-life impact of her mismanagement.'

He added: 'More than ever, Scotland needs a First Minister in charge who gets back to her desk, ends her obsession with a second referendum, and focuses on her day job.

'Scotland's economy is facing a crisis. We need a Scottish Government in charge, not a campaign for independence.'
Advertisement

A photographer couldn't believe his luck when he captured a rare celestial phenomenon creating a breathtaking vision against the night sky.

Photographs taken in Australia depict the colourful violet stream shooting out against the deep blue of a night sky behind, while the raging storm lights up the clouds below.

The phenomenon, called ionospheric lightning, occurs at much higher altitudes than normal lightening or storm clouds.

Photographer Jeff Miles captured the rare sight near the small town of Pilbara in Western Australia.

He said: 'This was a mind blowing experience to see with my eyes, never mind research the photos to find out just how rare they are.

'Gigantic jets have only been captured on camera a handful of times and this night I was lucky enough to see six jets.'

These stunning photos show THE violet stream shooting out from the top of a cloud. The colourful flash stands out against the deep blue of a night sky behind, while the raging storm lights up the clouds below. The phenomenon, called ionospheric lightning, occurs at much higher altitudes than normal lightening or storm clouds

Upper atmospheric lightning, or ionospheric lightning, are terms used by experts to refer to a family of short-lived electrical-breakdown phenomena that occur above the altitudes of normal lightning and storm clouds. Upper-atmospheric lightning is believed to be electrically induced forms of luminous plasma
A Muslim leader has thrown his support behind Islam critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali after she said all Muslim schools in Australia needed to be shut down.

Imam Shaikh Mohammad Tawhidi, who has openly spoken out against ISIS and extremists, told 7 News on Wednesday Muslim schools in Australia were a danger to the country.

'These schools do exist, they are a problem and they need to be either shut down or changed completely,' Imam Tawhidi said.

Scroll down for video

Imam Shaikh Mohammad Tawhidi (pictured), who has openly spoken out against ISIS and extremists, told 7 News on Wednesday Muslim schools in Australia were 'a problem'

Imam Tawhidi was escorted by police into hiding after he made the comments, in fear of retribution from the Muslim community, 7 News reported.

His call comes after Islam critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali, 47, likened extreme Muslim groups to white supremacists.

'We should treat Hizb ut-Tahrir the way we treat skin heads and white supremacists and all sorts of remnants of the Nazi party,' she told 7 News on Tuesday night.

Hizb ut-Tahrir hit headlines last week after it said all Muslims who left the religion should be put to death.

Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman Uthman Badar confirmed his group supports killing apostates

Ms Ali (left and right), a Somali-born writer and foirmer Dutch politician, has loudly campaigned against Sharia law and radical Islam

Ms Ali, a Somali-born writer and former Dutch politician, has loudly campaigned against Sharia law and radical Islam for years.

Ms Ali said members of the Muslim community prioritised Sharia law and the doctrine of radical Islam over basic human rights.

Ms Ali has been widely condemned by members of the Australian Muslim community this year.

Ms Ali (pictured) was forced to abruptly cancel her Australian speaking tour in March for security reasons

She was forced to abruptly cancel her Australian speaking tour in March for security reasons after Sharia law supporters circulated a petition calling for her tour to be stopped.

Nearly 400 people signed an online petition against Ms Hirsi Ali's speaking tour.

Ms Hirsi Ali was due to speak at events in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland this week, but their cancellation was announced on Monday. Her critics were not silenced after she cancelled her tour.

Nearly 400 people signed an online petition against Ms Hirsi Ali's (pictured) speaking tour

A 'propaganda' video was posted online on Monday labelling her a racist and sexist.

The three-minute clip, posted to Facebook by a group called Persons of Interest, described Ms Ali as a 'white supremacist'.

'This is the language of patriarchy and misogyny. This is the language of white supremacy. This is the language used to justify war and genocide,' women in the video said.

Persons of Interest group member Hana Assafiri, who appeared in the video (pictured), spoke out against Ms Ali again on Wednesday

Persons of Interest group member Hana Assafiri, who appeared in the video, spoke out against Ms Ali again on Wednesday.

'There's nothing to be celebrated through a very divisive, hostile and fear mongering conversation,' she told 7 News.

Ms Assafiri said Ms Ali's rhetoric could inspire attacks on Muslims in Australia.

She considered Ms Ali's tour cancellation a victory for herself and the other women who protested in the video.
A guard dog at a Nigerian wedding party grappled with a teenage suicide bomber until her explosives detonated, killing the animal as well.

Buba Ahmed of Belbelo village, near the northeastern city of Maiduguri, said guests are grateful that the dog sacrificed itself to save their lives.

He said the bomber was on the outskirts of a gathering where most villagers were attending a wedding ceremony when the dog pounced on her on Sunday morning.

Police spokesman Victor Isuku confirmed that the dog had intervened to save the wedding party.

A dog at a Nigerian wedding party grappled with a suicide bomber until her explosives detonated, killing the animal as well. Buba Ahmed of Belbelo village, near the northeastern city of Maiduguri, said guests are grateful the dog sacrificed itself to save their lives. Above, a terrorist attack at the Muna camp, near Maiduguri, on March 22

Nigerian police confirmed that three suicide bombers blew themselves up attempting to get into Maiduguri on Sunday morning

A multinational force has driven Boko Haram Islamic extremists out of most towns and villages in northeastern Nigeria, but the extremists have resorted to attacking soft targets with suicide bombers.

Meanwhile, Nigerian police confirmed that three suicide bombers blew themselves up attempting to get into Maiduguri on Sunday morning.

Isuku said two men detonated explosive vests when security agents challenged them near an entry to the city, which has sustained several attacks. He said the bombers killed only themselves.

A multinational force has driven Boko Haram Islamic extremists (file picture, above) out of most towns and villages in northeastern Nigeria, but the extremists have resorted to attacking soft targets with suicide bombers

He added that a lone bomber at a different location also blew himself up, injuring a civilian.

Dozens have died recently in such attacks blamed on Boko Haram, but many other bombers have been stopped by soldiers and civilian self-defence militia.

Some 20,000 people have died in Nigeria's seven-year Islamic uprising.
Emotional: Charlie's father, Chris Gard, wearing his son's cuddly monkey in his lapel pocket, made a final plea to a judge to save his son's life and told him: 'I can't bear to lose him. He's my boy'

Charlie Gard's father today made a final plea to a judge to save his son's life and told him: 'I can't bear to lose him. He's my boy'.

Clutching Charlie's favourite stuffed toy monkey Chris Gard told Mr Justice Francis the eight-month-old 'deserves this chance' to go to the United States for treatment.

Giving evidence at the High Court today with Charlie's mother Connie by his side Mr Gard was asked to confirm he was the boy's father, and replied firmly: 'Proud father.'

He added: 'Me and Connie firmly believe that Charlie was sent to us to look after him. We truly believe these medicines work.

'If there was no improvement, we would let him go. We would never keep him like this. He deserves that chance. He has earned that chance.

'I just plead that you please give him the chance'.

He also attacked the doctors who said there was no hope, adding: 'My son is the apple of my eye and I would do anything for him. He deserves this chance.'

Mr Gard also agreed the 1.2million treatment was not a cure, adding: 'It doesn't mean he should have to die, [just] because he won't be a little boy running around. It shouldn't be a death sentence.

'There are many parents in this room and if they were told there was a chance, no matter how small. I just want that chance for him to improve and have a better quality of life.'

Miss Yates added: 'I don't think he is suffering or I wouldn't be here. I don't think his brain function is as bad as what everyone else is saying.'

Earlier it emerged a doctor who believes baby Charlie should be allowed to die described his heartbroken parents as a 'spanner in the works'

The Great Ormond Street medic, who cannot be named, said Connie Yates and Chris Gard's 'hunt' for hospitals around the world to save him had delayed the decision about their son's fate.

Heartbroken: Connie Yates and Charlie Gard's father Chris clutched their son's cuddly monkey (in Chris' pocket) as Great Ormond Street doctors today argued their baby should be allowed to die

Heartbreaking: Doctors at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital say there is no accepted cure and it would be kinder to allow Charlie, pictured above, to pass away because of his illness

He sent an email complaining to a colleague about their 'parent-driven' search for a specialist because it was holding up a court case in which the London hospital asked a judge to sanction letting the eight month old die.

The doctor also described the US expert as 'the only person on earth' advocating pioneering treatment for Charlie.

It came as Miss Yates cried out 'it's a lie' and began sobbing in court as the same doctor said Charlie's brain function was so poor there is no difference between him being asleep and awake.

The doctor said that when the clinical team met in January to consider Charlie's case, 'it was one of the most distressing ethics committee meetings we have had'.

The court heard that when Charlie's parents started researching his condition themselves, and contacted experts around the world, one of his Great Ormond Street doctors described this in an email as 'parent-driven' and 'a spanner in the works'.

The email between the Great Ormond Street doctors which was read out by the family's barrister in court, said: 'The spanner in the works has been a parent-driven exploration of all alternatives internationally leading to a new specialist who has recommended a three month trial of nucleosides.'

Asked if it was an appropriate way to describe parents on a 'hunt for a treatment for their child', the doctor replied: 'It's a bit clumsy but I was trying to suggest that our previous decision to take this to the court as urgently as we could was being held up by something being explored that needed to be explored.'

A nurse who has treated Charlie said she had not seen any sign of him purposefully moving, and could not tell whether he was awake or asleep.

She said she did not know whether he could or could not feel pain or comfort, although she has seen him open his eyes.

Miss Roper said the parents have worked out they have spent 3,200 hours with their son, and put it to the nurse they might have seen things she had not, and she agreed.

Earlier Mr Justice Francis, the High Court judge who will decide whether the baby can travel to America for treatment, adjourned the hearing as Connie Yates broke down.

Her tears started when a Great Ormond Street doctor had been asked by the hospital's QC Debra Powell: 'Is there evidence for you as a clinician of a sleep-wake cycle?'

When the medic said no, she asked what that meant, and he replied: 'It is a really strong indication about how bad his brain function is'.

Miss Yates, with a white flower in her hair, began to sob loudly, before saying: 'I'm sorry'. As the judge adjourned the hearing a tearful Miss Yates walked out and said loudly: 'It's a lie.'

Miss Yates stayed outside to compose herself and said the case could go on in her absence.

Charlie's father, Chris Gard, wearing his son's cuddly monkey in his lapel pocket, came back into court as the doctor continued his evidence. Miss Yates returned 10 minutes later.

Mr Justice Francis has been asked to make decisions about what is in Charlie's best interests and started the hearing by saying: 'The parents are in an almost impossible situation'.

But minutes later he had to adjourn when Charlie's mother became overwhelmed.

Charlie's parents, who spend every waking hour at their eight month old baby's bedside, are adamant that he shows signs of growing stronger and is calmed by their presence.

The doctor said Charlie's muscles were so weak that it was not even possible to monitor his seizures.

He said as well as his ventilator, Charlie needs a sucking procedure to be carried out every two or three hours. He said: 'This is incredibly frequent and in most children would be painful and distressing.'

Miss Powell put it to the doctor: 'Is there any evidence that Charlie is responsive to comforting features in his life, a loving touch or his parents' cuddles?'

He replied: 'I understand the parents have suggested that. It is not something we have seen as a clinical team.'

Upsetting: Connie Yates, pictured left with her partner Chris and their son Charlie, sobbed as she heard her son would certainly die without any more treatment

Unwell: Seven-month-old Charlie Gard is believed to be only the 16th person in the world to be diagnosed with his ultra-rare genetic condition

The medic told the judge that Charlie was no longer responsive, and it was hard to be sure whether little boy was in pain.

'I think that is really difficult to be certain about,' he said.

'Charlie has deteriorated hugely since he first came to us. The disease has affected his brain to the extent that he is completely ventilator-dependent.'

'If Charlie dies we'll use the cash to save other children', says his bereft mother Connie Yates, 31, right yesterday, has indicated what would happen to money raised if the judge sides with Great Ormond Street, who wish to withdraw life-support treatment. 'A few people have asked us what we'll do if we don't win the court case,' she said in a statement. 'We have thought long and hard about it and we would set up a charity for mitochondrial depletion syndrome's (there are others that are more common than Charlie's specific gene). 'We'd like to save other babies and children because these medications have been proven to work and we honestly have so much belief in them. 'We would like some of it to go to research at the specific hospital that are willing to treat Charlie and the rest will be available to help other families to get the medication that their children desperately need. 'We hope that you can all support us in making treatments available so that nobody else ever has to go through what we have.' Advertisement

He added: 'This situation is not a tolerable one to leave a child in'.

The doctor said the Great Ormond Street clinical team had discussed Charlie's case and sought second opinions from experts around the world.

He said it was 'difficult to see how Charlie can possibly benefit' from further treatment.

He said: 'Lots of doctors thought his quality of life was so poor it was not worth continuing life saving treatment. And since that stage, Charlie's brain has deteriorated further.'

Yesterday it emerged that Charlie's mother and father have had to up their 1.2million fundraising target by 100,000 to cover a fundraising organisation's giant handling fee.

Connie Yates, 31, and her partner Chris Gard, 32, say they need even more cash because the GoFundMe website takes up to five per cent of donations.

The heartbroken couple also face waiting until at least Friday to hear whether a judge will choose to save their son or let him die.

Charlie's parents were given a month to raise the 1.2million to take seven-month-old Charlie to America for treatment they believe could spare his life.

More than 80,000 people donated but it GoFundMe could take a cut of up to 65,000 based on their current 1.24million total and is refusing to waive it. The website's 'payment processor' charges a further 2.68 per cent - around 20,000.

Miss Yates posted a new message to supporters, saying they have raised the target to 1.3million as a result.

She said: 'We have had to put our total up to cover gofundme fee's plus the more money we get the more time we can spend in America.'

The family will have to wait until at least Friday to hear if Justice Francis will allow Charlie can fly to the US for pioneering treatment that has 'not been tried on animal or human'.

Today Miss Yates is expected to personally beg Mr Justice Francis to save Charlie and let him travel to America, against the wishes of his British doctors.

The company hosting the 'Save Charlie' fundraising site says it is free to sign up but their fees are standard for all appeals.

A GoFundMe spokesman said: 'Guidelines regarding our fees are stated clearly on our website and are standard for all campaigns. We are looking closely at Charlie's case as it develops.'
Teresa Wright, 44, pictured outside Luton Crown Court, has been found guilty of fleecing her son out of 400,000

A mother is facing jail after she fleeced her brain damaged son out of 400,000 when he was awarded 1.8million compensation for a car crash.

Teresa Wright, 44, spent her son Michael's money on a 100,000 caravan, weekends away, and gave her other children cash handouts.

Mr Wright, now 27, had received the payout after a car crash in June 2007, which left him with a life changing head injury and reduced mental capacity.

The compensation was paid into a bank account administered by the Court of Protection, and his mother was appointed a Deputy to manage his financial affairs.

Each time his mother would have to fill in paperwork for the court, which would then hand the money over.

Neil King, prosecuting, said: 'This defendant chose to fraudulently take a significant sum from her vulnerable son, when she was supposed to be acting in his best interests.'

In the years after the accident, Mr Wright spent nearly 700,000 on a house, 150,000 on an Aston Martin and shelled out more than 20,000 on a Mitsubishi Warrior motorbike.

His condition eventually improved and he planned to invest in some buy-to-let properties using 400,000 that was still in the account, so he would have an income, the court heard.

Michael Wright, now 27, (pictured outside Luton Crown Court) received the payout after a car crash in 2007, which left him with a life changing head injury and reduced mental capacity

Mr Wright spent nearly 700,000 on a house, 150,000 on an Aston Martin DB9 (pictured, stock image) and shelled out more than 20,000 on a Mitsubishi Warrior

Mr King said: 'He wanted his mother to withdraw this balance so that he could invest.

'He describes a repeated period of being 'fobbed off' by his mother.

'Eventually, in 2013, his capacity having improved, he applied to the court and he took control of the compensation bank account. What he discovered shocked him.'

In September 2012, his mother had allegedly requested 400,000 be withdrawn from the Court of Protection bank account, claiming it was for investment.

A week later, the cash was paid into the bank account she ran for her son, which was moved between accounts and ended in her account by the end of October 2012.

Police found Mrs Wright had withdrawn large sums in cash, money had been handed over to her other children, and more than 100,000 was spent on a caravan - which her son knew nothing of.

Mr Wright, above, planned to make some investments into property with the last of his payout, but his mother 'fobbed him off' as he tried to discuss withdrawing it

Giving evidence, Mr Wright said he spoke to his mother about his plans to invest in property.

He said: 'I was told that the money wasn't there, when it was funding her weekends away.

'A good six, seven years she had not been working.

'I was 18 in the car crash. Growing up to be an adult, I wanted to be in control of my own finances and affairs.

'She told me there is no way the court would allow me to take control of my finances.'

Mr Wright added: 'Growing up, I had everything you could imagine. Mum and Dad treated us well. But it doesn't give her the right to disappear with my funds.'

Mrs Wright, of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, claimed that all the money was spent at her son's request, but a jury at Luton Crown Court convicted her of one count of fraud by abuse of position between September 2012 and May 2016.

Speaking after the case Mr Wright said: 'Its been touch and go but got the result we were hoping for at the end.

'She hasn't been sentenced yet but on the whole I can now finally close the door on it all and have it all dealt with.'
Shot by 39-year-old Greg Du Toit in Botswana's Mashatu Game Reserve, a series of breathtaking images taken at eye level give a rare insight into the lives of elephants.

Roaming freely through the African plains, the majestic animals are seen interacting with one another, caring for playful calves and going about their daily lives over a period of three years.

And in a bid to get as close as possible to the elephants, Mr Du Toit submerged himself in water holes in order to truly capture their size and unique features.

The South African photographer wanted to produce eye-level shots to get as close as possible to the huge but gentle animals - and as his incredible images show, he achieved his goal.

Alarmingly, elephants are being hunted and poached at a faster rate than they are being born. According to the WWF, since 1979 African elephants have lost more than 50 per cent of their range and this, along with massive poaching for ivory and trophies, has seen the population drop significantly.

Greg said: 'It is my hope that this body of work will help create a greater love and appreciation for elephants and even arouse the collective human conscience, so that these wonderfully intelligent and gentle giants will be around for future generations to see and enjoy.'
Outraged residents in western Sydney have hit out over proposals for a Muslim school in their town - and a local councillor is promising to fight for increased security for the community if it goes ahead.

The residents of Penrith were alerted to Irfan College's plans for a second campus in the area from a development application that was placed in the local paper weeks ago.

Although it omitted the terms 'Muslim' and 'Islamic,' it attracted the attention of Penrith City Councillor Marcus Cornish and outraged residents.

Councillor Cornish claims residents should be afraid that it could lead to attacks.

'You're going to change the demographics and it is a passive takeover, if you like, of our area,' he told A Current Affair.

Penrith City Councillor Marcus Cornish claims residents should be afraid if a proposal for a Muslim school goes ahead

'I will be proposing that all footpaths in the major thoroughfares in Penrith and sporting venues have barricades erected between them and the roads to protect people in case of an attack later,' he said.

'We've seen it in other countries, why should we wait?'

His views are shared by some of Penrith's residents who are indignant at being branded 'racist.'

John, who has a Greek background, said: 'What we need to do is promote assimilation, not segregation.

Some residents are outraged over the plan for the school and indignant at being called 'racist'

'If you want to practice our ideals, you go to our schools. There's lots of great schools. Australian schools. These kids should be going to Australian schools.

'They should be learning our ways and our principles.'

Brenda, a Maori woman, added: 'I did when I came here, I mixed in with Australian people. I did it, why can't they?'

Councillor Cornish also claims there is no demand for the school.

He said: 'There is no demand in the area. We do have Muslim people in this area, most of those people have moved to this area to get away from that sort of thing. They want to integrate and be part of the Australian way of life.'

But Irfan College's Principal Ali Arabaci said there have been no complaints made since the school's campus opened in Cecil Park in 2013, around 30km southeast of Penrith.

Irfan College's Principal Ali Arabaci said there have been no complaints against the first school

Irfan College's first campus (above), around 30km southeast of Penrith, opened in 2013

The school is hoping to open a second campus in a vacant Department of Education and Training district office on Henry Street (above)

He noted there had been heated debate before that campus opened.

'There was fears from the community and to date, it is our fifth year of operation and we take pride in saying there is not one complaint since our inception,' he said.

Now, the school is hoping to open a second campus at an empty Department of Education and Training district office on Henry Street.

Principal Ali also pointed out at that his school operates just as other religious schools do. Penrith, which is predominately Anglo-Saxon, has many Christian schools.

'To become an accredited school you must be implementing the Australian curriculum,' he said.

'Eighty percent of our curriculum is comprised of that and the other 20 percent is religious studies, such as the Koran. This is the same practice as most, if not all, faith-based schools.'

Mr Arabic also noted that there is a demand for the school as about 30 percent of students at the school commute in from the Penrith area.

A public meeting is planned for next month to discuss the development application.
Cooking oil flooded the inside of a cargo plane causing its load to slide to the back of the aircraft and push the tail downward.

The Tri-MG Asia Airways jet scraped along the runway at Wamena Airport in Papua on Monday during unloading after the unfortunate spill.

It was carrying a variety of goods including Bimoli cooking oil which leaked after landing and when the load slumped at the back of the jet, the nose was sent skywards.

Workers in high-visibility jackets race tot he Tri-MG Asia Airlines jet to salvage the goods

The plane, pictured, was carrying a variety of goods including Bimoli cooking oil which leaked after landing and when the load slumped at the back of the jet, the nose was sent skywards

A boss at the airport told Jakarta Post: 'During the unloading, the cooking oil in the center part of the cabin spilled out, causing the base of the plane to become slippery.

'It caused the rest of the cargo to slump to the rear of the plane, lifting the front part approximately two meters from the surface of the apron.'

There were no reported injuries in the incident and the plane has been cleaned up apart from a few scratches on the underside of the aircraft.

The airport chief added: 'We are waiting for the results of the investigation from the Transportation Ministry's directorate of operations and airworthiness maintenance,' he said.
BubbaJones said: Care to further elaborate on that comment ?? What do you mean "do nothing" ? Click to expand...

During his first term, Clinton had been challenged by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on a number of occasions. In June 1993, following an abortive Iraqi attempt to assassinate former U.S. President George Bush during a visit to Kuwait, the U.S. bombed an intelligence center in Baghdad. In October 1994, Saddam Hussein moved his army toward Kuwait and the U.S. responded by airlifting military forces to Kuwait and warning Iraq not to invade, a threat that achieved its purpose.The U.S. was less successful in August 1996, however, when Iraqi troops, in cooperation with the KDP (the Masud Barzani faction of the Kurdish opposition), attacked the rival PUK faction of Jallal Talabani which had been aided by Iran, and drove it from Irbil, thus severely damaging U.S. efforts to force a united opposition against the Iraqi regime. The U.S. responded by expanding its "no-fly" zone in southern Iraq to the 33rd parallel, and by bombarding Iraqi air defense installations. France, which had hitherto cooperated with the U.S. in maintaining the "no-fly" zone, did not cooperate in the newly extended part of the zone. Furthermore, the Arab world viewed the limited U.S. cruise missile attacks as worse than useless, stirring up Arab popular anger while not threatening the bases of Saddam Hussein's power.Russia's relationship with Iraq would prove to be a continuing complicating factor, since Russia had its own agenda in the region. First, the Russian leadership sought to demonstrate to the world and to an often hostile Duma (parliament) that Russia remained an important actor in world affairs, one both willing and able to oppose the United States. Second, Russia seeks repayment of the $7 billion owed by Iraq to the Soviet Union, which can occur only after the lifting of sanctions on Iraq. Third, Russian arms manufacturers and oil and gas companies seek contracts in Iraq, even though they cannot actually begin operations until sanctions are lifted. With these interests in mind, it is easy to explain Russian behavior during the crises with Iraq in 1997 and 1998.In the fall of 1997, U.S. weapons inspectors, in Iraq as part of the UN inspection team (UNSCOM) checking on Iraq's development of weapons of mass destruction, were prohibited by Iraq from carrying out their mission and left the country, followed by the other UN inspectors. The U.S. threatened military action against Iraq and began to mobilize its forces. At the peak of the crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov met with U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright in Geneva on November 20, 1997. With the help of France, which was also pursing lucrative arms and business deals in Iraq, Primakov put together an agreement under which the weapons inspectors would be let back into Iraq in return for a vague promise about lifting the sanctions. The agreement proved short-lived, however, and in January 1998 Saddam Hussein backtracked on the agreement by prohibiting inspections of his "presidential palaces" which were suspected as weapons depositories. This led the U.S. and Britain to mass forces in the Persian Gulf and conflict appeared imminent.Factors Restraining an American ResponseSeveral factors, however, prevented the outbreak of war. First, Clinton was now beset by the Lewinsky affair, which had just become public and which eroded his political position. Second, domestic support for an attack on Iraq proved not as strong as the Clinton administration had hoped. On February 18, 1988, Secretary of State Albright encountered a hostile reception during a town hall meeting at Ohio State University on U.S. policy toward Iraq that was broadcast worldwide by CNN. A third factor was a clear lack of support from America's Arab allies who appeared to respond to Saddam's portrayal of his people's suffering. As the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram noted, despite U.S. support for the "oil for food" agreement that allowed Iraq to import substantial amounts of food and medicine, "the American position toward Iraq cannot be described as anything but coercive, aggressive, unwise and uncaring about the lives of Iraqis, who are unnecessarily subject to sanctions and humiliations." Arab criticism of the U.S. continued in February 1998 when Saudi Arabia announced it would not permit the U.S. to use bases on its soil to attack Iraq, reportedly because of the U.S. "inability to push forward the quest for a broader peace between the Arabs and Israelis."In the face of these constraints, as well as opposition from Russia and France to a U.S. military attack, President Clinton chose a diplomatic way out of the impasse with the help of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who extracted a promise from Saddam Hussein that the Iraqi leader would not interfere with UNSCOM inspections. The agreement, however, was strongly criticized by Republican leaders in Congress, such as Trent Lott, Jesse Helms, and John McCain, who, as Clinton weakened politically, became increasingly assertive spokesmen on U.S. foreign policy.On August 5, 1998, Saddam Hussein barred surprise UN inspections and said he would only allow remote monitoring and repeat visits to known sites. Three weeks later, the chief U.S. inspector on the UNSCOM team, Scott Ritter, resigned in protest at what he said were deliberate U.S. efforts led by Secretary of State Albright to derail inspections in order to avoid another military confrontation with Iraq.Since the Iraqi leader had long tried to hide evidence of Iraq's efforts to construct weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and the U.S., under Ritter, had been successful in ferreting out the WMD information primarily by surprise inspections (although the information released by Iraq after the defection in 1995 of Saddam's son-in-law, Hussein Kamil, was also helpful), Saddam's barring of surprise inspections meant the effective end of UN monitoring of Iraq's weapons programs. It was the U.S. failure to react to the Iraqi move, which Ritter (and many others) saw as in direct contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 687, which precipitated his resignation.While the U.S. was subsequently to get a unanimous Security Council condemnation of the Iraqi leader's action (following Saddam's decision to interfere with routine UNSCOM monitoring) along with a deferment of any decision on lifting sanctions, it appeared that Iraq was now relatively free to engage in a crash program to build weapons of mass destruction, although the continuation of sanctions appeared to limit Iraq's ability to do so.
Panera is being acquired by Europe's JAB Holding Co (JAB), the owner's of Krispy Kreme, for $7.5billion.

JAB is better known for the growing stable of brands it owns or has a big stake in.

Along with Krispy Kreme it includes Peet's Coffee & Tea, Caribou Coffee Co., Stumptown Coffee and Keurig Green Mountain.

For days there had been talk of a deal for Panera, with Starbucks rumored to be one of the companies reportedly interested in buying the bakery chain.

Panera Bread is being acquired by Europe's JAB Holding Co. for $7.5billion

JAB is better known for the growing stable of brands it owns, including a controlling stake in Krispy Kreme, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Caribou Coffee Co., Stumptown Coffee and Keurig Coffee

On Wednesday, Panera the St. Louis sandwich and soup shop revealed that it was actually JAB, an investment fund based in Luxembourg, that has quietly become a Starbucks rival.

'Our success for shareholders is the byproduct of our commitment to long-term decision making and operating in the interest of all stakeholders, including guests, associates, and franchisees,' said Panera founder and CEO Ron Shaich.

'We believe this transaction with JAB offers the best way to continue to operate with this approach. We are pleased to join with JAB, a private investor with an equally long-term perspective, as well as a deep commitment to our strategic plan.'

Shaich opened a Boston cookie store in the early 1980s and expanded to more than 2,000 bakery-cafes with annual revenue of $5billion in sales.

Analysts say that Panera has done well in a crowded market because of its trendy menu, strong leadership and quality products

JAB will pay $315 per Panera Bread Co. share. That's a 14.5 percent premium to the company's Tuesday closing price of $274.

The transaction, which includes approximately $340million of debt, is expected to close in the third quarter.

It still needs the approval of Panera shareholders. Once the deal is complete, Panera will become privately held company.

Shares of Panera jumped more than 12 percent before the opening bell Wednesday.

St. Louis-based Panera, whose fresh offerings appeal to health-conscious consumers, has reported better-than-expected earnings per share for the last six quarters. Its stock has risen nearly 28 percent this year through last Friday, ahead of media reports on the talks.

Panera, which has 2,000 bakery cafes throughout the United States, has worked to remove artificial colors and preservatives from its menu. It has also faced increased competition for breakfast customers, as more restaurant chains cater to diners willing to pay for a cheap, fast breakfast but not a lunch or dinner.

In addition to breakfast stalwarts Starbucks Corp and Dunkin Brands Group Inc, fast-food restaurant have jumped onto the breakfast bandwagon. McDonald's Corp in 2015 added an all-day breakfast menu, and Yum! Brands Inc's Taco Bell last year added a $1 breakfast menu.

JAB has been building its breakfast and coffee empire for years. It became the largest pure-play by volume in 2015, when its created Jacobs Douwe Egberts in Europe, a joint venture that combined its D.E. Master Blenders 1753 business with the coffee business of U.S.-based Mondelez International Inc.

Since then, it has acquired other breakfast and coffee companies, including Krispy Kreme Doughnuts for roughly $1.35 billion and Green Mountain for $13.9 billion.

JAB also controls cosmetics company Coty Inc and luxury goods maker Jimmy Choo.

Restaurant acquisitions have picked up speed in recent months, as the industry faces the challenge of a rising minimum wage. Restaurant Brands International, which owns Burger King and Tim Hortons, in February announced a deal to buy Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen.

Darden Restaurants Inc, whose portfolio includes the Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse chains, said in March it would buy casual dining chain Cheddars Scratch Kitchen.
Ion Nicolae Gita has been jailed for 27 months after admitting he smuggled the nine people into the UK

A van driver who tried to smuggle nine illegal immigrants into the UK in a purpose-built hide has been jailed for 27 months.

Ion Nicolae Gita, 33, was arrested when the six adults and three children from Afghanistan were discovered in the back of his van at Poole Port, Dorset.

Gita, from Harrow, north west London, was stopped by Border Force officers after he got off a ferry from Cherbourg. He refused to open the rear van doors, claiming they were broken.

Instead the Romanian opened the side sliding doors, but officers realised the dimensions of the inside didn't match the overall length of the vehicle.

They forced the rear doors and discovered nine people hidden behind a false wall.

A trial was due to start at Bournemouth Crown Court on Tuesday but Gita pleaded guilty to conspiring to facilitate illegal entry into the UK and was jailed.

Nick Jupp, from Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigations, said: 'This was a premeditated criminal act.

'These people had been placed in a very precarious position, crammed into an extremely small space with little thought for their safety.

'People smugglers are motivated by greed and their crimes take advantage of the desperation of others.

The inside of the van which was used to try and smuggle nine people, with a fake wall which they were hidden behind

'Working closely with Border Force colleagues, my team of criminal investigators will catch those helping people to enter the country illegally and bring them to justice.'

The group of asylum seekers were discovered on October 6 last year, just days after a huge police crackdown at Poole concluded.

Operation Vedika, a joint initiative between Dorset Police, the National Crime Agency and Border Force, took place between September 26 and October 3.

Police said the aim of the initiative was to 'deter, disrupt and detect exploitation of the common travel area, general maritime and commercial maritime arena by those involved in criminality' after an increase in concern about the perceived vulnerability of Dorset's ports.

The driver was pulled over at Poole port, above, where he tried to tell officers the back doors of his van were broken and opened the sliding side doors instead. File image

The operation involved 44 officers meeting every commercial maritime vessel that came in to Poole Port that week.

On October 6 a total of 18 Afghan nationals, including seven children, were discovered in two vehicles.

A spokesman confirmed their applications for asylum were still be looked at.
Police believe two human skulls found in the woods near Belton, Missouri earlier this week could be the remains of two missing young women, whose disappearances may be linked to the same man.

A mushroom hunter found the first skull on Monday, and police found a second skull - which appeared to be older - nearby on Tuesday.

They immediately called the families of Kara Kopetsky and Jessica Runions, saying that the remains may be the two missing women but that it may take some time to positively identify the remains.

'Im not going to say 100 percent, but my gut is telling me that we may have resolution,' an officer told the families in a phone call.

Scroll down for video

Police say two skulls that were found in a rural area near Belton, Missouri earlier this week may belong to two missing young women, Kara Kopetsky (left) and Jessica Runions (right)

Runions went missing in September and was last seen leaving a party with Kylr Yust, 28. Above, the scene where the skulls were found this week

Kopetsky has been missing since May 2007. Before her disappearance, she tried to take out a restraining order against Yust, her ex-boyfriend at the time

A mushroom hunter found the first set of remains on Monday and police found the other skull nearby on Tuesday

Jessica Runions, 21, was last seen leaving a party in September with Kylr Yust, 28. Her burned vehicle was found two days later.

Yust has not been charged in either girls' disappearance, but he is in police custody for allegedly burning Runions' car

Kopetsky was 17 years old when she went missing in May 2007, after trying to take out a restraining order against Yust, her ex-boyfriend at the time.

According to court documents, Kopetsky claimed that Yust had kidnapped and restrained her, choked her and threatened to cut her throat in their nine-month relationship.

'Im unsure what he will do next, because the abuse has gotten worse over time,' the application for protection read.

Yust is currently in custody on charges of setting Runions' car on fire, but he has not been charged in either girls' disappearance. He is set to face trial in October.

Kopetsky's family firmly believe that Yust is responsible for her disappearance.

'I cant put it any other way, but I hate him,' Kopetsky's mom, Rhonda Beckford, told KCTV in September. 'I hate him for taking not only my child, but possibly taking another.'

The map above shows where the two young women went missing and where the skulls have been found

Pictured above are Kopetsky's mother Rhonda Beckford (left) and Runions' mother Jamie Runions (right)

The families of both young women were asked to speak to investigators on Tuesday. They said it will be some time before the remains are positively identified

On Tuesday, Beckford provided support to Runions' mother Jamie as they spoke with police officers.

'If its her, Im glad she was with Kara,' Jamie Runions told the Kansas City Star. 'My biggest fear was that she was alone. Im glad they were together.'

Both families are hoping for a resolution.

'My feeling is Kara is gone but of course there is always that doubt in the back of your mind when you dont know 100 percent. You always hold onto that hope thats what you go on. But we need a resolution to this and we need to find out what happened to our girls. Good or bad, we just want them home,' Beckford told Fox 4 KC. 'They brought us here because they thought there would be some new information that would come in but it just hasnt panned out to be that way. Were still just waiting.'

Above is surveillance footage showing Kopetsky leaving school right before she disappeared in May 2007. She was 17 at the time

Yust is set to face trial for setting Runions' car on fire in October. He's pictured above after his arrest in the fall

Yust has a lengthy criminal history. In 2011, he was charged with two counts of animal abuse for smashing a kitten against a bathroom floor and then drowning two kittens in a creek.

A week before that, he was placed on two years probation after pleading guilty to charges of beating and choking his 18-year-old pregnant girlfriend. According to police, he allegedly threatened the girl by saying he could dispose of body parts in a pig pen at a family farm. That same year, another person filed a protection order against him.

In 2013, he was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison for felony drug trafficking and in 2014 he pleaded guilty to a theft charge.
An 850,000 digger which weighs a staggering 80 tonnes is stranded off the coast of Britain after getting stuck in the water while building a new 1.3billion wind farm.

The expensive piece of equipment was designed to drive and move in the sea - without getting the person in the cabin wet.

However, it became stuck while working on the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm, which is being developed by energy company E.ON.

The Caterpillar elevated excavator became lodged in one of its trenches and the cabin is partially underwater off the coast of Worthing, West Sussex.

The 850,000 piece of equipment was building a new wind warm off the coast of Worthing when it became stuck in the water

The huge piece of equipment (pictured before it went into the water) is being used as part of the 1.3billion new E.ON development

Workers managed to get back to the shore safely and the coastguard was called to the scene.

The wind farm development - which is expected to be completed in 2018 - has a construction cost of 1.3billion.

It will occupy 28 square miles of land and E.ON are planning to build 116 wind turbines on the site - which will be visible from the Isle of Wight.

Eyewitness Andrew Sharp, from Worthing, told the Worthing Herald that the water was going 'right over the cabin'.

The Caterpillar excavator became lodged in one of its trenches and the cabin is partially underwater

Workers managed to get back to the shore safely and the coastguard was called to the scene

Mr Sharp said: 'I should imagine it got stuck. I came out today and saw how high the water was. It's come right over the cabin.'

A spokesman for the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm told MailOnline: 'We can confirm that the elevated excavator working off Lancing Beach is currently immobilised and the operating personnel are safely back onshore.

'For safety reasons a guard vessel is on site and buoys have been placed around the excavator. We are awaiting the next low tide to seek to move the vehicle.'

A Lancing Parish Council spokesman said: 'The Environment Agency has advised us that the excavator relating to the off-shore wind farm has become stuck and is listing.

'Whilst the situation is not currently posing a risk to the environment, the excavator is unlikely to be liberated until tomorrow at the earliest. In the meantime, the situation is being monitored.'
This is the moment a group of ravenous crocodiles swarmed a herd of defenceless zebras as they attempted to cross the treacherous Mara river in Kenya.

Dozens of the aquatic reptiles lurked in wait before pouncing on the animals after they dived in.

The crossing usually has more than 60 resident crocodiles - but just over 20 showed up for the zebras.

One of the herd was selected and pounced upon by the reptiles who quickly surrounded the defenceless animal.

A group of ravenous crocodiles swarmed a herd of defenceless zebras as they attempted to cross Kenya's treacherous Mara river

Dozens of the aquatic reptiles lurked in wait before pouncing on the animals

Safari guide Dennis Waweru Mbugua was leading a group at the time of the attack and had urged them to come with a 'bag of patience' for the river crossing.

He said: 'On this particular sighting I had gone on an extended morning safari where I had carried picnic breakfast with me to stay a bit longer at the river, because animals going to the river crossing can sometimes take a long time.'

But luckily the group only had to wait about 30 minutes before the zebras arrived and started to dive in to the crocodile infested river.

Mbugua said: 'I kept my distance at the river so as not to disturb the animals while they were getting closer and closer to the river.

The river crossing usually has more than 60 resident crocodiles - but just over 20 showed up for the zebras

One of the herd was selected and pounced upon by the reptiles who quickly surrounded the defenceless animal

A safari group visiting the river only had to wait about 30 minutes before the zebras arrived and started to dive in to the crocodile infested river

'Once a few of them were in the river, I got closer to the river to get the action close up.

'As they were crossing, the crocodiles started swimming towards them and that's when the killings begun.

'There were some hippos that were not very happy with the disturbance of the zebras and crocs feeding but the crossing went on anyway.

'I have done this job for quite sometime now and I have to appreciate the fact that something has to die in order for another to survive, it's called killing for a living.

Safari guide Dennis Waweru Mbugua was leading a group at the time of the attack and had urged them to come with a 'bag of patience' to see activity on the river crossing

Dennis Waweru Mbugua has witnessed hundreds of wild animal deaths as a safari guide

Safari guide Mbugua says: He said: 'It is tense and exciting because you don't know what will happen next.

'It's always sad to see other animals die but it has to happen, some of my guests would cry but this is nature at its best.'

Mbugua has witnessed hundreds of wild animal deaths as a safari guide.

But he says they never get any less fascinating as he waits to see which unlucky animal will be dragged under the water for dinner next.

He said: 'It is tense and exciting because you don't know what will happen next.

Some of the zebras survive, but according to safari guide Mbugua 'most are eventually killed by the hyenas and lions'

'There's the misses of the crocodiles and the surviving zebras, some get out of the jaws of the crocodiles but swim away with serious wounds.

'Some heal and survive but most are eventually killed by the hyenas and lions.

'I have seen the brutality of nature on many occasions and it's always exciting. I can never get enough of this.'
A suspect who is accused of murdering a Florida police officer was permanently blinded in one eye while resisting arrest by her fellow officers, emails have confirmed.

Markeith Loyd, 41, was arrested January 17 after a week-long manhunt following the fatal shooting of Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton.

An arrest video shows an officer kicking Loyd after he crawled out of a home where he'd been hiding.

Police say they used force because he was resisting arrest.

The emails were obtained thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Loyd, according to The Orlando Sentinel.

Markeith Loyd (left at his most recent court appearance in February), 41, was arrested January 17 after a week-long manhunt following the fatal shooting of Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton (right)

The aerial surveillance shows a large contingent of police officers surrounding Loyd, who is on the ground (left). Police said they used force fearing that Loyd may be armed

One email sent to Orlando Police Chief John Mina says surgery would leave Loyd blind in his left eye.

'[Orlando Regional Medical Center] needed to perform surgery on his left eye and as a result the doctor said he will be permanently blind in his left eye,' Lt. Dan Brady wrote.

'This was as a result of the injuries Loyd received during his response to resistance.'

Governor Rick Scott appointed a special prosecutor after Orlando-area State Attorney Aramis Ayala announced she wouldn't seek the death penalty.

The special prosecutor, State Attorney Brad King, filed notice of intent to seek the death penalty.

Video of Loyd being brought out of police headquarters emerged showing his bloodied face

The force used against him by police left Loyd with a fractured eye socket and a broken jaw

Loyd is accused of shooting dead Clayton on January 9 outside a Walmart as she tried to apprehend him over the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon on December 13.

A second law enforcement officer, Orange County Sheriff's Deputy First Class Norman Lewis, was killed in a motorcycle crash after joining the massive manhunt.

Police said Loyd resisted arrest and that force was used to bring him.

Loyd, who was hospitalized due to injuries sustained in his arrest, was pictured in his mugshot with a battered face and a bandage over his eye.

Police helicopter footage shows Loyd crawling from the home on his stomach before officers surround him and appear to kick him in the head several times.

Orlando Police Chief John Mina said a use of force investigation is underway over the arrest.

He said Loyd was wearing body armor at the time and officers were concerned he could have been hiding something inside.

Loyd is accused of shooting dead Clayton on January 9 outside a Walmart as she tried to apprehend him over the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon (left) on December 13

Loyd appeared with his eye bandaged and flanked by two police officers in an Orlando courtroom in January to face the charges where he screamed 'f*** you' at the judge

Mina said Loyd resisted arrest by not putting his hands behind his back. He added that they found a large bag of ammunition beneath him.

Loyd appeared with his eye bandaged and flanked by two police officers in an Orlando courtroom in January to face the charges where he screamed 'f*** you' at the judge.

'They done took my eye, broke my nose, broke my jaw,' Loyd complained, swearing as he described crawling out to the road to be arrested.

He claims he didn't resist arrest.

'I crawled out to the mother*****g road, so how did I resist?' he said.

'I didn't resist s***. They just did that s*** and tried to hide it from the news people, but I'm here right now.'

Loyd has been charged with first-degree murder and the unlawful killing of an unborn child in the death of Dixon.

He was also charged with resisting arrest, though he denies this.

That brings Loyd's total charges to 11 in relation to the two deaths, including murder of a law enforcement officer and attempted first-degree murder with a firearm of a law enforcement officer.
Harry Purser, who has been jailed for six month after admitting he supplied drugs

A university lecturer has been jailed for six months after his friend died from a night of partying with drugs bought on the Dark Web.

Dr Harry Purser purchased a range of illegal substances including cocaine, ketamine and two brands of psycho-active drugs online using 'Bitcoins'.

The Cambridge graduate then binged on the drugs and drink with an old school friend Patrick Marr at his flat.

But when he woke late the next morning he found Mr Marr dead in bed and dialled 999.

The former Nottingham Trent psychology lecturer was jailed for six months after a judge told him he had been 'dicing with death'.

Nottingham Crown Court heard Purser, 36, had organised the night of drugs and alcohol which killed the friend he had known since he was 15.

The pair then spent the evening drinking and downing drugs at the lecturer's flat in Nottingham in November last year.

When Purser awoke at 11.48am the next morning, he raised the alarm after finding Mr Marr, 35, dead in the apartment.

Police arrived and he showed them the array of drugs he had bought over the internet.

Patrick Marr died after the drugs he consumed had a major effect on his respiratory system and heart rate

Samuel Skinner, prosecuting, said: 'His friend came for a visit from Leeds. On November 12, they spent the evening drinking alcohol together and taking illegal drugs.'

A post-mortem examination showed the drugs Mr Marr, 35, consumed had a major effect on his respiratory system and his heart rate.

Purser, of Carrington, Notts, admitted four charges of supplying drugs and five counts of possessing drugs.

Jailing him Judge Timothy Spencer QC told him: 'This is truly a tragic case but it is a cautionary tale of why we regulate drugs in this country.

WHAT IS THE DARK WEB? The Dark Web is an encrypted network that exists between Tor servers and their clients. Sites on the Tor network, which stands for The Onion Network are not indexed so they cannot be searched. It was first built by US military researchers who wanted to be able to exchange information anonymously. The Tor system and the Dark Web is usually associated with the sale of recreational drugs, but it has other uses, including by those in strict regimes where access to the outside world is limited. It's also touted as the last pillar of freedom by those who disagree with the encroaching reach of companies like Google. It's accessed via a VPN, or Virtual Private Network, and a Tor browser, which together will provide anonymity to users. Monitoring the dark web is tricky, as it's designed to retain user anonymity and create the appearance of users being in different countries. In 2014, David Cameron announced a 10million funding for GCHQ to work with the National Crime Agency on investigating the dark web. Police can also distribute malware and viruses to compromise the system. Sources: Quora, PC Advisor, Dark Web News Advertisement

'You knew that the devastating cocktail of drugs you were obtaining was illegal and you must have known it was dangerous.

'You know that anyone who goes to buy anything on the dark web is literally delving into very dark waters.

'It is dicing with death. I can't ignore the ultimate consequences of your criminal conduct. That is why I am left with no alternative but to lock you up. It gives me no pleasure, quite the opposite.

'It would be a failure of the judicial function to do anything else. You are a man of absolute exemplary character and huge ability. You have probably ruined your career.'

The judge said Purser deserved credit for being 'fully frank' with police when given legal advice that he could remain 'silent'.

Chris Brewin, mitigating, said Purser had never been in trouble before and is now receiving counselling for post traumatic stress over the death of his friend.

Purser had refused advice to decline to answer police questions, said Mr Brewin, who told the judge: 'He said "I have got to say what I have done."

'It is a terrible case and they had been friends for a long time. They made a fatal mistake, a fatal decision to drink and have these drugs.'

Purser, who graduate from Cambridge University in 2002, was previously listed as senior lecturer of the School of Social Sciences at Nottingham Trent University, but his account has now been taken down.

A Nottingham Trent University spokesman previously said: 'As court proceedings have now concluded, this member of staff's employment by the university is being considered within our established procedures.'
A North Korean missile test ended in failure when the rocket spun out of control and plunged into the ocean in a fiery crash, a senior U.S. defense official said.

The extended-range Scud missile suffered an in-flight failure and fell into the sea off North Korea's east coast after flying about 65km (40 miles), analysts said.

The launch came ahead of President Trump's first meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week, raising speculation that it was timed to get their attention.

A North Korean test of a extended-range Scud missile has ended in failure after the rocket flew just 60km before suffering an in-flight failure and plunging into the ocean

Experts had predicted Kim Jong-un was preparing to carry out another nuclear detonation after satellite imagery showed preparations at one of the North's known test sites

Initial U.S. and South Korean assessments had indicated it was an advanced KN-15 medium-range missile, whose first known test by North Korea was in February.

But unlike the KN-15, which uses solid fuel, the missile fired Wednesday used liquid fuel and was fired from a fixed location, rather than a mobile launcher.

The South Korean military said the missile was fired from land near the east coast city of Sinpo.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility.

Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. within four years.

North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year, one in January and one in September, drawing international condemnation.

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something to coincide with the Trump-Xi summit.

Satellite imagery had suggested the North was preparing for a nuclear test to coincide with the meeting, as some experts warn there may be to more come.

'I've joked before that they don't mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored,' Cossa said.

Images showed possible preparations for a detonation at North Korea's main nuclear test site, including the laying of communication cables used to initiate a blast and collect data.

It is likely the missile launch was likely to draw the world's attention ahead of the meeting between Chinese premier Xi Jinping and President Trump later this week

Trump has signaled that North Korea will be top of the agenda during his talks with Xi starting on Thursday after suggesting America is willing to go it alone in 'solving' the dictatorship

North Korea's state media have said the world will soon witness what they called 'eventful successes' in the country's space development.

The United States, South Korea and others call North Korea's space program a cover for its long-range missile development program.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry called the missile launch a 'reckless provocation' that posed a threat to international peace, while Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said his country lodged a strong protest over the launch.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged the launch but said the U.S. had spoken enough about North Korea and would not comment further.

Trump has said China must do more to pressure North Korea to halt its nuclear and missile programs.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Wednesday that all sides needed to be involved.

'If we are serious about solving this issue, we need to tackle the root of it,' she said at a regular news briefing.

'We need to balance the interest of each side. China wants to make efforts with all sides involved, to make denuclearization a reality, and ensure peace in the region.'

Analysts say North Korea might also time nuclear and long-range rocket tests to the April 15 birthday of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un.

The North's latest missile launch also came during annual military drills between the United States and South Korea. North Korea sees the drills as an invasion rehearsal.

Two weeks ago, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch.

Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

The KN-15 missile tested in February flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles).
President Donald Trump said the Senate's move to deploy the 'nuclear option' on Supreme Court filibusters won't affect his future court picks  which he suggested may be coming in bulk.

'No, it won't at all,' Trump said, asked by reporters aboard Air Force One about the change in how the Senate operates just hours after Senate Majority Mitch McConnell deployed it.

'We have a great person right now in Judge Gorsuch,' Trump said, praising his high court nominee who is now sailing to confirmation thanks to a move that ripped away the Democrats' ability to filibuster.

'Hopefully if there is a second one in my administration,' Trump continued. 'There could be as many as four ... I don't think the nuclear option has anything to do with [it] at all,' he said.

President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One the Senate's 'nuclear' option won't impact his future court nominations 'at all'

Now that the Senate has taken the action to throw out the Supreme Court filibuster on a party-line majority vote, Trump has the ability to get through nominees without Democratic buy-in.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 83, Justice Stephen Breyer is 78, and Justice Anthony Kennedy is 80.

Democratic senators trying to stave off the change even while filibustering Judge Neil Gorsuch argued that without the filibuster, Trump's or any president's nominees might become more ideological.

The Senate voted to jam through a procedural change that ends filibusters of Supreme Court nominees  insuring that judge Neil Gorsuch will get on the Supreme Court, but throwing the Senate into unknown partisan conflict in the future.

STAY TUNED: Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer was tight-lipped about the GOP's plan to use a parliamentary tactic to end the filibuster of Supreme Court nominees

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell finally pulled the trigger on the 'nuclear option' as he deployed a brash and risky parliamentary move to break a Democratic filibuster and install Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court.

McConnell made the move Thursday morning by raising a procedural point of order about the rules of Senate, after the Senate failed on a 55-45 vote to cut off debate on the nomination of Gorsuch, President Trump's nominee to serve on the Supreme Court.

The chair ruled against him, since under current rules, the majority can overcome a filibuster only with 60 votes.

Not any more. After a vote on whether to sustain a ruling by the chair, a 52-vote Republican majority voted to overrule the chair.

'The decision of the chair does not stand, is the judgement of the Senate,' said Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah.

'Our Democratic colleagues have done something today that is unprecedented in the history of the Senate. Unfortunately it has brought us to this point,' McConnell said, as he undertook the move.

'We need to restore the norms and traditions of the Senate,' he said.

Then he raised a point of order that a simple majority 'is a majority vote on all nominations.'

Sen. Deb Fischer of North Carolina, who was seated in the chair, had in front of her a large-type printed paper showing how the Senate parliamentarian would rule once McConnell raised his point of order.

'The precedent of Nov. 21, 2013 did not apply to the Supreme Court, these nominations are considered under the plain language Rule XXII. The point of order is not sustained,' she said.

She ruled against McConnell because those were the rules in place as of about noon on Thursday.

McConnell then appealed the ruling of the chair  essentially undertaking the so-called 'nuclear option.' Within half an hour, the rules had changed, and the high court filibuster was effectively over.

By voting to overrule the chair, GOP senators were able to change how the Senate operates going forward  giving McConnell the ability to put Gorsuch on the court.

READY FOR BATTLE: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said if Democrats filibuster Neil Gorsuch, the GOP would invoke the 'nuclear option' on Supreme Court nominations

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer tried to forestall the inevitable by moving to adjourn, forcing another vote before McConnell could jam through a change in how the Senate works

Democrats voted to continue debate on the Gorsuch nomination Thursday, essentially continuing a filibuster

Before that could happen, his counterpart and rival in countless judicial standoffs, Minority Leader Charles Schumer, made a series of parliamentary inquiries intended to demonstrate that what McConnell was doing was unprecedented.

Then he moved for a delay for negotiations. Then he moved to adjourn until 5 pm Thursday. Each move prompted another vote and slight delay, although Republicans have already said they have the vote to push through the change.

Throughout the drama, there were no signs of senator-to-senator conversations to try to avoid the standoff.

Senators remained in their chairs. Some monitored cell phones or read through papers. Schumer sat glumly in his chair, his hands in his lap. McConnell sat with his hands interlocked, remaining in his chair except when making parliamentary statements.

NO VACANCY: President Trump said he might be able to name as many as four justices during this tenure

Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 83, and Stephen Breyer, 78, arrive on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington. Justice Anthony Kennedy is 80

Even over the weekend, a group that met to try to resolve it didn't gain much ground.

Senate Republicans prepared to upend years of tradition and potentially throw the chamber into even more partisan acrimony by invoking the 'nuclear option' after Democats filibustered the nomination of judge Neil Gorsuch on Thursday.

Following angry back-and-forth speeches about 'vicious' treatment of past court nominees, the Senate failed on a 55-45 vote to cut off debate on the nomination of judge Neil Gorsuch, President Trump's nominee to serve on the Supreme Court.

The GOP's audacious plan is to vote to overturn the ruling of a chair when the Senate's normal rules are enforced, thereby setting in place a new precedent  and allowing Gorsuch to get confirmed by a simple majority.

The Democrats used a similar tactic in 2013 to end the filibuster for lower court nominations  something McConnell now wants to extend to the Supreme Court.

Senate Republicans and Democrats revisited their long history of acrimonious fights over judicial nominations in a final round of venting before McConnell prepared to deploy the 'nuclear option' to end filibusters of Supreme Court nominees.

After Republicans failed to secure the vote to move the Gorsuch nomination forward, but McConnell took the first step of jamming through a parliamentary move that would allow Gorsuch and other Supreme Court nominees clear the chamber on a simple majority.

Democratic senators Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Heidi Keitkamp of North Dakota joined Republicans on the procedural motion, which needed 60 votes to prevail.

Senators remained in their seats Thursday morning to watch the parliamentary fireworks inside a chamber that is frequently nearly empty.

McConnell took to the floor of the Senate Thursday morning, running through some of the long history of partisan fights over the judiciary.

He brought up the 'vicious' attacks on Ronald Reagan's nominee, Robert Bork, and the 'brass knuckles' hits on Clarence Thomas, as well as Democratic efforts to stall President Bush's judicial nominations.

'Wounds were fresh and deep' when President Obama took office,' McConnell said.

'This will be the first and last partisan filibuster of a Supreme Court nominee,' said McConnell.

'Now all this history matters,' he said.

Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin of Illinois countered: 'There must have been a hacking into his computer because he can't print the name Merrick Garland to include in the speech.'

He was referencing President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, who never got a hearing over the final seven months of Obama's second term.

With Garland's nomination bottled up, President Donald Trump got the chance to appoint Judge Neil Gorsuch to the same seat vacated by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

'Now how did we get here? The truth is over the long history of partisan combat over judicial nominees, there's blame on both sides,' said Minority Leader Charles Schumer, who McConnell pointed to several times in his remarks Thursday morning for his role in the judicial wars.

'I'm pretty sure we could argue endlessly about where and with whom this all started,' Schumer said.

Once Republicans invoke the nuclear option, effectively instituting a majority threshold for Supreme Court nominations, there will be little incentive for the White House to consult with the minority when the same party controls both branches.

'That's a recipe for more conflict and bad blood between the parties, not less,' said Schumer.

Schumer met with McConnell Wednesday night just hours before the GOP is set to invoke the 'nuclear' option on Supreme Court filibusters, with no sign of heading off the move.

'Stay tuned,' Schumer told DailyMail.com, when asked if there was any hope of averting the brash parliamentary tactic. 'Come and see,' he urged reporters.

A Senate Democratic leadership aide said there were some low-intensity talks for trying to avert the standoff, but didn't hold out much hope for a resolution.

McConnell has been clear that the GOP would get Gorsuch's nomination through the Senate this week one way or the other, and Democrats have dug in on their filibuster of President Trump's nominee.

A group of senators talked through the weekend over a possible deal, but didn't come to one.

Asked if he saw any reason beyond a rules change that would resolve the situation, Schumer was silent, telling a group of reporters, 'Bye everybody.'

'I think there's a deep concern about the future of the Senate. It's the subject of lots of conversations,' Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen told DailyMail.com.

'If they really pull the trigger and blow up the rule, then everyone ought to look at what the consequences are in the short term, and then longer term issues for the institution,' he said.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. speaks to reporters just outside the Senate chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 5, 2017, after he ended a 15 hour all-night talk-a-thon as the Senate heads toward a showdown over the confirmation vote for Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

In this frame grab from video provided by Senate Television, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. speaks on the floor of the Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Merkley held the Senate floor through the night and was still going in an attention-grabbing talk-a-thon highlighting his party's opposition to President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch. (Senate Television via AP)

'For the first time in history, we are considering a nominee for a stolen Supreme Court seat, and that alone should be reason for everyone who cares about this institution to turn down this nominee,' Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., during a 15-and-a-half-hour overnight talk-a-thon.

'This is an extreme nominee from the far right who doesn't believe in the fundamental vision of 'We the People.''

Merkley, one of the first opponents of President Donald Trump's nominee, wrote on Twitter, 'This is a stolen seat that demands as robust a resistance as we can possibly mount.'

In this photo taken on, Tuesday, April 4, 2017, the Capitol in seen from the Supreme Court Building in Washington. A Democratic senator held the Senate floor through the night and was still going Wednesday in an attention-grabbing talk-a-thon highlighting his party's opposition to President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - In this March 21, 2017 file photo, Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. A divided Senate Judiciary Committee backed Gorsuch, Monday, April 3, 2017. GOP likely to change Senate rules to confirm him. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan, pictured in a file image from 2004, spoke on Tuesday at a news briefing amid concerns by local officials

The Department of Homeland Security has refused to rule out arresting illegal immigrants who come forward to report they have been a victim of or a witness to a crime.

Police forces in sanctuary cities across America - including New York and LA - are forbidden from co-operating with ICE to detain illegal immigrants.

But the agency has begun arresting some illegal immigrants in courthouses.

Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan said that victims and witnesses themselves are potentially criminal immigrants who may pose a threat to the country or who have been ordered out of the United States before.

However, local officials claim that the threat of arrest can deter some victims from reporting crimes or witnesses from cooperating in investigations.

Lapan also said that these courthouse arrests are necessary because some jurisdictions won't cooperate with requests to alert the federal government before immigrants, who could be eligible for deportation, are released from jail.

The Department of Homeland Security won't promise that immigrants illegally in the country won't be arrested if they come forward to report they have been a victim of or a witness to a crime

The federal government, he continued, is also not always informed if one of these individuals has been detained long enough for ICE agents to take them into federal custody.

Some local officials are already attributing a drop in reported crimes to President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said last month that his city has seen a 25 per cent decrease in the number of sexual assaults reported by Latinos living in the city and a drop of about 10 per cent in the number of reported domestic violence cases since Trump took office.

However, local officials claim that the threat of arrest can deter some victims from reporting crimes or witnesses from cooperating in investigations

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Attorney General Jeff Sessions also defended the practice in a letter last month to the chief justice of the California Supreme Court.

'Because courthouse visitors are typically screened upon entry to search for weapons and other contraband, the safety risks for arresting officers and persons being arrested are substantially decreased,' Kelly and Sessions wrote.

Lapan also noted there are special visas, known as U visas, for immigrants in the country illegally who are victims of certain crimes, including sexual assault and domestic violence.

Ten thousand of these visas are available annually.
outspoken advocate for dreamers: In 2015 she wrote a popular opinion piece pressing Arizona leaders to grant in-state tuition to dreamers. Last year she served as a page at the Democratic National Convention, even though she can't vote.



"I decided to post it basically to bust the myth that immigrants dont contribute and they dont pay taxes to this country," she said. She said she filed state and federal taxes and, in the end, paid $300 to the state.



She publicly posted a photo of herself holding a Form 1040 along with this caption:



"MYTH BUSTER: I, an undocumented immigrant, just filed my taxes and PAID $300 to the state of Arizona. I cannot receive financial aid from the state or federal government for school, I cannot benefit from unemployment, a reduced healthcare plan, or a retirement fund. I think I'm a pretty good citizen. Oh and there are MILLIONS just like me who pay into a system they will never receive anything from. Wanna tell me again how I should be deported, contribute nothing and only leech off this country while the 1% wealthiest people in this country steal from you everyday? How about you show me yours Donald J. Trump? #HereToStay"
The president's eldest daughter, now one of his top advisers, declared the strike on civilians in Syria 'atrocious' on Wednesday morning, getting in front of her father, who has yet to personally condemn the chemical weapons attack.

Donald Trump's spokesman told reporters Tuesday during an off-camera briefing that the onslaught that killed more than 70 people, and as many as 20 children, was 'reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world.'

The Twitter-loving leader of the nation did not address the crises in remarks at a legislative conference or on his social media streams, even as he praised the 'tremendous spirit & optimism' he's seen in the US since his election.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ducked reporters' questions about the blitz Tuesday, issuing a statement later, instead, that called for an end to the 'unabashed barbarism.'

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

The president's eldest daughter, now one of his top advisers, declared the strike on innocents in Syria 'atrocious' on Wednesday morning

In sending the tweet, Ivanka Trump got in front of her father, who has yet to personally condemn the chemical weapons attack

At least 11 of the more than 70 people who died in the chemical attack were children. Two are seen receiving treatment on Tuesday at a hospital

For a second day, Ivanka beat her father to social media platforms Wednesday, tweeting about the crisis in Syria in the absence of visible condolences from the president.

'Heartbroken and outraged by the images coming out of Syria following the atrocious chemical attack yesterday,' Ivanka tweeted at a quarter past 7 local time.

The day before she greeted the nation with a message in support of wage equality, something that neither her father nor the White House backed up with statements of their own on Tuesday, nationally celebrated as Equal Pay Day.

President Trump routinely begins his mornings with dispatches of his own but forwent the practice both days as he tended to other business.

He is likely to make remarks on the sarin gas attack in Syria this afternoon during a joint news conference with King Abdullah II of Jordan.

A senior administration official said the president and the Jordanian king would be discussing the conflict during the White House visit that includes an Oval Office chat, expanded bilateral meeting and a working lunch.

The White House said Tuesday that President Trump is not responsible for the chemical weapons attack in Syria, his predecessor is, despite a recent change in posture toward the country's vicious dictator.

Trump's administration said last week that it was no longer a 'priority' of the United States to remove Bashar al-Assad from power.

Then came Tuesday's sarin gas attack.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer pointed the finger at Assad in a statement he delivered at a lunchtime question and answer session with press that was restricted from broadcast. He also castigated Barack Obama.

'These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administrations weakness and irresolution,' he said. 'President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a "red line" against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing.'

Asked why Trump was taking a 'potshot' at the former president instead of taking ownership of the situation, Spicer told a journalist in the room, 'What's the point of red lines? America's credibility was at stake, and I think the President wants to point out that there was a red line and they did cross it.

'We did have alternatives to regime change, and they werent taken,' the Trump spokesman said.

The Twitter-loving leader of the nation did not address the crises in remarks at a legislative conference or on his social media streams, even as he praised the 'tremendous spirit & optimism' he's seen in the US since his election

A Syrian child receives treatment following the attack that the US government has said was carried out by Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad

HOW PRESIDENT ASSAD HAS USED CHEMICAL WEAPONS ON HIS OWN PEOPLE Syria has a long history with chemical weapons dating back more than 40 years. Syria first developed chemical weapons in the 1970s, when it was given a small number of chemicals and delivery systems by Egypt before the start of the Arab-Israeli war in 1973. Damascus started acquiring materials to produce its own chemical weapons in the 1980s, reportedly with the help of the Soviet Union, according to the BBC. By 2011, Syria was still 'dependent on foreign sources of key elements' of its chemical weapons, the US director of national intelligence reported. In 2013, the country saw its worst sarin attack in Syria's civil war. In the wake of the 2013 attack, President Bashar Assad agreed to a Russia-sponsored deal to destroy his chemical arsenal and joined the Chemical Weapons Convention. The agreement came after hundreds of people - up to 1,429 according to a US intelligence report - were killed in chemical weapons strikes allegedly carried out by Syrian troops east and southwest of Damascus. His government declared a 1,300-ton stockpile of chemical weapons and so-called precursor chemicals that can be used to make weapons amid international outrage at a nerve gas attack on the outskirts of Damascus. Those weapons have been destroyed, but member states of the OPCW have repeatedly questioned whether Assad declared everything in 2013. The widely available chemical chlorine was not covered in the 2013 declaration and activists say they have documented dozens of cases of chlorine gas attacks since then. The Syrian government has consistently denied using chemical weapons and chlorine gas, accusing the rebels of deploying it in the war instead. But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use by the government since then, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015. The government denies using chemical weapons and has accused rebels of using banned weapons. Advertisement

Spicer at another point said the White House does not see a correlation between its posture toward Assad and the chemical attack.

'I don't,' he stated. 'I'm not going to get into it, but I think the President is extremely alarmed at these revelations. He continues to meet with his national security team, and I think there will be further discussions around the globe with our allies as far as the appropriate action.'

Trump had promised during his campaign for president that he would establish a safe zone in Syria for nationals seeking to escape the brutality from extremists.

Syria's military, with the backing from Russia and Iran, has lay waste to areas controlled by rebel forces, as well. Tuesday's chemical weapons attack is just the latest in a series of assaults that the Syrian government has been accused on carrying out on its own people.

A secure zone has yet to be set up, though Trump has talked about it since taking office as an alternative to resettling Syrian refugees in America.

Trump's administration last week said it would apply pressure to Assad to make changes inside his country.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced that the United States was not 'going to sit there and focus on getting [Assad] out.'

Haley, who just took the reigns of the UN Security Council, said Monday that the approach does not mean the US believes Assad should stay.

Assad is a 'war criminal' and 'what hes done to his people is nothing more than disgusting,' she said.

Spicer said Tuesday the administration's new tact reflects the current 'political reality.'

He would not say how the United States plans to respond to Assad's latest assault on the Syrian people, contending that he'd 'rather not get ahead' of the national security team.

But he said the chemical weapons attack 'is not something that any civilized nation should sit back and accept or tolerate.'

Trump's secretary of state took hours on Tuesday to issue a statement decrying the tragedy, having ignored reporters asking him for comment shortly after Spicer's off-camera briefing.

When he finally sent something out, Rex Tillerson said, 'The United States strongly condemns the chemical weapons attack in Idlib province, the third allegation of the use of such weapons in the past month alone.'

'While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism. Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions.

Ivanka also taped an interview with Gayle King that aired on CBS 'This Morning' today

'Anyone who uses chemical weapons to attack his own people shows a fundamental disregard for human decency and must be held accountable.'

The 'horrific conflict' requires a 'genuine ceasefire' agreement between the government and rebel forces.

'We call upon Russia and Iran, yet again, to exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again,' the State Department official said. 'As the self-proclaimed guarantors to the ceasefire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths.'

The State Department followed up on his comments by announcing Wednesday morning that it was providing an additional $566 million in humanitarian assistance to the conflict, for a sum total of $6.5 billion since 2012.

The funds pay for food assistance, shelter, drinking water, medical, protection and other relief efforts.
Australia's tourism industry is being targeted by an organised crime syndicate who are using a Chinese social network and stolen credit cards to scam popular attractions out of possibly millions of dollars, it has been revealed.

The ticketing scam was only recently discovered by the operators of a number of major tourist attractions in Victoria and New South Wales, Fairfax Media reports.

It has targeted one of Sydney's biggest draws  the Bridgeclimb, where thrillseekers pay up to $378 per person to scale the iconic Harbour Bridge.

BridgeClimb had to refund thousands of dollars' worth of credit card transactions late last year.

BridgeClimb, one of Sydney's most popular attraction, is among tourism operators targeted in a ticketing scam by a Chinese crime syndicate. File photo

And in Victoria, nine businesses have refunded almost $400,000 to the owners of cards that were fraudulently used to purchase tickets to attractions including the Eureka SkyDeck in Melbourne and the Peninsula Hot Springs near Rye, according to Fairfax.

But it is feared that it is 'just the tip of the iceberg' and the true scale of the fraud is far greater.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Mark Stone said: 'Clearly this is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg.

'I would imagine we are talking millions of dollars nationally.'

According to Fairfax, the crime syndicate running the scam have enlisted Chinese students in Australia as 'agents.'

The crime syndicate is using stolen credit cards to purchase tickets to some of Australia's most popular tourist attractions. File photo

The fraudulently bought tickets are being sold to unsuspecting tourists at a discounted rate on Chinese social network WeChat. File photo

These students are promoting discounted tickets on WeChat, a popular social network with around 800million users in China.

Tickets bought with stolen credit cards are sold to unsuspecting tourists, who actually visit the attraction.

Thus, operators are losing revenue when illegally-bought tickets are used but are also having to issue refunds to the credit card owners.

They are also slapped with bank fees of up to $70 each time a refund is needed.

As a result, Chinese tourists at some attractions are being asked to show ID and the credit card used to purchase the ticket before entry.

Police have reportedly traced the identity of one of the suspected ringleaders of the scam and issued an alert to stop him from leaving the country.
Ten measles cases have been confirmed in the past week in western Sydney, with NSW Health pushing for vaccinations to thwart the outbreak.

Six more Sydneysiders have contracted measles, taking the number of cases in the past week to 10, with many of those infectious while in the Auburn and Bankstown areas.

NSW Health said the recent wave of victims spent time while infectious in the Children's Hospital Westmead on April 1-2.

Ten measles cases have been confirmed in the past week in western Sydney (stock image)

'This brings the total number of cases in NSW, with onset this year, to 19,' NSW Health's director communicable diseases, Dr Vicky Sheppeard, said on Wednesday.

The infected people frequented sites including Wyndham College at Quakers Hill, Fairfield District Medical Centre, Fairfield Hospital Emergency Department, Westmead Children's Hospital Emergency and the NAS Medical Centre in Auburn during the past week.

'The recent cases reinforce the importance of getting vaccinated,' she said.

'A highly effective measles vaccine has been freely available for many years and it is vital for everyone, including adults and children, to have two doses of the measles vaccine during their lifetime.

'If you develop the symptoms of measles, seek medical advice. Please call ahead to your doctor or emergency department so that arrangements can be made to keep you away from others to minimise the risk of infection,' she said.

Symptoms of the airborne virus include fever, sore eyes and a cough followed by a red, blotchy rash three to four days later.

The recent wave of victims spent time while infectious in the Children's Hospital Westmead

Other people confirmed as infected this year frequented Fairfield District Medical Centre

People with symptoms are advised to stay home from work or school and seek medical help as soon as possible - calling ahead before visiting a doctor or hospital so they can minimise risk.

Parents of infants or others who are not fully vaccinated against measles are being urged to receive the free medication.

Measles is particularly dangerous to young children, who can develop dangerous complications, such as pneumonia or encephalitis
A bizarre video shows a baby turtle with two heads and six legs found in north China's Shanxi Province.

Footage shows the baby red-eared slider with two heads and six legs as it moves around normally.

Researchers from Shanxi Medicine and Life Science Academy told Chinese media that it was 'caused by genetic mutation, just like a human.'

A baby turtle was found to have two heads and six legs among a box of imported turtles

Mr Wang, a reptile shop owner told Shanxi Metropolis Post that he bought a box of red-eared sliders from a wholesale market on March 29.

Surprisingly he found a baby turtle with two heads and six legs among the other turtles. However, the little red-eared slider can move and eat like just like the others.

'All the legs are moving and all the eyes are blinking. It eats normally and I believe this baby turtle is about two to three months old,' Wang told reporters.

The mutant turtle can be seen blinking its eyes and moving like any other normal turtles

Experts says the turtle was born with genetic mutation that has no different to human mutation

Neighbours were surprised to see a mutant turtle as most of them have never seen one before

The discovery has drawn neighbours to his shop but most of them said: 'I haven't seen the turtle with two heads.'

Some suggested water pollution triggered a mutation to this turtle.

A red-eared slider turtle can usually live for 50-70 years.

It is unknown how long the mutant turtle will live for.
Kim Jong-un blew 2.7million last year on racy underwear for his band of groupies who are plucked as virgins to entertain him and his cronies.

The dictator imported suspenders and corsets among his huge haul from China, which is more than double the figure he spent last year.

They are said to have been ordered for his infamous Pleasure Squad, who are plucked from classrooms - some as young as 13 - and subjected to medical tests to check they are virgins before being forced into a life of sexual servitude.

Kim Jong-un reportedly blew 2.7million last year on sexy underwear for his Pleasure Squad

Defectors have spoken about attending drunken sex parties where women would have their pubic hair shaved as a forfeit if they lost games.

The figures come from the Trade Map, according to The Sun, and follows a report showing detailing how Kim Jong-un is also squandering millions on Champagne, horses and make-up while his people are struggling to make ends meet.

The UN says two million people are struggling to survive on meagre hand-outs from the state.

It says the daily allowance is 650 grams of maize, rice and meat.

Kim Jong-un makes a speech to the sycophantic crowd at the 7th Workers' Party Congress in Pyongyang this week. His chubby features are thought to be due to his love for cheese, chocolate and fine wine

But the despot is spending fortunes on Champagne, fines wines, chocolate and Swiss cheese.

Last year, Kim also blew 33million on vain statues of himself, his father Kim Jong-il and grandfather Kim il-Sung.

Kim signed off imports worth 5.5m from German firms in 2015, including 235,000 on spirits, 113,000 on wines and Champagne and 56,500 on German beer.

Kim Jong-un is reportedly obsessed with Emmenthal (pictured), which is specially imported from Switzerland

There were also orders for 123,442 worth of perfumes, deodorants, make-up and hair care products from Germany.

Another 57,229 went on watches from Switzerland, 66,882 on imported cheeses, 251,726 on fishing rods from China and 132,452 on horses from Russia.

The bizarre list of imports included 1.65m worth of umbrellas from China, 8.03m on pepper and 2.34m on gym equipment.

The figures are from an International Trade Centre Map.

Kim is reported to have developed a craving for Emmental cheese and fine wines while studying in Switzerland.

In 2014 it was reported that he was suffering gout, a form of arthritis which is linked to debauchery and an over-indulgent lifestyle.

North Korea's ruling party is holding its first congress since 1980, amid speculation Kim will conduct a fifth nuclear test.

Kim took over the leadership in Pyongyang in 2011 and is expected to be 'crowned' with a formal title like his father and grandfather.

Kim il-Sung, founder of the Democratic Republic of Korea, created his own personality cult and was known as the Great Leader.

His son Kim Jong-il was known as the Dear Leader during his 1994-2011 reign.

It remains to be seen what title Kim Jong-un will give himself but there seems no end in sight to the personality cult or dynastic communism.
Former national security advisor Susan Rice wasn't the only Obama administration official to request the 'unmasking' of members of President Donald Trump's transition team  and her successor Mike Flynn was just one of at least two who were left exposed.

Flynn was forced out of his job after a transcript of an intercepted phone call was leaked to The Washington Post, detailing a conversation he had last year with Russia's ambassador to the U.S.  a discussion that reportedly included mention of rolling back U.S. sanctions on Moscow.

It's not known who the second Trump transition official is, but The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday night that there were two  based on information from a Republican linked to the House Intelligence Committee.

'The official said Ms. Rice had requested the unmasking of at least one transition officialnot Mr. Flynnwho was part of multiple foreign conversations that weren't related to Russia,' the Journal reported.

And 'Rice wasn't the administration official who instigated Mr. Flynns unmasking.' That puts at least one other Obama White House official in the picture.

Former U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice asked intelligence agencies dozens of times to 'unmask' the names of Donald Trump associates that were redacted from raw intelligence reports  and she wasn't the only one

Retired Gen. Mike Flynn (left), who served briefly as National Security Advisor before being forced out, wasn't the only Trump transition official whose name was 'unmasked'

Rice forcefully denied on Tuesday that she purposely collected classified intelligence information about anyone associated with the Trump campaign or transition, and said any suspicion that she leaked names to the press was ridiculous.

'The allegations that somehow Obama administration officials utilized intelligence for political purposes, that's absolutely false,' she said.

She used the same words  'absolutely false'  to deny a report in The Daily Caller that she had requested intelligence information on Trump associates and compiled it into a spreadsheet.

'No spreadsheet, no nothing of the sort,' Rice said.

she blasted Trump's tweeted claims on March 4 that Obama had authorized surveillance of him and his team before and after the November election.

'There was no such collection, surveillance on Trump Tower or Trump individuals ... and by that I mean directed by the White House or targeted at Trump individuals,' she said.

Rice forcefully denied on Tuesday that she or anyone in the White House ever went out of their way to 'unmask' the identities of Trump or his associates, but The Wall Street Journal says at least two White House officials  and two from Trumpworld  are in the picture

White House officials, including any president, Rice added, 'do not have the ability to order such collection.'

'That can only come from the Justice Department through an established process. It never originates in the White House. So not only did it not occur, it didn't occur and it could not have occurred  directed by the White House.'

WHAT IS UNMASKING? When U.S. intelligence services conduct surveillance of foreign targets, it's possible that American citizens can be swept up in recorded conversations, intercepted emails or other surveillance. That can happen when Americans who are not targets of an investigation are 'incidentally' captured talking to a target. it can also occur when targets merely mention them during a conversation or in a document. When this happens, intelligence analysts routinely delete the Americans' names and replace them with vague identifiers like 'U.S. Person Number One' or 'Person A'  masking their identity from other government officials who may look at reports. Senior intelligence officials can request the 'unmasking' of those names under certain circumstances, but that creates a risk that the names will be leaked. Advertisement

Rice said she was 'surprised' and 'shocked' by Trump's accusation, saying 'it had no basis in fact.'

'And it wasn't typical of the way presidents treat their predecessors, she said on MSNBC.

Host Andrea Mitchell asked her whether she ever intentionally 'unmasked' Trump-related names 'in order to spy on them and expose them.

'Absolutely not for any political purposes, to spy, expose, anything,' Rice responded.

She also flatly denied leaking the name of Gen. Michael Flynn, her successor, to reporters.

'I leaked nothing to nobody, and never have and never would,' Rice insisted.

Tuesday on CNN, Rep. Adam Schiff  the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee  defended Rice and said she has been 'a perennial target for the hard right.'

Schiff said there is 'a strong desire by the White House that we lose our focus, that we not pursue the investigation of Russia, particularly as it might impact the Trump campaign.'

He also said continuing Rice-bashing 'is appealing to the Breitbart crowd.'

Rice explained Tuesday that it isn't uncommon for White House or cabinet officials to request the unmasking of names of U.S. citizens when they are incidentally snared in a spying net.

'There were occasions when I would receive a report in which a U.S. person was referred to. Name not provided, just "U.S. person",' she recalled.

'And sometimes in that context, in order to understand the importance of the report, and assess its significance, it was necessary to find out, or request the information as to who that U.S. official was.'

Rice said intelligence officials 'can't be passive consumers' of information.

But 'there's no equivalence between so-called unmasking and leaking,' she insisted.

There is not necessarily anything illegal or unusual about a national security adviser seeking to unmask names in raw reports, in order to fully understand the meaning of intercepted conversations.

But in this case those identities  including the name of then-National Security Advisor Mike Flynn  were subsequently leaked and made public. That is a federal felony.

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul appeared on Morning and demanded that Rice testify under oath before Congress

Rice is being blamed for requesting that members of President Trump's teams names were unmasked in intelligence reports
Amy Robertson, a Kansas high school principal, has been forced to resign after her dodgy education background was exposed by a group of student journalists

A high school principal has been forced to resign after her dodgy educational background was exposed by a group of student journalists.

Amy Robertson, the newly-appointed principal at Pittsburg High School in Kansas, was approved for her new job by the local Board of Education on March 6.

But before she could settle into the role, student journalists writing for the Booster Redux - the school's newspaper - decided to dig into Robertson's background.

During their three-week investigation the six reporters discovered information casting doubt over the private college where their principal received both her Masters and Doctorate degrees.

In an article published last Friday, the students wrote that Corllins University - where Robertson studied, had been: 'under fire in the national media for its lack of legitimacy'.

The article went on to reference another story from an Oregon newspaper that referred to Corllins as: 'a business that sells fake college degrees'.

The students also reported the private college is not accredited by the US Department of Education.

Pittsburg's Community Schools Board of Education held a special meeting on Tuesday night in light of the stunning allegations, during which Robertson walked away from her new job - and its $93,000 salary.

'Amy Robertson felt it was in the best interest of the district to resign her position,' Superintendent Destry Brown said in a statement after the executive session, according to the Kansas City Star.

Pictured are student journalists Gina Mathew, Kali Poenitske, Maddie Baden, Trina Paul, Connor Balthazor and Patrick Sullivan (left-to-right) before they interviewed Robertson last month

The story was published by the student newspaper last week, and the headline that it ran with is pictured

'I do feel it is my responsibility. As superintendent I feel like I let the teachers and the students down. I publicly admit that.'

Despite resigning, Robertson defended herself against the allegations last week.

'The current status of Corllins University is not relevant because when I received my MA in 1994 and my PhD in 2010, there was no issue,' she told the Star.

'All three of my degrees have been authenticated by the US government.

'I have no comment in response to the questions posed by PHS students regarding my credentials because their concerns are not based on facts.'

The student newspaper's editor, Trina Paul, said the team looked into Robertson to ensure they had the best principal possible.

'She was going to be the head of our school, and we wanted be assured that she was qualified and had the proper credentials,' the senior told the Star.

'We stumbled on some things that most might not consider legitimate credentials.'

Amy Robertson, the newly-appointed principal at Pittsburg High School (pictured) in Kansas, was approved for her new job by the local Board of Education last month

Another student, Maddie Baden, said the newspaper's student staff became concerned after it discovered articles online linking Robertson with an English language school in Dubai that had its license suspended.

'That raised a red flag,' Baden told the Star, before adding: 'If students could uncover all of this, I want to know why the adults couldnt find this?'

Robertson lived 'on and off' in Dubai for almost 20 years prior to taking the job in Pittsburg. Prior to moving back to the US, her most recent job had been as an education consultant with a firm called Atticus I S Consultants.

The ousted principal earned her bachelors degree at the University of Tulsa.
A three-year-old boy from Washington state had one of his arms amputated after he was severely mauled by wolf-dog hybrids his family have been breeding.

The toddler was viciously attacked by the animals when he walked into the yard of his family's home in Olympia on Monday afternoon and stuck his hand into one of the kennels, Thurston County Sheriff's Office said.

At least one of the canines bit the child on the hand and forearm, according to officials.

Wild: This suspected wolfdog (pictured) was seized by the authorities in Washington state after a mauling where a three-year-old boy lost one of his arms

Another dog, pictured right, was also removed from the property in Olympia following Monday's attack

The boy's mother, who was inside the house but unaware that her son had gone outside, then called 911.

Deputies responded to the property and found the young boy suffering from serious injuries.

The victim was then airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he underwent a traumatic arm amputation and was listed in stable condition.

On Wednesday morning he was listed in a stable condition, according to Q13Fox.

Thurston County Animal Services and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife responded to the home and took away the family's two suspected wolf hybrids.

This is not the first time that one of the familys wolfdogs has attacked someone.

In 2013, the station KIRO7 reported that a 140-pound wolf-dog hybrid Name Lakota jumped a fence on the property and attacked a German shepherd that also lived with the family.

Officials say the toddler wandered into the yard of his family's home in Olympia and stuck his hand into a kennel (pictured) holding a pair of alleged wolfdogs

The family have been breeding wolf hybrids on their property on Meridian Road Southeast in Olympia for many years

Lakota's owner, Rich Mircale, was eventually able to corral the aggressive animal.

'I wouldn't say it's a danger to the community. I would say animals are animals and they just need to be contained a little better,' he told the station after Lakota's capture.

In the wake of the incident, the canine narrowly avoided being euthanized and was later resettled at Wolf Haven International, reported the Seattle Times.

Officials at the sanctuary said Lakota is so aggressive that they do not allow anyone in his pen.

This photo shows a pair of shepherd dogs the family were selling a couple of years ago

Under Washington state law, private citizens are allowed to keep and even breed wolf-dog hybrids with up to 98 per cent wolf DNA, but not purebred wolves.

According to officials at the Tenino-based wolf sanctuary, DNA tests showed that Lakota and other canines Rich Miracle's family had used in the past for breeding purposes were 100 per cent wolves.

It is unclear whether the two animals linked to Mondays mauling were full wolves or hybrids.

Diane Gallegos, executive director at Wolf Haven International, told Q13Fox the sanctuary is currently caring for three of Miracle's wolfdogs, and according to her, two of them are purebred wolves.

Gallegos said she and her associates have been trying to stop the Olympia family from breeding wolfdogs for years without success.

It was a time-bomb waiting to happen, said Wendy Spencer, who runs the wolf rescue.

Following Mondays attack, the two suspected wolfdogs have been placed under quarantine pending testing.

If it is determined that they are purebred wolves, the animals will not be returned to their owners.

Besides breeding wolf hybrids for sale, the family own a construction business specializing in tiny houses.
A young Briton who accused her father of keeping her 'caged' in Saudi Arabia for kissing a boy has dropped her legal case against him declaring her 'love and respect'.

Amina Al-Jeffery, 21, took pictures of herself in front of metal bars at her academic father's home and accused him of throttling and starving her and keeping her locked up without access to a bathroom.

She last year started legal proceedings against her father Mohammed but in September emailed a High Court judge asking for her case to be dropped.

'Caged': Amina Al-Jeffery, 21, took pictures of herself in front of metal bars at he academic father's home and accused him of throttling and starving her

High Court Family Division judge Mr Justice Holman initially declined her request saying 'we can't give up on her' but has now agreed to close the case so the family can be reunited.

In a statement from her solicitor which was read in open court, Miss Al-Jeffery said that she 'loves' and 'trusts' her father, and accepts his assurances that she is free to travel back to the UK if and when she wishes.

The judge said he was 'very pleased indeed that this sad and previously contentious case has resolved itself in this way.'

Miss Al-Jeffery, who has duel British and Saudi Arabian nationality, was moved to Saudi Arabia by her family some four years ago.

She launched her court action in England after describing being locked in a flat by her Saudi academic dad, in his 60's, as like being 'locked in a cage.'

When he previously ordered her father to return her to the UK, the judge said Miss Al-Jeffery was a British citizen abroad who was in peril and needed protection.

U-turn: Miss Al-Jeffery, left, initiated legal proceedings against her father but changed her mind. The judge (right) has now closed the case

But Marcus Scott-Manderson QC for Mr Al-Jeffery said today that all he ever wanted was the 'best for Amina.'

Representing Miss Al-Jeffery, Anne-Marie Hutchinson told the judge the youngster did not withdraw the allegations she made but wanted the case and press interest brought to an end, 'because of the understanding that she has achieved with her father and the reconciliation that they have made in their relationship.'

She wants to continue with her studies in Saudi Arabia where she now lives with her father and two sisters. She then hopes to go to University in England to get her degree.

In bringing the proceedings to an end her father has given assurances embodied in the court order that she would not be prevented from working and studying or from pursuing her career and education.

She would also have free access to her telephone and laptop and 'free to enter into a marriage if and when she wishes.'

He would not prevent her leaving Saudi Arabia although she was not yet ready to do so, and would be treated no differently to her sisters.

Miss Al-Jeffery, pictured in a school photo, was born and raised in Swansea until her father took her to the Middle East when she was 16

The judge commented: 'I am very pleased indeed that the essential message from the statement is that there has been a great improvement in the relationship between Amina and her father, and that they now love and respect each other and have worked out clear understanding of the basis to move forward.'

He said the court proceedings were not 'futile' because Amina herself accepts that without them 'she would not have what she has now in terms of freedom and a life.'

Her solicitor said: 'Amina is very clear that she would not have what she has now in terms of freedom and a life if it were not for these proceedings.

'This is based not only on what the court has achieved for her in terms of orders and her ability to meet outside agencies for assistance but because of the understanding that she has achieved with her father and the reconciliation that they have made in their relationship.'

Miss Al-Jeffery wanted to thank the court and the British Embassy and Consular staff in Saudi Arabia for their help.

In her statement Miss Hutchinson said that after taking legal advice Miss Al-Jeffery wanted to bring the proceedings to an end 'on the basis that she trusts her father to continue to comply with the assurances and meet the assurances which he has given to this court and most importantly which he has given to her.'

She added that Miss Al-Jeffery felt 'the conclusion of these proceedings will seal their relationship moving forward.'

The judge said offered his 'very sincere and genuine best wishes to Amina and her father and her family for their future relationships and their future lives generally.'
Daredevil Kyle Katsandris, 24, crashed attempting an audacious stunt on Sunday

A motorcyclist who was filmed jumping over the freeway is now in a critical condition after crashing his bike while attempting to jump across railway tracks in Los Angeles.

Daredevil Kyle Katsandris, 24, from San Clemente, overshot his landing zone and crashed in a dangerous off-road stunt.

Emergency services were called to the scene, in the 500 block of West Los Angeles Avenue, and he was rushed to hospital in a 'critical but stable condition.'

Katsandris had drawn social media attention last month when he was filmed jumping over the 60 Freeway in Moreno Valley, California, as cars passed underneath him.

That stunt, on March 3, had led to an investigation by the California Highway Patrol. The video was watched on his Instagram account more than 180,000 times.

Speaking at the time, California Department of Transportation spokeswoman Terri Kasinga said: 'We hope to never see this again. It was illegal and dangerous to motorists. It could have been a tragedy.'

And California Highway Patrol Sergeant Randy Costelow warned that 'if anybody is caught doing it, they will be prosecuted.'

But despite that, Katsandris decided to attempt a second daring stunt over the rail tracks.

Simi Valley Police Department said it was not made aware of the stunt before it was attempted.

Motorcyclist Kyle Katsandris jumped the 60 Freeway in Moreno Valley, California, last month

The video had tens of thousands of views and the stuntman had then attempted another one

Police commander Robert Arabian told the Los Angeles Times: 'The stunt was extremely dangerous and illegal.

'Sometimes these violators try to jump over a moving train, which is extremely dangerous. We don't know if that was their intent on this occasion.

'Obviously, a train versus a motorcyclist would result in serious injury or death to the rider.'

The police department is yet to decide whether charges will be filed against Katsandris.

His friend Colin Morrison, who has completed the stunt over the rail tracks three times, said: 'He called me last week, asking me about this jump. And I told him "Uh, you know, it's big."

'I was nervous because, you know, if you come in short or long you're going to die and break a lot of bones.'

The 24-year-old is currently in a critical condition in hospital after crashing during the stunt

A YouTube video from the same scene in September 2010 shows Morrison leaping over a moving train on his bike.

Writing on Facebook, he added: 'Nothing but the utmost respect on going for the train jump. Just thinking about going for it I give him respect, and truly hope he has a speedy recovery.

'Going big on dirt bikes is no joke & [I] still have nightmares of all the things that could have happened back in the day.'

Another friend, Kenny Dawkins, said Katsandris had been portrayed as 'some kind of irresponsible outlaw who is risking the lives of others while attempting his jumps...truth is, the only person who's life is at risk is Kats himself.'

He said Katsandris was a skilled motocross rider, but 'sometimes even the best riders have accidents, and that's what happened Sunday to Kats.

'Kats is a tough kid and he will recover from these injuries and be back to doing what he lives to do: free ride,' he added.
FOCUS ON DEFENSE CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND OCEANIA
An F-16 jet on a training mission from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland crashed in-between two cul-de-sacs in Prince Grove, six miles from the base, at 9:15am Wednesday.

Wreckage landed just 200 yards from houses, officials said at a midday press conference, but no people or any homes were damaged. The pilot was left in 'good condition' after parachuting to safety.

Residents who had been evacuated from their homes have been told they can return - but have been warned not to touch wreckage, while concerns remain about the possibility of dangerous chemicals on the ground.

Scroll down for video

An F-16 plane crashed near during a training mission at 9:15am Wednesday, starting fires near homes. Evacuated residents can return home but there are concerns about spilled chemicals

The pilot (left and right, after ejecting from the plane) has not been identified by the Air Force. A civilian says the pilot told him his plane had live ammunition on it when it crashed

The plane began breaking up while it was still in the air, Prince George's County Fire Department (PGCFD) officials said at a press conference.

It landed in a wooded area between two separate cul-de-sacs, with some wreckage landing close to nearby homes.

Footage from a bystander shows the pilot (circled) parachuting over the smoke pouring from his plane. Note the nearby house

An entire wing from the plane was found in one field, fully intact, officials said.

In total 20 homes were evacuated, but all residents were told they could now return home.

Hazardous materials teams were operating to clear up the wreckage, it was announced at the press conference.

An expert told NBC Washington that one of the biggest concerns when an army jet crashes is the spillage of hydrazine, a colorless fluid used in the F-16's emergency power units.

The fluid is highly flammable and also toxic if not in a solution.

Acute exposure to the fluid can damage the central nervous system, kidneys, and liver.

Even less-extreme exposure can lead to irritation of the nose, eyes and throat, dizziness, nausea, seizures and comas.

Studies also suggest that it may cause cancer in lab rats.

Smoke was visible from afar. The pilot was taken to hospital by army helicopter but later said to be well. The cause of the crash will take months for investigators to determine

The crashed F-16 was similar to this one (file photo). The planes cost $60 million each, and some in the US inventory are up to 30 years old. Around 10 missions fly over the area each day

Earlier in the day, PGCFD said that there was no live ammunition on the plane when it crashed, but at the conference journalists were told that question would be left 'for Andrews to answer'.

Locals said they heard rounds going off after the explosion, something that officials before the press conference attributed to gases within the plane igniting.

But Patrick Dotson, a former soldier who ran over to the pilot as he parachuted down, told Fox News that he heard 'rounds' of ammunition exploding.

He also said that the pilot confirmed to him that the plane had live ammo on board before he was taken away. The pilot was only concerned about the safety of civilians after the crash, he said.

An ordinance disposal vehicle was also spotted heading to the crash site by reporters.

And the Prince George's County Fire Department (PGCFD) warned locals not to touch any wreckage they might find.

'F-16 Crash - if anyone in community finds what they believe to be a part of the aircraft - do not touch/move-call @JBA_NAFW at 240-857-8685,' the tweet said.

NEW: A neighbor shared this video - appears to show moments F-16 pilot parachuted out of his aircraft. @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/dZtSv4GXCM  Meagan Fitzgerald (@MeaganNBCDC) April 5, 2017

Locals were warned not to touch any wreckage, but to contact authorities. There are concerns that chemicals used in the plane may be both flammable and toxic

Fire officials initially said no live ammo was on board but later didn't comment. Residents heard noises like rounds going off after the crash; one man said pilot confirmed he had ammo

The pilot was on a training mission for the 113th Wing. It's not clear if the plane was taking off or landing.

The Wing is used, per a post-9/11 protocol, to patrol the area and intercept planes that enter a 'safe zone' around the capital.

They fly 3,000 missions a year - around ten a day - NBC reported.

The plane was part of the DC Guard 113th Wing, NBC Washington reported - that's the same wing used to routinely patrol the skies around Washington.

Those planes are scrambled from Andrews, which is used by the president to fly in and out of Washington.

Jets are so common in the area that some residents didn't even think a plane might have crashed at first. One woman said she thought it might have just been an exploding power generator.

In a statement on Twitter, the base said: 'A DC Air National Guard F-16C fighter jet, assigned to the 113th Wing, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., crashed about 9:15 a.m. today approximately six miles Southwest from JBA.

'The aircraft was flying along with other DCANG aircraft in a routine training mission in the greater Washington area.

'The aircraft carried only one pilot. The pilot ejected and sustained non-life threatening injuries.'

The cause of the crash is still unknown.

It could take months for the investigation to conclude. There are concerns that the colorless fluid hydrazine may have spilled; it is flammable and can be highly toxic if undiluted

Mark Brady from PGCFD said no injuries or deaths had been reported.

But homes in areas that may be affected by spreading fire are being approached by officials who are advising locals to evacuate.

The Clinton Grove Elementary School on Temple Hill Road is the evacuation site, local authorities said.

Fire crews were seen using a white foam to cover fires and stop them from spreading.

Locals said that their homes shook and window panes seemed like they would shatter as the plane exploded.

Many said they are used to hearing and seeing planes flying in the area, but that this was unusual because it was flying so low the ground before crashing.

It's still not known what altitude the plane was at when the pilot ejected, or whether he were able to steer the plane away from residential areas before he ejected.

However, experts told NBC Washington that pilots will not eject from F-16s unless they cannot control the plane, and that once they eject the plane will immediately crash.

It could take months for the investigation to conclude.

The DC Guard 113th Wing flies around ten missions a day around DC, and is tasked with patrolling the skies around the Capitol and intercepting planes flying off their logged route

The 113th Wing was sent out in 2005 to intercept a plane containing the Governor of Kentucky after it entered the 'safe zone' without permission.

In 2010, concerns were raised before Congress that the F-16 planes would need to be replaced within the decade, NBC Washington said.

F-16 jets cost around $60 million each. Around 4,500 F-16s have been constructed over the past 40 years.

Some of those in the US inventory have been around for as long as 20-30 years. The US government is phasing out some - but not all - in favor of F-35s. Both are made by Lockheed Martin.

The case will be investigated only by the Air Force.

Anyone who finds a piece of the crashed aircraft is warned not to touch or move it, and to contact Joint Base Andrews on Twitter at @JBA_NAFW or at 240-857-8685.
An Oklahoma City police officer claims employees at his local Taco Bell put cologne and spicy chipotle sauce in his steak quesadilla, causing him to suffer severe burns to his throat.

Shawn Byrne and his wife, Amanda, are seeking more than $75,000 in a lawsuit filed against the fast food chain, saying he was forced to miss weeks of work due to the alleged incident.

Byrne claims to have stopped at his local Taco Bell back in February after volunteering at Putnam City Baptist Church.

The officer ordered a steak quesadilla, and claims that it tasted odd.

At the time, Byrne was wearing his police officer uniform and his attorney says the employees who served him the food were laughing at him.

Oklahoma City police officer Shawn Byrne and his wife, Amanda (pictured together), are seeking more than $75,000 in a lawsuit filed against Taco Bell

The officer claims that employees at his local Taco Bell restaurant (file above) put cologne and spicy chipotle sauce in his steak quesadilla causing him to suffer severe burns to his throat

Byrne claims he ordered a steak quesadilla (file above), but he stopped eating it after the third bite because 'his mouth started burning really, really bad'. He went to the doctor the next day who said his throat was severely burned

'By the time he took the third bite, apparently, was whenever his mouth started burning really, really bad,' his attorney Brian Dell told KFOR.

The officer's condition didn't improve so he went to the doctor the next morning who told him his throat was severely burned.

Byrne filed a police report and had the leftovers of the steak quesadilla tested.

'The Department of Agriculture said there was an extremely hot pepper sauce on the sandwich and there was cologne in the sandwich also. Shawn does not wear cologne,' Dell said.

His attorney claims that his client believes the employees at the Taco Bell purposely doctored his food to make it so hot it caused an injury to his throat.

A spokesperson for Taco Bell denied the claim and told DailyMail.com 'the lawsuit's claims of deliberate wrongdoing (are) puzzling, to say the least.'

Byrne (right) filed a police report and had the leftovers of the steak quesadilla were tested and the Department of Agriculture said there was an extremely hot pepper sauce and cologne in it. He filed a police report over the incident, but charges were never filed

Dell claimed the employees at the local Taco Bell are all convicted felons.

'There's the possibility they wanted to deliberately cause some harm or play a trick, if you will, on a policeman,' Dell said.

Byrne filed a police report, but the district attorney declined to file charges after authorities investigated the incident and interviewed the employees at the Taco Bell.

'If indeed these convicted felons did it deliberately, then you have to assume that's exactly why they did it. They'd get away with it because it wouldn't cause the injury it did, it caused serious injury,' Dell said.

In a statement sent to DailyMail.com, a spokesperson for Taco Bell said the company 'fully cooperated with the police.'

'Taco Bell is deeply appreciative of law enforcement, and we in no way endorse or accept discrimination against police officers or anyone else for that matter,' the statement reads.

'We immediately and fully cooperated with the police, who reviewed the surveillance video we provided and interviewed all of our employees present at the time.

'We understand that no evidence of malicious intent or criminal activity was found.

'As of today, no one has been arrested or charged with any crime, making the lawsuit's claims of deliberate wrongdoing puzzling, to say the least.'
A UFO enthusiast who mysteriously vanished last week left behind a den plastered wall-to-wall with Illuminati codes and symbols.

Bruno Borges, 24, disappeared from his home in Rio Branco in the west of Brazil having spent the past month working on what is being described as a secret project.

In his furniture-free bedroom, police found a 2,000 statue of 16th-century philosopher Giordano Bruno who predicted alien life, 14 encrypted books and signs associated with the Illuminati spread across the floor.

Scroll down for owl

Bruno Borges, 24, poses with picture of popular fictional martial from the 1982 movie E.T.

Bruno Borges, pictured left, has not been seen since March 27 and left behind an eerie den where he had a 2,000 statue of philosopher Giordano Bruno who predicted alien life

The student's bedroom was left as a shrine to alien life with codes written on the wall

He has not been seen since March 27, and his father told local press he was last seen in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and would have had no money nor documents.

Deputy Fabrizzio Sobreira, coordinator of the Criminal Investigation Office (DIC), who is leading the investigations, confirmed to the newspaper Acre TV all possibilities are being considered amid speculation he was abducted by the aliens he obsesses over.

His father, local businessman Athos Borges, told Globo: 'We've tried to call him on his cell phone, but he's off, he's never gone before, he did not take anything and the last time we saw him he was leaving home.'

Walls in Bruno Borges' den are covered in code and 14 books were found with a different Roman numeral on the cover of each one

Before disappearing, Borges wrote masses of codes on his walls and in 14 different books

The psychology student went missing shortly after his parents returned from a month-long trip, during which he stayed at home with his sister furiously beavering away at his project.

When his parents left, his bedroom was said to be normal, but 25 days later they were covered in coded writing and symbols as well as 14 secret manuscripts, each with a different Roman numeral on the cover.

His sister, Gabriella, said he would lock himself in the den for hours on end and told Gaucho newspaper: 'We were very worried. Now we think he's okay. He has a project, which is the publication of these 14 books. I think he had to do it that way.'
The former Archbishop of Canterbury and several members of the House of Lords are sharing a stage with members of the Syrian regime just 24 hours after it launched a chemical attack on a rebel-held town that killed more than 70 people.

The former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Baroness Caroline Cox, Lord Dr Eames and Lord Hylton are among the speakers at a two-day conference titled Syria - Six Years On: From Destruction to Reconstruction.

They are sharing a platform with Syria's minister for tourism Bishr Riyad Yaziji and President Assad's minister for 'national reconciliation', Ali Haidar.

Yaziji and Haidar are subject to an EU travel ban, and are expected to appear via video conference.

The two-day conference titled Syria - Six Years On: From Destruction to Reconstruction and organised by the European Centre for the Study of Extremism, Cambridge, started on Wednesday

The event organised by the European Centre for the Study of Extremism in Cambridge, started on Wednesday.

The EuroCSE has been tweeting that the event is taking place in London.

It has not yet been confirmed that each of those scheduled to appear did attend the conference, although Lord Williams was pictured speaking at the event.

It has been criticised by a number of groups as a 'pro-Assad' conference, and protests are being held in London and Cambridge as it takes place.

It comes just a day after at least 72 people died in Khan Sheikhoun, in the rebel-held central province of Idlib, Syria, in a chemical attack many believe was the work of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

The former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams was a keynote speaker at the conference on Wednesday

On a session titled Diplomacy & Security Nexus Revisited, Peter Ford, Lord Hylton and Hamid Baeidinejad were panelists

Baroness Caroline Cox, who's in the House of Lords, discussed her visit to Syria at the conference on Wednesday

Lord Williams, Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, has been named as a keynote speaker at the conference.

He previously said attending the event will cause him 'discomfort' but said he would be 'robust' with his criticism on human rights abuses in Syria.

He told Guido Fawkes: 'I have made it clear that I have no intention of defending the Government of Syria against well-founded charges of human rights abuses, and I have as yet seen no clear evidence that the event is designed simply as a propagandist exercise.

'You may be sure that I should strongly resist any attempt to make it such.

'My concern is simply to ask what can be done to move the discussion further towards a just and sustainable peace, guaranteeing the democratic rights of all.'

Several other UK leaders have been named as notable speakers at the event, including: Syrian Christian former member of parliament Maria Saadeh, Israeli Arab politician Issam Makhoul and Bassam Abu Shairf, a former senior adviser to former Palestinian political leader Yasser Arafat.

US Rep Dennis Kucinich is also speaking at the conference.

Labour MP and former minister John Spellar told MailOnline of the event: 'I accept that governments have to meet and negotiate with fairly unsavoury people.

US Rep Dennis Kucinich, who flew into London for the event was interviewed at the conference

Journalist Jonathan Steele (left) discussed embedded journalism, media activists and professional reporters at the event

Carl Turner, Hana Jalloul Muro and Jonathan Steele spoke about the strategies of the military scene at the conference

Muro spoke about 'The Religious & Political Exegises in the Discourses of the Sunni and Shi'i Radical-Islamism Yihadi Groups in Syria'

Hamid Baeidinejad, US Rep Dennis Kucinich, Michael Raimbaud, Peter Ford and Lord Hylton spoke together at the event

'However, that does not mean that ordinary members of parliament, Commons or Lords, should be giving comfort and legitimacy to dictators or terrorists, and most certainly not to the evil Assad regime  especially on a day like today.'

Yasmine Nahlawi, research and policy coordinator for Rethink Rebuild, an organisation that works towards improving the lives of Syrians in the UK, criticised the conference for taking place so soon after the chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun.

She told MailOnline: "Yesterday's chemical attack by the Assad regime was horrifying beyond words although it is representative of the regime's brutality.

'Beyond our collective outrage against the attack, we are also extremely angry that a pro-Assad conference, featuring speakers from the regime itself, has been allowed to take place in the UK."

Cambridge University history MPhil student George Morris organised a protest in Cambridge in hopes of getting speakers like Lord Williams to withdraw from the conference.

'It was originally due to be taking place in Westminster, but my understanding is no venue would take them, and now it's moved to somewhere in Cambridge,' he told Cambridge News ahead of the event.

Mr Morris said he feared Lord Williams' attendance would be seen as a propaganda coup for the Syrian regime.

Following the chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun, Morris, a Rethink Rebuild Society volunteer, said: 'Rowan Williams thinks he can go and make reasoned comments to this carefully selected audience of regime sympathisers and war crimes apologists.

Syrians dig a grave to bury the bodies of victims of a a suspected toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhun, a nearby rebel-held town in Syrias northwestern Idlib province

International outrage is mounting over a suspected chemical attack that killed scores of civilians in Khan Sheikhun on Tuesday

'He seems not to have realised that he is being used to legitimise unimaginable atrocities. Shame on him for supporting this event, which is in effect little more than a fascist rally.'

Ahead of his protest on Wednesday, Morris said that Cambridge 'says no to war criminals'.

He said: 'Today, the Assad regime used chemical weapons to massacre Syrian civilians, and then launched attacks on the clinics that were treating the wounded.

'Tomorrow, Cambridge will host a secretive conference at which members of the regime responsible for these attacks will be treated as honoured guests, and as legitimate voices in public discourse.

'We want to make it absolutely clear that Cambridge says no to war criminals, no to the whitewashing of their crimes, and no to the legitimisation of murderers.

'I urge all people in Cambridge who want to express solidarity with Syrians and to stand against this attempt to legitimise war criminals to join us in our protest tomorrow.'

Several UK-based Syrian groups, including the Syrian Platform for Peace, Peace and Justice for Syria and Syria Solidarity UK released a joint statement slamming the conference last month.

The statement said: 'As UK-based Syrian organisations we wish to express our concern about the emergence of a new group, 'The European Centre for the Study of Extremism, Cambridge', which appears to exist primarily to spread propaganda for the Assad dictatorship.

It comes just a day after at least 72 people died in Khan Sheikhoun, in the rebel-held central province of Idlib, Syria, in a chemical attack many believe was the work of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime

Sarin, which is made by combining the fluorine in sodium fluoride with carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and phosphorous, is considered one of the world's most dangerous chemical warfare agents. Pictured above, a Syrian man receives treatment after an alleged chemical attack at a field hospital in Saraqib, Idlib

'The organisation's founder, Makram Khoury-Machool, is a close friend of Assad's former ambassador to the UK, Sami Khiyami.

'Khoury-Machool is a former lecturer at the University of Cambridge and has a profile on Churchill College's website.

'He appears keen to use the group's presence in Cambridge and its connections to members of the University to promote it as a legitimate entity.'

'We are concerned that a great many people who we expect not to share pro-regime sympathies are involved with this propaganda exercise,' the statement said.

It added: 'We call on those involved with the groups who do not share the objectives of this conference to publicly distance themselves from it.

'We call on the University of Cambridge to publicly make clear its relationship, whatever it might be, with Makram Khoury-Machool and 'EuroCSE'.'

EuroCSE director Mackram Khoury-Machool addressed opposition to the event in a statement on the organisation's website.

Khoury-Machool said: 'Raising grievance is part of a healing process. This conference, however, is about resolving extremism, avoiding reactionary politics and propaganda, and therefore it is about establishing mature responsible dialogue, understanding, fostering tolerance and paving a way for reconciliation and peace.

'Everybody involved in this discourse cares about and is emotionally invested in Syria and its fate. Our conference provides an important platform for responsible diplomacy with the goal of resolution of war and healing distress.

At least 11 of the 100 people who died in the chemical attack were children. Doctors treating victims at makeshift hospitals in the area say dozens of victims from Khan Sheikhoun are showing signs of sarin poisoning

An injured Syrian boy is being brought to Reyhanli State Hospital in Hatay, Turkey, to receive treatment after Tuesday's gas attack

'Syria needs reconstruction, reconciliation and peace; we believe that our first Patron and Keynote speaker at the conference The Rt. Rev. and Rt. Honorable, Baron of Oystermouth, Lord Dr Rowan Williams, Master of Magdalene College is best placed to advocate for peace in Syria and to facilitate this evolving dialogue for peace.'

International outrage is mounting over the suspected chemical attack that killed scores of civilians in a rebel-held town in northwest Syria on Tuesday morning.

It remains unclear what kind of substance was used in the attack, but the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday that some victims appeared to show signs of exposure to 'nerve agents', and doctors on the ground suggested it could be sarin.

Sarin, which is made by combining the fluorine in sodium fluoride with carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and phosphorous, is considered one of the world's most dangerous chemical warfare agents. It disrupts the nervous system, over-stimulating muscles and vital organs.

If confirmed, it would be one of the worst chemical attacks since Syria's civil war began six years ago.

Syria's opposition has accused the government of Bashar al-Assad of carrying out the strike, and warned that it 'calls into question' efforts to bring an end to the bloody conflict.

Rebel groups including Al-Qaeda's former affiliate said on Tuesday they would take 'revenge' against the regime and its backers, calling on allied fighters 'to ignite the fronts' across the country.

But Syria's army 'categorically' denied the claims, saying it had never used chemical weapons 'any time, anywhere, and will not do so in the future'.

The United States has blamed the administration of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the attack, while British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also suggested the attack was caused by the Assad regime. Pictured above, Syrian Veda Ajej, 35, receives treatment at Reyhanli State Hospital in Hatay, Turkey, following the attack

Up to 100 people have died from suffocation after a toxic gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, in the rebel-held central province of Idlib, Syria, early Tuesday morning. Pictured above, a child gets treatment at a hospital after Assad Regime forces attacked

Both the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria and the UN's chemical arms watchdog said they were investigating the attack to determine whether chemical substances were used.

Washington and London have pointed the finger at Assad, and European Union diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said his regime bore 'primary responsibility' for the attack.

Pope Francis on Wednesday called the attack an 'unacceptable massacre'.

But regime ally Moscow said the deaths were caused when a Syrian air strike hit a 'terrorist warehouse' containing toxic materials.

Syria's government officially joined the Chemical Weapons Convention and turned over its chemical arsenal in 2013, as part of a deal to avert US military action.

That agreement came after hundreds of people -- up to 1,429 according to a US intelligence report -- were killed in chemical weapons strikes allegedly carried out by Syrian troops near Damascus.

But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use by the government since, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015.

The Islamic State jihadist group was also found to have used mustard gas in a 2015 attack in Syria.
A Nigerian pastor has slammed her male congregation for not 'taking care' of their wives sexually and being selfish in bed.

Reverend Gloria Madugba handed out foreplay tips and scolded male churchgoers for rushing sex during the bizarre sermon, believed to have been delivered at a church in Port Harcourt, in the country's south.

Madugba argued that by taking part in foreplay, it would make their sex lives better because their wives would be 'more receptive' during intercourse.

Scroll down for video

Nigerian pastor Reverend Gloria Madugba (pictured) has slammed her male congregation for not 'taking care' of their wives sexually and being selfish in bed

In her sermon, 'Your marriage shall live', she said sex should 'come alive' once a pair are married, adding 'Some of you think it's something you do when God is not looking. Let us do it quickly quickly before God turns around to look at us we have finished.

'No, don't hurry, God knows you're doing it.'

She said she feared some men raped their wives because they did not want sex at a particular moment, and urged the men to be more mindful about how their women are feeling.

'There are some Christian men that rape their wives, they are Christians but they rape their wives. That is not good.

Reverend Gloria Madugba handed out foreplay tips and scolded male churchgoers for rushing sex during the bizarre sermon, believed to have been delivered at a church in Port Harcourt, in the country's south

'Some of you men here, the only romantic word on your lips is O girl lie well, o girl turn.

'If you do it the right way you won't have to apply for visa before she gives you entrance.

'Like some of the men you'll wind and wind her like a microphone and she'll now tell you 'my head my shoulder my knees my toes, everywhere is paining me just leave me alone' because she knows you don't know how to do it.'

The pastor received widespread praise online.

One social media user said: 'It isn't awkward at all. In fact I think it's a good avenue to educate some married couples because some holier than thou men and women who view sex as dirty or sinful might change after hearing it from a pastor. It an important issue that need not be avoided cos lots of marriages are suffering because of it.'
A teenager who battled cancer and needed Britain's fastest ever liver transplant to save her life died after taking up to five ecstasy tablets, an inquest heard today.

Sherie-Lea James, 15, from Basildon, suffered a cardiac arrest after taking the Class A drug in a 29-year-old man's flat - hours after telling her mother she was loving life.

As a toddler doctors transplanted a new liver into her body after she developed cancer and it was donated by a Spanish boy whose organ was flown into Britain by the RAF.

But as a teenager she overdosed on ecstasy and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Basildon Hospital, Essex, in the early hours of September 1 last year.

Tragedy: Liver transplant survivor Sherie-Lea James, 15, (left) suffered a cardiac arrest after taking ecstasy hours after telling her mother Sam (together right) she was 'loving life'

Her mother Sam, believes her daughter had 'hated drugs', and said previously: 'I dropped her off at her friends and she said "I'm loving life'. She said 'love you mum' and that was the last time I spoke to her.'

Her mother believes the youngster's body may have been more vulnerable after she underwent a liver transplant as a baby to help her battle a deadly cancer.

She spent a total of two years in hospital as she battled her childhood illness and her mother slept next to her cot every night.

In October Sam James said she had stupidly thrown the opportunity away with what her family said was her first experiment with drugs

She also pleaded with other teenagers to stay away from drugs to help stop similar tragedies happening in the future.

She said: 'The police told me they reckon she took four or five ecstasy tablets.

Her mother Sam says her daughter 'hated drugs' and cannot understand why she died

'I'm not being funny but someone who had never done that before isn't going to do that.

'They aren't going to have any tolerance to it. I don't know what went on that night and I don't think I ever will.

'She was anti-drugs. She had started to drink but never much because she couldn't because of her liver.

'She hated drugs, all her real friends weren't interested in that sort of thing.'

Sherie-Lea had been staying with a friend, also 15, when they visited a 29-year-old's man one-bedroom flat in a deprived part of South Ockendon, Essex.

The pair both took ecstasy, and while the other girl survived, Sherie-Lea's weaker immune system due to her liver transplant is thought to have contributed to her death.

Sam said Sherie-Lea was also on medication to stop her body rejecting the liver and whenever she was ill it was 'twice as bad and for twice as long' as everyone else.

Her mother told previously how Sherie-Lea had almost died as a baby after being diagnosed with a potentially deadly liver cancer.

Following a year of chemotherapy, at just 20 months, she had the country's fastest liver transplant lasting just 45 minutes in July 2002.

The liver was donated by a Spanish child who died shortly after birth and was flown over by the RAF.

Fighting back tears she said: 'I have lost my daughter and I will never get over that. If one good thing can come out of this I hope that kids think twice about taking drugs.

'My life will never been the same again without my beautiful girl. I just can't see why she ended up in that situation?

'If it makes one person think before taking something then I suppose that's something I can take from it.'

Saved: As a toddler doctors transplanted a new liver into Sherie-lea's body after she developed cancer and it was donated by a Spanish boy whose organ was flown into Britain by the RAF

The other girl who overdosed has since made a full recovery.

At the time, devastated friends paid tribute to Sherie-Lea.

Lisa-Marie Grange said: 'If I was there she would of never of touched them why didn't no one help my baby girl'.

Brandon Fugl wrote: 'After this happening to Sherie-lea James I hope people think twice as to what they are taking and what it can actually do to you. R.I.P x'.

Shannon Holland said: 'R.I.P Sherie-lea James Known you since you were tiny! you grew up into such a beautiful young lady! My love goes to your mum, Your brothers and the rest of your family Taken far too soon. R.I.P Beautiful'.

A full inquest into Sherie-Lea's death will take place later this year.

A 19-year-old from South Ockendon and a 29-year-old from London were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply drugs and remain on police bail.
A missing college student's truck has been found abandoned in an orchard with a single pair of footprints leading away from it.

Alycia Yeoman, 20, was last seen leaving a male friend's house in the truck in Yuba City, California, last Thursday.

Police have now confirmed that her green 1998 Toyota Tacomo truck was found covered in mud at a nearby orchard in Sutter County.

Alycia Yeoman, 20, was last seen leaving a male friend's house in the truck in Yuba City, California, last Thursday

Police have now confirmed that her green 1998 Toyota Tacomo truck was found covered in mud at a nearby orchard in Sutter County

Police began a search with dogs of the Pennington Road area (pictured) where the vehicle was found

Workers at the orchard spotted the truck on Friday morning and reported it to police on Monday.

Police began a search with dogs of the Pennington Road area where the vehicle was found.

Authorities found a signal on Yeoman's phone at a field near the Yuba City Walmart on Sunday, but failed to find the phone.

A day later, police were alerted that someone had found the phone close to where Yeoman's truck was found.

They turned on the phone - which quickly lost power - and took it to a cell phone store in Yuba City.

'These facts and the interviews with family, friends and investigative leads are very concerning and all resources are being utilized,' Gridley Police said.

Investigators are currently saying there is no evidence of foul play in Yeoman's disappearance.

The Yuba College student failed to show up for either of her shifts at Starbucks and McDonald's last week

Concerned friends said that her disappearance was 'really worrying' and 'not like her' at all

The Yuba College student failed to show up for either of her shifts at Starbucks and McDonald's last week.

'No one has heard from her,' Christa Mills, a friend and co-worker told KHSL-TV in Chico, California.

'It's just really worrying and it's not like Aly at all.'

Yeoman's ex-boyfriend of two years, Leo Almonte, said the couple were about to make their reconciliation public just before she went missing, Fox 40 reported.

He speculated that she may have taken a back road to get home, in order to avoid authorities as she may have been drinking.

'Everybody just loves her, and I don't see anybody harming her,' he said.

Yeoman is described as being 5 ft, 4ins and weighs 115 pounds. She has brownish-blond hair, a nose ring, braces, and a small mole near her left eye.

Anyone with information about her case should call the Gridley Police Department at 530-846-5670.

A Facebook page has also been set up to help find Yeoman.
Supporters of a Malaysian MP are expecting a backlash after he insisted there is nothing wrong with a rape victim marrying the rapist.

Mr Shabudin Yahaya also told Parliament in Kuala Lumpur that some girls as young as nine were physically and spiritually ready for marriage.

When we discuss 12 and 15 year olds, we dont see their physical bodies because some children aged 12 or 15, their bodies are like 18-year-old women, he said.

Mr Shabudin, a former Shariah court judge, pointed out that some girls reached puberty when they were as young as nine, making them physically and spiritually ready for marriage - so its not impossible for them to get married.'

Mr Shabudin Yahaya also told Parliament in Kuala Lumpur that some girls as young as nine were physically and spiritually ready for marriage

And he said there was nothing wrong with a rape victim marrying her rapist as this could serve as a remedy to an increasing number of social problems.

The Star newspaper reported that Mr Shabudin made his comments when debating the Sexual Offences Against Children Bill 2017 after several opposition lawmakers suggested amending it to include child marriages as an offence.

Agreeing that rape is a criminal offence, Mr Shabudin said the rapist and the victim should be given a second chance to turn a new leaf in life.

Perhaps through marriage they can lead a healthier, better life - and the person who was raped does not necessarily have a bleak future.

She will have a husband, at least, and this could serve as a remedy to growing social problems.

Another MP, Ms Teo Nie Ching, referred to two cases in which the victims married their attackers but argued that the marriages ended up becoming more problematic, causing more hurt.

One of the cases, she said, involved a 35-year-old man who married a 14-year-old with a disability after allegedly raping her.

The man then reportedly raped his 11-year-old sister-in-law and forced his wife to film him committing the act.

But Mr Shabudin said it should not be assumed that rapists remained bad people.

Ms Teos motion to amend the Sexual Offences Against Children Bill to include child marriages as an offence was defeated.

Mr Shabudins comments suggesting that rapists should be allowed to marry their victims came under attack today from other Malaysian lawmakers.

MP Takyuddin Hassan said the idea that social ills could be solved by a rapist-victim marriage was severely misguided.

Underaged marriage is allowed in Islam, do doubt about that - but rape is a criminal offence and is religiously wrong, said Mr Takyuddin.

We cannot stop parents from marrying off their daughters to the abusers, but personally I would never allow that to happen.

Why would you want to give away your daughter to someone who had ruined your childs life? Its unacceptable, he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

Ms Teo questioned what would happen to the child wife if an abuser husband was charged under the Penal Code.

The Star newspaper said that other MPs agreed that although the law allows child marriage, the view that children are ready to be married because they have the body of an adult should be corrected.
A father has been charged with killing the driver of a car that hit and injured his four-year-old son in Cincinnati.

Twenty-four-year-old Jamall Killings turned himself in Tuesday. A judge sent bond Wednesday at $2.1million on murder and felonious assault charges.

His son was struck March 24. His injuries weren't life-threatening.

Scroll down for video

Jamall Killings turned himself into police on Tuesday, 11 days after he allegedly killed a man who struck his four-year-old son with a car. Killings is pictured on the left at his bond hearing on Wednesday

Courtesy of Fox 19 Now

Police are seeking a second suspect, 25-year-old Deonte Barber, in the death of the driver, 44-year-old Jamie Urton. He was shot repeatedly when he got out of his car and apparently became involved in a confrontation.

In the resulting 911 calls, a man identifying himself as Killings is heard giving contradictory information, including saying he killed the driver and then saying someone else shot him.

Killings' lawyer said he did not kill Urton and plans to fight the charges.

Jamie Urton, 44, was driving home from work when he struck Killings' four-year-old son. Police say Killings and another man then confronted Urton and killed him

Above, a view of the deadly scene last month in Cincinnati, Ohio. Killings' son suffered non life-threatening injuries

Urton had just left work on March 24 and was with a co-worker when the boy was struck, police said.

Police are still searching for a second suspect in the case. Above, Killings' mugshot

The child was crossing Kenton Street in Walnut Hills at about 12pm when he was hit.

Sgt. Eric Franz told DailyMail.com that three men in the area 'charged' at Urton and his passenger and assaulted them.

Authorities, say Urton and his passenger either got out of the vehicle or were dragged before being assaulted by three people.

Franz said that he didn't have information on how Urton and the passenger left the vehicle.

Police say that Urton was shot several times in the incident. Urton's passenger suffered minor injuries in the fight but was not shot, according to authorities.

Urton was taken to a hospital and died during surgery, Franz said.
A British tourist trying to fly home was detained for three days by Egyptian security forces because they thought his homemade mint tin iPod amplifier was a bomb.

Robert Lapham had 'visions of being handed to ISIS' by Egyptian security forces after they mistook a headphone amplifier stuffed inside the Altoids tin for a bomb.

The father-of-three, 54, says he feared he would be shot while being detained for 75 hours after the small tin sparked a security alert.

Robert Lapham (pictured in Egypt with wife Julie) had visions of being handed to ISIS by Egyptian security forces after they mistook a headphone amplifier inside the tin for a bomb

He was returning from a week-long break with wife Julie on the first day of the electronic device ban when he was stopped at Marsa Alam airport, 80km from the Red Sea resort.

Egypt is among six countries where on flights from the Middle East to the United States and Britain carry-on laptops and tablets are banned.

The other countries affected by the ban, introduced last month, are Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

Robert and Julie, 54, were stopped at around 3:30pm on March 29, and the couple were both detained for three hours.

But once they had already missed their flight, Julie was sent back to the hotel, and Robert was taken on a 240km drive by the security services.

Robert, who lives in Sevenoaks, Kent, said: 'To start with, they weren't saying anything, which made it a lot more scary.

He was returning from a week-long break with wife Julie on the first day of the electronic device ban when he was stopped at Marsa Alam airport, 80km from the Red Sea resort

'Ours was the first flight out of Marsa Alam with the new rules and they were obviously on top of it, there was a woman from the British Embassy there checking everything was okay.

'They saw my amplifier, which is an Altoid tin which opens up containing batteries, and were really interested in it - not in a good way.

'I showed them what it was and how it worked, but more and more people got involved, and suddenly there were 12 officers.

'We were taken off to one side, away from everyone, and put in a different part of terminal.

Full-time lorry driver Robert was escorted to a van, where he was driven 80km to a police station with five national security guards

'It started getting round to the time of flight and I asked about it and they said 'the flight's gone' and that was it.

'I was put in a corridor upstairs on my own, and the airport manager came and saw me and said it was serious and they had to get the police involved.

'I got hold of our holiday rep at Thomson and luckily the person I got hold of said they would do whatever they could to get through to the foreign office and help.'

Full-time lorry driver Robert was then escorted to a van, where he was driven 80km to a police station with five national security guards.

He says at one point he feared for his life when they stopped mysteriously in the middle of the desert.

Robert, dad to Jonathan, 30, Christopher, 28, and Nicholas, 25, added: 'I was terrified - I'm not a wimpy kind of guy but they just stopped in the pitch black and turned the engine off.

'I really thought I'd be shot, I had visions of being handed over to ISIS and becoming the next James Foley

'But they just had a chat and then drove back the other way - 80km to the police station in Marsa Alam itself - without saying a word on the way.

'When we got there, the guy in charge just went in, handed over some paperwork, and then we drove 140km to El Quseir.

'There was a state prosecutor waiting at 3.30am, and he convened and held a hearing.

'There was an interpreter who had come all the way from the airport so I finally found out what was going on.

'Luckily, we'd had time to find the eBay advert where I'd bought the amplifier and the prosecutor could see what it was.

Robert and Julie, 54, were stopped at around 3:30pm and were both detained for three hours

'He said it was like a bomb without explosives, but surely anything could be with batteries in?

'In the end, he said it was 'nothing to worry about, no problem, everything's okay'.'

After the hearing, Robert, who suffers from arthritis, was forced to spend almost three days in a tiny prison cell as a matter of 'procedure'.

Vice Consul Dawn Bacon visited him whilst detained, and Robert says she chased authorities incessantly for his release.

In the meantime, Julie had been waiting at the hotel, where Robert says she had been 'just sat waiting, crying her eyes out'.

Robert says Thomson and Dawn were the reason they were finally able to make it home on the Saturday evening - almost three days late.

He said: 'Thomson bought us EasyJet tickets for the Saturday evening, and then had to drive 140km to the police station because they wouldn't release me without them.

'They were about 650, and they paid for my wife's taxi to the airport - I can't thank them enough, they were great.'
Kiara Harber got a job offer Tuesday.

That may not be a big deal for some, but the job will be the first one for the College Hill High School senior.

Its something to get a start in life, said Harber, who intends to enroll at Linn-Benton Community College this fall but wants to be able to put job experience on her resume.

Harber got the offer after interviewing with Blueberry Meadows at a new summer job fair at College Hill, an event that was attended by about 60 students from College Hill, Corvallis and Crescent Valley high schools. The event featured eight employers, including Corvallis Parks and Recreations youth recreation program and Oregon State Universitys KidSpirit program. Some of the employers were hiring students on the spot.

A lot of the places are far apart and out of the way, so its a good idea to get them all together, said Harber.

The event was organized by Donna Keim, who also puts on the annual Benton County Career Convention for the Corvallis School District. She said she asked the participating schools to send kids who were seriously interested in getting summer jobs.

I get kids that come to me in mid-May and say they want a summer job and I say youre too late, she said.

After talking with employers, Keim learned that many who hire high school students want applications before spring break and do interviews shortly after the break. Keim said she wants to make the summer job fair an annual tradition in the week after spring break, and as word of it spreads, get more employers and students involved.

Patrick OConnor, a regional economist with the Oregon Employment Department, has tracked youth employment in the mid-valley for years. He said one of the challenges for teens in Corvallis seeking a summer job is that the industry that offers the most starting jobs, leisure and hospitality, has lower demands during the summer, when many Oregon State University students leave Corvallis.

Our numbers go down during the summer, he said.

However, OConnor said, Benton County's unemployment rate (currently under 3 percent) should make the market better for job-hunting teenagers. OConnor said many younger workers were crowded out of the labor market in the recession, but their employment numbers have bounced back since then.

Olivia Helback, a Corvallis High School senior and captain of the schools robotics team, said she attended the event because it is hard for a student with no employment experience to get a job, and the employers at the event were specifically looking to hire high school students.

I came because it is very hard to find a job in Corvallis, she said.

Helback said she is considering going to college outside of Corvallis in the fall, which makes it hard to get a job offer from an employer looking for a longer-term commitment. So she said she appreciated that the employers at the event were looking specifically for people for the summer.

She added that career programs at Corvallis High School tend to be very oriented toward college, so it was nice to have an event focused on summer jobs.

It think its good the school is doing this, she said.

Steve McGettigan, with Corvallis Parks and Recreation, said the event was beneficial because he got to share information about the citys summer work crews, which many of the students did not know about. McGettigan said he also was able to walk students through how to apply for the job online.

Its not unusual after an event such as this to have a spike in applications, he said.
The White House is decrying a 'smear' against Judge Neil Gorsuch after a report found passages in his book 2006 book about assisted suicide contains passages with similar language to an Indiana Law Journal article.

The passages in question are from Gorsuch's 2006 book, 'The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia.

Passages in the book's 10th chapter contain words and sentences that are highly similar to an article in the 1984 Indiana Law Journal.

There and in an academic article in 2000, 'Gorsuch borrowed from the ideas, quotes and structures of scholarly and legal works without citing them,' Politico reported.

One section contains nearly identical passages pertaining to a court ruling about an Indiana child with Down's syndrome.

'Down's syndrome is a chromosomal disorder that involves both a certain amount of physical deformity and some degree of mental retardation,' Gorsuch wrote.

Judge Neil Gorsuch testifies during the third day of his Supreme Court confirmation hearing, included passages in his 2006 book that are highly similar to an Indiana law article

The law review author, Abigail Lawlis Kuzma, wrote: 'Down's syndrome or 'Mongolism' is an incurable chromosomal disorder that involves a certain amount of physical deformity and an unpredictable degree of mental retardation.'

Another Gorsuch passage states: 'Esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula means that the esophageal passage from the mouth to the stomach ends in a pouch, with an abnormal connection between the trachea and the esophagus.'

Kuzmo wrote: 'Esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula indicates that the esophageal passage from the mouth to the stomach ends in a pouch, with an abnormal connection between the trachea and the esophagus ...'

The White House punched back hard, and assembled its own team of experts to debunk claims that the writing constituted plagiarism.

'This false attack has been strongly refuted by highly-regarded academic experts, including those who reviewed, professionally examined, and edited Judge Gorsuch's scholarly writings, and even the author of the main piece cited in the false attack,' White House spokesman Steven Cheung responded.

IN THE BAG: Republicans plan to break a Democratic filibuster of Gorsuch by invoking the 'nuclear option' and changing the rules so that only a simple majority is required for confirmation

WORDS, WORDS, WORDS: Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. speaks on the floor of the Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington, during his own overnight talk-a-thon. A new rerport quotes experts calling some of Neil Gorsuch's words 'plagiarism'

HARD FEELINGS: Democrats are furious that the Senate never scheduled a hearing on Merrick Garland, President Obama's pick to fill the court seat

PLAGIARISM? Passages in Gorsuch's book are similar to those in an Indiana law article

PLAGIARISM? Passages in Gorsuch's book are similar to those in an Indiana law article

PLAGIARISM? Passages in Gorsuch's book are similar to those in an Indiana law article

'There is only one explanation for this baseless, last-second smear of Judge Gorsuch: those desperate to justify the unprecedented filibuster of a well-qualified and mainstream nominee to the Supreme Court.'

The White House highlighted Gorsuch's writing style in its official bio for the nominee. 'Judge Gorsuch is a brilliant jurist with an outstanding intellect and a clear, incisive writing style. He is universally respected for his integrity, fairness, and decency. And he understands the role of judges is to interpret the law, not impose their own policy preferences, priorities, or ideologies,' according to the bio.

This file photo taken on March 21, 2017 shows Neil Gorsuch raising his hand before he testifies during the Senate Judiciary Committee on his nomination to be an associate justice of the US Supreme Cour

Kuzma, a former aide to GOP senator Richard Luger, gave Gorsuch a pass - in a statement provided to Politico by the Gorsuch team.

Kuzma does 'not see an issue here, even though the language is similar.'

'These passages are factual, not analytical in nature,' said Kuzma, who is currently a deputy attorney general in Indiana. Going still further, the Kuzma statement added: 'It would have been awkward and difficult for Judge Gorsuch to have used different language.'

Each of the individual incidents constitutes a violation of academic ethics. I've never seen a college plagiarism code that this would not be in violation of, said Syracuse University professor Rebecca Moore Howard.

'I would certainly call it plagiarism, she added.

At this late date, the information is likely to have little effect on Gorsuch, who has received high praise from Republicans.

Democrats have mounted a filibuster, based partly on Gorsuch's statements and conservative positions, and also on the Senate's failure to schedule a hearing on President Obama's pick of Judge Merick Garland to fill the same seat.

Both judges were praised for their writings and intellect.

Senate leaders have vowed to invoke the 'nuclear option' to force a rules change that would permanently alter Senate rules and allow Supreme Court justices to be confirmed by a simple majority.
Ghost hunters have revealed footage of a shadowy figure stalking them in a grade-II listed building - where seven monks were thought to have been burnt alive.

Dan Litchfield, 36, and his team were investigating the renowned paranormal hotspot 'The Village' in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, when their camera caught an eerie figure in the darkness.

The group were even more stunned when another photo in a different part of the former pub and slaughterhouse showed another suspected ghoul.

Legend has it that tunnels led from the nearby Newstead Abbey to the site and monks who had sought refuge were slaughtered during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

This is the figure which was spotted in the video recorded at the paranormal hotspot in Mansfield

The shadowy figure was spotted on camera after Dan Litchfield and a group of ghost hunters went to 'The Village'

Mr Litchfield, from Gloucester, said: 'Catching a full apparition on camera is like the Holy Grail in paranormal investigations. That sort of thing doesn't happen very often.

'You normally see some things that can be attributed to pareidolia - when you see a shape or a figure when nothing's actually there. But the shadow figure was unbelievably clear.

'It was our first time there. It is known as a major hotspot in the field and well known as one of the best places to visit so we had wanted to go - it had been on my bucket list for a while.

'I never thought we wold get something as good as this. I hoped to but never thought I would.

'We also had a photo that was taken by another person in the building that night. He actually found a similar shadowy figure within a different part of that area.

'The fact that the figure was caught twice in two different spots, 10 feet apart, that obviously reinforces the sighting.'

Dan Litchfield, 36, (pictured) and his team were investigating the renowned paranormal hotspot 'The Village' in Mansfield

At a different part of the building, another eerie image was spotted by the ghost hunting group

Built in 1802, The Village has served as a slaughter house, a malt house and even a nightclub, but is said to have been based on a site that once contained an old barn.

Under that barn was reportedly a tunnel which led to Newstead Abbey, located a few miles south of Mansfield.

Legend has it that the tunnel was used by the resident monks of the abbey to escape the English authorities during the Dissolution of the Monasteries period of the late 1530s.

The monks fled through the tunnels and sought refuge in the barn. Upon finding them, the authorities burned down the barn with the group still inside, killing all of them.

Mr Litchfield, who founded the UK Ghost Hunters collective in 2012, said: 'With all that activity that we caught that night, it all shows the evidence in the place is amazing. We hope to go back later in the year.

The group had visited 'The Village' (pictured) in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, and began filming

Mr Litchfield (pictured centre, front) and his ghost hunting team went to the popular spot

'I hadn't heard the story of the monks before we went. I don't like to do too much reading on a place before we go and instead go with a blank slate.

'I don't want to be going looking for something in particular as that is how you end up coming away frustrated or read into things you see.'

Last year, full-time ghost hunter Lee Roberts, 39, caught on camera what he thought might be the monks returning after being awoken during a ghost hunting vigil in the form of a swirling mist - indoors.

The group held hands and called out for spirits to show themselves, but did not realise that anything had happened until Lee showed them CCTV of a swirling mist that appeared only moments later.

The father-of-four claims he has done ghost hunts at the site for two years and never seen the mist appear until after the vigil and it has not reappeared since.
A married father-of-one from Kentucky has drowned while rescuing his daughter and her friend from a riptide in the Gulf of Mexico.

Kevin Chitwood, 50, of Louisville, succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the accident that occurred near Fort Morgan, Alabama.

Mr Chitwood was on a beach vacation with his family when his 14-year-old daughter and another girl got caught in a rip current at around 7pm last Monday, officials said.

Hero dad: Kevin Chitwood, 50, has drowned while trying to save his daughter (pictured together left and right) and her friend from a rip current in the Gulf of Mexico

Unexpected tragedy: The father was vacationing with his wife, Bobbie (center) and their daughter (left) when tragedy struck on Monday evening

Firefighters responded to this beach in Fort Morgan, Alabama, Monday evening after getting a 911 call about a drowning

The father and his wife, Bobbie, jumped in the water and attempted to rescue the two girls, but Mr Chitwood was pulled under by the strong tide.

By the time Fort Morgan firefighters responded to the beach, all four people were out of the water and the dad was receiving CPR, according to LEX18.

The 50-year-old Kentucky resident was then rushed to South Baldwin Regional Medical Center, where he passed away from his injuries at around 3pm on Tuesday.

Chitwoods wife, daughter and the girl's friend were all treated and released from the hospital.

AL.com reported that a preliminary autopsy performed on Kevin Chitwood showed the cause of death was a drowning.

Chitwood was a member of the Turners Circus in Louisville, where his daughter is a performer.

The group posted a tribute on its Facebook page Tuesday, mourning the 'hardworking' dad who was 'a friend to all.'

Chitwood jumped in the water after his daughter and another child got caught in a riptide. He tried to save them but got pulled under

Bobbie Chitwood (left) also rushed into the water to try and save the girls and was later hospitalized

The couple's 14-year-old daughter (right) survived and was released from the hospital after treatment

'Whether he was backstage at the circus, filming a routine, lifting his daughter in the air, working the snack bar at the pool, managing the pool, painting the pool, or any other of the tasks he took on-- he had a smile on his face,' the message read. 'We share our deepest condolences with his family. Kevin, you will be deeply missed.'

The post was accompanied by a pair of photos of Chitwood with his daughter, including one in which the teen is seen perching on his shoulder.

another friend, Cynthia Herbig, wrote of Chitwood: 'So sad to hear about the untimely passing of Kevin Chitwood - I've known him since I was a freshman in high school - a good man, father and obviously a hero!'
An elderly couple have died just hours apart - a few days before they were set to celebrate their 72nd anniversary.

Odessa Harris, 90, suffered a stroke and died four hours after her husband Robert, 93, died from complications with Alzheimer's disease at a care home in Layton, Utah.

Their four children said it was a fitting end for the couple, who were so inseparable they even held hands in bed.

Odessa Harris, 90, suffered a stroke and died four hours after her husband Robert, 93, died from complications with Alzheimer's disease at a care home in Layton, Utah (pictured left, on their wedding day in 1946)

The couple - whose anniversary was April 10 - are survived by their children Randy, Curt, Joan and Ann, as well as 34 grandchildren and 84 great-grandchildren.

When Odessa suffered her stroke two weeks ago, the family told Robert it was time to say his goodbyes.

'I said, "Dad, Mom had a stroke and I don't think she's going to make it,''' their daughter Joan recalled.

But Robert passed away before they had a final farewell and Odessa died just hours later in the same room.

'They both died at a care center and were both in the same room together when they died,' Joan told the Standard Examiner.

The couple, whose anniversary was April 10, are survived by their children Randy, Curt, Joan and Ann (pictured), as well as 34 grandchildren and 84 great-grandchildren

When Odessa suffered her stroke two weeks ago, the family told Robert it was time to say his goodbyes - but he died hours later

'There's no question in our minds that their strong bond of love was the reason they left together.'

'He was just going to prepare the way for her,' their son Curtis added. 'Even in their old ages, they would lay in bed and hold hands,' Curtis added.

'When my Dad saw my Mom, he knew there was something there,' Joan recalled, while describing how they met.

Robert, known as Jay, and Odessa, known as 'Dessy', married back in April of 1946 after Jay had returned home from World War Two.

'My parents had nothing when they got married, and worked extremely hard,' Joan explained.

In 1950 they built their home and purchased their first cow two years later.

'There's no question in our minds that their strong bond of love was the reason they left together,' their daughter said of their deaths (pictured on their wedding day)

This grew into Harris Dairy, open from 1952 to 1983, where they sold raw milk, groceries, candy and gas.

The family put their six kids to work on the family dairy farm. Their brood all earned a salary from a young age, but were also taught to be frugal.

Odessa rounded up the cows for milking in the evenings, bought groceries, looked after the employees and store and handled billing and the financial side.

When the dairy closed, Odessa and Jay did inspections for a local bank.

They sold their home in 2001 and moved to West Layton where they built a home and own the first cabin built in Layton by her great grandfather, Joseph Hill.

'We all graduated from college,' said their daughter Ann. 'That was something that was important to them.'
A 92-year-old wartime heroine was appalled to receive a letter from British Gas that was riddled with spelling mistakes and incomprehensible sentences.

Dorothy Edwards opened the correspondence to find it filled with gibberish and more than 30 mistakes.

It was sent to the pensioner after her son Philip queried an expected bill of around 1,300 on her behalf.

Most of the errors were spelling mistakes but often sentences made no sense or were broken up by confusing paragraphs mid-way through a sentence.

Dorothy Edwards opened a letter from British Gas to find it filled with more than 30 mistakes

One sentence, which had ten mistakes alone, reads: 'looked into your account furtheer regarding your complaint, and have found theat when thee account was billed on thee 17the august 2016 for A899.15 thee payment amounts had already been scheduled to decrease on thee 19the August [sic].'

Another line says: 'Withe theis been said and thee correct actions we have taken to inform you and staying withein thee direct debit guarantee guidelines, Unfortunately at theis time we wouldn't be compensating A250.00 to thee account which you confirmed to myself [sic].'

Ms Edwards' family said the pensioner, from Stannington, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, set up a direct debit in 2014 to pay her bills.

At first British Gas took 93.50 per month, then later decreased this to 37.13 in line with her usage.

It was sent to the pensioner (pictured after her son Philip queried an expected bill of around 1,300 on her behalf

But the family say that suddenly the charge shot up and she was shocked to receive a bill for nearly 900.

This later mounted up to almost 1,300, leading the family to query what was happening.

Ms Edwards' son described the letter as 'a triumph of Pidgin English'.

The pensioner survived German bullets during the Second World War in an incident when her airfield was strafed by a raiding German fighter.

Her prompt action in urging her Women's Auxiliary Air Force comrades to shelter under a nearby tree probably saved lives, her family said.

British Gas said the letter sent to Mrs Edwards 'wasn't up to the standards we expect in our customer communications'.

A spokesman for the firm said: 'We're very sorry for the confusing letter we sent Mrs Edwards' son.

'We normally check letters to customers carefully, but on this occasion errors were missed.'
An amateur stuntman whose leap across the 60 Freeway in California made him a viral sensation has been critically hurt filming his latest dramatic clip.

Kyle Katsandris was following up his March 3 jump by leaping over train tracks in the Simi Valley on Sunday when crashed, leaving him in critical condition with head trauma and broken bones.

'It's about 160-180 feet over a train and pretty much if anything goes wrong the consequences are really big,' professional motocross rider Colin Morrison told KTLA.

Scroll down for video

Injured: Kyle Katsandris (pictured far left) was injured Sunday attempting a follow-up to his March 3 stunt (right) in which he leaped four lanes of the 60 Freeway

Katsandris had attempted to make the death-defying leap near the 500 block of West Los Angeles Avenue at around 3pm.

He had learned through social media that Morrison had made the same jump around ten years ago and wanted to recreate that attempt, with friends on hand to film it.

But Katsandris - whose Instagram account shows many tumbles as well as victorious jumps - overshot the landing and crashed.

He was rushed to a local hospital in critical but stable condition, according to police.

They said the department had no idea about Katsandris' plans that day.

Police Cmdr. Robert Arabian told the LA Times that 'The stunt was extremely dangerous and illegal.'

Morrison said that he had been on the inside loop after Katsandris got in touch online.

'He hit me up last week on Instagram, asking me about the jump, because he knew I was one of the guys who did it,' he said.

'I told him what I thought a lot of things can go wrong - but he thought he could do it.'

Crash: He had planned to jump a train on this Simi Valley traintrack but overshot the landing an crashed, causing head trauma and broken bones. He is hospitalized in stable condition

Repeat: He had been trying to repeat this successful leap made ten years ago by professional motocross biker Colin Morrison. Morrison said Katsandris spoke to him before the jump

On Tuesday night, Morrison posted a second video in which he said: 'I talked to [Katsandris'] dad and a couple friends.

'He's still in the hospital, he has a lot of head trauma, a lot of broken bones, he's going to have a long road to recovery in front of him, but he is going to make it.'

He added: 'He's a warrior. He did what a lot of guys just talk about, and these are the consequences when you go big on a bike.

'So a lot of respect to Kyle and I hope he pulls through this - I know he will.'

Katsandris' leap over four lanes of California traffic in March led to an investigation by the California Highway Patrol and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Officials declined to prosecute him, but at the time CHP Sgt. Randy Costelow said warned that 'if anybody is caught doing it [in the future], they will be prosecuted.'

The video currently has 181,000 views.
Peter Mandelson has claimed Theresa May should recognise the EU's demands for a 50billion Brexit divorce is 'small change' and pay up (file picture)

Theresa May should recognise the EU's demands for a 50billion Brexit divorce is 'small change' and pay up to ensure more difficult talks can begin, Peter Mandelson has claimed.

The Labour grandee said Mrs May should face down the 'wild men' in her party and swallow the bill, which the EU is expected to make a condition of talks progressing.

Lord Mandelson said agreeing to pay quickly would foster goodwill in the talks and claimed it would be reciprocated by Brussels.

The intervention will infuriate Brexiteers determined to avoid handing over billions to the EU on the grounds Britain has been a net contributor for decades.

Polls suggest the public is also strongly opposed to a large financial settlement.

Lord Mandelson, a former EU trade commissioner, is a leading supporter of the Open Britain campaign, which is lobbying for a soft Brexit.

He said Mrs May should be 'brave' and agree to the bill at an early stage of the talks.

Speaking at the Institute for Government, he said: 'Let's do it sooner rather than later so we can then retain as much time as possible, as much negotiating good will, as much trust and good atmospherics, to focus and invest in the really important negotiation which is about our future trading relationship.

'As a percentage of public spending and GDP in this country, given it's going to be paid over many years, it's small change.'

Senior Conservative Andrew Bridgen told MailOnline: 'Mandelson is a former EU commissioner who made his fortune on the EU gravy train.

'I'm not surprised he wants to hand over 50billion.

'Everything Mandelson says should be seen through the prism of his background.'

Michel Barnier, pictured right at the European Parliament today with Guy Verhofstadt, is the EU's chief negotiator and is expected to present Britain with a Brexit divorce bill

In his speech today, Lord Mandelson said Mrs May had crucial choices ahead of her after opting to take Britain out of the single market.

He said falling out of Europe without a deal on to standard World Trade Organisation rules would be the worst of a bad case scenario.

The Labour peer said Remain supporters must offer Mrs May political cover to make the best decisions for the nation, even if they infuriate hardline Brexiteers.

Lord Mandelson said: 'She has to be honest about both the compromise needed to achieve a deal and the consequences of not getting it. Such honesty would be a sign of strength and determination, not weakness.

'Above all, she has to make clear the national interest comes first and that a trade deal is necessary to secure this.

'Based on my experience as a member of the Commission, I believe her straight dealing would be reciprocated on the EU side. It would create a positive momentum. It would help build trust in the negotiation.

'If she fights for her position against those wishing to drag her further away from it, most of the country will back her. It would be churlish for people like me not to wish her well, even though I think an FTA is a clear second best to staying in the single market.'
A distraught Russian mother packed the naked dead body of her anorexic daughter, a former model, into a suitcase and threw it into the sea in Italy where she worked as a nurse.

These are the first pictures of Katerina Laktionova, 27, whose 'severely malnourished' remains were found in the sea off Rimini by Italian fishermen.

The 48 year old mother - who has not been named but worked in Italy as a nurse - flew back to Russia after disposing of her body, and then told a friend in Rimini that she had gone 'mad because of the tragedy' of her daughter's death from anorexia and 'wanted to wipe away all memories of her'.

Katerina Laktionova's 'severely malnourished' remains were found in the sea off Rimini by Italian fishermen

It is understood Katerina weighed only 35 kilograms when she died and she was described as 'flesh and bones'

Katerina's severely malnourished body was found in this suitcase in the sea by fishermen

Bursting into tears, she told her male friend: 'She's dead. I looked at her for days, and then I lost my mind and closed her in a suitcase and threw her into the water.'

The friend had earlier confronted her: 'Tell me the truth, is your daughter alive or dead?'

She had kept her corpse for a week before dropping her in the sea, she admitted.

Italian police have launched a criminal probe into the circumstances of the woman's death, and disposal of her body in the sea.

It is understood Katerina weighed only 35 kilograms when she died.

She was described as 'flesh and bones'.

Returning to Russia, the mother shared her story with a friend who promptly called the police.

Reports say the Russian woman - who was not named - had long realised that her daughter was seriously ill and had sought to help her over a long period.

The 48-year-old mother told a friend in Rimini that she had gone 'mad because of the tragedy' of her daughter's death

Katerina's mother had kept her corpse for a week before dropping her in the sea, she admitted

Recently, she wanted to take her back to Russia for treatment.

Her daughter had been 'repeatedly hospitalised' because of her condition.

Katerina's father Alexander, 46, an electrician, said his former wife had gone to Italy two years ago, with Katerina.

'My daughter was already suffering with anorexia,' he said.

But he described her as 'normal'.

'I have photos. She was in great shape, a photo model. She was into dancing all her life. I am shocked.'

Katerina is known to have studied at Bashkir State University in the city of Ufa.

Katerina's father Alexander, 46, an electrician, said his former wife had gone to Italy two years ago, with Katerina

Katerina is known to have studied at Bashkir State University in the city of Ufa

Detectives in Italy determined that Katerina had died from malnutrition, said a report by Tass news agency.

The consular department of the Russian Embassy in Rome said it had forwarded all necessary documents to the Italian authorities to confirm the dead woman's nationality and identity.

'We have not received an official response yet,' said a source.

Earlier Italian police had suspected the remains were those of a German woman who disappeared from a cruise ship in February.

It is unclear if the distraught mother will return to Italy.
Police have arrested 39-year-old Raylon Browning (pictured) over the shooting of Trinh Huynh in Atlanta on Monday morning

A man has been arrested over the shooting of a female lawyer in a 'targeted killing' that took place in Atlanta.

Trinh Huynh, 40, was shot several times at a busy intersection in midtown Atlanta shortly after 7:30am.

Police have now arrested 39-year-old Raylon Browning over the shooting. Officers found him on Monday night after he drove through a red light in nearby Cobb County, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Deputy Chief Darryl Tolleson said the 39-year-old was also wanted on assault charges stemming from a separate incident on Sunday, where he allegedly stabbed two people.

The officers did not know Browning was a suspect in Huynh's murder when they arrested him, the Journal-Constitution reports. Police later found what is believed to be the murder weapon in his car.

Scroll down for video

Trinh Huynh (left), 40, was shot dead on Monday morning during rush hour. Her killer was seen in CCTV footage (right), police claim

The arrest comes after CCTV footage showing the man - believed to be Browning - in the moments directly before and after the shooting on Huynh.

'We definitely believe that she was a target,' Lt. Ricardo Vazquez said. 'Why she was a target, we do not know that yet.'

The man was spotted walking down Peachtree Place to the junction of Peachtree Road, where he shot Huynh in the back before fleeing the way he came.

'I look up and see the woman, she just drops in the crosswalk bleeding,' witness Toney Booker told Fox 5 Atlanta.

Police believe Huynh was targeted although they aren't sure why. She had performed free work for sex trafficking victims, among others

'She's clutching her wound trying to keep pressure, and then she went unresponsive, So civilians run out to her and give her chest compression's to bring her back, while they're applying pressure.'

She was pronounced dead later, at Grady Memorial Hospital.

'The killer didn't talk to Huynh before he killed her - suggesting that the killing was 'targeted' - police said, earlier this week.

'We see him following her in another piece of video,' Vazquez said. 'There was another person in that intersection and it appears that he specifically targeted her.'

He added that the killer was unusually calm throughout.

A connection between the shooter and Huynh hasn't yet been established, Vazquez said.

Huynh (pictured in 1979) came to the US as a child immigrant from Vietnam, and went on to graduate from Princeton. She said she was thankful to the US and Georgia

Huynh was as an in-house lawyer at UPS who had previously worked at law firms Powell Goldstein and Alston & Bird, Law.com reported.

Outside of work, she traveled extensively and was active in both pro bono legal work and volunteering.

Huynh was a member of the Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network, which provides free legal services to immigrant victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault and other crimes

The 40-year-old was born in Saigon, Vietnam, but came to America as a child immigrant. She graduated Princeton University in 1998 and Emory University School of Law in 2004.

In a January Facebook post, Huynh put up a childhood picture of herself that was taken at a refugee camp on Galang Island in Indonesia in 1979, after her family had fled Vietnam.

'We left under the cover of darkness, uncertain of where our tiny boat would drift and how long it would be seaworthy, uncertain if we would see land again,' she wrote.

'This is the face of a refugee. I am proud of my refugee status. I am thankful for the opportunities this wonderful country has afforded me and my family.

'I would not be here if the State of Georgia and this country had closed their doors and hearts to my family. I think this great state and the US have more love to give.'

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 404- 577-TIPS (8477)
President Donald Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon has been removed from the National Security Council's principals committee, according to a security memo that the White House confirmed.

The change reverses a controversial internal policy decision made at the start of the Trump administration.

A senior administration official told DailyMail.com on Wednesday shortly after the news broke that removing Bannon from the principals committee was a long-expected development.

The official said Bannon had been added to the mix to help 'de-operationalize' Gen. Mike Flynn, the short-lived national security advisor, away from activities the NSC had undertaken during Susan Rice's term in the job.

But Fox News floated another theory on air: that President Trump had grown wary of Bannon's increasing public profile as a key behind-the-scenes power.

'We are also told though that maybe the president wasn't particularly happy with the way that Bannon had been grabbing the limelight, and that may have also played into all of this, Fox correspondent John Roberts reported said on the air.

Out: White House chief strategist Steve Bannon no longer sits on the White House National Security Council, according to a public filing by the White House

A White House officials aid Bannon had been added to the mix to help 'de-operationalize' Gen. Mike Flynn. Rick Perry is now joining the principals committer after Bannon's departure

Although he is far more camera shy than some other members of Trump's inner circle, Bannon has given a series of interviews where he revealed and defended his nationalistic philosophy.

'Darkness is good: Dick Cheney. Darth Vader. Satan. That's power,' Bannon told the Hollywood Reporter after the elections he helped engineer. 'It only helps us when [the media and liberals] get it wrong. When they're blind of who we are and what we're doing.'

He added that the media is 'just a circle of people talking to themselves who have no f***ing idea of what's going on,' which is why they couldn't better predict Trump's coming.

He told the New York Times in January: 'The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while.'

LIMELIGHT? Fox News floated a theory that President Trump had grown wary of Bannon's increasing public profile as a key behind-the-scenes power

FOCUS OF PROTEST: Anti-Trump activists had put up posters about 'President Bannon' in Washington D.C. and seen them repeated on social media

'I want you to quote this,' Bannon continued. 'The media here is the opposition party. They don't understand this country. They still do not understand why Donald Trump is the president of the United States.'

The Washington Post reported last week how Bannon 'made his fortune as the quintessential global capitalist,' and reported how he brought a Saudi Prince to a music company purchase.

'Those out of the room are out of the deal,' Bannon told the paper. 'Once you make your way into the room, you stay.'

Financial disclosure forms put out by the White House reveal that in 2016, Bannon made $1.3 million. He earned nearly $500,000 from Bannon Strategic Advisors, $125,000 from Cambridge Analystica, a firm the Trump campaign used, $191,000 from Breitbart News, and $168,000 from his film company, Glittering Steel.

His was the first senior-level report released by the White House.

Flynn left the post after just weeks in office, following reports about his failure to disclose his contacts with the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak.

Flynn resigned his post under pressure on Feb. 13.

With Flynn out of the picture, Bannon was ousted by McMaster, who is likely to follow the footsteps of Brent Scowcroft, who served as national security adviser under Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush.

The chief strategist reportedly threatened to quit if he was kicked out of the principals committee, although his staffers denied the claim, according to the New York Times.

Dan Coats, the new Director of National Intelligence, and Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are now 'regular attendees,' Bloomberg reported.

Bannon isn't on that committee, although he can still attend NSC meetings.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry is also a new addition to the principals committee, The Austin American-Stastesman reported.

The former Texas governor has had two unsuccessful runs for the presidency and competed on Dancing With The Stars.

Bannon had never attended a meeting of the council's principals committee.

In another potential tea leaf, a White House official said the Office of Strategic Initiatives, an entity thought to be Bannon's creation, never actually existed.

'I've never known [SIG] to exist,' a White House aide told The Hill newspaper.

'There was a lot of speculation about this early, but it was never officially rolled out and if anything.'

The aide said another office, the Office of American Innovation, had absorbed some of the panel's territory. 'The OAI is an evolution and realization of some of these initial ideas,' said the aide. Another official said the group was always informal and had 'morphed' into the new entity.

President Trump ignored a question from a reporter while meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah about why he removed Bannon from the council

Trump's decision to add Bannon, one of his top political advisors and the driver behind his nationalistic agenda, drew controversy from the foreign policy establishment and lawmakers who considered it to be a politicization of the panel.

His position is not listed among those on the council, according to a new filing in the Federal Register.

Assistant to the president for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Tom Bossert also was downgraded.

President Trump ignored a question from a reporter while meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah about why he removed Bannon from the council.

There were internal doubts about Flynn even before President Trump took office. Flynn had been the subject of a series of reports about his ties to Russia, including having delivered a paid speech on behalf of RT in 2015 that landed him a seat next to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A brazen couple has been caught on camera in the middle of a sex act as stunned crowds watch on.

Footage uploaded to Facebook shows the couple getting frisky inside the campus of a NSW university.

The couple are seen sprawled on a beanbag under a blanket as they share a moment of spontaneous public passion.

A brazen couple have been caught on camera in the middle of a sex act

Social media comments from students at the university have expressed their disgust at the footage.

'I use those beanbags for sleeping,' wrote one student.

Others attempted to pinpoint exactly where the footage was captured.

'This is the building above the snack pack shop,' wrote another.

It is not known when the footage was captured, but it appeared online on Wednesday.

The couple are seen sprawled on a beanbag under a blanket as they share a moment of spontaneous public passion
Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly threw cold water on one of President Donald Trump's marquee campaign pledges Wednesday, telling a Senate committee that it's 'unlikely' a physical wall will be built along the entire length of the U.S.-Mexico border.

In a public hearing Kelly told Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, that few details about the wall have been set in stone.

'It's unlikely that we will build a wall, or physical barrier, from sea to shining sea,' he said, describing the nearly 2,000-mile border that stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean.

'I have a lot of elbow room' to decide how to secure the border, Kelly declared, saying Trump will ultimately accept his recommendation even if it's a combination of walls, fences and high-tech solutions.

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told a Senate committee on Wednesday that President Donald Trump's long-promised border wall could include some fencing, and likely won't stretch across the entire U.S.-Mexico border

Missori Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill demanded details, saying the Senate 'is not going to sign a blank check for a wall we know is never going to be built'

The U.S.-Mexico border stretches 1,989 miles from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean, but nearly 600 miles of it is already protected by natural barriers

'I'm looking at every variation on the theme,' he said, 'and I have no doubt when I go back to him and say, "You know, boss, a wall makes sense here, fencing  high tech fencing  makes sense over here, technology makes sense over here," I have no doubt that he will go tell me to do it.'

The president promised hundreds of times during his campaign that his administration would build an impenetrable physical wall, but sometimes cautioned that some parts of the border were already protected by geological features.

'Of the 2,000 [miles], we dont need 2,000. We need 1,000 because we have natural barriers,' Trump told MSNBC in February 2016.

Still, he made no allowances for fencing as he spoke in public about walls of heights that ranged from 35 to 50 feet in height.

During a December 2, 2015 campaign rally in Manassas, Virginia, then-candidate Trump lifted a young boy up to his microphone so he could ask a question.

The youngster wanted to know: 'What are the walls going to be made out of?'

'It's going to be made of hardened concrete, and it's gonna be made of rebar and steel,' Trump replied.

'We're gonna set them in nice, heavy foundations,' he pledged.

One of the prototype concepts shows a solid wall built out of stones

Fencing gives Border Patrol agents the chance to see what's on the other side, but is generally less impenetrable

Trump hedged only after he had won in November, telling CBS News a week after Election Day that 'a fence will be  yeah, there could be some fencing.'

By the time he issued his executive order green-lighting the project six days after his inauguration, however, Trump's policy had acquired solid wiggle-room.

The order said White House policy would be to 'secure the southern border of the United States through the immediate construction of a physical wall on the southern border.

But the fine print defined 'wall' as 'a contiguous, physical wall or other similarly secure, contiguous, and impassable physical barrier'  a vague enough description to allow for fencing.

On February 9 Reuters reported on recommendations compiled by DHS, which proposed 1,250 miles of wall. That would be added to 654 miles that the government considers to be already fortified.

Trump was asked in late 2015 by a young boy at one of his campaign rallies: What are the walls going to be made out of?' Trump relied: 'Hardened concrete ... rebar and steel'

McCaskill on Wednesday grilled Kelly and expressed impatience with Trump's border-wall boast that she said 'makes no sense'  in part because solid walls don't allow for Border Patrol agents to see human traffickers and narcotics smugglers who might be massing on the other side.

'It does no good to build a big wall if they can't see over it,' she said.

'I think the majority of the Senate ... is not going to sign a blank check for a wall we know is never going to be built,' McCaskill fretted.

'The sooner we all get honest about this, I think the better off we are.'

Kelly ultimately shrugged off most of the Senate panel's requests for specifics about the project's physical plans and its cost.

'There's no way I can give the committee an estimate of how much this will cost,' he said. 'I mean, I don't know what it will be made of. I don't know how high it will be.'
A horse returning from a run to Taco Bell escaped serious injury after falling into a five-foot-deep hole in Southern California.

Fire officials say the saddled horse and its rider had just left a Taco Bell near downtown Riverside on Saturday when the cover on a utility vault collapsed.

Battalion Chief Jeff DeLaurie says a crane was initially requested to haul the horse from the vault but it wasn't needed.

A horse was rescued by firefighters in Riverside, California, when it fell into a 5ft hole after taking its owner on a Taco Bell run

The animal suffered cuts to its legs but firefighters managed to pull it out of the utility vault using ropes

Rescuers formed a plan to haul the animal out using straps that were designed to pull cars out of ditches and were adapted for horses.

The animal managed to position itself so crews could drag it out with some ropes.

Upon being rescued, the horse walked slowly but showed no obvious signs of injury.

A veterinarian says the horse suffered minor cuts to its legs.

DeLaurie tells the Press-Enterprise that it's unusual to see a horse in that part of the inland city of about 300,000 people.

The vault was about 5x10 feet across and contained water distribution valves. The grate that covered it was clearly not designed for a horse to be standing on top of it

A crane was brought in to retrieve the horse, but at some point the animal was able to jump out of the hole on its own with a bit of help from firefighters

'I don't think it was designed - or anyone would've expected - that a horse would be walking there, in that part of the city,' Chief Jeff DeLaurie said.

Fire officials knew the horse and owner were coming from a nearby Taco Bell, but couldn't say whether they'd gone through the drive-thru.

Firefighter Bryan Hoffman provided support to the rescuers and said that being able to improvise is an important skill in firefighting.

'When we get to a call, it's dynamic and unpredictable,' he said. 'What made this situation different was this horse was big and needed a hoist. It was a bad situation altogether.'

The Riverside Horse & Animal Rescue Team launched in 2015 and the group can also rescue cows, llamas or mules.

The Department say up to 20 emergencies a year see the rescues of such large animals.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that it is now his responsibility to resolve the humanitarian and political crisis in Syria as he opened the door to military action in the country.

Trump upped the ante in a Rose Garden press conference after having said earlier in the day that the the chemical weapons attack is a 'terrible affront to humanity.'

'My attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much,' Trump declared, suggesting with the statement that he may be reconsidering his directive to US diplomats to take their focus off removing Bashar al-Assad from power.

The 'horrible, horrible' sarin gas attack that killed small children and 'beautiful babies' had a 'big impact' on the president, who declared Wednesday that the attack 'crossed a lot of lines.'

'When you kill innocent children, innocent babies...with a chemical gas that is so lethal...that crosses many, many lines. Beyond a red line,' Trump said, making reference to Barack Obama's infamous 2012 threat to Assad.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

President Donald Trump said Wednesday during a Rose Garden news conference that it is now his responsibility to resolve the humanitarian and political crisis in Syria as he opened the door to military action in the country

Beyond a red line: Trump said that a 'many, many lines' had been crossed 'when you kill innocent children, innocent babies...with a chemical gas that is so lethal...'

President Donald Trump said today that the chemical weapons attack in Syria is a 'terrible affront to humanity' during an Oval Office photo op with King Abdullah II of Jordan and his wife, Queen Rania, and the First Lady of the United States, Melania

Melania and Rania joined their husbands in the Oval Office and took a walk down the White House Colonnade

PICTURE PERFECT: U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife First Lady Melania Trump welcome King Abdullah II Hussein of Jordan and his wife Queen Rania of Jordan at the West Wing of the White House. Trump and Abdullah both wore blue suits with red ties for the occasion - and their wives had on dresses, each sporting a black bel

Obama warned Assad at the end of his first term that there would be consequences if he administered chemical weapons against his own people. Once reelected, Obama did not follow through.

As his time in office came to an end, Obama said the situation 'haunts me constantly' and that he wonders if there was 'some move' he could have made to broker peace.

Trump said Wednesday that Obama's 'blank threat' to Assad 'set us back a long way.'

'I think the Obama administration had a great opportunity to solve this,' he told a reporter asking about his predecessor and his 'red line' during an afternoon news conference. 'It was a great opportunity missed.'

A written statement on Tuesday placed blame for the attack squarely on Obama's shoulders, and Trump's spokesman claimed during an off-camera briefing that it had nothing to do with this administration's approach to the conflict.

Trump took ownership of the conflict at his Wednesday press conference, proclaiming from the White House's Rose Garden, 'I now have responsibility. And I will have that responsibility and carry it very proudly.'

'But I'll tell you, that responsibility could've...been made a lot easier if it was handled years ago,' the president added.

Trump reflected on the difference between his approach and the one he was criticizing, and said, 'I like to think of myself as a very flexible person. I don't have to have one specific way.'

He did not want to say in front of the cameras how he plans to respond to the crisis.

'I don't like to say where I'm going and what I'm doing,' Trump reminded. 'I watched past administrations say, "We will attack at such-and- such a day, at such-and-such an hour.'

Turning to his companion at the press conference, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Trump said the warrior-king likely asked himself, 'Why are they saying that?'

'I'm not saying I'm doing anything one way or the other, but I'm certainly not going to be telling you,' Trump told a reporter who'd asked about a military intervention.

The president had told a reporter asking about possible action shortly before the news conference, 'You'll see.'

During a photo-op with the Jordanian king and the two leaders' wives in the Oval Office, Trump said the massacre was 'horrible,' offering his first on-camera response to the attack.

'Horrible thing. Unspeakable,' Trump said. Speaking to King Abdullah he said, 'But I want to thank you both very much for being at the White House and we're going to have some interesting discussions.'

The president's eldest daughter, Ivanka, now one of his top advisers, declared the strike on civilians in Syria 'atrocious' on Wednesday morning, getting in front of her father, who had yet to personally condemn the chemical weapons attack.

Trump's spokesman told reporters Tuesday during a briefing that was not televised that the onslaught that killed more than 70 people, and as many as 20 children, was 'reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world.'

The Twitter-loving leader of the nation did not address the crises in remarks at a legislative conference on Tuesday or on his social media streams, even as he praised the 'tremendous spirit & optimism' he's seen in the US since his election.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ducked reporters' questions about the blitz Tuesday, issuing a statement later, instead, that called for an end to the 'unabashed barbarism.'

President Trump routinely begins his mornings with dispatches of his own but forwent the practice on Tuesday and Wednesday as he tended to other business.

The president and the Jordanian king were to discuss the conflict during the White House visit that began with an Oval Office visit and concluded with a working lunch.

Abdul-Hamid Alyousef, 29, holds his twin babies who were killed during a suspected chemical weapons attack, in Khan Sheikhoun town, in the northern province of Idlib. He said he wanted the world to see their faces

At least 11 of the more than 70 people who died in the chemical attack were children. Two are seen receiving treatment on Tuesday at a hospital

Members of the Syrian civil defense volunteers, also known as the White Helmets, and people search for survivors from the rubble following reported air-strikes on the rebel-held town of Saqba, in Eastern Ghouta, on April 4

In this photo taken on Tuesday, April 4, a Syrian man holds a suffering baby victim of alleged chemical weapons attacks in Syrian city of Idlib; pictured right is President Bashar al-Assad

A Syrian child receives treatment following the attack that the US government has said was carried out by Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad

Trump said at their Wednesday presser that the United States would be giving more money to Jordan to assist the country with refugees.

'We will destroy ISIS and we will protect civilization. We have no choice. We will protect civilization,' Trump said of joint efforts to stabilize the region and eradicate it from terrorism.

Abdullah lauded Trump, who he'd met with once prior, telling him in response, 'I am very delighted for your vision, your holistic approach to all the challenges in our region and the dedication of your team in being able to translate your policy into action successively hopefully as we move forward.

'The challenges we face today are many and not exclusive to my region, as I've just mentioned, they are global and particularly the threats to global security. Terrorism has no borders, no nationality, no religion, and therefore, joint action with a holistic approach, as I just mentioned Mr. President, is crucial.'

As the officials were meeting in Washington, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN was warning diplomats in New York that the United States could 'take our own action' in Syria if international body refuses to get involved.

Meanwhile, in New York, US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley urged the United Nations to take action. She held up pictures of poisoned children and asked,'How many more children have to die before Russia cares?'

Haley held up pictures of poisoned children and asked,'How many more children have to die before Russia cares?'

'If Russia has the influence in Syria that it claims to have, we need to see them use it,' she said. 'We need to see them put an end to these horrific acts.'

Less than a week ago, Haley said it was no longer a 'priority' of the United States to remove Assad from power.

Then came Tuesday's sarin gas attack.

'If we are not prepared to act, then this council will keep meeting, month after month to express outrage at the continuing use of chemical weapons and it will not end,' Haley told UN Security Council member nations Wednesday. 'We will see more conflict in Syria. We will see more pictures that we can never unsee.'

At the White House news conference Trump did not put pressure on the Kremlin, an Assad ally. He indicated that he'd be willing to work with Russia to decimate extremists that are 'all over the place' now in the Middle East.

'As far as ISIS is concerned, the United States will work with whoever it's appropriate to work with to totally eradicate ISIS and other terrorists,' Trump told a foreign reporter who was actually asking if he'd partner with Russia to stop the Syrian government from striking again, not the terrorists.

The reporter also asked about Trump's promise to establish safe zones in Syria. The president did not address that part of the question directly.

Instead he said, 'We will do what we have to do to eradicate terrorism.'

Russia was initially suggested as a possible perpetrator of the chemical weapons attack in Syria, given its previous involvement in airstrikes on rebel-held areas that housed civilians.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer rejected Russian involvement on Tuesday and pointed the finger at Assad in a statement he delivered at a lunchtime question and answer session with press that was restricted from broadcast. He also castigated Barack Obama.

'These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administrations weakness and irresolution,' he said. 'President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a "red line" against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing.'

Asked why Trump was taking a 'potshot' at the former president instead of taking ownership of the situation, Spicer told a journalist in the room, 'What's the point of red lines? America's credibility was at stake, and I think the President wants to point out that there was a red line and they did cross it.

'We did have alternatives to regime change, and they werent taken,' the Trump spokesman said.

HOW PRESIDENT ASSAD HAS USED CHEMICAL WEAPONS ON HIS OWN PEOPLE Syria has a long history with chemical weapons dating back more than 40 years. Syria first developed chemical weapons in the 1970s, when it was given a small number of chemicals and delivery systems by Egypt before the start of the Arab-Israeli war in 1973. Damascus started acquiring materials to produce its own chemical weapons in the 1980s, reportedly with the help of the Soviet Union, according to the BBC. By 2011, Syria was still 'dependent on foreign sources of key elements' of its chemical weapons, the US director of national intelligence reported. In 2013, the country saw its worst sarin attack in Syria's civil war. In the wake of the 2013 attack, President Bashar Assad agreed to a Russia-sponsored deal to destroy his chemical arsenal and joined the Chemical Weapons Convention. The agreement came after hundreds of people - up to 1,429 according to a US intelligence report - were killed in chemical weapons strikes allegedly carried out by Syrian troops east and southwest of Damascus. His government declared a 1,300-ton stockpile of chemical weapons and so-called precursor chemicals that can be used to make weapons amid international outrage at a nerve gas attack on the outskirts of Damascus. Those weapons have been destroyed, but member states of the OPCW have repeatedly questioned whether Assad declared everything in 2013. The widely available chemical chlorine was not covered in the 2013 declaration and activists say they have documented dozens of cases of chlorine gas attacks since then. The Syrian government has consistently denied using chemical weapons and chlorine gas, accusing the rebels of deploying it in the war instead. But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use by the government since then, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015. The government denies using chemical weapons and has accused rebels of using banned weapons. Advertisement

Spicer at another point said the White House does not see a correlation between its posture toward Assad and the chemical attack.

'I don't,' he stated. 'I'm not going to get into it, but I think the President is extremely alarmed at these revelations. He continues to meet with his national security team, and I think there will be further discussions around the globe with our allies as far as the appropriate action.'

Trump had promised during his campaign for president that he would establish a safe zone in Syria for nationals seeking to escape the brutality from ISIS.

But Syria's military, with the backing from Russia and Iran, has lay waste to areas controlled by rebel forces, as well. Tuesday's chemical weapons attack was just the latest in a series of assaults that the Syrian government has been accused of carrying out on its own people.

A secure zone has yet to be set up, though Trump has talked about it since taking office as an alternative to resettling Syrian refugees in America.

Trump's administration last week said it would apply pressure to Assad to make changes inside his country as Haley announced that the United States was not 'going to sit there and focus on getting [Assad] out.'

Haley, who just took the reigns of the UN Security Council, said Monday that the approach does not mean the US believes Assad should stay.

Assad is a 'war criminal' and 'what hes done to his people is nothing more than disgusting,' she said.

Spicer said Tuesday the administration's new tact reflects the current 'political reality.'

He would not say how the United States plans to respond to Assad's latest assault on the Syrian people, either, contending that he'd 'rather not get ahead' of the national security team.

However, he said the chemical weapons attack 'is not something that any civilized nation should sit back and accept or tolerate.'

Trump's secretary of state took hours on Tuesday to issue a statement decrying the tragedy after he ignored reporters asking him for comment shortly after Spicer's briefing.

When he finally sent something out, Rex Tillerson said, 'The United States strongly condemns the chemical weapons attack in Idlib province, the third allegation of the use of such weapons in the past month alone.'

'While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism. Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions.

'I think the Obama administration had a great opportunity to solve this,' Trump said about his predecessor and the 'red line' during an afternoon news conference. 'It was a great opportunity missed'

Ivanka Trump and her husband Senior Advisor Jared Kushner listen as Jordan's King Abdullah II and President Trump hold a press conference

The president's eldest daughter, now one of his top advisers, declared the strike on innocents in Syria 'atrocious' on Wednesday morning

'Anyone who uses chemical weapons to attack his own people shows a fundamental disregard for human decency and must be held accountable.'

The 'horrific conflict' requires a 'genuine ceasefire' agreement between the government and rebel forces.

'We call upon Russia and Iran, yet again, to exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again,' the State Department official said. 'As the self-proclaimed guarantors to the ceasefire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths.'

The State Department followed up on his comments by announcing Wednesday morning that it was providing an additional $566 million in humanitarian assistance to the conflict, for a sum total of $6.5 billion since 2012.

Funds pay for food assistance, shelter, drinking water, medical, protection and other relief efforts.

'This aid will help countries like Jordan host refugees until it is safe for them to return home,' said later at his news conference. 'The refugees want to return home. I know that from so many other instances. They want to return back to their home, and that's the goal of any responsible refugee policy.'

The US president did not say during the appearance whether he had changed his own position on hosting refugees in the United States, in light of Tuesday's attack.
The number of babies born to Muslim women worldwide will exceed the number of Christian births within the next 20 years, according to a new study.

The report, by the Pew Research Center, also predicts that Islam - already the world's fastest-growing religion - could become the largest faith by the end of the century, with the lead researcher saying Christianity is 'literally dying in Europe'.

Although Christians accounted for 33 per cent of global births in recent years - slightly more than Muslim births - they also accounted for 37 per cent of worldwide deaths, nearly twice the share of deaths from other religions.

Between 2015 and 2060, the global Muslim population is expected to grow by 70 per cent, while Christianity is projected to grow by 34 per cent - at which point, the two religions will have similar numbers.

The number of babies born to Muslim women worldwide will exceed the number of Christian births within the next 20 years, according to a study by the Pew Research Center

Although Christians accounted for 33 per cent of global births in recent years - slightly more than Muslim births - they also accounted for 37 per cent of world-wide deaths, nearly twice the share of deaths from other religions

'Christianity is literally dying in Europe,' Conrad Hackett, lead researcher of the Pew study, said

The Muslim population increased by more than 150million people between 2010 and 2015, to 1.8billion. As of 2015, there were 2.3billion Christians.

Researchers say migration is among factors helping to increase the Muslim population in some regions, including North America and Europe.

While Christianity remained the largest religious group globally in 2015 - comprising almost a third (31 per cent) of the world's 7.3 billion people - its number is in decline in Europe.

'Christianity is literally dying in Europe,' Conrad Hackett, the lead researcher on the study, told the Wall Street Journal.

'The heart of Christianity is moving from Europe to Africa,' he added.

Furthermore, Christians had the highest number of births and deaths of any religious group in recent years, according to the Pew Research Center, a non-partisan US 'fact' tank.

The Muslim population increased by more than 150million people between 2010 and 2015, to 1.8billion. As of 2015, there were 2.3billion Christians

Between 2010 and 2015, around 223m babies were born to Christian mothers and roughly 107m Christians died  a natural increase of 116m. In Europe, however, Christian deaths outnumbered births by nearly 6m during this time

Between 2010 and 2015, around 223million babies were born to Christian mothers and roughly 107million Christians died  a natural increase of 116million.

In Europe, however, Christian deaths outnumbered births by nearly 6million during this time.

NUMBER OF PEOPLE, 2015 (in billions) CHRISTIANS 2.3 BILLION MUSLIMS 1.8 UNAFFILIATED 1.2 HINDUS 1.1 BUDDHISTS 0.5 FOLK RELIGIONS 0.4 OTHER RELIGIONS 0.1 JEWS 0.01 Source: Pew Research Center

Meanwhile, between 2010 and 2015, there were 213million Muslim births, compared to 61million deaths.

Some 62 per cent of Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region with large populations in Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran and Turkey, Pew researchers said.

In 2050, India is set to take over from Indonesia as the country with the world's largest Muslim population.

Last year there were 3.3 million Muslims of all ages in the US - about 1 per cent of the population.

Muslims have gained slightly in recent years due to people converting to Islam.

However, Christians have lost more followers than any other religion recently due to religious switching.
Peperami, bags of Doritos and packs of Minstrels and M&Ms are getting smaller in a new round of 'shrinkflation'.

Shoppers will get smaller packs but the prices are not being cut by manufacturers and supermarkets to reflect this.

It comes as Kellogg's has also reduced the size of some of its products without changing the price - and said it was due to cuts in the levels of sugar.

The spicy Peperami snacks have been trimmed from 25g to 22.5g, however the recommended sales price has remained the same at 79p.

M&M's (left) and Galaxy Minstrels (right) are being reduced in size by 14 per cent and nine per cent respectively, but prices will stay the same

Peperami is also affected by the latest round of 'shrinkflation' with a 25g packet (pictured) being reduced to 22.5g, a 10 per cent drop in size

There has not been any reduction in the price of multi-packs despite the smaller size.

Large, so-called sharing bags of Doritos, have been reduced from 200g to 180g, but remain on sale at the same average price of 1.99.

And Mars has cut the size of a large bag of Galaxy Minstrels from 232g to 210g while the price has remained at 2.50.

The firm's M&M's Crispy bag has shrunk from 141g to 121g for 1.50 and a large bag of Maltesers is down from 184g to 166g at 2.50.

Meanwhile a large box of Coco Pops has been reduced from 800g to 720g, while the 550g packet now weighs 510g - but prices in most supermarkets have stayed at 3.75 and 2.69 respectively.

The reduction in pack sizes is part of a trend that has been blamed on the vote to leave the EU and the resulting fall in the value of the pound, which make imports more expensive.

Kellogg's has confirmed its Coco Pops packs are shrinking with an 800g box (pictured) going down to 720g, but the company says the change is due to a reduction in sugar

In fact, manufacturers and supermarkets have been using the tactic for more than a decade and long before a vote on EU membership was a possibility.

Everything from chocolate bars to packs of nappies and even the amount of tea in some big brand teabags have been shrunk.

The effect of cutting pack sizes is to sneak through a price rise without customers realising what has happened.

Just this week, retail analysts highlighted the first food price rises in two years with the cost of filling a shopping basket up by 2.3 per cent on a year ago. It seems the real figure would be much higher if the changes to pack sizes were taken into account.

The new slimmed down Peperami started arriving on supermarket shelves in the past two weeks.

The manufacturer, who is based in Germany, blamed 'rising commodity costs and foreign exchange pressure' for shrinking packs.

A spokesman told The Grocer magazine: 'We always endeavour to reduce the impact of such movements to ensure our brands are as affordable as possible for our loyal consumers and have limited this impact to a reduction in the size of our sticks from 25g to 22.5g, whilst maintaining the number of sticks sold in multipacks.'

Pepsico, which makes brands like Doritos and Walkers, said 'fluctuating foreign exchange rates' had pushed up the cost of ingredients and materials, forcing it to 'make a few changes to certain Doritos packs'.

Mars said the decision to reduce pack sizes had not been an easy one. It said: 'We have been absorbing rising raw material and operational costs for some time, but the growing pressures mean that we can't keep things as they are.'

Shrinkflation hasn't been limited to the snacking aisles, with Birds Eye reducing pack sizes across a wide range of frozen chicken, fish and vegetable lines.

Bags of Doritos are also affected in the shrinking, with a 200g packet (pictured) dropping by 10 per cent to 180g

It has cut the number of fish fingers in a pack from 12 to 10. The number of Crispy Chicken Dippers in a pack is down from 14 to 12.

The firm has cut the weight of a bag of bag of frozen petits pois from 1.28kg to 1.005kg, while the price has remained the same.

The effect of cutting pack sizes is to sneak through a price rise without customers realising what has happened.

Just this week, retail analysts highlighted the first food price rises in two years with the cost of filling a shopping basket up by 2.3 per cent on a year ago.

It seems the real increase would be much higher if the changes to pack sizes were taken into account.
President Donald Trump raised the possibility on Wednesday that former national security advisor Susan Rice committed a crime by asking intelligence agencies to reveal the names of Trump associates recorded incidentally during spy operations.

Asked by The New York Times in an Oval Office interview whether he thought Rice had done anything illegal, he said: 'Do I think? Yes, I think.'

Rice on Tuesday flatly denied leaking the name of anyone connected to Trump's campaign, transition or administration who was snared in a spy dragnet without being the target of any investigation.

'I think' former U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice committed a crime in office, President Donald Trump said Wednesday; he's shown an hour later during a Rose Garden press conference with the King of Jordan

Rice asked intelligence agencies dozens of times to 'unmask' the names of Donald Trump associates that were redacted from raw intelligence reports  and she wasn't the only one

'I leaked nothing to nobody and never have and never would,' she told MSNBC. Leaking names from classified reports is a felony, although it's legal and ordinary for a national security advisor to as for the 'unmasking' of names when it helps provide context to raw intelligence.

Trump on Wednesday hinted that he believes additional Obama administration officials might have been involved.

'I think its going to be the biggest story, the president said, while declining to name names.

'It's such an important story for our country and the world. It is one of the big stories of our time.'

He also wouldn't provide any new evidence to support his March 4 claims that the Obama administration had surveilled him and his team in 2016 for political purposes.

The Times reported that Trump wouldn't say if he has more recently seen any intelligence that might back up what he alleged on Twitter.

But he promised to explain himself 'at the right time.'

Trump (right, seated), spoke with The New York Times on Wednesday

Retired Gen. Mike Flynn (left), who served briefly as National Security Advisor before being forced out, wasn't the only Trump transition official whose name was 'unmasked'

Rice forcefully denied on Tuesday that she or anyone in the White House ever went out of their way to 'unmask' the identities of Trump or his associates, but The Wall Street Journal says at least two White House officials  and two from Trumpworld  are in the picture

Rice also downplayed Tuesday on MSNBC the allegation 'that somehow the Obama administration officials utilized intelligence for political purposes.'

'That's absolutely false,' she insisted.

News emerged hours later, however, that she wasn't the only Obama administration official to request the 'unmasking' of members of President Donald Trump's transition team  and her successor Mike Flynn was just one of at least two who were left exposed.

President Trump retweeted a message from Internet newsman Matt Drudge on Tuesday, pointing to an article that claimed Rice ordered intelligence agencies to spy on him

Flynn was forced out of his job after a transcript of an intercepted phone call was leaked to The Washington Post, detailing a conversation he had last year with Russia's ambassador to the U.S.  a discussion that reportedly included mention of rolling back U.S. sanctions on Moscow.

It's not known who the second Trump transition official is, but The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday night that there were two  based on information from a Republican linked to the House Intelligence Committee.

'The official said Ms. Rice had requested the unmasking of at least one transition officialnot Mr. Flynnwho was part of multiple foreign conversations that weren't related to Russia,' the Journal reported.

And 'Rice wasn't the administration official who instigated Mr. Flynns unmasking.' That puts at least one other Obama White House official in the picture.
Kendall Jenner did her best to hide from the controversy surrounding her Pepsi commercial on Wednesday when she landed in Paris.

Jenner, who starred in an advertisement for the soda giant that was blasted as 'tone deaf', shielded her face as she was hurried through the terminal in France.

As she left the airport, the reality television star pulled her jacket up over her face and a security guard held out his hands in an attempt to block her from sight.

Jenner has also claimed she had no involvement in the creative process behind the commercial, according to TMZ.

Her airport appearance came shortly after Pepsi said it was canning the commercial in a statement released on Wednesday.

Scroll down for video

Kendall Jenner did her best to hide from the controversy surrounding her Pepsi commercial on Wednesday when she landed in Paris; As she left the airport, she pulled her jacket up over her face and a security guard held out his hands in an attempt to block her from sight

'Pepsi was trying to project a global a message of unity, peace and understanding,' the statement read.

'Clearly, we missed the mark, and we apologize.

'We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are pulling the content and halting any further rollout.

'We also apologize for putting Kendall Jenner in this position.'

Interestingly, the apology appears to have had the opposite effect that Pepsi intended - at least financially.

Stocks in Pepsi rose today after a small dip until 1.20pm when they ad was pulled.

From then the stocks tumbled, closing the day at .12 per cent down. One small piece of good news for the brand may be that their rivals didn't escape the backlash despite having nothing to do with the ill advised ad. Coke's stock closed out the day at .26 per cent.

Pepsi has canceled its controversial new advertisement starring Kendall Jenner, after it was mocked by Bernice King - MLK's daughter

Bernice King attacked the Pepsi commercial on social media on Wednesday - just before the drink company announced it was canceling the advertisement

Stocks in Pepsi rose today after a small dip until 1.20pm when they ad was pulled, and they plummeted, closing at .12 per cent down, while Coke also suffered on Wall Street

The statement was released shortly after Bernice King - the daughter of MLK - mocked it on social media.

PEPSI'S STATEMENT CANCELING THE AD Pepsi was trying to project a global a message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly, we missed the mark, and we apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are pulling the content and halting any further rollout. We also apologize for putting Kendall Jenner in this position. Advertisement

'If only daddy knew about the power of Pepsi,' she tweeted, while sharing a photograph of her iconic father clashing with police on the front-line of a protest.

The two-and-a-half-minute commercial features Kendall stepping out of a crowd of multi racial protesters to end a stand-off with police officer by handing him a can of Pepsi.

It was also slammed by other stars and celebrities on social media, including: Lena Dunham, Questlove, Judd Apatow, and Patton Oswalt.

'J. Edgar Hoover takes aim from the grassy knoll. The motorcade approaches. He fires. JFK raises a Pepsi to his lips, blocks the bullet,' Oswalt tweeted.

'Assuming everything that can be said about faux-test Pepsi ad has been said so I'm just gonna go with this: it didn't make me want Pepsi,' Dunham wrote.

Kendall Jenner, 21, is at the center of backlash for a Pepsi commercial she starred in that has been accused of 'appropriating the resistance'

Celebrities including Lena Dunham were quick to slam the star's tone-deaf Pepsi commercial

Judd Apatow also had his say on the bizarre advert - saying he could never 'make something as funny'

Patton Oswalt joked that Pepsi could have stopped a faux plot that involved J.Edgar Hoover killing JFK

Questlove ripped into Pepsi for putting an April Fools commercial out four days late

'That Pepsi commercial was genius troll move of the year, 4 days from April Fools? we talkin/meming bout em too?' Questlove said, before adding: 'Dear corporations let this be a lesson. you run the risk of getting DRAGGED if your boardroom shows NO diversity.---there is NO excuse.

For not ONE PERSON to smack some sense in y'all. i mean I'm laughing. cause .0000003 per cent of me hopes this was some 'lets troll em!' move.'

And the mocking didn't stop after the ad was canceled, with social media continuing to bubble over with jokes and complaints.

'O'Reilly Factor down to one advertisement for tonight: Kendall's Pepsi commercial,' Josh Brown wrote, in a reference to the current controversy surrounding Fox News host Bill O'Reilly.

'I think it's time to open my 'Ask A Black person' consulting firm,' comedian Travon Free tweeted.

Other people continued to mock the commercial on Wednesday even after Pepsi announced it was being canceled

'Pepsi pulling ad + also apologizes to Kendall Jenner - I was under the impression that she's a grown a** woman who was present for filming,' another said.

'Steve Bannon could probably use a @pepsi right about now,' model Ines Helene joked.

Pepsi previously defended the commercial in a statement, saying it was: 'a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think that's an important message to convey.'

Kendall herself previously told Women's Wear Daily: 'I had never been to Bangkok before [where it was filmed], so it was interesting to be in that city. There were a lot of really cool people on set that I got to meet. It was fun, it was entertaining. The whole concept is really something that I'm about, so it was just fun to be a part of.

'I think a lot of people are caught up in whatever's happening in someone else's life and they're not really paying attention to what's happening right in front of them most of the time.

'It's not hard to put your phone down and consciously try and get yourself to live in the moment. That's what I try and do.'

The imagery - whether intentional or not - evokes the real-life moment protester Ieshia Evans faced down lines of heavily armed police wearing riot gear during a Black Lives Matter demonstration over the fatal shooting of a black man by police.

Evans was arrested moments later, unlike Kendall whose actions win her knowing smile from the Pepsi ad's handsome, enlightened cop.

The ad has sparked outrage online from hundreds accusing Pepsi of trying to cash in on the Black Lives Matter protests. Twitter was flooded with deeply sarcastic posts mocking the 'tone deaf' ad.

Many compared Kendall's action to that of protester Ieshia Evans (pictured) last year in Indiana during the Black Lives Matter protests across the country

Kendall joins the crowd of young protesters with a Pepsi in hand in the now-canned commercial

Not everyone was upset with the controversial commercial, as Kris Jenner tweeted out how proud she was of her daughter for being 'the face of (Pepsi's) campaign'

'How nice of Kendall Jenner to stop in the middle of her photo shoot to end social injustices by giving that cop a Pepsi,' one Twitter user wrote. 'MLK who? Rosa who?'

User @lgbtgreene added: 'I can't believe Kendall Jenner ended police brutality and white supremacy with a can of Pepsi not bad for a girl with no talent.'

Others complained that it was a transparent attempt by Pepsi to try and tap into whatever the 'youth (are) into these days.'

Of course, it is not the first time a soda giant has been accused of crass commercialism.

Evans was arrested moments later, unlike Kendall whose actions win her knowing smile from the Pepsi ad's cop

Social media bubbled over with criticism from people who thought the commercial was making light of a serious issue

Coca Cola faced fierce backlash for their Super Bowl ad, which was actually a re-run, this year which features people of all different ethnicities singing America the Beautiful in multiple languages.

People accused the brand of trying to ride the wave of pro-immigrant and unity sentiment shortly after Donald Trump announced his Muslim ban.

In another unfortunate creative choice, Coke was forced to pull an online advert in 2015 which appeared to show Caucasian people turning up at an indigenous town in Mexico bearing gifts of soda cans and a Christmas tree for locals.

Coke received so many complaints that the ad reinforced stereotypes of whites teaching 'culturally and racially subordinate' indigenous people, that they even issued a rare apology.

Another user was so shocked, they assumed it was an ad for the competition

The ad starts out with a glamorous Kendall in a blonde wig, doing a photo shoot in front of a large window

But Pepsi appears to have outdone their rival with an advert which many complains 'mocks' the Black Lives Movement - which began over the deaths of so many young black men at the hands of police and has gone on to spark national and international protests.

Violence between police and protesters have been reported at numerous such demonstrations which have even resulted in fatal shootings in some cases.

Not then, the most obvious setting in which to set an ad to sell sugary, fizzy drinks.

The commercial, filmed in Bangkok for the brand's new Live For Now moments campaign, begins with a protest of young, attractive demonstrators holding aloft bland signs which proclaim statements such as 'Love' and 'Be part of the conversation.'

Jenner sees the protesters walking by and wants to join in on the movement instead of finishing up her photo shoot

The model pulls off her wig and walks away from her photo shoot towards the protest in the now-canned commercial

In the commercial, Jenner smears off her lipstick in a symbol of her change of political ambition

The march continues past a photoshoot where who else but Kendall Jenner is posing, in a short silver dress with platinum blonde hair, in front of the camera until her attention is drawn to a cute protester who gestures for her to join the movement.

Suddenly awakened to the cause, and perhaps the frivolity of a life of fame and photoshoots, the 21-year-old rips off her blonde wig, wipes off her makeup and joins the crowd.

She is now 'one of them'.

When the crowd come up against a line of attractive cops, Kendall has the solution; Pepsi.

She hands over a can to the most handsome officer and the crowd erupts in cheers as he takes a sip. Kendall pumps her fist in the air while the cop, seemingly won over by the gesture, shares a look with his colleague to say, 'well, they can't be that bad.'

Jenner 'bravely' steps out of the crowd and hands the officer who is blocking the protest a can of Pepsi

All is well: He drinks the Pepsi, all problems go away and everyone is happy again

Kendall has not yet responded to the criticism of the ad, set to the sound of Lion, a new track by Bob Marley's grandson Skip.

But before it was released Kendall had said: 'I am thrilled to join the legendary roster of icons who have represented their generations and worked with Pepsi.'

She added: 'The spirit of Pepsi - living in the 'now' moment- is one that I believe in. I make a conscious effort in my everyday life and travels to enjoy every experience of today.'

But her fans are less than pleased and have taken to social media to call out her and Pepsi.

One user pointed out the comparison between the ad and the picture of Evans, saying: 'I'm gonna end this thread with this picture. The picture of that you mocked in this advertisement.'

'So according to @KendallJenner and @pepsi the racial tension problem is just a matter of thirsty cops,' another user lamented.

Community organizer Deray Mckesson added: 'If I had carried Pepsi I guess I never would've gotten arrested. Who knew?'

Comedian Margaret Cho wrote: 'If this #Pepsi ad is the choice of a new generation, Im gonna need that generation to turn in its badge.'

Fellow comic and actor Jim Gaffigan added: 'But you said you wanted social media to talk about Pepsi.' - Advertising guy to Pepsi executive before agency is fired.'

Meanwhile members of an Austin Black Lives Matter group were outraged by the ad.

Jane Dunnington wrote on their group's page: 'What BS-- the pretty white chick gives the cop a Pepsi and it's all good; everyone cheers?! Yeah, that fixed institutional racism.'

'Wow that is offensive on so many levels,' Haley Bach added.
An intruder who was shot dead by a homeowner in Washington state after breaking in and using the shower may have thought he was in the home of a friend that looked similar.

Nathaniel Joseph Rosa, a 31-year-old teacher's aide, was killed on Saturday morning inside the bathroom of a property in Belfair, Washington.

The man who owns the property, Bruce Fanning, is under investigation, though he has not been formally charged with murder, according to KING-TV.

Fanning posted $250,000 bond on Wednesday and was freed from jail as authorities proceed with the investigation.

Police are now examining the possibility that Rosa was 'confused' and that he initially believed he was entering his friend's house, which is located two doors down from where he was killed.

Bruce Fanning (left) shot dead Nathaniel Joseph Rosa (right), 31, on Saturday morning inside the bathroom of Fanning's property in Belfair, Washington.

Fanning posted $250,000 bond on Wednesday and was freed from jail as authorities proceed with the investigation. No formal charges have been filed as of Wednesday afternoon

'It may be a case of wrong place, wrong time,' Mason County prosecutor Michael Dorcy said on Tuesday.

Police said Fanning called 911 shortly after 8am on Saturday and told the dispatcher he had shot an intruder.

Fanning owns two pieces of property next door to each other. He lives in one house and runs an internet-based business next door, which is where he found Rosa.

He told police he noticed signs of forced entry when he went to work on Saturday.

Police are now examining the possibility that Rosa, who had been out partying with friends, was 'confused' and that he initially thought he was entering his friend's house, which is located two doors down from where he was killed. A nearby home in Belfair, Washington, is seen above

Signs posted on Fanning's properties include warnings that 'trespassers will be shot' (above). Fanning reportedly told police that he feared for his life, though investigators want to know why he didn't call 911 when he was at a safe distance from the property

Fanning said he went inside and found Rosa using the shower.

Police said Fanning confronted Rosa and the pair exchanged words before he left and returned to his house next door to retrieve his gun.

Fanning then allegedly came back to the property and fired multiple rounds into the shower, killing Rosa, according to Mason County Sheriff's Lt. Travis Adams.

He then called 911 to report the shooting.

Fanning owns the home (above) where Rosa was found. He has yet to be charged after opening fire on the teacher's aide in the shower

Rosa worked as a teacher's aide at Woodmoor Elementary School in Bothell - about 80 miles from where he was shot dead

Police said Fanning confronted Rosa (right) and the pair exchanged words before he left and returned to his house next door to retrieve his gun

Detective have argued Fanning had plenty of time to call authorities during the time he went home, retrieved his gun and returned to shoot Rosa.

They also do not believe Fanning gave any warning to Rosa - who was not believed to have been armed at the time - before he opened fire.

Signs posted on Fanning's properties include warnings that 'trespassers will be shot.'

Fanning reportedly told police that he feared for his life, though investigators want to know why he didn't call 911 when he was at a safe distance from the property.

Investigators are trying to piece together a timeline of events leading up to the shooting.

Police said they interviewed witnesses who said that Rosa had been at a bar the previous evening to attend a gathering of friends who were about to be deployed to Afghanistan.

Dorcy said investigators learned that Rosa and his friends visited a number of bars that night.

Afterward, they visited a friend who lives two doors down from Fanning.

At around 5am, friends said Rosa had stepped out of the home to 'get some air' but that he never returned.

Dorcy said that the friend's home and Fanning's home were very similar in appearance. The two properties even had the same floor plan.

Authorities believe that Rosa may have approached Fanning's home thinking it was that of his friend.

'It leads me to wonder if he thought, "Where is everybody?" when he showed up at Fannings house,' Dorcy said.

The prosecutor said he was now awaiting toxicology reports to see if Rosa was intoxicated when he was shot.

Fanning told investigators that Rosa did appear to be drunk when he saw him in the shower.

According to his Facebook, Rosa worked as a teacher's aide at Woodmoor Elementary School in Bothell - about 80 miles from where he was shot dead.

Mason County Coroner Wes Stockwell told the Kitsap Sun that Rosa had been visiting his mother who lives in nearby North Mason.

Shocked family and friends paid tribute to the slain man on Facebook following news of his death.

'Rest in piece Nathaniel Rosa. I don't think I ever heard you say one negative thing about anyone nor did I hear anyone say anything negative about you. You will be greatly missed,' one person wrote.

Detective have argued Fanning had plenty of time to call authorities during the time he went home, retrieved his gun and returned to shoot Rosa

Authorities do not believe Fanning any warning to Rosa - who was not believed to have been armed at the time - before he opened fire

His niece wrote: 'My dear Uncle Nathaniel Rosa no words can describe or say how it feels to learn what happened. You were the nicest person and the best uncle. I hope to see you one day again. Until then I love you and will miss you with my heart.'

Mason County Sheriff's posted on Twitter on Saturday saying: 'Lots of reactions to the arrest. There is more to the story that can not be released yet. You may reserve your judgement until facts are out.'

Investigators said the homeowner is cooperating with detectives.

'Certainly he had an opportunity to call law enforcement at that time,' Adams said.

'We've contacted our local prosecutor, explained the circumstances to him, and he agrees that 2nd degree murder was an appropriate charge in this case.'
People do different things to commemorate their late parents, from buying a bench in the park to organising family gatherings. But what happens when it comes to a multi-billionaire?

Henry Cheng Kar-shun, a powerful Hong Kong tycoon, has bought a 57 million ($71.2 million) pink diamond in honour of his late father, who passed away last September.

Cheng Kar-shun, 70, fetched the record-breaking gemstone the size of a plum after winning a three-person bidding war on telephone during an auction on April 4.

In honour of the father: Hong Kong tycoon Henry Cheng Kar-shun (pictured) bought 'Pink Star' for 57 million after winning a bidding war during an auction on Tuesday

Dazzling: The gemstone (pictured), discovered in South Africa in 1999, is roughly the size of a plum. Cheng Kar-shun, the chairman of jeweller Chow Tai Fook bought the diamond to commomerate his father who died last September

Record-breaking: The 59.60-carat gem (pictured), known as the Pink Star, sold for 57 million yesterday. It's the most expensive jewel ever sold

The multi-billionaire has re-named the oval mixed-cut stone from 'Pink Star' to 'The CTF Pink Star' - after his family business Chow Tai Fook.

This is to commemorate his father, the late Cheng Yu-Tung who died last year at the age of 91. Cheng Yu-Tung had stayed in a coma for four years after having a stroke in 2012, according to Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao.

In addition, the rare diamond was purchased to celebrate the jewelry brand's 88 anniversary, probably the most auspicious anniversary a brand could have in the Chinese culture (because the pronunciation of eight is similar to "getting rich").

The Cheng family boast collective assets of 14.3 billion ($17.9 billion), according to Forbes. They're one of the four richest and most influential families in Hong Kong owning some of the city's most famous brands.

Cheng Kar-shun (left) was pictured with his father Cheng Yu-Tung (middle) at the debut of Chow Tai Fook at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on December 15, 2011. Cheng Kar-shun was appointed the chairman of Chow Tai Fook after his father fell ill in 2012

As his father's first born, Cheng Kar-shun was appointed to manage the family's two impressive businesses when his father became seriously ill. He is the chairman and executive director of jeweller Chow Tai Fook and conglomerate New World Development.

DULLED SHINE: THE OPPENHEIMER BLUE The record for the world's most expensive jewel was previously held by the Oppenheimer Blue diamond. After a tense bidding war, it sold for 46million ($57.5 million) at Christie's in Geneva last May. The rare rectangular-cut stone previously belonged to Sir Philip Oppenheimer, who controlled the Diamond Syndicate in London. Former glory: The Oppenheimer Blue Advertisement

Chow Tai Fook has more than 2,000 chain stores in China while New World Development invests in various areas including real estate, hotels and malls.

Apparently, the record-breaking pink diamond isn't the only heavyweight deal Cheng Kar-shun has made this year.

According to a report by South China Morning Post in January, the businessman became the biggest Chinese investor in post-Brexit UK after investing 1 billion on Greenwich Peninsula, a regeneration property project in London.

Sold for 57 million at Sotheby's Hong Kong on Tuesday evening, 'Pink Star' is the most expensive jewel ever sold.

The 59.60-carat gem broke the record previously held by the Oppenheimer Blue diamond, which fetched 46 million ($57.5 million) at Christie's in Geneva last May.

The sale came three years after the 'Pink Star' had been sold at another Sotheby's auction in Geneva in a deal that later fell apart.

New York-based diamond cutter Isaac Wolf and a group of investors paid a then record-breaking 67million ($83million) for the gem, but defaulted on the payment.

The auction house was forced to buy the oval mixed-cut diamond from the seller because it had guaranteed a 48million ($60 million) sale price.

'Pink Star' was mined in Africa by De Beers in 1999 as a raw 132.5 carat gem and cut over a two-year period.

The large blue diamond (pictured) was bought by Joseph Lau, another Hong Kong tycoonm in 2015. Mr Lau bought it for 48 million and promptly re-named it 'The Blue Moon of Josephine' - after his then seven-year-old daughter

On the previous day, Lau had purchased this rare pink diamond for 23.2 million. It too was a gift to his daughter which he re-named 'The Sweet Josephine' in her honor

Asian buyers seem to have a passion of collecting precious diamonds. And it's apparently what prompted Sotheby's to bring the 'Pink Star' back to the market.

In 2015, another Hong Kong magnate, 66-year-old Joseph Lau, made headlines across the world after spending 62 million on two recording-breaking diamonds - one blue diamond and one pink diamond.

The man gifted both of them to his daughter, Josephine Lau, who was then seven years old.
A startling 'confession letter' is said to be the final key in solving the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur.

US documentary maker and author RJ Bond claims a document names his killers, and clears rap mogul Suge Knight of any involvement in the September 13 drive-by shooting.

It also is said to point a finger at two separate rappers, who are unnamed, and at Death Row Records security chief Reggie Wright Jnr, who is said to have ordered the drive-by shooting.

The letter, obtained by The Sun, was allegedly written by one of the gunmen who opened fire on Tupac's car that night in Las Vegas.

Scroll down for video

Marion 'Suge' Knight (right, in court in February in a pretrial murder hearing) nay finally be cleared of any involvement in the September 13 drive-by shooting due to a new documentary

The black car in which Tupac and record label boss Suge Knight were driving in when the attack by an unknown gunmen occurred

Someone called 'Danny' is said to have handed the letter to a TV journalist.

The letter, which is unverified, says 'Danny' was 'told to take night out,' referring to Death Row Records boss Suge Knight, who many believe were behind Tupac's death.

Knight was with Tupac in the Cadillac the night he was shot.

US documentary maker and author RJ Bond claims a document names his killers, and clears rap mogul Suge Knight of any involvement in the September 13 drive-by shooting

It seems to point a finger at Death Row Records security chief Reggie Wright Jnr, and another up-and-coming rapper who cannot be named for legal reasons

Tupac's last public photograph was taken as he was riding in the car with Death Row Records co-founder Suge on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas.

The pair had just left a Mike Tyson fight held at the MGM Grand, when the 25-year-old rapper was shot as he stood up through the sunroof to talk to a group of women while the car was stopped at a traffic light.

Shakur was hit four times - twice in the chest, once in the arm, and once in the leg. He eventually died six days later on September 13.

THE FULL ALLEGED CONFESSION There was a major problem with demo stilling (stealing). 2 songs that 2 pac came out with were written by XXXX XXXXX. XXXX XXXXX was a up and coming rap singer. He gave 4 demos to 2 pac to look over because he met 2pac at the Bonaventure hotel (Los Angeles). 2 pac promised that he would look over the demos XXXX XXXXX never heard from 2 pac and 3 months later after 2pac received the demos the song brendas got a baby was released. Brendas got a baby was written by XXXX XXXXX. XXXX XXXXX let that slide, But he continued to go to different recording studios. Finally in 94 XXXX XXXX started making money. And he was sponsored mostly by sh night.What night did not know was that XXXX XXXX found out that he was being sold to XXXXX. There was a meeting in Reno. And XXXX XXXX and 2 pac had dispute about songs that were taken. XXXX XXXX was beaten down by 2 pac soldiers. as days whent by there was meetings with ICG  gear gang  gost town front street -52 A try hoovers  and south park. A bounty was put on 2pac and night. Mr. Writh Jr. gave info were 2 pac was going to be. There was 6 different baracades that no matter what would have happened no one would of made it out. I was the shooter that was told to take night out. XXXX XXXXX was the one that took 2 pac out. As for gun that was used, will bedropped off at the security booth at fox 11. Please do not have stop or talk to one of droppin off the gun. Obtained by The Sun Advertisement

Tupac and Suge Knight, pictured together in the 1990s, were friends before Tupac was gunned down in 1996

The letter, written in chilling detail, details the assassination, and says that 'no one would have made it out,' going on about the background of a stolen rap song, a gang beating and the revenge murder.

The letter, written in chilling detail, details the assassination, and says that 'no one would have made it out,' going on about the background of a stolen rap song, a gang beating and the revenge murder

It seems to point a finger at Death Row Records security chief Reggie Wright Jnr, and another up-and-coming rapper who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The letter says that Wright told the shooters where Tupac would be on the night of his assassination, and that the rapper opened fire.

Bond says: 'The story behind the confession letter is very simple. It was given to a Fox reporter who was very keen on the story.

'A big TV interview was set up by he was a no show and the letter was then given to Russel Poole (a former LAPD cop) and was put in a file and not looked at for a long time.

'When I saw it, the name of Reginald Wright Jrn just leaps out of the page. It reads he gave Tupac's location. My jaw just hit the floor when I read that'.

Bond is currently working on this third documentary covering the murder mystery.

He told the Sun: 'This letter is a bit like the Rosetta Stone - it makes a lot of other things make sense.

'This new documentary is important for all those involved in the killings, but in particular the victims and witnesses like Yafue Fula, the Outlawz rapper who was shot after the Tupac killing.

'The night of the Tupac shooting he was nearest to the Cadillac and gave a statement to Las Vegas cops of the driver of the shooters' car.

"When we saw a picture of Danny he matched the description of the driver. I mean, what are the chances'.

Wright Jrn has long denied ties to Tupac's death, and in 2015 responded to claims by pointing out that people that have linked him to Tupac's murder have died in the past decade.

Those people include Tupac's ex-bodyguards Michael Moore and Frank Alexander.

CONSPIRACY THEORIES ON TUPAC'S DEATH Perennial rumors surface that the rapper - who was shot in 1996 - is in fact still alive. The emergence of a 'selfie' by a look-a-like last year supposedly showing the rapper was just the latest of many wild stories that the star lives on. Some say that Tupac grew sick of his fame, faked his own death and moved to Cuba. Other rumors swirled that police officer Carroll somehow swapped Tupac's body for a double, helping him on the way to starting a secret new life. And the fires have been stoked by Marion 'Suge' Knight, Tupac's former record label boss, who was next to the star in the vehicle when he was shot. Knight has said he never saw the musician's body and has repeatedly hinted Shakur is out there somewhere. 'You know he's somewhere smoking a Cuban cigar on the islands,' he said in 2014. Advertisement




Maurice Harris, 19, was charged with murder in the likely gang-related killings of four men in Chicago on March 30

A 19-year-old man charged with murder in the likely gang-related killings of four men in Chicago had lost his father in another shooting a day earlier in the same neighborhood.

Maurice Harris was arrested on Tuesday and faces four counts of first-degree murder in the March 30 slayings in the South Shore neighborhood.

Two of his alleged victims were found shot to death inside a restaurant, a third was found outside and a fourth was found a block away. They included two brothers whose mother worked at the restaurant.

The deaths were part of gun violence in South Shore that left seven people dead in a 12-hour period.

Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said last week that the shootings were mostly due to gang conflict.

Commander Brendan Deenihan said Harris is the son of Jerry Jacobs, 37, who was shot on March 29 about a mile away from the restaurant.

Harris is the son of Jerry Jacobs, 37, (above) who was shot on March 29 about a mile away from the Chicago restaurant

'I don't know what Harris was thinking, because Harris didn't tell us what he was thinking,' Deenihan told reporters at a press conference. 'A reasonable belief would be that his father got killed, and then subsequently he shoots and kills these four people.

'I wouldn't suspect he picked four random people on the street. That wouldn't make sense to me.'

Harris' father had 47 arrests on his record and two murder charges, according to authorities.

The Cook County medical examiner's office identified the victims as brothers Raheem and Dillon Jackson, ages 19 and 20 respectively, and 28-year-old Emmanuel Stokes. The fourth was identified as 32-year-old Edwin Davis.

Brothers Dillon (right), 20, and Raheam Jackson (left), 19, were also shot dead after they ran from the restaurant during the shooting and were later gunned down about a block away

Gunned down: Emmanuel C. Stokes (left), 28, and Edwin Davis (right), 32, were fatally shot in Nadia Fish and Chicken restaurant after man approached the victims and opened fire

Police say Stokes and Davis were found dead inside the Nadia Fish and Chicken restaurant, Dillon Jackson was found outside and Raheem Jackson was found slumped against a tree a block away.

The Jacksons' grandmother, Georgia Jackson, has said the two had gone to the restaurant to get food and to see their mother, who had worked there for several years. She said their mother called to tell her about the shooting.

The mother of the two boys wept at the bloody scene. The woman said she watched her sons die from the window of the restaurant.

'I can't go on, my life is over. I'm 'bout to  kill myself,' she told the Chicago Tribune.

Mrs Jackson said this is not the first time her grandsons have experienced gun violence. Dillon had survived a shooting a few years ago, and her 16-year-old grandson was killed in 2011 in a shooting at a fast food restaurant.

Raheam leaves behind two young children.

'I can't keep doing this,' she told the Chicago Sun-Times. 'I'm losing too many kids.'

At the end of March there had been more than 130 homicides in Chicago in 2017.

Georgia Jackson, 72, is overcome with emotion upon learning that her two grandsons, Raheem, 19, and Dillon Jackson, 20, were found fatally shot in the South Shore neighborhood
A woman who accused Bill O'Reilly of sexual harassment slammed President Donald Trump for defending the TV anchor.

Rebecca Gomez Diamond, a former host on the Fox Business Network who settled with O'Reilly in 2011 for an undisclosed sum, tweeted: '@POTUS I'm saddened reading your comments.

'Truly disappointed and vilified all over again. Such comments tell women they won't be believed,' she wrote.

During a White House press conference on the former National Security Adviser Susan Rice earlier on Tuesday, Trump called O'Reilly a 'good person', and said he shouldn't have settled, adding: 'I dont think Bill did anything wrong'.

His comments came after a New York Times report revealed O'Reilly and Fox News paid $13million to settle four cases of sexual harassment and one incident of verbal abuse in the past 15 years.

Despite the president's endorsement, Jaguar, Infiniti, and Geico were among the 50 companies that pulled their ads from The O'Reilly Factor in a list that is expected to continue growing.

And the call for O'Reilly's head on the chopping block intensified as Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) branded Trump and the TV host 'two of a kind', before she added: 'Bill O'Reilly needs to go to jail.'

Rebecca Gomez Diamond, a former host on the Fox Business Network who settled with O'Reilly in 2011 for an undisclosed sum, slammed President Donald Trump for defending the TV anchor

Donald Trump called O'Reilly a 'good person' after a NYTimes report revealed the Fox News host settled four cases of sexual harassment and one incident of verbal abuse for total of $13m

Diamond claimed the president's comments eroded the credibility of women making the sexual harassment allegations

Trump, who faced numerous allegations of sexual assault and harassment after his infamous hot mic recording emerged during the campaign, dubbed April 2017 National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month just five days ago.

On Tuesday, he said: 'I think [O'Reilly] shouldnt have settled; personally I think he shouldnt have settled.'

'Because you should have taken it all the way. I dont think Bill did anything wrong,' he added, according to The New York Times.

Trump (pictured Wednesday) said that O'Reilly did 'nothing wrong' and 'shouldn't have settled' on Wednesday

Diamond, who reportedly revealed her recorded conversations with O'Reilly after the network told her they would not be renewing her contract, responded to the president's comments on Twitter.

She insisted she had merit, and wrote: '@POTUS President Trump, the women were forced to settle, not the other way around, because of employment agreements prohibiting court trials.

'@POTUS Fox has publicly acknowledged it requires employment agreements, which require mediation and prevent going to court. Their choice.'

'@POTUS If you don't believe in settlements, get rid of forced mediation employment agreements and women won't have to settle.'

While O'Reilly gained the president's support, the list of companies that pulled their ads from the show grew to 50 on Wednesday night, according to the anonymous campaigning group Sleeping Giants, who first targeted advertisers on Breitbart.

Tax service company H&R Block wrote: 'We share your concern about recent allegations, and no longer advertise during The O'Reilly Factor as a result.'

'Our ads on The OReilly Factor are being pulled,' said Amica Insurance. 'It may take a few days for this to occur.'

Touch Note also said it had pulled its ads, but that some would still air as they had been pre-booked.

Been Verified, a background check company, told DailyMail.com: 'At this time, we're pulling our advertisements on The OReilly Factor. We continually monitor our advertising to make sure it aligns with our company.'

Southern New Hampshire University also said it was dropping its ads 'In light of recent allegations.'

'As a University, we value diversity, inclusion, and respect for all, and we take every measure to ensure our advertising is consistent with our core values,' it said in a statement.

THE COMPANIES PULLING ADS FROM THE O'REILLY FACTOR Advil Ainsworth Pet Nutrition Allstate Amica Ancestry.com Bausch + Lomb Been Verified BMW Carfax Claritin Coldwell Banker Constant Contact Consumer Cellular Credit Karma Eli Lilly & Company Esurance Geico GlaxoSmithKline GoodRx H&R Block Hyundai Infiniti Invisalign Jaguar Jenny Craig LandRover LegalZoom Lexus Mercedes-Benz MileIQ Mitsubishi ODFL, Inc. Orkin Pacific Life Peloton The Propane Council Real Reddi Whip Sanofi The Society for Human Resources Management Southern New Hampshire University Stanley Steemer Subaru USA T. Rowe Price Touchnote TrueCar Untuckit Vision Works for Life Voya Wayfair Weather Tech The Wonderful Company Advertisement

Tax company H&R Block said on Twitter that it was pulling its advertising from The O'Reilly Factor as the controversy around the allegations continued to rise

Real Estate firm Coldwell Banker said it was 'disappointed' that its ad had run during O'Reilly's show and that it never intended to support his slot

The most lengthy remark came from weight loss company Jenny Craid, which said that it 'condemns all forms of sexual harassment'

Mercedes Benz was one of the first companies to announce the decision on Monday afternoon, and more than four dozen others followed suit by Wednesday.

While the move certainly presents a public relations headache, it remains unclear whether the decision to pull advertising from O'Reilly's show will directly impact Fox News' bottom line.

Paul Rittenberg, the executive vice president of advertising sales at Fox News, issued a statement saying: 'We value our partners and are working with them to address their current concerns about the O'Reilly Factor.

'At this time, the ad buys of those clients have been re-expressed into other FNC programs.'

That may very well change, since the Sleeping Giants have started compiling a running list of advertisers so activists can pressure the companies to reconsider their support.

The anonymous group, familiar with the ins and outs of digital marketing, first launched a campaign against Breitbart - leading 1,759 companies to blacklist the website.

The group wrote: 'Despite the fact that weve been focused on the hate and bigotry of Breitbart News, we felt it necessary to take action against Mr. OReilly because of his clear disregard for women and minorities.

O'Reilly's show may be taking a financial hit after Mitsubishi, Credit Karma, Lexus, Mercedes, Hyundai, Bayer, and Wayfair, all announced they were pulling their ads

While Hyundai does not currently run ads on The O'Reilly Factor, it pulled spots on future episodes. BMW said it suspended advertising on the show due to the recent allegations

Credit Karma, Lexus, Mercedes, Hyundai, Bayer, and Wayfair all announced they were joining the growing list of companies pulling their ads. GlaxoSmithKline also dropped the show

President Terry O'Neil of the National Organization for Women called for an independent investigation into Fox's workplace culture on Tuesday and said: 'The reported use of [O'Reilly's] powerful position to repeatedly manipulate women reveals a cruel misogyny that runs to the core of his character.

'For too long women have endured dangerous sexism at the hands of powerful men and powerful institutions.

'Fox News is too big and too influential to simply let this go. Women have the right to go to work without facing harassment. Fox News apparently doesnt get that basic concept,' she added.

The rally against O'Reilly intensified on Wednesday, with Rep. Maxine Waters he should go to jail in an interview with MSNBC.

When anchor Chris Hayes asked Waters to respond to Trump's comments, she said: 'Well, it's coming out of the mouth of a man who had [said] some horrible things about women. Don't forget he talked about grabbing women in their private parts...So they are two of a kind.

'I'm not surprised that he stood up and tried to defend Bill O'Reilly. But it's all catching up with Bill O'Reilly, and that sexual harassment enterprise that they created over there at Fox....

'It shouldn't be in America that you can sexually harass women and then buy your way out of it because you're rich. If they continue to do this in the way that they have done, they need to go to jail....Bill O'Reilly needs to go to jail.

'So I just want you to know that the president didn't do himself any good standing up for Bill O'Reilly, and where was Ivanka? She's supposed to be his adviser. She's supposed to be the one that's standing up for women.'

It remains unclear whether the controversy will jeopardize O'Reilly's position, given that the TV host is Fox News' top revenue producer.

O'Reilly brought in more than $178 million in ad dollars in 2015 and $118.6 million in the first nine months of 2016, according to research firm Kantar Media.

O'Reilly and Fox reportedly paid five women a total of $13million in exchange for confidentiality and an agreement that they would not pursue litigation, according to the Times.

The first settlement was reached in 2002 after O'Reilly screamed at producer Rachel Bernstein, according to witnesses and other employees.

Bernstein soon left the company with an undisclosed sum, although those familiar with the deal said it was significantly smaller than the four settlements that followed over the course of the next 15 years.

Andrea Mackris, who worked as a producer on his show, said O'Reilly called her while he was masturbating, told her to buy a vibrator, and described his sexual fantasies with her, according to a 2004 lawsuit.

She settled with O'Reilly to the tune of $9million and a public statement that asserted there was 'no wrongdoing whatsoever', the Times reported.

In 2004, producer Mackris (left) claimed she was sexually harassed at the hands of her direct supervisor O'Reilly. She received a $9million payout, according to the Times

Rebecca Diamond (right) a host on the Fox Business Network, revealed her recorded conversations with O'Reilly. She settled with O'Reilly for an undisclosed sum

When 21st Century Fox was investigating sexual harassment allegations surrounding former CEO and Chairman Roger Ailes in 2016 they learned of another settlement O'Reilly made in 2011.

Diamond revealed her recorded conversations with O'Reilly after the network told her they would not be renewing her contract, those familiar with the case told the Times. She settled with O'Reilly for an undisclosed sum.

The network also struck deals with Laurie Dhue and Juliet Huddy in 2016 for more than $1million each.

While the five women are now bound to confidentiality, another two who did not settle have made claims against O'Reilly's inappropriate behavior.

Tantaros turned down a settlement of nearly $1million, and launched a lawsuit against both Fox and Ailes, who was ousted in July with a reported $60million golden parachute.

While O'Reilly is not a defendant in the case, Tantaros said he invited her to a 'very private' stay with him on Long Island, and made comments about seeing her as 'a wild girl', according to the lawsuit.

Her psychologist also testified saying Tantaros complained about O'Reilly's unwanted advances, but Fox investigated and called her an 'opportunist'.

Walsh, who was a frequent guest on O'Reilly's show, said he promised to make her a network contributor when the two went out to dinner.

But Walsh turned down an invitation to visit O'Reilly's hotel suite after dinner and her rejection apparently angered him, according to Walsh.

She was never made a contributor, and a producer said she wasn't invited back on the show after four months due to declining ratings.

Walsh never filed a complaint for fear of harming her career.

The network also struck deals with Laurie Dhue (left) and Juliet Huddy (right) in 2016 for more than $1million each

O'Reilly issued a statement in response to the allegations, saying: 'Just like other prominent and controversial people, I'm vulnerable to lawsuits from individuals who want me to pay them to avoid negative publicity.'

21st Century Fox also backed him in their own statement, which said: 'Notwithstanding the fact that no current or former Fox News employee ever took advantage of the 21st Century Fox hotline to raise a concern about Bill O'Reilly, even anonymously, we have looked into these matters over the last few months and discussed them with Mr. O'Reilly.

'While he denies the merits of these claims, Mr. O'Reilly has resolved those he regarded as his personal responsibility.

'Mr. O'Reilly is fully committed to supporting our efforts to improve the environment for all our employees at Fox News.'

Wendy Walsh (right with attorney Lisa Bloom), a regular on his show, along with Andrea Tantaros, a former Fox News host, also accused the 67-year-old of inappropriate behavior

After the bombshell report was published this weekend, Walsh's attorney Lisa Bloom said: 'The network has become the Bill Cosby of corporate America.

'How many women must come forward before Fox News complies with the law and respects women?'

In addition to the allegations lodged against O'Reilly, parent company 21st Century Fox is still dealing with the legal fallout from sexual harassment charges against former Ailes.

On Monday, Fox News contributor Julie Roginsky filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ailes, saying she was denied opportunities after she rebuffed Ailes' advances and that current management sought to keep her complaints quiet.
Ken Livingstone was snapped sporting a t-shirt displaying Jeremy Corbyn as Che Guevara just hours after he was suspended from the Labour Party.

The former mayor looked forlorn as he took his dog for a walk near his London home today.

Mr Livingstone has repeatedly refused to apologise for his Hitler rants despite Mr Corbyn ordering a new inquiry into his behaviour.

Ken Livingstone was seen out walking his dog wearing a T-shirt displaying Jeremy Corbyn as Che Guevara. The former London mayor was suspended from the Labour Party last night

Mr Livingstone has repeatedly refused to apologise for his Hitler rants despite Mr Corbyn ordering a new inquiry into his behaviour

However, the ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) dramatically stopped short of kicking Mr Livingstone out of the party altogether last night.

Mr Livingstone, known as 'Red Ken', has insisted he does not 'see what all the fuss is about' after 100 MPs and peers protested about him not being banned from the party.

The storm began in April last year when Mr Livingston was interviewed on the BBC and defended Labour MP Naz Shah, who was suspended from the party for making anti-Semitic social media posts.

The former mayor looked forlorn as he took his golden labrador for a walk near his London home today

Mr Livingstone, known as 'Red Ken', has insisted he does not 'see what all the fuss is about' after 100 MPs and peers protested about him not being banned from the party

He said: 'Let's remember, when Hitler won his election in 1932 his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel.

'He was supporting Zionism. [He then] went mad and ending up killing 6 million Jews.'

The Labour leader has described Mr Livingstone's comments as 'grossly insensitive' and said it was 'deeply disappointing' when he failed to apologise.

However, he then expressed his hoped that his party ally would now stay quiet and even suggested he could campaign in forthcoming elections.

Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson has said he was 'ashamed' of the outcome last night.
Ivanka Trump is getting to work teaching youngest son Theodore another language just one week after her baby boy celebrated his first birthday.

The 35-year-old mother of three posted a picture on Tuesday of herself and Theodore playing in the living room of her $5.5million Kalorama home in Washington DC, writing: 'The best moment of the day!'

And sitting right in front of baby Theodore was a set of building blocks covered in colorful Chinese symbols.

Scroll down for video

Play time: Ivanka Trump posted a photo of herself and baby Theodore playing with a set of Chinese building blocks on Tuesday

Fluent friends: All three of Ivanka's children have begun to learn Mandarin (Ivanka and Arabella above in February)

Theodore was playing with the Uncle Goose Chinese Character Blocks, which aims to teach children the symbols and pronunciation of animals names in Mandarin.

The $43 set featured 32 wooden blocks with the symbols and words on one side and the animal it represents on the other.

It appears to be a pretty effective teaching tool as well given the proficiency with which Ivanka's 5-year-old daughter Arabella speaks the language.

Ivanka has also immersed her children in the Chinese culture, and posted a video or photo of Arabella over the past four years to mark the Chinese New Year.

Arabella is quite the star in China as a result and has appeared in two videos that went viral on the country's social media platforms after being posted by her mother. including one

One of those videos, which shows Arabella reciting Tang Dynasty poems in Mandarin while dressed in a traditional Chinese blouse, has close to 100million views.

Star: Arabella Kushner, 5, has had two videos go viral on Chinese social media (left in 2017, right in 2016 celebrating the Chinese New Year)

Celebrity: She recites Tang Dynasty poems in Mandarin while dressed in a traditional Chinese blouse in one video, which has close to 100million views (Ivanka and Arabella above in February)

Nihao: Chinese millionaire Wendi Deng is one of Ivanka's best friends (Arabella left in 2015, right in 2014 celebrating Chinese New Year)

This year, mother and daughter made their way to the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC to attend a party celebrating the lunar new year that was hosted by Ambassador Cui Tiankai.

The Uncle Goose building block set

Arabella was dressed in head-to-toe red as she is every year to celebrate the new year.

Ivanka and her daughter walked through the crowd with with Ambassador Tankai and spoke about their love of China, a country that is home to one of the family's closest friends, Wendi Deng.

Mother and daughter then had the honor of enjoying a musical performance at the event, which showcased some dancing and opera as well as acrobatics.

The pair later posed for some photos with the performers, who were dressed in traditional Chinese attire, while Arabella could be seen enjoying some of the Chinese food that was put out or guests.
Quintuplets are already uncommon but the Wade brothers - Aaron, Nick, Nigel and Zachary - are in a league of their own.

That's what the 18-year-olds discovered Thursday when they opened their acceptance letters to discover that they had all been accepted into a succession of Ivy League colleges.

'We're still in shock, honestly,' Aaron told The Washington Post. 'I don't think it has sunk in yet.'

Scroll down for video

Yale and hearty: The Wade brothers, (l-r) Zachary, Aaron, Nigel and Nick, have all been accepted into both Yale and Harvard colleges - as well as other top-flight schools

The brothers, who are from Liberty Township, Ohio, have all been accepted into both Harvard and Yale.

Just one of them getting in would be impressive: More than 32,000 people applied for Yale this year, of which 2,272 were accepted, while Harvard had 39,000 applicants this year and admitted just 2,056.

But for all four to get in to the colleges has left the brothers reeling.

'The outcome has shocked us,' Aaron said.

'We didn't go into this thinking, "Oh, we're going to apply to all these schools and get into all of them."

'It wasn't so much about the prestige or so much about the name as it was - it was important that we each find a school where we think that we'll thrive, and where we think that we'll contribute.'

They're not short for options: each of the brothers has been accepted into a slew of other top-flight schools.

Aaron got into Stanford, where he might attend with Nick - unless Nick decides to choose Duke or Georgetown.

Nigel, on the other hand, got into Johns Hopkins and Vanderbilt, while Zach has been accepted into Cornell.

Going for gold: The brothers - who are also track and field stars at their high school - say the support of their parents and community was vital to their focused, positive attitude

And while they share a friendly and accepting demeanor - and a gift for track and field - they have distinct interests, they parents say.

Aaron has 'first child syndrome,' their father Darren said, while Nick is more 'socially conscious.' Nigel likes to read up on how to do something before getting started and Zach is a natural engineer.

They are identical, however, in the pride they have inspired in their community.

'I have watched these boys grow up into young men,' Lakota East High School principal Suzanna Davis told the Journal-News.

'And as students they epitomize what we would want from high school students.'

Of course, the happy news for the brothers means financial headaches for their parents, Kim - who is principal at Lakota Plains Junior School - and Darren.

Yale is charging more than $64,000 for the next year's schooling, while Harvard is charging $63,000.

But it's something Darren, 51, an employee of General Electric, has had a long time to consider.

Playing it smart: The brothers have yet to decide where they will go, but say they want to find a place where they will 'thrive' and to which they can 'contribute'

The couple had been told they were to expect twins, but that turned out to be a drastic miscount, as they discovered after a pre-natal examination.

'I remember they were doing an ultrasound and they said, "Mr Wade, you better sit down,"' Darren recalled.

'I said, "What's going on?" They said, "Theres not two. There's four,"

'It was really at that point in time that I tried to figure out how were going to pay for school.'

The family have set aside money for college, and both Harvard and Yale say they will meet the full financial need of all the students they accept, provided it is suitably demonstrated.

Whichever school the boys turn to, they know they'll have their parents' full backing - as they always have.

'It's really our parents our friends and our community who have come together and taught us how to be disciplined,' Nigel told the Journal-News. 'We feel like getting into these schools show who the people around us are.'

Zachary agreed: 'They said "I know you guys can do it. You guys are hard workers and the sky's the limit."

'We were never told that we couldn't get somewhere.'
The surprising moment authorities in Florida found one of three hit-and-run suspects hiding in a swamp was captured on video.

Darius Henry, Willie Cuyler, and Cecil Ruffin are all facing several charges, including auto burglary, resisting an officer, and marijuana possession.

The trio of suspects are accused of being auto burglars from Fort Lauderdale who allegedly ransacked a Toyota Avalon before crashing it into a bus in Land O'Lakes on Collier Parkway on April 3 around 9am.

Authorities say the Avalon was being driven by 24-year-old Henry who rear-ended the bus that was transporting nine students between the ages of 20 to 57, as part of the Learning Your Functions Schools, according to the Florida Highway Patrol Office.

Scroll down for video

Caught: The surprising moment authorities in Florida found, Darius Henry (above), one of three hit-and-run suspects hiding in a swamp was captured on a police body camera

The suspects are accused of crashing a car into a bus in Land O'Lakes on Collier Parkway on April 3 around 9am before fleeing the vehicle. It took authorities longer to find Henry (above), as he was hiding in a swampy pond nearby

No one on the bus suffered any injuries.

All three men bailed out of the vehicle after the crash and fled the scene on foot as they grabbed a purse they had allegedly stolen earlier from a Pasco County daycare center.

Deputies with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office were called in to assist Florida Highway Patrol officers with the search in finding the men.

Authorities were able to quickly find Ruffin and Cuyler, however, Henry remained at large.

Deputy Baltzer and K9 Eragon searched the swampy waters nearby and found the man hiding in the water.

Deputy Baltzer and K9 Eragon searched the swampy waters nearby and found Henry hiding in the water (above)

Body camera footage shows the moment Deputy Baltzer and K9 Eragon found Henry hiding the water.

Henry can be heard on camera telling officers while he's being dragged out of the water, 'I didn't do anything.'

An officer can be heard replying,' Then why are hiding in the pond?'

The footage then shows officers placing handcuffs on Henry before walking him to a patrol car.

Of the hit-and-run, Pasco Sheriff's Office captain William Davis said: 'It's despicable that you just crash this car and you don't help the people and you don't render aid.

'You'd rather run into a pond because you are a coward, over a purse.'

Authorities say all three men have a history of burglary.

Henry (above) can be heard on camera telling officers while he's being dragged out of the water, 'I didn't do anything.' An officer can be heard replying,' Then why are hiding in the pond?'
The man accused of killing an EMT by running her over with her own ambulance last month smirked during a court appearance while being indicted on first-degree murder.

Scores of first responders packed the Bronx Supreme Court on Wednesday as 25-year-old Jose Gonzalez pleaded not guilty in the March 16 death of Yadira Arroyo.

Despite the plea, he was indicted on a host of charges.

During his appearance in court, the 25-year-old was seen smiling as he wore an orange prison jumpsuit.

Jose Gonzalez, the man accused of killing an EMT by running her over with her own ambulance last month, has been seen smirking during a court appearance on Wednesday

New documents obtained by the New York Post also offered an insight into the mind of the accused killer.

Gonzalez told police officers who arrived on the scene of the fatal crash that he 'sensed a bomb threat', according to the newspaper.

He also said, according to the documents: 'I hopped on the ambulance to save the kids from the fire.

'I was riding on the back of the ambulance, it stopped, I got off, and got into the cab, I tried to speak to the passenger, she was yelling, I tried to drive away, the the police crashed into the ambulance.

Scores of first responders packed a Bronx courtroom Wednesday as 25-year-old Jose Gonzalez (pictured) pleaded not guilty in the March 16 death of Yadira Arroyo

'I'm not a murderer, I'm a nice guy.'

He also admitted to having smoked two blunts containing PCP and marijuana, after having earlier taken Seroquel - a psychotic drug, the Post claims.

Yadira Arroyo (pictured), a 44-year-old mother-of-five, was killed in the crash on March 16

His ranting after the accident reportedly continued on to include another series of bizarre claims.

'I didn't do anything. I'm going to get a lawsuit. I'm going to get a Bentley,' Gonzalez said while being held at a police precinct about two hours after the crash, according to court reports.

'I'm going home in my Maserati. You cops are cool. I will give you a Maserati and a million dollars.'

Gonzalez's lawyer requested cameras be barred from the court room, citing alleged death threats both she and her client had received.

'I understand that this is a very emotional case and it won't add anything to allow the media to be here,' defense attorney Alice Fontier asked the judge, the New York Daily News reports.

The request was denied.

A large crowd of paramedics (pictured) were at the Bronx Supreme Court on Wednesday as Gonzalez appeared

Gonzalez is pictured on March 16 after he allegedly ran over the New York paramedic in the Bronx, killing her

A still image taken after the shocking crash on March 16 is seen in the above picture

EMT Louis Montalvo said as he was leaving the court he 'disgusted.'

He called Arroyo 'our sister' and said her supporters 'want justice.'

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said Arroyo 'died a hero' and praised her bravery and compassion.

The 14-year veteran of the Fire Department of New York was the mother of five sons. Thousands of mourners packed her Bronx funeral, spilling into the streets outside the church.

His lawyer has said Gonzalez is mentally ill.

EMT workers embrace at the Bronx courthouse last month during an earlier hearing for Gonzalez
A gang of robbers who toured the UK blowing cash machines were caught when they stopped at a McDonald's for breakfast.

The gang of five men hid getaway vehicles in the back of an articulated lorry in a similar style to the crooks in popular film The Italian Job.

The thieves even slept in hammocks suspended in the back of the lorry where they also kept gas cylinders and high-powered cutting gear.

But they were caught out when they stopped in Arbroath for a McDonald's breakfast and found themselves surrounded by armed police who had managed to catch up with the gang, reports the Daily Record.

The men were spotted by an officer who stopped for a meal after her night shift, and phoned in the getaway car, with the men caught while they tucked into McMuffins.

They were caught when they stopped at a McDonald's in Arbroath for a breakfast, and were spotted by an officer who was finishing her night shift

A gang of robbers have been jailed after blowing up cash machines across the UK after being caught in the act on CCTV, pictured

The explosions, pictured, were caused by the gang pumping gas into the ATMs via rubber tubes and then igniting it, often using sparks from car batteries

In the aftermath of the explosions, pictured, the gang used motorhomes or an articulated lorry to drag the cash machines away

The Liverpool-based gang also used motorhomes and lorries to drag the ATMs away, after sawing through doors and shutters.

CCTV captured them in the act of setting off the gas explosions, while dashcam footage showed police chased the crooks at speeds of up to 150mph.

Five men were today found guilty of blowing up cash machines across the UK and stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds.

They included wanted fugitive Andrew White, 28, of St Helens, who had previously fled to Spain, where he was suspected of blowing up 14 more cash machines.

The gang targeted 13 cashpoints in Merseyside, Cheshire, Gloucestershire, Thames Valley and Scotland between February 2015 and February 2017.

Ringleader Andrew White, 28, pictured, coordinated some of the raids from within prison, where he was being held on remand

Prosecutors said they pumped oxyacetylene gas directly into ATMs via rubber tubing and ignited it - often using a spark from a car battery - to cause the blasts.

Alternatively, they forced their way into buildings, wrapped high strength straps connected to heavy vehicles around the ATMs, then dragged them away.

The men were charged with conspiracy to cause an explosion and conspiracy to burgle commercial premises during a 12-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

Andrew White was found guilty of the first count and admitted the second.

He had been previously cleared of 31 gas bomb attacks on ATMs, in which a Liverpool-based gang stole nearly 800,000, following a trial in December 2015.

The jury heard how he was the ringleader and coordinated some of the gang's activities on a hidden mobile phone from his prison cell while on remand in custody.

His brother Anthony White, 26, of Huyton, was found guilty of both counts, along with Michael Galea, 41, of Prescot; and Gary Carey, 40, of Tuebrook, all Merseyside,

Nanu Miah, 28, of Sparbrook, Birmingham, was found guilty of the first count and admitted the second.

The men hid their getaway cars in the back of the articulated lorries, along with the hammocks they slept in

The gang used motorhomes to carry out their offences, some of which were co-ordinated with a ringleader who was in prison

The gang slept in the back of the articulated lorries next to gas cylinders and cutting gear to carry out their jobs

Two other men, Carl Cavanagh, 33, of Huyton, and Anthony Conroy, 29, of Wavertree, admitted both conspiracies.

Scott Pearson, 35, of Huyton, was found not guilty of conspiracy to burgle commercial premises.

Jurors were unable to reach a verdict on the first conspiracy against him and prosecutors must now decide whether to pursue a retrial.

Ian Unsworth, QC, prosecuting, said the gang used 'dedicated, ruthless and sophisticated methods to steal vast quantities of money'.

He said they drove stolen vehicles in a 'terrifying way' and relied on a huge number of mobile phones to avoid being caught.

The incidents included a failed effort by the gang to drag away an ATM containing more than 50,000 at a BT phone kiosk in Hillside Road, Huyton.

Police found a metal hook embedded in the front of the machine, attached to a heavy duty strap tied to a car towbar, at around 3am on October 4, 2015.

At the raids, the men would come away with anything from 50,000 to 81,000 in cash point robberies

The crooks were involved in high speed chases with the police and used high powered cars including this Audi, pictured, to evade officers at speeds of 150mph

In a similar style to the fictional thieves in The Italian Job, the Merseyside-based gang would hide their getaway vehicles in an articulated lorry

Cavanagh, who was in frequent contact with Andrew White, was responsible for a gas attack on an ATM at a Barclays Bank in Hucclecote, Gloucester on May 2, 2015.

Officers later chased an Audi, which initially had its lights turned off, along the M5. They saw the vehicle disappear as their own vehicle reached 148mph.

Mr Unsworth said the gang netted 81,000 after blowing up ATMs at a Barclays Bank in Swindon, Wiltshire, in the early hours of May 23, 2015.

Police discovered broken metal, shattered glass and a fire at the bank - the results of an explosion that would have threatened the lives of anyone nearby.

He said officers tracked a stolen Audi heading north up to Staffordshire at 9.10am, leading to a 'quite remarkable and utterly dangerous' escape.

Mr Unsworth told the jury: 'What you are about to see is a graphic illustration of the determined and ruthless behaviour of those involved in these attacks.'

They also slept in hammocks, pictured, kept in the back of the lorry alongside their equipment

They took part in raids across the country including Merseyside, Cheshire, Gloucestershire, Thames Valley (pictured) and Scotland over a two year period

Dashcam footage from an unmarked police vehicle showed the silver estate cross straight from lane three of the M6 to the hard shoulder.

Mr Unsworth said: 'The Audi travelled along the hard shoulder continuously, at speeds in excess of 130mph, passing through the Doxey works unit towards junction 14.

'Due to its high performance and dangerous manner of its driving, the officers were struggling to keep it in view. It exited the M6 at junction 14.

'Due to the time of day, there were numerous other members of the public travelling in both directions. The Audi again accelerated, to speeds in excess of 140mph.

'It passed through the village of Eccleshaw and then out into the winding countryside road. This was the last time they sighted the Audi.'

Titan officers arrested the men in dawn raids last June, following a seven-month investigation by the North West regional organised crime unit and Police Scotland.

Judge Alan Conrad, QC, said the gang will be sentenced on April 19.
Why hello bear!

A mama bear and her two cubs were caught in California in front of a home.

A video shows one of the bears crossing the street in South Lake Tahoe.

'It's in the car! It's in the f****** car!' a voice says in the footage, which was taken in a vehicle. 'Are you kidding me? How did he get in there?'

Why hello bear! A furry bear is pictured crossing the road in South Lake Tahoe, California

Beary sneaky! A bear's head is seen peeking out from behind the Honda van

Snack time! The bears are seen with a bag and apparently eating its contents

Three bears are eventually seen hanging around an open minivan in the home's driveway.

At least two of the furry critters appear to snack on the bag's contents.

'Wow, they're brazen, dude,' another voice says. 'They just like broke into that car.'

The video from Vladichenko Pelemenko was posted on YouTube on Tuesday.

Its description said: 'Randomly came across a mama bear and her two cubs, who managed to open a Honda Van to get to what looks like a bag of chips or Dog Food.

'Video shot by me in South lake Tahoe a mile away from Heavenly Ski resort parking lot.'

What is it? Two of the bears are seen with their heads down near the bag on the ground
A Nebraska Republican congressman who made a point of not campaigning with Donald Trump last year claimed in an interview this week that former Vice President Joe Biden could have beaten the president easily in a head-to-head election.

Ben Sasse, a tea party darling, told The New York Times the only reason Trump prevailed in November was the weakness of his main adversary, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Republican ben Sasse of Nebraska (right) said in a New York Times Q&A that President Donald Trump (left) could never have beaten former VP Joe Biden in a head-to-head election

Biden (center) announced in October 2015 that he was too grief-stricken over the loss of his son to brain cancer, and wouldn't be seeking the presidency  although now he believes he was the Democratic Party's best option

The Times asked Sasse to evaluate partisan sniping and the resulting divisions in Congress.

Are voters throwing up their hands and declaring a pox on everyone's houses? Are all politicians seen as equally dishonest and craven?

Trump 'seemed immoral,' the Times interviewer opined, but Americans may have 'thought of him as no worse than every other politician.'

Sasse pushed back.

'I would argue pretty vociferously that its also because of who his opponent was,' he said, referring to Clinton  who was herself seen in some ways as a morally lapsed career politician.

'If Joe Biden would have run against Donald Trump, Biden would have won in a landslide,' Sasse said.

Hillary Clinton (right, at an October 2016 debate) was just as morally compromised as Trump, Sasse hinted, merely canceling out Trump's weaknesses instead of capitalizing on them

He conceded that he was no Trump fan, recalling how he and the president were never seen together on the campaign stump.

'I campaigned with pretty much anybody not named Trump or Huckabee,' Sasse said.

Biden might have become a competitive Democratic primary candidate, but for the death of his son Beau from brain cancer.

The former vice president said last month during a speech at Colgate University that he 'had planned on running for president and although it would have been a very difficult primary, I think I could have won.'

'I had a lot of data and I was fairly confident that if I were the Democratic Partys nominee, I had a better chance than ever of being president. But do I regret not being president? Yes. I was the best qualified.'
Tony Blair has confessed he would have stood no chance of being Prime Minister if social media had been around when he was younger.

The former Labour leader said 'bad stuff' from his days in student band Ugly Rumours would almost certainly have derailed his political career.

Mr Blair, speaking on show Unspun on the television channel Dave, described a picture from his youth appearing to show him making a rude gesture as 'highly embarrassing'.

Tony Blair said 'bad stuff' from his days in student band Ugly Rumours would have killed his political career if it had been posted on social media (pictured, Blair makes a rude hand gesture as a 21-year-old)

He told host Matt Forde: 'Let this be a warning to any young person who wants a political career.

'That is one of the very few pictures of me that is obviously highly embarrassing. Today with social media, just be careful.

'When I was in the band, if we had had social media at that time, I would certainly not have been prime minister.'

Asked what people would have seen he laughed and said: 'Bad stuff.'

Mr Blair also spoke about his views on Britain's relationship with the United States now Donald Trump is president.

Blair said young people wanting a career in politics these days need to 'be careful' about what gets posted online to avoid future embarrassment

He said if he was in Number 10 now he would feel it is important to 'establish a working relationship' with Mr Trump.

He said: 'People always want me to criticise Theresa May over this but I think the British prime minister should always get on well with the president of the United States, if it's possible.

'It has got its challenges obviously. But it is important because in the end there are many things we are going be working on together in different parts of the world.'
Splenda, the maker of a sugar substitute, is suing two popular restaurant chains for deceiving their customers into thinking they are using its brand name product while in reality offering a cheap, Chinese-made knockoff.

The Indiana-based company which owns Splenda filed suit Monday in US District Court against the parent company that owns International House of Pancakes and Applebees, accusing the chains of trademark infringement, according to The Indianapolis Star.

Employees of IHOP and Applebeess restaurants have misrepresented to consumers that the product being provided to the consumer is SPLENDA, the company that owns Splenda, Heartland Consumer Products, says in its 23-page suit.

IHOP and Applebees are owned and operated by DineEquity, which is based in Glendale, California.

Splenda, the maker of a sugar substitute, is suing two popular restaurant chains for deceiving their customers into thinking they are using its brand name product while in reality offering a cheap, Chinese-made knockoff

This is the second time in recent months that Heartland has dragged a big-name fast food franchise into court over its artificial sweetener.

In November, Heartland filed suit against Dunkin Donuts, accusing it of selling a Chinese-made knockoff while using yellow packages that make customers believe they are consuming Splenda.

The two sides came to a settlement in February, the terms of which were not disclosed.

The lawsuit against DineEquity is nearly identical.

The Indiana-based company which owns Splenda filed suit Monday in US District Court against the parent company that owns International House of Pancakes (whose sign is seen above at a location in Del Mar, California) and Applebees, accusing the chains of trademark infringement

Heartland Consumer Products, which owns Splenda, sent employees into dozens of Applebees and IHOP locations. The company says that wait staff at these restaurants led their customers to believe that they were using Splenda products

DineEquity stopped buying Splenda sometime before 2013. Instead, its restaurants use a sweetener that is packaged in similar yellow wrapping.

Heartland says it conducted its own investigation and sent employees into dozens of Applebees and IHOP locations.

The company says that employees at these restaurants led their customers to believe that they were using Splenda products.

Heartland has owned the Splenda brand since September 2015, when it bought it from McNeil Nutritionals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

Johnson & Johnson introduced Splenda in 1999, whose slogan Made from sugar so it tastes like sugar, helped it to grow into a brand with eventual annual sales of about $300 million and overtake sweeteners containing saccharin and aspartame.

Splenda's sweetening agent, called sucralose, is made from sugar that has been chemically altered to make it calorie free.

Splenda has faced fierce competition from cheaper generic Chinese rivals.
Seven major technology companies including Google, Apple and Microsoft have reportedly been slammed with an almost $3 billion tax bill.

The Australian Taxation Office has sent each multinational a bill between $250 million and $800 million after an investigation into offshore 'debt dumping', The Daily Telegraph reported.

Financial Services Minister Kelly O'Dwyer said the government would fight the companies in Federal Court after some reportedly said they would not pay up.

ATO boss Mark Konza did not confirm the companies involved in the reported 'debt dumping'.

Seven major technology companies including Google, Apple and Microsoft have been slammed with a $3 billion tax bill

Financial Services Minister Kelly O'Dwyer (pictured) said the government would fight the companies in Federal Court after some reportedly said they would not pay up

An insider told the Daily Telegraph the companies sent the tax bills include Google, Microsoft, Apple, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto.

Mr Konza said more than 1,000 investigators looked into 71 multinationals that are coming into Australia and said he was determined to fight the tax avoidance.

He said one multinational has already flown representatives to Australia to discuss the tax bill.

'Mums and dads pay tax, they can't avoid it and do it because they know their tax goes towards paying for hospitals, school, roads, defence,' Ms O'Dwyer said.

'The Australian government will make sure that everyone pays the tax they owe, whether they're big multinationals or other individuals'.

On Wednesday, Rio Tinto confirmed it had been ordered to pay $447 million in tax after the Australian Commissioner of Taxation issued amended assessments from 2010 to 2013.

'This payment would be in addition to the $25.5 billion of taxes and royalties Rio Tinto paid in Australia during the same four-year period,' a statement from the miner read.

The companies believed to be dodging tax in Australia are Google, Microsoft, Apple, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto

Both Apple and Microsoft said they comply with the tax law in Australia

But the multinational said it would fight the ATO's assessment.

'The issue in dispute is the pricing of certain transactions between Rio Tinto entities based in Australia and the Groups commercial centre in Singapore,' the statement said.

'Rio Tinto considers that its pricing is in accordance with the internationally recognised OECD guidelines and Australian domestic law.

'Rio Tinto will challenge the amended tax assessments, but will pay 50 per cent of the total amount to the ATO this month.'

BHP Billiton said it was still in discussions with the ATO but will 'defend its position in court if necessary' and Google did not comment, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Both Apple and Microsoft said they comply with the tax law in Australia.
Stinky cooking has been made a criminal offence in Italy after a long-running legal battle between neighbours over 'smelly fritti misti'.

A married couple in the Adriatic Coast town of Monfalcone, near the Slovenian border, were stinking their whole apartment block up by cooking the mixed fried seafood dish and rich pasta sauces.

Residents in the block complained and a court in Gorizia found the couple guilty of anti-social behaviour.

After appealing to a higher court in Trieste, the sentence was upheld, before the couple took their case to the Court of Cassation in Rome.

Stinky cooking has been made a criminal offence in Italy after a long-running legal battle between neighbours over 'smelly fritti misti'

Italy's highest court sided with the rulings of its local judiciaries and branded the offence 'olfactory molestation', according to The Telegraph.

The court ordered the couple to pay a fine of 2,000 euros (1,708).

Lawyer Matteo Santini, who specialises in neighbour disputes, told La Repubblica: 'The courts have to strike the right balance (between people creating the smells and those complaining about them).

'There was a man who wanted to prosecute his neighbour because she cooked chicken soup at eight in the morning.'

A similar attempt in the civil courts is to be heard in the UK, by Joanna Louise Cridlin, from Wandsworth.

She claims the 'strong overwhelming vapour of hot chillis' from the flat above her home is too much to handle.

A married couple in the Adriatic Coast town of Monfalcone, near the Slovenian border, were stinking their whole apartment block up by cooking the mixed fried seafood dish and rich pasta sauces

She insists the fumes 'constricts her airways and burns her windpipe' and 'permeates her home' for up to eight hours.

She is suing at London's High Court, hoping to force her neighbours' landlords to take action and to net damages.
A Texas woman has been charged with two counts of endangering a child, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed by Austin police on Wednesday.

Raquel Perez, 26, allegedly left her two children locked in a hot car for over an hour on May 5, 206 while she was inside a south Austin Walmart.

Perez was seen getting her nails done, and later allegedly shoplifting, when her 3-year-old and 1-year-old were found crying inside a car that reached 100 degrees, according to the affidavit obtained by the Austin American-Statesman.

Raquel Perez, 26, has been charged with two counts of endangering a child for allegedly leaving her children in a hot car in Austin, Texas in May 2016, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed by police on Wednesday

Witnesses found the children in the backseat of the car in the parking lot of the superstore just before 2.00pm Central, as reported by ABC's KVUE.

'Both children were very hot, sweaty and dirty,' the affidavit read.

'The doors of the vehicle were locked. The windows of the vehicle were rolled down approximately an inch and the witnesses could not reach into the car to unlock the door.'



One witness was able to direct the 3-year-old to unlock the door and then took the children inside the store.

Emergency responders arrived to the scene at about 1.55pm Central, and took the temperature inside the vehicle after its door had already been open for several minutes.

Temperatures reached 89 degrees in Austin that day, according to the National Weather Service.

Emergency responders arrived to the scene at about 1.55pm Central, and measured the temperature inside the vehicle to be 100 degrees after its door had already been open for several minutes; Perez is seen here in a photo posted to her Facebook account

According to surveillance camera footage, Perez parked the car the children were found in at around 12.45pm Central. She entered the store, came back out about 10 minutes later, and reentered the store at about 1.00pm Central, this time going to the nail salon.

The mother was seen leaving the salon at 2.05pm Central, but did not go outside right away. Cameras caught her doing what appeared to be shoplifting before exiting the store at 2.23pm Central as alarms went off.

Perez placed items in the trunk of the car and then reentered the store to ask security about her children.

'Perez told officers that she left her children in the car because they were asleep,' the affidavit said.

The incident occurred at the Walmart located at 710 E Ben White Boulevard near Interstate 35.

As of Wednesday morning, she was not listed as in-custody at the Travis County Jail near Austin in Del Valle, Texas.
Thousands of homes in Rockhampton are under threat from floods today as the Fitzroy River reaches its peak of nine metres.

More than 200 properties are expected to have water over their floorboards, but thousands more will have water washing against their doors, authorities warned.

Roads are set to be cut off and power lines will likely be affected, potentially marooning lower-lying areas of the Queensland city.

The roads are so inundated with water that Karl Stefanovic and a Today show crew were able to sail through them on a boat, treating the streets like canals.

The floodwaters were so high that Stefanovic even remarked that a local had told him Rockhampton was 'like Venice... only different'.

Scroll down for video

Rockhampton's roads are so inundated with water that Karl Stefanovic and a Today show crew were able to sail through them on a boat, treating the streets like canals

Thousands of homes in Rockhampton are under threat from floods today as the Fitzroy River reaches its peak of nine metres

More than 200 properties are expected to have water over their floorboards, but thousands more will have water washing against their doors, authorities warned

Roads are set to be cut off and power lines will likely be affected, potentially marooning lower-lying areas of the Queensland city

It has taken the river several days to reach the flood peak, with massive amounts of water being funnelled into the Fitzroy through its large catchment system, dumped there by Cyclone Debbie after it crossed the north Queensland coast last week.

An evacuation centre has been set up at the city's showgrounds, which can house 250 people, however only a few have gone there, with most choosing to stay in their homes.

On Wednesday, many low-lying areas had started to see significant water over their roads.

The Fitzroy Hotel in Depot Hill was isolated by water on Wednesday, but many locals were still going there, either by kayak or on foot.

Authorities have closed several local roads due to flood risks, and have enacted the Yeppen traffic management plan.

The plan funnels traffic off a part of the Bruce Highway which regularly floods and through the city towards an overpass which has been built above the flood level.

On Wednesday, many low-lying areas had started to see significant water over their roads

It has taken the river several days to reach the flood peak, with massive amounts of water being funnelled into the Fitzroy through its large catchment system, dumped there by Cyclone Debbie after it crossed the north Queensland coast last week

An evacuation centre has been set up at the city's showgrounds, which can house 250 people

Incredible aerial shots show large parts of Rockhampton submerged in floodwaters

Floodwaters in Rockhampton (pictured) are expected to inundate more than 300 homes, cutting off access to thousands on Thursday

The sheer volume of water surging through the river means the inundation is expected to continue on Friday before slowly receding over the weekend, with authorities preparing for clean-up work to begin once the water subsides.

The political fallout over why more wasn't done to protect the north Queensland city from flooding is already underway.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Thursday faced questions about why a levee wasn't built to protect low-lying parts of the city.

Temporary levees have been set up Rockhampton, but they only run down the middle of some suburban streets thereby condemning oneother side to possible flooding while protecting the other.

Mayor Margaret Strelow says the city couldn't afford to build a levee to protect whole suburbs like Depot Hill, which is bearing the brunt of the flooding.

Ms Palaszczuk put the blame on the federal government for rejecting a proposal to fund the levee.

'It needs all levels of government to have support for it', she told 9 News.

'My understanding is the federal government knocked it back'.

Floodwaters in Rockhampton (pictured) are expected to inundate more than 300 homes, cutting off access to thousands on Thursday

Australian Rainfall Analysis at the end of March - when Cyclone Debbie tore through parts of Queensland. The purple on the map show the areas of the east coast with the heaviest rainfall

Incredible maps released by the Rockhampton Regional Council show 9m flood waters - which are predicted on Thursday. The expected flood levels are shown in red on the the map above

Incredible aerial shots show large parts of Rockhampton submerged in floodwaters

It has taken the river several days to near the flood peak, with massive amounts of water being funnelled into the Fitzroy through its large catchment system, dumped there by Cyclone Debbie after it crossed the north Queensland coast last week.

The chair of the city's disaster management committee, councillor Tony Williams said local businesses were still reeling from previous natural disasters.

'We've had a number of natural disasters in recent years, 2011, 2013, tropical cyclone Marcia in 2015, now we're here in 2017,' he told Network Seven.

'They tell me it's two years for businesses to recover after a natural disaster, so with these back to back events and their accumulated effect it's very difficult for businesses.'

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster James Thompson told the ABC the Fitzroy River was likely to remain high for several days following Thursday's peak.

'The peak's expected to stay up even into Saturday morning,' he said.

'So with all that water that's come down, the Fitzroy's quite a big catchment, so it takes quite a while for that to subside.'

The river reached 7.8 metres on Tuesday, inundating low-lying suburbs. Water has remained high since.

Authorities started door-knocking at-risk properties as early as Monday to warn them for the worst.

Sandbags and flood barriers were out in Rockhampton on Sunday night as the authorities prepared for the worst

Incredible aerial shots show large parts of Rockhampton submerged in floodwaters

Incredible aerial shots show large parts of Rockhampton submerged in floodwaters

An emergency alert is in place for the Fitzroy River, with crews door-knocking at-risk properties and urging people to get out now

Extra SES crews have been sent to Rockhampton to help residents prepare, deal with swift-water rescues, and then rapid damage assessments after the flood has hit

Rapidly rising water levels are set to hit 9 metres in Rockhampton on Thursday

Help from the Australian Army arrived in the city this week and an extra 60 police officers were deployed.

'Residents should close and lock all doors and windows, keep cash and other valuables out of easy reach and out of sight and avoid leaving notes on the door to suggest no one is at home,' Rockhampton Police Inspector Virginia Nelson said.

Residents have been warned they could lose their phone lines and internet on Thursday - making it harder for them to keep in contact with family, friends and the authorities.

Parts of Queensland were forced to switch to the National Broadband Network (NBN) in 2016 and the service was not expected to hold up during a power outage.

Rockhampton has been hit with major flooding three times since 2011, when it was inundated by 9.2metres of water.

The Queensland city flooded in 2011, 2013 and again in 2015 following a cyclone.

This is the fourth time local residents have been warned to prepare for major flooding.

The flooding comes in the wake of Cyclone Debbie, which has so far claimed at least five lives, with more people still reported missing.

Three more people died after their car left hit flood-hit road and ended up in a river, but the cause of the crash has not been confirmed.
A 20-year-old man has been indicted for the rape and murder of Queens jogger Karina Vetrano.

Chanel Lewis has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder, five counts of second-degree murder, and four counts of first degree sex abuse over the incident last August.

The suspect faces life in jail without the possibility of parole if convicted, NY Post reports.

Chanel Lewis, the 20-year-old accused of murdering Karina Vetrano, (pictured in court on February 5) has been indicted for the rape and murder of Queens jogger Karina Vetrano

Vetrano's father Phil called the indictment a 'big day for truth and for justice and for every law abiding person out there.'

'The animal that killed Karina was officially charged today,' he added. 'The grand jury charged him with 13 counts including murder in the first degree. This means that this coward will be up for life without parole. This is the best we can get in New York but he has a higher power to answer to when he meets his maker.'

Lewis will be arraigned on the indictment at a later date.

A grand jury Wednesday handed up an indictment against the Brooklyn man arrested in the rape and murder of jogger Karina Vetrano in August on charges including murder.

Lewis, 20, was arrested in February for killing the 30-year-old in Spring Creek Park near Howard Beach on August 2.

Karina Vetran was killed as she jogged through Spring Creek Park near Howard Beach on August 2

Karina and her attacker had never met before. Her murder occurred moments after this surveillance footage of her running towards the park was captured

NYPD detectives say Lewis made 'detailed' descriptions of how he attacked Karina during her evening jog after being arrested at his family home in Brooklyn.

Once in custody, he told them that he 'lost it' and choked her after venturing to the park while angry about how many people were in his crowded home, ABC reports.

While Lewis admitted to killing the jogger, sources told the network he denied raping her in interviews that were captured on film

According to the New York Post, Lewis, who is black, refused twice to talk to a white detective, but when Barry Brown, who is black, entered the interview room, the suspect waived his Miranda rights.

He said he had 'hit' and 'choked' the 30-year-old jogger from Howard Beach.

The suspect's father Richard said he took his son to hospital for cuts and bruises the day after her murder but maintained his son was innocent.

Fury: Phil Vetrano, Vetrano's father (pictured with her), said the indictment was a 'big day for truth and for justice and for every law abiding person out there'

Cathy Vetrano (center) screamed at Lewis as they came face-to-face for the first time at Queens Criminal Court in February

'The animal that killed Karina was officially charged today,' he added on GoFundMe

Lewis's legal aid attorney Robert Moeller told DailyMail.com neither he nor his colleague Julia Burke were present when he made the apparent confession.

They are yet to see the video and are urging the public to 'keep an open mind' so that Lewis may be granted a fair trial.

'We are spending this critical time getting to know our client and his family and reviewing all the facts associated with this case.

'We caution everyone  including the media  not to rush to immediate judgment.

'As our judicial system affords, Mr. Lewis is entitled to fairness and due process,' a statement issued by the Legal Aid Society read.

The Queens District Attorney's Office has refused to discuss what exactly Lewis said during interviews but told DailyMail.com the taped comments were admissible and could be used at trial.

There has been no official comment on Lewis's mental condition.

Police marched Lewis out of the 107th Precinct in February (above) after heralding his arrest as a 'great day for New York law enforcement'

A confession made by a suspect without a lawyer present can be used in court by prosecutors so long as it is proven to be voluntary.

Involuntary confessions are statements that are coerced by police or given without a suspect's full receipt and understanding of their Miranda Rights which includes their right to an attorney provided by the state.

Lewis's attorneys have not yet suggested whether they believe the statement was voluntary or not and there has been no official comment on his mental state.

He is a graduate of Martin De Porres School in Queens which teaches 'marginalized' students with emotional and behavioral problems.

Students who attend the school are classified as having emotional disturbances which can include poor impulse control, poor regulation of emotions and frustration, a source told DailyMail.com.

Others are aggressive, anxious, depressed or a combination.

Lewis is one of five of his mother's children and seven of his father's. His family is of Jamaican descent.

He earlier attended Brooklyn's High School for Medical Professions in Canarsie where he allegedly threatened to stab female students in 2011 when he was 15.

Lewis went to Spring Creek Park angry about the number of people in his crowded home and 'lost it' when he saw Karina, police sources claimed. Above, the scene in marshes near where her body was found four hours after she went for jog

Lewis was arrested at his mother's house (center) in East New York, Brooklyn, after stepping outside voluntarily. He lives in the basement apartment

No one from the school could verify The New York Post's report of the incident and that he was diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic afterwards on Tuesday.

Dr Edward Dana, director of Martin De Porres School which he later attended, said: 'During his time at the school, there is no disciplinary record against him, nor are there any reports that he made threatening statements against other students.'

If travelling from Lewis's mother's house in East New York to the school, the quickest route is through Howard Beach.

Queens NYPD Lt. John Russo (above) recalled seeing Lewis acting strangely in the park in May. His hunch and a 911 call from a neighbor describing the suspect from the same month led police to Lewis

Lewis has three summonses for behavior in the area dating back to 2013 including one for public urination and two others for violating park rules.

His family describes him as quiet, humble and unassuming.

His father, retired elementary school principal Richard, rushed to the 107th Precinct after news of his arrest to tell reporters that he was a 'wonderful' and 'humble' kid who wasn't capable of such violence.

'Chanel would never have gone to do what they say he has done.

'Hes never had a fight in his 20 years,' he told The New York Post.

Lewis's half-sister Theresa Forbes claims he is the victim of a racially charged set-up.

'I think the cops framed him because hes a black person.

'They couldnt find anyone else to pin this on, so they pinned it on my brother.

'My family, we are God-fearing people. The Bible tells us Do no killwe do not kill,' she told the same newspaper.

Detectives had honed in on Lewis as a suspect after combing 911 calls about the area surrounding the Queens park as they frantically searched for leads.

Richard Lewis, the suspect's father, revealed he took him to hospital with cuts and bruises on his arms the day after the attack and did not give an alternative explanation for the injuries but said he still believed his son was innocent

It had been cold for six months when they happened upon a report made by one of Karina's neighbors in Howard Beach about him trying to break in to a house with a crowbar.

Local sergeant Lt. John Russo had also seen him the day before acting suspiciously.

They visited Lewis at his mother Veta's home where he gave a voluntary cheek swab which matched DNA found under Karina's fingernails.

Karina's parents have been generous in their praise of the department which Mrs Vetrano described as the 'best in the world' after Lewis's arrest.




A Nomads bikie clubhouse has been shut down in police raids in response to outlaw gang violence between rivals.

Officers and police dogs executed search warrants at the clubhouse in Muswellbrook about 8am on Wednesday.

Alcohol, a bar, gang colours and paraphernalia, as well as various other items, were seized in the raid, NSW Police said in a statement.

Scroll down for video

A Nomads bikie gang clubhouse has been shut down after police executed search warrants and seized alcohol, a bar, gang colours and paraphernalia (raid is pictured)

Officers and police dogs descended on the clubhouse in Muswellbrook, NSW, in response to violence connected to rival outlaw motorcycle gangs (picture from the raid)

The clubhouse was dismantled after police suspected it was operating contrary to the Restricted Premises Act.

Hunter Valley Local Area Commander, Superintendent Steven Clarke, said police across the region are working to reduce the impact of motorcycle gang activities.

'Highly-visible and high-impact operations like this are part of our ongoing strategies to target and disrupt the activities of outlaw motorcycle gangs and their associates,' Clarke said.

Alcohol, a bar, gang colours and paraphernalia, as well as various other items, were seized in the raid about 8am on Wednesday (picture from the raid)

The clubhouse was dismantled after police suspected it was operating contrary to the Restricted Premises Act (picture from the raid)

Hunter Valley Local Area Commander, Superintendent Steven Clarke, said police across the region are working to reduce the impact of motorcycle gang activities (picture from the raid)

'This will be complemented by a range of other overt and covert strategies led by the Gangs Squad.'

Officers were responding to violence acts in the Hunter region, believed to be related to a dispute between rival gangs.

Over the last week, police have also conducted searches for firearms, firearm parts, and ammunition, at 10 properties of OMCG members subject to Firearm Prohibition Orders (FPOs), at Metford, Kersley, Cessnock, Branxton, Gillieston Heights, Marks Point, Cameron Park, and Anna Bay.

Further operations throughout the Hunter region are planned.

'Highly-visible and high-impact operations like this are part of our ongoing strategies to target and disrupt the activities of outlaw motorcycle gangs and their associates,' Clarke said (picture from the raid)
Britain has no plans for military retaliation against Syria for the deadly nerve gas attack that killed up to 100, Government sources said yesterday.

Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the suspected sarin attack in a rebel-held town and called for an end to the appalling suffering of civilians.

But asked if preparations were being made for military retaliation, a Downing Street official travelling with Mrs May in the Middle East said: Nobody is talking about that.

Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the suspected sarin attack in a rebel-held town in Syria and called for an end to the appalling suffering of civilians. But she said that Britain has no plans for military retaliation. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he wanted to see those responsible for the attack 'pay a price'

The suspected chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun in north-west Syria has prompted international condemnation. Above, a child receives treatment in a field hospital

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said President Bashar al Assads regime appeared to have carried out the attack, adding: Id like to see those culpable pay a price.

Speaking at an international aid conference for Syria, Mr Johnson said: I certainly do not see how a government like that can continue to have any kind of legitimate administration over the people of Syria.

The suspected chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun in north-west Syria has prompted international condemnation.

Pope Francis called it an unacceptable massacre and French president Francois Hollande declared it a war crime.

Harrowing footage showed children and adults staggering through the streets, foam frothing in their mouths as they struggled to breathe.

One father said his wife, their twin babies and 17 other members of his family were killed in the terrifying assault on the town.

Stunned by grief, Abdul Hamid Youssef held his twins Ahmed and Aiya in his arms, their tiny bodies wrapped in white sheets as he prepared to bury them.

A 14-year-old survivor, Mariam Abu Khalil, said she had seen an airstrike on a building just moments before a yellow mushroom cloud began to envelope the scene like a winter fog.

One father said his wife, their twin babies and 17 other members of his family were killed in the terrifying assault on the town. Stunned by grief, Abdul Hamid Youssef held his twins Ahmed and Aiya in his arms, their tiny bodies wrapped in white sheets as he prepared to bury them

The World Health Organisation said victims showed symptoms of exposure to a nerve agent like sarin, and Amnesty International said many of the children killed appeared to have been suffocated by the poison gas as they slept

She took shelter inside her home but told the New York Times that rescuers who rushed to the scene to help the wounded were overcome, saying: They inhaled the gas and died.

Footage showed rescue workers hosing down the lifeless bodies of children, apparently attempting to wash away chemicals, while adults lay convulsing on the ground.

The World Health Organisation said victims showed symptoms of exposure to a nerve agent like sarin, and Amnesty International said many of the children killed appeared to have been suffocated by the poison gas as they slept.

Britain, the US and the EU all blamed the Syrian government for the attack in Idlib province, although Russia claimed the deaths were caused by a rebel stockpile of sarin which was blown up in an explosion.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said President Bashar al Assads regime appeared to have carried out the attack, adding: Id like to see those culpable pay a price

The Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson said the Syrian people were suffering now because of the Wests collective inaction over previous atrocities.

After a previous gas attack in 2013, then Prime Minister David Cameron suffered a humiliating Commons defeat when he sought to authorise the use of British military force in Syria. Plans for a US attack were also then put on hold.

Mr Johnson said: The people of Syria are today paying the price for our collective inaction over the last five years and decisions we took.

We cannot now undo those mistakes but we can and must work together to alleviate their suffering.

Mr Johnson called for a political process to overthrow the Assad regime and said those responsible should face criminal prosecution.

But Labour MP John Woodcock said Britain and the international community needed to take a meaningful stand against the use of chemical weapons, or risk effectively legitimising their use.

He said: These weapons have been outlawed for 100 years for good reason. For all the difficulties of there being a military retaliation, if all we do is pass a strongly-worded resolution, or say something vague about future consequences, then we are effectively saying anything goes.

'The consequences of that are more frightening than the difficulties of doing something now.
The cloud that brought devastation to the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun had no smell and affected even those who came into contact with the dead, indicating it was sarin, a chemical compound created by the Nazis

The cloud that brought such devastation to the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun had no smell and affected even those who came into contact with the dead, indicating it was sarin gas  a chemical compound developed by the Nazis and 26 times more deadly than cyanide.

Medical charity Medicins Sans Frontieres said its doctors treated victims with dilated pupils, muscle spasms and involuntary defecation  symptoms consistent with exposure to neuro-toxic agents such as sarin.

The World Health Organisation said the victims appeared to have been exposed to a nerve agent.

The symptoms all point to sarin  the chemical weapon accidentally created in 1938 by German scientists working on insecticides.

The chemist in charge of the project initially thought he had failed, because the compound he had created was too deadly to animal and human life to use in agriculture. But that is exactly what appealed to Adolf Hitler, whose weapons division took over the project.

Hitler was so pleased with his new weapon, he named it sarin after the scientists who discovered it  Gerhard Schrader, Otto Ambros, Gerhard Ritter, and Hans-Jurgen von der Linde.

Medical charity Medicins Sans Frontieres said its doctors treated victims with dilated pupils, muscle spasms and involuntary defecation  symptoms consistent with exposure to neuro-toxic agents such as sarin - in the recent attack in Syria (above)

The effect of exposure to sarin gas is instant, leading to an excruciating death. Inhaling even tiny amounts causes  in less than ten seconds  drooling and vomiting, while breathing becomes shallow and erratic.

Less than a minute after exposure, the victims nervous system is under sustained attack, making the body unable to control breathing. Lungs secrete fluid to try to repel the gas, making victims foam at the mouth with blood-flecked discharges.

Many suffer from a medical condition known as SLUDGE, which stands for Salivation, Lacrimation (tears), Urination, Defecation, Gastrointestinal distress and Emesis (vomiting). The body loses the ability to control its functions.

Many die within minutes of inhaling the gas. The maximum life expectancy is ten minutes after exposure. Those lucky enough to survive, due to receiving a much smaller exposure  such as from touching a contaminated person  often suffer permanent nerve and brain damage.

The discovery of the nerve agent  meaning it acts upon the nervous system  came after the Third Reich high command ordered scientists to develop pesticides and insecticides to ensure Germany did not need to rely on imported food while it prepared for war. Schrader, 33, headed up a team assigned to the task.

Having failed to make powerful insecticides from fluoride, he decided to mix phosphorus with cyanide. As well as killing all insects, tests on animals proved astonishing. Apes collapsed foaming at the mouth and died within seconds. Rats chewed at their skin before choking to death. Birds fell from perches without making a sound.

Terror attack: Sarin gas killed 12 people on the Tokyo underground in 1995

Yet Schrader thought he had failed in his quest because the substance could not be used in agriculture  and help feed Hitlers armies  because it was so toxic.

But Hitler immediately saw other uses for it. A keen military historian, he knew Germany had started what became known as the chemists war on April 22, 1915, when chlorine gas was fired at French soldiers in the trenches.

More than 90,000 soldiers would be killed by poisonous gas, which blew in across the Allied positions as queer greenish-yellow fog, in the words of a survivor. He added: Many fell and died on the spot. The others, gasping, stumbling, with faces contorted, hands wildly gesticulating, and uttering hoarse cries of pain, fled madly through the villages and farms and through Ypres itself, carrying panic to the remnants of the civilian population.

The blistering agent mustard gas, or sulfur mustard, was also used by the Germans, prompting Wilfred Owen, the British soldier and poet, to describe the horrors of inhaling gas and the sound of blood... gargling from froth-corrupted lungs.

Sarin is far deadlier than either chlorine or mustard gas.

So potent was this poison that in 1940, the Waffenamt  the German Army weapons agency  began building a secret production facility, staffed by scientists wearing protective suits. Schrader was brought in to head up the project.

Ten tons of sarin was produced  enough to kill millions. But Hitler never used it after being warned by his experts that the West, including Britain and America, had supplies of mustard gas and would unleash their own horrors on the Fatherland in retaliation.

In one incident kept secret for half a century, it emerged that Britain experimented with sarin on a 20-year-old RAF engineer called Ronald Maddison (above) at Porton Down, the secret chemical weapons research centre in Wiltshire. He died 40 minutes after being exposed

Indeed, sarin was also of great interest to America and Britain. In one incident kept secret for half a century, it emerged that Britain experimented with sarin on a 20-year-old RAF engineer called Ronald Maddison at Porton Down, the secret chemical weapons research centre in Wiltshire.

In 1953, Maddison was offered three days leave and 15 shillings for agreeing to take part in the test, which was designed to discover what effects dripping sarin on clothing had. The substance is liquid until it reaches 150 degrees C, whereupon, when fired by a shell, the explosion turns it into gas.

Maddison planned to use the money to buy an engagement ring. But after he was placed in the sealed chamber with five drops of sarin dripped on to his arm, he immediately collapsed and fell over a table.

After scientists in protective suits hauled him out, he said he couldnt breathe, hear, or see. He was taken to a hospital within the Porton Down facility, but was pronounced dead 40 minutes after being exposed.

Details emerged only when an inquest into the death was held in 2004 following years of campaigning by his family, who were also incensed by the fact the Ministry of Defence removed several of Maddisons organs, including the brain, spinal cord tissue and lungs, and used them for further experiments.

Both America and Russia also experimented with sarin gas under secret chemical weapons programmes, but never used the deadly nerve agent in operations, fearing a tit-for-tat escalation.

Infamously, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein used sarin against Kurds in the town of Halabja in 1998, when his war planes dropped bombs containing the nerve agent. It killed 5,000 people immediately, and a reported 12,000 in the ensuing days and months.

Then, in 1995, terrorists connected to a Japanese cult launched a sarin attack on the Tokyo underground, killing 12 people and injuring more than 5,000  the deadliest attack on Japanese soil since the Second World War.

Infamously, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein used sarin against Kurds in the town of Halabja in 1998, when his war planes dropped bombs containing the nerve agent. It killed 5,000 people immediately, and a reported 12,000 in the ensuing days and months

In an attempt to prevent the use of sarin in modern warfare, the agent was officially banned in 1997 under the United Nations chemical weapons convention. But not all stocks were destroyed.

Indeed, then US President Barack Obama claimed in 2013 that Syria had crossed a red line by dropping up to 1,000kg of sarin on a rebel-held area of Damascus, killing up to 1,400 people.

US military intervention was only averted when Russia brokered a deal with Syria, under which the countrys president, Bashar al Assad, agreed to destroy all stockpiles of sarin and other chemical weapons.

With the world condemning the latest scenes from Syria, Russia and Assads regime have claimed that the deaths were the result of an attack on a rebel artillery base.

The Russian defence ministry said the building housed an arsenal of chemical weapons intended for fighters in Iraq, and described its information as completely reliable and objective. America and Britain seem far from convinced, and have blamed Assad.

So why would he do it? Backed by Russia, and with US policy at sea since Donald Trumps election, analysts say Assad is sending a message to rebel-held areas that he can act with impunity. Nothing, it seems, is too barbaric or sadistic for those waging war in Syria.
An international property executive believes buying in Sydney is 'quite affordable' and there is no bubble.

Knight Frank global head of residential Lord Andrew Hay said he does not believe Australia is heading for a crash and property is affordable.

'Within a global marketplace Sydney does look cheap, there's no doubt about that,' Lord Hay told Domain.

Lord Andrew Hay (pictured in 2015 in New York), global head of residential at Knight Frank, said he does not believe Australia is heading for a crash and property is affordable

An auction for the sale of a four-bedroom home in Strathfield, Sydney, is pictured in 2003

But the locals might not agree after reports consistently placed the city among the least affordable in the world.

On Monday, CoreLogic data found house values rose 1.4 per cent nationally last month, pushing the annual figure up to 19 per cent in Sydney and 16 per cent in Melbourne.

In January, a survey found Sydney was the second most expensive property market in the world - so 'severely unaffordable' the city was topped only by Hong Kong, beating London, Los Angeles and New York.

The average Sydney house price has been hovering about the $1 million mark.

Lord Hay said the world's super-rich are looking at buying in Sydney and Melbourne, in part because US$1 million buys more square metres in the Australian cities than in many others, according to the Wealth Report

Lord Hay said the world's super-rich are looking at buying in Sydney and Melbourne, in part because US$1 million buys more square metres in the Australian cities than in many others, according to the Wealth Report.

He did agree the government needs to do more for affordability to help young people into the market.

Lord Hay is in Sydney to promote Knight Frank's 11th annual Wealth Report - which gives statistics, analysis and predictions to the world's High Net Worth (HNW), and Ultra High Net Worth (UHNW) people.
Advertisement

A toddler was scalped by an out-of-control dog as she played on a slide with her sister in a children's playground.

One-year-old Victoria Resetnjova was bitten in the face and thrown in the air 'like a toy' in the Jenkins' Dale area of Chatham, Kent just before 5.30pm on Tuesday.

Doctors have now confirmed that the little girl will survive her wounds and she is being treated for 'serious injuries' in hospital.

A man, a woman and a teenage girl were arrested under the Dangerous Dogs Act. One was bailed and the others were released pending further inquiries, Kent Police confirmed today.

Victoria was playing with her 14-year-old sister Kristina when she was attacked. Witnesses said the dog jumped the fence of the play area and charged at the toddler.

Another witness told MailOnline: 'The dog ran into the park and attacked the girl under the slide. It was going for her head all the time, grabbed her and threw her up two or three times like she was a toy. It was brutal.'

Gunned down: This is the body of a large Pitbull crossed with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier after it was shot dead for attacking toddler Victoria Resetnjova in a playground

One-year-old Victoria Resetnjova (pictured with mother Valentina, left) was bitten in the face and thrown in the air 'like a toy'. Kent Police confirmed three people - a man, a woman and a teenage girl - were arrested under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Michael Thornton (pictured, right), 26, has been named locally as the man being questioned by detectives

A witness told The Sun: 'It was so gruesome. The child's scalp had been ripped off. Someone had to actually pick it up and take it into the ambulance.'

She was pulled from the dog's jaws by up to six other bloodied children and flown to a London Hospital by air ambulance as armed police shot the animal dead.

Her parents, Sergei and Valentina Resetnjova, are believed to be at her bedside - Mr Resetnjova answered his mobile phone this afternoon but said: 'I've got no comment.'

Michael Thornton, 26, has been named locally as the man being questioned by detectives.

A relative of Mr Thornton's told the Mirror: 'My heart goes out to that family and the little baby. I wouldn't be able to live if my dog's done something to anybody - no matter how old. I haven't spoken to him, I can't even go and see him.'

A brave woman who tried to save her life today described how she heard Victoria's blood-curdling scream from her flat.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said that she watched as the dog which was on a lead kept its grip on the tot's head and 'refused to let go'.

A teenage girl was holding the lead and hitting the animal with a stick to force it to release the child, she says.

The woman then rushed to the park in Jenkins Dale, Chatham, with a first aid kit then held the girl, believed to be aged 18 months, in her arms.

Crime scene: This is the playground slide where the toddler was playing when she was mauled and scalped by the dog in front of at least six other terrified children (pictured today)

She said: 'The dog was covered in the little girl's blood. It had bitten the middle of her head off. It was completely missing and I was holding her head together.

'When I got down there one of the girls was pulling the baby's legs but the dog wouldn't let go of her head.

'The three teenage girls were all crying and the dog was on the lead the whole time.

'When they eventually got the dog off I tried to bandage the little girl up and called up for neighbours to bring down some towels and we bundled her up.

'When the paramedics came I held the baby's hand until her parents arrived.

'It was awful and something that will stay with me for a long time.'

The horrifying attack on Tuesday left the tot fighting for her life but police confirmed today/yesterday (Thurs) that she remains in hospital with serious injuries.

Neighbour Alisha Robinson described the chaotic aftermath of the attack.

She said: 'They said we need lots of towels because she is losing a lot of blood. They were trying to keep her alive.

'You couldn't see her face, she was covered in blood. Then her mum came up screaming, that did it for me, I wanted to cry. People were throwing blankets from the balcony above because she was cold.'

Mother-of-five Katy Ayres claimed the same dog had 'pinned down' her son Charlie 24 hours before and said: 'It scratched his leg - but the little girl, it ripped holes in her head'.

Tragedy: The dog began biting her head and face. Signs show that dogs are banned from the area - but witnesses said it had been there for much of the day

Upset: Mother-of-five Katy Ayres (pictured left) believes the same dog had attacked her son Charlie on Monday, and suffered a scratch on his leg (right)

The victim's terrified mother, who was reportedly at work and left her children with a childminder, ran over screaming as people gave first aid and wrapped her in a blanket to 'keep her alive'.

Describing the attack one witness said: 'The baby's head was being shaken in the dog's mouth and it was covered in blood. It was absolutely horrific and there were about six children aged eight to twelve covered in blood who witnessed it all.'

A family friend told MailOnline: 'It was just a complete mess - a brutal mess. Everyone was screaming'. Another said the child was thrown around like a toy, adding: 'Police did the right thing. Round here they call them trophy dogs - once they get the taste for blood they won't stop'.

Armed police called to the scene yelled at crowds to 'stand back' before they 'shot it twice', one witness said, and the dead pitbull-type dog, described as 'crazy and very strong', was photographed being covered with a blanket.

Ms Ayres believes the same dog had attacked her son Charlie on Monday.

She said: 'He pinned him down. I grabbed my son to protect him and the dog jumped up. It scratched his leg and he has bruises.

'The police came and took pictures of the scratch. It happened all so fast. I said that day to my brother that dog will end up hurting someone, and it happened.

She added: 'I'm lost for words . I hope that little girl is going to be OK. It could have been my son. I'm in shock really. I said to my brother I bet it goes for someone. And I bet it's a child'.

Rescue: The child was rescued by up to six other children and then flown by air ambulance to a London hospital

Describing the attack on the toddler yesterday she said: 'I heard screaming. I saw the girl carrying the little girl from that end of the park and I see all blood running down her head'.

James Hamilton, who lives in a flat overlooking the play area said the dog was in the park for most of the day on Tuesday.

Mr Hamilton saw the toddler bitten by the dog several times and spoke to her parents afterwards and believes they may be Polish.

Shut down: This is the flat believed to belong to the couple who have been arrested since the dog attack

He said: 'I saw the dog with the child in its mouth. My partner had seen the dog pick up the girl and drop her twice. I saw it do it another time. It was shaking her around.

'The little girl was lying there. She was conscious and her eyes were rolling back. I think she was in shock.

'She had an eye wound - looked like an open gash. And an injury to the back of her head which was bleeding. She was awake.'

'She was so tiny. We were only in the park five minutes before with our little girls. I was in tears myself. I hope I never see that again.'

Neighbours say that the dog may have lived in this flat overlooking the playground and the owners may have only just got it

Some witnesses said the dog had been on this grass area without a lead for much of yesterday before the mauling took place

Operation: Officers in Chatham were called to reports that the toddler, who is believed to be about 18 months old, had been bitten and was severely injured just before 5.30pm. She was treated by these flats were residents rushed to help

Investigation: Police sealed off the area last night and arrested two people, who remain in custody today

Mr Hamilton said police arrived at the scene but the dog kept getting loose.

He added: 'A lad was holding the dog on a lead by now. It was just standing there. The police came and I told them it needed to be put down. They said it will be done. It kept getting loose from it's collar and then they shot it.'

Neighbours said they heard a gun fired and saw a child covered with a blanket being carried to an ambulance.

Jaspreet Uppal said: 'First I heard a gunshot, there was a dog on the floor. A few officers carried out a child from the back area of the flats.

'There is a little park there. I could not see the child, they were covered. I think they were quite small.'

Another neighbour added: 'I saw the aftermath, the emergency services do a excellent job it's times likes these we should be so grateful they act so quickly.'

Detectives were pictured filling evidence bags in a small park behind a block of flats in the hours after the attack - the dog is believed to have leapt over this fence

The injured child was airlifted to a London hospital in a critical condition after being attacked in the Jenkins' Dale are of Chatham, Kent, last night

The young girl is being treated in hospital for 'serious injuries' and the three suspects have been released on bail, Kent Police said today.

A spokesman for the force added: ''The South East Coast Ambulance Service and the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Service also attended and the injured child, of toddler age, was taken to a London hospital in a critical condition.

'The child continues to be treated for very serious injuries, but these are no longer described as life threatening.

'Following the incident, police, including firearms officers, attended the scene and to ensure public safety the dog was shot dead.

'A man and a teenager, both from Chatham, were arrested on the evening of 4 April on suspicion of offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

'On the evening of 5 April, the man was bailed pending further enquiries, until Wednesday 26 April 2017. The teenager was released, pending further enquiries.

'On Wednesday 5 April, a woman from Chatham was also arrested in connection with the incident and she has also been released, pending further enquiries.

'Enquiries are ongoing to establish the breed of the dog which will include a necropsy (post mortem) and an expert's view.'

The attack comes just days after armed police were forced to shoot dead a pack of dogs that went on a rampage in Manchester.

Detectives cordoned off a small park and children's play area (left and right) on the estate. A neighbour said: 'A few officers carried out a child from the back area of the flats'

Three people were arrested in connection with the attack and remain in police custody pending further enquiries
Theresa May was forced to charter a private jet to conduct sensitive Government business in the Middle East  after Prince Charles booked her official plane for a tour of Europe.

A surplus RAF Voyager refuelling aircraft was refitted at a cost of 10million last year to end the national embarrassment of British prime ministers arriving in foreign capitals in unflagged private planes.

But Mrs May could not use the jet for her trip to Saudi Arabia and Jordan, as Downing Street discovered it had been booked by the Prince of Wales for a nine-day visit to Romania, Italy and Austria.

Theresa May, pictured here arriving in Jordan on Monday was forced to use a chartered jet for her trip to the Middle East as Prince Charles had already booked the Government's aircraft

Prince Charles was using the RAF's converted Voyager tanker aircraft, pictured here yesterday arriving in Vienna, for his nine-day European tour forcing Mrs May to rent another aircraft

The clash meant the Prime Minister arrived in the Middle East on Monday in a Boeing 757, featuring the logo of private charter firm Air Partner. She was in the region for three days to hold crunch talks on trade and security with King Abdullah of Jordan and King Salman of Saudi Arabia.

By contrast, Charles and Camilla have been on a low-key, feelgood tour of Europe designed in part to win hearts and minds in the run-up to the Brexit negotiations.

Their schedule of almost 60 engagements concludes in Vienna today, where they will visit the Musikverein concert hall. They have already spent time in Romania, where Charles entertained locals by joining in with a traditional Hora folk dance. The couple also enjoyed an audience with the Pope and met survivors of last years Italian earthquake.

Around 15 members of royal staff accompanied them on the trip.

The decision to keep a dedicated plane for the use of the Prime Minister was taken by David Cameron, who claimed it would save the taxpayer 775,000 a year in private jet chartering fees. No 10 last night played down the significance of Mrs May spending tens of thousands to hire another jet.

An official said: Ever since we first thought up the idea of the Voyager, it was always designed for use by the Queen and the Prime Minister or anyone attending international events representing the Queen or PM. The Prince of Wales is using it right now as he is representing the Queen on this tour he is on.

A Downing Street spokesman added: Two visits at the same time means one aircraft will always have to be chartered.

It makes no difference to the public purse whether Voyager is used by a member of the Royal Family or the Prime Minister.

Royal sources angrily dismissed the suggestion that the Prince had bumped the Prime Minister off the plane. They pointed out that the aircraft was free when the royal tour  also carried out at the request of the Government  was booked several months ago.

They added that as both trips were necessary, there had been no undue cost to the taxpayer.

But Labour MP Paul Flynn said: Of course the Prime Minister should have the first call on the plane  she is the elected ruler.
Theresa May will today accuse Jeremy Corbyn of betraying the Jewish community by letting Ken Livingstone off the hook in an anti-Semitism row.

The Labour leader last night finally launched a review of the partys controversial decision to allow the former London mayor to remain a member as he faced a revolt by more than 100 MPs and peers.

But despite pressure from his own shadow cabinet, Mr Corbyn still refused to call for his close friend to be expelled, and insisted he still has a part to play in the partys election campaigns.

The Prime Minister will this morning launch the Conservatives campaign for the May local elections with a stinging attack on Labour under Mr Corbyn.

Theresa May, pictured with Saudi Arabia's head of women's sport Reema Bint Bandar al-Saud while visiting the country, will today accuse Jeremy Corbyn of 'betraying the Jewish community' by 'letting Ken Livingstone off the hook'

The former London Mayor, pictured, was suspended from Labour for a year over controversial comments saying Hitler had supported Zionism

Mrs May will say the decision to let the former London mayor remain a party member shows the extent to which Labour has moved away from the centre ground of British politics.

She will say: [This is] a Labour Party which just this week revealed the depths to which it has now sunk, betraying the Jewish community in our country by letting Ken Livingstone off the hook.

It could not be clearer that the Labour Party is now a long way away from the common, centre ground of British politics today.

Her attack comes after Mr Corbyn ordered a fresh investigation into Mr Livingstone following a disciplinary panel ruling that he should be suspended but not expelled for saying Hitler had supported Zionism.

More than 18 hours after the decision, the Labour leader said: I think what he said was unacceptable and was offensive to the community.

Im asking him to apologise for offences he has caused but also to desist from this public debate on these issues and recognise that we need to oppose anti-Semitism, as we do any form of racism.

But minutes later Mr Corbyn appeared to weaken his position by telling a group of regional newspaper reporters that he still wants Mr Livingstone to contribute to our partys work in trying to win elections.

One of the senior Labour figures who decided Mr Livingstones fate has written a series of pro-Palestinian articles, it emerged last night.

Mr Corbyn, pictured, has ordered a fresh investigation into Mr Livingstone following a disciplinary panel ruling that he should be suspended but not expelled

Russell Cartwright, 66, one of the panel of three Labour national constitutional committee representatives which decided not to expel the former London mayor, is also a member of a hard-left group, the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy.

He is listed as a parliamentary assistant to left-wing MP Kelvin Hopkins, one of those who nominated Mr Corbyn as leader.

Mr Cartwrights articles on the website Scoop.it! included some promoting a boycott of Israel  and another suggesting Israel was discriminating against African immigrants.

Mr Livingstone, who is suspended from standing for Labour in elections for the next year but otherwise has the same privileges as members, last night said he was not concerned about a new investigation.

He told LBC: If then there is another hearing, it does expel me, it will go for judicial review and it will be resolved in a court which is open to the press and public, unlike these Labour disciplinary things which take place in private.

He said Mr Corbyn launched the new investigation after coming under pressure from forces inside and outside the Labour Party angered by the ruling that he should be suspended for another year rather than expelled altogether.

There is undoubtedly a lot of pressure. You have had not just Labour MPs but the Chief Rabbi all denouncing this decision, he said.

The simple fact is I am sure there has been a lot of pressure on Jeremy from forces inside and outside the Labour Party saying, We dont like the result the committee came to.

More than 100 MPs and pees last night signed a statement condemning the decision not to expel Mr Livingstone, pictured

More than 100 MPs and pees last night signed a statement condemning the decision not to expel Mr Livingstone. This week the institutions of the Labour Party have betrayed our values, they wrote.

Former Labour leader Ed Miliband publicly attacked the ruling of the partys disciplinary panel, while deputy leader Tom Watson said: This shames us all.

Mr Livingstone was suspended in April last year after claiming Hitler supported Zionism in the 1930s before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews.

In his defence he argued he had never said Hitler was a Zionist, only that Hitler had supported Zionism at one time.

Mr Watsons outspoken condemnation of the incomprehensible disciplinary ruling came after the Chief Rabbi accused the party of failing the Jewish community by not expelling the ex-London mayor over the controversial remarks.
Uber has been accused by MPs of using contracts written in gibberish to confuse its drivers, many of whom have only a basic grasp of English.

A cross-party Commons committee has also revealed how ruthless firms like Uber, courier Deliveroo and Amazon require drivers to sign a gagging clause whereby they agree not to challenge their self employed status.

By agreeing to be classified as self-employed, drivers waive their entitlement to the most basic benefits enjoyed by employees such as holiday and sick pay.

Uber has been accused of using contracts written in gibberish to confuse their drivers

Deliveroo has also faced criticism over the contents of contracts for delivery agents

The firms also avoid paying employers national insurance contributions. This is despite Uber admitting its drivers work a 30-hour week on average.

The attack by MPs is the latest setback for Uber. David Camerons Downing Street was accused last month of a cover-up after it emerged his aides fought against plans to crack down on Uber.

The firm also faces a court battle over claims it failed to pay what could be hundreds of millions of pounds in VAT. The work and pensions committee, as part of its investigation into the growing gig economy, shamed Uber, Deliveroo, Amazon and delivery company Hermes by publishing their baffling contracts.

Uber, whose reputation has been damaged by a string of scandals and High Court battles, was singled out for the fiercest criticism.

Its contract, which describes drivers as customers, requires them to agree that the contract does not create an employment agreement or any employment relationship  including from a labour law, tax law, or social security law perspective.

CAMERON'S FORMER AIDE CAUGHT OUT Daniel Korski David Camerons former deputy head of policy has been caught offering access to serving government advisers on his consultancy website. Daniel Korskis new firm Public.io, which was launched on Monday, listed a number of special advisers working at the highest levels in government. They have now been removed. One of those listed was Natalie Black, his successor as deputy head of policy at Number Ten. Senior government employees are supposed to receive Cabinet Office approval before taking up such roles, something which had not happened. The controversy comes days after the Mail revealed Mr Korski had sought to persuade former London mayor Boris Johnson not to introduce rules aimed at curbing the taxi firm Ubers work in the UK. Freedom of Information requests showed he had swapped emails with Mr Johnsons staff. Mr Korski has denied doing anything wrong. His new firm offers growth programmes to help start-ups win government contracts. Those listed as people the firm would make available included advisers working for Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary Amber Rudd. They appeared on the website even though none had been given the green light by the Cabinet Office or the Governments Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. Advertisement

The gagging clause states in tortuous legalese: Customer undertakes and agrees to indemnify, defend (at Ubers option) and hold Uber and its Affiliates harmless from and against any claims by any person, entity, regulators or governmental authorities based on such implied employment, agency or representative relationship.

Deliveroo has banned its staff from using words that might give the impression its drivers are employees. Couriers should be referred to as independent suppliers rather than staff members, and managers should use the word onboarding instead of hiring, according to a training document.

Deliveroo requires its couriers to confirm they are not employees and to agree not to challenge their self-employed status in court, but says it will soon remove this clause.

The committee said US online shopping giant Amazon has a similar gagging clause in its contract, but does not get couriers to agree not to challenge their self-employed status in court.

Frank Field, the committees Labour chairman, accused Uber of taking advantage of many of its drivers poor English.

The Californian tech giant recently lost a court case to stop Transport for London imposing English tests for private hire drivers. Mr Field said: The Uber contract is gibberish. They are well aware that many of their drivers speak English as a second language yet their contract is almost unintelligible.

In October Uber lost a High Court challenge spearheaded by two of its drivers when a judge ruled they were not self-employed and should be entitled to benefits such as holiday pay.

This has left it open to claims from its 40,000 UK drivers.

Uber said: Weve always been clear to drivers who use Uber that they are self-employed and free to choose if, when and where they drive. There is nothing in our terms to stop anybody challenging this.

It said it was revising its terms to make them plainer.

An Amazon spokesman said: Amazon Flex offers people the opportunity to make great earnings working on their schedule to deliver Amazon parcels.

' The majority of people participating in Amazon Flex already have full or part time jobs and use the programme to top up their income, with 70% working 10 hours or less a week, in 1-4 hour delivery blocks, and earning 12 to 15 an hour.
Tourists at a zoo in Beijing, China have been pictured ripping the feathers from peacocks over the weekend.

The shocking images show a family of visitors walking away from the animals with a fistful of peacock feathers, reports the People's Daily Online.

The group were also spotted chasing and picking up the peacocks at the Badaling Wildlife Park on April 3.

The tourists were pictured holding peacock feathers and approaching the animals

The photo was posted to social media on April 3 by an onlooker who claims to have seen the group chasing peacocks and pulling their feathers.

Images show the group standing on a slope in a corner of the park.

According to Badaling Wildlife Park, the surveillance cameras did not reach that corner of the park. The incident occurred at the same park where a woman was mauled to death by a tiger last year.

The adults of the group can be seen joining in while others take pictures. One of the male adults can be seen with the peacock feathers in his hand.

According to an expert at the park, they have been unable to find any injuries on the birds themselves.

April and May is the peak time for feather growth for the animals.

A reporter went to the park the following day and found that tourists were still disturbing the birds. The park states that tourists can walk up to the animals but they are not allowed to harm them.

When the reporter went to the peacock enclosure, they found that a member of staff was closely watching tourists' interaction with the birds.

This isn't the first case of peacocks being attacked by tourists (pictured here)

Last year two peacocks were found dead after tourists plucked off their feathers in Yunnan

The photos have angered internet users on social media site Weibo.

One user commented: 'They are shameless. The quality of these adults is disgusting.'

While another said: 'Please send them to the tiger park.'

And one user wrote: 'They are not teaching children well.'

This isn't the first case of tourists attacking peacocks at safari parks. Last year it was reported that two peacocks in China's Yunnan province were killed after a group of tourists plucked their feathers and took photos with them.
Twenty years after leaving Earth, NASAs Cassini spacecraft is set to embark on the thrilling final chapter of its life.

The craft has circled Saturn for 13 years since reaching its orbit in 2004, spearheading remarkable discoveries about the ringed planet and its icy moons  but now, its running low on fuel.

In a captivating new video, the space agency has revealed a glimpse at Cassinis grand finale.

On April 26, Cassini will make the first of 22 dives through an unexplored gap before it ultimately plunges through the skies of Saturn to end its mission as part of the planet itself.

Scroll down for video

Twenty years after leaving Earth, NASAs Cassini spacecraft is set to embark on the thrilling final chapter of its life. The craft has circled Saturn for 13 years  but now, its running low on fuel

THE CASSINI MISSION Since it left earth in 1997 and arrived at Saturn in 2004, Cassini has been touring the system with an up-close study of the planet, its rings and moons. During its journey, Cassini has made dramatic discoveries, including a global ocean within Enceladus and liquid methane seas on Titan. Before Nasa's Cassini probe captured the most detailed images of Saturn ever seen, it dropped its companion Huygens on the planet's largest moon, Titan. After nearly 20 years in space, the mission is drawing near its end because the spacecraft is running low on fuel. Advertisement

Cassinis mission will officially terminate on September 15, after a planned plummet through Saturns atmosphere.

And, all the while, it will transmit data from several instruments until the signal is finally lost.

In the months leading up to this dramatic conclusion, though, the craft will carry out a plan that is in many ways, like a whole new mission, according to NASA.

Cassini will dive through the 1,500-mile-wide (2,400-kilometer) gap between Saturn and its rings.

No spacecraft has ever gone through the unique region that well attempt to boldly cross 22 times, said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

What we learn from Cassinis daring final orbits will further our understanding of how giant planets, and planetary systems everywhere, form and evolve.

This is truly discovery in action to the very end.

Researchers first decided the craft would terminate its mission in this way back in 2010.

Its terminal orbits over the next five months will bring it closer to Saturn than ever before.

As the craft repeatedly braves this unexplored region, it will investigate the origins of the rings and the nature of the planets interior, the video explains.

This planned conclusion for Cassinis journey was far and away the preferred choice for the missions scientists, said Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Cassini will make some of its most extraordinary observations at the end of its long life.

Cassini will dive through the 1,500-mile-wide (2,400-kilometer) gap between Saturn and its rings. NASA/ JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

In the months leading up this this dramatic conclusion, though, the craft will carry out a plan that is in many ways, like a whole new mission, according to NASA. On April 26, Cassini will make the first of 22 dives through an unexplored gap

According to NASA, the researchers hope to collect the first-ever samples of Saturns atmosphere and particles coming from the main rings.

On top of this, the craft will obtain the closest views yet of Saturns clouds and inner rings.

Now, scientists are making the final checks on the space probes command list ahead of its finale, which will be uploaded on April 11.

Based on our best models, we expect the gap to be clear of particles large enough to damage the spacecraft, said Earl Maize, Cassini project manager at JPL.

But were also being cautious by using our large antenna as a shield on the first pass, as we determine whether its safe to expose the science instruments to that environment on future passes.

TITAN: EARTH'S 'TOXIC TWIN' Aside from Earth, Titan is the only place in the solar system known to have rivers, rainfall and seas - and possibly even waterfalls. Of course, in the case of Titan these are liquid methane rather than water on Earth. Regular Earth-water, H2O, would be frozen solid on Titan where the surface temperature is -180C (-292F). With its thick atmosphere and organic-rich chemistry, Titan resembles a frozen version of Earth several billion years ago, before life began pumping oxygen into our atmosphere. Because Titan is smaller than Earth, its gravity does not hold onto its gaseous envelope as tightly, so the atmosphere extends 370 miles (595km) into space. With Titan's low gravity and dense atmosphere, methane raindrops could grow twice as large as Earth's raindrops. Advertisement

Certainly there are some unknowns, but thats one of the reasons were doing this kind of daring exploration at the end of the mission.

On April 22, the spacecraft will transition into its grand finale orbits, taking one last close flyby of Saturns massive moon Titan.

Then, Titans gravity will bend Cassinis flight path, causing the orbit to shrink until it passes between the planet and the inner edges of its rings.

As the spacecraft plummets into Saturns atmosphere on September 15, it will keep its antennas firing toward Earth as long as possible, sending back important data.

Cassinis grand finale is so much more than a final plunge, said Spilker.

Its a thrilling final chapter for our intrepid spacecraft, and so scientifically rich that it was the clear and obvious choice for how to end the mission.
Popular culture has long been fascinated with the ability to make people and objects invisible, from cloaking devices to disguise spaceships to Harry Potter's invisibility cloak.

And it seems that a general in the United States Air Force is taking steps to ensure they become a reality.

He believes the devices could protect the fleet of tanker and cargo planes he commands from any advanced fighter aircraft they may be unfortunate enough to encounter.

Scroll down for video

A general in the US Air Force is calling on industry to develop cloaking devices inspired by Star Trek to protect his fleet of tanker and cargo planes. The technology could alter the planes radar image, so it appears to be in a different location or is hidden altogether (stock image)

CLOAKING DEVICES According to the Institute of Physics, metamaterials can bend electromagnetic radiation such as light around an object to give the appearance that it isn't there. To date some researchers have used such properties of metamaterials to create devices that can bend certain forms of radiation, such as near-infrared radiation. So far, however, producing the same effect with visible light has proved more of a challenge. Advertisement

General Carlton Everhart, head of Air Mobility Command, is taking his inspiration from Star Trek.

His team is responsible for moving people and equipment around the globe for all of the United States' armed forces, as well as aerial refuelling.

The fleet is comprised of slow moving aircraft dating from the 1950s to the present day, yet they are at the mercy of fast paced fighters on the very forefront of technical advances.

Technology which could alter the planes radar image - so it appears to be in a different location or is hidden altogether - would offer a massive defensive capability to the US Air Force.

General Everhart envisages his aircraft being retrofitted with the devices, according to reports in Bloomberg.

And the Virginia Tech graduate has spoken with technology companies, defence contractors and military laboratories about his idea.

Speaking to Bloomberg Politics, he said: 'I've got airplanes with big fat bodies and long wings.

'I've got first-generation tankers refueling fifth-gen fighters. The enemy doesn't have to look for the fighter - he just has to look for me.

'I asked industry for a cloaking device and they all laughed - they said you've been watching too much science fiction.

'I said, "Listen to me - this is what I want - something that would be able to change the waveform."

'I'm piggybacking off industry. If I put it in the military acquisition system, it would be 50 years before I get it out because of the regulations that we have.'

Scientists have been attempting to create cloaking devices for many years now.

But, because of the way they bend light, current designs have always tended to draw more attention to the object than they deflect.

The fleet is comprised of slow moving aircraft dating from the 1950s to the present day, yet they are at the mercy of fast paced fighters on the very forefront of technical advances (stock image)

In 2015, a US researcher claimed to have overcome this problem by integrating battery-powered devices into his design.

He also claims a cloaking device will be created in his lifetime.

Hao Xin, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Arizona the technology could soon be used to conceal military planes and even people.

His US Air Force-funded research is based on the use of porous plastic bowling balls and tiny copper wire circuit boards.

Metamaterials are synthetic materials engineered to have properties that have not yet been found in nature. They can bend electromagnetic radiation such as light around an object to give the appearance that it isn't there (stock image)

These objects are put together in precise geometrical patterns to bend waves of energy in unnatural ways.

In particular, they reveal a property called 'negative refraction', meaning they can bend a wave backwards.

Through a prism with negative refraction, a straw leaning in a glass of water would appear inverted.

The piece above the water's surface would appear below the water and leaning in the opposite direction.

In a more futuristic scenario, a person looking at a person wearing a cloak with artificially designed refraction properties would see part or none of the person.
Advertisement

By 2028 an ambitious team of space explorers plan to have a 'Mars base camp' in orbit around the red planet.

The six-person research station would take images and readings of sites across the red planet as a prelude to human colonisation missions.

Aerospace giant Lockheed Martin first unveiled the concept last year but at a recent conference revealed fresh details of its plans to use virtual reality to drive Mars rovers in real-time and even look for signs of alien life.

Scroll down for video

The six-person research station (artist's impression pictured) would take images and readings of sites across the red planet as a prelude to human colonisation. Aerospace giant Lockheed Martin first unveiled the concept last year but at a recent conference revealed its plans to use virtual reality to drive Mars rovers in real-time and even look for signs of alien life

HOW MARS BASE CAMP WILL WORK The concept is to transport astronauts from Earth to a Mars-orbiting science laboratory. There, they will perform real-time scientific exploration. They will also analyse Martian rock and soil samples, and confirm the ideal place to land humans on the surface. The major components of the architecture will be launched separately. Some are pre-positioned in Mars orbit ahead of time. Others are assembled in in space for the journey to Mars. Six astronauts will launch on Orion, which serves as the heart of the Mars Base Camp interplanetary ship. Advertisement

The 12-month crewed mission will collect data to help Mars colonisation missions, such as those currently in development by Nasa or Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pick the best spot to land humans on the red planet's surface.

The station's crew could use virtual reality and artificial intelligence to drive exploration rovers across the planet's surface in real-time.

Samples of rock and soil from Mars taken by rovers will be jetted up to the base camp for quick analysis.

These samples could be researched for signs of alien life, project team members have said.

Lockheed Martin has been discussing their plans with a number of engineers and scientists since it first announced its plans.

The company continued this work during the 48th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC), held March 21-25 in The Woodlands, Texas.

'The discussion we're having here at the meeting is, how best can scientific discovery be enabled by having scientists in close proximity to mobile hardware on the surface of Mars or in the Martian atmosphere,' Dr Steve Jolly, chief engineer for civil space at Lockheed Martin in Denver, told Space.com.

For instance, a geologist on the Mars base camp could make quick decisions on the best spots to explore and take readings, Dr Jolly said. 'We want rovers under scientific control to behave in the same way.'

This isn't possible when the rover and scientist are on different planets, creating a delay in the decision process, said Dr Ben Clark, chief scientist on the Lockheed Martin team studying the Mars Base Camp.

'We could be operating rovers on the surface in joystick mode from the Mars Base Camp, as opposed to the way we control rovers today,' Dr Clark said.

Lockheed Martin revealed its ambitious plan to send humans on a 12-month trip around Mars last month.

During March's National Space Club Florida Committee's meeting, former NASA space shuttle pilot Tony Antonelli said the concept of a 'Mars base camp' could be achieved as soon as 2028.

According to Antonelli, the firm is not waiting for 'some kind of magic' to reach the goal  instead, the craft would rely on existing technology, putting Orion deep-space capsules on either end of the outpost to carry six astronauts around the red planet.

Washington last week. The firm wants to get astronauts orbiting the red planet to perform real-time scientific exploration. They also analyse Martian rock and soil samples, and confirm the ideal place to land humans on the surface

'This is all doable in the next 10 to 12 years,' Antonelli said at the meeting, according to Florida Today.

'All that we have to do is decide that we're going to go collectively, together  government, industry, international participation.

'This is a mission for citizens of Earth, and there's a role for everyone to play.'

It came as Nasa continued to investigate a request from Donald Trump's administration to asses the feasibility of sending a crew around the moon with the first flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Lockheed Martin first revealed they were joining the space race to Mars in May 2016 at the 'Humans to Mars' summit in Washington.

The spacecraft will launch in 2018 without a crew, and this will be followed by a manned mission 5 years later

The firm said astronauts orbiting the red planet could perform real-time scientific exploration.

Nasa wants to get to Mars in the 2030s, and Lockheed Martin hopes to convince the space agency that an orbiting outpost several years earlier is the way forward.

'Nasa has [orbiting Mars] in their plan,' Lockheed Martin's chief technologist for civil space exploration Tony Antonelli told Popular Science at the time.

'And we're colouring in the detailsAll of these pieces exist today, they're not brand new.

'We're taking advantage of what we've already got.'

Lockheed Martin will use Orion as the mission's command-and-control centre, equipped with technologies to help astronauts remotely explore Mars.

TRUMP'S MANNED MOON MISSION NASA continues to investigate a request from Donald Trump's administration to asses the feasibility of sending a crew around the moon with the first flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft Just last week, NASA's top staff was given instructions to assess the feasibility of sending humans to space with the first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The mission was originally designed to be uncrewed, and was set to launch in 2018. In a press conference, officials leading the study revealed the evaluations are now well underway, and they've already created a 'hard, crisp list' of everything that will need to change 'from a hardware standpoint' in order to add crew. But, so far, the team says they're sticking to their baseline plan for EM-1, and will let the 'let the data drive' any decisions moving forward. It will see Nasa's Orion, stacked on a Space Launch System rocket capable of lifting 70 metric tons will launch from a newly refurbished Kennedy Space Center in November 2018. The uncrewed Orion will travel into Distant Retrograde Orbit, breaking the distance record reached by the most remote Apollo spacecraft, and then 30,000 miles farther out (275,000 total miles). The mission will last 22 days and was originally designed to test system readiness for future crewed operations. Advertisement

Lockheed is also developing space habitats based on Nasa's current designs which would provide both a living space and work space for astronauts.

'Basically, the habitat would be located just far enough away that astronauts couldn't easily turn around and come home when problems arise,' Bill Pratt, Lockeed's program manager for habitat study said on the company's website.

'That really forces us to operate in a different mindset that's more akin to a long trip to Mars.'

Lockheed Martin will use Orion as the mission's command-and-control center, equipped with technologies to help astronauts remotely explore Mars for 12 months

The habitat will use solar electric propulsion based on technology already in place on satellites.

'This advanced propulsion will pre-position key supplies in Mars orbit,' Lockheed Martin writes.

The spacecraft will launch in 2018 without a crew, and this will be followed by a manned mission five years later.

As well as Nasa and Lockheed Martin, the military-led China National Space Administration (CNSA) has their eyes on Mars.

Wu Weiren, Head Designer of CNSA Lunar and Mars Mission told the BBC that CNSA's goal is to reach Mars by 2021

Meanwhile, Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, believes it may be possible to send the first humans to Mars within the next 10 to 15 years.
An Albany man will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty of first-degree sexual abuse.

Brandon Beckner, 29, was sentenced on Thursday, March 31.

Albany police detectives arrested Beckner on July 10, 2015, after surveillance video identified him as the perpetrator in a June 2 sexual assault in a woman's restroom at Two Rivers Market, 250 SW Broadalbin St. The victim reported that she was in the upstairs womens restroom when Beckner exited a bathroom stall and grabbed and groped her. She reported she was able to pull away and run.

The conviction marks Beckner's third strike for felony sex crimes.

The life sentence is unusual, but not unprecedented, and falls in line with Oregon Revised Statute 137.719, which declares, "The presumptive sentence for a sex crime that is a felony is life imprisonment without the possibility of release or parole if the defendant has been sentenced for sex crimes that are felonies at least two times prior to the current sentence."

To win the sentence, Linn County Deputy District Attorney Ryan Lucke produced a 10-page memorandum with exhibits that filled a three-ring binder. It illustrated an escalating pattern of sexual offenses dating back to 1999. There are 18 documented offenses in the binder, many of which happened while Beckner was in prison.

Becker's court-appointed defense lawyer argued the life sentence was disproportionate, and should be reserved for violent offenders.

The law allows for a more lenient sentence, but given the frequency of the offenses, Linn County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Murphy sided with the prosecution.
Scientists have discovered a new 'Spiderman' snail that catches prey by shooting slime from its tentacles.

The species of worm snail, Thylacodes vandyensis, was discovered glued to a ship wreck in Florida Keys - the only place it has ever been found.

Experts believe this strange snail migrated on the ship from the Indo-Pacific, and could be extremely bad news for coral reefs in its new home.

Scroll down for video

The new worm snail species is on its shipwreck home, with the mucus web it uses to trap food. The worm snail shell appears in this image as a blue-ish tube at the centre of the photo; the mucus web is behind it. It was discovered glued to a ship wreck in Florida Keys

WORM SNAILS The new species of worm snail, Thylacodes vandyensis, was discovered glued to a ship wreck in Florida Keys. Instead of having coiled shells like most snails, worm-snails have irregularly-shaped tubular shells that they cement onto a hard surface. While most snails are slow movers, adult worm-snails don't move at all - instead, they stick to one spot for the rest of their lives. That makes them good candidates to live on hard surfaces like ships and coral reefs. Unlike most snails which use their slime to move, instead they use it to hunt. Microorganisms get stuck in the web and the snails use their mouths to pull the web back and eat the food using barbs on their tongue. Advertisement

Instead of having coiled shells like most snails, worm-snails have irregularly-shaped tubular shells that they cement onto a hard surface.

'These worm-snails are particularly weird animals,' said Dr. Rudiger Bieler, Curator of Invertebrates at Chicago's Field Museum and the lead author of the paper.

Although these worm-snails are immobile, Dr Bieler and his co-authors from The Field Museum, Florida International University, and Cape Breton University believe they are an invasive species from the Indo-Pacific where they had not yet been recognised.

While most snails are slow movers, adult worm-snails don't move at all - instead, they stick to one spot for the rest of their lives.

That makes them good candidates to live on hard surfaces like ships and coral reefs.

Unlike most snails which use their slime to move, instead they use it to hunt.

'The snails have an extra pair of tentacles down near the base of their body, almost like little arms. These tentacles are what they use to shoot slime,' said Dr Bieler.

'They shoot out a mucous web, just like Spiderman - although in slow motion', he said.

Microorganisms get stuck in the web and the snails use their mouths to pull the web back and eat food using barbs on their tongue.

'These snails might have stowed away in bilge water or the hulls on cargo ships, and once they arrived here, they were the perfect colonizers', Dr Bieler said.

'The living coral reefs in the Florida Keys are already full of animals but the deliberately scuttled shipwrecks are empty, brand-new real estate', he said.

Shells of the new worm snail species (pictured) are in the Field Museum's collections. While most snails are slow movers, adult worm-snails don't move at all - instead, they stick to one spot for the rest of their lives

'There were fewer organisms to compete with for space on the artificial reef, and fewer resident predators that could harm them.'

But it's not necessarily a good thing that the worm-snails have taken so well to the shipwreck.

'Worm-snails can be harmful to corals and other reef organisms,' said Dr Bieler.

'They can reduce coral growth and have been shown to serve as hosts for certain blood flukes, which are parasites of loggerhead turtles.'

On top of the risks that worm-snails carry, coral reefs are in trouble all over the world.

Lead author Rudiger Bieler is diving at the wreck of the USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenburg, where he discovered the new species of worm-snail. Instead of having coiled shells like most snails, worm-snails have irregularly-shaped tubular shells that they cement onto a hard surface

The strange worm was discovered glued to a ship wreck in Florida Keys - the only place it has ever been found

'Climate change, pollution, overfishing, and other problems are putting our reefs in danger,' said Dr Bieler.

Although artificial reefs such as deliberately sunk ships might provide places for coral and other marine animals to live, the species present need to be monitored.

'If we don't, non-native and potentially invasive species like Thylacodes vandyensis might eventually make its way from the artificial reef to the natural reef and cause trouble for the animals living there', he said.

Despite the havoc that the worm-snails could potentially wreak, Dr Bieler is glad to have found them.

'The discovery of Thylacodes vandyensis helps highlight why museum collections are important', he said.

'Without comparing countless snail specimens at The Field Museum and around the world, we wouldn't have been able to identify these snails as a new species, and we wouldn't be able to make the kinds of progress in monitoring and reef restoration that we're now equipped to.

'Plus, they're awfully interesting', he added.




After 80 years undercover, a 'beer slug' caused quite a stir when it reappeared in Hamburg's infamous red light district.

The creature was last sighted in 1935 - years before the start of World War Two - and experts believed the species had become extinct.

Historically the slug was a popular feature of Hamburg's city centre - usually found in moist basements where beer was brewed.

Scroll down for video

On Tuesday the University of Hamburg announced they had found the 'beer slug' which was thought to be extinct having not been seen since 1935

THE BEER SLUG For the past eighty years, Hamburg's 'beer slug' has been on the 'red list' of endangered species and was believed to be either extinct or lost. The creature, which is also known as the 'cellar slug' in English used to be a common feature of Hamburg's underworld. The species prefers moist, dark habitats such as basements and storerooms, old stone walls, park and garden plants as well as sewers. However, due to renovations and the destruction of Hamburg's more unhygienic brewing spots the slug was seen less and less until 1935 until it was seen no more. Advertisement

For the past eighty years, Hamburg's 'beer slug' has been on the 'red list' of endangered species and was believed to be either extinct or lost.

On Tuesday the University of Hamburg announced that the mysterious slug had been spotted in the St. Pauli and Grindelviertel districts of Hamburg's red light zone.

The creature, which is also known as the 'cellar slug' in English, used to be a common feature of Hamburg's underworld.

The beer slug is about ten centimetres long and is distinguished by its patchy yellow-green colour and blue-grey feelers.

The species prefers moist, dark habitats such as basements and storerooms and was famously found in underground beer cellars.

It was commonly found in the 19th century but then numbers started to decline.

Due to renovations and the destruction of Hamburg's more unhygienic brewing spots the slug was seen less and less until 1935 until it was seen no more.

'Furthermore there was the problem of detecting [the slug] because the beer slug likes to hide and rarely comes out before 10pm,' said lead researcher Dr. Marco T. Neiber, a zoologist and malacologist at the University's Center of Natural History.

Outside of an appearance in Berlin in 2015, Hamburg is the only German big city where the slug has been identified in recent years.

Dr Neiber, who has published proof of the find in the journal 'Mitteilungen der deutschen malakozoologischen Gesellschaft', said the frost-sensitive species could be a 'winner of climate change'.

Due to renovations and the destruction of Hamburg's more unhygienic brewing spots the slug (pictured) was seen less and less until 1935 until it was seen no more

It was also sighted in 2015 in the courtyard of a hostel off Reeperbahn street in St. Pauli, however it was not officially identified.

Less severe winters will likely lead to fewer of the species dying during the winter months.

'Nevertheless, such a species for Germany as a whole should still be classified as highly endangered because its suitable habitat is becoming scarce in populated areas through renovations', he said.
Russia could be planning to abandon the International Space Station and build a rival base with the help of China.

The country's Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, is also considering ditching human cosmonauts from the new station in favour of robots.

The news adds to rising tensions between Russia and the West and could spark the start of a new 'space race'.

Scroll down for video

Russia could be planning to abandon the International Space Station (pictured) and build a rival base with the help of China. The country's Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, is also considering ditching human researchers from the new station in favour of robots

THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION The $100 billion (80 billion) science and engineering laboratory orbits 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. It has been permanently staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts since November 2000. Its current crew members are made up of four Russians and two Americans. The US space agency, Nasa, spends about $3 billion (2.4 billion) a year on the space station program, a level of funding that is endorsed by the Trump administration and Congress. A U.S. House of Representatives committee that oversees Nasa has begun looking at whether to extend the program beyond 2024. Alternatively the money could be used to speed up planned human space initiatives to the moon and Mars. Advertisement

Andrei Ionin, chief analyst of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics, told the Russian press that 'the Russian segment of the ISS may separate from the station after 2024'.

He suggested that China and Russia could join forces to form a rival station to the ISS.

The space chief revealed that officials were discussing pulling Russian cosmonauts from the ISS when US Space Agency Nasa hands it over to the private sector in 2024.

'Now is the time when one needs to make a decision about the ISS For the time being, we are discussing different options, although one should have done it a lot earlier.

'The space station of the future must also be an international project. Such projects need to be discussed long in advance.

'The key question here is not about the size of the station or its location in space  whether it is going to orbit the Earth or the Moon. The key question is about international cooperation. We need to understand who our partners are.

'All other questions are secondary.

'Clearly, Russia and China can build such stations, but this is not a question of technologies or finance.

'Russia solves secondary questions related to modules and their functions. I believe that Russia and China can be very good partners at this point.'

Should Russia choose to leave the ISS the country would sever a symbolic diplomatic tie with the West.

The news adds to rising tensions between Russia and the West and could spark the start of a new 'space race'. Image shows engineers building the ISS in 1999

It could help lead the two sides into a second space race, reminiscent of the technology race between Russia's space agency and Nasa in the 1950's and 60's.

Each super power waged a bitter campaign to prove the superiority of their space technology in a race that became symbolic of the Cold War era.

The race was built on a mutual recognition that outer space was the ultimate territory to attack and defend from in the event of all-out nuclear war.

China is not an ISS partner and no Chinese nationals have ever been aboard.

The $100 billion (80 billion) science and engineering laboratory orbits 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.

The current expedition of astronauts on board the International Space Station has seen some extraordinary images beamed back from orbit. These include this picture of an aurora lighting up the atmosphere of Earth as the ISS passes overhead

It has been permanently staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts since November 2000.

Its current crew members are made up of four Russians and two Americans.

Nasa spends about $3 billion (2.4 billion) a year on the space station program, a level of funding that is endorsed by the Trump administration and Congress.

A U.S. House of Representatives committee that oversees Nasa has begun looking at whether to extend the program beyond 2024.

Alternatively the money could be used to speed up planned human space initiatives to the moon and Mars.
Once upon a time, mathematicians imagined their job was to discover new mathematics and then let others explain it.

Today, digital tools like 3-D printing, animation and virtual reality are more affordable than ever, allowing mathematicians to investigate and illustrate their work at the same time.

Instead of drawing a complicated surface on a chalkboard, we can now hand students a physical model to feel or invite them to fly over it in virtual reality.

Scroll down for video

Mathematical visualization techniques led the author to create this virtual scene, showing shapes from the realm of mathematics bursting into the physical world

Last year, a workshop called 'Illustrating Mathematics' at the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM) brought together an eclectic group of mathematicians and digital art practitioners to celebrate what seems to be a golden age of mathematical visualization.

Of course, visualization has been central to mathematics since Pythagoras, but this seems to be the first time it had a workshop of its own.

The atmosphere was electric.

Talks ran the gamut, from wildly creative thinkers who apply mathematics in the world of design to examples of pure mathematical results discovered through computer experimentation and visualization.

It shed light on how powerful visualization has become for studying and sharing mathematics.

Visualization plays a growing role in mathematical research.

According to John Sullivan at the Technical University of Berlin, mathematical thinking styles can be roughly categorized into three groups: 'the philosopher,' who thinks purely in abstract concepts; 'the analyst,' who thinks in formulas; and 'the geometer,' who thinks in pictures.

Mathematical research is stimulated by collaboration between all three types of thinkers.

Many practitioners believe teaching should be calibrated to connect with different thinking styles.

Sullivan's own work has benefited from images.

He studies geometric knot theory, which involves finding 'best' configurations.

For example, consider his Borromean rings, which won the logo contest of the International Mathematical Union several years ago.

Borromean Rings, the logo of the International Mathematical Union. The rings are linked together, but if one of them is cut, the others fall apart, which makes it a symbol of unity

The rings are linked together, but if one of them is cut, the others fall apart, which makes it a nice symbol of unity.

The 'bubble' version of the configuration, shown below, is minimal, in the sense that it is the shortest possible shape where the tubes around the rings do not overlap.

It's as if you were to blow a soap bubble around each of the rings in the configuration.

Techniques for proving that configurations like this are optimal often involve concepts of flow: If a given configuration is not the best, there are often ways to tell it to move in a direction that will make it better.

This topic has great potential for visualization.

At the workshop, Sullivan dazzled us with a video of the three bands flowing into their optimal position.

This animation allowed the researchers to see their ideas in action.

In this version of the Borromean Rings, a virtual soap bubble is blown around the wire-frame configuration

It would never be considered as a substitute for a proof, but if an animation showed the wrong thing happening, people would realize that they must have made an error in their mathematics.

Visualization tools have helped mathematicians share their work in creative and surprising ways  even to rethink what the job of a mathematician might entail.

Take mathematician Fabienne Serriere, who raised $124,306 through Kickstarter in 2015 to buy an industrial knitting machine.

Her dream was to make custom-knit scarves that demonstrate cellular automata, mathematical models of cells on a grid.

To realize her algorithmic design instructions, Serriere hacked the code that controls the machine.

She now works full-time on custom textiles from a Seattle studio.

Edmund Harriss of the University of Arkansas hacked an architectural drilling machine, which he now uses to make mathematical sculptures from wood.

The control process involves some deep ideas from differential geometry.

Since his ideas are basically about controlling a robot arm, they have wide application beyond art.

According to his website, Harriss is 'driven by a passion to communicate the beauty and utility of mathematical thinking.'

Mathematical algorithms power the products made by Nervous System, a studio in Massachusetts that was founded in 2007 by Jessica Rosenkrantz, a biologist and architect, and Jess Louis-Rosenberg, a mathematician.

In this sculpture by Edmund Harriss, the drill traces are programmed to go perpendicular to the growth rings of the tree. This makes the finished sculpture a depiction of a concept mathematicians know as paths of steepest descent'

Many of their designs, for things like custom jewelry and lampshades, look like naturally occurring structures from biology or geology.

Their first 3-D printed dress consists of thousands of interlocking pieces designed to fit a particular model.

In order to print the dress, the designers folded up their virtual version, using protein-folding algorithms.

A selective laser sintering process fused together parts of a block of powder to make the dress, then let all the unwanted powder fall away to reveal its shape.

Meanwhile, a delightful collection called Geometry Games can help everyone, from elementary school students to professional mathematicians, explore the concept of space.

The project was founded by mathematician Jeff Weeks, one of the rock stars of the mathematical world.

The iOS version of his 'Torus Games' teaches children about multiply-connected spaces through interactive animation.

WHAT ARE BORROMEAN RINGS? Borromean rings, also called Borromean links, are three mutually interlocked rings named after the Italian Renaissance family who used them on their coat of arms. In Borromean rings, no two rings are linked, so if any of one of them is cut, the others fall apart. Rigid Borromean rings composed of real tubes can't be physically constructed using three circular rings of either equal or differing radii. In other words, Borromean rings can't be made from perfect circles. Instead, the rings must be ellipses - not perfectly circular - to construct a Borromean ring. For example, thin circles made from bendable material can be use to make a Borromean ring. Source: Wolfram MathWorld Advertisement

According to Weeks, the app is verging on one million downloads.

My own work, described in my book 'Creating Symmetry: The Artful Mathematics of Wallpaper Patterns,' starts with a visualization technique called the domain coloring algorithm.

I developed this algorithm in the 1990s to visualize mathematical ideas that have one dimension too many to see in 3-D space.

The algorithm offers a way to use color to visualize something seemingly impossible to visualize in one diagram: a complex-valued function in the plane.

This is a formula that takes one complex number (an expression of the form a+_b_i, which has two coordinates) and returns another.

Seeing both the 2-D input and the 2-D output is one dimension more than ordinary eyes can see, hence the need for my algorithm.

Now, I use it to create patterns and mathematical art.

My main pattern-making strategy relies on a branch of mathematics called Fourier theory, which involves the superposition of waves.

A curve with pleasing five-fold symmetry, constructed using Fourier techniques. Fourier theory is a branch of mathematics which involves the superposition of waves

Many people are familiar with the idea that the sound of a violin string can be broken down into its fundamental frequencies.

My 'wallpaper functions' break down plane patterns in just the same way.

My book starts with a lesson in making symmetric curves.

Taking the same idea into a new dimension, I figured out how to weave polyhedral solids  think cube, dodecahedron, and so on  from symmetric bands made from these waves.

I staged three of these new shapes, using Photoshop's 3-D ray-tracing capacity, in the 'Platonic Regatta' shown below.

The three windsails display the symmetries of Platonic solids: the icosahedron/dodecahedron, cube/octahedron and tetrahedron.

About an hour after I spoke at the workshop, mathematician Mikael Johansson had posted a Twitter bot to animate a new set of curves every day!

Mathematics in the 21st century has entered a new phase.

Whether you want to crack an unsolved problem, teach known results to students, design unique apparel or just make beautiful art, new tools for visualization can help you do it better.
Older killifish live longer after they've consumed the poop of younger fish, researchers have found.

Researchers replaced the gut bacteria of middle-aged fish with those from younger fish, extending their lifespans by 41 per cent.

While it's still early, research in this field could potentially lead to radical new methods of extending human lifespan.

The researchers aren't sure how the gut bacteria influence lifespan, but one possibility is that as the immune system weakens with age, bacteria that are harmful become more abundant than healthy gut bacteria - so transplanting young, healthy gut bacteria could make a middle-aged fish's gut microbiome healthy again

The researchers, based at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne, Germany, aren't sure how the gut bacteria influence lifespan, but one possibility is that as the immune system weakens with age, bacteria that are harmful become more abundant than healthy gut bacteria - so transplanting young, healthy gut bacteria could make a middle-aged fish's gut microbiome healthy again.

It's also possible that young gut bacteria increase lifespan by having an effect on the immune system itself.

African turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri) have very short lifespans of three to nine months and are able to reproduce at just three weeks old, making them a useful vertebrate species for aging research.

They live in temporary ponds that come about during the rainy seasons in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Previous studies have found a link between gut bacteria and ageing in some animals - when humans and mice age, they lose some of the diversity in their gut bacteria, making them more vulnerable to diseases.

Dr Dario Valenzano, the lead author of the study, told Nature News that this effect was also observed in killifish, and the bacteria in their guts at a young age are almost as diverse as in mice and even humans.

'You can really tell whether a fish is young or old based on its gut microbiota,' he said.

To conduct the study, researchers transplanted the but bacteria from six-week-old killifish to middle-aged, nine-and-a-half-week-old killifish.

To make sure the guts of the middle-aged fish were cleared of old bacteria, the researchers gave them antibiotics.

They then put these fish in an aquarium with the gut contents of the younger fish, leaving them there for 12 hours.

Not only did older fish who received 'young' microbiome transplants live longer - they also had similar activity levels to six-week-old fish. Pictured above is a six-week-old (young) turquoise killifish. Pictured below is a 16-week-old male turquoise killifish

While killifish don't tend to eat feces, they prod and bite them, which makes them ingest the microbes in the process.

These bacteria recolonized the older fishes' guts, and when they were 16 weeks old, the diversity of their gut bacteria was still similar to those of the six-week-old fish.

Fish that received these 'young' fecal transplants showed a 41 per cent increase in lifespan compared to fish that received microbiome transplants from middle-aged fish.

The fish who received 'young' microbiome transplants also lived 37 per cent longer than fish that received no transplants.

Not only did the fish live longer - they also had similar activity levels to six-week-old fish.

African turquoise killifish (Nothobranchius furzeri) have very short lifespans of three to nine months and are able to reproduce at just three weeks old, making them a useful vertebrate species for aging research

The 16-week-old fish that received transplants darted around their tanks more often than other older fish.

'The challenge with all of these experiments is going to be to dissect the mechanism,' said Dr Heinrich Jasper, a a biologist at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in California, who was not involved with the study.

'I expect it will be very complex.'

His research team is trying to perform microbiome swaps in differently aged fruit flies to analyze the effect on lifespan.

Fecal transplants in humans can help to treat infections such as Clostridium difficile, a bacterial infection which causes severe diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, nausea and abdominal pain.

However, Dr Valenzano said that it's still too early to consider using this procedure to extend lifespan.
It is said to be 'one of the most sophisticated and targeted mobile attacks' ever seen.

Security researches from Google and Lookout are warning Android users of malware that is capable of spying on them via their smartphone camera and microphone, as well as accesses their messages, emails, contact details, browser history and more.

Called Chrysaor, this spyware is believed to be the sibling of Pegasus, which was an exploit that was used to spy on a United Arab Emirates human rights activist.

Scroll down for video

Security researches from Google and Lookout are warning Android users of malware that is capable of spying on them via their smartphone camera and microphone, as well as access messages, emails, contact details, browser history and more

CHRYASOR ATTACK Chyrasor is capable of spying on them via their smartphone camera and microphone, as well as access messages, emails, contact details, browser history and more. Researcher believe the NSO group is behind it - the same organization that released Pegasus on iOS iPhone users in the Middle East. In the Android version, hackers built functionality that lets the spyware ask for permissions - granting it access to the phone. The failsafe jumps into action if the initial attempt to root the device fails. What could make this spyware so sophisticated is that it is designed to uninstall itself if it is at risk of being detected. Advertisement

In Greek mythology, Chrysaor is the brother of the winged horse Pegasus and researches believe the group behind the previous attack was also involved with the latest one  the NSO Group.

NSO Group is a highly secretive Israeli-based organization that was acquired by U.S. company Francisco Partners Management in 2010, and according to news reports specializes in 'cyber war.'

In a statement from August 2016, which stopped short of acknowledging that the spyware was its own, the NSO Group said its mission was to provide 'authorized governments with technology that helps them combat terror and crime.'

And this organization also charges people to hack phones - the asking price starts at $1 million, Engadget reported.

The difference is that Pegasus was zero-day iOS attack on iPhone users in the Middle East.

Researcher were led to believe the software was used to target Ahmed Mansoor, an internationally recognized human rights defender and a Martin Ennals Award Laureate, based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

'In the Android version, however, the attackers built in functionality that would allow Pegasus for Android to still ask for permissions that would then allow it to access and exfiltrate data,' Mike Murray, VP of security intelligence at Lookout, shared in a blog post.

'The failsafe jumps into action if the initial attempt to root the device fails.' 'This means Pegasus for Android is easier to deploy on devices and has the ability to move laterally if the first attempt to hijack the device fails.'

WHO IS BEHIND THE ATTACKS? Trident is used in a spyware product called Pegasus, which according to an investigation by Citizen Lab, is developed by an organization called NSO Group. NSO Group is an Israeli-based organization that was acquired by U.S. company Francisco Partners Management in 2010, and according to news reports specializes in 'cyber war.' Founded in Israel five years ago by entrepreneurs Omri Lavie and Shalev Hulio, NSO makes software that secretly targets a user's mobile phone and gathers information, including text messages, photos and internet browning data. 'We're a complete ghost,' NSO co-founder Omri Lavie told Defense News, a military trade publication, last summer. 'We're totally transparent to the target, and we leave no traces.' Advertisement

Google has acknowledged Chrysaor and noted that 'a few dozen Android devices' may have been infiltrated. But these devices are mostly in hotspots or war zones like Israel, Georgia, Mexico, Turkey, UAE and Ukraine

What could make this spyware so sophisticated is that it is designed to uninstall itself if it is at risk of being detected.

'Pegasus for Adroid will remove itself from the phone if the SIM MCC ID is invalid, an 'antidote' file exists, it has not been able to check in with the servers after 60 days, or it receives a command from the server to remove itself,' shared Murray.

Murray and his team reached out to Google Android after uncovering signs of the attack.

Chrysaor is believed to be the sibling of Pegasus, which was an exploit that was used to spy on a United Arab Emirates human rights activist. And what makes this attack so lethal is that Chrysaor is designed to uninstall itself if it is at risk of being detected

Google has acknowledged Chrysaor and noted that 'a few dozen Android devices' may have been infiltrated.

But these devices are mostly in hotspots or war zones like Israel, Georgia, Mexico, Turkey, UAE and Ukraine.

'Although the applications were never available in Google Play, we immediately identified the scope of the problem by using Verify Apps,' Google shared in a recent blog post.

'We gathered information from affected devices, and concurrently, attempted to acquire Chrysaor apps to better understand its impact on users.'

'We've contacted the potentially affected users, disabled the applications on affected devices, and implemented changes in Verify Apps to protect all users.'
Scientists are switching on a global network of radio telescopes in the world's first attempt to image the outer edges of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

Starting today, the 'Event Horizon Telescope' will link observatories all around the world to observe the black hole 'Sagittarius A' until April 14.

Sagittarius A has never been seen directly, but scientists know it exists because of the effect it has on nearby stars.

The image will be a key test for Einstein's theory of gravity and could cause us to rewrite our understanding of basic physics.

Scroll down for video

An artist's impression of the black hole named Cygnus X-1 which is about 6,070 light years from Earth. The 'Event Horizon Telescope' is a virtual telescope that will take the first ever pictures of a black hole - Sagittarius A

HOW DOES THE TELESCOPE WORK? The telescope relies on a network of widely spaced radio antennas. These are all over the world - in the South Pole, Hawaii, Europe and America. These radios mimics the aperture of a telescope that can produce the resolution needed to capture Sagittarius A. They will kick into action between 5 -14 April. At each of the radio stations there are large hard drives which will store the data. These hard drives will be processed at the MIT Haystack Observatory just outside Boston, Massachusetts. It won't be until the end of the year or perhaps the start of 2018 that the public will be able to see the results Advertisement

Sagittarius A is 26,000 light-years from Earth and is probably around 20 million kilometres across.

Scientists are hoping the Earth-sized 'virtual telescope', which relies on linking lots of radio receivers, will be able to capture its event horizon for the first time.

The event horizon of a black hole is the boundary within which nothing is able to escape its gravitational pull - hence the name of the telescope, the 'Event Horizon Telescope'.

'There's great excitement,' project leader Sheperd Doeleman from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts told the BBC.

'We've been fashioning our virtual telescope for almost two decades now, and in April we're going to make the observations that we think have the first real chance of bringing a black hole's event horizon into focus'.

Their telescope relies on a network of radio antennas all over the world, from the South Pole, to Hawaii, to the Americas and Europe.

This mimics the aperture of of a telescope that can produce the resolution needed to capture Sagittarius A.

The telescope relies on a network of widely spaced radio antennas. These are all over the world - in the South Pole, Hawaii, Europe and America. These radios mimics the aperture of a telescope that can produce the resolution needed to capture Sagittarius A

According to Einstein's equations, light would be caused by gas and dust accelerating at high speed and being torn apart.

This means the black hole might look like a series of gold rings.

Evidence of a black hole at the centre of our galaxy was first presented by physicist Karl Jansky in 1931, when he discovered radio waves coming from the centre of our galaxy.

'As I've said before, it's never a good idea to bet against Einstein, but if we did see something that was very different from what we expect we would have to reassess the theory of gravity', said Dr Doeleman.

'I don't expect that is going to happen, but anything could happen and that's the beauty of it.'

Pictured are images of Sagittarius A, the centre of our Milky Way, captured by Nasa. Scientists are hoping the Earth-sized 'virtual telescope' which relies on linking lots of radio receivers, will be able to capture its event horizon for the first time

WHAT ARE SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES? Supermassive black holes are incredibly dense areas in the centre of galaxies with masses that can be billions of times that of the sun. They act as intense sources of gravity which hoover up dust and gas around them. Their intense gravitational pull is thought to be what stars in galaxies orbit around. How they are formed is still poorly understood. Astronomers believe they may form when a large cloud of gas up to 100,000 times bigger than the sun, collapses into a black hole. Many of these black hole seeds then merge to form much larger supermassive black holes. Alternatively, a supermassive black hole seed could come from a giant star, about 100 times the sun's mass, that ultimately forms into a black hole after it runs out of fuel and collapses. Advertisement

However, it won't all happen at once.

At each of the radio stations there are large hard drives which will store the data.

These hard drives will be processed at the MIT Haystack Observatory just outside Boston, Massachusetts.

Algorithms will then make sense of the observations, but this is a long process and it won't be until the end of the year or perhaps the start of 2018 that we will be able to see the results.

Not only would it be a triumph to get a picture of Sagittarius A but if there are flaws in Einstein's theory then this image of a black hole is likely to expose them.
'The swimming pool? It's down there at the end of the walkway,' he says.

'But that's the sea,' I reply, shivering in the 7C air.

'Yep,' he says, with a grin. 'You'll enjoy it. It's invigorating.'

Scroll down for video

MailOnline Travel's Ted Thornhill explores Helsinki on a stop-over with Finnair during a journey to Tokyo. It's cold, but the blizzard of saunas and fine dining makes it a worthwhile extra

No chance.

I'm at a sauna called Loyly in Helsinki, discovering that the Finnish people clearly have a warped sense of fun.

They also know how to sauna in style.

Loyly isn't just a hot room by the sea, it comprises two saunas plus a swanky restaurant and bar and a cooler room with a wood fire in the middle to retreat to when the heat gets too much. (I initially think this IS the sauna, much to my girlfriend's amusement.)

It's one of the highlights of a brief but worthwhile stopover during a trip from London to Tokyo.

Luxury lodgings: Ted stayed in the boutique-y Hotel Haven, pictured

Loyly, pictured, in Helsinki is one of the city's hippest saunas

Hot spot: Loyly is a superb place to hang out - regardless of its sauna offerings

We're flying with Finnair in swanky business class but even though the comfort levels are very high  the leg to Tokyo features lie-flat beds  the airline suggested that rather than transit at Helsinki Airport and go straight to Japan's capital, we might like to break up the journey with a night in the Finnish capital, using its stopover service.

And what a great idea it's proving to be.

Finnair has sorted out a stay in Hotel Haven, super-stylish boutique-y lodgings, and a fascinating walking tour of the city.

After landing and taking a taxi to the hotel  expensive at 40 euros, but we're tired and can't be bothered with the faff and discomfort of the six-euro bus alternative  we meet our guide Maria in the Haven's lobby.

A local ferry pushes through loose ice in the harbour during Ted's chilly visit

Ted outside Helsinki's imposing cathedral. He took a tour of the city after landing on a flight from London

She excitedly shows us an ice-breaking ship in the harbour, a stunning, Guggenheim-esque university library and a Moscow-bound train at the impressive central station.

It's bitingly cold, though, and we're glad when she drops us off at Loyly, where we wrap our hands around mugs of hot chocolate and coffee.

Coffee is taken very seriously in Finland, which is the second-biggest consumer of the stuff in the world, after Luxembourg.

And the staff at Loyly know how to brew it.

Helsinki's incredible central railway station formed part of the tour. From here it's possible to take a direct train to Moscow

An aerial view of Helsinki on a summer's day. The city is the perfect size for exploring on foot

After our sauna we take a taxi along the snow-covered cobbled streets to Olo restaurant for a dining experience that'll live long in the memory.

It has a Michelin star, but frankly, it can't be far below two-star standards.

We're presented, by fiercely efficient staff, with a tasting menu of exquisitely crafted dishes by head chef Jari Vesivalo.

Restaurant Olo's head chef Jari Vesivalo prepares dishes as Ted drools from the sidelines

Ted was treated to a tasting menu at Restaurant Olo that was simply exquisite. Pictured is a dessert

Restaurant Olo has a Michelin star and is considered one of the best restaurants in Finland

The matching wines, meanwhile, are knock-your-socks-off brilliant, with our taste buds treated to a Peter Schweiger Zobinger Heiligenstein Gruner Veltliner Kamtal Reserve, a red from Portugal called Bastardo, made from the Bastarda grape, and an aperitif of excellent Benoit Lahaye Champagne.

The next morning we're a tad late checking out, unable to extricate ourselves from our enormous, sumptuous and elegantly decorated bedroom.

Outside the snow is falling and the harbour frozen over. Helsinki may have a cold climate, but our brief interlude here has revealed it to be a real hot spot.

WHY FINNAIR'S BUSINESS CLASS IS THE BUSINESS What first? A play with the massage function on the seat or another sip of Champagne by Nicolas Feuillatte? Flying business class with Finnair presents passengers with several quandaries, the aforementioned choice being the most immediate when I board. We fly from London to Helsinki then on to Tokyo on board an Airbus A330. Initially I'm a tad disappointed that it's not the airline's rather splendid new A350, but once I settle in, I'm impressed. Flying business class with Finnair is a real treat I'm able to manoeuvre my body to all manner of angles using a control panel on my armrest. The back of the seat and footrest can both be moved separately if desired and the seat goes completely flat for sleeping purposes. I manage to get a solid few hours and I find sleeping on planes very difficult, almost impossible. The fact that there's plenty of room for the legs and feet helps  it makes turning over mid-slumber something that won't disturb. Several other aspects of the product impress, too. The food is very good indeed  the choices for dinner include minced pike cake with cold smoked pike, potatoes, horse-radish and egg; roasted omega-3 pork rib, parsnip and apple or pan fried beef with miso flavoured sauce and miso soup. I have the beef and it's excellent. There's even an amuse bouche beforehand of smoked whitefish mousse and rye chips. The wine is top, too. The choice includes a Chateau De Come French red, Villa Maria New Zealand riesling and a Chateau De Rochemorin sauvignon blanc. These aren't run-of-the-mill quaffing options, mark my words. And to top it all off  the headphones you're supplied with will keep even fussy audiophiles content and there's a cute (bespoke) Marimekko toiletries bag, too. As for the earlier quandaries? Obviously I did both at once. Advertisement
A passenger was able to board a Monarch plane at Manchester Airport with a ticket for a different flight - because he had the same surname as another traveller.

Holidaymakers on flight ZB516, which was bound for Barcelona, were alarmed to find that two men had been checked in to sit in the same seat.

All passengers were asked to leave the plane, then held in the terminal.

A passenger was able to board a Monarch plane (file image) at Manchester Airport with a ticket for a different flight - because he had the same surname as another traveller

It later emerged the two men had the same surname - but different first names and dates of birth - and both had been wrongly allowed to board the plane. The blunder only came to light when the pair attempted to sit down on board.

It then became clear that one of the passengers had actually booked to fly to Barcelona the following day, at the same time, but was still allowed onto the plane when he accidentally arrived 24 hours early.

During the mix-up, the captain ordered that all passengers leave the Monarch flight, return to the terminal and pick up their luggage, then check in again. When they re-boarded, four police officers were at the gate.

Monarch and Manchester Airport deny that there was a 'security breach' because both passengers had been through all security screening before the flight.

They instead apologised for an 'administrative error', which caused a delay of around three hours to the flight, on Sunday, April 2.

Check-in staff failed to spot that one traveller had accidentally arrived a day early to jet off to Spain - and issued him a valid boarding pass in error. He returned home to await the flight he'd actually booked.

Passenger Christine Richardson, 58, said: 'We boarded on time and were sat there for quite a while and the captain said they were having paperwork difficulties. Everyone was getting agitated and then about two hours later everyone was told we had to get off the plane and collect our suitcases and then re-board.'

Passenger Christine Richardson, pictured, said 'everyone was talking about a security breach... it's scary to see police officers at the entrance to a plane when you don't really know what's going on'

She said they then had to wait in the terminal with the exits blocked, adding: 'There was no food, we were only allowed to move to go to the toilet. Everyone was talking about a security breach.'

She added: 'It's scary to see police officers at the entrance to a plane when you don't really know what's going on.'

A Monarch spokesman said an 'administrative error' was made, adding: 'The error led to confusion at the boarding gate and on board the aircraft prior to departure. All passengers had been through all security screening, so this was not a security issue, and no breach of security occurred.

'However, as a precautionary measure, the captain decided to re-check all passengers' luggage, which led to a delay of 2.5 hours.'

He added: 'Monarch and its ground handling agent Swissport would like to apologise for the error and the delay to passengers' journeys.'

A Manchester Airport spokesman, said: 'Due to an administrative error at check-in by the airline's handling agent, a passenger was incorrectly issued with a valid boarding pass for Sunday's Monarch flight to Barcelona.'

Swissport has been contacted for comment.
New York is one of the most photogenic cities in the world  and this stunning drone footage shows why.

Filmed in 4k using a DJI Phantom 4 drone, the clip demonstrates just why the Big Apple draws the crowds, with shots of some of its most eye-catching sights.

The video begins with a mesmerising shot of a New York street taken from directly above - a Spider-Man's-eye-view.

Scroll down for video

View to a thrill: The clip demonstrates just why the Big Apple draws the crowds, with shots of some of its most eye-catching sights

As it peers down the citys distinctive bright yellow taxis trundle along past green awnings stretching over the sidewalk.

Then the Phantom shows off its acceleration capabilities, rising swiftly up over the Hudson River and spinning round into a soft sun.

Next comes an eye-opening view of the Washington Square Arch, a marble arch that was built in 1892 in Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village  a hugely popular spot for locals and tourists alike.

The drone passes over and moves further on above the adjacent streets.

Water sight: The Phantom shows off its acceleration capabilities, rising swiftly up over the Hudson River and spinning round into a soft sun

Mesmerising perspective: The footage includes an eye-opening view of Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village

After this the citys downtown area gets its chance to shine.

Here the areas stunning One World Trade Center takes center stage, soaring majestically above the skyscrapers around it.

The footage was the handiwork of 19-year-old Viren Mohindra, a film and computer science student at New York University.

He said that filming in New York is relatively easy but that you have to get up in the air as quickly as possible.

He told MailOnline Travel: 'My favorite view is definitely when I pull up and capture images of the One World Trade Center. It just looks so picturesque.'

Mohindra added that the UAV 'practically flies itself' and can 'counter gusts of wind'.
Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading.

Obituaries Newsletter Sign up to get the most recent local obituaries delivered to your inbox. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy
Natalie Zea is married to Travis Schuldt. And on Monday the 41-year-old star bragged about how hot he is.

When asked by one of the hosts of the comedy show I Mom So Hard if her spouse gets jealous of her sexy scenes with Jason Jones on the TBS hit show The Detour, the blonde shot back a quick answer.

'Have you seen him?' she asked. Schuldt is best known for his roles on Scrubs and Community.

She likes the guy! Natalie Zea is married to Travis Schuldt. And on Monday the 41-year-old star bragged about how hot he is while appeared on I Mom So Hard

Lookers: Here the photogenic couple is seen at the premiere of her series Justified in 2012

I Mom So Hard is shot in one of the host's kitchens.

Zea is sandwiched between Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley who roll out the jokes as fast as they can.

'We don't get to meet exciting people too often,' says one of the hosts.

This guy can't take a bad photo! Here Schuldt is seen in West Hollywood in 2010

'I'm the exciting people?' says Zea, looking confused.

'Your husband on the show is pretty cute,' says Kristin. She is referring to Jones, who is wed to the show's co-creator Samantha Bee.

'There is a lot of nudity on the show and it's male nudity with tighty-whities,' jokes Natalie.

More recently: The new parents at the InStyle Oscar party in February

Her TV husband: Zea with actor Jason Jones on their smash hit series The Detour for TBS

'And you're complaining because?' fires off one of the moms. 'You have a nice chemistry,' she adds.

'With Jason Jones?' says Zea looking mildly confused.

When they says yes, one of the hosts then asks, 'Is that ever weird with your husband?'

Natalie snaps back, 'Have you seen my husband?'

Zea has a point. Her spouse is one of the best-looking men on TV.

Schuldt got his Hollywood start on the NBC soap opera Passions as Ethan Crane.

Locked in: I Mom So Hard is shot in one of the host's kitchens. Zea is sandwiched between Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley who roll out the jokes as fast as they can

She's right! Zea has a point. Her spouse is Travis, who is one of the best-looking men on TV

Inappropriate but funny: 'I don't want to make you uncomfortable but that's a guy I could love,' said Jen

That is where he met Zea.

He then went on to play Keith Dudemeister on Scrubs from 2006 to 2009.

Travis also has made appearances on other television shows, such as Veronica Mars, My Boys, True Jackson, VP, and Rules of Engagement, and was a regular on the ABC police drama 10-8: Officers on Duty from 2003 to 2004. He appeared in the 2007 horror films The Hitcher and Hack!

Nice ending: Natalie then looks at her host with a puzzled stare

In 2008, he was in the original pilot for the ABC sitcom Cavemen, as well as in an episode of the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.

He then worked with Jessica Simpson on Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous. A role on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia followed. He has since been on Community.

'I don't want to make you uncomfortable but that's a guy I could love,' said Jen.

The Detours airs Tuesdays on TBS.
These two lovebirds have had their share of happy moments lately.

And Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli added to that list as they celebrated their recent wedding with a trip to Disneyland on Thursday.

The 29-year-old actress and 34-year-old writer shared Instagram snaps of their visit to the Southern California theme park.

Bliss: Samira Wiley, 29, and Lauren Morelli, 34, celebrated their recent wedding with a trip to Disneyland on Thursday

The newlyweds sported retro styled shades as Wiley posted a snap in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle.

'Thank you @disneyland for helping us continue to have the best week ever,' she captioned the pic.

Wiley also posted a pic of her custom Mickey Mouse hat with 'Mrs. Morelli' monogrammed on the back.

Mouseketeer: Wiley also posted a pic of her custom Mickey Mouse hat with 'Mrs. Morelli' monogrammed on the back

Meanwhile, Morelli shared a pic of the happy couple enjoying the park with four of their friends.

Wiley rocked a grey T-shirt with distressed denim shorts and large black high tops.

Morelli wore a black top with colorful printed shorts and pink sneakers.

Besties: Morelli shared a pic of the happy couple enjoying the park with four of their friends

The gorgeous couple tied the knot in an intimate ceremony with friends and family in Palm Springs last week.

The nuptials were confetti-themed and based in part on the couples desire for a non-traditional event.

Both brides looked absolutely stunning in custom gowns by Christian Siriano.

Next up, the spouses are jetting off for some alone time on their honeymoon to an undisclosed destination.
She's fantasised about walking the Victoria's Secret runway.

And after revealing to The Daily Telegraph 'it would be the ultimate' dream gig, Australia's Next Top Model alumni Lucy Markovic certainly got in practice at Fashion Palette in Sydney on Tuesday.

The 19-year-old was paired with model Megan Puleri, who graced the catwalk at the lingerie giant's 2015 show.

'It would be the ultimate': ANTM's Lucy Markovic, 19, is one step closer to her dream runway gig, as she was paired with Victoria's Secret angel Megan Puleri at Tuesday's Fashion Palette Spring launch in Sydney

'Victoria's Secret would be the ultimate for me. It is the one that everyone fantasises about and I like that it is about being healthy and fit,' Lucy told the publication.

Having relocated from the Gold Coast to Sydney after placing second in the 2015 season of Australia's Next Top Model, the slender brunette is dedicated to making a name for herself.

'I don't think you need to win (the show), you just need determination. Top Model taught me to be more confident, which is something I think you need to be successful in the modelling industry.

'It didn't come easy; it was a lot of hard work to not worry about what anyone else is doing,' Lucy added.

Body of work: 'Victoria's Secret would be the ultimate for me. It is the one that everyone fantasises about and I like that it is about being healthy and fit,' Lucy told the publication

Dedicated: Having relocated from the Gold Coast to Sydney after placing second in the 2015 season of Australia's Next Top Model, the slender brunette is dedicated to making a name for herself

Stepping stone: 'I don't think you need to win (the show), you just need determination. Top Model taught me to be more confident, which is something I think you need to be successful in the modelling industry,' she also told The Daily Telegraph

Lucy walked down the runway with American Victoria's Secret angel Megan Puleri at Tuesday night's Fashion Palette 2018 Showcase in Sydney.

The annual collection features up-and-coming designers hoping to crack into the international market.

Megan graced the Victoria's Secret annual fashion show in 2015.

The brunette sported a metallic one-piece with a strategic cut-out at the bust, revealing a blue bra with white font emblazoned across.

A glimpse of her taut torso was also on display in the space-inspired ensemble.

Making her debut: Megan Puleri graced the Victoria's Secret annual fashion show in 2015

Svelte: The brunette sported a metallic one-piece with a strategic cut-out at the bust, revealing a blue bra with white font emblazoned across

For Megan, a chance encounter at a Gap store in Columbus Ohio saw her rise to stardom.

The aspiring model's mother Susie bumped into Ed Razek, chief marketing officer of Victoria's Secret parent company, Limited Brands.

Susie showed the businessman a photo of Megan, who was 15-years-old at the time.

Two years later, Ed introduced Megan to IMG models, and was selected for the Victoria's Secret annual runway show on just her first try.
They are currently spending six weeks in Australia.

And Gaz Beadle and his girlfriend Emma McVey fitted right in with the tanned and toned couples as they arrived at famous eatery Mr Wong in Sydney on Tuesday.

The Geordie Shore star, 29, and his girlfriend of seven months put on a chic display as she showed off her enviable washboard stomach.

Scroll down for video

Dapper duo: Gaz Beadle and his girlfriend Emma McVey fitted right in with the tanned and toned couples as they arrived at famous eatery Mr Wong in Sydney on Tuesday

Emma, who previously dated TOWIE star Mario Falcone, made the most of her toned midriff in a tiny bustier crop top.

Flaunting her long lean limbs, she teamed it with with a pair of wide legged semi sheer trousers, her shorts visible underneath.

Keeping the rest of her look understated, she left her brunette locks loose, going for a touch of lipgloss and highlighter.

Abs fab! The Geordie Shore star, 29, and his girlfriend of seven months put on a chic display as she showed off her enviable washboard stomach

Gaz looked equally stylish in a black T-shirt and skinny jeans, displaying his honed physique.

The reality star recently appeared to take a swipe at his former Geordie Shore paramour Charlotte Crosby when he said his dalliance with Emma, who has dated since August, is more 'normal'

He told the Sun: 'I was with the right girls at the wrong time. Ive made mistakes, like cheating, but Im trying not to do that again. My current girlfriend Emma is great.

'Our relationship is different to ones Ive had before, because they were all in the public eye. This relationship feels more normal.'

He confessed, contrary to his laddish persona, he is something of a wallflower when it comes to 'tashing on'.

'You wouldnt think it, but I am quite shy. I can have sex on camera on Geordie Shore because thats just me with one person in a room, but put me in front of 50 people with a microphone and I would freeze.'

Gaz's Northern charm has certainly captivated the ladies with the quiffed heartthrob enjoying a string of high-profile romances .

Best known is his explosive on-off five year fling with pillow lipped Charlotte Crosby.

The pair's stormy romance ended for good last June when Charlotte revealed she suffered an ectopic pregnancy while Gaz was holed up in the Ex On The Beach house.
Jessica Jones jumped into action while riding in an elevator with Daredevil, Luke Cage and Danny Rand in a teaser Tuesday for The Defenders.

The New York City private detective, played by Krysten Ritter, and her fellow superheroes were shown in grainy, black and white security footage in the 16-second trailer titled Midland Circle Security Elevator B.

Jessica sized up Rand, played by Finn Jones, and Daredevil, portrayed by Charlie Cox, as they entered the elevator.

Scroll down for video

Superhero group: Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Luke Cage and Danny Rand were shown together in a teaser released Tuesday for The Defenders

Luke, played by Mike Colter, kept his head down in the other corner.

They got in the elevator on the 45th floor of Midland Circle Financial and started heading down together.

Jessica when they get to the 43rd floor turned around, spotted a security camera above her and leaped up to take it out of commission.

The footage turned to static and the time stamp on the upper right-hand corner stopped at 08:18:20:17 revealing the premiere date of August 18, 2017.

Critically acclaimed: Krysten Ritter, shown in November in Los Angeles, reprises her role of Jessica Jones from the critically-acclaimed Netflix series in The Defenders

Going down: The superheros entered an elevator at Midland Circle Financial together

Acting anxious: Danny Rand acted anxious as he touched his hair and leaned against the wall

Good eye: Jessica as they reached the 43rd floor noticed a security camera

The Defenders will consist of eight episodes.

The teaser also included a hidden web address [http://23.253.120.81] in the upper left corner that lead to an archive of the New York Bulletin newspaper and a few extra videos.

Cox, 34, returns in The Defenders as blind attorney Matt Murdock and his alter ego superhero Daredevil that he played for two seasons in 2015 and 2016.

Taking action: The guys stood around as Jessica decided to take action

Flying ability: Jessica used her enhanced leaping abilities and strength and took the camera out

Premiere date: The premiere date of The Defenders was revealed in the time stamp

Ritter, 35, returns as superstrong heavy-drinking detective Jessica following the show's critically-acclaimed first season.

Colter, 40, returns as ex-con with unbreakable skin Luke after a first season that was met with positive reviews.

Jones, 29, reprises his role of Rand and his mystically-empowered martial arts trained alter ego Iron Fist.

He's back: Charlie Cox,shown in a 2015 still from Daredevil, returns in The Defenders as blind attorney Matt Murdock and his alter ego Daredevil

Iron Fist premiered last month on the streaming service and had strong viewership despite harsh reviews from critics.

The Defenders also will feature Elodie Young from the second season of Daredevil who will reprise her role of Elektra Natchios.

The miniseries also will bring back several characters in guest roles including Rosario Dawson, Rachael Taylor, Carrie-Ann Moss, Deborah Ann Woll, Scott Glenn and Elden Henson.

Unbreakable skin: Mike Colter, shown in a 2016 still from Luke Cage, also is back for the eight-episode miniseries

Sigourney Weaver, 67, will play the series villain Alexandra.

The Midland Circle reference in the teaser title relates to the company that was helping The Hand build a giant hole in New York City during season two of Daredevil.

Netflix launched in 2007 as a mail-order DVD service but has since produced award-winning original content along with its offering of older shows and films.

Latest addition: Finn Jones, shown in a still from Iron Fist, will team up with Daredevil, Luke and Jessica in The Defenders

Jessica Jones, created by Melissa Rosenberg, won a Peabody Award for Netflix and the streaming service also has received critical acclaim for its series House Of Cards and Orange Is The New Black.

The Defenders first appeared in December 1971 in the pages of Marvel Comics as a fluctuating superhero group.

Doctor Strange and the Hulk were mainstays in The Defenders and Marvel in June will release a new comic book series with Daredevil, Jessica, Luke and Iron Fist as members of the superhero group.
Her former pseudo-husband Mick Jagger once warbled I Can't Quit You Baby.

And that seems to be the case for Jerry Hall after she was spotted enjoying a sly puff before hitting the shops in New York on Tuesday.

The blonde beauty looked like she was relishing every draw as she psyched herself up for her spree at posh jewellery shop Bergdorf Goodman.

Ash Tuesday: Jerry Hall was turning heads as she enjoyed a sly puff in New York

The 60-year-old former catwalk beauty was looking great for her age in a puffy anorak, multicoloured sweater, black trousers and leather shoes.

She rounded off her ensemble with a particularly pricey-looking leather designer handbag.

The down-to-earth Texan looked like she was relishing the chance to rub shoulders with the proles in the Big Apple, before she headed inside to look at massively expensive gold and diamond jewellery at upmarket Bergdorf Goodman of course.

Notably absent was the Batman star's 86-year-old husband Rupert Murdoch, the News International media mogul who has an estimated net worth of $13 billion.

Thar she blows: The down-to-earth Texan looked like she was relishing the chance to rub shoulders with the proles in the Big Apple

Drinking at the fountain of youth? Even smoking does not seem to affect the former model's ageless complexion

Ruby Tuesday: Mick Jagger's ex pseudo-wife was perusing expensive jewellery

Jerry wed the handsome octogenarian in a low-key ceremony at Spencer House, overlooking Green Park, in central London in March last year, following a five-month romance.

The ceremony marked ladies' man Rupert's fourth marriage, with him already father to six children - Prudence, Lachlan, Elisabeth, James, Grace and Chloe.

The union was Jerry's first, but she has four children from her 13-year relationship with Mick Jagger.

Her unofficial ceremony in 1990 with the Rolling Stones rocker was declared invalid after the pair ended their 23-year relationship in 1999.

Thank goodness she's married to a billionaire: She soon headed headed to the checkout

She's Got The Silver: She looked thrilled at her latest acquisitions
Last week she denied claims she is pregnant amid a flurry of speculation.

And after putting on a bizarre display, hiding her body under a sheet a week ago, Lauren Goodger was back to peak confidence on Tuesday as she shared a new sizzling selfie.

The former TOWIE star posed in a hot pink vest top, cut low to show off her ample assets.

Doing what she does best: Lauren Goodger was back to peak confidence on Tuesday as she shared a new sizzling selfie

The pouting beauty made sure all the attention was on her chest in the hot pic, while she matched her pink top to her glossy lip colour.

Tumbling curls and a sultry expression completed the look.

The new selfie comes days after Lauren sparked rumours she was pregnantafter allegedly confessing to having a 'baby bump' in a swiftly-deleted Tweet.

But she took to social media on Friday to firmly deny she is expecting her first child with jailbird boyfriend Joey Morrison.

Having bizarrely stepped out on Thursday with a white sheet shrouding her figure, the reality star, 30, confirmed to fans she was simply hiding her appearance as she felt she 'looked bad'.

Not true: Lauren confirmed last week she is not pregnant - after sparking rumours with a swiftly-deleted Tweet and stepping out in a large white sheet

Lauren revealed to fans that her bizarre outfit choice had been a 'joke' in light of her pregnancy rumours - and that she simply just wanted to avoid photos.

She wrote to her 1.34million followers: 'It was a joke! Cos the stories and tweets I AM NOT pregnant ! It's a blanket cos of the paps following me trying make me look bad so I hid'

Wanting people to forget about the ridiculous claims, she then added: 'There's more going on in the world to worry about and it's no biggie ... I just didn't want any pics .... anyway have a good day'

Explanation: Lauren revealed to fans that her bizarre outfit choice had been a 'joke' in light of her pregnancy rumours - and that she simply just wanted to avoid photos

Having admitted in the past that she and boyfriend Joey are yet to be intimate, as he is currently behind bars, her messages dispel any pregnancy rumours which were heightened earlier in the week.

The Sun claim that Lauren had posted a message on Thursday reading: 'ok cant hide my baby bump no more' - sending fans into a frenzy, before the confession was swiftly deleted.

Only adding fuel to the fire, Lauren then bizarrely stepped out in a large white bed sheet two days in a row, which masked her entire face and upper body.

Truth coming out? The Sun claim the 30-year-old posted a message reading: 'ok cant hide my baby bump no more'

Hours before, she was spotted pulling her car into a disabled parking bay as she headed to a gym in her native Essex. She pulled a sheet over her head once more as she headed into the building shortly after making a trip to a salon in Buckhurt Hill.

During her trip, the former TOWIE star partially concealed her upper body for the second day in a row having pulled the same stunt the day before while heading into her car - sporting gym gear on both outings.

The idea of Lauren's pregnancy has long-circulated, as in December she made no secret of her plan for motherhood, saying: 'Im so excited about having a baby. There will be a LG range and everything.'

Impossible: Her apparent 'confirmation' comes a day after she blasted speculation that she was expecting with jailbird beau Joey Morrisson - atop insisting they had never been intimate due to the constraints of the UK judicial system

Confusion over the possibility of Lauren being with-child is understandable, as she recently explained to Reveal magazine that due to the UK judicial system, conjugal visits are not permitted - meaning she and Joey are yet to be intimate.

As she started her relationship with Joey in the midst of his 17-year jail sentence, she explained: 'No! Not in the UK, not in our prisons. But thats what makes our relationship old-fashioned, and its quite beautiful'.

Atop the mystery, the stunning star appeared determined to get tongues wagging further when she shared a snap on Instagram adorned with the words: 'Baby steps still move forward'.

She added a caption on the shot in reference to her health and fitness regime, penning: 'Haven't trained for 10 days so here I go again starting my training and clean eating ready for summer no alcohol for 4 weeks or heavy carbs and sugars just clean eating and moderate training'.

Happy? Atop the mystery, the stunning star appeared determined to get tongues wagging further when she shared a snap on Instagram adorned with the words: 'Baby steps still move forward'

Lauren's plans for the couple are bright, as she previously stated: 'I can't wait to get married! 'I want to keep the day really traditional with a church wedding and a beautiful reception, but I'd also love a celebration abroad on a beach with a live band - maybe I'll do both'..

And Lauren also has big plans for the reception, revealing she'd love to perform a racy dance routine for her groom with her girlfriends.

'It would be great to learn a routine with my bridesmaids - something really extravagant, like a Beyonce song, where I rip off the skirt of my dress. What a way to start the party,' she admits.

Lauren's future groom Joey is currently behind bars at HM Prison Highpoint South. But earlier this month, the former TOWIE star once again posted - and swiftly deleted - a message on Instagram revealing he is soon up for release.

She delightedly shared the news that it was 'not too long now' until she would experience romance with her beau on the outside world.

Behind bars: Lauren's future groom Joey is currently behind bars at HM Prison Highpoint South. But earlier this month, the former TOWIE star posted - and swiftly deleted - a message on Instagram revealing he is soon up for release

As Lauren's social media presence is somewhat prolific, the idea of her playing it coy is foreign - hence the shock at her choice to wrap up in the white sheet.

Lauren may be getting used to being shrouded in white as she announced her plans to marry her jailbird Joey, after he's released from his jail sentence this year.

She opened up about her dream day in a new interview with Closer Magazine, confessing that she's planning to have two weddings.

Lauren admits that she's been daydreaming about her nuptials, despite only dating Joey since late last year, and waiting for him to be released from prison.

Happy! Lauren may be getting used to being shrouded in white as she announced her plans to marry her jailbird Joey, after he's released from his jail sentence this year

Lauren has been documenting her plans to get back to the gym after missing out a stint of training and Thursday's trip to David Lloyd Leisure marked her first return in 10 days.

As she appeared ready to go in her stylish ensemble, in which she wore funky leggings and a tight top, she seemed to forget her bearings as she pulled into a disabled parking spot - typically restricted for those holding a blue badge.

Lauren soared to fame in the ITVBe show's 2010 inauguration when she was one of the central characters with the drama centred around her 10 year relationship and eventual engagement to co-star Mark Wright.

After departing the programme in 2012's sixth season in 2012, the stunning star explored many hugely successful business ventures most notably her 2016 workout video after slimming her size 18 figure down to a svelte size 10.
She famously fought with Stephanie Rice throughout the 2013 season of Celebrity Apprentice Australia, before the former Olympic swimmer was crowned winner.

And years later, it appears Roxy Jacenko has no plans on ending her feud with the 28-year-old.

When quizzed by Nova's Fitzy and Wippa on Wednesday as to whether she would join The Real Housewives of Sydney cast, the 36-year-old joked: 'Is Stephanie Rice available?'

Scroll down for video

'Is Stephanie Rice available?' Roxy Jacenko, 36, reignited her feud with her 28-year-old former Celebrity Apprentice co-star, when quizzed on Nova's Fitzy and Wippa on Tuesday, whether she would join the cast of The Real Housewives of Sydney

Having watched a couple of episodes of the reality series, Roxy revealed she did not understand the need for such cattiness.

'They are so mean to each other. I don't get it. Why does everyone have to be so mean?' the mother-of-two questioned.

'You'd be perfect on it!' co-host Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald interjected, to which Roxy replied: 'Yeah I'd probably be ruthless. Is Stephanie Rice available?'

'I would probably be ruthless': Years later, it appears Roxy has no plans on ending her feud with Stephanie Rice, having fought with the sports star during the 2013 season of Celebrity Apprentice Australia

'I am not a housewife': The mother-of-two insisted to the co-hosts that she works hard as a founder of Sweaty Betty PR

The entrepreneur went on to explain that she was approached two years ago to star on the housewife franchise.

'It was the time I had just done Celebrity Apprentice. And I think if I did that my mum would disown me just quietly.'

Roxy was quick to add however that she lives a busy life, and in no way refers to herself as a housewife.

'Anyway I am not a housewife. I go to work every day. I work,' the founder of Sweaty Betty PR insisted.

Conflict: Roxy's main reason for criticising Stephanie seemed to be a perceived lack of effort by the athlete when assisting her with tasks on the 2013 season of Celebrity Apprentice Australia

Meanwhile, Roxy's main reason for criticising Stephanie seemed to be a perceived lack of effort by the athlete when assisting her with tasks on the 2013 season of Celebrity Apprentice Australia.

And back in November 2014, Roxy insisted on the Kyle and Jackie O Show that she would not be repairing her relationship with Stephanie, following a series of spats on the program.

'I won't be mending it,' she stated, before adding that 'without question Stephanie Rice was one of the rudest and laziest people I have ever met.'

No chance of reconciliation: And back in November 2014, Roxy insisted on the Kyle and Jackie O Show that she would not be repairing her relationship with Stephanie, following a series of spats on the program

'Crazy,' she went on. 'She was just not nice. She was rude to the fellow contestants.'

After the pair's on-screen spats, Roxy banned Stephanie from lending any items from her clients which include numerous fashion and lifestyle brands.

'Part of being a PR is to protect brands and ensure they are placed on the right people,' she told The Daily Telegraph's Confidential at the time.

Strong dislike: 'She was just not nice. She was rude to the fellow contestants,' the entrepreneur told co-hosts Kyle and Jackie 'O' Henderson at the time

'At this point in time, I don't feel Stephanie is the right fit.'

'That 'arm's length' approach (to working together on tasks) was surreal to me,' she continued to tell the publication.

'If you're there, give it your all. It's like anything you do. Whether you're going to work, whether you're raising money for charity, give it everything. Otherwise don't do it.'
They offer contestants the chance to become a household name and fulfill their dreams of business success or finding love.

But becoming a reality TV contestant is hardly the path to financial success, as former cast members of Married At First Sight and The Apprentice have revealed.

Jono Pittman told KIIS101.1's Matt & Meshel on Wednesday that he was paid $150 a week to be 'wed' to Clare Verrall on Married At First Sight last year.

Scroll down for video

The REAL price of reality TV? Married At First Sight's Jono Pitman reveals he was paid just $150 a week

Jono, who is currently enjoying a blossoming romance with 2017 MAFS contestant Michelle Marsh, told the radio show that despite the paltry wage he had been able to go on with life as he usually would.

'We were able to continue with our normal lives at the same time, so we were able to go to work,' he said.

'We only had to take about a week off of annual leave for the honeymoon.

'No definitely not condoms': Matt asked Jono whether he had been able to add any 'tax deductions' on top of the retainer-'condoms?'

He added: 'Ours was a whole different aspect to this year - this year they had to take eight weeks off work.'

Matt Tilley asked Jono whether he had been able to add any 'tax deductions' on top of the retainer-'condoms?'

'No definitely not condoms -nothing like that,' Jono replied, laughing.

While Jono labelled his time on MAFS a reasonably 'positive' experience, 2009 The Apprentice contestant Mary-Anne Lowe told the station her experience was less productive.

'It is a reality show so it's all scripted, it's all actors that are there it's not paid customers': 2009 The Apprentice contestant Mary-Anne Lowe told the station her experience was less productive

'It was a great series to be a part of but the conditions are exactly what is coming out in the media,' she said of her nine weeks filming.

'We were paid, we were locked away in a house, and had no contact with the outside world - we got paid $500 a week for that.'

The Yarra Valley resident said she had gone on the first Australian version of the hit US show, hosted by Mark Bouris, to further her business career.

'I did it at the time based on that it would be great experience because it was obviously all based around business ... but in reality it is a reality show so it's all scripted, it's all actors that are there it's not paid customers that you are serving,' Mary-Anne claimed.

Hoping for business success: The Yarra Valley resident said she had gone on the first Australian version of the hit US show, hosted by Mark Bouris (pictured), to further her business career

'It really left me quite jaded at the end because we actually found scripts in the hotel for instance where when we were cleaning the hotel rooms. That was really deflating for us to realise this isn't a real business thing for us.'

Mary-Anne also alleged that after being fired the producers 'just drop you' and she got no more support other than a 'five minute phone call with the psychologist.'

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Channel Nine for comment.

Not bad for a 20-year-old uni student: Michael 'John' Bric believes he came out on top financially from his time on the show

Despite being ejected from the Big Brother house in 2006 for taking part in a 'turkey-slapping' incident involving a female contestant, Michael 'John' Bric believes he came out on top financially from his time on the show.

At the time, John told KIIS he was a 20-year-old uni student happy to take part for a chance to win the million dollar first prize.

He was also paid $500 a week while in the Gold Coast house - 'which was at the time more than I was getting paid' as a student working casually.

Outside of the house he was represented by celebrity agent Max Markson, going on to earn between $1000 to $2000 for nightclub appearances.

'Obviously a lot of money went to the agent ... [but it was] definitely good money,' John explained.
Daniel Craig is reportedly poised to make his fifth appearance as James Bond following talks with franchise producer Barbara Broccoli.

The British actor, 49, prompted speculation over the identity of his successor by insisting he would prefer slash his own wrists rather than reprise the role after completing work on his last appearance as the secret agent in 2015 blockbuster Spectre.

But Page Six report his potential replacement Tom Hiddleston, once a front runner for the coveted role, has effectively been ruled out by Broccoli following a series of encouraging talks with Craig  who she recently produced in a contemporary, off-Broadway revival of Shakespeares Othello.

Scroll down for video

Welcome back, Mr. Bond: Daniel Craig is reportedly poised to make his fifth appearance as James Bond following talks with franchise producer Barbara Broccoli

Daniel was very pleased with how Othello went and the great reviews, a source told the publication.

Now Daniels talks with Barbara are going in the right direction. They have a script -screenwriting duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade are writing and theyll go into production as soon as Daniel is ready to commit.

Plus, Barbara Broccoli doesnt like Tom Hiddleston, hes a bit too smug and not tough enough to play James Bond.

Enough is enough: The British actor, 49, prompted speculation over the identity of his successor by insisting he would prefer slash his own wrists rather than reprise the role

Sources claim Hiddleston's high profile romance with American pop star Taylor Swift, coupled with a bizarre acceptance speech at the 74th annual Golden Globes, during which he relayed an awkwardly expressed anecdote about aid workers in impoverished south Sudan warmly greeting him after watching his TV drama The Night Manager, also failed to impress Broccoli.

Craig enjoyed enormous success in the years following his first appearance as Bond in 2005 hit Casino Royale.

The actor has played 007 on three further occasions, but he appeared adamant that the Sam Mendes directed Spectre, in which all four of Craig's Bond film's are neatly tied together, would be his last during an interview with Time Out.

Unimpressed: Page Six report his potential replacement Tom Hiddleston, once a front runner for the coveted role, has effectively been ruled out by Broccoli following a series of encouraging talks with Craig

'Id rather break this glass and slash my wrists,' he told the magazine in 2015. 'Were done. All I want to do is move on,'

He added that if he did another movie, 'it would only be for the money.

Craig was paid $10.7 million for 2012 smash Skyfall, making him the highest-paid Bond actor ever; the film was the first Bond movie to break the one billion dollar mark.

Its enormous success led to Craig reportedly brokering a deal to be paid 31 million for his next two 007 films, including Spectre, the 24th film in the franchise.

'Im contracted for one more but Im not going to make predictions,' he told Event in September 2014.

MailOnline has contacted Craig's representatives for further comment.
The past four years have been sour to the point of bitterness for domestic goddess Nigella Lawson

The past four years have been sour to the point of bitterness for domestic goddess Nigella Lawson, whose marriage to Charles Saatchi publicly disintegrated as he locked his hands around her throat outside a Mayfair restaurant.

Since then, Nigella, 57, has suffered the axing of her U.S. cookery show, The Taste.

But its entirely appropriate that the cover of her latest cookery book, At My Table, which she revealed to fans on social media yesterday, should show her relaxed, smiling and radiating contentment.

Indeed, it might be said that hers is a 3 million smile. For she has, I can disclose, just pocketed 3,075,626  not from advance book sales but as a result of the liquidation of her television company, Pabulum Productions, which was first incorporated in 2001 shortly after Nigella Bites launched to great acclaim.

Its a stunning result, 800,000 more than had been expected when, a year ago, Nigella, the sole director, put the company into voluntary liquidation. At the time, it was anticipated she would ultimately receive a windfall of 2,244,987, after debts of 320,918 and a tax bill of 20,923 had been paid off.

Nigella has not turned her back on TV but is thought to be executing a canny tax-planning manoeuvre as the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, has his eye on one-man companies of the sort favoured by lavishly remunerated BBC stars.

A move to operating as a sole trader would also mean she is not under obligation to file public accounts at Companies House.

Such financial dexterity will surely have earned the approval of her father, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel (now Lord) Lawson.

The bonus will not go amiss. Nigella, who sought no financial settlement from ex-husband Saatchi, was obliged to take out a mortgage on her new house north of Hyde Park.

Not that she was sad to abandon the residence theyd shared in Eaton Square, Belgravia, where, she said, she was allowed to have dinner parties once on a two-year basis.

Im sure my wifes food is fantastic, Saatchi once said, but its a bit wasted on me.

I like toast with cheese spread and Weetabix for supper.

Duke's girl really is a Lady in red

She is dubbed the most beautiful member of the Royal Family, but the 21-year-old Edinburgh University student Lady Amelia Windsor (pictured) is also the most stylish. She posted this snap of herself on social media in a chair in Notting Hill

She is dubbed the most beautiful member of the Royal Family, but the 21-year-old Edinburgh University student Lady Amelia Windsor is also the most stylish.

The Duke of Kents granddaughter posted this snap of herself on social media in a chair in Notting Hill, where she lives, sporting a pair of red trousers that match the colour of the door behind her.

Amelia, who is signed to model agency Storm and appeared on the Milan catwalk for Dolce & Gabbana, favours the scarlet lady look. In recent weeks she has worn a number of red items including 315 Sonia Rykiel trousers in Paris and a red puffer jacket in London.

Did comedian Jack Whitehalls self-confessed crush on his American co-star Eva Longoria get in the way of his acting in BBC1s Decline And Fall?

Did comedian Jack Whitehalls self-confessed crush on his American co-star Eva Longoria get in the way of his acting in BBC1s Decline And Fall?

Constance Watson, great-granddaughter of Evelyn Waugh, who penned the original novel, thinks so.

Whitehall, at moments, is funny, but occasionally his character comes across as smug, and his acting seems somewhat self-conscious, she says.

One reason for this might be the leading man was spending too much time making eyes at his co-star.

Luckily  for all involved  Whitehall does manage to control himself while the cameras are rolling.

Stone's ex Jo Wood revives beauty line

Jo Wood has made a remarkable recovery after being forced to liquidate beauty business, Jo Wood Organics

Ronnie Woods ex-wife Jo has made a remarkable recovery after being forced to liquidate beauty business, Jo Wood Organics.

The Rolling Stone guitarist made her close down the company following their 2009 divorce because he co-owned it and no longer wanted the financial burden, but now the ex-model is re-launching her line via Queens grocer Fortnum & Mason.

Its been a hard task getting it back on its feet, says Jo, 62, Ronnies second wife for 24 years and by whom he had two children, Leah and Tyrone.

It started off really well but then I had my divorce and Ronnie wanted to get out of it, as he was a part of the company, so I had to put it into liquidation.

This time Ive got a businesswoman whos really nice and I know Ill work well with.
She shocked fans last month when she confirmed her split from Tiffany Scanlon.

But Megan Marx certainly isn't dwelling over her heartbreak.

The former Bachelor star appears to have found comfort in music, with the busty bombshell taking to Instagram on Wednesday to share a cheeky snap.

Scroll down for video

Heartbreak remedy? Megan Marx is pictured dancing in her underwear on a bed in Indonesia, while clutching an open jar of Nutella and listening to rapper Drake through headphones

The 27-year-old is pictured dancing in her underwear on a bed in Indonesia, while clutching an open jar of Nutella and listening to rapper Drake through headphones.

'Having a dance with @sudiosweden ... and a bit of sneaky Nutella,' she captioned.

'My Dad was pretty serious about my music education growing up, so not sure if he'd appreciate me listening to Drake's latest album on repeat this week (Pink Floyd to Drake, nothing wrong with broad taste, right?).'

Friendly getaway: Megan appeared to have plenty of company as she enjoyed a trip to the Indonesian Island of Gili Air recently

The skimpy selfie comes days after Megan was pictured cuddling up to pals as they partied in a treehouse in Gili Air this week.

The stunning blonde appeared sultry in the photo, tilting her head to the camera as her hand rested on her friend's back.

She wore a patterned cream skirt and dark skin-tight crop-top, with the ensemble accentuating her ample bust and exposing her toned midriff.

Over: Megan and Tiffany mutually split last month

Enjoying other company: The star noted her appreciation for the getaway in her caption, thanking Gili Air 'for the music, the tree houses and the love'

Her blonde tresses fell in wild waves around her face, with the beauty opting for a simple style without make-up or jewellery.

The star noted her appreciation for the getaway in her caption, thanking Gili Air 'for the music, the tree houses and the love'.

She also lamented the end of the trip, writing: 'back to the Gu tomorrow'.

Her companions wore their long locks out too, opting for similarly summer outfits that showed off their tanned arms.

The group appeared to be seated in a treehouse, with pillows strewn around, as one of the girls held a drink in her hand.

Carefree: Megan lamented the end of the trip, writing: 'back to the Gu tomorrow,' visiting the island after a holiday to Europe

Last month Megan parted ways with former girlfriend Tiffany Scanlon in early March, confirming their break-up on Instagram.

Responding to a fan, busty blonde abruptly announced: 'Tiffany and I have broken up'.

Tiffany was spotted flying into Perth without Megan, with the girls having moved to Balie together in January.

Happier times: Last month Megan parted ways with former girlfriend Tiffany Scanlon in early March, confirming their break-up on Instagram

While Megan has remained in Bali after enjoying a cold European vacation, Tiffany has since returned to Perth.

This weekend, the reality star documented her trip to the salon for a new spray tan, posing in little more than a pair of disposable underwear.

She showed off her bronzed result as she attended a Polo in the Valley event, mixing it up with former Bachelorette Cameron Cranley.
Pepsi has come under fire for its 'tone deaf' new advert starring Kendall Jenner, with people accusing it of exploiting the Black Lives Matter movement for its own gain.

The two-and-a-half-minute commercial features Kendall stepping out of a crowd of multi racial protesters to end a stand-off with police officer by handing him a can of Pepsi.

The imagery - whether intentional or not - evokes the real-life moment protester Ieshia Evans faced down lines of heavily armed police wearing riot gear during a Black Lives Matter demonstration over the fatal shooting of a black man by police.

Evans was arrested moments later, unlike Kendall whose actions win her knowing smile from the Pepsi ad's handsome, enlightened cop.

The ad has sparked outrage online from hundreds accusing Pepsi of trying to cash in on the Black Lives Matter protests. Twitter was flooded with deeply sarcastic posts mocking the 'tone deaf' ad.

Controversy: Kendall Jenner, 21, is at the center of backlash for a Pepsi commercial she starred in that has been accused of 'appropriating the resistance'

The real movement: Many compared Kendall's action to that of protester Ieshia Evans last year in Baton Rouge, LA, during the Black Lives Matter protests across the country

Kendall joins the crowd of young protesters with a Pepsi in hand in the ad

Evans was arrested moments later, unlike Kendall whose actions win her knowing smile from the Pepsi ad's handsome, enlightened cop

'How nice of Kendall Jenner to stop in the middle of her photo shoot to end social injustices by giving that cop a Pepsi,' one Twitter user wrote. 'MLK who? Rosa who?'

User @lgbtgreene added: 'I can't believe Kendall Jenner ended police brutality and white supremacy with a can of Pepsi not bad for a girl with no talent.'

Others complained that it was a transparent attempt by Pepsi to try and tap into whatever the 'youth (are) into these days.'

In the face of the backlash, Pepsi has released a statement which, although it does not address the furor directly, states that the commercial was supposed to represent the 'spirit of harmony.'

A spokesman told Adweek: 'This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think that's an important message to convey.'

In an earlier release, the brand had explained: 'The 'Jump In' Pepsi Moments film takes a more progressive approach to truly reflect today's generation and what living for now looks like.'

Of course, it's not the first time a soda giant has been accused of crass commercialism.

Martin Luther King's daughter wrote a sarcastic response to the commercial on Twitter, suggesting her civil rights activist father would have been better off with the canned drink

Celebrities including Lena Dunham were quick to slam the star's tone-deaf Pepsi commercial

Judd Apatow also had his say on the bizarre advert

Patton Oswalt joked that Pepsi could have stopped a faux plot that involved J.Edgar Hoover killing JFK

Questlove ripped into Pepsi for putting an April Fools commercial out four days late

Coca Cola faced fierce backlash for their Super Bowl ad, which was actually a re-run, this year which features people of all different ethnicities singing America the Beautiful in multiple languages. People accused the brand of trying to ride the wave of pro-immigrant and unity sentiment shortly after Donald Trump announced his Muslim ban.

In another unfortunate creative choice, Coke was forced to pull an online advert in 2015 which appeared to show Caucasian people turning up at an indigenous town in Mexico bearing gifts of soda cans and a Christmas tree for locals.

Coke received so many complaints that the ad reinforced stereotypes of whites teaching 'culturally and racially subordinate' indigenous people, that they even issued a rare apology.

But Pepsi appears to have outdone their rival with an advert which many complains 'mocks' the Black Lives Movement - which began over the deaths of so many young black men at the hands of police and has gone on to spark national and international protests.

Violence between police and protesters have been reported at numerous such demonstrations which have even resulted in fatal shootings in some cases.

'How nice of Kendall Jenner to stop in the middle of her photo shoot to end social injustices by giving that cop a Pepsi. MLK who? Rosa who?' one user lamented

Another agreed, sarcastically congratulating the 'no talent' model for ending police brutality

Minimizing the issue? One questioned Pepsi's motives, asking if racial tension is basically just a matter of thirsty

Another user was so shocked, they assumed it was an ad for the competition

The ad starts out with a glamorous Kendall in a blonde wig, doing a photo shoot in front of a large window

She sees the protesters walking by and wants to join in on the movement instead of finishing up her photo shoot

The model pulls off her wig and goes au natural instead of the glamorous style she was sporting

She means business! She smears off her lipstick in a symbol of her change of political ambition

Not then, the most obvious setting in which to set an ad to sell sugary, fizzy drinks.

The commercial, filmed in Bangkok for the brand's new Live For Now moments campaign, begins with a protest of young, attractive demonstrators holding aloft bland signs which proclaim statements such as 'Love' and 'Be part of the conversation.'

The march continues past a photoshoot where who else but Kendall Jenner is posing, in a short silver dress with platinum blonde hair, in front of the camera until her attention is drawn to a cute protester who gestures for her to join the movement.

Suddenly awakened to the cause, and perhaps the frivolity of a life of fame and photoshoots, the 21-year-old rips off her blonde wig, wipes off her makeup and joins the crowd.

She is now 'one of them'.

When the crowd come up against a line of attractive cops, Kendall has the solution; Pepsi.

She hands over a can to the most handsome officer and the crowd erupts in cheers as he takes a sip. Kendall pumps her fist in the air while the cop, seemingly won over by the gesture, shares a look with his colleague to say, 'well, they can't be that bad.'

She 'bravely' steps out of the crowd and hands the officer who is blocking the protest a can of Pepsi

All is well: He drinks the Pepsi, all problems go away and everyone is happy again

Kendall has not yet responded to the criticism of the ad, set to the sound of Lion, a new track by Bob Marley's grandson Skip.

But before it was released Kendall had said: 'I am thrilled to join the legendary roster of icons who have represented their generations and worked with Pepsi.'

She added: 'The spirit of Pepsi - living in the 'now' moment- is one that I believe in. I make a conscious effort in my everyday life and travels to enjoy every experience of today.'

But her fans are less than pleased and have taken to social media to call out her and Pepsi.

One user pointed out the comparison between the ad and the picture of Evans, saying: 'I'm gonna end this thread with this picture. The picture of that you mocked in this advertisement.'

'So according to @KendallJenner and @pepsi the racial tension problem is just a matter of thirsty cops,' another user lamented.

Community organizer Deray Mckesson added: 'If I had carried Pepsi I guess I never would've gotten arrested. Who knew?'

Comedian Margaret Cho wrote: 'If this #Pepsi ad is the choice of a new generation, Im gonna need that generation to turn in its badge.'

Fellow comic and actor Jim Gaffigan added: 'But you said you wanted social media to talk about Pepsi." - Advertising guy to Pepsi executive before agency is fired.'

Meanwhile members of an Austin Black Lives Matter group were outraged by the ad.

Jane Dunnington wrote on their group's page: 'What BS-- the pretty white chick gives the cop a Pepsi and it's all good; everyone cheers?! Yeah, that fixed institutional racism.'

'Wow that is offensive on so many levels,' Haley Bach added.
They co-host the new series Just Tattoo Of Us on MTV in the UK.

And Geordie Shore graduate Charlotte Crosby and her boyfriend Stephen Bear, 27, flew out to New Zealand on Tuesday to film scenes for the reality show.

Charlotte, 26, posted photos of the trip to her Instagram as she celebrated the international getaway with her fellow Celebrity Big Brother winner.

Scroll down for video

Bon voyage! Charlotte Crosby posted photos of the trip to her Instagram as she celebrated her first international getaway with her fellow Celebrity Big Brother winner

Flashing her business class ticket and passport as she stretched her legs out on the Eithad Airways flight, the blonde beauty couldn't contain her excitement.

'Next stop New Zealand....Auckland see you soon! Time for some TATTOOEY MADNESS,' she described in the image's caption.

A huge number of her astounding 5.7 million followers left a variety of comments under the snap.

Work hard, play hard: Charlotte Crosby and her boyfriend Stephen Bear flew out to New Zealand on Tuesday to film scenes for the reality series

'Welcome to our beautiful country... can't wait to see you here. You are such a gorgeous soul,' gushed one supporter.

'Your programme makes a mockery of the tattoo industry and gives people who don't like tattoos further reason to think tattoos are a joke,'' admonished another.

The lovebirds said in a recent interview they are 'going to prove everyone wrong' with their blossoming relationship.

Starry-eyed: The lovebirds said in a recent interview they are 'going to prove everyone wrong' with their new relationship

The Sunderland-born knockout revealed on British show This Morning she believes Stephen is 'the one' and she wants to have children with him.

'When you've met The One, it's The One,' she declared. 'I want to be with Stephen for the rest of my life, otherwise why would I be wasting my time with him now?'

'I want to be with him for the rest of my life, so he is the person I will have children with.'
She's the public relations queen who built her company from the ground up.

And Roxy Jacenko was in grind mode on Wednesday, sharing behind the scenes footage to her live Instagram stories of an in-house photo session.

The 36-year-old chastised Nova FM radio hosts Fitzy & Wippa during an appearance earlier in the day for suggesting she star on reality show Real Housewives Of Sydney.

Scroll down for video

Work hard, play hard! Roxy Jacenko was in grind mode on Wednesday, sharing behind the scenes footage to her live Instagram stories of an in-house photo session

The founder and CEO of Sweaty Betty PR and Ministry of Talent was seen on set with photographer Dominic Loneragan being snapped for her new business headshot.

'Wednesdays' she captioned the image, as she posed against a grey wall.

The blonde beauty playfully stuck her middle finger up as she smiled for the camera in a chic ensemble featuring a black blazer, white blouse and black skirt.

Flip the bird: The blonde beauty playfully stuck her middle finger up as she smiled for the camera in a chic ensemble featuring a black blazer, white blouse and black skirt

Expensive taste: She also wore the branded Christian Dior kitten heels she had posted to her Instagram account earlier in the week

She also wore the branded Christian Dior kitten heels she had posted to her Instagram account earlier in the week.

Prior to her photo shoot, the mother of two was a guest on the Fitzy & Wippa morning show on Nova 96.9 FM.

She was asked if she would ever star on popular show Real Housewives Of Sydney, with co-host Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald telling her: 'You'd be perfect on it!'

Breakfast radio: Prior to her photo shoot, the mother of two was a guest on the Fitzy & Wippa morning show on Nova 96.9 FM

'They are so mean to each other. I don't get it. Why does everyone have to be so mean?' she questioned.

She revealed producers of the series approached her to be involved two years ago and she declined, saying: 'If I did that my mum would disown me, just quietly.'

'Anyway, I am not a housewife. I go to work every day. I work!' she stressed.
Police served millionaire accountant Anthony Bell with an apprehended violence order on wife Kelly Landry's behalf in early January.

And following the former Sydney power couple's well-documented split, it appears stress of the impending divorce may have taken its toll on the television presenter.

An image shared to Instagram on Wednesday while on-set, saw Kelly cut a very slender figure in a sheer top and cigarette style trousers.

Taking its toll? It appears the stress of Kelly Landry's well-documented split with millionaire accountant husband Anthony Bell, may have taken its toll on the former model according to her latest Instagram post

The photo shared with Kelly's followers saw the former model standing next to a cheetah at Jamala Wildlife Lodge, situated just outside of Canberra.

The personality sported a singlet top teamed with a sheer sweater that highlighted her lithe arms and delicate decolletage.

Slim-fitting trousers accentuated her very lean legs, with a pair of delicate studs finishing off the smart casual look.

Kelly's blonde locks fell behind her toned shoulders, drawing attention to what looked to be a minimal makeup palette.

Slender: An image shared to Instagram on Wednesday while on-set, saw Kelly cut a very slender figure in a sheer top and cigarette style trousers

Physique: Despite being known for her svelte figure, the mother-of-two drew attention to a very slender frame in her latest Instagram post

It's certainly been a trying past few months for Kelly.

January saw police issuing Anthony with an apprehended violence order, banning the champion yachtsman from contact with his wife.

Under the terms of the provisional AVO, Anthony is banned by the court from stalking or threatening Kelly.

He cannot be in his wife's company within 12 hours of drinking alcohol.

Trying times: Police served Anthony with an apprehended violence order on wife Kelly Landry's behalf in early January. The presenter is pictured here in happier times in August 2012

Daily Mail was told police had been investigating an incident which took place between Anthony and Kelly on November 18 last year.

'There was an incident on that day at about 6pm,' a police spokesman said.

Anthony issued a letter to his clients days later, stating he would be defending the allegations against him.

'By now you may have seen a most distressing piece of news about my family involving some allegations my wife has made about me,' he said. 'There is an allegation that I pushed her in November. I did not push her.

Family ties: The former Sydney power couple share two young daughters together, Thea and Charlize

'There is an allegation I spoke loudly and embarrassed her in front of friends. It did not happen. I deny the allegations and will defend myself in court.'

The couple having been known as 'Kelly and Belly' among Sydney's social set - married overseas in 2011.

They share two young daughters together, Thea and Charlize.
Her husband, Ksubi founder Dan Single, was moved out of intensive care last week after shattering bones in his legs from falling feet first from a Paris balcony.

And on Wednesday, his wife Bambi Northwood-Blyth shared an emotional image in which she appears to be tired and emotional in light of the tragedy.

'She just waiting n wishing n hoping and praying' the 25-year-old wrote, referencing the song Wishin' and Hopin' by Dusty Springfield.

Sombre: As hubby recovers in hospital, Bambi Northwood-Blyth shared an emotional image in which she appears to be tired and emotional in light of the tragedy

No doubt the sombre image and caption refers to her husband's horrific accident and resulting injuries.

In the image, the model slumps against her own hand in what appears to be the backseat of a car.

She appears tired, wears dark round sunglasses and has a frown on her face.

Last week, Bambi seemed to be in better spirits, sharing a photo of herself modelling clothing by fashion retailer Mango.

Recovering: Her husband, Ksubi founder Dan Single, was moved out of intensive care last week after shattering bones in his legs from falling feet first from a Paris balcony

Hopes: 'She just waiting n wishing n hoping and praying' the 25-year-old wrote, referencing the song Wishin' and Hopin' by Dusty Springfield

The brunette beauty was pictured standing in a narrow blue corridor as she wore a white sweater and yellow paper bag trousers.

She captioned the photograph: 'Paris days, hanging in the hallways in #Mango.'

It's one of the first full-length photos she's posted promoting a label since Dan was admitted to hospital following his balcony fall.

Cheering herself up: Last week, Bambi seemed to be in better spirits, sharing a photo of herself modelling clothing by fashion retailer Mango

Wishing him well: Dan's friend Andre Saraiva said, '[He] is doing much better'

Long way down: The hotel sits in a six-floor terrace and it's a terrifyingly steep drop to the ground below from the third floor

Last Tuesday, Dan's friend and owner of the Grand Amour Hotel where the fall took place, Andre Saraiva, shared a positive update on the designer's condition.

'[He] is doing much better,' the French graffiti artist and hotelier told WHO magazine.

The brunette beauty tied the knot with Dan in Byron Bay in January 2014, with Bambi becoming a step-mother to Dan's son Justice, 10, at the age of 22.
Anne Hathaway oozed glamour as she graced the red carpet for the Los Angeles premiere of Colossal on Tuesday.

The Les Miserables actress sported a plunging black one-piece, which she accessorized with some chic pointed heels.

The 34-year-old showed off her flawless porcelain skin and perfectly applied make-up.

Classic: Anne Hathaway oozed glamour as she graced the red carpet for the Los Angeles premiere of Colossal on Tuesday

Lovely: The 34-year-old showed off her flawless porcelain skin and perfectly applied make-up

She cuddled up to her husband of 4 years, Adam Shulman, as they posed on the red carpet together.

The two looked more in love than ever as Hathaway was seen resting her head on his shoulder as he put one arm around her.

The brunette beauty styled her hair in voluminous big curls, giving it an old Hollywood glamour feel.

Stunner: The Les Miserables actress sported a plunging black one-piece, which she accessorized with some chic pointed heels

Love is in the air: She cuddled up to her husband of 4 years, Adam Shulman, as they posed on the red carpet together

Jason Sudeikis, who is her co-star in the movie, also made an appearance at the prestigious event.

He kept it more casual opting to wear a pair of grey trousers, a black T-shirt and a navy blue jacket.

The talented comedian, who is married to Olivia Wilde, was all smiles as he posed alongside Hathaway.

The life: The two looked more in love than ever as Hathaway was seen resting her head on his shoulder as he put one arm around her

Sassy: The brunette beauty styled her hair in voluminous big curls, giving it an old Hollywood glamour feel

Dapper: Jason Sudeikis, who is her co-star in the movie, also made an appearance at the prestigious event

The very original comedy sci-fi is about a woman, played by Hathaway, who discovers that severe catastrophic events are somehow connected to the mental breakdown from which she's suffering.

British actor Dan Stevens is also in the movie, as is Austin Stowell.

The movie is due out in theatres later this month on April 21.

Three amigos: Actor Austin Stowell, who's also in the movie, posed with his co-stars

The crew: (L-R) Sudeikis, Hathaway, Stowell and director Nacho Vigalondo

More guests: Mark Duplass and Katie Aselton walked the carpet together

Big night out: Nichelle Nichols (R) walked the carpet in an elegant black dress
Last month she revealed she had unintentionally lost weight due to the 'anxiety and stress' following her split from Megan Marx.

But Tiffany Scanlon is back to her fighting fit original form, taking to Instagram on Wednesday to show off her 'toned and strong' figure.

The 30-year-old former Bachelor contestant revealed to her 104,000 Instagram followers that she had lost five kilos, dropping down to just 52 kilos as part of a bikini body challenge.

Scroll down for video

'I went from slim and weak to toned and strong': Tiffany Scanlon shows off 52 kilo figure, after revealing her weight had plummeted due to 'stress and anxiety' of split from Megan Marx

In the social media snap Tiffany shows of her toned figure in comparison shots of her wearing the same floral bikini.

The photo on the left shows Tiffany in January 2015, while the photo on the right shows her in April.

The fitness fanatic writes that she 'went from slim and weak to toned and strong'.

Lost weight:"Last month she revealed the toll the split has taken on her body, detailing how she lost five kilos off her already petite frame in a month due to 'anxiety and stress'

Tiffany continued: 'I only write the weights because I know a lot of people believe its all about the number on the scale. I rarely weigh myself as I know muscle weighs more than fat so I rather notice how my clothes fit me or look at before and after pics.'

Last month she revealed the toll the split has taken on her body, detailing how she lost five kilos off her already petite frame in a month due to 'anxiety and stress'.

The Perth beauty said she unintentionally shed weight after the breakup, but had recently regained three kilos after getting 'back on my feet again'.

Stressed: The Perth beauty said she unintentionally shed weight after the breakup, but had recently regained three kilos after getting 'back on my feet again' (pictured in December)

Work in progress: Tiffany last showed off her results of the fitness regime in January

The fitness fanatic took to Instagram to set the record straight after being questioned over her weight loss.

Tiffany regularly posts scantily-clad bikini pictures or photos of her working out to social media, making her recent loss noticeable.

'It is true, I had unintentionally lost about 5kg in a month due to stress and anxiety,' she wrote on Tuesday.

Unexpected meeting: Tiffany and Megan met while competing for Richie Strahan's affection as contestants on last year's season of The Bachelor

'People handle stress differently and for me it meant I did little to no exercise and had no appetite.'

The reality TV star went on to stress that she did not want to encourage her fans to follow her example.

She also said that while she had been doing the Bikini Body Guide 12 Week Transformation at the time of breakup with Megan, she would not be sharing a before and after photo at the time because 'it would not show a true representation of what can be achieved'.

'People handle stress differently and for me it meant I did little to no exercise and had no appetite': The reality TV star went on to stress that she did not want to encourage her fans to follow her example

'I do NOT encourage people to lose weight in unhealthy ways. I encourage regular exercise and a healthy fresh meal plan,' Tiffany continued.

'I was not trying to lose weight nor do i want to lose weight and I am pleased to report I have regained about 3kg now that I'm back on my feet again.'

Tiffany and Megan met while competing for Richie Strahan's affection as contestants on last year's season of The Bachelor.

After months of speculation the couple confirmed they were an item late last year, moving to a Bali love nest in January.

But the romance abruptly ended with Tiffany returning to Australia and Megan confirming last month that they had broken up.
They are in the midst of a romantic break in the city of love.

And the grin on Michelle Keegan's face certainly alluded to the look of love as she stepped out with husband Mark Wright in Paris on Tuesday, although the handsome TOWIE star failed to crack a smile during the outing.

The 29-year-old is combining a holiday with a working trip, as she has been snapping a campaign for her latest collection with Lipsy, yet she took some time off for a day out with her spouse, 30.

Scroll down for video

Beaming: The grin on Michelle Keegan's face certainly alluded to the look of love as she stepped out with husband Mark Wright in Paris on Tuesday, although the handsome TOWIE star failed to crack a smile during the outing

Michelle nailed low-key chic in her ensemble as she sported a white slogan T-shirt adorned with the word 'Lit', which she tucked into her high-waisted trousers.

Her cigarette pants were perfectly tapered to highlight her endless legs while sitting just above her ankles in length - also showing off her crisp Chanel espadrilles.

Keeping out the Spring chill, the former Coronation Street star draped a grey waterfall coat over her shoulders without looping her arms through.

Tucked in the crook of her arm was a black leather handbag, no doubt carrying a designer label, while her oversized sunglasses were also a plush touch.

All smiles: The 29-year-old is combining a holiday with a working trip, as she has been snapping a campaign for her latest collection with Lipsy, yet she took some time off for a day out with her spouse, 30

Lit: Michelle nailed low-key chic in her ensemble as she sported a white slogan T-shirt adorned with the word 'Lit', which she tucked into her high-waisted trousers

Michelle's lengthy brunette locks were stacked on top of her head in an huge bun with lengths falling down her neck.

Mark meanwhile went for his usual trendy style in a crisp blue shirt with white chinos paired with a bomber jacket yet he maintained a stony expression.

The happy couple were sure to document their romantic breakaway, taking to Instagram to showcase their many candid moments on Monday.

Making his social media followers envious, he posted a magical photo with the city's most famous landmark - the Eiffel Tower -glistening in the background.

Trendy: Mark meanwhile went for his usual trendy style in a crisp blue shirt with white chinos paired with a bomber jacket yet he maintained a stony expression

The I'm A Celeb alum posed shirtless in the sizzling snap, showcasing his muscular back as he looked out from his hotel balcony towards the breath-taking spectacle.

Captioning the photo, he wrote: 'Just one last look before bed. #roomwithaview #wheninparis'.

The Heart FM presenter Mark - who recently turned 30 - also shared a number of other snaps that showcased their first day in the French capital, enjoying a number of his and hers cocktails at Le Bar Botaniste at Shangri-La Hotel.

Michelle shared several snaps on her Instagram story, showcasing that the many French delicacies they enjoyed, including a dish of escargots.

Also taken a back from the incredible view from their dazzling lodgings, the actress - who has enjoyed two breaks away this already with Mark - shared a short clip of the Eiffel Tower's lights twinkling in the moonlight.

Writing along the mesmerising video, she wrote: 'With love from Paris' with a lip emoji.

Their amorous display comes as Michelle prepares to jet off to South Africa ahead of filming for the second series of BBC drama Our Girl.
Mel B's 18-year-old daughter was escorted to the Hollywood family home on Tuesday, after 'abusive' Stephen Belafonte was ordered to stay away.

Phoenix Chi Gulzar was driven to the luxury Los Angeles estate by two older companions the same day that Mel, 41, exposed a staggering level of violence in the family home and in front of the children across their 10-year marriage.

Mel and Stephen's disturbed home life was chronicled in explosive court papers this week, after the former Spice Girl finally filed for divorce.

Scroll down for video

Arriving home: Mel B's daughter Phoenix Chi Gulzar was seen arriving at the family's Hollywood home on Tuesday, hours after a restraining order against Stephen Belafonte was granted

Phoenix let herself into the home, while a large washing bag was carried to a waiting car by her companions.

The Hollywood home has been on the market ever since Stephen was kicked out two weeks ago, TMZ reports.

The 6,000 square feet property was reportedly put on at $9m but dropped to $8m, while Mel B is said to find the 'bad memories' too painful to ever return.

Phoenix (whose father is Jimmy Gulzar) and her younger sisters Angel (whose father is Eddie Murphy) and Madison (whose father is Stephen) have been directly mentioned in the documents, with claims about violence that took place in front of them, in the home.

Part of the documents, entitled 'Abuse In Front Of The Children,' former Spice Girl Mel details the type of behaviour the children bore witness to in a decade.

Happy families: In court documents filed by Mel, she details 'violence' by Stephen (right) in front of all three children (from left) Phoenix, Madison and Angel

Escorted home: The teenager was escorted around Los Angeles by two older companions

It reads: 'Respondent's name-calling, yelling, screaming, demeaning and demoralizing conduct towards me has occurred in [front of] all three of the children.

'When this occurs in front of the children, I repeatedly ask him to stop, or take it upstairs, and he repeatedly refuses to do [so].

'Sometimes he would even get louder until I capitulated to his particular demands.'

One of the most publicised incidents in the UK happened in December 2014, while Mel was filming for the X Factor and due on British TV.

The popstar and TV personality was mysteriously hospitalised and reemerged the next week with scratches and bruises, prompting speculation of domestic abuse.

Family life: Stephen's abuse in front of the family has been chronicled in an official report

Proud: Phoenix is Mel's eldest child, from her relationship with Jimmy Gulzar

That Christmas, shortly after Stephen was accused of attacking Mel at their London home, Phoenix publicly defended her step-father.

Then 15, she hit out saying: 'Can everyone just chill he didn't hit my mom don't know how that stupid rumour came up.'

Stephen and Phoenix also enjoyed a joint shopping trip immediately after claims that the teenager was scared of her step-father.

US court documents from a historic custody case between the former Spice Girl and her ex Jimmy Gulzar, Phoenix's father, include the terrifying claims made by Mel's mother Andrea Brown.

Helping hand: Phoenix was not alone, she was helped by two older friends

'Phoenix told me Stephen had a gun and that he had scared her with it,' Andrea allegedly said in 2009, according to documents obtained by The Daily Star.

'While at [Mel's sister] Danielle's, Phoenix said that Stephen told her that when she was 16, he is going to throw her out of the house.'

Andrea - who is estranged from Mel - also said: 'I was shocked at this time to hear Phoenix say she hated her stepfather Stephen and I dismissed this as a result of her having to share mum with him and sister Angel.

'But Phoenix has never spoken like that about Mel's other partners.'

Tricky times: The family has been granted a restraining order against Stephen
She's her own best advertisement for her swimwear range.

And Elizabeth Hurley treated her fans to another seductive beach snap on Tuesday, showcasing her impressive figure in a plunging navy swimsuit.

The 51-year-old actress looked sensational in the simple yet sexy one-piece, which boasted a gold ring at the bust and a teardrop cut-out running down her stomach.

Scroll down for video

Looking good: Elizabeth Hurley treated her fans to another seductive beach snap on Tuesday, showcasing her impressive figure in a plunging navy swimsuit

Elizabeth's gym-honed arms and slender legs were on display in the tropical snapshot, which sees the beauty going make-up free behind a large pair of shades.

The Royals star certainly wasn't short of compliments, with her male admirers showering her with compliments.

'How are you still single?', one asked, while another posted, 'What a woman'.

Earlier this week, Elizabeth also shared a beach selfie with her 530,000 Instagram followers.

Ahoy there! Earlier this week, the star looked sizzling in the saucy selfie as she posed in a tiny tangerine bikini top

The brunette beauty pouted in the snap which showed off her pert bust in a skimpy tangerine halterneck bikini top.

The actress shot a wide-eyed, slightly distressed look at the camera and captioned the image 'Valley Of The Dolls'.

She was referring to the cult 1967 film about three young women attempting to make it in Hollywood who succumb to ill-fated romance and the lure of drug abuse.

The face of Estee Lauder rocked a sexy bed-head hairstyle with her highlighted locks swept around her face.

Her lashes were loaded with mascara and she sported a baby pink lip gloss.

Mother and son time! Elizabeth shared another selfie, this time taken during a long country walk with her 14-year-old son Damian

The mum-of-one has been enjoying spending some quality time with her 14-year-old son Damian recently.

Elizabeth shared a touching selfie with Damian on Monday with the pair enjoying a long country walk together.

The Bedazzled star rocked a fur trim hat as Damian grinned sheepishly behind her.

Damian, whose father is Elizabeth's former partner billionaire Steve Bing, is clearly devoted to his famous mother.

The school boy paid tribute to her on Mother's Day by sharing an adorable picture of the pair when Damian was just a toddler.

He captioned the image: 'Happy Mothers Day Mummy xxx'

Devoted: Damian paid tribute to his famous mother on Mother's Day with an adorable throw-back snap to when he was much younger
He recently took a sartorial risk by bleaching his hair blonde in honour of Justin Bieber's Australian tour.

And The Footy Show's Beau Ryan, 31, has found another fair-haired kindred spirit this week during a trip to Germany.

The former NRL star took to Instagram on Wednesday during an interview with fellow blonde Charlize Theron, 41, who stars in the new action flick Fate Of The Furious.

'Just another day in the office': The Footy Show's Beau Ryan, 31, took to Instagram on Wednesday during an interview with fellow blonde Charlize Theron, 41, who stars in the new action flick Fate Of The Furious

'Just another day in the office when an Oscar winning actress says that your hats cool and wants to keep it. We love Charlize Theron,' wrote Beau in the caption as Charlize posed in a hat emblazoned with The Footy Show's logo.

The Fate Of The Furious sees Charlize star as Cipher, a criminal mastermind who manages to corrupt Dom (Vin Diesel) into working against his allies.

It is the eight film in the mega-successful franchise, and the first - besides the Japan 'spin-off' Tokyo drift - to not feature Paul Walker, following his death in a 2013 car accident.

Feeling at home? On Monday, he documented his travels by sharing a selfie with the caption: 'Luckily the Germans love blonde hair. They are treating me like one of their own'

Meanwhile, Beau has been enjoying the perks of working for The Footy Show, having jetted to Berlin this week to attend the film's premier.

On Monday, he documented his travels by sharing a selfie with the caption: 'Luckily the Germans love blonde hair. They are treating me like one of their own.'

Back in Australia, Beau's wife Kara is gearing up for the birth of their second child after announcing her pregnancy in February.

Baby joy: Back in Australia, Beau's wife Kara is gearing up for the birth of their second child after announcing her pregnancy in February

Announcing their happy news on social media, the pair both shared a sweet snap of their three hands on Kara's burgeoning belly.

'Three of us, soon to be four. Excited. Happy. Blessed,' they both captioned the black and white Instagram post.

The couple are yet to confirm whether they are expecting a baby boy or girl to become their four-year-old daughter Remi's newest sibling.

Their joyful family snap was a far cry from the headlines Beau made in 2015 after it was alleged he'd had an affair with former Hi-5 star Lauren Brant, who coincidentally is pregnant with her new boyfriend Barry Hall's baby.

Expanding their brood: The couple are yet to confirm whether they are expecting a baby boy or girl to become their four-year-old daughter Remi's newest sibling
She's the successful model known the world over.

And on Tuesday, Miranda Kerr appeared to be in hot demand while in South Korea for the Wonderbra lingerie fashion show promotional event.

The 33-year-old was pictured with major South Korean and Korean celebrities, taking to Instagram with a cute selfie with two members of a K-pop girl group.

Scroll down for video

All smiles! Miranda Kerr takes selfie with Korean actress Park Si Yeon and K-pop girl band Melody Day while in South Korea for lingerie launch on Tuesday

The supermodel wowed in a red A-line dress, pairing the vibrant look with matching pointed-toe stiletto heels and a dramatic red lip.

The former Victoria's Secret model made time for some selfies at the exclusive event, including a stunning shot with two members of the South Korean girl group, Melody Day.

Miranda uploaded the picture to her 10.9 million followers, captioning it with a surprised face and the hashtag: 'melody day.'

She's a fan? Miranda posed for sultry selfie with two members of the K-pop girl group Melody Day as she hashtagged the band's name with a surprised emoji in her caption

Selfie time! The girl group regrammed the image, with members also uploading separate snaps with the Australian stunner

'Together with the beautiful Miranda Kerr': She posed with popular Korean actress Park Si Yeon at the event, who later posted the snap to Instagram

The girl group regrammed the image, with members also uploading separate snaps with the Australian stunner.

She also took a happy snap with popular Korean actress Park Si Yeon.

The actress shared the image, with the caption: 'Together with the beautiful Miranda Kerr.'

High spirits: Miranda is no doubt enjoying her time in Asia, with the model taking to Instagram to share a series of snaps in which she could be seen exploring Korean culture

Miranda is no doubt enjoying her time in Asia, with the model taking to Instagram to share a series of snaps in which she could be seen exploring Korean culture.

In one video, she could be seen clutching a paper fan as a bystander spoke to her in the local language.

'Thank you for the warm welcome Korea,' she captioned one of her many snaps.
Lisa Marie Presley believes her estranged husband Michael Lockwood tipped off paparazzi to take snaps of himself and his twin daughters to make him appear a 'doting dad,' a new report claims.

Sources connected to Lisa Marie - who is currently locked in a custody battle with Lockwood - reportedly told TMZ that she is 'convinced the paparazzi didn't just happen to find' Lockwood at a Southern California flea market on Sunday.

Lockwood was photographed at a local flea market in Los Angeles, as Lockwood was photographed trying on different clothes and checking out jewellery with his eight-year-old twin daughters Harper and Finley.

Day with dad: Lisa Marie Presley's estranged husband Michael Lockwood stepped out with their eight-year-old twin daughters, Harper (left) and Finley, (right) in Southern California on Sunday

The website says Lisa Marie thinks he set up the pictures with a paparazzo to make it look like he's an 'involved dad.'

After finishing up the afternoon of shopping together, the father-of-two took his daughters to lunch at a restaurant in Hollywood.

Mail Online have reached out to representatives of both Lockwood and Presley.

The former couple are currently locked in a bitter divorce battle following the collapse of their 10-year marriage, as she has accused him of having a stash of child porn on his computer.

Divorce: Lisa , who split with Lockwood last June, wants sole custody of her twin girls

In papers revealed exclusively by DailyMail.com in February, Elvis Presley's only daughter claimed that she found hundreds of inappropriate pictures and disturbing video on Lockwoods computer.

But rather than give Presley custody of their daughters while it investigated her claims, Child Protection Services decided to take the girls from both parents and agreed that they could live with their 71-year-old grandmother, Priscilla Presley.

The girls have not been in foster care and never will be, Priscilla said in a statement. The girls have been with me and will be until all this is sorted out.

Priscilla said both parents see the girls regularly.

In papers revealed exclusively by DailyMail.com in February, The Kings daughter claimed that she found hundreds of inappropriate pictures and disturbing video on Lockwoods computer. They are pictured together above in 2015

In the court papers, Presley said: I was shocked and horrified and sick to my stomach, when she saw the images on Lockwoods computer.

But her husband shot back, blasting her for making the unproven allegations against him in publicly available papers.

It is particularly distasteful that [Presley] has placed more value on trying to damage my reputation than on the fact that her false statements may be brought to our daughters attention, he said.

As I experienced during our more than 10-year marriage and as I believe this court will learn [she] has great difficulty being honest and she rarely, if ever, accepts personal responsibility for her own wrongdoing, he added.

Guardian: Priscilla Presley, pictured with her daughter at Elvis's home of Graceland back in 2012 is currently looking after her granddaughters

Presley and Lockwood, 55, a musician who has worked with Carly Simon, Fiona Apple and Aimee Mann, among others, were married in a lavish $340,000 ceremony in Kyoto, Japan in 2006. Her first husband, Danny Keough, was the best man.

Lisa Marie requested sole legal and physical custody of their children when she filed for divorce last June

According to TMZ, Lockwood, who responded with a request for joint custody, gets monitored visits with the twins.

Their outing came as a court has ordered his 49-year-old estranged wife to pay a portion of his legal expenses as she divorces him.

Presley must pay Lockwood $10,000 a month for five months, but she does not have to pay spousal support.
She has explored career moves in theatre and fashion.

Yet Pixie Lott has returned to her musical roots to film her latest video while sporting a skimpy underwear-inspired ensemble adorned with a pasta print and paired with thigh-high boots as she headed down Hollywood Boulevard.

The 26-year-old Mama Do hitmaker looked incredible in the scanty ensemble, which first appeared with an abstract pattern although upon closer inspection the outfit was adorned with farfalle and spaghetti.

Scroll down for video

Out and a pout: Pixie Lott has returned to her musical roots to film her latest video while sporting a skimpy underwear-inspired ensemble adorned with a pasta print and paired with thigh-high boots as she headed down Hollywood Boulevard

Pixie showed off her incredible figure as she slipped into the two-piece which boasted a cleavage-boosting balcony bra and extremely high-waisted knickers.

In true quirky style, the ensemble was adorned with the funky print which boasted an image of two large pieces of farfalle while the bottoms featured spaghetti.

The high-waisted bottoms sat just below her braline, with the skin-tight shape clinging to her taut stomach and peachy posterior.

Her black ensemble boasted a red trim, which added another dimension to the stunning get-up which highlighted all her best bits.

You can't see pasta! The 26-year-old Mama Do hitmaker looked incredible in the scanty ensemble, which first appeared with an abstract pattern although upon closer inspection the outfit was adorned with farfalle and spaghetti

Blonde beauty: Pixie showed off her incredible figure as she slipped into the two-piece which boasted a cleavage-boosting balcony bra and extremely high-waisted knickers

Stunner: Pixie, who is famed for her funky style, wore a pair of thigh-high boots with a gold display of stars and sun extending the entire length of the leg

Red lip: Styling her bleach blonde crop into bouncy waves, she also showed off a flawlessly made-up face complete with a slick of complementary red lipstick

Pixie, who is famed for her funky style, wore a pair of thigh-high boots with a gold display of stars and sun extending the entire length of the leg.

Styling her bleach blonde crop into bouncy waves, she also showed off a flawlessly made-up face complete with a slick of complementary red lipstick.

Not content with the statement ensemble, Pixie added in a thick gold choker which featured a structured plate detail.

After several years away from the music scene, Pixie made her return on Saturday night when she debuted her new track, a collaboration with DJ Anton Powers, on ITV's The Voice.

Trucking: Not content with the statement ensemble, Pixie added in a thick gold choker which featured a structured plate detail

Fabulous from every angle: After several years away from the music scene, Pixie made her return on Saturday night when she debuted her new track, a collaboration with DJ Anton Powers, on ITV's The Voice

Sizzling: Clad in tiny black shorts and saucy latex boots, the blonde dazzled her fans as she energetically danced around the stage to the new track

Excited: The stunner spoke about her delight ahead of the song's release after her performance, gushing: 'I've been away in the studio for the past few months and I can't wait for my fans to hear everything I've been working on'

Clad in tiny black shorts and saucy latex boots, the blonde dazzled her fans as she energetically danced around the stage to the new track.

The stunner spoke about her delight ahead of the song's release after her performance, gushing: 'I've been away in the studio for the past few months and I can't wait for my fans to hear everything I've been working on.

'It feels like a new chapter for me. I had a lot of fun working with Anton on Baby. We first met years ago when he remixed my song Gravity but we bumped into each other in Ibiza last summer and I knew he was someone I wanted to work with again.'

Lost in thought: 'It feels like a new chapter for me. I had a lot of fun working with Anton on Baby'

Exciting times: 'We first met years ago when he remixed my song Gravity but we bumped into each other in Ibiza last summer and I knew he was someone I wanted to work with again'

Stunner: The Essex-born beauty pulled all her best poses for the camera

Loved-up: The stunning star sizzled in her pasta ensemble

Sizzling: The stunner wowed in her ensemble

She had also jetted to Singapore the week before to perform at Make The Future festival. Pixie's hectic schedule comes after a relaxing few weeks off to celebrate her engagement to long-term beau Oliver Cheshire, 28.

The beauty got engaged to her male model boyfriend of six years late last year, when he got down on one knee in front of St Paul's Cathedral.

Reminiscing on the night to MailOnline, the beauty admitted she had been left speechless by his proposal, admitting: 'I just burst into tears [when it happened].

'I was so tired and jet lagged as I'd just got back from LA and we'd been at a wedding party the night before. I'd had no sleep, so I just burst into tears, for once I was speechless!'

Loved-up: She had also jetted to Singapore the week before to perform at Make The Future festival. Pixie's hectic schedule comes after a relaxing few weeks off to celebrate her engagement to long-term beau Oliver Cheshire, 28

Look at me! 'I was so tired and jet lagged as I'd just got back from LA and we'd been at a wedding party the night before. I'd had no sleep, so I just burst into tears, for once I was speechless!'
They've enjoyed a blissful six months since they rekindled their turbulent on/off romance.

And Emma Roberts and Evan Peters weren't shy about showing off their feelings as they packed on the PDA during a romantic walk around New York City on Tuesday.

The lovebirds only had eyes for each other, with the actress, 26, stealing a cute kiss from her man, 30, as they strolled hand-in-hand.

Scroll down for video

Pucker up, baby: Emma Roberts and Evan Peters weren't shy about showing off their feelings as they packed on the PDA during a romantic walk around New York City on Tuesday

The Scream Queens star - the niece of Hollywood legend Julia Roberts, 49 - stood out from the crowd in a kooky furry jacket in blue, brown and purple, teamed with velvet wide-legged trousers and lace-up boots.

Wearing her flame locks tied back neatly, Emma showed off elegant drop earrings and chic cat-eye sunglasses.

Head-over-heels Evan returned his girlfriend's affection as they enjoyed their low-key afternoon in the Big Apple.

Also wrapped up snug for the bitter spring weather, Evan pulled on his blue padded jacket and woolly hat.

Head over heels: The lovebirds only had eyes for each other, with the actress, 26, stealing a cute kiss from her man, 30, as they strolled hand-in-hand

The pair have had a famously tumultuous relationship over the years.

Sparks flew when the stars met on the set of the dark comedy indie flick Adult World in 2012.

In 2013, police were called to a hotel room the couple were staying in Montreal, Quebec, when a fellow guest heard a 'heated' dispute between the two.

Emma was arrested when police arrived, but Evan declined to press charges, with his girlfriend being released several hours later.

In a joint statement, the couple called the situation 'an unfortunate incident and misunderstanding', and stated that they were 'working together to move past it'.

On-off romance: The couple have had a famously tumultuous relationship over the years, and have been dating on and off since meeting on the set of dark comedy indie flick Adult World

Evan popped the question in in March 2014, but the couple called off the wedding in June 2015.

But the co-stars sealed the deal with a kiss as they decided they couldn't live without each other.

They were spotted passionately locking lips in a very public PDA session over the Thanksgiving holiday last year in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in November 2016.

And the eagle-eyed co-stars of the fiery-haired bombshell noticed she was wearing her engagement ring again.

'Emma and Evan are engaged again. Shes been wearing her ring on set. Everyone on set knows,' a source told US Weekly magazine at the time.
She recently described him as 'the one' declaring she wanted him to be father of her children.

And Charlotte Crosby only had eyes for beau Stephen Bear as the pair shared a romantic stroll during their recent Caribbean holiday.

Gazing adoringly at the tattooed reality star, the 26-year-old held his hand and rested her head on his shoulder for a walk on the beach in the Dominican Republic.

Scroll down for videos

Geordie on the Shore: Charlotte Crosby and Stephen Bear looked loved up as they took a romantic stroll on the beach

The reality star showed off her slim and tanned legs in a short khaki playsuit teamed with a gold pendant necklace.

Sporting subtle smokey eye-make-up and glossy pale lipstick, Charlotte wore her light brown ombre hair in a sleek straight style for the sunset stroll while carrying her strappy gold heels.

Manicured nails and a menagerie of silver rings completed the look.

Smiling away: The reality stars held hands and beamed for their beachy stroll

Fashionista: The reality star showed off her slim and tanned legs in a short khaki playsuit teamed with a gold pendant necklace

Her reality star beau meanwhile, wore a pink T-shirt and white shorts teamed with layers of wristbands, as he also went barefoot.

Despite the couple both having somewhat chequered romantic histories, their relationship is going from strength to strength.

The lovebirds said in a recent interview they are 'going to prove everyone wrong' with their blossoming relationship.

Barefoot time: Both the couple carried their shoes to walk on the golden sands

No shoes: Her reality star beau meanwhile, wore a pink T-shirt and white shorts teamed with layers of wristbands, as he also went barefoot

Defiant: The lovebirds said in a recent interview they are 'going to prove everyone wrong' with their blossoming relationship

The Sunderland-born knockout recently revealed on This Morning she believes Stephen is 'the one' and she wants to have children with him.

'When you've met The One, it's The One,' she declared. 'I want to be with Stephen for the rest of my life, otherwise why would I be wasting my time with him now?'

'I want to be with him for the rest of my life, so he is the person I will have children with.'

Nailing it: Charlotte sported a pale pink manicure and smokey eye make-up

Long time: Charlotte recently declared she wanted to 'be with Stephen for the rest of my life, otherwise why would I be wasting my time with him now?'

The pair also seem to work well together - both fronting reality show Just Tattoo Of Us, despite Bear's famously unpredictable personality.

'On the last day of filming, he was so annoying - we were all so angry,' Charlotte recently told Heat about the show. 'Oh God, it was like a showdown.

'But he's amazing at what he does. No-one would've watched Celebs Go Dating without him. It would be so boring.'
She may have found fame on TOWIE, but she's now hoping to break into the music charts.

And in pursuit of singing success, Jasmin Walia has touched down in Los Angeles after touring across the US.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, the reality star, 26, couldn't resist flaunting her killer abs in a fuchsia bikini as she prepared to top up her tan in the Californian sunshine.

Bikini beauty: Jasmin Walia, 26, showcased her killer abs in a fuchsia bikini as she posted a new selfie to Instagram on Tuesday

Slipping into her revealing two-piece, Jasmin couldn't resist stepping in front of the mirror to capture a selfie.

The scantily-clad star held onto the string of her bikini bottoms as she stuck her hip out to one side to pose for the racy snap.

Showcasing her taut stomach and svelte frame, Jasmin donned a huge pair of mirrored shades while her raven locks tumbled past her shoulders.

She tweeted alongside her photo: 'LA finally getting my tan on.'

'I'm so happy': The former TOWIE star treated her Instagram followers to yet another scantily-clad snap to thank them for supporting her latest single Temple

'Finally getting my tan on': The aspiring singer embraced the sunnier climes as she touched down in Los Angeles

That wasn't the only bikini snap she shared with her social media followers, as Jasmin followed up her tweet with a couple more shots on Instagram.

In one, the brunette beauty can be seen standing by an open window while wearing a distressed denim jacket that she shrugged off her shoulders.

Jasmin joked that she had been in 'mid-conversation' when the photo was taken, but still won a slew of compliments from her fans.

One follower commented: ' Wow amazing hot body.'

Revealing all: Jasmin wasn't afraid to put her svelte frame on display as she posed in her two-piece and a denim jacket

'Hello Miss Universe...': The brunette beauty was inundated with comments from fans complimenting her on her enviable figure

Another said: 'Hottest body ever! So natural and beautiful,' while one more added: 'Hello miss universe...'

In another photo, Jasmin cuts a carefree figure as she smiled for the camera.

She thanked fans alongside her post for viewing her latest music video for her new track Temple and said: 'Yo I'm so happy we just reached 3 million views on temple thank youuuuuuuu.'

Temple is Jasmin's latest music offering and follows her debut single Girl Like Me.

Showcasing her vocals: Jasmin had auditioned for The X Factor back in 2014 in front of Simon Cowell and Cheryl but failed to reach boot camp

She had also collaborated with her close friend and neighbour Zack Knight on his track Dum Dee Dee Dum last year.

After starting out on The Only Way Is Essex, Jasmin quit the reality show in 2015 to pursue her hopes of becoming a pop star.

Fans had seen Jasmin audition for The X Factor a year before hanging up her reality boots and despite failing to get through her first meeting with the show's famous judges, things now seem to be taking off for her.

Reality roots: She had been a regular face on The Only Way Is Essex, before deciding to quit the show in 2015 (pictured above with Georgia Kousoulou in 2014 )

Speaking about her music to Now magazine in September last year, Jasmin said: 'It's done really well! I'm actually surprised by the reaction because I thought I'd be judged coming from TOWIE.

'Before doing TV work I went to stage school... I'm not just a reality star trying to jump on the singing bandwagon - I've been doing this forever.'

Jasmin revealed that she has been hitting the studio in LA, after touching down in the celeb-riddled city following a brief tour across the US.

She had previously spent time in New York and made sure to document her trip on social media, before moving onto Chicago.

US tour: Jasmin had spent time in New York before touching down in LA and documented her trip on Instagram for her fans to see
Sofia Vergara was branded 'classless' by her former fiance Nick Loeb in an explosive letter, which revealed the 'screaming fights' the couple endured throughout their tempestuous relationship.

The actress, 44, has been been locked in a legal battle with her businessman ex - who she split from in May 2014 - attempting to have him officially blocked from taking control of her frozen embryos.

In a letter filed in court and obtained by Page Six, the Modern Family star was branded 'classless' by Nick for speaking her mother tongue at the dinner table and accused of attempting to 'humiliate' him.

Legal drama: Sofia Vergara has been been locked in a legal battle with her ex-fiance Nick Loeb - attempting to have him officially blocked from taking control of her frozen embryos - and now a new letter lifts the lid on the couple's fiery romance

He wrote: 'What I do not like and what I will not put up with anymore is the Spanish, and no I do not like hanging out with you when you speak in Spanish with others at the table ...

'Not only is it rude and disrespectful, it is classless. And for you to then berate, embarrass and humiliate me in front of others when I ask you to stop is not happening anymore.'

The letter also reportedly details their explosive rows and screaming matches, including a fight which saw Sofia 'banging on the door like a maniac' after he shut himself in the bathroom.

Loeb - who is fighting to have the two embryos implanted in a surrogate - also reportedly expresses his desire to have children in the letter.

Mark J. Heller, Nick's attorney, commented: 'The letter underlined the dynamics of a very strained relationship . . . He wanted to have these girls because he wanted to create a family with Sofia  that was the primary focus in his life.'

Language barrier? According to Page Six , the Modern Family actress - who split from the businessman in May 2014 - was branded 'classless' by Nick for speaking her mother tongue at the dinner table and accused of attempting to 'humiliate' him

Blazing rows: The letter also reportedly details their explosive rows and screaming matches, including a fight which saw Sofia 'banging on the door like a maniac' after he shut himself in the bathroom

MailOnline has contacted both stars' representatives for comment.

In February, the actress filed legal documents asking the court to stop Nick from being allowed to file a lawsuit again in relation to the embryos, TMZ reported at the time.

She claimed Loeb voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit against her in December just so he could refile the case again at a later date.

Vergara said it would be a waste of time given he signed a contract stating he cannot bring the embryos, which were created in 2013, to term without mutual consent from her.

She is seeking the court order, as well as a financial sum for being put through the legal ringer for two years.

Two-year legal battle: In February, Sofia filed legal documents asking the court to stop ex-fiance Nick Loeb from taking control of her frozen embryos

Her former fiance filed a right-to-live lawsuit against the Modern Family star in Louisiana in December claiming the fertilized eggs - which he listed as 'Emma' and 'Isabella' - were being deprived of a trust that he created for them.

The suit added that Isabella and Emma were deprived of this inheritance by not being born and should be allowed to live so they can receive that money.

His most recent lawsuit argued that Loeb should have full custody over the embryos so he can implant them in a surrogate. He argued that Vergara should have no parental rights.

Loeb dropped a different lawsuit against Vergara in California in December when a judge ruled he would have to identity two women who had abortions after he impregnated them.

Hitting back: Vergara, pictured in January, claims her ex-fiance voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit against her in December just so he could refile the case again at a later date to continue the legal saga

Seeking control: Loeb, pictured with Vergara in 2012, has filed lawsuits against the Modern Family star in a bid to gain control of their frozen embryos so he can bring them to term

Text messages included in the filing revealed that, even when they were a couple, Loeb and Vergara were arguing about the embryos long before they split in May 2014.

In March 2013 the couple found out they had created five embryos.

Sources told Page Six that Loeb then texted his fiancee: 'You can't keep 4 frozen lives forever or kill them, we will go to hell'.

'We r going to hell regardless', Vergara allegedly responded.

She then told Loeb: 'I'm doing it because I want you to have a baby.'

Vergara underwent two rounds of in-vitro fertilization but both failed. When the couple split up, Loeb allegedly texted her: 'We still have those 2 frozen babys'.

The couple signed a contract stating neither party could use the embryos without other's consent.

Vergara wants to keep the embryos 'frozen indefinitely'.

Lawsuit: Loeb filed a right-to-live lawsuit against the Modern Family star in Louisiana in December claiming the fertilized eggs were being deprived of a trust that he created for them

The actress has previously said that she believes that a 'child needs a mother and a loving relationship with parents that get along, that don't hate each other'.

'I wouldn't want to bring kids to the world where it is already set everything wrong for them,' she added. 'It would be so selfish.'

'I've been working very hard for 20 years to get to this point where I am. I don't want to allow this person to take more advantage of my career and try to promote himself.'

Vergara believes the contract the couple signed back in 2013 should have been the end of it.

'There's nothing to talk about,' she said. 'There's papers signed.'

Vergara is now married to Magic Mike actor Joe Manganiello and has a son Manolo, 24, from her first marriage to childhood sweetheart Joe Gonzalez.
She's got the inside track on the hottest designer fashion houses from Milan to Paris and New York to London.

Yet Gigi Hadid dressed in an understated and nondescript fashion on Wednesday in the French capital, emerging from her hotel in all-black.

The 20-year-old world-famous model did, however, have a brighter disposition than her gloomy garbs and gleefully waved to waiting admirers.

Scroll down for video

Black beauty: Gigi Hadid was seen leaving a Paris hotel on Wednesday, wearing another all-black outfit

Her edgy look had a biker-inspired vibe, comprising chunky boots and leather trousers.

Over the top, she fought off the chill in a long, gothic jacket and even set off the one-colour outfit with a black jumper.

In true top model fashion, the stunner was keeping her image minimal with little-no make-up on behind sunglasses and her hair pulled back into a ponytail.

After all, Gigi didn't need to extra fuss, Yolanda and Mohammed Hadid's eldest daughter was effortlessly beautiful.

Biker chic: Gigi wore leather trousers with chunky biker boots

More business: The star is in the French capital on business this week

Just this week, Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star Yolanda explained why she never let Gigi and Bella model until they were 18 years old.

'I never let them work before they were 18,' she told Elle.com. 'I didn't want anybody judging them on what they looked like.

'I wanted them to feel and be the authentic human beings that they are, and I think that created a lot of strength for them.'

Model mum: Yolanda Hadid (centre) recently said that she prohibited Bella and Gigi from modelling until they were 18 because she didn't want them to be judged

She added: 'I always said to them: "Listen, there are thousands of girls that are much more beautiful than you girls, but you have an extraordinary character, and you're going to have to set yourself apart by being a role model."'

Yolanda stressed the importance of being kind to people on set - from 'the light people, the make-up [to] the cleaner in the back of the studio' - in order to 'make a difference in the world.'

Gigi and Bella (who signed with IMG age 17) skipped the Daily Front Row's Fashion LA Awards on Sunday where the Dutch-born blonde was awarded 'Mom of the Year' by her son Anwar (who signed with IMG age 16).

Bright smile: Her smile was brighter than her gloomy outfit

Low-key: Gigi modelled a low-key look behind sunglasses, adding little make-up
They were one of ten couples who chose to stay together after being paired on the experimental matchmaking series, Married At First Sight.

And Sharon Marsh and Nick Furphy have now confirmed they've undertaken another joint mark of commitment together.

The duo revealed to Nine Now this week that they have inked their bodies with 'matching tattoos'.

Tatt's serious! MAFS Sharon Marsh and Nick Furphy admit to getting matching ink while holidaying in New Zealand durng chat with Nine Now this week... after the pair FINALLY address ongoing pregnancy rumours

The couple have already announced Sharon's intent to move to Melbourne to live with Nick and addressed ongoing pregnancy rumours since the show's finale.

Sharon told the publication they had matching designed permanently placed on their skin while on a holiday in New Zealand.

'We wont say where or what but yeah we got matching tattoos,' Sharon explained.

'We wont say where or what': The couple kept their designs secret, while claiming 'it was pretty funny' and started as a dare for Nick only

The blonde beauty claimed it was a dare aimed at Nick, but when he said 'well I'll do it, if you do it' she caved.

They both laughed as they agreed 'it was pretty funny.'

It appears the holiday happened four weeks ago, with Sharon posting a picture to Instagram last month at a winery on Waiheke Island, tagging Nick with her.

A mark of commitment? It appears the tattoo occured on holiday four weeks ago, with Sharon posting a picture to Instagram last month at a winery on Waiheke Island, tagging Nick with her

During the chat, Sharon also seemed to confirm June will be when she'll move to be with Nick: 'I'm committed until end of May in Perth.'

Meanwhile, the star finally addressed baby reports during an interview on the Today show on Monday.

The reality TV couple looked more smitten as ever and at one point, Melbourne carpenter Nick, 30, affectionately cradled his 'wife's' stomach.

A baby on the way? Married At first Sight stars Sharon Marsh and Nick Furphy finally addressed baby reports during a TV interview on Monday and at one point, the Melbourne tradie affectionately cradled his 'wife's' stomach

'In nine months there could be a little Furphy,' Sharon said laughing.

The Perth beauty went on to address claims that they recently confirmed pregnancy reports to a tabloid magazine.

'It is hilarious. We got asked, 'Are you pregnant.' And [Nick] pipes up, yep, I'm pregnant. So they slam us on the front of a magazine saying, 'Yes I'm pregnant,'' she laughed.

Joking around: 'In nine months there could be a little Furphy,' Sharon said laughing

Clearing up rumours: The Perth beauty went on to address claims that they recently confirmed pregnancy reports to a tabloid magazine

'But that's his bloody quote, not mine.'

While Nick's love life continues to blossom, he recently opened up about personal struggles relating to his father's health.

The 30-year-old revealed to TV Week on Thursday: 'It was hard to concentrate on the experiment when you had all that happening in the background. It makes you a little on edge.'

Difficult: While Nick's love life continues to blossom, he recently opened up about personal struggles relating to his father's health

Last week it was announced Nick's father would be tested for the incurable Motor Neurone disease and despite specialist appointments Nick says it still hasn't been confirmed by doctors.

Despite originally wanting to stay put in Perth, Sharon suggested she would move for love if that was the only way they could be together.

A day trip to Melbourne threw a spanner in the works, as an impressive display of commitment from Nick left his 31-year-old bride convinced she could at least trial a move to the southern state.

Nick was pleasantly surprised by the offer: 'I don't think I've ever had anyone in my life offer to do something like that.'

'It's a lot of commitment for someone to say that. I felt really lucky and I'm not going to take that for granted,' he added.

Happy days: On Tuesday night, Sharon announced she would trial a move to Melbourne to be with groom Nick

After visiting his apartment, the pair went out to sit down and have a serious chat about their future, with their original plans dashed.

'If [your dad's illness] is as bad as the doctors think it is, I would not expect you to ever come to Perth to live,' she told the carpenter.

With expressions of thoughtfulness and love being a shock specialty of the larrikin man, he immediately jumped in with a grand gesture.

'I can come to Perth, help you pack up all your furniture, put it away in storage, and we can always just drive your car over,' he told her earnestly.

The deal appeared to be cemented when Nick offered to come back to Perth to help her pack up her life and then expressed interest in buying a house with the 31-year-old

Helping hand: He volunteered himself, as well as his friends and family, for anything she might need in the process

Eventually the pair came to a decision. Sitting on a park bench, Sharon nervously revealed she wanted to give the move a shot.

'I'm over the Skype, I'm over the texting I'm over the calling,' she began.

'Everything always happens for a reason and I'm 99.9 per cent confident to say I'm happy to move for you Nick Furphy.

'I'm going to start a little life with you in Melbourne, do a little trial, and see how it goes from there.'

Married At First Sight returns to Channel Nine on Sunday at 7pm
She is more used to the balmy, sunny temperatures of Los Angeles.

So Elizabeth Olsen has clearly had a little bit of a shock as she shot Avengers: Infinity War in much breezier Scottish climes.

The 28-year-old actress cuddled a hot water bottle during a break in filming in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

Scroll down for video

Freezing! Elizabeth Olsen clutched a hot water bottle to her chest while clad in a big padded jacket as she filmed scenes for the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War in Edinburgh on Tuesday

Despite her discomfort, the younger sister of twins Mary-Kate and Ashley still managed to appear glamorous with her skin looking flawless for the night shoot.

She wore her brown hair loose and in a centre-parted style while clutching the coat around herself to warm up.

At one point, she seemed to be practising her character's trademark hand movements before the cameras started rolling.

Brrrrr! The actress is more used to the sunnier climate of Los Angeles

Break time: Elizabeth seemed keen for filming to commence so she could warm up a little

Witchy moves: Elizabeth appeared to be practising for her part at one point

Star-studded cast: The film stars Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldana, Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr

The star is reprising her role of Wanda Maximoff - otherwise known as Scarlet Witch in the film which will again feature a star-studded cast including Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldana, Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr.

In fact, Ashley recently credited Renner - who plays Hawkeye - with stopping her feel 'overwhelmed' on the Avengers set.

The actress worked alongside the actor in the Avengers: Age of Ultron and has admitted she would have been plagued with anxiety if he wasn't for his advice.

Hotly anticipated: The film will be released in cinemas in 2018

She's got the moves: Fans can expect Elizabeth's character to unleash her incredible powers in the new movie

Costume: The star sported a black T-shirt and jeans underneath her thick coat

Getting along: Elizabeth has previously spoken out about the close knit nature of the Avengers cast

Speaking to Vulture, she said: 'My first day filming on Ultron, I was with Jeremy and we were ushering like 400 extras or something and I was really overwhelmed and Jeremy in a very simple way broke down a very human goal about why he's there, what he's doing and where his goal was and really simplified it for me.'

She has also been complimentary about the star-studded cast, telling The Telegraph: 'Everyone was incredibly kind and playful. Paul Bettany [the Vision] is hilarious, Downeys the kindest, Renner is a really funny person.

'Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Hemsworth  theyre all so nice. We had one dinner as a gang but everyone had moved their families over to London [for filming] so they didnt want to hang out with me!'
Panties and bras are clearly so passe for this former Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star.

Brandi Glanville made date night a little spicier by ditching her underwear so that she could dare to bare in a racy dress.

The 44-year-old headed to dinner with beau Donald 'DJ' Friese to the celebrity-loved Craig's in West Hollywood, California, on Tuesday evening.

Scroll down for video

No pants Tuesday: Brandi Glanville headed to dinner with beau Donald 'DJ' Friese to the celebrity-loved Craig's in West Hollywood, California, on Tuesday evening

While the establishment draws a who is who of Hollywood and is known for its upscale America fair, the reality star took a less-is-more approach to dressing for her night out.

For her dinner with her billionaire-heir boyfriend, Brandi wore a black long-sleeved mini dress.

But this was not just your classic LBD, while long sleeved, the frock was the opposite to conservative as it was laced together with a piece of string.

The dress split so that the star's entire leg was exposed before a black lace started to keep the dress together.

Oh la la: For her dinner with her billionaire-heir boyfriend, Brandi wore a black long-sleeved mini dress that was laced together with a piece of string

Careful there: The dress split so that the star's entire leg was exposed before a black lace started to keep the dress together

The lacing ensured Brandi's entire side was exposed making it very obvious she was not wearing underwear.

As she headed to the car, it appears like the reality star even started to feel self-conscious, holding her clutch across her pelvic region.

A significant portion of side and underboob was still exposed, and her nipple threatened to escape with every step.

Dared to bare: The lacing ensured Brandi's entire side was exposed making it very obvious she was not wearing underwear

Aside from her daring dress, the star wore a pair of patent black platform heels and a Stella McCartney clutch.

Keeping her balance in the high platforms, Brandi held onto her beau's arm as they walked to the car.

Brandi and DJ have been dating for just over six months after meeting on Tinder.

Peek-a-boob: A significant portion of side and underboob was still exposed, and her nipple threatened to escape with every step

But it has been all systems go with the pair often declaring their love for each other on social media and even posting a naked selfie on Valentine's Day.

DJ is in line to inherit a huge slice of his billionaire father's fortune. Donald Sr made waves after he sold his business C.R. Laurence for an eye-watering $1.3 billion, then handed over $85 million to his employees.
Camila Alves rocked two brightly-hued pant ensembles while promoting her cooking/lifestyle webseries Camila's Code in Manhattan on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old wife of Matthew McConaughey - who relies on stylist Anita Patrickson - showcased her phenomenal 5ft9in figure in a cobalt blue jumpsuit and white wingtip wedges.

The Brazilian beauty wore her raven locks in curls coiffed by hairstylist Kristin Heitkotter and sported kohl-rimmed eyes applied by make-up artist Kelsey Deenihan.

Scroll down for video

Same blue purse! Camila Alves rocked two brightly-hued pant ensembles while promoting her cooking/lifestyle webseries Camila's Code in Manhattan on Wednesday

Alves was previously spotted wearing a long-sleeved mustard top with brown suede Alice + Olivia bell bottoms and black spiked pumps.

Camila began her morning very early by making her 13th appearance on NBC's TODAY show.

The Yummy Spoonfuls founder received a thumbs up approval from all four judges (aged 5-12) taste-testing her three children's favorite recipes - Honey Chicken and Israeli Couscous.

Cute: The 35-year-old wife of Matthew McConaughey - who relies on stylist Anita Patrickson - showcased her phenomenal 5ft9in figure in a cobalt blue jumpsuit and white wingtip wedges

Tied with a bow: The Brazilian beauty wore her raven locks in curls coiffed by hairstylist Kristin Heitkotter and sported kohl-rimmed eyes applied by make-up artist Kelsey Deenihan

Morning sunshine! Alves was previously spotted wearing a long-sleeved mustard top with brown suede Alice + Olivia bell bottoms and black spiked pumps

Mellow yellow: Camila began her morning very early by making her 13th appearance on NBC's TODAY show

'They're watching at home!' The Yummy Spoonfuls founder received a thumbs up approval from all four judges (aged 5-12) testing her children's favorite recipes - Honey Chicken and Israeli Couscous

The former housekeeper - who learned English at 15 - and her famous 47-year-old husband are parents to son Livingston, 4; son Levi, 8; and daughter Vida, 7.

Camila and the Oscar-winning Texan - who met at Hollywood hotspot Hyde back in 2006 - will celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary on June 9.

McConaughey will next appear alongside Kenny Chesney and Drew Brees at the sold out Amazing Race Fundraiser taking place this Saturday at the House of Blues in New Orleans.

Tuxedo-clad kids: The former housekeeper - who learned English at 15 - and her famous 47-year-old husband are parents to son Livingston, 4; son Levi, 8; and daughter Vida, 7

Still going strong! Camila and the Oscar-winning Texan - who met at Hollywood hotspot Hyde back in 2006 - will celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary on June 9

The Gold actor will next play the Man in Black opposite Idris Elba in the sci-fi western The Dark Tower

Nikolaj Arcel's flick hits UK theaters on July 28 and US theaters on August 4.

'Join me & my friends!' McConaughey will next appear alongside Kenny Chesney (L) and Drew Brees (R) at the Amazing Race Fundraiser this Saturday at the House of Blues in New Orleans
She's been caught in the middle of Megan McKenna and Pete Wick's messy split, amid claims she 'got close' to the tattooed hunk whilst he was still in a relationship.

But Chloe Sims brushed off the drama as she filmed new scenes for The Only Way Is Essex in her native town on Wednesday.

Looking stony-faced as she headed out with her co-stars, the 34-year-old reality star no doubt had plenty on her mind as she prepared to catch up with her friends.

Scroll down for video

Moving on: She's been caught in the middle of Megan McKenna and Pete Wick's messy split, but Chloe Sims brushed off the drama as she filmed TOWIE in her native town on Wednesday

Concealing her phenomenal figure for the outing, Chloe donned a denim shirt that she teamed with super-skinny jeans that clung to her lean legs.

Ensuring all eyes would be on her, the blonde bombshell donned an oversized emerald fur jacket that fell just above her hips to highlight her tiny waist.

Adding to the glamour, she donned a dramatic black choker and bore striking smokey eye make-up as she teetered along in heeled black ankle boots.

Something troubling? Looking stony-faced as she headed out with her co-stars, the 34-year-old reality star no doubt had plenty on her mind as she prepared to catch up with her friends

Double denim: Concealing her phenomenal figure for the outing, Chloe donned a denim shirt that she teamed with super-skinny jeans that clung to her lean legs

Furry nice! Ensuring all eyes would be on her, the blonde bombshell donned an oversized emerald fur jacket that fell just above her hips to highlight her tiny waist

The outing came amid claims she is the cause of Megan and Pete's split.

The on/off couple were seen caught in a blazing row on the street, with Megan having to be physically restrained by TOWIE crew members after she accused him of cheating on her.

Sources claimed during the row in the street Megan accused Pete of being unfaithful while staying in Scotland, presumably during his solo mini-break he took in January after a blazing row with Megan at the NTAs.

The other woe said to be facing their relationship is claims he has 'grown close' to Chloe, after images emerged of the duo looking extremely close at London's Mayfair Hotel last month.

Three's a crowd: The outing came amid claims she is the cause of Megan McKenna and Pete Wick's recent explosive split, where she has made her feelings on the matter clear

Explosive: The on/off couple were seen caught in a blazing row on the street, with Megan having to be physically restrained by TOWIE crew members after she accused him of cheating

Loyal: Mother-of-one Chloe had previously slammed Megan for leaving her best friend Pete in tears and has been comforting the star as he comes to terms with the break-up

Insiders told The Sun: 'Megan called Pete on the photos and asked whats going on. She said she was amazed Chloe didnt try to reach out to explain that theres nothing in it.

'Pete defended Chloe and said nothing had happened and that she hadnt done anything wrong, but Megan started screaming: "Why are you sticking up for her?"

'Megan accused Pete of cheating on her and sleeping with a girl in Scotland and he threw it back in her face, saying: "I wasnt cheating but I did text her, and it doesnt matter because youre sleeping with your ex!"'

There is no evidence to suggest Chloe was involved in their break-up.

Out and about: Also heading to TOWIE filming on Wednesday was Lydia Bright

Dressed down: Lydia donned a grey jumpsuit with a bleached denim jacket, keeping her more glamorous outfit concealed in a large grey holdall

Sizzling in stripes: Lydia later changed into a colourful striped co-ord that showed off her tanned and toned pins and flashed some flesh whilst remaining demure

Three of a kind: Lydia was also joined by co-stars Chloe Meadows (L) and Chloe Lewis (R)

During Sunday night's installment of TOWIE, Chloe was seen comforting Megan as she admitted that she wasn't aware of the pain the EOTB star had been going through after the split.

It was a dramatic change of heart for the mother-of-one, who had previously slammed Megan for leaving her best friend Pete in tears.

She wrote in her Star magazine column: 'They were happy, then she broke up with him out of the blue. Pete confides in me and hes been in tears. I feel really sorry for him.'
Get you high kicks ready because Manhattan's top brokers are back - and they have competition.

Season 6 of Million Dollar Listing is back on small screens in a month and its new trailer to promising big deals and bigger personalities.

With the retirement of long-time star Luis Ortiz, there is now a new realtor stepping into his fancy loafers - and this new blood is about to draw blood.

They're back: Season 6 of Million Dollar Listing is back on small screens in a month and its new trailer to promising big deals and bigger personalities with the return of Fredrik Eklund (left) and Ryan Serhant (right) with the debut of new realtor Steve Gold (centre)

In the trailer, released Wednesday, fan favorite Fredrik Eklund declares there is a new agent in town.

The star says: 'Apparently there's a new shark in the pool.'

That shark is Steve Gold a former fashion model, who is single ready to mingle after splitting with Brazilian actress Julia Faria and, it seems, even more ready to take off his shirt.

But he is not about to lose his shirt in any deal, as the young broker reveals he has sold $100 million in real estate and, this year, plans to sell $200 million.

New blood: In the trailer, released Wednesday, fan favorite Fredrik Eklund declares there is a new agent in town, 'Apparently there's a new shark in the pool'

While that makes him stiff competition for Fredrick, the pair have actually known each other for some time.

Steve may avoid having the impossibly well groomed realtor go for his jugular - as long as he stops intimating Fredrik's famous high kicks.

It seems he is not about to have the same experience with fellow vet Ryan Serhant.

New kid on the block: That shark is Steve Gold who is a former fashion model who grew up on the East Coast

Get ready ladies: The new guy is single ready to mingle after splitting with Brazilian actress Julia Faria and, it seems, even more ready to take off his shirt

Actively looking: The Connecticut-raised agent is trying to find the perfect woman

While Ryan gets a chance to sell a home that has it's own 'golden shower' - not THAT type, mind out of the gutter - the newbie seems to have rubbed him the wrong way.

The pair clash over a listing with one representing the seller and another buyer.

After Steve tells Ryan his client's low offer, the veteran real estate broker tells the newbie: 'You listen to me mother f**ker, if they want to come up you know how to reach me, otherwise never call me again.'

No drama here: While that makes him stiff competition for Fredrick, the pair have actually known each other for some time

Trouble brewing: While Ryan gets a chance to sell a home that has it's own 'golden shower' - not THAT type, mind out of the gutter - the newbie seems to have rubbed him the wrong way

While those two are busy fighting over golden showers and decimal points, Fredrik is focused in his celebrity clients.

This season sees the broker work with Bethenny Frankel, who enlisted him last year to help her find a new home after her divorce finally went through.

The 39-year-old realtor shows the Real Housewives star an apartment with 100 foot living room.

Fight's on: The pair clash over a listing with one representing the seller and another buyer

Frank: After Steve tells Ryan his client's low offer, the veteran real estate broker tells the newbie, 'You listen to me mother f**ker, if they want to come up you know how to reach me, otherwise never call me again'

The reality star cannot help but joke: 'That's what they all say, that's what all the men say to me. '

This season also guest stars comedian Josh 'The Fat Jew' Ostrovsky and sees Louis pop back on the show.

As always there are the stunning homes, and this season Fredrik is set to try to sell a $400 million apartment building, but not all sales are smooth sailing.

Bigger fish to fry: While those two are busy fighting over golden showers and decimal points, Fredrik is focused in his celebrity clients

Moving on: This season sees the broker work with Bethenny Frankel, who enlisted him last year to help her find a new home after her divorce finally went through

Fun times: This season also guest stars comedian Josh 'The Fat Jew' Ostrovsky

Look who it is: Retired long-time star Luis Ortiz also pops back to see Fredrik

Ryan is feeling the stress because sellers are not happy - and he is not the only one.

The new guy gets into a verbal altercation with a seller before storming out and yelling 'good luck selling it'.

Both veterans are also going through person struggles

Big money: As always there are the stunning homes, and this season Fredrik is set to try to sell a $400 million apartment building, but not all sales are smooth sailing

That's his stressed face: Ryan is feeling the stress because sellers are not happy - and he is not the only one

After the wedding slump: The star is also learning to adjust to married life with Emilia Bechrakis (center)

Fredrick's husband Derek Kaplan says it's that time again, presumably discussing whether to push forward with IVF and surrogacy.

The couple's surrogate miscarried twins last time they tried.

But the real estate agent resists: 'It's not meant to be. Something's not been right.'

Not the only one: The new guy gets into a verbal altercation with a seller before storming out and yelling 'good luck selling it'

Having issues: But Ryan is also struggling on a personal level, seeing a therapist he says, 'It feels like something's missing and I'm just sort of stuck'

With this going on, he sits down with Ryan to negotiate some sort of deal.

'Do you know why we're here? I never in my life ever thought this was going to happen.'

But Ryan is also struggling, seeing a therapist he says: 'It feels like something's missing and I'm just sort of stuck.'

Hard time: Fredrick's husband Derek Kaplan says it's that time again, presumably discussing whether to push forward with IVF and surrogacy but the real estate agent resists: 'It's not meant to be. Something's not been right'

'I never in my life ever thought this was going to happen': With this going on, he sits down with Ryan to negotiate some sort of deal

Spin it out: However, it is not all doom and gloom - there is a lot of fun coming this season from dating to juggling with the new guy and column pole dancing for Ryan and helicopter high kicks for Fredrick

Almost here: Million Dollar Listing New York returns to Bravo May 25

However, it is not all doom and gloom - there is a lot of fun coming this season from dating to juggling with the new guy and column pole dancing for Ryan and helicopter high kicks for Fredrick.

There is also the houses which are this year so sexy, Ryan claims mid-interview: 'I just got a boner.'

Million Dollar Listing New York returns to Bravo May 25.
Kylie Jenner had just one message on Wednesday: I'm great all by myself.

The reality television star's on-off boyfriend Tyga has reportedly moved out following their latest split, and she showed him exactly what he's missing via Snapchat.

The 19-year-old flaunted her stunning physique in a skin tight flesh-toned dress, after Us Weekly reported that Tyga had left her $6 million mansion in Hidden Hills, California.

Scroll down for video

All by myself-ie: Kylie Jenner showed Tyga what he's missing as she posed sexily following him moving out her home

The 27-year-old rapper appeared to confirm he had a new locale on Wednesday with a social media post of a new pad.

He has been living at her five bedroom, six-bathroom property for the past ten months.

And following their split, once again - according to US's Jenner source - he's left her home.

New pad: Kylie Jenner has split with Tyga and now he's moved out her mansion, according to Us Weekly on Wednesday

Luxury life: Tyga has been living at Kylie's Hidden Hills mansion

'Tyga moved out,' their source revealed.

They added that 'Tyga feels he's been belittled on the show [Keeping Up With The Kardashians]'.

'They tend to take little breaks all the time and then get back together,' another friend of the couple told People magazine on Monday about the split, adding: 'It's definitely possible they'll work things out again.'

Keeping Up With The Kardashians star Kylie has been in an on/off romance with the Rack City hitmaker since 2014.

Busty display: The 19-year-old flaunted her stunning physique in a skin tight flesh-toned dress on Wednesday

Feeling ruff? As per usual, Kylie added filters to her face on Snapchat

Got curves: She covered her face with her phone and put her figure at centre stage

Change of scene: Meanwhile Tyga appeared to confirm his new view, as he posted this picture

Another pal told Us they are merely taking some space from each other and insisted: 'They're not broken up. They're just not spending as much time together.

'Tyga does really make Kylie happy, and when they break up it makes Kylie super sad,' the insider continued, 'He's her first big love and they still speak every day.'

The pair have taken breaks previously - they split briefly in November 2015 amid reports of cheating, but swiftly reunited before a series of break ups in 2016.

Emblazoned: The reality star wore a velvet zip up with her name on it

What he's missing: Kylie flaunted her body in a skin tight nude bodysuit

Their most recent publicised split was in May 2016, just days before the Met Gala.

The duo reunited the next month, and Tyga went on to gift Kylie a $200,000 Maybach for her August birthday.

Tyga had been leasing homes ahead of moving in with his girlfriend, and reportedly has moved 24 miles east of her where 'she will keep an eye on him,' the Jenner insider told Us, adding: 'She doesn't trust him, but can't let go.'

Pert booty: She showed off her assets in the video

Keeping chin up: Kylie was spotted after the split on Monday

The teen certainly didn't show a hint of heartache on Monday when she performed a lip sync routine on Snapchat, miming the rapper's lyrics to his new song Act Ghetto.

Of course, her support of the tune bolsters her own star, as she is name-dropped in the track in praise of her business savvy.

'She wanna stunt like Rihanna, might make me wear Puma,' the E! star repeated the words while driving in her car. 'Gettin' checks like Kylie [Jenner], yeah, every day I do it, yeah. Yesterday I did it, every time I'm with her.'

On-off: The couple have a tumultuous relationship (pictured Feb 14)

The couple was last pictured during a public outing last month and have had an on-off history together.

Kylie was first linked to Tyga in 2014, but they officially began dating after her 18th birthday in 2015.

Tyga shares son King Cairo with ex fiance, Blac Chyna, was recently engaged to Kylie's half brother Rob Kardashian - who share daughter Dream.


Candice Swanepoel was spotted strutting down the pavement in New York City on Wednesday alongside her mother Eileen.

The 28-year-old Victoria's Secret mainstay showcased her figure - enviably trim six months after giving birth - in a black dress redolent of the 1950s.

She uploaded a heartwarming Instagram video that day of her son Anaca beaming ear to ear as he went back and forth on a swing in what seemed a small park.

Scroll down for video

Family day: Candice Swanepoel - sporting Sunday Somewhere sunglasses - strutted down the Manhattan pavement on Wednesday alongside her mother Eileen

For her outing in the city, she'd pulled on a nearly skintight black jacket over the sheer top half of her black dress, popping on black cat-eye Sunday Somewhere sunglasses.

The Mooi River native's blonde hair was slicked severely back and wound into a bun, and she'd complemented its color by way of an unobtrusive gold choker.

Below the cinched-in waistline, the dress was finely pleated and fell slightly past the knee, matching her flats and the small leather purse slung from her right shoulder.

Retro chic: The 28-year-old Victoria's Secret mainstay showcased her figure - enviably trim six months after giving birth - in a black dress redolent of the 1950s

She grasped a small coffee cup, as did Eileen, who'd worn a scarf the same zaffre shade as her flowing blouse, as well as white trousers and sun-shaped earrings.

One of Eileen's arms held a grey and orange purse, and with her other hand, she gripped a bag from Veniero's, an East Village patisserie dating back to 1894.

She's been engaged since 2015 to Brazilian model Hermann Nicoli, whom she'd begun dating a decade prior after they'd met in Paris when she was all of 17.

Treats for the baby?: One of Eileen's arms held a grey and orange purse, and with her other hand, she gripped a bag from Veniero's, an East Village patisserie dating back to 1894

Their firstborn, Anaca, was born October 6 last year, and in the Instagram video his mother posted Wednesday appeared to be having the time of his life.

'6 months ago this treasure came into my life, and brings me so much joy everyday I could just pop! So grateful to be his mommy,' Candice gushed in her caption.

At the end, she chucked in the hashtag: '#mamaeorgulhosa,' which when separated out into the Portuguese words 'mamae orgulhosa' translates to 'proud mama.'

Making memories: She uploaded a heartwarming Instagram video that day of her son Anaca beaming ear to ear as he went back and forth on a swing in what seemed a small park
He has intermittently worn a compression glove after paralysing his left hand in a car crash nine years ago.

But after sporting the garment this week, Morgan Freeman removed it for a screening of his new film, Going in Style.

Joined by co-star Michael Caine at London's Ham Yard Hotel on Wednesday, the actor, 79, looked in good spirits on the outing.

Scroll down for video

Two of a kind: Morgan Freeman removed his compression glove for a screening of Going in Style where he was joined by co-star Michael Caine at London's Ham Yard Hotel on Wednesday

Looking dapper for the outing, the Oscar-winner donned a crisp white shirt and vibrant purple jumper beneath a grey blazer.

Going in Style - directed by Zach Braff - also stars Alan Arkin and Ann-Margret, and tells the tale of three octogenarian former steel workers, who rob a bank after their pension fund lost their life savings.

Faced with being left destitute, the trio believe they can come up with a plan which will allow them to escape arrest - and plan to give any excess money to charity.

The gloves are off! Morgan seemed chirpy at the screening, after removing the compression glove he had sported the day before at the opening night of 42nd street

Morgan seemed chirpy as he posed with his co-stars at the screening, after removing the compression glove he had sported the day before at the opening night of 42nd street.

The star has suffered with paralysis in his left hand since he was left seriously injured in 2008 after his car flipped multiple times on a Mississippi highway.

Morgan previously admitted to being in near constant pain as he continues to suffer from fibromyalgia - chronic widespread pain - steaming from his broken shoulder.

Suave: Looking dapper for the outing, the Oscar-winner donned a crisp white shirt and vibrant purple jumper beneath a grey blazer as he posed with Sir Michael

Cast: Going in Style - directed by Zach Braff (M) also stars (L-R) Christopher Lloyd, Joey King, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Ann-Margaret, Alan Arkin and Donald De Line

Tragic: Morgan has suffered with paralysis in his left hand since he was left seriously injured in 2008 after his car flipped multiple times on a Mississippi highway

Sad: Sadly, despite doctors promising it would improve by 2011, the actor's left hand remains immobile due to the severe nerve damage he suffered in the 2008 crash

Sadly, despite doctors promising it would improve by 2011, the actor's left hand remains immobile due to the severe nerve damage he suffered in the 2008 crash, and he has to wear the compression glove to keep the blood flow going.

Speaking about the injury just after the crash, the Dark Knight Rises star managed to remain matter of fact about the crippling affliction.

'I suffered nerve damage and it hasn't gotten better. I can't move it,' he said at the time. 'If you don't move your hand, it will swell up. Do you know you move your hand about a million times a day?'

Back on: After the screening, Morgan put the compression glove back on as he headed to Scott's restaurant in London

Chirpy: He seemed in good spirits on the outing as he was escorted inside
She's spoken out previously about women's rights.

And Olivia Wilde wore her thoughts on her chest as she stepped out in New York City on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the words: 'Feminist AF' on set of her new movie Life Itself, in the city.

Feminist: Olivia Wilde wore her thoughts on her chest as she stepped out in New York City on Tuesday

The beauty kept it casual with ripped mom-jeans with turn-ups, as she did some reshoots for the movie.

Her honey-toned hair was worn longer than usual, with waves around her shoulders.

She had on scuffed white sneakers.

Get the message: The 33-year-old wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the words: 'Feminist AF' on set of her new movie Life Itself, in the city

Chilled: The beauty kept it casual with ripped mom-jeans with turn-ups, as she did some reshoots for the movie

She's evolved her style throughout shooting, including being seen with a prosthetic baby bump and a jet-black bob hairstyle.

The fiancee of Jason Sudeikis was then seen in a different T-shirt as she shot some action scenes.

A less political message of 'Music is my only friend' was on the front of her shirt.

Changed: The fiancee of Jason Sudeikis was then seen in a different T-shirt as she shot some action scenes

Different look: Her honey-toned hair was worn longer than usual, with waves around her shoulders

Action scenes: A less political message of 'Music is my only friend' was on the front of her shirt

Making a move! She was seen running in sneakers

making notes: Olivia chatted to her co-star Oscar Isaac as they sat outside

Reshoots: She had her notes in her hand as they chatted

Stunning: Olivia also posed against this post

Downtime: The beauty looked relaxed and looked at her notes while Oscar checked his phone

Deep in thought: She supped on a drink while they then both looked at his phone

She's been engaged to her husband-to-be since early 2013, and delivered their second child - a daughter called Daisy - only five months ago.

Dan Fogelman, creator of the smash hit NBC sitcom This Is Us, is writing and directing Life Itself, which is set to shoot in Seville as well as New York.

The impressive cast list features such names as Antonio Banderas, Samuel L. Jackson, Annette Bening and Oscar Isaac, and the film's due out in 2018.

Scant plot details have emerged, though a tragedy will apparently link several characters, and Oscar and Olivia's characters are a couple, per Deadline.
She's wearing quite a bit more than she was the day before in Mexico.

But Bella Hadid still managed to show off her stellar body and endless legs in a white mini dress while heading to a photoshoot in New York City on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old model paired the tiny white dress with a matching white oversized jacket.

Scroll down for video

Always flaunting it! Bella Hadid, 20, showed off her stellar body and endless legs in a white mini dress while heading to a photoshoot in New York City on Wednesday

Looking good: The brunette beauty stunned as she peered out from behind tinted shades

The black leather band along the bottom of the jacket helped break up the monochromatic look and provided a nice contrast.

The only other pop pf color was the pink fuzzy purse she held in her right hand as she exited the building.

Bella paired the fashion-forward piece with white leather boots that came up to her mid-calf.

As has been a staple accessory for the Victoria Secret model, she wore a choker around her neck, this time in silver.

Turning heads: Bella was hard to miss as she sashayed down the street

Stylish: The social media sensation pulled her look together perfectly with chic accessories

Always flaunting it! Bella Hadid, 20, showed off her stellar body and endless legs in a white mini dress while heading to a photoshoot in New York City on Wednesday

Matchy matchy: The 20-year-old model paired the tiny white dress with a matching white oversized jacket

It's eithr black or white: The black leather band along the bottom of the jacket helped break up the monochromatic look and provided a nice contrast

The gorgeous brunette styled her hair in a chic half-updo and let a few pieces fall around her face.

She had her usual makeup done with very foundation and highlighter to show off her naturally flawless complexion.

She wore dark makeup around her eyes as she left the building ready for her photoshoot and wore just a hit of raspberry-colored gloss on her lips.

Flawless: The gorgeous brunette styled her hair in a chic half-updo and let a few pieces fall around her face.

She's got presence: At 5'9" Bella knows how to make an entrance and the model caused quite a scene when she made her way to the waiting black ca

Official announcement: The supermodel announced she would be launching a collection with Chrome Hearts in New York City

Revealing! She later left the shoot in the same outfit, but this time revealed the strapless feature that was hiding under the coat

At 5'9" Bella knows how to make an entrance and the model caused quite a scene when she made her way to the waiting black car.

She later posted a photo of herself on social media checking out the Chrome Hearts New York store where she is launching a new collection.

She captioned the photo: 'checking out @chromeheartsofficial new NYC store with @chromeheartsxbella collection launching soon with my 'pink mink mini purse.'

Bella's mom Yolanda met her daughter at the store as the duo posed for pictures Bella posted on her social media.

Proud mom: Bella's mom Yolanda Hadid joined her daughter at the shoot as she launched her collection with the brand

Peas in a pod: The duo looked happy to be together while Bella worked

She's the star! Bella spread her hands out as she posed beside a dinosaur

Changing glasses: Despite it being dark outside, Bella opted to wear slightly tinted blue aviator sunglasses

Bella later changed into a more comfortable Tommy Hilfiger outfit after her photoshoot for an evening stroll.

The blue and white stripped tracksuit had the brand's logo boldly emblazoned across the front.

Bella accessorized her outfit with light blue sunglasses that she wore despite the fact that it was dark.

She paired the track suit with black and white Nike running shoes after spending the day in heeled boots.

She later changed her outfit, but kept in the sunglasses as she opted for a Tommy Hilfiger track suit

Brand loyalty: The blue and white stripped tracksuit had the brand's logo boldly emblazoned across the front

She recently revealed to Net-A-Porter magazine that she is comfortable flaunting her curves on Instagram because of her mother's 'European' approach to life.

Bella - who is known for posing in skimpy outfits on the photo-sharing website - said she has no qualms about flashing her flesh on Instagram due to her mother Yolanda's 'casual' outlook.

Bella, whose mother was born and raised in the Netherlands, told the summer issue of the magazine: 'My mom is very European, so our whole life we were very open about that stuff. It was just more casual.'

Mexican vacay! She looked to be having a blast as she posed for various shots in the resort town

Showing it all off: The fearless model showed off her incredible figure on social media
Their turbulent split has dragged in the majority of the TOWIE cast.

So as rumours began to swirl among Essex, Megan McKenna and Pete Wicks met for the first time since their split to clear the air.

In Wednesday's episode, tensions were running high as the on/off couple came face to face in an emotional reunion.

Scroll down for video

Emotional: As rumours began to swirl among Essex, Megan McKenna and Pete Wicks met for the first time since their split to clear the air during Wednesday's episode of TOWIE

Throughout the day, a tearful Megan had admitted she was scared of seeing her ex later on at the launch of James 'Lockie' Lock's new bar, breaking down in tears whenever their split was raised.

Yet the CBB star found the courage to approach her former flame during the event, with the pair both admitting it was an 'awkward' encounter.

Megan sighed: 'I don't want it be awkward, it's weird being in the same place as you.'

Upsetting: The CBB star found the courage to approach her former flame during the event, with the pair both admitting it was an 'awkward' encounter

She began: 'Now we're face-to-face I want to say...' but was cut off by Pete jumping in with 'I don't want to hear it.'

Visibly hurt by his comments, she snapped back: 'F**ks sake, why you trying to shut me down?' but softened as he replied: 'You're single, you don't need to explain anything to me.'

Whilst he was referring to rumours that Megan had been 'all over' her ex-boyfriend moments after she split from Pete, she remarked: 'It's not about that. I just wanted to say when I was with you I was 100 percent faithful.'

She added: 'It's just a shame it never worked, because I felt like it could have. It's hard standing here. I didn't think we'd get to this point. It got weird and it was s**t'.

Cut off: She began: 'Now we're face-to-face I want to say...' but was cut off by Pete jumping in with 'I don't want to hear it'

Hurt: Visibly hurt by his comments, she snapped back: 'F**ks sake, why you trying to shut me down?' but softened as he replied: 'You're single, you don't need to explain anything to me'

Megan and Pete have been locked in a convoluted love story since she entered the structured reality programme in March last year, with their dramas captivating viewers following many bumps in the road.

The most shocking twist in their romance came last September when he was outed for 'sexting' his ex-girlfriend Jaqui Ryland, in which he sent messages stating he 'wished he didn't have a girlfriend' - naturally to Megan's chagrin.

After mending their relationship, he admitted the scandal was hanging over their heads as Megan admitted in a recent episode of TOWIE that she constantly thinks of the betrayal particularly when they argue.

Remorse: Megan reasoned ''It's just a shame it never worked, because I felt like it could have. It's hard standing here. I didn't think we'd get to this point. It got weird and it was s**t'

Whilst they have called an end to their romance, the pair were pictured having a blazing row on the street this week, in which Megan had to be physically restrained by security.

Sources claimed during the row in the street Megan accused Pete of being unfaithful while staying in Scotland, presumably during his solo mini-break he took in January after a blazing row with Megan at the NTAs.

The other woe said to be facing their relationship is claims he has 'grown close' to Chloe, after images emerged of the duo looking extremely close at London's Mayfair Hotel last month.

There is no evidence to suggest Chloe was the cause of their split.
US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff US Marine General Joseph Dunford attends a meeting with Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani, in the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq, Arbil on April 4, 2017

President Donald Trump's son-in-law and the US's top military officer met with Kurdish leaders in Arbil on Tuesday, the second day of their visit to Iraq.

His inclusion in the US delegation is a sign of the influence wielded by Jared Kushner, a 36-year-old with no prior government experience who has become one of the most powerful men in Washington by virtue of his family connection to Trump.

Kushner -- whose wife Ivanka also plays a key role in advising her father -- accompanied General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on a visit to Baghdad before heading to Arbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.

Kushner and Dunford met in Arbil with officials including Kurdish leader Massud Barzani, regional prime minister Nechirvan Barzani and Masrour Barzani, the chancellor of the region's security council.

As in the Trump administration, family ties can translate into senior posts in Iraqi Kurdish government: Nechirvan is Massud's nephew, while Masrour is the Kurdish chief's son.

A post on Masrour Barzani's official Twitter account described the meeting as "productive", saying the officials discussed the war against the Islamic State group "and plans for the day after."

What comes after major operations against the jihadists are over will be especially contentious in north Iraq, where the Kurdish region and Baghdad both claim territory that has been retaken from IS.

Kushner and White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert were travelling with Dunford at the general's invitation, according to US Navy Captain Greg Hicks.

- Conflict of interest concerns -

The day before, Dunford and Kushner met with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defence Minister Irfan al-Hayali in Baghdad to discuss the anti-IS war.

Iraqi forces launched a major operation to retake second city Mosul from IS in October, recapturing its eastern side before setting their sights on its smaller but more densely-populated west.

The grinding battle for west Mosul has taken a heavy toll on civilians, killing and wounding hundreds and pushing more than 200,000 to flee their homes.

The United States is leading an international coalition that is carrying out air strikes against IS and providing other support to forces fighting the jihadists in both Iraq and Syria.

The coalition has admitted that it "probably" played a role in recent civilian casualties in the city, but has sought to place responsibility for the deaths on IS, saying the jihadists are gathering civilians together and seeking to provoke strikes.

Valued by Trump for his discretion and loyalty, 36-year-old Kushner is officially a White House senior adviser with far-reaching influence over domestic and foreign policy.

Among other responsibilities, Trump has tapped Kushner to play a leading role in efforts to secure an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal -- something that has eluded experienced policymakers for decades.

A regular presence in the White House since Trump's election, his 35-year-old daughter and Kushner's wife Ivanka has officially become an assistant to the president amid concerns over possible conflicts of interest involving the couple's business interests, which are worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
This undated picture released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on March 7, 2017 shows four ballistic missiles after they were fired by Korean People's Army (KPA) during a military drill at an undisclosed location

The US military confirmed Tuesday that nuclear-armed North Korea had fired a ballistic missile, finding it posed no threat to North America and vowing to work closely with its regional allies.

The move came after the reclusive state warned it will retaliate if the global community ramps up sanctions over its latest round of weapons tests.

Ahead of a key visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump had said the United States was prepared to go it alone in bringing Pyongyang to heel if China did not step in.

"US Pacific Command is fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security," the military command in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region said.

"The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America."

In a very brief statement, US diplomatic chief Rex Tillerson said: "North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment."

PACOM said it determined the launch of the KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile took place at 11:42 am (2142 GMT), landing in the Sea of Japan at 11:51 am, in line with findings by the South Korean defense ministry.

Pyongyang is on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year.
A young girl passes up a jerrycan filled with murky water trickling into a waterhole from underground rocks near Lokitaung in northern Kenya's Turkana county

In just a few years water, oil and money would flow. Roads, schools and hospitals would follow. Turkana's generations of poverty and neglect in Kenya's arid north would end.

But it was not to be: five years after the discovery of oil, and four since a giant aquifer was found, drought has struck again, shattering the dreams of a different future for Turkana, a bone dry region of dust and stone, home to mostly semi-nomadic livestock herders and lacking the most basic trappings of modernity.

In the remotest areas, hungry children with anaemic eyes and swollen bellies go to clinics where food and medical aid are delivered in dribs and drabs, while the carcasses of dead animals -- killed by hunger and thirst -- are piled outside their villages.

Water wells have run dry or brackish, often, their pumps are broken.

"All our animals are dead, and the only water to drink is dirty and makes us sick," said Ekiru Ekitela, her neck slung with countless colourful beads. Others have resorted to eating the remains of dead animals, saying "it's that or nothing."

The end of March is supposed to bring rains transforming the barren plains around the village of Lokamarinyang in the Kibish region in Turkana's far north into pasture, but so far there is none to water the desperately dry land.

The end of March is supposed to bring rains transforming the barren plains in Kenya's Kibish region into pasture, but so far there have been none

To the south, in Karioreng village, Akalale Esekon tried to breast-feed her infant child, but no milk came so the baby screamed with hunger. "He sucks, thinking that something is going to come out, but when my stomach is empty, there is nothing for the child," she said. Her four-year-old daughter Atabo lacks strength enough to cry.

Her black hair had faded to a sickly brown and her upper arms were no thicker than a ping-pong ball.

Compounding the drought is population growth in Turkana -- at 6.4 percent a year, it is twice the national average -- which means already scarce resources are quickly exhausted by people and their livestock.

- Promises unfulfilled -

Kenya is not Somalia or South Sudan, neighbouring nations where war and state failure help drive starvation. It is instead the region's biggest economy and a stable if faulty democracy, but Turkana feels like another country.

"The image of Kenya as a middle income country doesn't do justice to the reality on the ground," said Werner Schultink, country head for the UN children's agency, UNICEF.

Far from the agricultural south, where 90 percent of the population live, Turkana is a vast, poor region regularly ravaged by drought.

Kenya is the region's biggest economy, but far from the agricultural south, where 90 percent of the population live, Turkana is a poor region regularly ravaged by drought

The hunger is greatest in the north. In the Kibish region, squeezed between Ethiopia and South Sudan, more than half of children aged six months to five years are suffering from acute malnutrition, according to UNICEF.

In the early part of this decade, politicians made rash promises of rapid modernisation that would consign to history decades of deliberate marginalisation, first by British colonialists and then by Kenya's governing elite in Nairobi, who shared a disdain for the pastoralists and their way of life.

"Expectations were disproportionate," said John Nakara, a Turkana parliamentarian. "Those changes don't happen in five years, but in 20, at least."

That didn't stop the promises. An ambitious plan for roads, railways and oil pipelines crossing northern Kenya was launched with great fanfare in 2012, but has been slow coming.

In Kenya's Kibish region, squeezed between Ethiopia and South Sudan, over half of children aged six months to five years are suffering from acute malnutrition

Instead Turkana remains crisscrossed with dirt tracks that become impassable when it rains, and where the few sealed sections are so badly potholed that drivers prefer the dirt shoulders.

That same year, British company Tullow Oil announced the discovery of large crude reserves in Turkana.

Production is expected to begin in June, but local and national officials are still arguing over distribution of revenues and no pipeline has yet been built, meaning the oil will have to be trucked to the port of Mombasa, more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) away.

- Little oil, less water -

In 2013, Kenya and the UN cultural body, UNESCO, thrilled to announce the discovery of a gigantic aquifer beneath Turkana that promised irrigation and enough water for all.

The promise was of sufficient water for the whole of Kenya for 70 years, but the reality proved different: deeper underground and less pure than predicted, the aquifer has proven hard to exploit.

"The announcement was very optimistic and based on very limited information," said Sean Avery, a Kenya-based consultant on water issues.

The picture, however, is not uniformly bleak: political devolution has handed more power, including the power to disburse funds, to local authorities since 2013, facilitating the opening of new health clinics in Turkana that cut in half the distance people have to walk to seek diagnosis or treatment.

Kenya has declared this year's drought a "national disaster" and appealed for international aid.

Three million people are in need of emergency humanitarian assistance, and, while the response has been more effective than the last time, in 2011, still more needs to be done, aid workers say.

"In the current situation, this is clearly not enough," said Schultink.

As the drought bites, the road ahead looks longer than ever for Turkana: some 92 percent of its 1.4 million people live below the poverty line and only a fifth know how to read and write, a figure four times lower than the national average.

Observers say education must be listed among the region's many priorities as it holds the key to diversifying the economy and offering opportunities beyond herding livestock across an ever-drier land.

"There will be more droughts," said Nakara. "We need to be prepared to face them."
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping will discuss growing crises over trade and North Korea

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet face-to-face for the first time Thursday, opening a new chapter in the world's most consequential relationship amid growing crises over North Korea and trade.

The presidents of the world's two pre-eminent economic and military powers will rendezvous in the south Florida sun at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate for a summit already clouded by geopolitical storms.

North Korea's provocative missile launch Wednesday -- barely 48 hours before the summit starts -- will only accentuate differences over whether to confront or contain that recalcitrant regime.

The Trump White House worries Pyongyang is just months away from marrying nuclear and long-range missile technology and putting the west coast of the United States within striking distance.

During his first meeting with then president Barack Obama in November, Trump was warned he may have to make an early decision on the use of force against North Korea.

The tough-talking new president has repeatedly and very publicly indicated his openness to military action.

Even before news of the latest missile test became public, a senior US official echoed that message, saying "the clock has now run out" on dealing with the North Korean threat and "all options are on the table for us."

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson responded to the missile test with a terse statement, saying: "The United States has spoken enough about North Korea."

But according to the official, Trump is also willing to consider other ways of pressuring the regime, including sanctioning Chinese banks who do business with Pyongyang if Beijing does not move to choke the North's finances.

That could have a chilling effect on global finance, even though diplomats say North Korea is increasingly alive to the risk and has steadily been funneling cash to Singapore and other jurisdictions outside China.

Xi's government -- which is treaty-bound to defend North Korea -- fears US military action would set off a general war on the Korean Peninsula and generate millions of refugees.

And Chinese analysts scoffed at the idea that Trump's tough talk would have any impact on Beijings approach to its renegade neighbor.

"China has established principles on the DPRK issue," said Yang Xiyu, researcher at China Institute of International Studies.

"There will definitely be in-depth discussion of the DPRK's denuclearization, but the Chinese side will not change its positions because of anything Trump says."

But behind the tactical differences in how to approach North Korea is a broader strategic struggle -- one that pits an established hegemon against a fast-rising challenger.

Increased tensions in North Korea would almost certainly prompt an larger US military presence in Northeast Asia, encroaching on what China increasingly sees as its sphere of influence.

Beijing has already expressed its displeasure at the deployment of a US anti-missile system in South Korea.

On trade, there may be more room for maneuver.

Experts predict that Xi could come bearing concessions on sectors like steel, or repackage already planned Chinese investments in the United States.

That would offer Trump the prospect of a triumphalist tweet about bringing jobs to the United States and forestall measures to levy heavy tariffs on Chinese exports.

- Personal chemistry -

Graphic charting US-China merchandise trade since 2006

How much tensions are soothed or exacerbated may depend on the chemistry between the two men.

But no one -- not diplomats, not even aides planning the meeting -- are 100 percent sure what will happen when the most powerful Chinese leader in a generation meets a mercurial American president who has been in office fewer than 100 days.

China is hoping that Trump's sun-kissed beach club -- beloved of realtors and Rotarians -- while an unlikely setting for a superpower summit, will help build rapport.

In 2002, George W. Bush hosted Jiang Zemin at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Obama met Xi at the Sunnylands resort in the California desert.

Trump has delighted in warmly welcoming his guests on his frequent visits to what he calls the "winter White House," shaking hands with them as they enter and doing the rounds of each table at formal daily dinners.

Xi will hope he is greeted by Trump the gracious host rather than the rhetorical bomb thrower who has spoken about China's "rape" of the US economy and predicted a "very difficult" meeting with Xi.
New Zealand All Blacks' players perform the haka ahead of a rugby union Test match at Eden Park in Auckland, in October 2016

The All Blacks hope to warm-up for the British and Irish Lions tour with a Test match against Samoa, New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew has revealed.

Tew said the world champions wanted a hit-out before the first Test against the Lions on June 24 in Auckland and were in talks with the Pacific islanders, who are renowned for their hard-tackling rugby.

He said the All Blacks benefited from a similar warm-up against Fiji the last time the Lions toured in 2005, when they won the series 3-0.

"In 2005, we played Fiji and that set us up very well for a very good first-off Test match in Christchurch," Tew told SkySports late Tuesday.

"So we're looking at that option, Samoa's definitely one of those things that we're working our way through at the moment."

Tew also rejected criticism of the Lions' gruelling tour schedule, which sees them face all five New Zealand Super Rugby teams and the Maori All Blacks, as well as playing three Tests.

New Zealand rugby union CEO Steve Tew

He said the tourists had asked for a challenge after their 2-1 series win in Australia in 2013.

"The Lions said they wanted a tougher itinerary than they got in Australia," he said.

"They wanted to play the five Super Rugby sides and they deliberately chose to play the Maori All Blacks the week before the first Test.

"So they've actually got what they wanted."

Tew joked that doubts about taking on the Super Rugby sides may have emerged after the Waikato Chiefs thrashed the touring Wales side 40-7 last year.

However, he believed the Lions would be a different story.

"They're going to come out here with a lot of depth and a lot of talent," he said.

"If they don't get hit with injuries in critical positons we're in for a hell of a series."
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says Lewis Hamilton has the steel to strike right back at the Chinese Grand Prix after finishing second in Melbourne

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has backed Lewis Hamilton to exact swift revenge at Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix after a chastening defeat in Formula One's season opener in Australia.

Sebastian Vettel's comprehensive victory for Ferrari has put Mercedes on red alert ahead of the Shanghai race weekend but Wolff insists Hamilton has the steel to strike right back after finishing second in Melbourne.

"Lewis is the best Lewis that I've seen in the last four years -- both on and off the track," said the Austrian. "He's become a pillar of this team and he proved that in Melbourne.

"You need to be careful to manage your own expectations.

"If you think you are going to cruise to victory in the future, based on a track record of success, you'll be proven wrong very quickly. You need to put the finger in the wound, identify your weaknesses and then respond."

Hamilton, who busied himself with a spot of scuba diving this week, has previously won four times in China but the triple world champion will be mindful of his sluggish start to the 2016 campaign.

Former team-mate Nico Rosberg reeled off four straight victories before the Briton finally hit his stride in Monaco in the sixth race of the year.

Rosberg's hot start helped the German pip Hamilton to the world title before sensationally walking away from the sport.

Valtteri Bottas replaced Rosberg and the Finnish driver took third in Australia on his debut for the Silver Arrows.

But Ferrari have shown impressive early pace, with 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen taking fourth and all the signs point to another tight battle between the two top teams in China.

A buzzing Vettel, who romped to four successive world titles with Red Bull from 2010 to 2013, will fancy his chances of further getting under Hamilton's skin.

- No illusions -

Wolff is under no illusions about the threat posed by Ferrari.

"There are still many areas where we can be better," he said. "It's not a case of looking at the competition for inspiration but of getting our own homework done to maximise our performance."

Bottas, meanwhile, tweeted photos of himself running bare-chested along a beach in Bali to prepare for this week and will be hoping to make a splash in Shanghai, although the smart money will be on Vettel and Hamilton.

Also clear from the early skirmishes is that Red Bull have lost their fizz as young Dutch driver Max Verstappen took fifth with Daniel Ricciardo enduring a weekend that nightmares are made of.

The Aussie spun into a wall in qualifying and ground to a halt during the race on lap 29, dealing a blow to Red Bull, who were expected to challenge Mercedes and Ferrari.

Verstappen complained the Red Bulls lacked power, grip and downforce and team mechanics will be racing to solve the car's balance issues before the weekend.

But if Ferrari's victory in Australia gave Formula One fans cause for optimism after three years of crushing Mercedes dominance, the wider cars and fatter tyres of 2017 appear to have made overtaking harder.

Hamilton grumbled about being unable to pass Verstappen despite having fresher tyres and was by no means alone in expressing concerns about the increased dirty air caused by the new aerodynamics.

The Shanghai circuit should provide a more accurate guide than Melbourne's street circuit, however, while Mercedes will hope a fourth successive Chinese victory heralds the resumption of normal service.
The International Criminal Court is to hear why South Africa did not arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on a 2015 visit over alleged crimes relating to the conflict in Darfur

War crimes judges will Friday hear why South Africa failed to arrest Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir during a 2015 visit, as they mull whether to report Pretoria to the United Nations for possible action.

South Africa's lawyers will defend the decision not to detain Bashir -- wanted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity -- at a hearing scheduled to start at 0730 GMT at the International Criminal Court.

At the heart of the matter is South Africa's refusal to arrest Bashir when he attended an African Union summit in Johannesburg in mid-June 2015, insisting he had "head of state immunity" and allowing him instead to slip out of the country under shadowy circumstances.

Judges at the tribunal based in The Hague will decide after the day-long hearing whether the southern African state violated its obligations by not arresting Bashir and handing him over.

Pretoria is a signatory to the Rome Statute which underpins the world's only permanent war crimes court.

In 2005, the UN Security Council asked the ICC to probe crimes in the western Sudan region of Darfur, where according to UN figures, some 330,000 people have been killed in a conflict between Khartoum and mostly black African insurgents.

The tribunal issued arrest warrants in 2009 and 2010 for Bashir for alleged crimes related to the conflict. He has steadfastly denied the charges.

- Diplomatic immunity -

But in its submission to the court, South Africa argued that "the circumstances within which South Africa found itself and the applicable law were not as clear cut as the Chamber is inclined to believe."

It insists that even if Bashir is wanted by the court it is "for the national authorities of the requested state to carry out the arrest -- and it is this act of arrest in the domestic jurisdiction of that state that is prohibited by head of state immunity."

The ICC's prosecutors have hit back, pointing out that in the past South Africa told Bashir he would be arrested if he set foot in the country.

"South Africa remained under an obligation to immediately arrest... Bashir if he entered South African territory," ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a document to the court.

"Give the circumstances, it is appropriate for the Chamber to refer South Africa" to the UN Security Council for possible further action, Bensouda said.

- 'Disgraceful conduct' -

The ICC does not have a police force to arrest wanted suspects and is dependent on member states to carry out such tasks.

South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal has accused President Jacob Zuma's government of "disgraceful conduct" over Bashir's visit and ruled the failure to arrest him was unlawful.

Even though the UN Security Council has the power to impose sanctions, experts say an eventual referral will amount to little more than a slap on the wrist for South Africa.

"It's not the first time a state party country has failed to arrest Bashir and been reported," said Goran Sluiter, an international law professor at the University of Amsterdam.

"Unfortunately, I have to note that none of these countries ever felt any real repercussions," he told AFP.

Last year alone the ICC referred Chad, Djibouti and Uganda after they all hosted Bashir and failed to arrest him.

"The Council has yet to act to give effect to these decisions," Bensouda said in her latest report to the UNSC in December.

Bashir last week also attended an Arab League summit in Jordan, despite calls from rights groups that he should be arrested by the Hashemite kingdom.

In February, another South African court ordered the government to withdraw its "unconstitutional" bid last year to pull out of the ICC in protest over the Bashir incident.

Set up in 2002 to prosecute the world's worst crimes, the ICC has run foul of several African countries which accuse it of racism and a post-colonial bias against the continent.
A suspected chemical attack that killed at least 58 civilians in rebel-held northwestern Syria has prompted widespread outrage and calls for international action

A suspected chemical attack that killed at least 58 civilians in rebel-held northwestern Syria has prompted widespread outrage and calls for international action.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an air strike in Idlib province Tuesday which released "toxic gas" was likely carried out by government warplanes, a charge the regime denied.

- UN envoy -

UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said the "horrific" attack was believed to be chemical and launched from the air, telling reporters in Brussels that there should be a "clear identification of responsibilities and accountability".

- Opposition -

The Syrian opposition's chief negotiator at peace talks, Mohamad Sabra, said the attack cast new doubt on the UN-led peace process.

"If the United Nations cannot deter the regime from carrying out such crimes, how can it achieve a process that leads to political transition in Syria?" he said.

On Twitter, the head of the opposition High Negotiations Committee Riad Hijab said the "massacre is evidence that it is impossible to negotiate with a regime addicted to criminal behaviour".

-- Rebels --

Syrian rebels including Al-Qaeda's former affiliate vowed to avenge the deaths.

"We call on all the fighters of Sham (Syria) to ignite the fronts," the Tahrir al-Sham alliance said in a statement posted online.

"We promise the criminal regime and its allies revenge that will soothe the hearts of our people in Khan Sheikhun in particular, and Syria in general," the statement said.

- Regime -

A senior Syrian security source rejected allegations that Syria's government was behind the attack.

"This is a false accusation," the source said, adding that the opposition was attempting to "achieve in the media what they could not achieve on the ground".

- US -

The White House accused Bashar al-Assad of carrying out a "reprehensible" and "intolerable" chemical attack.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad must be held accountable, demanding Russia and Iran bring their ally to heel.

"It is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism," Tillerson said.

"Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions."

Britain, France and the United States presented a draft resolution to the UN Security Council demanding a full investigation into the attack.

- Turkey -

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that "this kind of inhuman attack was unacceptable".

Presidential sources said Erdogan had told Putin by phone that the attack threatened peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana, but did not assign blame for the attack.

- Germany -

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said that if the Syrian regime had indeed carried out a chemical attack, "it would be an act of such cruelty as to be without equivalent", and "another reason we should not deal with the Assad regime in the fight against terrorism".

- France -

French President Francois Hollande accused the Syrian regime of a "massacre".

"Once again the Syrian regime will deny the evidence of its responsibility for this massacre," Hollande said in a statement.

"Those who support this regime can once again reflect on the enormity of their political, strategic and moral responsibility."

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault earlier called for an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting over the attack, which he described as "monstrous".

- Britain -

British Prime Minister Theresa May said she was "appalled" by reports of the attack, adding, "We condemn the use of chemical weapons in all circumstances."

She added: "I'm very clear that there can be no future for Assad in a stable Syria... We cannot allow this suffering to continue."

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said in a statement that the incident bore the "hallmarks of an attack by the regime, which has repeatedly used chemical weapons".

- European Union -

European Union diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said the Assad regime bore "primary responsibility" for the attack.

"Obviously there is a primary responsibility there of the regime because it has responsibility of protecting its people not attacking its people," she said.

- Israel -

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the world must act to rid Syria of chemical weapons.

In a statement, he called on the international community "to fulfil its obligation from 2013 to fully and finally remove these horrible weapons from Syria".

Syria's government joined the Chemical Weapons Convention and agreed to give up its chemical arsenal in 2013 as part of a deal to avert US military action over previous alleged chemical attacks.

- UN watchdog -

The United Nations' chemical arms watchdog said it was "seriously concerned" by the reports.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said it was "gathering and analysing information from all available sources".
US authorities have agreed to the $43 billion takeover of Swiss pesticide giant Syngenta by state-owned ChemChina, marking the biggest overseas acquisition by a Chinese firm.

The move lays the path for what would be the latest in a string of foreign investments by Chinese firms fuelled by Beijing's call for its companies to "go out" and expand.

It also comes days before a meeting between China's President Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, who has castigated China over its huge trade surplus with the US and warned its companies are putting American jobs in danger.

On Tuesday the Federal Trade Commission said it would give the go-ahead to the buyout by China National Chemical Corp, the nation's biggest chemical company, as long as it stopped producing three pesticides to avoid monopoly conflicts.

The offer far outstrips China's biggest overseas acquisition to date, CNOOC's purchase of Canadian oil firm Nexen for $15.1 billion in 2013 and the $14.3 billion paid for a minority stake in Australia's Rio Tinto by state-owned aluminium firm Chinalco in 2008.

It also follows a series of purchases by ChemChina. Last year it bought a stake in Swiss energy and commodities trader Mercuria as well as Germany's KraussMaffei Group, which makes machinery for producing plastics and rubber.

And in 2015 it took over Italian tyre giant Pirelli, renowned for its Formula One equipment and racy calendars.

However, Beijing late last year began cracking down on companies' overseas investments after a record-setting shopping spree raised concerns capital flight and reckless spending are dragging on the economy and leading to a drop in the yuan currency.

The restrictions ban most deals above $10 billion and curb investments of more than $1 billion in sectors unrelated to a company's core business.

Under a preliminary settlement, the FTC said ChemChina would have to offload the herbicide paraquat, insecticide abamectin and fungicide chlorothalonil, saying consumer prices would be in danger of rising otherwise.

- Consolidation -

"Without the proposed divestiture, the merger would eliminate the direct competition that exists today between ChemChina generics subsidiary ADAMA and Syngenta's branded products," the FTC said.

"The merger would also increase the likelihood that US customers buying paraquat, abamectin and chlorothalonil would be forced to pay higher prices or accept reduced service for these products."

More than a quarter of Syngenta's revenue in 2015 came from seeds and crop protection in North America, according to Bloomberg, while it also has research and production units there.

The FTC said it worked with its counterparts in Australia, Canada, the European Union, India and Mexico "to analyse the proposed transaction and potential remedies."

Last month the Swiss firm's chief executive officer, Erik Fyrwald, sought to reassure about its future.

"Syngenta will stay Syngenta" and will keep its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, he told Bloomberg in an interview last month.

"Were not integrating with ChemChina," he said. "Therell be ChemChina members coming onto our board. The chairman will be Chairman Ren (Jianxin) from ChemChina. But we fully expect to operate as we do today."

The FTC's settlement is subject to public comment for 30 days after which the commission will determine whether to finalise it.

Syngenta said in February it expects the transaction with ChemChina to close in the second quarter.

The deal is part of a consolidation in the agro-chemical sector, with German giant Bayer offering $66 billion for US firm Monsanto, which itself had tried to acquire Syngenta for $46 billion in 2015.

US giants DuPont and Dow Chemical are also set to merge in a $130 billion deal.

Last week, DuPont said it will sell some of its pesticide business to Philadelphia-based chemical company FMC to clear regulatory hurdles.

China is trying to make its farming sector more efficient, supporting massive agricultural conglomerates to replace what were once small family-owned plots.

The country is a major importer of wheat and soybeans, and Beijing hopes to ensure food security for its nearly 1.4 billion people.
Cows are considered sacred in Hindu-majority India, and their slaughter is illegal in many states

A Muslim man has died after he was attacked by hundreds of vigilantes while transporting cows in India, police said Wednesday, as tensions rose over the slaughter of an animal Hindus consider sacred.

No arrests have yet been made, but police said they had registered a murder case over 55-year-old Pehlu Khan's death in hospital on Monday, two days after a mob attacked his cattle truck on a highway in Alwar in the western state of Rajasthan.

At least six more people were injured when the truck was attacked by around 200 Hindu vigilantes, who police are still trying to identify.

But police also said they were preparing a case against the survivors of the attack, whom they suspect of trying to smuggle the cattle across state borders.

Cows are considered sacred in Hindu-majority India, where squads of vigilantes roam highways inspecting livestock trucks for any trace of the animal.

Slaughtering cows is illegal in many Indian states and some also require a licence for transporting them across state borders.

Alwar police chief Rahul Prakash said the victim and his associates were returning to their home state of Haryana when the mob intercepted their vehicle.

Prakash said the six others have now been discharged from hospital, adding that a postmortem would determine the cause of Khan's death.

"We are yet to receive the postmortem report but he had multiple rib fractures," he told AFP.

Another officer, Ramesh Chand Sinsinwar, told AFP police were preparing a case against the survivors.

"They were carrying eight bovines in the mini truck without permission. We will file a case against the survivors after concluding our investigations," said Sinsinwar, who is heading the investigation in the attack.

Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria told reporters that both sides were to blame for the incident.

"It is illegal to transport cows, but people ignore it and cow protectors are trying to stop such people from trafficking them," Kataria told reporters.

At least 10 Muslim men have been killed in similar incidents across the country by Hindu mobs on suspicion of eating beef or smuggling cows in the last two years.

In 2015 a Muslim man was lynched by his neighbours over rumours that he had slaughtered a cow. Police later said the meat was mutton.

Last month a hotel manager was beaten by a mob and his restaurant sealed in Jaipur after Hindu vigilantes accused him of serving beef.

Critics say the vigilantes have been emboldened by the election in 2014 of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

Last year Modi criticised the cow-protection vigilantes and urged a crackdown against groups using religion as a cover for committing crimes.

But in March he appointed a right-wing Hindu priest to head the country's most populous state Uttar Pradesh, which is also home to much of the country's meat industry.

Shortly after Yogi Adityanath was sworn in, police began shutting butcher shops, grinding much of the industry to a halt.
Pakistani security officials collect evidence from the scene of an attack on a census team in Lahore

Seven people were killed and up to 19 wounded in a Taliban suicide blast that targeted a census team in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore Wednesday, officials said.

Witnesses described being knocked to the ground by the blast just after 8:00 am (0300 GMT), then a "horrible scene" of blood and bodies and the sound of crying. Security forces cordoned off the area on Bedian Road in the bustling capital of Punjab province.

The attack, which the military confirmed was a suicide blast and was quickly claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, was the latest incident to dent growing confidence in security as Pakistan wages a years-long war on militancy.

Farhan Aslam, who was wounded in the explosion, said he and his father had been knocked from their bicycle.

"I saw two dead bodies on the spot and others crying," the student told AFP from hospital, where local officials were giving flowers to the wounded as a crowd gathered outside.

Pakistan blast

Malik Ahmed Khan, spokesman for the Punjab government, told AFP that seven people died and 19 others were wounded in the attack.

"Five people had died on the spot while two others succumbed to their injuries later at the hospital," he told AFP.

The bomber had attacked a van carrying military personnel who were part of a team carrying out a census count, the Pakistan Board of Statistics confirmed.

Teams of enumerators backed by the military and security forces are carrying out Pakistan's first census in almost two decades, an enormous and highly-charged task that could redraw the country's political map one year before national parliamentary elections.

"The census is a national duty, and we will complete this task," Lahore official Abdullah Sumbal said.

"There was no lack of security, but you know how difficult it is to deal with suicide attacks."

- Pakistan unnerved -

The umbrella Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in its statement said it had carried out the attack in revenge on security forces. The country's president and head of its powerful military condemned the blast.

Lahore has been on edge since a wave of violent attacks across Pakistan in February killed 130 people, including a bomb blast in the eastern city on February 13 which killed 14.

Ten days later a fresh blast killed eight people and sent panic through the city, though officials later said it was a gas leak, not an attack as initially feared.

February's series of assaults also included a suicide blast at a Sufi shrine in Sindh province which killed 90 people and was claimed by Islamic State.

The umbrella Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in a statement said it had carried out the Lahore attack Wednesday in revenge on security forces

At least 22 people were killed and 57 wounded on March 31, when a car bomb tore through a market in a mainly Shiite area of Pakistan's tribal belt in an attack that was also claimed by the TTP.

The surge in violence has shaken a growing sense of security after the country appeared to be making strong gains in its decade-and-a-half long fight against extremism, with analysts speaking of a militant resurgence.

The military launched a nationwide crackdown after February's attacks, killing dozens of alleged militants across the country.

Islamabad also swiftly accused neighbour Afghanistan of harbouring militants responsible for the attacks, and temporarily closed the border between the two countries.

Kabul has long accused Pakistan of sheltering the Afghan Taliban, a charge which Islamabad has at times admitted to.
The Islamic State group seized Tikrit during a lightning offensive in the summer of 2014 but Iraqi forces recaptured it the following year

Militants opened fire and later blew themselves up in the Iraqi city of Tikrit, killing at least 31 people in an attack claimed Wednesday by the Islamic State group.

Police and army officers said that the attack, which began on Tuesday night, also wounded at least 42 people.

A police lieutenant colonel said three militants shot dead three policemen in central Tikrit and then opened fire on civilians, before later blowing themselves up inside homes in the area.

IS issued a statement claiming the attack, saying it was carried out by seven militants who clashed with security forces until they ran out of ammunition and then detonated explosive belts.

IS seized Tikrit during a lightning offensive that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in the summer of 2014, but Iraqi forces recaptured it the following year.

Iraqi forces are now battling to retake west Mosul -- the country's last city in which the jihadists hold significant ground.

But the jihadists still hold other areas in western Iraq and eastern Syria, and they will remain able to carry out deadly bombings even if all areas under their control are recaptured.

strs-sf-wd/kir
A Syrian child receives treatment at a small hospital in the town of Maaret al-Noman following a suspected toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhun, a nearby rebel-held town in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, on April 4, 2017

International outrage is mounting over a suspected chemical attack that killed scores of civilians in a rebel-held town in northwest Syria on Tuesday morning.

AFP's correspondent in the town of Khan Sheikhun saw lifeless bodies lying at a field hospital, which was itself hit in air strikes hours after the attack.

It remains unclear what kind of substance was used in the attack, but the World Health Organization said on Wednesday that some victims appeared to show signs of exposure to "nerve agents".

If confirmed, it would be one of the worst chemical attacks since Syria's civil war began six years ago.

- What happened? -

Air strikes hit the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun around 7:00 am (0400 GMT) on Tuesday, and residents reported finding entire families "dead in their beds".

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights first reported that 58 civilians had died, but the monitoring group later updated the death toll to a total of 72, including 20 children and more than a dozen women.

Another 160 were wounded, with local medics telling AFP they had treated cases of suffocation, convulsions, pinpoint pupils, and rapid pulses.

- What was the aftermath? -

Residents were rushed to clinics inside the town and wider province, and some victims were taken across the border for treatment in Turkey.

Hours after the attack, as medics worked to treat the wounded in a hospital in Khan Sheikhun, two air strikes slammed into the facility and partially destroyed it.

The gruesome footage emerging from the town was met with widespread shock, including in Brussels where world powers have gathered to raise funds to deal with Syria's crisis.

- Who was behind it? -

Syria's opposition has accused the government of Bashar al-Assad of carrying out the strike, and warned that it "calls into question" efforts to bring an end to the bloody conflict.

Rebel groups including Al-Qaeda's former affiliate said on Tuesday they would take "revenge" against the regime and its backers, calling on allied fighters "to ignite the fronts" across the country.

But Syria's army "categorically" denied the claims, saying it had never used chemical weapons "any time, anywhere, and will not do so in the future".

Both the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria and the UN's chemical arms watchdog said they were investigating the attack to determine whether chemical substances were used.

- How has the world reacted? -

Washington and London have pointed the finger at Assad, and European Union diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said his regime bore "primary responsibility" for the attack.

Pope Francis on Wednesday called the attack an "unacceptable massacre".

But regime ally Moscow said the deaths were caused when a Syrian air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" containing toxic materials.

- When have chemical weapons been used in Syria? -

Syria's government officially joined the Chemical Weapons Convention and turned over its chemical arsenal in 2013, as part of a deal to avert US military action.

That agreement came after hundreds of people -- up to 1,429 according to a US intelligence report -- were killed in chemical weapons strikes allegedly carried out by Syrian troops near Damascus.

But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use by the government since, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015.

The Islamic State jihadist group was also found to have used mustard gas in a 2015 attack in Syria.
South African President Jacob Zuma is due to step down as head of the ANC in December, ahead of the 2019 general election

South Africa's embattled President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday won the backing of the ruling ANC party, which rejected calls for him to resign over a controversial cabinet reshuffle.

The African National Congress acknowledged growing calls for Zuma to step down, admitting to "serious and difficult disagreement" over the president's sacking of respected finance minister Pravin Gordhan last week.

Zuma could either be ousted by the ANC recalling him, or a vote of no confidence in parliament that has been scheduled for April 18.

The party retains a large majority in parliament, and Zuma has easily survived previous confidence votes.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told reporters Wednesday that although the party had "reflected" on the resignation demands, "we won't recall President Jacob Zuma because opposition parties say so. It won't work that way."

Zuma has been under fire for several days -- including from within his own camp -- after dismissing Gordhan, a decision that caused the rand currency to plummet.

Gordhan's removal triggered unprecedented criticism from Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa as well as the party's chief whip, its treasurer and several ANC allies.

Ramaphosa, who could succeed Zuma, described it as "totally unacceptable".

South Africa's powerful trade union federation Cosatu this week joined many anti-apartheid veterans, business leaders and civil action groups calling for Zuma to step down.

Mantashe -- who was among those who had hit out at Zuma in recent days -- blamed Gordhan's sacking on "the irretrievable breakdown" in relations with the president.

People hold placards during a rally outside the South African National Treasury to protest against President Jacob Zuma in Pretoria on April 3, 2017

Gordhan was at loggerheads with Zuma for months, receiving support from several ministers and major foreign investors, as well as many ordinary South Africans.

"The (party) has emphasised the need for unity of the ANC and the alliance in the interests of South Africa," Mantashe said.

- Credit downgrade -

Gordhan had campaigned for budget discipline and against corruption, but Zuma's allies accused him of thwarting the president's desire to enact radical policies to tackle racial inequality.

Gordhan's sacking contributed to a credit ratings downgrade to junk status on Monday by Standard & Poor's, further fuelling calls for Zuma to step down.

The president has defended his change at the Treasury, saying that the government's financial policies remained the same.

S&P said the cut to below investment grade reflected "heightened political and institutional uncertainties" following the purge of Gordhan and other critical ministers.

With the cabinet overhaul exposing deep divisions within the ANC, the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party hopes to benefit at general elections in 2019.

"No army anywhere in the world will subject their footsoldiers to be commanded by an enemy general," Mantashe said in relation to the no confidence vote.

Peter Attard Montalto, analyst at Nomura bank, said in a briefing note that Zuma was "a master tactician who can play the internal machinations of the ANC much better than anyone else."

The president has been accused of being in the sway of the wealthy Gupta business family, allegedly granting them influence over government appointments, contracts and state-owned businesses.

Since coming to power in 2009, Zuma has been hit by a series of corruption scandals, while the ANC suffered its worst ever results in local polls last year.

He is due to step down as head of the ANC in December, ahead of the 2019 general election.

The president is seen as favouring his ex-wife, former African Union chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, to succeed him -- rather than Ramaphosa.
Palestinians demonstrate in Gaza City against "collaborators" working for Israel on April 5, 2017

Hamas has offered "collaborators" with Israel a week to turn themselves in and receive clemency as it probes the murder of one of its officials in Gaza that it blames on the Jewish state.

"The doors of repentance will be open for one week, from Tuesday, April 4 to Tuesday, April 11," the interior ministry said in a statement.

Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, also tightly restricted access out of the enclave following the March 24 assassination.

The measure remained in place on Wednesday despite calls from NGOs and human rights groups to lift it.

The restrictions have stopped male patients aged from 15 to 45 from using the territory's sole crossing for people to enter Israel to receive medical treatment, Human Rights Watch said.

Exits by sea are also barred despite demands from fishermen preparing for one of the year's most productive periods.

Hamas has blamed Israeli intelligence agency Mossad and its "collaborators" for the killing of Mazen Faqha in the Palestinian territory.

The Islamist group has vowed "radical measures" against Palestinians who "collaborated" with Israel, with interior ministry spokesman Iyad al-Bozum saying that could mean arrests, trials and even executions.

Security checks and searches have increased, including roadblocks.

Bozum said "several collaborators were arrested" after investigators determined "their direct role in the assassination" of Faqha.

Hamas's prosecutor general Ismail Jaber said that those found guilty of aiding Israel would be executed "in the coming days".

A few dozen people demonstrated on Wednesday morning in Gaza to call for executions.

According to Hamas, Faqha formed cells for the Islamist group's military wing in the West Bank cities of Tubas, where he was born, and Jenin.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008. The enclave has been under an Israeli blockade for 10 years.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman (right) receives British Prime Minister Theresa May in Riyadh

Britain said Wednesday it would help Saudi Arabia to diversify its oil-dependent economy as British Prime Minister Theresa May visited the Gulf kingdom.

May and Saudi King Salman held talks focused on "bilateral relations and cooperation" as well as "regional and international developments", the official news agency SPA said.

A statement from May's office said the two discussed several issues including security and strengthening business ties.

An earlier statement from May's office said she would discuss with the monarch "tax and privatisation standards to help Saudi Arabia diversify its economy and become less reliant on oil".

The prime minister "pointed out that security relationships between the two counties had saved many lives in the UK", her office said.

Saudi Arabia faces a significant budget deficit with billions of dollars in debts to private firms, largely in the construction business, after a drop in global oil prices by about half since 2014.

Britain will also assist Riyadh in "building a reformed Ministry of Defence" and reviewing defence capabilities, the premier's office said.

May's visit to the oil-rich kingdom came as she seeks to secure investment and trade after Britain officially started a two-year countdown to leave the European Union.

The premier pitched the London bourse as a venue for the expected listing of oil giant Saudi Aramco, Bloomberg news cited an unnamed British official as saying.

May held a private meeting with Energy Minister Khaled al-Falih, who also heads Aramco, in the presence of London Stock Exchange Group Plc chief Xavier Rolet, the official said.

Back home, the premier has come under strong criticism for her visit to the ultra-conservative kingdom.

She has faced calls to raise rights issues with the kingdom's leaders, primarily over Britain's arms sales to a Saudi-led military coalition battling Iran-backed rebels in Yemen since March 2015.

May's office said she and King Salman "discussed working together to address the humanitarian situation in Yemen".

Saudi Arabia has bought more than $5 billion (4.7 billion euros) worth of arms from the United States and Britain since the Yemen intervention, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute think-tank says.

Rights groups have called for an end to US and British arms sales to Riyadh over the coalition's involvement in the war which has resulted in heavy civilian casualties.

More than 7,700 people have been killed in Yemen since March 2015, the United Nations says, and seven million Yemenis face starvation this year.

On Tuesday, May held talks with a string of officials including Saudi Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef and Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman, who is second in line to the throne.

The British premier also met Sarah al-Suhaimi, the first woman to head the Saudi stock exchange and a Saudi investment bank, and Princess Reema bint Bandar, head of the women's section at the General Authority for Sports.
President Joseph Kabila of Democratic Republic of Congo first took power in 2001 to replace his assassinated father as war ravaged the country

Congolese President Joseph Kabila on Wednesday pledged to appoint a new prime minister within two days to help run the country before elections at year's end, under a deal struck with the opposition.

"The prime minister will absolutely have to be named within 48 hours," Kabila told MPs and senators in a much-awaited speech about the stalled New Year's Eve power-sharing agreement.

Brokered by the influential Catholic church, the deal aimed to avoid fresh political violence in the large central African country after Kabila failed to step down when his mandate ended mid-December.

It enables him to remain in office pending elections in late 2017, ruling in tandem with a transitional watchdog and a new premier, to be chosen within opposition ranks.

The transitional watchdog was to have been headed, by veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, who had gathered together an opposition coalition called "Rassemblement" (Rally).

But the frail opposition chief died in early February and the umbrella group has since split into two, some favouring his son, Felix Tshisekedi, others not.

In his speech in the capital, Kinshasa, Kabila urged the opposition group "to overcome its internal squabbles" and to hand him a list of candidates for the post of prime minister.

- 'No foreign meddling' -

He pledged that "the elections will take place" but warned against foreign meddling.

"No foreign interference... will be tolerated," he said.

The warning came days after the UN Security Council voted to cut back its peacekeeping force in Democratic Republic of Congo -- its biggest worldwide -- as the United States moves to cur costs on such missions.

Kabila, who is under international pressure to implement the December 31 power-sharing deal, this week held two days of talks with his rivals, but Felix Tshisekedi refused to take part in the meetings.

Kabila has run one of the world's least developed countries since the 2001 assassination of his father Laurent.

The postponement of the presidential election led to protests in September that left some 50 people dead.

The last months have seen violence flare across the country of 71 million people and it is widely feared the delay in implementing the power-sharing deal could trigger a postponement in this year's vote that could cause further bloodshed.
Kuwait has agreed a deal to supply Egypt with crude oil and petroleum products for the next three years, after a previous deal expired in December

Kuwait said on Wednesday it has signed a new a multi-billion-dollar deal to supply Egypt with crude oil and petroleum products for the next three years.

Under the deal, Kuwait will supply Egypt with two million barrels of crude per month and 1.5 million tonnes of petroleum products annually over three years, state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corp. said in a statement.

It said the deal is worth over $4 billion (3.75 billion euros) based on current market prices.

The previous three-year deal, signed after Egypt's military removed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, expired in December.

Kuwait was among the Gulf countries that offered Egypt several billion dollars of aid following Morsi's ouster in July 2013.
Gambians go to the polls Thursday for the first time since the ouster of former president Yahya Jammeh

They came to dance in green t-shirts adorned with Yahya Jammeh's grinning face and to sing the old songs of adulation as though he never went away.

The Gambia's former ruling party, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), could once expect legions of paid supporters at rallies, bolstered by a phalanx of soldiers showing off the odd anti-aircraft gun.

But APRC supporters were notable by their scarcity on the final day of campaigning on Tuesday night for legislative elections, the first poll since Jammeh was forced into exile in January after 22 years in power.

All the way down a quiet street in Bakau, a suburb of the Gambian capital, a few dozen of the faithful gathered in almost total darkness due to a power cut, bemoaning life on the other side of the political divide but adamant their party was far from spent.

""The APRC is the biggest party in the country whether people accept it or not," said Bibi Darboe, part of the campaign team.

"It is here to stay, and it will stay forever." he added against a background of drumming, whistling and screaming.

Others had dark conspiracy theories to explain the party's stunning loss in December elections, when a coalition of opposition parties propelled new President Adama Barrow to power in a stunning upset for Jammeh and his party.

"That election, I don't think we lost, truly," said Haddy Gomez, a young woman whose eyes narrowed as she described voters being turned away for having incorrect identification, in a case Jammeh tried to bring to court after the election.

Under Barrow, Gomez lamented, "things are getting worse every day," notably with rising food prices.

- Shock and glee -

Supporters of former president Yahya Jammeh are hoping to win seats in The Gambia's parliamentary election

The country's eight other parties have at times found it hard to contain their glee while observing the APRC's rapid fall from grace since Jammeh went into exile after initially refusing to cede power to Barrow.

"They are going to die a natural death. They will not have more than two seats in the parliament," said Madi Ceesay, a candidate for the United Democratic Party (UDP), the largest traditional opposition grouping.

Ceesay is standing for the first time in Serrekunda, the most populous area of the country that sits along the coast from Banjul.

In the last legislative elections in 2012, most opposition parties boycotted the vote, meaning the APRC currently holds 48 of the country's then 53 parliamentary seats.

The APRC could once rely on state television and radio to pump out their propaganda day and night, but Gambians are freer than ever in their criticism of the party's former leader and the new government is intent on prosecuting alleged killings and torture by the security services once under his control.

"Before they were dipping their hand in the government coffers, using government vehicles, resources, that's not the case now," Ceesay said.

Others were more pointed. "He's a killer, we don't like that one. We want justice," said Alhagie Jibba, 70, as he walked home after stopping by Ceesay's rally in Serrekunda.

But back in Bakau, women sporting green facepaint in the party colours tried to whip up the crowds with another chorus of "Yahya, Yahya!", just like in the old days.

"If he (Jammeh) wants to come back, no one will stop him," said Darboe, the campaigner.

"Yahya Jammeh is the president!" yelled a woman in the distance.
Taghreed is seen as she sits on a mattress and looks at the debris of her home after it was demolished, by Israeli bulldozers bulldozers as they were reportedly built illegally without a permit, near the West Bank town of Hebron on March 6, 2017

Israel's parliament on Wednesday voted in favour of a controversial law against illegal constructions that detractors say will mostly target Arab homes built without required, but hard-to-get, permits.

The law, which has the backing of Prime Minister's Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government, was passed with 43 votes for the bill and 33 against.

Arab Israelis, descendants of the Palestinians who remained on their land after the 1948 creation of Israel, were quick to denounce the law.

The bill provides punishment of up to three years in jail, increases fines and reduces the powers of courts to postpone the date of demolition orders.

Arab Israelis, who make up around 17 percent of the population, say discrimination by the Jewish state makes it impossible for them to obtain planning permission to expand their communities.

The result is that many families resort to building homes without permission, leaving them liable to demolition.

The new law will also concern around 300,000 Palestinians living in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Druze lawmaker Abdullah Abu Maaruf accused the Israeli premier of wanting to "please the (political) right at whatever cost and at the expense of the Arabs".

The law threatens "50,000 Arab homes in which hundreds of thousands of people live", he told AFP.

Leaders of the Druze community, a minority among the Arab Israelis, called on their members of parliament to vote against the bill.

Israeli daily Haaretz says that 97 percent of demolition orders between 2012 and 2014 targeted Arab families.

Ir Amin, an Israeli anti-settlement non-governmental organisation, has reported a record 203 demolitions in east Jerusalem last year.

Palestinians make up 37 percent of the city's population, but only 15 percent of the area of east Jerusalem is considered suitable for Palestinian construction, it said.

In January, demolitions in an Arab Israeli village sparked violence in which a policeman and his alleged attacker were killed.

Earlier the same month, Arabs across Israel closed businesses and schools in a one-day strike to protest the demolitions.
The Chicago appeals court ruling that employers cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation could eventually be decided by the US Supreme Court

Gay rights advocates Wednesday hailed a first-of-its-kind federal appeals court ruling that employers cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation.

The ruling Tuesday by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago expanded the 1967 Civil Rights Act's protections against gender discrimination to include LGBT employees in the workplace.

It conflicts with an Atlanta appellate court decision three weeks ago, which concluded that gay and lesbian workers are not protected by anti-discrimination laws.

The dueling decisions could eventually be decided by the US Supreme Court, where there is currently a vacancy and an even split among justices nominated by Republican and Democratic presidents.

The US Senate is embroiled in a contentious battle over the confirmation of President Donald Trump's conservative nominee to the high court, Neil Gorsuch.

The case at the center of the landmark decision involved a community college teacher, Kimberly Hively, who sued her former employer, Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. She claimed she was denied promotions and eventually fired because she is a lesbian.

In an 8-3 decision by both Republican and Democratic judicial appointees, the court concluded that while Congress had not originally intended to include sexual orientation in the Civil Rights Act, its prohibition against gender discrimination extended to LGBT people.

Judge Richard Posner, an appointee of former president Ronald Reagan, a Republican, said expansion of anti-discrimination protections was warranted because society now considers sexual orientation an innate part of a person, just as gender is.

"The position of a woman discriminated against on account of being a lesbian is thus analogous to a woman's being discriminated against on account of being a woman. That woman didn't choose to be a woman; the lesbian didn't choose to be a lesbian," Posner wrote.

Gay rights groups hailed the Chicago appellate court's decision.

"Today's ruling is a monumental victory for fairness in the workplace" said Sarah Warbelow of the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign.

Calling the ruling a "game changer," Greg Nevins of Lambda Legal said it "sends a clear message to employers: it is against the law to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation."

But in a dissenting opinion, Judge Diane Sykes said judges should not reinterpret a law's meaning.

"Our role is to give effect to the enacted text, interpreting the statutory language as a reasonable person would have understood it at the time of enactment," wrote Sykes, who was on Trump's list of potential Supreme Court nominees.

Neil Gorsuch, the person Trump did nominate for the high court, is considered an originalist -- deferring to the original text of a law as legislators had intended. If he is confirmed, he could hold sway over the issue in a conservative tilting Supreme Court.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley holds photos of victims as she speaks at the UN Security Council on April 5, 2017, about the suspected deadly chemical attack that killed civilians, including children, in Syria

The United States and Russia were on a collision course over Syria after a horrific chemical attack so shocked President Donald Trump that Washington threatened unilateral US action.

At least 86 people were killed early on Tuesday in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun in northern Syria and dozens more were being treated after they were found convulsing and foaming at the mouth.

After previous major chemical attacks in Syria in 2013, Trump strongly urged then-president Barack Obama not to order military intervention against Bashar al-Assad's regime.

And he came to office promising both to improve ties with Assad's ally President Vladimir Putin of Russia and to focus US efforts in Syria solely on the defeat of the Islamic State group.

But on Wednesday -- as footage emerged of Syrian children choking to death in agony -- he declared that his view of the conflict had been changed by an attack that "cannot be tolerated."

"It crossed a lot of lines for me," Trump told reporters at a joint White House news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah, alluding to Obama's failure to enforce his own 2013 "red line."

Syria: deadly chemical attack

"When you kill innocent children, innocent babies, little babies... that crosses many, many lines, beyond a red line, many, many lines," he warned.

"I will tell you, it's already happened, that my attitude towards Syria and Assad has changed very much... You're now talking about a whole different level."

Trump did not go into detail about what any US response to the atrocity would be -- and he has previously opposed deeper US military involvement in Syria's civil war.

- Rethink support -

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, warned of unilateral action and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Russia to rethink its support for Assad.

"There is no doubt in our mind that the Syrian regime under the leadership of Bashar al-Assad is responsible for this horrific attack," Tillerson told reporters.

"And we think it is time for the Russians to really think carefully about their continuing support for the Assad regime."

A Syrian man collects samples from the site of a suspected toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhun, in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, on April 5, 2017

Tillerson is due in Moscow next week for talks that will now be clouded by the Khan Sheikhun controversy.

At the United Nations, Haley was equally forthright.

"When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," she said.

The warning came during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council called by France and Britain after the attack.

Haley, lashing out at Russia for failing to rein in its ally Syria, showed photographs of lifeless children choked in the attack.

"How many more children have to die before Russia cares?" she demanded. "If Russia has the influence in Syria that it claims to have, we need to see them use it."

- 'Categorically unacceptable' -

Britain, France and the United States have presented a draft resolution demanding a full investigation of the attack.

Russia -- along with Iran -- is Syria's main diplomatic and military partner. And Moscow, true to form, said the draft text was "categorically unacceptable."

Failure to agree on a compromise text could prompt Russia to use its veto to block the draft resolution. Moscow has used its veto seven times to shield Syria from UN action.

The Western-backed draft text backs a probe by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and demands Syria provide information on its operations.

Russia's deputy ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told the UN council that the proposed resolution was hastily prepared and unnecessary, but voiced support for an inquiry.

"The main task now is to have an objective inquiry into what happened," he said.

Russia turned up at negotiations with a rival draft resolution that made no reference to specific demands that Damascus cooperate with an inquiry, diplomats said.

Negotiations were continuing on the draft text and diplomats said there would not be a vote before Thursday at the earliest.

"We are talking about war crimes here, war crimes on a large scale, war crimes with chemical weapons," said French Ambassador Francois Delattre.

The British ambassador, Matthew Rycroft, told reporters he hoped council members would agree on a draft resolution by Thursday, but vowed to press for a vote regardless.

Moscow, which launched a military intervention in 2015 in support of Assad's forces, defended the government against accusations of responsibility for the attack.

It claimed the deaths were caused when a Syrian strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" for bombs containing "toxic substances" and pledged to maintain its military support for Assad.

Western experts have dismissed this claim as implausible, given the scale and nature of the casualties.

And a senior State Department official said: "Anyone with common sense and the ability to look at pictures knows that what the Russians are saying about the depot is not true."

- 'A gas so lethal' -

Doctors said victims showed symptoms consistent with the use of a nerve agent such as sarin -- suspected to have been used by government forces in deadly attacks outside Damascus in 2013.

US officials have not said what kind of agent they think was used, but Trump said it was "a chemical gas that is so lethal, people were shocked to hear what gas it was."

If confirmed, the attack would be among the worst incidents of chemical weapons use in Syria's civil war, which has killed over 320,000 people since it began in March 2011.

Syria officially relinquished its chemical arsenal and signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013 to avert military action after it was accused of an attack outside Damascus that killed hundreds.

But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use since.

burs-vs/acb
Protected Rhinos roam and feed in an enclosed precinct at the Kahya Ndlovu Lodge on September 25, 2016 in Hoedspruit, in the Limpopo province of South Africa

South Africa's highest court Wednesday rejected a bid by the government to keep a ban on domestic trade in rhino horn, a court document showed.

The ruling by the Constitutional Court effectively means rhino horns may be traded locally.

The department of environmental affairs had sought to retain a moratorium on domestic trade in rhino horns which was dismissed by last year by another court.

In a one paragraph ruling, the Constitutional Court ruled that the application by government be "dismissed".

Environmental department spokesman Albie Modise said authorities were still considering the implications of the judgment.

"It is important to note that permits are required to sell or buy rhino horn," he said in a statement.

The ruling will have little impact outside South Africa because a ban on international trade is still in force.

Breeders believe open trade is the only way to stop poachers slaughtering rhino.

"We are absolutely delighted at the ruling by the Constitutional Court," Pelham Jones, chairman of the Private Rhino Owners Association, told AFP.

South Africa is home to around 20,000 rhinos, around 80 percent of the worldwide population, about a third of which is held by private breeders.

Rhino breeders want the booming Asian demand for rhino horn to be met by horns sawn off anaesthetised live animals, arguing that a legal source of horn could end poaching deaths.

The horns grow back, but most conservationists disagree with the proposed policy.

Rhino horn is composed mainly of keratin, the same component as in human nails.

It is sold in powdered form as a supposed cure for cancer and other diseases -- as well as an aphrodisiac -- in Vietnam and China.

At least 1,054 rhino were killed by poachers in South Africa in 2016, a slight decrease from previous year.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (L) and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini (2nd L) and international representatives are seen while attending an EU-Syria conference on supporting the future of the region in Brussels April 5, 2017

International donors on Wednesday pledged $6.0 billion in aid for Syria this year at a conference overshadowed by a suspected deadly chemical attack blamed by the West on Damascus.

The countries further pledged $3.73 billion in aid for 2018-20 at the Brussels meeting, which was co-chaired by the European Union and United Nations and follows a conference in London last year which raised $12 billion (10.1 billion euros).

"Our conference is sending a powerful message, we are not letting down the people of Syria," EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos Stylianides told delegates.

Announcing the new pledges to applause from those at the meeting, he added: "Thank you so much. It is an impressive figure."

Stylianides did not clarify if the funding was new, or if it included some funds previously pledged by the international community for war-torn Syria.

In London last year, donors put together two $6.0 billion tranches in aid, one for 2016 and the other to cover the period to 2019.

The two-day Brussels meeting brought together some 70 countries and aid groups who also wanted to show support for UN-sponsored peace talks between the rebels and Russian-backed President Bashar al-Assad.

Wednesday's session was dominated by news that at least 72 civilians including 20 children had been killed in a suspected chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib province.

- 'War crimes in Syria' -

"The horrific events of yesterday demonstrate unfortunately that war crimes are going on in Syria," said UN chief Antonio Guterres.

"This conference must represent a moment of truth where the international community" finally comes together to settle the war and give the Syrian people hope, he said.

Syrians dig a grave to bury the bodies of victims of a a suspected toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhun, a nearby rebel-held town in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, on April 5, 2017

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told delegates it was "impossible for us to ignore the horrific attack" and pointed the finger of blame firmly at Damascus, as the US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, warned of unilateral American action.

Johnson and other delegates in Brussels repeatedly urged all parties to the conflict and their backers to condemn the attack and the use of chemical weapons.

The war has claimed more than 320,000 lives since anti-Assad protests descended into a full-blown civil war in 2011, with five million Syrians fleeing the country and most of the remaining population being displaced.

Most of the refugees have ended up in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.

The UN warned Tuesday that the plight of the refugees was becoming "desperate", with only 433 million euros out of a needed 4.7 billion euros pledged so far.

The UN estimated another 3.4 billion euros was needed for humanitarian aid in Syria.

- 'Ticking time-bomb' -

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri urged donors to "invest in peace".

"Ladies and gentlemen, the current situation in Lebanon is a ticking time-bomb," he told the conference.

The Brussels conference was not meant to address the key sticking point of Assad's future role in the Geneva talks.

The rebels and their backers demand that Assad stand down but Moscow and Tehran show no sign of abandoning their long-time ally.

United Nations aid chief Stephen O'Brien gives a press conference during a EU-Syria conference concerning the future of Syria and the region, at the European Commission in Brussels, on April 5, 2017

Assad's main backer Russia, which was also represented at the Brussels conference, said Tuesday's attack happened after an air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" containing "toxic substances".

EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini admitted it was "surreal especially today" to be discussing the "post-conflict situation".

"But if you want peace you have to start building peace and the conditions for peace," she said, urging a "strong push to the political talks in Geneva".

Delegates made clear that aid for reconstruction would not be forthcoming until there was a genuine political transition to a new Syrian government without Assad.

"Our publics will not accept that their money go in any way to those responsible for these crimes," Johnson said, referring to the Idlib attack.
"The Chinese government's message to all political opponents like me or party officials who have fled the country is: 'Wherever you are, the international police work with us and we will find you'," Wei Jingsheng said

The election of a Chinese security official as president of Interpol could pose risks to opponents of China's government who have fled the country, a prominent exiled dissident warned Wednesday.

Wei Jingsheng, often considered the father of China's democracy movement, said the election of Meng Hongwei as head of the global police organisation's executive committee could give Beijing new leverage over its critics.

"The Chinese government's message to all political opponents like me or party officials who have fled the country is: 'Wherever you are, the international police work with us and we will find you'," Wei said in Lyon, the southeastern French city where Interpol has its headquarters.

"That's frightening," he said, adding that Meng "is still vice-minister of public security in China. He has led the secret police."

Meng's election in November came as China's government has sought more international help to track down alleged economic criminals, including corrupt officials, who have been targeted by President Xi Jinping's anti-graft campaign.

But the drive, known as Operation Fox Hunt, has proved controversial in some countries, which say that Chinese law enforcement agents have been operating covertly on their soil without the approval or consent of local authorities.

"The collaboration between the Chinese government and Interpol is going to increase, and that concerns not only officials suspected of corruption who are on the run, but also dissidents abroad," Wei said.

"Before, there were already problems, but this risks making it worse."

Wei, a writer who has been tipped for the Nobel Peace Prize in the past, is a former electrician who openly pushed for democracy after the death of former leader Mao Zedong in 1976.

He spent 18 years in prison, partially on death row, until he was allowed to go into exile in 1997 after an intervention by then US president Bill Clinton. He now lives in the United States.

Interpol, which acts as a network connecting the law enforcement agencies of its 190 member countries, does not have agents of its own with powers of arrest.

But Wei, who said Wednesday that his requests to meet with Interpol officials in Lyon were unsuccessful, said allegations from Beijing, "of terrorism for example, could be used to have political opponents sent home."
This combination of pictures shows UN Swedish employee Zaida Catalan (L) in 2009 in Stockholm and an undated unlocated photo of US UN researcher Michael Sharp

The United Nations said Wednesday that the bodies of two of its researchers, found in a mass grave in the Democratic Republic of Congo, had been flown home for burial.

US citizen Michael Sharp and Swedish-Chilean dual national Zaida Catalan were kidnapped on March 12 with four Congolese nationals in central DRC, which has been rocked by clashes between security forces and rebels since September that have left hundreds dead.

The bodies of the two UN workers, who had been sent to investigate violence in the central Kasai region, were found in a grave 16 days after they were abducted.

"We have repatriated the bodies of these two colleagues to their home countries," David Gressly, the UN's deputy special representative in DRC, told a news conference after a visit to Kasai's provincial capital Kananga where the bodies were being kept.

Addressing lawmakers on Wednesday, President Joseph Kabila called for a minute's silence in memory of those killed in Kasai, including the UN experts.

Fighting erupted in Kasai after government forces last August killed tribal chief Jean Pierre Mpandi, also known as Kamwina Nsapu, who had launched an uprising against Kabila's government.

The UN accuses the rebels of recruiting child soldiers and committing widespread atrocities.

But government security forces have also faced repeated criticism from the UN which accuses them of using disproportionate force against militants armed largely with sticks and slingshots.
FBI agents search the offices of the California Investment Immigration Fund during an investigation into an alleged US$50 million high-end visa fraud scheme involving as many as 100 Chinese nationals in San Gabriel

Federal agents in California on Wednesday raided two homes and a business allegedly connected to a $50 million visa fraud scheme that benefited up to 100 Chinese nationals.

Authorities said the key suspects in the case helped wealthy Chinese obtain residency visas in the United States in exchange for bogus investments.

According to an affidavit by an FBI agent involved in the probe, Victoria Chan, a California attorney, and her father, Tat Chan, beginning in 2008 convinced more than 100 Chinese nationals to invest upwards of $50 million in the California Investment Immigration Fund (CIIF) and related companies in order to obtain visas under the so-called EB-5 program.

The program offers foreign nationals permanent US residency -- commonly known as a green card -- in exchange for investments of at least $500,000 in a US business that must also create 10 American jobs.

"As a result of the fraudulent scheme, many foreign nationals were able to improperly obtain US green cards through the EB-5 visa program, even though those foreigners did not in fact truly invest in US businesses, nor were new American jobs created," FBI special agent Gary Chen wrote in the affidavit.

The scheme involving the California Investment Immigration Fund allegedly involved a visa program that offers foreign nationals legal residency in the United States in exchange for investments of at least USD 500,000 in US businesses

Chen said several of those who benefitted from the program were fugitives on China's 100 most wanted list, charged with crimes such as bribery and abuse of power.

Nevertheless, at least three of the bogus investors were able to obtain green cards even though their applications contained false information, Chen said.

Victoria Chan and her father allegedly promised investors a full refund on their funds but kept some of the money to buy multi-million-dollar homes for themselves and for Tat Chan's female companion, Fang Zeng, a Chinese national.

FBI agents remove documents from the offices of the California Investment Immigration Fund in an investigation into an alleged $50 million visa fraud scheme involving as many as 100 Chinese nationals in San Gabriel, California on April 5, 2017

They also submitted plans to federal authorities for various development projects that never got off the ground.

Officials said no arrests have been made yet in the case and no formal charges have been filed.

The EB-5 program was created in 1990 to help stimulate the US economy through job creation and capital investment from foreign nationals.

Nearly 90 percent of EB-5 visas were issued to Chinese nationals in 2014, when the program reached its quota of 10,000 visas and had to stop accepting applications.
BALTIMORE (AP) - Baltimore's mayor and police chief worked closely with Justice Department investigators to scrutinize the city's police force and embraced a plan they crafted to overhaul the troubled department.

So they were surprised by the Justice Department's sudden request Monday for more time to see how the proposed changes might conflict with the aggressive crime-fighting approach new Attorney General Jeff Sessions favors.

City leaders accelerated negotiations under the Obama administration to get the consent decree done before the change in administrations in Washington "because we know that a consent decree will make the Baltimore police department better both with crime fight and community relationships," Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said Tuesday.

FILE - In this Wednesday, March 1, 2017, file photo, Baltimore Police Department Commissioner Kevin Davis speaks at a news conference in Baltimore to announce that seven Baltimore police officers who worked on a firearms crime task force are facing charges of stealing money, property and narcotics from people over two years. Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and Davis worked closely with Justice Department investigators to scrutinize the city's police force and embraced a plan they crafted to overhaul the troubled department. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

A consent decree binds the police commissioner and mayor, no matter who they are, "to getting those reforms enacted under a timeline that's not necessarily our own," he said. The department is already enacting reforms, Davis said, but change won't come at the pace that it is needed without such an agreement.

"The reforms that cost money ... are the things behind the scenes that consent decrees really mandate and they hold our feet to the fire," he said.

Davis and Democratic Mayor Catherine Pugh believed the proposed agreement would repair public trust in the police while also quelling violence. They swiftly voiced their opposition to the requested delay, and pledged to press ahead with the business of transforming the police department, with or without a court-enforceable consent decree.

"Much has been done to begin the process of building faith between the police department and the community it seeks to serve," Pugh said in a statement. "Any interruption in moving forward may have the effect or eroding the trust that we are working hard to establish."

The government's request for a 90-day continuance came three days before a scheduled hearing before a federal judge, and just hours after Sessions announced he had ordered a sweeping review of the Justice Department's interactions with local law enforcement, including existing or proposed consent decrees.

It provided an early glimpse of the attorney general's stance on police department oversight and his ambivalence about mandating widespread change of local law enforcement agencies.

Sessions, an Alabama Republican who cultivated a tough-on-crime reputation during 20 years in the Senate, has repeatedly expressed concern that lengthy investigations of a police department can malign an entire agency. That view reflects a dramatic break from President Barack Obama's administration, which saw such probes as essential in holding local law enforcement accountable for unconstitutional practices.

Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division under Obama, said the request "is alarming and signals a retreat from the Justice Department's commitment to civil rights and public safety in Baltimore," especially because the agreement sought the input of community members, police union officials and department heads to "address serious constitutional violations that had undermined trust and public safety in the city."

The federal government cited several reasons for the requested delay, including new Justice Department policies that federal officials say are aimed at reducing crime.

If granted, the request would effectively stall a process that could lead to a sweeping overhaul in the policies and practices of the Baltimore police force. The two sides reached agreement on a consent decree earlier this year before Attorney General Loretta Lynch left the Justice Department.

The department said it was aware of the need for police reform in Baltimore but added that the city "has made progress toward reform on its own and, as a consequence, it may be possible to take these changes into account where appropriate to ensure future compliance while protecting public safety."

In addition to Baltimore, the review also renewed questions about the fate of negotiations with Chicago's police department after a report released in the final days of Lynch's tenure found officers there had violated the constitutional rights of residents for years.

Sessions has not committed to such an agreement and has repeatedly said he believes broad investigations of police departments risk unfairly smearing entire agencies and harming officer morale. He has also suggested that officers' reluctance to aggressively police has contributed to a spike in violence in some cities.

The proposed consent decree in Baltimore comes after the Justice Department released a scathing report detailing longstanding patterns racial profiling and excessive force within the city's police force. The review was prompted by the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man whose neck was broken in the back of a transport wagon, and whose death roiled the city.

Activist Ray Kelly said the requested delay undermined hard-fought efforts to heal the fractured relationship.

Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, initially voiced concern after the Justice Department asked for a delay of court proceedings earlier this year. On Monday, she called the Justice Department's request "deeply concerning."

"The residents of Baltimore have waited a long time for relief, and the Justice Department provided a roadmap, setting forth in great detail the systemic problems that riddle the police department," she said. "That the Justice Department will turn its back on issues so dark and severe is deeply disturbing."

___

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

___

An earlier version of this story had an incorrect spelling for Kristen Clarke's name.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, file photo, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh delivers an address during her inauguration ceremony inside the War Memorial Building in Baltimore. Pugh and police chief worked closely with Justice Department investigators to scrutinize the city's police force and embraced a plan they crafted to overhaul the troubled department. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 10, 2016, file photo, police Commissioner Kevin Davis, left, listens as Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake speaks during a news conference at City Hall in response to a Justice Department report in Baltimore. The Justice Department on April 3, 2017, asked a federal judge for more time to "review and assess" a proposed agreement to reform the Baltimore Police Department, saying it needed to determine how it might interfere with Attorney General Jeff Sessions' new focus on fighting violent crime. (Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun via AP)

Baltimore Police Department Commissioner Kevin Davis speaks at a news conference at the department's headquarters in Baltimore, Tuesday, April 4, 2017, in response to the Department of Justice's request for a 90-day delay of a hearing on its proposed overhaul of the police department. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Baltimore Police Department Commissioner Kevin Davis speaks at a news conference at the department's headquarters in Baltimore, Tuesday, April 4, 2017, in response to the Department of Justice's request for a 90-day delay of a hearing on its proposed overhaul of the police department. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Baltimore Police Department Commissioner Kevin Davis arrives at a news conference at the department's headquarters in Baltimore, Tuesday, April 4, 2017, to respond to the Department of Justice's request for a 90-day delay of a hearing on its proposed overhaul of the police department. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

A Baltimore Police Department patch is seen on Commissioner Kevin Davis's uniform as he speaks at a news conference at the department's headquarters in Baltimore, Tuesday, April 4, 2017, in response to the Department of Justice's request for a 90-day delay of a hearing on its proposed overhaul of the police department. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich (blayz SOO'-pich) says Pope Francis has written him a letter saying he is praying for the city's victims of violence.

Cupich read from the pope's letter during an event Tuesday announcing the Chicago Archdiocese's new initiatives to fight violence in the city. Chicago has seen killings spike, hitting a 19-year high last year when there were 762 homicides.

Pope Francis made a call for nonviolence in his letter dated Tuesday and told Cupich to tell the people of Chicago that he shared in their grief and prays they "may experience healing and reconciliation."

Pope Francis leaves after meeting Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, at the Vatican, Tuesday, April 4, 2017. The heir to the British throne is on a three-country trip seen as an effort to reassure European Union nations that Britain remains a close ally despite its impending departure from the bloc. (Vincenzo Pinto/Pool Photo via AP)

The archdiocese's anti-violence efforts will include a Good Friday "Walk for Peace" through the Englewood neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. The archdiocese also is creating a fund to invest in new anti-violence approaches.
ATLANTA (AP) - Authorities have arrested a man who they say shot and killed a woman on a busy Midtown Atlanta street.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (http://on-ajc.com/2ozRL2d ) 39-year-old Raylon Browning, of Roswell, is accused of shooting 40-year-old Trinh Huynh just before 8 a.m. Monday at an intersection. Huynh was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital where she died from her injuries.

Huynh lived about a block from where she was shot and worked as an attorney.

Atlanta police Lt. Ricardo Vazquez says investigators haven't determined if Huynh and Browning knew each other, but they do believe Huynh was targeted and being followed by Browning.

Browning was arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and murder. It was unknown if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

___

Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The Latest on rallies honoring the legacy of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (all times local):

6:55 p.m.

Supporters of the Black Lives Matter and Fight for $15 movements have marched through the streets of downtown Memphis, demanding higher wages and racial equality on the 49th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.

Several hundred people, including a 220-piece marching band from Talladega College in Alabama, marched more than a mile (1.6 kilometers), from City Hall to the National Civil Rights Museum on Tuesday. They chanted "This is what democracy looks like" and held signs saying "I Am A Man." Some wore T-shirts emblazoned with the words "Show Me $15. Real Change. No Pennies."

The Fight for $15 group wants a higher hourly minimum wage for low-pay workers, including fast food employees and home and child care workers.

The museum is at the site of the former Lorraine Motel. King was standing on the motel's balcony when he was shot down by a sniper's bullet on April 4, 1968. He was in Memphis supporting a sanitation workers strike.

___

2:15 p.m.

More than 200 people have gathered at a Memphis church to hear guest speakers talk about the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on the 49th anniversary of his assassination.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. William Barber each talked about how King's fight for economic and racial equality and social justice is far from over. A vocalist belted out a religious hymn and another song, "The Impossible Dream," and attendees held hands in prayer.

The rally precedes a march scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in downtown Memphis. Supporters of Black Lives Matter and the Fight for $15 movement plan to gather at Memphis City Hall before marching to the National Civil Rights Museum.

The museum is located at the site of the former Lorraine Motel. King was standing on the motel's balcony when he was shot down by a sniper's bullet on April 4, 1968. He was in Memphis supporting a sanitation workers strike.

___

9:25 a.m.

Activists claiming an imbalance in economic and social equality plan rallies across the United States on the 49th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Black Lives Matter and the Fight for $15 movement have scheduled rallies in Memphis, Tennessee - where King was shot while standing on a hotel balcony on April 4, 1968. Rallies also are expected in Florida, California, Illinois and Michigan.

The Fight for $15 group wants a higher minimum wage for low-pay workers, including fast food employees and home and child care workers. The Black Lives Matter movement developed after the deaths of unarmed black men during confrontations with white police officers and has waged protests throughout the country.

King had come to Memphis to support a sanitation workers strike.
PARIS (AP) - France's top candidates for president advocated starkly opposing economic, European and security policies during a crucial debate Tuesday night, less than three weeks before the first round of voting.

Anger at globalization, worries about extremist violence and skepticism of the European Union were key themes in the televised debate. It featured all 11 candidates for the race - nine men, two women seated in a semi-circle facing the journalists for almost 4 hours.

Polls currently suggest independent centrist Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, far-right leader of the National Front, would dominate the April 23 first round and Macron could win the May 7 runoff.

This combination of file photos show the eleven French official presidential candidates: Top from left: Emmanuel Macron, Benoit Hamon, Francois Fillon, Marine le Pen. Middle form left: Jean-Luc Melelchon, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, Nathalie Arthaud, Philippe Poutou. Below from the left: Jean Lassalle, Jacques Cheminade, Francois Asselineau. Imagine if Americans elected a president who was neither Democrat nor Republican. France is facing a similarly shocking scenario: As the 11 candidates head into a debate Tuesday, the traditional left-right contenders are overshadowed by rivals pledging to turn today's system on its head. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, Francois Mori, Michel Euler, Jean-Francois Badias, Files)

But lesser-known rivals stood out in the debate - notably far left candidates Jean-Luc Melenchon and Philippe Poutou, with their rhetoric for the working classes and jabs at the frontrunners.

Asked how they want to create jobs in a country where the unemployment rate has for years hovered around 10 percent, Macron promoted pro-free market views, in contrast with Le Pen and her support for protectionism.

Macron pledges to cut business taxes, loosen France's stringent labor rules and boost negotiations between unions and employers to help create jobs.

Le Pen - who wants France to follow Britain and exit the European Union, like several candidates - proposed a tax on businesses that hire foreign workers.

"Without a clever protectionism, we are going to watch jobs being destroyed one after another", she said.

Le Pen lobbed several punches at Macron, her chief rival.

"You do not present yourself as new when you are using 50-year-old ideas," she said to the former economy minister, who is 39 years old and running for his first elected office.

"Madame Le Pen, sorry to tell you, but you are using lies we hear for 40 years and we were hearing in your father's mouth," Macron retorted, a reference to the National Front's founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who repeatedly has been convicted of crimes based on anti-Semitism and racism.

As many candidates from the left and right harshly criticized the European Union, Macron said he has the European project "in (his) heart".

The best way to improve the situation of European workers is for France to discuss with Germany and reform the EU, he said.

Security issues prompted a vigorous discussion as the country is still under state of emergency following deadly attacks in Paris in 2015.

Le Pen wants to reinstate France's national borders to prevent potential attackers from entering the country.

She pledged to boost the military budget and suggested closing a hundred mosques in the country she describes as preaching a "radical" Islam.

Macron vowed to pursue France's military operations in Syria, Iraq and Africa's Sahel region and promised to hire 10,000 police forces to help ensuring security on the country's territory.

The debate heated up when the candidates discussed the "moralization" of French politics.

Le Pen and conservative candidate Francois Fillon tried to fend off accusations of corruption by other candidates in the presidential race. They denied any wrongdoing.

Le Pen is embroiled in a set of corruption allegations, along with her anti-immigration National Front party.

She said she is "politically persecuted" and added that in any case, as a member of the European Parliament, she has "parliamentary immunity."

Fillon was given preliminary charges for allegedly giving his wife and two children government-funded jobs which they never did.

He said "I am entitled to the presumption of innocence".

"I didn't acknowledge errors. ... I'm still here and nobody will come intimidate me. The French will make a judgment in a little less than three weeks."

Fillon, once considered the favorite of the vote before corruption allegations break in French medias, is now struggling to survive in the race.

Independent centrist presidential candidate for the presidential election Emmanuel Macron attends a television debate at French private TV channels BFM TV and CNews, in La Plaine-Saint-Denis, outside Paris, France, Tuesday, April 4, 2017. The 11 candidates in France's presidential race are preparing to face off in a crucial debate Tuesday evening, less than three weeks before the first round of the election. (Lionel Bonaventure/Pool Photo via AP)

Far-right presidential candidate for the presidential election Marine Le Pen attends a television debate at French private TV channels BFM TV and CNews, in La Plaine-Saint-Denis, outside Paris, France, Tuesday, April 4, 2017. The 11 candidates in France's presidential race are preparing to face off in a crucial debate Tuesday evening, less than three weeks before the first round of the election. (Lionel Bonaventure/Pool Photo via AP)

Conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon attends a television debate at French private TV channels BFM TV and CNews, in La Plaine-Saint-Denis, outside Paris, France, Tuesday, April 4, 2017. The 11 candidates in France's presidential race are preparing to face off in a crucial debate Tuesday evening, less than three weeks before the first round of the election. (Lionel Bonaventure/Pool Photo via AP)

From left to right, France's presidential candidates Jean-Luc Melenchon, Francois Fillon, Francois Asselineau, Jean Lassalle, Nathalie Arthaud, Marine Le Pen, Benoit Hamon, Jacques Cheminade, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan and Emmanuel Macron pose for a group photo prior to a television debate at French private TV channels BFM TV and CNews, in La Plaine-Saint-Denis, outside Paris, France, Tuesday, April 4, 2017. The 10 candidates in France's presidential race are preparing to face off in a crucial debate Tuesday evening, less than three weeks before the first round of the election. (Lionel Bonaventure/Pool Photo via AP)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea fired a newly developed powerful ballistic missile into its eastern waters Wednesday, U.S. and South Korean officials said, amid worries the North might conduct nuclear or long-range rocket tests ahead of the first summit between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week.

The initial U.S. and South Korean assessments indicated it was a KN-15 medium-range missile, whose first publicly known test in February was considered by many foreign experts as a potentially worrying development. It uses solid fuel already loaded inside the missile, which would shorten launch preparation times, boost the weapon's mobility and make it harder for outsiders to detect the signs of its liftoff.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had said after the February launch that the missile, called "Pukguksong-2" in North Korea, provided another nuclear attack capability against the United States and South Korea. Most of North Korea's missiles use liquid propellant, which usually must be added on the launch pad before the weapon is fired.

Visitors sit in front of the TV screen showing a news program reporting about North Korea's missile firing, at Seoul Train Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. North Korea fired a ballistic missile into its eastern waters Wednesday, U.S. and South Korean officials said, amid worries the North might conduct banned nuclear or rocket tests ahead of the first summit between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week. The letters read "North Korea fired a ballistic missile into its eastern waters." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

The missile fired from land in the area of the eastern coastal city of Sinpo on Wednesday morning flew about 60 kilometers (37 miles), according to a South Korean military statement. The missile launched in February flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles), but it wasn't immediately clear if the shorter distance meant Wednesday's launch was a failure.

North Korean state media said the "Pukguksong-2" missile is a surface-to-surface missile that can carry nuclear warheads. It is likely to be an upgraded version of the submarine-launched missile named "Pukguksong" launched last summer. Many South Korean experts say "Pukguksong-2" missile would be a greater security threat because it can be launched anywhere from a ground-based mobile vehicle. While submarines are also a stealthy way to do that, North Korea doesn't have enough of them.

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something to coincide with the Trump-Xi summit, perhaps conduct a nuclear test. The missile launch may be a precursor, with more to come as the summit starts later this week, Cossa said.

"I've joked before that they don't mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored," Cossa said.

Recent outside satellite imagery show possible preparations for a new atomic test at the North's main nuclear test site, such as the laying of communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data. North Korea's state media has also said the world will soon witness what it calls "eventful successes" the country achieves in the space development. Washington, Seoul and others call the North's space program a cover for its long-range missile development program.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry called the North's latest missile launch a "reckless provocation" that posed a threat to international peace, while Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the country lodged a strong protest over the launch.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged the launch in a statement but said the U.S. had spoken enough about North Korea and would not comment further.

Analysts says North might time nuclear and long-range rocket tests to the April 15 birthday of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility. Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

The North's latest missile launch also came as it is responding annual military drills between the United States and South Korea with weapons tests and harsh rhetoric. North Korea sees the drills as an invasion rehearsal.

Two weeks ago, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch. Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

__

Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.

FILE - In this March 14, 2017 file photo, a U.S. Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter approaches the deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during the annual joint military exercise called Foal Eagle between South Korea and the United States at an unidentified location in the international waters, east of the Korean Peninsula. North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast on Wednesday, April 5, South Korean officials said, in a continuation of its weapons launches made as the country is angrily reacting to annual military drills between U.S. and South Korean troops. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

A man watches a TV news program showing a file footage of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, at Seoul Train Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. North Korea fired a ballistic missile into its eastern waters Wednesday, U.S. and South Korean officials said, amid worries the North might conduct banned nuclear or rocket tests ahead of the first summit between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week. The letters read on top left "North Korea fired a ballistic missile." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Australian police have seized 903 kilograms (1,990 pounds) of crystal methamphetamine that was smuggled from China inside boxes of hollow floorboards - the largest ever haul of the illicit drug in Australia.

Law enforcement agencies on Wednesday valued the seizure, mostly found in a Melbourne warehouse in February, at almost 900 million Australian dollars ($680 million).

Police say two Australian men, aged 53 and 36, had been charged with commercial drug trafficking and face a potential life prison sentence if convicted.

Police are searching for another two suspects in Melbourne.

The previous largest haul of the increasingly popular drug best known in Australia as ice was almost 880 kilograms (1,940 pounds) seized in Sydney in November 2014.
Mounting confidence nerve gas was used in Syria attack

BEIRUT (AP) - Diplomats at the U.N. Security council sparred Wednesday over whether to hold President Bashar Assad's government responsible for a chemical weapons attack that killed more than 80 people in northern Syria, while U.S. intelligence officials, Doctors Without Borders and the U.N. healthy agency said evidence pointed to nerve gas exposure.

The Trump administration and other world leaders said the Syrian government was to blame, but Moscow, a key ally of Assad, said the assault was caused by a Syrian airstrike that hit a rebel stockpile of chemical arms.

Early U.S. assessments showed the use of chlorine gas and traces of the nerve agent sarin in the attack Tuesday that terrorized the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun, according to two U.S. officials who weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity.

Israeli military intelligence officers also believe Syrian government forces were behind the attack, Israeli defense officials told the Associated Press. Israel believes Assad has tons of chemical weapons still in his arsenal, despite a concerted operation three years ago by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to rid the government of its stockpile, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to brief the media. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also blamed the Syrian government for the attack.

In Khan Sheikhoun, rescue workers found terrified survivors still hiding in shelters as another wave of airstrikes battered the town Wednesday. Those strikes appeared to deliver only conventional weapons damage.

___

Chemical attack kills 22 members of a single family in Syria

BEIRUT (AP) - The grief-stricken father cradled his 9-month-old twins, Aya and Ahmed, each in the crook of an arm. Stroking their hair, he choked back tears, mumbling, "Say goodbye, baby, say goodbye" to their lifeless bodies.

Then Abdel Hameed Alyousef took them to a mass grave where 22 members of his family were being buried. Each branch of the clan got its own trench.

More than 80 people, including at least 30 children and 20 women, were killed in the chemical attack on the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun early Tuesday, and the toll could still rise. The Alyousef family, one of the town's main clans, was hardest hit.

Another member of the family, Aya Fadl, recalled running from her house with her 20-month-old son in her arms, thinking she could find safety from the toxic gas in the street. Instead, the 25-year-old English teacher was confronted face to face with the horror of it: A pick-up truck piled with the bodies of the dead, including many of her own relatives and students.

"Ammar, Aya, Mohammed, Ahmad, I love you my birds. Really they were like birds. Aunt Sana, Uncle Yasser, Abdul-Kareem, please hear me," Fadl said, choking back tears as she recalled how she said farewell to her relatives in the pile.

___

10 Things to Know for Thursday

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday:

1. WHAT TRUMP NOW SAYS ABOUT SYRIA

President Donald Trump declares the deadly chemical attack in Syria crossed "many, many lines" and abruptly transformed his thinking about Syrian President Bashar Assad - but pointedly refuses to say what action the U.S. might take in response.

2. HOW THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD IS ON TRUMP

Trump's willingness to accept that he now bears some responsibility for Syria's conflict marks a significant moment for an "America First" president who has vowed to focus narrowly on U.S. interests.

___

Analysis: For Trump, the weight of world's problems sink in

WASHINGTON (AP) - For Donald Trump, the reality of the world's problems may be starting to sink in.

Standing in the sunny White House Rose Garden, the president said Wednesday that the gruesome chemical weapons attack in Syria had changed his views on the quagmire of a conflict that he'd previously indicated he wanted to steer clear of. He mourned the deaths of the youngest victims - "innocent children, innocent babies" - and said brutality had "crossed a lot of lines for me."

"It is now my responsibility," he declared.

The president's words were far from a declaration that he intends to act, and he notably avoided discussing what retaliatory options he would be willing to consider. Ultimately, his rhetoric may well land among the litany of harsh condemnations of Syrian President Bashar Assad by Barack Obama and other world leaders that did little to quell the six-year civil war.

Yet Trump's willingness to accept that he now bears some responsibility for a far-away conflict marked a significant moment for an "America First" president who has vowed to focus narrowly on U.S. interests. His comments also suggested a growing awareness that an American president - even an unconventional one like him - is looked to as defender of human rights and a barometer of when nations have violated international norms.

___

Trump removes Bannon from National Security Council

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump has removed chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council, reversing an earlier, controversial decision to give Bannon access to the group's high-level meetings.

A new memorandum about the council's composition was published Wednesday in the Federal Register. The memo no longer lists the chief strategist as a member of the Principals Committee, a group of high-ranking officials who meet to discuss pressing national security priorities.

A senior White House official said Wednesday that Bannon was initially placed on the National Security Council after Trump's inauguration as a measure to ensure implementation of the president's vision, including efforts to downsize and streamline operations at the NSC.

Bannon's addition to the NSC sparked criticism that it was inappropriate for the political adviser to play a role in national security matters.

Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was heading the NSC at the time, but the official said Bannon's role had nothing to do with the troubles facing Flynn, who was asked to resign in early February for misleading the administration about his communications with Russian officials.

___

Trump tells newspaper Obama aide might have broken the law

WASHINGTON (AP) - Citing no evidence, President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused his predecessor's national security adviser of breaking the law, one month after he accused former President Barack Obama of illegally wiretapping him.

In an interview with The New York Times, Trump said Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, committed a crime when she asked government analysts to disclose the names of Trump associates documented in intelligence reports. Trump would not say if he reviewed new intelligence to support his claim. He told the Times he would say more "at the right time."

"I think it's going to be the biggest story," Trump said. "It's such an important story for our country and the world. It is one of the big stories of our time."

Rice is the latest target for Trump and his embattled defenders. She has firmly denied that she did anything inappropriate in requesting the identities of Trump associates. As the national security adviser, Rice would have been authorized to seek identities of people whose names were redacted from intelligence reports. Officials typically "unmask" Americans if it is deemed necessary for understanding the information. Some Trump allies have accused Rice of unmasking officials for political reasons.

"Absolutely false," Rice declared Tuesday.

___

New GOP health plan could raise premiums; no vote scheduled

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican leaders prepared Wednesday to send lawmakers home for a two-week recess without voting on their troubled health care bill, as prospects for a quick deal among party factions moved farther out of reach.

Meanwhile, policy experts said the latest GOP health care idea could mean going back to a time when people with medical problems were charged much higher premiums for individual policies.

Thursday's House floor schedule from Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., makes no mention of a health care vote.

Conservatives and moderates blamed each other for failure to come to an agreement. Already in jeopardy, the GOP drive to repeal "Obamacare" could get more complicated as weeks go by with no resolution of internal differences.

"I've heard nothing of substance at this point that would break the logjam," said Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus.

___

Trump presses China on NKorea; another bluff could hurt him

WASHINGTON (AP) - Warning the U.S. could act alone, President Donald Trump has vowed to deliver an ultimatum to Chinese leader Xi Jinping to rein in North Korea when the two men come face-to-face for the first time this week. But Trump's early retreat on Taiwan already has chipped away at his standing with Beijing, and another bluff could leave him looking the way he hates most: Weak.

While Trump enters first U.S.-Chinese summit short on foreign policy experience, he may have advantages to help him succeed where past presidents have failed. Trump's candor and unpredictability, combined with his veiled threats of possible sanctions on Chinese banks and even U.S. military action against North Korea, could provide him new leverage with Beijing. But if he's bluffing, and Xi calls him on it, that might prove damaging in future negotiations with China or in building a united front against North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

The two-day meeting at Trump's Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, starts Thursday after yet another North Korean provocation: the latest test-launch of a ballistic missile. Although U.S. officials said the launch was a failure and didn't threaten North America, it underscored North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's intent to advance his weaponry in defiance of international law. The North may also be preparing for another nuclear test.

Trump warned this week, "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will." He didn't elaborate, but his administration is looking at sanctions against Chinese banks and companies that provide North Korea access to the international financial system, a move strongly backed by Congress. And on a recent trip to Asia, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reminded the region that the U.S. also retains the option of pre-emptive military force.

Trump discussed the issue Wednesday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The White House said Trump "made clear that the United States will continue to strengthen its ability to deter and defend itself and its allies with the full range of its military capabilities."

___

High court may re-examine Civil Rights Act after LGBT ruling

CHICAGO (AP) - A ruling by a U.S. appeals court in Chicago reopens the question of whether the 1964 Civil Rights Act's protections apply to LGBT workers in the same way they bar discrimination based on someone's race, religion or national origin.

The immediate impact of the 7th Circuit's decision Tuesday is that employers in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin - the states under the court's jurisdiction - would be breaking federal law by showing bias against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees.

But because the ruling conflicts with all the others made by federal appellate courts since the 1970s, the U.S. Supreme Court may ultimately have to decide whether to uphold the Chicago ruling as national precedent or strike it down as judicial overreach.

Here's a look on how that might happen on a court currently operating with eight justices pending the Senate confirmation of President Donald Trump's nominee, Neil Gorsuch:

THE RULING

___

Goal reached: US women's soccer team gets new contract

The U.S. women's national team believes its new contract is both fair and good for the future of the sport.

The U.S. Soccer Federation and the team's union announced Wednesday that a labor deal had been struck to settle an at times contentious dispute in which the players sought equitable wages to their male counterparts.

The collective bargaining agreement runs through 2021, meaning the players will be under contract through the 2019 World Cup in France and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The women will receive raises in base pay and bonuses as well as better provisions for travel and accommodations, including increased per diems. It also gives the players some control of certain licensing and marketing rights.

"It felt very empowering," forward Alex Morgan said. "Because there is a whole issue going on in the country as far as equal pay and the fight for the gender pay gap. And I felt really happy with the agreement that we reached and the fact that we can now do what we came for and play soccer."
MCALLEN, Texas (AP) - Just five people were eating dinner on a recent weeknight at a Texas church that is a stopping point for newly arrived immigrants on the U.S.-Mexico border. On a typical night last year, hundreds of immigrants might come through the church.

Immigrants who are still coming say many people in their home countries are staying home amid fears about President Donald Trump's immigration rhetoric, putting off coming to the U.S. until they see how his policies play out.

"There are mothers who heard that Trump might change the law to remove parents and keep the children here," said Jose Gonzalez, a 29-year-old father of two from El Salvador. "That stopped a lot of people."

In this April 1, 2017, photo, a man in Nogales, Ariz., talks to his daughter and her mother who are standing on the other side of the border fence in Nogales, Mexico. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly says arrests of people entering the United States illegally across the Mexican border plummeted in March 2017. That's a signal that fewer people are trying to sneak into the U.S. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

The first months of the new administration have seen a huge drop in the number of people being caught by agents on the U.S.-Mexico border, raising the possibility that a "Trump effect" is keeping migrants away.

Fewer than 12,500 people were caught at the southern border in March, the lowest monthly figure in at least 17 years and the second straight month that border arrests dropped sharply. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, in testimony submitted to a Senate committee, called the decline "no accident" and credited Trump. The White House issued a statement Wednesday saying Trump's "commitment to securing our border and supporting law enforcement is already showing results."

But those working in shelters and experts on migration say it will take several more months to judge whether any drop-off is lasting, and that the numbers could surge again as quickly as they've fallen.

Trump's vows to step up deportations and build his signature border wall were widely spread in Central America, according to three migrants who recently arrived in Texas and spoke to the Associated Press. Kelly also announced last month that authorities might start separating adults and children crossing the border, to deter families from trying to enter the U.S.

For years, tens of thousands of migrants every month would cross the United States' southern border. Traffic has surged in recent years of people crossing into Texas from three Central American countries torn by gang violence and poverty: El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Former President Barack Obama's administration also publicized deportations and tried to dissuade Central Americans from heading north, particularly during the 2014 surge of families and children traveling alone to cross the border. Officials took credit when border arrests fell during his tenure, only to see the numbers rise again.

Some think the real "Trump effect" was pushing fearful people to move up their journeys and get to the U.S. before he took office. Border arrests in October, November and December increased by about a third compared to the same period in 2015, before falling this year.

"The election and the possibility that the wall, everything was going to happen, encouraged them to come now," said Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, which operates the shelter at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen.

Trump focused on the constant flow of migrants from the start of his campaign, when he denounced border crossers as criminals and rapists, and repeatedly promised to build a wall and step up deportations. His administration has started taking bids to build a wall and requested funding for more immigration judges and Border Patrol agents.

Most agree Trump's statements affected migrant traffic. Four shelters along the Texas portion of the border, where most crossers enter the United States, say they've seen their numbers fall to a fraction of what they were seeing late last year. And La 72, a shelter near the Mexico-Guatemala border, saw its numbers in February and March fall by nearly half compared to the same months in 2016, suggesting that fewer people are leaving Central America.

Traffickers that operate in cartel-dominated parts of Mexico, known as "coyotes," were rumored to use the American election as a marketing tool. Rumors spread that if Democrat Hillary Clinton won, would-be migrants were told to make it to the U.S. ahead of the election to get a free pass to stay in the country. And if Trump won, they should rush north before he could build a border wall.

Higher demand allowed the smugglers to charge more to get to the U.S. last year, according to Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, a professor at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley.

Experts say they want to see if migrant numbers stay low during the summer months, when migration generally rises. Those who have long worked with migrants predict that as long as parts of Central America remain in turmoil, people will try to head north - whether or not the U.S. builds a wall or separates immigrant parents and children.

"If things get worse in their countries, and the situation with gangs does not get better, we will see them come," Pimentel said.

Gonzalez said he left El Salvador because he feared the gangs and the constant threat of being robbed or attacked. Relatives in the United States lent him $15,000 to hire a smuggler for him and his children, ages 10 and 8. They rode in buses and a trailer through Mexico before safely sneaking across the Rio Grande in a month-long journey.

Sitting at Sacred Heart last month, Gonzalez and his children finished bowls of soup and waited for a bus to take them west toward relatives in California.

He hoped that if even if he was deported, his children would be allowed to stay and go to school, while he tried to come back.

"You're conscious of taking that risk coming here," Gonzalez said. "But it's a risk you take to make things better for your family."

___

Associated Press writers Juan A. Lozano and Christopher Sherman contributed to this report.

In this Wednesday, March 22, 2017 photo, Jose Gonzalez and his two children, Nicole and Pedro, carry their bags into the bus station in McAllen, Texas, where they planned to head to California. Officials and employees at shelters said fewer people are crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into the United States, in part due to tougher rhetoric from President Donald Trump's administration. (AP Photo/Nomaan Merchant)

In this Wednesday, March 22, 2017 photo, Jose Gonzalez and his two children, Nicole and Pedro, wait for their bus at a station in McAllen, Texas, days after they crossed the Rio Grande. Gonzalez said some people in his native El Salvador are more fearful of making the journey north because of the threat that American officials might separate parents and children. (AP Photo/Nomaan Merchant)
As part of our ongoing Costs of Empire project (see our March/April special issue on that topic here), we are posting the text of Martin Luther King, Jr.s speech Beyond Vietnam, delivered fifty years ago yesterday, April 4, 1967, at Riverside Church in New York.

Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, I need not pause to say how very delighted I am to be here tonight, and how very delighted I am to see you expressing your concern about the issues that will be discussed tonight by turning out in such large numbers. I also want to say that I consider it a great honor to share this program with Dr. Bennett, Dr. Commager, and Rabbi Heschel, some of the most distinguished leaders and personalities of our nation. And of course its always good to come back to Riverside Church. Over the last eight years, I have had the privilege of preaching here almost every year in that period, and its always a rich and rewarding experience to come to this great church and this great pulpit.

I come to this great magnificent house of worship tonight because my conscience leaves me no other choice. I join you in this meeting because I am in deepest agreement with the aims and work of the organization that brought us together, Clergy and Laymen Concerned About Vietnam. The recent statements of your executive committee are the sentiments of my own heart, and I found myself in full accord when I read its opening lines: A time comes when silence is betrayal. That time has come for us in relation to Vietnam.

The truth of these words is beyond doubt, but the mission to which they call us is a most difficult one. Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their governments policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within ones own bosom and in the surrounding world. Moreover, when the issues at hand seem as perplexing as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict, we are always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty. But we must move on.

Some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night have found that the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony, but we must speak. We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak. And we must rejoice as well, for surely this is the first time in our nations history that a significant number of its religious leaders have chosen to move beyond the prophesying of smooth patriotism to the high grounds of a firm dissent based upon the mandates of conscience and the reading of history. Perhaps a new spirit is rising among us. If it is, let us trace its movement, and pray that our inner being may be sensitive to its guidance. For we are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness that seems so close around us.

Over the past two years, as I have moved to break the betrayal of my own silences and to speak from the burnings of my own heart, as I have called for radical departures from the destruction of Vietnam, many persons have questioned me about the wisdom of my path. At the heart of their concerns, this query has often loomed large and loud: Why are you speaking about the war, Dr. King? Why are you joining the voices of dissent? Peace and civil rights dont mix, they say. Arent you hurting the cause of your people? they ask. And when I hear them, though I often understand the source of their concern, I am nevertheless greatly saddened, for such questions mean that the inquirers have not really known me, my commitment, or my calling. Indeed, their questions suggest that they do not know the world in which they live. In the light of such tragic misunderstanding, I deem it of signal importance to state clearly, and I trust concisely, why I believe that the path from Dexter Avenue Baptist Churchthe church in Montgomery, Alabama, where I began my pastorateleads clearly to this sanctuary tonight.

I come to this platform tonight to make a passionate plea to my beloved nation. This speech is not addressed to Hanoi or to the National Liberation Front. It is not addressed to China or to Russia. Nor is it an attempt to overlook the ambiguity of the total situation and the need for a collective solution to the tragedy of Vietnam. Neither is it an attempt to make North Vietnam or the National Liberation Front paragons of virtue, nor to overlook the role they must play in the successful resolution of the problem. While they both may have justifiable reasons to be suspicious of the good faith of the United States, life and history give eloquent testimony to the fact that conflicts are never resolved without trustful give and take on both sides. Tonight, however, I wish not to speak with Hanoi and the National Liberation Front, but rather to my fellow Americans.

Since I am a preacher by calling, I suppose it is not surprising that I have seven major reasons for bringing Vietnam into the field of my moral vision. There is at the outset a very obvious and almost facile connection between the war in Vietnam and the struggle I and others have been waging in America. A few years ago there was a shining moment in that struggle. It seemed as if there was a real promise of hope for the poor, both black and white, through the poverty program. There were experiments, hopes, new beginnings. Then came the buildup in Vietnam, and I watched this program broken and eviscerated as if it were some idle political plaything on a society gone mad on war. And I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic, destructive suction tube. So I was increasingly compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor and to attack it as such.

Perhaps a more tragic recognition of reality took place when it became clear to me that the war was doing far more than devastating the hopes of the poor at home. It was sending their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and to die in extraordinarily high proportions relative to the rest of the population. We were taking the black young men who had been crippled by our society and sending them eight thousand miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in southwest Georgia and East Harlem. So we have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools. So we watch them in brutal solidarity burning the huts of a poor village, but we realize that they would hardly live on the same block in Chicago. I could not be silent in the face of such cruel manipulation of the poor.

My third reason moves to an even deeper level of awareness, for it grows out of my experience in the ghettos of the North over the last three years, especially the last three summers. As I have walked among the desperate, rejected, and angry young men, I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems. I have tried to offer them my deepest compassion while maintaining my conviction that social change comes most meaningfully through nonviolent action. But they asked, and rightly so, What about Vietnam? They asked if our own nation wasnt using massive doses of violence to solve its problems, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today: my own government. For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of the hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent.

For those who ask the question, Arent you a civil rights leader? and thereby mean to exclude me from the movement for peace, I have this further answer. In 1957, when a group of us formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, we chose as our motto: To save the soul of America. We were convinced that we could not limit our vision to certain rights for black people, but instead affirmed the conviction that America would never be free or saved from itself until the descendants of its slaves were loosed completely from the shackles they still wear. In a way we were agreeing with Langston Hughes, that black bard from Harlem, who had written earlier:

O, yes, I say it plain,

America never was America to me,

And yet I swear this oath

America will be!

Now it should be incandescently clear that no one who has any concern for the integrity and life of America today can ignore the present war. If Americas soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read Vietnam. It can never be saved so long as it destroys the hopes of men the world over. So it is that those of us who are yet determined that America will be are led down the path of protest and dissent, working for the health of our land.

As if the weight of such a commitment to the life and health of America were not enough, another burden of responsibility was placed upon me in 1954.* And I cannot forget that the Nobel Peace Prize was also a commission, a commission to work harder than I had ever worked before for the brotherhood of man. This is a calling that takes me beyond national allegiances.

But even if it were not present, I would yet have to live with the meaning of my commitment to the ministry of Jesus Christ. To me, the relationship of this ministry to the making of peace is so obvious that I sometimes marvel at those who ask me why I am speaking against the war. Could it be that they do not know that the Good News was meant for all menfor communist and capitalist, for their children and ours, for black and for white, for revolutionary and conservative? Have they forgotten that my ministry is in obedience to the one who loved his enemies so fully that he died for them? What then can I say to the Vietcong or to Castro or to Mao as a faithful minister of this one? Can I threaten them with death or must I not share with them my life?

Finally, as I try to explain for you and for myself the road that leads from Montgomery to this place, I would have offered all that was most valid if I simply said that I must be true to my conviction that I share with all men the calling to be a son of the living God. Beyond the calling of race or nation or creed is this vocation of sonship and brotherhood. Because I believe that the Father is deeply concerned, especially for His suffering and helpless and outcast children, I come tonight to speak for them. This I believe to be the privilege and the burden of all of us who deem ourselves bound by allegiances and loyalties which are broader and deeper than nationalism and which go beyond our nations self-defined goals and positions. We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation, for those it calls enemy, for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers.

And as I ponder the madness of Vietnam and search within myself for ways to understand and respond in compassion, my mind goes constantly to the people of that peninsula. I speak now not of the soldiers of each side, not of the ideologies of the Liberation Front, not of the junta in Saigon, but simply of the people who have been living under the curse of war for almost three continuous decades now. I think of them, too, because it is clear to me that there will be no meaningful solution there until some attempt is made to know them and hear their broken cries.

They must see Americans as strange liberators. The Vietnamese people proclaimed their own independence in 1954in 1945 ratherafter a combined French and Japanese occupation and before the communist revolution in China. They were led by Ho Chi Minh. Even though they quoted the American Declaration of Independence in their own document of freedom, we refused to recognize them. Instead, we decided to support France in its reconquest of her former colony. Our government felt then that the Vietnamese people were not ready for independence, and we again fell victim to the deadly Western arrogance that has poisoned the international atmosphere for so long. With that tragic decision we rejected a revolutionary government seeking self-determination and a government that had been established not by Chinafor whom the Vietnamese have no great lovebut by clearly indigenous forces that included some communists. For the peasants this new government meant real land reform, one of the most important needs in their lives.

For nine years following 1945 we denied the people of Vietnam the right of independence. For nine years we vigorously supported the French in their abortive effort to recolonize Vietnam. Before the end of the war we were meeting eighty percent of the French war costs. Even before the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu, they began to despair of their reckless action, but we did not. We encouraged them with our huge financial and military supplies to continue the war even after they had lost the will. Soon we would be paying almost the full costs of this tragic attempt at recolonization.

After the French were defeated, it looked as if independence and land reform would come again through the Geneva Agreement. But instead there came the United States, determined that Ho should not unify the temporarily divided nation, and the peasants watched again as we supported one of the most vicious modern dictators, our chosen man, Premier Diem. The peasants watched and cringed and Diem ruthlessly rooted out all opposition, supported their extortionist landlords, and refused even to discuss reunification with the North. The peasants watched as all of this was presided over by United States influence and then by increasing numbers of United States troops who came to help quell the insurgency that Diems methods had aroused. When Diem was overthrown they may have been happy, but the long line of military dictators seemed to offer no real change, especially in terms of their need for land and peace.

The only change came from America as we increased our troop commitments in support of governments which were singularly corrupt, inept, and without popular support. All the while the people read our leaflets and received the regular promises of peace and democracy and land reform. Now they languish under our bombs and consider us, not their fellow Vietnamese, the real enemy. They move sadly and apathetically as we herd them off the land of their fathers into concentration camps where minimal social needs are rarely met. They know they must move on or be destroyed by our bombs.

So they go, primarily women and children and the aged. They watch as we poison their water, as we kill a million acres of their crops. They must weep as the bulldozers roar through their areas preparing to destroy the precious trees. They wander into the hospitals with at least twenty casualties from American firepower for one Vietcong-inflicted injury. So far we may have killed a million of them, mostly children. They wander into the towns and see thousands of the children, homeless, without clothes, running in packs on the streets like animals. They see the children degraded by our soldiers as they beg for food. They see the children selling their sisters to our soldiers, soliciting for their mothers.

What do the peasants think as we ally ourselves with the landlords and as we refuse to put any action into our many words concerning land reform? What do they think as we test out our latest weapons on them, just as the Germans tested out new medicine and new tortures in the concentration camps of Europe? Where are the roots of the independent Vietnam we claim to be building? Is it among these voiceless ones?

We have destroyed their two most cherished institutions: the family and the village. We have destroyed their land and their crops. We have cooperated in the crushing of the nations only noncommunist revolutionary political force, the unified Buddhist Church. We have supported the enemies of the peasants of Saigon. We have corrupted their women and children and killed their men.

Now there is little left to build on, save bitterness. Soon the only solid physical foundations remaining will be found at our military bases and in the concrete of the concentration camps we call fortified hamlets. The peasants may well wonder if we plan to build our new Vietnam on such grounds as these. Could we blame them for such thoughts? We must speak for them and raise the questions they cannot raise. These, too, are our brothers.

Perhaps a more difficult but no less necessary task is to speak for those who have been designated as our enemies. What of the National Liberation front, that strangely anonymous group we call VC or communists? What must they think of the United States of America when they realize that we permitted the repression and cruelty of Diem, which helped to bring them into being as a resistance group in the South? What do they think of our condoning the violence which led to their own taking up of arms? How can they believe in our integrity when now we speak of aggression from the North as if there was nothing more essential to the war? How can they trust us when now we charge them with violence after the murderous reign of Diem and charge them with violence while we pour every new weapon of death into their land? Surely we must understand their feelings, even if we do not condone their actions. Surely we must see that the men we supported pressed them to their violence. Surely we must see that our own computerized plans of destruction simply dwarf their greatest acts.

How do they judge us when our officials know that their membership is less than twenty-five percent communist, and yet insist on giving them the blanket name? What must they be thinking when they know that we are aware of their control of major sections of Vietnam, and yet we appear ready to allow national elections in which this highly organized political parallel government will not have a part? They ask how we can speak of free elections when the Saigon press is censored and controlled by the military junta. And they are surely right to wonder what kind of new government we plan to help form without them, the only real party in real touch with the peasants. They question our political goals and they deny the reality of a peace settlement from which they will be excluded. Their questions are frighteningly relevant. Is our nation planning to build on political myth again, and then shore it up upon the power of a new violence?

Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence, when it helps us to see the enemys point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition.

So, too, with Hanoi. In the North, where our bombs now pummel the land, and our mines endanger the waterways, we are met by a deep but understandable mistrust. To speak for them is to explain this lack of confidence in Western worlds, and especially their distrust of American intentions now. In Hanoi are the men who led this nation to independence against the Japanese and the French, the men who sought membership in the French Commonwealth and were betrayed by the weakness of Paris and the willfulness of the colonial armies. It was they who led a second struggle against French domination at tremendous costs, and then were persuaded to give up the land they controlled between the thirteenth and seventeenth parallel as a temporary measure at Geneva. After 1954 they watched us conspire with Diem to prevent elections which could have surely brought Ho Chi Minh to power over a unified Vietnam, and they realized they had been betrayed again. When we ask why they do not leap to negotiate, these things must be considered.

Also, it must be clear that the leaders of Hanoi considered the presence of American troops in support of the Diem regime to have been the initial military breach of the Geneva Agreement concerning foreign troops. They remind us that they did not begin to send troops in large numbers and even supplies into the South until American forces had moved into the tens of thousands.

Hanoi remembers how our leaders refused to tell us the truth about the earlier North Vietnamese overtures for peace, how the president claimed that none existed when they had clearly been made. Ho Chi Minh has watched as America has spoken of peace and built up its forces, and now he has surely heard the increasing international rumors of American plans for an invasion of the north. He knows the bombing and shelling and mining we are doing are part of traditional pre-invasion strategy. Perhaps only his sense of humor and of irony can save him when he hears the most powerful nation of the world speaking of aggression as it drops thousands of bombs on a poor, weak nation more than eight hundred, or rather, eight thousand miles away from its shores.

At this point I should make it clear that while I have tried to give a voice to the voiceless in Vietnam and to understand the arguments of those who are called enemy, I am as deeply concerned about our own troops there as anything else. For it occurs to me that what we are submitting them to in Vietnam is not simply the brutalizing process that goes on in any war where armies face each other and seek to destroy. We are adding cynicism to the process of death, for they must know after a short period there that none of the things we claim to be fighting for are really involved. Before long they must know that their government has sent them into a struggle among Vietnamese, and the more sophisticated surely realize that we are on the side of the wealthy, and the secure, while we create a hell for the poor.

Surely this madness must cease. We must stop now. I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam. I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroy, whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor in America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home, and dealt death and corruption in Vietnam. I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as one who loves America, to the leaders of our own nation: The great initiative in this war is ours; the initiative to stop it must be ours.

This is the message of the great Buddhist leaders of Vietnam. Recently one of them wrote these words, and I quote:

Each day the war goes on the hatred increased in the hearts of the Vietnamese and in the hearts of those of humanitarian instinct. The Americans are forcing even their friends into becoming their enemies. It is curious that the Americans, who calculate so carefully on the possibilities of military victory, do not realize that in the process they are incurring deep psychological and political defeat. The image of America will never again be the image of revolution, freedom, and democracy, but the image of violence and militarism.

Unquote.

If we continue, there will be no doubt in my mind and in the mind of the world that we have no honorable intentions in Vietnam. If we do not stop our war against the people of Vietnam immediately, the world will be left with no other alternative than to see this as some horrible, clumsy, and deadly game we have decided to play. The world now demands a maturity of America that we may not be able to achieve. It demands that we admit we have been wrong from the beginning of our adventure in Vietnam, that we have been detrimental to the life of the Vietnamese people. The situation is one in which we must be ready to turn sharply from our present ways. In order to atone for our sins and errors in Vietnam, we should take the initiative in bringing a halt to this tragic war.

I would like to suggest five concrete things that our government should do to begin the long and difficult process of extricating ourselves from this nightmarish conflict:

Number one: End all bombing in North and South Vietnam.

Number two: Declare a unilateral cease-fire in the hope that such action will create the atmosphere for negotiation.

Three: Take immediate steps to prevent other battlegrounds in Southeast Asia by curtailing our military buildup in Thailand and our interference in Laos.

Four: Realistically accept the fact that the National Liberation Front has substantial support in South Vietnam and must thereby play a role in any meaningful negotiations and any future Vietnam government.

Five: Set a date that we will remove all foreign troops from Vietnam in accordance with the 1954 Geneva Agreement. [sustained applause]

Part of our ongoing [applause continues], part of our ongoing commitment might well express itself in an offer to grant asylum to any Vietnamese who fears for his life under a new regime which included the Liberation Front. Then we must make what reparations we can for the damage we have done. We must provide the medical aid that is badly needed, making it available in this country if necessary. Meanwhile [applause], meanwhile, we in the churches and synagogues have a continuing task while we urge our government to disengage itself from a disgraceful commitment. We must continue to raise our voices and our lives if our nation persists in its perverse ways in Vietnam. We must be prepared to match actions with words by seeking out every creative method of protest possible.

As we counsel young men concerning military service, we must clarify for them our nations role in Vietnam and challenge them with the alternative of conscientious objection. [sustained applause] I am pleased to say that this is a path now chosen by more than seventy students at my own alma mater, Morehouse College, and I recommend it to all who find the American course in Vietnam a dishonorable and unjust one. [applause] Moreover, I would encourage all ministers of draft age to give up their ministerial exemptions and seek status as conscientious objectors. [applause] These are the times for real choices and not false ones. We are at the moment when our lives must be placed on the line if our nation is to survive its own folly. Every man of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must all protest.

Now there is something seductively tempting about stopping there and sending us all off on what in some circles has become a popular crusade against the war in Vietnam. I say we must enter that struggle, but I wish to go on now to say something even more disturbing.

The war in Vietnam is but a symptom of a far deeper malady within the American spirit, and if we ignore this sobering reality [applause], and if we ignore this sobering reality, we will find ourselves organizing clergy and laymen concerned committees for the next generation. They will be concerned about Guatemala and Peru. They will be concerned about Thailand and Cambodia. They will be concerned about Mozambique and South Africa. We will be marching for these and a dozen other names and attending rallies without end unless there is a significant and profound change in American life and policy. [sustained applause] So such thoughts take us beyond Vietnam, but not beyond our calling as sons of the living God.

In 1957 a sensitive American official overseas said that it seemed to him that our nation was on the wrong side of a world revolution. During the past ten years we have seen emerge a pattern of suppression which has now justified the presence of U.S. military advisors in Venezuela. This need to maintain social stability for our investments accounts for the counterrevolutionary action of American forces in Guatemala. It tells why American helicopters are being used against guerrillas in Cambodia and why American napalm and Green Beret forces have already been active against rebels in Peru.

It is with such activity that the words of the late John F. Kennedy come back to haunt us. Five years ago he said, Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. [applause] Increasingly, by choice or by accident, this is the role our nation has taken, the role of those who make peaceful revolution impossible by refusing to give up the privileges and the pleasures that come from the immense profits of overseas investments. I am convinced that if we are to get on to the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin [applause], we must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.

A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. On the one hand we are called to play the Good Samaritan on lifes roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on lifes highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see than an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. [applause]

A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa, and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries, and say, This is not just. It will look at our alliance with the landed gentry of South America and say, This is not just. The Western arrogance of feeling that it has everything to teach others and nothing to learn from them is not just.

A true revolution of values will lay hand on the world order and say of war, This way of settling differences is not just. This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nations homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into the veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice, and love. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death. [sustained applause]

America, the richest and most powerful nation in the world, can well lead the way in this revolution of values. There is nothing except a tragic death wish to prevent us from reordering our priorities so that the pursuit of peace will take precedence over the pursuit of war. There is nothing to keep us from molding a recalcitrant status quo with bruised hands until we have fashioned it into a brotherhood.

This kind of positive revolution of values is our best defense against communism. [applause] War is not the answer. Communism will never be defeated by the use of atomic bombs or nuclear weapons. Let us not join those who shout war and, through their misguided passions, urge the United States to relinquish its participation in the United Nations. These are days which demand wise restraint and calm reasonableness. We must not engage in a negative anticommunism, but rather in a positive thrust for democracy [applause], realizing that our greatest defense against communism is to take offensive action in behalf of justice. We must with positive action seek to remove those conditions of poverty, insecurity, and injustice, which are the fertile soil in which the seed of communism grows and develops.

These are revolutionary times. All over the globe men are revolting against old systems of exploitation and oppression, and out of the wounds of a frail world, new systems of justice and equality are being born. The shirtless and barefoot people of the land are rising up as never before. The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. We in the West must support these revolutions.

It is a sad fact that because of comfort, complacency, a morbid fear of communism, and our proneness to adjust to injustice, the Western nations that initiated so much of the revolutionary spirit of the modern world have now become the arch antirevolutionaries. This has driven many to feel that only Marxism has a revolutionary spirit. Therefore, communism is a judgment against our failure to make democracy real and follow through on the revolutions that we initiated. Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism. With this powerful commitment we shall boldly challenge the status quo and unjust mores, and thereby speed the day when every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low [Audience:] (Yes); the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.

A genuine revolution of values means in the final analysis that our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Every nation must now develop an overriding loyalty to mankind as a whole in order to preserve the best in their individual societies.

This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond ones tribe, race, class, and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all mankind. This oft misunderstood, this oft misinterpreted concept, so readily dismissed by the Nietzsches of the world as a weak and cowardly force, has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of man. When I speak of love I am not speaking of some sentimental and weak response. Im not speaking of that force which is just emotional bosh. I am speaking of that force which all of the great religions have seen as the supreme unifying principle of life. Love is somehow the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality. This Hindu-Muslim-Christian-Jewish-Buddhist belief about ultimate reality is beautifully summed up in the first epistle of Saint John: Let us love one another (Yes), for love is God. (Yes) And every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. . . . If we love one another, God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us. Let us hope that this spirit will become the order of the day.

We can no longer afford to worship the god of hate or bow before the altar of retaliation. The oceans of history are made turbulent by the ever-rising tides of hate. History is cluttered with the wreckage of nations and individuals that pursued this self-defeating path of hate. As Arnold Toynbee says: Love is the ultimate force that makes for the saving choice of life and good against the damning choice of death and evil. Therefore the first hope in our inventory must be the hope that love is going to have the last word. Unquote.

We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at floodit ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, Too late. There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect. Omar Khayyam is right: The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on.

We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent coannihilation. We must move past indecision to action. We must find new ways to speak for peace in Vietnam and justice throughout the developing world, a world that borders on our doors. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.

Now let us begin. Now let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter, but beautiful, struggle for a new world. This is the calling of the sons of God, and our brothers wait eagerly for our response. Shall we say the odds are too great? Shall we tell them the struggle is too hard? Will our message be that the forces of American life militate against their arrival as full men, and we send our deepest regrets? Or will there be another messageof longing, of hope, of solidarity with their yearnings, of commitment to their cause, whatever the cost? The choice is ours, and though we might prefer it otherwise, we must choose in this crucial moment of human history.

As that noble bard of yesterday, James Russell Lowell, eloquently stated:

Once to every man and nation comes a moment do decide,

In the strife of truth and Falsehood, for the good or evil side;

Some great cause, Gods new Messiah offering each the bloom or blight,

And the choice goes by forever twixt that darkness and that light.

Though the cause of evil prosper, yet tis truth alone is strong

Though her portions be the scaffold, and upon the throne be wrong

Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown

Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own.

And if we will only make the right choice, we will be able to transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of peace. If we will make the right choice, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our world into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. If we will but make the right choice, we will be able to speed up the day, all over America and all over the world, when justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. [sustained applause]

King says 1954, but most likely means 1964, the year he received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Share this: Email

Facebook

Reddit

LinkedIn

Twitter

Print


BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - When a freight train derailed in the Montana town of Culbertson, spilling 27,000 gallons of crude oil, investigators blamed the 2015 accident on defective or missing fasteners used to hold the tracks in place.

The previous year, cracks in a track that went unrepaired caused a train hauling oil to come off the rails and explode along the James River in Lynchburg, Virginia. Broken bolts were cited in another oil train derailment and fire last year in Mosier, Oregon.

Data obtained by The Associated Press shows that tens of thousands of similar safety defects were found when government inspectors checked the rail lines used to haul volatile crude oil across the country. The defects included rails that were worn, bolts that were broken or loose or missing, and steel bars that had cracks.

FILE - In this May 1, 2014, file photo survey crews in boats look over tanker cars as workers remove damaged tanker cars along the tracks where several CSX tanker cars carrying crude oil derailed and caught fire along the James River near downtown Lynchburg, Va. Inspectors have found almost 24,000 safety defects over a two-year period along United States railroad routes used to ship volatile crude oil. Data obtained by The Associated Press shows many of the defects were similar to problems blamed in past derailments that caused massive fires or oil spills in Oregon, Virginia and Montana. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

Such flaws are not uncommon across the nation's 140,000-mile freight rail network. But these nearly 24,000 imperfections drew heightened attention because of a surge in recent years of domestic energy production that has increased rail shipments of oil and the number of major derailments.

The inspectors also noted failures by railroads to quickly fix problems identified through inspections.

A former senior official at the Federal Railroad Administration said the findings reinforce the need for railroads to stay on top of regular maintenance.

"All of this is a call for continued vigilance," said Steven Ditmeyer, who reviewed the inspection data and directed the railroad administration's Office of Research and Development for eight years. "One defect or one violation of the right kind can cause a derailment."

It can be difficult for railroads to know when a seemingly small problem will result in an accident, he said.

The statistics "give a good indication of the track quality," Ditmeyer said, although most defects will not cause a derailment.

In all, nearly 24,000 defects were found on almost 58,000 miles of oil train routes in 44 states. The inspection program began two years ago following a string of oil train accidents across North America, including a 2013 derailment in Quebec that killed 47 people in the community of Lac-Megantic.

Federal regulators said the inspections resulted in 1,118 violation recommendations and prompted railroads to be more responsive to inspectors and to improve safety.

A violation recommendation occurs when an inspector finds something serious enough to warrant a potential penalty or a railroad fails to address a defect. Federal officials declined to say how many penalties had been issued under the crude-by-rail inspection program.

The rail industry views safety defects as warnings from regulators, said Jessica Kahanek, a spokeswoman for the Association of American Railroads.

Violations are a better indicator of safety problems because not all defects pose an immediate risk, she said, explaining that hundreds of the violation recommendations were "paperwork-related," such as railroads not providing required forms to government inspectors.

Omaha, Nebraska-based Union Pacific received most of the violation recommendations issued under the targeted inspection program - more than 800. A breakdown for violations involving other railroads was not available.

Union Pacific agreed to increase its inspection frequencies following the Mosier derailment under an agreement with federal regulators who said the railroad's inspection program was too lax.

Railroad spokeswoman Calli Hite said the railroad shares the railroad administration's dedication to safety.

"Union Pacific has always paid close attention to track conditions and inspections," Hite said.

Most violations were found in the months after the inspection program began in January 2015 in the Southwest, where officials said Union Pacific runs a majority of the oil trains. In many cases, violation recommendations came after the railroad did not respond quickly enough to problems found by inspectors, said Marc Willis, a spokesman for the railroad administration.

Subsequent inspections turned up thousands of additional safety problems but far fewer recommendations for violations.

That was because the high number of violation recommendations for Union Pacific sent a message to the entire industry to quickly address any issue raised by inspectors, officials said.

"Railroads are paying closer attention," Willis said, adding that derailments have fallen 10 percent since the inspection program began. "Although many minor defects still are being identified ... both FRA and railroad inspectors are finding fewer serious conditions, resulting in significant safety improvements."

It's uncertain whether the targeted inspection program for oil trains will continue under President Donald Trump's administration, he said.

Since 2006, the United States and Canada have seen at least 27 oil train accidents involving a fire, derailment or significant fuel spill. Besides the targeted inspection program, U.S. and Canadian officials have responded with more stringent construction standards for tens of thousands of tank cars that haul oil and other flammable liquids.

The amount of oil moving by rail peaked in 2014 then dropped after crude prices collapsed. Major railroads reported moving more than 43,000 carloads of crude in the fourth quarter of 2016, down almost 50 percent from a year earlier, according to the railroad association.

___

Follow Matthew Brown on Twitter at https://twitter.com/matthewbrownap .

FILE - In this June 3, 2016, file image made from a video provided by KGW-TV, smoke billows from a Union Pacific train that derailed near Mosier, Ore., in the scenic Columbia River Gorge. Inspectors have found almost 24,000 safety defects over a two-year period along United States railroad routes used to ship volatile crude oil. Data obtained by The Associated Press shows many of the defects were similar to problems blamed in past derailments that caused massive fires or oil spills in Oregon, Virginia and Montana. (KGW-TV via AP, File)

FILE - This Nov. 6, 2013 file photo shows a warning placard on a tank car carrying crude oil near a loading terminal in Trenton, N.D. Inspectors have found almost 24,000 safety defects over a two-year period along United States railroad routes used to ship volatile crude oil. Data obtained by The Associated Press shows many of the defects were similar to problems blamed in past derailments that caused massive fires or oil spills in Oregon, Virginia and Montana. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
BAGHDAD (AP) - Islamic militants unleashed multiple suicide attacks in the city of Tikrit, north of Baghdad, killing at least 22 people, a provincial official said on Wednesday.

Five suicide bombers on foot targeted a police patrol and broke into a police officer's house in Tikrit's al-Zihoor neighborhood, according to a Salahuddin provincial council member, Ahmed al-Karim.

Al-Karim told The Associated Press that security forces managed to kill three of the bombers while two blew themselves up. Ten policemen were among the dead and up to 31 people were wounded in Tuesday night's attacks, he added.

A neighborhood recently retaken by Iraqi security forces during fighting against Islamic State militants on the western side of Mosul, Iraq, Monday, April 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombings but Islamic State militants have carried out scores of similar attacks to detract from the fighting in Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city. The Sunni extremist group frequently targets Iraqi security forces and civilians in urban areas.

Iraqi forces drove out IS militants from Tikrit in April 2015. Since then, IS militants have launched a number of big attacks in and around Tikrit, located about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad.

IS has suffered a string of defeats over the past two years - most recently in the Mosul operation where Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition are battling to drive the extremists out of the western part of the city, a more densely populated area. Eastern Mosul, which is separated by the Tigris river from the western part of the city, was declared liberated from IS in January.

Despite the severe setbacks, the Islamic State group has managed to regularly launch attacks in some Iraqi cities. A series of large-scale bombings claimed by IS has also struck Baghdad since the operation to retake Mosul began in October.

Iraqi and U.S.-led international coalition officials have repeatedly warned that after Mosul, IS will likely return to its insurgent roots as it loses more territory in both Iraq and neighboring Syria.
HELSINKI (AP) - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday agreed to send a pair of pandas to Finland, the latest installment of his country's "panda diplomacy" that makes use of one of China's cutest natural assets to gain international concessions.

After talks with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, the two countries signed protocols, including finalizing an agreement on panda protection as well as sending the pandas to a Finnish nature reserve. Officials have been talking about conditions for sending pandas to Finland since December 2014.

Ahtari Zoo nature reserve said the animals will be loaned for 15 years and are expected to arrive by the end of the year. It said it has also signed an agreement on the research and protection of giant pandas with Chinese panda protection officials.

China's President Xi Jinping looks on during a signing ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The Chinese President is on a state visit to Finland until Thursday. (Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva via AP)

Niinisto said he was grateful to China for the pandas.

"I would like to thank President Xi for the trust you have extended to Finland over the protection of pandas," Niinisto said. "We know that pandas are a national treasure of China and we shall respect and we value that."

Officials also signed agreements on environmental and judicial cooperation.

The two-day state visit by Xi, accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, is the second-ever visit to Finland by a Chinese leader. Xi on Thursday will head to Washington, D.C., to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials.

Niinisto hosted welcoming ceremonies at the presidential palace in downtown Helsinki.

On arrival, Xi noted that Finland opened political ties with China in 1950 and was the first Western country to sign a governmental bilateral trade agreement with Beijing. He also congratulated the Finns on the centenary of their independence from Russia.

During his visit, Xi will also meet Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila and Speaker of Parliament Maria Lohela.

CAPTION CORRECTS THE DATE - Finland's President Sauli Niinist, right, and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands during a signing ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The Chinese President is on a state visit to Finland until Thursday. (Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva via AP)

China's President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan are greeted during the official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki Wednesday, April 5, 2017. (Martti Kainulainen/Lehtikuva via AP)

China's President Xi Jinping attends the official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Before arriving in the U.S., Xi is on a state visit to Finland on April 4-6. (Martti Kainulainen/Lehtikuva via AP)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea rarely misses an opportunity to conduct a banned missile test to coincide with a high-profile world event that's expected to discuss the impoverished yet nuclear-armed country.

On Wednesday, it fired a newly developed missile into the sea, this time on the eve of the first meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

Did North Korea really want to steal the show ahead of the Trump-Xi summit? Or was the launch just part of its broader missile development programs, with outsiders reading too much from a routine weapons test?

FILE - In this March 14, 2017 file photo, a U.S. Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter approaches the deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during the annual joint military exercise called Foal Eagle between South Korea and the United States at an unidentified location in the international waters, east of the Korean Peninsula. North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast on Wednesday, April 5, South Korean officials said, in a continuation of its weapons launches made as the country is angrily reacting to annual military drills between U.S. and South Korean troops. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

What you should know about North Korea's latest missile test:

___

DUAL PURPOSES?

Initial U.S. and South Korean assessments indicated that what North Korea fired was a medium-range KN-15 missile. Known as "Pukguksong-2" in North Korea, it's a newly developed, solid-fuel missile whose first publicly known test occurred in February. North Korea called that test a success, but some outside analysts said it might test the weapon again before deploying it.

So North Korea may not have minded giving a fresh look of its capabilities ahead of the Trump-Xi summit while sticking to its own weapons development schedule, said Koh Yu-hwan, a professor at Seoul's Dongguk University. South Korea's military issued a similar assessment.

North Korea has denied using big international events to get outside attention in order to wrest concessions and aid. When conducting nuclear and missiles tests in recent years, it has cited what it calls increasing U.S. military threats. Meanwhile, regional disarmament talks that provided the North with much-needed aid have been stalled for years.

"For North Korea, making advancements on missile and nuclear weapons technology is the clear priority, and political and diplomatic considerations come second," said Kim Dong-yub, an analyst at Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies.

___

PAST PROVOCATIONS

North Korea has long fired missiles and detonated nuclear devices during major political events in South Korea and the United States, and before or during regional talks.

In 2009, weeks after Barack Obama took office for his first presidential term, it fired a long-range rocket in what critics called a disguised test of its long-range missile technology. Days before the 2013 inauguration of South Korea's then-President Park Geun-hye, the North conducted its third nuclear test, making world headlines again and inviting toughened U.N. sanctions.

The North has fired missiles when South Korea hosted the 2010 Group of 20 summit and other events, and while top U.S. officials were traveling in the region.

"I've joked before that they don't mind being hated, but they definitely hate to be ignored," Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said after Wednesday's launch. But he also said the missile launch was hard to understand because North Korea benefits from the U.S. and China being at odds with one another.

___

NORTH KOREA'S GOALS

North Korea may want to send a message to both Washington and Beijing that it wants to be the subject of negotiations, with the country's young leader, Kim Jong Un, vowing to build a powerful, prosperous nation. North Korea could also have used its latest missile launch to show that it won't back down to pressures by the Trump administration.

If the launch doesn't have any political or diplomatic meaning, it could just be part of its bigger goal to build up a nuclear and missile arsenal. The launch also came amid ongoing annual South Korea-U.S. military drills that North Korea usually responds to with its own military training and missile tests.

"They cannot stop now and they are under heavy sanctions anyway," said Koh, the professor. "Until their nuclear and missile programs reach a point where they feel it could be used as a deterrent against the United States, the North probably won't show strong willingness for talks."

Kim, the analyst, also said it's likely the North will continue to test-fire missiles over the next few months as it continues to pursue a reliable nuclear-tipped missile that can reach the mainland U.S.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A new report suggests that people living in urban minority neighborhoods could be paying as much as 30 percent more for car insurance, but an industry group says the report's findings are flawed.

Nonprofit investigative news organization ProPublica and Consumer Reports published an analysis Wednesday based on insurance data in California, Illinois, Missouri and Texas detailing insurance claims payments by zip code. Those were the only states where regulators had the data available.

The report says 33 of the 34 insurance companies analyzed in Illinois charged rates that were at least 10 percent higher in zip codes where a majority of the residents are minorities. Six Illinois insurers charged rates 30 percent higher in minority zip codes.

In Missouri and Texas, more than half of the insurers charged rates that were at least 10 percent higher in minority areas.

In California, where insurers are regulated more tightly, eight companies were charging significantly higher rates in minority zip codes.

Marta Tellado, president and CEO of Consumer Reports, said discriminatory insurance pricing can be a drain on household budgets, limit employment opportunities and limit growth in communities.

"Whether price disparities arise from bad actors or bad algorithms, the consequences are the same, and (Consumer Reports) is committed to ensuring transparency and fairness in pricing for people in all neighborhoods," Tellado said.

The Insurance Information Institute trade group disputed the report's findings after hiring an independent expert to review the data it's based on. The group's chief actuary, James Lynch, said the analysis in the report doesn't account for other factors that can affect insurance rates.

"They've reached an inappropriate conclusion," Lynch said.

Insurance companies don't collect any information on race and ethnicity when they sell policies.

The exact factors used to set rates vary somewhat because of state laws, but Lynch said some common things insurers may look at include: number of miles driven, accident history, credit scores, occupation, gender and age.
Editors, News Directors:

April 6, 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the entry of the United States into World War I. The war erupted in August 1914, but the United States was reluctant to get involved until German submarines started attacking ships in the Atlantic. In 1915, the British liner Lusitania was torpedoed, killing some 1,200, including 128 Americans. Early in 1917, unrestricted submarine warfare broke out. In his April 2 war message to Congress, President Woodrow Wilson called it "warfare against mankind." He asked for war. On April 6, Congress obliged.

The AP will have coverage have enterprise and spot coverage in all formats through the weekend.

WEDNESDAY:

WWI-US CENTENNIAL

ROMAGNE-SOUS-MONTFAUCON, France - Before April 6, 1917, the United States remained an inward-looking nation where, in the words of American writer Walter Lippmann, "money spent on battleships would be better spent on schoolhouses." Then on that day, 100 years ago on Thursday, the United States declared war on Germany and joined World War I. Victory in 1918 launched what would eventually become "The American Century." By Raf Casert and Virginia Mayo. SENT: 1,590 words, photos. An abridged version will also be sent.

THURSDAY:

WORLD WAR I CENTENNIAL-US

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Foreign dignitaries are among those expected in Kansas City for a ceremony at the national World War I monument marking the 100th anniversary of the U.S. declaration of war against Germany in 1917. By Jim Suhr. UPCOMING: 400 words, photo developing from event at noon. AP video pursuing.

WORLD WAR I- INNOVATIONS

Tanks. Machine guns. Chemical weapons. Portable X-rays. Trench coats. Wristwatches. Thursday marks the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War I, and some of the innovations that were developed or came into wide use during the conflict are still with us today. By Chris Carola. UPCOMING: 500 words in chunky text by 2 a.m., photos.

FRIDAY:

WORLD WAR I - PHOTO GALLERY

VIMY, France - Thousands of names etched on walls stretching into the French countryside, a mournful hilltop monument reaching into the skies - the Vimy Memorial honors Canadians killed in World War I and commemorates a battle that barely budged the front line, but marked Canada forever. UPCOMING: 200 words by 9 a.m., photo gallery.

SUNDAY:

EUROPE-WORLD WAR I

VIMY, France - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Princes Charles, William and Harry and other dignitaries gather in northern France to mark 100 years since the battle of Vimy, a pivotal moment for Canada and its military. UPCOMING: 400 words by 4 a.m., developing with events through the day.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Australia's highest court on Wednesday rejected British company Reckitt Benckiser's appeal of a 6 million Australian dollar ($4.5 million) fine for misleading consumers about the effectiveness of a popular painkiller.

The High Court full-bench refused to hear the appeal after Reckitt Benckiser's lawyers outlined its argument for why the fine imposed by the Federal Court in December was too high.

The Federal Court had upheld an appeal by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the watchdog that launched the court action, against the leniency of a AU$1.7 million fine.

Reckitt Benckiser sold Nurofen painkillers that were marketed to relieve specific ailments, such as back pain and menstrual pain, when all of the products contained an identical amount of the same active ingredient, ibuprofen lysine. The court ordered the company to remove the products from Australian stores.

The specific pain products were nearly double the price of Nurofen's standard ibuprofen painkiller and other general pain relief products sold by competitors. The company sold 5.9 million packets of the specific pain products over four years for AU$45 million.

Rod Sims, chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, welcomed the High Court ruling. He told Australian Broadcasting Corp that the same offenses would likely be punished by fines of between AU$40 million and AU$50 million under proposed amendments to consumer law that could be legislated this year.

Reckitt Benckiser said it was disappointed by the High Court decision.

"Nurofen did not intend to mislead consumers and we apologize to those of our consumers who were misled," a company statement said. "We recognize that we could have done more to assist our consumers in navigating the Nurofen specific pain range," it added.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - The cash-strapped Palestinian Authority on Wednesday said it was slashing by nearly one third the salaries of tens of thousands of government employees in the Gaza Strip who have been sitting idly since the rival Hamas militant group took over the coastal territory a decade ago.

The decision deepened the divide between the West Bank and Gaza - two territories that the Palestinians hope to turn into an independent state - and increased hardship in already impoverished Gaza.

"This cut has worsened our situation. I don't know how I will get by until the end of the month. Shall I beg?" said Rizq al-Haddad, a former maintenance worker at the Health Ministry.

Employees wait in line in front of a cash machine to receive their monthly salaries in Gaza City, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The cash-strapped Palestinian Authority said it has slashed the salaries of some 50,000 government employees in the Gaza Strip who have been sitting idly since the rival Hamas militant group took over the territory a decade ago. Spokesman Yousif al-Mahmoud says that salaries would be cut by 30 percent because of a reduction in foreign aid. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Al-Haddad, a father of 10, supports his family on a salary of about 2,200 shekels, or $600, a month. That income will now drop by nearly $200 a month.

"Our situation was desperate even before they made the cuts," he said in his dilapidated two-bedroom home. "We barely bought thyme and bread for the kids and we can't buy tomatoes because of the desperate situation."

The internationally backed Palestinian Authority, which is based in the West Bank, ordered all of its roughly 50,000 workers to step down after the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power in 2007. But it has continued to pay the salaries of the former policemen, teachers and civil servants like al-Haddad.

In the West Bank, government spokesman Yousif al-Mahmoud said a reduction in foreign aid had forced the Palestinian Authority to cut Gaza salaries by 30 percent. "Without this step, the government cannot pay the salaries of its employees," he said.

Affected workers expressed shock, anger and frustration as they gathered outside Gaza banks. In Gaza City, nearly 200 people joined a protest outside a Bank of Palestine branch. "The salary is our children's right," said one of the banners.

Israel and Egypt have maintained a blockade over Gaza since Hamas, a militant group sworn to Israel's destruction, took power. Israel says the measure, which has restricted the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza, is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms. But the blockade has hit Gaza's economy hard, and unemployment is now over 40 percent, according to the World Bank.

The faltering economy has remained afloat through sales of consumer goods. The Palestinian Authority employees have provided a large slice of the purchasing power that business owners rely on to keep their commerce alive.

Hamas, which hired more than 40,000 people to fill the gaps left by the absence of the Palestinian Authority workers, also struggles to pay its employees.

After repeated efforts to reconcile with Fatah failed, Hamas is increasingly relying on hefty taxes on imports, utility fees and customs to pay its employees just half of their regular salaries.

Hamas condemned Wednesday's salary cuts. "This is an unjust and non-national decision that aims at creating crises and tightening the grip on our people in the Gaza Strip," spokesman Abdullatif Qanou said in a statement.

___

Daraghmeh reported from Ramallah, West Bank.
NEW YORK (AP) - The worldwide women's marches that millions attended the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration are being honored at this year's PEN Literary Gala.

PEN America told The Associated Press on Wednesday that "The Women's March" has won the PEN/Toni and James C. Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award. Bob Bland, one of four national co-chairs who helped organize the massive Jan. 21 gathering in Washington, will accept the prize.

"The Women's March began as a quixotic idea shared with friends on Facebook. In the hands of 99.9 percent of people, it would have ended there, as a pipe dream. But Bob Bland and the group of women who joined her forged a powerful, diverse coalition that worked with immense drive to win over skeptics and build the support of an extraordinarily broad coalition of which PEN America became part," Suzanne Nossel, executive director of PEN America, said in a statement.

FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2017, file photo, a crowd fills Independence Avenue during the Women's March on Washington, in Washington. The worldwide women's marches that millions attended the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration are being honored at this year's PEN Literary Gala. PEN America told The Associated Press that "The Women's March" is the winner of the PEN/Toni and James C. Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award. Bob Bland, one of the national co-chairs who helped organize the massive gathering in Washington, will accept the prize on April 25 in Manhattan. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

"The Women's March convinced Americans that mass citizen's action was possible. If not for the Women's March, people would not have flooded to airports over a weekend to reject a discriminatory visa ban just days later. We honor the Women's March for acting at a critical moment to overcome the inertia and fear of failure that can impair public mobilization, and for inspiring millions in America and around the world to do the same."

PEN, the literary and human rights organization, praised Bland and co-chairs Tamika D. Mallory, Carmen Perez, and Linda Sarsour for helping to "galvanize a potent global movement to resist infringements on the rights and dignity of women and many other groups." Previous winners of the freedom of expression award include the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo and Lee-Anne Walters and Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha for raising awareness about the deadly levels of lead in the water supply for Flint, Michigan.

The PEN gala will be held April 25 at the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, with other honorees including Stephen Sondheim, the imprisoned Ukranian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov and publishing executive John Sargent, the CEO of Macmillan.
I am a retired newspaperman. I am 69 and live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 45 years, Lou Ann. We grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather.

More on who I am is here.

Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - The United Nations says roughly 3,000 South Sudanese refugees have crossed into Uganda after fighting in the eastern town of Pajok.

U.N. refugee agency spokeswoman Katherine Weinright says that represents a "significant increase" in the number of refugees in the Lamwo area of Uganda. The influx is expected to continue in the coming days.

The fighting is some of the fiercest since South Sudan's government declared a cease-fire last month.

Opposition spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel says government forces attacked Pajok on Monday and burned down houses, raped civilians and held public executions.

Military spokesman Santo Domic Chol denies the allegations and says looting in Pajok forced the army to intervene. He blames "bandits" for killing civilians.

More than 800,000 people have fled to Uganda since South Sudan's civil war began.
MADRID (AP) - A jury has found a Spanish man guilty of killing an Arizona woman while she was walking a world-renowned pilgrimage route in Spain in 2015.

Miguel Angel Munoz, 41 was convicted of killing Denise Pikka Thiem, 41, who went missing in April 2015 in a rural area of northwestern Spain's Leon province while on the pilgrimage trail to Santiago de Compostela.

Munoz was arrested five months later and led investigators to Thiem*s partly buried body.

He originally confessed to the killing but later retracted and claimed he only found the body.

The verdict was delivered Wednesday and a judge will decide the sentence.

Prosecutors have asked for a sentence of 25 years in jail.

The trial took place last month.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Prince's hometown of Minneapolis offers many places where fans can pay homage on the anniversary of his death, from his favorite record store to the humble house used in his Oscar-winning "Purple Rain" film.

Paisley Park, his massive, gleaming white studio and performance complex, was turned into a museum soon after his death on April 21, 2016. A "celebration" planned there for April 20-23 with panel discussions, concerts and tours is mostly sold out. But don't worry, there's plenty more to see.

___

FILE - In this Aug 28, 2016, file photo, a mural honoring the late Prince adorns a building in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. The one-year anniversary of the rock star, who died of an overdose at the age of 57, is April 21. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)

PAISLEY PARK

This is a must, even if it's just a drive-by to see the sprawling place rise up from the flatlands in Chanhassen, an easy 20-mile drive from downtown Minneapolis. Guided tours average 70 minutes and include rooms where Prince created some of his biggest hits. The museum is a work in progress, with a recently added room displaying costumes and other artifacts from his "Lovesexy" album and tour.

Optional add-ons include a VIP tour of extra rooms, a photo opportunity, Friday night dance party and Sunday brunch featuring some of his favorite foods.

Much has been made of Prince's Paisley Park-shaped urn. It was moved from the main atrium at the family's request to a frosted high-walled fixture above a little kitchen where he sometimes watched TV.

Photos and video are strictly prohibited on all tours.

___

FIRST AVENUE & 7TH ST. ENTRY

This downtown club in a former Greyhound bus depot remains a mecca for Prince fans and an indie rock hot spot. There are guided tours, though most were sold out ahead of the April 21st anniversary. A separate entrance and fee gets you inside the club where Prince played several times, including his first time in 1981 when it was called Sam's and in 1983 when he unveiled a longer version of his ballad "Purple Rain." That gig was recorded, including the mega-hit that became his signature and other songs used in the film.

Brick walls outside are adorned with painted, white stars for other artists who played there. Prince's star stands out in gold.

___

ELECTRIC FETUS

Prince frequented the Electric Fetus record store. He visited just days before he died, on Record Store Day, April 16, tweeting: "FETUS, THANX 4 THE TUNES! ROCKED STEVIE'S TALKING BOOK ALL THE WAY HOME! #RecordStoreDay," to which Electric Fetus replied: "Thanks 4 coming in today and for supporting indie record stores year-round!"

His final tweet, April 18, was another nod to Electric Fetus, promoting the written program for his "Piano & Microphone" tour. The tweet displayed the program's cover and said, simply: "electricfetus.com."

When the store opened in 1968, National Lampoon magazine singled it out for the worst name of a business. But it remains an indie mecca for audiophiles - including vinyl-lovers - and drew grieving fans when Prince died.

___

PRINCE MURALS

There are some beauties.

Downtown near 10th Street and Marquette Avenue, a five-story, white-painted wall of musical notes is where Prince shot some of his first publicity photos at age 18. At the time, it was home to Schmitt Music Company, which sold sheet music, pianos and organs. The musical notes are from a piece for piano by French composer Maurice Ravel.

Not far from Paisley Park, at Chanhassen Cinema, 570 Market St., is a huge purple portrait of Prince by muralist Graham Hoete. He told WCCO-TV he did it at the request of Minnesotans who saw photos of a Prince mural he painted in Sydney, Australia, where he lived.

Another purple portrait, complete with a white dove like the ones Prince kept at Paisley, was created by Bloomington, Minnesota, graffiti artist Rock "Cyfi" Martinez. It's in an alley on one wall of the Sencha Tea Bar, 2601 Hennepin Ave. S., in the funky Uptown district Prince shouted out in song.

___

PURPLE RAIN HOUSE

Prince's famous Purple House residence in the woods of Lake Riley in Chanhassen was bulldozed more than a decade ago, but the simple "Purple Rain" home used in the movie stands, empty and a bit worse for wear. Head to 3420 Snelling Ave. in Minneapolis' Longfellow neighborhood for a look at the outside. Prince never lived here but his character "The Kid" came of age within its walls in the 1984 film. Some purple flowers were tucked into the mailbox on a recent visit.

Other Prince-related houses are around, as are some of his old schools, studios where he recorded and other hangouts. The Minnesota History Center will display one of Prince's purple outfits from "Purple Rain" and handwritten lyrics to an unreleased song during the anniversary week. The city's visitor's bureau has compiled a map.

___

GRAFFITI BRIDGE

The famous marked-up railroad crossing from "Graffiti Bridge," his 1990 sequel to "Purple Rain," was replaced in 1991 by a popular bicycle and running path in suburban Eden Prairie. The bridge - covered with messages dating to the 1960s - had a heady, counterculture feel. The movie led Prince fans to add their own graffiti. But the replacement bike path is pristine.

After Prince's death, devastated fans left farewell messages in black marker and purple spray paint on a highway underpass near Paisley Park, using the "love" symbol he created for himself. Getting there is tricky. Cross the busy highway leading to Paisley Park at the exit side of the parking lot, look for a West 78th Street sign and turn toward a walking path. The tunnel is marked Riley Creek.

In this April 4, 2017 photo, two women walk past graffiti memorials to the late Prince that mark the Riley Creek underpass which has become the new graffiti bridge in Chanhassen, Minn. Fans have been marking it since the rock star's death from an accidental overdose on April 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

FILE - In this April 22, 2016, file photo, a fan takes a selfie by the Prince star and memorial at First Avenue in Minneapolis where he often performed. The one-year anniversary of the pop super star's death from an overdose will be marked April 21. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)

FILE - In this April 22, 2016, file photo, Scott Ewing and his wife Gina Easley, view Prince's Purple Rain outfit that is on display at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul, Minn. The one-year anniversary of Prince's death from an overdose will be marked April 21. (Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune via AP)

FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2016, file photo, a replica of the Memorial Fence is shown at Prince's Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minn. which is open for public tours. The one-year anniversary of the rock star's death from an overdose will be marked April 21. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen, File)

In this April 1, 2017 photo, this house pictured in Minneapolis was used for exteriors of "The Kid" house in Prince's film "Purple Rain." The one-year anniversary of Prince's death from an overdose will be marked April 21. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

FILE - In this April 22, 2016, file photo, a woman places flowers at a memorial at First Avenue in Minneapolis where pop super star Prince often performed. The one-year anniversary of Prince's death from an overdose will be marked April 21. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)

In this April 4, 2017 photo, a memorial fence at Prince's Paisley Park provides fans an opportunity to leave memorials in Chanhassen, Minn. The one-year anniversary of the rock star's death from an overdose will be marked April 21. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
PARIS (AP) - The French government is calling on protesters in French Guiana to lift their roadblocks after a 1 billion-euro government plan to help the South American territory was presented during a Cabinet meeting.

Protesters in the French territory in South America have already rejected the plan as too little to solve their economic and security problems. They are asking for 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion).

Strikes and protests have paralyzed the territory in recent weeks, forcing schools to close, disrupting business and a rocket launch.

Thousands of protesters gathered Tuesday in front of the Guiana space center to express anger at high unemployment, crime and living costs.

The government plan presented Wednesday aims at improving education and health care services and developing Guiana's major sectors: transports, tourism, mine industry, fishing industry, energy and construction.
WASHINGTON (AP) - His expression grave and his words emphatic, President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday the deadly chemical attack in Syria had crossed "many, many lines" and abruptly changed his views of Syrian President Bashar Assad. But he refused to say what the U.S. might do in response.

Trump issued no ultimatums in comments that were being scoured by world leaders for signs of how the new president would react to a global crisis. In a rare reversal of roles, Trump was more reserved than many of his top advisers - including his U.N. envoy, who revived the hard-hitting rhetoric of Trump's political campaign and strongly hinted some U.S. action was coming.

Trump himself was noncommittal.

President Donald Trump speak during a news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah II in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

"I'm not saying I'm doing anything one way or another, but I'm certainly not going to be telling you," he told reporters.

He blamed the attack squarely on Assad's forces, though the embattled Syrian leader and his Russian backers denied it. He suggested that the assault that killed 72 people had diminished his former reluctance to plunge the U.S. further into the complex and dangerous turmoil in the Middle East.

"When you kill innocent children, innocent babies - babies, little babies - with a chemical gas that is so lethal, people were shocked to hear what gas it was, that crosses many, many lines," Trump said in the White House Rose Garden. U.S. officials said the gas was likely chlorine, with traces of a nerve agent like sarin.

While continuing to fault predecessor Barack Obama for much of the current situation in Syria, he acknowledged that dealing with the crisis is now his own responsibility and vowed to "carry it very proudly."

Only days earlier multiple members of Trump's administration had said Assad's ouster was no longer a U.S. priority, drawing outrage from Assad critics in the U.S. and abroad. But Trump said Tuesday's attack "had a big impact on me - big impact."

"My attitude towards Syria and Assad has changed very much," he said.

Since the attack Tuesday in rebel-held territory in northern Syria, Trump has been under increasing pressure to explain whether the attack would bring a U.S. response. After all, Trump's first reaction was merely to blame Obama's "weakness" in earlier years for enabling Assad.

Obama had put Assad on notice that using chemical weapons would cross a "red line" necessitating a U.S. response, but then failed to follow through, pulling back from planned airstrikes after Congress wouldn't vote to approve them. Trump and other critics have cited that as a key moment the U.S. lost much global credibility.

"I now have responsibility," Trump said. "That responsibility could be made a lot easier if it was handled years ago."

Yet he was adamant that he would not telegraph any potential U.S. military retaliation, saying anew that that was a mistake the Obama administration had repeatedly made.

Standing alongside Jordan's King Abdullah II at a news conference, Trump appeared to adopt the first part of Obama's stance - that chemical weapons use is intolerable - while stopping short of saying what might come next.

That left some Assad opponents wanting more.

"It's simply impossible to shame the Assad and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin regimes with words alone," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

The strongest indication that the U.S. might act came at the United Nations, where U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley held up photos of the attack's victims in an emotional plea to the Security Council to intervene.

"When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," Haley declared.

Though Trump didn't mention it, both Haley and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have argued that Russia and Iran - Assad's two staunchest allies - must use their influence to prevent him from mounting further attacks. Tillerson said Russia needed to "think carefully about their continued support for the Assad regime."

"There's no doubt in our mind that the Syrian regime under the leadership of Bashar al Assad is responsible for this horrific attack," Tillerson said.

The most recent attack, in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, bore telltale signs of nerve agent exposure such as victims convulsing and foaming from the mouth. Videos showed volunteer medics using firehoses to wash chemicals from victims' bodies and lifeless children being piled in heaps.

Early U.S. assessments show the attack most likely involved chlorine and traces of the nerve agent sarin, according to two U.S. officials, who weren't authorized to speak publicly about intelligence assessments and demanded anonymity. Use of sarin would be especially troubling because it would suggest Syria may have cheated on its previous deal to give up chemical weapons.

After a 2013 attack, the U.S. and Russia brokered a deal in which Syria declared its chemical weapons arsenal and agreed to destroy it. Chlorine, which has legitimate uses as well, isn't banned except when used in a weapon. But nerve agents like sarin are banned in all circumstances.

As Trump and other world leaders scrambled for a response, the U.S. was working to lock down details proving Assad's culpability. Russia's military, insisting Assad wasn't responsible, has said the chemicals were dispersed when a Syrian military strike hit a facility where the rebels were manufacturing weapons for use in Iraq.

An American review of radar and other assessments showed Syrian aircraft flying in the area at the time of the attack, a U.S. official said. Russian and U.S. coalition aircraft were not there, the official said.

___

Associated Press writers Vivian Salama, Ken Thomas, Lolita C. Baldor and Bradley Klapper in Washington, Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah II in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

President Donald Trump talks about the attack in Syria during a news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah II, Wednesday, April 5, 2017, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Nikki Haley, United States' Ambassador United Nations, shows pictures of Syrian victims of chemical attacks as she addresses a meeting of the Security Council on Syria at U.N. headquarters, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

President Donald Trump and Jordan's King Abdullah II hold a news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Russia's deputy United Nations ambassador Vladimir Safronkov listens during a meeting of the Security Council on Syria at U.N. headquarters, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the Trump administration and Syria (all times local):

3:30 p.m.

Sen. Marco Rubio is suggesting a connection between the deadly chemical attack in Syria and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's recent remarks about the war-torn country's president, Bashar Assad.

President Donald Trump and Jordan's King Abdullah II hold a news conference in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Tillerson said the Syrian people will decide Assad's "longer-term status."

Rubio said Tillerson had essentially nodded "to the idea that Assad was going to get to stay in some capacity."

The Florida Republican said on radio show AM Tampa Bay: "I don't think that it's a coincidence that a few days later we see this."

He added: "Assad believes, and sadly he may be right, that he can gas his people with sarin, kill children, kill innocent civilians, people will complain, there'll be a meeting at the UN Security Council, and then life will go on and he'll stay in power."

___

1:31 p.m.

President Donald Trump says a suspected chemical attack by the Syrian government against civilians "crossed a lot of lines."

At a joint press conference with Jordan's King Abdullah II Wednesday, Trump said that his attitude about Syria's President Bashar Assad and about Syria has "changed very much."

He repeated his accusations that the Obama administration issued a "blank threat" to the Assad government that using chemical weapons would result in consequences.

Trump says it was "not one of our better days as a country" when the previous administration failed to act on those threats.

He acknowledged that now "I have that responsibility and I will carry it proudly."

The attack Tuesday in rebel-held northern Idlib is responsible for the deaths of dozens of people, including women and children.

__

1:25 p.m.

President Donald Trump says that the goal of "any responsible refugee policy" is to pave the way for refugees to return home.

In a joint press conference with Jordan's King Abdullah II Wednesday, Trump said he intends "finally to advance the cause of peace in the Middle East" and to the refugee crisis that has reached the worst since World War II.

Trump said he would partner with Jordan and other regional allies, including Egypt and Iraq, to address the problem.

The United Nations last week said that the number of Syrian refugees alone has exceeded 5 million.

Trump recently signed an executive order to temporarily ban Syrian refugees, as well as travelers from six Muslim-majority nations, from traveling to the U.S. That ban has been challenged by the courts.

__

1:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump says this week's chemical attack on Syrian civilians "cannot be tolerated."

Trump spoke at a White House news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah II., saying innocent people, including women small children "and even beautiful little babies" were killed.

Trump is calling the attack "an affront to humanity" and says, "These heinous actions by the Assad regime cannot be tolerated."

A suspected chemical attack in a town in Syria's rebel-held northern Idlib province killed dozens of people on Tuesday in one of the worst attacks in the country's six-year civil war.

The Trump administration has blamed the attack on the government of President Bashar Assad.

__

12:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump is denouncing the chemical attack on Syrian civilians, calling it an "affront to humanity."

Trump said as he welcomed King Abdullah II of Jordan, "These are very troubled times in the Middle East."

He calls the attack a "horrible thing, unspeakable" and says, "It's a terrible affront to humanity."

Trump also thanked the king and his wife for visiting the White House, saying the two leaders will engage in some "very interesting discussions."

Asked how he plans to respond to the attack he blames on Syrian President Bashar Assad, Trump said, "You'll see."

A suspected chemical attack in a town in Syria's rebel-held northern Idlib province killed dozens of people on Tuesday. It's one of the worst attacks in the country's six-year civil war.

___

12:05 p.m.

Senate Democrats are criticizing President Donald Trump's response to the chemical attack in Syria that killed 72 people.

Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania calls a White House statement on the attack weak because it omits any mention of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Casey says Trump should "finally tell it like it is - that these are war crimes" by Syrian President Bashar Assad against his own people.

The senator says the attack "was a moment the president could have spoken with moral authority and with the beginning of an outline of a strategy. And we don't see it."

Casey and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York say Trump is being undermined by the cloud of an ongoing investigation into possible Russian interference in the election.

___

11:40 a.m.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria "was a heinous act and will be treated as such."

He did not elaborate on what the U.S. may do in response.

Mattis was speaking at the start of a meeting in the Pentagon with Singapore's minister of defense.

___

10:42 a.m.

President Donald Trump will speak Wednesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as concerns echo across Europe over the urgent need to respond to violence in Syria.

A suspected chemical attack in rebel-held northern Idlib killed dozens of civilians Tuesday in one of the worst attacks since the civil war began.

Trump will also speak with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hours, hours after North Korea fired a newly developed powerful ballistic missile into its eastern waters Wednesday.

Abe's phone call also comes ahead of the president's planned meeting Thursday with China's president Xi Jinping during which various east Asian security issues may be addressed, including a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

__

10:35 a.m.

President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka is tweeting about the chemical weapons attack in Syria.

Ivanka Trump, a top adviser to the president, tweeted Wednesday that she is "Heartbroken and outraged by the images coming out of Syria following the atrocious chemical attack yesterday."

The president released a statement Tuesday condemning the attack as "reprehensible."

The White House has not said how the Trump administration intends to respond to the crisis in Syria.

__

10:30 a.m.

The United States and Russia are trading conflicting assertions about who launched a chemical weapons attack in Syria that killed 72 people.

The White House says Syrian President Bashar Assad's government is responsible. But Russia says anti-Assad rebels are to blame. Russia's military says the chemicals were dispersed when Syrian warplanes bombed a facility where rebels were building chemical weapons.

Officials say Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will discuss Syria with Russian leaders next week when he visits Moscow. It's the first announced visit by a top U.S. official to Russia since President Donald Trump's inauguration.

The U.N. Security Council plans an emergency session midday Wednesday on the attack. And Trump is expected to face questions about it during an afternoon news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah II.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan and Queen Rania in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer of New York takes a question during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. to discuss US-China trade issues ahead of Chinese President Xi's upcoming meeting with President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer of N.Y., joined by fellow Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., left, and Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 5, 2017, to discuss US-China trade issues ahead of Chinese President Xi's upcoming meeting with President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Opposition lawmakers in Poland are calling for the dismissal of the defense minister, saying he is undermining the nation's armed forces with dismissals and demotions of high-ranking officers who aren't his allies.

The lawmakers appealed Wednesday to President Andrzej Duda, the armed forces' supreme commander, to dismiss Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz.

They are reacting to Macierewicz' decision to demote two experienced military counter-intelligence officers for alleged insubordination and to his earlier dismissals of dozens of generals who served under the previous government.

Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, who heads the current nationalist government, says the defense minister was carrying out a necessary remodeling of the armed forces.

Since taking office, the ruling Law and Justice party has made changes in many areas of government, including the judiciary and the army.
BEIRUT (AP) - The Latest on the suspected chemical attack in Syria (all times local):

5:15 a.m.

The United Nations humanitarian chief says that 41 donors have pledged $6 billion to help people in need in 2017 amid the Syrian crisis.

Nikki Haley, United States' Ambassador United Nations, shows pictures of Syrian victims of chemical attacks as she addresses a meeting of the Security Council on Syria at U.N. headquarters, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien said what is now needed is to see the pledges turned into "cash for action" as soon as possible.

"The needs have never been greater and the requirements have never been higher for the Syria crisis. Today has been a momentous opportunity for much of the world to come together to commit more support and solidarity for Syrians and those affected across the region," O'Brien said in welcoming the pledges, which came at the Supporting the future of Syria and the region conference in Brussels.

Another $3.7 billion was pledged for 2018 and beyond.

___

11 p.m.

U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces say the gates to the Tabqa Dam held by the Islamic State group in northern Syria are functioning again, releasing water from the swollen Lake Assad into the Euphrates River.

The Syrian Democratic Forces, which also includes Arab fighters, published a video filmed under sunny skies Wednesday showing water rushing out of the dam's main gates.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the gates were functioning.

Engineers and the Islamic State group warned last month that U.S. airstrikes had destroyed the dam's control room and locked its gates, causing water levels to rise dangerously.

There was no word on whether the dam's turbines were generating electricity again. The dam provides over 800 megawatts of electricity to Syria.

___

10:30 p.m.

A Syrian monitoring group says the death toll from a suspected chemical weapons attack on the northern town of Khan Sheikhoun has risen to 86.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says those killed in Tuesday's attack include 30 children and 20 women.

U.S. intelligence officials, the World Health Organization, and Doctors Without Borders say the initial evidence points to the use of nerve gas in the attack.

The Trump administration and other international officials accuse the Syrian government of carrying out the strike, allegations Damascus has denied.

Moscow, a stalwart ally of the Syrian government, says toxic gases were released when Syrian government jets bombed a rebel munitions factory in the town's outskirts.

___

8:30 p.m.

EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos Stylianides says international donors have pledged $6 billion to help conflict-torn Syria this year, in line with their target.

Stylianides said donors from more than 70 countries meeting in Brussels on Wednesday made a "collective pledge of $6 billion for this year alone."

He said the country's "needs are massive. Our conference is sending a powerful message. We are not letting down the people of Syria."

He described the pledge made in Brussels as "an impressive figure. These commitments are significant."

The meeting was overshadowed by a suspected chemical weapons attack in northern Syria on Tuesday that killed more than 70 people, one of the worst attacks of its kind since the conflict began more than six years ago.

___

7:40 p.m.

The U.S. envoy to the U.N. has warned that the Trump administration may take action against chemical attacks in Syria that bear "all the hallmarks" of President Bashar Assad's government if the U.N. Security Council fails to act.

Ambassador Nikki Haley urged the council at an emergency meeting Wednesday to immediately approve a draft resolution sponsored by the U.S., Britain and France that condemns and threatens consequences for the use of chemical weapons.

Holding up photos of victims of a suspected chemical weapons attack the day before that killed dozens of people, she accused Russia of blocking action.

She said Moscow had closed its eyes to the "barbarity" of previous chemical attacks by vetoing a resolution in late February that would have imposed sanctions on those responsible.

Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov, opposed the draft resolution, saying it was based on information from "discredited" groups.

Haley ended her remarks by warning that "when the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action."

___

6:40 p.m.

The Turkish Health Ministry says three victims of a suspected chemical attack in northern Syria have died while being treated in Turkey.

A ministry statement said Wednesday that 29 people wounded in the attack were still being cared for in hospitals in the country.

Turkey set up a decontamination center at a border crossing in the province of Hatay following the attack where the victims are initially treated before being moved to area hospitals.

___

6:20 p.m.

Israeli defense officials say military intelligence believes Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces were behind the suspected chemical attack that killed dozens of civilians.

The officials said Israel believes Assad has tons of chemical weapons currently in his arsenal. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday as they are not allowed to brief media.

Israel has warned against "game-changing" weapons reaching Hezbollah in Lebanon from Syria, which along with Iran supports the militant group. Last month Israel shot down an anti-aircraft missile fired at its planes as they struck a suspected Hezbollah weapons convoy.

Chemical weapons have killed hundreds of people since the start of Syria's civil war, with the U.N. blaming three attacks on the Syrian government and a fourth on the Islamic State group.

-Ian Deitch in Jerusalem

___

6:15 p.m.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blamed a suspected chemical attack that killed at least 72 people in northern Syria on the Syrian regime and has accused the world of not speaking out against the attack.

Addressing crowds in northwest Turkey on Wednesday, Erdogan said Syrian President Bashar Assad would suffer "from the curse" of the victims while the United Nations would be called to account for its alleged silence.

Erdogan, while campaigning for an upcoming referendum that would expand the president's powers, said, "Oh murderer Assad, how will you escape their curse? The United Nations who remained silent; how will it account for this?"

Erdogan also said Turkey was caring for some of the victims who were brought to the country.

He said: "We are doing our best but this is not enough ... I am sad as a father. Those children's situations are wounding our hearts."

___

6:10 p.m.

Britain's U.N. ambassador says the attack in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province "bears all the hallmarks" of President Bashar Assad's regime and the United Kingdom believes a nerve agent capable of killing over a hundred people was used.

Matthew Rycroft told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that Russia has said a government airstrike struck an opposition depot for munitions.

He said the U.K. has seen nothing that suggests any opposition groups "have the sort of chemical weapons that would be consistent with the symptoms that we saw yesterday,"

"We have every indication that this was a sustained attack using aircraft over a number of hours," Rycroft said. "We see all the signs of an attack using a nerve agent capable of killing over a hundred people and harming hundreds more."

He said only one air force has used such weapons in Syria and it is Assad's air force.

He urged support for the new resolution drafted by Britain, France and the United States condemning chemical attacks in Syria and urging government cooperation in an investigation and consequences.

___

5:50 p.m.

The international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (known by its French acronym MSF) says victims of a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria one day ago showed symptoms of exposure to nerve gas.

The group said victims the symptoms - constricted pupils, muscle spasms, and involuntary defecation - were consistent with exposure to sarin gas or similar agents.

An MSF medical team evaluated patients at the Bab al-Hawa Hospital near the Turkish border, in Syria, the group said in a statement Wednesday. The flow of victims of the attack Tuesday morning attack in Khan Sheikhoun overwhelmed local hospitals, and paramedics sent patients to medical centers across Idlib province and in neighboring Turkey.

MSF said its medical teams reported smelling bleach at other hospitals treating victims, suggesting they were also exposed to chlorine gas. The organization said the reports "strongly suggest that victims ... were exposed to at least two different chemical agents."

Sarin gas was used in a 2013 chemical weapons attack on opposition suburbs around the Syrian capital of Damascus, the U.N. has reported, killing hundreds of civilians. The U.S. said the Syrian government was responsible.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said it removed 1,300 tons of chemical weapons stocks, including sarin gas, from Syrian government stores after the Damascus area attacks. But rebels and opposition officials have maintained that the government held on to some of its stockpiles.

___

5:20 p.m.

A top Syrian rebel representative says he holds U.N. mediator Staffan De Mistura "personally responsible" for the suspected chemical weapons attack that killed more than 70 people in northern Syria one day ago.

Mohammad Alloush, the rebels' chief negotiator at U.N.-mediated talks with the Syrian government, said the U.N.'s Special Envoy for Syria's must begin labeling the Syrian government as responsible for killing civilians. He said U.N.'s silence "legitimizes" the strategy.

"The true solution for Syria is to put (Syrian President) Bashar Assad the chemical weapons user in court, and not at the negotiations table," said Alloush, who is an official in the Islam Army faction among the Syrian rebels.

Syria's rebels, and the Islam Army in particular, are also accused of killing civilians in Syria, but rights watchdogs attribute the overwhelming portion of civilian causalities over the course of the six-year-war to the actions of government forces and their allies.

___

5:10 p.m.

A proposed U.N. Security Council resolution would condemn the use of chemical weapons in Syria and stress the government's obligation to provide information about air operations on Tuesday when a suspected chemical attack killed dozens of people.

The resolution drafted by Britain, France and the United States would also stress Syria's requirement to give investigators the names of those in command of any helicopter squadrons on April 4.

And it calls for immediate access for investigators to air bases where attacks involving chemical weapons may have been launched.

Sponsors were hoping for a vote as early as Wednesday afternoon on the draft resolution.

The Security Council was holding an emergency meeting on the suspected attack in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province, one of the deadliest in the six-year civil war.

___

5 p.m.

The Russian Foreign Ministry says it opposes a Western draft U.N. resolution condemning a chemical attack in Syria.

The ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said Wednesday the draft blames the Syrian government for Tuesday's attack without any credible investigation.

Zakharova said that video and photo evidence of the attack presented by volunteer first responders could have been fabricated. She blamed the West for staging a "political show" and called for an international probe.

Tuesday's attack on Khan Sheikhoun has killed 72, causing an international outcry. Washington has put the blame on the Syrian government, saying that President Bashar Assad's patrons, Russia and Iran, bore "great moral responsibility" for it.

The Russian military said the chemicals were released after Syrian warplanes bombed a facility where rebels were making their own chemical weapons.

___

4:15 p.m.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says Britain and the United States were wrong when they failed to act against Syrian President Bashar Assad in 2013 after he crossed their "red line" and used chemical weapons.

Speaking at a donor conference for Syria a day after a new suspected chemical attack killed dozens of people, Johnson said "we are living today with the consequences, and I'm afraid the people of Syria are living today with the consequences, of that decision."

He said that with an estimated 400,000 people killed in Syria's six-year conflict, Assad has to go.

Johnson said Assad "is responsible for the vast majority of that butcher's bill, and you have to go back a long way in history to find a tyrant who has stayed in office in such circumstances."

___

4 p.m.

Russia says it will submit information from its Defense Ministry to a U.N. Security Council session called to discuss a suspected chemical attack in Syria that killed dozens of people.

Western countries say evidence indicates that Syrian pro-government forces were behind Tuesday's attack on the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun. Russia is a close ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad and is waging an air campaign on his behalf.

The Russian military has said the chemicals were released after Syrian warplanes bombed a facility where rebels were making their own chemical weapons.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, said that at the U.N. meeting Russia "will at least cite in a well-argued manner those data that were mentioned by our Defense Ministry."

___

3 p.m.

French president Francois Hollande is condemning what he calls a "war crime" after a suspected chemical attack in Syria.

Government spokesman Stephane Le Foll reported Hollande's comments Wednesday during a weekly Cabinet meeting.

Hollande recalled that France had pushed for an international military campaign against Syrian President Bashar Assad over his use of chemical weapons in 2013.

"France has not changed its position on this issue", he said according to Le Foll.

France has supported Syrian rebels against Assad for years.

___

2:40 p.m.

Turkish officials have raised the number of Syrians being treated in Turkey after a suspected chemical attack to 58.

A statement from the governor's office for the border province of Hatay says Wednesday the victims are being treated in several state and private hospitals in the towns of Antakya, Reyhanli and Iskenderun.

The statement did not provide any detail on their conditions.

Earlier, Turkey's health minister said about 30 people had been brought to Turkey and that the initial findings and symptoms pointed to a chemical attack.

He said Turkey was sharing its findings with the World Health Organization.

___

2:10 p.m.

The EU Council president has condemned a suspected chemical attack that killed dozens of people in an opposition-held town in northern Syria.

Donald Tusk says Tuesday's attack in Khan Sheikhoun is "another reminder of the brutality" of Syria's regime and the perpetrators must be held accountable.

Tusk said Wednesday that the Syrian regime bears "the primary responsibility for the atrocities," but also blamed supporters of President Bashar Assad's government who he said share the "moral and political responsibility."

Assad's government has denied involvement in the attack, saying it does not possess chemical weapons, and laid the blame on rebel forces.

Tusk spoke in Athens, following talks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

___

1:45 p.m.

A pair of Israeli lawmakers is urging parliaments around the world to hold "emergency" discussions on the suspected chemical attack in Syria.

Erel Margalit and Nachman Shai, both members of the opposition Zionist Union, sent their request to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of national parliaments around the world.

In Tuesday's letter, they urged fellow parliamentarians to condemn the alleged attack, which they said is "taking humanity 70 years backwards."

"The day when mass extermination measures are taken against people is the day when we as members of parliaments should stand fierce in the fire front and stop the horror," they wrote.

Israel has largely stayed out of the fighting in neighboring Syria, though it has carried out airstrikes on suspected arms shipments to Syrian ally Hezbollah.

___

12:20 p.m.

Pope Francis has called a suspected chemical weapons attack that killed dozens, including many children, in Syria "an unacceptable massacre."

The pope said Wednesday during his general audience that he was "watching with horror at the latest events in Syria," and said he "strongly deplored the unacceptable massacre."

He called on the "conscious of those with political responsibility both locally and internationally to cease this tragedy and bring relief to that dear population that for too long has been exhausted by war."

He also encouraged those bringing aid to the stricken population "even amid insecurity and discomfort."

___

12 p.m.

NATO's chief is condemning the chemical attack in northern Syria and calling for those responsible to be held to account.

Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement Wednesday that "this is the third report of the use of these barbaric weapons in the last month alone."

He recalled that the use of chemical weapons is prohibited and that "this international norm must be fully respected and upheld."

He said Syria "is responsible to ensure its full compliance with these obligations."

___

11:40 p.m.

Turkey's health minister says some 30 Syrians have been brought to the Turkish city of Gaziantep, bordering Syria, for treatment following a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria.

Recep Akdag said Wednesday that initial symptoms and findings confirm that the wounded were the victims of a chemical attack. His comments were reported by the Haber Turk news channel.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said that at least 72 people died, including 11 children, in Tuesday's attack in a rebel-held town in northern Syria.

___

11:30 p.m.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri says people should not be shocked by the chemical attack that killed dozens in Syria because the international community is allowing such acts to happen.

Hariri said Wednesday that "the world should not be shocked because it's letting such a regime do what it is doing. What should shock us is the increase of children dying and that the whole world is watching."

He told reporters at a Syria donor conference in Belgium that "everyone is coming to Brussels to make a statement and the regime made its statement in Syria."

Hariri also said that Lebanon has been overwhelmed by the arrival of some 1.5 million Syrian refugees and "cannot sustain this issue anymore. The international community has to do something."

___

11:20

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has called on Russia to endorse a planned United Nations Security Council resolution condemning a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria.

Gabriel said Wednesday in Brussels before the opening of the international conference on the Syria conflict that, "We appeal to Russia to approve this resolution, to investigate this case and to bring to justice those who are responsible."

The U.N. Security Council is to convene for an emergency meeting over a suspected deadly chemical attack in a town in northern Syria earlier this week, where at least 72 people were reported killed, including 11 children.

Nearly 400,000 people have been killed and half of Syria's population has been displaced by the six-year conflict.

___

11:10 a.m.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria the day before is a "moment of truth" that must be investigated.

Hs remarks came as a Syrian monitoring group said the death toll from the attack on a northern town the previous day has increased to 72 and activists reported renewed airstrikes on the same town.

Guterres told reporters at a Syria donor conference in Brussels on Wednesday that he hopes "this moment will be able to mobilize the capacity of all those that have responsibilities in this situation."

He says "the horrific events of yesterday demonstrate that unfortunately war crimes are going on in Syria, that international humanitarian law remains being violated frequently."

He added he is "confident that the Security Council will live up to its responsibilities," with major powers set to convene there later in the day.

___

9:50 a.m.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says that "all the evidence" he had seen so far in the latest chemical weapons attack in Syria "suggests this was the Assad regime who did it in the full knowledge that they were using illegal weapons in a barbaric attack on their own people."

Johnson also says that he does "not see how a government like that can continue to have any kind of legitimate administration over the people of Syria."

He added that he "would like to see those culpable pay a price for this."

Johnson spoke on Wednesday at the start of a Brussels pledging conference for Syria, where the United Nations, EU and world financial institutions have begun technical work to figure out what will be needed to rebuild war-ravaged Syria.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said that at least 58 people died, including 11 children, in Tuesday's chemical weapons attack in a rebel-held town in northern Syria.

___

8:10 a.m.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says his government condemns in the strongest possible terms the chemical weapons attack against civilians, including children, at Khan Sheikhoun.

He said in a statement Wednesday that the use of chemical weapons is "illegal and abhorrent."

He said, "While the full facts are still to be determined, if the Assad regime is responsible for this attack those who approved and deployed these weapons must be held accountable."

___

4 a.m.

The Russian Defense Ministry says a rebel-held town in northern Syria has been exposed to toxic agents from a rebel arsenal hit by a Syrian air strike.

The ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, said in a statement early Wednesday that the Russian military assets registered a Syrian air force strike Tuesday on weapons depots and ammunition factory on the eastern outskirts of the town of Khan Sheikhoun.

Konashenkov said chemical weapons produced by the factory were used in Iraq.

He added that the same type of chemical weapons had been previously used by the rebels in Aleppo, where they had caused symptoms similar to those seen in images from Khan Sheikhoun.

Konashenkov said that Russia had provided relevant ground samples from Aleppo to the international chemical weapons watchdog.

The Russian statement follows an international outcry over what was described as a chemical weapons attack on Khan Sheikhoun. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 58 people died, including 11 children.

Both Russia and Syria both have denied launching the chemical attack.

In this photo taken on late Tuesday, April 4, 2017 and made available Wednesday, April 5, Turkish medics check a victim of alleged chemical weapons attacks in Syrian city of Idlib, at a local hospital in Reyhanli, Hatay, Turkey. A suspected chemical attack in a town in Syria's rebel-held northern Idlib province killed dozens of people on Tuesday, opposition activists said, describing the attack as among the worst in the country's six-year civil war.(IHA via AP)
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The FBI says a South Carolina man arrested as he tried to get on a plane to the Middle East to go and fight for the Islamic State told an undercover agent he wanted to torture an American.

A grand jury indicted Zakaryia Abdin on Tuesday on a charge of providing material support to a terrorist organization.

A sworn statement from the FBI says the 18-year-old man talked on social media to what he thought was an Islamic State recruiter but was an undercover agent.

The FBI says Abdin praised the man who killed 49 people last year in a terror attack at a Florida nightclub, suggesting he could also attack a U.S. site.

Abdin was arrested March 30.

Court records did not list an attorney.
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - A law on the foreign funding of non-governmental organizations is expected to be approved by mid-May, a deputy speaker of Hungary's parliament said Wednesday.

The proposal mainly targets groups like Transparency International and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee which are partly funded by Hungarian-born U.S. financier George Soros. Critics say the initiative is part of a wider crackdown on liberal democratic values by Prime Minister Viktor Orban that seeks to stigmatize the organizations and their members.

On Tuesday, Fidesz lawmakers approved changes to the law on higher education which could lead to the closure of Central European University, founded by Soros.

Deputy Speaker Gergely Gulyas, from the governing Fidesz party, said the NGOs "have no right to conceal who their real supporters are."

"Organizations funded by George Soros are attacking the Hungarian government more sharply than ever before," Gulyas said. "Hungary has to defend itself through transparency."

The draft bill discussed in a closed meeting in Parliament considers civic groups receiving more than 7.2 million forints ($24,750) a year from abroad to be "foreign-funded" and would make public the funds' amount and source. The NGOs would also have to include a notice on their websites and in all their publications that they are funded from abroad.

Failure to comply would lead to fines and even the possibility of being shut down.

"The government does not want to debate these organizations and the facts," said Akos Hadhazy, a lawmaker from the green Politics Can Be Different party. "Instead, it wants to eliminate the anti-corruption and human rights organizations."

The government has been especially angry with the Helsinki Committee, which represented two men from Bangladesh awarded 10,000 euros ($10,670) plus legal costs last month by the European Court of Human Rights in compensation for their illegal detention and deportation by Hungary in 2015.

"They want to destroy the Hungarian border protection system and force the free entry of migrants into Hungary," Gulyas said.
Changyu Pioneer, the giant Chinese wine producer, has signalled its intention to buy wine producers in Australia and Chile.

Zhou Hong Jiang, vice president, was speaking at a business conference last Tuesday (April 4), titled Sharing Knowledge for Shaping the Future, at Changyu's Reina Castle winery outside the Chinese city of Xian, organised in conjunction with Italian drinks producer, Illva Saronno.

A new trade agreement between China, Australia, and Chile will open each others markets to import and export. Dominating its domestic market with circa 70%, it is already facing fierce competition from French, Italian and Spanish wines. While its wines are currently available in the UK, Germany France and Spain.

Changyu already owns cognac maker Roullet Fransac and Spanish wine producer Marques del Atrio.

Founded in 1892, Chinas first wine enterprise, it is now Chinas number one wine producer with 20,000 hectares of vineyards in six regions, 20 wineries, eight chateaux, 181 winemakers, 29 warehouses, 37,000 sales people and 5,700 distributors.

It was state owned between 1932 and 1997. It is now 49% listed on the Chinese stock exchange with Illva Saronno, owners of the Italian amaretto-flavored liqueur Disaronno, owning 33% of the remaining 51%.

Augusta Reina, Illva Saronno CEO, told Drinks International, that his company is involved with targeting and negotiating with potential Changyu targets in Chile and Argentina. He would not reveal which companies and which regions they are looking at although it is believed that are looking at wineries in regions around Adelaide in South Australia.
PITTSBURGH (AP) - An attorney for consumers, restaurants and beverage industry groups asked Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court on Wednesday to strike down Philadelphia's 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on sweetened beverages, saying it violates a state law that limits the city's taxing authority, among other laws.

The 1932 law known as the Sterling Act was passed by the General Assembly to give the city its own taxing authority - but also to specifically prohibit Philadelphia from taxing anything already taxed by the state.

Chip Becker, the attorney arguing against the tax Wednesday in Pittsburgh, argued that because soda and other sweetened beverages are already subject to the state's 6 percent sales tax, Philadelphia's tax on them is illegal.

"Philadelphia may not tax any substance that the state already taxes," Becker told the seven-judge panel.

Becker wants the court to reverse a Philadelphia Common Pleas judge's December decision upholding the tax with an order that would send the case back to the lower court so the tax could be declared "invalid and void."

But Mark Aronchick, the attorney defending the city's position, argued the tax isn't on soda, but on its distribution to retail outlets in the city. Because the state's sales tax is on retail sales, whereas the soda tax is paid by retailers to whom the drinks are distributed - and because the state imposes no similar tax at that point in the supply chain - the city's tax is legal and should stand, he argued.

The tax amounts to 18 cents on a 12-ounce can of soda or $1.44 on a six-pack of 16-ounce bottles if retailers pass on the entire amount to consumers.

Berkeley, California, has a similar soda tax, while Chicago taxes retail soft drink sales and fountain drinks. But soda tax proposals have failed in more than 30 cities and states. Democratic Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has pledged to spend most of the estimated $90 million in new tax revenue each year to pay for pre-kindergarten, community schools and recreation centers.

Judge Ann Covey asked Becker how it is that Philadelphia can impose its own tax on cigarettes if the state also taxes them.

Becker explained that the General Assembly had to pass a separate statute allowing Philadelphia to go beyond the authority granted it by the Sterling Act. He said the same thing happened when the city wanted to impose its own 2-percent sales tax on top of the state's.

Becker argued that state's sales tax statute prohibits what's called "tax pyramiding" - that is, allowing different jurisdictions to tax the same product at different points along the supply chain. Because soda is subject to the retail sales tax, its distribution by wholesalers - or any other transaction along the supply chain - should not be taxed, Becker argued. State law also prohibits taxing the same product, service or industry at different rates in different jurisdictions, which Becker said the Philadelphia tax also violates.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in September that the "local share assessment" - a tax Pennsylvania's 12 casinos pay to the municipalities where they're located - was unconstitutional because different casinos paid different rates in different areas. The General Assembly is working on a replacement law.

Aronchick argued that the challenges to the soda tax are similar to those raised anytime a specific industry is hit with a new tax.

"It's always 'The sky is gonna fall,' but somehow the sun rises the next day and we move forward," Aronchick said.
LONDON (AP) - Liverpool has been fined 100,000 pounds ($125,000) and banned from signing youth-team players for at least a year after admitting to rule breaches in its attempt to recruit an academy prospect from Premier League rival Stoke.

The Premier League said Wednesday that Liverpool offered "inducements" to the un-named academy player to encourage him to move to the club, including "an offer to pay the player's private school fees."

Liverpool was handed a two-year ban, with the second year suspended for a three-year period. It stops Liverpool registering an academy player who has been with a Premier League or lower-league club for the preceding 18 months.

Liverpool's Divock Origi is mobbed by his teammates after scoring his side's third goal, during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Everton, at Anfield, in Liverpool, England, Saturday April 1, 2017. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

The Premier League said it rejected Liverpool's application to register the player in question, with Liverpool and Stoke having reached an agreement on compensation.
MOSCOW (AP) - The photograph of Red Army soldiers raising the Soviet flag atop Germany's Reichstag after the Nazis' defeat is imprinted on the memory of almost every Russian.

Now, nearly 72 years after Yevgeni Khaldei captured the enduring image, Russians are getting to view some of the photographer's previously unseen work.

The show of Khaldei's work that opened Wednesday at Moscow's House of Photography comes after a 15-year court fight by his daughter Anna to regain family control of his negatives and prints.

Anna Khaldei, daughter of famed Russian photographer Yevgeni Khaldei, poses in front of his Reichstag photo, right, and a photo showing Khaldei and Joe Rosenthal holding prints of their iconic shot, at the exhibition of Khaldei's work in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The photo by Yevgeni Khaldei of Red Army soldiers raising the flag atop the Reichstag after the Nazis' defeat is imprinted on almost every Russian's memory. Now Russians are getting to view some previously unseen work by the same photographer. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

A few months before Khaldei's died in 1997, he signed an agreement with a New York photojournalist to become his agent; the agent later claimed ownership of the negatives.

"It was a typical story of things that got lost or misplaced or improperly treated among the ruins of the Soviet Union," Anna Khladei's lawyer, Daniel Rothstein, told The Associated Press.

Khaldei's Reichstag photo was inspired by Associated Press photographer's Joe Rosenthal's iconic shot of U.S. soldiers raising the American flag on Iwo Jima; Khaldei even made sure to bring his own flag to Berlin as the Soviet soldiers closed in on the Nazis.

One of the pieces in the current exhibit shows Khaldei and Rosenthal together, each holding prints of their famous photos.

Anna Khaldei, daughter of famed Russian photographer Yevgeni Khaldei, speaks to the media at the opening of the exhibition of Khaldei's work in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The photo by Yevgeni Khaldei of Red Army soldiers raising the flag atop the Reichstag after the Nazis' defeat is imprinted on almost every Russian's memory. Now Russians are getting to view some previously unseen work by the same photographer. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Anna Khaldei, daughter of famed Russian photographer Yevgeni Khaldei, speaks to the media at the opening of the exhibition of Khaldei's work in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The show of Khaldei's work that opened Wednesday at Moscow's House of Photography comes after a 15-year court fight by his daughter Anna to regain family control of his negatives and prints. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Federal authorities on Wednesday raided a Los Angeles-area business suspected of cheating the U.S. government visa program to obtain green cards for wealthy Chinese investors.

Investigators searched the office of the California Investment Immigration Fund in San Gabriel as part of the fraud investigation.

Under a U.S. government program, foreign investors who commit at least half a million dollars to job-creating projects in designated areas can apply to obtain green cards.

Federal agents are seen inside California Investment Immigration Fund in San Gabriel, Calif., Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Federal authorities on Wednesday raided the Los Angeles-area business they say cheated a U.S. government visa program to obtain green cards for wealthy Chinese investors. (AP Photo/Rich Vogel

The California fund sought green cards for more than 100 Chinese investors for construction projects that were never built, according to federal court filings.

"As a result of the fraudulent scheme, many foreign nationals were able to improperly obtain U.S. green cards through the EB-5 visa program, even though those foreigners did not in fact truly invest in U.S. businesses, nor were new American jobs created," FBI Special Agent Gary Chen wrote in the papers.

Chen also wrote that some of the $50 million raised through the scheme was refunded to investors while their immigration applications were pending or used to buy personal homes for Victoria Chan, an attorney, and her father Tat Chan, who ran the fund.

In some instances, the fund fronted the money for people who were not legitimate investors, he wrote.

In addition, at least three investors who obtained green cards through the program were fugitives wanted by the Chinese government, Chen wrote.

A message left at the fund's office seeking comment was not immediately returned. Multiple email messages were sent to addresses for Victoria Chan.

The company claims on its website to focus on developing hotels, retail, mixed-use residential and senior living facilities.

No charges were filed Wednesday and no arrests were expected, said Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman.

The investigation dates back at least four years, when Homeland Security investigators looked into one of the listed project sites. The site appeared the same a few months ago and no construction permits had been pulled, Chen wrote.

The probe in California comes as U.S. lawmakers weigh proposed changes to the visa program that has grown popular among wealthy foreigners seeking to move to the U.S. but faces widespread criticism amid allegations of fraud and misuse.

The EB-5 program, which began more than two decades ago, lets foreigners pool their investments through so-called regional centers aimed at boosting economic growth in exchange for green cards.

As of last year, more than 800 centers had been approved to participate in the program, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Critics say many of the investments purportedly aimed at assisting poor areas of the U.S. have instead wound up going to projects in more affluent neighborhoods.

In addition, programs in Vermont, South Dakota and elsewhere have been wracked by fraud scandals. Earlier this year, a man who once ran South Dakota's program was sentenced to probation and a fine after striking a deal with federal prosecutors.

A police officer enters California Investment Immigration Fund in San Gabriel, Calif., Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Federal authorities on Wednesday raided the Los Angeles-area business they say cheated a U.S. government visa program to obtain green cards for wealthy Chinese investors. (AP Photo/Rich Vogel

Federal agents enter California Investment Immigration Fund in San Gabriel, Calif., Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Federal authorities on Wednesday raided the Los Angeles-area business they say cheated a U.S. government visa program to obtain green cards for wealthy Chinese investors. (AP Photo/Rich Vogel
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley warned Wednesday that the Trump administration will take action against chemical attacks in Syria that bear "all the hallmarks" of President Bashar Assad's government if the U.N. Security Council fails to act.

Haley urged the council at an emergency meeting to immediately approve a resolution drafted by the U.S., Britain and France that condemns and threatens consequences for the use of chemical weapons, especially in Tuesday's attack that killed dozens of people in rebel-held Idlib province.

"There are times at the United Nations when we are compelled to take collective action," she said. "When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action."

Nikki Haley, United States' Ambassador United Nations, shows pictures of Syrian victims of chemical attacks as she addresses a meeting of the Security Council on Syria at U.N. headquarters, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

"For the sake of the victims, I hope the rest of the council is finally willing to do the same," she added.

Haley spoke after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced Moscow's opposition to the draft resolution. She called it "categorically unacceptable" because "it runs ahead of the investigation results and names the culprit, Damascus."

"The main task now is to have an objective inquiry into what happened," Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told the Security Council. "Up to now all falsified reports about this incident have come from the White Helmets or the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights based in London which have been discredited long ago."

He said that from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on April 4, the Syrian government carried out an airstrike on the eastern edge of the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun "on a large warehouse of ammunition and military equipment."

On that compound, he said, there was a facility "to produce ammunition with the use of toxic weapons" which was supposed to be used in Iraq and Aleppo.

"Their use was confirmed last year by Russia and military experts," Safronkov said. "The symptoms of those affected in Khan Sheikhoun were the same as those by people who were affected last year in Aleppo."

ritain's U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft also told the council that Tuesday's attack "bears all the hallmarks" of President Bashar Assad's regime.

"We have every indication that this was a sustained attack using aircraft over a number of hours," Rycroft said. "We see all the signs of an attack using a nerve agent capable of killing over a hundred people and harming hundreds more."

Holding up photos of victims of the attack, Haley accused Russia of blocking action and closing its eyes to the "barbarity" of three previous chemical attacks that investigators blamed on the Syrian government by vetoing a resolution in late February that would have imposed sanctions on those responsible.

"The truth is that Assad, Russia, and Iran have no interest in peace," she said. "The illegitimate Syrian government, led by a man with no conscience, has committed untold atrocities against his people for six years."

Haley said Assad has shown he isn't interested in participating in "a meaningful political process, Iran has reinforced Assad's military, and Russia has shielded Assad from U.N. sanctions."

"If Russia has the influence in Syria that it claims to have, we need to see them use it," she said. "We need to see them put an end to these horrific acts. How many more children have to die before Russia cares?"

The resolution drafted by the U.S., Britain and France would condemn the use of chemical weapons in Syria, especially on Tuesday, "in the strongest terms" and back an investigation by the international chemical weapons watchdog, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

It stresses that the Syrian government, under previous Security Council resolutions, is obligated to provide OPCW investigators and a U.N.-OPCW team charged with assessing blame for chemical attacks with information on all flight plans and air operations on April 4 and the names of commanders of any helicopter squadrons.

It reminds the government that it is also obligated to immediately provide investigators with access to air bases where they believe chemical weapons attacks may have been launched.

Russia's Safronkov told the council that several major provisions of the resolution are unacceptable to Moscow and France's U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters later that negotiations on the text have started "with a good spirit."

He said he thinks there's a chance for agreement, if everyone is ready to compromise.

"Our objective is to go for a vote the sooner the better ... and we want a swift and strong resolution," he said, adding that a vote was unlikely late Wednesday.

The best option would be united action by the Security Council, he said when asked about possible unilateral action by the United States. "I'm concerned ... by the risk of inaction at this stage."

Syria's deputy U.N. ambassador Mounzer Mounzer told the council his government categorically rejects "false claims and accusations" that the army used toxic chemicals against Syrian civilians in Khan Sheikhoun, saying they are being used "as human shields by armed terrorist groups."

He said the army doesn't have any type of chemical weapons and "we have never used them and we will never use them."

Mounzer called Syria the victim of "falsification and fabrication" by some permanent members of the Security Council and "armed terrorist groups" backed by several U.N. member states. He didn't name any countries.
NEW YORK (AP) - A judge said Wednesday he wants to know who is paying former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and a former U.S. attorney general to represent a Turkish businessman charged with helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions.

U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman asked Reza Zarrab's lawyers to tell him the nature of the work and the roles Giuliani and ex-U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey have been hired to perform in the case. The judge also asked to view contracts the men signed with the defense team.

In a written order, Berman said he wants answers before he questions Zarrab later this month about potential conflicts of interest Giuliani and Mukasey could face by representing him and whether he's willing to accept them.

Berman has noted that Giuliani's law firm is a registered agent of Turkey, and both men work for firms that have represented banks in the case.

The judge also asked the lawyers to reveal the identity of any people or parties paying Zarrab's legal fees and expenses, unless he's paying for everything himself.

The information, Berman said, can be submitted under seal, particularly if the submissions contain privileged information.

The judge's order came a day after Zarrab attorney Ben Brafman told Berman that Giuliani and Mukasey are seeking a "diplomatic solution" to the case.

Brafman said neither lawyer will appear in court. Recently, they went to Turkey to meet Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Giuliani accompanied President Donald Trump on the campaign trail last year and was one of his earliest and most enthusiastic supporters. Mukasey, an attorney general under former President George W. Bush, is a former chief judge in Manhattan federal court.

Zarrab, 33, of Istanbul, has pleaded not guilty to charges he conspired to process hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of financial transactions for Iranian businesses or Iran's government from 2010 to 2015. Authorities say those transactions are banned by U.S. and international sanctions. Trial is scheduled to start Aug. 21.

Zarrab, a well-known personality in Turkey partly because he's married to Turkish pop star and TV personality Ebru Gundes, has been held without bail since his March 2016 arrest in Miami after he arrived in the U.S. to take his wife and 5-year-old daughter to Disney World.

Prosecutors say he has considerable wealth. They estimate his commercial ventures generate over $11 billion annually, though Zarrab reports his yearly income at less than $1 million.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) - As part of a sweeping hunt for any accomplices of the St. Petersburg suicide bomber, investigators Wednesday rounded up seven suspected Islamic State recruiters from the Central Asia region of the former Soviet Union but found no immediate evidence of their involvement in the subway attack.

The Investigative Committee hasn't caught any associates of 22-year-old Akbarzhon Dzhalilov, a native of the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan. The committee, Russia's top criminal investigation agency, said it's looking into the possibility that Dzhalilov, who carried out Monday's deadly attack, could have been linked to the militant group.

The impoverished, predominantly Muslim countries in Central Asia are seen as fertile ground for Islamic extremists, and thousands of their residents are believed to have joined IS in Syria and Iraq.

People form digits of the time of the subway bombing in memory of victims of the tragic event, on Marsovo Polye in St.Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. A bomb blast tore through a subway train under Russia's second-largest city on Monday, killing several people and wounding more. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Meeting with the heads of security services from a regional alliance that includes most of Russia's Central Asian neighbors, President Vladimir Putin warned that terror threats still loom over the region.

"We see that, unfortunately, the situation is not improving," Putin said. "The recent tragic events in St. Petersburg are the best confirmation of this. We know that each of our countries, practically every one, is a possible and potential target of terrorist attacks."

In Wednesday's sweep in St. Petersburg, law enforcement agencies arrested seven Central Asian migrants who are suspected of acting as recruiters for the Islamic State and the al-Qaida's branch in Syria.

The detainees were accused of seeking "mostly immigrants from the republics of Central Asia to commit crimes of a terrorist nature and encourage them to get involved in the activities of terrorist organizations," the Investigative Committee said.

Investigators were still checking their contacts, it added, but noted that as of now, "there is no information about any links between the detainees and the perpetrator of the terror attack."

The investigators also have searched Dzhalilov's home and found objects similar to those used in the subway bomb, it said.

CCTV footage from outside his apartment building showed him leave home with a bag and a backpack on Monday.

The explosion on a train running along a busy north-south subway line killed the attacker and 13 other people. Another 55 have remained hospitalized, and several of them are in critical condition, according to the Russian Health Ministry.

Before blowing himself up, Dzhalilov left a second bomb, hidden in a bag, at another subway station. Police found and deactivated it, and Dzhalilov's DNA was found on the bag.

At Dzhalilov's hometown of Osh in southern Kyrgyzstan, his schoolteacher described him as "well brought up, calm and balanced."

Fatima Saipjanova, who taught Dzhalilov at School-Gymnasium No. 26, said she never saw him get into any trouble. "I do not believe that this boy could do something wrong," she said.

Like many others from Central Asia, Dzhalilov moved to St. Petersburg with his parents and eventually got Russian citizenship. He worked at a car repair shop and a sushi bar, and stayed in the city when his family returned home.

His parents arrived Wednesday in St. Petersburg for questioning after being interrogated by Kyrgyz security services. They identified his remains, according to the Investigative Committee.

Churches across the city held prayers for victims killed in the attack, including Irina Medyantseva, a 50-year-old artist who was locally famous for the dolls she made and sold. Medyantseva was on the subway with one of her two daughters when the bomb went off. She apparently shielded her 28-year-old daughter, Alyona, who survived.

"Irina was a very fun, creative person, she was full of plans," Medyantseva's sister, Anna, recalled. "She was a very good mom. She did a lot for her children."

Anna attended one of the services, at St. Trinity Church, holding red tulips and a picture of her sister with a black ribbon tied to it.

After the attack, several politicians have called for restoring capital punishment in Russia. But parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin dismissed the statements and upbraided the politicians, saying: "One must not use a tragedy to promote oneself."

___

Isachenkov reported from Moscow. Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed.

Young people hold candles as they gather to honor the memory of the victims of subway bombing on Marsovo Polye in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. A bomb blast tore through a subway train under Russia's second-largest city on Monday, killing several people and wounding more. (AP Photo/Yevgeny Kurskov)

People light candles during a religious service for victims of a subway explosion, in a cathedral in St.Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Investigators searched for possible accomplices of a 22-year-old native of the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan identified as the suicide bomber in the St. Petersburg subway, as residents came to grips with the first major terrorist attack in Russia's second-largest city since the Soviet collapse. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

People react at a symbolic memorial at Technologicheskiy Institute subway station in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Investigators searched for possible accomplices of a 22-year-old native of the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan identified as the suicide bomber in the St. Petersburg subway, as residents came to grips with the first major terrorist attack in Russia's second-largest city since the Soviet collapse. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

CLARIFIES THE EVENTS ABOUT THE DEATH OF THE CHILD Anna Borovikova holds a portrait of her sister Irina Medyantseva, one of the victims of the subway explosion, during a prayer event in a church in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Relatives said that the creative doll maker Medyantseva, died after she threw herself onto her daughter to save her from the bomb blast in the subway in Russia's St. Petersburg Monday April 3.(AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

People lay flowers at a symbolic memorial at Technologicheskiy Institute subway station in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Investigators searched for possible accomplices of a 22-year-old native of the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan identified as the suicide bomber in the St. Petersburg subway, as residents came to grips with the first major terrorist attack in Russia's second-largest city since the Soviet collapse. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

People leave a train passing a symbolic memorial at Technologicheskiy Institute subway station in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Investigators searched for possible accomplices of a 22-year-old native of the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan identified as the suicide bomber in the St. Petersburg subway, as residents came to grips with the first major terrorist attack in Russia's second-largest city since the Soviet collapse. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

People lay flowers at a symbolic memorial at Technologicheskiy Institute subway station in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Investigators searched for possible accomplices of a 22-year-old native of the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan identified as the suicide bomber in the St. Petersburg subway, as residents came to grips with the first major terrorist attack in Russia's second-largest city since the Soviet collapse. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

People light candles during a religious service for victims of a subway explosion in a cathedral, in St.Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Investigators searched for possible accomplices of a 22-year-old native of the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan identified as the suicide bomber in the St. Petersburg subway, as residents came to grips with the first major terrorist attack in Russia's second-largest city since the Soviet collapse. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

An Orthodox priest stands at a symbolic floral memorial at Technologicheskiy Institute subway station in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, April 4, 2017. A bomb blast tore through a subway train deep under Russia's second-largest city St. Petersburg Monday, killing several people and wounding many more in a chaotic scene that left victims sprawled on a smoky platform. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

People gather at a symbolic memorial at Technologicheskiy Institute subway station in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, April 4, 2017. A bomb blast tore through a subway train deep under Russia's second-largest city St. Petersburg Monday, killing several people and wounding many more in a chaotic scene that left victims sprawled on a smoky platform. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

A house of parents of a suicide bomber who was behind Monday's blast on the St. Petersburg, Russia, subway, in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, Tuesday, April 4, 2017. Russian investigators on Tuesday said the bomb on the St. Petersburg subway was set off by a suicide bomber and identified him as Kyrgyz-born Russian citizen Akbarzhon Dzhalilov, who turned 22 two days before the attack. (AP Photo)

A man fixes Russian flag at a symbolic memorial at Technologicheskiy Institute subway station in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. A bomb blast tore through a subway train deep under Russia's second-largest city St. Petersburg Monday, killing several people and wounding many more in a chaotic scene that left victims sprawled on a smoky platform.(AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Zenit's St.Petersburg soccer club players pay respect at a symbolic memorial at Technologicheskiy Institute subway station in St. Petersburg, Russia, April 5, 2017. A bomb blast tore through a subway train deep under Russia's second-largest city St. Petersburg Monday, killing several people and wounding many more in a chaotic scene that left victims sprawled on a smoky platform. Cyrillic letters on white shirts read: We Are Unbreakable.(AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with heads of the security services from the Commonwealth of Independent States, a grouping of most former Soviet republics in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Putin told security officials from a regional alliance that this week's subway bombing in St. Petersburg underlines that terrorism's threat is not subsiding. (Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

A woman lights a candle during a religious service for victims of a subway explosion, in a cathedral in St.Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Investigators searched for possible accomplices of a 22-year-old native of the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan identified as the suicide bomber in the St. Petersburg subway, as residents came to grips with the first major terrorist attack in Russia's second-largest city since the Soviet collapse. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

People hold candles during a religious service for victims of a subway explosion in a cathedral in St.Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Investigators searched for possible accomplices of a 22-year-old native of the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan identified as the suicide bomber in the St. Petersburg subway, as residents came to grips with the first major terrorist attack in Russia's second-largest city since the Soviet collapse. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

People gather at Trocadero plaza as the lights of the Eiffel tower falls dark at midnight in Paris, France, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo says the Eiffel Tower will fall dark overnight to honor the victims of the St. Petersburg subway bombing. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

CLARIFIES THE EVENTS ABOUT THE DEATH OF THE CHILD This 2015 handout photo provided by Marusya Lyovkina, shows doll maker Irina Medyantseva in Moscow, Russia. Relatives said that the creative doll maker Medyantseva, died after she threw herself onto her daughter to save her from the bomb blast in the subway in Russia's St. Petersburg Monday April 3. (Marusya Lyovkina/Handout Photo via AP)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The U.N. human rights chief on Wednesday said he's "amazed" by President Donald Trump's support of torture in interrogations, calling the prospect of reviving the practice in the United States "profoundly unsettling."

Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein called torture "repugnant" and "useless" in a speech to Vanderbilt University Law School students in Tennessee.

White House officials declined to respond and cited Trump's previous statements that he'd defer to Defense Secretary James Mattis, who has said he opposes torture.

Zeid contended that the embrace of torture often appears to stem from anger and fear, and he directed criticisms at populist leaders like Trump.

"I have been amazed by the President's openly voiced personal support for torture," Zeid said. "The prospect that torture, or some airbrushed version of it, could be revived in this country, potentially in response to some future terrorist outrage, is profoundly unsettling."

Before the election, Zeid said Trump would be "dangerous from an international point of view" and said he's among the "populists and demagogues" whose tactics of communication resemble Islamic State group-style propaganda.

"Populists are using words to paint images of hordes of rapacious outsiders stealing jobs, engaged in crime and sowing terror; stories with clear villains and easy fixes," Zeid said Wednesday. "These are dangerous fabrications."

The president has said he believes torture works.

In an interview with ABC News in January, Trump said he would wage war against Islamic State militants with the goal of keeping the U.S. safe. Asked about the simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding, Trump cited the extremist group's atrocities against Christians and others and said: "We have to fight fire with fire."

During the discussion at Vanderbilt's law school, Zeid also said the latest "barbaric" chemical attack that killed dozens of people in Syria highlights the significance of his push to investigate international crimes committed in the country.

"When you have these outrages and attacks on civilians, in the end, they demand justice," Zeid told The Associated Press. "And we know that it's unlikely for there to be a durable peace in Syria unless those who have committed these outrages, these horrific crimes, are brought to justice."

Zeid's cousin, King Abdullah II of Jordan, met with Trump in Washington on Wednesday. Trump laid blame for the attack on Syrian President Bashar Assad, but did not say what the U.S. might do in response.

___

This story has been corrected to show that Zeid said he was "amazed" by Trump's statements regarding torture, not that the statements were "amazing."
NEW YORK (AP) - The latest on sexual-harassment allegations at Fox News (all times local):

5 p.m.

A Fox News contributor who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against former chief executive Roger Ailes is asking New York City's anti-discrimination agency to investigate the network.

FILE - In this April 6, 2016, file photo, Bill O'Reilly attends The Hollywood Reporter's "35 Most Powerful People in Media" celebration in New York. More advertisers have joined the list of defectors from Fox's The O'Reilly Factor show bringing the total to around 20. The New York Times had revealed over the weekend that Fox News' parent company had paid settlements totaling $13 million to five women to keep quiet about alleged mistreatment at the hands of Fox's prime-time star. O'Reilly has denied wrongdoing and said he supported the settlements so his family wouldn't be hurt. The news has sparked an exodus of advertisers telling Fox they didn't want to be involved in O'Reilly's show. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)

Julie Roginsky posted screenshot on Twitter on Tuesday of letters sent by her attorneys to the city's Commission on Human Rights.

Her lawsuit, filed Monday, says a promised position on the Fox show "The Five" never happened after she rejected Ailes' sexual advances.

The letter was not a formal complaint to the commission, but the agency could choose to investigate on its own.

Human Rights Commission spokesman Seth Hoy said he could not comment.

Ailes left Fox News last summer.

He has denied subjecting women to unwanted sexual advances.

A spokeswoman for Fox didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.

1:30 p.m.

Several more advertisers have joined the list of defectors from Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor," bringing the total to around 20.

The Wonderful Co., the company behind Fiji bottled water, Wonderful Pistachios and POM pomegranate juice, says it will no longer advertise on the show. "We are committed to a respectful and inclusive workplace environment and insist upon the same from our business partners," said spokesman Steven Clark.

Coldwell Banker on Twitter it hadn't intended its ads to run during the show in the first place and said it pulled future ads from the show.

Drug maker Eli Lilly, trucking company Old Dominion Freight Line and life insurance provider Pacific Life also said Wednesday they would not advertise on the show. Jenny Craig said late Tuesday it had pulled its ads from the show.

The advertisers pulled out after the New York Times revealed over the weekend that five women were paid settlements totaling $13 million to keep quiet about supposed sexual harassment by O'Reilly.

___

1:15 p.m.

Embattled Fox News Channel anchor Bill O'Reilly received the support of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, who called him "a good person" in an interview with The New York Times.

The Times had revealed over the weekend that Fox News' parent company 21st Century Fox had paid settlements totaling $13 million to five women to keep quiet about alleged mistreatment at the hands of Fox's prime-time star. O'Reilly has denied wrongdoing and said he supported the settlements so his family wouldn't be hurt. The news has sparked an exodus of advertisers telling Fox they didn't want to be involved in O'Reilly's show.

Trump said that he didn't think O'Reilly should have settled with the women involved. He told the Times: "You should have taken it all the way. I don't think Bill did anything wrong."

The president is a loyal Fox viewer, frequently tweeting out comments about its programming.
ABB buys Austria's B&R to plug PLC and industrial PC gap

ABB is buying the Austrian automation and drives manufacturer B&R in a move designed to plug a well-known weakness in ABBs portfolio  its limited range of controls for discrete automation. The two parties have not disclosed the value of the deal, but reports suggest it is close to $2bn.

This transaction marks a true milestone for ABB as we are finally closing the historic gap in machine and factory automation that has existed since ABB was founded, says its CEO, Ulrich Spiesshofer.

ABB was born with a birth defect  it did not have much in the way of PLCs and industrial PCs, he explains. This is our answer to the PLC question that has been open for decades.

Strategically, he continues, this is probably the most important deal that ABB has ever done. It is a transformational acquisition that will firmly position ABB as global number two in industrial automation [behind Siemens] as we will be mastering the control loop not only in process automation  where we are currently number one  but also in machine and factory automation.

Spiesshofer hails B&R as being truly unique and a gem in the world of machine and factory automation, and he describes it as the Microsoft of the world of machine and factory automation. It is the largest independent player focused on machine and factory automation, he says.

This combination is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Spiesshofer adds. It is truly a perfect fit and will make us the only industrial automation provider offering customers the entire spectrum of technology and software solutions around measurement, control, actuation, robotics, digitalisation and electrification.

B&R, founded in 1979, employs more than 3,000 people, including about 1,000 r&d and application engineers. The company has delivered a revenue CAGR of 11% over past two decades, and in 2015/16 recorded sales of more than $600m in the $20bn machine and factory automation market, which has been expanding at a rate of 45% per year. B&Rs revenues have increased five-fold since 2000.

When the transaction closes, B&R will form the basis for a new global business  Machine & Factory Automation  in ABBs Industrial Automation division, headed by B&Rs managing director, Hans Wimmer, and located at B&Rs headquarters, near Salzburg. The Austrian companys co-founders, Erwin Bernecker and Josef Rainer, will act as advisors during the integration phase. ABB says it is committed to investing to expand B&Rs operations and to build on its brand.

ABB existing PLC and servodrives activities will be reverse-engineered into the new business. Spiesshofer expects significant synergies, amounting to more than 8% of standalone revenues by year four of the integration process. He stresses, however, that he sees the combination as a growth and job-creating machine, rather than being driven by the need for restructuring.

Following its acquisition of B&R, ABB will have one of the most complete product portfolios in the automation sector Source: ABB

Initially, the two operations will coexist, followed by a very careful migration over time. ABBs mid-term target is for the Machine & Factory Automation business to deliver revenues of more than $1bn.

Spiesshofer reveals that ABB looked at other alternatives, but none would have been such a strategic perfect fit without significant overlaps. He does not expect ABB to make any further PLC acquisitions: We are nicely set up in that space now.

Spiesshofer describes the two partners' digital presence as impressive, with B&R's software and Internet of Things (IoT) products strengthening the existing ABB Ability digital portfolio. With our unique digital offering and our installed base of more than 70 million connected devices, 70,000 control systems and now more than 3 million automated machines, and 27,000 factory installations around the world, we will be uniquely positioned to seize growth opportunities resulting from the fourth industrial revolution, Spiesshofer says.

 Commenting on the deal, David Humphrey from the ARC Advisory Group suggests that it could turn ABB into a truly all-round industrial supplier on the scale of its arch-rival Siemens. On the surface, he adds, it looks like ABB is simply acquiring a small PLC company with 4% market share, but the implications are much greater. While ABBs share of the PLC market has been around 1% for the past two decades, B&R has grown its PLC business by about 11% annually to quadruple its PLC market share in the same time.

According to Humphrey, the acquisition may result in B&R losing its renegade status. Although relatively small, it has used that size deficit to its advantage. While larger suppliers were selling standardised, off-the-shelf systems, B&R developed a reputation for offering customised, engineered solutions, even in low-volume projects. It later honed a reputation for product innovation, often going its own developmental way rather than following the mainstream. Humphrey wonders whether some of that passion could get lost as two company cultures are merged.

The intriguing aspect of this acquisition, he says, is not so much the volume of business that B&R will bring to ABB, as the potential for ABB to reach industrial customers for which its offering until now has been incomplete and less integrated than rivals. It wasnt the case the ABB had no PLCs, its just that the company didnt seem to be very keen on selling them, Humphrey comments. By closing the gap, ABB is well on its way to creating the most complete industrial offering of any supplier on the market.
Mississippi County Sheriff Cory Hutcheson sits behind his desk at the Mississippi County Detention Center in Charleston, Missouri. He was charged with assault for allegedly handcuffing a 77-year-old woman so hard that she suffered a heart attack

A southeast Missouri sheriff was charged with assault for allegedly handcuffing a 77-year-old woman with enough force to cause her to have a heart attack.

Mississippi County Sheriff Cory Hutcheson, 33, was arrested Wednesday and charged with allegedly forcefully handcuffing the woman after she got into a 'civil dispute' with one of his relatives.

She reportedly required hospitalization for three days, but it's unclear when the alleged assault happened.

He is also accused of falsely accusing the elderly woman in question of kidnapping and assaulting one of his family members.

Hutcheson is also is charged with seven counts of forgery, seven counts of tampering with computer data, and one count of notary misconduct, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley said in a news release. Details of the alleged crimes were not released.

The new sheriff is also accused of illegally 'pinging' the cell phones of several members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the former Mississippi County Sheriff, and Circuit Judge David Dolan, according to the Southeast Missourian.

'Pinging' normally means sending information to a cell phone that will then send information back, from which a location can be traced.

Cory Hutcheson is charged with assault for allegedly handcuffing an elderly woman so hard she had a heart attack

A reporter could not get further information about the details of the in total 18 criminal offenses, said the outlet.

Hutcheson was arrested by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the FBI and was briefly jailed in nearby Cape Girardeau County before being released on $75,000 bond.

County Coroner Terry Parker is serving as the acting sheriff.

Hutcheson was elected sheriff after a decade as a deputy and jail administrator

Hutcheson was elected sheriff of the rural county about 150 miles south of St. Louis after working for most of the past decade as a deputy and jail administrator.

He defeated 12-year incumbent Sheriff Keith Moore in November and took office in January.

It's not clear if the incidents that led to Hutcheson being charged happened before or after he became sheriff.

The sheriff has been stripped from his duties for the time being - he lives with his wife and family (above) in East Prairie

Hawley did not say when they occurred in his news release, and his office did not respond to requests for information on the incident dates.

Hutcheson has only been in office for three months but already has a reputation of being tough on crime, especially drug dealers.

A petition started April 6 to allow Hutcheson to continue his duties as sheriff while being investigated was signed by 300 people. Many of the people who commented mentioned his zeal in going after drug dealers.

Daniel Koch a Corrections Officer (CO) at Federal Bureau of Prisons, who said he worked with Hutcheson, said on Facebook: 'He's a good moral man' and blamed politics for his arrest.

'We're going to look into any report we get,' he told the Sikeston Standard Democrat in January. 'We're going to pursue it. We're going to try to identify drug dealers, go out and bust them and get the drugs off the street.'

'I think it came down to voters wanting change, and Im going to deliver on it,' he told the paper.

Hutcheson lives with his wife and children in East Prairie.
SOUTHAMPTON, England (AP) - Crystal Palace's revival in the Premier League was ended after conceding two late goals in a 3-1 loss at Southampton on Wednesday, plunging the team back into relegation trouble.

After beating first-place Chelsea 2-1 on Saturday for a fourth straight win, Palace took the lead against Southampton through Christian Benteke in the 31st minute.

But Nathan Redmond equalized in the 45th, before Japan defender Maya Yoshida's tap-in put Southampton ahead in the 84th and James Ward-Prowse added a third for the home side a minute later.

Southampton's Maya Yoshida, centre, celebrates scoring his side's second goal of the game against Crystal Palace during their English Premier League soccer match at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, England, Wednesday April 5, 2017. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)

Palace dropped to within three points of the relegation zone and has a tough eight-game run-in that includes matches against Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester City and Manchester United.

Southampton climbed from 13th to ninth place.

Crystal Palace's Christian Benteke, right, scores his side's first goal of the game against Southampton of the game during the English Premier League soccer match at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, England, Wednesday April 5, 2017. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The rector of a church-owned retirement home for Roman Catholic priests has been charged with embezzling $535,000 to pay for casino visits, high-end dinners and Philadelphia Pops concerts.

Federal prosecutors have charged Msgr. William A. Dombrow with skimming money for nearly nine years from an account meant to support Villa St. Joseph.

The Philadelphia archdiocese runs the facility to house aging priests and those accused of sexual abuse. Much of the stolen money came from insurance payments for priests who died and from parishioners who left the facility money.

Authorities say the 77-year-old Dombrow had sole access to the account.

Dombrow has been charged by way of a criminal information, which often means a defendant is cooperating. His attorney hasn't returned a phone message left Wednesday seeking comment.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - California law enforcement officials objected Wednesday to Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed streamlining of the state's marijuana regulations, saying his plan could endanger public safety.

Brown's administration released documents late Tuesday outlining proposed changes to square the state's new recreational pot law with its longstanding law on medical marijuana.

But the California Police Chiefs Association representing all of the state's municipal police forces said the governor's proposal could turn traditionally small marijuana businesses into much larger ones controlling the entire supply chain from growing operations to retail sales.

FILE - In this Oct. 12, 2016 file photo, Aaron Gonzalez removes a branch from a marijuana plant on grower Laura Costa's farm near Garberville, Calif. California law enforcement officials objected Wednesday, April 5, 2017, to Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed streamlining of the state's marijuana regulations, saying his plan could endanger public safety. Brown's administration released documents late Tuesday outlining proposed changes to square the state's new recreational pot law with its longstanding law on medical marijuana. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

The proposed legislation to allow single businesses to hold multiple licenses to grow, distribute, manufacture and sell retail marijuana would be an opening for criminals to consolidate the booming industry, said association Ken Corney.

"The proposal favors big marijuana grows over the welfare of our communities," Corney said.

The state's two laws took different approaches in many areas - including whether one entity could hold multiple licenses to grow, manufacture, distribute and sell in retail stores. The governor is seeking to "harmonize" those regulations. The proposal needs legislative approval.

Medical marijuana providers are currently prohibited from holding both licenses but Brown proposes to lift that restriction after it becomes legal to sell recreational pot in California on Jan. 1.

The head of California's newly established marijuana agency defended the governor's proposal.

"This proposed legislation helps build an effective statewide regulatory system for cannabis to achieve our goals of protecting public safety with clear and consistent rules that are not overly burdensome," said Lori Ajax, head of the Bureau of Cannabis Medical Regulation.

She added: "It harmonizes the many elements of the two main statutes governing medicinal and adult-use cannabis, while preserving the integrity and separation of those industries."

The police chiefs and other law enforcement agencies supported legislative passage of medical marijuana rules last year but opposed Proposition 64, which legalized the recreational use of marijuana after voters approved it in November.

The administration of Brown, a Democrat, has stressed that one regulatory framework is needed to avoid duplicating costs and confusing businesses in a marijuana economy expected to grow to $7 billion in annual sales annually after recreational sales become legal in California next year.

Hezekiah Allen, head of the California Growers Association, also said his organization has concerns with the elimination of the multiple licenses prohibition.

"It could lead to mega-manufactures and mega-chain stores," Allen said.

Allen said his organization is urging the governor to adopt a regulation that would temporarily ban a single business from owning more than three retail stores and having a farm larger than four acres (1.6 hectares), which Allen said may help to keep out big corporations.

Representatives of the Los Angeles Cannabis Task Force, comprised of Southern California marijuana businesses, said they're still reviewing the plan.

"This takes us another step closer to a uniform industry and puts this state in a position to set the national standard," Avis Bulbulyan, president of the group, said in an email.

California joined a growing number of states in legalizing recreational marijuana use for adults.

The regulations and rules governing the emerging legal market will cover issues ranging from where and how plants can be grown to guidelines on tracking marijuana buds from the fields to retail stores.

People 21 and over are allowed to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and grow six marijuana plants at home.

Those changes must be approved by the state Legislature.

Earlier this year, Brown proposed spending more than $50 million to establish programs to collect taxes and issue licenses while hiring dozens of workers to regulate the industry.

__

Elias contributed to this report from San Francisco.
A High Court case involving a young woman who claimed she was being imprisoned by her father has come to an end.

Amina Al-Jeffery, 21, who grew up in Swansea and has dual British and Saudi Arabian nationality, had complained that her father locked her up in his flat in Jeddah because she had kissed a guy.

Her father, Saudi academic Mohammed Al-Jeffery, disputed her allegations and said he was trying to protect her.

Last year, Mr Justice Holman said her father had to permit and facilitate his daughters return to England or Wales, but she has not returned.

Amina Al-Jeffery's case is due to be reconsidered by a judge at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court (Family handout/PA)

On Wednesday in London, the judge heard that after a recent private meeting in Jeddah with her solicitor, Miss Al-Jeffery wanted to withdraw the proceedings so she could focus on the reunion with her family.

She said her father had assured her that she would not be prevented from pursuing her career and education and would have free access to her telephone and laptop.

He had also said that she would be free to enter into a marriage if and when she wished. He would not prevent her from leaving Saudi Arabia when she was ready to do so and she would be treated no differently from her sisters.

Her solicitor, Anne-Marie Hutchinson, told the court that Ms Al-Jeffery said that without the proceedings her life would be very different and not be where it is now.

Amina is very clear that she would not have what she has now in terms of freedom and a life if it were not for these proceedings.

This is based not only on what the court has achieved for her in terms of orders and her ability to meet outside agencies for assistance but because of the understanding that she has achieved with her father and the reconciliation that they have made in their relationship.
MEPs have voted in favour of a tough line on Brexit negotiations following a debate in Strasbourg in which Nigel Farage was heckled and rebuked for accusing the European Parliament of behaving like the mafia.

The former Ukip leader was told to retract his unacceptable remark by the parliaments president, Italian Antonio Tajani, and said that, in respect of his national sensitivities, he would instead brand them gangsters.

But Mr Tajani responded: There are no mafia or gangsters here. There are representatives of the people. This is nothing to do with national sensitivities, it is to do with being civil and democratic.

MEPs heard the European Commissions president Jean-Claude Juncker and chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier restate their rejection of Theresa Mays appeal for divorce and trade talks to be held in parallel, insisting that the EU could not deal with its future relations with the UK until the terms of withdrawal were fully resolved.

Both men also said Britain would have to pay a divorce bill to settle financial commitments entered into as a member state, with Mr Barnier saying: We do not seek to punish the United Kingdom, we are simply asking the United Kingdom to deliver on its commitments and undertakings as a member of the European Union.

Nigel Farage speaks in the European Parliament . (European Parliament/PA)

Responding to the former Ukip leaders description of the financial demand, estimated at around 50 billion, as a kind of ransom payment, Mr Barnier said: In fact, Mr Farage, all we are doing is settling the accounts. No more and no less.

MEPs backed by a margin of 560-133 a resolution tabled by the leaders of the main party groupings, which set out red lines for the upcoming withdrawal negotiations under Article 50 of the EU treaties.

The parliament  which has an effective veto on the deal reached after two years of negotiations  insisted Britain must meet all its financial obligations and rejected any cherry-picking of privileged access to the single market for sectors of the UK economy such as financial services.

The resolution backed the commissions phased approach to dealing with the terms of withdrawal before moving on to the question of trade, and warned that there can be no trade-off between security and the future economic relationship between the EU and UK.

EU negotiators want to keep Britain in the single market even if we officially leave it. https://t.co/OSpCGOfpPk  Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) April 5, 2017

Mr Farage predicted that many other countries would follow Britain to the exit door if the EU stood in the way of a free trade agreement by insisting on unacceptable terms or trying to impose tariffs on UK goods and services.

If you wish to have no deal, if you wish to force us to walk away from the table, it is not us that will be hurt, he said.

We dont have to buy German motor cars, we dont have to drink French wine, we dont have to eat Belgian chocolate. There are a lot of other people that will give that to us.

He said the European Councils proposal to give Spain a veto on future agreements concerning Gibraltar could be a deal-breaker.
Workers at car giant BMW are to stage a series of eight 24-hour strikes from later this month in a dispute over pensions.

Members of Unite will walk out at different locations from April 19 until May 24, following a huge vote in favour of industrial action.

Mini & Rolls-Royce workers to strike over pensions | BMW workers signal eight 24 hour strikes over pension robbery https://t.co/JOF0QIxiPc pic.twitter.com/Dgs4OHewJs  Unite the union: join a union (@unitetheunion) April 5, 2017

Unite said the strikes will significantly disrupt production of cars including the Mini.

The union said closure of the BMW occupational pension scheme by the end of May could see some workers lose up to 160,000 in retirement income.

Action to start from Wednesday 19 April - expect production to be significantly disrupted #BMW https://t.co/sppptqIYBP  Unite the union: join a union (@unitetheunion) April 5, 2017

The 24-hour stoppages stretching over five weeks will hit BMW sites in Cowley, Hams Hall and Swindon, as well as the Rolls-Royce factory at Goodwood, on the following dates:

- Cowley, Hams Hall and Swindon.

- Cowley and Swindon.

- Hams Hall.

- Goodwood.

- Cowley, Goodwood, Hams Hall and Swindon.

 Cowley, Goodwood, Hams Hall and Swindon.

- Cowley and Swindon.

- Goodwood and Hams Hall.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: BMWs refusal to talk about affordable options to keep the pension scheme open means a sizeable chunk of its UK workforce will be taking strike action for the first time in the coming weeks.

Bosses in the UK and BMWs headquarters in Munich cannot feign surprise that its come to this point. Unite has repeatedly warned of the anger their insistence to railroad through the pension schemes closure would generate and the resulting industrial action.

The assembly line at the BMW mini plant

BMWs bosses need to get their heads out of the sand and recognise their pension pinching plans will not go unchallenged. BMWs UK workers have contributed significantly to a record year in revenues and sales for the carmaker. They deserve better than broken pension promises and the loss of tens of thousands of pounds in retirement income.

I urge BMW to step back from its May deadline for the pension schemes closure and negotiate seriously to find a settlement which is good for the business and good for the workforce.
Australian police have seized a record 903 kilograms (1,990lbs) of crystal methamphetamine smuggled from China inside boxes of hollow floorboards.

The seizure in Melbourne is the largest haul of the illicit drug in Australia, authorities say.

Law enforcement agencies valued the seizure, mostly found in a warehouse in February, at nearly 900 million Australian dollars (548m).

An AFP forensics officer investigates the concealment of methamphetamine in Melbourne (AFP/AP)

Two Australian men aged 53 and 36, have been charged with commercial drug trafficking and face a potential life prison sentence if convicted. Police are searching for another two suspects in Melbourne.

Australian Federal Police assistant commissioner Neil Gaughan described the concealment of the drug inside 70 boxes of wooden floorboards as quite complex, quite unique.

He said police knew the identity of the syndicate that supplied the methamphetamine, best known in Australia as ice. He would not be more specific than to say the drug originated from somewhere in Asia.

AFP and Victoria police have seized 903kgs of meth https://t.co/izZDeuUwiA  AFP (@AusFedPolice) April 4, 2017

Justice minister Michael Keenan praised Australias co-operation with Chinas National Narcotics Control Bureau which he said had stopped 7.5 tonnes of drugs from reaching Australian streets.

Australia was the only Western country that had a joint taskforce with the Chinese bureau based at the port city of Guangzhou.

It is a very serious blow to organized crime around the country, Mr Keenan said of the latest seizure.

Criminals could sell ice for prices 80 times higher in Australia than they could in China, Mr Keenan said.

Australias previous largest haul of ice was almost 880 kilograms (1,940lbs) seized in Sydney in November 2014.

The countrys largest seizure of cocaine was made in February when a yacht was intercepted off the east coast carrying 1.4 tonnes of the drug.
Police are still hunting three people who may have been involved in a brutal attack on a 17-year-old asylum seeker.

Kurdish Iranian student Reker Ahmed was beaten and kicked by a gang of around 30 while waiting at a bus stop in Croydon, south London, with two friends.

Community leaders, police and local Kurdish people gathered at the scene in Shrublands Avenue on Wednesday.

Graffiti near to the scene (Yui Mok/PA)

A total of 16 people have been arrested and 13, including a 15-year-old boy, charged with offences including attempted murder and violent disorder.

The Metropolitan Police believe three key individuals are still at large and appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

Chief Superintendent Jeff Boothe said: We have arrested 16 people, 13 have been charged.

There are three more key individuals believed to have played a part and we are appealing for people to continue to come forward.

(PA graphic)

Extra officers have been deployed to patrol the area to try to reassure residents after the attack on Friday morning, he added.

The victims brother, Hadi Ahmed, said Reker did not recognise him when he visited him in Londons Kings College Hospital.

Family friend Abdullah Abdullah said the teenagers face was black and blue when he went to see him on Tuesday. He was very bad, his face had been smashed very badly.

He has lost his memory because when his brother went to hug him, he was crying, and he said Why are you crying? Whats the reason? He couldnt recognise me as well. Mentally he is not well.

Police are still seeking three people in connection with the attack (Yui Mok/PA)

Rebaz Mohammed, a Kurdish community leader, demanded justice for Reker.

Were feeling very disappointed but the police and community are all coming together to crack down on racism, he said. We want everyone to co-operate with the police and we want justice and care for Reker.

It will be with him for the rest of his life, were concentrating on the best care for this kid. Theres not enough support for asylum seekers who come over, especially young people in London, they need help to integrate, he added.

Croydon Central Tory MP Gavin Barwell compared the brutal attack to the racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence at a bus stop in 1993.

I don't generally approve of graffiti but saw this in Shrublands today... pic.twitter.com/DkRQlivtjq  Gavin Barwell (@GavinBarwell) April 2, 2017

Comparing the police response to that and this case  already weve seen a number of people charged, he said.

The police response sends a very clear message to the community and anyone else tempted to behave like this  this wont be tolerated.

Croydon borough councillor Tony Newman branded the attack utterly horrific and said there is a real sense of outrage across the community.
North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast, US and South Korean officials said, amid worries that Pyongyang might soon conduct banned nuclear or long-range rocket tests.

The firing was also made as North Korea expressed anger over annual military drills between the United States and South Korea that the North sees as an invasion rehearsal.

The US Pacific Command said it detected and tracked what it assessed as a North Korean missile launched from land near the eastern city of Sinpo.

(Lee Jin-man/AP/PA)

A US statement said initial assessments indicate the type of missile was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile.

South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a similar assessment, saying the missile flew about 37 miles  a much shorter distance than other North Korean missiles travelled in their recent test launches.

Two weeks ago the South Korean and US militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch.

South Korean media speculated at the time that North Korea might have attempted to test a missile that it has not deployed.

(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 620 miles, with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

The Norths latest launch came as outside satellite imagery show possible preparations for a new nuclear test at the Norths main nuclear test site, such as communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data being already laid.

North Koreas state media has also said the world will soon witness what it calls eventful successes the country achieves in the space development.

Washington, Seoul and others call the Norths space programme a cover for its long-range missile development scheme.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls US hostility.

Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental US within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

North Korea also often responds to US-South Korean military drills with its own military training and harsh rhetoric.

The allies say the drills set to run until the end of this month are defensive in nature.

US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said the United States has spoken enough about North Korea in reaction to the launch.

The State Department issued a terse statement from Americas top diplomat acknowledging yet another launch and saying: We have no further comment.

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something to coincide with the Trump-Xi summit, perhaps conducting a nuclear test.

He said the missile launch may be a precursor, with more to come as the summit starts later this week.

Ive joked before that they dont mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored, he said.
April 5, 2017 | 04:03 am PT

An image of a can of 333 beer is seen at the Sabeco office in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by Reuters

The company expects its annual sales to rise 3 percent against last year.

Vietnam's biggest brewer Sabeco is aiming to push sales to more than 1.7 billion liters this year, an increase of 3 percent against 2016, in a bid to raise its annual revenue by 9 percent to VND34.5 trillion ($1.52 billion) and net profit by 1 percent to VND4.7 trillion ($207 million).

The state-owned company also plans to raise its dividend payments from 30 percent to 35 percent, as agreed by its board of director.

Those targets will be put on the table at a shareholder meeting on April 18.

Company bosses said that price cuts on ingredients, a preferential tax policy on malt and stable market growth in rural areas, where Sabeco is the most competitive, are the reasons for the more positive targets.

Sabeco, known for the Bia Saigon and 333 brands, is also preparing for fiercer competition on the domestic market following Belgiums Anheuser-Busch InBev entry into the Vietnamese market.

With the special consumption tax on beer and wine raised from 55 percent to 60 percent on January 1 this year, and set to climb to 65 percent in 2018, as well as a labeling regulation that's still under discussion, Sabeco is concerned that the at production cost for each beer bottle will be rise by VND200.

In its financial statement released last month, the brewer reported VND30.66 trillion in revenue last year, up 13 percent from 2015, and a profit of VND4.6 trillion ($205 million), a 33 percent jump.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Securities Corporation, Sabecos beer sales made up 43.3 percent of the domestic market share last year, a slight decrease compared to 43.9 percent of 2015. It predicted that the figure will edge up to 43.5 percent this year.

The trade ministry announced in August last year that it planned to sell its entire stake in Sabeco, according to a government report.

Under the plan, the ministry would have offered a 53.59 percent stake worth VND24.5 trillion ($1 billion) in 2016 before Sabeco made its market debut, and the remaining 36 percent stake worth VND16 trillion ($705 million) in 2017 after the listing.

However, due to delays, the trade ministry failed to sell its first Sabeco shares as planned.

Deputy Trade Minister Do Thang Hai told local media on Monday that over 641 million shares in Sabeco had been listed on HOSE on December 6 last year at a starting price of VND110,000 ($4.85) per share.

As of April 3, prices stood at VND200,400 ($8.8) per share.

Beer consumption in Vietnam rose 12 percent year-on-year to reach 3.8 billion liters in 2016, according to the trade ministry.

Vietnam is Asias third largest beer consumer by volume after China and Japan.

Industry experts expect annual growth of 4 to 5 percent over the next five years. The countrys annual beer output is forecast to hit 4.1 billion liters by 2020, according to government projections.
The fiancee of one of the 11 men killed in the Shoreham air crash has been spared jail for a drug offence after a judge heard of her difficult circumstances.

Giovanna Chirico, 34, last month admitted possession with intent to supply the Class B drug amphetamine, also known by its street name speed, on the basis she was minding it.

She was engaged to Mark Trussler, 54, when he and 10 other men were killed after a vintage Hawker Hunter jet failed to pull out of a loop-the-loop stunt.

The jet crashed into cars on the A27 at Shoreham (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA)

The plane, piloted by Andrew Hill, crashed in a fireball on to the busy A27 in front of thousands of spectators during the Shoreham Airshow on August 22 2015.

At Brighton Crown Court, prosecutor Jeffrey Lamb said amphetamine with a street value of 3,165 was found at unemployed Chiricos home by police executing a warrant last September 22.

Mr Lamb added: In interview, she stated that a neighbour had asked to use her garage to store some items, such as a motorbike. She said that once this neighbour decided to use the garage, she went in to see what state it was in.

Chirico told officers she experienced a smell that made her sick before coming across bags of amphetamine.

Chirico was sentenced to 26 weeks' jail, suspended for 18 months (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Mr Lamb added: She thought at the time that they belonged to her ex-fiance Mark Trussler who sadly passed away in the Shoreham air show disaster in 2015.

Chirico said she did not know what to do with the drugs or how long they had been there. And she added the drugs did not belong to her and she was not dealing them.

Sophie Evans, defending Chirico, of Barton Close, Worthing, West Sussex, said her client had responsibility for four children and had shown remorse for the crime.

Sentencing Chirico to 26 weeks jail, suspended for 18 months, Judge Paul Tain said: I think the majority of people will have sympathy with your difficult circumstances but the truth is it is a criminal offence.

Judge Tain also ordered Chirico to undergo 100 hours of unpaid work and told her to pay 240 costs.
The parents of baby at the centre of a High Court life-support treatment battle have asked a judge to give their son a chance.

Specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London think it is time to stop providing life support treatment to eight-month-old Charlie Gard.

Doctors say Charlie, who suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage, should move to a palliative care regime. Charlies parents, who are both in their early 30s, disagree.

Postman Chris Gard and Connie Yates, of Bedfont, west London, want to be allowed to take him to a hospital in America where they hope he can be treated.

Charlie's parents Connie Yates and Chris Gard arrive at court (Lauren Hurley/PA)

Mr Justice Francis has been asked to make decisions about what is in Charlies best interests. He is analysing evidence at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London which began on Monday.

The judge has been told Charlie, who was born on August 4 2016, has a form of mitochondrial disease, a condition which causes progressive muscle weakness.

Mr Gard and Miss Yates on Wednesday told the judge that Charlie experienced pleasure and was not in pain. They said he should get treatment to see whether his condition improved.

Mr Gard described himself as Charlies proud dad and asked Mr Justice Francis: Please give him a chance.

He said: My son is the apple of my eye and I would do anything for him and I want to give him a chance. He deserves a chance. It doesnt mean he should have to die because he will not be like another little boy running around.

Mr Gard said he and Miss Yates believed in a treatment trial doctors in America were proposing.

He said: If there is no improvement we will let him go. We just want to give him a chance. It is just having something there that could possibly improve him because he deserves a chance.

Miss Yates echoed Mr Gards pleas.

She said: If I thought for a moment that Charlie was in pain or suffering I would not fight for that life to be extended. All we ask is that he be given the chance to have the treatment proposed. Charlie deserves that chance.
In honour of the late Arnold Palmer, the Masters will give each spectator a commemorative Arnies Army badge for Thursdays first round.

Augusta National chairman Billy Payne wore one during his annual pre-tournament press conference as he outlined how Palmer, a four-time Masters champion, would be remembered following his death at the age of 87 last September.

To honor Arnold Palmer, at tomorrow's Honorary Starters Ceremony every patron on the grounds will receive this Commemorative Badge. pic.twitter.com/9l7cA9saQe  The Masters (@TheMasters) April 5, 2017

For the first time in over 60 years our sport is without its pre-eminent hero, a man whose greatness as player and a champion was exceeded only by his qualities as a man, Payne said.

Arnold Palmer died last September

Arnold Palmer let us all into his life, not from the distance that is typically maintained between a superstar and a fan, but close up so that we could literally push him to greatness and regale in his accomplishments as though they were our own.

During his extraordinary life, Arnold Palmer and Augusta National connected in so many wonderful ways. His four victories, the Arnold Palmer Tribute Monument on the 16th tee, his annual participation in our Honorary Starter ceremony, even his membership into our Club, all of them, outward displays of our love and affection for this very special man.

On behalf of our members and our patrons, we are honoured to make a significant contribution to the Arnold Palmer Charitable Foundation and tomorrow morning, for the Honorary Starters Ceremony, we will once again proudly summon Arnies Army and provide every one of our patrons on the grounds a special commemorative badge that I am wearing today.

Relive Arnold Palmer's history at #themasters with exclusive stories, photos and rebroadcasts of his four victories.https://t.co/IpbLBuRcJt pic.twitter.com/lvCsDNsQ7B  The Masters (@TheMasters) April 5, 2017

I think tomorrow will no doubt be an emotional goodbye, but at the same time an even more powerful thank you to the man we dearly love.

Palmer acted as an honorary starter from 2007 to 2016 and was joined by Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player from 2010 and 2012 onwards respectively.

Nicklaus and Player will continue the tradition of each hitting a tee shot on the par-four first hole at 7:40am local time on Thursday before retiring to the cluhouse.
Seven suspected Islamic State recruiters have been arrested by authorities investigating Mondays deadly explosion on the St Petersburg subway.

Investigators rounded up the suspects, from the Central Asian region of the former Soviet Union, but found no immediate evidence of their involvement in the subway attack.

Russias Investigative Committee has not caught any associates of 22-year-old Akbarzhon Dzhalilov, a native of Kyrgyzstan.

People lay flowers at a memorial at the Technologicheskiy Institute subway station in St Petersburg (Dmitri Lovetsky/AP)

The committee said it is looking into the possibility that Dzhalilov could have been linked to the militant group.

The impoverished, predominantly Muslim countries in Central Asia are seen as fertile ground for Islamic extremists, and thousands of their residents are believed to have joined IS in Syria and Iraq.

14 people died in Monday's blast

Meeting with the heads of security services from a regional alliance that includes most of Russias Central Asian neighbours, President Vladimir Putin warned that terror threats still loom over the region.

Mr Putin said: We see that, unfortunately, the situation is not improving. The recent tragic events in St Petersburg are the best confirmation of this. We know that each of our countries, practically every one, is a possible and potential target of terrorist attacks.

In Wednesdays sweep in St Petersburg, law enforcement agencies arrested seven Central Asian migrants who are suspected of acting as recruiters for IS and al Qaidas branch in Syria.

The detainees were accused of seeking mostly immigrants from the republics of Central Asia to commit crimes of a terrorist nature and encourage them to get involved in the activities of terrorist organisations, the Investigative Committee said.

Investigators were still checking their contacts, it added, but noted that as of now, there is no information about any links between the detainees and the perpetrator of the terror attack.

The investigators have also searched Dzhalilovs home and found objects similar to those used in the subway bomb, it said.

CCTV footage from outside his apartment building showed him leave home with a bag and a backpack on Monday.

The explosion on a train running along a busy north-south subway line killed the attacker and 13 other people. Another 55 remain in hospital, and several of them are in critical condition, according to the Russian Health Ministry.
By Henning Gloystein

SINGAPORE, April 4 (Reuters) - China, the world's biggest coking coal importer, is scrambling to cover Australian supply disruptions after Cyclone Debbie knocked out mines and rails by turning to an unusual source: the United States.

Debbie, which hit Australia's Queensland state last week, caused the evacuation of several mines and damaged coal trains supplying export terminals, triggering two miners - Yancoal Australia and QCoal - to declare force majeure on its deliveries. With other miners like BHP Billiton and Glencore also affected by the storm's fallout, more disruptions may follow.

Force majeure is a commercial term that means a buyer or seller cannot fulfill their obligations because of outside forces. It is typically invoked after natural disasters or accidents.

Australia is the world's biggest coking coal exporter and is China's largest supplier. With markets there closed on Monday and Tuesday, its steel makers are clambering to find alternative supplies.

"Markets may be closed Monday and Tuesday but there's certainly activity. The Chinese are fixing cargoes from the United States in order to replace the shortfall from Australia," one coal trader with knowledge of the matter said, speaking on the condition of anonymity as he was not cleared to talk about commercial deals.

"More will make its way from the U.S. to China very soon," he said.

It was not immediately clear which American miners were providing the supplies but Thomson Reuters Eikon data shows that China already has imported more than 500,000 tonnes of U.S. coking coal in 2017, ending a two-year stretch when no coking coal was shipped between the two countries.

More than 427,000 tonnes of U.S. met coal imports were counted in February by the Chinese government that likely arrived in January, said Chuck Bradford of Bradford Research, Inc, who has access to the data. The coal sold for nearly $190 per tonne, he said.

Arch Coal Inc did not immediately respond to a query on whether it had exported the coal to China this year.

George Dethlefsen, Corsa Coal Corp's chief executive, said his company has been overwhelmed with inquiries for cargoes over the past few days from customers in Asia.

"Right now we, like everyone else, are trying to figure out what tons are available and what we can produce to fulfill potential new orders," he said.

Alpha Natural Resources, which emerged from bankruptcy last year, declined to comment.

President Donald Trump has promised to revive the U.S. coal industry and issued an executive order last week to dismantle former President Barack Obama's regulations on the sector.

Luke Popovich, a spokesman for the National Mining Association trade group, said it was not clear that the demand had any link to the administration's push to axe regulations.

"Whether or not this can be related to the executive order we're nevertheless grateful and not looking a gift horse in the mouth," said

China will require more coal, as the Australian outages far outstrip what is immediately available from the United States.

"The minimum impact over the coming weeks we would expect would be in the region of 14 million tonnes of coal (11.5 million metallurgical, and 2.5 million tonnes thermal)," said Rodrigo Echeverri, head of energy coal analysis at commodities trading house Noble Group, adding that the current estimate was for the outages to last around five weeks.

Shipping data in Eikon shows that around 70 ships are waiting to load coal off the Queensland ports of Abbot Point, Mackay, Dalrymple Bay, and Hay Point.

The outages caused Australian coking coal futures on the Singapore Exchange on Monday to spike by over 25 percent to $197 per tonne, the biggest one-day move ever.

China has recently turned to Russia for more coking coal, with imports rising to over 400,000 tonnes in February from 275,000 tonnes in December.

Mongolia and Indonesia are other potential sources of coking coal for China, three coal traders said. Anthracite coal shipments from North Korea to China, also used as coking coal, have dried up after Beijing ordered an import ban following missile tests of its isolated neighbour.

Overall, traders said it was unlikely that all of China's near-term demand could be met without Queensland supplies, likely requiring inventory drawdowns, which will push up prices.

"With a significant amount of the world's premium hard coking coal now marooned onsite, prices are likely to continue to push higher," ANZ said.

(Reporting by Henning Gloystein, additional reporting by Timothy Gardner in Washington; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
TOKYO, April 5 (Reuters) - North Korea's latest missile launch on Wednesday was "extremely problematic", and Japan had lodged a strong protest over its nuclear-armed neighbour, Japan's top government spokesman said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that Japan absolutely can not tolerate North Korea's repeated provocative actions.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its east coast into the sea off the Peninsula, South Korea's military said, a day ahead of a summit between U.S. and Chinese leaders who are set to discuss Pyongyang's arms programme. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
MOSCOW, April 5 (Reuters) - The following are some stories in Russia's newspapers on Wednesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

VEDOMOSTI

www.vedomosti.ru

One of the largest road construction companies in Russia ARKS has been bought by the owners of a major Moscow engineering and contraction company MISK, the newspaper said.

President Vladimir Putin has dismissed the head of the Udmurtia region, Alexander Solovyov, after he was arrested on charges of receiving a bribe. Solovyov became the fourth Russian governor dismissed after bribery charges in the past two years, the daily reported.

Korean carmaker Hyundai plans to produce engines in Russia, Deputy industry and trade minister Alexander Morozov said.

A subsidiary of the Chinese CNPC will participate in the construction of the Amur gas processing plant worth almost 800 billion rubles ($14 billion), daily reports citing Gazprom company.

KOMMERSANT

www.kommersant.ru

Alvisa, one of Russia's largest producers of wines and brandies, plans to sell some of its assets, possibly due to debt.

An amusement park worth 11 billion rubles ($194.5 million) will be built in Moscow by a Russian-Italian consortium consisting of Impresa Pizzarotti C.S.p.A. and Russia's Promstroy.

($1 = 56.5553 Rub) (Reporting by Margarita Popova)
SYDNEY, April 5 (Reuters) - Police on Wednesday said they had seized a record 903 kilograms (1,991 lb) of methamphetamines worth A$898 million ($680 million) in Australia's second most populous city of Melbourne this year.

Two men were arrested over the drugs, concealed in the floor boards of a factory, law enforcement officials told a news conference, without disclosing the date of the anti-drug operation.

"It's very difficult, when you consider the amount of cargo that comes across, to get every individual concealment, but with this particular concealment, we had significant intelligence that led us to that warehouse," said Neil Gaughan, assistant commissioner of the Australian Federal Police. ($1=1.3198 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Reuters Television)
SOFIA, April 5 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's interim government on Wednesday cancelled a tender to run and operate Sofia airport, saying the planned granting of concession rights for 35 years at the country's main airport was not in the public interest.

"The government has decided to cancel the tender," a government spokeswoman said after a cabinet meeting.

The interim transport minister said last month he would propose the cancellation of the tender as it would lead to higher airport fees and hurt air traffic to Bulgaria. (Reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova; editing by Jason Neely)
LONDON, April 5 (Reuters) - Iran's oil minister dismissed India's decision to cut oil imports from Tehran in 2017/18 by a fifth as a threat on Wednesday, in an escalation of a dispute over a giant gas field contract.

Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters last week that Indian state refiners were going to cut oil imports from Iran, as New Delhi seeks to put pressure on Tehran to award the Farzad B gas field to an Indian consortium.

"India is one of our good costumers, but we cannot sign (a) contract under threat," Bijan Zanganeh was quoted as saying by Iran's ISNA news agency.

"India's cut of oil imports from Iran will not cause any trouble to us as we have other buyers," he added.

Zanganeh said despite an extension of deadlines, India has not offered an acceptable proposal for the development of the gas field.

"Their proposal was not profitable to Iran ... We sent (the) Indians a letter and told them we are keen to continue negotiations, but under sensible conditions, not under threats."

India, Iran's biggest oil buyer after China, was among a handful of countries that continued to deal with the Tehran despite Western sanctions over its nuclear programme.

A consortium headed by ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas investment arm of Indian explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp, discovered Farzad B in the Farsi offshore block in 2008.

The consortium, which also includes Oil India and Indian Oil Corp, could not obtain permission to develop the field due to Western sanctions, but those sanctions were removed last year.

India and Iran had both been hopeful of wrapping up the Farzad B deal by March, although Zanganeh said Iran has asked other countries to submit their proposals for its development. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; editing by Alexander Smith)
By Jeff Mason and Tom Perry

WASHINGTON/BEIRUT, April 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government of going "beyond a red line" with a poison gas attack on civilians and said his attitude toward Syria and Assad had changed, but gave no indication of how he would respond.

Trump said the attack, which killed at least 70 people, many of them children, "crosses many, many lines", an allusion to his predecessor Barack Obama's threat to topple Assad with air strikes if he used such weapons. His accusations against Assad put him directly at odds with Moscow, the Syrian's president principal backer.

"I will tell you, what happened yesterday is unacceptable to me," Trump told reporters at a news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah on Wednesday.

"And I will tell you, its already happened that my attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much," though when asked at an earlier meeting whether he was formulating a new policy on Syria, Trump said: "You'll see."

Vice President Mike Pence, when asked whether it was time to renew the call for Assad to be ousted and safe zones be established, told Fox News: "But let me be clear, all options are on the table," without elaborating.

U.S. officials rejected Russia's assertion that Syrian rebels were to blame for the attack.

Trump's comments, which came just a few days after Washington said it was no longer focused on making Assad leave power, suggested a clash between the Kremlin and Trump's White House after initial signals of warmer ties. Trump did not mention Russia in his comments on Wednesday but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said it was time for Russia to think carefully about its support for Assad.

Pence said the time had come for Moscow to "keep the word that they made to see to the elimination of chemical weapons so that they no longer threaten the people in that country."

Western countries, including the United States, blamed Assad's armed forces for the worst chemical attack in Syria for more than four years.

U.S. intelligence officials, based on a preliminary assessment, said the deaths were most likely caused by sarin nerve gas dropped by Syrian aircraft on the town of Khan Sheikhoun on Tuesday. A senior State Department official said Washington had not yet ascertained it was sarin.

Moscow offered an alternative explanation that would shield Assad: that the poison gas belonged to rebels and had leaked from an insurgent weapons depot hit by Syrian bombs.

A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Russian explanation was not credible. "We don't believe it," the official said.

COUNTER-RESOLUTION

The United States, Britain and France have proposed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would condemn the attack; the Russian Foreign Ministry called it "unacceptable" and said it was based on "fake information".

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would press its case blaming the rebels and Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Russia would veto the draft if Western nations went to a vote without further consultations, Interfax news agency reported.

Moscow has proposed its own draft, TASS news agency quoted a spokesman of Russia's U.N. mission, Fyodor Strzhizhovsky, as saying on Wednesday.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, issued what appeared to be a threat of unilateral action if Security Council members could not agree.

"When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," she told the council, without elaborating.

Trump described the attack as "horrible" and "unspeakable." He faulted Obama for failing to carry through on his "red line" threat and when asked if he had responsibility to respond to the attack, said: "I now have responsibility".

The new incident means Trump is faced with same dilemma that faced his predecessor: whether to openly challenge Moscow and risk deep involvement in a Middle East war by seeking to punish Assad for using banned weapons, or compromise and accept the Syrian leader remaining in power at the risk of looking weak.

While some rebels hailed Trump's statement as an apparent shift in the U.S. position, others said it was too early to say whether the comments would result in a real change in policy.

Fares al-Bayoush, a Free Syrian Army commander, told Reuters: "Today's statement contains a serious difference from the previous statements, and we expect positivity ... from the American role.

Others who declined to be identified said they would wait and see.

Video uploaded to social media showed civilians sprawled on the ground, some in convulsions, others lifeless. Rescue workers hose down the limp bodies of small children, trying to wash away chemicals. People wail and pound on the chests of victims.

The charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said one of its hospitals in Syria had treated patients "with symptoms - dilated pupils, muscle spasms, involuntary defecation - consistent with exposure to neuro-toxic agents such as sarin". The World Health Organization also said the symptoms were consistent with exposure to a nerve agent.

"We're talking about war crimes," French U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters in New York.

Labib Nahhas, chief of foreign relations at Ahrar al-Sham, one of the biggest rebel groups in western Syria, called the Russian statement factually wrong and one which contradicted witness accounts.

"This statement provides Assad with the required coverage and protection to continue his despicable slaughter of the Syrian people," Nahhas told Reuters.

The incident is the first time U.S. intelligence officials have accused Assad of using sarin since 2013, when hundreds of people died in an attack on a Damascus suburb. At that time, Washington said Assad had crossed a "red line" set by then-President Obama.

Obama threatened an air campaign to topple Assad but called it off at the last minute when the Syrian leader agreed to give up his chemical arsenal under a deal brokered by Moscow, a decision which Trump has long said proved Obama's weakness.

SAME DILEMMA

The Western-drafted U.N. Security Council resolution condemns the attack and presses Syria to cooperate with international investigators. Russia has blocked seven resolutions to protect Assad's government, most recently in February.

Trump's response to a diplomatic confrontation with Moscow will be closely watched at home because of accusations by his political opponents that he is too supportive of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

U.S. intelligence agencies say Russia intervened in the U.S. presidential election last year through computer hacking to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. The FBI and two congressional committees are investigating whether figures from the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow, which the White House denies.

Trump's relationship with Russia has deteriorated since the presidential election campaign, when Trump praised Putin as a strong leader and vowed to improve relations between the two countries, including a more coordinated effort to defeat Islamic State in Syria.

But as Russia has grown more assertive, including interfering in European politics and deploying missiles in its western Kaliningrad region and a new ground-launched cruise missile near Volgograd in southern Russia - an apparent violation of the 1987 Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty - relations have cooled, U.S. officials have said.

The chemical attack in Idlib province, one of the last major strongholds of rebels, who have fought since 2011 to topple Assad, complicates diplomatic efforts to end a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and driven half of Syrians from their homes.

Over the past several months, Western countries, including the United States, had been quietly dropping their demands that Assad leave power in any deal to end the war, accepting that the rebels no longer had the capability to topple him by force.

The use of banned chemical weapons would make it harder for the international community to sign off on any peace deal that does not remove him. Britain and France on Wednesday renewed their call for Assad to leave power.

(Additional reporting by Maria Tsvetkova and Polina Devitt in Moscow; Michelle Nichols at the United Nations and Lesley Wroughton and Steve Holland in Washington; writing by Peter Graff, Philippa Fletcher and Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall, Louise Ireland and Lisa Shumaker)
KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 (Reuters) - A Malaysian MP said girls as young as nine were "physically and spiritually" ready for marriage, as the Muslim-majority Southeast Asian country passed a law on sexual offences against children without criminalising child marriage.

Shabudin Yahaya, a member of the Barisan Nasional coalition, made the comments in response to a proposal by an opposition member of parliament to amend the Sexual Offences Against Children bill to include a ban on child marriages.

The proposal was voted down by the majority of parliament.

"They reach puberty at the age of nine or 12. And at that time, their body is already akin to them being 18 years old. So physically and spiritually, it is not a barrier for the girl to marry," Shabudin said on Tuesday during a debate on the bill.

He also said there was "nothing wrong" with a rape victim marrying her rapist as she would then not face a "bleak future".

Shabudin's comments sparked outrage on social media, with some opposition politicians asking for him to be fired.

Under both civil law and Islamic law, girls and boys younger than 18 can be married. Civil law sets the minimum age of marriage at 18, but those above 16 can be married with the permission of their state's chief minister.

Under Islamic law, children younger than 16 can get married if the Shariah courts allow it.

The law passed on Tuesday makes no mention of child marriage.

It criminalises "grooming" - touching and befriending children as a prelude to sexual abuse - and spells out penalties for making and possessing pornography involving those under 18. A special court will also be set up under the new law to deal with child sexual abuse cases more quickly.

The maximum penalty under the law is a jail term of up to 30 years and six strokes of the whip for making, possessing or distributing child pornography.

The new law comes into effect ten months after British paedophile Richard Huckle was found guilty of abusing up to 200 babies and children, mostly in Malaysia.

Reuters reported last year that most complaints of child sexual abuse in Malaysia do not lead to successful prosecutions, largely due to weaknesses in the criminal justice system.

Only 140 of the 12,987 cases of child sexual abuse reported to police between 2012 and July 2016 resulted in convictions.

"The law is more stringent now... but not enough," Teo Nie Ching, the opposition MP who proposed the ban child marriages, told Reuters.

She said offenders would use the absence of a ban on child marriages to get away with crimes as marital rape is not a crime in Malaysia.

There have been several cases over the years of rapists marrying theirs victim, including those under 18, to avoid prosecution. (Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi & Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Nick Macfie)
By Renee Maltezou and Jan Strupczewski

ATHENS/BRUSSELS, April 5 (Reuters) - Greece and its international lenders remained at odds in talks to release fresh bailout loans to Athens on Wednesday as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said a deal was needed this week and accused creditors of 'playing games' and causing delays.

Talks between Greece, the European Union and International Monetary Fund have stuttered for months due to differences over Greece's fiscal progress, labour and energy market reforms, rekindling worries of a new crisis in Europe.

Euro zone finance ministers will discuss the state of Greek negotiations on Friday at an informal meeting in Malta, but officials said a full deal there was unlikely.

Tsipras said he would ask for an EU leaders summit if there was no deal this week and accused some creditors of being obstinate.

"The Greek economy is ready to leave the crisis behind it. But despite the impressive fiscal results, some of our creditors appear unrepentant," Tsipras told a news conference after meeting EU Council President Donald Tusk in Athens.

"This isn't child's play. This is the future of a people we are talking about."

Greece is on its third bailout from euro zone governments but to get money it has to pass regular reviews of reforms it agreed to in return for the financing.

"What we are trying to achieve is to get close enough to a deal so that lenders' teams of experts may go back to Athens and finalise the numbers," one official said.

SCEPTICAL

If experts return to Athens, they would still work several more days there to come up with what is called a staff level agreement - a report on Greek reforms that would allow ministers to acknowledge their completion and disburse loans.

The latest problem concerns reforms that Greece has to implement to reach and keep a 3.5 percent of GDP budget surplus before debt servicing costs over several years starting in 2018.

Institutions representing euro zone governments believe Greece will keep the 3.5 percent surplus also in 2019, but the International Monetary Fund, which euro zone governments want to join the bailout for credibility reasons, is sceptical.

The biggest debate is caused by the pension reform, which would marginally raise payouts for some on the lowest pensions, but slash the highest pensions by 40 percent, with an overall average reduction in payouts of some 15 percent.

Tsipras said Greece had achieved a primary budget surplus of 3.5 percent of GDP in 2016, outperforming its 0.5 percent target, so the debate was unnecessary.

Responding to criticism, Tusk said the European Union stood by Greece's side and was facilitating negotiations.

"The sacrifices of the Greek citizens have been immense. One thing must be clear - no one intends to punish Greece, our goal is only to help Greece," he said. "I have no doubt that there is no alternative to a positive breakthrough on Friday."

A spokeswoman for Germany's Finance Ministry said the government was watching the "intensive" discussions between Greece and its lenders. "Delays are not good for economic recovery so we are waiting to see what comes out of these talks," she said. (Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
JOHANNESBURG, April 5 (Reuters) - Business confidence in South Africa fell in March from February and was likely to decline further due to the rising political tension, a survey showed on Wednesday.

President Jacob Zuma's decision last week to fire Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has rattled markets and led S&P Global Ratings to downgrade South Africa's foreign currency debt to junk status.

Fitch and Moody's have also warned of possible consequences, with Fitch saying on Monday it was placing South Africa on review for a downgrade.

The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (SACCI) monthly business confidence index (BCI) fell to 93.8 in March from 95.5 in February.

"Towards the end of March, developments extraneous to the economy abruptly upset the momentum of further improving business confidence," SACCI said in a statement.

"The March BCI, however, does not yet capture the full impact of uncertainty that was created as these developments commenced when the minister of finance was recalled from an overseas investment roadshow before being relieved of responsibilities on the last day of March."

The rand has weakened more than 12 percent since March 27, when Gordhan was called back home from the international investor roadshow.

"If the rand continues on these exchange rate levels, the SACCI BCI could therefore shed another 0.6 index points in April 2017," SACCI said. (Reporting by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo; Editing by Alison Williams)
PARIS, April 5 (Reuters) - France's hardline CGT trade union has called on workers' representatives on the board of state-controlled utility EDF to reject the shutdown of the Fessenheim nuclear plant, expected to be tabled during a meeting on Thursday.

The union has also urged its members to picket the headquarters of the company during the meeting to keep pressure on the board members.

EDF has scheduled a board meeting for April 6 to decide on stopping Fessenheim, France's oldest nuclear plant. The closure of the 1,800 megawatts plant was an election promise of outgoing French President Francois Hollande in 2012.

The CGT, which is against the closure because it says it would result in job losses, said shutting down Fessenheim would be an economic and industrial waste.

"The Fessenheim plant is safe, and it is recognized as such by the Nuclear Safety Authority," the CGT said in a statement, adding that the plant contributes to French energy security.

France, a major electricity exporter in Europe, depends on its 58 nuclear reactors for more than 75 percent of its electricity supply.

The outcome of the 18-member board meeting on Thursday is uncertain because only 12 members, including the 6 union representatives, will vote while state representatives would have to abstain to avoid any conflict of interest.

EDF and the government have reached a 490 million euros ($523 million) compensation agreement covering costs associated with the closure.

The company also received some guarantees that could allow it to shut down the reactor by end-2018, when it starts production at its new generation EPR reactor under construction in Flamanville in northern France.

($1 = 0.9372 euros) (Reporting by Bate Felix and Benjamin Mallet; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)
By Nerijus Adomaitis

OSLO, April 5 (Reuters) - Norway's deputy oil minister will meet top executives of China's biggest offshore oil producer CNOOC on Thursday to discuss possible cooperation ahead of the first visit by a Norwegian prime minister to China in a decade, officials said.

CNOOC, which operates the 140,000 barrels per day Buzzard field offshore Britain via its subsidiary Nexen, said in 2010 it would be interested to come to Norway.

The row over the Nobel Peace Prize award to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, chosen by a Norwegian committee that same year, froze relations between the two countries.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg will be in Beijing on April 7-10 to meet President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Li Keqiang and other Chinese officials, in the first visit by a Norwegian premier since the countries resumed full diplomatic relations in December.

Norway's Ingvil Smines Tybring-Gjedde will meet the number two executive at CNOOC on April 6, the oil ministry and business lobby group Norwegian Energy Partners told Reuters.

"We have had a very good relationship with Chinese oil companies, and we want to get back to the situation before the Nobel peace prize and all the problems with China," said Haakon Skretting from Norwegian Energy Partners.

Solberg will take executives from several top Norwegian companies, including oil firm Statoil, to China.

Statoil, which has had an office in Beijing since 1982, said China was a key market, with sales to its refineries at roughly 100,000 barrels per day, in addition to LPG and other products.

Companies such as Kuwait's Kufpec and Russia's Gazprom have also recently shown an interest in Norwegian oil assets and technology.

"Norway provides opportunities to gain know-how and learn about new technologies in order to bring them back home later," Daniel Rennemo, head of PricewaterhouseCoopers's Norway oil and gas transactions team, told Reuters.

"It remains attractive due to it resource potential, highly qualified workforce, stable geopolitics and attractive tax regime, while companies like Statoil have also managed to cut costs significantly."

(Editing by Gwladys Fouche and Terje Solsvik, editing by David Evans)
By Gus Trompiz and Michael Hogan

HAMBURG/PARIS, April 5 (Reuters) - Turkish flour mills have covered their short-term needs by purchasing several hundred thousand tonnes of wheat from EU and Black Sea countries, replacing Russian supplies blocked by a change to import rules, millers and traders said on Wednesday.

Turkey has effectively halted purchases from Russia of wheat, maize (corn) and sunflower seeds by removing Russian items from a duty-free import scheme from March 15.

The Turkish move meant Russian supplies facing a prohibitive 130 percent duty, though Ankara has denied banning imports from Russia. Moscow has said the tariffs are hindering relations.

Ankara has not said why it removed Russia from the duty-free scheme, but the Turkish economy ministry has said an improvement in political ties with Russia was "not fully reflected yet in economic relations", as Russia is yet to restore visa-free travel with Turkey after a previous row.

Relations between the two countries have been strained in recent years and Russia imposed trade restrictions on Turkish goods after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in November 2015, but Moscow lifted most restrictions as the two countries restored ties in August last year.

Turkey is the second-largest export market for Russian wheat and the disruption to trade has upset millers who use Russian wheat in their flour which is then exported in large volumes.

SHORTFALL COVERED

Turkish millers have since purchased at least 400,000 tonnes and possibly more than 500,000 tonnes of wheat from a number of countries in the east of the EU and the Black Sea region, with shipments mainly due in April, according to millers and traders.

"I think the Turkish millers have basically covered the shortfall following the disruption to the Russian wheat purchases," one trader said.

Purchases made by Turkish mills since March 15 involve between 200,000 and 300,000 tonnes of wheat from EU Baltic states including Lithuania and Latvia, 50,000 tonnes from Hungary, and approximately 100,000 tonnes to 150,000 tonnes from Ukraine and/or other Black Sea suppliers, traders said.

"The remaining countries on Turkey's list qualifying for duty-free imports are Lithuania, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Bulgaria, Bosnia Herzegovina, France, Hungary and Canada," one trader said. "It is logical that the replacement supplies were purchased from the list."

The purchases are in addition to 130,000 tonnes of EU-origin wheat, which Turkey's state grains board bought on March 9 and was also thought likely to be largely sourced from the Baltic states.

Attention is now turning to how long Turkey will keep Russian imports off the preferred import programme.

The Russian and Turkish economy ministries plan to hold talks on Russian grain supplies to Turkey in early April, Russia's deputy economy minister said last week.

"If Russian wheat import restrictions are continued after August, Turkey's large wheat flour exports will be decreased dramatically," another trader said. (Editing by David Holmes)
BRASILIA, April 5 (Reuters) - State-controlled lender Caixa Economica Federal expects Brazilian workers to withdraw a total of 35 billion reais ($11.3 billion) from a severance fund by the end of July, as part of government efforts to stimulate the economy amid frail signs of a recovery.

In December, President Michel Temer's administration announced it would allow Brazilians to extract all money from so-called FGTS accounts that were inactive for over three years.

Under previous law, those funds could only be accessed if a worker was fired, retired or needed money to acquire property.

Handing out extra cash to consumers could boost spending as Latin America's largest economy slowly stabilizes from its deepest recession on record. Households have yet to benefit from the early recovery following years of rampant debt-fueled consumption.

Speaking at an event in Brasilia, Caixa Chief Executive Gilberto Occhi said the bank will bring forward the start of the second phase of withdrawals, which encompasses workers born in the months of March, April and May, to Saturday from Monday, in response to heavy demand.

In the first phase of withdrawals in March, Brazilians born in the months of January and February withdrew a total of 5.9 billion reais.

According to Caixa's press office, up to 11.2 billion reais are available for withdrawal in April, or 26 percent of total funds.

($1 = 3.0897 reais) (Reporting by Marcela Ayres; Writing by Bruno Federowski; Editing by Alden Bentley)
By Mfuneko Toyana

JOHANNESBURG, April 5 (Reuters) - South Africa's African National Congress "closed ranks" around President Jacob Zuma after two key allies of the ruling party called for his resignation following a cabinet reshuffle that cost the country one of its investment-grade credit ratings.

The rand fell more than 1 percent and bonds weakened after ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe told a news briefing on Wednesday that the ANC would not support removing Zuma, whose party leadership role ends in December. Zuma's presidential term will finish in 2019.

Last Thursday's dismissal of finance minister Pravin Gordhan, a totem of policymaking stability for many foreign investors, was criticised by unions, civil society groups and the opposition, and has revived pressure on Zuma to quit.

Since taking office in 2009, the 74-year-old president has repeatedly denied accusations of corruption, and senior ANC officials have backed him.

S&P Global Ratings cited Gordhan's departure as one reason for its downgrade of South Africa to "junk" in an unscheduled credit rating review on Monday, a move that is set to push up the country's borrowing costs.

Mantashe said the ANC had accepted the "irretrievable breakdown of the relationship" between Zuma and Gordhan as the reason the finance minister was sacked.

Gordhan's removal has deepened a rift within the ruling party, with Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, a leading candidate to replace Zuma as ANC president, describing it on Friday as "totally, totally unacceptable".

The South African Communist Party (SACP) and the country's biggest trade union, Cosatu, both historic allies of the ANC, have called on Zuma to step down following the sacking.

CLOSE RANKS

Mantashe had also openly criticised Zuma's actions but he painted a different picture on Wednesday, saying the ANC would "close ranks" around the president and the party would iron out its differences with Cosatu and SACP.

The events that unfolded after the reshuffle had "created anxiety and undue confusion as a result of the discordant views, in particular of the National Officials of the ANC," Mantashe said, referring to the criticism directed at Zuma.

"The officials ... have further acknowledged that their public dissonance on the matter was a mistake that should not be committed again."

Half of the ANC's "Top Six" group of officials, including Ramaphosa and Mantashe, had expressed disquiet at Gordhan's sacking. But Zuma, also one of the six, has the support of two other members and influential groups in the ANC, sources say.

Analysts said Zuma remains in favour among grassroots members and can count on the backing of large sections of the party, including the youth and women's leagues.

Zuma is a charismatic figure who has dodged one political minefield after another. He has successfully portrayed himself as a man of the people, loves to sing and dance at public rallies and enjoys wide support from the ANC rank-and-file.

A former member of the ANC's Umkhonto we Sizwe military wing, Zuma rose to become head of intelligence, a post that gave him leverage with allies and opponents alike. Zuma has used his network to sideline opponents to shore up his position, critics who worked with him have said.

Zuma said on Tuesday in his first public comments since the reshuffle that people should remain calm.

The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party said it had filed an urgent court application to have Zuma's decision to remove Gordhan and deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas set aside on the grounds that it was unlawful.

The DA has planned a march on Friday against Zuma in the commercial hub Johannesburg, saying his decision to reshuffle the cabinet is likely to hurt the economy and cost yet more jobs. The party's no-confidence motion against Zuma in parliament will be held on April 18, parliament said.

The ANC has a commanding majority in the national assembly. Similar votes have failed in the past.

"There is no ANC member who will vote for an opposition motion," Mantashe said.

Political analysts were not surprised by the ruling party's stance on Wednesday.

"Zuma stays. Rand drops," political analyst Daniel Silke said, while another political commentator, Nic Borain, said Zuma had reasserted his authority. "Quite frankly he still controls the decision-making organs of the ANC," he said.

INTELLIGENCE REPORT

Deputy Secretary-General Jessie Duarte said Zuma had told top ANC officials in December of his decision to dismiss Gordhan, but that they had persuaded him to delay the action.

Duarte told the news briefing Zuma would meet the party's integrity commission on April 9, but gave no details. The ANC formed the commission in 2013 to help protect its image and deal with members of the party alleged to have behaved improperly.

Mantashe said the ANC had confidence in new Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, who would retain policies set under Gordhan.

Mantashe denied that Gordhan was fired solely because of an intelligence report that accused him and Jonas of plotting with banks in London to undermine the South African economy, saying it was not the only reason for Gordhan's removal.

Ramaphosa had accused Zuma of removing Gordhan on the basis of a "spurious" report and local media have also reported its existence.

"If the relationship has broken down ... you go for a divorce," Mantashe said. (Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
CAIRO, April 5 (Reuters) - Egypt on Wednesday received the third batch of Rafale warplanes from France as part of a 5.2 billion euro ($5.5 billion) contract signed in 2015.

Cairo has sought to boost its military power in the face of years of insurgency in northern Sinai and fears the conflict in neighbouring Libya could spill over.

The deal includes 24 Rafale jets, France's first overseas export of the fighter jet made by Dassault Aviation SA , a Fremm naval frigate and MBDA air-to-air missiles.

Last year, Egypt also received the first of two French Mistral helicopter carriers and signed separate deals worth about 2 billion euros with France during a visit by French President Francois Hollande to Cairo.

($1 = 0.9392 euros) (Reporting by Ali Abdelaty; Writing by Amina Ismail; Editing by Mark Potter)
By Robin Emmott and Gabriela Baczynska

BRUSSELS, April 5 (Reuters) - Britain and France on Wednesday renewed their call for Syria's president Bashar al-Assad to leave office, after a suspected chemical attack by Damascus killed scores of people in a rebel-held area, eclipsing an international conference to promote peace in Syria.

Foreign ministers Boris Johnson of Britain and Jean-Marc Ayrault of France spoke during the conference, which raised $6 billion in immediate aid and which the European Union convened in Brussels to shore up stalled peace talks between Assad and his rivals.

The money, which goes some way to meeting the U.N. appeal for $8 billion for Syria this year, does not include the cost of rebuilding the country.

"I simply don't see how Bashar al-Assad can remain in charge after what he has already done," Johnson said. "Of the 400,000 people who are estimated to have been killed in Syria, he is responsible for the vast majority of the butcher's bill."

Ayrault said the attack was a test for the new U.S. president, Donald Trump, and his stance on Assad.

German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel expressed frustration at the lack of clarity on Trump's position. During his election campaign and as president-elect, Trump said ousting Assad would hand control of Syria to Islamist militants.

"The election campaign is over Mr. Trump," Gabriel said.

U.S. intelligence officials, based on a preliminary assessment, think the deaths were most likely caused by sarin nerve gas dropped by Syrian aircraft.

Trump called the attack a "terrible affront to humanity". Asked whether he was formulating a new policy towards Syria, he told reporters: "You'll see."

The future of Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, has always been the main point of contention blocking progress in talks. The war has raged for more than six years, displacing millions and causing dire humanitarian conditions.

"The humanitarian appeal for a single crisis has never been higher," U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said.

The conference, however, offered no new ideas on how to end the war, with regional power Turkey absent from the gathering and the foreign ministers of Russia and the United States skipping the event, sending lower-level officials.

TRUMP LINE ON ASSAD?

Though Washington, London and Paris have blamed Assad for the attack, Russia said the toxic gas had leaked from a rebel chemical weapons depot struck by Syrian bombs, revealing divisions at the Security Council.

NATO head Jens Stoltenberg and EU chairman Donald Tusk on Wednesday joined the chorus condemning the attack, with the latter saying Damascus was mainly to blame but that "all who support it share moral and political responsibility".

The attack came a week after Trump's Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and U.N. envoy Nikki Haley said their focus was on defeating Islamic State in Syria rather than pushing out Assad.

"Under Obama, we agreed that Assad had to go, but now it is unclear where the Trump position lies," said a senior EU diplomat. "Have Washington and Moscow now agreed on backing Assad? For the EU, Assad cannot be part of Syria's future."

That is a view shared by the Gulf Arab states, as presented in Brussels by Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, foreign minister of Qatar. "There is no solution in Syria without getting rid of Assad," he said.

The conference appealed for more humanitarian aid access in Syria and an end to using sieges and starvation as war tactics.

Robert Mardini, who oversees operations in the Middle East for the International Committee of the Red Cross said the situation was nothing short of catastrophic in Syria.

"In the seventh year of the conflict, more than a half of health facilities in the country are not running, whether because they were directly targeted or they are lacking medical supplies or personnel," he told Reuters.

Of the money pledged in Brussels, most came from Europe. The European Union pledged 560 million euros ($600 mln) from its budget for humanitarian projects in Syria, as well as supporting refugees in the neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan.

Germany separately promised 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 bln) extra for 2017, while London offered an additional one billion pounds ($1.3 bln). EU states and Brussels have so far mobilised about 9.5 billion euros in Syria emergency humanitarian aid.

($1 = 0.9376 euros) (Additional reporting by Farah Salhi, Robert-Jan Bartunek and Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels, John Irish in Paris, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
By Luiz Guilherme Gerbelli

SAO PAULO, April 5 (Reuters) - Brazil's economy probably came out of recession in the first quarter almost exclusively thanks to a record soy harvest, economists said on Wednesday, forecasting a broader recovery to start later in the year.

Brazil's agricultural output, which accounts for only about 5 percent of the country's economy, may have risen as much as 8 percent in the first quarter from the last three months of 2016, according to private estimates, while industrial and services activity probably remained stagnant.

The economy as a whole grew by between 0.1 and 0.3 percent in the first quarter as a result, according to banks and research firms, ending a two-year-long recession that has been the deepest in the country's history.

"If it wasn't for that contribution (from agriculture), we would likely be forecasting another fall in gross domestic product," said Rodolfo Margato, an economist with Santander Brasil, in Sao Paulo.

Agricultural output usually rises in the first few months of every year, but 2017 is projected to be a particularly good one thanks in part to expectations of a record soy crop. Brazil is the world's largest soy beans exporter.

Brazil is also expected to be a relevant player in the global corn market this year as output recovers from a strong dry spell in 2016.

"We're projecting an increase of 6.8 percent in agricultural output but we don't rule out an even higher figure," said Silvia Matos, a researcher at the Getulio Vargas Foundation think-tank.

Brazil's economy shrank 3.6 percent in 2016 and is expected to grow about 0.5 percent this year, according to a weekly survey of economists by the central bank. Agricultural output is forecast to grow 5.8 percent in 2017 from 2016, while industrial GDP is expected to rise 0.8 percent and services are projected to fall 0.1 percent, the survey showed.

Aside from agriculture, industrial output is expected to pick up speed in coming months, before services activity, economists said. Service providers, which account for about 70 percent of Brazil's economic output, have struggled with record-high unemployment.

($1 = 3.1085 reais) (Writing by Silvio Cascione; Editing by Sandra Maler)
By Astrid Zweynert

OXFORD, England, April 5 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When Ebola ravaged Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, health experts were puzzled how the disease had been able to spread so quickly, killing more than 11,000 people and crippling the region's health systems.

Ebola started in the forests of Guinea in December 2013 but spread undiagnosed for nearly three months through dozens of villages, eventually affecting other countries in the largest outbreak of the viral disease in history.

Physician Raj Panjabi had no doubt that to prevent the next epidemic, more community health workers were needed to reach patients quickly in remote areas, the "blind spots of healthcare", where it can take up to two days to reach a clinic.

"It's what we call the tyranny of distance," said Panjabi, who received the $1.25 million Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship at a conference on Wednesday.

"If you're too far away, you're the last to receive healthcare but you're the one who often needs it the most."

It is a potentially deadly dilemma for an estimated one billion people who lack access to healthcare because they live too far from a doctor or clinic, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa.

Having fled his native Liberia as a seven-year-old when civil war ravaged the West African country, Panjabi returned after the conflict had ended in 2003 to find around 50 doctors were left to treat four million people.

The experience prompted him to co-found what would later become Last Mile Health in 2007 with a group of civil war survivors and American health workers.

REMOTE HEALTHCARE

Last Mile Health's mission: to recruit, train and provide resources to healthcare workers in far-flung Liberia so that "everyone, everywhere, every day" can have medical treatment.

"In this century no one should die because they are too far away from a clinic," said Panjabi, who is also the winner of the $1 million TED Prize 2017.

Last Mile Health has conducted more than 100,000 patient visits in remote Liberia, one of the world's poorest countries.

During the Ebola outbreak, it helped the government of Liberia to train 1,300 health workers and community members.

It is also working closely with the government to train, equip and employ more than 4,000 community health workers by 2021 for the 1.2 million Liberians living in the remotest parts.

The health workers are equipped with a backpack full of medicine, treatments and diagnostic equipment as well as smartphones to record data and keep track of stock of drugs. They are also essential in providing surveillance to help stop a local outbreak becoming a pandemic, said Panjabi.

"What we learned from the Ebola outbreak was we can't separate emergency response systems from everyday response systems," said Panjabi, a doctor at Harvard Medical School in the United States.

"What we need in an emergency (such as Ebola) is an everyday system that is in place and can adapt and respond," he added.

A 2015 report showed community health workers are crucial in improving healthcare in developing countries.

But despite efforts to boost recruitment there is still an estimated shortage of about 700,000 community health workers across sub-Saharan Africa and it will take at least $3 billion each year to address the gap, Panjabi said.

"It's an investment in the future to recruit more community health workers - not just for healthcare but also because it creates jobs in areas where there are very few available." (Reporting by Astrid Zweynert @azweynert, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit http://news.trust.org)
By Alana Wise

NEW YORK, April 5 (Reuters) - Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA will launch nonstop transatlantic flights from two more U.S. airports this fall, the airline announced on Wednesday, ramping up pressure on larger carriers to compete with the emerging low-fare airline.

Beginning in mid-September, Norwegian will offer nonstop flights from Denver International and Seattle-Tacoma International airports to London's Gatwick Airport, bringing the carrier's total number of nonstop United States-to-London flights to nine routes.

An escalating fare war to court transatlantic passengers has pushed down ticket prices even among established carriers.

Air France and International Consolidated Airlines Group SA, which owns British Airways and Iberia, have both announced plans for low-cost flights to compete with budget upstarts like Norwegian. Lufthansa is expanding services to long-haul cost-conscious travelers through its Eurowings business.

Norwegian's U.S. network expansion comes after the carrier received a long-awaited U.S. approval in December for its Irish subsidiary, Norwegian Air International, to operate routes across the Atlantic.

U.S. airlines and unions representing industry workers have argued that the Norwegian subsidiary will undermine wages and working standards - claims Norwegian has dismissed.

"With our continuous U.S. expansion, we also bring even more tourists to the U.S. and support American jobs," Thomas Ramdahl, Norwegians Chief Commercial Officer, said in a statement.

To keep costs low, Norwegian typically flies to and from smaller airports with lower fees.

Norwegian spokesman Anders Lindstrom said that while the carrier was expanding the international travel market to passengers who otherwise could not afford pricey transatlantic flights, it was also siphoning away customers who were "fed up" with high-priced tickets at other airlines.

Prices for the new Denver and Washington state routes begin at $199 for a one-way no-frills ticket, but passengers can spring for a seat in the premium cabin, which includes checked baggage, seat reservation and other perks, starting at $839.

No nonstop flights appear between Denver International and Gatwick on Google Flights, but ticket prices for indirect flights start at just over $500 for a one-way, mid-September ticket.

Norwegian Air's expansion strategy has helped it to more than double revenue since 2012. Last year revenue rose 16 percent to 26 billion Norwegian crowns ($3.12 billion) and the company has placed orders for 260 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus, which it will receive over several years.

Norwegian said it planned to continue to grow its U.S. route network, calling Paris "a natural next step" for Denver and Seattle.

(Reporting by Alana Wise; Editing by Andrew Hay)
A senior purohita shouldering a heavy responsibility in respect of the countrys economy met a certain state purohita the other day.



The purohita is a Green party heavyweight, a recipient of honours for his performance par excellence. The state purohita, once Green-now-turned-Blue held key portfolios in the previous regime. He has now become a faithful follower of the Compassionate One. This state purohita hailing from the South has been in the forefront in the campaign against the Hambantota port deal.



The purohita asked the state one why he was attacking the Hambantota port deal through the media.

We are opposed to it on a matter of principle. We cannot agree to the idea of conceding the pound of flesh The policy of our party is to create something new for the country, not to concede part of our territory to foreigners, the state purohita replied.



We belong to the same government and its wrong for you to take up such a stand, the purohita pointed out.



No. We have taken up the correct stand, the state one asserted.



Having realized there was no purpose in pursuing the argument, the duo proceeded on their separate ways, they say.
Ravi Ks 100-metre liquor bar periphery rejected

Trinco, Hambantota projects face growing public outcry

PM tells party stalwarts: Minimise foreign trips; focus on LG polls

Challenging May Day for JO

The government is still struggling to get clearance from all the stakeholders to proceed with the Hambantota Port project with a Chinese company. It is hampered due to differences within the government itself and legal issues arising from the original text of the agreement.

It will mar the process of signing the agreement any time soon. Be that as it may, the government is bound to be hit by yet another wrangle involving the proposal to lease out the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm to India for development under a joint venture between the Sri Lankan authorities and Lanka Indian Oil Company (LIOC).

Already, a delegation of China Merchants Ports Holding Company, selected for the Hambantota project, is in town to negotiate areas with hurdles. The Cabinet subcommittee appointed to look into this matter is working out its report to be handed over to President Maithripala Sirisena.

Amidst efforts underway to sort the matter out with the Chinese side, the Cabinet of Ministers on Tuesday took up for discussion the proposed move to develop the remaining oil tanks in Trincomalee in partnership with India.

Earlier, a Cabinet memorandum had been presented seeking approval for the establishment of a Joint Venture in this regard with LIOC. The matter came up again on Tuesday for consideration. The original proposal, made in consequent to Indian PM Narendra Modis visit to Sri Lanka, is opposed by Petroleum and Petroleum Gas Minister Chandima Weerakkody.

Minister Weerakkody raised objection to this agreement to lease out all the tanks to LIOC to develop under a Joint Venture. Instead, he insisted that 15 tanks should remain with the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). The Minister represents the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) in the unity government, whereas the original lease proposal was mooted by the United National Party (UNP) led by Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The two parties fall apart in their policies on the deal to develop the Hambantota port with the Chinese company as the majority shareholder. Similar differences are bound to widen with regards to the project in Trincomalee involving India. President Sirisena decided to subject the port agreement for a review after growing public controversy on the decision to hand over 80% of equity to the state-owned China Merchants Ports Holding Company. The original deal is now renegotiated.

It is now widely anticipated that a similar review would be undertaken over the Trincomalee project involving India. According to reports, the Prime Minister is slated to visit India later this month to discuss this project amongst others.

Actually, the original agreement was signed on February 7, 2003 between the then UNP government and LIOC. The agreement was to hand over the Oil Tank Farm to LIOC for operation for a period of 35 years. Alongside, a separate lease agreement was to be signed giving effect to this. So far, no such agreement has been signed. The previous government was not keen on it, and, as a result of that, the project was delayed indefinitely. However, LIOC is utilizing 14 tanks up to now since 2003.

Yet, there are 84 tanks remaining in the Upper Tank Farm. The current proposal is to develop all of them under the proposed Joint Venture with LIOC. The CPC maintains that the ownership 15 tanks should be vested with it, and the rest could be considered for development jointly.

JO again fails to challenge a controversial Bill in Court

The Joint Opposition placed a vigorous fight against the enactment of the Office of Missing Persons Act in Parliament. It even demonstrated in the Well of the House. However, it stood the chance of challenging it in the Supreme Court before it made its way to Parliament. Yet, it failed to resort to this effective means of thwarting the enactment in its original form. It missed the chance in this respect.

Likewise, it laments once again that it missed yet another opportunity to challenge the Bill to give legal effect to International Convention for the Protection of All People from Enforced Disappearances. Sri Lanka is a signatory to the International Convention. Legal advisors of the JO view this as a dangerous piece of legislation due to the inclusion of certain provisions. It could have been challenged in court. But, it is now impossible because the time stipulated for such action in terms of the Constitution has lapsed.

In terms of this Bill, not only a foreign government but also an institution on behalf of a foreign government can appeal for the extradition of a Sri Lankan political leader or military leader on the ground of command responsibility. This is not for something they have done, but also for something which had happened within their scope of responsibility. Sri Lanka has to abide by all the provisions enforced by the International Convention. The Prime Minister keeps saying Sri Lanka is not a signatory to the Rome Treaty and that a Sri Lankan could not be tried before the International Criminal Court. What would happen if the country that was seeking extradition had signed the Rome Treaty? Then, there is the damage of military or political leader extradited ending as a defendant before the ICC, Prof. G. L. Peiris argued.

He said , There is a provision to set up a special High Court in Colombo to try offences of this category. No bail can be granted. The Police will be given the authority to investigate in the absence of investigations. The NGOs are given an extensive role to be more active in the area and to give assistance to complainants.

Dinesh takes on Sumanthiran

The Steering Committee meeting turned tense somewhat on Tuesday after the JO parliamentary group leader Dinesh Gunwardene took Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A. Sumanthiran to task over remarks made by him to the Daily Mirror that broad agreements had been reached in connection with the proposals on power devolution.

MP Sumanthiran said such agreement was reached at the party leaders meeting. However, MP Gunawardene queried how could MP Sumanthiran utter such falsehoods without consulting others in the Steering Committee. The two were involved in a heated argument, and finally the PM too had to intervene.

The TNA advocates far-reaching Constitutional Reforms, whereas even the SLFP has categorically stated that it will not move for reforms that warrant approval of people through a referendum.

Ravi Ks proposal rejected

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake presented a Cabinet paper on Tuesday seeking to reduce the periphery earmarked for the sale of liquor from the places of religious worship. Currently, it is 500 metres. The periphery was sought to be reduced to 100 metres. However, it was met with resistance by others in the Cabinet. So, it did not get the go-ahead.

Challenging May Day for JO

The Joint Opposition leaders had a meeting with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the chair on Tuesday evening to discuss the preparations for the May Day Rally at the Galle Face Green. It sought permission well in advance to conduct the rally there. The Sri Lanka Ports Authority readily agreed to it.

Now, looks a challenging task for the JO because it is a vast area that needs to be filled with people. Politically savvy people will judge the success of such an event by the number of participants. A head count is practically impossible. So, they assess the number from how crowded the ground would be. It is a gigantic task for the JO to attract as many people as possible.

Let its leaders look at it positively. When a rally is conducted at such a location in the heart of Colombo, it becomes the central point of political attraction. SLFP has chosen to conduct its rally in Kandy and the UNP in Colombo. The JO is working hard to make this a success.

Meanwhile, the UNP Working Committee that met yesterday also discussed arrangements for its May Day rally. Already, the UNP MPs had visited ten districts to meet with the party organizations in view of May Day. It is intending to bring 100,000 strong crowd. The remaining districts would be covered during the weekend by the MPs.

UNP getting ready for elections

Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe, in the capacity of the party leader, instructed the Working Committee members to minimize foreign travel during the time ahead, especially with two elections to be held before the end of the year. The UNP discussed about the pending election to the local authorities and three Provincial Councils. It held the view that the elections should be conducted whenever they are due no matter what comes first. It would start the organization of the party after the New Year period.
The students who have studied at SAITM medical School Malabe, pouring their hearts out to Daily Mirror claimed that they are facing an extremely difficult situation with the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) refusing to register them as doctors and as a result of the social stigma created by what they call false stories about the institution. Shane Halpe, who had completed his course and Shakila Dayawansa who is a fourth year students charged that the SLMCs sudden change from a positive stance to a negative was unbelievable. They said SLMC Chairman Prof. Carlo Fonseka was positive about SAITM initially. Following are excerpts of the conversation which Daily Mirror had with the students.

What are the main issues which the SAITM students are facing right now?

At the moment we are occupational refugees. This degree is recognized by the government. I am holding an MBBS degree but I dont have the license to practice what I have learnt. The Appeal Court had given a judgment saying SAITM students should be granted the opportunity of getting themselves registered as doctors and to allow them to practice. Although it was judged that way, the Sri Lanka Medical Council still denying SAITM students rights for registration. Internship is also part of the training. That opportunity is also not given to us. The government is clueless. The state doctors, trade union are causing trouble.

Shakila Dayawansa also expressed the following:-



I joined in 2013. This is an institution which has degree-awarding status. I actually did not have any negative ideas. My issue is somewhat similar to my colleague, Shane. They say the reason they cannot allow students to practice here is the standards. Foreign students who do ACT 16 get the training . They hold classes and they deny us the opportunity.



Before this institution started there was opposition for this and did you not know about the situation when you got yourself enrolled?

When we joined in 2009, there was no public opposition for it. I did London A/Levels and obtained 3 Cs. I was looking for opportunities to do medicine abroad. London A/L students do not get the opportunity in the state medical colleges. There was an agency that sent students to Bangladesh. I was about to go there. Then my parents saw these institutions and asked me whether I would like to consider SAITM, and as the result, I came here. I wanted to join this institution because this was in Sri Lanka and I would be exposed to the local health system and grow up in our culture. I thought I would get a better training. SAITM was in affiliation with a University in Russia. Therefore I thought it was fine. Earlier the plan was to study for four years here and the final year in Russia and come back to do the ACT 16 here. The SLMC suddenly came up with an idea that twin programmes would not be recognized. We were at a difficult situation with the sudden change of affairs. The SLMC advised SAITM to get the University Grants Commission (UGC) recognition and it was taken.



Are you happy with the training you had received?

The lecturers here are qualified. We received good training. We learnt under Russian professors. There were special individualized trainings. Some graduates who train in foreign countries told me that the training they had received was below par. In countries such as Bangladesh, the trainees do not get the opportunity to look at the patients who are in labour. But they are allowed to do the ACT 16 examination. This covers up the gaps in training. Those who are against us are silent about these.

Govt. is clueless; doctors and trade unions are causing trouble

Some foreign-trained graduates say the training they received was below par

We are ready to sit for a common exam along with the medical students of state universities .

Shakila:-

Yes, my parents are doctors. The main reason for coming here was that there was a lecturer here who had happened to be my mothers lecturer. So I was happy. Logically there was nothing that could go wrong. My mother says that some of the foreign graduates who formed her batch could not even check the blood pressure.



Some say that there are students here who have not passed the GCE A/Level examination?

I did not recruit the students personally. When it was told that SAITM needs UGC recognition, we were interviewed for the second time. When I came for the first batch, I was only interviewed by the SAITM officials. The UGC accepted our results. Their criteria was 3 Ss and then upgraded to 2 Cs and one S. Therefore there were no students who were failed at the relevant exams.



If you were asked to sit for a govt exam such as ACT 16, would you agree to it?

Yes, if I recall the past, the SLMC came and did an inspection. We asked for exams. They agreed and this could be done after they had passed out and registered. Then what had happened was the panel appointed by the SLMC said they could be registered and gave a list of recommendations. Three days later they changed the report, so we had to go to courts. Anyway, we are ready for any exam, at anytime and anywhere it would be conducted by an independent body.

Shakila: We are willing to sit for a common exam along with the state medical faculty students.



Did you discuss the issue with the government?

We approached the President, explained to him our story and requested him to consider us. He agreed with all what we explained and said that the situation was critical. State medical students and doctors were going against it and they asked us to campaign more vigorously to tell the general public about our side of the story. The negativity was high. Even Prof. Carlo Fonseka assured the students that he would give the recognition.



Are there students from outside Colombo at SAITM?

Yes, there are students from all sections of the society. There are students on scholarships; they are from Galle, Kandy, Ampara and so on. Rs. 550 million worth of scholarships were given, according to the authorities.



What are the options do you think you have for the future?

This is our only option. We have spent our parents money. I dont think we regret coming here. We spent our youth, got through our exams, clinical and our attendance. Everything is taken into consideration. I have no way of going abroad. We are not financially sound. We stay positive because we are unable to do anything. We dont want to take to the streets and cause traffic jams, but we are patiently waiting till justice is meted out. We are frustrated. No possibility to get an alternative job, something that is relevant to medicine. It is a violation of human rights.

Mostly because of false rumours, we are facing difficulties. We are optimistic that the people would understand our position. We are awaiting justice to be served.

Shakila also echoed similar sentiments:-

They campaign with the banner saying the students have failed the A/Levels. If they continue to say the standards are low, let them close it or make it as a state-run institution.
President Maithripala Sirisena condemned the bomb attack in Russia and extended heartfelt condolences of Sri Lanka to President Vladimir Putin and the people of Russia.

In a letter to Mr. Putin yesterday, President Sirisena said Sri Lanka condemned this dastardly attack in the strongest possible terms and stands in solidarity with the Government and the people of the Russian Federation during this difficult time.

It is with profound shock and deep sadness that I received news of the loss of lives and injuries caused in the wake of the bomb attack in an underground metro station in Saint Petersburg, he said.

Extending heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, the President said the Government and people of Sri Lanka also join him in offering prayers and sincere good wishes for the speedy recovery of those injured in this brutal attack.
Seated from left  Mr. Upul Jayatissa, Chief Manager - Marketing & Business Development, Sri Lanka Ports Authority; Dr. Asanka Ratnayake, Group Director  Hayleys Advantis Limited; Mr. Chandraratne Vithanage, Senior Assistant Secretary General - Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Mr. Dinesh De Silva, Head of Shipping - Unilever Sri Lanka

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, with its drive to develop a competent, productive and skilled workforce and uplift the trade standards within Sri Lanka, has partnered with Hayleys Advantis Limited to nurture talent in the logistics sector of the country. The two entities got together to launch a programmetitled Inspiring Logistics in Sri Lanka aimed at building capacity in the logistics sector by bridging the gap between academic qualifications and corporate requirements.

Over 100 graduate and undergraduate students and young professionals were given the opportunity to learn from senior industry representatives at the maiden workshop titled The future of logistics to a sustainable business, held recently. Participants received an overview of industry best practices and the regulations governing the trade. They were apprised of the strategic moves and innovations that have helped the local industry grow over the years along with the global trends to watch out for in future.

An eminent panel of industry stalwarts shared valuable insights with the audience in their key note sessions. Dr. Asanka Ratnayake, Group Director  Hayleys Advantis Limited spoke on Logistics in 2025 &beyond; Mr. UpulJayatissa, Chief Manager - Marketing & Business Development, Sri Lanka Ports Authority on The role of Sri Lanka ports and its future developments and Mr. Dinesh De Silva, Head of Shipping - Unilever Sri Lanka on Logistics to a sustainable business.This was followed by a paneldiscussion amongst them which was moderated by Mr. Chandraratne Vithanage, Senior Assistant Secretary General of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

Sri Lanka is blessed with a strategic geographical advantage and is ideally located to serve as a key logistics hub within the South Asian region. Its a known fact that both the government and the private sector are making greater investments in this sector.Addingthe right talent to this mix is pivotal to realizing the governments vision of establishing Sri Lanka as a logistics hub, said Mr. Chandraratne Vithanage, speaking on behalf of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.In this regard, we are delighted to roll out the Inspiring Logistics in Sri Lanka programme in partnership with Hayleys Advantis, one of the countrys foremost logistics service providers. Together, we will work towards shaping the next generation of skilled logisticians who will help unleash the true potential of this sector.

Speaking about the event, the Managing Director of Hayleys Advantis Limited, Mr. Ruwan Waidyaratne said, Asa longtime supporter of the governments vision of transforming Sri Lanka into a regional logistics hub, we firmly believe that there is potential for our industry to further contribute towards national development. In line with this, we are excited to partner with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce in building capacity in the logistics sphere with the aim of taking the logistics industry in Sri Lanka to global standards. We see theres immense potential amongst the youngsters in this country and they only need the platform to help them unleash this potential. As a growing company we also see a lot of benefit for us, by developing capacity within our own industry. I believe this will create a win-win for the students as well as the corporate sector in due course.

The session was the first of a series of sessions planned to share knowledge and build capacity towards energizing the logistics industry in Sri Lanka, with many more workshops, internship programmes and discussions scheduled to take place throughout the year.
The Ceylon Motor Traders Association (CMTA) yesterday said the decision by the government to allow the assembling of motor vehicles locally with used imported spare parts violates the Customs regulations and endangers the lives of the buyers of such vehicles.

The CMTA is the apex body representing the manufacturers of the global automobile brands in Sri Lanka.

This move by the authorities will jeopardize the safety of motorists, the public and also contravenes an existing Customs regulation, which only permits the importation of vehicles that have been used up to a maximum of three years, from the date of first registration, the CMTA said in a statement. The association also pointed out that the move contradicts the governments policy, which encourages the export of motor vehicles that have been used for a period of maximum of five years in Sri Lanka, to reduce the impact to the environment.

The danger of allowing this to go ahead is that the unsuspecting motor vehicle buyer would not know the year of manufacture of these so-called assembled vehicles and a car manufactured 10 years ago can be issued with the latest registration number plates from the RMV.

A 10-year-old car will also not have the relevant spare parts necessary for repairs and the maintenance of a vehicle as the guarantee of spare parts from the manufacturer is only valid for 10 to 15 years from the date of manufacture.

In the event of a major accident, the engine number and chassis number would not be able to be related to the manufacturers records, thereby even causing security concerns. The status of registration will also be ambiguous and will therefore, cause further complications legally, the CMTA statement noted.

The association also believes such a move would create environmental and safety issues and also contradicts the governments long-term policy of standardizing vehicles with brand-new vehicle imports.

The CMTA further pointed out that any decision taken in extending the life of obsolete vehicles assembled from used spare parts could be a strain on the countrys balance sheet and therefore, all citizens will have to bear the negative effects of this action.

Therefore, the CMTA requested the intervention of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to look into this matter and take appropriate actions to rectify the issue.
By Chandeepa Wettasinghe

The top management of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) is depending on the listing of state-owned enterprises to reignite the bourse, after two and a half years of stagnation.

Were hoping and praying that it will happen soon, CSE Chairman Vajira Kulatilaka said.

He indicated that newly created funds are now active internationally, but are turning a blind eye towards Sri Lanka. They are not yet coming here because they have not seen something they can come and invest in. Once they look at Sri Lanka, they will look at everything. First you need to make them look at Sri Lanka. It can happen through SOE listings, he added.

The sale of shares in around 10 non-strategic government investments is expected to generate US$ 1 billion in funding for the government, which would be used to strengthen the countrys foreign reserves and repay some of the debt. Public Enterprise Development Minister Kabir Hashim recently said SOE listings would double the market capitalization of CSE. The current market capitalization of the bourse is approximately US$ 17 billion.

Kulatilaka noted that the bourse had received massive boosts when the state listed Asian Hotels, the Distilleries Corporation, DFCC, NDB and other SOEs during the past few decades.

The main All Share Price Index peaked in August 2014 after breaking past the 7,000 point mark, but has steadily declined since, due to uncertainties created by successive elections and the inconsistencies of government policies.

Kulatilaka noted that the government has crowded out the private sector, with 50 percent of the banking sector, 70 percent of the energy sector, 80 percent of public transport, 80 percent of the land, and the entirety of infrastructure, among others, and the proposed listing SOEs would increase investor confidence in the country.

However, judging from the remarks of cabinet ministers, the government is likely to retain 51 percent of the shares in the entities.

Kulatilaka stressed that the government should push forward with reforms to commercialize the SOEs prior to listing, in order to assure investors that the government would not interfere with the running of the listed entities.

Reforms are required. Look at what happened in former socialist countries like China, Vietnam and India. Theyre thinking commercial. Singapore is also a good example where most commercial operations are owned by the government, but it gives independence to boards, he said.

Five SOEs recently signed Statements of Corporate Intent to become more commercial minded, with more SOEs expected to follow the trend in coming years.

The government is currently drafting a bill which would help commercialize SOEs and create a holding company for all SOEs.

How soon the bill would be ready, and when the SOEs will be listed are the pertinent questions, since the current government has shown a track record of delaying promised legislation for months and years.

Meanwhile, Kulatilaka noted that large debentures and the proposed dollar-denominated board would also help increase Sri Lankas visibility in the international sphere.
Leo Burnett Sri Lankas Executive Creative Director Lalindra Nanayakkara (fondly known as Nana), recently participated in a three-day typography workshop that was conducted by a world-class panel under the auspices of the University of Moratuwa and was attended by a cross section of participants ranging from industry professionals, designers to under graduates and art students. The event brought together top advertising and literary professionals from across Sri Lanka and the region, to highlight the important role that typography plays in modern-day communication. A series of case studies, seminars, lectures and reflections were shared to educate the participants on how they can make better use of typography, understand its roots, apply it in their academic studies and professional careers, and truly understand the technical aspects involved in the art of typography.

At the typography workshop, Lalindra highlighted examples of exceptional typography led campaigns that have been created for Sri Lankan brands. Lalindra is a renowned communications professional, with a career that spans across 18 years. He has worked with some of Sri Lankas leading advertising agencies and corporates and his work has won numerous accolades at some of the worlds most recognized award shows. Having conceptualized several award-winning campaigns for leading local and global brands such as UNICEF, KFC and Jetwing, he has also applied his astute copywriting skills, creativity and leadership to add immense value to brands such as Toyota, Coca-Cola, Minute Maid, Dialog, Sri Lanka Telecom, Mobitel, CJS, Sri Lanka Insurance, Elephant House, Peoples Bank, Cargills Magic and many more brands. Prior to rejoining Leo Burnett Sri Lanka, Lalindra worked as the Head of Branding and Communication for Sri Lankas largest company,MAS Holdings,which has a global operationacross 16 countries, a staff force of over 86,000 people and an annual revenue of USD 2 billion.

Commenting on the key cases he covered at the workshop Lalindra said: I shared some interesting pieces of work with the students and highlighted that typography can actually become the core element in a creative idea. My presentation reiterated that instead of just using text for a headline or as accompanying copy, typography can be used to drive an entire campaign or concept.

Further elaborating on this he said: One example of this is how Leo Burnett Sri Lankacreated Shree a new brand with a distinct Sri Lankan flavour for Cotton Collection. For this brand of products, we used the entire Sinhala alphabet to convey the essence of the product in a way that made it more relevant for people. Another interesting typography campaign we did was for the Mawbima Newspaper, which was based on using text to drive dengue prevention. Its a very powerful example because in this particular instance, the text was used to literally save peoples lives. Another example I shared was how the Puswedilla series invented a hybrid language called Arstalk to convey comical anecdotes and ideas with added humour. All of these cases were well-received by the audience, who were able to see that companies like Leo Burnett use typography as a design element in its own right and are therefore able to maximise its potential to communicate an idea with simplicity, effectiveness and power.

Highlighting the importance of the workshop Lalindra said: This typography workshop was the first of its kind to be held in Sri Lanka by the University of Moratuwa and more than 350 people participated in it. Many guest lecturers and participants from other regional countries also attended the programme. It was a proud moment for me to see Sri Lanka at the forefront of such an important communications event. This workshop was of an international standard and I hope that it will play an influencing role in encouraging more youth and young professionals to embrace the value of typography and consider careers in advertising. Programmes of this nature also give us an opportunity to showcase the world-class creative ideas and campaigns that we have executed as an agency over the years, we are also able to impart our knowledge to the next generation of creative leaders and hopefully draw them to our industry.
On the advice and instructions of Mahanayake Theras of the Malwatta and Asgiri Chapters, Lekakadhikari Theras, Ven Dr. Medagama Sri Dhammananda Thera (Asgiri) and Ven Dr. Pahamune Sri Sumangala Thera (acting Lekakadhikari Thera of the Malwatu Chapter) had presented a letter containing 21 points, in which the two chapters request for response.

This document was presented to the President at his official residence in Kandy during a visit made by him today. The President thereafter met both the Lekakadhikaris and the Monks of the senior Sangha Saba.

Don't open road in front of Maligawa

Is Sri Lanka a narcotics hub?

Monitor NGO activities

Introduce solution to N/E issue

Secure powers of President

The document covered the subject of official vesting of all buildings within the precincts of the Dalada Maligawa, with the Dalada Maligawa, refraining from opening the road in front of the Maligawa, and construction of a broad tunnel up to Louis Peiris Mawatha and Rajapihilla with the aim of easing the traffic congestion in the Kandy town, the concern about Sri Lanka being used as head quarters for drugs, undertake the widening of the Katugastota, Asgiriya, and Getambe road.

The monitoring of activities of NGOs, making people aware if bringing in a new Constitution or making amendments to the present one, ensuring the Wildlife conservation areas, creating awareness on the reconciliation council, its aims and the proposed activities, and in introducing a political solution to the North East issue by further securing the powers of the President and arriving at a solution with powers centered at the central government were highlighted in the 21-point letter presented to the President.

"The Upcountry Village Rehabilitation Commission should be restored and steps should be taken to uplift the Sinhala people living in the land locked villages in between prominently Muslim and Tamil villages. The public representatives in these electorates are virtually Tamils or Muslims who purposely neglect the prominently Sinhala villages. This compels them to sell their traditional land to the Muslims and leave the area. It is necessary to create awareness in this regard, the letter also highlighted. (J. A. L. Jayasinghe)
Sri Lankas largest export firm, MAS Holdings, is set to acquire an apparel manufacturing factory in the United States for US $ 20 million, marking the homegrown apparel giants first foray into production in the western hemisphere.

Colombo-based private equity fund, Jupiter Capital Partners, in its monthly bulletin said MAS Holdings subsidiary, MAS Capital, has closed a deal to acquire the manufacturing assets of Acme-McCrary Corp, based in Asheboro, North Carolina.

The US manufacturer produces tights, sheers and other seamless apparel and is one of a handful of such manufacturers in the country after most competitors went out of business in recent decades. MAS will be acquiring Acme-McCrarys textile mill in Asheboro, which was established 108 years ago, has historical significance and was added to the US National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

According to foreign media reports, the agreement is expected to be signed this month.

The reports further stated that US $ 300,000 in incentives was approved by the local governments, subject to MAS expanding Acme-McCrarys manufacturing capacities and creating at least 133 new jobs at an average wage of US $ 30,637, while retaining the current jobs.

Acme-McCrary was the sole producer of the popular Spanx-branded hoses until a few years ago and is still engaged in product development for the brand. MAS has had a small account of Spanx for a few years now.

MAS Chairman Mahesh Amalean in a statement had said that the groups entry into the western hemisphere allows it to increase the degree of speed and flexibility in which it engages with its customers.

Acme-McCrary also has production facilities in the US state of Georgia and the Central American country, Honduras.

MAS employs over 80,000 personnel across over 45 facilities in 15 countries and exports products mainly to the US and Europe.
Steel is an essential material, the backbone to countless products used in many industries, structures and services shaping

the world.

As the steel industry transforms into a high-tech business, Nawaloka Steel (Pvt) Ltd, a subsidiary of Nawaloka Holdings, has emerged as a dynamic player providing customers high quality products and

innovative offerings.

In the market since 1964 under the Nawaloka umbrella, five decades later, the company has evolved according to the changing needs of the marketplace with a product portfolio that represents reliability and quality to customers.

To be a leader in the local steel industry requires an entrepreneurial spirit, persisting in producing the highest-quality products. Today we are a dynamic player in the local market and want to be part Sri Lankas infrastructure growth by offering quality solutions to match with local needs, noted Jayantha Dharmadasa, Chairman Nawaloka Steel Pvt., Ltd.

Since 2009, Nawaloka Steel began manufacturing wire nails at its own production facility and has continually developed a wide range of high performance products. Today its product portfolio has expanded to include mild steel wire nails, barbed wire - galvanized and pvc coated, galvanised roofing sheets, galvanised welded mesh and pvc coated chain link fencing. To enhance the efficiency of its retail activity and to expand its scope of business, Nawaloka Steel has placed special emphasis on strengthening its dealer network spread across the country

With a monthly output of over 800 tonnes, Nawaloka Steel procures raw materials locally, from India and from China. The company comprises of 140 staff including the factory, sales and management units, who are qualified and dedicated in ensuring that customer requirements are fulfilled.

All products manufactured by Nawaloka Steel are in keeping with international standards. The company uses state-of-the-art ENKOTEC machinery from Denmark, the worlds leading supplier of high-performance machinery for the manufacture of wire nails. SLS certification for the factory is expected in the near future.

We remain committed in our vision to become the countrys leading steel products manufacturer providing customer with cutting-edge solutions and value for money, noted Jayantha Dharmadasa.
A new division had been established to curb organised crime in the country, the Police Department said today.

The Organised Crimes Prevention Division (OCPD) located at No. 9, Mihindu Mawatha, Colombo 12 will work under the purview of IGP Pujith Jayasundara and Western Province Crimes and Traffic DIG Nandana Munasinghe and will be managed by a Superintendent of Police, the Police said.

The Police said the division would investigate organised crimes across the country, particularly those involved in underworld gangs, weapons and drugs.

The division will operate 24 hours.

The Police said the general public could provide information regarding such crimes to 011-2326229 / 011-2451397 or dir.occib@police.lk. (Darshana Sanjeewa)
Sri Lankas trouble with its trade account is set to continue for the foreseeable future as the provisional data released for this year have indicated a further widening of the countrys trade deficit due to current power generation largely depending on petroleum imports.

Making matters worse, Sri Lanka seems to have run out of options to reverse the trend.

Sri Lanka ended 2016 with a ballooned trade deficit of US $ 9.1 billion compared to a deficit of US $ 8.4 billion in 2015 as a result of the expenditure on imports increasing by 2.5 percent with the earnings from exports contracting by 2.2 percent.

A widening of the trade deficit was observed in January as well, Acting Director of Economic Research at the Central Bank, Dr. C. Amarasekara, told reporters in Colombo, recently.

Although he did not elaborate on the absolute expenditure and import numbers for January, the provisional figures showed the expenditure on imports increasing by a significant 13.2 percent while the export earnings contracting by 1.1 percent.

According to Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy, Sri Lanka has imported a larger amount of refined petroleum products during the month of January 2017, specially for power generation due to the prevailing drought conditions.

The year 2016 saw a lower contribution from hydropower to Sri Lankas power generation mix in

a decade.

The power sector regulator Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has only approved the diesel power plants out of the Ceylon Electricity Boards (CEB) long term power generation expansion plan for 2015- out of which thirty four are most likely to demand more fuel

for running.

Sri Lanka has no choice but to import petroleum in refined form because the countrys only refinery in Sapugaskanda has serious capacity issues.

Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery Expansion Projects attempt to increase the refinerys capacity up to 125, 000 barrels a day from the current less than 50,000 has been in limbo for close to a decade due to a multitude of reasons.

According to Central Bank data, crude oil only accounts for less than 40 percent of the total oil imports to Sri Lanka.

According to 2015 data, Sri Lankas total energy market is estimated at Rs. 811 billion out of which oil accounts for Rs. 499 billion.

Sri Lanka in 2016 spent US $ 2.3 billion for crude oil and refined petroleum imports, slightly down from US $ 2.5 billion in 2015 mainly due to record low global oil prices.

However, the global crude oil prices are expected to remain elevated as the OPEC members recently decided to remain committed to the production cuts earlier agreed upon up to June. Analysts say these production cuts are likely to be extended beyond June.

It was only a week ago the Central Bank Governor said the Sri Lankan economy operated with an extremely thin margin and therefore is highly susceptible to economic hardships in case of an oil price hike or similar kind of shock.
(c) 2017, Bloomberg  Sam Wilkin  BUSINESS, WORLD, MIDDLE-EAST  Apr 03, 2017 -

A territorial dispute in northern Iraq threatens to disrupt oil output at a field containing as much crude as Norway, even as U.S.-backed forces prepare what could be a decisive blow against Islamic State militants in the nearby city of Mosul. Kirkuk, where Iraq first discovered oil in 1927, can produce more than 1 million barrels a day but is pumping at less than half its capacity while competing ethnic and political groups scramble to control its 9 billion barrels of reserves.



1. Whats behind the tensions in Kirkuk?

Lying near a disputed city of the same name, the Kirkuk field is a tinderbox for potential conflict between the central government and Iraqs semi-autonomous Kurds, both of whom have for decades claimed it as their own. More recently, it also became became a flashpoint for rival Kurdish political parties and their heavily armed supporters. As Islamic State becomes less of a pressing threat, a lot of these tensions that had been subsumed into the common fight are inevitably going to come back to the surface, says Richard Mallinson, an analyst at consultant Energy Aspects. 2. Who controls the Kirkuk field?



Iraqs central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government both pump oil from different wells at the field, which straddles their respective areas of control. Kurdish forces took control of territory around Kirkuk in June 2014 after the Iraqi army fled from Islamic State militants, but the federal government in Baghdad doesnt recognize Kurdish control of the area. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party, which leads Kirkuks local government and maintains the citys security, is a rival to the Kurdistan Democratic Party that dominates the KRG and controls most of its oil revenues.



3. How much oil is Kirkuk producing?

Kirkuk and nearby fields are producing about half a million barrels of oil daily, according to data supplied by the Oil Ministry and the KRG in September 2016. Most of the crude is exported through a Kurdish-controlled pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. The KRG produces about 350,000 barrels a day, and the state-run North Oil Co. approximately 150,000. The two sides reached a deal in August 2016 allowing North Oil to export through the Kurdish pipeline. In return, the KRG takes a cut of the revenue and gets to export its own share of crude from Kirkuk. Iraq, the second-biggest OPEC member, pumped a total of 4.44 million barrels a day in February, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Oil prices fell more than 2 percent after the agreement as it was expected to increase exports by about 150,000 barrels.



4. Why is the deal at risk?

The export deal doesnt address the competing claims to Kirkuks oil, or the larger dispute over the KRGs right to produce and export oil independently of the central government. The deal also left out Kirkuks PUK-led provincial government, stoking tensions between the two main Kurdish parties. On March 2, soldiers loyal to the PUK stormed North Oils main pumping facility at Kirkuk and briefly halted exports of more than 100,000 barrels a day. They threatened to cut off those exports permanently unless Iraqs Oil Ministry agreed to share revenue from crude pumped there and to develop local energy projects.



5. Why the chilly relations between the two Kurdish parties?

The KDP and PUK are uneasy coalition partners in the KRG, having fought a civil war with each other in the 1990s.

contd. on page 21
United National Party(UNP) working committee has decided to finalize it's reorganization after the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, general secretary Kabir Hashim said today.

Mr. Hashim told journalists that changes to the party will be made at the next working committee meeting which will be held after the New Year.

Asked whether reorganization was postponed because of any opposition by any member of the party, he said no one has spoken against giving any new appointment to anyone including Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka.

Further, he said the working committee has decided to go ahead with vast development projects such as the Hambantota industrial zone project and on the May Day rally.

Deputy leader Sajith Premadasa said party has decided to compensate the party members who were subjected to political victimization. He said the party will go-ahead with the realization this year. " UNP is not a party that would stagnate" he said. (Yohan Perera)

Video by Buddhi
By Raine Tiessalo, Ting Shi

(c) 2017, Bloomberg  

Apr 04, 2017 - 1:51 AM

Before his first meeting with Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping will stop over in Helsinki. More than just logistics, the Finnish trip reflects a fundamental shift in commercial and diplomatic ties.



Xi is being greeted with open arms in the euro areas northernmost territory. Finlands prosperity, like that of much of the Nordics, depends on a smooth functioning of global trade, with few regions being more hostile to the idea of protectionism.



For the Chinese, the signal is that the U.S. is not the only diplomatic focus for China; Europe is also very significant, said Feng Zhongping, a vice president at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations who focuses on Chinese-European ties.



As Trump continues to promote America First and warns via Twitter of a difficult meeting ahead with Xi, the worlds manufacturing engine is carefully positioning itself for the new global order. The contrast isnt limited to trade. In the face of the U.S. presidents skepticism toward man-made global warming, China is now placing itself alongside the European Union in the fight against climate change. The EUs climate commissioner, Miguel Arias Canete, said ahead of his visit to China last week that our successful cooperation on issues like emissions trading and clean technologies are bearing fruit.



On the diplomatic front, China also appears to be acting as a counterpoint to Trumps calls for a breakup of the EU following the U.K.s decision to leave the bloc.



China is of the view that European integration is consistent with the trend of history, and a prosperous and stable Europe is conducive to world peace and development, Xi said in an article penned for Mondays edition of the English-language Helsinki Times. We believe that Europe has the wisdom and capability to overcome the challenges. In this process, Europe can count on Chinas support.



But it is in the field of trade that China and Europe stand to gain the most.



China is ready to take on a bigger role in global trade politics. Thats logical, Finnish Trade Minister Kai Mykkanen said. As the largest trader they have the most to lose if the world edges toward a trade war.



The EU is already Chinas main trading partner, while China is the EUs second behind the U.S. Trade flows currently amount to well over 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) per day, but theres scope for more. Having reiterated their commitment to free trade at the last G-20 meeting of finance ministers, China and the EU are now moving closer to even greater commercial ties.



As Olli Rehn, a Bank of Finland board member and former European commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, put it: We may not share all the values, but we share the goal of free trade.

contd. on page 21
When I was in primary school, my teacher asked the class who our heroes were. As you can expect, most of the children named their favourite pop star or actor but I remember standing up and saying My great grandmother Elizabeth, because shes 103!

The classroom went silent and all eyes were on me. How is that even possible? I was asked by a classmate. Honestly, if you would have told me back then that I would be travelling to celebrate her 117th birthday, I would have asked the same question. But, 14 years later, we celebrated my great grandmothers 117th birthday.

Ever since I was a little girl, Ive been bursting to share the story of my great grandmother, Elizabeth Gathoni Koinange. She is known to be one of the oldest living people in the world and has lived through both world wars, the colonisation of Kenya and its independence. She is greatly admired in Kenya because she was the fifth wife of Senior Chief Koinange Wa Mbiyu, who played a great role in Kenyas independence.

I was raised in London, but my African  specifically Kenyan  roots have always been a huge part of who I am. Id find myself frustrated seeing images of Africa in the media being of starvation, famine and corruption, but at the BBC, were changing that.

Even though these stories are relevant, so are the positive stories from the continent. Africa is a big and diverse continent; each country bursting with stories to be told and each of them unique and important in their own right. I wanted to tell these stories to the world.

Elizabeth waiting on her front porch for her great granddaughter to arrive. (Image credit: Peter Price)

The journey began when I was doing an internship at the BBC. One of my senior colleagues advised me to attend a meeting about Creative Challenge  an annual competition within the BBC, where employees of any discipline at any level can pitch story ideas. That meeting was full of people listening to the commissioning editor announce the 2017 Creative Challenge theme... "Life Stories". It was just then that a light bulb went off in my head: "Life at 117".

I was excited to tell the story of my great grandmother who has lived far past the average life expectancy. Its not often the gap between young and old is bridged, and not often do you get stories that connect millennials with older citizens, especially in Africa.

This story was not just the celebration of a long life, but also of the forgotten history of the struggle and liberation of Kenya, and those who fought in it. That is what makes this story special.

If theres one thing that the whole world has in common, it is the stages of life  childhood, marriage, parenthood, work and old age. Even though its a commonality for most of us across the globe, just imagine how unique and unmatchable those five stages in life must be for every person in each generation.

My life has been completely different to my great grandmothers at my age. At age 23, my grandmother had been working on her fathers farm in Kenya having had no formal education. I, on the other hand, have graduated from university and am now a journalist in London.

When I found out that my story pitch had won the Creative Challenge, I was thrilled and soon began to plan the documentary. I researched into my family history and discovered stories I had never known.

Living family tree taken on Elizabeths compound. (Image credit: Peter Price.)

When I told my great grandmother I wanted to do a documentary about her life, she was ecstatic. She always says that the world has left elderly people behind but she was delighted to learn that the BBC News teams would be with her to celebrate her 117th birthday.

I flew to Kenya, to my ancestral home, to film the documentary for BBC World News and BBC World Service. My family were excited to welcome the crew into their home, to be able to tell my grandmothers story  about life at 117  to global audiences. Shes excited that people in places as far away and as culturally different as Japan and Brazil will be able to watch her story.

Everyone agrees my grandmother is a phenomenal woman. From her strength to her love and faith for the family, she has always taught me to stay focused and pursue my dreams. To love all and to forgive. And for this, my great grandmother will always be my hero.

She is simply inspiring and has had a unique life that is going to capture the attention of the world.
Forget a nuclear winter setting in as a result of an India-Pakistan atomic exchange anytime soon, instead we find ourselves in the middle of a nuclear summer, as "The Gray Lady" is the latest entity to hot up the Great NFU debate.

Although, why we are debating whether India is abandoning its policy of no first use of nuclear weapons at this juncture is extremely puzzling.

The NYT piece quotes "circumstantial evidence" in the form of a "triad" of statements  by former NSA Shiv Shankar Menon, a retired head of India's Strategic Forces Command (SFC), Lt Gen BS Nagal, and then defence minister Parrikar  as the trigger.

But how is any of this new? The key provocateur in the latest rerun of this debate, Vipin Narang of MIT, had already highlighted this triad in November 2016, so what has changed since then except a high-profile think tank event that needed some radioactive grist so as not to appear run of the mill?

Another contention is that India has now moved away from using nuclear weapons for counter value targeting (essentially cities) to counter force targeting (essentially military targets).

But why would Indian planners regard these as mutually exclusive in the first place, especially when the doctrine is centered around massive retaliation?

If we think a first strike will neutralise all Pakistani nuclear strike capability, that's just a chimera. Photo: Reuters

Moreover, the Indian doctrine goes further than even ambiguous US threats in Desert Storm by promising nuclear retaliation for biological and chemical weapon attacks.

The enemy's chemical and biological weapon facilities  which in this context fall under a counterforce definition  have always been in the cross hairs.

Also, is Rawalpindi  home to Pakistan Army's general headquarters as also millions of civilians  a counterforce target or a countervalue target? What about Karachi?

Pakistan's most populous city is also a base for its submarines, now supposedly armed with cruise missiles with nuclear warheads, giving them a nascent second-strike capability.

Counterforce versus countervalue distinctions only go so far, and the lines blur frequently.

Coming back to the triad of statements, let's consider Parrikar's. His maverick pronouncements on NFU led to his own ministry immediately distancing itself from them. This is a man who once said India must "neutralise terrorist through terrorist", but we didn't see counter-terrorism experts confirming the return of CIT-X and CIT-J as an instrument of the Indian policy.

Why then should his nuclear pronouncements be taken seriously?

How are Lt Gen Nagal's strong words suggesting that an NFU posture was somehow "morally wrong" proof that India is shifting to a first-use posture?

If anything, his angst seems to suggest status quo, why else would he be channelling his inner Sundarji and advocating a change of what he perceives is a flawed policy.

Primarily, extracts from Shiv Shankar Menon's book have been cited as the most credible evidence of a change in status quo.

Narang offers Menon's statement that "Pakistani tactical nuclear weapons use [or imminent use] would effectively free India to undertake a comprehensive first strike against Pakistan" as the clincher.

Unfortunately, he is mixing up Rules of Engagement (ROE) that exist at the tactical level with a shift in doctrine.

Menon's statement on "imminent use" is consistent with a positive indication of hostile intent.

"Do Not Fire Until Fired Upon" is a Hollywood catchphrase and does not apply to real world ROE, which almost always prioritises intent over action. Look no further than the US Navy's shootdown of Libyan Mig-23s in 1989 that it is a standard practice to be the first to fire if "hostile intent" is assessed and self-defence becomes the priority.

Yes, nuke stuff is exotic and esoteric but it's still warfare at the end of the day and certain universal rules still apply.

Regardless, if we think a first strike will neutralise all Pakistani nuclear strike capability, that's just a chimera.

For India to adopt a Pakistani version of a nuclear first strike  a nuclear response to an overwhelming conventional attack  makes little sense given the respective military capabilities of the two nations.

None of this is to say that a greater debate about India's nuclear weapons posture isn't required. In fact, there is an overwhelming need for it; but I daresay on more vexing issues.
ITV plc, an integrated producer broadcaster, creates, owns, and distributes content on various platforms worldwide. It operates through Media & Entertainment, and ITV Studios segments. The Media & Entertainment segment broadcasts various contents on its family of free-to-air channels, including ITV, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, ITVBe, ITV Encore, CITV, ITV Breakfast, CITV Breakfast, and various related +1 and HD equivalents; and offers television advertising services. It also delivers content through linear television broadcasting, as well as on the ITV Hub, catch up services on pay platforms, and through direct content deals. In addition, this segment offers online advertising, HD digital channel on pay platform, and ITV Choice subscription services, as well as licenses DTT Multiplex A. The ITV Studios segment creates and produces programs and formats that include drama, entertainment, and factual entertainment for its own channels and other broadcasters. It also operates as an unscripted independent producer of content in the United States; and produces content for local broadcasters and international OTT platforms in Australia, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. In addition, this segment engages in formats and distribution ITV's finished programmes, and formats and third-party content internationally, as well as finances productions. The company also engages in the development of platform, broadband, transactional, and mobile services; operation of digital television channels; operation of Freeview Multiplex A; rights ownership and distribution of television programs and films; and scheduling and commissioning of television programs. ITV plc was founded in 1955 is based in London, the United Kingdom.
The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial products and services in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking. The company offers personal deposits, such as chequing, savings, and investment products; financing, investment, cash management, international trade, and day-to-day banking services to businesses; and financing options to customers at point of sale for automotive and recreational vehicle purchases. It also provides credit cards and payments; real estate secured lending, auto finance, and consumer lending services; point-of-sale payment solutions for large and small businesses; wealth and asset management products, and advice to retail and institutional clients through direct investing, advice-based, and asset management businesses; and property and casualty insurance, as well as life and health insurance products. The company also provides capital markets, and corporate and investment banking products and services, including underwriting and distribution of new debt and equity issues; advice on strategic acquisitions and divestitures; and trading, funding, and investment services to corporations, governments, and institutions. It offers its products and services under the TD Bank and America's Most Convenient Bank brand names. The company operates through a network of 1,061 branches and 3,381 automated teller machines (ATMs) in Canada, and 1,148 stores and 2,701 ATMs in the United States, as well as offers telephone, digital, and mobile banking services. It has a strategic alliance with Canada Post Corporation. The Toronto-Dominion Bank was founded in 1855 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
The following companies are subsidiares of DaVita: Aberdeen Dialysis LLC, Accountable Kidney Care LLC, Adair Dialysis LLC, American Fork Dialysis LLC, American Medical Insurance Inc., Animas Dialysis LLC, Arcadia Gardens Dialysis LLC, Ashdow Dialysis LLC, Atlantic Dialysis LLC, Austin Dialysis Centers L.P., Barnell Dialysis LLC, Barrons Dialysis LLC, Barton Dialysis LLC, Bastrop Dialysis LLC, Beachside Dialysis LLC, Beck Dialysis LLC, Bellevue Dialysis LLC, Bemity Dialysis LLC, Beverly Hills Dialysis Partnership, Birch Dialysis LLC, Bladon Dialysis LLC, Bliss Dialysis LLC, Bohama Dialysis LLC, Bowan Dialysis LLC, Braddock Dialysis LLC, Bridges Dialysis LLC, Brimfield Dialysis LLC, Brook Dialysis LLC, Brownsville Kidney Center Ltd., Brownwood Dialysis LLC, Bruno Dialysis LLC, Buckhorn Dialysis LLC, Buford Dialysis LLC, Bullards Dialysis LLC, Bullock Dialysis LLC, Calante Dialysis LLC, Campton Dialysis LLC, Canyon Springs Dialysis LLC, Capes Dialysis LLC, Capital Dialysis Partnership, Capron Dialysis LLC, Carlton Dialysis LLC, Carroll County Dialysis Facility Inc., Carroll County Dialysis Facility Limited Partnership, Cascades Dialysis LLC, Caverns Dialysis LLC, Cedar Dialysis LLC, Centennial LV LLC, Central Carolina Dialysis Centers LLC, Central Georgia Dialysis LLC, Central Iowa Dialysis Partners LLC, Central Kentucky Dialysis Centers LLC, Channel Dialysis LLC, Cheraw Dialysis LLC, Chicago Heights Dialysis LLC, Chipeta Dialysis LLC, Churchill Dialysis LLC, Cinco Rios Dialysis LLC, Clark Dialysis LLC, Clayton Dialysis LLC, Cleburne Dialysis LLC, Clinica Central do Bonfim S.A., Clinton Township Dialysis LLC, Clyfee Dialysis LLC, Columbus-RNA-DaVita LLC, Conconully Dialysis LLC, Continental Dialysis Center Inc., Couer Dialysis LLC, Court Dialysis LLC, Cowell Dialysis LLC, Cowesett Dialysis LLC, Crossings Dialysis LLC, Crystals Dialysis LLC, Cuivre Dialysis LLC, Culbert Dialysis LLC, DC Healthcare International Inc., DNP Management Company LLC, DPS CKD LLC, DV Care Netherlands B.V., DV Care Netherlands C.V., DVA Healthcare - Southwest Ohio LLC, DVA Healthcare Renal Care Inc., DVA Healthcare of Maryland LLC, DVA Healthcare of Massachusetts Inc., DVA Healthcare of New London LLC, DVA Healthcare of Norwich LLC, DVA Healthcare of Pennsylvania LLC, DVA Healthcare of Tuscaloosa LLC, DVA Holdings Pte. Ltd., DVA Laboratory Services Inc., DVA Renal Healthcare Inc., DVA of New York Inc., DaVita - Riverside II LLC, DaVita - Riverside LLC, DaVita - West LLC, DaVita APAC Holding B.V., DaVita Brasil Participacoes e Servicos de Nefrologia Ltda., DaVita Care (Saudi Arabia), DaVita Dakota Dialysis Center LLC, DaVita Deutschland AG, DaVita Deutschland Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, DaVita El Paso East L.P., DaVita Germany GmbH, DaVita HK Holdings Limited, DaVita HealthCare Brasil Servicos Medicos Ltda., DaVita International Limited, DaVita Nefromed Servicos de Nefrologia Ltda., DaVita Nephron Care Servicos de Nefrologia Ltda., DaVita Rien Servicos de Nefrologia Ltda., DaVita S.A.S., DaVita Servicos de Nefrologia Asa Sul Ltda., DaVita Servicos de Nefrologia Distrito Federal Ltda., DaVita Servicos de Nefrologia Guarulhos Ltda., DaVita Servicos de Nefrologia Jardim das Imbuias Ltda., DaVita Servicos de Nefrologia Taubate Ltda., DaVita Servicos de Nefrologia de Araraquara Ltda., DaVita Sp. z o.o., DaVita Sud-Niedersachsen GmbH, DaVita Transrim Servicos de Nefrologia Ltda., DaVita UTR Servicos de Nefrologia Ltda., DaVita VillageHealth Inc., DaVita of New York Inc., Dallas-Fort Worth Nephrology L.P., Damon Dialysis LLC, Dialysis Holdings Inc., Dialysis of Des Moines LLC, Dialysis of Northern Illinois LLC, Dierks Dialysis LLC, Dolores Dialysis LLC, Dome Dialysis LLC, Doves Dialysis LLC, Downriver Centers Inc., EURODIAL - Centro de Nefrologia e Dialise de Leiria S.A., East End Dialysis Center Inc., East Ft. Lauderdale LLC, Ebrea Dialysis LLC, Edisto Dialysis LLC, Eldrist Dialysis LLC, Elgin Dialysis LLC, Elk Grove Dialysis Center LLC, Empire State DC Inc., Etowah Dialysis LLC, Ettleton Dialysis LLC, Eufaula Dialysis LLC, Falcon LLC, Family Health Care of Central Florida, Fanthorp Dialysis LLC, Federal Way Assurance Inc., Fields Dialysis LLC, Five Star Dialysis LLC, Fjords Dialysis LLC, Flagler Dialysis LLC, Flamingo Park Kidney Center Inc., Forester Dialysis LLC, Freehold Artificial Kidney Center L.L.C., Fremont Dialysis LLC, Frontier Dialysis LLC, Fullerton Dialysis Center LLC, GDC International LLC, Gambro Healthcare, Ganois Dialysis LLC, Garner Dialysis LLC, Garrett Dialysis LLC, Gaviota Dialysis LLC, Gebhard Dialysis LLC, Genesis KC Development LLC, GiveLife Dialysis LLC, Glassland Dialysis LLC, Glosser Dialysis LLC, Goliad Dialysis LLC, Grand Home Dialysis LLC, Greater Las Vegas Dialysis LLC, Greater Los Angeles Dialysis Centers LLC, Green Country Dialysis LLC, Green Desert Dialysis LLC, Griffin Dialysis LLC, Groten Dialysis LLC, Harmony Dialysis LLC, Hart Dialysis LLC, Hawn Dialysis LLC, Healthcare Partners, Helmer Dialysis LLC, Hennepin Dialysis LLC, Hewett Dialysis LLC, Hilgards Dialysis LLC, Hochatown Dialysis LLC, Home Kidney Care LLC, Honeyman Dialysis LLC, Houston Kidney Center/Total Renal Care Integrated Service Network Limited Partnership, Hummer Dialysis LLC, Hunter Dialysis LLC, Huntington Artificial Kidney Center Ltd., Hyde Dialysis LLC, IDC -International Dialysis Centers Lda, ISD Bartlett LLC, ISD Corpus Christi LLC, ISD I Holding Company Inc., ISD II Holding Company Inc., ISD Las Vegas LLC, ISD Lees Summit LLC, ISD Renal Inc., ISD Schaumburg LLC, ISD Spring Valley LLC, ISD Summit Renal Care LLC, Iroquois Dialysis LLC, Jacinto Dialysis LLC, Jenness Dialysis LLC, Kamiah Dialysis LLC, Kanika Dialysis LLC, Kavett Dialysis LLC, Kenai Dialysis LLC, Kershaw Dialysis LLC, Kidney Home Center LLC, Kimball Dialysis LLC, Kingston Dialysis LLC, Kinnick Dialysis LLC, Kinter Dialysis LLC, Kiowa Dialysis LLC, Knickerbocker Dialysis Inc., Lakeshore Dialysis LLC, Landing Dialysis LLC, Landor Dialysis LLC, Lassen Dialysis LLC, Leasburg Dialysis LLC, Leawood Dialysis LLC, Lees Dialysis LLC, Legare Development LLC, Liberty RC Inc., Lifeline Pensacola LLC, Lifeline Vascular Center-Albany LLC, Lincoln Park Dialysis Services Inc., Livingston Dialysis LLC, Llano Dialysis LLC, Lofield Dialysis LLC, Logoley Dialysis LLC, Lone Dialysis LLC, Long Beach Dialysis Center LLC, Lord Baltimore Dialysis LLC, Lory Dialysis LLC, Lourdes Dialysis LLC, Lyndale Dialysis LLC, MVZ DaVita Alzey GmbH, MVZ DaVita Aurich GmbH, MVZ DaVita Bad Aibling GmbH, MVZ DaVita Bad Duben GmbH, MVZ DaVita Cardio Centrum Dusseldorf GmbH, MVZ DaVita Dillenburg GmbH, MVZ DaVita Dinkelsbuhl GmbH, MVZ DaVita Dormagen GmbH, MVZ DaVita Duisburg GmbH, MVZ DaVita Elsterland GmbH, MVZ DaVita Emden GmbH, MVZ DaVita Falkensee GmbH, MVZ DaVita Geilenkirchen GmbH, MVZ DaVita Gera GmbH, MVZ DaVita Iserlohn GmbH, MVZ DaVita Monchengladbach GmbH, MVZ DaVita Neuss GmbH, MVZ DaVita Niederrhein GmbH, MVZ DaVita Nierenzentrum Aachen Alsdorf GmbH, MVZ DaVita Nierenzentrum Berlin-Britz GmbH, MVZ DaVita Nierenzentrum Hamm-Ahlen GmbH, MVZ DaVita Prenzlau-Pasewalk GmbH, MVZ DaVita Rhein-Ahr GmbH, MVZ DaVita Rhein-Ruhr GmbH, MVZ DaVita Schwalm-Eder GmbH, MVZ DaVita Viersen GmbH, Madigan Dialysis LLC, Magney Dialysis LLC, Magoffin Dialysis LLC, Makonee Dialysis LLC, Marlton Dialysis Center LLC, Marseille Dialysis LLC, Mason-Dixon Dialysis Facilities Inc., Mazonia Dialysis LLC, Mellen Dialysis LLC, Melnea Dialysis LLC, Memorial Dialysis Center L.P., Meridian Dialysis LLC, Mermet Dialysis LLC, Milltown Dialysis LLC, Minam Dialysis LLC, Minneopa Dialysis LLC, Mountain West Dialysis Services LLC, Mulgee Dialysis LLC, Nansen Dialysis LLC, Natomas Dialysis LLC, Nauvue Dialysis LLC, Navarro Dialysis LLC, Nephrology Medical Associates of Georgia LLC, Nephrology Practice Solutions LLC, New Bay Dialysis LLC, Nicona Dialysis LLC, Norbert Dialysis LLC, Norte Dialysis LLC, North Austin Dialysis LLC, Northwest Physicians Network, Oasis Dialysis LLC, Ohio River Dialysis LLC, Okanogan Dialysis LLC, Olive Dialysis LLC, Ordust Dialysis LLC, Owyhee Dialysis LLC, Palo Dialysis LLC, Palomar Dialysis LLC, Panther Dialysis LLC, Parkside Dialysis LLC, Pattison Dialysis LLC, Patuk Dialysis LLC, Pearl Dialysis LLC, Pendster Dialysis LLC, Percha Dialysis LLC, Pershing Dialysis LLC, Pfeiffer Dialysis LLC, Philadelphia-Camden Integrated Kidney Care LLC, Physicians Choice Dialysis LLC, Physicians Choice Dialysis Of Alabama LLC, Physicians Dialysis Acquisitions Inc., Physicians Dialysis Ventures LLC, Physicians Dialysis of Lancaster LLC, Physicians Management LLC, Pible Dialysis LLC, Pinson Dialysis LLC, Pittsburgh Dialysis Partners LLC, Piute Dialysis LLC, Plaine Dialysis LLC, Platte Dialysis LLC, Pluribus Dialise - Benfica S.A., Pluribus Dialise - Cascais S.A., Pluribus Dialise S.A., Prairie Dialysis LLC, Prineville Dialysis LLC, Purity Dialysis, RMS Lifeline Inc., RNA - DaVita Dialysis LLC, RV Academy LLC, Ramsey Dialysis LLC, Rayburn Dialysis LLC, Red Willow Dialysis LLC, Redcliff Dialysis LLC, Refuge Dialysis LLC, Renal Center of Beaumont LLC, Renal Center of Fort Dodge LLC, Renal Center of Lewisville LLC, Renal Center of Morristown LLC, Renal Center of Newton LLC, Renal Center of Port Arthur LLC, Renal Center of Tyler L.P.L.L.L.P., Renal Center of West Beaumont LLC, Renal Center of the Hills LLC, Renal Life Link Inc., Renal Treatment Centers - California Inc., Renal Treatment Centers - Illinois Inc., Renal Treatment Centers - Mid-Atlantic Inc., Renal Treatment Centers - Northeast Inc., Renal Treatment Centers - Southeast LP, Renal Treatment Centers - West Inc., Renal Treatment Centers Inc., Renal Ventures Management LLC, RenalServ LLC, Riddle Dialysis LLC, River Valley Dialysis LLC, Rocky Mountain Dialysis Services LLC, Rollins Dialysis LLC, Roose Dialysis LLC, Rophets Dialysis LLC, Roushe Dialysis LLC, Routt Dialysis LLC, Royale Dialysis LLC, Rusk Dialysis LLC, Rutland Dialysis LLC, SAKDC-DaVita Dialysis Partners L.P., Saddleback Dialysis LLC, Sahara Dialysis LLC, San Marcos Dialysis LLC, Santiam Dialysis LLC, Sapelo Dialysis LLC, Saunders Dialysis LLC, Seabay Dialysis LLC, Secour Dialysis LLC, Sensiba Dialysis LLC, Shadow Dialysis LLC, Shayano Dialysis LLC, Shelling Dialysis LLC, Sherman Dialysis LLC, Shetek Dialysis LLC, Shining Star Dialysis Inc., Siena Dialysis Center LLC, Simeon Dialysis LLC, Skagit Dialysis LLC, Soledad Dialysis Center LLC, Somerville Dialysis Center LLC, South Central Florida Dialysis Partners LLC, South Fork Dialysis LLC, Southern Hills Dialysis Center LLC, Southlake Dialysis LLC, Southwest Atlanta Dialysis Centers LLC, Sprague Dialysis LLC, Springpond Dialysis LLC, Star Dialysis LLC, Stevenson Dialysis LLC, Stewart Dialysis LLC, Stines Dialysis LLC, Storrie Dialysis LLC, Sugarloaf Dialysis LLC, Sun City Dialysis Center L.L.C., Sunapee Dialysis LLC, Sunset Dialysis LLC, TRC - Indiana LLC, TRC El Paso Limited Partnership, TRC West Inc., TRC of New York Inc., TRC-Georgetown Regional Dialysis LLC, Talimena Dialysis LLC, Terre Dialysis LLC, The Woodlands Dialysis Center LP, Tortugas Dialysis LLC, Total Renal Care Inc., Total Renal Care Texas Limited Partnership, Total Renal Care of North Carolina LLC, Total Renal Laboratories Inc., Total Renal Research Inc., Toulouse Dialysis LLC, Transmountain Dialysis L.P., Tross Dialysis LLC, Tugman Dialysis LLC, Tunnel Dialysis LLC, Turlock Dialysis Center LLC, Tustin Dialysis Center LLC, Twain Dialysis LLC, Tyler Dialysis LLC, USC-DaVita Dialysis Center LLC, Unicoi Dialysis LLC, University Dialysis Center LLC, Upper Valley Dialysis L.P., Valley Springs Dialysis LLC, Victory Dialysis LLC, VillageHealth DM LLC, Villanueva Dialysis LLC, Vively Health LLC, Vogel Dialysis LLC, Volo Dialysis LLC, Waddell Dialysis LLC, Wakoni Dialysis LLC, Walker Dialysis LLC, Walton Dialysis LLC, Watkins Dialysis LLC, Weldon Dialysis LLC, West Elk Grove Dialysis LLC, West Sacramento Dialysis LLC, Weston Dialysis Center LLC, Whitney Dialysis LLC, Willowbrook Dialysis Center L.P., Winds Dialysis LLC, Wood Dialysis LLC, Woodford Dialysis LLC, Wyandotte Central Dialysis LLC, Yards Dialysis LLC, Ybor City Dialysis LLC, Yucaipa Dialysis LLC, and Zephyrhills Dialysis Center LLC.

Read More
Hilltop Holdings Inc. provides business and consumer banking, and financial products and services. It operates through three segments: Banking, Broker-Dealer, and Mortgage Origination. The Banking segment offers savings, checking, interest-bearing checking, and money market accounts; certificates of deposit; lines and letters of credit, home improvement and equity loans, loans for purchasing and carrying securities, equipment loans and leases, agricultural and commercial real estate loans, and other loans; and commercial and industrial loans, and term and construction finance. This segment also provides treasury management, wealth management, asset management, check cards, safe deposit boxes, online banking, bill pay, trust, and overdraft services; and estate planning, management and administration, investment portfolio management, employee benefit accounts, and individual retirement accounts, as well as automated teller machines. The Broker-Dealer segment offers public finance services that assist public entities in originating, syndicating, and distributing securities of municipalities and political subdivisions; specialized advisory and investment banking services; advice and guidance to arbitrage rebate compliance, portfolio management, and local government investment pool administration; structured finance services, which include advisory services for derivatives and commodities; sells, trades in, and underwrites U.S. government and government agency bonds, corporate bonds, and municipal bonds, as well as mortgage-backed, asset-backed, and commercial mortgage-backed securities and structured products. This segment also provides asset and liability management advisory, clearing, retail, and securities lending services. The Mortgage Origination segment offers mortgage, jumbo, Federal Housing Administration, Veterans Affairs, and United States Department of Agriculture loans. Hilltop Holdings Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
Former national security adviser under President Barack Obama Susan Rice said on Tuesday she absolutely never looked to uncover names of Trump campaign and transition officials for political purposes who were concealed in intercepts by intelligence and said suggestions she leaked their identities were completely false.

Rice said she did not leak anything to anybody and never has and never would. That was in response to the most recent charges as well as countercharges that are flowing from investigations that are politically charged into the interference by Russia in last years presidential election.

Get

Warning: Undefined variable $CompanyName in /home/acctdp/public_html/wp-content/themes/responsalambre/single.php on line 65

alerts:

Since they surfaced for the first time this past weekend, the reports involving Rice quickly overtook the revelations about connections to the Kremlin that have been dogging President Donald Trump for months.

The subject was the dominant theme on Tuesday across cable news as well as on Twitter.

As has become customary, the president took to Twitter to voice his opinion on this matter by retweeting an article that Rice had ordered intelligence documents on him.

Many Republican lawmakers say that Rice should have to testify before inquiries in Congress into what intelligence in the U.S. had said were efforts by Russia not to only cause problems with the presidential race, but to tip the scales in the favor of Trump.

Lindsey Graham and GOP senator from South Carolina said that every American needs to know whether or not President Obamas national security adviser had been involved with unmasking transition members of Trump for political purposes.

Beyond the tweets from Trump, the White House appeared surprisingly restrained on Rice, as its Capitol Hill and media allies expressed their outrage on behalf of it.

The ranking Democrat from the House Intelligence Committee Rep Adam Schiff from California called all the attention being focused on the former national security adviser just a diversionary tactic.

Schiff said that Rep Devin Nunes a Republican and the committees chairman, who was part of the transition team for Trump and a Californian as well, should recuse himself.

On Tuesday, Rice was asked if she would be willing to testify, and replied that everyone should see would is to come.

Investigations about the involvement of Russia in the electoral process are important, they are serious and each American should be interested in them going in whatever direction the evidence takes them, said Rice.

The current focus on Rice arrives as lawmakers attempt to determine why Nunes visited the White House a few weeks ago to look at documents he later said had suggested that names of the transition team of Trump were unmasked improperly.
WASHINGTON  Jeffrey Lacker, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, resigned from his post effective Tuesday, after revealing that he'd played a role in a leak of sensitive information to a financial analyst several years ago.

In a statement, Lacker said he spoke on Oct. 2, 2012, with an analyst at Medley Global Advisors, a macroeconomic research firm owned by the Financial Times Limited. The analyst asked about non-public policy decisions.

"Due to the highly confidential and sensitive nature of this information, I should have declined to comment and perhaps have ended the phone call. Instead, I did not refuse or express my inability to comment and the interview continued," Lacker wrote in the statement.

When Medley published a report by the analyst the next day containing details about a policy option, Lacker realized that his commenting on the information "could have been taken by the Analyst, in the context of the conversation, as an acknowledgment or confirmation," he said in the statement.

The Federal Reserve's announcements about changes to monetary policy, which influences the rate at which money can be borrowed, have a huge effect on the economy. So the Fed is extremely careful in how it dispenses information, allowing members to talk about their own opinions but not to reveal internal discussions on monetary policy.

As a result, even the smallest rumors can move financial markets. Private advisory firms such as Medley seek to walk a careful line between giving their clients valuable information about financial decisions and not falling afoul of insider trading rules.

The Federal Reserve, the Justice Department, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the House Financial Services Committee carried out various investigations of the leak, which pertained to a plan to begin buying billions in Treasury bonds each month to stimulate the economy. The Fed discussed the plan during a Sept. 12-13, 2012, meeting.

The information was not set to be released to the public until Oct. 4, but the Wall Street Journal published an article on Sept. 28 containing confidential information discussed by the Fed in the September meeting. Medley then sent a research note to clients on Oct. 3 containing further details.

Then-Fed Chair Ben Bernanke ordered an investigation of the leak, but it did not uncover who provided the information to the research firm. Suspicion was even briefly cast on then-Vice Chair Janet Yellen, who had met with the Medley analyst who wrote the report, Regina Schleiger, before the leak occurred.

In his statement, Lacker said he failed to disclose to Federal Reserve lawyers that he may have played a part in the leak during the 2012 internal review. However, in a 2015 interview with law enforcement, Lacker said, he did report the incident.

Lacker said that he deeply regretted the incident and that it was never his intention to reveal confidential information. His attorney, Richard Cullen of McGuireWoods, said in a statement later Tuesday that the investigation of Lacker was complete and that no charges would be brought against him.

The Federal Reserve also issued a statement Tuesday saying that it is committed to maintaining the security of confidential information and that it cooperated fully with an independent law enforcement investigation into the 2012 disclosure.

Lacker had previously announced his intention to retire in October. His lawyer said he issued his statement Tuesday because the investigation had concluded.

"Dr. Lacker was very willing and felt it appropriate for him to issue the statement of regret. The timing of that would be dictated when the investigation was over," Cullen said. "He felt that it would also be the time for him to leave the bank and to move up his retirement to today, that that would be in the best interest of the bank and the Fed and himself."

Fed Up, an organization that pushes for more transparency at the Fed, said in a statement Tuesday that the incident "further demonstrates how the privately owned Federal Reserve Banks are too cozy with the industry that they regulate."

Lacker's resignation also casts further uncertainty on the future makeup of the Fed's top leadership. Some Fed watchers had speculated that the Trump administration might be considering Lacker for the role of vice chair of supervision, a position that will be vacated with the resignation of Fed governor Daniel Tarullo.

Two positions are open on the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, since President Barack Obama did not get congressional approval for his nominees. Tarullo's resignation is effective Wednesday, while the terms of Yellen as chair and Stanley Fischer as vice chair of the Federal Reserve System are set to expire in early 2018, though both could choose to remain on the Board of Governors.
The Boston School District has decided to replace the maps in its schools with those using the Peters projection, and touted it as the only true map projection. This is utter nonsense!

No projection of a globe onto a flat surface can preserve the four basic map properties: shape, area, distance, and direction. Every map projection fails to preserve one or more of these properties.

Forty years ago, Arno Peters reintroduced a map projection originally proposed in 1885. This Peters projection preserves area, but severely distorts the other three map properties. In fact, it distorts them so badly that cartographers around the world have denounced the Peters projection as a poor choice.

In the 1980s, a campaign was initiated to use the Peters projection to promote the appearance of Third World countries. Now those with a similar political agenda have raised it again.

The truth about the Peters projection needs to be known. I dont want any children to be fed this garbage. Different map projections serve different purposes, and the Peters projection is certainly used for political purposes.

Later in the 1980s, National Geographic selected the Robinson projection as the best one for general mapping, and distributed a map using this projection. The Robinson projection does not preserve any of the four basic map properties, but minimizes the errors in all four map properties.

My qualifications include being a past national director of the American Cartographic Association, and a member of the U.S. delegation to the International Cartographic Association. While serving on the ACA, I was a member of the ACA map projection committee that published two booklets: Which Map Is Best?" and Choosing a World Map.

Arthur Robinson and I also made a joint presentation to the national convention of social studies teachers. My portion of the presentation was on The Politics of Geometry where I showed how map projections, like statistics, can be used to convey a political message. Robinsons portion of the presentation showed his projection in contrast to the Peters projection. My portion of the presentation was published in the May 1986 issue of Computer Graphics World.

Please do not let your local school board follow the lead of the Boston School District.

Marshall Faintich, Albemarle County
Mumbai: State Bank of India, countrys largest public sector lender, has brought in a number of new rules for its customers. The bank has become worlds 45th largest lender after merger with five sister banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank.

SBI's new norms pertain to minimum balance requirement in savings bank accounts, amended service charges, new service tax rates, renewed locker fees, charges for availing new cheque books and many more, according to Zee News.

Most prominent among these changed rules are related to customers who hold savings accounts at metro, urban, semi-urban and rural branches. The bank has made mandatory maintenance of minimum balance in these accounts from April 1.

Here is a primer on what the changed rules entail SBI customers to do.

1) From April 1, all SBI savings bank account holders will be required to maintain stipulated minimum balance in their accounts. The bank has categorised its customers under metro, urban, semi-urban and rural brackets.

2) A minimum balance requirement of Rs 5,000 has been fixed for an account holder at a branch in a metro city. Similarly, account holders in urban, semi-urban and rural SBI bank branches are required to maintain Rs 3,000, Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,000 respectively.

3) SBI has also formulated new rules for cash transactions particularly at its automated teller machine booths. Under new rules, an SBI debit card holder will be allowed five free transactions at its ATMs. Besides, there will be a fee of Rs 20 for a fourth transaction for debit card holders of other banks.

Source: State Bank of India website.

4) The bank has also made it clear that, post merger with sister banks, there will be no charge on 10 transactions for customers of group banks at identified metro centres. These centres are Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

5) Besides, the bank will allow maximum 12 free transactions at other identified centres for customers of group banks on condition that no transaction was made other bank's ATM and at home branch.

The State Bank of India has become a world class bank after merger with  State Bank of Jaipur and Bikaner, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Travancore  and has added to its total asset value that now stands at Rs 37 lakh crore.
New Delhi: There are no plans to demonetise the new Rs 2,000 currency notes, the government said today, scotching "rumours" to this effect.

"We are seizing fake currency. As far as rumours in the market are concerned, we should not go by such rumours," Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said in the Rajya Sabha.

He was responding to a question by Congress member Madhusudan Mistry during Question Hour seeking to know if the government will demonetise Rs 2,000 currency notes as there were "strong rumours" in the market.

The Minister said fake currency has mostly been seized from Gujarat and West Bengal.

"But it is not correct that fake currencies cannot be identified. It is not true," he said.

Counterfeit currency that came into the market after demonetisation were made of low quality paper which was easy to make out. But later fake currency notes with better quality paper started coming in, Rijiju said.

Stating that the government has adopted many new security features in the new currency notes, Rijiju said, "I can assure the House and the country that now no one can copy 100 per cent, as we have indigenous design and extra features."

The government is more alert and has taken many measures to curb fake currency such and there were provisions for stringent action against those involved in fake currency, including setting up a coordinated committee of all intelligence agencies, providing training and creating awareness among the people, he said.

As per the data placed before the Upper House, Border Security Force has seized 378 new Rs 2,000 currency notes from Assam and West Bengal post demonetisation. National Investigation Agency (NIA) has seized 22,677 new Rs 2,000 notes worth Rs 4.53 crore from Gujarat and West Bengal.
New Delhi: Railways have planned to redevelop about 400 'A-1' and 'A' category stations, including Delhi, with private participation, Lok Sabha was informed today.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said the Railways have advertised its plan for about 400 'A-1' and 'A' category stations which are generally located in major cities and important tourist destinations on 'as is where is' basis for

redevelopment.

He said during Question Hour that the process has been started by inviting proposals from interested parties with their designs and business ideas.

Prabhu said the entire cost of the station redevelopment is to be met by leveraging commercial development of spare railway land/air space in and around the station.

"The process is designed to be completely transparent and to obtain best in class designs from developer. The programme is conceived to be cash-neutral to the Railways, rather it is expected to yield earnings for the Railways in the form of premium submitted by the developers," he said.

The Minister said as many as 1,253 railway stations have been identified for upgradation by the Indian Railways under the ongoing 'Adarsh station' scheme.

"Till date, 1,253 railway stations have been identified under 'Adarsh station' scheme, of which 1,022 stations have already been developed," he said.

The Minister said more stations may be considered for inclusion under the scheme whenever there is any proposal for further selection of more stations under this scheme, based on their relative importance and justification based on

passengers handled there.
New Delhi: India's trade deficit with China was recorded at USD 46.7 billion during the April-February period of the last fiscal, Parliament was informed today.

Overall trade with China during the 11-month period decreased marginally by 0.87 per cent to USD 64.57 billion, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Rajya Sabha.

During this period, India's exports to China grew by 8.69 per cent to USD 8.94 billion while imports from the neighbouring nation declined by 2.26 per cent to USD 55.63 billion, resulting in a shrinkage of 4.1 per cent in India's trade deficit with China, she said in a written reply to a question.

She said both sides have signed a Five-Year Development Programme for Economic and Trade Cooperation in order to lay down a medium-term roadmap for promoting balanced and sustainable development of economic and trade relations.

Replying to a separate question, she said after the launch of the 'Startup India Action Plan' in January 2016, 742 startups have been recognised by the ministry.

On another question on soap, she said technically uniform sphericity and particle size of microbeads create a ball- bearing effect in soaps, skin cream and lotions, enhancing a silky texture, spreadability, smoothness and roundness in the feel.

"Regarding harmful effects, the issue is before the National Green Tribunal for adjudication which is being perused by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change," she added.
Mumbai: Studying in one of Indias finest colleges- St. Stephens College, Delhi- are two stark opposite characters and their inevitable attraction towards one another is every teenager's puppy love story. Directed by king of romance Mohit Suri, Arjun Kapoor as Madhav Jha is naive and charming, with a raw energy that is enthralling.

Flipping through the pages of a Hindi novel, the awestruck lover is high praise for his uptown girl, who, he proclaims is the hot mess of their college. As much as he wants to win her over, his own insecurities keep him at bay.

While Arjun looks slightly too mature to play the part of a college goer, his grip over Bhojpuri language and perfect execution of a typically innocent small-town lad is truly commendable. But his characters look in the film is bit of a let down; the one thats very similar to what he had in Two States.

The biggest highlight, however, is the question in the end: Yeh half girlfriend hota kya hai?

Watch the teaser here:
Katrina snapped in her waitress avatar on the sets. (Photo: Twitter)

Mumbai: The gorgeous diva Katrina Kaif was recently spotted at Mehboob studios, where she was engrossed shooting for her much delayed and also much awaited film Jagga Jasoos.

She was snapped flaunting a chequered monochrome dress with a white apron attached to it on the sets. While the actress was moving towards her vanity van, the paps got lucky and got a lovely frame of Ms. Kaif.

The damsel stars alongside her ex flame Ranbir Kapoor in Jagga Jasoos.

Despite the glitches and tussles, which led to the delay of the film, director Anurag Basu is leaving no stone unturned to continue shooting for the film positively.

The flick was earlier expected to release in 2014, then it got pushed to mid 2017, but to nobodys relief, there are buzz that hinted the film might now have a 2018 release.

We'll have to be patient enough, because what do we say, Patience bears the sweetest of fruits.
Mumbai: The uncle- nephew duo whos been shooting for their upcoming comic caper Mubarakan had a gala time shooting in London along with its co-stars and director Anees Bazmee.

The Mubarakan team has ever since been posting pictures of their frolic moments from London, which will definitely make you envy them.

Here is a picture of the duo along with director Anees Bazmee straight from London, where he indicates number 3 through his fingers.He captioned the picture as, 3 days for #Mubarakan wrap. We are coming on 28thJuly to entertain U all !!!







This will be for the first time that the 'chacha-bhatija' duo will be seen acting together in a feature film.

Well, that just pops up the idea of seeing them in a remake of the film Chacha Bhatija, only if one ever attempts it.

Along with Anil and Arjun, the film also stars Ileana Dcruz, Athiya Shetty and Neha Sharma.
Mumbai: The three-member pop rock band 'Fuzon', which lent music to Raveenas comeback film 'Maatr' in Bollywood, was to arrive in India in the second week of April for the songs promotion.

However, the Pakistani bands plan of a four-city tour to India got cancelled, as they were unable to procure security.

Speaking about it the source stated, "Security is the primary issue. The team also advised the makers that the relations between the countries would be further affected if right- wing elements caused harm to 'Fuzon' or their property during performance. Now, the makers have decided to plan a digital launch for their song in 'Maatr'."

Initially, the makers of 'Maatr' were of the decision against including any songs in the gritty thriller. It was during the films editing that producer Anjum Rizvi realised Fuzons music would give the movie a heft.

Anjum Rizvi further said, "The recording of the song was done in their studio in Pakistan. Momina felt Rahat Fateh Ali Khans voice would be perfect for the song Zindagi Ae Zindagi, which is an emotional track mapping Raveenas journey as a mother in the film. It is a deep song that people will connect to."

They recorded the song at Rahats home in Lahore. I believe art and culture should remain independent of politics.

"I feel ordinary citizens of both countries want peace, no one wants these tensions and threat of war. Art and culture should be independent of politics," Anjum signs off.
Mumbai: Tiger Shroff may not have tasted success with his last release A Flying Jatt but that does not stop established directors like Punit malhotra (of I Hate Luv Storys fame) from signing him for big banner projects like Student of the Year 2. The actor, who has recently wrapped up Munna Michael alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui, is all set to start shooting for SOTY 2 in Kashmir.

Although the spot for lead actresses is still open, Tiger was roped in for the film last year itself. According to a leading daily, a source close to the production unit of the film said, Tiger will begin shooting for Student of the Year 2 from May first week in Kashmir. The entire team is flying out to the exotic locales of Kashmir where the film will be shot for almost a month long schedule.

Another sources also mentioned Sara Ali Khans name being considered for the top role. Though the actresses aren't finalized yet, the makers would be locking the two leading ladies soon and will also make an official announcement. In all probabilities, one of the actresses is Sara Ali Khan, who will be launched with this film. After the 30-day schedule in Kashmir, the team will shoot for their second and final schedule in Mumbai and they aim to wrap up the movie by July this year, added the source.

The first film was the launchpad of now stars Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan. Will this film mark the beginning of Sara Ali Khans career and subsequent stardom? Only time will tell!
Mumbai: Sunil Grover says that he wishes to entertain people by keeping his self-respect intact and money is not everything him.

The 39-year-old actor, who is popular for playing the characters of Dr Mashoor Gulati and Rinku Bhabhi on "The Kapil Sharma Show", took to Twitter amid the fracas that made headlines after an in-flight tussle between him and Kapil.

"My intentions are to act and to entertain with dignity. For me, money can't be the only reason to do something, or not to do something," wrote Grover.

This development comes in after the comedian performed a gig in Delhi on April 1 amid row with Kapil.

Recently, Grover posted a note on social media in which he asked the host to "start respecting human beings also apart from animals".

Kapil had dismissed their feud as "an argument" in a Facebook post but Grover, has indicated that all is not well between them.

He also took to Twitter to apologise to Grover, saying, "Sorry if I hurt you unintentionally. You know very well how much I love you. I am also upset. Love and regards.
Mumbai: Iulia Vantur who entered Bollywood with 'O Terri', is surely working hard to make a mark in Bollywoods music industry. And no one can dare stop this beautiful lady from achieving her passion, because she has Bollywoods godfather Salman Khans rock solid backing.

The Romanian actress is allegedly dating him, who is also the most eligible bachelor of India. Her recent outing with the Khan family just validates the aforesaid statement. The pictures and video shared from the Maldives trip further describes her comfort level with Salman and his family.

After crooning a single with Himesh Reshammiya Every Night And Day on location, Iulia surprised the media present there by an impromptu gig with Himesh by her side. She chose the evergreen love song Lag Ja Gale and we just cant stop drooling over it, because considering the Romanian divas lack of command over Hindi, she still sung it beautifully.

Salman Khan, have you watched the video yet?
The charges were reportedly dropped due to lack of evidence. (Photo: AP)

Mumbai: Actor Shia LaBeouf's charges of assault and harassment have been dropped.

According to the Queens District Attorney the actor came clean due to insufficient evidence, reported E! online.

The 30-year-old actor was arrested in New York City early Thursday morning after getting into an altercation with a protester.

LaBeouf's fight, which began after an unnamed person got in front of the camera and said something that upset the Transformers actor, and arrest was caught on camera during his political protest's live stream.

The 30-year-old star grabbed the man's scarf and allegedly scratched him, and nearby cops who witnessed the act moved in and arrested him.

LaBeouf was released after being charged with misdemeanour assault and harassment.

The Even Stevens alum has had his fair share of legal troubles, having been charged with criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct after refusing to leave a Manhattan theater.
Women who are victims of sexual assault are often advised to forget about it as if it were a bad dream. The shame culture associated with the victims is still a subject of hot debate  to speak out or not to speak  is the biggest question. The assault on actress Bhavana is one that shook the entire country. But Bhavana braved the odds and not only did she return to acting with two movies, but also began shooting for her next movie within weeks. Now, in a new TV commercial for a tea brand, she is seen speaking about strength and facing the odds. The ad begins with a narration that translates to this, As the going gets tough, we begin to realise our inner strength.

Soon enough many people online got into a heated debate about the right and wrong of the ad. While some applauded her brave stand, others asked if it was right on the part of the product to capitalise on the assault. Director of the ad, Jaseer Mohammed, says, The idea and concept was provided by the advertising agency. I only directed it. Ever since the ad was released, weve been receiving positive feedback. Bhavana is being appreciated too. I think there will always be a negative and positive side to everything. Bhavana never felt the need to stay away from the ad. In fact, it could have been a relief for her to speak up about the matter.

Advertising professional R. Venugopal says, Bhavana finally opening up about her experience is a good thing. It reflects her boldness. It proves that she is not afraid to speak up about it. But, from an advertising point of view, I think it is a forced connect. A tea brand doing this doesnt look right. If the commercial was somehow related to women empowerment or a CSR activity, it would have been more ideal.

Actor and activist Jolly Chirayath adds, The presence of a woman has always been capitalised, whether they have undergone torture or not. The only positive angle I see here is that Bhavana is telling people that women can face any challenge. It is our right to decide how we should address our body. How others see it is according to their own limitations. And, when it comes to advertising, people always look at encashing on anything.

However, Shailesh Gupte, vice-president of Pinwheel, the agency that conceived the concept for the commercial, feels that any controversy over the issue is unwarranted. It was the decision of both the brand and the client. I think, the brand stands for strong tea. There was no debate on how it should be represented. We all thought Bhavana was a wonderful example for toughness and strength. It is an ode and salute to strong women.
Ishan, the latest entrant into the Telugu cinema industry, was introduced with Puri Jagannadhs Rogue and is all set to start his next film soon. I am in talks with a few directors. Once the story finalises, I will announce the details, he says. When asked if his next will be a bilingual again, he replies, No, it is going to be a Telugu this time!

On the response to his debut film Rogue, he says, I never expected that I would get this kind of response. The way Puri sir projected me in the film is huge. The credit goes to him and I thank him for it.

The actor speaks both Telugu and Kannada fluently, but is more a Telugu boy. I spent a lot of time in Vizag as I have relatives there. Also I joined Satyanand master in Vizag for an acting course and we all speak Telugu at home, says the young actor. He is now leaving for Vizag to meet his guru. I want to take blessings from Satyanand sir as he taught me acting. Many people appreciated my performance in the film, so I want to meet him and thank him personally, says Ishan.
KOCHI: As the threat of antibiotic resistance is becoming a major challenge in the state, where the practice of buying over the counter antibiotics is high, the Indian Academy of Paediatrics Kerala chapter has initiated a campaign on antibiotic abuse and misuse for paediatricians. We urgently need a solid action plan which provides for the rational use of antibiotics. Quality antibiotics should reach those who need it, but shouldnt be over used or overpriced. The IAP has initiated Antibiotic Abuse and Misuse campaigns to create awareness among doctors, said Dr M N Venkiteswaran, president, IAP, Kerala. Zonal and district level conferences will be organised to spread the message.

The first mid-zone conference was organised in Kochi, inaugurated by district medical officer Dr. N.K Kuttappan. More than 200 delegates attended the meet. Antibiotic abuse and misuse is a major threat to public health which makes treatment of infectious diseases difficult. It has become a major cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalised patients, even among children. Though bacteria naturally mutate to eventually become immune to antibiotics, the misuse of drugs  due to over-prescribing and patients failing to finish courses  makes it much faster than expected, he added. Resistance to the drugs develops when potentially harmful bacteria change in a way that reduces or eliminates the effectiveness of antibiotics.
BENGALURU: The Karnataka State Commission for Women and expert committee on preventing sexual violence against women and children have sought a report from the Mahadevapura police in connection with the death of a minor maid, who jumped to her death from the ninth floor of an apartment building on Sunday night.

Following allegations that the maid, Phoolmuni, was frequently harassed by her employers, Vishal, a Chartered Accountant, and his wife Garima, the two authorities have asked the police for an impartial probe into the case.

It is learnt that other residents of Gopalan Grandeur Apartment at Hoodi, where the incident took place, have complained to Nagalakshmi Bai, the chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Women, that the girl was assaulted by the couple over trivial issues. It is alleged that the girl was slapped even if a cockroach was found in the kitchen. Also, many residents have reportedly complained that they heard the girls screams frequently. The police are yet to conduct the postmortem on the girls body as no one from her family has arrived.
Thiruvananthapuram: Five persons, including Mangalam TV chief executive officer R. Ajith Kumar, were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the honey-trapping of former minister A.K. Saseendran. Co-ordinating editor M.B. Santosh, investigation team leader K. Jayachandran alias S. Narayanan, news editors and readers Firoz Saly Mohammed and S. V. Pradeep were the others arrested after day-long quizzing. They will be produced before court on Wednesday, police sources said.

The channel chairman Sajan Varghese, news coordinator Rishi K Manoj, news editor Manjith Varma and reader Lekhsmi Mohan were the others quizzed by the investigation team. They were later released. The woman who made the conversation with Mr Saseendran did not appear citing medical reasons, said sources. The investigation team also recorded the statement of journalist Al Neema who resigned from the channel expressing differences with the honey-trapping operation. Sources said that the accused were quizzed separately by IG Dinendra Kashyap and other team members to unravel any conspiracy involved.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ajith Kumar lodged a petition with the Museum police on Monday evening that a laptop computer and mobile phone were stolen from his car while it was parked along the Vellayambalam - Sasthamangalam stretch. The museum police said that a case could not be registered on the matter as the petitioner's statement could not be recorded to get the exact details. The SIT suspects that it was an attempt to destroy the evidence in the case. Since the channel had aired the audio conversation and even uploaded it on the social media, there are enough pieces of evidence. Moreover, Mr. Ajith Kumar even owned up the audio in his apology statement," police sources said.
Hyderabad: The city police have registered a case of cheating and harassment against a non-resident Indian who allegedly divorced his wife through a newspaper advertisement.

Mohd Mustaquddin, the accused, married the complainant, a 25-year-old woman, in January 2015 and took her to Saudi Arabia where he worked, the police said.

Last month the couple, with their 10-month-old baby, returned here, and Mustaquddin then went back to Saudi Arabia.

His wife lodged a complaint with Moghalpura police here alleging that Mustaquddin had divorced her through an advertisement published in a local Urdu newspaper.

Before that he had been harassing her for dowry of Rs 20 lakh, said Assistant Commissioner of Police S Gangadhar.

According to the complainant, after Mustaquddin returned to Saudi Arabia, her in-laws barred her from entering their house.

Two days ago she saw an advertisement in an Urdu newspaper, placed by her husband's lawyer, which stated that Mustaquddin had given her talaq'.

"She tried to contact Mustaquddin several times over phone but he did not take her calls, so she lodged the complaint," the police officer said.

Police registered a case under IPC sections 498 (A) (husband or relative of husband subjecting woman to cruelty), 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation) against Mustaquddin.

"We are conducting probe and also verifying if a divorce announced through a newspaper is valid under the Sharia (Muslim law)," the ACP said.

Last month, a 38-year-old man was arrested here for cheating his wife by giving her talaq' through a post card within eight days of marriage.

Another local man, based in the US, allegedly gave talaq' to his wife through WhatsApp. The case came to light in February when she approached the police alleging that her in-laws tried to murder her.
Bengaluru: Bigg Boss Kannada Season 4 winner Pratham, who is set to debut in Sandalwood as a lead actor in Devrantha Manushya, allegedly tried to commit suicide by popping sleeping pills at his residence in Nagarbhavi on Tuesday.

He streamed a video, which he claimed quite dramatically would be his last, on his Facebook account even as he popped sleeping pills. He claimed that he was trying to commit suicide as he was being harassed by Lokesh, an amateur film director. But harassment from Lokesh, the attempt is being seen as a gimmick by many, including his friend-turned-foe Lokesh, to hog the limelight.

Pratham in the video, which he announced would be his last, said that he wanted to teach those who humiliated him a lesson by committing suicide. At least after my death, people would think twice before making derogatory remarks, Pratham said in the video. People are making me emotionally weak. Anything I do is being projected wrongly. I cannot take it anymore. This will be my final Facebook Live video and sorry If I have hurt anyone," he said as he consumed sleeping pills

Pratham said in the video that Lokesh was torturing him emotionally and blamed the media for airing false news about him. I am yet to receive the prize money from the TV channel, but many people are already asking me how I would distribute it among the poor, Pratham said, referring to the money he won in Bigg Boss and his promise that he would donate it to the needy.

Showing the cheque and passbook in the video, Pratham said that he received the cheque only recently and that he would not keep a single paisa of the prize money as announced on the Bigg Boss stage after winning the event.

Pratham alleged that Lokesh misused his name and maligned his reputation. He said that some people were claiming that he demanded appearance money of `60,000 to attend an event organised by an orphanage. It baseless, he retorted.

The police have taken up a non-cognizable case and are investigating further.

Pratham out of danger

Pratham, who was rushed to a private hospital by his friends on Wednesday morning, is out of danger. The doctors, who attended on him, said that his life was not in danger as he popped only two sleeping pills.

Tussle between the duo

Lokesh, who is an amateur film director, had filed a complaint against the Bigg Boss winner at the Basaveshwara Nagar police station, alleging that Pratham had assaulted him. Lokesh had told the police that Pratham asked him to meet in Kamala Nagar and then manhandled him.

Video draws flak

On Wednesday morning, fans of Bigg Boss Season 4 winner Pratham awoke to the shocking news of the budding actors suicide attempt. But Lokesh, whom Pratham blamed for torturing him emotionally in his suicide video, and Prathams co-contestants in Big Boss dubbed it a publicity stunt. Pratham, who shot to fame after winning Bigg Boss 4, has received offers from the Kannada film industry and will debut with Devrantha Manushya.

His co-contestants in BB 4 said Pratham was known for drama in the Big Boss House. A co-contestant, on condition of anonymity, said the suicide attempt was a mere stunt to be in news. A man who is disturbed and wishes to die would pop the pills and not count them, like Pratham did, he said.

In February Pratham filed a police complaint saying his laptop, an external hard disk and a mobile phone were stolen from his house. Nandini Layout police traced the stolen phone to his house, but Pratham told them a different phone had been stolen.
New Delhi: In a fierce attack on the Indian government that left it stunned, the heads of African missions in India accused it of failing to take any known, sufficient and visible deterrent action against what they called xenophobic and racial attacks on Nigerian students in UPs Greater Noida near Delhi. The heads of the mission said that these reprehensible events were not sufficiently condemned by the Indian authorities.

The move has come as a severe diplomatic setback to New Delhi, which had conducted a successful outreach to the African continent in the form of the India Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) here towards the end of 2015.

But the diplomacy appears to have given way to bristling anger among African countries after four Nigerian students were beaten up by a group of residents in Greater Noida a week ago following the death of a local teenager from a suspected drug overdose. Violence escalated the next day when two Nigerian brothers were attacked by a mob inside a shopping mall.

In a strongly-worded statement, the envoys, who recently held a special meeting on March 31 on the incidents, also said they agreed to take further actions including a call for an independent investigation by the UNs Human Rights Council as well as other human rights bodies, and also to comprehensively report the matter to the African Union Commission.

There are missions of more than 50 African countries accredited to India.

Indias ministry of external affairs (MEA) had condemned the attacks last week and said, such criminal acts are completely unacceptable and we condemn them the government remains committed to ensuring safety and security of every foreigner, but of course in this particular instance, the Nigerians.

The MEA had said, Local authorities have taken very effective actions they have launched investigations and certain people have been arrested. A large number of people are under close watch. District authorities have had meetings with the local welfare association as well as the students who represent the Nigerian community there we will continue to take action against all those guilty and they will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The Presidential reference could be sought for only if the states aggrieved by the move ask for one under Article 143, in writing to the Supreme Court. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: With many state governments seeking intervention of the Centre in the Supreme Courts order banning liquor outlets within 500 metres of highways, the Modi government might ask for a Presidential reference on the issue.

According to an Indian Express report, the Centre is also open to supporting a review petition filed by hotel, tourism and industry bodies as an alternative.

Under Article 143, the Centre can request the President to make a reference to the Supreme Court on a question of fact or law, which he thinks is of public importance. However, the court has the right to refuse to answer any or all of the queries in the reference.

But the Presidential reference could be sought for only if the states aggrieved by the move ask for one under Article 143, in writing to the Supreme Court.

The report also stated that the Centre might consult Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, who has earlier appeared for Tamil Nadu government in the issue. He had opined that the court order would not include pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels that serve alcohol under its ambit.

We are open to the idea of seeking a Presidential Reference on the issue since the issue assumes significance due to its public importance, especially since a lot of revenue and job loss will happen if the Supreme Court order is implemented as it is. But, we will do it only if some of the aggrieved states approach us, IEs sources were quoted as saying.

The report also mentioned that two states including a BJP ruled state were contemplating sending a request to the Centre for a Presidential reference. The Karnataka government was also reported to be considering the same.

Recently, the Supreme Court had banned sale of liquor within 500 metres of state and national highways which included hotels, bars and pubs that serve alcohol. The move is touted to cause considerable revenue loss to state governments due to the cut in excise revenue that they earn from such vends.

Earlier, Union Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma had said the government is also consulting legal experts and mulling to find a middle path within the legal framework.
Chennai: AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) faction leader and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said that the split in the party is only temporary.

In an interview to a news daily, Panneerselvam hinted that the two warring AIADMK factions may come together after the results of the RK Nagar bypoll are announced.

The former CM said that despite the unusual circumstance of 122 AIADMK MLAs staying with Sasikala's faction, they will 'listen to their conscience and take a good decision' after the RK Nagar election.

Panneerselvam also claimed that his only focus was on meeting the needs of the people of Tamil Nadu through the AIADMK movement as conceived by former CMs MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa. He also stated that he did not raise the issue of an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January.

The former CM also refuted DMK Working President MK Stalins allegations that he had links with sand mining baron Sekhar Reddy, who is now in prison.

The Election Commission had last month assigned separate party names and symbols to the two factions of the AIADMK, effectively splitting the party. While the Sasikala faction now led by her nephew TTV Dinakaran got the hat symbol, the Panneerselvam faction received the electric pole symbol. Subsequently, both factions accused each other of misrepresenting their respective symbols as the old Two Leaves symbol of the AIADMK, during campaigning in late CM Jayalalithaas RK Nagar constituency.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama gives teachings to devotees at the Buddha Park in Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh. (Photo: AP)

Beijing/New Delhi: The Dalai Lama's trip to Arunachal Pradesh today triggered a row between the two Asian giants with China accusing India of causing "serious damage" to ties by "obstinately" allowing the visit and an unfazed New Delhi sticking to its position that it was a "religious" act.

A riled China also lodged a protest with India's Ambassador in Beijing Vijay Gokhale over the Tibetan spiritual leader's visit.

"India in disregard to China's concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lama's visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to China's interests and China-India relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters, adding that China firmly opposes this move.

However, in New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said, "We clearly said that the Dalai Lama is a revered religious leader and has visited Arunachal earlier on half a dozen occasions.

"We also urged that no political colour be ascribed to his religious and spiritual activities and to his visits to states of India, and no artificial controversy created around his ongoing visit."

Contradicting India's assertion, Hua said, "Could you tell me honestly do you seriously believe that Dalai is only a religious leader. I think the answer is known to all. He is not just a religious figure.

"Therefore, his visit to the place will not be purely of religious purpose. So using the empty words to defend this arrangement is not reasonable. We demand the Indian side to stop this move of undermining Chinese interests."

The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader reached Bomdila in West Kameng district yesterday, starting his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

Asserting that China's stand on the eastern part of the borders is consistent and clear, Hua said by arranging his visit to those sensitive and disputed areas not only runs counter to the Indian side's commitment to the issues related to Tibet but also escalates disputes over the border area.

The Chinese spokesperson also stated that it goes against the momentum of the sound growth of bilateral relations and will not benefit India in anyway.

China will firmly take "necessary measures" to defend its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests, she asserted but did not elaborate on it.

"I don't have much to add. I want to add the issues concerning Tibet have a bearing on China's core interests. India in disregard of China's concerns obstinately arranged the visit," she said.

"We demand the Indian side immediately stop its actions using the Dalai Lama to undermine China's interests and not hype up sensitive issues between the two countries, not artificially damage the foundation of the talks between the two countries on the border issues and bilateral legislations and take concrete actions to safeguard the China-India relations," she said.

China claims parts of Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet and had previously warned that if India allowed the visit of the Dalai Lama, whom it calls an "anti-China separatist", it would cause "serious damage" to ties.

China is sensitive to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang region in Arunachal which happens to be the birth place of the sixth Dalai Lama, who was born in 1683, and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.

Hua also rejected Minister of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju's remarks that India never interfered in Beijing's affairs and has respected the "One China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in India's internal affairs.

"China upholds the policy of not interfering with other countries internal affairs. This is unquestionable."

"But in disregard to China's concerns, India arranged the visit of Dalai Lama to the disputed areas. This issue goes beyond internal affairs," she said.

Chinese officials in off the record conversations with the media said China is really angry about the Dalai Lama's visit specially because he was accompanied by a minister.

Unlike previous visits, the officials said the Dalai Lama was accompanied by a minister which makes it different.
Guwahati: In what has alarmed the Ministry of Home Affairs, China has roped in militant groups of Northeast to launch a proxy war against India.

Authoritative security sources in the home ministry told this newspaper that a recent statement of outlawed Ulfa-I against the Dalai Lama was dictated by China.

The statement of Ulfa-I was aimed more at propagating Chinese view point on territorial dispute between India and China, than targeting the Dalai Lama.

The security sources said that Ulfa chairman Abhizeet Asoms statement was framed and dictated by China. In the list of Indian illegal occupation is of course Nan Zang (Southern Tibet). The cunning Indian premier of the day, Nehru grabbed the opportunity of attempting to undo the acceptance of Tibet a part of China in 1951, the Ulfa-Is statement said.

A few Chinese agencies drafted the statement of Ulfa-I, which was released to media on March 28, a day before China launched its aggressive campaign against the visit of the Dalai Lama to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, security sources said.

The statement, addressing the Dalai Lama said, Despite the deceitful drawing of the McMohan line then, and your Holinesss acceptance that your homeland is an autonomous region of China, you are perpetrating the fallacy of 1914 by reiterating that Tawang belongs to India.

The security sources said that this was not the first instance Ulfa-I was playing into the hands of China. In 2015, Ulfa was instrumental in floating a Tibet Support Group in Assam to launch a proxy war against India at the behest of China.

Pointing out that elusive Ulfa-I chief Paresh Baruah was taking shelter in China, security sources said that Ulfa, in 1992, had described Bangladeshi immigrant as builder of Assam. It was the period when Ulfa leadership was looking for shelter in Bangladesh. However, stiff opposition in Assam forced Ulfa to give up that narrative subsequently.

Asserting that China was not interested in organizational strength of Ulfa-I, security sources said that China intends to intensify its proxy war against India in the Northeast through the separatist groups.

Indicating that home ministry was vigilant on growing nexus of northeast militant groups in China, sources said that despite aggressive opposition of China, India has refused to curtail the visit of the Dalai Lama to Tawang.
New Delhi: Cow protectionism was the spirit behind India's freedom movement, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today as she defended Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's decision to shut illegal slaughter houses.

Sitharaman was replying to a debate in the Lok Sabha on a bill on footwears during which members from Congress and Trinamool Congress raised the issue of availability of raw hide and skin for the leather industry in the wake of ban on cow slaughter in UP and other parts of the country.

The bill to declare the Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) an institution of national importance was later passed by the House with voice vote. "Over the centuries there had been leather taning industry... that has not obstructed cow protectionism," Sitharaman said.

She said before the opposition criticises the UP government, they should realise that it was the "legitimate duty" that the Chief Minister was undertaking.

The minister said the Congress party should acknowledge that cow protection was the spirit behind the freedom movement. "The Chief Minister is doing what is the spirit behind the freedom movement. We should not exaggerate a situation," she said.

Adityanath, after taking over as the Chief Minister last month, had banned illegal slaughter houses in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Talking about the footwear bill, Sitharaman said there are 7 FDDIs in the country and 5 more are coming up.

The total number of campuses will be restricted to 12 as of now as "we do not want to proliferate the number of campuses", the Commerce and Industry Minister said.

The bill seeks to make FDDI an institution of national importance for the promotion and development of quality and excellence in education, research and training in all disciplines relating to footwear and leather products design.

Replying to opposition charge of high cost of admission, Sitharaman said students passing out from these institutes have been placed in "very good jobs" and the rate of recruitment was also high.

"The course is self financed, capital expenditure is not recovered from the students. Since job opportunity is there, cost has not deterred students to come and join," she said, adding even as the fees was expensive but people eager as it provided employment right away.

Sitharaman said these institutes impart modern skill, provides trained manpower and updated technology to capture global market as the demanded is now towards branded leather goods.

She assuaged member concerns over admission of women in the institutes saying everyone is being given equal opportunity and there will be enough representation of the fairer sex.

Sitharaman also said that the prevailing rules for reservation of SC, ST and OBCs would be followed even in these institutes.

Participating in the discussion, Mohammed Salim (CPI-M) mentioned about the death of a person in Rajasthan allegedly by cow vigilantes, provoking protests from the BJP members. "These people are taking our country backwards," he said, in an apparent reference to cow vigilantes.

He said the adverse impact on leather industry would affect the livelihood of many people.

In an indirect reference to the incidents of cow vigilantism, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Cong) said some bigots in some areas are trying to indulge in "competitive fundamentalism".

Further, he remarked that leather industry cannot be run by vegetarianism.

Chowdhury demanded that leather-related industrial development board should also be set up.

Referring to ban on cow slaughter in different parts of the country, Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy wondered where the raw hide and skin would come for the leather industry.

Roy also said that there are no major Indian brands in the global leather industry and demanded that Kolhapuri name should be patented.

RJD member Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav said "flames of hatred" should not be allowed to spread in the country and emphasised that people who are left behind should be brought into the mainstream.

Yadav as well as Kaushalendra Kumar (JD-U) urged the government to set up a campus of the FDDI in Bihar. M K Raghavan (Cong), Anju Bala (BJP) and Rahul Shewale also spoke.
Alwar: Referring to the killing of a Muslim man by cow vigilantes over suspicion of cow smuggling in Rajasthan's Alwar district, Home Minister Gulab Chand Katariya on Wednesday asserted that violation of law in the name of protecting cows was unacceptable.

"The vigilantes have done a good job by protecting cows from smuggling. But they have violated the law by beating people brutally," he said.

"The police had stopped few vehicles that were carrying cows. Some of them fled but the vigilantes caught them and beat them," he added.

Katariya further said that the vigilantes should not have assaulted the men, adding a case was registered against the smugglers as well as the protectors who disobeyed the law.

A Muslim man died after being brutally assaulted by gau rakshaks in Rajasthans Alwar two days ago for allegedly transporting cows.

Pehlu Khan (55), a Muslim resident of Haryana, succumbed to his injuries on Monday night, reports said.

Reports quoted police as saying that a mob of cow vigilantes associated with the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) beat up Khan and 4 others badly, even after they produced documents to show that he had purchased the cows.

The incident occurred near Jaguwas Crossing on NH-8, on Saturday evening. The men beat Khan to death alleging that he and his 4 friends were transporting cattle. The vigilantes allowed one of the drivers, Arjun, to leave.
New Delhi: Two Pakistani Hindu refugee cousins have sought help from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj after the IGNOU denied them admission for the want of student's visa.

Kawesh Kumar and Wikeesh Kumar had approached civil rights group 'Social Jurist' following cancellation of their application by the IGNOU, which in turn tweeted to Swaraj seeking her intervention.

The authorities at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) said their norms for admission to foreign students don't permit them to take in the cousins.

"IGNOU denies admission to Pakistani Hindu Refugee students for want of student Visa. Please help @SushmaSwaraj," education activist Ashok Aggarwal tweeted.

Kawesh, who came to Delhi in January, has completed his schooling from Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education BS Sukker, Sindh, Pakistan.

Wikeesh has passed out from Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan and has been living here since 2015.

"We want to take admission in the IGNOU but they refused because we do not have a student's visa. We came here with our family on a visiting visa and since we don't want to go back we apply for extension every time.

"In Pakistan also we faced many problems and now here we are facing problems with our admission," Kawesh said.

When contacted, a senior IGNOU official said, "As per the norms, international students residing in India can pursue IGNOU programs for which they need to submit their admission forms along with a copy of valid study visa for the minimum duration of the programme".

"A no-objection certificate from the Embassy concerned in India regarding study in IGNOU is also needed," the official added.
New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today described as "a historic occasion" the early passage of the Finance Bill, saying it would help the government allocate funds to various ministries and states at the beginning of the new fiscal.

As soon as the House met for the day, she thanked all members for working towards the early passage of the bill.

She also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for envisaging the idea to pass the bill before April 1.

Modi was present in the House when she made the remarks.

She said earlier, a five-month delay had become part of the procedure.

With the passage of the Finance Bill, the Lok Sabha on March 22 completed the entire budgetary exercise for 2017-18.

It was later passed the Rajya Sabha with some amendments which were rejected later by the Lower House.
A Coast Guard ship, Shoor, was also sent along with the Navy vessels, said reports. (Photo: ANI Twitter)

Chennai: A fire broke out on merchant ship Daniela 11 nautical miles off the coast of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, on Tuesday night.

According to reports, the Indian Navy sent two ships to help the vessel.

The Navy sent INS Gharial and INS Darshak early on Wednesday morning to help the burning ship.

A Coast Guard ship, Shoor, was also sent along with the Navy vessels, said reports.

The cause of the blaze on MV Daniela, a cargo ship, is not yet known.

It is reported that fire broke out on the merchant ship as she is in urgent need of assistance. Presently MV Daniela is 11 nautical miles due west of Colombo," Navy spokesperson Captain DK Sharma tweeted.
The local police intensified their hunt for the culprits in fishermen's hamlets near Pattikulam off ECR.

Chennai: The German tourist, who became a victim of rape when holidaying in the seaside resort of Mahabalipuram, left Chennai on Tuesday for another undisclosed tourist destination.

The local police intensified their hunt for the culprits in fishermen's hamlets near Pattikulam off ECR. The woman had been raped near the beach in Pattikulam on Sunday.

She is continuing her travel plans with her friends, but has agreed to come back if necessary. We are still on the lookout for the suspect, a senior police official from Kancheepuram district said.

Police have been collecting photographs of men aged between 20 and 35 from the fishing hamlets in Pattikulam, Devaneri, Thiruvudanthai, Choolerikadu, Pulikoodai and Vadanenmeli in the hope of zeroing in on the culprit or culprits.

The victim, who is working as a physiotherapist in Germany, has promised to keep in touch with the investigators online. "In the last two days police could not trace suspects who matched the description given by the victim," police sources disclosed.

Police will now on be sending photographs of the youths to her by e-mail and she is expected to reply online if anyone resembles her tormentors. If needed, the victim has promised to be ready for video conferencing as well. German consulate officials will also liaison with the victim as well the TN police.

The victim was taking a nap in a casurina grove near the beach in Pattikulam after a long walk when two men allegedly raped her at around 10 am on Sunday. Police believe the suspects could be from fishing hamlets and have been hunting for them since Sunday evening.

The victim, a part of a group of 5 tourists visiting India, informed her embassy in Delhi initially. TN Police came to know about the incident after employees of the German mission informed them.
Bomdila: Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Wednesday downplayed China's concern over his visit to North East India and said that he has no problems even if someone calls him a demon.

Talking to the media here, the Dalai Lama said , "No problem, even if some consider me a demon."

Hailing the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Tibetan government-in-exile yesterday said that China should does not have any problem with it as the spiritual leader's visit is purely religious.

"He has been invited by the people of Tawang to come and give teachings and blessings. He is visiting as a religious leader. He travels all over the world and give teachings on Buddhist philosophy, inter religious harmony and peace.

There is no reason for China to protest the Lama visiting to the places where his followers are there," Tibetan government-in-exile spokesperson Sonam Dagpo told ANI.

He further said China is not protesting against the Dalai Lama's visit for the first time.

"He has been visiting Tawang for the last many years. So, you don't see any kind of Chinese projects coming openly. But may be about five-six years now whenever he is being invited by the people of Tawang, China begins to protest against the Indian Government," he added.

Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday also warned against any 'artificial controversy' being created and asserted that the Dalai Lama's visit was strictly religious and not political.

"His (Dalai Lama) visit is purely religious in nature and there should be no political angle given to that," Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju told the media here.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) yesyerday issued a statement, saying that no additional colour should be ascribed to the Dalai Lama's religious and spiritual activities.

The Dalai Lama, who was set to reach Tawang today, has been forced to change his schedule due to bad weather and will now reach Bomdila by evening.

The Tibetan spiritual leader was set to leave Guwahati by a chopper, but the inclement weather has forced him to travel by road and change his stop to Bomdila, where he will make a public appearance tomorrow.

After staying there for two days, he will proceed to Tawang.

During his visit, he is also expected to hold a religious discourse at the stadium of Tawang's senior secondary school and will also deliver a public talk on 'Secular Ethics and Happiness' at the Kala Wangpo Convention Centre.

On global stage, China has repeatedly warned India that the Dalai Lama's visit would hit the bilateral ties significantly.

Protesting Dalai Lama's visit to Arunavhal Pradesh,China earlier on Friday warned India to avoid damaging bilateral relations between the two nations and adhere to political pledges or else face the consequences.
School promised students that they would take up the issue with the Central Board of Secondary Education, only then students attempted to answer questions for 58 marks. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: Tenth standard students writing a CBSE exam paper in Vignana Jyothy Public School in Yousufguda may have to pay dearly for an error committed by the school staff, who entered the wrong subject code.

As a result, students were given a Telugu question paper prepared for CBSE schools in Andhra Pradesh. Although some of the chapters are common, the Telugu syllabus in Telangana schools includes lessons about personalities and poets from Telangana, while the Telugu syllabus in AP schools deals with noted poets from that region.

The students were reluctant to write the exam, but after the administration promised them that the issue will be brought to the notice of the Central Board of Secondary Education, they attempted questions for 58 marks. No one would touch questions from the AP syllabus that was for 32 marks.

J. Poojitha, a parent, said that 24 students are at risk of losing crucial marks for no fault of theirs.

The exam was held on March 15. After students and parents raised objections, the principal pacified us and said they will take up the matter with the CBSE. Its more than two weeks now, but nothing has been done as yet.

She said that on Monday, some parents called up the CBSE office and were stunned at the response. They said that they have not got any letter about the faulty code! Ms Poojitha said.

Furious parents then filed a police complaint against the school at the SR Nagar police station on Tuesday.

The schools principal, Aruna Kumari, says the mistake was committed by the Telugu teacher who entered the wrong code.

I sent a mail to the CBSE the same day and visited the CBSE Regional Office in Chennai a few days later to pursue the issue. There is no decision as yet, she said.

A CBSE official in New Delhi stated that they usually dont receive complaints about wrong error code. We will have to see the letter sent by the school and examine it, the official said.
Bomdila: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama today emphatically said India has never used him against China, remarks that came amid loud protests by Beijing against his ongoing visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

The Dalai also urged China to give Tibet meaningful "self-rule" and "autonomy".

The remarks by the 81-year-old Nobel Laureate came on a day when China alleged that India in disregard to its concerns "obstinately" arranged his visit to the "disputed part" of the eastern part of China-India border, causing "serious damage" to its interests and bilateral relations.

"India has never used me against China. I am a messenger of the ancient Indian thought and I talk about ahimsa, peace, harmony and secular ethics wherever I go," he said talking to reporters here on the second day of his week-long visit to the remote northeastern state.

His remarks also came against the backdrop of criticism by the Chinese state media that India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China's "bottom line".

Unfazed by Beijings objections to his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Dalai said, "Many Chinese love India but there are some narrow minded politicians as I have mentioned, they consider me as a demon."

Articulating the Tibetan stand, the Dalai said, "We are not seeking independence. we are willing to remain within the People's Republic of China."

"I always admire the spirit of the European Union. Individual nations' sovereignty is important but that's not so important. What is important is the common interests.

"So for material development to remain with the People's Republic of China is in our interest. So, the Chinese government also should feel ok. At the same time the Chinese government should give us meaningful self-role/autonomy," he said.

The Dalai thanked Indian government for letting him visit the frontier state.

He spoke fondly of Arunachal Pradesh and said he had a special connection with the state as it served as his point of entry when he arrived in India in 1959.

"I would like to thank the government of India. I have been in this country since 1959. India has taken great care of me. I am their longest staying guest. I am thankful to them.

"When I got freedom, when I first reached India, I entered through Arunanchal Pradesh. I have an emotional connect with the state. It is a special place for me."

He gave a discourse at Buddha Park here this morning. The spiritual leader had arrived here last evening from Guwahati accompanied by state Chief Minister Pema Khandu.

Tomorrow, he would impart teachings at Dirang and confer the 'Avalokiteshvara Permission' at Thupsung Dhargyeling Monastery in the morning.

From April 8 to 10, the Dalai will deliver discourses in Tawang. Owing to the rescheduled visit, he would not be able to go to Itanagar.

"I am a Buddhist. The entire Himalayan range had been traditionally following Buddhist dharma and modern physics is based on Buddhist philosophy."
New Delhi: India on Wednesday underlined its claim over territories of Jammu and Kashmir under Pakistani occupation amid moves by Islamabad to declare Gilgit-Baltistan as a new province.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asserted in the Lok Sabha that it would be wrong to think that India will let go of any part of its territory. She made the statement after BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab wondered if the government has even properly responded to Pakistan's move to make Gilgit-Baltistan its fifth province.

Noting that some Western countries had criticised it, he asked, "What is our government's response?" He asked the government to not forget history or it will

be condemned to repeat it. In her response, Swaraj said the Indian government had opposed Pakistan's move the very day it got to know about it.

"Even raising a doubt over this government that it will let go of some area will be wrong," the minister added. She noted that both Houses of Parliament had passed resolutions which had iterated India's claim over the PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan, both under Pakistan's occupation, and the government was bound by it.

She also quoted a BJP slogan which underlines India's claim over the territory and noted that its founder Shyama Prasad Mookerjee had "sacrificed" his life over this. "We are bound by Parliament's resolutions and also our resolve," she said.
All security agencies are now verifying the information and working to rule out an ISIS attack on Mumbai, said reports. (Photo: AFP/Representational Image)

Mumbai: Mumbai city has been put on high alert, after the Indian Coast Guard informed the Mumbai Police and other security agencies on Monday that 3 Islamic State (IS) terrorists were seeking to enter the city via the coastal route.

According to reports, the intelligence inputs provided by the Coast Guard to security agencies via fax are now being investigated.

A senior Mumbai Police official was quoted as saying, "The information was received from the Coast Guard through fax. We are taking all necessary precautions and getting details about the suspects from the information provided to us."

All security agencies are now verifying the information and working to rule out an ISIS attack on Mumbai, said reports.

The police are checking lodges and low-end hotels where owners usually do not ask for identity proof, said reports.
Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju seeing the CRPF Commandant, Chetan Kumar Cheetah at AIIMS, who survived fatal bullet injuries in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir in February this year, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commander Chetan Cheetah, who was shot nine times during an encounter with terrorists in Kashmir, has made a "miraculous" recovery and will be discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) today.

Cheetah was first wheeled in on February 14 at the trauma centre of the premier medical institute after being airlifted from Srinagar. Doctors attending to him said he has shown a steely resolve to respond to their intensive medical care that went on for close to about two months.

Professor of Trauma Surgery at the AIIMS Subodh Kumar, while announcing his recovery in an interaction with journalists, said it was "nothing short of a miracle".

"Cheetah was in coma for 16 days and spent a month in the ICU. He is fit to be discharged now," Amit Gupta, Additional Medical Superintendent at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, said.

Gupta said the Commanding Officer (CO) of the CRPF's 45th battalion in Kashmir Valley had suffered bullet injuries in his brain, right eye, abdomen, both the arms, left hand and in the buttock region.

According to doctors, the hopes for vision returning to Cheetah's right eye are "bleak" although his left eye which was also injured due to splinter injuries has been restored.

"When he was brought in, he was in coma, had bullet injuries in his head, badly fractured torso and the globe of his eight eye had ruptured," Gupta said.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh took to Twitter to hail the courage of the officer and said he wants to see Cheetah back in action.

"Fortune favours the brave. Extremely happy to know that Cheetah has made a miraculous recovery.

"I thank the team of doctors who have helped Shri Chetan Cheetah in his recovery. Hope to see Cheetah back in action soon," the minister said.

His deputy in the ministry and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju visited the officer at the AIIMS Trauma centre here and talked to him.

Rijiju said he was "proud" of the officer.

Cheetah, in his short comments, said he felt proud when army chief Gen Bipin Rawat and Rijiju visited him during his admission at the hospital here and recognised his contribution.

The team of medical experts and doctors described the treatment provided to him over the last over 1.5 months.

"Within 24 hours of admission, surgery was conducted to remove a portion of the skull which had suffered the bullet injury to reduce intra-cranial pressure. After that heunderwent multiple surgeries.

"Cheetah also developed signs of sepsis due to his wounds which was managed by critical care specialists in ICU. His wounds were regularly debrided," Subodh said.

According to doctors, Cheetah will be left with some amount of disability but with proper rehabilitation and physiotherapy will improve over the time.

The CO's wife, Uma Singh, who has been besides her husband since the near-fatal encounter, was anxious to take him home after being discharged today and said "normalcy in our lives will come back once he wears the uniform and goes to office".

Hailing from Rajasthan, Cheetah bore the initial brunt of the militant encounter in Hajjan area on February 14 where a joint team of army, CRPF and state police had laid siege following intelligence inputs that two foreign terrorists were hiding in the area.

Cheetah was commanding the 45th Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

He was initially taken to the base hospital in Srinagar where he was operated upon and given primary treatment after which he was shifted using an air ambulance to the AIIMS

trauma centre at 7.30 PM the same day.

Doctors said he was shifted to ward on March 16 where he underwent rehabilitation in the form of physiotherapy and speech therapy with a total ICU stay of 30 days.

Subsequently, they said, the wounds were covered with skin grafting by the plastic surgery team.

"His comeback to normal life has shown the true grit of a warrior," Anurag Srivastava, Chief of AIIMS Trauma Centre, said.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the Karnataka government's plea seeking review of its verdict by which it had abated the proceedings in a disproportionate assets case against late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

"Applications for personal hearing of review petitions before the court are rejected.

"We have considered the review petitions filed by the State of Karnataka on merits. In our opinion, no case for review of our order dated February 14, 2017 is made out. Consequently, the review petitions are dismissed on merits," a bench of Justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy said.

The Karnataka government had on March 21 moved the apex court against its February 14 judgement contending that once the proceedings were abated, it would not be possible to recover the fine of Rs 100 crore imposed on the late leader which was part of the punishment awarded to her in the case.

The apex court had on February 14 convicted AIADMK chief V K Sasikala and two others in the case, while abating proceedings against Jayalalithaa as she was no more.

The court had, however, made clear that the fine imposed on her can be recovered.

The apex court had restored the special trial court verdict convicting all the accused and set aside the Karnataka High Court judgement in the case.

The trial court had found disproportionate assets valued at Rs 53.60 crore, which Jayalalithaa and the three others could not account for. The CBI had alleged that the unaccounted wealth was to the tune of Rs 66.65 crore.

In its review plea, the state government had contended that the apex court's decision to abate the proceedings against Jayalalithaa was an "error apparent on the face of record".

The plea had said that the abatement of proceedings was "erroneous" as there was no provision either in the Constitution or the Supreme Court rules for it.

Jayalalithaa had been sentenced to a four-year jail term, along with Rs 100 crore fine by the Bengaluru court.

60-year-old Sasikala has to serve a jail term of around three-and-a-half years, out of the four years awarded by the trial court, as she has already spent almost six months in prison.

The conviction of Sasikala's two relatives V N Sudhakaran and Elavarasi was also upheld by the apex court and they were directed to surrender to serve their four-year term.

The apex court had set aside the high court order, acquitting all the four accused and had "restored in toto" the trial court's decision in the 19-year-old case.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Chief Executive Officer and four media persons of a private television channel were arrested on Tuesday night in connection with the telecast of a purported sleaze audio clip which led to the resignation of Kerala minister AK Saseendran.

CEO of Mangalam TV channel R Ajit Kumar and media persons S V Pradeep, M B Santhosh, Feroz Muhammed and Jayachandran were arrested by the special investigation team after questioning them for hours.

They would be produced before a court tomorrow, police said.

Four other persons, named in the FIR, were also questioned but were let off, police said.

Yesterday, Kerala High Court had rejected the anticipatory bail plea of the nine accused.

Last week, police had registered an FIR, under section 120B (common intention) of the IPC and 67A of the Information Technology Act, against nine persons, including 'Mangalam' channel's CEO and Managing Director R Ajit Kumar on a complaint by the youth wing of Nationalist Congress Party for airing "obscene conversation".

The channel on its opening day on March 26 aired an audio clip of the purported talk of Transport Minister A K Saseendran, NCP representative in the LDF cabinet, with a woman, following which he had resigned the same day.

The TV channel had tendered an apology for airing the contents and admitted that it was a "sting operation" involving one of their women journalists and not a housewife, as it had claimed earlier.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state government will study the Uttar Pradesh model of farm loan waiver worth Rs 36,000 crore.

Speaking in the Legislative Assembly here, where Shiv Sena and BJP members demanded that the state government announce a loan waiver for distressed farmers, Fadnavis said, "we will study how Uttar Pradesh will raise such a huge amount."

The CM said he has directed the State Finance Secretary to study how UP goes about with the promised debt waiver. Referring to the High Court directive in Tamilnadu asking the state government to waive farm loans following a peasant protest, Fadnavis said, "decision of waiving farm loan is the prerogative of the government."

Fadnavis also targeted the Opposition for staying away from the House proceedings saying they were roaming outside in name of 'Sangharsh Yatra'. "But the Sena and BJP members' sentiments regarding farm loan waiver are genuine and the state government is positive to it," the CM felt.

Fadnavis said, "we have asked Centre for financial assistance. If we don't get help from Centre, we are working on how a loan waiver (of Rs 30,000-crore) can be granted."

Earlier as soon as the House assembled after a three-day break and Speaker Haribhau Bagde called for the questions, Shiv Sena and BJP members were on their feet on the issue of farm loan waiver.

Shamburaje Desai (Shiv Sena) said recently two farmers committed suicide at Wadgaon in Satara district since they were debt-ridden.

"If Uttar Pradesh can make provision of Rs 36,000 crore to waive off loan upto Rs 1 lakh, why can't Maharashtra. Our financial condition is better than Uttar Pradesh. UP Chief Minister did not wait for central government help," he added.

Desai said Rs 30,500-crore loan in Maharashtra should be waived off before the Budget session ends on April 7. Subhash Sabne (Sena) said farmers in Parbhani are planning to go on strike from June 1 by stopping Kharif sowing.."If farmers strike and stop sowing, should we eat 'dhatura' (poisonous thorn apple)," he asked.

Ashish Deshmukh and Sanjay Kute (both BJP) said the state government should go for a loan waiver to ensure there is no burden on the financial condition of the state and continue the investment in agriculture sector.

Prashant Bamb, an independent supporting the BJP opposed loan waiver to farmers after which enraged Shiv Sena members started arguing with him. Seeing the Sena members getting too close to Bamb, Minister of State for Housing, Ravindra Waikar (Sena) and Raj Purohit (BJP) rushed to defuse the situation.
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday lashed out at the African envoys who described the attacks on Nigerians in Greater Noida as xenophobic and racial.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the Parliament session, Swaraj said, You cant say that steps we took were inadequate. We are committed to ensuring security of all foreigners in India.

She added that it was not right to connect the incident with racism before the investigation draws to a close. I said this in context of attacks in US too, she added, referring to attacks on Indians in America  the most infamous of which occurred in a Kansas pub costing a Hyderabad engineer his life.

"We are constantly working for security of African nationals. We told them calling us 'xenophobic' and then saying you will go to Human Rights Council was not right. VK Singh has spoken to them," she added.

Heads of African missions in India had on Monday termed the attacks on Nigerians as "xenophobic and racial" and asserted that no known, sufficient and visible deterring measures have been taken by the government.

The envoys, who recently held a "special" meeting on the incidents, called for an independent investigation by the Human Rights Council as well as other human rights bodies and also to comprehensively report the matter to the Commission of the African Union.

They said they expected a strong condemnation from the highest political level both nationally and locally.

Four Nigerian students were attacked by a group of Greater Noida residents who took out a candle-light march last after a 17-year-old boy Manish died due to suspected drug overdose.

The protest march was taken out after the police released some Nigerians detained for questioning in connection with death of Manish, a class 12 student, due to "lack of evidence".

India's Ministry of External Affairs had called the attacks 'unacceptable'.
New Delhi: A Supreme Court bench will on Wednesday take up a review petition filed by the Karnataka government, challenging the abatement of its appeal in the J Jayalalithaa Disproportionate Assets (DA) case.

Reports said that the bench will decide the petition by circulation, and consider an application for personal hearing of the case.

The Karnataka government last month moved the Supreme Court, seeking a review of the February 14 judgement holding that the appeal in the Rs 66 crore disproportionate assets case against former Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa has abated after her death on December 5, 2016.

In its review petition, Karnataka described the judgement as an "error on the face of the record" which merits a relook.

It said, "If a party dies after the conclusion of arguments and judgment is reserved, there is no question of abatement of appeal and that the judgement subsequently pronounced will have the same force and effect as if the same was pronounced before the death took place."

On February 14, the apex court held Sasikala, Sudhakaran and Ilavarasi guilty of abetment in the DA case and convicted them to undergo four-year imprisonment. They are now in jail in Bengaluru. On Ms Jayalalithaa, the Bench said the appeal has come to an end.

Assailing this ruling, Karnataka said, There are no provisions either in the Constitution or in the Supreme Court Rules, 2013 for such abatement of appeal.

On the other hand, the Supreme Court Rules, 2013 provide that both in case of civil appeals as well as election petitions there will be no abatement if the death takes place after conclusion of hearing."

Karnataka argued that though the question of A 1 (Jayalalithaa) undergoing further imprisonment does not arise, sentence to pay fine is legally sustainable which has to be recovered from the estate.

This is particularly so where the offence alleged is of illegally acquiring disproportionate assets. Therefore, the finding that the appeal has abated is not correct.

It said, "A criminal appeal involving offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act stands on a slightly different footing where the allegation is of acquisition of disproportionate assets by a public servant. In the circumstances, though the death of the accused no 1 (Jayalalithaa) renders sentence of imprisonment infructuous, the question whether any fine is liable to be imposed as also confiscation of illegally acquired property will survive for consideration."

Karnataka urged the Supreme Court to modify its February 14 judgment and restore the trial court verdict in its entirety against Jayalalithaa.
Srinagar: National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah today defended the stone-pelting youth in the Valley, saying they are fighting for the nation and for the resolution of the Kashmir issue as per the wishes of its people.

But the remarks by the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister came in for sharp condemnation from the state's ruling coalition partners PDP and the BJP. The PDP dubbed the remarks as "political opportunism" while the BJP said it was "worrisome".

Abdullah, who also said that the stone-pelting youth were not giving up their lives for tourism, is contesting the bye-election to Srinagar Lok Sabha seat as the joint candidate of opposition NC and Congress. The polling in the constituency is to be held on April 9.

The NC leader was reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on April 2 at the inauguration of Chenani-Nashri tunnel that the youth of Kashmir need to choose between tourism and terrorism.

"If he (stone pelting youth) is giving up his life, he is not doing it for tourism. He is giving his life so that the destiny of this nation is decided which should be acceptable to the people of this place. This needs to be understood," Abdullah said at an election meeting in Sonawar here.

"Recently the tunnel was opened. He (the Prime Minister) said the youth here should think whether they want tourism or terrorism. I want to tell Modi sahib tourism is our lifeline, there is no doubt about it.

"But he is a stone pelter. He has nothing to do with tourism. He will starve to death but he is pelting stones for his nation and there is a need to understand this," he added.

Abdullah also said that if India and Pakistan cannot resolve their problems, then the US should come forward and facilitate as third party to resolve their bilateral issues.

Union Minister and senior BJP leader Jitendra Singh dubbed as "worrisome" Abdullah's defence of stone-pelters in Kashmir and accused him of getting tempted to speak "language of separatists" for electoral gains.

"It is quite worrisome...a politician of stature of Abdullah has also come under the pressure of upcoming polls and therefore, has felt tempted to speak the language of separatists," Singh told reporters in Delhi.

"It seems that just in a bid to woo certain constituency, some of the Kashmir-centric campaigners have felt tempted to use the jargon of separatists," Singh added.

He further said that Abdullah's remarks raise "larger question" if one should succumb to expediency of electioneering "at the cost of consistency when it comes to nationalist views and beliefs".

Senior PDP leader and Works Minister Naeem Akhtar said the NC was indulging in political opportunism. "This is nothing but political opportunism," he said.

Reacting to the US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley's statement that the Trump administration would try and "find its place" in efforts to de-escalate Indo-Pak tension, Abdullah said New Delhi and Islamabad's failure to engage with each other bilaterally over the years had added weight to the argument for "international mediation".

"New Delhi cannot remain invested in the status-quo on the Kashmir issue and all possible methods of engagement and facilitation could be explored in the quest for a lasting resolution.

"National Conference has always advocated and encouraged bilateral engagement between New Delhi and Islamabad on the Kashmir Issue but unfortunately whatever rare efforts were made to engage bilaterally failed to yield any concrete results," he added.

The NC leader said to think that New Delhi can somehow afford to remain invested in the status quo on the Kashmir Issue is wrong.

"New Delhi is obligated to be proactive in seeking a just, fair and acceptable solution to the Kashmir Issue and had they been forthcoming and keen in talking bilaterally, the question of international mediation would not have been raised today," Abdullah said.

He asked New Delhi and Islamabad to realize their responsibility in "rescuing the tormented and suffering" people of Kashmir from the throes of "uncertainty and pain".

"You owe us your sincerity and commitment in initiating an open-ended, serious dialogue on Kashmir. It is a Kashmiri who suffers because of an obstinacy that has prevented comprehensive and sustained talks till now and sadly you expect us to suffer in perpetuity. The people of Kashmir have not been striving for a tunnel or for economic packages but for a just, fair and acceptable solution to the vexed political issue as per their aspirations," he added.

Seeking unity among all stakeholders in Kashmir, Abdullah said they should unite in the quest for resolving the political issue.
New Delhi: Shiv Sena members in Lok Sabha today warned of protests in Parliament if the issue of its MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who has been banned from flying by several airlines after he allegedly hit an Air India staffer, was not resolved soon.

All major domestic airlines have imposed a flying ban on him for assaulting an Air India duty manager.

Anandrao Adsul (Shiv Sena) said Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan was the custodian of the House "but our matter has not been resolved yet".

"If it is not resolved, then we will be force to carry our protest. Being part of the government, we do not want to create a scene but will be forced to do so. This (air travel) is his constitutional right," he said.

During the Zero Hour, Devji Mansingram Patel (BJP) also alleged that last week Jet Airways did not provide a seat to him despite his bookings and allegedly sold that seat to another passenger.

He claimed that similar problems were being faced by other MPs and people. "Private airlines are bullying...this bullying should be curbed," he said.

Adsul alleged that his party MP Ravindra Gaikwad was also manhandled by airline staffers. "Under which law has his travel by air been banned," he questioned. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said: "We will see to it".

Air India and most other airlines have barred Ravindra Gaikwad, a Shiv Sena MP from Osmanabad constituency in Maharashtra, from its flights and also cancelled his tickets.
Jiyaguda is the largest centre in the state for the traditional slaughtering of animals and it caters to the core city. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: The GHMCs concern to ensure that Hyderabadis eat good quality meat, will affect Jiyaguda, a big hub of illegal slaughterhouses.

The corporation has assessed that 9,000 animals are slaughtered here without health and weight checks. It wants to tighten up meat processing ahead of the Ramzan season.

Jiyaguda is the largest centre in the state for the traditional slaughtering of animals and it caters to the core city. Many from other states also trade meat at this hub. Despite the five modern slaughterhouses set up by the GHMC at Amberpet, Chengicherla, Ramnasthp-ura, New Bhoiguda and Gowlipura, it is business as usual with traditional butchers at Jiyaguda.

GHMC Commissioner Dr B Janardhan Reddy said that a few years ago, when the Union ministry of health directed urban local bodies to construct modern slaughter houses, the GHMC proposed one in Jiyaguda. But some residents approached the court and GHMC lost the case and couldnt do much. But today, the corporation wants to put an end to illegal slaughter as there is no legal hurdle. It needs an investment of Rs 50 crore.

He added, The main concern is that over 9000 animals are slaughtered here and supplied to the food industry and there is zero check on the health of the animal. Slaughtering is done in an unscientific manner. Due to this illegal business, the other government slaughter houses dont get adequate animals for slaughter. The corporation plans to build a modern, well-equipped slaughterhouse here and thus divert 50 per cent of the animals to its other slaughterhouses.

The Commissioner warns that hotels and restaurants must buy meat only from approved slaughterhouses.

Raids will continue until the industry falls in line with the regulations. There will be a penalty for first-time violators and closure for repeating the offence, he said.

Meat of the matter

Under Section 674 of the Hyderabad Municipal Act 1955, GHMC officials can seize /fine a hotel for procuring unstamped meat.

9,000

Animals slaughtered without health and weight checks daily in Jiyaguda which is the citys largest traditional slaughter hub

2,000
Students and activists of various student organisations hold protests on the campus of Nehru College of Engineering & Research Centre at Pampady on Monday.

Thrissur: The student protest over the suicide of an 18-year-old computer science student at Nehru College in Pampady near Thiruvilwamala on Monday took a violent turn with the protest march on the college by SFI and KSU ending up in rampaging its office and canteen and an ATM counter at its gate.

The protest had been brewing since Saturday with the relatives and students alleging that Jishnu Pranoy, son of Ashokan of Nadapuram in Kozhikode, hung himself inside his hostel room after invigilator Praveen, who is also a teacher at the college, allegedly threatened him of barring from exam.

He was reportedly found looking on the answer sheet of the student sitting next to him during the exam, and after that on Friday, he committed suicide.

On Monday, the KSU, MSF, ABVP, AISF and SFI held protests on the campus, with the participation of more than 300 students from the college where politics is banned.

Police first lathi charged KSU members as they broke the glass doors and window panes of the ATM near the gate of the Administrative Block. Later, more than 100 SFI activists pushed apart nearly 20 policemen who were preventing them from entering the college and went on a rampage.

SFI state secretary M. Vijin and KSU state president V. S. Joy along with other student leaders could not stop their activists. A student broke his arm during the violence, and some policemen suffered minor injuries.

A large posse of police from nearby police stations of Wadakkanchery, Kunnamkulam and Palakkad, were rushed to the college as things went out of hand after protesters forcibly entered the 33-acre campus. They were camping in the office overnight Monday.

The college authorities have no respect for students, and both the teaching staff and the administrative officials use derogatory words against them when they raise voice against the hard-and-fast rules. The fine at the college varies from Rs 500 to 5,000. They initiate disciplinary action for silly reasons. Fearing retaliatory action from the college authorities which might adversely affect their academics and future, the students keep mum, Sarath Chandran K., area secretary of SFI, told DC.

They take disciplinary action and impose fines for even sporting a beard, cutting cakes during birthdays and for not wearing the tag of the college.

Authorities, however, denied all the allegations of torture including that the deceased Jishnu was beaten up inside the principal's room.

We have put in place a disciplined system for the academic growth. We are regularly achieving it. There is a concerted effort from certain quarters to defame the college, and this protest and vandalism are part of it, said P. Krishnadas, its managing trustee.
Students and activists of various student organisations hold protests on the campus of Nehru College of Engineering & Research Centre at Pampady. (File photo).

Kochi: Students of Nehru College of Engineering and Research Centre, Pampady, Thrissur, on Monday asked the college authorities to pay a compensation of Rs 14 lakh to the parents of Vishnu Pranoy and rename the road leading from Pampady junction to the college as Jishnu Smarana Road in memory of the first year B. Tech student who committed suicide on January 6.

The official address of the college must reflect the name change, the students said, adding that the renaming will ensure that no one ever forgets this incident. It will prevent the college officials from harassing students anymore, they said.

The Facebook page started by supporters of the Justice for Jishnu campaign shared the demands on Monday. The students asked whether the fine collected by the college is accounted properly paying tax.

The students are planning to finalise their demands and submit the same to the college authorities in the coming days. Students fearing backlash are using Facebook page to raise their issues.

The college is infamous for fining students for even small reasons, they said. Rs 14 lakh is a small fine for the harassment/torture of all the students over the past 14 years, a post said. If this compensation is not paid by 30th January 2017, there will be late-fee of Rs 1 lakh per day it said, referring to the fines the colleges is alleged to have collected from the students for making late payments.

Students also asked the college management to permit an independent student union in all colleges under the Nehru Group. These student unions can seek support of student organisations such as SFI, KSU, ABVP to deal with any issues. The president and secretary of this student union must be elected democratically every year.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two cases were registered against the management and journalists of Mangalam TV, including its CEO R. Ajith Kumar, in connection with the alleged honey-trapping of former transport minister A.K. Saseendran. Non-bailable offences were invoked against the accused. A Special Investi-gation Team led by Crime Branch IG Dinendra Kashyap, constituted on Thur-sday, will question the accused and seize the digital evidences of the conversation. The cases are initiated on the basis of petitions filed by NCP state chief Mujeeb Rahuman and advocate Sreeja Thulasi. Eight others arrai-gned in the case are Mangalam TV chairman Sajan Vargheese, news co-ordinating editors M.B. Santosh and Rishi K. Manoj, investigation team leader K. Jayachandran alias S. Narayanan, news editors and readers Lekshmi Mohan, Firoz Saly Mohammed and S.V. Pradeep and the woman who allegedly honey trapped the minister. In the case registered on the basis of advocate Sreeja Thulasi, seven persons including Mr Ajith were arraigned.

The charges invoked against the accused include Section 67 of Information Technology Act for publishing obscene material in electronic form and 120-B of Indian Penal Code for criminal conspiracy. Meanwhile, police sources expressed fear that the delay in initiating a probe into the incident would have given the accused enough scope to destroy evidence relating to the case. The channel telecast the conversation of the minister on March 26 as part of its launch. Police announced the probe into the matter close on the heels of Mr Ajith Kumar tendering an apology on Thursday evening for telecasting the report against the minister and maintained that it was a sting operation. Palakkad district police chief Prateesh Kumar, Kottayam district police chief N. Ramachandran, Hi-Tech cell DySP E.S. Bijumon, Crime Branch DySP Shanavas and woman sub-inspector Sudhakumari are the members in the investigation team. Mr Bijumon will be the investigation officer.

In a related development, Mujeeb Rahuman filed a fresh petition with Indian Boradcasting Foundation alleging that Mangalam TV violated the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act. He said in the complaint that the channel aired obscene conversation deliberately. The Parappanamgadi police earlier registered a case against the channel authorities on the basis of a petition of a 20-year-old girl that a picture of her along with Saseedran at a inaugural function was being circulated on the social media. Meanwhile, the police is yet to act on a petition filed by Congress MLA Anil Akkara seeking action against Mr Saseendran for the sleaze talk with a woman. The state police chief had earlier sought legal opinion on the petition.
On April 5, 1957, the government, led by the Communist Party of India (prior to split), came to power in Kerala. Many acclaim it as the first ever elected Communist government. But EMS Namboodiripad, who had headed that government, in one of his columns, stated that it was incorrect. He wrote that Cheddi Barret Jagan, a Marxist-Leninist, had become Chief Minister of British Guayana in 1953 and was overthrown in 133 days. Nevertheless, the assuming of office by the Communists in Kerala, who had a facile win in the 1957 elections, was an event which drew international attention.

But it needs mention that power to communists arrived late in Kerala due to the anxiety of the Congress to prevent communists from coming to power. In the 1954 elections to Travancore-Cochin assembly, the Left Front comprising Communists, Revolutionary Socialist Party and Kerala Socialist Party, which had an understanding with the Praha Socialist Party, were in a majority, though Congress was the single largest party.

The ingenious tactics of the Congress prevented Communists from coming to power in a coalition in 1954. Congress with 45 seats in the assembly offered to support (without sharing power) the PSP with 19 members. This is in fact the forerunner to the Charan Singh and the Chandrasekhar experiments at the national level much later in 1979 and 1991 respectively.

Analysts have long held that Kerala went against the grain in electing Communists to power contrary to the national trend. Seldom has it been discussed that Communists could achieve a victory in Kerala in the then prevailing adverse international climate after Krushchev' s Stalin revelations at the 20th Congress of Communist Party of Soviet Union (CPSU) and Soviet intervention in Hungary, both in 1956.

These events triggered a crisis in Communist movements, especially in the parties of the West. Indian Communists had their own quota of differences on what attitude to be taken towards the Congress, led by Nehru, which imprinted the slogan of building a socialistic pattern of society and public sector reaching commanding heights of the economy in 1956. Eventually, this led to the split in the Communist party in 1964.

In the present era of electoral politics, when the far right is becoming adept in social engineering, the strategy adopted by the Communists then, especially its leaders, is worth recalling. Mannathu Padmanabhan and Nair Service Society were on the same page against the Congress. This was effectively exploited in the selection of candidates in Travancore-Cochin area by the Communists. The party fielded candidates, anticipating NSS support. In Malabar area, of course, the Communists had developed a mass base by being in the forefront of agrarian struggles and social reform movements.

Insulation from adverse international headwinds and a careful social engineering by the Kerala leadership saw the Communists romping home with a razor thin margin and forming a government, which initiated many pioneering reforms. But the counter engineering by organising all caste organisations of Hindus and minority denominations saw the communist government being dismissed despite having a parliamentary majority. In the next election in 1960, the vote share of the Communists rose to 43 percent, but they tasted defeat against a coalition of Congress, PSP and Muslim League. Thus began an era of coalitions in Kerala, about which much has been said and experienced.
Chennai/Thanjavur: Hardly three weeks after the idol wing sleuths seized an antique maragatha (emerald) Siva Lingam in Salem, another such lingam, which is smaller in size, was seized in Govindapuram in Kumbakkonam district on Monday. Police arrested two persons, said to be members of DMK, on Tuesday after recovering from them the lingam, which is believed to stolen.

The arrested were identified as S.Kaliyamurthy (71) and Vijaya Ragavan (47), both residents of Kurichi village near Thiruvidai Maruthur. The two were allegedly trying to sell the lingam for Rs 50 lakh to a trader when the police stepped in.

Kaliyamurthy claimed that he was in possession of the lingam and was worshiping it in his house. The maragatha lingam weighed about 300 gm and height was less than 10 inches. We verified the seized lingam with jewellery stores in Kumbakonam and found it was an antique, noted inspector general of police AG Pon. Manickavel. The Idol wing has also seized the car in which the idol was being transported.

Though Kaliyamurthy claimed that he was worshipping it at home, police believe it is a stolen idol. We are yet to find out from where it was stolen, police said.

The police officials are not sure about the value of the lingam in the international market. We have informed the officials of the Archeological Survey of India and sought their help to examine the idol and assess the value, noted an idol wing police officer.

Only on March 17, the idol wing sleuths had seized maragatha lingam weighing over `7kg worth over Rs 25 crore in Tharamangalam near Salem, and five persons including a woman, were arrested.
ED registered a case of money laundering against the company in 2016 after it appeared that money laundering was involved in the operations of the firm.

Chennai: The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday attached properties worth Rs 150 crore and cash belonging to Gold Quest international.

The firm was in the business of selling gold coins and other articles at exorbitant rates saying they were limited edition products and of high numismatic value and the marketing was also done in a pyramid model in which the earlyones made money at the expense of others joining the scheme later.

Based on various complains of cheating from public, Tamil Nadu police had registered a case in 2009 against Gold Quest. Initial probe by the police revealed that the company was expanding its operation by luring gullible public towards such articles and huge commissions were paid to the marketing people, similar to the system that exists in multi-level marketing.

ED registered a case of money laundering against the company in 2016 after it appeared that money laundering was involved in the operations of the firm. ED, before attaching the properties provisionally, had examined senior company executives including Mrs Pushapam Appalanaidu, Mrs. K.Padma and Munnawar Ahamed and extracted statements from them.

The attached properties include residential properties, vacant lands, commercial complexes in Chennai, Madurai, Hyderabad and Mumbai worth Rs 56 crore and cash Rs 53 crore seized during police search, shares and mutual funds worth Rs 14 crore, deposits in banks worth Rs 48 crore and gold/silver articles worth Rs 27 crore.
Hyderabad: Stating that the BJP will be the main rival of the TRS, the partys TS unit chief K. Laxman on Monday said that it would go alone in the 2019 elections and will come to power in TS riding on a Modi wave.

He said that the party will also focus on the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency (represented by the MIM) and ensure victory in Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency.

Dr Laxman, who completed a 3-day training programme for party leaders, said that BJP national president Amit Shah will visit Hyderabad on April 7. Several top national BJP leaders will address the party till April 14.

There is a Modi wave across the country. Wherever elections were held, people gave a clear verdict in favour of BJP. Modi graph is rising due to his programmes and policies. His development of Gaon, Garib, Kisan, Mahila, Yuva, Pidith, Shoshit sections got positive response, Dr Laxman claimed.

Modi wave will continue in East, North, West and South. Whenever elections are held in South, you will see the same or better results. I am confident about it. In Telangana too, there is growing support for the BJP, he claimed
Mysuru: Clearly stung by former Chief Minister, S.M Krishna's claim that his administration was the worst he had seen in 55 years in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah advised the veteran politician on Tuesday to recall the performance of his own government in the state.

"During Mr S.M. Krishna's reign from 1999 to 2004, 30 ministers of his Cabinet lost the assembly elections, and the number of MLAs fell from 140 to 60," he pointed out .

Mr Krishna, who recently left the Congress to join the BJP and is campaigning for it for the coming bypolls, had in biting criticism of the Siddaramaiah government on Monday claimed it lacked vision and commitment to take the state forward in terms of development. Responding to the criticism, the Chief Minister countered that it was time Mr Krishna recalled how "good and visionary" his government was. He was speaking to reporters before leaving for campaigning in 14 villages of Nanjangud constituency.

Addressing a public meeting in Hullalli later, he took on another veteran and former revenue minister, Mr V Srinivasprasad, who also quit the Congress to join the BJP and is contesting as its candidate from Nanjangud.

He claimed he had resigned for personal reasons, forcing an election on the people suffering a drought. In veiled criticism of the former minister, he added," We are not making any personal comments against anybody. It's not right to seek personal vengeance in politics."

Countering the claim of BJP leaders that the bypolls would be a referendum on his government, he said no byelection could be an indicator of things to come in an assembly election.

"BJP leaders are day dreaming that we will lose power much before our term is up in 2018. But I will present my budget next March too. After a crow sat on my car, astrologers said I would not present a single budget after that, but I presented three," he noted.

Dismissing the BJP's claim that there was a Modi wave in the country, he asked, "If there is a wave why didn't it have an impact in Punjab or in Manipur? The party will not be able to sow seeds of communalism in Karnataka, which is the land of social reformer Basavanna."

BJP complains to poll panel on corrupt practices of Congress govt

The state BJP has filed a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer alleging that the ruling Congress is involved in corrupt practices in its bid to win the Nanjangud and Gundlupet Assembly byelections for which polling will be held on April 9.

The BJP stated in the complaint that police and revenue officials are acting like election agents of the Congress in both constituencies.

Officials are checking the vehicles of Union parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar and BJP state president B.S.Yeddyurappa but are not following the same procedure with Congress leaders who can easily transport money in government vehicles, stated the complaint. The Election Commission must direct the state government to change or transfer the officers on poll duty, said the party.

Speaking to reporters after submitting the memorandum to poll officials, BJP MLA B.N. Vijaykumar said, "Since the polls are only four days away, we have requested them to conduct free and fair elections. We have requested the poll panel to take necessary action against errant officials who colluded with Congress leaders," he said.
Despite all the paeans to glorious motherhood, India still has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world  167 per 100,000 live births, as per the latest official statistics. Compare this to 27 in China, 23 in Iran, 29 in Sri Lanka, 31 in Maldives and 120 in Bhutan.

Nearly five women die every hour in India from complications developed during childbirth, with heavy blood loss caused by haemorrhage being a major factor. This comes to nearly 45,000 deaths, or about 17 per cent of the global total of deaths linked to childbirth.

But do you see nationwide hand-wringing or hear high-decibel outrage about this? The answer, of course, is an emphatic no.

The figures, however, offer a useful context to the outrage that the death of cows has begun to generate in this country. What are our priorities?

Last week, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani was in the news for proclaiming that protection of cows is the single-most important principle towards saving the whole world from both moral and spiritual degradation. The state government has just made cow slaughter punishable with life imprisonment. Mr Rupani also wants Gujarat to become totally vegetarian.

Interestingly, Gujarats latest salvo in the battle to protect the holy cow comes just when the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India has criticised the state over a spurt in maternal deaths.

A CAG report tabled in the Gujarat Assembly last Friday noted maternal mortality in the state had risen in the past three years, from 72 in 2013-14 to 80 in 2014-15 and to 85 in 2015-16.

In an affluent state, why is this so? One key reason is the stark disparities between different regions. In three districts, the maternal mortality rate was even higher than the states abysmal average Valsad (94), Dahod (93) and Surat (89).

Health experts will analyse this spurt in Gujarats maternal deaths in greater detail in the coming days. But clearly, one contributing factor is the reduction in the states social sector budget.

The CAG report notes that the Gujarat governments expenditure on social services  notably education, health and family welfare  has gone down by around 11 per cent in 2015-16 compared to the previous year.

The findings of the CAG are revealing. The report draws attention to the many factors that could and would put pregnant womens lives at greater risk. One telling example is how women are taken home after delivery. The usual method in rural areas is to use rickshaws designed to carry goods. The effect of the jolting  specially on women who have just undergone a caesarean operation  can be easily imagined. The CAG report catalogues several other lapses pointing to poor healthcare systems in parts of the state.

Gujarat has done a better job in reducing infant deaths and newborn deaths. But when it comes to maternal deaths, its record is worse than that of many neighbouring states, including Maharashtra.

The CAG had drawn the Gujarat governments attention to gaps and deficiencies in the healthcare sector earlier too.

But Gujarat is not the only state which needs to take far better care of our human matas.

As the latest compilation of data by the Niti Aayog shows, many states are doing worse. Assams record is the worst  at 300 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births between 2011 and 2013.

Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand come next at 285, followed by Rajasthan at 244, Odisha at 222, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh at 221, Bihar and Jharkhand at 208 maternal deaths, and so on.

In Chhattisgarh, too, chief minister Raman Singh declared anyone found killing cows in the state will be hanged.

Uttar Pradesh has a new chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, who has made the crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses and cattle smuggling the flagship priorities of his administration.

Everyone knows that the cow is sacred to Hindus, who make up the vast majority of our population. But what should our priorities be? Is the continuous hullabaloo about gau mata distracting us from the protection of human matas? Though things have improved, clearly the progress is not commensurate with Indias economic status.

Indeed, as is evident from the statewise data on maternal mortality, affluent states are not necessarily the best performers when it comes to many health indicators, including our mothers survival.

The southern states have typically done far better on education and health indicators than the rest. This holds good for maternal health as well. Most southern states have reduced their maternal mortality ratio to double digits  Kerala to 61 deaths per 100,000 live births, Tamil Nadu to 79 and Andhra Pradesh-Telangana to 92. Only Karnataka trails behind, at 133.

Even West Bengal, which has many other problems, has a better record of saving our mothers. Its maternal mortality ratio of 113 is significantly better than that of Gujarat, Punjab or Haryana  all far more affluent states.

So economic growth, while necessary, is not sufficient to deliver good health. We all know this. Signalling matters.

Lets face it. Whether it is old India, or Narendra Modis New India, a maternal death does not spark public outrage or provoke protest rallies, demonstrations or even candlelight vigils. We have grown accustomed to it.

We have normalised the staggering number of such deaths, even when other countries we consider our peers have done far better than us on maternal health. We are not outraged enough by maternal deaths unless our score on this or any other health indicator is worse than that of Pakistan. Then hell breaks loose.

Bharat Mata and Gau Mata are centrestage. What about turning the spotlight too on the ordinary mata?

If chief ministers got as excited about the alarming number of Indian women who become anaemic during pregnancy, about the delays and deficiencies in public healthcare, about the entrenched neglect that leads to a woman dying during or after childbirth as they evidently are about cow slaughter, change would begin.

But will they?
The phenomenal farm loan waiver of Rs 36,359 crores in Uttar Pradesh is smart politics, but not necessarily good economics. While farmers need all the support society can give to ensure food sufficiency, loan waivers and NPAs arent the best way, even though we owe farmers a debt. There are ways of giving and monitoring money for inputs and crop insurance, besides setting a generous procurement price so that fiscal discipline isnt destroyed. The assurance of politically-inspired loan waivers at periodic intervals, specially around elections, may prompt even honest farmers to pad up their margins by welshing on loans.

This exercise wont stop with UP, though all politicians have welcomed the relief for farmers. The waiver will raise the issue of it being invidious as its restricted to a populous state, rendered even more politically important by voting for the party in power at the Centre. The Madras high court ruled on waiving of crop loans that cost the exchequer nearly Rs 2,000 crores more. While the ruling restored equity, making the waiver applicable to all farmers regardless of landholding size, the bench also suggested the Centre chip in to help the state tide over its worst drought in 140 years. Does the Centre need court orders to do this even in such an extreme emergency?

What happens to banks and cooperative institutions, already smarting under bad loans and NPAs? This has to take into account the economys overall health. UP could find financial relief in floating bonds. The society can support its farmers without risking its banking system.
On assuming the UN Security Council chair for two months on Tuesday, US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said in response to media questions: We dont think we should wait till something happens. Its absolutely right that this (Trump) administration is concerned about the relationship between India and Pakistan and very much wants to see how we de-escalate any sort of conflict going forward... So I think that will be something that you will see members of the Security Council participate in, but also wouldnt be surprised if the President participates in that as well.

Not since the presidency of Bill Clinton nearly two decades ago has an American Cabinet member thrown such hints of the US urge to intervene in the matrix of India-Pakistan bilateral relations.

After the 1972 Shimla Agreement, India has steadfastly guarded the core premise of that agreement with Pakistan  that all and any issues between the two countries, including Kashmir, would have to be resolved bilaterally, without third-party (UN or another country) involvement. The role of bilateralism was also the essence of the 1999 Lahore Declaration. Pakistan has signed both documents but has reiterated  from every forum it can  its call for the world, specially the US, to get involved in the Kashmir dispute. The Trump administration has just given evidence of taking the bait.

In Indias response to Ms Haleys observations, the official spokesman not only referred to the bilateralism principle, but also made it plain that the bilateral redressal (sic) of all India-Pakistan issues could only take place in an environment free of terror and violence. The spokesman did well to remind everyone that India expects the international community and organisations to enforce international mechanisms and mandates concerning terrorism emanating from Pakistan, which continues to be the single biggest threat to peace and stability in the region and beyond. Ms Haley, a member of the Trump Cabinet, has said the US President was likely to participate in the process of being proactive in the context of seeing tensions rise and conflicts start to bubble up. It is not clear if this is a general proposition or specific to the India-Pakistan equation. We need to face up to what may be coming. The Modi government may have given the impression of being too solicitous of the US. This regretfully incorporates the sense of doing Americas bidding. This needs to change.
No large (sovereign) land mass can be prosperous, safe and secure without a matching marine strength. Sea capability, historically, has been the sine qua non for virtually every global-reach aspiring European power since the 16th century and the Americans in the 20th century. Among non-Western nations, only Japan so far had a Navy with reasonable reach, but far from global.

Understandably, when the Americans, at the turn of the 20th century, said our ships are our natural bulwarks, they werent wrong, as subsequently proved in World War II, from the prolonged Atlantic battles to the June 1944 Normandy landings, to the epic struggle for Pacific supremacy between the Japanese and American fleets. Thus was reborn the concept of forward deployment, in which the Navy inevitably replayed a leading role in post-Cold War global trade, commerce and security systems. A nations sea power emerged as diplomacys most visible arm in geopolitics and other power plays.

Its thus the turn of US forward deployment all the way as all contemporary non-US Western navies are a pale shadow of their glorious past, leaving Washington as the sole monopoly player in the worlds oceans. How did this happen? From remote ports and bases or home ports? Unsurprisingly, it comes from at least 50 global forward deployment areas/ports which helped America attain its present status. Thus, from Ascension Island to the Atlantic; Bahrain to British Indian Ocean Territory; Canada to Cuba; Djibouti to the Philippines; Singapore to Spain; UK to (now) Ukraine; the US flotilla floats and sails  furthering the American national interests in economics, politics, security, diplomacy and gathering of real-time information in every other sphere. It aims to protect the US mainland with forward deployment to sea, to ensure that no conflict reaches Americas mainland.

The existing sea world order, however, appears to be changing fast, with an increasingly combative order-of-battle of Communist Chinas capitalist government posing an unprecedented challenge to the US monopoly. Though after 1945 the US has never hidden its intention of dominating or being prepared to fight a war with anyone, anywhere  from Korea to Vietnam, from Afghanistan to Latin America, Iraq to Kuwait, and Libya to Syria, Chinas style and strategy is a little different. Beijing fought Korean war from the rear in the 1950s, playing to perfection Sun Tzus Art of War to inflict a humiliating defeat on India (in two sectors of Ladakh and NEFA) in broad daylight; forcibly captured the northeast portion (north of Indus to the area adjacent to Daulat Beg Oldi and Thoise) of Kashmir (1960s), and subsequently inked the grossly illegal Sino-Pak bilateral treaty with Ayub Khan and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to usurp more Indian territory west of present Indian deployment at Siachen. Subsequently, though, China made a hard attempt, with its India success formula, to capture Vietnamese territory in the late 1970s on the sly, and it got a bloody hard nose from Hanoi as the latter refused to play to the Chinese tune.

Understandably, the Chinese changed tack, and Beijing switched over from land to sea, sensing an opportunity to fill the empty space in the aftermath of the fall of the mighty Soviet Union and its equally impressive naval forces. Encircle land through the sea  a bit similar to Mao Zedongs call to the Communists in the 1930s to encircle static city garrisons through mobile villagers to put pressure on logistics and supply routes of the privileged in urban centres. It is an application of Maos and Sun Tzus mobility and surprise in, and from, the sea. The name of the new game is the time-tested forward deployment of the erstwhile imperial powers in search of land, loot, labour and larceny, in the guise of laissez faire, for the leisure of their princes.

Expectedly, the Chinese started their first major overseas naval base in Djibouti. Housing thousands of personnel at Obock, a northern port a few hours by boat across the Gulf of Tadjoura from Djibouti City. A former French colony overlooking the southern gateway to the Red Sea, connecting Suez (west) and the Indian Ocean (east), it constitutes one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes. Djibouti, which comes under the US Africa Command, also houses 3,150 military personnel, comprising transport, special operations squadrons and naval air bases, is a stones throw distance from there.

While Beijings stand is that it is protecting its interests and investments (worth $30 billion in 2014) throughout sub-Saharan Africa, Djibouti is a multipurpose, all-weather deployment base for CPEC/BRI/OBOR. How and why is that so? This is because all the three Chinese projects primarily pass through land; and land has its own inherent limitations, specially if it is traditionally multi-factor and multi-actor turbulence-prone geography. A land war is bound to loom large. History shows that. Every nation is a land power, but few nations can be, or are, land-sea powers. China now aspires to be one, which is strategic deception at its best, through an effective and catchy cover of collective prosperity. The mind boggles at the prospect!

Chinas unprecedented Djibouti forward deployment base is actually a backup for Gwadar  they are separated by 1,525 nautical miles, at 10 knot constant speed and 6.4 days at sea. Shanghai to Gwadar, on the other hand, is 6,170 nautical miles, at 10 knot constant speed and 25.7 days at sea. Again, Shanghai to Djibouti is 6,686 nautical miles, at 10 knot constant speed and 27.9 days at sea. No wonder Gwadar is being linked to Djibouti under the cover of economics, amid the unprecedented naval build-up. In case of serious problems in its landlocked Central Asian terrain, the sea power of the state will try to rescue Beijings $50 billion-plus CPEC/BRI/OBOR project. To top it all, the world need not be surprised to see the about-to-be-launched second aircraft-carrier of the PLA Navy, with its carrier battle-group based in Zhanjiang, headquarters of South Sea Fleet (Nanhai fleet) in near-future deployment; say around 24 months from now. Djibouti is a supplementary geostrategic, geopolitical, out-of-area operational fulcrum of the Chinese military to further the objectives of CPEC/BRI/OBOR. The aim is to imitate the Western imperialism of the past, with only the colour changed. The land-sea war as the yellow mans burden?
In the new study, new geophysical data collected by colleagues in Belgium and France has been combined with seafloor data from Britain showing evidence of huge holes and a valley system located on the seafloor.

Scientists have found evidence of how ancient Britain separated from Europe in what they are dubbing "Brexit 1.0" - a flooding event that happened in two stages thousands of years ago.

In research published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, the scientists said they now have proof that the opening of the Dover Strait in the English Channel, severing the land between Britain and France, occurred in two episodes - an initial lake spill over, followed by catastrophic flooding.

"The breaching of this land bridge between Dover and Calais was undeniably one of the most important events in British history, helping to shape our island nation's identity," said Sanjeev Gupta, a professor at Imperial College London who co-led the work.

"When the ice age ended and sea levels rose, flooding the valley floor for good, Britain lost its physical connection to the mainland," he said. "This is Brexit 1.0  the Brexit nobody voted for."

The first pieces of the puzzle came some 10 years ago, when researchers found geophysical evidence of giant valleys on the seafloor in the central part of English Channel. They believed these valley networks were evidence of a megaflood gouging out the land, probably caused by a breach in a chalk rock ridge joining Britain to France.

In the new study, new geophysical data collected by colleagues in Belgium and France has been combined with seafloor data from Britain showing evidence of huge holes and a valley system located on the seafloor. This help the team establish how the chalk ridge was breached.

The ridge acted like a huge dam and behind it was a proglacial lake, the researchers explained. The lake overflowed in giant waterfalls, eroding the rock escarpment, weakening it and eventually causing it to fail and release huge volumes of water onto the valley floor below.

"We still don't know for sure why the proglacial lake spilt over," said Jenny Collier, a co-author of the study from Imperial's department of earth science and engineering.

"Perhaps part of the ice sheet broke off, collapsing into the lake, causing a surge that carved a path for the water to cascade off the chalk ridge. Maybe an earth tremor... further weakened the ridge and caused (it) to collapse, releasing the megaflood that we have found evidence for in our studies."

Either way, the scientists said, if it was not for a set of chance geological circumstances, Britain may have remained connected to mainland Europe, jutting out into the sea like Denmark.

The researchers still have no exact timeline of events, but said they now want to take and analyze core samples of the in-filled sediments in the plunge pools to try and pinpoint the timing of erosion and the filling of the pools.

They cautioned, however, that this next step will be tricky, since getting samples in the Dover Strait means navigating huge tidal changes and the world's busiest shipping lane.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
New Horizons arrived at Pluto in July 2015, becoming its first visitor from Earth. It launched from Cape Canaveral in 2006.

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is now halfway between Pluto and its next much, much smaller stop.

New Horizons - which reached the milestone this week - is bound for an even more remote object called 2014 MU69. Like Pluto, the object orbits in our solar system's twilight zone known as the Kuiper Belt, but is barely 1 percent its size. MU69 is nearly 1 billion miles (1.6 billion kilometers) beyond Pluto.

The spacecraft will swoop past MU69 on Jan. 1, 2019.

"That flyby will set the record for the most distant world ever explored in the history of civilization," chief investigator Alan Stern of Southwest Research Institute said in a statement.

With another 466 million miles (750 million kilometers) remaining, New Horizons will go into a five-month hibernation later this week.

Although still zooming along, the spacecraft is slowing down slightly as it gets farther from the sun. Besides aiming for MU69, New Horizons will study a couple dozen other Kuiper Belt objects from afar.

New Horizons arrived at Pluto in July 2015, becoming its first visitor from Earth. It launched from Cape Canaveral in 2006.

The spacecraft is currently 3.5 billion miles (5.7 billion kilometers) from home. It takes radio signals five hours and 20 minutes to reach the spacecraft from the control center at Johns Hopkins University in Laurel, Maryland.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Russia is open to extending its partnership in the International Space Station with the United States, Europe, Japan and Canada beyond the currently planned end of the program in 2024, the head of the Russian space agency said on Tuesday.

We are ready to discuss it, Igor Komarov, general director of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, told reporters at the U.S. Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, when asked if his country would consider a four-year extension.

The $100 billion science and engineering laboratory, orbiting 250 miles (400 km) above Earth, has been permanently staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts since November 2000.

The US space agency, NASA, spends about $3 billion a year on the space station program, a level of funding that is endorsed by the Trump administration and Congress.

A US House of Representatives committee that oversees NASA has begun looking at whether to extend the program beyond 2024, or use the money to speed up planned human space initiatives to the moon and Mars.

Komarov said many medical and technological issues remain to be resolved before humans travel beyond the stations orbit.

I think that we need to prolong our cooperation in low-Earth orbit because we havent resolved all the issues and problems that we face now, Komarov said.

The US-Russian human space partnership has long endured despite the swirl of political tensions between the two countries. In 1975, for example, at the height of the Cold War, an American Apollo and Russian Soyuz capsule docked together in orbit.

"We appreciate that ... political problems do not touch this sphere, Komarov said.

Moscow has an alternative if relations with the United States sour. Russia last year unveiled a plan to detach some of its modules and use them to create a new, independent outpost in orbit.

We adjusted and made some minor changes in our programs ... but it doesnt mean that we dont want to continue our cooperation," Komarov said. "We just want to be on the safe side and make sure we can continue our research.

The United States is dependent on Russias propellant module to keep the station in orbit.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Since last few years, Samsung has been trying to reduce its reliance on Google and Android.

Everyone thinks their devices are safe. With numerous security protocols in place, there are still instances which lead to lapse in security. This seems to be the case of Samsung devices running on the companys open-source operating system Tizen, which a researcher discovered to be ridden with around 40 previously unknown vulnerabilities.

This pretty much means that Tizen is a hackers dream come true. All these zero-days discovered by Israeli researcher Amihai Neiderman could allow attackers to remotely hack millions of newer Samsung smart TVs, smart watches, and even mobile phones that are currently on the market, as well as some that are scheduled to be released. They wouldnt even need physical access to them.

With as much noise as the Wikileaks CIA data dump which came out last month, especially the notes indicating that the CIA can hack Samsung smart TVs via malware installed with the help of a USB stick, the fact that these devices could be hacked remotely is a cause of deep concern.

Since last few years, Samsung has been trying to reduce its reliance on Google and Android. Tizen was its solution to the problem, installing it in about 30 million smart TVs, Samsung Gear smartwatches and some Samsung phones available in Russia, India, and Bangladesh etc.

One zero-day in particular, however, is worse than the others, he says. According to him, Samsung's TizenStore, which is an app store, has a design flaw which allowed him to hijack the software to deliver malicious code to Samsung TV. Since TizenStore has the highest privileges you can get on a device, a hacker could make it do whatever it wanted.

"You can update a Tizen system with any malicious code you want," Neiderman notes. The researcher managed to find a heap-overflow vulnerability which gave him control of the app before the authentication function tied to TizenStore kicked in, which is what the app needs to make sure only authorized software gets installed on a device.

Also, Samsung programmers failed to use SSL encryption for secure connection when transmitting certain data, while applying it for other types of data. "They made a lot of wrong assumptions about where they needed encryption," Neiderman notes.

The researcher reached out to Samsung months ago but didn't hear back. After Motherboard published its article, Neiderman finally got a reply as Samsung vows to work alongside him, as well as other security experts, to mitigate any potential vulnerabilities.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
The first lady has said that she and 11-year-old son Barron will move to Washington after the current school year ends in the summer. (Photo: AP)

New York: More than half a million people have signed a petition demanding that First Lady Melania Trump move into the White House or foot the expense of living in New York herself.

The Slovenian-born former model and mother of one has continued to live at her Manhattan penthouse apartment more than two months after husband Donald Trump was sworn in as 45th president of the United States.

The first lady has said that she and 11-year-old son Barron will move to Washington after the current school year ends in the summer.

New York expects to spend an average of USD 127,000-USD 146,000 a day for the police and USD 4.5 million annually for the fire department to protect the first lady and her child while they live in Trump Tower, city police chief James ONeill wrote in February in a letter to local members of Congress.

Police spent USD 24 million on protecting the family from election day on November 8, 2016 to inauguration day on January 20, on the eve of which the New York real estate tycoon moved to Washington.

The US taxpayer is paying an exorbitant amount of money to protect the First Lady in Trump Tower, said the petition set up on Change.Org.

As to help relieve the national debt, this expense yields no positive results for the nation and should be cut from being funded, it added.

The petition, which was started two weeks ago, has already been signed by more than 514,200 people. It has a goal of reaching one million supporters.

The petition is to be delivered to Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, both prominent Trump opponents on the left of US politics.

The President has not returned to New York since moving to Washington but has spent multiple weekends at his estate in Palm Beach, Florida to the frustration of some residents there.

Signatories to the petition have left less than savoury words for the first familys living arrangements.

Melania not living in the White House is not only expensive but an insult to Americans, wrote Gary Strauss from Madison, Wisconsin on Tuesday.

This exposes one of the many hypocrisies of this administration, added Roderick Grant of Huntington Station, New York.
Providence: A Rhode Island man has been convicted of repeatedly raping his then-girlfriend after he became angry that she smoked their last cigarette.

The Providence Journal reported the attorney generals office as saying a Superior Court jury convicted 36-year-old Leopoldo Belen of Woonsocket of four counts of first-degree sexual assault for the April 2014 attack.

Prosecutors said Belen violently assaulted the then-21-year-old woman, who fled the Woonsocket apartment wearing only a bed sheet. A neighbour called 911.

Belen is accused in a separate case of beating 78-year-old Delor Cabral to death during a home invasion in 2013. Authorities have said that Cabral, a landlord, was trying to defend one of his tenants from being robbed.

Belen has pleaded not guilty to 13 charges. His lawyer didnt immediately comment.
Denver: A man trying to eat a half-pound glazed doughnut in 80 seconds as part of a Denver doughnut shop's eating challenge choked to death, one of two people who died in such contests this past weekend.

Travis Malouff, 42, died early Sunday of asphyxia due to obstruction of the airway, a coroner said. He had been participating in a contest to eat a doughnut the "size of a small cake," witness Julia Edelstein said Tuesday.

Winners get the doughnut for free and a button saying they won the challenge, which Voodoo Doughnuts said it was suspending, according to statement given to Denver news station KUSA-TV.

The station first reported Malouff's death, which came the same day as that of 20-year-old Caitlin Nelson, who had choked during a pancake-eating contest days earlier at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.

In Denver, Edelstein said the mood was festive as she stood in line at Voodoo Doughnuts, a Portland, Oregon-based business known for its creative, colorful pastries that sell for about $3 each.

People waiting to buy a doughnut around closing time were singing and dancing along to the music playing in the shop when Edelstein heard an employee announce the challenge: "Let's give him a round of applause."

Malouff tore the doughnut in half and started eating it, walking around looking determined, Edelstein said. The employee announced the elapsed time: 30 seconds. Malouff took a sip of water, another bite of doughnut and then hunched over the counter and starting pounding on it, Edelstein said.

"Watching somebody participate in an eating contest, it looks like they're distressed," she said. "The whole thing looks like a sign of distress. Nobody realized what was happening."

Part of the doughnut was still in Malouff's hand when he turned away from the counter, his face blue, and collapsed. Two customers broke his fall and desperately tried to help him until paramedics arrived. Malouff died at the scene, according to the coroner and police.

Multiple calls and emails to Voodoo Doughnuts were not immediately returned.

"We weren't running in front of cars, we weren't playing with guns or anything that causes death. We were just out having fun," Edelstein said of her shock that an eating contest could turn deadly so fast.

Nobody returned phone messages left at a number listed for Malouff's family in Alamosa, Colorado, which is listed as his hometown on Facebook.
China is still grappling with Trump's mercurial nature after the relative transparency and predictability of the bilateral relationship under Barack Obama. (Photo: AP)

Washington: The White House is talking in more urgent terms about North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons, as President Donald Trump's talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping approach. One senior administration official warned that the "clock has now run out" on Pyongyang.

Trump and Xi will huddle on Thursday and Friday at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, a venue chosen to give the summit a more informal feel. White House officials said on Tuesday that trade and security would be high on the new American president's agenda, including pushing China to exert more economic pressure on North Korea.

Speaking at a White House business forum on Tuesday, Trump called North Korea a "humanity problem." A White House official later said "all options are on the table" for the US, though the official would not say what steps Trump was willing to take to curb Pyongyang's pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast on Wednesday, US and South Korean officials said, in a reminder of the simmering tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Like many nations, China is still grappling with Trump's mercurial nature after the relative transparency and predictability of the bilateral relationship under Barack Obama. Both during his campaign and after his victory, Trump complained repeatedly about China's allegedly unfair trade practices, its perceived lack of assistance in reining in North Korea and its drive to cement control over the South China Sea.

Some analysts believe Xi might be willing to hand Trump a symbolic victory on trade to put a positive spin on the meeting.

"Xi probably can't accommodate Trump on sovereignty and security issues, but he has a lot of leeway on economics," said Robert Sutter, a China expert at George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Yet even if Xi is able to offer Trump deliverables, he will still have to deal with "a restless US president valuing unpredictability and seeking advantage for his agenda going forward," Sutter said.

Trump was seen as moving trade even more to the forefront when he signed a pair of executive orders Friday focused on reducing the trade deficit. Coupled together, the orders appeared to be a symbolic shot at China, which accounted for the vast bulk  USD 347 billion - of last year's USD 502 billion trade deficits.

While aides insisted the timing was coincidental, the administration touted the moves as evidence of an aggressive but analytical approach to closing a yawning trade gap that is largely due to the influx of goods from China.

Still, Trump told the Financial Times newspaper that during his meeting with Xi, he doesn't "want to talk about tariffs yet, perhaps the next time we meet." A second White House official said Tuesday that the topic may come up, though there was not expected to be any resolution.

The officials would only discuss the upcoming summit on the condition of anonymity in order to avoid pre-empting the president.

Looming over the visit will be North Korea's nuclear provocations. China continues to oppose the tough measures demanded of it to address the issue, fearing a collapse of the Pyongyang regime would bring a crush of refugees and possibly US and South Korean troops on its border.

Trump told the Financial Times the US is prepared to act alone if China does not take a tougher stand against North Korea's nuclear program.

"China has great influence over North Korea," he said. "And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won't. And if they do that will be very good for China, and if they don't it won't be good for anyone."

Add to the mix the issue of the South China Sea, where Beijing has built and armed man-made islands despite the concerns of neighbouring countries; and Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that China claims as its own territory, and which some in Trump's administration would like to see in a stronger relationship with the US.

Despite such divisions, Beijing seems committed to establishing a positive relationship between the two leaders.

"It is fundamental for them to improve understanding between each other," said Xiong Zhiyong, a professor at Peking University's School of International Relations. "Both sides have shown their willingness to cooperate and they are expected to make a commitment for cooperation."

China's Xiong said, realises that Trump "is a leader with a strong personality." The White House said Trump and Xi would hold meetings and a dinner on Thursday, then gather again Friday for more discussions and a working lunch. First lady Melania Trump and Xi's wife, famed songstress Peng Liyuan, plan to attend the dinner.

As personalities, Xi and Trump are a study in contrasts. A lifelong Communist Party apparatchik and son of a former vice premier, Xi has built his career with a cautious approach, avoiding controversial reforms and rarely speaking out in ways that would distract from his core message.

His nearly five years as head of the ruling party have been defined by a campaign to achieve the "Chinese dream" of increasing prosperity while tackling endemic corruption.

Still, outwardly cordial relations with US presidents are also a longstanding Chinese tradition, in recognition of the importance of the bilateral relationship. Xi had taken pains to appear at ease in the company of Obama, avoiding the rancour that characterised the relationship between the American leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Social media users cant stop talking about former first lady Michelle Obamas new hair style. Mrs Obama, during her eight years as first lady, wore her hair mostly straightened and therefore when she was recently spotted wearing her hair in its natural curls social media was abuzz.

A photo of Mrs Obama with her hair pulled back in a ponytail with a scarf and rocking aviators first surfaced in twitter. This is the picture I have been waiting on for like 3 years. COME ON NATURAL, read the original tweet which received more than 33,000 retweets and 95,000 favorites, US Today reported. Twitter loved Mrs Obamas natural look. Michelle wearing her natural hair makes me smile inside, one tweeted, while another added, Lets acknowledge how beautiful Michelle Obama look[s] with natural hair.It is not clear when the photo was taken, but it appears it could be from her recent vacation with husband and former president Barack Obama.
Seoul: North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast on Wednesday, US and South Korean officials said, amid worries that the North might soon conduct banned nuclear or long-range rocket tests.

The firing was also made as North Korea expressed anger over annual military drills between the United States and South Korea that North Korea sees as an invasion rehearsal.

The US Pacific Command said it detected and tracked what it assessed as North Korean missile launched from land near the eastern city of Sinpo. A U.S. statement said initial assessments indicate the type of missile was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a similar assessment, saying the missile flew about 60 kilometers (37 miles). That is a much shorter distance than other North Korean missiles flew in their recent test-launches.

Two weeks ago, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch. South Korean media speculated at the time that North Korea might have attempted to test a missile that it hasn't deployed.

Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

The North's latest launch came as outside satellite imagery show possible preparations for a new nuclear test at the North's main nuclear test site, such as communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data being already laid.

North Korea's state media has also said the world will soon witness what it calls "eventful successes" the country achieves in the space development. Washington, Seoul and others call the North's space program a cover for its long-range missile development program.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility. Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

North Korea also often responds to U.S.-South Korean military drills with its own military training and harsh rhetoric. The allies say the drills set to run until the end of this month are defensive in nature.
Beijing: India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China's "bottom line", Chinese state media said today, threatening that New Delhi may have "underestimated" Beijing's determination to protect its core interests.

The Chinese reaction to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh came in an article in the state-run Global Times, which is part of the ruling Communist Party publications an is known for striking nationalistic postures.

"Unlike his predecessors, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have taken a different stance on the Dalai issue, raising public engagements with the monk and challenging Beijing's bottom line," Chinese state media said according to an NDTV report.

"Beijing has voiced concerns over the issue, but New Delhi claimed that China shouldn't intervene in its 'internal affairs'," the article said, referring to Indian Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju's comments on Tuesday.

"This is absurd," the article said. Rijiju has said India never interfered in Beijing's affairs, has respected the "One China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in India's internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lama's visit.

"There is no political angle behind his holiness's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is completely religious." Separately, External Affairs Ministry has said that no "artificial controversy" should be created about the visit.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry is yet to react to Rijiju's comments or the External Affairs statement yesterday. However, the state media asked India to "overcome its suspicion" of Beijing. "China doesn't allow India to free ride on its economic growth while jeopardising Beijing's core interests."

It warned, "New Delhi may have underestimated Beijing's determination to safeguard its core interests. Many countries have pledged not to extend invitations to the Dalai Lama.

As the two largest emerging economies, China and India have great potential for cooperation." Today's article also accused India of playing the "Tibet card" as it is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance on India's bid for Nuclear Suppliers Group membership and its attempts to add Masood Azhar, the chief of Pakistan-backed militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), to a UN Security Council blacklist.

"Therefore, Delhi attempts to play the Tibet card against Beijing," it said, adding that "unlike his predecessors, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have taken a different stance on the Dalai issue, raising public engagements with the monk and challenging Beijing's bottom line," it said.

India and China have had discussions on the two issues, yet the matters are far from being resolved, leading to strain in ties. Also, China is sensitive to the visit of the Dalai Lama, who it calls an "anti-China separatist", to Arunachal's Tawang region which happens to be the birthplace in 1683 of the sixth Dalai Lama and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.

China has in recent days upped its rhetoric on claims to parts of Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls southern Tibet, and even warned India of "serious damage" to ties if New Delhi allowed Tibet's exiled spiritual leader's visit to go ahead.

The article added, "India is also exploring the option of linking the strategic border district of Tawang with a railway network, another provocation against Beijing. India has also invited a 'parliamentary delegation from Taiwan in February'."

Citing other instances like the Dalai Lama's meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee in December, which Beijing sees as a "provocation", it quoted Rijiju as having said to an international news agency in an interview that "it's a behavioural change you are seeing. India is more assertive."

It said that the Dalai Lama is "now openly used by India as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage." Last night, another piece on the newspaper's website said India was using the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang "to upset" China.

An unnamed Chinese analyst told the newspaper that the 14th Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang will hurt Sino-Indian ties. "The Dalai's visit to the controversial area, especially Tawang, which China hopes will be returned, will affect relations between China and India," the analyst from the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the paper on the condition of anonymity.

The analyst too pointed out the religious significance of the Tawang to Tibetans, saying it's the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso. The analyst said this was not the first time India has used the Dalai Lama to express its displeasure to China, especially when bilateral talks fail to include their demands or to "pander to domestic anti-China issues".
The imam had last week apologised in front of Christian, Sikh, Taoist, Buddhist and Hindu representatives as well as members of the Federation of Indian Muslims. (Photo: YouTube screengrab)

Singapore: The Indian imam in Singapore, who was expelled and fined for making divisive remarks against Christians and Jews during his Friday sermon at a mosque, has shown remorse and regret, Singapore's Law Minister said on Wednesday.

K Shanmugam, who is also the Home Affairs Minister, called on the Imam, Nalla Mohamed Abdul Jameel, who was accompanied by members of the Federation of Indian Muslims and Jamae Chulia Mosque at Ba'alwie Mosque.

The Minister said Nalla had shown regret for his remarks and commended him for apologising to other faith leaders.

"He also met the leaders of other faiths, including the Rabbi at the synagogue to apologise for his actions. That showed real sincerity and courage. I thought it would be good to meet and tell the Imam that I appreciated the sincerity with which he had shown his remorse," Shanmugam said of his decision to accept the invitation for the meeting.

The Channel News Asia showed Shanmugam embracing the Imam and handshaking with him in the presence of community leaders. Action "had to be taken against the Imam" but, referencing an earlier statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), "action against him was taken with some regret", he said.

The Imam had last week apologised in front of Christian, Sikh, Taoist, Buddhist and Hindu representatives as well as members of the Federation of Indian Muslims, saying that he was "filled with great remorse" for the inconvenience, tension and trauma caused by his remarks.

MHA has said the Imam will be repatriated to his home country India. On Monday, Singapore ordered the expulsion of Nalla after he was handed a nearly USD 3,000 fine by a court here for making divisive remarks against Christians and Jews during his Friday sermon at a mosque.

Nalla pleaded guilty to a charge of promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race at the State Courts.
The team also visited other hospitals where casualties were being treated 'and reported that victims smelled of bleach, suggesting they had been exposed to chlorine'. (Photo: File/AP)

Paris: Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Wednesday that its team had found victims showing symptoms consistent with toxins such as sarin gas after an attack in a rebel-held area of Syria that killed more than 70 people.

The team saw victims at the Bab al-Hawa hospital, 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of the attack on Tuesday, the charity said in a statement.

"Eight patients showed symptoms -- including constricted pupils, muscle spasms and involuntary defecation -- which are consistent with exposure to a neurotoxic agent such as sarin gas or similar compounds," the statement said.

The team also visited other hospitals where casualties were being treated "and reported that victims smelled of bleach, suggesting they had been exposed to chlorine".

Russia stood by its ally Syria on Wednesday ahead of a UN Security Council meeting to address accusations that President Bashar al-Assad's government had launched a chemical attack.

Moscow denounced a proposed UN resolution on the incident as "unacceptable". At least 72 people, including 20 children, were killed in the attack in Khan Sheikhun.
From left, Britain's Prince William, Kate the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry stand together after William laid a wreath after arriving for a 'Service of Hope' at Westminster Abbey. (Photo: AP)

London: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry joined those injured in the March 22 terror attack and victims' families in a multi-faith service on Wednesday at London's Westminster Abbey.

Prince William stopped briefly before the service to lay a wreath at the abbey's Innocent Victims Memorial, a slate circle that remembers those who have suffered death, torture and oppression throughout the world.

Hundreds of people, including police, ambulance workers and fire fighters who helped victims of the attack are attending together with Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who is representing the prime minister, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

The service took place just meters (yards) away from Westminster Bridge, where Khalid Masood mowed down pedestrians before stabbing a police officer outside Parliament.

The victims were American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, and Aysha Frade, 44.

Police shot dead Masood, 52, after he fatally stabbed officer Keith Palmer in a Parliament courtyard.
The mother and stepfather, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted their crime and pleaded guilty before the judge.(Representational image)

Warwick: A 12-year-old girl was forced by her mother to have sex with her stepfather, because the woman had an urge for a second child.

The mother, who had undergone a tubectomy, asked her new partner to rape her daughter until she conceived, said a report in the Daily Mail.

Subsequently, the woman has been jailed for six years, while her partner got an 18-year term.

The judge at Warwick Crown Court heard that the girl had conceived and the baby has now been taken into care.

The mother and stepfather, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted their crime and pleaded guilty before the judge.

After meeting her new partner online, the accused mother had consulted physicians to reverse sterilisation, but it was impossible, the court heard.

Therefore, in desperation for a second child, the woman used her daughter as a surrogate mother. She even kept monitoring the daughters menstrual cycle to ensure the best time for her to conceive.

Judge Andrew Lockhart QC while pronouncing the verdict said: It is the responsibility of those with the gift of children to look after them and prepare them for life with love and kindness.

The judge added, That (the actions of the mother) was a wicked thing to do. It had no regard for her age or for the future damage it would do, or for her welfare or the welfare of any child that might be born.

Meanwhile, prosecutor Steven Bailey said: An unhealthy atmosphere' developed in their home, with the man mistreating the children and the mum taking his side against them.
Tillerson's visit comes as contacts with Russia remain a highly sensitive issue for Trump's administration. (Photo: AP)

Moscow: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will make his first visit to Moscow next week, Russia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday, as the Kremlin looks to improve ties with Donald Trump's administration.

The ministry said the visit on April 11-12 would include talks with counterpart Sergei Lavrov covering international security, including the fight against Islamic State and conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

"We positively rate the stated aim of the new leadership in the US to change the situation for the better, but we think we should judge from real actions," a statement said.

The State Department confirmed the visit and said that Tillerson will discuss "Ukraine, counterterrorism efforts, bilateral relations and other issues, including the DPRK (North Korea) and Syria."

Tillerson's visit comes as contacts with Russia remain a highly sensitive issue for Trump's administration, with law enforcement agencies and lawmakers probing alleged ties between his campaign and the Kremlin.

Relations between Moscow and Washington plummeted to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War after Moscow's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Moscow is keen to see the US drop punishing economic sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine and join forces in Syria.
London: Heir to the phone! Queen Elizabeth II needs a new phone operator to help handle the 4,000 calls a week to the Buckingham Palace.

"It's being the first port of call to the business behind the Monarchy," says the advertisement on the Royal website.

The starting salary is 23,000 pounds-a-year plus benefits and a 15 per cent employer contribution pension scheme. The job requires one to be able to "think on your feet" which will be critical, as one would never know what query one would be faced with next.

The job calls for "pro-active and flexible" approach to work and a chance to work within a "small and dedicated team". It is a feeling inspired to deliver to the very highest standards, and it is the pride in being part of a team at the heart of a world famous institution, the advertisement says.

"This is no ordinary switchboard role. With around 4,000 calls every week, you'll join our valuable team of telephonists at the heart of the organisation," it says.

The job requirements also include answering and processing calls for a number of Royal residences while providing an efficient and friendly service to external callers, and internal colleagues at all levels across multiple locations. The job profile requires one to deal with day-to-day queries.

"Customer focused in your approach, you are keen to go the extra mile to ensure callers' expectations are surpassed every time," the advertisement says.

"Basic IT skills are also needed so that you can navigate the computerised switchboard system, and keep accurate records of the large volume of calls received," it says. Applications close on April 11.
Turkish experts evacuate a victim of a suspected chemical weapons attacks in the Syrian city of Idlib (Photo: AP)

Beirut: Warplanes carried out a suspected toxic gas attack that killed at least 100 people in Syrias rebel-held north western province of Idlib on Tuesday and left another 400 suffering from respiratory problems, a Syria medical relief group said.

The death toll is likely to rise, according to the Union of Medical Care Organizations, a coalition of international aid agencies that funds hospitals in Syria and which is partly based in Paris.

We have seen more than 40 strikes since 06h30, it said. The toll continues to increase as do the strikes in the Idlib region as well as non-chemical attacks in Hama, the group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said those killed in the town of Khan Sheikhun, in Idlib province, had died from the effects of the gas, adding that dozens more suffered respiratory problems and other symptoms.

The Britain-based monitoring group was unable to confirm the nature of the substance, and said it was unclear if the planes involved in the attack were Syrian or those of government ally Russia.

The reported gas attack comes at the start of a two-day conference on Syrias future hosted in Brussels by the European Union and the United Nations.

The Observatory said medical sources in the town reported symptoms among the affected including fainting, vomiting and foaming at the mouth.

The victims were mostly civilians, it said, and included at least nine children.

Photographs circulated by activists showed members of the volunteer White Helmets rescue group using hoses to wash down the injured, as well as at least two men with white foam around their mouths.

Idlib province is largely controlled by an alliance of rebels including former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.

It is regularly targeted in strikes by the regime, as well as Russian warplanes, and has also been hit by the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group, usually targeting jihadists.

Syrias government officially joined the Chemical Weapons Convention and turned over its chemical arsenal in 2013, as part of a deal to avert US military action.

But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use by the government since then, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015.

The government denies the use of chemical weapons and has in turn accused rebels of using banned weapons.

Todays attack comes only days after forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were accused of using chemical weapons in a counter-offensive in neighbouring Hama province.

The opposition accused the government forces of using toxic substances in its battle to repel the assault.

On Thursday, air strikes on several areas in the north of Hama province left around 50 people suffering respiratory problems, according to the Observatory, which could not confirm the cause of the symptoms.

The monitor relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used.

More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

Todays gathering in Brussels has been billed as a follow-up to a donors conference last year in London, which raised about USD 11 billion (10 billion euros) for humanitarian aid programmes in the devastated country.
Cai Zhifeng, Deputy Consul General of the Consulate General of China in Kolkata, made a special trip to the Chinese Anti-Japanese Aggression Expeditionary Force Cemetery in Ramgarh in Jharkhand during the Chinese festival which was held on Tuesday. (Photo: AP)

Beijing: Chinese diplomats in India swept graves of Chinese soldiers killed in the World War-II during the just concluded Tomb-Sweeping Day, a traditional Chinese festival to honour the deceased.

Cai Zhifeng, Deputy Consul General of the Consulate General of China in Kolkata, made a special trip to the Chinese Anti-Japanese Aggression Expeditionary Force Cemetery in Ramgarh in Jharkhand during the Chinese festival which was held on Tuesday, the state media reported.

Cai and his party first presented flower baskets to the monument and placed white carnations in front of each martyr's tomb, the Chinese military online news reported.

Chinese diplomats and representatives from Chinese-funded enterprises then lined up and made three bows to the monument to honour the Chinese soldiers.

The Chinese Expeditionary Force was established in 1941, and fought against Japanese invaders in India and Myanmar from 1942 to 1945, the number of casualties was nearly 67,000.

At present, there are a total of three famous cemeteries of Chinese Expeditionary Force in India. The cemetery in Ramgarh was used to bury the fallen soldiers of the Chinese anti-Japanese aggression expeditionary forces from 1942 to 1945. Among the existing 667 tombs, only 40 have names, the report said.
The attack, which the military confirmed was a suicide blast and was quickly claimed by the Pakistani Taliban (Photo: AP)

Lahore: At least five people were killed and up to 18 wounded in a Taliban suicide blast that targeted a census team in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore Wednesday, officials said.

Witnesses described being knocked to the ground by the blast just after 8:00 am (0300 GMT), then a "horrible scene" of blood and bodies and the sound of crying. Security forces cordoned off the area on Bedian Road in the bustling capital of Punjab province.

The attack, which the military confirmed was a suicide blast and was quickly claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, was the latest incident to dent growing confidence in security as Pakistan wages a years-long war on militancy.

Farhan Aslam, who was wounded in the explosion, said he and his father had been knocked from their bicycle.

"I saw two dead bodies on the spot and others crying," the student told AFP from hospital, where local officials were giving flowers to the wounded as a crowd gathered outside.

Punjab health minister Khawaja Imran Nazir said five people had been killed. Three of them were soldiers and two were civilians, a security source told AFP. Rescuers said at least 18 were wounded, including a child who was in critical condition.

The bomber had attacked a van carrying military personnel who were part of a team carrying out a census count, the Pakistan Board of Statistics confirmed.

Teams of enumerators backed by the military and security forces are carrying out Pakistan's first census in almost two decades, an enormous and highly-charged task that could redraw the country's political map one year before national parliamentary elections.

"The census is a national duty, and we will complete this task," Lahore official Abdullah Sumbal said. "There was no lack of security, but you know how difficult it is to deal with suicide attacks."

Pakistan unnerved

The umbrella Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in its statement said it had carried out the attack in revenge on security forces. The country's president and head of its powerful military condemned the blast.

Lahore has been on edge since a wave of violent attacks across Pakistan in February killed 130 people, including a bomb blast in the eastern city on February 13 which killed 14.

Ten days later a fresh blast killed eight people and sent panic through the city, though officials later said it was a gas leak, not an attack as initially feared.

February's series of assaults also included a suicide blast at a Sufi shrine in Sindh province which killed 90 people and was claimed by Islamic State.

At least 22 people were killed and 57 wounded on March 31, when a car bomb tore through a market in a mainly Shiite area of Pakistan's tribal belt in an attack that was also claimed by the TTP.

The surge in violence has shaken a growing sense of security after the country appeared to be making strong gains in its decade-and-a-half long fight against extremism, with analysts speaking of a militant resurgence.

The military launched a nationwide crackdown after February's attacks, killing dozens of alleged militants across the country.

Islamabad also swiftly accused neighbour Afghanistan of harbouring militants responsible for the attacks, and temporarily closed the border between the two countries.

Kabul has long accused Pakistan of sheltering the Afghan Taliban, a charge which Islamabad has at times admitted to.


The town is in Syria's Idlib province, which is largely controlled by an alliance of rebels including former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front. The province is regularly targeted in strikes by the regime, as well as Russian warplanes, and has also been hit by the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group, usually targeting jihadists.



Syria's leading opposition group, the National Coalition, accused the "regime of the criminal Bashar" of being behind the attack. It called on the UN Security Council to convene an emergency session, "open an immediate investigation and take the necessary measures to ensure the officials, perpetrators and supporters are held accountable."



"Failure to do so will be understood as a message of blessing to the regime for its actions," the statement added. Syria's government officially joined the Chemical Weapons Convention and turned over its chemical arsenal in 2013, as part of a deal to avert US military action. But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use by the government since then, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015.



The death toll from a suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held Syrian town has risen to 72, 20 of them children, a monitoring group said today."There were also 17 women among the dead and the death toll could rise further because there are people missing," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.The attack in the town of Khan Sheikhun left dozens suffering respiratory problems and symptoms including vomiting, fainting and foaming at the mouth, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. A hospital in the town where doctors were treating victims of the attack was also bombarded, an AFP correspondent said.The entrance of the building was hit, bringing down rubble on top of medics who had earlier been seen dousing a steady stream of arrivals to wash away chemical residue. The violence came as the European Union and UN hosted a conference in Brussels on Syria's future, with confusion over Washington's position on the issue of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's future.The Observatory said the attack on a residential part of Khan Sheikhun came in the early hours of Tuesday, when a warplane carried out strikes that released "toxic gas". It said 11 children were among the dead, with at least 160 injured, and that many people were dying even after arriving at medical facilities.The monitor could not confirm the nature of the gas or whether the strikes were carried out by Syrian warplanes or those of government ally Russia. It relies on a network of sources inside Syria and says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used.An AFP journalist in Khan Sheikun saw a young girl, a woman and two elderly people dead at the hospital prior to the bombardment, all with foam still visible around their mouths. Doctors at the facility had been using basic equipment, some not even wearing lab coats, and attempting to revive patients who were not breathing.
Legislators in Karnataka are worried about the liberty the media takes in escalating news effect in the country. But freedom of expression, enshrined in our Constitution, gives the right to voice our opinion and the government cannot forbid it unless it falls within the eight restrictions imposed on such a liberty.



Fair representation



Why should state legislators want to curb the rights of the media? Like in any other democracy, here too citizens make their choices, they vote for representatives, and those representatives become the voice of the people.



We do not choose the candidates who will contest the elections. Parties field people that they think are most likely to win, and the citizens cast their votes for or against the candidate. It is the media that introduces these candidates to the people. It also profiles them clearly, verifies their credentials.



From the time news media came into existence, people have chosen to listen to it. And people choose the news organisation or agency based on how well the organisation voices peoples concerns. The more vocal the organisation or agency, the more people like it.



Social responsibility



Newspapers, magazines and the electronic media are business concerns with social responsibilities. They generally do not write or air socially irresponsible material. When an error is made, an apology is quickly tendered and harmony is pleaded upon. Politicians should show the same social responsibility.



If today political and social analysts were to compare the lapses in social responsibility and decorum by the media as opposed to that by the politicians, the result will expose the politicians hypocrisy. Legislators must remember that their job is public service with social responsibilities and therefore, they must be under constant scrutiny.



Watch dog



The common man, however discerning, cannot individually point out a lapse by the elected representative or the government. Hence, the media is vested with that responsibility. They make it their business to keep abreast of the quality of governance and political occurrences and bring it to the notice of the larger public, governed by these elected representatives.



Once a candidate is elected to the legislative Assembly, there is no undoing that unless the party wants to. However corrupt he grows in his position as a legislator or minister, there is nothing the common man do.



It is the media that can throw light upon such cases and bring them to the knowledge of the people. The media watches over the common man as well as the government. So why should that function be regulated and diluted by legislation, when the media has by far been responsible in its work?



Democracy, or the rule of the people, does not end with the formation of a government by the elected representatives. In essence, democracy is citizens keeping their rights intact through the rule of law  something that is diminishing by the minute as politicians think of themselves to be above law. This is precisely why, the media cannot be stifled under any guise.



Wrong doings



The condition in which an Indian lives, as per the recent Human Development Index (HDI) and happiness quotient surveys, he or she does not have the wherewithal to find deficiencies in governance.



Again, here is where the media steps in and brings to the notice of the people the wrong doings of government officials as and when they happen.



The many scams and lack of proper investigation in certain criminal cases have all been exposed by the media as breaking news. This has created public awareness and has pushed the investigative agencies to be more robust in their probe.



The Constitution allows any Indian national to contest elections without a qualifying certification of capabilities of representing his constituency effectively. He is fielded because of popularity and not his expertise. Therefore, we need the media, which is a skilled enterprise to report the daily happenings in the country.



Given that Indias literacy rate, gross domestic product (GDP) and HDI are low, we need expert views on the way the country should be governed. We cannot take away the perceptive overview of a group that works for the larger interest of the country.
India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China's "bottom line", Chinese state media said today, threatening that New Delhi may have "underestimated" Beijing's determination to protect its core interests.



The Chinese reaction to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh came in an article in the state-run Global Times, which is part of the ruling Communist Party publications an is known for striking nationalistic postures.



"Beijing has voiced concerns over the issue, but New Delhi claimed that China shouldn't intervene in its 'internal affairs'," the article said, referring to Indian Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju's comments yesterday.



"This is absurd," the article said. Rijiju has said India never interfered in Beijing's affairs, has respected the "One China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in India's internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lama's visit. "There is no political angle behind his holiness's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is completely religious." Separately, External Affairs Ministry has said that no "artificial controversy" should be created about the visit.



The Chinese Foreign Ministry is yet to react to Rijiju's comments or the External Affairs statement yesterday. However, the state media asked India to "overcome its suspicion" of Beijing. "China doesn't allow India to free ride on its economic growth while jeopardising Beijing's core interests."



It warned, "New Delhi may have underestimated Beijing's determination to safeguard its core interests. Many countries have pledged not to extend invitations to the Dalai Lama. As the two largest emerging economies, China and India have great potential for cooperation."



Today's article also accused India of playing the "Tibet card" as it is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance on India's bid for Nuclear Suppliers Group membership and its attempts to add Masood Azhar, the chief of Pakistan-backed militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), to a UN Security Council blacklist.



"Therefore, Delhi attempts to play the Tibet card against Beijing," it said, adding that "unlike his predecessors, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have taken a different stance on the Dalai issue, raising public engagements with the monk and challenging Beijing's bottom line," it said.



India and China have had discussions on the two issues, yet the matters are far from being resolved, leading to strain in ties. Also, China is sensitive to the visit of the Dalai Lama, who it calls an "anti-China separatist", to Arunachal's Tawang region which happens to be the birthplace in 1683 of the sixth Dalai Lama and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.



China has in recent days upped its rhetoric on claims to parts of Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls southern Tibet, and even warned India of "serious damage" to ties if New Delhi allowed Tibet's exiled spiritual leader's visit to go ahead.



The article added, "India is also exploring the option of linking the strategic border district of Tawang with a railway network, another provocation against Beijing. India has also invited a 'parliamentary delegation from Taiwan in February'."



Citing other instances like the Dalai Lama's meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee in December, which Beijing sees as a "provocation", it quoted Rijiju as having said to an international news agency in an interview that "it's a behavioural change you are seeing. India is more assertive."



It said that the Dalai Lama is "now openly used by India as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage." Last night, another piece on the newspaper's website said India was using the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang "to upset" China.



An unnamed Chinese analyst told the newspaper that the 14th Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang will hurt Sino-Indian ties. "The Dalai's visit to the controversial area, especially Tawang, which China hopes will be returned, will affect relations between China and India," the analyst from the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the paper on the condition of anonymity.



The analyst too pointed out the religious significance of the Tawang to Tibetans, saying it's the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso. The analyst said this was not the first time India has used the Dalai Lama to express its displeasure to China, especially when bilateral talks fail to include their demands or to "pander to domestic anti-China issues".
China warned today that it will take "necessary measures" to defend its territorial sovereignty and interests after India "obstinately" allowed the Dalai Lama to visit the "disputed" parts of Arunachal Pradesh causing "serious damage" to the bilateral ties.



"India in disregard to China's concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lama's visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to China's interests and China-India relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters.



"China firmly opposes this move and will lodge representations with the Indian side," she said. "China's stand on the eastern part of the borders is consistent and clear. India is keenly aware of the role played by the 14th Dalai Lama. Arranging his visit to those sensitive and disputed areas not only runs counter to the Indian side's commitment to the issues related to Tibet but also escalate disputes over the border area," she said. "It goes against the momentum of the sound growth of bilateral relations and will not benefit India in anyway," she said.



"China will firmly take necessary measures to defend its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests. We demand the Indian side immediately stop its actions using the Dalai Lama to undermine China's interests and not hype up sensitive issues between the two countries, not artificially damage the foundation of the talks between the two countries on the border issues and bilateral legislations and take concrete actions to safeguard the China-India relations," she said.



The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader reached Bomdila in West Kameng district yesterday, starting his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.



China claims parts of Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet and had previously warned that if India allowed the visit of the Dalai Lama, whom it calls an "anti-China separatist", it would cause "serious damage" to ties.



China is sensitive to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang region in Arunachal which happens to be the birthplace in 1683 of the sixth Dalai Lama and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.



Yesterday, Minister of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said India never interfered in Beijing's affairs, has respected the "One China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in India's internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lama's visit. "There is no political angle behind his holiness's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is completely religious." Separately, the External Affairs Ministry has said that no "artificial controversy" should be created about the visit.



The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson rejected Rijiju's comments, saying "China upholds the policy of not interfering with other countries internal affairs. This is unquestionable."



"But in disregard to China's concerns India arranged the visit of Dalai Lama to the disputed areas. This issue goes beyond internal affairs," she said. "The role played by the Dalai Lama is clear to all. China's position on the eastern section of the boundary is also very clear," she said.



"The arrangement of Dalai's visit to the disputed area by India runs counter to its commitments on issues related to Tibet and it runs counter to benefits of bilateral relations. We demand that India stop this wrong action," she said.



About Rijiju's comments that it was a religious visit and should not be politicised, she said, "We have noted the statement of the official from the Indian side." "Could you tell me honestly do you seriously believe that Dalai is only a religious leader. I think the answer is known to all. He is not just a religious figure. Therefore, his visit to the place will not be purely of religious purpose. So using the empty words to defend this arrangement is not reasonable. We demand the Indian side to stop this move of undermining Chinese interests," she said.


Ajmer Dargah Deewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan's statement on triple talaq has led to a feud in his family with his younger brother dubbing him as a non-Muslim and staking claim to the post of the Deewan of the shrine.



However, his brother Allauddin Alimi's claim has not been recognised by the dargah committee.



Abedin said Alimi's move has no legal sanctity as per the Durgah Khawaja Saheb Act, 1955 and he will seek a legal opinion on the matter.



Alimi was irked over Abedin's statement during Urs on Monday that the practice of triple talaq was irrelevant today and against the sentiments of Quran.



When Abedin was performing some rituals at the sanctum sanctorum in the dargah last evening, Alimi occupied the 'Gaddi' of Deewan at Khanqah in the dargah premises and declared himself as the new Deewan or Sajjadanashin.



Khanqah is the holy place where the saint used to sit and preach. It is now the place where the Sajjadanashin, a descendant of the Saint, sits during religious ceremonies.



"After I read my brother's statement in newspapers yesterday, I discussed with some Muftis who verbally told me that he has now become a non-Muslim due to his statement against the Quran. Thus, he has no right and authority to remain the Sajjadanashin.



"I then called an urgent meeting of the family and went to the Khanqah and declared myself as the new Sajjadanashin on the seat of the Deewan," Alimi said.



Abedin said, "My younger brother has no right to declare himself as the Sajjadanashin. He is neither empowered nor eligible for this act which is totally illegal and illegitimate and I'm seeking a legal opinion for taking action against him."



The CEO of the government-appointed Dargah committee, M A Khan, said Abedin continues to be the Sajjadanashin as per the provisions of the Durgah Khawaja Saheb Act, 1955.



"This is a dispute between two brothers and the Sajjadanashin cannot be sacked or removed by such a move," the CEO, who recently took charge, said.



Chairman of the Dargah committee Shekh Alim said as per the provisions in the Act, when the post falls vacant, the dargah committee notifies the vacancy after approval of the Governor and the new Sajjadanashin is appointed with his permission.



Muzaffar Bharti, head of the hereditary staff who conduct the religious ceremonies of the Sajjadanashin in the dargah, said Alimi's claim does not hold water and he has no moral authority to take over the post.



"Abedin performed Kul ki Rasm at the sanctum sanatorium followed by Dastarbandi (turban tying) at the Khanqah last evening. He is the Deewan of the Dargah as per the law at present and he cannot be sacked in this manner," Bharti said.



Wahid Chisty, Secretary of Anjuman Committee (body of Khadims or clerics) also supported Khan, saying legal procedure cannot be mocked by anyone in such a manner.



On the eve of culmination of the Urs on Monday, Abedin had released a statement saying Sharia or Quran do not permit the practice of seeking divorce by saying talaq three times in one sitting. He had said there should a time of 3 months to complete this procedure in the light of Quran.



"I do stand by my statements on beef and triple talaq... Triple Talaq should be pronounced in a period of 90 days and in between there should be negotiations between family, husband and wife to resolve the matter," he said.



Efforts should be made to have a detailed dialogue with the woman and her views should be considered equally, he added.



"I said that slaughter of bovines and sale of beef should be completely banned in the country to promote communal harmony and asked Muslims to not consume beef and stay away from slaughtering bovines," he said.


Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama today emphatically said India has never used him against China, remarks that came amid loud protests by Beijing against his ongoing visit to Arunachal Pradesh.



The Dalai also urged China to give Tibet meaningful "self-rule" and "autonomy". The remarks by the 81-year-old Nobel Laureate came on a day when China alleged that India in disregard to its concerns "obstinately" arranged his visit to the "disputed part" of the eastern part of China-India border, causing "serious damage" to its interests and bilateral relations.



"India has never used me against China. I am a messenger of the ancient Indian thought and I talk about ahimsa, peace, harmony and secular ethics wherever I go," he said talking to reporters here on the second day of his week-long visit to the remote northeastern state. His remarks also came against the backdrop of criticism by the Chinese state media that India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China's "bottom line".



Unfazed by Beijings objections to his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Dalai said, "Many Chinese love India but there are some narrow minded politicians as I have mentioned, they consider me as a demon." Articulating the Tibetan stand, the Dalai said, "We are not seeking independence. we are willing to remain within the People's Republic of China."



"I always admire the spirit of the European Union. Individual nations' sovereignty is important but that's not so important. What is important is the common interests. "So for material development to remain with the People's Republic of China is in our interest. So, the Chinese government also should feel ok. At the same time the Chinese government should give us meaningful self-role/autonomy," he said.



The Dalai thanked Indian government for letting him visit the frontier state. He spoke fondly of Arunachal Pradesh and said he had a special connection with the state as it served as his point of entry when he arrived in India in 1959. "I would like to thank the government of India. I have been in this country since 1959. India has taken great care of me. I am their longest staying guest. I am thankful to them.



"When I got freedom, when I first reached India, I entered through Arunanchal Pradesh. I have an emotional connect with the state. It is a special place for me." He gave a discourse at Buddha Park here this morning. The spriritual leader had arrived here last evening from Guwahati accompanied by state Chief Minister Pema Khandu.



Tomorrow, he would impart teachings at Dirang and confer the 'Avalokiteshvara Permission' at Thupsung Dhargyeling Monastery in the morning. From April 8 to 10, the Dalai will deliver discourses in Tawang. Owing to the rescheduled visit, he would not be able to go to Itanagar. "I am a Buddhist. The entire Himalayan range had been traditionally following Buddhist dharma and modern physics is based on Buddhist philosophy."


Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today moved the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court verdict refusing to quash a disproportionate assets case against him, and accused the NDA government of "political vendetta".



Singh, in his plea, sought immediate stay of the high court order and claimed that with the change in government at the Centre, the stand of the CBI has also altered.



"It is pertinent to mention that the stand of the CBI has changed with the change in government against the petitioners and therefore, the case as set up by the CBI is nothing but political vendetta by the present government at the Centre," he said.



He claimed that during the investigation, the CBI had also looked into the allegations made by advocate Prashant Bhushan through his letter to the agency and a petition before the Delhi High Court.



The CBI has filed four status reports in the High Court of Delhi in sealed cover regarding the investigation being carried out relating to the petitioners, the plea said.



"The aforesaid reports were never opened by the court, till the time the writ petition filed by Prashant Bhushan was disposed of," it said.



Singh alleged that he was not allowed to see the closure report of the first inquiry and when the order was reserved by the high court, the status report filed by the CBI was perused by the court, but the content of which is still unknown to him.



"The fourth status report, which has been prepared after the change in government at the Centre without submitting the closure report regarding the first preliminary enquiry, proposed to investigate the matter from the disproportionate assets perspective, which was already being investigated in the first preliminary enquiry," he said.



The chief minister said that there was no new information to initiate a fresh investigation against him and his wife and subjecting them to double investigation on same information is impermissible under law.



He said that the high court has committed "grave error" in law by dismissing his petition seeking to quash the FIR against him and his wife.



"In the instant case, the high court committed grave error in law in dismissing the writ petition filed by him and others seeking quashing of the FIR dated September 23, 2015 under section 13(1)(e), 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 read with section 109 of IPC," he said.



The Himachal Pradesh CM said he had challenged in the high court the registration of the FIR by the CBI on the ground that it cannot initiate investigation in an offence alleged to have been committed in the state without the consent of the state government as mandated by the law.



He said that he has been subjected to probe twice on the same information and the same set of facts.



"The petitioners were first investigated in first preliminary eqnuiry for the offences relating to criminal misconduct and disproportionate assets under the Prevention of Corruption Act.



After the investigation, the CBI closed the first preliminary enquiry," Singh said.



On March 31, the high court had refused to quash the disproportionate assets case filed by the CBI against Singh and his wife, saying there was no basis to claim that the FIR was the result of any "political vendetta".



It had also vacated the Himachal Pradesh High Court's interim order of October 1, 2015, restraining the CBI from arresting, interrogating or filing a charge sheet in the case without its permission.



"There is no factual basis brought on record to claim that the registration of the FIR against the petitioners (Singh and his wife) is actuated or legally or factually mala fide or that the registration of the FIR/RC (regular case) is a result of political vendetta," the court had said.



Following the order, the CBI had later in the day filed a charge sheet before a special court here against nine people, including the 82-year-old Congress leader.



The special court is likely to take up the charge sheet running into over 500 pages for consideration tomorrow.



The Delhi High Court had also noted that the Himachal Pradesh High Court's directions were passed without hearing the necessary parties in the matter.



It had also turned down the question framed by the HP High Court whether the permission of the Speaker of the HP Legislative Assembly was mandatory for the registration of an FIR.




Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama today praised the secular social structure of the country.

Preaching at the Buddha Stadium here, the Dalai Lama said that India's secular social structure had let all religions to flourish side by side.



He also spoke about the benefits of positivity that could attract friends, family and people nearer.



Earlier, state Chief Minister Pema Khandu accorded a warm welcome to the Dalai Lama on his arrival at the stadium.



In the afternoon, the Dalai Lama delivered a public talk in the high school auditorium.

None could claim to be a true follower of any faith without first being a good human being, he said there.



The Dalai Lama said, "Education is a must today as it inculcates a sense of oneness and teaches one to forgive and forget the wrongdoings of others and brings positivity."



Later, the Dalai Lama and his entourage were accorded a rousing reception at Thupsung Dhargyelling monastery in Dirang.
Medwell Ventures, which operates Nightingales specialty home healthcare services, on Wednesday announced a $21-million Series B investment round.



Led by Mahindra Partners, the round also saw participation from existing investors  Eight Roads Ventures and US-based F-Prime Capital Partners, alongside early investors and the founders.



Medwell Ventures Co-founder and Chairman Vishal Bali said the closure of this round cements our conviction behind this opportunity to create Indias leading company in this space.



Medwell, which started its operations in Bengaluru in 2014, has now four branches each in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai. It started a new branch in Pune recently.



With over 1,000 staff and 25,000 services per month, the company follows the branch model.



In this financial year, we are planning to open a branch each in Chennai and the NCR region, and in the next fiscal, we will be opening branches in Eastern India, Nightingales Home Health Services CEO Lalit Pai said, adding that they are also planning to open one more branch in Bengaluru.



We will also look at opening a branch in another city in Karnataka and also in Andhra Pradesh. We will also expand our branch network in Mumbai, he said.

Of the 13 branches, the companys first three branches are profitable. By next year, other couple of branches will become profitable, said Pai.



Talking about the home healthcare market, Bali said its growing rapidly.

It will grow to $10 billion in next few years. We are growing at 10% to 12% every month, he said.



Medwell has raised cumulatively about $35 million across its seed, Series A and B rounds.












The death toll from a suspected chemical attack on a northern Syrian town rose to 75 today as activists and rescue workers found more terrified survivors hiding in shelters near the site of the assault, one of the deadliest in Syria's civil war.



A Syrian opposition group said renewed airstrikes hit the town of Khan Sheikhoun a day after the attack, which the Trump administration and others have blamed on the government of President Bashar Assad, as well as his main patrons, Russia and Iran.



Damascus and Moscow have denied they were behind the attack. Russia's Defence Ministry said the toxic agents were released when a Syrian airstrike hit a rebel arsenal, an account Britain dismissed at an emergency UN session called in response to the attack.



British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the UK had seen nothing that would suggest rebels "have the sort of chemical weapons that are consistent with the symptoms that we saw yesterday."



Russia said it would submit information from its Defense Ministry to the Security Council debate.



A resolution drafted by Britain, France, and the US stresses the Syrian government's obligation to provide information about its air operations, including the names of those in command of any helicopter squadrons on the day of the attack.



Diplomats were also meeting in Brussels for a major donors' conference on the future of Syria and the region.



Representatives from 70 countries were present.The attack on Khan Sheikhoun killed dozens of people on Tuesday, leaving residents gasping for breath and convulsing in the streets. Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using fire hoses to wash the chemicals from victims' bodies.



Haunting images of lifeless children piled in heaps reflected the magnitude of the attack, which was reminiscent of a 2013 chemical assault that left hundreds dead and was the worst in the country's six-year conflict.



The Turkish Health Ministry said three victims of the attack died while being treated in Turkey, and that 29 people wounded in the attack were still being cared for in hospitals in the country. Syrian opposition groups had previously reported 72 dead.



Turkey set up a decontamination center at a border crossing in the province of Hatay following the attack, where the victims are initially treated before being moved to hospitals.



Syrian doctors said a combination of toxic gases is suspected to have been released during the airstrikes, causing the high death toll and severe symptoms.



The World Health Organisation and the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders said victims of the attack appear to show symptoms consistent with exposure to a nerve agent.



In a statement, the agency said "the likelihood of exposure to a chemical attack is amplified by an apparent lack of external injuries reported in cases showing a rapid onset of similar symptoms, including acute respiratory distress as the main cause of death."
As the Enforcement Directorate goes after Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in a disproportionate assets case, his government is learnt to have sought a scrutiny of the properties of his rival, former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal.



Politics in the hill state is expected to get bitter ahead of elections later this year. Opponents say BJP leader Dhumal owns properties across the country, including in Punjab. A source told Deccan Herald the Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh government's Vigilance Bureau had shot off a letter seeking details from Punjab about properties owned by Dhumal and his son Anurag Thakur in Jalandhar and elsewhere. Thakur is a BJP MP from Hamirpur, and a former president of the BCCI.



According to the source, the Congress government has told the vigilance authorities to gather details and assess the properties of Dhumals family over the next three months.



Virbhadra and his family are facing the heat from the CBI and the ED. If the Vigilance Bureau finds anything incriminating against Dhumal, Virbhadra may attempt to dilute the charges against himself, at least through political rhetoric, by going all out against the BJP leader.



After the CBI filed a chargesheet against Virbhadra and others in a disproportionate assets case, the ED on Monday attached a posh farm house in New Delhi allegedly belonging to his family.



The Delhi High Court had earlier dismissed the plea by Virbhadra and his wife, seeking to quash an FIR registered by the CBI against them in September 2016, under the Prevention of Corruption Act.



The ED has alleged the property in the national capital was bought with funds routed through shell companies. Virbhadra and the seven other accused are charged with amassing wealth between May 2009 and June 2012 when he was a union minister.



Dhumal is being probed on the basis of a complaint made towards the fag end of 2015. Dhumal had then urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order a probe into the charges against him, saying they were malicious and motivated by vendetta.
The United States warned today that it could take unilateral action if the United Nations fails to respond to a suspected chemical attack in Syria that has left scores dead, including children.



"When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," US Ambassador Nikki Haley said.



The warning came during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council called by France and Britain after the attack in the early hours on Tuesday on a rebel-held town in Idlib province.



Haley lashed out at Russia for failing to rein in its ally Syria, standing in the council chamber to hold up photographs of victims -- one showing a young child lying lifeless, a mask covering his face.



"How many more children have to die before Russia cares?" she asked.

"If Russia has the influence in Syria that it claims to have, we need to see them use it," she said. "We need to see them put an end to these horrific acts."



At least 72 people, among them 20 children, were killed in the strike on Khan Sheikhun, and dozens more were left gasping for air, convulsing, and foaming at the mouth, doctors said.



It is thought to be the worst chemical weapons attack in Syria since 2013, when sarin gas was used.



"If we are not prepared to act, then this council will keep meeting, month after month to express outrage at the continuing use of chemical weapons and it will not end," Haley said.

"We will see more conflict in Syria. We will see more pictures that we can never unsee."



Britain, France and the United States have presented a draft resolution demanding a full investigation of the attack, but Russia said the text was "categorically unacceptable."



The draft resolution backs a probe by the Organisation of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and demands that Syria cooperate to provide information on its military operations on the day of the assault.


India and Malaysia signed seven memorandums of understanding (MoUs) covering civil aviation, human resource development, sports, technology sharing, capacity building, etc during Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razaks visit to the country. The two sides also agreed to strengthen their strategic partnership to be able to more effectively tackle common problems like terrorism and extremism. Importantly, the joint statement issued at the end of the Malaysian prime ministers visit called for the freedom of navigation and overflight, and unimpeded lawful commerce in the disputed South China Sea (SCS). It may be recalled that the joint statement issued when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kuala Lumpur in 2015 made no mention of the SCS dispute and merely referred to the mutual interest of India and Malaysia in cooperating for peace, prosperity and security of the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Compared to other SCS littorals, Malaysia has been less vocal in asserting its rights in the disputed waters. When Najib visited China last year, the joint statement observed that the involvement of countries not directly concerned would be counter-productive, an indirect reference to countries like the United States and India. The joint statement issued in Delhi thus reflects a new willingness on the part of Malaysia to join hands with India in expressing shared concerns over restricted freedom of navigation in the SCS.



The two countries have not always been on the same page. On the Kashmir issue, for instance, Malaysia under Mahathir Mohammed tilted towards Pakistan. That began changing a decade ago. The recent joint statement was far more strident on the question of terrorism than the 2015 statement; it described terrorist attacks as barbaric and condemned the glorification of terrorists as martyrs. On China-related issues, too, Malaysia has been rather cautious in cooperating with India. The joint statement reflects a shift; India-Malaysia strategic cooperation is moving from superficial to substantial.India and Malaysia have strong historical and cultural bonds; ethnic Indians comprise 8% of the multi-ethnic Malaysias population.





Trade and investment are important components of their relationship. Malaysia is India's third largest trading partner among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). India-Malaysia trade was worth $12.8 billion in 2015-16. However, the full potential of the relationship is yet to be tapped. Indias contribution to strengthening the bond has been less than enthusiastic; it is Malaysia that is the more energetic partner. While Indias total investments in Malaysia stand at around $2.5 billion, Malaysian investment here is around $7 billion. Clearly, there is ample scope for India to expand engagement with Malaysia. It must learn from Malaysias highly successful de-radicalisation programme too.
The stakeholders, most importantly the law enforcement agencies in the society, have a major responsibility of safeguarding the child rights, said Uma M G, member secretary, Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA), Bengaluru.



Delivering a talk on the role of police and public under NALSA (Child Friendly Legal Services to Children and their Protection) Scheme 2015, she said the increasing crime cases registered against children are alarming. Everyone has a role to play in protecting the child rights and to create children-friendly environment. Children as victims and children with conflict with law are affected massively and they grow without goals and commitments in life, she opined.



She said the law enforcement agencies like police has immense responsibility. They play a major role in protecting the unfortunate children who fall prey for the crimes. Children can be moulded into good and bad. The Juvenile Justice Act has also incorporated changes to ensure children-friendly environment. The report by National Crime data shows the crime against children and their involvement in crime is rampant. Article 39 (A) has ensured access to justice. Nearly 40% of the total population are children below 18 years. The crimes like sexual assault, child labour, child trafficking and run away children are rampant, she said.



Stressing over the need for the people-friendly policing, Uma said there is a requirement for proper coordination of police investigation, prosecution and judiciary. The conviction rate is very low when compared to the crime rate, she said.



District and Sessions Court judge Venkatesh Naik said more than 90,000 cases were reported in the country in 2014-15. Sensitive and responsible judiciary and policing is most important. He stressed on the need for child-friendly courts to hear the problem pertaining to the children.



DC Priyanka Mary Francis said that task force to protect the child rights will be set up in association with the CWC at all gram panchayats. Measures ensuring the safety of children and their rights will be deliberated at grassroots level.



There is a need for psychological and attitudinal training for the agencies that are involved in implementation and introduction of child-friendly measures. The basic training to deal with children and their problem is the need of the hour, she felt.



State Child Rights Protection Commission member Vanitha Thorvi said that on an average, five children become offenders or victims every day in one or the other form. She said that children should be empowered with education and rights.



SP K T Balakrishna said the children who are rescued after the crimes should be looked after and rehabilitated properly as the children after disaster left unheard pose a bigger threat. The children-friendly policing is in place and an ASI-level officer will be the nodal officer and PSI-grade officer would be in-charge of the district, he added
Army recruitment rally will be held at the district stadium here from May 29 to June 2.

Addressing media here on Wednesday, Col Jaideep Sharma of recruitment division (Karnataka and Kerala), said, the rally is open for the eligible candidates from Kodagu, Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts, Kolar, Tumakuru, Ramanagaram, Chikkaballapur, Ballari and Chitradurga districts. Those in the age-group of 17 years and six months and 23 years are eligible to take part.



During the rally, the candidates will be considered for the posts of soldier general duty, steno, storehouse keeper technical, soldier technical, attender, assistant, tradesman (dresser, decorator, steward and carpenter).Inerested candidates may enrol their names on www.joinindianarmy.nic.in and download the ID card 10 days ahead of the rally. The enrolment has started from March 30.



Explaining about the recruitment procedure, Sharma said, in the initial stage physical tests will be conducted where the candidates have to run a distance of 1,600 metres. It will be followed by pull-ups, medical examination. The doctors from Bengaluru will examine the candidates for any medical disorders. If the experts rule out any problems, the candidates will be allowed to take written exams to be conducted on the last Sunday in the month of July and August.



The candidates, belonging to the family of ex-servicemen and serving personnel, should submit a certificate that they had not obtained any facilities during recruitment rallies conducted in the past. The candidates from NCC background will get bonus marks during the written exams. No cellphones and wrist watches are allowed during exams. Food and water should not be taken inside the hall.



Those having natural moles below knee will be considered for the rally. The candidates wi-th tatoos on any part of the body are not allowed. The recruitment process will be conducted in a transparent manner.



In-charge Deputy Commissioner Charulata Somal, Department of Sainik Welfare and Re-settlement Joint Director Geetha M Shetty were present.




Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister H K Patil, who is also in-charge minister of Karnataka-Maharashtra boundary issue, said the Supreme Court has decided to first look into whether it has the constitutional validity to hear the boundary row which in itself is a success to the states argument.



Karnataka had always been arguing that the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction to hear the inter-state boundary issue. Our argument has been that Parliament is the only competent authority to decide boundary rows and we have been claiming that the petition filed by Maharashtra over boundary dispute before the apex court is not maintainable. The apex court has decided to first hear a case on its jurisdiction over hearing border row, he said.



Patil termed the decision of the apex court as the moral victory to the state. The establishment of the court headed by former Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Justice Manmohan Sarin on inter-state border issue of the two states has also been set aside with this decision.



He expressed confidence that Belagavi would always remain an integral part of the state.



Patil denied the charge of pro-Kannada leaders on his inaction in strongly pursuing the border issue despite being minister in-charge of border issues. There is significant progress in handling of the issue by the state ever since he took charge. The issue has now reached a critical point. I am also in contact with the leaders of pro-Kannada organisations, he claimed.


The proposed Indira canteens have hit a new hurdle with two major hoteliers associations conveying to the Karnataka government that they cannot supply food for the proposed outlets as it is not feasible for them from the economic point of view.



Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had set aside Rs 100 crore in the budget for 2017-18 to establish Indira canteens in the 198 wards of Bengaluru. It is almost designed on the lines of Amma canteens of Tamil Nadu. It is supposed to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner at an affordable price.



Initially, the government had been in talks with Iskcon for supply of food to these canteens. The government wants garlic and onion in the food. But, Iskcon expressed its inability to use both in its preparations. Later, the government approached two major hoteliers associations.



The hoteliers associations are not interested in the offer made by the government. For them, it is a conflict of interest. Any involvement in running the canteens including supply of food will mean affecting their own business interest, they say. This despite the government stating that it will reimburse the expenses and also ensure the hoteliers make profit.



Bruhat Bengaluru Hotels Association, with around 2,000 hotels in BBMP region as its members, was approached by the Food and Civil Supplies Department to supply food to the canteens. The 81-year-old association, which is one of the oldest in Karnataka, has outright rejected the proposal.



We have our own problems. Catering is not an easy task. There is shortage of manpower. So, we rejected it, Association President B Chandrashekar Hebbar said.

Hebbar said the hoteliers were asked to provide details like quantity and ingredients that will be going into the food preparations and also their rate chart. However, the association did not respond.



Karnataka Pradesh Hoteliers and Restaurants Association, which is an umbrella organisation comprising hoteliers associations in all districts, too has rejected the government offer. Its president M Rajendra, like Hebbar, has said it is not financially viable to supply prepared food.



Besides, he said the concept of providing subsidised food itself is flawed. Any government should help the poor stand up on their own. They should feel proud that they are earning. They should not be made to depend on any freebies, Rajendra said.



Food and Civil Supplies Minister U T Khader said the reason his department approached the hoteliers was to utilise their expertise. We had explained to them that their business will not be affected as the canteens are meant not to wean away their regular customers but for the poor, Khader said.



He said the government is not banking only on the hoteliers for supplies. Many NGOs, youth associations and even individuals have come forward showing interest in the scheme. We will talk to them soon.


The last rites of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan Basappa Hanumantappa Bhajantri, who was killed in a terrorist attack at Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, were performed with military honours at his native village Bailur in Kittur taluk on Wednesday.



The body of the jawan arrived at Goa by flight and by road to his native village. His family members broke down and were inconsolable when his remains arrived in the village. His wife Renuka and children were consoled by Deputy Commissioner N Jayaram.

The district administration had made arrangements on the premises of the government school in the village for people to pay their respects to the martyr.



Deputy Commissioner N Jayaram, SP B R Ravikanthegowda, assistant commissioner Shivanand Bhajantri and in-charge tahsildar G K Ratnakar paid respects to the martyr on behalf of the state government.


AIADMK chief V K Sasikala, lodged at Parappana Agrahara central prison in the city, has met visitors 12 times a month, reportedly in violation of prison rules. Sasikala has been convicted in a disproportionate assets case.



According to information made available by the prison authorities in response to a Right to Information (RTI) query, Sasikala met the visitors between February 16 and March 18. Her relatives and co-convicts in the case, Ilavarasi and V N Sudhakaran, met visitors four times and once respectively during the same period. Sasikalas visitors include lawyers, her nephews T T V Dinakaran and Vivek J and Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Thambidurai.



Activist Narasimha Murthy, who had filed the RTI application, claimed that Sasikala had been allowed to meet visitors in violation of prison rules.



Undertrials and convicts are entitled to meet visitors as per the Karnataka Prison Manual and Karnataka Prison Rules. The rules state that undertrials are eligible for one such meeting a week with their relatives, friends and lawyers, while convicts can have visitors once in 15 days.



While the jail authorities were unavailable for comments, reports quoting prison officials suggest that the jailer can use discretion in this regard.



Sasikala was sent to jail on February15 after she surrendered before a trial court in Bengaluru, a day after the Supreme Court upheld her conviction in the disproportionate assets case.






The winner of the Kannada Bigg Boss Season 4, Pratham, attempted suicide by consuming two sleeping pills at his flat in Laggere after a fight with friend on Tuesday night.



He was immediately shifted to a hospital where the doctors declared him out of danger. Pratham has been discharged from the hospital.



Before attempting suicide, Pratham posted a video on Facebook, expressing anguish on his friend, Lokesh, who was also his publicist for Bigg Boss. On the other hand, Lokesh has lodged a complaint with Basaveshwaranagar police alleging that Pratham assaulted him.



On Wednesday, after few television news channels reported their quarrel, Pratham again got himself admitted to Fortis Hospital.



We are unable to obtain his statement since he is in hospital said a senior police officer. Basaveshwaranagar police have taken up a non-cognizable case on the basis of the complaint lodged by Lokesh.



The police suspect that Pratham has been indulging in gimmicks to hog limelight.


Jacintha, a 42-year-old mother of three teenaged children from Karkala, has been stranded in a small town in Saudi Arabia for the past 10 months.



Human Rights Protection Foundation (HRPF) president Dr Ravindranath Shanbhag told reporters on Wednesday that Jacintha was desperate for job to ensure her childrens education after she suddenly lost her husband last year. A sub-agent James in Mangaluru told her that an Indian in Qatar was looking for a housemaid to look after his children. She was promised a salary of Rs 25,000 a month.



However, after landing in the Gulf last June, the driver of the vehicle which had come to pick her up, revealed that she had come to a place called Yanbhu in Saudi Arabia, where she was required to work for over 16 hours a day. In the process, her health deteriorated. Somehow, in the first week of December, she was able to contact her children in India with the help of some Indian drivers in the town and was able to inform them of her plight. She told them that she had once even become unconscious after being hit on the head. After regaining consciousness, she found stamp pad ink on her thumb and suspected that the employer may have taken her thumb impression without her knowledge.



The young, innocent children were shocked and through elected representatives, contacted the Indian Embassy in Riyadh. They got information about HRPF and met Shanbhag.



HRPF, with the help of Indians working in the Gulf, was able to trace her and raised hopes of her early return to India. HRPF contacted the office of Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj. The Protector General of Emigrants (India) M C Luther and Consul General of Jeddah are in touch with her employer Abdullah Almutairi and also HRPF. Almutairi said he had obtained her services for two years for which he had paid the agent 24,000 Riyals (Rs 5 lakh) and will send her back only if the amount is refunded.



Efforts are also being made to trace the absconding recruiting agent from Mumbai, Shabha Khan, who is reported to have taken around Rs 5 lakh from Jacintha. A police complaint was lodged.



Shanbhag said the prime minister has taken note of Jacintha's case. We have just received two tweets from Modi. I am now sure Jacintha will return to India safely, he said.


Step up your selfie game. Instead of clicking pictures with food, capture yourself shaking hands with former US President Barack Obama or with your head in a sharks mouth at the National Consumer Fairs selfie art gallery on Binny Mills grounds.



The gallery has 27 handmade paintings, of public figures, action heroes and animals, most of them with three-dimensional effect.



Visitors to the gallery were excited to pose with Mother Theresa, whose hands extended out of the frame to bless them. Adults and children alike clicked pictures pretending to fight dinosaurs, feed baby giraffes and kiss dolphins.



Nishka Prajna, a class I student, was excited to take pictures with the paintings. I cant go near a real shark to click a picture, so I took one here. I loved all the paintings. I got to shake hands with Obama and pose like Mahishasura Mardini, she said. Children glowed with pride as they accepted a flower pot from a portrait of former president A P J Abdul Kalam.



Shaqeel M, who brought his son to the fair, said, He likes it because he can take a picture as if he is milking it, like they do in villages. Shaqeel appreciated the replica of the Taj Mahal at the fair and said that engravings were much like on the real one.



The organiser, Gautam Agarwal, said in the previous years fair, they put up a sign encouraging people to take selfies in front of the Taj Mahal replica, and it brought them a lot of publicity as people posted the pictures on social media.



Selfies are a huge craze among people, old and young. I saw a similar selfie gallery in China which seemed to be very popular and attracted people. I thought the concept would work here too. So I asked a few artists from Mumbai to create this for me, he said. It took two months to complete the artworks, he said.



The gallery is on from 4 pm to 9 pm and will be open this month and in May.




The Karnataka Wine Board (KWB) will bring out its own brand of wine in the state in another two years.

The Board will grow grapes on its 141-acre wine park being set up in Vijayapura, brew wine and supply the product to taverns, said KWB Managing Director T Somu.



He was speaking to reporters here on Wednesday on the sidelines of announcement of international wine festival.



Somu said the park would be set up under public private partnership model at a cost of Rs 20 crore. Compared to last year, wine production and consumption has increased by 30% in Karnataka. Over 5,000 families cultivate grapes used in making wine.



Bengaluru will host the third edition of international wine festival from April 7 to 9. A total of 30 wineries including four international brands from France, the US, New Zealand and Australia will take part.



It will have wine tasting and grape stomping sessions. There will not be any dedicated wine tours. The event will be held at Manpho Convention Centre, Manyata Tech Park.
The Kannada version of the Spiderman - Homecomings trailer received a massive response with YouTube clocking one lakh views in two days and drawing appreciation and also criticism for the bookish language.



The trailers were released in 10 languages  Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Malayalam, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Kannada, Marathi and Bengali  a marketing strategy that seemed to have worked considering the response, including the criticism.



Many welcomed the trailer with excitement. Vishal K commented on YouTube, Many people from Karnataka dont know English, specially rural people. Really its gud to see English movie in Kannada version (sic). Girish Kargadde posted on twitter: Hi Sony Pictures - showed #Kannada trailer to daughter (3.5 yrs old) she loved it. Thanks a lot. Please release full movie in #Kannada.



However, a majority of the people lambasted Sony Pictures for the poor language. Sharath Chandra wrote: (Characters) are reading some script instead of acting. Same as cartoons in Chintu TV. If this will be the future (of dubbing), I'm sure no one gonna watch the film like this (sic). Some suggested that producers use talented mainstream dubbing artistes for the movie. Similar reactions were seen in other languages, including Hindi and Tamil, where dubbing is not new.



According to Sony Pictures, Spiderman has enjoyed huge following in India compared to other comic heroes. We wanted to give Spiderman a heros welcome...What better way than people of India welcoming him to their homes in their own language, Sony Pictures India MD Vivek Krishnani was quoted as saying by agencies.



It is unclear whether the film will be dubbed in Kannada with the trailer listing only Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. However, the statement by Sony Pictures India MD suggests that the movies in seven other languages will hit TVs rather than the silver screen.



Anti-dubbing activists, who held intense protests against the release of another dubbed movie, Satyadev IPS, said there is no exception for Spiderman. Kannada Okkoota president Vatal Nagaraj said, Our principle is the same. Dubbing as such is inherently detrimental to the interests of Kannada films and thousands of actors and workers of Sandalwood. Besides, the language they have used in the trailer is poor. It doesnt match the characters body language, he said.



The latest reboot of Spiderman is the 16th film in the Marvel cinematic universe, integrating the character into the circle of other heroes, including Captain America, Ironman and Hulk.




A four-day Bangalore Health Festival will be held in the city from April 27 to provide a platform for stakeholders in the healthcare industry to interact with the public on general health.



Organised by TV House Network Pvt Ltd, the festival will be held at Tripuravasini, Palace Grounds. The festival aims at increasing awareness on preventive healthcare. The mortality rate has come down, but the quality of life too has suffered. New diseases have come to the fore. Skyrocketing costs of medicine and treatment are the primary causes for this, said festival director Deepak Thimmaiah.



Even as there are good hospitals and skilled experts as well as insurance policies which prioritise patient care, people are skeptical about the medical field. This is mainly due to lack of awareness, he said, adding the festival aimed at familiarising the common man with the medical field.



The festival will have activities such as open house, talks by specialists, health check-up, hospital promotion and presentation booths, panel discussions, debates and streetplays. A committee of five prominent doctors from Karnataka will take part in the sessions. The ticket rates are Rs 50 per day and Rs 100 for three days for adults and Rs 20 for children.


Work on a full-fledged alternative road to the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) has now reached a decisive stage. The design for the 1,200-metre stretch of the road inside the airport boundary is now ready.



Aesthetically and architecturally synced to the rest of the KIA infrastructure, the road called South West Road (SWR) will have two stretches, one six-lane and another eight-lane.



Starting from the airport's perimeter wall near Begur village, the six-lane SWR will curve slightly to the left at its junction with a perpendicular road leading towards the second runway. From this junction, the SWR will be eight lanes, leading to the Mantri Junction.



At Mantri Junction, vehicles on the SWR will turn right to join the traffic moving towards the terminal buildings.



The six-lane stretch of SWR will feature a 11-metre carriageway on either side of the 2-metre median. Each of the two carriageways on the eight-lane stretch will be 14.5-metres wide. The median too will be wider at 4-metres. The remaining part of the alternative road beyond the KIA boundary is being constructed by the State Public Works Department (PWD).



Although Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had set a March 2017 deadline for the road, airport-bound commuters are unlikely to get a fully finished alternative route before July. The alternative route branches out from Outer Ring Road through Hennur Cross Road, Thanisandra Main Road and meets at Bagalur. It then turns left to reach Begur village before turning right and joining the SWR through an opening at the South Western corner of the airport's perimeter wall.



To decongest the existing tolled Airport Road during the Aero-India 2017 airshow, the city traffic police had allowed vehicles to take the alternative route linked through a mud road to KIA. However, since the untarred stretch of this road had no lighting, traffic was blocked after 6 pm.




Amid protests by Beijing against his scheduled visit to Tawang, the Dalai Lama on Wednesday said India has never used him against China.



India has never used me against China. I am a messenger of the ancient Indian thought and I talk about ahimsa, peace, harmony and secular ethics wherever I go, the Tibetan spiritual leader said, while talking to the media here.



His remarks came after the Chinese state media on Wednesday said India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge Chinas bottom line.



I am a Buddhist. The entire Himalayan range had been traditionally following the Buddhist dharma and modern physics is based on Buddhist philosophy, he said.



He spoke fondly of Arunachal Pradesh and said he had a special connection with the state as it served as his point of entry when he arrived in India in 1959.



When I got freedom, when I first reached India, I entered through Arunachal Pradesh. I have an emotional connect with the state. It is a special place for me, he said.



I would like to thank the government of India. I have been here since 1959. India has taken great care of me. I am their longest staying guest. I am thankful to them, he added.



Underestimated Beijings resolve



India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge Chinas bottom line, the official Chinese media claimed on Wednesday, saying New Delhi may have underestimated Beijings determination to protect its core interests. The Chinese reaction to the Dalai Lamas visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh came in an article in the state-run Global Times.



Beijing has voiced concerns over the issue, but New Delhi claimed that China shouldnt intervene in its internal affairs, the article said, referring to Indian Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijijus comments on Tuesday.

This is absurd, the article said.



Rijiju said India never interfered in Beijings affairs, has respected the One China policy, and thus China should not interfere in Indias internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lamas visit.




Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury amid demands from opposition parties that the Congress take lead in exploring possibilty of forging a broad-based alliance to counter an aggressive BJP both inside and outside Parliament.



The 30-minute meeting at the Congress Parliamentary Party office here saw the leaders exchanging views on a range of issues  the GST Bill that is set to be a reality, the controversy over EVMs, the assault on innocents in Alwar over cow protection.



Over tea and sandwiches, the two leaders are learnt to have agreed to force amendments to the GST-related legislations being discussed in the Rajya Sabha when the bills are taken up for voting on Thursday.



Rahuls meeting with Yechury comes close on the heels of his interaction with NCP president Sharad Pawar. Rahul and Pawar had discussed countering BJP in Maharashtra as well as nationally, but wanted the Congress to take lead in this regard.
Terming the triple talaq (giving divorce by pronouncing talaq thrice) primitive and inhumane, the All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) on Wednesday demanded enactment of a law to ban such a practice.



The community leaders also sought a complete ban on cow slaughter and amicable settlement of Ram Temple-Babri Masjid dispute.



The board is of the view that the practice of triple talaq should be abolished as it is against women and an act of cruelty.



The government should enact a law to ban the practice, Maulana Yasoob Abbas said after AISPLBs executive committee meeting here.



Opinion sought



Abbas demanded a ban on cow slaughter and said that some community members had asked for the opinion of a senior Shia cleric based at Nazaf, which was the most revered place for the community, in Iraq.



The fatwa (religious decree) issued by the Nazaf cleric has asked the community members not to slaughter cows and respect the sentiments of the Hindu community, Abbas said.



The Shia cleric supported an out-of-court settlement of the Ram Temple-Babri Masjid dispute. 'A settlement through the court will leave one of the parties unsatisfied...negotiated settlement is the best way for resolving the matter, he added.



The board also urged the Union government to set up a commission on the lines of the Sachhar Committee to study the condition of the Shias in the country and take right measures for their welfare.



The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has, however, opposed any interference in the personal laws of Muslims and made it clear that it would oppose any move to declare the triple talaq practice illegal.




Ajmer dargah dewan Syed Zainul Abedin Ali Khan on Wednesday faced an attempt by his brother Alaudin Alimi to sack him over his remarks supporting beef ban.



Abedins remarks on banning beef and triple talaq have created a feud in the family of the dewan, or the spiritual head, of the Sufi shrine.



Abedin had said that the government should ban the slaughter of all bovine animals.

Reacting to this, Abedins brother Alimi, a lawyer, claimed that he has the familys support in sacking Abedin and anointing himself as the new dewan of the Khwaja Moinuddin Chishtis shrine.



I was shocked to read my brothers statement in newspapers. Islamic clerics told me that he has now become a non-Muslim due to his statement against the Quran, he told DH.



The government does not appoint the dewan since the designation is a spiritual one. He has no right to remain the sajjada nashin. So, I have declared myself the new sajjada nashin, he said.



As Alimis claim became known, Abedin addressed a press conference saying he stood by his statements.



My brother is unnecessarily creating a controversy and spreading false information on social media. No one has given him the right to bring me down from the post of dewan. He looks to be under stress and by his statements, he appears mentally unfit, he said.
The government on Wednesday told Parliament that the recent assault on four Nigerian students in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh was not racial in nature as it was not pre-planned.



The Ministry of External Affairs also summoned Alem Tsehaye Woldemariam, Eritreas Ambassador to India, to its headquarters. He had a meeting with Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh, who conveyed to him that India was shocked by the unfortunate statement he recently issued in his capacity as Dean of the Group of African Heads of Missions in New Delhi.



Singh told Woldemariam that the statement issued by him was contrary to the facts, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told the Lok Sabha.



She said the four Nigerian students had been beaten up by an angry mob when local residents took out a candle-light march to protest the death of a youth, apparently due to narcotic abuse. She said racial crimes are planned in advance, which had not been the case in the incident of assault on the Nigerians.



She said the police had already launched an investigation and arrested six people in connection with the attack. She said it was not appropriate to categorise a crime as racial in nature before conclusion of the investigation.



The statement issued by Woldemariam on behalf of the African nations ambassadors and high commissioners to India referred to the repeated attacks on people of their countries in India as xenophobic and racial in nature. It also called for a probe by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) into attacks on people from African nations in India.



It has been conveyed to him (Dean of the Group of African Heads of Missions) today that we do not have dearth of institutional mechanism (to address such issues). We have (National) Human Rights Commission, we have so many NGOs, a very active civil society, free press and an independent judiciary, said Sushma.



She also dismissed criticism by the Group of African Heads of Missions that India did not respond adequately to the incidents in Greater Noida. The external affairs minister said that she had tweeted after requesting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for a probe into the incident. Adityanath, too, had assured an independent investigation. It had also been conveyed that Sushma was monitoring the probe.



The external affairs minister made the statement during Zero Hour after Mallikarjun Kharge, Shashi Tharoor, Gourav Gogoi and K C Venugopal of the Congress submitted a notice in the House to raise it as a matter of public interest. Speaking on the issue, Venugopal drew attention to the statement issued by Dean of the Group of African Heads of Missions in New Delhi and termed it as a diplomatic failure of the government.




The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition filed by the Karnataka government seeking review of the judgement that had abated the proceedings against former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, the late J Jayalalithaa, in the disproportionate assets case.



The state government sought to recover Rs 100 crore fine from the estate of Jayalalithaa as the apex court had earlier restored the trial court verdict, that had held Jayalalithaa and three others guilty. A bench of Justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy, which decided the matter in chamber, said, We have considered the review petitions filed by the state of Karnataka on merits. In our opinion, no case for review of our order dated 14th February, 2017 is made out. Consequently, the review petitions are dismissed on merits.



Both the judges, who passed the February 14 judgement, also rejected a plea by the state government for an open court hearing.



According to the SC Rules, review petitions are considered in chambers by circulation of the petitions and in absence of counsel.



In its review petition, the government had contended that in the case of appeal against conviction, it is settled law that the appeal does not abate if the accused has been sentenced to pay fine.



Contention



Though the question of Accused No. 1 (Jayalalithaa) undergoing further imprisonment does not arise (due to her death), the sentence to pay fine is legally sustainable, which has to be recovered from the estate, particularly because the case was related to illegal acquisition of assets, it had maintained. The apex court had earlier set aside the Karnataka High Court's judgement of May 11, 2016.



The top court had restored the trial courts judgement in toto. Jayalalithaa was sentenced to four years jail term along with Rs 100 crore fine by the Bengaluru court. But the proceedings against her before the SC got abated in view of her death on December 5 last.



However, Sasikala and two of her relatives were held guilty for conspiracy and abetting Jayalalithaa's sinister design to launder ill-gotten wealth to the tune of Rs 53.6 crore. As a result, all three were also handed four years jail term, along with fine.


China warned on Wednesday that it will take necessary measures to defend its territorial sovereignty and interests after India obstinately allowed the Dalai Lama to visit the disputed parts of Arunachal Pradesh causing serious damage to bilateral ties.



China also lodged a protest with Indias Ambassador in Beijing Vijay Gokhale over the Dalai Lamas visit.



India in disregard to Chinas concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lamas visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to Chinas interests and China-India relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters.



China firmly opposes this move, she asserted.Chinas stand on the eastern part of the borders is consistent and clear. India is keenly aware of the role played by the 14th Dalai Lama, she said.



Arranging his visit to those sensitive and disputed areas not only runs counter to the Indian sides commitment to the issues related to Tibet but also escalates disputes over the border area, she added.



Hua stated that it goes against the momentum of the sound growth of bilateral relations and will not benefit India in any way.



The visit will for sure trigger Chinas dissatisfaction. This will not bring any benefit to India, she said.



China will firmly take necessary measures to defend its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests, Hua asserted.



Asked what measures China would take, Hua did not elaborate. I dont have much to add. I want to add the issues concerning Tibet have a bearing on Chinas core interests. India in disregard of Chinas concerns obstinately arranged the visit, she said.



We demand the Indian side immediately stop its actions using the Dalai Lama to undermine Chinas interests and not hype up sensitive issues between the two countries, not artificially damage the foundation of the talks between the two countries on the border issues and bilateral legislations and take concrete actions to safeguard the China-India relations, she said.



The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader reached Bomdila in West Kameng district on Tuesday, starting his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.



We hope we can work together to maintain growth of India-China relations. We know India and China are two close neighbours and countries in Asia. Cooperation between us will serve interests of the region, Hua said.



We hope to maintain good momentum of growth but this move runs counter to this wish. So we hope India stops doing things that undermine our interests, she said.


About 4,000 pre-university college lecturers didnt turn up for work on Wednesday, the first day of answer script evaluation.



C Shikha, director of the Department of Pre-University Education, directed them to start from Thursday or face action.



The evaluation of second pre-university exam answer scripts began on Wednesday at 48 camps in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Mangaluru, Davangere, Dharwad and Belagavi. The exams concluded on March 27.



The department has delegated 21,000 academics, including principals, for evaluation duty. About a fifth of them were absent on Wednesday. Shikha said the staff would face action if they failed to turn up at their centres on April 6.



Evaluation centres for physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, computer science, economics, and accountancy in Bengaluru had low attendance, she said.



Attendance was only about 60% at Vijaya PU College, Sri Kumaran PU College, BEL College (Jalahalli), RNS Vidyaniketan Composite PU College, Mount Carmel College, Seshadripuram Pre-University College and Seshadripuram Pre-University College (Yelahanka).



Thimmaiah Purle, president of the Karnataka State Pre-university College Lecturers Association, said the absence was not due to any boycott.



Some may have received their orders late, and not got tickets in time to travel to their assigned centres, he said.




Dhruva Natchathiram Team Heads To The US For Shooting Next Slot
The rumoured foldable smartphones from Samsung were earlier expected to be launched by the end of 2017.

The rumoured foldable smartphone from Samsung, called the Galaxy X, may not be making an appearance till 2019, say reports. In a new report by The Korea Herald, the publication says that Samsung is pushing its plans for a commercial launch of its foldable smartphone. The same publication had earlier said that Samsung was going to produce over 100,000 of these devices in 2017.

Further, it seems bezel-free displays are still doing well, which is one of the reasons for Samsung delaying these smartphones. In addition, the report also says that foldable screens arent quite ready for commercial sales at the moment. Because the bezel-free display currently sells well, we still have enough time to develop foldable display. The technology is expected to be mature around 2019, Kim Tae-Woong, Principal Display Engineer at Samsung, was quoted as saying.

The foldable smartphone from Samsung has been rumoured for a while now, although the company isnt the only one exploring this concept. In fact, Lenovo had showcased some of these devices at IFA last year, while LG was amongst the first to show its rollable OLED panels.

On the other hand, the smartphone market is only just getting used to the bezel-free concept, and devices so far have been well appreciated. ZTE, one of the first companies to try its hand at the concept, is selling one such phone in India: the Nubia Z11. Samsungs new Galaxy S8 and S8+ also come with curved and bezel-free displays. In addition, the Xiaomi Mi Mix (review), launched last year also had a bezel-less design.
AIM-listed Bushveld Minerals has partnered with Sinohydro Corp, a Chinese state-owned hydropower engineering and construction company, to develop a coal power plant in southern Madagascar.

The companys subsidiary Lemur Holdings signed a memorandum of understanding with Sinohydro to develop an initial 60 megawatt independent power producer coal power plant and a 200km transmission line.

Bushveld said the project could be transformational for Madagascar as it does not have an electricity grid in the southern part of the island. It added that the plant supply electricity cheaper to existing mining and industrial operations in the region, as well as deliver electricity to tens of thousands of people currently without access to power.

Madagascar power utility, Jirama, is currently negotiating an offtake agreement with Lemur for electricity for the independent power producer.

It is anticipated that Lemur's coal mining permit area in Madagascar will provide coal fuel for the power station.

A bankable feasibility study and a project implementation proposal for the project will be developed by Sinohydro, at its own cost, within 12 months, and both companies will prepare an environmental Impact assessment

The companies will also secure both debt and equity funding for the project and potentially establish a future joint company on the completion of the bankable feasibility study, in which Sinohydro's parent company, PowerChina, may buy a stake in.

Lemur will continue the development of its mine in order to supply coal to the Imaloto independent power producer.

Sinohydro vice president Liu Kai said: "As a major breakthrough for the energy sector of Madagascar, this project will help solve the problem of power shortage and contribute to local economic growth in the south of the country.

Sinohydro, with rich experience in thermal power field, is ready to help Lemur complete preliminary work. We both hope the project can move forward into the next stage as soon as possible with the strong support of Madagascar government."

Bushveld chief executive Fortune Mojapelo added: "The MoU reinforces the commercial merits of the project and the bankable feasibility study will add significant value to the development of the power project.

Shares in Bushveld Minerals were up 8.53% to 7.95p at 0905 BST.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah is warning that there could be violations of the U.S. Constitution in Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winders sweeping proposal to manage the downtown Salt Lake City homeless population that includes a campground and crackdown on panhandling.

Winders 21-point plan announced last week would bring the population at Road Home shelter from about 1,100 to 200 by June 1. He suggests people undergo searches and criminal background checks before they are allowed to stay at Road Home and to find a way for panhandlers to receive help online. Winder is also looking to establish an urban campsite at a nearby intersection and allow officers with patrol cars equipped with license plate readers to stop cars connected to crimes in the area.

He said he hopes his plan will reduce crime in the neighborhood where the shelter is located.

Im tired of people saying there is no way to get a handle on this, Winder said last week. Enough committees ... Its spring 2017  lets do something.

ACLU of Utah spokeswoman Anna Thomas said the organization believes Winders plan will do nothing to resolve underlying causes of homelessness and addiction.

In a statement, the ACLU of Utah said Winders plan goes against amendments such as the First, Eighth, Fourth and 14th.

Reducing substantive access to emergency shelter beds will likely strengthen Eighth Amendment claims against anti-camping ordinances and other laws at a people experiencing homelessness, the ACLU of Utah said in a statement.

Panhandling is protected by the First Amendment, according to the organization.

The ACLUs statement warns the sheriff that his current proposal could bring costly litigation to the city.

Winders plan has received support from Pioneer Park Coalition, a group of public and private partners that are working to revitalize the area.
MEPs warn against using security cooperation as bargaining chip for trade deal

The European Parliament on Wednesday rejected UK demands for parallel exit and trade talks, supporting the European Union's insistence on phased negotiations and indicating Britain faced a tough two years towards Brexit.

In a motion that was debated by MEPs, the parliament threw it's weight behind the EU's by 516 votes to 133. The legislators said that without a firm exit deal the UK would leave on 30 March 2019, and would do so in a "disorderly manner".

It also warned the UK that future talks could not involve any trade-off between internal and external security, including defence cooperation, and a future trade deal as outlined by Prime Minister Theresa May in Britain's initial negotiating document last week.

The parliament's chief negotiator Guy Verhofstadt said the motion made clear that it wanted the EU to be "very firm towards the UK authorities" because it could not allow it to receive more favourable terms outside the union.

"But, on the other hand, you see in the resolution that we are very generous, open, positive towards UK citizens. That is clear in a number of points. First of all, we want the problem of residents solved immediately," he told a news conference after the vote.

The parliament also agreed that any transitional arrangements after Brexit should only last up to three years. These should "contain the right balance of rights and obligations for both parties and preserve the integrity of the European Unions legal order, with the Court of Justice of the European Union responsible for settling any legal challenges".

Ireland was recognised in the motion as the member state most affected by Brexit and that the "special circumstances" it faced "must be addressed in the withdrawal agreement" and called for "the absolute need to ensure continuity and stability of the Northern Ireland peace process and to do everything possible to avoid a hardening of the border".

Earlier in the day, the parliament's chief negotiator Guy Verhofstadt described Brexit as a catfight in the Conservative Party that got out of hand.

Speaking in the debate, Verhofstadt suggested that perhaps it was always impossible to unite Great Britain with the continent.

Lets not forget: Britain entered the union as the sick man of Europe and - thanks to the single market - came out of the other side. Europe made Britain also punch above its weight in terms of geopolitics, as in the heydays of the British empire, he said.

Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier said he expected talks to be transparent, adding that demands for Britain to honour its financial commitments was just settling the accounts  no more no less.

A single financial settlement, as a result of UK commitments to the EU, and the EU commitments to the UK, there your resolution is very clear. We do not seek to punish the UK but simply ask the UK to deliver on its commitments and undertakings as a member of the EU," he said.

Pro-Brexit supporters have bridled at suggestions that the UK will be hit with a large final bill to be reconciled before progress is made on any other issues.

The MEPs said any overall agreement should address:

 the legal status of EU citizens living or having lived in the UK and of British citizens living or having lived in other Member States, as well as other provisions concerning their rights;

 the settlement of financial obligations between the UK and EU;

 the EUs external border;

 the clarification of the status of the UK's international commitments undertaken as a member of the EU, given that the EU of 27 Member States will be the legal successor to the EU of 28;

 legal certainty for legal entities, including companies;

 the designation of the Court of Justice of the European Union as the competent authority for the interpretation and enforcement of the withdrawal agreement;

Parliamentary members will not be holding talks directly, but will have to ratify any deal between the European Union and UK.

Britain voted to leave the 28 member bloc in a referendum last June.
ChemChina has received US antitrust approval to buy Switzerland's Syngenta on the condition that it divests three types of pesticides.

The Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday that the proposed settlement requires that ChemChina sell all rights and assets of ADAMA's US paraquat, abamectin and chlorothalonil crop protection businesses to California-based agrochemical company AMVAC.

ChemChina and Syngenta said the FTC's approval "represents a major step toward the closing of the transaction", which is expected in the second quarter of this year.

The EU, which opened its own antitrust investigation on the $43bn deal, has until 18 April to issue its decision.

At 0852 BST, Syngenta shares were up 1.2% to CHF452.70.
PPG Industries has reiterated its interest in entering into discussions with Dulux maker AkzoNobel to form a combined company.

The statement on Wednesday came after AkzoNobel rejected a second unsolicited offer from the US chemicals manufacturer on 22 March, saying it substantially undervalues the company.

The revised proposal represented a value of 88.72, adjusted for the final dividend, consisting of 56.22 in cash and 0.331 PPG shares, as at 20 March 2017, per AkzoNobel share. PPG had previously offered 83.00 per share.

But Akzo said at the time that the proposal neglected to address the significant uncertainties and risks for shareholders and other stakeholders.

However, PPG said it continues to believe that a merger of the two companies has "a strong strategic rationale".

Chairman and chief executive officer Michael McGarry said: "We made a compelling offer to AkzoNobel that provides its shareholders with a significant premium and the opportunity to benefit from the upside potential of a stronger company that is well positioned for future growth and value creation. Together, we can create a stronger company that will benefit all of AkzoNobels stakeholders, including its Netherlands-based employees.

"PPG believes AkzoNobel should honour growing requests to engage and fully consider all relevant options to create the most value for all of its stakeholders, and benefit from the multiple months of preparation already completed by PPG."

Following Akzo's rejection of the second offer in March, private investment firm Elliott Management Corp, which owns a 3% stake in the group, "noted with concern" its failure to engage with PPG in relation to the two bids it has put forward.

"Elliott has not found the reasons proffered by Akzo Nobel's Boards for failing to engage compelling," it said in a statement.

Elliott said that while the second bid was "inadequate", it was a "credible basis for engagement", representing a 39.7% premium to AkzoNobel's undisturbed price.

At 1250 BST, Akzo shares were up 0.7% to 78.48.
US President Donald Trump has vowed to introduce major reforms to the Dodd-Frank banking regulations in the US, which were introduced in the aftermath of the global financial crisis in 2008.

The Republican has said previously that he would provide more freedom for banks to lend money in order to create more jobs in the country.

The Dodd-Frank laws were passed in 2010 to stop banks from acquiring disproportionate risk, after several major investment banks had to be bailed out by the government.

"We're going to do a very major haircut on Dodd-Frank," Trump told a meeting of business leaders in Washington.

"We want strong restrictions, we want strong regulation. But not regulation that makes it impossible for the banks to loan to people that are going to create jobs,"

The Dodd-Frank laws were brought in in 2010 in order to stop banks from acquiring disproportionate risk

Any changes to the current regulations are likely to face heavy scrutiny from a hostile Republican-controlled Congress, as evidenced by Trumps failure to push through his healthcare reforms last month.

"We're going to be doing things that are going to be very good for the banking industry so that the banks can loan money to people who need it, Trump added.

Another defeat for the administration could affect US banking stocks, with the majority of Wall Street banks having said they are in favour of de-regulation.

In an annual letter to investors, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon wrote that "the lack of economic growth and opportunity has led to deep and understandable frustration among so many Americans."

Of the Dodd-Frank regulations in particular, Dimon said that they were "unnecessarily complex, costly and sometimes confusing".

"We need coherent, consistent, comprehensive and coordinated policies that help fix these problems," the JPMorgan chief added.

Since Donald Trumps victory over Hillary Clinton in November of last year, banking shares have driven the major indices in the New York Stock Exchange to record highs on the hopes of more favourable laws for financial institutions.
Markets in Asia finished mostly higher on Wednesday, as traders ignored yet another ballistic missile test from North Korea, and kept their attention on the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Japans Nikkei 225 finished up 0.27% at 18,861.27, as concern continued that Toshiba could miss its quarterly reporting deadline for a third time, having already delayed it twice.

The beleaguered technology form apparently approached creditors cap-in-hand earlier in the week, making a fresh appeal for a new loan in exchange for a chunk of its valuable memory chip unit.

Toshiba was in the process of spinning off the chip unit, in a bid to stem the losses from its failing US nuclear development acquisition Westinghouse.

Westinghouse had declared bankruptcy in the US last week, in hopes it would help keep a lid on the companys cash outflows.

Banks were under the pressure across the region, with Japanese plays Mitsubishi UFJ and Mizuho Financial both down 0.95%.

The yen retained its stranglehold on the JPY 110 level against the greenback, and was last 0.14% weaker at JPY 110.89 per $1.

Markets on the mainland returned after the two-day Ching Ming Festival, with the Shanghai Composite adding 1.48% to 3,270.20, while the Shenzhen Composite was up 1.85%.

Bank stocks were mixed in China, with Bank of China down 0.54% while China Construction Bank added 1.01%.

In South Korea, the Kospi was almost flat, losing 0.01% to 2,160.85, as concerns continued that private consumption was falling too far in the country.

Bank of Korea chief Lee Ju-yeol explained that more policy was needed to boost consumption, which had taken a hit alongside confidence after the cash-for-influence corruption scandal surrounding ousted and impeached President Park Geun-hye.

Hong Kongs Hang Seng Index improved 0.57% to 24,400.80.

A medium-range ballistic missile was launched from an onshore facility in the north of the Korean peninsula on Wednesday, according to both the Yonhap news agency in South Korea and the US military.

The launch came ahead of the meeting between Trump and Xi, which was likely to contain much talk about North Korea if the US Presidents tweets are anything to go by.

A senior official from the White House reportedly said the meeting would be the first part of a results-oriented relationship, with North Korea being seen as a test by Trump.

Oil prices were higher during Asian trading, with Brent crude last uo 0.92% at $54.67 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate 0.97% ahad at $51.53.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 was 0.34% higher at 5,876.20, with the large energy and materials subindexes underpinning the strength, adding 1.52% and 2.19% respectively.

Three of the regions big four banks ended in the red, with the exception of Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

New Zealands S&P/NZX 50 was 0.3% firmer at 7,244.54, led higher by subscription broadcaster Sky - no relation of the London-listed namesake - which added 3.5%.

The company had been a poor showing on the Wellington bourse in recent months, after New Zealands Commerce Commission rejected a merger between it and Vodafones New Zealand operations.

It was a mixed picture for the down under dollars, with the Aussie last 0.1% stronger against the greenback at AUD 1.3207, while the Kiwi weakened 0.02% to NZD 1.4344 per $1.
Investors nudged stocks higher even after an upset for Marine Le Pen and Emanuelle Macron in a televised pre-election debate overnight in France and ahead of the start of a much awaited meeting between the leaders of China and the US the next day.

Far-right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen's economic proposals came under attack in a televised debate which this time included all eleven presidential candidates. Indeed, she wasnt even the most vociferous on so-called Frexit, saying she wanted to avoid a 'hard' exit from the European Union.

That saw her far-left rival Jean Luc Melenchon take the lead in an Elabe poll of 1,024 viewers conducted after the debate, 25% of whom said he was the most convinving of the lot, versus 21% for Macron, while another poll from Opinionway showed him tied for first place with centrist Macron at 18%.

As of 0831 GMT the Stoxx 600 was up 0.10% at 380.40, as the Dax gave back 0.05% to 12,276.53 and the Cac-40 edged higher by 0.15% to 5,108.95.

"Calls for a positive open come after Wall St gains were bettered by Asian bourses overnight. This in spite of more sabre rattling from North Korea which likely launched another missile in response to US threats and as a well-timed message before tomorrows crucial US-China Presidential meeting.

"In terms of geopolitics, North Korea adds to a worsening situation in Syria, fallout from last nights French presidential election debate (Melenchon win?) as well as a tenuous Brexit-Gibraltar-Spain story. Event risk also exists with Fed minutes tonight and Fridays US jobs report," said Mike Van Dulken, Head of Research at Accendo Markets.

IHS Markits final composite euro area purchasing managers index for March rose from 56.0 in February to 56.4 in March, according to a final reading from the survey compiler but undershot a preliminary reading of 56.7.

Still on the economic calendar for Wednesday are the US ADP employment report at 1315 GMT, the ISM non-manufacturing PMI at 1500 GMT and the most recent set of FOMC minutes at 1900 GMT.

Commerzbank has told its work council it is planning 7,800 job cuts as part of the restructuring announced in 2016, Handelsblatt reported.

Analysts at JP Morgan bumped up their target price on French IT consultancy Cap Gemini from 90 to 100, reiterating their Overweight stance and placed it on their Analyst Focus List in replacement for SAP, with the latter remaining at 'Overweight'.

The same broker also expressed a preference for Santander and BBVA over their more domestic-focused Spanish rivals.

A consortium led by Allianz is looking to purchase roughly a third of the 15% stake which Italian motorway group Atlantia has put on the auction block.
Social media giants Facebook and Twitter could be about to feel the wrath of German chancellor Angela Merkel after her government approved tough measures to combat offensive content.

The internet companies may be fined as much as 50m euros if they fail to monitor and remove hate speeches from their websites.

"Hate crimes that are not effectively combatted and prosecuted pose a great danger to the peaceful cohesion of a free, open and democratic society," the German government said in a statement.

Germany has seen a plethora of online vitriol directed towards asylum seekers in the country since the development of the migrant crisis.

Google-owned video streaming site YouTube faced a boycott from several large advertisers last month after it was unable to stop ads from appearing alongside hate-filled and offensive content.

Last month Germanys minister of justice and consumer protection Heiko Maas said that the government was planning to put pressure on social media companies.

"This will set binding standards for how companies running social networks must handle complaints and require them to delete criminal content," Maas said.

The companies will now have only 24 hours to remove any content which violates German law once they are reported by users.
UK International Development Secretary Liam Fox came under fire on Wednesday for declaring Britain's "shared values" with controversial Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte.

In an article for local media, Fox, who is in the region drumming up post-Brexit trade deals, said the UK and Philippines have a "well-established and strong relationship built on a foundation of shared values and shared interests".

"My visit to the Manila is a chance to see and hear about the huge potential for strengthening relations between our countries," he wrote.

However, there were concerns about the sight of a UK Cabinet minister currying favour with Duterte, who has admitted killing criminals while he was mayor of Davao city and presided over a war on drugs that has resulted in 7,000 deaths.

Fox, a leading supporter of Britain leaving the European Union, claimed the trip to the region was "an important part of the UKs outward looking approach to trade and investment"

"I look forward to meeting with governments and businesses to discuss how we can work more closely together to overcome barriers to trade and ensure globalization acts as a force for good, spreading prosperity."

"As the UK emerges from this period of change as a stronger, fairer, more united and more outward-looking nation, I hope this will lead to stronger relationships between the UK and our trading partners in South East Asia creating an era of even greater opportunity."
London's FTSE 250 was up 0.3% to 19,070.28 in afternoon trade.

Kaz Minerals and Vedanta Resources were among the top gainers as copper prices advanced.

CLS Holdings was on the front foot after it exchanged contracts for the unconditional sale of the site of its proposed mixed-used Vauxhall Square development to Chinese property developer R&F Properties for a gross consideration of 157.77m, with the proceeds set to be reinvested in its core business.

Bovis Homes was trading higher after Galliford Try said it has abandoned its plans to make a formal bid for the rival housebuilder and after it announced the appointment of former Galliford boss Greg Fitzgerald as its new chief executive.

Amec Foster Wheeler rose after Wood Group said it had found another 40m in annual savings as part of the 2.2bn agreed merger with the company.

Also on Wednesday, Bernstein initiated coverage of the stock at 'market perform', saying Wood Group's bailout is a blessing from above and "an unexpected lifeline to a damaged company".

The same Bernstein note lifted Hunting, as it started coverage of the oil services company at 'outperform'.

"Hunting is the UK way to capture US shale rebound and a play on shale's learning curve," the bank said.

On the downside, Allied Minds tanked after saying it will discontinue funding at seven subsidiaries for which it expects to write down the value in its 2016 results.

Petrofac gushed lower after Deutsche Bank downgraded the stock to 'sell' from 'hold'' and slashed the price target to 775p from 900p.

"We find the valuation looks stretched and consensus implies an improbable pickup in awards and/or win rate," the bank said.

Retirement housebuilder McCarthy & Stone slumped after it bumped up its interim dividend 80% but reported a 42% drop in underlying profits for the first half of the year.

Risers

Kaz Minerals (KAZ) 497.70p 7.24%

CLS Holdings (CLI) 1,855.00p 5.94%

Vedanta Resources (VED) 847.00p 4.96%

Hunting (HTG) 582.00p 4.39%

Evraz (EVR) 238.00p 4.34%

Bovis Homes Group (BVS) 877.50p 3.66%

Metro Bank (MTRO) 3,460.00p 3.56%

Fidessa Group (FDSA) 2,617.00p 3.23%

Ferrexpo (FXPO) 174.00p 3.20%

Amec Foster Wheeler (AMFW) 550.00p 3.19%

Fallers

Allied Minds (ALM) 199.20p -23.68%

IP Group (IPO) 143.50p -4.97%

JRP Group (JRP) 125.50p -3.39%

Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 892.50p -3.30%

Investec (INVP) 531.00p -2.93%

Berkeley Group Holdings (The) (BKG) 3,073.00p -2.60%

Auto Trader Group (AUTO) 388.50p -2.02%

McCarthy & Stone (MCS) 181.50p -1.89%

Essentra (ESNT) 526.00p -1.68%

Dechra Pharmaceuticals (DPH) 1,652.00p -1.67%
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  California could dramatically change the way it pressures criminal defendants to show up for court, doing away with monetary bail for most and taking income into account for others to ensure poor suspects get an equal shot at freedom.

Instead of requiring suspects to post bail, county officials would decide whether to release them based on their risk to public safety and would use jail alternatives like home detention or monitoring bracelets that track their locations.

When a judge decides monetary bail is needed for suspects accused of serious or violent crimes, the amount would be based on defendants' incomes instead of on a pre-determined bail schedule that varies in each of California's 58 counties.

"It fundamentally transforms a broken cash bail system that punishes poor people for being poor," said Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland.

He and Sen. Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, have submitted bills that would create the new system. Hertzberg's bill has its first committee hearing Tuesday.

The current system keeps many innocent people behind bars, disproportionately affects minority defendants and encourages some suspects to plead guilty simply to get out of jail, bill supporters say.

Bail is money or property that can be forfeited if suspects fail to appear for trial. When defendants can't post bail they often hire a bail company that puts up the money for a fee, typically 10 percent of the full bail amount. The company must pay the court in full if the accused do not show up.

The median bail in California was $50,000, the Public Policy Institute of California reported last year, and the $5,000 required to get a company to post bail is out of reach for many.

If a person is acquitted or the charges are dropped, bail money they put up themselves is returned.

But if they hire a bail company they lose the 10 percent. That's what happened to Ato Walker, a 37-year-old janitor from San Jose.

He was jailed for five days nearly four years ago when his bail was set at $165,000 following a confrontation with police. It was reduced to $85,000 and his mother was able to pay $8,500 to a bail company to get him out of jail. The charges were dismissed eight months later but the $8,500 was gone.

"The justice system is disproportionately punitive to poor people," Walker said. "It's not fair, it's not right."

The bail industry and some victim rights and law enforcement groups oppose the bills. They say the changes will allow dangerous people back on the streets, victims won't be able to object beforehand and suspects will be more likely to skip court dates.

"I think it's a mistake to substitute some risk assessment formula for what judges are already doing when they grant bail. I think we're going to see more defendants who just don't show up," said Michael Rushford, president of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for crime victims.

Corrin Rankin of the California Bail Agents Association said counties already have the option of freeing suspects without bail, but argued that having money at stake remains the best way to ensure that defendants show up in court.

Rankin, who runs the Out Now Bail Bonds company south of San Francisco, predicted counties won't save enough money to pay for the intensive pre-trial supervision envisioned in the bills.

State Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye last week told state lawmakers that California's courts already are testing 11 pretrial bail alternatives and developing a formula to help decide whether individuals have the ability to pay bail, fines and court fees.

John Lovell, who represents several law enforcement organizations including the California Narcotic Officers' Association, suggests lawmakers wait to act until the court's Judicial Council completes its review later this year.

The bills' supporters say there is little statistical difference in how often suspects show up in court if they are released without bail. They say it is much cheaper to monitor suspects than to jail them and that releasing lower-risk suspects frees up room in overcrowded jails for more serious criminals.

Variations on the California proposal are already in place in Kentucky, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., and some local California jurisdictions, including San Francisco, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.

The bills are part of a nationwide push to reduce mass incarceration and close the gap between how rich and poor are treated by the justice system.

For example, Hertzberg authored a traffic ticket amnesty program in 2015 that expired Monday. This year he wants to block automatically suspending driver's licenses for drivers who can't pay traffic tickets and require judges to consider violators' ability to pay before setting fine amounts.

Every state has made some change to its pre-trial release law since 2012, said Amber Widgery, a criminal justice policy specialist with the National Conference of State Legislatures.

"Six out of every 10 people held are not convicted of a crime," she said. "That's been of great concern to state lawmakers because in this country we have a presumption of innocence, so why if you've not been convicted of anything are you still in jail?"
Save my User ID and Password

Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site.

Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site.
Elliott Bay Design Group

Johansen

Erik Johansen joined Elliott Bay Design Group's New Orleans office as an electrical engineer. Johansen has 20 years of marine electrical experience. He has provided electrical engineering for workboats, ferries, tugboats, platform support vessels and carriers. EBDG provides naval architecture, marine engineering and production support services.




Subscriber content preview

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI

Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho  The Idaho State Tax Commission is refusing to disclose details about an online sales tax deal with Amazon, which went into effect over the weekend.

The agreement allows the giant e-commerce company to start collecting sales tax for the state on internet purchases shipped to Idaho.





. . .
City to avoid banks that fund Keystone

SEATTLE (AP)  The Seattle City Council has voted to oppose the Keystone XL Pipeline and to request that the city's finance department avoid contracting with banks that back the $8 billion project.

The Seattle Times reports the council voted unanimously Monday to pass the resolution. The Trump administration signed off on the pipeline last month, reversing the Obama administration's rejection of the pipeline.

The Keystone XL wouldn't pass through Seattle but anti-pipeline activists say the project would contribute to devastating climate change.

The council passed legislation earlier this year requesting that Mayor Ed Murray not renew a Wells Fargo contract because of the bank's role as a lender for the Dakota Access Pipeline project. The city will wait until that contract expires at the end of next year rather than severing ties immediately.




Subscriber content preview

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP)  The Missoula City Commission has voted to pull $2.6 million of the city's money from Wells Fargo accounts because the bank is invested in the Dakota Access Pipeline and because employees opened fraudulent customer accounts to generate fees and bonuses.

The resolution that passed on 12-0 Monday says the city is committed to conduct business with partners that engage in fair and socially responsible business practices.





. . .
Subscriber content preview

KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP)  Alaska ports will be welcoming a new luxury cruise line starting in 2019.

Azamara Club Cruises recently released its itineraries for 2019 showing the 600-foot Azamara Quest will sail 11 cruises in Alaska. The company is a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises, The Ketchikan Daily News reported.





. . .
Subscriber content preview

PORTLAND (AP)  A 35-year-old man who was seriously injured when he went head first into a wood chipper seeks $16.7 million in a lawsuit against the machine's Iowa-based manufacturer.

The accident happened in February 2016, while Noly Chouinard of Eugene, Oregon, was working for a tree-care company at a property in Leaburg.





. . .
ABB buys Austrian industrial automation firm Bernecker & Rainer for reported $2 bn

Swedish-Swiss engineering giant ABB has acquired Austrian industrial automation company Bernecker & Rainer, in order to expand its robotic portfolio and close its historic gap in machine and factory automation.

The Zurich-based company did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction, but said that the deal had been valued ''in line with'' industrial peers.

Citing a person familiar with the matter, Reuters reported that ABB paid nearly $2 billion in cash.

Post closing, Bernecker & Rainer will become part of ABB's industrial automation division as a new global business unit to be called machine & factory automation, headed by the current managing director, Hans Wimmer.

Founded in 1979 by Erwin Bernecker and Josef Rainer, Bernecker & Rainer employs more than 3,000 people, including about 1,000 R&D and application engineers.

The Eggelsberg, Austria-based company combines state-of-the-art technology with advanced engineering to cater to customers in virtually every industry with complete solutions for machine and factory automation, motion control, HMI and integrated safety technology.

It operates across 70 countries, generating sales of more than $600 million in the $20 billion machine and factory automation market segment.

The co-founders of Bernecker & Rainer, Erwin Bernecker and Josef Rainer, will act as advisors during the integration phase to ensure continuity, ABB said in a statement.

Post closing, Bernecker & Rainer headquarters will become ABB's global centre for machine and factory automation.

Bernecker & Rainer CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer, said, ''This acquisition perfectly delivers on our Next Level strategy. With our unique digital offering and our installed base of more than 70 million connected devices, 70,000 control systems and now more than 3 million automated machines and 27,000 factory installations around the world, we enable our combined global customer base to seize the huge opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.''

Siemens is currently the world's leader in automation technology products, and ABB's acquisition of Bernecker & Rainer will take it to the second spot ahead Emerson, Rockwell Automation and General Electric.

ABB's CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer told CNBC "We are strengthening our number two position with this acquisition, we are closing up to the number one, which is Siemens, and we are increasing the distance from all the other players."
European regulator blocks HeidelbergCement, Schwenk takeover of Cemex Croatia

European antitrust regulators today blocked German cement producers HeidelbergCement and Schwenk's takeover of Cemex's Croatian unit saying that the merger would have significantly reduced competition in grey cement markets and increased prices in Croatia.

"We had clear evidence that this takeover would have led to price increases in Croatia, which could have adversely affected the construction sector. HeidelbergCement and Schwenk failed to offer appropriate remedies to address these concerns," European Commission (EC) commissioner Margrethe Vestager, said in a statement.

HeidelbergCement and Schwenk had in September 2016 offered to buy Cemex Croatia from Mexico's Cemex through their Hungarian joint venture Duna Drava Cement (DDC) in a deal worth about 250 million.

The EC referred the analysis of the deal's potential effects in Hungary to the Hungarian competition authority.

Cemex Croatia, a subsidiary of the Cemex Group, sells grey cement, ready-mix concrete, clinker and aggregates in Croatia and the Western Balkans and also supplies cement to Italy, Slovenia, Malta and other export markets.

Cemex Croatia operates three cement plants in Split and several cement terminals and ready-mix concrete plants in Croatia.

DDC and HeidelbergCement are the largest cement importers in Croatia. DDC imports grey cement into Croatia from its plants in Hungary and Bosnia-Herzegovina, while HeidelbergCement imports grey cement into Croatia from a plant in Italy.

The combined market shares of DDC and Cemex Croatia would have been around 45-50 per cent.

The EC said that the companies did not offer to divest an existing cement business, but instead proposed to grant its rivals access to a cement terminal in Metkovic in southern Croatia.

The terminal, a storage facility for cement located on the Neretva river, is currently leased by Cemex Croatia.

The EC had concerns that the proposed remedies would also have been insufficient in scale because the terminal's cement capacity was limited.

Moreover, due to the terminal's location, it is likely that the terminal's capacity would also have been used to sell to customers outside the Croatian markets that the EC was concerned about.
CARSON CITY (AP)  Thousands of immigrant children with residency paperwork in Nevada could access government-subsidized health care without delay under a proposal lawmakers heard Monday.

The bill aims to abolish a five-year wait period for refugee youth, minors with green cards and certain other young immigrants to get insurance coverage tailored to low-income families. Thirty-one states have made that change.

For Alejandra Hernandez Chavez's family, going back to Mexico for basic medical services was less expensive than seeing American doctors without insurance in the years after she received her documentation of legal residency.

"I would miss a week of school because we would have to spend so much time in Mexico where we could actually afford dental work and seeing a doctor," Hernandez Chavez said at a legislative hearing.

Being able to access Medicaid and Nevada Check Up, insurance programs backed by state and federal funding, as soon as children have documentation would make a world of difference, the 23-year-old University of Nevada, Reno student and other supporters said.

The policy shift could expand insurance coverage over the next year to as many as 7,500 impoverished immigrants living in the country legally who are under age 19, by the state's initial estimate. Others put the figure between 4,800 and more than 8,000 children who would benefit within one year.

Former President Barack Obama first introduced the policy option in 2009.

It's geared toward children and pregnant women new to the country with little means, although Senate Bill 325 would expand the programs only to children.

"With kids  you make no conscious choice to leave your country," Hernandez Chavez said.

The last states to opt in, Utah and Florida, approved the change in 2016.

If passed, Nevada would likely be the first state to ask President Donald Trump's administration for a waiver to cover immigrant children sooner.

With 7,500 additional children enrolled, the expanded coverage would cost the state nearly $5.3 million annually beginning in 2018, according to a Health and Human Services report. The federal government would kick in roughly $14 million in that scenario.

Opponents argued that that's too expensive, especially considering Nevada is among the 31 states that increased Medicaid eligibility under Obama's health law.

"I don't want to expand the programs when it's already costing taxpayers so much," conservative political activist Janine Hansen said.

Hansen also claimed  falsely according to a state program administrator  that family members living in the country illegally could benefit from their kids' insurance.

"It is an individual eligibility determination, it does not confer to other members of the family," said Naomi Lewis, deputy administrator for the state Division of Welfare and Supportive Services.
Our state of Alabama must be a juicy target for media to pick on. While we all must admit there is much room for improvement, the media finds the most absurd things to smear us with.

On Monday, April 3, the UK Daily Mail published a piece with an eye-catching headline: Alabama is the #1 most stressful state in the U.S: Steer clear of the Heart of Dixie." The article refers to on-the-job stress and pressures in one personal life.

While I am obviously biased and skeptical of the article, it is interesting how the international world sees us in Alabama.

James W. Anderson

Talladega
Wednesdays severe weather outbreak produced three distinct lines of thunderstorms through southeast Alabama, with none apparently causing injuries.

Aside from the significant damage from an apparent tornado in Henry Countys Screamer community, Wednesdays storms resulted primarily in downed trees and power lines in multiple counties throughout the area. Lightning strikes also appeared to cause a handful of small fires.

The first line of severe storms moved through the Wiregrass just after midnight and into early Wednesday morning. Large hail was reported in Daleville, Newton and Bellwood.

A second line of severe storms moved through the Wiregrass mid-morning on Wednesday, hitting Coffee and Dale counties hard and causing some downed trees and power lines.

The third line of storms, fueled by the heat of the day, raced through the area Wednesday afternoon. Those storms produced the apparent tornado in Screamer and another apparent tornado near Quitman County in Georgia.

Sunny, cooler weather is forecast for the rest of the week.

Below is a history of severe thunderstorm warnings issued by the National Weather Service as part of the Wednesday outbreak:

 11:49 p.m. Tuesday: Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Dale, Henry, Coffee, Geneva and Houston counties.

Location: a severe thunderstorm was located 8 miles northwest of Hartford, or 9 miles southwest of Daleville, moving northeast at 40 mph.

Impacts: Quarter size hail reported near Bellwood Estates in Geneva County. Large hail also reported in Daleville and Newton.

Expired: 1:30 a.m.

 12:20 a.m.: Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Dale County

Location: a severe thunderstorm was located near Ozark, moving northeast at 40 mph.

Impacts: None reported

Expired: 12:45 a.m.

 1:27 a.m.: Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Dale and Henry counties in Alabama and Clay County in Georgia.

Location: a severe thunderstorm was located 8 miles east of Ozark, moving northeast at 40 mph.

Impacts: None reported

Expired: 2:15 a.m.

 3:27 a.m.: Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Coffee County

Location: a severe thunderstorm was located near Glenwood, or 7 miles south of Goshen, moving east at 40 mph.

Impacts: None reported

Canceled: 3:44 a.m.

 9:29 a.m.: Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Coffee and Dale counties

Location: a severe thunderstorm was located 11 miles northeast of Elba, moving northeast at 50 mph.

Impacts: Trees and power lines reported down in Mabson and Ariton

Expired: 10 a.m.

 10:10 a.m.: Severe Thunderstorm Warning Coffee and Dale counties

Location: a severe thunderstorm was located 9 miles north of Elba, moving east at 50 mph.

Impacts: None reported

Canceled: 10:20 a.m.

Several warnings were issued for counties in southwest Georgia from noon through the late afternoon.
After being listed as a prisoner of war/missing in action for more than 73 years, Marine Corps Pfc. James O. Whitehurst, of Ashford, will be buried on April 12 in Cowarts.

Whitehurst was killed during WWII, but his remains were not found until 2015. By using dental records and the dog tags found with the remains, Whitehurst was positively identified.

Whitehursts body will arrive at the airport in Tallahassee, Florida on April 11, where his remains will be greeted by family members on the airport tarmac. His body will be transported to Glover Funeral Home where a memorial service will be held followed by a burial service at Cowarts Baptist Church Cemetery.

In November 1943, Whitehurst was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, and 2nd Marine Division which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Island, in an attempt to secure the island.

Approximately 1,000 Marines and Navy sailors were killed during this attack, said Charles Odom, Whitehursts nephew. There were more than 2,000 wounded. The information we were given states our uncle died during the first day of battle, November 20, 1943.

With the heavy casualties suffered by the U.S. forces, the military success in the battle was a huge victory for the United States military. The Gilbert Islands provided the United States Navy Pacific Fleet a platform where assaults could be launched on the Marshall and Caroline Islands, which advanced the Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.

Due to aftermath of fighting on Tarawa, service members who died in battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries, Odom said.

In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio, but Whitehursts remains were not found.

In 2015, a non-governmental organization, History Flight Inc., notified the Department of Defense that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island, Odom said. They recovered 35 Marines and one Navy sailor in the same burial plot. The remains were turned over to the Department of Defense in July 2015. After I received information regarding the cemetery plot location, I agreed to donate a swab which would contain my DNA. I was later informed my DNA was not needed. Whoever buried the Marines buried them in ponchos to help preserve the bodies. Besides two ribs missing, my uncles skeleton was completely intact. His dog tags also rested in the poncho. To verify my uncles remains, dental records were used and they matched perfectly.

According to a news release from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Public Affairs office, the DPAA is appreciative to History Flight Inc., and their partnership for the recovery mission that led to the remains of the Marines and Navy sailor being located.

During our childhood years, we all heard different stories regarding what might have happened to our uncle, Odom said. We are grateful to the History Flight for locating our uncle. Now, we can properly lay him to rest with respect.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 73,070 service members still unaccounted for from World War II.
With the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Florida predicting severe weather on Wednesday in the tri-state area, some people may be looking for a safe place to seek shelter.

Several church leaders and the Southeast Alabama Severe Weather Group are working together to provide safe havens for individuals in the Wiregrass. The Safe Haven Project was started by the Southeast Alabama Severe Weather Group.

The idea for the safe havens came about following the devastation in Rehobeth earlier this year, said Southeast Alabama Severe Weather Team founder and chief forecaster Chad Jackson. We arrived at the scene in Rehobeth just after the tornado hit. It was literally just a few minutes later. We saw the devastation up close. We also noticed the feedback received from individuals on our social media account. Several comments were made regarding individuals actually having nowhere safe to go. There are post-event shelters, but nothing was established other than Enterprise High School. This sparked something with us. We began contacting different facilities seeking locations to participate in the Safe Haven Program. When a facility participates in the Safe Haven Program there are no FEMA guidelines to follow. A safe haven is actually a safe place residents can go until the storm is over. Although participating in a safe haven does not guarantee safety, it is a better option that what some individuals may have.

Several permanent safe havens are provided throughout the area, such as Rehobeth Baptist Church, New Freedom Baptist Church in Webb, Elba Church of Christ, Pine Grove, Henry County Courthouse, Daleville Cultural Arts Center and the Enterprise High School gym, which is a FEMA certified shelter.

Monday, Northview Christian Church in Dothan participated for the first time in the safe haven program as a temporary safe haven.

At this time we are a temporary safe haven, but we are working to make it official and available during future storms, said Northview Christian Church Associate Pastor Pete Pierce. Monday we had 17 individuals come to our church seeking refuge. We were extremely grateful to participate. This program allows one of our pastors goals to be accomplished. He not only wants to serve his congregation, but the community as well.

Rehobeth Baptist Church and New Freedom Baptist Church will open their doors tomorrow at 8 a.m., to serve as a Safe Haven during the storm.

Our doors are open to anyone needing a safe place during the weather, said Rehobeth Baptist Church Pastor Chad Hixson. The doors will remain open until the storms have left the area. If anyone needs to find somewhere safe to ride out the storm, anyone and everyone is welcome here.

According to Jackson, the weather system expected to move through Wednesday is completely different than Mondays system that came through the area.

Just because Mondays storm was not as severe in certain areas as predicted, be prepared for this storm, Jackson said. All predictions associated with this storm have it being a severe storm. I look for the storm to actually be upgraded from us having a moderate risk to us having a high risk. Being prepared and planning ahead has never hurt anyone. Its the not planning and being prepared that has hurt plenty.

Some other safe spaces opening in the Wiregrass on Wednesday include:

At 5 a.m. the Enterprise High School ROTC building will open as a storm shelter.

Carroll High School in Ozark will be open as a community storm shelter at 8 a.m. and stay open until the severe weather has passed. There are three safe rooms inside the building.

In Abbeville, the Henry County Courthouse and Calvary Baptist Church will open at 8 a.m. as safe spaces for people who are seeking shelter.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP)  The mermaids at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center are essentially ambassadors to the ocean.

They took turns Monday slipping into a 100,000 gallon tank to glide past zebra sharks and spotted eagle rays to children  mostly young girls  watching behind glass.

The idea is to help kids connect with the sea by giving it a human face. Hales Parcells, an educator and mermaid at the aquarium in Virginia Beach, said theyre inspiring future naturalists, environmentalists and ocean lovers.

Before the show, the mermaids slathered their legs in coconut oil and strapped on silicon tails that had been individually fitted. Their vision is limited underwater to blurry shapes. The childrens blinking wristbands guide the mermaids to the glass where they wave and blow kisses.

The show occurs each Monday in April.
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.

Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.

If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .

Support our mission and join our community now.
Taking place on Saturday, 6th of May, Darkness into Light is a unique, early morning experience which begins in darkness at 4.15am as thousands of people walk or run a 5km route while dawn is breaking.

The early dawn represents hope and is symbolic of the work of Pieta House; bringing people from darkness back into the light.

In 2016, over 130,000 people took part in over 50 venues across Ireland.

Dundalk will host its very own Darkness into Light for the first time in 2017 with its venue being Dundalk Institute of Technology.

Speaking at the launch at the Market Square on Saturday, Event Director for Dundalk, Sean Kelly, said Darkness Into Light is a peoples event organised by local committees all over the country and luckily this year a group of volunteers have got together in Dundalk to organise it.

"Its a fantastic opportunity to raise much needed funds for an issue that affects so many lives especially here in Dundalk.

"While suicide is a devastating tragedy, we must not forget that there is hope, there is help, and Pieta House will be there to provide both.

Darkness into Light is the most vital component of Pieta Houses fundraising calendar.

As demand for the service continues to grow and with more than 80% of Pieta Houses income depending on public donations, funds raised during Darkness into Light are essential for Pieta House to continue to provide a free service for the increasing numbers seeking help.

To register to take part please visit http://dil.pieta.ie/event-information/venues/dundalk
Louth Deputy Declan Breathnach says a new Bill he has introduced in the Dail will help tackle the scourge of illegal smuggling in border communities.

The Sale of Illicit Goods Bill 2017 provides for the introduction of a series of new measures which are directed at tackling the trade in illegal alcohol, tobacco and solid fuel.

Deputy Breathnach commented: Illicit trading in Ireland is estimated to have cost the Irish State around 2.4bn in 2015. There has been a noticeable increase in smuggling along the border in recent years and the criminality associated with this activity is having an adverse impact on communities in Louth. There are real fears that the problem could grow in the years ahead unless action is taken, particularly in light of Brexit.

The sale of illicit goods is harming local businesses that simply cannot compete with the prices on offer by smugglers. Small shops are the lifeblood of local communities in towns and villages and we need to do more to help protect them from the knock on-effect of smuggling. The Bill I have introduced aims to increase awareness of the consequences of buying illicit goods. The Bill will make it an offence for a person to buy illicit alcohol, tobacco or solid fuel. Those that do willingly purchase such illicit goods will be subject to a 100 on-the-spot fine.

An Garda Siochana and the Revenue Commissioners undoubtedly need more resources to tackle smuggling in border communities. However we need to recognise that smuggling is inevitable so long as there is a demand for illicit goods. The Bill I have introduced aims to diminish this demand by educating people of the adverse impact that smuggling has on border communities.

Smuggling activity and purchasing goods from known illegal traders does nothing but endanger jobs while funding criminal gangs. If people were more conscious of the consequences of such activity, they would think twice. This Bill will act as a deterrent to making such illegal purchases which will help tackle smuggling in the long run.
ELKO  In a plea to keep the Nevada Legislature from cutting art funding a group gathered Monday night at Duncan LittleCreek Gallery in a show of solidarity.

We get a lot of funding from Nevada Arts Council, said Emily Anderson, actress and director of Ghost Light Productions. None of us get paid for what we do. All of the funding we get goes directly into the company.

Ghost Light Productions puts together a number of theatrical pieces a year including Poe and Pints. They also have a childrens theater program.

The Nevada Art Postcard Project was planned to gather support for the arts in the state of Nevada and send that message onward by Arts Day Nevada, May 3. Art Day brings Nevadas cultural and civic organizations, grassroots art advocates, and legislators. In the past this meeting has resulted in positive gains for the statewide art community.

What we are doing is making art postcards to send a message to continue to fund the Nevada Arts Council and Nevada Humanities, said Tuscarora artist and Nevada Arts Council board member Gail Rappa. This is the 50th anniversary of the Arts Council. We want representatives to be clear that Nevadans value art.

Of great concern is the future of funding for Nevada Arts Council during the next budget.

All of us on the board and staff of Nevada Arts Council feel that this is the time to increase, not decrease, public funding for Nevada Arts Council grants to continue to invest in growing the program offerings of our arts organizations; education opportunities for pre-K through 12; and provide incentives for our statewide arts industry to invest in the local economies, Rappa said.

Potential budget cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities could also affect the work done by the state council.

The Nevada Art Postcard Project is happening throughout the sate with the goal of sending at least 1,000 postcards to government officials by Nevada Arts Day. People who want to host a party of their own should message Rappa on Facebook or go to the Nevada Art Postcard Projects Facebook page.
IBM on Monday unveiled the first enterprise-ready Blockchain as a Service offering based on The Linux Foundations open source Hyperledger Fabric version 1.0.

IBM Blockchain, which lets developers quickly establish highly secure blockchain networks on the IBM cloud, is a transformative step in being able to deploy high-speed, secure business transactions through the network on a large scale, the company said.

The platform offers the worlds safest Linux infrastructure, with tamper-responsive hardware security modules, a highly auditable operating environment, protection from insider attacks, and secure service containers, according to IBM.

Safe and Secure

IBM developers were very substantial contributors to the Hyperledger Fabric project, andthey have also been great at pulling developers from other companies into the center of the development process, noted Brian Behlendorf, executive director of Hyperledger.

This means the architecture has been scrutinized by a much wider community than you might otherwise see for a commercial project, and there are many different commercial options for support available, he told LinuxInsider.

Hyperledger  an open source consortium of companies in finance, banking, IoT and other industries  was created to advance blockchain technologies.

Hyperledger Fabric is the project designed to implement blockchain technologies into applications or solutions.

IBM Blockchain for Hyperledger Fabric v1.0 is available through a beta program on IBM Bluemix. Hyperledger Fabric is available on Docker Hub as an IBM-certified image for download at no cost.

In a related announcement, IBM and SecureKey Technologies said they will launch a new digital identity network for Canadian consumers based on IBM Blockchain. The network currently is undergoing tests in Canada and is scheduled to go live later this year. Consumers will be able to opt in through a mobile app.

IBM also announced the worlds first blockchain-based green asset management platform under a deal with Energy Blockchain Labs to help lower emissions in China.

A beta version of the platform will be released in May.

IBM Edge

IBM has an advantage from the standpoint that few companies have the skills and experience to capitalize on this emerging technology, noted Jeff Kaplan, managing director of ThinkStrategies.

Many companies are hesitant to make the investment to advance what is a relatively unproven technology, he said.

So in the same way organizations have been able to leverage compute power via the cloud and applications via SaaS, IBM Blockchain will enable organizations to acquire blockchain functionality quickly without the risks and costs associated with buying and deploying the technology themselves, Kaplan told LinuxInsider. It gives IBM a good method to quickly win customers and market share.

The IBM announcement is a significant step in enterprise adoption of blockchain technology, and can be likened to what Hortonworks and Cloudera did for Hadoop or what Redhat did for Linux, observed Stewart Bond, research director for data integration software at IDC.

IBM is an industry incumbent known for enterprise-scale transaction processing, security and data management, and many enterprises trust IBM applications, processes, transactions and data, he told LinuxInsider.

Blockchain is partly about trust, and IBM Blockchain provides a higher level of trust, security, transaction processing and manageability of blockchain data, code and deployments, Bond said.

IBM last summer entered an agreement with Everledger to use blockchain to help the company track diamonds and other valuables.

IBM is the provider best suited for transactional security at the scale required for such a partnership, said Leanne Kemp, CEO of the firm.

As a business focused on tracking and protecting the provenance of the worlds most valuable items, there can be no compromise when it comes to the security and expertise required to ensure records are stored in a trusted and tamper-proof environment, she told LinuxInsider.

IBM also is working with Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Northern Trust, Walmart and Maersk on previously announced deals to run their blockchain applications in the IBM Cloud.
UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd on Sunday called for greater government access to encrypted content on mobile apps.

Apps with end-to-end encryption, like Facebooks WhatsApp, should not be allowed to conceal terrorists communications from law enforcement, Rudd said in an appearance on The Andrew Marr Show, a BBC broadcast.

There should be no place for terrorists to hide, she said. We need to make sure that organizations like WhatsApp  and there are plenty of others like that  dont provide a secret place for terrorists to communicate with each other.

Khalid Masood, who killed four people outside the UKs parliament building last week before being shot dead, reportedly used WhatsApp a few minutes before going on his murder spree.

On this situation, we need to make sure that our intelligence services have the ability to get into situations like encrypted WhatsApp, Rudd maintained.

Backdoor Law in Place?

Even though she supported end-to-end encryption as a cybersecurity measure, Rudd later said in an interview on Sky News, it was absurd to have terrorists talking on a formal platform and not have access to those conversations.

We are horrified at the attack carried out in London and are cooperating with law enforcement as they continue their investigations, WhatsApp spokesperson Anne Yeh said in a statement provided to TechNewsWorld.

During her appearance on Marrs show, Rudd disclosed that she would be meeting with Facebook and other technology companies on Thursday to discuss ways to meet the information needs of security officers. She did not rule out new legislation to regulate encrypted messaging if the government and the tech companies were unable to reach an accord.

However, that law may already exist. The UK last year adopted the Investigatory Powers Act, which compels tech companies to provide a technical capability to remove electronic protection within their products. That law has been interpreted in some quarters to mean that tech companies can be compelled to install backdoors into their products in order to decrypt data when necessary.

A backdoor would not have helped prevent Masoods attack, however.

To use a backdoor, you have to identify somebody as a target and hack them, explained Matthew Green, a computer science professor specializing in cryptography at Johns Hopkins University.

With this terrorist, they identified this person and decided he wasnt a threat and stopped monitoring him, he told TechNewsWorld. Nothing is going to help once you look at a guy then look away.

No Door Secure Enough

Backdoors have been criticized as a means to meet the information needs of law enforcement because they undermine the purpose of encryption.

Many technologists and even many in law enforcement have acknowledged theres no secure backdoor, said Chris Calabrese, vice president for policy at the Center for Democracy & Technology.

You simply cannot build a door that only the good guys can walk through, he told TechNewsWorld. If you start building backdoors, they will be exploited by hackers; they will be exploited by terrorists.

Tech companies have been skeptical of creating backdoors to break the encryption used by their products and then turning over the keys to law enforcement.

Another idea floated is that the companies should create the backdoors but retain control of the keys to prevent abuse.

That wont work. The systems are too complicated and the backdoors too difficult to keep secure, Calabrese said.

Companies dont want to have to worry about their employees misusing these keys, and they dont want to have to secure them, said Johns Hopkins Green.

Application Hopping

Even if backdoors were installed in applications like WhatsApp, they most likely would miss their mark  assuming that mark is to prevent terrorists from communicating securely.

If the bad guys feel that this application has been compromised by government officials and backdoors become available, this leads to a simple response by the bad guys  use a different application, explained Paul Calatayud, CTO at FireMon.

WhatsApp is a third-party application on a mobile device, he told TechNewsWorld. Nothing prevents the bad guys from moving to a lesser known third-party application.

While WhatsApp cant crack the encrypted contents on the parliament killers phone, it still can provide authorities with information about the terrorists phone activity  such as the time a message was sent, who it was sent to, and the physical location of the sender and recipient.

It doesnt matter what this guy said before he did this thing, said Bruce Schneier, CTO of IBM Resilient. What matters is who it was, and WhatsApp doesnt protect that.

Investigators can access all kinds of information without recourse to backdoors, he told TechNewsWorld, but that would require a real conversation about the problem, which you dont get from these people who grandstand after tragedies.
ELKO  Two people arrested on Jan. 1 for smoking marijuana in public received a reduced sentence in justice court Monday.

Marcus Conner, 24, of Carlin and Stephany Dennis, 21, of Elko both pleaded guilty to committing a public nuisance before Elko Justice of the Peace Mason Simons. In exchange for the plea, the charge of possession of one ounce or less of marijuana was dismissed, according to court records.

The defendants were ordered to each pay a fine of $355 by the end of the day, court records said.

Conner and Dennis were arrested shortly after midnight Jan. 1 at Cowboys bar on Idaho Street.

While Nevada law permits the use of medical and recreational marijuana, it is illegal to consume or smoke in public places.
Following WikiLeaks publication earlier this week of classified documents stolen from the CIA, major technology companies, including Apple, Samsung, Microsoft and Cisco, have been scrambling to assess the risks posed to their customers by the revelations.

The so-called Vault 7 leak includes information about methods and tools the CIA crafted to hack into products produced by those companies.

Apples initial analysis reportedly showed that many of the issues identifed in iOS already were patched in the latest version of the software.

In addition methods of hacking iPhones, the WikiLeaks documents pointed to ways the CIA might exploit Windows PCs, Android phones and Samsung smart TVs.

Google reportedly expressed confidence that existing security protections in Chrome and Android shield their users from many of the vulnerabilities identified in the WikiLeaks dump.

Both Samsung and Microsoft reportedly said they were investigating the impact of the leaks.

Routers and Linux Targeted

Other targets of CIA hacking included Cisco and the Linux operating system, according to the Vault 7 documents.

There is little actionable information in the WikiLeaks documents, noted Dario Ciccarone, a security researcher at Cisco.

At the time of the initial release, WikiLeaks has not released any of the tools or exploits associated with the disclosure, he pointed out.

Since none of the tools and malware referenced in the initial Vault 7 disclosure have been made available by WikiLeaks, the scope of action that can be taken by Cisco is limited. An ongoing investigation and focused analysis of the areas of code that are alluded to in the disclosure is underway, Ciccarone said.

Until more information is available, there is little Cisco can do at this time from a vulnerability handling perspective, he added.

Linuxs popularity makes it a likely target for intelligence agencies, according to Nicko van Someren, chief technology officer for The Linux Foundation.

Linux is a very widely used operating system with a huge installed base all around the world, so it is not surprising that state agencies from many countries would target Linux, along with the many closed source platforms that they have sought to compromise, he told TechNewsWorld.

However, the rapid development cycle of the operating system  a kernel update is released every few days  enables Linux development teams to quickly address security problems, van Someren explained.

Rapid release cycles enable the open source community to fix vulnerabilities and release those fixes to users faster, he said.

Assange Offers Sneak Peek

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange took to Facebook Live Thursday, offering to give tech companies making products targeted by CIA hacking tools exclusive access to any tools in WikiLeaks possession, so the businesses could plug any security holes.

Assanges offer poses a dilemma for the companies. While they want to make their products more secure, hooking up with WikiLeaks would mean collaborating with an organization that may have broken U.S. laws by accepting stolen data. At the least, it has undermined the nations security by releasing classified information to the public.

Still, they should accept Assanges offer, argued Israel Barak, chief information security officer at Cybereason.

These companies have to make their software as secure as possible, he told TechNewsWorld. When you have an opportunity to do that, youve got to do it.

However, Assanges offer may be too little, too late.

My guess is that some of this code is already in the hands of bad actors, said Tony Busseri, CEO of Route1.

Thats a point of concern for consumers, government and enterprises, he told TechNewsWorld.

Consumer Impact

Consumers shouldnt be too concerned about the Vault 7 leaks affecting their privacy and security, observed Craig Young, a computer security researcher at Tripwire.

Consumers should, however, be cognizant that the conveniences afforded by connected technologies also inherently introduce privacy and security risks, he told TechNewsWorld.

As data is made available to smart devices like TVs, phones and voice-activated speakers, consumers are in fact extending a large degree of trust to the vendors making these products. There is trust not only that vendors are making these devices securely, but also that the vendors will continue to support them, Young pointed out.

Even with all of these things in mind, he added, there is always some risk  so it is advisable not to share sensitive data with these smart devices.

Most consumers wouldnt be affected by the tools WikiLeaks claims to have in its possession if the CIA had exclusive control of them, but thats not the case now.

The CIA is not going to try to hack your TV for no reason, Route1s Busseri said.

The danger with WikiLeaks is if it starts exposing how these vulnerabilities and toolkits work, then criminal organizations will try to profit from them at the consumers expense, he explained.

These leaks are giving consumers a glimpse into how their devices can be used to spy on them, said Cybereasons Barak.

The leaks illustrate how vulnerable all digital devices are.

The technology to hack into these systems is advancing just as rapidly as the security to protect them, said Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

Nothing will ever be 100 percent secure, he told TechNewsWorld, just as no doctor will ever say with 100 percent accuracy whats wrong with you.
By Andy Rowell

President Trump opens his eyes, but he does not see. Trump listens, but he does not hear. He speaks, but he makes no sense. How can the most powerful man be so completely ignorant about climate change? How can it be that as the evidence about climate change gets stronger, politicians like Trump seem to get more ignorant?

That is a question that is perplexing climate scientists and others fighting climate change.

Every day comes news that we are in deep, deep trouble. The Guardian reported this morning that Climate change is rapidly becoming a crisis that defies hyperbole, with impacts occurring faster in many parts of the world than even the most gloomy scientists predicted.

The newspaper reported on three recent studies which reveal there has been a massive under-reporting of the impacts of climate change:

The first paper, published in Science found that current warming (just one degree Celsius) has already left a discernible mark on 77 of 94 different ecological processes, including species genetics, seasonal responses, overall distribution and even morphologyi.e. physical traits including body size and shape.

A second paper, published in Nature Climate Change this February concluded that 47 percent of land mammals and 23 percent of birds have already suffered negative impacts form climate change. In total, nearly 700 species in these two groups are struggling over climate change. Entire ecosystemssome the size of states within the U.S.are changing. Some are not surviving.

A third study in PLOS Biology found that more than 450 plants and animals have undergone local extinctions due to climate change. As some struggle to adapt they may go extinct altogether.

Trump might not read the left-leaning Guardian or the scientific press, but he should be reading the Washington Post. Earlier this week the Washington Post reported on a recent paper by the Geological Society of America which presents dramatic before-and-after photographs of glaciers around the world over the last decade.

The majority of the photos were taken by renowned photographer James Balog as part of the Extreme Ice Survey, which was featured in the 2012 documentary Chasing Ice. The videos and still photos show glaciers in fast retreat. For example, the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska retreated 550 meters between 2007 and 2015.

Balog told the paper, I do think that our most dominant sensory apparatus is our vision. So when you can deliver an understanding of the reality of whats going on through vision, rather than numbers or maps, that also has the unique ability to touch and influence people.

The papers authors argue that photographic records provide an outstanding avenue for education, because they display a record of ice that may never be seen again.

But Trump is ignoring the photographic evidence. If he will not listen to the scientists, maybe Trump will listen to the security experts.

Sherri Goodman, a former U.S. deputy undersecretary of defense and founder of the CNA Military Advisory Board, is speaking this week in Sydney at the Breakthrough Institute at screenings of The Age of Consequences documentary, a film about the security threat posed by climate change. It is said to be a must-watch film. As the Toronto Star noted about the film, the election of a climate denier Donald Trump underscores the urgency of this documentary.

As the ice retreats, whole ecosystem change and species die out, sea levels rise and storms increase and droughts get worse, we will all be living with the consequences of a climate denier in the White House, a man who looks, but does not see. Even as the glaciers disappear before his eyes.
In a historic verdict in defense of forests and human rights, a court in Central Kalimantan has ordered the government of the Indonesian province to review the permits of palm oil companies associated with massive forest and peat land fires in 2015.

The case against the government in Central Kalimantan was filed in 2016 by seven Indonesian citizens and supported by Friends of the Earth Indonesia (WALHI), following a 2-month mediation process. Among the evidence presented were findings previously presented in the report, Up in Smoke, published in 2015 by WALHI and Friends of the Earth member groups in the U.S. and Europe.

While many of the worlds largest palm oil producers have pledged to voluntarily address the massive environmental and human rights impacts of their business, its clear that legal action is required to hold them accountable, said Jeff Conant, senior international forests campaigner with Friends of the Earth U.S. This decision by the court in Central Kalimantan is a historic step in ensuring the government does whats needed to limit the damage from this sector.

Palm oil from Central Kalimantan is in thousands of consumer food products and cosmetics on the global market, as well as in biofuels in many countries; numerous palm oil companies implicated in the decision receive financing from a broad range of banks and institutional investors in the U.S., including Goldman Sachs, JPMorganChase, Vanguard and the pension fund managers TIAA and CalPERS.

This decision should also make it clear to the financiers of the sector that the risks of investment in palm oil continue unabated, Conant added.

The 2015 Indonesian forest fires lasted for months and caused massive air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, at one point releasing more carbon dioxide than the entire U.S. economy and causing an estimated 100,000 premature deaths in the region. In 2016, four United Nations special rapporteurs sent a letter to the president of Indonesia urging his government to address the fire and haze crisis as an urgent matter of protection of human rights.

This verdict is important not just to us, but to future generations, said Ari Rompas, director of WALHI Central Kalimantan. The judge recognized that the environment is a heritage to be preserved for future generations. It is therefore important that the government does not waste time in appealing this verdict, but ensures that companies respect the law and stop the forest fires.

WALHI analyzed satellite data of 181 palm oil company concessions from the 2015 fire season. The largest plantation land banks included in the study are owned by Wilmar International, Bumitama Gunajaya Agro, Sinar Mas, Best Agro International and Genting group. According to WALHI, the verdict means that these companies can now effectively be brought to justice.

The judge made clear that the local government needs to ensure that companies stop the forest fires, Rompas continued. The companies need to allocate much more resources in order to prevent forest fires.

To date, the companies implicated in the verdict have not responded. The local government is now considering appealing the verdict. With a severe dry season predicted for 2017, it is imperative that the Indonesian government act quickly to adopt measures that enforce the courts decision.

The Verdict

In its ruling, the court ordered the central government to:

Review and revise the permits of all plantation companies, whether implicated in the 2015 fires or not;

Actively enforce civil and criminal laws to penalize companies whose concessions were implicated in the 2015 fires;

Inform the public regarding the affected land and the companies that own concessions implicated in the fires.

In addition, the central government of Indonesia is required to:

Form a joint team on forest fire management consisting of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health;

Build a respiratory medicine hospital and an evacuation room for people affected by forest fires.

The victory of this citizens lawsuit in Central Kalimantan and previously in Riau Province, build momentum for the government to protect human rights, especially of vulnerable groups such as children, whose health is threatened by haze pollution from forest fires, said Khalisah Khalid, head of campaign and network development at WALHI. The UN Human Rights Council should continue to remind the government of Indonesia to hold corporate actors accountable for their role in the fires, he continued.

European Parliament Votes to Clamp Down on Palm Oil Imports

Palm oils environmental footprint was also raised in a European Parliament vote this week that called for a phase-out of palm oil as a component of biofuels by 2020.
By Amanda Maxwell and Anthony Swift

President Trump has made renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) one of the main goals for his administration and has recently revealed the general plan to do so.

As this process moves forward, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Sierra Club and our partners across a broad range of sectors are calling on the administration to include eight critical issues among their priorities in changing NAFTA, outlined below. We want to ensure that any new provisions in NAFTA result in a transparent agreement that supportsand does not underminea more stable climate, clean air and water, healthy communities, indigenous peoples and good jobs.

In the 23 years since NAFTAs signing, the economies of Mexico, Canada and the U.S. have become intertwined and interdependent, with $1.1 trillion in trade moving among the three countries in 2016. During those decades, too, new issues such as climate change, clean energy and sustainability, have moved to the forefront of international relations. So, while it remains unclear exactly how and to what extent the Trump administration will change this accord, there are several critical provisions that should be included to improve the lives of people living and working in all three countries and the environments they depend on.

NRDC is pleased to ally with 350.org, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Food Safety, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Friends of the Earth, Global Exchange, Green America, Greenpeace USA, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, League of Conservation Voters, Food & Water Watch, Sierra Club and U.S. Human Rights Network in calling on the Trump administration to include the following eight issues among their priorities in changing NAFTA:

1. Eliminate rules that empower corporations to attack environmental and public health protections in unaccountable tribunals. NAFTAs investor-state dispute settlement system allows multinational corporationse.g. ExxonMobil and TransCanadato bypass our courts, go to private tribunals and demand money from taxpayers for policies that affect corporate bottom lines. Corporations have used NAFTA to challenge bans on toxic chemicals, decisions of environmental review panels and protections for our climate. They have extracted more than $370 million from governments in these cases and pending NAFTA claims total more than $50 billion. Whats more, the cases are heard not by judges, but by corporate lawyers outside the normal court system.

2. Incorporate strong, enforceable environmental and labor standards into the core text of the agreement. To address environmental and labor issues, NAFTA created side agreements which are non-binding and have limitations. As a result, they have been relatively ineffective. To ensure that the new terms of a revised trilateral trade agreement create and uphold a fair playing field for environmental and labor conditions, these two areas must be included inside the core text of the agreement. That means that a country that fails to live up to its environmental obligations will be subject to trade sanctions similar to the existing provisions for violation of commercial parts of the agreement. This will also require that countries live up to existing international agreements and address environmental challenges such as critical conservation challenges related to illegal timber trade, illegal wildlife trade and fisheries management.

3. Protect energy sector reform from backward-looking rules. NAFTAs energy chapter limits Canadas ability to restrict production of climate-polluting fossil fuels such as tar sands oil. The chapter, written before awareness of climate change was widespread, must be eliminated. Other NAFTA rules allow renewable portfolio standards, low-carbon fuel standards and other climate-friendly energy regulations to be challenged for impeding business for foreign fossil fuel firms. Such rules must be narrowed to protect climate policies in each country.

4. Restrict pollution from cross-border freight vehicles. NAFTA encouraged a rise in cross-border motor carrier traffic without doing anything to mitigate the resulting increase in harmful vehicle emissions. Any deal that replaces NAFTA must require cross-border freight vehicles to reduce emissions in order for their goods to benefit from reduced tariffs. In addition, all cross-border commercial vehicles must be required to comply with all state and federal standards to limit pollution.

5. Require green government purchasing instead of restricting it. NAFTAs procurement rules limit governments ability to use green purchasing requirements that ensure government contracts support renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable goods. Any changes to NAFTA must require signatory governments to include a preference for goods and services with low environmental impacts in procurement decisions.

6. Bolster climate protections by penalizing imported goods made with high climate emissions. NAFTA allows firms to shift production to a country with lower climate standards, which can spur carbon leakage and job offshoring. To prevent this and encourage greater climate action from high-emissions trading partners, each country should be required to impose a border fee on imported goods whose production causes significant climate pollution.

7. Require governments to prioritize policies that minimize climate pollution. While NAFTA restricts climate policies that limit trade or investment, any replacement deal must instead put climate first. This includes requiring governments to use a climate impact test for policymaking, in which potential climate impacts of policy proposals are reported and weighed.

8. Add a broad protection for environmental and other public interest policies. NAFTAs many overreaching rules restrict the policy tools that governments can use to protect the environment and other broadly-shared priorities. NAFTA includes no provision that effectively shields public interest policies from such rulesonly a weak exception in Article 2101 that has consistently failed to protect challenged policies. Instead, any deal that replaces NAFTA must include a broad carve-out that exempts public interest policies from all of the deals rules.

If President Trump moves forward with altering NAFTA, any renegotiations must be conducted transparently through open processes, providing the public in all three countries with the opportunity to participate. We and our partners in the environmental, labor, health, consumer, agricultural and other communities will be eager to see whether President Trumps supports a renegotiated NAFTA that supportsand does not underminea more stable climate, clean air and water, healthy communities, indigenous peoples and good jobs.

Amanda Maxwell is the director of the Latin America Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Anthony Swift is the director of the Canada Project and the International Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
By Jason Bittel

Waves lap at motionless heaps of blubber and fins and the sun bears down on chapped skin. Gulls start to, well, do what gulls do. This heartbreaking scene happened in January when nearly 100 false killer whales became stranded along a remote shore in the Florida Everglades.

Authorities tried to steer the cetaceans back out to sea, but most were too exhausted or too entangled in the mangroves to make the last-ditch effort. In the end, more than 80 of the whales died. Just a few months later, a similar tragedy played out on the coast of New Zealand, this time with hundreds of pilot whales.

When a single whale beaches itself, the cause is thought to be injury, illness or old age. But when dozens or even hundreds, of the animals come ashore at once, scientists think something more is at play. While no one can say definitively what causes mass strandings, a growing body of research seems to point to one trigger.

Noise.

According to a study published last month in the Journal of Experimental Biology, noise pollution such as ship traffic and seismic testing may force marine mammals to exhaust more energy on their dives than usual. This is particularly bad news because today our oceans are noisier than ever.

The oil and gas industry searches for its next score using giant air-gun explosions beneath the surface. And when fossil fuels are found, the drills used to extract them create even more of a din. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy sends far-reaching sonar into the sea day and night as part of routine monitoring and training exercises. Furthermore, every ship that isnt powered by wind adds to the undersea clatter with its generators, propellers and engines. Making matters worse, sound travels much farther in water than it does in air, which means each aural insult can radiate outward for miles and miles from its source.

For whales, dolphins and other marine life, industrial and military noise is a death of a thousand cuts, said Michael Jasny, a marine mammal expert with the Natural Resources Defense Council. It degrades their foraging, keeps them from finding potential mates, silences them and drives them from their homes. Human noise has emerged as a major environmental threat and there is virtually no corner of the ocean that is free of it.

The studys lead author, Terrie Williams, has been studying this problem for more than a dozen years as a wildlife eco-physiologist. When she started, very little was known about what was going on inside marine mammals that might be causing their mysterious, untimely deaths. That changed when wildlife veterinarian Paul Jepson published a 2003 study in Nature that found gas bubbles in the livers of stranded cetaceans. That would indicate decompression illness or the bends.

As you know, whales and dolphins breathe air at the surface and dive below for food and travel. In order to adjust between the two environments, they have whats called a diving response or reflex, which allows the body to shift its physiological priorities from what works best in air to what works best underwater. When down below, for instance, the heart rate lowers, blood vessels constrict and blood flow slows down. So for them to fall victim to decompression is definitely odd. It seemed impossible, said Williams, due to all of the biological safeguards that marine mammals have in place for diving without injury.

However, the bubbles in stranded whales livers showed that the dive response doesnt always work. Williams wondered whether that diving response was less automatic than previously thought.

Through a new technology that Williams and her team invented, the researchers were able to place a device on diving dolphins to monitor second-by-second changes in heart rate, stroking mechanics and depth changes. The scientists learned that a marine mammals diving response is related to both the depth to which it dives and the amount of exertion it takes to get there. This was really important, said Williams, because it showed that the movement of nitrogen and oxygen throughout the animals body is not set in stone. That is, a whale or a dolphin might be able to dive safely in one scenario but not in another.

The next step was to prove that an outside factor, such as noise pollution, could possibly push the animals physiology from its normal, safe diving state to a more rushed and risky kind of dive. This is where Williamss most recent research comes in.

Working in a deep pool aquarium, Williams and her colleagues trained retired military dolphins to wear the cetacean equivalent of Fitbits. The dolphins were taught to navigate through an underwater obstacle course at both a regular pace and a faster, escape-like pace to simulate both kinds of dives. The animals then surfaced under a sealed hood that measured the mammals exhalations. In other words, Williams wanted to know how much of the internal oxygen scuba tank is used during a dive by a dolphin, especially if it is trying to escape oceanic noise.

Predictably, the scientists found that it cost dolphins about twice as much physiologically to perform escape dives as opposed to dives at regular speed.

Marine mammals, of course, are not all the same. Whales are built differently from dolphins and even between whale species, body shape and dive adaptations vary. (Just think about the differences between a sperm whale and a blue whale). The scientists also had to account for the fact that larger animals require more energy to start moving but need less energy to keep all that blubber cruising once they reach higher speeds.

Fortunately, the researchers were able to make use of other studies that placed accelerometers on various whale species to measure dive times and depths. Using those data, they came up with a formula that allowed them to estimate the costs of swimming fast and slow for various types of cetaceans.

As a proof of concept, Williams and company applied their findings to the Cuviers beaked whale, which may grow to 23 feet long and 5,500 pounds and is known for making dives of nearly two miles in depthdeeper than any other mammal. Perhaps most important, beaked whales have already been shown to be extra sensitive to noise pollution. In one 2011 study, scientists found that Blainsvilles beaked whales stopped echolocating during dives when navy sonar was present and then avoided the source of the sound for two to three days. Whats more, several other studies have shown a correlation between navy sonar exercises and beaked whale strandings.

So what happened when they crunched the numbers for Cuviers beaked whales? The scientists estimated that a beaked whale may have to ratchet up its metabolic rate by more than 30 percent in order to escape oceanic noise quicklyand thats in response to a single sound event. Imagine how those energy costs might add up across repeated run-ins with acoustic pollution.

The implications of this are enormous, said Williams. Have the animals expended too much of their internal scuba tank? Is there enough oxygen going to their brains when they are trying to exercise at the same time that they are diving?

These are questions Williams hopes to answer in future experiments as she attempts to establish that last link between ocean noise and marine mammal strandings. But with all the evidence she and other scientists have already assembled, it raises the questionhow much more do we really need to know before changing our underwater ways?

Jason Bittel writes the Species Watch column for onEarth. Reposted with permission from our media associate onEarth.
ELKO  The Trump administration may bring changes to managing sage grouse and wild horses, Bureau of Land Management Nevada State Director John Ruhs said Tuesday at the Elko Convention Center.

We go clear back to the Declaration of Independence with ties to what the Bureau of Land Management does, said Ruhs.

In 1785 the land ordinance was passed and it initiated the first survey, he said.

It was significant because that marked the beginning of time when we started to identify the public domain and put it out for people to buy and start settling the country.

According to Ruhs the soldiers of the Revolutionary War had been promised land and this was a way to dispose of lands to them for payment.

The purpose of the General Land Office was to promote settlement and move people west, said Ruhs.

Ruhs went on to identify some general facts about the BLM. In Nevada the agency manages 48 million surface acres in Nevada and 59 million acres of sub-surface. The federal government manages 82 percent of the state.

We have some of the largest programs in the BLM as relate to mining and fire, said Ruhs. We have the most public lands available for grazing.

We are pretty proud of the fact that this last year we have worked with the Nevada Cattlemens Association, the Nevada Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service and NDOW to provide some public opportunities to talk about sage grouse land use amendments and what they mean to the grazing program. A lot of work still needs to be done.

Wild horses and burros issues also dominate a large part of the Nevada BLM and Ruhs went on to talk about the difficulties in wild horse management.

We are somewhere in excess of 37,000 horses on the rangeland that is a big priority for us and its one of the things that I hope in the new administration that we will see some changes that will finally allow us to get some work done on the ground, said Ruhs.

He then talked about a little bit about the new administration and his meeting last week with Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke.

The five high profiles that this administration is focuses on is making America safe through energy independence; making America great through shared conservation stewardship; making America safe and restoring our sovereignty; getting America back to work; and serving the American family, said Ruhs.

Last week the Secretary of the Interior talked to the public lands council in Washington, D.C., he said.

I think Secretary Zinke is going to be a good asset for us. He is going to provide us with some pretty strong leadership, said Ruhs.

He talked about infrastructure and the importance of the balance sheet. He also mentioned reorganization of the BLM.

He said that people are going to be happy with where we go with the sage grouse plan, said Ruhs.

Ruhs did not have any specific information of what this alludes to.

Answering a question from the audience, Ruhs said Zinke is not in favor of transferring public lands to the state.

Ruhs was the first speaker of the BLM Tri-RAC meeting.

Once a year the three Resource Advisory Councils in Nevada that advise the BLM state office come together in an annual meeting, said BLM Public Affairs Specialist Greg Deimel. This year its here in Elko.

The meeting, known as the BLM Nevada Tri-RAC, is a gathering of minds from the Northeastern Great Basin, Sierra Front Northwestern Great Basin, and Mojave Southern advisory teams.

About the value of the meeting of the Tri-Rac, Ruhs said, The Resource Advisory Councils are important to the BLM in Nevada. They provide us feedback and input on how the public in general, which is who they represent, would feel about rules and planning processes. They help shape where we go.

Each group normally has 15 members that are nominated through the Nevada Governors Office and then go to the Washington D.C. office. The Department of the Interior Secretary then appoints them.

The Northeastern Great Basin RAC has done a lot of work with wild horses and burros, grazing, and the sage grouse, said Deimel. That is kind of what Elko is about.

Early in the day the Mojave Southern Great Basin RAC subgroup met over several issues. On Wednesday there will be a public comment period from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Turquoise Room.
(Photo: REUTERS / Sergei Gunyeev / Ria Novosti / Kremlin)Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) and Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill arrive for the meeting with Russian Orthodox church bishops in Moscow February 1, 2013. As troops loyal to Russian President Vladimir Putin were seizing control of Crimea in March 2014, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow deduced that an "internal political crisis" in Ukraine was threatening its territorial integrity.

Russian officials who seized control of Crimea from Ukraine are placing new restrictions on churches and Islamic institutions there, a Scandinavian news service in freedom of religion and belief reports.

Since March, when Russian annexed Crimea places of worship and individuals of some faiths (including followers of Islam, Jehovah's Witnesses and the Orthodox Christian Kiev Patriarchate) have faced violent attacks, Forum 18 reports.

It said, however, attacks on Muslim and Kiev Patriarchate places of worship also took place before 2014, also without the perpetrators being identified and punished.

Russia regards the Crimean peninsula as an integral part of Russia, since it took over control.

Ukraine and the international community, however, do not recognize the peninsula as part of Russia.

The peninsula is now divided between two Russian federal regions, the Republic of Crimea (with its capital in Simferopol) and the port city of Sevastopol.

The Kiev Patriarchate, an Orthodox church, states that five of its 10 priests in the region have been forced to leave Crimea amid threats, and that it has lost at least two of its churches.

The government's Crimean Property Fund is also massively increasing the Patriarchate's rent for a building it uses as its cathedral in Simferopo, said the news agency.

KIEV PATRIARCHATE

The Kiev Patriarchate - which emerged in the early 1990s - is the second largest Orthodox Church in Ukraine after churches under the Moscow Patriarchate.

The Kiev Patriarchate is not recognized as canonical by any other canonical Orthodox Church.

At the same time all 1,546 religious communities in the peninsula which had State registration with the Ukrainian authorities will be required to re-register under Russian law if they wish to retain legal status.

Priests of the Ukrainian Catholic Church who are not natives of Crimea will be allowed to minister for only three months at a time before leaving for a month and re-applying for admission.

Catholics in Sebastopol, who had hoped for the return of their cathedral (which had been confiscated under Soviet rule), now doubt the building will be returned.

And the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kiev patriarchate, which challenges the dominance of Orthodox body loyal to Moscow, has found that the "rent" for its cathedral in Simferopol, the capital city of Crimea, has been dramatically raised.

Crimean officials, however, deny that a decree which will lead to a substantial rise in the rent the Kiev Patriarchate Ukrainian Orthodox Church pays on its nearly 20-year-old cathedral in the Crimean capital Simferopol is a targeted move.

"There is no discrimination in relation to this particular church," Lyudmila Khorozova of Crimea's Property Fund, which owns the building, told Forum 18.

She was unable to explain why no decrees have been adopted relating to other religious communities.
(Photo:  Peter Kenny)St. Basil's Cathedral, now a museum, stands on Red Square next to the Kremlin in Moscow photographed on July 15, 2016.

GENEVA  Russia's move to ban the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses using anti-extremism legislation in a lawsuit are "extremely worrying" say three United Nations human rights experts who condemned the suit.

"This lawsuit is a threat not only to Jehovah's Witnesses, but to individual freedom in general in the Russian Federation," the experts said on April 4.

"The use of counter-extremism legislation in this way to confine freedom of opinion, including religious belief, expression and association to that which is state-approved is unlawful and dangerous, and signals a dark future for all religious freedom in Russia," they stressed.

Thomas J. Reese, a Jesuit priest, who is chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, also criticized the Russian action.

"The Russian government's latest actions appear designed to eliminate the legal existence of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia," he said in a statement.

"If the Supreme Court rules in April that this group is 'extremist' it would mark the first time that Russia legally has banned a centrally-administered religious organization and would effectively criminalize all Jehovah's Witnesses' activity nationwide.

"USCIRF calls on the Russian government to stop its harassment of this peaceful religious group."

The U.S. commission said the treatment of the Jehovah's Witnesses reflects the Russian government's tendency to view all independent religious activity as a threat to its control and the country's political stability.

SOVIET APPROACH

"This approach dates back to the Soviet period and impacts other religious groups, including peaceful Christians and Muslims. These groups are also being persecuted for their beliefs in the Russian-occupied areas of Crimea and eastern Ukraine," said USCIRF.

The condemnation of the Russian action follows a lawsuit lodged at the country's Supreme Court on 15 March to declare the Jehovah's Witnesses Administrative Center "extremist," to liquidate it, and to ban its activity.

A suspension order came into effect on that date, preventing the administrative center and all its local religious centres from using state and municipal news media, and from organizing and conducting assemblies, rallies and other public events.

A full court hearing was scheduled for April 5 and if the Supreme Court rules in favor of the authorities, it will be the first such ruling by a court declaring a registered centralized religious organization to be "extremist."

Concerns about the counter-extremism legislation have previously been raised in a communication by the three experts to the Russian authorities on July 28, 2016.

The suspension order imposed on March 15 is the latest in a series of judicial cases and orders, including a warning sent to the organization last year referring to the "inadmissibility of extremist activity."

This has already led to the dissolution of several local Jehovah's Witness organizations, raids against their premises and literature being confiscated.

"We urge the authorities to drop the lawsuit in compliance with their obligations under international human rights law, and to revise the counter-extremism legislation and its implementation to avoid fundamental human rights abuses," the UN experts concluded.

The U.N. experts are: David Kaye (USA), Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Maina Kiai (Kenya), Special Rapporteur on freedoms of peaceful assembly and of association, and Ahmed Shaheed (the Maldives), Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.
Months after the 2016 presidential election, a majority of educators say that national politics have created a sharp divide among students, leaving teachers grappling with how to handle classroom conversations about controversial issues.

But most said they arent shying away from politics, despite the topics contentious nature.

Thats according to a survey conducted in February by the Education Week Research Center. More than 830 K-12 teachers and other school-based instructional staff members who are registered users of Education Weeks edweek.org website responded to an email invitation for a survey about their experiences teaching about controversial topics in a time of division.

President Donald Trumps defeat last November of Hillary Clinton capped the most divisive presidential election in recent memory , and the first few months of his tenure have been marked by controversy. In addition, a number of issues have made their way into the classroom as current events, including: immigration ; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights ; and issues related to race, religion, and gender.

While most teachers said that its important to talk about these topics in the classroom, 42 percent noted that it was difficult to discuss national politics with studentsmore so than any other controversial issue. And while the vast majority of teachers are at least moderately confident in their own ability to have civil conversations with their students, 66 percent said they have noticed an increase in uncivil political discourse at their school since the presidential campaign began.

Data: Discussing Hot Topics in School More than 830 educators took part in a survey on discussing controversial topics in class. National politics, rather than perennial hot-button issues like race and religion, seemed to be the most divisive this yearmore so than in previous years, educators said. Even so, 56 percent said they were no moreand no lesslikely than before to share their own political views with students. SOURCE: Education Week Research Center, 2017

About half the teachers said the number of bullying incidents related to national politics has increased in the past yearmore so than for any other topic, although about 30 percent of teachers pointed to spikes in bullying related to immigration or language and race and ethnicity.

Alethea Patterson-Jahn, the head special education teacher at an Albuquerque, N.M., middle school, recalled seeing a student tell another that Trump would deport the students father.

I have never heard that before, she said. It was kind of a slap in the face.

Many teachers said they feel obligated to make sure all their studentsregardless of nationality, race, ethnicity, or religionfeel safe and secure, and that has made conversations about politics and other current events feel necessary.

Those conversations give students an outlet and a space to talk about whats going on, said Candice Simon, a 6th grade teacher in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. [After the election], we had to have a conversation about feelings. ... I try to make sure Im staying calm and reassuring in these moments.

While 55 percent of teachers said they have not avoided discussing controversial current events with their students this school year, another 28 percent did avoid talking about national politics with their students. Smaller percentages of teachers have refrained from discussing politically charged topics like LGBT issues, race, and religion.

Twenty-six percent of teachers said they did not discuss any controversial events with their students because the topics are not relevant to the subject area they teach. Thats the philosophy of Robert Williams, a 4th grade teacher in Delano, Calif., who teaches mostly Hispanic and Filipino students.

The only issue we had was right after the electionstudents came to school and they were upset about what their parents had said. ... They feared immigration [policies], they feared the unknown, he said. I said were not going to talk about it, because were here to deal with reading, writing, and math.

Talking about controversial subjects could bring undue feelings to the students, Williams added. I wanted them to feel safe.

Teachers Are Fearful

Other reasons that teachers chose for veering away from controversial topics include: wanting to avoid dissension in the classroom, knowing that their personal views are not in line with students views, and not knowing how to handle such discussions in class.

[Teachers are] fearful of teaching some of the current events for fear of parental pushback, fear [theyll be seen as] pushing their political views, fear of student pushback, said Maureen Costello, the director of Teaching Tolerance, an education project of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Still, she said, its critical that civil discourse happens in the classroom. If as educators were not going to model what it looks like to talk about politics, ... were not supporting what is an essential democratic practice, she said.

For the most part, teachers seemed to agree. Almost 70 percent said it was important to discuss national politics with studentsa little less than the 79 percent who said it was important to discuss race and ethnicity and the 75 percent who think its important to discuss immigration with students.

In interviews, teachers cited the rise of fake news as a reason for talking about politics in classthey felt a responsibility to help their students learn how to critically evaluate whats on the internet. DiAnne Bredvick, a social studies teacher in Texas who works at an alternative high school 20 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, said her students have been interested in Trumps immigration policy, but often get their news from unreliable sources, including social media. A lot of times what they heard isnt correct information, Bredvick said. My role is to provide them with the facts as we know them.

While most educators said they could discuss controversial issues with their students in a civil manner, only 44 percent said their training adequately prepared them to handle those discussions, and 23 percent said they have received no such training. Most teachers said they have not received guidance from administrators on how to talk about such issues with their students.

When asked where they did receive guidance or ideas, just 40 percent cited their fellow teachers, administrators, and other staff members; 27 percent said news articles; 17 percent cited curriculum from social-justice organizations like Teaching Tolerance; and 13 percent said they drew from their own experience and common sense.

While teachers generally try to stay politically neutral in front of their students, 18 percent said they have become more likely to share their political views with their students in the past year.

Jolene Vincent, an 8th grade social studies teacher in Phoenix, said she was open about her political beliefs with her students during the election. She had originally been a Trump supporter, but voted for Clinton after disavowing Trumps more-inflammatory comments. Its great to debate, because a lot of times, Im like, Prove me wrong,  she said. We talk about how theyre approaching adulthood, and its important [for them] to know what their political views are.

The majority of survey respondents61 percentvoted for Clinton, while 17 percent voted for Trump, 12 percent voted for a third-party candidate, and 10 percent did not vote at all. While the survey does not statistically mirror the nations teachers, the respondents hail from geographically and demographically diverse school districts.

The survey found that Clinton voters were slightly less comfortable than Trump voters discussing the election results with students who hold differing views. Overall, 22 percent of teachers said they were uncomfortable discussing the election results with students who supported the other candidate.
New Zealand seafood sector lauds new trade policy strategy

New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English has launched "Trade Agenda 2030", which also covers the seafood sector, which immediately welcomed it as a "refreshed trade policy strategy".

Seafood New Zealand Chief Executive Tim Pankhurst said they appreciated the work the government "has been doing in securing free trade agreements with our trading partners and the target [it has set] to have 90 percent of New Zealand exports covered by FTAs by 2030."

Pankhurst said export trade was extremely important to the seafood industry, with exports for 2016 hitting NZ$1.8 billion (US$1.26 billion) across a diverse range of products and markets.

Pankhurt also lauded the fact that the government has acknowledged that as tariffs reduce through FTAs, other barriers to trade are emerging, as well as recognised that there is significant work to be undertaken on non-trade barriers (NTBs).

"[T]he seafood industry looks forward to being actively involved in discussions on NTBs through its membership on the newly formed Ministerial Advisory Group and through the relevant agencies", he said.

"In an increasingly protectionist world we welcome all efforts to ease barriers to trade, which is so critical for our small nation's prosperity", Pankhurst concluded.
There is a bill pending in the Legislature that could have the effect of diluting the states voting power in presidential elections.

Assembly Bill 274 would rope Nevada into a compact called the Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote. Instead of awarding Nevadas six electoral votes  one for each representative and senator in Congress  according to how Nevadans vote, those six electoral voters would be awarded to the president and vice president team that wins the popular vote nationally.

This essentially cuts Nevadas votes from six to four, since the votes nationwide would be proportional to population and exclude the power of our two senators.

The change would take place when enough states join the compact to constitute a majority of electoral votes, which is 270 of the 538 electoral votes. Thus far enough states have signed on to constitute about 165 electoral votes. But because it is a compact, Congress would have to agree to it as well.

The Constitution leaves it up to each states Legislature to decide how to award its electoral votes. Currently all but two states  Maine and Nebraska  award all their electoral votes to the statewide winner. Maine and Nebraska award two electoral votes  equal to the number of its senators  to the statewide winner, but award one electoral vote to the winner in each congressional district.

AB274 went before the Assembly Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections recently.

Scott Drexel, one of the backers of the popular vote compact, told lawmakers, The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The short comings of the current system of electing the president stem from state winner-take-all statutes, that is state laws that award all electoral votes to the candidate receiving the most popular votes in each separate state. The winner-take-all rule has permitted five of our 45 presidents to come into office without having won the most popular votes nationwide.

Popular vote advocate Saul Anuzis argued before the committee that the current system results in candidates concentrating their campaigns in so-called battleground states instead of trying to sway the most voters nationally.

In response, Assemblyman Ira Hansen of Sparks noted that in 2016 Nevada was indeed a battleground state. He pointed out Nevadans donated $6.7 million to presidential campaigns, but those campaigns spent $55 million in Nevada, netting substantial revenues for state media outlets and other businesses.

But Anuzis suggested that Nevada may be a fleeting battleground state. It has supported Democrats in the past three presidential elections and backed Bill Clinton twice before siding with George W. Bush twice.

Yes, Hillary Clinton won more popular votes than Donald Trump, but he won more state electors, which is what the Founders envisioned. (Trump won the Electoral College vote by 304 to 227. Clinton won the popular vote by 2.9 million. She won California by 4 million votes. So Trump won the combined popular vote in the rest of the nation.)

Former Nevada Sen. Harry Reid has joined the fray, calling the Electoral College undemocratic.

I believe that focusing on the Electoral College is important no matter how you do it, because whats happened this decade, these last several elections, where we have clearly two elections, the Gore election and this election. In this election Hillary Clinton will wind up getting almost 3 million votes more than Trump. Its time the system goes away. It is very undemocratic, Reid said in an interview.

Pay no attention to the fact Reid served in the Senate for 30 years, where each state gets two votes no matter the size of its population. Most undemocratic.

The Founders established the nation on a federalist system, not a democracy. Certain enumerated powers were assigned the federal government while the rest were reserved to the states and the people. That is why they created the Senate and  until 1913s 17th Amendment  had state Legislatures pick their senators. That is why the Electoral College gives added weight to smaller states.

If Nevada wishes to assure greater attention and provide a chance for candidates to win votes here, we could adopt a system like that in Maine and Nebraska.
 Council of the European Union green light for first projects

The European Investment Bank has already given the green light to the first operations under its Economic Resilience Initiative, a comprehensive plan to support countries in the Southern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans. One of the first operations is "a 300 million euro loan to a Jordan-based bank to channel much needed finance to companies in Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and the West Bank to support growth and sustain approximately 18 000 jobs in those countries," said EIB President Werner Hoyer speaking at the EU ministerial conference on "Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region", held in Brussels on 5 April 2017.

The Economic Resilience Initiative, set up by the EIB at the request of the European Council, aims to make the economies in the Southern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans resilient to future crises and shocks, such as those stemming from the current Syrian conflict, and it benefits both local populations and refugees.

"I am talking about investments in water and sanitation energy, transport, urban development, health and education facilities. I am also talking about supporting small businesses, encouraging them to take on more young people and to aid the integration of refugees, keeping them closer to their countries of origin and thereby facilitating a possible return," Werner Hoyer told the conference.

Making a difference to peoples lives

The EIBs Economic Resilience Initiative focuses on infrastructure investments that improve peoples daily lives and improve the overall business environment, as well as investments that promote private sector development and sustainable jobs.

Our ambition is that the Economic Resilience Initiative will stimulate a total of approximately 35 billion euros of investments in the regions concerned, President Hoyer explained. The EIB has a long record of accomplishment in these regions - going back 30 years in some cases - and we have provided over 10.5 billion euro in financing in the last six years.
Trump may have just signed a death warrant for our planet! warns CNN host Van Jones.

Disaster for Clean Water, Air, says the Environmental Working Group.

Give me a break.

Regulation zealots and much of the media are furious because President Donald Trump canceled Barack Obamas attempt to limit carbon dioxide emissions. But Trump did the right thing.

CO2 is what we exhale. Its not a pollutant. It is, however, a greenhouse gas, and such gases increase global warming. Its possible that this will lead to a spiral of climate change that will destroy much of Earth!

But probably not. The science is definitely not settled.

Either way, Obamas expensive regulation wouldnt make a discernible difference. By 2030  if it met its goal  it might cut global carbon emissions by 1 percent.

The Earth will not notice.

However, people who pay for heat and electricity would notice. The Obama rule demanded power plants emit less CO2. Everyone would pay more  for no useful reason.

I say would because the Supreme Court put a stay on the regulation, saying there may be no authority for it.

So Trump proposes a sensible cut: Hell dump an Obama proposal that was already dumped by courts. Hed also reduce Environmental Protection Agency spending by 31 percent.

Good!

Some of what regulators do now resembles the work of sadists who like crushing people. In Idaho, Jack and Jill Barron tried to build a house on their own property. Jack got permission from his county. So they started building.

They got as far as the foundation when the EPA suddenly declared that the Barrons property was a wetland.

Some of their land was wet. But that was only because state government had not maintained its own land, adjacent to the Barrons property, and water backed up from the states land to the Barrons.

The EPA suddenly said, You are building on a wetland! and filed criminal charges against them. Felonies. When government does that, most of us cringe and give up. It costs too much to fight the state. Government regulators seem to have unlimited time and nearly unlimited money.

But Jack was mad enough to fight. He spent $200,000 on his own lawyers.

Three years later, a jury cleared Jack of all charges.

But even that didnt stop the EPA.

Jill Barron told me, We won, but after we were home for a month maybe, the Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA sent us another letter saying, how nice for you that you won in the criminal court, but we still feel its a wetlands. And the decision made by the jury did not matter to them. And if you dont get off the property, were going to fine you (in) civil (court).

The EPA threatened a fine of $37,500 a day.

The Barrons sold their home and moved into a trailer.

Well be bankrupt, obviously. Jill told me, You have no idea what youre up against. You dont know the power that is the EPA.

So Im glad that Trump wants to limit the EPA. Scott Pruitt, the agencys new director, understands that bureaucrats often abuse their power. When he was Oklahoma attorney general, he sued the EPA 13 times for regulatory overreach.

I hope he cuts the bureaucrats back to proper size.

The agency was necessary in 1970, when it was created. At the time, cities dumped whatever we flushed into nearby waterways  with no treatment.

Smokestacks filled the air with actual pollutants: soot, sulfur dioxide, etc. In New York City, we didnt dare leave windows open because filth would blow in.

The EPA required sewage treatment, scrubbers in smokestacks and catalytic converters in car exhaust systems. The regulations worked. Americas air and water is cleaner than its been for decades. I can even swim in the Hudson River, right next to millions of people  who are still flushing.

Now, in a rational world, the EPA would say, Stick a fork in it, its done! EPA now stands for Enough Protection Already. But bureaucracies never say theyre done. Done means bureaucrats are out of work. Cant have that.

So politicians keep adding unnecessary new rules and keep harassing people like the Barrons.
Nevada man indicted on terrorism charge

LAS VEGAS (AP)  A Las Vegas man already fighting explosives and firearms charges is being sought on an arrest warrant after he was also indicted on terrorism and possession of weapons of mass destruction counts.

Nicolai Howard Morks defense attorney, Nicholas Woolridge, expressed shock at the two new charges filed Wednesday against his 40-year-old client in Nevada state court.

Woolridge says his client legally possessed materials for targets that can explode when shot during firearms target practice.

Woolridge says the so-called binary targets are commercially available, and are not illegal under federal law.

Mork has been free on $220,000 bail following his arrest in December.

After receiving the indictment, a judge increased his bail to $8 million and said Mork will have to show the source of any funds he uses.

Lawmakers eye $5K child-care credit

CARSON CITY (AP)  Legislators are fine-tuning a proposal to help Nevada parents pay for child care, though they say the complex policy is still in flux.

At the heart of Senate Bill 455 are payroll tax breaks for businesses that help employees pay for child care.

The measure would build on an existing state program that Sen. Patricia Farley says is consistently underfunded by about $25 million a year.

She said at a Tuesday hearing that that demonstrates a massive, unmet need to help parents pay for daycare.

The measure would not limit how much money a company could contribute to employees child care costs. But it would cap the tax credits they could receive for doing so at $5,000 per low-to-moderate-income employee.

Farley is combining efforts with Sen. Pat Spearman, who had proposed crediting businesses $2,500 per employee.

Trial set for ex-domestic violence shelter official

LAS VEGAS (AP)  A judge in Las Vegas set a trial date for a former administrator at Nevadas largest shelter for domestic violence victims following his arrest on a domestic battery charge.

Robert White II is wasnt in court Wednesday, and defense attorney Kristina Wildeveld declined to comment outside court about Whites March 5 arrest at his Las Vegas home.

He is accused of hitting his live-in girlfriend during a confrontation.

Whites non-jury trial on the misdemeanor charge is scheduled May 21 before a judge.

A spokeswoman said Tuesday that White is no longer employed as director of programs and education at The Shade Tree in North Las Vegas.

Shade Tree officials say the organization has a strict screening process for job applicants, and background checks every five years

UNLV suspends sorority over hazing incident

LAS VEGAS (AP)  The University of Nevada, Las Vegas has suspended a sorority as a campus organization for hazing and other violations of school policy.

The university notified the schools chapter of Delta Zeta on March 27 that the organization will be suspended until fall 2019.

The sorority chapter is accused of distributing alcohol in violation of university policies and hazing members or the organization.

UNLV spokesman Francis McCabe declined to comment on the suspension beyond saying that the university does not condone hazing in any way.

Delta Zeta National President Diane Stecher said in a statement that the group values its partner relationship with universities and hopes that all of its members uphold the values established in 1902.

Mom charged in death of 2-year-old son

HENDERSON (AP)  Police say a 29-year-old Nevada woman with a history of Child Protective Services complaints has been arrested on suspicion of murder in the death of her 2-year-old son.

Records show that Jazmin Milagros Ramirez is being held at the Henderson city jail following her arrest Tuesday.

She is expected to have an attorney appointed to her case at an upcoming court appearance.

Police say doctors reported Uriel Heczko had severe brain injuries when he died March 10 at a hospital.

Authorities say Ramirez told authorities the boy fell from a bed earlier that day and wasnt breathing.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Clark County Department of Family Services investigated four separate neglect allegations involving Ramirez dating to 2008.

Two cases were closed, and two were deemed unsubstantiated.
New parents to receive sepsis information



A leaflet on recognising sepsis will be including in the Personal Child Health Record.

New parents on the Island will be presented with a leaflet highlighting the signs of sepsis.

Manx charity Mannin Sepsis has raised funds for the information to be included in the Personal Child Health Record - also known as the Red Book.

The campaign has been run in memory of Ann Struthers, who died at the age of 18 after contracting sepsis in 2013.

The charity hopes the leaflet will encourage parents to think about the condition if their children become ill.
Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx dating have been reported since 2013. Recently, the couple has finally been photographed together in public. Now, fans are wondering what Tom Cruise has to say.

The photo was snapped by a reporter of a gossip site, Fameolous. The restaurant was a members-only and it turned out, the reporter was also a member of the said resto. The photo was later posted on Instagram with a caption "Look who I spotted on a date night @katieholmes212 @iamjamiefoxx I always heard rumors about them but never seen pictures of them until today." Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx are seen sharing a table for two.

News.au reported that Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx dating was confirmed by Claudia Jordan last year. "He is very happy with her. I like that he seems very happy," the Oscar winner's friend and former "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star said on the "Allegedly" podcast.

Rumors have it that Katie Holmes is not allowed to divulge dating Jamie Foxx because of her divorce settlement with Tom Cruise. According to some unverified sources, the 38-year-old American actress signed a clause in the divorce papers that prevents her from embarrassing her former husband in many ways. These include talking about Scientology or publicly dating another man. "She's allowed to date, but she cannot do so in a public fashion, and she's not supposed to let any boyfriend near their daughter, Suri," the source added.

According to ET Online, Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx were spotted dating, or simply having dinner, on Sunday in the East Village in New York City. A source of the website said that Foxx recently surprised Suri's mom with a bouquet of flowers while she was busy promoting her film "The Kennedys: After Camelot."

Do you think Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx are dating? Tell us what you think. Stay tuned to Enstars for the latest news and update of your favorite celebrities.
A lot of fans know that Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) will eventually pass the mantle to a different superhero. Some believe it could happen very soon while others think it will occur in the Marvel Cinematic Universe phase 4.

Luckily, Hollywood superstar, Chris Evans, has finally put the speculations to rest on his appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show on Monday. He recently reconfirmed that his story as Captain America will end after "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers 4."

"It is. My contract is up," the Hollywood actor said when asked by Ellen Degeneres if this would be his last time as the character. "I have Avengers three and four. We do Avengers 3 now, four is the latter part of the year and after that, that is the end of my contract," he continued as per Contact Music.

While the passing of torch may come off as a sad farewell to the character, the 35-year-old actor still sees the positive light into it. On his talk with USA Today, Evans reminded fans that nothing lasts forever - even for his mantle as the upright Marvel superhero. Despite the sad, inevitable future, the actor still finds the moment joyful.

This isn't apparently the first time the actor has been vocal about leaving after "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers 4." Evans spoke with Collider late in March and revealed that he is still open to playing as the Captain in future Marvel movies after fulfilling his contract duties. Unfortunately, the final call is still in the company's hands as Marvel has yet to release any kind of statement for future films involving Evans as Steve Rogers. More news about the matter should emerge in the coming months.

"Avengers: Infinity War" is scheduled to hit cinemas on May 4, 2018. It will then be followed up by the untitled "Avengers 4" on May 3, 2019.
Disney and Lucasfilm keep the details of "Star Wars: Episode 8 - The Last Jedi" under wraps. However, there is this one certain planet that fans know exists in the upcoming movie installment. In fact, its name is now revealed.

It has been known that this planet is like a giant casino that has been seen in "Star Wars: Episode 8 - The Last Jedi" on set photos. However, little is known about this place. According to Making Star Wars, the known source of everything about the epic space opera franchise, it is called Canto Bight.

As its main source is from LucasFilm, the claim is believed to be accurate, although it might just be a placeholder name to avoid potential leaks. Movie Web reported that the term might be weird, but it might really exist in the universe of "Star Wars: Episode 8 - The Last Jedi."

Moreover, Screen Rant cited that Justin Theroux's unknown role in "Star Wars: Episode 8 - The Last Jedi would have a scene or two that would be set on Canto Bight. But, it seems like it is not yet included in the last trailer of the much-awaited movie.

As Disney and LucasFilm keep "Star Wars: Episode 8 - The Last Jedi" storyline a secret, it is not yet revealed how the Canto Blight will be part of the story. The only thing known is that Finn will be having a mission for the Resistance that he might be obliged to visit the said planet.

There are also surfacing news that Benecio del Toro's character in "Star Wars: Episode 8 - The Last Jedi" may be connected to the Canto Blight. With all that has been said it seems like the said planet will play an integral role in the upcoming film. The sequel to the "Star Wars" trilogy is set to be released on Dec. 15.


Many side characters from the original 2014 movie are going to return in the much-awaited sequel "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." But there is one character in particular that fans are dying to know if he would come back: The Collector (Benicio Del Toro). Luckily, film director James Gunn has finally revealed the reason why the actor isn't going to be featured in the next film.

A fan asked Gunn on his recent Q&A on Facebook if viewers will get to see The Collector in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" Unfortunately, the director has straightly answered that the character doesn't exactly fit the story of the film sequel. "Because, although it's an incredibly enormous film, it's a much smaller film in certain ways with few characters," Gunn explained. "So, he just didn't fit in."

Fans shouldn't get discouraged with the latest news about Del Toro's absence in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," though. According to Movie Web, the 50-year-old actor is set to reprise his role as The Collector in "Avengers: Infinity War," which is set for release next year. This information was reportedly brought to light by Thanos actor, Josh Brolin, on Instagram last month but was deleted soon after.

Even if Del Toro doesn't take part in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," the sequel is still packed with many big name celebrities. One, in particular, is the introduction of Ego the Living Planet that is played by 66-year-old Hollywood actor, Kurt Russell. Sylvester Stallone's name has also been mentioned in the list of actors that will soon appear in the second movie.

However, his role in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" is still a mystery to this date. Some fans believe he might play as one of the Nova corps in the sequel, Enstars reported. Unfortunately, this speculation hasn't been confirmed yet and that it should be taken with a pinch of salt.
After selling off the furniture from her rented home, which measured a decent 120m 2 , Lucia Cuesta, 44, also had to get rid of her car and move into a single-room apartment with her son, Ibu. Selling the car was the worst, she says. I lost my freedom, and felt cut off.

That was 2009, the year Ibu was born and the year she lost her job as a construction site supervisor. With it, went a monthly salary of 2,000. It was a job she had gone to college to study for.

Spanish families that have higher levels of education find it harder to get support, says Lucia. The first thing the social workers tell you when youre left with nothing is that you should try and see how your family can help, but the thing is my family is also screwed.

Lucia believes that the worst is over but not the inequality. Were not talking about economic poverty now, which there is obviously, but were also talking about the kind of poverty in where we cant afford for my son to take extracurricular math or music lessons, she says. Or I cant go and have a beer with friends. Before it was a case of, Im going to invest in this because I know I can pay for it, whereas now its a case of, What can I afford in the short term?

Eight years after losing everything, Lucia and Ibu live in the family home in Paterna, Valencia

Eight years after losing everything, Lucia and Ibu live in the family home in Paterna, Valencia. Just surviving is not so expensive, she says, adding that Ibu knows money does not grow on trees; he understands that there is no extra for candy; he gets that the washing machine must be full to the brim before its put on; he accepts that they dont turn on more than one electric light at a time; and he realizes that when his mother brings out the blankets in winter, its to save on heating. Unlike me, he has been living like this since he was born, says Lucia. But you get used to getting by on 300 or 400 a month, she says.

What he doesnt know perhaps is that his mother uses the opportunity of free swimming classes to have a hot shower.

Asked if she buys her son clothes, Lucias answer is decisive. Never, she replies. A friend lends them to me. Clothes cost a fortune. And the expense of her cellphone is shared with her sister. One month she pays and the other I do, she says.

When it comes to food, Lucia collects all the free supermarket offers from Carrefour, Mercadona, Lidl and Dia. I spend 100 a month, she says. I do the shop with a friend and when there is a three-for-two offer, we go for it.

Lucia also takes advantage of the cinemas budget days when tickets cost just 2.90 but, needless to say, there are no vacations. My son sees photos I have taken of the Eiffel Tower and says, Mommy, I wonder when we can go there... Instead, she takes him to Barcelona for three days a year to visit his godmother. She pays for our trip and we can disconnect, especially me, she says.

Fortunately, Lucia has found work this month from the job center and while she completes a trial period, she is making 900 a month. Other temporary jobs have included distributing pamphlets and cleaning. But there are months when she has absolutely nothing. With a hint of irony, she makes clear that, bringing up the work-life balance with your employer is out of the question when youre a single mother, and she explains that sometimes she has to accept as little as 2 an hour. What can you do? she asks. You have to feed your child. I have tried to look in other areas, but if you dont have experience, training courses you might have done dont count. If you have never worked as a cleaner, the cleaning companies dont want you. And if you have never worked as a waitress, the catering companies dont want you either.

My son sees photos I have taken of the Eiffel Tower and says, Mommy, I wonder when we can go there...

Lucia and Ibu dont have access to the internet, which affects Ibus studies. All the homework he is set is on it, says Lucia, who adds that for a long time they had one of the bulky, old-style cathode ray tube TVs. When it stopped working, one of their neighbors gave them one that was a little more compact.

Coping on her own is now second nature to this single mother who explains that Ibus father, who now lives in Sweden, left when their son was just 18 months old. She says that she herself has had work offers abroad but that a court order prevents her from taking her son out of Spain. She also says that if it werent for organizations such as Save the Children, her family and close friends would not have been able to survive when the going was really tough.

It seems those days might be behind her, but Lucia is not keen to imagine where she might be in eight years time. Meanwhile, her son dreams of becoming a fireman. His favorite food is chicken in Coca Cola. He makes it himself. He cooks really well, but we buy the supermarket brand, which is cheaper, she says.

English version by Heather Galloway.
Google's new handsets, the Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL, were no doubt a success when the company released the phones in late 2016. However, recent reports have emerged that the brands were not exactly as successful as one might think in terms of sales.

The tech giant had only managed to roll out 552,000 units of Google Pixel before the year 2016 ended, according to The Washington Post. When compared with other leading manufacturers' products, Google's sales for the phone is nothing short but inferior. For example, Apple managed to make 78 million units sold between September and December 2016. Samsung, on the other hand, had sold 2.5 million units of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 - before it was pulled out from the market in October 2016.

On a global scale, the shipped units that the tech giant made for Google Pixel has only received less than 1 percent of shares, The Washington Post report continued. Samsung and Apple, however, have managed to make 18 and 18.2 percent shares, said International Data Corporation research manager, Ramon Llamas.

The number of sales for Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL shouldn't really come much as a surprise. Aside from the company itself, consumers can only purchase the phone from Verizon. This is also a factor why the phone didn't quite live up in terms of sold units - especially it is the first one after the tech giant moved away from its Nexus line.

It is still unclear, though, if the tech giant would continue with this kind of strategy for its upcoming Google Pixel 2. More news about the matter should emerge in the coming months - possibly when the release date is near.

Despite that, though, many tech enthusiasts seem to think that Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL are still one of the best smartphones in the industry. This is accompanied alongside by the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, as said on Droid Report.
The Sun, Britains top-selling newspaper and a fervent supporter of Brexit, has taken aim at Spain over the countrys long-standing claim on Gibraltar with a front-page headline on Tuesday that misspells senores: Up yours senors!  a reference to its legendary 1990 Up yours Delors! front page in response to the then president of the European Commissions perceived attempts to impose European federalism on the United Kingdom.

The front page of the pro-Brexit UK newspaper 'The Sun' on April 4th.

Inside its Gibraltar Campaign edition, readers of the Rupert Murdoch-owned paper were given a special pullout poster with a photograph featuring a young woman waving a Union Jack in front of Gibraltar and bearing the legend: Hands off our Rock

The Sun spelled out its position over the British Overseas Territory ceded by Spain to Britain in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht in a column in which it said: Of course Britain shouldnt go to war with Spain over Gibraltar. But nor will we sit quietly while Madrid launches its latest ridiculous attempt to claim the territory. Opposite the column in the print edition appeared a series of nude photographs of Australian actress Nicole Kidman.

More information Commotion over Gibraltar

That said, the tone of Tuesdays edition is more moderate than Mondays, when former editor Kelvin MacKenzie described Spaniards as donkey rogerers.

In a piece headlined The Spanish are off their Rioja over Gibraltarso lets put up a good ol British fight, MacKenzie then calls on the UK government to increase defense spending, while proposing a series of measures to bring Madrid to heel. Among them is imposing a tax on Rioja wine, denying Scotland fishing quotas to Spain, saying Adios, Manuel to the 125,000 Spaniards working in the United Kingdom, cancelling the state visit by King Felipe and Queen Leticia, and telling the 12 million Brits who head to Spain each year not to bother. All Spanish flights are denied airspace.

Former Sun Kelvin MacKenzie editor called for Spaniards living in the UK to be sent home

Some of Britains broadsheets have also joined in the fray. After former Conservative Party leader Michael Howard suggested to UK broadcaster Sky News that Prime Minister Theresa May would be prepared to go to war with Spain over Gibraltar, as her predecessor Margaret Thatcher did 35 years ago with another Spanish-speaking country, the Daily Telegraph undertook a review of Britains military capacity.

The Royal Navy, concluded the conservative newspaper, is far weaker than it was during the Falklands War of 1982 against Argentina. Rear Admiral Chris Parry, a former director of operational capability at the UK Ministry of Defence, was cited as recommending that the government invest appropriately in Britains military capacity if it wants to talk big over Gibraltar.

Parry, who served in the Falklands campaign, suggested Spain learn from history warning that Britain could cripple Spain militarily and still singe the King of Spains beard, a reference to the defeat of the Spanish Armada that attempted to invade Britain in 1588.

Such is the mood in some quarters in Britain, barely days after May formally triggered the countrys withdrawal from the European Union. The Prime Minister, speaking during a visit to Jordan and Saudi Arabia, made a plea for calm and ruled out any kind of armed conflict.

The Sun gave readers a free poster bearing the words Hands off our Rock!

Not all the British press has joined in the jingoism. But the reaction to Gibraltar has served, once again, to highlight the split that Brexit has produced in British society, with a substantial part of the population looking on in horror at their compatriots call to arms.

Giles Tremlett, a former correspondent for The Guardian and author of a number of books on Spain, writes in the paper about 500 years of rivalry between Britain and Spain. He argues that: Spain is now the one most enamored of Britain. It wants a soft Brexit. It owns British banks, tolerates drunken tourists and is happy to have large populations of English people who do not speak its language  some of them undocumented, so much like illegal immigrants  on its coasts.

Spain wants Gibraltar back, notes Tremlett. This does not mean it is about to invade. In fact, all it wants is a veto on future deals between Gibraltar and the EU. Highlighting the irony that The Sun and others ignore, he concludes: Thanks to Brexit, it now has that.

Gibraltar protests presence of Spanish patrol boat in disputed waters Authorities in Gibraltar lodged an official complaint on Tuesday over the presence of a Spanish navy vessel in disputed waters close to the British Overseas Territory. The Spanish Foreign and Defense ministries said the Infanta Cristina patrol boat was taking part in routine monitoring of maritime areas under Spanish sovereignty. Incidents of this kind are frequent in the waters off Gibraltar, but Tuesday's protest comes at a time of heightened tension following the UK's recent triggering of its withdrawal process from the EU. Brussels has confirmed Spain's right to veto extending any trade agreement with the Rock once Britain leaves the EU by March 2019 at the latest. Gibraltar is fearful that Spain will take advantage of Brexit to pursue its long-standing claim on the territory and its population of 32,000 people, and London has guaranteed its support. Spain has expressed surprise at Britains tone, with Michel Barnier, the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, calling on London to keep calm and negotiate. Gibraltars Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, tweeted that the Spanish navys Infanta Cristina had illegally entered British territorial waters off Gibraltar. Spain says the waters are not part of the agreement by which it ceded Gibraltar to Britain in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht. A spokesman for the Defense Ministry told Europa Press that the Spanish navy has a patrol ship stationed for most of the year to monitor Spanish waters from the Alboran Sea to the Gulf of Cadiz, which are separated by the Strait of Gibraltar. On Tuesday, the Infanta Cristina came within a mile of the coast of Gibraltar, prompting the Royal Navy to send a patrol vessel to escort it out of the disputed waters. The United Kingdom claims an exclusion zone of three miles around Gibraltar, while Spain claims the waters. Madrid only recognizes British sovereignty on waters within the port of Gibraltar.

English version by Nick Lyne.
The European Union is going to support the US-backed Afghan peace deal with the Islamist political and militant group, Hezb-e-Islami. The bloc is readying to provide millions of euros to support the agreement between the Afghan government and the insurgent group, hoping that the move will encourage similar accords with other militants in the conflict-ridden country. Initially, Brussels has committed to providing 2-5 million euros but it is not yet clear what the funding will be used for.

Hezb-e-Islami is led by the notorious warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar who was removed from the United Nations sanctions blacklist earlier this year in February following Kabuls plea. The UN Security Council paved the way for international donors to help implement the peace agreement between both sides from September last year. The deal included a provision to provide compensation to the members of Hezb-e-Islami. It also called for joint commissions to implement other provisions, which other international donors could pay for.

The United States believe that the peace deal has the potential to build trust and confidence in broader peace talks and encourage militants to join, although Washington still labels Mr. Hekmatyar global terrorist and Hezb-e-Islami a foreign terrorist organization. The agreement also faces obstacles regarding the potential reintegration of militants into the mainstream society as well as international sanctions. Kabul hopes that Washington will also support the deal financially. However, previous attempts at peace deals did not have much success. The United Nations Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program cost more than $200 million during a 6-year project to pay fighters only to be eventually suspended in 2015.
Moroccos King Mohammed VI has launched the last stage of the development of the worlds largest solar energy plant Noor Solar in Quarzazate, thus bolstering Moroccan leadership in renewable energy. King Mohammad VI launched the works to finalize the fourth and last phase, which uses photovoltaic (PV) technology to produce electricity. The plant will have a 582 MW total capacity and will be developed for a total cost of 750 million dirhams.

Noor Solar will be implemented by Moroccos Solar Energy Agency (MASEN) in partnership with a consortium of private companies led by Saudi Acwa Power group and German development bank KfW. KfW alone contributed 659 million dirhams. The project is part of a low carbon economy endeavor by the North African country to bring the share of renewable energies in the national electricity mix to 52% by 2030.

The second and third power stations of Noor solar complex (Noor II and Noor III) were launched at the beginning of last year. When finalized in 2018, the solar power complex, which will become the worlds largest multi-technology solar production site, will provide electricity for more than 1 million people. A total investment will amount to 24 billion dirhams.

Morocco hopes that one day it will be able to export solar energy to Europe, which has covered about 60% of the total cost. The Ouarzazate project could also define Africas energy future as the first phase already surpassed expectations in terms of the amount of energy it produced. This result is in line with Moroccos goal to reduce its fossil fuel bill by focusing on green energy and still meeting increasing energy needs at home that are growing by about 7% on average yearly over the past decade.
If you dont know much about cellulitis  or youve never even heard of it  here are a few fast facts to bring you up to speed on this potentially dangerous skin infection. What causes it? What are its symptoms? And how can you avoid getting it?
- GBPNZD rises amid risk off and AUD weakness

- NZD falls in sympathy as RBA see some softening in labour market

- Credit Suisse see potential base and great buying opportunity above 1.08

- GBP historically cheap but for good reason.

Despite a losing day for the GBP against its most important partner, the US dollar, it was still able to rise against a New Zealand dollar which had fallen in sympathy with its Australian cousin the AUD. Up nearly 0.3% against the Kiwi, the GBP was the least weak of the two as it made some slight inroads into Mondays loss despite another data miss in its construction data release hit 1.7841 today.

The NZD had additional headwinds today as an upcoming meeting between the leaders of China and the US, is predicted to pose a potential political risk to market sentiment and as a result, risk assets saw waning demand today as havens were boosted.

The Kiwi is typically deemed a higher yielding currency with an economy that is sensitive to global economic conditions, which may have been why we saw it weaken today.

The Kiwi has suffered recently from its RBNZ governor having quite a bearish outlook for its economy, and yesterday evening it took another hit by association, as the RBA also outlined a more bearish stance than anticipated, as they noted some softening in the labour market.

Due to the close links between the two nations, a dovish outlook for one is often interpreted as an indicator for conditions in the other and hence, why we see the pair move in tandem in the crosses.

Typically if the NZD is to outperform the AUD it will be because of a soaring dairy price, dairy being its main export and if the price of iron ore falters, iron ore being the key commodity export of Australia.

Credit Suisse believe that GBP/NZD may have bottomed and as a result are looking for a key breakout above the key 1.8000 level,

Sterling has seen a significant fall in value against the Kiwi $ since mid-2015, but finally found a floor in November last year at 1.6705, and GBPNZD has subsequently traded in a sideways range. The spotlight is now firmly on the top of the range at 1.8000, the high of December, above which would see a medium-term base established.

They see support at 1.7650 initially, then 1.7484/34  with basing support around the high of February, they believe that there is a good chance that the price will remain supported and the breakout will follow through into further upside. Below this February high around 1.7450 would cause them to rethink the idea, and they would possibly see more potential downside in the pair. The exact details of their proposed trade are as follows,

Go long above 1.8010, stop below 1.7650, for 1.8720 initially, then 1.9295.

While the GBP is seen as fundamentally undervalued by many major banks and investors, it is important to note that value is particularly difficult to interpret when dealing with unprecedented events. As Brexit has not been dealt with, its effects are largely unpredictable and the negotiations are ongoing and could create a very volatile atmosphere of political rhetoric and generate real uncertainty, particularly in regards to the possibility of a cliff edge Brexit. So by all means see the GBP as a great potential bargain, but understand just why such a risk premium is attached.
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
Hello,



Any of you ever rented a piano (upright) in Nice, please let me know the place and cost.



Is there any public tennis courts (free) in Nice?



Thank you!
This relatively new law now bases health coverage on residence rather than contributions. Prior to the beginning of 2016, you would not have been covered here unless you had been making your cotisations for social insurances in one form or another. (People on unemployment or pensions are covered based on their receipt of benefits. Workers, through their payroll contributions, etc.)



Your "citizenship" has nothing to do with it, but rather it's a function of your residence. And it seems that lately "residence" requires that you have a statut - whether you're employed, retired, a student or whatever else. Still, the French medical system does tend to treat first and ask questions later. If you are unable to be covered under your parents' plan, you should probably speak to the assistant social at the local mairie to see what other assistance is available in your circumstances.

Cheers,

Bev
Bevdeforges said: I've moved you into a thread of your own, since the one you replied to is a couple of years old.



To be honest, the long-stay visa isn't really intended for a year-long tour of Europe. That's more like what the Schengen tourist visa is all about - though that is limited to a total of 90 days. Even on a one-year visitor visa, you are theoretically limited to a total of 90 days in any 180 day period in all other Schengen countries combined.



In theory, if you get a one-year long-stay visa for France, you will be considered resident in France during that time. The rules for determining tax residence are fairly simple and if you meet any one of the three criteria, you are considered tax resident. The three criteria are basically:

1. Maintain your primary residence in France.

2. Work in or run a business in France.

3. Have your primary centers of interest in France.



For purposes of your visa, you will be required to state where you will be living when you first get to France and that is considered to be your residence. If you move you are supposed to notify the prefecture - at least by the time you go to renew your residence permit. But on a visitor visa, the OFII validation of the visa in your passport serves you as your "residence permit" for France. Maintaining a "residence" back in the States doesn't really do much for you in terms of denying that you are resident in France.



And, if you search around a bit in the IRS documentation, you'll find that they admit that it is possible to be "resident" in multiple countries at the same time - certainly in the sense of being "tax resident."



You may have to adjust your plans as there's a reasonable possibility that the consulate could turn down your visa request if you're not actually planning on remaining in France during the term of your visa.

Cheers,

bev Click to expand...

Thanks so much Bev. A "tour" of Europe was an over simplification on my part. I have a strong interest in spending a great deal of time in France. But, I must avoid being subjected to French taxes on US earnings that are taxable in the US. Some "travel" sites suggest that having this one-year French visitor visa may facilitate an extended trip to Europe, by providing relief from the 90/180 Schengen requirements, if I understood what I read. I don't break rules that expose me to liability, so I'm reading up on how this visa might work for me, if at all. I'm planning multiple trips to Europe, so my interest in this visa is just to facilitate more travel options, at this point.The long term visitor visa application says that a residence permit ("carte de sejour") is no longer required. But, long stay visa holders staying longer than 6 months must register with the Office of Immigration and Integration within the first 3 months in France. I understand your comments to mean that the aforementioned registration process conclusively deems the holder to be a French tax resident for the 12 month period in which the visa remain valid, because criteria 1 above is met, and assuming the holder remained in France for the full visa term.If the preceding statement is true, then my interest in this visa may be concluded. For me, the heart burn, legal and accounting fees alone, much less the tax itself, if any, seem to negate the visa's value. It's nonsensical to me that France would offer a "visitor" visa disallowing any work or consumption of social services in France, such as health care, but them feel entitled to confiscate portions of income earned in another county. Seems like the wrong incentives, but what do I know.Let's say I obeyed the rules of the visa and accepted the fact that I'd file a return in France. Based on the treaty, I can deduct income that was taxed in the US on my French tax return, I suppose. Hence, I'd owe no taxes of any kind in France? Or, would France expect to be paid the difference in the lower US rate and the higher French income tax rate? Or, would France impose other taxes, like social security (social charges) type taxes, on my US income (e.g., active income subject to US payroll taxes or maybe even passive rental property rents) despite the aforementioned deduction for US income?Sounds like the real cost of this visa proposition is income related taxes and professional fees associated with servicing the tax liability issues. I'm just trying to measure that cost, if any.Thanks Bev!
Two Spanish police officers have been suspended from duty for five days without pay for failing to prevent the suicide of British tourist Antony Abbott , 36, who died within an hour of his arrest in his cell at Benidorm police station in Spains Alicante province in the early hours of October 23, 2015.

British tourist Anthony Abbott with his partner and two children.

A supermarket employee from Bolton, Greater Manchester, Abbott had been drinking heavily on the night of his arrest and had become embroiled in an apparently violent argument over a cigarette lighter with Catherine Corless, his partner of nine years and the mother of his two children, Ellie  then eight, and Louie  seven.

Alarmed, staff at the Hotel Palm Beach called the police who promptly took Abbott into custody. As the father of two was being taken away, he turned to Corless and said, Im sorry, I will see you soon. I love you. Two hours later, Corless was informed that her partner was dead.

Abbot spent 18 minutes unmonitored when an officer left his post without permission

An investigation into Abbotts death revealed that he had deliberately hit his head on the wall of the police station but was left unmonitored in a cell with no surveillance cameras for 18 minutes while one of the policemen left his post without permission and another failed to replace him. During these 18 minutes, Abbott used a blanket and a bar in the cell to take his own life.

The Spanish National Police authorities decision to suspend the two officers from duty for five days without pay is the least severe of a range of disciplinary actions stipulated by law.

Lawyer Maria Angeles Reyes Bernal, who has been working on the deceaseds partners behalf, has alleged that the police failed to inform Benidorms examining magistrate of the officers misconduct. In response to this allegation, police sources argue that there was no obligation to do so. One thing is the examining magistrate and another is the disciplinary action, said a spokesperson.

How can a detainee tear a blanket into pieces to hang himself in a police station? Maria Angeles Reyes Bernal, lawyer for Catherine Corless

Though the Spanish investigation into Abbotts death was closed some time ago, the UK investigation remained open and on March 23 this year the coroner in Manchester concluded that Abbott had died from hanging. His report also described the Benidorm Police Departments failure to improve their installations as negligence and an important factor.

In reference to this charge, the coroner cited an internal report from the Spanish Interior Ministry months before Abbots death, recommending that installations in Benidorm be modernized to avoid detainees taking their own lives.

Security breaches

The Interior Ministry proposals included putting surveillance cameras in the seven cells at the station, upgrading the doors to avoid strips of blankets being introduced, installing buzzers in the cells and repairing the alarm system. The ministry also pointed out that detainees had to shout for attention as the cells were located on the lower ground floor while the security post was on the first floor. In 2015, a total of 324 government employees worked at the police station, but the report flagged the difficulty of monitoring the cells, which have a combined potential occupancy of 12 detainees.

The ministry also referred to the suicide attempt of another detainee in a shared cell on March 26, 2014, using a strip of blanket  the same method Abbott employed.

Officers were suspended from duty without pay for five days, the least severe punishment available

After 17 months, the UK investigation concludes that there is no evidence to suggest that the Benidorm Police Department acted on any of the Interior Ministry's recommendations. However, a spokesman for the Spanish National Police maintains that at least some of the measures have been implemented, though EL PAIS has tried without success to have this confirmed by the Benidorm Police Department.

The UK report on Antony Abbotts death, which will be sent to the British Foreign Minister, Boris Johnson, demands that measures be adopted to guarantee the security of detainees.

How can a detainee tear a blanket into pieces to hang himself in a police station? asks Corless lawyer Maria Angeles Reyes Bernal, who is preparing to claim significant damages from the Spanish Interior Ministry.

Corless, now 30, subsequently denied Abbott was being abusive to her on the night of his arrest and stated that they were planning to marry. She was able to both bring Abbots body back to the UK and pay her lawyer through crowdfunding, which raised 7,000.

English version by Heather Galloway.
HONG KONG  A stunning 59.6-carat diamond known as the Pink Star sold for $71.2 million at a Sothebys auction Tuesday in Hong Kong, setting a new world record for any diamond or jewel, according to the auction house.

The oval mixed-cut diamond smashed the $60 million pre-sale estimate set by Sothebys when it went on the block.

The sale comes three years after the gem was sold at an even higher price at another Sothebys auction in Geneva. That deal later fell apart after the buyer defaulted.

The gem is the largest flawless fancy vivid pink diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America.

Three telephone bidders competed for the stone during five tense minutes of bidding. The crowd in the packed auction room applauded when it was sold for a hammer price of $63 million, not including the buyers premium.

Sothebys Asia Chairwoman Patti Wong said the winning bidder is Hong Kong jeweler Chow Tai Fook

Were very happy, Wong said. I know there was a lot of talk about the economy in China not being as positive as it was a few years ago, but the results from its jewelry auction Tuesday, which included nearly 200 other lots, were very strong, she said.

Wong said the company is not worried about another default because the bidders were vetted and have long-standing relationships with Sothebys.

Were very, very confident that all three bidders had the financial capability, and of course the buyer definitely had the financial capability, she said.

Until now, the most expensive diamond ever sold at auction was the Oppenheimer Blue, which fetched 56.8 million Swiss francs (then $57.6 million) last May. The previous world auction record for a pink diamond was $46.2 million for the 24.78-carat Graff Pink in 2010.

Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Sothebys decided the time was right to bring the diamond back to the market because of rising demand from wealthy Asian buyers.

The Asian element in the jewelry market is extremely important; and from what Ive been hearing from members of the trade Ive been talking to, in the last six months they have become more and more important, said David Bennett, chairman of the auction houses jewelry division.

The Pink Star was mined in Africa by De Beers in 1999 as a raw 132.5-carat gem and cut over a two-year period. In November 2013, it was auctioned for a record $83 million to New York diamond cutter Isaac Wolf, who failed to pay.

The auction house was then forced to buy the diamond itself because had guaranteed a $60 million sale price. Last year it sold an unspecified stake in the diamond, valued at $72 million on its balance sheet, to two companies, diamond specialist Diacore and New York jeweler Mellen Inc.
BERN, Switzerland  Switzerlands financial markets watchdog says it investigated 22 breaches of money laundering requirements last year, from nine in 2015, as the Alpine country seeks to combat the growing risk of corruption linked to assets from around the world.

The authority, FINMA, said Tuesday that serious shortcomings came to light in 2016, including major cases involving the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB, and Brazilian oil company Petrobras. At year end, FINMA had classified 21 unspecified banks as high risk  meaning their activities are under enhanced surveillance.

Over the past four years, FINMA has taken enforcement action against supervised institutions in about 40 cases for breaches of anti-money laundering regulations, but the scale of the recent misconduct is unprecedented, FINMA said in a statement with the release of its annual report.

Several Swiss financial institutions have been caught up in major international corruption cases, not least those involving the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB and Brazilian oil company Petrobras, it said.

Marc Branson, the FINMA chief executive, said the risk of money laundering in Switzerland  the worlds top hub for wealth management  has increased in the last couple of years as bank clients increasingly come from around the world and bring more assets from developing markets with uncertain origins.

Therefore, the source of their wealth is harder to determine  and their transactions are perhaps harder to understand, Branson told the Associated Press at a news conference in the Swiss capital. He said some banks had not strengthened their control processes.

Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.

The warning signals were there, but were not acted on, he said, alluding to cases of banks that violated the anti-money laundering requirements. Thats where we step in and say: That goes over the line  and that, we cannot accept.

FINMA has close three cases linked to banks with ties to 1MDB, involving Falcon Bank, Coutts and BSI, and is investigating four others. The only one of those four to be identified is linked to UBS, after Singaporean authorities announced their own probe of the Swiss banking heavyweight in October, authority spokesman Vinzenz Mathys said.

FINMA Chairman Thomas Bauer also said that the authority was not contacted by investigators behind a Dutch-led probe announced last week of suspected money laundering and tax evasion linked to Credit Suisse. He said judicial and tax authorities, not financial authorities, were in charge.
Former shareholders who say they lost out on millions from the sale of a San Antonio-based smart meter company are bringing their fight to the Alamo City.

A lawsuit filed in Bexar County district court says insider deals and unrealistic payout agreements meant many former shareholders in San Antonio-based Consert Inc. did not receive a penny while board members and executives walked away with millions when the company was sold to Toshiba in February 2013.

The plaintiffs allege board members and executives schemed to siphon money from the $30 million sale by using preferential payments and bridge loans made in the last months of the companys existence to redirect a substantial amount of Toshibas payment away from shareholders.

In addition, the plaintiffs say board members and executives created impractical terms for handling payouts of up to $70 million in funds tied to a contract with CPS Energy and an expected legal settlement. According to the plaintiffs, the terms meant that Toshiba ultimately controlled those payouts and their triggers, which the company didnt achieve.

The case comes to San Antonio after North Carolina Judge Gregory P. McGuire dismissed a similar lawsuit filed in that state for lack of jurisdiction. Consert was founded and based in North Carolina until 2011, when it moved to San Antonio. Judge McGuire said his court did not have jurisdiction over the events leading up to Conserts sale, which occurred in San Antonio.

The lawsuit filed March 29 in Bexar County district court includes nine of the defendants, including Consert executives and board members, from the North Carolina case, which was originally filed in November 2015 by over a dozen former shareholders and investment firms. The same plaintiffs are involved in the Bexar County lawsuit.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs declined to comment on the record, and a message left with the defendants North Carolina lawyers was not returned. The Bexar County lawsuit did not list the defendants lawyers. CPS did not return a request to comment.

The plaintiffs, including company founder Joseph Forbes, are suing former Consert board members and executives and their legal counsel in connection with the $30 million cash sale of Consert to Toshiba that was signed in February 2013.

After the sale went through, Toshiba absorbed Consert into one of its subsidiaries, Landis+Gyr, which develops smart meters for utilities. In November 2013, the Switzerland-based Landis+Gyr, along with smart meter company Silver Springs Network, landed a $200 million contract with San Antonios CPS Energy. The contract terms of the Consert sale called for shareholders to share in the benefits of that contract, according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs say the sale contract also called for Consert shareholders to get a portion of the proceeds in the settlement of a lawsuit that had been filed by Consert against Itron Inc.

But, the plaintiffs allege, board members and executives devised schemes in the period leading up to the sale to create what the lawsuit calls preferential payments to certain executives, including board Chairman and CEO Pierce Jackson Jack Roberts Jr. and Roy Moore, who was the companys chief development officer and board member. Moore also became acting CEO on Jan. 23, 2013, after Roberts fell ill. Both Roberts and Moore are among the defendants. The lawsuit says the board substantially increased the salaries of the two men despite cash flow problems at the company. It also alleges that the board set conditions that unpaid amounts to the two and also to other executives would take precedence over payouts to shareholders in the event that the company was sold.

In addition to the preferential payments, the plaintiffs allege the terms of the sale called for money to be diverted from the shareholders to the defendants.

Of the $30 million sale price, $2.2 million was paid in bonuses to Moore, Roberts and others, while $2 million was paid to Conserts advisers, according to the lawsuit. Defendant Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice  a law firm that was Conserts legal counsel for the sale  is alleged to have received an estimated $25,000-a-month contract with no end date.

Another $14 million was used to repay the companys obligations and loans, including usurious insider loans described as bridge loans, according to the lawsuit. The plaintiffs say $8 million in bridge loans were approved by board members on Jan. 15, 2013. The lawsuit says those loans were made by board members and executives, including Roberts and Moore, to Consert. After the company was sold to Toshiba less than a month later, Consert spent $12.5 million to pay off those loans, the plaintiffs allege.

Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.

The lawsuit says the remaining $9.8 million was distributed to holders of the companys Series A and Series B preferred stock, but with substantial amounts going to the defendants, who were also stockholders.

The terms of the sale also called for setting up a Shareholders Fund that would allow shareholders to potentially reap tens of millions of dollars after the sale, the plaintiffs say.

One payout was tied to the conclusion of a lawsuit against Itron that was valued up to $80 million, according to the lawsuit. It says the second payout was related to the deal between Toshiba and CPS to provide meter and/or monitoring software to the utility through its subsidiary Landis+Gyr. Each payout could have been worth up to a maximum of $25 million in a five-year period, according to the lawsuit.

Both payouts were contingent on Toshiba or one of its affiliates entering into a contract with CPS worth at least $100 million over a period of five years within one year of the merger closing. The lawsuit alleges that Toshiba structured the contract between Landis+Gyr and CPS in such a way that it was worth less than $100 million.

A separate lawsuit filed by former Consert shareholder Mark Feidler against CPS alleges that, based on his calculations, the deal between Toshibas Landis+Gyr and CPS was worth more than $128 million, well above the $100 million threshold. Feidler is attempting to receive documents from CPS that would determine whether Toshiba was in violation of the payout agreement.

Moore presented the terms of the merger to the board on Jan. 23, 2013, only two days before it was presented at the annual shareholders meeting on Jan. 25. The merger was closed on Feb. 5, 2013.

rdruzin@express-news.net

@druz_journo
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

San Antonios Branchline Brewing Co. has filed for bankruptcy protection after about four years of operation.

The small brewer reported assets of less than $50,000 and liabilities ranging from $100,001 to $500,000 in a bare bones bankruptcy petition filed on Tuesday with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in San Antonio.

Chapter 11 offers a financially troubled company protection from creditors while it seeks to reorganize its debts.

The filing comes a little more than a month after Branchline posted a notice on Facebook that it was going through a restructure period and closing its tap room on March 4.

We dont believe this is a good bye but rather a see you soon, the Facebook post stated. We need some time to regroup and hopefully come back stronger, with that original fire that we once had.

Branchline sought bankruptcy protection to restructure its existing business production model to reduce operating costs so that its pre-bankruptcy creditors may be paid from the proceeds of its streamlined operations, Michael OConnor, the brewers bankruptcy lawyer, said in an email.

Branchline will continue operating and producing its high quality and popular line of fine beers and ales, OConnor said. Same product, same great beer.

Branchlines bankruptcy petition lists the largest unsecured creditors and the amounts theyre owed as: San Antonios Accion Texas Inc., which is now known as LiftFund, $139,000; Pinnacle Capital Partners of Tacoma, Washington, $96,000; and the IRS, $50,000 in unpaid payroll taxes.

Branchline faced a number of challenges during its startup years, the San Antonio Express-News reported last year. Formerly known as Old Boxcar Brewing Co., it received a warning from Boxcar Brewing Co. in Pennsylvania over claims of consumer confusion in the two names.

Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Before it shipped its first beer, the San Antonio brewer changed its name to Branchline. However, the bankruptcy petition lists Old Box Brewing Co., doing business as Branchline Brewing Co., as the debtor.

Branchlines beers have included the Silver & Black IPA, a homage to the Spurs, its flagship Evil Owl Amber and its Shady Oak Blonde Ale.

According to a posting by SA Beer Week on Twitter about two months ago, Branchline was the second production brewery in San Antonio and the first brewery in the city to can craft beer.

pdanner@express-news.net

Twitter: @AlamoPD

This article has been updated to add comments from Michael OConnor, Branchlines bankruptcy lawyer.
A San Antonio man who led a ring that distributed 309 tons of synthetic cannibanoids has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison in what was described as the largest takedown targeting the designer drugs in Texas.

The arrests in 2013 of Muhammad Jaffer Ali, 54, and 18 others in San Antonio spearheaded an attempt by federal authorities to combat the rise of the dangerous synthetics, which are manufactured with chemicals obtained from Asia and sprayed on plant material.

Despite the effort, the drug is still available and popular among teens and young adults, area officials warn.

The FBI, San Antonio police and the Drug Enforcement Administration began watching Ali in January 2012. Their investigation reports said Ali was getting precursor chemicals from China, and daminana and marshmallow leaves from a man in Kentucky. The items were shipped to warehouses or storage units, from which Alis accomplices made the finished product and distributed it to retailers, court records said.

Ali apologized to Senior U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth and asked for mercy at his sentencing late Monday.

He said he tried to make sure he was within legal limits in selling the synthetic drugs, approaching officials at the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, a San Antonio police narcotics officer and the local office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

None of them initially had any problems with him selling the merchandise, Ali said. The SAPD and DEA took bags of the synthetics to be lab tested, he said, and he persisted in calling but got no answer, he said.

They never said we could not sell the product, Ali said. This is not to blame anyone else. I thought I had taken precautions to protect myself.

Most of the chemicals used to produce the designer drugs have been added to a federal list of controlled substances. Smoked for a recreational high, synthetic cannibanoids are commonly called synthetic marijuana and marketed as a safe, legal alternative to pot  but it can be up to 100 times more potent, with far more devastating effects.

The final product usually sold by the gram as incense, tobacco, bath salts or potpourri at convenience stores or smoke shops in bags labeled K2, Spice, or Scooby Snax, among other names, federal agents said.

Besides directing the ring, Ali ran two such stores  Best Foods No. 2 at Evers and Loop 410 and Hang Ten Smoke Shop on West Avenue. Both were raided in June 2013 at the start of a national crackdown called Project Synergy.

Law officers also raided a warehouse on the Northeast Side that they said was a lab. During the investigation, agents seized $350,000 in cash and 10 tons of finished and unfinished product, but said the ring distributed far more, 280,000 kilos, or nearly 309 tons.

In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Roomberg told the judge that Ali oversaw a network responsible for the production and distribution of synthetic marijuana and bath salts in San Antonio, Houston, Austin, Dallas, and cities in Oklahoma and Kansas.

He had at least four manufacturers. He should be held responsible for all 280,000 kilos, Roomberg said.

Most of the 19 defendants have pleaded guilty. Last week, the judge sentenced Alis wife and bookkeeper, Selma Ali, to 14 months in prison, and the man who oversaw operations in Dallas, Iran Abdul Ghaffar, 52, of Plano, to seven years in prison.

The Texas Attorney Generals Office has filed 15 lawsuits to block the sale of the substances, including last week against the operator of the Stop By Mart in the 4700 block of Pecan Valley Drive in San Antonio. It accused him of violating the states Deceptive Trade Practices Act by marketing synthetic drugs labeled lab certified legal or this product does not contain illegal or banned ingredients.

gcontreras@express-news.net

Twitter: @gmaninfedland
Testimony concluded Tuesday in the federal wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Marquise Jones against the city of San Antonio and San Antonio police officer Robert Encina, who said he acted in self-defense when he fatally shot Jones in the back.

On Wednesday, lawyers are expected to present their closing arguments to the jury of four men and four women, at which point jury deliberations will begin.

Over the course of the seven-day trial, the jury heard from nearly two dozen witnesses who testified about the shooting in the early hours of Feb. 28, 2014, in the drive-thru area of the Chachos and Chaluccis on Perrin Beitel Road.

The witnesses testified about a number of issues, including how Jones death has affected his family, whether Encina was justified in using deadly force, how the disciplinary process works at the San Antonio Police Department, and if the city attempted to cover up evidence or wrongdoing during its internal investigation of the shooting.

Witnesses disagreed on a number of details, including if Jones and the other passengers in the car were disrespectful when making their order, if Jones shut the door as he exited the vehicle, and if Encina told Jones to stop running before he shot him.

What it boils down to, though, is if Jones was carrying a gun and wielded it in a threatening way. One was found some distance from his body but it was never established that it was his.

The lawsuit, which asks for an unspecified amount of money, makes three claims. It says Encina was unjustified in using deadly force against Jones, a front-seat passenger in the car who was not accused of any criminal wrongdoing when Encina approached, though a bag of marijuana could be seen in the middle console.

It claims the city and SAPD failed to properly discipline Encina for a prior incident in which he exhibited animosity toward black customers at another restaurant where Encina worked private security, and that that failure led to Jones death. Jones was African-American.

The plaintiffs say detectives failed to investigate a number of inconsistencies in the police narrative of events and attempted to cover-up damaging evidence.

The following is a small portion of the testimony the jury heard from some of the witnesses:

Robert Encina told the jury Jones was carrying a gun and was turning to face Encina as he ran from the scene of a fender bender in the drive-thru area. Jones was not pointing the weapon at Encina, but the South Side patrol officer said he still felt justified in shooting Jones because action beats reaction.

James Brantley, a customer at Chachos, said Jones was reaching down to grab his pants as he was running from the car when Encina shot him in the back. Brantley said there is no doubt in his mind that Jones did not have a gun, and he would have seen if Jones was carrying anything.

After the shooting, Brantley claimed a police officer approached him and had him drive his vehicle out of the crime scene, directing him not to run over evidence. Brantley said the detective did not ask for Brantleys name, phone number or witness statement.

Brantley came forward with his account in April of last year after a Bexar County grand jury voted not to indict Encina. Shortly afterward, Brantley claimed he was detained and handcuffed by someone he thought was a plain-clothed police officer and driven downtown for no apparent reason.

Gus Guzman, a deputy police chief at SAPD, said Brantleys description of the unmarked police car in which he was detained does not match the description of unmarked SAPD patrol cars. Brantley said the car had a cage, and that the officer had a shotgun in the front seat. Undercover SAPD cars dont have cages, and officers are not issued department shotguns, Guzman said. Officers are allowed to carry their personal shotguns, but they must be carried in a case.

Whitney Jones, Jones sister, and Dominique Carter, a friend, said there is no way Jones was carrying a gun. The three friends, accompanied by a recent acquaintance, had visited a billiard hall earlier in the evening. As Jones played pool, his shirt lifted up, revealing no weapon, they said.

Jenny Lerma, a cashier at Chachos, said she didnt see Jones carrying a gun and would have seen one. However, she acknowledged, its possible she was looking at Encina as he struggled with the driver of the car, taking her attention away from Jones.

Aurora DeLeon, a cashier at Chachos, said in her 911 call and initial witness statement that she didnt see Jones carrying a gun as he exited the car. A year later, in her deposition, she said that she did in fact see a gun. With everything that was going on that night, I just wanted to go home and be with my kids, DeLeon testified last week. I should have told (the detective) that I saw a gun, but my concern was with my kids.

Carol Shedwick, a Chachos employee, said Encina told the passengers to stay in the car before Jones exited. Shedwick said she didnt see a gun, but that some of her attention was on Encinas struggle with the driver.

Anthony Molina, a manager at Chachos, told the jury Jones cracked open the door of the vehicle and then closed it before opening it again and running toward the road. At that point, Molina said, Jones turned toward Encina and pointed the gun at him. Encina told Jones to stop before he shot him, Molina said.

Chief William McManus told a jury last week he didnt believe race was a factor in a 2010 incident in which Encina drunkenly tried to fight black customers while off-duty at another restaurant where he worked private security. On Tuesday, McManus also backtracked on a statement he made in his 2016 deposition, in which he said Encina would not be justified in using deadly force if Jones was not carrying a gun. I dont know what I (was) thinking when I said that, but thats not correct, McManus testified.

Jerry Staton, a former Austin police detective who owns a law enforcement training academy, said it appears as if someone within SAPD tried to cover up evidence in the internal investigation of the shooting. Do I know with certainty there was a cover-up? Of course not, Staton testified. Is there enough evidence to suggest the incident wasnt thoroughly investigated? Yes.

Albert Ortiz, a former SAPD chief hired by the city of San Antonio as an expert witness, said there was absolutely no cover-up in the internal investigation. If officers were trying to cover up wrongdoing on behalf of Encina, they would not have placed the gun police claim Jones was carrying 25 feet from his body, Ortiz said. That would be a horrible cover-up, he testified.

eeaton@express-news.net

Twitter: @emilieeaton
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WASHINGTON  Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told members of Congress on Tuesday that he will consider body cameras for Border Patrol and ICE agents amid complaints about the Trump administrations toughened immigration policies.

But in a meeting with Congressional Hispanic Caucus members, Kelly disputed complaints that agents were going rogue and violating civil rights. Kelly added that his agency would investigate credible charges, members said.

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, who has led the push for the body cameras, revealed Kellys softened stance after a long-sought meeting Tuesday between Kelly and Hispanic members of Congress behind closed doors.

In a meeting with Democratic lawmakers three weeks ago, Kelly had brushed aside demands for body cameras, asserting that his agency lacked sufficient funds. He responded differently this time, Castro said.

We believe that this would increase transparency and would make sure that ICE agents are doing their jobs properly, that Border Patrol agents are doing their job properly, Castro said. He (Kelly) said he is committed to that, and hopefully that will become part of our job.

By most accounts, the meeting the new Homeland Security chief was less contentious than the last session with Democrats.

U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., chair of the caucus, described the session as a better dialogue between members of Congress and Secretary Kelly, but we have a long way to go.

Several House members professed frustration, remarking that Kelly sounded as though he didnt believe their accounts of agents intimidating people by parking near churches, schools and other places deemed sensitive.

He said they were just doing their jobs; thats where they work, said U.S. Rep. Nanette Barragan, D-Calif.

Castro said that most agents act professionally, but added, You also are going to have people who go rogueIts been troubling that they are unwilling to accept that there are going to be a percentage of agents who seek to intimidate a community, and we believe we see instances of that.

Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan said after the hearing that if we become aware of somebody who is outside of the policy, then theyre held accountable.

Castro, in a letter to Kelly last week, noted that two-thirds of police forces in major American cities require body cameras for officers. He disputed Kellys assertion on March 17 that funds for cameras were lacking, noting that the Trump administration budget calls for a $2.8 billion increase for discretionary spending in Homeland Security.

There are tremendous safety and accountability benefits to having video records of law enforcement activity - both for the officers and for the public, Castro wrote.

blambrecht@express-news.net
The deputy premier of Catalonia, Oriol Junqueras, said on Wednesday that an official referendum on independence for the northeastern Spanish region would be called in June, stating that the countrys Constitutional Court does not have the authority to suspend it, as it tried to do yesterday by freezing funds from the regional budget that would be used to organize the poll.

Catalan regional premier Carles Puigdemont (r) and deputy Oriol Junqueras. Quique Garcia (EFE)

The central government in Madrid is fiercely opposed to a referendum on self-rule in the region, but the Generalitat, as the Catalan government is called, is pushing on with its plans despite legal obstacles and setbacks.

Speaking on RAC1 radio station, Junqueras explained that a request has been sent out by former Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) leader Joan Ignasi Elena to pro-independence parties to drum up as much support possible in Spain and Europe in the space of a few months for a pact with the Spanish government on a referendum. They need time, he explained. They have asked us for a couple of months and from there we will set the date.

This is a politicized sentence, it shouldnt surprise us, because its a very politicized court ERC leader Oriol Junqueras

Junqueras, who is the leader of the Republican Left of Catalonia Party (ERC), also made his position clear on the legitimacy of the Constitutional Court to make such decisions. This is a politicized sentence, it shouldnt surprise us, because its a very politicized court that no other European democracy has, he said, in reference to the fact that the courts previous head, Francisco Perez de los Cobos, is a member of the conservative Popular Party (PP), which is currently in power, albeit in a minority government.

We are not scared, he continued, going on to ask rhetorically: Are they going to bar us from public office? Will they stick us in jail? Only they know, and Catalan society and the international [community] will know how they should respond.

Will they stick us in jail? Only they know, and Catalan society will know how to respond Oriol Junqueras

Junqueras went on to say that he was sure that the PP government in Madrid would use all of its resources to impede a referendum, saying that it should carefully weigh up the tools that they want to use. In his view, Spanish law does not prohibit referendums, as the central government argues, and as such he criticized the interpretation of the Constitutional Court. What the court is doing is suspending an intention, not something that cant be done, but rather something that they dont want to see happen in a certain way that it could be done.

As part of Catalonias long-running drive for independence from Spain, an informal poll on independence was held on November 9, 2014, when Artur Mas was premier of the Generalitat. A number of court rulings put paid to the referendum having an official nature, but the vote went ahead regardless.

Joana Ortega (l), Artur Mas and Irene Rigau appear in court over their role in the informal vote. Alberto Estevez (EFE)

Around 2.3 million people voted out of an eligible voter pool of 6.3 million, according to the regional governments own figures. Although 80% voted in favor of independence, it was dismissed by international observers as lacking sufficient guarantees of objectivity, given that it was organized and counted by pro-sovereignty activists and that many detractors of independence simply did not participate.

As a result of the vote, Artur Mas was recently barred from public office for two years by a court for using his position to hold the non-binding plebiscite. The former premier had perverted democratic principles, said the Catalan regional High Court, handing down the maximum possible sentence for disobedience. Ex-deputy premier Joana Ortega and ex-education chief Irene Rigau were also hit with bans from office  Ortega for 21 months and Rigau for 18 months  for their role in the participatory process.

English version by Simon Hunter.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Twelve thousand years ago, the area around what is now known as San Antonio must have been something of a paradise for the small bands of hunter-gatherers who would pass through on a seasonal basis.

This was the tail end of the Pleistocene, colloquially referred to as the Ice Age. The weather was cooler back then and ice sheaths, which had advanced so far south they covered much of North America, had driven big game into the area. So the bands of pre-history Paleo-Indians, likely consisting of extended families numbering up to about 20 each, would follow the migrating herds of mammoth, mastodons, giant sloths and even saber-tooth tigers. Scattered Clovis and smaller Folsom spear points attest to their presence throughout much of the area.

We know they passed through here, but we dont know how far they traveled, although there are plenty of theories, said Kay Hindes, city archaeologist of San Antonio.

According to the citys Office of Historic Preservation website, sites in Bexar County where important artifacts from the Late Paleo-Indian era have been found include Pavo Real (where Loop 1604 passes over Leon Creek), the Saint Marys Hall area, the Richard Beene site (where a dam spillway was excavated for the since-abandoned Applewhite reservoir south of San Antonio), and the more recently excavated Chandler site, along Culebra Creek in far West Bexar County.

As the world warmed and a more modern environment emerged around 10,000 years ago, the Paleo-Indian population increased. There is widespread evidence of habitation throughout the region during whats known as the Archaic period.

This is when we also start seeing cemetery sites, Hindes said.

These burial sites indicate that, as the populations grew, larger bands of indigenous people increasingly came in conflict with one another and had to defend their territories.

But contact didnt always result in warfare. Shale and shells from the coast that have been found at habitation sites such as those near the Olmos Dam indicate that a good deal of trading also occurred among groups. The former was used as tools, the latter for necklaces and other personal decoration. Apparently man was narcissistic very early on.

The bands also would come together to harvest tuna, more commonly known as prickly pear.

That must have been a good time when all the clans would gather for the harvest, said Ramon Vasquez of the group American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions.

About 2,000 years ago, during whats known as the Late Prehistoric period, there was an important technological shift as the bow and arrow replaced what was basically a hand-held catapult called an atlatl. At the same time, a warming climate caused large game to disappear, so bison hunting became more prevalent. These changes made large spear points superfluous, so they they tended to become smaller.

Eventually the bison became so important to the well-being of the plains Indians that today theyre cheekily referred to as Walmarts on hooves.

It was also during the Late Prehistoric period that pottery and other distinctive artifacts began to appear.

These people made hand-coiled clay pottery that was bone-tempered, Hindes said. This was much more sophisticated than what came before.

The arrival of the Spanish into the region in the late 17th century ushered in the Historic period, meaning there are written records to rely on.

Although today the Native Indians in the area are collectively called Coahuiltecans, they likely didnt call themselves that. Instead, the name derives from the language spoken by many, but not all, of the clans in the region, according to Thomas R. Hester, an archaeologist and professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin.

As the mission system developed, some of the Native Indians entered them willingly, others came under a military escort, still others came looking for sanctuary from more warlike tribes, in particular the Apaches and Comanches who had migrated into the region over the previous decades from western Canada, the Rockies and the northern Plains.

Interestingly, many of the mission Indians were not native to South Texas, but arrived from northeastern Mexico in advance of the Spanish diseases that were leapfrogging from one group to another, said Hester. Those diseases included smallpox and cholera.

Although they spoke a similar language, these clans had different names for themselves and a roster of the Indian groups who lived in or near the missions the Spaniards eventually built contains almost 70 names. While many are familiar, others, such as the Gegueriguan, Orejon and Zacuestacan, remain obscure.

The groups were organized into small to moderately sized bands of hunter-gatherers. In addition to Coahuiltecan, scholars have found evidence of at least six other languages in the region.

Over the decades, the mission Indians and the Spanish intermingled and became one.

Its absolutely possible that a number of mission Indian groups were absorbed into the Spanish population during the early 1800s, said Hester. A lot of people in San Antonio today can make the claim that their ancestors were mission Indians.

rmarini@express-news.net

Twitter: @RichardMarini

COMING THURSDAY: The early Spanish influence in Texas.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The Rev. John Hagee, senior pastor and founder of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, had a private meeting with Vice President Mike Pence last Friday in Washington about the relationship between the United States and Israel.

The visit included a stop in the Oval Office to come in and say hello to President Donald Trump, Hagee spokesman Ari Morganstern said Tuesday.

The content of the discussions was off the record, Morganstern said, referring questions about Hagees concerns to Christians United for Israel, a staunch pro-Israel organization he founded.

Among the groups top priorities is moving the U.S. Embassy, now in Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem. Though Trump made a campaign promise to move the embassy, the administration has taken no steps to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. Most countries dont.

Israel held part of the city until the Six Day War of 1967, when it wrested control of the remainder from Jordan. East Jerusalem is viewed as the potential capital of a Palestinian state. Peace talks aimed at a two-state solution, which have languished for years, would effectively be ended by U.S. recognition of Israels claim to the entire city, observers say.

Hagee was invited to the nations capital by the vice president, Morganstern said. According to several news accounts, Hagee and Pence, also an evangelical Christian, are friends.

On Instagram, Hagee said Monday that the meeting with the president was a success, describing Trump as very gracious, very kind and very appreciative of your prayers and support.

Christians United for Israel bills itself as the largest grass-roots pro-Israel organization in the United States, with 3 million members.

Its February online report said its leaders met recently in San Antonio to discuss its 2017 agenda, which includes building a war chest to fight anti-Israel billboards and continuing its fight against anti-Semitism.

The report said it anticipates Trump will fulfill his campaign promise to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.

The recent election was a historic moment, when God turned the tide in our favor and gave us something we havent had for eight years, direct access and influence with the White House, the February report said.

Christians United for Israel also noted the divine connections God has given us in this new administration. The report was signed by Hagee and the groups director, David Brog.

Morganstern said Hagee never met with the Obama administration to discuss U.S.-Israel issues.

Hagees megachurch on the citys North Side broke ground in late February on its Sanctuary of Hope, a full-service multibuilding complex for expectant mothers and their children. John Hagee Ministries website says it will provide adoption referral services.

The site will include dorms; on-site medical and pediatric care: Christian formation, life skills and parental training: GED classes; and job placement assistance. Services will be offered free, a news release said.

The residential facility will sit on 85 acres in San Antonio, according to the website.

eayala@express-news.net

Twitter: @ElaineAyala

Staff Writer Kelsey Bradshaw contributed to this report.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A jury in federal court deliberated for one hour Wednesday afternoon without reaching a verdict in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Marquise Jones.

The jurors will return Thursday when they could decide if San Antonio police officer Robert Encina used excessive force when he shot and killed Jones in the back on Feb. 28, 2014, at Chacho's and Chaluccis restaurant on Perrin Beitel Road.

Encina has maintained that he shot Jones because Jones was carrying a gun and Encina feared for his life and the lives of those around him.

The jury  or six out of eight jurors  must also decide whether the city of San Antonio failed to discipline Encina for a 2010 incident in which he tried to fight patrons at another restaurant where he worked private security, and if SAPD attempted to cover-up evidence in the internal investigation of the shooting.

If the jury finds either or both Encina and the city liable for Jones' death, it can levy compensatory or punitive damages against the parties.

The family is requesting a sum of money to be determined by the court. An economist hired by the plaintiffs testified last week that Jones parents and daughter should be awarded anywhere from $4.9 million to $7 million, if not more, based on the loss of financial support and household services Jones provided, combined with the mental anguish suffered.

(Marquises daughter) will have to spend her fourth birthday without her father, Daryl Washington said in closing arguments. Blake and Cheryl will have to spend the rest of their lives without their son, who provided them with love and financial support.

In the plaintiffs final rebuttal  the plaintiffs are allowed to present both a closing argument and a final rebuttal  attorney James Marks stressed the testimony of several witnesses who said Jones did not have a gun or they did not see one.

The Jones family has been looking for justice, Marks said. Thats really all they want. Because of the investigation, the district attorneys office couldnt give that to them. Their last line of defense is with yall, the eight of yall.

Lawyers for the city of San Antonio and Encina refuted the lawsuit claims, saying Encina was justified in using deadly force and that there is no evidence of a cover-up by the San Antonio Police Department.

We know (Officer Encina) had to take action at that point, said Mark Ralls, the officers lawyer. He knew he had to use deadly force.  He was in fear for his life.

SAPDs internal investigation of the shooting found Encina was justified in using force. A grand jury voted not to indict him on any criminal charge.

Jones was in the front passenger seat of a car involved in a minor fender bender accident in the drive-thru lane of the restaurant, where Encina, dressed in his police uniform, was working off-duty as a security guard. Jones ran from the car and was shot.

eeaton@express-news.net

Twitter: @emilieeaton
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

San Antonio pastor John Hagee visited the White House last week, and dropped in on President Donald Trump during his stay.

The Cornerstone Church pastor was visiting the nation's capital for a number of meetings, said spokesman Ari Morgenstern. After meeting with Vice President Mike Pence Friday afternoon, Hagee stopped by the Oval Office to discuss Israel with the president.

RELATED: The White House released Melania Trump's first official portrait and people are noticing something

Hagee, who founded Christians United For Israel, is passionate about the issue and Trump is as well, saying he "stands in solidarity" with the country.

During the campaign, Hagee implied he would vote for Trump, saying, "I'm not going to vote for the party that has betrayed Israel for the past seven years." In 2014, Hagee said former President Barack Obama was one of the most anti-Israel presidents in the country's history.

READ ALSO: Hagee whips crowd into frenzy during Israel rally at Cornerstone Church

"No candidate is perfect but I want you to go vote and may God give us a leader who has the courage to put America first and stand up for 'we the people,'" Hagee said in May 2016.

On Instagram Monday, Hagee said his meeting with the president was successful.

"He was very gracious, very kind and very appreciative of your prayers and support," Hagee said of Trump.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

For four years, San Antonio City Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales has presided over District 5, an exclusively urban area that is densely populated and has long been challenged by high poverty rates, aging infrastructure and crime.

Gonzales said shes acutely aware of those needs and hopes voters will elect her to a third term in the May 6 municipal election so she can continue tackling those issues. She has steadily urged the city to invest more in urban streets and sidewalks. She continues to push for more public safety resources.

While Gonzales reports making some significant strides in her first two terms, some of her challengers say District 5 hasnt shown enough progress.

Gonzales, 44, the owner of longtime West Side business Bills Pawn & Jewelry, faces five opponents in next months election. They are Cynthia T. Cavazos, 45, a hotel housekeeper and a social services coordinator for A Mission of Gods Love; immigration attorney David C. Yanez, 50; Richard Montez, 30, a recruiter at FlexTech; Daniel Lopez Jr., 20, the owner of a newly established construction company, and Dolores Sotomayor, 58, who was until recently the interim president of Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association.

Yanez, Montez, Lopez and Sotomayor are first-time candidates. Cavazos has run for various public offices without success, including Texas governor in 2014 and San Antonio mayor in 2015.

More Information District 5 City Council candidates Shirley Gonzales Age: 44 Occupation: Elected official, District 5 incumbent since 2013; owner of Bill's Pawn & Jewelry Education: MBA from St. Mary's University, 2000; bachelor's degree in business administration with an emphasis in international business, St. Mary's University, 1995. Family: Married, two children Offices held: District 5 city councilwoman, 2013-present; previously held appointed positions on the city's Small Business Advisory Committee and the San Antonio Development Agency Cynthia T. Cavazos Age: 45 Occupation: Hotel housekeeper, social services coordinator at A Mission of God's Love Education: Some college Family: Single, five children Offices held: None David C. Yanez Age: 50 Occupation: Immigration attorney Education: Law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law, 2001; master's degree in city planning from University of Pennsylvania, 1996; bachelor's degree in political science and criminal justice from St. Mary's University, 1993. Family: Single, no children Offices held: None Richard Montez Age: 30 Occupation: Recruiter in human resources at tech company FlexTech Education: Bachelor's degree in political science from St. Mary's University, 2012 Family: Married, two children Offices held: None Daniel Lopez Jr. Age: 20 Occupation: Owner of Dan's Construction, a business started last year with his father Education: Some college; still pursuing a bachelor's degree in government from Liberty University Family: Single, no children Offices held: None Dolores Sotomayor Age: 58 Occupation: Volunteer; until recently, served as interim president of Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association Education: Some college Family: Divorced, six children Offices held: None See More Collapse

All of District 5s turf sits inside of Loop 410, making it the citys most compact territory. Its boundaries extend northward to Culebra Road, southward toward West Southcross Boulevard and Quintana Road, westward to 39th Street and eastward to Interstate 35.

Gonzales knows her constituents demographics well and lists them quickly  93 percent of the district is low income, while 97 percent of its residents are Latinos, mostly Mexican-American.

She said a larger share or perhaps a majority of the citys infrastructure funds should go toward making improvements in urban areas like District 5 instead of dividing that money equally among all 10 council districts.

Our streets, because theyre some of the oldest in the city, dont get the attention that they deserve, Gonzales said recently. We still have many parts of our district that dont have sidewalks, that havent seen street improvements in 50 years. We seem to just not be able to get enough money to fund that.

Because of these concerns, Gonzales has opposed some of the citys annexation efforts.

We keep annexing and going further and further out, and so theres less attention paid to the urban areas, she said.

The citys proposed $850 million bond issue going before voters in the May 6 election includes funding for what Gonzales describes as some significant projects for District 5  a bridge over West Commerce Street, an overpass at Frio City Road and South Zarzamora Street to help drivers avoid railroad traffic.

Gonzales, who was first elected to City Council in 2013, launched the Vision Zero program to reduce traffic fatalities after eight pedestrians were killed or seriously injured by vehicles in District 5 during her first eight months in office. That program was later adopted citywide.

She also secured an additional $3 million to put more street lights in dark neighborhoods. Her district was the first to get an Animal Care Services officer assigned solely to its jurisdiction to respond to reports of stray dogs.

While most of the other candidates did not criticize Gonzales specifically, several of them said District 5 needs to take bigger steps forward.

I think the conversation in our community has been stagnate for a long time, said Montez, a lifelong resident of the district. Weve talked a lot about streets and sidewalks and lighting for many, many years ... We need a broader, more comprehensive approach to solving some of the more pressing issues we face there  particularly poverty, hunger, homelessness.

I think its going to take the willpower of a council person to create collaborations between nonprofit organizations, between community advocates, between other council people, between the mayor, between the city manager, to find the political will to finally start to address some of the issues facing the district.

Montez believes the city hasnt worked closely enough with school districts to address young peoples needs. If elected, he plans to create a youth advisory board so the districts young residents have a voice.

He is also dissatisfied with the deteriorated conditions of some parks in District 5, which he said are not adequately funded. When he kicked off his campaign at Vidaurri Park on the West Side, he recalled, there was only one portable toilet and no working water fountains.

Montez serves as board chairman for the Inner City Development nonprofit on the West Side.

Yanez said District 5 continues to fall further behind while the rest of the city thrives. Both Yanez and Montez said the city needs to do a better job informing residents of its plans and step up efforts to get the publics input.

It seems some areas never got their curbs after 50 years, Yanez said. So I think we owe them something. Theyve paid their taxes ... It shouldnt be that way after this long.

You must have a cooperative nature with all the council people and (City Manager) Sheryl Sculley and say, Hey, lets make some plans, even if its a five- or 10-year plan. Put it on the list, let people know, Hey, youre going to get your sidewalks in 10 years. If it doesnt come through, then they have a way to complain.

Yanez also lamented the low number of banks on the commercial thoroughfares of West Commerce and Zarzamora streets. There is a BBVA Compass branch on South Zarzamora, but he said more banks are needed to stimulate interest and investment.

He called for pushing the corporate community to make bigger investments in the neighborhood.

Yanez has operated his own law practice for five years. He previously worked at Catholic Charities. Before that, he worked for former state senator Leticia Van de Putte.

Cavazos called Gonzales a good councilwoman, but argues the city spends too much money in other areas of town.

I think they need to start spending a little bit more money on District 5, Cavazos said. Not just District 5, but (Councilman Alan) Warricks district, as well as (Councilwoman Rebecca) Viagrans district. Those are the districts that have a lot more people at levels of poverty.

If adequate funding isnt allocated from the city budget to address District 5s infrastructure needs, Cavazos suggested the community could hold fundraisers.

Public records show Cavazos was convicted in Comal County in 2003 for driving while her license was invalid. An unrelated charge of misdemeanor assault filed against her in Bexar County in 1999 was quickly dismissed because of insufficient evidence, public records show. Cavazos said the latter charge was filed when she tried to protect herself from someone who was intoxicated.

She also tried to become a write-in candidate for U.S. President last year, but didnt get enough signatures or pay the fees to become certified as a properly filed write-in candidate.

Lopez, the youngest candidate, wants to improve the West Sides image. His main goals are to expand the districts economic system by bringing back local businesses; boosting education, such as creating pilot programs to help curb school dropout rates and teen pregnancies; and stabilizing the districts roads and drainage systems.

He also wants to ensure that VIA Metropolitan Transits bus stops remain free of cigarette smoke, although a city ordinance already prohibits smoking within 20 feet of bus stops.

Lopez argued that Gonzales focused too much on infrastructure and streets while other needs in District 5 went unaddressed.

Shes a good woman, a smart businesswoman, Lopez said. But I feel as if she hasnt really done much.

Both Lopez and Gonzales agree that the city needs to provide more support to VIA. Gonzales sided with District 4 City Councilman Rey Saldana last year in a failed bid to provide more supplemental funding to VIA that would have ultimately reached up to $10 million annually.

The city can do better when it comes to public transportation, Lopez said. Sometimes when Im driving down Commerce or Old Highway 90 ... I would see a lot of people at bus stops waiting, he said.

Lopez is the owner of Dans Construction, a business he started late last year with his father. He is also pursuing a bachelors degree.

Sotomayor said she is running because she is concerned about the poor conditions of some sidewalks, the lack of street lights and the prevalent crime in District 5.

She also wants to see a larger police presence throughout the district and the city.

If the city manager didnt get paid as much as she got paid, that money could go to someone who in reality does put their life on the line, Sotomayor said, referring to Sheryl Sculleys compensation, which amounts to $450,000 in base pay and could reach up to $100,000 in potential bonuses this year.

The first-time candidate also criticized Gonzales, the incumbent councilwoman. If she was doing a good job, I dont think five people would be running against her, Sotomayor said.

Sotomayor said she was arrested on two separate occasions years ago when she was going by the name Dolores Fragozo  once in the 1980s on what she described as a warrant for bad checks issued in Atascosa County and another time in Bexar County in 1991 for welfare fraud. She said she was not convicted in either case, but was placed on deferred adjudication and completed probation successfully. She denied being at fault in either case.

Sotomayor said she does volunteer work, but is not currently employed. My family helps me, she said.

While Sotomayor was critical of the city manager, the other candidates expressed differing views of Sculley.

Gonzales said she is satisfied with Sculleys job performance, but didnt support Sculleys most recent pay raise and wouldnt support any future raises.

Sheryls a very hard-working woman. Shes really good at her job. And she is paid handsomely to do that, the councilwoman said.

Montez said he values Sculleys expertise and thinks she has done a good job. But he also said City Council has been very weak and has lacked the backbone to stand up to Sculley.

Yanez believes Sculley is trying to apply a Phoenix model style of governing that he said may not work here, referring to the Arizona city where Sculley previously worked as an assistant city manager. She has not really connected to what San Antonio is, he said.

Lopez said Sculley is overpaid and argued the city manager hasnt been supportive of public safety, citing her stance during collective bargaining negotiations with the citys police and fire personnel.

Cavazos said she probably wouldnt remove Sculley from the city managers job if elected.

pohare@express-news.net
With construction underway on the Vista Ridge pipeline, the San Antonio Water System board of trustees voted Tuesday to amend the pipeline contract a third time.

The changes reflect design and engineering tweaks to the pipelines future endpoint off Hardy Oak Boulevard north of Loop 1604 and west of U.S. 281. SAWS officials say the changes will save its customers millions.

At the board meeting Tuesday, SAWS vice president of government affairs and water resources Donovan Burton showed photos of upturned earth and stacked pipe in Guadalupe County. SAWS officials expect construction to proceed in stages over the 142-mile route that begins in Burleson County.

SAWS board chairman Heriberto Berto Guerra Jr. remarked on the photo as a milestone for the project.

For two years, weve been in a pattern of development and wondering if the project would get off the ground, he said. To see that slide of construction is exciting.

Under the original pipeline deal signed in 2014, SAWS agreed to purchase up to 16.3 billion gallons per year from a subsidiary of Spanish conglomerate Abengoa. The water comes from the prolific Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer below Central Texas.

SAWS officials hope the pipeline will deliver up to 20 percent of the citys water supply when water begins flowing in 2020. SAWS ratepayers will pay up to $2.8 billion for the $927 million pipeline, then SAWS will take ownership in 2050.

Facing bankruptcy last year, Abengoa sold 80 percent of its stake in the project to Garney Construction of Kansas City, the firm originally tapped to build the pipeline. The project also involves the Central Texas Regional Water Supply Corp., a nonprofit that is acquiring the property associated with the project. Texas law gives nonprofit water supply corporations the right of eminent domain.

Burton and SAWS President and CEO Robert Puente said in an interview that the changes to the pipelines endpoint will eliminate one tank and pump station, saving ratepayers $15 million, not including maintenance and operation costs. Its an example of SAWS again benefitting from Abengoas misfortune, Puente said.

When (Abengoa) had control over thisthey were going to put us in an area where we would not be able to take advantage of gravity, Puente said. We worked with Garney where we could site the tanks in a position to where gravity can be the power source.

Other changes give the private companies building the pipeline until June to file eminent domain lawsuits to acquire easements from landowners along the route.

Central Texas Water Supply Corp. is trying to get rights to easements from roughly 435 landowners in Burleson, Lee, Bastrop, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Comal and Bexar counties. It now has access to around 75 percent of the route, said its president Weir Labatt, a former San Antonio city councilman and board member of the Edwards Aquifer Authority and Texas Water Development Board.

That number is a rough estimate, Labatt cautioned. He did not know how many eminent domain lawsuits have been filed. Gene Dawson, president of Pape-Dawson Engineers, which is involved in the right-of-way negotiation process, did not return a phone message and email Tuesday asking how many lawsuits have been filed.

I think a lot of them that are potentially being filed right now, were hopeful that many of them will be settled, Labatt said. You can file a legal action, that doesnt preclude you from negotiating a settlement.

Under the contract change, the companies must have rights of possession of the route by October, a timeline that SAWS officials think is appropriate.

Its also going to be a question of how far along are you, Puente said. Were not going to lay a hammer down if theyre just but for a few parcels.  We have good partners and we want to make sure they succeed. Because if they dont succeed, we dont succeed.

At the board meeting, members of the Alamo Group of the Sierra Club faulted SAWS for making another abrupt change to the pipeline contract. The group has opposed Vista Ridge on the grounds that it costs too much, would fuel unsustainable growth and would deplete the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer over time.

Sierra Club member Alan Montemayor said SAWS described the changes in legalese and obfuscating language. Group chair Terry Burns pointed out that the public has been denied access to the hydrology studies and bank statements submitted to SAWS from the private companies.

Its a good system if the goal is to minimize public engagement, Burns said.

bgibbons@express-news.net

Twitter: @bgibbs
About an hour into a mayoral forum hosted by a coalition of local nonprofits, Ivy Taylor and Ron Nirenberg were confronted with a tough philosophical question.

Up to that point, Taylor, the incumbent, and Nirenberg, the challenger who represents District 8 on the council dais, had nimbly addressed nonprofit policy concerns. They talked about how smaller nonprofits can compete for municipal funding, what role the city can play in education and how San Antonio can compensate for possible reductions in federal and state dollars for mental-health services.

But this one question from Megan Legacy, the executive director of SA Christian Hope Resource Center, was different.

Legacy asked Taylor and Nirenberg what they view as the deepest systemic causes of generational poverty in this city. Their answers were revealing.

Taylor, a devout Baptist whose Christian faith is integral to everything she does, framed her answer in spiritual terms. The mayor said she saw chronic poverty as the result of broken people.

Taylor added: Its people not being in relationship with their Creator and therefore not being in good relationship with their families, their communities and not being productive members of society. I think thats the ultimate answer.

Nirenberg, a crusader for civic engagement, took a different angle, casting poverty as a byproduct of a deterioration of connections to institutions that once bonded communities.

If I had to point to one cause, philosophically, it would be the loss of the public common, the sense that were all in this together, Nirenberg said. That has resulted in people not doing a lot of things, such as participating in local elections, such as reading a newspaper, such as doing whatever it is to help with neighborhood associations.

The loss of a common ground, a common purpose for people throughout this city and throughout this community, is a plague on us all.

Mondays forum, co-organized by the Nonprofit Council and Clarity Child Guidance Center, was a rare opportunity to hear from the crucial nonprofit sector  which is always under-resourced and overtaxed  in a format that emphasized thoughtful discussion over political potshots. (Full disclosure: I was the moderator.)

Taylor was raised in a Pentecostal Holiness church but eventually decided that its preoccupation with the hereafter didnt accommodate her belief in the role that people of faith can play in improving the lives of people on earth.

Along those lines, she talked Monday about education being the great equalizer and said, for a variety of reasons, we just have not provided the same opportunities for people to have access to high-quality education, that puts them on the path for careers, in every single part of San Antonio.

Taylor also cited the effects of teen pregnancy on generational poverty, saying, When people are parenting early, that usually means they dont have the opportunity to complete their education. So it ends up being a vicious cycle.

Nirenberg suggested that the smart managing of city growth can have a major, if indirect, impact on chronic poverty.

The more that our city grows, in every which way, without any sense of management, of uniformity, or of even sustainability, he said, the more our infrastructure dollars get stretched, the more a challenge it is for us to even deliver on-time bus service on the South and West sides so families can get home in time to do homework with their kids.

Nirenberg added: The more that we are not able to maintain fixing the potholes in the streets that are in the high-growth areas, it creates a challenge that results in neighborhoods that have seen disinvestment for generations.

After the forum, I caught up with Legacy to get her take on the issue she asked about and to find out if she was satisfied with the answers she got.

I think its really complex, Legacy said. We serve on the West Side and theres a lot of single-parent households, a lot of teen pregnancy, and mental illness is a huge issue. And when youre just trying to feed and house your kids, youre not even thinking about addressing trauma thats going on in the background. Without addressing that, you really cant be productive in your job.

She added, I think both of their answers were true. One is broken families and the other is an infrastructure problem.

Dealing with the root causes, not just the symptoms. Thats what our best nonprofits do. And thats why their voices needed to be heard Monday.

ggarcia@express-news.net

Twitter: @gilgamesh470
These are the responsibility of the editor and convey the newspaper's view on current affairs-both domestic and international

The European Union has given Spain its backing by granting it veto rights over the implementation in Gibraltar of any future agreement with the United Kingdom post-Brexit. But this support, lent to a loyal partner as opposed to an EU member that wants to leave the union, has got a few backs up in London.

Michael Howard, former head of British Conservative Party. EFE

A few ultra-nationalists have completely lost their cool, and with it, the chance to avoid making fools of themselves. A former aide-de-camp to Margaret Thatcher, Michael Howard, has proposed  with apparent solemnity  military action to preserve British sovereignty over the Rock, along the lines of the 1982 conflict in the Falkland Islands. An ageing rear-admiral has added that we have an army that is significantly more powerful and we could cripple Spain in the medium term. And a former conservative minister has suggested playing up to Catalan secessionists as a tool of blackmail against Spain.

Even Prime Minister Theresa May has treated all the saber-rattling and conspiracy theory-oriented commotion as a joke, so no Spaniard should take the bravado seriously. The Mariano Rajoy administration has prudently avoided all temptation of turning this episode into a useless confrontation over sovereignty of the Rock. All Spaniards should put aside that aspect of the dispute (without renouncing any rights) and prioritize solutions to the specific conflicts created by Gibraltar.

Brexiteers agitation over Gibraltar evidences their insecurity regarding the deepest feelings of Gibraltarians

For the populations of Gibraltar and neighboring Andalusia, it is essential to reach cross-border cooperation that will improve travel and working conditions; bolster economic development; go after all kinds of organized crime, from tobacco smuggling to the drug trade; and crack down on tax evasion.

If the most is made of Europes decisive support for Spain, it will be possible to prove that seeking mutual benefits for the affected communities is the best way to improve their well-being and to be more credible. And thus to address, when the time comes, all the pending issues regarding the definitive status of the colony. A de facto co-management of mutually relevant problems is the best way to sew running stitches around a situation of shared sovereignty without even mentioning it.

In the meantime, Brexiteers agitation over Gibraltar evidences their insecurity regarding the deepest feelings of Gibraltarians, who lined up almost 100% with their rivals in the Brexit vote: those who support remaining in the EU. Whats now in play is the very unity of the United Kingdom.

Brexit, even if it is to end in a soft solution, will entail a hard negotiation

And its a sign that Brexit, even if it is to end in a soft solution, will entail a hard negotiation. To the degree that London first sequestered the interests of migrant residents in Europe without consolidating their rights before the negotiation, as the Lords proposed, this forces the EU27 to show equal hardness. Among other matters, on the very sentimental one of Gibraltar. It is not Brussels responsibility. It is Londons fault.

English version by Susana Urra.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa.  Blood-sucking bats, mythical or real-life?

The Philadelphia Zoo is home to 35 such creatures, which can drink up to half their weight in blood a day. Known as common vampire bats, the Desmodus rotundus species weigh only, on average, 42 grams, or roughly 1.5 ounces, but can live up to 30 years.

Quality blood

In 2004, the zoo had difficulty securing quality blood from slaughterhouses and needed to find a new supplier. Barbara Toddes, nutrition program director at the Philadelphia Zoo and a Penn State graduate, reached out to the animal science department at PSU.

Blood is a waste product for the universitys meat lab when it slaughters, so the zoo program puts it to good use, said Toddes.

The blood must be clean. The bats are very sensitive to pathogen contamination, she said. With the blood as their sole source of nutrition, the bats caretakers will quickly notice if there is something wrong with it.

Vampire bat facts There are three species of vampire bats; Common, Desmodus rotundus; White-winged, Diaemus youngi; and Hairy-legged, Diphylla ecaudata Vampire Bats are found from Mexico to Northern Argentina Typically live more than 25 years Wing span is 1314 inches Females are larger and heavier than males Weights vary from 2560 grams, or roughly 1-2 ounces The most agile of bats can run nearly 5 miles an hour They can jump 12 inches Can fly to altitudes of 10,000 feet Bats consume about 13 percent of their body weight in blood per day (humans consume an average 0.7 percent) Source: Barbara Toddes, Philadelphia Zoo nutrition director

Collection

Kirby Eavey, a senior in animal science at Penn State University, has volunteered her time to collect the blood, which feeds the zoos colony.

Eavey is an active member of Block and Bridle and serves as the committee chairman for the clubs Blood for Bats program.

The Block and Bridle Club is an animal sciences organization focusing on livestock and horses. The Blood for Bats program is an ongoing fundraiser for the club.

The zoo supplies a anticoagulant to keep the blood from turning into a semi-solid state, said Eavey, who has been chairing the committee and leading the blood collection for two years.

We collect about 14 liters per cow, usually collecting from three or four [cows] at a time, Eavey said.

The meat lab, a USDA-inspected meat processing facility, collects the blood in 5-gallon buckets that already have the anticoagulant in them, she said. The students pour the blood into pitchers, and then into bottles for the zoo.

The blood is collected in 100 milliliter bottles, which are cleaned on the outside and carefully labeled and frozen.

We make sure to label each bottle with specific information, so the blood can be tracked, Eavey said.

They collect blood about once a month, during the school year.

Feeding

The blood is then transported to the zoo and kept up to six months.

Around six months, the blood starts to break down and can no longer be fed to the bats, Toddes said. They wont drink it, if it has started this breakdown process.

The bats are fed by their caretakers in small dishes, like Petri dishes, she said. They monitor each bats intake once a month, but the caretakers are constantly observing to make sure the bats eat well. If there is something wrong with the blood, the bats will seek water instead.

Members of the Block and Bridle Club visit the zoo once a year and Toddes gives them a behind-the-scenes tour.

The tour gives the students a chance to see the colony they are feeding and see the inner workings of the zoo and animal nutrition, Toddes said.

Since Penn State has been supplying the blood, the bats have never rejected it, she said, something she credits to quality animals and sanitation practices in the lab.

(Reporter Katy Mumaw welcomes feedback by phone at 330-337-3419 or by email at katym@farmanddairy.com.)
April 5 is a key date in the history of the Thiem family. That day, in 2015, the American tourist Denise Pikka Thiem was murdered on the famous pilgrimage route the Santiago Way. And today, exactly two years later, the spotlight was on the eight men and women in Leon who, just after 1pm, read out their verdict as a jury on the guilt or otherwise of the only defendant in the murder trial , Miguel Angel Munoz.

The only suspect in the case, Miguel Angel Munoz, during his trial. J. Casares (EFE)

The jury found the accused guilty of killing the pilgrim, a decision that brings to a close a trial that has lasted more than three weeks and during which more than 100 witnesses took the stand. All that is left now is that, in the next few days, the Leon provincial High Court passes sentence on the convicted man. The prosecutor has called for 25 years in prison, while the private prosecution wants 27.

The prosecutor has called for 25 years in prison, while the private prosecution wants 27

Prosecutors say Thiem was murdered the same day she went missing while walking alone along a stretch in Leon between Astorga and El Ganso. The 41-year-old victim is believed to have taken a detour and became lost on her way back to the main road because she followed a yellow arrow  used to indicate the official route  that took her down another path leading to Munozs home. He is believed to have placed this phony marker himself to lure pilgrims. Other women have reported being harassed in the same area.

An autopsy report found that Pikka Thiem was beaten with a stick, then finished off with a knife wound to her throat. Her hands were later cut off and never been found. Her body was located in September 2015, after the search was renewed following public revelations that US Senator John McCain had offered Spain help from the FBI to solve the case  an offer Spain ultimately refused.

Two other women who also walked the pilgrimage trail had previously reported being assaulted along the same stretch of road by a man matching Munozs description.

A photo of Denise Pikka Thiem while on the Camino de Santiago pilgrim trail. Facebook

The media coverage of McCains offer led the Spanish police to launch a massive search operation that led to Munozs arrest within days. After his arrest in September 2015, the prosecution was facilitated by Munozs immediate confession of the crime.

Police witnesses during the trial said that Munoz broke down in tears while under interrogation. At one point, he crouched down and began to cry, whimpering, What have I done? Another police officer revealed that during his interrogation Munoz agreed to take them to the spot where he had buried Thiem, saying: Calm down, calm down, Ill take you there.

The 41-year-old victim is believed to have taken a detour and became lost on her way back to the main road

We wouldnt have found the body if he had not told us where it was, said the Astorga police chief who headed the investigation. He even boasted that if it hadnt been for him, we wouldnt have found it, said one expert witness.

Later, the suspect retracted his confession, with his lawyer claiming that Munoz had been pressured by the police into confessing. Munoz refused to testify during the trial, saying: Im not going to answer any questions, neither from the prosecution or from my lawyer.

Munoz is going to lie to you, because he has lied in the past, said the prosecutor at the beginning of the trial. This is a case of murder because there was malice. Denise was a slight woman, 1.55 meters tall, a foreigner in an unfamiliar spot. And she suffered a savage surprise attack. The victims body was found thanks to the defendants indications.

English version by Nick Lyne and Simon Hunter.
Chicken Farmers of Canada is proud to announce the election of the 2017 Executive Committee. The elections followed the annual general meeting and the 15-member Board of Directors, made up of farmers and other stakeholders from the chicken industry, has chosen the following representatives:

Benoit Fontaine, Chair (Stanbridge Station, Quebec)

Hailing from Stanbridge Station, Quebec, Benoit Fontaine, Chair of Chicken Farmers of Canada, most recently served as the 1st Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee. He first joined the Board of Directors in 2013 as an alternate, and became the Quebec Director in 2014. He farms in the Lac Champlain area and raises chicken and turkeys. A former high school Canadian history teacher, and 2ndgeneration chicken farmer, Benoit has also been heavily involved in the Union des producteurs agricoles since 1999. Benoit has also served on Chicken Farmers of Canadas Policy Committee and the Production Committee.

Derek Janzen, 1st Vice-Chair (Aldergrove, British Columbia)

Derek Janzen, 1st Vice-Chair, and his wife Rhonda have farmed in the Fraser Valley since 1998. They currently produce 1.4 million Kgs of chicken annually and manage 22,000 commercial laying hens. Prior to farming, Derek worked for B.C.s largest poultry processor for nearly nine years. He worked his way up from driving delivery truck to sales and marketing where he took the position of Major Accounts Manager. Dereks experience in the processing industry has served him well with his board involvement. Derek has held various positions on a variety of boards including Chair of the B.C. Egg Producers Association and also was appointed by the Minister of Agriculture as a member of the Farm Industry Review Board, B.C.s supervisory board. Derek enjoys being involved in the industry and is excited to represent B.C. at the Chicken Farmers of Canada.

Nick de Graaf, 2nd Vice-Chair (Port Williams, Nova Scotia)

Nick de Graaf is a third-generation poultry farmer in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia operating the farm founded by his Dutch grandfather in the early 1960s. Today the farm produces more than 660,000 chickens, and 67,000 turkeys per year. Nick is also part of Innovative Poultry Group (IPG). IPG farms 55,000 broiler breeders and owns Maritime Chicks, a new, state-of-the-art hatchery employing the HatchCare system. In addition to poultry, Nick grows more than 1,600 acres of wheat, corn and soybeans. He is self-sufficient in the production of corn and soybeans for his on-farm feed mill where he processes poultry feeds for his own flocks. Nick is in his 8th year as a Director with Chicken Farmers of Nova Scotia. He has participated in Chicken Farmers of Canada as an Alternate Director and as a member of the Policy Committee. Nick and his wife, Trudy, have three children and two grandchildren.

Tim Klompmaker, Executive Member (Norwood, Ontario)

Tim Klompmaker lives in Norwood, Ontario and was elected to the Chicken Farmers of Canada Board in 2017. Tim started farming in 1984 along with his wife Annette and his three sons. He is a third generation chicken farmer with the fourth generation already in place and running chicken farms of their own. Tim served as a District Committee Representative for Chicken Farmers of Ontario before being elected to the Ontario Board in 2000. He served as CFC Alternate Representative for Ontario from 2012-2013, and has represented Ontario on the CFC Production Committee, the AMU Working Committee, and at NFACC. He has also served as 1st Vice-Chair of Chicken Farmers of Ontario.

The Board looks forward to continuing its work together, ensuring that Canadas chicken industry continues to deliver on consumer expectations for excellence. With an eye to the future, Chicken Farmers of Canada will work with all its partners, ensuring clear, common goals for the future, and setting a solid path and purpose for all stakeholders, and for generations of chicken farmers to come.

Canadians want Canadian chicken, so we deliver them fresh, locally-raised food, just the way they like it. Our farmers are a stabilizing force in rural Canada, where they can  and do  reinvest with confidence in their communities, but their contribution is much wider. In sum, we are part of Canadas economic solution, and do so without subsidies, and are very proud of both.

Chicken Farmers of Canada introduced its Raised by a Canadian Farmer brand in 2013 to showcase the commitment of farmers to provide families with nutritious chicken raised to the highest standards of care, quality and freshness.

People care deeply about their food, about knowing where it comes from and that what theyre serving to their family and friends is of the highest quality; our farmers and their families are no different. So when we say that the Canadian chicken industry is good for Canadians, its because we know that were raising our chickens to the highest standards: yours.

Source: Chicken Farmars of Canada
"All we've done at this stage is what they call opening up, we've gone through and loaded a track through on most roads so that people can get through, we've done some temporary crossings through floodways just to give people access and we've done a little more obviously on school bus routes.
More information Un disenador mexicano pone de moda la resistencia contra Trump

Mexican fashion designer Ricardo Seco, 50, was received in the United States with a warning: Dont even mention that youre from Mexico, or that your designs come from there, he recalls being told. He landed in New York six years ago, with the dream of making a career for himself in the fashion industry.

At that point, Donald Trump was only famous for his millions. But now that being Mexican constitutes a source of confrontation with the new president, the designer feels it is necessary, more than ever, to raise his voice.

And so he is making, quite literally, fashion statements. Seco took his provocative messages to the New York Fashion Week, held in February. His collection included a coat in the colors of the Mexican flag and the embroidered slogan: Proud Mexican immigrant. He also made jackets with the Mexican flag on one side and another countrys flag on the other. He sewed quotes by 19th-century Mexican president Benito Juarez and messages in honor of Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain, into military-style jackets.

Being a Mexican abroad will always be difficult

Ricardo Seco, designer

It has had an exposure that no other collection ever had, both in social networks and in sales, he explains over the telephone. It had a global impact. I had never been stopped on the subway before over one of my collections.

But rather than calling it a matter of good timing, he would rather use the Greek term Kairos, which alludes to an opportune moment. And the moment is ripe: never before had defending ones Latino roots been as trendy as it is now, thanks to Trumps attacks since even before he became president.

At one of the presentations of his collection, which is named Juntos (Together), he overheard a girl tell her friend: I would so wear that right now!

His clothes are aimed at a Millenial audience, because, as he explains, they were not born with the malinchismo [a term for someone who prefers foreign things to those from his own country] that we were born with; they are more unique, not so easy to convince, they have to feel it.

In general, however, the collection is for people with a pro-positive attitude.

Amazon US sells this costume on its website.

Seco remembers that when he began the collection in July 2016, many colleagues told him: Dont do it, youre going to get deported.

Youre turning into an activist, a designer wouldnt do that, said others.

And it wasnt easy, because, as he says, a migrant in the US must always live with that fear of deportation, of returning to ones country of origin with the sense of being a loser.

But a successful career gives him the strength to reply: It seems like a designer cannot speak, cannot say what he thinks, must wear that mask depicting him as an outlandish or superficial character. But fashion is also a reflection of what is going on in the streets  only, in this case, from the vantage point of a Latino and his personal circumstances.

In the meantime, Seco has also launched a project called Yo soy Mexico to help Mexican photographers, designers and models who cross the border with the same dreams as himself did six years ago.

Being a Mexican abroad will always be difficult. It is common to feel belittled. But it is necessary to show Mexicos talent without fear.

Other cases

Seco is not the only designer to embrace Mexican nationalism in the face of verbal aggression from the US government. Shirts and jackets bearing the slogan Mexico is the shit, which means that Mexico is amazing, according to its creators, have become an urban trend.

It seems like Donald Trump has given a new impulse to political expression through fashion. Recently, an LA-born man with Latino roots published a letter complaining about a costume being sold on Amazon, which he described as racist. The costume mimicks a brick wall and bears the slogan : Mexico will pay!

English version by Susana Urra.
'Sounds of the 60s' radio presenter Brian Matthew has passed away at the age of 88.

Brian Matthew

The veteran BBC Radio 2 broadcaster died on Tuesday evening (04.04.17) just a few months after stepping down from his job due to ill health.

Brian's family released a statement confirming the sad news, which read: "Our beloved Brian Matthew passed away last night. We ask that our privacy is respected at this time."

Tony Hall, BBC Director-General, has paid tribute to Brian's contribution to the corporation which he he joined in 1954, describing him as a "true broadcasting great".

He said: "Brian Matthew was an outstanding broadcaster who entertained and engaged millions over generations. He had a wonderful style of delivery and a real connection with his listeners.

"Brian was a true broadcasting great. We will all miss him and of course, that voice."

Bob Shennan, Director of BBC Radio and Music and former BBC Radio 2 Controller, also praised the late DJ, saying: "Brian was a radio legend. For decades, his voice was the sound of Saturday mornings, giving pleasure to listeners on 'Sounds of the 60s' with his wit and warmth. He will be sorely missed."

Brian was one of the UK's most popular and beloved presenters and he delighted listeners on Saturday mornings for 27 years when he played the nation's favourite songs on 'Sounds of the 60s' and shared his memories of the decade which gave us The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan.

He was one of the first DJs on Radio 2, and hosted shows such as 'Saturday Club', 'Thank Your Lucky Stars' and 'Late Night Extra', but he is probably best known for presenting the long-running 'Round Midnight' programme which won the 1987 Pulitzer Publishing Award.

In 1990 he received a Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Outstanding Contribution to Radio.

Brian stepped down from hosting 'Sounds of the 60s' due to ill health earlier this year. Brian had presented the show since April 1990, and presented his last full show on November 19.

On Saturday 25 February, Brian presented his final show, a compilation of his favourite moments from his time at Radio 2.

In a change to schedules, a special tribute programme looking back over Brian's illustrious broadcasting career, will be aired on Friday 7 April from 7-8pm presented by former Radio 2 controller Jim Moir.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, bonded with a 12-year-old hospice patient during a visit to a London theatre.

Duchess Catherine

The 35-year-old royal stunned in a red gown on Tuesday (04.04.17) as she attended the opening night of '42nd Street' at the Theatre Royal in London in aid of East Anglia Children's Hospice (EACH).

When she arrived, she was handed a programme by hospice patient Ollie Duell, whose night was made when he got the chance to speak to the brunette beauty.

The young boy said before meeting her: "I feel very good about meeting Kate. She's very pretty and I want to talk to her about the hospice and how I like going there. I also want to tell her about Pokemon."

According to Hello! magazine, Ollie then spoke to Duchess Catherine, and told her how "fun" it was at the hospice.

He said: "I said the hospice was fun and I told her I'd never been [to the theatre] before so I was excited."

Catherine - who has three-year-old son Prince George and 23-month-old daughter Princess Charlotte with her husband Prince William - was also presented with golden tap shoes by the shows co-producers Michael Grade and Michael Linnit.

They told the audience as the presented the Duchess with her gift: "We all would like to thank you all for the magnificent reception to our little show tonight. More specifically we would like to thank the Duchess of Cambridge for making our very special evening a very memorable occasion."

Duchess Catherine has been the royal patron of EACH since 2012, and has since played a vital role in raising awareness and understanding of children's hospice services across East Anglia and the rest of the UK.

EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions. Their specialist services include nursing care, symptom management support, wellbeing activities, and therapy and counselling.
Prince Harry has remembered his late mother Princess Diana in an emotional speech in honour of International Mine Awareness Day.

Prince Harry

The late royal was tragically killed in a car crash in Paris, France, in 1997, and just a few months before her death she was seen walking across a mine field in Angola as she campaigned for the world to be free of land mines.

Now, her 32-year-old son Prince Harry is continuing her work as he hosted a meeting at Kensington Palace on Tuesday (04.04.17) which called for the world to have completely banned the use of land mines by 2025.

Before making his speech, Harry introduced two men - named Malic and Zarko - to the audience, and revealed they had both met Princess Diana as young boys after they both lost legs to land mines in Bosnia.

Prince Harry said in his speech: "She shared their stories with the world, and helped campaigners - many of whom are in this room - to change history.

"Those two young boys, Malic and Zarko, are now grown men and are with us today. 20 years on, they both still struggle with their physical and emotional injuries and with the high costs of replacing their prosthetics.

"When my mother said goodbye to Zarko that August, just weeks before her untimely death, she told him he would not be forgotten.

"Please help me keep her word to Zarko and Malic, and other people like them throughout the world, who still need us to finish the job and rid the planet of landmines.

"Collectively we have the knowledge, skill, and resources to achieve it, so let's make future generations proud."

And Zarko, who is now 33 and unemployed, recalled meeting Harry's mother as he spoke to the flame-haired royal after his speech.

He told Harry: "I was so surprised when I saw her. I could not believe my eyes - it was a princess, wearing blue jeans.

"I remember her words when she was leaving. She told us, 'You are not going to be forgotten.'

"What she said gave me a lot of strength whenever I have had hard times.

"When she got killed I could not believe it. I felt like a part of me had disappeared. I had a sinking feeling."

Meanwhile, Prince Harry also praised the efforts of his mother, saying that despite the backlash she received for bringing to light a topic that wasn't "universally popular", she continued her work in order to help people.

He said: "At the time, the attention my mother brought to this issue wasn't universally popular. Some believed she had stepped over the line into the arena of political campaigning. But for her this wasn't about politics; it was about people."
Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

Google Ad

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

Google Ad

The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces

LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan

Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh
A collection of gifts received by Queen Elizabeth during her reign are set to be showcased in a new exhibition.

Queen Elizabeth

The 90-year-old monarch has amassed a large collection of gifts during her whopping 65-year reign, and now more than 250 official presents that were once handed to the monarch are set to be placed on display at Buckingham Palace.

Visitors to the yearly summer opening of the state rooms at the London residence will be able to view the gifts, which have been given to the Queen during various overseas tours, official engagements, and state visits, and come from over 100 countries around the world.

The gifts include a totem pole made by the Kwakiutl people of Canada's north-west coast, a London Underground sign with "Buckingham Palace" written on it which the Queen picked up during a tour of Aldgate Station in 2010, and a beaded throne gifted to the royal by the Queen of Nigeria in 1956.

Also included in the exhibition is a model of the Vessel of Friendship ship sailed by the 15th-century Chinese navigator and diplomat Zheng He, given to Queen Elizabeth during a state visit to China in 2015 by President Xi Jinping.

The Royal Gifts exhibition forms part of the Summer Opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace from July 22 to October 1 2017.

Meanwhile, it was revealed earlier this year that the Queen received gifts including a purple bag of salt from the British Virgin Islands whilst Withyham parish in East Sussex, England offered the monarch a padded union flag with the words "Now we are Ninety" on it in commemoration of her 90th birthday last year.

A DVD titled 'Three Cheers for the Queen' was also included as a present, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police gifted the Queen a horse called Sir John, whilst the Royal Cavalry of Oman presented the British royal with a bronze statue of 40 horses and a carriage.
Moira Rutherford has lived in Turkey for ten years having moved here in 2007. She soon became involved in caring for the many street animals and joined a local charity in Kalkan.

Just Josh

Just Josh is her first published book

What is the book about?

A young pup finds himself alone on the busy D400 after being abandoned as an unwanted puppy. The story is told as if by the dog and is both humourous, emotional and full of positivity. Recounting all the traumas and joys he encounters on his journey to find a forever home.

As well as telling the story of Josh, the aim of the book is to give people a greater understanding of how animals can feel and encourage more support worldwide for animal welfare.

About the author

Moira Rutherford was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, then relocated to a village in the Bedfordshire/Buckinghamshire area. Moira trained as a nurse and progressed to Senior Midwifery Tutor, gaining great respect in her field from both colleagues and students. She retired to Kalkan in 2007 to live near her daughter and publisher, Karyn Rutherford.

Having settled into the gentle pace of Kalkan life, she became a member of the charity KAPSA, (Kalkan Association of the Protection of Street Animals), which works endlessly to neuter and promote the health and well being of all street animals.

Moira took a special interest in the dogs that couldnt be left to live on the street and were difficult to rehome. She promoted her cause by blogging about these dogs on FaceBook.

Just Josh Confidential

One dog, Josh, was given his own face book page  Just Josh Confidential  which quickly attracted attention and had a huge following for the whole fourteen months of the daily blog.

Fans became involved in his plight and provided much needed funds for medical, foster and emigration costs that were too costly for the charity that had funded all his care up until that time.

The blog became the first read of the day for many and he was inundated with daily messages. His followers shed many a tear but there were also lots of smiles at his humour, and verse writing.

Where can you buy the book?

The book is available to buy from Lulu.com

Some of the 5* reviews on Lulu.com (UK Store)

Yvonne White 20-Mar-2017 Just Josh is a wonderful narrative of how hard it is for every unwanted dog to find a forever home. Written as if by Josh himself, Moira brings him into your heart and mind in such a way that it is almost impossible to not read in just one or two sittings. The book has happy, sad and funny moments but the overriding feel is one of positivity; no matter what life throws at you, staying positive and having hope are lifes strongest supports, whether canine or human. Buy it, read it, and I dare you not to shed a tear at some point, probably several points. Well done Moira, you have done Josh proud!

Tony Saunders 16-Mar-2017 A lovely story which pulls at the heartstrings and challenges the emotions. Difficult to put down and definitely a book for dog lovers.

Matthew Day 13-Mar-2017 This is a beautifully written true story about Josh the street dog, dumped as a puppy, his injuries and recovery, and his eventual arrival at his forever home and golden basket in Holland, with a fan club of bloggers cheering him on all the way through. Congratulations to author Moira Rutherford for her wonderfully candid account of Joshs journey to happiness.

Joan Bishop 10-Mar-2017 The heart warming story as told by Josh. How from being dumped in Turkey as a puppy he found his forever home in Holland. His story covers his struggles of life on the streets, losing a leg as a result of an accident, and how he seemed destined to spend his life as an unwanted street dog. That was however until Moira came into his life and took Josh to her heart. She gave him a voice in the form of his daily blogs, it wasnt long before he had an army of followers far and wide and soon became a celebrity. He now spends his days safe, happy and loved by a wonderful family in Holland.

Dianne Wheeler 08-Mar-2017 This book is one of the reasons people should always adopt a rescue dog. It makes the reader laugh and of course, cry as you follow Josh on his journey from the streets of a small Turkish village to his forever home finally in Holland. The fact that it is a true story narrated by Moira Rutherford in a way that makes you feel part of the adventure. Just Josh Confidential Facebook page went all over the world and this book brings it all together for all animal lovers to read no matter where they live. Thank you Moira for putting Joshs life in a book. A movie must be next! Thank you to all the people who helped in every way to get him where he is now!
MAS Holdings, a global apparel technology and manufacturing company, has decided to set up its first manufacturing and development centre in the US in Randolph County. The exercise will create 133 new jobs. The company plans to invest nearly $20 million in the facility in Asheboro, providing additional payroll impact exceeding $ four million annually.

MAS Holdings, a global apparel technology and manufacturing company, has decided to set up its first manufacturing and development centre in the US in Randolph County. The exercise will create 133 new jobs. The company plans to invest nearly $20 million in the facility in Asheboro, providing additional payroll impact exceeding $ four million annually.#

This was announced by Governor Roy Cooper. "North Carolina enjoys a worldwide reputation as a center for textile research and workers. Our excellent business climate and location offer international firms an ideal place to reach and serve customers in the United States," Cooper said.

MAS Holdings, a global apparel technology and manufacturing company, has decided to set up its first manufacturing and development centre in the US in Randolph County. The exercise will create 133 new jobs. The company plans to invest nearly $20 million in the facility in Asheboro, providing additional payroll impact exceeding $ four million annually.#

MAS Holdings is an innovative textile company headquartered in Sri Lanka, employing more than 85,000 associates worldwide. It operates 48 state-of-the-art facilities in 15 countries including design offices, apparel and component manufacturing plants and private industrial parks. Recently, the company has been working to integrate technology into clothing, partnering with startup companies in the Silicon Valley region of California and in New York in the fields of wearable technology and health and wellness.

MAS Holdings, a global apparel technology and manufacturing company, has decided to set up its first manufacturing and development centre in the US in Randolph County. The exercise will create 133 new jobs. The company plans to invest nearly $20 million in the facility in Asheboro, providing additional payroll impact exceeding $ four million annually.#

The company's selection of a North Carolina location includes a pending acquisition of Acme-McCrary, a 108-year-old textile manufacturer, currently located in Asheboro with additional facilities in Chatham County and the Republic of Honduras. The company produces legwear and active wear for large US retailers.

MAS Holdings, a global apparel technology and manufacturing company, has decided to set up its first manufacturing and development centre in the US in Randolph County. The exercise will create 133 new jobs. The company plans to invest nearly $20 million in the facility in Asheboro, providing additional payroll impact exceeding $ four million annually.#

Mahesh Amalean, chairman of MAS Holdings stated, "Our presence in the Western Hemisphere enables us to strengthen our value propositions of speed and flexibility offered through on-shore and near-shore operations to our customers. It also enables us to engage and strengthen our continued association with academia and research institutions in the US."

MAS Holdings, a global apparel technology and manufacturing company, has decided to set up its first manufacturing and development centre in the US in Randolph County. The exercise will create 133 new jobs. The company plans to invest nearly $20 million in the facility in Asheboro, providing additional payroll impact exceeding $ four million annually.#

WH Redding, chairman of Acme-McCrary stated, "MAS Holdings brings to North Carolina an exemplary corporate culture and a growing business. Their concern for environmental impact is world class and keeping and growing textile jobs in North Carolina is exciting."

MAS Holdings, a global apparel technology and manufacturing company, has decided to set up its first manufacturing and development centre in the US in Randolph County. The exercise will create 133 new jobs. The company plans to invest nearly $20 million in the facility in Asheboro, providing additional payroll impact exceeding $ four million annually.#

A performance-based grant of $575,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help facilitate MAS Holdings' location into Randolph County. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance to support local government efforts to attract economic investment and create jobs. (SV)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Mutoh Belgium, a subsidiary of Mutoh Holdings Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, involved in the sale of Mutoh hardware like professional sign cutting plotters and large-format full-colour piezo printers for commercial inkjet printing, sign & display, and direct-to-garment applications, has launched the ValueJet 1604WX (VJ-1604WX) wide format dye sublimation printer.Available immediately, the new single head high quality 64 (162 cm) wide budget-friendly dye sublimation printer will fit the needs of start-up and established businesses looking for a wider printer to increase their portfolio of digital transfer decoration, fashion and objects. The new Mutoh VJ-1604WX offers an excellent return on investment performance.

Mutoh Belgium, a subsidiary of Mutoh Holdings Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, involved in the sale of Mutoh hardware like professional sign cutting plotters and large-format full-colour piezo printers for commercial inkjet printing, sign & display, and direct-to-garment applications, has launched the ValueJet 1604WX (VJ-1604WX) wide format dye sublimation printer.#

Standard delivered with a motorised 30 kg take-up system and professional RIP software, the affordable ValueJet 1604WXCMYK printer is suited for volume production runs as well as short print runs of high quality in-store textile decoration and displays, textile banners, pop-ups, sportswear, personalised home decoration, gadgets, transfer to rigid objects like mugs, cups, mouse pads, snowboards, etc.Engineered & manufactured in Japan, the VJ-1604WX integrates the proven and multi-awarded Mutoh ValueJet print technology & reliability. Featuring a high level of operator comfort, print production efficiency as well as high print quality and precision, the compact ValueJet 1604WX includes a variable drop 8 channel print head, allowing output resolutions up to 1440 x 1440 dpi. The piezo print head is capable of firing drops from 3.5 pl up to 21 pl.Delivering typical production speeds up to 22 square metres/hour at 360 x 1080 dpi (3 Pass); the ValueJet1604WX will print on common dye sublimation transfer papers and can handle 2 and 3 core rolls. The printer comes with a stand, a non-motorised roll-off system and a motorised winder system for media rolls up to 30 kg, for straight winding of finished prints, which is particularly important for easy after-treatment.The ValueJet 1604WX printer uses Mutohs genuine DS2-series dye sublimation inks which are 100 per cent VOC free. The DS2-series inks can be used for transfer paper printing - transfer to polyester or mixed fibre fabrics or transfer to pre-treated rigid substrates. Additionally, the DS2 inks can also be used for direct printing onto polyester or mixed fibre fabrics. (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The next schedule of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmavati is about to go on floors and apart from the controversial past few weeks, theres a lot more excitement around this magnum opus. The latest news is that reportedly, Deepika Padukone had secret recce trips to Chittorgarh, Rajasthan as preparation for her role in the film. Deepika made a few hush hush trips to Chittorgarh where she travelled to the historic city without her team. The actress walked around the streets and researched on local history to get the feel and nuance of her character of Rani Padmini.



Insiders from the movie revealed, Deepika is leaving no stone unturned for Padmavati. Shes doing extensive research to get her portrayal of the beautiful queen. She last shot for the film in November and December 2016.



Sanjay Leela Bhansalis magnum opus Padmavati has been the talk of the town ever since the film was announced. Initially, there were differences among the lead actors, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor which made us wonder if the film would ever go on floors. However, that problem was solved following which the sets of the film were burnt in Jaipur earlier this year and then in Kolhapur a couple of months back. The members of the Karni Sena were responsible for vandalising the sets and even attacking the filmmaker. Padmavati is slated to release in November 2017.
Armenian Ombudsman meets with CoE Secretary General in Strasbourg

Armenian Ombusdman Arman Tatoyan met with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjrn Jagland in Strasbourg. During the meeting, the two men discussed the activity of the Ombudsmans Office in the organization and conduct of the parliamentary elections held in Armenia on April 2. Arman Tatoyan presented the principles and priorities of the activity of a working group created for that purpose. They also discussed the complaints and reports about violations, as well as measures taken to address the problems. Arman Tatoyan also briefed the CoE Secretary General on Azerbaijani forces attack on the Armenian village Chinari inTavush region in December. The Armenian Ombudsman voiced his concerns over possible threats stemming from anti-Armenian policies, particularly emphasizing potential hazards to the European institutions, including the Council of Europe. Mr Tatoyan stressed that by chasing international experts, EU delegates and journalists, Azerbaijan cannot achieve any results and added that international human rights organizations should be actively engaged in Artsakh. The Armenian Ombudsman further addressed the reports published by his office. He also briefed the European official on the fact-finding activities initiated by Artsakh Ombudsman Ruben Melikyan. Thorbjrn Jagland attached importance to the stance of the Human Rights Defender and the work carried out in the sector. The sides agreed to continue cooperation and take measures aimed at implementing the agreements reached at the meeting.
Birthday Girl

Lisa Ray celebrated her 45th birthday on April 4th.

Ageing In Reverse

Despite being 45 years old, Lisa Ray looks as though she's in her twenties!

Born To Be Wild

Lisa Ray in unpredictable and is born to be wild. She's blessed to look and feel young all the time.

Nomad

In an interview Lisa Ray proudly proclaimed that she's a nomad and said, "I was born to be a nomad."

Globetrotter

Lisa Ray is a globetrotter and has visited far flung places across the globe.

Celebrating All Festivals

Lisa Ray who was brought up in Toronto, Canada says she happily celebrates both Christmas and Durga Puja.

A Fighter

Lisa Ray is a cancer survivor and she now helps in spreading cancer awareness.

Indo-Canadian

Lisa Ray is an Indo-Canadian model turned actress who is well known on both sides of the continent.

Hard To Believe

It's truly hard to believe that Lisa Ray is now 45 years old. She still looks drop dead gorgeous like she was in her twenties.

Fitness Freak

Lisa Ray is a fitness freak and has been working out regularly all her adult life.

None Like Her

A lot of model turned actresses come and go, but there's surely none like Lisa Ray.

Spiritual

Lisa Ray had attended the two day event of His Holiness Dalai Lama in Delhi which teaches about humanity.

Happy Birthday

We wish Lisa Ray a very happy birthday and many many more to come!
Polish model and actress Angela Krislinzki, who courted attention with her statements about her bonding with Hrithik Roshan, has apologised to the actor that her words were taken out of context. In an interview to a newspaper, Angela claimed that she worked with Hrithik in a commercial, and how she bonded with him and is inspired by him.

Hrithik was shocked by such claims, and took to Twitter on Tuesday to post: "My dear lady, who are you and why are you lying."

In response to Hrithik's stance, Angela apologised for all the confusion.

In a statement posted on Twitter, she wrote: "I respect you a lot sir and I am sorry for such misleading headlines. It's really hurtful. I have admired you as an actor just like millions others but I have been fortunate enough to work with you in two TVCs."

She explained: "When I say mentor I meant someone who inspired my life in right direction... This all began during the press meet of my film, someone asked me how I thought of entering acting inspite of foreign looks, so I replied when I was shooting with Hrithik Roshan, his few inspirational words inspired me."

"The article only speaks about how inspirational you have been to me just like you have been to million others. I would like to apologise for any inconvenience occurred to you."

Hrithik then responded: "Yes, misleading headlines indeed. Graceful of you to clarify and apologise though. Wishing you the best for your career."
Rakhi's Explanation!

"I just gave an example from what I have read in my childhood about Valmiki," said Rakhi Sawant.

Rakhi Not Arrested

Kunwar Vijay Partap, Police Commissioner of Ludhiana confirmed that there have been no arrests made.

No Arrests Made

DCP of Ludhiana, Dhruman Nimbale also revealed that no arrests have been made so far.

Controversial

Rakhi Sawant has made several controversial statements before and all of them were whacky!

Issues With Mika

Rakhi Sawant had said that Mika Singh is now a changed man just like Valmiki and things turned into fire.

Fake News

Several major news outlets broke out the news saying Rakhi Sawant has been arrested and it's fake news.

Controversy Queen

Rakhi Sawant thrives in controversy as all the attention falls on her.

I'm Not Salman Khan

Rakhi Sawant said that she's not Salman Khan and arresting her will fetch nothing.

MMS

Just recently, a MMS video leaked online showcasing someone who looks like Rakhi Sawant changing clothes.

It's Not Me

Rakhi Sawant revealed that the girl in the MMS clip is not her.
'If I Open A Chain Of Restaurants..'

"I know it sounds very girlish (Smiles). But then, I'm all for empowerment of women. I want to be equal to women. I want to go higher up to their level, instead of thinking that they have to go higher. But I genuinely want to cook. Imagine, if I open a chain of restaurants and stores, kitna business karunga main (smiles)."

SRK Reveals The Reason Behind The Name 'Red Chillies'

Shahrukh Khan further reveals, "Having said that, Juhi Chawla once asked me, Why have you named your company, Red Chillies?' And I was like, just in case film-making fails, I'll open a restaurant by the same name. Red Chillies Restaurant toh chalega hi."

Lol! Dear Shahrukh, you're a genius, hence proved!

Shahrukh Khan Expresses His Love For Cooking

"I have been telling my friends and colleagues that once I learn cooking, I'd love to call them over and serve them, because I love doing that."

SRK Thinks Of Acting Too As 'Serving' & Here's How..

"I think of acting too as serving'. As an actor, when you serve and present your acting, you hope people like and enjoy it as much as you enjoyed making it [the film]. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.

"Plus, you don't impose yourself on people and be like accha laga ya nahi? (did you like it or not?). You just serve. I like to serve people in the house."

SRK Says He's Not Intentionally Experimenting With Roles

In his last three films, Shahrukh Khan was seen experimenting with his roles. But Shahrukh has got totally a different take on that and says, "No, it [doing different kinds of films] is not like it was a planned decision. The actual line-up was supposed to be Happy New Year, Raees, Dilwale (2015) and Fan, before Imtiaz's (Ali) film and Aanand L Rai's next.

SRK Wanna Maintain A Mix

In the same interview, Shahrukh Khan also revealed that he's trying to maintain a mix of offbeat films and commercial ones as he loves 'Happy New Year' kind of movie as much as 'Dear Zindagi' kind of offbeat films.

I'm Not A Serious Actor

"Some days, I'm really happy to do a HNY, or a Chennai Express. I enjoy them. They are great fun, and I like them because it's not that I am a serious actor and I won't do those films," says Shahrukh Khan.

SRK Doesn't Like To Take A Break & Here's Why..

When Shahrukh Khan was asked, how come he worked the entire year, without taking break, he said, "That's because I can't wait, as I like to keep working. I can't sit at home waiting for six months because then I change my state of mind.

SRK Further Adds..

"After wrapping up HNY and Chennai Express, I really wanted to do something different. [The shoot for] Raees started but it got delayed by nine months due to my injury. Then, Fan was supposed to release in August (in 2015) but VFX took one-and-a-half year. We didn't realise that it (VFX work) would take that long."

Gear Up For SRK's Next

On the work front, Shahrukh Khan will be next seen in Imtiaz Ali's upcoming love story, which also casts Anushka Sharma in the lead role.
1971 Beyond Borders, the Mohanlal starring war movie is all set to hit the theatres on April 7th, Friday. As per the latest reports, 1971 Beyond Borders is all set to have a major release in Kerala.

The team confirmed that the Mohanlal movie will be released in about 170 screens in Kerala alone, on April 7. The outside Kerala theatre count is expected to be revealed soon.

Reportedly, the makers are planning to release only the Malayalam version of 1971 Beyond Borders, on April 7. The team is yet to finalise Tamil and Telugu language release date of the Mohanlal movie.

1971 Beyond Borders is releasing in Telugu under the title 1971 Bharatha Sathiradu. According to the sources close to the project, the makers are yet to finalise the title of the Tamil version of the movie.

Mohanlal is appearing in a double role, as Colonel Mahadevan and his father Major Sahadevan, will be appearing in 3 different get-ups in the movie. Asha Sharath essays the female lead opposite Mohanlal.

Telugu actor Allu Sirish and Bollywood actor Arunoday Singh appear in the pivotal roles. Sujith Vasudev handles the cinematography. 1971 Beyond Borders is produced by Red Rose Creations.
Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd. Tel. +81-3-3273-3354 Fax: +81-3-3281-7046 Public Relations Department, Eisai Co., Ltd. +81-3-3817-5120

TOKYO, Apr 5, 2017 - (JCN Newswire) - Eisai Co., Ltd. and Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd. announced today that they have entered into a license agreement for the commercialization of safinamide (development code: ME2125) for the treatment of Parkinson's disease in Japan and Asia. Safinamide is currently under clinical development by Meiji in Japan.Under the agreement, Eisai will obtain exclusive rights to safinamide to market in Japan and to develop and market in Asia (seven countries(1)). Meiji will continue the clinical trials that it is currently conducting and submit a manufacturing and marketing authorization application for the drug in Japan. Meanwhile, Eisai will conduct clinical trials for seeking regulatory approval, and make the applications in Asia. Meiji will manufacture and supply the product of safinamide to Eisai for Japan and Asia. Furthermore, Meiji will receive an upfront payment from Eisai, as well as developmental milestone and sales royalty payments under the agreement.Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease which causes motor impairment, including shaking in the limbs, muscular rigidity and brachybasia. It is caused by degeneration of the dopamine nervous system, which leads to a shortage of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain. According to a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease in Japan numbered 163,000 in 2014(2), with the number of patients increasing due to the aging of the population.(3)Levodopa is widely used to treat Parkinson's disease by replenishing the brain's supply of dopamine. However, as the disease progresses, levodopa's duration of effect ("on" time) decreases, and there are cases of Parkinson's disease symptoms returning before the next dose ("wearing-off" phenomenon). To prevent the "wearing-off" phenomenon, combination therapy with a drug that has a different mechanism of action to levodopa is administered.Safinamide is a selective monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitor, which reduces the degradation of excreted dopamine, helping to maintain the density of dopamine in the brain. Additionally, safinamide blocks sodium ion channels and inhibits glutamate release, and as such, has potential as a new Parkinson's disease treatment which possesses both dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic mechanisms. Global clinical trials of safinamide in combination with levodopa for the treatment of mid- to late-stage Parkinson's disease showed extended "on" time, and an improvement in motor function.(4)Safinamide was discovered and developed by Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A. (Headquarters: Italy, Milan, "Newron"). In 2011, Newron entered into a licensing agreement with Meiji, granting Meiji exclusive rights to development, manufacture and commercialize the drug in Japan and Asia. Safinamide is marketed under the name "Xadago" in eleven countries in Europe, and on March 21, 2017, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In Japan, Meiji is currently conducting Phase II/III trials for safinamide in combination with levodopa.Through this agreement, Eisai and Meiji will make further contributions to address the diversified needs of, and increase the benefits provided to, Parkinson's disease patients and their families.About Meiji Seika PharmaIn order to protect and improve people's health and lives, Meiji Seika Pharma, as a "Speciality and Generic Pharmaceuticals Company", runs its pharmaceutical business in the two main fields, infectious disease and central nervous system disorders, as well as generic drugs. Meiji Seika Pharma strives to respond to diversified medical needs and contributes to the well-being of people worldwide. For details, please visit its corporate website: http://www.meiji.com/global/about-us/corporate-profile/meiji-seika-pharma/(1) South Korea, Taiwan, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, and the Philippines(2) Patient Survey 2014 (Disease and Injury) by Statistics and Information Department, Minister's Secretariat, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare(3) Japan Intractable Diseases Information Center http://www.nanbyou.or.jp/(4) Borgohain R et al. Randomized Trial of Safinamide Add-On to Levodopa in Parkinson's Disease With Motor Fluctuations. Mov Disord. 2014 Feb;29(2):229-37About EisaiEisai Co., Ltd. (TSE:4523; ADR:ESALY) is a research-based human health care (hhc) company that discovers, develops and markets products throughout the world. Eisai focuses its efforts in three therapeutic areas: integrative neuroscience, including neurology and psychiatric medicines; integrative oncology, which encompasses oncotherapy and supportive-care treatments; and vascular/immunological reaction. Through a global network of research facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, Eisai actively participates in all aspects of the worldwide healthcare system. For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visit www.eisai.com.Source: EisaiContact:Copyright 2017 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
LONDON, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Workfront, the leading provider of cloud-based enterprise work management solutions, today published its new ebook 'Make Your Work Matter' which looks to challenge the way the UK looks at the work week. With chapters drafted by thought leaders within the business world, the book explores how modern day workers can navigate new technologies to remain attentive, motivated, and increase their overall productivity.

Make Your Work Matter: 7 Thought Leaders on Why Work Isn't Working For You and How You Can Change It', digs into the fascinating history of the modern workplace, addresses some of the causes of underperformance, challenges conventional wisdom, and provides actionable solutions for today's workers, as well as provides much needed insight for managers.

Workfront set out to create the ebook following findings from its research that too many qualified, talented individuals find themselves underperforming at work, often due to archaic routines, processes, and tools. The ebook's central objective is to demonstrate that the 'typical' working life of constant overtime can be overhauled and workers can reclaim their productivity and effectiveness within a standard 40-hour week.

Alex Shootman,CEO of Workfront commented:



"We've brought together some of the best minds in the industry to create a knowledge tool that is not just insightful, but most importantly, practical. A lot of the content here pushes against today's norms and customs and forces the reader to think about the purpose of work in a new way. We hope this ebook invigorates all who read it and inspires them to change their work life for the better."

The ebook's chapters include:

Time is No Longer Money by business psychologist Tony Crabbe who argues that we should be moving toward a model of managing and measuring attention instead of time.

Data-Driven Management Depends on Identifying the RIGHT Data by Chris Savoie, Director of Product Strategy at Workfront, reveals an exhortation to managers to sift through the 'noise' and identify data that can lead to real change.

Work Smarter- not Harder- to Greater Positivity and Success by Raj Raghunathan, Professor of Marketing at University of Texas, Austin, explores the link between positivity and productivity and posits that employees should be encouraged to spend no more than 40 hours a week at work.

The 8 Dos and Don'ts of Change Management by Jada Balster, Director of Marketing, EMEA, at Workfront, discloses a practical guide to navigate change and emerge successful.

Your Office is Annihilating Your Productivity: 5 Ways to Stop It by Amanda Schneider & Suzanne Maynard from Contract Consulting Group contemplates if the very design of the workplace and tools we use are responsible for lacklustre productivity.

My Life Out in the Open: How 'Open Workspaces' Stink and What I Did to Win Breaking with conventional wisdom, Chris Brogan, CEO of Owner Media Group and a New York Times bestselling author, takes a critical look at the open plan office and offers solutions to maintain productivity amidst distractions.

Why Change Initiatives in the Workplace Fail by business psychologist Dr Craig Knight examines the complex structures that stifle true progress in many companies.

To download the full Workfront ebook 'Make Your Work Matter: 7 Thought Leaders on Why Work Isn't Working For You and How You Can Change It', visit http://www.workfront.com/makeyourworkmatter.

About Workfront

Workfront is a cloud-based Enterprise Work Management solution that helps marketing, IT, and other enterprise teams conquer the chaos of excessive email, redundant status meetings, and disconnected tools. Unlike other tools, Workfront Enterprise Work Cloud is a centralized, easy-to-adopt solution for managing and collaborating on all types of work through the entire work lifecycle, which improves team productivity and executive visibility. Workfront is trusted by thousands of global enterprises, like Cars.com, Cisco Systems, Comcast, iProspect, Schneider Electric and Trek. To learn more, visit www.workfront.com or follow us on Twitter@Workfront_Inc.

For more information please contact:

Manifest London

Niamh Kelly, Julian Obubo

t. 0203 137 9270

e. workfront@manifest.london

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/170565/workfront_inc_logo.jpg
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN, INTO OR FROM ANY RESTRICTED JURISDICTIONS OR JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OF SUCH JURISDICTION

THE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT IS AN ADVERTISEMENT AND NOT A PROSPECTUS OR PROSPECTUS EQUIVALENT DOCUMENT AND INVESTORS SHOULD NOT MAKE ANY INVESTMENT DECISION IN RELATION TO THE NEW WOOD GROUP SHARES EXCEPT ON THE BASIS OF THE INFORMATION IN THE SCHEME DOCUMENT, THE PROSPECTUS AND THE CIRCULAR WHICH ARE PROPOSED TO BE PUBLISHED IN DUE COURSE

5 APRIL 2017

John Wood Group PLC

Cost synergies increased by 40m to at least 150m in relation to the recommended all-share offer for Amec Foster Wheeler plc ("Amec Foster Wheeler") by John Wood Group PLC ("WoodGroup") (the "Combination" to form the "Combined Group") announced on 13March2017 (the "Original Announcement")



Update to the Wood Group Quantified Financial Benefits Statement (the "Announcement")

Defined terms used in the Original Announcement will have the same meanings when used in this Announcement.

Quantified Financial Benefits Statement

As a result of further ongoing analysis of existing information and integration planning, Wood Group has been able to increase the expected level of pre-tax cost synergies from at least 110m per annum to at least 150m per annum by the end of the third year following completion of the Combination. This is an increase of 36 per cent. compared with the anticipated synergies set out in the Original Announcement.

In US$, the increase is equivalent to an increase from approximately US$134m to approximately US$183m, using the same dollar:sterling exchange rate of 1.2171:1 as set out in the Original Announcement.

The expected sources of quantified cost synergies, which are in addition to synergies previously targeted and already underway by Wood Group and Amec Foster Wheeler separately, comprise:

operating efficiencies: approximately 50 per cent. of the identified cost synergies are expected to be generated from economies of scale in addressable operating cost, efficiencies in operational procurement spend and the reduction of duplicate costs across country and regional leadership;

corporate efficiencies: approximately 20 per cent. of the identified cost synergies are expected to be generated from the reduction of duplicate costs across Board and executive leadership teams, in addition to other Corporate and Group functional costs; and

administration efficiencies: approximately 30 per cent. of the identified cost synergies are expected to be generated from the consolidation of overlapping office locations, the elimination of duplicated IT systems and the reduction of duplicate costs across central support functions.

These anticipated synergies will accrue as a direct result of the Combination and would not be achieved on a standalone basis.

As further information and analysis becomes available, Wood Group is also confident of realising additional cost synergies that cannot be quantified for reporting at this time.

Wood Group estimates that realisation of these synergies would give rise to one-off costs of approximately 190 million (US$231 million) incurred in the first three years post-completion of the Combination. This is unchanged from the level identified at the time of the Original Announcement.

Aside from the one-off costs referred to above, the Wood Group Directors do not expect any material dis-synergies to arise in connection with the Combination.

Revenue synergies

The Combined Group would have the potential to realise incremental revenue synergies from significant cross-selling and enhanced service opportunities.

Bases of belief

In preparing the Quantified Financial Benefits Statement, Amec Foster Wheeler has provided Wood Group with certain operating and financial information to facilitate a detailed analysis in support of evaluating the potential synergies available from the Combination. In circumstances where data has been limited for commercial or other reasons, Wood Group management has made estimates and assumptions to aid its development of individual synergy initiatives.

The cost base used as the basis for the quantified exercise is Amec Foster Wheeler's 2016 cost base, consistent with Amec Foster Wheeler's 2016 unaudited full year trading update provided by Amec Foster Wheeler to Wood Group and released by Amec Foster Wheeler on 13 March 2017. Wood Group adjusted this information to take into account recent cost savings announced by Amec Foster Wheeler on 27 October 2016.

The assessment and quantification of the expected synergies have in turn been informed by Wood Group management's industry experience as well as their experience of executing and integrating past acquisitions.

In arriving at the estimate of synergies set out in this Announcement, the Wood Group Board has assumed that Amec Foster Wheeler's support function activities, such as Finance and HR, will transition onto Wood Group's existing systems.

In general, the synergy assumptions have in turn been risk adjusted, exercising a degree of prudence in the calculation of the estimated synergy benefit set out above.

The Wood Group Board has, in addition, made the following assumptions, all of which are outside the influence of the Wood Group Board:

there will be no material impact on the underlying operations of either company or their ability to continue to conduct their businesses;

there will be no material change to macroeconomic, political, regulatory or legal conditions in the markets or regions in which Wood Group and Amec Foster Wheeler operate that materially impact on the implementation or costs to achieve the proposed cost savings;

there will be no material change in current foreign exchange rates; and

there will be no change in tax legislation or tax rates or other legislation or regulation in the countries in which Wood Group and Amec Foster Wheeler operate that could materially impact the ability to achieve any benefits.

This analysis assumes no business disposals.

Reports

As required by Rule 28.1(a) of the City Code, PwC, as reporting accountants to Wood Group, and J.P. Morgan Cazenove and Credit Suisse, as financial advisers to Wood Group, have provided the opinions required under that Rule relating to the Quantified Financial Benefits Statement set out above. Any references to anticipated synergies should be read in conjunction with these reports. PwC, J.P. Morgan Cazenove and Credit Suisse have each given and have not withdrawn their consent to the publication of their respective report in the form and context in which it is included.

Notes

The statements of estimated synergies relate to future actions and circumstances which, by their nature, involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies. As a result, the synergies referred to may not be achieved, or may be achieved later or sooner than estimated, or those achieved could be materially different from those estimated.

Due to the scale of the Combined Group, there may be additional changes to the Combined Group's operations. As a result, and given the fact that the changes relate to the future, the resulting synergies may be materially greater or less than those estimated.

No statement in the Quantified Financial Benefits Statement or in this Announcement generally should be construed as a profit forecast or interpreted to mean that the Combined Group's earnings in the first full year following implementation of the Combination, or in any subsequent period, would necessarily match or be greater than or be less than those of Wood Group and / or Amec Foster Wheeler for the relevant preceding financial period or any other period.

Enquiries:

Wood Group

Andrew Rose, Head of Investor Relations: Tel: +44 (0)12 2453 2716

J.P. Morgan Cazenove (financial adviser and corporate broker to Wood Group)

Michael Wentworth-Stanley / Dag Skattum Tel: +44 (0)20 7742 4000

Richard Perelman / James Robinson

Credit Suisse (financial adviser and corporate broker to Wood Group)

Jonathan Grundy / John Hannaford Tel: +44 (0)20 7888 8888

James Peterkin / Joe Hannon

Brunswick (Public Relations Adviser to Wood Group)

Patrick Handley Tel: +44 (0)20 7404 5959













PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP REPORT ON QUANTIFIED FINANCIAL BENEFITS STATEMENT

The Directors

John Wood Group PLC

15 Justice Mill Lane

Aberdeen

AB11 6EQ

J.P Morgan Limited (together with Credit Suisse International, the "Financial Advisers")

25 Bank Street

Canary Wharf London

E14 5JP

Credit Suisse International (together with J.P. Morgan Limited, the "Financial Advisers")

One Cabot Square

London

E14 4QJ

5 April 2017

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

Updated Quantified Financial Benefits Statement by John Wood Group PLC

We report on the quantified financial benefits statement (the "Statement") by the Directors included in this announcement dated 5 April 2017 (the "Announcement") to the effect that:

Quantified Financial Benefits Statement

As a result of further ongoing analysis of existing information and integration planning, Wood Group has been able to increase the expected level of pre-tax cost synergies from at least 110m per annum to at least 150m per annum by the end of the third year following completion of the Combination. This is an increase of 36 per cent. compared with the anticipated synergies set out in the Original Announcement.

In US$, the increase is equivalent to an increase from approximately US$134m to approximately US$183m, using the same dollar:sterling exchange rate of 1.2171:1 as set out in the Original Announcement.

The expected sources of quantified cost synergies, which are in addition to synergies previously targeted and already underway by Wood Group and Amec Foster Wheeler separately, comprise:

operating efficiencies: approximately 50 per cent. of the identified cost synergies are expected to be generated from economies of scale in addressable operating cost, efficiencies in operational procurement spend and the reduction of duplicate costs across country and regional leadership;

corporate efficiencies: approximately 20 per cent. of the identified cost synergies are expected to be generated from the reduction of duplicate costs across Board and executive leadership teams, in addition to other Corporate and Group functional costs; and

administration efficiencies: approximately 30 per cent. of the identified cost synergies are expected to be generated from the consolidation of overlapping office locations, the elimination of duplicated IT systems and the reduction of duplicate costs across central support functions.

These anticipated synergies will accrue as a direct result of the Combination and would not be achieved on a standalone basis.

As further information and analysis becomes available, Wood Group is also confident of realising additional cost synergies that cannot be quantified for reporting at this time.

Wood Group estimates that realisation of these synergies would give rise to one-off costs of approximately 190 million (US$231 million) incurred in the first three years post-completion of the Combination. This is unchanged from the level identified at the time of the Original Announcement.

Aside from the one-off costs referred to above, the Wood Group Directors do not expect any material dis-synergies to arise in connection with the Combination.

This Statement has been made in the context of disclosure in the Announcement setting out the bases of belief of the Directors supporting the Statement and their analysis and explanation of the underlying constituent elements.

This report is required by Rule 28.1(a)(i) of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers (the"Code") and is given for the purpose of complying with that rule and for no other purpose.

Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the John Wood Group PLC board to make the Statement in accordance with the Code.

It is our responsibility to form our opinion as required by Rule 28.1(a)(i) of the Code, as to whether the Statement has been properly compiled on the basis stated.

Save for any responsibility which we may have to those persons to whom this report is expressly addressed or to the shareholders of John Wood Group PLC as a result of the inclusion of this report in the Announcement, and for any responsibility arising under Rule 28.1(a)(i) of the Code to any person as and to the extent therein provided, to the fullest extent permitted by law we do not assume any responsibility and will not accept any liability to any other person for any loss suffered by any such other person as a result of, arising out of, or in connection with this report or our statement, required by and given solely for the purposes of complying with Rule 23.2(b) of the Code, consenting to its inclusion in the Announcement.

Basis of Opinion

We conducted our work in accordance with the Standards for Investment Reporting issued by the Auditing Practices Board in the United Kingdom. We have discussed the Statement together with the relevant bases of belief (including sources of information and assumptions) with the Wood Group Board and with the Financial Advisers. Our work did not involve any independent examination of any of the financial or other information underlying the Statement.

Since the Statement and the assumptions on which it is based relate to the future and may therefore be affected by unforeseen events, we can express no opinion as to whether the actual benefits achieved will correspond to those anticipated in the Statement and the differences may be material.

Our work has not been carried out in accordance with auditing or other standards and practices generally accepted in the United States of America or other jurisdictions and accordingly should not be relied upon as if it had been carried out in accordance with those standards and practices.

Opinion

In our opinion, on the basis of the foregoing, the Statement has been properly compiled on the basis stated.

Yours faithfully



PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Chartered Accountants

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England with registered number OC303525. The registered office of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is 1 Embankment Place, London WC2N 6RH. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for designated investment business.











REPORT FROM J.P. MORGAN CAZENOVE AND CREDIT SUISSE



The Directors

John Wood Group PLC

15 Justice Mill Lane

Aberdeen

AB11 6EQ

5 April 2017

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

Updated Quantified Financial Benefits Statement by John Wood Group PLC

We refer to the quantified financial benefits statement, the bases of belief thereof and the notes thereto (together, the "Statement") made by Wood Group and set out in the Announcement (Update to the Wood Group Quantified Financial Benefits Statement) dated 5 April 2017 (the "Announcement"), for which the Board of Directors of Wood Group (the "Directors") are solely responsible under Rule 28.1(a)(ii) of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers (the "Code").

We have discussed the Statement (including the assumptions, accounting policies, bases of calculation and sources of information referred to therein), with the Directors and those officers and employees of Wood Group who have developed the underlying plans as well as with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. The Statement is subject to uncertainty as described in the announcement and our work did not involve an independent examination of any of the financial or other information underlying the Statement.

We have relied upon the accuracy and completeness of all the financial and other information provided to us by or on behalf of Wood Group and/or Amec Foster Wheeler, or otherwise discussed with or reviewed by us, and we have assumed such accuracy and completeness for the purposes of providing this letter.

We do not express any view as to the achievability of the quantified financial benefits identified by the Directors.

We have also reviewed the work carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and have discussed with it its opinion addressed to you and us on this matter and which is set out in the Announcement, and the accounting policies and bases of calculation for the Statement.

On the basis of the foregoing, we consider that the Statement, for which the Directors are solely responsible, for the purposes of the Code, has been prepared with due care and consideration.

This letter is provided to you solely in connection with Rule 28.1(a)(ii) of the Code and for no other purpose. We accept no responsibility to Wood Group, Amec Foster Wheeler or their shareholders or any person other than the Directors of Wood Group in respect of the contents of this letter. We are acting exclusively as financial advisers to Wood Group and no one else in connection with the Combination between Wood Group and Amec Foster Wheeler and it was for the purpose of complying with Rule 28.1(a)(ii) of the Code that Wood Group requested J.P. Morgan Limited and Credit Suisse International to prepare this report on the Statement. No person other than the Directors of Wood Group can rely on the contents of, or the work undertaken in connection with, this letter, and to the fullest extent permitted by law, we expressly exclude and disclaim all liability (whether in contract, tort or otherwise) to any other person, in respect of this letter, its contents or the work undertaken in connection with this letter or any of the results that can be derived from this letter or any written or oral information provided in connection with this letter.

Yours faithfully,

J.P. Morgan Limited and Credit Suisse International

Further Information

This Announcement is for information purposes only and is not intended to and does not constitute or form part of any offer to sell or subscribe for or any invitation to purchase or subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction pursuant to the Combination or otherwise, nor will there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. The Combination will be made solely pursuant to the terms of the Scheme Document setting out the particulars of the proposed Scheme between Amec Foster Wheeler and the Amec Foster Wheeler shareholders to implement the Combination with or subject to any modification, addition or condition approved or imposed by the Court and agreed by Amec Foster Wheeler and Wood Group (or, in the event that the Combination is to be implemented by means of an Offer, the Offer Document), which, together with the forms of proxy that will accompany the Scheme Document, will contain the full terms and conditions of the Scheme, including details of how to vote in respect of the Combination. Any decision in respect of, or other response to, the Combination by Amec Foster Wheeler shareholders should be made only on the basis of the information contained in the Scheme Document.

Amec Foster Wheeler will prepare the Scheme Document to be distributed to Amec Foster Wheeler shareholders. Wood Group will prepare the Circular and will also publish the Prospectus containing information on the New Wood Group Shares and the Combined Group. Wood Group urges Wood Group Shareholders to read the Prospectus to be published by Wood Group and the Circular carefully when they become available because they will contain important information in relation to the Scheme, the New Wood Group Shares and the Combined Group. Amec Foster Wheeler urges Amec Foster Wheeler Shareholders to read the Scheme Document and the Prospectus carefully when they become available because they will contain important information in relation to the Scheme, the New Wood Group Shares and the Combined Group. Any vote in respect of resolutions to be proposed at the Wood Group general meeting to approve the Combination, the Scheme or related matters, should be made only on the basis of the information contained in the Scheme Document, the Prospectus and, the Circular.

This Announcement does not constitute a prospectus or prospectus equivalent document.

The Combination will be subject to the applicable requirements of the City Code, the UK Panel on Takeovers and Mergers, the London Stock Exchange and the UKLA.

Please be aware that addresses, electronic addresses and certain other information provided by Amec Foster Wheeler Shareholders, persons with information rights and other relevant persons for the receipt of communications from Amec Foster Wheeler may be provided to Wood Group during the offer period as required under Section 4 of Appendix 4 of the City Code to comply with Rule 2.11(c) of the City Code.

Overseas jurisdictions

The release, publication or distribution of this Announcement in jurisdictions other than the United Kingdom may be restricted by law and therefore any persons who are subject to the laws of any jurisdiction other than the United Kingdom should inform themselves about, and observe any applicable requirements. In particular, the ability of persons who are not resident in the United Kingdom to vote their Amec Foster Wheeler shares with respect to the Scheme at the Court Meeting, or to execute and deliver Forms of Proxy appointing another to vote at the Court Meeting on their behalf, may be affected by the laws of the relevant jurisdictions in which they are located. Any failure to comply with such requirements may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the companies and other persons involved in the Combination disclaim any responsibility or liability for any violation of such restrictions by any person. This Announcement has been prepared for the purpose of complying with English law and the City Code and the information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this Announcement had been prepared in accordance with the laws of jurisdictions outside the United Kingdom. Unless otherwise determined by Wood Group or required by the City Code, and permitted by applicable law and regulation, the Combination will not be made available directly or indirectly in, into or from any Restricted Jurisdiction or where to do so would violate the laws of a jurisdiction, and the Combination will not be capable of acceptance from or within a Restricted Jurisdiction.

Copies of this Announcement and any documentation relating to the Combination are not being, and must not be, directly or indirectly, mailed, transmitted or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent in or into or from any Restricted Jurisdiction and persons receiving such documents (including custodians, nominees and trustees) must not mail or otherwise forward, distribute or send it in or into or from any Restricted Jurisdiction where to do so would violate the laws in that jurisdiction, and persons receiving this Announcement and any documents relating to the Combination (including custodians, nominees and trustees) must not mail or otherwise distribute or send them in, into or from such jurisdictions where to do so would violate the laws in that jurisdiction.

If the Combination is implemented by way of an Offer (unless otherwise permitted by applicable law and regulation), the Offer may not be made directly or indirectly, in or into, or by the use of mails or any means or instrumentality (including, but not limited to, facsimile, e-mail or other electronic transmission, telex or telephone) of interstate or foreign commerce of, or of any facility of a national, state or other securities exchange of any Restricted Jurisdiction and the Offer may not be capable of acceptance by any such use, means, instrumentality or facilities.

The availability of New Wood Group Shares under the Combination to Amec Foster Wheeler shareholders who are not resident in the United Kingdom or the ability of those persons to hold such shares may be affected by the laws or regulatory requirements of the jurisdiction in which they are resident. Persons who are not resident in the United Kingdom should inform themselves of, and observe, any applicable legal or regulatory requirements.

The New Wood Group Shares may not be offered, sold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in, into or from any Restricted Jurisdiction or to, or for the account or benefit of, any restricted overseas persons (being any Amec Foster Wheeler shareholders resident in, or nation or citizens of, Restricted Jurisdictions or who are nominees or custodians, trustees or guardians for, citizens, residents or nationals of such Restricted Jurisdictions) except pursuant to an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, applicable securities laws of those jurisdictions. Further details in relation to any Amec Foster Wheeler shareholders who are resident in, ordinarily resident in, or citizens of, jurisdictions outside the United Kingdom, will be contained in the Scheme Document.

Additional information for US investors

Notice to US investors in Amec Foster Wheeler: the Combination relates to the shares of an English company and is being made by means of a scheme of arrangement provided for under English company law. A transaction effected by means of a scheme of arrangement is not subject to the tender offer rules or the proxy solicitation rules under the US Exchange Act, and it is expected that any New Wood Group Shares to be issued pursuant to the Scheme to Amec Foster Wheeler shareholders would be issued in reliance upon the exemption from the registration requirements under the US Securities Act, provided by Section 3(a)(10) thereof. Under applicable US securities laws, persons (whether or not US persons) who are or will be "affiliates" (within the meaning of Rule 144 of the US Securities Act) of Amec Foster Wheeler or Wood Group prior to, or of Wood Group after, the Effective Date, will be subject to certain transfer restrictions relating to the New Wood Group Shares received in connection with the Combination. Accordingly, the Combination is subject to the disclosure requirements and practices applicable in the United Kingdom to schemes of arrangement which differ from the disclosure requirements of United States tender offer and proxy solicitation rules and the US Securities Act. If, in the future, Wood Group exercises the right to implement the Combination by way of a takeover offer and determines to extend the offer into the United States, the Combination will be made in compliance with applicable United States laws and regulations, including any applicable exemptions under the US Exchange Act. Financial information included in this Announcement and the Scheme Document has been or will have been prepared in accordance with accounting standards applicable in the United Kingdom that may not be comparable to financial information of US companies or companies whose financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.

The receipt of consideration by a US holder for the transfer of its Amec Foster Wheeler shares pursuant to the Scheme may be a taxable transaction for United States federal income tax purposes and under applicable United States state and local, as well as foreign and other, tax laws. Each Amec Foster Wheeler shareholder is urged to consult his independent professional adviser immediately regarding the tax consequences of the Combination applicable to him.

It may be difficult for US holders of Amec Foster Wheeler shares to enforce their rights and any claim arising out of the US federal laws, since Wood Group and Amec Foster Wheeler are located primarily in a non-US jurisdiction, and some or all of their officers and directors may be residents of a non-US jurisdiction. US holders of Amec Foster Wheeler shares may not be able to sue a non-US company or its officers or directors in a non-US court for violations of the US securities laws. Further, it may be difficult to compel a non-US company and its affiliates to subject themselves to a US court's judgement.

Securities issued pursuant to the Scheme will not be registered under any US state securities laws and may only be issued to persons resident in a state pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the securities laws of such state.

For the purpose of qualifying for the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(10) of the US Securities Act, Amec Foster Wheeler will advise the Court that its sanctioning of the Scheme will be relied on by Wood Group as an approval of the Scheme following a hearing on its fairness to Amec Foster Wheeler shareholders, at which Court hearing all Amec Foster Wheeler shareholders are entitled to attend in person or though counsel to support or oppose the sanctioning of the Scheme and with respect to which notification will be given to all such holders.

In accordance with normal UK practice and, if applicable, pursuant to Rule 14e-5(b) of the US Exchange Act, Wood Group or its nominees, or its brokers (acting as agents), may from time to time make certain purchases of, or arrangements to purchase, Amec Foster Wheeler shares outside of the US, other than pursuant to the Combination, until the date on which the Scheme becomes effective or lapses or is otherwise withdrawn. In addition, in accordance with the City Code, normal United Kingdom market practice and Rule 14e-5(b) of the US Exchange Act, J.P. Morgan Cazenove and Credit Suisse, while serving as financial advisers and brokers to Wood Group, will each continue to act as exempt principal traders in Amec Foster Wheeler shares on the London Stock Exchange. These purchases and activities by exempt principal traders, which may occur either in the open market at prevailing prices or in private transactions at negotiated prices, and are required to be made public in the United Kingdom pursuant to the City Code, will be reported to a Regulatory Information Service and will be available on the London Stock Exchange website at www.londonstockexchange.com.

Publication on website and availability of hard copies

A copy of this Announcement and the documents required to be published by Rule 26 of the City Code will be made available, subject to certain restrictions relating to persons resident in Restricted Jurisdictions, on Wood Group's website at www.woodgroup.com by no later than 12 noon (London time) on the Business Day following this Announcement. For the avoidance of doubt, the contents of those websites are not incorporated into and do not form part of this Announcement.

Wood Group Shareholders may request a hard copy of this Announcement by: (i) contacting Equiniti during business hours on 0371 384 2649 if calling from the United Kingdom, or +44 121 415 7047 if calling from outside the United Kingdom (lines are open from 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays in England and Wales))? or (ii) by submitting a request in writing to Equiniti at Equiniti Limited, Aspect House, Spencer Road, Lancing, West Sussex BN99 6DA, United Kingdom. If you have received this Announcement in electronic form, copies of this Announcement and any document or information incorporated by reference into this document will not be provided unless such a request is made. Wood Group Shareholders may also request that all future documents, announcements and information to be sent to them in relation to the Combination should be in hard copy form.

If you are in any doubt about the contents of this Announcement or the action you should take, you are recommended to seek your own independent financial advice immediately from your stockbroker, bank manager, solicitor, accountant or independent financial adviser duly authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) if you are resident in the United Kingdom or, if not, from another appropriately authorised independent financial adviser.

J.P. Morgan Cazenove

J.P. Morgan Limited, which conducts its UK investment banking business as J.P. Morgan Cazenove ("J.P. Morgan Cazenove"), is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA. J.P. Morgan Cazenove is acting exclusively for Wood Group and no one else in connection with the Combination and the matters set out in this Announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Wood Group for providing the protections afforded to clients of J.P. Morgan Cazenove or its affiliates, or for providing advice in relation to the Combination or any other matters referred to in this Announcement.

Credit Suisse

Credit Suisse International ("Credit Suisse"), which is authorised by the PRA and regulated by the FCA and PRA in the United Kingdom, is acting as financial adviser exclusively for Wood Group and no one else in connection with the Combination and the matters set out in this Announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than Wood Group for providing the protections afforded to clients of Credit Suisse, nor for providing advice in relation to the Combination, the content of this Announcement or any matter referred to herein. Neither Credit Suisse nor any of its subsidiaries, branches or affiliates owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of Credit Suisse in connection with this Announcement, any statement contained herein or otherwise.

Quantified Financial Benefits Statement

The statements in the Quantified Financial Benefits Statement relate to future actions and circumstances which, by their nature, involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies. As a result, the cost savings and synergies referred to may not be achieved, may be achieved later or sooner than estimated, or those achieved could be materially different from those estimated.

No statement in the Quantified Financial Benefits Statement, or this Announcement generally, should be construed as a profit forecast or interpreted to mean that the Combined Group's earnings in the first full year following the Effective Date, or in any subsequent period, would necessarily match or be greater than or be less than those of Wood Group and/or Amec Foster Wheeler for the relevant preceding financial period or any other period. For the purposes of Rule 28 of the City Code, the Quantified Financial Benefits Statement contained in this Announcement is the responsibility of Wood Group and the Wood Group Directors.

Synergy Numbers

The synergy numbers are unaudited and based on analysis by Wood Group's management and on Wood Group's internal records.

Rounding

Certain figures included in this Announcement have been subject to rounding adjustments.
Contract extension until 2020 will enable SES to further develop and provide satellite-based healthcare solutions globally

SES (Euronext Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) and the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs today announced that they have extended a contract to maintain and support SATMED, an e-health satellite platform, until 2020.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170404006583/en/

SATMED e-health platform- Philippines (Photo: Business Wire)

Under the new contract, SES will continue to develop the SATMED platform and its medical applications, support the platform's data-hosting facility, and provide full user support with single point of contact. The agreement also includes the extension of the service to support new medical tools, as well as the provision of satellite connectivity over Africa, the Philippines and Bangladesh.

The SATMED solution is designed to connect doctors and nurses based in remote locations to the outside world. Healthcare professionals will use satellite connectivity to access the platform's medical applications such as e-training, accessing patients' e-medical records, virtual consultation, and video conferencing. SATMED is also aimed at supporting regional development programmes and humanitarian operations in cooperation with both governmental and non-governmental organisations. Connectivity is enabled by the SES satellite fleet, while the SATMED web-applications and the encrypted back-ups are hosted in a secured data hosting facility in Luxembourg. Once deployed, the platform is delivered as a fully-managed service and includes helpdesk, maintenance of terminals and continuous user training.

"Since 2014, we had 10 SATMED deployments across Africa and Asia. The contract extension will help SATMED reinforce its positions as an internationally recognised e-health platform and, what is paramount for us, continue to bring innovative e-health solutions to remote communities," said Gerhard Bethscheider, Managing Director of SES Techcom Services. "We are also looking forward to integrating new tools in the platform."

"Extending the contract with SES will enable us to develop healthcare through the SATMED platform on a global scale," said the minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Romain Schneider. "The platform we are providing together with partner NGOs has already helped improve healthcare in countries like Benin, Niger, Philippines and Bangladesh, among others. With the provision of satellite connectivity over other regions, we hope to open the doors to new deployments and further enable accessibility to healthcare for all, in line with SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) no.3 and leaving no one behind."

SES will present SATMED in more detail at Med-e-Tel, the International e-health,

telemedicine and health Information and Communications Technology Forum, which will take place from 5 to 7 April in Luxembourg. More information on the event available at www.medetel.lu

To learn more about SES and SATMED please visit:

https://satmed.com/index.php

https://www.ses.com/what-we-do/government/e-applications

Follow us on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SES_Satellites

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ses

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SES.Satellites

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SESVideoChannel

Blog: https://www.ses.com/news/blogs

Media Gallery: https://www.ses.com/media-gallery

SES White papers are available under: https://www.ses.com/news/whitepapers

About SES

SES is the world-leading satellite operator and the first to deliver a differentiated and scalable GEO-MEO offering worldwide, with more than 50 satellites in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) and 12 in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). SES focuses on value-added, end-to-end solutions in four key market verticals (Video, Enterprise, Mobility and Government). It provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators, governments and institutions, and businesses worldwide. SES's portfolio includes the ASTRA satellite system, which has the largest Direct-to-Home (DTH) television reach in Europe, and O3b Networks, a global managed data communications service provider. Another SES subsidiary, MX1, is a leading media service provider and offers a full suite of innovative digital video and media services.Further information available at: www.ses.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170404006583/en/

Contacts:

SES

Markus Payer

Corporate Communications

Tel. +352 710 725 500

Markus.Payer@ses.com
Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

Google Ad

The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces

LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan

Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh
DisplayLink, the leading provider of USB graphics technology, today was named "International Trade Champion" at an awards ceremony hosted by BUSINESS WEEKLY in the United Kingdom. DisplayLink produces integrated circuits and software used by leading global computer brands, and recently demonstrated a new application of its technology for the emerging wireless VR market, showcasing reference designs at CES 2017 and Mobile World Congress.

Helen Wang, CEO of BBD UK, hosted the International Trade Award won by DisplayLink. She said: "Selling to global customers such as Dell, HP and Lenovo, DisplayLink has grown over four-fold in the last five years, becoming highly profitable and continuing to invest substantially in R&D, making it one of the UK's leading private semiconductor companies. Now employing over 170 people in the UK, Poland, Silicon Valley and Asia (of which over 70% are in technical roles), DisplayLink has built a broad patent portfolio as it pushes its core display technology into mobile devices, wireless displays and virtual reality headsets to sustain double digit revenue growth and continued profitability."

"It's a great honor to receive the 'International Trade Champion' Award from BUSINESS WEEKLY. We have built this business over the last fifteen years with the ambition of succeeding in a global market, expanding from our origins in Cambridge towards Silicon Valley, Asia and Poland in order to serve a geographically diverse customer base," said Graham O'Keeffe, Chairman and CEO DisplayLink. "Fostering creativity and striving for technical excellence has created a highly valuable core business addressing the demanding requirements of IT managers at Fortune 500 companies. We are now pushing into exciting new application areas such as wireless VR to drive continued international business growth."

For more information on DisplayLink and its products visit http://www.displaylink.com. Join us on Facebook, or see some of the new products and solutions on the DisplayLink YouTube Channel.

About DisplayLink Plug and Display Solutions.

DisplayLink (www.displaylink.comdevelops hardware and software solutions to enable easy connectivity between monitors and computing devices over standard interfaces such as USB, Ethernet, and wireless networks. DisplayLink's technology increases productivity and ease-of-use in the multi-display workspace and is deployed to millions of users through globally branded PC products including universal docking stations, monitors, projectors and display adapters. For more information and product details, visit the DisplayLink Shop and follow DisplayLink on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter.

DisplayLink and the DisplayLink logo are registered trademarks of DisplayLink Corp, All rights reserved.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170404006590/en/

Contacts:

DisplayLink

Andy Davis, (886) (0)988-58-4000

pr@displaylink.com
VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - April 05, 2017) - I-Minerals lnc. (TSX VENTURE: IMA) (OTCQB: IMAHF) (FRANKFURT: 61M) (the "Company") is pleased to report it has re-filed its Operation and Reclamation Plan ("ORP") with the Idaho Department of Lands (the "IDL"). The IDL provided I-Minerals with a short list of items required to secure the ORP and I-Minerals has provided the IDL with these items. In addition, the Idaho Department of Water Resources ("IDWR") has issued the water permit allowing the Company access to aquifers and surface water for use in mineral processing. Volumes of water use approved by the IDWR exceed I-Minerals requirements with the balance available for IDL uses such as firefighting if required.

"We are pleased with the progress being made in the permitting process," stated Thomas Conway, President and CEO of I-Minerals. "Our technical team led by HDR Engineering has done an excellent job of responding to the few outstanding items in a very timely fashion. Throughout the permitting process, the IDL has become quite knowledgeable about our Bovill Kaolin operation and we look forward to a timely response."

A. Lamar Long, CPG, is a qualified person ("QP") for I-Minerals Inc. and has reviewed and approved the contents of this release.

About I-Minerals Inc.

I-Minerals is developing multiple deposits of high purity, high value halloysite, quartz, potassium feldspar and kaolin at its strategically located Helmer-Bovill property in north Idaho. A 2016 Feasibility Study on the Bovill Kaolin Deposit led by GBM Engineers LLC, who were responsible for overall project management and the process plant and infrastructure design, including OPEX and CAPEX calculated an After Tax NPV of US$249.8 million with a 25.8% After Tax IRR. Initial CAPEX was estimated at $108.3 million with a 3.7 year After Tax payback. Other engineering services were provided by HDR Engineering, Inc. (all environmental components; hydrology / hydrogeology; road design); Tetra Tech, Inc. (tailings storage facility design); Mine Development Associates (mine modelling; ore scheduling; mineral reserve estimation); and SRK Consulting (U.S.) Inc. (mineral resource estimation). Permitting work with the State of Idaho is well underway.

I-Minerals Inc.

Per: "Thomas M. Conway"

Thomas M. Conway, President & CEO

This News Release includes certain "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization and resources, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of the Company are forward looking statements that involve various risks. Actual results could differ materially from those projected as a result of the following factors, among others: changes in the world wide price of mineral market conditions, risks inherent in mineral exploration, risk associated with development, construction and mining operations, the uncertainty of future profitability and uncertainty of access to additional capital.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE

Contact:

Barry Girling

877-303-6573 or 604-303-6573 ext. 102

Email: info@imineralsinc.com



Paul J. Searle

Investor Relations

877-303-6573 or 604-303-6573 ext. 113

Email: psearle@imineralsinc.com



Or visit our website at www.imineralsinc.com
Yellowfin moves into Challenger region of BARC's 2016 Score Business Intelligence report

LONDON, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Business Intelligence(BI) and analytics softwarevendor, Yellowfin, has been identified as a Challenger in the Business Application Research Center's (BARC) 2016 Score Business Intelligence report.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/223408/yellowfin_logo.jpg

"Yellowfin is a mature, user-friendly BI platform that has evolved from a successful reporting and dashboard product to support an emerging style of BI characterized by governed data discovery and collaboration," said BARC Senior Analyst and report co-author, Larissa Seidler."Yellowfin's strength lies in selling its software to OEM organizations, where its BI functionality is integrated into other vendors' products and applications."

Yellowfin debuted as a Specialist in the inaugural 2015 BARC Score Business Intelligence report, increasing its Market Execution and Product Capabilities rankings to move into the Challengers region in BARC's 2016 Score Business Intelligence report.

The 2016 version of BARC Score Business Intelligence (Enterprise BI Platforms) report-- the latest and second iteration of the annual study-- ranks and evaluates the world's foremost enterprise BI platforms across two main axis: Market Execution and Portfolio Capabilities.BARC awards technology vendors, that sufficiently meet report criteria, with a dot placement in one of five regions-- from Entrants, to Specialists, Challengers, Market Leaders and Dominators.

The report described Yellowfin's five core strengths as:

Innovative collaboration and storyboarding features

Ability to deliver Embedded BI into host applications

Ease of use for business users

Simple pricing model

Geo-visualization capabilities (location analytics)

Yellowfin CEO and Co-Founder, Glen Rabie, said that Yellowfin's improved positioning in the latest version of BARC's Score Business Intelligence report validated the vendors approach to the BI market.

"Yellowfin's unique approach to Collaborative BI and user workflows enables business users and data analysts to effectively work together to produce and share the best insights," said Rabie."Then, businesses can make the best collective decisions possible. Additionally, Yellowfin's industry leading governance capabilities empower IT to deliver trustworthy, enterprise-wide reporting and analytics."

This result follows Yellowfin's strong performance in BARC's The BI Survey 16, the world's largest annual survey of BI end-users. In that survey, Yellowfin's BI solution ranked first within its Peer Groups for Innovation five years in a row; Collaboration four years in a row; and first for Ease-of-use for the third year running.

To learn more about Yellowfin's performance in BARC'sThe BI Survey 16, follow this link: http://portal.yellowfin.bi/Download-BARC-The-BI-Survey-16-highlight-results-for-Yellowfin

The 2016 BARC Score Business Intelligence (Enterprise BI Platforms) awarded a dot placement to 21 vendors. The report also provided a summary list of 37 'Other Vendors' that did not sufficiently meet the inclusion criteria.

The Market Execution and Portfolio Capabilities axis in BARC Score Business Intelligence comprise multiple weighted criteria on which participating vendors are ranked. Market Execution criteria include Product Strategy, Customer Satisfaction, Sales Strategy, Financials, Ecosystem, Marketing Strategy, Organizational Strength, and Geographical Coverage. The overall Portfolio Capabilities score includes three areas of assessment, each comprising sub-criteria: Functionality (Reporting, Dashboards, Analysis, Data Mining, Planning, Self-Service BI and Data Discovery), Infrastructure (Systems Architecture and Administration, Performance, Access to Data Sources, Metadata and Semantics, Governance and Security, Information Delivery and Deployment Options), and Portfolio Evaluation (Portfolio Integration, Portfolio Maturity and Portfolio Lifecycle).

About BARC

BARC is an enterprise software industry analyst delivering product evaluations, conferences, market research and consulting to over 1,000 customers each year. BARC specializes in advising organizations on software selection in its core research areas of BI, data management and enterprise content management.

Along with CXP and Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC), BARC forms part of the CXP Group-- the leading European IT research and consulting firm with 140 staff in eight countries.

About Yellowfin

Yellowfin is a globalBusiness Intelligence (BI) and analytics software vendor passionate about making BI easy.Founded in 2003 in response to the complexity and costs associated with implementing and using traditional BI tools, Yellowfin is a highly intuitive 100 percent Web-based reporting and analytics solution. Yellowfin is a leader in Mobile BI, Collaborative BI and Embedded BI, as well as Location Intelligence and data visualization.

Over 10,000 organizations, and more than 2 million end-users across 70 different countries, use Yellowfin every day.For more information, visit www.yellowfinbi.com

For regular news and updates, follow Yellowfin on Twitter (@YellowfinBI), LinkedIn (Yellowfin Business Intelligence), YouTube (Yellowfin Team) or email pr@yellowfin.bito subscribe to Yellowfin's free e-newsletter.

For further media information, interviews, images or product demonstration, please contact:

Lachlan James, Yellowfin Global Communications Manager on +61 (0)3 8617 4954, +61 (0)431 835 658 or lachlan.james@yellowfin.bi
KERALA, India, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Herbagut, Ensures a Healthy Gut, Naturally

Arjuna Natural Extracts Ltd.has been granted official recognition from the Belgian government to market its proprietary herbal blend for overall wellness, branded "Herbagut", in Belgium. This notification is applied in conjunction with the name of Arjuna Natural Extracts Ltd., but can be used by Arjuna's customers as a reference.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/480035/Arjuna_Poly_Herbal_Blend_Herbagut.jpg )



A pure selection of traditional Indian herbal ingredients are extracted and formulated according to an ancient Indian recipe and applied to a reliable, traceable, clean-label formulation. The blend consists of 14 herbal extracts, all approved as non-Novel Food by the European Commission, and accepted for use in food supplements. Key botanical ingredients in the formulation are curcumin, ginger, and pepper, along with other Ayurvedic ingredients. These well-known medicinal herbs help allow for the use of several claims, such as fordigestive health .

Herbagut, a popular and leading brand in EU for more than 10 years, is based on an all-natural extract blend formulated by a well-known Indian traditional medical practitioner. It has been in use for gut health and general well-being for decades.

"The recognition by Belgium Food & Safety authorities means acceptance throughout the EU," explains Benny Antony, PhD, Joint Managing Director for Arjuna. "It's also a natural step in our strategy to lead the market in Indian herbal ingredients - not only regionally but also in the EU market."

Arjuna Natural opened an office in Brussels last year to better, and more quickly, help serve its customers. "We have a comprehensive understanding of the complex European food regulation," adds Antony. "This places us in an excellent position to offer our European customers complete commercial, technical, and regulatory support."

Herbagut is safe to use in food supplements and can offer a range of health benefits including: improving gut microflora, mitigating constipation, relieving heartburn, and other digestive health issues.

A clinical study with Herbagut shows that it helps regular and easy bowel movement, significantly reduces straining during bowel evacuation and improves overall bowel health and wellbeing.

Arjuna's production processes and products meet market-specific regulations worldwide. A GMP-certified, SAP-driven company, Arjuna has achieved international certifications including ISO22000, Kosher and Halal. Arjuna continues to engage in research and development, with continuing scientific validation of its novel product line through advanced clinical studies.

Visit us at Vitafoods Europe, booth A40

For further information, please contact:

Company contact

Arjuna Natural Extracts Ltd.

Benny Antony, PhD

Joint Managing Director

Email:benny@arjunanatural.com

Website:http://www.arjunanatural.com



Press Contact

NutriPR

Liat Simha

Tel: +972-997-42893

E-mail:liat@nutripr.com

Website:http://www.nutripr.com

Twitter: @LiatSimha


LONDON, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Harvest Global Investments ('Harvest'), the Chinese and Asian markets specialist asset manager, has announced the launch of its first UCITS-compliant sub-fund, Harvest China Evolution Equity Fund ("Fund").

The Fund will primarily invest in equity or equity-related securities and will provide investors with access to all Chinese investment channels, including Hong Kong listed securities, China companies listed as ADRs and domestic A-share stocks via the stock connects.

The Fund will be managed by Yannan Chenye, Portfolio Manager and Head of China Research at Harvest. Ms Chenye joined Harvest in 2015, from Amundi Asset Management, where she was the Greater China Investment Manager. The investment team implements an alpha-driven investment strategy that combines bottom-up fundamental research with top-down sector allocation and proprietary risk management to exploit market inefficiencies.

Harvest China Evolution Equity Fund will capitalise on structural economic changes, investing in the best and brightest Chinese companies from the "new China economy," including those in technology, alternative energy, and healthcare sectors. As China is becoming more dynamic and sophisticated, with quantum leaps in value growth and market access, Harvest's tailored outcomes and on-the-ground research teams seize on investment opportunities in both onshore and offshore Chinese equity markets.

Peter Lindqvist, CEO at Harvest Global Investments UK, said: "The Harvest China Evolution Equity Fund provides investors with exposure to the Chinese equity market with an emphasis on companies associated with new and exciting economic transformations."

"Harvest's parentage and resources give us a strong foothold in China, which provides our investors with an independent and unique insight into Chinese markets and their place in the global economy. There is potential for quantum growth in Chinese equity markets which requires local insights and rigorous research to capture. Our on-the-ground team of over 200 investment professionals is able to navigate this huge wealth of opportunity and risk."

The fund is currently available to institutional and wholesale investors in the UK, Luxembourg, Finland and Switzerland. The fund will be registered for distribution in other jurisdictions at a later stage.

Issued by Peregrine Communications on behalf of Harvest Global Investments.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Yannan Chenye biography

Yannan is Head of China equity research and Portfolio Manager at HGI.

Prior to joining HGI in 2015, Yannan was the Greater China Investment Manager at Amundi Asset Management. Yannan also worked for Pepco Energy Services in Washington DC, responsible for financial planning and was involved in energy derivative trading.

Yannan obtained her MBA degree from the George Washington University and Bachelor degree in Finance from Nankai University. She is a CFA charter holder. She is fluent in English, Putonghua, Cantonese and German.

About Harvest Global Investments:

Harvest Global Investments (Harvest) is investing in China as it grows into an innovation hub. Our investment team combines an international pedigree with nuanced local insights when looking for alpha opportunities. Our on-the-ground team understands how policy decisions impact local markets, the complexities of risk on-shore and off-shore and have their finger on the pulse of companies primed for quantum growth.

Key Facts and Figures:

Harvest Global Investments is the international arm of Harvest Fund Management Co and has offices in Hong Kong , London , and New York .

, , and . Group AuM (as of 31 December 2016 ): 110bn USD

): More than 50 million investors worldwide

200+ Investment managers

Press Enquiries:

Karolis Adomaitis / Aryna Kastavetskaya / Alex Campbell

Harvest@peregrinecommunications.com

+44(0)20-3040-0871 / +44(0)20-3040-0867


POTSDAM, Germany, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Flight passengers should be careful when booking and be aware that they could claim compensation if the next plane takes off without them. Passengers on multi-leg journeys partly within the EU may be eligible for compensation for missed connections as a result of initial flight delays.

However, according to European Union (EC) No 261/2004, flight delay compensation in the event of missed connections is only due if the entire journey was booked in one operation. Eve Buechner, founder and CEO of refund.me (http://refund.me/), urges passengers to be wary of short connecting times between flights and always recommends that they purchase flights for multi-leg journeys together.

"If the journey is under one booking, it is the airline's responsibility to ensure passengers are on time for connecting flights. If the first flight is delayed and you miss your connecting flight as a result, you are eligible to compensation in most cases," says Eve Buechner. "Conversely, you have no right to claim compensation from either airline and it is your responsibility to make alternative arrangements when connecting flights are booked separately."

If passengers miss connecting flights due to initial delays, the airline must organise replacement travel arrangements and is even obligated to pay compensation if passengers arrive at their final destination with a delay of more than 3 hours. Even if individual bookings are slightly cheaper in the beginning, it might not be worth the hassle in case anything goes wrong once you're stranded on the tarmac instead of up in the air.

The applicable EU regulation (EC) No. 261/2004 establishes passenger rights to protect those affected by flight delays, cancellations and overbookings. The regulation takes into account the delay at the final destination, which means that also a minor delay on a feeder flight is covered. Affected passengers might be eligible to up to EUR 600 in compensation from the airline.

This is applicable to Ryanair's proposed partnership deal with Norwegian Air. The Irish low-cost carrier plans to offer joint flights from mid-2017, feeding passengers onto connecting flights with Norwegian. Another new partnership deal between Cathay Pacific Airways and the Lufthansa Group will similarly allow passengers arriving in Hong Kong from Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Zurich to transfer to Cathay Pacific connections in one booking. In both cases, Ryanair and Lufthansa would be responsible for any missed connections.

About refund.me

Since its foundation in 2012, refund.me (http://refund.me/) has assisted private and business airline passengers from 145 countries in securing compensation from 350 airlines in case of flight delays (https://www.refund.me/flight-delay/), cancellations, overbookings and missed connections covered by European Union regulation (EC) No. 261/2004. An estimated 11 million passengers per year are eligible for EUR 5.5 billion in compensation for flight disruptions covered under this regulation. refund.me works on the basis of a 25% contingency fee. If the claim is rejected, the client has no costs (no win, no fee). refund.me has a 98% success rate in securing compensation for cases taken to court.

Media Contact:

press@refund.me

+49-172-905-18-69


-- The total return for the first quarter 2017 amounted to 15 % for the Class A shares and 14 % for the Class C shares, compared with 6 % for the total return index (SIXRX). -- Net asset value on March 31, 2017, was SEK 93.4 billion, or SEK 215/share, an increase during the first quarter of SEK 24/share or by 13 %. -- Earnings per share during the first quarter 2017 amounted to SEK 23.86 per share. -- The debt-equities ratio as per March 31, 2017, was 10 %, a decrease since year-end of 2 %-points. -- During the first quarter 2017, the convertible bond worth EUR 550 M matured, whereby approximately 9%, corresponding to 50.9 MEUR, was converted to 2.9 million new Class C shares. Attachment: https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=624049

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Heptares Therapeutics, a unit of Japan's Sosei Group Corp. (SOLTF.PK), announced Wednesday that it has achieved an important milestone in its immuno-oncology collaboration with AstraZeneca PLC (AZN.L, AZN), which would resutl in $12 million milestone payment. The collaboration is focused on the development of AZD4635 (HTL-1071) as a potential new treatment for a range of cancers. AZD4635 is a potent and selective, orally available, small molecule adenosine A2A receptor antagonist discovered by Heptares and licensed to AstraZeneca in 2015. The company noted that the milestone was triggered by the successful completion of a preclinical programme that demonstrated a clear effect of AZD4635 in reversing adenosine-mediated T-cell suppression and enhancing anti-tumour immunity. Blockade of A2A signalling with AZD4635 was found to reduce tumour growth when used alone and in combination with anti-PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors. Heptares and AstraZeneca will present the results from this programme in a poster (abstract 5580) at the American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting today. AZD4635 is currently in a Phase 1 clinical trial as a single agent and in combination with AstraZeneca's durvalumab (anti-PD-1L antibody) in patients with solid malignancies. Fiona Marshall, CSO of Heptares and Sosei, said, 'The preclinical study results are very exciting and confirm that inhibition of A2A signalling offers an attractive mechanism to treat cancers by preventing tumours from evading the immune system and making them susceptible to checkpoint inhibitors. We now look forward to the results from the first clinical study with AZD4635 around the end of the year.' In London, AstraZeneca shares were trading at 4,896.50 pence, down 1.18 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LONDON, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

iTrinegy, market leaders in mitigating risk associated with application performance over networks, announced today that it has signed an agreement for Verify Solutions, a network and application performance specialist consultancy, to be a Value AddedReseller (VAR) for iTrinegy's award-winning network emulation and network profiling technologies.

All application deployments carry significant potential risk. The consequences of failure can include: High Remediation Costs, Loss of Revenue, Brand Reputation and even Injury or Death for military and blue light services. Therefore, it is imperative that organizations effectively predict and manage the risks associated with application performance over networks.

"I am delighted that Verify has become an iTrinegy VAR; this was a natural consequence of some very successful pilot implementations we collaborated on at Verify customers. I am confident that with Verify's proven track record of successfully delivering IT projects to leading UK organizations, operating in both the public and private sectors, this will be a very successful partnership," said Graham Wood, Director of iTrinegy. "Verify's experience and expertise in performance testing makes them the ideal partner to deliver our Application Risk Management (AppRM) solutions and we are delighted to be formal business partners."

iTrinegy offers solutions for de-risking application deployments into the network, with a suite of products that address pre-deployment network profiling and benchmarking , pre-deployment application testing and post-deployment application performance monitoring. The ability to verify application performance prior to actual rollout greatly enhances the chances of achieving a successful deployment and significantly reduces the need for expensive retrospective fixing, re-coding or re-designing.

Ian Cleveland, Managing Director of Verify Solutions said, "We're especially pleased with this partnership. The iTrinegy solutions address the real needs we see from our customers seeking to address today's complex IT challenges. Delivering critical performance reporting, transcending both pre- and post- application deployment scenarios within one product suite, significantly enhances our capability and ultimately will ensure greater quality and performance for our customers."

About Verify Solutions

Verify Solutions helps to ensure effective delivery of business critical IT applications through specialist services in testing, security and performance management. For our clients we deliver a complete understanding of the impact of application or infrastructure change and bring clarity to determining the true reasons for end user experience today. http://www.verifysolutions.co.uk

About iTrinegy

iTrinegy is a world leader in Networked Application Risk Management and is trusted by governments, military organizations and enterprises across the globe including Alcatel, Aviva, BT, Boeing, Cisco, Fidelity Worldwide Investments, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, National Australia Bank, Raytheon, Thomson Reuters, Salesforce and Starbucks. Our unrivalled pedigree in safeguarding networked application performance ensures business-critical services are successfully delivered over all types of networks. http://www.itrinegy.com

Contact:

iTrinegy

Phil Bull

Marketing Manager, iTrinegy

+44-(0)1799-252-200

+44-(0)-7909-990617

phil.bull@itrinegy.com



Verify Solutions

Ian Cleveland

Managing Director, Verify Solutions

+44-(0)1344-392804

ian.cleveland@verifysolutions.co.uk


Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited take no responsibility for the contents of this announcement, make no representation as to its accuracy or completeness and expressly disclaim any liability whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from or in reliance upon the whole or any part of the contents of this announcement.

This announcement is for informational purposes only and is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

This announcement does not constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities in the United States. The Convertible Bonds to be issued have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any state of the United States or other jurisdiction and, subject to certain exceptions, may not be offered or sold within the United States. The Convertible Bonds are being offered only outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act ("Regulation S").

ZHEJIANG EXPRESSWAY CO., LTD.

(A joint stock limited company incorporated in the People's Republic of China with limited liability)

(Stock code: 0576)

VOLUNTARY ANNOUNCEMENT

PROPOSED ISSUE OF EURO365 MILLION

ZERO COUPON CONVERTIBLE BONDS DUE 2022

The Company proposes to offer Euro365 million zero coupon Convertible Bonds due 2022 to professional investors in Hong Kong, and to offer the Convertible Bonds only outside the United States in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.



Application will be made to the Stock Exchange for the listing of, and permission to deal in, the Convertible Bonds by way of debt issue to professional investors only. The completion of the proposed Convertible Bonds issue is subject to market conditions and investors' interest.



The proposed Convertible Bonds issue may or may not materialize. Potential investors and shareholders of the Company are urged to exercise caution when dealing in the securities of the Company. Further announcement in respect of the proposed Convertible Bonds issue will be made by the Company should a subscription agreement be signed.

THE PROPOSED CONVERTIBLE BONDS ISSUE

The Company proposed to offer Euro365 million zero coupon Convertible Bonds due 2022 to professional investors in Hong Kong, and to offer the Convertible Bonds only outside the United States in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act. None of the Convertible Bonds will be offered to the public in Hong Kong and none of the Convertible Bonds will be placed to any connected persons of the Company.

The pricing of the Convertible Bonds, including the issue price and the initial conversion price, will be determined through a book building exercise conducted by the Joint Global Coordinators, the Joint Bookrunners and the Joint Lead Managers. Upon finalisation of the terms of the Convertible Bonds, the Joint Lead Managers will enter into a subscription agreement with the Company in relation to the Convertible Bonds.

PROPOSED USE OF PROCEEDS

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering of the Convertible Bonds for, among others, for repayment of existing debt and general corporate purposes.

LISTING

Application will be made to the Stock Exchange for listing of, and permission to deal in, the Convertible Bonds by way of debt issue to professional investors only. Listing of the Convertible Bonds on the Stock Exchange is not to be taken as an indication of the commercial merits or credit quality of the Company or the Convertible Bonds.

The proposed Convertible Bonds issue may or may not materialise. Potential investors and shareholders of the Company are urged to exercise caution when dealing in the securities of the Company. Further announcement in respect of the proposed Convertible Bonds issue will be made by the Company should a subscription agreement be signed.

DEFINITIONS

In this announcement, unless the context requires otherwise, the following expressions have the following meanings:

"Board" the board of directors of the Company "Convertible Bonds" the convertible bonds expected to be issued by the Company "Company" Zhejiang Expressway Co., Ltd., a joint stock limited company incorporated in the PRC with limited liability, whose H shares are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (Stock Code: 0576) "connectedpersons" has the meaning ascribed to it under the Listing Rules "Euro" Euro, the lawful currency of the Eurozone "Hong Kong" Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the PRC "Joint Bookrunners" BOCI Asia Limited, China International Capital Corporation Hong Kong Securities Limited and Citigroup Global Markets Limited "JointGlobalCoordinators" BOCI Asia Limited, China International Capital Corporation Hong Kong Securities Limited and Citigroup Global Markets Limited "Joint Lead Managers" BOCI Asia Limited, China International Capital Corporation Hong Kong Securities Limited and Citigroup Global Markets Limited "Listing Rules" the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited "PRC" the People's Republic of China excluding, for the purpose of this announcement, Hong Kong, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan area "Securities Act" the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended "Stock Exchange" The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited "United States" the United States of America, its territories and possessions and all areas subject to its jurisdiction

By Order of the Board

Zhejiang Expressway Co., Ltd.

Tony Zheng

Company Secretary

Hangzhou, the PRC, 5 April 2017

As at the date of this announcement, the executive directors of the Company are: Mr. ZHAN Xiaozhang, Mr. CHENG Tao and Ms. LUO Jianhu; the non-executive directors of the Company are: Mr. WANG Dongjie, Mr. DAI Benmeng and Mr. ZHOU Jianping; and the independent non-executive directors of the Company are: Mr. ZHOU Jun, Mr. PEI Ker-Wei and Ms. LEE Wai Tsang Rosa.
Ara Papian: Azerbaijan is not interested in Artsakh (video)

The Karabakh war started in the fall of 1989 and has not ended yet. This is why the escalation of last April may resume at any point, says military expert Vova Vardanov. Of course, it will not be as unexpected as it happened last April. They will be stupid enough to repeat the same scenario, but they will always continue tensions along the Karabakh border, he said. Ara Papian, founding head of the Modus Vivendi analytical centre, says Azerbaijan has not changed its rhetoric over the years. They came to understand that if they attack at once and start large-scale operations, the Armenian people unite and become stronger "They understood that once the attack, large-scale application of the Armenian nation to unite and become stronger. That is why they are taking small steps to achieve their main goal which is not Artsakh. They regularly kill our soldiers, he said. Ara Papian says the ultimate goal of our enemy is to destroy Armenia. I disagree with those forces who claim that the handover of territories will bring a final peace to the region. No, there cannot be peace because Azerbaijan wants to destroy the Armenian nation. The political analyst thinks that today the Karabakh conflict cannot be resolved through negotiations. He adds that the Armenian people are better prepared for war than the government because more money is spent on the police than on the army.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Hyundai Motor announces the name of its new sub-compact SUV: The All-New Hyundai Kona. The all-new B-SUV will be the fourth member of the brand's SUV family in Europe consisting of Grand Santa Fe, Santa Fe and Tucson. It features a progressive style that reflects the lifestyle of modern customers.

The Hyundai's first sub-compact SUV All-New Kona is an important milestone of Hyundai Motor's journey to become the leading Asian automotive brand in Europe by 2021 launching 30 new models and derivatives. Building on Hyundai Motor's SUV credibility with more than 1.4 million sales since the introduction of the first generation Santa Fe in 2001, the All-New Hyundai Kona is a true SUV.

The name Kona continues Hyundai Motor's SUV naming strategy and is derived from the Kona district on the Big Island of Hawaii. The island's energetic image and unique lifestyle matches the All-New Hyundai Kona's dynamic character.

Its true SUV genes, progressive design and premium features enhance the brand's appeal to attract new customers.

Further news about the All-New Hyundai Kona will be released in the near future.

About Hyundai Motor

Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is committed to becoming a lifetime partner in automobiles and beyond. The company leads the Hyundai Motor Group, an innovative business structure capable of circulating resources from molten iron to finished cars. Hyundai Motor has eight manufacturing bases and seven design & technical centres worldwide and in 2016 sold 4.86 million vehicles globally. With more than 110,000 employees worldwide, Hyundai Motor continues to enhance its product line-up with localized models and strives to strengthen its leadership in clean technology, starting with the world's first mass-produced hydrogen-powered vehicle, ix35 Fuel Cell and IONIQ, the world's first model with three electrified powertrains in a single body type.

More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at: http://worldwide.hyundai.com or http://www.hyundaiglobalnews.com.

About Hyundai Motor UK

Hyundai has sold vehicles in the UK since 1982. In 2005, Hyundai opened its own UK subsidiary, Hyundai Motor UK Ltd, based in High Wycombe. Since 2008, the company has risen from 21st to one of the top 10 car manufacturers in the UK and last year sold a record 92,510 vehicles. Hyundai Motor UK employs more than 3,000 people through its UK operations and dealer network. Hyundai offers a full range of vehicles from the award-winning New Generation i10 city car through to the capable Santa Fe SUV and iLoad LCV. All passenger cars come with Hyundai's industry-leading 5 Year Unlimited Mileage Warranty package. Further information about Hyundai and its products is available at www.hyundai.co.uk.

Follow us on Twitter @Hyundai_UK_PR

Contacts:

Natasha Waddington

Head of PR

01494 428646

07771 975692

natasha.waddington@hyundai-car.co.uk



Laura King

Senior Manager, Brand PR

01494 428685

07817 264224

laura.king@hyundai-car.co.uk



Robin Hayles

Product PR Manager

01494 428655

07836 579628

robin.hayles@hyundai-car.co.uk



Yasmin Fletcher

Press Officer

01494 428721

07860 188073

yasmin.fletcher@hyundai-car.co.uk



Sarah Saunders

PR Executive

01494 428617

07812 086167

sarah.saunders@hyundai-car.co.uk




DUBAI, UAE, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

EDRM market leader expands GCC presence and impact with new regional office in Dubai

The company provides the Most Advanced, Automated & Secure Enterprise Digital Rights Management (EDRM)

EDRM promises to be the most flexible and pervasive future technique to protect files regardless of where they travel

Seclore, the leading provider of Enterprise Digital Rights Management (EDRM) solutions, today announced that it was mentioned in the Gartner Market Guide for Information-Centric Endpoint and Mobile Protection[1]. Gartner identified Seclore as a representative vendor for Cloud and EDRM information protection methods profiled in this research.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/486237/Seclore1.jpg )



Gartner stated: "Information theft pays big benefits to thieves, and plagues businesses with long-term damage. It is the hack that keeps on giving, since the extent of breaches is not always known, and business information can have long-term exploit value, extending into years and lifetimes in the case of some medical and financial knowledge. Once thieves have obtained your business information, they can unplug from your systems and they will be difficult to trace."

The report goes on to conclude that - "disk encryption remains the oldest and best defense against extraction from a lost, stolen or mishandled endpoint device. EDRM promises to be the most flexible and pervasive future technique to protect files regardless of where they travel. In between these extremes, choices should be made that match current information security concerns."

A recent survey from ESG, Securing Information in the Age of External Collaboration, concludes that more than 1 in 4 companies believes it's very likely that sensitive data has been stolen by third party vendors. 98 percent of respondents cited the loss of sensitive data as a top or significant concern. Commonly stated reasons for data loss include emails sent to the wrong person (67 percent), unauthorized access (64 percent) and lost portable storage devices (61 percent).

Seclore is expanding its GCC presence and operations in response to increasing demand for its award-winning solutions, with a new regional office in Dubai and the appointment of a new distributor in Saudi Arabia.

"We are truly ecstatic to be included in Gartner's renowned Market Guide for information-centric endpoint solutions. Ensuring the effectiveness of one's security and risk management strategy is a critical component to the organization's success", said Vishal Gupta, Founder and CEO, Seclore, speaking at the Dubai office opening. "Despite today's sluggish global economy, data losses are at all-time high and information centric security is gaining momentum. Our recent tie ups with SAP and SolidWorks have further enriched our product offerings, for vertical markets worldwide."



Seclore is the most automated and adopted EDRM system in the world. With deep expertise, ease-of-use, advanced technology, and connectivity that delivers automated file protection, Seclore empowers businesses to strike the right balance between security and collaboration. Latest features include:

Seclore for Mac 2.0- Seclore for Mac 2.0 packs in powerful new features which make the enterprise even more secure and compliant. Existing Seclore users that use the Macplatform will now be empowered to do much more than just apply rights and view protected files. They can now open, edit, save, and print protected Office documents in their native Office 2016 apps running on Mac.

Next-Generation Policy Federation: Parameters such as file owner, classification, and watermark content can now be federated from an integrated application. This enables tighter and more complete integration of any enterprise application with EDRM capabilities.

Upgraded user interface- Seclore's award-winning secure browser-based viewer now allows viewing of multiple files simultaneously. Combined with additional enhanced viewing options, agentless access is an effortless process.

Gain access through Google account- Further expanding on Seclore's identity federation, users can now login to Seclore automatically through their Google account making access to protected documents even faster.

Auto-discovery ofpermissions- Email auto-forwarding capabilities enable the 'auto-discovery' of those who need access to protected content, eliminating the need to manually grant permissions to users.

Largest Breadth of File Format and Application Support: Microsoft Office, PDF, AutoCAD, Visio, TXT, and over 60 other file formats can be protected with the 4 Ws (who, what, where, when). And any file can be protected with 3 W's (who, where, when).

"We believe that our inclusion as a representative vendor in the guide is a result of our single-minded focus on becoming the most secure EDRM solution in the world. Most EDRM solutions on the market today have fatal security flaws that cause data leakage regardless of airtight network and server cybersecurity solutions," stated Abhijit Tannu, Founder and CTO at Seclore.

Seclore has recently won prestigious awards like 'The Security Industry's Coveted Global Excellence Awards' and was honored by the 'Info Security Products Guide' in San Francisco in 2017. The company has also been named as the 'Best Data-Centric Security Solution' and was honored as a winner in the '2017 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards'.

[(1)] Gartner, Inc. Market Guide for Information-Centric Endpoint, and Mobile Protection by John Girard, Oct 26, 2016

Disclaimer

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Seclore

Seclore's Enterprise Digital Rights Management solution enables organizations to control the usage of files wherever they go, both within and outside of organizations' boundaries. Featuring dozens of pre-built connectors for leading enterprise applications (EFSS, DLP, ECM, ERP, and email), Seclore automates the protection of documents as they are downloaded, discovered, and shared to accelerate adoption.

Seclore was recently recognized by Frost & Sullivan with a Growth Excellence award, by Deloitte as one of the '50 Fastest Growing Technology Companies,' and by Gartner as a 'Cool Vendor,' due to innovations in browser-based access to protected documents. Every day, over 6 million users across 1000+ companies in 29 countries are using Seclore to achieve their data security, governance, and compliance objectives.

To learn more about Seclore and the latest in data-centric security, visit us at http://www.seclore.com
NEW YORK CITY (dpa-AFX) - Yahoo, following its $4.5 billion acquisition by Verizon, will be merged with the Internet company with AOL under a new division called Oath, reports said. In a tweet, AOL Chief Executive Tim Armstrong confirmed the new Oath company, which will include at least 20 brands and will come in summer 2017. CNBC reported, citing Armstrong, that the new Oath brand that Verizon will use to encompass AOL, Yahoo and other online properties will be mostly for business partners. Armstrong said, 'It's not a consumer brand. The most important brands we have are around Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, Tumblr, Huffington Post, and so forth.' Armstrong also said the integration of the brands into Oath should take 12 to 18 months. It is expected that Oath will act as a holding company for properties like Yahoo Mail, Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, and other services with the Yahoo name. An AOL spokesperson reportedly said, 'In the summer of 2017, you can bet we will be launching one of the most disruptive brand companies in digital.' Verizon acquired AOL for $4.4 billion in 2015, and it bid for Yahoo in the following year for $4.83 billion. However, Verizon reportedly reduced its deal price after Yahoo, which has more than one billion users across its properties, revealed two unprecedented data breaches affecting majority of accounts. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PHILADELPHIA, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Elsevier and Sosido Collaborate to Deliver Medical Content to an Expanded Network of Society-affiliated Healthcare Professionals

Elsevier, the information analytics company specializing in science and health, is collaborating with Sosido to provide curated medical content from PracticeUpdate to healthcare professionals who are members of niche medical associations in North America and globally.

Sosido, a Canada-based online knowledge sharing network that connects healthcare professionals within and across groups, employs a unique email newsletter platform to reach members of medical associations and research groups across specialty areas such as oncology, transplantation, and cardiology. Sosido automatically tracks and features the publications of the groups' members and facilitates online discussion, raising the profile of the research and accelerating the exchange of clinical knowledge. Utilizing PracticeUpdate's curated content, Sosido can now provide exclusive, customizable medical information, insights, and analysis from PracticeUpdate's editorial board of highly-reputable, global opinion leaders.

"Medicine as a whole is becoming more niche-focused, and so are the groups we cater to," said Tanis Steward, Sosido CEO & Founder. "Our member healthcare professionals are exceptionally busy clinicians and researchers who don't have time to filter through the daily deluge of new research findings and conference presentations. PracticeUpdate brings massive value by doing this work for them."

Integrating expert content from PracticeUpdate into the weekly Sosido e-newsletter enhances the value for healthcare professionals, and drives deeper engagement and collaboration within specialty therapeutic areas. Further value is provided by the addition of expert commentary from the PracticeUpdate editorial board, helping clinicians to better understand the significance of each article and how it may impact their area of practice.

"PracticeUpdate was developed with the goal of improving healthcare by providing the relevant medical information and educational resources physicians need to diagnose and treat their patients. In addition to selecting the best and most relevant content, our PracticeUpdate experts add their context and perspectives, which allows our readers to discover what really matters for patient care," said Allison Risko, Senior Vice President, Pharma and Life Sciences Solutions, Elsevier. "We are excited about our collaboration with Sosido, which will expand PracticeUpdate's reach to thousands more healthcare professionals, helping them stay current and now better connected within their industry and specialty."

For additional information about PracticeUpdate, visit http://www.practiceupdate.com.

About Sosido

Sosido is an online knowledge sharing platform designed to speed clinical knowledge transfer between healthcare professionals. The company bridges the silos of center, discipline, and specialty to allow sharing of published research and practical clinical experience. With Sosido, healthcare professionals can create more connected communities, stay on top of the latest research, and raise the profile of their contributions to clinical care. For more information, visit http://www.sosido.com.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a global information analytics company that helps institutions and professionals progress science, advance healthcare and improve performance for the benefit of humanity. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and professional education; including ScienceDirect, Scopus, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, more than 35,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a world-leading provider of information and analytics to professionals and business customers, in a wide range of industries. http://www.elsevier.com

Media contact

Christopher Capot

Director, Corporate Relations, Elsevier

+1-917-704-5174

c.capot@elsevier.com


TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Red Pine Exploration Inc. (TSX VENTURE: RPX) ("Red Pine" or the "Company") has received the final results for holes SD-17-50 to SD-17-52, which were drilled as part of its 6,000m winter drilling program along the Wawa Gold Corridor at the Company's Wawa Gold Project.

Drilling highlights include (see Table 1 and Figure 1 below):

-- SD-17-50: Intersection of 5 stacked gold zones that include: -- 2.02 g/t gold over 9.7 metres in the Surluga Road Shear Zone, -- 0.51 g/t gold over 9.3 m and 0.49 g/t gold over 6.04 metres in the Jubilee Shear Zone, -- 0.63 g/t gold over 14.88 metres in the William Gold Zone, -- 1.28 g/t gold over 8.86 metres in the lower William Gold Zone, and -- 0.86 g/t gold over 4.92 metres in the upper Hornblende Shear Zone; -- SD-17-52: Intersection of 2 stacked gold zones that include: -- 1.09 g/t gold over 10.89 metres in the lower Hornblende Shear Zone, and -- 0.98 g/t gold over 19 metres in the Jubilee Shear Zone; -- PH-17-71: Intersection of a shear zone(s) containing a quartz vein (assays pending), in which visible gold(1) was observed and demonstrates a connection between the former Minto Mine and the former Parkhill Mine, which are 1,000 metres apart.

The Wawa Gold Corridor is roughly defined as a 2,000-metre-long and 600 metres-wide corridor consisting of stacked shear zones that include the Jubilee Shear Zone, which hosts the Surluga Deposit(2) (1.088 million oz gold at a grade of 1.71 g/t gold), the Surluga Shear Zone, the William Gold Zone, the Hornblende Shear Zone and the Algoma Shear Zone (see Figure 1 below).

Quentin Yarie, President and Chief Executive Officer of Red Pine stated, "As illustrated by the encouraging results of SD-17-50, drilling along the Wawa gold corridor west of the Surluga deposit resource boundary continues to validate our exploration model that it is made up of numerous stacked mineralized gold zones.

"We are also very pleased that we can now support the inclusion of the former Parkhill Mine into the Wawa Gold Corridor based on its interpreted connection with the former Minto Mine, which demonstrates both were likely formed as part of the same gold system."

Shallow Extensions of Stacked Mineralized Zones

Hole SD-17-50 successfully tested the shallower extensions of the stacked gold zones below the Jubilee Shear Zone intersected by hole SD-16-40 (see press release dated January 24, 2017), which was drilled approximately 95 metres east.

Similar to the results of SD-16-40, hole SD-17-50 intersected five stacked gold zones, which demonstrates that the Wawa Gold Corridor contains multiple stacked gold zones in an under-explored area that is outside the current boundary of the Surluga Deposit(2). This further supports our hypothesis that the existing resource can be increased through the ongoing sampling of historic core and an aggressive drill program.

From top to bottom, the intersected gold zones intersected by SD-17-50 include: the Jubilee Shear Zone (which hosts the Surluga Deposit), the Surluga Road Shear Zone, the William Gold Zone, the lower William Gold Zone, and the Hornblende Shear Zone. All the intersected gold zones were within 175 metres from surface.

Holes SD-17-51 and SD-17-52 were drilled 250 metres apart and respectively 150 and 400 metres north of SD-17-50 and SD-16-40. Both holes successfully intersected the main gold-bearing structures of the Wawa Gold Corridor. SD-17-52 also supports the strike continuity of the gold intersections from holes HS-15-29 and HS-15-30 (see press release dated December 18, 2015).

Table 1. Highlights of drilling results in the Wawa Gold Corridor

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- From To Length Gold Hole (m) (m) (m)(i) (g/t) Gold Zone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21.1 30.4 9.3 0.51 36.11 37.03 0.92 1.29 Jubilee Shear Zone 48 54.04 6.04 0.49 ------------------------------------------------------------------- SD-17-50 94.87 104.57 9.7 2.02 Surluga Road Shear Zone ------------------------------------------------------------------- 113.4 128.28 14.88 0.63 William Gold Zone ------------------------------------------------------------------- 213.38 222.24 8.86 1.28 Lower William Gold Zone ------------------------------------------------------------------- 242.53 247.45 4.92 0.86 Hornblende Shear Zone - Upper ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 34.7 41.55 6.85 0.49 Jubilee Shear Zone 61.1 66.26 5.16 0.91 ------------------------------------------------------------------- SD-17-51 79.53 83 3.47 0.38 Surluga Road Shear Zone ------------------------------------------------------------------- 326.9 328 1.9 5.37 Hornblende Shear Zone - Lower ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 27 19 0.98 Jubilee Shear Zone ------------------------------------------------------------------- SD-17-52 85.15 86.22 1.07 1.84 Surluga Road Shear Zone ------------------------------------------------------------------- 210.24 223 10.89 1.09 Hornblende Shear Zone - Lower ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- DG-17-57 No significant results - hole hit workings of Darwin-Grace mine and stopped ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- DG-17-58 No significant results - hole hit workings of Darwin-Grace mine and stopped ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (i)Assay results reported over intersection length estimated in the Jubilee Shear Zone and the Hornblende shear zones to represent greater than 85% true width; As they represent recent discoveries, no true width estimation are currently defined for the intersection in the William gold zones and Surluga Road Shear Zone.

Pushing South Towards Parkhill

The on-going 6,000m diamond drill program is also expanding the southern boundary of the Wawa Gold Corridor from the former Minto Mine (23,000 ounces @ 12.56 g/t gold)(3) towards the vicinity of the former Parkhill Mine (54,298 ounces @ 14.81 g/t gold)(3), which is approximately 1,000 metres to the southeast.

In the Parkhill Mine area, hole PH-17-71 (assays pending) intersected two stacked structures that both contained quartz veins with visible gold(1). The uppermost structure was intersected from 53 to 70.4 metres downhole at a vertical depth of approximately 50 metres, which corresponds to the known gold-bearing structure that was mined by the former Parkhill Mine.

The lower structure was intersected from 142 to 163 metres downhole and at a vertical depth of approximately 135 metres, which correspond to the known gold-bearing structure that was mined by the former Minto Mine. The intersection of the Minto Mine structure in the Parkhill Mine area indicates that both the Parkhill and Minto mines are likely part of the same gold system and that the Parkhill Mine is also likely a component of the Wawa Gold Corridor.

The Wawa Gold Project

The Wawa Gold property package consists of over 5,000 hectares and hosts several former mines with a combined historic production of 120,000 oz gold. To date, the largest gold deposit on the property is the Surluga Deposit, which hosts a NI 43-101 Inferred Resource of 1,088,000 oz gold at an average grade of 1.71 g/t using a 0.5 g/t cut-off contained within 19.82 million tonnes(2).

Exploration work by Red Pine during the past 12 months has involved the ongoing sampling of 42,000 metres of historic core that was never sampled by previous operators of the project (initiated in February 2016) and the completion in March 2017 of a 6,000-metre drill program (initiated in November 2016). This drill program will be immediately followed by a new 10,000-metre drill program, which will be initiated in April 2017.

The goal of these sampling and drill programs is to fill-in gaps within the resource estimate with the expectation that it will lead to the definition of additional gold resources. Our analysis of drill core to-date has included the identification of an association between gold intersections and discrete gold-bearing structures within the hanging wall and footwall of the resource, the definition of high-grade gold mineralization within the Jubilee Shear Zone and confirmed that the resource could extend 525 metres to the north.

The Company is well positioned to fund its share of the Wawa Gold exploration program following the completion on February 24, 2017 of a brokered private placement for gross proceeds of $6,540,240. As such, the sampling and drill programs are expected to continue throughout 2017 and will be followed by an update to the NI 43-101 resource estimate.

To view Figure 1. Winter 2017 Drill Program, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/rpx0405fig1.pdf.

On-site Quality Assurance/Quality Control ("QA/QC") Measures

Drill core samples were transported in security-sealed bags for analyses to SGS in Cochrane, Ontario. Individual samples are labeled, placed in plastic sample bags and sealed. Groups of samples are then placed into durable rice bags and then shipped. The remaining coarse reject portions of the samples remain in storage if further work or verification is needed.

Red Pine has implemented a quality-control program to comply with best practices in the sampling and analysis of drill core. As part of its QA/QC program, Red Pine inserts external gold standards (low to high grade) and blanks every 20 samples in addition to random standards, blanks, and duplicates.

Qualified Person

Quentin Yarie, P Geo. is the qualified person responsible for preparing, supervising and approving the scientific and technical content of this news release.

About Red Pine Exploration Inc.

Red Pine Exploration Inc. is a gold and base-metals exploration company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Company's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "RPX".

Red Pine has a 60% interest in the Wawa Gold Project with Citabar LLP. holding the remaining 40% interest. Red Pine is the Operating Manager of the Project and is focused on expanding the existing gold resource on the property.

For more information about the Company visit www.redpineexp.com.

(1) Mineral Resource Statement, Surluga-Jubilee Gold Deposit, Wawa Gold Project, Ontario, SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. (effective May 26, 2015)). The report is available on www.SEDAR.com under Red Pine's profile.

(2) NI 43-101 inferred resource of 1,088,000 ounces of gold at 1.71 grams per tonne (g/t) using a 0.40 g/t gold cut-off grade for pit-constrained and 2.50 g/t gold cut-off grade for underground-constrained resources, contained in 19.82 million tonnes open along strike and at depth. The Cut-off grades are based on a gold price of US$1,250 per once and a gold recovery of 95 percent (Mineral Resource Statement, Surluga-Jubilee Gold Deposit, Wawa Gold Project, Ontario, SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc (effective May 26, 2015)).

(3) Ronacher, E., McKenzie, J. and Bernier, S., 2015, Wawa Gold Project, Ontario: Independent Technical Report for Red Pine Exploration, June 5, 2015, 138 p. (available on www.SEDAR.com under Red Pine's profile).

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

This News Release contains forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may", "should", "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "estimates", "predicts", "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industry's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

Contacts:

Red Pine Exploration Inc.

Quentin Yarie

President & CEO

(416) 364-7024

qyarie@redpineexp.com



Red Pine Exploration Inc.

Mia Boiridy

Investor Relations

(416) 364-7024

mboiridy@redpineexp.com

www.redpineexp.com




SAN DIEGO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 07/06/17 -- Generation NEXT Franchise Brands (OTCQB: VEND) reports franchise backlog as of June 30, 2017. The franchisor, whose Reis & Irvy's frozen yogurt robots launched in April of 2016, finished the year ended June 30, 2017, with backlog aggregating $27 million. Additionally, the company has secured over 215 premiere locations for its franchise network.

Other notable items are as follows:

Reis & Irvy's total franchise network aggregates over 175 franchises;

Reis & irvy's frozen yogurt robots aggregate over 725 units;

Notable locations secured include Henry Ford Museum, Jeff Gordon Hospital, University of Pennsylvania, McCarren Airport Las Vegas, Indianapolis International Airport, Nissan Headquarters, Austin Convention Center, Hyundai Headquarters, The Kraft Company Headquarters and FedEx Express World Headquarters;

Largest franchise to date totals 12 units (two franchises);

The company raised proceeds totaling $2.4 million in the form of an equity offering;

We raised $509,000 in debt proceeds during the year ended June 30, 2017 and also repaid $609,000 in debt principal during the same period. Also, various loan agreements were extended through dates ranging from June 30, 2017 to December 31, 2017;

The company completed the fiscal year with $1.7 million in cash;

We completed the acquisition of all Robofusion assets, including patents, trademarks and tradenames;

We engaged D&K Engineering as our contract manufacturing partner. D&K is an international product design and contract manufacturing services company with a proven track record of turning innovative ideas into successful reality. D&K's clients include BD, Illumina, Lexmark, Hewlett Packard, Callaway Golf, Panasonic, Microsoft, Procter and Gamble, and Halliburton;

We engaged D&K Engineering as our contract manufacturing partner. D&K is an international product design and contract manufacturing services company with a proven track record of turning innovative ideas into successful reality. D&K's clients include BD, Illumina, Lexmark, Hewlett Packard, Callaway Golf, Panasonic, Microsoft, Procter and Gamble, and Halliburton; The company's first next generation robot prototype was built and commenced performance testing;

We initiated our international Master License program in which we will partner with in-country entrepreneurs to distribute our frozen yogurt robots. These in-country entrepreneurs will represent the Reis and Irvy's brand around the globe.

"Our aggregate bookings of $27 million have laid the foundation for our franchise program on two levels: the first being equipment sales and cash flow for operations on the front end and secondly, future recurring revenues from royalties and product rebates on the back end," said Nick Yates, the company's Chairman and Founder. "Fiscal 2018 sees us launching our beta phase production and field tests followed by full scale production. This, coupled with the many national location opportunities we have pending for trials and the launch of our international licensing program, makes for a promising forecast of activity in fiscal 2018."

For more information on the revolutionary Froyo Robots or to learn more about how you can own your own Reis & Irvy's Froyo Robot franchise, visit the Reis & Irvy's website at reisandirvys.com. To learn more about Generation NEXT Franchise Brands or their family of brands, including Reis & Irvy's, Fresh Healthy Vending or 19 Degrees, please visit www.gennextbrands.com or call toll free 888-902-7558.

This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for information purposes only. No Reis & Irvy's franchises will be sold to any resident of any state until the offering has been exempted from the requirements of, or duly registered in and declared effective by, such state and the required FDD (if any) has been delivered to the prospective franchisee before the sale in compliance with applicable law. Currently, the following states in the United States regulate the offer and sale of franchises: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. If you reside in one of these states, or even if you reside elsewhere, you may have certain rights under applicable franchise laws or regulations.

Generation NEXT Franchise Brands

Generation NEXT Franchise Brands, based in San Diego, California, is a publicly traded company on the OTC Markets trading under the symbol: VEND. Generation NEXT Franchise Brands is parent company to Fresh Healthy Vending LLC, the market's leading healthy-choice vending machine franchise, Reis and Irvy's, Inc., the world's first robotic frozen yogurt vending kiosk, 19 Degrees, a corporate-focused frozen yogurt robot brand and Generation NEXT Vending Robots, our newly established owner/operator model. The Company hosts over 390 active franchisees throughout the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas, and continually looks to partner with like-minded entrepreneurs who share its vision.

Cautionary note on forward-looking statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements concerning our future financial performance, including statements regarding fiscal 2018 forecasts, our ability to launch beta testing and full scale production, our ability to expand our sales opportunities, and our ability to extend our master license program with foreign entrepreneurs. The Company bases these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, estimates and projections about future events and the industry in which it operates using information currently available to it. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are identified by words such as "believe," "anticipate," "propose," "expect," "intend," "plan," "will," "may," "estimates," variations of such words and other similar expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are set forth in our fillings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2016, our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Current Reports on Form 8-K. Be advised that developments subsequent to this press release are likely to cause these statements to become outdated and the Company is under no obligation (and expressly disclaims any such obligation) to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Media Contact:

Generation NEXT Franchise Brands

info@gennextbrands.com




Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - India Globalization Capital Inc. (IGC) announced it has sold its ten percent holding in Brilliant Hallmark for a consideration of four million shares of IGC. Four million IGC common shares previously issued to Brilliant Hallmark, on August 4, 2016, will be returned and retired. The Brilliant Hallmark investment will be removed from the IGC balance sheet with an associated reduction of approximately $1.88 million. The company does not expect to record a gain or loss from the transaction. 'This strategic move is consistent with our Board's mandate to consolidate our corporate focus on developing cannabis-based therapies while efficiently disposing with all non-core assets. In the past twelve months, the company has retired almost seven million common shares, and exited from non-core assets in China, Hong Kong, and Malaysia while closing overseas subsidiaries and offices,' said Ram Mukunda, CEO of IGC. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
DUBLIN (dpa-AFX) - Ireland's industrial production declined sharply in February, after rebounding in the previous month, preliminary figures from the Central Statistics Office showed Wednesday. Industrial production plunged 16.2 percent month-over-month in February, reversing a 3.3 percent climb in January. On an annual basis, industrial production fell 10.6 percent in February, following a 10.4 percent decrease in the prior month. Data also showed that industrial turnover dropped 1.4 percent monthly and by 6.3 percent yearly in February. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PPG (NYSE:PPG) today reiterated its invitation to AkzoNobel (AKZA.AS: AKZOY) to enter into discussions to explore PPG's proposal to form a combined company. This follows the previous announcements on March 9, 2017, and March 22, 2017.

PPG continues to believe that a combination of the two companies has a strong strategic rationale and presents a highly compelling and unique opportunity for both AkzoNobel and PPG and their respective stakeholders.

"We made a compelling offer to AkzoNobel that provides its shareholders with a significant premium and the opportunity to benefit from the upside potential of a stronger company that is well positioned for future growth and value creation. Together, we can create a stronger company that will benefit all of AkzoNobel's stakeholders, including its Netherlands-based employees," said Michael McGarry, PPG Chairman and CEO.

Although AkzoNobel has declined PPG's repeated invitations to meet, PPG remains committed to seeking engagement with AkzoNobel. PPG believes AkzoNobel should honor growing requests to engage and fully consider all relevant options to create the most value for all of its stakeholders, and benefit from the multiple months of preparation already completed by PPG.

"The resounding feedback we have received in the Netherlands, the U.K. and the U.S. further validates the merits of combining PPG and AkzoNobel," McGarry said. "We are now even more convinced that this combination is in the best interests of all stakeholders of AkzoNobel."

PPG has stated its commitment to address several areas of importance previously identified by AkzoNobel, such as continuing commitments to research and development, honoring existing employment terms of employees and social plans, locating key businesses in Europe and in the Netherlands, maintaining important public-private partnerships, and further strengthening community investments and commitments to sustainability and social responsibility. PPG can provide detailed answers to any specific concerns that AkzoNobel may have, including with respect to antitrust matters where PPG's antitrust experts have conducted extensive analysis and are confident that there is a clear path forward to complete the transaction.

"We once again invite AkzoNobel to meet with us to learn more about our specific proposals. We are prepared to address all of AkzoNobel's concerns in a collaborative and substantive manner, and the best approach for AkzoNobel is to engage with PPG in each of these important areas for the benefit of all stakeholders," McGarry said.

In accordance with Dutch law, PPG confirms its intention to make a public offer for all the issued and outstanding shares of AkzoNobel. A draft offer memorandum is currently expected to be submitted by PPG to the AFM no later than June 1, 2017.

To view the previous announcements related to PPG's proposal to combine with AkzoNobel, click here. To learn more about PPG, visit www.ppg.com.

This is a public announcement by PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG), pursuant to the provisions of section 7 paragraph 1 sub a of the Decree on Public Takeover Bids (Besluit openbare biedingen Wft) of the Netherlands in connection with a potential voluntary public offer by PPG for all the issued and outstanding ordinary shares in the capital of Akzo Nobel N.V. This announcement is without prejudice to PPG's right to submit a draft offer memorandum within 12 weeks from announcing its offer in accordance with section 5 paragraph 2 of the Decree. This announcement does not constitute an offer, or any solicitation of any offer, to buy or subscribe for any securities. Any offer will be made only by means of an offer memorandum. This announcement is not for release, publication or distribution, in whole or in part, in, into or from, directly or indirectly, any other jurisdiction in which such release, publication or distribution would be unlawful.

PPG Overview and its History and Commitment in the Netherlands

PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD

PPG is a leading global supplier of paints, coatings and specialty materials. PPG has annual revenues of approximately $15 billion and a current market capitalization of approximately $27 billion. Over $4.1 billion of PPG's annual revenues is in Europe, with approximately $360 million in annual revenues in the Netherlands, where PPG has a deep commitment and a long history in the country, dating back nearly 300 years.

Today, PPG employs more than 45,000 employees worldwide, with nearly 1,000 in the Netherlands and another 14,000 across the rest of the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. PPG operates over 150 plants globally, including 45 plants across 15 countries in Europe, with facilities in Tiel, Delfzijl, Amsterdam, Uithoorn and Den Bosch in the Netherlands.

At PPG, employees work every day to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and materials that customers trust to protect and beautify their products. Through dedication and creativity, PPG employees solve their customers' biggest challenges, collaborating closely to find the right path forward.

PPG serves the construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and aftermarkets. Ranked No. 182 in the FORTUNE 500, PPG was named Fortune's most admired company in the chemicals sector in 2017.

Every day, PPG collaborates with employees and community partners to make its vision of bringing color and brightness to communities a reality. PPG dedicates its financial resources, products and its passionate employee volunteers to address the needs of communities and to help transform and brighten lives.

In 2016, PPG supported hundreds of community organizations across 25 countries. PPG's signature program is its COLORFUL COMMUNITIES initiative, which increases its commitment to invest in communities and supports projects that transform community spaces, providing PPG volunteers and donated PPG products. Since the program's launch, PPG employee volunteers completed nearly 60 Colorful Communities projects, positively impacting 1.8 million people. This included 15 projects in Europe, including the beautification of the Amsta Karaad residential care facility in Amsterdam. PPG has approximately 80 Colorful Communities projects planned for 2017, with more than 15 identified within Europe.

PPG also has been a significant financial contributor to the NEMO Science Center in Amsterdam, and the company matches employee charitable contributions in the Netherlands and across Europe in addition to our U.S. and Canada operations.

PPG will soon be reporting in its 2016 Sustainability Report that since 2012, the company has reduced its waste disposal intensity by 11 percent and reduced its greenhouse gas intensity by 29 percent, to mention just two of its accomplishments. PPG's sustainability efforts and activities have been recognized worldwide, including in 2015, when Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Group named PPG its "Sustainability Supplier of the Year" for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

To learn more about PPG, visit www.ppg.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain statements about PPG Industries, Inc. ("PPG") that are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These matters involve risks and uncertainties as discussed in PPG's periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, and its current reports on Form 8-K, filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release include statements about the proposed acquisition of Akzo Nobel N.V. ("AkzoNobel") by PPG (such proposed acquisition, the "Transaction"), the terms of the proposed Transaction and the expected benefits of the Transaction for PPG, AkzoNobel and their respective shareholders. Without limitation, any statements preceded or followed by or that include the words "targets," "plans," "believes," "expects," "intends," "will," "likely," "may," "anticipates," "estimates," "projects," "should," "would," "could," "positioned," "strategy," "future," or words, phrases or terms of similar substance or the negative thereof, are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on the current expectations of the management of PPG and are subject to uncertainty and to changes in circumstances and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. In addition, these statements are based on a number of assumptions that are subject to change. Such risks, uncertainties and assumptions include: whether an agreement in respect of the Transaction will be negotiated and executed; uncertainties as to whether AkzoNobel will cooperate with PPG regarding the Transaction and whether AkzoNobel's management or supervisory boards will endorse the Transaction; the effect of the announcement of the Transaction on the ability of PPG and AkzoNobel to retain customers, to retain and hire key personnel and to maintain favorable relationships with suppliers; the terms of the proposed Transaction; the timing of the proposed Transaction; the satisfaction of any conditions to the completion of the Transaction and other risks related to the completion of the Transaction and actions related thereto; risks relating to any unforeseen liabilities, future capital expenditures, revenues, expenses, earnings, economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition, future credit ratings, future prospects; business and management strategies; the expansion and growth of PPG's and AkzoNobel's operations; PPG's ability to integrate AkzoNobel's business successfully after the closing of the Transaction and to achieve anticipated synergies and benefits; and the risk that disruptions from the Transaction will harm the combined companies' business. However, it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors. Consequently, while the list of factors presented here is considered representative, no such list should be considered to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. Unlisted factors may present significant additional obstacles to the realization of forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements included herein are made as of the date hereof, and PPG undertakes no obligation to update publicly such statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

Additional Information About the Proposed Transaction and Where to Find It

An agreement in respect of the Transaction described in this press release has not yet been executed, and this press release is neither an offer to sell securities, a solicitation of a proxy, nor a substitute for a registration statement or proxy statement or other filings that may be made with the SEC. Any proxy solicitation of PPG's shareholders will be made through materials filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and no offer of securities to U.S. security holders or holders of ADRs representing AkzoNobel shares shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Should an agreement with respect to the Transaction be reached, PPG expects to file relevant materials with the SEC, including a registration statement on Form S-4 and a proxy statement. Investors and security holders are urged to read all relevant documents filed with the SEC (if and when they become available), including the prospectus and proxy statement, because they will contain important information about the Transaction. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain these documents (if and when available) free of charge at the SEC's website http://www.sec.gov, or from PPG's Investor Center website http://investor.ppg.com.

Participants in the Solicitation

This press release is neither a solicitation of a proxy nor a substitute for any proxy statement or other filings that may be made with the SEC. Nonetheless, PPG and its affiliates and their directors and executive officers and certain employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the holders of PPG common stock with respect to the Transaction. Information about such parties and a description of their interests are set forth in PPG's 2016 Annual Report. Additional information regarding the interests of such participants will also be included in the materials that PPG would file with the SEC in connection with a Transaction. These documents (if and when available) may be obtained free of charge from the SEC's website http://www.sec.gov or PPG's Investor Center website http://investor.ppg.com.

We protect and beautify the world, Colorful Communities and the PPG Logo are trademarks and registered trademarks of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170405005597/en/

Contacts:

PPG Media Contact:

Bryan Iams, +1-412-434-2181

Corporate Communications

bryan.iams@ppg.com

or

PPG Investor Contact:

Scott Minder, +1-412-434-3466

Investor Relations

sminder@ppg.com

investor.ppg.com


BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - The European Union will conduct Brexit negotiations with the UK with an aim to mitigate the human, economic and political uncertainties of the event as much as possible, and parallel talks on exit and future relations are not possible, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Wednesday.



Juncker was speaking in Strasbourg where the European Parliament is holding a plenary session on the UK after the country gave notice of its withdrawal from the EU on March 29.



'A disorderly exit is the most unfavorable case,' Juncker said. That would be a very disadvantageous situation for many families and people, for research, for security cooperation and for trade, he added.



'In short, no deal means no one wins, all will lose,' Juncker said.



Reminding that it was the UK which was leave the EU and not vice versa, Juncker said the latter wanted to negotiate with all fairness.



He also stressed that parallel talks on future EU-UK relationship are not possible until the uncertainties linked to the past are sorted out satisfactorily.



Juncker also said that the UK cannot enjoy the same benefits as a member state once it leaves the EU.



'A third country cannot have the same benefits as a Member State,' he said. 'This Parliament must and will ensure that this reality is fully upheld over the course of the next two years.'



He also noted that the EU will hold talks with the UK in friendship and openness and not in a hostile mood.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
FORM 8.3

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY

A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE

Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser: Investec Asset Management Limited (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):

The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named.

N/A (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:

Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree

Booker Group Plc (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:

Yes (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken:

For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure

4th April 2017 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?

If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A"

Yes- Tesco Plc

2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security: Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 24,966,426 1.40 (2) Cash-settled derivatives: (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:

TOTAL: 24,966,426 1.40

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form8 (Open Positions).

(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit Common Stock GBP .01 Sale 83,921 1.922

(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. CFD Nature of dealing

e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit

(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type

e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit

(ii) Exercise

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit

(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security Nature of dealing

e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable)

4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:

Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"

NONE

(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:

(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or

(ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:

If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none" NONE

(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO

Date of disclosure: 5th April 2017 Contact name: IAN GARTSHORE Telephone number: 02075971825

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service and must also be emailed to the Takeover Panel at monitoring@disclosure.org.uk. The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.
LEBANON, NH -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- StartWire, America's number one job search organizer, today announced the release of Talent Community Xcelerator. Designed for organizations with existing talent communities or candidate relationship marketing programs, StartWire Talent Community Xcelerator creates a new acquisition channel for targeted candidate leads by integrating the employer's opt-in with StartWire's registration process.

StartWire is already used by more than 11 million job seekers. The award-winning free service has been lauded for advancing the candidate experience by providing them with automatic status updates from thousands of employers regarding their job applications.

With the launch of Talent Community Xcelerator, StartWire enhances its employer-side tools. Talent communities are major investments in time and money and are often only promoted on the employer's owned assets such as the career site and social media channels. Now, organizations can leverage Talent Community Xcelerator to target job seekers by location, occupation, education or salary, and offer an easy way to join the employer's talent community with just one click. This approach presents a win-win for everyone, as job seekers get connected to employers they are interested in, and employers increase the reach and value of their talent communities.

CRM and talent community software providers can also partner with StartWire to offer Talent Community Xcelerator to their clients who may be looking for additional ways to grow their candidate databases. Talent Community Xcelerator can easily be integrated into most platforms and provides another tool for technology vendors to improve the ROI of their software and deepen relationships with their clients.

StartWire president Andrew Katz commented, "StartWire's unique registration process allows us to interact with candidates who are interested in learning about new opportunities. With StartWire Talent Community Xcelerator, employers can detail the skills they anticipate needing for current and future openings -- from warehouse workers to electrical engineers and every discipline in between -- and receive only those candidates matching their criteria." He continued, "StartWire has earned the trust of candidates and employers alike through our continual communications to confirm alignment."

Heading StartWire Talent Community Xcelerator is Harold Levy, vice president, Business Development. Levy has more than 30 years of recruitment marketing experience, having held executive roles at TMP Worldwide, Bernard Hodes/Omnicom, Bayard and Korn Ferry. Given his expertise, Levy is able to guide StartWire clients' talent community acquisition strategies and ensure measurable results.

Levy shared, "StartWire Talent Community Xcelerator solution addresses the requirements of multiple audiences: the candidates who want to learn about relevant openings; the employers that need to build communities of qualified candidates; and other vendors -- such as CRM and TRM providers -- seeking high quality data services to augment their technology solutions."

To learn more about StartWire Talent Community Xcelerator, please contact Harold Levy by emailing harold.levy@startdatelabs.com.

About StartWire

StartWire is America's number one job search organizer with more than 11 million members. Job seekers across the U.S. turn to StartWire to close the "resume black hole" by receiving automatic status updates from thousands of employers. Since its inception, StartWire has received rave reviews and coverage in US News & World Report, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, TechCrunch, Mashable, ERE, and Human Resource Executive. StartWire is headquartered near Dartmouth College in Lebanon, NH. For more information, visit http://www.startwire.com.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3126319


PROVIDENCE, RI -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- New research sponsored by Vector Software, the world's leading provider of innovative software solutions for embedded software quality, reveals that the number one software development challenge that organizations are currently facing is time pressures to release new products/upgrades to market, while the most pressing concern is software quality. This comes at a time when in addition to regulated industries that have long been mandated to perform thorough software testing, there are now many industries engaged in business-critical software development that have a directive from end users to ensure that software is of the highest quality and operating without disruption.

Issued today, the Vector Software Annual Software Testing Technology Report uncovered the following key trends:

About half of respondents have 50% or more of their software built on legacy code bases

Technical debt caused by this large installed base of legacy code continues to be a barrier to quality

Internet of Things (IoT) software development initiatives are on the rise

IoT security, and the security of software applications in general, continues to be a growing concern for many

"In today's highly competitive business environment, companies need to ship products that consumers can trust," said Jeffrey Fortin, head of product management at Vector Software. "That requires integrity, and the resulting importance of producing high quality code continues to rise as brand equity increasingly depends on software."

As the quantity and criticality of software is increasing, it is becoming clearer that the traditional workflows used in the industry are no longer sufficient to meet the growing challenges. Due to these changes, organizations must rethink their overall development and testing methodologies in order to meet their business objectives while still conforming to market demands for high integrity software.

The full report reveals respondents' insights on key software development areas including: the types of testing done before product release; test automation; time spent on bug fixes vs. building new features; Internet of Things development and related security concerns; and how the market is currently testing software for security vulnerabilities. The complete report is now available for download on Vector Software's website.

About Vector Software, Inc.

Vector Software is the world's leading provider of software testing solutions for safety and business critical embedded applications. Companies worldwide in the automotive, aerospace, medical devices, industrial controls, rail, and other business critical sectors rely on Vector Software's VectorCAST test automation platform. The VectorCAST environment enables software development teams to easily automate complex testing tasks to improve software quality, using Test-Driven Development, Continuous Integration, and Change-Based Testing processes to engineer reliable software for accelerated time-to-market release cycles. Vector Software is headquartered in East Greenwich, Rhode Island USA with offices worldwide and a world-class team of support and technology partners. To learn more, visit: www.vectorcast.com. Follow Vector Software on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

Contact:

Anna Barcelos

Vector Software, Inc.

401.398.7185

Email Contact



1351 South County Trail

East Greenwich, RI 02818 USA

www.vectorcast.com




VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - April 05, 2017) - Solar Alliance Energy, Inc. ('Solar Alliance') or (the 'Company') (TSX VENTURE: SAN) (OTCQB: SAENF) is pleased to announce it will be working with William Shatner to promote the benefits of solar energy through an exciting public awareness campaign titled "Join the Alliance -- Save Money, Save the World". Mr. Shatner will bring his unique brand of passion and humour to help promote the many benefits of solar energy. The public awareness campaign will kick off with the installation of a solar system at Mr. Shatner's Los Angeles home.

"The benefits of solar energy are significant and I am pleased to work with Solar Alliance on this public awareness campaign," said Mr. Shatner. "I am committed to creating a better world through action and this is one small step towards a cleaner future that is less dependent on fossil fuels."

"We are excited to be working with Mr. Shatner to raise awareness of the benefits of solar energy," said Chairman and CEO Jason Bak. "Mr. Shatner is committed to environmental sustainability and those ideals align perfectly with the Solar Alliance mission. This public awareness campaign will provide a platform for Solar Alliance to create new customers and deliver the benefits of solar to thousands of new customers. Our goal is to create a national alliance of homeowners and businesses that benefit from the low cost and positive environmental benefits of solar energy."

Solar Alliance will kick off this exciting new solar awareness campaign with the installation of a solar system at Mr. Shatner's home in the coming weeks. The campaign will be rolled out across Solar Alliance's social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

In consideration for his role as Spokesperson, Solar Alliance will issue Mr. Shatner 750,000 stock options. The options have a term of 5 years and an exercise price of $0.195 per share. The option issuance is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

About William Shatner

William Shatner has cultivated a career spanning over 50 years as an award-winning actor, director, producer, writer, recording artist, and horseman. He is one of Hollywood's most recognizable figures and a major philanthropist. In 1966, Shatner originated the role of "Captain James T. Kirk" in the television series Star Trek. The series spawned a feature film franchise where Shatner returned as Captain Kirk in seven of the Star Trek movies, one of which he directed. Shatner played the title role in the hit television series T.J. Hooker before hosting television's first reality-based series, Rescue 911. Shatner continues to act, write, produce and direct while still making time to work with charities and further his passion in equestrian sports.

Jason Bak

Chairman and CEO

About Solar Alliance Energy Inc. (www.solaralliance.com)

Solar Alliance is a sales, marketing and development company focused on residential, commercial and industrial solar installations. Since we were founded in 2003, we have developed wind and solar projects that provide enough electricity to power 150,000 homes. Solar Alliance is committed to an exceptional customer experience, effective marketing campaigns and superior lead generation in order to drive sales and generate value for shareholders. Our passion is improving life through ingenuity, simplicity and freedom of choice. We make solar simple and our goal is to install solar on every available rooftop in America.

Statements in this news release, other than purely historical information, including statements relating to the Company's future plans and objectives or expected results, constitute Forward-looking statements. The words "would", "will", "expected" and "estimated" or other similar words and phrases are intended to identify forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different than those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: uncertainties related to the ability to raise sufficient capital, changes in economic conditions or financial markets, litigation, legislative or other judicial, regulatory and political competitive developments and technological or operational difficulties. Consequently, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.

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

For more information:





Solar Alliance Investor Relations

Spyros Karellas

Pinnacle Capital Markets

(416) 433-5696

spyros@pinnaclecapitalmarkets.ca
Forbes-published ReputationInstitute'sGlobal RepTrak 100 measures the reputation of the world's most highly regarded and familiar multinational companies in 15 countries

HAMILTON, Bermuda, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Bacardi Limited, the world's largest privately held spirits company, has once again been named among the most reputable companies in the world, per the annual Global RepTrak 100 list compiled by the Reputation Institute (RI) and published in Forbes. Ranked at #84, up eight spots from the previous year, this is the fifth consecutive time family-owned Bacardi has made the annual global list.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/485796/Forbes_2017_Worlds_Most_Reputable_Companies.jpg

"Making this prestigious global list for the fifth time in a row, and moving up ever higher since our first appearance, demonstrates that our efforts to continuously evolve our business and connect with today's consumers in new and more relevant ways are making a difference," said Mike Dolan, chief executive officer, Bacardi Limited. "I want to especially thank our team around the world for their passion and dedication as we work hard to make Bacardi the envy of our industry."

Based on more than 170,000 ratings collected in the first quarter of 2017, the annual survey is the largest corporate reputation study of its kind, and includes comparative ratings, trends by demographics, and insights into which companies are best regarded by consumers as well as what drives trust and supportive behaviors such as willingness to purchase a company's products, recommend the brand, invest in or even work for the company.

RI's RepTrak System measures the general public's perception of the most highly regarded and familiar multinational companies in 15 countries - Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States - on seven dimensions of reputation including products and services, innovation, workplace, governance, citizenship, leadership and performance.

"The annual Global RepTrak 100 spotlights the companies that truly understand what they stand for and how to reinforce the emotional bond with their stakeholders across all the markets they serve," said Michele Tesoro-Tess, RI executive partner. "This year's Top 100 companies come from different sectors: reputation is a cross-industry asset and companies continuously invest on it because their leaderships finally recognized its impact on business performances."

In putting together its annual list of the world's most reputable companies, RI assigns each company a score - The RepTrak Pulse - ascertained by taking into account the esteem, trust, admiration and feelings the general public has for each company. A company's performance across seven categories of reputation explain the rational drivers behind the emotional bond.

Allen Bonde, RI chief marketing officer, added, "Looking at these top performers, it's clear that offering high-quality products, standing behind them, and meeting customer needs is foundational to delivering on the brand promise. But our data also shows that companies with a strong sense of purpose who are committed to improving on all dimensions of reputation - especially governance and citizenship - tend to be the most highly regarded."

The full list of The World's Most Reputable Companies for 2017 can be found at https://www.reputationinstitute.com/thought-leadership/global-reptrak-100.

About Reputation Institute

Founded in 1997, Reputation Institute (RI) is the world's leading provider of stakeholder measurement, membership, and management services, working with more than 400 of the top Global 1000 companies. Serving corporate communications and marketing executives and their teams, RI delivers our data, insights and best practices through subscription services, hands-on consulting, and our RLN events and executive training. RI's proprietary RepTrak System is the gold standard for analyzing reputations across industries, geographies, and stakeholders, and powers our Global, National, Country and CSR studies. http://www.reputationinstitute.com

About Bacardi Limited

Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, produces and markets internationally recognized spirits and wines. The Bacardi brand portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels, including BACARDA rum, GREY GOOSE vodka, DEWAR'S Blended Scotch whisky, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, MARTINI vermouth and sparkling wines, CAZADORES 100% blue agave tequila, and other leading and emerging brands including WILLIAM LAWSON'S, ERISTOFF vodka, and ST-GERMAIN elderflower liqueur.

Founded more than 155 years ago in Santiago de Cuba on February 4, 1862, family-owned Bacardi manufactures its brands at 29 facilities and sells in more than 160 countries. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited.www.BacardiLimited.com

Media Contacts

K.C. Kavanagh, +1.441.298.1053, kckavanagh@bacardi.com

Amy Federman, +1.441.294.1110, afederman@bacardi.com

2017 BACARDI

BACARDI, THE BAT DEVICE AND OTHER MARKS ARE TRADEMARKS OF BACARDI & COMPANY LIMITED OR OF OTHER SUBSIDIARIES OF BACARDI LIMITED

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/466274/Bacardi_Logo.jpg
Mariehamn, 2017-04-05 13:06 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Viking Line Abp INSIDE INFORMATION 5.4.2017, 2.05 PM Viking Line has signed a shipbuilding contract with Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry Co. Today, April 5, Viking Line signed a conditional shipbuilding contract with the Chinese company Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry Co. concerning a new passenger cruise ship for the Turku (Finland)-Aland Islands-Stockholm (Sweden) route with planned delivery in 2020. A final agreement is subject to the approval of the Board of Directors of both the buyer and the seller as well as financial arrangements entered into. The total contract amount is about 194 million euros. The agreement also includes an option on another vessel. The new vessel will be a collaborative project, and the plan is to engage a number of Finnish and other European suppliers. The energy-efficient vessel will be 218 metres in length and have a gross registered tonnage of about 63,000 tonnes. Passenger capacity will be 2,800 people, and the length of its cargo lanes will be 1,500 metres. Viking Line will hire Scandinavian architects for the interior design. The new vessel will provide a brand-new passenger experience for guests. Viking Line Abp Jan Hanses President and CEO President and CEO Jan Hanses, jan.hanses@vikingline.com, +358-18-27000

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Quaker Chemical Corp. (KWR) and Houghton International Inc. announced a definitive agreement to combine the companies. Houghton shareholders will receive $172.5 million of cash and 24.5 percent ownership of the combined company, representing approximately 4.3 million shares of newly issued Quaker Chemical stock. Quaker Chemical will assume Houghton International's debt and cash, with net debt of approximately $690 million at year-end 2016. The agreement has been approved by both Quaker Chemical's board and Houghton International's board with full support of the Hinduja Group, which will become Quaker Chemical's largest shareholder. Michael Barry will continue as Chairman and CEO of the new business, The completion of the transaction is expected by the end of 2017 or early 2018.



Quaker Chemical anticipates achieving cost synergies of approximately $45 million, the majority of which will be realized within two years of closing. After the close of the transaction, shares of the combined company will continue to be listed on the NYSE. The combined company is expected to continue to maintain its dividend.



Houghton International is a global leader in delivering advanced metalworking fluids and services for the automotive, aerospace, metals, mining, machinery, offshore and beverage industries. Headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Houghton operates research, manufacturing and office locations in 33 countries around the world. Houghton International is a Hinduja Group Company, which has owned more than 95% of Houghton International since 2012. The Hinduja Group is one of India's premier divecombinationrsified and transnational conglomerate.



The completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and approval by Quaker Chemical shareholders.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de


BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - The British government's desire to hold parallel talks on the withdrawal and the future relationship with the European Union is 'a very risk approach', EU's Chief Negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier said Wednesday.



Speaking at the European Parliament plenary session on the UK's Article 50 notice in Strasbourg, Barnier said, 'To succeed, we need on the contrary to devote the first phase of negotiations exclusively to reaching an agreement on the principles of the exit.'



'It is an essential condition to maximize our chances to reach an agreement within two years,' he added.



That implies reducing uncertainties for people and businesses regarding their legal rights and the EU borders.



And success depends on three conditions, which according to Barnier are unity, lifting uncertainty and phasing of negotiations.



Echoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's words, Barnier urged the 27 member states to remain united in negotiations with the UK.



He said the European Parliament will have the final word on any deal with the UK.



'If there is no agreement, the consequences will be heavy, for the United Kingdom especially, but also for the Union,' Barnier said.



'That is why the no deal scenario is not our scenario.'



Barnier also noted that the devil will be in the detail of any deal and stressed on the importance of ensuring that the agreement effectively guarantees the rights of citizens.



The EU will never punish the UK or make it pay a single euro in excess of what it owes, the EU top official said.



The second phase of Brexit talks will be devoted to scoping future relations and discussing necessary transitory arrangements, Barnier said.



'The sooner we agree on the principles of an orderly withdrawal, the sooner we can prepare our future relationship in trade, but also in security and defence,' he said.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Aurvista Gold Corporation ("Aurvista" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: AVA)(OTCQB: ARVSF)(FRANKFURT: AV2) is pleased to announce that the Company has staked an additional 294 mineral claims and added 164.4 km2 surrounding the Company's Douay Gold Project ("Douay"). Douay now consists of 573 claims covering approx. 305 km2 with extended strike length along the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone in the prolific Abitibi Greenstone Belt of northern Quebec.

Jean Lafleur, President and CEO of Aurvista, stated: "We developed a new exploration model in 2016 that has been guiding our exploration efforts at Douay ever since. Exploration work over the past 12 months has led to a number of new gold and base metal targets at Douay. Management felt it was prudent to take advantage of recently abandoned claims and expand the Project's footprint to a commanding 305 km2. As a result, the Company has more than doubled the size of the Douay Gold Project and increased the exploration upside and potential for new discoveries going forward."

Aurvista has expanded the Project's original claim boundary in multiple directions. The Company plans to complete airborne geophysical coverage and initial ground surveys over the new claims in the summer of 2017. The figure below highlights the expanded claim ownership at Douay:

Figure 1: Outline of Original Douay Claims & Newly Acquired Ground: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1091043m.jpg

Douay Gold Project and Company Profile

Aurvista Gold Corporation is a leading gold exploration and development Company advancing the Douay Gold Project in Quebec. Aurvista's Douay Gold Project now consists of a 100% owned interest in 541 mostly contiguous claims totaling 293 km2 and a 75% interest (25% held by SOQUEM) in 32 contiguous claims totaling 11.9 km2. In total, there are 573 claims covering 305 km2 located along a 40 km segment of the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone in the prolific Abitibi Greenstone Belt of northern Quebec. Douay is located 40 km SW of the Matagami Base Metal Camp and approx. 140 km N of the Val-d'Or Canadian Malartic Gold Camp (both in Quebec). The Company has 138,545,780 shares outstanding trading on the TSX Venture Exchange in Canada, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and OTCQB in the US. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.aurvistagold.com.

Qualified Person

The technical contents in this news release have been approved by Mr. Jean Lafleur, M. Sc., P. Geo., President and CEO for Aurvista Gold Corporation, a non-independent Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS PRESS RELEASE.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions, uncertainties and management's best estimate of future events. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations and projections. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. When used herein, words such as "anticipate", "will", "intend" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Aurvista Gold Corporation's filings with Canadian securities regulators available on www.sedar.com or the Company's website at www.aurvistagold.com.

Contacts:

Mr. Jean Lafleur, P. Geo.

President and CEO, Director

Cell: +1 514 927 3633



Mr. Keith C Minty, P. Eng., MBA

Chief Operating Officer

+1 416 682 2671




CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Gibson Energy Inc. ("Gibsons" or the "Company") (TSX: GEI) announced today that it expects to release its first quarter results for the period ending March 31, 2017 on Monday, May 8, following market close. A conference call has also been scheduled for 7:00 a.m. MT (9:00 a.m. ET) on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 for interested analysts, investors, and media representatives. The conference call dial-in numbers are:

-- 416-340-2217 / 866-696-5910 -- Participant Pass Code: 5924396

Shortly after the call, an audio archive will be posted on the Investors/News section at www.gibsons.com. The call will also be recorded and available for playback 60 minutes after the meeting end time, until August 1, 2017, using the following dial-in numbers:

-- 905-694-9451 / 800-408-3053 -- Participant Pass Code: 8719230

The Company also wishes to announce that its Annual General Meeting (the "AGM") will be held on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. MT (12:00 p.m. ET) in the Brittannia and Belaire Room of The Westin Calgary, 320 - 4th Avenue S.W., Calgary, Alberta. The AGM will be broadcast live via webcast. The webcast link will be available on Gibsons' website at gibsons.com under Investor Relations/Presentations, Webcasts and Events. Additionally, shortly after the AGM, an audio archive of the webcast will be made accessible on Gibsons' website for 90 days.

About Gibsons

Gibsons is a Canadian-based midstream energy company with operations in most of the key hydrocarbon-rich basins in North America. For over 60 years, Gibsons has delivered integrated midstream solutions to customers in the oil and gas industry. With headquarters in Calgary, Alberta, the Company's North American operations include the storage, blending, processing, transportation, marketing and distribution of crude oil, liquids and refined products. The Company also provides oilfield waste and water management services.

Gibson Energy Inc. shares trade under the symbol GEI and are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. For more information, visit www.gibsons.com.

Contacts:

Tammi Price

Vice President Finance & Corporate Affairs

(403) 206-4212

tprice@gibsons.com




LONDON, 2017-04-05 14:19 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XM Group (Trading Point Group), a leading Forex and CFD broker and the official trading partner of the Fastest Man in the World "Usain Bolt", has been recognized as Best Forex Service Provider for 2017 during the City of London Wealth and Management Awards which were hosted on the 30th of March at The Guildhall in the City of London.



The City of London Wealth and Management Awards are hosted once a year and the winners of each category are determined by an online public vote.



During the event Stephen Pinner, MD of Goodacre UK the company managing the Awards said, "The Wealth Management sector is working hard to meet a wide range of challenges and it is very re-assuring to see the increasing interest from the investing public. In addition to ensuring that they meet a significant amount of new regulatory requirements, many firms strive to deliver services of the highest quality and these Awards acknowledge and reward the very best companies in the market."



Notes for Editors



The purpose of the City of London Wealth and Management Awards is to recognize and promote quality of service from Wealth Management companies and individuals. Winners are determined by a public online vote which took place over a two-week period. The poll was reviewed by an independent panel of judges.



About XM Group



XM the official trading partner of the Fastest Man in the World "Usain Bolt" is an award-winning Forex and CFD Broker serving over 1,00,000 clients.



XM is a brand name of Trading Point Holdings Ltd which wholly owns Trading Point of Financial Instruments UK Ltd (XM UK), Trading Point of Financial Instruments Pty Ltd (XM Australia) and Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (XM Cyprus).



XM UK is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Reference number: 705428), XM Australia is licensed by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (Reference number: 443670) and XM Cyprus is regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (Reference number: 120/10).



For more information visit -> http://www.xm.com/



Risk Warning



Forex and CFD Trading Involve a significant risk to your invested capital. Please ensure you fully understand the risks and take care to manage your exposure.



XM Global Address Book:



UK: Citypoint Building 1 Ropemaker Street EC2Y 9HT London, UK



AUS: Level 13, 167 Macquarie House, Macquarie Street Sydney 2000, NSW, Australia



CY: 12 Richard & Verengaria Street, Araouzos Castle Court, 3rd Floor, 3042 Limassol, Cyprus



For information contact: Chris A. Zacharia - Marketing Director XM Group marketing@xm.com

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Automatic Data Processing releases private payrolls data for March at 8:15 am ET Wednesday. The data is forecast to show an addition of 189,000 private sector jobs in March, sharply down from 298,000 in the previous month. Ahead of the data, the greenback traded mixed against its major rivals. While the greenback fell against the pound and the euro, it held steady against the yen. Against the franc, it rose. The greenback was worth 1.0678 against the euro, 110.92 against the yen, 1.0026 against the franc and 1.2488 against the pound as of 8:10 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Earth Alive Clean Technologies Inc. (CSE: EAC)(CSE: EAC.CN) ("Earth Alive" or the "Company"), a leading Canadian Clean-Tech company, developer and manufacturer of innovative microbial technology products, is pleased to announce that it has joined the Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture (GACSA), hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

"Earth Alive continues to take a leadership role in the business community in delivering climate smart, sustainable agriculture solutions. Joining the Global Alliance is an important way to show our commitment," stated David Gilmour, CEO of Earth Alive. "We are making a lot of headway in international markets in Latin America and Africa, and are dedicated to showing how Earth Alive Soil Activator can help farmers adapt to a rapidly changing climate."

GACSA is a platform for industry, governments, farmer organizations, NGOs, research institutes, and civil society groups to work together towards Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA). Its aims are to improve farmers' agricultural productivity and incomes in a sustainable way, build farmers' resilience to extreme weather and changing climate, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with agriculture, when possible. GACSA provides a forum for stakeholders to exchange information, experience, and views on effective strategies for agriculture to adapt to climate change and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

Frederic Perron-Welch, Director, Sustainable Development, noted that "agriculture must undergo a significant transformation to meet the challenges of achieving food security and responding to climate change. Agricultural production will need to increase by at least 70 percent to meet demands by 2050 while agricultural productivity is declining and production becomes unpredictable due to climate change. Developing climate-smart agriculture is crucial to achieving global food security and climate change goals."

Michael Warren, VP Global Operations, Agricultural Solutions, added, "There is no doubt that agriculture is facing major challenges due to climate change. Earth Alive is committed to sustainably improving farmers' agricultural productivity. Helping crop resilience to extreme weather and a changing climate is a must to ensure food production around the world." He concluded that "GACSA offers us an important opportunity to participate in transformational partnerships. It allows us to demonstrate how a new technology like Soil Activator can play a pivotal role in the three pillars of climate-smart agriculture - productivity, adaptation and mitigation."

About the Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture

GACSA is an inclusive, voluntary and action-oriented multi-stakeholder platform on Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA). Its vision is to improve food security, nutrition and resilience in the face of climate change. It aims to catalyse and help create transformational partnerships to encourage actions that reflect an integrated approach to the three pillars of CSA. Its mission is to address the challenges facing food security and agriculture by tapping the wealth and diversity of resources, knowledge, information and expertise, from and between its members, in order to stimulate concrete initiatives at all levels. It provides a forum for those who work on climate-smart agriculture to share and exchange experiences, information and views on issues that need immediate attention what works and what does not when adapting to climate change and mitigating greenhouse gases in the agriculture sector.

About Earth Alive Clean Technologies:

Earth Alive aims to be a key player in world markets of environmentally sustainable industrial solutions. The company works with the latest innovations in microbial technology to formulate and patent innovative products that can tackle the most difficult industrial challenges, once only reserved to environmentally harmful chemicals and additives. The company is focused on environmental sustainability in 1) dust control for the mining industry, and 2) the agriculture industry.

For additional company information, please visit: www.earthalivect.com.

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Information

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" occur. Although Earth Alive believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts:

For media information and interview requests, please contact

Mr. David Gilmour

dgilmour@earthalivect.com

514-814-2899



For investor relations, please contact:

Mr. Frederick Chabot

frederick@contactfinancial.com

438-863-7071




AerCap Holdings N.V. ("AerCap") (NYSE: AER) today announced that it will host a conference call and webcast for investors and analysts at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 to review its first quarter 2017 financial results.

AerCap's first quarter 2017 earnings press release will be released before financial markets open in the United States on May 9, 2017. A copy of the press release will be posted on the "Investor Relations" section of AerCap's website at www.aercap.com. The presentation slides for the conference call will be posted on AerCap's website in advance of the conference call.

The call can be accessed live by dialing (U.S./Canada) +1 719 325 2385 or (International) +353 1 246 5638 and referencing code 9781821 at least 5 minutes before start time, or by visiting AerCap's website at www.aercap.com under "Investor Relations".

The webcast replay will be archived on the "Investor Relations" section of the company's website for one year.

About AerCap

AerCap is the global leader in aircraft leasing with, as of December 31, 2016, 1,566 owned, managed or on order aircraft in its portfolio. AerCap has one of the most attractive order books in the industry. AerCap serves approximately 200 customers in approximately 80 countries with comprehensive fleet solutions. AerCap is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (AER) and has its headquarters in Dublin with offices in Shannon, Los Angeles, Singapore, Amsterdam, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, Seattle and Toulouse.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain statements, estimates and forecasts with respect to future performance and events. These statements, estimates and forecasts are "forward-looking statements". In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "might," "should," "expect," "plan," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "predict," "potential" or "continue" or the negatives thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements and are based on various underlying assumptions and expectations and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and may include projections of our future financial performance based on our growth strategies and anticipated trends in our business. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity performance or achievements to differ materially from the results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. As a result, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements included in this press release will prove to be accurate or correct. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the future performance or events described in the forward-looking statements in this press release might not occur. Accordingly, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results and we do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, we do not undertake any obligation to, and will not, update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For more information regarding AerCap and to be added to our email distribution list, please visit www.aercap.com and follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/aercapnv.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170405005721/en/

Contacts:

AerCap Holdings N.V.

For Media:

Gillian Culhane, +353 1 636 0945

Vice President Corporate Communications

gculhane@aercap.com

or

For Investors:

Brian Canniffe, +353 1 418 0461

Head of Investor Relations

bcanniffe@aercap.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 5, 2017) - CanAlaska Uranium Ltd. (TSXV: CVV) (OTCQB: CVVUF) (FSE: DH7N) ("CanAlaska" or the "Company") will not be proceeding with the non-brokered private placement announced February 22, 2017, due to market conditions. The company remains active with third party property options and is adequately financed, with $1,535,897 in the treasury at March 31, 2017.

West McArthur Uranium Project

Cameco has provided the Company with a further update, and by April 30, they expect to be able to provide us with a program and budget for summer drilling at West McArthur. It is expected that drilling will resume at Grid 5.

Nisku Copper-Zinc Drilling

The Company has completed four drill holes to depths of 140 to 260 metres from surface, to test the Nisku geophysical targets located 12 kilometres northeast of the past producing Ruttan mine. Four holes were drilled at three sites. Preliminary logs show that at the first two sites, all three drill holes intercepted semi-massive to massive sulphide mineralization. The mineralization, principally pyrrhotite, is very extensive, with widths up to 16 metres of combined massive and semi massive sulphide. The mineralization appears to be part of a large volcanogenic massive sulphide system extending along strike for several kilometres. The fourth drill hole intersected a more complex tuffaceous sequence that also included sections of sulphide mineralisation. Quartz and/or feldspar porphyry dykes, quartz veining and extensive chlorite and biotite are present in all drill holes indicating the presence of a hydrothermal system. Drill assay results are expected in May.

About CanAlaska Uranium

CanAlaska Uranium Ltd. (TSXV: CVV) (OTCQB: CVVUF) (FSE: DH7N) holds interests for uranium in approximately 470,000 hectares (1.1 million acres), one of the largest land positions in Canada's Athabasca Basin region - the "Saudi Arabia of Uranium." CanAlaska's strategic holdings have attracted major international mining companies Cameco, Denison, KORES, and KEPCO. CanAlaska is a project generator positioned for discovery success in the world's richest uranium district. For further information visit www.canalaska.com.

The qualified technical person for this news release is Dr Karl Schimann, P. Geo, VP Exploration, for CanAlaska.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Peter Dasler"

Peter Dasler, M.Sc., P.Geo.

President & CEO

CanAlaska Uranium Ltd.

Contacts:

Peter Dasler, President

Tel: +1.604.688.3211 x 138

Email: info@canalaska.com

John Gomez, Corporate Development

Tel: +1.604.484.7118

Email: jgomez@canalaska.com

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

Forward-looking information

All statements included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions made by the Company based on its experience, perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. In addition, these statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will prove inaccurate, certain of which are beyond the Company's control. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to revise or update these forward-looking statements after the date hereof or revise them to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events.
TOKYO, Apr 5, 2017 - (JCN Newswire) - Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. announced a ?500,000 equity investment in Moixa Energy Holdings, the UK's leading residential battery company (CEO: Simon Daniel, Headquarters: London)."We are excited to welcome Moixa to our modest, but growing portfolio of innovative companies," said Hirokazu Yamaguchi, Executive General Manager, Global Innovation & Investments at TEPCO. "Moixa has developed a robust battery storage and smart energy-sharing platform. We look forward to gaining hands-on experience for the benefit of our customers."David Thomlinson, Chairman of Moixa and former Global Head of Energy at Accenture, said, "Having previously worked with TEPCO, I am particularly pleased to be able to partner with this leading Japanese corporate, to bring the Moixa technology to new markets."The energy industry is undergoing a fundamental and disruptive change enabled by new technologies and driven by customers. Technologies such as distributed solar and batteries are enabling innovative new ways of producing, consuming and sharing of energy. This in turn is setting the stage for customers to increasingly and proactively engage in the energy industry as "prosumers" who both produce and consume energy.Moixa offers a compact and affordable smart battery for residential customers that helps households save money by storing spare solar or cheap tariff electricity. In addition, their innovative cloud-based GridShare platform helps manage and aggregate distributed storage resources, and thereby, deliver grid services and savings for the energy system.About Moixa EnergyMoixa Energy Holdings invents, manufactures and distributes smart energy technology and is the UK's leading residential battery company with an unrivaled track record in the UK market, with over 10 years of research and development, strong international patents and multiple pilots. It has worked with councils and housing associations, energy utilities and network operators to deliver more than ?5 million of projects. To date the company has installed Moixa Smart Batteries in more than 800 homes in the UK with a combined capacity of over 1.3MWh and over five million hours of use. For more information, visit http://www.moixa.com.About Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TSE: 9501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is the largest utility in Japan serving more than 29 million homes and businesses. Worldwide the company has more than 74 subsidiaries and affiliates in 8 countries and employs approximately 43,330 people. Consolidated revenue for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016, totaled 6.8 trillion Japanese yen. The company was established in 1951 and is listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. For more information, visit http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/corpinfo/index-e.html.Source: Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.Copyright 2017 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Northern Graphite Corporation ("Northern" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: NGC)(OTCQX: NGPHF) is pleased to announce that it has hired Mr. Placido Campos as Senior Process Consultant. Mr. Campos is a Professional Engineer with 32 years of experience in graphite production and processing. He held a number of senior positions in his 13 years with Nacional de Grafite, the largest graphite producer outside of China, most recently as General Manager, Operations. Mr. Campos was also formerly Graphite Beneficiation Manager with Syrah Resources where he was responsible for the metallurgical process and production.

Mr. Campos will focus on reviewing metallurgical test results and the processing plant flow sheet with the objective of identifying opportunities to optimize its performance and to reduce capital and operating costs. These changes will be integrated into a planned update of the Company's Full Feasibility Study.

Gregory Bowes, Chief Executive Officer, commented that; "Bulk sample and pilot plant results indicate we can achieve a very high recovery of large flakes and high purity levels but there is no substitute for experience in scaling up to commercial production. There are few consultants outside of China with the "hands on" graphite processing experience of Mr. Campos and we look forward to his contribution toward ensuring that we have the best process plant equipment and design, and achieve our goal of producing the highest quality products at the lowest cost."

About Northern Graphite

Northern is a Canadian company that has a 100% interest in the Bissett Creek graphite deposit located in southern Canada, relatively close to all required infrastructure. Bissett Creek is an advanced stage project that has a Full Feasibility Study and its major environmental permit. Subject to the completion of operational and species at risk permitting, which are well advanced, Northern could commence construction in 2017 pending financing. The Company believes Bissett Creek has the highest margin, best flake size distribution and lowest marketing risk of any new graphite project, and has the added advantages of low capital costs and realistic production levels relative to the size of the market.

Gregory Bowes, B.Sc. MBA, P. Geo., a Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101, has reviewed and is responsible for the technical information in this press release.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, which can be identified by the use of statements that include words such as "could", "potential", "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "likely", "will" or other similar words or phrases. These statements are only current predictions and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industry's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

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

Contacts:

Northern Graphite Corporation

Gregory Bowes

CEO

(613) 241-9959




REDLANDS, CA and NEWMARKET, ON--(Marketwired - April 05, 2017) - Voyager Search, a global leader in geospatial enterprise search that finds and delivers more than 1,800 different content types, has done a deep dive on URISA award-winning, longtime customer the Regional Municipality of York, also known as "York Region." As a user of Voyager's software for more than four years, York Region has been one of Voyager's most creative customers. No longer does it limit its usage of Voyager Search to GIS-related tasks. Instead, the government entity has consistently demonstrated an ability to find new and innovative ways to leverage Voyager for the benefit of a variety of audiences - the general public, internal staff, and consultants that rely on York Region data to do their jobs. The Region has taken advantage of the software's extensible and flexible nature, evolving the commercial off the shelf (COTS) software to a variety of functions beyond enterprise search.

York Region is situated north of the City of Toronto, Canada. It's home to approximately 1.2 million residents and is made up of nine towns and cities that cover an area of 1,776 square kilometers (or just over 685 miles). It has a two-tier government structure with services provided by York Region and its nine local area municipalities, similar to county and local governments here in the United States. The Region's Data, Analytics and Visualization Services Branch (commonly known as just "Branch") is charged with managing and sharing so much data that it is constantly updating and improving its approach, and it shows -- York Region is considered a public sector leader in GIS.

"With each improvement Voyager makes to its software, we find new and interesting ways to offer our users more flexibility and autonomy when it comes to accessing our vast amounts of data," said John Houweling, Director of Data, Analytics and Visualization Services at York Region. "Our ultimate goal is to make it as easy as possible for our staff, partners, residents, and businesses to get the most value out of the data."

There are four key areas in which the Branch has developed applications and services using Voyager's advanced COTS software:

1. Data Discovery Portal. York Region began its relationship with Voyager by using it to develop the Data Discovery Portal, which provides a catalog on the web for consultants who are looking for specific types of data. With Voyager's intuitive, easy-to-use software, York Region created the Data Discovery site with minimal configuration, saving time and the manpower it would have taken to custom develop.

2. Open Data. The Open Data application offers all the features of the Data Discovery Portal, plus the ability for users to download data and for York Region's system administrators to track those downloads.

3. Self Serve Data Depot. The Self Serve Data Depot, otherwise known as the SSDD, provides York Region consultants with direct online access to more than 400 hosted and maintained data sets 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In 2016, the SSDD was honored with two awards: the MISA Ontario Excellence in Municipal Systems Award and the GTEC Award of Distinction.

One of the coolest benefits offered by the SSDD is the presentation library. With this feature, members can log onto the site, select "presentation library," and get access to videos, presentation materials, and more. This not only offers access to previous presentation materials, but it also contains helpful items like images that have been purchased and are approved to use.

4. YODA (York's Online Data Access Catalog). YODA is York Region's internal catalog, or data registry, which contains all data held within the region -- totaling approximately 1,720 records. The Open Data site leverages the YODA indexing, but the path to the data points instead to the spatial database where the files are being stored so that they can be downloaded.

"It's been quite exciting to watch Branch staff at York Region build on the way they use Voyager year after year," said Brian Goldin, CEO of Voyager Search. "This highly capable team works hard to understand the needs of its fluctuating group of users so they can respond to those needs in a quick, efficient manner. Without Voyager's plug-and-play software, the Branch would have been forced to choose between other projects and developing these capabilities internally. We're looking forward to seeing what comes of its next stage of development."

To read the full case study on how York Region uses Voyager Search, click here.

About Voyager Search

Voyager Search is a leading global provider of geospatial enterprise search tools that connect different content repositories so that users can search across all of them to find and deliver more than 1,800 different types of content. As the only install-and-go Solr/Lucene search engine, Voyager's simple user interface, Navigo, offers Fortune 500 businesses, government entities, and multinational organizations easy-to-use search, data management, document delivery, and map visualization tools. With no custom coding required, Voyager is a true off-the-shelf geospatial intelligence and search powerhouse that supports customers in a variety of industries, including defense, oil and gas, federal and state governments, mining, and more. Formed in 2008, the company is headquartered in Redlands, California, with additional staff in Washington State, Washington, DC, Canada, Europe, and Uruguay. For more information, visit www.voyagersearch.com or follow the company on Twitter at @VoyagerSearch.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/4/4/11G135110/Images/York_OpenData_portal-fe2009af57cf8f61ab5f049c8eafacf8.jpg

For more information:

Jenny Viscarolasaga

Director of PR and Marketing

Voyager Search

Tel: +1 (617) 331-4944

Email: jviscarolasaga@voyagersearch.com
MILAN, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --The world's largest dedicated tissue industry trade show, Tissue World Milan opens its doors next week at the Fieramilanocity Hall 3, Milan, Italy, from 10-12 April 2017.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/486770/TW_Milan_V001_Logo.jpg

With over 200 exhibiting companies and more than 3,000 pre-registered tissue industry professionals, the show is set to be the largest Tissue World event. Exhibiting company profiles range from tissue manufacturers, converters, jumbo roll suppliers to a wide range of industry suppliers.

Alongside the trade show is a 3-day conference featuring presentations from 50 industry expert speakers, with the conference theme "Change is the only constant, but where is the tipping point?".

This is the flagship event of the series of Tissue World event and took place for the first time in Nice in 1993 and is this year for the first time in Italy, Milan. The move to Milan received strong support from the entire industry.

Tissue World would like to thank all its sponsors: Stax Technologies, Trebor, Nalco Water, BTG, Futura, ICM Makina, Gambini, Sofidel and Svenska Pappersbruket.

Tissue World's Visitor Item Sponsor - Stax Technologies - is a renowned company focused on the development of technological innovations dedicated predominantly to tissue paper packaging and associated professional services. The Signage Sponsor - Trebor - is the world's largest independent marketer of parent rolls of tissue, towel, napkin and wiper stock.

The Conference Sponsor - Nalco Water, an Ecolab Company, is the global leader in water treatment technologies.

During the event, the Happy Hour reception will be the highlight on Tuesday, 11 April. Sponsored by BTG, the Happy Hour is open to open to all attendees. Free flow of drinks and music will entertain the many visitors. BTG is a renowned provider of market leading technologies for process control instrumentation solutions, high-performance doctoring applications and tissue services.

For detailed information on show timings and activity schedule of Tissue World Milan, please visit www.tissueworld.com/milan.

About Tissue World

Tissue World is the leading global event series serving the tissue industry worldwide since 1993. With events in Istanbul, Milan, Miami and Sao Paulo, it offers an integrated and intertwined platform consisting of exhibitions, conferences and a magazine providing an unmatched offline and online meeting place to do business, exchange ideas and learn, all year round.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/475397/UBM_Purple_Logo.jpg
STOCKHOLM (dpa-AFX) - Swedish company Epicenter's about 150 employees have agreed for a microchip implanted in their hands, the company said. The workers volunteered to have the microchip, which will be implanted for free. The RFID, or radio frequency identification chip, which is about the size of a grain of rice, will allow workers to open doors automatically and use electronic devices more efficiently. With RFID implants in their hands, these Epicenter members can access printers, and pay at vending machines without using cash or a card. Meanwhile, the company reportedly can monitor employee's bathroom breaks, identify an employee's location, and how long they work. Epicenter co-founder Patrick Mesterton reportedly told, 'You can do airline fares with it, you can also go to your local gym, so it basically replaces a lot of things you have other communication devices for, whether it be credit cards, or keys, or things like that.' Mesterton added that the implant in the hand enables the employees to digitize professional information and communicate with devices both personal and within Epicenter. 'Once 'chipped' with this technology, members can interact with the building with a simple swipe of the hand. Chips can also be programmed to hold contact information and talk to smartphone apps,' Mesterton said. Meanwhile, most of the nearly 1,000 members still use traditional means. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
DUBLIN, April 05, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --



Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Automotive Aftermarket products market - By Replacement Parts, Regions - Market Size, Demand Forecasts, Industry Trends and Updates (2016-2022)" report to their offering.

The Global Automotive Aftermarket was USD 643.10 billion in 2016 and is estimated to reach USD 847.15 Billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 4.7% for the forecasted period



Global vehicles in operation are expected to increase sharply over the 2016-2022 period driving the market of aftermarket products.



The automotive aftermarket products are the vehicle parts, chemicals, equipment, and accessories which are manufactured, distributed, retailed and installed after the sale of the automobile by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to the consumer. These parts, accessories, etc. for sale may or may not be manufactured by the OEM.

The US represents the largest market for automotive aftermarket products. Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest growing market with a CAGR of about 6.5%. In Europe, products which enhance the performance and agility features of the vehicle is expected to show highest growth.

The automobile aftermarket is witnessing stable growth due to increased vehicle fleet as well as the demand for replaceable parts and accessories like clutch systems, engine parts, axles due to wear and tear of vehicles. Increase in accidents has led to increased demand for external components like bumpers. The major constraint of this market is that with the better quality of aftermarket products, the longevity of these products have increased and less frequent parts failure leading to decrease in demand.

The major players of this industry are 3M Company, Continental AG, DENSO Corporation. Continental AG plans to build new truck tyre plant worth USD 1.4 Billion in Mississippi. DENSO Corporation and Toyota Tsusho Corporation have agreed to form a joint venture in Bangkok, Thailand. The new company, Toyota Tsusho DENSO Electronics (Thailand) Co., Ltd., plans to start developing software in July 2016 to help improve the efficiency of engine electronic control unit development.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Research Methodology



2. Market Overview



3. Market Dynamics



4. Global Automotive Aftermarket products market Segmentation, Forecasts and Trends - by Revenue



5. By Replacement Parts



6. By Region



7. Vendor Market Share Analysis



8. Company Profiles



9. Industry Structure

Companies Mentioned

- Akebono Brake Industry Co. Ltd.

- Brembo S.P.A

- Continental AG

- Cooper Tire & Rubber

- Delphi Automotive PLC

- Denso Corporation

- Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation

- Gates Corporation

- Hitachi Ltd

- Infineon Technologies AG

- Magna International

- Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

- NSK Ltd.

- Robert Bosch GmbH

- WABCO

- ZF TRW Automotive Holdings Corporation

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/24fznc/global_automotive

Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- John Cumming, President and Chief Executive Officer of Stellar AfricaGold Inc., (TSX VENTURE: SPX) ("Stellar" or the "Company") announces:

BALANDOUGOU SITE CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

The Company is pleased to report that site preparation at the Balanadougou Gold Project is on schedule.

This news releases references an important image of the Balandougou B3 sheared zone. If you cannot view the image please connect to http://stellarafricagold.com/category/2017-2/ to read the complete news release and view the related image.

The image below of the B3 sheared zone illustrates graphically the bulk sample gravity plant site preparation work completed and planned.

Illustrated by horizontal red lines is the bulk sample extraction zone. An area up to 50 meters wide and 500 meters long has been cleared of surface overburden.

Illustrated by the winding green line is a new access road connecting the bulk sample extraction zone to the site location of the 15,000 tonnes bulk sample gravity mill. Note also in the lower right-hand corner of the photo a red with white dashes line indicating the location of newly discovered NE/SW trending shear zone that was exposed during construction of the access road. (see also news release March 29, 2017)

Illustrated by the winding gray line is a new road now connecting two nearby villages. Although not required by Stellar for its ongoing exploration or its bulk sample program at Balandougou, the availability of heavy equipment (excavators and bulldozers) created an opportunity to upgrade a section of existing track and connect it to a substantial section of newly built road. This new shorter and safer route between the two neighbouring villages is part of Stellar's continuing effort to contribute to the local community during Balandougou's exploration and development stage.

Illustrated by vertical blue lines are the locations of five new trenches which will further define the extent of the gold mineralized Zone B3. These trenches are currently being excavated.

Lastly, site crews have cleared two pads, each approximately 100 metres by 100 metres, one to build an expanded residential field camp for the gravity plant crews and the second for the bulk sample gravity plant.

Aerial photograph of Balandougou Zone B3 illustrating site preparation work to April 1, 2017 is available at the following address: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1091073Balandougou.pdf

ABOUT STELLAR AFRICAGOLD INC.

Stellar AfricaGold Inc. is a Canadian gold exploration Company based in Montreal, Quebec, with operations concentrated mainly in West Africa and in Quebec.

The Company is currently developing the promising gold potential of the advanced exploration stage Balandougou project in Guinea, including a 15,000 tonne bulk sample program. (see News Release March 1, 2017) The Company also owns the Namarana project in neighbouring Mali. In Quebec, the Company owns 100% of the Opawica Project in the Chibougamau mining camp.

The technical content of this press release has been reviewed and approved by independent consultant Greg Isenor, P. Geo, a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101.

On Behalf of the Board

John Cumming, LLM, President & CEO

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

Contacts:

Stellar AfricaGold Inc.

Maurice Giroux

VP Exploration

514-866-6299

mgiroux.stellar@gmail.com

www.stellarafricagold.com




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- DuSolo Fertilizers Inc., (TSX VENTURE: DSF) ("DuSolo" or "the Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Scott Morrison as the Non-Executive Chairman of the Company. Dr. Morrison is one of the new additions to the Board, which included Mr. David Cather (plese refer to the news release dated March 9, 2017).

Dr. Morrison has a BSc (Geology) and a PhD (Metallurgical Engineering) and over 35 years' experience in the mining, extractive metallurgy, and manufacturing sectors. Much of his career has involved leadership positions with staff complements of between 50 to 5,000 people Dr Morrison served as the CEO of Metalor from 2004-2103, Chairman from 2013-2015, and a retained advisor till 2016. He is currently a board member of Asa Resources PLC and Zinc Oxide LLC. He spent 20 years with SGS SA, the world leader in inspection testing and verification, and has had country and mineral/metals sectoral leadership assignments in the USA, Canada, Peru, Bolivia and Ghana. He has in-depth experience in leading multi-cultural international organisations.

The Company is also pleased to confirm the re-appointment of existing directors Mr. Duane Lo as Audit Committee Chair and the apppintment of Dr. Peter Ruxton as Chair of the Remuneration & Nominations Committee.

Giles Baynham, CEO, noted, "On behalf of the Board and the Company I'm very pleased to announce Scott's appointment as our new Chairman and look forward to working with him and the board closely as we continue to develop our Bonfim Project and add value for our shareholders. The Board recently added Scott and David which enhances our governance process and oversight, and brings considerable expertise which will benefit the Company and its stakeholders."

The appointments are effective from today, April 5, 2017.

On behalf of DuSolo Fertilizers Inc.

Giles Baynham, Chief Executive Officer

Forward-looking statements

Certain information contained in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information", within the meaning of Canadian legislation. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur", "be achieved" or "has the potential to". Forward looking statements contained in this press release may include statements regarding the future operating or financial performance of DuSolo which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may not prove to be accurate. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Among those factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: market conditions and other risk factors listed from time to time in our reports filed with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and DuSolo disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange Inc.) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Contacts:

DuSolo Fertilizers Inc.

(604) 331-9853

ir@dusolo.com




BEIJING, CHINA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Custom House Global Fund Services, a leading independent hedge fund administration specialist, announced today the opening of its Beijing office to accommodate the need for experienced fund administrators with a committed local presence. In addition, the firm has hired Nancy Wang and Yichen Huang as relationship managers responsible for business development and client collaboration. The new hires will be based in Beijing and Shanghai respectively. They will report to Allen Li, Director of the Hong Kong office.

"Custom House continues to expand on our relationship-driven services in the Asia alternatives market as new fund launches are on the rise," said Mark Hedderman, CEO, Custom House Global Fund Services. "As an independent administrator, we provide unbiased reporting to investors looking for experienced partners with a local presence that can help them at every stage of the investment process."

Tony Kan, Managing Director of Custom House Fund Services Hong Kong Ltd, adds, "This is our third office opening in Asia over the last two years and we are pleased to have Nancy and Yichen join our team in Asia to strengthen our footprint in the fund administration space. Most of our Asian clients require immediate responses from local experienced staff that could meet them in person and have a better understanding of their needs with comprehensive knowledge of local and global fund industries. We particularly see an increase in demand for fully independent fund administration solutions from large financial institutions, PEREs and hedge funds in China, and we believe it is necessary to support this growth with local offices to better service our clients."

With nearly 10 years of experience in corporate management, cross border investment structures, accounting and fund formation services, Mrs. Wang joins Custom House from TAKA Corporate Consulting Limited (acquired by VISTRA in 2016) where she was Head of Sales since 2007, overseeing the North China market. Prior to TAKA, Ms. Wang was a Channel Sales Associate at IBM China Company Limited.

Ms. Wang holds a Bachelor Degree in Financial Management from Heilongjiang Institute of Science and Technology and is currently pursuing her MBA Program at Beijing Normal University.

Ms. Huang joins Custom House from Citic Prudential where she was a Senior Manager responsible for fund accounting of Money Market Funds and REPE Funds. Prior to that, she was a Senior Fund Accountant at HSBC Securities Services in Guangzhou and then Hong Kong where she was responsible for fund accounting for ETFs, QDIIs (Qualified Domestic Institutional Investors), QFIIs (Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors), Hedge Funds and Mutual Funds. Born and educated in China, Ms. Huang holds a Bachelor Degree in Financial Engineering from Guang Dong University of Foreign Studies.

About Custom House Global Fund Services

Custom House Global Fund Services is a leading independent hedge fund administration specialist ideally located to deliver services in Europe, Asia and the Americas. We partner with established hedge fund managers, start up managers, family offices and institutional managers, with a combination of experience, global presence and technology. Founded in 1989, Custom House grew with the alternative investment industry providing superior fund administration and investor services and today provides one of the most advanced service offerings available to fund managers. With over $20bn in AUA, Custom House provides fund administration services to more than 200 managers and 500 investment funds. The firm has offices in Beijing, Chicago, Dublin, Geneva, Guernsey, Hong Kong, London, Malta, New York, Rotterdam, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Singapore, Sofia and Sydney. For more information, visit www.customhousegroup.com.

For further information, please contact:

Rosalia Scampoli

LJOPR

Tel: (212) 404 2395

rscampoli@ljopr.com




CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - April 05, 2017) - The Advanced Group, an industry-leading diversified professional staffing, consulting, and outsourcing organization, announced the recent appointment of Akin Tosyali as Vice President of Marketing.

"We're excited to have Akin join the Advanced Group leadership team," said Leo Sheridan, CEO. "He brings incredible digital marketing expertise and knowledge to our organization, along with a servant leadership pedigree that will fit perfectly into our culture. Akin's insight will be pivotal for our continued growth."

Mr. Tosyali joins Advanced Group with over 20 years of digital marketing leadership experience. Most recently he served as Director, Digital Marketing at Grainger, where he was responsible for the paid social, paid search, SEO, email marketing, display, and affiliate marketing strategy for the multi-billion dollar organization. Prior to joining Grainger, Mr. Tosyali held several leadership positions in digital marketing, including Senior Director, Digital Strategy at Merkle. Mr. Tosyali is a recognized industry leader, presenting at conferences and summits including Media Math, Adobe Key Account Summit, Adobe Annual Summit, and Search Engine Watch.

"I am excited to join an organization that truly cares for people: job applicants, clients, and employees," said Mr. Tosyali. "It's truly fulfilling to know that we are not only providing a complete suite of successful, hassle-free solutions for employers and clients, but are also helping people find jobs, launch careers, provide for their families, and improve their lives. I feel privileged to become a part of this organization and bring my digital expertise so we can scale Advanced Group's proven, respected, and award-winning staffing, recruitment, and CRO solution set across the nation."

About the Advanced Group

The Advanced Group provides expertise in talent acquisition and management, consulting, outsourcing, and professional services. Founded in 1988, our businesses include Advanced Clinical, Advanced Resources, Advanced RPO, and WunderLand Group. As an established leader in each industry we serve, we are able to create meaningful value for our clients. To learn more, visit advancedgroup.com.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/4/4/11G135125/Images/Akin-ad5334fc98868262976e351b7d586c6c.jpg

Contact

Sara Drake

Marketing Manager

P: (312) 572-6020

sdrake@advancedgroup.com
Gasoline and Retail Gift Card Industry Leader Marked Milestone

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Illinois, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --April 1, 2017 marks the 20th anniversary for SVM, a leading provider of gift and prepaid cards for the incentive industry. Marshall Reavis founded the company in 1997 with one prepaid card, the Mobil GO Card [now the ExxonMobil Cash Card], which was the first gasoline gift card product in the marketplace. Over the last 20 years, SVM's portfolio has grown to more than 350 of the most popular gift cards offered, including the largest oil companies and internationally recognized retail, restaurant and travel brands.

The experience gained with ExxonMobil's Mobil GO Card provided SVM the opportunity to issue gift cards for additional gasoline and retail brands, including Chevron/Texaco, Phillips 66/Conoco/76, Sunoco, the Department of Defense (DeCA) and Choice Hotels. SVM's expertise has also given them exclusive business-to-business access to select brands, such as Dunkin Donuts, The Children's Place, Dairy Queen, LL Bean and Toys R Us, among others. From its beginnings as a humble, two-person operation, SVM has grown into an internationally-recognized industry leader with more than 175 staff in the U.S. and U.K.

SVM has continually evolved from the company's early days as a gasoline gift card provider. Last year, SVM acquired 1to1 Card to further expand the company's product portfolio, adding network prepaid card capabilities, and launched SVMdirect.com, an online buying portal for business-to-business customers. SVM's gift card services now include plastic and digital cards, award codes, bulk and individual fulfillment, customer support, promotions, program management and more.

During a company event to celebrate the anniversary, Reavis thanked SVM's employees, customers and retail brands. "Our people are what differentiates us," he said. "My thanks could not be more heartfelt for the loyalty and dedication of each member of this team and our customers who buy our products and the retailers whom we represent. Thank you for your trust over the last two decades."

The event also featured keynote speaker R. David Hoover, former CEO/Chairman of Ball Corporation, who spoke about the importance of businesses creating a competitive advantage. "SVM's dedicated approach to being the most reliable partner in your industry is the modest, yet important advantage that has set you apart," Hoover said. "Continue your focus there while reinforcing your approach with creativity and ingenuity, and success will follow for at least another 20 years."

Because of SVM's reputation as a reliable gift card partner, the largest incentive and reward companies in the world trust SVM to keep their customers happy. The loyalty of these customers offers promise for continued future growth.

Contact:

Media and Public Relations:Steve Owen, 847-553-9169, stephen.owen@svmcards.com

About SVM

Founded in 1997, SVM is a global leader in providing innovative gift card solutions for businesses. SVM is the only company that offers gasoline gift cards from every major oil company in America, as well as over 350 of the most popular retail stores, restaurants, service companies and hotels, and prepaid promotional and reward cards. SVM's products are used by leading incentive, rewards, loyalty and other companies to incent and reward their customers, employees, and prospects. For more information on SVM, please visit www.svmcards.com.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 5, 2017) - Northern Sphere Mining Corp. (CSE: NSM) ("Northern Sphere" or the "Company") announced today that it proposes to raise up to $2,800,000 through a non-brokered private placement of up to 7,000,000 units ("Units") of the Company at a price of $0.40 per Unit (the "Private Placement"). Finders fees may be payable in connection with the Private Placement and the Private Placement may be closed in tranches.

Each Unit will be comprised of one common share ("Common Share") of the Company and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole Common Share purchase warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will be exercisable to acquire one Common Share (a "Warrant Share") for a period of two years following the date of closing at an exercise price of $0.60 per Warrant Share, subject to adjustments in certain events. The Warrants will be subject to an acceleration clause such that, if the closing price of the Common Shares is equal to or greater than $1.00 per share for a period of 20 consecutive trading days, the Company shall have the option, but not the obligation, to effect for an accelerated expiration date that shall be 20 calendar days from the issuance of a notice of acceleration.

Common Shares issued pursuant to the Private Placement and Warrant Shares issuable upon the due exercise of the Warrants (including those Common Shares, and Warrant Shares issuable upon due exercise of the Warrants, in each case issued on the conversion of outstanding debt) will be subject to a four-month hold period from the date of closing of the Private Placement.

The Company is also pleased to announce that it has been informed that Eric Sprott (or his designated nominee) has agreed to participate in the Offering.

The Company anticipates that the net proceeds from the Private Placement will be used for the advancement of Arizona Silver - Buckeye Mine, including underground development/rehabilitation, bulk-sampling and drilling, establishing ore extents, continuity and grade, and for general corporate purposes and will engage Sprott Mining Inc., a company controlled by Eric Sprott, to provide technical assistance to the Company.

About Northern Sphere Mining Corp.

Northern Sphere Mining is dedicated to growth through the acquisition and development of mining assets, with an emphasis on near term production opportunities. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Northern Sphere Mining has a strong project pipeline of properties with a focus on gold, silver and other metal production in pro-mining jurisdictions.

Cautionary Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements which reflect Northern Sphere's current expectations regarding future events. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those projected herein. Northern Sphere disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements other than as required by applicable securities laws.

For further information, please contact:

A. John Carter

Chief Executive Officer

Northern Sphere Mining Corp.

Tel: 905-302-3843

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
AB "Rokiskio suris", Pramones str.3, Rokiskis, Lithuania, 2017-04-05 15:51 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Upon initiative and resolution of the 5 April 2017 meeting of the Board of Directors, on April 28, 2017 it shall be summoned the general meeting of shareholders of Rokiskio suris AB which will take place in the company's head office (Pramones str. 3, Rokiskis. The company code: 173057512).



Registration starts at 11 am and lasts until 11.45am.



The general meeting's accounting day - April 21, 2017.



The rights accounting day of shareholders - May 15, 2017



Agenda:



1. Auditor's findings regarding the financial statements and annual report. 2. The Audit Committee report. 3. The Company's annual consolidated report for the year 2016. 4. Approval of the consolidated and the company's financial accounting for the year 2016. 5. Allocation of the profit (loss) of the Company of 2016. 6. Election of the Audit Committee. 7. Election of the Company's auditor and establishment of payment conditions.



The general meeting of shareholders may be attended and voted by the persons who were shareholders at the end of the meeting accounting date (21st April 2017) or other persons authorized by actual shareholders, or the persons with whom the voting transference agreement was made.



Participants of the general meeting of shareholders with the voting right should have a document proving their identity. The person, who is not a shareholder, in addition should present a document proving his/her right to vote on the general meeting of shareholders.



Each shareholder shall have a right, in the manner established by the Law, to authorise another (natural or legal) person on his/her behalf to attend and vote at the General Meeting of Shareholders. The authorised person must provide a power of attorney certified in the manner established by the Law. A power of attorney issued in a foreign state must be translated into Lithuanian and legalised in the manner established by the Law. At the General Meeting of Shareholders, an authorised person shall have the same rights as would be held by the shareholder represented by him/her. The Company does not establish special form of power of attorney. The right of shareholder to participate at the general meeting of shareholders also means the right to question.



A shareholder or a person authorised by him/her shall have a right to vote in writing in advance by filling in the General Voting Ballot. The General Voting Ballot shall be placed on the company's website not later than 21 day before the General meeting http://www.rokiskio.com at the heading "Investor Relations". Upon a shareholder's request, the Company, not later than 10 days before the General Meeting, shall send the General Voting Ballot by registered mail free of charge. The filled in General Voting Ballot and the document confirming the voting right (if any) must be submitted to the Company in writing not later than on the last business day before the General Meeting of Shareholders by sending it by registered mail to AB "Rokiskio suris", Pramones street 3, Rokiskis LT-42150. The Company keeps the right to not account a shareholder's General Voting Ballot if the General Voting Ballot does not comply with the requirement set by the Law on Joint Stock Companies Article 30 parts 3 and 4, or the ballot is filled misleadingly and it is impossible to read the shareholder's will for one or another item.



The Company is not providing the possibility to attend and vote at the General Meeting of Shareholders through electronic means of communication.



Each shareholder holding shares that grant at least 1/20 of all votes shall have the right of proposing to supplement the agenda of the General Meeting of Shareholders. Draft decisions on the proposed issues shall be submitted together with the proposal or, if the decisions do not need to be approved, explanations on each proposed issue of the General Meeting of Shareholders shall be presented. Proposal to supplement the agenda must be presented in writing by sending it by registered mail to AB "Rokiskio suris", Pramones street 3, Rokiskis LT-42150, Lithuania, or by e-mail rokiskio.suris@rokiskio.com. The agenda will be supplemented if the proposal is received not later than 14 days before the General Meeting of Shareholders.



Each shareholder holding shares that grant at least 1/20 of all votes shall have the right of proposing draft resolutions on the issues already included or to be included in the agenda of the General Meeting of Shareholders, to nominate additional candidates to the Board, the audit company. The proposed draft decisions must be presented in writing by sending them by registered mail to AB "Rokiskio suris", Pramones street 3, Rokiskis LT-42150, Lithuania, or by e-mail rokiskio.suris@rokiskio.com. The shareholders shall also be entitled to propose in writing draft resolutions on the agenda issues of the General Meeting of Shareholders during the Meeting.



The shareholders shall have the right to present questions related to the agenda issues of the General Meeting of Shareholders to the Company in advance in writing, by providing the shareholder's personal identification. The Company undertakes to respond if the questions are received not later than 3 business days before the General Meeting of Shareholders. The Company will not respond personally to the shareholder if the respective information is posted on the Company's website.



The Company may refuse to respond to the questions of a shareholder if they are related with the commercial (manufacturing) secret, confidential information, then the shareholder will be informed unless the identity of questioner cannot be identified. The provision shall not be applied when a shareholder or a group of shareholders possessing over  of shares present to the company a determined written obligation not to disclose the commercial (manufacturing) secret, confidential information. In this is a case, each shareholder will receive responds to their questions personally.



The shareholders could get familiarised with the documents possessed by the Company related to the agenda of the Meeting, including draft resolutions, and other documents to be submitted to the General Meeting of Shareholders as well as to get information regarding execution of the shareholders' rights at the headquarters of AB "Rokiskio suris", Pramones street 3, Rokiskis LT-42150, Lithuania, or on the company's website www.rokiskio.com under the heading 'Investor Relations'.



Total number of shares of Rokiskio suris AB is 32 281 173 ordinary registered shares. Nominal value of the shares is 0.29 EUR each.



ISIN of the Company's shares is LT000100372. Number of the shares with voting right - 32 281 173.



Draft resolutions and the audited consolidated financial statements of the year 2016 will be approved and provided by the Board of Directors on 6 April 2017



Dalius Trumpa Board Chairman +370 458 55200

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Cision CEO Kevin Akeroydto give Industry Keynote

LONDON, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kevin Akeroyd, Global CEO of Cision, the leading data, technology, and measurement platform for the earned media and communications industry globally, will deliver a Keynote Address at AMEC - the top communications conference to be held in Asia.

Mr. Akeroyd will speak at the Global Summit on Measurement, organised by AMEC - the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication, to be held in Bangkok on May 17 and 18.

"I am excited to speak with the industry's leaders at this world-class event," Akeroyd said.

"Cision is at the forefront of exciting data, identity and technological innovation in the communications industry that allows communications professionals to connect their campaigns to business outcomes and finally realize that "holy grail" of not just measurement, but actual attribution. I am looking forward to sharing my views on what I see as the future of data-driven communications."

Akeroyd's presentation, "Cloud Data, Technology and Measurement Transformation: finally coming to the Communications World" will center on how the data, measurement and technology revolution that has transformed sales, services, marketing, commerce and advertising is now happening in communications and earned media. Bringing data, identity, and attribution on par with other disciplines, and how we as an industry should be able to bring investment back will also be a focus of his keynote.

Cision is a leading member of AMEC, the world's largest media intelligence and insights professional body with over 150 members in 85 countries.

International speakers will talk at the Global Summit about the latest techniques and thinking on the measurement and effectiveness of communications, in addition to a series of practical workshops to help educate PR and communications professionals in South East Asia.

Already speakers from China, Australia, India, Singapore, the United States and the Middle East, have been confirmed.

Barry Leggetter, CEO, of AMEC, said the Global Summit was now the world's leading conference of its type.

He said: "We are thrilled to welcome Kevin to the Summit programme. He has already made a reputation at Oracle in reshaping digital, social and mobile marketing globally before joining Cision. We greatly look forward to his thoughts on what will be the next important industry trends."

For more details and to book for the Global Summit, go to the AMEC website.

About Cision:

Cision is a leading media communication technology and analytics company that enables marketers and communicators to effectively manage their earned media programs in coordination with paid and owned channels to drive business impact. As the creator of the Cision Communications Cloud', the first-of-its-kind earned media cloud-based platform, Cision has combined cutting-edge data, analytics, technology and services into a unified communication ecosystem that brands can use to build consistent, meaningful and enduring relationships with influencers and buyers in order to amplify their marketplace influence. For more information, visit www.cision.com or follow @Cision on Twitter.

About AMEC

AMEC - the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication - is the world's largest professional body for communications research, media intelligence and insights with more than 150 members in 86 countries.

For further information contact:

Stacey Miller

Director, Communications

Cision

(301) 683-6038

stacey.miller@cision.com

Or

Barry Leggetter

CEO, AMEC

Mobile: +44 7748 677504 or 44 1268 412414

Barryleggetter@amecorg.com

Logo-https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/486296/AMEC_Logo.jpg

Logo-https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/486297/Cision_Logo.jpg

Photo -https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/486298/AMEC_Kevin_Akeroyd.jpg
FORM 8.3

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY

A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE

Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Identity of the person whose positions/dealings are being disclosed: Magnetar Financial (UK) LLP (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):

The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient N/A (c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:

Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree Tesco Plc (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: N/A (e) Date position held/dealing undertaken: May 12, 2017 (f) Has the discloser previously disclosed, or are they today disclosing, under the Code in respect of any other party to this offer? Yes - Booker Group Plc

2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security: 5p ordinary

ISIN: GB0008847096 Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: (2) Derivatives (other than options): 119 0.00% 17,667,252 0.21% (3) Options and agreements to purchase/sell:

TOTAL: 119 0.00% 17,667,252 0.21%

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open derivative or option positions, or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other executive options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit

(b) Derivatives transactions (other than options)

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. CFD Nature of dealing

e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit Ordinary shares Swap Increasing a short position 5,579 1.7804 Ordinary shares Swap Increasing a short position 14,019 1.7805 Ordinary shares Swap Increasing a short position 14,543 1.7800 Ordinary shares Swap Increasing a short position 13,907 1.7808 Ordinary shares Swap Increasing a short position 14,843 1.7808 Ordinary shares Swap Increasing a short position 16,187 1.7806 Ordinary shares Swap Increasing a short position 14,831 1.7824 Ordinary shares Swap Decreasing a short position 15,578 1.7803 Ordinary shares Swap Decreasing a short position 39,984 1.7811 Ordinary shares Swap Decreasing a short position 41,020 1.7811 Ordinary shares Swap Decreasing a short position 40,611 1.7808 Ordinary shares Swap Decreasing a short position 41,686 1.7810 Ordinary shares Swap Decreasing a short position 47,217 1.7806 Ordinary shares Swap Decreasing a short position 44,273 1.7827

(c) Options transactions in respect of existing securities

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type

e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit

(ii) Exercising

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. call option Number of securities Exercise price per unit

(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security Nature of dealing

e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable)

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:

If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"

None

(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:

(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or

(ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:

If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none" None

(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? No

Date of disclosure: May 16, 2017 Contact name: Julianna Ethell Telephone number: 847-905-4688

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service and must also be emailed to the Takeover Panel at monitoring@disclosure.org.uk. The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's dealing disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 5, 2017) - Canyon Copper Corp. (TSXV: CNC) ("Canyon") is pleased to announce that it has staked and recorded a significant expansion of key areas near the Samuels Lake Area option agreement with ProAm Exploration Corporation ("ProAm").

Four additional blocks of claims have been staked which will increase the area under control by 6,958 acres (2,817 hectares) in addition to the original Samuels Lake property of 1,471 acres (595.6 hectares) for a total of 8,429 acres (3,413 hectares).

Samuels Lake is located in the Province of Ontario, about 56 kms West Southwest of Atikokan, a significant former iron mining center that is 200 kms West of the port of Thunder Bay.

The additional ground was acquired in order to open up further opportunity to expand on developing mineral resources similar to those located by two exploration campaigns, by ProAm (1998-2000) and Teck Cominco Ltd. (2008). The following key reasons lead to the decision stake this ground.

Both of the previous Samuels Lake exploration programs had identified mineralization of Copper, Nickel, and Cobalt. Minor Platinum Group element assemblages were associated with this mineralization;

The mineralization appears to correlate with rocks of high magnetic susceptibility due to an alteration of ultramafic rocks to a dominant wherlite phase that has a layered distribution of sulphide mineralization, in some sections drilled in both exploration programs;

Attractive thickness and combined grade for future development;

The Copper-Nickel mineralization is associated with Cobalt that ranges in grade from 0.030% to 0.080% which is a possible co-product in higher grade sections;

The consumption of Cobalt in the production of lithium ion batteries is reported to be in a range of 30-60% for electrode materials in some ion batteries now in production, compared to 20-30% lithium electrode material;

The price of cobalt has risen to more than $30,000/st ($60.00/lb) while lithium for electrode materials is between $8,500/st ($4.25/lb) and $12,000/st ($6.00/lb) in recent reports of sales;

The proximity of the project area to Atikokan makes possible the development of brown-fields sites for future plant and tailings facilities which could reduce the time and cost required for permitting new facilities;

The high magnetic susceptibility associated with the mineralization has helped identified several UTEM targets with down-hole probing during the earlier exploration programs. These will be reviewed after recovery and assaying of drill core from the 1999 drilling, which has been located and is well identified with tags and the written logs; and

The economic advantage of having accumulations of nickel and copper sulfides, with associated cobalt as a possible by-product has made this a very attractive exploration target for the Company.



Qualified Person

Benjamin Ainsworth, PEng (British Columbia), licence No. 8648, chief executive officer of Canyon, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Benjamin Ainsworth"



CANYON COPPER CORP.

Benjamin Ainsworth, APEGBC

CEO, President

Contact:

Canyon Copper Corp.

1-888-331-9326

(604) 331-9326

(604) 684-9365 (FAX)

info@canyoncc.com

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information

This News Release may contain, in addition to historical information, forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phases such as "believe," "expect," "plan," "anticipate" and similar expressions identifying forward-looking statements. Investors should not rely on forward-looking statements because they are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Canyon's expectations, and expressly does not undertake any duty to update forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to the following, Canyon's ability to implement its proposed drill programs on the Moonlight Property and the New York Canyon Project, Canyon's ability to obtain additional financing, uncertainty of estimates of mineralized material and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Canyon to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors Regarding Estimates of Measured, Indicated and Inferred Resources

This News Release may use the terms "measured", "indicated" and "inferred" "resources." We advise U.S. investors that while these terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the SEC does not recognize them. "Inferred resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estates of "inferred mineral resources" may not form the basis of a feasibility study or prefeasibility studies, except in rare cases. The SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" as in-place tonnage and grade, without reference to unit measures.U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of a measured, indicated or inferred resource exists or is economically or legally mineable.

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- The next generation of television is widely available today as Shaw Communications Inc. delivers Shaw BlueSky TV across Western Canada.

With its intuitive, voice-activated remote and easy-to-use guide that brings all content together in one place, Shaw BlueSky TV completely transforms how customers experience television.

Powered by Comcast's next generation X1 platform, BlueSky TV's convenient interface allows customers to access live programming, PVR recordings, on-demand shows and streaming services all in one place. The voice-activated remote allows users to find content by title, genre, actor name or even by famous movie quote. Discover new content by saying "recommendations" or ask the remote "what's trending" to see what content is popular with other BlueSky TV users and on Twitter.

With BlueSky TV, it's never been easier for users to be in control of the content they want to watch, and when it comes to compelling features, the sky is the limit.

"Talking to your television - and having it listen - is simply a magical experience that makes watching TV more enjoyable," said Jay Mehr, President, Shaw Communications. "BlueSky TV makes it easier than ever to stop scrolling and start watching the content you love with an experience you won't want to live without."

Customers can now personalize their BlueSky TV experience with any of Shaw's new customizable television packages. The simplicity of Shaw's new Small, Medium and Large packages makes it easy for customers to get the most out of the content they enjoy. BlueSky TV also comes with WideOpen Internet 150, giving customers Shaw's fastest Internet speeds in nearly every neighbourhood across Western Canada.

BlueSky TV with the new Small video package is available to new Shaw customers for $30 per month for the first year when bundled with WideOpen Internet 150 on a two-year ValuePlan, for a total first year monthly fee of $79.90. New customers will also receive two months of complimentary access to CraveTV and The Movie Network package of channels, including HBO Canada.

To help introduce BlueSky TV to Canadians, Shaw is launching a significant integrated marketing campaign across Western Canada that leverages digital, social, television, radio, billboard and retail space assets in small, medium and large markets.

Shaw's extensive mass marketing campaign will see the introduction of the newest Shaw-Bot, Bingee - the smart, quick-witted BlueSky TV fairy who knows everything there is to know about the BlueSky TV experience. In original TV, radio and digital spots throughout the campaign, Bingee will demonstrate her magic (and the power of the voice-remote) as she delivers to customers the features and benefits of BlueSky TV.

In addition, original video content featuring homegrown Canadian talent will showcase BlueSky TV product features and benefits. This content will be distributed through Shaw's social media channels throughout the duration of the campaign.

More information can be found at www.shaw.ca/blueskytv.

Shaw BlueSky TV is a trademark of Shaw.

MEDIA LINKS:

Shaw's newest BlueSky TV spot is available at: http://bit.ly/2nSGCsi

B-roll of customers using Shaw BlueSky TV is available at: http://bit.ly/2j7nchm

Hi-res images related to Shaw BlueSky TV are available at: http://bit.ly/2jv0DQv, http://bit.ly/2jiFXvM and http://bit.ly/2j14GVo

About Shaw

Shaw Communications Inc. is an enhanced connectivity provider. Our Consumer division serves consumers with broadband Internet, Shaw Go WiFi, video and digital phone. Our Wireless division provides wireless voice and data services through an expanding and improving mobile wireless network infrastructure. The Business Network Services division provides business customers with Internet, data, WiFi, telephony, video and fleet tracking services. The Business Infrastructure Services division, through ViaWest, provides hybrid IT solutions including colocation, cloud computing and security and compliance for North American enterprises.

Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (TSX: SJR.B)(TSX: SJR.PR.A)(TSX: SJR.PR.B)(NYSE: SJR)(TSX VENTURE: SJR.A). For more information, please visit www.shaw.ca.

Contacts:

For media inquiries: Shaw Communications Inc.

Chethan Lakshman

VP, Communications and Public Relations

(403) 930-8448

chethan.lakshman@sjrb.ca

www.shaw.ca




KING OF PRUSSIA, PA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 --Wearable Health Solutions, Inc. (OTCQB: WHSI), a Pennsylvania-based wearable health device manufacturer, announces that it anticipates its revenues for 2017 will increase dramatically based on recent orders placed by dealers and distributors for its revolutionary iHelp+ 3G mobile medical alert system.

The next shipment of iHelp+ 3G systems will arrive by mid-April. The company is currently in month two (2) of its soft launch and has received a very positive response from dealers and central stations.

"The Company continues to ramp up and sell a steady stream of product," said Ronnie Adams, CEO of WHSI. "The response from dealers has been phenomenal, and we have already started to see a dramatic increase in revenues, cash flow, and profitability."

The iHelp+ 3G and the iHelp Cloud dealer portal are now integrated with thirteen (13) central stations. WHSI will continue to integrate with central stations in order to expand its reach in the United States and Canada.

The iHelp+ 3G is a small, easy to use, medical alert device. It works on a 3G wireless network and anywhere there is cellular service. It includes additional safety options like fall detection, Real GPS, a Find Me tracking Function, and Geo-Fencing. It is the most advanced and reliable mobile medical alert system on the market today.

To see how the iHelp+ 3G works, view our video here.

To receive the latest news from WHSI, please visit our investor site at wearablehealthsolutions.com.

About WHSI

WHSI provides mobile health (mHealth) products and services to dealers and distributors throughout the globe. As a leader in the rapidly growing medical alarm device and eHealth sector, the Company provides innovative wearable healthcare products, tracking (GPS, Bluetooth) services, and turn-key solutions that enable users to be proactive with their health. Through our culture, our drive, and the expertise of each individual employee, we are uniquely positioned to build shareholder value by setting the highest standards in service, reliability, and safety in our rapidly growing industry.

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the Company's actual operating results to be materially different from any historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition to statements that explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements that contain terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "expect," "intends," "intend," "anticipate," "anticipates," "plans," "plan," to be uncertain and forward-looking. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the Company's filings with Securities and Exchange Commission.

Wearable Health Solutions, Inc.

info@wearablehealthsolutions.com

877-342-2929 Ext 8880




SAN DIEGO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- SmartDraw Software today announced the availability of SmartDraw 2017, the latest edition of the popular drawing software used by more than one million users worldwide and 75 percent of Fortune 500 companies. SmartDraw 2017, which includes SmartDraw Cloud, allows users to easily create powerful visuals from any platform, including PC, Mac and mobile devices.

"SmartDraw 2017 is a great value proposition," says Paul Stannard, founder and CEO of SmartDraw Software. "We've added hundreds and hundreds of new, professionally designed templates, dramatically improved our CAD and floorplan features, and have made it easy for site administrators to control access and documents."

SmartDraw 2017 includes:

Over 700 new templates for infographics and presentations.

New floor plan and CAD features including scaling and AutoCAD import

Visio import (including stencils) and export

New administrative controls for site licenses

Powerful sharing with embeddable widgets for your blog and websites

Full Google integration so you can insert diagrams into Google Docs and Sheets

Versioning for SmartDraw Cloud documents

Improved electrical engineering linking behavior and network design content

Cloud improvements including ungrouping of complex symbols and Asian character support





People looking to create powerful visuals have downloaded SmartDraw more than 24 million times over the past 20 years. Much more powerful than Microsoft Visio, SmartDraw offers 4,500 smart templates for more than 70 different kinds of visuals such as flowcharts, project charts, org charts, floor plans, CAD drawings and more. With 34,000 professionally designed symbols, SmartDraw makes it easy to quickly create complex, powerful visuals.

For More Information

Get more insight on what's new in SmartDraw 2017: https://www.smartdraw.com/whats-new/

Additional Resources

Facebook

LinkedIn

SmartDraw Blog

Twitter

YouTube





About SmartDraw

SmartDraw has spent the last 23 years helping organizations create complex, powerful visuals quickly and easily. SmartDraw visuals help to clarify communication, improve operations, implement plans and complete projects on time. Three-fourths of Fortune 500 companies use SmartDraw, as do more than 250,000 public, private and government organizations worldwide. Founded in 1994, SmartDraw is privately held, with headquarters in San Diego, California. For more information or to download a free trial of SmartDraw, please visit www.SmartDraw.com.
BROOKFIELD, Wisconsin, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cielo (formerly Pinstripe), the world's leading strategic Recruitment Process Outsourcing partner, today announced its position as a Leader on Everest Group's 2017 Global Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) PEAK Matrix report. This is the fifth consecutive year that Cielo has been at the top of the providers in the industry, standing apart for its expert delivery capability and continued market success.

"RPO is evolving to the next phase - RPO 3.0 - and Cielo is on the front lines. RPO 3.0 is enabling organizations to create real strategic impact from their talent strategies and practices in these times of revolutionary transition," said Sue Marks, Cielo's Founder & CEO. "We appreciate that Everest Group, and their peers in the analyst community, continue to recognize Cielo as a leader that is creating innovative, technology-enabled solutions that are pushing the industry forward, while remaining focused on delivering experiences that delight our stakeholders."

Everest Group's 2017 Recruitment Process Outsourcing Service Provider Landscape with PEAK Matrix Assessment evaluated 22 established RPO service providers based on the absolute as well as relative year-on-year movement for specific criteria, including market success, scale, scope, technology and innovation, delivery footprint and buyer satisfaction. The providers were then categorized into three categories: Leaders, Major Contenders and Aspirants. Leaders, like Cielo, are positioned in the 75th percentile for both market success and delivery capability.

"Cielo has been a consistent Leader in Everest Group's RPO PEAK Matrix, riding on its well-planned, strategic investments," said Arkadev Basak, Practice Director, Everest Group. "Its focus on developing next-generation capabilities, weaved around technology, innovation, and human experience, places it well to achieve success in the era of RPO 3.0."

To learn more about Cielo's services, or to download a complimentary copy of Everest Group's whitepaper "RPO 3.0 - Paradigm Shift in RPO Value Proposition," please visit cielotalent.com.

About Cielo

Cielo is the world's leading strategic Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) partner. Under its WE BECOME YOU' philosophy, Cielo's dedicated recruitment teams primarily serve clients in the financial and business services, consumer brands, technology and media, engineering, life sciences and healthcare industries. Cielo's global presence includes 2,000 employees, serving 143 clients across 91 countries in 33 languages. Cielo knows talent is rising - and with it, an organization's opportunity to rise above. For more information, visit cielotalent.com.

Cielo Contact:

Bethany Perkins

bethany.perkins@cielotalent.com

+1 262-439-1443

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/486826/Everest_Group_RPO_PEAK_2017_Infographic.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/336468/Cielo_Logo.jpg
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 5, 2017) - DNI Metals Inc. (CSE: DNI) ("DNI" or the "Company") The Corporation's Board of Directors has approved a Private Placement allowing it to complete a non-brokered private placement of up to 38,461,538 Units at a price of $0.065 per Unit for gross proceeds of $2,500,000.00 (the "Private Placement").

Each unit consists of one Common share and a half purchase Warrant. Each warrant entitles the bearer to purchase one Common Share of the company at an exercise price of C$.10 per share for a period of 18 months from the closing Date. The use of Proceeds of the Private Placement will be for corporate cash flow purposes.

In addition to any other exemptions available, participation in the financing is also open to existing shareholders of DNI who as of the close of business on April 4, 2017 ("Record Date"), held common shares of DNI (and who continue to hold common shares of DNI at the time of closing). The Subscriber is eligible to purchase the Units pursuant to the prospectus exemption for distribution to existing security holders ("Existing Security Holder Exemption") set out in National Instrument 45-513 - Prospectus Exemptions for Distribution to Existing Security Holders, as well as the amendments to Rule 45-501 - Ontario Prospectus and Registration Exemptions (Ontario). Any existing shareholder who wishes to participate in the Private Placement is asked to please contact Dan Weir, CEO of the Company at (416) 720-0754 or by email to: danweir@dnimetals.com in order to receive subscription documentation and instructions. The Offering will remain open to existing shareholders until April 14, 2017.

About DNI Metals

Certain advisors and directors of DNI have significant operational experience at historical hard rock graphite mines in Canada (e.g. Ontario and Quebec) and Australia.Between them, they have built three (3) processing plants and designed two (2) others; all, which were shut down in the 1990,'s due to increased Chinese competition. Keith Minty, director, worked at Cal Graphite near Kearny, Ontario.

It was our team's understanding of the high production and capital expenditure costs associated with so-called "hard rock" graphite mining that inspired DNI to search for saprolite-hosted graphite deposits.

Certain parts Madagascar and Brazil, produce graphite from weathered material called saprolite.

According to Dictionary.com, saprolite is described as:

"Soft, thoroughly decomposed and porous rock, often rich in clay, formed by the in place chemical weathering of igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary rocks. Saprolite is especially common in humid and tropical climates. It is usually reddish brown or grayish white and contains those structures (such as cross-stratification) that were present in the original rock from which it formed."

DNI owns a commercially permitted, saprolite-hosted graphite deposit in Madagascar; located 50kms from the country's main seaport. The deposit is located less than two (2) kms from the paved national highway. DNI intends to develop the Vohitsara project, should the economic viability and technical feasibility be established. DNI has not yet established mineral resources or mineral reserves supported by a PEA or mining study (PFS or FS).

DNI has a graphite wholesale business, in which it buys and sells high quality graphite. This business has shown a steady increase in volume over the past year.

Steven Goertz (MAusIMM, MAIG), who is a qualified person, approved the technical disclosure in this news release.

DNI - Canadian Securities Exchange

DG7N - Frankfurt

DMNKF - OTC

Issued: 40,558,775

For further information, contact:

DNI Metals Inc. - Dan Weir, CEO 416-595-1195

DanWeir@dnimetals.com

Also visit www.dnimetals.com

We seek Safe Harbour. This announcement may include forward looking statements. While these statements represent DNI's best current judgment, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary, including risk factors listed in DNI's Annual Information Form and its MD&A's, all of which are available from SEDAR and on its website.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - April 05, 2017) - Victoria Gold Corp.'s (TSX VENTURE: VIT) The Gold Report examined Victoria Gold's Eagle Project in February and is now checking in on the company's progress after two back-to-back news releases last week.

Company included in article: Victoria Gold Corp.

In a February 3 article, The Gold Report examined the funding Victoria Gold Corp. (TSX VENTURE: VIT) had in place to move the Eagle project in the Yukon forward. Victoria Gold is now utilizing those funds to advance Eagle.

In a March 27 press release, Victoria Gold announced it had awarded its Eagle "engineering to JDS Energy & Mining in partnership with Hatch." John McConnell, President & CEO, explained that "the work over the coming weeks will, by advancing the engineering, enable commencement of site construction activities."

In the Gold Speculator's March 28 edition, Byron King highlighted that the "JDS/Hatch team have extensive experience working together on northern, cold-climate projects... and the recently completed Gahcho Kue Mine (in the Northwest Territories), which was built and brought into operations ahead of schedule and under budget."

Continue reading this article: Checking In on Victoria Gold's 'Golden' Eagle Project

About Streetwise Reports/The Gold Report

Investors rely on The Gold Report to share investment ideas for the precious, base and critical metals sector. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

DISCLOSURE:

The following companies mentioned in this article are sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Victoria Gold Corp. Streetwise Reports does not accept stock in exchange for its services.

The full disclosure is provided at the end of the published article: Checking In on Victoria Gold's 'Golden' Eagle Project

For more information, please contact Melissa Farley, Associate Publisher, at mfarley@streetwisereports.com.

Melissa Farley

Associate Publisher

Email contact


PHOENIX, AZ--(Marketwired - April 05, 2017) - The Nerdery has been honored with an Arizona Interactive Marketing Association (AZIMA) TIM Award for Social Community Building. The award recognizes the work done on the ASU Foundation's Sun Devil Giving Day website.

The ASU Foundation works with generous donors to build and sustain Arizona State University (ASU). Sun Devil Giving Day is an annual university-wide, 24-hour period of giving with the goal of raising support for ASU programs, faculty, students and researchers.

"Given a single day to reach its goals, the Foundation needed a website to drive competitiveness and tie together five different fundraising challenges and 17 different ASU colleges," said The Nerdery's Phoenix Branch Director Danny Estavillo. "Together, The Nerdery and ASU Foundation designed a microsite to align fundraising initiatives and track nationwide donations."

The website, which can be viewed here, featured five core elements that are updated in real time:

A customized version of Google Maps highlighting ZIP codes as donations were received.

A ticker that listed both the total fundraising dollars and number of individual donors.

A ranking of each ASU college by number of donors, displaying badges that were awarded when predetermined fundraising levels were surpassed.

Social media streams highlighting the events and activities going on around the campus as part of the campaign.

Five different challenges from the foundation, each of which awarded extra dollars for completing specific activities throughout the day.

2017 TIM Award recipients were announced Thursday, March 30 during a presentation ceremony at the Phoenix Art Museum. AZIMA explains the TIM Awards as, "dedicated to honoring and recognizing digital marketing professionals and their successful digital marketing campaigns and innovation. Named after Sir Timothy Berners-Lee, acknowledged father of the World Wide Web, the 5th annual TIM Awards celebrates the work completed in the 2016 calendar year."

About The Nerdery

The Nerdery is a hivemind of software engineers, strategists, human-centered designers and problem solvers who push boundaries to create digital products and services that better people's lives and drive business outcomes. Headquartered in Minneapolis with offices in Chicago, Kansas City and Phoenix, The Nerdery's core services are digital transformation consulting, mobile applications, web applications, websites and systems integration. Founded by three programming pioneers in 2003, The Nerdery has made Inc. Magazine's list of fastest growing private companies for the past nine consecutive years. The Nerdery was built on the belief that passionate Nerds are the driving force behind business breakthroughs.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/4/4/11G135073/Images/image000000-84973033010b9431a1da287c1775d4c5.jpg

Contact Information

The Nerdery

Emily Rinde

Communications Manager

763-248-5859

emily.rinde@nerdery.com
A team from the BioSense Institute in Serbia is the first-place winner

The contest challenged entrants to develop a model that predicts the seed varieties farmers are most likely to select

Winning solution developed a strategy to determine seed variety selections based on the farmers' risk profiles

Syngenta and the Analytics Society of INFORMS are proud to recognize a team from the BioSense Institute in Serbia as the winner of the second annual Syngenta Crop Challenge in Analytics.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170405005986/en/

(Left to right) Joseph Byrum, Marko Panic, Oskar Marko, Crop Challenge committee chair Robin Lougee, INFORMS representative Stefan Karisch Photo: Syngenta)

The team, which included Oskar Marko, Sanja Brdar, Marko Panic, Isidora Sasic, Milivoje Knezevic, Danica Despotovic, Vladmir Crnojevic and Zorana Djindjica was awarded a $5,000 prize for its entry, "Portfolio Optimization for Seed Selection in Diverse Weather Scenarios". The entry produced a mathematical strategy for predicting farmers' soybean seed variety demand.

"The overall quality of submissions was at exactly the level of analytical and mathematical thinking we are looking to bring to the agriculture space," said Joseph Byrum, Ph.D., MBA, PMP, senior R&D strategic marketing executive with Syngenta and Syngenta lead for the Crop Challenge committee. "Very little separated all the finalist submissions-but there was excellent clarity in the logic of the BioSense team's submission. They put a great deal of thought and contemplation into a very complex problem, and then solved it systematically."

"It is an exceptional honor to win first prize-all the teams were exceptionally good and all had different approaches," said Oskar Marko, team lead for the winning submission. "We feel very fortunate that our approach proved to be the most effective."

Marko's team from the BioSense Institute, a multi-disciplinary research organization affiliated with the University of Novi Sad in Serbia, received fourth place in last year's Crop Challenge in Analytics. After the competition, the team used material it developed in that Challenge submission to help its university receive agriculture research funding from Horizon 2020, a European Commission-led program that fosters research and innovation in the sciences.

This year's Challenge tasked participants to use data analytics to predict which soybean seed variety-or assortment of varieties-is most likely to be chosen by farmers within a specific growing region. Since seed variety selection is one of the most important decisions farmers make each season and no two seasons are alike, data driven models are increasingly being deployed in making seed decisions.

The finalists made their presentations on April 3, 2017, at the INFORMS Business Analytics Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Programs were evaluated based on the rigor and validity of the process used to determine optimal seed varieties, the quality of the proposed solution, and the finalists' ability to clearly articulate their solution and its methodology.

The runner up submission, "A Decision Making Approach for Soy Seed Variety Selection via Hedging Against Weather Risk," authored by Zhongshun Shi, Yu Zhao, Xi Zhang and Leyuan Shi from Peking University, China, received a $2,500 prize; and the third place entry, "A Hierarchical-Ensemble of Machineries to Optimize the Choice of Soybean Varieties," authored by Durai Sundaramoorthi, Lingxiu Dong, Iva Rashkova and Piruthiviraj Sivaraj from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, received a $1,000 prize.

Syngenta, an award-winning company for its innovation in plant breeding analytics, supports this competition, which is hosted by the Analytics Society of INFORMS, in 2016. Syngenta donated the prize money from its 2015 Franz Edelman Award win to create and support the Syngenta Crop Challenge for four consecutive years.

"The Analytics Society of INFORMS is proud to work with Syngenta, a company that has been leading the way within its industry to use operations research to revolutionize its processes, improving both its own business and global food production," said Robin Lougee, research industry lead at IBM Research and committee chair of the Crop Challenge prize committee. "We are excited that this Challenge has helped promote interest in analytics research in agriculture. The Analytics Society of INFORMS is uniquely positioned to help the agriculture industry meet its toughest challenges in the years to come."

The premise of the competition series underscores Syngenta's commitment to make crops more efficient-an essential pillar of The Good Growth Plan, Syngenta's global initiative to improve the sustainability of agriculture.

Details regarding the 2018 Crop Challenge will be announced next month, with submissions due in January 2018. For more details about the Syngenta Crop Challenge and to register for the 2018 Challenge, please visit www.ideaconnection.com/syngenta-crop-challenge.

About Syngenta

Syngenta is a leading agriculture company helping to improve global food security by enabling millions of farmers to make better use of available resources. Through world class science and innovative crop solutions, our 28,000 people in over 90 countries are working to transform how crops are grown. We are committed to rescuing land from degradation, enhancing biodiversity and revitalizing rural communities. To learn more visit www.syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Syngenta and www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS.

About INFORMS

With more than 12,500 members from around the globe, INFORMS is the leading international association for professionals in analytics and operations research. INFORMS advances research and promotes best practices in analytics and operations research through an array of highly-cited publications, conferences, competitions, networking communities and professional development services.

The INFORMS Analytics Society promotes the integration of a wide range of analytical techniques and supports activities that illuminate significant innovations and achievement in the growing field of analytics.

Web Resources:

Know More, Grow More

Syngenta Newsroom

Syngenta U.S.

Thrive

INFORMS

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as 'expect', 'would', 'will', 'potential', 'plans', 'prospects', 'estimated', 'aiming', 'on track' and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. We refer you to Syngenta's publicly available filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for information about these and other risks and uncertainties. Syngenta assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors. This document does not constitute, or form part of, any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer, to purchase or subscribe for any ordinary shares in Syngenta AG, or Syngenta ADSs, nor shall it form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract there for.

All photos are either the property of Syngenta or are used with permission.

2017 Syngenta, 9 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. The Syngenta logo is a registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170405005986/en/

Contacts:

Syngenta media contacts:

Chris Tutino, 919-226-7238

chris.tutino@syngenta.com

or

Karyn Ostrom, 919-870-5718

kostrom@gscommunications.com

or

INFORMS media contact:

Ashley Kilgore, 443-757-3560

ashley.kilgore@informs.org


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump's approval rating has continued to slump in recent weeks, according to the results of a new Quinnipiac University national poll.



Voters give Trump a negative 35 percent to 57 percent job approval rating in the latest poll compared to the president's negative 37 percent 56 percent approval rating in a poll conducted in mid-March.



Quinnipiac noted Trump is now below former President Barack Obama's worst approval rating, a negative 38 percent to 57 percent in 2013.



A majority of men and a plurality of white voters disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job as president, although he has a positive 79 percent to 14 percent rating among Republicans.



'President Donald Trump continues to struggle, even among his most loyal supporters,' said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. 'Many of them would be hard pressed to see even a sliver of a silver lining in this troubling downward spiral.'



He added, 'President George W. Bush, who hit a negative 28 - 67 percent on May 14, 2008, had less support, but it took eight years, two unpopular wars and a staggering economy to get there.'



The poll also showed that Trump gets negative ratings on his handling of a number of key issues, including healthcare, the environment, immigration, the economy, and foreign policy.



Trump is not alone in receiving poor ratings from voters, however, as a majority of voters disapprove of how both Republicans and Democrats in Congress are handling their job.



Voters disapprove 70 percent to 21 percent of the job Republicans in Congress are doing and disapprove 57 percent to 34 percent of the job Democrats in Congress are doing.



The poll also showed negative favorability ratings for Congressional leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ken., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.



The Quinnipiac survey of 1,171 voters was conducted March 30th through April 3rd and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon has been removed from his permanent seat on the National Security Council, according to a regulatory filing posted on Wednesday. Trump's original decision to include Bannon on the NSC was controversial and attracted criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Bannon, the former executive chairman of Breitbart News, was put on the council as a check against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, a senior White House official told NBC News. The official said Bannon is no longer needed in that role after Flynn was forced to resign earlier this year after he misled Vice President Mike Pence about his communications with Russian ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak. H.R. McMaster was appointed to replace Flynn as National Security Adviser and was reportedly given authority to reorganize the NSC. In addition to the removal of Bannon, the filing revealed that Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, and CIA Director Mike Pompeo will now be regular attendees. A source with knowledge of the move told CNN that Bannon can 'still attend any meeting' where his expertise is needed. (Photo: Gage Skidmore) Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 5, 2017) - Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (TSX: AVL) (OTCQX: AVLNF) ("Avalon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has commenced a 10 hole, 2,000 metre diamond drilling program on its 100% owned Separation Rapids Lithium Project (the "Project") near Kenora, Ontario. The program is expected to be completed over the next 6-8 weeks, following which an updated resource estimate will be prepared. The drilling program has a number of specific objectives including:

Expanding the existing mineral resource of lithium (petalite) pegmatite mineralization which is open along strike and to depth;

Quantifying the lithium mineralization in the resource model associated with lepidolite and other lithium micas versus lithium mineralization associated with petalite;

Testing an undrilled target area 1 kilometre west of the known resource where a showing of petalite pegmatite sampled by the Company in 1997 yielded 1.56% Li 2 O across 8.9 metres; and

O across 8.9 metres; and Collecting geotechnical data for groundwater studies and mine planning in advance of permitting for site development.

Previous exploration work by Avalon in the 1990's focused only on recovering the lithium mineral petalite as an industrial mineral product for glass-ceramics applications and consequently did not fully account for the lepidolite mineralization in the development model. However, as disclosed in the Company's news release dated February 6, 2017, recent testwork conducted by Lepidico Ltd. of Perth, Australia ("Lepidico") using its patented L-Max hydrometallurgical process technology has successfully produced a battery grade lithium carbonate product from lepidolite sourced from the Separation Rapids property.

There are sub-zones in the Separation Rapids deposit where the lithium is dominantly contained in lepidolite, which can be concentrated separately from the petalite. This offers the potential for production of both a lithium carbonate product from a lepidolite concentrate as well as a lithium hydroxide product from a petalite concentrate, the latter as contemplated in the Company's Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA"), finalized in November, 2016. The current drilling program will aid in differentiating petalite-dominant versus lepidolite-dominant resources in the block model and contribute to a revised development model for the Project. An updated PEA reflecting the new resource, as well as recent progress on process development work, is planned for this summer.

The technical information included in this news release has been reviewed and approved by the Company's Vice President, Exploration, Dr. William Mercer, a Qualified Person under NI 43-101.

About Avalon Advanced Materials Inc.

Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. is a Canadian mineral development company specializing in niche market metals and minerals with growing demand in new technology. The Company has three advanced stage projects, all 100%-owned, providing investors with exposure to lithium, tin and indium, as well as rare earth elements, tantalum, niobium, and zirconium. Avalon is currently focusing on its Separation Rapids Lithium Project, Kenora, ON and its East Kemptville Tin-Indium Project, Yarmouth, NS. Social responsibility and environmental stewardship are corporate cornerstones.

For questions and feedback, please e-mail the Company at ir@AvalonAM.com, or phone Don Bubar, President & CEO at 416-364-4938.

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that the drilling program is expected to be completed over the next 6-8 weeks following which an updated resource estimate will be prepared, that it will aid in differentiating petalite-dominant versus lepidolite-dominant resources in the block model and contribute to a revised development model for the Project, that there may be the potential for production of both a lithium carbonate product from a lepidolite concentrate as well as a lithium hydroxide product from a petalite concentrate and that an updated PEA reflecting the new resource as well as recent progress on process development is planned for this summer . Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "potential", "scheduled", "anticipates", "continues", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "scheduled", "targeted", "planned", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be" or "will not be" taken, reached or result, "will occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Avalon to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made. Although Avalon has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from expected results described in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to market conditions, Avalon's ability to secure sufficient financing to advance and complete the Project, uncertainties associated with securing the necessary approvals and permits in a timely manner, assumptions used in the PEA proving to be inaccurate, uncertainties associated with Avalon's resource and reserve estimates, uncertainties regarding global supply and demand for lithium and feldspar and market and sales prices, uncertainties associated with securing off-take agreements and customer contracts, uncertainties with respect to social, community and environmental impacts, uncertainties with respect to optimization opportunities for the Project as well as those risk factors set out in the Company's current Annual Information Form, Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure documents available under the Company's profile at www.SEDAR.com. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such forward-looking statements have been provided for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding the Company's plans and objectives and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Avalon does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are contained herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
TORONTO, ONTARIO and MUMBAI, INDIA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Key Highlights:

-- Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and The Phoenix Mills Limited (PML) sign definitive agreement to develop, own and operate retail-led mixed-use developments across India. -- Island Star Mall Developers Pvt. Ltd. (ISMDPL), a PML subsidiary which owns Phoenix MarketCity Bangalore, will serve as the platform. -- CPPIB will initially own 30% of the platform with an equity commitment of approximately INR 7.24 billion (C$149 million). -- CPPIB plans to invest approximately INR 16 billion (C$330 million), in multiple tranches, to own up to a 49% stake in the platform. -- Pre-money enterprise value of ISMDPL is pegged at approximately INR 22 billion (C$454 million) for this investment.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and The Phoenix Mills Limited (PML) today announced participation in a strategic investment platform, Island Star Mall Developers Pvt. Ltd (ISMDPL), to develop, own and operate retail-led mixed-use developments across India.

CPPIB will initially own 30% of the platform with an equity commitment of approximately INR 7.24 billion (C$149 million). CPPIB plans to invest approximately INR 16 billion (C$330 million), in multiple tranches, to own up to a 49% stake in the platform. Pre-money enterprise value of ISMDPL is pegged at approximately INR 22 billion (C$454 million).

ISMDPL owns Phoenix MarketCity Bangalore, one of the top performing shopping malls in the country. Opened in 2011, the mall has gross leasable area of approximately one million square feet and is centrally located in Whitefield, a prominent residential hub and amongst the largest commercial areas in Bengaluru.

"We are delighted to partner with The Phoenix Mills Limited to launch our first retail real estate venture in India where we will focus on acquiring or developing high-quality retail assets across India's top cities," said Andrea Orlandi, Managing Director, Head of Real Estate Investments - Europe, CPPIB. "We believe that India will be a leading source of global growth in the coming decades and that there will continue to be attractive investment opportunities for CPPIB. We look forward to expanding our venture with Phoenix Mills, an experienced retail operator and well-aligned partner."

The funds invested will be applied towards acquiring and developing both greenfield assets on newly purchased land banks, as well as existing operating retail assets that are expected to be transformed into highly successful malls. PML will manage all development and operational assets in the platform.

"This is a landmark transaction for Phoenix Mills and a first-of-its-kind for India's retail real estate industry. In CPPIB, we have found a like-minded strategic partner that brings significant experience and expertise in creating and managing retail assets across the globe. Jointly, we are committed to creating world-class retail assets to provide an unparalleled shopping experience to consumers," stated Atul Ruia, Joint Managing Director, The Phoenix Mills Limited.

The Indian retail sector is forecast to see sustained growth over the long term, primarily due to favourable demographics and the rise of the middle class. At the same time, international retailers are increasingly attracted to India as a growth market, which is leading to strong demand for space in high-quality, well-located shopping malls.

About Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) is a professional investment management organization that invests the funds not needed by the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) to pay current benefits on behalf of 20 million contributors and beneficiaries. In order to build a diversified portfolio of CPP assets, CPPIB invests in public equities, private equities, real estate, infrastructure and fixed income instruments. Headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, New York City, Sao Paulo and Sydney, CPPIB is governed and managed independently of the Canada Pension Plan and at arm's length from governments. At December 31, 2016, the CPP Fund totalled $298.1 billion. For more information about CPPIB, please visit www.cppib.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

About Island Star Mall Developers Pvt. Ltd.

ISMDPL owns and operates a retail mall in Bengaluru known as Phoenix MarketCity, Bangalore. In addition, ISMDPL also has additional development potential to expand the existing mixed-use development. ISMDPL posted a revenue of INR 1.6 billion (C$34 million) and a net profit of INR 371 million (C$7.6 million) during the year FY2015-16.

About The Phoenix Mills Limited (PML)

PML (BOMBAY: 503100)(NSE: PHOENIXLTD) is a leading retail mall developer and operator in India with approximately 6.0 million square feet of retail space spread across 8 malls in 6 gateway cities of India. PML is the pioneer of retail-led, mixed-use developments in India and has developed over 17.5 million square feet spread across retail, hospitality, commercial, and residential asset classes.

Contacts:

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Dan Madge

Senior Manager, Media Relations

+1 416 868 8629

dmadge@cppib.com



Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Mei Mavin

Director, Corporate Communications

+1 646 564 4920

mmavin@cppib.com



The Phoenix Mills Limited

Varun Parwal

VP - Finance & Investor Relations

+91 22 3001 6737

varun.p@phoenixmarketcity.in



Dickenson Group

Mehul Mehta

+91 98202 80325

mehul.mehta@dickensonir.com




ATLANTIC CITY, NJ -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Friedman LLP has joined the 21st annual East Coast Gaming Congress as a co-organizer and co-producer. As part of this new role, Friedman will bring a Chief Financial Officers panel to the jam-packed ECGC agenda. The panel will focus on financial, accounting and regulatory matters in the gaming industry.

"We are thrilled that Friedman LLP has joined forces with Cooper Levenson, Spectrum Gaming Group and Friedmutter Architectural Group. The perspective and expertise of a CPA firm allows us to present in depth, for the first time, the views of CFOs. We believe this is especially critical this year, as the gaming industry faces new and complex issues," said Lloyd D. Levenson, CEO of Cooper Levenson, Attorneys at Law.

The Chief Financial Officers panel will be held on the morning of May 25. Panelists will include:

Glenn Josephs, CPA and Partner, Friedman, LLP

Laurette Pitts, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Empire Resorts

Honorable Anthony J. "Skip" Cimino, Senior Executive Vice President, Kaufman Zita Group

Matthew Levinson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, New Jersey Casino Control Commission, will moderate the session. Matt Blank, Business Development Manager, Friedman LLP, will provide introductions and set the stage for property-level and corporate CFOs to discuss the implications and challenges of new and proposed financial and regulatory matters -- and how they could impact both operations and capital investment.

ECGC will offer attendees its most ambitious agenda ever, with panel topics ranging from the Casino Floor of Tomorrow, to gaming's future in New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic region, to the future of i-gaming and regulation. Highlights of the event will include keynote addresses from industry-leading CEOs.

More than 600 gaming operators, equipment manufacturers, regulators, attorneys, architects, analysts, public officials, investors and other gaming-related professionals are expected to attend ECGC, which takes place at the Waterfront Conference Center at Harrah's in Atlantic City. The full conference schedule and registration is at www.ecgc.us. Early-bird registration savings will be offered.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump said Wednesday it is possible his attitude toward Syria has changed following a suspected chemical attack but refused to offer any specifics about how he would respond to the situation. Speaking to reporters alongside Jordan's King Abdullah II, Trump described the attack as an affront to humanity that cannot be tolerated. However, Trump reiterated his stance from throughout the presidential campaign that he would not divulge any potential military plans. 'I'm not saying I'm doing anything one way or the another. But I'm certainly not going to be telling you,' Trump said when pressed on the issue by a reporter. The president acknowledged it is now his responsibility to respond to the attack but argued that the Obama administration had an opportunity to solve the problems in Syria. Trump claimed the U.S. was set back by President Barack Obama's failure to respond to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad crossing the 'red line' against the use chemical weapons. In a statement on Tuesday, Trump called the 'heinous actions' by the Assad regime a 'consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution.' Recent comments from administration officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, suggested regime change in Syria would not be a priority under Trump. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- The common shares of Star Navigation Systems Group Ltd. have been approved for listing on the CSE.

Listing and disclosure documents will be available at www.thecse.com

Star Navigation Systems Group is a Canadian aviation technology company which has developed the STAR-A.D.S.  System - an on-board flight data monitoring system. The System provides an airline with worldwide monitoring of the location and operational status of every aircraft in its fleet, in real-time. In addition, Star's MMI Division designs and manufactures high performance, mission critical, flight deck flat panel displays for defence and commercial aviation companies worldwide.

L'inscription a la cote de CSE des actions ordinaires de Star Navigation Systems Group Ltd. a ete approuvee.

Les documents d'inscription et de divulgation seront disponibles sur www.thecse.com

Star Navigation Systems Group est une societe canadienne de technologie de l'aviation qui a developpe STAR-A.D.S.  System - un systeme de surveillance de donnees de vol a bord. Le systeme fournit a une compagnie aerienne une surveillance mondiale de l'emplacement et du statut operationnel de chaque avion dans sa flotte, en temps reel. En outre, la Division MMI d'etoile concoit et fabrique des ecrans plats a grande vitesse, de mission, de telecommande pour les entreprises de defense et d'aviation commerciale dans le monde entier.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Issuer/Emetteur: Star Navigation Systems Group Ltd. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Security Type/Titre: Common Shares/Actions ordinaires ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Symbol(s)/Symbole(s): SNA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of securities issued and 390 894 805 outstanding/ Titres emis et en circulation: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of Securities reserved for 165 143 584 issuance/ Titres reserves pour emission: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CSE Sector/Categorie: Technology/Technologie ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CUSIP: 855157 10 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ISIN: CA855157 10 3 4 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boardlot/Quotite: TBD ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trading Currency/Monnaie de CDN$/ $CA negociation: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trading Date/Date de negociation: April 7, 2017/ le 7 avril 2017 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Exchanges/Autres marches: TSX Venture Exchange/la Bourse de croissance TSX ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fiscal Year end /Cloture de June 30/Le 30 juin l'exercice financier: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Transfer Agent/Agent des transferts: Capital Transfer Agency Inc. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you have any questions or require further information please contact Listings at (416) 367-7340 or E-mail: Listings@thecse.com

Pour toute question, pour obtenir de l'information supplementaire veuillez communiquer avec le service des inscriptions au 416 367-7340 ou par courriel a l'adresse: Listings@thecse.com

Contacts:

Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE)

Listings

(416) 367-7340

Listings@thecse.com

www.thecse.com




CHICO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Emily Akimoto's fifth-grade class learned they won the 2017 California Water Service (Cal Water) H2O Challenge grand prize today for testing the safety of their school's drinking water. The Chico-based Sierra View Elementary students adopted the project due to recent issues in Flint, Mich., and concerns about the safety of drinking water nationwide. Results showed that the school's drinking water was safe for consumption, and students will share their findings at a school district meeting later this year. The grand prize includes a $3,500 grant for the classroom and a tent-camping trip to the Santa Monica Mountains in conjunction with the NatureBridge environmental science education program.

To determine the safety of their drinking water, students first researched the what, why, and how of water contamination. Then, they collected water samples and worked with local laboratories to conduct the testing. Upon receiving the results, the students shared the good news with their fellow students and were featured on a local news station.

The test results themselves were coupled with the positive impacts on learning. Akimoto said: "My students gained so many benefits from this challenge. They understand water now, including the water cycle, water safety, and water contamination. They understand the scientific method and how to apply science in real life. I watched them learn to love learning. I watched their passion for science grow and blossom. I watched them get excited when they were assigned research or writing. It was incredible."

The Cal Water H2O Challenge (challenge.calwater.com) is a collaboration between Cal Water and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). It is open annually to students and teachers in grades 4-6 in schools served by Cal Water.

"We are inspired by the level of creativity, commitment, and innovation all participating schools, teachers, and students showed in the 2017 Challenge, and I am especially proud of our winning class here at Sierra View," said Martin A. Kropelnicki, Cal Water President and CEO. "This is a critical time for water supply management and conservation, and we are encouraged when future generations engage in water issues and apply their learnings to real-world situations. The Challenge is creating a foundation for clean, high-quality, and reliable water, and it is part of our purpose to improve the quality of life in the communities we serve."

The Challenge also furthers NAAEE's National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education goals, per Christiane Maertens, NAAEE's deputy director. "This competition is teaching kids how to be hands-on advocates for resources their communities value the most," she said.

NAAEE's partnership with Cal Water is expanding water conservation efforts throughout the state and building educational programs into school curriculum. "Most importantly, students are learning the basics of science through environmental education," Maertens explained. "These projects give students the opportunity to integrate the learning principles of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) in solving problems that directly affect our schools and neighborhoods."

Other winners for the Cal Water H2O Challenge are:

2nd place: Sixth-grade students and their teacher Rachel Lenix from Downtown Elementary in Bakersfield, Calif., taught fellow students that cutting down on food waste contributes to water conservation. This class won a $2,500 classroom grant, pizza party, and Cal Water prize pack for each student in the class.

3rd place: Fourth-grade students and their teacher Pete Pembroke from Parkview Elementary in Chico, Calif., created green-screen public service announcements to explain water concepts, conservation, and pollution. These winners received a $2,000 classroom grant plus a Cal Water prize pack for each class student.

4th place: Fifth-grade students and their teacher Jennipher Dace at Murdock Elementary School in Willows, Calif., explored whether recent rainfall ended the drought. The class received a $1,000 grant and a Cal Water prize pack for each student in the class.

About Cal Water

California Water Service serves about 2 million people through 480,300 service connections in California. The company, which has provided water service in the state since 1926, was ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Water Utilities in the West" in 2016 by J.D. Power in its inaugural Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study. Additional information may be obtained online at www.calwater.com.

About NAAEE

The North American Association for Environmental Education is a membership organization dedicated to accelerating environmental literacy and civic engagement through education. NAAEE supports a network of more than 20,000 members working in environmental education in more than 30 countries through direct membership and 54 regional affiliate organizations. For more information, visit www.naaee.net.

2222 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy, Chico, CA 95928

Contact:

Pete Bonacich

(530) 893-6300



Yvonne Kingman

(310) 257-1434




DALLAS, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Mobiliya, a Dallas-based software engineering company offering device-to-cloud system integration and software development, recently joined the SAMSUNG ARTIK Partner Program. The SAMSUNG ARTIK Partner Program provides companies looking to develop IoT solutions access to an ecosystem of partners who bring unique technology and skills leveraging the SAMSUNG ARTIK Smart IoT platform. For customers and developers looking to accelerate the development and deployment of their IoT solution, the program offers services and technologies that can help reduce development time and internal resource requirements saving valuable time during the product development cycle.

Mobiliya has a strong IoT practice that has focused on implementing vertical solutions for growing vertical domains like healthcare, home automation, asset tracking, energy, agriculture, water monitoring and more. Becoming a member of the SAMSUNG ARTIK Partner Program will further boost Mobiliya's reach to even more vertical areas that are growing rapidly.

The SAMSUNG ARTIK Smart IoT platform integrates hardware, software, cloud, security and partner ecosystems in a single offering so that enterprises can reduce the time, cost and risk typically associated with the delivery of complex IoT solutions. Unlike other IoT platforms, the SAMSUNG ARTIK platform makes it easy to build IoT products and services by addressing the complexity of IoT with easy-to-use, open and enterprise-grade APIs, SDKs and tools.

Mobiliya's engineering skillsets in sensors, protocols, gateways and cloud give the brand an edge to comfortably work with SAMSUNG ARTIK modules and SAMSUNG ARTIK Cloud to solve business problems and innovate on IoT use cases. In addition, Mobiliya -- not being limited to system integration -- also focuses on machine learning and deep learning, which can be applied to an IoT solution as this industry generates a mass amount of data. Leveraging this data for deriving actionable insights is another value Mobiliya will add while working on SAMSUNG ARTIK Smart IoT platform.

"As the newest member of the SAMSUNG ARTIK Partner Program, we look forward to working closely with Mobiliya in key vertical industrial and consumer areas. Mobiliya's ability to rapidly develop proof-of-concept implementations built on the SAMSUNG ARTIK Smart IoT platform will reinforce a key benefit of the platform: accelerating time to market. Mobiliya's broad knowledge of putting together edge to cloud solutions is key to helping companies in their architecture, development and deployment of solutions," said Curtis Sasaki, VP of Ecosystem, SAMSUNG Strategy & Innovation Center.

Krish Kupathil, CEO of Mobiliya, added, "We are delighted to be part of the SAMSUNG ARTIK Partner Program, which provides everything an IoT services company like Mobiliya needs -- sensors, cloud and a partner ecosystem. I must say that with our growing network of IoT partners, engaging with SAMSUNG will definitely open new opportunities for us."

About Mobiliya: Mobiliya is a global software engineering company specializing in device-to-cloud system integration and in enabling security for the connected ecosystem. Mobiliya helps organizations, across industry verticals, to address business challenges through next generation of digital transformations using emerging technologies like Internet-of-Things, deep learning and augmented reality along with core software engineering capabilities. Headquartered in Dallas, Tex., the company has global engineering and delivery centers based out of the USA, Canada, India, China and South Korea. For more information, visit www.mobiliya.com

Media Contact for Mobiliya:

Jaquelin Torres

jaquelin@beyondfifteen.com

O: 949.733.8679




BASEL, Switzerland, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 3, 2017 the European Commission published two guides on the implementation of Patient Blood Management (PBM); one addressed to national authorities and the other to hospitals. The International Foundation for Patient Blood Management (IFPBM) defines this new standard of care as "an evidence-based bundle of care to optimise medical and surgical patient outcomes by clinically managing and preserving a patient's blood."

On release of their guides the European Commission commented that "the publication is timely as, just last month, the journal Transfusionpublished impressive results (view journal here) from a comprehensive 5-year PBM programme in Western Australia, the world's largest programme to date on PBM. It included 605,046 patients admitted to Western Australia's four major adult tertiary-care hospitals, with results showing a 28% reduction in hospital mortality, a 15% reduction in average hospital length of stay, a 21% decrease in hospital-acquired infections (transfused patients are more susceptible to infection) and a 31% decrease in the incidence of heart attack or stroke. The use of blood products was reduced by 41% during the study period, achieving not only these significant patient outcome benefits but also representing a very substantial cost saving to the health service".

Professor James Isbister, Sydney University Medical School and Senior Advisor to IFPBM, stated "The European Commission guides on Patient Blood Management will help greatly in improving the standard of patient-focused care across Europe. IFPBM is very pleased to see Patient Blood Management implemented in hospitals and medical centers of excellence across Europe and continue to expand into other counties, greatly improving patient care and substantially lowering health care costs."

The guides are expected to greatly enhance the efforts of health authorities and professionals across the European Union to achieve similar results for patients and hospitals as they have in Western Australia.

About IFPBM

The International Foundation for Patient Blood Management (IFPBM) is a Swiss foundation headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. IFPBM is a multi-disciplinary organization whose core purpose is toimprove patient safety and outcomes in clinical practice through optimal Patient Blood Management. IFPBM promotes evidence-based cost-effective practice through education and training, facilitating the highest standard of health care.

About European Commission

The European Commission is one of the main institutions of the European Union (EU). It represents the general interest of the EU, rather than that of individual national governments or political parties. Its core responsibilities include proposing EU laws and policies and monitoring their implementation. Most commission offices are located in Brussels and Luxembourg. The European Commission principles and values guide the commission in its work. These include transparency, language coverage, responsibility towards the environment, equality and ethical behavior. EU policies and laws are carefully designed to bring benefits to citizens, businesses and other stakeholders in the EU.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Nutritional High International Inc. (the "Company" or "Nutritional High") (CSE: EAT)(CSE: EAT.CN)(OTCQB: SPLIF)(FRANKFURT: 2NU) is pleased to announce an update for its medical cannabis dispensary in Effingham, IL. Since its grand opening in September 2016, The Clinic Effingham ("TCE") has experienced a strong month-to-month growth in sales and stable gross margins, which are attributed to an expanding patient count and a strong patient and physician outreach program.

TCE achieves a monthly returning patient rate of over 90%, which demonstrates a strong and loyal customer base. To service the patient base, TCE has started working with more cultivators licensed with Illinois Department of Agriculture to expand its product offering, and has also hired additional staff in the effort to provide exceptional customer service.

Given the current pace of business, the need for further capital investment has been greatly reduced and the business is running on a profitable basis before tax. Nutritional High has been impressed with TCE's performance and is looking forward to its continued growth.

Jim Frazier, CEO of Nutritional High commented: "We are excited to see the continuing growth of The Clinic Effingham. We are excited to be a part of this important market as the growth continues to accelerate. On behalf of the Nutritional High team we would like to cordially thank our partners for their continuous support and assistance."

Adam Szweras, Director and Secretary of Nutritional High commented: "We're very proud of the tremendous growth TCE staff has achieved over a relatively short period that the dispensary has been operating. The medical cannabis market in the State of Illinois is a model for the country and the world. We are pleased that TCE revenue growth has surpassed our expectations. On behalf of the Nutritional High team I would like to thank TCE team for their hard work."

Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Update

As reported by The Illinois Department of Public Health ("IDPH") on April 5, 2017(1) has approved applications for approximately 18,300 qualifying patients, since it began accepting applications on September 2, 2014, and approximately 21,300 individuals have submitted a complete application to IDPH. Total retail sales of medical cannabis in the State of Illinois for March totaled $6,352,459, which brings the total retail sales by licensed medical cannabis dispensaries for the calendar 2016 to just over $36 million and to almost $54 million since the program's inception in November 2015. At this time there are 52 medical cannabis dispensaries operating in the state, with TCE continuing to be the only one in ISP District 12.

Sale of Property in Lawrenceville, IL and Option Issuance

Since the Company has elected to move its dispensary from Lawrenceville, IL to Effingham, IL (please see press release dated June 17, 2016), the Company has sold the Lawrenceville property back to its original vendors by paying a consideration of $80,000 in lieu of forgiving the outstanding seller take-back mortgage (please see press release dated June 17, 2016) in the amount of approximately USD $237,000.

The Company's board has also approved the issuance of 5,300,000 stock options ("Stock Options") to directors and consultants. Each Stock Option is exercisable into Common Shares at a price of $0.15 per Common Share for a period of five years from the date of issuance, subject to certain vesting provisions with accordance with the Company's stock option plan.

(1 ) https://www.illinois.gov/gov/mcpp/Pages/update04052017.aspx

About Nutritional High International Inc.

Nutritional High is focused on developing, manufacturing and distributing products and nationally recognized brands in the hemp and marijuana-infused products industries, including edibles and oil extracts for nutritional, medical and adult recreational use. The Company works exclusively through licensed facilities in jurisdictions where such activity is permitted and regulated by state law.

For updates on the Company's activities and highlights of the Company's press releases and other media coverage, please follow Nutritional High on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+ or visit www.nutritionalhigh.com.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR OTC MARKETS GROUP INC., NOR THEIR REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDERS HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Such statements include submission of the relevant documentation within the required timeframe and to the satisfaction of the relevant regulators, completing the acquisition of the applicable real estate and raising sufficient financing to complete the Company's business strategy. There is no certainty that any of these events will occur. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be correct. We assume no responsibility to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances.

Company's securities have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or "U.S. Persons", as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act, absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in the United States or any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law.

Contacts:

David Posner

Chairman of the Board

Nutritional High International Inc.

647-985-6727

dposner@nutritionalhigh.com



Greg Shafransky

Investor Relations

360 Aviation Services Inc.

604-671-3327

stockshaman@outlook.com




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Smart Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX: SRU.UN) announced today that it will issue its financial results for the three months ending March 31, 2017 on Wednesday, May 10, 2017.

SmartREIT will hold a conference call on Wednesday, May 10, 2017 at 5:30 p.m. (ET). Participating on the call will be members of SmartREIT's senior management.

Investors are invited to access the call by dialing 1-800-263-0877. You will be required to identify yourself and the organization on whose behalf you are participating. A recording of this call will be made available Wednesday, May 10, 2017 beginning at 8:30 p.m. (ET) through to 8:30 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, May 17, 2017. To access the recording, please call 1-888-203-1112 and enter the Replay Passcode 8435702#.

About SmartREIT

SmartREIT is one of Canada's largest real estate investment trusts with total assets in excess of $8.7 billion. It owns and manages 32 million square feet in value-oriented, principally Walmart-anchored retail centres, having the strongest national and regional retailers as well as strong neighbourhood merchants. In addition, SmartREIT is a joint-venture partner in the Toronto and Montreal Premium Outlets with Simon Property Group. SmartREIT is now expanding the breadth of its portfolio to include residential (condominium and rental), office, and self-storage, either on its large urban properties such as the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre or as an adjunct to its existing shopping centres. SmartREIT's core vision is to provide a value-oriented shopping experience in all forms to Canadian consumers and to create high quality mixed use developments in urban settings.

With SmartREIT's 2015 acquisition of SmartCentres, SmartREIT has transformed into a fully integrated real estate provider. SmartREIT and SmartCentres have had a long and successful alliance, helping to provide Canadians with value-focused retail shopping centres across the country. Now, the alliance has grown even stronger, the result is a fully integrated real estate provider with expertise in planning, development, leasing, operations and construction - all under one roof. For more information on SmartREIT, visit www.smartreit.com.

Contacts:

Smart Real Estate Investment Trust

Huw Thomas

Chief Executive Officer

(905) 326-6400 ext. 7649

hthomas@smartreit.com



Smart Real Estate Investment Trust

Peter Sweeney

Chief Financial Officer

(905) 326-6400 ext. 7865

psweeney@smartreit.com

www.smartreit.com




OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc. ("Tetra") (CSE: TBP)(CSE: TBP.CN)(OTCQB: GRPOF), today announced that effective tomorrow, shares of the Company have been approved for and will commence trading on the OTCQB venture marketplace, operated by OTC Markets Group, under the ticker symbol GRPOF. Shares of the Company previously traded on the OTCQI Pink Sheet Market. The Company also reiterated its strategy to create greater opportunity for its shareholders and attract new U.S. retail and institutional investors by providing transparency via this up-listing.

"We are extremely pleased to announce our up-list to the OTCQB Venture Marketplace," said Andre Rancourt, CEO of Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc. "Tetra is committed to the high level of financial and corporate disclosure that is required for this listing category which further demonstrates significant improvement in how we are categorized in the public markets. This move represents our expansion in growing our U.S. investor shareholder base as we believe that trading on the OTCQB will enhance trading liquidity and continue to increase market adoption of our business model, thereby enhancing shareholder value. We look forward to aggressively executing our business plan as we build a leading bio-pharmaceutical organization focused on developing medicinal cannabis as pharmaceutical drugs."

The OTCQB is considered by the SEC as an established public market for the purpose of determining the public market price when registering securities for resale with the SEC. The OTCQB dramatically increases transparency, reporting standards, management certification and compliance requirements, the majority of broker dealers trade stocks on the OTCQB. Historically this has resulted in greater liquidity and awareness for companies that reach the OTCQB tier.

McMillan LLP serves as Tetra's OTCQB advisor, responsible for providing professional guidance on OTCQB requirements and U.S. securities laws. U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

About Tetra Bio Pharma:

Tetra Bio Pharma is a multi subsidiary publicly traded company (CSE: TBP)(CSE: TBP.CN)(OTCQX: GRPOF) engaged in the development of Bio Pharmaceuticals and Natural Health Products containing Cannabis and other medicinal plant based elements.

Tetra Bio Pharma is focused on combining the traditional methods of medicinal cannabis use with the supporting scientific validation and safety data required for inclusion into the existing bio pharma industry by regulators physicians and insurance companies. More information is available about the company at: www.tetrabiopharma.com.

The Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") has not reviewed this news release and does not accept responsibility for its adequacy or accuracy.

Forward-looking statements

Some statements in this release may contain forward-looking information. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding potential acquisitions and financings) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "may", "will", "should", "continue", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "believe", "intend", "plan" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, the inability of the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, GrowPros MMP Inc., to obtain a licence for the production of medical marijuana; failure to obtain sufficient financing to execute the Company's business plan; competition; regulation and anticipated and unanticipated costs and delays, and other risks disclosed in the Company's public disclosure record on file with the relevant securities regulatory authorities. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results or events not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities legislation.

Contacts:

Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc.

Edward Miller

Vice President, IR & Corporate Communications

(343) 689-0714

edward@tetrabiopharma.com

www.tetrabiopharma.com




CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Veresen Inc. ("Veresen") (TSX: VSN) expects to release its first quarter 2017 financial and operating results on Wednesday, May 3, 2017 after the close of North American markets. The first quarter 2017 management's discussion and analysis and unaudited consolidated financial statements will be available on the Company's website at www.vereseninc.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Earnings Conference Call & Webcast Details

A conference call and webcast presentation will be held to discuss first quarter 2017 financial and operating results at 7:00am Mountain Time (9:00am Eastern Time) on Thursday, May 4, 2017.

To listen to the conference call, please dial 478-219-0009 or 1-844-285-7148 (toll-free). This call will also be broadcast live on the Internet and may be accessed directly at the following URL:

http://edge.media-server.com/m/p/vp4hcwbx

A presentation will accompany the conference call and will be available via the webcast. Alternatively, the presentation will be made available immediately prior to the conference call start time of 7:00am Mountain Time on Veresen's website at: http://www.vereseninc.com/invest/events-presentations.

A digital recording will be available for replay two hours after the call's completion, and will remain available until May 6, 2017 10:00am Mountain Time (12:00pm Eastern Time). To listen to the replay, please dial 404-537-3406 or 1-855-589-2056 (toll-free) and enter Conference ID 3084568. The webcast will remain accessible for a 12 month period at the following URL: http://edge.media-server.com/m/p/vp4hcwbx and a digital recording will also be available for replay on the company's website.

Webcast of AGM Presentation

Veresen is holding its annual meeting of shareholders on Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at 2:30pm Mountain Time at The Metropolitan Conference Centre, 333 - 4th Avenue S.W., Calgary, Alberta.

At approximately 2:40pm Mountain Time, and following the conclusion of the formal proceedings of Veresen's annual shareholder meeting, Mr. Don Althoff, President and CEO, will address shareholders and provide an update of Veresen's 2016 accomplishments, remarks on the current state of the business and discuss highlights of the company's key initiatives.

To listen to a live broadcast of the presentation on the Internet, please access the following URL:

http://edge.media-server.com/m/p/s676tqib

A digital recording will be available on the company's website for replay two hours after the completion of the presentation.

About Veresen Inc.

Veresen is a publicly-traded dividend paying corporation based in Calgary, Alberta that owns and operates energy infrastructure assets across North America. Veresen is engaged in three principal businesses: a pipeline transportation business comprised of interests in the Alliance Pipeline, the Ruby Pipeline and the Alberta Ethane Gathering System; a midstream business which includes a partnership interest in Veresen Midstream Limited Partnership, which owns assets in western Canada, and an ownership interest in Aux Sable, which owns a world-class natural gas liquids (NGL) extraction facility near Chicago, and other natural gas and NGL processing energy infrastructure; and a power business comprised of a portfolio of assets in Canada. Veresen is also developing Jordan Cove LNG, a 7.8 million tonne per annum natural gas liquefaction facility proposed to be constructed in Coos Bay, Oregon, and the associated Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline. In the normal course of business, Veresen regularly evaluates and pursues acquisition and development opportunities.

Veresen's Common Shares, Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares, Series A, Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares, Series C, and Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Shares, Series E trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols "VSN", "VSN.PR.A", "VSN.PR.C" and "VSN.PR.E", respectively. For further information, please visit www.vereseninc.com.

Contacts:

Veresen Inc.

Mark Chyc-Cies

Vice President, Corporate Planning & Investor Relations

(403) 213-3633

investor-relations@vereseninc.com




Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 5, 2017) - Silver Dragon Resources Inc. (OTCQB: SDRG) (the "Company") reports that it has retained KPMG Advisory (China) Limited ("KPMG") as the independent appraisers to assess the fair market value of the Dadi mining rights (the "Mining Rights") with Golder Associates Consulting Limited ("Golder Associates") as mining rights assessment technical advisor ("Technical Advisor") as at the March 1, 2017 valuation Date (Valuation Date) in accordance with the Peoples Republic of China ("PRC") laws of asset valuation and guidance of evaluating Mining Rights, to receive an all cash consideration for the Company's 20% equity interest in China, Sanhe Sino-Top Resources & Technologies, Ltd. ("Sino-Top").

On January 20, 2017, the Company entered into a Memorandum of Understanding Relating to the Equity Transfer of Sino-Top (the "MOU"). Pursuant to the MOU the Company has agreed to sell all of the 20% equity interest owned by it in Sino-Top (the "Target Company") to Beijing Shengda Industrial Group Ltd. (the "Purchaser"). The purchase price for the Target Company will be based on the valuation result of the Dadi mining rights (excluding any liabilities) issued by two independent appraisers appointed by the parties. The purchase price of the Target Company shall be equivalent to the valuation result of the appraiser appointed by the Company plus the valuation result of the appraiser appointed by the Purchaser divided by 2 multiplied by 20%. The Purchaser has confirmed to have retained the Beijing office of Price Waterhouse Coopers ("PWC") as their independent appraiser in conjunction with Beijing Tianjian Industrial Assets Appraisal Co., Ltd. to complete their assessment.

The Parties agree to require the appointed independent appraisers to submit the formal independent valuation reports setting out the valuation results within 60 days of March 5, 2017 and the Parties agree to exchange the valuation reports within such period. Both Parties must sign an Equity Transfer Agreement (as defined in the MOU) to transfer the Target Equity Interests from the Company to the Purchaser within five working days from the date of exchange of the formal evaluation report.

Once the written consent of a majority of the Company's shareholders is signed and the Company's Board approves, the Company transfers the Target Equity Interests to the Purchaser by completing the change of business registration according to the Equity Transfer Agreement and the foreign exchange administration approval and/or filing procedures involved in overseas payments. After which, the Purchaser must immediately effect the transfer of all the purchase price to a bank account to be designated by the Company in one lump sum transfer from the escrow.

About Silver Dragon

Silver Dragon Resources Inc. is a mining and metal company focused on the acquisition, exploration, development and operation of gold and silver mines in proven mining districts globally. Silver Dragon's objective is to acquire mining assets that contain promising exploration targets, have highly leveraged, out-of-the-money deposits, and/or are producing properties with significant untapped exploration potential. It is management's objective to grow Silver Dragon into a significant precious metal producer. For more information, please visit the Company's website at: www.silverdragonresources.com (available in Chinese).

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the Company's objectives. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, lack of sufficient financial resources; variations in market conditions, including prices of metals, currency and our stock; the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located; the Company's ability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities; the Company's ability to successfully complete hedging establishment and off-take negotiations; risks of operating in China; the Company's ability to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, or to be fully able to implement its business strategies and other risk factors described in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which may be viewed at www.sec.gov.

Contact

Silver Dragon Resources Inc.

Marc Hazout, President

(416) 223-8500 or Toll Free: 1-866-512- SDRG (7374)

Email: info@silverdragonresources.com

SOURCE: Silver Dragon Resources Inc.
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- ATCO Ltd. (TSX: ACO.X) (TSX: ACO.Y)

ATCO Ltd. will release its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2017 on Wednesday, April 26, 2017. The news release will be distributed via www.marketwired.com and the results, including Financial Statements and Management's Discussion & Analysis, will be posted on www.ATCO.com.

With approximately 7,000 employees and assets of $20 billion, ATCO is a diversified global corporation delivering service excellence and innovative business solutions in Structures & Logistics (workforce housing, innovative modular facilities, construction, site support services, and logistics and operations management); Electricity (electricity generation, transmission, and distribution); Pipelines & Liquids (natural gas transmission, distribution and infrastructure development, energy storage, and industrial water solutions); and Retail Energy (electricity and natural gas retail sales). More information can be found at www.ATCO.com.

Forward-Looking Information:

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions.

Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information.

The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which the Company operates, prevailing economic conditions, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company.

The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon.

Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Company's expectations as of the date hereof, and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation.

Contacts:

Media & Investor Inquiries:

B.R. (Brian) Bale

Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

403-292-7502




CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Canadian Utilities Limited (TSX: CU) (TSX: CU.X) Canadian Utilities Limited will release its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2017 on Wednesday, April 26, 2017. The news release will be distributed via www.marketwired.com and the results, including Financial Statements and Management's Discussion & Analysis, will be posted on www.canadianutilities.com.

With approximately 5,400 employees and assets of $19 billion, Canadian Utilities Limited is an ATCO company. ATCO is a diversified global corporation delivering service excellence and innovative business solutions in Structures & Logistics (workforce housing, innovative modular facilities, construction, site support services, and logistics and operations management); Electricity (electricity generation, transmission, and distribution); Pipelines & Liquids (natural gas transmission, distribution and infrastructure development, energy storage, and industrial water solutions); and Retail Energy (electricity and natural gas retail sales). More information can be found at www.canadianutilities.com.

Forward-Looking Information:

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions.

Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information.

The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which the Company operates, prevailing economic conditions, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company.

The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon.

Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Company's expectations as of the date hereof, and is subject to change after such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation.

Contacts:

Media & Investor Inquiries:

B.R. (Brian) Bale

Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

403-292-7502




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 04/05/17 -- Firan Technology Group Corporation (TSX: FTG) ("FTG") will release the Q1 2017 financial results after close of trading on April 12, 2017.

The Corporation will host a live conference call on Thursday, April 13 at 8:30am (Eastern) to discuss the Q1 2017 financial results.

Anyone wishing to participate in the call should dial 416-340-2220 or 1-866-225-2055 and identify that you are calling to participate in the FTG conference call. The Chairperson is Mr. Brad Bourne. A replay of the call will be available until April 27, 2017 and will be available on the FTG website at www.ftgcorp.com. The number to call for a rebroadcast is 905-694-9451 or 1-800-408-3053, pass code 1236437#.

ABOUT FIRAN TECHNOLOGY GROUP CORPORATION

FTG is an aerospace and defense electronics product and subsystem supplier to customers around the globe. FTG has two operating units:

FTG Circuits is a manufacturer of high technology, high reliability printed circuit boards. Our customers are leaders in the aviation, defense, and high technology industries. FTG Circuits has operations in Toronto, Ontario, Chatsworth, California, Hudson, New Hampshire and a joint venture in Tianjin, China.

FTG Aerospace manufactures illuminated cockpit panels, keyboards and sub-assemblies for original equipment manufacturers of aerospace and defense equipment. FTG Aerospace has operations in Toronto, Ontario, Chatsworth, California, Fort Worth, Texas and Tianjin, China.

The Corporation's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol FTG.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are related to, but not limited to, FTG's operations, anticipated financial performance, business prospects and strategies. Forward-looking information typically contains words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan" or similar words suggesting future outcomes. Such statements are based on the current expectations of management of the Corporation and inherently involve numerous risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, including economic factors and the Corporation's industry, generally. The preceding list is not exhaustive of all possible factors. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual events and results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements made by the Corporation. The reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors carefully when making decisions with respect to the Corporation and not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Other than as may be required by law, FTG disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts:

Firan Technology Group Corporation

Bradley C. Bourne

President and CEO

(416) 299-4000 x 314

bradbourne@ftgcorp.com



Firan Technology Group Corporation

Melinda Diebel

Vice President and CFO

(416) 299-4000 x 264

melindadiebel@ftgcorp.com

www.ftgcorp.com




Automatisierung fur Fast-Track-Design, Entwicklung, Bereitstellung und Betrieb von Cloud-basierten Data-Warehouse-Projekten bis zu 80 Prozent

WhereScape, der fuhrende Anbieter von Dateninfrastruktur-Automatisierungssoftware, stellte heute WhereScape-Automatisierung fur Snowflake vor, ein Angebot, dass IT-Organisationen helfen soll, die Bereitstellung von Cloud-basierten Dateninfrastrukturprojekten zu beschleunigen. WhereScape prasentiert das neue Angebot in dieser Woche auf der TDWI Konferenz in Anaheim, Kalifornien.

Die WhereScape-Automatisierung fur Snowflake automatisiert wichtige Entwicklungs- und Betriebsablaufe fur Snowflake-Kunden basierend auf den nativen Funktionen, Assistenten und Best Practices von Snowflake und integriert Data-Warehouse-Modellierungsmethoden wie 3NF, Dimensional und Data Vault 2.0. Snowflake bietet Cloud-basierte Data Warehousing-Losungen, die die Leistung, Elastizitat, Skalierbarkeit, Parallelitat und Einfachheit zur Verfugung stellen, um alle Daten der Organisation an einem Ort zu speichern und zu analysieren.

"Die Kombination von WhereScapes Data Warehouse-Automatisierungstools mit Snowflakes Service ohne Verwaltungsaufwand eignet sich hervorragend, um unseren Kunden die Moglichkeit zu geben, mit agilem Data Warehousing erfolgreich zu sein", sagte Kent Granziano, hochrangiger technischer Verfechter von Snowflake. "Die WhereScape-Automatisierung fur Snowflake ermoglicht es Unternehmen, Snowflake schneller und einfacher zu nutzen, indem sie das Design, den Aufbau und das Ausfullen von Data Warehouse-Tabellen vereinfacht und automatisiert. Unsere Kunden profitieren von der muhelosen, einfachen Drag Drop-Oberflache, mit der sie auf eine Quelldatenbank oder sogar flache Dateien zeigen und dann diese Daten ohne jegliche Kodierung direkt in Snowflake hochladen konnen! Das nennt man agil."

"Unsere Gesundheits- und Life-Sciences-Kunden verlassen sich auf uns, um makellose Marketing-Kampagnen auszufuhren und Kundeneinblicke aus unseren vielen digitalen Plattformen zu bieten", sagte Peter Nilsson, Chief Technology Officer von Aptus Health. "Zu diesem Zweck nutzen wir die Fahigkeit von WhereScape, um unsere Design- und Implementierungsbemuhungen zu erleichtern, wahrend wir unser voll integriertes Warehouse auf Snowflake entwickeln. Die Tools von WhereScape sparen uns Tausende von Ingenieurstunden, fordern die Implementierungsgenauigkeit und beschleunigen unsere Bereitstellungszeit. Und da WhereScape nativ Snowflake unterstutzt, konnen wir den generierten Code verwenden, ohne ihn an unsere Zielumgebung anpassen zu mussen. So konnen wir uns darauf konzentrieren, die Erkenntnisse zu generieren, die unser Geschaft vorantreiben werden."

Die WhereScape-Automatisierung fur Snowflake beinhaltet:

WhereScape 3D fur Snowflake hilft IT-Teams, schnell und effektiv Vor-Ort-Planung, Modellierung und Design in Angriff zu nehmen, was erforderlich ist, um Snowflake schnell zu verwenden. WhereScape 3D Datenerfassungs- und Profiling-Tools ermoglichen es den Kunden, neue Datenquellen besser zu verstehen und die fur Snowflake erstellte Automatisierung zu nutzen, um Prototypen bei Geschaftsbenutzern schnell aufzubauen, zu testen und zu iterieren.

WhereScape RED fur Snowflake, eine integrierte Entwicklungsumgebung, bietet IT-Teams die Moglichkeit, die Snowflake-Dateninfrastruktur schneller zu entwickeln, einzusetzen und zu betreiben. Dank integrierter Automatisierung auf der Basis von nativen Snowflake-Funktionen, Assistenten und Best Practices konnen Kunden die zeitintensive manuelle Kodierung bei der Entwicklung von Dateninfrastrukturen eliminieren. Fortschrittliche DevOps-Funktionen ermoglichen es Benutzern, schnell neue Umgebungen einzurichten, Anderungen kontinuierlich zu migrieren und die Datenverarbeitung in Snowflake zu betreiben alles mit Best Practices, die automatisch genutzt werden. WhereScape RED fur Snowflake generiert und pflegt automatisch Benutzer und technische Unterlagen wie Datenverknupfung, Trackback und Trackforward als zukunftige Referenz und entlastet IT-Teams somit zeitlich.

WhereScape Data Vault Express fur Snowflake, eine integrierte Kombination von WhereScape 3D und WhereScape RED, integriert mit Data Vault 2.0-spezifischen Fahigkeiten, ermoglicht es Teams, auf praktischere Art und Weise Data Vaults bereitzustellen.

"Ob gro oder klein, Organisationen von heute ringen mit der Strategie, Taktik und dem Timing der Verlagerung von Vor-Ort-Daten in die Cloud", sagte Matt Aslett, Forschungsdirektor von 451 Research. "Die Automatisierung von Datenverlagerungen und das Ausfullen von Data Warehouse-Tabellen in der Cloud verspricht, die Ubergangsphase fur IT-Teams zu ebnen, und bietet mehr Zeit, um sich auf den Geschaftswert des Ubergangs und die damit verbundenen analytischen Anwendungen zu konzentrieren."

"Die IT steht unter enormem Druck, Entscheidungsunterstutzungsinformationen schneller als je zuvor zu liefern", sagte Mark Budzinski, CEO von WhereScape. "Da sich das Datenwachstum fast jedes Jahr verdoppelt, haben die Organisationen zunehmend das Gefuhl, nicht genug Ressourcen und Zeit zu haben. Viele hoffen, dass die Cloud diese Herausforderungen bewaltigen kann. Wir freuen uns darauf, Snowflake-Kunden zu helfen, ihre Ubernahme einer Cloud-Strategie zu maximieren und ihre Verwendung von Snowflake schnell zu verfolgen, indem sie den Thrash und die versteckten Kosten fur das Entwerfen, Entwickeln, Bereitstellen und Betreiben der Dateninfrastruktur angehen."

Mark Budzinski, CEO von WhereScape, und Jon Bock, Vice President fur Produkt- und Partnermarketing fur Snowflake Computing, diskutieren heute gemeinsam beim InsideAnalysis Radio Podcast um 15.00 Uhr ET das Angebot. Danach folgt ein tiefgreifender Deep Dive Webcast um 16.00 Uhr ET. Daruber hinaus ergreift Jason Laws, Vice President fur Produktmanagement bei WhereScape, heute auf dem TDWI Leadership Summit um 14.15 Uhr PT das Wort.

Erfahren Sie mehr uber WhereScape-Automatisierung fur Snowflake hier

WhereScape InsideAnalyse Podcast und Deep Dive Webcast hier

Uber WhereScape

WhereScape hilft IT- Organisationen aller Groenordnungen, die Automatisierung zu nutzen, um Dateninfrastrukturen schneller zu entwerfen, zu entwickeln, zu implementieren und zu betreiben. Mehr als 700 Kunden weltweit verlassen sich auf WhereScape -Automatisierung zur Beseitigung von manueller Kodierung und anderen sich wiederholenden, zeitintensiven Aspekten von Dateninfrastrukturprojekten zur Bereitstellung von Data Warehouses, Vaults, Lakes und Marts in wenigen Tagen oder Wochen anstatt Monaten oder Jahren. WhereScape hat Buros in Portland, Oregon; Reading, Grobritannien; Auckland, Neu seeland; und Singapur. Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter www.wherescape.com

Alle hier aufgefuhrten Firmen- oder Produktnamen konnen Warenzeichen der jeweiligen Eigentumer sein.

Die Ausgangssprache, in der der Originaltext veroffentlicht wird, ist die offizielle und autorisierte Version. Ubersetzungen werden zur besseren Verstandigung mitgeliefert. Nur die Sprachversion, die im Original veroffentlicht wurde, ist rechtsgultig. Gleichen Sie deshalb Ubersetzungen mit der originalen Sprachversion der Veroffentlichung ab.

Originalversion auf businesswire.com ansehen: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170807006122/de/

Contacts:

WhereScape

Ruth Armitage/Sarah Shkargi

wherescape@touchdownpr.com
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Nivea pulled an ad of a deodorant that featured the phrase 'white is purity' across an image of a woman wearing a white robe. The company decided to remove the ad after it received widespread backlash in the social media. Nivea's 'white is purity' ad was created to promote their Invisible For Black & White deodorant. The ad was posted on the brand's Middle East Facebook page for two days, however, after the uproar on social media the company decided to remove it on Tuesday. 'We are deeply sorry to anyone who may take offense to this specific post. After realizing that the post is misleading, it was immediately withdrawn,' Nivea said in a statement. 'Diversity and equal opportunity are crucial values of Nivea.' The controversial lines were part of the post: 'Keep it clean, keep it bright. Don't let anything ruin it. Invisible' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The first 'Global Natural Resources Conclave', powered by Vedanta, has taken off in New Delhi's Taj Palace Hotel. In his opening remarks, Anil Agarwal, chairman of Vedanta Resources Plc., in his opening remarks, noted that "India was the country that gave the world the Kohinoor. The Taj Mahal and the Victoria Memorial were built with resources present here. India has only done 10 percent of exploration compared to 80 percent in the rest of the world. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking India from a $2 trillion economy to a $20 trillion economy, and the current government's focus on technology, digitisation and communication is taking India from red tape to red carpet."

India is sitting on a plateau of hydro-carbon and its functioning is young, said Sajjan Jindal, chairman of JSW Group, a $9 billion conglomerate, with presence across India, USA, South America and Africa. Jindal praised the passing of the mining bill by the current government that has introduced transparent mining auctions, and for the first time in more than two decades, brought in new mines. "There are cooking coal mines in Jharia in Jharkhand, but India imports 50 million tons of cooking coal. Unleashing what we have is important to generate employment for a population young and hungry to consume and create," he said.

Gina Rinehart, chairman of Hancock Prospecting, a privately owned mineral and exploration company in Australia, is the country's richest citizen, but as quoted by Forbes, "her wealth is built on iron ore, and her fortune can either jump or plummet depending on the price of the commodity". She started her address by pointing out that it was in India that diamond and zinc mining first began  and it is in India that some of the world's first iron and steel was produced, and that India is currently the world's largest producer of sheet mica, and third largest producer of iron ore.

"I borrowed part of Narendra Modi's phrase for the title of my second book From Red Tape to Red Carpet, which was co-launched in India by Modi in 2015," she said. "India is now the fastest growing major economy in the world  lifting living standards and bringing many out of the misery of poverty  a very significant accomplishment and one that many countries respect."

In a speech titled 'The Emperor Fiddles While Rome Burns', she makes a strong statement about Australia, indicating that policies of successive federal governments are making it harder for large investors. To illustrate the gravity of the situation, she quoted from a recent broadcast by the Australian commentator Andrew Bolt, on his program, 'The Bolt Report'.

"Folks, our politicians are fiddling. Right now, our senators in Canberra are arguing about a tax cut for business. Arguing about something that could help businesses keep going, to invest, to hire more Australians when so many of us are now out of work. This is a moment of truth. But our politicians are failing you. The Senate right now is debating whether to limit the government's promise to tax cuts to just small business, turnover $10 million a year, no more... And that means excluding the medium and big businesses that hire millions of us. The ones whose investment we most need. Oh, and that tax cut, it won't be 5 percent any more... Pure fiddling while the country burns. Now I know that somehow class war is back in fashion, the politics of envy feeding that fantasy that if we just tax those companies more then everything would be sweet. Businesses will just keep paying up, not closing down, and we'll be rolling in money. All we need to do is to grab that cash that those 'bloodsuckers' are sitting on, as the new far-left ACTU secretary seemed yesterday to suggest," she said.

"And Labor, the paid-up political arm of the union movement, repeats this class war rhetoric. It's trying to block the company tax cuts, although it knows so well  it even used to publicly admit it  those cuts mean more investment, more jobs. Now some of our top business leaders have been trying to warn us. This country is now at real risk of serious economic trouble if we don't cut red tape, cut spending, cut company taxes, and I mean really cut them, and get more companies to invest and to create more businesses," she added.

She admits that she agrees with Bolt. "Those gathered together today should know what continuing reduction in investment into Australia does. It certainly doesn't provide more sustainable jobs, raise the revenue or raise living standards," she said.

Australia, she tells her governments, needs to learn from the Indian leadership, and US President Donald Trump's economic leadership, by taking decisive steps to make doing business in high cost Australia easier, and like India, roll out the red carpet for investors.

She takes the audience over Hancock's Tad's Corner thermal coal project and the extraordinary number of regulations it had to achieve. The reason for this? "It is not widely told, for instance, that the cost, risk and time lost on approvals, permits and licences before revenue can be earned, has very greatly increased in Australia, making it almost impossible for small companies to carry and comply with such burdens," she said, going on to ask if anyone mentioned to this forum that to open a new mine, build a rail and a new port, it takes 3,104 permits and approvals?

She said complacency and unsuitable government policies in Australia are not in touch with the critical fact that the country needs to be cost competitive in a changing world, that has the capacity to undo much of the hard work and natural advantages that Australia and West Australia enjoy.

The Business Council of Australia in November last year concluded that more than $300 billion of projects are put at risk if the country does not reform its approvals processes. "We need mountains moved in Australia and swamps drained!" Rinehart announced, urging her government to learn from Modi's vision for his country's entrepreneurs and investors, and bringing the world to its shores.
The benchmark Sensex revisited the mount 30,000 summit today, a second such instance in a little over two years time when the index had breached the psychological mark in March 2015. Intra-day, the Sensex hit a high of 30,007.48 but failed to hold on to the crucial level and still ended at record high of 29,974.24, gaining 64.02 points. The stupendous rally in the run-up to the crucial level came on the back of a strong revival in robust foreign fund inflows in recent weeks, which otherwise stayed on the sidelines following the note ban in November last year that raised fresh concerns about the growth prospects. During the period, FIIs pumped in Rs 76.000 crore into local equity markets, while its counterpart domestic institutional investors were net buyers of shares to the tune of Rs 16,400 crore.

Several multiple positive factors fueled renewed optimism among the investors which led to a fresh upsurge in the market. The government's urgency in clearing roadblocks for the likely implementation of the biggest indirect tax reform, the GST starting 1 July, was well received by the investor fraternity. Besides this, the Budget this year focussing on rural growth with robust farm packages and steps to revive consumption-led growth gave strong impetus to the market.

After the Sensex hit the 30,000 the mark for first time in intra-day trades on 4 March 2015, the journey since then has been more or less topsy-turvy. Facing enormous challenges in the Upper House to pass some important reforms and dismal corporate earnings took the sheen of the market, with the Sensex crashing to a low of 22,494.61 on 29 February, 2016.

But the markets rebounded thereafter as the focus on maintaining fiscal health and slew of reforms coupled with the government's strong showing in key assembly elections boosted investors' confidence thereby helping the Sensex surge a whopping 33 percent in a little over year's time.

Below is the list of tables constituting stocks and sectors that gained and lost in past two years

Top gainers Price in Rs Company 4 Mar, 2015 5 Apr 2017 (at 1:20 PM) % change Maruti Suzuki 3669.20 6230.10 69.8 Reliance Ind 886.95 1405.90 58.5 Tata Steel 347.85 495.05 42.3 HDFC Bank 1065.15 1438.25 35.0 Bajaj Auto 2122.10 2785.95 31.3 Asian Paints 837.10 1085.00 29.6 Power Grid Corpn 154.00 195.90 27.2 GAIL (India) 304.88 382.10 25.3 Hero Motocorp 2621.40 3202.00 22.1 ITC 229.60 279.15 21.6

Top losers Price in Rs Company 4 Mar, 2015 5 Apr 2017 (at 1:20 PM) % change Sun Pharma 1004.80 688.45 -31.5 Wipro 658.20 508.10 -22.8 Coal India 372.10 292.75 -21.3 Lupin 1780.95 1448.80 -18.7 Dr Reddy's Labs 3389.15 2761.00 -18.5 Cipla 724.70 592.85 -18.2 ICICI Bank 348.50 285.75 -18.0 Axis Bank 612.65 505.00 -17.6 Tata Motors 567.77 471.35 -17.0 O N G C 213.57 185.05 -13.4

Top market cap gainers Market cap in Rs crore Company 4 Mar, 2015 5 Apr 2017 (at 1:20 PM) Change Reliance Ind 286,990 457,097 170,108 HDFC Bank 266,852 368,558 101,706 Maruti Suzuki 110,839 188,199 77,360 ITC 275,713 339,094 63,381 Asian Paints 80,295 104,073 23,778 H D F C 214,760 237,491 22,731 Power Grid Corp 80,566 102,487 21,920 Bajaj Auto 61,407 80,617 19,210 SBI 219,641 235,976 16,335 Tata Steel 33,784 48,080 14,296

Top market cap losers Market cap in Rs crore Company 4 Mar, 2015 5 Apr 2017 (at 1:20 PM) Change TCS 537,350 472,824 -64,526 Coal India 235,032 184,911 -50,120 Sun Pharma.Inds. 208,114 165,179 -42,935 Wipro 162,510 123,514 -38,996 O N G C 274,075 237,479 -36,596 ICICI Bank 201,975 166,434 -35,541 Infosys 261,004 228,730 -32,274 Axis Bank 145,036 120,949 -24,086 Tata Motors 174,497 150,473 -24,024 Lupin 80,027 65,424 -14,603

Top sectoral gainers Index 04/03/2015 05/04/2017 at 1:30 pm % change BSE Cons Durable 10249.63 15756.83 53.73 BSE Oil&Gas 9789 13726.05 40.22 BSE Metal 10239.89 11965.45 16.85 BSE FMCG Sector 8163.71 9304.78 13.98 BSE Auto 19601.26 22266.89 13.60

Top sectoral losers Index 04/03/2015 05/04/2017 at 1:30 pm % change BSE IT Sector 12022.38 10185.49 -15.28 BSE Tech 6437.91 5698.64 -11.48 BSE Cap Goods 18401.28 17159.09 -6.75 BSE Realty Index 1795.23 1674.36 -6.73 BSE Healthcare 16569.75 15540.18 -6.21

Disclosure: Reliance Industries owns Network18, which publishes Firstpost
In a bid to position India as a formidable global player in the natural resources landscape, a two-day Global Natural Resources Conclave (GNRC) will enable an opportunity for global businesses to partake of the untapped opportunity in India.

Network18 along with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will be hosting the two-day Conclave on 5 and 6 April in New Delhi with an aim to bring together key players from global natural resources sector on a common platform.

The platform aims to create awareness and spell out the ground realities, in terms of issues, opportunities and drawing the natural resources dividend.

The Conclave will see proactive collaboration from industry leaders as well as the most influential Indian and global names in the natural resources space spanning all sub-sectors including oil & natural gas, mining & minerals, power, metals - aluminium, copper and zinc, etc.

The first day session representing industry on 5 April shall be addressed by Anil Agarwal, Group Chairman, Vedanta Resources Plc; Gina Rinehart, Chairman, Hancock Prospecting; Sajjan Jindal, Chairman, JSW Group and Melody Meyer, President, Melody Meyer Energy LLC.

In the ministerial dialogue session, a panel discussion on Leveraging natural resources to harness the India growth story will be participated by HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar; MoS (Independent Charge) for Skill Development Rajiv Pratap Rudy; MoS (IC) Development of NE Region and PMO Jitendra Singh, MoS (IC) Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma; MoS, Information and Broadcasting, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.

McKinsey will make a presentation on How natural resources can be leveraged to accelerate a countrys growth.

The second day shall have a series of panel discussions -- Re-Energizing India - Focus on Oil & Gas; Natural Resources--Best Practices & Global Linkages; : Explore in India to Make in India - Focus on Metals & Minerals; Future Technologies for Natural Resources and Natural Resources: The States Perspective.

Besides, Piyush Goyal, MoS (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Dharmendra Pradhan, MoS (IC) for Petroleum & Natural Gas and MoS for Home Affairs : Kiren Rijiju, the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Goa respectively Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Manohar Parikkar will address various sessions.

Furthermore, 25 nations including Canada, Australia, UK and countries from the Middle East, will be participating in the event along with chief executives from public and private natural resources firms.
With the latest missive from the Donald Trump administration on H-1B visa, cautioning companies against misuse, the immigration issues of the Indian IT sector are back in news. And it is not the US alone that is drumming up protectionism for political gains. However, industry observers say that Indian IT services companies are resilient enough to weather such issues.

It is an issue of perception about the industry abroad. But this is something all the IT firms in the country can handle, be it local or the MNCs, says Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Manipal Global Education Services and Aarin Capital and former Chief Financial Officer at Bengaluru-headquartered IT major Infosys Ltd from 1994 to 2006.

On 31 March, the US Department of Homeland Security announced steps to prevent the fraudulent use of H-1B visas, used by employers to bring in specialised foreign workers temporarily. This is one of the poll campaign promise of President Donald Trump. Earlier last year, the UK had raised minimum salary required under the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT) category to 30,000 pounds from the earlier limit of 20,800 pounds. Meanwhile, from early 2016 Singapore also has been holding back permission for work visas for Indian IT professionals. Companies such as TCS, Wipro and Infosys all have a presence in the island nation.

Such moves indeed impact the Indian IT sector, which in 2015 aggregated revenue worth $147 billion, with exports accounting for $99 billion and domestic revenue at $48 billion.

However, experts like Pai says the industry wasnt caught unawares by the restrictions with regard to H1-B visa or what the Singapore government stipulated.

"We have survived tougher challenges in the past like the Y2K and the Lehmann crisis. I am confident this will not derail our growth, says Harish HV, Partner, India Leadership Team, Grant Thornton India LLP. He feels the growth estimates for the next two quarters may get impacted with these restrictions.

India accounts for approximately 67 percent of the $124-130 billion US IT market. The sector is expected to grow at a rate of 12-14 percent in 2016-17 in constant currency terms and is expected to triple its current annual revenue to reach $350 billion by FY 2025. In 2015, Indias exports to the US was $108 billion, a Brand Equity Foundation report said.

A few even believe that the IT sector was in need of this course correction. Referring to the latest directive from the US government, they say a substantial number of IT employees who have applied for H1-B visas have been engineering diploma holders from tier 2 colleges and worse, some who have been trained on the job though they come from non-engineering streams.

It was then right that the US did bring up the H1-B visa issue for it will weed out those who have been misusing the system bringing the IT sector a bad name, said Pai.

India should not be complaining about the H1-B visa rule change in the US as it has now become more merit-based. Merit will pay respect to seniority and use-cases. Isnt that good for the Indian IT sector, asks Sanchit Vir Gogia, Chief Futurist, Founder and CEO of Greyhound Knowledge Group.

Indian IT firms have been accused of taking Indians even in job roles that could have had local hires in the countries they operate from. Recently, IT doyen Narayan Murthy too pointed out to this anomaly while supporting the Trump administrations decision to tighten H-1b visa issuance. I think by and large, the Indian mindset is always to take the soft option. Becoming multi-cultural is a very, very hard option, it's not easy," he said.

Cost is a major factor for not taking in local hires which many say does not ring true anymore with salaries being at par in the IT sector in the US. One of the reasons is cultural. Indians are willing to work late hours and can be contacted on phone or the internet. In the US, the work culture is such that employees largely do not respond to calls or mails after office hours and weekends, too. The IT services companies in India are known for long working hours, much beyond the nine-hour shift.

But to do business in the US and Singapore and any other country that will come out with stricter rules that go against the Indian IT industry, the latter must learn to co-opt locals to survive. Dont we have reservations in India? Many states ask for reservation for locals. What is wrong in what the Trump administration is doing or with the Singapore government devising protectionist policies for its people, asks Gogia. He feels that body shops that ship IT talent which could have been hired locally abroad will be the ones to be hit by the H1-B visa and other rules put out by countries like Singapore.

Nothing wrong at all, except that India boasts of a larger pool of IT talent than other countries across the globe. Singapore is only hurting itself when it comes with these rules, remarked Pai. The island nation does not have the talent pool to feed its own industry and hence Indians are hired, said Pai.

The MNCs who hire Indians and take them abroad to work in these countries is because we have the best IT talent globally. Also, home-grown Indian IT firms choose candidates after a rigorous process. The best IT talent from the Tier one colleges are taken, trained and only after they have proved their expertise are sent abroad, he says, arguing why Indian IT industry need not fear any restrictions put out by any country. Of the four million professionals working in the IT sector in India, two million are employed by the MNCs. What does that say about Indias IT talent then, asks Pai.

When an island nation like Singapore comes out with tight restrictions for the IT sector, Pai believes it will help other markets to open up and use Indian talent to both Indias and that countrys benefit. He predicts Iskandar, Malaysia, to be the next big centre in the region for IT that will use Indian talent. Iskandar could well become the next hub for IT in Asia, he said.

Meanwhile, the Indian IT sector will reset their business model and will continue servicing other countries across the globe. Clients too need Indian IT services and so they will persuade their governments to come up with a solution that will benefit their country, says Harish of Grant Thornton. This is not a do or die situation. Indian IT sector will continue to grow and flourish, he said.
New Delhi: Concerned about a likely hit to their revenues following a Supreme Court ruling that banned liquor sale within 500 metres of national and state highways, a few states and Union Territories have approached the Centre to denotify their NHs.

The request comes at a time when the Centre plans to take the length of NHs to 2 lakh km from the existing about 1 lakh km. "The Road Transport and Highways Ministry has received

several requests from states to denotify some of their national highway stretches so that they could convert them as district roads," an official said.

The official said the ministry has received a request in writing from the UT of Daman to denotify some of its NH stretches as liquor contributes a major part to the state revenues. Others like Punjab, Telangana, Kerala, Goa and Haryana have also put in such requests, but that is still to come in writing, the official said.

The Centre has given in-principle approval to upgrading 57,500 km of state highways to NHs, subject to outcome of their detailed project reports, to augment the existing 1.13 lakh km of NHs across the country.

Liquor vends within 500 metres of national and state highways will have to shut down from 1 April, the Supreme Court said in its verdict on 31 March, exempting hill states of Sikkim, Meghalaya and Himachal Pradesh and areas with a population of up to 20,000.

In a significant order passed on pleas of various states seeking modification of the court's 15 December, 2016, verdict, a Bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar also made it clear that the judgment will also be applicable to bars, pubs and restaurants as drunken driving leads to fatal road accidents.

The verdict had come on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging that nearly 1.42 lakh people died per year in road mishaps and the drunken driving is a major contributor. Sources said some of the state governments, including Andhra Pradesh, are in the process of declaring some of their state highway stretches as district roads.

Keeping in view the requirements to enhance road safety, reduce congestions and improve road connectivity, the transport ministry has taken a decision to augment the NHs.

The ministry has also reduced the threshold traffic for four-laning of NHs to 10,000, 8,500 and 6,000 passenger car units (PCUs) a day, from 15,000, 11,000 and 8,000, for plain, rolling and mountainous terrains, respectively.
New Delhi: All Income Tax Department-related proceedings between the taxpayer and the taxman will be conducted online from the new fiscal year, the Central Board of Direct Taxes or CBDT declared on Monday. This is as part of its initiative to minimise human interface between the assessee and the Assessing Officer (AO) thereby reducing complaints of harassment and corruption. A new link or window called 'e-proceeding' will soon be introduced on the e-filing website of the department, which is used by taxpayers to file their Income Tax Returns (ITRs) at present.

The website has been linked to the internal online business application portal of the tax department so that the Assessing Officer (AO) can undertake the new regime where a taxpayer will not have to visit the I-T office for regular issues like scrutiny issues and grievances related to his or her refunds or tax filing, among others.

A notification in this regard was on Monday issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the policy-making body of the tax department.

The CBDT directive added the new procedure of e-communication is "applicable to all proceedings under the Income Tax Act, 1961 under this notification as enabled from time to time".

The new regime of e-communication is however voluntary and a taxpayer can take a call on whether to conduct his dealing with the taxman over the e-system or through the existing procedure of manual submissions of documents by visiting the I-T department office.

Once a taxpayer registers on the web portal, he or she will get a confirmation SMS and email on their registered mobile number and email ID, indicating success.

"The functionality to conduct e-proceeding will be available for all types of notice, questionnaire, letter issued under various sections of the I-T Act. For example, hearing notice for assessment proceedings under sections 143(3), 147, 263 or 264 etc, proceedings under section 154 and hearing under various sections for penalty.

"Proceedings in first appeal for hearing notice, proceedings for granting or rejecting registration applications under section 12AA, 80G under exemptions, seeking clarification for resolving e-nivaran grievances etc. can also be conducted using the e-proceeding functionality using electronic communication of notice or any document by any Income Tax authority and electronic submission of response by assessee," it said.

All such e-communication by the taxman to the taxpayer will bear the official email of the Assessing Officer (AO) with the email domain being '@incometax.gov.in'. It added "on delivery of the notice, questionnaire or letter to the assessee under e-proceeding tab in the e-filing website of the department - incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in - the assessee will be able to submit his response along with attachments on the e-filing website".

It added that timelines will also be set for the new process to work smoothly and with all legal sanctity to such processes.

"In order to facilitate a final date and time for e-submission, the facility to submit a response will be auto closed seven days prior to the Time Barring (TB) date, if any.

If there is no statutorily prescribed TB date, then the Income Tax authority can, on his volition, close the e-submission whenever the compliance time is over or when the final order or decision is under preparation to avoid last minute submissions.

"However, Income Tax authority can also re-enable the e-submission by assessee in both TB or non-TB situations," it added.

"The CBDT had run a pilot project in this regard sometime back which has paved the way for this absolutely new regime where the taxman and the taxpayer do not have an interface. A majority of tax dealings with the taxpayer in new financial year (2017-18) will be done through the new system," a senior I-T officer said.

The CBDT said a taxpayer will always have the option of coming out of the e-proceeding system at any point of time and go for the manual mode.

Detailing the procedures for the new paperless system, it added: "Upon closure or completion of any proceeding under this procedure, the final order, letter or document will be delivered to the assessee under e-proceeding tab in the e-filing website of the department. If need be, the same may also be delivered by post.

"In case the assessee opts for manual mode in the middle of e-proceedings on the e-filing website, further proceedings shall be conducted in manual mode," it said.

The assessee will also be able to view the entire history of notices, questionnaires, letters, orders on the e-filing website and of his responses under the new system.

The new e-proceeding procedure, the CBDT said, is a part of e-governance initiative to facilitate a simple way of communication between the department and the taxpayer, through electronic means, without the necessity of the taxpayer to visit the I-T office.
An exclusive show on Firstpost, Shes The Boss identifies Indias leading business leaders: women who have not only broken glass ceilings but also shattered them. They have transformed industries, advocated gender equality and empowered other women through their work, words and deliberation.

On Shes The Boss we are inspired by these heroic women who are driving change while emulating dignity, grit and poise. We celebrate women who enrich our lives, stand for gender progress, and believe in meritocracy.

Join us on their unique and incredible journey with author Meghna Pant.

Tune into the inaugural episode of Shes The Boss with Molly Kapoor, the head of marketing one of Indias largest asset management company. Kapoor was voted among the 100 Most Influential National Leaders in Marketing and is a financial industry maven with over 18 years of experience.

In this compelling conversation, Meghna speaks to Kapoor about managing reputation, the meaning of success, advice on managing your money and safeguarding your family, and whether women can have it all.
New Delhi: The board of e-commerce major Snapdeal is believed to have discussed a possible sale of the company at a meeting on Tuesday wherein its Japanese investor Softbank also appointed its second director in the e-tailer. While the company did not disclose the details of the meeting, sources said the board met to discuss the proposal for sale of the company, among other issues.

When asked if the board discussed/finalised matters related to stake sale and fresh fund raising, a Snapdeal spokesperson said: "There are no decisions in this regard".

SoftBank is the largest shareholder in Snapdeal. There have been reports that the Japanese investor is pushing for sale of the struggling e-tailer to bigger rival Flipkart. SoftBank has strengthened its position on the board of the country's third largest online marketplace by appointing Lydia Bly Jett as additional director.

As per the filings made to the Registrar of Companies, Jett has been appointed as additional director on the board of Jasper Infotech, which owns and operates online marketplace Snapdeal.

She is the second executive from Softbank to be appointed on the Snapdeal's board after Kabir Misra, who was brought in last month.

Both, Misra and Jetts appointments come after the resignation of Jonathan Bullock, chief operating officer at SoftBank, from the board of Snapdeal in February this year.

Snapdeal's seven-member board includes representation from investors SoftBank, Kalaari Capital and Nexus Venture Partners, as well as co-founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal. Bharti Enterprises vice-chairman Akhil Gupta is an independent director on its board.

SoftBank had first led a USD 627 million financing round in Snapdeal in 2014. Early investors -- Nexus Venture Partners and Kalaari Capital -- hold one seat each on the company board.

According to reports, these two have been at loggerheads with Softbank on Snapdeal's valuation.

The e-tailer company, which competes with US-based Amazon and Tiger Global-backed Flipkart, has been looking at raising fresh funds to tide over its cash crunch. Over the last few months, it has trimmed its workforce significantly and has shut down non-core businesses.
The board of e-commerce major Snapdeal is believed to have discussed a possible sale of the company at a meeting on Tuesday wherein its Japanese investor Softbank also appointed its second director in the e-tailer. While the company did not disclose the details of the meeting, sources said the board met to discuss the proposal for sale of the company, among other issues.

When asked if the board discussed/finalised matters related to stake sale and fresh fund raising, a Snapdeal spokesperson said: "There are no decisions in this regard".

SoftBank is the largest shareholder in Snapdeal. There have been reports that the Japanese investor is pushing for sale of the struggling e-tailer to bigger rival Flipkart.

Contrary to the stake sale talk, another media report suggests that SoftBank's plans to sell the online marketplace firm to Flipkart may not fructify in the near term following its inability to convince the board of directors of Jasper Infotech which owns Snapdeal.

According to a report in Business Standard, the board of directors, including Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal, failed to reach a consensus over the terms of the deal.

Further, SoftBank has been looking to push other investors such as Kalaari Capital and Nexus Venture Partners to get their approvals, but wasn't successful in convincing them.

The New Delhi-based e-tailer company, which competes with US-based Amazon and Tiger Global-backed Flipkart, has been looking at raising fresh funds to tide over its cash crunch. Over the last few months, it has trimmed its workforce significantly and has shut down non-core businesses.

SoftBank had first led a $627 million financing round in Snapdeal in 2014. Early investors -- Nexus Venture Partners and Kalaari Capital -- hold one seat each on the company board. According to reports, these two have been at loggerheads with Softbank on Snapdeal's valuation.

While SoftBank remains the largest stakeholder in Snapdeal with an ownership of 33 percent, Kalaari Capital and Nexus Venture Partners hold about 8 percent and 10 percent respectively in the company founded by Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal.

A report in The Economic Times shows that the terms of the deal proposed by SoftBank towards the sale of the online marketplace firm to Flipkart will allow Snapdeal shareholders to get one share of Flipkart for over ten shares held in the company.

The board meeting on Tuesday signals easing of tensions among Snapdeal's early investors, Kalaari Capital and Nexus Venture Partners, and it's largest backer Softbank, the ET report said.

Meanwhile, SoftBank has strengthened its position on the board of the country's third largest online marketplace by appointing Lydia Bly Jett as additional director.

As per the filings made to the Registrar of Companies, Jett has been appointed as additional director on the board of Jasper Infotech, which owns and operates online marketplace Snapdeal.

She is the second executive from Softbank to be appointed on the Snapdeal's board after Kabir Misra, who was brought in last month.

Both, Misra and Jetts appointments come after the resignation of Jonathan Bullock, chief operating officer at SoftBank, from the board of Snapdeal in February this year.

Snapdeal's seven-member board includes representation from investors SoftBank, Kalaari Capital and Nexus Venture Partners, as well as co-founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal. Bharti Enterprises vice-chairman Akhil Gupta is an independent director on its board.

With PTI inputs
Los Angeles: Actor Daniel Craig is ready to sign on to return as fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond, pagesix.com reported.

Multiple sources told the publication that Bond franchise producer Barbara Broccoli has "just about persuaded Daniel Craig to do one more Bond movie".

This comes after Broccoli produced his hit off-Broadway production of Othello with actor-producer David Oyelowo.

A Hollywood source said, "Daniel was very pleased with how Othello went and the great reviews. Now Daniel's talks with Barbara are going in the right direction. They have a script - screenwriting duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (who've penned several Bond movies) are writing and they'll go into production as soon as Daniel is ready to commit."

The source added, "Plus, Barbara Broccoli doesn't like Tom Hiddleston, he's a bit too smug and not tough enough to play James Bond."

In 2015, Craig was asked if he'd be back again after finishing a difficult Spectre shoot, and replied, "I'd rather... slash my wrists... I'm over it at the moment."

Another source said, "Daniel had such a good time in Othello, produced by Barbara that he's ready to do a final Bond."

Representatives for Craig and Broccoli haven't commented on it.
Rakhi Sawant was in the news recently for the arrest warrant issued against her by a team of the Punjab police force for allegedly passing remarks against the sage Valmiki.

She later apologised for her comments, too. But a closer look at her latest show Rakhi in Khaki reveals that it may have been the reason for the police's ire.

In these videos, Sawant dresses up like a police officer, complete with a tag that says 'inspector'. The content of these videos is crass, much like the comments that Sawant has made in the past on several issues.

In one video, she explains why she decided to wear a dress that had PM Narendra Modi's face on it on 15 August when she was in the US. She says that she does not understand why people have created an uproar about the dress five months after she wore it. She uses the video to appeal to the prime minister and ask him if he thinks she did something objectionable. "Kya main balaatkari hu, kya main aatankwadi hu? Kya kisiko jalaya hai?" she asks.

She uses the video to make a point about how everyone has different ways of expressing their patriotism and that this dress was her way of representing her love for the prime minister.

In another, she threatens to incapacitate a caller by kissing him, which would result in him contracting chikungunya. She calls Nawaz Sharif "bewafa" and challenged Hafiz Saeed, who she thinks incapable of even buying proterty in Gurgaon, to take Kashmir. She has made fun of Fawad Khan and Karan Johar following the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil controversy. She has also taken on a fake godman Tom Baba in another video.

There are copious amounts of cuss words, slapstick humour, forced double entendres, sex jokes and references to Bollywood dialogues. The lines are meant to titillate and create headlines, in typical Rakhi Sawant-style. These videos average at 1 lakh views, and the comments from viewers range from encouragement to trolling and even disbelief.

In a sense, Rakhi in Khaki in an embodiment of everything that Rakhi Sawant is.
Kendall Jenner and the latest Pepsi ad she starred in recently have been criticised for misappropriating the Black Lives Matter movement and for making light of an important moment from the Baton Rouge protest held last year.

In the ad, several people of colour, various religions and different sexual orientations can be seen confidently participating in a protest. "Took all my rights away, telling me how to pray," is the refrain of the song that plays in the ad, thus making it clear that the protest is against police violence and a general compromise in fundamental rights.

Model Kendall Jenner is seen sporting a platinum blonde wig; the wig is evidently a symbol of white identity and privilege.

Jenner sees the protest march, makes eye contact with one protestor, pulls off her blonde wig, and joins them. She traverses through the crowd holding a can of Pepsi and offers it to one of the policemen, who drinks it and smiles. The crowd cheers jubilantly.

This particular moment in the ad resembles an iconic photograph from the Baton Rouge protest of 2016. This protest was against the police shootings in the Alton Sterling and Philando Castile cases, both of whom were African American citizens. The photograph taken at the protest features a black female protestor called Ieshia Evans standing peacefully in front of police officers, her arms crossed, wearing a flowing dress. She was imprisoned and released the next day in the evening.

2016 #Photo we will never forget Ieshia Evans Photo by Jonathan Bachman#TravelerTuesday pic.twitter.com/jl0kL5ihrV  Traveler Tuesday (@TravelerTuesday) April 4, 2017

People have criticised Kendall Jenner and the ad for making it seem as though the issue of police brutality and discrimination against African Americans can be ended or solved through the broker of a Pepsi can. They have called it problematic because it reduces the significance of the struggle that Black rights activists, such as Martin Luther King Jr, had to go through.

When you find out all it takes is a Pepsi to stop police brutality... pic.twitter.com/IZHfZNqipj  Blake Moliere (@BlakeMoliere) April 4, 2017

"Now just wait one second officers. I have a Pepsi." pic.twitter.com/NW0sddKOOI  Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 5, 2017

Daaaaamn. I forgot my Pepsi at home pic.twitter.com/M3Up1eRa37  Luisa Haynes (@wokeluisa) April 5, 2017

the new @Pepsi ad evoking imagery of @IeshiaEvans in Baton Rouge is total exploitative brand social activism bs  pic.twitter.com/YzAFtWEzDO  Sherry (@slchen_) April 4, 2017

Closer home, Pepsi has been criticised for an Indian ad that seemed to take a dig at the FTII protests over the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as director. The similarity between the protest as depicted in the ad to the serious protest staged by the FTII students, coupled with the timing and attitude of the ad were the reasons why it was criticised.

Watch the ad here:


Telugu superstar Pawan Kalyan usually takes a long gap between two films owing to his other commitments, political or otherwise. However, just 10 days after the release of his last film, Kishore Kumar Pardasani's Katamarayudu, he has already started shooting for his next directed by Trivikram.

This film will mark his third collaboration with the filmmaker after the 2008 action comedy Jalsa and the 2013 comedy Attarintiki Daredi. Deccan Chronicle reports that Kalyan has started shooting for the film in Hyderabad. He is joined by one of the leading ladies, Annu Emannuel has also joined her whereas the other leading lady, Tamil actor Keerthy Suresh will join the cast and crew later.

Telugu Cinema reports that they will shoot for the film for five days this week before taking a short break. They will resume the shooting next week for a much lengthy shooting schedule in Ramoji Film City. The makers are planning to wrap up the shooting at the earliest in order to ensure its release on Dussehra, a perfect time for the release of big Telugu films.

However, Mirchi 9 reports that they are also apprehensive of releasing Kalyan's next during that time as various veterans like Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Nagarjuna and Balakrishna are already rumoured to release their respective films at the same time. The makers were planning to release Kalyan's next on 11 August but that does not seem to materialise.

Thus, now in case Dushherra does not work out, the makers are eyeing Makar Sakranti 2018 in order to ensure that there is no competition from another big film during holiday season. Kalyan's Katamarayudu opened to a great response last month as it raked in over Rs 50 crore on its first day, as reported by India Today. It is expected to cross the coveted Rs 100 crore mark soon.

Kalyan's next with Trivikram is produced by Haarika and Haasine Creations. It will also mark the Telugu debut of the young and established Tamil music composer Anirudh Ravichander.
By Abdiqani Hassan

| BOSASSO

BOSASSO Pirates who hijacked an Indian cargo dhow with 11 crew on board have moved the vessel to an undisclosed location off the Somali coast until their ransom demands are met, a pirate leader told Reuters on Tuesday.The vessel, Al Kausar, was initially taken to El Hur, near the port of Hobyo in Somalia's semi-autonomous Galmudug state but was then moved to avoid approaching security personnel, pirates said.Pirate leader Aw Kombe said negotiations were under way with businessmen in the port city of Kismayu for the release of Al Kausar, which was seized on Saturday."The traders want the dhow released without ransom but my friends say they (will) not release it without at least some cash," he added. "They are still discussing."The Al Kausar was commandeered in the vicinity of Socotra Island while en route from Dubai to the northern port of Bosasso, according to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which coordinates shipping in the Gulf of Aden area.

A pirate who only gave his name as Aden told Reuters by phone from the town of Harardheere: "The pirate leader on board heard Galmudug forces advancing to attack it. The dhow has now gone far into the ocean but is still in Galmudug waters."Harardheere was a major pirate base at the height of pirate hijackings of merchant ships in 2011.Shipowners have become less wary of piracy after a long period of calm off the Horn of Africa, experts say, and some have started using a route known as the Socotra Gap, between Somalia and Socotra Island, to save time and costs. The route is considered riskier than others.

An oil tanker with eight Sri Lankan crew on board was hijacked last month but released within a few days after a clash with security forces.That was the first such seizure of a vessel off Somalia since 2012."After three attacks, following a lull of five years, it is clear that Somali pirates are resurgent and intent on continuing attacks on commercial shipping," Yury Fedotov, the head of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, said in a statement.

Burhan Warsame, Galmudug's minister for ports and sea transport, told Reuters the same pirates from Puntland who seized the oil tanker last month - Kombe's gang - "must have hijacked this dhow".But Abdirizak Mohamed Dirir, the former general director of the northern region of Puntland's anti-piracy agency, said the dhow's location made it likely that the pirates were from neighbouring Galmudug.Kombe told Reuters there were four groups of pirates from Puntland "who are still in ocean hunting for ships to hijack"."The pirates holding it must be our friends from Galmudug state," Kombe said. (Additional reporting by Abdi Sheikh in Mogadishu and George Obulutsa i Nairobi; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Andrew Roche)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Jaipur: Ajmer Dargah Deewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan's statement on triple talaq has led to a feud in his family with his younger brother dubbing him as a non-Muslim and staking claim to the post of the Deewan of the shrine.

However, his brother Allauddin Alimi's claim has not been recognised by the dargah committee. Abedin said Alimi's move has no legal sanctity as per the Durgah Khawaja Saheb Act, 1955 and he will seek a legal opinion on the matter.

Alimi was irked over Abedin's statement during Urs on Monday that the practice of triple talaq was irrelevant today and against the sentiments of Quran.

When Abedin was performing some rituals at the sanctum sanctorum in the dargah last evening, Alimi occupied the 'Gaddi' of Deewan at Khanqah in the dargah premises and declared himself as the new Deewan or Sajjadanashin.

Khanqah is the holy place where the saint used to sit and preach. It is now the place where the Sajjadanashin, a descendant of the Saint, sits during religious ceremonies.

"After I read my brother's statement in newspapers on Tuesday, I discussed with some Muftis who verbally told me that he has now become a non-Muslim due to his statement against the Quran.

Thus, he has no right and authority to remain the Sajjadanashin. "I then called an urgent meeting of the family and went to the Khanqah and declared myself as the new Sajjadanashin on the seat of the Deewan," Alimi said.

Abedin said, "My younger brother has no right to declare himself as the Sajjadanashin. He is neither empowered nor eligible for this act which is totally illegal and illegitimate and I'm seeking a legal opinion for taking action against him."

The CEO of the government-appointed Dargah committee, MA Khan, said Abedin continues to be the Sajjadanashin as per the provisions of the Durgah Khawaja Saheb Act, 1955. "This is a dispute between two brothers and the Sajjadanashin cannot be sacked or removed by such a move," the CEO, who recently took charge, said.

Chairman of the Dargah committee Shekh Alim said as per the provisions in the Act, when the post falls vacant, the dargah committee notifies the vacancy after approval of the Governor and the new Sajjadanashin is appointed with his permission.

Muzaffar Bharti, head of the hereditary staff who conduct the religious ceremonies of the Sajjadanashin in the dargah, said Alimi's claim does not hold water and he has no moral authority to take over the post.

"Abedin performed Kul ki Rasm at the sanctum sanatorium followed by Dastarbandi (turban tying) at the Khanqah last evening. He is the Deewan of the Dargah as per the law at present and he cannot be sacked in this manner," Bharti said.

Wahid Chisty, Secretary of Anjuman Committee (body of Khadims or clerics) also supported Khan, saying legal procedure cannot be mocked by anyone in such a manner. On the eve of culmination of the Urs on Monday, Abedin had released a statement saying Sharia or Quran do not permit the practice of seeking divorce by saying talaq three times in one sitting. He had said there should a time of 3 months to complete this procedure in the light of Quran.

"I do stand by my statements on beef and triple talaq... Triple Talaq should be pronounced in a period of 90 days and in between there should be negotiations between family, husband and wife to resolve the matter," he said. Efforts should be made to have a detailed dialogue with the woman and her views should be considered equally, he added.

"I said that slaughter of bovines and sale of beef should be completely banned in the country to promote communal harmony and asked Muslims to not consume beef and stay away from slaughtering bovines," he said.
Syed Zainul Abedin, the spiritual head of the Ajmer Sufi Shrine, was on Wednesday "sacked" by his brother for the "blasphemous" statements on the beef ban and triple talaq and declared a "non-Muslim." Amidst the controversial feud in the Ajmer Dargah Sharif Dewan's family, Firstpost spoke to the Dewan Syed Zainul Abedin, his brother Syed Alaudin Alimi over the issue and their respective stands on the issue.

Alimi, a lawyer by profession, claimed he had the support of the family in sacking Abedin and anointing himself as the new "dewan" (spiritual chief) of the Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti mausoleum in Ajmer  one of the most famous Sufi shrines visited by millions of devotees from across the sub-continent.

Alimi told Firstpost," I became the dewan from Wednesday. The government does not appoint the dewan since the designation of the dewan is a spiritual one. Hence, traditionally our family has always taken a decision on these things and on Wednesday, when he made those statements against triple talaq and in support of beef ban, I approached a Muslim scholar. The mufti said that everything the dewan said is against the Sharia law and he is no more a Muslim. So we called an urgent meeting among our family members because a non-Muslim cannot retain the post of a dewan. That's when the decision was taken to remove him and a fatwa will be issued against him."

The post is hereditary and belongs to heirs of the 12th-13th century Sufi priest. The dewan has no control over the management of the shrine but gets a monthly remuneration from the management committee, which is appointed by the government.

However, Syed Zainul Abedin had a different take on the situation. The Sufi head claimed,"My brother is mentally disturbed and is going around telling people he is the dewan but it is a very big post and no individual can take a random decision on it. He has been posting random messages on social media against me making false claims."

Abedin has been the dewan of the shrine since 1987 Supreme Court order recognised  under the Dargah Khwaja Saheb Act, 1955  him as the most direct and eldest descendant of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti. One of the members of the management of Ajmer Dargah, Gaddinashin Haji SM Hameed Chishty, said that the dewan's position is limited to conducting mehfils (spiritual gatherings) on a weekly basis and the dewan has no administrative power. He added,"The brothers have been fighting over the position of dewan for years now and it is an open secret. The recent statements of the dewan have been used to Alimi's advantage who is now creating a ruckus over it." "It is a fight for money. They claim they are descendants of the Khwaja (sufi saint) but their role is limited to conduct qawalis and mehfils (spiritual sittings) at the shrine," Chishti said, agreeing that Abedin can't be removed.

Meanwhile, Abedin said, "It's a religious post. Nobody can snatch it. Nobody has enough powers to change it. Nothing has changed," threatening "legal action" against his brother. "I stand by my statements on beef," he said.

Syed Zainul Abedin sparked a controversy on Monday by asking Muslims in India to stay away from slaughter of "bovine animals" and to stop consuming beef for communal harmony in the country. He read his message during the 805th annual function at the shrine that was also attended by religious heads of various shrines from different parts of the country. Abedin also announced that he and his family members "will never eat beef now".

With inputs from IANS
As the Kerala police recorded the arrest of Mangalam TV CEO R Ajith Kumar and four others of the editorial team in the state transport ministers honey trap episode on Tuesday night, questions are being raised on the freedom of the press.

That, this indeed is an unprecedented situation where the entire editorial top brass of a leading news channel are now behind bars, has certainly set the cats among the pigeon in the states all powerful media fraternity.

Apart from the CEO, those arrested include the head of the investigation team, a news coordinating editor and two news editors.

There is no doubt that Mangalam TV was wrong in honey trapping former transport minister AK Saseendran. But now there is fear spreading among media persons that this could well be the tool that the Left government was looking for to subvert the freedom of the press in the state.

The Kerala Union of Working Journalist (KUWJ) which had initially held Mangalam TVs act with contempt and had even issued a statement distancing itself from the channels actions has now started to speak in a different tone.

Although our stand has been against the way the channel seemed to have done the so-called sting, I am not sure if we can agree to the police going into news rooms in the name of questioning journalists and then arresting them after 12 hours of interrogation. No doubt, journalists should cooperate with investigations but am not sure whether this is the right way, C Narayanan, general secretary of KUWJ told Firstpost on Wednesday night.

Narayanan went on to say that the journalist body was apprehensive whether the police was right in arresting an entire editorial team of a news channel while the woman journalist who seemed to have honey trapped the minister could not be identified in public or questioned till now.

The journalists union does have a point. The union feels that the police have not been able to clearly set the blame on the right people and perhaps that is the reason why even after questioning the nine-member editorial team for close to 12 hours on Tuesday the crime branch ended up arresting five.

This is perhaps the first time that even those people who do not have direct association with the crime or the conspiracy as it is claimed is being arrested just because they seem to be present at the desk and working at that particular time, added Narayanan.

Such a scenario only makes the motive of the investigation more intriguing, raising serious concerns whether Mangalam TVs wrong doing has given the state a much wanted stick to beat the entire media with.

A bad name for all

Senior journalists who have completely distanced themselves from the actions of the channel now fear that this self-inflicted gash by a section of the media will have long-term repercussions for the relation of the media with the larger section of the society in Kerala which is already at loggerheads with the press.

None of us has any doubt that this is a crime. But it will also paint all of us with the same brush. It will now give licence to all sorts of people to ask questions on the credibility of the media, the majority of which in Kerala has been highly rational in spite of being very aggressive, C Gowridasan, bureau head of The Hindu in Thiruvananthapuram told Firstpost.

The media and the political fraternity in Kerala, barring the occasional confrontation, have always been accommodative of each other unlike many other places in the country. Journalists now feel it is this dynamics that might change with the Mangalam TV episode.

There has always been a sparring going on from both the sides. Neither would give in but at the same time both the sides knew the limits. That may change from now on, added Gouridasan.

Kerala is a state where political allegiance has even divided the media houses with all major political parties having their mouth pieces in the form a newspaper or news channel.

But even such heights of political one-upmanship using the media as a tool had a limit. There was a rationale behind it.

Gouridasan says, Even among media houses there was always criticism of each other and which were reflected in editorials and otherwise. But at the end of the day, there was a democratic understanding of each other too because the primary motive was a political one and not profit, crass commercial ones.

Journalism of deceit and blackmail

Two among the top brass of the Mangalam TV, Ajith Kumar and K Jayachandran, who are now under arrest, have a long history of using journalism as a tool for blackmail and deceit.

Fifteen years ago, Jayachandran who is currently the head of the investigation team at Mangalam TV and in all probability the brain behind the honey trap, had even gone behind bars for a few days for the infamous fake letter case.

In 2002, a question was raised in Parliament about Rs 336 crores of hawala money that had allegedly flown into Kerala but could not be identified.

Soon a letter was prepared in the name of the then ADGP of Intelligence Hormis Tharakan and sent to the chief ministers office claiming that the then fisheries minister KV Thomas had been paid off a part of the hawala money.

A police investigation revealed that Jayachandran had conspired with a former Congress MLA to make the fake letter to try bringing down the minister.

The purpose of what happened in 2002 is also the same as what is happening today. Its nothing but extortion in the name of journalism. Only thing is that the medium has changed from print to TV and digital. I feel the whole fraternity is to take blame for enabling such elements to survive for long, says Roy Mathew, a Thiruvananthapuram-based senior journalist.

In all such operations that took place in Kerala in the name of journalism, there had always been a political hand. In 2002, if it was the Congress infighting between the I & A groups that saw the fake letter fiasco, in 2017 the political hand is yet to come out in the open, perhaps something which the judicial inquiry could throw light on.

The fighting inside the NCP of which Saseendran is the MLA could well be the cause of the honey trap operation against him.

The media in Kerala has only recently survived a bitter battle with a section of the lawyers, right from the high court to district courts in the state. Even before that matter reaches a final truce, it would only be detrimental on the freedom of the press to play into the hands of a powerful political class by unleashing such irresponsible journalism.
Arjun Bhardwaj, the 24-year-old student who jumped off the room on the 19th floor of Hotel Taj Lands End in Bandra on Monday, had spoken to his father after live streaming the "tutorial on how to commit suicide" which has now gone viral. The Times of India reported that Chatur Harinarayan Bhardwaj spoke to his son on 2 April and found that Arjun was "disturbed and depressed."

According to the Mumbai Police, he had checked into the hotel at 3 pm on Monday, recorded the live, and then jumped off the hotel room after breaking the window. Arjun spoke to his father around 6.15 pm and ended his life 10 minutes after, the report added. The police reportedly found nine pages of suicide notes scattered across the room. In the note, Bhardwaj indicated that he was dealing with drug addiction, which took a toll on his life. He also apologised to his parents for taking the drastic step.

Arjun had checked into the hotel under the name of Milind Mehra. Though he paid Rs 45,000, he never mentioned the duration of his stay, added the report. According to The Indian Express, when his friends saw the video, they alerted the hotel staff. "Just as they (hotel staff) broke down the door and entered the room, Bhardwaj managed to break the window and jumped instantly. The staff were just a couple of seconds away from saving him, an officer of the Bandra police station was quoted as saying.

Chatur Bhardwaj, a Bengaluru-based businessmen, has been in Mumbai since 1 April. He met his son at his Andheri flat, The Times of India report said. Chatur told the police that his son was depressed "due to repeated failure in exams." According to a DNA report, Arjun was also depressed about not being able to launch his start-up in Bengaluru. One of his friends told DNA that in the last few days, Arjun would call his friends in an inebriated state and tell them that he is depressed and wants to end his life.

A student of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Bhardwaj's last few posts on Facebook revealed that he was trying to reach out to people. The posts were a desperate cry for help.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday refuted allegations that adequate steps were not taken regarding the attack on Nigerian nationals in Greater Noida and termed the statement by African envoys in the matter as "unfortunate and surprising".

She said the government is committed to ensuring the security and safety of foreign nationals in India.

"You can't say our steps are inadequate. We are committed to ensuring the security of all foreigners including African nationals in India," Sushma Swaraj said in Lok Sabha while making a statement on the attack on Nigerian nationals in India.

Swaraj said that it was too early to term the nature of the attack as racial until the probe ends.

"The attack cannot be called racist before the probe is completed. I said this in the context of attacks in the US too," she said.

"African envoys' statement on attacks on African students is unfortunate, painful and surprising," Swaraj said.

African Heads of Mission posted in New Delhi have strongly condemned the 27 March attack on Nigerian nationals and said such attacks were "xenophobic and racial in nature".

They have also indicated they may call a special meeting on the issue.

They also kept open the possibility of taking the matter to international human rights bodies for an independent investigation if the Indian government failed to take legal action against the perpetrators.

On this development. Swaraj was quoted by The Hindu as saying, They said that they want to go to the Human Rights Council. Do we have any shortage of institutional system in India? We have free press, judiciary, national human rights body to ensure the safety of all Africans.

The minister said that she had strongly protested their plan to reach out to the United Nations while meeting the dean of African Group Head of Missions, Alem Tsehaye Woldemariam.

Woldemaraiam, the Eritrean envoy met Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh on Wednesday, who briefed him on the developments in the case. "My role is that of a bridge between my colleagues from Africa and India. The statement that we issued on 31 March was a collective expression of our position and we will take a collective call on the measures that India has taken to deter such attacks in future, he was quoted by The Hindu as saying after the meeting.

The attack on four Nigerian students took place on 27 March night in Greater Noida, some 40 km from the Indian capital, following protests over the death of a Class 12 student of a residential colony there due to drug overdose. Later, some people who were holding a candle-light vigil for the student attacked the Nigerians, suspecting them of drug-peddling.

With inputs from IANS
Beijing: China warned on Wednesday that it will take "necessary measures" to defend its territorial sovereignty and interests after India "obstinately" allowed the Dalai Lama to visit the "disputed" parts of Arunachal Pradesh causing "serious damage" to the bilateral ties.

"India in disregard to China's concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lama's visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to China's interests and China-India relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters.

"China firmly opposes this move and will lodge representations with the Indian side," she said.

"China's stand on the eastern part of the borders is consistent and clear. India is keenly aware of the role played by the 14th Dalai Lama. Arranging his visit to those sensitive and disputed areas not only runs counter to the Indian side's commitment to the issues related to Tibet but also escalate disputes over the border area," she said.

"It goes against the momentum of the sound growth of bilateral relations and will not benefit India in anyway," she said.

"China will firmly take necessary measures to defend its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests. We demand the Indian side immediately stop its actions using the Dalai Lama to undermine China's interests and not hype up sensitive issues between the two countries, not artificially damage the foundation of the talks between the two countries on the border issues and bilateral legislations and take concrete actions to safeguard the China-India relations," she said.

The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader reached Bomdila in West Kameng district on Tuesday, starting his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

China claims parts of Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet and had previously warned that if India allowed the visit of the Dalai Lama, whom it calls an "anti-China separatist", it would cause "serious damage" to ties.

China is sensitive to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang region in Arunachal which happens to be the birthplace in 1683 of the sixth Dalai Lama and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.

On Tuesday, Minister of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said India never interfered in Beijing's affairs, has respected the "One China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in India's internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lama's visit. "There is no political angle behind his holiness's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is completely religious."

Separately, the External Affairs Ministry has said that no "artificial controversy" should be created about the visit.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson rejected Rijiju's comments, saying "China upholds the policy of not interfering with other countries internal affairs. This is unquestionable."

"But in disregard to China's concerns India arranged the visit of Dalai Lama to the disputed areas. This issue goes beyond internal affairs," she said.

"The role played by the Dalai Lama is clear to all. China's position on the eastern section of the boundary is also very clear," she said.

"The arrangement of Dalai's visit to the disputed area by India runs counter to its commitments on issues related to Tibet and it runs counter to benefits of bilateral relations. We demand that India stop this wrong action," she said.

About Rijiju's comments that it was a religious visit and should not be politicised, she said, "We have noted the statement of the official from the Indian side."

"Could you tell me honestly do you seriously believe that Dalai is only a religious leader. I think the answer is known to all. He is not just a religious figure. Therefore, his visit to the place will not be purely of religious purpose. So using the empty words to defend this arrangement is not reasonable. We demand the Indian side to stop this move of undermining Chinese interests," she said.
After fighting for his life for over two months, CRPF commandant Chetan Cheeta, who took nine bullets while fighting militants in Jammu and Kashmir, was finally be discharged from Aiims in New Delhi on Wednesday, ANI reported.

CRPF officer Chetan Cheeta discharged from AIIMS, Delhi.He got injured in Bandipora encounter, and was undergoing treatment. pic.twitter.com/JrMUfcuYrm  ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

Cheeta's recovery  who is now conscious and able to talk  has been termed as "miraculous" by the doctors at Aiims, The Times of India reported.

CRPF officer Chetan Cheeta who was injured during encounter in Bandipora(J&K) to be discharged today from AIIMS, Delhi. pic.twitter.com/BPL15xbTj9  ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

According to the report, Cheeta was admitted to the ICU with bullet injuries in his head, a fractured upper limbs and a ruptured right eye. The paramilitary officer had to undergo various surgeries. He had to undergo multiple brain surgeries including two CSF diversion (a procedure used to drain fluid from the brain) and several debridement (removal of damaged or infected tissues), Hindustan Times quoted Dr Deepak Aggarwal, professor of neurosurgery at Aiims as saying. Cheeta, who was in a comatose state for over a month, is now stable. "His GCS score, a test to gauge the severity of brain injury, was M3. He was in deep coma. Now his score is M6. He is conscious and all vitals are stable," The Times of India report quoted a doctor as saying.

CRPF's Chetan Cheeta is fit to go home, requires rehabilitation. His strong will power helped him fight back and recover: AIIMS pic.twitter.com/tg1fFY3xHg  ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

However, doctors cautioned that his severe brain injuries would deter him from being cognitively normal, adding that he would be dependent on his family after the discharge.

Union minister Kiren Rijiju had said that the central government would provide all possible help to Cheeta, while Army Chief General Bipin Rawat also met the soldier back in February.

Cheeta had been injured in the gun fight between three suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba militants and a joint team of the CRPF, Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police on 14 February morning in Parraypora village, located in Bandipora district's Hajin area.

The operation was conducted after security forces got a tip-off about the militants having holed-up in the village. Eight people  seven security personnel and one civilian  were injured in the gunfight.

With inputs from agencies
Chinas disapproval of the Dalai Lamas visit to Arunachal Pradesh notwithstanding, it has continued with its objective to build robust infrastructure in the region contiguous to the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC). At least two more roads in the Tibet Autonomous Region are nearing completion that will soon reach the Line of Actual Control (LAC) ahead of Mechuka in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

"Two roads at Chuningla Pass and Seruptangla Pass in the Mechuka subdivision on the LAC built by the Chinese have almost reached the border and are expected to be completed within a few months," said a local resident who serves as a porter for the Indian Army. He claimed to have gone to China for photography on several occasions. The hilly and meandering route from LAC to Mechuka was one of the entry points of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 1962 and it had reportedly reached a place called Gurudwara which is only 15 kilometres from the subdivision headquarters. However, unlike in Tawang and Anjaw, the deployment of Chinese troops is thin across the middle region of Arunachal Pradesh which includes the West and Upper Siang districts.

Another local porter explained that the PLA usually comes in vehicles for inspection of the LAC after every two weeks or so and then returns after a few hours.

But the Indian Army is not taking any chances and especially after an incident two years ago when the PLA had crossed the border at Chuningla Pass and ventured more than 100 metres into Indian territory. There were heated arguments between the two sides for a few hours until the Chinese withdrew to their territory.

When this correspondent visited Mechuka last October, war games were being conducted in villages near the town. Sometimes, entire villages are vacated for a few hours for the routine mock drills. An advanced landing ground has been completed in the heart of the town, bunkers constructed at all vantage points in the surrounding hills and exercises have been stepped up in the past three years.

Mechuka and many Buddhist settlements in Arunachal Pradesh near the LAC had maintained links with Tibet before the aggression in 1962. Some elderly residents said that even annual taxes were paid to the authority in Tibet  a practice that came to an end after the war. A small monastery atop a small hill in the southern fringe of the town has even preserved rare Tibetan religious texts which are on display for tourists.

China has been claiming 90,000 square kilometres of territory in the North East, which includes the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh and the contiguous areas of three districts on the north bank of the Brahmaputra in Assam.

Arunachal Pradesh has a 1,126 kilometre-long International Border with China-ruled Tibet (second in length after Jammu and Kashmir which has a 1,597 kilometre-long frontier). On the Indian side, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has embarked on the construction of roads in several border districts, but the pace has been slow and work almost comes to a halt during the rainy season. At Mechuka, the road has reached beyond Yarlung, but is still 14 kilometres short the border. This is part of a network of 27 strategic border roads in Arunachal Pradesh that have a combined length of 804 kilometres.

Observers feel that the expanding infrastructure in China across the LAC, including roads, railway, and fibre optics, is aimed at integrating the frontier region with the mainland and facilitating faster mobilisation of troops supported by a strong air defence system.

The growth of infrastructure in China has led to a spurt in intrusions by its army into Indian territory as the data released by the government reveals. There were a total of 180 incidents in 2011 which went up the following year including the episode in Arunachal Pradeshs West Kameng where two Chinese patrols refused to budge for a couple of days till the arrival of Indian forces. Another patrol even painted 'China' on the rocks near Charding-Nilung Nala at Demchok in Ladakh on 8 July, 2012. Chinese troops had occupied Hundred Hill in Anjaw as recently as 2009, territory that India claims.

The author is a senior journalist in Guwahati and author of Rendezvous With Rebels: Journey to Meet Indias Most Wanted Men.
If a man in UK is convicted of killing butterflies and a river in New Zealand becomes a legal person, how can India, teeming with natural resources and swirling sacred rivers, lag behind ?

Three rivers and many natural resources became legal people in India and New Zealand in the recent past, posing challenges to authorities to ensure strict compliance of orders to safeguard interests of this new band of human beings.

Amid onslaughts on the environment across the world, tough moves to bridle the climate polluters plaguing the society are encouragingly on an upswing trend. A few cases in the recent past have kicked up healthy debates for the environmental protection and penalties on offenders. People threw surprised glances on recent news reports: a man faced prosecution for killing butterflies in UK; a river in New Zealand given the status of a human being; A tiny hill state of Uttarakhand recently delivered similar orders on states natural resources, including rivers, forests and glaciers.

Nestled in the foothills of the mighty Himalayas, the Uttarakhand High court had announced late last month that Ganga and Yamuna rivers were living human beings, but by the time people could assimilate the rarest of the rare order in the worlds most populous democracy, The same court recently extended the order to include a wide range of natural entities within the purview of a living human entities.

A Division Bench of Justices Rajiv Sharma and Alok Singh of the High court declared all the glaciers, including Gangotri and Yamunotri ,rivers, streams,rivulets ,lakes ,air, meadows, jungles , dales, forests ,wetlands, grasslands ,springs, waterfalls as living entities. The order bestowed same legal rights of living person to them. The court laid special attention on Gangotri and Yamunotri glaciers and asserted, Gangotri is one of the largest glaciers in the Himalayas. However, it is receding fast. In over 25 years, it has retreated more than 850 meters. Yamunotri Glacier is also receding at an alarming rate. Glacial ice is the largest reservoir of fresh water on earth.

It directed that all corresponding rights, duties, liabilities and rights akin to fundamental and legal rights of a living person be conferred on the aforementioned, so as to preserve and conserve them. Any harm caused to these bodies shall be treated as being caused to the human beings, the court said.

Elaborating the concept, the court said that a juristic person is created and devised by human laws for the purposes of society and government. A juristic person can be any subject matter other than a human being to which the law attributes personality for good and sufficient reasons. Legal rights are different from human rights and many entities like companies have legal rights and these rights are to be implemented by designated persons. As the new legal directives have come now, the government and others including stakeholders and users have to be sensitized about the new provisions.

The court said - We, by invoking our parens patriae jurisdiction, declare the glaciers including Gangotri and Yamunotri, rivers, streams, rivulets, lakes, air, meadows, dales, jungles, forests wetlands, grasslands, springs and waterfalls, legal entity/ legal person/juristic person/juridical person/ moral person/artificial person having the status of a legal person, with all corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a living person, in order to preserve and conserve them. They are also accorded the rights akin to fundamental rights/ legal rights. The rights of these legal entities shall be equivalent to the rights of human beings and the injury/harm caused to these bodies shall be treated as harm/injury caused to the human beings.

The court directed that the chief secretary of Uttarakhand, the director of NAMAMI Gange Project, Praveen Kumar, director of National Mission to Cleanse Ganga (NMCG), Ishwar Singh, Legal Advisor, NAMAMI Gange Project, the Advocate General of Uttarakhand, Balram K Gupta, director of academics, Chandigarh Judicial Academy and M C Mehta, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court, act as the legal guardians or human face of the newly humanised entities.

Keeping in mind the rights of communities living near the lakes, glaciers and the banks of rivers, the court permitted the Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand to co-opt seven public representatives from the state to give representation to such communities. The court placed on record its appreciation of the concern shown by Uma Bharti, Minister, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and others for their untiring efforts to save the Ganga in particular and environment in general. The court recalled the New Zealand Parliament has recently enacted Te Urewera Act 2014 whereby the Urewera National Park has been given the status of a legal entity.

Earlier on 21 March, the HC had declared Ganga, Yamuna rivers as living entities giving them same legal rights as a person. That order had come soon after New Zealand Whanganui River was granted a living entity status. The Whanganui River, which flows 145 kilometre from the central North Island to the sea, was given legal personality by the country's parliament in the recent past.

Many said the river is a sacred and revered waterway to New Zealand's Maori Iwi people and its interests will now be represented by an indigenous group. The country's Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Christopher Finlayson was quoted in the media saying the passing of the Te Awa Tupua Bill was a battle hard fought for."Whanganui Iwi has fought for recognition of its relationship with the Whanganui River since the 1870s".

In India, Ganga is the holiest river and also the most polluted with daily mingling of toxic materials and sewage into the river at various points during its natural course.The 2,500 km river originates from Gangotri in Uttrakhand and criss-crosses many states before mingling into the Bay of Bengal.The Yamuna is its largest tributary and originates from Uttarakhand.

Amid such trend blazing rules, in a rare case, Phillip Cullen, 57, from Cadbury Heath, Bristol, was convicted at Bristol Magistrates Court of deliberately capturing and killing large Blue Butterflies on two occasions at nature reserves in Somerset and Gloucestershire in 2015, the British media reported.The endangered large Blue fly is fully protected under UK law and alongside the High Brown Fritillary is listed as the UKs most threatened butterfly. The Blue Butterfly had become extinct in 1979, but it has been reintroduced as part of a long-term and highly successful conservation project.

The author used to head UNI and retired recently.
New Delhi: While the doctors attended to him as part of their duty, CRPF commander Chetan Cheeta's wife Uma Singh stood beside him with an unshakable conviction that he will make it through.

Cheeta's recovery from nine bullet wounds was nothing short of a miracle for the doctors of Aiims Trauma Centre but his wife says she had a firm belief that would fight back like he did in the face of terrorists.

Uma, daughter of an army officer, who knew Cheetah from her school days said he is a fighter and a man of commitment. "He is a fighter. He fought this battle with death as he does when he wears his uniform to combat terrorists and militants. I was sure he will be victorious as he has always been in the line of duty," Uma said.

As the hospital staff prepared the discharge documents of Cheeta, his wife recalled the day her husband was grievously injured. She had joined him in the air ambulance at the Srinagar Airport as he was transported to Aiims Trauma Centre. "His eyes were closed, he was completely unconscious but the moment I saw him breathing, I knew he will make it through," Uma, mother of two kids, said.

Cheeta, who was operated within 24 hours of admission as doctors removed the portion of the skull which was hit by bullet, was in coma for 16 days and spent a month in the ICU. "Doctors would say he was in coma, but whenever I would meet him and hold his hands, he would respond by moving his fingers. That strengthened my faith that he was coming back to me," she said.

Uma, who had to juggle between home and hospital during the period of his convalescence, said the journey is not yet over for her and the final reward for would be the day when her husband would don his uniform again and return to work.

However, doctors said that Cheeta, who was discharged today, would have to undergo a rehabilitation process in the form of physiotherapy and speech therapy for a few months for complete recovery.

Commanding Officer (CO) of the CRPF's 45th battalion in Kashmir Valley, Cheeta, had suffered bullet injuries in his brain, right eye, abdomen, both the arms, left hand and in the buttock region during an encounter with terrorists in Kashmir.

According to doctors, the hope for vision returning to Cheetah's right eye is "bleak" although his left eye which was also injured due to splinter injuries has been restored.
Ever since the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath sought to ban the illegal sale and consumption of beef in the state, a chorus of disapproval from the Muslim clergymen has emerged in various parts of the country. But for many, it would be hard to believe that heads of the prime Sufi shrines in India have urged Muslims to give up beef to honour the religious sentiments of Hindu brethren.

Recently, on the conclusion of the annual Urs (death anniversary) of Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisty in Ajmer Sharif, the spiritual head and the diwan of the shrine, Syed Zainul Abedin has stated: On the occasion of the 805th Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisty, who all through his life strived for peaceful coexistence of Hindus and Muslims, we (Muslims) should give up eating beef to honour the religious sentiments of our Hindu brethren, as reported in Hindustan Times.

The diwan of Ajmer shrine is also reported to have taken a pledge that he and his family would never have beef for the rest of their lives. This pledge is avowedly aimed at an effort to stop communal disharmony in the country.

While the Sufi heads pledge to give up the consumption of beef connotes their adherence to syncretism, there is a dire need to debunk the importance of non-vegetarianism falsely attached to Islam. The reality is that it is neither obligatory (wajib) nor mandatory (fard) in Quran to consume the meat.

Remarkably, this came in a declaration endorsed and signed by the heads of numerous leading Sufi shrines who gathered in the six-day Urs ceremony of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti in Ajmer Sharif.

Muslims should set an example by resolving to not consume beef in the interest of communal harmony in India read the joint declaration by the heads of various Sufi shrines in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Delhi and other parts of the country, who were part of the congregation at the Ajmer Dargah to mark the 805th annual Urs of the Sufi mystic.

In a multicultural and densely diverse country like India, a variety of rituals and rites performed by different religious communities sometimes do come at the loggerheads. While in Hinduism and Jainism, it is exhorted not to slaughter or consume the meat, Muslims sacrifice animals on the occasions like Baqr-Eid (also called Eid-ul-Adha) as a ritualistic gesture to recall and celebrate the sacrifice of the Prophet Abraham or Ibrahim (pbuh). Given this, it is incumbent on the religious heads of the different communities to exert every possible effort to maintain religious syncretism and prevent communal discords. But without tolerance, acceptance and amicable understanding between the different religious communities, there is no way out in these circumstances.

For instance, in December 2015, two different groups of students planned to organize a beef festival and a counter pork festival at Osmania University in Hyderabad, as reported in The Indian Express. Thus, a communal clash was imminent. But it was fortunately averted by some sagacious people and the police which took a timely action.

It is in view of such instances, the Ajmer Dargahs declaration and the Sufis pledge to give up beef consumption should be taken in good spirit. It can be seen as an example of spiritually inclined self-restraint in an effort to prevent the communal rift.

Speaking to Firstpost, the Sajjadanashin (spiritual head) of the dargah, diwan Syed Zainul Abedin  the 22nd descendant of Sufi mystic Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti  said: I have always believed that the cause of an issue that is creating a conflict among communities should be dealt with at the roots. Today (3 April) was the 805th annual Urs ceremony of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti and it is a very big occasion for us. In India, Sufi dargahs are the place where there is no difference between Hindus and Muslims and the rich and the poor. And, I think this is one place where important messages that could solve bigger issues can be conveyed. Hence we used this platform on such an occasion to convey the message.

Thus, viewed from the Sufi perspective, Muslims self-imposition of the beef ban could be an endeavor to restore the syncretism of the composite Indian culture and peaceful religious coexistence. In fact, this is how the early Rishi-munis and Sufi saints in India led the path to peaceful coexistence without tampering or altering the core essence of their respective religions.

Let us not forget the remarkable and historic syncretic culture of the Kashmir valley. The age-old Rishi-Sufi tradition developed an understanding in the Kashmiri people that beef and pork are not served on the table. This norm was maintained by both Kashmiri Pandits and the valleys Sufi-oriented Muslims. Even today, the Kashmiri cuisine uses sheep mutton and strictly avoids the beef.

In fact, not only the Rishi-Sufis of Kashmir but even the pioneers of Sufism in India who introduced Islam to the country were preferably vegetarians. Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer Sharif, who is credited with the conception of the pluralistic Islam in India, exhorted his disciples in the Chishtiya Silsila (Chishti order) not to serve the non-vegetarian food at the dargahs langar. Following this tradition, for the past 800 years, no non-vegetarian food has been served inside the dargah of Ajmer.

In his interview to Rediff.com, Haji Syed Salman Chisti, a noted Sufi activist and Gaddi Nashin at the Dargah Ajmer Sharif underlines the meaning and significance of this tradition in these words: Thousands of people who eat at the dargah's langar are served vegetarian food. For the last 800 years the langars at the dargah have served only vegetarian food. It is done because no non-Muslim must feel that he or she cannot eat at the Khwajas langar. Everyone is welcome and no one asks anyone about his/her name or religion.The official langar, which opens at 5 am, has never served non-vegetarian food. Even during the Mughal rule, when Akbar sent across his huge utensils to cook, he ordered only sweet rice to be cooked in it, and no non-vegetarian food. This place is the biggest example of secularism in India.

While the Sufi heads pledge to give up the consumption of beef connotes their adherence to syncretism, there is a dire need to debunk the importance of non-vegetarianism falsely attached to Islam. Salafi Islamist televangelist in India, Dr. Zakir Naik debated with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for many hours merely on why it is important to be non-vegetarian in Islam. Inevitably, such rhetoric created the widespread wrong impression that non-vegetarianism has a great place in Islam. But the reality is that it is neither obligatory (wajib) nor mandatory (fard) in Quran to consume the meat.

Here is what it says with regard to food consumption: Eat of the good things we have provided you (Quran- 2:168). The Quran only permits, and does not necessitate the meat consumption. It says: "O ye who believe! Fulfill all obligations. Lawful unto you (for food) are all four-footed animals with the exceptions named." (5:1). Thus, the Quran clearly enjoins that meat consumption is not a necessity in Islam.

Throughout the world, the moderate Islamic scholars of both Sunni and Shia schools have endorsed this point. While the Sunni Islams globally renowned scholar, Shaikh Hamza Yusuf avers that meat is not a necessity in the Islamic shariah, and in the old days most Muslims used to eat meat, if they were wealthy, like middle class  once a week on Friday. If they were poor  on the Eids, Ayatullah Sayyid Khamanei, the Shia leader states in his fatwa: according to Islamic law, there is no objection to vegetarianism. However, eating meat is permissible in Islamic law although eating too much is reprehensible (makruh).

As far as the question of cow or bovine meat is concerned, it cannot be projected as part of Islamic identity by any stretch of imagination. Tellingly, while urging the Centre to declare cow the countrys national animal, the Ajmer diwan called for a ban on its slaughter and sale. He also welcomed the Gujarat Assemblys Cow Protection Bill, which introduced life sentence as a punishment for those found guilty of cow slaughtering. Introducing the Bill, the Minister of State for Home said on 3 March, Cows do not have only a religious significance, but also have an economic significance. It is utmost necessary to increase the punishment to deter those involved in slaughtering of cows.

Clearly, the Ajmer Darghs stand may not go down well with a large section of the Islamic clergy and the intellectuals. But in the present circumstances, Muslims could recall the educative principles of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He was not in favour of the beef consumption. Throughout his life, Prophet himself is not known to have consumed the beef or bovine meat. Rather, he was very particular in his exhortation to abstain from consuming the cows meat, as it is reported in a Hadith (saying of the Prophet). On the contrary, not a single Hadith reports the Prophet partaking the beef or bovine meet. However, we do have a number of authenticated prophetic traditions (sahih hadiths) which tell us that he was fond of the vegetables like the pumpkin.

In his article for The Pioneer, KG Suresh has relayed an interesting account from the Islamic history in India: From Fatwa-e-Humayuni to Durr al-Mukhtar to Maulana Hassan Nizami and Hakim Ajmal Khan, the message has been reiterated time and again that cow slaughter is not mandated in Islam, that sacrifice of sheep and goat are considered superior to cow slaughter, that poor Muslims are not obliged to offer sacrifice and that neither the Holy Quran or Arab traditions support cow sacrifice. There have been many instances related to cow protection during the life and times of Khwaja Gareeb Nawaz Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer. Hazrat Hamiduddin Nagori of Rajasthan is said to have been a vegetarian all his life and entry to the Dargah after eating meat is explicitly prohibited even today. The last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, who led the first war of independence in 1857, had issued a decree declaring as his enemy any person who sacrificed any cow, bull or calf openly or otherwise and making such an act punishable by death, an order which bore strong resemblance to a farman issued by Emperor Akbar, whose love for cow finds elaborate mention in the Ain-i-Akbari written by Abul Fazal. French Traveller Francois Bernier, who closely studied the Mughal courts, also mentions in his works that cow slaughter was akin to man slaughter under the law. Sufi saint Baba Bangalori Mastan of Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, who passed away earlier this year, was not only a vegetarian but also ran a cow shelter. Such examples abound.

(The author is a scholar of classical Islamic studies and comparative religion, cultural analyst and researcher in Media and Communication Studies. He can be reached at grdehlavi@gmail.com)
New Delhi: There is no change "even in a comma or a full stop" in the proposed amendment to the RTI rules relating to word limit and fee from the ones proposed by the Congress in 2012, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said on Wednesday.

"The proposals on the word limit and fee to be paid made in the proposed rules, to be notified and placed in public domain, are exactly the same as proposed by the UPA government," Naidu told reporters in New Delhi.

The Information and Broadcasting Minister alleged that the opposition party was spreading a "disinformation" campaign against it and demanded an apology from it for suggesting that the Centre was "subverting" the RTI act.

The verbal dual between the two parties had started after the Centre proposed new rules under Section 27 of Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 to modify the act. The Congress had alleged that the government was changing the Right to Information (RTI) norms by bringing in a word limit for applications and higher charges to make it expensive to seek information.

Naidu said, "Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Rules notified by the UPA government (in 2012) and those proposed now relate to word limit and fee to be paid and are the same word by word. There is no change even in a coma or full stop mark."

He added that the government has also invited suggestions and views from the people over the proposed rules till 15 April.

Attacking Congress over its allegation that the Narendra Modi government wants to make access to information difficult, Naidu said the opposition party is "unabashedly claiming Right to Disinformation" by propagating blatant lies against them. "I demand an apology from the Congress Party for its blatant disinformation campaign against the Government," the minister said.

Reminding the Congress that BJP extended full support to the RTI Act when it was taken up in the Parliament, Naidu said the allegations of former information and broadcasting minister and Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari are a blatant and irresponsible lie.

Tewari had alleged that the Modi government was tweaking RTI rules and surreptitiously raising the bar to make access to information difficult for ordinary people. Naidu said the proposed rules, on the contrary, contain some provisions which further empower the applicants under the RTI Act. He added that the RTI Rules notified by the UPA government in July, 2012 are now in force.

Reiterating that transparency and accountability in governance are non-negotiable for the Modi government, Naidu claimed that these new rules sought to further empower the information seekers under RTI Act, 2005.
A Muslim man brutally beaten up by cow vigilantes in Rajasthan's Alwar district has died from his injuries, the police said on Tuesday.

Pehlu Khan, in his fifties, died late on Monday night in a hospital where he was admitted for treatment.

Khan and at least four others were injured when a mob attacked nearly 15 persons hailing from Haryana, while transporting cows in vehicles on the Behror highway in Alwar district on Saturday, the police said. As many as 16 people were allegedly transporting 36 bovine animals illegally in six pick up vans.

#WATCH: 5 men beaten up & their vehicle vandalised by cow vigilantes in Rajasthan's Alwar; later 1 man succumbed to injuries (01.04.2017) pic.twitter.com/almfW9W954  ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

Other injured persons, whose number could not be known immediately, were recuperating in hospital. In Jaipur, Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said that it was "alright" that some people caught those who were illegally transporting animals but added that "no one has the right to take the law in their own hands". Police will take appropriate action against those who

took law in their own hands, Kataria said.

A report in The Indian Express further reported that Khan and the others were beaten up even after they produced documents to show that they had bought the cows and were not involved in illegal cow smuggling.

"Gau rakshaks affiliated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal stopped four vehicles, near Jaguwas crossing on National Highway 8, on Saturday evening, alleging that they were illegally transporting bovines. These vehicles were coming from Jaipur, and were headed towards Nuh district in Haryana," the report quoted Ramesh Chand Sinsinwar, SHO, Behror police station, as saying.

Before he died, Pehlu told us that they beat him up and then told him to run, saying tu buddha aadmi hai, bhaag (youre an old man, run away) But they chased him and beat him up again, the report also quoted Khan's uncle Hussain as saying.

Another News18 report said that recently, a hotel in Jaipur was sealed within hours by the Jaipur Municipal Corporation after a cow vigilante Sadhvi Kamal led protests over the suspicion of beef being cooked and meat leftovers being dumped outside the hotel. The hotel and manager and staffer were also detained.

The four vans which followed were also then stopped by the police in which 11 persons were found and arrested under sections of the Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, ASI of Behror police station Vikram Singh said. Following Khan's death, a case of murder registered against six persons namely Om Yadav, Hukamchand Yadav, Naveen Sharma, Sudhir Yadav, Rahul Saini and Jagmal while 200 other "unidentified" persons have also been listed as accused. No one has been arrested so far, Singh said. It is learnt that the police has formed several teams to nab the accused.

With inputs from agencies
Chennai: An amount of Rs 15 lakh has been seized in bypoll bound RK Nagar here and 28 persons arrested in connection with alleged distribution of money to voters and a related violent incident.

Seizure of Rs 14.92 lakh was made by flying squads and static surveillance teams of the Election Commission, according to the poll authorities. While three AIADMK activists (Dinakaran's Amma faction) were arrested for allegedly attacking DMK cadres over a row, 25 others were arrested on the basis of 15 cases registered for alleged distribution of money to the voters, police said.

The attack on DMK men was over a row related to alleged money distribution, they added.

Meanwhile, videos of alleged money distribution in RK Nagar and markings made in the area to facilitate it are doing the rounds in social media and messaging app Whatsapp. DMK Working president MK Stalin visited a hospital where his party cadres were admitted following the attack.

He alleged that Dinakaran-led AIADMK faction was trying to bury democracy by using money power.

Speaking to reporters in Chennai, he said his party was preparing to deal with the matter legally, besides taking it up with poll authorities.

Commenting on the alleged money distribution, PMK chief Ramadoss demanded countermanding of RK Nagar bypoll.

He said the bypoll should be held after the cash distribution's impact faded. The bypoll should be held by drafting officers only from outside of Tamil Nadu and by deploying Central police forces, he said.
Fear and tension has gripped the Rohingya settlements in the winter capital Jammu, after local newspapers reported that the Centre was exploring the possibility of deporting them back to Myanmar.

The news of New Delhi pondering over the deportation of this ethnic Muslim minority to Buddhist majority Myanmar comes after huge drama over the presence of Rohingya in Jammu. The Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) had recently put up hoardings across the region threatening Rohingyas to leave Jammu immediately or face the consequences. Both mainstream and separatist politicians are in favour of their deportation from the state.

India has nearly 40,000 Rohingya refugees, of which at least 20 per cent are presently staying in two districts of Jammu and Samba. All of them have crossed over to India illegally using a sea route via the porous Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Myanmar border or traveling through the Bay of Bengal.

A double bench of Jammu and Kashmir High Court is already hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Hunur Gupta, member of the BJP legal cell. Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, on Monday, held a high-level review meeting in Delhi with J&K Director General of Police SP Vaid and Chief Secretary BR Sharma on this issue.

Rohingya community leaders in Jammu say that if the government of India has any apprehension about their presence in Jammu and Kashmir, instead of deporting them back, they should be allowed to temporarily settle in any other state of the country.

If the Indian government throws us back to Myanmar we will be killed, Mohammad Johar, 35, who was among the first batch of refugees to arrive in Jammu, said, We live here on private land, owned by Hindus and we pay monthly rent for that, everything was facilitated by UNHCR. Our coming here has nothing to do with we being Muslims, if that was the case we would have gone to Kashmir valley, not stayed in Jammu.

Rohingyas were first denied citizenship in 1982 by General Ne Wins government in the erstwhile Burma. Since then, this Muslim minority group has largely lived in the troubled state of Rakhine. In 2012 riots, more than 735,000 Rohingyas were forced to flee from Burma to live in ghettos and refugee camps in neighbouring countries, including India.

Mahfooza Jahan, was seven months pregnant when the soldiers allegedly burnt her villages and raped several women in Sittwe village in the Rakhine state. She left her village, without her husband who could not make it. The family landed in Bay of Bengal and from there on they went straight to Jammu. Leaving your home, which takes decade to build, she says, is a terrible felling. "For last four years that home was in these shanties and now it seems even this will go," she said.

We are afraid not just of leaving this place but also for our children, they will slaughter us, says Mahfooza, who works as a scrap collector and lives in Narwal Rohingya in Jammu.

The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had said during the last budget session of the state assembly that 5,743 Burmese (Rohingyas) are staying in the state and no instance of radicalisation has been reported among them so far and they have been living peacefully since the past six years. They are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and also with the Union Home Ministry.

No Rohingya has been found involved in militancy-related incidents. However, 17 FIRs have been registered against 38 Rohingyas for various offences, Mehbooba, who holds the charge of the Home Department also, had said.

Security agencies had expressed apprehension that these people might fall prey to the jihadi groups but Mehbooba Mufti had said in the assembly that there was no report of radicalisation, although cases have been lodged against them for petty crimes.

It is not that we are living a comfortable life here. Our children cant go to schools because they are not allowed to. Most of the people are struggling to meet both ends. But we are not breaking any law and are threat to no one, Idrees Ahmad, 37, who works in a local hotel, told Firstpost. Is there a place in the world we call home now? he asked.
A day after the Uttar Pradesh government announced farm loan waiver worth of Rs 36,359 crores, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday promised to revamp the healthcare system of India's most populous state.

Speaking at a function at King George's Medical University in Lucknow, Adityanath spoke of increasing the number of doctors in the state. The chief minister stressed that the state needed at least five lakh more doctors to help the healthcare infrastructure in UP.

Five lakh more doctors required in UP as of now: CM Yogi Adityanath at King George's Medical University in Lucknow. pic.twitter.com/417CyGmw9M  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 5, 2017

Stressing on affordable healthcare, Adityanath also claimed that patients were being fleeced in the name of treatment. On the issue of medical treatment, he claimed, "If a doctor talks to his patient politely, half the ailment disappears."

If a Doctor talks to his patient politely, half the ailment disappears:UP CM Yogi Adityanath at King George's Medical University in Lucknow. pic.twitter.com/GgHTvGKB2N  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 5, 2017

Adityanath said that the Uttar Pradesh government will open six new Aiims hospitals and also promised to start two new medical colleges in the state.

In a stern message to the medical community of the state, Adityanath warned government doctors not to indulge in private practice. He also reiterated that he has a huge responsibility towards the people of the state.



With inputs from ANI
At the start of AK Ramanujan's essay 'Three hundred Ramayanas', he narrates a story from the epic. Briefly:

Ram's ring slips off his finger and falls down a hole in the ground. He instructs Hanuman  who can change his size at will  to recover the ring for him. Hanuman shrinks to the size of a house-fly, and goes down the hole, falling further and further until he reaches the Netherworld itself. There, he meets with the King of Spirits who asks him his business. "I have come to recover Ram's ring," Hanuman says. The King indicates a platter filled with thousands of identical rings and asks Hanuman to pick out the one he came for. When a bewildered Hanuman is unable to, the King explains that each of these rings is Ram's  that every time an incarnation of his comes to an ends, a ring drops down here.

"There are as many Rams as there are rings in this platter," the King tells Hanuman.

Ramanujan's point was that there are as many Ramayanas as there were rings in the platter.

While Valmiki's Ramayana is considered the oldest known telling of the epic, versions exist in various Indian and Southeast Asian languages. Ramanujan's essay estimated that in Sanskrit alone, there were more than 25 versions of the Ramayana across genres (the Adhyatma Ramayana, Agastya Ramayana, Adbhuta Ramayana among them).

"The Ramayana has pluralistic and diverse traditions; there are, in fact, many Ramayanas," says Arshia Sattar, whose English language translation of Valmiki's Ramayana is considered its most definitive. And to examine the multiplicity of the Ramayana is a scholarly effort, and one that would require much time and effort.

However, on the occasion of Ram Navami, here's a look at some of the Ramayana's best-known versions in India:

Valmiki's Ramayana

The story of Ram, told in an epic poem of 24,000 verses, Valmiki's Ramayana is the most popular version of the epic. Divided into five 'kandas' it tells the story of King Dasharath and his three wives, the birth of Ram and his brothers, exile, Sita's abduction and subsequent war with Ravan and Lanka, the return to Ayodhya, Sita's banishment, and the birth of Luv and Kush and Ram's reconciliation with his sons even as Sita returns to Mother Earth. It ends with Ram's advent into the heavens, as the mission of his (this particular) incarnation, on Earth, is over.

Kampan's Ramayana

The poet Kambar's (also called Kamban or Kampan) Kambaramayanam is among the better known versions of the epic in the south, especially Tamil Nadu. This version differs from Valmiki's in form  11,000 verses as compared to Valmiki's 24,000 couplets  in style (Ramanujan described Kampan's technique as 'more dramatic') and in the details pertaining to specific stories.

Vimalasuri's Paumchariya

The Jain versions of the Ramayana attempted to address several (what were perceived as) logical flaws in the tale. The main difference (as seen in Vimalasuri's Paumchariya) was that Ravana was seen more as a tragic figure  "a great man undone by a (misplaced) passion...". In this version, it is not Ram who kills Ravan (because Ram is an evolved soul) but Lakshman.

Krittivasi Ramayan

Just as the Kambaramayanam and Paumchariya placed the story of the Ramayana within the Tamil and Jain contexts, the Krittivasi Ramayan places it within Bengali traditions and culture. Its other major characteristic is the exploration of the concept of 'bhakti'. The original Krittivasi Ramayan is believed to date back to the 15th century and was authored by the poet Krittibas Ojha. Rabindranath Tagore was said to be deeply inspired by this version of the epic.

Bhavartha Ramayana and Ramcharitamanas

When enumerating the most well-known versions of the Ramayana, those by the saints Eknath and Tulsidas always find mention. Eknath is believed to have left his Bhavartha Ramayana (in Marathi) unfinished as he took mahasamadhi. On the other hand, Tulsidas' Ramcharitamanas  which translates into 'lake of deeds of Rama'  was written in Awadhi, and is believed to have contributed to the tradition of Ramlila. Tulsidas' Ramcharitamanas drew from various versions of the epic, and describes the story of Ram being in the mind of Shiva, before he narrates it to his wife Parvati.

***

AK Ramanujan ended his essay with another anecdote: Of an uncultured lout whose wife hopes to improve his mind somewhat, and sends him to a recital of the Ramayana. The first night, he falls asleep during the performance. But when sweets are distributed at the end, a kindly soul puts a sweet in his mouth as well. So when he returns home and his wife asks him how he found the Ramayana recital, he answers: "Sweet".

The second night, he falls asleep during the recital again. This time, a child climbs onto his shoulder to get a better view of the stage and when the man awakens from his nap, he finds his body is a mass of aches and pains. When his wife asks him how he found the Ramayana this time, he responds: "It got heavier and heavier towards the end".

On the third night, when he falls asleep and lolls onto the ground, a dog urinates near his face. This time, his answer to his wife's question is: "It was terrible!" The wife, who senses by now that something is amiss, presses him to tell her the truth, and when she finds out that he has been sleeping through every recital, decides to accompany him on the fourth night. They sit in the front row and she forces him to pay attention.

The man loses himself in the story being narrated from the Ramayana  of Hanuman carrying Ram's ring across the ocean to Lanka, to present to Sita. At the point where Hanuman drops the ring in the ocean and is worried about finding it, the man  enraptured in the tale  shouts out, "Don't worry Hanuman, I'll get it for you". And so, the man leaps into the ocean, finds the ring and takes it to Hanuman. The other villagers believe this is a man blessed by Lord Rama himself, and he becomes one of the community's wise elders.

This time too, the anecdote Ramanujan chose to highlight had a point. And the point was this: Of the power of the Ramayana, of what happens when you really listen to it, and of even a fool's inability to resist its magic.

Also read  Ramayana teaches us how hard it is to be good to the people we love best: Arshia Sattar
Keeping the poll promise made by BJP, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in his first cabinet meet on Tuesday announced loan waiver of Rs 36,359 crore. This historic decision helps 2.15 crore farmers who have taken a loan of up to Rs 1 lakh. But in the first meet, if Adityanath could waive off farmers loans, why can't Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra fadnavis do the same? This question is being asked by opposition parties as well as Shiv Sena, BJPs partner in state government.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray issued a statement on Tuesday, in which he congratulated the Uttar Pradesh chief minister for announcing the loan waiver. Uddhav also asked the Maharashtra government to do the same for the farmers in the state.

The pressure on Fadnavis is building. To sort out the issue, Fadnavis has called an urgent meeting with the Assembly speaker, Parliament Affairs Minister, Revenue Minister and other senior ministers of BJP to counter opposition parties' demand of loan waiver. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena ministers and senior MLAs met Fadnavis and asked him for complete loan waiver for farmers. Sena also said that the chief minister should make a statement in the Assembly regarding the loan waiver policy of the government.

After Sena's demand, Fadnavis did in fact make a statement. In the statement, Chief Minister Fadnavis said that the state government is in favour of freeing farmers from the loans, but the waiver would be announced at the right time. "We are looking at all options to provide loan waiver to poor farmers. We are positive about the loan waiver and we will study the loan waiver module of Uttar Pradesh," the chief minister Said. "The earlier loan waiver benefited banks and not the farmer. This government is not interested in extending benefits to banks. We want permanent development of farmers. We asked for help from the Centre. There is no need for court intervention. We are positive but we are searching for the best options for the farmers," said Fadnavis.

The total farm loan waiver will cost the state around Rs 30,500 crore and this will benefit 36 lakh farmers.

Senior NCP leader and former deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar told Firstpost that the government can transfer the money to farmers accounts directly instead of giving it to banks. "Our financial condition is good when compared with that of Uttar Pradesh. So, if Uttar Pradesh government announced loan waiver in the first cabinet meet, then why have we been stuck for the last 30 months?" he questioned. Opposition parties have taken an aggressive stand for loan waiver and they held the Sangharsh Yatra which ended on Tuesday. Pawar has given the Fadnavis government a three-day ultimatum to make a decision. If NCP is still not satisfied with the government's actions, the party will not participate in the proceeding of the budget session.

"We will first increase the investment in farming. The waiver will announced at right time," said Finance Minsiter Sudhir Mungantiwar. "Farmers in the state are in loan circles due to many reasons like falling prices of agriculture product, unseasonal rains, hailstorm and water crisis," said Mungantiwar.

The budget session ends on Friday and the Opposition wants the announcement made in the current session. With the UP governments decision to waive farmers' loans and Madras High Court asking the Tamil Nadu government to do the same, the pressure is building on the BJP-led Maharashtra government to consider the loan waiver.
Editor's Note: A few days after Yogi Adityanath took charge as the new chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, and issued proclamations that his government would vigorously pursue and prosecute those "malfeasants" engaged in  variously  the running of illegal slaughterhouses, and harassing women on the streets, Firstpost asked Arpit Parashar to file ground reports documenting the doings of law enforcement forces deployed to shut meat shops, and apprehend "Romeos". This is the first in a multi-part series of stories Parashar sent us.

Driving to Meerut city from the Hapur town, which was earlier in the Ghaziabad district of the National Capital Region (NCR) but is a separate district since five years under the Meerut zone, a peculiar smell, allegedly of rotting carcasses, used to greet the traveller before the Meerut city limits began. The residents had been alleging for years that the slaughterhouses and meat export centres along the road in many villages leading up to the city were the culprits since they did not dispose of the remains of the slaughtered animals properly.

Today, however, the stench from the area is worse than it was till a few weeks back when the slaughterhouses and meat export companies like Al-Saqib Exports (P) Ltd and Al-Faheem Meatex Pvt Ltd, situated in the Alipur Jijmana and Dhikri villages along the road were still open. Some local residents allege that the carcasses were not disposed of by slaughterhouses before being sealed, but the fact is the Meerut Development Authority (MDA) has been managing its dumping grounds along the main road in a highly incompetent manner.

Every time the issue of stench was raised by politicians, mostly from the BJP, and the local residents they conveniently blamed the buffalo meat exporters for it. After the sealing of slaughterhouses, allegedly due to non-compliance of norms set by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2015, they have been blaming the export house owners but not everyone is buying their arguments now. We have been having a tough time telling the people that work is underway to better manage the waste disposal sites and workers have been working overtime to clean them up, an MDA official told Firstpost.

This trend has been common to various stretches in the western Uttar Pradesh region, including along the Dasna-Hapur road in the Ghaziabad district where too many export centres of both sheep/goat and buffalo meats are located. While previously the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) too blamed the meat exporters for the stench and the alleged unhygienic conditions created by the rotting carcasses, they too have been having long field days cleaning up the garbage for which they are responsible in any case.

The negligence of the local authorities was taken advantage of by political leaders from the BJP over the years. A riot-like situation was created in Meerut in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 when rumors of bloodied water coming out of hand pumps located around slaughterhouses started doing the rounds in the district. BJP leaders took to the streets alleging that the abattoirs had been draining blood into the ground in order to push residents away from around their centres. The issue also took religious turn as the MDA received complaints of Muslims deliberately trying to insult Hindus, which in turn helped the BJP consolidate votes of Hindus in the Lok Sabha elections.

While the BJP could not win the Meerut city seat this time in the assembly polls, losing badly owing to the gunda culture promoted by them ahead of the elections in the city, party workers have been harassing the workers from the meat export centres, who are out of work already, alleging that they have created the unhygienic environment deliberately because of the sealing of the slaughter houses. However, the blame lies solely with the authorities.

Fahad Husain, senior official at one of the many export centres, says, "Every time we implemented the guidelines laid out by the NGT and other agencies like the pollution board (Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board) and asked for permission locally they would ask for huge amount of money as bribe to grant them. Since the government was supportive of us in general, we continued running our centers while renewals of licenses were pending. Now, they have found reason to extort more money from us by sealing our properties and alleging non-compliance of laws.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar in 2015 had ordered that slaughterhouses will have to take permission from the UPPCB and/or environmental clearance from State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) besides permission from local authorities to keep running shop. While UPPCB and SEIAA permissions have generally only been delayed for some time and have been granted eventually for most slaughter houses, the local authorities have not done so. They are now working under the BJP leaders and harassing us economically in order to warm up their pockets, Hussain alleges.

One of the main reasons for sealing of the slaughterhouses is that the MDA and other such authorities in various districts have not been able to implement the directions of the NGT. With the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh pushing for implementation of all the guidelines, the officials are on the back foot and transferring the blame squarely on meat exporters as a result. The NGT had said that animal waste shall not be thrown in the municipal drains or any part of the streets or roads but that it should be collected, transported and disposed of strictly in accordance with the Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000. While the slaughter houses eventually found ways to dispose of their waste as per the rules, the authorities simply did not work.

One of the main reasons for the delays caused by local authorities has been that the ward-level politics in various municipalities has come to be dominated by the BJP since the elections, which took place barely a year after BJPs 2014 Lok Sabha victory. Local authorities receive complaints from the ward leaders and local-level in-charges of the BJP and decide to deny the required permission for small shops, meat export centres and also the slaughter houses under pressure. We deny the permission so as to save ourselves from attacks by the ward leaders and local BJP goons. But since the Samajwadi Party (SP) was in power they could not be shut down. Now that the BJP has to come to power in Lucknow, we have no option but to seal them and go over the process all over again, a senior MDA official said.

This is nothing but political backlash which is affecting the poor workers and rendering them jobless. The BJP tried its arm-twisting tactics earlier too but did not succeed. Now that it has won, it will do anything to deprive the Muslims of economic benefits and opportunities, a senior SP leader, who won his seat from Muzaffarnagar in the Assembly elections, alleged and requested anonymity.

Meanwhile, the so-called unhygienic conditions created by the slaughter houses have turned worse as workers from the slaughter houses, who would help dispose of a lot of the waste for the local authorities, have been rendered jobless and so are no long available. The stench along the Meerut-Hapur road turning worse is evidence enough of that.
New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday witnessed a heated debate on the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), with the Congress demanding a ban since "these machines are not tamper-proof".

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "Use of EVMs should be stopped right now. These EVMs should not be used in the April 23 civic polls in Delhi, coming assembly polls in Gujarat and other states."

The Rajya Sabha was even adjourned briefly over the issue after it was raised by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.

Later, Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati and other opposition leaders also joined Digvijaya Singh and raised doubts on the EVMs.

"It's a serious matter," said Yadav.

Mayawati said the government was not "trustworthy" and her party will take the matter to court.

In response, members of the treasury benches said they must approach the Election Commission on the matter.

"Don't waste the time of the house," Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

Naqvi said EVMs were used in many elections in the past and different political parties had won, but questions were raised only after the Bharatiya Janata Party won the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in February-March.

"It's an insult to the people. It's also an insult to the Indian democracy," he said.

Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien asked the members to maintain peace but nobody paid heed, following which he adjourned the upper house for eight minutes.
National Conference president and former Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday created another controversy by defending stone throwers of the Valley, saying they are giving sacrifices for resolution of the Kashmir issue.

The former chief minister has, of late, been making statements which are perceived to be closer to the separatists' stand on the issue and also as an attempt to attract youth towards the National Conference.

Abdullah, who is the Congress-National Conference alliance's candidate in the Srinagar by-elections, was reacting to a statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi on Sunday after inaugurating the Chenani-Nashri all-weather tunnel, the longest in the country, urged the youth of the Valley to choose between tourism and terrorism, saying 40 years of bloodshed has not done anyone any good.

Abdullah said the youth throwing stones have nothing to do with tourism, even though it remains the lifeline and primary source of income for Kashmir.

I want to tell him (Modi) from this stage that tourism is our life and there is no doubt over it. But the youth throwing stones have nothing to do with tourism. They are not rendering their lives for tourism but for the resolution of Kashmir issue, Abdullah said, while addressing the party workers in Srinagar.

The youth who are pelting stones for the nation wants a concrete resolution that would accommodate the aspirations of the people of Kashmir, he said.

A political heavyweight, Abdullah is fighting against a comparatively lesser known candidate, Nazir Ahmad Khan of the state's ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The Srinagar Parliamentary constituency fell vacant after the sitting MP of PDP, who later joined the Congress, resigned from the seat. The Congress and NC are fighting the election together on the two seats. The bypolls in Srinagar and Anantnag Parliamentary constituencies are going to be held on 9 and 12 April, respectively, and a total of 15 candidates are in the fray.

Invoking God and religion, Abdullah said Modi was not the one who provides the livelihood to the people. It is Allah who is providing the livelihood to the people irrespective of their religions.

We (Muslims) have never raised fingers over their religion (Hindu religion). Even sometimes I have myself sung their Bhajans. They must not interfere in our religion.

Meanwhile, Dr Farooq said United States of America wants to act as a moderator between India and Pakistan in resolving the Kashmir issue but India always expressed reluctance in involving them over the issue.

He said intervention of America in resolving the Kashmir issue was a welcoming step. America should act as moderator between India and Pakistan in resolving the long pending Kashmir issue in case the two neighbouring countries fail to resolve it on their own, he said.

On Monday, Farooq Abdullah had sought help of pro-Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami to fight and defeat Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which he said, represents "decades of suppression" of Muslims across the country and openly advocated the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status since 1947.
Jabalpur: Referring to factionalism in his party, the AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday said that nobody can save Congressmen if they fail to change themselves.

"If Congressmen don't improve now, then nobody can save them," Singh told reporters when asked about overall 'groupism' in the party.

"People who have scant respect for the party and try to dominate others, should go in midst of people and work for them. Everybody should be respected in the party," Singh said.

Responding to a query on the Congress' failure to form government in Goa despite emerging the single largest party in Assembly polls, Singh said, "wallets were opened (in Goa), which, we couldn't do."

Singh, who is in-charge of Goa affairs of Congress, said that he has been "wrongly accused of holidaying in Goa and for the failure of the Congress to form government there."

Eventually, the BJP under Manohar Parrikar formed government in the coastal state though the saffron party had finished second behind the Congress in the polls.

A section of leaders in Congress in Goa had blamed Singh for letting Goa slip out of hands of the party which had won 17 seats in the 40-member House, whereas BJP was restricted to 13.

"Had I gone for tourism in Goa, then my party couldn't have improved its tally to 17 seats from 6 and emerged as the single largest party," he said, adding that the Congress had fought for India's Independence and will continue to struggle for the cause of common people.
Despite the AAP governments repeated efforts to appear pro-poor before the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) election, a key document reveals a major curtailing of funds in housing schemes for slum-dwellers, during its two-and-a-half year tenure in Delhi. The official document released by the Urban Development Department of the Delhi government itself shows that a chunk of Rs 469 crore was dropped from the housing scheme for slum-dwellers.

The revelation is seen in contrast to a new announcement of a pro-poor scheme to construct 6,178 flats for slum-dwellers, made by the Delhi government just two months before the MCD election.

Named 'Status Report of Basic Service to Urban Poor under JNNURM', the document shows that five of the 16 housing projects under the flagship programme of Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, went through this fund curtailment.

Fund curtailing in the scheme happened after the Centre scraped the JNNURM in March 2015 leaving many of these schemes incomplete nationwide. As per a CAG report published towards the end of the mission period, out of a total 766 urban infrastructure development projects countrywide, only 126 could be completed on time.

Many states had to seek additional funding from the Centre under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation programme to complete the unfinished projects. The Delhi Economic Survey of 2016-17 also complained about the drying up of funds flowing from the Centre under such schemes as JNNURM. In spite of the fact that funding under the JNNURM had been stopped, the National Capital was least expected to opt for fund curtailing of the projects related to the lives of the slum-dwellers, who are also the ruling partys core voters, as its tax revenue has increased substantially by 13.61 percent in FY 2015-16, as per the survey.

In fact, Delhi had its fiscal surplus in 2015-16 at Rs 1,321.92 crore as per the report  an amount more than twice that required to complete the projects without fund curtailment. The projects that went through fund curtailment also saw a decrease in the number of targeted flats to be constructed. The total number of flats that were to be delivered by these projects decreased from 28,540 to 19,780 after funds were curtailed.

The pace of project implementation in Delhi has also been poor, as nine of these 16 housing projects, remain incomplete even beyond their respective stipulated period. Of a targeted 55,424 homes to the poor, only 31,424 could be completed putting the success rate at as low as 57 percent, although the stipulated period to complete all the projects came to an end on 31 March. The AAP governments performance is dismal when it comes to the implementation of the project, as only 288 flats of 31,424 completed ones have been occupied by beneficiaries till now and only one project has been completed in three years.

The AAP-led dispensation has failed to accommodate beneficiaries even in the flats completed before the 2013.

Delhi saw the completion of six projects from the period starting from 2007 and ending in 2013 during the Congress regime, whereas the AAP completed one in two-and-a-half years. Sub-standard housing in the slums of Delhi has been seen as a major health hazard for the city. As per the Delhi Economic Survey, 22 percent of the slums do not have a toilet and only 30 percent of them use septic tanks.

The National Capital that accommodates 695 slums and JJ clusters (Jhuggi Jhopri clusters), 1,797 unauthorised colonies require urgent relocation or standard housing facility so as to meet the challenge thrown by vector-borne diseases from time to time. Only last year, the city saw a major outbreak of Dengue and Chikungunya.

The present AAP-led dispensation's failure to meet this requirement and its curtailing of funds approved for the housing of the slum-dwellers may cost it dearly in the upcoming MCD polls.
Chennai: Puducherry Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi on Wednesday came down heavily on Chief Secretary Manoj Parida, describing his official conduct in a matter as "immature, unprofessional and irregular".

However, the senior bureacrat defended his actions, obviously in connection with the transfer of the Puducherry Municipal Commissioner, and said the Lt. Governor is "not aware of rules".

The irresponsible and immature conduct of the Chief Secretary has brought huge anguish and rift in the Governance of Puducherry.@HMOIndia https://t.co/W05hGH67Ui  Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) April 5, 2017

Unprofessional and irregular role played by Chief Secretary of Puducherry of hounding an officer despite directions and existing rules.. https://t.co/W05hGHnJiS  Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) April 5, 2017

While her tweets are on her Twitter handle, a message below said "this tweet is unavailable".

In response, Parida told IANS on phone: "I have full competence to give additional charge to an official. The Chief Secretary has full powers to give additional charge. I have done that several times. She is not aware of the rules."

He said there was a direction from the Puducherry assembly Speaker on the matter.

"Some officer is kept out temporarily. The officer may be brought back after a week. Why is she getting worked up?" Parida said.

He wondered why Bedi is taking on officials in the Union Territory.

Major political parties in Puducherry have teamed up against Bedi, a former Indian Police Service officer, and want her recall by the Centre.

The latest spat is part of the battle for supremacy between elected Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and Bedi over the transfer of Puducherry Municipal Commissioner R. Chandrasekaran.

The issue cropped up when Chandrasekaran held a function on Swachh Bharat Mission without inviting a local legislator, who in turn sought action against the official.

The Chief Secretary, in an order dated March 30, gave the additional charge of Municipal Commissioner to S. Ganesan, Director of Arts and Culture.

The order specified that Chandrasekaran will report to the Chief Secretary for further posting.

But Bedi, quoting rules, said only the Lt. Governor has the powers to transfer officials and reinstated Chandrasekaran on the post after cancellation of the transfer orders.
Bengaluru: AIADMK chief VK Sasikala has met visitors 12 times in a month at the Parappana Agrahara central jail here, where she is lodged following her conviction in the disproportionate assets case, allegedly in violation of prison rules.

According to information made available by the Central Prison in response to a Right to Information (RTI) query, Sasikala met the visitors between 16 February and 18 March.

Her relatives and co-convicts in the case, Elavarasi and VN Sudhakaran, met visitors four times and once respectively during the said period.

Among Sasikala's visitors were lawyers, her nephews TTV Dinakaran and Vivek J and Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Thambidurai. Activist Narasimha Murthy, who had filed the RTI application, claimed to PTI that this was in violation of jail rules.

Undertrials and convicts are entitled to meet visitors as per the Karnataka Prison Manual and Karnataka Prison Rules. The rules state that undertrial prisoners are eligible for one such meeting a week with their relatives, friends and lawyers, while convicts are eligible to have visitors once in 15 days.

While the jail authorities were unavailable for comments, reports quoting prison officials suggest that the jailer can use discretion in this regard. On 15 February, Sasikala was sent to jail after she surrendered before a trial court here, a day after the Supreme Court restored her conviction in the disproportionate assets case.
Baghdad: At least 35 persons were killed and 28 injured in a series of attacks carried out by the Islamic State militant group in the Iraqi city of Tikrit, a security source said on Wednesday.

Most of the victims in the Tuesday night attacks in Salahudin province were civilians, EFE news quoted the source as saying.

The Islamic State militants, disguised in military uniforms, attacked security checkpoints and stormed several houses in Zuhour neighbourhood, Xinhua news agency reported.

The attackers broke into the houses and opened fire at families, a source said, adding that at least one of the attacked houses belonged to the family of a police officer.

Iraqi security forces surrounded the area to prevent them from moving to adjacent neighbourhoods, while fierce clashes with the attackers broke out in Zuhour, the source said.

At least five Islamic State militants were killed, the source said.

Salahudin Governor imposed a curfew in the city on Wednesday morning.

The Islamic State targets security forces, civilians and crowded markets such as cafes and mosques across Iraq.

The attacks came as the Iraqi security forces, backed by anti-Islamic State international coalition, are carrying out a major offensive to drive out the Islamic State from their major stronghold in the western side of Mosul.
Strasbourg: The European Parliament will on Wednesday lay down its "red lines" for negotiations over a Brexit deal, on which the assembly will have the final say in two years' time.

The parliament in Strasbourg, France, is set to back a call by EU leaders for Britain to first agree to divorce terms before striking any new trade deal with the bloc.

MEPs are to vote on the motion a week after British prime minister Theresa May formally triggered the process for leaving the EU.

"We want to have a clear signal that the European Union is united," said German MEP Manfred Weber, the head of the conservative European People's Party (EPP), the parliament's biggest bloc.

"London must understand that no splitting up of the EU position is possible," Weber told reporters. The guidelines to be voted on Wednesday already have the support of not only the EPP but also of the Socialists and Democrats alliance, as well as the ALDE liberals, the Greens and the leftist parliamentary group GUE.

The parliament will be the first EU institution to take an official stand on the Brexit talks. "This (vote) is the starting point of a difficult and complex negotiation to define the conditions of the United Kingdom's departure," Parliament president Antonio Tajani said.

The guidelines, which Weber called "red lines", reinforce the draft guidelines unveiled last Friday by EU president Donald Tusk, who represents the member states. But the 27 countries will not formally approve them until a summit on 29 April.

Tusk's guidelines call for "sufficient progress" on divorce terms before a new trade deal is struck, as well as protections of the rights of EU citizens and the border in Northern Ireland. "The right order for negotiations has to be respected," Weber said.

The Brexit talks have already gotten off to a difficult start after London was alarmed by a clause in the guidelines saying Spain had to be consulted on any post-Brexit trade deal that affects the British outcrop of Gibraltar.

A draft parliamentary resolution said talks on "possible transitional arrangements" for a future deal could begin if "substantial progress" were made towards divorce.

Any transitional period to work out a trade deal after Britain formally leaves the European Union in March 2019 should be limited to three years. The resolution also insists that Britain must pay to withdraw.

"Until the day you leave, you have to pay your share of the bills," Socialists and Democrats leader Gianni Pittella said at a press briefing in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

And the resolution calls for protecting the rights of the three million European citizens living in Britain, and the one million Britons residing in EU countries.
OTTAWA Canada's Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has turned to a Conservative predecessor, also known as father of free trade, to help smooth ties with U.S. President Donald Trump and to protect exports, Canada's trade minister said on Wednesday.Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney will advise a cabinet committee in Ottawa this week, sharing his perspective on the looming renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the United States and Mexico, Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told reporters."We all know that he's close to President Trump," he said. "So obviously, you know, any insight that we can get is welcome. You know, this is a whole-of-Canada effort."Champagne added that the Canadian government would be leading the negotiations under Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, but it was "the smart thing to do" to listen to Mulroney, given his experience and relationship with Trump.

The prime minister's office said in March that Trudeau had spoken with Mulroney on several occasions and looked forward to continuing to work with him."We are drawing upon advice from different Canadians who have offered their assistance, and we are pleased the former Prime Minister has been able to serve as a helpful bridge to Republicans, including the President, underscoring the unique relationship between our two countries," press secretary Cameron Ahmad said in an email.

Mulroney's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.A source who knows the former prime minister said Mulroney has a strong interest in helping on the trade front because he negotiated the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and NAFTA in the 1990s, he knows the file well, and has a strong conviction in the benefits of free trade.

"It's his baby," said the source, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.He said Mulroney, who has sat on numerous corporate boards and business enterprises since his departure from politics, is helping Trudeau deal with Trump for free, because he has the contacts within the Trump administration and has known Trump for many years in the business world.Trump had vowed to tear up NAFTA, saying the agreement had cost U.S. jobs, but said after a meeting with Trudeau in February that the United States would only be "tweaking" its trade relationship with Canada, because Mexico was the real concern. Trudeau's late father, former Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was a bitter rival of Mulroney when the two men were battling to lead the nation in the 1980s. (Reporting by Andrea Hopkins and David Ljunggren; Editing by Richard Chang)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Beijing: Diplomatic tensions visibly escalated over the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, as China on Wednesday lodged a protest with India and said that by ignoring Beijing's concerns over the issue New Delhi has caused "serious damage" to bilateral ties.

As the Tibetan spiritual leader entered Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh to proceed to Tawang for a major Buddhist event, China struck a strident note in its protest against the move.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, addressing a regular briefing, voiced her country's "firm opposition" to the Dalai Lama's visit and said Beijing would lodge "stern representations with the Indian side".

Later, the Chinese side lodged a protest with Indian Ambassador Vijay Gokhale in Beijing over the Dalai Lama's visit.

Hua said that India "in disregard" to China's concerns "obstinately" went ahead to arrange the Tibetan leader's visit, causing "serious damage" to China's interests and China-India relations.

She said that India should "immediately cease using the Dalai Lama's mistaken behaviour to damage China's interests" and not "hype up sensitive" bilateral issues.

The Foreign Ministry statement comes as the Chinese state-run media also slammed the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims is disputed and part of south Tibet. India has said that Arunachal Pradesh is an inseparable part of its territory.

The Global Times accused the Indian government of "openly using" the Dalai Lama "as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage".

It said India was trying to play the Tibet card against China as "New Delhi is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance over its membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its request to name Masood Azhar, head of Pakistani militant group, to a UN Security Council blacklist", it said.

On Tuesday, India said that no political motive should be attributed to the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh and asked China not to interfere in its affairs.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, said: "India has always had a policy of non-interference in the neighbours' internal affairs in our approach. In the same manner, we expect the same from our neighbours."
In January, Eric Prince, founder of the American private military organisation Blackwater, represented US president Donald Trump in a secret meeting with a confidant of Vladimir Putin, according to several media reports.

Washington Post reported that the aim of the rendezvous was to establish an unofficial line of communication between Moscow and then President-elect Donald Trump.

The meeting, organised by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the crown prince of the UAE, and the UAE's national security adviser, was held in the small island nation of Seychelles in the Indian ocean.

The meeting took place around 11 January, nine days before Trump was sworn in as the 45th president, the Washington Post reported.

Prince presented himself as an unofficial representative of Trump to several high-ranking UAE officials involved in setting up the meeting, although he played no formal role in the Trump campaign or transition team. Prince's sister, Betsy DeVos, is the US Secretary of Education.

According to a report in Slate, the meeting was part of an unsuccessful attempt by Team Trump and the United Arab Emirates to convince Russia to part ways with its longtime ally Iran, a rival of the UAE. Although these sorts of meetings between unofficial envoys are common, the report fuels the story of Trump having connections to Russia story, which has dogged the Trump administration.

And having his interests represented by Prince, a figure of much controversy, does the new president no favours either: Blackwater is infamous for having perpetrated the massacre of 17 people in Baghdad in 2007, an incident which led to the conviction of four of its employees on murder and manslaughter charges in US court, according to Slate. The company is now known as Academi and has no ties to Erik Prince.

Yahoo Finance reported that Prince released a statement on Tuesday, blasting the intelligence community, although he did not deny having the meeting. "If the politically fabricated delusion of President-elect Trump and President Putin's coordination was true, why would anyone need to meet me anyway?" Prince said.

Washington Post reported that a spokesman for Prince said the Seychelles meeting "had nothing to do with president Trump." "Why is the so-called under-resourced intelligence community messing around with surveillance of American citizens when they should be hunting terrorists?" the spokesman said.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said: We are not aware of any meetings, and Erik Prince had no role in the transition."
Editors' note: On 4 April, 2017 the then US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley had said that she "wouldn't be surprised" if President Donald Trump participates in a resolution of the India-Pakistan tensions. Almost two years later, the assertion has come from the POTUS himself. Trump, while meeting Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, has claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him to mediate in resolving the Kashmir issue  something that India has categorically denied. This article, first published on 5 April, 2017, explores why any sort of 'intervention' by the US will not be a good idea. It is being republished in the light of Trump's latest comments.

***

Third party mediation.

Special envoy for South Asia.

Nudge both countries to resolve their dispute.

The idea comes in different words and shapes. But the idea remains the same- that the United States harbours the belief that it is a good idea to make an effort for resolving the India-Pakistan dispute. What dispute it wants to resolve differs from administration to administration. So, Bill Clinton wanted to focus on the nuclear aspect of India-Pakistan relationship terming South Asia as the 'nuclear flashpoint, whereas Barack Obama wanted to focus on the Kashmir issue.

The latest in this case has been the statement coming from the Donald Trump administration. The US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley at a press conference on 4 April said, "It's absolutely right that this administration is concerned about the relationship between India and Pakistan and very much wants to see how we de-escalate any sort of conflict going forward." She added that she "wouldn't be surprised if the President participates in that as well."

Pious sentiments and noble intentions, indeed.

But those need to be tempered with a dose of reality. Lets not beat around the bush and come straight to the point. This is a flawed approach adopted by every American President and his administration to India Pakistan relations in particular and South Asia in general. The flawed approach had its beginnings in the India-Pakistan hyphenated relationship that was the hallmark of the US foreign policy in South Asia during the Cold War. What dividends that approach has yielded is for everyone to see  a blowback in the form of al-Qaeda, US-Pakistan relationship mired in deep mistrust and creating suspicion in the minds of Indian policy makers and a country ruined for decades  Afghanistan.

Yet, this flawed approach continues to fancy American policy makers even today, presumably because it portrays America as a responsible great power. You will get your answer of how responsible America is if you ask any Iraqi, Afghan, Syrian, Vietnamese or even a Nicaraguan.

The point is this  if you want to project yourself as a responsible great power or whatever left of it, third party mediation is the worst possible way for the United States. Pakistan may be trumpeting that third party mediation will solve its problem with India but the point is Islamabad is ready to bequeath its sovereignty to any country which is ready to do so, not just the United States  be it China, Russia or the European Union. And it is certainly anyones guess who wants Pakistan as a BFF.

That leaves India. Unlike Pakistan, India is a great power waiting in the wings. It will not entertain any notion of third party mediation. It has seen enough history  colonial and post World War II  to understand the perils of extra-regional solutions to resolve any dispute and how they pan out. And unlike Pakistan, India is very sensitive when it comes to sovereignty. So, policy makers in New Delhi will not ever accept any external pressure when it comes to Pakistan especially if that pressure is seen as perceived as against Indian interests or impinging on India's autonomy in foreign policy. And certainly not when Pakistan is seen as part of the problem especially in Kashmir.

And this stance will be maintained even as India pursues a closer relationship with the United States in every domain  military and security included.

Before Trump, even Obama had harboured the dream of appointing a special envoy for South Asia early in his days in the White House. A clear stance articulated by India forced him to abandon that proposal. Hopefully, even if Trump disregards most of what Obama did, he pays attention to this particular aspect and mends his ways.
PARIS French presidential candidates Francois Fillon and Marine Le Pen came in for stinging attacks from left-wing election rivals over police investigations against them during a televised election debate on Tuesday.After two hours of debate among the 11 presidential candidates on unemployment, immigration and relations with Europe, two far-left candidates took the gloves off and piled into Fillon and Le Pen over judicial investigations against them."Since January it's just been a great campaign ... the more we dig, the more corruption there is, the more cheating there is," Philippe Poutou, a fringe candidate, said.He was referring to a press report in the satirical Le Canard Enchaine weekly which was the first to allege that Fillon had been paying his wife huge sums of tax-payers money for work she had not properly carried out.Fillon, a 63-year-old conservative prime minister, and his wife are being investigated over the allegations though they deny any wrongdoing.

Looking ill at ease, Fillon replied that he had made no mistakes and would not take questions on the allegations. "I won't be intimidated," he said."I'll take you to court for that," Fillon said, lowering his voice.Fillon was once frontrunner in the election, but after the fake jobs allegations emerged his ratings tumbled and he is now trailing in third place in the election first round, according to opinion polls, which would mean elimination.

Poutou, a car factory worker who is expected to get only minimal support in the April 23 first round of the election, also had harsh words for Le Pen.The National Front leader in February used her immunity as EU lawmaker to refuse to go to a police summons over allegations that she had made illegal EU payments to her staff. [nL8N1G92HM]"When you're summoned by police, you go. There is no workers' immunity," said Poutou in a comment widely picked up on Twitter.

He was supported by another far-left candidate Nathalie Arthaud, who said: "Supermarket cashiers can be fired just for stealing a voucher. There is a shocking discrepancy here," she said.Le Pen, who like Fillon has also denied wrongdoing, angrily responded, saying she was the victim of "political persecution.""Is this a (police) interrogation? I thought this was a debate but it looks like the prosecutors are here," she said.Socialist Party candidate Benoit Hamon, unlikely to get beyond the election's first round, mocked Le Pen for "playing the victim." Earlier on Tuesday, a judicial source said a separate probe into the National Front's finances in France's northernmost region was underway. Le Canard Enchaine said the probe targeted Le Pen's campaign director, David Rachline. [nL5N1HC4JV] (Reporting by Ingrid Melander, Elizabeth Pineau, Simon Carraud, Michel Rose; Editing by Richard Balmforth)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Phil Stewart

| QAYYARA WEST AIRFIELD, Iraq

QAYYARA WEST AIRFIELD, Iraq President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, voiced optimism about the long-term U.S. alliance with Iraq's military and its campaign to retake Mosul from Islamic State on Tuesday, as he visited a base about 10 miles (16 km) from the city.Kushner was on the last day of a two-day trip to Iraq as the guest of Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff. The visit to the Hammam al-Alil base included an operational briefing from Iraqi and U.S. commanders.The trip has demonstrated the far-reaching portfolio of Kushner, 36, who is part of Trump's innermost circle and who has been given a wide range of domestic and foreign policy responsibilities, including working on a Middle East peace deal. His views on Iraq could shape Trump's own opinions.It comes as Trump is examining ways to accelerate a U.S.-led coalition campaign that U.S. and Iraqi officials say has so far been largely successful in uprooting Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.Mosul is by far the biggest city to have been held by Islamic State, and winning it back would largely destroy the Iraqi part of the group's "caliphate," proclaimed from a Mosul mosque in 2014. There are mounting concerns about civilian casualties in the final phases of the assault and questions about how quickly Mosul can be rebuilt, repopulated and governed in a way that avoids alienating its Sunni-majority population.The Mosul battle, the biggest in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, has been under way since October, with 100,000 Iraqi troops, Kurdish fighters and Shi'ite militiamen seeking to drive out the militants with the support of U.S.-led air strikes.Although Trump campaigned on defeating the hardline Sunni militant group, he has not announced any major changes to war strategy and it is unclear how Kushner's experience in Iraq might shape his advice to the president.

Speaking after lengthy battlefield reports from Iraq's military, Kushner sounded upbeat about the campaign and said the partnership between U.S. and Iraqi troops was "very impressive."He expressed hope the partnership would be enduring, signalling White House interest in longer-term U.S. military assistance. "I hope the victory that you have in Mosul in the near future will not just be a victory for the American and Iraqi troops but it will be a victory for the world," Kushner said.ISLAMIC STATE CONDEMNS TRUMP

On Tuesday, Islamic State issued its first official remarks referring to Trump since he assumed the U.S. presidency in January, describing him as an "idiot.""You (the U.S.) are bankrupt and the signs of your demise are evident to every eye," spokesman Abi al-Hassan al-Muhajer said in a recording released on the messaging network Telegram."There is no more evidence than (that) you being run by an idiot who does not know what Syria or Iraq or Islam is." Even after Mosul and other pockets of territory are recaptured, U.S. officials expect Islamic State to go underground and fight on as a more traditional insurgency.

Kushner's trip was his first to Iraq and the visit to Hammam al-Alil, where U.S. advisers and artillery are positioned to assist the battle in Mosul, was also the closest Dunford has gotten to Mosul since the campaign began.They stopped briefly at Qayyara West Airfield, another key hub in the war, where U.S. forces manning High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems fired twice at Islamic State targets in Mosul the night before. Iraqi security forces are engaged in fierce, house-to-house fighting in Mosul. Nearly 290,000 people have fled the city to escape the fighting, according to the United Nations, and it has had a heavy toll on civilians trapped in the city.The advance has been slowed since March 17, when scores of people sheltering from air strikes were killed in a blast. The United States has acknowledged it may have had some kind of role in the incident but also said Islamic State may be to blame. A U.S. investigation is ongoing. Dunford said Baghdad was looking at ways to better safeguard civilians, given tactics by Islamic State that has raised the risks - including the use of civilians as human shields."The Iraqis are looking to make some adaptations," he told reporters after the talks, which included meetings on Monday with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Peter Graff and Peter Cooney)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Washington: The Islamic State has derided US President Donald Trump as a "stupid idiot" and said his rise to power was a sign of America's bankruptcy. Targeting Trump directly for the first time since he took office, the ISIS terror group in the 36-minute audio released by its spokesperson Abu Hasan al-Muhajir on Tuesday called him an Arabic term that means an "idiot", saying the US President does not know anything about Islam, NBC News reported.

Terming the US as "bankrupt", it said, "the sign of your elimination are now clearer to everyone, as the clearest signs are that you are now ruled by a stupid idiot who does not know what Sham and Iraq are, or what Islam is, who continues to express his hatred and war against Islam". The propaganda said Trump has expressed his "hatred and war" against Islam, the report said. Other translations of the statement replaced "stupid idiot" with "riff raff" or "harebrained", it said. Al-sham is a term ISIS uses to describe a region that includes Syria.

It appears to be the first time the Islamic State has referred to Trump since he took office. ISIS, which controls large swaths of territories in Iraq and Syria, is currently being targeted by a US-led military coalition. Trump has pledged to "totally obliterate ISIS," which swept across parts of Iraq in 2014. Trump has been widely criticised in the past for his controversial statements on Islam.

The ISIS statement does not appear to directly refer to Trump's executive order temporarily banning people of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.
By Ju-min Park and Jack Kim

| SEOUL

SEOUL North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday from its east coast into the sea off the Peninsula, South Korea's military said, ahead of a summit between U.S. and Chinese leaders who are set to discuss Pyongyang's arms programme.The launch was from Sinpo, a port city on the North's east coast, and the missile flew about 60 km (40 miles), South Korea's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a short statement. Sinpo is the site of a North Korean submarine base. The launch comes just ahead of a summit meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping this week where adding pressure on the North to drop its arms development will take centre stage. Any launch of objects using the ballistic missile technology is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions but the North has defied the ban as infringement of its sovereign rights to self defence and pursuit of space exploration.

North Korea attempted to launch a ballistic missile two weeks ago from its east coast and earlier in March fired four missiles towards Japan, some of which came as close as 300 km (190 miles) to Japan's coast.The reclusive state has also conducted two nuclear weapons tests since January 2016.

The North is believed to be developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can hit the United States and its leader, Kim Jong Un, has vowed to test-launch one at any time.Experts and officials in the South and the United States believe Pyongyang is still some time away from mastering all the technology needed for an operational ICBM system, such as re-entry of the atmosphere and subsequent missile guidance.

Topping the agenda of the U.S.-China summit in Florida will be whether Trump will make good on his threat to use crucial trade ties with China to pressure Beijing to do more to rein in the nuclear-armed North.A senior U.S. White House official said Trump's meeting with Xi was a test for the U.S.-Chinese relationship and that Trump wants economic ties that are fair, balanced and based on reciprocity. (Editing by Lincoln Feast)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Maria Tsvetkova and Tom Perry

| MOSCOW/BEIRUT

MOSCOW/BEIRUT Russia denied on Wednesday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was to blame for a poison gas attack and said it would continue to back him, setting the Kremlin on course for its biggest diplomatic collision yet with Donald Trump's White House.Western countries, including the United States, blamed Assad's armed forces for the worst chemical attack in Syria for more than four years, which choked scores of people to death in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in a rebel-held area on Tuesday.Washington said it believed the deaths were caused by sarin nerve gas dropped by Syrian aircraft. But Moscow offered an alternative explanation that would shield Assad: that the poison gas belonged to rebels and had leaked from an insurgent weapons depot hit by Syrian bombs.Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, rejected Russia's account: "That strains credulity," said one. "Russian assertions do not comport with reality."The United States, Britain and France have proposed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would pin the blame on Damascus. But the Russian Foreign Ministry called the resolution "unacceptable" and said it was based on "fake information". Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would take its case blaming the rebels for the poisoning to the United Nations."Russia and its armed forces will continue their operations to support the anti-terrorist operations of Syria's armed forces to free the country," Peskov told reporters.Video uploaded to social media showed civilians sprawled on the ground, some in convulsions, others lifeless. Rescue workers hose down the limp bodies of small children, trying to wash away chemicals. People wail and pound on the chests of victims.The charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said one of its hospitals in Syria had treated patients "with symptoms - dilated pupils, muscle spasms, involuntary defecation - consistent with exposure to neuro-toxic agents such as sarin". The World Health Organization also said the symptoms were consistent with exposure to a nerve agent.Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the attack had killed more than 100 people. That death toll could not be independently confirmed.

Hasan Haj Ali, commander of the Free Idlib Army rebel group, called the Russian statement blaming the rebels a "lie" and said rebels did not have the capability to produce nerve gas."Everyone saw the plane while it was bombing with gas," he told Reuters from northwestern Syria. "Likewise, all the civilians in the area know that there are no military positions there, or places for the manufacture (of weapons)."The incident is the first time Washington has accused Assad of using sarin since 2013, when hundreds of people died in an attack on a Damascus suburb. At that time, Washington said Assad had crossed a "red line" set by then-President Barack Obama.Obama threatened an air campaign to topple Assad but called it off at the last minute after the Syrian leader agreed to give up his chemical arsenal under a deal brokered by Moscow, a decision which Trump has long said proved Obama's weakness.SAME DILEMMA

The new incident means Trump is faced with same dilemma that faced his predecessor: whether to openly challenge Moscow and risk deep involvement in a Middle East war by seeking to punish Assad for using banned weapons, or compromise and accept the Syrian leader remaining in power at the risk of looking weak.Trump described Tuesday's incident as "heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime", but also faulted Obama for having failed to enforce the red line four years ago. Obama's spokesman declined to comment.The draft U.N. Security Council statement condemns the attack and demands an investigation. Russia has the power to veto it, which it has done to block all previous resolutions that would harm Assad, most recently in February.France's foreign minister said the chemical attack showed Assad was testing whether the new U.S. administration would stand by Obama-era demands that he be removed from power."It's a test. That's why France repeats the messages, notably to the Americans, to clarify their position," Jean-Marc Ayrault told RTL radio. "I told them that we need clarity. What's your position?"

Trump's response to a diplomatic confrontation with Moscow will be closely watched at home because of accusations by his political opponents that he is too supportive of Russian President Vladimir Putin.He has previously said the United States and Russia should work more closely in Syria to fight against Islamic State.U.S. intelligence agencies say Russia intervened in the U.S. presidential election last year through computer hacking to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. The FBI and two congressional committees are investigating whether figures from the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow, which the White House denies.The chemical attack in Idlib province, one of the last major strongholds of rebels that have fought since 2011 to topple Assad, complicates diplomatic efforts to end a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and driven half of Syrians from their homes.Over the past several months Western countries, including the United States, had been quietly dropping their demands that Assad leave power in any deal to end the war, accepting that the rebels no longer had the capability to topple him by force.The use of banned chemical weapons would make it harder for the international community to sign off on any peace deal that does not remove him.British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who two months ago shifted his country's policy by saying Assad could be allowed to run for re-election, said on Wednesday that he must go."This is a barbaric regime that has made it impossible for us to imagine them continuing to be an authority over the people of Syria after this conflict is over." (Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Moscow: Russia's Investigative Committee on Wednesday said it had detained six "terrorist" recruiters from Central Asia in Saint Petersburg, but insisted there was no proof yet of a link between them and the suspected metro bomber in the city.

The authorities said that those detained had been recruiting people to join groups including the Islamic State "to carry out terrorist crimes" and join "illegal armed groups" abroad.

On Tuesday, the death toll from the bombing in the Saint Petersburg metro blast rose to 14, authorities said.

The blast in a train carriage on the runway between the Technological Institute and Sennaya Ploshchad (Square) metro stations on Monday also left 49 persons injured in the country's second largest city, TASS news agency quoted Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova as saying.

Moscow has termed the blast a "terrorist attack".

Meanwhile, metro stations in Saint Petersburg, which were closed after the attack, have began working in usual manner, TASS news agency reported.

Kyrgyzstan identified the suspect in the twin explosions as "a native of our republic", the country's National Security Committee spokesman Rakhat Sulaimanov said.

According to Sulaimanov, suspect Akbarzhon Jalilov also had Russian citizenship.

He said that Kyrgyzstan's special services were "closely working with their Russian counterparts" in investigating the explosion.

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was not in contact with Bishkek on the Kyrgyz native's role in the attack.

"Not through the Kremlin," Peskov told the media when asked whether Moscow had contacted Bishkek in connection with the attack.

Peskov also said Russia will continue its tough approach against terrorism.

He said Russia could turn to other countries for help in investigating the attack.

"Our investigators will make a decision. If necessary, of course, one cannot exclude the fact that Russia could resort to someone's help if it is needed in the interests of the investigation," Peskov said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavorv on Tuesday dismissed as "vile and cynical" media reports saying the bombings were carried out as revenge for Russia's actions in Syria.

"As for ... speculation, reasoning by some media that the terrorist act is revenge against Russia for our policy in Syria is cynical, vile," Lavrov said.

Authorities in Saint Petersburg have declared three days of mourning for the victims, the BBC reported.

President Vladimir Putin, who was in the city when the blast occurred, visited the scene on Monday evening and laid flowers at a makeshift shrine.

"Certainly, we will consider all variants, common, criminal, first of all, of a terrorist nature," RT News quoted him as saying.

US president Donald Trump spoke with Putin by phone to express condolences over the deadly bombing, the Kremlin said.

According to the Kremlin, no other topics were raised during the conversation.
By Mfuneko Toyana

| JOHANNESBURG

JOHANNESBURG South Africa's African National Congress "closed ranks" around President Jacob Zuma after two key allies of the ruling party called for his resignation following a cabinet reshuffle that cost the country one of its investment-grade credit ratings.The rand fell more than 1 percent and bonds weakened after ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe told a news briefing on Wednesday that the ANC would not support removing Zuma, whose party leadership role ends in December. Zuma's presidential term will finish in 2019.Last Thursday's dismissal of finance minister Pravin Gordhan, a totem of policymaking stability for many foreign investors, was criticised by unions, civil society groups and the opposition, and has revived pressure on Zuma to quit. Since taking office in 2009, the 74-year-old president has repeatedly denied accusations of corruption, and senior ANC officials have backed him.S&P Global Ratings cited Gordhan's departure as one reason for its downgrade of South Africa to "junk" in an unscheduled credit rating review on Monday, a move that is set to push up the country's borrowing costs.Mantashe said the ANC had accepted the "irretrievable breakdown of the relationship" between Zuma and Gordhan as the reason the finance minister was sacked.Gordhan's removal has deepened a rift within the ruling party, with Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, a leading candidate to replace Zuma as ANC president, describing it on Friday as "totally, totally unacceptable".The South African Communist Party (SACP) and the country's biggest trade union, Cosatu, both historic allies of the ANC, have each called on Zuma to step down following the sacking. Mantashe had also openly criticised Zuma's actions but he painted a different picture on Wednesday, saying the ANC would "close ranks" around the president and that the party would iron out its differences with Cosatu and SACP.

The events that unfolded after the reshuffle had "created anxiety and undue confusion as a result of the discordant views, in particular of the National Officials of the ANC," Mantashe said, referring to the criticism directed at Zuma."The officials ... have further acknowledged that their public dissonance on the matter was a mistake that should not be committed again."Half of the ANC's "Top Six" group of officials, including Ramaphosa and Mantashe, had expressed disquiet at Gordhan's sacking. But Zuma, also one of the six, has the support of two other members and influential groups in the ANC, sources say.Analysts said that despite calls to resign from voices outside the ANC, Zuma remains in favour among grassroots members and can count on the backing of large sections of the party, including the youth and women's leagues.Zuma said on Tuesday in his first public comments since the reshuffle that people should remain calm.

The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party said on Wednesday that it had filed an urgent court application to have Zuma's decision to remove Gordhan and deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas set aside on the grounds that it was unlawful.The DA is seeking a no-confidence motion against Zuma in parliament, where the ANC has a commanding majority. Similar votes have failed in the past. "There is no ANC member who will vote for an opposition motion," Mantashe said.Political analysts were not surprised by the ruling party's stance on Wednesday."Zuma stays. Rand drops," political analyst Daniel Silke said, while another political commentator, Nic Borain, said Zuma had reasserted his authority. "Quite frankly he still controls the decision-making organs of the ANC," he said.

INTELLIGENCE REPORT

Deputy Secretary-General Jessie Duarte said Zuma had told top ANC officials in December of his decision to dismiss Gordhan, but that they had persuaded him to delay the action.Duarte told the news briefing that Zuma would meet with the party's integrity commission on April 9, but gave no details.The ANC formed the commission in 2013 to help protect its image and deal with members of the party alleged to have behaved improperly.Mantashe said the ANC had confidence in new Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, who would retain policies set under Gordhan.Mantashe denied that Gordhan was fired solely because of an intelligence report that accused him and Jonas of plotting with banks in London to undermine the South African economy, saying it was not the only reason for Gordhan's removal.Deputy president Ramaphosa had accused Zuma on Friday of removing Gordhan on the basis of a "spurious" report and local media have also reported its existence. "If the relationship has broken down... you go for a divorce," Mantashe said. (Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Catherine Evans)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Moscow: A Syrian air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" containing "toxic substances", Moscow said on Wednesday, a day after a suspected chemical attack in rebel-held northwest Syria that killed scores of civilians.

"According to the objective data of the Russian airspace control, Syrian aviation struck a large terrorist warehouse near Khan Sheikhun," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.

It housed "a warehouse making bombs, with toxic substances", said the ministry, without stating if the strike was voluntary or deliberate.

"The arsenal of chemical weapons" was destined for fighters in Iraq, the ministry said, adding that the information was "completely reliable and objective."

The use of such weapons "by terrorists has been repeatedly proved by international organisations as well as official authorities" in Iraq.

The statement did not specify whether the Syrian regime knew there were chemical weapons there and pointed the finger at "terrorists" who they say hold the toxic arms.

At least 72 civilians including 20 children died in a suspected chemical attack on Tuesday in the rebel-held Syrian town of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib province in the northwest.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said the attack also left dozens suffering respiratory problems and symptoms including vomiting, fainting and foaming at the mouth.

Syria's opposition blamed President Bashar al-Assad's forces, saying the attack cast doubt on the future of peace talks.

The army denied any involvement in a statement blaming "terrorist groups" for using "chemical and toxic substances".

Rebel groups led by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front vowed revenge for the attack.

The incident brought swift international condemnation, with the United States, France and Britain presenting a draft resolution to the UN Security Council demanding a full investigation.
An image by Edlib Media Center, Syrian anti-government activist group, rocked the world as reports said that a suspected chemical weapon attack killed at least 70, including 20 children, in rebel-held northwestern Syria. "There were also 17 women among the dead and the death toll could rise further because there are people missing," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP. Heartbreaking images of desperate patient, weeping children and dead civilians in Syria are, unfortunately, too familiar.

If confirmed, it would be one of the worst chemical attacks since Syria's civil war began six years ago. It was the third claim of a chemical attack in just over a week in Syria. The previous two were reported in Hama province, in an area not far from Khan Sheikhoun. A few hours later, Syrian warplanes launched another airstrike on one of the medical clinics where victims of the first attack were being treated, the The New York Times reported.

World leaders across the world, including US president Donald Trump and British foreign secretary Boris Johnson, went on to record to say that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was "undoubtedly" behind the heinous act. Trump called on to Russia and Iran and asked them to stop recurrence of what many are calling a war crime. Assad, who reportedly renounced all chemical weapons four years ago said that it was not his government which attacked the civilians as he has done every time chemical weapons have been used in Syria. Syria's opposition also blamed President Bashar al-Assad's forces, saying the attack cast doubt on the future of peace talks. The army denied any involvement in a statement blaming "terrorist groups" for using "chemical and toxic substances".

As the Syrian military accused the rebels for causing the "war crime", reports said that the magnitude of Tuesday's attack was evident that the Syrian government carried out the attacks. "...only the Syrian military had the ability and the motive to carry out an aerial attack like the one that struck the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun," The New York Times report said. According to this article in Vox, there are no good guys in the ongoing and seemingly unending civil war in Syria, as even the rebels have been accused of atrocious war crimes. However, Tuesday's attack or similar attacks in the past couldn't have been carried out without the assistance from the ruling government.

Photos and video emerging from Khan Sheikhoun, located south of the provincial capital of Idlib, showed the limp bodies of children and adults. Some were struggling to breathe; others appeared to be foaming at the mouth. Chemical weapons have killed hundreds of people since the start of Syria's civil war six years ago, with the United Nations blaming three attacks on the Syrian government and a fourth on the Islamic State. Syrian rebels and opposition activists said that pro-government forces have used chemical weapons and bombs containing chlorine on numerous occasions.

In July 2012, Syria finally acknowledged that the government possessed chemical weapons, which a foreign ministry spokesman said would be used only against "external aggression." A month later President Obama drew his famous "red line." Even though there were several reports in the coming months which blamed Assad regime of using chemical weapons, it was only in August 2013 when the US government assessment said it was "highly likely" Assad's government was responsible.

The first major chemical weapon attack occured in Ghouta, a Damascus suburb, in 2013. The rebel-controlled Ghouta suburbs near Damascus were bombed on 21 August, 2013 with a powerful nerve agent known as Sarin, killing many hundreds of civilians, including children, in the most lethal chemical attack since Saddam Hussein gassed Iraqi Kurds in Halabja in 1988. Assad had at that time protested that he was innocent, but he was up against a mass of compelling circumstantial evidence and failed to produce any convincing alternative theory.

In a 22-page report prepared by the Human Rights Watch, Attacks on Ghouta: Analysis of Alleged Use of Chemical Weapons in Syria, the HRW analysed witness accounts of the rocket attacks, information on the likely source of the attacks, the physical remnants of the weapon systems used, and the medical symptoms exhibited by the victims as documented by medical staff, and concluded that it was a state-sponsored attack.

Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch and author of the report, was quoted as saying, "Rocket debris and symptoms of the victims from the August 21 attacks on Ghouta provide telltale evidence about the weapon systems used. This evidence strongly suggests that Syrian government troops launched rockets carrying chemical warheads into the Damascus suburbs that terrible morning." Assad and his government, as expected, denied any role in the brutal attacks and instead blamed the opposition, even though the Assad government was unable to produce any credible evidence to back up its claims.

The HRW, back then, even looked into Assad government's claim that the opposition is behind the attacks. The HRW, however, found such claims lacking in credibility and inconsistent with the evidence found at the scene. In an interview in 2015 to French television since the start of the Syrian civil war, Assad claimed that his government was not involved in the chemical attacks on Syrians. Public television channel France 2, in a 25-minute interview in 2015 with the Syrian president, showed Assad denying gassing his own people. "This is not proof," Assad said and added that he had never seen such methods be employed by the Syrian army. Asked if he was implying the images have been faked, Assad replied their authenticity should be "verified."

Since 2012, the Assad government has been accused of several chemical attacks in Syria (see the timeline below for reference) and Assad's future role is a key sticking point  the rebels and their international backers demand that he must step down. But Assad refuses to budge and his key ally in Moscow has backed him to the hilt against the rebels and shows no sign of changing tack. More than 4 million Syrians have been displaced since the civil war began almost six years ago.

Brazenness and the scale of Tuesday's assault has now threatened to subvert a nominal cease-fire, which is often violated  that had taken hold in parts of the country since Assad's Army retook the northern city of Aleppo in December with the help of Russians, emboldening the Syrian leader to think he could win the war.

With inputs from agencies
A suspected chemical attack in rebel-held northwestern Syria killed dozens of civilians including children and left many more sick and gasping, causing international outrage Wednesday. The attack on the town of Khan Sheikhun killed at least 70 civilians and saw dozens suffer respiratory problems and symptoms including vomiting, fainting and foaming at the mouth, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

Syria's opposition blamed President Bashar al-Assad's forces, saying the attack cast doubt on the future of peace talks. The army denied any involvement in a statement blaming "terrorist groups" for using "chemical and toxic substances".

At least 20 children and 13 women were among the dead, the Observatory said, and an AFP correspondent in Khan Sheikhun saw many people on respirators.

Photos and video emerging from Khan Sheikhoun, located south of the provincial capital of Idlib, showed the limp bodies of children and adults. Some were struggling to breathe; others appeared to be foaming at the mouth.

If confirmed, it would be one of the worst chemical attacks since Syria's civil war began six years ago. It was the third claim of a chemical attack in just over a week in Syria. The previous two were reported in Hama province, in an area not far from Khan Sheikhoun.

Opposition activists and a doctor in Idlib said it was the worst incident since the 2013 gas attack on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta that killed hundreds of civilians and which a UN investigation said used sarin gas.

The incident brought swift international condemnation, with the United States, France and Britain presenting a draft resolution to the UN Security Council demanding a full investigation.

"This is clearly a war crime," British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft told reporters. The Tahrir al-Sham rebel alliance, which includes Al-Qaeda's former affiliate, the Fateh al-Sham Front, vowed to avenge the deaths, calling on fighters to "ignite the fronts".

Faced with international outrage over that attack, Assad agreed to a Russia-sponsored deal to destroy his chemical arsenal. His government declared a 1,300-ton stockpile of chemical weapons and so-called precursor chemicals that can be used to make weapons, all of which were destroyed.

But member states of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have repeatedly questioned whether Assad declared everything. The widely available chemical chlorine was not covered in the 2013 declaration and activists say they have documented dozens of cases of chlorine gas attacks since then.

The Syrian government has consistently denied using chemical weapons and chlorine gas, accusing the rebels of deploying it in the war instead. Dr. AbdulHai Tennari, a pulmonologist who treated dozens of victims of Tuesday's attack, said it appeared to be more serious than a chlorine attack. In a Skype interview, he said doctors were struggling amid extreme shortages, including of the antidote used to save patients, Pralidoxem.

Most of the fatalities died before they reached hospitals, Tennari said. "If they got to the hospital we can treat them. Two children who took a while before they were lifted out of the rubble died," he said.

Dr. Mohammed Tennari, a radiologist and AbdulHaj Tennari's brother, said Tuesday's attack was more severe than previous ones in the province, most of which used chlorine cylinders.

"Honestly, we have not seen this before. The previous times the wounds were less severe," he said. The doctor, who testified before the United Nations in 2015 about renewed Syrian government use of chemical attacks despite claims it has destroyed its stockpiles, said there was a chlorine smell after Tuesday's attack, but it was mixed with another unknown "toxic gas which causes poison and death."

Mohammed Hassoun, a media activist in the nearby town of Sarmin, where some of the critical cases were transferred, said doctors there also believed it was likely more than one gas. "Chlorine gas doesn't cause such convulsions," he said, adding that doctors suspect sarin was used.

"There are 18 critical cases here. They were unconscious, they had seizures and when oxygen was administered, they bled from the nose and mouth," he told The Associated Press.

Tarik Jasarevic, spokesman for the World Health Organization in Geneva, said by email that the agency was gathering more information about Tuesday's incident. The Syrian American Medical Society, which supports hospitals in opposition-held territory, also said it had sent inspectors to Khan Sheikhoun and an investigation was underway.

Hussein Kayal, a photographer for the Idlib Media Center, said he was awakened by the sound of a bomb blast around 6:30 a.m., and when he arrived at the scene he found entire families inside their homes unable to move, with their eyes wide open and their pupils constricted. He put on a mask, and he and others took victims to an emergency room. He said he later felt a burning sensation in his fingers and was treated for that.

The province of Idlib, which is almost entirely controlled by the opposition, is home to some 900,000 displaced Syrians, according to the United Nations. Rebels and opposition officials have expressed concerns that the government is planning to mount a concentrated attack on the crowded province.

'Brutal, unabashed barbarism'

Washington condemned what it called a "reprehensible" attack by Assad's forces and US officials said his allies Russia and Iran must bring the dictator to heel. "While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.

Attack drew swift condemnation from world leaders, including President Donald Trump, who denounced it as a "heinous" act that "cannot be ignored by the civilized world." The UN Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday in response to the strike, which came on the eve of a major international donors' conference in Brussels on the future of Syria and the region.

In a statement, Trump also blamed former President Barack Obama for "weakness" in failing to respond aggressively after the 2013 attack.

"These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution," Trump said. "President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing. The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack."

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said the attack was believed to be chemical and launched from the air, adding there should be a "clear identification of responsibilities and accountability".

The Observatory said the attack on a residential part of Khan Sheikhun came early on Tuesday, when a warplane carried out strikes that released "toxic gas". As well as those killed, at least 160 people were injured, it said, and many died even after arriving at medical facilities.

The monitor could not confirm the nature of the gas, but said the attack was probably carried out by government warplanes. "We ran inside the houses and saw whole families just dead in their beds," resident Abu Mustafa said.

"Children, women, old people dead in the streets." Russia's military, which has been fighting in support of Assad's government since September 2015, denied carrying out any strikes near the town.

Hours after the initial attack, air strikes also hit a hospital in the town where doctors were treating victims, the AFP correspondent said, bringing down rubble on top of medics as they worked. He saw a young girl, a woman and two elderly people dead at a hospital.

A father carried his dead little girl wrapped in a sheet, her lips blueish and her dark curls visible. Speaking to AFP, medic Hazem Shehwan said victims of the earlier attack had symptoms including "pinpoint pupils, convulsions, foaming at the mouth and rapid pulses".

Army denial

Khan Sheikhun is in Idlib province, which is largely controlled by the Tahrir al-Sham rebel alliance. The province is regularly targeted in government and Russian air strikes, and has also been hit by the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group, usually targeting jihadists.

The Observatory said 16 people, including 11 children, were killed Tuesday by air strikes in Salqin, in north Idlib province. Syria's leading opposition group, the National Coalition, blamed Assad for the Khan Sheikhun attack.

Damascus officially joined the Chemical Weapons Convention and turned over its declared chemical arsenal in 2013, as part of a deal to avert US military action. That agreement came after hundreds of people  up to 1,429 according to a US intelligence report  were killed in chemical weapons strikes allegedly carried out by government troops east and southwest of Damascus.

But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use since, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015. The army again denied using chemical weapons on Tuesday, insisting "it has never used them, any time, anywhere, and will not do so in the future".

Peace talks doubts

More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests. Successive rounds of peace talks, including a UN-sponsored meeting in Geneva last week, have failed to produce a political breakthrough. Tuesday's attack cast new doubt on the peace process, said the opposition's chief negotiator Mohamad Sabra.

"If the United Nations cannot deter the regime from carrying out such crimes, how can it achieve a process that leads to political transition in Syria?" he told AFP. A senior Syrian security source told AFP that opposition forces were trying to "achieve in the media what they could not achieve on the ground" by spreading images from the alleged attack site.

The UN Security Council is to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the attack following calls from France and Britain.

With inputs from The Associated Press and AFP
By Maria Tsvetkova and Tom Perry

| MOSCOW/BEIRUT

MOSCOW/BEIRUT Russia denied on Wednesday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was to blame for a poison gas attack and said it would continue to back him, widening a rift between the Kremlin and Donald Trump's White House, which initially sought warmer ties.Western countries, including the United States, blamed Assad's armed forces for the worst chemical attack in Syria for more than four years, which choked scores of people to death in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in a rebel-held area on Tuesday.U.S. intelligence officials, based on a preliminary assessment, think the deaths were most likely caused by sarin nerve gas dropped by Syrian aircraft. But Moscow offered an alternative explanation that would shield Assad: that the poison gas belonged to rebels and had leaked from an insurgent weapons depot hit by Syrian bombs.A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Russian explanation was not credible. "We don't believe it," the official said.The United States, Britain and France have proposed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would pin the blame on Damascus. But the Russian Foreign Ministry called the resolution "unacceptable" and said it was based on "fake information".The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley issued what appeared to be a threat of unilateral action if Security Council members could not agree."When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," Nikki Haley told the Security Council, without elaborating.Trump described the attack as "horrible" and "unspeakable" and called it a "terrible affront to humanity". Asked whether he was formulating a new policy towards Syria, Trump told reporters: "You'll see."Video uploaded to social media showed civilians sprawled on the ground, some in convulsions, others lifeless. Rescue workers hose down the limp bodies of small children, trying to wash away chemicals. People wail and pound on the chests of victims.The charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said one of its hospitals in Syria had treated patients "with symptoms - dilated pupils, muscle spasms, involuntary defecation - consistent with exposure to neuro-toxic agents such as sarin". The World Health Organization also said the symptoms were consistent with exposure to a nerve agent.Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the attack had killed more than 100 people. That death toll could not be independently confirmed.

"We're talking about war crimes," French U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters in New York.Hasan Haj Ali, commander of the Free Idlib Army rebel group, called the Russian statement blaming the rebels a "lie" and said rebels did not have the capability to produce nerve gas."Everyone saw the plane while it was bombing with gas," he told Reuters from northwestern Syria. "Likewise, all the civilians in the area know that there are no military positions there, or places for the manufacture (of weapons)."The incident is the first time Washington has accused Assad of using sarin since 2013, when hundreds of people died in an attack on a Damascus suburb. At that time, Washington said Assad had crossed a "red line" set by then-President Barack Obama.Obama threatened an air campaign to topple Assad but called it off at the last minute after the Syrian leader agreed to give up his chemical arsenal under a deal brokered by Moscow, a decision which Trump has long said proved Obama's weakness.

SAME DILEMMA

The new incident means Trump is faced with same dilemma that faced his predecessor: whether to openly challenge Moscow and risk deep involvement in a Middle East war by seeking to punish Assad for using banned weapons, or compromise and accept the Syrian leader remaining in power at the risk of looking weak.Trump described Tuesday's incident as "heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime" and faulted Obama for having failed to enforce the red line four years ago. Obama's spokesman declined to comment.The draft U.N. Security Council statement condemns the attack and demands an investigation. Russia has the power to veto it, which it has done to block all previous resolutions that would harm Assad, most recently in February.France's foreign minister said the chemical attack showed Assad was testing whether the new U.S. administration would stand by Obama-era demands that he be removed from power."It's a test. That's why France repeats the messages, notably to the Americans, to clarify their position," Jean-Marc Ayrault told RTL radio. "I told them that we need clarity. What's your position?"

Trump's response to a diplomatic confrontation with Moscow will be closely watched at home because of accusations by his political opponents that he is too supportive of Russian President Vladimir Putin.His relationship with Russia has deteriorated since the presidential election campaign, when candidate Trump praised Putin as a strong leader and vowed to improve relations between the two countries, including a more coordinated effort to defeat Islamic State in Syria.He has previously said the United States and Russia should work more closely in Syria to fight against Islamic State.But as Russia has grown more assertive, including interfering in European politics and deploying missiles in Kaliningrad and a new ground-launched cruise missile near Volgograd in southern Russia -- an apparent violation of the 1987 Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty -- relations have cooled, U.S. officials have said.The chemical attack in Idlib province, one of the last major strongholds of rebels that have fought since 2011 to topple Assad, complicates diplomatic efforts to end a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and driven half of Syrians from their homes.Over the past several months Western countries, including the United States, had been quietly dropping their demands that Assad leave power in any deal to end the war, accepting that the rebels no longer had the capability to topple him by force.The use of banned chemical weapons would make it harder for the international community to sign off on any peace deal that does not remove him.British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who two months ago shifted his country's policy by saying Assad could be allowed to run for re-election, said on Wednesday that he must go."This is a barbaric regime that has made it impossible for us to imagine them continuing to be an authority over the people of Syria after this conflict is over." (Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; writing by Peter Graff and Philippa Fletcher; editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
United Nations: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "deeply disturbed" by reports of a suspected chemical attack on Syria but is not in a position to independently verify it.

In a statement from his spokesperson, the Secretary-General expressed condolences to the victims of the incident and their families.

He said that the UN Security Council has affirmed that the use of chemical weapons "constitutes a serious violation of international law" and runs counter to resolutions passed by the 15-member body.

While the UN has said that it is not in a position to independently verify these reports, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is in the process of gathering and analysing information to confirm if chemical weapons were used.

The OPCW is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which aims to eliminate an entire category of weapons of mass destruction by prohibiting the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, transfer or use of chemical weapons by States Parties.

Meanwhile, the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic has voiced its support for OPCW's fact-finding mission. Established by the UN Human Rights Council, the Commission works to investigate if human rights abuses that have occurred in Syria since March 2011 and who should be held responsible.

In a statement, the Commission urged "full support" for the fact-finding mission and the independent Joint Investigative Mechanism.

"It is imperative for perpetrators of such attacks to be identified and held accountable," the Commission said, adding that it is also investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack.

Preliminary information indicates a number of civilian casualties, including children. "Both the use of chemical weapons, as well as the

deliberate targeting of medical facilities, would amount to war crimes and serious violations of human rights law," the Commission said.
Washington: Melania Trump has chosen to keep a low profile ever since her husband Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th US president. However, Melania returned to public gaze on Tuesday  in a manner of speaking  after the White House released her official portrait as the First Lady of the United States. To say the least, her portrait had divided public opinion (but perhaps as not as much as her husband).

Official Portrait of First Lady pic.twitter.com/K1DUVE5kSI  Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) April 3, 2017

Melania, shown from the waist up, arms crossed, is dressed in a black jacket with a black bow around her neck: Also noteworthy, the huge (yuuuuge!) rock on her left hand, dwarfing the relatively subdued sparkler on her right. Shot by Belgian-born photographer Regine Mahaux, who has previously worked with the Trump family, the first lady is smiling slightly, with a perfectly flawless visage. While some gushed that the first lady was "beyond beautiful" and "gorgeous," others on Twitter mocked (shocking, we know) the image as highly airbrushed and compared the gauzy background  a window in the White House residence  to 1990s school portrait settings.

Anyone know why Melania Trump's portrait was taken in front of the Muppet Babies Window? pic.twitter.com/EOLfwfBggE  Sasha Stewart (@ArtfulStew) April 3, 2017

yo why the official portrait of the first lady look like that super airbrushed pic of adam sandler from click pic.twitter.com/xHPcGPGJso  thicka than most (@mrdaddymanphd) April 3, 2017

Congrats to Melania on her official portrait pic.twitter.com/SuTfebTtTI  Luke O'Neil (@lukeoneil47) April 3, 2017

"Ah, Wonder Woman, welcome to my lair" https://t.co/YIilxrj2ri  Jason Miller (@longwall26) April 3, 2017

Meanwhile, critics jumped on a line in the White House statement that said the portrait was taken in Trump's "new residence at the White House." While every other modern first lady has accompanied her husband to Washington, the 46-year-old Trump has remained at her luxury triplex penthouse in Manhattan and not made many public appearances. Melania has said she would remain in New York until son Barron finishes the school year. Others on social media, including actor George Takei and Russian pop band Pussy Riot, used the portrait to take a swipe at the rumoured shaky state of Donald and Melania's marriage.

Folks divided about Melania's portrait. She looks forward to seeing it when visiting the White House--or as she calls it, her summer home.  George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) April 4, 2017

that's what trophy wives do with misogynist pigs or family portrait of melania and donald pic.twitter.com/Y8R1trSgkE  Pussy Riot (@pussyrrriot) March 29, 2017

Melania's White House portrait is beautiful and will make an excellent conversation piece if she ever happens to visit the White House.  Nick Amadeus (@NickAmadeus) April 3, 2017

Donald and Melania: A Portrait. pic.twitter.com/G9eOr9XsAQ  wtf renaissance (@WtfRenaissance) March 16, 2017

And of course, a few smart alecs had some special quips for The Donald.

Everyone is talking about Melania Trump's White House portrait but no one is talking about Donald's. Sad! pic.twitter.com/4nyULcLheW  Noah Kinsey (@thenoahkinsey) April 4, 2017

@ThorntonNiwot @nmeyersohn After seeing this portrait, Imagine how hugely disappointed Melania is, to this day. pic.twitter.com/TROZAL0iLs  Bonrat (@Bonrat) March 19, 2017

Meanwhile, Melania issued a small statement accompanying the photo's release: "I am honoured to serve in the role of first lady, and look forward to working on behalf of the American people over the coming years."

This isn't the first time that a first lady portrait has stoked controversy. Michelle Obama was criticised for wearing a sleeveless dress in her first official portrait in 2009, with some saying the bare arms were too casual.

Which is kind of ironic, since the US Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms.

With inputs from AFP
For the past two decades, Europe has been a frontrunner in sustainable palm oil with the EU market reaching high levels. However, total palm oil imports are decreasing.... Read More
They're both big, successful drugmakers, but AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) and GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) haven't competed directly against each other all that much in the past. That could potentially change in the future, however, with Glaxo's bid to enter the autoimmune disease market currently dominated by AbbVie.

Regardless of what happens in the future with their potential product rivalries, which of these stocks is the better pick for investors now? Here's how AbbVie and GlaxoSmithKline compare.

Image source: Getty Images.

Growth

AbbVie easily comes out on top versus GlaxoSmithKline in both sales and earnings growth in recent years. The more important thing for investors, however, is how much each company will be able to grow earnings in the future.

A big question for AbbVie relates to potential challengers to its top-selling autoimmune disease drug, Humira. If it can fend off rivals like it hopes to do, sales for Humira will remain strong. That will allow AbbVie's blockbuster cancer drugs Imbruvica and Venclexta to help deliver additional growth.

Its pipeline also includes several potential stars. AbbVie expects to file for regulatory approval of elagolix, which targets treatment of endometriosis and uterine fibroids, and experimental lung cancer drug Rova-T this year. Other likely winners should follow, including autoimmune disease candidates ABT-494 and risankizumab. Wall Street analysts project that the combination of AbbVie's current products and its pipeline should allow the biotech to grow earnings by nearly 15% annually over the next five years.

GlaxoSmithKline has seen sales fall for its top-selling product, respiratory drug Advair. However, the drugmaker received a lot of help from newer respiratory drugs to offset Advair's declines. GlaxoSmithKline's biggest success has been in HIV, with skyrocketing sales for Tivicay and Triumeq.

The company's pipeline looks especially strong in HIV, with seven late-stage programs. GlaxoSmithKline hopes to extend its leadership in the respiratory area with a couple of late-stage candidates, including experimental COPD drug mepolizumab. In addition, the big pharma company claims several late-stage rare-disease drugs.

GlaxoSmithKline also awaits regulatory approval for sirukumab, which would compete against AbbVie's Humira in the rheumatoid arthrititis market if approved. All of this is enough to convince Wall Street analysts that GlaxoSmithKline can grow its earnings by an average annual rate of nearly 14% over the next five years.

Valuation

AbbVie stock currently trades at 18 times trailing-12-month earnings and 10 times expected earnings. That makes the biotech stock's valuation appear quite attractive.

Looking in the rearview mirror, GlaxoSmithKline stock looks a lot more expensive with a trailing-12-month earnings multiple of nearly 93. However, the drugmaker's improving earnings picture gives it a forward earnings multiple of 15. That's much better, but AbbVie clearly wins on valuation.

Dividends

Both AbbVie and GlaxoSmithKline claim impressive dividend yields. GlaxoSmithKline's yield of 4.75% tops AbbVie's yield of 3.93%, which might make you think the nod in this category should go to the British drugmaker.

However, we also need to look at the ability to keep the dividends flowing. On that count, AbbVie performs much better. While GlaxoSmithKline didn't generate nearly enough profits in 2016 to fund its dividend, AbbVie used less than 63% of its earnings to pay dividends.

Also, GlaxoSmithKline's dividend has gone up and down and recent years. AbbVie, on the other hand, has steadily increased its dividend every year since the company's spinoff from Abbott Labs.

Better buy

I don't think this is a tough decision. GlaxoSmithKline is making a comeback with great new products that should provide solid growth for the future and claims a high dividend yield. However, in my view, AbbVie is the better choice.

AbbVie combines impressive growth, low valuation, and a tremendous dividend track record. Although the biotech faces some questions about biosimilar competition to Humira, AbbVie seems to be in reasonable position to fend off U.S. challengers for at least a few years.

10 stocks we like better than AbbVieWhen 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 AbbVie 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 April 3, 2017

Keith Speights owns shares of AbbVie. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. FAQ - New Privacy Policy
What happened

Shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NYSE: TEVA), an Israeli-based producer of generic and branded drugs, sank another 8% in March, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. Shares of Teva have now lost half their value since the beginning of 2016. Last month, a couple of ongoing themes reared their heads and pushed Teva lower.

So what

For starters, there's still uncertainty over what will happen with multiple sclerosis injectable drug Copaxone. Teva Pharmaceutical has been using the power of the legal system to delay the entrance of generic versions of Copaxone for years, and it's even reformulated the drug so that it can be injected three-times weekly as opposed to once every day, making it more convenient for the patient. Nonetheless, the future is uncertain for this critical profit producer.

Image source: Getty Images.

President Trump also made things a bit uneasy for Teva in March. Trump once again tweeted that he would find a way to lower drug pricing in America, which is a worrisome development for all drugmakers. In some ways, Teva, which is the largest generic-drug producer in the world, could benefit from an increased push toward generic medicines. But generic-drug producers thrive off a big gap in branded and generic pricing. And, let's not forget that drug price reform could still hurt Teva's branded-drug segment.

Additionally, Teva was forced to deal with rumors that it was set to lay off about 6,000 people from its workforce to reduce its expenses. For those who may not recall, its acquisition of Actavis put Teva in a pretty deep debt hole, and reduced expenditures via layoffs are a genuine possibility. The rumored layoffs turned out to be false, but it nonetheless struck a chord with investors.

Now what

Teva certainly has its fair share of problems, which also include the recent departure of its CEO and the admission and settlement of bribery charges in three foreign countries. Despite all of this, this Fool and current shareholder believes there's long-term value in its stock.

Image source: Getty Images.

While it did pile on the debt, the acquisition of Actavis should save Teva about $1.4 billion annually by 2019, and it greatly expands the company's generics portfolio. Between the growing demand for generics, the endless supply of branded drugs losing patent protection, and the improved pricing power that likely comes with being the market share leader in generic production, Teva should see margin improvement in the not-too-distant future.

I also believe that Teva has done a sufficiently good job of reformulating Copaxone and moving its patients to the new formulation. Copaxone has been around long enough and built up enough rapport with patients and physicians that losses to generic competition could be far less than projected.

And, of course, there's Teva's exceptionally inexpensive valuation. The company is valued at less than seven times forward earnings, and it's sporting a market-topping 3.6% dividend yield. For patient investors, Teva still looks like a winner.

10 stocks we like better than Teva Pharmaceutical IndustriesWhen 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 Teva Pharmaceutical Industries 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 April 3, 2017

Sean Williams owns shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. The Motley Fool recommends Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Oil prices settled a shade firmer on Wednesday, easing from one-month highs, as support from an outage at the largest UK North Sea oilfield was offset by a surprise increase in U.S. crude inventories to a record high limited price gains.

News of the unplanned outage of the 180,000-barrels-per-day Buzzard field in the North Sea had already began to support prices on Tuesday. Sources said the repairs would take one to two days.

Prices, however, turned lower briefly on Wednesday after the U.S. government reported a rise in crude inventories of 1.6 million barrels last week.

Analysts had expected a decrease of 435,000 barrels, and the build reported by the Energy Information Administration came as a double surprise after trade group the American Petroleum Institute (API) reported a 1.8 million-barrel draw late on Tuesday.

"Yesterday's API report gave the market a bullish head-fake via three chunky draws, hence a build to crude stocks and minor draws to the products is causing a tempering of bullish optimism," said Matt Smith, director of commodity research at ClipperData in Louisville, Kentucky.

Brent futures ended the session up 19 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $54.36 a barrel after earlier touching $55.09, last traded on March 8. U.S. crude settled 12 cents, or 0.2 percent, higher at $51.15.

"The crude build caught the market leaning the wrong way. Crude exports dropped to 575,000 bpd this week, versus over 1 million bpd last week," said David Thompson, executive vice-president at Powerhouse, a commodities-focused broker in Washington.

"The selling most likely includes a fair number of sell stops being hit."

Still, there were positives in the data, traders and analysts said.

"Overall we think the data is fairly neutral," Standard Chartered said in a note.

It said total crude and product inventories fell 2 million barrels relative to their five-year average, in the right direction but significantly less than the previous week's 8.3 million barrel draw.

An output cut from Jan. 1 led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries helped lift prices off last year's lows but rising U.S. output and high crude stocks have limited the rally.

Saudi Arabia cut the May official selling prices (OSP) for its light crude oil for Asian customers, in line with expectations, but raised the price for oil sales to the United States.

OPEC and non-OPEC producers, including Russia, together cut supply by about 1.8 million bpd for six months, and are considering whether to extend the agreement.

The inventory surplus is likely to decline even without a prolonged cut, analysts at JBC Energy said.

"In the event of OPEC/non-OPEC not extending the cuts into the second half, the world would still continue to draw stocks at a mild pace of about 200,000 bpd until September, thereby lending support to prices one way or another," JBC said.

However, a rise in U.S. output is likely to pressure prices, analysts said.

(Additional reporting by Scott DiSavino in New York, Alex Lawler in London, Henning Gloystein in Singapore; editing by David Gregorio and Marguerita Choy)
When President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week to sweep away Obama-era climate change regulations, he said it would end America's "war on coal", usher in a new era of energy production and put miners back to work.

But the biggest consumers of U.S. coal - power generating companies - remain unconvinced.

Reuters surveyed 32 utilities with operations in the 26 states that sued former President Barack Obama's administration to block its Clean Power Plan, the main target of Trump's executive order. The bulk of them have no plans to alter their multi-billion dollar, years-long shift away from coal, suggesting demand for the fuel will keep falling despite Trump's efforts.

The utilities gave many reasons, mainly economic: Natural gas - coals top competitor - is cheap and abundant; solar and wind power costs are falling; state environmental laws remain in place; and Trump's regulatory rollback may not survive legal challenges.

Meanwhile, big investors aligned with the global push to fight climate change  such as the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund  have been pressuring U.S. utilities in which they own stakes to cut coal use.

"Im not going to build new coal plants in todays environment," said Ben Fowke, CEO of Xcel Energy, which operates in eight states and uses coal for about 36 percent of its electricity production. "And if Im not going to build new ones, eventually there wont be any."

Of the 32 utilities contacted by Reuters, 20 said Trump's order would have no impact on their investment plans; five said they were reviewing the implications of the order; six gave no response. Just one said it would prolong the life of some of its older coal-fired power units.

North Dakota's Basin Electric Power Cooperative was the sole utility to identify an immediate positive impact of Trump's order on the outlook for coal.

"Were in the situation where the executive order takes a lot of pressure off the decisions we had to make in the near term, such as whether to retrofit and retire older coal plants," said Dale Niezwaag, a spokesman for Basin Electric. "But Trump can be a one-termer, so the reprieve out there is short."

Trump's executive order triggered a review aimed at killing the Clean Power Plan. The Obama-era law would have required states, by 2030, to collectively cut carbon emissions from existing power plants by 30 percent from 2005 levels. It was designed as a primary strategy in U.S. efforts to fight global climate change.

The U.S. coal industry, without increases in domestic demand, would need to rely on export markets for growth. Shipments of U.S. metallurgical coal, used in the production of steel, have recently shown up in China following a two-year hiatus - in part to offset banned shipments from North Korea and temporary delays from cyclone-hit Australian producers.

RETIRING AND RETROFITTING

Coal had been the primary fuel source for U.S. power plants for the last century, but its use has fallen more than a third since 2008 after advancements in drilling technology unlocked new reserves of natural gas.

Hundreds of aging coal-fired power plants have been retired or retrofitted. Huge coal mining companies like Peabody Energy Corp and Arch Coal fell into bankruptcy, and production last year hit its lowest point since 1978.

The slide appears likely to continue: U.S. power companies now expect to retire or convert more than 8,000 megawatts of coal-fired plants in 2017 after shutting almost 13,000 MW last year, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration and Thomson Reuters data.

Luke Popovich, a spokesman for the National Mining Association, acknowledged Trump's efforts would not return the coal industry to its "glory days," but offered some hope.

"There may not be immediate plans for utilities to bring on more coal, but the future is always uncertain in this market," he said.

Many of the companies in the Reuters survey said they had been focused on reducing carbon emissions for a decade or more and were hesitant to change direction based on shifting political winds in Washington D.C.

"Utility planning typically takes place over much longer periods than presidential terms of office," Berkshire Hathaway Inc-owned Pacificorp spokesman Tom Gauntt said.

Several utilities also cited falling costs for wind and solar power, which are now often as cheap as coal or natural gas, thanks in part to government subsidies for renewable energy.

In the meantime, activist investors have increased pressure on U.S. utilities to shun coal.

In the last year, Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, has excluded more than a dozen U.S. power companies - including Xcel, American Electric Power Co Inc and NRG Energy Inc - from its investments because of their reliance on coal-fired power.

Another eight companies, including Southern Co and NorthWestern Corp, are "under observation" by the fund.

Wyoming-based coal miner Cloud Peak Energy said it doesn't blame utilities for being lukewarm to Trump's order.

"For eight years, if you were a utility running coal, you got the hell kicked out of you," said Richard Reavey, a spokesman for the company. "Are you going to turn around tomorrow and say, 'Let's buy lots of coal plants'? Pretty unlikely."

(Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Brian Thevenot)
President Donald Trump is meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago beginning Thursday, in what has become a hotly anticipated conference where the two are expected to discuss contentious international issues, ranging from North Koreas nuclear provocations to trade.

As far as trade discussions, steel dumping is expected to be near the top of that list. For years, China -- which was admitted to the World Trade Organization in 2001-- has been accused of flooding foreign markets with steel it sells at a lower price than what it charges domestically.

China has as much as 400 million metric tons in steel overcapacity, according to Gordon Chang, author of The Coming Collapse of China. This is the result of a couple things, including the fact that the Chinese government subsidizes or controls many companies, Chang said.

Another factor that has added to Chinas steel glut is a Chinese manufacturing boom, which has included massive investments in infrastructure over the past 15 years, Steve Mehltretter, partner in the Metals & Mining Practice at global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, told FOX Business.

In theory, excess capacity hasnt been a problem unique to China. However, there is an important difference in how other countries have managed their gluts within the global economy.

The big players in North America and Europe, they have been removing capacity over time to try to get supply and demand back in balance, Mehltretter said.

While the U.S. has closed factories and laid off workerswith 14,500 layoffs between January 2015 and June 2016 alone according to a United Steel Workers ReportChina has continued to produce and add to the global steel glut.

The Beijing government makes a promise every year they will reduce overcapacity and that doesnt happen, Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, told FOX Business.

In 2016 China produced more than 808 million metric tons of steel, nearly 50% of the worlds total output, according to the World Steel Association. By contrast, the United States produced less than 79 million metric tons, or 4.8% of global output.

While companies in Europe and Mexico are also impacted by this practice, Paul said the United States is the most vulnerable.

U.S. steelmakers feel this more than anyone else because our market is so open, we have very low tariffs  In many other countries they try to find ways to keep that Chinese steel out, he said.

The act of dumping is not directly against WTO rules, as Dan Ikenson, director of the Cato Institute's Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, pointed out. However, many countries have their own anti-dumping laws. The U.S. imposes duties.

The Trump Card

Last week the president signed an executive order specifically targeting countries who owe the U.S. anti-dumping duties. But Washington will need to take firmer action in order to correct the imbalances within the steel industry, Paul said.

I would compare this to putting Band-Aids on a chronically ill person  Ultimately you need the cure, the cure is eliminating the overcapacity and eliminating Chinas anti-competitive practices, he said.

Paul is hopeful Trump will make progress during his talks with China. While President Trump predicted on Twitter that he would have a difficult meeting with President Xi, he may have the upper hand when it comes to trade, Chang said.

Trump can employ the rough tactics that China uses against us  [But he] might not need to actually impose such bans, quotas, or tariffs  the mere threat of them would probably be enough to get China to shut down capacity fast and eliminate subsidies  China needs access to the American market more than American producers need access to China. Trump holds the high cards and should play them.

On Tuesday during a town hall with more than 50 CEOs and business leaders, Trump mentioned the meeting, saying it will be an interesting talk.

[I] have a lot of respect for [President Xi]. Ive spoken to him numerous times. But we have to do better, because our deficit with China, as you know, $504 billion. Thats [per] year. Thats enough for a lifetime, he said.
Lawmakers clashed on Capitol Hill in an historic way Thursday over President Donald Trumps Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch, as Republicans changed Senate rules to advance his nomination.

Republicans, unable to assemble the 60 votes necessary to end the Democrats' filibuster, responded by invoking the controversial nuclear option, which will allow Gorsuch to be confirmed with a simple majority of votes. Under these circumstances, Gorsuch will likely be confirmed by Friday.

The ideologically divided sitting justices have one big marquee case left in this term and two cases in the upcoming term that stand to impact religion, state budgets and the finance industryand the Courts deciding vote (or lack thereof) could make all the difference.

Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Comer

Trinity Lutheran is the last big controversial case of the 2017 term. At the center of the debate is a church located in Missouri that operates a preschool and daycare center with a playground open to students when school is in session, and open to the public when school is out. The state of Missouri offers a grant program to nonprofits and government entities that Trinity Lutheran applied to for help with the cost of resurfacing the blacktop on the playground. The application was denied because of the schools religious affiliation.

The question that will be argued before the Supreme Court is whether an institution can be denied access to a secular benefit program on the basis of its religious affiliation.

The Court will grapple with whether the governments asserted justification for denying the grant at issue  not wanting to directly fund houses of worship  is strong enough to allow for treating religious institutions differently than non-religious ones when both are otherwise equally qualified for a particular benefit, Ilya Shapiro, senior fellow in constitutional studies and editor-in-chief of the Cato Supreme Court Review at the Cato Institute, told FOX Business.

Arguments for Trinity Lutheran are set to begin April 19. If Gorsuch is confirmed by Friday he will be able to hear the arguments and participate in this case. If not, he will likely be ineligible to rule on it.

As Justice Sonia Sotomayor pointed out at a conference in September, with eight justices the Court has ruled very, very, very narrowly on a few cases. In Trinity Lutheran, Gorsuch could cast the deciding vote.

Based on how solicitous Judge Gorsuch has been of religious liberty, I would expect him to side with the church, Shapiro said.

Leidos, Inc. v. Indiana Public Retirement System

Last week, the Supreme Court agreed to review two cases in the upcoming term: Leidos, Inc. v. Indiana Public Retirement System and U.S. Bank National Association v. Village of Lakeridge.

Leidos is a securities fraud corruption case involving a government contractor (Leidos) that is being sued by investors claiming the company left pertinent information out of a 2011 securities filing at the expense of shareholders.

Two of the company's employees were convicted over an alleged kickback scheme that was found to have defrauded New York City into paying more than $700 million on a project that was originally budgeted for $63 million.

The Indiana Public Retirement system alleges Leidos violated a portion of SEC requirements (Item 303) by failing to disclose the scandal as part of trends and uncertainties that are reasonably likely to result in a substantial change in liquidity for shareholders. The investigation was not reported to investors until it had already become a tangible problem, and many investors lost a sizeable amount of money.

Leidos argues it did not violate Section 10(b)(5) of the Securities and Exchange Act, which states it is illegal to intentionally make false statements or omit information that would otherwise deceive shareholders.

The issue at stake: Can you be held liable for an omission when there was no prior faulty statement that had to be corrected? John Coffee, head of Columbia Law School's Center for Corporate Governance, told FOX Business.

Coffee bets on a 4-4 split along ideological lines based on the current composition of the Court.

With Gorsuch I would bet the appellant [Leidos] wins. 5-4 Republican vs Democratic majority, he said.

Under these circumstances, Coffee believes the implication would be vast for investors and shareholders.

[It would] greatly cut back on the kinds of omissions for which companies can be held liable, he said.

U.S. Bank National Association v. Village of Lakeridge

U.S. Bank National Association v. Village of Lakeridge is a bankruptcy case in which one of the creditors had a close personal relationship with a member of the debtor and its corporate designee from whom he purchased a $2.76 million insider claim from for $5,000. At issue is the standard by which a voting member involved in confirming a Chapter 11 plan should be judged an insider where it pertains to the bankruptcy code. The justices will decide between two standards used among the appellate courts known as the de novo standard and the clearly erroneous standard.

According to the de novo standard, the appellate court should review the case anew, and give no deference to the findings of the lower courts. The clearly erroneous standard is essentially the opposite, meaning courts should give heavy weight to the findings of lower courts.

The standard of review in this context is important...whether you get tagged with being an insider is a big deal. And the standard of review in large part dictates whether you can meaningfully appeal that determination, John Pottow, an expert in bankruptcy and commercial law and professor at the University of Michigan Law School, told FOX Business.

This case is scheduled for the 2018 term which begins in the fall.
Paul Bremer, former U.S. Presidential Envoy to Iraq under George W. Bush, believes that President Trump will not be able to defeat ISIS without keeping the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad in power.

There is basically no way to conclude the fight against ISIS in Syria, which also involves Assad staying in power, so it is very hard to see how the presidents stated objectives can be met, he told FOX Business Neil Cavuto.

The deadly airstrike that took place on Wednesday in northern Syria, killed an estimated 70 people and the survivors thought the Syrian planes had dropped chemical bombs.

Bremer said that there is no excuse for the use of chemical weapons, even if Assad used the chemical weapons against ISIS.

The Russians are implicated in this because after all, Assad by using chemical weapons, is violating the agreement that the previous administration, working with the Russians, did with Assad. He promised to give up his chemical weapons, which he obviously hasnt doneIf they were the Syrian governments chemical weapons, they surely knew where they were, so this is just a shadow game hes [Assads] playing.

Bremer agrees with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley that the UN Security Council has a severe credibility problem.

The credibility of all of these resolutions that the Security Council passes for years and years and nothing happens I frankly dont think the UN Security Council can do much to restrain Mr. Assad, he is not afraid of them.
U.S. President Donald Trump removed his chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council on Wednesday, reversing his controversial decision early this year to give a political adviser an unprecedented role in security discussions.

Trump's overhaul of the NSC, confirmed by a White House official, also elevated General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Dan Coats, the director of National Intelligence who heads all 17 U.S. intelligence agencies. The official said the change moves the NSC "back to its core function of what its supposed to do."

It also appears to mark a victory by national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who had told some national security experts he felt he was in a battle to the death with Bannon and others on the White House staff.

Trump's White House team has grappled with infighting and palace intrigue. In recent days, several other senior U.S. foreign policy and national security officials have said the mechanisms for shaping the Trump administration's response to pressing challenges such as Syria, North Korea and Iran were still not in place.

Critics of Bannon's role on the NSC said it gave too much weight in decision-making to someone who lacked foreign policy expertise.

Before joining the Trump administration, Bannon headed Breitbart News, a right-wing website.

The White House official said Bannon was no longer needed on the NSC after the departure of Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

Flynn was forced to resign on Feb. 13 over his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak, prior to Trump's taking office on Jan. 20.

The official said Bannon had been placed on the NSC originally as a check on Flynn and had only ever attended one of the NSC's regular meetings.

The official dismissed questions about a power struggle between Bannon and McMaster, saying they shared the same world view.

However, two current national security officials rejected the White House explanation, noting that two months have passed since Flynn's departure. McMaster, they said, speaking on the condition of anonymity, also has dueled with Bannon and others over direct access to Trump; the future of deputy national security adviser K.T. McFarland, a former Fox News commentator; intelligence director Ezra Cohen-Watnick, a Flynn appointee; and other staffing decisions.

Trump is preparing for his first face-to-face meeting on Thursday and Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping with the threat of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs a key component of their talks.

(By Steve Holland and John Walcott; Additional reporting by Ayesha Rascoe; Editing by Caren Bohan and Tom Brown)
What would Mary Kay say?

If you have enough money to buy a Ferrari, itll be happy to paint it any color you want, as long as its not pink.

I just doesnt fit into our whole ethos to be honest, the Italian Automakers Australasian CEO Hubert Appleroth told News.Com.Au.

Its a brand rule. No Pink. No Pokemon Ferraris!

Nevertheless, the darker reds still make up a third of Ferrari sales, followed by silver, black and white.

FOLLOW FOX NEWS LIFESTYLE ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE AUTO NEWS

Appleroth added that pink and some other paint colors he didnt specify that Ferrari also wont touch are wonderful, but are perhaps more suited to other brands.

So, no, you cant have it all. At least not from Ferrari.

Oh well, the Easter Bunny will have to find something else to deliver eggs in this year.

May we suggest a Passion Pink Bentley Continental GT?

(He couldn't have been talking about that, right?)

EX-DONALD TRUMP FERRARI FAILS TO SIZZLE AT AUCTION
Dont miss a beat in the world of celebrity breaking news and trending celebrity news. From arrests, I dos to viral social media posts, Fox News rounds up all of the most important Hollywood news every day so youre always in-the-know.

Industry news and newsmaker interviews

Fox News is also your go-to source when it comes to coverage of the entertainment industry. Whether Hollywood award shows  and their biggest surprises and snubs  peak your interest or youre figuring out what to view next  our film and TV lists have got you covered  find out the latest in the business world of Hollywood. Plus, read exclusive one-one-one interviews with exclusive photos and videos.

Celebrity style

Hollywood stars never miss when it comes to delivering head-turning looks and stylish fashion, be sure to check out this page often to see splashy photos  and celebrity gossip  from premieres, red carpets, award shows, and fashion events.

Royals

Who doesnt love a good royal family story? From the latest on Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys life to Prince William and Kate Middletons most recent outing  Fox News has all of the news from across the pond  all in one place.
Chuck Norris may have been born in Oklahoma, but now hes a Texan.

The Lone Star states Senate Resolution 569 commending Chuck Norris for his many contributions to our state and naming the actor an honorary Texan passed unanimously on Tuesday.

The Walker, Texas Ranger star also got a State Senate gavel and a flag that had been flown over the Alamo, the Austin American-Statesman reports.

Norris, 77, was present in Austin with his wife Geena to accept the award.

No word on if he performed any feats of impossible strength, but one would assume.
If theres anyone that couldnt seduce TVs reigning martini-loving diva back in the day, its Warren Beatty.

Jessica Walter, recognized by fans as both sassy functioning alcoholic Lucille Bluth in Arrested Development and now as ruthless Malory Archer, who also has a fondness for cocktails, in the adult animated spy series, Archer, admitted she was never interested in the Hollywood playboy.

NETFLIX CHIEF TALKS OLSEN TWIN RUMORS, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, AND MORE

You know, Im very impressed with Warren [as an actor], the 76-year-old actress told Fox News on what it was like working with the now 80-year-old in the 1964 film, Lilith. Off-camera during those days, women practically lined up just to get the former heartthrobs attention.

I thought he was a wonderful actor and a great filmmaker, whos done some wonderful movies," she said. "I just have a certain type. I was really young in that film, I think 22. He wasnt my type in that way. I have great respect for him and I still do, I really do.

But one person who does hold a special place in Walters heart is Clint Eastwood.

He gave me the opportunity to play a wonderful character, she explained of the 1971 thriller, Play Misty for Me. It really was a labor of love. It was a very low-budget film. I think the whole thing cost under a million dollars but we had such a good time. And hes so talented. Hes so laid back and mellow. Hes so loyal to his crews. And they all loved him back. It was a great experience.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

These days, Walter is keeping busy in playing the no-nonsense matriarch in Archer, which is kicking off its eighth season Wednesday night on FXX.

I think fans are going to be very happy, explained Walter on what audiences can expect. Its a whole new facet. Its called 'Dreamland,' you know, and were in a whole other world. Were in 1947, very film noir, as is the style of the show Malory is now called Mother. Shes a big crime boss in LA. [Sterling] Archer is a private eye and hes working for her... she can do whatever she wants to him and not feel bad about it.

Fans of both shows instantly noticed the eerie similarities between Malory and Lucille. And according to Walter, its no accident. She acknowledged that Archer creator Adam Reed is a "big, big fan" of Arrested Development.

A lot of [my] characters over the years have been villainesses, she said. And a lot of villainesses like martinis. Theyre control freaks... so I guess in that way theyre similar, although the big difference is that Lucille was not a self-made woman. Her money and stature came from her family. Malory is a businesswoman and very sharp. She made her own money and luck. She wasnt dependent on anybody else. Another big difference? Lucille would never let her hair go gray. Malory has.

Walter also doesnt mind savoring their vices on occasion.

You know, I like, once in a while, a really good martini, said Walter. Not often, but I do really like a nice vodka martini with an olive, straight up. And I make the best ones. My friends have told me I make the best martinis ever. Once in a while, Ill have a glass of wine, but honestly, Im really not much of a drinker.

Walter is hoping to reunite with her Arrested Development cast so they can have a taste of their own.

I havent been in that situation yet, she said on inviting everyone over for homemade martinis. I live in the east and they all live in the west. If I ever have them over, I certainly will.

"Archer" premieres Wednesday, April 5th at 10 p.m. on FXX.
Hollywood heartthrob Josh Duhamel is spending some quality time outdoors with his wife Fergie this spring.

Ferg and I go out on mostly hikes or just her hanging out by the pool in a bikini which is fine with me You know, she is outside we are all getting benefits from that, he told Fox News.

Duhamel and Fergie recently returned from a vacation in Mexico with their 3-year-old son Axel.

The North Dakota native said Axel is still learning about what his famous parents do for a living. Duhamel recalled when he recently let his son watch a scene of his from Transformers.

We were just in Atlanta and Transformers was playing on TV and I was like Do I let him watch this? and I said You know what Im going to let him see this. He saw that and couldn't figure it out Its all sort of new to him. Its pretty intense for a 3-year-old. We are still letting him be a kid.

The 44-year-old, who has teamed up with Claritin for the Be An Outsider campaign, said his son loves to explore the outdoors.

Axel is a little dude, he said. He loves to be out there collecting little sticks turning them into swords or laser blasters or whatever three-year-old boys imaginecollecting rocks and flowers. There are great little trails below our house that we go down and find hiding places well have lunch and its just great and he loves it. Thats the way I grew up and its not as easy as it was for me growing up because I was out in the middle of North Dakota, [Los Angeles] is a little different.

Despite being in LA for over half of his life now, his heart will always be North Dakota.

Ive officially spent half of my life in California nowthat blows my mind because I still feel like I just moved here, he said. North Dakota is my home that is where my heart is but Minnesota is also very close to me because my dad lives there and i have a cabin out there. When I really want to get away thats where I go.


A new Pepsi commercial featuring Kendall Jenner as a soda-wielding protester garnered online backlash as some denounced the advertisement as appropriation for the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Live for Now Moments video released Tuesday shows Jenner going from platinum-wigged celebrity to concerned protester and eventually handing a police officer on the demonstration line a can of Pepsi. He takes a swig, and then grins as Jenner dances off with fellow demonstrators.

Reaction on social media ranged from some saying the imagery was tone deaf, to it evoking a widely circulated photo of Black Lives Matter protester Leshia Evans last year in Louisiana. Evans was detained when she approached police at a demonstration in Baton Rouge.

Pepsi defended the advertisement despite the social media backlash.

"This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think that's an important message to convey," the statement said.

Jenner said in a statement to E! News earlier Tuesday she was thrilled to join the legendary roster of icons who have worked for Pepsi in the past.

To me, Pepsi is more than just a beverage  it registers as a pop culture icon and a lifestyle that shares a voice with the generation of today. The spirit of Pepsi  living in the now moment  is one that I believe in. I make a conscious effort in my everyday life and travels to enjoy every experience of today, she said.

Jenner has not weighed in on the outcry.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The worlds best restaurant of 2017 was revealed Wednesday morning, and lo and behold, its right here in America.

Eleven Madison Park, the James Beard Award-winning eatery located in New York City, overtook such renowned restaurants as Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, and El Celler de Can Roca, in Girona, Spain, to take the No. 1 spot on the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants list, as revealed at a ceremony in Melbourne, Australia.

The restaurant has actually nabbed a spot on the prestigious list once before, in 2016, though it ranked third after the aforementioned Italian and Spanish restaurants, respectively.

Its the perfect partnership of outstanding hospitality and exquisite food in an iconic setting in New York City that makes Eleven Madison Park the No.1 in the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants, the organization wrote on their website.

TOO MUCH ED SHEERAN BAD FOR RESTAURANT BUSINESS, SAYS STUDY

They also added that co-owners Daniel Humm and Will Guidara do an excellent job of making their dining experience harmonious from start to finish.

Humm and Guidara attended the Melbourne ceremony, though Guidara told The New York Times it was a total surprise to learn that theyd won.

During his acceptance speech, Guidara explained that, while he and Humm were honored to earn the top spot, they were especially thrilled to be recognized by their peers.

Affirmation is a beautiful thing that fills your gas tank. It fuels you, and gives you the ability to keep pushing. And this, because it comes from everyone in here, this is the greatest affirmation of all, he told the crowd, reports The New York Times.

Eleven Madison Parks win marks the third time an American restaurant has topped the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants list, following Calif. eatery French Laundry, which took the title in both 2003 and 2004. Eleven Madison Park also becomes the seventh restaurant, ever, to take the top spot since the Restaurant magazine launched the list in 2002.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

The annual list is determined by over 1,000 members of the World's 50 Best Restaurants Academy, which is comprised of over 1,000 chefs, jouirnalists and restaurant owners from 26 regions around the globe. Previous winners have included: El Bulli, in Spain (2002, 2006-2009); The Fat Duck, in England (2005); Noma, in Denmark (2010-2012, 2014), El Cellar de Can Roca (2013, 2015); and Osteria Francescana, in Italy (2016).

The rest of this years Worlds 50 Best Restaurants can be found here.
A homeless man was cited by the San Francisco Police Department for eating pizza at a downtown bus shelter.

Kelley Cutler, a staffer at the Coalition on Homelessness, brought the incident to light on Friday, March 31, after the man brought the ticket to her agency earlier that day, reports the San Francisco Examiner.

After learning of the man's offense, Cutler shared a photo of the citation on Twitter, along with a caption that read, "A senior came to the office for citation defense because he received a ticket for eating pizza at the bus stop."

A senior came to the office for citation defense because he received a ticket for eating pizza at a bus stop. #qualityoflife #citation #sf pic.twitter.com/I9jonnCFDm  Kelley Cutler (@NutCheese) March 31, 2017

"He was being a good sport," Cutler told SFGate. "He laughed about it. He kept saying he bought the pizza for his friend on her birthday.

TURKISH RESTAURANT OWNER SELLING $5,000 'TRUMP' PIZZA TO HELP HOMELESS

Cutler also admitted to SFGate that, technically, eating is prohibited on public transit, but she said she'd never heard of anyone being cited for it.

In addition, a spokesman for the San Francisco metro system  also known as the "Muni"  told the site that he didn't think eating in a bus stop was a crime, as "food prohibition doesnt necessarily extend to bus shelters."

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), however, told the Examiner that the officer issued the citation because of a recent crime committed in the area.

It looks like it was (issued) right after a stabbing in that shelter," said Grace Gatpandan, a spokesperson for the SFPD.

Gatpandan then explained that the officers only wrote the man a citation as a way to "move him along." She also said that the SFPD had received multiple complaints of people drinking and smoking at that bus stop.

Regardless, Gatpandan told the Examiner that the citation "wont go anywhere."

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

Cutler, too, confirmed that most homeless residents are not expected to pay the tickets, as judges often dismiss the charges.

Still, the legal process is a waste of time and resources, she argues.

This is a real waste of police services, she told SFGate.

Cutler also doubts that the homeless man was smoking or drinking at the bus stop. "I wonder why they didnt give him a citation for those things  instead of for eating pizza," she told the Examiner.

The homeless man is due in court to answer for his pizza-eating ways on Wednesday. If he's determined to be responsible for the violation, he could be fined up to $250.
A major British drugmaker is recalling more than 593,000 asthma inhalers from U.S. hospitals, pharmacies, retailers and wholesalers after receiving a number of complaints about leakage and packaging. GSK Plc said there are concerns that the Ventolin asthma may deliver fewer doses of the medicine than indicated, Reuters reported.

DOES ILLNESS HELP YOUNG ADULTS TAKE CHARGE OF THEIR OWN HEALTH?

The defect does not pose an immediate danger to patients, so consumers are not being instructed to return already purchased inhalers. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the recall, Reuters reported.

GSK said the company is working to identify the cause of the problem, but the companys main plant is continuing to produce the inhalers.

GIRL SUFFERS FATAL ASTHMA ATTACK HOURS AFTER BEING SENT AWAY BY DOCTOR, REPORT SAYS

We currently dont anticipate a supply impact to Ventolin HFA 200D inhaler as a result of this issue, GSK said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Reuters contributed to this report.
A lone Hawaii Federal judge has ruled that President Trumps anti-terror executive order is unconstitutional  and blocked it. The notion is that, since it applies to majority Muslim countries, and an Egyptian imam with American citizenship has a Syrian mother-in-law who would be affected, the order violates the First Amendments no establishment clause. The courts reasoning is contorted. Worse, the ruling sets a dangerous precedent.

Never mind that the asserted injury is intangible, attenuated and hard to conceive, and that the object of this temporary visa delay is a non-American who hails from a country suffused with terror. Never mind that the First Amendments no establishment and free exercise clauses apply to Americans.

Never mind the bold imputation of bad faith to a sitting President of the United States, along with his Secretaries of Homeland Security, State, Defense and Attorney General. Never mind supposition that the countries to which the restriction applies were identified by the prior administration as countries of concern, each warranting extra caution.

All of this is of no matter. Instead, waving the wand of judicial activism, the judge gave his ruling national effect. More, he declared the illogic of the Governments contentions palpable. If that is not contempt by a judge, and Obama appointee, for the Executive Branch, one is hard pressed to imagine what contempt looks like.

Despite this ill-advised ruling and juridical hubris, the Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals will likely to uphold the lower court. This is not because the lower court is correct, but because that misguided Circuit  of which Hawaii is a part  has become a bastion of unelected, unaccountable, unrestrained redefinition of the Constitution in their own activist image.

Notorious for judicial overreach and eye-popping inferences, this ruling goes further. It not only shows disregard for strict construction of the Constitutions words, betrayal of textual fidelity, as well as of original intent and judicial restraint. It does more.

This judge  and likely the Ninth Circuit  seems prepared to assume not just power to say what the law is, but power to say what national security is. In doing so, the Court and Circuit upend the considered judgments of two administrations and Congress as to countries presenting undue risk to America  and requiring more intense vetting.

The irony is that none of these esteemed judges, arrogating to themselves this national security power, appear to have any experience vetting foreign nationals who possess no documentation and emerge from a country internationally recognized as a terrorist haven. The sheer scope of the judicial arrogation is breathtaking.

As a former Assistant Secretary of State for a chiefly functional bureau, part of my assigned job was to assist military and civilian discussions, assessments, and implementation of screening or so-called vetting of foreign nationals in certain parts of the world to become police officers, including in Iraq.

These individuals often had no written records. They came from war-torn sub-regions of Iraq. Their past lives were material to judging whether they could be trusted. Their life stories were complicated, hard to disentangle, corroborate and confirm. Nevertheless, doing that was essential. How much more essential if they were coming to the United States?

These facts affected the level of trust with which individuals could be invested. A wide range of questions, including personal, family, tribal and professional affiliations were relevant. In sum, vetting those emerging from war-torn, terror-infested countries is inordinately hard and takes time.

No matter. Watch what is about to happen. Judicial activism will hold sway. By hold sway, I mean that  until we have a fully loaded Supreme Court bench  the Ninth Circuit will be allowed to place the Nation at risk by assuming to itself this national security power. Objectively, that usurpation of Executive Branch power seems dangerous.

Historically, I cannot think of a similar period in which the external threats to our national security, level of popular concern about security, and basis for both assessments were as high, and yet judicial temperament so out of sync with core realities and established institutional prerogatives.

I could be wrong of course. The Ninth Circuit may surprise me. They may recognize the Presidents inherent authority, narrowed anti-terror travel order, nonsensical nature of blocking a national security order on grounds of religious demography. They may reverse. If so, I will be surprised. So far, the circuit has disappointed constitutional scholars and security experts.

U.S. District Court Judge Derrick Watson gives Hawaii and the Muslim leader "a strong likelihood of success on their claim" that our President crafted the order not to secure America from the growing international terrorist threat, but strictly from religious animus. How long will this fiction go on?

This produces my own simple prayer: May the Supreme Court bench be complete soon, may no terrorist attack occur between now and that time, and may respect for the Founders wisdom and Article II one day return to the Ninth Circuit. On reflection, that seems not too much to ask.
Editor's note: The following column first appeared in Fox News Opinion on February 8.

North Korea is a small country, far-away, about which we know little, to paraphrase a fateful comment in defense of appeasement from the 1938 crisis over Czechoslovakia. But there is one thing every American needs to know about far-away North Korea: its rulers are on a methodical and relentless quest for the capability to hit New York and Washington with nuclear weapons.

The nuclear campaign that North Koreaformally known as the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, or DPRK-- is planning against the United States is one it intends to win.

Washington is badly unprepared to meet this threat, because too many of our leaders do not understand the Pyongyang game-plan.

As bizarre and satire-prone as the North Korean regimes buffoonish-looking Kim Jong-Un and his servile courtiers may be, Pyongyangs leadership is neither irrational nor suicidal. The rationale behind this confrontation would actually be to achieve a maximum of strategic gain with a minimum of actual destruction and violence.

The basic idea is to force Washington to blink in an escalating crisis on the Korean peninsulaa crisis of Pyongyangs own making, at a time and under circumstances of Pyongyangs own choosing.

If America hesitates or climbs down in the face of a future, stage-managed exercise in tactical North Korean aggression, Pyongyang will have undermined the credibility of the U.S. military alliance with South Korea.

The formal end to that alliance, and the exit of American troops from Korea, could quickly follow.

Americas policy toward the DPRK has been an immense success in preserving a ceasefire in the Korean peninsula since the end of the Korean War in 1953this is deterrence.

But for more than a generation, bipartisan U.S. efforts to keep North Korea from developing nuclear weapons have come to naught. This should not surprise: only the North Korean government can denuclearizeand the existing government has absolutely no interest in making that dream come true.

The Trump administration needs to do something different.

We need more effective defenses against the DPRKs means of destruction while simultaneously weakening the regimes capabilities for both conventional and strategic offense.

This would consist mainly, though not entirely, of military measures. Restoring badly eroded U.S. military capabilitiesnaval, air, ground forces and an aged strategic arsenal-- is essential.

Likewise more and better missile defense: the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems against ballistic missiles that the U.S. has offered South Korea and Japan is a good step, and so is moving forward in earnest on missile defense for the USA.

As for weakening the DPRKs military economy, the foundation for all its offensive capabilities: we should put Pyongyang back on the State Sponsors of Terrorism listit never should have been removed in 2008. Sanctions with genuine bite should be implementedthe dysfunctional DPRK economy is uniquely susceptible to them.

The United Nations has already gotten a comprehensive report on North Koreas grisly human rights record from its Commission of Inquiry on the situation in the DPRK: let governments of conscience now seek international criminal accountability for North Koreas leadership.

Then there is the China question. It is by no means impossible for America and her allies to pressure the DPRK if China does not cooperate. That said: it is time for Beijing to pay a penalty for its support for the most odious regime on the planet today.

Many in the West talk of isolating North Korea as if this were an objective in its own right. But a serious DPRK threat reduction strategy would not do so. The regime is deathly afraid of what it terms ideological and cultural poisoning. We could call that foreign media, international information, cultural exchanges and the like. We should be saying: bring on the poisoning!

This brings us to the last agenda item: preparing for a successful reunification in a post-DPRK peninsula. The Kim regime is the North Korean nuclear threat. That threat will not end until the DPRK disappears.

We cannot tell when, or how, this will occur. But it is not too soon to begin the wide-ranging and painstaking international planning and preparations that will facilitate divided Koreas long-awaited reunion as a single peninsula, free and whole.
Three cheers for Nigel Farage!

Name not familiar? Hes the former leader of Britains United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) who is also  for a while yet -- a member of the European Parliament. And this week, he did what so many seasoned politicians in Europe and the U.S. are afraid to do: he spoke his mind.

Farage, who is a Fox News contributor, told shocked and angry members of parliament from the rest of the continent that he is glad his country has decided to leave the European Union. Thats what happened last week when Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50, formally embracing the results of last years shockwave vote for a Brexit.

In the face of the outrage across the continent that Britain would dare wish to govern itself, Farage, his voice rising above boos and jeers, told his fellow members of parliament: Youre behaving like the Mafia. You think were a hostage. We are free to go!

The comparison to a criminal organization earned Farage a stiff reproach from the Italian occupying the presidents chair in the chamber, but what does he care? He was speaking for the millions of Britons who have expressed their disdain with being dictated to by an entity that has little regard for the unique history of Great Britain.

Farage referred scathingly to a demand that Britain pay the European Union tens of millions of dollars as punishment for quitting their club, a figure that has been clearly plucked out of the air, effectively a form of ransom demand, said Farage. You should be making us an offer we cant refuse.

Farage was an early supporter of pulling out of Europe. For too long, he argued, the country has ceded decisions to the European Union in Brussels. It had lost control of its ability to control its borders. And it was losing its identity as a proudly independent island nation with a rich history of economic freedom and self- government.

The Farage speech, and the outrage it stoked in Strasbourg, where the European Parliament meets, would have gotten more attention here, across the ocean, had we not been embroiled in our own heated rhetoric about the nomination of Neal Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court. Or ObamaCare. Or tax reform. Or Susan Rices funny way of getting information about her fellow Americans.

But Farage deserves to be noticed  even if you dont agree with Brexit. Because he said what he meant. He wasnt talking for the TV cameras. He wasnt pulling his punches. And that is a virtue in short supply in politics these days.
President Trump hosted his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fatah el Sisi, earlier this week, for a White House meeting, the first U.S.-Egypt summit in seven years. Two days later, Jordans King Abdullah II will be welcomed in the Oval Office for his second meeting with Trump in the past 63 days. Among Washingtons Arab allies, Jordan increasingly has pride of place.

Appreciation for Jordan goes beyond frequent high-level confabs. Consider that in 2016, Egyptwith a population of 95 millionreceived just under $1.5 billion in U.S. economic and security assistance, while Washington gave Jordan, with about 9.5 million residents, nearly $1.7 billion.

Through moderate policies and an unabashedly pro-American orientation, Amman has attained an extremely rare status on Capitol Hill -- bipartisan support.

It wasnt always so. In 1948 and again in 1967, the kingdom waged war against Israel. And in 1991, Jordan, under King Hussein, sided with its leading financial benefactor--Saddam Husseinand remained neutral during the first Gulf War.

But in 1994, the kingdom signed a peace deal with Israel, and realigned politically and economically with the west. Since then, successive U.S. administrations and Republican and Democratic representatives alike have embraced Jordan.

To be sure, the kingdom has some problems. A year after the death of King Hussein and the coronation of King Abdullah, Freedom House downgraded Jordan from partially to not free. Media in the kingdom is highly restricted, democratic institutions are weak, and several dozen militant Islamist prisoners reportedly died mysteriously in prison last year.

Jordan is also facing a growing threat of Islamic radicalization. An estimated 3,000 Jordanian nationals are currently fighting the jihad in Syria; last year, there were several largescale terrorist attacks in the kingdom, all perpetrated by homegrown Jordanians. In a one year period, five American soldiers and contractors working at security installations were killed by friendly firemore than the same period in Afghanistan.

Security lapses in 2016 recently led to a massive shakeup in the kingdoms security apparatus. Last fall, for example, all six general officers in the Joint Chiefs of Staff were simultaneously retired. Then in December, the Minister of Interior was sacked. And just last week, the Chief of Intelligence was summarily replaced.

Despite these troublesor perhaps because of these issuesstrategic cooperation between Washington and Amman is increasing. Today, Jordan is not only the base of operations for the U.S.-led campaign against the Islamic State in Syria, it is the Washingtons principal regional (i.e., Arab) partner in the endeavor. Unlike, say, Egyptwhich has not deployed ground troops outside its borders since Operation Desert Storm in 1991 the kingdom is flying bombing sorties over Syria and participating in joint special ops missions with U.S. soldiers in Syria.

Equally important, King Abdullah remains an enthusiastic advocate for religious tolerance and moderate Islam. While its unclear his message is gaining much traction at home, he is clearly speaking Washingtons language.

At the National Prayer Breakfast in February, with president in the audience the King referred to the Islamic State as khawarej; outlaws to our faith. People nowadays talk about fake news; the khawarej, he said, produce fake Islam.

The Kings speech and their February 2nd meeting appear to have made an impression on President Trump. That evening, as King Abdullah winged his way back to Amman, the White House issued a strong statementechoing a traditional Palace talking pointurging Israel to refrain from taking unilateral actionsincluding settlement announcements.

More recently, according to press reports, the Trump administration demurred from designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization at the behest of Jordan, where the brothers form the largest parliamentary bloc.

In contrast to most foreign visitors, the White House is unlikely to have a big ask from King Abdullah during the visit. But Jordan is likely to ask Washington for additional military and economic assistance.

The kingdoms military has been stretched since 2011 by constant deployments along the northern and eastern frontiers. Recent years have been especially tough on the kingdoms traditionally feeble economy, as well. Hosting 1.4 million Syrian refugees has proved expensive. Worse, the borders with leading trade partners Syria and Iraq have been closed for years. According to the World Bank, only 36 percent of Jordanians participate in the labor force. Among those who are actively want to work, the unemployment rate is at 16 percent. To narrow the burgeoning budget deficit, the government recently instituted a large and regressive Value Added Tax. The local mood is dour, and protests are increasingly common.

King Abdullah reportedly wants to increase baseline U.S. funding commitment from $1 billion to $2 billion per year.

Although the Trump administration is looking to decrease foreign aid, Jordans request deserves special consideration. Given import of Jordan and the general regional deterioration, the stability of the kingdom would seem a wise investment.
No member of the Trump team should agree to testify without a grant of immunity.

The risks of being trapped in procedure  even while completely innocent  are simply too great.

There are at least three federal investigatory processes underway, one by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and one each in the House and Senate Intelligence Committees.

Testimony in hearings for one investigative body can easily lead to minor discrepancies with testimony during hearings led by the other two.

Furthermore, if the investigators have tapes of conversations (more than possible since Obama National Security Adviser Susan Rice admitted she was pushing for information from the intelligence community) those giving testimony can have their memories of conversations they might have had months ago compared against recordings of the actual dialogues.

The same danger will come from testing their memories against documents developed over a period of months including emails, meeting reports, and handwritten notes. Even the slightest deviation can lead to accusations of perjury.

Many members of the Trump team were engaged in numerous meetings during the transition period. If they will just go back and look at their schedules of those days and nights, they will realize how difficult it is going to be to reconstruct each conversation and each meeting with the level of accuracy these investigations will demand.

I know how dangerous this can be, because I once handed over one million pages of material to congressional investigators and was then questioned on that massive amount of information by the Office of the Independent Counsel.

When I was Speaker, the Democrats tried to use the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Election Commission and the House Ethics Committee to destroy me and stop the momentum of the Contract with America.

Despite the Clinton administrations best efforts, we defeated the IRS and the FEC. And I was cleared of 82 of the 83 charges before the House Ethics Committee  but the counsel found one inaccurate paragraph in a single letter my attorney had written. The struggle took years and cost millions.

The Trump team should take note of the most extraordinary case in my lifetime of process being used to destroy an innocent person  the conviction of Scooter Libby.

An independent counsel was appointed to find out who told the press that a woman named Valerie Plame was a covert Central Intelligence Operative in 2003. Her husband was a diplomat who had been critical of the Bush administration. So, the left (and naturally the media) thought this was a big deal.

The prosecutor targeted Libby, who was Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, because it would be damaging to the Bush administration before the 2004 election.

The prosecutor claimed Scooter had shared government secrets with a Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times reporter named Judith Miller.

Initially, Miller refused to testify, so  in perhaps the greatest attack on American press freedom in our lifetime  the prosecutor had Miller jailed for 85 days.

Finally, she testified that Scooter was the source after he gave her permission to break reporter confidentiality just to get her out of jail.

Libby was ultimately convicted on four counts  but not for leaking information. He was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice because of the way in which he answered questions.

The most relevant part of this story  which shows the investigation was far from an unbiased pursuit of the truth  is that Miller never even wrote that Plame was a CIA operative.

Washington Post writer Robert Novak first outed Plame as a member of the CIA in a piece on July 14, 2003. Novak was told by Richard Armitage, the No. 2 person at the State Department about Plame.

The prosecutor in the Libby case knew this, but he was focused on destroying Libby to hurt Bush  not uncovering the truth.

The prosecutor told Armitage to keep quiet in order to continue the investigation. And Armitage  who undeniably leaked the classified information to the public  was never charged.

I tell this story to illustrate clearly that the Trump team members are not going to face fair, dispassionate, balanced investigations designed to pursue truth and justice.

They are going to face a vicious, partisan, blood sport aimed at weakening Trump and destroying his administration.

Remember, 97 percent of the campaign contributions from Department of Justice employees went to Hillary Clinton. The professional ranks of the Justice Department are filled with deeply committed liberals who would consider crippling and destroying the Trump team as their moral duty.

And the nature of the House investigation was captured by Democratic House Intelligence Committee Member Rep. Joaquin Castro. He told CNN, "I guess I would say this, that my impression is, I wouldnt be surprised after all of this is said and done that some people end up in jail."

The line should be clear.

No immunity. No testimony.

Anything else risks destruction by forces that are immoral, relentless, and frightening.
Lets connect some dates and dots.

It all began last month, when President Trump sent out a tweet accusing the Obama administration of surveilling him during the election. Since then, we've been peeling away all the layers of the president's claim with the help of the investigative reporting from people like Sara Carter and John Solomon.

Sara and John uncovered the existence of an FBI investigation into a server at Trump Tower. They also discovered that a federal Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant that allowed federal officials to capture Trump team communications existed prior to the president taking office.

Then they revealed that high-ranking officials with direct access to President Obama may have had access to unmasked federal surveillance of Trump transition team members. And they may have briefed the president about this information.

Then, on March 22, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes revealed that he had seen reports that prove that President Trump and members of his transition team were, in fact, surveilled and unmasked. The intel collected had nothing to do with Russia, Nunes said.

Last week, we uncovered video from March 2, in which Evelyn Farkas, a very prominent Obama administration official who served in the administration until 2015, encouraged her former colleagues to get as much intelligence as they could about the Trump team before they left office.

I was urging my former colleagues  Get as much information as you can, get as much intelligence as you can before President Obama leaves the administration because I had a fear that, somehow, that information would disappear with the senior people who left, Farkas told MSNBC.

Farkas said she feared the Trump administration would try to compromise [intel gathering] sources and methods, meaning we would no longer have access to that intelligence.

Farkas was admitting surveillance took place of the Trump transition team, that there was unmasking of names and that there was also talk about leaking the information, which would be a felony.

Breitbart News unearthed a video from October 2016 in which Farkas predicted the impeachment of Trump if he was elected.

If Donald Trump were elected, I believe he'd be impeached pretty quickly or somebody else would have to take over government, she said. And I'm not even joking.

She must have thought she knew something.

This week, we have seen multiple reports that revealed that Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, was requesting that members of the Trump transition teams names be unmasked in raw intelligence reports. In what passes for an interview at MSNBC, she was permitted to deny and dodge the allegations.

There were occasions when I would receive a report in which a U.S. person was referred to -- name not provided, just U.S. person, Rice said. And sometimes in that context, in order to understand the importance of the report and assess its significance, it was necessary to find out or request the information as to who that U.S. official was.

But wait a second. Just two weeks ago, Susan Rice was on PBS and she said she, "knew nothing about" any kind of unmasking. Was she lying then, or this week?

Remember, Susan Rice has a stormy relationship with the truth. She flat-out lied to the faces of the American people about the issue of the Benghazi terror attack.

What sparked the recent violence was the airing on the internet of a very hateful, very offensive video, she told Fox News on the first Sunday following the attack. She would appear on four other shows that day to spout the same untruth.

A history of lying, a complete 180 on unmasking in just two short weeks. It is clear something is amiss and we are on the brink of yet another scandal.

Yet, the alt-left, propaganda, destroy-Trump-media is trying everything they can do to find proof that President Trump and his campaign was colluding with Russia. There's no evidence, even after eight long months.

The real question is this: Did President Obama and his administration knowingly surveil either an incoming president or an opposition party candidate? Americans are demanding answers to those questions, and we will not be quiet until we get them.

Adapted from Sean Hannity's monologue on "Hannity," April 4, 2017
President Donald Trumps nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court almost certainly will lead to his swearing in as the ninth member of that tribunal by the end of April. With any luck, it will lead to an even more important reform: elimination of the Senate filibuster.

The Senate filibuster is the modern descendant of the Senates one-time tradition of unlimited debate. Unlike in the far larger House of Representatives, where every speech is of limited duration, a senator who has the floor can keep it until overcome by exhaustion or an irresistible call of nature. (Once upon a time, even that was no obstacle: a senator could take a bucket onto the floor with him.)

Nowadays, however, it has essentially nothing to do with debate. Instead, a filibuster is just a 41-vote Senate minoritys mechanism for preventing a vote on an issue it wants to prevent the majority from deciding.

Thats right: a minority can prevent the Senate from making a decision. For example, Senate Democrats could, under the current rules, prevent the Gorsuch nomination from ever coming to a vote.

Yes, technically, there are a couple of ways around this kind of impasse, but they would involve the Senate in months-long dilatory measures if the minority wanted them to. Because the Senate has voluminous pending business, the majority cannot afford to endure such stalling tactics.

From a theoretical point of view, in the context of a republican government, this kind of situation is intolerable. Not only has the form swallowed the substance, with filibusters bedeviling Senate majorities long since unlimited debate was actually the issue, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., seems intent on using this faux filibuster in a context in which it has never been used before: a perfectly partisan attempt to prevent the Senate from voting on a Supreme Court nomination. This would be a minority veto, plain and simple.

Minority veto is contrary to our republican tradition, in which each branch is governed by a majority.

The Constitution establishes numerous different types of majorities. Each of them controls its own institution. Thus, for example, the House of Representatives is composed of members elected from a number of districts assigned to their respective states according to a decennial census.

The Constitution contemplates that the House will elect its own speaker. Its authors did not envision political parties, but soon after the Constitutions implementation, speakers began to be chosen by the majority party in the House.

Speaker Paul Ryan, like many speakers before him, chooses committee members from his party. His Democratic opposite number, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, assigns members of her caucus to each committee. The number of seats each party has on a given committee is in the control of the majority party too.

The Senate is structured much differently. The difference dates to the Framing of the Constitution.



In the Philadelphia Convention, men like Delawares John Dickinson told delegates from populous states that the small states would reject any proposal that deprived the small states of equality in Congress. Each state had one vote in the Confederation Congress, and Dickinson and others said they would prefer a breakup of the Union to population apportionment. This is the basis of the two-senators-per-state apportionment of the Upper House.

That protection for small states, uniquely among the Constitutions provisions, cannot be taken away from a small state by amendment unless that state agrees. We may guess that none ever will. Still, the Constitution establishes majority control of the Senate.

State equality in the Senate radiated through other portions of the Constitution. So, each states representation in the Electoral College equals its number of representatives plus its numbers of senators. That means small states have greater shares of the Electoral College than they would have under a bare population apportionment rule.

Because Senate apportionment ignores population differences and the president is chosen by an Electoral College in which state equality plays a role, the Constitutions provision that all high-level appointed officials are chosen by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate means that the composition of the Senate has its role there, too.

Yet, although states are represented in the Senate as states rather than according to population, it is majorities thus configured that rule, just as majorities rule in the House and the Electoral College. The Constitution provides that the Senate can make its own rules. The Republican majority can get rid of the filibuster, an artifact of a former Senate age, by majority vote.

Americans commonly complain that their federal government is dysfunctional. The less attentive among us think that all congressmen are equally to blame for Congresss failure to adopt popular policies.

Abolishing the filibuster would clear up confusion about responsibility for Congresss policy decisions. The duty to govern would fall upon the majority, as it should.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assads probable use of a banned militarized chemical agent in Khan Sheikhoun, a rebel-held area in northwest Syria, is not only a tragedy for the more than 75 Syrians, including at least 20 children, murdered in the attack. It is President Trumps first urgent national security test.

In a White House statement following initial reports of Tuesdays attack, President Trump accused Mr. Assad, whom he has been tacitly supporting as the lesser of evils in the fight against the Islamic State, of conducting a reprehensible act that cannot be ignored by the civilized world.

The strike, he added in a gratuitous swipe at his predecessor, was the direct result of President Obamas weakness and irresolution, that is, his failure to enforce the red line he drew against the use of chemical weapons by intervening militarily after a previous Syrian chemical strike in 2013.

To be taken seriously, Mr. Trump must now do more than rhetorically condemn this intolerable attack. He must show that he is not merely adept at tweeting tough, but prepared to force President Assad to stop committing war crimes and make him pay a price for having flaunted international law and his new administrations sympathy for Syrias struggle against militant Islam.

Make no mistake. While Syria has been dropping chlorine in barrel bombs over the past two years, this strike violates Mr. Assads commitment after his 2013 attack to abide by the treaty banning the possession and use of chemical weapons.

Under American and Russian pressure, Mr. Assad signed the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention and gave up some 1,300 tons of deadly chemical weapons, the Arab worlds largest, deadliest CW stockpile, after as many as 1,400 people died when Syrian forces used a lethal neuro-toxin in the town of Ghouta in August, 2013.

While the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have not yet determined what Syrias air force reportedly dropped from its aircraft Tuesday, it seems clear to us that the agent was an illegal weapon banned by the treaty  mostly likely sarin.

The use of sarin is a war crime, and a far more blatant violation of the treaty than the use of a toxic industrial chemical, like chlorine. The attack suggests, in turn, that Mr. Assad has either retained hidden stocks of the agent he supposedly turned over to international inspectors for destruction, or that Damascus is back in the business of secretly producing small quantities of the banned weapon. Either way, Mr. Assad is testing the new American presidents forbearance, not to mention his stated determination to restore U.S. leadership and respect for America throughout the world.

Although Mr. Trump and Nikki Haley, his U.N. Ambassador, have called Mr. Assad a war criminal, the president has also made clear that Washington accepts the need for Mr. Assad to stay in power, at least until the defeat of the Islamic State. But Mr. Trumps decision to tolerate Mr. Assads rule, which effectively aligns Washington in Syria with Russia and Iran in the fight against ISIS, seems only to have emboldened Mr. Assad.

This must not stand.

If Mr. Trump fails to respond to Mr. Assad, what signal will be sent to President Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who launched yet another ballistic missile test in violation of U.N. resolutions and American warnings this week? Or to China, whose leader President Trump will try this week to cajole or pressure into doing more to reverse Pyongyangs nuclear missile program, a direct threat to the U.S.?

President Trump has several options in Syria, none without great risk. One is military action against Syrias air force  grounding the helicopters and fixed wing aircraft that are believed to have dropped the deadly agent  and the runways from which they operate. Yes, such strikes risk Russian casualties. But Moscow has consistently blocked U.N. action on Syria but proven unable to contain Mr. Assads bad behavior. And President Vladimir Putin would be forewarned. Grounding Syrias air force, moreover, would help distance Mr. Trump from Mr. Putin, a politically useful benefit at this time.

While Mr. Trump mocked Mr. Obama for having failed to enforce his red line warning to Mr. Assad against the use of chemical weapons, Andrew Weber, the former assistant secretary of defense who supervised the removal and destruction of the bulk of Syrians deadly arsenal, notes that thanks to Mr. Obamas preference for getting most of Assads chemical weapons out of Syria over military action, President Obama has bequeathed Mr. Trump an option he lacked. There was no military option in 2013 to destroy, 1,300 tons of CW without dispersing deadly chemical agent and endangering large numbers of innocent civilians, Mr. Weber said. But with the CW stockpile removed and destroyed, a military option now exists.

A second option would be to implement candidate Trumps pledge to establish safe zones for long-suffering Syrian civilians caught up in Syrias seven-year civil war with no end in sight. That would require the deployment of more American and foreign soldiers to secure such zones in what could be a dangerous, open-ended commitment. Such a move would be politically divisive at home and abroad.

Both options, as Mr. Trump is surely now discovering, are precarious, and, well, complicated. But resorting only to tough talk and tweets will send the very message of American vacillation and weakness that candidate Trump so vehemently condemned. President Trump must act now.
Pope Francis envisions a Catholic Church that battles the globalization of indifference. Ironically, President Trump has proven more effective than Francis at galvanizing Catholics to join that battle.

Franciss vision is clear: a poor church for the poor. He has decried the globalization of indifference, where we slough off the suffering of others as none of my business.

He asked each of Europes Catholic parishes to shelter a refugee family and, more expansively, called for society to, ensure that all citizens have dignified work, education, and healthcare.

The world apparently loves that vision. A whopping 87 percent of American Catholics view him favorably; in contrast, Donald Trumps job approval hovers just over 40 percent.

Yet the pope has had trouble translating that sky-high approval rating into results. Not much happened after the pope asked parishes to welcome refugees. Nor were his inauguration of a homeless shelter and medical clinic in the Vatican precincts matched by a surge of similar initiatives elsewhere.

Enter President Trump. As soon as his administration announced its new immigration laws, Catholic Church entities responded. Chicagos Catholic schools barred their doors to immigration agents who cannot produce warrants, and churches in various cities opened their doors as sanctuaries.

Next up was the Trump-endorsed health care proposal. Im privileged to chair the board of one of Americas largest Catholic hospital systems, and were now even more committed than ever to keeping our doors open to the poor, elderly, and disabled whose health care access is suddenly threatened. As the Catholic Health Association puts it, we are strongly opposed to a plan that, asks the low-income and most vulnerable in our country to bear the brunt of the cuts to our health care system.

Francis has championed a church for the poor, but its President Trump who has inspired Catholics to redouble our already ample efforts on behalf of poor and marginalized communities, and to advocate vociferously for a more just society.

Strikingly, the response has united liberal and conservative Catholics. Even bishops who had voiced serious reservations about certain ObamaCare provisions have argued against a repeal that leaves the vulnerable without meaningful access.

As I point out in my book "Everyone Leads," the Catholic Church faces a plethora of challenges: declining clergy numbers, the lingering fallout from sex abuse scandals, fading interest among young adults in organized religion, and so on. And when faced with grave challenges, organizations need to pull themselves together around strategies for concerted action. Unfortunately, that unity has too often eluded Catholics; weve been mired in intramural squabbles over everything from prayer translations at Mass to communion for divorced and remarried Catholics.

Pope Francis hasnt completely unified us around his vision of a church that stands up for poor, marginalized, and excluded communities; it's President Trump who just may have provided the catalytic spark.

Granted, it will be small consolation, indeed no consolation whatsoever, if at the end of all this, we Catholics are better united but our brothers and sisters in need still bear the brunt of unjust initiatives.

But I hope for something different: that we Catholics, of all ideological stripes, in concert with those of all other religious traditions, will continue to act together to ensure the dignified work, education, and healthcare that the Pope called for.

In order to pull that off, I think well have to heed another call of Francis, who voiced preference for a church that is, bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets.

Now is the time for Catholics to unite not only on Sunday morning in church, but on every day and in every place where the vulnerable are threatened.
A Fox reporter investigating the "unmasking" of Trump transition officials by former national security adviser Susan Rice told "The O'Reilly Factor" Tuesday that they were examining whether Rice was told to request records about the president's associates.

FoxNews.com investigative reporter Malia Zimmerman told host Bill O'Reilly that she and Adam Housely were investigating whether "somebody from the [National Security Agency], for example, would have told [Rice] to ask for those reports, to ask for those names to be unmasked.

"That is what weve heard from some of our sources and so were looking into that angle as a possibility," she said.

Zimmerman and Housely reported Monday that the names were part of incidental electronic surveillance of candidate and President-elect Trump and people close to him, including family members, for up to a year before he took office.

"Its just so vast, because we dont know so many things," Zimmerman told O'Reilly. "We dont know why they were surveilled  why they came up in the surveillance as incidental communications ... And we have to think about this in terms of this was going on for at least a year, according to our sources, possibly longer."

As national security adviser, Rice had the authority to request unmasking of names, a request which would have gone through the NSA.

The unmasked names were sent to the National Security Council, the Defense Department, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and then-CIA Director John Brennan. It was not immediately known whether those people received it on a "need to know basis."

Late Tuesday, a former senior intelligence official told Fox News' Catherine Herridge that the finished intelligence products Rice was given about the Trump team included transcripts, which should never have been included.

The former official said Rice would have understood that an extensive paper trail would be generated and show who requested the unmasking, on what basis, and whether it was granted. This raises more questions about the motivation for Rice's request, her motivation and whether it was authorized higher-up in the Obama administration.

When O'Reilly asked Zimmerman if she believed the unmasking broke any laws, the reporter answered, "Its pretty clear they were broken because the names were released to the media. So I believe thats the case, but whether or not it was Susan Rice or someone else, we have no evidence to show who that person was that leaked."

However, Zimmerman added, "Theres a lot more to it, and we believe theres more people involved."

Fox News' Catherine Herridge contributed to this report.
Despite his stunning record of proving political doubters wrong, and unless he's hiding some major surprises, President Trump looks like he's heading for trouble at his Florida summit this week with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Two related but distinct problems stand out with what's known of the president's approach to the summit - the first tactical and recent, the second strategic and deeper-rooted.

The recent problem is the one that should be dropped immediately: The President's apparent decision to use America's trade leverage over China (which he rightly views as considerable) to press Beijing to use its own major economic influence to curb a North Korea nuclear weapons program that increasingly threatens the United States directly - and has the entire world on edge.

As Mr. Trump told the Financial Times in a Sunday interview: "China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won't. And if they do that will be very good for China, and if they don't it won't be good for anyone. I think trade is the incentive. It is all about trade."

But even if this plan works perfectly, and China persuades the North to verifiably give up its nukes, he will have sacrificed for the time being all of America's available clout for dealing with the Chinese trade predation that he's repeatedly (and rightly) described as a mortal economic threat. In addition, the president could easily wind up with the worst of all worlds - ever more strongly worded but bogus Beijing promises to pressure the North but little action; ever more subsidized and dumped Chinese goods destroying production and jobs in the United States; and ever higher Chinese trade barriers against American products and services.

Of course, Mr. Trump's definition of "great deals" could well include "great monitoring and enforcement" mechanisms. So maybe he'd quickly see through any Chinese game-playing and return to a hard trade line. But it's certain that his administration would face intense foreign and domestic pressure to keep the faith with China - while it keeps undermining the American economy and North Korea keeps improving nuclear weapons already dangerously close to reaching the U.S. homeland. And again, if China finally delivered on its promise, the American economy would be back behind the eight-ball again.

The strategic problem concerns the tension between candidate Trump's willingness to question whether America's comprehensive approach to dealing with East Asia has become dangerously obsolete decades after the end of the Cold War that spawned it, and President Trump's apparent decision to preserve this status quo. Further, because ever more capable North Korean (and to a lesser extent, Chinese) nuclear forces mean that the stakes will soon entail nothing less than the survival of a growing list of American cities, he needs to pick an alternative sooner rather than later.

The status quo's attractions are obvious, especially to the diplomatic mandarins in both major political parties. Consistent with their conviction about history teaching that American security and prosperity require creating a secure and prosperous world, they claim that staying the East Asia course has long buttressed the stability of an especially vibrant but historically conflict-prone part of a closely connected global economy. Although establishmentarians agree that this strategy poses risks, they consider them well-known and eminently manageable. As for costs - like damage to America's economy from East Asian protectionism - these are either defined out of existence by citing win-win free trade mantras, or viewed as an affordable price for peace in our time.

This case has certainly been made to President Trump by the mandarins who have filled the top spots of his foreign policy and national security agencies, and from all appearances, he's listened. Just think of his February summit with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Defense Secretary James Mathis' trip to Japan and South Korea. Nary a word was heard about predatory trade, and the administration affirmed that the U.S. commitment to Tokyo and Seoul against all enemies (i.e., North Korea and China) was "ironclad."

And yet as a candidate, the president recognized two major and urgent reasons for changing the alliance status quo. First, as he frequently lamented, America's heavy spending on alliances and foreign aid has drained the wealth needed to address keep its economy thriving. Mr. Trump most often called for ending European and Asian defense free-riding. But his pointed threat to consider letting "these countries defend themselves" demonstrated his awareness that - as he argued on another occasion - "When the other side knows you're not going to walk, it becomes absolutely impossible to win." If Mr. Trump keeps calling America's alliance guarantees inviolable, however, and reduces his criticisms to quarrels about contributions, he fires those same shots into his feet.

Second, and more important, candidate Trump unmistakably realized that these U.S. alliances - and especially in Asia due to the North Korea threat - are now creating the kinds of dangers to America's homeland security that simply didn't exist when they were established.

For most of the Cold War, the U.S. nuclear umbrella covered East Asia at modest risk because America enjoyed overwhelming strategic superiority over China and North Korea had no nuclear arsenal at all. (The much stronger Soviet Union was considered a prudent and predictable rival.)

In fact, Washington felt so confident that it stationed tens of thousands of American soldiers right along the North-South Korean border. Their mission: to all but guarantee that if North Korea conventional forces invaded their neighbor, Americans would die and trigger a massive U.S. nuclear response. This gambit violated a fundamental maxim of strategy by virtually denying the nation the option of sitting a conflict out. But because the North lacked its own weapons of mass destruction, it could do little or nothing to keep U.S. nukes safely in their silos, and, deterrence held firm. Just as important from Washington's perspective, its strategy prevented Japan's full rearmament - and possible relapse back into World War II-type militarism.

Nowadays, however, this American "escalation dominance" may already be gone. That is, if defending South Korea might not yet result in the nuclear destruction of an American city - or two - it soon will. Yet the G.I.s remain right along the North Korean border, their mission remains, in effect, getting killed, and the American foreign policy establishment is pretending that the situation remains well in hand.

In a March interview with the New York Times, Mr. Trump strongly indicated that because of North Korea's emerging ability to strike American targets, the United States might now be better off if Japan and South Korea defended themselves with their own nukes - and in the process, leave the United States on the sidelines.

Of course, establishmentarians and their Mainstream Media parrots pilloried these views as dangerous know-nothing-ism. In fact, he was the only adult in the room - and should have gone further. For the United States is more than 6,000 miles from Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. Because of its own immense nuclear arsenal, it is surely credibly deterring the North against attacking American territory in the only way possible,whether dictator Kim Jong Un is deranged or not: by promising to annihilate his country if its nukes ever hit the United States. But even despite the North's undeniable hostility, its only plausible reason for threatening such an attack on America is because of possible U.S. involvement in a Korean peninsula war.

In contrast with the United States, North Korea's neighbors are located right next door. Their stakes (including China's and Russia's) in successfully coping with the North's nuclear program and unpredictability are therefore infinitely greater than America's. So the real "America First" strategy is for President Trump to tell Xi Jinping that henceforth, the North is a problem that needs to be dealt with by him and the other locals, that the United States is pulling out militarily to reduce its nuclear vulnerability, that he wishes them well in this regard - and that now it's time to reduce that huge trade surplus you're running with us.

Alan Tonelson, who writes on economic and security policy at RealityChek, is the author of "The Race to the Bottom" (Westview Press, 2002). Follow him on Twitter: @AlanTonelson
While an increasing number of cities declare themselves safe zones for illegal immigrants, a sheriff in Arizona is bucking the trend by openly working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol.

Im not for sanctuary cities, said Pinal County Sheriff Paul Lamb. Thats pretty much it in a nutshell.

Pinal County, south of Phoenix, is the size of Connecticut. Its 450,000 residents are an ethnic mix  black, white, Hispanic and Native Americans.

SESSIONS TAKES AIM AT 'DANGEROUS' SANCTUARY CITIES, WARNS ON FUNDING

Lamb took office in January and instituted a cooperative program so his jail deputies are cross trained as ICE agents, allowing them to question and immediately determine an inmates immigration status. In practice, it allows for a seamless transition of criminal aliens from the Pima County courthouse or jail to ICE custody for deportation.

Ultimately their goal is the same as ours  public safety, said David Marin, an ICE director in Los Angeles. Those sheriffs and law enforcement agencies realize that by turning over these criminal aliens to us theyre not going to be able to go out and commit additional crimes.

Currently Pinal County has four jail deputies trained in the ICE 287g program, which allows local police to enforce immigration laws. The Trump administration hopes to expand the program to as many cities as possible.

My job is to keep the people of Pinal County safe, said Lamb. The 287g program allows me to make sure Im not putting criminals back in the community.

MAYORS OF SANCTUARY CITIES SHOULD BE THROWN IN JAIL

As trained ICE agents, the deputies are able to tap into Department of Homeland Security computers and determine an inmates legal status. And unlike sanctuary jurisdictions, the county honors ICE warrants and detainers and will give ICE a call when an inmate is preparing to leave.

This county cares about illegal immigration and its my job to make sure that we work with our federal partners to uphold the law, Lamb said.

That includes the Border Patrol, which works closely with the countys anti-smuggling unit.

They back us up and we help them, said Deputy Eddie Joseph.

Behind the wheel of an unmarked, black Dodge pickup, Joseph patrols Interstate 8 and 10, both of which cross east-west across Pinal County.

He watches a battered blue SUV suspiciously go up and down a desert road twice in 30 minutes. The behavior mirrors that of smugglers who are looking to pick up illegals hiding in the bushes along the road.

Its a seven-day walk from the U.S. Mexican border about 80 miles away. Yet, piles of discarded clothes, water bottles and burlap sacks used to carry marijuana litter the desert in popular spots near the highways.

We see a lot of drug and human smuggling Joseph said. You can see here the foot tracks in the sand. Theyre probably a few days old.

The Trump Administration sees local law enforcement as a front line in its battle against illegal immigration, at the border and in the interior. They do not expect to turn local cops into immigration agents. But once an immigrant is booked into jail, for any offense, they become fair game.

The administration argues it is the federal governments prerogative  not a local mayor or city council  to decide who gets deported and who does not.

Its a slippery slope, when you get into that, Lamb argued. You cant start determining this person meets a criteria and this one doesnt. The bottom line is, its illegal (to be here). If someone is illegal, its against the law and my job to uphold the law.

Marin wished more local law enforcement shared his attitude.

Its troubling for us because heres a criminal alien, somebody that we can use our unique authorities to not only remove them from the community, he said, but ultimately remove them from the country and again theres law enforcement agencies that are just letting them go.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley slammed Russia Wednesday over its past role blocking the body from holding Syrias Assad regime accountable, while hinting that the U.S. could take unilateral action in the wake of the latest deadly chemical weapons attack.

Speaking during a Security Council emergency meeting convened in the wake of the attack in northern Syria which killed at least 72 people, Haley said evidence indicates the gas is more lethal than Bashar Assad has used before, and held up pictures of victims.

We cannot close our eyes to these pictures, we cannot close our minds to the responsibility to act, she said in a speech to the U.N. Security Council, where a resolution condemning the use of chemical weapons by Syria was proposed.

The Trump administration has pointed its finger at Assad, but Russia has claimed that the chemicals were released when Syrian aircraft bombed a rebel-held factory making chemical weapons. At the emergency session, Haley ripped Russia for getting in the way of the United Nations holding Assad accountable after a prior attack in 2013 and accused Russia of defying the conscience of the world.

Russia stood in the way of this accountability, they made an unconscionable choice, she said, before calling on Russia, which opposed the resolution, to use its influence to effect peace in the region.

How many more children have to die before Russia cares? she asked.

Haley then turned her criticism to the U.N. itself, saying it had proved ineffective in dealing with an illegitimate regime which she said has no interest in peace.

She went on to warn that if the United Nations fails to act collectively, "there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action."

We regularly repeat tired taking points in support of a peace process that is regularly undermined by the Assad regime, she said.

She added, If were not able to enforce resolutions preventing use of chemical weapons, what does that say for our chance of ending the broader conflict in Syria? What does that say of our ability to bring relief to the Syrian people?

Haleys remarks mark a change in tone from the initial reaction from the Trump administration, which focused Tuesday on blaming former President Barack Obama for not following through on a threat to Assad that a chemical weapons attack would cross a "red line" and lead to military action.

When Assad carried out an attack in August 2013, the Obama administration instead went on agree to a plan with Russia for international monitors to destroy weapon stockpiles in Syria.

"These heinous actions by the [Assad] regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution," Trump said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Lawmakers probing the surveillance of key officials in the Trump campaign and administration say the intelligence agencies now nominally under the presidents control are stonewalling efforts to get to the bottom of who revealed names and leaked protected information to the press.

The House and Senate Intelligence Committees are currently investigating allegations the Obama administration spied on Trump associates  and possibly Trump himself  for as long as the year preceding his inauguration. And while former Obama National Security Adviser Susan Rice has been implicated as at least one of the officials who sought redacted names from surveillance transcripts, multiple lawmakers and investigators for the panel told Fox News the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency - all agencies in position to aid the probe  are not cooperating.

Our requests are simply not being answered, said one House Intelligence committee source about the lack of responsiveness. "The agencies are not really helping at all and there is truly a massive web for us to try and wade through.

A Senate Intelligence Committee source said the upper chamber had the same experience.

Our requests are simply not being answered.  House Intelligence Committee source

Any information that will help find the wide extent on the unmasking and surveillance is purposely not being provided, said the Senate source.

An FBI spokesperson said the bureau is working in good faith.

The FBI will continue to work with the congressional oversight committees on their requests, the spokesperson said.

A CIA spokesperson told Fox News the NSA was the lead agency on the matter and referred questions to it.

In a statement to Fox News, the NSA called the allegations "categorically untrue."

"Allegations that the National Security Agency is 'withholding information' from congressional intelligence committees investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election are categorically untrue," the statement said. "NSA fully supports the committees' work. We have already made available significant information in response to their requests, and we look forward to continuing to work with them in the execution of their important responsibilities."

Sources within the NSA said they are watching the investigation closely, with one telling Fox News, A number of people saw a lot of very questionable stuff. [The Obama administration was] using national assets and intelligence for politics.

It was not clear if the alleged lack of cooperation was from top brass or agency holdovers resisting the new administration.

The CIA is now headed by former Rep. Mike Pompeo, who himself served on the House Intelligence Committee prior to his nomination. The FBI and NSA are run by James Comey and Mike Rogers, respectively. Both are holdovers from the Obama administration. Last month, both men declined to appear at a private closed door House Intelligence Committee briefing and have not met with the committee members since.

The meeting was supposed to be a follow-up to public testimony by Comey and Rogers to the committee in late March on the topic of Russian meddling in the presidential election and the alleged mishandling of intelligence related to the Trump transition team.

During the public hearing, the pair had declined to answer more than 100 questions, and Comey has been completely unavailable since.

House Intelligence Chair Devin Nunes, R-Calif., told Fox News he had hoped that behind closed doors, Comey and Rogers would be more forthcoming.

Nunes also wanted to ask them about intelligence reports hed viewed that showed incidental electronic intercepts of Trump team communications. The intelligence reports, which included surveillance of foreign targets, revealed that the names of Trump's team had been "unmasked" or revealed, and their identities widely disseminated throughout the government and to the media.

Nunes said during a March 22 press conference that he was troubled because the reports hed seen were not connected to Russia or any foreign intelligence.

U.S. intelligence sources have told Fox News that Rice, President Obama's national security adviser, is responsible for unmasking at least some of Trump team named in surveillance reports.

Rice said Tuesday on MSNBC, It was not uncommon, it was necessary at times to make those requests.. to understand the information. But Rice maintained she is not the leaker, didnt send the information to the press and did not use the information for political purposes.

And while U.S. intelligence sources told Fox News that unmasking requests escalated after Trump was elected, Rice claimed she didnt remember. I dont have a particular recollection of doing that more frequently after the election.

President Trump on Wednesday claimed that he believes Rice may have committed a crime by requesting the identities of Trump associates who were mentioned in U.S. surveillance, though he did not provide proof.

Asked by the New York Times if Rice committed a crime, Trump said, Do I think? Yes, I think.

Rice isnt the only Obama official implicated in the Trump team surveillance scandal. Multiple sources insist she was part of a group involved at the highest levels and was not calling the shots.

A lot of us are upset. We believe this group of people were using national assets for politics and misappropriating them, said one NSA source. Dont forget as the national security advisor, Susan Rice is supposed to ingest and digest. Despite what you are hearing, it is not normal to investigate especially in the broad manner that was being done. She [was] a White House staffer, not a member of an intelligence agency."
After more than 15 hours on the Senate floor, Oregon Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley late Wednesday morning ended his marathon speech against President Trumps Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch.

Merkley began speaking just before 7 p.m. ET Tuesday vowing to talk as long as Im able to to protest Republicans 2016 blockade of former President Barack Obamas nominee for the seat Merrick Garland  in the latest disruption on the road to a vote for Gorsuch.

Merkley stood in front of a blow-up of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution.

During his talk-a-thon, he said Gorsuch "is much like his idol and role model Antonin Scalia and other far-right conservatives on the Supreme Court. And while this unbalanced approach might make for interesting reading the courtroom is not an academic paper each case involves real people with real problems."

Merkleys lengthy speech amped up the drama but did little to change the inevitable outcome.

In votes set for Thursday, Democrats will try to block Gorsuch's confirmation, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he will change Senate procedure to lower the threshold required to advance Supreme Court nominees from 60 votes to a simple majority in the 100-member Senate.

"They seem determined to head into the abyss," the Kentucky Republican said of Democrats as debate began Tuesday over Gorsuch's nomination. "They need to reconsider."

Merkleys staff streamed the video of him on the Senate floor - all 15 hours and 28 minutes of it.

"Make no mistake: this is a stolen seat  & if this theft is completed, it will undermine the integrity of the court for decades," Merkley tweeted as he began.

His endurance was praised by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who tweeted, "Go, @SenJeffMerkley, Go! #StopGorsuch #HoldTheFloor."

Merkley's speech wasn't expected to delay Wednesday's debate on Trump's nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch or votes expected Thursday and Friday -- when Republicans are increasingly likely to use the so-called "nuclear option" to push through a Democratic filibuster.

Senators of both parties bemoaned the further erosion of their traditions of bipartisanship and consensus. Some were already predicting that they would end up eliminating the 60-vote requirement for legislation, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell committed Tuesday that would not happen under his watch.

He drew a distinction between legislation being filibustered and the filibuster being used against nominees, something that is a more recent development.

Gorsuch now counts 55 supporters in the Senate: the 52 Republicans, along with three moderate Democrats from states Trump won last November  Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Donnelly of Indiana.

SEN. MIKE LEE VOWS TO CONFIRM GORSUCH

A fourth Senate Democrat, Michael Bennet from Gorsuch's home state of Colorado, has said he will not join in the filibuster against Gorsuch but has not said how he will vote on final passage.

McConnell, R-Ky., told Fox News' "The First 100 Days" Tuesday that the GOP's use of the so-called "nuclear option" to confirm Gorsuch is their response to the Democrats' "breaking the rules of the Senate" in 2013.

"For 230 years, up or down, simple majority [required] for Supreme Court, Cabinet, everything until [Senate Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer invented this, so its a fairly recent thing to filibuster executive branch appointments," McConnell told host Dana Perino. "All well do faced with this filibuster is even that up so the Supreme Court confirmation process is dealt with just like it was throughout the history of the country."

Gorsuch, 49, is a 10-year veteran of a federal appeals court in Denver, where he's compiled a highly conservative record that's led Democrats to complain he sides with corporations without regards to the humanity of the plaintiffs before him.

Merkley also took issue with the Republican claim that Supreme Court justices should not be confirmed during an election year, and listed several judges in the past that were appointed during those timeframes, OregonLive.com reported.

"Until the FBI and Congress complete #Russia investigation, confirming @realDonaldTrump lifetime appointment to #SCOTUS is premature," Merkley tweeted.

The Associated Press contributed to this report .
On the heels of yet another North Korean missile test, albeit one the Pentagon says failed, and ahead of a meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Trumps first choice for Secretary of Defense told Fox News the U.S. is right to consider first-strike military action against Pyongyang.



Were rapidly and dangerously heading towards the reality that the military option is the only one left when it comes to getting North Korea to denuclearize and not weaponized [intercontinental ballistic missiles]," said retired four-star Gen. Jack Keane.

Keane said going to war is undesirable to the Trump administration because of the toll it would take on human lives.

NORTH KOREA FIRES MISSILE AS US OFFICIAL SAYS 'CLOCK HAS NOW RUN OUT' ON PYONGYANG

But the Trump administration cannot accept a nuclear launch, he said. We cannot rely on our missile-defense system to defeat it and expose the American people to a nuclear attack. Therefore if an ICBM attack was imminent the president would have to conduct a preemptive strike.

Such a position is intended to send a message to Chinese leaders ahead of tomorrows meeting at Trumps Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

Three past presidents have sought political, economic and diplomatic steps to get North Korea to denuclearize but failed miserably, Keane said. All three tried to leverage China but also failed.

Keane said that while former President Obama never fully removed the military option  a move Obama called strategic patience  both China and North Korea believed he had done so.

NORTH KOREA LIKELY BEHIND $81M HACK AT THE FEDERAL RESERVE, REPORT SAYS

The Trump administration has said that policy is not working and plan to put the military option back on the table, Keane said.

North Korea ought to be at the top of the agenda in Mar-a-Lago, said John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. How much do you fear a nuclear weapon? That's the question. We have to look at preemptive military action. If China doesn't like that prospect maybe we can start bringing down the regime with other measures, like cutting off the supply of food and fuel to North Korea.

The Trump administration is said to be considering a range of new sanctions against the North Korean regime. But, as in the past, such moves require help from Beijing. That help has not often been forthcoming.

The U.S. has tried to get the Chinese to cut off oil and food to the North Koreans for 23 years, only to be told that Beijing does not believe in cut-offs of anything, said J.J. Tkacik of the International Strategy and Assessment Center. The Chinese have acquiesced in several UN Security Council resolutions that involve some level of trade and economic sanctions, but there has never been any indication that they actually have implemented those sanctions.

There is broad agreement that what North Korea is doing is dangerous and unprecedented. In his first five years as North Korean leader, the Center for Strategic and International Studies points out that Kim Jong-Un has ordered more than twice the number of missile tests than his father, Kim Jong-Il, did during his 17-year rule.

It has invested heavily in the development of increasingly longer range ballistic missiles, and the miniaturization of its nascent nuclear weapons stockpile, according to a report by the non-partisan CSIS. North Korea is reliant on these capabilities to hold U.S., allied forces and civilian areas at risk.

Keane said what is particularly dangerous is Kim Jong-Uns rhetoric that he intends to use these weapons against the United States.

Theres not another world leader who says he intends to use nukes against the U.S., Keane said. We have to take this threat very seriously.

In his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump could try to get help from China. But experts say even if that does come up, China would likely not agree to it.

North Korea has strategic value to China, said Shen Dingli, vice dean of international relations at Fudan University in Shanghai, and a frequent commentator on U.S.-China relations. The U.S. has to end its military threat to China, on the issue of Taiwan, before asking China to do it a favor by demanding something from North Korea.

But experts said Trumps candor and blunt approach is appreciated in China and could help him.

Being unpredictable and questioning conventional wisdom can be an effective strategy at times, said Paul Haenle, who served on the national security staffs of Presidents Bush and Obama. A healthy dose of unpredictability is useful in our strategy with China.

Still, some experts said Trump has to be careful in how he deals with China and North Korea. Any provocation, they say, could backfire.

If the U.S. attacks without provocation, China is legally bound to defend North Korea, said Shen Dingli, vice dean of international relations at Fudan University in Shanghai, and a frequent commentator on U.S.-China relations. Dont expect China to let North Korea collapse. China will join North Korea to a level that will prevent its collapse.

Keane said President Trump is going to be diplomatic, but he isnt afraid to urge China to take sides.

[Thursday], were going to try the diplomatic option to reverse North Koreas nuclear program, Keane said. As for the military option, were moving there because Beijing, youve painted us into a corner. Lets work together and denuclearize North Korea. I dont know if theyre going to do that. But well see.
EXCLUSIVE: Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News' "The First 100 Days" Wednesday that House Republicans are making "good progress" in their revived effort to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

"Clearly, a few weeks back, Congress wasnt quite ready to take the first step to begin the end of ObamaCare," Pence told host Martha MacCallum. "But conversations have continued since then. I think weve made good progress, and Ive seen good faith on all sides."

In-depth conversation with @marthamaccallum about world events, health care, & @POTUS' first 100 days. Tune in tonight at 7 P.M. on @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/YoJ4ydYLIc  Vice President Pence (@VP) April 5, 2017

The vice president said he did not want to put any timetable on when a new ObamaCare replacement might come before the House, but said he and President Trump were "encouraged" by their progress and vowed, "it's gonna get done."

Pence also told MacCallum that "all evidence points to the Assad regime" being behind a deadly chemical weapons attack in Syria this week.

"No American can look at those images and not be heartsick," Pence said. "It is a reflection of the failure of the past administration to both confront the mindless violence of the Assad regime and also hold Russia and Syria to account for the promises to destroy chemical weapons."

The attack killed at least 75 people and wounded hundreds more in Khan Sheikhoun, activists said Wednesday, providing updated numbers. The killer agent may have been sarin -- which is 20 times as deadly as cyanide, according to the Idlib Media Center. The poison is colorless and odorless, making it a challenge to detect.

TRUMP SAYS 'HEINOUS' CHEMICAL WEAPONS STRIKE IN SYRIA 'CANNOT BE TOLERATED'

The Vice President also said that President Trump is "very much looking forward" to welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping to his Mar-Al Lago estate in Florida this weekend.

"What [the Chinese are] going to find in president Trump is a strong leader whos going to put America first and is going to be willing to talk about the hard things," Pence said. "The fact that we lose $500 billion a year in a trade deficit to China, that weve seen manufacturing leaving this country and going to China, the fact that we see China constructing bases in the South China Sea, far beyond and well into international waters and other areas, Im sure will all be topics."

Pence also addressed the reshuffling of the National Security Council, after Trumps controversial chief strategist Steve Bannon was removed, saying it was not a demotion.

STEVE BANNON REMOVED FROM NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

Showed @marthamaccallum the desk in my ceremonial office, which was built for Pres. T. Roosevelt & has been signed by many Vice Presidents. pic.twitter.com/Ijm4Vqq1Ol  Vice President Pence (@VP) April 5, 2017

Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert also had his role reduced in the shakeup; however, Bossert can still call a meeting of the Homeland Security Council, remains on the Principals Committee and can attend NSC meetings, an administration official told Fox News.

"They are gonna continue to play important policy roles," Pence said, adding the move was "just a natural evolution to ensure the National Security Council is organized in a way that best serves the president in resolving and making those difficult decisions."

Despite the turbulent start to the Trump administration, Pence said he would "give us a very solid 'A'" grade, citing strong economic data and reports indicating that attempts by immigrants to illegally cross the southern border had dropped to low levels.

"We see America standing tall in the world again, companies are reinvesting in America and creating those good-paying jobs," Pence said, "and what the American people see every single day is a president who is keeping his word to the American people."
U.S. colleges and universities appear to be declining their traditional practice of inviting the sitting president to deliver commencement speeches.

So far this year President Trump has only announced plans to address Liberty University, an evangelical institution in Lynchburg, Va., according to The College Fix.

Thats a contrast to his predecessors experience. By the end of March 2009, the first year Barack Obama was in office, he had already announced that he would be the commencement speaker at three prominent universities, University of Notre Dame, Arizona State University and the United States Naval Academy.

During his two terms in office, Obama gave a total of 24 commencement addresses, according to FiveThirtyEight. He spoke at a wide range of schools that included public and private institutions, historically black colleges and universities and multiple service academies.

The White House did not immediately respond to questions about how many speaking invitations Trump has received or intends to accept.

American academia is overwhelmingly opposed to Trump and his policies, with many university leaders having spoken out frequently against Trumps immigration policies.

Harvard University President Drew Faust, in a January statement, affirmed the institutions commitment to its international affiliates, calling them vital.

Nearly half of the deans of Harvards schools are immigrants  from India, China, Northern Ireland, Jamaica and Iran, Faust wrote in an email to the university, according to the Harvard Crimson. Benefiting from the talents and energy, the knowledge and ideas of people from nations around the globe is not just a vital interest of the University; it long has been, and it fully remains, a vital interest of our nation.

Michael Drake, president of Ohio State University, said in an email to students that the school is committed to protecting the information of all of our students, regardless of immigration status and that undocumented students are entitled to all of the rights and privileges of other students at Ohio State.

Even students at Liberty University, a prominent evangelical school that has hosted multiple presidential candidates throughout the campaign, are unhappy Trump will speak at their commencement.

Its disappointing, Dustin Wahl, a junior who helped gather about 2,000 student signatures on an anti-Trump petition after the Access Hollywood tape came out in October, said to the Washington Post.

I think a commencement speaker is supposed to be someone students can look up to and respect and aspire to be like one day. And I dont think we live in a world right now where the president of the United States fits that criteria.

Click here for more from the College Fix
Egypts President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi told Fox News Bret Baier in an exclusive interview Wednesday that President Trump has a true understanding of the realities in the Middle East when it comes to terrorism, drawing an apparent contrast with the policies of the Obama administration.

"In fact many things over the last four years occurred and caused many, many problems," el-Sisi said. "That's a fact. The region is paying a very heavy price for that."

El-Sisi also described Trump as a "unique personality" and said he had "every confidence of unprecedented success" for the American president.

"There is a true understanding of realities in the region," el-Sisi said, when asked about changes under the new administration. "And there is seriousness and responsible actions in facing extremism and terrorism in the region. And that's a wonderful thing indeed.

"There is nothing better than to counter evil," he said.

El-Sisi, who earlier this week met with President Trump at the White House, said the world needs to speak with one face as we confront terrorism and questioned Russias ties to the atrocities in Syria.

Russia has interests in Syria and the region, he said. And I think they are defending their interests.

El-Sisis warm White House reception was in stark contrast to the frosty relationship he had with former President Barack Obama.

Obama had repeatedly called out el-Sisi during his tenure over human rights violations and never invited him to the White House. Obama briefly froze some U.S. military aid to Egypt in 2013 but had it restored in 2015.

El-Sisi told Fox that Trump had "promised to support Egypt ... and I trust his promise."

When asked by Baier about his perception as a strongman, el-Sisi pointed out that Egypt has "93 million [people] in a region that is very unstable ... [with] ideas and elements that are extremist living in our society."

El-Sisi and his supporters have criticized the Obama administrations handling of the uprising in Egypt six years ago. They believe American complacency led to a stronger presence by the Muslim Brotherhood.

El-Sisi and Trump met for the first time in September. Since then, Trump has called the Egyptian leader a fantastic guy and said there was good chemistry between them. El-Sisi was the first foreign leader to congratulate Trump on his White House win.

Like Trump, el-Sisi is a polarizing figure in his country. However, the Egyptian leader denied that he had dictatorial ambitions.

"[I] have four years, and if the people accept me, maybe four more, and theres no third chance," he told Baier. "There is true change in Egypt and the Egyptian people will not accept to have a president against their will."
President Trumps controversial chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, was removed from the National Security Council on Wednesday, Fox News confirmed.

Bannon was put on the NSCs Principals Committee as a check on former National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn to make sure Flynn carried through with a directive to depoliticize the NSC, a senior administration official told Fox News.

"[Obama administration National Security Adviser] Susan Rice operationalized the NSC during the last administration," Bannon said in a statement. "I was put on to ensure that it was de-operationalized. [National Security Adviser] General [H.R.] McMaster has returned the NSC to its proper function."

Bannon only attended one meeting of the Principals Committee and Flynn was fired from his role in mid February after misleading Vice President Mike Pence about conversations he had with a Russian official.

With McMaster replacing Flynn, Trump saw no need for Bannon to stay on the committee as a check on Flynn, the official said.

Bannon is still permitted to go to NSC meetings.

On Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News' Martha MacCallum the move was not a demotion for Bannon.

"They are gonna continue to play important policy roles," Pence said, adding the move was "just a natural evolution to ensure the National Security Council is organized in a way that best serves the president in resolving and making those difficult decisions."

Bannon's promotion to a regular NSC seat proved to be a contentious move, with detractors questioning why a political adviser was being given a permanent voice on security issues.

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., released a statement Wednesday soon after the news came out. He called Bannon "wholly unqualified" to have been placed on the NSC in the first place and questioned if House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes had any dealings with Bannon during his investigation of possible surveillance of the Trump team.

"We need to know what in the world is going on," Cummings said.

Wednesday's reconfiguration also promotes the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats to regular attendees. Those roles had previously been downgraded.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Energy Secretary Rick Perry were also added to the NSC.

Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert also had his role reduced in the shakeup; however, Bossert can still call a meeting of the Homeland Security Council, remains on the Principals Committee and can attend NSC meetings, the administration official said.

Fox News John Roberts contributed to this report.
The Susan Rice situation is murky, but one thing thats crystal clear is that shes changing her story.

And that is raising a whole lot of questions about the tangled allegations that the Obama administration unmasked Donald Trump or his associates when they were picked up on foreign intercepts.

When Rice was asked about this by PBSs Judy Woodruff a couple of weeks ago, the former national security adviser said she knew nothing about it and was just learning about it from news reports.

But in the wake of reports by Fox News and Bloombergs Eli Lake that Rice had done the unmasking, she broke her silence yesterday on MSNBC.

It was not uncommon to make these requests and necessary to do her job, Rice told Andrea Mitchell. She needed to know the names of the Americans picked up on the intercepts, but its absolutely false to say this was done for political purposes.

So shes now gone from professed ignorance to nothing improper.

In fairness to Rice, it may turn out that what she did was perfectly legal. But there are now a whole host of troubling questions.

Did she seek the identities of Trump folks solely for intelligence reasons, or did she have political motivations?

Who did she share the information with?

Did she leak any of the findings, or cause them to be leaked? Rice denied leaking anything to do with her successor, Michael Flynn, whose false denials about contacts with the Russian ambassador led President Trump to fire him. I leaked nothing to nobody and never have and never would, she said.

This brings us to the role of the media.

Since the allegations were minimized yesterday by the Washington Post and New York Times (with the Times depicting them as something bouncing around conservative media), some critics on the right say they are covering for Rice. ABC and NBC didn't cover them on Monday's evening newscasts, while the "CBS Evening News" quoted a former official as saying Rice did "nothing improper or political."

Id suggest the situation is complicated. It looks to me that many news outlets were unable to confirm the allegations, which raises the dilemma of whether you publish something based on other outlets citing unnamed sources when your own reporters cant verify it.

Of course, some of these same outlets have run with stories, also involving anonymous sources, about alleged collusion between Trump associates and Russia.

Its fair to say they are more enthusiastic about that story.

But theres a difference between not confirming publishing allegations and denigrating them, which is what some at CNN have been doing.

Anchor Don Lemon told viewers we will not insult your intelligence by suggesting the Trump team was spied on illegally, nor will we aid and abet the people who are trying to misinform you, the American people, by creating a diversion.

How does Lemon know its a diversion? Shouldnt he want to know all the facts? Its true that the latest story does not confirm Trumps original charge that the previous administration targeted him for wiretapping, but that doesnt mean other surveillance was properly handled.

CNNs national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto, was equally condescending, saying the Bloomberg scoop on Rice was largely ginned up, partly as a distraction from this larger investigation.

Not only is Sciutto dismissing legitimate questions, he worked for the Obama State Department as a diplomat from 2011 to 2013. I think the better course would have been to recuse himself.

Right now the media are on two different planets: Those more interested in proving a Russia/Trump conspiracy and those more interested in proving an Obama surveillance conspiracy. Hard facts are hard to come by, but it would be nice if the same standards were applied to both parts of this bizarre story.
While Susan Rice is defending as routine her requests for the identities of Americans caught up in surveillance of foreign targets, others whove served in the intelligence community and at high levels of government say the former national security adviser's requests were quite unusual.

Rice, who served in the Obama administration, is at the heart of allegations of improper surveillance of the Trump team prior to Inauguration Day.

Fox News reported Monday that Rice asked for Trump associates to be identified  or unmasked  in intelligence reports and those names were then widely disseminated at the top levels of the government. In an interview Tuesday on MSNBC, Rice largely skirted talking specifically about those allegations, however, she said it was absolutely false that Obama officials utilized intelligence for political purposes.

Rices defenders also have said unmasking requests would be a typical part of her job -- and her authority to make such requests generally is not being questioned. Rice said Tuesday the process helped provide context in order to understand the importance of the report and understand the significance.

It is hard to fathom how the demasking of multiple Trump campaign and transition officials was not politically motivated.  Fred Fleitz, ex-CIA analyst

Former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau tweeted his coarsely-worded case: "It was her f------ job to know this information! This is utter bulls---."

Her detractors, however, say thats not the case.

From my direct experience dealing at this level, that is never done, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer told Fox News. Shaffer has experience in intelligence operations focused on foreign actors in which U.S. citizens involvement could surface.

The national security adviser person is a manager position, not an analyst position, he said. You have analysts in the intelligence community whose job is to sort through who is doing what with what. Susan Rice is a senior manager looking over the entire intelligence community. She should not have time to be unmasking individuals having conversations. Its insane. Its never done.

Ex-CIA analyst Fred Fleitz agreed in a Fox News op-ed.

Rices denials dont add up, Fleitz wrote. It is hard to fathom how the demasking of multiple Trump campaign and transition officials was not politically motivated.

Trump hasn't commented extensively since Rice's Tuesday interview, however, asked by The New York Times if he thought Rice committed a crime Trump said: "Do I think? Yes, I think."

Former Ambassador to the United Nations and Fox News contributor John Bolton told Americas Newsroom that Rices requests may have been improper depending on what reason she gave for wanting the information.

Now Im not naive, a national security advisers gonna get her request approved. But she still has to give some reason, said Bolton, who served under former President George W. Bush. If she doesnt even have to give a reason than NSA is really quite negligent. Susan Rice is obviously not gonna say, I want these names unmasked so I can surveil my political opponents. And if she said she wanted the names unmasked for national security reasons, thats a fraud on the intelligence system.

Shaffer said a U.S. citizens interaction with a foreign target is not typically reason enough to unmask an American.

These techniques, technology and procedures are reserved for potential violations of U.S. laws, he said, adding of Rices alleged actions: Its not only legally insufficient, its politically insane.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.
President Trump on Wednesday is hosting Jordan's King Abdullah II, with the question of how world leaders will respond to the deadly chemical attack in Syria likely to surge to the top of the agenda.

Trump has already condemned the attack, which reportedly killed dozens of civilians, calling it "reprehensible and blaming Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The president is also scheduled to speak Wednesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the Syria issue and with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about North Korea earlier in the day firing a newly developed powerful ballistic missile into its eastern waters.

The latest attack also has prompted calls from Capitol Hill for a strong response. But what the president and other world leaders will do remains unanswered, with few good options.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Wednesday that the United States in now being "compelled to take action" and urged the body's Security Council "to do the same."

Trump has also blamed former President Barack Obama, saying he did nothing in 2013, after Assad crossed Obamas red line with a chemical attack.

Trump and Abdullah will meet at the White House for much of the day. They are scheduled to break in the afternoon for a press conference in which they likely will be asked about plans to deal with Syria, crumbling amid a roughly six-year-long civil war that has provided space for the Islamic State terror group to flourish.

WATCH THE TRUMP-ABDULLAH PRESS CONFERENCE ON FOX NEWS AND FOXNEWS.COM AT 1:10 PM ET WEDNESDAY

Trump spoke briefly with reporters before the press conference, saying, "What happened in Syria was a horrible, horrible thing, unspeakable. ... We are going to have some very interesting discussions."

He declined to discuss whether Tuesday's chemical attack would change adminstration policy, saying, "We'll see."

Trump, roughly 10 weeks into his administration, had given no indication about a plan to prevent future atrocities that was any different from Obama's.

Asked how Trump might respond, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said he wasn't yet ready to discuss it.

Finding a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is also expected to be at the top of the Trump and Abdullahs agenda.

And the world leaders are also expected to discuss how to stop the Islamic State, which has also taken over part of Iraq.

The terror group has executed a series of recent attacks that pose an internal and external threat to pro-Western Jordan.

Jordan has been part of a U.S.-led military coalition against ISIS for the past two years, hosting Western military trainers and carrying out airstrikes against ISIS targets.

A senior White House official last week portrayed Jordan as a "critical" U.S. partner in the fight against the extremists.

Jordanian and U.S. interests appear to converge, with both seeking to step up the anti-ISIS campaign.

Obama also faced a dearth of good options in Syria, which he has often acknowledged as the biggest failure of his presidency. Years after Obama predicted that Assad's days were numbered, the Syrian leader remains in power.

Trump left it to his top diplomat, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to assign culpability to Russia and Iran, Assad's most powerful allies.

Tillerson noted both countries signed up as guarantors to a recent Syrian cease-fire and said they must pressure Assad not to conduct more such attacks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Two of the top U.S. coal companies reportedly asked the White House to back down on President Trumps vow to pull out of the landmark Paris climate pact, arguing that the deal could protect its global interests.

Cloud Peak Energy and Peabody Energy executives told White House officials over the last few weeks that staying in the climate deal may give U.S. negotiators a change to advocate for coal in the future, Reuters reported Tuesday.

"The future is foreign markets, so the last thing you want to do if you are a coal company is to give up a U.S. seat in the international climate discussions and let the Europeans control the agenda," a U.S. official familiar with the talks told Reuters. "They cant afford for the most powerful advocate for fossil fuels to be away from the table.

Richard Reavey, Cloud Peaks vice president of government affairs, said staying in the accord and trying to create a reasonable path forward on fossil fuel technologies is a reasonable stance.

Officials said the coal industry wants to ensure the Paris deal provides a financial role for storage technology as well as role for low-emission coal-powered plants. The industry also hopes the agreement would protect multilateral funding for global coal projects through international bodies like the World Bank, Reuters reported.

Sources told Reuters in March that Trumps administration had contacted U.S. energy companies to seek their input about their views on the accord. The sources said many companies would prefer the U.S. remained in the deal, but would also support reducing the countrys commitments in the deal.

Press Secretary Sean Spier said last week that a decision on whether to remain in the deal would be made during the G7 meeting in May.

Trump promised during his presidential campaign to pull the U.S. out of the pact. Trump signed an executive order last week that initiated the unravelling of the Obama administrations sweeping plan to curb global warming.

Click for more from Reuters.
The U.S. Navy announced Wednesday it has grounded all T-45 Goshawk jet training flights for three days, after Fox News reported that up to 100 instructor pilots were refusing to fly the aircraft citing problems with its oxygen system.

We take the concerns of our aircrew seriously and have directed a ... safety pause for the T-45 community to allow time for Naval Aviation leadership to engage with the pilots, hear their concerns and discuss the risk mitigations as well as the efforts that are ongoing to correct this issue, Navy spokeswoman Cmdr. Jeannie Groeneveld said in an email to Fox News Wednesday.

As Fox News reported Tuesday, the boycott started late last week and had effectively grounded hundreds of training flights already.

The head of U.S. Navy flight training, Rear Adm. Dell Bull, was supposed to visit pilots at Naval Air Station in Meridian, Miss., Wednesday, but cancelled that visit abruptly to brief senior Naval officers on a video teleconference from Pensacola, multiple Navy officials told Fox News.

Naval aviation leaders are planning to visit all three bases where T-45s are flown to meet with the pilots and hear their concerns.

The pilots dont feel safe flying this aircraft, one instructor pilot told Fox News.

Among the hundreds of student pilots affected is Marine 1st Lt. Michael Pence, son of Vice President Pence  a factor that could put added pressure on the Pentagon to resolve the dispute.

Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, head of naval aviation, told Fox News in an exclusive interview that the training jet issue is the number one safety priority across naval aviation right now.

In the last five years, physiological episodes, caused in part by problems with the oxygen system, have nearly quadrupled on the T-45 training jet, according to Capitol Hill testimony last week by senior naval aviators.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said in a statement that the Navy must address these safety concerns swiftly and decisively.

I am disappointed the situation has devolved to the point some instructor pilots, who feel strongly that their concerns are not being addressed, have removed themselves from what they love most--flying Navy aircraft, McCain added.

Fox News interviewed multiple Navy flight instructors who say incidents of oxygen poisoning in the 30-year old T-45 Goshawk have skyrocketed.

Histotoxic hypoxia is the medical term associated with the disorientating disorder which can put pilots lives at risk, as well as those of civilians on the ground below. Two instructor pilots say the training jets are now averaging three incidents a week, as the Navy struggles to get to the bottom of the contamination.

It can happen without warning, one pilot said. The system doesnt detect contaminants.

A number of instructors cited recent episodes as reasons for the abrupt work stoppage.

Last week, a student from training squadron VT-86 in Pensacola, Fla., had to be dragged out of his jet because he became incapacitated from the faulty oxygen system, according to two flight instructors.

In March, a British exchange instructor pilot with thousands of hours in the cockpit had to conduct an emergency landing during a training flight near Meridian, Miss., after both he and his student experienced hypoxic symptoms.

In August, a flight instructor and his student were forced to eject near Kingsville, Texas, when they felt symptoms of hypoxia, crashing the multi-million dollar jet. Both pilots ejected safely and were not seriously injured.

Last month, there were 10 episodes in T-45s, according to Shoemaker.

Anticipating the pilot protest, the Navy sent a team of engineers and other specialists this week to its T-45 training bases in Kingsville, Meridian and Pensacola for talks with the pilots.

A meeting Tuesday in Meridian got heated, Fox News is told. The pilots told the civilians from Navy Air Systems Command their complaints about the oxygen system were being ignored. When a senior Navy pilot showed photos of a faulty oxygen system he claimed had been sent up to NAVAIRs headquarters in Maryland, the engineers said they never received the photos.
As President Trump announces a major shakeup of his National Security Council, there is a growing focus on what exactly the NSC does and what the impact of this rearrangement could be.

Lt Gen H.R. McMaster has served as the President's National Security Advisor since February, but it was the removal of one of the president's closest aides, Steven Bannon, from the National Security Council's Principals Committee that is drawing the most attention.

The Principals Committee is made up of people who are considered the President's top national security officials, and is tasked with a variety of issues that affect our national security. In a new White House memo that lists the committees members, Bannon is not mentioned.

According to the memo, the Principals Committee is now comprised of "the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Chief of Staff to the President, the Director of National Intelligence, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Advisor, the Homeland Security Advisor, and the Representative of the United States to the United Nations."

In addition to those members, the memo states that "[t]he Counsel to the President, the Deputy Counsel to the President for National Security Affairs, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget may attend all [Principals Committee] meetings."

In a statement, Bannon suggested that President Obama's National Security Adviser, Susan Rice, had "operationalized the [National Security Council] during the last administration," adding that he was only ever put on to "ensure that it was de-operationalized."

Bannon added that he believes McMaster "has returned the NSC to its proper function."

A senior administration official tells Fox that Bannon was only ever put on the committee as a check on former National Security Advisor, Lt Gen Michael Flynn. According to the official, the President saw no need for Bannon to stay on after McMaster assumed the role of advisor, but suggested that Bannon will still be able to attend NSC meetings.

Bannons initial placement on the NSC created controversy among both Republicans and Democrats, who suggested that Bannon could wind up inserting domestic politics into discussions of national security. Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in February that the President would be willing to reconsider Bannons role on the NSC if McMaster asked.

The National Security Council was created in July, 1947, as part of President Truman's National Security Act. According to the Nixon Presidential Library, the NSC was created "to assist and advise the President on domestic, foreign and military policies relating to national security." At the time, the council consisted of just seven permanent members, with the President serving as chairman.

Just a few years later, the NSC went through a reorganization that placed the NSC within the executive office of the President. A series of amendments resulted in the council being divided into three groups: the Executive Secretary and his staff, personnel on detail, and Consultants to the Executive Secretary.

Former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft pointed out in an interview with the Council on Foreign Relations that the size of the NSC has "varied dramatically from the minimum, which was five people under Kennedy, with virtually no staff, to what it is now, which I think is about 350."

According to a Congressional Research Service report on the NSC, the groups organization and even influence have varied significantly from one Administration to another, ranging from highly structured and formal systems to loose-knit teams of experts.

Today, the council's members include (by statute) the president, the vice president, and the secretaries of state, defense and energy. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of National Intelligence are said to serve in advisory roles, and the president has the discretion to add other members as they see fit.

At the time of publishing Wednesday afternoon, visitors to the NSC's White House website were being told to [c]heck back soon for more information.
Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., was on fire after House Republicans snatched their health care bill off the floor late last month. Waylaid by the internal collapse, recriminations were under way.

Theres only one place the finger-pointing should go, thundered Collins, one of President Trumps first allies on Capitol Hill. Thats [toward] the Freedom Caucus.

The Freedom Caucus is the bloc of conservative House Republicans who many, including President Trump, pilloried for thwarting the health care bill. Collins is a member of the Tuesday Group, the amalgam of moderate House Republicans. Many of those members also struggled to get to yes.

So what advice did Collins have if the sides try to jumpstart negotiations?

Next time one of those calls come in, hang up, barked Collins. The Tuesday Group will never meet with the Freedom Caucus. With a capital N-E-V-E-R.

ObamaCare remains intact while internecine GOP bloodletting is grisly.

I believe health care has moved on and wont be dealt with again until 2019, predicted Collins.

Until it hadnt.

On Monday, Collins found himself among a group of moderate Republicans summoned to the White House for a session on trying to salvage the ObamaCare repeal and replace package

So much for soothsaying.

I thought it was [dead], said Collins later. I also thought South Carolina would play North Carolina.

Yeah. Gonzaga.

Collins seemed invigorated.

We are all happy the discussions are open again. I think it was a wake-up calls for some who voted no and went home and they maybe did not get a ticker tape parade, said Collins.

Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., also backed the package and was among those called to the White House Monday. Still, Davis wondered if the party could seal its own fissures. Davis called out the Freedom Caucus.

What do they need? asked Davis.

By nightfall Monday, Vice President Pence journeyed to the Capitol to meet with the Freedom Caucus.

We continue to work earnestly with Congress for a new future on health care reform, said Pence Tuesday. The president and I remain confident we will repeal and replace ObamaCare.

Pence, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney descended on the Capitol around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday for another conclave with key Republicans.

Were just talking. Any time were talking is good, said Price.

And they talked. For more than two hours. But most lawmakers left the confab uttering bromides.

Good talk, said House Budget Committee Chairwoman Diane Black, R-Tenn. Making progress.

Great meeting and great conversations, said Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.

Good conversation. Making progress, said House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas.

But while some lawmakers are upbeat, its unclear if theyre truly getting anywhere. Sources tell Fox News the consultations may pick up some Republicans but lose others.

There were no agreements tonight and no agreements in principle, and, certainly no agreements in terms of a foundation, said House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. There was a general agreement that the progress were making is certainly progress.

Meadows expressed mild disappointment that the administration and committee chairs didnt present updated legislative text.

House Republicans fear jetting out of Washington for the Easter/Passover break without a new health care bill. Time is short to retrench the bill, walk lawmakers through the legislation and whip it for a vote count.

I think to suggest that we cant get it done by the end of the week would be premature, said Meadows. Theres concern on my part that if we are making real progress that going home sends a wrong message.

One source familiar with the talks speculated that there was only a 30 percent chance the House could act this week even if the sides forged a pact.

Nothing has happened which would change the votes, said one senior House leadership aide.

Another senior House Republican source was emphatic that the House wouldnt remain in session over the weekend and would cut short the recess only if we have a deal. Some lawmakers are concerned the sides are exhausting too much effort extricating the health care bill from doom and not focusing on how to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month.

This is all about saving face, said one House Republican source. The speaker. The president. The committee chairs. The Freedom Caucus.

When asked whether saving face justified the exercise, the source replied, Yes. Anything that gets us to yes, at this point.

Republicans long criticized Democrats for what they perceived were efforts to muscle through ObamaCare. Republicans piously touted their own process to advance their own health care measure. Now? Well, its messy.

Also, an important operational issue lingers. The health care measure is tucked into whats called a special budget reconciliation package, structured in a way to avoid a Senate filibuster. The House must soon pass a budget for the next spending round. But congressional rules bar the House and Senate from having two live budget packages at once. So, the House and Senate could be forced to delay passing a budget for fiscal 2018 if they havent disposed of the budget reconciliation vehicle crafted for health care.

Of course, that presumes the House can approve a budget this year. Republicans browbeat Senate Democrats for not adopting budgets. But House Republicans failed to okay a budget last year.

Do lawmakers believe negotiations can lug the legislation across the finish line?

I dont know if its real or not, said one senior Republican source of the recent machinations.

Its a lot of noise. Busywork, declared another skeptical Republican.

Some Republicans are leery of the fire drill approach. But they concede, people talking.

As soon as people quit talking, then you know there is trouble, said a source familiar with the conversation.

Capitol Attitude is a weekly column written by members of the Fox News Capitol Hill team. Their articles take you inside the halls of Congress, and cover the spectrum of policy issues being introduced, debated and voted on there.
Scroll through your Facebook feed and youll realize that almost everyone seems to love two things: cat videos and dog photos.

When it comes to directing felines, youre on your own, but we can help you take stunning photos of anything that barks, thanks to a few simple tips from Derek Glas, a nationally recognized canine photographer, whose work ranges from portraits of Westminster-bound show dogs to moody magazine cover shoots.

Dogs dont know whether they're being shot for Dogster magazine or your Instagram feed, he argues, so the trick is getting your pet focused on the camerawhether that includes an SLR, a point-and-shoot, or a smartphone.

After supplying us with some of his best images, Glas explained how he managed the dogs (and, at times, the owners, too). He also revealed the techniques, settings, and equipment he used to turn a great setup into a great photograph.

The Classic Dog Portrait

This charming Norwich Terrier is Glass very own best friend. And what a dog she is. Valley, aka Max-Wells Valley Girl, won Best of Breed at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2012 with Glas as the owner-handler. The photographer took advantage of his 24/7 access to take a world-class portrait of a world-class show dog as a puppy.

The Dog: Even though she was a champion show dog in the making, Glas explains, Valley was just a puppy. An especially curious and energetic one at that. So before taking the shot, Glas gave Valley some play time. They used the green ball you can see in the foreground to play fetch, and afterward Valley was willing to chill for a few minutes. You want her to be calm and relaxed, he explains.

When the mood was right, Glas got down. Literally. Unlike most amateur photographers, he never aims his camera at the dog from on high. He works face-to-face with his subject, even when the pup sits only a few inches off the ground. You want to get close to their level, Glas says.

After he framed the shot, he made a noise he knew was bound to get the pup's attention, then he pressed the shutter. A moment later, Valley darted off to chase a squirrel, her personality-filled pose nothing more than a memory.

The Shot: The key to this picture, Glas says, was preparation. He recognized that the dappled late afternoon sunshine in his backyard provided perfect lighting for photography. The light was warm, which is better for fur tones, he jokes.

Though bright sunlight may be great for a walk, the unfiltered rays cast harsh shadows, which are problematic even for a pro photographer. Thats why Glas prefers to shoot in the hazy morning light, the so-called golden hour of late afternoon, or on overcast days when the light is perfectly uniform and flattering, a lot like you would find in a studio. Its like the sky is a giant soft box, he says.

The less-than-bright conditions also allowed him to shoot with his Nikkor telephoto zoom at f/2.8, the lens's widest possible aperture, to get the bokeh effect that separates Valley from a blurred background. In terms of the composition, Glas framed the photo to put Valley off-center, which added visual interest to an otherwise simple shot.

The Dog-and-Person Pose

The only thing we love more than pictures of our dogs is pictures of our dogs and the people we love. But, as Glas explains, its harder than it looks to get a shot in which both Jenny and her corgi, Molly, both look great.

The Dog: The challenge is finding a pose thats flattering for both subjects, Glas says. The perfect position accomplishes two things. 1) It gets Jenny's and Molly's faces in close proximity. 2) It makes the dog look good. This setup does both. The subjects' faces are where they need to be, and Molly's comfortable perch on Jenny's lap doesnt call attention to the corgis short legs.

Don't be afraid to try multiple setups and abandon whatever isnt working, Glas says. That day, he snapped some shots of Molly on a stone wall, and they simply didnt pan out. An alternate shot of Jenny standing, cradling the dog yielded better results.

If you can, enlist an assistant, too. Its good to have someone getting the dogs attention, he explains. In dog-only shots, Glas often recruits the owner for that purpose, but for great dog-and-people shots, it helps to have a third party handy.

In this picture, Jenny is looking at the camera and Molly is focused on Glass assistantwhich adds a subtle tension to the shot.

The Shot: With dog-only shots, Glas gets reasonably close to the animal, as he did with Valley above, but when people are in the image, too, hell often use a medium telephoto lensa setting of around 135mm on his Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 zoomwhich tends to be more flattering to the human face. Hell also shoot with the lens aperture wide open for a shallow depth of field, which isolates the subject.

Be prepared to take lots of shots to get one where all the elements come together. Its hard enough to capture a dogs expression or a persons expression," Glas says. "In this kind of shot, you need to get both at the same time.

The Action Shot

Whats better than a dog just being a dog? How about capturing that moment in a photo?

The Dog: Sonny, a champion golden retriever, had been patiently posing for Glass beauty shots for much of the afternoon. When that chore was done, the dog knew it was playtime, and this shot captures the boundless energy and enthusiasm that followed.

It shows the personality of the dog, says Glas. At the end, we let it all loose and he got to be the happy, fun golden he is.

Glas often tailors the setup to the characteristics of the breed. Sonnys a natural-born retriever, so he'll chase a ball or a stick again and again, allowing Glas to wait for the dog to come into the frame. With a more independent-minded terrier, however, you need to be ready for the dog to dictate the action.

The Shot: When you're shooting action, a quality camera can make a huge difference. You need a fast shutter speed to freeze the motionGlass tries not to shoot slower than 1/125, and this exposure was shot at 1/250. Just as important is a lens that auto-focuses precisely and fast. When shooting action, Glas will often set his Nikon D-700 SLR to Continuous mode and blast multiple frames in the hope of capturing the right millisecond.

Because Sonny was moving, Glas minimized the challenges by remaining in one position, close to the ground, cradling the camera securely to minimize blurring from camera shake. Though some amateurs crank up the ISO to shoot actionall the better to achieve a high shutter speedGlas avoids going to extremes. He wont push the ISO above 500, unless hes shooting in challenging indoor conditions at a dog show.

I dont like to use a really high ISO because you get a lot of noise and the photos get grainy, he says.

The Candid

Most great dog pictures take some planning, but sometimes a perfect photo op pops up out of nowhere. Thats what happened in this adorable candid of a young girl and her bulldog puppy.

The Subject: Glas was shooting one of the familys other dogs when the young girl grabbed the pup and started carrying him to the backyard pool. The photographer had the presence of mind to drop everything and turn his attention to the magic at hand. It was the cutest thing ever, he recalls.

The Shot: Glas was lucky to have his SLR with him, but he would have taken these with his iPhone 7 if he had to. In a quickly evolving situation like this one, he notes, its important to be thoroughly familiar with your equipment. There's no time to be fiddling with your exposure or focus settings.

Glas decided to process this shot in black and white, even though it was shot in color. It allowed him to eliminate the slightly distracting background colors and shift the viewers attention back to the girls quizzical expression. Its got more of that timeless feel and puts more focus on the subjects, he explains.

The Art Shot

When Dog News hired him to shoot a magazine cover, Glas decided to try for a very special image. It took quite a bit of time to get to this point, he says of the end result, a dramatic backlit shot of the French bulldog, Princeton.

The Dog: Although Glas generally aims for a dogs-eye view of the world, in this case he brought the dog up to the camera, placing him on a medium-sized table. Princeton had some room to roam between shots but could still be corralled when it was time to press the shutter.

Glas employed three assistants to tend to the dog, freeing up himself to focus on the complex lighting setup.

The Shot: This image is all about controlling the lighting, Glas says. Given the high-risk, high-reward stakes, he started out by banking some conventional shots. Only after that coverage was done did he attempt the more evocative images.

The key to the great cover shot is the precise placement of that single backlight in an otherwise pitch-dark room. Glas used a strobe slavea pro-quality, remote-controlled flashpositioned behind the dog, but you can achieve a similarly dramatic effect with a $10 LED spotlight from Ikea.

Copyright  2005-2017 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. No reproduction, in whole or in part, without written permission. Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this site.
Archaeologists in Austria have deployed magnetometers and ground-penetrating radar to discover the concession stands and shops that supported an ancient citys gladiator games.

Experts from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Technology and ZAMG (The Austrian Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics), who discovered a gladiator school at the site in 2011, have made a fascinating series of discoveries around Carnuntums excavated amphitheater.

Scans, for example, reveal the incredible infrastructure supporting the towns gladiator games, which have been buried in the earth for thousands of years.

The route to the spectacles led the people through the city gates past taverns (tabernae), souvenir shops and food vendors (thermopolia), where street merchants offered their goods for sale and invited the public to linger, explained the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute, in a statement. Behind one of the taverns, researchers identified a storage building, known as an horreum, and a large oven, where bread was baked for up to 13,000 spectators. Wine and other foodstuffs were stored in underground cellars, according to the archaeologists.

SEARCH IS ON FOR CALIGULA'S 2,000-YEAR-OLD ORGY BOAT

Its an interesting spotlight, because these are things that have never been found before, Prof. Wolfgang Neubauer, director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute, told Fox News. We can see what these buildings looked like.

Something of a Mystery

While the stone amphitheater was excavated during the 1920s and 1930s, the surrounding area has remained something of a mystery, with much of the citys remains buried.

The latest discoveries, which were announced last week, are the result of an exhaustive high-tech survey of the site between 2012 and 2015. Experts scanned 3.3 square miles with ground penetrating radar that measured 1.6-inch x 3.2-inch x 0.8-inch boxes in the earth to a depth of 9.8 feet.

MAN WHO LIVED 700 YEARS AGO GETS BRAND-NEW FACE

Its a really huge amount of big data and a really huge amount of detail, explained Neubauer, noting that the area with the gladiator games concession stands, stores, taverns and bakery, accounted for nearly 0.4 square miles of the surveyed site.

The area where Carnuntum is located became part of the Roman Empire around 15 A.D. The newly-discovered area of concession stands and stores is thought to date from around 200 A.D., when the stone amphitheater was built.

Neubauer told Fox News that the concept of panem et circenses or bread and circuses, was a crucial part of Roman culture, with politicians staging free gladiator games for the populace in an attempt to gain support. It was very important for people that wanted to be elected, he said.

JACK THE RIPPER MYSTERY: RESEARCHERS HIT ROADBLOCK

Up to 100 pairs of gladiators would fight in a single days games, according to the archaeologist, explaining that depictions of gladiatorial combat in modern culture are often inaccurate. It was not so much the brutal, bloody, thing that was shown in Hollywood movies  there were very strict rules, once it was clear that one guy was winning, it was up to the people to decide if they die or not, he said, adding that historical research shows more often than not, gladiators lives were spared.

The truth about Gladiators

Neubauer explained that for their masters, highly-trained gladiators were a valuable commodity. They were expensive, he said. Many of them did survive six or seven shows without problems  some survived 40, 60, combats.

Just over 1,300 feet away from the excavated amphitheater and hidden under the later city wall of Carnuntum, archaeologists also found the ground plan of an older, previously unknown, wooden amphitheater. It is not clear when the amphitheater was built, although Neubauer notes that similar remains in the German region of Bavaria typically date from the 1st century A.D. This amphitheater was destroyed when they started to build the town wall and fortification around it, he said.

FOR THE LATEST TECH FEATURES FOLLOW FOX NEWS TECH ON FACEBOOK

Construction of the city wall at Carnuntum followed its promotion to colonia or colony status within the Roman Empire in 194 A.D.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
In 2028, a space station could be circling Mars, if a new concept comes to fruition. As a prelude to human expeditions to the planet's surface, researchers aboard the proposed orbiting lab would aim to answer key questions about the complex world.

The six-person Mars Base Camp is led by researchers at aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, who unveiled the concept last year and fleshed out more details of the project here at the 48th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC), held March 21-25 in The Woodlands, Texas. The Mars Base Camp is designed to vastly amplify the collection of imagery and scientific data from multiple sites on the planet over a full year of crewed occupation.

This work could help identify the best spots for humans to explore on the Martian surface, Lockheed Martin representatives have said. The station's inhabitants could also use virtual reality, immersive technology and artificial intelligence to drive advanced rovers and other craft on the Red Planet in real time. [Mars Base Camp: Lockheed Martin Concept Video]

In addition, samples of rock and soil that robots such as NASA's upcoming 2020 Mars rover collect on the Martian surface could be launched to Mars Base Camp, where crewmembers could examine them for signs of Red Planet life, project team members have said.

Real-time operation

Since Lockheed Martin researchers unveiled the project, they have been brainstorming with scientists and engineers from a variety of institutions to refine the idea. Discussions at LPSC continued that work.

"The discussion we're having here at the meeting is, how best can scientific discovery be enabled by having scientists in close proximity to mobile hardware on the surface of Mars or in the Martian atmosphere," Steve Jolly, chief engineer for civil space at Lockheed Martin in Denver, told Space.com.

For example, a human field geologist on Mars would make quick decisions about which spots to explore, the best rock formations to study and where to dig for soil samples, Jolly said. "We want rovers under scientific control to behave in the same way."

That's not possible when Mars rovers and their handlers are on different planets. one to two days the duties that asaid Ben Clark, chief scientist on the Lockheed Martin team studying the Mars Base Camp.

Moreover, if the rover experiences a problem, there's a wait to find out what went wrong, followed by another wait as the issue is addressed, Clark told Space.com.

Mars Base Camp would minimize such delays, he said.

"We could be operating rovers on the surface in joystick mode from the Mars Base Camp, as opposed to the way we control rovers today," Clark said. [Amazing Mars Photos by NASA's Curiosity Rover (Latest Images)]

Exploration tools

Mars Base Camp astronauts could also interact virtually with Mars surface robots, using technology like that developed at Lockheed Martin's Collaborative Human Immersive Laboratory, Jolly said.

Other high-tech tools could aid surface exploration as well, Jolly added. For example, tiny robots carrying small sensors could crawl down into lava tubes, rappel off cliffs or perform other specific tasks, he said.

In addition, Mars Base Camp would fly in a highly elliptical orbit that would allow it to "hover" over particular spots on the Red Planet for long stretches. During that time period, shifts of astronaut-scientists could execute tasks with surface robots and even aerial drones, Jolly said.

Exploration parties

On the Mars orbiting complex, crewmembers would be immersed in a continuous data flood from the rovers, and they'd have the feeling of being front and center on Mars, Clark said.

"They'll have such good imagery, they'll be able to make decisions as they go," while probing a zone of interest, he said. Mars Base Camp astronauts could cover large distances and even reconstruct, via images, areas in great detail, he said.

Clark foresees the use of avatars  electronic "Mars walkers" that are manipulated by a computer user in a virtual space. Those avatars could make up different field-exploration parties that tromp about virtually on the planet, he said.

"Wearing goggles on the Mars Base Camp, researchers can decide where they want to be  point to another spot  give the right gesture, and you sort of teleport yourself to another place you want to be," Clark said. "Your body didn't move, but the terrain moved to where you want to stand."

Boots on the ground

Jolly stressed that the Mars Base Camp is not a substitute for getting actual boots on the Red Planet.

"It's a precursor," Jolly said, pointing to other aspects of the Mars Base Camp scenario.

For example, Lockheed Martin has looked into developing a reusable sortie system to get astronauts from Mars Base Camp down to the surface and back to orbit again. A single-stage lander and ascent vehicle would enable two-week missions to Mars, with the ability to abort at any time.

Similarly, human excursions to Mars' two moons, Phobos and Deimos , are being assessed.

Indeed, the Mars Base Camp architecture could support a diversity of missions to low-gravity bodies, Earth's moon , Mars and beyond, Jolly said. The Lockheed Martin plan invites international partners to contribute ideas to this human-rated interplanetary exploration system.

"Now is the time to shape the future," Jolly said.

Leonard David is author of "Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet," published by National Geographic. The book is a companion to the National Geographic Channel series "Mars." A longtime writer for Space.com, David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. Follow us @Spacedotcom , Facebook or Google+ . Originally published on Space.com .
North Korea may have been behind last year's $81 million heist at the Bangladesh central bank's account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, according to new evidence.



According to a new report from Kaspersky Labs, a cyber security firm, there is digital evidence that Lazarus, a group linked to the heist, used a direct connection from an IP address in North Korea to a European server, which ultimately was behind controlling the systems used in the heist.

YOUR SMART TV COULD BE HACKED A LOT MORE EASILY THAN YOU MIGHT THINK

The first connections made on the day of configuration were coming from a few VPN/proxy servers indicating a testing period for the C&C server; however, there was one short connection on that day which was coming from a very rare IP address range in North Korea, the report said. This was another artefact pointing at a possible origin of the Lazarus group or at least some of its members.

The North Korean government has denied allegations of the hack and Kaspersky itself said that despite the evidence of the North Korean IP address, this  is not enough proof to provide definitive attribution given that the connection session could have been a false flag operation.

In February 2016, hackers tried to steal $951 million from the Bangladesh Bank via multiple transactions.

APPLE DENIED THE MASSIVE ICLOUD HACK (BUT YOU SHOULD STILL CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD)

Ultimately, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York was able to block a majority of the false transactions, which used the Dridex malware to attack the system, but not all of the funds were recovered.
Citizen scientists have flagged four objects for follow-up study in the hunt for the hypothetical Planet Nine.

The four unknown objects were spotted in images of the southern sky captured recently by the SkyMapper telescope at Siding Spring Observatory in Australia. More than 60,000 people from around the world scoured these photos, making about 5 million classifications, said researchers with the Australian National University (ANU), which organized the citizen-science project.

Astronomers will now use Siding Spring and other telescopes around the world to investigate the four objects to determine if they're viable Planet Nine candidates. But even if they're not, the search has still yielded valuable information, project team members said. [The Evidence for 'Planet Nine' in Images (Gallery)]

"We've managed to rule out a planet about the size of Neptune being in about 90 percent of the southern sky out to a depth of about 350 times the distance the Earth is from the sun," research leader Brad Tucker, from the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, said in a statement.

"With the help of tens of thousands of dedicated volunteers sifting through hundreds of thousands of images taken by SkyMapper, we have achieved four years of scientific analysis in under three days," Tucker added. "One of those volunteers, Toby Roberts, has made 12,000 classifications."

The existence of Planet Nine was first seriously proposed in 2014 by astronomers Scott Sheppard and Chadwick Trujillo, who noted that the newfound body 2012 VP113, the dwarf planet Sedna and several other objects far beyond Pluto share distinct orbital characteristics. This coincidence could be explained by a giant, unseen "perturber" lurking in the solar system's outer reaches and tugging on the objects, Sheppard and Trujillo said.

Astronomers Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown bolstered this hypothesis in January 2016, finding evidence that this putative perturber (which they dubbed Planet Nine) may be sculpting the orbits of additional distant objects.

Batygin and Brown calculated that Planet Nine  if it exists  is likely about 10 times more massive than Earth and orbits the sun on a highly elliptical path that takes it up to 1,000 astronomical units (AU) from the sun. (One AU is the average Earth-sun distance  about 93 million miles.)

The hunt for Planet Nine is now on, as shown by the ANU-led effort, which involved the citizen-science site Zooniverse.org. You can learn more about it here (but note that the public-participation aspect of the project has ended):

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+ . Follow us @Spacedotcom , Facebook or Google+ . Originally published on Space.com .
Tonight we will give you just the facts. No speculation, no hysteria. The latest from FOX News correspondents Adam Housley and Malia Zimmerman is this, quote, "Multiple sources tell FOX News that Susan Rice, former National Security advisor under then President Barack Obama requested to unmask the names of Trump transition officials caught up in surveillance," unquote.

Apparently Miss Rice was doing this for more than a year leading up to the November election. That's very troubling. And if it can be proven, Susan Rice is in major trouble. Also because the National Security advisor was so close to President Obama, he is going to have to answer questions as well. So you can see an enormous story is developing and it really doesn't matter whether the liberal mainstream media ignores it, Congress and the FBI will not. To be fair to Miss Rice and we do want to do that, she denies all wrongdoing and should be given the presumption of innocence because that's the American way.



(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN RICE, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: There were occasions when I would receive a report in which a U.S. person was referred to, name not provided, just U.S. person. And sometimes in that context, in order to understand the importance of the report, and assess its significance, it was necessary to find out or request the information as to who that U.S. official was.



UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you seek the names of people involved in -- to unmask the names of people involved in the Trump transition. The Trump campaign. People surrounding the President-elect?

RICE: Let me be clear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In order to spy on them?

RICE: Absolutely not for any political purposes to spy, expose, anything.



UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you leak the name of Mike Flynn.

RICE: I leaked nothing to nobody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: Nothing to nobody should be nothing to anyone. Now, here's my question. If Susan Rice did surveil the Trump people, big if, for a year, what was her motive? Why did she do it? I mean, think about it. This woman is a National Security advisor to the President. She has got a lot of work to do. So why would she be running over to the National Security Agency or the CIA reviewing wiretaps?

Summations of all intelligence are delivered to the White House every morning. And why, if a Trump person was involved, would she want the name? The key question to this big story is motivation. Now, I know many cable news programs will speculate, will convict Susan Rice without a trial or attempt to cover for her as we saw last night. We, at THE FACTOR are not going to do that. We're in business to report the truth and give opinion based upon facts. So let's sum up.

Talking Points believes reporting from Adam Housley and Malia Zimmerman is accurate. Other news agencies are getting information as well. So at this point you, the viewer, can assume that Susan Rice took an amazing interest, amazing interest in what the Trump people were doing well before the folks voted. Why did she do that? We don't know. What we do know is that both the House and Senate Intelligence Committee should subpoena Susan Rice immediately and both committees should send written questions to President Obama.

Also the FBI should interview Ambassador Rice and conduct a very thorough investigation of her behavior. That's reasonable, is it not? Because if the Trump campaign or the Trump transition team were spied upon by the Obama administration, again, a big if, that has to be uncovered. And that's "The Memo".


This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," April 4, 2017. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

Watch "The O'Reilly Factor" weeknights at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET!

O'REILLY: Continuing now with our lead story. Did National Security Advisor Susan Rice spy on the Trump campaign and transition team?

Joining us from Washington, Congressman Peter King, member of the House Intelligence Committee. And Senator James Lankford, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Now, letters have been circulating demanding that Ambassador Rice come in and testify in front of both of your committees. Senator, we begin with you. How do you assess the situation so far? Say 10 is the most serious story. One is the least serious. Where is this?

SEN. JAMES LANKFORD (R-OK), SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE MEMBER: I would say it's pretty high close to a 10. Because the accusation as it sits out there is that the Obama administration and people within the Obama administration were using their office in excess to official documents to get access to then political accusations. This is the same accusations flying around with the IRS, for instance, that the IRS was using their tools for political purposes to be able to silent conservatives.

If we get close to the campaign time period and they are using official documents, classified documents at that to either release names that's obviously a legal issue, to target individuals that are American citizens that were masked, that's called reverse targeting. But when you say you are targeting people internationally but actually using that to be able to target American citizens, that's not legal, or to be able to use any official document for political purposes. Those are all serious.



O'REILLY: Okay. Now, you heard Malia Zimmerman say that the track that she was on with Adam Housley was that it was a political play just as you are concerned about. But if Susan Rice comes before your committee, I can almost guarantee she is going to take the fifth, Senator. Not going to answer your questions.

LANKFORD: We still need to ask the questions. I mean, we have a voluntary reach-out to be able to go to her. We don't want to raise it to a level of subpoena unless you absolutely have to. But we have got a lot of witnesses that we're in the process. So far all of the witnesses we have requested have voluntarily agreed to meet with us. We would hope she would, as well.



O'REILLY: Okay. But you need to be under oath, Congressman King, for it mean anything.

REP. PETER KING (R-NY), HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE MEMBER: Absolutely.



O'REILLY: Do you expect that the House is going to aggressively pursue that?

KING: I am certain they will. We will have to ask Chairman Nunes to be certain. But I'm actually confident that he will. This is -- as Jim Lankford said that if all, even most of these charges that are out there, accusations that are out there against Susan Rice are true. This does rise to a level of very high scandal because it's such an abuse of privacy. I believe it violates the law. And it really is undermining the presidency of the United States.

Whether it's Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. This is something that cannot be allowed. So, again, we don't know yet, but based on this very reliable sources, these are very, very serious charges that she has to answer. And by the way they follow logically what Devin Nunes has been saying for the last two weeks.

O'REILLY: Now, do you expect your colleagues in the Democratic Party on the House Intel Committee to agree with you, Congressman? That this has to be done in a way that's methodical to the American people know the truth or do you expect obstruction?

KING: I think there will be some obstruction. They will accuse us of trying to deflect the issue after way from Russia. We are going to go ahead with it. We have to go ahead with it. And to me, listen, I'm one of those who believe we have to examine, you know, the Russian issue as far as we possibly can but also this. And right now to me there is more credible accusations, if you will, on the side against Susan Rice than there is against President Trump when it comes to Russia.

O'REILLY: All right. Now do you see it in the Senate as being obstructionist thing on the Senate Intel Committee or do you think they are going to cooperate?

LANKFORD: I think they will cooperate. We have really locked arms throughout this investigation from the very beginning which was for us months ago in the starting that we agreed we are going to go where the facts go. And we don't know where those facts are going to go. But we need research. We have got to be able to pull original documents and sources. Talk to people that are originally involved in the investigation. Pull as many people out as we can to be able to their personal testimony. But let the facts lead us through it not let bipartisan pull us through it.

O'REILLY: Yes. But it's got to be hard. Because, you know, a lot of people disagree with me that Ambassador Rice will take the fifth but I think she will. Now, Senator, when you heard her on March 22nd said she didn't know anything about any Trump surveillance and then changed a little bit, it's a nuances that, yes, I was interested for this reason telling NBC that, did that raise anything or do you think that's just a natural answer?

LANKFORD: I think that's a natural answer. I think the bigger issue is to be able to press some of these issues when she said she didn't leak anything. You got to ask why were these names so important to the National Security advisor. Obviously the FBI, some of those folks I can understand in a criminal investigation or background. But to the National Security advisor, why is it important? How many staff around her were receiving that and was she aware any of the staff around her were leaking it the question to her was very specific. I didn't do it. And what you need to know is how many places did that information go after it was unmasked.

O'REILLY: Okay. One more question to you, Congressman. As I mentioned, the White House gets a briefing every morning from the Intel Agencies. Have you ever heard of a National Security advisor taking this kind of an interest for more than a year in a campaign or a transition or anything like that? You have been around for a while. Have you ever heard of anything like that?

KING: Bill, I think it's very unusual for a National Security advisor to take this type of interest at all. It may happen occasionally, but, to me, that's not her job. She is an investigator. She is not a cop. She is not an FBI agent. Her job is to set policy. So, if this is what people are saying it is. This is totally unusual and totally wrong and inappropriate. And if we are talking about veracity here, remember, our first impression of Susan Rice and lasting impression was when she went on all the shows to say that the video was the source of the Benghazi --

O'REILLY: But I don't think that's fair here. Because this is a different situation. And I know that she is embarrassed by that she had to be.

KING: Well, she is embarrassed because she got caught.

O'REILLY: Again, you are assigning a motive to her. I can't. But she does have a history there. But I don't know if that's -- if she should prejudge this.

KING: I'm not prejudging. I'm just saying when you are factor in everything you also consider prior statements and prior conduct.

O'REILLY: Okay. And that's true. Gentlemen, thanks you very much.

KING: Thank you, Bill.

O'REILLY: Please keep us posted. If you get anything, please let us know. Our audience is very, very interested in this story.

LANKFORD: Thank you, Bill.

KING: Thank you, Senator.



Content and Programming Copyright 2017 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2017 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.
Check yes or no  When George Strait invites you backstage after his concert, youre in for a "Cold Beer Conversation."

Now "Write This Down": The answer is no.

Strait, with 61 No. 1 singles on the country charts and 33 platinum albums  more than anyone but Elvis and the Beatles  is in a league of his own, so forgive him if he doesnt unwind with a couple of beers or a shot or two of bourbon like most country stars.

The King of Countrys drink of choice comes from south of the South  Mexico, to be exact, which explains the new bulletpoint on his resume: tequila owner. After spending years vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Strait and some of his friends have turned a nearby distillerys privately made tequila into a brand of their own.

Well, actually I started going to Cabo a lot about eight or nine years ago, Strait says. And so I met a lot of great friends, and through the years they introduced me to this tequila that they were drinking from this private distillery.

It wasn't available for the public to buy or anything. It was in just a random bottle and we just felt like one of the in-crowd, getting this tequila that was so good that nobody else could get.

JAKE OWEN'S CLEAR TAKE ON THE WHISKEY BUSINESS

It went down smooth and left him with a smile, and over the years more and more of his friends kept asking for bottles. So Strait and his partners, Federico Fede Vaughan and Ron Snyder, started Codigo 1530 Tequila. And now theyre making it available to those of us who normally dont kick back with superstars  though, sadly, they wont "Give It Away."

Strait rarely gives interviews, and he endorses product even less often. But he has developed a passion for tequila and says he wants to introduce his fans to a better version of a drink they might think they know.

Were just trying to get people to try it, he said. You know, so many people have a little phobia about drinking tequila. [They think] it's going to be nasty, you're going to hold your nose and drink it down as fast as you can and suck on a lime and lick some salt  but our tequila certainly isn't that way.

So put away the lime and the salt, because if you want to drink like the King of Country, youll have to learn to drink shots.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

For the past few years, Strait says, when we come off stage after the show, I'll get the band together back there, and before we go back for an encore, we'll do a shot real quick as a celebratory shot, and we'll go back out  But that's been kind of a tradition for us for quite a while.

And if that changes your image of country superstars, at least its coming from the man who changed the face of country music.

Strait is preparing to appear at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 7 and 8, where hell perform a couple of concerts called 2 Nights of Number 1s. He has a lot of songs to choose from, but when the curtain goes down, the choice is already made: Codigo 1530, straight.
A Chicago girl who was sexually assaulted in an attack streamed live on Facebook was threatened with a dog attack if she tried to flee, prosecutors said Tuesday as they revealed more details in the case.

During the initial hearing for a 15-year-old, one of the two boys charged in the case, Assistant State's Attorney Maha Gardner said a 14-year-old charged in the March 19 attack told the victim she could "have sex the easy way or the hard way."

Both suspects are charged with aggravated sexual assault and manufacturing and dissemination of child pornography.

"Both videotaped these egregious actions," Gardner said. "They didn't stop there. They put them up on Facebook for the world to see."

Gardner said the 15-year-old, who turned himself in Monday, was with another boy when they encountered the 15-year-old girl in a neighborhood park on March 19 and lured her to a basement in the West Side neighborhood of Lawndale, where authorities say she was assaulted. Both boys knew the girl, the prosecutor said.

The boys threatened to have a pit bull attack the girl if she tried to get away, Gardner said. The girl also was slapped several times during the attack, she said.

Judge Patricia Mendoza ordered the 15-year-old boy held in the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center while awaiting trial.

Assistant public defender Liliana Dago said prosecutors hadn't proven probable cause for the 15-year-old, particularly on the child pornography charge. She also said most of the sex acts were carried out by the 14-year-old.

The judge said the 15-year-old bore responsibility for the assault as well.

"The very nature that he's in the video ... one can assume he was manufacturing child pornography," Mendoza said.

Police say they expect other juveniles and an adult to be charged in the case. Police haven't released the names of any suspects.

Police have said the assault was watched live by about 40 viewers, none of whom called authorities to report what was happening. The girl's mother later told The Associated Press that the girl and the family were being taunted online and ridiculed and harassed by children in their neighborhood. Police say they are investigating the online comments.

Police have moved the girl, whom they describe as "traumatized," to a home outside the neighborhood.

The girl's mother said in a brief interview Monday that her daughter remains at what police called the "safe place" and has not returned to school.

The AP generally does not identify potential victims of sexual assault and is not identifying the mother so as not to identify the girl.
A federal appeals court ruled late Tuesday that a landmark civil rights law allows gay employees to sue their employers for discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation.

The 8-3 ruling by the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago marks an expansion of employee protections under the 1964 Civil Rights Act that has long been sought by the LGBTQ community. Title VII of the law makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate against employees on the basis of their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

But the U.S. Supreme Court hasnt ruled on whether discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is covered by the laws prohibition against sex discrimination. Other lower courts, including another federal appeals court in March, have held that sexual orientation is not a protected class under the law.

The Seventh Circuit, which hears cases from Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, ruled in favor of an adjunct community-college professor in South Bend, Ind., who alleged that she was shut out of full-time teaching positions because she is a lesbian.

Any discomfort, disapproval, or job decision based on the fact that the complainantwoman or mandresses differently, speaks differently, or dates or marries a same-sex partner, is a reaction purely and simply based on sex, wrote Judge Diane Wood, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, for the majority. That means that it falls within Title VIIs prohibition against sex discrimination, if it affects employment in one of the specified ways.

A federal trial court dismissed Kimberly Hivelys lawsuit against Ivy Tech Community College in 2015, and a three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit rejected her appeal. But the Seventh Circuit accepted Hivelys request for a rehearing last year, with the courts full complement of active judges participating.

Click for more from WSJ.com
Mexico says its top diplomat will meet with U.S. officials this week in Washington to discuss bilateral relations, which have been tense under the administration of President Donald Trump.

A statement from the Foreign Relations Department says Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray will be in the U.S. capital Tuesday through Thursday. His planned meetings include U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.

Tuesday's statement said Videgaray will also meet with both Republican and Democratic senators, and attend a session of the Organization of American States.

Mexico has objected to Trump's pledges to step up deportations, build a border wall and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Authorities have arrested a man who they say shot and killed a woman on a busy Midtown Atlanta street.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (http://on-ajc.com/2ozRL2d ) 39-year-old Raylon Browning, of Roswell, is accused of shooting 40-year-old Trinh Huynh just before 8 a.m. Monday at an intersection. Huynh was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital where she died from her injuries.

Huynh lived about a block from where she was shot and worked as an attorney.

Atlanta police Lt. Ricardo Vazquez says investigators haven't determined if Huynh and Browning knew each other, but they do believe Huynh was targeted and being followed by Browning.

Browning was arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and murder. It was unknown if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

___

Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com
President Thomas S. Monson has been hospitalized, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints confirmed to FOX 13.

President Monson was not feeling well last evening and was admitted to the hospital. He has received treatment and fluids and will hopefully be released soon, LDS Church spokesman Eric Hawkins said in an email on Tuesday.

Other details about President Monsons health or what he was suffering from were not immediately provided.

The 89-year-old leader of the Mormon faith was hospitalized the day after he appeared at LDS General Conference to announce five new temples being constructed around the world. He limited his appearance at one of Saturdays conference sessions to conserve his energy, later appearing at the priesthood session to speak about kindness.

President Monson is the 16th leader of the LDS Church and has served as the faiths prophet since 2008. He has served in church leadership in various capacities stretching back to 1963.

President Monson has made limited public appearances recently, most recently at a building dedication in his name. In a court filing to oppose a subpoena of him in a lawsuit, attorneys for the LDS Church briefly addressed his health.

President Monson is 89 years old and, as can be seen from his few public appearances, he is in guarded health and manifesting the effects of his age, attorneys wrote in the filing obtained by FOX 13.

Read more from FOX 13.
Activists claiming an imbalance in economic and social equality rallied at a Memphis church on Tuesday, the 49th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

More than 200 people gathered at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church to hear guest speakers talk about the legacy of King, who was shot down by a sniper's bullet at a Memphis hotel on April 4, 1968. King was in the midst of his "Poor People's Campaign" when he came to Memphis to support striking sanitation workers seeking better pay, safer working conditions and union rights.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. William Barber each talked about how King's fight for economic and racial equality and social justice is far from over. A vocalist belted out a religious hymn and another song, "The Impossible Dream," and attendees held hands in prayer.

Barber, known for his firebrand public speaking style, called for those seeking progress on social and economic issues affecting poor people to help register more blacks voters and engage in "civil disobedience." Barber, pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, North Carolina, was critical of President Donald Trump, including his effort to suspend new visas for people in six Muslim-majority countries. At one point, he called Trump a "narcissistic tweeter."

"We are not those who believe the terrible lies that the best way to better America is to attack public education and attack Muslims and attack immigrants and attack living wages," said Barber, progressively raising his voice. "How in the world can America attack refugees when we sing 'God bless America, shed his grace on us,' but we don't have grace for immigrants? That's contradictory to everything we say we believe."

Then, he added: "We are the crowd that believes in justice and love and mercy and goodness and hope, the common good, the general welfare. We believe liberal is a good word, and conservative is a good word."

Outside the church, Sharon Johnson, 60, said she came to the rally to honor King's memory.

"He came from the right place in his heart, believing that all people are equal, that everyone should be treated with respect, that people deserve equal pay for their work," said Johnson, a pharmacy technician. "He sacrificed his life to make that happen. It's important that we don't forget him and we try to do something about truly fulfilling his dream."

The rally preceded a march scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in downtown Memphis. Supporters of Black Lives Matter and the Fight for $15 movement plan to gather at Memphis City Hall before marching to the National Civil Rights Museum.

The museum is located at the site of the former Lorraine Motel. King was standing on the motel's balcony when he was killed.

The Fight for $15 group wants a higher minimum wage for low-pay workers, including fast food employees and home and child care workers. The Black Lives Matter movement developed after the deaths of unarmed black men during confrontations with white police officers and has waged protests throughout the country.

Rallies also were scheduled in Florida, California, Illinois and Michigan on Tuesday.
Imagine 150 animals inside a single home.

Thats what Clark County Animal Control officers recently found at a home in Vancouvers Orchards neighborhood, after a number of complaints from people living nearby.

EFFECTS OF ANIMAL ABUSE LAW BEING FELT IN OHIO

Animal Control spokesperson Paul Scarpelli told FOX 12 they believe the homeowner, who is not being identified, had good intentions  but things obviously got out of hand.

That person willingly surrendered 107 rabbits, 19 chickens and 21 guinea pigs on March 10.

USDA PUTTING HUMAN PRIVACY BEFORE ANIMAL SAFETY?

The Humane Society of SW Washington took all the animals, giving the chickens to partners with farms in the area and the guinea pigs to the Portland Guinea Pig Rescue.

Its been a whirlwind, definitely, said Lisa Feder with the Humane Society. For the most part, well have one, maybe two rabbits at any given time. I think in general we see about 50 rabbits a year, so this is a tremendous amount to care for at any given time.

On top of food and supplies, every rabbit had to be spayed or neutered, adding to an already busy surgery schedule at the facility.

While the homeowner is not facing any charges, he could have to pay restitution to cover the costs of caring for the animals, which Scarpelli said is between $10,000 and $15,000 so far.

The scope of the intake was so large, the Humane Society had to set up a temporary shelter at the Clark County Fairgrounds.

Click for more from Fox 12.
Emergency crews worked to save a woman who was trapped under a 1,500-pound boulder on North Table Mountain Wednesday afternoon.

The Golden Fire Department and multiple other agencies responded to help the woman.

Assisting @GoldenCOFire on a hiker rescue in North Table Mtn Park. pic.twitter.com/M90lCPskbr  WestMetroFire (@WestMetroFire) April 5, 2017

"Hiker has multiple fractures and is in critical condition," the Golden Fire Department said on Twitter at about 2:30 p.m.

Crews hiked in on foot and used an ATV to bring pieces of a hydraulic spreader and special airbags to remove boulder, officials said.

First responders were able to get the boulder off the woman at about 2:45 p.m.

Once the woman was freed, crews had to transport her on a stretcher to a medical helicopter waiting nearby.

"A medical helicopter is on standby at the top of N. Table Mtn., but still a 45 minute hike away so they're working on alternative ideas," the Golden Fire Department said on Twitter.

"The patient is being walked to a rope system that will take her to the waiting medical helicopter," officials said a short time later.

Officials said the 30-year-old woman was unconscious but her vitals were "fairly good."

Read more from FOX 31 Denver.
The parents of an Idaho boy injured by a government-planted cyanide bomb have filed a petition calling on the White House to ban the controversial devices, used for decades by the Agriculture Department to control predators.

Canyon Mansfield, 14, was knocked to the ground last month when an M-44 predator control device spewed cyanide gas into his face and killed his dog. The family had no knowledge the device -- set by the U.S. government some 350 yards from the Mansfields' doorstep -- was there.

Since the March 16 incident, Canyon has experienced headaches, nausea and numbness and has visited a neurologist for testing, his mother, Theresa Mansfield, told Fox News.

"He's been struggling with some really bad headaches," Mansfield said Tuesday. "We also had to contact a toxicologist in Denver. It's scary because no one really knows what cyanide does -- we just don't deal with this stuff."

Mansfield and her husband, Mark, created an online petition last week calling on the federal government to ban the devices used by Wildlife Services -- a little-known branch of the USDA tasked with destroying animals seen as threats to people, agriculture and the environment.

"The USDA maintains they resolve conflict between wildlife and people 'in the safest and most humane ways possible' but the nature of the cyanide bomb is neither safe nor humane," Mark Mansfield wrote in an online petition.

"Cyanide gas has been used throughout history to murder masses of people," wrote Mansfield, a physician from Pocatello, Idaho.

Click here to read the petition

Canyon stumbled upon the unmarked device while running up a hill behind his parents' home with his 3-year-old golden Labrador, Casey.

When the M-44 detonated, the boy watched as his dog lay dying, suffocating from the orange-colored cyanide sprayed by the device.

"It's an image that haunts him," Theresa Mansfield said. "And there's been no apology from the government."

The M-44s, also known as "coyote-getters," are designed to lure animals with a smelly bait. When an animal tugs on the device, a spring-loaded metal cylinder fires sodium cyanide powder into its mouth.

Over the years, thousands of non-target animals -- wild and domestic -- have been mistakenly killed by the lethal devices.

The Mansfield dog's death follows a string of other recent incidents in which family pets and endangered species were accidentally killed by M-44s. A gray wolf was killed in February when it came upon the device on private land in Oregon's Wallowa County.

Four conservation and animal-welfare groups announced Tuesday they are suing the Trump administration for "failing to protect endangered species from two deadly pesticides used to kill coyotes and other native carnivores."

"Cyanide bombs are indiscriminate killers," said Collette Adkins, an attorney and biologist at the Center for Biological Diversity.

"In just the past several weeks theyve injured a child and killed an endangered wolf and several family dogs. These dangerous pesticides need to be banned, but until then, they shouldnt be used where they can hurt people or kill family pets and endangered wildlife," Adkins said.

The government, meanwhile, has called the accidental death of family pets from M-44s a "rare occurrence," and said Wildlife Services posts signs and issues other warnings to alert pet owners when traps are placed near their homes.

Lyndsay Cole, a spokeswoman for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, recently told Fox News these devices "are only set at the request of and with permission from property owners or managers."

But the Mansfields claimed they had no knowledge the devices were anywhere near their home and said they were not familiar with how they work.

The Bannock County Sheriff's Office, which responded to the incident, also told Fox News it found no warning signs in the area near where the devices were planted.

"The next time it's going to take a life of a child," Theresa Mansfield said. "This is a hidden danger few people know about."
A sheriff's deputy has been arrested on a malfeasance charge in connection with last October's suicide of a 15-year-old boy at the New Orleans jail.

Court records show 25-year-old Keriana Alexcee was being held Wednesday on $2,500 bond.

Jaquin (jah-KWAHN') Thomas hanged himself with a mattress cover while jailed on a murder charge.

An arrest affidavit states that Thomas was in a tier where jail staffers were to make security checks every 15 minutes. It says Alexcee waited too long between checks. It also says she passed Thomas's cell four times, never looking inside, after he hanged himself.

The affidavit also says a suicide note was found at Thomas' cell desk.

Court records said Alexcee had not yet hired a lawyer.
More than 50 years after she was trapped at the Auschwitz death camp as the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele conducted experiments on her, Eva Mozes Kor explained why she finally chose to forgive the Nazis.

After 50 years, Holocaust survivor forgives the Nazis https://t.co/49heIn7jnr pic.twitter.com/ewwAfHppcM  Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) April 5, 2017

Kor and her twin Miriam arrived at Auschwitz when they were 10 years old in 1944, she told an audience in South Florida. She remembered seeing three dead children on the ground, the Miami Herald reported.

The twins promised themselves they would not end up like those children, and that pledge kept them alive in the camp and through the suffering they endured from Mengeles twin-focused experiments.

OHIO SCHOOL RECOVERS HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS' RECORDED MELODIES

Kor, 83, a lecturer, author, and founder of the CANDLES (Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors) Holocaust Museum & Education Center, said she felt a new sense of liberation after forgiving the Nazis.

Her family was forced into a Romanian ghetto and then shoved into cattle cars on their way to what they believed was a work camp. They arrived at Auschwitz and the twins never saw their parents or older sisters again.

91-YEAR-OLD HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR DIES IN CONNECTICUT CAR CRASH

At Auschwitz, Mengele tortured the twins with injections that Kor believed caused a life-threatening fever and the temporary inability to walk.

Her road to forgiveness began in 1995 when she met a Nazi doctor who was at Auschwitz at the same time she was. He explained to her his responsibilities in signing the collective gas chamber death certificates.

While the doctor was unaware of the twin experimentation, he described the gas chambers as the nightmare I live with every day of my life.

The two returned to Auschwitz together to sign a declaration about what they had discussed. After the trip, she said she could not figure out how to thank him.

How do you thank a Nazi? I did not know, Kor said. She searched a greeting-card store for two hours before she thought of the idea for a letter of forgiveness. It took her four months to write it.

She said she thought of the Nazis and what they did to her, and she thought of Mengele and looked up every bad word she could find to describe him  and forgave them all.

I was no longer a tragic prisoner, Kor said. Forgive. See the miracle that can happen.

Click for more from the Miami Herald.
Tent City, the jail facility set up in Arizona by controversial Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, will soon be no more.

"This facility became more of a circus atmosphere for the general public. Starting today, the circus ends, and the tents come down," the new sheriff, Paul Penzone, said in a news conference Tuesday.

TEXAS DEPUTY SHOT DEAD: VIDEO OF POSSIBLE SUSPECT, CAR RELEASED

The closing will end a significant piece of former Sheriff Arpaio's legacy, who opened the complex in 1993 to ease overcrowding in jails. Arpaio held the office for six terms before Penzone beat him last November.

When the facility first opened, Arpaio said the jail would have strict guidelines, including banning items such as cigarettes, having prisoners wear striped uniforms and living in tents.

PENNSYLVANIA TROOPERS DESCRIBE AMBUSH THAT KILLED 1, WOUNDED ANOTHER

Penzone now cites the high maintenance cost and lack of "empirical evidence" that the complex reduces crime as reasons for the closing.

The cost relates to the decline in inmates at Tent City in recent years. The facility today holds about 700 to 800 inmates, compared to the 1,700 people it held during its peak. The number of staff has remained the same.

Shutting the facility down could save an estimated $4.5 million for the county, according to the sheriff's office. It's still unclear what the facility will be used for in the future, Fox 10 Phoenix reported.

Penzone plans to close Tent City within six months. He assured no inmates will be released and estimated that half of them will be moved to other jails within the next 45 to 60 days.

One tradition started by Arpaio, making inmates wear pink underwear, has already been slowly phased out.

After Tuesday's announcement, Arpaio criticized Penzone for calling Tent City "a circus."

"I think he's insulting all the circus people," Arpaio said. "That's disgusting, calling it a circus."

The complex has had its share of incidents and controversies, and was the site of two riots.

In 1996, a 5-hour riot ensued because inmates were unhappy with prison conditions. Hundreds of people armed themselves with poles and took officers hostage as flames engulfed several tents. Eight officers were injured.

Another incident happened three years later when inmates threw rocks at officers and lit tents on fire.

During Tuesday's news conference, Penzone painted a different picture, stating that inmates were given more freedom at Tent City compared to other jails.

The image of hard core inmates being punished and 'scared straight' through forced exposure to our hot summers was false," Penzone said.

"All inmates could opt to stay in air-conditioned areas and their medical condition and fitness for Tents detention was constantly monitored.

The Arizona Court of Appeals raised concerns about the security of the facility during a 2002 decision on a case involving an inmate. The court said the flaps on the tents could be easily lifted, giving inmates the freedom to roam. It also noted the flow of contraband such as drugs, knives, lighters and cigarettes into the facility.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from Fox 10.
Authorities say a man accused of fatally shooting a woman on a midtown Atlanta street is being treated at a hospital after jail guards found him biting his left arm and spitting blood.

Fulton County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan said 39-year-old Raylon Browning was being treated at a hospital and was unable to make his first court appearance. Authorities say Browning shot Trinh Hong Hyunh on Monday and stabbed two people Sunday.

Incident reports show a guard used a stun gun on Browning after he attacked another inmate while being booked into jail Tuesday.

Browning was in the jail's medical clinic after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday when a guard saw him biting his arm and used a stun gun on him when he refused to stop resisting.
next Image 1 of 3

prev next Image 2 of 3

prev Image 3 of 3

Authorities say a 19-year-old man has been charged in the fatal shootings of four men at or near a Chicago restaurant.

Police say Maurice Harris faces four counts of first-degree murder in connection with the March 30 slayings. Additional details are expected to be released at a Wednesday news conference.

Harris was arrested Tuesday and it wasn't immediately known whether he had a lawyer.

Two were found dead inside the restaurant, a third was found unresponsive outside and a fourth was found unresponsive a block away. They included two brothers whose mother worked at the restaurant.

The deaths were part of gun violence in a South Side Chicago neighborhood that left seven dead in a 12-hour period. Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson has said it was mostly due to gang conflict.
Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker has launched a new push to ramp up the penalty for assaulting police officers with a bill his top public safety aid is calling foolproof.

The bill, set to be filed Wednesday, is similar to legislation Baker introduced after the murder of Officer Ronald Tarentino last spring in Auburn. The bill never made it to a vote in the state legislature.

Under current law, assault and battery of a police officer is a misdemeanor. In cases where cops sustain serious bodily injury, Governor Baker wants to increase the charge to a felony with a potential 10-year jail sentence, Fox 25 reports.

LAW OFFICER DEATHS IN THE LINE OF DUTY UP 10 PERCENT IN 2017

The change would enforce a mandatory minimum sentence of one year with the potential for up to a decade in prison, which is a major increase in the current maximum of two-and-a-half years.

It would only rise to the level of felony if you beat someone to the point where you broke my arm, broke my jaw, Chelsea police Chief Bryan Kyes told the Boston Herald. Having that currently as only a misdemeanor, the punishment doesnt fit the crime.

BLUE LIVES LOST: DRAMATIC RISE IN POLICE OFFICERS GUNNED DOWN IN LINE OF DUTY IN 2016



Lawmakers on Beacon Hill previously filed similar bills that were inspired in part by Tarentinos killing during a traffic stop. The suspect, Jorge Zambrano, who was later shot and killed by police, had a history of arrests and assaults on police officers before his encounter with Tarentino.

The previous legislation faced difficulties, however, when civil libertarians argued that the bill would not have much of an effect and could give cops an excessive charge to hold over suspects who may unintentionally hurt an officer during a struggle.

There are adequate protections already, Rahsaan Hall, director of the ACLU of Massachusetts' racial justice program told lawmakers last July. Theres already a penalty for assault and battery with serious bodily injury.

Still, Baker has said he wants more protection for his officers than the active penalty.

Were trying to do a better job convincing them, [the] legislative lawmakers, Public Safety Secretary Dan Bennett said. This is the right bill at the right time.
A fighter pilot on a training mission ditched his jet in a wooded area of a suburban Washington neighborhood early Wednesday so that the plane would avoid crashing into a suburban Washington neighborhood, military officials said.

The F-16C, which military officials said was at least 30 years old and worth $20 million, went down about 200 yards behind a small subdivision of two-story brick homes in the middle-class suburban community of Clinton, about 3 miles southwest of Joint Base Andrews.

The pilot was treated for minor injuries and released from the hospital, Lt. Col. Michael Corker, the pilot's commanding officer, said at a press conference.

The pilot, whose name was not released, is with the District of Columbia Air National Guard and was flying one of four fighter jets from Maryland to a shooting range in Pennsylvania for a training exercise when the crash happened.

Military officials said the plane was armed with "training rounds," which are real bullets that lack the armor-piercing and explosive capabilities of rounds used in combat. Officials said the crash and subsequent fire might have caused some of those rounds to go off.

"Some of the loud noises may have been those rounds," said Lt. Col. Lisa Mabbutt, the base's acting director of emergency management.

US Air Force officials told Fox News that an F-16 from D.C. Air National Guard went down around 9:15 a.m. south of National Harbor in Maryland near Andrews Air Force Base.

In a statement, D.C. Air National Guard officials said the aircraft was flying along a second jet in a routine training mission around the greater Washington area.

Prince George's County fire department spokesman Mark Brady told WRC-TV that one pilot parachuted out of the aircraft and was picked up by a military helicopter.

A witness told Fox 5 DC/WTTG that he was sitting on his porch when he heard a loud explosion. He said the jet was on fire and he saw the pilot eject.

It was the biggest fire ball Ive ever seen in my life, Patrick Dotson said.

He said he ran into the woods after the plane crashed and saw the pilot standing up. Dotson said the pilot asked if the neighborhood was OK because he had live rounds on board.

Since 9/11, there is always at least one F-16 on eight minute alert status to take off in the case of emergency.

Wednesday's incident marked the sixth U.S. military non-combat aviation crashes since January 2017. The most recent was on Mar. 14 when three service members assigned to a special operations unit were killed after a single-engine reconnaissance and surveillance plane crashed in eastern New Mexico during a training flight, the Air Force said.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Authorities have an issued an Endangered Missing Advisory for a 4-month-old baby taken by her father.

Police say the pair is missing from the Mountain View area within Santa Clara County. They were last seen around 8:25 p.m. Tuesday.

The baby, Madilyn Wallin, is a white female. She is 2 feet tall, about 15 pounds and has brown hair.

Her father, 45-year-old Michael Lenard Wallin, is a white male with brown hair and brown eyes. He is about 6 feet 2 inches and 220 pounds. He also has full body tattoos  including some on the top of his hands.

6-YEAR-OLD DANCER LOSES LEG AFTER STREP THROAT SPIRALS INTO SPREADING INFECTION

He was last seen wearing a white Golden State Warriors shirt.

The father went to visit the mother and baby from Patterson. He then drove off with the baby on his lap after an argument.

Click here for more from Fox 40.
The rector of a church-owned retirement home for Roman Catholic priests has been charged with embezzling $535,000 to pay for casino visits, high-end dinners and Philadelphia Pops concerts.

Federal prosecutors have charged Msgr. William A. Dombrow with skimming money for nearly nine years from an account meant to support Villa St. Joseph.

The Philadelphia archdiocese runs the facility to house aging priests and those accused of sexual abuse. Much of the stolen money came from insurance payments for priests who died and from parishioners who left the facility money.

Authorities say the 77-year-old Dombrow had sole access to the account.

Dombrow has been charged by way of a criminal information, which often means a defendant is cooperating. His attorney hasn't returned a phone message left Wednesday seeking comment.
An Amber Alert has been issued for a 13-year-old who may have been kidnapped in the Abilene, Texas area on Tuesday.

The Merkel Police Department, located west of Abilene, is searching for Zoey Alexis Limon, a Hispanic girl who is 5'2", 130 lbs, black hair, brown eyes, and has a tattoo on wrist of "princess.

Police told local television station KTXS they believe Zoey was kidnapped by her mother, Adryana Limon, and two other men. Adryana was arrested on Saturday, but bonded out of jail on Tuesday and was picked up by Zoey and the two men: Joe Damien Valdez, 18, who cops said was Zoeys boyfriend, and Jimmy Wayne McQueen.

TENNESSEE AMBER ALERT: EX-STUDENT DESCRIBES SIMILAR 'FRIENDSHIP' WITH WANTED TEACHER

Police told KTXS they believe Adryana may have given drugs to her daughter and that the mom has an extensive history of using drugs.

KTXS reported that a judge in Abilene on Tuesday had granted temporary custody of Zoey to CPS.

The four are believed to be in a white and tan 1996 Chevrolet Suburban with a Texas license plate number of HRF7519.

Adryana is a Hispanic female, 33-years-old, 5'3", 180 lbs, brown hair, brown eyes and last seen wearing a brown and black leopard print shirt.

Jimmy Wayne McQueen is a white male, 25-years old, 5'10" 163 lbs, brown hair, blue eyes, with a scar on left ankle.

Joe Damien Valdez is a Hispanic male, 18-years-old, 5'06" 150 lbs, black hair, brown eyes.

READ MORE FROM FOX 4 DALLAS.
Berlin's decision not to illuminate the Brandenburg Gate in the colors of the Russian flag to honor the victims of the deadly subway bombing in St. Petersburg is sparking controversy.

Critics have accused Berlin of being indifferent to the deaths of Russians, noting that the city's iconic monument was bathed in the colors of other countries following attacks in London, Paris, Brussels and Istanbul.

ST. PETERSBURG SUBWAY BLAST: SUICIDE BOMBER IDENTIFIED AS AKBARDZHON DZHALILOV, 22

Berlin officials have said those four places are Berlin's official partner cities, but acknowledge that exceptions have been made in the past, The Local reported. The gate was lit up with the relevant colors after attacks in Jerusalem and Orlando, Florida, for example.

This stands in contrast with France, where Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the Eiffel Tower would remain dark overnight to honor the victims of of the subway bombing in St. Petersburg.

Klaus Lederer, Berlin's top cultural official, called Tuesday for an end to the practice to prevent debates about the issue in future. He says that until then, Russia's national colors should be projected on the gate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A suspected chemical attack in a rebel-held Syrian town killed 72 people and injured 400 others Tuesday, a medical relief group said, and some medics treating the wounded were later struck by rubble when an aircraft reportedly bombed a hospital.

A hospital in Syria's northern Idlib province was hit soon after the area was bombarded with a suspected chemical agent, an AFP correspondent reported.

The U.N. Security Council is to convene for an emergency meeting over the suspected deadly chemical attack. At least 11 of the 72 people that were reported killed were children.

President Trump responded with this statement: "Today's chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world. These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution. President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a "red line" against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing. The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack."

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons says it is examining allegations of at least 8 gas attacks in Syria since start of 2017 https://t.co/Wt0kb31kld  Fox News Research (@FoxNewsResearch) April 4, 2017

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reacted, "While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism. Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions. Anyone who uses chemical weapons to attack his own people shows a fundamental disregard for human decency and must be held accountable."

Mohammed Rasoul, the head of a Syrian ambulance service, told the BBC that first responders found people choking in the streets.

"Our team is still there, moving patients from one place to another because of overcrowded hospitals," he said. "I am speaking to my team and they are doing fine, but the situation over there is very bad and most of those who are suffering are children."

The media center published footage of medical workers appearing to intubate an unresponsive man stripped down to his underwear and hooking up a little girl foaming at the mouth to a ventilator.

There was no comment from the government in Damascus or any international agency in the immediate aftermath of the attack.

It was the third claim of a chemical attack in just over a week in Syria. The previous two were reported in Hama province, in an area not far from Khan Sheikhoun, the site of Tuesday's alleged attack.

Tuesday's reports came on the eve of a major international meeting in Brussels on the future of Syria and the region, to be hosted by the EU's High Representative Federica Mogherini.

The Syrian American Medical Society, which supports hospitals in opposition-held territory, said it had sent a team of inspectors to Khan Sheikhoun before noon and an investigation was underway.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has called on Russia to endorse a planned United Nations Security Council resolution condemning a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria.

Gabriel said Wednesday in Brussels before the opening of the international conference on the Syria conflict that, "We appeal to Russia to approve this resolution, to investigate this case and to bring to justice those who are responsible."

The Syrian activists had no information on what agent could have been used in the assault. They claimed the attack was caused by an airstrike carried out either by the Syrian government or Russian warplanes.

Ahmed al-Sheikho, of the Idlib Civil Defense team, says the strikes did not cause any casualties because the area had been evacuated following Tuesday's attack.

Mohammed Hassoun, a media activist in nearby Sarmin -- also in Idlib province where some of the critical cases were transferred -- said the hospital there is equipped to deal with such chemical attacks because the town was also struck, early on in the Syrian uprising. The Sarmin hospital is about 31 miles away from the scene of the attack.

"Because of the number of wounded, they have been distributed around in rural Idlib," he told The Associated Press by phone. "There are 18 critical cases here. They were unconscious, they had seizures and when oxygen was administered, they bled from the nose and mouth."

Hassoun, who is documenting the attack for the medical society, said the doctors there have said it is likely more than one gas.

"Chlorine gas doesn't cause such convulsions," he said, adding that doctors suspect sarin was used.

Hussein Kayal, a photographer for the Idlib Media Center, said he was awoken by the sound of a bomb blast around 6:30 a.m. When he arrived at the scene there was no smell, he said.

He found entire families inside their homes, lying on the floor, eyes wide open and unable to move. Their pupils were constricted. He put on a mask, he said. Kayal said he and other witnesses took victims to an emergency room, and removed their clothes and washed them in water.

He said he felt a burning sensation in his fingers and was treated for that.

A Turkey-based Syrian man whose niece, her husband and one-year-old daughter were among those killed, said the warplanes struck early, as residents were still in their beds. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared for the safety of family members back in Syria.

The province of Idlib is almost entirely controlled by the Syrian opposition. It is home to some 900,000 displaced Syrians, according to the United Nations. Rebels and opposition officials have expressed concerns that the government is planning to mount a concentrated attack on the crowded province.

Claims of chemical weapons attacks, particularly the use of the chlorine agent, are not uncommon in Syria's conflict. The worst attack was what a U.N. report said was an attack by toxic sarin gas in August 2013 on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta that killed hundreds of civilians.

The Syrian Coalition, an opposition group based outside the country, said government planes carried out the airstrike on Khan Sheikhoun, south of the city of Idlib, the provincial capital.

It said the planes fired missiles carrying poisonous gases, killing dozens of people, many of them women and children. The coalition described the attack as a "horrifying massacre."

Photos and video emerging from Khan Sheikhoun show limp bodies of children and adults. Some are seen struggling to breathe; others appear foaming at the mouth.

A medical doctor going by the name of Dr. Shajul Islam for fears for his own safety said his hospital in Idlib province received three victims, all with narrow, pinpoint pupils that did not respond to light. He published video of the patients on his Twitter account.

Pinpoint pupils, breathing difficulties, and foaming at the mouth are symptoms commonly associated with toxic gas exposure.

The opposition's Civil Defense search-and-rescue group, which released photos showing paramedics washing down victims, has not published a casualty toll.

The activist-run Assi Press published video of paramedics carrying victims from the scene by a pickup truck. The victims were stripped down to their underwear. Many appeared unresponsive.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch has accused the Syrian government of conducting at least eight chemical attacks using chlorine gas on opposition-controlled residential areas during the final months in the battle for Aleppo last year that killed at least nine civilians and injured 200.

Also, a joint investigation by the United Nations and the international chemical weapons watchdog determined the Syrian government was behind at least three attacks in 2014 and 2015 involving chlorine gas and the Islamic State group was responsible for at least one involving mustard gas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Rights activists in Burundi are condemning an online video in which members of a pro-government youth militia sing about impregnating the regime's opponents.

The iBurundi activist group said Wednesday that the songs reflect the "climate of impunity" enjoyed by Imbonerakure members.

In the video, Imbonerakure members sing in the local Kirundi language: "Impregnate those opponents, so that they give birth to Imbonerakure."

Burundi's ruling party has criticized the song, saying it "does not match either the morals or the ideology" of the party.

Burundi has been plagued by violence since President Pierre Nkurunziza successfully sought a disputed third term in 2015. Hundreds have been killed, and hundreds of thousands have fled the country.

The ruling party normally supports the Imbonerakure despite accusations of rights violations perpetrated by its members.
Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor Co Ltd is considering building an auto plant in two Mexican states hit by U.S. President Donald Trump's drive to make American companies invest at home, sources said.

Great Wall Motor, which describes itself as China's largest SUV and pickup manufacturer, is interested in building a plant in Nuevo Leon in northern Mexico or the central state of San Luis Potosi, three people familiar with the matter said.

MOGUL CARLOS SLIM TO PRODUCE CARS IN MEXICO IN JOINT VENTURE WITH CHINA

Under pressure from Trump to keep jobs in the United States, Ford Motor Co in January canceled a $1.6 billion plant in San Luis Potosi, while heating and air conditioning firm Carrier in December scaled back plans to move production to Nuevo Leon.

Great Wall Motor officials met with Mexico's top railroad firms, Ferrocarril Mexicano, part of Grupo Mexico, as well as Kansas City Southern de Mexico, to evaluate the states' connectivity, according to a source and two documents seen by Reuters.

One of the sources said the company was in direct talks with Nuevo Leon's government.

Another source said the automaker was also eyeing a U.S.-based plant but gave no further detail on locations.

GENERAL MOTORS SET TO ANNOUNCE $1B FACTORY INVESTMENT, NEW JOBS

A senior Great Wall Motor executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the choice between U.S. and Mexican locations would depend on trade issues involving the United States, Mexico and China.

Great Wall Motor and Ferromex did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for Kansas City Southern de Mexico confirmed Great Wall Motor officials met the company, but declined to provide further details.

A pledge by the Chinese firm could bolster Mexico's efforts to reduce dependence on U.S. trade and investment as Trump threatens to rip up the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and rails against U.S. firms moving jobs south.

China, a low-cost manufacturing rival to Mexico, has traditionally invested little in Latin America's second largest economy. But there are signs that could be changing.

ALREADY REELING, MEXICO FEARS IT HAS MUCH TO LOSE WITH TRUMP

In February, China's Anhui Jianghuai Automobile (JAC Motor) and distributor Chori Company unveiled plans with a firm part-owned by Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim to invest over $200 million in a car plant in the central state of Hidalgo.

According to one of the sources, construction on the Great Wall Motor plant could get underway next year and cost about $500 million. It would produce some 250,000 autos a year for the American and Mexican markets and seek to use Chinese inputs, the person added.
Congo's president says long-delayed elections will take place but doesn't say when, and he promises to appoint a prime minister within 48 hours.

President Joseph Kabila spoke Wednesday to parliament as concerns grow over the implementation of a political deal to hold elections  without Kabila  by the end of the year.

Kabila says elections will take place within a timetable set out by the electoral commission.

The president also says the prime minister will be appointed under the terms agreed to in the deal negotiated with the opposition. The deal says the post must be held by an opposition member.

Kabila also says those responsible for recent violence in the Kasai region will be held accountable. He promises justice for the deaths of two U.N. experts there.
Two leading U.S. senators, responding to this weeks horrific chemical attack on residents of Idlib, Syria, called Wednesday for the indictment of Syrian leader Bashar Assad for war crimes.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who chairs the Foreign Relations Committees subcommittee on human rights, and Ben Cardin, D-Md., ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, jointly announced they were filing legislation that would make Assad accountable for war crimes.

In addition, the two, who also co-sponsored a measure in 2014 on Syrian regimes crimes against humanity, said Russian President Vladimir Putin is an accomplice to the same war crimes.

It was a Russian aircraft piloted by an Assad pilot, Cardin said, adding that there is an urgent need for a clear U.S. policy that [Assad] has no legitimacy as the leader of Syria, and no future as the leader of Syria. That should be made very clear by the pronouncements of our administration.

Cardin said the U.N. Security Council should pass a resolution establishing a special tribunal to indict Assad and Putin.

Rubio said Putin is just as responsible for the massacre as Assad.

This latest heinous attack only strengthens our resolve to impose additional enforcement mechanisms that demonstrate the international community is serious about consequences to what amounts to yet another barbaric war crime by the Assad regime. The fact is Assad has proven once again he is a war criminal that must go.  Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., member Foreign Relations Committee

Theyre accomplices, Rubio said. Vladimir Putin is a war criminal who is assisting another war criminal.

Assads vicious acts against his own people, Rubio said, makes Syria ripe for even more resentment and anger against its leader that can be parlayed into joining jihadist groups that are fighting him.

Theyre going to end up joining whatever organization is in Syria with the most money and the most guns to fight Assad, Rubio said, adding that anger among people whove lost children to the chemical attacks would lead even those who inherently oppose jihadist groups to join them for revenge against Assad.

Other options, the two senators said, are to impose additional sanctions on Russia.

Rubio said that not only is acting swiftly and firmly important for the United States role as a moral leader worldwide, but also for protecting national interests and global security.

Assads vicious acts on his own people, Rubio said, makes Syria ripe for even more resentment and anger against its leader to be parlayed into joining jihadist groups that are fighting him.

Theyre going to end up joining whatever organization is in Syria with the most money and the most guns to fight Assad, Rubio said, adding that anger among people whove lost children to the chemical attacks would lead even those who inherently oppose jihadist groups to join them for revenge against Assad.

Their demands for a tougher response to Assad and Putin came on the heels of similar ones made by other congressional leaders.

Other members of Congress say the chemical attack appears to be a violation of the 2013 agreement with Russia and Syria to destroy all chemical weapons in the Middle Eastern country. Witnesses of the attack said the chemical used in the bombing appears to be sarin.

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., former chair of the Foreign Relations Committee and a current member of the panel, called Assad a war criminal and said the Trump administration must take solid action that reaffirms our support for the Syrian people in their efforts to remove Assad from power.

"This latest heinous attack only strengthens our resolve to impose additional enforcement mechanisms that demonstrate the international community is serious about consequences to what amounts to yet another barbaric war crime by the Assad regime, Menendez said. The fact is Assad has proven once again he is a war criminal that must go.

Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain, an Arizona Republican who has pushed for a stronger approach to Syria, took aim at statements by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley that suggested the U.S. is better off not focusing on Assad when it comes to its Syrian policy.

McCain theorized that Haleys remarks might have given Assad the idea that he could commit a heinous act without repercussions.

He said not prioritizing taking action on Syria is "another disgraceful chapter in American history."

"(Syrian President) Bashar Assad and his friends, the Russians, take note of what Americans say," he said to CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day." "I'm sure they took note of what our Secretary of State (Rex Tillerson) said just the other day that the Syrian people would be determining their own future themselves -- one of the more incredible statements I've ever heard."

At the press conference on Wednesday, Rubio agreed that Tillerson's remarks likely encouraged Assad to launch his bold assault on his own citizens.

"I don't believe that it is coincidental," Rubio said.

Rubio added that he believes Tillerson did not intend for, or foresee, his remarks to become an incentive for Assad to do what he is believed to have done. The senator said Assad has used chemicals on a smaller scale on his citizens many times before, and that he likely would aimed for a larger attack sooner or later.

Menendez also took the Kremlin to task for the horrific attack.

While we must hold [Assad] accountable for this act which would constitute a war crime, we must also condemn Vladimir Putin and Russia, who have enabled the Assad regime to hold on to power for this long.

While Putin must be held to account, Menendez said it was clear that ultimate responsibility for the attack was with Assad.

An attack using aircraft to deliver these sophisticated, ruthless and banned chemical weapons could only have been ordered by Bashar Assad, Menendez said to Fox News. We know that this ruthless dictator has no regard for human life, and no remorse for the horrific attacks he continues to perpetrate against his own citizens.

Some experts say that a military move to oust Assad is much more complex than many who are calling for one make it appear.

Brent Sasley, a political scientist at the University of Texas in Arlington who has authored numerous articles on the Middle East, told Fox News that direct involvement in the removal of Assad could be more detrimental for the international community than dealing with him in alternative ways.

Sasley said any military moves against Assad would, by definition, also mean direct confrontations against Iran and Russia  supporters of the Syrian regime who are entrenched in that countrys civil war.

Theyve clearly committed themselves to the Assad regime, now theyre physically involved in Syria to the extent they werent before, Sasley said, referring to the 2013 chemical attack in Syria that killed nearly 1,500 people, including more than 400 children.

Theres no way to eject Assad without the massive use of American troops and allied troops," Sasley said. "The Trump team is in an extremely difficult position. Anything serious and substantial would entail putting us in direct confrontation with Russia, which Trump himself has tried to avoid.
A court in Greece is allowing a former defense minister serving time for corruption to be released from prison early because of poor health.

A panel of judges ruled 3-2 Wednesday in favor of freeing Akis Tsochadzopoulos on condition that he pays 200,000 euros ($213,000) in bail and does not leave Greece or travel by sea or air.

The 78-year-old Tsochadzopoulos spent a year in pretrial detention before he received a 20-year sentence in 2013 for laundering money he received in bribes for military procurement contracts.

He denied doing anything improper or illegal with the contracts issued in the late 1990s.

Tsochadzopoulos was hospitalized last month for heart problems and is recuperating from heart surgery at an Athens hospital.

His lawyers say he cannot raise the bail money.
A former high-ranking commander in the Mexican Federal Police, charged by U.S. authorities with using his position to help a drug cartel, turned himself in to U.S. authorities in Chicago.

Ivan Reyes Arzate, who had been fired in November, has been charged with obstructing an investigation into the Beltran Leyva brothers' drug cartel in exchange for "personal benefit."

Also known as La Reina, he is accused of telling cartel members that they were being investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Reyes was the principal point of contact for information being shared between U.S. law enforcement and the Mexican Federal Police. He first drew the attention of U.S. authorities in September 2016 while the investigation was active and ongoing, the DOJ statement read.

MEXICAN OFFICIAL: CARTELS SEND $64B IN DRUGS INTO US ANNUALLY

The investigation is being conducted through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force, with assistance from local authorities and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Secretary of Homeland Security Gen. John Kelly testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday, and was focused on securing the border, answering specific questions from lawmakers on illegal drugs and narcotics infiltrating the southwest border.

In the Kellys original testimony provided to Fox News, he said DHS can apply lessons learned from Colombia when it comes to defeating large cartels.

In Colombia, for example, we learned that they key principles for defeating large cartels and insurgents are the same as defeating criminal networks: a strong, accountable government that protects its citizens, upholds the rule of law, and expands economic opportunity for all, Kellys testimony read. It taught us that countering illicit trafficking and preventing terrorism often go hand-in-hand, and that U.S. interagency cooperation, coupled with a committed international partner, can help bring a country back from the brink.

U.S. AGENTS HELPED MEXICAN AND COLOMBIAN DRUG TRAFFICKERS LAUNDER MILLIONS, REPORT SAYS

The AP contributed to this report.
The United Nations says roughly 3,000 South Sudanese refugees have crossed into Uganda after fighting in the eastern town of Pajok.

U.N. refugee agency spokeswoman Katherine Weinright says that represents a "significant increase" in the number of refugees in the Lamwo area of Uganda. The influx is expected to continue in the coming days.

The fighting is some of the fiercest since South Sudan's government declared a cease-fire last month.

Opposition spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel says government forces attacked Pajok on Monday and burned down houses, raped civilians and held public executions.

Military spokesman Santo Domic Chol denies the allegations and says looting in Pajok forced the army to intervene. He blames "bandits" for killing civilians.

More than 800,000 people have fled to Uganda since South Sudan's civil war began.
The French government is calling on protesters in French Guiana to lift their roadblocks after a 1 billion-euro government plan to help the South American territory was presented during a Cabinet meeting.

Protesters in the French territory in South America have already rejected the plan as too little to solve their economic and security problems. They are asking for 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion).

Strikes and protests have paralyzed the territory in recent weeks, forcing schools to close, disrupting business and a rocket launch.

Thousands of protesters gathered Tuesday in front of the Guiana space center to express anger at high unemployment, crime and living costs.

The government plan presented Wednesday aims at improving education and health care services and developing Guiana's major sectors: transports, tourism, mine industry, fishing industry, energy and construction.
next Image 1 of 3

prev next Image 2 of 3

prev Image 3 of 3

Hundreds of people have walked hand-in-hand through Amsterdam to show solidarity with two gay men who were badly beaten over the weekend in the eastern city of Arnhem.

The peaceful march on Wednesday was part of a national outpouring of emotion over the beating of the married couple by a group of youths.

The men told police the confrontation started because they were holding hands.

Prosecutors say five suspects, all in their teens, will be charged Thursday with causing serious bodily harm.

Marcher Marion van Hees says she campaigned for gay rights during the 1960s and at age 68 "thought we were finished with it, that we had achieved it. But that is not the case, and that is very sad."
The Islamic State reportedly released its first message targeting President Trump Tuesday, saying the U.S. has drowned and the country is being run by an idiot.

"America you have drowned and there is no savior, and you have become prey for the soldiers of the caliphate in every part of the earth, you are bankrupt and the signs of your demise are evident to every eye, Abi al-Hassan al-Muhajer, a spokesman for the terror group, purportedly said in a recording released on the messaging app Telegram, Reuters reported.

"There is no more evidence than the fact that you are being run by an idiot who does not know what Syria or Iraq or Islam is, he added.

Trump said during his presidential campaign that defeating ISIS was a priority. He signed a memorandum days into his presidency focusing on strengthening efforts to defeat the terror group.

The U.S.-led coalition is fighting to retake Mosul from the Islamic State in Iraq and Raqqa, the terror groups de facto capital, in Syria. Both losses would deal a major blow to the militant group.

U.S. and Iraqi officials are preparing for smaller skirmishes around Mosul as coalition forces attempt to recapture the city.

Click for more from Reuters.
next Image 1 of 3

prev next Image 2 of 3

prev Image 3 of 3

The Latest on the suspected chemical attack in Syria (all times local):

8:10 a.m.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says his government condemns in the strongest possible terms the chemical weapons attack against civilians, including children, at Khan Sheikhoun.

He said in a statement Wednesday that the use of chemical weapons is "illegal and abhorrent."

He said, "While the full facts are still to be determined, if the Assad regime is responsible for this attack those who approved and deployed these weapons must be held accountable."

___

4 a.m.

The Russian Defense Ministry says a rebel-held town in northern Syria has been exposed to toxic agents from a rebel arsenal hit by a Syrian air strike.

The ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, said in a statement early Wednesday that the Russian military assets registered a Syrian air force strike Tuesday on weapons depots and ammunition factory on the eastern outskirts of the town of Khan Sheikhoun.

Konashenkov said chemical weapons produced by the factory were used in Iraq.

He added that the same type of chemical weapons had been previously used by the rebels in Aleppo, where they had caused symptoms similar to those seen in images from Khan Sheikhoun.

Konashenkov said that Russia had provided relevant ground samples from Aleppo to the international chemical weapons watchdog.

The Russian statement follows an international outcry over what was described as a chemical weapons attack on Khan Sheikhoun. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 58 people died, including 11 children.

Both Russia and Syria both have denied launching the chemical attack.
The Latest on the bomb explosion on the St. Petersburg subway (all times local):

10:40 a.m.

The parents of the suspected suicide bomber in Monday's deadly explosion on the St. Petersburg subway have arrived in St. Petersburg for questioning.

State-owned Rossiya 24 television on Wednesday showed footage of a middle-aged woman in a red coat and a white headscarf and a man in a black jacket, chased by journalists.

Akbardzhon Dhzalilov, 22, is believed to have moved to St. Petersburg from the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan when he was a teenager.

The bomb went off Monday afternoon as the train was moving between two stations.

One of those stations was closed by a bomb threat Tuesday and again on Wednesday as officials checked for anything suspicious.

___

9:55 a.m.

Investigators say they have searched the home of the suspected suicide bomber behind Monday's deadly explosion on the St. Petersburg subway.

The bomb went off on a train under Russia's second-largest city on Monday, killing 14 people and injuring dozens. Investigators said they suspect a 22-year old Kyrgyz-born Russian citizen, Akbardzhon Dzhalilov, of having detonated the bomb.

The Investigative Committee said in a statement in the early hours on Wednesday that the investigators searched the man's home in St. Petersburg. They also examined CCTV footage from outside Dzhalilov's home which shows him leave home with a bag and a backpack.

Another bomb, hidden in a bag, was found and de-activated at another St. Petersburg station just half an hour before the blast. Dzhalilov's DNA was found on the bag.
The Pentagon now assesses the North Korean missile launch Wednesday likely was a failure, Fox News has learned.

The missile did not go as far as intended, officials with knowledge of the latest intelligence reports said. It did not reach Japanese waters and may have pinwheeled in flight, according to one official.

'CLOCK HAS NOW RUN OUT' ON PYONGYANG, U.S. OFFICIAL SAYS

What's more, the missile was an older SCUD -- not the advanced land version of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (KN-15), as first assessed by the U.S. Pacific Command last night, a U.S. defense official confirmed. North Korea launched a KN-15 missile in February -- as President Trump hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Florida.

A senior administration official told Fox News the launch didn't represent much of a provocation on North Korea's part.

In a 23-word statement, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made it clear the administration was moving in a new direction: "North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment."

TILLERSON'S TERSE WORDS SEEN AS TACTICAL CHANGE OVER NORTH KOREA

U.S. officials have said they hope China will play a larger role in easing tensions in the region. While China opposes the deployment of a U.S. military anti-ballistic missile system to North Korea, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Wednesday called for de-escalation of tensions. "China has noticed such reports, we all know that the Security Council at the United Nations has issued regulations related to the missile launch by North Korea. We think that all sides involved should exercise restraint and not do anything that will escalate the difficult situation in the region."

The Pentagon continues to see signs North Korea is close to conducting another nuclear test, after two tests last year.

The KN-15, known as "Pukguksong-2" in North Korea, uses pre-loaded solid fuel, which shortens launch preparation times, boosts its mobility and makes it harder for outsiders to detect ahead of liftoff. Most North Korean missiles use liquid propellant, which generally must be added to the missile on the launch pad before firing.

The South Korean military said the missile was fired from land near the east coast city of Sinpo and flew about 40 miles.

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something significant to coincide with President Trump's first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week.

The missile launch may be a precursor, with more to come as the summit starts Thursday, Cossa said. "I've joked before that they don't mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored."

Analysts also say North Korea might time nuclear and long-range rocket tests to the April 15 birthday of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility. Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

The rogue nation's latest missile launch also came during annual military drills between the United States and South Korea. North Korea sees the drills as an invasion rehearsal.

Fox News' John Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
next Image 1 of 3

prev next Image 2 of 3

prev Image 3 of 3

Several thousand people have rallied in Serbia's capital for the third day in row against the victory of the country's powerful leader, Aleksandar Vucic, in last weekend's presidential election.

Blowing whistles and chanting slogans against Vucic, crowds marched Wednesday through Belgrade and other cities. They held banners with slogans such as "Down with dictatorship" and "Stop the government terror."

The protesters, most of them young, have gathered on the streets in response to calls on social media. It was not clear who is organizing the events, although government officials claim the demonstrations are the work of political opponents.

Student organizations in Belgrade and the northern city of Novi Sad say they are demanding replacement of the state election commission, the editors of the state television, and the parliament speaker.
Police say a small explosion has damaged the front of an office of energy company EDF in the French island of Corsica.

Spokeswoman Frederique Olivaux said a homemade bomb went off Wednesday around 4 a.m. in front of the building in Corsica's second city, Bastia.

It shattered the windows and damaged the door, but Olivaux said no one was injured.

She added that a police investigation has been opened  and since no person or group has claimed responsibility, all options are being explored.

Corsica is home to an active separatist movement and has a history of mafia gang violence.
At dawn Tuesday morning, as families slept in the battle-ravaged Syrian city of Idlib, bombs fell into homes in the rebel-controlled town of Khan Sheikhoun  not an entirely unusual way to wake up. Only there was something different about these bombs.

We were attacked with four strikes, 27-year-old Syrian journalist Hadi Abdullah told Fox News. When people went to help, they were choked with the poisoned gas.

U.N. war crimes investigators are now evaluating a suspected chemical attack in the rebel-controlled area of northern Syria, which if confirmed would constitute a serious violation of international law. Abdullah, himself still wet-eyed and breathless and tending to a massive headache as we spoke, recalled the scene just hours earlier  chaos, crying, people being stripped and washed in the streets, children suffocating and dying in the streets as white liquid frothed from their open mouths.

People were also looking for their families, wondering if they had yet been taken to medical treatment, he continued. Theres a blaring pain in my eyes, I cant breathe and my nose wont stop running. But Im a lot better than most.

Muhammad, field coordinator of Alrahama Hospital in Khan Sheikhoun, which is in the Idlib governate, told Fox News that their rooms were flooded with some 200 locals young and old  some with pinpoint pupils, others dilated, some already drenched in water while others required resuscitation. Atropine  a medication used intravenously to treat certain types of nerve agent exposure  was distributed as widely as possible, but the best chance one had of survival was being relocated to safer area in the northern part of the region.

Most kids arrived already dead, especially the infants. They were more affected than the adults. Twenty-five deaths happened in our hospital, Muhammed said.

He detailed the tiny bodies convulsing for their last breaths, the white rubble debris and red blood that clung to their deadly pale faces. Two nurses, he recalled, fainted from the chemical residue.

This absolutely wasnt chlorine, he said ominously.

But just as patients were being rushed inside for a chance at life, several sources on the ground told Fox News that their hospital was coming under aerial attack again  disrupting their medical care and sending them into emergency evacuation as rockets ripped through the hospitals walls.

This was a double crime. The center helping civilians was hit eight more times. Luckily, we survived, Abdullah, who was in the facility when it struck, said. People are still dying inside.

In one case, he said, an entire family  parents and three children  were found dead in their beds from the initial allegedly chemical attack. Abdullah also emphasized that many are trying to get to Turkey for treatment.

Some did; some died, he said. Mostly it is the children dying.

Activists claimed that victims were stranded on the Syrian side of the Bab Al Hawa border crossing to Turkey, begging for access into the neighboring country.

The Syrian people feel alone in the international silence, Muhammed explained. Everywhere in Idlib people are so frightened, attacks in neighboring towns have been going on for three days. People are trying to flee to less risky towns.

But the reality, he stressed, is that the vast majority of families left there have stayed because they are too poor to flee, and are just waiting day-by-day to live or die.

Some people have now fled to safer areas in the countryside outside the city, said Suhaib Monzer Zakour, an Idlib-based civilian and former engineering student at the University of Aleppo. Everyone is devastated. The children are in shock. Many people are afraid of another attack like this.

Zakour observed that while people were still living in the horrified hours in the immediate aftermath of the chemical onslaught, there remains a kind or resilience  a sense of people simply trying to survive and live day-by-day.

People are still trying to work, to live, he said. And find something to live for.

Such is the tenor of life in Idlib, one of the last standing Syrian opposition strongholds that many fear will soon become the next Aleppo and be bombed and blistered back into government control.

According to Syrian Dr. Khaled Al Milaji, the attacks on civilians have reached a pinnacle and they are seeing some of the worst carnage of all the six-year civil war  with Tuesdays apparent chemical strike killing at least 100 and injuring as many as 500 people.

The bombs fell as people were sleeping which is why the number of dead is so big. Many just inhaled the gas, there was no time to resist, he said. Many, especially the infants, died directly  they didnt even make it to the hospital.

The dead, Milaji explained, were those who were in the red zone when the suspected gas struck. Those on the periphery of that zone were the ones being rushed to hospitals, gasping for breath and foaming at the mouth, in the hopes of being saved. But few hospitals are left standing  their destruction all over Syria a hallmark of the conflicts brutality.

Subsequently, in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, doctors were forced to treat the wounded in the rubble streets.

Typically, the doctors set up temporary clinics and do not officially reveal their location. It usually takes 48 hours for it to be found out so then they have to move again to avoid being bombed, he said.

The initial medical summaries that Milaji was getting following Tuesdays attack indicated that the substance used was more than just chlorine, and that they strongly suspect sarin or worse was also utilized. Sarin is next to impossible to detect, due to its clear, tasteless and non-odorous nature.

Chlorine is awful, but it doesnt kill in mass numbers like this, Miliaji said.

Multiple sources on the ground told Fox News that the seemingly toxin-laden bombs were dropped from what appeared to be Sukhoi-type fighter aircraft, primarily used by Russian and Syrian forces. Khaled pointed out that Syrian planes generally launch attacks from higher altitudes, while Russians fly much lower to the ground and with much greater precision. In this case, Syrian aircraft is suspected.

However, this has not been independently verified and the Assad-helmed Syrian government, as well as Russian officials, have vehemently denied involvement, instead blaming rebel fighters. The government has denied previous accusations by western powers of having used chemical weapons in 2013.

Dr. Souheil Habbal, director of the California chapter of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS)  which directly supports medical facilities on the ground  told Fox News their professionals are continuing to treat the wounded and that casualty counts are expected to rise as victims are being treated both in the streets and in temporary facilities outside of the battle-ravaged city.

He also affirmed that, based on early assessments, the bombs dropped were likely filled with a chemical concoction that included sarin.

The doctors are having to choose who to save; that is the worst thing. To look at the more advanced patients and choose instead to save someone who isnt suffering as badly, he said. At least 21 who have died are children.

TIMELINE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS USE IN SYRIA

EU, UN ASSESS SYRIA'S RECONSTRUCTION NEEDS AS DONORS GATHER

The SAMS-supported hospitals do have a very limited supply of atropine, he said, but they are fast running out. He also said that their medical professionals did undergo specific training for chemical warfare in Aleppo in 2015, in the wake of previous attacks. But most of their gas masks and suits were left when the formerly opposition-controlled city came under intense bombardment in December of last year, eventually falling to government forces.

The world is only focused on ISIS, Habbal lamented. But there was no ISIS here. None of us should accept this.

However, Max Abrahams, professor of political science at North Eastern University and an proponent of forced regime change in Syria, stressed the importance of not pointing fingers until a proper independent investigation into the attack is complete.

But even if it was Assad, that is not enough to persuade me to force a regime change, he added. The alternative is really bad, there is no moderate game in town. Everyone has blood on their hands.
The cloud of deadly gas that enveloped much of a northern Syrian town on Tuesday forced victims into hospitals by the hundreds as medics had no choice but to rush many of the wounded across the border into Turkey.

At least three victims died in hospitals in Turkeys Hatay Province Wednesday, Syrian Dr. Khaled Al Milaji told Fox News. Another doctor said only the victims "with some money" have left the Syrian town.

"Most have remained... and are waiting their fate," Dr. Mohammad Alhamwi said. Turkey has closed off its border to most Syrians, according to journalists there.

DOCTORS, CIVILIANS RECALL CHILDREN SUFFOCATING, DYING ON STREETS

Mohammad Nejdat Youssef told reporters the gas looked like a winter fog  not quite yellow and not quite white. Some victims choked, foamed at the mouth and passed out, witnesses said.

Youssef told The New York Times from Reyhanli, Turkey, his pregnant 20-year-old wife and 9-year-old nephew were fighting for their lives. Orwa Abu Amash told the newspaper 46 of his relatives had died.

TIMELINE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS USE IN SYRIA

The attack killed at least 75 people and wounded hundreds more in Khan Sheikhoun, activists said Wednesday, providing updated numbers. The killer agent may have been sarin -- which is 20 times as deadly as cyanide, according to the Idlib Media Center. The poison is colorless and odorless, making it a challenge to detect.

The Syrian Observatory could not confirm it was sarin, however. Analysts have pointed to VX, a nerve agent that the Assad government could produce, or Tabun, which was used to deadly effect during the Iran-Iraq war, as other possibilities, the BBC reported.

The Syrian and Russian governments denied they were behind the attack. A Russian Defense Ministry statement later said the toxic agents were released when a Syrian airstrike hit a rebel arsenal. A string of airstrikes had hit the area around the same time.

Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using fire hoses to wash the chemicals from victims' bodies. Haunting images of lifeless children piled in heaps reflected the magnitude of the attack, which bore similarities to the 2013 chemical assault that left hundreds dead and was the worst in the country's six-year civil war. A United Nations investigation found that sarin gas was used in that attack.

Most of those killed in Tuesday's attack died before they reached hospitals, Dr. AbdulHai Tennari, a pulmonologist, said. "If they got to the hospital we can treat them. Two children who took a while before they were lifted out of the rubble died."

Tarik Jasarevic, spokesman for the World Health Organization in Geneva, said the agency was gathering more information. The Syrian American Medical Society, which supports hospitals in opposition-held territory, also said it had sent inspectors to Khan Sheikhoun and an investigation was underway.

Fox News' Hollie McKay and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
As the U.S. and other Western nations sharply denounced the Assad and Putin regimes for the deadly gas attack in Syria, Russia on Wednesday tried to deflect blame by pointing to Syrian rebels.

"It's necessary to demand that the rebels offer full access to study the area and collect necessary information," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

HALEY SLAMS RUSSIA OVER SYRIAN CHEMICAL ATTACK, WARNS UNITED STATES MAY TAKE 'OUR OWN ACTION'

Russia, which happens to be Syria's most powerful ally, insisted the chemicals that killed at least 75 people were spread when Syrian warplanes bombed a facility where rebels were building chemical weapons. Top Syrian rebels leaders have denied they were responsible for the attack.

Russia also insisted the investigation use "reliable facts" instead of becoming a "long-distance" study of what unfolded.

EXCLUSIVE: WITNESSES DESCRIBE HORRORS OF ATTACK

The Security Council was weighing a resolution condemning chemical weapons use in Syria. Russia, which has veto power, has indicated it opposes the resolution. Syrian officials also denied they were behind the massacre.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley did not hold back, calling the attack "a new low, even for the barbaric Assad regime." She added, "How many more children have to die before Russia cares?"

Near the end of her speech, she remarked: "When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action."

Britain's U.N. ambassador Matthew Rycroft said his country had seen nothing that suggested any opposition groups "have the sort of chemical weapons that would be consistent with the symptoms that we saw yesterday."

He pointed out that only one air force -- Assad's -- has used such weapons in the six-year civil war. "We have every indication that this was a sustained attack using aircraft over a number of hours."

Fox News' Cody Derespina and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Security Council diplomat says the 15 members of the U.N.'s most powerful body will visit Washington later this month and meet President Donald Trump at the White House.

During the April 24 visit the council will also meet congressional leaders, the diplomat said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the trip hasn't been officially announced.

Council members have also asked for a briefing by White House envoy Jason Greenblatt, who is charged with trying to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that collapsed over two years ago, the diplomat said.

Two issues certain to be on the agenda during the meetings, in addition to global hotspots including Syria and North Korea, are reports that Trump wants major cuts to the U.N. budget and reforms at the United Nations.
President Trump has called reports of a chemical weapons attack in Idlib, Syria on Tuesday that killed dozens, including as many as 27 children, an affront to humanity.

Turkish officials said Thursday that autopsies on victims of the attack in Syria confirm chemical weapons were used, and point to possible sarin use. Many have placed the blame on the countrys own president, Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian government denies any involvement. Russia, supporting Syrias disavowal, suggested that the gas belonged to rebels in the war-torn nation.

This is not the first time Syria has denied assaulting its own people with chemical weapons. U.S. intelligence agencies estimated that more than a thousand Syrians were killed by weaponized sarin gas near Damascus in August 2013, in an attack carried out by the Syrian government.

TRUMP SAYS 'HEINOUS' CHEMICAL WEAPONS STRIKE IN SYRIA 'CANNOT BE TOLERATED'

Sarin is a man-made nerve agent that is known to be used as a chemical weapon. According to the CDC, nerve agents are the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known chemical warfare agents. Originally developed as a pesticide in 1938, sarin is a colorless, odorless and tasteless liquid that can be vaporized. Much more potent than the average pesticide, the Center for Disease Control calls sarin the most volatile of the nerve agents, able to quickly spread into the environment.

Though developed in Germany, the Nazis chose not to use sarin as a chemical weapon in World War II. Weaponized sarin and mustard gasses were used in 1988 by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to kill nearly 500 Kurds. A terrorist attack on a Tokyo subway in 1995 used sarin as a weapon, killing 12 and injuring thousands.

Those who are exposed to vaporized sarin can experience symptoms within seconds.

HALEY SLAMS RUSSIA OVER SYRIAN CHEMICAL ATTACK, WARNS US MAY TAKE 'OUR OWN ACTION'

Videos and witness accounts of victims in respiratory distress and foaming at the mouth seem to indicate that sarin is the culprit. Fox News medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel said that though he cannot confirm the gas used in the recent attack in Syria, the descriptions from the witnesses are consistent with sarin gas exposure.

Siegel described how sarin works, and its effects on the human body.

We have impulses, neurotransmitters that allow nerves to conduct from one to the next. For example, when you move your arm, each time you make a movement, at the end of the movement the body releases acetylcholine that stops the communication from one nerve to the next, he told Fox.

All nerve gasses, even pesticides, are acetylcholine inhibitors. They stop the enzyme that stops nerve conduction. Without that enzyme, nerves keep firing, and firing, and firing. You get a proliferation of nerve firing.

The off-switch stops working, leading to tremors, twitching, seizures, convulsions, frothing at the mouth, secretions, loss of bowel and bladder function, and eye constriction, Siegel said.

The most common cause of death is respiratory arrest, Siegel explained, because the lungs keep getting the signal, you end up with bronchoconstriction and you cant get air in and out. There is a tremendous amount of secretion in the lungs like mucus that blocks everything he said, comparing the bodys response to a massive asthma attack where the victim stops breathing.

Children, he said, are particularly vulnerable to the damage, referring to the smaller size of their lungs which could close as a result of a sarin strike.

Sarin gas exposure is hazardous, but not always fatal. People recover, Siegel said of those with mild exposure. If you dont end up in a coma, youll probably be alright in the long-term. He added that other injuries occur when panicked victims try to run from the chaos, leading to wounds and broken bones.

Sigel points out that the biggest issue when it comes to exposure is breathing in the poison gas, contaminating food and swallowing it. If exposed to the nerve agent, the CDC recommends evacuating the area and moving to higher ground. Victims are urged to seek medical care, and to remove the exposed clothing, and wash immediately with soap and water. An antidote, called atropine, reverses the effect of the gas. It was reportedly distributed whenever possible following Tuesdays devastation in Syria.

At a UN Security Council emergency meeting on Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said the recent gas attack in Syria represents a new low, even for the barbaric Assad regime, adding that Russia shares the blame.

As a physician, Siegel said, I find putting at risk the lives at risk of ones own civilians deeply disturbing. It demands international attention.
5 Images

Kim Jong-Un: Images of North Korea's menacing dictator

North Korea's leader, once a source of global ridicule, is no longer being treated as a joke.
A New Jersey woman has been arrested in connection with a strange and violent hammer attack at the Carmel Church Exxon on Saturday morning that left a man beaten and bloody.

Witnesses told police that shortly after 8 a.m. a woman used a hammer to beat on a 2016 Porsche SUV and a boat being towed by the vehicle in the parking lot of the Exxon on State Route 207, near the Interstate 95 exit in Caroline County, according to the Caroline Sheriffs Office.

The woman then reportedly attacked the vehicle owner, while yelling rich and white, according to the Sheriffs Office.

The victim, a man, suffered injuries to his leg, arm and face.

Along with witness accounts, surveillance video also captured the incident.

A Caroline deputy used the video and witness descriptions to identify a suspect, 26-year-old Angela Jones of Newark, N.J.

After identifying the suspect, the Caroline Sheriffs Office contacted the Essex County Sheriffs Office in New Jersey, and the fugitive unit in the county arrested Jones early Wednesday in Newark.

Jones faces charges of malicious wounding, assault and vandalism. She is being held in a New Jersey jail awaiting extradition to Virginia.
King George County Service Authority officials are addressing a breakdown in communication, both in notifying customers as well as key county staff, that occurred during recent water problems in the Oakland Park area.

From March 2429, the 330 customers served by Oakland Park Waterworks were told it wasnt safe to drink the water without boiling it or treating it with purification tablets. Water samples from two homes in the Oakland Park subdivision showed levels of E. coli, which usually means theres been sewage or animal waste contamination.

The county-owned water system serves Oakland Park subdivision and homes along Fletchers Chapel Road, as well as the King George Industrial Park and Sealston Elementary School, which closed for two days because of the problem.

However, school officials didnt know about the contaminated water until the morning of Monday, March 27, after buses had picked up children. Likewise, residents complained that the county had posted written notices on their doors or porches the evening of Friday, March 24as directed by the Virginia Department of Healthbut hadnt issued an electronic notice through the King George Alert system.

The county uses [the alert system] for everything from Parks & Rec announcements, to motor vehicle accidents and road closures, countywide activities, etc., Micah Murphy wrote in an email. It would have been better to send the KG Alert because it would have more appropriately reached the entire community in a timely manner.

Service Authority officials said Tuesday night that they will activate the electronic alert in the future. General Manager Chris Thomas talked with fire and rescue officials, who assured them the system can pinpoint particular neighborhoods so the whole county doesnt get a warning about contaminated water.

When the alert system has been used in the past, unaffected customers concerned about their water quality called the authority and clogged emergency phone lines, Thomas said.

The utility will also continue to post the written notices because thats what the health department dictates, Thomas said.

Once the emergency notification features have been updated, Chris Werle, chairman of the authoritys Board of Directors, suggested the utility do some dry runs during the day and night, weekday and weekend, to make sure residents are notified in a timely manner.

I definitely agree the King George Alert is the way to go, said Ruby Brabo, chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors and a member of the Service Authoritys Board of Directors.

Not everyone pays attention to paper notices, she said, adding some people in the Oakland Park area didnt know about the contamination until the day after notices were put on their doors or porches.

If it had gone through King George Alert, they all would have been talking about it immediately, she said.

Thomas also gave a detailed report about what led to the discovery of E. coli. The utility did its regular monthly testing on March 8, and all samples were clean. On March 20, a customer on Cody Lane complained that contact lenses, which had been rinsed off with water, caused eye irritation as if theyd been exposed to chlorine.

The Service Authority sampled the water and found, not chlorine, but bacteria known as total coliforms and E. coli. The utility contacted the state health department and did additional testing, which showed bacteria in water samples from two households on French Court and Garner Drive. Thomas said both households are on cul-de-sacs, at the end of the water line.

The utility then posted the written alerts on March 24, telling people it wasnt safe to drink their water without boiling it. As the weekend began, officials were communicating often with state officials, but notifications were not provided to some key county staff, Thomas said. Thats how school officials as well as some members of the Board of Supervisors were left out of the loop.

The Service Authority ran chlorine through the system and flushed hydrants on Saturday, March 25. Water samples taken that Monday and Tuesday showed no evidence of bacteria, and the boil alert was lifted by mid-afternoon Wednesday.

The Service Authority continues to run chlorine through the lines at higher levels than normal, and Thomas asked customers to be understanding of the new operating scenario.

County officials still dont know what caused the water contamination, but we will continue our investigation, Werle said.
As a child growing up in the segregated South, it would have been difficult for Raye Montague, now 82, to imagine that one day she would shatter glass ceilings for womenespecially black womenby being the first person to design a U.S. naval ship using a computer.

But Montague was a dreamer, and she didnt let her gender or the color of her skin stand in her way. She was working as a hidden figure in the Navy while the women featured in the hit movie Hidden Figures did their part at NASA.

Montague spoke about her journey on Tuesday morning at an event celebrating Womens History Month at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division in King George County.

I didnt realize I was breaking glass ceilings, she said. I was just doing what needed to be done.

A native of Little Rock, Ark., Montague grew up in a time and place where women did not become engineers. When she was 7, her grandfather took her to visit a German submarine that had been captured by the U.S. off the coast of South Carolina during World War II.

She recalled being wide-eyed with amazement as she ran her fingers over the controls and peered through the periscope.

She asked the tour guide what she needed to know to operate the vessel. He responded that it was a job for engineers and that she would never need to worry about that.

I didnt realize at the time that I was being insulted, she said.

In eighth grade, the students in her class laughed at her when she mentioned she wanted to be an engineer. They thought she meant a train engineer, she explained.

But Montague had hidden figures in her own life and they encouraged her to follow her dreams. Her teacher, Mrs. Holiday, challenged her to dream big.

Aim for the stars, and, at the very worst, you will land on the moon, Montague remembered Holiday telling her.

Montagues mother drilled into her the idea that anything was possible with an educationand Montague believed her. So when Montague realized that she needed four years of home economics courses to graduate from high school, she objected.

Montague knew that to be an engineer she needed math and science, as well as the ability to think creatively. She wanted the opportunity to build and design in shop class. Her mother came to the school and convinced them that if her daughter could pass the written exam in home economics without taking classes, she could take shop.

I had a photographic memory so I aced itand then I took shop, she said. My mother was the wind beneath my wings.

Montague recalled how her mother often reminded her that she had three things working against her: being a woman, being African-American and having a Southern, segregated education.

So Montague was determined to get the best education she could. Although the University of Arkansas would not accept black students in their engineering degree program at the time, she earned a Bachelor of Science in business at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

The lack of an engineering degree did not stop Montague. She is now registered as a professional engineer in the U.S. and Canada.

Montague said the day after she graduated from college, she boarded a train to D.C. She had no job, but she was determined. The Navy was the first place to call her in for an interview, and she ended up accepting a job as a clerk typist.

She quickly rose through the ranks during her 33 years as a civilian employee in the Navy. And it wasnt always easyshe worked many night shifts with her young son in tow and often dealt with sexism and racism in the workplace. She was regularly forced to defend her right to equal pay and promotions.

At the beginning of her career, she noticed that her male counterparts in the same job were getting promoted and making more money than she was. When she asked her manager about it, he told her they all had cars, so they could come into work at night. He said she could also get more money and a promotion if she did the same.

So, that night, Montague went to a used car lot and bought a 1949 Pontiac for $375. The next morning she volunteered for the midnight shift. When her manager asked if she had a car, she said yes.

There was only one problemMontague didnt know how to drive. She had to teach herself on the way to and from work. Shed creep across D.C. into Maryland as soon as traffic died down.

When her boss found out, she was promoted on the spot.

Montague said her greatest accomplishment was completing the design of a naval ship in less than 19 hoursa task that was supposed to take a solid month, at least. When her boss came into work one morning, he found the completed documents on her desk with a mock birth announcement reading: Proud mother: Raye Montague. Gestation period: 18 hours and 26 minutes.

They were so dumbfounded, she recalled. They called the commanding officer to see him right away. He was in a big meeting, but up we went with the document. My boss told him, Here is your ship and here is the young lady who designed it for you. 

That would be her only moment of recognition at the time. Montague said she was not even invited to the launch of the ship she had designed.

We were hidden figures, she said. We would do the work and people would take it and run with it.

That accomplishment did play a pivotal role in helping Montagues career take off.

It wasnt long before she had gone as far as she could as an engineer, Montague said. She ended up becoming the first female program manager of ships in the U.S. Navy. She retired in 1990.

Although Montague and others like her have made tremendous sacrifices to pave the way for women and minorities, she said making progress hasnt gotten much easier. Montague said women often approach her to let her know they are dealing with many of the same challenges Montague faced more than 60 years agoa reality Montague finds astonishing.

Things on the surface look like weve made progress, but we still have a long way to go, she said.
Spotsylvania County leaders put an early end to this years contentious budget deliberations.

The Board of Supervisors unexpectedly voted 61 Tuesday to approve a spending plan that includes about $124 million in local tax dollars for schools. Thats a $2.7 million increase over the current fiscal year, but is about $2 million less than the School Board says it needs to help cover 2 percent pay raises, rising health care rates and Virginia Retirement System payments.

Board members also voted unanimously to maintain the real estate and car tax rates of 85 cents and $6.55, respectively, per $100 of assessed value.

Supervisor Chris Yakabouski cast the lone dissenting vote on the budget, saying the process lacked transparency.

The decision took place a week before supervisors were scheduled to approve the spending plan and tax rates for the fiscal year beginning July 1. But County Attorney Karl Holsten said they could legally pass a spending plan at this weeks meeting, advertised as a budget work session, because it had been seven days since the budget public hearing. State code prohibits a county only from adopting a budget less than a week after the hearing, he said.

Still, Yakabouski complained that the budget is based on a proposal by Supervisor Paul Trampe that, until this week, had not been publicly discussed. I would wonder why we are doing debate on the budget via email, phone calls  and not at the budget work session, he said.

County Administrator Mark Taylor replied that county staff prepared new budget recommendations Tuesday at some speed in response to multiple inputs from multiple board members concerning Dr. Trampes recommendations and his scenario.

Trampes plan cuts some of Taylors proposed expendituresincluding a $528,571 contribution to a health care fund for retireesin order to increase funding for schools. The county also recently increased its revenue projections by about $1 million, further benefiting schools.

About $333,000 of the increase to schools is one-time money that county officials say should not be used for recurring expenses such as pay raises.

School Board Vice Chairwoman Amanda Blalock said she is grateful for the additional funding, but said she wished supervisors had met the School Boards entire request.

Im very anxious to talk to the superintendent about where we will have to cut to make up the rest of our gap, she said, adding that she was not expecting supervisors to vote so soon.

This years budget deliberations have been contentious, with political attacks from both sides of the debate.

At last weeks public hearing, some speakers falsely accused the school system of spending $40,000 on two chairs and $6,000 on a single bookcase. School Board Chairwoman Erin Grampp refuted those claims in a letter to the county, saying the system actually purchased 175 chairs for $40,152 and 32 metal bookcases for $5,536.

In addition, schools speech pathologist Sue Sargeant said at the hearing that Supervisors Greg Benton, Timothy McLaughlin, David Ross and Trampe have hurt the community by voting along tea party lines. None of you are your own man, said Sargeant, who said she was speaking on behalf of a grassroots group formed after the Womens March On Washington.

Sargeant and other critics say supervisors discouraged public input by ignoring requests to advertise a 2-cent increase to the real estate tax rate ahead of the public hearing. But Trampe said those who suggest the tax rate is an indicator of support for schools are misinformed, or your agenda is not what you say it is.

Support for the schools seems to be defined by a few vocal activists as based on a tax rate, not based on how much funding for the schools youre willing to support, he said. He later added: The three supervisors, sometimes four, who have been demonized in this room are the ones who have been voting for school funding for the last several years.

Benton encouraged the community to come together, saying speakers from all sides have made political attacks.

We need to stop, he said. It looks bad on our community. It makes us all look unprofessional, and thats the last thing I want for Spotsylvania County.
Its an occupational hazard. While others drive through Stafford County frustrated by the traffic, I am confronted by the spectres of past crime scenes. They are scattered throughout the county, and no area of Stafford is free of them.

On Kings Highway, I drive past the Ferry FarmMayfield Bridge where Willie Atkins turned his vehicle into oncoming traffic, killing a retired couple on their way to their weekend retreat.

On Chatham Heights Road, its the parking lot where Noel Walker tried to end the life of his former girlfriend by stabbing her more than two dozen times.

On Brooke Road, its the hill where a drunken Jeff Jones drove off the road, taking the lives of three teenage girls.

And in Aquia Harbour, its the yard where Erin George shot her husband to death, and the street where a drunken Phyllis Ailsworth struck and killed an 8-year-old girl as she waited for the school bus at 8 oclock in the morning.

After 28 years, there are so many more scenes than the few named here. And as any police officer who responds to such 911 calls will tell you, we simply cannot drive past these places without thinking about them. Not once.

After almost three decades of seeing so much tragedy, how am I able to keep doing this job? How is it that I am not haunted by the ghosts of crimes past?

Its a question I am frequently asked, and the answer is always the same: Its not the tragedy that lingers, its the strength of the victims that makes the most lasting impression. These amazing people refuse to let trauma define their lives. They will not allow a random or intentional act of violence to dictate their future.

Last week in Washington, I sat next to three such victims during a Senate hearing on the sexual abuse of Olympic gymnasts. These strong women did not just suffer abuse, they survived ityet another example of the perseverance that I have witnessed, first hand, for nearly three decades. Men, women and children who rise above crime and victimization.

Here at home, I saw that strength in Mia CruzSmith, who survived the aforementioned Chatham knife attack and went on to meet and marry the man of her dreams.

And I saw it in Molly Gill, a short-term survivor of Jeff Jones crash on Brooke Road. In the precious few months that Molly lived after the wreck, this 15-year-old girlparalyzed and confined to a wheelchairemitted more light and love than any adult could ever imagine possible.

This is National Crime Victims Rights Week. Its a good time to honor the survivors and family members who are the unsung heroes of the criminal justice system.

They are the ones who are left to deal with the aftermath of crime, long past the time when the court case ends and the news coverage moves on to the next story. It is their strength and their perseverance that endures.

For me, that is what chases away those ghosts. That is what enables all of us in the criminal justice system to go to bednot with bitternessbut with gratitude. Were thankful that we are fortunate enough to play some small part in these peoples recovery and healing.

On Thursday at 6:15 p.m., the Stafford Commonwealths Attorneys Office will host its third annual Victims Rights Week event at the county Government Center in the Board of Supervisors chambers. The guest speaker will be Mark Herring, Virginias attorney general. The public is welcome to attend.

Eric L. Olsen has served as commonwealths attorney of Stafford County since 2012 and has been a full-time prosecutor in the county since 1989.
The Howells have served area, state honorably

Looking across the Rappahannock in early spring, we can see the steady progress of the reconstruction of George Washingtons boyhood home. This jewel adds to our pride in the Fredericksburg region, which is blessed with an abundance of historic American treasures.

On this years commemoration of George Washingtons birthday, we learned that House of Delegates Speaker Bill Howell will step down after nearly three decades of distinguished service in the oldest legislative body in the western hemisphere.

Beyond his many legislative accomplishments, Speaker Howells legacy includes his commitment to ethical leadership that reminds us all that character counts. He has championed and been a model of the values of honesty, trust, service, faith and family that our founders promoted, and which enabled our Republic to survive and thrive.

My wife, Collette, and I join many Virginians in saluting and thanking Bill and Cessie Howell for their lifelong sacrifices and investment in defense of the values and vision that have made our commonwealth and our nation great.

The meticulous attention to detail invested in rebuilding Washingtons boyhood home also brings to mind the critical leadership that Cessie provided when Ferry Farm was once in jeopardy of becoming the site of a commercial big-box store.

The effort she championed has ensured that Ferry Farm continues to serve as a symbol of the founding principles and values that have been a beacon to our nation throughout its history.

David L. Caprara

Spotsylvania
For some patients, certain forms of immunotherapy are showing promise in treating previously difficult-to-treat cancers. In the case of T-cell therapies, though, most of the early experimental successes have been seen in blood cancers. Solid tumors, like breast, lung, ovarian and pancreatic cancers, pose a tougher nut to crack for this new wave of cancer therapies.

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center immunotherapy researchers Drs. Kristin Anderson and Phil Greenberg and their colleagues are working on ways to tweak their teams early successes with T-cell therapy for leukemia to apply to solid tumors. In a presentation Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research in Washington, D.C., Anderson described her preclinical results working toward T-cell therapy for ovarian tumors  and the hurdles any clinical version of this therapy will need to overcome. To date, the therapies Anderson and her colleagues are developing have only been tested in mice and in mouse and human cells in the lab.

Developing T-cell therapy for solid tumors is more challenging than for leukemias and lymphomas, Anderson said, but many patients with these cancers are in desperate need of new treatment options. The top five cancer killers in the U.S. are all solid tumors, according to the American Cancer Society. Although ovarian cancer is less common in the U.S. than other solid cancers, its highly deadly  it tends to be diagnosed at late stages, in part because it often doesnt cause obvious symptoms, and it has a high relapse rate, Anderson said.

All of these are huge problems, she said. An estimated 22,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed per year with the disease, according to the ACS, and approximately 14,000 die of the cancer.

The challenges of T-cell therapy for cancers like ovarian cancer include the simple issue of access  patients with leukemia or lymphoma can receive an infusion of engineered T cells directly into their bloodstream, but it can be more difficult to tweak the cells to traffic to a tumor tucked away in the body. Another major roadblock to adopting T-cell therapy to solid tumors is whats known as the tumor microenvironment, the local milieu of non-cancerous cells and molecules in and around the tumor.
Free Freightnet Membership

List your company in the Freightnet directory. It's Free, it's Easy and your company can be displayed in front of potential freight buyers within 24 hours.
Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone opposed last year a mega-deal to put Vietnam on the Grand Prix calendar.

Speaking to Britain's The Independent, Ecclestone revealed that the Asian country was eager to secure the rights to a race to promote its tourism and industries, but the former F1 chief scrapped the potential ten-year deal worth around $375 million for various reasons.

"Last year I was approached about having a race in Vietnam," Ecclestone told The Independent.

"I was offered the opportunity to meet the president about doing a deal for a Grand Prix. I could have done the deal and signed it in August.

"Everything was arranged for this to happen but I didnt do the deal because we already have quite a few races in that part of the world and I thought it might be a little bit over the top to have another one," he said.

The 86-year-old, who was criticised for putting places like Sochi, Abu Dhabi or Azerbaijan on the F1 map, believed a Vietnam Grand Prix sounded a bit too exotic and would have been a step too far.

"It hasnt got any racing history at all," Ecclestone said.

"So I didnt want to put another race in the same sort of area where we already have very good promoters.

"And I was criticised for putting the races in Baku and in Russia because they hadnt got that much racing history."

Adding another venue in Asia, in addition to Malaysia, China and Singapore, had the support however of several prominent figures linked with F1, such as Formula 1's independent director at the time and WPP CEO, Sir Martin Sorrell.

Gianluca Di Tondo, senior global brand director of F1 sponsor Heineken was also apparently keen on the idea, stating that if he could wish for another race to be added to the calendar, he would choose Vietnam.

Given Liberty boss Greg Maffei's recent comments about adding new races of value to the sport's calendar - and his disparaging comments about Azerbaijan, it's doubtful any deal with Vietnam could be revived.

GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Story Highlights 62% say news media favors one political party over the other

More believe media favors Democrats than Republicans

Clear majority of Americans say media is "often inaccurate"

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a contentious political landscape, Americans increasingly believe the news media generally favors one political party over the other. Sixty-two percent of U.S. adults say the media has a favorite, up from about 50% in past years. Just 27% now say the media favors neither major party.

When Gallup last asked this question in February 2003, Americans were about evenly divided on the issue. Americans were also evenly split when the question was first asked in April 1995. In December 2000, in the midst of the election results recount between George W. Bush and Al Gore, slightly more Americans perceived partisan bias in the news media (51%) than believed the news media was politically neutral (41%).

Republicans are mostly responsible for the increase in perceptions of partisan media bias since 2003. Currently, 77% of Republicans say the media favors one party over the other; in 2003, 59% of Republicans said the same. By comparison, 44% of Democrats now say the media plays favorites, unchanged from the 44% who said so in 2003.

Americans Believe News Media Favors Democrats

Gallup asked those who perceive political bias in the news media to say which party the news media favors. Almost two-thirds (64%) of those who believe the media favors a political party say it is the Democratic Party. Only about a third as many (22%) believe the media favors Republicans.

This is not new. Americans who perceive media bias have always said the direction of that bias leaned in favor of the Democrats, although the percentage holding that view has varied. The gap was smaller in 2003 and 1995, but was more similar to today's attitudes in 2000.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Republicans are fueling the belief that the news media favors Democrats: 88% of Republicans who believe the media is biased say this. Democrats are split in their views, with 43% naming Democrats as the recipients of that bias and 40% saying the bias is toward Republicans.

Majority in U.S. Say News Media Is "Often Inaccurate"

In addition to saying the news media favors one party over the other, Americans also say that news organizations are often wrong in their reporting. Fifty-five percent of U.S. adults say that news organizations' stories and reports are "often inaccurate." In contrast, 36% say news organizations generally get the facts straight.

These are also not new perceptions; Americans have been saying for quite some time that news organizations are inaccurate. In December 2000, when another controversial election made headlines, 65% said the media was often inaccurate. But at several other points before 2000, Americans were either more likely to say the media got the facts straight or closely divided in their opinions on the matter.

A separate poll conducted in September 2016 mirrors the latest results showing views of the news media as often inaccurate, with 32% of Americans reporting a "great deal" or "fair amount" of trust in the news media to report the news fairly and accurately.

Bottom Line

During the 2016 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump and the GOP often said Hillary Clinton received favorable -- even preferential -- news coverage, while Democrats lamented that the media aired Trump's speeches and events uninterrupted. Overall, Americans' belief that the media favors one party over the other is the highest it has been in more than 20 years.

Amid Trump's accusations of media bias and inaccurate reporting over the past year or so, the frenzy over media bias has seemed to reach a fever pitch. Trump has labeled certain media organizations as purveyors of "fake news" and has referred to them as "the enemy of the people." Politicians, academics, talk radio hosts and other critics have also accused the media of partisan bias.

The belief that the media favors Democrats stems mostly from Republicans and may be the result of a continued animus between the two parties, as well as a tendency among conservatives to accuse the media of a liberal bias. Nearly half of Democrats agree that the media favors their own party, which means most Americans think reporters have a liberal predilection.

Historical data are available in Gallup Analytics.
Readers, we need your help to prove a merry Christmas for victims of domestic violence.
One of Corvallis two liquor stores is getting ready to relocate.

Saleem Noorani, owner of the Cork & Bottle Shoppe at 935 NW Circle Blvd., is preparing to move the store to larger quarters at 1875 NW Ninth St. in the Plaza 9 Shopping Center.

Renovations are still underway, but Noorani said he hopes to make the move in mid-April.

With a 2,600-square-foot sales floor, the new location will have a little over twice the retail space of the current store. In addition to expanding his liquor offerings, Noorani said hell have a much larger selection of beer and wine. Hes also adding growler fills, with a cooler large enough to accommodate up to 32 kegs.

In addition to the Corvallis store, Noorani has another Cork & Bottle Shoppe in Springfield and recently received approval from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to open a store in Albany. Hes still seeking a location for the Albany Cork & Bottle Shoppe after plans for a site at Pacific Boulevard and Madison Street fell through.
Work could begin this summer on perhaps as many as 275 single-family homes and duplexes in northwest Corvallis.

The Ponderosa Ridge development, phases three and four of the previous Suncrest project, will go before the Planning Commission at a date still to be determined.

Neighbors who were briefed about the development at a Nov. 15, 2016, meeting at Fire Station No. 5 expressed concerns about traffic safety, fire safety, density issues, loss of open space and wetlands challenges.

Here is a look at plans for the development, as outlined by Mimi Doukas of AKS Engineering and Forestry in Tualatin. Doukas is working with the property owner, the Holt Group of Vancouver, Washington, on the project.

Phase three, which will be built south of Northwest Ponderosa Avenue, includes between 190 and 200 homes and will be a mixture of duplexes and single-family lots. The main access to the neighborhood will be via an extension of Northwest Deer Run Street, which currently stops at Ponderosa.

Ponderosa will be upgraded and widened to collector street standards.

Phase four will be accessed by an extension of Northwest Fair Oaks Drive from Walnut Boulevard and will connect with the Skyline West neighborhood, providing a second access point for that area. Phase four will feature 65 to 75 homes.

It is not clear yet if the two phases will be constructed concurrently or in stages, Doukas told the neighbors. Doukas noted that the original 1995 development plans called for more than 500 homes.

The two phases will be bisected by open space that includes the multiuse path that runs from Martin Luther King Jr. Park to Ponderosa.

Skyline West neighbors have requested that developers complete the Fair Oaks connection before upgrading Ponderosa to ensure safe exit routes in an emergency and also have urged the city to require firefighting water be available during construction, which will occur during the high-danger fire season.

Skyline West presently has only one road (Ponderosa) in and out of our community, which could result in residents being trapped in case of wildfire or earthquake, said John Krochta, chair of the safety committee of the Skyline West Neighborhood Association. And, during development of Ponderosa Ridge and related improvements to Ponderosa Avenue, traffic and potential problems during an emergency will be increased.

Generally, Skyline West residents are disappointed that the Suncrest/Ponderosa Ridge development is proceeding. The open space that will be taken by development has been a blessing to residents and the whole city.

Krochta added that the neighbors are pleased that the sizable open space between the two development parcels is being preserved. The area includes the MLK to Ponderosa multiuse path.

Susan Thierman, however, noted that it will be sad to see our beloved path  surrounded by a housing development.

T.J. Thomas, a contractor who has lived in the neighborhood since 1991, expressed concerned about the proximity of the duplexes to the path and the million college students that will be living in them.

Who wants to go for a walk next to a bunch of duplexes? said Thomas, who also questioned whether it is good for the environment to build on the wetlands that exist where the path connects with Ponderosa.

Thomas also urged that the Ponderosa work not result in a leveling of the street which could encourage speeders, adding that its current windy, hilly state is "part of its charm."
A Corvallis boy was flown to a Portland hospital after being severely injured Monday afternoon in a lawnmower accident, police said.

According to Corvallis police, the 7-year-old boy and his father were on a riding lawnmower at around 4 p.m. Monday at a home in the 1500 block of Southeast Bethel Avenue when the boy fell off the mower and into the mower blade. The Corvallis Fire Department responded and transported the boy to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis for treatment.

The boy, whom authorities did not identify, was in stable condition Tuesday evening, police said.

The boy was later flown to Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland for treatment of his injuries.

Police said Tuesday the boy was riding on the lawnmower, with his father driving, when he fell off and suffered severe injuries to his leg.
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
Rape in the Siegaue : We know of no comparable case

Bonn Police have received more than 60 tip-offs since the rape of a young woman camper between Troisdorf and Bonn at the weekend but investigators do not have any promising leads.

Teilen

Teilen Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Tweeten

Tweeten Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Drucken

Since releasing a photofit of the alleged rapist of a 23-year-old woman, the police have received more than 60 tip-offs. Some witnesses reported having previously seen a man fitting the perpetrators description in the Rhine and Siegaue area. When asked by the General Anzeiger, police spokesman Robert Scholten said: There is much to suggest the perpetrator is associated with the greater Bonn area.

However, there were no promising leads. Scholten said the investigations were continuing at full pace, including the analysis of DNA traces. The police spokesman added the case was very unusual.

The initial details released by police about the night in question give an idea of the horror the couple from Stuttgart must have lived through. As reported, an unknown man attacked the 23-year-old and her 26-year-old boyfriend on Saturday night in a meadow in the Siegaue. Police said the man crept up to the couples tent at around 12.30am. He slit open the side of the tent with a long, machete-style knife, threatened the couple and raped the woman.

Investigators cannot rule out at this stage of the investigations whether the perpetrator has committed a sexual or violent offence before. However, police said there were no cases carried out in a similar fashion. We know of no comparable case, said Scholten. As is normal in such cases, the investigators immediately exchanged information with state and federal officials.

In the search for the perpetrator, the police are pinning their hopes on the photofit released on Monday. We are happy that we were in a position at all to create a search aid of such high quality, said Scholten. He does not think there is a danger of dark-skinned citizens being suspected indiscriminately and says investigators can differentiate between the quality of incoming information.
Welthungerhilfe (World Hunger Aid) : Ugandan hairdresser gains experience in Beuel

Beuel A hairdresser from Uganda involved in the Welthungerhilfe Skill Up programme is working for a week in a salon in Beuel and hoping to use newly learned techniques on international clients back home.

Teilen

Teilen Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Tweeten

Tweeten Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Drucken

Its fascinating to see how different the hairstyles are here in Europe, says Christine Namara, mainly because of the completely different types of hair.

But in my home town there are many international experts and tourists and I find it great that I will soon be able to better fulfil their special wishes, says the 30-year-old delightedly about her experience.

Of course this is not the only reason for her stay on the Rhine. In April, the federal government is organising various conferences in Germany on job and training prospects for young people in Africa. Namara is one of two Ugandans who are taking part. The Skill-Up programme run by Welthungerhilfe (World Hunger Aid) is aimed at imparting theoretical and practical knowledge to disadvantaged young people aged between 15 and 35 from regions in Sierra Leone, Kenya, Tajikistan, India and now Uganda.

In the small town of Fort Portal, in the southwest of the country, a modern training centre in which unemployed young people can develop their job prospects has been developed with help from Welthungerhilfe. Since the start of the project two years ago, a total of 67 participants have completed their training in areas including car and bike mechanics, welding engineering, joinery, pottery and beauty and hairdressing services.

Namaras compatriot, Moses Kugonza, was one of projects first trainees and successfully completed his training as a motorbike and bicycle mechanic in March last year.

Welthungerhilfe is political independent and non-denominational and its rationale is helping people to help themselves. The organisation is fighting for a world without hunger by 2030.

Namara is the manageress of Beauty garage, a hairdressing and beauty salon in Fort Portal in which young people will be trained. After I trained as a hairdresser, I learned from my father of the opportunity to be able to expand my knowledge at the same time as passing it on, remembers the young woman, as she cuts a customers hair in Weidlichs Haarforum salon. Salon boss Weidlich adds: She is doing that really well. Her international clients will be in the best hands.
An opportunity for foodies and beer lovers to get lost in a world of food and drink from a hand-selected range of food trucks and breweries from around New Zealand.
State-run Oschadbank (Kyiv) has paid refinancing loans received from the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) in full: on April 4 the bank paid the remaining UAH 2 billion.

According to a press release of Oschadbank, from November 2008 through June 2014 the bank raised refinancing loans for UAH 19.9 billion from the NBU. The funds were sent to finance state-sustained programs accompanied by the bank.

"Under the schedule refinancing loans for UAH 2.5 billion were repaid. The rest of the debt of UAH 17.4 billion was returned early: UAH 3.5 billion in 2015, UAH 11.4 billion in 2016 and UAH 2.5 billion in 2017," the bank said.

Oschadbank Board Chairman Andriy Pyshny said that early payment of the refinancing loans was possible thanks to effective work of the bank on the market where the bank attracted funds of companies and individuals. This allowed the bank to replace the NBU funds with own resource base.

Oschadbank was founded in 1991. Its only owner is the state.

Oschadbank ranked second among 93 banks operating in the country on January 1, 2017 by total assets (UAH 210.099 billion), according to the NBU.
Article

Protecting the worlds oceans  an important goal of Germanys climate diplomacy

The worlds oceans are vital to our survival. They regulate the global climate and are a source of food and income for billions of people. Only a very small part of the seas enjoys legal protection, however. Our diplomats are working in New York right now to change this state of affairs.
WhatsApp: Supreme Court referred Privacy Policy Case to Constitution Bench News oi -Shilpa WhatsApp is now under Privacy Policy Case

Today, the Supreme Court referred WhatsApp's privacy policy issue to a Constitution bench. It is said that it will hear the issue on April 18.

A bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud passed this order saying that the parties should make its appearance before the Constitution bench to formulate the issues to be taken up for the hearing coming weeks. The petitioner had taken this privacy case to Delhi High Court, but the judgment by High Court gave a limited relief.

WhatsApp to launch peer-to-peer payment services in India: Report

The petition filed by Karmanya Singh Sareen regarding the changes made privacy policy of Whatsapp in 2016 says, "In August 2016, suddenly Whatsapp announced a change in its privacy policy and users were asked to agree to the new privacy policy by which Whatsapp announced sweeping changes. In effect, the new Privacy Policy sought to share the entire 'information' including the users' phone number, contacts, and data with Facebook."

WhatsApp: Soon you can share Multiple Contacts at once

The High Court said, "If the users opt for completely deleting 'WhatsApp' account before 25.09.2016, the information/data/details of such users should be deleted completely from "WhatsApp" servers and the same shall not be shared with the "Facebook" or any one of its group companies."

"So far as the users who opt to remain in "WhatsApp" are concerned, the existing information/data/details of such users up to 25.09.2016 shall not be shared with "Facebook" or any one of its group companies."

How to get back your old Whatsapp messenger

The social media platform also informed the high court that user data won't be retained on their server, once the account gets deleted. But now once again the same petition has been challenged in the Supreme Court where the petitioner stated that the information shared after 25.09.2016 is not yet protected.

So, let us see what is going to happen. The matter will soon be heard on coming April 18th.

Check this video which says how to change font styles in Whatsapp

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications
Google's new sign-in UI for Web Services will roll out soon Features lekhaka -Gizbot Bureau Google's new sign-in UI for Web Services will roll out in today

It seems Google has decided to revamp its sign-in user interface across its Web services and will be rolling out in few weeks. This initiative has been taken in order to keep consistent interface across computers, phones, and tablets.

In this article we have compiled a list that easily explains you the upcoming changes and the reason behind it.

Cleaner and Simpler looks As per the company, the new sign-in comes with a cleaner, simpler look, and makes the process faster. Also, Google clarifies that the process of Signing in doesn't change, it's just the experience will look different. Notification alert According to the Google product manager, Rodrigo Paiva, Google has started showing notification alert about its change in sign-in process at the bottom of the page in order to make them aware. SEE ALSO: Google Map Maker has been officially discontinued Responsive design This new Interface will come with a responsive design, meaning it will change its appearance based on its screen size and orientation. This helps them to work on both mobile web and desktop/laptop with ease. Phishing attacks Phishing attacks are the main reason to change to change the user-interface. It seems lots of people have reported being using a Google-like sign-in page for phishing attacks. This attack involves sending a fake email with an attachment, when clicked, take you to a fake sign-in page, thus your passwords are compromised.

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications
Independent supervisory boards in 15 largest Ukrainian stateowned enterprises (SOEs) will be appointed by end-June 2017, according to a memorandum of Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after the third review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

According to the document, following adoption of the SOE corporate governance law, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine will adopt the decisions regulating the establishment of supervisory boards by end-March 2017.

"We will complete the appointment of independent supervisory boards in the largest 15 SOEs by end-June 2017. Moreover, we expect audit reports for the largest SOEs, prepared by reputable auditors that were selected on the basis of the CMU [Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine] decree on criteria for auditor selection in large SOEs, to be completed by end-June 2017," says the memo.

"We continue to explore options for the establishment of a single national Holding Company that will be tasked with managing strategic commercial SOEs," reads the document.

"We continue with the triage of all SOEs in consultation with IMF staff. SOEs without a clear national strategic interest will be privatized or liquidated. By end-August 2017, the Cabinet will adopt, and publish on the MoEDT [Ministry of Economic Development and Trade] website, the triage and transfer of SOEs to the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPFU) (a new deadline for this structural benchmark, reset from end-October 2016)," reads the document.

On the basis of the results of the triage, the Ukrainian government plans to centralize the liquidation of non-operating SOEs under the SPFU. With this intent, the SPFU, in consultation with relevant ministries, is preparing a draft law that will enable the SPFU to liquidate SOEs with zero assets or where assets are smaller than liabilities, under streamlined procedures.

"In this context, we will conduct an analysis of the bankruptcy law as relevant for SOEs and introduce the necessary changes where needed. We expect parliament to adopt this draft bill by end-June 2017," reads the memo.
Lenovo announces new Data Centre Partner Programme for Asia Pacific News oi -Priyanka The partner program is aimed at helping Lenovo channel partners bring best-of-breed data center solutions to the enterprise market.

Chinese technology giant Lenovo on Tuesday announced the launch of its new Lenovo Data Centre Partner Programme for Asia-Pacific.

According to the company, the partner program is aimed at helping Lenovo channel partners bring best-of-breed data center solutions to the enterprise market.

Sumir Bhatia, Vice President of Data Centre Group for Asia Pacific said, "We are excited to launch the Lenovo Data Centre Partner Programme for Asia Pacific, which reflects Lenovo's solid commitment and dedication to our channel partners in the region. As the only major data center brand with no legacy to protect."

He said, " Lenovo is uniquely positioned to help our business partners meet diverse needs in the enterprise market, through best-of-breed data center solutions and our open eco-system of partnerships with leading IT providers."

Aircel offers free internet usage for Prepaid users

"We are 100 percent dedicated to our 'channel first' strategy, and are laser-focused in our mission to deliver value to our Asia Pacific partners through profitability," Bhatia added.

The program provides Lenovo business partners with exclusive access to top quality support and attractive incentives - designed to help them grow their businesses and to reward their commitment to Lenovo's solutions. Channel partners are rewarded with generous economic incentives, training, and dedicated resources regardless of their partner tiers.

Partners can also look forward to clear and simple pathways through the program, with various tiers awarded through the meeting of revenue thresholds, and by maintaining certified expertise on Lenovo's solutions. Partner tiers include Silver, Gold, and the exclusive Platinum tier, which extends additional privileges such as certification vouchers, invitations to advisory councils and direct access to Lenovo's knowledge base.

The partner program underscores Lenovo's commitment to Asia Pacific channel partners through enhanced engagement, following the soft launch of Lenovo's Asia-Pacific Channel Portal in October last year. As of launch, Lenovo Data Centre Partner Programme has seen more than 800 partners enrolled across Asia Pacific.

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications
Lenovo and Moto plan to set up its own factory in India: Reports News oi -Priyanka The company is currently watching the development around Goods and Services tax and the tax structures."

It seems that Lenovo - Motorola is in an expansion mode as both are planning to set up its own factory in the country, TOI reported.

The report says that, "the company is currently watching the development around Goods and Services tax and the tax structures."

On setting up its own plant in the country, Dillon Ye, head of Lenovo's mobile business group told TOI, "we are looking at potential." Adding that "we are studying the government policy carefully, such as rollout of GST."

Lenovo and Moto plan to launch 12 to 15 more smartphones in India this year

Currently, Lenovo Chennai plant is under contract manufacturing with Flextronics, one of the company's global partners and Moto E was the first smartphone that company produced in India. This is the only facility where both Lenovo and Motorola smartphones are being manufactured, outside China.

Recently, another Chinese smartphone player, Xiaomi has set up a second factory in Andhra Pradesh's Sri City, where 90 percent of the employees are women. The smartphone maker has been an early supporter of Modi's 'Make in India' initiative.

The company has opened its first plant in August 2015 and by March 2016, over 75 percent of its phones were being manufactured in India.

Xiaomi's founder, chairman and CEO Lei Jun has recently met the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the plan to create more than 20,000 jobs in the country in the next three years.

He also met the Minister of Finance, Defense, and Corporate Affairs Arun Jaitley and Minister of Law & Justice and Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad.

According to analyst firm IDC, Xiaomi India has become the number one selling smartphone brand online and the second-largest smartphone brand in India in Q4 2016.

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications
Background Briefing on the Effort to Defeat ISIS

Special Briefing

Senior State Department Official

Via Teleconference

Washington, DC

April 4, 2017

MODERATOR: Thank you very much, and thanks to all the participants who joined us this afternoon. This is a on-background conference call with [Senior State Department Official]. Just a reminder of our ground rules: This is a background call, so please attribute our speaker as a senior State Department official, and this call will be embargoed until the conclusion of the call.

And with that, I'll turn it over to [Senior State Department Official].

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Great. Thanks, [Moderator]. So thanks for joining me. I just wanted to kind of go through various aspects of this comprehensive campaign to defeat ISIS and just give some updates on some critical issues. And as you know, at the March 22nd ministerial that gathered all 68 members of our global coalition, Secretary Tillerson laid out the priorities for the campaign to defeat ISIS. We will pursue a whole-of-government approach that uses all tools of our national power.

And Secretary of Defense Mattis, in his review of the campaign, emphasized a need for improving integration of our military and civilian instruments of power, and we're now organizing ourselves to execute and accelerate a campaign along those lines. That will likely include task forces at the Department of Defense and here at the State Department to ensure that we are synchronizing our military and civilian efforts on a regular basis and keeping maximum pressure on this enemy globally in its territorial strongholds, in cyberspace, and anywhere ISIS tries to move people, money, or resources. Our aim is to move faster, more efficiently, and more effectively to build on the momentum that we now have against this enemy and ensure its destruction.

I'll take this opportunity to provide you with the latest update on where our campaign stands, with a particular focus on stabilization efforts, which the Secretary highlighted during his remarks at the ministerial.

So allow me to start briefly with the military situation and then stabilization, as the two are closely intertwined, and finally, an update on our efforts against ISIS financing, messaging, and foreign fighters.

I'll defer to my DOD colleagues for the details on the military campaign and point you to the extensive briefings that have been provided recently by Lt. Gen. Steve Townsend, who's doing a remarkable job, together with General Votel, overseeing the military effort against ISIS in Iraq in Syria.

Just some highlights: Since the Mosul offense has started late last year, our Iraqi partners have retaken more than 4,000 square kilometers from ISIS. As we speak, they are moving block by block in west Mosul and surrounding the ISIS stronghold in the dense Old City. It's a matter of time before ISIS is defeated in Mosul. Those ISIS terrorists choosing to fight there will die there. At the same time, we cannot overstate the difficulties of this very hard-fought urban campaign.

In Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces  a coalition of Arabs, Kurds, Christians, Syriacs, Turkmen, and others  have liberated around 7,400 square kilometers of ISIS-held territory since they began operations to isolate Raqqa. These forces are now bearing down on Raqqa from three sides, including from the west and south, after a complex operation to move on Tabqa, including the city, the town, the airport, and an important dam.

Nothing over the coming weeks when it comes to Mosul and Raqqa will be quick or easy. These are ISIS's capitals; they will not give them up easily. In Mosul, we've seen hundreds of suicide bombers and the use of the population as human shields. Even today, ISIS is reportedly killing civilians who attempt to leave the city and rounding up others to use as shields against airstrikes. Yet Iraqi forces have performed heroically with remarkable discipline and professionalism, and we're proud to support them. To date, our coalition has trained 93,000 members of the ISF, and that training will continue.

I would add that major military operations like this require very close cooperation and coordination between the State Department and the Department of Defense. The Mosul operation required months of political groundwork between the Iraqi Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government, which led to unprecedented cooperation between Iraqi Security Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga.

Similarly, as we approach Raqqa, our diplomats, from Secretary Tillerson on down, are focused on building the foundation for an approach that can defeat ISIS and that will be sustainable and lasting. This requires highest-level diplomatic work in Ankara, as you saw last week, and also on the ground in Syria. We're working to build a diverse coalition that is rooted in the local population to take and hold ISIS's capital city in Raqqa.

Secretary Tillerson has made clear that defeating ISIS is our number-one priority, and that is how we are now organizing ourselves to reflect such prioritization.

After the battles, the diplomacy needs to kick into higher gear with an emphasis on stabilization. The Secretary, in his address before the coalition two weeks ago, set forth the principles of stabilization and why this is our focus as opposed to more idealistic nation-building exercises, which have proven not to work in the past. Let me go into a bit more detail on what this means and the phasing concepts behind stabilization in the wake of military operations.

In Iraq, we are working through two coalition-funded, UN-coordinated mechanisms. One is the Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilization, FFIS, and the second is the Funding Facility for Enhanced Stabilization, FFES. FFIS projects, immediate stabilization  these typically cover the first six months after a populated area is cleared. These are low-cost, high-impact projects identified by local leaders, and focus on restoration of essential services, livelihood support, demining, and local security. The aim is to set conditions for people to return to their homes. This locally-focused, high-impact approach has been effective to date, with more than 1.6 million Iraqis now back in their homes in areas that had been controlled by ISIS  a nearly unprecedented mark for returning the displaced after conflict of this nature.

This includes nearly the entire population of Tikrit, over 400,000 people in Ramadi, more than 300,000 people in Fallujah and surrounding areas. These had all been ISIS strongholds, now back in the hands of the local population.

In east Mosul, we're only weeks now after that battle there concluded in what remains a dynamic environment, and but already, hundreds of FFIS projects are underway, 325 schools are opened, and 250,000 boys and girls are back in school. These are updated figures as of yesterday.

Eighty thousand citizens have returned to their homes in east Mosul and surrounding areas. We have a lot left to do in Mosul, but the pre-planning and focus on the immediate stabilization is having good effect. And to date, as the Secretary mentioned in his remarks two weeks ago, of the 50,000 square kilometers that have been cleared of ISIS terrorists and liberating over 2.5 million people, ISIS has not retaken any of that territory.

The next phase after immediate stabilization is FFES, enhanced stabilization. This phase is focused on consolidating immediate stabilization gains by generating jobs, stabilizing connections between liberated areas. For example, this includes reopening public institutions such as the public university in Tikrit or in Ramadi; reopening hospitals; repairing damaged sectors of transport, electricity, sanitation, and agricultural corridors. These projects have provided incentives for people to stay in liberated areas and demonstrate there's a better future after ISIS.

They also set the foundation for longer-term reconstruction. Reconstruction, the third phase, requires multi-year and sometimes multi-decade investments, often in the hundreds of billions of dollars. This cannot be resourced or centrally designed by the United States or the global coalition; that is not our mission. It requires the Government of Iraq to work with the World Bank, IMF, and other international financial institutions to reform its own systems and generate the necessary investments.

The United States plays an important role through technical advice in this process, and our ambassadors in Iraq, Stu Jones and now Doug Silliman, have done heroic work in helping Iraq secure a $3 billion development policy loan from the World Bank and a stand-by arrangement from the IMF, both of which are critical to Iraq's long-term reconstruction needs.

This approach is working as well. Major long-term infrastructure projects such as the highway system that connects Amman, Jordan with Baghdad, and then links Baghdad to Basra in Saudi Arabia, are being organized through the private sector with Iraqis determining their own priorities and approaches. The very successful visit of Prime Minister Abadi to Washington two weeks ago and his meeting with President Trump confirmed his own government's ambitious economic reform agenda, which we fully support.

The bottom line: This phasing from military operations to immediate stabilization, then enhanced stabilization, and finally national-level ownership of reconstruction, is critical to ensuring gains against ISIS are sustainable and lasting. It has been our focus and will remain so, including as we approach the campaign in Raqqa over the coming weeks.

Syria is obviously more complex. We do not have a government to work with, and the international community will not bail out the Assad regime in the absence of a critical political  credible political process anchored in UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Our immediate focus in Syria remain on defeating ISIS militarily, stabilization in the post-military phase, ensuring local ownership, and returning people to their homes. The Raqqa campaign will be based on these fundamental principles.

Let me briefly address efforts in counter-finance, counter-foreign fighters, and counter-messaging. On counter-finance, we're continuing to target ISIS finances, nearly all of which we assess have been generated from the territorial holdings in Iraq and Syria. Military strikes have destroyed more than 2,600 ISIS energy-related targets, impeding its ability to produce, use, and profit from oil. This is an interagency effort dependent on intelligence and cooperation between our military and civilian departments and agencies.

Coalition airstrikes have also targeted more than 25 ISIS bulk cash storage sites, destroying tens of millions, possibly hundreds of millions, of dollars. Its access to the international financial system and outside funding has also been cut. ISIS is still trying to move money out of Syria to support its affiliates around the world, but we are working diplomatically with partners to close up those networks, with some success over the recent weeks alone.

On counter-messaging, our partners are working 24/7 to combat ISIS's narrative, and they are succeeding. Whereas ISIS once projected an image of invincibility and an inherently expanding movement, one that history called on people to gather in a phony caliphate, they are now extolling potential recruits to simply kill people.

Where ISIS tries to gets its messages out, our partners are countering it, and the private sector is rigorously policing ISIS-related content. Twitter, to date, has suspended more than 635,000 ISIS-related or affiliated accounts since 2015, and that's an updated figure. Facebook and YouTube are similarly removing ISIS-related content from their platforms that violates their terms of service, and Google is putting in place new and innovative ideas to redirect those who are searching for ISIS content to other content, becoming increasingly difficult for ISIS to spread its poisonous ideology among vulnerable audiences. Here at the State Department we are actively engaged in these efforts with coalition partners around the world and with the private sector through our Global Engagement Center.

In terms of foreign fighters which once flowed freely across borders, the flow continues to diminish and ISIS has stopped asking people to come to Syria and Iraq. For those who have already reached Syria, all the borders are now shut. And while we cannot guarantee that none will trickle out, it's our objective to help ensure that those who are still in Baghdadi's rapidly shrinking caliphate will die there.

Stopping the flow of foreign fighters across borders requires a truly global approach, and we're working to build a network to defeat what had been a robust ISIS network connecting its core in Syria and Iraq to its global affiliates. Milestones in this area include securing of the Syria-Turkey border, the EU's adoption of passenger name recognition protocols, 31 non-EU members now implementing enhanced traveler screening measures, and countries enacting measures in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2178 to strengthen their ability to counter foreign fighters and prosecute related crimes.

Importantly, INTERPOL, the newest member of the coalition, has been key to this effort. In the past four years, there has been a thousand-fold increase in the amount of information on foreign fighters shared with INTERPOL, which currently now holds details of more than 14,000 individuals provided by more than 60 countries, and that number continues to grow. So our accelerated campaign here over the next  over the coming weeks will strengthen these global networks and shut down the ability of ISIS-affiliated individuals to move across borders.

So to sum up, our approach against this enemy is designed to be comprehensive to squeeze ISIS on the ground where it holds territory and in cyberspace and across its financial, foreign fighter, and propaganda networks. We do not seek to simply degrade this enemy. We seek to destroy it. And our review process over the past couple months has focused on how we can move faster, more efficiently, more effectively, and more fully integrated within our own government and across the globe with our 68 coalition partners.

Let me say a brief word up front about the horrific news out of Syria regarding an apparent chemical weapons attack. This is a reprehensible attack against innocent people, including women and children. Russia and Iran are the self-proclaimed guarantors for the Syrian regime to adhere to a ceasefire negotiated in Astana. Russia has said it had nothing to do with the airstrikes in Syria today, but that's not the issue. The issue is an apparent inability or unwillingness to hold the regime to its own commitments and to account. The OPCW is gathering and analyzing information about this incident, and that is a process we will support. We will have more to say about this incident later in the day. And as it is continuing to develop and we're continuing to gather information, I will not have more to say about it in the course of this briefing.

With that, I will take your questions.

OPERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, if you do wish to ask a question, please press * and then 1 on your touchtone phone. You'll hear a tone indicating you've been placed in queue, and you can remove yourself from the queue any time by pressing the # key. If you're using a speakerphone, please pick up the handset before pressing numbers.

The first question will come from Josh Lederman with AP. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Hey, guys. Thank you for holding the call. Just as a quick housekeeping thing, I'd like to request that these briefings be moved on the record, since we don't have any opportunities at all these days to question any of these officials on the record. And [Senior State Department Official], I understand you'll have more information about this purported chemical weapons attack, but I'm wondering if you could just talk about the broader policy and how you square the administration's outrage about this attack that the White House has already expressed with the fact that the U.S. is no longer ruling out the possibility that we could actually cooperate with Assad in fighting ISIS. How actively is that being considered? And do incidents like the one that we saw today affect those considerations?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah. In terms of cooperating with Assad fighting ISIS, I think that's highly unlikely. That's not something that we're focused on. I would just point out, as I mentioned, every coalition operation against ISIS  that means the operations we do against ISIS  every single town, village, city, speck of earth has held because we go about these things extremely carefully. We've done about 20,000 airstrikes now. It's the most precise air campaign in history. We're very careful about civilian life. Obviously, this is extremely difficult in Mosul, where the enemy's using civilians as human shields, but that stands in marked contrast to the manner in which the Assad regime and its backers, particularly Iran and Russia, go try to fight these wars. Their primary focus has been on the moderate opposition, and even as they go after ISIS, their tactics are fundamentally different than ours. So absent that changing, the preface  premise of your question about apparent potential cooperation with the Assad regime  that is not something that is in the cards.

OPERATOR: And our next question will come from the line of Lesley Wroughton with Reuters. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Yes. Hi. [Senior State Department Official], I wonder if you can fill us in on the discussions with Turkey at the  last week with the Secretary. What has  what came out of those discussions as far as the YPG? Do you feel that they managed to convince Turkey that the U.S. support for YPG is important?

Also, on the chemical attack, how does this square with what the Secretary and as well as Ambassador Haley said also last week, that Assad  well, this is actually the ambassador to the UN, to be absolutely correct  saying that Assad  that in Syria  the priority in Syria is on fighting ISIS and not on getting Assad out? But don't you think after the attack today, which everybody's blaming on Assad, that that policy doesn't square anymore?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: So on the discussions in Turkey, I'll let the Secretary's statements speak for themselves. He's stated we had a very good, a very detailed, very candid, and very frank discussion with our Turkish counterparts about the situation in Syria and about the options that we confront in terms of how to get ISIS out of Raqqa. We have to get ISIS out of Raqqa. It is their headquarters; it's their administrative hub; it's where they continue to plan and plot attacks against us and our partners, including Turkey. So it was a very detailed, factual account. And I just  I don't want to get ahead of that. But it was a very good, timely, and rich discussion about the very hard questions that we have to confront and the facts that we face as we find them.

I'm also not going to develop further the statements on the Assad regime. I think, again, the reprehensibility  the reprehensible nature of this regime, the fact that it commits war crimes, the fact that Bashar al-Assad's father has committed war crimes, killed 10,000 or more people in 1982 in Hama  this is something that goes on a long time. It's reprehensible. It is completely unacceptable. And as I said in my opening, Russia and Iran are self-proclaimed guarantors of  for the behavior of this regime. That's something that came out of the Astana process. And so as we develop facts of what transpired today, I think they will have a lot to answer for.

OPERATOR: And our next question will come from the line of Michael Gordon with The New York Times.

QUESTION: [Senior State Department Official], two quick questions. You talked a bit about stabilization. What is going to be the political status of Raqqa after it's liberated? Is it going to be independent of the Assad government? Are you going to stand up local authorities there who will not report to the Assad authorities? Will it be somehow under the political control of the Assad regime? What's your vision, since you emphasize the need to have a stabilization plan?

And lastly, on Mosul, it's nearly three  it'll  June it'll be three years since ISIS took Mosul. So there's been a lot of time to think about what to do there. How much is it going to cost to reconstruct Mosul? Who's going to pay for it? How much is the U.S. going to contribute monetarily toward that end? And what's the U.S. role going to be?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Michael, thank you. I think on Raqqa, as I mentioned, the principle is local people being in charge of their areas, because that is what we have found to be a process for making sure that ISIS cannot return. I think if you look at Syria from Kobani to al-Hawl to Shaddadi to Manbij, to these towns north of Raqqa like Ayn Issa, now Tabqa, the principle is that local people from local areas will control those territories. And we can help with basic stabilization and humanitarian support.

The question for how those areas then knit into Syria  and we support the territorial integrity of Syria; we support the political process as outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2254  those are issues that have to be decided by the Syrians through those political processes. But again, it's very difficult, also, to have a political process in which ISIS is controlling significant portions of Syria and a million people. So we have to get ISIS out of there, then establish the conditions for a realistic and credible political process under the umbrella of UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

On Mosul, as I think I mentioned, we have stabilization projects now already underway. That's through FFIS. The immediate stabilization in areas that have been cleared, we're seeing people return to their homes. Some areas people are not returning to their homes, given that  the fact that  whether they're fearful or services are not there yet, but that's something we're continuing to work on. Whenever I travel to Iraq, I met with the governor of Nineveh province about the very important role that local leaders have to play. And so far, they're stepping into those roles with cooperation of the central government.

The longer-term reconstruction  there's a second phase here, which you skipped over. That's the enhanced stabilization. That's the hospitals; that's the universities. Those are things that we will also help with as a coalition. And the longer-term reconstruction ultimately has to be financed by the Government of Iraq with the support of international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF. And what's good about that is that IMF standby arrangements come with a series of benchmarks for very important reforms that the Iraqi Government has to take in order to finance its own long-term reconstruction. That's something that the Government of Iraq under Prime Minister Abadi is very committed to, and we had constructive and fruitful discussions with them about that when they were here in Washington two weeks ago.

OPERATOR: And our next question will come from Felicia Schwartz with Wall Street Journal. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Hi, thanks for doing this. One more thing on the chemical attack: In terms of the ISIS strategy review that's been going on, Secretary Tillerson and Nikki Haley have, last week and recently, stressed the importance of the U.S. emphasis on focusing on fighting ISIS first. Will today's attack prompt any sort of reconsideration about the ISIS strategy and focusing more on the diplomatic efforts that the Trump administration hasn't contributed a lot to so far?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I can assure you, we're not  our foot remains on the accelerator when it comes to ISIS and that's only going to increase. And so that's something that we're going to continue to accelerate this campaign and keep pressure on ISIS all across the board, as I mentioned in my opening statement.

In terms of Syria, again, Russia and Iran signed up and they claim themselves to be the guarantors of a ceasefire arrangement, and that's something that clearly they are not able to deliver on or unwilling to deliver on. And so that's a very significant problem. Obviously, that'll be something that we'll be looking at and discussing and reviewing, and the Secretary will be in Moscow here in a couple weeks.

I also want to make clear that  because another premise of your question, which I really don't agree with, that we're somehow not involved in the diplomatic efforts here  there's the Astana process, where we have our ambassador there to observe that process because we've been invited as observers. We were in Ankara last week. Secretary Tillerson had very detailed discussions with the Turks about the Astana process and the ceasefire process and where we can plug into that to be helpful. Frankly, the U.S. doesn't have that much influence over the actors on the ground that are the party to the ceasefire. The outside backers that do have quite a bit of influence  Turkey, Iran, and Russia  are the primary self-proclaimed guarantors of that process. It's a process we very much support.

We also very much support the Geneva process, which is where the political discussion is done about the future of Syria led by UN Special Representative Staffan de Mistura, and our Syria envoy Michael Ratney was there last week actively taking part in those discussions, and they're discussing multiple issues from a new constitution to elections to a transitional governing body, as well as reinforcing the ceasefire.

So we're actively engaged in those efforts and we're also looking realistically at where we can actually have influence and make a difference.

OPERATOR: And our next question will come from the line of Conor Finnegan with ABC. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Thanks very much, [Senior State Department Official One]. It was the previous administration's belief that the regime of Bashar al-Assad actually made the threat of ISIS worse by attracting foreign fighters to the civil war. Does the current administration share that belief? And if so, is there any  are there any active measures underway to remove him as part of the counter-ISIS effort?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Again, I think if you look at the trajectory of ISIS, it is now on a downward trajectory. It is rapidly losing territory, it's rapidly losing finances, it's rapidly, rapidly losing fighters and leaders. And that's something that we're going to make sure that we build on that momentum, to say the least.

ISIS, al-Qaida, these groups, they prosper under the cover of failed states and civil wars, so this is a dilemma that anyone faces when confronting some of this, because where state structures recede, extremists are able to fill the vacuum very quickly. And so what we need to do is continue to keep the pressure on ISIS and al-Qaida in Syria in the northwest, while also finding a way through the political process to help the Syrians develop a process that can realistically lead to a new Syria with its territorial integrity intact. But how you go about that, given the situation on the ground, of course, is exceedingly difficult. And we're looking at where  again, where we can plug into that process and actually make a difference because we don't want to just have meeting after meeting that doesn't actually make a difference. So we're actively looking at that.

OPERATOR: And our next question will come from the line of Nick Wadhams with Bloomberg. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Hi, thanks. I just wanted to see if we could try to pin you down on whether there has actually been a shift in policy in the administration as it relates to Assad. So as far as I understand, under Secretary Kerry the idea was that there would be a transitional government that the  that Assad would need to step down for that would then clear the way to elections. And the comments by Sean Spicer and Nikki Haley and Secretary Tillerson all point to the idea, but don't explicitly say that the U.S. has revised its position.

So, I mean, given that we're on a background briefing, this is not on the record, hopefully you could be sort of frank and just address the question directly: Does the U.S. now believe  or is the U.S. now not calling for Assad to go as part of a political transition? Thanks.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah, I just  again, I want to be clear: We're committed to a political resolution to the crisis through a Syrian-owned process which can bring about a more representative and peaceful Syria. And that's why we support the talks, as I just mentioned, among Syrians convened by UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura in Geneva. And I think we also believe strongly that once Syrians are afforded the chance to decide for themselves without coercion and with full participation, it's fairly likely they'll chart a very different course for their country's future with credible leadership.

But we've also taken a very realistic look at this extremely difficult situation and about how we can protect, first and foremost, U.S. interests as we deal with the Syria crisis. So it is extremely complex and that's all I'll say on it.

OPERATOR: And our last question will come from the line of Karen DeYoung with The Washington Post. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Hello?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yes.

QUESTION: Hello? Sorry. Yeah, I had two questions: One, again, going back to the chemical weapons attack, Sean Spicer said this morning that the  what he called the heinous actions by the Syrian regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution, that President Obama had spoken about a redline against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing. And I wonder if that's supposed to imply that the United States is now prepared to do something in response.

And separately, you mentioned the fight against al-Qaida in Syria. We all know that the United States has increased its strikes in Idlib against al-Nusrah forces, and I wonder if  how concerned you are about their expanding as part of the Syrian civil conflict and whether that is something that you have to think of as you plot the course of what to do about Assad.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah, thanks, Karen. I'll start with your second point first. Al-Qaida in Syria is particularly up there in the northwest is a very serious, obviously, concern for us. That's why we have increased our focus and our airstrikes. It's not lost on anyone that we eliminated Ayman al-Zawahiri's deputy in that area, so that's a very significant problem.

As we've seen with ISIS, in order to actually defeat these groups, you have to have not only an air campaign but a ground component, and developing the ground component against what used to be known as the Nusrah Front  that's al-Qaida in Syria  has been difficult. So it's something we're very focused on. We cannot leave a safe haven for al-Qaida in that critical piece of terrain. And Secretary Tillerson had discussions on that issue with Turkey in Ankara last week because this is right on Turkey's border.

Again, on the issue of the chemical attack, it's reprehensible. We're gathering facts. As I mentioned, the OCPW[1] is looking into this. If it's what it looks like, it's clearly a war crime. Those outside backers who have said to be guarantors for this regime obviously have a lot to answer for and I'll just leave it at that.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much, and with that answer, that concludes our call today. As a reminder, this was conducted on background with attribution to a senior State Department official, and now that this call has concluded, the embargo is lifted. Thank you very much, everyone.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






US Criticized for Slashing Funds to UN Population Fund

By Margaret Besheer April 04, 2017

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "deeply regrets" the United States' decision to cut funding to the U.N. Population Fund, which provides life-saving care to millions of women and girls around the world.

The Trump administration said Monday it would no longer fund the program, because it has determined that it "supports, or participates in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization" in China.

A spokesman for Guterres said Tuesday the U.N. chief believes this decision "is based on an inaccurate perception of the nature and importance of the work of UNFPA" and he urged donors to increase their support for the fund.

In 2015, UNFPA received $979 million in total contributions for its work in more than 150 countries. The United States provided nearly $76 million to the fund's core budget and specific programs and initiatives, making it one of the top international donors.

UNFPA issued its own statement Tuesday, rejecting the U.S. accusation that it supports coercive abortion and forced sterilization in China.

"UNFPA refutes this claim, as all of its work promotes the human rights of individuals and couples to make their own decisions, free of coercion or discrimination," it said. "Indeed, United Nations member states have long described UNFPA's work in China as a force for good."

For decades, China had a "one-child policy" for couples and last year revised it to a "two-child policy," which it has been accused of using forced sterilization and abortions to enforce.

"The support we received over the years from the government and people of the United States has saved tens of thousands of mothers from preventable deaths and disabilities," UNFPA said. "With previous United States contributions, UNFPA was combating gender-based violence and reducing the scourge of maternal deaths in the world's most fragile settings, in areas of conflict and natural disasters, including Iraq, Nepal, Sudan, Syria, the Philippines, Ukraine and Yemen."

UNFPA provides family planning assistance to poor and vulnerable women.

According to the fund, in 2015 it helped 18 million women gain access to contraceptives and reproductive health services, preventing more than 12 million unintended pregnancies and 4.4 million abortions. It also works to reduce HIV/AIDS and end fistula and female genital mutilation.

"We are very concerned about the Americans cutting the funds to the UNFPA," Sweden's U.N. Ambassador Olof Skoog told reporters. "We think UNFPA is doing a great job, we support them. We think they save lives of women and girls around the world, not least in the developing world."

Sweden is the top contributor to the fund's core budget, giving more than $57 million in 2015 and an additional $32 million to specific initiatives.

"The United Kingdom continues to support that part of the United Nations," British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said when asked what he thought about the U.S. decision. Britain gave nearly $200 million to UNFPA in 2015.

U.S. reproductive health care provider Planned Parenthood slammed the Trump administration for putting politics before women's health.

"The administration is once again relying on 'alternative facts' to undermine women's access to health care," said Latanya Mapp Frett, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Global. "Instead of helping women, extreme politicians are cutting off access to the U.N. agency that's best positioned to prevent and reform coercive reproductive health practices."

She said withdrawing U.S. support would have a devastating impact on UNFPA and hurt the lives of the people they serve.

The Trump administration has resumed the so-called Mexico City Policy established by former president Ronald Reagan in 1984. The policy declared "the United States does not consider abortion an acceptable element of family planning programs and will no longer contribute to those of which it is a part."

The policy has been in effect for 17 of the past 32 years during every Republican administration, and rescinded under every Democratic one, including under Barack Obama.

One of the Trump policy's expanded requirements is the United States not contribute to any organizations that "perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other nations."

In general, conservative Americans oppose abortion on demand, the so-called right to life, while liberal Americans support legal abortion, the so-called right to choose.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Bill on creation of service for investigation of financial offenses to be passed by end-April  memo with IMF

Legislation on the creation of the service for investigation of financial offenses should be passed by Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada by end-April 2017, according to a memorandum of cooperation between Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"[Ukraine's] parliament is expected to adopt legislation about a new civil service responsible for investigation of financial offences to replace the current tax police and to consolidate responsibilities of fighting financial offenses against the state into a single agency, while avoiding duplication of functions," reads the document.

The new financial police will have a much smaller staff, the majority of which will be hired outside the current law enforcement system and will be better paid and equipped.

Responsibilities of the new financial police and the State Fiscal Service (SFS) will be clearly delineated and we will ensure that strong cooperation exists between the two agencies. At the same time, the government will maintain adequate capacity in the SFS allowing it to fight against tax fraud.
IS Takes Aim at US President, Says Jihad at 'Dangerous Turning Point'

By Jeff Seldin April 04, 2017

A spokesman for Islamic State is lashing out at the United States and President Donald Trump in what some see as an attempt to rally the terror group's fighters.

In a new, nearly 37-minute-long audio message published Tuesday by IS propagandists on Telegram and other social media, Abu Hassan al-Muhajir said the U.S. was drowning with no one to save it.

"You are bankrupt and the signs of your demise are evident to every eye," al-Muhajir said. "There is no more evidence than the fact that you are being run by an idiot who does not know what Syria or Iraq or Islam is."

He also said the U.S. should "die of spite."

"A nation where both young and old are racing to die in the name of God will not be defeated," al-Muhajir warned.

The message, titled "So be patient. Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth," is the first from al-Muhajir since December of last year when he urged supporters to target their enemies wherever they are and "burn the ground under their feet."

US plan against IS

The new audio comes as President Trump has made destroying IS his top foreign policy priority. Some analysts say the terror group targeting Trump in its latest message should come as no surprise.

"They carefully track coverage of the group in news stories, and they know just what buttons to push to ensure major media organizations will pay attention to this address," said Michael Smith, a terrorism analyst who has consulted in the past with both the White House and members of Congress.

"There is a myriad of jabs at [former U.S. President Barack] Obama in official Islamic State propaganda and we'd see the same thing if Hillary [Clinton] had been elected," Smith added. "On Election Day, the group said the only difference between Trump and Clinton is that the latter is more skilled with political correctness and 'sorcery.' "

Other terror analysts also see the audio message from al-Muhajir as little more than an attempt to rally the group's remaining forces.

"Nothing new in #ISIS spokesman speech," SITE Intelligence Group Director Rita Katz said in a Tweet. "Rather calls for support for #ISIS in time of weakness while lauding fighters and supporters."

U.S. officials have said that while IS remains dangerous, its fighting force in Iraq and Syria has been whittled down to about 12,000 to 15,000 fighters, while the amount of territory the group controls has shrunk by about 65 percent.

Lost ground, forces

Islamic State fighters have also lost most of the self-declared caliphate's Iraqi capital of Mosul to U.S.-backed forces. And its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa is also coming under increased pressure.

Still, al-Muhajir brazenly predicted the capitals of Iraq and Jordan would fall to IS forces, as would Saudi Arabia. And he told fighters in Mosul and Tal Afar in Iraq, and those defending Raqqa, that now is the greatest moment of the group's jihad, though he also warned it is also at a "dangerous turning point."

"A generation was raised in the caliphate state and they are on the ready to give their lives for the sake of their religion," he warned.

The IS spokesman also reached out to the group's supporters in the West and elsewhere, urging more attacks.

"To the supporter of the caliphate in America, Russia and Europe, the enemy's interest can easily be targeted by you," al-Muhajir said. "Make the enemy busy with itself so they can be distracted from targeting the nation of Islam."

Information from Reuters was also used in this report.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






North Korea Fires Missile Ahead of Trump-Xi Meeting

By VOA News April 04, 2017

North Korea conducted another ballistic missile test, just 48 hours before U.S. President Donald Trump is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

The projectile was fired into the East Sea early Wednesday and flew about 60 kilometers, South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said in a text message.

Any launch of objects using the ballistic missile technology is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, but the North has defied the ban as infringement of its sovereign rights to self-defense and pursuit of space exploration.

Launch follows Trump threat

Wednesday's launch came after Trump threatened that the U.S. is prepared to go it alone in bringing the North to heel if China does not step in.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued a terse statement from Washington in response to Pyongyang's latest test: "The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment."

During his trip to South Korea last month, Tillerson rejected Washington's long-standing policy of "strategic patience" in dealing with the hermit regime. "We are exploring a new range of diplomatic, security and economic measures," he said. "All options are on the table."

North Korea responds to tough talk

North Korea's foreign ministry on Monday assailed Washington for its tough talk and for an ongoing joint military exercise with South Korea and Japan, which Pyongyang sees as a dress rehearsal for invasion.

The "reckless actions" are driving the tense situation on the Korean peninsula "to the brink of a war," a ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the official KCNA news agency.

South Korean intelligence warned in late March that North Korea could detonate a nuclear device in the first week of April to "overshadow" the U.S.-China summit.

Meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, earlier in the month, Tillerson and 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."

Four missiles fired in March

Last 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.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria

Press Statement

Rex W. Tillerson

Secretary of State

Washington, DC

April 4, 2017

The United States strongly condemns the chemical weapons attack in Idlib province, the third allegation of the use of such weapons in the past month alone. There are reports of dozens dead, including many children. While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism. Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions. Anyone who uses chemical weapons to attack his own people shows a fundamental disregard for human decency and must be held accountable.

It is also clear that this horrific conflict, now in its seventh year, demands a genuine ceasefire and the supporters of the armed combatants in the region need to ensure compliance. We call upon Russia and Iran, yet again, to exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again. As the self-proclaimed guarantors to the ceasefire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






White House: Syria Chemical Attack Heinous, But Assad a 'Political Reality'

By William Gallo April 04, 2017

U.S. officials are condemning a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria that left scores dead, even while acknowledging the government of President Bashar al-Assad, widely thought to have carried out the strike, remains a "political reality" in the country.

"Today's chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world," said White House press secretary Sean Spicer at a daily briefing on Tuesday.

The early-morning airstrike on a rebel-held neighborhood in northern Idlib province came days after top Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, signaled that Assad's removal was no longer a U.S. priority.

Six-year civil war

The latest images of dead and dying civilians are prompting the Trump administration to reconsider its policy on Syria, where a six-year civil war has left hundreds of thousands dead.

On Tuesday, Spicer acknowledged it was not in the "best interest" of the Syrian people to leave Assad in power, but said U.S. options were limited. "There's not a comfort level with Assad. I think it's a political reality," he said.

Spicer said that while the U.S. had "several opportunities in the past several years to look at regime change [in Syria], the landscape is fundamentally different today."

"That said, the president has made clear in the past and will reiterate today that he is not going to telegraph what we're going to do, but rest assured we will continue to have that discussion internally and with our allies around the globe," he added.

Tillerson did not comment on the strike when asked about it Tuesday at an event with Jordan's visiting King Abdullah. However, he later released a statement saying it showed that Assad operates with "brutal, unabashed barbarism," and blaming Russia and Iran for failing to rein in the Syrian leader.

"We call upon Russia and Iran, yet again, to exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again. As the self-proclaimed guarantors to the cease-fire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths," Tillerson said.

Deadly chemical attack

The chemical weapons attack was thought to be the deadliest of its kind in Syria since 2013, when a toxic gas attack on a Damascus suburb killed as many as 1,500 civilians. That attack crossed a "red line" set by former President Barack Obama, who threatened but did not follow through with retaliatory airstrikes against Assad.

Instead, Obama helped negotiate a deal whereby Syria would give up its chemical weapons. Sporadic chemical weapons attacks have since continued, some with less potent agents.

On Tuesday, Spicer blamed the latest attack on the "weakness and irresolution" of the Obama administration. "President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a red line against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing," Spicer said.

President Donald Trump has ramped up airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq but has refused to continue Obama's policy of arming rebels fighting Assad. Instead, Trump is said to be open to working with Russia, which is intervening on the side of Assad.

Trump's approach to Syria has attracted critics on both sides of the political spectrum.

Senator John McCain, who has pushed for greater U.S. involvement in Syria, said the latest chemical weapons attack represented "another disgraceful chapter in American history."

"Bashar Assad and his friends, the Russians, take note of what Americans say. I'm sure they took note of what our secretary of state said just the other day," the Arizona Republican said. "I'm sure they're encouraged to know that the United States is withdrawing and seeking some kind of new arrangement with the Russians."

Democratic Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland also urged a more robust international response following the attack.

"Russia is enabling the Assad regime to break any form of standards as far as use of chemical weapons, and now women and children again have been murdered as a result of the Assad regime's commission of war crimes," Cardin said.

Syrian activists

Spicer on Tuesday said he did not see any correlation between the timing of the chemical weapons attack and the Trump administration's change of policy on Assad. But many Syrian activists see it differently.

"This is the political reality that comes out of accepting ... the regime's survival," said Ammar Abdulhamid, a Syrian-American pro-democracy activist who lives in Maryland. "The regime will now kill on a larger scale and with greater impunity."

But those hoping the White House will change its Syria policy as a result of such attacks may be waiting for a while, said Jim Phillips, senior research fellow for Middle Eastern affairs at the conservative Heritage Foundation.

"I'm not sure the Trump administration would feel that kind of pressure," Phillips said. "I think they've definitely elevated the war against ISIS [an acronym for IS] and al-Qaida above the priority of removing the Assad regime."

VOA's Nike Ching and Cindy Saine contributed to this report.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Alan Burkitt-Gray speaks to Don MacNeil, chief operating officer of GTT, about its company restructuring after coming out of Chapter 11 and its strategic roadmap for the next 12 months.
DUBLIN - April 5, 2017 - Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) is notifying customers worldwide of a voluntary field corrective action for all its Newport HT70 and Newport HT70 Plus ventilators manufactured since 2010. The voluntary field corrective action is being conducted following reports that the ventilator may reset spontaneously during normal operation, without an accompanying alarm. The reported incidence of this condition is approximately one (1) reset in every seven million hours of ventilation. Following the reset, the ventilator enters standby mode and will not resume ventilation without intervention. In the event of the rare occurrence of a reset, healthcare professionals and/or caregivers are required to transfer the patient to another ventilator.

A Newport HT70 ventilator is used to support a patient's breathing. This prescription device is operated by trained healthcare professionals in a clinical setting and in the home for infant, pediatric and adult patients.

Since Aug. 2012, and of the more than 14,000 ventilators in use, Medtronic has received 12 reports of the reset without an accompanying alarm. Of these 12 reports, 11 patients required ventilator transfer and one (1) incident did not involve a patient. No patient injury or impairment has been reported.

Medtronic has established the root cause of this alarm failure and will provide a software service update to resolve the issue as soon as the correction can be implemented. We expect the service update to be available in May.

Medtronic is advising that you may continue to use your Newport HT70 series ventilators in accordance with institutional policies and as described below.

Actions you should take:

Ensure patients on the Newport HT70 and HT70 Plus ventilators are appropriately monitored by trained caregivers as described in the Operator's Manual. The descriptions include: A patient connected to a ventilator requires the constant attention of trained caregivers to the patient's condition. Always have an alternate power source and means of ventilation available when the ventilator is in use in case of a mechanical or system problem. Always use appropriate monitors to ensure sufficient oxygenation and ventilation (such as a pulse oximeter and/or a capnograph) when the Newport HT70 or HT70 Plus ventilators are in use on a patient. If able, use the appropriate remote alarm/nurse call cable (CBL3223 or 10104494) to project ventilator alarm states outside the patient room. This alarm will annunciate even with an unexpected reset. Consult the Operator's Manual or call Technical Service for further information on this accessory. If, at any time, the patient is not responding to ventilation appropriately, the patient should be taken off the ventilator immediately and connected to an alternate method of ventilation. Contact your health care provider or physician immediately.



Immediately notify all care environments in which the Newport HT70 and HT70 Plus ventilators are used about this notification.

If your facility has distributed Newport HT70 or HT70 Plus ventilators to other persons or facilities, please promptly forward this announcement to those recipients.

Work with Medtronic Technical Support Department if you require assistance finding alternative ventilation devices.

Medtronic has contacted the FDA and other regulatory bodies to share information related to this issue. We will continue working directly with government authorities and our customers on this voluntary field corrective action.

If you are aware of any incidents related to these issues or if you have any questions, please contact our Technical Support Department immediately at +1-800-255-6774 to provide information regarding those events so regulatory reporting obligations can be fulfilled. Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online, by regular mail, or by fax.

Online: Complete and submit the report to www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm

Complete and submit the report to www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm Regular Mail or Fax: Download form www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm or call +1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the pre-addressed form, or submit by fax to +1-800-FDA-0178

or

Email Medtronic Post Market Vigilance at: HQTSWEB@COVIDIEN.COM

at: HQTSWEB@COVIDIEN.COM Call Medtronic Post Market Vigilance at: +1-800-255-6774 option 4, then option 2.

List of countries with Newport HT70 and Newport HT70 Plus ventilators

Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Mexico, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United States, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Vietnam.

About Medtronic

Medtronic plc (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is among the world's largest medical technology, services and solutions companies - alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 88,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals and patients in approximately 160 countries. The company is focused on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take healthcare Further, Together.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

-end-
National joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrainy has urged Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers, the market regulator (the National Commission for Energy, Housing and Utilities Services Regulation (NCER) and Ukraine's Antimonopoly Committee to consider the possibility of removing groundless monopoly of Dmytro Firtash's Group DF on the markets of gas supplies to households.

Naftogaz believes that gas suppliers in the current form are pseudo-suppliers. They fulfill the function of unnecessary intermediaries for households, as they are not responsible for risks linked to supplies of gas to end consumers.

Naftogaz is to provide gas for the needs of households in the unrestricted amount under the applications of these enterprises which are monopolists and have unrestricted access to consumers.

"Naftogaz being responsible for the formation of enough resource of gas does not have access to data on the volumes of actual consumption of gas by households and the company does not have any guarantees for payments for supplied volumes of gas with the enterprises. These enterprises are usually shell companies and they are not able to secure the payments," the company said.

Naftogaz is ready to present a decision allowing the removal of unnecessary intermediaries from Group DF from gas supply process to the government.

Naftogaz also paid attention that Group DF also controls a large share of the gas distribution market, a natural monopoly.

The EU countries impose tough transparency and report requirements on natural monopolies. The tariffs of the operators are regulated aiming to protect consumers from unjustifiable expenses and stimulating investment in infrastructure.

"In Ukraine operators of the distribution pipelines [so-called oblgases] are the most non-transparent market players. Naftogaz does not know what amount of gas for the needs of households from resources of Naftogaz is supplied to households in fact and who the recipients of this gas are. This gas could be supplied to industrial consumers," the company said.
HarvEast to build seed plant in Donetsk region in 2017

HarvEast agroholding hopes to build a seed plant with a capacity of 10 tonnes per hour by the end of 2017.

"This year we will build a new plant. The optimistic plans for the launch [of the plant] are July-August of 2017," HarvEast Director General Dmytro Skorniakov told reporters in Kyiv on Wednesday.

He said that the plant will post-processing of seeds of leguminous and grain crops.

Skorniakov said that 70% of investment into the plant is own funds of the holding.

Earlier the company had a seed plant, but it lost control over the enterprise due to hostilities in eastern Ukraine.

An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported that on April 5 HarvEast signed a cooperation agreement with Maisadour, the seed company.

HarvEast would provide 50 ha for hybrids, including 20 ha irrigated in Donetsk region.

Maisadour would provide parent sunflower lines for planting seeds to HarvEast. Then Maisadour will assign the number to the batch and process the seeds at own plant in Dnipropetrovsk region and then the seeds will be returned to HarvEast.

In 2017, the agroholding seeks to install irrigation systems on 400 ha and in coming five years to expand irrigated areas to 3,000 ha.

Skorniakov said that investment into one hectare is $1,500-2,500.

HarvEast is an agricultural holding. Its core business is crop production (cultivation of wheat, sunflower, barley, perennial grasses, corn) and dairy farming.

Its shareholders are System Capital Management and Smart-holding.
Dr. Charles H. Miller Jr. announced in March he plans to run for the Banister district seat in Novembers election for the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors.

He is now officially on the ballot.

Dr. Millers impeccable credentials, education and work experience make him best qualified for the role of supervisor. I believe that Dr. Miller will bring value to the board of supervisors, and Pittsylvania County as a whole, Current Banister Supervisor Jessie Barksdale said in an email. Therefore, I am endorsing him as a candidate for the Banister seat on the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors.

Barksdale is not seeking re-election.

Miller has served as the Banister districts representative on the Pittsylvania County Planning Commission since 1995 and has served on the Pittsylvania County School Board.

My ears have been bent, and my arms twisted, Miller said. Ive always been interested in public service, but the real genesis of wanting to run was back at the end of the second term of Mr. Pritchett.

William Pritchett was the first African-American member of the board of supervisors.

Around 2002, he asked me to run  so I began to think about public service in Pittsylvania County, Miller said.

Given his many years of varied experience in education, Miller thought the Pittsylvania County School Board would be the best place to start. He said he has worked everywhere from early childhood to university as a teacher, assistant principal and principal in various schools. He also taught at Danville Community College, American National University and as a reading instructor.

Miller also has worked as a minister for more than three decades, as a radio minister for 25 years, as well as working for the O.B. Clement Group assisting with mortgages.

In fact, he had planned to run for another term on the school board, until Barksdale convinced him to think about the board of supervisors.

I would like to be a supervisor who can assist in identifying and bringing business to Pittsylvania County, but [Im] definitely looking for opportunities and industry come to the northern end of the county, Miller said.

He would also like to see the school system remain strong and become even stronger. However, he said that does not intend to be a rubber stamp for the school board.

When we, as a funding body, can do things that will enhance our school system, I will definitely want to be part of that.

The most important thing for a public servant to do is listen. Listen much more than you talk, and recognize the fact that there are people in the communities who really pay attention to things. They think and have oftentimes excellent positions that you may not have thought about, Miller said.

Miller dearly loves to be on the water fishing, and also plays piano, trumpet and the guitar.

I am a native, and proudly so, of the Banister district. I played in the Banister River all my life, Miller said. I have grandchildren. I like to joke that I have to work to afford fishing equipment for my grandkids.
An attorney for Mickey Snow, a prominent Eden businessman charged in a teen prostitution ring, filed a motion Wednesday asking a judge to dissolve the states guardianship of the two alleged victims.

Snow, the last defendant to face charges in a teen prostitution ring uncovered in 2015 in Eden, is asking a court to dissolve the states guardianship for teenaged sisters with whom he was alleged to have had sex.

In his motion, attorney Mark Bibbs, also revealed that Snow, who was being held on house arrest, had been released from electronic monitoring on three occasions and that the sisters may have endured further trauma while preparing for a now-delayed criminal trial.

Snow faces 26 charges, including promoting prostitution of a minor, statutory rape, patronizing a prostitute who is mentally disabled, patronizing a prostitute and second-degree forcible sex act in a case in which Teresa Vanover admitted she provided her mentally disabled daughters, beginning at the age of 12, to have sex with Snow and three other men.

Snow made headlines that year when, after Eden Police officers began arresting his co-defendants, he led police on an international manhunt, crisscrossing the globe. Snow ultimately was arrested by Thai Royal Police in Bangkok and sent back to Eden to face his charges.

Vanover and those three other defendants, Donnie Ray Carter, Thomas Tommy Woodall and Everette James Ferris Jr., have pleaded guilty to various sex-related and child-abuse charges.

Vanover, 48, is serving 39 years at the N.C. Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh. Carter, 57, is serving more than 11 years at the Piedmont Correctional Institution in Salisbury. Woodall, 67, is serving more than 24 years in Central Prison in Raleigh. Ferris, 68, is serving 13 years in Mountain View Correctional Institution in Spruce Pine.

Snow, who was given a bond of $25 million and was placed on house-arrest when he was returned from Thailand, has continued to fight his charges.

All four men charged in the case also have been sued by the victims in a civil suit for at least $25,000 in damages.

The News & Record does not name the victims of sexual abuse.

Snow, who owns businesses in several states and property in Rockingham County and Florida, has a team of attorneys, including Seth Woodall of Eden, Bruce Lee of Greensboro and Morgan Davis of Raleigh handling his criminal case.

Joining that group on Thursday was Bibbs of Raleigh, who entered his name as Snows attorney and filed the motion to gain emancipation for Vanovers daughters, who now are older than 18.

Bibbs filed several motions that seek a judges approval to force the girls to undergo medical evaluations by a doctor of Snows choice, release the girls from the custody of the Rockingham County Department of Social Services and to move the civil trial more than two hours away from Rockingham County.

Bibbs motions did not disclose any personal or legal motives for Snows requests.

The girls have been in the states care since the arrest of their mother.

I dont support what hes doing, said Angela Mills, the victims aunt. Theyre fine where they are, and theyre getting the medical help they need.

In one of his motions, Bibbs accused social workers of benefitting from the victims because the girls are receiving disability income. He also accused social workers of fraudulently declaring the girls as incompetent as a means of keeping them in the states control past their 18th birthdays.

Bibbs did not include any specific evidence to back up his beliefs. He could not be reached immediately for comment on Tuesday.

Because of this alleged fraud, Bibbs is requesting a judge to order another physical and mental evaluation of the victims by a doctor of Snows choosing. Bibbs said in the motion that social workers petitioned Mark Pegram, the Rockingham County clerk of courts, to declare at least one of the daughters as incompetent.

Bibbs asked that if a doctor were to find the girl competent, the judge should dissolve the order that made Social Services her legal guardian.

As evidence to why social workers should not have custody of the girls, Bibbs attached to his motion a letter dated March 5 from Felissa Ferrell, director of the Rockingham County Department of Health and Human Services, to former Rockingham County District Attorney Craig Blitzer.

The letter details Ferrells frustration about Blitzers decisions to cancel a trial scheduled for Feb. 7, for which social workers had spent eight weeks preparing the girls, and to release Snow temporarily from electronic monitoring.

Ferrell said in the letter that Blitzer had agreed to release Snow from house arrest three times during the previous four months and did not notify the victims of Snows release.

This is extremely concerning to the agency, as this particular defendant attempted to make his way to Costa Rica, which does not have an extradition agreement with the U.S., Ferrell wrote to Blitzer.

Ferrell further chastised Blitzer for telling Social Services staff and their attorney that they had no right to voice concerns or ask questions of the district attorneys office.

The greatest negative impact has been on the victims, who feel defeated by the court system, Ferrell wrote. The victims themselves described feeling imprisoned and not having a voice. Our office now has to manage the ramifications caused by the trial preparations, which have reopened the pain and experiences the victims have worked so hard to address in the processional services provided to them over the past 17 months.

Madison-based attorney Elliott Cardwell, who is represented the Department of Social Services for this specific case, on Tuesday discussed Ferrells letter with the News & Record.

The department is responsible for the well-being of these victims, Cardwell said. At the time the letter was written, the department was not pleased with how certain aspects of the criminal case were being handled. We felt that voicing our opinion was in the victims best interest.

Seth Woodall said in February that the criminal trial was delayed after a judge ordered in January that new evidence be released to both prosecutors and the defense.

Snows trial has not been rescheduled.

On March 10, Blitzer resigned as district attorney amid an ongoing State Bureau of Investigation probe that targeted both his office and his wife, Cindy Blitzer, for the alleged theft of state funds.

On March 11, Gov. Roy Cooper appointed former Forsyth County District Attorney Tom Keith as interim district attorney.

Cardwell said Keiths appointment rectified any concerns social workers had with the district attorneys office.

Keith said that his staff meets daily with investigators, social workers and other necessary parties to prepare the case for trial.

For the civil trial, Bibbs is requesting that a judge move the proceedings more than two hours from the Rockingham County Courthouse.

The pretrial publicity that has already taken place in this case has poisoned the potential jury pool in an adverse and negative manner against the Defendant Mickey Snow, Bibbs wrote.

Bibbs also is requesting that Snows civil trial be held apart from the trials for Carter, Tommy Woodall and Ferris, despite their having been sued collectively.

It is highly prejudicial, extremely unfair and inappropriate to try defendant Mickey Snow with the other three defendants, who have admitted by their guilty pleas in open court to being in fact guilty of the criminal offenses involving the plaintiffs, Bibbs wrote.

Lastly, Bibbs requested that court documents no longer name the girls as Minor 1 and Minor 2 because both girls have reached the age of 18.

He requested a hearing on his motions be held at 10 a.m. April 17.
MARTINSVILLE  An emphasis on hands-on learning will be what makes the New College Institute (NCI) unique among Virginias higher education institutions in the future.

In a unanimous vote Monday, NCIs board adopted a framework for the state-funded institutes future that focuses on offering bachelors degrees in four career fields  engineering/advanced manufacturing; technology/cybersecurity, health care and education/community leadership  based on the needs of Southern Virginia businesses, industries and organizations having a hard time filling job vacancies.

Students seeking four-year degrees will take their first two years of classes at a community college and then transfer into a university program at NCI, the framework shows.

Experiential learning will be part of their studies, it states, so students have the opportunity for real-world, hands-on learning no matter what area of study they are in. For example, engineering and manufacturing students will be able to use state-of-the-art equipment in NCIs Center for Advanced Manufacturing and get paid internships with area companies that partner with the institute.

I call them jobs, said the boards chairman, state Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County. After students earn their degrees, he said, hopefully they will get permanent jobs with those companies but if not, at least theyll have incredible resumes that should help them land jobs with other firms.

Universities offering degree programs at NCI will have faculty members and student advisors there, as they do now. Courses will be provided both through face-to-face instruction and online, according to the framework.

Existing programs deemed successful will be expanded. Ones mentioned by NCI officials include the telemedicine program offered through a partnership with the University of Virginia and the elementary education and social work degree programs offered through a partnership with Longwood University.

Officials from Longwood on Monday voiced a desire for the university to deepen its partnership with NCI, while officials from Virginia Commonwealth University expressed a desire to create a partnership.

When possible, NCI will embed in degree programs special credentials and certificates intended to show that students are capable of handling certain jobs, the framework states.

To attract students, NCI will expand recruitment efforts to the entire state and into North Carolina, targeting middle and high school students as well as Virginia community colleges providing associate degrees in the four career fields that the institute will focus on. Military veterans also will be sought.

Also, exiting outreach programs in local schools will be expanded, and town hall-style meetings will be held with the public, community groups and business leaders to inform them about NCIs offerings, receive ideas and garner support for the institute, the framework shows.

The people outside these walls, said board member Del. Danny Marshall, R-Danville, referring to NCIs main building on the Baldwin Block,  need to understand where were going in the future.

To fund its efforts, NCI will seek to strengthen its relationship with its private fundraising arm, the New College Foundation, and develop fundraising campaigns, as well as retain current state funding levels, obtain money from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission and other funding streams and develop revenue-sharing agreements with partner universities, the framework states.

Ultimately, NCI wants to provide the highest quality, yet most affordable, college education available in Virginia, Stanley said.

Established in 2006, NCI offers bachelors and masters degree programs through its partnerships with universities. It also provides training and professional development programs designed to be responsive to needs of businesses and industries in the region.

NCI has pondered its future recently. Despite talk about it possibly evolving into a branch campus of a university, or even a stand-alone university, officials have felt that was not the right direction, according to Stanley, who developed the framework with Leanna Blevins, the institutes executive director.

We knew that we need something innovative, Stanley said, to be able to retain area students aiming to go to college and attract ones elsewhere to Martinsville.

In the future, components of academic programs can be changed, or programs can be dropped and/or new ones added, to fit changing economic and corporate needs, according to officials.

Were going to constantly be evolving, Stanley said,  offering an (educational) program that you cant get anywhere else.

In 2004, The Harvest Foundation put forth a $50 million challenge grant to the state, encouraging it to launch a baccalaureate degree-granting school in the Martinsville-Henry County area. After it became apparent that NCI was not headed in that direction, the foundation pulled that grant after providing the institute almost $24 million over the years.

Harvest officials have said, however, that NCI is welcome to apply for funds for specific projects in the future.

During Mondays meeting, Stanley claimed that Harvest reneged on its agreement.

Were going forward without Harvest, Stanley said. With the framework to secure funding in the future, we wont need them, he said.

Stanley is confident that the state will continue to fund NCI. Based on his discussions with Senate Finance Committee and House Appropriations Committee members, he said the Commonwealth of Virginia stands with the New College.

NCI board member Weldon Hill, an associate professor of music at Virginia State University who used to be the universitys provost and vice president for academic affairs, described the institutes framework as being like a vision statement.

Blevins noted that it does not mention any specific partners. Those will be determined through negotiations in the coming months,

Weve got a lot to do, Stanley added.

NCI holds open house

Before the board meeting, NCI opened its doors to the community in an open house event Monday morning. The idea was to highlight the different training programs available at the center to business owners and potential students alike.

The Center is an incredible resource for us, said Peter Basica. His company, JP Superior Solutions, is an automotive customization shop in Martinsville. Working with the Center and NCI, we will be designing new products from scratch, prototyping, manufacturing and then installing these products in our shop.

People who came to the open house took a tour of NCIs training center and metrology lab. They also had a chance to sit in for machine demonstrations. People from Southern Virginia Higher Education Center in South Boston were on hand to help operate the computer numerical control machines, which cut metal for different purposes. They also could see demonstrations of the academic coater, which is similar to the laminating machines used at Eastman Chemical. The coater is part of the Center for Advanced Film Manufacturing. As part of the program, students can take 28-credit hours of classes and at the end, theyre guaranteed an interview with Eastman.

With this capability, we can provide training and professional development for both entry-level workers and seasoned engineers for various manufacturing corporations, said Eastman engineer Ralph Schultz.

Pamela Carter-Taylor, NCIs Coordinator of Advanced Manufacturing, said she hoped attendees were able to learn more about what the facility could do.

Many people dont know all the great resources and equipment that NCI has to offer, Carter-Taylor said. We want this event to help employers connect with training opportunities available at NCI. We also want the public to get a better understanding of the type of workforce development programs that are going on here at NCI and perhaps how they can get involved.
Vancouver - Kings Bay Gold Corporation (TSX.V: KBG), (FSE: KGB1), operating as Kings Bay, a mining exploration and development company based in Vancouver Canada is pleased to announce that Geotech Ltd., of Aurora, Ontario has completed 100% of the 382 line kilometer helicopter-borne Versatile Time Domain Electromagnetic Geophysical Survey over Kings Bays 100% owned Lynx Lake Copper-Cobalt Project in southeastern Labrador.

Geotech Ltd. has advised Kings Bay that it expects to have the results outlining potential drilling targets from the survey by early May. The helicopter-borne Versatile Time Domain Electromagnetic System (VTEM) has a penetration depth of over 800 m, with a low Base Frequency (30Hz) for penetration through conductive overburden cover, coupled with a 2-3 meters High Spatial Resolution. This system is advertised to be able to delineate potential drill hole targets from the airborne results. In addition, it also has excellent resistivity discrimination to enable the detection of weak anomalies.

Kevin Bottomley states: Kings Bay is pleased to announce the completion of our VTEM survey. We look forward to viewing the geophysical data that we have gathered, and are excited to advance our project at Lynx Lake, and share that data with our shareholders.

Lynx Lake Project

The Lynx Lake Copper-Cobalt Property consists of 959 mineral claims encompassing a land area of approximately 240 square kilometers, located 100 kilometers southeast of Happy Valley Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. Historic grab sampling on the property has returned samples assaying up to 1.39% Cu, 0.94% Co, 0.21% Ni and 6.5g/t Ag. Government regional low resolution residual magnetic surveys and preliminary handheld electromagnetic surveys done by local prospectors have shown strong conductors beneath the overburden, and provide incentive to explore the area further for additional subsurface mineralization. The Project is located directly adjacent to a 3 phase powerline and the Trans-Labrador Highway.

About Kings Bay

Kings Bay is focused on the exploration of cobalt and other high tech metals in North America. The Company believes in this emerging fast growth sector and will continue to seek out and evaluate properties that show promise for development. Kings Bay Gold Corp is operating as Kings Bay.

On Behalf of the Board

Kevin Bottomley CEO, President

For Investment Inquiries please contact:

Brad Hoeppner Director

O: 604 681 1568

E: Brad@kingsbayres.com

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this news release that are not historical are forward looking statements. Forward looking statements in this news release include: that we will be able to identify targets suitable for further geological investigation, that VTEM surveys will be completed by midApril, 2017 and that we will be able to delineate weak target areas. Factors which may delay or prevent these forwardlooking statements from being realized include misinterpretation of data, limitations of VTEM to discern targets with high accuracy, we may not be able to get equipment or labor as we need itI we may not be able to raise sufficient funds to complete our intended exploration or carry on operationsI that weather, logistical problems or hazards may delay our work or prevent us from explorationI that equipment may not work as well as expectedI that analysis of data may not be possible accurately and at depthI and that despite encouraging data there may be no commercially exploitable mineralization on our properties. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forwardlooking information should circumstances or managements estimates or opinions change.


Requirements to simplified tax regime to tighten from 2018  memo with IMF

The tax reform envisages that the simplified tax regime will be substantially tightened from January 1, 2018, which provides a major loophole in the country's tax net, according to a memorandum of cooperation between Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

According to the document, the government will refrain from any major tax cuts and will not introduce new tax exemptions and amnesty schemes.

"We will also refrain from introducing preferential tax treatmentother than for local property taxesfor companies operating in industrial zones," reads the document.

According to the memo, to allow the country to efficiently implement the harmonization of filing and payment of social security contributions and personal income tax, the government will submit legislation to parliament for adoption by end-April 2017.

The Ukrainian government expects parliament to adopt by end-December 2017 legislation that will grant the SFS powers to use indirect methods to ascertain tax and social security contribution obligations.

The government will legalize amber mining and gambling, which should provide additional revenues to the budget not later than in 2018.

Further tax reform will aim to increase the efficiency and equity of the tax system.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Apr 5, 2017) - DuSolo Fertilizers Inc., (TSX VENTURE:DSF) ("DuSolo" or "the Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Scott Morrison as the Non-Executive Chairman of the Company. Dr. Morrison is one of the new additions to the Board, which included Mr. David Cather (plese refer to the news release dated March 9, 2017).

Dr. Morrison has a BSc (Geology) and a PhD (Metallurgical Engineering) and over 35 years' experience in the mining, extractive metallurgy, and manufacturing sectors. Much of his career has involved leadership positions with staff complements of between 50 to 5,000 people Dr Morrison served as the CEO of Metalor from 2004-2103, Chairman from 2013-2015, and a retained advisor till 2016. He is currently a board member of Asa Resources PLC and Zinc Oxide LLC. He spent 20 years with SGS SA, the world leader in inspection testing and verification, and has had country and mineral/metals sectoral leadership assignments in the USA, Canada, Peru, Bolivia and Ghana. He has in-depth experience in leading multi-cultural international organisations.

The Company is also pleased to confirm the re-appointment of existing directors Mr. Duane Lo as Audit Committee Chair and the apppintment of Dr. Peter Ruxton as Chair of the Remuneration & Nominations Committee.

Giles Baynham, CEO, noted, "On behalf of the Board and the Company I'm very pleased to announce Scott's appointment as our new Chairman and look forward to working with him and the board closely as we continue to develop our Bonfim Project and add value for our shareholders. The Board recently added Scott and David which enhances our governance process and oversight, and brings considerable expertise which will benefit the Company and its stakeholders."

The appointments are effective from today, April 5, 2017.

On behalf of DuSolo Fertilizers Inc.

Giles Baynham, Chief Executive Officer

Forward-looking statements

Certain information contained in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information", within the meaning of Canadian legislation. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur", "be achieved" or "has the potential to". Forward looking statements contained in this press release may include statements regarding the future operating or financial performance of DuSolo which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may not prove to be accurate. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Among those factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: market conditions and other risk factors listed from time to time in our reports filed with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and DuSolo disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange Inc.) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.
Vancouver, April 5, 2017 - Nexus Gold Corp. ("Nexus" or the "Company") (TSX-V: NXS, OTC: NXXGF, FSE: N6E) is pleased to announce the completion of its phase one diamond drill program at the 178-square kilometer Niangouela exploration permit located approximately 85 kilometers north of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. A 2000m phase two program is now underway to test down the dip and strike extensions of gold mineralization identified by the company in its phase one program. The program will also test additional targets identified through surface mapping and prospecting. Results will be released once received, reviewed and verified.

The first phase diamond drill program was designed to test ground defined by anomalous rock samples collected from underground artisanal workings and anomalous Rotary Air Blast (RAB) drilling completed by the Company in December 2016. This initial program successfully intersected gold mineralization in eight of the first nine holes drilled on the concession. The mineralization was contained in a silicified shear zone occurring in the host granite. Quartz veining is associated with the shear zone.

Additional Analysis of First Assay Results

The initial assays from the first nine diamond drill holes at Niangouela, as announced in the Company's March 7, 2017, news release, have undergone additional analysis. The Company applied metallic screen analysis and bulk leach extractable gold (BLEG) analysis, in addition to gravimetric fire analysis.

This additional analysis has resulted in the change in values of several intercepts originally released on March 7, including hole NGL-17-DD-008 which saw an increase from 8.50 g/t gold over .62 metre, to 11.7 g/t gold over .62 metre, and from 120 g/t gold over 1 metre, to 132 g/t gold over 1 metre. In addition, hole NGL-17-DD-009 increased from 2.61 g/t gold over 4 metres to 2.95 g/t gold over 4 metres. This hole also gained an additional 1 metre of 5.00 g/t gold.

"The presence of free gold and the results of the BLEG and metallic screen analysis has demonstrated the need for ensuring that the maximum amount of material is being analyzed," said Senior Geologist Warren Robb. "The company will be employing the appropriate method to gain the most representative gold value as is possible." Continued Mr. Robb.

The updated assay results from the phase one program to date are tabled below:

Hole ID Azimuth Dip FROM (m) TO (m) INTERCEPT (metres) Au gram/tonne NGL-17-DD-001 10 -50 76.00 87.00 11.00 0.37? includes 83.00 84.00 1.00 1.21 NGL-17-DD-002 190 -60 84.50 85.50 2.00 1.05 104.50 105.50 1.00 1.32 NGL-17-DD-003 185 -50 86.40 91.50 5.10 1.80 includes 86.40 87.50 1.10 6.14 NGL-17-DD-004 185 -60 121.00 124.00 3.00 0.96? includes 122.00 123.00 1.00 1.47? NGL-17-DD-005 185 -70 No significant results NGL-17-DD-006 180 -50 65.00 71.20 6.20 4.00 includes 70.20 71.20 1.00 20.50? NGL-17-DD-007 180 -60 102.00 109.20 7.20 1.01 includes 104.00 105.00 1.00 2.34 and 106.20 107.20 1.00 1.92 NGL-17-DD-008 180 -50 57.00 61.85 4.85 26.69 includes 58.35 58.97 0.62 11.7? and 58.97 60.00 1.03 132.00? NGL-17-DD-009 180 -60 74.50 78.50 4.00 2.95? includes 74.50 75.50 1.00 5.00? and 76.50 77.50 1.00 5.92?

1 Denotes metallic screen analysis

2 Denotes gravimetric fire assay analysis

3 Denotes bulk leach extractable gold analysis

* Note all assay results represent intercept lengths and are not true widths

The sampled core was delivered to the independent Actlabs laboratory in Ouagadougou where the samples underwent analysis by fire assay with an atomic absorption finish. If samples returned values greater than 10 ppm gold the sample was re-analysed by gravimetric fire assay. Samples with identified visible gold were analysed using a fire assay metallic screen analysis. The Company employs a QA/QC program of inserting standards, blanks and duplicates into the samples stream as a supplement to the internal checks employed by Actlabs.

The drill program tested the shear zone for over 200 metres along strike and intercepted the zone to depths of 105 metres below surface. The shear zone remains opens along strike and to depth.

About the Niangouela Gold Concession

The 178 sq km Niangouela gold concession is located on the Boromo Greenstone Belt and is proximal to the Kalsaka deposit and the Sabce Shear Zone. It is accessible by road and has one major orpaillage (artisanal workings).

In December 2016 the Company conducted an 802m rotary air blast (RAB) drill program that delineated an approximately 1,000-metre (1km) quartz vein and a 500-metre secondary strike, running oblique to the main vein. This vein has now been identified in trenches, artisanal workings and through RAB drilling. It remains open in all directions.

A total of 11 rock chip and grab samples were taken during the initial exploration phase. Sample NG005, taken directly from the primary quartz vein at 46m depth returned a value of 2,950 g/t gold. Sample NG007 contained coarse visible gold, and was taken from material extracted from a depth of approximately 60m, returned a value of 403 g/t gold. Sample NG008, a single large piece of primary quartz vein containing host rock inclusions and a cluster of visible, returned a value of 49.8 g/t gold.

The company then followed up with the first ever diamond drill program at the concession. Eight of the first nine drill holes successfully intercepted gold, with highlights including 26.69 g/t gold over 4.85m (including 1m of 132 g/t gold), and 4.00 g/t gold over 6.2m (including 1m of 20 g/t gold). All mineralization in these first nine holes was present at depths of 57m to 124m below surface.

About Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is a landlocked nation, located in West Africa. It covers an area of roughly 274,000 square kilometres and has an estimated population of more than 16 million people. The country has a stable political setting with a pro-mining and foreign investment stance. Burkina Faso is the fastest growing gold producer in Africa, and was the 4th largest gold producer in Africa in 2012. Eight new mines have been commissioned there over the past six years. The country has excellent geological potential. The Greenstone Belts that host all of the major deposits in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire continue northward into Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso has undergone less than 15 years of modern mineral exploration, remaining under-explored in comparison to neighbouring Ghana and Mali; both of which host world-class gold mines in the same belts of Birimian rocks.

About the Company

Nexus Gold Corp. is a Vancouver-based gold exploration and development company operating in some of the world's premier mining districts. The Company is currently concentrating its efforts on two gold projects located in Burkina Faso, West Africa. The Bouboulou gold concession is a 38-sq km advanced exploration target where previous drilling has confirmed multiple zones of gold mineralization. The Niangouela gold concession is a 178-sq km project featuring high grade gold occurring in and around a primary quartz vein 1km in length and associated shear zone. For more information on these projects, please visit the Company website at www.nexusgoldcorp.com.

Warren Robb P.Geo., Senior Geologist is the designated Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the technical information contained in this release.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

Nexus Gold Corp.

Peter Berdusco

President and Chief Executive Officer

604-558-1920

www.nexusgoldcorp.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.



Copyright (c) 2017 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.


Toronto, April 5, 2017 - DNI Metals Inc. (CSE: DNI) ("DNI" or the "Company") The Corporation's Board of Directors has approved a Private Placement allowing it to complete a non-brokered private placement of up to 38,461,538 Units at a price of $0.065 per Unit for gross proceeds of $2,500,000.00 (the "Private Placement").

Each unit consists of one Common share and a half purchase Warrant. Each warrant entitles the bearer to purchase one Common Share of the company at an exercise price of C$.10 per share for a period of 18 months from the closing Date. The use of Proceeds of the Private Placement will be for corporate cash flow purposes.

In addition to any other exemptions available, participation in the financing is also open to existing shareholders of DNI who as of the close of business on April 4, 2017 ("Record Date"), held common shares of DNI (and who continue to hold common shares of DNI at the time of closing). The Subscriber is eligible to purchase the Units pursuant to the prospectus exemption for distribution to existing security holders ("Existing Security Holder Exemption") set out in National Instrument 45-513  Prospectus Exemptions for Distribution to Existing Security Holders, as well as the amendments to Rule 45-501  Ontario Prospectus and Registration Exemptions (Ontario). Any existing shareholder who wishes to participate in the Private Placement is asked to please contact Dan Weir, CEO of the Company at (416) 720-0754 or by email to: danweir@dnimetals.com in order to receive subscription documentation and instructions. The Offering will remain open to existing shareholders until April 14, 2017.

About DNI Metals

Certain advisors and directors of DNI have significant operational experience at historical hard rock graphite mines in Canada (e.g. Ontario and Quebec) and Australia. Between them, they have built three (3) processing plants and designed two (2) others; all, which were shut down in the 1990,'s due to increased Chinese competition. Keith Minty, director, worked at Cal Graphite near Kearny, Ontario.

It was our team's understanding of the high production and capital expenditure costs associated with so-called "hard rock" graphite mining that inspired DNI to search for saprolite-hosted graphite deposits.

Certain parts Madagascar and Brazil, produce graphite from weathered material called saprolite.

According to Dictionary.com, saprolite is described as:

"Soft, thoroughly decomposed and porous rock, often rich in clay, formed by the in place chemical weathering of igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary rocks. Saprolite is especially common in humid and tropical climates. It is usually reddish brown or grayish white and contains those structures (such as cross-stratification) that were present in the original rock from which it formed."

DNI owns a commercially permitted, saprolite-hosted graphite deposit in Madagascar; located 50kms from the country's main seaport. The deposit is located less than two (2) kms from the paved national highway. DNI intends to develop the Vohitsara project, should the economic viability and technical feasibility be established. DNI has not yet established mineral resources or mineral reserves supported by a PEA or mining study (PFS or FS).

DNI has a graphite wholesale business, in which it buys and sells high quality graphite. This business has shown a steady increase in volume over the past year.

Steven Goertz (MAusIMM, MAIG), who is a qualified person, approved the technical disclosure in this news release.

DNI  Canadian Securities Exchange

DG7N  Frankfurt

DMNKF - OTC

Issued: 40,558,775

For further information, contact:

DNI Metals Inc.  Dan Weir, CEO 416-595-1195

DanWeir@dnimetals.com

Also visit www.dnimetals.com





We seek Safe Harbour. This announcement may include forward looking statements. While these statements represent DNI's best current judgment, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary, including risk factors listed in DNI's Annual Information Form and its MD&A's, all of which are available from SEDAR and on its website.


Claim alleges false, misleading and defamatory statements that have harmed Eco Oro and members of the Board.

Eco Oro believes that Harrington, Wolfe and Guy must be held accountable for their conduct that may have potentially inappropriately jeopardized the Company's perception among shareholders and the public and therefore negatively impacted the Company's ability to maximize value for shareholders.

VANCOUVER, April 5, 2017 /CNW/ - Eco Oro Minerals Corp. ("Eco Oro" or the "Company") (TSX: EOM) and each member of the Eco Oro board of directors (the "Board") filed a claim against Harrington Global Opportunities Fund Ltd., Courtenay Wolfe and Danny Guy (the "Defendants") with the Supreme Court of British Columbia (the "Claim").

The Claim alleges that, among other things, on March 29, 2017 the Defendants, either directly or through their agents, published a dissident proxy circular in connection with the annual general and special meeting of Eco Oro shareholders scheduled for April 25, 2017, on SEDAR and by other means, which contained statements that were false, misleading and defamatory of Eco Oro and the Board.

Eco Oro and the Board believe that these false, misleading and defamatory statements were intended to harm Eco Oro and its Board in service of the Defendants' proxy contest against the Board. Eco Oro and the Board believe the Defendants' conduct may have potentially inappropriately jeopardized the Company's perception among shareholders and the public and therefore negatively impacted the Company's ability to maximize value for shareholders.

In the Claim, Eco Oro and the Board seek, among other things, injunctive relief restraining the Defendants from further publishing or republishing the false, misleading and defamatory statements, and monetary damages from the Defendants.

Eco Oro is confident in the merits of the Claim and that the relief and damages sought by Eco Oro and the Board will be awarded.

Company Profile

Eco Oro Minerals Corp. is a publicly-traded precious metals exploration and development company with a portfolio of projects in Colombia. Eco Oro has been focused on its wholly-owned, multi-million ounce Angostura gold-silver deposit, located in northeastern Colombia.

The Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking" within the meaning of Canadian and United States securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "in the event", "if", "believes", "asserts", "position", "intends", "envisages", "assumes", "recommends", "estimates", "approximate", "projects", "potential", "indicate" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to a shareholder meeting requisition and a potential shareholder meeting, statements concerning the continuing pursuit by the Company of its arbitration claim against the Republic of Colombia (the "Arbitration") and the Company's strategies and objectives, both generally and specifically, in respect of the Angostura mineral project.

All information, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including without limitation, information regarding the Arbitration, plan of business operations, projections regarding future success based on past success, ability to identify and execute investments, investment philosophy and business purposes and potential benefits of the business are forward-looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties.

Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in its documents filed from time to time with the applicable regulatory authorities and include, but are not limited to, uncertainties and risks related to the Arbitration, including the quantum of damages to be obtained and the realization or collection of the value of any award or settlement, investment performance, minority investments, availability of further financing to fund planned or further required work in a timely manner and on acceptable terms, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, regulatory, environmental, political and other risks of the mining industry other risks discussed in disclosure documents filed by the Company with Canadian securities regulators as more fully described in the management discussion and analysis in the Company's annual and interim financial statements and its annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2016 and dated March 27, 2017 (the "2017 AIF"), all of which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Shareholders are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

SOURCE Eco Oro Minerals Corp.
Sberbank of Russia will sell its subsidiary in Ukraine at a price below its capital, Sberbank CEO Herman Gref told journalists on the sidelines of Metro Expo.

"There it's not being sold for one [times] capital, but less than capital, of course. The banks are not worth capital today," Gref said when asked about the amount of the deal in terms of Sberbank (Ukraine) capital.
Bill on land market will allow its purchase and sale only to Ukrainian citizens - Groysman

Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman has said the bill on the land market will allow its purchase and sale only to individuals with Ukrainian citizenship.

"We are talking about the fact that we can create a model of the land market that will allow only Ukrainian citizens to sell the land they own to each other," the prime minister said on the air of the Kyiv-based 112.ua TV channel.

Groysman noted he would not support the idea of the land reform, which will be carried out in the interests of agricultural holdings or foreign citizens.

"It is absolutely necessary to protect the Ukrainian land from the possibility of its purchase by foreign citizens," the prime minister stressed.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected New Hampshire's bid to revive a state law barring voters from taking "selfie" photos with their ballots during elections that a lower court struck down as a violation of free speech rights.New Hampshire banned such selfies in 2014, saying the photos could set the stage for a return of the kind of vote-buying or voter intimidation that was rampant in the 19th century.The Supreme Court declined to hear the state's appeal of a ruling by the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last September that the law ran afoul of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment, which guarantees free speech. The state cannot curtail speech based on a hypothetical danger, the appeals court stated.Ballot selfies have become a popular way for voters to show support for favored candidates through postings on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat.
For those who are counting, the number is now five: State Rep. Tina Liebling of Rochester on Sunday added her name to the list of DFLers vying to be Minnesota's next governor in 2018.Liebling, a lawyer raised in Minneapolis, has served in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2005 and said her willingness to speak up and fight for what she believes in sets her apart from other candidates."I'm a person that's not afraid to articulate a bold vision for the state," Liebling said. "People know that I am who I say I am."Liebling attended the University of Minnesota and later earned a master's degree in public health and a law degree in Massachusetts. She and her husband returned to Minnesota in 1994.Many Minnesotans feel left out, said Liebling, adding that she rejects the idea of deep divisions between Twin Cities residents' priorities vs. those in the rest of the state. Environmental issues, health care and education are important to everyone, Liebling said, and the state shouldn't move backward in those areas.Health care is an area of expertise, Liebling said, with many of her committee assignments in health and human services. She supports a single-payer system.On her website, she champions raising the minimum wage, making the first two years of post-high school education free at public colleges, attaining 50 percent of Minnesota's energy from renewables by 2030 and discussing the legalization of recreational marijuana.Liebling enters a field of notable DFLers hoping to succeed Gov. Mark Dayton, who is retiring. Other candidates include St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, state Rep. Erin Murphy and State Auditor Rebecca Otto. Last Monday, U.S. Rep. Tim Walz joined the race.No Republicans have formally entered the race, though many names have been tossed around.Liebling said she plans to abide by the DFL nomination process. She said she may run for her House seat again if she doesn't earn the DFL nomination.Murphy issued a statement Sunday welcoming her to the race: "I've served with Tina for years and during that time she has always been vocal in her advocacy for the issues that drive her."The Minnesota Jobs Coalition, a Republican-aligned nonprofit, also prepared a news release reacting to Liebling's announcement. In it, Executive Director John Rouleau said simply, "LOL."Rep. Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, said that in his mind, the more candidates running for governor, the better.Liebling is "an incredibly committed candidate in what she believes and that itself is going to bring a lot to the race," Thissen said. "She's had a history of pushing the party to be its best self."
Implications For Health Providers

A National Trend

Hospitals in Missouri are grappling with a new state rule that forces them to choose between providing abortions for women in high-risk situations or receiving family planning funds for low-income women.The policy could affect women like Robin Utz, 37, who had struggled with infertility for years. After two rounds of in vitro fertilization, she finally became pregnant.But at a routine 20-week ultrasound, the nurse fell silent and said she needed to bring in the doctor. The baby had developed polycystic kidney disease, and the babys kidneys werent working, the doctor told the couple.There was therefore no amniotic fluid, and without amniotic fluid she would never develop lungs, Utz said. I asked what her chances were, and they said there werent any.Utz and her husband had to make a decision: terminate the pregnancy or wait until she gave birth. Most likely, doctors said, her baby would be stillborn.We just felt so strongly that allowing her to be born, to immediately suffer, Utz said tearfully, was so inhumane.Utz terminated her pregnancy at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Generally, higher-risk abortions  for example when a mothers life is in danger, or there is a severe fetal anomaly  are done in hospitals.Utzs care was paid for by insurance. But a new Missouri law, aimed at Planned Parenthood, cuts off a line of funding to all organizations that provide abortions in the state, including hospitals.For years, Missouri has helped low-income women pay for family planning  but not abortion  under a Medicaid program called Extended Womens Health Services. It is funded by both the state and the federal governments.Federal law already prevents Medicaid from reimbursing providers for most abortions. Missouris new measure rejects $8.3 million in federal funds for the womens health program, allowing the state to block state funds for other family planning services from going to abortion providers.Other states, including Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and Indiana, have tried to exclude abortion providers from Medicaid funds before, but courts have said that would violate a federal law that gives patients the right to choose their health care providers. Missouri hopes to get around that by rejecting the federal money. The rule has not been challenged in court.Missouris Medicaid program for womens health services currently serves nearly 70,000 low-income patients.To make up for the lost federal funds, the state is increasing its own funding of womens health services for low-income residents. Under the new measure, Missouri will spend $8.3 million to create its own program in place of the federal program it has opted out of.The state government is also trying to determine exactly which providers perform abortions. It has sent about 500 letters to hospitals, obstetricians, gynecologists and clinics with a form that requires the providers to attest that they do not provide abortions.So far, more than 300 providers have signed the form and will continue to get state funds, according to the Missouri Department of Social Services. Those who do not sign it will no longer be eligible for state funds for womens health services.The services at Barnes-Jewish Hospital are not likely to change under Missouris new rule. But other organizations might not continue to provide abortions under the new funding restrictions.Washington University, which employs physicians at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and other facilities, chose not to attest.The new restriction  will not alter the health-care services provided by Washington University physicians, wrote university spokeswoman Diane Duke Williams. We remain committed to providing the full range of reproductive health-care services to our patients, including pregnancy testing, pelvic exams, breast and cervical cancer screenings, and abortion services to address specific therapeutic needs, such as a mothers health being at risk or for fetal anomalies.The rule, which was passed as part of last years state budget, does appear to include an exception for organizations that provide abortions to save the mothers life.But that language is restricted to the budgets preamble, and hospitals say the language is still unclear. As a result, Missouris hospital association is counseling its members not to bill the state program for any family planning services if they provide abortions, including procedures to save the life of the mother, or cases of rape or incest.Like similar measures curbing funding to abortion providers in other states, Missouris measure was originally introduced in the wake of videos purporting to show the sale of fetal tissue by Planned Parenthood employees in Texas.A grand jury in Texas found no evidence of wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood and instead indicted two people who recorded the videos for tampering with a government record and illegally offering to purchase human organs. Those indictments were later dismissed on technical grounds, but California prosecutors charged the same filmmakers with 15 felonies last week.After the videos were released, Missouri Rep. Robert Ross (R-Yukon) moved to cut all funding to organizations in the state that provided abortions.Simple amendment, he said on the floor of the Missouri House of Representatives in March 2016. This stops your tax dollars from being used to fund abortions.Several Missouri House Democrats questioned Ross, including Democratic Rep. Michael Butler of St. Louis, with whom he had the following exchange:Butler: Answer this for me. If women have complications through pregnancy, and they dont have a primary doctor, where do they go?Ross: Gentleman, its really simple. You agree with my amendment, youre going to vote for it, or you dont agree, youre going to vote against it.The measure passed. Ross has not returned requests for comment.
A federal judge in Seattle has temporarily blocked the city's first-in-the-nation law that attempts to allow Uber, Lyft and taxi drivers to unionize.Seattle's law, passed in 2015, allows Uber, Lyft and taxi drivers -- who are categorized as independent contractors, not employees -- to form a union and collectively bargain for things like pay, benefits and working conditions.It was challenged by two separate lawsuits, one from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and one from about a dozen Uber and Lyft drivers -- backed by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation and the Freedom Foundation, groups that fight for right-to-work laws and other conservative, anti-union legislation across the country."The issues raised in this litigation are novel, they are complex, and they reside at the intersection of national policies that have been decades in the making," U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik wrote in granting a preliminary injunction Tuesday, halting the law from going into effect. "The public will be well-served by maintaining the status quo while the issues are given careful judicial consideration."Lasnik repeatedly stressed in his order that the hold should not be viewed as foretelling an ultimate court victory for the Chamber.Kimberly Mills, a spokeswoman for the Seattle City Attorney, said the city will continue working to defeat the legal challenges to the law.Adrian Durbin, a Lyft spokesman, called the city's law "experimental" and "poorly drafted" and said they were pleased that it was on hold.While the court battle plays out, both sides had been moving forward, anticipating a possible eventual vote by drivers about whether they want to unionize or not.Teamsters Local 117 recently applied and got permission from the city to begin efforts to organize drivers at 12 local ride-hailing or taxi companies.The taxi and ride-hailing companies would have had to give Local 117 a list of their drivers this week, with contact information. Now they will not, while the lawsuits proceed."We have no benefits," said Don Creery, an Uber driver and longtime supporter of the unionization effort. "I work full-time for a $70 billion company. The American taxpayers should not have to subsidize my health care. That's not right."Gary Kunze, one of the Uber and Lyft drivers who sued to block the law, said that while he had complaints with the companies, a union was not the way to address them."I am not a union person, I don't believe in what they stand for," Kunze said. "The city of Seattle and the Teamsters got together and decided to do this at the request of a very small number of drivers."And Uber and Lyft, not content to pin their hopes on the courtroom, are waging aggressive campaigns to persuade their drivers to vote against the union.The Chamber argues that federal law, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), does not give contractors the right to unionize and that it cannot be pre-empted by Seattle's law.The Chamber's lawsuit says that drivers are competitors, not co-workers, and that allowing them to unionize is anti-competitive and amounts to "forming a cartel."Seattle argues that although contractors are not covered by federal unionization laws, the federal government left state and local governments free to regulate a union of independent contractors.The NLRA explicitly excludes five categories of workers from its coverage and protections: public-sector workers, agriculture workers, domestic workers, supervisors and independent contractors.The first three are allowed to unionize under various state laws.City attorneys argued in court last week that independent contractors -- Uber, Lyft and taxi drivers in this circumstance -- are more like workers than they are supervisors and that the city has the authority to let them unionize, even if they're not covered by the NLRA.Lasnik, speaking from the bench during those arguments, appeared sympathetic."Isn't an independent contractor more like an agricultural worker and domestic worker than a supervisor?" he asked. "They're clearly not management."In his written order, Lasnik said the Chamber's argument relies on a "coincidence of timing" related to the history of the NLRA, and that the city was likely to prevail in that specific argument.But Lasnik was more open to the Chamber's argument that allowing drivers -- independent contractors -- to unionize could violate antitrust laws. While state law authorizes anti-competitive city regulation of taxi and ride sharing businesses -- that's why there's a uniform rate for cab rides -- it has never been used to let drivers collectively bargain.The novelty of the city's law, Lasnik wrote, "the lack of any evaluation of competitive effect and the potential impact on an important transportation option for thousands of Seattle residents and visitors cannot be ignored."Uber and Lyft's business models, Lasnik wrote, would "likely be disrupted in fundamental and irreparable ways if the ordinance is implemented."The City Council unanimously passed the law in 2015, although it went into effect without the signature of Mayor Ed Murray, who said he supported its goals but had worries about the costs of defending it in court.
As attorney general of Texas, Greg Abbott made a name for himself by fighting the federal government and suing the Obama administration 31 times. As governor, Abbott has found a new enemy -- local governments -- and, in recent days, hes raised the stakes in that war.Texas has a reputation for blocking local laws that contradict its hands-off approach to regulation. In 2014, for example, the oil-friendly state sued a town that voted to ban fracking and then later passed a law preventing other cities from doing the same.For us to be able to continue our legacy of economic freedom, it was necessary that we begin to speak up and to propose laws to limit the ability of cities to California-ize the great state of Texas, said Abbott at an event with the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute last month.As state lawmakers gather for their biennial session this spring, they're weighing whether to rein in localities that ban plastic grocery bags, extend civil rights protections to LGBTQ residents, discourage cooperation with federal immigration authorities, impose driver screening requirements for ride-sharing companies and regulate the chopping down of trees.Those types of clashes, particularly between liberal cities and conservative states, are increasingly common throughout the country, in part because Republicans have a historically high level of control over state governments.But in Texas, Abbott now suggests that instead of spending time and money battling these issues individually, the state should issue a ban across the board on municipal regulations.One strategy would be for the state of Texas to take a rifle shot after rifle shot after rifle shot approach to try to override all these local regulations, Abbott explained to the conservative audience last month. I think it would be far simpler, and frankly easier for those of you who have to run your lives and your businesses on a daily basis, if the state of Texas adopted an overriding policy to create certain standards that must be met.The governor has not laid out many more details on how that approach would work, and his press office referred back to his remarks.But one possibility, says Bennett Sandlin, executive director of the Texas Municipal League, is that the state could strip all 352 home-rule cities, which are free to enact regulations as long as they dont expressly conflict with state law, of their home-rule powers. They would then be treated as general-rule cities, which are usually small and can regulate only areas the state specifically gives them permission to oversee.Thanks to U.S. Supreme Court rulings in the early 1900s, states have broad authority to decide what powers to grant to municipalities. Texas is one of 39 states to follow the so-called "Dillon's Rule" for at least some of its local governments. The rule makes clear that municipalities are subordinate to state government.The Texas constitution also specifies that even home-rule cities can't pass ordinances that contradict state law. In other words, cities wouldn't have much recourse if Texas decided to preempt their powers.One reason states give cities home-rule authority, though, is so the state legislature's agenda isn't clogged with local-interest legislation. That's a particular concern for states like Texas, where the legislature only meets for a few months every other year.Sandlin, from the municipal league, has naturally been an outspoken opponent of Abbotts attacks on municipalities. He says this hostility toward cities and local control didnt exist at the Texas Capitol before Abbott became governor.Its only been since 2015 that weve seen this new tactic, where local control is no longer a good thing, its actually an evil thing," says Sandlin. "The new good thing is now liberty from local regulations."While Abbott decries the patchwork quilt of regulations that local ordinances present to businesses, Sandlin says it makes sense sometimes. In fact, the Texas Municipal League has changed its Twitter avatar to a photo of a patchwork quilt.Sandlin says plastic bag bans are a good example of why case-by-case regulations are necessary. Fewer than 10 Texas municipalities have banned single-use plastic bags, but theyve done so for different reasons. Ranchers in the conservative town of Fort Stockton complained that the windswept bags interfered with feeding their cattle. In South Padre Island, the bags killed marine wildlife and turned off tourists who didn't want to go to a trash-littered beach.Under Abbotts one-size-fits-all approach, "what would you say to the rancher in Fort Stockton or the hotelier in South Padre Island? You just wouldnt have anything good to say to them. It would be ridiculous," says Sandlin.The governors objection to local ordinances is personal and philosophical -- and to some, contradictory.Abbott was upset when the city of Austin, where he lives, wouldn't let him cut down a pecan tree in his yard without planting several additional trees. Austin is one of 50 Texas cities that regulates the chopping down of old-growth trees.I saw firsthand how my own private property rights were being mowed down by these regulations, Abbott said at the event last month.To many of his critics, Abbott's crushing resistance to localities' rights contradicts his staunch defense of states' rights. If he's so against the federal government intruding in states, one could logically assume he would be against states intruding in localities.But Abbott, who once served on the Texas Supreme Court, argues that states have a unique role in American government.The controlling document that we live under in this country is not some city code. Its not county rules and regulations. Its not even state law. The predominant doctrine that creates the architecture that we are governed by and live under is the United States Constitution, he said, and he noted that the Tenth Amendment delegates power not granted to the federal government to the states and to the people -- but not to municipalities.I sued the Obama administration 31 times because I thought they were violating the U.S. Constitution. It wasnt because of local control, he said.Sandlin, however, dismisses the governors constitutional argument as a legal truism that doesnt amount to much because it doesnt address how the state government should best govern a place as diverse as Texas.Texans dont want to be told they have to conform to one way of thinking or one way of living --whether it comes from Washington or from the governors office in Austin, Sandlin wrote in a recent op-ed . "If Texans feel warm and comfortable under a patchwork quilt, those who seek to do business here -- and our governor -- should recognize and respect that.
Black pedestrians in Baltimore stopped without reasonable suspicion. Black drivers in Ferguson, Mo., searched much more frequently than whites. Cleveland residents punched and kicked by officers and subjected to stun guns, without posing any threat.In report after report in the Obama years, Justice Department lawyers found patterns of eye-popping rights violations and used them as leverage to force local departments to agree to major policing overhauls. But the Trump administration announced this week that it was backing away from that tough-minded approach, a move that prompted fierce debate on Tuesday in cities across the country.Many police unions welcomed the news, saying the Obama administrations approach had impeded law enforcement and unfairly painted many good officers as wrongdoers. The unions, a source of support for President Trump during last years campaign, welcomed his administrations announcement as proof that Mr. Trump would swiftly meet his promises to restore law and order to the country.But their view contrasted sharply with those of many police chiefs and politicians who have been living under agreements struck with the Justice Department, who vowed to continue making changes to their police departments with or without the departments imprimatur. They say that the results of consent decrees, which are backed by a court order, and so-called memorandums of agreement, which are reached out of court, have been mostly positive, if mixed, and in some cases absolutely essential.
Alaska and three other western states on Monday asked the Trump administration not to scrap federal policies that have served as the foundation for state cannabis industries.Existing federal policy is "vital to maintaining control over marijuana in our states" says a letter dated April 3, signed by Gov. Bill Walker and the governors of Oregon, Washington and Colorado. All four states have regulated commercial cannabis industries."We ask the Trump Administration to engage with us before embarking on any changes," the letter says.The letter is addressed to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Attorney General Jeff Sessions of the U.S. Justice Department. Sessions was outspoken about his opposition to legal marijuana while a member of the U.S. Senate."We understand you and others in the administration have some concerns regarding marijuana," says the letter. "We sympathize, as many of us expressed apprehensions before our states adopted current laws. As governors, we have committed to implementing the will of our citizens."The letter points to two pieces of federal guidance the marijuana industry and state regulators rely on: The Cole Memorandum, and guidance to banks from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.The 2013 Cole Memo is a four-page document from the U.S. Department of Justice that outlines federal priorities for marijuana enforcement. It lists eight different scenarios with which the federal government is particularly concerned, like preventing pot from getting into the hands of minors, and preventing driving under the influence.Alaska's regulators frequently invoke the memo when trying to decide state regulations, weighing whether potential rules might make ripples on the federal level.The Cole Memo is "indispensable" and provides the foundation for state laws, the letter says."Changes that hurt the regulated market would divert existing marijuana product into the black market and increase dangerous activity in both our states and our neighboring states," the letter says.The second set of guidelines concern banking. In 2014, the Department of the Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network published guidance for financial institutions seeking to provide services for marijuana businesses. It requires vigilant monitoring, and there are three different levels of reporting banks and credit unions are required to follow.Without guidance, financial institutions would be less willing to provide banking for marijuana businesses, forcing those businesses to rely more on cash and increasing safety risks, the letter says.In Alaska, banks have said they are staying out of the industry, although about half of marijuana cultivators paid their state taxes with a check or cashier's check in February.Gov. Walker opposed Alaska's initiative that legalized commercial marijuana in November 2014. His spokesperson, Katie Marquette, wrote Monday that he was "upholding the will of the people" with his support in the letter.Walker joins two of Alaska's federal lawmakers who have also waded into cannabis issues.In March, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who also opposed Alaska's initiative to legalize marijuana, and Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren wrote a letter to Sessions asking for clarification on marijuana laws.Meanwhile, Rep. Don Young has joined the newly formed Cannabis Caucus, vowing to pursue changes to banking and other federal laws regarding marijuana. Young, who has said he doesn't condone cannabis use but that it should be left up to the states, has said he wants to "educate" the administration on impacts of legalized marijuana.Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have medical marijuana programs. Eight states and the District of Columbia have legalized adult recreational use.
On Saturday, in the evening, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey attended a performance of Opera Australia and John Frosts production of My Fair Lady.
On Monday, in the afternoon, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey departed Brisbane for an official visit to Charleville.

Following, at the Charleville Airport, the Governor, with Mrs de Jersey, officially opened the new Charleville Airport Terminal where His Excellency addressed guests.

Following, at the Cosmos Centre, Charleville, the Governor and Mrs de Jersey toured facilities and received a briefing from staff on the Centre's operations.
Description

GIS - 05 April, 2017: The welfare of the population and the best interest of the country were the focus of a very intense but cordial conversation with the Prime Minister. The welfare of the population and the best interest of the country were the focus of a very intense but cordial conversation with the Prime Minister.

The Anglican Archbishop Mgr Ian Ernest made this statement today following his meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Jugnauth, at the Treasury Building, Port-Louis.

Archbishop Ernest expressed his concerns regarding the issue of drugs and made a proposal for a collective action plan to fight this scourge which affects more than the individual, he said.

The consolidation of core values and adapting to emerging technologies as well as justice and meritocracy were among the other subjects that were discussed with the Prime Minister. The Archbishop outlined that both Prime Minister Jugnauth and himself believe that Mauritius is an example to the world where people can live peacefully despite their various differences.
The security situation in eastern Ukraine demonstrates the necessity to increase pressure on Russia for a ceasefire, according to Deputy Chair of the Seimas Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Rasa Jukneviciene (Lithuania).

"We are worried about the continued illegal annexation of Crimea and Russia's aggression in Donbas. We condemn Russia for supporting militant groups in eastern Ukraine. The violation of the Minsk agreements relating to the ceasefire demonstrates how unstable the situation is. It requires further pressure on Russia to stop escalating violence and for abiding by the accords," Jukneviciene said during a NATO PA meeting on Wednesday in Kyiv.

She said Lithuania is worried about "signs that Russia is increasing its activity in the Black Sea region," noting that her country's parliament has adopted a so-called Ukraine plan that calls for western governments to assist Ukraine politically, financially and economically.

"The key part of the plan is recognition that a free Ukraine is the key to European security. The West cannot leave Ukraine to face Russia alone. The security situation is complicated and the risk of escalation is great," she said.
Description

GIS - 05 April, 2017: A half-day workshop on Training of Trainers focused on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) for secondary school educators was held today at the MITD House in Phoenix. A half-day workshop on Training of Trainers focused on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) for secondary school educators was held today at the MITD House in Phoenix.

The workshop was a joint initiative of the National International Humanitarian Law Committee, which operates under the aegis of the Prime Ministers Office, and the Ministry of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research.

Some 50 educators participated in the workshop. The aim was to provide participants with the basic information on IHL so as to enable them to sensitise students in their respective schools during school activity periods.

Several themes were on the agenda namely: Content of IHL and its application; Impact of war on society; and IHL tools for dissemination. Resource persons for the workshop comprised Dr R. P Gunputh, Professor at the University of Mauritius; Dr T. Mohabeer, Lecturer at the Mauritius Institute of Education; and Mr D. Gopaul, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Prime Ministers Office. On that occasion, a photo exhibition on IHL was also organised.

In his address, the Permanent Secretary of the Prime Ministers Office, Mr O. K Dabidin, recalled that IHL is a set of rules which, for humanitarian reasons, seeks to limit the effects of armed conflict. The law of armed conflict aims to protect civilians and ensure their safety and dignity, he added.

He further pointed out that the discussions and study of International Humanitarian Law as a new and dynamic discipline, helps to bring more awareness on the devastating effects of armed conflicts in affected countries and the society at large.

The Permanent Secretary also highlighted the need to bring the notion of Humanitarian Law to the younger generation. He stated that even if Mauritius is not involved in armed conflict, it is most likely to be affected by conflicts happening elsewhere. Hence the need, he said, to increase our security measures in so far as extremism, terrorism, immigration, exports and imports and investment are concerned.

As regards the increasing exposure of the global media coverage of countries in situation of conflict through TV and the internet, he underscored the importance of guiding the youth and making them understand the complex nature of conflict and its implications for human dignity, and human life.

The National International Humanitarian Law Committee

The National IHL Committee has been set up to advise and assist Government with regard to the implementation and dissemination of knowledge of IHL instruments to which Mauritius is a party. It also advises on any new legislation or amendments needed to existing legislation and ensuring compliance with these instruments.

The Committee organises regular sensitisation campaigns through photo exhibitions, training and talks among students of the secondary level, Educators, Youth Officers and Citizens Advice Bureaux Coordinators.
Description

GIS - 05 April, 2017: A five-day inter-regional workshop on Building the capacities of selected developing countries in Africa and Asia to upgrade and diversify their fish exports opened yesterday at the Albion Fisheries Research Centre in Albion. The Minister of Ocean economy, Marine resources, Shipping and Fisheries, Mr Premdut Koonjoo, was present. A five-day inter-regional workshop on Building the capacities of selected developing countries in Africa and Asia to upgrade and diversify their fish exports opened yesterday at the Albion Fisheries Research Centre in Albion. The Minister of Ocean economy, Marine resources, Shipping and Fisheries, Mr Premdut Koonjoo, was present.

The technical workshop is being organised by the Ministry in collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development for selected countries from Africa and Asia. Around 30 representatives from Cambodia, Comoros, Mozambique, Myanmar, Uganda, and Switzerland are attending the workshop.

The objective is to enable participants to exchange experiences on how to sustainably tap into the potential of fisheries exports through diversification and structural transformation of the sector in Least Developed Countries. They will learn from successful experiences of countries in view of putting in place necessary policies and strategies to enhance the role of the fisheries sector in the socioeconomic development of Least Developed Countries. The workshop will also allow participants to collectively seek ways and means to meet international food standards which undermine the export potential of the fisheries sector.

In his address, the Minister of Ocean economy, Marine resources, Shipping and Fisheries, Mr Premdut Koonjoo, highlighted that trade in marine products can create opportunities for economic growth, export diversification and new investments. Fish has become the worlds most highly traded food commodity and demand for fish is continuing to grow strongly. Fisheries are particularly important in Small Islands Developing States and Least Developed Countries for income generation, he said.

Minister Koonjoo pointed out that despite demand and supply constraints, the seafood industry in Mauritius remains resilient while adding that fish exports in Mauritius represent around 20% of total exports.

Against the backdrop of a challenging global economic environment, the challenging global trade platform, brexit and the volatile exchange rate environment, the exports of fish and fish preparations recorded a commendable growth of 7% in 2016. This performance reflects our competitiveness, he said.

Speaking about Governments vision to transform Mauritius into a world class seafood hub, he recalled that aquaculture is emerging as a promising activity and is instrumental in the diversification strategy and will help in increasing exports revenues. He added that improved legislation, good functioning of the Competent Authority and fishing vessel registration as well as better training toward compliance with EU safety requirements were instrumental to increase exports and attract Foreign Direct Investment.

However, he underlined, Mauritius needs to diversify its markets within the EU and emerging economies since the country is facing international competition from Non-Least Developed Countries like China, Thailand and Vietnam. Current challenges in key markets such as UK and erosion of trade preferences under the Non-Agricultural Market Access negotiations could send the sector reeling, he concluded.

The workshop-Programme

The capacity building workshop is being held from 3 to 7 April 2017. Several themes are on the agenda namely: Fishery production, exports, fish quality and safety standards: Policy implications to the growth and expansion of the fishery sector in Least Developed Countries; Policies and strategies aimed at unlocking the trade and development potential of the fishery sector in Least Developed Countries, lessons from the experience of Mauritius; and Aquaculture as a source of employment, food security and export diversification. Discussions will also revolve around priority actions and the way forward in taping the potential of the fishery sector to socio-economic development of least developed countries.

On 6 and 7 April, participants will visit fishery research and development institutions and laboratories namely the Competent Authority-Seafood, Princes Tuna Mauritius Ltd, the Vessel Monitoring System and laboratories at the Albion Fisheries and Research Centre. Field visits to fish landing stations in Mahebourg and Trou dEau Douce and aquaculture farms are also scheduled.
Description

GIS - 05 April, 2017: The Government of Mauritius strongly objects to the programme of visits to the Chagos Archipelago which the UK Government purports to undertake and welcomes the position taken by the Chairman and Leader of the Chagos Refugees Group, Mr. Olivier Bancoult, on the matter, says a communique issued yesterday by the Office of Minister Mentor.

The Mauritian Government also notes with concern that the UK Government purports to organise a significantly expanded programme of visits to the Chagos Archipelago as part of the purported 40 million package which it announced last November.

The communique, also states that: Mauritius is the only State which has the lawful authority to determine issues relating to the Chagos Archipelago. Mauritius does not recognise the legality of any acts that the UK has purported, or is purporting, to take in respect of the Chagos Archipelago as they are in breach of international law. This includes, but is not limited to, the purported 40 million package and the purported programme of visits to the Chagos Archipelago.

The Government of Mauritius deplores that the purported unilateral initiative has been taken hardly three weeks after the last round of talks between Mauritius and the UK. These talks are aimed at completing the decolonisation process of Mauritius and enabling Mauritius to exercise its full sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, following the understanding reached in New York last September to defer the consideration of item 87 of the agenda of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly.

The UK Governments purported unilateral initiative is also in manifest breach of the Award delivered in the case brought by Mauritius against the UK under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and it contradicts the UKs own call for confidence building.

The Government of Mauritius reiterates that the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia, has always formed and continues to form an integral part of the territory of Mauritius, and that it does not recognise the so-called British Indian Ocean Territory.

The Government of Mauritius reiterates that the denial of the right of Mauritians, particularly those of Chagossian origin, to settle in the Chagos Archipelago is a manifest breach of international law and a blatant violation of their human rights.

The Government of Mauritius remains fully sensitive to the plight of the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago who were forcibly removed by the UK from the Chagos Archipelago in total disregard of their human rights, and is committed to ensuring their well-being.

The Government of Mauritius also supports their legitimate claim, as Mauritian citizens, to be resettled in the Chagos Archipelago. Once Mauritius is able to exercise its full sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, Mauritian citizens of Chagossian origin who choose to return to the Chagos Archipelago will be able to do so and live there in full respect of all their rights and dignity. The Government of Mauritius will relentlessly pursue its initiatives in conformity with international law to complete the decolonisation process of Mauritius, thereby enabling Mauritius to exercise its full sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago.
(TNS) -- More than a third of the employees at the Portland online analytics business Webtrends will go to work for Oracle over the next several months, after the Silicon Valley company acquired one of Webtrends' flagship products.Webtrends launched its Infinity technology early last year, representing a major push into a new generation of "big data" analytics software to help corporations track online activity. Webtrends pitched it as a more robust alternative to competitive products, such as Google Analytics.A pioneer in the online analytics business during the dot-com era, Webtrends is now a relatively small player in a market led by brand-name technology companies including Google, Adobe and Oracle. So Kathy Stromberg, Webtrends' marketing vice president, said Infinity could be more productive in the hands of one of those larger companies."We certainly don't have the suite of products that big companies have," she said. Oracle announced its purchase of Webtrends' Infinity last month without disclosing the purchase price. It did not buy Webtrends' other products and services, which will stay with what remains of the Portland company.Webtrends had fewer than 200 employees in Portland before the Infinity sale, according to Stromberg. She said "a little less than half" of those workers will go to work at Oracle's office in downtown Portland in the coming months.Oracle declined comment. The company has a Portland office on Southwest Fifth Avenue.Webtrends, founded in 1993, is owned by a California private equity firm called Francisco Partners. Once among Portland's largest tech companies, former Webtrends employees have gone on to key roles at many of the city's younger technology businesses.Webtrends itself, though, has struggled to keep up as bigger companies consolidated the analytics industry.While Webtrends has parted with one of its key products, Stromberg said it will continue to operate as a smaller company. It also provides testing software, search and social marketing services, and a specialized analytics tool for Microsoft's SharePoint technology."That business will continue," she says.
Denver, a consolidated city-county, is making ongoing changes to how it interacts with more than 650,000 residents, resolves service issues and gets ahead of potential community problems as they develop.On Tuesday, April 4, more than a year after it went live, city and county officials announced their 311 system upgrade built on the Salesforce Service Cloud Einstein platform. But the new system isnt the only solution in the works.During the last couple weeks, the city-county's deputy CIO told, Denver also quietly went live with the Salesforce Marketing Cloud solution, and with its Social Studio, which enables municipalities to track and aggregate local online conversations via social media.Were just on the cusp of that but we can already see that thats going to be very popular," said Christine Binnicker, Denver's deputy CIO. It can be call deference or interaction deference. It can be us responding more proactively to hot topics.Originally designed to limit the number of non-emergency calls to police and fire departments, 311 systems centered around informational, non-emergency city hotlines. Baltimore originated the first 311 in 1996, followed by major and smaller cities nationwide.Two decades later, however, cities from Los Angeles to Marshfield, Wis., are finding that their older 311 architecture doesnt work as well as it could. Theyre opting to replace it with newer solutions powered by more modern customer relationship management (CRM) software, which offers the 24/7 multiple channel availability residents accustomed to social media now expect. Salesforce , the San Francisco-based cloud computing company, is one such provider. Its 311 Service Cloud Einstein platform gave the city-county functionality to offset the infrastructure demand placed on the region by the average 1,000 people a month who move to Denver.The push to modernize, Binnicker said, was felt citywide and not just from the C-suites. City-county staffers found the old system difficult to use right down to periodic updates. On the front end, Binnicker confirmed the system generated high call abandonment rates, requests werent always seen immediately by staff, and residents werent notified of results.The old system lacked a good user interface, which prompted staffers to create shadow spreadsheets or access databases to track service requests, she said, noting that on the front end, it also was missing a quick and easy way to let citizens know their requests had been fulfilled.The new platform, which went live at the end of 2015, lets residents get answers and make service requests through pocketgov , Denvers mobile app. It also loops in Twitter and Facebook 311 pages; notifies staffers when residents reach out, and lets officials easily respond back when services are complete.It also offers smart word routing, whereby the software uses key words to route requests directly to the appropriate divisions; is integrated with Denvers mapping system; and facilitates cross-agency collaboration.Denver also retains ownership of all the data thats generated  an issue state and local agencies nationwide are concerned about. Data generated through 311 will help the city identify areas that generate the most calls, and where DMV and property issues like weeds and overgrown vegetation are more prevalent. Institutionally, the data will enhance the citys knowledge base and help staffers see where calls and service requests are able to be resolved upon first contact, and where multiple contacts are required.Exact numbers werent available from Denver, but in a news release, Salesforce said its metrics show increases in online case volumes and call volumes of 68 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, the company said Denvers average 311 call length has declined by 23 seconds.Binnicker noted that the hundreds of new residents who arrive each month are partly responsible for the rise in case and call volumes. As a result, the city-county hasnt been able to realize a savings by cutting staff at its 311 call center  but it hasnt had to add employees either. Thats because pocketgov and other communication channels are reducing pressure on the call center.Without those additional forms of communication, residents might have experienced longer call waiting times and the city might have had to hire more call center staff members.Similarly, information on Denvers return on investment from the new 311 system wasnt available. But Binnicker said the city-county embarked upon the project to realize returns in soft dollars and improved customer service  not to boost its bottom line.We didnt go into it trying to save the city money," she said. "We went into it trying to make the customer service experience better for our citizens."
(TNS) -- ROME, N.Y.  Over the past few years, Griffiss International Airport has become home to some of the most advanced developments in drone technology in the country.With the November announcement of a 50-mile flight traffic management system  otherwise known as a drone testing corridor  between Syracuse and Griffiss, that is only going to continue, said Chad Lawrence, deputy commissioner of aviation at Griffiss."We're ultimately building an incubator site here," he said. "The way that we do everything here is crawl, walk, run, period. We're going to continue to do that to make sure we have safe integration of this. ... We're still in the crawl stage, (but) we're starting to move into the slow walk phase, 'cause we don't want something to happen  safety is a priority. We're doing some cool testing here."The most recent development in the drone testing corridor is the adoption of a plan for Gryphon Sensors to move forward with Phase One of the Unmanned Secure Autonomous Flight Environment Capital Project.That project is part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's planned $30 million investment in the corridor, said Lawrence Brinker, executive director and general counsel of the Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance.NUAIR is an alliance of more than 40 private and public entities and academic institutions from across New York and Massachusetts that partnered to promote Griffiss as an ideal location to conduct testing and research to allow for the safe integration of unmanned vehicles and systems into the national airspace. The location was named one of six FAA test sites in the nation in 2013 along with New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Alaska, Virginia and North Dakota."Gryphon Sensors is doing the first phase of the project," Brinker said about the most recent project. "That will give us about a 15-mile outreach from Griffiss toward Syracuse. Then we will start this summer in putting out bids for the work to build out the corridor."The whole point of the corridor is for companies to experiment with the ability to fly these drones safely beyond the visual line of sight, which has been one of the major hurdles for the commercialization of these unmanned systems."The FAA restricts commercial, small UAS operations to being in line of sight of the operator, basically a mile, mile and a half," Brinker said. "That wouldn't work for, say, (Amazon's) package delivery system. So we're developing a test bed that the FAA will approve that will allow for beyond visual line of sight tests."The corridor will be lined with sensors placed in the ground that will then speak to a computer system in the control room at the UAS facility at Griffiss  basically air traffic control for drones.The information transmitted to that control room will allow the person flying the drone to "see" what is around it and not have to have eyes on the actual aircraft in order to fly safely.Once those techniques are perfected, companies such as Amazon can perfect their drone flying programs.The goal is to eventually be able to integrate commercial drone traffic into the U.S. airspace, Lawrence said."What we were kind of challenged with was to do ground-based sense of avoidance systems," he said. "What we're doing is we built a high-altitude system that can detect both cooperating systems and uncooperating systems, and we're building a low-altitude system as well that starts at the ground and goes all the way up to 1,200 feet. ... We're trying to help the whole industry out, not just one part of this."Gryphon Sensors projects this portion of the project will create about 20 new jobs in the region, drawing in people with specialized talents and training.Rome Mayor Jacqueline Izzo said there is nothing bad about this project, especially when it will be adding jobs and bringing more people to the area. The project also shines a light on Griffiss and the city, she said."It also reinforces the use of our federally designated test site at Griffiss, so it's all good news," Izzo said. "This is what we hoped would happen after we were designated as a test facility. This is what the UAS test facility is mandated to provide  a safe environment to test technology of tomorrow as far as drones are concerned."
By setting clear goals that drive work throughout the city, and reporting on those goals to residents, Buttigieg has created a high-performing government that is accountable for results.

The city of South Bend, Ind.s notable ability to set strategic goals has improved city government in a major way: helping Mayor Pete Buttigieg deliver on critical priorities and driving structural changes in the way the city addresses problems and services. By setting clear goals that drive work throughout the city, and reporting on those goals to residents, Buttigieg has created a high-performing government that is accountable for results. One outstanding example is the publicly-stated strategic goal of addressing 1,000 vacant or abandoned properties in 1,000 days, which started in early 2013. Mayor Buttigieg wanted to tackle the issue of blight, which residents told him was a priority during his campaign, in a visible way that allowed citizens to track the citys progress.The citys commitment to addressing the vacant properties was measurable and available on the citys website. Even when the process had issues, the public value was clear. Local media picked up on a bug in the progress tracking system that erroneously showed 100 pending properties as already addressed. The citys Chief Innovation Officer Santiago Garces said this media revelation led to structural changes in the way that the city was tracking its progress with code enforcement. These changes, which included simplifying inspector checklists, requiring inspectors to take pictures of the properties, and assigning a central data analyst to do quality assurance, allowed the city to improve the speed at which we were addressing the properties and we actually exceeded the goal that we had set, Garces said.Other strategic goals laid out by the South Bend city government include ensuring transparency and equity in policing, enhancing physical and technological infrastructure, and addressing mobility. In addition to addressing public concerns and creating action-driven strategic goals, the city consulted with the Drucker Institute to help with the framing of goals as well as the Center for Priority Based Budgeting, What Works Cities, and GovEx. Garces said working with outside groups was critical to build the operational capacity and framework and making tangible goals that address public concerns has been critical in building trust with residents.A key thread running through the strategic goals is the emphasis on reporting progress and critical information to the public. The city is working to create transparency-oriented microsites on the open data portal that will report data and contextual information about specific goals to the public. The first such site, which is set to be released in Spring 2017, will focus on the strategic goal of making sure the city has a 21-century police department. Garces added that these microsites will help the city better tell the story of what the city is trying to achieve and how it is progressing toward that goal.
(TNS) -- The Ward County Broadband Committee has partnered with Connect Texas, a subsidiary of Connected Nation, kicked off the Connected Community Engagement effort Monday, April 3.The organizations are asking residents, businesses, farmers, librarians, schools and other stakeholders to complain, compliment, and explain just how well their internet is or is not working, a news release said.Taking part in the survey will help officials understand the status of broadband (high-speed internet) access, adoption, and use in Ward County. After an evaluation of the assessment, the organization develop appropriate action plans and projects to effectively and improve the broadband environment, the release said.This is so important to our community. With the increasing expansion of technology, we must have a strong internet connection in order to attract and support good quality businesses for our community, Executive Director of the Monahans Chamber of Commerce Teresa Burnett said in the release.We want to hear from the families, businesses, and individuals in Ward County because theyre the ones using the internet daily, she added. They know what issues they may be having while using it for work, classes, or in other ways. They can share their own personal experiences to help us shape a plan to improve access for everyone in Ward County.
(TNS) - Oklahomans know tornadoes can be deadly, but we may not always know how to protect ourselves.In 2013, 24 people lost their lives when an EF-5 tornado hit Moore a day after another tornado destroyed multiple homes in east Norman. The risk of severe weather events such as large hail, tornadoes and flooding are higher in April and May, said National Weather Service meteorologist Wayne Ruff, meaning residents should be especially aware of weather.Pay attention to the weather forecasts, not only for today, but for the next two or three days so you can prepare, Ruff said. On any given day where there is a forecast for severe weather, think about changing plans that would put you at risk."Early warnings are mostly for people who pay attention. If you don't know there's a possibility of a threat, it's more difficult to respond to a warning.Between 1950 to 2014, 1,414 tornados occurred in Oklahoma during May, the most tornado-prone month in Oklahoma, according to the National Weather Service. The May 20, 2013, tornado was up to 1.3 miles wide and was on the ground for 39 minutes, tearing a 17-mile path of destruction from Newcastle to Moore.Watching local weather forecasts and paying attention to National Weather Service warnings on social media and other sites can provide an opportunity to take shelter. In case of a power outage, a weather radio with battery backup is essential, particularly in rural areas where cell phone coverage may be spotty.People have to select a methodology of gathering information and follow it, Normans emergency management coordinator David Grizzle said. Siren speak and sheltering in place: Despite our intimate and sometimes deadly experience with twisters, Cleveland County residents can be unfamiliar with city policies regarding tornado sirens and shelters.Norman has 68 and Moore has 38 warning sirens, but people may rely too heavily on the city's sirens or may misinterpret what those sirens mean.First and foremost, Grizzle wants residents to know sirens are outdoor warning systems designed to alert people who are outside. A person inside a home, business or other structure may not hear a siren.Newer construction homes are typically built to suppress outside traffic and neighbor noises. Unfortunately, the sirens are suppressed, as well, the city of Moore website warns. Add in the typical sounds of televisions, computers, game systems, radios and just normal conversation, and it may be unlikely that a siren could be heard indoors.Norman and Moore follow the same regional siren policy. A siren means "take cover." Norman and Moore do not sound an all clear siren, so any siren means take cover, even if it's the second or third siren of the day. Sirens sound for three minutes.The amount of lead time we get from the National Weather Service for the decision-making process is usually 10 to 15 minutes when they issue a tornado warning, Grizzle said. If a siren is sounded too early, people may leave shelter before it is safe.Tornado sirens are sounded in Norman and Moore when there is an imminent direct threat.We do not want to cry wolf, Grizzle said. What determines whether sirens are sounded? The direction and path of the storm determines which sirens are sounded. Where is the imminent threat? Grizzle said. You have to analyze that data, and you have to do it rapidly.When the decision is made to sound sirens, do they sound in all parts of Norman?We have the ability to zone the sirens, Grizzle said. We have preplanned all these zones. Predominantly, we have either an east zone or a west zone, with the dividing line being East 60th Avenue.Norman and Moore test sirens at noon every Saturday, except when the possibility of severe weather is present or when special events are planned.Norman encourages sheltering in place rather than traveling a distance to a shelter. Usually moving to the lowest level of a home or office in an interior room with no windows, such as a closet or restroom, is the best idea if there isn't a nearby storm shelter.Sometimes people wait too late to go to a shelter and put their families at risk, Grizzle said. Sheltering in place is simply utilizing the shelter you're in and selecting the best place to shelter.People are encouraged to create a plan for taking shelter and stay weather aware on high-risk days.Too often, families wait for the outdoor warning sirens to sound before enacting their plan, but by then, it can be too late to properly react to conditions, Norman Fire Chief and Emergency Manager Travis King said. It is critically important for residents to have an emergency plan in place and to stay aware of changing weather.Most tornado deaths occur in cars and mobile homes. Moore recommends finding a substantial structure or designated tornado shelter, if possible.If in your car, remember that highway bridges are not designed as tornado shelters and make for very poor shelter, according to the Moore website.Residents who have shelters can register them to help emergency responders find them in the case the exit is covered by debris.Norman residents can register shelters at normanfire.normanok.gov/fd/storm-shelter-registration, while Moore Storm Shelter registration is at cityofmoore.com/pinpointshelter.For help programming weather radios in Norman, call Grizzle at 292-9780.2017 The Norman Transcript (Norman, Okla.)Visit The Norman Transcript (Norman, Okla.) at www.normantranscript.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(TNS) -- Southern California wont plunge into darkness this summer or next winter if the Aliso Canyon natural gas facility remains untapped for a while longer, according to conclusions reached in a Los Angeles County study.The findings, compiled by researchers with EES Consulting Inc., contradict warnings by state regulators of rolling blackouts and no heat if withdrawals of natural gas from wells in Aliso Canyon continued to be postponed.Consultants said in the study several mitigation efforts that included using other sources of reliable energy and conservation worked well enough so that withdrawing natural gas from the wells in Aliso Canyon is unnecessary in the short term. In addition, the wells contain enough natural gas in case of emergencies so that injecting them with more product also wasnt needed.There is sufficient time to aggressively implement demand-side mitigation measures that will eliminate the need to withdraw gas from Aliso Canyon during the next winter season, according to researchers.The study comes into public light just as a state bill aimed at temporarily keeping the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility shut down was heard April 4 by the Senate Energy Committee. Specifically, Senate Bill 57, co-authored by State Sen. Henry Stern, D-Canoga Park, calls for a deep examination into the cause of a massive 112-day natural gas leak from one of the Aliso Canyon wells. From October 2015 until February 2016, an aged natural gas well in Aliso Canyon spewed more than 100,000 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere. The event, which has been described as unprecedented, sickened hundreds of residents and prompted the relocation of more than 8,300 households and two schools in the northwest San Fernando Valley.Residents from nearby Porter Ranch were most affected and have called on state regulators and Gov. Jerry Brown to decommission the facility once and for all. In addition, Los Angeles County filed a lawsuit against state regulators last month to keep the facility closed until the cause of the massive leak is known.This report confirms what weve been saying and is that the urgency to reinject is not urgent, and that they can go forward with root-cause analysis, said Tony Bell, a spokesman for Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.But Southern California Gas Co., operators of the Aliso Canyon natural gas facility, maintain that use of the wells remains critical to the regions energy consumption. In January, state regulators allowed SoCalGas to withdraw natural gas from functional wells in the area in anticipation of low winter temperatures.The consultants report to the county demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding about how our natural gas and electricity systems work, said SoCalGas spokesman Chris Gilbride in a statment. As the state clearly recognizes, Aliso Canyon is a critical energy resource that is necessary to maintain the reliability of our regions natural gas and electricity systems. The states energy experts have concluded Aliso Canyon is necessary in three consecutive technical assessments. And, unlike the countys report, the states assessments have been independently reviewed or verified by experts at the National Labs.Several state regulators, including the California Public Utilities Commission, offered cautious responses to the study, saying that voluntary reductions of gas usage on high demand days this summer would have to be used if Aliso Canyon is unavailable for withdraws.While the need for Aliso Canyon to meet demand in L.A. on high gas demand days has been reduced over the past year due to the success of mitigation measures and infrastructure upgrades to the electric transmission system, there is still a risk that there would be insufficient supplies of gas during a summer heat wave that could lead to curtailment of electric service, Terrie Prosper, spokeswoman for the CPUC, said in a statement Monday.The CPUC will respond to the study as part of changes made to the final report in response to all comments, she added.Both the CPUC and the California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources are weighing whether Aliso Canyon can reopen as inspections of the wells continue.So far, 42 have passed all six of the tests required to resume injection, should it be allowed to resume at some point, said Don Drysdale, spokesman for the oil and gas agency.A spokesman with the California Energy Commission said only that several agencies will continue to work together to assure the energy system for Southern California remains reliable given the situation at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage field.Matt Pakucko, president of Save Porter Ranch, said the results in the county study came as no surprise and only confirmed that the region can live without natural gas from Aliso Canyon.How many reports, how many energy experts is it going to take? he asked.
Kyiv and Riga stress the need for Moscow to meet its international obligations and called for strengthening sanctions if Russia escalates its aggression against Ukraine.

Ukraine and Latvia resolutely condemn the aggression of Russia against Ukraine, which has resulted in the illegal temporary occupation of a part of the Ukrainian territory  Crimea and Sevastopol, according to the joint statement of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the text of which was posted on the website of the Ukrainian president.

"Ukraine highly values political support and practical assistance from Latvia in countering Russian aggression and the restoration of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within the internationally recognized borders," the statement reads.

Both countries assert the necessity of unconditional fulfillment by Russia of its commitments under international law and restoration of respect for the universally recognized principles thereof.

"In this regard Ukraine and Latvia call on the international community to further solidarity with Ukraine, as well as underlining that sanctions imposed on Russia due to its aggression against Ukraine should be preserved till the full implementation of the Minsk agreements and restoration of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, or even strengthened in case of escalation of aggressive actions and tensions on the part of Russia," the statement reads.

In the joint statement, Latvia welcomes and continues to actively support the course of Ukraine towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

"Ensuring successful implementation of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU is a major common task. Ukraine shows success in this process and is determined to continue the implementation of reforms. At the same time the country needs further assistance from the international community, European community in particular, in undertaking internal transformations," the statement reads.

Ukraine is deeply grateful to Latvia for the important support and practical assistance in undertaking reforms. While, Latvia supports the necessity to take swift decisions on granting Ukrainian citizens visa-free travel to the Schengen countries.
Tony Neal-Graves, a former Intel Corp. vice president who was recently named executive director of Colorados broadband office , spent the first three weeks at his new job meeting people in state government, learning all he could about operations, challenges and possibilities.

During a recent conversation with, Neal-Graves said the next step is to familiarize himself with the disparate challenges faced by communities throughout Colorado, from major cities like Denver in the mountainous Front Range region, down to rural towns in the Eastern Plain, where life looks more like Kansas than the Rockies.

My perspective on broadband  and solving some of the challenges about access and coverage across the state  is that it really depends on where you are, said Neal-Graves. Each of the various local counties and municipalities have different challenges.

Tony Neal-Graves, the new executive director of Colorado's Broadband Office (Photo courtesy governor's office)

Neal-Graves' focus in doing so is related to the states ongoing push to bring high-speed Internet access to all residents. Seventy percent of Colorados rural population currently has access to broadband, a number the state government aims to raise to 85 percent by the end of 2018, and 100 percent by the end of 2020. Neal-Graves described these goals as ambitious, but obtainable and imperative, pointing to collaboration as one of the keys.

The broadband office is housed in the Governors Office of Information Technology, where it works closely with the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Neal-Graves reports directly to Gov. John Hickenloopers chief of staff, Doug Friednash, as well as to Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne.

A veteran of the private sector who before Intel spent years with AT&T and Lucent Technologies, Neal-Graves said his background in business and private companies will help him foster partnerships. He spent the last three years at Intel working on initiatives related to Internet of Things and other developing technologies. He said a key takeaway of that work, was that in order to deliver capabilities to all citizens, multiple companies must collaborate. With the Internet of Things there was a variety of companies partnering to deliver functionality.

I think the same is true here, said Neal-Graves. Its going to take a state government working with municipalities and also with private companies, ISPs and various service providers to really solve the problems in the different counties. I think my business background  in terms of developing those types of partnerships  will lend itself to this as well.

Neal-Graves said in the early days of his work hes had a laser focus on extending high-speed Internet access to all residents of Colorado. His current plans are to spend the first 90 days of his tenure understanding how the various regions that make up the state view the problem, before beginning work on collaborations that may solve it.

The No. 1 reason I took this job is that I really believe in providing good-quality broadband access to all citizens, said Neal-Graves. Its something that we really, critically have to do.

In addition to collaboration, Neal-Graves said a willingness to explore new technologies and other innovations could be useful. This work could also potentially span multiple administrations.

It is, however, worth sticking with, as the rewards for extending high-speed infrastructure are immense. Neal-Graves, who describes himself as a history buff, said that throughout the history of the United States, economic development has been driven by improvements to infrastructure, whether that be canals, railroads, rural electricity capabilities or telephones. High-speed Internet now functions as a powerful information tool that can level the playing field, giving all those who have access to it the ability to compete.

Weve always tried to build out that infrastructure and get people connected somehow, said Neal-Graves, whether it was physically connected or through technology, first with phones and now with the Internet.
(TNS) -- WASHINGTON  A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, including Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, introduced a bill on Tuesday that would make it harder for Border Patrol agents to demand that American citizens unlock cellphones and computers and hand over social media passwords when traveling back into the country.Right now, Customs and Border Protection agents are able to search U.S. citizens cellphones and other digital devices when those citizens cross back into the country and do not need a warrant to do so. But if the Protecting Data at the Border Act passes, law enforcement agents would need a warrant for those searches except in emergency circumstances.Just because you cross the border doesnt mean the government has a right to everything on your computer, Farenthold said in a statement.Rep. Jared Polis, a Democrat from Colorado who sponsored the bill with Farenthold, said he firmly agreed.Its rather outrageous that so many American travelers have been subjected to this kind of treatment, he told The Dallas Morning News.The bill arrives at a time when electronics searches at the country's airports and borders are becoming more common. According to an NBC report, Customs and Border Protection conducted more than 23,000 electronic searches in 2016 , a more than 400 percent increase over the previous year.In February of this year alone, Border Patrol agents conducted more than 5,000 searches. Some of those searches were of cellphones belonging to American citizens , though the Department of Homeland Security has not provided information on how frequently American citizens are targeted.President Donald Trumps administration has made increased scrutiny of travelers a top priority, though he hasnt commented on electronic searches of American citizens specifically. Last year, he addressed electronic searches of noncitizens, saying that he wanted Border Patrol agents to prevent people with bad thoughts from getting in the country A Homeland Security spokesman said the agency does not comment on pending legislation.Polis said he recognized that its important that law enforcement officials be able to do their jobs  but he emphasized that Americans still have privacy rights that need to be protected.Im sure there are people that want to search houses without warrants, too, Polis said. But in this country, for American citizens, we establish a balance between privacy and law enforcement. Thats why we have the Fourth Amendment.In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled that the Fourth Amendment, which protects citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures, also protected citizens from having their cellphones searched without a warrant. But Border Patrol agents have more freedom than other law enforcement officers, and the ruling did not extend to them.The proposed bill would also require Border Patrol agents to make sure the U.S. citizens they screen are fully aware that they have the right to say no when asked to unlock cellphones and laptops and to share social media passwords.Ensuring that travelers know they have a right to privacy would be a major victory for Nikiya Natale, the civil rights director for the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.Its very clear to me how little the average American knows about their rights at the airport, Natale said. The No. 1 question I get asked here is: Im traveling, and Im scared. What do I do if they ask for my cellphone? Natale noted recent stories of Muslim travelers forced to hand over their passwords and cellphones to Border Patrol agents, even though the travelers were American citizens.Some Muslim American travelers are right now kind of terrified of traveling internationally, she said. Why would you subject yourself to that kind of invasion of privacy?The bill was also introduced in the Senate by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Ron Paul, R-Ky. Both senators often emphasize privacy rights in legislation.
(TNS)  Anyone who has been downtown since March 8 has been recorded on a Canton police video camera, and those images likely will remain on file for at least a month.About 10 security cameras installed in a 10-block area of downtown Canton went live the second week of March, said Lt. John Gabbard of the Canton Police Department. The cameras, another at 10th Street and Shorb Avenue NW, and yet another at Fulton Road and 14th Street NW, constantly are recording video maintained on the same server as the police body-camera footage, which the department keeps for at least 30 days.The city purchased the cameras for $40,200 from Jackson Township-based ProTech Security, according to a Feb. 6 article inGabbard and other police officials can use a laptop computer to monitor those areas at any time  and even play back high-quality video recordings for specific periods of time.More extensive plans for using video are in the works.Gabbard said officials plan to install a wall of monitors at the city's Communications Center so dispatchers can see what's going on in real time."The emerging technology gives us the ability to have a video wall to look at many cameras together at the same time," the lieutenant said.Police also plan to connect the camera system to the Patrol Division's license plate readers and to the Shotspotter gunshot alert system, hoping to catch people and vehicles driving through the area before, during and after gunshots are fired.Because internet-capable cameras eventually can tie into the system, officials plan to ask business owners and residents for help as early as this summer."We want to reach out to residents and businesses that have cameras and ask what view their cameras have," Gabbard said, adding that many business owners and homeowners aim their own personal security cameras at driveways and streets surrounding their homes."People take a lot of time and money putting their video systems together, and we get great video sometimes of cars involved in shootings and of getaway vehicles," he said. Some crime victims have sent video and photos to the police on their anonymous Tip411 line.The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office's criminal analysis unit already registers residents who are willing to help, Gabbard said. Investigators there can access the locations of cameras from Google Maps, enabling them to know who to ask for video should a crime occur."When we get more software in place, possibly this summer, we will be asking residents who would like to register their cameras with us in case we need help," Gabbard said. Private cameras tied into the system will enable officers summoned to see what's going on just before, during and after their arrival.Of course, participation requires permission from residents and business owners who have the cameras.But when it's all in place, the video system "would tie into cameras that are compatible, such as Canton City Schools, hospitals, the Hall of Fame village ... Once we get the right software, we can tie all those systems together," Gabbard said.
Alex Rins will try to race at Termas de Rio Hondo. Good news for the Suzuki rider, who crashed one week ago while training with his MX bike, fracturing his left talus and suffering a bone edema.

The Spaniard was checked out by doctors before leaving for Argentina and they are allowing him to race, despite ankle mobility being less than 100%.

Rins will continue with physiotherapy over the coming days and will be supported by doctors at the Argentinian track.

Alex hasn't lost his good humour though:  I like Termas, I can exploit the GSX-RR's acceleration and the straight will seem shorter than it did when I was racing in Moto2 last year - he jokes - I injured myself while training, it's nothing serious but I need a little time to recover. I hope the pain doesn't bother me too much, I'm keen to continue with my MotoGP apprenticeship with Suzuki.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko hopes that the European Parliament will approve the introduction of a visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens on April 6.

"I hope that the day after tomorrow, on April 6, we will get a decision of the European Parliament. We have done a very serious job for this," the president said during his meeting with the Ukrainian community in Riga on Tuesday.

According to him, a delegation of Ukrainian lawmakers has left for the European Parliament.

"We are waiting for the European Parliament to support Ukraine and Ukrainians by an overwhelming majority of votes and to vote for Ukrainians to be able to travel to the Schengen countries without any visas and restrictions," Poroshenko stressed.
Kyiv is not trying to spur on its entry into NATO, being aware of the need to focus on 'homework', Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze said.

"We are conducting a very active political dialogue with the alliance... We are seeking neither protection nor asylum; we are aspiring to partnership. We are not pushing for urgent membership and are not trying to accelerate this process. We realize that our primary goal for today is to do our homework," Klympush-Tsintsadze said at a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Inter-Parliamentary Council in Kyiv on Wednesday.

Ukraine and NATO may help each other in a number of issues, she said.

"The bitter experience we are receiving today may be of use to our partners, NATO member countries. I'd also like to say that although Ukrainians are defending their country they have not stopped participating in NATO peacekeeping operations," she said.

Ukraine is consistently progressing towards NATO membership and "has actually become the eastern flank of the alliance," Klympush-Tsintsadze said.
Kyiv can count on Copenhagen's support  Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

During an audience for Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko with Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, the Ukrainian president thanked the queen for her country's support for Ukraine.

"Poroshenko has expressed the hope that Denmark will continue to participate in the implementation of humanitarian projects to support internally displaced persons in Ukraine, who were victims of Russian aggression. On her part, the queen assured that Ukraine can rely on solidarity and support of her state," the president's press service reported.

The sides noted the high level of political dialogue and friendly relations between the two states.

The president thanked the queen for Denmark's support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The president invited Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II to come to Ukraine with a state visit at a convenient time," the report says.

The audience took place during Poroshenko's official visit to Denmark.
Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office officials are conducting a search in the central office of the company Ukrnafta, the company press service told Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.

"The Prosecutor General's Office is conducting a search, we are assisting them," the press service said.

Naftogaz Ukrainy holds 50%+1 share in Ukrnafta. Former shareholders of PrivatBank hold some 42% of the shares.
Members of the Supreme Courts conservative majority are questioning the continued use of affirmative action in higher education. In lengthy arguments Monday, the justices wrestled with persistent, difficult questions of race. The justices heard from six different lawyers in challenges to policies at the University of North Carolina and Harvard. Those policies consider race among many factors in evaluating applications for admission. One conservative justice likened affirmative action to giving some college applicants a head start in a footrace. But a liberal justice said universities are the pipelines to leadership in our society and suggested that without affirmative action minority enrollment will drop.
Political experts note that the government of Volodymyr Groysman has made a stake on solving social issues, stabilizing and restoring economic growth during one year of its work.

"This government can be defined as the government of stabilization and economic recovery. In my opinion, the main result of this Cabinet is the restoration of economic growth. Yes, the figures are modest, only 2%, but the main thing is that the decline of the economy, which was in 2014-2015, has been overcome," the head of the Penta Center for Applied Political Studies Volodymyr Fesenko said during a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Wednesday.

He pointed out that Prime Minister Groysman focused on social issues and stabilizing the situation. "We cannot say that the limit of unpopular decisions was exhausted, this government at first also took unpopular decisions, but they made social issues one of their priorities, in particular, the most memorable decision was to double the minimum wage," the expert explained.

Fesenko said that in the 90s the economic decline lasted almost ten years, and now this decline was managed to be stopped quite quickly. He also noted the role of the previous government of Arseniy Yatsenyuk in this process.

The political expert believes that the main problems of Groysman's Cabinet of Ministers are the intensified institutional conflicts, for example, between the Ministry of Infrastructure and Ukrzaliznytsia, around Ukrtransgas, the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Coal Industry Ministry, and the Ministry of Health. Political conflicts, for example, connected with the trade blockade of the uncontrolled territories of Donbas, also hamper the development.

"There are political forces that want to depose the current government to provoke a political crisis and early parliamentary elections. I think that in the second half of May or early June they will try to declare a vote of non-confidence to this government," he said.

In his opinion, the report of the government and voting on it in the parliament will show how strong the positions of the current Cabinet are. At the same time Fesenko admits that there can be "certain plots" even among pro-government factions. At the same time, he pointed out that Groysman has good contact with the majority of parliamentary factions and groups in the Verkhovna Rada.

Deputy Director of the Situation Modeling Agency Oleksiy Holobutsky noted that the opposition does not have votes for the resignation of the government of Groysman, and the forces that support him have an instinct of self-preservation.

"I do not see in the parliament itself a single opportunity for the resignation of the government and holding of early parliamentary elections. This is possible only under certain external circumstances: the influence of the public, the full-fledged war between Ukraine and Russia, some economic collapse that would completely ruin the state system of Ukraine," he said.

The political scientist said that unlike the government of Yatsenyuk, that constantly shocked the population with some decisions, which was also important for changing the psychology of the population, Groysman's government became "an indicator of some kind of good news" when, for example, it initiated to raise the minimum wage.
Medium, medium-hot, hot and Indian hot (read off-the-chart hot).

Thats how Kabal Gill, who co-owns the Saffron Indian Cuisine restaurant along with Raj Arora, describes his spice repertoire. The restaurateur (he owns restaurants in four other locations, including Atlanta) from Punjab, India, is an expert in the art of Indian food from his days as a chef and owning restaurants serving his native cuisine. Arora is also from Punjab.

Gill gives me a window into the world of Indian spices with a peek in the kitchen. The shelves are lined with staples shipped from India: chile, curry, saffron, tamarind, turmeric powder, chana masala (spice for chickpeas), kasoori mithi (dry fenugreek leaves), garlic and the list goes on.

Saffron will play host to Ethnosh NoshUp, the international food adventurers, to showcase the cuisine and cultures of India, on Monday evening, April 10.

At this NoshUp you can meet co-owners Kabal and Gagan Gill and their staff. For $8, you get a plate of signature samplers. Electronic reservations are required to attend.

I need American hot,  frequent diner Jennifer Wilson says with a smile. Saffron allows guests to spice it up  or not  according to their palate. The spices and sauces are great  I especially like the chutney and cucumber sauce, and I like that I can use the sauce to have the heat the way I want it.

She points to the buffet bar where sauces take up a portion of the desert bar  mint, onion chutney and others. Gill admits that the spice heat is dialed back unless requested. Most Americans dont have the palate for Indian hot.

Anu Alam, who is dressed neatly in black like the rest of the professional wait staff, is a willing ambassador of Indian food even though her native land is Bangladesh. Alam starts her short tutorial on Indian food with the popular lunch buffet bar known for its freshness, presentation and vast array of choices.

Meat-protein choices come in the form of chicken, lamb, fish and goat. Dont look for beef at most Indian restaurants. The cow is sacred in the Hindu religion, and Indians typically refrain from eating beef.

Lamb and goat are tastier than beef  especially goat, Alam explains. If you are craving a steak, the dinner menu has a filet.

Alam tells me the runaway favorite is the chicken tikka masala, made with 100 percent white chicken and baked in a clay oven, called a tandoor, with cream, tomato base and onion. The flavorful dish is creamy but delicate and not overpowering.

Goat served in curry sauce, boti kebab (lamb) and tandoor salmon tikka are popular meat choices.

Vegetarian choices are plentiful. Black lentils, black chickpeas, eggplant with potatoes and masala sauce, broccoli pakora (fritters), vegetable balls (cabbage, potatoes and carrots fried) are some of the delightful and healthful dishes geared toward vegetarians.

The saffron french fry is a standout. The crispy fries can go toe-to-toe with American style and then some. The crispy potato is fried in chickpea flour for an original, delicious taste.

Two Indian cuisine mainstays must be mentioned: naan (bread) and rice, both of which are given a bad rap in America by the carb-watching crowd. At Saffron, both feel like delicacies. There is a beauty in the simplicity of the white basmati rice and its ability to pair perfectly with sauces, meats or vegetables.

Naan is fast becoming Americas favorite ethnic bread. The leavened, oven-baked flatbread comes in wheat or white. The puffy but light bread is made in a tandoor and combined with garlic and other spices.

Photographer Carolyn de Berry, who knows a thing or two about Indian food, shared her experiences with naan.

Dragging a piece of naan bread (always get chutney to go with it) through the last bits of sauce on your plate is not a bad idea, De Berry says. She adds another plug for the other bastion in the foodie world  takeout.

The last two years, weve gotten takeout on Valentines Day since eating in a restaurant with a toddler is not quite as relaxing as people imagine, she says. I can tell you that its just as delicious sitting at home on your couch as it is in their lovely dining room.

Craft and imported beer choices run the gamut from the familiar Samuel Adams and Blue Moon to choices from Holland, Mexico, Iceland, India and other countries. Wine and beer specials are available each week.

American coffee has a challenger in town. Saffrons chai tea looks like designer coffee but is arguably the best tea in Greensboro. The smooth concoction of milk, tea leaves, ginger and cardamom is the stuff dreams are made of  especially on a cold day.

I can think of no better way to start and end the day, all for the bargain price of $4.

The tea has a fan club, Alam tells me.

We have ladies who come every day for chai tea, she says with a smile. They say it is better than Starbucks.

Indians revere tea (India is a major tea-producing country), and their expertise shows in taking a simple product to four-star level.

For people who prefer a fruit drink as a reward, try the refreshing mango lassi  mango fruit combined with yogurt to create a smoothie. The refreshing drink comes in strawberry and sweet lassi.

On weekends, brunch is on the menu, featuring traditional Indian breakfast and lunch dishes topped off with champagne mimosas. Kids like the milkshake, which is reportedly not like an American milkshakes. The recipe is a secret, so it must be good.
When Greensboros American Hebrew Academy was announced the winner of the 2017 Prizmah National Moot Beit Din competition recently, senior Samuel Goldberg could barely control his excitement.

When they called out our schools name, even though all I wanted to do was scream as loud as possible, I kept my composure, and we received our award respectfully, Goldberg said. Then, we screamed really loudly.

Goldberg, who is from Monterrey, Mexico, and his team were part of the competition, organized for Jewish high schools, which challenged students to examine the ethical and moral dimensions of halakha (Jewish law) and U.S. case law through creative engagement with contemporary situations. Other members of the American Hebrew Academy team were seniors Coby Strell from Hoboken, N.J., and Yehonatan Vloski from Shaarei-Tivka, Israel, and junior Isaac Ostrow from Memphis, Tenn.

Strell, who presented the introduction and conclusion for his groups case, said his teams ability to work well together was a major strength.

We are all friends, and that made it a lot easier to communicate with each other about when we wanted to practice and give each other constructive criticism on how we answered questions and presented our cases, he said. I also learned that it is really important and enjoyable to build strong connections with other Jewish students across the nation and that engaging in an intellectual activity is a great way to accomplish that.

In its 10th year competing in Moot Beit Din, the American Hebrew Academy has won first place in its division four times and second place once.

I feel it validates our approach to Jewish studies and to learning in general, said Josh Moss, Rabbinics teacher and Moot Beit Din adviser for the school.

This years competition focused on technology and the legal complexities revolving around self-driving vehicles.

Students tackled the case of a bystander injured by an autonomous vehicle pre-programmed to avoid striking another pedestrian in its path. Students researched classical Jewish sources to decide who was liable to pay for the injured partys damage, medical expenses and lost wages. The American Hebrew Academy team earned first place in the competitions highest and most difficult division.

The team prepared for the competition during winter and spring term as part of an elective Moot Beit Din preparation class.

Each member of the class participated in preparing the written component of the competition, and four members were chosen to compete in the oral arguments and cross-examination.

I definitely learned how to debate better and present an argument in a more professional way, Goldberg said. This will definitely look good on my resume.

Senior Vloski feels he, too, improved his communication skills.

I believe this experience will help me express myself better and help me present things better, he said.

In addition to extensive research in preparation for the competition, students interviewed lawyers and experts in Jewish law.

For many Jews, particularly the Orthodox, Jewish law governs many aspects of their daily life. When mediation is not possible, churches and other religious groups sometimes turn to religious courts or tribunals.

Alex Troy, American Hebrew Academys head of school, believes it is important for students to participate in Moot Beit Din because it affirms the timelessness of Jewish law.

It also allows our students to push themselves and to see how they compare against the best students at similar schools, he said. And, it lifts our school spirit, which is vital to making the boarding-school experience fun.
The Russian Federation has concentrated about 43,000 servicemen along the Ukrainian border, First Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Ivan Rusnak has said.

"On the territory of the Russian Federation, in the immediate vicinity of the Ukrainian border, there are currently deployed military units of the Russian Federation with more than 18,000 servicemen, 1,380 tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, about 300 artillery systems and Grad MLRS, 700 combat helicopters and aircraft, and 24 warships," he said during a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO interparliamentary council in Kyiv on Wednesday.

Rusnak informed that the Russian authorities are increasing the militarization of Crimea - the number of Russian troops in combat units on the peninsula is about 24,000 persons.

In addition, he said, the Russian military contingent of 1,000 people in the Trans-Dniester region of Moldova "can be used at any time to attack our territory."

The deputy minister said Russian authorities had formed two army corps numbering 36,000 people in the territory of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. The number of Russian regular units on the territories of Donbas that are not controlled by Kyiv amounts to 2,900 people.

"Russia is testing new ways and forms of combat operations and new weapons in Ukraine," the representative of the Defense Ministry said.

Rusnak did not rule out that the territory of Belarus "can also be used for invasion." He recalled that the plan of Russian-Belarusian military drills 'West-2017' provides for a large-scale redeploying of troops from Russia to Belarus using about 4,000 railway cars.

"Such large-scale movements can testify to Russia's plans to transfer a significant part of its personnel to Belarus and deploy a large-scale paramilitary group there. It is possible that Russia can use the military exercises for the next provocations on the territory of Ukraine and the Baltic states," Rusnak said.
GREENSBORO  Guilford County Schools Superintendent Sharon Contreras proposed Tuesday the school board ask county commissioners for about $8.2 million more in annual funding for the district for 2017-18.

The money, she said, would help cover raises and increased costs for benefits, as well as increased charter school enrollment. If enacted, it would be just over 4 percent more than this years county appropriation for the districts operating budget and about $58 more per student. Her proposals are likely to change significantly as the district gets more information on what to expect from the state in funding and mandates this upcoming year.

In an interview, Contreras suggested shes relieved, not thrilled by this budget proposal. Its maintaining the district, not pushing ahead on any major priorities.

Ive simply been able to protect the schools from draconian cuts, Contreras said. On the one hand, its disappointing to me; on the other, Im relieved that I am not calling principals to say, I am cutting teachers in your building. 

Board chairman Alan Duncan said state funding totals can go in either direction and the school board will need to adapt its budget to the state budget, which is typically finalized during the summer, long after the board first votes on its budget in May. County commissioners also have to approve or veto local funding requests.

Even when we pass a budget that doesnt really mean weve passed a budget, it means weve put the ball in play, Duncan said during the meeting.

In total, salary and benefit cost increases are estimated to cost just over $7 million, and the growth in charter school enrollment is expected to cost nearly $3.8 million, said district Chief Financial Officer Angie Henry. To save about $2.6 million, Contreras proposes increasing class size by one student per class for grades 6-12.

Her total proposed operating budget is $637,261,919.

Contreras said the district is looking at a recommendation to close High School Ahead Academy, a program that helps about 100 middle school students retake and recover credit for courses theyve previously failed. That potential change relates to concern that results arent justifying the cost of the program. It wasnt part of the presented recommendations to the board Tuesday night, but it could potentially come before the board.

Contreras aligned her proposed raises with those in Democratic Gov. Roy Coopers proposed budget. He has recommended using state money to pay for a 5 percent increase in pay for teachers and an average 6.5 percent increase for principals and assistant principals, as well as a 2 percent increase and one-time bonus for classified staff. Those are employees without teaching or similar certifications.

Contreras budget contains raises across all those categories. Not all Guilford County Schools employees are paid by the state, so the district is looking to spend local funds to help locally-paid school employees receive the same levels of compensation increases as state-paid peers in their same categories.

Contreras gave her preliminary budget recommendations during Tuesdays regular board meeting. Its her first budget recommendation as superintendent. She took on the job in August, coming from a position as superintendent of Syracuse City Schools in New York.

Its unclear what shape the state budget will take. Cooper has made his proposals but the state legislature controls the budget process and Republicans have a majority in the legislature that could override a veto from Cooper.

Outside of the state budget, theres another bill pending in the legislature that has major implications for the district. Contreras is working off the assumption the state will pass House Bill 13, legislation that would partially back off a previous K-3 class size decrease mandate set to take effect for the 2017-18 school year. If the mandate goes into effect unaltered, the district would need more funding or more cuts to pay for it.
A Kansas abortion clinic that was among the first in the country to open after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade has been inundated with patients. Some drive 10 hours or more to get there, coming from Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and even Louisiana. But thats only if they can get an appointment. Planned Parenthood clinics in the state, including this newest one, are only able to take about 10% to 15% of the patients seeking abortions. Kansas is one of the few states in the region still providing abortions in the wake of the court's ruling.
HIGH POINT  From his freshman year at Ragsdale High on, Chris Houpt knew he wanted to be a pharmacist.

Math and science were his best subjects, and they lined up better with health care, he said.

When Chris and his twin brother, Alex, enrolled at High Point University in 2014, they knew the university was on the verge of opening the Triads first pharmacy school.

The Houpt brothers loaded up on math and science courses in their first two years at HPU. This fall, the Greensboro residents were among the 60 members of the first class at HPUs Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy.

HPU has high hopes for its new pharmacy school. The university expects the school to grow to more than 300 graduate students and potentially attract millions of dollars in research funding  big deals for a university that traditionally has focused on a liberal arts undergraduate education.

High Point is putting its money behind pharmacy and several other new health care programs. This summer, HPUs pharmacy and health sciences schools will move into a brand new building that will be the largest on the High Point campus.

High Point consistently aspires to be more distinctive, university President Nido Qubein said. One of the ways you can become more distinctive is that you can do those things that appeal to a larger population and bring you a sense of academic prestige.

No question about it, these programs  pharmacy chief among them  do that.

  

HPUs road to a pharmacy school started when another local university reached a dead end.

Shortly after Qubein became HPUs president in 2005, the university considered ways to grow beyond its traditional liberal arts focus. Medical school was too expensive. Law schools and nursing schools are too common in North Carolina.

High Point ultimately gravitated toward health care. The industry is growing. Many health care jobs pay well. It serves an aging public. And HPU already had good undergraduate science offerings upon which the university could build graduate programs.

When the UNC system ended UNC-Greensboros bid to open a pharmacy school in 2010, High Point took up the idea and announced later that year that it would start new schools in pharmacy and health sciences.

Two years later, HPU hired Ronald Ragan from the University of Kansas, where he had received his pharmacy degree and risen through the administrative ranks to become an associate dean.

For a time, Ragan was the pharmacy school. When he arrived in 2012, there were no faculty members, no facility, no curriculum  just Ragan, a plan and a fall 2016 deadline to get the school open.

Since then, Ragan, the pharmacy schools founding dean, has hired 19 professors and five support staff members and recruited two classes of students. The pharmacy school opened this fall with 60 students. The class coming in this coming fall should have about 70.

Because the pharmacy school wont move into its new building until fall, Ragan arranged temporary quarters for students and staff members. Lectures are held in HPUs career services building. Skill labs are done in an old bank building owned by the university. Faculty offices and science labs are in rented space in a former pharmaceutical research building 6 miles from campus.

Over the summer, the pharmacy school will move into a new four-story building. At 220,000 square feet, its the largest building on campus. Its also part of a $120 million investment HPU has made in its new health care programs.

The building will house both the pharmacy and health sciences schools. The Congdon School of Health Sciences is home to HPUs physician assistant program that started in 2015. In May, the first class of doctoral-level physical therapy students  HPUs third doctoral program  will start classes.

The two schools will occupy opposite sides of the building. But students from the different schools will be expected to work together sometimes.

Thats what theyre going to see when theyre out there in the real world, Ragan said. From the day they leave here we want them ready to practice as a team.

  

On a recent weekday afternoon, 30 HPU pharmacy students gather for their lab class in the former bank branch.

The building near Oak Hollow Mall is serving as a skills lab until the pharmacy school building is ready. The lobby now holds lab tables. In the bank offices are local residents hired to play pharmacy clients.

Every 10 minutes or so, a student in a white jacket, like one a professional pharmacist wears, ducks into a room to meet a pretend customer. This role-play exercise is part of the schools standardized client program, and the experience it provides is a key part in the pharmacy education of these students.

The days simulation requires students to help clients who want to lose weight. The pharmacy students must first go through a lengthy checklist  How much do you weigh? How did you hear about this drug? What other medications are you taking?  before helping the client choose from among three over-the-counter weight-loss drugs.

Students are graded not only on which drug they recommend but how they came across. Did they speak clearly? Ask the right questions? Listen? Explain things so the client could understand them?

Robin Cooke, an assistant professor of clinical science, said the lab course is designed to build confidence as students learn to deal with clients.

In pharmacy, we do a lot more than count pills, Cooke said. You have to know how to ask the right questions.

Learning how to count pills and ask the right questions is part of the grueling six-year process of becoming a pharmacist.

Pharmacy school is a two-plus-four program  at least two years of undergraduate study thats heavy on biology, chemistry and human anatomy and physiology followed by four years of actual pharmacy school. About 40 percent of HPUs first-year class, including the Houpt brothers, entered the pharmacy school after their sophomore or junior year of college. The rest already had bachelors degrees.

For the first three years of pharmacy school, students learn about the science of pharmacy  how drugs work, how they interact with other medications and the human body, how theyre prescribed, and how to make them. Theyre also taught about the nations health care system and how to work with clients as well as doctors, nurses and other medical and pharmacy professionals.

In their fourth year, students rotate through a variety of pharmacy settings  retail stores, hospitals, clinics and medical offices  where they might work after graduation. They also prepare for the two exams they must pass to get their pharmacy license.

Some pharmacy schools emphasize science and research. Others emphasize clinical practice. Ragan said HPUs pharmacy curriculum tries to strike a balance between the two while giving its students plenty of hands-on experience.

In their first year, HPU pharmacy students learn how to give immunizations  something that other schools dont teach until later. First-year HPU students are also assigned a longitudinal care patient  a local nursing home resident whom they will check in with every few weeks for three years. This program mimics a real-world experience when pharmacists see the same customers for years.

We realized we needed to better prepare our students, Ragan said. In the end, if they cant talk to my mother whos 85 years old and in a retirement community, if they cant communicate clearly with her about her medications and other things in her health care life, they havent provided optimal health care.

Alex Houpt said its clear to him that HPUs faculty members are emphasizing these real-world experiences.

Theyre working toward the future of pharmacy, Houpt said. I like that idea  that theyre teaching us work in a changing field.

  

The universitys School of Pharmacy, like its new building, remains a work in progress.

Ragan wants each incoming class to have about 80 students, which eventually would push the schools total enrollment to about 320. He still needs to hire about 20 more faculty and staff members. And hes already thinking about future programs  maybe a joint MBA degree for students interested in the business of pharmacy.

Last summer, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education gave HPUs new school precandidate status. Thats as far along as the school can be at this point. HPUs school wont be eligible for full accreditation until after its first pharmacy class graduates in 2020.

Its too soon to tell how High Point will stack up against North Carolinas three existing pharmacy programs.

UNC-Chapel Hill has the states oldest and largest pharmacy school  and the nations best, according to U.S. News & World Report. Two other private universities, Campbell and Wingate, also have pharmacy schools.

Ragan said he left Kansas only because High Point promised to build not just another pharmacy school but a different school, he said, a robust school for the future.

Does North Carolina have room for a fourth pharmacy school?

If its just another school, maybe not, Ragan said. But if its a different school like were building, absolutely theres room.
GREENSBORO  A storm bringing heavy rain and high winds is expected to hit the Triad about midnight.

The storm, coming in from Tennessee, could also bring hail and a possible isolated tornado, said Kathleen Carroll, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Raleigh.

Carroll said the rain will be heaviest between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. and could linger around until at least 8 a.m. An isolated tornado could occur overnight, she said.

The American Red Cross, along with fire departments and other agencies, is prepared to support a shelter in the case of extreme weather, according to a Red Cross news release. If a shelter is opened in your area, you can find it by visiting www.redcross.org/app, according to the release.

Temperatures in the low 40s are expected overnight with a high of 60 degrees Thursday. Carroll said it will be windy Thursday with gusts up to 30 mph expected.
RALEIGH  A federal appeals court has rejected North Carolinas claim that it owns the bottom of a major river where hydroelectric dams have been churning for a century.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals split 2-1 on Monday in dismissing the states claim that it has a say in the operations and ownership of four Yadkin River dams built to power a now-defunct Alcoa aluminum smelter.

State attorneys are reviewing the courts decision and will decide later whether to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, Laura Brewer, a spokeswoman for state Attorney General Josh Stein, said in an email Tuesday.

The smelting plant once employed 1,000 workers, but closed a decade ago. Since then, Alcoa has made more than $210 million selling electricity to commercial customers.

Committee OKs adding

police stops to drivers ed

RALEIGH  A legislator says he believes his bill requiring North Carolina drivers education materials to direct motorists how to act during police stops would save lives if enacted.

The House Transportation Committee voted unanimously Tuesday for the legislation, which would put stop procedures and appropriate actions by drivers in the state drivers handbook and in school drivers education curriculum.

Rep. Ken Goodman of Rockingham spoke to committee members for the bipartisan legislation, introduced in light of recent deadly encounters between officers and drivers nationwide. Virginias governor signed similar legislation last month.

 The Associated Press
Ukraine, within the framework of countering modern cyber threats, is preparing a single national cyber security centre, which will be created with the assistance of NATO based on the experience of Turkey.

State-owned firm Ukrinmash, which is part of Ukroboronprom, is the coordinator of the project, which will be implemented with the participation of the National Technical University of Ukraine (NTU) Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI), the press service of the state concern Ukroboronprom said on Wednesday.

Turkish Havelsan was involved as a consultant to the project, which in Kyiv on Tuesday hosted a presentation of a similar cyber centre in its country, as well as a team of DCUA 'white' hackers from the KPI, recognized as the best in the cyber security in the version of CTF (Capture the flag) in 2016. Assistance and advisory assistance to the project will also be provided by NATO, a message says.

According to the press service, the National Security and Defense Council, the Ministry of Defense, the Security Service of Ukraine, the State Communications Committee, the Department of Cyber Police of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Cyber Security Academy, the CERT Cys Computer Emergency Response Center, and Ukroboronprom were invited to discuss the project implementation plan.

As reported, in March 2016, by the decree of the president of Ukraine, the Strategy for Cyber Security of the state was approved. In June of the same year, the president signed a decree on the establishment of the National Coordinating Centre for Cyber Security at the National Security and Defense Council. The center is entrusted with a wide range of tasks to counter potential and real threats in the field of cyber security of the state, taking into account international experience in this field.

In the fall of 2016, the state company Ukrinmash, a part of Ukroboronprom, and Turkish Havelsan Hava Elektronik Sanayi, signed an agreement on the joint development of radio technical reconnaissance (RTR).
GREENWICH  When Helen Shimeski celebrates her 97th birthday Thursday, shell have a very special present to mark the occasion.

Thanks to the diligence of her daughter and a team of Army researchers, Shimeski, a former Greenwich resident now living in Florida, was able to regain the World War II medals her husband received as an Army soldier in France.

The original decorations, including a prestigious Bronze Star, were lost sometime after Matthew Shimeski returned to Greenwich in 1946. The medals disappeared after a mishap with another family member.

No one saw them after that, Marilyn Shimeski, the daughter of the Matthew and Helen Shimeski, said this week.

The daughter was going through some old family documents at her home in Ocala, Fla., last year. She came across a picture of her father in uniform, holding an Army rifle  something shed never seen before.

I never thought of him holding a gun, she said.

Marilyn Shimeski had a distant recollection that her father received a number of medals from his service, but theyd gone missing. So last Memorial Day, she made a resolution to get those medals and present them to her mother.

She started writing to the U.S. Army to ask for replacements.

It wasnt easy to get them, she said. I was really pouring my heart out in these letters.

Marilyn Shimeski didnt have her fathers discharge number, which would have expedited the process. A team of workers at an Army and civilian processing facility in Philadelphia sped up the procedure to get the replacement medals shipped to the family.

Shimeski said she couldnt wait for her moms birthday  the excitement was too high  so she gave them to her mother late last month.

Beside the Bronze Star, the family received the Combat Infantryman Badge, the WWII Victory Medal and other related decorations.

Matthew Shimeski died in Greenwich in 2000, and he talked little about his war years among family members. He was in the military police, and while MPs werent usually assigned to front-line combat duties, they ended up in combat roles when the situation arose.

Belle doesnt know the circumstance behind her fathers Bronze Star, given for meritorious service in a combat zone. She only knew that her father once said his best friend in the Army died in his arms. He also had scar tissue on his legs from a war wound. Its a mystery what her father did in France that led to the award.

He kept that information to himself, she said. He took that to the grave.

Marilyn Shimeski believes her father was also awarded a Purple Heart for sustaining an injury  the medal for that is a separate process she is still undertaking.

Matthew Shimeski worked for the old Electrolux company in Old Greenwich for 30 years, never missing a days work, except to attend his mothers funeral.

Marilyn Shimeski said she was thrilled when she saw her mother clutching the medals. It was very emotional, she said. She was crying and I was crying.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Autumn Driscoll / ST Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 3





HARTFORD  Hundreds of executives and medical professionals gathered for a lobbying effort in the Capitol complex Wednesday in attempt to derail a proposal that would allow towns and cities to tax their local hospitals.

Led by the Connecticut Hospital Association, the high-profile demonstration started in the Legislative Office Building, then spilled over into the Capitol, with workers directly meeting House members as they walked into an afternoon lawmaking session.
Mark Lauretti snickers at his Republican compatriots who have done soft launches for governor.

The longtime Shelton mayor is all-in as a candidate for the states highest office, registering as a candidate Wednesday.

Theres nothing for me to explore, Lauretti said. If you look at me and any other potential candidate Republicans or Democrats, no one has what I have. When youve got 26 years of predictability and consistency and success, people can say what they want to say and think what they want to think, but Ive been there and done that.

Fairfield Countys longest-serving mayor or first selectman joins a logjam of GOP aspirants for governor, many of whom have formed exploratory committees to gauge support and start raising money. They include Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, Trumbull First Selectman Tim Herbst and 2014 secretary of the state candidate Peter Lumaj.

Lauretti, 62, is no stranger to the process, having run for governor in 2014.

State GOP Chairman J.R. Romano, a native of neighboring Derby in the Naugatuck Valley, said Laurettis mayoral record is impressive.

You know as a Valley guy, Im a Valley guy, I know that work ethic is real, Romano said.

In 2014, Lauretti raised more than $100,000 for his gubernatorial bid, but did not get enough votes during the state GOP convention to qualify for the partys primary. Boughton drafted him as a running mate after Heather Somers abandoned the Boughton campaign to run for lieutenant governor on her own.

It was a short-lived partnership between Lauretti and Boughton, who was trying to pool cash with Lauretti to qualify for public financing for his campaign. Lauretti was unable to collect enough signatures to get onto the primary ballot with Boughton.

In 2010, Lauretti started a petition to get on the Republican ballot for governor, only to suspend his candidacy because of a federal corruption probe in his city that led to the imprisonment of two local developers and Sheltons former building inspector. Lauretti was cleared.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, a Democrat in his second term, is undecided on his re-election plans. His job approval ratings have been stymied by recurring budget deficits and the loss of General Electrics headquarters to Boston.

A trio of Democrats appears to be ready to compete for the nomination should Malloy step aside. It includes state Comptroller Kevin Lembo, state Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr., D-Branford, and Middletown Mayor Dan Drew, who is the only one of the group to form an exploratory committee.

Lauretti said no one on the Democratic side intimidates him, including Kennedy, whose connection to the governors race has garnered national media coverage.

What has he ever run in his life? Lauretti said. These people kill me. Theyve never run anything in their life and now they want to run the state. Im not sure Connecticut can afford that.

State Democratic Party spokesman Leigh Appleby dismissed Lauretti as a threat.

Well take Mark Lauretti seriously when he shows that hes a serious candidate, which he failed to do in 2014, last time he ran for governor, Appleby said.

nvigdor@hearstmediact.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy
KYIV. April 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Political experts note that the government of Volodymyr Groysman has made a stake on solving social issues, stabilizing and restoring economic growth during one year of its work.

"This government can be defined as the government of stabilization and economic recovery. In my opinion, the main result of this Cabinet is the restoration of economic growth. Yes, the figures are modest, only 2%, but the main thing is that the decline of the economy, which was in 2014-2015 has been overcome," the head of the Penta Center for Applied Political Studies Volodymyr Fesenko said during a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Wednesday.

He pointed out that Prime Minister Groysman focused on social issues and stabilizing the situation. "We cannot say that the limit of unpopular decisions was exhausted, this government at first also took unpopular decisions, but they made social issues one of their priorities, in particular, the most memorable decision was to double the minimum wage," the expert explained.

Fesenko said that in the 90s the economic decline lasted almost ten years, and now this decline was managed to be stopped quite quickly. He also noted the role of the previous government of Arseniy Yatsenyuk in this process.

The political expert believes that the main problems of Groysman's Cabinet of Ministers are the intensified institutional conflicts, for example, between the Ministry of Infrastructure and Ukrzaliznytsia, around Ukrtransgas, the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Coal Industry Ministry, and the Ministry of Health. Political conflicts, for example, connected with the trade blockade of the uncontrolled territories of Donbas, also hamper the development.

"There are political forces that want to depose the current government to provoke a political crisis and early parliamentary elections. I think that in the second half of May or early June they will try to declare a vote of non-confidence to this government," he said.

In his opinion, the report of the government and voting on it in the parliament will show how strong the positions of the current Cabinet are. At the same time Fesenko admits that there can be "certain plots" even among pro-government factions. At the same time, he pointed out that Groysman has good contact with the majority of parliamentary factions and groups in the Verkhovna Rada.

Deputy Director of the Situation Modeling Agency Oleksiy Holobutsky noted that the opposition does not have votes for the resignation of the government of Groysman, and the forces that support him have an instinct of self-preservation.

"I do not see in the parliament itself a single opportunity for the resignation of the government and holding of early parliamentary elections. This is possible only under certain external circumstances: the influence of the public, the full-fledged war between Ukraine and Russia, some economic collapse that would completely ruin the state system of Ukraine," he said.

The political scientist said that unlike the government of Yatsenyuk, that constantly shocked the population with some decisions, which was also important for changing the psychology of the population, Groysman's government became "an indicator of some kind of good news" when, for example, it initiated to raise the minimum wage.
Eleven Madison Parks co-owners, Will Guidara and Daniel Humm. Photo: MAL FAIRCLOUGH/AFP/Getty Images

In 2012, a New Yorker profile laid out the ways in which Daniel Humm and Will Guidara were changing Eleven Madison Park  the restaurant theyd bought from their previous employer Danny Meyer the year before  to help its performance on the annual Worlds 50 Best Restaurants ranking. That year, they were 10th  a jump from 24th the year before  and in the time since then, as EMPs place on the list has steadily risen, theyve made no secret about their goal to ultimately land the top spot. Today, that happened, when the restaurant was crowned No. 1 at a ceremony in Australia.

Critics can point to flaws with the list itself (such as its continued lack of meaningful female representation), but it is nevertheless very well-established that placement on the list has a tremendous impact on business, and each years release is closely followed by the industry. Even people with a casual interest in restaurants will refer to the lists winner as the best restaurant, even though its also well-established that, as an actual objective measure of restaurant quality, the list is sort of silly.

It is a list of expensive, world-class restaurants  all of which offer exemplary dining experiences  voted on by chefs, restaurateurs, food writers, and well-travelled gourmets. As the official manifesto reads, There is no pre-determined check-list of criteria, and voters are free to select whichever spots they prefer. As such, the list is a useful guide to eating $800 dinners, sure, but its best read as a look into chefs standing, and reputations, among their peers.

In other words, the restaurants that have regularly occupied the lists top spot in the past  ElBulli, Noma, or Osteria Francescana most recently  are the restaurants that the industry is most proud of. Humm and Guidara, who host and attend many industry parties and conferences, are extremely respected and well-liked; voters clearly think that holding them up on a pedestal will be good for the world of fine dining as a whole. And EMPs co-owners are first-rate ambassadors for the world of hyperexclusive dining: Their restaurant is a modern interpretation of the classic big-city dining temple, proof that fancy restaurants, even ones like EMP that are firmly rooted in the European dining tradition, can still feel vital and forward-thinking.

Daniel Humms cooking favors austere presentations, such as this dish of asparagus with celery-root puree and black truffle. Photo: Melissa Hom

Interestingly, the news comes just as the restaurant is set to close for the summer to renovate and overhaul the menu. The timing may seem somewhat inopportune, but it highlights the way chefs constantly rework their restaurants to stay atop these kinds of international restaurant rankings, where stagnation will cause voters to look elsewhere. Yet, in many ways, the new version of EMP sounds like it will be a natural evolution of the restaurant as it is now.

The current iteration of Eleven Madison Park is just about a decade old. Though the restaurant opened in 1998, Humm took over as chef in 2006. (He and Guidara bought the restaurant from Meyer in 2011.) In an interview with the Times, the partners explained that in addition to updating the kitchen, the dining room will get an overhaul  it will be more comfortable, which makes sense, because comfort is the restaurants defining feature.



ElBulli was a showcase for Ferran Adrias fearlessly modern technique and open hostility toward the established pace of a meal at a Michelin-caliber restaurant. Noma, meanwhile, grew to epitomize trends like foraging, traditional preservation techniques, and steadfast commitment to local ingredients. (Not to mention all the earthenware plates you see in every single dining room.) EMP, on the other hand, offers a menu that in many ways is a throwback to traditional luxury ingredients and classic European techniques  a signature dish of Humms is celery root or asparagus thats braised in pigs bladder and served with black truffle; another dish, eggs Benedict, is essentially a caviar course served with homemade English muffins  and sets itself apart with unparalleled warmth and familiarity. Dinner at Eleven Madison Park isnt about boundary-pushing or avant-garde food; its an exercise in opulence and pampering.

That m.o. clearly resonates right now with voters, and with todays announcement, Humm and Guidara are now the faces of fine dining around the world (just as Redzepi has been for the past decade, and Adria was before that). The accomplishment is a testament to their talent and determination, of course, as much as it is an indication of the prevailing trends at the highest end of the restaurant world. And just as Adrias modernist cooking and Redzepis New Nordic aesthetic inspired scores of other chefs, the EMP teams embrace of unpretentiousness (relatively speaking) and unmatched graciousness should continue to influence other restaurants around the world for many years.
Honor and Huawei have been doing a good amount of cross-pollination with renaming some smartphones for other markets. This time, Honor is announcing a new smartphone for the European market. The Honor 8 Pro is a rebranded device that is otherwise known as the Honor V9 in China.

The Honor 8 Pro is the best performing Honor smartphone to date, redefining large-screen smartphones by wrapping its outstanding features in an ultra-thin minimalist design.  George Zhao, President of Honor

Honor is really blurring the line between its two brands with this smartphone. While Honor has been keener about being a hyper-value brand, this is the first smartphone to break the 500+ price range. By contrast, last years priciest device from Honor was the Honor 8, it was priced at 400 when it launched last summer.

The Honor 8 Pro features a QHD 5.7-inch display, which trumps the Mate 9 in terms of resolution. Performance-wise, the Honor 8 Pro packs the Kirin 960. Thats the same CPU found in the Huawei Mate 9 and the more recent Huawei P10, not to mention, the Honor 8 Pro also makes use of 6GB of RAM and will come with 64GB of internal storage.

The Honor 8 Pro has the same camera setup thats found on the Honor 8: a dual-12MP camera setup adorns the backside, along with the fingerprint scanner (which doesnt feature the Honor 8s Smart Key), the former of which sits flush against the back of the phone, no camera hump! Supplying power to the large 5.7-inch display, the 6.97mm-thick device will pack a 4,000 mAh battery which Honor claims can last up to 2 days of regular use or 1.44 days of heavy use.

Also debuting on the new 8 Pro is a new game called: Galaxy on Fire 3, which actually sounds like a Galaxy Note7 joke.

The Honor 8 pro is launching in UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland. It costs 475 in the UK and 549 in mainland Europe with pre-orders available now through www.vmall.eu. Depending on your market, you can also snag a free Honor Gift Set with your pre-order. This includes your choice of a 128GB microSD card or Honor Power Bank, in addition to an Honor Tripod/Selfie Stick.
These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.
Published on 2017/04/05 | Source

Korean drama starting today 2017/04/05 in Korea "Queen of Mystery" (2017)

Advertisement

Directed by Kim Jin-woo-II, Yoo Yeong-eun-I

Written by Lee Seong-min-II

Network : KBS

With Choi Kang-hee, Kwon Sang-woo, Lee Won-keun, Shin Hyun-bin, Kim Hyun-sook, Jeon Soo-jin,...

16 episodes - Wed, Thu 22:00

Synopsis

"Queen of Mystery" tells the story of a prosecutor's wife who's always dreamed of being a detective. After actually solving a case, she ends up in an unlikely crime-fighting duo with a young police captain
(Xinhua) 08:23, April 05, 2017

MANILA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines and China have re-established direct talks for the first time in six years to discuss security and trade issues, the Philippines' top diplomat said Tuesday.

Philippine Acting Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said the biggest fruit of President Rodrigo Duterte's visit to Beijing in October last year was the re-opening of the lines that pave the way for direct consultations between the two countries.

"I think one of the benefits that have arisen from the president's visit last October is that we have restored various mechanisms to talk to China, not only on trade but also on political and security issues," Manalo told a forum in Manila.

"The key here is how to talk, how to settle or how to manage tensions in a peaceful way," Manalo said.

He said bilateral talks are the key because dialogue and cooperation will foster peace and prosperity in the region.

The Philippines and China are in talks to establish a bilateral consultation mechanism on the South China Sea.

Manalo said that the mechanism will provide the Philippines and China a good forum to have frank exchanges on vital issues.

"We're discussing with China in the context of trying to improve our relationship," he said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said last week that China is willing to strengthen dialogue with the Philippines to properly manage and control divergences and advance maritime cooperation to create a favorable atmosphere for pragmatic cooperation as well as the sound and stable development of ties.
Chinese President Xi Jinping offered his condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in response to Monday's St. Petersburg metro attack that left at least 11 people killed and 51 others injured.

President Xi said that China condemned the terror attack which has caused serious casualties and would like to express deep condolences to the victims and their families. Chinese people stand firm with Russian people, Xi said.

China opposes all forms of terrorists and is willing to work with Russia and international community to strengthen cooperation in anti-terrorism, safeguarding the peace and security of the region and the world, Xi said.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday sent a message of condolences to Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev over the explosion.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Monday sent condolences to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Wang Yi also expressed China's firm support for Russia to combat terrorism.
Congressman Jason Chaffetz Hospitalized

News Release from Hawaii Republican Party, May 1, 2017

Last week, Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) was advised by his doctors to undergo surgery on his ankle, which he had injured years earlier. The Congressman entered the hospital last Thursday and is expected to be released, with limited mobility, this week. He has informed us that he is unable to travel to Hawaii to be our Keynote Speaker at the 2017 Lincoln Dinner.

Due to these circumstances and with the cooperation of the Hawaii Convention Center and our donors, we are working to establish a new date for the event. As soon as the new date and time are confirmed we will advise the membership immediately.

Jack James

Hawaii Republican Party

Executive Director

The Hill April 27: "Chaffetz resting after 'successful' foot surgery"

* * * * *

HAWAII REPUBLICAN PARTY ANNOUNCES 2017 LINCOLN DINNER AND KEYNOTE SPEAKER

From www.GOPHawaii.com

Aloha Hawaii Republicans,

We are pleased to announce that Congressman Jason Chaffetz of Utah will be the keynote speaker for our 2017 Lincoln Dinner, which will be held on Monday, May 8, 2017 at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu. The proceeds from this event will help us recruit, train, and support candidates for the upcoming 2018 election cycle as well as pay our operating expenses.

Representative Chaffetz became the Chairman of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee in January 2015. He is currently serving his fourth term in the US House of Representatives. In the 114th Congress, he also serves on the House Judiciary Committee.

The values Congressman Chaffetz embraces are reflected in the issues he has prioritized during the course of his service. He ran for office on the promise of returning to the core conservative principles of accountability, strong national defense, limited government and fiscal discipline.

Accountability has been a hallmark of his work. Prior to being named Chairman of the Oversight Committee, he played a prominent role in numerous substantive investigations, including the Benghazi terrorist attack, the Fast & Furious gun running operation, the IRS targeting scandal and the Secret Service investigation. He is deeply engaged in exposing waste, fraud and abuse within the federal government.

Foreign policy and national security are a key focus of his work on both the Oversight and previously on the Homeland Security Committee. He has made numerous trips overseas to investigate issues ranging from embassy overspending to foreign aid waste. His trip to Libya in the weeks following the September 11, 2012 attack became the impetus for a broader investigation and the appointment of a Select Committee.

To learn more about Rep. Chaffetz, please click on this link.

To reserve and buy your table or tickets on Eventbrite, please click here.

To get a full size printable flyer, go to this web page.

Please contact Jack James, our Executive Director, at 808-593-8180 for additional details.

For more information and to stay connected, please like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HawaiiRepublicanParty, follow us on Twitter @gophawaii, and visit our website at www.gophawaii.com.

Sincerely,

Fritz Rohlfing

State Chair
Australian employees will resign from organisations that dont offer flexible working conditions, meaning employers are under pressure to evolve and adapt, according to CEB.



Since 2011, work/life balance has been the number one driver of attraction for employees on the lookout for new career opportunities, according to CEBs Global Talent Monitor.



However, the latest research reveals its is also a key driver of attrition, meaning that workers will actively leave an organisation if it does not fit their work/life balance needs.



Long commutes, unachievable housing prices and expensive child-care costs have forced Australians to re-evaluate how they can manage their personal and professional aspirations, said Aaron McEwan, HR advisory leader, CEB.



In fact, work/life balance is so important to Australians that they would willingly trade it over money, holidays and development opportunities offered by any prospective or current employer.



A lack of flexibility wont be tolerated by a workforce that knows sophisticated technology and remote connectivity could enable them to achieve their workplace KPIs from any location. The reality is, we are already living in Australias future of work, and organisations must find a way to accommodate work/life balance needs.



McEwan added Australian employers should 'seize the moment' and use it to pioneer flexible working options or face increased turnover and lower productivity.



The pressure for employees to have it all and balance home and work commitments has created two significant challenges for employers. Not only will their talent leave if they arent offered flexible conditions, but the number of disenchanted workers will continue to rise, added McEwan.



Moreover, CEBs data reveals workers are confident about their chances to find a new role. Indeed, optimism in the job market increased by 2.5% in Q4.



McEwan argued that employers should create an environment where workers can freely speak about what motivates them  and what doesnt  when it comes to their job.



This will help close the gap between employee/employer expectations and offer organisations a glimpse into the minds of their workforce.



Its not just work/life balance that is important to Australian employees, future career opportunities and people management rank highly too. There are number of steps employers can take to review their employee value proposition, and make sure theyre on the same page as employees, said McEwan.



CEB recommends the following steps for employers looking to reassess their employee value proposition (EVP) in an effort to attract and retain top talent:
(Bloomberg) Former Credit Suisse Group AG proprietary trader Charlie Chans macro hedge fund has returned more than 20 percent so far this year as bullish bets on Asian equities and currencies paid off, according to people familiar with the matter. The $127 million Splendid Asia Macro Fund made 19 percent in January and February, according to a newsletter seen by Bloomberg. Additional gains in March took the funds returns this year above 20 percent, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information hasnt been publicly disclosed.

To read this article:
The deportation, however, was postponed after authorities realised that an appeal lodged by the family was still pending with the Helsinki Administrative Court.

An Afghan woman, her husband and her underage child were set to board the deportation flight from Helsinki to Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday, Martti Hirvonen, a detective chief inspector at the Hame Police Department, reveals to Helsingin Sanomat .

The decision on the postponement was made over the weekend, after [the family] had been taken into custody on Friday. We cant comment further on the details of the decision or the postponement, because those details are classified, Hirvonen tells Helsingin Sanomat.

The Hame Police Department nevertheless confirmed in a press release that its officers took the family into custody in Asikkala on 31 March, 2017, and transported them to the Joutseno Reception Centre to await their deportation to Afghanistan. Some of the details of the case, it explained, were disclosed on grounds that the family and their representatives had already discussed the case in public.

After it was determined that the removal order was not yet final, the police made a decision to release the family [] on Sunday, 2 April, 2017, the press release reads.

Paivi Nerg, the state secretary at the Ministry of the Interior, emphasises in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat that whether or not an unsuccessful asylum seeker is a minor or pregnant has no bearing whatsoever on the enforcement of removal orders. Every deportee, she states, has been denied asylum or refugee status, and the decision to do so has been recognised by an administrative court.

Negative decisions are given also to minors. No European country has decided to grant asylum to all under 18-year-olds, she says.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Mikko Stig  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
It simply cant be the case that if you receive a negative [asylum] decision, youll head to [Helsinki] Senate Square and sit there for a month, and then you get a positive decision, Soini said at a municipal election debate organised by MTV in Helsinki on Tuesday.

Timo Soini (PS), the Minister for Foreign Affairs, has called attention to the importance of preserving the integrity of the asylum system of Finland.

Finland, he warned, would risk undermining its entire asylum system if it allowed individual cases to steer it away from the position it has adopted on asylum decisions.

Soini estimated that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs travel recommendations and warnings should not be cited as justification for criticising the forced removals of asylum seekers because the security situation in Afghanistan, for example, is different for western visitors than it is for locals. Westerners can be taken hostage, kidnapped. Its a different thing, he explained.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs currently advises citizens to avoid any travel to Afghanistan.

Soini also questioned the tendency of opposition members to dispute the decisions of courts and authorities by arguing that it is of utmost importance to foster public confidence in compliance with official decisions.

Whenever Finns Party members have appealed a courts decision, there has been a terrible uproar over them showing contempt for the judicial system. All of the [removal orders] have been approved by a court, and the police are simply doing their job, he stated.

If the decision-making criteria are changed, well carry on accordingly. But you cant agree on the criteria and then ignore them when taking action.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Roni Rekomaa  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
The much-discussed flight, it stresses, was a regular removal flight: six such flights have already been organised this year to add to the roughly 30 that were organised last year.

The Ministry of the Interior has issued a press release to straighten out the misconceptions circulating as part of the public debate, especially on social media, kindled by the removal of unsuccessful asylum seekers from Helsinki to Kabul on Sunday.

The flight was carried out without incident and all of the ten people ordered to leave the country arrived safely in Afghanistan, according to the Ministry of the Interior. The deportees, it adds, were accompanied on the flight by a medical practitioner, whose services were not required during the flight.

The Ministry of the Interior reminds that removals are a regular feature of asylum procedures across the European Union.

It stresses that applicants who have yet to complete the asylum procedure will not be removed from the country under any circumstances. Unsuccessful asylum applicants additionally have the right to appeal the negative decision, a right that had been taken advantage of without exception in the case of the ten people removed from the country on Sunday.

The removed individuals had therefore completed the appeals process, a ministry spokesperson says.

Roughly one hundred unsuccessful applicants a week return, either voluntarily or involuntarily, from Finland to their country of origin, including Afghanistan, the Ministry of the Interior tells. The monthly number of voluntary returnees is approximately 150.

The Ministry of the Interior also assures that the security situation in the country of origin is taken into consideration in all asylum-related decisions made by the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) and in the subsequent decisions by administrative courts.

If the security situation changes, it will be taken into account in the decision-making, it states.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Handout  Helsinki Police Department
Survivors of the Nanjing Massacre (from right to left, front) Liu Minsheng, Cen Honggui, Wang Xiuying and Pu Yeliang, mourn the victims at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, April 4, 2017. A mourning ceremony was held here by survivors and family members of victims in the Nanjing Massacre during Tomb-Sweeping Day, or Qingming, when Chinese people commemorate their deceased loved ones by visiting tombs. (Xinhua/Sun Can)

NANJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- With no tombs to sweep for their deceased relatives, some 50 family members of the victims of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre visited a memorial hall in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, to pay their respects Tuesday morning.

Tomb Sweeping Day, which falls on April 4 this year, is an occasion for Chinese to mourn the deceased and worship their ancestors.

Eleven survivors of the tragedy also attended the ceremony at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

They stood in silent tribute for one minute.

There are only 100 living Chinese survivors of the atrocity, according to the official association for survivors of the massacre.

Ge Daorong, 90, one of the survivors, said, "My family has been dead for 80 years and I have missed them painfully for 80 years. We come here not only to remember our deceased family but also to make more people value peace."

Ma Tinglu and Ma Tingbao are brothers. They are also survivors of the Nanjing Massacre. Their father and two uncles were shot to death by Japanese soldiers, who later burned their bodies to conceal the crime.

"We can only come here to worship our ancestors," Ma Tingbao said. "I will tell the history to my descendants."

During the three-day Tomb Sweeping Day holiday, the memorial hall received more than 100,000 visitors. Visitors presented chrysanthemums to the memorial wall to commemorate the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.
WASHINGTON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- A new U.S. poll released Tuesday found that Americans' views of China have greatly improved in the past year.

The poll was published ahead of the first meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump in Florida later this week.

The Feb. 16-March 15 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center showed that 44 percent of Americans have a favorable view of China, a 7-percent rise over a year ago.

The rise in Americans' favorable ratings of China may be related to the easing of Americans' concerns about the U.S. economy, Pew said.

Currently, 58 percent of Americans say the U.S. economic situation is either very or somewhat good, up from 44 percent in 2016, and 40 percent in 2015, the poll showed.

There are notable differences along partisan lines, with Democrats significantly more likely than Republicans or independents to offer a positive opinion of China, Pew said.

Despite the negative rhetoric about China by candidates during the 2016 presidential campaign, ratings of China have become more positive among both Republicans and Democrats, according to the survey.

Now 39 percent of Republicans have a favorable opinion of China, up from 27 percent a year ago. Among Democrats, 49 percent hold a favorable opinion, up from 39 percent a year ago, the poll found.

Americans are more worried about China's economic strengthening, at 52 percent, than its military power, at 36 percent, the poll discovered.
Keith Baker kept his victim locked in the room and subjected her to sexual assaults, which he recorded. Photo: PSNI/PA Wire

A couple who sexually abused a defenceless disabled woman while holding her as a prisoner and sex slave in their home in Northern Ireland for eight years have been jailed.

A senior police officer said the evil attacks carried out by Keith and Caroline Baker were unprecedented in their depravity.

Keith Baker (61), who was described as a "Svengali figure", was sentenced to 15 years and his 54-year-old wife, who was likened to his "pawn", was jailed for three years.

The couple had pleaded guilty to raping and sexually abusing their victim, who had severe learning difficulties.

She was kept in a room with no handle on the inside of the door and was so poorly fed that when she was eventually rescued in 2012, from what the court heard was "a house of horrors", most of her teeth had to be removed.

Filthy

Expand Close Keith Baker. Photo: PSNI/PA Wire / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Keith Baker. Photo: PSNI/PA Wire

Neighbours in Craigavon, Co Armagh, did not know the woman was in the Bakers' house, which consisted of two dwellings knocked into one.

The court heard that the married woman, who went missing from her home in England in 2004, was taken to Craigavon by the Bakers, who kept her in a filthy room which had no heat, wallpaper, bedclothes or carpets.

The bathroom floor was covered in human waste and her mattress was badly stained.

Many of the Bakers' sexual assaults on the woman were captured on video, the court heard, for the couple's gratification.

Expand Close Keith Baker kept his victim locked in the room and subjected her to sexual assaults, which he recorded. Photo: PSNI/PA Wire / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Keith Baker kept his victim locked in the room and subjected her to sexual assaults, which he recorded. Photo: PSNI/PA Wire

"It is not easy to understand how these individuals have so lost their moral compass that they could subject an individual who clearly exhibited serious mental defects to mistreatment, in sexual terms depriving her of any dignity and even the most basic of living standards," said Judge Patrick Lynch.

"Mr Baker presented as a Svengali figure, exercising control on three women based on his dominance, willingness to resort to violence and total immorality."

Keith Baker, who sat in a wheelchair outside the dock at Craigavon Crown Court, was also living with a third woman, who eventually alerted police.

Caroline Baker stood throughout the proceed- ings with her head bowed.

Expand Close The victim was kept in a room with the door handle removed. Photo: PSNI/PA Wire / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp The victim was kept in a room with the door handle removed. Photo: PSNI/PA Wire

Keith Baker was sentenced to 15 years in prison and a further five on licence after his release.

His wife was jailed for three years, with 18 months' early release under licence.

The Bakers had pleaded guilty to sexual activity involving penetration and causing a person with a mental disorder to engage in sexual activity.

Keith Baker was also charged with rape and indecent assault.

His wife was charged with aiding and abetting rape and other sexual offences including indecent assault.

A total of eight children also lived in the house, along with the third woman.

The judge said the household was "highly unorthodox" and the victim was totally isolated from the rest of society.

Her words when she was released from captivity were: "Yes, freedom."

Unimaginable

Det Chief Supt George Clarke, head of the PSNI's Public Protection Branch, said the police welcomed the sentences handed down to the Bakers for their "unimaginable and cruel" crimes against a very vulnerable woman who had been deprived of her basic human rights.

"In all my years as a police officer, I struggle to think of more depraved and cruel behaviour meted out by one human being to another," he said.

"I think this has been absolutely unprecedented here - jailing a woman for eight years, treating her in an inhumane fashion and using her for sexual gratification."

He added that the police had no grounds for believing that the victim was sexually abused by anyone other than the Bakers.

Mr Clarke said the woman was "much physically better" than she had been, but he added that it was very hard to imagine how anyone could come to terms with such abuse.

"I'm glad she has been rescued and her suffering has ended, but I think we have to reflect on how awful those eight years were for a very vulnerable woman," he said.
Maeve Bell (38) was the clinical manager at Elmhurst nursing home in Glasnevin, Dublin, when she syphoned money from the "comfort account" of a resident. Stock Picture

A former nursing home manager who was jailed for 15 months for stealing 45,000 from a patient has been struck off the nurses' register by the High Court.

Maeve Bell (38) was the clinical manager at Elmhurst nursing home in Glasnevin, Dublin, when she syphoned money from the "comfort account" of a resident.

These are residents' own accounts and are used to pay for their personal needs.

The Circuit Court heard Bell stole the money by making requests on behalf of the resident to withdraw money from her account.

Bell, formerly of Inniskeen, Co Monaghan, and currently of Shanmullagh, Hackballscross, Dundalk, Co Louth, pleaded guilty to 15 counts of stealing money on various dates between July 2013 and October 2014.

She told gardai she intended to use the money to pay her mortgage and bills while she was on maternity leave.

Repossessed

Her house was being repossessed and her husband was out of work.

After she was jailed, the Nursing and Midwifery Board held a hearing which recommended that her name be removed from the register and brought the matter before the president of the High Court, Mr Justice Kelly.

Bell was not in court and was still in jail in the Dochas unit of Mountjoy where she had been informed of the proceedings taking place in her absence, the judge was told.

She did not object to the application, but said she may at some future date apply to be restored to the register, counsel for the nursing board said.

Mr Justice Kelly noted she had sent a letter taking full responsibility for what she did which Bell admitted was totally wrong. He was satisfied the order sought by the nursing board should be granted.

"It is clear the public must be able to repose trust in nurses, not just in relation to their clinical skills but in relation to their honesty and probity," he said.
An Egyptian man who had been living in Ireland illegally has been sentenced to a year in prison for sexually assaulting a young woman in her Dublin home. Stock image

An Egyptian man who had been living in Ireland illegally has been sentenced to a year in prison for sexually assaulting a young woman in her Dublin home.

Mohamed Ahmed (31), of South Circular Road, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to attacking the woman last September 19.

The woman said in her victim impact statement that she had been receiving counselling since the incident and had not been able to walk home alone at night.

Ahmed had been invited back to the woman's house for a drink following a day out at the All-Ireland finals last year.

Kissing

She said there had been some consensual kissing before she asked him to leave.

Gda Lorna O'Connor took a statement from the victim the day after the attack.

"She pleaded with him to leave, which he refused to do," Gda O'Connor said.

The court heard that a struggle then ensued and Ahmed sexually assaulted the woman.

Ahmed, who has been in custody since his arrest, had no previous convictions.

He arrived in Ireland in 2010 on a student visa that expired in 2014.

He was sentenced to 18 months with the final six suspended, and was ordered to register as a sex offender.
A single mother who went on a "massive spending spree" after a bank accidentally deposited 51,000 into her account has received a suspended prison sentence.

Margaret McDonnell (23) spent the money on items for her two children including bedclothes, clothes and shoes, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

For two weeks McDonnell ate out every night, took her friends and family out for dinner and bought gifts, including two crystal vases and a "crystal mushroom lamp".

Referring to the money lodged in McDonnell's account, Judge Cormac Quinn said: "If it's too good to be true, it is because it is too good to be true."

Oisin Clarke, defending, said it was a case of the goose laying golden eggs and McDonnell spending the money before it stopped.

McDonnell, of Rathvilly Park, Finglas, pleaded guilty to 13 counts of theft of cash from Bank of Ireland between March 7 and 16, 2013.

Large ATM withdrawals and money spent in shops and restaurants meant a total of 24,946 was taken.

Risk

In January, Judge Quinn adjourned the case to give time for the Probation Service to assess McDonnell's suitability for community service.

He noted yesterday that the service had put her at a low risk of re-offending.

He suspended a sentence of 18 months on condition that she pay back 1,000 to the bank within 18 months. He also ordered her to carry out 150 hours of community service.

Det Gda Karl Smith told the court that in March 2013 a Bank of Ireland customer went into the branch in Finglas to get details to allow the transfer of 51,808 into his account from a foreign bank.

He was given an IBAN number, but when the money did not show up in his account he contacted the bank again. It was then discovered he had been incorrectly given the details of McDonnell's account.

The cash had dropped into her account on March 6 and the following day she withdrew 5,000.

On discovering its mistake, the bank took back the 26,862 remaining from the original deposit.

It also wrote to McDonnell asking her to repay the rest, but she ignored the letter.

After her arrest she accepted full responsibility for spending the money, saying: "As far as I was concerned, it was mine."
People visiting Dardistown Cemetery should not have to pay a new parking toll designed to prevent the grounds from being used as a dump or free parking, according to Dublin Lord Mayor Brendan Carr.

However, Mr Carr said he supports the new 2 fee that will come into effect on May 2 to discourage people who are not visiting the cemetery from parking all day for free.

The Glasnevin Trust charity, which operates the cemetery, said the graveyard has also been used as an illegal dumping ground for household waste - including fridges, freezers and mattresses - due to free access to the grounds, especially at weekends.

Offensive

"High levels of traffic and parking congestion have become a major issue in Dardistown Cemetery and Crematorium," a spokesman said.

"The recent increase in traffic has caused huge damage to the cemetery and its surrounding landscape. The cost of repairing this damage is substantial and to date Glasnevin Trust has paid for all ongoing repairs.

Mr Carr said that while it is "more offensive" to him that people are using the grounds as an illegal dump site than being charged a daily fee to park, it is also not right that legitimate visitors to the cemetery are being charged a fee to park.

"I'd have a concern if someone is visiting every day. Maybe they could register and be given some kind of dispensation," he said.

However, visitors can still park for free outside the cemetery grounds, while those with disabled passes can park for free inside the new gates.

The new fee will be used to beef up security to prevent illegal waste dumping, according to Glasnevin Trust.

Independent councillor Justin Sinnott has said it is "not right" that people should have to pay to visit their loved ones.

"I was pretty taken aback when I heard it myself. It's not fair that people should be charged to use a car park when visiting loved ones who have passed away," he said.

"If it is in response to parking issues, there are other ways to address that issue. Introducing charges for those visiting dead relatives and friends is not right."

However, Mr Carr said he routinely pays a 2 fee to park at Glasnevin Cemetery to visit his mother's grave and says "I've never seen a difficulty with it."
A young Irish woman was allegedly raped in Italy while her boyfriend slept beside her.

The 18-year-old woman was in the Turin region for the annual Festival Irlandese Celtic festival on March 25 and 26.

She is reported to have been enjoying the celebrations with friends on Sunday when they met a group of Mongolian students.

The group reportedly returned to the Hotel Tulip Inn Hotel in Moncalieri.

According to newspaper La Stampa Torino, the young woman was sleeping beside her boyfriend with several others in the room when she woke up to find one of the Mongolian men sexually assaulting her.

After the incident, which occurred on March 27, the young woman went to the Holy Cross hospital in Moncton for medical treatment.

Clinical tests found no signs of violence and the hospital discharged the Irish woman a few hours later, according to the Italian publication.

A 22-year-old engineering student was arrested in connection with the incident on a charge of sexual assault.

He told police he had no memory of the incident and said he must have been sleepwalking at the time.

Four days after the incident, the investigating judge released the accused man on bail.

He is currently under house arrest while investigations are ongoing. No additional arrests have been made and it has not been established whether any of the other individuals present are under investigation.

It is understood the woman has since returned to Ireland.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it would not comment on the matter.

Discovered

The incident occurred just weeks after the remains of Danielle McLaughlin (28) were discovered in the holiday hot spot of Canacona in India.

Last year, the Department of Foreign Affairs advised female tourists to take care while abroad.

"Recent sexual attacks against female visitors in tourist areas and cities show that foreign women are at risk," it said.

"Women travellers often receive unwanted attention in the form of verbal and physical harassment."
China's environmental watchdog has sent inspection teams to 7 cities to cope with a new round of severe smog.

The inspection teams sent by the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) went to Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Tangshan, Baoding, Xingtai and Anyang, all of which are located in northern China.

Inspectors discovered factories fabricating pollutant data in Anyang and Xingtai. A steel mill in Tangshan was found to have shut down a pollutant detector. Those responsible have been detained by local police, the MEP said in a statement on Tuesday.

In Tianjin, smog emergency plans have been poorly implemented. Several cement producers in Tangshan were found to have continued operations when they should have been suspended.

In Shijiazhuang and Beijing, a ceramics producer and a paper maker cheated inspectors regarding the use of purifying equipment. In Xingtai, a furniture plant refused inspectors who were attempting to conduct inspections.

The new round of air pollution will continue in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region between April 3 and 7, with the cities of Tianjin, Tangshan, Langfang, Puyang and Anyang issuing orange alerts, the second-highest in the country's four-tier warning system.

China has been under growing pressure to address air pollution as smog frequently smothers the country's cities.
The world is now betting that Chinese President Xi Jinpings ongoing state visit to Finland will reinforce their already close bilateral economic and trade relationship, which is also an epitome of the flourishing China-Europe economic exchanges.

They expected that during Xis Finnish trip starting on Tuesday, both sides will ink a series of cooperation documents covering all fields.

Xi, in a signed article entitled Our Enduring Friendship published on Finnish newspaper Helsinki Times ahead of his visit, pointed out that with highly complementary economies, China-Finland cooperation has delivered clear benefits to both sides.

China has remained Finland's largest trading partner in Asia for the past 14 years. Their two-way investment posted a rapid growth as well.

Data released by China Customs showed that by 2016, Chinas non-financial investment in Finland totaled at 217 million dollars, while Finland invested 1.36 billion dollars in China.

The statistics from Finnish Embassy in China revealed that about 400 Finnish companies have invested nearly 10 billion euros in China.

China's 13th Five-Year Plan dovetails with Vision: Finland 2025, promising exciting cooperation in such areas as innovation, entrepreneurship, clean energy, bio-economy and arctic research.

Finnish companies have strong research capacities and leading competence in clean technologies, telecommunication and machinery, but demand bigger market and more capital. They can perfectly complement with Chinese firms who have capital and market, but commit to an economic transformation and upgrade driven by advanced technologies.

Xis visit will certainly bolster bilateral economic and trade exchanges, said Paivi Leiwo, board chairman of Finpro. She has paid two visits to China as member of presidential delegations.

She added that Chinas investment in Finland saw a rapid growth in recent years, and an emerging trend in bilateral economic relations is the increasing mergers and acquisitions launched by Chinese companies towards Finnish high-tech firms.

China-Finland economic and trade ties can also offer a glimpse into the economic exchanges between China and Europe.

The EU has remained as Chinas largest trading partner for consecutive 11 years, while China has been the formers second largest partner for 12 years in a row.

Chinas direct investment in the EU soared by 76 percent in 2016, estimated a report released by Rhodium Group, a New York-based advisory firm, and Berlin-headquartered Mercator Institute for China Studies.

Compared with the booming trade, their investment has more growth space. Data showed that China accounts for just 6 percent of overall EU investments abroad, while the EU makes up a similar share in Chinas outbound investment.

Such a status quo can be attributed to market access, investment rules and other reasons, but it is objective to say that huge potential is contained in China-Europe cooperation in investment.

Against such background, accelerated negotiations on China-EU investment agreement will not only deepen their existing cooperation, but inject more energy into their economic growth, so that they will lead a new round of economic globalization wave.
Voting in Maryland? Here's what you need to know

Need help looking up candidates? Here's a breakdown of the critical seats across the state.
Seeing the business potential of Chinas cruise liner industry, two industrial leaders recently concluded a strategic cooperation deal to build medium and small-sized cruise ships, which means that more cruise vessels will be made in China in the future.

According to the agreement inked by China Travel Service Group and China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the two companies will make every effort to deliver the first independently developed and operated medium- and small-sized cruise ship by the end of 2021 in Guangzhou.

Its explosive industrial growth in recent years has made China the largest cruise shipping market in Asia. In the past decade, its passengers soared from less than 10,000 to 2.12 million last year, registering a 40-percent plus annual growth on average.

But Chinas cruise shipping industry is still in bud given its small business size, poor market penetration, insufficient competitive edges and weak indigenous brand image.

The 18 cruise ships in service in Chinas coastal areas are all built by foreign makers and mostly operated by foreign firms.

Both as state-owned enterprises, the two partners will, by giving play to their advantages in tourism and equipment manufacturing, build an industrial chain covering sales, operation, design and manufacturing of cruise ships, in a bid to propel the development of the countrys cruise shipping industry.

They will, based on this cooperation, expand collaboration in marine tourism, high-end travel outfit and financial investment as well. The cruise shipping sector is also known as a golden industry floating on sea.
Chinese President Xi Jinping headed to Finland for a state visit on Tuesday. It marks Xis first trip to a Northern European country as a head of state, as well as the first one by a Chinese president to Finland in 22 years.

One can gallop toward any distant destinations with a willing horse, and conquer all the difficulties with help from good friends. Finland was among the earliest Western countries to establish diplomatic ties with the new China, and also the first Western nation that inked an inter-governmental trade agreement with China.

Back to 1952, Chinas five-starred red flag for the first time fluttered above an Olympic stadium thanks to the invitation of Finland, the host of 15th Summer Olympics held in its capital city Helsinki.

In 1970s, the European country was also among the minority Western supporters for restoring Chinas legitimate seat in the UN.

Xi, in a signed article entitled Our Enduring Friendship published on Finnish newspaper Helsinki Times ahead of his visit, gave the best interpretation to the profound friendship between the two peoples.

At present, China and Finland are working to build a future-oriented new-type cooperative partnership. This provides tremendous opportunities for expanding our relationship, he wrote in the article.

The historic course has proven that both countries can only retain a vigorous and friendly cooperation by bearing the long-term and strategic significance in mind, upholding mutual respect, treating each other as equals, and seeking common development through mutually beneficial cooperation.

Finland is now Chinas third largest trading partner in Northern Europe, while China has been the formers largest trade partner in Asia for consecutive 14 years.

The European nation with a population of less than 6 million, as of 2016, had invested 541 projects in China, with the value totaling 1.36 billion dollars.

It is the innovation that broadens the prospects of bilateral collaboration. Since the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan China is devoted to shares multiple converging grounds with the European nations strategic plan named Vision: Finland 2025, both sides are presented with huge potential in their pragmatic cooperation in innovation, entrepreneurship, clean energy, bio economy and Arctic research.

Fruitful outcomes can definitely be yielded from such collaboration, of which the Sino-Finnish cleantech program named Beautiful Beijing and Finchi Innovation Center can serve as representative evidence.

The public of both countries are aspiring for a closer economic and trade relationship. Matti Vanhanen, former Finnish Prime Minister, said that Chinas efforts to shift its economy towards a more sustainable growth have provided abundant opportunities for the clean energy, forestry and innovation technology industries of Finland.

Finland shares similar development philosophy with China, added Vanhanen, current chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Parliament.

Finland is an EU state and the only Eurozone member in Northern Europe, so its relationship with China is also a key component of the overall Europe-China ties. As a staunch supporter to free trade, the country shares idea with China in global governance.

Given the current challenges laying ahead European integration and complicated changes in regional arena, China has stressed on multiple occasions that a prosperous and stable Europe is conducive to peaceful development of the world.

Believing that Europe has the wisdom and capabilities to overcome obstacles, China is willing to be a reliable partner of the continent.

It is expected that Xis upcoming tour will deepen China-Finland cooperation, promote sub-regional cooperation between China and the Northern Europe and boost China-EU collaboration.
Authorities curb property investment spree following announcement of landmark Xiongan New Area

(Photo/China News Service)

After witnessing a home-buying spree that quintupled housing prices overnight, authorities of Xiong'an New Area in northern Chinas Hebei province imposed stricter control over the overheated market on April 4.

The preparatory committee of Xiong'an New Area targeted all forms of illegal property trade and vowed to crack down on illegal constructions. The committee also said in a statement that it will strictly implement a central government guideline that states "houses are for living in, not for using to speculate, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The establishment of Xiong'an New Area was announced on April 1. The region, spanning three counties in northern China's Heibei province  Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Anxin - enjoys the same status as the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and Shanghai Pudong New Area, according to Xinhua, which added that such designated areas are part of a strategy crucial for the next millennium.

Innovation will be the fundamental driver in building and developing Xiong'an New Area, and policies will be put in place to bring in innovative elements. New administrative, investment and financing models will be implemented on a trial basis in the special zone.

Establishing Xiong'an New Area is "a very important, integral part" of measures to transfer non-capital functions out of Beijing to cure its urban ills, which range from traffic congestion to excessive burden on resources, He Lifeng, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, told Xinhua.

The breaking news immediately drew wide support from locals and authorities alike, with many predicting that the new area would help to boost Hebeis economy, as its GDP has ranked lower than those of other provincial regions in the past two years.

(Photo/Xinhua)

But what arrived in the new area even faster than industrial investment was feverishly eager home-buyers.

Less than 24 hours after the announcement, counties located within the new area began to see home-buyers flocking into the region, toting millions in cash in order to grab properties on land expected to be on the receiving end of national and even international investments. Many buyers swarmed into the region overnight, immediately after the announcement, cramming hotels and filling the nameless streets with cars sporting non-local license plates.

Under exploding market demands, housing prices within the new area have shot up from 4,000 RMB per square meter in 2015 to a current average of 15,000 RMB per square meter, with some high-end properties boasting per-square-meter prices of over 50,000 RMB, the Global Times reported, citing local real estate agents.

The home-buying rampage not only affected counties within the new area, but also spread to areas beyond it. Housing prices in Baigou  some 20 kilometers away from Xiong'an New Area  doubled to 14,000 RMB per square meter overnight. A buyer from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region reportedly spent 72 million RMB on an eight-floor building in Zhuozhou, some 70 kilometers away from the center of the new area, according to financial news outlet Yibencaijing.

In response, authorities stepped in to stop the frenzy. By April 4, the preparatory committee of Xiong'an New Area had arrested seven people suspected of deliberately raising local housing prices, and shut down a total of 71 real estate sales offices and 35 real estate agencies. Some 125 illegal construction sites were also torn down, the committee said in a statement.
By Shen Chenchen () 15:29, April 05, 2017

LOS ANGELES, April 4 (Xinhua) -- During the lunchtime of a typical weekday at BYD Lancaster Bus Factory, a steady stream of people, mostly Caucasians and Hispanics, were lining up to order food from several food trucks outside the factory building.

"When I came here three years ago, there were only five employees," a food truck owner called Carolina told Xinhua while busy serving tacos, burgers, and coffee to her customers. "There are hundreds of people working here now. I am having more customers and competitors," she added.

As the world's largest manufacturer of rechargeable batteries and electric vehicles, the Chinese company BYD established its factory in Lancaster, California in May 2013. Now with over 560 employees, the BYD factory has become one of the major job supporting companies in Lancaster.

"I was the first employee when I started with BYD. I worked alone for a week, then they hired five more people, and then 20 more," production line supervisor Alvaro Jimenez recalled.

The BYD's 110,000-square-feet (10219 square meters) facility is undergoing an expansion to 446,000 square feet (41435 square meters) by this July, with 1,000 to 1,500 more job opportunities coming along, and its yearly production capacity will increase from 350 to 1,500 vehicles.

"The local economy has already realized a significant boost thanks to the addition of much-needed jobs through our growing partnership with BYD," said Rex Parris, mayor of the Lancaster City at the announcement of the expansion.

Most employees at the factory are local residents. Vern Lawson, Economic Development Directer of the Lancaster City stated that many people have lost their jobs since "the severe economic downturn" in recent years. The BYD factory brought over 560 job opportunities, helping people get back on their feet.

A 60-year-old worker Peter Gibson, who started working here two months ago, was transporting heavy parts with his co-workers. "I have 12 children, and my job here is very stable. As long as I work hard and do not make mistakes, they won't fire me," Gibson said with satisfaction.

"We often talk about wealth importing jobs, which bring new payrolls into this community," Lawson told Xinhua. "We have service jobs such as teaching, newspaper, gas stations, restaurants. But they can only survive on a strong basic economy, which is based on wealth importing companies. That's precisely what BYD is."

In the dense plants, electric buses were built from zero on the production line, where over 400 technicians were doing assembly, plate shearing, bending, testing and painting.

At a lunch break, Jose S. Hernandez, a 29-year-old technician was still working under an overhanging bus. "I am doing the final chassis check," said Hernandez, who used to work at an auto repair shop but wanted to learn more. "I want to become an engineer and I think electric car is the future. That's why I chose BYD," he added.

Yet not everyone of the BYD employees have relevant experiences, so BYD offers them a 30-day Training Program.

"Before they come to BYD, they might have been doing cleaning, delivering, or some other low-tech jobs. So for the first week, we teach them some basic knowledge, then we take another three or four weeks to train them in welding, installing or some other skills," Stella Li, Senior Vice President of BYD explained.

"Build Your Dreams" is what BYD stands for and what the employees believe in. "I do not see any difference whether it was a Chinese company or an American factory. I see a future in it," Jimenez said with a smile.
(Xinhua) 15:35, April 05, 2017

DHAKA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Residents of Bangladesh's coastal Khulna city is largely dependent on groundwater but during the summer months the water level falls drastically.

In addition to this, people in the southwestern region of the country have been experiencing saltier water due to frequent climatic impacts.

But hopes are high for a new water treatment plant to serve nearly 2 million people in Bangladesh's southwestern Khulna City, located about 180 km southwest of the capital Dhaka.

China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. (CHEC), a subsidiary of China Communications Construction, has been setting up the mega surface water treatment plant in Khulna, one of the largest divisional cities in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh's cabinet committee approved CHEC's bid to implement the first-of-a-kind 62.67 million U.S. dollar project in 2015, the construction of which began in October last year.

Under the project which spans 65 acres of land, two impounding reservoirs are also being constructed for preserving the treated water to supply to the city dwellers of Khulna.

The reservoir will preserve about 775,200 cubic meters of water for the dry season.

After implementation of the surface water treatment project, around 2 million people in Khulna and the surrounding areas will have a fresh drinking water supply to meet their daily demand.

Officials say the plant, the third-largest in the country, will have the capacity to treat about 110 million liters of water every day.

They said the Khulna Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (KWASA) is now in a position to meet about 43 percent of the total demand.

KWASA has been implementing the project with financial support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Asian Development Bank (ADP).

Md. Imrul Hassan, a senior engineer who has been working as a JICA representative at the project site, told Xinhua recently that he has been supervising the quality of the work and looking into the progress of the work.

"Up to now the progress of the project is nearly 50 percent complete. We are very happy with this progress right now. And the work is in full-swing. Hopefully we will end this project on time," Hassan said.

He further added, "Our company is working here to expedite the progress while maintaining a high quality of work."

"Right now the quality of the project and progress of this project is acceptable from a consultant's point of view. We are really pleased."

Hasan said that now Khulna WASA supplies 40 to 43 percent of total water demand.

The source of the water is a deep tube well, but after this plant is ready nearly 80 percent of the total demand for water could be met from here to benefit the people."

Masud Rana, project site engineer of China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd., said 50 percent or more of the project work has already been completed.

"After the project is implemented, people in this area especially the millions of Khulna city dwellers will be immensely benefited. Water will be brought to the plant for treatment from the Modhumati river (Bagherhat District near Khulna) and then purified water will be supplied from here for people to drink and other uses," he said.
Spring is finally here for good, and as light green and new blooms fill our landscapes, it might be time for me to suggest a few books for the new season.

In Argos: The Story of Odysseus as Told by His Loyal Dog, Carrboro author Ralph Hardy retells the classic adventure story of Odysseus travels after the battle of Troy. Seagulls, sparrows, turtles, and other animals tell the dog Argos about his masters encounters in the cave of the Cyclops, on the island of the lovely Kalypso, and on the sea at the mercy of Zeus and other Greek gods.

Young Adult author Renee Adhieh from Charlotte has wowed the Young Adult book market with The Rose & The Dagger and her earlier book, The Wrath and the Dawn. Both are based on an ancient Persian tale in The Arabian Nights about the beautiful Scheherazade. She volunteers to marry a murderous king who each night marries a woman and then has her killed the next morning. Her stories reminded me of the Biblical book of Esther. Adhieh says her stories are like a Persian version of Beauty and the Beast.

Duke Professor Timothy Tysons new book, The Blood of Emmett Till, relates the 1955 kidnapping and brutal killing of Till, a 14-year-old black youth from Chicago visiting relatives in Mississippi. Tills encounter with an attractive white woman broke the color code and prompted her husband and brother-in-law to punish him. When Till's bloated and mangled body was discovered and returned to Chicago for an open-casket funeral, America was horrified, and, according to Tyson, the impact of the Till lynching resonated across America for years, touching virtually everyone who heard.

These are the opening words of Hillsborough author Nancy Peacocks novel, The Life and Times of Persimmon Wilson:

I have been to hangings before, but never my own.

Her book is a wild adventure tale of a slave, who escapes, serves in the Union Army, and becomes a ranch hand in Texas. Then, after being captured by Indians, he becomes one of their warriors, attacking and killing white settlers, stealing their horses and burning their homes and barns--all the time seeking his beloved, another former slave.

Every North Carolinian who wants to understand our states struggle for social justice should know the role Julius Chambers played in opening the doors for blacks and other minorities and in opening the eyes of whites to see how an oppressive segregated system burdened all citizens.

Julius Chambers: A Life in the Legal Struggle for Civil Rights by Richard A. Rosen and Joseph Mosnier tells Chambers amazing story.

Beginning in 1964 when Chambers opened his law practice in Charlotte, he initiated a whirlwind of legal actions that attacked and often overturned traditional discriminatory practices in education, employment, and government.

How Chambers overcame the racism that permeated North Carolina public life to gain recognition as one of the nations greatest lawyers is an important story the authors tell very well.

Greensboro native Matthew Griffins debut novel, Hide, is the story of two older men who have long lived together on the outskirts of a small North Carolina town. Frank is a World War II veteran, tough talking and covered with tattoos. Wendell is a taxidermist. They have paid a heavy price for being gay, but the storys power comes from the tortured and tender way in which Wendell and Frank adapt to the aging Frank's rapidly deteriorating physical and mental condition. Griffins accomplished and beautiful writing signals that Hide will be only his first in a long line of successful novels.

All these books will be featured on UNC-TVs North Carolina Bookwatch during April.

D.G. Martin hosts North Carolina Bookwatch, which airs Sundays at noon and Thursdays at 5 p.m. on UNC-TV.
China and Finland on Wednesday signed a series of cooperative agreements on trade, protecting pandas, research and legislation during Chinese President Xi Jinpings Finland visit.

President Xi and his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto, who held talks on Wednesday morning, attended the signing ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki after holding talks, as the Chinese president continues his three-day state visit to the Nordic country.

After the signing ceremony, the two leaders issued a joint statement at Finlands Presidential Palace.

Both sides have agreed to strengthen cooperation under the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, said President Xi.

China appreciates Finlands firm stance on the one-China policy, Xi noted.

Speaking about cultural cooperation, Xi called for an enrichment of people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries, and for tourism to be encouraged.

Xi also said that both sides are seeking further bilateral cooperation in terms of winter sports. The two countries have agreed to define the year of 2019 as the year of China-Finland winter sports, said the president.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto spoke highly of China-Finland ties, vowing to continue developing bilateral relations and conducting frequent high-level communications.

"We need to think fully about environmental protection when we boost the economy," he stressed.
It was on July 16, 2000, when US President Bill Clinton offered to help mediate between India and Pakistan.

I think the United States should be more involved there, even though I think theyll have to work out this business of Kashmir between themselves (India and Pakistan), Clinton said. Two days later, Indian foreign minister Jaswant Singh conveyed his governments unwillingness to allow third-party mediation to resolve a bilateral dispute.

Even before he assumed the presidency in 2008 Barack Obama made a similar offer. However, that did not win Indias approval either. Pakistan, on the other hand, has always rooted for American mediation on Kashmir because it believes internationalising the issue will work in its favour. The US, it believes, will be a helping partner.

The nuclear flashpoint in South Asia has always been a concern for successive American presidents. But what bothers them more is Pakistans argument that it expends much of its energy in dealing with the Indian threat, leaving little time and resources for its fight against terrorism  an issue close to Washingtons heart.

While both Clinton and Obama refrained from pressing the issue, eventually becoming closer than expected with India, it was former president George Bushs policy that worked out best for India-US ties. Bush made it abundantly clear that his government would not mediate between the two countries.

We are not a mediator, and it is up to India and Pakistan to maintain the momentum (in talks and solving the issues), the Republican president had said.

Recent remarks made by American ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley on a possible mediation between the two countries can be seen as a continuation of the same pattern. However, as President Donald Trump is still an unknown entity, one doesnt know which way this would play out.

Nevertheless, such an offer betrays an oversimplified understanding of the India-Pakistan relationship. It also understates the nature of the Kashmir dispute, the wider span of hostility between the two countries, and how the India-Pakistan tussle is an issue that dominates domestic politics on both sides of the border.

India sees any offer of mediation as an indication that the US is weighing in for Pakistan. It raises expectations in Pakistan, and takes the focus off the core concern of terrorism. If the neighbouring country succeeds in securing US mediation, it would prove that Islamabads policy of resorting to terrorism as a state policy  as India often terms it  to highlight the Kashmir issue is a success. This would further embolden non-state actors, giving Pakistan little incentive to rein them in. With its Kabul ties deteriorating, Islamabad is worried about India getting a larger foothold in Afghanistan. This further negates any calculation of Pakistan adopting a saner Afghanistan policy.

The US and many other countries across the world regard South Asia as a nuclear flashpoint, with the Kashmir dispute at its very core. But it is more complex than that.

Pakistans ego is yet to recover from the military defeats it suffered at Indias hands in the past. This includes the 1971 war, which led to the creation of Bangladesh and struck at the very root of Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnahs two-nation theory. A great deal of Americas eagerness to intervene in the India-Pakistan conflict is delusional. It stems from the fact that the US couldnt get Pakistan to do what it wants in the region on a host of issues, ranging from addressing terrorism to stabilising Afghanistan. However, that failure should not result in the US oversimplifying the reality of the India-Pakistan relationship.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
United States ambassador to the United Nations Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haleys statement of the US playing a proactive role in promoting India-Pakistan engagement to lower tensions between the two neighbours has been rejected by New Delhi. Gopal Baglay, the MEA spokesperson said that bilateral dialogue to redress all the outstanding issues could only be possible in a terror- and violence-free environment.

From someone whose parents were immigrants from Amritsar, Haleys statement shows a remarkable lack of understanding of ground situation in South Asia, particularly Pakistan. The million-dollar question now facing national security experts within the Narendra Modi government is not whether to have a dialogue with Pakistan to prevent cross-border terrorism, but whether Pakistan has the capacity to control the jihadists groups targeting India without imploding on its own.

Islamabad watchers believe that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is in a cleft stick situation. If he stops Islamists based and nurtured in his country to stop targeting India or Afghanistan, then Sharif and the Pakistan army runs the risk of these groups taking on the establishment itself. The September 29, the surgical strike across the Line of Control in Kashmir by Indian special forces was based on the realisation that Islamabad has no longer control over radical Islamist groups and it was better for New Delhi to counter jihadists on its own.

Haley must realise that 46 terrorists/extremist groups operate in Pakistan with Salafists Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent, Wahhabi Islamic State (IS), Deobandi groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed, Taliban and Takfiri group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) being the major ones with significant cadre. While there are fears within Pakistan that the LeT cadre may mutate into IS on a common Islamic ideological platform, the JeM is playing a larger game of influencing events in Afghanistan through its umbilical relationships with the Taliban. But the biggest threat to Pakistan is coming from the TTP, which is threatening the fundamentals of the nation by questioning the wisdom of its Shia founding fathers, like Muhammad Al Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan.

On June 23, 2015, then TTP chief Haq Fazlullah Khorasani addressed so-called Taliban special services group commandos at an event organised at the completion of their training. Khorasani said: I want to ask my countrymen: Why have our people sacrificed so much? Hundreds and thousands of people sacrificed their lives just because the essence of Pakistan was La ilaha Illallah.otherwise it would have been better to live with the humwatan Hindus. We did not fight for this country just to pray, fast, go for Haj and open madrasasIf a country becomes Islamic just by allowing its citizens to offer prayers and go for Haj then India is also an Islamic country, so are Europe and America. Unless and until the state is ruled by Sharia, a country cannot be called Islamic. This clearly shows that the TTP is out at war against Islamabad, and not India, as it wants to impose Sharia.

The larger call for Islam also resonated in Kashmir in March with Zakir Rashid Bhat, a commander of the Pakistan-backed Hizbul Mujahideen, asking stone pelters to wage war for Islam  not for Azaadi  in the Valley. The JeM planned its attack on the Pathankot airbase  which would have forced India to retaliate had it not been for alacrity on part of national security adviser Ajit Doval  on the day Modi landed in Lahore, on December 25, 2015. The whole idea was to scuttle any chance of bonhomie between the two countries.

Back channel negotiations between the two countries were brought to a naught in 2016 with the LeT launching an attack on the Uri brigade on September 18. Targeting India takes a back seat when you realise that the JeM cadre tried to assassinate the then Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in 2003 and 2008. The LeT attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008, while Pakistan foreign minister was on an official visit in New Delhi.

The above examples make it amply clear that if anyone needs support for neutralising terror groups and terrorists and pave a way for dialogue with India, it is Pakistan.

Haley and US President Donald Trump would have enough data collected by its National Security Agency to understand that threat to Islamabad is not New Delhi but Islamists in Pakistan themselves. Modi, in his April 2 Udhampur rally, was blunt enough to say that those who (Pakistan) cannot take care of themselves were behind the unrest in Valley.

Haley would be well-advised to consult former secretary of state John Kerry who suggested dialogue with Pakistan to Modi on the sidelines of Vibrant Gujarat summit in 2015. Modi snubbed Kerry: Aap humhe (India-Pakistan) apne haal par chhod do. (Leave India and Pakistan alone) If US intervention is at all required, it is in Pakistan.

shishir.gupta@hindustantimes.com

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
After burning billions in venture capital, Indian e-commerce companies are now realising that theres no such thing as unlimited funding, impressive losses are a thing of the past and they need real profits. Investors who were hitherto encouraging entrepreneurs to acquire customers at any cost and show meaningless GMV (gross merchandise value) have all flipped in a snap and are now pushing the same entrepreneurs to urgently become profitable and the entrepreneurs are like deer in the headlights.

This situation is not surprising at all.

With so much capital and resources at their command, Indian e-commerce firms should have focused on building delightful customer experiences using the simple CAPS framework  Convenience, Availability, Pricing and Selection. Simply put, e-commerce sites must make available to their shoppers a wide selection of great merchandise at attractive prices delivered reliably and conveniently. And the harsh truth is they have miserably failed on this account despite promising so much. Today they are facing a relentless onslaught from Amazon  the gold standard in online shopping globally who is rapidly luring away all people through excellence in customer experience  and probably ruing the fact that they could have done things differently.

As a shopper, can you think of a single reason why you would shop at a Flipkart or Snapdeal over Amazon. Higher quality merchandise? Unique stuff? Better laid out website? Faster app? Lower prices? More reliable deliveries? Amazons increasing market share in India will provide the answers.

In reality, Indian e-commerce firms have been distracted from the core principles of online shopping. Have you ever wondered why electronic commerce is popularly referred to as e-commerce and not electronic-c? This is because despite all the technology hype surrounding electronic commerce, the business was, is and will always remain about the commerce. When you fly from Mumbai to Delhi, do you choose an airline that has convenient timings, low prices and a reputation for good service? Or do you evaluate carefully between Boeing and Airbus aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce or Pratt & Whitney engines? Will you shop regularly at a site that offers great service experiences or at a competing app which employs more computer programmers at high salaries?

There is an apocryphal story about a bright student, furiously writing his examinations, getting distracted by an irritating mosquito. He immediately squashes the mosquito resulting in bloody smears on the answer paper. A neighbouring student, blindly copying from this student gets flustered by this sudden action and immediately starts searching for another mosquito to squash on his answer paper as well.

Indian e-commerce firms have taken a similar approach in trying to do whatever Amazon is doing. Instead of building business moats around their ventures, they have gone down the anachronistic path of building a technology start-up because Amazon is a tech company by hiring a bloated staff of highly overpaid engineers, including from Silicon Valley, to aid them in their goal of building a very high tech consumer internet firm. This narrative also found enthusiastic favour with global investors who were happy to write big cheques supporting consumer technology firms because it was part of their portfolio strategy instead of funding entrepreneurs building sustainable ventures.

So, whats the problem? Havent the likes of Amazon and Ebay built successful e-commerce businesses by being a consumer tech firm? Yes, they have. The problem is the timing. When Amazon and Ebay pioneered global e-commerce in the mid 1990s, they had no choice but to build their own technology platforms by hiring teams of engineers and they continued with this strategy as they expanded. Two decades later, thanks to the popularity of low cost (almost 1/1000th), fully featured, high quality SaaS (software as a service) platforms, hiring large teams of expensive engineers to build e-commerce engines is passe.

Read More: How MapmyIndia turned to e-com to counter Google

Worse, the mindset becomes a challenge. You think in a certain way when you start a technology firm with unlimited funding and then suddenly, against your wishes, you are dragged kicking and screaming to make a transition to a frugal merchandise and operations focused retail firm. This is a challenge that can destroy most organisations, which is what we are currently seeing all around us.

Alls not lost though. Indian e-commerce firms can still regroup and build business differentiators that Amazon will find hard to match. This is not impossible and they can learn from unarguably Indias best e-commerce company, IRCTC, who have nailed the principles of successful e-commerce  great problem solving and convenience with exclusive merchandise. Sure, we can be cynical and point out to government monopolies but that will be simply missing the point.

Which is exactly whats been happening in India so far.

K Vaitheeswaran is the founder of Fabmart.com, Indias first e-commerce company and the author of the forthcoming book Failing to Succeed.

The views expressed are personal
Lets crack on with my Easter Eggs hunt, Eva (Gina Isaac) tells Dr Gupta (Syreeta Kumar).

London-based Eva is desperate to have a baby. Alas! Her husband Tom died a few years back. She chooses to have a baby through surrogacy at Dr Guptas clinic in India.

Made in India a creation of UKs Tamasha and The Belgrade Theatre in association with Pilot Theatre  is a thrilling new play about birth and motherhood.

Written by UK-based British Asian playwright Satinder Chohan, the play which is currently touring England, explores the politics and commercialisation behind the surrogacy industry. Through the play, she tactfully unravels what really goes inside this baby producing factory.

Ulrika Krishnamurti as Aditi (on left) and Gina Isaac as Eva in a still from the play. On right, Syreeta Kumar as Dr Gupta. (Robert Day)

In this woman-centric play, Satinder skilfully handles the shifting power dynamics between the three protagonists without any visual or narrative digressions.

Set in a surrogacy clinic in Gujarat, the three women  Eva, whos in a good position in an advertising industry in the UK; Dr Gupta runs a clinic which is quite popular among foreign clients, and Aditi (Ulrika Krishnamurti) a dairy worker and a single mother of two daughters  meet over the business of having a baby.

After failed IVF treatments, Dr Gupta is the only hope for the affluent Eva to enjoy motherhood, and for Aditi (the intended surrogate), surrogacy is a lifeline out of poverty  an opportunity to give her daughters a better education and life.

A sudden twist in the story comes up when the political scenario changes and the three women are left in a limbo. The state election and the introduction of ban especially on foreigners paying for surrogacy, creates an upheaval thus disrupting their personal interests. The situation poses questions surrounding surrogacy and the related economic issues.

Ulrika as Aditi is unbeatable. Her outstanding performance gives a wider picture of those rural women in India for whom renting their wombs is an escape route to poverty.

Satinders dextrous tackling of the topic gives a broader picture of global issues, of which, surrogacy is one, and how moral values are sacrificed for financial gains.

British Asian playwright Satinder Chohan

Lydia Denno s use of red sarees which represents cascading blood; the light which filters through multiple screens made of yarn, and Arun Ghoshs sound design, creates a perfect scene to represent child birth and the pain a woman goes through during that period.

The joint effects of Prema Mehtas lighting, Shanaz Gulzars video images and Katie Posners fine direction makes the play extremely emotional thus leaving the audience completely gobsmacked.

However, Satinder hopes that one day the play would travel to India. She said, I would love the play to travel to India but sadly, there are no plans for that as yet. My work is deeply rooted in my Indian identity, culture and community, so I always hope that any and all of my work will be staged there.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more.
BRUSSELS, April 5 -- The European Union (EU) regulators gave green light to ChemChina's merger of Swiss Syngenta with condition on Wednesday.

"ChemChina has offered significant remedies, which fully address our competition concerns. This has allowed us to approve the transaction," the EU Commissioner for competition Margrethe Vestager told a press conference.

Syngenta is a leading pesticide supplier worldwide. ChemChina is currently active in pesticide markets in Europe through Adama, its wholly-owned Israel-based subsidiary which is the world's biggest producer of generic pesticides.

The approval came following a set of commitments made by ChemChina as the commission had concerns that the merger would have reduced competition in a number of existing markets for pesticides and plant growth regulators, said the European Commission, the bloc's executive body which overseas competition policy.

To win the approval, ChemChina has promised to divest significant parts of Adama and Syngenta pesticides and plant growth regulator business, said the commission in a statement.

The deal, worth up to 43 billion U.S. dollars, was reported to gain approval from the U.S. regulators on Tuesday.
Actor-director Deepak Tijori is in the news over his public spat with Shivani Tomar, his wife of 22 years. Earlier, reports claimed that the actor was thrown out of his home by Shivani after a fight.

Tijori also went to the media indicating that his marriage wasnt legal as Shivani hid the details of her separation from her previous husband. The couple has a 20-year-old daughter Samara.

Shivani, who maintained silence all this while, has finally spoken up. Deepak Tijori , my husband of 22-plus years and the father of our young daughter, has crossed all limits and has over-stepped the domains of decency, morality, sensitivity, sensibility and above all, the premises of every legality. I choose not to speak at all, simply because the matter between us, is subjudice, said Shivani in an interview to DNA.

She further said, As an honest and responsible litigant, I have nothing to hide or fear. Let the courts decide based on the facts. I am positive that truth shall prevail.

It seems Shivani has decided to take on Tijori in the media as well.
Iulia Vantur, Salman Khans rumoured girlfriend, is trying hard to be known in the industry for more than her alleged relationship. She made her singing debut with Salmans home production O Teri in 2014 (the film was produced by his sister Alvira), and soon got her own album with Himesh Reshammiya.

Salman Khan and iulia Vantur snapped together. (HT)

While shooting for her latest song with Himesh in Mumbai on Tuesday, Iulia surprised everybody when she crooned one of Bollywoods cult songs, Lag Ja Gale, originally sung by Lata Mangeshkar in the film Woh Kaun Thi.

The Romanian actor-TV host has lent her voice for song Every Night and Day from Himeshs latest album Aap Se Mausiiquii. The song is entirely in Hindi, except for the hookline. At the launch of the first song from the album last year, Himesh praised Iulia, even saying she has an angelic voice. Her voice suits mainstream Bollywood heroine. I approached her for the song, she loved the idea and came on board. It was in flat two hours that she recorded the song, she is professional. She has done justice to every word, every note, its her debut song and she has done a fantastic job. She is talented, Himesh had said earlier.

Titled Every Night & Day, the new single will be out soon. Iulia shared a small snippet on her Facebook page where she sings a few lines from the new single:

Though there has been no confirmation from either sides on their relationship, Iulia is often spotted at all family gatherings of Salman Khan. Recently, she was part of the grand celebrations of Ahils (Salmans nephew) first birthday.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Kareena Kapoor Khan has finally broken her silence on all the speculations, and controversies, around the name of her son Taimur. The actor lashed out at critics on Tuesday in an interview to a Mumbai daily, asking why is everybody so obsessed about her sons name.

In an interview to Bombay Times, the Jab We Met actor said, How is my babys name anyones business? All this erupted when I wanted to enjoy every moment of being a mother. Saif and I kept it all aside and savoured our time with Taimur. We cherish every moment we have with him.

She added, I will not scream from rooftops about experiencing motherhood or how much I love Taimur. Theres always the pressure of being judged, no matter what you do. Its about how you deal with it.

Kareena is currently working on her fitness to join the team of Veere Di Wedding, produced by Anil Kapoors daughter Rhea Kapoor.
No decision on Snapdeals merger with Flipkart or Paytm was taken at the companys board meeting on Tuesday evening. According to sources, the board members, which include Snapdeal co-founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal, discussed of various possibilities of the merger, but no consensus was arrived at, according to sources.

Snapdeal, which has become a distant third in Indias e-commerce race is facing tough times. Its single largest investor SoftBank, which invested $627 million in 2014, the largest round of funding the company got.

Next year, in 2015, Alibaba invested into Snapdeal along with other existing investors, in a $500 million round.

Those two investments will shape up Snapdeals future. Two things are happening -- SoftBank wants to exit Snapdeal, and Alibaba wants a firm foot in Indian e-commerce.

At the board meeting, sources said, that SoftBank pushed for the merger, and wants it to happen as soon as possible.

People familiar with the discussions said that SoftBank is pushing hard, while existing partners Kalaari Capital and Nexus Venture Partners -- two of the early investors -- are expecting to get $100 million, each.

Cut to Alibaba. It is Chinas largest e-commerce company, and has placed it bet on Vijay Shekhar Sharma-founded Paytm. While there are talks of Snapdeal and Paytm getting merged, the deal looks unlikely. Sharma and Bahl dont like each other much, and would not want either of them to have an upper hand in the merger.

Things are better with Flipkart. Sachin and Binny Bansal (both are not related) have a better equation with Bahl and Snapdeals Bansal (again not related to Flipkarts Bansal).

Meanwhile, Sharma has hived off Paytm Mall as a separate entity, which will be most likely run by Alibaba as its Indian e-commerce market place subsidiary. Alibaba might invest up to Rs 1,700 crore in the business. While SoftBank is in talks with Flipkart, alongside it is also evaluating Snapdeals merger with Paytm Mall, which will eventually be headed by Alibaba.

According to a story in Mint (the business daily owned by Hindustan Times), SoftBank might invest in the buyer of Snapdeal, which might in turn be valued at $1 billion. Thats less than a fifth of its current valuation of $6 billion, after a round of value dilution, and write down by SoftBank.

Bahl and Bansal, sources said, are also looking at another alternate route to make the business sustainable. While the founders know that without funds, it cannot compete with Flipkart and Amazon, there is a niche space it can occupy -- of a much smaller e-commerce company, which is highly profitable.

The third way out is getting listed on the bourses. According to a source, Snapdeal is putting a team together to evaluate that prospect of an initial public offer (IPO), even.

Last year, Snapdeals Bahl had said that the company will not run after gross merchandise value (the total value of goods sold without calculating discounts and promotions), as it is a zero-sum game. But, for all these years GMV was the only measurable metric for investors and companies, as sales and customers acquisition was funded by deep discounts, which increased losses.

Eventually, Bahl and Snapdeal fell prey to the GMV metric. Funding became scarce, from a gush to a trickle, and there was little left for deep discounting. Add to that -- Snapdeal went for a rebranding in October, and spent Rs 200 crore. Bahl and Bansal have been looking for funding, but havent succeeded.

In February, Snapdeal cut 600 jobs. In a letter to his employees, Bahl said that the company has expanded, too, fast, in multiple areas, without strengthening its core business.

While Bahl and Bansal still run Snapdeal, they hold only 6.5% stake in the company. SoftBank holds 33%, Nexus Venture holds 10% and Kalaari Capital holds around 8%.

With three of the largest stake holders wanting to merge Snapdeal with a larger player, be it Flipkart or Paytm, there is little that Bahl and Bansal might be able to do. But, it is still not known if Alibaba will be the biggest beneficiary in Snapdeals fall.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
It took Reliance Jio just seven months, a massive price war and more than Rs 2,00,000 crore of investments, to get to 120 million subscribers, with internet and voice services being offered for free.

But Mukesh Ambani, whose Reliance Industries owns Reliance Jio, is a thorough businessman, and his newest telecom venture is not a charitable organisation. The free services, both in the form of Welcome Offer and then the Happy New Year Offer were launched to hook subscribers. His newest Summer Surprise is an extended almost-free offering.

Still, global brokerages think that Reliance Jio can become profitable in the next three to five years.

According to Morgan Stanley, Reliance Jio can become profitable by 2020, if average revenue per user (ARPU) is increased to Rs 218 in 2018, Rs 209 in 2019, and Rs 233 in 2020. At its current ARPU, it will still make some losses (of about $854 million in 2020).

If the ARPU is increased, Reliance Jio can also post about $7.58 billion in revenue, with profits of $1.08 billion.

On March 31, Ambani said that by April 15, Reliance Jios users would have to start paying. However, he also said that users who recharge with Rs 303 (with 28 days validity)  the tariffs would be applicable only by July.

We believe Reliance Jios goal is (to have) at least 15% subscriber market share and, within that, a larger number of premium subscribers who will be high-data consumers willing to pay for bundled plans. In a March 2,2017, Jio presentation, the company said that it is well positioned to achieve 50% revenue market share in the next five years, wrote Parag Gupta, analyst with Morgan Stanley.

Since the launch of Reliance Jio, the data usage in the country has quadrupled, and has crossed that of the US and China.

Ambani also said that his company has 72 million paid subscribers, who have opted for the Prime membership, paying Rs 99 for a year, which offers additional 4G data to its users.

According to Hong Kong-based equity firm CLSA, the number of Prime members could cross 80 million, and 100 million by March 2018. We believe Reliance Jio expects subscribers to sign for the fear of missing out on future offers, wrote Srinivas Rao and Peter Milliken, research analyst with Deutsche Bank Markets Research.

The Deutsche Bank report also mentioned that the ARPU of the industry stood at around Rs 130 in the second quarter of 2017, and would increase to Rs 145. In Reliance Jios case, the unique subscriber base is estimated to be 70% of the reported subscriber base. This would imply per subscriber ARPU of Rs 185 to Rs 190, Rao and Milliken wrote.

According to a report by Badrinath Srinivasan of Credit Suisse, Reliance Jio would slowly increase the tariff, to ensure high customer retention and the strategy to offer three months of complimentary services aims to do just that.

The Morgan Stanley report also mentioned that Reliance Jio has tried to lock-in higher revenue customers with the Prime membership, by capitalising on its brand new network, and offering nearly unlimited monthly data plans.

Concerns on Jio revenue now reduce; focus moves to ARPU and subscriber growth, writes Sanjay Mookim and Krishan Binani, research analysts with DSP Merrill Lynch.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Snapdeals three biggest investorsSoftBank Group Corp, Kalaari Capital and Nexus Venture Partners--took the first steps towards resolving their rift, potentially clearing the way for a potential sale of the e-commerce marketplace to one of its bigger rivals, Flipkart or Paytm, according to people familiar with the discussions.

At a board meeting of Jasper Infotech Pvt Ltd, the company behind Snapdeal, on Tuesday, SoftBank showed interest in buying a part of the stake owned by Kalaari and Nexus, three people familiar with what transpired at the meeting said on condition of anonymity.

Kalaari and Nexus are seeking a sum of $100 million each for their stakes, two of the people said. Snadpeal promoters Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal have also asked SoftBank for a $100 million payout to them and their management team in order to clear the way for a sale, the two added.

SoftBank is negotiating the price, they said.

Snapdeal and SoftBank declined to comment. Kalaari and Nexus did not respond to Mints queries.

One of the three people said that all stakeholders are willing to reach an agreement because cash is running out at Snapdeal. But a compromise will be reached only if the deal makes financial sense for everyone, this person added.

Meanwhile, Kalaari Capital managing director Vani Kola has resigned from the board of Snapdeal, the three people familiar with the matter said. Kolas resignation is a sign of Kalaaris willingness to reach a deal with SoftBank, they added.

Mint reported on 31 March that Kalaari Capital and Nexus had disagreed with SoftBank over the valuation of Snadpeal in a potential funding round or sale.

While Kola has resigned from Snapdeals board, Kalaari still retains veto powers on significant issues such as a sell-out, the three people said.

Snapdeal is the largest investment for Kalaari and Nexus, and a bad deal could be damaging for the two home-grown VC firms.

SoftBank is eager to sell Snapdeal to Flipkart even in a cut-price all-stock deal and then invest more cash in the buyer, the three people cited above said. That may well be the best deal on offer, with Snapdeal being valued at around $1 billion, they added.

Alibaba is not willing to offer even a billion dollars for Snapdeal, said the first person. However, a deal with Alibaba is not completely off the table, he added.

Snapdeal was valued at $6.5 billion in its last funding round in February 2016 but its value in a potential deal will be a fraction of that, the people said.

SoftBank owns 33% of Snapdeal, while Nexus owns roughly 10% and Kalaari nearly 8%, according to documents filed with the Registrar of Companies. Chief executive officer Kunal Bahl and chief operating officer Rohit Bansal, who are also co-founders, together own less than 6.5% of the company after selling part of their stake.

Still, Kalaari and Nexus, two of the earliest institutional backers of Snapdeal, enjoy strong shareholder rights.

The boardroom battle has amplified the crisis at Snapdeal, delaying a potential lifeline.

Since January, Snapdeal has cut hundreds of jobs, slashed spending on discounts and marketing and seen a sharp drop in monthly sales.
The Persian Gulf carrier Qatar Airways has engaged an executive search firm to scout for talent for its proposed airline business in India.

The Doha-based full service carrier plans to hire fresh talent as well as professionals from the existing domestic carriers, sources said.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Baker Al-Baker had last month announced plans to set up an airline in India along with the Gulf nations sovereign wealth fund.

Qatar Airways has appointed a headhunter to hire suitable qualified professionals for its proposed airline venture in India, an industry source said.

According to the source, the India-based recruitment firm has started contacting aviation professional, including those working with the local carriers, offering them better job prospects with the proposed airline.

When contacted, a Qatar Airways spokesperson declined to comment on the developments.

Qatar Airways would not like to make any comment. If and when we have any new development we shall keep you posted, the Gulf carrier said in an e-mail response to PTI.

On March 8, Al-Baker had said in Berlin, We are joining hands with the investment arm of State of Qatar to start a domestic airline in India with a 100% investment.

We are doing this because Indian government has opened up the foreign direct investment in (setting up) an airline in India, he had said.

Qatar Airways, however, is yet to approach the government with its plans.

Last June, India allowed foreign investors -- barring overseas airlines -- to own up to 100% stake in local carriers by liberalising FDI regulations.

Currently, foreign airlines are allowed to invest only up to 49% in Indian carriers.

However, the revised norms provide room for overseas airlines to partner with a foreign non-airline player to set up a 100% foreign-owned carrier in India.
Shares of Reliance Industries Ltd rose 3% today, registering gains for the second straight trading session amid its telecom venture seeing 72 million paid customers.

On BSE, the stock climbed 3.19% to settle to Rs 1,414.90. It reached a high of Rs 1,417.95 during intra-day trade after opening at Rs 1,388.

The stock ended the day on NSE at Rs 1,415.05, up 2.94 per cent from the previous close. It opened at Rs 1,395.20 and touched a high of Rs 1,418 intra-day.

On the volume front, over 1.01 crore shares of the firm exchanged hands on the bourses.

Led by the gain in the stock, the companys market capitalisation went up by Rs 15,261.62 crore to Rs 4,60,023.18 crore.

Last week, Reliance Jio had announced that it had signed up 72 million paid subscribers.

On the enrolment of paid subscribers, Moodys Investors Service today said, This is credit positive as the subscriber enrolment reduces cash flow uncertainty of the telecom business, on which RIL has spent over Rs 1.7 trillion (Rs 1,70,000 crore) over the last six years.

Moodys calculation shows that Jio will be able to generate revenue of about Rs 213 billion (Rs 21,300 crore) for the current financial year, assuming all 72 million users pay Rs 303 per 28 days between July 2017 and March 2018.
For some retail broking firms, the share of revenue from mobile trading platforms has increased to 10-35% of their total revenue. This shift to a faster, more accessible transaction platform has been happening over the past 5 years, and broking companies are seeing vertical growth in registrations and downloads.

As familiarity with equity assets increases, popularity of digital platforms, specifically the mobile platform, is on the rise thanks to its convenience. But despite all the advantages of apps, there are caveats. Here are three things that you have to be careful about while logging into that digital trading screen.

Passwords and safety

This may sound rather basic, but it applies to all sensitive digital financial transactions. There are multiple passwords to manage and secure. As a first step, always create a password that is alphanumeric and is also one that you can remember.

Read more | 90% of mobile banking apps are vulnerable: Study

Creating a logical series works well if you have to periodically change your password. Arun Chaudhry, vice president and head - online business and product development, Motilal Oswal Securities Ltd, said, Our strong password policy ensures safety of customer accounts along with a second level of authentication while placing trades. The authentication is designed to enable one-touch access to add convenience. Most of the digital broking platforms-app-based or Web-based-require two levels of authentication and this makes them more secure. Ensure that you choose a platform which has this feature.

Periodic prompts to change passwords are a recommended feature. Dont share your account details and passwords with others. Access to trading and demat accounts is like giving someone access to your savings in the bank. Caution is advised.

Dont over-indulge

Mobile trading platforms are a more convenient way of monitoring your portfolio and transacting, but they are not any more efficient in delivering returns. Returns are a function of stock selection, and that is a function of research and analysis. CV Ganesh, chief operating officer and head-digital business, HDFC Securities Ltd, said, Trading on mobile devices has surged thanks to the intuitive simplicity and deep personalisation of the experience, which is often empowering and convenient. However, this power is to be exercised with caution as having market access around the clock can become an addiction and a distraction....

Read more| Airtel or Paytm: 5 things to know before putting money in a payments bank

Avoid the urge to be constantly active on the app. Among other things, Ganesh advises caution while placing trades-rather than doing so in a hurry-to avoid accidental trades. Put in stop losses and where available, choose good till date orders. Such an order (buy or sell) is given at a pre-fixed price and remains in the system either till that particular price is achieved or till the specified date. This way,the investor can be sure that the transaction will go through only at the price chosen.

In a mobile platform, you have to monitor all the details yourself, so make sure to input them carefully, according to your preference rather than getting swayed by the notifications that pop up. Transacting too frequently, because it is convenient, can add to costs and lure you into making the wrong decisions by selling too soon or buying without adequate research. One should never invest based on general recommendations. Your long-term investments should be based on customised expert advice, after considering factors such as life goals and risk appetite, Chaudhry said.

Network and hardware

Apps are convenient, but they are also very dependent on data networks. This means, if you are travelling outside major cities in the country, connectivity could be slow. While that isnt a problem by itself, because trades will still go through, what you need to be careful about is updating the page. Chaitanya Shahare, head, IIFL Markets App, India Infoline Ltd, said, If connectivity is low, one shouldnt assume that the page has refreshed automatically; it could be displaying prices from a few minutes ago.... Sometimes a page can load from an older cache; be careful to refresh often. The hardware or phone you use also matters. The more compatible the phone, the better will be your experience in using the app. Nithin Kamath, chief executive officer, Zerodha Ltd, a discount brokerage, said, One needs to have at least a 3G -enabled phone to utilize apps efficiently. You have to invest in a good device, especially as you are already taking risks with your money in equity.

Apart from convenience and usability, trusting the broker and availability of the research also matter. Dont download too many apps; pick one that suits you and learn to use it productively.

(Published in arrangement with Livemint)
Dehradun: With the start of new academic session, parents have renewed their demand for lightweight students bags. An association formed by the parents in Uttarakhand have urged schools to take up measures to unburden their children.

As per a survey conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry in 2016, almost 68% schoolchildren under the age of 13 face the risk of backaches and hunchbacks by carrying heavy backpacks. The survey carried out across 10 cities, including Dehradun.

A schoolbag should not weigh beyond 10% of a students weight as per the Childrens Schoolbag Act 2006. However, Dehradun-based school bookstores that HT spoke to said that a child carries 12 to 15 textbooks, notebooks and workbooks on an average to school. The text materials, coupled with additional items like sports/art/music kits, stationery, lunch boxes and water bottles often make for 20-30% of a childs weight.

We have put across the demand for lightweight bags to schools many times in the past but to no avail. We will meet the new government in this regard to request its intervention, said Neeraj Singhal, president of the All Uttarakhand Parents Association. The association has over 1.24 lakh parents as its members, of that 32,000 are from Dehradun alone.

We understand that text material is important for them (students), but schools should at least come up with measures like dividing books into smaller booklets and planning smarter timetables to reduce the overall load, said Kusum Tiwari, the parent of a Class 8 student said.

The health experts warned of long-term back and spine trouble due to excess weight of bags. Carrying heavy load on the back in the growing years could lead to back or shoulder aches and spinal deformity in the long run, besides affecting the growth of the musculoskeletal system. Heavy schoolbags may also lead to stress in neck muscles, Dr Gaurav Gupta, secretary of the Dehradun Orthopedic Society, told HT.

When contacted, school education minister Arvind Pandey said that the government will look into the matter. Ive just taken over as the education ministerbut I assure the parents that well look into the problem and take up the matter with schools to ensure a way out, Pandey told HT on Wednesday.

Last year, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had issued guidelines for all affiliated schools to ensure that school bags are of manageable weight.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The new BJP government in Uttarakhand will showcase its ancient Mahabharata and Ramayana connections by creating special tourism circuits in the state.

State tourism department sources said the Mahabharata connection of the state starting from the countrys last village, Mana  considered as residential place of epic writer Ved Vyas  along Indo-China border to Jaunsar region bordering Himachal Pradesh will be developed as a new tourist circuit in Uttarakhand to showcase the period of Pandavas in Himalaya hills.

The tourism circuit will be around 250-300 kilometers spanning from the north west of the state to its north east.

The department will soon start work on identifying places in the state connected with the Mahabharata era to develop the roadmap for the tourist circuit.

It is believed that besides Vyas Pothi, a cave where Ved Vyas lived at Mana village, three kilometers away from Badrinath shrine, Pandukshewar temple area and birth place of Pandavas on way to Badrinath are two important sites in north east part of the state that will be included in the planned circuit.

Pandukeshwar is the place where Prince Pandu stayed with his wives Kunti and Madri after eschewing his kingdom.

Legends have it that the Pandavas were born at Pandukeshwar.

Apart from Mana and Pandukeshwar, Hanuman Chatti, 20 kilometers from Joshimath is another Mahabharata site where Bheem and Lord Hanuman are said to have met and the latter blessed his brother for victory in the war, tourism minister Satpal Maharaj said.

Lakhamandal area is another place known where Duryodhana constructed well known Lakshagrah  the house of lac to burn the Pandavas alive during their sojourn in the forests with their mother.

There is also Duryodhana temple in this region which will also be incorporated in the circuit the minister said.

According to Satpal Maharaj, a similar circuit will also be created to showcase Ramayana era sites in Uttarakhand. This is likely to include areas between foothills of Rishikesh and Chamoli, where Hanuman is believed to foraged for the life saving Sanjeevani herb to revive Lakshmana, lying unconscious in the distant Lanka.
Opening a front against Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken, former minister and senior leader Mangat Ram Singhal on Wednesday alleged that tickets were sold this time for the municipal elections.

Singhal, who was minister in the Sheila Dikshit government, said the state leadership had defied directions of party vice president Rahul Gandhi and awarded tickets to relatives of sitting councillors and former MLAs and MPs.

Rahul Gandhi has clearly said no relative of sitting councillors, former MLAs and MPs will be given tickets. Only eligible candidates will be made party nominees. State unit chief (Ajay Maken) set his own rules and conducted a survey to choose contestants but he did not obey Rahul Gandhis direction. Tickets were allocated only on the recommendations of people working closely with Maken. They sold municipal elections tickets, Singhal said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

While Maken refused to comment on the allegations, Singhal said he had sought time from party president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to apprise them about the situation. This is serious issue. We condemn this. This state president is hell bent on making Congress mukt dilli, Singhal added.

The press conference was called by a group of disgruntled party leaders, including Singhal, Onika Malhotra, head, women cell of the party, Sukhbir Sharma, ex vice president, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC), and former party spokesperson Jatinder Kochar, to air their grievances at the residence of Delhi Rajya Sabha MP Parvez Hashmi.

Hashmi was not present at the press conference. But earlier, Hashmi, in an interview to a news channel, had blamed Maken for alleged irregularities in ticket distribution.

Kochar said tickets were managed in Congress and state unit chief Maken was responsible for it.

Maken has set up a survey committee but this survey is nothing but a sham. Five relatives of Mahabal Mishra, former west Delhi MP, have been given tickets. One of them is not even a resident of the city. People are coming to us and saying money was demanded for tickets, he said.

On Monday, senior state Congress leaders, including former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, had said the DPCC had kept them away from the municipal elections candidate selection procedure.

Alleging the utter neglect of efficient party workers, former party MLA Amrish Singh Gautam had left his party and joined Bharatiya Janata Party on April 3 while Walia had threatened to quit.

I dont know anything about ticket distribution as I was not involved. In fact, I was not consulted at any point of time. It is regrettable that senior party leaders are leaving or planning to quit, Dikshit had said after reports of Gautam quitting and Walia planning to do the same were out.
Union minister Vijay Goel on Wednesday sought feedback from Old Delhi residents on Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals attempts to have his legal bill footed from the government exchequer.

Goel, while addressing over a hundred people at Ghanta Ghar in Chandni Chowk, targeted Kejriwal for allegedly misusing public funds. He distributed a questionnaire to the gathering and asked them to answer two questions.

The first question was, If the defamation case against Kejriwal is a personal suit, so can the CM pay the fees to his lawyer Ram Jethmalani from government exchequer?

The second question was, Is Kejriwal fooling people by making fake promises again and again?

We have approached at least 2,000 people from Chandni Chowk area. In coming days, party workers will hold such mohalla sabhas in rest of the city. The opinion collected will be handed over to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, said Goel.

We want Delhiites to know why Kejriwal is wasting their money for his defence. He had made some objectionable statements about Arun Jaitley, who later filed a defamation case against Kejriwal. So why would Delhi tax payers money be spent on this? Ideally, he should pay the legal fees from his own pocket. he said.

Goel said Kejriwal had earlier wasted Rs 97 crore from the government exchequer on advertising.

MLAs meet Baijal

The BJP on Wednesday urged lieutenant governor Anil Baijal to institute a time-bound inquiry into the Delhi governments decision to use tax payers money to pay Rs 3.4 crore to noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani.

Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta, met Baijal along with other two BJP MLAs and submitted a memorandum demanding an inquiry.

The Rohini legislator alleged that the Delhi government had tried to hide details of its decision by specifically ordering its departments not to send the concerned files to the L-G office.

Instead, they just sent a one page note to the L-G for post-facto approval, Gupta said, adding that criminal proceedings be initiated against Kejriwal and others involved in what he alleged to be criminal act of misusing public funds and the subverting constitutional procedure.
On March 21, a middle-aged Japanese man had boarded his flight for Tokyo at Delhi airport, waiting for it to take-off when security personnel barged in looking for him. To his surprise, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel had come to return his pouch containing foreign currency equivalent to Rs2.5 lakh, two wrist watches along with documents and debit cards.

After mobiles phones and laptops, wallets are the third most forgetten item found by the CISF at the Delhi airport. While the CISF initially treat these items as potential threat, once they get the clearance, the staff starts looking for the owner of the item so that it can be returned.

In 2016, the CISF recovered lost items worth Rs 5.57 crore at the Delhi airport, of which items worth Rs 1.78 crore were handed over to the passengers immediately, while the rest were kept at the airport. Of the left over items, 1,876 mobiles, 1,169 laptops, 335 cameras/wrist watch and 809 wallets and currency were recovered.

In this case, the documents revealed that the pouch belong to a Japanese national travelling to Tokyo. Our staff immediately rushed to the boarding gate and found that passenger had already boarded. Our staff went inside the plane and after proper verification the pouch was handed over to him. Our objective, in such cases, is to trace the owner at the airport itself so that he/she doesnt have to come back again to get the lost item, said a CISF official, requesting anonymity.

This year, till March, items worth Rs73.90 lakh have been recovered.

Air travellers tend to forget items such as costly phones, foreign currency, cameras, wrist watches and bag. To minimise harassment for such passengers, this year, CISF had taken the initiative where the staff was given a monthly target to return the lost item to its owner before they board the flight.

Usually these items were handed over to the airport operator and passengers were asked to claim it from there, which was a time-taking process.

This is a passenger friendly initiative and has received a positive feedback. We have formed teams to monitor unidentified items at the airport and trace the owners. The team works in coordination with the control room, who scan CCTV footage to trace the owner, the official added.

In 2017, between January and March, 1,126 items such as mobile phones, laptop, wrist watches, passport and jackets have been recovered by the CISF, of which 154 were handed over to the passengers immediately.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Rural pockets on the margins of the city have a distinct socio-economic culture. But, the problems in these settlements are similar to that of the urban areas.

With the April 23 municipal elections nearing, people in these areas list maintenance of roads, drains, sewerage, sanitation, schools and health care as some of the key electoral issues  almost similar to those in the urban pockets, though with a local angle to it.

Sitting on a charpoy, with a bunch of senior citizens in Ghevra village, Jagat Singh voices the pending demands of the area. One of our biggest demands has been construction and maintenance of firni road. Its an old demand, but we have to yet see it turn into reality, Singh said. Firni roads are the peripheral roads surrounding the village. Locals say, in most of rural areas of the Capital, these roads are either kuchha (unmetalled) or badly maintained.

Demand for a well-laid peripheral road gets echoed in neighbouring villages like Nizampur, Jonti and Karala. While in Mundka, aides of former mayor Azad Singh who has represented the ward for a decade, count it as a major achievement. The road has been laid twice by master saheb (Azad Singh), said Sandeep, a volunteer at Singhs office.

Ghevra is part of the Kanjhawla municipal ward in Mundka assembly segment carved out of the Karala ward after delimitation. At the office of Aam Aadmi Party candidate Neelam Jitendar, a local volunteer Jeevan Singh said major development issues here include lack of municipal schools, poor availability of teachers and absence toilets and maternity centres. He said that the rural parts of the city-state, popularly known as Delhi dehat, have unique problems and the remedies must also be focused.

We are in Delhi, yet devoid of several basic amenities expected in a metropolitan city. Most of the hospitals and good private schools are far away from these places located on the margins of the city. Therefore, two most basic demands are better primary schools and maternity centres, Singh added.

While these pockets continue to preserve Delhis rural flavour, the demography here is changing rapidly with increase in population and rapid growth of unauthorised colonies.

As locals here discuss their problems, the boundaries between municipal bodies and Delhi government get blurred. For example, a bunch of students outside Chhotu Ram Rural Institute of Technology on the Bawana-Narela road, say public transport is one of their biggest worries and they will raise it with the candidates in the MCD polls.

Many of us come from far away places. Mostly orange buses (under cluster city bus scheme) ply on this stretch, but their frequency is very bad. Most of the time we request for lift from the bikers passing by if we have to attend our classes on time, said Anirudh.

However, providing public transport is the responsibility of the Delhi government and not the municipal corporation. On learning this, one of the students named Vikram suggests that the functioning of the MCDs should be reformed with measures like introducing a longer tenure for the mayor. If the area has to be developed, not only should the mayor needs to have a long run but he should also be a councillor from a rural pocket, Vikram said.

Mohan, the owner of the eatery, agreed with this idea. He cited example of former mayor Azad Singh, the younger brother of former chief minister Sahib Singh Verma, to substantiate the argument. He could get an underpass constructed on Ranikhera road and a stadium in Kanjhawla because he was mayor, though they dont fall under his municipal ward, Mohan said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The three-member Shunglu Committee, formed by the then lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung, has pointed out gross abuse of power by the Arvind Kejriwal government in its report.

The report was submitted by the committee to L-G Jung last year, but it surfaced on Wednesday even as the Congress announced to make it public on Thursday noon. The party accessed a copy through RTI.

While Jung had recommended a few inquiries based on the committee report, he had refused to put it in public domain.

The committee was formed by Jung soon after the Delhi High Court on August 4 last year stamped the L-G as the citys administrator.

In the report, the committee flagged decisions, including the allotment of land to the AAP for its party office, appointment of minister Satyendra Jains daughter as mission director of the Delhi State Health Mission and a number of purported AAP functionaries as advisors.

While AAP government functionaries refused to comment on the development immediately, both the Arvind Kejriwal government and AAP leaders had in the past questioned the legality of the committee.

The report observes that the genesis of the conflict lay in an April 2015 order issued by Kejriwal to all the departments.

It directed officers to take decisions without consulting the Lt Governor on all subjects that have been transferred to the Delhi Assembly under Article 239AA(3)a of the Indian Constitution.

The panel said the decision to allot land to the AAP to build a party office should be considered null and void and also questioned the allotment of residence to DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal.

The report that runs into over 101 pages deals with decisions, including appointment of certain individuals as advisors to the government, taken by Kejriwal and his Cabinet where it had no authority do so and without the LGs concurrence.

In pursuance of the directions of the CM in April 2015, it became the practice among ministers not to obtain the approval of the LG and to provide approval at their level, it said.

Among other issues, the report raised questions on the government posting officers to the Anti-Corruption Branch, its decisions on transfer and appointments of officers, foreign travel undertaken by ministers without the LGs sanction and appointment of lawyers.

In an interview to a news channel after he quit as Delhi L-G, Jung had said that Kejriwal may face criminal charges over irregularities found by the panel.

With PTI inputs
Farmers from Tamil Nadu will continue their protest for the 23rd day on Wednesday in Delhi, even though the Madras High Court had on Tuesday ordered the state government to write off all agricultural loans.

The move is expected to benefit 20 lakh farmers in the state but the farmers said that they will continue their protest at Jantar Mantar, until the central government writes off loans from nationalised banks, revises drought relief package and provides solutions to water scarcity in the region. They have also sought institution of a Cauvery Management Board and interlinking of national rivers to resolve the alleged drying up of Cauvery river in Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu farmers have been protesting with skulls which they claim are of others who have committed suicide due to the drought in their state. (Vipin Kumar/HT FILE)

Read: Skulls, noose, mice and Gandhi: Tamil Nadu farmers innovative protest for aid

We still have loans from nationalised banks. I had taken a loan of around Rs 2 lakh. Now, with interest it is around Rs 5 lakh. I cant afford to pay it back. My crops were ruined in the drought and the cyclone. I have no money, said Natarajan, a farmer from the Karur district in Tamil Nadu, who has been protesting at Jantar Mantar for over three weeks now.

Natarjan and others have been braving difficult times here in Delhi. Tuesday night proved another challenge for many, as the city got some rain showers. The tent was leaking. All our things are soaking wet now. Even the floor which is covered with carpet got wet. We could not sleep properly on the damp ground, said Natarajan.

The farmers have been protesting at Jantar Mantar for the past 23 days and have used innovative ideas to catch attention of the government. (Saumya Khandelwal/HT PHOTO)

In its order on Tuesday the bench comprising justices S Nagamuthu and MV Muralidharan said the state governments classification of farmers into small, marginal and others is arbitrary and without thought.

The court was giving its order on the petition filed by P Ayyakannu, the state president of the National South-Indian Rivers Linking Farmers Association, who is also leading the protests in Delhi. There are around 20 lakh farmers who had taken loans from such banks. Around 16 lakh of them had already benefitted under the scheme by the state government. The new order will benefit the other four lakh other farmers who had also lost their crops in the drought, P Ayyakannu said.

Protesting farmers from Tamil Nadu bite on a dead snake in a symbolic protest at Jantar Mantar. (Ravi Choudhary/HT PHOTO)

Ayyakannu said that the HC order will mean that loans of around Rs 7,000 crore will be waived.

Ayyakannu said that he owns 20 acres of farm land and his loans have also been waived now. However, farmers said that this is a small victory. Our loans from nationalised banks still remain. We will continue to fight and protest (in Delhi), until our demands are met, he said.

Farmers said that with their livelihood taken away, they would be forced to eat mice. They demanded government intervention and a relief package. In the picture above farmers pose with mice to drive home their point. (Saumya Khandelwal/HT PHOTO)

Read: Skulls to snakes, farmers protesting at Delhis Jantar Mantar use it all to get heard

Farmers from Tamil Nadu have been making headlines since they reached Delhi over three weeks ago with their innovative protest ideas. They have tried various means of protest, from using skulls, live mice and dead snakes, to shaving half of their heads and facial hair, to get the attention of the government.

MDMK general secretary Vaiko interacts with Tamil Nadu farmers who staged a mock funeral during the protests at Jantar Mantar. (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

Read: Drought-hit Tamil Nadu farmers hold mock funeral in Delhi

Tamil Nadu government declared a drought in the state after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that the northeast monsoon in 2016 was the worst in 140 years. Farmers allege that their crops were ruined in the drought and the subsequent Cyclone Vardah, and have been protesting in the national capital seeking the central governments intervention.
The recent Supreme Court (SC) order banning the sale of liquor within 500m of national and state highways has put city and state authorities in a flap. From re-designating highways to seeking legal redress, officials are hunting for ways to circumvent the order and keep the businesses going. The main reason for this rush to find escape hatches is not difficult to guess: The first weekend after the order saw the hospitality industry lose tens of crores of rupees and the states lucrative revenue. Then there has been talk on loss of employment. For example, the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Chandigarh said that over 5,000 people could be laid off due to the order. With these kinds of fears surfacing in the media, the online and offline discussions have been mostly restricted to revenue and employment losses.

But there is another dangerous trend that the SC order has triggered in states: Re-designation of highways. Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Rajasthan are rebranding their state highways as district roads. Many of these pubs are also looking to move into residential areas to circumvent the rule. And if a story from Kolkata is to be believed, cars are the new bars along the highway and alcohol is also being served at dhabas, all illegally, of course. In Gurgaon, developers are making changes in entries and exits of properties, violating sanctioned plans. So to be in line with one law, people will be flouting others.

The re-designation of highways as district roads could turn out to be dangerous in the long run because their maintenance may not be up to the mark, leading to road accidents. If the courts want to stop people from drinking and driving --- no doubt a noble objective --- it should ensure that the laws are implemented better by the police. The new Motor Vehicles (Amendement) Bill 2016, which the Cabinet has approved, has raised the penalty for drunk driving five times to Rs 10,000 and if such driving results in the death of another person, the driver can be booked for a non-bailable offence with imprisonment up to 10 years. The Bill has been introduced in Lok Sabha. Bangalore and Mumbai have shown that better policing and implementation of the law can help curb drink driving. The strong implementation of the law has even got the market responding with several companies providing drivers to ferry drinkers home. There is no reason why other states should not follow similar policing measures to stop drunk driving.
A Lucknow boy has secured 100% scholarship worth at least Rs 2 crore to pursue a course in engineering in computer science and physics at the University of Pennsylvania - an Ivy league university rated among top 8 universities of the world.

It is an overwhelming feeling to win a scholarship ... And that too from a coveted university like Pennsylvania, Lakshay Sharma told Hindustan Times on Tuesday.

Like thousands of students, Sharma took admission into a training institute in Rajasthans Kota to get into the coveted Indian Institutes of Technology. But he soon shifted his goal post and decided to compete for admission to universities across the world and not just in India.

An alumnus of City Montessori School in Gomti Nagar, Sharma said he has been preparing for the admission process since he was in Class 10. (Handout image)

He then set about the task of building his profile for admission to a top-ranked university in the United States and was mentored by Sanjeev Pandey. An alumnus of City Montessori School in Gomti Nagar, Sharma said he has been preparing for the admission process since he was in Class 10.

When I was in grade 10, I had the good fortune of coming into contact with Sanjeev Sir, who advised me on applying to US universities. He became my mentor and guided me in my preparation for the standardised tests needed for admission to the most selective universities. He gave me especially rigorous training for the ACT, the 17-year-old said.

Striking a balance between academics and the application process is key to his success, Sharma claimed while explaining the application process, which he said is very holistic and involves writing up tons of essays, to universities in the US.

I had to complete my application to the US universities while simultaneously preparing for 11th and 12th grades, studying for the JEE and other competitive exams and participating in international Olympiads such as International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) 2015, and the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) 2016, he said.

Sharma managed to strike a fine balance between all these by dividing his time well.

Consequently, I won a gold medal in the IJSO 2015, a bronze medal in the IOAA 2015, achieved All India Rank 13 in the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) and also got full scores in the standardised tests like ACT, all three SAT subject tests and all three AP exams.

Sharma secured a perfect 800 score in three SAT subject tests (physics, chemistry and mathematics II), an ACT composite score of 35 out of 36, TOEFL score of 115 out of 120.

Lakshay Sharma plays the synthesiser and loves to participate in quizzing competitions. (Handout image)

We are proud to have identified, groomed and polished this gem for the world. Lakshay has proved his ability to compete with the best minds across the world, Pandey, his mentor at USA UnivQuest, said.

Sharma enjoys gazing at stars since his childhood and the fascination has evolved over the years into a passion.

I enjoy the beautiful sights of galaxies and nebulae in the eyepiece of my telescope, especially the Orion Nebula with its gossamer tendrils and vivid colours, he said.

He also plays the synthesiser and loves to participate in quizzing competitions.

Playing the synthesiser helps me relax and refresh my mind whenever I get exhausted after studying, and I particularly enjoy playing Bollywood songs on the keyboard. Quizzing is a way for me to sharpen my scientific instincts and speed, and it becomes particularly enjoyable when the competition is tough, he said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The liquor ban imposed by Supreme Court is likely to affect banquet halls and party places within 500 metres of the highways as the Haryana government is unlikely to issue temporary licences for consumption of liquor during functions.

The hotel and restaurant association of Haryana were informed of this during a high-level meeting in Chandigarh.

According to the excise department, they will not issue a one-time licence for parties and functions to banquet halls that fall within the 500 metres of state and national highways.

The one-time licences for serving of liquor in business establishments in the red zone will not be issued from now on, said HC Dahiya, deputy excise and taxation officer, west zone.

The decision by the excise department is likely to impact banquet halls and party halls along the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and Sohna Road. Data pertaining to last years applications for such licences show that there are around 136 such establishments in Gurgaon along NH-8, Sohna Road, Old Delhi Gurgaon Road and Sheetla Mata Road, apart from other parts of the city.

Read I Highway liquor ban: Gurgaons Cyber Hub revellers left high, dry, without cheer

Since the order pertains to only those within 500 metres of state and national highways, establishments along the Old Delhi Gurgaon Road will escape the ban.

Sources meanwhile said the repercussion of this order could also be felt by farmhouses in Delhi along the proposed Dwarka Expressway, which has also been designated as a national highway though the highway ministry is yet to notify it.

Manbeer Choudhary, president, hotel and restaurant association of Haryana, said the decision by the state government will impact conferencing , conventions and marriage functions. These generate a lot of business for the industry. We have met top government officials and ministers and are hopeful that a solution will be arrived at. There is need to find a way out, he said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 5

Trend:

The OSCE monitoring held along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops passed without incidents on April 5, said the press service of Azerbaijans Defense Ministry.

The monitoring was held under the mandate of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative along the line of contact in the direction of the Garakhanbayli village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli district, said the press service.

On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring was held by Peter Svedberg, Simon Tiller, field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative, and head of the High Level Planning Group, Colonel Hans Lampalzer.

On the Azerbaijani territories occupied and controlled by Armenian armed forces, the monitoring was carried out by Ghenadie Petrica and Mihail Olaru, field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative, as well as Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Farrelly, representative of the High Level Planning Group.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Some may scoff at adolescents use of social media networks as they pine for likes, but a new study suggests that using the photo-sharing app Instagram can actually strengthen the closeness of their friendships which in turn may help curb depression.

This age group may be particularly at risk for the impact of Instagram, given the increasing popularity of Instagram in adolescence and given the increase of depressive symptoms during this stage of life, said researcher Eline Frison from University of Leuven in Belgium.

This study offers practitioners greater insight into the outcomes of adolescents Instagram use, Frison said.

Using Instagram was related to increased closeness to friends. (shutterstock)

The findings are scheduled to be presented at the 67th annual International Communication Association conference to be held at San Diego, California from May 25-29, 2017.

From 2013-2014, Frison set up a large-scale study to investigate the relationships between adolescents social networking site use and their well-being.

Students filled out paper-and-pencil surveys between six-month periods.

The surveys asked students about their use of social networking sites like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram, and their well-being (depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, loneliness).

The data analysed revealed that using Instagram at one point was related to increased closeness to friends (perception that they are appreciated and loved by their friends) six months later, which in turn was related to lower levels of depression.

However, the researchers cautioned that if the use of the photo sharing app fails to stimulate the feeling closeness to friends, it could be harmful in the long run.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Daniel Craig is ready to sign on to return as fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond, pagesix.com reported. Multiple sources told the publication that Bond franchise producer Barbara Broccoli has just about persuaded Daniel Craig to do one more Bond movie.

This comes after Broccoli produced his hit off-Broadway production of Othello with actor-producer David Oyelowo.

A Hollywood source said, Daniel was very pleased with how Othello went and the great reviews. Now Daniels talks with Barbara are going in the right direction. They have a script - screenwriting duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (whove penned several Bond movies) are writing and theyll go into production as soon as Daniel is ready to commit.

The source added, Plus, Barbara Broccoli doesnt like Tom Hiddleston, hes a bit too smug and not tough enough to play James Bond.

In 2015, Craig was asked if hed be back again after finishing a difficult Spectre shoot, and replied, Id rather... slash my wrists... Im over it at the moment.

Another source said, Daniel had such a good time in Othello, produced by Barbara that hes ready to do a final Bond.

Representatives for Craig and Broccoli havent commented on it.
He wanted fame, and when he got it, he didnt want it, says a friend of Heath Ledgers in a trailer for an upcoming documentary that promises to reveal unheard of information about the late stars life.

Weaving in accounts from friends, family and colleagues, I am Heath Ledger attempts to pull back the curtain on one of Hollywoods most enigmatic movie stars, who died in 2008 after an accidental overdose on subscription medication.

Even as a supporting actor, he will steal the whole show, says the Oscar-winning director Ang Lee, who directed him in Brokeback Mountain, the film that would earn him worldwide fame.

Thats the power of Heath Ledger.

This is like taking it to the next level, says Kate, his sister. Youre going to be nominated for this. Im telling you right now. And he just smiled, she continues, alluding to Ledgers posthumous nomination, and eventual Oscar win for his performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight.

The documentary airs on Spike network on May 17. Theres no word yet if it will air in India.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Close to achieving its goal of a Congress-mukt Bharat (Congress-free India), the BJP has turned its gaze on the Left bastions of Kerala and Tripura.

While the party and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, have turned up the heat on CPI(Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front government in Kerala, BJP chief Amit Shah is now focusing to Tripura, which is due for assembly election in 2018.

The tiny northeastern state is significant for the BJP as the Left has been ruling the state since 1993 and the Congress seems to be losing ground.

The Northeast has emerged as a happy hunting ground for the BJP, which is in power in three states and a junior partner in the ruling coalition.

Shah will on May 7 begin a two-day visit to the state during which he plans to meet party cadres and prepare the ground for the BJPs expansion.

Here are five reasons why the BJP is keen on Tripura:

1. The Red Fort in West Bengal has already fallen to Trinamool Congress and the BJP has been quick to make inroads in the state. In Kerala, the party managed to win its first assembly seat in the last years election.

The Congress, which has been in opposition for 24 years in Tripura, is losing ground while the BJP is getting a good response from people.

2. The Tripura assembly has 60 seats, 49 of which are with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and 10 with the Congress. In the 2013 assembly election, the BJP contested 50 seats, lost deposit in 49 and polled just 1.54 % votes compared to CPMs 48.11% and Congress 36.53%. The next years Lok Sabha election offered some hope to the BJP that saw its vote share rise to 5.77% and Congress slip to 15.38%.

3. Of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the Northeast, Assam accounts for 14 while Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh have two each. Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim have one.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the BJP won eight seats and its allies, the Nagaland Peoples Front and the Sikkim Democratic Front, one each.

Despite the so-called Modi wave, the Northeast gave the Congress eight of its 44 Lok Sabha seats. The CPM won two and rest went to regional players.

The BJP is eyeing 20 of the 25 seats in 2019. It has formed a grouping, the North-East Democratic Alliance, with regional players. BJP general secretary Ram Madhav and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was instrumental in the BJP forming its first government in the state, are its pointspersons in the region.

4. A setback in Tripura would further marginalise the Left nationally. If the BJP manages to get the better of the CPM in the Tripura election, it will deal a blow to the communist partys effort to cobble up an alliance of non-BJP parties to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2019 national election.

5. Chief minister Manik Sarkar has a clean image but his government is facing corruption charges, including over recruitment of teachers. The BJP has been asking Sarkar to step down, holding him responsible for the Supreme Court sacking 10,223 teachers. The party is organising protest demonstrations and drawing a good response.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
In three weeks, the historic Osmania University in Hyderabad will celebrate 100 years of its foundation.

However, the festive mood, which should have been visible by now, is glaringly missing on the campus. Except an arch near the administrative building and a flattened balloon on the mighty Arts College building, there are no signs of any celebrations.

Surprisingly, neither students nor most of the faculty members have any clue as to how the centenary celebrations of the university, founded by the last Mir Osman Ali Khan in 1917, are going to be held.

All that they know is that it is going to be a three-day affaira two-hour inaugural ceremony to be attended by President Pranab Mukherjee on April 26, an alumni meeting to be inaugurated by Maharashtra governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao on the second day and an all-India vice-chancellors conference on the final day to be addressed by Union human resources development minister Prakash Javdekar.

We are awaiting nod from Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to approve the actual programme schedule, OU centenary celebrations committee special officer Prof H Venkateshwarlu told Hindustan Times.

The prestigious university, which has produced several stalwarts like former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, former Lok Sabha speaker Shivraj Patil and former Union minister S Jaipal Reddy, besides industrialists like G V K Reddy and Karan Billimoria, is still in shambles and requires urgent facelift for the occasion.

Nearly 20 of the 42 hostel buildings are in a pathetic state. The hostel rooms and dormitories are not spacious enough. The iron cots have no mattresses and students have been using banners and polythene covers as bedsheets. Roofs are covered with asbestos sheets which are broken at several places.

During rainy season, it is a virtual shower in our rooms. We cannot go anywhere, lamented Prashant, a post-graduate in public administration, staying in E-hostel.

There is no underground sewerage system in the hostels and water overflows through the drains. About bathrooms, less said the better, rues Reddy Srinivas, doing MA (political science).

Many toilets are without doors and bolts. The water supply is grossly inadequate for 10,000 boarders. And this summer, there is a severe drinking water scarcity. There are no water coolers, and there is nobody to repair even the fans, he said.

All that the university authorities have done so far for the centenary celebrations is white-washing the exteriors of hostel buildings, without bothering to improve the amenities.

Authorities are not involving any student leaders in the celebration committees, since we raise all these issues. What is the point in illuminating buildings and releasing balloons in the air as part of celebrations, without bothering to provide basic facilities to students? asked N Ramesh, Telangana student joint action committee leader.

Prof Venkateshwarlu said student leaders were not involved because there was no single union due to the absence of elections for several years.

Nevertheless, I am planning to have a meeting with some student representatives in a couple of days to discuss the issues, he said.

The special officer said the Telangana government had allocated Rs 200 crore for the OU celebrations this year. We are also expecting another Rs 100 crore from the Centre. Once we get the funds, we will renovate the hostels and construct new buildings with all the modern facilities. This is a year-long process, Venkateshwarlu said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Kundan Dom, a Mahadalit from Sultanganj, had acquired a dubious reputation because of his dependence on alcohol.

But all that has changed now. A reformed alcoholic, he returns home before dusk. His domestic life has also improved as he no longer creates a ruckus under the influence of alcohol.

Doms reformation is not a lone instance. A number of people in Bihar have kicked the habit after the state government introduced total prohibition last year. In one year, 44,000 people have been arrested for violating the liquor ban.

Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI), along with other research organisations, claimed that the quality of life of the states residents, especially women, took a turn for the better after the ban.

With the government now preparing to focus on a de-addiction drive, the political class views on the ban have changed.

The previous unanimity shown by parties in pressing for the prohibition has disappeared. While none of them want to lose out on the credit for bringing in the ban, the Opposition is highly critical of what it terms as draconian provisions in the new excise law. BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi terms the ban a complete failure due to poor implementation of a good idea.

Although police claim to have exercised strictness in implementing the ban, the liquor mafia continues to push in truckloads of alcohol and ardent tipplers are able to find ways to hoodwink the authorities. According to official records,the police and the excise department seized more than 5 lakh liters of alcohol between 2016-17.

There are challenges. The government is committed to laying hands on the big fish and exposing the alleged police-politician nexus, said chief secretary Anjani Kumar.

While time will only tell the political fallout of the ban, chief minister Nitish Kumars initiative has certainly travelled beyond Bihar. During a Bihar visit , PM Narendra Modi praised Kumar by calling his move a bold step for social change (that) few would dare to even touch.

Kumar admitted that prohibition had the potential to be accepted nationally and was even ready to spearhead it. The BJP, however, continues to highlight the bans faults.

The government should clarify how the commercial taxes department fell short of Rs 3500-crore target when the CM claims Rs 10,000-crore savings have gone to other household expenditure, Sushil Modi said, alleging that flawed implementation of the ban had given room to a parallel economy of illegal liquor trade.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Thursday she was surprised and pained at the charge by some African nations that India is a xenophobic country after multiple attacks on Nigerian students in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh last month.

Swaraj reiterated in the Lok Sabha that the attack on the foreign nationals was a criminal act and one should not jump the guns to call it racial.

I spoke to Uttar Pradesh chief minister demanding independent probe  Six persons have been arrested in this regard, she said in the Lok Sabha.

You cant say our steps are inadequate. We are committed to ensuring the security of all foreigners in India... It is not right to connect with racism before probe ends. I said this in the context of attacks in the US too, she said.

Her reaction came after a group of African envoys said India didnt do enough to stop the attacks on Africans.

A statement by the Heads of African Mission dated March 31 called for a condemnation of the attacks at the highest level in India and demanded an independent investigation by human rights bodies. The document also called the attacks racist and xenophobic.

In Abuja, Olushola Enikanolaiye, permanent secretary in Nigerias foreign ministry, summoned Indian envoy B Nagabhushana Reddy on Wednesday and expressed displeasure over the attacks on Nigerians and voiced concern that the incident was not the first of its kind.

Swaraj also told the Lower House that she asked her deputy MJ Akbar to speak to Nigerian diplomats about her telephonic conversation with the UP chief minister and brief them about the development in the case.

Last week, Swaraj said an impartial probe will be held into the attacks after Nigeria asked the Indian government to ensure the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible and that the Centre has sought a report from the state government.

Opposition members also raised concern over the issue in the Rajya Sabha.

Manish Khari, a 17-year-old resident of NSG Society in Greater Noida, went missing on March 24, only to be found in front of the building complexs gate in the morning next day in an inebriated condition.

A Class 12 student of JP International School in Greater Noida, Khari was admitted to a private hospital on March 25, where he died due to cardiac arrest at 4 pm.

Enraged locals in Greater Noida thrashed several Africans in a burst of fury following Kharis death. Residents blamed the Africans of plying boy with drugs. A purported video of the assault went viral on social media that showed locals kicking and punching a Kenyan man, sparking widespread outrage.

Greater Noida Police booked 5 Nigerian students of Noida International University under the charges of kidnapping, culpable homicide and murder. The next day, police arrested the Nigerians in connection with the case, but let them go because of lack of proof.

Things took another ugly turn when a group of locals, carrying out a candlelight march, attacked Africans at Ansal Plaza Mall in Greater Noida. At least 6 Africans were injured in the attack.

Following the attack, police issued an advisory asking Africans to refrain from travelling in Greater Noida. They also deployed heavy security outside residential societies where Africans live. They were even escorted by the police for their safety.

Security measures were relaxed from Monday after the situation normalised.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Senior Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav will meet Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday, days after and Mulayam Singhs younger daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav met the Uttar Pradesh chief minister leading to speculations that she might join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

Aparna and her husband Prateek Yadav first met Adityanath two days after he became the chief minister. Later, the chief minister visited a shelter home for stray animals run by Aparna in state capital Lucknow.

On Tuesday, Aparna scotched rumours that she was planning to join the BJP, saying the talks about her joining the saffron party were baseless.

The meeting, scheduled at 11.15am at CMs official 5 Kalidas Marg residence, has also triggered speculations about a possible tacit political alliance between Shivpal and the BJP after he was sidelined in the SP following a bitter family feud with Akhilesh Yadav over the partys control.

Shivpal, who won from the Jaswantnagar constituency in the recently-concluded assembly elections, said on Tuesday that he would unite all party leaders who had been ignored.

Read | Why Mulayam Singh Yadavs choti bahu Aparna paid Yogi Adityanath surprise visit

We will not let the legacy of samajwad (socialism) to weaken and will soon launch a campaign to unite socialists to bring them on one platform, he said.

Shivpal held the public works department and irrigation department portfolios in the SP government before he was sacked by his nephew Akhilesh.

Last week, Adityanath inspected the work on the Rs 1400 crore Gomti River Front Development and beautification project. The project was started during the SP regime and was being executed by the irrigation department under Shivpals direct supervision.

After the visit, the chief minister ordered a judicial probe into the project. The government said that while 90% of the funds earmarked for the project has been released, only 60% ground work has been completed at the site.
State-owned Air India is all set to resume flight services to Shimla, almost five years after the carrier discontinued operations from the hill-locked aerodrome.

A test flight to start regular services, which will be operated by the Air Indias regional arm Alliance Air, has already been carried out and the airline is now awaiting a final nod from the aviation regulator, DGCA, a source close to the development said.

The airline plans to deploy a 42-seater ATR plane to cater to the new destination, the source said.

Air India is keen to resume services to Shimla at the earliest to take advantage of tourists flocking to the Himachal Pradesh capital during summer, the source told PTI.

Significantly, Shimla is also one of the 70 airports chosen for operating flights under the governments regional connectivity scheme, UDAN.

Alliance Air has already conducted the mandatory trial run of the 42-seater ATR plane yesterday under the watch of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). We are now awaiting its go-ahead, an airline source told PTI on Wednesday.

According to the source, once the DGCA approval comes by, which is expected within this week, the airline will take no time in starting flight operations from Shimla airport.

The airport at Jubbarhatti, which is 22 kms from Shimla and is located 2,196 metres above sea-level, was shut for scheduled flights since September 6, 2012.

We are aiming to resume operations at the earliest as the summer rush to the Himalayan mountain town has already begun and it would put us in an advantageous position, the source said.
Choice of food and trade in foodstuff were part of right to life, the Allahabad high court has said, giving the UP government 10 days to draw up a plan so that its crackdown on illegal abattoirs and meat shops didnt deprive people of their livelihood or food.

The courts Lucknow bench also said various food habits had flourished in Uttar Pradesh and these were an essential part of the states secular culture. It was responding to a petition of a trader who sought directions for the government to renew his meat shop licence because the delay was preventing him from carrying on his trade.

Focus on cow smuggling and consumption of cattle meat has risen since the BJP won power in 2014, but the issue returned to spotlight after the new Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath clamped down on illegal slaughterhouses and cattle smuggling last month.

To provide an immediate check on unlawful activity should be simultaneous with facilitating the carrying of lawful activity, particularly that relating to food, food habits and vending thereof that is undisputedly connected with the right to life and livelihood, justices Amreshwar Pratap Sahi and Sanjai Harkauli said on April 3.

Food that is conducive to health cannot be treated as a wrong choice and it was the duty of the state to ensure supply of healthy foodstuff, a copy of the order available on the high court website said.

In response, the state government told the court here was no plan to ban consumption of meat or to close all slaughterhouses. The intention was to ban illegal slaughter houses and regulate their functioning in keeping with a Supreme Court order, it said.

The court appeared to agree with that, saying the government had not banned the sale of meat. It had only barred illegal abattoirs, permitting licensed slaughterhouses to run.

Delay in renewal of licences and various approvals have been cited by several shop and slaughterhouse owners whose units have been shut down.

The court clubbed with the current plea all the petitions filed before the Lucknow bench against the crackdown. The case will now be heard on April 13.

Appearing for the state government, Dheeraj Srivastava said a meeting would be convened shortly under the chairmanship of the chief secretary to decide on the issue of illegal slaughterhouses.

The court had on March 28 asked the government to place before it the order or instruction under which the drive for closure of illegal meat shops was being undertaken.

Compliance of law should not end up in people losing their livelihood, especially if it was due to government inaction, the court said on April 3.

A day after he was sworn in as the chief minister on March 19, Yogi Adityanath ordered a clamp down on illegal slaughters houses, butcher shops and mechanised abattoirs in Uttar Pradesh, the countrys biggest meat producer.

While meat traders went on strike against the alleged harassment, rivals said the BJP governments decision was a move aimed at forcing people not to eat meat.

The strike was called off on Sunday after a meeting between Adityanath and the meat sellers association.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 5

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva  Trend:

Active efforts were made by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries and international organizations to stabilize the situation after the April escalation on the line of contact between the Armenian and Azerbaijani troops in Nagorno-Karabakh, said Russian Foreign Ministrys Spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

She made the remarks while commenting on the anniversary of the April battles during a briefing on Apr. 5.

Zakharova said that the OSCE Minsk Group and other mediators have also done everything in order to help the parties to return to the negotiating process.

Particularly, summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg were devoted to this topic in 2016, she added.

We think that the parties will return to negotiations and resume the dialogue aimed at achieving a sustainable settlement, noted Zakharova adding that the work is being continued in this direction.

Following the meeting in St. Petersburg, Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev and Armenias President Serzh Sargsyan confirmed in a joint statement the agreements reached during the Armenian-Azerbaijani summit in Vienna.

These agreements are aimed at stabilizing the situation in the conflict zone and the creation of an atmosphere conducive to advancing the peace process.

Therefore, they agreed, in particular, to increase the number of international observers in the conflict zone, the Kremlin website reported earlier after the meeting of the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian presidents in St. Petersburg on June 20.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu said on Wednesday Beijing has no right to threaten Delhi on the 14th Dalai Lamas movement within the country as India shares boundary with Tibet and not China.

The Dalai Lama reached Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday for a week-long visit on the invitation of the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state government.

China has been warning India against allowing the 81-year-old Tibetan leader to visit Arunachal, which it claims to be part of south Tibet, for almost a month now, saying it will cause serious damage to bilateral ties.

Khandu said: Let me get this straight. China has no business telling us what to do and what not to do because it is not our next-door neighbour.

He explained that the McMahon Line, in reality, demarcates the boundary between India and Tibet. Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,080km stretch of this line.

China claims about 90,000 square kilometres in Arunachal Pradesh. Several rounds of talks have failed to make progress on the dispute, though there have been relatively few confrontations in recent years.

Tibetans seeking freedom of Tibet from Chinas oppressive rule have a similar view.

Many in Arunachal Pradesh disapprove of Indias acceptance of the McMahon Line as the India-China border. The department of border management of the ministry of home affairs says Indias border with China is 3,488km.

Khandu, who escorted the Dalai Lama in a convoy of SUVs from Guwahati to Bomdila involving an eight-hour drive, said it was a brave decision on the part of the spiritual leader to take the arduous trip.

He wanted to reach Tawang anyhow, and the weather could not deter him. Lets hope his followers in Arunachal Pradesh get satisfaction from his discourses, Khandu said before the Dalai Lama began the first of a series of spiritual teachings at Bomdila on Wednesday morning.

The chief minister said the Dalai Lama has been Indias most venerated guest since 1959, and Arunachal Pradesh  for nostalgic and religious reasons  deserves his visit more than anywhere else.

This is the Dalai Lamas sixth visit to Arunachal Pradesh as a state guest since 1983, and he touched Tawang every time except in December 1996.

The last visit in 2009 was planned exactly 50 years after he had passed through Arunachal Pradesh  then North East Frontier Agency  after escaping from Lhasa, the spiritual and political hub of Tibet.

In 2009, Pema Khandus father Dorjee Khandu was the chief minister. They are from Tawang.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkars resignation after the Supreme Court last month terminated appointment of 10,323 teachers terming the recruitment procedure illegal, unfair and unconstitutional.

After Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP is making roadmap to form its government in the northeastern state of Tripura, which goes to polls in early 2018 along with Meghalaya and Nagaland by ousting the Left Front from power. Mizoram polls are scheduled for 2018.

BJP Tripura observer Sunil Deodhar recently tweeted that Manik Sarkar should resign and be jailed for his active role in the alleged recruitment scam as happened with Haryanas former chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala.

In 2013, Chautala, his MLA-son Ajay Chautala and 53 others were convicted for illegal recruitment of more than 3,000 teachers in the state. However, last year, the Supeme Court passed an order asking the Haryana government to re-engage more than 3,000 junior basic teachers after finding their recruitment faulty.

Manik Sarkar Must Resign Ex CM Chautala jailed for 3000 illegal jobs. If law is equal 4 all then how Tripura CM not jailed in same 10,323 cases? Deodhar said in a couple of tweets.

#ManikSarkarMustResign

ExCM Chautala jailed for 3000 illegal jobs. If law is equal 4 all then how Tripura CM not jailed in same 10323 cases?  Sunil Deodhar (@Sunil_Deodhar) April 5, 2017

In another tweet, the BJP leader posted: 10323 families on street because of corruption of #CPM govt in #Tripura. #Manik Sarkar Must Resign.

BJP state president Biplab Deb said the youth wing of the party would launch a protest from April 11 demanding Sarkars resignation for illegal recruitment policy and playing with the lives of more than 10,000 teachers and their families.

Our different wings will start a movement against Manik Sarkars misrule in the state for more than 23 years, Deb said.

The teachers, facing axe following the Supreme Court verdict last week, had sought clarification from Manik Sarkar over the plan of his government to secure their income and livelihood.
Security personnel have been accused of raping a 14-year-old girl at a village in south Sukma, Chhattisgarh, on Sunday morning.

Senior police officers on Wednesday sought a detailed report on the allegations.

The girls father told mediapersons that a group of security personnel came to his hut early that day, and viciously attacked his family members. The security personnel dragged my son out... then sexually assaulted my daughter. When I tried to intervene, they beat me up, he said.

However, the girl and her family members are yet to register a complaint.

Tribal rights activist Soni Sori said she was informed about the incident over the phone on Tuesday. I will go to the village with my team on Thursday, and accompany the victims family to the police station. As of now, they are too scared to approach the police, she said.

Chhattisgarh special director general of police (Naxal operations) DM Awasthi said they are looking into the matter. Taking note of media reports, I have sought a detailed report from the Sukma superintendent of police and Bastar inspector general, he added.

Bastar district, where the village is located, is known to be a Maoist hotbed. Maoists had ambushed Central Reserve Police Force troopers in Sukma on March 11, killing 12 and stalling work on a crucial road.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Chinese state media lashed out at India on Wednesday, a day after the Dalai Lama started his Arunachal Pradesh visit, saying China will not allow New Delhi a free ride on its economic growth while it endangered Beijings core interests.

Calling absurd Indias statement that the Tibetan spiritual leaders week-long visit to the countrys easternmost state was its internal matter, the media said New Delhi was playing the Dalai Lama and his anti-China activities as a diplomatic tool.

The Dalai Lama has long been active in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion. New Delhi inviting the Dalai Lama to sensitive region gravely damages the China-India relationship, an article in the nationalistic tabloid Global Times said, warning of retaliatory measures.

For almost a month now, China has been warning India against allowing the 81-year-old Tibetan leader to visit Arunachal, which it claims to be part of south Tibet.

India may have underestimated Chinas determination to protect its core interests, it said.

Beijing has voiced concerns over the issue but New Delhi claimed that China shouldnt intervene in its internal affairs. This is absurd, Global Times said, referring to Indias minister Kiren Rijijus statement.

The Dalai Lama reached Arunachal on Tuesday for a week-long visit on the invitation of the BJP-ruled state government. Some last-minute changes to his schedule had to be made, not at Chinas behest but because of incessant rain.

He will now reach Tawang, an important seat of Tibetan Buddhism, on April 8 for a three-day stay.

He reached the town of Bombila on Tuesday where crowds, including ministers and officials, braved the cold rain and lined the streets to greet him.

The official nature of the programme, the rousing reception and Indias repeated statements that the visit was religious would have upset China even more.

The ministry of foreign affairs, which will reconvene after two days of national holidays, is expected to let it be known at Wednesdays briefing though state media has taken the lead in

expressing displeasure on governments behalf.

Amid Beijing-New Delhi conflicts, the Dalai Lama is now openly used by India as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage, the newspaper said.

Why is India raking up an old issue?

The daily said New Delhi was unhappy with Beijings stance on Indias bid to join the nuclear suppliers group and its effort to get Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar enlisted as a terrorist by the UN. Therefore, Delhi attempts to play the Tibet card against Beijing, it said.

Absolving Beijing of charges of anti-India moves, the daily said, In fact, China has never thought of making trouble for India, and is handling these issues in accordance with international practices and UN regulations.

Many countries had pledged not to invite the Dalai Lama. As the worlds two largest emerging economies, both sides had great potential for cooperation. New Delhi should overcome its suspicions about Beijing.

Another article in the same newspaper said Sino-Indian relations were facing a tough test and that economic cooperation has long been seen as the stabiliser for bilateral ties, and expanding common interests between the two countries now appears more important than ever.

China claims claims about 90,000 square kilometres in Arunachal Pradesh. Several rounds of talks have failed to make progress on the dispute, though there have been relatively few confrontations in recent years.
A convicted prisoner in Delhis high security Tihar jail has come to the defence of the CBI after a corporate affairs ministry official, BK Bansal, who committed suicide last September, accused it of torture.

Bansal who was a director general in the ministry, was arrested by the CBI in July 2016 on charges of bribery and attempt to scuttle a probe against a Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company.

But in a twist in the case, BB Sharma, chairman of Hoffland Group of companies, convicted of defrauding thousands of investors in 1990s, wrote a letter to the CBI court judge hearing the corruption case allegedly involving Bansal just nine days after the latters suicide and virtually exonerated the investigating agency.

Sharma claimed that he had met Bansal twice in the jail and the latter had consulted him on whether or not he should accuse the CBI of torturing him and his family to gain sympathy.

Read more | Hours before suicide, bureaucrat BK Bansal had visited CBI headquarters

In his purported suicide note, copies of which were mailed to media offices, Bansal, whose wife, daughter and son also committed suicide, had accused CBI official Sanjeev Gautam of torturing him. The Delhi police didnt register any FIR on the basis on Bansals suicide note and referred it to the CBI whose internal enquiry report has remained under wraps. Gautam, in the mean time, has been repatriated to his parent cadre.

Sharma, in a 12-page letter written on October 6 last year, claimed that Bansal had confided in him that the probe agency officers interrogating him were nice and referred to him as Sir. Sharmas letter, accessed by Hindustan Times, is written in a prayer form and consists of 25 points.

In his letter, Sharma gave a detailed list of his own criminal case -- defrauding investors, getting arrested, jumping bail, being declared a proclaimed offender and then getting re-arrested.

Read more | Bansal suicide: CBI deputes joint director to probe torture allegations

Sharma said that he had met Bansal on August 23 and 30 in the jail. He claimed they had become close friends. Sharma also claimed that Bansal had asked if it would be a good idea to implicate CBI officers handling his cases. Sharma advised otherwise, telling him that he wouldnt gain any sympathy in a corruption case.

It remains a mystery as to why Sharma should have written a letter to the CBI court judge as he had nothing to do with the Bansal case and why he seemed so eager to certify the probe agency.

The CBI is yet to respond to questions sent by HT regarding his letter. We know about the letter. Our mandate was to probe allegations against our officers made in the suicide note, which we have done, a CBI official told HT. He, however, refused to divulge details of the inquiry report.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
China warned on Wednesday that it will take necessary measures to defend its territorial sovereignty after India allowed the Dalai Lama to visit the disputed parts of Arunachal Pradesh, a move that Beijing said caused serious damage to the bilateral ties.

China also lodged a protest with Indias ambassador in Beijing, Vijay Gokhale, over the Dalai Lamas visit.

India in disregard to Chinas concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lamas visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to Chinas interests and China-India relations, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters.

China firmly opposed this move, she asserted.

Chinas stand on the eastern part of the borders is consistent and clear. India is keenly aware of the role played by the 14th Dalai Lama.

Arranging his visit to those sensitive and disputed areas not only runs counter to the Indian sides commitment to the issues related to Tibet but also escalates disputes over the border area, she said.

Hua said New Delhis stand was against the momentum of the sound growth of bilateral relations and will not benefit India in anyway.

The visit will for sure trigger Chinas dissatisfaction. This will not bring any benefit to India, she said.

China will firmly take necessary measures to defend its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests, Hua asserted.

Asked what measures China would take, Hua did not elaborate.

I dont have much to add. I want to add the issues concerning Tibet has a bearing on Chinas core interests. India in disregard of Chinas concerns obstinately arranged the visit, she said.

We demand the Indian side immediately stop its actions using the Dalai Lama to undermine Chinas interests and not hype up sensitive issues between the two countries, not artificially damage the foundation of the talks between the two countries on the border issues and bilateral legislations and take concrete actions to safeguard the China-India relations, she said.

The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader reached Bomdila in West Kameng district on Tuesday, starting his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

China claims parts of Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet and had previously warned that if India allowed the visit of the Dalai Lama, whom it calls an anti-China separatist, it would cause serious damage to ties.

China is sensitive to the Dalai Lamas visit to Tawang region in Arunachal which happens to be the birthplace in 1683 of the sixth Dalai Lama and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.

We hope we can work together to maintain growth of India China relations. We know India and China are two close neighbours and countries in Asia. Cooperation between us will serve interests of the region, Hua said.

We hope to maintain good momentum of growth but this move runs counter to this wish, so we hope India stop doing things that undermine our interests, she said.

On Tuesday, junior home minister Kiren Rijiju said India never interfered in Beijings affairs, has respected the One China policy, and thus China should not interfere in Indias internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lamas visit. There is no political angle behind his holinesss visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is completely religious.

Separately, the external affairs ministry has said that no artificial controversy should be created about the visit.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson rejected Rijijus comments, saying China upholds the policy of not interfering with other countries internal affairs. This is unquestionable.

But in disregard to Chinas concerns India arranged the visit of Dalai Lama to the disputed areas. This issue goes beyond internal affairs, she said.

The role played by the Dalai Lama is clear to all. Chinas position on the eastern section of the boundary is also very clear, she said.

The arrangement of Dalais visit to the disputed area by India runs counter to its commitments on issues related to Tibet and it runs counter to benefits of bilateral relations. We demand that India stop this wrong action, she said.

About Rijijus comments that it was a religious visit and should not be politicised, she said, We have noted the statement of the official from the Indian side.

Could you tell me honestly do you seriously believe that Dalai is only a religious leader. I think the answer is known to all. He is not just a religious figure.

Therefore, his visit to the place will not be purely of religious purpose. So using the empty words to defend this arrangement is not reasonable. We demand the Indian side to stop this move of undermining Chinese interests, she said.

Chinese officials in off the record conversations with the media said China is really angry about the Dalai Lamas visit specially because he was accompanied by a minister.

Unlike previous visits, the officials said the Dalai Lama was accompanied by a minister which makes it different.
China launched a diplomatic attack on India on Wednesday for obstinately arranging the 14th Dalai Lamas visit to the disputed region of Arunachal Pradesh, demanding an immediate stop to his ongoing tour and summoning Indian ambassador VK Gokhale to lodge a protest.

The visit will for sure trigger Chinas dissatisfaction. This will not bring any benefit to India, Hua Chunying, the ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson, said.

The Chinese side will take necessary means to defend its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests, she added.

Former ambassador AK Kantha had been summoned by the foreign affairs ministry after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Arunachal Pradesh in February 2015.

Dalai Lama, the 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader reached Arunachal --- which China claims to be a part of south Tibet, on Tuesday for a week-long visit, with India telling its neighbour that the tour was its internal matter and that it was purely religious in nature.

Beijing clearly wasnt convinced.

It wasnt immediately clear how else China will target India for inviting the Tibetan leader to Arunachal, but from the tone of Huas statement it was evident that Beijing was furious: Huas statement was peppered with phrases like obstinate India, escalate border dispute and empty words.

It was by far Chinas strongest reaction since the time it had begun to warn India about the impending visit.

Asked for a response to Chinas reaction, external affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay referred to a statement issued on Tuesday which said that the Dalai Lama is a revered religious leader and has visited Arunachal earlier on half a dozen occasions, news agency IANS reported.

But Hua said: India in disregard of Chinas concerns obstinately arranged Dalais visit to the eastern part of India China border causing serious damage to Chinas interests and India-China relations.

We demand the Indian side immediately stop wrong actions, not hype up sensitive issues and take concrete steps to safeguard growth of India-China relations, she said.

To Indias assertion that the visit was an internal matter, Hua said China didnt interfere in the internal affairs of any country but the Tibetan leaders visit wasnt one because it was linked to a disputed region.

The visit goes beyond (Indias) internal affairs, she said.

India is keenly aware of the role of the 14th Dalai Lama. Arranging this visit to the disputed areas not only runs counter to Indias commitments on Tibet but will escalate the dispute in border areas, Hua said.

Can you tell me honestly, do you seriously believe Dalai is only a religious leader? The answer is known to all. He is not just a religious figure therefore his visit to this place will not be of purely religious purpose. So using these empty words to defend this arrangement is not reasonable, she said.

Beijing sees the profile of this visit as higher compared to earlier visits, as this time the Dalai Lama is accompanied by Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju, who hails from the Tawang district of Arunachal.

Cooperation between us will serve interests of the region. We hope to maintain good momentum of growth but this move runs counter to his wish, so we hope India stops doing things that undermine our interests, Hua said.

Earlier in the day, the Chinese state media lashed out at India, saying China would not allow New Delhi a free ride on its economic growth while it endangered Beijings core interests.

New Delhi was playing the Dalai Lama and his anti-China activities as a diplomatic tool, said an article in the influential state-run tabloid the Global Times, warning of retaliatory measures.

The Dalai Lama has long been active in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion. New Delhi inviting the Dalai Lama to sensitive region gravely damages the China-India relationship, it said.

The Dalai Lama got a rousing reception when he reached Bomdila on Tuesday evening. He will be in Tawang on April 8.

Tawang is an important Buddhist centre with a 400-year-old hilltop monastery but also holds a special place for the Tibetan leader who spent a few days in the Himalayan village after escaping the Chinese army in 1959.

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet and calls Dharamshala-based Dalai Lama a separatist who wants to carve out an independent Tibet within the Chinese mainland.
With the Supreme Courts March 31 order banning liquor sale within 500 metres of national and state highways, at least half-a-dozen states  including Rajasthan and Punjab  are scurrying to the Centre with requests to get stretches of national highways (NHs) passing through their territories denotified as state highways.

The reason: Once a particular NH stretch is denotified, states can bypass the apex courts order by declaring them either as urban or district roads. States cannot convert an NH into a state highway  it can only be done at the discretion of the Union ministry of road transport and highways.

Though the latter can either accept or reject such requests, there have been very few instances of the ministry turning them down.

How does denotification help states?

It helps to the extent that states can continue to earn revenue from liquor sale on such stretches, considering that the apex court order is enforceable only on national and state highways. But it also puts additional burden on the state exchequer.

Once an NH is denotified as a state highway, the funds required for its repair and maintenance have to be borne by the state. The Centre is responsible only for the upkeep of national highways.

For instance, in the 2017-18 budget, the Union road transport ministry was allocated an overall amount of Rs 2,970 crore  including Rs 1,141 crore from gross budgetary support  for maintenance of national highways. There are many instances of state highways taking a hit due to paucity of funds after denotification.

In 2011, the Madhya Pradesh government cited poor maintenance of NHs to demand that 10 such highways be denotified and handed back to the state government. The ministry, after prolonged negotiations, decided to hand over five NHs to the state government.

However, the state government later requested the Centre to take back the highways because they were unable to provide for their maintenance.

What does denotification of an NH mean for the Centre?

The Union road transport ministry might save on resources allocated for maintenance of NHs, but converting them to state highways jeopardises the Centres ambitious highway expansion plans. Road transport minister Nitin Gadkari has spoken about the governments target to increase Indias national highway network to two lakh km from the current one lakh on several occasions in the last two-and-a-half years.

Against Indias NH network of one lakh km, the total length of state highways as of March 2015 (the latest year for which data is available with the road ministry) was 1,67,109 km or 3% share in total road length.

Ministry officials said the emphasis should be on strengthening highway patrolling, not banning the sale of liquor on NHs. Better enforcement is important. Breathalysers could have been put up at toll plazas to check if drivers are drunk, said an official on the condition of anonymity.

How many road accidents/deaths occur due to drink driving?

As per data available with the road ministry, 16,298 of the 5,01,423 road accidents  or 4.2%  were caused by intoxicated drivers in 2015. Drink driving accounted for 675 (6.4%) of the total 1.46 lakh road fatalities reported that year.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Congress became the latest party to demand a ban on electronic voting machines (EVMs) on Wednesday, two days after Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal questioned the BJPs election win in Uttar Pradesh.

Kejriwal has asked the Election Commission to release the EVMs for investigation into tampering allegations.

During a heated debate in the Rajya Sabha over the use of EVMs, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said: EVM should be stopped right now. In the upcoming civic polls of Delhi, assembly polls in Gujarat and other states EVMs should not be used.

The opposition parties had been vocal about alleged manipulations in the EVMs after the latest round of assembly elections. The BJP wrested Uttar Pradesh with a sweeping majority. The House was adjourned briefly amid protests.

The Samajwadi Partys Naresh Agarwal said: If there is a programming in the chip, the BJP will win. BJP leaders Prakash Javadekar and Mukhtar Naqvi rejected the charges.

There is no logic behind these allegations. EVMs were used in Bihar, in 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha polls. When SP won in UP, the votes were casted in the same EVMs, said Naqvi.

The Election Commission has dismissed the allegations and said its systems were tamperproof. It asked the AAP to introspect on its poll performance in Punjab, instead of blaming the EVMs  a comment that Kejriwal and other leaders have bristled against.

Kejriwals party came a distant runner-up, bucking projections that it will form the next government in Punjab  the partys second after New Delhi.

The Congress too joined the anti-EVM chorus after a purported video of an EVM tested ahead of by-polls in Madhya Pradesh showed the paper trail attached to it generating a receipt for the BJP. The state chief electoral officer Saleena Singh had pressed the button for the Samajwadi Party candidate.

A voter-verified paper audit trail or VVPAT allows a voter to know if the machine registered a vote for the candidate selected. The slip is visible for seven seconds before it drops into a box.

Kejriwals said his experts can show in 72 hours how the machines could be tampered to suit a political party.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Indian diplomats posted in conflict zones abroad are being provided additional security, depending on the assessment of the local security situation, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Wednesday.

Swaraj said in Lok Sabha that the additional security to Indian diplomats conflict zones was based on the assessment of the security situation in different parts of the world, which is dynamic as the threat levels keep changing.

With the approval of the host government, Government of India has been arranging additional security for its missions and posts which it considers under a higher level of threat and risk, she said during Question Hour.

The Minister said security to diplomats was a continuous process wherein threats are assessed periodically and the responses devised accordingly.

Additional security may include deployment of India- based or locally hired security guards, she said.

Swaraj said higher level of security physical infrastructure was also provided as appropriate including stronger perimeter fencing, anti-intrusion video surveillance, scanning equipment to screen baggage, vehicle and human being, anti-ramming physical measures, bullet proof vehicles etc.

As per the international law, it is the responsibility of the host country and its government to provide security for foreign diplomatic facilities, she said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 5

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva  Trend:

Azerbaijan is committed to laying a strong foundation to bolster its overall bilateral and multilateral relations with Ethiopia, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, said in an interview with The Ethiopian Herald.

Hajiyev said Ethiopia and Azerbaijan have similar culture and civilization.

Ethiopia is one of the oldest birthplaces of human civilization, art and development which made it akin with Azerbaijan, he added.

In terms of strengthening bilateral ties, he noted that Azerbaijan has a strong will to have an increased experience sharing.

For instance, Azerbaijan is keen on drawing best practices of Ethiopia in the areas of tourism, agriculture, mining industry and the like, he said.

Hajiyev added that the two countries are working to have extraordinary ties in all aspects, particularly in education.

He said the two countries would soon lay down a strong foundation through political dialogues.

We believe that there are ample opportunities in trade and economic relations between the two countries, Hajiyev said. That is why we both are interested in organizing joint business forums in tourism, energy and mining.
Shiv Sena MPs on Wednesday threatened to disrupt Lok Sabha proceedings if no action was taken against Air India for banning MP Ravindra Gaikwad from flying on its planes.

The Osmanabad MP had last month abused and assaulted a 60-year-old duty manager of the national carrier with slippers for not being able to fly business class despite having boarded an all-economy Pune-New Delhi flight.

In the days that followed, Gaikwad tried to trick the Air India ticketing staff repeatedly by booking tickets under misspelt names. The state carrier first cancelled a Mumbai-Delhi ticket booked by him, followed by another Hyderabad-Delhi ticket . He again tried in vain to book a Pune-Delhi ticket for April 3.

Private carrier Indigo and Spice jet had also rejected a flight booking made by him in a display of solidarity with Air India.

Shiv Sena MPs raised the matter in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday saying they have submitted a privilege motion against the airlines for banning the MP. What happened to our notice, Sena MP Anandrao Adsul asked Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. Its under my consideration, she replied.

We submitted this notice long back,Adsul retorted. We are a member of the ruling alliance so we are not creating a ruckus but if we are not heard and the matter is not resolved, we will have to create a hungama here, he said. Sena MPs had met the Speaker last week demanding that the ban be lifted.

Last week, civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju said in the Lok Sabha that an MP was just another passenger and violence of any kind on a flight can turn into a disaster. He said airlines have been empowered to deny boarding to any passenger whose demeanour was not proper.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday the Uttar Pradesh governments decision to waive off crop loans of up to Rs 1 lakh of small and marginal farmers in the state is a partial relief but a step in the right direction.

About 21 million farmers will benefit from the decision that was taken during the first sitting of chief minister Yogi Adityanaths cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

The cabinet also decided to write off Rs 5,630 crore in non-performing assets (NPAs) of 700,000 farmers. The twin waivers would together cost the government Rs 36,359 crore.

@INCIndia has always supported loan waivers for farmers in distress (sic), Gandhi said in a series of tweets.

Im happy BJP has finally been forced to see reason.But lets not play politics with our farmers who are suffering across the country. The Central Govt must have a national response to the widespread distress & not discriminate amongst states (sic), he added.

The BJP had promised loan waiver to farmers, who were reeling from losses after unfavourable weather hit their crops, in its poll manifesto.

A farmers union welcomed the move saying it was the first step towards easing out a major crisis faced by farmers.

But Samajwadi Party president and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, whose party allied with the Congress in the February-March assembly elections, was not impressed saying a promise of a complete loan waiver was made to the farmers.

Millions of farmers were feeling cheated with the ceiling of Rs 1 lakh, he said.
Attacks against Indians in the US were taken up by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval with senior American officials during his visit to Washington last month, the government said on Wednesday.

The government has taken up the issue of incidents of attack on Indian nationals and persons of Indian origin with the US government at very high levels, including during the visits of the foreign secretary and national security advisor, Minister of State VK Singh said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

We have conveyed our deep concern, and called for necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of Indian diaspora as well as expeditious investigation into these incidents, the minister said.

Doval, who visited the US from March 23 to 24, held a series of meetings with top Trump administration officials, including US Defense Secretary James Mattis and National Security Advisor Lt Gen HR McMaster.

This year has seen many incidents of hate crimes against Indian nationals including the killing of an engineer in Kansas by a US navy veteran.
CRPF commandant Chetan Kumar Cheetah, who had been fighting for his life at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for over a month, was discharged on Wednesday. The 42-year-old had sustained multiple gunshot wounds in February during a battle with militants in Bandipora, Kashmir.

Cheetah was first wheeled in on February 14 at the trauma centre of the premier medical institute after being airlifted from Srinagar. Doctors attending to him said he has shown a steely resolve to respond to their intensive medical care that went on for close to about two months.

Amit Gupta, Additional Medical Superintendent at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, said Cheetah had suffered bullet injuries in his brain, right eye, abdomen, both the arms, left hand and in the buttock region. He had a badly fractured torso and the globe of his eye had ruptured.

Here are the procedures he had to undergo during his journey to recovery:

*Within 24 hours of admission, surgery was conducted to remove a portion of the skull which had suffered the bullet injury to reduce intra-cranial pressure.

*Multiple brain surgeries were carried out, including two CSF diversion (a procedure used to drain fluid from the brain).

*The doctors were not able to save his right eye, but specialists managed to save his left eye, an AIIMS doctor said.

*He also developed infections due to his wounds. They were managed by critical care specialists in ICU.

*Several debridement procedures were done to remove damaged or infected tissues. The debridement had to be done as Cheetah was suffering from meningitis  the inflammation of the brain membrane.

Home minister Rajnath Singh took to Twitter to hail the courage of the officer and said he wants to see Cheetah back in action.

Fortune favours the brave. Extremely happy to know that Cheetah has made a miraculous recovery.

I thank the team of doctors who have helped Shri Chetan Cheetah in his recovery. Hope to see Cheetah back in action soon, the minister said.

His deputy in the ministry and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju visited the officer at the AIIMS Trauma centre here and talked to him.

Minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju meeting CRPF commandant Chetan Kumar Cheetah at AIIMS. (PTI Photo)

Rijiju said he was proud of the officer.

Cheetah, in his short comments, said he felt proud when army chief General Bipin Rawat and Rijiju visited him during his admission at the hospital here and recognised his contribution.

Cheetahs wife, Uma Singh, who has been besides her husband since the near-fatal encounter, was anxious to take him home after being discharged today and said normalcy in our lives will come back once he wears the uniform and goes to office.

Hailing from Rajasthan, Cheetah bore the initial brunt of the militant encounter in Hajjan area on February 14 where a joint team of army, CRPF and state police had laid siege following intelligence inputs that two foreign terrorists were hiding in the area.
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh on Wednesday challenged the Delhi high court order refusing to quash a criminal case registered against him and his wife in connection with a disproportionate assets case.

Alleging the case was part of a political vendetta by the Centre, Singh challenged its registration on technical grounds. He said the CBI could not have taken up the investigation without the states consent  a pre-requisite under the law governing the central investigating agency. He maintained the CBI overstepped its jurisdiction as the cause of action did not arise in the territory of Delhi.

The CBI has already conducted a preliminary inquiry and closed the case, Singh contended on the same grounds, and questioned the case being re-opened.

Justice Vipin Sanghi had on Friday dismissed Singhs plea to quash the CBIs FIR and vacated the October 1, 2015 order of the Himachal Pradesh high court that had put the probe on hold.

The CBI accused the chief minister of amassing assets worth 6 crore between 2009 and 2012 during his tenure as Union steel minister.

The agencys stand is that it has the jurisdiction to register and probe the case in Delhi as the cause of action arose when he was the Union minister during the UPA government.

Singh had earlier filed a petition before the Himachal Pradesh high court, which in an interim order on October 1, 2015, restrained the CBI from arresting, interrogating or filing a charge sheet against him.

In November 2015, the top court transferred Singhs petition from Himachal Pradesh to the Delhi high court where the CBI pressed for vacating the stay order on the ground that it hampered its investigation.
Call it whatever you will: a sign of the changing times or a cascading impact of TV news channels new found fascination for the saffron-clad monk who is now chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Bihars western neighbour and Indias most populous state.

A group of residents of Kelabari Fulwaria village in Mohania Panchayat under Kasba police station in Purnia district of north eastern Bihar has resolved to have the village renamed Yogi Adityanath Gram, after the UP chief minister.

The move is significant for the fact that Purnia is part of Bihars Muslim hub, being one of the four districts close to West Bengal, in each of which the Muslim population is estimated to be in excess of 35%. The other districts are Araria, Katihar and Kishanganj.

The village lies amidst Muslim-populated villages in Kasba block. However, Kelabari Fulwaria, about 15 km from the district headquarters town of Purnia, is almost entirely populated by Bengali origin Hindus.

On April 1, the villagers held a meeting and resolved to construct a temple at the village. In that spirit of religiosity, a group of people present at the meeting, put forth a proposal to rename the village after UP chief minister, which was approved by a chorus of supporting voices.

The villagers, after the conclusion of the meeting, put their signatures on a petition for changing the name of our village after Yogiji and for building a temple at the village, said Rajeev Kumar, a social activist

We see nothing wrong in renaming our village after Yogiji, who is a very good leader and doing a great job in UP, said Shivshankar Sarkar, who has agreed to donate land for the temple. We also think Yogiji is very honest and pro poor. he added.

Sarkar said nobody present at the village meeting had opposed the proposal, citing this as evidence of widespead support for the move. Soon after Ramnavami (celebrated on April 5), we will send the petition signed by villagers to the local circle officer and to district magistrate of Purnia, he stated.

But Kasba circle officer Amar Kumar Verma said changing the name of a revenue village was not as easy as some villagers may have thought. For doing so, many formalities have to be completed, approvals taken, he told HT. Despite many efforts, Purnia DM Pankaj Kumar Pal could not be contacted for his comment.

Contrary to the claim of those advocating a name change for the village, local ward member Binod Prasad Sah expressed his ignorance about the matter. Besides, I dont think there is any need to change the name of the village, he said.

The Kasba assembly constituency, of which this village is part, has swung between the BJP and the Congress in recent years. Kasba is represented at present by a Muslim Congress MLA. It is possible BJP supporters may be behind the name changing move, said an elderly resident of Kasba.
As Ram Navami celebrations assume a grand scale for the first time in West Bengal, there is hectic activity in Kolkatas Rajabazar area, known to be a Muslim-dominated one.

Men are busy tending horses, cleaning the seats of the phaetons, known locally as tangas, decking up horse carriages and converting them into raths (carriages), which will carry idols of Lord Rama for the Navami procession.

While political parties may squabble over the communal nature of the celebrations, being done by saffron organisations, there is a distinct Muslim connect to the festivities that is undeniable.

Over three dozen phaetons, all from the minority community, have been booked by the organisers.

The tangawalas in Rajabazar are happy as all their phaetons have been hired for the Ram Navami festivites. (Ravik Bhattachary/HT Photo)

We have hired a horse-driven carriage from Rajabazar which is being converted to a rath. Ram Durbar, having Lord Ram, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman, will be on the decked-up rath, said Niraj Agarwal, representative of Anjaniputra Sena, an organisation in Howrah.

We are happy if our celebrations provide an opportunity for people of all religion to earn. We dont care whether we are getting the Tanga from a Muslim or Hindu, he said.

Anjaniputra Sena will take out the Ram Navami procession on April 9. They have also hired four additional horses from Rajabazar.

Ram Navami, which is celebrated with a lot of fanfare in UP and Bihar, is being organised on a massive scale in West Bengal, especially Kolkata, this time, thanks to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its affiliates, which is pushing its agendas of Ram Temple in Ayodhya and consolidation of Hindus in Bengal, post the UP blitzkrieg.

For the Navami celebrations, Hindu groups and committees will take out processions, competing with each other, from April 5 in Kolkata and other parts of the state.

Meanwhile, the tangawalas in Rajabazar are happy. They have received orders for all their phaetons from Wednesday from Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas.

We have three tangas and six horses. They are booked for the upcoming days in different parts of Kolkata and outside, said Mohammed Sajid, a tangawala.

During lean season, phaeton owners rent out at Rs 1,500 per trip. But since the demand is high, they are charging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000 for a trip.

The age-old tangawalas, whose numbers have dwindled over the years, are now seen only near Victoria Memorial at Maidan. They are also hired for marriage ceremonies.

There are nearly 32 phaetons that ply in and around the landmark Victoria Memorial, taking tourists on a joyride. Besides these, there are also 12 phaetons that come to Victoria zone every day from Rajabazaar, Ultadanga and Narkeldanga area for business. The tradition has been continuing before independence.
Amid Beijings strident protests, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday said that India has never used him against China and urged that country to give Tibet meaningful self-rule and autonomy.

Reacting to Beijings objection against his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Nobel Peace Laureate said, There are many in China who love India, but there are some narrow minded politicians because of their certain views.. like they considered me as a demon.

Denying Chinese assertions that India was using him as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China, the Tibetan spiritual leader said, I am Indias longest standing guest. India has never used me against China.

On the Tibetan stand, he said: We are not seeking independence. We are very much willing to remain with Peoples Republic of China. I always used to talk about the spirit of the European Union, individual nations, individual sovereignty but that is not so important, what is important is common interest, he told journalists, ahead of proceeding to Tawang for a major Buddhist event.

Tibet is materialistically backward but spiritually highly developed. For material development, we need to remain with Peoples Republic China as it is our interest. The government (of China) should feel OK for the mutual benefit, he added.

However, the Tibetan spiritual leader noted, China must give us meaningful self-rule, autonomy, and must take care of the environment in Tibet. China has the highest population of Tibetan Buddhists. Many Chinese intellectuals also fully support our cause.

The Dalai Lamas statement comes as China on Wednesday lodged a protest with India over his visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, addressing a regular briefing in Beijing, voiced her countrys firm opposition to the Dalai Lamas visit and said Beijing would lodge stern representations with the Indian side.

The Chinese side lodged a protest with Indian Ambassador Vijay Gokhale in Beijing over the Dalai Lamas visit.

On Tuesday, India said that no political motive should be attributed to the Dalai Lamas visit to Arunachal Pradesh and asked China not to interfere in its affairs.

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, said: India has always been non-interfering in the neighbours internal affairs in our approach. In the same manner, we expect the same from our neighbours.
Sri Lankan Navy with assistance from India are battling a major fire on board a huge Panama- registered container carrier off the coast of Colombo.

The fire broke out last night on the merchant ship MV MSC-Daniela, when the 14,000-container carrier was about 120 nautical miles away from Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankas Naval spokesman Chaminda Walakuluge said the Navy responded to a distress call by a local agent of the container vessel, which was travelling from Singapore to Egypt.

Sri Lanka Navy dispatched two Fast Attack Craft (FAC) P 436 and P 412 to the location assisting Sri Lankan Port Authority tugs, Rawana and Maha Wewa to douse the fire, Walakuluge said.

A Sri Lankan Air Force helicopter has also been deployed to douse the flame.

There are no casualties among the 22-member crew, Walakuluge said.

Indian Coast Guard Ship Shoor which was on overseas deployment at Colombo also joined the fire fighting effort.

Information was received from High Commission of India, Colombo regarding a request received from the Sri Lankan Navy to render assistance to extinguish fire on board MV MSC Daniella, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

The vessel was carrying dangerous cargo and hence utmost caution was exercised in firefighting to ensure safety of the crew and the vessel, it said.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy also dispatched two of its ships -- INS Ghariyal and INS Darshak -- to help douse the fire.

The vessel is presently anchored 11 nautical miles off the coast of Colombo.

The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained.
Indian naval ship Shardul is on a two-month-long deployment in the south Indian Ocean with an aim to provide surveillance support in the region, an official said.

In keeping with Indias national objective of ensuring a secure and stable regional environment to allow unhindered economic and social development, not just in India, but also in the Indian Ocean region, an official statement said.

The warship during the initial phase of deployment carried out joint EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) surveillance of Mauritius from March 8 to 26 in close coordination with that countrys National Coast Guard.

After successful completion of joint EEZ Surveillance of Mauritius, the warship entered EEZ of the Seychelles on March 27, for Phase I of similar EEZ surveillance.

The coordination meeting with officials from the Seychelles Coast Guard and INS Shardul was conducted at the Seychelles Coast Guard headquarters to discuss the modus operandi, extent of surveillance area and communication plan was framed.

INS Shardul then set sail from Port Victoria on March 31, with three Seychelles Coast Guard personnel on board for Phase II of EEZ surveillance and commenced it on April 1.

The warship will set sail from Port Victoria harbour on April 8 for Phase III of EEZ surveillance of the Seychelles before returning to India in mid April.

Since 2009, the Indian Navy has been deploying ships to the region bi-annually to assist in patrolling of the vast EEZ of the country based on request by host nations.

The last such deployment was by the same ship in December 2016.

INS Shardul is a Landing Ship Tank of the Indian Navy whose primary role is to transport troops, vehicles, armaments and accomplish all objectives of an amphibious operation which primarily includes landing of combat equipment and personnel to an Amphibious Objective Area.

INS Shardul has the capability to launch and recover Marine Commandos through sea as well as by helicopters. In addition, the ship can act as a Hospital Ship with facilities provided in containerised form as well as a Fleet Tanker for limited exercise.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 5

Trend:

Frances President Francois Hollande has congratulated Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev on occasion of the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The 21st of February marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and Azerbaijan. I am happy that over these 25 years our countries have built strong relations that are consistently developing and diversifying. I had the opportunity to reiterate this during my visits to Azerbaijan in May 2014 and April 2015, said Hollande in his congratulatory letter.

Our close political dialogue, rich trade and economic exchange, as well as accomplishments in the academic and cultural fields by the example of the French-Azerbaijani University prove the dynamism and potential of our relations in all areas, he noted. I wish for our countries to move forward on this path and strengthen relations in order to build real cooperation.

You can rest assured that France will work actively and continue its commitment as a co-chair of the Minsk Group in order to find a negotiated and lasting solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that will be of benefit to the whole region, said the French president.

Dear President, please accept the assurances of my highest consideration, he added.
With no let up in truce violations, Pakistani troops on Wednesday shelled Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Degwar, Malti, Khari Karmara and Tarkundi areas of Poonch sector, prompting Indian forces to retaliate in equal measure.

Defence spokesman Lt Col Manish Mehta said the Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars at 9.05 am on Indian Army posts along the LoC in Poonch sector.

He said the Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively. The firing is presently on.

On Tuesday, the Pakistani army had opened heavy fire in Bhimber Gali sector of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir.

In March, Pakistan had violated ceasefire four times along the LoC in Poonch district. On Monday, Pakistan fired and shelled forward posts in Poonch and Rajouri districts.

On Saturday, a junior commissioned officer, Naib Subedar S Sanayaima, was killed in an IED blast in Degwar sector of Poonch district.

In 2016, as many as 228 instances of ceasefire violations along the LoC were reported. Furthermore, there were 221 instances of ceasefire violations along the International Border (IB).

Reports of exchange of fire between the armed forces of the two countries are routine along the LoC.

Both the countries accuse each other of repeatedly violating a 2003 ceasefire. There have been several instances of cross-border firings and terrorist infiltrations within the country from Pakistan.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Former Goa Congress MLA Vishwajit Rane, who defied the party whip to vote against the trust motion of chief minister Manohar Parrikar last month, will join the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday, a party leader said.

Rane, who was elected from Valpoi constituency, had resigned from the Congress and quit his assembly membership after absenting himself from the House when Parrikar sought the trust vote.

Vishwajit Rane would be joining BJP tomorrow. He has not put any condition to join the party, BJPs state president Vinay Tendulkar told PTI.

Rane is the son of Congress veteran and former chief minister Pratapsinh Rane, who was also elected to the assembly from Poriem seat in North Goa during the recent state polls.

Asked if Rane would be inducted into the state cabinet, Tendulkar said, It would be the decision of the chief minister.

The BJP Goa legislature wing recently adopted a resolution seeking Ranes induction into the party and the cabinet.

When contacted, Rane confirmed that he will be joining the BJP on Thursday.

My entry to the BJP is unconditional. I want to work for the growth of the party and also for the development of my constituency, he said.

Rane quit the Congress last month because the party failed to form the government in Goa despite it emerging as the single largest party winning 17 seats in the 40-member assembly.

In the trust vote held in the House, Parrikar proved his majority with 12 legislators from BJP, three from Goa Forward Party , three from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, three Independents and one from NCP voting in favour of the trust motion.

The opposition benches included 16 MLAs from Congress, as Rane had remained absent during the voting.

After failing to defeat the trust motion, the Goa Congress said it would seek disqualification of Rane from contesting elections for defying its whip to vote against the motion.
A BJP leader was shot dead by three unidentified bike borne assailants in Khatoli town of Muzaffarnagar district on Wednesday morning, police said.

Raja Balmiki, former Khatoli city BJP general secretary, was shot dead by the assailants at his shop on Wednesday, SHO KP Singh said.

People protesting against the murder blocked the Delhi-Dehradun national highway at Khatoli.

The security has been tightened in the area, the SHO said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made 56 foreign visits since assuming charge in May 2014, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

According to a list provided by Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, after first visiting Bhutan in June 2014, Modi visited the US four times, and Nepal, Japan, Russia, Afghanistan and China two times each.

In September 2014, he combined his bilateral visit to Washington with a visit to New York for the UN General Assembly session.

In September 2015, he visited New York for the UN General Assembly session during the course of which he again met then US President Barack Obama and then proceeded to San Jose, California, where he interacted with top Fortune 500 CEOs.

The Prime Minister made his third visit to the US in the spring of 2016 for the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington during which he highlighted Indias role and commitment to the global partnership in nuclear security.

He again visited the US at the invitation of Obama in June 2016 during the course of which he addressed the US Congress.

Modi paid an official bilateral visit to Nepal in August 2014, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 17 years, and again visited the Himalayan nation in November 2014 to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Summit.

He visited Japan in the autumn of 2014 and then in November 2016, both times to attend the annual bilateral summit.

The Prime Minister visited Russia in July 2015 to attend the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit in Ufa and then again in December 2015 to attend the annual bilateral summit.

He visited Afghanistan in December 2015 during which he jointly dedicated with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani the countrys new parliament building built with Indian aid, and again in June 2016 to jointly dedicate the Afghan-India Friendship Dam in Herat province.

He went to China on a bilateral visit in May 2015 and then again in September 2016 to attend the G20 Summit in Hangzhou.

In May 2015, he became the first ever Indian Prime Minister to visit Mongolia marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Mongolia.

His visits to the Indian Ocean archipelago nation of Seychelles in March 2015 and to the United Arab Emirates in August 2015 were the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 34 years.

Among other major nations, Modi made bilateral visits to Canada in April 2015 and to Britain in November 2015.

In November 2014, he visited Australia to attend the G20 Summit in Brisbane and then stayed back for a bilateral visit.
There are 24,084 Indians currently residing in six war-torn countries including in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, the government said on Wednesday.

While approximately 11,000 Indians are still in Iraq, an estimated 8,000 are in Lebanon and nearly 3,000 are in Afghanistan, minister of state for foreign affairs general VK Singh (retired) said in written reply in the Lok Sabha.

According to information available with the ministry, Singh said 27 Indian nationals were kidnapped during 2015, 2016 and 2017 (till date), in response to a separate query on incidents of Indians being taken hostage in foreign countries.

Read | Pakistan sounds alarm over nuclearisation of Indian Ocean by India

While one of them continues to be in captivity in Yemen since 2016, 25 have been released and one has died, the minister said.

In yet another query on complaints about NRI marital disputes, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said the ministry has received 2,485 such complaints in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 (till date).
The Centre admitted before the Supreme Court on Wednesday that there was no regulatory mechanism to monitor popular messaging services such as Whatsapp, Facebook and Skype.

However, it said, the government was in the process of exploring a framework to deal with privacy concerns of citizens relating to the Over-The-Top (OTT) popular messaging services.

Department of Telecommunication (DoT) is seized of the issue and shall finalize policy direction on various aspects of regulatory and licensing framework for OTT services and net neutrality after taking into account the TRAI recommendations on the subject, the Centre said in its affidavit.

The document was submitted before the bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar, which is hearing a petition against Watsapps new policy under which data of a user can be shared with Facebook.

As the petitioners  Karmanya Singh Sareen and Shreya Sethi  have challenged the policy on the ground that it violates a users privacy and amounts to surveillance, the bench referred the petition to a constitution bench for April 18. Facebook objected to the reference, saying the dispute raised was between private entities entering into a contract with each.

You can raise your concerns before the constitution bench, the bench said. Last week the CJI had indicated that the matter might get listed during the summer break beginning on May 11. But, on Wednesday it asked the counsel appearing in the case to decide upon a mutual date on April 18.

The term OTT refers to applications and services such as WhatsApp, Skype, Viber, WeChat, Facebook Messenger, which are accessible over the internet and ride on telecom operators networks offering internet access services.

According to the Centre the rapid advances in technology had resulted in newer uses of internet. It has resulted into growth of a new breed of services known as Over  The  Top (OTT) services which needs to be covered under a regulatory mechanism.

DoT shall finalize policy direction on various aspects of regulatory and licensing framework for OTT services after taking into account the TRAI recommendations on the subject recommendations of DoTs committee on net-neutrality, the affidavit stated.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Union health ministry will hold a review meeting on Thursday to discuss the sudden rise in Swine flu cases and related deaths which are being attributed to a new H1N1 strain in the country.

Earlier this year, researchers at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune, run by the Indian Council of Medical Researchs (ICMR), isolated a new strain called the Michigan strain as part of the on-going H1N1 surveillance in the country.

It is not really a mutation but a new strain called the Michigan strain that has been isolated from samples in Maharashtra, said Dr Soumya Swaminathan, director-general ICMR.

ICMR will be recommending a new vaccine.

So far, since the 2009 pandemic, the California strain has been doing the rounds in India. This is the first time a new strain has been identified in the country.

We will recommend a new vaccine for this flu season as what we are using currently may be ineffective against the new strain, said Dr Swaminathan.

The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee of the US Food and Drug Administration last month selected the influenza vaccine strains for the 2017-2018 influenza, and they made a recommendation for the Michigan strain.

Though ICMR is monitoring the situation closely, experts say there is no cause for concern.

We are taking stock of the situation but this particular strain is not known to be virulent or dangerous than other strains. We are holding a review meeting tomorrow, said a senior official at the health ministry.

More than 5,000 people have tested positive for the infection and more than 100 people have died across the country so far this year. The cases have particularly been reported more from the southern and western parts of the country.

Maharashtra has recorded 63 deaths and 298 cases. Sixteen deaths were reported from Telangana, 13 from Andhra Pradesh, 10 from Tamil Nadu and seven each from Kerala and Karnataka.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
In a first, the Kolkata Police will be conducting a search operation at a particular office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at CGO Complex in Salt Lake.

And, all the ED can do is blame Manoj Kumar, the former assistant director the agency suspended on February 1 after he was caught on camera with Subhra Kundu, wife of the Gautam Kundu, chairman of Rose Valley and prime accused in the Rs 17,000 crore chit fund scam the company is allegedly involved in.

On Monday, a Kolkata court passed an order allowing the Kolkata Police to search the ED office where Kumar used to work. The court also allowed the city police to raid another office that he had occupied for some time. The city police summoned Kumar thrice for questioning and thereafter moved court since he did not respond.

Mondays development is likely to have a political impact because after Kumars suspension Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said, I have heard that he (Kumar) is an efficient officer and recovered 850 crore illegally collected by the chit fund. Whether he took someone to some place or it was he who was being taken whether it was a honey trap et al can be determined only after the investigation is over...

Kumar was suspended by ED after CCTV footage, showing him and Subhra at the Kolkata airport and a hotel in Delhi, went viral. It was found in a computer that was seized by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Kolkata Police from a Rose Valley office in the city in December.
Beleaguered Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad is expected to attend Lok Sabha proceedings later this week where he may present his side of the story in the House about assaulting an Air India official.

Gaikwad will attend Parliament session either on Thursday or Friday, a source close to the Shiv MP from Osmanabad told PTI.

He will first present his side of the story in the House and only then will appear before media, the source said.

Gaikwad was on March 24 barred from flying by four private Indian carriers and Air India after his brazen assault on an official of the national carrier.

The source said Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had suggested to Gaikwad to keep away from media after the infamous episode.

Asked what would be Gaikwads stance if Thackeray were to ask him to tender an apology over the assault, the source said going by Gaikwads innocence in the matter and also going by the Senas track record of not giving in to injustice, such a scenario appears unlikely.

Asked about the MPs whereabouts as he has disappeared from public gaze after the assault, the source said Gaikwad is somewhere in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Wednesday, a local Sena functionary in Osmanabad district alleged that fliers with Gaikwad surname have been suffering due to the curbs imposed by domestic airlines on the parliamentarian.

He also said that the Shiv Sena MP wont book a flight ticket till the matter was resolved by the Parliament and his party.

Gaikwad wont ever book a flight ticket till the issue is resolved by the Parliament, DGCA and Shiv Sena party, the functionary, from Gaikwads hometown Omerga in Osmanabad district said.

After the infamous Pune-Delhi flight, Ravi Sir (Gaikwad) booked flight tickets only three times and all were cancelled owing to the unjust curbs imposed by the airlines. The fourth and last ticket he booked was for an 8 AM flight from Mumbai to Delhi and that was also cancelled.

He did not book any ticket after that. All this talk of his being on a flight ticket booking spree is a ploy to malign him and we condemn such tactics, he said.

The tickets were booked by the Sena MPs namesake who bore the brunt of the mistaken identity, he claimed.

The airline companies do not have any mechanism to distinguish between the namesakes and as a result, innocent fliers are being inconvenienced, he said.

A grave injustice has been heaped on Gaikwad, who now has the dubious distinction of being the first person to be ever grounded by scheduled Indian air carrier, he added.

The clarification came after recent reports that Gaikwad made at least four vain attempts to fly to Delhi using several permutations and combinations of the titles and initials of his names.

It was also reported that Air India detected this by either cancelling the bookings or not allowing them to be made. Gaikwad has been barred from flying by domestic airlines for assaulting an Air India staffer recently.
The All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) said on Wednesday the dispute over a religious site in Ayodhya should be resolved through talks and also denounced the practice of triple talaq amid fresh spotlight on both the issues.

A Hindu mob demolished the 16th century Babri Masjid on December 2, 1992, demanding the construction of a temple for Lord Ram, who Hindus believe was born at the site in Ayodhya. The demolition of the mosque sparked some of the deadliest riots in India in which thousands were killed.

Muslims groups are opposed to building a temple at the site.

Last month, the Supreme Court said the settlement of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute through negotiation was a better course than insisting on a judicial pronouncement. The Chief Justice of India even offered to act as a mediator between the two sides laying claim over the historic site in Ayodhya.

We are of the view that in the interest of the country, the parties to the dispute (both Hindus and Muslims) should sit down together and solve the matter through talks, Maulana Yasoob Abbas of the AISPB said after a meeting of the executive committee in Lucknow.

The Muslim body also adopted a resolution endorsing a ban on cow slaughter. It praised the fatwa or the religious decree issued by a renowned Iraqi Shia cleric Ayatullah Bashir Najfi imposing a ban on cow slaughter and said it would be followed it in letter and spirit in India as well.

Though Shias do not follow the triple talaq, the boards stand on the issue has been at variance to that of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), which has prominent Shia clerics like Maulana Kalbe Sadiq and Maulana Kalbe Jawan also on its panel.

Under the provision of triple talaq, Muslim men can divorce their wives by simply stating their intention three times orally.

In September last year, the AISPLB had mooted its own model nikahnama (marriage contract) laying down specific guidelines and conditions on which a marriage could be annulled. Abbas said it was a misconception that Muslim women do not have divorce rights.

Both men and women have equal rights but it is the provision of triple talaq that has been cropping of and on and unnecessary putting the religion (Islam) in a bad light. And now the matter has reached the Supreme Court, he pointed out.

The Supreme Court is hearing a petition filed by womens rights activists who want the declaration of triple talaq as unconstitutional.

Abbas said he was confident that the model nikahnama would be accepted and adopted across the country by Muslims as it empowered women and gave them rights in the modern context and was not at variance with anything laid down in the Indian Constitution.

In another resolution, the board demanded representation for Shias within the quota granted to minorities in government jobs and all other sectors.

Shias have been ignored in the recommendations made by Sachar Committee. We want that a similar commission is set up for six crore Shias and they are given their due rights and quota in jobs, Abbas said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 5

Trend:

Chinas President Xi Jinping has sent a congratulatory letter to Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

On behalf of the government and people of China and on my own behalf, I am honored to extend to you and the friendly people and government of Azerbaijan my most sincere congratulations and best regards on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Peoples Republic of China and the Republic of Azerbaijan, said Xi Jinping in his letter.

Over these 25 years since the founding of diplomatic relations between the Peoples Republic of China and the Republic of Azerbaijan, Chinese-Azerbaijani relations have been excellently and stably developing, he noted. Mutual political confidence is constantly deepening. We have achieved practical outcomes in different areas of cooperation, and we continue close collaboration on international and regional issues.

All this is of real benefit to prosperity of both states and their peoples. I attach great importance to the China-Azerbaijan relations. As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, I would like to take this opportunity to express my readiness to combine efforts with you to strengthen the foundations of friendly cooperation between China and Azerbaijan, and to tirelessly work to ensure development of the bilateral relations and collaboration in various areas for the prosperity of our states and peoples, said the Chinese president.

I wish Azerbaijan prosperity and development, and its people happiness and peace. Please accept my best wishes for your robust health and success, added Xi Jinping.
Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Shivpal Singh Yadav met Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday and said it was a just courtesy call to congratulate the new Uttar Pradesh chief minister and nothing more should be read into it.

Shivpal, who is SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadavs brother, arrived at the 5, Kalidas Marg residence of the CM and was accompanied by his son Aditya Yadav.

We exchanged pleasantries, I greeted the CM. In a democracy, we meet leaders of all political parties, nothing unusual in that, Shivpal said after the meeting that lasted for 15 minutes.

Earlier Mulayams younger daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav and son Prateek Yadav had called on Adityanath and invited him to visit a shelter for stray animals being run by them in Lucknow. The CM accepted the invite and visited Kanha Upvan a couple of days later.

The two back to back meetings lead to speculations that she might join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On Tuesday, Aparna scotched the rumours, saying the talks about her joining the saffron party were baseless.

Shivpals meeting with the chief minister also triggered speculations about a possible tacit political alliance between him and the BJP after he being sidelined in the SP following a bitter family feud with his nephew and Mulayams son Akhilesh Yadav over the partys control.

Last week, Adityanath inspected the work on the Rs 1400 crore Gomti River Front Development and beautification project. The ambitious venture was started during the SP regime and was being executed by the irrigation department, a portfolio held by Shivpal before he was dropped by Akhilesh from his cabinet in 2016 following the power tussle in the family.

After the visit, the chief minister ordered a judicial probe into the project. The government said that while 90% of the funds earmarked for the project has been released, only 60% ground work has been completed at the site.

Shivpal, who won from Jaswant Nagar assembly seat, has been critical of the partys poor performance in the recently concluded assembly elections in which SP won just 47 seats.

I will not let the legacy of samajwad (socialism) to weaken and will soon launch a campaign to unite socialists to bring them on one platform, Shivpal said a day before his meeting with the CM.
The police on Wednesday arrested a 29-year-old man who threw acid on a young woman in north Kashmirs frontier district of Kupwara.

Aijaz Ahmad, a farmer in Handwara region of Kupwara, attacked the 24-year-old woman outside her home with acid on Tuesday causing burn injuries on her face.

The police said that the woman, a post graduate student, was rushed to hospital with injuries on one side of her face and has been discharged.

Immediately after the attack on Tuesday, police had arrested Aijazs accomplice, Mohammad Abbas who had allegedly helped him to procure the acid.

Superintendent of police, Handwara, Ghulam Jeelani said that Aijaz Ahmad is a neighbour of the victim and used to stalk her.

He said that the attacker was apparently not happy with the news of the womans imminent engagement.

Read more: Four years after ban, acid sales in free flow under Supreme Courts nose

He used to stalk the girl. She did not know that he was such a dangerously obsessed man. While attacking he had told her that she had to marry him,Jeelani said.

The police said Aijaz had procured acid from his friend Abbas who has a pesticides shop in Watergam.

People were very angry in the area and we assured them that the investigation would be completed very fast, the police official said.

Chairperson of the state commission for women, Nayeema Ahmad Mehjoor said that they have spoken to police about the incident and were waiting for full report from them.

Crimes against women in Kashmir are rare occurrences. But recently there has been a marginal increase in such cases.

This is the third incident of acid attack in Kashmir valley in past five years.

On December 11, 2014, a 21-year-old law student was injured after two youth threw acid on her outside her college in Srinagar.

Earlier in January 2013, a 30-year-old teacher was sprinkled with acid by a mechanic who used to stalk her in Baghat-Barzalla area of Srinagar.
Toufiq Rashid

Srinagar

Former Union minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday backed stone pelters saying they were fighting for the resolution of Kashmir issue and have nothing to do with tourism.

The youth who are throwing stones have nothing to do with tourism. They pelt stones for the sake of nation. They are sacrificing lives so that we can find a solution to the Kashmir issue. They are not sacrificing lives for tourism, he said while addressing party workers at his residence in Srinagar ahead of the Lok Sabha bypolls in the state.

His comment seemed to be a reaction to Prime Minister Narendra Modis recent remark asking the youth of Kashmr to choose between terrorism or tourism.

Please remember God is the provider not Modi. He is the God of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians. They call him something we call him something. We Kashmiris have always respected all religions, he added.

Talking about the upcoming elections, Abdullah told his party men that it was a fight between fascism and secularism.

We have to fight against those communal forces who are trying to divide the country in the name of religion, he said. Abdullah is candidate of NC-Congress alliance for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat.

This is not a fight between NC-PDP but between BJPs cultural and tyrannical onslaught on one end and Kashmiris collective honour and prestige on the other end, he added.

Abdullah said he had warned voters against this onslaught even during the 2014 Lok Sabha and assembly elections.

Mehbooba Mufti used to wear green and go to families of those who were killed and people thought she was Pakistan supporter. Where does she go now? Today she instead asks people had your children gone to army camps to buy toffee, Abdullah said.

The NC chief said the need of the hour is not guns and grenades. We can answer the communal forces with our votes. The right to vote is our right as we have given blood for this right.

He also waded into the electronic voting machine (EVM) row with a warning to voters.

Please be careful about the machine, the infamous EVM. In UP people have demonstrated what was done. You also have to be careful, especially the polling agents about how is the EVM functioning, he added.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the Karnataka governments plea seeking review of its verdict by which it had abated the proceedings in a disproportionate assets case against late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

Applications for personal hearing of review petitions before the court are rejected.

We have considered the review petitions filed by the State of Karnataka on merits. In our opinion, no case for review of our order dated February 14, 2017 is made out. Consequently, the review petitions are dismissed on merits, a bench of justices PC Ghose and Amitava Roy said.

The Karnataka government had on March 21 moved the apex court against its February 14 judgement contending that once the proceedings were abated, it would not be possible to recover the fine of Rs 100 crore imposed on the late leader which was part of the punishment awarded to her in the case.

The apex court had on February 14 convicted AIADMK chief VK Sasikala and two others in the case, while abating proceedings against Jayalalithaa.

The court had, however, made clear that the fine imposed on her can be recovered.

The apex court had restored the special trial court verdict convicting all the accused and set aside the Karnataka high court judgment in the case.

The trial court had found disproportionate assets valued at Rs 53.60 crore, which Jayalalithaa and the three others could not account for. The CBI had alleged that the unaccounted wealth was to the tune of Rs 66.65 crore.

In its review plea, the state government had contended that the apex courts decision to abate the proceedings against Jayalalithaa was an error apparent on the face of record.

The plea had said that the abatement of proceedings was erroneous as there was no provision either in the Constitution or the Supreme Court rules for it.

Jayalalithaa had been sentenced to a four-year jail term, along with Rs 100 crore fine by the Bengaluru court.

Sixty-year-old Sasikala has to serve a jail term of around three-and-a-half years, out of the four years awarded by the trial court, as she has already spent almost six months in prison.

The conviction of Sasikalas two relatives VN Sudhakaran and Elavarasi was also upheld by the apex court and they were directed to surrender to serve their four-year term.

The apex court had set aside the high court order, acquitting all the four accused and had restored in toto the trial courts decision in the 19-year-old case.
A Mumbai resident was taken for a ride recently after an Ola cab he booked charged him a whopping Rs 149 crore bill for a trip he claims he did not take.

Sharing his ordeal on social media, Sushil Narsian claimed that he had booked an Ola Mini from his residence in Mulund West to Vakola Market on April 1, but the driver did not show up at the location. Later, Narsian tried to book another cab but his request was cancelled. Narsian received a rude shock when the cab operator sent him an invoice stating an outstanding due of Rs 149 for a distance that measured approximately 300 metres. Moreover, it had also deducted Rs 127 from his digital wallet.

Narsians screenshot of the bill went viral on social media with users wondering if he took a ride to Pluto or Neptune.

149 crores ??? Where was the trip drop location ?? Pluto or Neptune ?, quipped a user.



Some termed the incident an April fool prank while pointing out that the said amount was asked to be paid in cash.

Ola got in touch with Narsian and clarified that the anomaly was on account of a technical glitch. It also offered him a special code as a token of gratitude for bringing the incident to notice.

@SushilNarsian Thanks for pointing out the glitch, Sushil. We've corrected the issue at our end.

Here's a small token of our gratitude. Pls check your DM pic.twitter.com/jxeJ3unlLD  Ola (@Olacabs) April 4, 2017

Nevertheless, for a prank that wasnt, this one will turn out to be a ride to remember!

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Responding to former India captain Sourav Gangulys recent comments that Delhi Daredevils are one of the weaker sides in the 2017 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), veteran spinner Amit Mishra has said that he feels motivated by such statements.

Speaking at a pre-season press conference on behalf of his team, Mishra said he didnt agree with the assessment of Ganguly, who had also criticised the player selections of Delhi Daredevils.

FOLLOW | Indian Premier League 2017, T20, opening ceremony, Hyderabad

I feel very motivated when someone says something like this. He was a great player, so I dont want to say anything about him, but I feel the team has been doing really well since I joined in 2015. Even last season, we were two matches away from making the play-offs. Had we won those two matches, we would have been in the play-offs, Mishra said.

If you look at the last season, we performed quite well, but lost some crucial matches. We have a more balanced team now than last season. I think we will do really well this time, he added.

With Delhi looking to shed their underachievers tag this season, having invested a significant amount of money on their bowling line-up, Mishra, who has played in all the nine IPL seasons prior to this, said the current squad is more balanced than last seasons.

READ | IPL 2017: Delhi Daredevils Amit Mishra wont spare anyone if sledged

We have been making some improvement every year. The way the team has been put together for this season, it has been very well-planned. Many meetings were held before this team was finalised, and I think this is a really good side. Whatever deficiencies we have had over the last few seasons, sincere efforts have been made to address those deficiencies, he commented.

Player injuries wont affect IPL campaign

Delhi Daredevils will be missing some of their key players in the tournament, with South African stars JP Duminy pulling out due to personal issues and Quinton de Kock currently out with a finger fracture.

A recent injury to all-rounder Angelo Mathews, as well as top-order batsman Shreyas Iyers illness, has complicated matters for the team. Mishra, however, is confident that the team will do well in their absence.

JP (Duminy) has some personal problems. Its not good for a player to play in such a situation. Its better to be at home and take care of his family now. As far as Quinton de Kock is concerned, he is injured, but will be back into the team as soon as he recovers.

READ | Virat Kohli named Wisdens Leading Cricketer in the World for 2016

But even without the injured players, we have very good team strength. The players have gelled well in the last three-four days. As per the information have, most of the injured players should be back after four-five games, he stated.

With some of their best batsmen on the sidelines, at least for now, the 34-year-old feels that its a good chance for the other players to step up.

We have quite a few all-rounders in the team. Carlos Brathwaite, for example, can bat up the order in the absence of the injured batsmen. We have quite a few good domestic players, who are in the team because of their talent. Its a good chance for them to step up and prove themselves, said Mishra.

Delhi Daredevils will travel to Bengaluru on Thursday, ahead of the opening game of their IPL 2017 campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 8.
Four districts in Rajasthan used more contraceptive devices than that alloted to them, leading the health department to smell a rat. The health officers of the districts have been summoned to Jaipur on Thursday to explain the increased use of devices.

HT has a copy of the letter sent out to health officials of the four districts -- Alwar, Barmer, Pali and Sawai Madhopur -- by the national health mission (NHM) on April 3. The letter sought the physical presence of the additional/ deputy chief medical and health officers of the four districts in Jaipur on Thursday for the explanation.

It mentions that the four districts have used at least 20% more intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUCDs) between April 2013 and January 2017, leading to suspicion that some devices could were used only for papers.

This, the letter states, points to negligence of health officials towards family planning measures.

The letter also said that 221,612 IUCDs were allotted to the four disctricts in four years, but the districts used 263,015 devices, 19% more than the allotment.

The data revealed that during the four years, the department had allotted 77,438 IUCDs to the Alwar district but the health authorities there claimed to have utilizes 92,677 IUCDs. Similarly, Barmer claimed 66067 IUCDs against the allotted 59,400, Sawai Madhopur claimed 41,667 against the allotted 37,600 and Pali claimed 62,595 against the allotment of 47,174 IUCDs.

When HT contacted Barmer CMHO Dr Hemraj Soni, he expressed his ignorance about the issue. He said I have no idea about the matter.

On asking about giving clarifications to principal secretary on Thursday at Jaipur, he said that he did not get any such directions.

According to the census 2011, population growth rate of Barmer is highest in the state at 32.55%.
More than 12 lakh farmers in Rajasthan are relieved as the state government has decided to extend repayment dateline of interest-free cooperative Kharif crop loan by three months.

Farmers, who could not repay by the March 31 deadline, can now pay within a year of taking the loan or by June 30, whichever is earlier.

The dreams of a large number of farmers of the state were shattered with the expiry of the deadline for repayment of cooperative loan on March 31.

Cooperative bank sources said more than 95,00 crore of loan was disbursed to more than 23 lakh farmers in the state during the 2016-17 financial year, of which  5,500 crore was due from 12 lakh farmers. In Rajasthan, farmers usually earn by selling wheat--- a major Kharif cropin April.

Hindustan Times in a report published on April 1, highlighted the plight of farmers.

Taking note of the woes of farmers in state, registrar of the cooperative department has issued an order to all cooperative banks, apex banks and others provide relief to the farmers.

Indra Singh, managing director of Central Cooperative Bank Limited in Kota, said the order clearly states that farmers, who have taken Kharif crop loan in the 2016-17 fiscal, can now repay their loan either within a year from the date of taking the loan or by June 30, whichever is earlier.

Farmers used to pay an interest of 7% for not repaying the loans on or before the repayment deadline but now they will not have to pay any interest following the extension of the deadline, said Singh.

He further said that farmers are given interest-free cooperative crop loan of Rs 1.50 lakh during Kharif crop season in the summers and for Rabi crop in the winters ever year.

While the Kharif crop loan is disbursed between the months of March and August, the Rabi crop loan is given between September and March, repayment deadline for which are March 31 and June 30.

During the 2016-17 fiscal, more than  442 crore crop loan was disbursed to more than 60,000 farmers in Kota division alone, out of which  184 crore was due from farmers.

Farmer leader Dashrath Kumar welcomed the decision, saying that the extension of loan repayment will give time to farmers to arrange for the due amount after the wheat harvest during April and May so that they can repay by June end.

It will also prevent farmers from becoming loan defaulters and they will not be entitled to take further crop loan in the coming Kharif season, he said.
It was the night of November 23, 2016 when 30-year-old Behari Devi and her husband were allegedly brutally beaten up by their neighbours. Reason: Behari, a Dalit, had started watering her fields that morning before her neighbours, who are from an upper caste, could.

A resident of village Sankariya in Kekri tehsil of Ajmer district, Behari alleged that the neighbours first abused her and her husband in the morning. In the night, they called her to the fields where she and her husband were thrashed by 13 people from the neighbours family. The couple was saved by another neighbour.

Addressing a press conference here Wednesday, Behari alleged that initially police refused to register a complaint. An FIR was lodged on December 6, 2016, after a court order, she said, alleging that the accused are pressuring her to withdraw case.

While the investigating official in the case could not be contacted, an official confirmed that investigation is on.

Another Dalit woman, 60-year-old Chuki Devi, a resident of village Sajansar in Bidasar tehsil of Churu district, alleged that she was badly beaten by some people from the upper caste on February 25. Reason: she had protested against them for encroaching upon her land. A case was registered, she said, adding that now action has been taken and the accused are still at large.

DSP, Sujangarh (Churu), Sukhvendra Pal Singh said investigations were on and necessary action will be taken in a day or two.

Kamli Devi, 35, from village Lalvadi, in Thanagazi tehsil of Alwar district, alleged that on February 5, a group of 16 armed people attacked their house and thrashed the family members leaving many with broken bones. The women in the house were molested. Reason: Kamli, a Dalit, had complained against her neighbours for damaging the fence around her field.

Kamli alleged despite a police case, the accused were still torturing her family.

SP, Alwar, Rahul Prakash assured of legal action and efforts to solve the issue as soon as possible.

The victims were speaking to the media after attending a round table meet organised by All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch, an NGO, where 15 serious incidents of atrocities against Dalit were heard.

In all the incidents, police and administration failed to act under the guidelines mandated in SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. Cases were not registered timely and report was not submitted in court within 60 days. There was political pressure and legal aid and security to victims were not provided, NGO general secretary Asha said.

She said the victims should be provided a free copy of FIR and demanded government jobs to dependents, where a Dalit has been murdered in last three years.

Suman Devathiya, who heads the NGO in Rajasthan, said they would build pressure on district officials, create a network to strengthen the voice of Dalit women and provide legal support to the victims.
Police arrested three people on Wednesday night in connection with the death of a 55-year-old man in Alwar who was assaulted over suspicions of cow smuggling in Rajasthan.

Vipin Yadav, Ravindra Yadav and Kalu Ram Yadav were arrested after being identified from videos that were circulated on social media. They, however, were not among the six named in the initial FIR.

Pehlu Khan succumbed to his injuries at Kailash Hospital in Alwar on Monday night after a large group of cow protection activists attacked him and four others while they were transporting cattle along the Alwar highway on Saturday.

The other four victims were discharged, and allowed to return to Nuh  their hometown in Haryana.

Police launched a manhunt for six suspects against who a case of murder was registered, and listed 200 unidentified people as accused. They also announced a reward of Rs 5000 for any information on the case.

The incident comes amid a host of stringent measures taken by BJP-ruled states to protect cows, considered sacred by many Hindus.

Shortly before the attack occurred, police said they had arrested 11 people and rescued 28 bovines. The cattle were being transported in six pick-up vans. While police intercepted four of them, two were attacked by the gau rakshaks, said an officer on the condition of anonymity.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 5

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

The Southern Gas Corridor will serve millions of consumers and meet the demand of Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Italy and other countries, said Azerbaijans Energy Minister Natig Aliyev.

He made the remarks at the 20th Eurasian Economic Summit held in Istanbul, the Turkish media reported Apr. 5.

Aliyev noted that the construction of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) continues at an accelerated pace.

Azerbaijan provides a major part of its energy consumption at the expense of its sources, said the minister adding that over the past 20 years, Baku cooperated with 3,000 foreign companies.

Azerbaijan is ready to implement large-scale projects, added Aliyev.

He also said that Azerbaijan plans to stabilize oil consumption.

The Southern Gas Corridor will make a huge contribution to the diversification and development of energy cooperation, noted the minister.

The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority energy projects for the EU. It envisages the transportation of gas from the Caspian region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey.



At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage.



As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans Adriatic Pipeline.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliates celebrated Ram Navami with unprecedented fanfare in the state capital and across the state on Wednesday, with many of the rallies comprised participants, including youth and children, displaying such weapons as sword and trident. State BJP president and senior RSS functionary, Dilip Ghosh, himself carried a sword while participating in a procession in West Midnapore district.

In Kolkata, tableaus decked up with saffron triangular flags and carrying the idol of Ram Darbar, or people dressed up as Ram, Laxman, Sita and Hanuman were taken out from 22 locations and covered nearly all major crossings. The slogan mandir wahi banayenge was raised from many of these rallies. Rightwing Hindutva organisations Vishva Hindu Parishad, Hindu Jagran Manch and various other outfits affiliated to RSS organised these rallies.

Read:In West Bengal, Ram Navami gets going on raths, provided by Muslims

While most senior BJP leaders participated in these rallies, chief minister Mamata Banerjee took a dig at BJP for trying to politicise a religious festival. For years, Ram Navami is being celebrated by various organisations. It has no connection with BJP at all. Why are you trying to claim this festival to be your own? she said while addressing a gathering in Bankura district in the western part of the state.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh participated in a Ram Navami procession in West Midnapore. (HT Photo)

On Tuesday, BJP state president had supported the idea of carrying weapons in the Ram Navami rallies. People may carry any kind of weapon that our gods of 33 koti (types) carry. What is the problem if Hindus display their faith and strength? Ghosh had said on the eve of the festival.

Apart from Kolkata, mega rallies were carried out by the saffron camp in the districts of West Mindpaore, East Midnapore, Howrah, Birbhum, North Dinajpur and Nadia.

Youth and girls brandish sword and machete in a Ram Navami procession in West Bengal. (HT Photo)

Significantly, in a bid to prove that the celebration of Ram Navami was not exclusively BJPs domain, Trinamool Congress supporters, too, carried out Ram Navami processions in different districts, including Darjeeling, Alipurduar and East Midnapore.

Read: Saffron push in Bengal brings cheer to Kumortuli

The Left and the Congress, however, distanced themselves from the celebrations. Taking a dig at both BJP and Trinamool Congress for playing politics in the name of religion, Sujan Chakraborty, the leader of CPI(M)s legislative party, said, One party (read Trinamool) had hijacked the Durga puja celebrations and now another has hijacked the celebration of Ram Nabami. The latter kicked off the trend of taking out processions carrying weapons. This is not going to do Bengal any good.
Days after taking over as chief minister, Yogi Adityanath had warned the criminals to leave UP or be prepared to go to jail.

While the promised crackdown is yet to begin, the BJP government is speeding up the SP regimes project to equip UP jails with hi-tech surveillance system.

We have been asked to equip all jails with mobile phone jammers, CCTV cameras and metal detectors to check crimes that are planned and executed by criminals from behind the bars. The step will also prevent planned murders and disturbances in jails, a senior official in the home department said.

The height of boundary walls of many prisons is also being increased as part of the initiative, he added.

To equip 12 most sensitive prisons in the state with mobile jammers, the government has released the second and final installment of Rs 42.70 crore from the total allocation of Rs 71.28 crore.

The order in this regard has been issued by under secretary, UP, Karunesh Kumar Singh to DG, Prisons Administration and Reform Services, on March 31, the official said.

The task, being carried out by the Electronics Corporation of India, would cover Bareilly central jail as well as district jails of Firozabad, Aligarh, Etah, Moradabad, Etawah, Bulandshahr, Banda, Mainpuri, Jhansi, and Jaunpur, he added.

Installation of CCTV cameras is already underway at 23 sensitive jails to monitor the activities of the inmates and visitors. Orders have also been issued to raise the height of boundary walls of 36 jails.

An amount of Rs 4.14 crore has been sanctioned for setting up of CCTV surveillance units at 20 prisons vide order dated March 31.

The firm entrusted with the task will receive Rs 1.65 crore, which is 40 per cent of the total sanctioned amount, as advance for the work, the official added.

Realising the importance of uninterrupted power supply for these surveillance equipment to function effectively, the state government is also speeding up the Rs 3.51 crore project of installation of solar energy power back-up systems in seven prisons in the state. These include Agra central jail and district jails of Muzaffarnagar, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Sultanpur, Meerut, and Gautam Budh Nagar.

The government has released Rs 2.01 crore to the implementing agency PEC Limited, New Delhi.

The government has released the second installment of Rs 3.02 crore for the ongoing installation of pole metal detection systems at 38 jails and Rs 8.32 lakh for the construction of boundary wall of cook house and two side circular walls at the Bareilly central jail.

The government has also granted Rs 39.92 crore as administrative sanction and Rs 36.22 as financial sanction for the procurement of 30.334 hectare land for construction of a district jail in Chandauli.

Funds have also been sanctioned for shifting of two district jails away from heavily populated areas. The government has sanctioned Rs 66.24 crore for the acquisition of 13.223 hectare pre-identified land where the Jaunpur district jail will be shifted and has also released Rs 16.34 crore for procuring 21.811 hectare land for a new district jail in Shahjahanpur.

The overall plan is to speed up the construction of 11 new jails and to increase the capacity of existing jails to 25,000 inmates.

Principal secretary (home) Debashish Panda said instructions had also been issued to district police chiefs and district magistrates concerned to conduct raids and ensure proper surveillance in jails.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
In an innovative strategy to check social evils such as gambling, alcohol addiction and domestic violence, the state police has constituted as many as 40 Gulabi gangs, comprising housewives as its members.

The gang members will act as social crusaders in villages where men, who are into social vices, end up targeting women.

Each of the 40 Gulabi gangs will work in equal number of villages under nine police stations, including Rohania, Jansa and Sevapuri. Each gang has 15 members.

The cops have provided a pink coloured saree each to the members and have also trained them in ways to maintain law and order and how to combat social evils with the help of cops.

Circle officer Sneha Tiwari, a 2012 batch PPS officer, said, Pink colour is symbol of unity. Pink is the colour which women supposedly like the most. Thats why we chose the colour as their uniform. The pink crusaders will help cops in maintaining law and order. Simultaneously, they will fight against social evils like alcohol addiction, gambling and domestic violence.

She advised the Gulabi gang members not to take law in their hands in any case and inform police as soon as they get to know about any such incident.

The idea for the project germinated during a protest by rural women at liquor shops. In some of the demonstrations, the women became violent and barged into the shops and threw away the bottles on the streets.

Superintendent of police (rural area) Ashish Tiwari and CO Sneha held meetings with rural women in rural pockets with the help of village heads, taught them ways to register their complaint in a legal way. During interaction, some women expressed the will to work as a group. Consequently, the two officers gave a thought to the idea and formed the Gulabi gangs.

Original gang from Banda Banda-based Gulabi was formed by a group of local women to fight against alcohol addiction and domestic violence, gender violence, caste oppressions and corruption in Bundelkhand region, in 2002. The outfit has lakhs of members. The pink crusaders wear pink saari and wield canes, if required, fight against these evils. The gang hogged headlines when a film was also made on them.

Dhanvasi Devi, member of Gulabi Gang Dhandorpur, is delighted over being part of the gang. She hopes that she along with the members will be able to do away with the alcoholism in rural pockets around her villages. She said that liquor should be banned since it breaks families.

She claims as soon as she gets information about any such activity, she talks to circle officer Sneha Tiwari and police reach the spot soon. Tiwari said, the Gulabi Gang members will be given police mitra cards in a week.

Read more: Protests turn devotional with portraits of deities outside UP liquor shops

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Located outside the iconic Gorakhnath temple, Bhartiya tailor used to be an ordinary shop until March 19 when its most famous customer-Yogi Adityanath- took oath as chief minister of UP.

Owner of the shop Buddhiram, 59, who has been stitching Yogi Adityanaths bhagwa clothes for the last 24 years, feels proud of his association with the CM. It is a matter of honour for me that people associate this shop with the CM for the clothes he wears, he said.

Talking to HT, Buddhiram said special silk clothes from Gandhi Ashram are used to stitch summer apparel of the CM while woollen clothes from Geeta Press are used to prepare the saffron outfit for winter season. Since silk doesnt come in saffron colour, it is dyed in bhagwa colour by local dyers once the three piece apparel is stitched completely.

Over 20 sets of clothes including kurta, achla (lower apparel) and safa (scarf) are stitched every year based on the order given by Yogi, said Buddhiram and added further he doesnt charge anything for services rendered to the temple and its mahant.

A total of 7.5 metres of material including 2.5 metres each for kurta, achla and scarf is used to prepare the CMs three-piece apparel. Sharing about Yogis choice of clothing, he said the CM prefers half sleeve kurta during summer and full sleeve ones during winter. Generally he likes the way his clothes are stitched but whenever he finds it not upto the mark, he gives me necessary instructions, said Buddhiram who last stitched Yogis clothes on the eve of Makar Sankranti (January 14), the beginning of Hindu year when as head priest of the temple Yogi offered special prayers to Baba Gorakhnath. Buddhiram said no fresh order had been placed by Yogi after becoming CM and added if asked he would be ready to move to Lucknow to prepare more clothes for his VVIP customer.

When asked if there was a demand for Yogi style kurtas, he revealed ever since his elevation as chief minister, most people had started visiting his shop asking him to prepare short sleeve kurtas.

Recalling his association with the temple and late Mahant Avaidyanath, who helped him earn livelihood by getting a temple shop allotted in his name, Buddhiram said the first apparel he stitched was a kurta for bade Maharaj (Avaidyanath). When bade Maharaj was alive he used to call me to take his measurements. Once the clothes were ready I personally visited and dressed him in the new clothes. He would be happy and bless me, he said.

Read more| Yogi kurta: The latest craze
From a vegetable sellers daughter to a Kanpur-based business woman, from a Lucknow-based kidney patient to a college teacher in Meerut, victims of triple talaq are increasingly petitioning the state government on the issue.

Several such women met UP minister for women and family welfare Rita Bahuguna Joshi on Tuesday to express their support for BJPs stand on abolition of triple talaq, an issue that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had flagged ahead of the UP polls in October.

After meeting them, Joshi said, Their story would move you down to tears. They have shared their worries, their concerns to us and have made some suggestions, some demands, including getting the marriages registered. We would look into them.

Even as the minister was busy assuring the group, some 80 kilometers away Aliya Siddiqui, a Kanpur-based business woman was demanding security from the BJP government. She was given triple talaq through a speed post within two months of her marriage to a government official.

She claimed that she had found the next day of her marriage that her husband was allegedly married to another woman with whom he was embroiled in a legal battle. Upon protesting, she says she was thrown out of the house and divorced.

Now I am being threatened that I will be murdered, acid will be thrown on my face, said Aliya who runs her own business.

On Monday, a 22-year old woman Shabreen, daughter of a vegetable seller in Lakhimpur, had met chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressing support for BJP stand on triple talaq and demanding justice.

She was divorced by her husband on phone. She said the chief minister asked her not to worry and promised help.

There are so many victims. One of them was divorced after her husband came to know that she suffered from a kidney ailment. Its for such women that we have demanded that shelter homes be opened in wakf land, said Shaista Ambar.

The AIMWPLB has also supported the demand to ban liquor saying the heady brew has an adverse effect on families. The BJP government had promised to know the mind of Muslim women on triple talaq and report the findings to the Supreme Court.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been vocal against triple talaq for long. Before UP assembly elections, the party campaigners had been saying they were committed to ending triple talaq which was ruining the lives of Muslim women. Former president of BJPs Muslim Morcha Rumana Siddiqui said several Muslim women were in support for BJP stand on the issue.

Read more: After triple talaq over phone, Uttar Pradesh woman meets Yogi Adityanath for justice
A female chef in a mans meat world, and a guy who turned the garage of his family home into a restaurant to serve up Korean dumpling and noodle dinners are among some of the honorees in Food & Wine magazines list of best new chefs to watch out for in 2017.

Every year, editors and food experts travel across the United States in a bid to shine the spotlight on up-and-coming chefs who may not be household names  at least, not yet.

Heres a selection of their picks for 2017:

Yoshi Okai, Otoko - Austin, Texas

Editors describe chef Okai as a sort of sushi heretic, not for his techniques  he has a fetishistic attention to rice, the shaping of nigiri  but for his unpredictable use of flavors. The 12-seat restaurant Otoko serves a multi-course omakase menu that blends Tokyo-style sushi with Kyoto-style kaiseki, and that doesnt forget its Texas home, be it in the surprising use of Meyer lemon or finger limes, or nods to traditional Texas barbecue.

Peter Cho, Han Oak - Portland, Oregon

Congratulations to our very own @petecho for being named @foodandwine's #bnc2017! : @dinaravila for this lovely photo  #fwbnc A post shared by Han Oak (@hanoakpdx) on Apr 3, 2017 at 11:32am PDT

At Han Oak, chef Cho hosts diners in a converted garage from his family home where he smokes his meats, hand-cuts his noodles, and slow-cooks his Korean dishes, while the strains of Chance the Rapper blast from the speakers above.

For $35 a head, diners tuck into what F&W editors describe as the most exciting new Korean food in the country, with dishes like kalgooksu, made with hand-cut noodles in an egg drop chicken broth, and smoked hanger steak served Korean-style with lettuce wraps, spicy soybean paste, pickled bean sprouts and cabbage slaw. Or as F&W editors put it: The result is a little bit Seoul savant and a little bit Kid and Play, which feels like the right tone for a chef who is preserving the art of the damn-good time for future generations of food nerds.

Angie Mar, The Beatrice Inn - New York

A post shared by The Beatrice Inn (@beatrice_inn) on Feb 11, 2017 at 11:35am PST

With a resume that boasts stints at Marlow & Sons, the Spotted Pig and an apprenticeship with legendary Parisian butcher Yves-Marie Le Bourdonnec, Angie Mar is, as F&W puts it, putting the notion of masculine meatery on watch. At The Beatrice, a Kansas cote de boeuf is dry-aged for 60 days and served with marrow blistered blackberries and charred prawn butter.

Applewood-smoked rabbit is served with blueberries, pink peppercorns, German chocolate and burnt laurel. And duck is salt-cured, smoked, roasted and flambed, before being dished up with cherry jus and fingerling Lyonnaise potatoes.

Jay Blackinton, Hogstones Wood Oven - Orcas Island, Washington

Hogstones Wood Oven is not the most accessible dining address. But the ferry crossing is worth the journey for the purest expression of Pacific Northwest cuisine, say F&W editors. Meals are made with hyperlocal ingredients from the islands micro-environment.

Chef Blackinton raises his own pigs, digs his own clams and grows his own vegetables. Along with his wood-fired pizzas, sample meals include pork loin served with burnt pear and potato puree topped with egg and salmon roe.

The full list of chefs will be published in the July issue of the magazine.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more
The coming together of six Opposition parties to launch a protest march against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government demanding farm loan waiver could be a precursor to a Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-led coalition of opposition parties to counter the BJP in 2019 elections in Maharashtra.

The Sangharsh Yatra taken out through 16 districts of the state by the Opposition parties to demand farm loan waiver concluded at Panvel near Mumbai on Tuesday. Following UP governments decision on the same day, Opposition parties have now mounted further pressure on the Devendra Fadnavis government to grant Rs30,000 crore loan waiver for farmers in Maharashtra. The six parties are now planning to further intensify their campaign for a farm loan waiver as they think the issue can damage the BJP in rural Maharashtra.

Congress state unit chief Ashok Chavan said there is possibility of Opposition parties coming together. We have taken on the BJP-led government on the issues that bother the common man including farmers. Since all opposition parties have similar agenda, why shouldnt we come together?he said.

The farmers are in distress due to various reasons including fallen prices of agricultural commodities in the markets and unseasonal rains.

The Sangharsh Yatra and the move to continue with the joint agitations is being seen as an indication that the efforts to build a Bihar-type broad opposition coalition to counter the BJP are being undertaken by the Congress and the NCP. The other opposition parties that are part of the agitation are Peasents and Workers Party (PWP), Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal (S) and Republican Party of India (Kawade faction).

It is the beginning. We took out the Sangharsh Yatra together. Now we are discussing how to take our agitation for loan waiver forward. We will take one step at a time, state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare told HT on Wednesday.

The Congress-NCP are rattled by the BJPs performance in the recent local body polls when it did well in both urban as well as rural areas. The two parties are also irked by the BJPs plans to poach on their influential leaders and legislators to fortify its position in the run up to 2019 elections. It is generally believed in political circles that the BJP government in the state would prefer Assembly elections alongwith Lok Sabha elections in 2019. The five-year tenure of the Maharashtra Assembly will end six months after the Lok Sabha elections.

PWP leader Jayant Patil said his party is strongly in favour of a coalition of secular and like minded parties to defeat the BJP. This government is against the farmers and labourers and hence it must be defeated. We are in favour of a broad opposition coalition in Maharashtra, he said.

The two main Opposition parties, the Congress and the NCP, have already come closer. It is more or less clear that Congress and NCP will come together for next assembly elections because we dont have an option if we want to win power in the state. We lost power in 2014 mainly because we contested separately. Further, if we get like-minded parties with us, we can avoid further split in anti-BJP votes,said a senior Congress leader.

In Bihar, prominent parties came together to build a broad opposition coalition which proved a winning combination opposite the BJP. A similar experiment is possible in Maharashtra, he added.

This is not the first time that such an experiment is being done in Maharashtra. The first non-Congress government in the state was formed by Sharad Pawar by bringing together opposition parties in 1978. In 1998 parliamentary polls, Pawar again worked out a Congress-SP-RPI coalition which won 37 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra. At that time Pawar was in Congress. Since 1999, both Congress and NCP have been taking smaller parties including various factions of Dalit-oriented Republican Party of India along to avoid split in votes against BJP and Shiv Sena.

Significantly, if the Congress-NCP manage to work out such a coalition, there is likely to be a triangular contest in Maharashtra as BJPs ruling partner Shiv Sena has already announced that it will contest all future elections on its own.

READ MORE

Farm-loan waiver: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis says his govt is studying UP model

Adityanaths loan waiver: Cong-NCP seeks similar deal in Maharashtra, eyes anti-BJP bloc

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
After Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanaths decision to waive farmers loans, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party-led Opposition parties have demanded a Rs 30,000-crore farm loan waiver in Maharashtra.

Six Opposition parties, which had recently launched a drive in 16 Maharashtra districts over their demand, got into a huddle on Wednesday to discuss how to intensify their agitation.

Speculations are rife that the joint agitation, which has now got a boost with Adityanaths move in UP, may lead to a Bihar-like grand coalition. Headed by the Congress-NCP bloc, it might take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections in 2019.

It is the beginning. We held the sangharsh yatra (which ended near Mumbai on Tuesday). Now, we are discussing how to take our agitation forward. We will take one step at a time, state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare told HT on Wednesday.

Apart from the Congress and the NCP, other opposition parties that are part of the agitation are the Peasants and Workers Party, Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal (S) and the Republican Party of India (Kawade faction).

It is more or less clear that the Congress and the NCP will come together for the next assembly elections because we dont have an option if we want to win power in the state. We lost power in 2014 mainly because we contested separately. Further, if we get like-minded parties with us, we can avoid further split in anti-BJP votes.

State congress chief Ashok Chavan and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar have already stressed the need for the Opposition parties to come together against the BJP.

The Congress-NCP are rattled by the BJPs performance in the recent local body polls, where the saffron party did well in both urban as well as rural areas. The two parties are also irked by BJPs plans to poach their influential leaders and legislators to fortify its position in the run-up to the 2019 assembly elections.

It is more or less clear that the Congress and the NCP will come together for the next assembly elections because we dont have an option if we want to win power in the state. We lost power in 2014 mainly because we contested separately. Further, if we get like-minded parties with us, we can avoid further split in anti-BJP votes, said a senior Congress leader.

In Bihar, prominent parties came together to build a broad opposition coalition which proved a winning combination against the BJP. A similar experiment can be done in Maharashtra, he added.

This is not the first time the Congress and other parties are coming together. In the 1998 parliamentary polls, Sharad Pawar had worked out a Congress-JD-SP-RPI coalition, which had won 38 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra. Then Pawar was in the Congress.

Since 1999, both the Congress and the NCP have been taking smaller parties including various factions of Dalit-oriented Republican Party of India along to avoid the split in votes against BJP and Shiv Sena. Significantly, the Sena is likely to contest Lok Sabha and assembly elections on its own though it is part of the BJP-led governments in the state and at the Centre.
The Bombay high court on Wednesday asked the Maharashtra government to submit dates on which animal slaughter and sale of meat should be banned in deference to religious festivals in the city and the state.

A bench led by Justice Anoop V Mohta directed the state government to file an affidavit by Thursday.

The bench was hearing a petition filed in 2015 by the Bombay Mutton Dealers Association, challenging a circular issued at the time by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra government. The circular imposed a ban on slaughter and sale of mutton and chicken owing to the Jain festival of Paryushan in the city for four days in September 2015.

At the time, a bench of Justices Mohta and AA Sayyed had stayed the ban. It had also directed the state to come up with guidelines and a system to notify days on which sale/slaughter of meat will be banned, after taking all stakeholders into confidence.

On Wednesday, states counsel advocate Hiten Venegaonkar told the court that the reply was not ready and sought additional time.

The bench though granted just a days time to Venegaonkar, saying that the exercise was essential to ensure that citizens are not inconvenienced.

Justice Mohta added that the state cannot expect to be granted repeated adjournments and that the reply must be produced at the earliest.

He said that the court would consider if such a ban is in compliance with the law and whether it amounts to violation of ones fundamental rights.

The court has to monitor this issue of banning meat on religious festivals each year. The government will have to evolve a permanent system after consulting with all parties concerned for such matters must be handled in a mature manner. There has to be an arrangement in the society to ensure citizens are not adversely affected, Justice Mohta said.

READ

Meat ban is just the beginning: More intolerance is coming

When a ban divides, no metro can link Mumbai

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Following complaints about lack of facilities and malpractices at fine arts colleges in Maharashtra, the Directorate of Art (DoA) issued a circular to around 200 fine arts colleges asking them to comply with the norms within three months.

The directorate has decided to form a committee of teachers to inspect the colleges during this period. After the committee submits its findings, the DoA will take action against errant colleges.

The complaints received by DoA reveal that some private colleges dont have basic facilities and sufficient teachers in the college. Besides, some colleges are engaged in drawing extra fees from students without issuing receipts, not appointing full-time and qualified teachers, mistreating students and not implementing government scheme. The private colleges under DoA are instructed to provide all the basic and teaching amenities within three months. If, at the end of the inspection, a college is found to be without these amenities or engaged in any malpractice, strict action will be taken, read the circular.

The development comes a year after the states Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), which controls technical institutes in the state, conducted its own inspection of engineering colleges of the state, following numerous complaints of norms violation. The DTE found that 340 of around 375 engineering colleges had flouted infrastructure and faculty norms. As a result, seven of these colleges were prohibited from conducting admissions, while many others had their intake reduced significantly.

An official from DoA said that while the degree-college section of the institutes are monitored by the universities they are affiliated to, the diploma section often gets neglected. Things were neglected, but now we are straightening them up. People have been relaxed in the past. But why should the students bear the brunt [of the administrative complacency]?, he said.

The activists, who filed the complaints, also suggested the courses such as art-teacher diploma (ATD), which trains students in teaching fine arts in schools, have been neglected by the authorities, allowing colleges to run amok. The colleges often cause trouble for students. They dont have common rooms and workshop rooms. There is no student grievance redressal mechanism at the regional centres of DoA. The unaided colleges are doing whatever they want, said Santosh Gangurde, vice-president, Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena.

Rajiv Mishra, incharge director, DoA, said that the colleges have been given a chance to redeem themselves. Our intention is not to trouble anybody. We just want to clean things up and raise the standard of fine arts education, he said.

Read

60 engineering colleges under Mumbai university likely to lose affiliation

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 5

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

The US imported 237,000 barrels of oil products from Azerbaijan in January 2017, says a message posted on the website of the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The US stopped importing oil products from Azerbaijan in August 2015. About 718,000 barrels of oil products were delivered to the US in 2015.

Prior to this, the US suspended the import of Azerbaijani oil products in 2009 and resumed it in 2012.

Oil products are manufactured at Azerbaijans Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery, which is a part of Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR.
The state government is actively considering a proposal to increase compensation from the existing maximum of Rs3 lakh to Rs10 lakh for rape and acid attack victims, the Bombay high court was informed on Wednesday.

Acting on a public interest litigation and a petition filed by a 14-year-old rape survivor from Borivli, the high court had directed the state government to decide to hike the compensation, in compliance with various Supreme Court orders.

On March 31, 2017, the chief secretary held a meeting to deliberate a hike in the amount, which was under active consideration, additional government pleader Abhay Patki informed the court on Wednesday.

He said a decision on the proposal is expected within four to six weeks.

In her plea, the minor survivor complained about lack of financial or other support from the state. Her lawyer Dnyanada Mahajan said although she was entitled to financial assistance, medical aid and counselling under the Manodhairya scheme, she had not received any such help from the government.

In May 2016, she was kidnapped by a man and taken to his brothers house where she was sexually assaulted, said the plea. On the basis of the complaint lodged by her mother, the Borivli police booked a suspect for kidnapping and raping the minor on May 5, 2016 .

Under the Manodhairya scheme, she was entitled to 50% of the compensation after the first information report and the rest after the charge sheet, according to the petition. Although the police filed a charge sheet in July 2016, she had not received any compensation despite repeated appeals to the police.

READ

53-year-old held for molesting minor daughter in Mumbai

Twisting a womans hand during fight not outraging her modesty, says Bombay HC
Mumbai

In a bid to reduce the time taken by firefighters to reach the site in case of fire in a congested area, the Mumbai fire brigade is procuring motorbikes.

According to civic officials, the narrow lanes of the city have been affecting firefighting operations and this move aims to offer quick response, especially in case of minor fires.

Fire brigade officials want to deploy such bikes at locations where fire stations are further than usual and fire engines take a lot of time to reach the site.

The fire brigade faces serious challenges while carrying out operations in congested areas such as Bhendi Bazar, Dongri, Kalbadevi, Bhuleshwar, and in slum areas that houses about 60% of the citys population.

The civic body is looking at deploying bikes that have basic facilities of a pump and water tank that will carry about 30 litres of water on each side of the bike and can throw water up to 20 metres. The tank will be connected to a high-pressure hose. The fire department also held a demonstration last October of one of the such modified bikes at the Byculla command centre where a Royal Enfield Himalayan 410CC bike was modified to a firefighting vehicle.

Civic chief Ajoy Mehta in his budget speech last week said, To improve response time further, 20 fire bikes will be procured and will be placed at mini fire stations. For procuring these bikes, a provision of Rs3.10 crore is proposed.

Read

Short-staffed Mumbai fire brigade trains 4,360 citizens to battle blazes

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Bandra police, investigating the suicide of a 23-year-old Arjun Bharadwaj on Monday night, said he had been writing about suicide on his Facebook page for few days and that the posts may have been a call for help. As part of the investigation, his mobile phone has been sent for forensic analysis to help the police learn more about his activities.

Bharadwaj jumped off the 19th floor of a five-star hotel at Bandstand on Monday evening after writing several suicide notes and uploading a video of himself  which he termed a suicide tutorial  on Facebook. The Mumbai police have blocked the video on the grounds that it could influence others and have also requested the media not to publish it.

Bharadwaj lived alone at Andheri, the police said. His father had come to Mumbai from Bengaluru three days ago after his sons friends told him about the Facebook posts on suicide. On Saturday, Bharadwajs father met him and tried to speak to him out but to no avail.

Senior police inspector Pandit Thakare of Bandra police station said, His friends and family members were to meet us today but couldnt. We respect their privacy. We will speak to them in the next few days.

Bharadwaj halso mentioned drug abuse in his suicide notes and video, and when asked if the police planned to investigate the source of drugs, Thakare said, We will try but I dont know if his friends will help us.

Bharadwaj, the Bandra police said, had several issues. He had failed in college and was unable to clear his the third year of his BCom course. His father was a retired businessman and so there was immense pressure on him to complete his studies and get a job to support the family of four. His only sibling, a younger brother, is in Class 10.

Because of these problems, the police said, he had slipped into depression and gradually taken to drugs. He also consumed liquor before taking his life, which is a very common among people before they commit suicide, said a doctor at a post mortem centre.

READ

Man posts video on how to commit suicide, jumps from 19th floor of Mumbai hotel
Psychiatrists who have treated scores of young people suffering from depression said that counselling centres at all educational institutions, in addition to strong support systems comprising parents and friends, were needed to curb suicides.

Psychiatrist Rajendra Barve said, Early identification and evaluation of suicidal tendencies is important. Those who are lonely and isolated are more prone to it. Also, there are several misconceptions, including the belief that those who threaten suicide never actually go through with it. Arjun Bharadwaj, the 23-year-old students who committed suicide on Monday, had been writing about suicide on Facebook for a several days.

Psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty, who has conducted several workshops on suicide prevention in Mumbai colleges, asked, Why do top-notch educational institutes in Mumbai not have full-fledged counseling centers, knowing well that many students who leave their homes and come here for studies face loneliness?

He termed suicide an epidemic that kills more people than TB, malaria and dengue, and said there was a need for a health commissioner to deal with this issue specifically. He also said that all students should be mental health soldiers and must help identify students who undergo behavioural changes.

Lastly, psychological vigilance is required in educational institutions. The boy was talking about suicide and hence he should have been screened by a mental health professional, Shetty added.

Dr Y A Matcheswalla, another psychiatrist, said, The incident was traumatic. Unfortunately, he was not able to reach out earlier and only did so at the last moment. It seems his friends didnt realise the issues he faced.

The Mumbai police too took to Twitter on Tuesday and encouraged young people battling depression to contact them by dialing 100, promising to listen to their problems and offer solutions.

Man posts video on how to commit suicide, jumps from 19th floor of Mumbai hotel
Authorities at KEM Hospital who have been entrusted with curbing suicides in Mumbai said that pressure to do well in school and relationship issues were the two most common problems cited by students aged 16 to 25 that they have counselled. Unfortunately, these distressed youngsters often do not have a strong support network within their family or friends circle, they said.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has a round-the-clock helpline  022-24131212  on which two women, both professional counsellors, take phone calls related to mental issues, including suicidal tendencies. They receive an average of 150 to 200 calls a week.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Dr Shubhangi Parkar, who monitors the counsellors work, said, In 2016, about 16% of calls were from people aged 16 to 20, while 80% were from those aged 20 to 40. We also get a lot of follow-up calls, which comprise 18 per cent of all calls. There is complete anonymity. They keep calling back as they can express themselves anonymously. They feel safe. Once were develop a rapport we use many problem-solving strategies.

She added, Two major problems that those aged 16 to 25 face are academic pressure and relationship problems. Those aged 21 to 25 cite unemployment, money problems and issues with their families.

Dr Parkar, who has been working in the field of suicide prevention for decades, said the biggest problem for people with depression was the lack of a support network. They become lonely and take to some kind of addiction like alcohol or drugs. In such situations one needs to speak about ones problems with family or friends. The students who call us generally have multiple issues and negative thoughts about their future.

As part of an awareness campaigns about depression and suicidal tendencies, officials from KEM Hospital are visiting schools, colleges, BEST depots and railway stations to reach out to students, youngsters and the general public. They will also send leaflets to educational institutions informing them about their helpline.

Depression among youngsters cant be ignored any longer

After the death of 24-year-old Arjun Bharadwaj on Monday, Hindustan Times spoke to several teachers and principals of city colleges about counselling and the ability of students of cope with stress and mental illness.

While many colleges have voluntarily hired counsellors to interact with students, the University Grants Commission (UGC) recently reiterated the need for a full-time or part-time counsellor on campus to address students problems.

Rajpal Hande, principal of Mithibai College, Vile Parle, said, We have a full-time counsellor who visited all classrooms at the beginning of the academic year and is available on campus all day for the benefit of students. With better awareness, students also voluntarily approach the counsellor.

However, he added that the bigger problem was the taboo surrounding mental health, which he said prompted students to hide their problems rather that talk about them. More than just students, society at large needs to be open to mental health problems. We cannot force anyone to visit a counsellor but we are always there for our students, he said.

Some principals also blamed growing isolation amongst youngsters and a growing dependence on the virtual world. Students barely share problems with their peers or parents anymore. They instead build an illusionary world in their head. That is one of the biggest challenges the new generation faces, said Dinesh Panjwani, principal of R D National College, Bandra. He said that improving interactions between students and teachers could make it easier to identify mental health problems. Depression among youngsters cannot be ignored any longer, he said.

Others said that providing emotional support could not be restricted to colleges and that students should have an equally supportive and welcoming atmosphere at home.

Parents have become so busy with their own lives that no one checks on children anymore. While academic pressure could be a part of the problem, students very rarely share their personal problems with teachers. This why parents need to be more aware, said the principal of a Kandivali-based college, who did not wish to be named.

Many colleges are also asking their teachers to be more alert to behavioural problems among students in classrooms. Students are aware that help is available but are reluctant to ask for it. In such cases, if teachers are more aware and notice a change in a students behaviour, it will be easier to help, said Kiran Mangaokar , principal of G N Khalsa College, Matunga. He also suggested training for teachers to help them detect behavioural changes in students.

Read

Mumbai students posts on suicide show he was asking for help, say cops
Your daily commute at some more suburban stations in the city could become easier by the next year. Both Central Railway (CR)and Western Railway (WR) will install 102 new escalators at suburban stations. This includes 30 escalators funded by Western Coalfields Limited(WCFL) under its corporate social responsibility program.

Narendra Patil, chief public relations officer of CR said that the railways will install 60 new escalators on suburban stations, taking the number of escalators to 75. Of the remaining 35 escalators, CR will install 19, while Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation has funded the rest. He added that of the 25 escalators from WCFL, two each would be installed at CST, Byculla, Chembur, Badlapur, Panvel and Karjat stations. Of the remaining 13, one each will be installed at Chinchpokli, Parel, Matunga, Sion, Nahur, Mulund, Kalava, Mumbra, Diva Sewaree, Tilak Nagar and Kasara stations.

Western Coalfields is funding 30 escalators for Mumbai suburban stations. Of those, 25 will be installed for CR and the rest for WR. The escalators will be in place by the end of the current financial year, Patil said, adding that WCFL had already deposited the Rs30 crores with the CR for the escalators, he said.

An amendment in the Company Act in 2013, mandates companies to use 2% of their net profit for its corporate social responsibility initiatives. Railway sources also see this as a classic example for government funding for infrastructure.

WR sources said that they had decided to install 42 escalators, which include 14 under corporate social responsibility programs.

Presently, CR has 15 and WR has 26 escalators on suburban stations. This has been a boon for commuters, especially senior citizens, pregnant women and differently abled persons,from jostling on crowded railway stations.

READ MORE

Make rail commute safer for women, says World Bank CEO, as she takes a ride on Mumbai local

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
For the first time since the recently concluded civic polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition parties  Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Samajwadi Party  came together to reject a proposal that ruling party Shiv Sena was in favour of.

The proposal, which sought to allot Rs2.24 crore for municipal schools to purchase 2,438 chairs and 1,116 tables made of teakwood, was presented to the standing committee. While the tables are worth Rs1.16 crore, the chairs cost Rs1.07 crore.

Sitting on wooden chairs themselves in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations (BMC) standing committee hall, the corporators rejected the proposal on Wednesday, stating that the civic body should be environmentally friendly and provide schools with steel or plastic furniture.

On one hand, we are teaching children that cutting trees is harmful to the environment. On the other hand, we are buying wooden chairs, said Manoj Kotak, BJP group leader.

Last year, we had passed a proposal to buy modular furniture for offices and eco-friendly benches for schools. Why cant the administration follow suit? asked Kotak.

Shiv Sena councillors on Wednesday said they wanted the proposal to be passed quickly as the academic year was approaching.

If corporators want eco-friendly furniture, they can ask the administration to take note. By rejecting this proposal, we are sending it back to the table to be revised when schools start in June, said Shiv Sena corporator Mangesh Satamkar.

BMC officials said the teak furniture was meant for teachers in various schools.

We selected teak wood as it is sturdy, durable and also more economical. We did a market survey to arrive at an estimation, Pallavi Darade, additional municipal commissioner said at the meeting.

The allies-turned-foes, the BJP and the Shiv Sena, have had several heated debates over proposals presented by the administration.

The BJP secured 82 seats in the recently held BMC elections, but decided not to contest the posts of chairman in any of the statutory committees or sit in opposition. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the BJP will act as the citys watchdogs.

The BJP has 10 committee members  on par with the Shiv Sena  compared to four committee members in the last term.

Sources said the debates between the two parties will only intensify, resulting in a delay in many proposals being passed.

Read

BMC budget: E-learning tools, upgrades to make civic school students tech-savvy

Experts object to BMCs plan to allow banks, shops in schools

Mumbais civic schools equipped with all amenities, say college students

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The University of Mumbai did not rank in the top 100 universities in India, let alone top 50 or 25, in the recently released ratings of the Government of India. In fact, it ranked way down, between 151 and 200. St. Xaviers ranked a modest 40th among colleges and Punes Savitribai Phule University ranked 10th among all universities. The IIT-Bombay, of course, was placed third in the overall rankings but it is the institutes own achievement.

This was the second edition of the Union Human Resources Development (HRD) ministrys National Institutional Ranking Frameworks rankings. More than 3,300 institutions participated. They were ranked on six parameters: Teaching and learning resources, research and professional practice, graduation outcomes, PhDs graduated, outreach and inclusivity, and perception among employers and research investors.

A few reputed institutes such as Delhis St. Stephens College and Delhi School of Economics did not apply this year. This was not the case with the University of Mumbai. It participated in the process but fell way short. Vice-chancellor Dr Sanjay Deshmukh did not react to the rankings but reports suggest three possible reasons  decline in research scholars, lack of patents, improper submission of data to the ministry  for the poor performance.

It would be easy to dismiss the NIFR rank on the grounds that the parameters were limited, the university was short-changed in some way, and such rankings do not matter. Indeed, ranking is not a comprehensive way to determine the potential and value of a university but it does offer a top view.

The last decade or two would have to be among the worst that the University, established in July 1857, witnessed. It is no longer sufficient to say that its alumni include Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Dr Dadabhai Naoroji, Pherozeshah Mehta, MG Ranade, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Dr BR Ambedkar, RG Bhandarkar, PV Kane and other stalwarts. They graced its portals then when the university stood for academic excellence.

Its recent distinguished alumni, according to the Universitys website, include actors Aishwarya Rai, Urmila Matondar, Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, politicians Praful Patel, Sanjay Dina Patil, Nilesh Rane, industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Ajit Gulabchand, banker Chanda Kochhar. There arent thinkers, reformers, jurists, educationists, writers or poets in the distinguished list.

The University has been de-intellectualised, batch by graduating batch. It has not been home to path-breaking research or world-renowned scholars for years. Even on limited parameters such as the NIFR rankings, it falls short. Why Indias second oldest university is in a deplorable condition  academically and administratively  calls for a deep study. What can be done to improve it calls for urgent and honest action.

The University of Mumbai has been a victim of bureaucratic and political interference resulting in a succession of progressively worse vice-chancellors, wrote Dr. Aroon Tikekar, the late author, editor and biographer of the university, While scant attention was paid to quality of education, expansion of the number of colleges was considered growth. The university then went on to become a cash crop, spinning money and power.

Those are harsh but true words. Besides the bureaucratic and political interference, by design more than default, the University devalued the Humanities stream and neglected the Sciences in a number of ways. The emphasis in the last few decades was on vocational streams such as business, management and media. But even in these, the quality of education is nothing to be delighted about.

The University no longer places a premium on excellence in any sector of any stream. Its colleges too are happy to meet bureaucratic norms that it demands of them. First, the University must get its administrative wing in order, and conduct exams and declare results on schedule. Second, it could put in place a committee of respected and renowned achievers in various fields who can map the way forward for the next 25 or 50 years focussing on academic excellence.

This is the Universitys 160th year. It did not have to get a matching rank in national ratings.

READ MORE

Mumbai university not among Indias top 150 institutes

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Former Spice Girl Mel B has accused her estranged husband of years, Stephen Belafonte, of emotional and physical abuse, according to new court documents obtained by People.com.

Mel B filed for a restraining order against her husband of 10 years on Monday. When something good would happen for me, he would beat me down to let me know that he was in charge, she claims.

Mel B aka Melanie Brown, husband Stephen Belafonte at the OK! Magazine and BritWeek celebrate the Oscars party at the London Hotel in West Hollywood. (Shutterstock)

In 2010, Mel B claims, Belafonte hired a German exchange student named Lorraine as their childs nanny. He would often pit the women against each other based on looks and soon developed a sexual relationship with Lorraine. Over the course of some three years, I recently learned that (Belafonte) paid Lorraine in excess of $300,000 for alleged nanny services, she claims.

She goes on to allege that in 2014, Lorraine got pregnant, and Belafonte paid for her to get an abortion. I was shocked and in disbelief, Brown (Mel) states in the declaration. (He) used money earned by me to pay for Lorraines abortion, and he used money earned by me to pay for Lorraines hotel stay while she recuperated from the procedure.

Brown continues to say that during their relationship, Belafonte would force her to participate in threesomes with strange women, and when she complained about not wanting to go through with them, he would threaten to release private tapes of them engaged in previous encounters.

(He) demanded that I participate in sexual intercourse with him and random women that he brought back to our hotel rooms.

If I discovered these recordings, I would beg him to delete them, she claims. These tapes represent yet another hallmark in (Belafontes) scheme to manipulate and control in that these tapes and others became the subject of his threats in the event I should ever leave the relationship.

I have lived the past decade in fear that (Belafonte) would release intimate videos of me that would embarrass me and damage my reputation and my career. Once [he] made the threat of releasing videos, it became impossible to say no to him, giving him complete control.

Brown then recounts a story of domestic abuse that took place in 2014. My lip and lower portion of my face was swollen to the point that I had to be filmed from a particular angle so that the injury would not show up on tape, Brown claims in the documents.

Mel B began dating Belafonte in 2007. They married after five months, in a secret ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada, and gave birth to their daughter, Madison Brown Belafonte, in September 2011. Brown filed for divorce from Belafonte in March of this year, though they were reported to be separated by December 2016.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Despite assurances given by the district administration and the police, African students in Greater Noida said they still remain fearful of attacks.

They claimed that an attack can take place anytime as the Central government has failed to give them an assurance. They said it was only the district administration and the Noida police that have assured them of safety.

Crispen, the president of International Students Union at Sharda University, said, Inside educational institutes, we have never seen any problem. It is always outside the college and varsity gates that people discriminate against us.

A Congo national and a final year student of Electronics and Communication at Sharda University, Crispen said the recent attack showed that racism is deep rooted in Noida. This was evident when people started beating up Africans ruthlessly. He said that such matters are not dealt with at the administration level.

We have been visited only by the officials from the embassies of African countries. No one from the top Indian cadre came and spoke to us. We know such attacks will happen to us again, Cripsen said.

Abdurr Qadir, a student of BBA final year, said it was unfortunate that newly elected chief minister Yogi Adityanath chose to maintain silence over the race violence in Greater Noida last week.

Qadir, a Nigerian national, said racism is deep-rooted in India, but at least it should not take anyones life.

The students also raised queries with the district magistrate about the action taken against those who instigated racial violence against Africans on social networking sites and WhatsApp.

Eric, a Congo national, said,They (locals) use offensive words such as Habshi against me. For the last three years, I have never uttered a word against them. This problem needs to be addressed and the country should work on it.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 5

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

Chairman of the Management Committee of the Russian company Gazprom Alexey Miller and Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Gulomjon Ibragimov signed a medium-term contract for the purchase of the Uzbek gas, Gazprom said in a message April 5.

This is the first medium-term contract for the supply of the Uzbek gas to Russia, as earlier contracts were concluded for a short period.

The contract was signed during the visit of Uzbekistans President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Moscow.

The document envisages the purchase of four billion cubic meters of gas per year, for five years starting from 2018.

In addition, Gazprom signed an agreement with Uzbekistans Uzbekneftegazto jointly carry out exploration and organize engineering work.

Under the agreement, the sides will explore new prospective blocks in the Uzbek territory and analyze options for establishing cooperation in engineering. The companies also signed an agreement on cooperation in personnel training and retraining.

Gazprom bought about 6.2 billion cubic meters of the Uzbek natural gas in 2016.
A municipal councillor from Loni was arrested by Ghaziabad Police on Thursday for allegedly posting a defaced photograph of newly-elected Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on his Facebook wall.

A complaint was lodged against Ramkumar Chauhan by a member of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, an organisation founded by Adityanath, at Loni Border police station. Chauhan was later sent to judicial custody following the FIR filed by Satendra Bansal, the district convener of Hindu Yuva Vahini.

Chauhan is stated to be a councillor from Ward 22 at Loni.

The FIR was filed after we noticed that he had prepared a photoshopped picture of the chief minister and posted the derogatory picture over his Facebook profile. We immediately approached police and filed the complaint. His mobile phones have also been seized, Bansal said.

According to a police official, the post on Facebook was deleted and the snapshot preserved for further investigation.

The photograph was prepared using some photo editing software and posted on Facebook. We lodged an FIR under the sections of the IT act and arrested the councillor. We will now find out how he procured the picture and whether more persons were involved in the act, Loni circle officer Srikant Prajapati said.

Apart from the provisions of the IT act, police also booked Chauhan under section 151 of the Criminal Procedure Code in which the executive magistrate did not grant him bail and sent him to judicial custody.

Chauhans Facebook wall has several pictures hailing Adityanath and also those against cow slaughter. On one of the posts in which Chauhan shared Adityanaths picture, a Facebook friend advised him to join the Bharatiya Janata Party.

BJP join kar le (You join the BJP), Kuldeep Singh wrote.

In a similar incident in Greater Noida, police arrested a 22-year-old man for allegedly posting objectionable content on Facebook against Adityanath. Rahat Khan was arrested in March after members of Hindu Yuva Vahini filed a police complaint.

Khans case will be heard by a local court on April 7.
The suspect who is said to have poured a litre of acid on his ex-girlfriend, Gulista, when she was sleeping at her Ghaziabad home last month was caught on Wednesday after she identified his voice at the hospital.

The 21-year-old woman, who has been partially blinded by the attack, heard her assailant speak to her mother at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi where he had gone to check on her out of curiosity.

The 22-year-old suspect, identified as Shahrukh, is from Dadri in Greater Noida.

Shahrukh met Gulista through a common friend and fell in love with her, but she didnt reciprocate his proposals and treated him as a friend. She broke the friendship a year ago when he proposed marriage.

In the meantime, Gulistas family arranged her wedding with a man from Khurja, just before her elder sister got married on March 17.

File photo of 21-year-old Gulista. (HT Photo)

A poultry dealer at Ghazipur wholesale market on the New Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, Shahrukh has been pining with unrequited love and plotted revenge when he heard about Gulistas wedding, which was due in April.

He bought a canister of sulphuric acid, entered the womans home from the backyard that leads to an under-construction house around 3am on March 21, and emptied the concentrated liquid on her, police said.

He spoke to my mother and my sister overheard the conversation. We were surprised that an unknown man knew so much about her condition.

The suspect escaped, leaving behind an empty plastic can and a woman screaming in pain.

Gulista suffered more than 50% burns and was dashed to Safdarjung Hospital for treatment. The acid scalded the woman from head to torso, and blinded her.

Police groped in the dark for clues and registered a blind case  one in which there are no suspects and no identification of the attackers.

Also, Gulista was too traumatized and in pain to recollect her past and suspect Shahrukh for the crime.

But the man dug his own trap when he visited the hospital a couple of days ago and enquired about my sisters health, said the womans brother, Zahid.

The family members of Gulista show a burnt bed after the acid attack. (Ameeruddin / HT photo)

He spoke to my mother and my sister overheard the conversation. We were surprised that an unknown man knew so much about her condition, he said.

My sister asked my mom if the man was Shahrukh. She said Shahrukh had once threatened to deface her. My mother informed my father immediately about this man. We then called police.

It didnt take police long to arrest Shahrukh thereafter.

He was anticipating her death after the attack. Since she didnt die but her eyesight was damaged, he went to the hospital and spoke to her family. His voice gave him away, superintendent of police Salmantaj Patil said.

Besides, police have footage from a surveillance camera at a nearby temple that shows Shahrukh and two more men on a bike around the time the attack happened.

The arrested man told police that he was keeping track of Gulista through her brother-in-law, who was an acquaintance.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Ghaziabad police have arrested a Nagar Palika councillor from Loni and charged him with posting a derogatory photograph of chief minister Yogi Adityanath on his Facebook wall. The man was later sent to judicial custody following an FIR filed by Hindu Yuva Vahini, an organisation founded by the monk-turned-politician in 2002.

The FIR against Ramkumar Chauhan was filed at Loni Border police station by Satendra Bansal, the district convener of Hindu Yuva Vahini. Chauhan is a councillor from ward 22 at Loni and the same is also mentioned in his Facebook profile.

The FIR was filed after we noticed that he posted a photoshopped picture of the (UP) chief minister on his Facebook page. We immediately approached police and filed the complaint. His mobile phones have also been seized, Bansal said.

According to the police, the Facebook post was deleted and the snapshot preserved for further investigation.

The photograph was morphed with the help of a photo editing software and posted on Facebook. We filed an FIR under relevant sections of the IT Act and arrested the councillor. We will now find out how he obtained the picture and whether any more people were involved in the act, Srikant Prajapati, circle officer (Loni), said.

Apart from the provisions of the IT Act, the police also booked Chauhan under Section 151 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). The executive magistrate did not grant him bail and sent him to judicial custody instead.

However, Chauhans Facebook page also has several posts and pictures hailing the newly elected chief minister and opposing cow slaughter. Responding to one such post which had a picture of the UP chief minister, a follower also advised him to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

BJP join kar le (Join BJP), said his friend Kuldeep Singh in response to the Facebook post.

In a similar incident in Greater Noida, the police arrested a 22-year-old man for allegedly posting objectionable content against UP chief minister on his Facebook wall on March 23. The police arrested Rahat Khan on the basis of a complaint filed by members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Noida authority has decided to beautify and revive its 17km irrigation drain that passes through the city and also clean 13 other smaller drains that are connected with to this main drain, which empties into river Yamuna near Sector 150/168.

The irrigation drain that cuts Noida into two was earlier meant for irrigation purposes for agricultural land in 82 villages. But since 1976, when Noida was established, the drain that once used to carry clean water became a carrier of sewage.

We believe that if we revive the irrigation drain by trapping its sewage and cleaning the same, we can stop dumping our waste water into the Hindon and the Yamuna. By doing this, we will also clean 13 other smaller drains because they all finally merge into the main drain, said Samakant Srivastava, senior project engineer, Noida authority.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, has made a detailed project report on the beautification and revival of all 14 drains that pass through various residential and industrial areas. The beautification involves repairing the banks of the irrigation drain and plantation of fragrant trees. The authority will spend Rs 200 crore on this project that involves carrying out dense tree plantation on the banks of the irrigation drain.

The irrigation drain originates at the Delhi-Noida border near Sector 11 before finally merging into the Yamuna at Sector 150/168.

As it carries sewage from East Delhis Ashok Nagar, Kalyanpuri and other areas, it stinks badly. After our five sewage treatment plants became functional, we stopped dumping any sewage into any drain. But now we aim to trap the sewage from Delhi and ensure only cleaned water goes into drains, Srivastava said.

There are 82 villages in Noida that depend on groundwater for drinking water. Villages, which are not connected with the main sewer line of Noida, also dump sewage into drains.

Srivastava said cleaning of the irrigation drain will resolve many water related issues, including groundwater contamination and river pollution.

We will not concrete the surface of the drain. We will put coarse sand on the surface so that it further filters the sewage water. We will do it in such a manner that only filtered water goes into the ground and stops contaminating the groundwater, Srivastava said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The crime branch on Wednesday arrested two members of a gang of robbers that made off with a cash vault weighing 300kg from an automobile dealers premises on the intervening night of March 14 and 15. The men used a customers vehicle to transport the vault to Muzaffarnagar where it was broken open.

The heist was done by nearly a dozen men who forcibly entered the premises of Regent Motors, dealers of Maruti-Suzuki vehicles, on Meerut Road and escaped with the vault containing more than Rs 15 lakh.

The two arrested have been identified as Akram and Islam, who hail from Muzaffarnagar.

The two had cut apart the vault within one hour at the house of their gang leader, Icchi Pradhan alias Shanavaz. He is a wanted criminal and our teams are trying to trace him. The robbers came in a truck and later escaped with the heavy vault by loading it into a vehicle which was parked on the dealers premises for servicing, said Pravin Ranjan Singh, superintendent of police (crime).

According to crime branch sources, Kaleem, one of the gang members, often visited the dealer for servicing and repairs his vehicles.

During his visits, he noticed the cash vault and planned the robbery. On the night of March 14, the men entered the premises and shifted the heavy vault up to the edge of the stairs. Then they pushed the vault down the first floor, damaging the stairs in the process, a crime branch officer said.

The men then used the jack and rods to place the vault in a Maruti Gypsy and drove to Muzaffarnagar where they cut open the vault.

The Gypsy is yet to be recovered and we are tracing the other members, including the mastermind. So far, we recovered nearly Rs 40,000 from the possession of the two accused, Singh said.

The broken vault was also recovered from Muzaffarnagar at the instance of the two arrested men on Wednesday.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Article 47 of Indian constitution says that the state shall endeavour to bring about prohibition of consumption of intoxicating drinks, except for medicinal purposes . It may be noted that this directive principle is talking about total prohibition and not just prohibition on national highways. Moreover the words used are shall endeavour; the same words that have been used in Article 44 about the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

How many states have implemented prohibition? Why did the BJP in 2014 not promise to implement the Gujrat model of prohibition across the country? Why is the media opposing the Supreme Courts directive on limited prohibition that is applicable only on national and state highways. The court was right in saying that India, which is on the cusp of becoming an economic superpower, should not become the accident capital of the world. It is crystal clear that the media has double standards and its sympathies are with the powerful liquor lobby.

The apex court order of December 15, 2016 in K. Balus case came in for review as all states and the Centre are sympathetic to the cause of liquor vendors on highways. The court modified its order on March 31 to give some relief; and has now prohibited the sale of liquor within 220 metres instead of 500 metres of national and state highways in towns with a population less than 20,000. Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Meghalaya have been exempted.

In 2014, as many as 87,264 people died in accidents on national and state highways in some 2.37 lakh accidents injuring 2.59 lakh people. Accurate statistics of deaths due to liquor consumption, break up of marriages and even divorces including triple divorce are not available; and yet no one argues for prohibition with the same vehemence as for UCC. The court was right in at least taking the first step in the direction of implementing Article 47.

But there is some merit in the criticism of this historic order. The order will not be able to prevent drunken driving and the apex court did acknowledge that people may now start their journey after stocking up enough intoxicating drinks. In fact those driving long distances would not mind covering an additional distance of 500 metres to purchase liquor. Some states are even denotifying state highways as municipal roads

All directive principles of state policy are policy issues which should be left to the government. It is not the job of the court to force the government to implement them. In fact at times such orders are against the spirit of separation of powers. This was certainly not a fit case to invoke the extraordinary powers of the court to do complete justice under Article 142.

But then, governmental intent (at least on paper) in this matter is clear from the 2004 directive of the National Road Safety Council established under the Motor Vehicle Act,1988 in which states have been repeatedly advised not only to remove liquor shops from the national highways but also to immediately stop issuance of fresh licences to liquor vendors along with national highways.

The media has also criticised this order for the loss of jobs and revenue; and also on the ground that red wine is good for health. Why did the media not raise these issues about the recent meat ban in U.P? Is there no protein in buffalo meat for the poor?

A presidential reference is now going to be made to the Supreme Court to reduce the impact of the judgment. If that too fails, there is strong possibility of a parliamentary intervention to overturn the order, hopefully through an ordinary bill and not a finance bill.

The author is Vice-Chancellor NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad. The views expressed are personal.
Thwarting a bid to pump in drugs from the Indo-Pak international border, the Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint operation with Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), recovered 15 packets of contraband suspected to be heroin in the area falling under the Khalra border outpost (BOP) in Tarn Taran district early morning on Wednesday. The area falls under the Ferozepur sector.

The smugglers on Pakistani side also opened fire at the troops, said RS Kataria, deputy inspector general (DIG) of BSF (Punjab frontier).

Also read | Hand pump, rope, bottles: Tools of choice for drug smugglers at India-Pak border

Based on specific information provided by the NCB, patrolling was launched and at about 3am, suspicious movements were witnessed across the Zero Line, he said.

SEIZURES BY BSF IN 2017 Heroin: 59 kg Opium: 1.5 kg Weapons: 5 Ammunition: 43 rounds Pak nationals apprehended: 5

When the smugglers started throwing some packets, the troops challenged them. The smugglers opened fire and troops retaliated. The smugglers managed to escape in the darkness, he said.

During search, 15 packets of contraband worth crores were recovered near the fence. The BSF top-brass has directed field commanders to maintain extra vigil on the border to thwart such attempts.

Our joint operations against drug smuggling with the BSF will continue in future also, said Kaustubh Sharma, IPS, zonal director of the NCB.
Ajay Vir Jakhar, 49, grandson of the late veteran Congressman Balram Jakhar and son of former state minister Sajjan Kumar Jakhar, will take over as chairman of the Punjab State Farmers Commission on Thursday. He will succeed GS Kalkat, who had resigned immediately after the Congress government took over on March 14.

Ajay Vir is into citrus cultivation at the familys native Maujgarh village near Abohar  from where his uncle Sunil Jakhar was MLA thrice  in Fazilka district. He is chairman of the non-government organisation (NGO) Bharat Krishak Samaj formed in 1955 by Balram Jakhar, and also leads a magazine, Farmers Forum.
The Centre on Wednesday released an amount of Rs 17,994 crore towards cash credit limit (CCL) for Punjabs wheat procurement subject to certain conditions as laid down by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The Union finance ministry and the RBI, in separate letters to principal secretary (finance) said the central government had decided to release the CCL immediately in view of the urgent need to procure wheat following early arrival of the grain in the mandis and the assurance of the State Bank of India (SBI).

The CCL has been released up to the end of April on the condition that the state government would regularise, at the earliest, the outstanding balance in the food credit account of the kharif marketing season 2016.

The SBI will release funds on submission of Letter of Consent under Article 293(3) of the constitution; the RBI informed the Punjab government through its letter.

The RBI has directed the state government to ensure that all its food credit accounts are always backed by fully paid stock value as per norms. The state government would also be required to route all its requests to the Government of India for availing CCL through the state finance department.

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh had met Union finance minister Arun Jaitely on the issue and subsequently followed up through telephonic calls.
In what can be termed as yet another instance of shoddy probe and callous attitude of police officials during trials, the superintendent of New District Jail, Nabha, failed to produce a convict in court and furnished wrong information about the same. Taking serious note of the same, the court of civil judge (junior division) Karanvir Singh Maju, Chandigarh district courts, has ordered for a departmental enquiry against superintendent Gurjit Singh Brar.

The court has forwarded copy of the order to DGP, Punjab, Sector 9,Chandigarh and IGP, police headquarter, Sector 9, Chandigarh, for conducting inquiry of the jail by appointing an investigating officer. The matter will now come up for hearing on May 25 for furnishing of report on this enquiry. Brar has further been directed to be present in the court on the said date.

The matter pertains to a civil suit wherein a compromise had been effected between the parties and presence of one defendant Girdhari Lal for transfer of suit property, who had been convicted for life under Section 302 IPC and was detained in New District Jail, Nabha. After this, his production warrants were issued, but were sent back to the court of civil judge Karanvir Singh Maju with the report that Lal could not be produced before the court as his attendance was required for the same date before the Mohali court.

Despite summons, Brar failed to appear in the court. Lal stated in court that he was never produced before Mohali court by Brar and an application was also moved against Brar as it was pleaded that no case FIR was pending before the Mohali court. Brar was again summoned on March 28 when another superintendent of Open Jail, Nabha, Gurcharan Singh Dhaliwal, appeared on his behalf claiming that he had taken charge of New District Jail. He said that such misappropriate incident will not happen in future and that the report was an involuntary typographical error.

The court observed that undoubtedly an offence is committed by officials of New District Jail, Nabha, during the tenure of superintendent Gurjit Singh Brar, which is punishable under Section 174 of IPC, for non-attendance in obedience to an order duly served and also under Section 177 of IPC for furnishing false information to the court.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 5

By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has ratified the protocol on cessation of the lease by Russia of Emba military polygon located in Kazakhstans Aktobe region, the presidential press-service said in a message April 5.

The protocol terminates international treaties on the rent and use of the test site Emba, and provides the necessary arrangements for the transfer of land, movable and immovable property of the polygon to Kazakhstan.

The transfer of the landfill will be carried out by a joint Commission formed of authorized representatives of both countries.

Kazakhstan plans to use the land site of the former Emba polygon in the interests of businessmen engaged in agriculture and exploration and mining industry.

Kazakhstan and Russian signed the aforementioned protocol in October 2016. Previously, the defense ministries of the two countries agreed to optimize the land sites of the military objects leased by Russia in Kazakhstan.

At first stage of optimization, some unused territories of Sary-Shagan anti-ballistic missile testing range, Taysoygan range used by 929 Flight Test Center of Russian Air Force and Zhamantau testing range leased by Russia in Kazakhstan were transferred back to Kazakhstan.

Emba polygon was created in 1960 and was intended for research, testing of new models of military equipment and weapons.

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
Future of more than 800 students enrolled in MBBS and BDS courses at Gian Sagar medical college and hospital is at stake, with the state government has unable to resolve the financial crisis in the college.

Academic activities at the campus remained suspended for two months as collage faculty has not been paid their salaries for the past seven months. Examinations for both courses are scheduled to be held in May.

Moreover, emergency and other medical facilities came to a standstill in the past few months after beleaguered college management could not pay its pending liabilities, pegged at over Rs 100 crore.

Though the department of medical education and research held several meetings with faculty, parents and college management but  besides forming several committees  the department didnt come up with any concrete measures to streamline college activities.

A similar meeting was held on April 1 in which medical education and research minister Brahm Mohindra again formed a 21-member committee, including 10 members each representing parents and faculty and Rajpura MLA Hardial Singh Kamboj.

Mohindra said instead of taking stricter action against the college, they were more focused on solving the issue amicably since the matter was directly concerned with the future of hundreds of medical and dental students.

The parents have agreed to pay fee in advance but were reluctant to pay the same in colleges bank account. The committee has been formed to pass a resolution regarding a new bank account so that salaries for two months can be paid to the faculty. This will allow academic activities in college to begin on an interim basis, the minister said.

Mohindra added that the college management was not cooperating with the government, as they had even stopped coming to the meetings.

The government is standing by the students, parents and faculty and is considering other viable options to streamline working of college, he said.

Besides non-payments of salaries to its faculty, power connection of the college has been snapped due to pending electricity bills worth Rs 2 crore. The management has not renewed its annual maintenance contract due to pending liabilities of Rs 18 crore.

The college is governed by family members of Pearls Group boss Nirmal Singh Bhangoo, who currently faces several charges in a Rs 45,000-crore ponzi scheme scam.

PROTEST ON WEDNESDAY

College students have planned a protest outside chief minister Captain Amarinder Singhs residence in Sector 10, Chandigarh, on Wednesday and they will demand that the state government either take over the college or resolve the issue at the earliest.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Professional courses at Panjab University (PU) registered placements, but slowdown in economy has hit the highest packages.

University Business School (UBS) at PU registered the highest percentage of placements as 97 out of 100 (97%) students got placed, but the highest package slipped from Rs 21 lakh to Rs 15 lakh per annum this year which was offered by Religare Finvest. In 2015-16, 117 out of 121 (96.7%) students had got placed. The average package offered in 2016-17 was Rs 7.6 lakh per annum while last year it was Rs 8.2 lakh per annum.

The supply in the market has increased. Because of the conditions in the USA, companies are cautious. Goods and Services Tax (GST) is also coming. There is uncertainty and firms want to play safe, said prof SK Chadha, honorary director, central placement cell, PU.

He added, To improve placements, counselling to students is required in all the departments. The alumni should be called to their respective departments for interactions. It tells you about openings and helps in placements.

At University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET), there were over 75% placements this year as 320 out of 425 students got placed. The highest package was of Rs 8.4 lakh per annum which had come down from Rs 12 lakh per annum.

According to Yash Singhal, chief placement coordinator of UIET, the highest package in 2016-17 was offered by Jugnoo and the average package was of Rs 4.9 lakh per annum.

In 2015-16, the UIET had witnessed 78.9% placements with 347 out of 440 got placed. The average package was of Rs 5.2 lakh per annum.

At University Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology (UICET), 85 out of 135 students (around 63%) got placed with highest package of Rs 8 lakh per annum offered by UOP Honeywell while the average package was of Rs 5.3 lakh per annum. However, in 2015-16, as many as 100 students had got placed out of 130 (76.9%) with the highest package of Rs 8.5 lakh per annum and average package of Rs 5 lakh per annum.

However, at the department of Computer Science and Applications which offers MCA and MSc (Honour School) Computer Science, there is a marginal jump in the highest package. As many as 83 students got placed out of 100 (83%) with highest package of Rs 4.8 lakh per annum. The average package was Rs 3.2 lakh. Last year, 65 out of 90 students (72.2%) got placed with the highest package of Rs 4.5 lakh. We have got more students placed this year. Companies from NCR and even Bengaluru came for placements. To improve our rate of placements, we conducted soft skill workshops and mock interviews. Tech talks have also been organised, said prof Sonal Chawla, who looks after placements from computer science department.

At University Institute of Hotel and Tourism Management (UIHTM), the placements are still going on. So far 22 students have been placed out of 37 (59.5%) with the highest package of Rs 2.1 lakh, while average package of Rs 1.8 lakh. In 2015-16, however, there were 100% placements as all the 33 eligible students had got placed with the highest package of Rs 2.1 lakh and average package of Rs 1.5 lakh.

According to the placement cell, 98 students of University Institute of Applied Management Sciences (UIAMS) have got placed with the highest package of Rs 6.8 lakh while last year 90 students got placed but the highest package was of Rs 7.2 lakh.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Hazaribag police on Tuesday arrested former Union minister Yashwant Sinha (father of civil aviation minister Jayant Sinha), BJP legislator Manish Jaiswal and former MLA Lok Nath Mahto along with about 200 supporters for leading a procession on the eve of Ramnavami on the Hazaribag-Barkagaon route that has been closed since 1984.

Sinha and Jaiswal entered into an altercation with the police when stopped. The BJP leaders along with supporters and sympathisers were determined to take the procession through the said route to solve the issue.

The police made preventive arrest of the BJP leaders and lodged them in Demotand agriculture farm. No one was allowed to meet them, which angered the party workers.

Hazaribag had earned a bad name due to repeated communal violence during Ramnavami in the past. The administration took the firm steps to keep things in control.

Negotiations were on to solve the issue in consultation with the police headquarters and mandarins in the state secretariat.

The Hazaribag deputy commissioner and superintendent of police besides DIG Bhimsen Tuti were also camping at the agricultural farm that has been turned into a camp jail. The situation is under control, said the police.

Hazaribag DC Ravi Shankar Shukla said the administration is in dialogue for consensus and will end the impasse peacefully. We have made preventive arrests and see whether there was any cognizable offence. If so, cases will be lodged under Section 151(1) of the CrPC, he said.

Hazaribag MLA Manish Jaiswal told Hindustan Times over phone that they had gone to Mahudih in Barkagaon with the intention to solve the long drawn problem but were arrested.

Every year there is heavy police deployment in the villages situated around a mosque on the route and villagers, youths and women in particular flee their villages in fear, he said adding that justice delayed is justice denied.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Tamil Concept Artist Viswanath Sundaram has grabbed the attention of film buffs thanks to his extensive work in the magnum opus Baahubali franchise where he will get credit for Concept Design and Visual Development.

Viswanath says Rajamouli had thorough ideas about minute details that go into the making of fantasy world Mahishmati. Rajamouli will have his ideas and will be particular about the positioning of structures. To design the fort of Mahishmati, he conceived the location and structures and even had shots corresponding to them. During discussions, he will first give his insights, and then we will work towards it.

Viswanath lauds Kamal Haasan and Shankar since they have been using storyboards and concept arts for their films since a long time. Director Shankar has been implementing concept art in his films for a long time. After SS Rajamouli had used concept designing in Baahubali, this sphere got some exposure, and many are following suit nowadays. Hollywood filmmakers use concept design in almost all films; they will develop visuals based on the inputs of concept artists. Tamil Director Vasantha Balan used it in his period drama Kaaviya Thalaivan. Kamal Haasan has been following storyboard consistently for his projects, though I am not aware how frequently he uses concept arts, says Viswanath.

Viswanath (R) with Shankar, the director of Rajinikanths 2.o.

Viswanath has also worked on the character design part in Rajinikanth - Shankars mega-budget flick 2.0. He designed the character sketch of Akshay Kumar, who plays a scientist-cum-crow-bot in the movie.

Rajamouli Sir will utilize concept designers according to their prowess. I also worked on environment designing, and prop designing in Baahubali, whereas director Shankar used my craft to devise characters. In 2.0, I have been asked to do only character design. I redesigned the Chitti Robo character and its hairstyle. When I was asked to sketch the villain character, Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was supposed to play the role. Later, they used that look for Akshay Kumar, says Viswanath who has also collaborated on Bollywood projects such as Salman Khans Kick and Akshay Kumars Brothers.

I created designs for the mask and the vehicle in Kick. In Brothers, I worked on the set designs and backdrops.

Viswanath is elated that concept artists are gradually getting due recognition from the industry peers and cinephiles. It is a very healthy trait. There were days where the audience was only mindful of the hero and heroine. Now, the viewers are evolving, and they are concerned about who the director is, who the cinematographer is, and now there is a substantial amount of film buffs who are aware of the CG and VFX people involved in the movie too. The industry and media are now educating the audience about the people who are out of the spotlight, says Viswanath, who showers praise on Kamal Haasan for acknowledging storyboard artists for a long time in the title credits.

Viswanath says its difficult to satisfy both Rajamouli and Sabu Cyril, but he managed to wow them once with his design for a pivotal scene in the second part.

It is a challenge to get a pat on the back from Rajamouli Sir and Sabu Cyril Sir. In Baahubali 2, there is a majestic shot of a key event that happens at Mahishmatis fort. After I emailed him the sketches, Rajamouli Sir immediately replied with a Wow.

Viswanath (C) with Baahubali director SS Rajamouli (L).

Baahubali: The Conclusion, starring Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty and Tamannaah Bhatia, is slated to release on April 28th worldwide.

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop


According to the India Today Sex Survey 2017, casual sex is more popular in India than ever  41% men and 29% women are open to one-night stands. Overall 26% have had sex with someone who is not their partner. Another aspect about the survey, which was reported recently, was that open marriages in the country are being talked about more often these days. A separate study conducted recently by the University of Michigan, USA, found out that people in open relationships are as happy as those in committed relationships. And, since there wasnt any statistic about open marriages in India, we spoke to relationship counsellors in the city about the concept of open marriages.

Understanding the concept

According to relationship expert Riddhish K Maru, open marriages have indeed increased because peoples attitudes are changing. He says, With the changing times, peoples mindsets have changed rapidly in our country. For many people, over time, sex with each other has become routine. So, open marriages are a way of getting out of the routine. This way, you are not ending the marriage in a divorce and keeping your families happy at the same time. Another reason could be that you are not satisfying your partner. Then there are some people who think that sexual fidelity is childish and humans are not made to be monogamous. For some, because they have options, this is the only way they can stick together. Finally, for some, open marriages are a way of giving each other the freedom to do what they want.



But, relationship expert Kinjal Pandya says that open marriages are not everyones cup of tea. She says, Open marriages are only for people who take a tough stand, for people who are extremely clear about what they want in life, and for those who are open enough to give that complete space to their partners. Open marriages are only for people who can accept their partners polygamous behaviour along with theirs.

Emotional matters

At the same time, its important that couples who opt for open marriages make sure they dont get emotionally attached to their sexual partners. Relationship expert Shyam Mithiya agrees. He says, Make sure you dont know your partner well. Its better if he or she is a stranger. This is the general criteria from my experience talking to people in open marriages. If they are strangers, there is not going to be much of a connection between the two of you, other than the physical aspect. You should not have sex with one partner more than twice or thrice. You break this rule, and the chances of getting attached to a person increase. Also, make sure you keep your interaction level with this person to a minimum.



Finally, Mithiya has a word of caution - he says that open marriages are fraught with problems. He says, Open marriages always sound rosy initially. But, most of them end in creating problems for people... at least thats what I have learnt from couples who are in open marriages. This is why these people end up coming to people like us for therapy eventually. I have not seen anybody in open marriages doing good in the long term.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The wrangle between late actor Pratyusha Banerjees friend, actor Kamya Punjabi, and her former boyfriend, Rahul Raj Singh, isnt letting up. After he filed an injunction petition on March 30, against the screening of Pratyushas last film, Hum Kuch Keh Naa Sakey, as the story of the film bears similarities to Pratyushas life, and has a character named Rahul, the court stayed the release of the film. But, Kamya released the film online on April 1, claiming she didnt receive any intimation from the court.

Now, the Dindoshi sessions court issued a show-cause notice to Kamya and producer Neerusha Nikhat asking them why contempt proceedings should not be started against them for releasing the film despite a stay on it. They have been asked to be present before the court on April 7. Pratyusha hung herself last April and a case of abetment to suicide was registered against Rahul, who is currently out on bail. Rahul claims the film spawns prejudice and has sought damages worth Rs.1 crore.

Watch the short film: Hum Kuchh Kah Na Sakey

Bas yaad saath hai.... aate hi jo tujhe le gaya uss 2016 ko mera alvida!!! A post shared by Kamya Panjabi (@panjabikamya) on Dec 31, 2016 at 9:01pm PST

Kamya says, I am done talking about this. I will deal with him through my lawyers. I will definitely go to the court, if there is a case. I am not scared and I will go to jail, if needed (laughs). I will go without any fear. I have released the film and will do whatever is needed in the future too. I really dont want to give any more importance to this man [Rahul].

Ek saal ho gaye..... Pagal kahi ki... bas tu khush rehna yaara  A post shared by Kamya Panjabi (@panjabikamya) on Mar 31, 2017 at 11:55am PDT

Kamya is happy about the reception the film has received online with over 8 lakh people having watched it. The comments by people will prove what the world thinks, she says.

Miss you my chhotu #pratyushabanerjee #1stapril Https://youtu.be/Qz-GhMSqn5E thank you @neerushaa_nikhat  for making this film... tum naa hoti toh yeh yaadien naa hoti...!!! A post shared by Kamya Panjabi (@panjabikamya) on Mar 27, 2017 at 4:41am PDT

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Chemical weapons have killed hundreds of people since the start of Syrias civil war, with the UN blaming three attacks on the Syrian government and a fourth on the Islamic State group.

Syrian rebels and opposition activists say pro-government forces have used chemical weapons and bombs containing chlorine on numerous occasions. They say a chemical weapons attack on a town in northern Syria on Tuesday killed dozens of people. The Syrian government has denied ever using such weapons.

Here is a timeline of events related to chemical weapons use in Syria.

August 20, 2012: Former US president Barack Obama says the use of chemical weapons would be a red line that would change his calculus on intervening in the civil war and have enormous consequences.

March 19, 2013: The Syrian government and opposition trade accusations over a gas attack that killed some 26 people, including more than a dozen government soldiers, in the town of Khan al-Assal in northern Syria. A UN investigation later finds that sarin nerve gas was used, but does not identify a culprit.

August 21, 2013: Hundreds of people suffocate to death in rebel-held suburbs of the Syrian capital, with many suffering from convulsions, pinpoint pupils, and foaming at the mouth. UN investigators visit the sites and determine that ground-to-ground missiles loaded with sarin were fired on civilian areas while residents slept. The US and others blame the Syrian government, the only party to the conflict known to have sarin gas.

August 31, 2013: Obama says he will go to Congress for authorisation to carry out punitive strikes against the Syrian government, but appears to lack the necessary support in the legislature.

September 27, 2013: The UN Security Council orders Syria to account for and destroy its chemical weapons stockpile, following a surprise agreement between Washington and Moscow, averting US strikes. The Security Council threatens to authorise the use of force in the event of non-compliance.

October 14, 2013: Syria becomes a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention, prohibiting it from producing, stockpiling, or using chemical weapons.

June 23, 2014: The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons says it has removed the last of the Syrian governments chemical weapons. Syrian opposition officials maintain that the governments stocks were not fully accounted for, and that it retained supplies.

August 7, 2015: The UN Security Council authorizes the OPCW and UN investigators to probe reports of chemical weapons use in Syria, as reports circulate of repeated chlorine gas attacks by government forces against civilians in opposition-held areas. Chlorine gas, though not as toxic as nerve agents, can be classified as a chemical weapon depending on its use.

August 24, 2016: The joint OPCW-UN panel determines the Syrian government twice used helicopters to deploy chlorine gas against its opponents, in civilian areas in the northern Idlib province. A later report holds the government responsible for a third attack. The attacks occurred in 2014 and 2015. The panel also finds that the Islamic State group used mustard gas.

February 28, 2017: Russia, a stalwart ally of the Syrian government, and China veto a UN Security Council resolution authorising sanctions against the Syrian government for chemical weapons use.

April 4, 2017: At least 58 people are killed in what doctors say could be a nerve gas attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun in the rebel-held Idlib province. Victims show signs of suffocation, convulsions, foaming at the mouth, and pupil constriction. Witnesses say the attack was carried out by either Russian or Syrian Sukhoi jets. Moscow and Damascus deny responsibility.
All evidence points to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad being behind a suspected chemical weapons attack which left more than 70 dead in a rebel-held town, British foreign secretary Boris Johnson said on Wednesday.

All the evidence I have seen suggests this was the Assad regime... using illegal weapons on their own people, Johnson said as he arrived for a Syria aid conference in Brussels.

What it confirms to everybody is that this is a barbaric regime which has made it impossible for us to imagine them (having) authority over Syria after this conflict, he added.

The Brussels conference, co-chaired by the EU and UN, is a follow up to last years London meeting which raised $11 billion (10 billion euros) for humanitarian aid programmes in the devastated country.

It is also meant to support UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva where mediator Staffan de Mistura has reported some very modest progress in solving a conflict which has claimed more than 320,000 lives and displaced most of the Syrian population.

Assads future role is a key sticking point -- the rebels and their international backers demand that he must step down.

But Assad refuses to budge and his key ally in Moscow has backed him to the hilt against the rebels and shows no sign of changing tack.

EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini urged the international community to press ahead with the peace talks, which were made even more urgent after yesterdays suspected chemical weapons attack.

We need to give a push, a strong push to the political talks in Geneva. We have to unite the international community behind these negotiations, Mogherini said.
The Dalai Lamas week-long visit to Arunachal Pradesh has sparked a war of words between India and China, and even the Tibetan spiritual leader has weighed in.

While India has maintained that the visit was an internal matter, China, which claims the state as part of south Tibet, has reacted strongly to the Dalai Lamas visit to what it deems a disputed land.

As India and China trade parleys, heres a look at who has said what till now:

Indian government

Kiren Rijiju, Union minister of state for home affairs, who hails from West Kameng district, described the visit as Indias internal affair. China should not interfere just as we do not interfere in their internal matters, Rijiju said on Sunday, in Itanagar.

On Tuesday, the external affairs ministry said in a statement that no additional colour should be ascribed to his (Dalai Lamas) religious and spiritual activities and visits to various states of India.

Chinese Media

Chinese state media lashed out at India on Wednesday, a day after the Dalai Lama started his Arunachal Pradesh visit, saying China will not allow New Delhi a free ride on its economic growth while it endangered Beijings core interests.

The Dalai Lama has long been active in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion. New Delhi inviting the Dalai Lama to sensitive region gravely damages the China-India relationship, an article in the nationalistic tabloid Global Times said, warning of retaliatory measures.

Global Times had earlier carried an article saying that Beijing hoped India would return Tawang to it.

The Dalai Lama

Reacting to Beijings objections to his visit, the 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader said on Wednesday that India has never used him against China. I am Indias longest standing guest. India has never used me against China, he said.

He also urged China to give Tibet meaningful self-rule and autonomy.China must give us meaningful self-rule, autonomy, and must take care of the environment in Tibet. China has the highest population of Tibetan Buddhists. Many Chinese intellectuals also fully support our cause.

Pema Khandu, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister

Arunachal CM Pema Khandu, who escorted the Dalai Lama from Guwahati to Bomdila, minced no words in attacking on Beijing, saying it had no right to threaten India over the visit as India shares a border with Tibet, not China.

Let me get this straight. China has no business telling us what to do and what not to do because it is not our next-door neighbour, said Khandu.

Chinas foreign ministry

On Wednesday, the Chinese foreign ministry strongly demanded that India put a stop to the Dalai Lamas Arunachal visit in the interest of bilateral ties, rubbishing Indias claims that the visit was of a religious nature.

China went a step ahead, warning India of retaliatory measures and summoning Indias ambassador in Beijing, Vijay Gokhale, to lodge its protest.

We demand the Indian side immediately stop wrong actions, not hype up sensitive issues and take concrete steps to safeguard growth of India-China relations, said Hua Chunying , spokesperson for the ministry of foreign affairs.

India in disregard to Chinas concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lamas visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to Chinas interests and China-India relations, Chunying told reporters.
Officials say a dog at a Nigerian wedding party grappled with a suicide bomber until her explosives detonated, killing the animal as well.

Buba Ahmed of Belbelo village, near the northeastern city of Maiduguri, says guests are grateful that the dog sacrificed itself to save their lives.

He says the teenage bomber was on the outskirts of a gathering where most villagers were attending a wedding ceremony when the dog pounced on her Sunday morning.

Police spokesman Victor Isuku on Wednesday confirmed to The Associated Press that the dog had intervened to save the wedding party.

A multinational force has driven Boko Haram Islamic extremists out of most town and villages in northeastern Nigeria, but the extremists have resorted to attacking soft targets with suicide bombers.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Apr. 5

By Demir Azizov  Trend:

Uzbekistans national airline, the Uzbekistan Airways, will carry out the first Tashkent-Dushanbe flight as soon as enough tickets are sold for the flight, the companys press service told Trend.

The first flight, scheduled for April 4, was cancelled as a small number of tickets were sold.

All the agreements reached to resume the Tashkent-Dushanbe flights are valid. Tickets for this flight are now being sold at ticket offices, the Uzbekistan Airways said, adding the tickets sold for the April 4 flight also remain valid.

Tajikistans private airline Somon Air will operate the Dushanbe-Tashkent flights.

The flights between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan stopped in 1992 after the Tajik Civil War broke out.

In November 2016, a protocol was signed in Dushanbe to resume the flights between the capitals of the two countries in the first half of 2017.
An explosion at a fireworks factory in northern Portugal left at least five people dead on Tuesday, with three others missing, rescue services told the Lusa news agency.

More than a hundred firefighters were dispatched to battle the fire sparked by the explosion at the factory in the town of Lamego.

By the late evening, rescuers were still waiting for conditions to be safe enough to enter the building and search for the missing, but there was little hope of finding survivors.

Local media reported that the owner of the factory and his daughter were among the victims.
Syrian rebels including al Qaedas former affiliate vowed on Tuesday to avenge the deaths of dozens of people in a suspected gas attack, calling on allied fighters to ignite the fronts.

We call on all the fighters of Sham (Syria) to ignite the fronts, the Tahrir al-Sham alliance said in a statement posted online.

We promise the criminal regime and its allies revenge that will soothe the hearts of our people in Khan Sheikhun in particular, and Syria in general, the statement said.

At least 58 people, including 19 children, were killed early Tuesday morning after air strikes on Khan Sheikhun in northwest Idlib province, most of which is held by Tahrir al-Sham.

The alliance is dominated by the Fateh al-Sham Front, which was known as Al-Nusra Front before it cut its ties to al Qaeda.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reported the death toll, said another 160 people were wounded in the raids on Khan Sheikhun.

The monitoring group and local medics told AFP that those affected were suffering from difficulty breathing, rapid pulses, pinpoint pupils, and foaming at the mouth.

Syrias political opposition blamed President Bashar al-Assads forces, saying the attack cast doubt on the future of peace talks.

But the army denied any involvement, blaming terrorist groups for using chemical and toxic substances.

The United Nations Commission of Inquiry for Syria said it had opened up an investigation into the allegations, which if confirmed would be one of the worst chemical attacks since Syrias civil war erupted in 2011.

Damascus officially joined the Chemical Weapons Convention and turned over its declared chemical arsenal in 2013, as part of a deal to avert US military action after chemical weapons strikes allegedly carried out by government troops.
A suspected Syrian government chemical attack killed scores of people, including children, in the northwestern province of Idlib on Tuesday, a monitoring group, medics and rescue workers in the rebel-held area said.

The US government believes the chemical agent sarin was used in the attack, a government source said, adding it was almost certainly carried out by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

UNs Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura also said the horrific chemical attack had come from the air.

The Syrian military denied responsibility and said it would never use chemical weapons, echoing denials it has made over the course of the more than six-year Syrian civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands, created the worlds worst refugee crisis and drawn in nations such as Russia, Iran and the United States.

Syrian children receive treatment at a small hospital in the town of Maaret al-Noman in Syrias northwestern Idlib province. (AFP Photo)

A wounded Syrian youth gestures at a makeshift clinic following reported air strikes by government forces in the rebel-held town of Douma. (AFP Photo)

A Syrian man and girl flee past a man carrying a folded stretcher in Hamouria. (AFP Photo)

A civil defence member breathes through an oxygen mask, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib. (Reuters Photo)

A Syrian man is taken by civil defence workers to a small hospital following a suspected toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhun. (AFP Photo)

A crater is seen at the site of an airstrike in rebel-held Idlib. (Reuters Photo)

If confirmed, the gas attack in Khan Sheikhoun would be the deadliest chemical attack in Syria since sarin gas killed hundreds of civilians in Ghouta near Damascus in August 2013. (AFP Photo)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said those killed in the town of Khan Sheikhun, in Idlib province, had died from the effects of the gas, adding that dozens more suffered respiratory problems and other symptoms. (AFP Photo)

Syrians flee following a reported government air strike in Hamouria, in the eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus. (AFP Photo)

Bodies lie in the parking area of a hospital in Khan Sheikhun. The head of the health authority in rebel-held Idlib province said more than 50 people had been killed. (AFP Photo)

A still image taken from a video posted on a social media website on April 4, 2017, shows people lying on the ground said to be in the town of Khan Sheikhoun. (Reuters Photo)

A man holds an injured baby inside a Turkish ambulance as injured Syrian people enter into Turkey from the Cilvegozu border gate in Hatay province. (AFP Photo)
An Indian-origin hotel housekeeper whose body had been discovered from a wasteland near Heathrow airport in west London last November was raped and murdered by a homeless stranger, a UK court was told on Wednesday.

Pardeep Kaur had been reported missing on October 17, 2016, by a relative after she did not come home from work.

The 30-year-olds missing persons investigation was soon taken over by the Metropolitan Polices Homicide and Major Crime Command, who arrested and charged Vadims Ruskuls, from Latvia, for Kaurs murder and preventing her lawful burial.

Her murder trial opened at the Old Bailey court in London this week, where the jury was told that Ruskuls pounced on Kaur as she walked to work, Evening Standard reports.

The defendant must have pounced on Pardeep Kaur at some point on that ramp, he must then have sexually assaulted her and then murdered her. There is some evidence that Pardeep Kaur must have fought back. A day after the incident, it was noticed he had a number of scratches on his face, prosecutor Crispin Aylett told the court.

But if Mrs Kaur had cried out, her screams would have been drowned out by the sound of the early morning traffic. This was a shocking, simply shocking crime, the prosecutor said.

The body of Kaur, who was born in India and worked as a housekeeper at a hotel in the area, was discovered decomposed and hidden under a sleeping bag and branches in wasteland five days after she was reported missing.

The court heard suspicion at first fell on Kaurs husband Rachpal Singh who reported her missing on the same day but lied to police because he was working in the UK illegally.

However, he was swiftly ruled out as the killer.

Ruskuls denies murdering Kaur. The trial is expected to conclude in a few weeks.
In recent months, Justin Trudeaus government in Canada has been bedevilled by allegations of impropriety and the latest in the list involves a pair of Indian-origin parliamentary secretaries, who accepted hospitality from registered lobbying groups and seem to have violated guildelines set down by the prime minister.

The incidents date back to a year when the two MPs from constituencies in the Greater Toronto Area travelled abroad on trips paid for by lobbying groups. One of those episodes, in fact, involves The Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation, which was established in 2001 as a living memorial to the former prime minister by his family, friends, and colleagues, according to its website.

That late prime minister of the country is also the current premiers father.

Parliamentary secretary (the equivalent of a junior minister) Arif Virani travelled to London last year on a visit sponsored by the Trudeau Foundation. Another parliamentary secretary Kamal Khera went to Tanzania on a trip paid for by World Vision Canada. Both organisations are registered as lobbying groups in Canada and the prime ministers guidelines refer to ministers and parliamentary Secretaries not accepting hospitality of such nature.

The trips came to light as the Office of the Conflict and Interests and Ethics Commissioner presented its list of sponsored travel for 2016 to the Canadian House of Commons recently.

Among those critical of these trips is former Liberal cabinet minister Ujjal Dosanjh, who wrote in his blog that the two have violated the prime ministers guidelines regarding outside groups paying for cabinet ministers' and parliamentary secretaries travel. The government does not seem to be learning anything from its many mistakes. While noting a pattern, he also said the Trudeau government may be on its way to suffering from a fair degree of arrogance.

The issue has also been seized upon by the two principal opposition parties, the Conservatives and New Democrats. In an emailed response to the Hindustan Times, Conservative MP Deepak Obhrai, himself a former parliamentary secretary, said, It is important that those who hold public office conduct their actions according to guidelines established by Parliament, otherwise we lose the trust of Canadians. He advised his colleagues on the other side to contact the Ethics Commissioner.

It will save lot of embarrassment, he added.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Irans oil minister dismissed Indias decision to cut oil imports from Tehran in 2017/18 by a fifth as a threat on Wednesday, in an escalation of a dispute over a giant gas field contract.

Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters last week that Indian state refiners were going to cut oil imports from Iran, as New Delhi seeks to put pressure on Tehran to award the Farzad B gas field to an Indian consortium.

India is one of our good costumers, but we cannot sign (a) contract under threat, Bijan Zanganeh was quoted as saying by Irans ISNA news agency.

Indias cut of oil imports from Iran will not cause any trouble to us as we have other buyers, he added.

Zanganeh said despite an extension of deadlines, India has not offered an acceptable proposal for the development of the gas field.

Their proposal was not profitable to Iran ... We sent (the) Indians a letter and told them we are keen to continue negotiations, but under sensible conditions, not under threats.

India, Irans biggest oil buyer after China, was among a handful of countries that continued to deal with the Tehran despite Western sanctions over its nuclear programme.

A consortium headed by ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas investment arm of Indian explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp, discovered Farzad B in the Farsi offshore block in 2008.

The consortium, which also includes Oil India and Indian Oil Corp, could not obtain permission to develop the field due to Western sanctions, but those sanctions were removed last year.

India and Iran had both been hopeful of wrapping up the Farzad B deal by March, although Zanganeh said Iran has asked other countries to submit their proposals for its development.
The Islamic State (IS) terror group in a new audio released has used for US President Donald Trump an Arabic term that means idiot according to various translations, a media report said.

The terror group also said that Trump does not know anything about Islam, NBC News reported on Tuesday.

It appears to be the first time that the terror group has referred to Trump since he took office in January. The IS controls parts of Iraq and Syria, and is currently being targeted by a US-led coalition.

The 36-minute audio was released by IS spokesperson Abu Hasan al-Muhajir on Tuesday.

The previous spokesman and the groups second-in-command, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, was killed in an airstrike in Syria in 2016, the IS and the Pentagon have said.

The IS statement also called the US bankrupt and said: The sign of your elimination are now clearer to everyone, as the most clear of signs is that you are now ruled by a stupid idiot who does not know what Sham and Iraq are, or what Islam is, who continues to express his hatred and war against.

Other translations of the statement replaced stupid idiot with riff raff or harebrained, the NBC report said.

Al-sham is a term the group uses to describe a region that includes Syria.

One of the names used by IS is the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, although it also calls itself Islamic State. Some opponents call it Daesh, which is seen a derogatory term in Arabic.

Trump has pledged to totally obliterate IS, which swept across parts of Iraq in 2014. It also controls part of Syria, and its headquarters are in Raqqa.

Trumps opponent in the election, Hillary Clinton, and other critics have called Trumps statements on Islam and his plans to temporarily restrict entry to the US from some predominantly Muslim nations as a gift to IS, which seeks to portray a battle between Islam and the West.

The IS statement does not appear to directly refer to Trumps stated immigration policy executive order covering some Muslim nations, which critics have called a travel ban, the NBC report said.

But the propaganda did say Trump has expressed his hatred and war against Islam.
Nuclear-armed North Korea on Wednesday fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, South Korea and the US military said, days after Pyongyang warned of retaliation if the global community ramps up sanctions.

South Koreas defence ministry said the missile had flown some 60 kilometres.

The military is keeping a close watch over North Koreas provocative moves and maintaining a high defence posture, it said.

The US military said it was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile which they had determined posed no threat to America.

US Pacific Command is fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security, the military command in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region said.

US secretary of state Rex Tillerson confirmed Pyongyang had launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile.

The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment, he said in a statement.

Japan condemned the launch and said it violated UN Security Council resolutions.

Japan never tolerates North Koreas repeated provocative actions. The government strictly protested and strongly condemned it, chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

The launch will fuel international concerns about the hermit states weapons programme.

Pyongyang is on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year.

Trump-Xi meeting

The latest launch came after President Donald Trump threatened the US was prepared to go it alone in bringing the North to heel if China did not step in, and ahead of a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

North Koreas foreign ministry on Monday assailed Washington for its tough talk and for an ongoing joint military exercise with South Korea and Japan which Pyongyang sees as a dress rehearsal for invasion.

The reckless actions are driving the tense situation on the Korean peninsula to the brink of a war, a ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the official KCNA news agency.

The idea that the US could deprive Pyongyang of its nuclear deterrent through sanctions is the wildest dream, it said.

Trump and Xi will hold their first face-to-face meeting Thursday at the US presidents Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida where the growing tensions on the Korean peninsula are expected to be high on the agenda.

The hardened US stance followed recent North Korean missile launches that Pyongyang described as practice for an attack on US bases in Japan.

In February the North simultaneously fired four ballistic missiles off its east coast, three of which fell provocatively close to Japan.

Last August Pyongyang also successfully test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile 500 kilometres towards Japan, far exceeding any previous sub-launched tests, in what the Norths leader Kim Jong-Un hailed as the greatest success.

A nuclear-capable SLBM system would take the Norths threat to a new level, allowing deployment far beyond the Korean peninsula and a second-strike capability in the event of an attack on its army bases.

Analysts say that while Pyongyang has made faster progress in its SLBM system than originally expected, it is still years away from deployment.

Pyongyang is barred under UN resolutions from carrying out ballistic missile launches or nuclear tests.
A suspected chemical attack in rebel-held northwestern Syria killed dozens of civilians including children and left many more sick and gasping on Tuesday, causing widespread outrage.

The attack on the town of Khan Sheikhun killed at least 58 civilians and saw dozens suffer respiratory problems and symptoms including vomiting, fainting and foaming at the mouth, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

Syrias opposition blamed President Bashar al-Assads forces, saying the attack cast doubt on the future of peace talks.

The army denied any involvement in a statement blaming terrorist groups for using chemical and toxic substances.

A Syrian child receives treatment at a small hospital in the town of Maaret al-Noman following a suspected toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhun, a nearby rebel-held town in Syrias northwestern Idlib province. (AFP Photo)

At least 19 children and 13 women were among the dead, the Observatory said, and an AFP correspondent in Khan Sheikhun saw many people on respirators.

If confirmed, it would be one of the worst chemical attacks since Syrias civil war began six years ago.

The incident brought swift international condemnation, with the United States, France and Britain all pointing the finger at Assad.

US blames Damascus

The White House condemned what it called a reprehensible attack by Assads forces.

A Syrian child receives treatment at a small hospital in the town of Maaret al-Noman following a suspected toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhun, a nearby rebel-held town in Syrias northwestern Idlib province. (AFP Photo)

Spokesman Sean Spicer said President Donald Trump had been briefed extensively on the incident, adding that Washington was confident in its assessment that Damascus was to blame.

Spicer also suggested it was in the best interest of Syrians for Assad not to lead the country.

The idea that someone would use chemical weapons on their own people, including women and children, is not something that any civilised nation should sit back and accept or tolerate, he said.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said the attack was believed to be chemical and launched from the air, adding that there should be a clear identification of responsibilities and accountability.

A Syrian man is taken by civil defence workers to a small hospital in the town of Maaret al-Noman following a suspected toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhun, a nearby rebel-held town in Syrias northwestern Idlib province, on April 4, 2017. (AFP Photo)

The Observatory said the attack on a residential part of Khan Sheikhun came early on Tuesday, when a warplane carried out strikes that released toxic gas.

As well as those killed, at least 160 people were injured, it said, and many died even after arriving at medical facilities.

The monitor could not confirm the nature of the gas, but said the attack was probably carried out by government warplanes.

We heard strikes this morning... We ran inside the houses and saw whole families just dead in their beds. Children, women, old people dead in the streets, resident Abu Mustafa said.

This photo provided by the Syrian anti-government activist group Edlib Media Center, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian doctor treating a child following a suspected chemical attack, at a makeshift hospital, in the town of Khan Sheikhoun. (AP Photo)

Russias military, which has been fighting in support of Assads government since September 2015, denied carrying out any strikes near the town.

Hours after the initial attack, air strikes also hit a hospital in the town where doctors were treating victims, the AFP correspondent said, bringing down rubble on top of medics as they worked.

He saw a young girl, a woman and two elderly people dead at a hospital.

A father carried his dead little girl wrapped in a sheet, her lips blueish and her dark curls visible.

As doctors worked, a warplane circled overhead, striking first near the facility and then hitting it twice, inflicting severe damage and prompting nearly a dozen medical staff to flee.

Speaking to AFP, medic Hazem Shehwan said victims of the earlier attack had symptoms including pinpoint pupils, convulsions, foaming at the mouth and rapid pulses.

Army denial

Khan Sheikhun is in Idlib province, which is largely controlled by an alliance of rebels including former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.

The province is regularly targeted in government and Russian air strikes, and has also been hit by the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group, usually targeting jihadists.

The Observatory said 16 people, including 11 children, were killed Tuesday by air strikes in Salqin, in north Idlib province.

Syrias leading opposition group, the National Coalition, blamed Assad for the Khan Sheikhun attack and demanded that the United Nations open an immediate investigation and hold those responsible to account.

Damascus officially joined the Chemical Weapons Convention and turned over its declared chemical arsenal in 2013, as part of a deal to avert US military action.

That agreement came after hundreds of people -- up to 1,429 according to a US intelligence report -- were killed in chemical weapons strikes allegedly carried out by government troops east and southwest of Damascus.

But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use since, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015.

Syrian children wait to receive treatment at a makeshift clinic following reported air strikes by government forces in the rebel-held town of Douma, on the eastern outskirts of Damascus, on April 4, 2017. (AFP Photo)

The army again denied using chemical weapons on Tuesday, insisting it has never used them, any time, anywhere, and will not do so in the future.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said it was seriously concerned by reports of the attack.

And the UNs Commission of Inquiry for Syria said it had begun investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons.

Peace talks doubts

More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

Successive rounds of peace talks, including a UN-sponsored meeting in Geneva last week, have failed to produce a political breakthrough.

Tuesdays attack cast new doubt on the peace process, said the oppositions chief negotiator Mohamad Sabra.

If the United Nations cannot deter the regime from carrying out such crimes, how can it achieve a process that leads to political transition in Syria? he told AFP.

A senior Syrian security source told AFP that opposition forces were trying to achieve in the media what they could not achieve on the ground by spreading images from the alleged attack site.

The UN Security Council is to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the attack following calls from France and Britain.

Ive seen the reports about the use of sarin and as far as I know they have not been confirmed, the British ambassador to the UN Matthew Rycroft said.

This is clearly a war crime, Rycroft told reporters.
A Pakistan-owned cargo vessel, which was carrying food, was hijacked off the coast of central Somalia, Somali officials said on Tuesday, according to the New York Times.

The hijacking came hours after the pirates hijacked an Indian vessel along the coast of Somalia near a village named El Hur.

Abdillahi Ahmed Ali, mayor of Somali town Hobyo, confirmed the incident while talking to Voice of America, but expressed unawareness about the number of crew members on the Pakistani vessel called Salama 1.

An Indian registered cargo dhow, which was hijacked by suspected Somali pirates on April 1, is now in the vicinity of Hobyo, the EU Naval Force said on Monday. EU Naval Force can confirm that an Indian registered cargo dhow was seized by suspected pirates on 01 April and is now in the vicinity of Hobyo, Somalia, a statement on its website said.

This is the first time the force has given a location for the vessel.

An EU Naval Force maritime patrol aircraft has confirmed the exact location of the dhow and has attempted to establish radio communications but without success, the statement added.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 5



By Dalga Khatinoglu  Trend:



Two days after Qatar announced that it is lifting the moratorium on the North Field after 12 years, aiming to increase the gas and gas condensate output by 10 percent (56 million cubic meters per day), Iran says doesn't have any new plan for this joint field.



We would keep the projected plan for developing the South Pars (Qatar calls North Field) and there are no new plan for this project, Deputy Managing Director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) for Engineering and Development Affairs Gholam-Reza Manouchehri told Mehr Apr.5.



He added that Iran has focused on protective production based on the reservoirs life and prioritizing the output of phases close to Qatar borders.



The phases 2, 11, 12, 15-18 of Iranian side of South Pars are near the borders of the Qatari side, of which only phases 2, 12, 15 and 16 are fully operational, while Iran plans to complete phases 17 and 18. Phase 11 with 56 mcm/d output capacity hasnt been developed yet.



Iran and Frances Total has signed a memorandum of understanding to develop that, but Total announced earlier that it has postponed the decision on the project for at least 18 months due to probable sanctions of the US against Iran.



A third of the joint fields reserves places in Iranian side with 14 trillion cubic meters.



Qatar has started the development of the joint field 10 years before Iran and has produced 2.5 trillion cubic meters of gas as of the end of 2016, while Irans cumulative output stood at 1 trillion cubic meters.



Currently Irans nominal production capacity from South Pars stands at about 500 mcm/d, while the figure for Qatar is more than 540 mcm/d.



Iran plans to overtake Qatar by May 2017 after full completion of phases 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21. After that Iran plans to complete phases 13, 14, 22-24 by 2019, developed by about 60 percent on average, as of currently.



After full completion of South Pars all 24 phases, Irans gas output from this field would reach 780 mcm/d.
More than half a million people have signed a petition demanding that First Lady Melania Trump move into the White House or foot the expense of living in New York herself.

The Slovenian-born former model and mother of one has continued to live at her Manhattan penthouse apartment more than two months after husband Donald Trump was sworn in as 45th president of the United States.

The first lady has said that she and 11-year-old son Barron will move to Washington after the current school year ends in the summer.

New York expects to spend an average of $127,000-$146,000 a day for the police and $4.5 million annually for the fire department to protect the first lady and her child while they live in Trump Tower, city police chief James ONeill wrote in February in a letter to local members of Congress.

Police spent $24 million on protecting the family from election day on November 8, 2016 to inauguration day on January 20, on the eve of which the New York real estate tycoon moved to Washington.

The US taxpayer is paying an exorbitant amount of money to protect the First Lady in Trump Tower, said the petition set up on Change.Org.

As to help relieve the national debt, this expense yields no positive results for the nation and should be cut from being funded, it added.

The petition, which was started two weeks ago, has already been signed by more than 514,200 people. It has a goal of reaching one million supporters.

The petition is to be delivered to Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, both prominent Trump opponents on the left of US politics.

The President has not returned to New York since moving to Washington but has spent multiple weekends at his estate in Palm Beach, Florida to the frustration of some residents there.

Signatories to the petition have left less than savory words for the first familys living arrangements.

Melania not living in the White House is not only expensive but an insult to Americans, wrote Gary Strauss from Madison, Wisconsin on Tuesday.

This exposes one of the many hypocrisies of this administration, added Roderick Grant of Huntington Station, New York.
Pope Francis met briefly Wednesday with a delegation of four British Muslim clerics and praised their contribution to dialogue between different faiths and cultures.

I like to think that the most important job we have to do between us, as humanity, is done with our ears, by listening, Francis told the four-man group as he greeted them warmly at the Vatican for a private audience.

The ability to listen is so important. Those who have it speak softly, quietly. Those that dont talk loudly, shout even.

Among brothers, all of us have to talk and listen gently, to seek the way together.

And when we listen and talk to each other, we are already on the path. I thank you for taking this path and ask almighty and merciful God to bless you. And I ask you, to pray for me.

The clerics at the talks were Shiite scholar Syed Ali Raza Rizvi, Moulana Muhammad Shahid Raza, an imam who heads the British Muslim Forum, Ibrahim Mogra of the Christian Muslim Forum and Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Director General of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society.

Since his election four years ago, Francis has overseen a steady improvement in relations between the Vatican and the Islamic world, overcoming the acrimony caused by a series of spats under his predecessor Benedict XVI.

The Argentine pontiff hosted top Sunni cleric Ahmed al-Tayeb at the Vatican last year and will meet him again when he visits the Al-Azhar mosque as part of a visit to Egypt at the end of this month.

Ties were badly soured when the now-retired Benedict made a September 2006 speech in which he was perceived to have linked Islam to violence, sparking deadly protests in several countries and reprisal attacks on Christians.

Francis has made interfaith dialogue one of his priorities, describing fundamentalism as a disease of all religions.

And he endeared himself to many Muslims last year when he returned from the migrant crisis island of Lesbos with three Syrian Muslim families who are being put up by the Vatican in Rome while their asylum requests are processed.

The reconciliation efforts have not prevented Francis from regularly imploring moderate Muslims to speak out more strongly over the actions of extremists claiming to act in the name of Islam.
Pope Francis is scheduled to meet Wednesday with four British imams two weeks after the London extremist attack, part of his effort to encourage Muslim leaders who renounce using religion to justify violence.

The audience was scheduled long before the March 22 attack, in which a man mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing three, before fatally stabbing a policeman on the grounds of Parliament.

The head of the British Muslim Forum, Muhammad Shahid Raza, said in an interview on Tuesday that the popes support and message of solidarity after the attack strengthened our position that we, like other communities, condemn all terrorist activities.

Francis will try to further the cause later this month when he visits Al Azhar university in Cairo, Sunni Islams main center of learning.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Westminster, is accompanying the imams to the Vatican. He said the aim of the visit was to help promote Muslim leaders who denounce violence carried out in Gods name.

The Muslim community slowly is gaining the confidence to speak out and condemn Islamic extremism, Nichols said.

That is the voice that has to be heard to counter the rather more undifferentiating, unappreciative and even hostile voices that view Islamic people in Britain as somehow alien and unwelcome, he said.
A retired colonel of Pakistani army was gunned down on Wednesday by two unidentified assailants here.

The bike-borne assailants chased his car and opened fire on the busy Shahrah-e-Faisal road near the Baluch colony flyover, police said.

This appears to be a target killing. He was shot by a 9 mm pistol, a senior police officer said.

Two passersby were also injured in the attack when stray bullets hit them.
A Rhode Island man has been convicted of repeatedly raping his then-girlfriend after he became angry that she smoked their last cigarette.

The Providence Journal reported the attorney generals office as saying a Superior Court jury convicted 36-year-old Leopoldo Belen of Woonsocket of four counts of first-degree sexual assault for the April 2014 attack.

Prosecutors said Belen violently assaulted the then-21-year-old woman, who fled the Woonsocket apartment wearing only a bed sheet. A neighbour called 911.

Belen is accused in a separate case of beating 78-year-old Delor Cabral to death during a home invasion in 2013. Authorities have said that Cabral, a landlord, was trying to defend one of his tenants from being robbed.

Belen has pleaded not guilty to 13 charges. His lawyer didnt immediately comment.
An attack by suicide bombers in the Iraqi city of Tikrit killed at least 31 people and wounded at least 42, army and police officers said on Wednesday.

A police lieutenant colonel said the attack began when three militants opened fire in central Tikrit on Tuesday night. They later blew themselves up inside homes in the area.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State jihadist group carries out frequent suicide bombings targeting Iraqi civilians and security forces.

IS seized Tikrit during a lightning offensive that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in the summer of 2014, but Iraqi forces recaptured it the following year.

Iraqi forces are now battling to retake west Mosul -- the countrys last city in which the jihadists hold significant ground.

But the jihadists still hold other areas in western Iraq and eastern Syria, and they will remain able to carry out deadly bombings even if all areas under their control are recaptured.
A suicide attacker killed seven people  including five soldiers  and injured 19 others when he blew himself up near a vehicle carrying soldiers escorting census workers in the Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday.

The incident occurred at Bedian Road on the outskirts of the city at 8am. The bomber targeted a private van engaged by the Lahore cantonment board that was carrying the soldiers.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack. Rana Sanaullah, the law minister for Punjab province, confirmed it was a terrorist attack. Police said the attacker appeared to be an Uzbek.

Government spokesman Malik Muhammad Khan said five soldiers were among the dead. An official of the Pakistan Air Force, who was passing by on a motorcycle, was also killed.

The injured driver of the van, Muhammad Usman, was taken into custody to ascertain why he stopped the vehicle at a particular spot, a police report said.

Security forces cordoned the Bedian Road area after the blast as rescue teams took the injured to the General Hospital and Combined Military Hospital.

Police said law enforcement agencies searched the area and collected the body parts of the attacker, including his severed head.

This is the first time a census team has been targeted by the Taliban. In March, Pakistan started its first national census exercise in almost two decades, and the process has been peaceful till now. The army has been mobilised to protect the census workers.

In the past, the Taliban and its allies have attacked polio vaccination teams.

Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa said, despite the attack, the census will be completed at any cost.

Conducting the census is a national obligation. The sacrifice of precious lives of civil enumerators and soldiers is beyond any doubt a great sacrifice. The conducting of the census will be completed at any cost, Bajwa was quoted as saying by the militarys media wing.
US secretary of state Rex Tillersons 23-word response to North Koreas latest test of a ballistic missile ahead of a China-US summit has had foreign policy wonks around the world scratching their heads as they try to decipher it.

North Korea fired the missile into the sea off its east coast on Wednesday. The test came a day before a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, who are expected to discuss ways to pressure the reclusive regime to give up it increasingly defiant arms programme.

Tillersons response  seen by some as a no comment  totalled 23 words: North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment.

Secretary Tillerson: The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment. https://t.co/ccVPjWTWdX  Department of State (@StateDept) April 5, 2017

Some contended the response was a departure from the usual condemnation of North Korean missile tests by the US. And some on Twitter took pot shots at it.

Tillerson on North Korea.

Sometimes, the kids just wear you out. pic.twitter.com/UNgj4xf5XD  ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) April 5, 2017

"North Korea launched a ballistic missile!"

Tillerson: "Do they have oil?"

"No"

"No comment."

"But..."

"I SAID NO COMMENT!" (Asleep by 4pm)  Steve Marmel (@Marmel) April 5, 2017

On CNN, Chris Cillizza wrote: Twenty-three words that leave you more confused when you get to the end of them than when you started. Is Tillerson trying to talk tough? Or is he refusing to give North Korea the attention he thinks theyre trying to grab in advance of the US-China meeting? Somewhere in between? Neither? Both?

The statement reads, to channel Winston Churchill, like a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. Its Ernest Hemingway but for complicated and delicate matters of foreign policy. Its, in a (hyphenated) word, a head-scratcher.

Experts in South Korea believed the comments reflected the tough position being taken by the US.

It seems Tillerson purposefully issued a short statement to send a tough signal, Kim Sung-han, a professor at Seouls Korea University and a former South Korean deputy foreign minister, told AP.

He is making it clear that, no matter what North Korea does, the United States wont commit to direct negotiations unless Pyongyang shows real willingness for disarmament.

Bong Youngshik, a researcher at Yonsei Universitys Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul, said Tillersons statement would have also been aimed at China. Tillerson also might stop making routine statements after every North Korean provocation or missile launch, Bong said.

(With inputs from agencies)

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
As outrage grew over the horrific gas attack in Syria, the Donald Trump administration appeared reluctant to respond initially and when it finally did, it blamed both President Bashar al-Assad and former US president Barack Obama for it, in the same statement.

Calling the chemical attack reprehensible, Trump went on to say these heinous actions by the Assad regime are a consequence of the past administrations weakness and irresolution.

President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a red line against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing. The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer built on that, telling reporters, Whats the point of red lines? Americas credibility was at stake, and I think the President wants to point out that there was a red line and they did cross it.

Not following through on his red line ultimatum has been called one of President Obamas most egregious foreign policy failures, but the president and the White Houses attempt to blame Obama for the new attack didnt go down so well.

Assad launches chemical weapons attack on civilians and White House blames Obama? Cowardly. A new Trump low point, Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state in George W Bushs administration, tweeted.

Trump and the White House statement came hours after the first reports came of the chemical attack which has killed at least 72 people, including 20 children, and after secretary of state Rex Tillerson was noted for ignoring a question about it, triggering concern among foreign policy experts the US might look the other way.

After all, the US had in recent days abandoned the Obama administrations position that that Assads exit was key to lasting peace in Syria  a policy shift affirmed in public statements by Tillerson and US envoy to UN Nikki Haley.
President Donald Trump has removed chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council, reversing an earlier, controversial decision to give Bannon access to the high-level meetings.

A new memorandum about the councils composition was published Wednesday in the Federal Register. The memo no longer lists the chief strategist as a member of the Principals Committee, a group of high-ranking officials who meet to discuss pressing national security priorities.

Tom Bossert, the assistant to the president for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, also had his role downgraded as part of the changes.

A senior White House official said Wednesday that Bannon was initially placed on the national security council after Trumps inauguration as a measure to ensure implementation of the presidents vision, including efforts to downsize and streamline operations at the NSC.

Trumps first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was at the helm of the NSC at the time, but the official says Bannons role on the committee had nothing to do with the troubles facing Flynn, who was later asked to resign for misleading the administration about his communication with Russian officials.

The senior White House official was not authorized to discuss changes that have not been formally announced and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The new memo also restores the director of national intelligence and the Joint Chiefs chairman to the principals committee.

Bannons addition to the NSC sparked concerns from Trump critics, who said it was inappropriate for the political adviser to play a role in national security matters.
Tehran, Iran, April 5

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Iran has introduced a law which bans the import of clothing for brands that do not have official representation in the country.

According to the same law, 20 percent of foreign-made clothes that are distributed in the Iranian market should come as joint venture products between the foreign companies and Iranian counterparts, said Afsaneh Mehrabi, director of textile and clothing industry at the Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Trade, Mehr news agency reported April 5.

The official also said that half of the clothes produced through joint venture should be exported.

According to official reports, the value of smuggled clothes to Iran stands at $2.7 billion a year.

Every day, 142 containers of clothing items are smuggled into Iran from Turkey alone.
The United Kingdom is eyeing projects in the $51 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), officials said on Wednesday.

International trade minister Greg Hands hosted a trade roundtable here on Tuesday, attended by the UKs ambassador to Pakistan and Pakistans ambassador to the UK as well as representatives of British firms, policy experts, Chinese officials and banks.

The UK is poised to be a key partner of CPEC, an official source said on Wednesday. The UK will host what the sources described as a larger CPEC conference in Islamabad in May.

Hands said: Britain is a country of free-trade influence and can be an important partner for China and Pakistan in the delivery of huge infrastructure projects that are being planned between the two countries.

As part of an outward looking Global Britain, we have a clear ambition to increase trade with both China and Pakistan and UK businesses are well placed to capitalise on the new opportunities the region.

A 2015 joint statement by the British and Chinese governments had committed both to support each others commercial cooperation in new markets, including Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)  the CPEC is a key component of the ambitious project.

India has not signed up for BRI because the CPEC passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir  diplomats say Indias endorsing the BRI would mean giving up its claims on PoK.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Unidentified gunmen riding a motorcycle on Wednesday shot dead at least four labourers while they were working on a highway, which is part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, in the restive Balochistan province.

The labourers were working on a CPEC-route road when they were targeted in Gawash area of Kharan District, the Express Tribune newspaper reported, quoting sources.

The labourers died on the spot. They reportedly belonged to Ghotki area of Sindh.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

CPEC, an ambitious $46 billion project, will link the Pakistani city of Gwadar to Chinas Xinjiang via a vast network of highways and railways.

The troubled Balochistan province rich in minerals and natural resources has been hit hard by sectarian violence, terrorist attacks, and separatists who claim there is corruption in the provincial government.

In February, three personnel, including a Pakistan Army captain, were killed as a roadside bomb exploded near a security vehicle patrolling in Balochistans Awaran district.

Last year in August, the suicide attack on Quettas Civil Hospital claimed at least 74 people, most of them lawyers.
A US appeals court, for the first time ever, on Tuesday ruled that federal civil rights law protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees from discrimination in the workplace.

The ruling from the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago represents a major legal victory for the gay rights movement.

In its 8-3 decision, the court bucked decades of rulings that gay people are not protected by the milestone civil rights law, because they are not specifically mentioned in it.

For many years, the courts of appeals of this country understood the prohibition against sex discrimination to exclude discrimination on the basis of a persons sexual orientation, Chief Judge Diane Wood wrote for the majority. We conclude today that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination.

The ruling also allows a lawsuit to go forward in Indiana, where plaintiff Kimberly Hively said she lost her community college teaching job because she is lesbian.

I have been saying all this time that what happened to me wasnt right and was illegal, Hively said in a statement released by the gay rights legal organization Lambda Legal, which represents her.

In its decision to reinstate Hivelys 2014 lawsuit, which was thrown out at the local level in Indiana, the Court of Appeals ruled that protections against sex discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protect people from job discrimination based on their sexual orientation.

In so doing, the full appeals court overruled a decision by a smaller panel of its judges to uphold the district courts decision in the colleges favour.

To reach its conclusion, the court examined 20 years of rulings by the US Supreme Court on issues related to gay rights, including the high courts 2015 ruling that same-sex couples have a right to marry, Wood wrote.

The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the question of whether the Civil Rights Act protects gays and lesbians, she wrote.

The three dissenting judges said the majority had inappropriately used its own power to change the civil rights law, which does not explicitly protect people on the basis of sexual orientation, and which for decades has been interpreted as excluding that protection.

Today the court jettisons the prevailing interpretation and installs the polar opposite, Judge Diane Sykes wrote in dissent.

In her lawsuit, Hively said that Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend passed her over for a permanent position and refused to renew her contract as an adjunct professor after school administrators learned she is a lesbian.

On Tuesday, Ivy Tech spokesman Jeff Fanter said the college had not done that.

Ivy Tech Community College rejects discrimination of all types, Fanter said in a statement emailed to Reuters. Sexual orientation discrimination is specifically barred by our policies.

The college would not ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision, Fanter said, but instead would argue in District Court that it had not discriminated against Hively as the lawsuit goes forward.
The United States, Britain and France on Tuesday proposed a United Nations Security Council resolution to condemn a suspected deadly chemical weapons attack in Syria, which diplomats said would likely be put to a vote on Wednesday.

The three countries blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assads forces for the attack, which killed dozens of people. The Syrian military denied responsibility and said it would never use chemical weapons.

UN Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura said the horrific chemical attack had come from the air.

The draft text, seen by Reuters, says Syrias government must provide an international investigation with flight plans and logs for Tuesday, the names of all helicopter squadron commanders and provide access to air bases where investigators believe attacks using chemicals may have been launched.

It asks UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to report monthly on whether the Syrian government is cooperating with an international investigation and a fact-finding mission into chemical weapons use in Syria.

The draft resolution expresses its outrage that individuals continue to be killed and injured by chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, and expresses its determination that those responsible must be held accountable.

It was not immediately clear how Russia, an ally of Assad, and China would view the move.

In February, Russia, backed by China, cast its seventh veto to protect Assads government from council action, blocking a bid by Western powers to impose sanctions.

The Security Council is due to be briefed on the suspected toxic gas attack on Wednesday.

An investigation by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW, found Syrian government forces were responsible for three chlorine gas attacks in 2014 and 2015 and that Islamic State militants had used mustard gas.

Syria agreed to destroy its chemical weapons in 2013 under a deal brokered by Moscow and Washington.

The Security Council backed that deal with a resolution that said in the event of non-compliance, including unauthorized transfer of chemical weapons, or any use of chemical weapons by anyone in Syria, it would impose measures such as sanctions.

The draft resolution proposed on Tuesday recalls that decision.

The Hague-based OPCW set up fact-finding mission in 2014 to determine cases where chemical weapons had been used in Syria.

The UN Security Council then established a joint team of UN and OPCW investigators in 2015 to assign blame in cases where the fact-finding mission had determined chemical weapons had been used.
US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned Wednesday that the Trump administration will take action against chemical attacks in Syria that bear all the hallmarks of President Bashar Assads government if the UN Security Council fails to act.

Haley urged the council at an emergency meeting to immediately approve a resolution drafted by the US, Britain and France that condemns and threatens consequences for the use of chemical weapons, especially in Tuesdays attack that killed dozens of people in rebel-held Idlib province.

There are times at the United Nations when we are compelled to take collective action, she said. When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action.

For the sake of the victims, I hope the rest of the council is finally willing to do the same, she added.

Haley spoke after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced Moscows opposition to the draft resolution. She called it categorically unacceptable because it runs ahead of the investigation results and names the culprit, Damascus.

The main task now is to have an objective inquiry into what happened, Russias deputy UN ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told the Security Council. Up to now all falsified reports about this incident have come from the White Helmets or the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights based in London which have been discredited long ago.

He said that from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on April 4, the Syrian government carried out an airstrike on the eastern edge of the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun on a large warehouse of ammunition and military equipment.

On that compound, he said, there was a facility to produce ammunition with the use of toxic weapons which was supposed to be used in Iraq and Aleppo.

Their use was confirmed last year by Russia and military experts, Safronkov said. The symptoms of those affected in Khan Sheikhoun were the same as those by people who were affected last year in Aleppo.

ritains UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft also told the council that Tuesdays attack bears all the hallmarks of President Bashar Assads regime.

We have every indication that this was a sustained attack using aircraft over a number of hours, Rycroft said. We see all the signs of an attack using a nerve agent capable of killing over a hundred people and harming hundreds more.

Holding up photos of victims of the attack, Haley accused Russia of blocking action and closing its eyes to the barbarity of three previous chemical attacks that investigators blamed on the Syrian government by vetoing a resolution in late February that would have imposed sanctions on those responsible.

The truth is that Assad, Russia, and Iran have no interest in peace, she said. The illegitimate Syrian government, led by a man with no conscience, has committed untold atrocities against his people for six years.

Haley said Assad has shown he isnt interested in participating in a meaningful political process, Iran has reinforced Assads military, and Russia has shielded Assad from UN sanctions.

If Russia has the influence in Syria that it claims to have, we need to see them use it, she said. We need to see them put an end to these horrific acts. How many more children have to die before Russia cares?

The resolution drafted by the US, Britain and France would condemn the use of chemical weapons in Syria, especially on Tuesday, in the strongest terms and back an investigation by the international chemical weapons watchdog, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

It stresses that the Syrian government, under previous Security Council resolutions, is obligated to provide OPCW investigators and a UN-OPCW team charged with assessing blame for chemical attacks with information on all flight plans and air operations on April 4 and the names of commanders of any helicopter squadrons.

It reminds the government that it is also obligated to immediately provide investigators with access to air bases where they believe chemical weapons attacks may have been launched.

Russias Safronkov told the council that several major provisions of the resolution are unacceptable to Moscow and Frances UN Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters later that negotiations on the text have started with a good spirit.

He said he thinks theres a chance for agreement, if everyone is ready to compromise.

Our objective is to go for a vote the sooner the better ... and we want a swift and strong resolution, he said, adding that a vote was unlikely late Wednesday.

The best option would be united action by the Security Council, he said when asked about possible unilateral action by the United States. Im concerned ... by the risk of inaction at this stage.

Syrias deputy UN ambassador Mounzer Mounzer told the council his government categorically rejects false claims and accusations that the army used toxic chemicals against Syrian civilians in Khan Sheikhoun, saying they are being used as human shields by armed terrorist groups.

He said the army doesnt have any type of chemical weapons and we have never used them and we will never use them.

Mounzer called Syria the victim of falsification and fabrication by some permanent members of the Security Council and armed terrorist groups backed by several UN member states. He didnt name any countries.
Now all but forgotten, Changsha was one of the most bitterly contested cities of the Pacific War.

The city of Changsha is today, as it was in the 1930s, a bustling urban space amid the bountiful rice fields of Chinas Hunan Province. Its name has all but disappeared from the published histories of the Second World War, especially in the West. Even most of the people living there now probably have little idea of what their city went through during the war, as there are no war memorials left to remind them. But the repeated battles for Changsha changed the course of the war and determined the fate of many of the most pivotal leaders in East Asia. On a strategic level, Changsha was as important a place as any on the globe from 1939 to 1944, as the Chinese, the Japanese, and even the Americans clearly recognized.

Located in a fertile valley in southeastern China, the city has attracted armies over the centuries. Archeological excavations in the early 1970s uncovered a second-century BC tomb containing manuscripts, charts, texts, and a map analyzing the military value of the city. Its granaries, capable of storing tons of rice before transport down Hunans many rivers, made Changsha an attractive target for invading armies in more modern times as well. The city resisted a siege by the powerful Taiping army during its rebellion in the 19th century, a rebellion that may have killed as many as 20 million people throughout China; the Taiping failure to capture Changsha marked an important moment in the rebellions eventual defeat.

During the Second World War, Changsha was the scene of four major and three minor battles between the Chinese Nationalists (Kuomintang) and the invading Imperial Japanese Army. Both sides understood that whoever controlled Changsha and its critical road and rail connections would control southern China, including the rice fields, rail lines, and approaches to India and Burma. Its long history, too, had invested Changsha with the image of the city as a keystone to victory. As a result, Hunan Province and the western districts of neighboring Jiangxi Province saw some of the largest concentrations of troops in the Asian theater. All sides invested Changsha with a nearly mythic importance, believing that if it fell to Japanese control, then Japanese victory in the war would shortly follow. The city thus became a high priority for the leadership of both the Chinese Nationalists and the Japanese.

For the Nationalists, Changsha held symbolic value. In 1911, in the wake of the revolution that ended the ruling Qing Dynasty, Changsha became the scene of bitter fighting between rival warlords from northern and southern China. Emerging victorious, a loose alliance of the warlords nominally loyal to Chiang Kai-shek began to target the regions Communists. In 1927 the Nationalists killed 10,000 Communists in Changsha in what became known as the Horse Day Incident. Changsha thus stood in Nationalist minds as the scene of a great triumph over their most pernicious domestic foes. Keeping control of Changsha had prevented the south from falling into Mao Zedongs hands.

With the onset of World War II in Asia, Changshas population swelled to almost 500,000 people. The city owed its growth largely to the junction of the Changsha- Wuhan Railroad and the Hunan- Guangxi-Guangzhou rail connection, both of which brought rice and other grains from the interior to the countrys large eastern cities. The railroads had such an obvious strategic value that much of Changsha was burned to the ground in 1938 in order to deny the Japanese benefit of the citys transportation potential, should they ever control the area.

After a period of stalemate in the Second Sino-Japanese War (19371945), the Japanese decided to try to take Changsha in September 1939. Japanese leaders hoped that the outbreak of war in Europe would keep the Soviet Union, whose forces had recently defeated the Japanese in a clash on the Mongolian-Manchurian border, on the sidelines. The Japanese could not risk attacking more deeply into China if the Soviets appeared likely to intervene, but with German forces invading Poland, the Japanese guessed the Soviets would be unlikely to move additional troops from Europe to Asia.

The Japanese dedicated some 100,000 men to the capture of Changsha, while the Chinese had 30 divisions (almost 365,000 men) in the region, but these were spread out and had to cover a wide area from Hunan Province to western Jiangxi Province. Gambling that they could win a quick victory if they moved decisively, Japanese forces attacked Changsha on September 17, 1939. The Chinese government alleged that in order to compensate for their inferior numbers, the Japanese used poison gas on a wide scale. The Chinese had numbers on their side, as well as one of the most talented Chinese commanders, Xue Yue, in charge of forces in the city.

A member of the first class to graduate from the Whampoa Military Academy, the 42-year-old Xue had a reputation for fearless leadership in battle and a colorful personality that made his men fiercely loyal to him. American major general Claire Chennault called Xue the George Patton of Asia for his flamboyance and his tactical acumen. Xue had cordial relations with Chiang Kai-shek, whose orders he normally obeyedalthough at one point he had threatened to arrest Chiang if he did not stop the civil war against the Communists and instead focus his nations military energies against the invading Japanese. Chiang and the Nationalists had control of Hunan Province at the time of the Japanese invasion, and he and Xue had worked out a functional command relationship.

Xue hated the Chinese Communists and had played a leading role in forcing Mao and his allies to undertake the famous Long March out of southern China in 1933. But he hated the Japanese even more and burned for the chance to drive them from his homeland. He would not shrink from taking whatever steps he saw necessary to hold Changsha, so after the Japanese chased Chinese forces across the Xiang River in the battle for the city, Xue ordered a series of bloody human wave attacks that took advantage of Chinese superiority in manpower. The attacks cost an estimated 44,000 soldiers, but they damaged the Japanese enough to halt them short of the vital Changsha-Wuhan Railroad. With the railroad still under their control, the Chinese held the logistical advantage and, with it, the city. The Chinese had bent but not broken in what became known later as the First Battle of Changsha.

The Japanese tried again in April 1941, although military requirements elsewhere limited the number of men they could spare. Still, they experienced a stunning early success, crushing one of the best Chinese divisions in the area and temporarily taking Changsha. The Chinese counterattacked with 15 divisions of their own, again using human wave tactics. Although they suffered an estimated 54,000 casualties to Japans 1,670 men killed in action, the Chinese retook the shattered remnants of the city. More than 1.4 million Chinese soldiers were deployed in southern China capable of moving into the Changsha region if necessary. The Japanese lacked the manpower to continue their offensive and retreated from the area.

Both sides reinforced in the region and Xue Yue, now elevated to the status of national hero, decided on a new strategy. Unable to match the Japanese in artillery and air power and reluctant to continue the costly human wave tactics, he opted for street fighting, hoping to negate the power of Japanese weaponry and channel Japanese troops into a city with which they were unfamiliar. Xue also had the advantage of new links between the Soviet Union and the Chinese Nationalists that intensified around the summer of 1941. Although the Soviet Union and Japan had a nonaggression treaty that served the strategic needs of both, the Soviets had a vested interest in preventing the Japanese from conquering more of China. The Soviets thus rushed advisers and heavy equipment into China, funneling it through Chiang Kai-sheks Nationalists rather than the Chinese Communists with whom they had more in common ideologically. Despite the similarities of their global outlooks, Joseph Stalin and his Soviet leadership did not see Mao as an effective or reliable strategic partner. Even with Chiangs obvious flaws, the Soviets saw the Nationalists as more likely than the Communists to defeat the Japanese. Thus the bulk of Soviet aid went to Chiang.

In September 1941, the Japanese tried to take Changsha once more, even though they were again massively outnumbered. This time, Xue ordered his Chinese troops to avoid a pitched battle in the open ground outside the city, where the enemy could bring to bear its advantage in firepower. Instead, the Nationalists were to outflank the Japanese and force them to come closer to the city. Xue hoped to pin the Japanese into a smaller space where they could not use their artillery as effectively. The Japanese tried a ruse of their own, sending plain-clothes agents to infiltrate the city before the arrival of their main force. When that plan failed, the Japanese withdrew rather than risk a street battle.

Like Stalingrad, Changsha became a symbol that neither side could easily abandon. For Chinese Nationalists and their American supporters, Changsha stood as a rare victory over the rapidly expanding Japanese Empire. It proved that the Japanese were not invincible and that the Nationalists had the potential to become a viable fighting force. Chinese success at Changsha helped convince the United States that, Chiang Kai-sheks corruption notwithstanding, his regime deserved further financial and military support. For the Japanese, Changsha became the key to the conquest of China. If they could only capture it, they reasoned, all of southern China might fall into their hands.

By the end of 1941 it had become obvious that the Japanese would try again to take Changsha. Much of the city lay in ruins, but the strategic railroads remained. Xue Yue ordered all civilians out of the battered and beleaguered city, only allowing a handful of zealous volunteers to stay and help in its defense. His garrison there had fallen to just 300,000; the Japanese force, though it had grown, still numbered less than half that120,000 menbut it was backed up by 600 artillery pieces and 200 airplanes.

Those weapons represented the strongest force Japan had yet concentrated in the Hunan region, but its objectives were limited. Japanese forces to the south were preparing for a major offensive to take Hong Kong, so the attack in Hunan, planned for December 1941, aimed only to tie down Chinese forces in and around Changsha and prevent them from contesting the advance to the south.

When Hong Kong fell more quickly than expected, however, the Japanese grew bolder. Knowing that momentum was on their side and that the British could no longer disrupt their movements, the Japanese launched a full attack on Changsha from a new direction, the southeast. When they did, Xue Yue was ready for them. Specially trained Nationalist guerrilla troops came down from the mountains and raided Japanese supply lines, cutting their communications and leaving them vulnerable to Chinese counterattacks. The Japanese reported more than 55,000 men killed in the fighting, easily the highest total yet in the long struggle over Changsha. More important, Chiang Kai-shek, Xue Yue, and the Chinese Nationalists could claim a decisive victory just when the Japanese had humiliated the Americans and the British at Pearl Harbor and Hong Kong. While Japanese forces ran roughshod elsewhere in Asia, in Hunan the Chinese had stopped them in their tracks. Both Chiang and Xue rose in the eyes of their American patrons, at least temporarily.

Changsha thus became an even more important symbol to both sidesand of course, it had lost none of its strategic importance. In fact, assuming that the Chinese could hold it indefinitely against any future Japanese attacks, American planners had begun to think of new strategic purposes for it. In spring 1944 American strategists envisioned using Changsha as an air base for B-29 bombardment groups. From Changsha, the B-29s could easily strike industrial targets inside Japan and return to base without having to fly far over water.

The Japanese had other ideas. In April they launched the massive Operation Ichi-Go with the goal of linking up the disparate Japanese-controlled areas in China and denying the Americans the use of eastern China for air bases. One of the largest military operations in Asian history, Ichi-Go was an attempt to turn the tide of the war in China permanently in Japans favor. The capture of Changsha, and with it control over southern China, was a critical part of Ichi-Go.

Accordingly, in June 1944 the Japanese amassed 360,000 men for an attack on Changsha and Hengyang (to Changshas south). It amounted to the largest concentration of Japanese manpower in China for any single operation in the war. The first Japanese target was the Hunan-Hengyang rail line, control of which would secure the lines of communications needed for a further advance into Hunan Province. If successful, the operation would also allow the Japanese to target the few existing United States air bases in the region. Planes flying from those bases had harassed Japanese ground forces, targeted their supply lines, and limited their movement.

By the end of May the Japanese had come within striking range of Changsha. With five divisions in their first wave and three divisions in the second, they cut the railroads that linked Hunan to the cities of Wuhan (to the north) and Guangzhou (to the south). Having more troops at their disposal, Japanese commanders opted for a broad-front approach in order to avoid being flanked and channeled by larger numbers of Chinese troops, as in previous battles for the city. They used a model similar to the one the Russians used to recapture Stalingrad: Several divisions pinned down the Chinese defenders of the central city, while elite troops moved around and behind the city to cut off supply routes. That maneuver set off a panic inside Changsha and among the stunned Chinese defenders.

Two of the best Japanese divisions then attacked the high ground of Mount Yuelu, where the Chinese had placed a heavy concentration of precious artillery. On June 18 Japanese troops took the heights, neutralizing significant Chinese combat power and making Japanese dominance over the approaches to Changsha frighteningly visible to all those in the city below. Panic turned to terror as the Chinese realized the weakness of their position. Farther to the south, the Chinese were still holding on at Hengyang, despite repeated assaults, but if Hengyang fell, then the Japanese would be in a position to attack Changsha from two directions, dooming it to certain capture.

Xue, in overall command of the Ninth Military Front covering Hengyang and Changsha, gave explicit orders to hold both cities at all costs. He forbade the commander in Changsha, Major General Zhang Deneng, to retreat. But seeing no other option, Zhang disobeyed, opting for a chaotic retreat that left thousands of Chinese prisoners in Japanese hands. When Xue found Zhang, he had him arrested and court-martialed. With Changsha then in Japanese hands, the battle turned to Hengyang. The Chinese forces there held off the enemy for almost two months, but on August 8, the city fell. That final victory notwithstanding, the costly Japanese failure to take both cities as quickly as promised had led directly to the fall of Prime Minister Hideki Tojos cabinet on July 18. It also led to a temporary eclipse of Xues rising star, although he later led Nationalist armies in the ongoing Chinese Civil War.

The fall of Changsha had ramifications far beyond the careers of Tojo and Xue. With Changsha no longer a possible location for American air bases, the Americans moved their B-29s to the newly captured base on Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. Saipan was safe from Japanese attacks, but it necessitated a long perilous flight over open water to reach the desired industrial targets in Japan. As an indirect effect of the fall of Changsha, therefore, the United States decided to invade the more conveniently situated Iwo Jima as a way of solving the logistical problems that Saipan presented. That battle in early 1945 cost 26,000 American casualties and might not have been necessary if the Chinese had held Changsha.

Those final battles for Changsha proved to be defeats for all involved. The Japanese could claim an operational victory and control of the railroads, which were their immediate objectives. They could also claim to have kept the airfields of Changsha out of American hands. But the capture of Saipan and later Iwo Jima had rendered Changsha less important to the Americans. Thus, the Japanese had spent precious resources on a campaign that did not materially improve their strategic position. In losing Changsha, the Chinese had lost more than a city. The final surrender of Changsha in chaotic circumstances forfeited much of the limited goodwill that Chiang and his regime had acquired. The Americans had grudgingly looked the other way at the regimes notorious corruption as long as it could deliver on the battlefield and keep strategic locations like Changsha out of enemy hands. If it could not, the Americans had less incentive to continue the difficult relationship with Chiang. The humiliating collapse of Chinese forces at Changsha led American lieutenant general Joseph Stilwell, whose relationship with Chiang had been particularly tense, to demand command of the Chinese armed forces. When Chiang predictably refused, President Franklin D. Roosevelt recalled Stilwell and replaced him with General Albert Wedemeyer. Sino-American relations, already on life support, never fully recovered.

Ironically, Chinese forces did recover. They established a defensive line in western Hunan Province strong enough to block Japanese attempts to move west toward Chongqing and Sichuan Province. In April 1945 the Japanese forces based in Hunan attempted to seize Zhijiang in western Hunan as a step toward an offensive into Sichuan. The Chinese were waiting for them and sprang a well-designed ambush that did serious damage to the Japanese force.

The battles for Changsha had important consequences for American relations with China in the critical years of 1944 and 1945, for American strategy in the Pacific theater, and for the overall war in Asia. What happened in Hunans capital city thus shaped the world we live in as much as many better known battles of World War II.

Michael Neiberg is the author of The Blood of Free Men: The Liberation of Paris in 1944 and the forthcoming TERMINAL: The Potsdam Conference and the End of the Age of Total War in Europe, 19141945 (Basic Books, 2015).

Originally published in the July 2014 issue of Military History Quarterly. To subscribe, click here.
Was it Hitler? Or the overrated German General Staff?

After the Second World War ended German dreams of world conquest, many of the Third Reichs generals wrote self-serving, exculpatory memoirs depicting themselves as military professionals who had had no connection with Nazi ideology. They had offered Adolf Hitler, they said, sage military advice, which he had consistently spurnedto the detriment of the war effort. But a closer look at the historical record reveals a German high command fraught with internal feuding, poor intelligence, confused strategies, and no global visiona far cry from the invincible German behemoth the world had feared. M Dysfunction in the German high command is evident as far back as the invasion of Poland in September 1939. While Hitler remained mostly detached from the detailed planning for the invasion, his senior army leaders enthusiastically embraced the idea of smashing Poland, which they regarded with deep loathing, largely because the newly created Polish nation contained much territory that had been German before 1914. Still, they apparently did not expect Hitler to charge Heinrich Himmler and his SS with exterminating Polands elites and concentrating Polands Jews in ghettos. Once they became aware of SS atrocities, several senior generalsincluding Colonel General Johannes Blaskowitz, commander of the military occupation of Polandcomplained to Berlin. It was the only time in the war that would happen, and for obvious reasons: Blaskowitz received a severe reprimand for his political naivete from the armys commander in chief, Colonel General Walther von Brauchitsch. Blaskowitz was nonetheless allowed to continue to serve to the end of the war, but unlike some of his contemporaries, he would never be promoted to field marshal.

Ironically, the conquest of Poland placed Germany in a serious economic and strategic position. The British blockade bit deeply into the German economy, while the Germans found their neighbors unwilling to export to the Reich without hard currency payments in return, little of which the German treasury possessed. Hitler determined to solve his economic problems by launching an offensive in November 1939 into the Low Countries and France, the conquest of which would bring access to far greater sources of raw materials. The OKW (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, or armed forces high command) issued orders to that effect in early October. The result was an explosive argument between Hitler and the army generals, one of the most serious in the history of the Third Reich. Historians have interpreted the blowup as a disagreement over the timing and planning of operations, but it was nothing of the sort. Leading generals, notably Brauchitsch and the chief of the General Staff, Franz Halder, wanted to delay a western offensive because they were concerned about the performance of their regular and reserve units during the military operations in Poland. They were working to incorporate lessons learned there into a massive training program to correct the deficiencies.

Weather intervened on the side of the generals: An early and exceptionally cold winter delayed, then ended, the possibility of a German offensive before the following spring. By that time the training program had rectified the weaknesses that had been evident in Poland, and the generals had come up with a far more innovative plan for the invasion of France and the Low Countries: Their forces would break through along the Meuse rather than drive through the Low Countries to the Somme. The generals plan was a great success. After piercing the Allied line and crossing the Meuse at Sedan and Dinant in mid-May, the Germans pushed on to the Channel coast, flanking and trapping the British Expeditionary Force and much of the French armys left wing. Then, while they were still south of the Allied forces at Dunkirk, German units received a halt order. After the war the great panzer general Heinz Guderian claimed, along with other generals, that Hitler was entirely responsible for the order. Yet his own war diary indicates he had requested a halt for rest and refit, so that his armored force would be ready for the move to defeat the remainder of the French army. The subsequent escape of the British from Dunkirk was largely due to the failure of the German military to recognize that the sea is a highway, not just the end of land.

In the short term, though, the victory over France ensured that Germany could go on to fight a long war, as it now had access to a vastly increased economic and raw material base. But that victory also reinforced Hitlers belief that he was a military genius, an idea that his acolytes in the OKW delightedly encouraged. With the signing of the armistice that resulted in Vichy France in late June 1940, Hitler and his generals believed they had essentially won the war. As Alfred Jodl, the OKWs operations officer, noted, the final victory of Germany over England is only a question of time.

The last two weeks of June 1940, Hitler visited World War I battlefields and engaged in a triumphant whirlwind tour of Paris. Yet the Germans situation was not as favorable as they believed: They had squandered the limited resources of their navy, the Kriegsmarine, on the strategically dubious invasion of Norway and ongoing operations there. The navys strategic ineptitude was underlined in the summer of 1941, when Grand Admiral Erich Raeder and Admiral Karl Donitz, commander of U-boats, tried to persuade Hitler that the Third Reich should declare war on the United States for purely tactical reasons, to allow their U-boats a wider scope for attacks on Britains vital sea lines of communications. Evidently, they simply ignored the vast economic potential of the United States.

Meanwhile, instead of wrestling with ways to beat the British, the Germans focused on celebrating their defeat of France. When it finally dawned on them that the British were not going to quit fighting, the senior military leaders quarreled over how to finish off Britain. Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, head of the OKW, described an amphibious assault on the British Isles as nothing more than a river crossing. Army plans called for a 90-mile assault areanearly twice the area the Allies would target in June 1944 and a task far beyond any capabilities the German navy possessed, even if there was no opposition from the Royal Navy. The Kriegsmarine itself suggested such a small landing area that the German attacking forces would have had no chance of success.

Both services did agree that no landing would be successful without Luftwaffe air superiority. But the Luftwaffe was not up to the task. Its intelligence capabilities were appallingly bad; its initial assessment of the RAF and Fighter Command was wrong in nearly every respect, except for the number of fighters the British possessed. The Germans also failed to understand that British radar formed the eyes of an integrated air defense system. With no clear intelligence picture, German efforts at strategic bombingwhich were superior technologically and conceptually to those of the British and Americansfloundered from one target set to another. Hitler had little confidence in either the Luftwaffes air campaign or in Operation Sea Lion, the code name for the amphibious assault on Britain, and he hardly participated in their planning.

Indeed, even as the Luftwaffe was fighting the Battle of Britain, Hitlers attention was consumed by dreams of conquest in the east. The army, however, had beaten him to the punch. In the summer of 1940 the new field marshal, Brauchitsch, and General Staff chief Halder had begun planning for an invasion of the Soviet Union. Two reasons appear to have driven their decision: They did not want the focus of military effort to shift to the navy and the Luftwaffe, which a major offensive against Britain would do; and the Communist enemy was clearly in their sights. At the end of July, they met with Hitler, who made clear his desire to settle matters with the Soviets by spring 1941.

Hitler maintained that desire until the campaign was finally under way in June 1941. The Soviet invasion had the enthusiastic support of both the army and Luftwaffe, the latter delighted to abandon its costly campaign against the British for what its leaders regarded as an easy opponent. As the Luftwaffe chief of staff Hans Jeschonnek exclaimed, At last a proper war.

Though the army was put in charge of planning Operation Barbarossathe campaign against the Soviet UnionHitler almost immediately interfered, at times distorting the planning processes but doing little to counter the worst aspects and assumptions in the armys approach. The generals and Hitler all assumed the war against the Soviet Union would be short: They discounted the political stability of Josef Stalins regime and firmly believed the masses of subhuman Russians, controlled by their Bolshevik-Jewish rulers, would be unable to mount an effective resistance against the Wehrmacht.

Hitler and his generals also agreed about another aspect of the invasion: This was to be a racial-ideological war to exterminate Russias Jewish population and enslave its Slavic population. Special SS battalions, the Einsatzgruppen, were to undertake many of the initial atrocities, but the armys senior leaders were fully apprised of the activities of these groups. And Hitler made it clear to army leaders that they were charged with providing logistical support and whatever additional help was needed to round up Jews and other undesirables for slaughter. Throughout Operation Barbarossa, army commanders cooperated enthusiastically with the SS in perpetrating crimes that heralded the Final Solution.

The other major mistakes in logistics and planning for the east- ern invasion had nothing to do with Hitler but were entirely within the armys province. In July the armys geographic section informed German planners that the industrial center of the Soviet Union had shifted far to the east from where it had been in preWorld War Russia. Over 40 percent of the Soviet military-industrial complex now lay in the Urals or beyond. That simple fact alone should have suggested that the Soviets were capable of prolonged resistance, yet it apparently did not.

German logistical planning was also woeful. By the fall of 1940, after a series of studies and war games had been undertaken, it seemed clear that the German spearhead of panzer divisions would get only two-thirds of the way to Moscow and Leningrad and barely past Kiev before they would run into substantial logistical difficulties. The army planners simply dismissed that warning with the assumption that the Wehrmacht would destroy the Red Army in the border areas and the Soviets would quickly collapse. Thereafter, German forces would be able to march swiftly into the depths of Russia without requiring significant logistical support. Although railroads were crucial to any resupply efforts, German railroad repair crews, needed to convert the Soviet gauge tracks to German gauge, received the lowest priority among the units moving into the Soviet Union.

To complicate planning even further, the choice of Russian targets remained in dispute: The German armys initial plan focused on Moscow, the Soviet capital, but the OKW, reflecting Hitlers desires, argued for drives on Leningrad as well as on Ukraine. Instead of choosing where to focus the German effort, General Staff chief Halder obfuscated.

In simple terms, the final German plans involved smashing into the Soviet Union to see what would turn up, an echo of Erich Ludendorffs Michael Offensive in March 1918. The German plans for the invasion had no strategic direction and scant operational focus. The clearest evidence of high-level confusion was the fact that Colonel General Erich Hoepner, commander of Fourth Panzer Group, remained unclear during the first week of the campaign about whether his main mission was to protect the left flank of Army Group Center in its advance on Smolensk or to lead Army Group Norths drive on Leningrad. As a result, he did neither.

By the end of July, with the German advance finally under way, its problems became clear. In early August Halder noted in his diary:

The whole situation makes it increasingly plain that we have underestimated the Russian colossus, who consistently prepared for war with that utterly ruthless determination so characteristic of totalitarian states.At the outset of the war we reckoned with about 200 enemy divisions. Now we have already counted 360. These divisions indeed are not armed and equipped according to our standards, and their tactical leadership is often poor. But there they are, and if we smash a dozen of them, the Russians simply put up another dozen. The time factor favors them, as they are near their own resources, while we are moving farther and farther from ours.

After the Second World War, German generals argued that the 1941 August pause resulted from the arguments over where to advance. Their considered military advice, they claimed, had been to move on Moscow, but Hitler had wanted a drive into Ukraine. Those arguments did occur but had little to do with that so-called pause. The reality was that the German logistical system could barely bring forward sufficient fuel and ammunition for Wehrmacht troops to fight the next days battles, much less build up the supply dumps required to sustain an advance into the depths of Russia. In July, as the Halder diary suggests, a series of ferocious counterattacks by the Red Armys reserve formations had broken on German spearhead units. These reserve formations were badly equipped, ill trained, and often badly led. They had suffered terrible losses yet had managed to inflict heavy casualties on the Germans.

At this point the Germans should have reexamined their basic assumptions, their overall strategy, and the operational situations they faced. They did nothing of the kind. Hitler had neither the background nor the inclination to do so in view of his increasing belief in his invincibility, and the army leadership was no more perceptive about the need to rethink Barbarossas original assumptions. The operation continued, with Hitler winning the argument to focus on Ukraine. Sufficiently resupplied to go on the offensive, the Second Panzer Group, driving from the north, and the First Panzer Group, driving from the south, trapped more than 600,000 Soviet soldiers in the great Kiev encirclement of September 1941.

This tactical success further whetted the appetites of the generals as well as the fuhrer for an advance on Moscow, even though it was already autumn. Operation Typhoon, the drive on Moscow, began in early October. Fourth Panzer Army moved south from Leningrad, while Second Panzer Army moved back north and joined Army Group Center. Meanwhile, the warnings from the despised logistical experts were clear. The army faced two choices: Wait until the supply system brought up winter uniforms, winter-weight oil, and reserves of ammunition and fuel for the coming trials of winter, in case the advance into the depths of Russia stalled; or continue its advance on Moscow with the logistical system supporting the heavy fighting. In the latter case, the system would not be able to prepare for the rigors of the Russian winter.

What should have tipped the balance for the first choice was that Russia was about to begin the period known as the rasputitsa, when autumn rains would turn roads to mud. Then, within the month, cold temperatures would solidify the mudwhich brought its own problems. The German military had experienced all of this in the First World War, so what was about to happen should not have surprised the Wehrmachts senior leaders. Yet it did.

After winning a series of impressive victories and capturing another 600,000 Soviet soldiers in the opening week of Operation Typhoon, the German advance slithered to a halt in a sea of mud. For the next month German mechanized formations struggled forward at scarcely a mile a day, hardly the pace that panzer division leaders had come to expect. Matters began to improve in mid-November, when temperatures dropped below freezing and frozen roads made travel somewhat easier. At a meeting of the chiefs of staff of the army groups, Halder commented that the drop in temperatures would now allow the resumption of the drive on Moscowand perhaps it would not snow until mid-January. In response, the warnings from the Wehrmachts logistical experts were even clearer than they were at the end of September: The army would be almost completely unprepared for winter if the advance on Moscow continued. Thus, the generals were fully and repeatedly apprised of looming dangers. Had they warned Hitler, there is little doubt that he would have ordered them to push on. But they delivered no such warnings because they were as eager as he was for the advance to continue.

Their folly became evident in early December 1941. Exhausted German troops, short of ammunition and equipped only with summer-weight oils and fuel and gabardine uniforms, ran into a reinvigorated Red Army in front of all three German army groups. At Rostov, less than 100 miles from Ukraines border, the Soviets had stopped the advance of Army Group South; in front of Leningrad, Army Group North had come to a shuddering halt; and in front of Moscow the Red Armys counteroffensive threatened to destroy Army Group Center. These crushing defeats sparked a major row between the fuhrer and his generals. Brauchitsch was fired, as were the three army group commandersField Marshals Gerd von Rundstedt, Wilhelm von Leeb, and Fedor von Bockand a number of army commanders, including Heinz Guderian. Hitler also issued a stand fast order that prohibited any retreat. The German forces on the Eastern Front barely hung on over the terrible winter and on several occasions came close to breaking. While Hitlers order probably saved the army from utter collapse, he would remember the armys survival through that brutal Russian winter as a notable success.

Along with his purge of army leadership in December 1941, Hitler ordered a major reorganization of the Wehrmacht. He named himself army commander in chief in addition to his duty as the Wehrmachts overall commander. The armys high command now found itself limited to operations on the Eastern Front, while the OKW became responsible for the Mediterranean and defense of the coast of Western Europe. No overall authority aside from Hitler was responsible for the Reichs war effort against what was now a global coalition.

That global coalition had coalesced when Hitler made the foolhardy decision to declare war on the United States four days after the attack on Pearl Harborwith no input from his military. Had he asked for their advice, there is every indication they would have concurred. The Kriegsmarines leadership had pushed for a declaration of war on the United States the summer before, while the Luftwaffe and army, largely uninterested in the U.S., would probably have deferred to the fuhrer. That general lack of interest in and knowledge about the nature of a global war became obvious after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor: When Hitler asked his commanders, including his naval officers, where the American navy base was located, not a single one knew.

The bifurcation of German strategy into an Eastern and Western war thoroughly compartmentalized the thinking of senior military leaders. By putting himself in charge and otherwise decentralizing command, Hitler ensured that only he could connect the strands of an increasingly complex and threatening situation. There was some muttering among senior army generals in favor of a more unified approach to Germanys strategic challenges, but for the most part the top generals were content to wage their particular wars in isolation. Only General Erwin Rommel understood the larger issues, and he was largely ignored.

As Robert Citino has made clear in his insightful book Death of the Wehrmacht, the 1942 campaign seasons in the east and the Mediterranean began with enormous successes for Germany, because the Wehrmacht was allowed, without interference, to dictate the form operations took. In the East the Eleventh Army won a series of victories over the Soviets in Crimea, devastating their forces on the Kerch Peninsula and taking the great fortress port of Sevastopol. At the same time Rommel administered a crushing defeat to the British in north Libya then swiftly captured the strategic coastal city of Tobruk.

But from that high point in the summer of 1942, German fortunes went downhill. Logistics proved the fatal weakness of German military operations, exacerbated by their pervasive overconfidence in their ability to dominate opponents. Operation Blue, the German drive into the steppes of Russia, had neither focus nor objective. Was it supposed to inflict another series of major defeats on the Red Army? Capture Stalingrad? Cut off oil supplies to Soviet forces? Capture the oil fields of the Caucasus? Hitler surely added to the confusion by repeatedly changing his focus, but Halder and the army high command failed to bring clarity to that operation.

In North Africa Rommel continued the German drive east beyond Tobruk in an attempt to knock the British out of Egypt. But the iron law of logistics had stalled his forces at El Alamein. Rommels attempt to restart the offensive collapsed under British firepower in September 1942. His new opponent, the future field marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, declined to follow up that tactical victory and instead continued to reequip and retrain British forces. Then in late October Montgomery launched a massive attack against Rommel in the Second Battle of El Alamein. Instead of engaging in a battle of maneuver, Montgomery used his superior air and artillery firepower to grind the German forces to dust. Recognizing the inevitable, Rommel ordered his battered forces to retreatuntil a preemptive order from Hitler to stand fast further exacerbated the damage.

For Axis forces in the Mediterranean, matters went from bad to worse. On November 8, 1942, Anglo-American forces landed in Morocco and Algeria, threatening Italian and German forces from the west. Rommel urged an immediate abandonment of North Africa in view of enemy superiority in air and naval power, a reality he had experienced firsthand. Instead, Hitler, with the support of the OKW and Field Marshal Albert Kesselringoverall German commander in the Mediterranean and one of the most overrated commanders in the Second World Warmade plans to occupy Tunisia, first with paratroops then with extensive reinforcements by sea. Hitler and Kesselring argued that such a move was necessary to keep Benito Mussolinis Fascist regime from collapsing, but both also discounted Rommels concerns over the air, naval, and ground forces that the Allies could bring to bear on the Tunisian bridgehead. Hitler and Kesselring thus committed a sizable force to an Allied trap. When defeat came in May 1943, Allied POW camps were filled with the remnants of Rommels Army Group Afrika and the massive German reinforcements that had flooded into Tunisia. The Luftwaffe also suffered heavy losses in its attempts to fly supplies and reinforcements into the Tunisian bridgehead.

While matters were collapsing in the Mediterranean in autumn 1942, an even greater disaster to German arms developed on the Eastern Front. The Sixth Armys drive had petered out deep in the Caucasus, without capturing the vital oil fields, and on the outskirts of Stalingrad. But Hitler had become enamored of the idea of taking Stalins city, and a series of assaults pulled more and more German units into Stalingrad, where fierce urban combat bled them white. Hitler was the main culprit behind the assault on Stalingrad, but he heard few alternative suggestions from his senior officers.

The German failures and reversals on the Eastern Front precipitated another major internal fight between Hitler and his senior military staff, and he fired a number of commanders as well as Halder. What none of the Germans saw comingnot Hitler, not the German intelligence services, not the senior generalswere the two massive blows that the Red Army was about to deliver to their troops on the ground.

On November 19, 1942, Operation Uranus struck the flanks of the German Sixth Army as it was attempting to batter the Soviets out of what was left of Stalingrad. Six days later another massive offensive, Operation Mars, attacked the Rzhev salient outside Moscow in Army Group Centers sector. The first quickly surrounded Field Marshal Friedrich Pauluss Sixth Army. The second failed completelya major Soviet defeatbut Stalingrad more than made up for Rzhev. While Luftwaffe commander in chief Hermann Goring promised that the Luftwaffe could keep the trapped German forces supplied (it couldnt), the army generals had no clear idea how to break through to relieve Paulus and his troopsor what the next step should be if they succeeded.

Hitlers miscalculations again contributed mightily to a disaster, but German intelligence was also at fault; it had failed to pick up information on the Soviet buildup in the Stalingrad area. For the remainder of the war, Soviet deceptions managed to hoodwink Wehrmacht intelligence on the location of major Red Army offensives. This failure had nothing to do with Hitler, although it was one more sign that the army officer corps, from top to bottom, had accepted Nazi ideology about the subhuman nature of the Slavic peoples.

Once the Sixth Army was trapped in Stalingrad, its defeat was inevitable. There was no coherent German strategy for the Eastern Front except to hang on. Wehrmacht field marshal Erich von Manstein pushed for a blow against the Soviets Kursk salient, about 300 miles south of Moscow, but that was a bad idea from the beginningand Hitler made it worse by postponing the effort until July 1943. The Battle of Kursk brought a total of 3 million men, 8,000 tanks, and 5,000 warplanes into play, but Hitlers delays had allowed the Soviets time to build up armor, personnel, and defenses that far exceeded German forces. Even as the German offensive collapsed in the face of superior enemy power and preparedness, Manstein urged its continuance. So much for the strategic competence of Manstein, reputedly the Wehrmachts greatest strategist.

The defense of the Western Front in 1944 is another indication of the extraordinary weaknesses in Ger- man military planning and understanding of the issues facing the Reich. Once again, there were divergent views among German leaders as to how to defend Fortress Europe against the impending Anglo-American assault. On one side stood the aging field marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, who argued that it was impossible to hold the beaches and that the Wehrmacht should conduct a flexible defense of the Reichs frontiers.

On the other side stood Rommel, who believed that Germany had to stop the Allied invasion on the beaches or the war would be lost to Anglo-American logistics and air power. Should the Western powers establish a lodgment on the coast of France, he argued, they would win the battle of the buildup while hindering German efforts to replenish forces and supplies. Rommel nearly won that argument. As late as mid-May 1944, he urged that the 12th SS Panzer Division be moved to Carentan, where it might well have had a disastrous impact on the Allied landings. But Hitler overruled Rommel. Then, in the early morning hours of June 6 as the invasion began, Hitlers OKW aides refused to awaken him with the news. Thereafter, Fortress Europe was lost.

In those last years of the war, Hitler had often overruled his generals on decisions ranging from global strategy to local operations. Yet the record shows that most top generals offered few effective alternatives. Their overconfidence in German might and tactical brilliance led to a pervasive dysfunctionality that crippled the Reichs ability to fight a war on multiple fronts. The old lessons in flexibility, surprise, and command initiative that had long propelled the German military forward (see The Birth of German Militarism, page 30) seem in World War II to have been lost on Hitler and his high command.

Williamson Murray has taught military and diplomatic history at Yale, Ohio State, all three U.S. military war colleges, West Point, and Annapolis. He is the author of numerous books on war and strategy, including Successful Strategies: Triumphing in War and Peace from Antiquity to the Present (May 2014).

Originally published in the July 2014 issue of Military History Quarterly. To subscribe, click here.
The worlds premier natural fortress, Gibraltar has always been a tough nut to crack.

The Rock. For centuries the term meant only one place: The Rock of Gibraltar. In ancient times it formed the northern- most of the famed twin Pillars of Hercules that guarded the passage between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic (the southern pillar was a peak in Morocco). The long struggle between Moor and Christian transformed Gibraltar into a fortress, and after 1462 it became a symbol of the Spanish Reconquista. Falling under British control in 1713, Gibraltar became a point of vital strategic importance in the Age of Sail. As guardian of the route between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, Gibraltar was besieged multiple times and figured prominently in many wars.

Even after the passing of the Age of Sail, Gibraltar remained vital to the British Empire and a thorn in the side of its enemies. In both world wars it guarded Britains lifeline through the Suez Canal to Asia, and in the 1940s it played an important role in the life-or-death struggle against Germanys U-boats. Since World War II, Gibraltar has become the subject of sometimes violent discord in a European Union that was formed in part to prevent territorial disputes. Spain is determined to reclaim the Rock while Great Britain, backed by the vast majority of Gibraltars approximately 30,000 inhabitants, stands equally determined to continue its presence there.

Literally speaking, the Rock is not Gibraltar but a part of it. Gibraltar is a roughly 2.5-square-mile peninsula protruding from the southeast coast of the much larger Iberian Peninsula. It is not quite the southernmost point of Iberia, nor does it guard the narrowest point of waterborne passage, though its tip ends just 14 miles from the coast of North Africa. But the Rock does give the peninsula its military significance. Planted squarely on the peninsula, it slopes upward 1,400 feet on its steep eastern face, making it seem custom-built to resist invasion by land. The peninsulas settled area, such as it is, nestles safely below the Rocks western face. Seaward to the south, the approach is not so daunting and there are tiny landing strips available to soldiers; still, a protracted campaign to capture Gibraltar from this direction would require constant support from the sea. In the Age of Sail and to a somewhat lesser extent in the 20th century, control of Gibraltar required total and prolonged naval dominance of the western Mediterranean. The maintenance of naval supremacy depended in turn on control of Gibraltar.

Until the 16th century, Gibraltar was more significant as a north-south conduit between Europe and North Africa than as a guardian on the east-west naval route. Populations moving between Iberia and North Africa passed by and may have settled in Gibraltar as a matter of course. The Romans and their successors established small posts or settlements there but did not fortify it. In the early eighth century, Muslim invaders stopped at Gibraltar briefly in the course of their conquest of Iberia. In time they recognized the Rocks potential value as a fortress and constructed some minor fortifications there.

The Rock of Gibraltar first entered the annals of military history in 1309. In that year King Fernando IV of Castile directed a landward siege of the peninsula as one small step in the long campaign to take back Spain from the Moors. The defenders lacked strong fortifications and did not put up much of a fight. According to a medieval chronicle, the Castilians set up two siege engines and with them attacked it fiercely all the way round, till the Moors could stand it no longer and were forced to parley with the King. Upon taking possession of the Rock, Fernando recognized that there was no better look-out post in all his lands, and ordered construction of a keep, or tower, and a dockyard for his galleys. The military character that Gibraltar thus acquired would last for nearly seven more centuries.

The Moors recaptured Gibraltar in 1333, but the Spaniards did not forget it. The war between Christian and Muslim raged fiercely from year to year, with the now fortified peninsula becoming a bone of contention. The Moors therefore constructed a castle complex, including a tower and redoubt that remain intact to this day. These fortifications helped them fend off multiple Spanish attempts to retake Gibraltar over the following decades. Properly defended, the Rock looked more and more like one of the worlds premier natural fortresses. Not until 1462thanks to the departure of most of the Muslim defenders to pay homage to a distant kingdid Gibraltar pass back into Spanish hands.

As King Henry IV of Castile took possession of Gibraltar, he granted the settlement a charter that took formal recognition of its strategic value by both land and sea. Preoccupied with the continuing war with the remnant of the Moorish emirate in Granada, Henry declared that Gibraltar stands guard over the Strait to prevent the passage to the King and Kingdom of Granada of men, horses, arms, food supplies and other goods. He encouraged settlers to build up the town and cultivate the surrounding area so that they should be better disposed to serve me and defend and protect the city and guard the Strait. Over the coming years the town grew in prosperity, as its docks and status as a free port attracted merchant vessels from far and wide. The final expulsion of the Moors from Spain in 1492 nevertheless left Gibraltar as something of a backwatera proud Spanish possession but without any obvious military value.

The growth of the Age of Sail changed all that. In the 16th and 17th centuries, with Spain now one of the great powers, Gibraltar became a naval base, its dockyard facilities substantially expanded. The rise of rival European powers England, France, Holland, and Venice, and the Holy Roman Empireplying trade and warfare across the worlds oceansgave the peninsula status as a guardian between the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Spanish galleons sailed majestically past Gibraltar on their way to and from the New World, and their protecting warships used the peninsula as a base. In 1590 and 1607 Spanish ships battled English and Dutch vessels just offshore.

By the early 17th century the upstart English had become a particular menace. English warshipsand not a few piratesplagued the waters off southern Spain. Justifiably alarmed, the Spanish vastly expanded Gibraltars fortifications against seaward invasion, building among other things a chain of 44 watchtowers along the coast. The English also noticed the Rocks growing strategic importance. In 1625 an English naval expedition seriously considered attacking the place but was scared off by the now formidable Spanish defenses. As Englands naval power grew over the following decades, however, it craved Gibraltar more and more as a potential link in the chain that would establish its rule of the seas.

The War of Spanish Succession (17011713) provided the English with the opportunity they sought. By the beginning of the 18th century, Spain was awash in New World wealth but in wholesale decline militarily and politically. After the death in 1700 of King Charles II, a Habsburg, the Spanish throne suddenly had a claimant from the House of Bourbon. Since this royal house also reigned in France, England joined with the Dutch and the Habsburg Holy Roman Empire in a war to wrest Spain from Bourbon control and place a Habsburg monarch back on the throne. It was under this pretextostensibly to win Gibraltar back for a Habsburg king of Spainthat an English fleet under Admiral Sir George Rooke joined in an allied attack on the Rock in 1704.

In 1702 Rooke had led an expedition to Cadiz that failed disastrously when the soldiers he put ashore discovered the local wine supply and got riotously drunk. Two years later, he had better troops at his disposal1,800 English and Dutch marines under the command of Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt. His plan was to place them ashore to seal off the peninsula by land, and then Bombard & Canonade the Place from our ships, and endeavour by that means to reduce it to the King of Spaines Obedience. The troops labored ashore in brutal heat on August 1, 1704, and summoned the town and fortress to surrender. The tiny garrison of fewer than 100 veteran soldiers refused. Rooke then commenced his bombardment, fiercely pummeling defenders who manned fortifications that had not been improved since the 1620s.

Sensing an opportunity to storm the defenses, English captain Edward Whitaker ordered 200 sailors ashore to scale the seaward wall. They landed, clambered over the wall, and disappeared. Moments later a huge explosion rocked the fortress, throwing the bodies of dozens of the sailors sky high. At first it seemed that the garrison had blown up the forts powder magazine, but it later transpired that the seamen had rushed with heedless courage into the magazine with lighted torches in their hands. The remnants fled. Whitaker then arrived with reinforcements and attacked the fortress. In the frenzy of battle his men opened fire on a crowd of women and children who had taken shelter in a shrine, killing many of them. British marines then looted the shrine. The garrison surrendered to ensure the safety of their remaining civilians, but though the well born were spared, the poor were not, as English and Dutch sailors sacked the town.

An attempt by the Spanish and the French to retake Gibraltar later that year proved the absolute necessity of coordinated land-naval action for a successful attack. The English navy fended off the few French ships that appeared offshore, but 500 Spanish infantry bravely attacked on November 11 by scaling the Rocks eastern face. Atop the Rock the English and Spanish Habsburg forces delivered a powerful counterattack that crushed them and sent some Spaniards plummeting over the cliffs of the northern face. Another attempt in January 1705 by 4,000 French and Spanish troops likewise failed. So long as the English controlled the seas, the Rock would remain a tough nut to crack. Later that year the Habsburg king, styling himself Charles III, came ashore to celebrate the conquest of Gibraltar on the only part of Spain that he could claim for his own.

Although England had captured Gibraltar, by the terms of its alliance with the Holy Roman Empire, the Rock was supposed to revert to Charles III. A series of coincidences dictated otherwise. In 1711, after two Holy Roman Emperors died, Charles III succeeded them as emperor. The idea of a union of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire under one monarch did not please the British, who thereupon abandoned the alliance. Even so the French were exhausted and sought peace. When that came in 1714, with the end of fighting in the War of Spanish Succession, the Bourbons were in control of Spainbut on condition that the thrones of France and Spain could not be united. As a part of the treaty, the British retained control of the island of Minorca, which they had also captured, and Gibraltar. The seal was set on the next three centuries of the peninsulas history.

The Spanish refused to accept that they had lost Gibraltar because of a petty dynastic squabble. Their bitterness was further inflamed by British restrictions on the religious freedom of Catholics in the newly conquered territory. It was only a matter of time before the two countries would again come to blows and make Gibraltar a battleground. Fighting broke out in 1727, when the Spaniards mounted another unsuccessful assault by land. Another peace treaty in 1729after the British had expelled all the peninsulas Spanish civilian inhabitantsdid nothing to ease tensions.

Major William Green, an engineer who was posted to Gibraltar in 1761, knew that the Spanish would try to reconquer the Rock. A veteran of the French and Indian War in North America, Green was highly proficient in gunnery and siegecraft. What he saw at Gibraltar worried him. While the landward defenses were strong, those to sea were not. British command of the Mediterranean around Gibraltar was robust but could never be guaranteed.

Gibraltars governor backed up Green, remarking, Though it has often been said that Gibraltar is impregnable, which no place is according to my notions, it was always understood while you command the sea. In 1769 Greens plans for an overhaul of the Rocks fortifications were approved in London. He set to work with a special company of soldier artificers, and under his expert eye the artificers completely transformed Gibraltar, constructing massive fortifications that included the huge Kings Bastion.

The improvements came in the nick of time. In 1775 the American Revolutionary War began, and a few years later the French and Spanish intervened against Great Britain. For Spain, North America meant little compared to the Rock, which they eagerly wanted back. Their determination culminated in the so-called Great Siege. From 1779 to 1783 the Spanish did their best to blockade the peninsula by both land and sea and made multiple attempts to capture it. The defenders, vigorously led by General George Augustus Eliottassisted ably by Greensuccessfully repulsed every attack. Laid low at times by short rations and disease, they never came close to surrender. After a final massive bombardment by Spanish and French forces from land and sea failed spectacularly in September 1782, the truth became obvious: Thanks to Greens fortifications, the Rock had indeed become impregnable.

After the Great Siege, Gibraltar became a renowned symbol of British imperial power. During the Napoleonic Wars it served as an important naval base. In 1805 Gibraltar received the body of Admiral Horatio Nelsonpreserved in a cask of brandyafter his death in the nearby Battle of Trafalgar. During the Peninsular War (18081814) the French groped toward but never came close to seizing the Rock. British support of the Spanish rising against Napoleon contributed to a fleeting period of goodwill between the two nations, and for a short time after Napoleons final defeat in 1815 it seemed as if the Spanish had almostbut not quitecome to terms with British control of Gibraltar. During the 19th century the town below the Rock grew into a thriving community alongside the military garrison. The British government nevertheless continued to improve the Rocks already formidable defenses, renovating fortifications and installing the latest designs in heavy artillery.

The outbreak of the First World War brought Gibraltar straight back into the headlines. In the first two days after Britains declaration of war on Germany in August 1914, torpedo boats darted out of Gibraltar and captured four German ships, proudly escorting their prizes back into the Rocks shadow. German surface ships soon disappeared from the seas, however, and Gibraltar settled back into its daily routines. The appearance of German U-boats in the Mediterranean in 1915 found the British unprepared. The kaisers submarines passed through the straits and below the Rock with impunity, going on to raid Allied shipping. The British garrison looked on in frustration but could do nothing to stop them. In 1917 and 1918 Gibraltar served as an assembly point for ocean convoys, but that was about the extent of its contribution to the war effort.

World War II brought Gibraltar back into the strategic picture. Although Spanish dictator Francisco Franco adopted a deliberately nebulous nonbelligerent posture, his pro-Axis leanings were well known, and there was always the possibility he would throw in his lot with Hitler and Mussolini. Nor did he make any secret of his resentment of British control of the Rock. As a precaution, most of the peninsulas civilians were evacuated to Great Britain. If Hitler had succeeded in bringing Franco into the Axis or if Germany had invaded Spain, Gibraltar would surely have been in deep trouble. As Winston Churchill wrote, The Rock might once again stand a long siege, but it would only be a rock. Spain held the key to all British enterprises in the Mediterranean. It was a good thing for the British that Spain stayed out of the war.

Gibraltar did come under attack from German and Italian aircraft, which sometimes bombed the peninsula but caused little damage. The greatest immediate danger came from Italian frogmen under the command of Prince Valerio Borghese, an aristocrat and enthusiastic Fascist. He attempted multiple methods for damaging shipping in Gibraltars harbor from 1940 to 1943. One involved frogmen from the Italian submarine Scire. The frogmen guided manned torpedoes toward British merchant ships and attached explosive charges to their hulls before swimming ashore, where Italian agents picked them up and smuggled them out of Spain. More often than not, these attempts failed or caused only minor damage, but in 1942 Borghese hit on the ruse of basing his frogmen in the hulk of an old Italian merchant ship in nearby Algeciras harbor. Over the course of about two years Italian frogmen managed to attack and sink or damage a total of 14 merchant ships before Italy signed an armistice with the Allies in September 1943.

Meanwhile, the British garrison at Gibraltar busily expanded its tiny airfield. U-boat commanders could no longer thumb their noses when they passed the Rock, as they had in the previous war. Although the British suffered some serious shipping losses early in the war from submarines operating nearbyincluding the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, sunk by U-81 30 miles from Gibraltar on November 13, 1941fighters and seaplanes based at the Rock soon made passage of the straits a risky proposition for U-boats. Convoys assembled under Gibraltars protection to carry vital supplies to British forces in North Africa. And the November 8, 1942, Allied invasion of Vichy French North AfricaOperation Torchwas headquartered in Gibraltar.

Although Gibraltar lost its status as an important military and naval base after 1945, it grew in prominence as one of Western Europes few remaining political flashpoints. While the British disassembled their worldwide empire, they very pointedly held on to the Rock, much to the chagrin of Francowho ruled until 1975and his successors. Spanish anger failed to stir the Gibraltarians, who by now firmly identified themselves with Great Britain. Although military confrontation is unlikely, tension over Gibraltar has evolved into an on-again, off-again miniCold War, with the Spanish occasionally imposing severe restrictions on access and trade. In the 21st century there seems little prospect that this state of affairs will change. Rather, tiny Gibraltar is poised to loom large in Europe for many years to come.

Edward G. Lengel, director of the University of Virginias Papers of George Washington project, writes about many periods of history. He is now completing a World War I prequel volume on American military engagements in 1918.

Originally published in the July 2014 issue of Military History Quarterly. To subscribe, click here.
Community gathers to discuss homelessness Interfaith prayer breakfast marks continued conversation By Carina Woudenberg More than 40 people showed up at an interfaith prayer breakfast at the Coastside Lutheran Church on Thursday morning to discuss homelessness and to explore potential solutions. The event was sponsored by Abundant Grace Coastside Worker, which also holds a free community breakfast at the church every Wednesday and Thursday morning. The prayer breakfasts attendees ran the gamut from homeless individuals, religious leaders and concerned citizens to city officials and Half Moon Bay City Council members. Julia McKeon, a board member for Abundant Grace, spoke at the event about all the great strides made in addressing the homeless issues in other cities. For example, San Francisco has Project Homeless Connect, a service linking the most vulnerable population to a variety of resources from medical appointments to job assistance. Similarly, Santa Cruz also offers a range of programs and services with the homeless in mind, including a program devoted to providing socks for people in need. McKeon referenced programs and shelters offered elsewhere in the county and the inability for the local churches to operate as rotating shelters due to a lack of capacity. Between partnering with Portrero Nuevo Farm to bring jobs to the homeless, the regular community breakfasts and other support, Abundant Grace has played a significant role in addressing the issues related to homelessness on the Coastside. Yet, more needs to be done, those involved in the effort say. Its time for us as a community to look at what we can do, McKeon told the group seated in the churchs pews after the breakfast. Jennifer Martinez, executive director of Faith in Action Bay Area, spoke at the event about her time traveling Europe, Latin America and South Africa, and the strength and compassion she saw in some of the most poor and dilapidated cities. As a result, Martinez has spent more than a decade exploring ways to include traditionally marginalized people in the conversation on how to improve their own environments. Eric DeBode, executive director for Abundant Grace, has operated along that same philosophy. Over the last three years or so he has been interviewing the homeless population to get a sense of the biggest needs. DeBode said he has consistently heard the same requests: A place to do laundry and take showers, a connection to jobs, and clothing and meals. Abundant Grace is working on delivering on these requests with a plan to put together a hospitality center on the Coastside as well as bring in a handful of housing units for people to live. At the recent Half Moon Bay City Council retreat, DeBode indicated that the property currently neighboring the Coastside Lutheran Church could be one option and that the housing there already could fit their needs well. The Half Moon Bay City Council is currently deciding whether it can fulfill the nonprofits request for $50,000 in seed money to get the project going. A previously homeless man by the name of Brian Wilson spoke at the breakfast about how Abundant Grace helped turn his life around. He had been living in Southern California when he moved to Half Moon Bay  spending his last few dollars on a tent. Now Wilson has a home in El Granada and is working as a handyman. As a former homeless person, Wilson is a big fan of the plan for the hospitality center and housing units that DeBodes been talking about. Id buy the property and do it myself, but I cant, he said. The event organizers said they viewed Thursdays event as the beginning of a series of further discussions to address the issues. Each person was encouraged to sign up to become part of smaller groups. Its a wake-up call, DeBode said earlier in the event. We have a very serious housing crisis and it needs to be addressed from the bottom up. r
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 5



By Farhad Daneshvar  Trend:



The Iranian intelligence minister, Mahmoud Alavi, has played down recent threats by the so-called Islamic State terrorist group (IS aka ISIS/ISIL) to attack the Islamic Republic.



Daesh [Arabic acronym for IS] that is losing its stronghold in [Iraqi city of] Mosul is now thinking of Tehran?, Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying.



Earlier in March, the IS released a 36-minute video in Persian language threatening to attack Iran.







Iran over the past years has helped Syrian and Iraqi governments in fight against the terrorist group deploying military advisors to the conflict zones and organizing pro-government militia.



Iranian security officials had earlier announced that they tackled some terrorist teams linked to the IS inside the country.



Iraqs government security forces have launched military offensive to reclaim the city of Mosul from the terrorist group.



Iraqi forces over the past several weeks have made key gains recapturing many parts of the city.
North Korea is one of the most unpredictable countries in the world. The point is, there are very few people in the world who knows about the system of North Korea. The threat is, North Korea has really emerged as a dangerous country in the last decade and it poses a constant threat to the many countries in the world. The threats of North Korea can not be neglected as the country holds a serious Nuclear power and they are looking to strengthen their Nuclear arsenal every year. Though North Korea have few potential enemies but the main enemy of North Korea is the United States. Therefore, it is the time for the U.S president Donald Trump to take initiative.



The newly elected president Donald Trump is really proactive when it comes to the matter of North Korea. At first, Trump was not interested in direct involvement with North Korea. He tried to sort out the North Korean issues with the help of China. According to him, there are thousands of Chinese people who are benefitted from the United States. Therefore, China should take the responsibilities of North Korea.



Recently, the U.S president Donald Trump and the Chinese Prime Minister Xi Jinping were involved in a meeting. In that meeting One of the prior issues were North Korea. It is known to many politicians that the China has a significant impact on control over the North Korean capital Pyongyang. Therefore, if the United States want control over Pyongyang then China can play a very significant role.



Donald Trump also made one point clear, he said that if China does not take necessary steps to control Pyongyang then the United States is ready to take all necessary actions. At the same time, he made another point clear as he said that the United States have enough power to control the North Korean actions.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
R aw industrial styling meets luxurious details at Vyn Yard in Bethnal Green.

This new development is in Vyner Street, a popular hub for east London creatives, with gallery exhibitions and a monthly street festival.

Due for completion in May, Vyn Yard offers one-, two- and three-bedroom lateral and duplex apartments.

675,000: a two-bedroom first-floor flat with original steel beams is for sale

The one were featuring is on the first floor with two bedrooms  one en suite  and original steel beams to its vaulted ceilings in the open-plan living space, along with exposed brick walls.

Underfloor heating, lighting and a sound system are all iPad controlled and the private balcony has rooftop views. Bethnal Green station is five minutes away.

The two-bedroom flat is for sale for 675,000. Through Currell (020 7226 6611).
Artists taking part in the second edition of the Crystal Ship Festival include



Follow our Ostend Adventures



The post also featured tips on how to get there and some other must-see sights in the city. The post proved popular with the Ostend Tourist Board sharing it across their social channels. If you missed the feature you can check out the post here   Ostend Street Art And Where To Find It. Hookedblog will be attending the festival again this year, we really enjoyed our 2016 visit to the city and we are excited to discover the new additions to the cities walls as well as see some of the finished murals we missed last year as some of the artists (Jaz, Crycle ) were still working on their wall when we left! Most of the artists have already landed in Ostend with many of their works already in progress.The first edition of the Crystal Ship festival in Ostend has proved hugely popular with the cities Mayor Johan Vande Lanotte saying,One of the many stencil pieces by Belgian street artist Jaune on the streets of Ostend from the 2016 edition of the festival. Alexis Diaz (PR)  Axel Void (US)  Bosoletti (AR)  Buck (BE)  C215 (FR) HellO Collective (BE)  Hyuro (ES)  Jaune (BE)  Johannes Mundinger (DE)  Levalet (FR)  Nelio (FR)  Nuart presents Henrik Uldalen (NO)  Outings Project (FR)  Pastel (AR)  Phlegm (UK)  Ricky Lee Gordon (SA)  Schellekens & Peleman (BE)  Sebas Velasco (ES)  SpY (ES)  Strook (BE)The 2017 edition of The Crystal Ship will be based at Achturenplein Ostend, where you can pick up a copy of the free map that will guide you through the cities open-air exhibition.Hookedblog will be in Ostend for a few days and we will be bringing you coverage from The Crystal Ship Festival across our social channels so be sure to join us on Hookedblog Twitter and follow our daily adventures via our Hookedblog #InstagramStories on Instagram.
Tehran, Iran, April 5



By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:



Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a phone call to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov issued condolences regarding a recent bombing in Saint Petersburg which left over a dozen killed and many injured.



Zarif expressed sincere sympathy with the families of the victims of the incident, IRNA news agency reported April 5.



On April 3 a blast in a Saint Petersburg subway station left 14 dead, four of which are still unidentified. Over 50 were also injured in the blast.



The attack was carried out by a suicide bomber originally from Kyrgyzstan, authorities said.
Moxy Hotels, Marriott International's experiential hotel brand, continues its expansion in Europe with the launch of Moxy Vienna Airport, the brand's first hotel in Austria. Characterised by a vibrant, playful design and an energetic crew, Moxy Vienna Airport offers a new way of travelling, with communal and spirited experiences at a surprisingly affordable price and joins an ever-evolving portfolio of nine global destinations including Munich, Milan, Berlin, New Orleans and London.

"Moxy continues to fulfill its ambition to launch a new, disruptive hotel experience that caters to the next generation of travellers who are less interested in a cookie-cutter experience," said Vicki Poulos, global brand director, Moxy Hotels. "These travellers want to discover something new while taking in the city, the food and the local scene, whether they are there for a day or a week. We're thrilled to introduce Moxy Hotels to a city known for its vibrant urban culture and offer travellers a fun hotel experience to match."

Conveniently located at Vienna airport and only a 15-minute train journey from the city centre, Moxy Vienna Airport provides the perfect gateway to explore the museums, music and coffee house culture that characterises Austria's elegant capital. In true Moxy fashion, Moxy Vienna Airport will be a 24/7 spot for all things fun and impromptu with playful communal spaces, a buzzing bar and thoughtfully crafted offerings designed for travellers and locals who want to hang-out with their friends and meet new ones, without breaking the bank.

Welcome #ATTHEMOXY

Moxy's fun, inclusive and youthful spirit is reflected in the combination of bold design and affordable style where communal engagement is at the centre of the experience. The interiors fuse refined and raw materials, organic and linear lines, and shared spaces. The Moxy experience kicks-off with a bright, airy and buzzing lobby. The contemporary lobby's modern furniture invites guests to relax, pick up a book from the Moxy library, connect and catch up with friends or retreat to the gym to re-energise by punching the pink Moxy punching bag. Guests of Moxy Vienna Airport are encouraged to take a selfie in the photo booth inspired hotel elevators, complete with props.

Living Room #ATTHEMOXY

Moxy Vienna Airport's Living Room is the centre of activity, offering guests fun ways to work and play hard. Sealed concrete floors, walls lined with intriguing art and fun references to local culture including artistic beer jugs displayed on the walls are complemented by ambient lighting and comfortable accents of colour. The Living Room also features abundant power and USB outlets, and furiously fast and free Wi-Fi for ultimate connectivity. A high-energy yet cosy space for gatherings, special events or cocktails, the lounge plays host to eclectic upbeat music.

Stay #ATTHEMOXY

The hotel's 405 contemporary guest rooms, ranging from standard to family size, are outfitted with sound-reducing walls, 42 LCD flat screen televisions, complimentary super-fast Wi-Fi, abundant USB ports, comfortable bedding and deep-seated armchairs in calming, neutral fabrics. Every bedroom makes a statement with a fun floor to ceiling art piece. The design is functional, flexible and uncluttered with simple, thoughtful touches including glass shelving and an open storage concept featuring a peg wall for ultimate flexibility when unpacking, in lieu of a traditional closet. Stylish bathrooms feature complimentary Muk toiletries, bright pink hair dryers, power showers and large mirrors alongside a spacious vanity area.

24/7 Dining #ATTHEMOXY

Moxy's 24/7 B&F (Beverage & Food), smart and fun self-service concept gives guests access to what they want, whenever they want it. The Moxy dining area offers lots of options for food and drink including fresh juices and a coffee bar. Guests can enjoy fresh Panini sandwiches and a range of healthy alternatives from salad to antipasti. An evening Crockpot entree will be served along with a variety of cocktails, craft beers and specialty wines. The bar is full-service and the hub of activity in the lobby  it also doubles as the hotel's physical check-in, where guests are greeted with a complimentary 'Got Moxy' cocktail upon arrival.

Meetings #ATTHEMOXY

Moxy Vienna Airport has three flexible events spaces able to accommodate up to 20 attendees.

Marriott Rewards #ATTHEMOXY

Moxy guests who are members of the award-winning Marriott Rewards loyalty programme will get exclusive access to even more digital features through the Marriott Mobile app when they book direct, including mobile check-in and check-out, keyless entry and Mobile Requests to make their travel experience seamless. Marriott Rewards members will also earn points for their stay at Moxy Hotels and can redeem for hotel stays across the Marriott Rewards portfolio of brands.

Rates #ATTHEMOXY

Special opening rates at the new Moxy Vienna Airport begin from 89.

Moxy Hotels first launched in Milan in September 2014. Moxy Tempe and Moxy Munich Airport opened in March 2016, Moxy New Orleans in May 2016 and Moxy Frankfurt Eschborn in August 2016. Moxy Aberdeen Airport opened in December 2016 with Moxy London Excel following in March 2017. The brand is entering the market in a bold way, with several additional identified projects slated for major metropolitan locations including Amsterdam, New York, San Francisco, Boston and Frankfurt.

About Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of more than 8,100 properties under 30 leading brands spanning 139 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company offers Marriott Bonvoy, its highly awarded travel program. Connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl on Twitter and Instagram.
Vienna House, Austria's largest hotel group, is opening a smart casual design hotel under the Vienna House Easy brand in the centre of Leipzig. The lease agreement has been signed and the opening is scheduled for early 2018.

Vienna House signed the lease agreement with BERKOM Grundstucks GmbH & Co. Hotels Leipzig am Bruhl KG at the end of March. The contract signing gives the go-ahead for the extensive changes and renovations to the existing object, formerly a Novotel, in the centre of Leipzig near the train station.

"Leipzig is one of Germany's exciting cities, with an interesting cultural scene, great clubs, impressive architecture, a lively city centre and a creative student community," says Rupert Simoner, CEO of Vienna House. "The smart and casual concept of Vienna House Easy makes a perfect match for the city and I am very pleased that the next step in our expansion is now taking us to Leipzig."

The new Vienna House Easy Leipzig features 206 rooms, including eleven suites and four family rooms. The lobby is a combination of bar, living room and creative meeting place for locals, guests and city tourists. The tables have wheels, allowing them to be repositioned as desired. And with free high-speed WiFi, the location is as varied as the wishes of the guests. The culinary offerings promise a melange of Viennese coffeehouse tradition coupled with the casual zeitgeist. In other words: strudel meets craft beer. A small shop selling regional, trendy and seasonal products rounds off the offer.

The breakfast restaurant, as in all Vienna House Easy hotels, is designed in a bakery style. Further facilities include a 180 square metre ballroom, two conference rooms (56 and 38 square metres) as well as an open room with flexible use possibilities. The hotel also features an outdoor terrace which, thanks to its colourful mix of lounge and coffeehouse furniture as well as hanging seats, succeeds in elegantly and skilfully transporting the traditional style of the swing seat into the 21st century.

The guest rooms have a clear colour line with furnishings that include high-quality box spring beds and newly renovated bathrooms. A special feature are the family rooms with their new room concept: bunk beds! Modern and cool in their design, the bunk beds open up new possibilities in terms of room dimensions. Perfect for kids are the play corners and connecting doors to the parents' room.

On the various floors, the hotel offers the kinds of services one would expect from the luxury class, such as pillow stations, reading corners, sewing tables and other self-service facilities. And guests will be able to exercise. On the eighth floor of the hotel, a large fitness room offers modern machines as well as breathtaking views over the rooftops of Leipzig.

Vienna House Easy Leipzig is digital where it is of benefit for the guests. Online check-in, mobile concierge, chat function with the hotel team and other services are standard. In their role as host, the warm and welcoming staff sees to the needs of the guests in a natural and attentive way.

The hotel is located five minutes on foot from the main market square and the train station. If arriving by car, parking is available in the adjoining car park.
It looks like you've reached a page that doesnt exist (anymore).

Please use the navigation or search above to find content on Hospitality Net.

Go back to home
A new Pepsi ad where Kendall Jenner hands out cans of everyones second-favorite cola in an effort to right the worlds wrongs is getting unanimous backlash. The commercial features Kendall joining a vague peace protest after ditching a modeling gig, at which point she *realizes* (2017, lookin good) that the key to uniting America is in a cold can of Pepsi. The climax comes with Jenner handing a beverage to a cop on the scene, who reacts with a smile and is greeted by cheers from protesters.







The ad seems keen on using images of resistance akin to movements like Black Lives Matter without taking on the cause or responsibility. As Jezebel points out, the scene in which Jenner approaches the cops is reminiscent of the iconic image of Baton Rouge protester Ieshia Evans peacefully offering her hands as shes arrested by riot police.



Since the ad made its way online, reactions have been uniformly negative, with many questioning just how this idea got the green light.



Check out some responses from Twitter below.
Tehran, Iran, April 5



By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:



Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi condemned a recent chemical attack in northern Syria which killed about 70 people.



We strongly condemn the use of chemical weapons regardless of the perpetrators and victims, he stated, the Foreign Ministry said in a message on April 5.



Qassemi underlined that Iran has always expressed concern over lack of attention to necessity of disarming the terrorists of their chemical weapons.



He noted that Iran, as a victim of chemical attacks, is ready to help victims of the attack in Syria receive medical treatment.



A dawn airstrike on April 4 released a noxious gas over the city of Idlib, killing at least 70 people and wounding more than 100.

The World Health Organization said some patients were showing symptoms of exposure to a nerve agent, including life-threatening breathing difficulties.
Last night, Twitter held a roasting session of Pepsi for its new Jump In commercial, which stars Kendall Jenner. In the face of widespread censure, the cola brands PR team is busy doing clean-up work.

In the controversial ad, Jenner walks out of a photo shoot to join some sort of festive social demonstration. It ends with her walking into the no mans land between the rally and a police blockade and bravely handing an ice-cold Pepsi to one of the cops. The immediate social media backlash dealt with Pepsis implication of real-life protests, in which threats of police violence cant be assuaged with a soda. Critics have also noted that the profits of the Jenner-starring commercial will, ostensibly, go straight to Pepsi and not toward any social justice organizations.

Without tackling any criticisms head-on, Pepsi maintains that the message delivered in the ad  which will be broadcasted globally, both digitally and on TV  is an important one. This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think thats an important message to convey, reads a statement that Pepsi sent Adweek.

The Jump In Pepsi Moments film takes a more progressive approach to truly reflect todays generation and what living for now looks like, Pepsi said in another press release.

To me, Pepsi is more than just a beverage, said Jenner in a statement of her own, it registers as a pop culture icon and a lifestyle that shares a voice with the generation of today. The spirit of Pepsi  living in the now moment  is one that I believe in. I make a conscious effort in my everyday life and travels to enjoy every experience of today.

Its safe to say neither Jenner nor any Pepsi executives will be on the front lines at the next Black Lives Matter protest.

Pepsi
He also has a starring role in a World War II Nazi occupation drama.

Not content with making his cinematic bow in upcoming World War II drama, Another Mother's Son - Jenny Seagrove and John Hanna also star in the story of how the Nazi occupation of the island affects a Jersey family - Ronan Keating has signed up to co-present the weekday breakfast show on the UK's easy listening Magic Radio network. His on-air partner will be Harriet Scott, a well-travelled broadcaster who's worked for the likes of BBC2, Absolute Radio, BRMB and Heart.

Making their debut together "later in the year", they'll be part of a team that already includes Melanie C, Mel Giedroyc, Rick Astley and Kim Wilde.
With a couple of acclaimed albums behind them and a hectic live schedule, Donegals Henry Girls  sisters Karen, Lorna and Joleen McLaughlin  have forged a reputation and won hearts, home and abroad, with their unique brand of charming, understated, Celtic Americana. Certainly, their penchant for fetching melodies and heartfelt three-part harmonies, combined with an endearing stage presence, offers an irresistible package.

On Far Beyond The Stars, the terrific opener, Oh Why, blends driving bluegrass rhythms and a winning pop melody, while the gorgeous acapella beginning to Down By The River sounds like something from the Oh Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. Even better is their take on folk standard  and feminist anthem  Rebel Girl (Joe Hill), which is truly sublime.

Elsewhere, the trio veer towards a Western swing style with the finger-clicking, handclapping workout Dont Call Me Honey, while Falling In Love Again is as sweet and front-porch wholesome as it gets. For good measure, the group prove equally adept at 40s-style boogie woogie, as evidenced by Im Your Baby. Some might argue that a tad more edginess in the arrangements and instrumental approach might add more sonic interest, but the purity of the voices and the impeccable musicianship are hard to argue with.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

From the Dakota plains down to the South Texas scrub and over to the Permian Basin, refiners are making multi-decade bets that shale drillers can keep the oil flowing to feed new facilities that will be cleaner and safer than ever.

U.S. oil companies are pumping more than 9.1 million barrels a day. With the price for a barrel of West Texas Intermediate floating between $45 and $55 a barrel, analysts predict they could add another million barrels a day in 2018.

Directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing of shale rock help the U.S. compete with Saudi Arabia and Russia for the title of world's largest energy producer. We even export light sweet crude and liquefied natural gas to Latin America and Europe.

That fact often confounds readers who wonder why the U.S. still imports heavy sour crude from Venezuela, Canada and the Middle East. The answer is that refineries are designed for a blend of crudes and can't run only on light sweet.

Truth be told, refiners didn't reconfigure their equipment because they didn't know how long the U.S. boom would last. When OPEC allowed prices to drop from over $105 a barrel to less than $30, refiners felt vindicated because conventional wisdom said you can't drill a horizontal well and frack it for less than $85 a barrel. But conventional wisdom was wrong.

As soon as prices inched above $50, oil companies announced they had learned how to make money at that price. They've doubled the number of rigs operating in the most lucrative oil basins from last year. Refiners are taking notice, recognizing that shale oil and gas are here to stay and finally investing in new facilities.

"The industry has focused on large coastal facilities with large, complex refineries that can handle just about everything that shows up in a tanker," said Bill Prentice, CEO of Meridian Energy, which plans to begin construction on a $850 million greenfield refinery in North Dakota this summer. "Now there's no need for all of that complexity and heavy crude ... now we have an opportunity to build a new kind of refinery that operates on the best crude in world."

Meridian's new refinery will process 55,000 barrels a day and supply gasoline, diesel and low-sulfur oil to the Midwest market. But the company is far from alone.

Raven Petroleum, headquartered in Houston, says it will start work on a $500 million refinery in South Texas' Eagle Ford Shale region later this year. Austin-based MMEX Resources Corp. plans to raise $450 million to build a 50,000-barrel-a-day refinery in West Texas' Pecos County.

Overcoming local opposition, though, can be tough.

"When people heard we were putting a refinery in, people started to freak out because everyone knows what a refinery looks like," Prentice said about his project in the Bakken Shale play. "But this isn't going to be your granddad's refinery. It's going to be something completely different."

Meridian wants to prove that a refinery doesn't need to operate in some industrial ghetto or wasteland. Light sweet crude doesn't have the sulfur, particulates or viscosity that require a lot of distilling, which means fewer pollutants are released in the refining process. That can mean a lighter footprint.

Meridian's Davis Refinery was engineered and built to be the industry's most environmentally sustainable facility by two Houston companies, engineering firm Vepica USA and fabrication firm Basic Equipment, Prentice said. The company has applied for nothing more than a Minor Synthetic Source permit, which puts it on the same environmental level as a dry cleaner. If successful, it would be a first in the business.

"And we've made changes to the design in the last few weeks that would further reduce emissions by another 15 percent," he added.

Under better circumstances, we wouldn't need to build refineries and petrochemical plants, and instead would concentrate on developing cleaner forms or energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, we're not there yet, either technologically or financially.

Until then, we'll need to burn fossil fuels, but we should burn them as efficiently and cleanly as possible. Using cleaner light sweet crude and natural gas in the United States is an essential step.

Projects like Meridian's Davis Refinery prove that the fossil fuel industry can do better. More importantly, though, it proves that residents can rightfully demand that refineries adopt the best technology.

That's a small price to pay for taking full advantage of our nation's energy riches.
"I am in fifth grade, and I cannot read and can barely write," my student Ricardo said tearfully. "I've never passed a reading test, and I am not going to pass this year either. There is nothing you can do for me."

I told him that I believed in him and refused to give up. If he worked hard, I would do everything in my power to make sure he was able to read, write and pass the state test by the end of the school year.

"Are you serious, Ms. Walker?" he asked hesitantly, as if he had heard this promise many times before.

Most likely, he had. Ricardo is an immigrant from Mexico, and like many black and brown young men, his academic journey so far had been an almost consistent failure. As he passed through the educational system, he'd fallen through one crack after another.

I knew that I couldn't just teach Ricardo. I had to teach him through a social justice lens.

Black and brown young men are not expected to succeed. According to a recent policy report by seven research institutions, by fourth grade, only 14 percent of black males and 18 percent of Hispanic males are performing at proficient or above grade level in reading. By eighth grade, this number shrinks to 12 percent of black males and 17 percent of Hispanic males.

Given those odds, how can a teacher equip them to excel in school?

1) Choose the right books, the right lessons.

We can start by choosing texts and lessons that relate to their lives and cultures. For instance, for Ricardo, I might recommend "The Jumping Tree" by Rene Saldana , an age-appropriate novel that not only has a Hispanic male main character but also addresses family and identity crisis, immigration status and discrimination.

A book like that can make a difference not only in his academics but in his life.

2) Believe in them.

No child will succeed without someone to believe in him or her.

Like Ricardo, many of my boys entered eighth grade reading significantly below grade level. They continually said things like, "Ms. Walker, they already expect us to fail, so why not?"

I let them know that's not what I expect. I give positive affirmations to my students daily. Simple words like "You will do an amazing job today" can change a child's narrative.

I let them know that they are in this classroom, on this day, to make a difference in the world tomorrow, and nothing should stop them. In my classroom may be sitting the next congressman, scientist, business owner, author or president. I expect great things.

3) Tell them their voices matter.

Today, kids learn "My life matters." But what is life without a voice? The students in my class learn that they should have something to stand for and someone to stand with.

In purposeful, engaging, student-led discussions, they express themselves. Then, I try to build a bridge that connects their conversation to academics.

Ricardo is in high school now. He has passed each core subject on the eighth-grade state STAAR exam. He has shown significant growth in reading, science, history and math, and is an avid reader of the Percy Jackson series. He tutors other English-as-a-second-language students whose academic journeys have, like his, been rocky.

Through every hug he gives me when he visits my classroom, I get to experience that little piece of hope I gave him.

Recently, he said, "Ms. Walker, you gave me something I didn't know I had. Thank you."

That thank you - and the hope of more like it - is what keeps me coming back to my classroom.

There's a sweet balance to our relationship now. He's grateful that I made him a better student. And I'm grateful to him for making me a better teacher.
Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle

A man was shot to death in southwest Houston after a Wednesday morning fight with his girlfriend.

Just before 2 a.m., a man who police later identified as 27-year-old Crystal Rose got in a spat with his girlfriend.
It once was stated that "man's weakness is not achieving victories, but in taking advantage of them." This is the case for global infection control. We have so far eradicated only a single major infectious disease threat, a feat accomplished through the leadership of Dr. D.A. Henderson, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 87.

Beginning in 1966, Henderson led a global effort based at the World Health Organization (WHO) to accelerate smallpox vaccinations. In an extraordinary campaign that required vaccinating people in the poorest and most remote areas of the world (detailed in his book Smallpox: The Death of a Disease), the disease vanished, with the last known naturally transmitted case of smallpox occurring in 1977.

Ever since, we have made great strides in the global control of infectious diseases, even progress toward disease eradication. Frequently, though, the endgame has been disrupted by an unexpected turn of events. In a recent book, I estimated that most of the world's poverty-related neglected diseases are paradoxically found in G20 nations. There are at least half a dozen diseases for which elimination or eradication would be feasible were it not for war or national turmoil, political malaise or a growing anti-vaccine movement.

Some of the most dramatic examples of game-changing disruptions in disease control have been noted for human parasitic and tropical infections. During much of the 20th century, tremendous strides were made in the elimination of the highly lethal Gambian form of African sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis or "HAT") through a combination of case detection and treatment and tsetse fly control. Many of the methods used to wipe out sleeping sickness were developed by Dr. Eugene Jamot, a French physician working in Cameroon who pioneered portable and movable treatment teams during the early 20th century.

By the 1960s, Gambian HAT was near elimination in many African nations. But when hostilities and civil and international conflicts broke out in Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and elsewhere, public health control was interrupted. By the '90s, the incidence of HAT had returned to pre-Jamot-era levels.

More recently, as tensions have eased and mass treatment and tsetse control efforts have been reinstated, a 73 percent reduction in deaths from HAT has occurred between 1990 and 2010. With only about 10,000 cases of HAT remaining, we might still yet see the global elimination of this deadly disease.

Joe Raedle/Staff

War, conflict and political instability also have halted or interrupted other global efforts to eliminate or eradicate parasitic diseases. Breakdowns in health systems in Venezuela are resulting in resurgences of malaria and Chagas disease. Public health disruptions from the ISIS occupation of Syria and Iraq have allowed the number of cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis, a disease transmitted by sandflies and often associated with a disfiguring ulcer on the face, to skyrocket and spread into neighboring countries.

The only good news is that, though wars in the Sudan almost derailed global guinea worm eradication efforts led by the Carter Center, the Centers for Disease Control and WHO, this disease might soon become only the second one ever eradicated.

Next to war and political instability, probably the next most corrosive factor thwarting public health gains against infectious disease is simple absence of political will. During the 1950s and '60s, under the auspices of the Pan American Health Organization, an ambitious effort to control yellow fever and dengue resulted in the eradication of the Aedes aegypti mosquito in more than a dozen Latin American and Caribbean countries. But lapses in mosquito control efforts and other factors allowed the species to reestablish, resulting in the reintroduction of dengue into the region during the '80s. Now yellow fever has returned to Brazil, where it could gain access to those mosquito populations and threaten urban centers.

Washington Post: Zika poses even greater risk for birth defects than was previously known, CDC reports

Perhaps the most disheartening examples of infectious disease control going off the rails are instances in which there are deliberate attempts to block vaccination efforts. Today, the transmission of polio has been halted everywhere except in Afghanistan and Pakistan (and before that northern Nigeria) due in part to concerted efforts by religious extremist groups to kidnap or assassinate vaccine workers.

And now in the U.S. and Europe we have anti-vaccine groups that allege links between vaccines and autism, despite massive scientific data showing conclusively there are no links or even any plausibility for vaccines causing autism.

A particular concern is the resurgence of measles, because it is one of the most contagious of all the vaccine-preventable diseases and often is the first to reemerge following a decline in vaccine rates.

But really any one of the major childhood illness targeted for vaccination could reappear. Measles was eradicated in the United States in 2000. However, it returned to California in 2015, and now the state of Texas is especially vulnerable because tens of thousands of children are not being vaccinated for nonmedical exemptions.

Globally, between 1990 and 2010 there has been an 80 percent decline in measles deaths and for the first time the number of young children who die of measles globally has dropped below 100,000. However, there are concerns that an American-led anti-vaccine movement could now derail this achievement and possibly even lead to a reversal of sustainable and global goals for health and poverty reduction.

We need a concerted effort by global leaders to close current gaps and explore final steps to eliminate our great plagues. To do so will require international cooperation by the WHO member states, especially the 20 wealthiest economies constituting the G20 nations. Taking on the considerable political and social hurdles will become one of the great international challenges in freeing populations from the tyranny of epidemics or pandemics.



Peter Hotez, MD, Ph.D., is Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, where he is Director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development. He is the author of Blue Marble Health: An Innovative Plan to Fight Diseases of the Poor Amid Wealth.

This article originally appeared on Zocalo Public Square.



Has the endgame has been disrupted by an unexpected turn of events? Bookmark Gray Matters.


GALVESTON  The city of Webster has contributed $3.5 million to the Johnson

Space Center's effort to restore a historic mission control room at the Johnson Space Center, the largest monetary gift ever given to the space center's non-profit partner.

The City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to make the donation after hearing emotional pleas from residents, many of whom work or have worked at the Space Center.

The donation was strongly supported by Webster hotels, who will bear the cost through their contributions to the hotel occupancy tax, city spokeswoman Crystal Roan said.

Roan said hoteliers endorsed the donation because they believe it will attract more overnight stays from visitors to Space Center Houston, the non-profit museum associated with the Johnson Space Center that will make the renovated Mission Control part of its daily tours.

"Currently Space Center Houston already attracts about 1 million people a year," Roan said. "We think this renovation ... will attract even more people internationally."

Although Space Center Houston has a Houston address, it is tied economically to nearby Webster and has a large population of current and former space center employees, she said.

Space Center Houston is trying to raise $5 million for the renovation that will be carried out by the Johnson Space Center, said Meridyth Moore, Space Center Houston spokeswoman.

As a government agency the Johnson Space Center cannot accept donations, but the non-profit Space Center Houston can raise money and fund projects for it, said Gayden Cooper, Space Center Houston director of communications.

The mission control center is one of two, one above the other on separate floors, that were in operation when Apollo 11 put the first man on the moon July 20, 1969, said Paul Spana, Space Center Houston exhibit manager.

The control rooms were known as mission operation control rooms, or MOCR1 and MOCR2, in the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center at the Johnson Space Center.

MOCR2 on the second floor was declared a National Historic Landmark and taken out of operation in 1995, Spana said. MOCR1 continued in use and now is mission control for the International Space Station.

"They gutted the room from floor to ceiling and started from scratch," Spana said, replacing everything with state-of-the-art hardware.

Meanwhile MOCA2 had fallen into disrepair. The goal of the rehabilitation is to make it look exactly as it did the day Neil Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface in 1969, he said.

There are several other control rooms in the building, mostly used for training. One will eventually become the control room for the first interplanetary flight, Spana said.

Cooper said the goal is to complete the refurbishing project in 2019, in time for the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing.

MOCA2 is on the Space Center Houston tram tour that takes visitors to Johnson Space Center. MOCA2 will remain on the tour even during construction, Moore said. Visitors will enter a room that looks onto MOCA2 through a thick pane of glass.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 5



By Farhad Daneshvar  Trend:



Ahead of upcoming presidential elections in Iran, the incumbent administration has expressed concerns over restrictions put on media outlets by domestic security organizations close to conservative-backed rivals.



Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi has criticized the arrest of dozens of administrators of pro-reformist channels on Telegram, a social media platform used by millions of Iranians.



The government is against the arrests [of the administrators of Telegram channels] and believes this issue should be resolved peacefully. The administrators of Telegram channels should be released, domestic media sources quoted the intelligence minister as saying on April 5.



On the same day, Government spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht has also commented on the issue expressing concerns over restricting media freedom prior to the upcoming elections to be held on May 19.



President [Hassan Rouhani] has voiced his concerns and sadness regarding the issue, the spokesman added.



A group of the administrators of Telegram channels alongside at least three pro-reformist journalists were arrested mid-March.



Following the arrests, a group of MPs as well as reformist figures linked the detentions with the upcoming elections.



## 2736626##
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Ships are not getting any smaller. Legislation now headed to the Texas House would create a revolving loan fund to help ports deepen and widen their ship channels to accommodate them.

The effort is especially important now that larger ships can pass through the Panama Canal, said state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, and primary author of the legislation that passed the Senate last week. Besides, he added, other states are seeking the same business.

"Texas ports are facing an unprecedented competitive threat from neighboring states," Creighton said.

The bill would authorize a revolving loan fund for ship channel improvement projects that have been authorized by Congress. Such projects are expensive, and they generally require a port authority or state agency to pay 35 to 50 percent of the costs, according to a November report from the Senate Select Committee on Texas Ports.

Other states help pay such non-federal costs. But in Texas, there is no state funding mechanism for ports, the committee report said.

Even if Creighton's bill passes, there's no effort to fund the program immediately.

"You're creating a bank, but the vault is empty," said Mark Jones, a political scientist at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

The November committee report points out that major infrastructure plans for Texas ports won't likely start before 2019, so "it is possible to set up the structure of the fund in 2017 and determine actual funding in a future legislative session."

Local officials welcome the intent of Creighton's Senate Bill 28.

"The state coming in and saying, 'We see the value of our ports and we're going to make sure they stay modernized and efficient' really sends the right message," said Capt. Bill Diehl, president of the Greater Houston Port Bureau.

Jim Kruse, director of the Center for Ports and Waterways at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, said the revolving loan fund would provide another avenue for port authorities struggling to get grants or raise bond money.

Yet completing the projects may still be difficult if Congress doesn't appropriate money to fund the federal portions.

"The fact that Congress authorized it does not mean it funds it," Kruse said. "And they have not been funding these projects."

Four current projects in Texas have been given the go-ahead from Congress but have not been given federal funding. These projects - the Sabine-Neches Waterway, Freeport ship channel, Brownsville ship channel and Corpus Christi ship channel - total about $2 billion. Roughly $800 million of that is non-federal costs.

Still, many are encouraged to see legislators turning their attention to ports.

"Ensuring that we have an efficient port to remain competitive is very important," said Roger Guenther, executive director of Port Houston and president of the Texas Ports Association.

Future funding for the loan program can come from tax revenue, gifts, grants or donations. It would also be funded as port authorities repay loans and from interest earned on the fund's deposits and investments.

Jones, of Rice, said he's not sure who would give a gift or donation to the fund, so the state will likely have to appropriate money for it to be viable.

In addition to the revolving loan fund, SB 28 clarifies that money from the Texas Mobility Fund made available to ports must be used outside the gates on public road projects, Creighton said.

He said improvements for such intermodal activities as transferring goods from ships to trucks are critical. If a big ship is unloaded but goods can't leave the port fast enough to unload another large ship, then it doesn't make sense to be welcoming these behemoths.

"Unless we attend to that infrastructure and that planning, everything else is delayed," Creighton said.

The House companion bill was referred on Tuesday to the Texas Ports, Innovation & Infrastructure Select Committee.

The committee chairman, state Rep. Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont, is the primary sponsor.

"I don't think there's any opposition to this because there's really no downside to it," Deshotel said. "It's really stimulating to the economy and very much needed and very much supported."
The incoming Travis County Sheriff in February denied at least 204 detention requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement that dated back to 2016 and 2017. Those requests involved 58 people convicted of driving while intoxicated and 34 convicted of assorted acts of violence, including family violence and aggravated assault, according to public records released Wednesday by a Washington D.C. non-profit.

It remains unclear how many Travis County detainees have actually been freed under a controversial policy change enacted by Sheriff Sally Hernandez, who took office in late January.

ICE AND HARRIS COUNTY: Sheriff cuts ties with ICE program over immigration detentions

At least 37 of the 204 inmates whose waivers were denied back in February made bail, others were re-arrested, remain in custody or were turned over to ICE, said Kristen Dark, senior public information officer for the department. In several cases, ICE returned with warrants for the same inmates whose waivers were denied. Other inmates are serving time either in jail or in prison.

Copies of the 204 denied ICE requests were released Tuesday by the Washington DC-based non-profit Judicial Watch. The group obtained the documents from Travis County through a records request.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said the documents provide "disturbing evidence of how Travis County's sanctuary policy protects criminal illegal aliens, many of whom are dangerous felons, from deportation." He argued that "sanctuary policies such as these put the public's safety at risk."

EXPLAINED: Department of Homeland Security's sweeping immigration enforcement plan

Hernandez has defended her stance as one that supports the rights of immigrants and encourages them to report crimes and serve as witnesses without fear of deportation.

"I am following all state and federal laws, and upholding constitutional rights to due process for all in our criminal justice system," Hernandez said in a prior statement. "Our community is safer when people can report crimes without fear of deportation. I trust the court system and our judges to assess the risks and set appropriate bonds and conditions for all who are incarcerated. The voters, who elected state leaders and me, expect and deserve a collaborative effort to come up with solutions to this very complex issue."

President Donald Trump has more recently criticized Hernandez for continuing to decline more recent ICE detainer requests than other agencies nationwide in 2017, according to ICE's own reports.

But since February, the number of ICE detainers refused by the department dropped, Dark said.From Feb. 5- March 18, 49 additional requests were declined, Dark said. Again, she emphasized, not all inmates were freed. She did not have a more recent total.

EYES ON AUSTIN: Report: Federal judge claims Austin area targeted for ICE sting over 'sanctuary' policy

The newly-released records show that most of the 204 Travis County immigrants whose detainers were denied in February were pre-trial inmates who already had spent days or months in the county's 2,500-inmate jail when Hernandez took office. Nearly all of the detainers she initially denied were issued under the administration of former President Barack Obama. The Obama administration's deportation policy targeted DUI offenders as well as others convicted of crimes of "moral turpitude," which include both felonies and misdemeanors.

Under her new policy, Hernandez has reduced cooperation with ICE agents' requests to hold jail inmates who are immigrants for deportation for up to 48 hours after they would normally be released. The department still routinely honors requests for immigration detainers for inmates convicted of more serious violent crimes, such as capital murder and aggravated assault.

DEPORTATION IN TEXAS: 18 Texas sheriffs clamoring to join deportation push, after Harris County ends contract

But detainer requests are not automatically honored for immigrant inmates convicted of driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor on first offense, or for a non-felony assault case, under the Travis County policy. Rather each ICE request for a detainer is evaluated separately and prior convictions and previous deportations also are considered, said Dark.

Hernandez' pro-immigrant policy change also has been blasted by Gov. Greg Abbott, who has urged state lawmakers to cut off grant funding to her department. "Governor Abbott finds this report deeply disturbing, and it underscores the importance of banning this dangerous policy that puts the lives of innocent Texans at risk," said John Wittman, the governor's press secretary in response to the records released Wednesday.
In a sign of waning confidence in its legal position, the Pasadena City Council voted Tuesday to withhold payment from the law firm that's trying to prove that the city's redistricting plan doesn't discriminate against Hispanics.

The 7-1 vote, with Mayor Johnny Isbell absent, exposed the degree to which the mayor has unilaterally pressed for an appeal of a federal judge's ruling that the plan was discriminatory.

Council members complained they don't fully understand the status of the lawsuit or of the work being done by Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta LLP of Austin.

Councilman Sammy Casados said he and other members have asked the mayor to put an update on the agenda, but he has declined.

Isbell couldn't be reached for comment. Councilman Darrell Morrison said he was out with the flu.

The mayor backed a redistricting plan that created six council district seats and two at-large positions, replacing an all-district seat system. A federal judge rejected the plan in January, saying it was deliberately aimed at diluting Hispanic voting strength to ward off an impending power shift in the increasingly Latino city. Isbell instructed the city's attorneys to appeal.

Even council members who previously have aligned themselves with Isbell and his redistricting plan expressed concern.

Morrison noted the absence of city staff who could address questions about the lawsuit.

"Where do we stand on this thing and what is the next step?" Morrison asked. "For that reason, I won't support this (payment)."

Only Councilwoman Pat Van Houte voted to make the $50,000 payment, but she did so reluctantly, saying it was compensation for work already completed and pledging not to vote for future payments.

Van Houte and fellow council members Cody Ray Wheeler, Ornaldo Ybarra and Casados have opposed the redistricting plan and urged the city to stop fighting the suit. The city's May election will take place with the single-member voting districts intact, per the judge's ruling. The judge also ordered Pasadena to seek clearance from the government before making any other changes to its election system.

Isbell's posture on the lawsuit, paired with last week's meeting, when he asked Wheeler, who is Hispanic, to "speak up, boy," have inflamed tensions in a town with a long-running north-south divide.

The Greater Houston Coalition for Justice and its lead activist, Johnny Mata, said Tuesday that it was contemplating suing the city over unequal distribution of federal grants to the primarily Anglo south side, to the neglect of the Latino north side.

Casados complained that the city has spent about $2.5 million on the voting rights issue, while simultaneously raising water rates to bring in about the same amount for infrastructure.

"It's ridiculous," he said. "This appeal needs to be dropped."

At least three of the seven candidates for mayor have said they would drop the appeal. Isbell is term-limited.
AUSTIN - Legislation touted as a fix-all to reform Texas' controversial jail-release system was blasted Tuesday by bail bondsmen and attorneys who said it would destroy the bail-bond industry and leave taxpayers footing a multimillion-dollar tab.

"The whole industry will be out of business" if the proposed measure passes, warned Harris County bail bondsman Rodney Vannerson, in testimony that echoed the sentiments of others. "The cost of replacing this system will be astronomical."

During a standing-room-only hearing at the Texas Capitol, Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, sparred with several witnesses over whether his Senate Bill 1338 would improve Texas justice by allowing thousands of poor Texans to get out of jail before trial on minor charges - as the state's top two jurists testified it will.

Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht and Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge Sharon Keller, in a rare joint appearance, both endorsed the legislation. They said it is a much-needed overhaul of an antiquated system that keeps too many Texans in jail and gives violent offenders who have money the ability to get out of jail when they should not.

Targeted for the most criticism during the hearing was Harris County, which Whitmire and other witnesses said keeps thousands of indigent defendants in a chronically overcrowded jail because they cannot afford to make bail.

Tuesday's hearing came as Texas and more than a dozen other states are considering changes to their bail laws to get more low-level offenders out of jails and back to work while awaiting trial, if they pose no safety risk. It is also intended to address growing litigation over defendants being kept in jail simply because they cannot pay for bail.

Harris County is facing a federal lawsuit challenging its bail and jail-release procedures.

READ MORE: Harris County's bail system in crosshairs as judge weighs temporary halt to cash payments

"This system needs serious reform," Hecht said, noting that the legislation follows the recommendations that came from a two-year study of the state's bail system. At one point, he said, the current system of holding too many defendants too long behind bars is "a lose, lose, lose, lose, lose proposition."

Keller said that while just 32 percent of inmates in local jails were awaiting trial just a few years ago, the number now is closer to 75 percent. The cost to local taxpayers of the current system is about $1 billion a year, she said.

In addition, Keller testified that "detentions are racially disparate (and) often keep low-risk defendants in jail and let high-risk defendants make bail" because local judges have no tangible way to determine who is a flight risk - or at risk of committing a new violent crime.

She and Hecht said the legislation would give local judges better tools to decide who should stay in jail and who should get out.

New assessment

Under the bill, judges and magistrates who set bail would rely on a new risk assessment that would recommend whether the defendant should be freed without bond, on a bail bond or be kept in jail because they might commit new crimes.

The State Constitution, which allows no bail only for defendants jailed for capital crimes, would be changed to allow no bail for the most violent offenses.

"We've got a lot of non-violent defendants, who are in for very minor offenses and pose no flight risk or public-safety risk, that are sitting in jails for months," Whitmire said. "That is costing the taxpayers millions of dollars alone in Harris County, and it's a problem in a lot of other jurisdictions, as well."

Whitmire cited one recent case in Houston where a magistrate doubled a non-violent defendant's bond because she didn't answer a question the way he wanted her to.

WATCH: Videotapes reveal flaws in Harris County bail bond hearings

See threat to system

A stream of bail bondsmen, attorneys and a prosecutor from Brazoria County testified that the legislation will upend the current bail system that helps fund sheriffs' pensions and indigent-defense programs.

More than 100 opponents clustered outside the hearing room and spilled into a second room.

"This legislation is a radical sea-change in how bail is handled in Texas," said Michael Whitlock, with American Surety Co., warning that similar changes in other states have proven controversial and costly.

Jeri Yenne, the criminal district attorney in Brazoria County, complained that the changes would add court time to current bail procedures.

Potter County District Attorney Randall Sims cautioned that justices of the peace who supervise bail hearings in many counties may be legally overwhelmed by the changes as many are not attorneys.

Randy Adler, an attorney who represents bail-bond companies, said $7 million in fees now paid to counties on bonds and millions more in forfeiture fees could no longer be collected.
Carolyn Kaster/STF

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry, the former governor of Texas, will join a group of other top Trump administration policy-makers on the National Security Council, the White House announced Wednesday.

The move is part of a shakeup that removed Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump's chief strategist, from the council's principals committee.
AUSTIN -- Texas lawmakers in both political parties promised Tuesday to fix the state's special education system to ensure that children with disabilities are never again denied help arbitrarily.

In an emotional meeting of the House Public Education Committee, the first major meeting about special education during this year's legislative session, the lawmakers laid out a variety of proposals, from boosting early identification of dyslexia to creating a grant program to spur innovation in teaching students with autism.

The most high-profile idea, introduced by state Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, would bar the state from ever again punishing schools for providing special education services to "too many" students.

Texas education officials set a de facto enrollment cap in 2004, without telling the public, the Houston Chronicle revealed last September. As a result of the policy, which was not based on any research, tens of thousands of children with disabilities were shut out of critical services such as tutoring, therapy and counseling.

The U.S. Department of Education is currently investigating the state, with a full report expected by June.

The Texas Education Agency agreed to eliminate the benchmark after it was exposed, but Wu and the other lawmakers said action was needed to make sure nothing similar could happen again.

"This is not a bipartisan issue. It's nonpartisan. There is no other side on this," Wu said. "There cannot be another side on this."

The committee chairman, Republican Dan Huberty of Humble, agreed, saying nobody on the panel opposed the legislation.

"This is very important," said Huberty, who has a child with dyslexia.

About a dozen members of the public testified after lawmakers discussed the bill. None opposed the bill.

One, Kristin Tassin, the president of the Fort Bend School Board, tried to debunk the argument by the Texas Education Agency that the 12-year-old policy was just an "indicator of school performance," not a hard cap on enrollment.

"Districts do pay attention to those indicators, and they do follow them," Tassin said.

Nearly 200 current and former Texas educators have told the Chronicle the same thing.

The most emotional testimony Tuesday came from family members of children with disabilities who had been denied access to services.

"I am the sister of a student who was denied access to a free and appropriate public education by two different school districts. But we were never advised or helped to get her services," said Maricela Martinez, who said that her sister Judie had Asperger syndrome, ADHD, a neurocognitive disorder and severe anxiety.

"I understand, as a parent of a special-needs kid, how critical and important this is," Huberty replied. "I cannot stress the importance."

A committee vote is expected soon.

Above, see a slideshow of bills being discussed.

***

Watch the hearings live and read more about the bills on our subscriber website, HoustonChronicle.com. Click here to read Denied, a Houston Chronicle investigation into a Texas special education enrollment target that has kept tens of thousands of disabled kids from receiving services, prompting federal action.
'Follow the trail of dead Russians', security expert tells intelligence hearing on Trump-Kremlin links. It's been clear for years that Vladimir Putin eliminates his political enemies by killing them. But it's also clear that Putin backs Bashar Assad's murderous regime in Syria. On Tuesday, Syria launched the worst chemical weapons attack in years. Trump's White house blamed the previous administration. More likely, it's due to Trump's announcing last week that regime change in Syria is no longer a priority. Green light for mass murder, Assad. Click the gallery below to see many more cartoons by Nick Anderson.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said that arms sales to the aggressors who kill innocent people in the region, especially in the ongoing unequal war in Yemen, is not consistent with the claims recently made by British Prime Minister Theresa May, IRNA reported.

The British premier is currently on a visit to Saudi Arabia.

Qasemi made his remarks while reacting to May's anti-Iran statements in Saudi Arabia.

The spokesman regretted this is not the first time that the British prime minister preferred falseness to truth.

The repeated and unfounded statements in accusing Iran of causing instability in the region are made at a time when it seems that she (May) has forgotten her position and responsibility and closed her eyes to global developments and ignored the fact that a major portion of instability and backwardness of the region have been originated from the colonial, expansionist and injustice policies of her predecessors as well as their allies in aggression and inflaming wars in the regional countries, Qasemi said.

He further noted that there is no doubt that Irans efforts and firm resolve to help ensure security, stability and peace in the volatile region are transparent, precise and based on wisdom and in line with fighting against terrorism and hostility.

Mays discriminatory allegations are made at a time when Irans crucial role in supporting security, peace and stability of the countries affected by terrorism is known by all, he said.

Iran strongly condemns such allegations which are aimed at winning financial support from certain regional states and expects London officials to come to terms with realities and rectify theirs wrong stances using their numerous experience on the Persian Gulf region, Qasemi concluded.
Why would some suburban Dallas lawmaker presume to know more than a West Texas rancher about the care of livestock or be better attuned than a motel owner in South Padre to the aesthetics of her beachfront property?

Beats us. But that's the heavy hand state Sen. Bob Hall, R-Rockwall, is using to try to micromanage local government. Hall, elected on a tea party, smaller-government platform, is proposing legislation that disallows local ordinances banning plastic bags.

At least 10 Texas cities have passed such laws, including the community of Fort Stockton, where ranchers worry their cattle will consume and be sickened by discarded plastic bags that blow into ranging fields. Houston does not have such an ordinance, even as stray bags impose an environmental toll on our city. One nonprofit in Houston, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, alone spends nearly $500,000 a year cleaning the waterway of trash and debris. Via paid and volunteer efforts, the organization picks up around 2,500 cubic yards of trash and debris annually. Plastic bags are "a huge, never-ending problem for us," according to Anne Olson, President of Buffalo Bayou Partnership.

Banning certain plastic bags - putting all local merchants on a level playing field - can be an effective means of transitioning a community to biodegradable paper bags. An Austin study found that community used nearly 200 million fewer plastic bags annually than the city did before its ban in 2013, according to the Austin American Statesman. But the obvious environmental and aesthetic benefits are not the only reason state lawmakers should leave local plastic-bag bans alone. Local elected officials, and ultimately local voters, should decide how their cities control litter, not the Legislature.

Gov. Greg Abbott has argued that with certain local policies, Texas is being "California-ized," as he said at a Texas Public Policy Conference last year. "It's being done at the city level with bag bans, fracking bans, tree-cutting bans. We're forming a patchwork quilt of bans and rules and regulations that is eroding the Texas model," Abbott said.

The truth is that the "Texas model" has long been a patchwork. The state is so big, the population density and topography so varied that different localities are right to carve out their own approaches to local problems. City councilmembers who live in the community are closer to voters and better-informed to handle the nitty-gritty details of litter, traffic, trees and garbage than legislators who live in far-flung parts of the state.

Since the frontier days, when ranchers embraced the term "maverick" to denote the livestock of a ranching family that did not brand its cattle, one-size-fits-all has not been the Texas way. As a result, Houston has always differed from most Texas cities by avoiding zoning and fees on basic residential garbage collection. Dallas, as another example, for two decades imposed its own movie-rating system. Austin has just passed a law banning texting and driving. Communities all around the state have different rules on historical preservation, drainage frees and building codes. Yet somehow the plastic-bag lobbyists have convinced some otherwise "conservative," smaller-government advocates in the Legislature that the state cannot prosper if some communities prefer biodegradable or reusable bags over paper.

The rule in Texas seems to be that local control of local government yields to the control by special interests of the Legislature. In Denton - a conservative enclave north of Dallas - local voters in 2014 voted against fracking within the city limits, only to have their will usurped the following year by a Legislature doing the bidding of oil and gas interests.

Texas shouldn't allow another anti-local control bill to pass. Communities have a right to slow the explosion of the use of plastic bags, especially when they have to pay the costs of unclogging storm sewers, doctoring livestock and wild animals, and cleaning up water and roadways.

Citizens should let their state representatives and senators know that local government works best when it's just that: local. Locally elected and locally informed. The intrusive legislation that Hall has proposed is not worthy of a state proud of its independence.
I have spent a quarter-century of my life working to expand the options available to students once they left my classroom, my hallway and my campus. I have seen students who stepped out on a skinny branch and pushed themselves within even just a single Advanced Placement (AP) course. The act of challenging themselves to think, to write, to defend and to grow as a learner is something that cares nothing about gender, race, income or ideology.

The AP Program helps prepare students for college. AP courses give students the opportunity to pursue college-level course work while still in high school. When students succeed on AP exams, it helps them save time and money in college.

At Bellaire High School - the largest campus within Houston ISD, and a school that has sustained a strong academic reputation - our AP program is one of the biggest in the state, and one of those most successful in the country. We share a belief, with the College Board, that the doors should be as wide open as possible in terms of students having access to an AP program. In May 2016 alone, we had nearly 1,000 students take just under 2,800 AP exams, with more than three of four exams scoring a 3 or higher (out of a maximum 5). Using the average in-state tuition and fees at Texas public four-year colleges of $318.87 per credit hour, that results in a total potential tuition cost savings of more than $2 million for students and families.

There has been a shared effort across Texas, including among educators and elected officials, to ensure that all students with the potential to succeed in AP can access those opportunities. That is why it is alarming that state funding critical to expanding access to AP coursework in the Houston area and across the state of Texas is at risk.

The introduced state budgets for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 academic years propose to cut 10 percent of the AP Incentive program from $8.15 million to $7.3 million - $850,000 less than previous years. At the very moment that more students are finding access to AP programs, and having success at the same time, with this budget reduction the state is poised to sacrifice that growth.

The state's current $8.15 million annual investment in the program has produced a strong return on investment and benefited hundreds of thousands of students. The program's professional development for AP teachers has played a key part, as has the part of the funding that covers AP exam fees for low-income students.

What would the proposed budget cuts mean if enacted? About 1,900 teachers would lose access, annually, to professional development and training that enables them to teach Advanced Placement. This is a key point. One of the most powerful reasons for more Texas students finding success in AP courses and on the resulting AP exams is due to the incredible development that is available to teachers.

If we begin to decrease funding for the AP Incentive program, then that could lead to decreases at the district level. Those cuts then move to the campus and then into every classroom throughout Texas. Ultimately, the proposed cut will limit access to both a well-trained teacher and to a challenging curriculum.

Put simply: Lack of teacher training would restrict the expansion of AP programs at high schools across the state - just when the demand from students is growing.

Over the past four years, Bellaire has administered more exams to more students while exceeding the state and global success trends. We're proud of both our work at Bellaire and the work within our school district. It has been due in no small measure to support from the AP Incentive program.

I hope that Texas legislators recognize the importance of the AP Incentive Program. I urge them to reject these potential budget cuts.

McDonough is principal of Bellaire High School.
Isn't it always easier to tell someone else what to do rather than getting one's own life in order? So it is with various levels of government. Nonetheless, the Texas Legislature should resist the temptation to micromanage Houston city government. It can start by passing intact the bill that gives Houston's elected officials more flexibility in managing retirement benefits of city employees.

The issue has received plenty of local scrutiny. During the last city election campaign, all major candidates recognized the need to reduce benefits earned for future service in order to reduce the burden of future taxpayers and avoid cuts in essential city services. Those candidates offered a variety of solutions, so it was quite an achievement when a bipartisan City Council voted 16-1 in support of a reform plan.

Houston's pension problems arose from benefit increases adopted in 2001 and based on flawed projections. I began fighting for reforms during my first months as mayor, in early 2004. Then, as now, no one could undo billions of dollars in obligations that had already become vested. Reforms efforts were also hamstrung by state law that prevents the city from reducing retirement benefits without an agreement by employee-dominated pension boards (for police and civilian municipal employees) or changes in state law (for firefighters.)

With momentum from public support in a May 2004 referendum and consensus on council, we did pare more than $1 billion in estimated unfunded liabilities. In the four years before our 2004 pension reforms, the police and municipal plan liabilities grew by $2.56 billion more than did plan assets; in the next four years, assets grew by $915 million more than did liabilities.

State law has also tied the hands of Mayor Sylvester Turner and the current City Council. In order to obtain agreement for higher employee contributions and lower retirement benefits, city negotiators offered accelerated payments into the police and municipal pension funds. Turner also persuaded two pension boards to support changes in state law that would facilitate adjustments in future benefits if the cost of existing benefits exceeded some percentage of payroll. That would be a giant stride forward. The pension issue would not be as severe today if the Legislature had given the city greater flexibility in the past.

Though the firefighter's pension board has not yet agreed to legislative reforms, each firefighter might think about a simple question: Why can't a firefighter be able to count on adequate retirement income consistent with some limit on combined city and employee contribution per employee? After all, annual contributions by employees and employers of about $9,000 a year for 30 years invested tax-free at 7.5 percent - less than the pension Fund's historical returns - would create a $1 million nest-egg. Some oppose any reform that does not rely exclusively on new, defined-contribution plans. Those plans place the principal risks affecting retirement income - such as investment returns and years of life - on the employee. Employers bear those risks with defined-benefit plans. Almost all American families - but not Houston's police and firefighters - participate in a form of defined benefit plan known as Social Security, in addition to receiving retirement income from other employer plans.

By permitting benefits not yet earned to be adjusted downward when the annual costs rise to some ceiling, the city's proposed legislation captures some of the benefits to the employer of a defined-contribution plan.

People who support defined contribution plans in principle - as I do - should not let that ideal undermine all progress today or ignore the practical obstacles to terminating the existing plans. Besides having to obtain changes in state law, over the objections of powerful public safety organizations, city leaders would need to identify an immediate source of funding to cure any estimated unfunded liability in a defined benefit plan to be terminated. Employer contributions would have to be set at a level that makes the city competitive in hiring and retaining outstanding police and firefighters in competition with other safety agencies, which all offer defined-benefit plans. City leaders would also have to budget new costs for police and fire participation in Social Security.

The state has large unfunded liabilities in its own pension plans, as well as other challenges such as making college education more affordable. In the remaining weeks of the session, the talents of our legislators should focus on those state responsibilities, rather than second-guessing the judgment of officials who voters chose to run their city government.

White is former mayor of Houston and served as a deputy U.S. secretary of Energy in the Clinton administration.
Sometimes history cant be preserved in its entirety, but can be kept alive in portions.

Texas County resident Joseph Neal has embraced that concept, and has more or less made it his mission to apply it to one integral aspect of local history: Barns.

Neal, who lives in the Bado area west of Cabool, owns a business called Junkin Joes & Landscape Pros. But that name doesnt indicate what he and his crew spend most of their time doing, because their main objective is dismantling old barns and selling the barn wood to people who repurpose it in the creation of various items and products.

To Neal, the job means far more than making money selling planks.

When these buildings get pushed over and burned, it breaks my heart, he said. By doing this, I feel like Im helping preserve a piece of this areas heritage.

Much of the wood Neal sells goes to Texas County resident Brooke Hamilton, who uses it to create furniture and other items for her Grindstone Design business. Much more is procured by a buyer in South Dakota, while smaller amounts go to various local residents for specific projects and purposes.

After boards are removed one by one by hand, the rest of a given barn is then carefully pulled down using a tractor and chains.

Once we get down to the nitty-gritty, whats left falls over like an accordion, Neal said.

Neal said most of the barns in the area consist primarily of oak and pine. He has already painstakingly taken down several since making them his business preeminent focus last year, and last week dismantled an 80-year-old structure on Highway 17 about five miles east of Houston that bore some architectural traits unusual in the region.

A wall inside a barn being dismantled east of Houston bears numerous sets of initials.

Neal said he had had his sights set on that specific barn for a long time and it was Hamilton who helped make his acquisition of it possible.

Im so happy I was able to do this, Neal said. I didnt want to see it end up like so many others.

Neal removed three ornate lightning rods from the top of the barn, and a vintage hay trolley that was inside it has been claimed by a local cattle farmer.

Its important to me that things like that stay local, Neal said.

Carvings of many sets of initials and one full name were found on several boards inside the barn. Neal said he had no way of knowing how long ago they were made, but he wanted to give the boards to the people who had carved them, or their relatives.

Individual initials included BW, DO, EH, HW, JW, RM and TP. One couples initials were found: CM and GM. The full name was Earle.

Neal is a former Army heavy equipment operator and has a bachelors degree in business. He compensates the people whose barns he razes, and sincerely considers his efforts a contribution to societal posterity.

I dont just run a business, Neal said. Its a company thats trying to make a difference. Were focused on establishing relationships and friendships, all while securing a better tomorrow for the ones we love. If youre like me, you love this beautiful place in the Ozarks. Its up to each and every one of us to make a difference and its important to me to preserve history and secure a better future for our local youth.

The most recent barn to be dismantled by Texas County resident Joseph Neal and his crew before they began their work. A trio of lightning rods are visible on top.

I know I wont earn the business of everyone I give a bid to. But perhaps more importantly, Ill help to encourage prospective clients to take pride in their properties, their communities and this great country we are all so blessed to live in.

Neal believes improving the Texas County community begins with steps taken internally.

True change occurs when we begin to respect ourselves, he said. Thats the first step in rooting out the things that have put a stain on this community such as methamphetamine. Together, we can give future generations a home in which they can be proud of.

Neal said he has 11 barns scheduled to be dismantled.

Id be happy if I had 50, he said. Im not going anywhere  this is what Im going to do.

To reach Neal about arranging to have a barn dismantled or to discuss the carved initials, call 417-217-8418.
Six cattle escaped from a slaughterhouse in north St. Louis Thursday, interrupting traffic as they trotted through surrounding neighborhoods and led police and others on an hours-long chase.

The cattle slipped away from the Star Packing Co.in the 3800 block of Cote Brilliante Avenue through an unsecured door, according to Fourth District Capt. Renee Kriesmann. Police were called to the plant in the Hyde Park neighborhood about 1 p.m.

The cattles bold dash for freedom prompted efforts to save them from the slaughterhouse.

One of the cattle was captured at 14th and Destrehan Street; two others at Little Sisters of the Poor in a fenced-in area; and three were in another area near 20th Street and Bremen Avenue.

SWAT officers responded with rifles as a precaution, Kriesmann said. Animal control officers and the Humane Society of Missouri were on hand to help, police said.

The cattle attracted groups of onlookers in each of the areas.

One of the animals managed a second escape after being penned at the Little Sisters of the Poor residence in the 3200 block of North Florissant Avenue about 3:45 p.m. It broke through a fence there and led pursuers on a chase of more than a mile. That chase finally ended near Sensient Colors LLC, in the 2500 block of North Jefferson Avenue, where the last of the escapees was captured about 6 p.m.

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

An online exclusive is an article or story that does not run in the print edition of the Houston Herald. Typically 2-3 are posted online every Wednesday morning. Its another feature designed for users who purchase full web access from the Herald.

Click here to subscribe for print, digital or both.
As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content.

When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to.

After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS!

OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK

The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those.
Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print.

Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition.

If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 5

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

The latest on the earthquake in Mashhad, Iran

12:12 (GMT +4) At least one was killed and 5 injured in a strong earthquake that jolted Irans Mashhad city, located in eastern province of Khorasan Razavi, on Apr. 5 morning.

The earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale shook buildings across the provincial capital city of Mashhad and nearby towns at 10:39 local time (GMT +3:30), Irans state-run IRINN TV reported.

The earthquakes epicenter was located at 60.26 degrees of longitude and 35.83 degrees of latitude and at a depth of 10 kilometers underground.

The big quake was followed by several aftershocks of 4.7, 4, 3.6, 4.4, 3.7, 4.6 and 4.1 magnitude within half an hour.

Irans semi-official Fars news agency quoted local officials as saying that the landline and cellular phones in certain districts of Mashhad and the nearby towns were disconnected from the network after the quake.

Some buildings reportedly have collapsed in the quake zone.

In the meantime, Tasnim news agency reported that 4 villages in the quake zone have been heavily damaged.

10:54 (GMT +4) An earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale shook Iran's Mashhad city, located in eastern province of Khorasan Razavi, on Apr. 5.

The tremors occurred at 10:39 local time (GMT +3:30), according to a report from the Seismography Center affiliated with the Tehran Universitys Geophysics Institute, Irans state-run IRINN TV reported.

The earthquakes epicenter was located at 60.26 degrees of longitude and 35.83 degrees of latitude and at a depth of 10 kilometers underground.

There was no immediate report on casualties or damage.

10:30 (GMT +4) A strong earthquake has hit Irans Mashhad city, IRNA reports.
The news you need, when you need it, by the editors you trust. Get continuing news coverage and educational information on crops, livestock, soil health and other topics you select.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 5

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

The latest on the strong earthquake in Mashhad, Iran

14:45 (GMT +4) Death toll in the Mashhad earthquake has risen to two, while 17 people are listed as injured, Irans Mizan news agency reported.

12:12 (GMT +4) At least one was killed and five injured in the strong earthquake that jolted Irans Mashhad on Apr. 5 morning.

The earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale shook buildings across the provincial capital city of Mashhad and nearby towns at 10:39 local time (GMT +3:30), Irans state-run IRINN TV reported.

The big quake was followed by several aftershocks of 4.7, 4, 3.6, 4.4, 3.7, 4.6 and 4.1 magnitude within half an hour.

Irans semi-official Fars news agency quoted local officials as saying that the landline and cellular phones in certain districts of Mashhad and nearby towns were disconnected from the network after the quake.

Some buildings in the quake zone have reportedly collapsed.

In the meantime, Tasnim news agency reported that four villages in the quake zone have been heavily damaged.

10:54 (GMT +4) An earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale shook Iran's Mashhad city, located in eastern province of Khorasan Razavi, on Apr. 5.

The tremors occurred at 10:39 local time (GMT +3:30), according to a report from the Seismography Center affiliated with the Tehran Universitys Geophysics Institute, Irans state-run IRINN TV reported.

The earthquakes epicenter was located at 60.26 degrees of longitude and 35.83 degrees of latitude at a depth of 10 kilometers underground.

There was no immediate report on casualties or damage.

10:30 (GMT +4) A strong earthquake has hit Irans Mashhad city, IRNA reports.
As members of Parliament grapple with contentious ideas on how to modernize the House of Commons, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has a modest proposal for improving matters: quit heckling.

May rose after question period Tuesday to point to rules already on the books governing decorum in the House and ended up scoring applause from Liberals  perhaps because she directly called out Conservatives and New Democrats.

Advertisement

Of course, Liberals pledged to stop clapping to improve decorum, not so long ago.

May, ever a stickler for the rules, pointed to Sections 16.2 and 18 of the standing orders governing parliamentary procedure which prohibit interrupting or speaking disrespectfully of fellow members.

"The amount of heckling, which I know many members say they'd like to curtail, is getting completely out of hand from my little corner," May said. "The Liberals no longer heckle, but the Conservatives and New Democrats are heckling fiercely and it is a violation of this place."

House Speaker Geoff Regan thanked May for her point of order, but noted that he called on MPs from "at least two sides today to restrain themselves." Liberal MPs fill all the seats on one side of the House, with 11 more seated among opposition MPs.

Advertisement

May sits directly behind NDP MPs and has complained in the past that heckling makes her unable to hear both questions and answers.

Of course, opposition MPs may argue that heckling is a result of what they see as inadequate answers from Liberal ministers. Tory House Leader Candice Bergen suggested as much in question period Tuesday, at one point saying Government House Leader Bardish Chagger's "non-answers" were "eroding our democracy."

May later took to Twitter to respond to those who thought she should be more concerned about the quality of answers or was somehow helping out Liberals.

It is the appalling rudeness, the noise and blatant disrespect for our rules that I bemoan. @DianeMariePosts@island_cynic  Elizabeth May (@ElizabethMay) April 4, 2017

I am neither. Today, I made strong points against #LPC budget, but as #GPC leader I stand for civility. @dneilmckay@liberal_party  Elizabeth May (@ElizabethMay) April 4, 2017

Questions are often useful, but heckling violates our rules and offends our parliament.@DianeMariePosts@island_cynic  Elizabeth May (@ElizabethMay) April 4, 2017

Question periods have become more heated in recent weeks because of a discussion paper from Chagger proposing reforms that opposition MPs believe will curb their ability to hold the government to account.

Among the more contentious proposals include eliminating Friday sittings, preventing filibusters at committee, and setting aside one day a week for the prime minister to field queries in question period.

Listen to HuffPost Canada's podcast on The Showdown Over Standing Orders:

Bergen and NDP House Leader Murray Rankin released a joint statement Tuesday after Liberals voted against an opposition bid to require all-party support before the rules of Parliament can change.

Advertisement

"By doing so the Liberal government has confirmed its intention to run roughshod over the Opposition's rights to hold the Government to account. This is truly regrettable," the statement reads.

"What is being proposed is that Parliament is all about the executive pressing through an agenda as long as the minority has its chance to squawk a bit."  Elizabeth May

The release accuses Liberals of a "unilateral power grab" and states the opposition will use procedural tools at their disposal to "protect the rights of Parliamentarians."

May, meanwhile, released a lengthy response to Chagger's ideas to reform the House rules this week.

In her report, May made it clear she is not on board with proposed reforms that could shorten debate on bills and is bothered by the speed with which the government appears to be moving on them.

"What is being proposed is that Parliament is all about the executive pressing through an agenda as long as the minority has its chance to squawk a bit," she wrote.

Advertisement

Six-day work week?

May also proposed a change that would see MPs work a "concentrated" cycle "similar to that of Atlantic Canada workers in Fort McMurray"  three to four weeks in Ottawa, followed by three to four weeks in their ridings.

She also pitched a six-day work week in Ottawa during those periods, which would mean not only keeping Friday sittings but adding a half-day of work for MPs on Saturday.

May wrote that such a change would allow for "maximum value and productivity."

Also on HuffPost
We often hear about the benefits of journaling, which include boosting your memory and expanding your IQ, but did you know that keeping a journal can also help with self-care?

Between balancing our jobs, social lives, and sometimes even kids, it can be easy to forget to take care of ourselves. Thats why making journaling a daily practice is one of the simplest ways to put yourself first.

Advertisement

Here are five ways a journal can help with self-care:

A post shared by Penney (@bujouk) on Apr 4, 2017 at 12:14pm PDT





This makes perfect sense considering a journal is a great way to document all your feel-good memories. By documenting the positive things in your life, you can then revisit them any time you need a boost in confidence.

Journals also boost self-esteem because they act as a record of your accomplishments and help you set personal goals. By tracking your progress, you can see your self-growth and feel good about how far youve come.

Advertisement

In our social media world, it can be hard to unplug. But if you make journaling part of your daily routine, it can serve as the perfect excuse to get away from tech and focus on yourself.

Carving out alone time has a myriad of benefits, according to an infographic created by Happify. Not only does it help you unwind, but is also reboots your brain, allows you time for deep thinking, and can help enhance your relationships (absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?).

Another reason journaling is a great excuse to unplug is because social media doesnt do us any favours when it comes to our moods. In fact, a 2013 study found that one in three people actually feel worse after visiting Facebook because other peoples posts make them feel dissatisfied with their own lives.

A post shared by BJC | Bujo collection (@bulletjournalcollection) on Dec 26, 2016 at 12:43am PST





Keeping your thoughts and feelings bottled up is one way to create unnecessary stress, which is why keeping a journal is an easy solution. Not only will writing out your feelings help you work through your problems, but it will allow you to look at the situation objectively.

Advertisement

A 2011 study published in the journal Science proved this by comparing students who wrote down their exam worries before taking the big test and those who didnt. What they discovered was that those who used a journal were better able to ease their anxieties.

It might be counterintuitive, but it's almost as if you empty the fears out of your mind, said researcher Sian Beilock, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Chicago. You reassess that situation so that you're not as likely to worry about those situations because you've slain that beast.

Just like painting, dancing, and singing, journaling is a form of art and practicing it daily can increase your creativity. But what does this have to do with self-care? Studies show that being creative can actually make you happier.

Imagining and creating give us a sense of purpose, Tony Wagner, Expert In Residence at Harvard Universitys Innovation Lab, told CNN.

Advertisement

Maintaining a positive mood can also help us be more open-minded. Psychologist Dr. Shelley Carson told Greatist, Increases in positive mood broaden attention and allow us to see more possible solutions to creative problems.

A post shared by Natacha  (@dessinemoiunbouton) on Apr 4, 2017 at 9:30am PDT





Finding self-acceptance is no easy task, but a journal can help you get there. This is because journals let you get to know yourself in a safe space. At the same time, the act of journaling forces you to reflect on yourself and your life as you work through your thoughts. Writer Deborah Robbins can attest to this.

In a post for The Mighty, Robbins revealed that journaling for 30 days helped her accept her complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) diagnosis.

The 30-day challenge forced me to look at my life and realize what is really important, she wrote last month. It doesnt matter what diagnosis the doctor throws my way, what challenges I face on a daily basis, or what I am no longer able to do. What matters is that I take the life I have, challenges and all, and I step up as a warrior and choose to own it.

Advertisement

Also on HuffPost
A journalist in Syria captured the terrifying moment an airstrike hit a hospital where patients were being treated after a reported gas attack earlier the same day.

Fadi al-Halabi, Abd al-Kader Habak and Yaman Khateeb were at a hospital in Khan Shaykhun, where at least 58 people were killed and hundreds injured early Tuesday morning from a suspected chemical attack, according to BBC News.

Advertisement

As the men filmed a report from the hospital, the camera shook, shouts rang out and the screen went dark (watch the video above).

They posted a short video to Facebook following the attack, to let people know they were safe.

The province of Idlib's regional health agency issued a statement on Facebook condemning the attacks as a "major war crime."

The organization said hundreds were injured with symptoms consistent with chemical weapon exposure, and that many more were likely to die after the subsequent air strikes against two of the area's hospitals, leaving the few remaining medical centres dangerously overcrowded.

Advertisement

One 14-year-old resident of the town was on her way to an exam when she watched a bomb fall on her street. She saw people drive up in cars to help the wounded.

When they got out, they inhaled the gas and died, Mariam Abu Khalil told the New York Times. "... I could tell they were suffering.

Civilian areas in Khan Shaykhun were targeted with poisonous gases this morning. Initial rprts of 50 killed incl wmn & chldrn, 300+ injured. pic.twitter.com/ZQ6MAgsqNO  The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) April 4, 2017

Photos and videos of the early morning attack show limp bodies of children and adults, many of whom were foaming at the mouth. Videos captured by doctors at the scene showed victims with "pinpoint pupils," a sign of exposure to toxic chemicals or nerve gas.

Both Russia's Defence Ministry and Syria's military have denied that chemical weapons were used against civilians, according to The Associated Press.

Advertisement

A 2016 United Nations report found that chemical weapons have been used in at least three attacks by Syria's government since 2014.

With a file from The Associated Press

Follow The Huffington Post Canada on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Also on HuffPost
A Facebook photo of a mother sleeping with her infant daughter and two-year-old son has sparked a heated debate over co-sleeping.

The picture, taken by Oklahoma dad David Brinkley, was shared by the page Love What Matters. In the post, Brinkley explains that he overheard a conversation his wife, Alora, had with a friend about sleeping in the same bed as her children.

Advertisement

Doesn't your husband hate that? My husband would never let me do that, the friend said.

The statement stuck with Brinkley, so he decided to share his thoughts on co-sleeping in a moving post.

I do NOT hate any part of what makes my wife the mother that she is. I would NEVER degrade or disregard anything that she feels like doing for my children, the father of two wrote. Do I have to squeeze into a small corner of the bed sometimes? Yeah? But my God how beautiful does she look holding my children? Making them feel loved and safe?

Defending his wife against co-sleeping criticism, Brinkley argued that the relatively short time period of childhood means mothers are allowed to try to enjoy every moment they can.

Advertisement

Eventually our babies get bigger they grow up they get too cool for snuggles so why would we as men want to steal a single second of this time from them?

I am proud of the decisions my wife makes as a mom and I support every single one of them, he concluded. I would never want to rob her of this time she has or these seasons that are in reality too short to not enjoy. Please respect your wives as mothers.

Co-sleeping  the practice of sharing a bed with your infant or child  has always been a hot topic among parents and the comments on Brinkleys post proves this.

Many Facebook users were divided on the issue. While some praised the father for letting his wife embrace her duties as a mother

Advertisement

.... others were quick to criticize based on the potential health dangers posed by the practice.

Advertisement

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, co-sleeping can be dangerous. Sharing the same sleep surface increases a baby's risk of SIDS and suffocation, its site reads. This risk is ever higher for babies less than four months old.

This is because of the risks of suffocation due to soft bedding, the chance of adults rolling over and the chance of children getting trapped between an adults body and a wall or other objects.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (APP) also states that co-sleeping is a SIDS risk and advises placing babies on a firm mattress on their backs as a precaution.

But for parents who want to keep their children close in a safe way, the solution is room sharing, APP suggests.

Having baby in the room with you or in an attached bedside sleeper (also known as separate-surface co-sleeping) are both considered co-sleeping, James McKenna, director of University of Notre Dames Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory, explained to The Bump.

Advertisement

Some commenters on the picture also criticized the mom for putting her kids before marriage, which is surprising, considering it was her husband who posted it in the first place.

While one added that if a husband wants to create a boundary that the parents' room is only for mom and dad, I don't think that's wrong either.

In response to the backlash, mom Alora took to Facebook to give her final thoughts.

My husbands point was that we can be all the roles we need to be without having to pick and choose which one has to come first, she wrote in a lengthy post. That is only possible with the right kind of love and support and encouragement which is what he gives me every day of our lives. Do I still get frustrated and emotional? Of course! I am a human. But I will not apologize or say that there is anything wrong with this picture.

Advertisement

Also on HuffPost
A senior official in this northeastern provincial city said on Wednesday that the number of those injured in the six-Richer magnitude earthquake in Khorasan Razavi province mounted to 34, IRNA reported.

Director of Mashad Medical Sciences Universitys Disasters and Medical Emergencies Reza Vafaeinejad told IRNA that the wounded have been transformed to local hospitals in the provincial cities of Fariman, Torbat-e Jam and Mashad.

Currently, ten are being hospitalized in Fariman Hospital while the rest were discharged, he said, noting that eight of the ten hospitalized persons have suffered fractures in their organs.

An earthquake measuring 6.1 degrees on Richter scale jolted Sefidsang region near the provincial town of Fariman, 100 kilometers south of the provincial capital city of Mashad at 10:40 hours local time (06:10 GMT) on Wednesday.

The Institute of Geophysics at Tehran University put the geographical location of the quake at the longitude of 60.23 degrees and the latitude of 35.83.

According to the provincial officials, the strong quake has also caused destructions in the villages, specially those located close to the epicenter of the tremor which according to Irans Institute of Geophysics at Tehran University was registered at a depth of 10 km below the surface at Sefidsang region.

A senior provincial official has said that at least 20 villages have been damaged in Wednesday mornings earthquake.

President Hassan Rouhani has urged relevant institutes to immediately reach out to those affected in the quake. He also ordered the officials to use facilities of the neighboring provinces in the process of providing relief if need be.
When many of us think of "nude" tones, a light, beige colour probably comes to mind. The only problem is that not everyone's skin tone matches that hue.

One woman in particular, Toronto native Chantal Carter Taylor, has taken notice of the lack of options for women of colour in the underwear department for years. So she decided to create her own brand.

Advertisement

That's how the Love and Nudes was born, an inclusive line of nude underwear that matches the various skin tones of the women Taylor hopes will rock her products.

"We're developing a line of bras and panties that represent the diverse colours of the world," the fashion industry veteran tells the CBC. "I wanted to create something that was for us, by us."

Did you know we are still accepting pre-orders for your perfect nude bra & panty sets? Drop us a DM for more details. Gift certificates are available & perfect for Valentine's Day!  #loveandnudes #ownyourtone #Valentines2017 A post shared by chantal carter taylor (@loveandnudes) on Jan 18, 2017 at 7:54am PST

Although Carter Taylor's line appears to be the first of its kind in Canada, in the U.S., businesswoman Catalina Girald created Naja lingerie last year after noticing African American Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas wearing "nude" ankle wraps that didn't match her skin tone. It was at that point she realized there was a gap in the clothing industry when it came to catering to women of colour.

Advertisement

"I didnt want it to be about singling out one specific race, ethnicity or colour," Girald said in a press release last May. "It is about equality and it need to be about every person."

Similarly, luxury shoe retailer Christian Louboutin also noticed the lack of options for darker skinned women and released a seven-shade nude shoe line of flats and pumps last year as well.

"We're all beautiful in our own way, in our own skin tone, colour, whatever that is. Just be your own beauty."

The need for more options when it comes to "nude" tones are vital, since women of colour have been left out of the conversation, and media imagery, for so long.

African American psychologist Tara Raines told Fashionista in 2012 why it's so important for women to see their skin reflected in lingerie.

Advertisement

"As a group, [women of colour] are still fighting to have our beauty recognized," she said. "Part of feeling beautiful is looking like ourselves."

"I feel it is imperative that women of colour be represented in bras, panties, and lingerie," she added. "We shouldn't have to go to a specialty store, on a goose chase, or spend a fortune to get a bra that looks more like us. Being ignored is a slight. Every time I shop for bras, I am subjected to a micro-aggression."

As for Carter Taylor, while the Love and Nudes line won't be available for purchase until May 2017, she already has high hopes for the success of her brand.

Memories of having these beautiful melanated women photographed. Our line is now in demand on Indiegogo! You can still pre-order Love & Nudes melanin intimates at igg.me/at/loveandnudes or click on the bio link for delivery in April! #loveandnudes #ownyourtone A post shared by chantal carter taylor (@loveandnudes) on Dec 19, 2016 at 12:52pm PST

"Love and Nudes is about more than just undergarments," she tells The Huffington Post Canada. "Were creating a brand that empowers women to love their skin."

Advertisement

"Our goal is to create a global community designed to celebrate, connect and share one anothers individuality and showcase the beauty of difference through our #OwnYourTone video series," she adds, "where we showcase women of colour in our communities who are doing positive things to inspire others to live their best lives."

The #OwnYourTone series focuses on women of colour owning their voice and skin tone, Carter Taylor says. And works as a storytelling campaign that shows girls and women what's possible when they love the skin they're in.

"We're all beautiful in our own way, in our own skin tone, colour, whatever that is," the designer shares in her CBC interview. "Just be your own beauty."

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story referenced Chantal Carter Taylor's last name as Taylor only, when it is actually Carter Taylor.

Advertisement

Also on HuffPost
Prince Harry has found a new way to honour his late mother, Princess Diana.

To mark International Mine Awareness Day on Tuesday, the 32-year-old announced his support to rid the world of landmines by 2025 and called on world leaders to do the same.

Prince Harry is delivering a key note speech at #LandMineFree2025 to raise awareness of the campaign. pic.twitter.com/55ENYZzkej  Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 4, 2017

Advertisement

Like his mother, Harry is a patron of Halo Trust, an anti-landmine charity. Twenty years ago, Diana made the same promise for a landmine-free world after she toured Bosnia and met with two children who fell victim to the devices.

In August 1997, my mother traveled to Bosnia with Ken Rutherford, Harry explained at a reception at Kensington Palace. When she was there she met two young boys, one Muslim, one Serbian, who had both lost legs to landmines. She shared their stories with the world, and helped campaigners, many of whom are in this room, to change history.

Diana, Princess of Wales was closely involved in the work that led to the signing of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty. #LandMineFree2025pic.twitter.com/yKwWIdcIEf  Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 4, 2017

Harry is referring to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty, which was created the same year Diana visited minefields in Angola and Bosnia. The treaty was signed in Ottawa in December 1997 by 122 countries, banning the use and production of anti-personnel mines.

Advertisement

Interestingly, the Prince noted that Dianas support of banning landmines was a controversial one.

At the time, the attention my mother brought to this issue wasnt universally popular, he said. Some believed she had stepped over the line into the arena of political campaigning. But for her this wasn't about politics, it was about people.

My mother had been shocked and appalled by the impact that landmines were having on incredibly vulnerable people and on children in particular. She did not understand why more people were not willing to address the cause of so much suffering. She refused to accept that these destructive weapons should be left where they were, just because they were perceived as too expensive and difficult to remove.

In an interview in Newsweek in 2004, Jody Williams, founder of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), noted, The death of Princess Diana meant that anti-land-mine activists lost their most visible advocate. Yet while the issue may [have seemed] to be on the global backburner, the problem of unexploded ordnance remain as acute as ever."

Prince Harry talked about his mother's work in raising awareness of the campaign to free the world of landmines. #LandMineFree2025pic.twitter.com/nDOJkYNQOa  Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 4, 2017

Harry then explained it would cost 100 million euros per year to clear the worlds most affected countries of landmines, including Afghanistan, Cambodia and Sri Lanka.

Advertisement

Collectively we have the knowledge, skill, and resources to achieve [a landmine-free world], so let's make future generations proud and finish what we started, he said.

"I have seen first-hand the work of demining field teams in Cahora Bassa, Mozambique and Cuito Cuanavale, Angola." #LandMineFree2025pic.twitter.com/Cmd2RkL3EW  Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 4, 2017

Harry became a patron of Halos Trust, like his mother, in 2013. That year, he visited the minefields in Angola and in 2010 he visited Mozambique.

The Prince has always been adamant about continuing his mothers legacy. In addition to keeping Dianas promise to ban landmines, he is also working to end HIV and AIDS, another effort close to his mothers heart.

Also on HuffPost

The Most Memorable Quotes From Princess Diana's 1995 BBC Interview See Gallery
The horror stories about massive hikes in rental prices are beginning to pile up in Toronto, prompting politicians to look at stricter rent controls in the city.

But the lending and real estate industries are coming out strongly against any such measures, arguing that it would only make things worse.

Advertisement

The debate reached new heights this week with news reports that a landlord in the citys west end is doubling rents for at least two of the units they are renting out.

"I thought it was an April Fools joke," Liberty Village resident A.J. Merrick told the CBC. "There's no way I'd pay that much for this apartment."

Merrick received a letter from the landlord stating that the rent will double to $3,320 from $1,660 per month. He can accept the new rental rate or vacate the premises by July 1. CTV News reports that the same landlord, KSV Advisory, is doubling prices in other units as well.

Advertisement

"It is unfortunately a landlord's market."  Joeita Gupta, Federation of Metro Tenants Associatons

Under a law passed in the 1990s by the provincial NDP government and made permanent by the successive Progressive Conservative government, Ontarios existing rent controls do not apply to buildings built after 1991.

"For landlords, and I hate to say it, it becomes a form of economic eviction," Joeita Gupta of the Federation of Metro Tenants Associatons told CTV. "It is unfortunately a landlord's market."

In some instances, the situation has reached bizarre levels. A recent Airbnb posting in the city offered an SUV parked in the Distillery District as a place to sleep for $15 a night.

That has some politicians talking about ending the rent control loophole from the 1990s, and a private members bill from NDP MPP Peter Tabuns in front of the provincial parliament aims to do just that. The bill recently received the support of Toronto city council, though Mayor John Tory voted against it.

The real estate industry fears any move to expand rent controls would stop rental apartment construction in its tracks and make the situation worse.

Advertisement

"Even the very mention of rent control as an option is having a chilling effect on developers," CIBC economist Benjamin Tal wrote in a client note Tuesday. "From recent discussions with some developers we know that it's already impacting decisions."

Tal wrote that rent controls are one of the few things left-wing and right-wing economists agree are a very bad idea.

"The fact that an NDP government (in 1992) had to ease rent control requirements is a clear indication that something went very wrong," he wrote.

Tal warned that Toronto could see a New York-style housing crisis if rent controls are expanded.

Roughly half of the apartments in [New York City] are under rent control, the other half is constantly undersupplied with a clear impact on prices, he wrote.

Advertisement

Tal also noted that rent controls are tied to apartments, not people, creating a disincentive to move to new homes, further reducing the supply.

But Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne isnt buying it. She says that the lack of rent controls on buildings built after 1991 has not resulted in rental apartments being built.

The reality is there hasnt been any more rental built, there have not been rental buildings built in any comprehensive way, she said Tuesday. And so that argument does not actually hold water with me at this point.

Tal argued that rent controls, which were first introduced in Ontario in the mid-1970s, have made things worse, resulting in the drying up of new apartment supply in the city. Bringing in tighter rent controls could kill the small resurgence in apartment construction the city has seen in recent years, he suggested.

Advertisement

Rent control is the exact opposite of what the (Greater Toronto) market needs. We need more rental units not less, Tal wrote.

 With a file from The Canadian Press

Also on HuffPost
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told his cabinet to take a load off and answered every single query in question period Wednesday.

As a result, Trudeau faced a potentially uncomfortable question about his own marijuana use and reluctance to decriminalize the drug before his government ushers in legalization.

Though Trudeau is allowed to answer questions from members of Parliament at any time, the prime minister customarily responds only to other party leaders. In a possible preview of a proposed Liberal reform to the House of Commons  a so-called "prime minister's question period"  Trudeau was on his feet every few minutes.

Advertisement

NDP MP Alistair MacGregor, his party's justice critic, made the most of the opportunity.

New Democrats have long pushed Liberals to decriminalize pot before making it legal to ensure that Canadians  particularly young ones  won't receive career-hindering criminal records for possessing the drug in the meantime.

They've suggested that it's rich that Trudeau won't budge on the issue, as he publicly admitted to smoking pot while an MP.

MacGregor accused Liberals of hiding the number of criminal charges dished out for cannabis possession since they've come to power, while serious charges are "stayed or withdrawn" because of a lack of resources.

Advertisement

MacGregor said Trudeau is "overloading" the justice system with possession charges, something that "disproportionately affects young and racialized Canadians."

"And there's quite a bit of hypocrisy to that," MacGregor said. "My question to the prime minister: does he think he would be where he is today if he had been caught when smoking marijuana?"

Though the question yielded some howls, the prime minister seemed unfazed.

Trudeau said he understood their concerns but reiterated the government's focus is on a regime that will keep pot away from children and profits away from organized crime.

"Decriminalization does nothing to protect our kids, nothing to remove the profits from the hands of criminals," Trudeau said. "And until such a moment as we have a legal framework that protects our kids and stops the criminals from profiting, it will remain illegal."

Advertisement

Liberals are expected to table their long-awaited pot legislation this month.

PM accused of wanting to make his life easier

Trudeau faced questions Wednesday on everything from reports raising questions about how allies really reacted to Canada's withdrawal of jets from the fight against the so-called Islamic State to the recent bailout of Bombardier.

A few MPs directly challenged him on a controversial "discussion paper" from Government House Leader Bardish Chagger proposing changes to the Commons that opposition MPs believe will infringe on their rights. Among the more contentious ideas include bringing in pre-set times to debate bills, preventing filibusters at committee, and eliminating Friday sittings.

NDP and Tory MPs also fear that designating one day a week for Trudeau to field all queries in question period will mean he is frequently absent from the Commons.

Tory MP Blake Richards told Trudeau that Canadians expect the prime minister to "put in a full work week."

Advertisement

Richards wondered why the prime minister was "so afraid of being held accountable?"

"I am pleased to be able to personally answer this question," Trudeau shot back. The prime minister encouraged Richards to suggest his own ideas to improve the tone in the House and the way it functions.

Tory MP Mark Strahl, meanwhile, rose to say Trudeau's performance proved he can answer as many questions as he wants without having to "unilaterally" change the rules.

Strahl charged that Trudeau only wants to show up to the Commons once a week and was just trying to make his life easier.

Again, Trudeau told Strahl to come forward with "concrete suggestions so that we can work together to make sure that the House serves Canadians better to the level that they expect."

Listen to HuffPost Canada's podcast on The Showdown Over Standing Orders:

Advertisement

Also on HuffPost
The study released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracked 250 pregnant women who had confirmed Zika infection in 2016.

Twenty-four of these women either had a fetus or baby with defects, said the CDC Vital Signs report, the first research of its kind to be released since the mosquito-borne virus made its way into the United States last year.

Advertisement

Zika can cause brain defects such as microcephaly, an irreversible condition in which the child's brain and skull are unusually small and misshapen.

But even though some babies are born without any outward signs of defects, they may go on to show developmental delays, so researchers cautioned that their estimates may be lower than reality.

Brenda Pereira stands by her four-month-old baby Maria Fernanda as she is examined at the State Brain Institute (IEC) in Rio de Janeiro. Brenda was infected with the zika virus, transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, while pregnant and her daughter was born with microcephaly.

Advertisement

Since Zika erupted on a large scale in mid-2015, more than 1.5 million people have been infected, mostly in Brazil and other countries in South America. Some 70 countries have been impacted.

Zika may lead to an itchy rash but often causes no symptoms.

Its effects on the fetus were particularly acute when the virus attacked a woman in the first trimester of pregnancy.

"Confirmed infections in the first trimester posed the highest risk -- with about 15 per cent having Zika-related birth defects," said the CDC Vital Signs report.

Most of the cases involved women who acquired the virus while traveling outside the country.

"All pregnant women should be educated about how to avoid Zika virus exposure during prenatal visits."

Local cases of Zika have been reported in Florida and Texas, and the virus can also be transmitted through sex.

Advertisement

"Zika continues to be a threat to pregnant women across the US," said CDC Acting Director Anne Schuchat.

"With warm weather and a new mosquito season approaching, prevention is crucial to protect the health of mothers and babies."

The CDC continues to track pregnant women who may be infected with Zika, and the current count is about 1,600, she said.

Experts urge pregnant women to consider avoiding travel to places where Zika is spreading, to use condoms or practice abstinence with partners who have been in areas of active Zika transmission, and take steps to prevent mosquito bites.

"All pregnant women should be educated about how to avoid Zika virus exposure during prenatal visits," said James Ducey, director of maternal-fetal medicine at Staten Island University Hospital.

Advertisement

"We should hope that efforts at a vaccine will be successful so that parents and children are spared the neurologic and other disabilities associated with this virus."

The World Health Organization declared a global health emergency in February last year due to Zika, and declared it over in mid-November.

The WHO has said no vaccine is likely to be available until 2020.

"Unfortunately, there is no treatment for this infection," said Michael Grosso, chief medical officer at Northwell Health's Huntington Hospital in New York.

"We should hope that efforts at a vaccine will be successful so that parents and children are spared the neurologic and other disabilities associated with this virus."

Also on HuffPost

Zika Virus Symptoms See Gallery
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 5

By Ilhama Isabalayeva  Trend:

During the April battles, Azerbaijan responded to the aggressors actions and thereby protected the rights and freedoms of its citizens using the right of protection from aggression in accordance with the UN Charter, Aydin Safikhanli, head of Azerbaijans Ombudsman Office, told Trend Apr. 5.

Safikhanli noted that on April 2, 2016, the Armenian armed forces suddenly subjected the Azerbaijani territories, numerous settlements in front-line regions, where the civilian population lives, schools and other social facilities, as well as the positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces along the line of contact of troops to heavy shelling using heavy artillery and large-caliber weapons.

As a result, civilians, including women and children, were killed and seriously wounded, he added.

The head of Ombudsman Office said that as a result of this war crime committed by the armed forces of Armenia, the requirements of international documents, including the Geneva Conventions, were grossly violated.

Armenia, which hasnt been punished until today for the committed crimes, committed another war crime. Azerbaijan, within its internationally recognized borders, took the necessary steps to ensure the security of civilian population. Although, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, the UN Security Council must immediately and decisively stop the aggression committed against a member of the organization, said Safikhanli.

In general, principles of international law and the UN Charter should be the main sources to be referred to in the solution of international problems and conflicts. Due to the fact that during the April events, the international community, as always, took a wait-and-see position, Azerbaijan itself exercised its right for protection from aggression and responded to the aggressors actions in accordance with the UN Charter, he added.

On the night of Apr. 2, 2016, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire from Armenian armed forces. As a result of artillery shelling of Azerbaijans settlements, located near the line of contact, six civilians were killed, including two children aged under 16, and 26 people were seriously injured.

During the four days of fighting, Azerbaijani Armed Forces liberated the heights near the Talish village, as well as the Seysulan settlement, which could pose a threat to the safety of the Goranboy district and Naftalan city.

Azerbaijan took over control of the Lele Tepe strategic height, located near the Fuzuli district, which allows controlling a large territory. Also, as a result of the April battles, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces took under control the roads in the Aghdere-Madaghiz direction.

Thirty tanks, up to 15 artillery mounts and fortifications belonging to Armenia were destroyed, 320 Armenian soldiers were killed and more than 500 of the enemys servicemen were wounded during the battles.

The military operations were stopped on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops on Apr. 5 at 12:00 (UTC/GMT + 4 hours) upon mutual agreement of the sides.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
B.C. politics already has its dark money donations that are difficult to trace back to an actual donor. But the free for all when it comes to political fundraising in the province has given rise to another murky practice: raising campaign cash from some dark corners of the world.

Its name seems innocuous enough, G&E Studio.

It's just one of the companies identified among the 76,887 donations that the B.C. Liberal Party received between 2005 and 2015.

Advertisement

G&E donated $5,000 to the Liberal Party less than three weeks after a 2015 Reuters investigation identified the company as part of "a global radio web structured in a way that obscures its majority shareholder: state-run China Radio International."

A station in Vancouver -- CHMB AM1320 -- broadcasts G&E's state-approved content. CHMB is owned and operated by Mainstream Broadcasting.

Before her election in 2013, International Trade and Minister Teresa Wat was the president and CEO of Mainstream.

And China isn't the only foreign country coughing up cash for parties in the province.

G&E isn't the only state-controlled Chinese company to donate to parties in B.C.

The Bank of China contributed $388 to the Liberals in 2015 and Canadian Kailuan Dehua Mines -- part of the Kailuan Group -- has given the party $59,974, and another $7,375 to the B.C. NDP (2011 to 2014).

Advertisement

A genuine interest in B.C. politics may not be top of mind when the cheques get cut.

In one of China's state-run newspapers, Huang Xiangmo, chairman of the Yuhu Group of developers, wrote this in regards to Australian politicians: "(They're) not delivering... We need to learn how to have a more efficient combination between political requests and political donations."

To date, neither Yuhu nor Huang have made donations in B.C. Lucky for us.

And China isn't the only foreign country whose state-controlled enterprises are coughing up cash for parties in the province.

Progress Energy has donated $12,750 to the Liberals.

Progress is a wholly owned subsidiary of Petronas, a Malaysian state-controlled energy company.

Petronas is also the majority partner in Pacific NorthWest LNG, who has donated $21,700 to the Liberals and $350 to the NDP.

Closer to home, Texas-based Kinder Morgan boasts on its website that it's "committed to being a good corporate citizen and conducting ourselves in an ethical and responsible manner. We spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year on integrity management and maintenance programs..."

Advertisement

It may want to ask for some of its money back.

Perhaps a quick jaunt to Seattle?

The website goes on to note that the company does not have "a Political Action Committee. Any political contributions made by executives or employees are made individually as private citizens with their own personal money."

Highly noble of them, except for the tiny matter of $33,188 in donations to the Liberals through 11 corporate cheques over nine years (including two by Trans Mountain).

Must be clerical errors.

California-based Edison Power gave the Liberals $10,000 in 2016 and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. $1,832 in 2009.

Both companies were on the winning side when BC Hydro reached a $750-million out-of-court settlement in 2013 after its subsidiary Powerex was accused of "gaming the energy market by purchasing and exporting to Canada huge quantities of electricity California needed and then selling it back to the state at exorbitant prices."

Thinking of taking a cruise this summer or perhaps a quick jaunt to Seattle?

Advertisement

Put Princess Cruises and Holland America Line down for $3,000 each to the Liberals, Royal Caribbean Cruises ($3,701) and the Clipper for $2,216 to the Liberals and $1,000 to the NDP.

Paper Excellence Group, a privately held company, has contributed $135,938 to the Liberals since 2014.

The B.C. government likes to think of Paper Excellence as a company headquartered in Richmond B.C., even though its head office is in Indonesia.

Beijing-based Modern Investment Group gave the Liberals $25,000 in December 2015.

You're left to wonder what's on the table when the cheques are handed over.

Last year the company was part of a consortium that purchased TransLink's 13.8-acre Oakridge Transit Centre in Vancouver for an estimated $440 million.

Most foreign donors to B.C.'s political parties can be traced to a country, but not all.

Sakuna Natural Resources has donated $10,000 to the Liberals, and Orient Investment Corp. has donated $1,000. The Globe and Mailreports that neither company is registered in B.C., nor federally, and that their their home base is unknown.

Advertisement

When a party has few scruples about who it will take money from and where they will raise it, you're left to wonder what's on the table when the cheques are handed over.

Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook

Also on HuffPost:
PeopleImages via Getty Images Portrait of a young entrepreneur using a digital tablet at work with her team in the background

By the time sci-fi writer William Gibson coined the word "cyberspace" in 1982, the real world was already witnessing the gestation -- and eventual birth -- of vast digital communication networks made possible through rapid advances in computer technology. As the personal computer lodged itself firmly in the public sphere, so too was there a fast-paced evolution in internet technologies. And when the new millennium graced humanity with its presence, the Digital Age had already arrived - thoroughly and irreverently entrenched in society.

Revolutions in techno science upend the old order and shake up industries of all stripes. The Digital Age was no different -- and one of the most heavily-impacted industries has been advertising and marketing media. In this way, Leo Bogart's 1967 pronouncement was remarkably prescient: "The mass media, as we know them today, are on the threshold of a major technical revolution, with consequences perhaps even farther-reaching than those which accompanied the rise of radio in the 1920s and the '30s and of television in the 1940s and '50s."

Advertisement

Traditional advertising approaches were forced to adapt to the pressures of the hip-and-cool vibes of internet marketing. Now, advertisers are often more inclined to look to Facebook and Instagram for promoting their messages -- instead of television and radio, the former capstones of the advertising industry. The world is now digital, and marketing efforts necessarily exist within this digital frame-of-reference.

As the CEO of a North American experiential marketing agency, I have a tendency to chronically think about marketing as a whole -- its past, present, and future. With the explosive growth of internet-based marketing approaches, some executives and marketing managers have wondered about the role of brand ambassadors in this new advertising landscape.

Do companies still need brand ambassadors for effective marketing? Or are brand ambassadors rendered obsolete by the Digital Age?

Brand Ambassadors in the Digital Age: Irrelevant or Increasingly Important?

First, what are brand ambassadors exactly? Definitions vary (depending on who you're asking), but broadly speaking, brand ambassadors are individuals who strongly identify with a brand's values and champion its products and services. The marketing power of brand ambassadors was succinctly explained by Marcus Andersson and Per Ekman: "Ambassadors can...through both their social and occupational roles, get access to target groups that the [corporation] otherwise would not reach."

Advertisement

Now then, there are several ways someone could show that brand ambassadors are becoming more important in the marketing arena. For example, ad agencies and corporations alike are increasingly acknowledging the branding and promotional prowess of experiential marketing (not to mention the superior long-term ROI of this kind of marketing).

And experiential marketing campaigns demand the use of brand ambassadors who interact with consumers, so there is good reason to believe that brand ambassadors will be a crucial component of tomorrow's marketing.

While all of this makes for a compelling argument that brand ambassadors are important despite the digital era, my perspective is that brand ambassadors will become increasingly more crucial to brands because the world is digital. Simply put, digital communications create an increasing need for brand ambassadors -- if brands are to remain relevant, timely, and profitable.

Why Brands in the Digital Age Need Brand Ambassadors

To begin, there is mounting evidence that key information technologies -- like Web 2.0 environments, the near-universality of internet service, and so on -- are some of the most powerful drivers of the demand for mass personalization.

Mass personalization, of course, means that people -- and thus the marketplace -- increasingly demand that solutions, products, services, and communications be tailored to their specific, individual needs and wants. So digital information technologies represent a kind of feedback loop in the marketing industry: internet-based advertising is particularly effective when it comes to personalized marketing (just consider this case of a Facebook ad that was targeted to a single individual's characteristics and interests) and internet-based technologies are spurring the public's thirst for acute personalization.

Advertisement

And because of this desire for personalization, there is something that is becoming more and more critical for the success of a brand: its relationship with its consumers. Mass advertising methods can only build strong relationships with a mass, homogenous audience; but brand ambassadors, on the other hand, can create and maintain relationships on a more micro, more granular level.

Digital technology is an excellent medium for maintaining positive relationships between consumers and brands, but ultimately people want connections with a brand to be human and personal - whether online or offline.

When you think about it from this perspective, you can see why brand ambassadors will only increase in relevance in this brave new digital world. Because whether a brand is throwing an event or breaking into the online space, brand ambassadors provide an excellent way to create real, personalized interactions between brands and its target audience, resulting in a strengthening of overall brand equity.

Marketing in the digital world needs brand ambassadors because the digital world is paving the way for hyper-personalization -- and that's true whether you're swiping through Tinder for a date or indulging in a fun, live brand experience.
Last September I signed on to teach a class in the post grad corporate communications program at Seneca College in Toronto. Like the first day of school, I had the usual nerves wondering how I would find the classroom, where to sit and how to remember names. Those quickly disappeared as I realized the students and I were in this together.

I've been surprised to discover how the world of work and learning has so much in common. Organizational structure, measuring success, deadlines and the difference between hearing and learning have all come in to play. As my first cohort of students graduate here is snapshot of what I have learned so far:

Advertisement

The Future Is In Good Hands With Millennials

There is much talk about young people coddled by helicopter parents and too distracted by Snapchat and Instagram to pay attention to the world around them. The reality is something different. Students entering the workplace are smart, funny, curious and care very much about a fair society.

For employers, this offers a wealth of knowledge that can be invaluable. Mark Zuckerberg famously founded Facebook in his early 20s and Canadians Marc and Craig Kielburger launched the non-profit ME to WE in their teens. Millennials are outperforming boomers in growing profitable businesses, and employing larger teams too. We'd be fools not to embrace this rich talent pool.

Organizational Structure Is Good, Too Much Is A Bad Thing

For many, a typical workday is spent around structure; in and out of meetings, developing plans, discussing strategies and reviewing timelines.

Advertisement

Student learning is also built around structure; listening, presenting and discussing. Yet the most interesting work happens in the informal chatter in-between and the work that is done outside of class.

I recently challenged student teams to study an international crisis communications issue. The brief was to understand what happened, why and what can we learn. Their findings were insightful and well presented with a refreshing perspective on the nature of corporate social good.

For example; in reporting on the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, and retailer Joe Fresh, whose clothing was made there, they noted the company donated $1m to Save the Children, but little to create long-term economic opportunity for those left without a means of income.

Giving work teams the freedom to explore, even beyond their job descriptions can be inspiring, leading to creative thinking, new ideas and alternative business solutions.

Listening To Outside Voices Is Essential To Growth

I am lucky to count students from Ukraine, Brazil, Netherlands and India among my class. They are hungry to learn, and prepared to work very hard.

Advertisement

As a result, I've discovered a fresh view on the fight for free expression in the Ukraine, the fine line between bribery and doing business in South America, and that we have much to learn from the Dutch about compassion for others.

So it's worth taking time in the office, at conferences and elsewhere to check in and see if you are listening to new voices that can refresh your perspective, and maybe move your business forward.

Knowledge Is A Living, Changing Organism

Student life is foundational in gaining the knowledge, skills and insights to prepare for future career success. The challenge for educators is to keep pace with workplace changes and ensure learnings are relevant, capturing the essence of real-world experiences. It's one reason students enjoy visiting lecturers who share knowledge beyond the pages of a curriculum.

Likewise, in business, what we think we know should always be in flux. As leaders we should challenge teams to always be learning, whether through conferences, workshops, or in conversation. We are in an age of constant learning that is key to personal growth and business success. As Steve Jobs famously said "Stay hungry. Stay foolish".

Deadlines Are A Great Motivator

Remember cramming for a high school test the night before? Probably not the best study ethic, but certainly a lesson in meeting deadlines. I'm impressed how smart my students have been around deadlines. They don't wait to be told, and know to ask the right questions: when is it due; in what format; how will it be graded?

Advertisement

In too many business environments there are implied deadlines that lack clarity, leading to poor outcomes and wasted resources. Push for specifics if you are not sure, but those doing the asking should be clear about what is expected and by when. And a word of caution: "when you get a chance"; "this week"; or "when you are done with what you are doing" will not cut it.

Less Meetings, More Doing

Despite the parties and pub nights, students have an amazing capacity to get stuff done. It might be youthful enthusiasm, but there is an understanding that the work needs to be completed, no matter what. What's more, students will support each other effortlessly to make this happen.

It's easy to be busy at work, but not necessarily productive. Too many meetings are unnecessary. A Verizon report claims the salary cost for unnecessary meetings is approximately $37-billion (U.S.) a year. 45 per cent of attendees feel overwhelmed by all the meetings, and 73 per cent do other work in meetings. So yes, take meetings if you must, but remember that is generally not where the good work happens.

As these students head into the workplace I am encouraged by their keenness to learn, strong work ethic and intent to have fun along the way. It is said that youth is wasted on the young, but from what I observe this is a remarkable generation that has their eyes wide open, see the world around them -- just one of the benefits of globalization -- and are excited for what the future holds. We should consider ourselves in very good hands.
Like many first-generation Canadians, growing up I formed some grand notions of my parents' culture. Whether it's the food and music or the traditions and history, we tend to take the aspects that exhilarate us the most and fold them into our half-Canadian, half-whatever identity. My idea of Polish culture tasted like digging into a pile of fire-roasted kielbasa sausages, felt like opening presents on Christmas Eve and sounded a whole lot like "Sto Lat" on birthdays.

Busy celebrating the best of what Polish culture had to offer, I rarely paused to think about the darker parts of my heritage. But moving out from my childhood home and joining a Polish community during a formative time of my life brought this willful ignorance into stark relief.

Advertisement

Though I was born in Canada, I was raised just north and west of Detroit by born-and-bred Poles. My parents often spoke Polish around the home, while my brothers and I spoke English with the odd loan word thrown into the mix. My parents kept traditions like name days alive and made sure we'd visit what family we had in Poland, ensuring our Polish identities went far beyond our passports. When I moved back to attend university in my native land as a young adult, I felt a certain homesickness -- for my parents, sure, but also for the comfort of our culture.

I found a sense of belonging in a university group that consisted of a mix of first-generation Canadians, like me, as well as late-generation Poles. I had the opportunity to sharpen my command of my parents' language, and enjoy (at times) the dance and (often) the drink of my people -- all the traditions that made embracing my heritage so fun. I also celebrated past victories like Solidarnosc and mourned national tragedies like the Katyn massacre -- all the historical influences that shape Polish national identity, whether you're born in the fatherland or in the diaspora known as Polonia, as a tenacious underdog of sorts.

The first hints of the darkness at the edges of your culture may take on a subtle form.

But in joining this community, I was exposed to more than I had bargained for. It became an opportunity for me to learn more about the country's present day, including its harsher realities -- particularly the prejudices and biases I had gone to great lengths to ignore. Thing is, with an ocean between home and "home," it was certainly easy to believe in the lazy fallacy that the racism and intolerance I personally experienced as a Pole in the States or Canada couldn't possibly exist in Poland.

Advertisement

The cracks in my idealized Polish-ness began to form.

If you're a first-generation Canadian whose heritage lies in a more conservative corner of the world, the first hints of the darkness at the edges of your culture may take on a subtle form. It can be a grandparent dropping a racist epithet or an acquaintance wondering aloud why Pride exists. ("Why do they have to shove it in our faces?") It's easy to comfort ourselves that they don't know better, that it's just "their" culture -- anything to spare ourselves the cognitive dissonance, gamely abandoning the non-Canadian half of our heritage to protect ourselves from an inconvenient truth.

For me, I properly realized the fallibility of my community when a colleague made a "joke" about the weight of heavy luggage after a cultural conference. ("What, do you have a whole Jew hiding in there?") It wasn't the first time I'd heard something like this, nor the last.

Why it took me this long, I can't say. But the commenter's delivery seemed so innocuous that it reminded me of the all-too casual intolerance aimed at me and my family during my high-school days -- back when I had to pretend like being called a "poor Polack" didn't get under my skin, or the times when Americans changed their tone after detecting my mom's accent. I couldn't get it out of my head.

It forced me to reflect on the institutionalized, generation-spanning intolerance that had long persisted within my culture, just like it does in Canada's and in the U.S.

Advertisement

The homophobia that can lead to Warsaw's rainbow arch, seen by many as a symbol of LGBTQ rights, being burned to the ground, over and over again.

The misogyny that leads legislators to consider stripping away women's agency by threatening to tighten already draconian anti-abortion laws, prompting the massive national protest now known as Czarny Poniedziaek ("Black Monday").

I was searching for a community that had never really existed - one with all the rooting aspects but none of the rough edges.

The xenophobia that helps populists like the Law and Justice (PiS) party -- whose leaders have literally claimed that migrants could cause "epidemics" -- ride waves of discontent to power, solidifying Poland's status as a bastion of Europe's far right.

Advertisement

The prejudice that I'd stand up to over here if I saw it, but conveniently overlooked as it happened over there.

By putting my Polish-ness on a pedestal, I was searching for a community that had never really existed -- one with all the rooting aspects but none of the rough edges. No culture's perfect. It wasn't too late to realize that embracing the wholesome aspects of your heritage also makes you responsible for confronting its ugliness.

For Canadians whose identity lies in two cultures, that's a lot of responsibility. But given how our mixed identities are a product of diversity itself, who could be better suited to lead the charge?

Born And Raised is an ongoing series by The Huffington Post Canada that shares the experiences of second-generation Canadians. Part reflection, part storytelling, this series on the children of immigrants explores what it means to be born and raised in Canada. We want to hear your stories -- join the conversation on Twitter at #BornandRaised or send us an email at bornandraised@huffingtonpost.com.

Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook

Also on HuffPost:

Advertisement
"Education is what got us into this mess -- and education is key to getting us out of it." So says Senator Murray Sinclair, Chief Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in its final report.

This year is the 150th anniversary of Confederation -- and a good time to prepare for the next 150 years.

Indigenous peoples are the fastest-growing demographic group in Canada. They have the potential to make a strong contribution to Canada's economic well-being. But if that is to happen, we must deal with the gap between the well-being of indigenous and non-indigenous people in Canada. That requires understanding the role education plays in closing that gap -- and the action required to make that happen.

Advertisement

The statistics are horrendous and unacceptable. Less than 40 per cent of indigenous students who start grade one will graduate from high school. Compare that to the national rate of 87 per cent.

The gap in university graduation is even greater.

The economic advantages of "closing the gap" far outweigh the costs. As Matthew Calver of the Centre for the Study of Living Standards notes, "the benefits of education extend far beyond labour market performance ... education is also associated with better health, reduced crime, political engagement and better financial decisions."

The cumulative value of eliminating the educational gap would be $261-billion by 2031. Closing the gaps in educational attainment, plus the gaps in employment and employment income would have a total economic impact of $335-billion by 2031.

Advertisement

Within a single generation, the payback would be enormous. That excludes the savings that would be expected in health costs, incarceration costs, child-care costs -- and all the other social costs of poverty.

Canadians must become aware of the fact that no other people in Canada have been and are subjected to the national collective treatment which has been accorded to indigenous peoples. Letting the situation continue is an unconscious part of public culture, and it's been the unconscious backbone of bureaucratic decisions, passed automatically from one government to the next. It exists in the inability, failure or disinterest of well-intended decent people to create the political will to make change happen.

Reconciliation means change, change requires action, action requires resources on many fronts to repair the costly damage of the unfortunate past.

We must build awareness that education is more than just the ABCs -- it is the means of restoring cultural loss by strengthening identity, language, culture, and indigenous peoples' history. Our children require an education that recognizes and respects our values and our science, and is intended to contribute to the rebuilding of nations.

If governments and other sectors don't allocate funds to make change happen, other costs associated with poverty and unemployment will burden budgets for generations to come.

Advertisement

All Canadians should ensure the right thing is done now. To paraphrase the prime minister, it's 2017.

We have already lost generations. Reconciliation means change, change requires action, action requires resources on many fronts to repair the costly damage of the unfortunate past.

I believe favourable winds of change are now blowing across what our people call Turtle Island. I believe reconciliation can and will happen.

When our youth realize they have reason for a strong affirming sense of identity, when they believe they are persons of value, knowing they are part of a positive change being woven into the history of Canada, they will respond by realizing that they have talent, potential, intelligence, and something special to offer the world.

The task of investing in education must go beyond government funding.

When our youth are treated with respect by teachers who expect the same, when they have access to an education other Canadians take for granted, there is a magical transformation that happens, not just for individuals, but for entire communities.

Advertisement

Closing the gap -- which can be done -- would be the greatest chapter in Canada's history. Is there any better way to celebrate this 150th anniversary?

The federal government has made good first steps with their financial commitments, including this year's budget's strong contribution to Indspire and its matching grant. However the task of investing in education must go beyond government funding.

Action and support is also required from corporations, associations, individuals and private philanthropy -- each have a role to play.

Indspire was thrilled and grateful this month when The Slaight Family Foundation included us in its Indigenous Initiative. This gift will support 750 new bursaries for indigenous students to study the arts, culture, and language. It will also impact up to 30,000 indigenous students by increasing our ability to support educators and communities working to improve the high school graduation rate.

We hope others will be inspired to their own best efforts.

Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook
While the president of the United States is busy rolling back protection for women workers and defunding the UN Population Fund, north of the border, a room full of women gather in Toronto to engage in learning and discussions about solutions for gender equality, a topic that is not going away any time soon.

After more than a million women and men marched last January in solidarity across the U.S. and around the world, out of both concern and inspiration of what the future holds, it has never been clearer that women are on the rise. While the collective voice of women -- and men -- is greatly needed, we still need organizations to lead the charge and set the agenda to advance gender equality and take action for any meaningful transformation with real staying power. And that is exactly what happened on April 4 and 5 in a conference room in Deloitte's swanky offices at Yonge and Adelaide Streets.

Advertisement

The Gender Equality Forum 2017 brought together women leaders in business, government and UN agencies to explore opportunities for partnership and collective action. It was organized by the Canadian network of the UN Global Compact (UNGC), a voluntary corporate strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies in the interest areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption; and spearheaded by Helle Bank Jorgensen.

"Feminism is the greatest gift men ever received." -- Michael Kaufman, forum panelist

Speakers included the premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne; European Union Ambassador to Canada Marie-Anne Coninsx; and the Honourable Maryam Monsef, the minister of status of women Canada, who began her inspiring speech by telling the group, "I'm here because I'm interested in a relationship."

As it turned out, as she would later tells us, the relationship was with us.

"Canada can lead the world," said minister Monsef, whose personal story of being raised by a single mom to eventually becoming an MP -- and beacon of light for all Canadian women -- is in itself a dose of inspiration.

And while it was interesting hearing from a range of women (and a few men) speakers from NGOs and corporations about the challenges women face in the world, the solutions they are striving for and their achievements, the most intriguing part of the forum was something we don't have enough of at women-themed events. It was a panel discussion of men who are interested, in earnest, in the advancement of women.

Advertisement

"Feminism is the greatest gift men ever received," said forum panelist Michael Kaufman, author and White Ribbon Campaign co-founder, upon noting the lack of men in the audience.

And so, my takeaway is this: there are visionary men who want to reach more men to get engaged and involved to advance women's interests. Let's find them! Kaufman offers some ways to do that, which I will leave with you:

Positive messages work better than negative. "Be the guy who interrupts sexist jokes." Reach out to men with compassion and understanding, while challenging abuse. Co-operation and outreach to happen at the community level. Globalize men's voices -- encourage other men.

Let's have more of this at women's empowerment events, please. And thank you.

Shannon Skinner is a Toronto-based, award-winning television and radio show host, international speaker, author and creator of ExtraordinaryWomenTV.com. For information on her speaking engagements and interviews, visit: www.ShannonSkinner.com and www.ExtrarodinaryWomenTV.com. Tweet to her at @Shannon_Skinner.

Advertisement

This blog was originally published on ShannonSkinner.com

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this blog indicated that minister Maryam Monsef was born in Afghanistan. She was born in Iran.

Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook

Also on HuffPost:
Yves Herman / Reuters Minister-President of Wallonia Paul Magnette leaves a meeting on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a planned EU-Canada free trade agreement, at the Lambermont Residence in Brussels, Belgium, October 26, 2016. REUTERS/Yves Herman

Paul Magnette is not a household name in Canada, but he should be: he is best known for making Chrystia Freeland, our former Trade Minister, cry.

Last October, Magnette, sometimes viewed as leader of the Cuba of Europe, single-handedly almost brought down CETA, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement in October between Canada and the European Union, effectively delaying Prime Minister Trudeaus plans to sign the deal.

Advertisement

Magnette, minister-president of Belgium's French-speaking Wallonia region, raised the ire of the international economic community: How dare a small region like Wallonia bring down the work of 28 other countries? And how dare he challenge a free trade agreement? Well, here's the thing: He vows to do so again.

Magnettes recently published book, CETA: Quand Europe deraille,demonstrates that Wallonias exercise of examining CETA was everything that Canadas was not: rigorous, democratic and non-ideological. Wallonia had all the parties sit down together and discuss the issues over a two-year period, with hundreds of hours of hearings featuring experts, lawyers, economists and civil society.

In fact, Magnette did not decide to reject CETA on his own: this evolved out of a consensus of most of the political parties in Wallonias parliament. I was in Brussels while Wallonia was refusing to give Belgium the authorization to sign CETA, and I met a panoply of politicians from various parties opposed to CETA. Heres an example of one of their sessions.

While free trade supporters are now painting opposition to trade agreements as ill informed, dangerous rhetoric lacking an economic basis, Magnette charges that it is actually free trade supporters who are the demagogues.

Advertisement

He says, In the end, there is an ideological fascination with free trade. When we ask them where they will create jobs, they never respond. In what sectors? Where will it destroy them? How many? They dont respond. They say it will create thousands of jobs because we get rid of border tariffs. This is pure neoliberal ideology. In the end, it is an economic treaty where the real goal is to protect investments. And under the pretext of protecting investments, we want to erode a series of laws on public health, the environment and the exchange of financial data. That is the real problem.

Extensive pressure was put on Wallonia. The business community said Wallonia was committing economic suicide, was destroying its reputation and would lose foreign investors. An ambassador even went so far as to say that a large company in his country was planning to invest in Wallonia but would pull back unless Wallonia approved CETA.

Wallonia argued that it would not accept the EU's timeline and that it was better to postpone the summit. As the pressure built and ultimatums continued, Magnette took a long walk in the woods, shut off his phone for a day, and then turned it back on only to tweet, Too bad that EU pressure on those blocking the fight against financial fraud was not so intense. Germany, Austria, Romania and Bulgaria, initially opposed to CETA, gave in one by one under relentless pressure.

Advertisement

In the last days, Justin Trudeau bluffed that he was coming to Brussels anyway, and another ultimatum was launched. When I was in Brussels and in Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament, I heard rumours that Trudeau was on the way aboard his plane. But in the end, that date passed too. A deal was finally reached, and Belgium signed CETA at the European Council. Many have suggested that Wallonia gave in, since there were no changes to the text, and that CETA was a done deal. However:

in the agreement, Wallonia (and four other Belgian regions) said they have the right to refuse CETA later in the process, and that if there are no changes to the investor court system, they would reject the agreement. They reiterated their constitutional right to do so.

They also committed Belgium to get an opinion from the European Court of Justice on the compatibility of the investor court system with the European Constitution.

As recently as last week, Magnette said he would vote against CETA when Belgians turn comes to ratify the deal. He is not alone: there are many others.

Magnette is actually quite lucid about trade. As a specialist in EU constitutional issues and theories of citizen participation, he is intellectually interested in the phenomenon of multinational companies being granted rights going beyond those of states, and he recognizes the importance of correcting this.

He says trade should be balanced against ensuring sustainable development, correcting inequality and eliminating tax evasion.

To send a message to Magnette and the people of Wallonia that says the Trudeau government does not speak for you, click here.

Advertisement

Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook
Marjan_Apostolovic via Getty Images A woman sitting alone and depressed in sunset

Thinkstock photo

Written by Dr. John Teshima, a youth psychiatrist at Sunnybrook.

Finding mental health help for youth and their families should be simple, but it can actually be complicated and confusing. Which professional will be most helpful? Which program will provide the appropriate services? Sometimes there seem to be too many options and you may not know where to start. To make things more challenging, you may be directed from door to door to door, making it feel like no one wants to let you in.

Advertisement

To help youth and their families better navigate the mental health system, I've put together five basic tips for finding mental help:

If the situation is urgent, go to the nearest emergency department.

Each youth and family's definition of "urgent" may differ. It could be that the youth is feeling suicidal. It could be that the youth hasn't eaten for days and keeps fainting. Whatever the case, if you think waiting a few weeks could lead to a dire outcome, going to the emergency department can start the process of getting the problem addressed. It might also lead to immediate intervention, referral to an appropriate service, or at least information about what services should be sought out.

If you are seeking services from a hospital or Child Mental Health Centre (CMHC), start with the one closest to where you live.

A local hospital/CMHC is most likely to be able to offer you services and will also know more about other local resources. If you live far away from the hospital/CMHC you seek help from, you may not qualify for their services. They also may not know much about the resources in your community.

Advertisement

Note that most CMHCs and child psychiatry services only see youth before their 18th birthday. Above that age, a youth usually only has access to adult mental health services.

To see a psychiatrist, a youth must be referred by their pediatrician or family doctor.

A psychiatrist is a mental health professional who is also a medical doctor. They can assess a youth comprehensively and recommend treatments. Some, but not all, will provide follow-up. They can prescribe medications for mental health disorders (as can pediatricians and family doctors). Some can also provide psychotherapy. Typical wait times can be several months to see a psychiatrist.

Around Ontario and in Toronto, some local options exist:

If a youth wants to talk to someone this week, go to a What's Up Walk-In.

There are six What's Up Walk-In locations around Toronto, open five days a week. No referral is needed and the sessions are free. At these clinics, a professional counselor will meet with the youth, and further intervention will be planned according to his or her needs.

If you are finding it hard to figure out where to get help, contact the Family Navigation Project.

The Family Navigation Project is a service for parents, to assist them in finding the appropriate mental health resources for their youth (ages 13-26). A professional navigator will speak to the family and support them through the process of accessing mental health care for their youth.

Want to learn more about mental health resources?Attend Sunnybrook's community open house May 3, 2017.

Advertisement

Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook
The youth of any society constitute the promise of the future -- and many of our youth are in trouble. They are growing up in a divided society with ethnic, gender and political tensions at seemingly combustible proportions -- not just south of the border, but in Canada too. Their employment opportunities are frequently temporary, unstable and short-term and the housing market appears unattainable for many with levels of inequity across society increasing.

Youth most affected by such tensions and disparities may shrug their shoulders and wonder, 'why bother?'

But there's one thing we can do to help Canadian at-risk youth forge a positive path forward: provide positive mentorship.

Advertisement

Research shows that mentorship programs for youth improve school success and academic performance. For example, 45 per cent of at risk youth with an adult mentor are enrolled in higher education compared with only 29 per cent of their unmentored peers. Mentorships also reduce drug and alcohol abuse, engagement in violence and with the law and improves peer relationships, social skills and employment.

Unfortunately, too many young people in Canada don't have an adult mentor.

Thirty per cent of youth report never having an adult mentor of any kind, and rates are higher for youth most at risk -- including those from impoverished backgrounds or those with an incarcerated parent.

Evidence shows that mentorship programs for youth make good economic sense too.

According to a 2014 report by the National Mentoring Partnership, every dollar invested in youth mentoring results in a $3 return on investment to society by, for example, reducing justice and health services costs and improving employment (and thus government tax revenue).

Advertisement

We must reach out to ensure that youth who need mentorship, have adult men and women who are trained and ready to help.

It turns out, mentorship programs work for low to high-risk youth. Though, duration matters -- mentorship is more successful when it extends beyond a year, long enough for emotional bonds and trust to develop. And training is important. Training programs for mentors, such as those led by Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Boys & Girls Clubs, ensure mentors learn the skills they need to experience success.

We must reach out to ensure that youth who need mentorship, have adult men and women who are trained and ready to help. Youth often struggle to make sense of the many complex issues in their lives and playing out in their communities, such as gender and gender identity, immigration or refugee resettlement, racism and sexism.

Mentorship can foster shared understanding and respect and can help bridge gaps between contemporary values and traditional customs and habits. Mentors are the role models and teachers that we need to help shape an inclusive and civic society.

So it's a sad reality that almost 80 per cent of youth considered most at risk because of repeated school absence, school expulsion, course failure or grade repetition do not have the benefits of structured mentorship.

Advertisement

Youth mentorship should not be left to chance. So what can be done?

One, normalize, popularize and celebrate mentorship. Communities, schools, not-for-profit organizations and the private/corporate sector can embed mentorship programs in strategic planning, evaluation and investment planning. The private/corporate sector can recognize employee contributions to mentorship the same way participation in other corporate philanthropy is celebrated.

Second, at-risk youth can be identified by teachers, in the juvenile justice and in child welfare/ foster care systems. Matching them to the best mentor could dramatically improve the life chances for these youth. A mentorship match should be standard of care for these youth.

Third, as early as elementary school, children at risk of school failure should be identified and provided with quality mentorship. These include those with poor attendance and/or who struggle with math and reading.

This later point was perfectly articulated by an impoverished young pregnant woman in one of our studies, who was suffering from a serious addiction. She said, "You would have had to 'get me' in grade three to prevent me from ending up where I am now." Her words have haunted us for over a decade. She had spent her childhood and youth doing the best she could to survive in her environment -- and we failed her.

Advertisement

At a time when "fear of the other" is broadcast through media channels on a daily basis, the potential for an inclusive and compassionate society is threatened. Mentorship and engagement with those around us is a vehicle for building a diverse and peaceful society we are all proud of.

Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook
John Lamparski via Getty Images

Good afternoon. I would like to thank Dr. Vidano, Dean Knapp and the team here at George Washington University for convening this important gathering to discuss building a global partnership to combat extremism online in all its forms.

It is indeed ironic that one of humanity's most liberating innovations -- the Internet -- is being misused in this way -- as a vessel for violence and hatred.

Advertisement

Over the past few years, I have spoken at many symposiums about the escalating threat posed by the abuse of internet platforms and applications by terrorists and extremist groups. I have called for united action and spoken about the urgent need for governments, civil society groups and the private sector to come together to apply new technologies, share information and develop best practice solutions. But today we are at an impasse.

It is no longer a matter of speculation that terrorists and extremists use internet platforms and applications to inspire violence, spread extremist ideology and to plan and execute attacks. Each tragic incident reconfirms it.

We come together following yet another horrific attack. This one in London around the Houses of Parliament; my home and my place of work. Five people tragically lost their lives, fifty were injured and 30 hospitalised. The victims were from 12 different countries. And within 24 hours, Daesh claimed responsibility.

We know how extremists manipulate information and sow the seeds of discord in society. We know how they use propaganda to reinforce grievance and instigate hatred. And we know how they convince people to give up their lives and join "the fight". They target those who feel vulnerable, marginalised and invisible. But today the pool is expanding exponentially, as billions are connected to social networks -- fertile platforms for enticing and enlisting recruits.

Advertisement

Yet unlike the physical world where national governments can take clear and firm actions to keep people safe and secure in their homes and communities, the virtual space is the domain of commercial companies and we must rely on their cooperation and support to keep people from harm.If we are to protect human life in this ever more connected world, we need a new model of shared responsibility and this is the conversation I want to have with you today. I would like to challenge our thinking and ask how we move from reacting to crisis, to prevention and a full acceptance of responsibility on all sides.

In western societies we hold sacred our democratic values: freedom of speech, the right to privacy, the rule of law, safety and security. These values apply to the internet as well, which we believe must be free, open and accessible by all. But there is growing public sentiment that not enough is being done to tackle terrorist misuse of the internet.

The voices of consumers and brands are loud and clear and the recent exodus of top advertisers from social media platforms sends the strongest possible message: that their products and services must not be promoted next to deplorable extremist content.

Recently, Germany proposed legislation that sets out binding standards for how social network companies should delete criminal content. The challenge with this approach is that regulation creates a new set of national rules for these businesses that are by definition global and borderless. And there is significant complexity around any regime that governs online activity, not least keeping any such obligation current given the speed and evolution of technology and extraterritorial jurisdiction that applies.

So, we are at a critical moment, when united action to tackle this threat is the only way forward. Governments and experts can provide extensive knowledge and a rigorous understanding of the threat but industry is best placed to innovate on technical solutions that address this threat specifically for their own commercial platforms. They must innovate and automate their response to identifying and removing this vile, hateful material so that together we can ensure that everything possible is done to stop it infiltrating and poisoning a global audience.

Advertisement

Increasingly we see a potent 'cycle of hate' across multiple groups and ideologies as all sides of the extremist spectrum feed off each other, escalating tensions. We saw this post the London attack when this image appeared. The photographer who took this picture said he posted it because it showed the young woman wearing a hijab was traumatised by the events around her, but this was not how she was portrayed. The image was wildly misappropriated by right wing groups as representing her as insensitive and indifferent to the carnage that was unfolding.

The growing audacity of all types of extremist groups is perpetuating this vicious cycle. The far-right asserts that Islam represents an existential threat to the West, stating that all Muslims are supportive of terrorism. We have seen terms like 'rapefugees' used on social media, stigmatising those fleeing the atrocities in the Middle East. The far-right is using groups like Daesh as an opportunity to frighten, sow division in communities, and make their extremist narratives more palatable.

Social networks algorithmically connect like-minded individuals and amplify their passions. That is the core of the online advertising business model. But these connections can channel people into echo chambers where highly emotive and passionate content, amplified by these algorithms, reinforces extremist messaging. This creates an illusion of strength in numbers making fringe views seem normal.

Over the past year, we have seen new developments such as the use of social media live during attacks that complicate disruption efforts. Terrorists document their unspeakable actions and bask in a nihilistic personal moment of fame and notoriety. The footage is later released and used in instructional videos to inspire and incite more violence, perpetuating a vicious cycle.

The precedent for the real-time sharing was tragically set in 2016 in the broadcast of the murder of a French policeman and his wife on social media while their little boy looked on in horror. We saw this used again a few weeks ago during the horrific attack in Kabul on a military hospital, where the attackers posted live photos as the event was unfolding.

Advertisement

Terrorists' use of the internet as a sphere of influence will continue to evolve and adapt, and we need new methods to quickly identify and remove terrorist and violent content, and to deliver more effective strategic communications to counter these deadly narratives. We must be evidence based; too often we are reactionary and do not adequately deal with the complexities faced.

Some groups, Daesh in particular, produce material designed to capitalise on community tensions and hostility towards Muslims in the West. This further isolates groups away from mainstream society. Their message is that every Muslim has a duty to fight -- that 'jihad' is a fight that is local, as well as global and that if they are unable to travel, there are legitimate targets in their home countries.

Following the attack on Berlin's Christmas market, Daesh released a statement on Telegram in Arabic, French and English encouraging their supporters to carry out lone actor attacks in the West and Europe during the holiday period, specifically advising supporters to target "celebrations, clubs, hospitals, markets and movie theatres". Tragically, foretelling the Reina nightclub attack in Istanbul on New Year's Eve.

We have seen this call to arms before. Last year, the then spokesperson Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, called for the group's supporters to carry out terrorist attacks during Ramadan. At the time, analysts regarded this call as less persuasive than his previous fatwas, but in fact it proved deadly. It was the bloodiest Ramadan this century.

Other emergent narrative themes in Daesh propaganda include the total rejection of LGBTQ communities and a hatred of nationalism and secularism were cited as motivation for the attack on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando and the lorry attack in Nice on Bastille Day.

Advertisement

This directional shift is reflected in Daesh's official online publications as well. The image on the left of the screen shows its Dabiq magazine which encouraged supporters to embrace the Caliphate and build a new state, the second shows its newer publication, 'Rumiyah' which calls on its followers to carry out acts of terrorism wherever they live and wherever they can, reflecting the new reality and its survival as an ideology.

Let me illustrate some of the atrocities that Rumiyah has inspired, as each edition contains graphic instructional videos. The second edition called for lone actor attacks using knives with a full demonstration on a frightened hostage, which was replicated in the heinous murder of the French priest in Normandy and attacks in the Minnesota shopping mall last year. The third edition, advised it supporters to carry out vehicle-based lone actor attacks, praising the Bastille Day Nice attack replicated in Berlin and here in the US at Ohio State University.

Recently, a scene showing how to build a shrapnel-filled IED in a kitchen was disseminated. More than 100 links to this video were posted across twenty-nine platforms within an hour. This was organised on Telegram, distributed on Twitter and the video was hosted on YouTube, Archive, Send Vid and Google Drive, part of the terrorist 'ecosystem' used by Daesh to ensure their propaganda has maximum impact. Twenty-four hours after the video's release, despite best efforts, half of these links were still active.

According to research the UK Government has undertaken, as Daesh have been degraded and defeated, and their infrastructure compromised on the ground, its 'unofficial' brand ambassadors take on a more prominent role as producers and distributors of propaganda. These devotees critically create their own material which they promote and discuss across networks. Idolisation of lone-actor terrorists as martyrs for the cause feeds an increasing audacity in attacks and offers members the chance to gain fame, status and glory.

We now see other terrorist groups mimicking Daesh's online tactics with devastating consequences. In fact we see an escalating competitive dynamic amongst terrorist groups -- a savage game of one-upmanship.

Advertisement

In the past few weeks we have seen the Syrian al-Qaeda linked franchise Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launch al-Ebaa, a professional media brand for its online communiques and videos. In mid-March they released their first English language statement, rebuking the US for its 'selfish' policy on Syria.

As the quality and quantity of Daesh's output fluctuates, we must not lose sight of other extremist groups seeking to increase their online presence. In the UK, the neo-Nazi group National Action were proscribed for glorifying terrorism, having built up a fanbase through the use of explicitly youth-orientated material to reach new recruits. The ability for other terrorist group's propaganda to incite violent attacks is no longer theoretical as the brutal murder of Jo Cox, a UK Member of Parliament, last summer demonstrates.

The threat we face continues grow. We must develop and rapidly deliver an ever stronger response at pace and scale.

Some progress has already been made. In the UK, we have developed a world leading approach for tackling terrorist and violent extremist use of the internet focuses on two areas of work. Working with industry to voluntarily remove extremist content online through the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit, and bringing communication experts and civil society groups together to develop and run targeted and effective counter messaging campaigns that provide compelling alternative voices to extremist rhetoric.

Working together with industry in 2016, the UK's Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit, run by our metropolitan police department, secured the removal over 120,000 pieces of terrorist and extremist content. We supported the setting up of this model in the EU, and their unit was launched in July 2015 to secure the removal of content in a wider range of languages. The unit has reported that 90% of their referrals to industry have been removed.

Advertisement

Following the Paris attacks, Telegram acted swiftly to suspend the accounts of 78 public channels used by Daesh and supporters in 12 languages. Telegram recently to the UK request to remove english language Daesh propaganda. And last year, we saw leading internet companies come together in December in a proposal to build a shared hash database of terrorist content at the EU Internet Forum.

So this looks like progress, right? Well to be fair by the time we react, the terrorists have already reached their audience. Research conducted by the UK Government shows that the majority of links to terrorist content are shared within two hours of first release. They anticipate take-downs and suspensions by instructing their supporters to return to the open net time and time again.

This must change. We need a new approach, a new partnership. Governments across the world are agitating, looking at legislation to force the more timely removal of content by social media companies; reinforced by fines and other sanctions. I do not believe this approach alone will succeed. It is incumbent upon industry to drive this change. Companies must build new capacity that is holistic, targeted and dynamic to address these threats and reclaim their platforms from those who exploit them, incite violence and push dogma and repression.

Finally, if the terms and conditions that govern these sites are based on corporate philosophies, values and beliefs, then surely the goal posts can be moved.

As long as violent extremist groups seek to undermine the very ideals and values that the internet was established to advance, we must reinforce its capacity to be the answer to hatred and intolerance, rather than the vehicle for it. We must understand the influence of terror groups online and deploy the use of strong data analytics to recognise how terrorists amplify their messages and to decipher the patterns of their deadly actions.

Advertisement

In terms of technology, we need to improve solutions that classify the language of extremism, automate the identification and removal of dangerous content at scale, and create tools that better tackle automated bots and other techniques that support these propaganda machines. In essence we must take a stance of solidarity against terrorism. Solidarity across governments, industries and peoples around our world.

The Internet is universal and it is imperative that developers consider these dangers alongside other Internet harms. We need companies to champion and support projects that build digital resilience -- programmes that help young people think critically about what they see and read online so they can make informed and safe choices. Together with online safety charities we can help increase awareness, confidence and capabilities.

And we must empower the global community with better tools to report and respond to harmful content; to speak out and take action. Every person has the ability to recognize bias, hatred, and intolerance and to say, no, not on my profile, not in my name.

We can't let the world retreat to a dark place of ignorance and prejudice. We must stand up for what we believe in. Freedom. Peace. Democracy. Understanding. Inclusivity. A world in which knowledge, debate and discussion bring people closer together and make them feel a part of something greater than themselves.

To close, I will leave you with this quote from Prime Minister Theresa May the morning following the London attack,

Advertisement
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 5

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

The Cabinet of Ministers of Turkey has decided to take a number of steps to timely implement the Turkish Stream project, the Turkish Official Gazette (Resmi Gazete) reported Mar. 5.

According to the governments decision, all state structures and ministries of Turkey have been instructed to conduct coordinated work to eliminate any delays in the implementation of the project.

Russia and Turkey signed an intergovernmental agreement October 10, 2016 on the implementation of the Turkish Stream project.

The agreement envisages construction of two legs of the pipeline under the Black Sea, the capacity of each being 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas. One leg is meant to supply gas directly to the Turkish market and the other to supply gas by transit through Turkey to Europe.

The intergovernmental agreement also stipulates that these two offshore legs should be built by December 2019.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
Only a week has gone by since the UK officially notified the EU that we wanted to leave. It is hard to believe how things have deteriorated so badly in that short time.

The Sunday Mail is calling at least one EU negotiator a 'monster' and includes a picture of his Nazi ancestor in the article - very rich considering the Mail's pre-war support for Oswald Mosley and his facist blackshirts and the paper's then owner and his admiration for Hitler.

Now we have had Michael Howard - former Tory Leader - referring to the Falklands war in reference to Spain's claim on Gibraltar - seen as many as a thinly disguised threat to go to war with Spain. This isn't even as a result of a direct threat from Spain but because of a stipulation by the EU saying that Spain will have a say on wether Gibraltar is included in any negotiated deal.

Advertisement

No sooner have we formally notified the Europeans that we want a divorce then we are being encouraged by the influential media to hate them and hearing thinly veiled threats of war. No doubt we will be encouraged to blame the Europeans for any outcomes from the negotiations we don't like - not a promising way to try and get a good deal from a difficult situation.

Leaving the EU is going to be far more complex a process, with far greater implications for all of us, than was ever suggested by the stupidly simplistic referendum debate.

It is not helped by our being led by a Prime Minister whose instincts are not to bring together a vastly diverse nation but to cause division in education and in religion and in between the very nations that make up the UK.

Even her attitude towards the 16 million who voted remain was to pretend they didn't exist and to pursue a hard Brexit.

Advertisement

It is not helped by a main opposition party being neutered by the absence of leadership - an absence of confidence that it's leader can even lead his own party - never mind bringing together the country as a potential Prime-Minister.

We hear the bluff and bluster of the Brexit leaders telling us that Brexit is going to be great for this country - whilst not producing any evidence of it beyond blind optimism.

They talked of 350 million going to the NHS - about getting sovereignty back - about reducing immigration but then quickly withdrew the promise of that money going to the NHS - admitted the UK Parliament was always sovereign and that immigration might in fact increase after we leave the EU.

Perhaps everything will be alright when we leave the EU - perhaps we will remain a wealthy, outward looking country, but then why go through all of this just to arrive back where we are?

There are certainly people in our Country who feel left behind and had nothing to lose by voting 'leave' to disrupt the status quo - but their predicament was never the fault of the EU and they may be left at the tender mercies of an unchallenged Conservative Party when this is all over. Did the EU insist the Conservatives cut benefits to this countries poorest people?

Advertisement

I think the problems lie in the origins of Brexit - it was about cynical and negative politics by individuals who decided that there are votes in encouraging divisions and resentment towards other countries - towards foreigners - towards members of our communities who were born somewhere else or about the vaguest of notions of sovereignty - a concept which will not but food on anyones table or help any of our poorest improve their lot.

We hear calls for 'unity' - when what they mean is they don't want any more debate - we hear judges being call 'enemies of the people'.

The enemies of the right wing media are being monstered by the nasty, cynical and bullying Brexit media who cannot tolerate anyone questioning their vision of our future.

The 'remainers' and 'remoaners', the enemies of the xenophibic media, need to stay angry and to use that anger to challenge this inward looking hard Brexit Government and the media who want us to be angry towards the EU.

No one should be angry towards fellow citizens who decided to vote for Brexit - they were invited to cast their vote, and they did - but angry towards the powerful politicians and bullying media who continue to pursue their own agendas. I expect that there are quite a few who voted for Brexit who would object to the talk of war and hate we are starting to hear.

Advertisement

We should ignore those who don't like (or understand) debate and democracy and keep pointing out - keep shouting - that it doesn't have to be the worst kind of Brexit.
The 'nofilterparenting' campaign on The Lovely Mum Crowd has seen mums from across the UK coming together to share a more realistic take on what motherhood is really like. The Duchess of Cambridge recently delivered a speech which revealed that two out of ten mothers suffer with mental health issues whilst pregnant or within the first twelve months after having a baby. Stats like these are the reason why the 'nofilterparenting' campaign encourages mums to acknowledge that sometimes it's ok to not be ok.

Society piles on the pressure for mums to strive to be what we deem as the 'perfect' mum. Could certain images which are shared across social media, celeb magazines and ad campaigns be adding to this pressure and doing more harm than good? As a mum that suffered with postnatal depression after having my first baby I can vividly remember seeing images of these amazing super-mums everywhere; in shop windows, on the front of packs of nappies, on the TV, on social media streams, in magazines, the list is endless. I doubt they did anything to boost my confidence in being a first time mum or empower me, in fact I am pretty sure they were partly responsible for doing the opposite.

Let's remind ourselves again that the flawlessly presented woman on the front of the nursing bra box has been edited, airbrushed and is more than likely an image that has been created by technology. She is not real. If that nursing bra brand was to choose a 'real-life mum' to put on their packaging she would perhaps have slightly darkened bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, a wobbly tummy (and that is putting it mildly) as well as a few hormonal spots on her face thrown in for good measure. There is nothing wrong with spots, wobbly bits and bags - we all have them!

Advertisement

Having said all of this I appreciate that a woman with baby sick in her hair on the front of the box isn't necessarily going to make the customer reach for it when shopping in Asda, so there's a fine line. We are used to seeing these 'perfect' images everywhere and would perhaps find it a bit odd if they weren't computer generated anymore or airbrushed. Tap in to google a few very well known brands who focus on us, the mum market, and I think you will struggle to find a 'real-life' mum as the face of any of these brands.

Baby Dove yesterday unveiled an image of the Perfect Mum, at Waterloo Station, on Europe's largest billboard. The ad portrays the perfect mother with the question 'Is there a perfect mum?'. It went against everything we know Dove to stand for and sparked much outrage online. I was particularly caught off guard and felt my inner 'portray mothers in a realistic light' rage bubble up.

Today Baby Dove revealed that the image is not in fact a real mum, she is not even a real-life person. She was in fact the face of an experiment. Baby Dove gathered together thousands of images that new mums are exposed to every day in advertisements, magazines and on social media, and used Artificial Intelligence Deep Learning technology to create the face of the Perfect Mum. The Perfect Mum experiment was conducted in response to nationwide research of 3,000 first-time British mums, that revealed that nearly nine out of 10 (88%) first-time mums feel the pressure to be perfect, citing media representations of motherhood in magazines and newspapers (47%); images on social media sites like Instagram and Facebook (33%) and celebrity mums (28%) as the biggest contributors to this pressure.
stevecoleimages via Getty Images

When it comes to community pharmacy it really does seem that the Government has been trying to pull the wool over our eyes. In December 2015 Ministers announced that hundreds of millions of pounds would be taken from pharmacy budgets over several years. The sector, they said, should make its fair share of efficiency savings.

Government ministers assured us that they understood the true value to the community of such pharmacies and they were very keen to stress that the planned funding cuts would only lead to "a minimal number of closures". In fact in the House of Commons on 20 Oct 2016 Health Minister, David Mowat said: "It is possible that none will close."

Advertisement

However, revelations from the High Court judicial review brought jointly by the National Pharmacy Association and the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee tell a different story. It is now clear that an estimate of hundreds, if not thousands, of closures is a more accurate reflection of the outcome the Government expects.

Correspondence between the Prime Minister, the Health Secretary and the Chancellor reveals that ministers not only expected a high percentage of community pharmacies to close, but that they viewed this as a desirable outcome. The reassurances given by Ministers in Parliament just weren't accurate. It is shocking that the Government has tried to keep the truth from the public for so long.

No one should really be surprised though because it has been clear since the outset that the Government has little understanding of the true value of community pharmacies and even less inclination to assess the likely impact of their hasty actions.

Jeremy Hunt persists in viewing community pharmacies as nothing more than "high street retailers". The Chancellor argues that "the subsidy to community pharmacy" is too high.

Advertisement

Let's just be really clear here and now: community pharmacies are a key part of the primary care team and as such they do not receive any subsidy - they are paid for providing a service to the NHS and ultimately to the public.

Further it is a fact that the Government's own figures show that community pharmacies are at the top of the league when it comes to efficiency. It is true that the number of pharmacies has increased by 20% but this is a relatively modest increase considering that the volume of prescriptions has risen by over 50% in the same period and these pharmacies at the heart of the community deliver a wide range of additional services that go way beyond the dispensing of prescriptions and the sale of paracetamols.

Community pharmacies have for many years continually experienced increased workloads and reduced remuneration. They have been doing more for less and in spite of this they have offered to work with the Government to provide more services to achieve further savings for the NHS.

It is clear though that the Government is just not listening. They apparently have other plans for the service going forward. The Chancellor refers to the cuts as a "the first step to reforming the over subsidised and inefficient market." He then goes on to suggest that the long term plan may be a move away from the traditional 'bricks and mortar' community pharmacy to "scaled up innovative supply solutions using digital technology."

Is this Amazon style alternative what the public really want? The fact that Internet pharmacies have been around for 20 years and have still only attracted a tiny amount of the business would seem to suggest not.

Advertisement

Let's stay focused and remember though, that the object of these changes is not to provide better patient outcomes. In all the evidence that has emerged there is not even the slightest suggestion that patient needs are being considered.

Does the Chancellor really expect elderly patients to get their prescriptions via an online service? Who is going to support these patients with their medication? Will we be relying on the courier to show a child asthmatic how to use an inhaler? It seems that the Government doesn't know or care, because their sole aim is to save money.

On the money, Ministers are misguided. The advice, service and supervisory role performed by highly qualified, extremely accessible community pharmacists saves the NHS billions of pounds every year. Is the Government so short sighted that it cannot see that forcing the the closure of community pharmacies will place even greater pressures on already overstretched GP surgeries and Emergency Departments?

In an attempt to reassure the sector, the Government has promised to offer some protection to pharmacies that are not within a mile of another pharmacy by means of a new 'Pharmacy access scheme'.

However scandalously few pharmacies serving the most deprived communities will qualify for any protection. Instead they will be saddled with even greater cuts to pay to for a scheme that protects pharmacies in more isolated, more affluent locations. Amazingly only three community pharmacies in the whole of London will qualify for the scheme and Boots the Chemist at Heathrow airport will be one of these! This entire programme of changes has been ill thought through and the plans have been left in chaos.

Advertisement
On 31st March the last of China's legal ivory factories were closed.

China is widely seen as the biggest marketplace for ivory, and the major driver of global demand which is fuelling the poaching crisis facing elephants across Africa. The closure of its factories represents a vital first step in a process which will culminate in licensed retail outlets being shuttered across the country by the end of the year.

According to a recent report by Save the Elephants, the price of raw ivory in China has already fallen by about two thirds over the past three years from around $2,100 per kg to around $730. It is hoped the clear message from the Chinese authorities that commercial trade in ivory will no longer be acceptable will discourage potential buyers, and help make ivory poaching and trafficking unprofitable and untenable.

Elephant populations across Africa have plummeted from maybe 10m a century ago, to not much more than 400,000 today. As many as 30,000 elephants are being slaughtered for their ivory each year by poachers, and populations continue to fall by around 8% each year. If this decline continues, elephants could disappear altogether from much of the African continent over the coming years.

Advertisement

Of course it's not just a numbers game. Elephants are highly intelligent, social and emotional animals, and the anguish and suffering being inflicted on individual elephants and their families is unimaginable.

Elephant poaching also damages local ecotourism industries, and the involvement of criminal syndicates in the trade breeds social, political and economic instability in some of the most vulnerable parts of Africa.

International commercial trade in 'new' ivory was banned under CITES in 1989. But that doesn't mean there is no legal trade. Many countries continue to allow ivory to be traded domestically, and there is a big international trade in so-called 'pre-convention ivory' (ivory obtained before the CITES ban came into force). CITES has also permitted 'one-off' commercial sales of large government ivory stockpiles from southern Africa to China and Japan, legitimising the product in the eyes of consumers, and fuelling demand.

Any legal trade in ivory stimulates interest and demand, and provides a mechanism by which illegal ivory can be laundered into trade

Advertisement

Only by banning all commercial trade and sending a strong and clear message to consumers that the trade in ivory from any source is unacceptable, can we hope to stem the elephant poaching crisis.

So while the news from China is very welcome, China isn't the only marketplace for ivory. We need other countries to follow the lead being set by China and the United States (which introduced a 'near total ban' last year). Hong Kong has announced its intention to close its ivory markets within five years, and the new new Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Legislative Council needs to accelerate that process and bring it into line with Mainland China's commitment to close its domestic market by the end of this year.

The UK and European Union are lagging behind, and remain major sources of worked ivory in international trade. The UK alone declared exports of around 25,000 ivory items over the past decade, many of which were destined for the Far East.

In its last two election manifestos the Conservative Party committed to shutting down the domestic ivory market, and we know that current and former foreign secretaries and a former environment secretary have been urging the Government to make good on this commitment, but so far it has failed to act.

Next year Britain will host the fourth in a series of high-level international meetings on tackling wildlife trafficking. If our government wants to remain at the forefront of these efforts, it needs to make good on its manifesto commitments and on the Resolutions to which it signed up to at the World Conservation Congress and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species last year, by introducing a comprehensive ban on the commercial trade in ivory into, out of and within our shores, and persuade our European Union partners to do the same.

Advertisement

Of course there will be those who will be affected by a ban who don't contribute in any way to elephant poaching, such as musicians who use antique instruments made partly of ivory, or museums that display items of significant historical importance that contain some ivory, and their concerns will need to be addressed.
Handout . / Reuters

If it had happened just a few days earlier the mini-furore over a supposed ban on references to "Easter" in a National Trust Easter egg hunt would have looked suspiciously like an April Fools'.

How likely is it that the National Trust and the egg hunt sponsors Cadbury would impose a ban like this? About as likely as the Easter Bunny personally coming to my flat with several beautifully gift-wrapped chocolate eggs, sitting down at my kitchen table to eat them and, in his best March Hare voice, declaring them "Absolutely delicious!"

Advertisement

Either way, first the Archbishop of York John Sentamu and then Theresa May have waded into this (ahem) confected row. Yet the "ban" seems to be no such thing and Mr Sentamu and Mrs May appear to have ended up with little flecks of chocolatey egg on their faces.

Such is the news cycle, where sudden spasms of "outrage" can dissipate in hours. Yet what's given this non-story extra legs (a kick of those powerful Lagomorpha hind legs) is the fact the prime minister denounced this supposed outrage against the Christian faith while in the Middle East, visiting Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Priorities, eh? It's not impossible that Mrs May latched onto the story as a handy diversion ahead of a potentially controversial visit. Or maybe she just said what she thought. Either way, it's left an odd taste in the mouth.

Away from the news froth, let's remember a few hard truths about the country currently hosting Theresa May. In Saudi Arabia the very idea of tolerating multiple faiths and a breezy commercialisation of religious traditions is anathema. Instead, Saudi Arabia's hardline brand of Sunni Islam frequently descends into discrimination and persecution of its minority Shias.

Advertisement

Critics of the country's religious establishment can easily find themselves branded "blasphemers" or "apostates". Remember Raif Badawi? This was his fate. Arrested in 2012 and charged with "insulting Islam through electronic channels", he's still serving ten years in jail and has an additional sentence of 950 lashes hanging over him. And recall what happened to the country's leading Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr. He was executed along with 46 other people in a single day in January last year. As with so many travesties of justice in Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Nimr and many of the others had received grossly unfair trials.

Badawi and Nimr are only the tip of the iceberg. Amnesty's files are bulging with Saudi cases. Torture is endemic in police stations and prison cells (as British nationals in the past have had the misfortune to discover) and any form of human rights work or anything involving public criticism of the authorities is likely to land you in jail.

Meanwhile, despite recent talk of a reformed Saudi economy with more women in the workforce (the so-called "Vision 2030"), the current situation is truly dismal. Women are legally subordinate to men in most areas of life - marriage, divorce, child custody, inheritance. They can't access higher education, accept a job offer or travel out of the country without the approval of a male "guardian". And of course they can't legally drive a car under any circumstances.

There's a lot more one could say about Saudi Arabia's almost unimaginably bad human rights record. But unless something miraculous happens, Theresa May won't mention of any of this during her time in Riyadh. A semi-ritualistic reference along the lines of "a range of issues were discussed, including human rights" is probably all we'll get.

This frankly isn't good enough. The UK Government - from the prime minister down - should be far more vocal on key values like fair trials, freedom of expression, and indeed freedom of religion. And that should always apply on occasions such as the present trip when the PM is said primarily to be discussing security and trade issues. It's something we're going to be presented with time and time again in the new post-Brexit "Global Britain": a huge emphasis on new trade deals at the possible cost of a suppression of human rights and other "difficult" concerns.

Advertisement

But on one business deal involving the Saudis Mrs May should be halting further trade, not encouraging it. This is the ongoing scandal of the UK's export of billions of pounds' worth of arms to Saudi Arabia despite the clear risk that these will be used to bomb homes, factories and hospitals in the war in Yemen.

Even British-made cluster bombs have been used by Saudi forces in Yemen, leaving scores of deadly unexploded bomb fragments littering villages and surrounding fields. Not to put too fine a point on it - any equivalent of a National Trust spring-time egg hunt in these fields would more than likely turn up bits of bombs, not chocolate bunnies.
altamira83 via Getty Images

Around the same time as The Sun was first agitating for the return of the 'true blue' British passport, another symbolic change was being suggested which would have removed 'all French words' from the cover of the document. According to the petition calling for this, the leave vote was a clear sign that people wanted to 'Take Back Control. Control of their borders, their culture and their language'. And given that French is an EU language, so the argument continued, it should have no place on a post-Brexit UK passport. But unlike the campaign to oust the burgundy (or is it pink?) cover, this idea never really caught on. As people were quick to point out, the word 'passport' is itself of French origin - a fact which made the whole venture rather impractical.

While this particular initiative may not have got very far, debates over post-Brexit language politics have, on the whole, been easily as contentious as those over the colour of travel documents. Within days of the referendum last June, the Polish MEP Danuta Hubner, who heads up the Constitutional Affairs Committee, was arguing that it would probably be necessary to drop English as one of the EU's official languages once Britain had gone its separate way. Although this is highly unlikely to actually happen - English has official status for both Ireland and Malta as well - it was a sign that jockeying over the cultural symbolism of our various linguistic heritages was going to play a significant role in upcoming discussions.

Advertisement

Language issues in contexts like this are very little to do with communication, and instead all about national identity. Since the founding of the EU, English has emerged as the pre-eminent international language the world over, and this is reflected in the way it operates as the primary working language in the corridors and bars of the EU institutions. Many European politicians, however, are much less keen to use it in official settings, either because they feel they're surrendering some of their negotiating power if they do, or because it gives the wrong impression to their constituents back home. In other words, despite its global status, English still has strong symbolic associations with the UK.

An interesting related phenomenon is the way that people invoke other languages as a way of marking out some idea of cultural difference. A notable example of this, from across the Atlantic, comes from Donald Trump's attitude to Spanish. Trump has often asserted that speaking English is one of the criteria for being American. During the debates for presidential nominee last year, for instance, he chastised Jeb Bush's lapse into bilingualism by stressing that 'This is a country where we speak English, not Spanish'. And as soon as he was president, in one of the many symbolic breaks with his predecessor, he took down the Spanish language pages from the White House website.

His stance over this falls squarely within an ideology that views monolingual cohesion as part and parcel of social cohesion. Linguistic diversity, as with most other forms of diversity, appears to be one of the main casualties of an 'America First' rhetoric. And despite the fact that over 37 million of his fellow citizens now speak the language, the only time he slips into Spanish himself is when making denigrating cultural stereotypes about his plans to deport all the 'bad hombres' who've been recklessly let into the country. By using the word 'hombres' here, rather than simply saying 'men', he's playing on the associations of the two languages to explicitly racialize the statement about immigrant crime.

The last few days have seen a similar phenomenon happening in Brexit debates. Tuesday's front cover of The Sun, for example, responding to proposals that Spain should have power of veto over arrangements for Gibraltar, struck a defiant tone with its headline: 'Up Yours Senors!'.

Advertisement

This was a direct allusion back to their infamous cover from 1990, which juxtaposed a picture of a two-fingered salute alongside the epigrammatic 'Up Yours Delors'. At that time, Jacques Delors, the French socialist who was President of the European Commission, was a symbol of the increased power of the European Parliament that The Sun was so concerned about. For those who remember this, Tuesday's headline echoes both the phrasing and sentiment of the final days of the Thatcher era. And switching into Spanish for the final word clearly frames the dispute along nationalist lines. (Although of course they've anglicised the word - the Spanish plural would be 'senores', but that would have ruined the rhyme.)
Matt Cardy via Getty Images

"Today it is still possible to leave school, sign on, find a flat, start claiming Housing Benefit and opt for a life on benefits. It's time for bold action here." - then Prime Minister David Cameron MP, Conservative Party Conference 2013.

It's hard to believe it was four years ago that David Cameron mooted the ideology behind removing automatic entitlement to Housing Benefit for young people.

Advertisement

Speaking to his party faithful, he put forward an emotive case of benefits abuse and people across the country, who were in some areas only just emerging from the worst of the 2008 economic crash, listened and (in part, at least) nodded in agreement.

Even in the charity sector we were aware of the fact that some young people do make a life choice of relying on benefits. However, we were also aware of a darker truth behind the policy for we could see ahead of us the devastating impact it would have on the majority of young people - young people who were not choosing a life on benefits; who had no option but to ask for help; and who were vulnerable, homeless or just out of Care. We had to make a case.

And, to the Government's credit they listened.

Through their discussions with the sector, key exemptions were added for the most vulnerable and the list of those who would be supported grew longer. At the same time as these changes were announced, the Government's own rhetoric changed either through sector discussions or, perhaps, through its own acceptance that there were issues at the centre of the policy.

In the early days of the announcement, headline grabbing claims of tens of millions of pounds of savings were lauded alongside the ending of youth unemployment via the Youth Obligation and the desire for all young people to have the same options post-education. In time this softened and we were left with a fully ideological policy that we felt could still support those who needed help most.

Advertisement

But as we saw this past weekend with the implementation of the Universal Credit (Housing costs element for claimants aged 18 to 21) (Amendment) Regulations 2017, the Government has instead created a policy that will undo much of the efforts of the sector and itself to protect the most vulnerable.

While well-intended and comprehensive exemptions are still in place they are at worst totally unworkable and fundamentally flawed.

A weakness at the centre of the policy has created a catch-22 situation where the most vulnerable young people who ask for help are unable to get the financial support they need to prevent their homelessness until they, themselves, have found a tenancy. Of course, finding a landlord who will offer a tenancy to a young person with no proof they will be able to access housing support will be unlikely if not totally impossible.

As a sector we estimate this could leave up to 9,000 18 to 21-year-olds with no recourse to housing support when they need it most. So instead of targeting the minority of young people who the Government believed were "choosing" benefits, this policy has cast its net over the entire age group, negatively impacting on all those who are at risk of homelessness.

Where does this leave the thousands of young people who are homeless and have no access to housing support?

Advertisement

At providers like YMCA? Perhaps, but nine out of 10 of our hostels have waiting lists as those already in our accommodation are unable to move on due to the lack of affordable places they can rent.

On the streets? More likely without significant change to this policy or, more preferably, the abandonment of it all together.
An old white man saying something bigoted. The sound of outraged reactionaries complaining about an assault on Christian holidays. A nation on the verge of declaring war because of a minor diplomatic scuffle. There is nothing like America at Christmastime.

Except, this isn't America, and it's Easter. Over the past several days I've watched as the land I hope to one day call home act as though it's the land I can't wait to leave. Ken Livingstone - who really needs to just stop talking - has again been suspended from the Labour party for anti-Semitic rhetoric. Nigel Farage and Theresa May and even the Church of England are all outraged that Cadbury's is having what I guess is a Spring Egg Hunt instead of an Easter Egg Hunt. And in what has probably been blown entirely out of proportion, right-wing nationalists are ready to bomb Madrid to protect Gibraltar from poorly worded diplomatic cables.

Britain, I say this with love as only a close friend can: you're bonkers. Ever since Article 50 was triggered last week, I've sat and watched in gaping horror as the lot of you have acted as though you're American, getting bent out of shape over silly culture wars, defending an old bigot and blustering across the world stage as though you're a hound ready to chase after some European foxes. It's a side of you the rest of us rarely see, and as your mate, I have to tell you that it's not a good look, babes.

Advertisement

Many of you are wont to distance yourselves from the more unseemly behaviour we've seen lately, and that's fine. Clearly not all, or even most, Brits are ready to lay siege to Barcelona or stage a crusade to Cadbury World. But enough of you have been whipping up the nationalistic and Christian fervour to warrant a word.

Let's start with the most obvious. Ken Livingstone should have been expelled from Labour. Anti-Semitism may sadly have a place in the White House, but it has no place in the Labour Party. Suggesting a connection between Hitler - who killed six million Jews - and Zionism - belief in a Jewish homeland in the Levant - is about as anti-Semitic as you can get without going full on blood libel. Hitler didn't want the Jews in Europe - as is evidenced, again, by the fact that he killed six million of them.

Ken Livingstone has had ample time to correct this over the past year or so, and he keeps doubling down. I'm not saying this as a Blairite (I endorsed Corbyn for leader in 2015, after all), but as someone who, well, isn't anti-Semitic and doesn't like people who are. You don't sound radical or leftwing when you defend Livingstone's comments. You sound like you work for Donald Trump.

Okay, now the sodding Easter eggs. Folks - they're chocolate candies. I'm a good Anglican lad myself (okay, Episcopalian, but close enough) and my Christianity is no more tied up in what you call an egg hunt than it is in whether there's a snowflake on a Starbucks cup. Show me in the Bible where the disciples hunted eggs following Jesus' resurrection and maybe I'll be upset, but until then this whole egg thing is just a pagan trapping - a fun pagan trapping, but a pagan trapping nonetheless - that I just can't be fussed about.

Advertisement

No, what Eggate is really all about is Nigel Farage et al trying to force Christianity on the heathen masses. Sure, Easter is a religious holiday, just as Christmas is. But both of them have been thoroughly secularised over the course of 100 years or so to the point to where they're basically like Last Night of the Proms - a good excuse to dress up in nice clothes, get a bit drunk, hear some good music and row with your dad over whether Danny Dyer or Richard Ayoade would make a better Doctor Who. I mean, if you want to fight to keep Britain a Christian nation, you're going to need a TARDIS to take you back to the 1950s anyway.

Of course you could overshoot and end up in the 1650s, in the midst of the second Anglo-Spanish War, in which the two nations attacked one another's colonies and commercial interests - kind of like what's happening this week. When the EU said that there could be no Brexit agreement regarding Gibraltar unless Spain agreed, Brexiteers began sabre-rattling. Former Conservative leader Michael Howard even suggested it could lead to war a la the Argentinian invasion of the Falklands, and today, Britain scurried a Spanish warship out of Gibraltarian waters.

Gibraltar is British, because Gibraltarians wish to be British. That should be the end of the conversation, meaning Spain and the EU are clearly in the wrong here. But at a time when the country is entering into the most important negotiation since the end of the Second World War, it isn't advisable to rise to every occasion Europe gives you for outrage - especially when it comes to mentioning war with a Nato ally. At a time when my country seems hellbent on undermining that most important of alliances, we can hardly afford for your country to set off on a war footing before David Davis has even had a chance to get to Brussels.

It's been a long week. Triggering Article 50 has clearly taken a toll. But as we set about deciding what Britain's future is going to look like, we can't keep looking backwards. That means no more acting like an imperial power ready to invade at the slightest offence, no more Mary Whitehousing about Easter eggs, and certainly no more excusing anti-Semitism.

The world needs British leadership and moral clarity now more than ever. You, the mother of modern democracy, are supposed to be the adult in the room. Start acting like it.

Advertisement

Glad we had this talk. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go make sure my president hasn't declared war on North Korea or sold our nuclear codes to Russia.
A Turkish Airlines cargo plane carrying over 60 tons of food aid and medical supplies arrived in Somalis capital Mogadishu on Tuesday as part of a global aid campaign by Turkeys flagship carrier, Anadolu reported.

Use of the plane, emblazoned with the campaigns twitter hashtag #LoveArmyForSomalia, was donated by Turkish Airlines.

Turkish Airlines plane just landed. It carried more than 60 tons of humanitarian assistance. Turkish Airlines help Somalia #loveArmyFor Somalia, Turkish Airlines said on Twitter.

The airlines office in Mogadishu also confirmed to Anadolu Agency on the phone that plane landed at Adan Adde international airport Tuesday.

Since 2011, Turkish Airlines has been the only international air carrier serving Somalia, which this year has faced the threat of famine.

The Turkish government Sunday donated some 170 tons of food after Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak visited Mogadishu.
Kansas mens basketball starts KJ Adams Jr. in win against Omaha

The Jayhawks opened their 2022-23 regular season the right way. Kansas mens basketball is 1-0 after a win at home against Omaha.
When it comes to creating an urban space infused with technology, there are many cities in both developed and developing country contexts that are seeing success.

Barcelona, Spain, is just one city gaining a reputation as a leader in smart innovation. In 2014, the Catalan capital was awarded the first European Capital of Innovation Award by the European Commission, for introducing the use of new technologies to bring the city closer to citizens, and in 2011 was chosen to host the Mobile World Congress for seven years.

Each smart innovation the city has integrated collectively contributes to improving urban mobility, promoting an inclusive community and transforming public spaces, while impacting citizens quality of life, the environment and local economy. In that respect, smart technology is proving to be an effective tool as cities strive to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Munish Khetrapal, managing director of Smart Cities and Internet of Things at multinational technology company Cisco, explained that Barcelonas energy efficient LED street lighting system alone had lowered costs by 20-40 percent, while a waste management sensor system had improved efficiency by up to 15 percent. In an internal study of 250 cities over three and a half years, Cisco found that if cities start to digitize themselves, over $3 trillion of incremental value can be created, said Khetrapal.

So is this progress reserved only for those cities ahead of the technology curve, or can any city learn from Barcelonas achievements?

With the whole IoT boom and the technology of digitization, the barrier between developed and developing city doesnt exist. Its all about innovation now, said Khetrapal, adding that its important someone working in this space can build and design technology in a global context, and implement it in a local context. This need for local knowledge and understanding could mean a boost in job opportunities for local residents when smart technology comes rolling into their city.

For those working to implement such systems in cities on the cusp of a smart revolution, here are five lessons that can be learned from Barcelonas transformation.

1. Identify gaps and priorities

Pilar Conesa, founder of the innovation consultancy Anteverti, as well as the annual Smart City Expo in Barcelona, said that it is important cities first identify what their gaps and priorities are.

Upon its creation in 2011, the Urban Habitat Department in Barcelona did just that. It identified 12 significant areas for improvement, including architecture, water and urban planning, and then devised 24 programs, such as the smart water project and the zero emissions mobility project, to tackle these.

Conesa explained that when addressing a citys needs the focus should not be concentrated on improving a single area, but balancing and evolving different areas.

There are some cities who have already improved a lot in sustainability or mobility, but Barcelona has a balance between sustainability, energy and developing technology platforms in order to connect all the information around the city, she said.

This means that funding should be made available for projects covering a variety of areas, such as health care, mobility and economic development.

via YouTube

2. Think for the future

A big part of achieving this balance is planning ahead. Barcelona has been forecasting for the possible effects of global warming by introducing smart infrastructure such as the hybrid bus network. Khetrapal said cities in India are beginning to replicate this same forward thinking.

Its not only about the next step and where the next wave of cities are going, [and] its not about finding out what the city needs to do today  thats a journey they have already started, he said. Its what they need to be doing for tomorrow [thats important].

While for Barcelona that could mean looking to combat pollution and excess waste, Khetrapal said that many cities in India are concerned with traffic accidents, and are using new data derived from smart systems to predict climate and congestion patterns. From there, they can look to prevent accidents and traffic build-up by setting up alternative routes, which could not only potentially save lives, but also protect the environment by reducing fuel emissions.

This innovation is happening in India because of their ability to build on the learnings cities across the world have already implemented, said Khetrapal.

3. Involve citizens in the process

Josep Roig, secretary general of United Cities and Local Governments, a global knowledge-sharing network for city leaders based in Barcelona, highlighted that when going through the urban development process, people should be considered just as much as the environment.

Local governments have to look at people and place at the same time, said Roig. This is our main aim  how we develop or urbanize to make sure this is for the well-being of the people living there.

That means keeping residents informed of changes, explaining new processes and asking them for input. While this may be standard procedure for organizations implementing development projects, such a collaborative approach could be new to many city leaders.

In Barcelona, one way this is being done is through neighborhood FabLabs. These are spaces equipped with digital technology that help empower citizens to create smart innovations to improve their local area, while tapping into the knowledge of a global community.

The change in cities has to come from an understanding of your own context, which is why we talk more about inspiration than replication.  Sara Hoeflich, UCLGs director of learning and cooperation

There are currently 1,033 such spaces worldwide. In the town of Bohol, Philippines, this kind of space has been used by local innovators to repurpose plastic and reduce the amount of waste.

4. Consider context

Understanding the local area is another point Ciscos Khetrapal said is important for city managers and project implementers to remember.

In a smart city its not just about technology, it's about understanding what culture is there  what works well in one city doesnt necessarily translate to another, he said. Barcelona has the ability to transform visionary leadership, but also understands that you have to maintain local culture as you intersect it with technology.

Citing Ciscos parking sensor project in Barcelona, Khetrapal explained the same system couldnt automatically be implemented elsewhere, because the sensors wont work if there is snow, for example. While that isnt a problem for Barcelona, or Bangalore, India  where the system is currently being replicated  it could be an obstacle elsewhere.

Sara Hoeflich, United Cities and Local Governments director of learning and cooperation, agrees that considering context before replication is key.

Bilbao or Barcelona are [examples of] very inspiring cities and great things are being done, but replication is rarely possible because we never have the same context, she said. The change in cities has to come from an understanding of your own context, which is why we talk more about inspiration than replication.

5. Work with local partners

Thats where working with local partners comes in. Multinational companies are working with local companies to implement smart systems, because innovation is happening on the ground, Khetrapal said.

Cisco partnered with Worldsensing, a Barcelona-based technology company, to implement the citys parking sensor system, and worked with Israels Takadu to manage and collect information on wastewater management.

As an increasing number of cities begin to navigate their way through smart city transformation, there are others that have already begun the process and their experiences can be accessed and adapted. Barcelona is one among many other cities, such as Medellin, Colombia, and Seoul, South Korea, that are already on that journey, and their lessons can be tapped into via sharing platforms, city partnerships and high-profile events.

While the journey a city goes through is its own, and should be crafted considering its local context, it is important to remember that whatever the challenges encountered  whats important is how the course correction is made, and how project leaders and city managers are applying lessons learned along the way.

Source: https://www.devex.com/news/5-lessons-for-cities-on-the-cusp-of-a-smart-revolution-89452
Municipal governments around the globe are employing big data and Internet-of-Things applications to improve many aspects of daily life. Major tech companies like IBM, Cisco and Microsoft are in on the trend, and are battling for a slice of the $15 billion that's projected to be spent on software by 2021, according to Juniper Research.

Urban residents accounted for 54 percent of the total global population in 2014, according to the World Health Organization, and that figure was projected to grow nearly 2 percent each year until 2020.

That growth means that cities are facing increasing challenges, including congested transport and the need to supply sufficient energy to meet demands of growing populations.

Juniper Research noted a city's ability to provide renewable energy, alongside its means to efficiently manage energy storage will be increasingly important.

"Right now North America and China are leading the way, although Trump is likely to dampen what is already slowing U.S. investment," Steffen Sorrell, principal analyst at Juniper Research said.

President Donald Trump has supported fossil fuel production and repeatedly denied climate change.

"Who would have thought 10 to 15 years ago, that the Far East and China would be leading the globe in smart energy efforts by 2020?" Sorrell said.

Still, many challenges remain for cities on their way to becoming "smart." Major upfront costs for both infrastructure and software are propelling many governments to turn to public-private partnerships.

CNBC looks at three cities working on becoming "smart":
When you hear the words Russia and internet, you probably think of Kremlin-backed hacking. But the internet is also a powerful tool for Putins opposition. Last month, the internet helped spark Russias largest anti-government protests in five years. Russia responded by blocking access to webpages that promoted demonstrations.

This is part of a larger story. Just a few years ago, Russians had a mostly free internet. Now, Russian authorities would like to imitate Chinas model of internet control. They are unlikely to succeed. The Kremlin will find that once you give people internet freedom, its not so easy to completely take it away.

I lived in Moscow in 2010 after spending years researching internet activism in China. I quickly found that Russia and China had very different attitudes toward the web. The Great Firewall of China blocked overseas sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. In Russia, by contrast, you could find almost any information online. This was largely because Russian authorities didnt view the internet as a serious political threat. That changed in late 2011 and early 2012, when Moscow was the site of the largest anti-government protests since the end of the Soviet Union. Social media helped organize those demonstrations, and President Vladimir Putin took note. A law that took effect in late 2012, to give just one example, granted Russian authorities the power to block certain online content.

Moscow clearly admires Beijings approach. Last year, former Chinese internet czar Lu Wei and Great Firewall architect Fang Binxing were invited to speak at a forum on internet safety. The Russians were apparently hoping to learn Chinese techniques for controlling the web. Russia has already taken a page or two from Chinas playbook. While Facebook and Twitter remain accessible in Russia, at least for now, a Russian court ruled to ban LinkedIn, apparently for breaking rules that require companies to store personal data about Russian citizens inside the country. This could be a warning to companies like Google, Twitter, and Facebook, which risk being blocked in Russia if they refuse to follow such rules.

Get Future Tense in your inbox.

Both Russia and China have made clear that they wish to regulate the internet as they see fit, without outside interference. Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the importance of internet sovereignty, which essentially means that individual countries should have the right to choose their own model of cyber governance. Putin has taken this idea one step further by calling the internet a CIA project. By this logic, Russia needs to proactively protect its own interests in the information sphere whether by cracking down on online dissent or using the internet to spread its own version of events.

Russia internet expert Andrei Soldatov, author of the book The Red Web, says the Kremlin certainly looks for something close to the China approach these days, mostly because many other things failedfiltering is porous, global platforms defy local legislation and are still available. Soldatov says that the government would like to have direct control of critical infrastructure such as the national system of domain distribution, internet exchange points, and cables that cross borders. He adds that this approach, which may not even be successful, would be more of an emergency measure than a realistic attempt to regulate the internet on a day-to-day basis.

Chinas method has worked because Beijing has long recognized the internet as both an economic opportunity and a political threat. Chinas isolated internet culture has given rise to formidable domestic companies. It was once easy to dismiss Chinas local tech players as mere copycatsSina Weibo imitating Twitter, Baidu imitating Google, and so on. But now, some of these companies, notably Tencents WeChat, have become so formidable that we may soon see Western companies imitating them. In the meantime, Chinese internet users arent necessarily longing for their Western competitors.

Russian blogger Elia Kabanov believes that YouTube is now too big to block. I doubt the Kremlin will go there, he said. They blocked LinkedIn mostly because it was a niche site in Russia and nobody cared. And of course the government propaganda machine is using YouTube a lot, so it wouldn't make any sense to block it. If they try to take down protest announcements on platforms on YouTube, Kabanov says, new ones will appear. I really cant see the way for the Kremlin to implement the Chinese model now: Everything is too connected, their own agencies are using all these services.

Russia does have its own domestic social networks, of course. VKontakte (VK), for example, is far more influential than Facebook. Soldatov notes that VK played an unusually big role in the recent protests. But Facebook still has a devoted Russian following, especially among political activists.

According to Soldatov:

VK is popular among a completely different audience. The Facebook audience is much more loyal to the platform. It's mostly urban advanced intelligentsia. They learned to use Facebook shortly before or during the protests in Moscow and they won't give it up because of the pressurethey use Facebook as the place for debate, not to share cats.

No government can entirely control the flow of information. Even in China, those determined to find information can find a tool, say a virtual private network, to jump over the firewall. Russian censors will face a similar challenge. In recent years, there has been an ongoing increase in Russian use of Tor, a browser that can be used to circumvent censorship. As a 2015 Global Voices article noted, the increase in censorship closely mirrors the upward trend in interest towards Tor.

In the short term Russian street protests may fizzle out, especially as Moscow cracks down on dissent. But the story wont end there. The internet on its own will not cause a revolution in Russia, but it can be an effective tool for organization. Beijing figured this out a long time ago, but the Kremlin is learning it too late.
This is a time when the entire world is being transformed. Europe and Asia have never been as linked in terms of infrastructure, economy and energy as they are today. However, Europe and Asia have never been as alienated in terms of culture and civilization as they are today, including the rise of xenophobia and fear of diversity, said president Gjorge Ivanov at the opening of the 20. Eurasian Economic Summit, held April 5-6 in Istanbul, MIA news agency reported.

The event, organized by the Marmara Group Strategic and Social Research Foundation, brings together current and former heads of state and government, ministers, politicians, representatives from NGOs and business community of about 40 countries.

This year's summit is held under slogan "Humanity at a Crossroads", including discussions on the challenges facing the European Union.

"Europe is a superpower of lifestyle. And although this superpower is in crisis, we should not forget that crisis is an opportunity for new solutions", said Ivanov.

He highlighted the significance of the summit through its themes, debates and ideas.

"The forum affects countries' policies because it opens perspectives and traces the paths for cooperation among states and economies of Europe and Asia", stressed Ivanov.

On Thursday, President Ivanov is scheduled to address the event's presidential session.
White currently serves as provost, dean of the college, and professor of physics at Southern Vermont College in Bennington, Vt., which he joined in 2015.

BArT Charter Public School Announces New Executive Director

ADAMS, Mass.  The Board of Trustees of BART Charter Public School has named James "Jay" C. White II as the school's executive director, starting June 19.



Trustee Chair Charles Swabey said White will bring to BArT more than 30 years of teaching, administrative and fundraising experience in a variety of settings, including middle and high school, colleges and universities, and national and international nonprofit organizations.



White currently serves as provost, dean of the college, and professor of physics at Southern Vermont College in Bennington, Vt., which he joined in 2015.



Swabey said White was inspired to apply for the executive director position by a visit to BArT last year, where he said the dedication of faculty and staff to student success was palpable to anyone entering the school. White's experience during the interview process at BArT, which included classroom visits and meeting a variety of BArT community members, increased his admiration for BArT and further fueled his desire to lead the school as an advocate for the academic excellence and transformative education that BArT aims to provide for its students.



"The Board of Trustees is confident that Jay has the background and skills to lead BART to the next level of academic performance and student achievement, as well as strengthening the ability of BART graduates to thrive in college," Swabey said.



Swabey said the board found White to be a collaborative leader and agreed that his description of administrative leadership as "facilitating the work of his peers" is the right approach for BArT.



White said he is looking forward to joining BArT because, "as a seasoned administrator, I enjoy working closely with colleagues to improve and advance programs and whole institutions and to make more evocative and powerful the education we provide."



Swabey said that White will succeed founding executive director Julia Bowen, who has led BArT since 2003 and has resigned effective July to pursue new opportunities. Swabey added that the board is pleased that between White's arrival and Bowen's departure, there will be an overlap during which the two will work together to facilitate a smooth transition for BArT.
Page Content



Montreal, 5 April 2017  ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu delivered a strong message on the importance of States commitments for infrastructure development to address looming capacity shortfalls and optimize air transport benefits, when she presented a keynote address this week at the 2017 IATA Wings of Change event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.



The airline operator gathering was taking place concurrently with the International Brazil Air Show, which Dr. Liu opened one day earlier, and brought together leaders of the air transport industry in ICAOs South American (SAM) Region.



Over the last few years, South America has witnessed enhanced air connectivity, expanded passenger and cargo markets, more competitive fare structures, increased destinations for travellers, and positive socio-economic contributions from the industry, Dr. Liu highlighted. If we ask ourselves how we might further optimize these benefits, and sustain this projected growth, improved compliance with ICAOs global standards is the first and most obvious response, but this is followed very closely by the need for modernized air transport facilities and infrastructure.



Dr. Liu stressed to the aviation leaders that while Brazils recent airport development example has been a positive one, many other facilities across the region were not prepared to handle the currently-projected traffic growth.



The implication of not being more proactive on aviation development will be cascading downturns in national tourism and trade performance, she stressed. This situation is by no means exclusive to South America, but with global flight and passenger volumes projected to double, in just 15 years time, the longer States wait to invest, the more significant their negative socio-economic impacts will be.



The ICAO Secretary General also highlighted the importance of air transport integration in South America. ICAO has adopted a long-term vision to help facilitate and encourage liberalized air transport in States, she stated, calling for harmonization of consumer protection regulation and competition laws and policies to strengthen regional air transport integration.



While on mission in Brazil, Dr. Liu held an extensive round of discussions with high-ranking Brazilian officials relating to ICAOs global Standards and the importance of aviation development, infrastructure investment and global connectivity to the States sustainable socio-economic prosperity. She also participated in the inauguration of Brazils first-ever Women in Aviation chapter, addressed the Executive Committee of the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC), visited a number of Brazils civil aviation installations, and provided remarks to the closing session of an ICAO Regional Seminar on current aviation environmental protection priorities.



The high-ranking government officials met during her visit included Brazils Chief of Staff of the Presidency of the Republic, Mr. Eliseu Padilha, its Minister of Foreign Relations, Mr. Aloysio Nunes, Minister of Transport, Ports and Civil Aviation, Mr. Mauricio Quintella, Minister of Tourism, Mr. Marx Beltrao, the President of Brazils National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), Mr. Jose Ricardo Botelho, and other officials from Brazils Airspace Control Department and Air Navigation Authority.



In her meeting with Brazil Chief of Staff of the Presidency Mr. Eliseu Padilha, Dr. Liu expressed ICAOs satisfaction with the aviation sector strategies and enhancements which Brazil has lately undertaken, in particular its plan for the development of regional airports to connect remote areas and expand their tourism and economic development potential.



She encouraged Brazil to share its best practices in this area with neighbouring States, and thanked Brazil for its renewed commitments to support ICAO regional cooperation and capacity-building programmes in South America, as guided by its local Regional Office in Lima.



Other Ministerial discussions centred around the economic aspects of Brazils status as an aircraft manufacturing hub and its key contributions to green aviation biofuel development, the recent United Nations Security Council Resolution encouraging States to work with and through ICAO to better protect civil aviation against acts of terrorism, current ICAO Global Plan targets for aviation Safety and Air Navigation, including Performance-based Navigation (PBN), and the importance of Brazils participation in the newly-agreed Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). She was also grateful to receive updates on the many initiatives Brazil is pursuing to enhance international tourism more generally.



Other officials met with in Brazil included the United States FAA Deputy Administrator, Ms. Victoria Wassmer; the Administrator of ANAC Argentina, Eng. Juan Pedro Irigoin, and the President of Argentinas Accident and Incident Investigation Board, Ms. Pamela Suarez; the President of LACAC and Director General of Civil Aviation of Colombia, Mr. Alfredo Bocanegra Varon, and the Director General of Civil Aeronautics of Guatemala, Mr. Carlos Velasquez Monge, to exchange views on issues of common interest.

Resources for Editors

ICAO's No Country Left Behind initiative

ICAO and the Economic Development of Air Transport

About ICAO

A specialized agency of the United Nations, ICAO was created in 1944 to promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world. It sets standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security, efficiency, capacity and environmental protection, amongst many other priorities. The Organization serves as the forum for cooperation in all fields of civil aviation among its 191 Member States.

Contacts

Anthony Philbin

Chief, Communications

aphilbin@icao.int

+1 514-954-8220

+1 438-402-8886 (mobile)

Twitter: @ICAO

William Raillant-Clark

Communications Officer

wraillantclark@icao.int

+1 514-954-6705

+1 514-409-0705 (mobile)

Twitter: @wraillantclark
Egypt received three more Rafale fighter jets from France as the third batch of a deal signed in February 2015, said the Egyptian Defense Ministry in a statement on Wednesday, Xinhua reported.

The statement showed a video of the three French-made warplanes flying over the sky of Cairo in celebration of joining the Egyptian armed forces that now have nine Rafale jets.

According to the agreement, France is to provide Egypt with 24 Rafale warplanes and a FREMM multi-mission frigate. Egypt already received the FREMM frigate in June 2015, three Rafale jets as the first batch in July 2015 and another three as the second batch in January 2016.

The deal is seen by military experts as a real development in the capabilities of the Egyptian armed forces and a massive addition to their air fleet.

Egypt seeks to upgrade its military forces amid the ongoing turmoil in Middle East region and growing conflicts in fellow Arab states including Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and South Sudan.

Signed between Egypt and France in mid-February 2015, the deal is worth 5.6 billion U.S. dollars.

Later in October 2015, the two countries signed another contract to buy two French Mistral warships. The two French-made warships had already been delivered to Egypt.

Egypt is also scheduled to receive an advanced submarine, Type 209/1400, from Germany in June 2017 to be the second of its type to join the Egyptian naval forces after the country got the first in mid-December 2016.
The U.S., the U.K. and France on Tuesday prepared a draft UN resolution urging the Syrian regime to cooperate with a fact-finding mission after a reported chemical attack in Idlib killed at least 100 people, Anadolu reported.

The draft condemns in the strongest terms Tuesdays attack on the town of Khan Shaykhun, expressing outrage that individuals continue to be killed and injured by chemical weapons in the war-torn country.

It calls on Bashar al-Assads regime to cooperate fully with a fact-finding mission by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

The resolution notably asks the regime to provide the mission with wide-ranging military information, including flight plans and logs, information on helicopter squadrons, and access to relevant military bases.

The UN Security Council will convene Wednesday morning to discuss the attack. It has not been announced whether the emergency meeting would include a vote on the draft resolution.

Earlier on Tuesday, Syrian opposition Health Minister Firas Jundi told a press conference in Idlib that raids carried out by regime warplanes left over 100 people dead and 500 civilians, mostly children, injured.

Jundi said the aircraft struck Khan Shaykhun with missiles containing poisonous gas, adding that the death toll was feared to rise.

A local civil defense official confirmed to Anadolu Agency that a regime aircraft carried out a chlorine gas attack on the town early Tuesday.

The attack has sparked international outrage.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement Tuesday he was "deeply disturbed" by the reports of a chemical attack.

His spokesman Stephane Dujarric earlier called the reports "extremely alarming and disturbing" and declared the OPCW fact-finding mission.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said of Assad: "Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the attack in a message posted on Twitter by her spokesman Steffen Seibert. Such war crimes should be punished, she said.
Imperial County District Attorney Awards Crash Survivor with the Elsa Hechanova Memorial Award

El Centro, California - On Monday evening, the Imperial County District Attorney, Gilbert Otero, presented Jennifer Ratcliff, survivor of a fatal car crash in 2015, with the Elsa Hechanova Memorial Award. The Elsa Hechanova Memorial Award was created to recognize an individual who has dedicated themselves to serving victims of crime or an individual who has been a victim of crime and has survived, testified, and worked with the prosecution to ensure justice.

Ms. Ratcliffs strength, courage and poise throughout the vehicular manslaughter trial of the individual who killed her husband serves as an inspiration to other victims in the community, stated District Attorney Otero.

On March 20, 2015, Jennifer Ratcliff was riding in a car with her husband, Tim Ratcliff, when a semi truck driver struck their vehicle from behind as they were waiting for the light to change at an intersection. Tim Ratcliff died from his injuries in the collision. Ms. Ratcliff witnessed the tragic and sudden death of her husband, courageously testified at the trial, and assisted in securing a vehicular manslaughter conviction of the driver of the semi truck.

The Award is named after Elsa Hechanova who was a resident of El Centro and was murdered in her home during a home invasion robbery. Elsa was born in the Phillipines and immigrated to the United States with her husband and five children. She led a remarkable life of service to her community and family and lived by a moral code stressing the importance of being a contributing member of society.
Under Secretary Thomas A. Shannon Travel to Brussels and Rome

Washington, DC - Ambassador Thomas A. Shannon, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, will travel to Brussels on April 5 to participate in the conference Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region. The Conference is co-chaired by the European Union, Germany, Kuwait, Norway, Qatar, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations. Under Secretary Shannon will meet with officials from the region as well as representatives from various international organizations. He will also meet with European Union officials to discuss the transatlantic relationship and U.S.-EU cooperation on a breadth of global issues.

On April 7, the Under Secretary will then travel to Rome to meet with Italian officials to discuss bilateral priorities, including Libya and counterterrorism. While in Rome, he will also meet with Vatican officials and speak at the NATO Defense College.
Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria

Washington, DC - The United States strongly condemns the chemical weapons attack in Idlib province, the third allegation of the use of such weapons in the past month alone. There are reports of dozens dead, including many children. While we continue to monitor the terrible situation, it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism. Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions. Anyone who uses chemical weapons to attack his own people shows a fundamental disregard for human decency and must be held accountable.

It is also clear that this horrific conflict, now in its seventh year, demands a genuine ceasefire and the supporters of the armed combatants in the region need to ensure compliance. We call upon Russia and Iran, yet again, to exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again. As the self-proclaimed guarantors to the ceasefire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths.




This Isnt Our Last Love Letter



Dear Don Don,

Way back in 92



I walked into the room and knew



Never felt this way before



I shook your hand while gazing into your eyes



And the feeling grew



As I took a seat I knew



A love that would have my heart



Forever



I knew



Way back in 92





They say love at first sight doesnt always last or isnt true



We were the exception to that rule



Our love had no where to hide



A spark set fire



As if this is how the universe started





I never doubted our love or what we could do



Together we grew



Forming a bond everlasting



That became our glue



My euphoria was YOU



Im eternally grateful for the love and life we shared



For how fortunate we were :



to have and to hold

through sickness and in health

Til death do us part



Until we are together again



This isnt our last love letter



I love you with all my heart and soul



Yours forever,



Deirdre (Mrs. Hank Snow)





Im fortunate to have fallen in love with, marry and make a life with the sharpest, coolest, funniest, most rare, bad ass, tender loving, loyal man on the planet, my husband Don Imus.









A True American Hero

I dont know why it has been so hard for me to write about my dear friend Don Imus.



I certainly know what he meant to me, my family, my charity, my hospital and the millions of fans that listened and loved him for so many years.



I keep reading all the beautiful condolences that people are writing about how much a part of their lives were effected by listening to him over the years.

But what most people dont talk enough about is what he did for all of us.

In every sense of the word, he was an American Hero. His work with children with so many different illnesses and his dedication to their future was unmatched by anyone I have ever known or heard about.



Besides raising over $100,000,000 for so many causes, he took care of young people for over 20 years in a state where he could not breathe. Along with his incredible wife Deirdre, he created a world where children were not defined by their disease. That was a miracle! He was a miracle.

I will miss him ever day for the rest of my life.

I was blessed to be a part of his and Deirdes life.

No one will ever do what he did.

I love you Don Imus - A TRUE AMERICAN HERO





David Jurist

IMUS IN THE MORNING

FIRST DAY BACK!
ADS ADS

Had the first in-house Raymond Weil movement been on the cards for some time?

Yes, because I often heard criticism that we were not able to develop our own movement. At the same time, other brands were presenting movements as in-house which had simply had one small component modified. So it was important for me to develop an in-house movement at Raymond Weil. But I also wanted to be honest in our approach. We conceived and designed the movement in-house, but we are not a manufacture, so we outsource its production to Sellita, with whom we have been working for 30 years. They dont normally do this but they agreed to produce it exclusively for us and thus the new calibre 1212 was born.

It was also important for us to show that, in a relatively complicated business environment, we could use a simple business model, avoiding major risks, to produce a watch with an in-house movement and offer it for sale at just 1,895 Swiss francs.







The world of music has always been at the heart of the brand. Tell us more about your latest partnerships.

I think Raymond Weil has a genuine legitimacy in this field and it is something I want to develop. My father concentrated more on classical music and even though I love classical music, I wanted to develop things further to reach a wider audience. Raymond Weil is a multi-generational brand and we need products that appeal to all kinds of people in our price range from 500 to 3,000 Swiss francs.

Thats why I wanted to have partnerships that appeal to everyone. Just as everyone has heard of the Beatles, most people who are into pop and rock music will be familiar with Gibson guitars. The Les Paul model is the most famous of all the Gibson guitars and we therefore decided to launch a model dedicated to this iconic guitar, which is the most expensive model we are presenting at Baselworld this year, at 3,200 Swiss francs.

We also have a second edition in the Beatles collection. Its an important partnership for us and it was equally important for me to show that it is not just a one-shot deal and that we were in it for the long term. The first edition sold out very quickly and this second edition, which is limited to 3,000, has a creative element that I like, which is the reproduction of a vinyl record motif on the dial. On the first edition we had the titles of the Beatles albums around the dial with the album Help! spelled out in semaphore by the Fab Four at 4 oclock. On this new edition we have a similar tribute to the band, using the image from Abbey Road with the silhouettes of the band members.

You are also presenting a new Bowie watch and thus another big partnership. How did this come about?

We wanted to come out with another extraordinary story that touches different generations and what better way to do this than with a David Bowie watch? David Bowie represents the 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s, but at the same time his last album came out last year and he won five Grammy awards just two months ago, so he is also totally contemporary. We partnered with the Bowie foundation but finding a creative idea that encapsulates David Bowie was very difficult, because he was so multi-facetted. We worked together with the foundation on this and decided that the flash of lightning on David Bowies face on the cover of his 1973 album Aladdin Sane was a key graphic element. We also took the logo that was designed by Andy Warhol and first featured on the cover of the 1974 album Diamond Dogs. The black dial has a vinyl record motif and the case back features a photo of David Bowie by the renowned photographer Terry ONeill, which was kindly made available by the foundation and will be used in our promotional campaign for this watch. It was taken in 1976, which is coincidentally the year in which Raymond Weil was founded.

Did the partnership with the Beatles help you to find new musical associations?

Definitely. It has opened doors. For example, we created the Buddy Holly watch at the request of a foundation that holds the rights to his name. It features his signature spectacles as the counterweight to the seconds hand, his favourite light blue colour and his lucky number 9. What is interesting is that the more we create such pieces, the more we get approached by other musicians and foundations. This is where things start to get interesting as we see our legitimacy in the world of music confirmed.



What kind of person buys these limited-editions watches?

I would say a good 60% of the people who buy the Beatles watch are absolute Beatles fans. The rest are loyal Raymond Weil fans. For the Bowie watch, on the very first day of Baselworld we had 300 requests to buy the watch. These are from serious Bowie fanatics. What is even more interesting is that out of these 300 requests, 250 wanted to know where they could buy the watch online. This means that peoples mentality is changing very quickly and we will soon find ourselves in a totally new paradigm as far as distribution is concerned.

Given the number of serious music fans we have expressing an interest in such watches, I think we will also have to consider starting pre-orders. The Bowie watch, for example, will not be available on the market until September this year and I think that the kind of buyer who is interested in this kind of timepiece would be happy to pay the 1,595 Swiss francs in advance to secure the watch.

How do you see these musical partnerships developing?

We already have a big name ready for next year that will cause a stir, plus another artist who has contacted us directly. Just as someone may sit and admire their own record collection, these partnerships are becoming a kind of collection for us and, even though these limited editions only represent about 5% of my sales, they help to sell the other Raymond Weil watches, too.
Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

This summer, Christopher Nolan's take on one of the most crucial moments of WII hits screens in the form of Dunkirk. Just don't call it a war film.

While previewing the film at CinemaCon (via ABC News), the director explained to the Associated Press that the film's PG-13 rating in the US - for "intense war experience and some language" - is down to the fact that it's explicitly not meant to evoke past films on the subject of the Battle of France.

"All of my big blockbuster films have been PG-13," Nolan stated. "It's a rating I feel comfortable working with totally. Dunkirk is not a war film. It's a survival story and first and foremost a suspense film. So while there is a high level of intensity to it, it does not necessarily concern itself with the bloody aspects of combat, which have been so well done in so many films."

"We were really trying to take a different approach and achieve intensity in a different way. I would really like lots of different types of people to get something out of the experience."

The director had previously revealed that the film will be split into three sections told through differing points of view from those based on land (Fionn Whitehead, Harry Styles), sea (Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance) and in the air (Tom Hardy).

Speaking to French magazine Premiere, Nolan said: "For the soldiers embarked in the conflict, the events took place on different temporalities. On land, some stayed one week stuck on the beach. On the water, the events lasted a maximum day; and if you were flying to Dunkirk, the British spitfires would carry an hour of fuel. To mingle these different versions of history, one had to mix the temporal strata. Hence the complicated structure; Even if the story, once again, is very simple."

 Dunkirk - Official Announcement Teaser

Editor Lee Smith also revealed the film has "little dialogue", with Nolan adding: "The empathy for the characters has nothing to do with their story. I did not want to go through the dialogue, tell the story of my characters. The problem is not who they are, who they pretend to be or where they come from. The only question I was interested in was: Will they get out of it? Will they be killed by the next bomb while trying to join the mole? Or will they be crushed by a boat while crossing?"

Dunkirk will tell the true story of Operation Dynamo, a daring plan to rescue 300,000 Allied troops who were surrounded by Nazis soldiers in the French Republic commune during World War II.

Films to get excited about in 2017 Show all 13 1 /13 Films to get excited about in 2017 Films to get excited about in 2017 Star Wars: The Last Jedi Director: Rian Johnson Rian Johnson Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Lupita Nyong'o Plot: No details yet, but it will continue directly on from Rey coming face-to-face with Luke at the end of The Force Awakens. Release Date: 15 December 2017 Films to get excited about in 2017 Thor: Ragnarok Director: Taika Waititi Taika Waititi Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Jeff Goldblum, Karl Urban, and Mark Ruffalo Plot: Story details are minimal as of now, but Thor's third return to screen has already been teased to feature a loose adaptation of the famous 'Planet Hulk' storyline. Release Date: 27 October 2017 Films to get excited about in 2017 You Were Never Really Here Director: Lynne Ramsay Lynne Ramsay Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Alessandro Nivola Plot: A war veteran's attempt to save a young girl from a sex trafficking ring goes horribly wrong. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 Annihilation Director: Alex Garland Alex Garland Cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Isaac Plot: A biologist's husband disappears. She thus puts her name forward for an expedition into an environmental disaster zone, but does not quite find what she's expecting. The expedition team is made up of the biologist, an anthropologist, a psychologist, and a surveyor. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 Wonderstruck (image from Far From Heaven) Director: Todd Haynes Cast: Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, and Amy Hargreaves Plot: The story of a young boy in the Midwest is told simultaneously with a tale about a young girl in New York from fifty years ago as they both seek the same mysterious connection. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 Mother (image of Darren Aronofsky) Director: Darren Aronofsky Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, and Ed Harris Plot: A couple's relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 The Killing of a Sacred Deer (image from The Lobster) Director: Yorgos Lanthimos Cast: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, and Alicia Silverstone Plot: A surgeon forms a familial bond with a sinister teenage boy, with disastrous results. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 Blade Runner 2049 Director: Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve Cast: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, and Jared Leto Plot: Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years. Release Date: 6 October 2017 Films to get excited about in 2017 Lady Bird (image of director Greta Gerwig) Director: Greta Gerwig Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, and Lucas Hedges Plot: The adventures of a young woman living in Northern California for a year. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara (image of director Steven Spielberg and star Mark Rylance) Director: Steven Spielberg Cast: Mark Rylance, Oscar Isaac Plot: The Kidnapping Of Edgardo Mortara recounts the story of a young Jewish boy in Bologna, Italy in 1858 who, having been secretly baptized, is forcibly taken from his family to be raised as a Christian. His parents' struggle to free their son becomes part of a larger political battle that pits the Papacy against forces of democracy and Italian unification. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 How to Talk to Girls at Parties Director: John Cameron Mitchell John Cameron Mitchell Cast: Elle Fanning, Ruth Wilson, and Nicole Kidman Plot: An alien touring the galaxy breaks away from her group and meets two young inhabitants of the most dangerous place in the universe: the London suburb of Croydon. Release Date: Unknown Films to get excited about in 2017 The Dark Tower Director: Nikolaj Arcel Nikolaj Arcel Cast: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, and Tom Taylor Plot: Gunslinger Roland Deschain roams an Old West-like landscape in search of the dark tower, in the hopes that reaching it will preserve his dying world. Release Date: 28 July 2017 Films to get excited about in 2017 Suburbicon Director: George Clooney George Clooney Cast: Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Josh Brolin, and Oscar Isaac Plot: A crime mystery set in the quiet family town of Suburbicon during the 1950s, where the best and worst of humanity is hilariously reflected through the deeds of seemingly ordinary people. When a home invasion turns deadly, a picture-perfect family turns to blackmail, revenge and betrayal. Release Date: 24 November



The film hits UK cinemas on 21 July.
Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

On the day Article 50 was triggered, John Legend turned up at Kings Cross St Pancras to provide what felt like some much-needed fun on a depressing day, performing his massive hit All Of Me to delighted commuters.

The musician and actor is in London preparing for a huge tour in support of his latest album Darkness and Light  released in 2016 to considerable acclaim  which will bring a full band and live production to venues including the 20,000 capacity O2 Arena in London.

It sees Legend push himself out of his comfort zone into something altogether more ambitious, singing about navigating his celebrity status and the conflicted world we live in today.

Hearing what Blake Mills had done on Alabama Shakes breakthrough LP Sound & Color, Legend approached the producer for his own record and the pair created what is arguably his best work to date.

Its a really interesting blend on this album, all very soulful, and it feels like really honest, truthful music for me, he says, perched on a sofa in a room at the Savoy.

Despite the in and out process of this kind of interview hes relaxed, a wonderful soothing presence to be around  its actually hard to imagine him raising his voice.

Its a really interesting blend on this album, all very soulful and it feels like really honest, truthful music for me  Legend on his new album Darkness and Light (Supplied/Eliot Lee Hazel)

After appearing in the Oscar-winning film La La Land he admits he may have caught the acting bug but has yet to find something that can fully tempt him away from the piano.

Im kind of spoiled, he admits grinning, after working with Damien Chazelle. Yeah, Ill do it again. Its just waiting for the right project and the right filmmaker.

Contemplating this years awards season, Legend says that the voting system for events such as the Grammys  where he won Best Song Written for a Motion Picture alongside rapper Common for their track Glory (used in Selma)  could do with a shake-up.

Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up

 John Legend surprises commuters at St Pancras with piano medley

Those things are hard because the voters are the voters and they make their own decisions, he says. Sometimes its based on whats sold the most, sometimes you have to ask who are the voters?  what the composition of the academy is but one thing I think they should do is make the voting electronic.

At the moment they do it by mail which is crazy because of all the academies in the world musicians are probably the most transient. And you send us a paper ballot and expect us to return it in a few weeks, and we might be on tour.

So sometimes a voting body might not reflect those musicians who are at the height of their careers, out touring instead it could be artists who are retired, more conservative.

Recommended Our albums of the year 2016

After Beyonce was snubbed for Album of the Year, Legend questions whether the Grammys has found the right balance between rewarding both commercial success and work that makes a profound artistic statement.

Album of the Year should be hugely important albums that are high quality  and of course Adeles was that  but for a lot of people Beyonce made the most important artistic statement of the year, and she did it in a way that was hugely successful and groundbreaking and news-making.

It just felt like all the things were aligned for her to win [Album of the Year]. So I feel like there are some reforms that academy could make to reflect the will of the creative community.

Ideally the album should be commercially successful, it should be a big impactful album, he adds. But we do have other awards that are strictly by the numbers  AMAs, Billboard those are more numbers-driven.

Legend is one half of the most popular celebrity couple on social media; alongside his wife, model Chrissy Teigen, the pair have become favourites not only for their own respective work, but for the opinions they put forward on Twitter and Instagram  and Teigen in particular for her hilariously blunt commentary on their everyday life.

We have fun, Legend smiles. When were on Twitter, we truly enjoy the interaction, its not some planned out publicity scheme. We dont talk with our publicist about what were gonna say

Legend with his wife, model Chrissy Teigen (Getty)

He notices his publicist nodding vigorously in agreement and laughs. They wish we did sometimes, probably.

We dont have some big strategy, were just being ourselves. Its fun, its natural for us. Obviously theres some negative interaction as well, and sometimes I just dont go on Twitter if Im expecting a lot of negativity.

When we were in the middle of the election season it was a weird time, everyone was arguing back and forth, and now we know that the Russians were sending bots to argue with us There was a lot of negativity and sometimes you dont always want to engage.

But when Im sharing aspects of my private life its because I feel good about sharing it. So its all very natural and comfortable for me to do it, and I dont feel like its an imposition because if I dont want to I just wont do it.

He puts forward an interesting suggestion for why  according to some critics  artists are less vocal about political and social conflict than they were in previous decades.

In the Sixties and Seventies it was much more common for artists to sing and speak about politics, he says. I think there was no sense of urgency until he got elected, and now people are genuinely worried about the future of the country. I think people had gotten comfortable.

The difference between now and the Sixties and Seventies is the draft  every kid that was graduating from high school knew there was a possibility that they could be called to war in Vietnam without having chosen to do so. When politics is that real to you, that you can be called to a country thousands of miles away to fight and possibly die for a cause you dont necessarily believe in, then you feel a sense of urgency. People will protest, theyll write songs, people are engaged.

So sometimes you need that sense of urgency to spawn a creative renaissance where we really talk about these issues. And between the Black Lives Matter movement and Trump getting elected BLM really impacted a lot of black musicians and I think Trump getting elected will impact an even larger body of musicians.

Does he think the US President will be impeached?

I do think he will, yeah, Legend says simply. I think hes already done enough to be impeached. Now its just a matter of when Congress has the guts to do it.

And it may not happen until after 2018, but it may happen sooner if enough evidence is presented against him. Im not super optimistic for a Mike Pence presidency either, but at least I think hes not insane. He doesnt seem like hes a psycho.

The idea of a Pence presidency has been viewed as potentially worse than Trumps, particularly when it comes to his stance on LGBTQ rights. Legend, who performed vocals alongside Ariana Grande on the lead track for Beauty and the Beast, says the controversy around that film and a so-called gay moment is part of a growing sense of victimhood among white straight men.

I couldnt believe it [Beauty and the Beast] was a controversy but then I was just like, I guess I can believe, he says with an exasperated laugh. Who knew? Ive seen the movie twice and its all very innocent anyway, its a kids movie, its not like theyre showing anything graphic. People have gotta get over it.

Im not super optimistic for a Mike Pence presidency either, but at least I think hes not insane (Supplied/Eliot Lee Hazel)

Donald Trump represents that sense of being put-upon and victimhood among the Christian white straight man, he continues. And I feel like they have a bit of a backlash against anything that celebrates another type of existence whether its women, LGBTQ, people of colour

There are some that feel like any type of inclusion, any interruption of the overall domination of white men, is some kind of front. Which is weird because theyre still doing fine, theyre still winning. Were just asking to have a seat at the table.

You see that reaction in some of these elections in the US and Europe, he says, pausing for a moment. Hopefully everyone will calm down and stop operating out of fear and be more accepting of each others differences.

Darkness and Light, the album by John Legend, is out now. He tours the UK from 8 September 2017
Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Floor Staff is songwriter, producer and composer Anthony Donnelly - a Dublin-based artist (and fellow D'Angelo obsessive) who explores social anxieties and expectations through his innovative take on pop music.

Singing in a beautiful falsetto, Donnelly says he tracked down the emotions captured on the album by playing and recording random objects with engineer Christopher Barry.

He's putting out a new EP, Convictions on 14 April - ahead of that we're premiering the shimmering new track 'A Love Sublime'.

Give it a listen below:

What have you been listening to recently?

Ive been listening to Beach House almost non-stop for the last 2 weeks. Mainly Teen Dream and Bloom. Its just the most relaxing music. Everything builds so tastefully. On the surface its quite simple and comforting. Then the clever chord changes and rhythms sneak up on you.

Im listening to a lot of Frank Ocean at the moment also. Really enjoying the Endless visuals album, the way its mainly a group of short musical ideas but it also has what can be considered a full song dotted now and then throughout. Its interesting how that kind of structure can be a very engaging 45-minute listen.

What are your plans for 2017?

I have some new musical ideas and approaches Im looking to experiment with this year. I think Ill be more confortable introducing very new or unrecorded ideas into the live shows. I can learn from the way it feels in a live setting and it should keep the shows fresh and interesting for my band and myself.

Ill be announcing some shows shortly for this summer and there will be some touring of Ireland and the UK. Writing wise Im still pushing forward and recording with another release hopefully before the year is out.

What was the first gig you ever played and whats been the best so far?

When I was 16 I fronted a band called Prime Stroking Position. We entered our schools battle of the bands. We took 2nd place at our first ever show. This was most likely down to our incredible rendition of ACDCs Highway To Hell. After this dizzying high the band dissolved but our lives would never be the same again.

With Floor Staff, my favorite solo show was probably a piano set I did in the Workmans Club Dublin for a charity called Syrias Vibes last Christmas. I had only started playing piano during the summer.

Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up

This was the fifth attempt at a show like this and the first time I felt I was really free to perform on that instrument rather then just playing it.

In terms of a full band show, my favorite so far is the 2014 Other Voices festival in Dingle. It was just a great atmosphere on stage and we met a lot of our favourite artists for the first time who were on the line up.

Convictions - the new EP from Floor Staff - is out on 14 April
Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

As of writing, Kendall Jenners new Pepsi advert trends on Twitter, many people outraged by a corporate company suggesting police brutality can be solved by a sugar-filled drink.

Within the advert, we see numerous protestors holding insightful Join the conversation banners, marching for an unknown cause - however, its obviously reminiscent of recent anti-Donald Trump and Black Live Matter protests.

Of course, lots of people are drinking Pepsi throughout, but the major product endorsement comes toward the adverts climax when Jenner hands a photogenic policeman a can of the soft drink.

The crowd then proceeds to go wild as he guzzles down the beverage.

Yet theres something oddly familiar about the entire thing. No, were not talking about Its Always Sunny In Philadelphias Wolf Cola spoof, but Chemical Brothers 1999 music video for Surrender single Out of Control, as pointed out by FACT.

Within the WIZ-directed four-minute video, Rosario Dawson - now best know for playing Claire Temple in Marvels various Netflix series - and actor Michael Brown play members of the Mexica revolutionary group the Zapatista Army of National Liberation.

They face off against Mexican police while drinking lots of the fictional Pepsi-type beverage, Viva Cola. As you may have guessed, the entire thing turns out to be a crude advertisement, with Dawson and Browns characters celebrating with the police officers because they now have Cola!

Whether Pepsi took inspiration from the video - itself a criticism of corporate companies - is unknown. The similarities, though, are entirely striking.
Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Kendall Jenner and Pepsi are facing a backlash over the company's new advert which sees the reality TV star and model giving a can of the drink to a police officer during a protest.

The two and a half minute ad features a track by Bob Marley's grandson Skip Marley.

It shows the Keeping Up WIth The Kardashians star leave a photo shoot to join a protest where activists are carrying signs that read "love" and "join the conversation".

Jenner picks up a can of soda and offers it to police as a peace offering, to which the officer cracks a smile and the crowd cheers.

The commercial is being criticised by people who have interpreted it as a co-opt of the resistance movement whilst featuring a privileged, white, famous young model using a drink sold by a massive conglomerate to create peace between activists and law enforcement.

A similar advert was released by Coca-Cola in 1971 which was based on the Vietnam War.

Pepsi released a statement which said: "This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony.

"We think that's an important message to convey."

Critics believe it is based on the recent protests over police brutality against black people in America. It has also caused anger from people in other countries around the world where there is ongoing political conflict.

Jenner has yet to comment on the backlash.

This isn't the first time the model has been involved in controversy over an advertisement.

Shooting a video for Vogue in 2016 resulted in uproar and general hilarity after professional ballerinas accused her of being "disrespectful" to artists who devote their entire lives to the dance form.

One dancer wrote on Twitter at the time: "Kendall Jenner & that Vogue ballet video is so horrible. Lol it's actually offensive to people who trained in dance all their lives."

Jenner's sister Kylie has also come under fire for badly-judged commercials.

In 2015 she was photographed in a gold wheelchair for Interview magazine, which prompted people to accuse her of "ableism", particularly over one image that showed her raising her leg whilst sat in the chair.
ADS ADS

Eberhard & Co was founded in 1887 in La Chaux-de-Fonds by Georges-Lucien Eberhard. 130 years of special passion for an art made up of charm and precision, 130 years of uninterrupted history of taking up new challenges, 130 years of watches with timeless personality. Eberhard & Co. has always made these values the sole benchmark for the creation of its models, which are innovative yet at the same time able to inherit the richness of a renowned history.



The success of Eberhard & Co.s creations spans the entire twentieth century, enabling it to file numerous patents which have consolidated its position among the aristocracy of luxury Swiss watchmaking. This innovative spirit has found expression in precious timepieces with high technical content which have marked important stages of development, particularly of the chronograph, among other timepieces.



For the new millennium the Maison revolutionised the way we tell the time with the Chrono 4 (patented - registered design), the first and only chronograph in the history of watchmaking with four aligned counters, a veritable icon of the brand today.

For these reasons Eberhard has chosen the Chrono 4 to celebrate its 130th anniversary, with two commemorative models: the CHRONO 4 130, in a steel version with an attractive, sporty look, and an extraordinary limited edition of 130 units.

Both watches feature a new 42 mm diameter case framed by a bezel with circular satin finish; the crown, personalised with the number 130, is positioned between the two dropshaped chronograph buttons. Three dial variants are available. In all versions, the central soleil part of the dial is delimited by a diamantage-finished circle, while luminescent indices are applied on the outer azuree zone.

Waterproof to 50 m, the case-back of the Chrono 4 130 is secured by 8 screws and features a central medallion in bas-relief with sandblast finish, personalised with the CHRONO 4 130 logo, where the 4 is raised. The model comes with a grey-black carbon wear strap.Consist of 130 pieces, the Chrono 4 130 limited edition isn a very refined version. The steel case has the same dimensions as the standard edition but it houses a skeleton dial, argente or black, which reveals the main plate and the wheels with DLC finishing, protected by an upper bridge in a special sapphire glass that is 3 tenths of a millimetre thick, an element of highly complex construction.







A rhodium plaque, secured to the main plate by two screws, shows the name of the model and the historic trademark of Eberhard & Co., as used for the first wrist chronograph in 1919. The sapphire glass case-back provides a view of the circular oscillating weight, finished with Cotes de Geneve and customised with the number 130.

This edition also comes with a grey-black carbon-wear strap.

See all Baselworld news >>
Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Kendall Jenners controversial Pepsi advert continues to trend on Twitter, thousands of people expressing their outrage over the company suggesting police brutality can be solved by a sugar-filled drink.

Before the initial uproar ensued, President of PepsiCo Global Beverage Group Brad Jakeman expressed how super proud he was of the advert on Twitter, writing Super proud of the PepsiCo Creators League for producing this, and to Kendall for her awesome creative partnership.

Others to have supported the advert before the outrage include Jenner herself, who said she was honoured to be the first model since Cindy Crawford to be the face of a global Pepsi campaign.

Within the advert, we see numerous protestors holding insightful Join the conversation banners, marching for an unknown cause - however, its obviously reminiscent of recent anti-Donald Trump and Black Live Matter protests.

Of course, lots of people are drinking Pepsi throughout, but the major product endorsement comes toward the adverts climax when Jenner hands a photogenic policeman a can of the soft drink. The crowd then proceeds to go wild as he guzzles down the beverage.

US soft drinks company PepsiCo apologises for 'Mountain Dew' advert branded 'arguably the most racist commercial in history' Show all 3 1 /3 US soft drinks company PepsiCo apologises for 'Mountain Dew' advert branded 'arguably the most racist commercial in history' US soft drinks company PepsiCo apologises for 'Mountain Dew' advert branded 'arguably the most racist commercial in history' 367129.jpg US soft drinks company PepsiCo apologises for 'Mountain Dew' advert branded 'arguably the most racist commercial in history' Pepsico.jpg US soft drinks company PepsiCo apologises for 'Mountain Dew' advert branded 'arguably the most racist commercial in history' AN20232270FILE---This-Aug.-.jpg AP

Pepsis official statement on the advert reads: "This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think that's an import message to convey. Meanwhile, read our loving review of the ad here.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A family wine business in Cuba is thriving thanks in part to an unconventional item being added into the fermentation process  condoms.

As a result of the US trade embargo and other inefficiencies of Cuba's economy, thousands of basic household items are inaccessible to Cubans meaning that sometimes a little creativity is required to get the job done.

At El Canal, a winery in Havana, Orestes Estevez and his family fill glass jugs with grapes, ginger and hibiscus, before securing a condom over each glass jug, according to AP.

The condoms, slowly inflate as the fruity mix ferments and produces gases. Once the condom collapses, Mr Estevez knows the fermentation is complete and the wine is ready for bottling.

The 65-year-old has been making wine in Cuba for decades, and legally opened for business in 2000. Together with his wife, son and assistant he reportedly tends to 300 jugs each with a capacity of 20 litres.

Putting a condom on a bottle is just like with a man, Mr Estevez told AP. It stands up, the wine is ready, and then the process is completed. Once the wine is bottled, Mr Estevez sells the wine to homes and restaurants.

It takes between a month and 45 days to produce a jar of wine at El Canal and today Mr Estevez sells an average of 50 bottles a day, making wine made from Cuban grapes but also tropical fruits such as guava and vegetables such as watercress and beets.

(AP images)

The wine retails for 10 Cuban pesos a bottle, about 40 US cents, so Mr Estevezs product is a cheap alternative to imported wine which sells for at least half of the average $25 monthly Cuban paycheck.

Angel Garcia, a 43-year-old state auditor, said he used to buy homemade wine of dubious quality, but has now switched to buying from Mr Estevezs winery.

I like coming here a lot, Mr Garcia told AP.

(AP images)

I earn $16 a month and I'm not going to spend it buying wine from the store.
Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The US and China between them produce 44 per cent of the worlds carbon dioxide, but environmental campaigners fear the issue of climate change  one of the worlds existential threats  will not be on the agenda when the leaders of the two countries meet.

Donald Trump is set to host Chinese President Xi Jinping for two days at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. They are likely to discuss trade, North Korea and the geopolitics of the South China Sea.

Yet global warming, something Mr Trump once claimed was a hoax created by the Chinese, is unlikely to be addressed, something that has dismayed environmentalists who say there is no more pressing issue confronting the planet.

My guess is that this issue will not come up at this meeting, and I think that is a lost opportunity if its not raised, Barbara Finamore, founder of the Natural Resources Defence Councils China programme, told The Independent.

For many years, this issue was one of the brighter spots of the US-China relationship, and it helped to build dialogue.

Under the two terms of Barack Obama, the US found itself helping prod China to act on climate change, by cutting emissions and switching to cleaner sources of power.

In 2014, Mr Obama visited Mr Xi in Beijing for talks that ultimately led to the 2015 Paris Agreement. Mr Obama said the US would cut emissions immediately, with a target of 28 per cent by 2025, while Mr Xi said China would seek to ensure the nations emissions peaked by 2030 and then started to fall.

Yet, one of the first acts of Mr Trump was to threaten to pull the US out of the Paris deal and remove from the White House website any discussion of the threat of climate change. It was replaced with a commitment to eliminate Mr Obamas major environmental policies, something he did with an executive order last month.

 Trump signs order overhauling Obama's attempts to slow climate change

As the US has stood away from a role of leadership on the issue, China has stepped forward. In a speech in January at a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Chinese president urged all countries to meet their commitments.

The Paris agreement was hard won, said Mr Xi. All signatories should stick to it instead of walking away from it, as this is a responsibility we must assume for future generations.

Last month, Chinese state media criticised Mr Trumps move to get rid of Mr Obamas environmental regulations and seek to boost the coal industry.

No matter how hard Beijing tries, it wont be able to take on all the responsibilities that Washington refuses to take, the Global Times said in an editorial.

Western opinion should continue to pressure the Trump administration on climate change. Washingtons political selfishness must be discouraged.

Despite Chinas desire for the Trump administration to make climate change one of its policy priorities, it seems unlikely the two leaders will discuss it in Florida.

Axios reported that in a background briefing with reporters ahead of the two-day meeting, Trump administration officials did not wish to address it. Trump has little interest in dealing with global warming, the news site reported. When a reporter asked the officials about the subject, they quickly pivoted to North Korea.

Jackson Ewing, director of Asian sustainability at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said climate change would be conspicuously absent from the first summit between the two leaders.

Trump recently made good on his promises to begin rolling back President Obamas climate and clean energy agendas, while Xi is working to assure the Chinese people and the world that China will continue to face climate change head-on, he said.

This marks an expected departure from a bilateral bright spot. In March of last year, Obama and Xi declared climate change to be a pillar of the US-China bilateral relationship.

Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy expert with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said he had been told by Chinese counterparts that climate change would not be discussed, even though it directly impacted issues such as the economy and security. He said it may come up at the next bilateral meeting, on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in July.

He said China had signalled its views on climate change and its desire that the US stick to the commitments of the previous administration.

However, speaking from Washington DC, he added: They dont think it would be constructive to take it head on.

He said climate change was an existential threat to the world. Mr Meyer said it was ironic that China, which in 2015 produced 29.5 per cent of the worlds carbon dioxide - twice as much as the total released by the US, but less than half when measured on a per capita basis - had now emerged as a leader on the issue. The countrys profile and reputation had benefited as a result, he said.

He said it was also ironic that Mr Trump had once claimed climate change was a hoax invented by the people he was set to host. He said: If it is a hoax, its working out very well for them.
Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

IndyEats email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

First came Nutella, then came speculoos biscuit spread. Now coffee spread is here to confuse and delight your palate in the morning.

Upmarket department store Selfridges claims it has invented the worlds first coffee spread, which contains a shot of espresso per 9g.

The spread is being stocked in Selfridges to mark UK Coffee Week

The world-famous store, on Londons Oxford Street, rolled out Coffee Spread on 4 April, to coincide with UK Coffee Week which runs from 10 to 16 of April.

The spread, developed by the brand Flat Brew, contains a mix of Arabica coffee beans, cocoa butter, sugar and cream which gives it a thick, black apperance. It's not surprising, then, that a 20g serving contains 91 calories, according to The Evening Standard.

"The texture of the spread smooth and similar to peanut butter, and although the alarmingly dark colour takes some getting used to, the taste is deliciously sweet - more like a coffee-infused Nutella than a bitter espresso shot," according to an Evening Standard writer who tried the paste.

According to Flat Brew, their coffee spread took one year to develop. Those who want to give it a try must fork out 5.99 for a 285g jar.

Like Nutella, Selfridge's say that the spread can be slathered on toast as well as croissants or spooned directly out of the jar.

The product has hit shelves months after Japanese firm Megmilk created Snow Brand Coffee spread to mark the 55th anniversary of the countrys popular coffee brand.
Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

IndyEats email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Demolishing half a packet of biscuits while staying up trying to finish an assignment, swapping fruit for a chocolate bar for your snack at work after an early start or longing for a croissant upon landing from a long-haul flight, there could now be a reason why you reach for the bad food after a bad night's sleep.

Researchers at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University in Chicago recently presented their results of a study looking into the effects of sleep deprivation upon high-calorific food consumption at the Cognitive Neuroscience Societys annual meeting in San Francisco, reports Science News.

Participants were allocated different amounts of sleep, eight hours or four hours, and then their reaction to smells of high-calorific foods were tested.

The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Show all 10 1 /10 The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Sugary soft drink - 330ml - 138 calories Walk off: 26 minutes. Run off: 13 minutes. JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Standard chocolate bar - 229 calories Walk off: 42 minutes. Run off: 22 minutes. Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Chicken and bacon sandwich - 445 calories Walk off: 1 hour 22 minutes. Run off: 42 minutes. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods One quarter of a large pizza (449kcal) Walk off: 1 hour 23 minutes. Run off: 43 minutes. Getty Images The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Medium mocha coffee - 290kcal calories Walk off: 53 minutes. Run off: 28 minutes. Getty Images The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Packet of crisps - 171 calories Walk off: 31 minutes. Run off: 16 minutes. Evan-Amos/Creative Commons The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Dry roasted peanuts - 50g - 296kcal Walk off: 54 minutes. Run off: 28 minutes. Getty Images The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Iced cinnamon roll - 420 calories Walk off: 31 minutes. Run off: 16 minutes. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods One bowl of cereal - 172 calories Walk off: 31 minutes. Run off: 16 minutes. Getty Images The exercise it takes to burn off high-calorie foods Blueberry muffin - 265 calories Walk off: 48 minutes. Run off: 25 minutes. Isabelle Hurbain-Palatin/Creative Commons

Participants slept for both lengths of time, separated by a week of normal sleep. On the day after they either had full or partial sleep, participants rated the pleasantness and intensity of sweet and savoury high-calorific food smells such as crisps and cinnamon rolls. They were then asked to rate the smell of non-foods like fir trees.

Recommended How much sleep people need depending on how old they are

Researchers found that those who were sleep-deprived had specifically enhanced brain activity to the food smells compared to when they had a good nights sleep.

The experiment supports the long-held association between sleep deprivation and excessive eating and weight gain.

So, if you want to stop reaching for the chocolate every day, perhaps a few extra hours sleep is all you need.


For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Amazon has agreed to refund $70 million worth of in-app purchases made by children without their parents knowledge or authorisation.

The company was taken to court by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) back in 2014 for failing to clearly inform parents that apps that are free to download from its app store can still allow in-app purchases.

A US federal judge ruled in the FTCs favour, and Amazon appealed the decision last year.

The firm was found to have failed to provide enough protective measures to prevent Amazon device users from unwittingly spending money.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

Amazon has now dropped its appeal, and the process of refunding affected customers will begin soon.

This case demonstrates what should be a bedrock principle for all companies  you must get customers consent before you charge them, said Thomas B. Pahl, acting director of the FTCs Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Back in November, Amazon offered to refund the purchases with gift cards, but its proposal was rejected.

More than $70 million in in-app charges made between November 2011 and May 2016 may be eligible for refunds, said the FTC.

Details on the refund program, which Amazon will operate, will be announced shortly.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

People are going to have to give up their phone and social media information when they enter the US, according to plans reportedly in place from the Trump administration.

New plans for "extreme vetting" will see people hand over almost all of the information on their phone as well as going through other tests like questions about their "ideology", according to the Wall Street Journal.

Throughout his presidential campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly committed to introduce extreme vetting to make it harder to enter the US, which he claimed would stop possible terror attacks against the US. Now the plans for such intense checks on foreigners entering the country are being put together.

Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Show all 28 1 /28 Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Dave Brown Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Brian Adcock Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Christian Adams for Daily Telegraph Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Martin Rowson for The Guardian Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Christian Adams for Daily Telegraph Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Morten Morland for The Times Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Bob Moran for Daily Telegraph Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Christian Adams for Daily Telegraph Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Morten Morland for The Times Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' KAL for The Economist Trumped! The best cartoons on 'The Donald' Martin Rowson for The Guardian

It follows the first of those extreme vetting measures, which banned people from a range of Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.

The new rules will considerably increase the demands on anyone looking for a visa into the US, whether they are coming to live, work or just for a holiday. They are expected to apply not just to the countries covered by the Muslim ban but to all foreigners, including those who participate in the Visa Waiver Program that allows people from countries like the UK to enter the US more easily.

As well as requiring passwords and questionnaires, people might be asked to surrender their financial information, a senior official at the Department for Homeland Security told the Wall Street Journal.

Civil liberties groups and other activists have repeatedly warned that requiring people's passwords and other personal information is an assault on fundamental human rights.

Some visitors have already had their phones and other computers examined when they attempt to enter the US. But it hasn't ever been a routine or required part of US policy before.

Taking that information will let officials find out "who you are communicating with", the official told the Wall Street Journal. What you can get on the average persons phone can be invaluable.

As well as taking phones, officials will ask for social media passwords and logins so that people can see private posts. Some people have already been asked for usernames and logins so that public posts can be checked through  but the new change could give immigration officials access to people's most private messages and information.
Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A little girl who loved to dance lost her leg after a common throat infection developed into a dangerous flesh-eating bug.

Tessa Puma, a six-year-old from the midwestern US state of Ohio, was taking antibiotics after being diagnosed with strep throat, a bacterial infection of the back of the throat and tonsils.

But after she also caught the flu and began to complain of pain in her limbs, her parents took her to two hospitals where doctors spotted the rare but potentially life-threatening complication.

Doctors said bacteria from her sore throat had travelled through her bloodstream to the tissues in her legs, resulting in necrotising fasciitis  a tissue infection that can spread quickly and lead to further complications such as sepsis, which can cause organ failure and death.

She spent a couple of days in the hospital, and her leg got worse and worse, Tessas father Matt Puma told ABC News.

Necrotising fasciitis is sometimes called flesh-eating as it causes tissues under the skin and around the muscles to die. This tissue damage is in fact caused by the release of toxins.

As Tessas state worsened, causing her severe pain, doctors decided to operate to relieve swelling, reported the broadcaster.

They discovered the infection had already caused extensive damage in her left leg, and when they could not find a pulse due to the amount of dead tissue, they decided to amputate the limb from the knee down.

Tessas dance instructor, Stacey Kopec from the studio in Northfield, a town near Cleveland in the north west of the state, told Fox 8 she had known Tessa was such a superstar, she was born to dance since she joined the troupe two years ago.

In the 28 years that I've been teaching dance, this is the most devastating thing that we've had to go through, she said. I love her and I hope she gets well soon and we all miss her.

Recommended Morrisons recall beef slices infected with deadly bacteria

Tessa is currently recovering in a childrens hospital, where she will have further surgery on her leg to help her survive.

Tessa's surgery tomorrow is at noon, it is just to fix her leg to get it ready for her prosthetic down the road, her mother Tina Puma wrote on Facebook.

Skin grafting will start when she is feeling better and off the ventilators.

Ms Puma said Tessa had had lots of visitors, adding: She was the most responsive and alert she had been and asking people to please keep our Tiny Dancer in your prayers.

Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests  but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty

Scientists have warned that a new strain of the bacteria that causes strep throat, group A streptococcus, is spreading globally and has contributed to a rise in these so-called flesh-eating bugs.

Researchers investigating the bacteria said there had been a rise in group A streptococcus infections over an 11-year period between 1998 and 2009 that were linked to the new, more potent sub-type, named emm89.

Scientists in Japan, Canada, France and Sweden have also reported a surge in infections linked to this new strain.
Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Organised religion and sexuality haven't always been the most comfortable bedfellows. And interpretations of religious texts, from the Bible to the Quran, have been used to argue that being LGBTQ is a sin. In some 74 countries around the world same-sex relationships are illegal, while the rights of trans people remain unprotected - with religion often a sticking point for progression.

To tackle the idea that having faith in a higher power and being queer are mutually exclusive, LGBT charity Stonewall launched its Faith Role Models programme which is supported by The MB Reckitt Trust. In February, the charity enlisted representatives across 36 religious communities - including from the Church of England, Catholicism, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Judaism and Buddhism - to start conversations about LGBT equality and combat harmful myths that can tear apart families and even lead to imprisonment and death.

Dominic Arnall, Head of Projects and Programmes at Stonewall, told The Independent: "There is a common misconception that being LGBT and having faith are mutually exclusive, that faith communities are exclusively homophobic and that LGBT people do not participate in faith groups or attend places of worship.

"Faith Role Models brought together 36 LGBT people from different faiths, backgrounds, and ethnicities from across the spectrum of LGBT identities. It was an inspiring and uplifting experience to see a group of LGBT people determined to challenge stereotypes. Were here to support LGBT people to stay connected with their faith communities."

To explore what it means to be religious and LGBT, The Independent invited five Stonewall Faith Role Models to tell their stories about being open about their sexuality and their beliefs.

Tamoor Ali is 35-years-old. He is a corporate finance manager in the oil and gas industry based in London

When did you first come out and how did your faith affect this?

I came out to different people over time. I was always worried about how the faith community would react given there is no active dialogue or visible figure heads. What I have found is that its not the religion but the community that drives a lot of those fears.

How did you expect people to react when you came out and how did the reality compare?

I thought people would tell me that I was wrong and committing a sin that would bring shame to my family. I thought my family would be fine, as I think they draw their strength from faith. We talk to each other and they have always been hugely supportive.

When I came out no one threw stones and no one tried to convert me. There were some worried voices around how it may impact my happiness and life, but everyone came together to ensure I had a positive experience. However, there is still not a dialogue about being LGBT and Muslim  its more of a dont ask dont tell policy.

What is the biggest misconception about your faith and identifying as LGBT?

A lot of people say you can't be gay and Muslim like it is a choice. Islam is a very accepting religion and its foundations are based on peace, befriending and supporting each other.

What do you hope to achieve?

I hope to be one voice, a role model, someone who other LGBT and ally Muslims can look to and say it is OK: the world has not ended and that we are all stronger together. I want to give young people the chance to grow and achieve their fullest potential.

What is your advice for anyone who is nervous about coming out who is a member of your faith?

I would encourage them to start with some safe people who they can confide in and build a social network. Don't worry about doing it all once. Your family will always come around but you will need to support them in getting there as its not easy for anyone. They also have to come out constantly and its important to them to know that you are OK. So share your stories and introduce them to your life as much as you can.

It can be super hard but you are who you are and you will be happier, fulfilled and achieve more in life if you can be yourself fully. Don't let anyone take that away from you.

Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Show all 29 1 /29 Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Caitlyn Jenner "Why do people think it's OK to ask deeply personal questions when you're transgender?" Reuters / Vanity Fair Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Kanye West "Look, I can be married to the most beautiful woman in the world, and I am. I can have the most beautiful little daughter in the world, and I have that. But I'm nothing if I can't be me. If I can't be true to myself, they don't mean anything," the rapper said about Jenner. Getty Images Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Stephen Fry "Homosexuals are not interested in making other people homosexuals. Homophobes are interested in making other people homophobic." Rex Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Hillary Clinton "Gay rights are human rights." Getty Images Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Anderson Cooper - Journalist and TV host The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldnt be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud. Getty Images Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Laverne Cox - Actress '"We are not what other people say we are. We are who we know ourselves to be, and we are what we love." Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights PM David Cameron "I am proud that we have made same-sex marriage happen. I am delighted that the love two people have for each other  and the commitment they want to make  can now be recognised as equal." AFP/Getty Images Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Kellie Maloney "We don't have a choice. People think we wake up one morning, put a dress on and be a woman. I knew about it when I was very young but I was brought up in a male world and had responsibilities, I was frightened and I wanted to beat it. I didn't want to lose my friends. In the end I was so depressed and so desperate, I tried to commit suicide about three times." Getty Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Ellen DeGeneres - comedian and TV host "To me beauty is about being comfortable in your own skin. It's about knowing and accepting who you are." Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights President Barack Obama "Just to prohibit somebody who cares about another person, it just seems to me that's not what America's about. Usually, our constitutions expand liberties, they don't contract them." AFP/Getty Images Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Zac Efron - Actor "To me, being gay was just another way that you can be." Getty Images Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Lance Bass - former NSYNC member "The thing is, I'm not ashamed - that's the one thing I want to say. I don't think it's wrong, I;m not devastated going through this. I'm more liberated and happy." Larry Busacca/Getty Images Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Ed Miliband - former Labour leader "Whether you're gay or straight, you should be able to signify your commitment, your love, with the term marriage." Reuters Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Kate Bornstein - Author "Gender is not sane. It's not sane to call a rainbow black and white." Getty Images Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Adam Levine - Maroon 5's singer "Maybe we should make straight marriage illegal. It doesn't seem to have a very high success rate." GETTY IMAGES Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Tom Daley - Olympic diver "I felt so alone and trapped in who I was... for people to be so supportive about it has been amazing." Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Kurt Cobain - Former musician "I'm not gay, although I wish I were just to piss off the homophobes." Getty Images Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Jay-Z - Rapper "You choose to love whoever you love. It's no different than discriminating against blacks." PA Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Brittney Griner - Basketball player "I am a strong, black, lesbian woman. Every single time I say it, I feel so much better." Rex Features Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Daniel Radcliffe - Actor "You don't have to be gay to be a supporter, you just have to be human." Getty Images Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Nick Jonas - musician "My thoughts on gay marriage are that everyone has the right to love and be loved, and that's the position I take." Getty Images Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Elle Page - Actress "I am tired of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission... I suffered for years because I was scared to be out... I'm gay." Getty Images Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Michael Sam - NFL player "I want to own my truth... No one else should tell my story but me." Getty Images Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Pink - singer "I think the best day will be when we no longer talk about being gay or straight... It's not a gay wedding, it's just a wedding. It's not a gay marriage, it's just a marriage." Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Jason Collins - former NFL player "When I acknowledged my sexuality, I felt whole for the first time." GETTY IMAGES Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Ricky Martin - singer "Acceptance has to come from within and this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed." Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Frank Ocean - Musician "I believe that marriage isn't between a man and a woman; but between love and love." Getty Images Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Neil Patrick Harris - Actor "I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest." Getty Images Inspirational quotes about LGBT rights Elton John "So I am deeply saddened and shocked over the current legislation that is now in place against the LGBT community here in Russia. In my opinion, it is inhumane and it is isolating." Getty Images

Abbey Thornton is 19-years-old. She is from Buckinghamshire and is a Sociology student at the University of Bath

When did you first come out and how did your faith affect this?

A common misconception is that you only come out once. I started talking about my sexuality when I was 16-years-old and came out to my parents and friends then. But I think most important is when you come out to yourself  when you accept it. When I first had thoughts about being LGBT, my faith was so damaging.

Recommended What it was like to grow up gay in 1960s London

A close religious friend encouraged me to be celibate, and I had to really grapple with my faith and research the scripture to not hate myself because of all the negative attitudes within the church. Now Im a Quaker, and my faith community is very supportive and encouraging of me and my sexuality.

How did you expect people to react when you came out and how did the reality compare?

I think I was expecting people to be better with it than they were: many people thought they accepted it and didnt mind, but their language and actions were often accidentally homophobic. People do always get better with time and conversation though, Im lucky now to have very supportive family and friends.

What is the biggest misconception about your faith and identifying as LGBT?

That Im not very religious: people presume if Im actively LGBT+ and proud of it that my faith is not overly important to me. The assumption that you cant be both is made by both communities. In reality, I really care about my relationship with God and my faith is important to me, and I know now that being who I am and being with who I love doesnt invalidate that.

What do you hope to achieve?

When I was really, really struggling with marrying my faith and sexuality, I had some very low times. One of the things that got me through was this conviction that I would use this experience, get through the other side, and help people like me so they never have to feel like that. I want to show as many LGBT+ people of faith that unconditional love from God means unconditional, and that your love is not a sin, He made you how He wants you to be. I am so passionate about being a living example against peoples misconceptions. I want to actively challenge and improve institutional Christian attitudes to homosexuality, and encourage intersectional understanding of religion with the LGBT community.

What effect has taking part in the programme had on you?

Its been powerful  just sharing and learning with such an incredible, varied and brave group of individuals was so inspiring. Its also opened my eyes to how much there is left to do, and given me the confidence to start being a more active, public role model for LGBT+ people of faith.

What is your advice for anyone who is nervous about coming out who is a member of your faith?

As a Christian, I think my advice would be to get personal with God. If you really go into the scripture, the homophobia and transphobia of the church has no basis in Jesus teachings. Find safe, caring people who understand this, find a church who does not "tolerate" you but accepts you inherently into the church family, and start small. There are also so many amazing resources online that go over the positive Christian position towards homosexuality and its basis in the Bible, so check those out.

Recommended The terrifying experiences of a gay man who lived through AIDs crisis

And be kind to yourself. Youre not going to be able to be brave all the time and thats OK, you dont have to do it all at once. Practically, it sometimes helps to just talk about your feelings, sexuality or gender as if someone already knows, and then it seems more natural and less scary because you dont have to make some big announcement. The most important thing I can say is it gets better, even when you feel like it wont. Some people close to me werent great when I first came out but now have no issues with it and it feels totally normal to them.

Luke Dowding is 29-years-old. He is from Seaford and works in administration and business management

When did you first come out and how did your faith affect this?

I had been on a journey from a very young age, around eight or nine in acknowledging that I was not attracted to the opposite sex as my peers were. My faith complicated this journey as I belonged to a Conservative and Evangelical Church whose teaching on sexuality was hardline and traditional. However, Ive never been in a position in which Ive been able to doubt the existence of God (much to my great annoyance at times) and so leaving my faith group was not an option for me. I had to learn how to reconcile the two as essential parts of my character and identity. I am no more gay than I am a Christian, no more a Christian than I am gay.

How did you expect people to react when you came out? How did the reality compare?

I was scared that I would be cast aside and that there would no longer be a place for me in the Church. It wasnt an easy journey and there have been some who I would have called friends and family who have not been able to join me on that journey. But, for the most part I continue to be amazed by how inclusive those of faith can be. Its almost as if thats central to the message of Christianity. However, the Church still has a long way to go before I can hold my hands up and honestly say that I am treated as an equal.

What is the biggest misconception about your faith and identifying as LGBT?

Both sides often act as if youre betraying them and not being fully and authentically one or the other by acknowledging that you are both. I would say that the biggest misconception is that you cant be both LGBT and of faith, that they are mutually exclusive.

What do you hope to achieve?

Churches to be a safe, inclusive and affirming place for all  particularly regardless of sexuality or gender identity. I also hope to one day become an ordained Minister in the Baptist Union of Great Britain, which is currently denied to me.

What is your advice for anyone who is nervous about coming out who is a member of your faith?

Do so at your own pace and in your own time. Find someone you can trust who is either a part of your faith community or outside of it who you can share your feelings, frustrations and hopes. Its much like coming out in any context as you can never fully predict how people will react and so a support network of some kind is essential.

If you are worried, then look at what is causing that fear: if it is something external to your influence then try your upmost to allow yourself only to focus on what you can change. Coming out is a personal process, one which allows us to reconnect with our authentic selves in whichever context we find ourselves in and so cannot be mandated or governed by a standard set of rules and behaviours.

Jide Rowland Macaulay is 51-years-old. He is the founder of the House Of Rainbow LGBT-friendly church and lives in London 

(Ajamu photography)

When did you first come out and how did your faith affect this?

I came out as gay in 1994, after a failed heterosexual marriage. My faith affected this because I struggled to reconcile my Christianity with being gay, I relied on the dangerous teaching that homosexuality is nothing but evil. It was a devastating struggle and conflict. Ironically, my Christian faith was also my saving grace, as I now know that God loves me regardless, so I trained to be a role model so I can tell the world and other LGBT people that GAY actually stands for God Adores You.

How did you expect people to react when you came out and how did the reality compare?

I expected condemnation, ostracism and fear and I was not disappointed. The rejection crushed me emotionally, mentally and spiritually. When I realised that the pain was not going to go away I prayed for direction and I was led to a place where I could study more about being gay and a Christian. The reality is the power of self-acceptance and reconciliation of my faith with my sexuality.

What is the biggest misconception about your faith and identifying as LGBT?

That being gay is an abomination and that God hates LGBTQ people. And that it is against my culture and that it is unnatural. These misconceptions only further frustrate the wellbeing of LGBTQ people and increases self-hatred and other harmful behaviours.

What do you hope to achieve?

My hope is to achieve freedom of mind and celebration of LGBTQ people of faith, a turnaround for LGBT of faith to reconcile and know who they are and whose they are. I want to achieve a high level of self-acceptance within the Black faith communities in the UK and around the world.

What is your advice for anyone who is nervous about coming out who is a member of your faith?

Coming out has enormous advantages, it makes the person whole again, freedom from fear and anxiety, the ability to love yourself and love others.

Surat-Shaan Knan works as LGBTQI project manager for Liberal Judaism, a faith-based UK charity. He grew up around the Mediterranean and now lives in London

When did you first come out and how did your faith affect this?

When I grew up, although there were some notions of me being gender-variant, I was told by everyone that I was born a girl and that was that. I didn't know the word 'transgender', even less so trans Jew. It would have sounded like an oxymoron. I did come out as gay or queer eventually, but this identity seemed rather mismatched. I came out as transmasculine quite late in life, after moving to the UK to join the Liberal Jewish Movement over a decade ago. My faith actually really helped me to come to terms with my identity, and I feel blessed to be part of such a progressive faith community.

How did you expect people to react when you came out? and how did the reality compare?

I had been out as genderqueer for many years, and being a campaigner I was used to getting all sorts of reactions, positive and negative. So I didn't really think about it too much to be honest. I was prepared that not everybody in my family and among my circle of friends may equally embrace my transitioning. Yes, it was a bit scary but at the same time I felt excited to finally being able to become "myself".

Most people were totally fine with me being trans, and some not so much. Some just needed a bit more time and space to understand and learn, and that's OK. Ultimately, they realised I wasn't becoming a different person. They saw me being happier and that made all the difference.

What is the biggest misconception about your faith and identifying as LGBT?

The biggest misconception is that faith and LGBT identities are at odds with each other. There's the idea in the perhaps more conservative Jewish communities that gender variance and same sex attraction is some sort of modern, secular trend and thus LGBT people in Judaism are not "real". The truth is that LGBT people have been part of this world since creation. It's time to recognise and celebrate our contribution to the Jewish community and society at large.

What do you hope to achieve?

It feels really empowering for me to meet other LGBT people of faith, and see the network growing. Personally, I do think a lot about visibility, and I hope by being out and proud I can help create safe and positive spaces for other trans and non-binary people of faith and none.

What is your advice for anyone who is nervous about coming out who is a member of your faith?

There are still a lot of misconceptions both about 'being LGBT' and 'Jewish', so it may not be an easy road if you come from a more conservative Jewish community, but it is possible. You are not alone, there are many LGBT Jews and allies, who understand and support you. In almost every country, there are LGBT-inclusive synagogues and support groups. You can find their contact details online.

Make sure you keep safe and have a support network when you come out. Be mindful who you confide in and take it one step at a time. It is your choice how public you want to go, always check with yourself that you feel comfortable with the next move. The most important thing is that you can be who you are.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

British shoppers have just 24 hours left to spend the 150 million old fivers which are still in circulation before they lose legal tender status, the Bank of England has warned.

After 5 May, shops will no longer have to accept the old fivers, featuring prison reformer and philanthropist Elizabeth Fry, as payment or in change.

According to the Bank of England's latest estimates, more than 50 per cent of the old notes have already been returned to be destroyed, meaning around 150 million were still in circulation.

Some retailers might still accept them, but at their own discretion. High street banks can also refuse to exchange notes after the cut-off date, although many said they will replace the notes brought into a branch by their own customers

A spokesperson for Barclays said: Following withdrawal of legal tender status, Barclays customers can continue to deposit the paper 5 note and old 1 coin into their account. We would recommend that customers allow sufficient time to return old notes rather than leave it until legal tender status is withdrawn.

The Bank will continue to exchange the old 5 notes indefinitely, as it would for any other bank note which no longer has legal tender status.

The new polymer banknotes, first issued in September last year featuring Sir Winston Churchill, fit in cash machines like paper ones, but are considerably more durable, cleaner and harder to counterfeit.

A spilled drink should have little effect on the new notes, which can be wiped clean and will even survive a standard laundry cycle with minimal damage, according to the Bank.

However, certain religious groups and animal activists expressed outrage last year after the Bank revealed that the notes were made with tallow  a substance derived from fat and used in candles and soaps.

 Five things to know about the new 5 banknote

A petition garnered more than 100,000 signatures and stated that the fact that the notes contain the tallow, is unacceptable to millions of vegans & vegetarians, Hindus, Sikhs and Jains in the UK.

The Bank, last month, said that it will not withdraw the 5 notes from circulation, but added that it would consult with the public on how future banknotes should be made.

The 2016 banknote beauty pageant Show all 6 1 /6 The 2016 banknote beauty pageant The 2016 banknote beauty pageant currency of Scotland The 2016 banknote beauty pageant currency of Australia The 2016 banknote beauty pageant currency of New Zealand The 2016 banknote beauty pageant currency of Georgia The 2016 banknote beauty pageant currency of Belarus The 2016 banknote beauty pageant currency of Maldives

Last week, the Bank said that the only practical alternative to animal-derived additives, for the production of its next 20, are those derived from palm oil - an ingredient which has been controversial for its contribution to deforestation.

The 20 polymer notes are due to enter circulation by 2020.
Crackdown on 'Financial Ants' Smuggling Cash to Hong Kong Starts as China Expands Drive to Curb Capital Outflows

Shenzhen Visitor to Hong Kong (Photo : Getty Images)

As part of its broader campaign to curb capital outflows, China has started a crackdown on "financial ants," or individuals who smuggle cash little by little across the border to Hong Kong.



Advertisement

The Financial Times reported that more than 1,000 cases of banknote smuggling, with a total value of about 171 million yuan, have been reported by customs authorities in Shenzhen, a 39 percent increase from last year's record.



The surge in capital outflows, especially by individuals who smuggle cash across Hong Kong from the mainland, was triggered by the weakening renminbi, the report said.



According to the report, much of the movement of yuan has been unnoticed by authorities.



The Chinese government has limited to 20,000 yuan ($5,000) the amount of cash that a person entering or leaving the mainland can carry. But since Hong Kong does not have any limit on the cash that a person can take across its border, some people were enticed to smuggle yuan from the mainland to Hong Kong. Once out of the mainland, they can save the cash, exchange it for another currency or take it to other places.



But aside from these individuals, many of the financial ants were traders called "parallel traders" who buy goods, such as baby milk powder, in Hong Kong and re-sell it to customers in the mainland, according to Shenzhen customs authorities.



As the yuan depreciated and cash outflows surge, the traders started to exchange the goods for cash, which they bring out across the border in luggage or tucked within their bodies.



Last year, authorities caught a woman with $270,000 worth of renminbi strapped to her body as she tried to pass through Shenzhen's Futian Port on the way to Hong Kong.



"Such behavior seriously damages the domestic financial order," the customs district said in a statement on its website.



But analysts are not convinced that the crackdown put a stop to the financial ant's activities.



"This is not like the China of 30 or 40 years ago," Kevin Lai, chief economist at Daiwa Capital Markets, said. "Tourism and trading activities are so frequent and open today. It's difficult to investigate everyone."


For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The Governments promise of 3 million new apprentices by 2020 was inevitably going to mean a funding dilemma.

To plug the gap the Government is introducing the apprenticeship levy, which comes into effect from 6 April 2017.

Who has to pay the levy?

The levy applies to employers in England, who have an annual pay bill above 3m.

The pay bill is defined as employee earnings subject to Class 1 secondary NICs.

How is the levy calculated?

The levy is 0.5 per cent of the annual pay bill.

All employers will receive a 15,000 annual allowance, to be offset against the bill. This effectively means that employers with an annual pay bill of 3m or less pay no levy.

How will the levy work?

The levy will be collected by HM Revenue and Customs monthly through Pay as You Earn (PAYE). It can then be accessed by employers through an online digital service account.

Employers can use the online digital service to pay for apprenticeship training for apprentices that work for at least 50 per cent of their time in England, which will be limited up to certain maximum funding bands. When the apprentice training starts funds (in the form of vouchers) will be taken from the account.

For more information about how the levy will operate click here.

The top 10 best-paid part-time jobs Show all 10 1 /10 The top 10 best-paid part-time jobs The top 10 best-paid part-time jobs Lecturer - 36,513 Almost 10,000 more than the median UK salary. Experience required. Istock Photo The top 10 best-paid part-time jobs Business analyst What do they do? Nobody knows, but they are handsomely rewarded for it. Must speak fluent jargon. Istock Photo The top 10 best-paid part-time jobs Teaching assistant - 20,300 Istock Photo The top 10 best-paid part-time jobs Research assistant - 21,370 The world of academia pays surprisingly well according to the survey. Reuters The top 10 best-paid part-time jobs Warehouse worker - 16,800 Despite what Mike Ashley might be paying. Reuters The top 10 best-paid part-time jobs Tutor - 16,500 Private tutors can command upwards of 50 per hour. Istock Photo The top 10 best-paid part-time jobs Beauty consultant - 15,000 Reuters The top 10 best-paid part-time jobs Brand ambassador - 15,020 This is actually Max Verstappen representing several brands. He earns more than 15,020. rex features The top 10 best-paid part-time jobs Office assistant - 14,560 Harder than it looks. Istock Photo The top 10 best-paid part-time jobs Front desk manager - 14,520 Front of house. The face of the operation. Reuters

What about apprenticeship funding for businesses that do not have to pay the levy?

From May 2017 employers not paying the levy, who offer apprenticeships to 16 to 18 year olds, will receive 100 per cent of the cost of the training from the Government, up to the maximum funding bands. Employers will have to pay 10 per cent of the cost of the apprenticeship training for those aged 19 and over and the Government will pay the remaining 90 per cent, up to the maximum funding bands. This support applies to all age groups.

For non-levy businesses with less than 50 employees there will also be a new 1000 incentive towards apprenticeships for taking on someone aged 16 to18.

Matt Gingell is a partner at Gannons Solicitors, and specialises in employment law. Read all of his articles at www.mattgingell.com
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Experts, including employment lawyers, HR professionals and campaigners, are warning that the Governments new rules on gender pay reporting wont do enough to tackle considerable financial inequality still overshadowing a multitude of industries.

From Thursday, companies employing more than 250 people will have 12 months to meet a deadline to publish their gender pay gap figures, but critics have said that the reporting wont be granular enough to facilitate real change.

As is stands, the reporting wont reveal whether men and women are paid equally for doing the same or comparable jobs. It will simply show the mean and median difference in pay and bonus remuneration across a particular company, says Suzanne Horne, an employment law partner at Paul Hastings.

Ms Horne says that the real problem lies in the fact that women are still underrepresented at senior levels.

The reporting will tell us what we already know, whilst neglecting to consider the myriad of factors that legitimately differentiate pay such as levels of responsibility, nature of work, experience and geographical location to name but a few, she says.

According to the Fawcett Society, one of the UKs largest charities promoting womens rights, women in Britain earn significantly less than men over their entire careers as a result of differences in caring responsibilities, clustering in low-skilled and low-paid work, the qualifications and skills women acquire, and outright discrimination.

The society says that the current overall gender gap for full-time workers is 13.9 per cent and that women are frequently still being paid less than men in the equivalent role, despite that being illegal.

According to the organisations statistics, 54,000 women are forced to leave their job early every year as a result of poor treatment after they have a child. And a total of 80 per cent of people in the low paid care and leisure sector are females.

Sophie Walker, leader of the Womens Equality Party, in a statement this week challenged the Government to stop fiddling around the margins and build an economy that sees women.

She said that the new rules coming into effect will not be enough to close the gender pay gap and that her party would require companies to publish pay data broken down by age, ethnicity and disability, in addition to gender.

Ms Walker said that her party would also extend this to businesses with more than 50 employees within three years.

Tackling the complexity of the gender pay gap means going much further than the governments current proposals and businesses should be leading the way, she said.

Others have echoed those remarks.

Although median and mean hourly pay provide useful comparisons of average earnings, they do not reveal differences in rates of pay for comparable jobs, which is the focus of the equal pay legislation, says Clare Gregory, partner in the employment and pensions group at global law firm DLA Piper.

Elliott Silk, head of employee benefits at wealth management business Sanlam, says that the effectiveness of the new rules might also be hampered by technicalities.

Many companies who are perceived to have 250 employees or more might not have to disclose this information as there may be multiple employing entities meaning that their individual businesses actually have less than this number of staff, he says.

Beyond immediate annual compensation, Rose St Louis, a savings expert at insurance company Zurich, says that the regulations dont address the huge pension shortfall that many women are projected to be facing when they retire.

Analysis of 250,261 workplace personal pension plans held with Zurich between 2013 and 2016 shows that last year on averagemen under the age of 35 received 217 more in employer pension contributions than women of the same age.

Extrapolated over the long run, the figures imply that women could face a pension shortfall of up to 47,000 by the end of their working lives, which is much greater than that faced by their male counterparts.

Ms St Louis says that the Governments latest measures should help combat the issue of salary, but better education and guidance must be available to employers and employees alike to tackle the systemic challenges.

Not everyone is wholly pessimistic about the new rules though.

Sarah Henchoz, an employment partner at the law firm Allen & Overy, says that although the new regulations are administratively complex they are likely to achieve significant change.

Credible research has established a link between greater financial performance and diversity, particularly within the senior leadership team. Where the gender pay gap results are challenging, an employer will undoubtedly want to implement a strategy to redress the balance and remove any barriers to women progressing to senior positions, she says.

Sarah Churchman, head of diversity at professional services firm PwC says that although simply reporting numbers wont change things, it is an opportunity for organisations to understand whats happening in their business and to take bold actions that drive to the heart of the issue.

She says that this could include organisations creating more returnship programmes and setting targets for female representation at all levels.

Last month Vodafone said that within three years, it aims to hire 1,000 women who have been out of the workplace for several years, in most cases to raise a family.

Citing research that Vodafone commissioned from professional services firm KPMG, the telecom giant said that there are about 96 million skilled women between the ages of 30 and 54 on career breaks worldwide.

Of those, an estimated 55 million have experience at middle-manager level and above.

Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Show all 13 1 /13 Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Ida Wells An African-American journalist and activist born in Mississippi in 1862, she wrote prolifically on the fight for womens suffrage as well as the struggle for civil rights. She documented the practice of lynching black people in the southern states showing how it was often used as means of controlling or punishing black people who competed with whites rather than as a means of justice for crimes. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Lotifa El Nadi Egypts first female pilot born in 1907 in Cairo. Although her father saw no need for her to pursue secondary education, expecting her to marry and have a family, she rebelled and worked as a secretary and telephone operator at a flying school in exchange for lessons as she had no other means to pay for the training. Her achievements made headlines around the world when she flew over the pyramids and competed in international flying races. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Frida Kahlo A Mexican painter and activist born in Mexico City in 1907, her work has been celebrated internationally as emblematic of Mexican national and indigenous traditions and by feminists for its honest depiction of female experience. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Lina Bo Bardi A Brazilian architect, born in Italy in 1914, she devoted her life to the promotion of the social and cultural potential of architecture and design. She is also celebrated for her furniture and jewellery designs. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Olga Skorokhodova A Soviet scientist born into a poor Ukranian peasant family in 1911, she lost her vision and hearing at the age of five. Overcoming these difficulties in a remarkable way, she became a researcher in the field of communication and created a number of scientific works concerning the development of education of deaf-blind children. She was also a teacher, therapist and writer. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Miriam Makeba A South African singer and civil rights activist born in Johannesburg in 1932, she was forced to work as a child following her fathers death. She became a teenage mother after a brief and allegedly abusive marriage at 17, before she was discovered as a singer of jazz and African melodies. After becoming hugely successful in the US and winning a Grammy, she became involved in the civil rights struggle stateside as well as in the campaign against apartheid in her home country, writing political songs. Upon her death, South African President Nelson Mandela said that her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Sally Ride An American astronaut and physicist, she was born in Los Angeles in 1951 and joined NASA in 1978 after gaining her PhD. She became the first American woman and the third woman ever to go into space in 1983 at the age of 32. Prior to her first space flight, she attracted attention because of her gender and at press conferences, was asked questions such as, Will the flight affect your reproductive organs? She later worked as an academic at the University of California, San Diego. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Halet Cambel A Turkish archaeologist born in 1916, she became the first Muslim women to compete in the Olympics in the 1936 Berlin games as a fencer. She declined an invitation to meet Adolf Hitler on political grounds, and after the conclusion of the Second World War, she trained as an architect and later worked as an academic in Turkey and Germany. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Ada Lovelace An English mathematician and writer born in 1815, she became the worlds first computer programmer. The daughter of poet George Byron, she is chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine, and was the first to recognise the machine had applications beyond pure calculation, creating the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Rukmini Devi An Indian dancer and choreographer credited with reviving Indian classical dance, she was born in 1904 and presented her form of dance on stage even though it was considered low and vulgar in the 1920s. She features in India Todays list of 100 people who shaped India having also worked to re-establish traditional Indian arts and crafts and as an animal rights activist. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Cecilia Grierson An Argentine physician, reformer born in Buenes Aires in 1859, she became the first woman in Argentina to receive a medical degree having previously worked as a teacher. Women were barred from entering medical school at the time, so she first volunteered as an unpaid lab assistant before she was allowed to train as a doctor. She was acclaimed for her work during a cholera epidemic before going on to found the first nursing school in Argentina. The harassment she experienced at medical school helped make her a militant advocate for womens rights in Argentina. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Lee Tai-young Koreas first female lawyer and judge born in 1914 in what is now North Korea, she was also an activist who founded the countrys first legal aid centre and fought for womens rights throughout her career. Her often mentioned refrain was, No society can or will prosper without the cooperation of women. She worked as a teacher, married and had four children before she was able to begin her legal career after the Second World War, becoming the first woman to enter Seoul National University. She also fought for civil rights in the country and was arrested in 1977 for her beliefs, receiving a three-year suspended sentence and a ten year disbarment. Google marks International Women's Day with 13 amazing women Suzanne Lenglen A French tennis champion born in 1899, she popularised the sport winning 31 championships and dominating the womens sport for over a decade. She was the first female tennis celebrity and one of the first international women sports stars, overcoming a childhood plagued with ill health including chronic asthma  which continued to plague her in her adult life. At 15, she became the youngest ever winner of a major championship and lost only seven matches during her entire career. She received widespread criticism for her decision to turn professional, but defended her right to make a decent living in the days when the grand slam tournaments paid a relative pittance to the winners.

The value of the economic activity generated by bringing those women back into the workplace could be in the region of 151bn per year, the research shows. And in terms of earnings, the cumulative financial boost for the households of those women could be some 419bn a year, according to KPMG.

Even if gender pay gap reporting doesnt catapult companies into setting things right, it will certainly accelerate the conversation that started with the Equal Pay Law in 1970, said Sumita Ketkar, a lecturer in leadership and professional development at Westminster Business School.

A holistic approach is needed towards solving a problem of mindsets that have been embedded in our social fabric for too long, she said.

With more stakeholders including men roped into the feminism narrative, it may just be that good times lie ahead.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

George Soros university in his Hungarian homeland is on the verge of closure after the nations parliament voted for legislation apparently targetting the institution.

The law was approved on Tuesday, having first been put in front of parliament only a week ago. It is the latest move in a lurch towards right-wing authoritarianism in Hungary that has increasingly attacked liberal institutions such as Mr Soros Central European University.

It still requires the president to sign it before it officially enforced but this is deemed a formality.

Recommended George Soros NGOs face crackdown in home country thanks to Trump

The new law ostensibly places restrictions on all foreign universities but is widely believed to be a concerted attack on CEU, which is by far the highest profile.

CEU is seen by the ruling Fidesz party as a bastion of liberalism and the university has attracted heavy criticism from Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his allies.

Mr Orban has called the university a fraud, and said, in Hungary, one cannot be above the law  even if youre a billionaire, the New York Times reported.

Before the vote in parliament, Hungarys top education official, Zoltan Balog also reportedly said: We are committed to use all legal means at our disposal to stop pseudo-civil society spy groups such as the ones funded by George Soros.

Billionaire financier and philanthropist, Mr Soros, funds a host of projects around the world aimed at spreading free speech and democratic values, through his Open Society Foundations,

The new law requires universities based outside Hungary to be approved through a contract between the Hungarian government and the country where they are accredited, which in CEU's case is the US.

It also requires each university to establish a campus in that country. The law also reinstates work permit requirements for non-EU citizens teaching at the campus in Hungary. The costs associated with complying with the new requirements could jeopardize the universitys future, Human Rights Watch has said.

Biggest business scandals in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Biggest business scandals in pictures Biggest business scandals in pictures Volkswagen emissions scandal VW admitted to rigging its US emission tests so that diesel-powered cars would looks like they were emitting less nitrous oxide, which can damage the ozone layer and contribute to respiratory diseases. Around 11 million cars worldwide were affected. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Martin Shkreli and Turing Pharmaceuticals Martin Shkreli became known as the most hated man in the world after his drug company, Turing, increased the price of a 62-year-old drug that treated HIV patients by 5,000% to $750 a pill. He was charged with illegally taking stock from Retrophin, a biotechnology firm he started in 2011, and using it pay off debts from unrelated business dealings. Shkreli, who maintains he is innocent, and says there is little evidence of fraud because his investors didn't lose money. Biggest business scandals in pictures Panama Papers: Millions of leaked documents expose how worlds rich and powerful hid money - April 2016 Millions of confidential documents have been leaked from one of the worlds most secretive law firms, exposing how the rich and powerful have hidden their money. Dictators and other heads of state have been accused of laundering money, avoiding sanctions and evading tax, according to the unprecedented cache of papers that show the inner workings of the law firm Mossack Fonseca, which is based in Panama. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Google's tax avoidance Google reached a deal with the HM Revenue and Customs to pay back 130 million in so-called back-taxes that have been due since 2005. George Osborne championed the deal as a major success. But European MEPs have since called for the Chancellor to appear in front of the committee on tax rulings to explain the tax deal. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Rogue trader A French court cut the damages owed by rogue trader Jerome Kerviel from 4.9bn (4.2bn) to just 1m (860,000). The court ruled on that Kerviel was partly responsible for massive losses suffered in 2008 by his former employer Societe Generale through his reckless trades. Kerviel has consistently maintained that bosses at the French bank knew what he was doing all along. AP Biggest business scandals in pictures Barclays CEO under investigation for trying to identify whistleblower - Monday Paril 10 Authorities have launched an investigation into Barclays chief executive officer Jes Staley for trying to identify a whistleblower, the bank said on Monday. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) are both investigating Mr Staley after the bank notified them that Mr Staley had tried to identify the author of two anonymous letters, which were sent to the board and a senior executive in June 2016. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures UK to crack down on bank money laundering after reports of 65bn Russian scam, City minister says - March 2017 The Economic Secretary to the Treasury has vowed that the Government will crack down on money laundering practices, after several of the UK's biggest banks were accused of processing money from a Russian scam, believed to involve up to $80bn (65bn). Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Former HBOS bankers convicted of bribery and fraud over 245m loan scam - February 2017 Two former HBOS bankers were among six people found guilty of bribery and fraud that cost customers and shareholders hundreds of millions of pounds, the BBC reports. Lynden Scourfield, 54, a manager at HBOS, forced struggling clients to use the services of his friends David Mills, 60, and Michael Bancroft, 73. In return, the two businessmen arranged sex parties, cash and lavish gifts. On Monday, the three were convicted at Southwark Crown Court on accounts including bribery, fraud and money laundering. Mark Dobson, another manager at HBOS, Alison Mills, and John Cartwright were also convicted. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Lloyds chief apologises for damage caused by affair allegations - August 2016 Antonio Horta-Osorio, the chief executive of Lloyds Bank, has broken his silence over allegations about his private life admitting he regrets any "damage done to the group's reputation". In a message sent to the bank's 75,000 employees, the banker said that anyone can make mistakes while insisting that staff had to maintain the highest professional standards. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Christine Lagarde faces court over 340m Bernard Tapie payment - July 2016 The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, must stand trial in France over a payment of 403 million (now 340m, then 290m) to tycoon Bernard Tapie, a France's highest appeals court has ruled. The court rejected Ms Lagarde's appeal against a judge's order in December for her to stand trial over allegations of negligence in her handling of the affair. Ms Lagarde could risk a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros if convicted. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures HSBC senior manager arrested in FX rigging investigation at JFK airport in New York - July 2016 A senior executive at HSBC has been arrested at New York's JFK airport for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to rig currency benchmarks, according to reports. Mark Johnson, global head of foreign exchange cash trading in London, was reportedly arrested on Tuesday. He will appear before a federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, Bloomberg said. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Former PwC employees found guilty in 'Luxleaks' tax scandal - June 2016 Two ex- PricewaterhouseCoopers staffers were found guilty in Luxembourg of stealing confidential tax files that helped unleash a global scandal over generous fiscal deals for hundreds of international companies. Antoine Deltour and Raphael Halet face suspended sentences of 12 months and 9 months and were ordered to pay fines of 1,500 (1,230) and 1,000 (822) for their role in the so-called LuxLeaks scandal. Despite the minimal sentences, the ruling was described by Deltours lawyer as shocking and a terrible anomaly. The ruling puts on guard future whistle-blowers, Deltour told reporters.The LuxLeaks revelations sped beyond Luxembourg, causing European Union regulators to expand a tax-subsidy probe and propose new laws to fight corporate tax dodging, while EU lawmakers created a special committee to probe fiscal deals across the 28-nation bloc. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Goldman Sachs dealmakers lavished Libyan officials with prostitutes to win contract - June 2016 A former Goldman Sachs dealmaker trying to persuade Gadaffi-era Libya to invest $1 billion with the investment bank procured prostitutes and invited Libyan officials to lavish parties in the hope of winning the business, the High Court heard on Monday June 13.The Libyan Investment Authority sovereign wealth fund is suing Goldman Sachs for inappropriately coercing its naive staff into giving its sovereign wealth fund cash to the bank to invest in products they did not understand. The products were designed to generate big profits for Goldman, the LIA claims.Goldman denies wrongdoing and says the LIA was treated as an arms-length customer Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Former boss of BHS said his life was threatened - June 2016 Darren Topp, the former boss of BHS, has said former owner Dominic Chappell threatened to kill him when he challenged him over a 1.5 million transfer out of the business. MPs on the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee asked Mr Topp about a 1.5 million transfer Mr Chappell made from BHS to a company called BHS Sweden. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley admits paying workers below the minimum wage - June 2016 Mike Ashley admitted paying Sports Direct employees below the minimum wage at a hearing in front of MPs. The company founder said that workers were paid less than the statutory minimum because of bottlenecks at security in an admission that could result in sanctions from HMRC. Reuters Biggest business scandals in pictures Mitsubishi admits improper fuel tests - April 2016 Mitsubishi has admitted to using false fuel methods dating back to 1991. The scale of the scandal is only just coming to light after it was revealed in April that data was falsified in the testing of four types of cars, including two Nissan cars. AP Biggest business scandals in pictures Quindell, the scandal-ridden insurance firm Quindell was once a darling of AIM but its share price fell in April 2014 when its accounting practices were attacked in a stinging research note by US short seller Gotham City. In August the group was forced to disclose that the 107 million pre-tax profit it had reported for 2013 was incorrect, and it had in fact suffered a 64million loss. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Toshiba Accounting Scandal The boss of Toshiba, the Japanese technology giant, resigned in disgrace in the wake of one of the countrys biggest ever accounting scandals. His exit came two months after the company revealed that it was investigating accounting irregularities. An independent investigatory panel said that Toshibas management had inflated its reported profits by up to 152 billion yen (780m) between 2008 and 2014. Biggest business scandals in pictures FIFA Corruption Scandal Fifa, football's world governing body, has been engulfed by claims of widespread corruption since the summer of 2015, when the US Department of Justice indicted several top executives. It has now claimed the careers of two of the most powerful men in football, Fifa President Sepp Blatter and Uefa President Michel Platini, after they were banned for eight years from all football-related activities by Fifa's ethics committee. A Swiss criminal investigation into the pair is ongoing. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Libor fraudster City trader Tom Hayes, 35, has become the first person to be convicted of rigging Libor rates following a trial at London's Southwark Crown Court. Hayes worked as a trader in yen derivatives at UBS before joining the American bank Citigroup in Tokyo. He was fired from Citigroup following an investigation into his trading methods. He returned to the UK in December 2012 and was arrested following a two-and-a-half year criminal investigation by the SFO. Getty

The law endangers academic freedom and the future of CEU, which has educated a generation of leaders in Central and Eastern Europe, said Lydia Gall, Balkans and Eastern Europe researcher at Human Rights Watch.

The president should not sign a law that seems motivated by a desire to silence critical voices in Hungary, she added in a post on HRWs website.

The pro-democracy group Freedom House accused Mr Orbans party of whipping up resentment and xenophobia in order to win re-election.

In a year dominated by the Europe-wide advance of national-populist and radical parties, democratic governance in Hungary, a pioneer of illiberal democracy, has further deteriorated, the report said.

The Independent has contacted CEU for comment
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Astronomers might have found a new planet, hiding in our solar system.

And it might have been discovered by citizen astronomers  60,000 of them, who picked through pictures of rocks and may have found the mysterious 'Planet Nine'.

Astronomers from the Australian National University are investigating four unknown objects, each of which could be a candidate for a new, as yet unknown planet in our own solar system.

Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427  more commonly known as WR 124  and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead  sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later  having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region

The candidates were found by a planetary search that was inspired by a TV programme that encouraged people  more than 60,000 of them  to pick through more than four million objects and see whether they might be a new world.

The search has already found two minor planets. That proves that the approach could eventually stumble on the much-rumoured Planet Nine, they say.

Recommended Planet Nine could destroy our solar system

Planet Nine is a hypothetical world lurking on the edge of our solar system. It has never been seen directly  but it has been theorised on the basis of unusual gravitational patterns that seem to suggest something is out there, beyond Pluto.

The citizen astronomers helped rule out large parts of the southern sky, blocking out places where Planet Nine could be situated.

Weve managed to rule out a planet about the size of Neptune being in about 90 per cent of the southern sky out to a depth of about 350 times the distance the Earth is from the Sun, said Brad Tucker, lead researcher on the project.

With the help of tens of thousands of dedicated volunteers sifting through hundreds of thousands of images taken by SkyMapper, we have achieved four years of scientific analysis in under three days. One of those volunteers, Toby Roberts, has made 12,000 classifications.

Now astronomers will point telescopes around the world at the unknown objects to find out whether they are Planet Nine, other dwarf planets or just asteroids.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A burglar who hoped to get rich from stealing a stuffed chimpanzee wearing a top hat, along with a menagerie of other stuffed animals, including lions, a giraffe and a scarlet ibis, has instead found himself with a 21-month suspended prison sentence.

Jason Hopwood, who police said had been well equipped and well prepared for his role in the heist, was part of a gang that got away with a haul of antiques and 18 stuffed animals worth an estimated total of 100,000.

The criminals had used angle grinders to cut their way into a warehouse at the Wimbledon Stadium Business Centre, in south-west London on 1 March last year.

Once the crime  which also involved the theft of a stuffed sloth, baboon and penguin  had been discovered, police issued a nationwide appeal for information.

This, it is thought, generated such heat that the gang abandoned the stolen stuffed animals.

The appeal for information also prompted an anonymous tip-off to Crimestoppers on 22 March that led police to Hopwoods van, which had been abandoned in Stapleford Abbotts in Epping Forest.

The stuffed animals were still inside.

The haul included a mounted lions head and a stuffed sloth (Met Police)

The van had sticky patches on the plates where false plates were believed to have been attached, but detectives were able to link the vehicle to Hopwood and his home address in Drummond Road, Romford, Essex.

Jason Robert Hopwood (Metropolitan Police)

Hopwood, 47, was arrested in September and subsequently pleaded guilty to burglary and fraudulent use of a registration plate.

He was, however, spared jail at Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday when he received a 21-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and 200 hours community service.

DC Stuart Goss, from Wandsworth CID, said: This was a complex and challenging case and I was helped by colleagues across the Metropolitan Police Service and Essex Police. I would also like to thank the media, as I am sure reporting of our appeal forced the criminals to abandon the stolen goods.

He added: This was not a random crime, this was a criminal enterprise and Hopwood was well equipped and well prepared. I am very proud to have been able to reunite the victim with these valuable animals.

Cataloguing and exhibiting the stolen items was a truly unique and memorable experience, and this is certainly an investigation which will stay with me for years to come.

Police stressed that the legal owner of the stuffed animals, a taxidermy company, was lawfully in possession of the items and fully licensed.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A man jailed for carrying out a "sustained campaign" of domestic violence against a former partner has been ordered to inform police each time he starts a new relationship.

The Criminal Behaviour Order requires 30-year-old Kylle Godfrey to tell the police of any relationship that lasts more than 14 days for the next seven years.

Godfrey, from Neasden in north-west London, is serving a three-year sentence for attacking two former partners and for witness intimidation.

Recommended Police charges for domestic abuse plummet in one year

The directive also allows police to inform his partners of his previous violent behaviour to women under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme.

Women's rights advocates welcomed the order, saying the police power had been underused. Criminal Behaviour Orders were first signed into law when Theresa May was Home Secretary in 2014.

It is believed that this is the first time in England and Wales that such a requirement has formed part of this type of order.

The court heard that Godfrey attacked a victim over a period of several days in October, at one point strangling her and banging her head against the floor, inflicting blunt force trauma injuries.

He then continued to intimidate her while on bail and assaulted another women he was in a relationship with, the court was told.

The order was made last week after Godfrey admitted the assaults during a court hearing on 14 February.

His victim, Shira, who did not wish to disclose her full name, told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme on Wednesday the abuse started shortly after they met in 2011.

She said: I went through hell with him physically, mentally and emotionally, and now I can see I risked my life with him," adding that the order made her feel safer.

It follows the handing of a Sexual Risk Order to John O'Neill, from York, who was required to inform the police if he started a sexual relationship with a new partner.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA 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

Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Womens Aid, said: We welcome the order being used in relation to domestic abuse for the first time," adding that it showed "an understanding that a perpetrator of domestic abuse is likely to be abusive to many partners".

Ms Neate said the ability of the police to tell Godrey's future partners about his history provided "more robust safeguarding" and said "progress" was being made.

Yet critics have warned the rule may be difficult to police. Ms Neate added: "We want to see it being properly enforced to make sure that women are kept safe, and that breaches are responded to promptly.

Emma Pearmaine, Director of Family Services at Simpson Millar, who campaigns against domestic violence, said the orders had "sadly been underused, despite the fact that they provide a valuable layer of protection for potential, future victims".

We regularly represent victims in applications for non-molestation orders, and we advise victims of domestic abuse and coercive control that is happening right now. But our help and support is limited to the circumstances of a particular relationship.

"We can only implement protections for that individual victim, and seek punishment against their perpetrator for the harm caused in that relationship, even though history tells us that many abusers live in a pattern of repeat offending.

A criminal behaviour order identifies repeated and persistent perpetrators  offering a valuable warning for potential, future victims."

DI Jane Topping, Hackney Community Safety Unit said: This order gives us a new way of protecting victims of domestic abuse and prevent other women from suffering at the hands of people like Godfrey, and help our efforts to tackle domestic violence.

"The victim in Godfreys case was subjected to a horrendous ordeal by him following a sustained campaign of domestic violence. She has shown incredible bravery in supporting our investigation, and I hope she feels safer now Godfrey is behind bars and will be subject to closer scrutiny.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The brother of a teenage asylum seeker who was beaten and left for dead in an alleged race hate crime has said he couldn't recognise his brother, whose face was still "very badly smashed" when he visited him in hospital.

Reker Ahmed, a 17-year-old Kurdish Iranian, was left with a blood clot on his brain and a fractured skull when a group set upon him at a bus stop in what police have described as a brutal attack. He had reportedly told his attackers just before that he was an asylum seeker.

Rekers older brother, Hadi Ahmed, visited him at London's King's College Hospital on Tuesday and said he was unrecognisable, adding that his brother also failed to realise who he was due to memory loss.

The 23-year-old said: I didn't recognise him as well when the first time I saw him. And I saw him the first time he was like 'are you my brother?' and I said 'what do you mean?... yeah I'm your brother what are you talking about? It was like that, just shocked. I was just hugging him saying 'you're my brother'.

"He didn't have any affection. He didn't want to hug me. It was horrible. I started crying. It's really bad, I feel really gutted and disappointed about the situation that happened."

Mr Ahmed, who only discovered Reker had been attacked after seeing the news, was accompanied to the hospital by Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the Kurdish Cultural Centre based in south London. Mr Abdullah said the teenager had been smashed very badly in the face, adding that he was being supported by people either side so he could walk and that there were bandages on his arm and leg.

He lost his memory because he didn't recognise his brother. His face was very badly smashed and all black eyes. If we saw him somewhere else... we couldn't recognise him, he said.

Meanwhile, Dilshad Mohammed, 21, who was with the young Iranian Kurd when the attackers set upon them, has told of how Reker was talking about how happy he was to have found sanctuary in the UK just 30 minutes before the attack.

Half an hour before that fight he was telling us 'It was my dream to come to England and I've been here for a few months. That's all I wanted in my life and I'm here now'," said Mr Mohammed.

Even when he was young he was wishing to come to this country. And now he was telling us 'From a young age I was hoping for it and now I've got it. I'm here I'm happy'. He was hugging me as saying everything is going all right. All we wanted was to come to this country, get the visa, start working and have a nice life."

Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell, Chief Superintendent Jeff Boothe, the borough commander, and council chief executive Jo Negrini visited the scene on Wednesday morning to send a message of support to the community.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said in response to the incident: Reker Ahmed came to this country seeking refuge and safety but last Friday he got the exact opposite. He was set upon violently in an attack by people here locally, he was very, very badly hurt and thankfully is starting to recover.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA 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

He added that the attack doesn't represent Britain or Croydon and said: When something like this does happen we must do everything we can possibly do to apprehend those that were responsible for this appalling and unacceptable crime.

Following the incident, charities and experts have warned that the brutal attack against Reker is an extreme case of widespread discrimination against asylum seekers in the UK, which is leading many people seeking refuge to hide their identities for fear of being targeted.

The Metropolitan Police believes more than 30 people may have been involved in the attack, which members of the Kurdish community said has left them worried and shocked. A total of 16 people have been arrested and 13, including a 15-year-old boy, charged with offences including attempted murder and violent disorder.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Welcome to The Independents liveblog of proceedings in the European Parliament as MEPs debate the EU leaders draft guidelines for the Brexit negotiations. MPs voted to to formalise their Brexit position on Wednesday.

Dozens of MEPs spoke including Ukip group leader Nigel Farage. Guy Verhostadt, the parliaments Brexit negotiator, also set out his position.

It comes after the Leader of the biggest political grouping Manfred Weber warned that London will lose out from Brexit to rivals like Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Dublin.

In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations with Britain, French Michel Barnier listens at the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty Images In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, delivers his speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg EPA In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt, President of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), addresses the European Parliament during a debate on Brexit priorities and the upcomming talks on the UK's withdrawal from the EU Reuters In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Michel Barnier, European Chief Negotiator for Brexit reacts during a meeting at the European Parliament in Strasbourg EPA In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Member of the European Parliament and former leader of the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage wears socks with Union Jack flag at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty Images In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Nigel Farage, United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) member and MEP, addresses the European Parliament during a debate on Brexit priorities and the upcoming talks on the UK's withdrawal from the EU Reuters In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations with Britain, French Michel Barnier gestures during speeches at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions The President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker (L) speaks with European commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations with Britain, French Michel Barnier at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt, President of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), addresses the European Parliament during a debate on Brexit priorities and the upcomming talks on the UK's withdrawal from the EU Reuters In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivers a speech during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions The European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France Getty Images

He also underlined that Britains divorce bill  up to 50bn by some estimates  should be the first item on the Brexit agenda and that the UK must give guarantees not to turn itself into a Singapore-style tax haven.

London is the world's leading financial centre for the lucrative clearing of derivatives denominated in euros, but Mr Weber said: Its not thinkable that, at the end, the whole euro-business is still managed in London.

This is an external place, this is not an EU place anymore. The euro-business should be managed on EU soil.

He explained that a natural outcome of Brexit would be that when it came to euro-related business, cities like Amsterdam, Paris, Dublin and Frankfurt will win and others will lose.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Members of the European Parliament have overwhelmingly backed a document spelling out red lines for the EUs negotiators in upcoming Brexit negotiations.

MEPs voted for the red lines, which were drawn up by the Parliaments Brexit lead Guy Verhofstadt, by 516 votes to 133, with 50 abstentions.

The wide-ranging document insists that a transitional agreement between the EU and UK could not last longer than three years. It also says the EU should look to find a way to ensure Britons do not lose the rights they enjoyed as EU citizens.

The European Parliament will get a vote on any final Brexit deal reached by the UK and the EU after Article 50 negotiations are complete.

Addressing MEPs near the start of the debate, Mr Verhofstadt said he believed Britain might return to the EU in the future, when a younger generation recognises Brexit as a loss of time, a waste of energy and a stupidity. He described the Leave vote as a catfight in the Conservative party that got out of hand.

Later in the debate Michel Barnier, the European Commissions chief negotiator, told MEPs that EU was not seeking to punish the United Kingdom in negotiations but instead simply asking the United Kingdom to deliver on its commitments and undertakings as a member of the European Union.

He also dismissed the idea that Brexit talks and trade talks could take place at the same time, arguing that to attempt to do both within a two-year time frame could cause problems and increase the chance of no deal being struck.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker addressed MEPs, dismissing the suggestion from Theresa May that no deal was better than a bad deal.

No deal means no winners. Everybody will lose, he told the Parliament. Thats why we will proceed with negotiations with the UK to try to reduce the damage caused to people, to trade, and to societies.

He added: Will we miss the UK? Yes, but without naivety.

Ukip MEP group leader Nigel Farage caused consternation during the session when he described European officials as mafia and gangsters who were taking Britain hostage in the EU.

The day-to-day back-and-forth of the talks will be led by the European Commission and European Council, but representatives of the Parliament are expected to be in the room because any final deal must be signed off by the institution.

The Prime Minister began the two-year Brexit negotiation process last month by triggering Article 50.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Human rights must form a key component of any future trade deals after Britains exit from the European Union, a Commons committee has concluded.

In a report MPs on the Joint Committee on Human Rights in Westminster say that the EU currently includes clauses on human rights in its international trade deals with non-EU member states and the UK must use Brexit as an opportunity to set higher standards.

It comes as Theresa May continued her charm-offensive in the Middle East, visiting Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks in Riyadh to boost trade and security ties despite the regimes dire record on human rights.

The Prime Minister has faced repeated calls to suspend UK arms deal with the kingdom over claims of human rights abuses in the Yemen conflict under the Saudi-led coalition bombing campaign.

The report from the Human Rights Committee adds: We welcome the Governments commitment that new bilateral trade agreements will include human rights protection at least equal to those currently included in EU trade agreements. We look forward to seeing this adhered to and will monitor progress with interest.

We encourage the Government to use the opportunity of Brexit to set higher human rights standards in future trade agreements, to include workable provisions on enforcement, and to undertake human rights impact assessments before agreeing trade agreements.

The report claims that Government departments must set an example to businesses in the UK by ensuring they do not procure from suppliers who are abusing workers human rights. It says the National Action Plan  the UKs statement of intent on human rights  must be more ambitious and set specific target by which to measure progress.

If the Government expects businesses to take human rights issues in their supply chains seriously, it must demonstrate at least the same level of commitment in its own procurement supply chains, the report adds.

The 82-page report calls on officials to introduce stronger legislation, stronger enforcement and clearer routes to justice to protect workers human rights.

Recommended Theresa May arrives in Saudi Arabia without headscarf

MPs on the committee add that the Governments so-called Great Repeal Bill, which will convert EU law onto the UKs statue book before Britains exit from the union, must replicate the human rights provisions enshrined in EU law.

Harriet Harman, the Labour MP who chairs the committee, said: No one wants to be wearing clothes made by child labour, or slave labour. UK companies need to have high standards abroad as well as here at home and they must ensure that there are not human rights abuses in their supply chain.

More can be done by the UK Government to ensure that human rights are respected by UK companies in their operations outside the UK. The Government must toughen up the law with a new legal duty on businesses abroad.

Victims of human rights abuses must have access to the courts. And the Government should ensure that when it buys on our behalf it doesnt do so from suppliers who are abusing human rights.
Pirates of the Caribbean 5 plot, release date: Everything we know so far

Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom during 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End' Tokyo Press Conference - Photocall at Park Hyatt Tokyo in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo : Getty Images/ Gil Studio)

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" has unveiled its fourth trailer. This time, it reveals new details about the exciting new adventure in the high seas and Armando Salazar's plan to exact revenge on Captain Jack Sparrow. Here's everything we know so far about "Pirates of the Caribbean 5."



Advertisement

Who's Armando Salazar?



In the new "Pirates of the Caribbean 5" trailer, it is revealed that a younger captain Jack Sparrow caused the curse that now haunts Javier Bardem's Armando Salazar. He then swore to have his revenge and said, "Pirates had infected the seas for generation, so I vowed to eliminate them all."



Salazar is the captain of the Devil's Triangle and he commands a ghost army who could not be killed by weapons. That alone presents a huge problem for Jack Sparrow and co.



Henry Turner and Carina Smyth



"Pirates of the Caribbean 5" brings two new young characters to the story. Brenton Thwaites' Henry is the son of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley).



"I play a guy called Henry who is a soldier in the Royal Navy. At the beginning of the film, he is locked up by his own men for trying to warn them of an evil coming their way," Thwaites said in an interview with Da Man magazine (via Just Jared).



"No one believes him except for a girl called Carina Smyth, played by Kaya Scodelario, who helps him escape. Together they realize they are actually after the same treasure and can help each other get there," he added.



Scodelario's Carina is rumored to be the daughter of Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who ran the Black Pearl in the first "Pirates" movie. Reports also suggested that Henry and Carina are being groomed to become the main leads in future "Pirates" films.



Other characters



"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" will bring together new and old characters from the franchise. Rush is said to reprise his role as Captain Barbossa in the upcoming film.



There are also reports of Beatles member Paul McCartney making a cameo appearance in the movie, although his character was not revealed.



According to Movie Pilot, one new and unique aspect of the fifth film is that it will feature ghost sharks!



Release date



"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" will hit theaters on May 26.






Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Deliveroo, Uber and Amazon have been getting gig-economy workers to sign unintelligible contracts that seem designed to stop them asserting their rights, a committee of MPs has ruled.

The TUC has also accused the multi-million pound companies of inserting scare clauses in the contracts to frighten relatively low-paid couriers or drivers away from challenging bad working conditions.

And the criticism was backed by one Uber driver who told The Independent that the contract he had signed had been absolutely impenetrable and brutally exploitative.

The Work and Pensions Committee  which launched an inquiry into self-employment and the gig economy in December  has now taken the step of publishing contracts used by Deliveroo, Uber and Amazon.

Recommended Hundreds of thousands of gig economy workers demand basic rights

It has claimed they contain questionable clauses in which workers must agree never to challenge the companys insistence that they are self-employed and therefore not entitled to the same rights as direct employees.

The committee concludes: Whether any of these clauses are legally enforceable is perhaps not the point: the intention appears to be to put people off challenging their status, including going to court, and trying to obtain employment rights that may be due to them.

In a highly critical statement, Labour MP Frank Field, the committee chairman, said: It does seem a marvellous business model if you can get away with it.

These companies parade the flexibility their model offers to drivers but it seems the only real flexibility is enjoyed by the companies themselves.

My worry is that, as a result, these companies contribute little to the public purse or our social safety net.

They are not paying sick leave or contributing to pensions. Yet it seems likely that their employment practices will lead more people to need taxpayers to pick up these costs.

The MPs said that the contract provided to them by Deliveroo, the London based takeaway delivery network with annual revenues of more than 100m, even went as far as explicitly insisting that workers promise never to go to court to dispute their self-employed status.

If they did take action, the contract warned, they would be held liable for Deliveroos legal costs, and even if they won their case, the company would have the option of deducting its expenses from any damages or compensation awarded by the courts.

By signing the contract, it was stated, You agree that Deliveroo may set off any sum owed to you against any damages, compensation, costs or other sum that may be awarded to you in those proceedings.

This clause, said Mr Field, was egregious.

The 10 worst areas for earning the living wage Show all 10 1 /10 The 10 worst areas for earning the living wage The 10 worst areas for earning the living wage 1. West Somerset 41.9% The 10 worst areas for earning the living wage 2. Harrow 41.8% The 10 worst areas for earning the living wage 3. Torridge 41.6% The 10 worst areas for earning the living wage 4. North East Derbyshire 39.6% The 10 worst areas for earning the living wage 5. Breckland 39.3% The 10 worst areas for earning the living wage 6. Waltham Forest 39.0% The 10 worst areas for earning the living wage 7. West Lancashire 38.2% The 10 worst areas for earning the living wage 8. North Norfolk 37.8% The 10 worst areas for earning the living wage 9. Melton 37.0% The 10 worst areas for earning the living wage 10. West Devon 36.7%

Turning to cab services company Uber, Mr Field  who in December had declared himself troubled to note that practices described by [its] drivers would appear to fit the Victorians definition of sweated labour  said: Quite frankly the Uber contract is gibberish.

The US-owned company, said to be worth billions of pounds globally, with 40,000 Uber drivers in England and Wales, was, said Mr Field: Well aware that many, if not most, of their drivers speak English as a second language  they recently lost a court case trying to escape Transport for Londons new English testing rules for private hire drivers  yet their contract is almost unintelligible.

The Amazon Flex contract for couriers, published by the MPs, contains clauses stating: Nothing in this agreement will create any worker or employment relationship between you and Amazon. As an independent contractor, you will not be considered as having the status of an employee of Amazon for any purpose, including contractual rights.

You will not make any representation that you have any authority to bind Amazon as an employee, worker agent, partner, or otherwise.

The Uber and Amazon contracts, Mr Field acknowledged, did not go as far as Deliveroo and did not explicitly demand that drivers never go to court to challenge their self-employed status.

But Mr Field said that section 13 of the Uber contract contains this clause about not challenging the official designation of self-employed, when the way they work looks in most ways an awful lot like being employed.

He was backed by Uber driver James Farrar, 48, of Grayshott, Hampshire, one of two Uber drivers who in October 2016 won a tribunal case in which it was ruled they were entitled to some of the basic rights afforded to direct employees, like holiday pay.

Mr Farrar said that the contract presented to him in October 2015 had been more than 20 pages long, created by an army of lawyers, and absolutely impenetrable.

Much of it was gobbledegook I couldnt understand, he added. But when I asked Uber to explain, they refused and said Youve got to get your own advice.

It was brutally exploitative, but the simple choice was: accept the contract or go home. And I had a wife and two small children to support.

After he won his tribunal case, he added, he immediately put in a request for paid holiday. Uber refused on the grounds that it was appealing against the tribunal decision.

The contracts were also criticised by TUC general secretary Frances OGrady, who said: These clauses are not legally enforceable. But they are being used as a scare tactic to stop workers from challenging bad working conditions.

Many people working in the gig economy are unaware of their rights at work and are afraid of being victimised if they speak out. Companies are deliberately exploiting this fear to prevent scrutiny of their employment practices.

The Government urgently needs to reform employment law, so that employers who use these appalling clauses are fined.

The criticism comes after Deliveroo drivers took strike action in August over proposals that they said could see them earn barely half the National Living Wage of 7.50 an hour.

Some 280 London-based Deliveroo cyclists and moped drivers had been offered a trial that would reduce their hourly pay to as little as 3.75 during quieter periods  but with a pay guarantee should they receive less on the new payment model.

After a week of protests, Deliveroo said no-one would be forced to sign up to the new deal.

In December, a group of Amazon warehouse workers alleged they had been reduced to sleeping in tents in the woods near their workplace because they could not afford to travel to work. Amazon, now thought to be worth $290bn (233bn) globally, insisted that it paid its permanent and temporary associates competitive wages that started at 7.35 an hour irrespective of age.

An Amazon spokesman said the Amazon Flex contract cited by the Work and Pensions Committee is designed for people who want to top up their income with a bit of extra work and is not meant to offer the equivalent of a full-time job or income.

The spokesman said: "Amazon Flex offers people the opportunity to make great earnings working on their schedule to deliver Amazon parcels. The majority of people participating in Amazon Flex already have full or part time jobs and use the programme to top up their income, with 70% working 10 hours or less a week, in 1-4 hour delivery blocks, and earning 12 to 15 an hour."

Uber has written to Mr Field admitting: We recognise it would be better for both parties if [the contract] was written in plainer, simpler English. This document is, therefore, currently being revised.

Uber also told Mr Field that it had created new opportunities, some for people shut out of the labour market.

In the past, even where self-employed, drivers had to plan their lives around the schedule of their operator or employer. Uber has changed that and returned a lot of control to the drivers.

A company spokesman told The Independent: Almost all taxi and private hire drivers in the UK are self-employed. Weve always been clear to drivers that they are self-employed and free to choose if, when and where they drive with no shifts, minimum hours or uniforms.

There is nothing in our terms to stop anybody challenging this. In fact a small group of drivers recently took us to an employment tribunal claiming theyre not self-employed.

Deliveroo told the Work and Pensions Committee that the contract clause insisting on agreement not to challenge self-employment status in court was in the process of being removed.

A company spokesman told The Independent: As a British business, were proud to offer well-paid flexible work to 15,000 riders across the UK. We are always revising our supplier agreement to ensure it reflects how we work with riders in practice. That is why we are removing the clause discussed, which has never been enforced.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Jean-Claude Juncker has warned that everybody will lose if Brussels and the UK do not secure a Brexit deal.

The President of the European Commission said a failure to reach an agreement would be the worst possible outcome for people on both sides of the Channel.

He spoke alongside Brussels chief negotiator Michel Barnier in the European Parliament, as the body debated ahead of a vote that will make it the first EU institution to formalise its negotiating position for Brexit talks.

Recommended Hammond accuses Tory Eurosceptics of plotting to torpedo Brexit deal

But his comments also come after Chancellor Philip Hammond warned there are people on both sides of negotiations that want to scupper any chance of a deal.

Mr Juncker said: No deal means no winners. Everybody will lose.

Thats why we will proceed with negotiations with the UK to try to reduce the damage caused to people, to trade, and to societies.

Will we miss the UK? Yes, but without naivety.

Mr Barnier, who Mr Juncker appointed as lead negotiator in head-to-head talks with the UKs Brexit Secretary David Davis, spoke in the debate to warn that disunity among EU members could lead to no deal.

 I hope Britain will rejoin EU after Brexit, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker says

He added: The no-deal scenario is not the scenario were looking for. Were looking for success not against the United Kingdom, but with the United Kingdom.

Mr Hammond warned while on a trip to India that there would almost definitely be tensions as Theresa May tries to push forward with a plan to secure the best possible deal for the UK as it leaves the EU.

He said: There are definitely some people on both sides who do not want a deal, they do not want to see Britain continuing to collaborate in what the Prime Minister described in a letter as a deep and special partnership with the European Union.

How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Show all 8 1 /8 How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Weetabix Chief executive of Weetabix Giles Turrell has warned that the price of one of the nations favourite breakfast are likely to go up this year by low-single digits in percentage terms. Reuters How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Nescafe The cost of a 100g jar of Nescafe Original at Sainsburys has gone up 40p from 2.75 to 3.15  a 14 per cent risesince the Brexit vote. PA How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Freddo When contacted by The Independent this month, a Mondelez spokesperson declined to discuss specific brands but confirmed that there would be "selective" price increases across its range despite the American multi-national confectionery giant reporting profits of $548m (450m) in its last three-month financial period. Mondelez, which bought Cadbury in 2010, said rising commodity costs combined with the slump in the value of the pound had made its products more expensive to make. Cadbury How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Mr Kipling cakes Premier Foods, the maker of Mr Kipling and Bisto gravy, said that it was considering price rises on a case-by-case basis Reuters How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Walkers Crisps Walkers, owned by US giant PepsiCo, said "the weakened value of the pound" is affecting the import cost of some of its materials. A Walkers spokesman told the Press Association that a 32g standard bag was set to increase from 50p to 55p, and the larger grab bag from 75p to 80p. Getty How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Marmite Tesco removed Marmite and other Unilever household brand from its website last October, after the manufacturer tried to raise its prices by about 10 per cent owing to sterlings slump. Tesco and Unilever resolved their argument, but the price of Marmite has increased in UK supermarkets with the grocer reporting a 250g jar of Marmite will now cost Morrisons customers 2.64 - an increase of 12.5 per cent. Rex How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Toblerone Toblerone came under fire in November after it increased the space between the distinctive triangles of its bars. Mondelez International, the company which makes the product, said the change was made due to price rises in recent months. Pixabay How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Maltesers Maltesers, billed as the lighter way to enjoy chocolate, have also shrunk in size. Mars, which owns the brand, has reduced its pouch weight by 15 per cent. Mars said rising costs mean it had to make the unenviable decision between increasing its prices or reducing the weight of its Malteser packs. iStockphoto

Mr Hammond went on: Im clear the objective from the UK side is to reach a deal and what Im hearing from my counterparts in Europe is that is their objective.

Those people who are hoping for no deal, I say we have to disprove their thinking by showing there is clear goodwill on the Europe side to reach a deal.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The European Parliaments lead negotiator has branded Brexit as a catfight in Conservative party that got out of hand.

Guy Verhofstadt said that in the future, younger generations will call Brexit out as a waste of energy, stupidity and attempt to bring the UK back into Europe.

Liberal Belgian politician Mr Verhofstadt, leading for the parliament as Brexit talks begin, spoke in the institutions chamber ahead of a vote to formalise its negotiating position.

He said: I am also sure that, one day or another, there will be a young man or woman who will try again, who will lead Britain into the European family once again.

A young generation that will see Brexit for what it really is  a catfight in the Conservative party that got out of hand, a loss of time, a waste of energy, stupidity.

Lamenting that perhaps it was never meant to be, he said Europeans should never be blamed for having tried to make a relationship with Britain work.

He then said: Lets not forget, Britain entered the union as the sick man of Europe and thanks to the single market came out of the other side.

Europe made Britain also punch above its weight in terms of geopolitics, as in the heydays of the British empire.

 Farage scolded after calling European Parliament 'mafia'

And we from our side must pay tribute to Britains immense contributions  a staunch, unmatched defender of free markets and civil liberties. Thank you for that.

As a liberal, I tell you, I will miss that.

His speech came alongside interventions form Commission President Jean Claude Juncker and chief negotiator Michel Barnier who warned of the consequences of reaching no deal with the UK.

Meanwhile, Nigel Farage was booed in the chamber when he complained that the EU is acting like the mafia and said demands that the UK pay a divorce bill are a kin to holding the country to ransom.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Labour MPs have slammed their partys decision not to expel Ken Livingstone for making comments that were widely interpreted as anti-Semitic.

The former London mayor was let off with only a two-year suspension from holding office, despite a disciplinary panel finding him guilty on three different charges of making comments that were grossly detrimental to the Labour Party. He has already served one year, having been suspended for 11 months.

The accusations relate to remarks made in April 2016 in which Mr Livingstone claimed Adolf Hitler had supported Zionismbefore he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews.

Recommended Ken Livingstone banned from representing Labour Party for one year

The Independent understands Mr Livingstone will now be re-instated as a Labour member, having initially been suspended pending an investigation, and will be able to vote in party elections and attend some local meetings.

The decision prompted outrage from a number of MPs.

This is not a serious sanction for the serious damage that has been done to Labour, Wes Streeting, MP for Ilford North, told The Independent. It makes a mockery of the claim we take a zero- tolerance approach to anti-Semitism and people who defend anti-Semitism.

In effect, having accepted that what Ken has done has brought the party into disrepute, hes been given the equivalent of being banned from being his local branch secretary. That wont be a great loss to his local party or to Ken.

Labour MPs are already aware of party members cutting up their membership cards in disgust. My message to Jewish Labour members and supporters is that there are still a majority of decent Labour Party people who are determined to fight to restore Labours credibility as a genuine champion of equality."

Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said Show all 14 1 /14 Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On Israel and Palestine The simple fact in all of this is that Naz made these comments at a time when there was another brutal Israeli attack on the Palestinians; and theres one stark fact that virtually no one in the British media ever reports, in almost all these conflicts the death toll is usually between 60 and 100 Palestinians killed for every Israeli. Now, any other country doing that would be accused of war crimes but its like we have a double standard about the policies of the Israeli government Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On Antisemitism in the Labour Party As Ive said, Ive never heard anybody say anything antisemitism-Semitic, but theres been a very well-orchestrated campaign by the Israel lobby to smear anybody who criticises Israeli policy as antisemitic. I had to put up with 35 years of this Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On Naz Shah Its completely over-the-top and rude, but who am I to denounce anyone with all of that. It was wrong. I dont think she is antisemitic, it was incredibly rude but I dont believe she is an antisemite. When the NEC investigation is finished they'll say it was rude and over the top but they wont find any evidence that she actually hates Jews. Weve got to investigate all these charges and the context in which they are made. If she is antisemitic like the other three or four members weve found who are antisemitic, shell be expelled Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On other alleged antisemites in Labour That is part of the classic antisemitic thing about an international Jewish conspiracy  that is the reason we need to have an investigation. Ive got an open mind. Ive seen nothing to suggest to me that she is antisemitic. I wouldnt have supported her if I [thought] she was antisemitic Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On whether what Hitler did was legal, as stated by Naz Shah Thats a statement of fact  Hitler, Im sure, passed all those laws that allowed him to do that  its history  literally, Hitler was completely mad, he killed six million Jews. Shes not saying its legal to kill six million Jews: what they were doing in that country allowed them not just to kill six million Jews, kill all the communists, kill all the leftists like me, my father almost died when a Nazi sub sank his boat. I have no sympathy with Hitler Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On another alleged antisemite in Labour No, that is, and thats why shes been suspended or expelled. What Ive said is that in 47 years of the party in all the meetings Ive been in Ive never heard anyone say anything antisemitic. There are bound to be in a party of half a million people youll have a handful of antisemites, youll have a handful of racists. Youve managed to dig out virtually every antisemitic comment that Labour members have made out of half a million people. Ive never met any of these people. Theres not a problem. Youre talking about a handful of people in a party of half a million people. Jeremy Corbyn has moved rapidly to deal with them Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On Jeremy Corbyns response to the allegations He met with Naz and she agreed she would stand down while the investigation is going on. He called her in to see her. Theres been a huge investigation of virtually everything that anybody put on the internet  many of these people are quite new and recent members of the party that joined in the big influx. 300,000 new people came in Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On his meeting a man accused of antisemitism in London This is the man who called for Muslims around the world to donate blood after the attacks of 9/11 when he came to London I went with him to the Regents Park mosque where he said no man should hit a woman and you should not discriminate against homosexuals. So I cant equate what I heard him say he made no antisemitic statement while he was here in London. I dont investigate people. Ive simply said what I believe to be true which is that Naz was not antisemitic. She was completely over the top, very rude, but that does not make her an antisemite Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On John Manns comments He went completely over the top. I was actually doing a radio interview at the time that he was bellowing that Im a racist antisemite in my ear. Ive had that with John Mann before a few weeks ago screaming that I was a bigot down the phone. Im not an apologist for anyone who makes antisemitic statements. What Im saying is dont confuse antisemitism with criticism of the Israeli government policy Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On calling a Jewish journalist a concentration camp guard whilst Mayor of London I cant tell if a journalist is Jewish or Catholic or anything. If a journalist is chasing you down the street at nine of clock at night you might be rude to them. Some people might have hit him! He said he was just doing his job. We went all the way to the High Court and the judge opened his judgement by saying I hope no one here is going to suggest that Mr Livingstone is antisemitic. We won the case Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On claims about Hitler and Zionism I cant tell if a journalist is Jewish or Catholic or anything. If a journalist is chasing you down the street at nine of clock at night you might be rude to them. Some people might have hit him! He said he was just doing his job. We went all the way to the High Court and the judge opened his judgement by saying I hope no one here is going to suggest that Mr Livingstone is antisemitic. We won the case Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On John Mann Id simply say to John Mann go back and check. Is what I say true, or is it not? The BBC, youve got a huge team of researchers, it will take just an hour or two to go back and confirm. I was asked a question, I answered it. I have never in 45 years since I won my first election, I have never lied. I have always answered the question Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On raising the issue if Hitler It lays you open to people smearing and lying about you. Ive always answered the questions put to me and that simple fact is weve had a handful of people saying antisemitic things in the Labour Party, theyve been suspended, some of them are on their way to being expelled, some of them have been expelled already Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On people calling for him to be suspended All my usual critics  but the simple fact is I agree with them; there is no place for antisemitism in the Labour party. For them to suggest I am antisemitic is a bit bizarre considering we worked with Jewish groups and put on exhibitions about the scale of the holocaust, we worked with Jewish groups to tackling the scale of antisemitism back in the 1970s. Ive always opposed every form of racism whether its against black people or Jews. Im going to stay in the Labour party and continue to fight against all forms of racism and discrimination as I have my entire life

Other MPs took to social media to voice their criticism.

Lisa Nandy, tipped by some as a future leader of the party, said: Standing against racism is one of the many reasons I'm proud to be in the Labour Party. Today is a sad day for this movement.

Tulip Siddiq, who represents Hampstead and Kilburn, called the ruling absolutely ridiculous and asked: Why has this man not been expelled?

John Woodcook called the decision pathetic while Luciana Berger, who has been the victim of anti-Semitic abuse online, said it was appalling and marked a new low for the party.

Why is anti-Semitism being treated differently from any other form of racism? she asked.

Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy called the decision very troubling. What more does he have to say or do to be told there is no place for him in Labour movement?, she added.

The Jewish Labour Movement said in a statement: "One year suspension is insufficient for a party the claims zero tolerance on anti-Semitism.

"This is a betrayal of our party's values. One year suspension allows for a revolving door for repeat offenders."

 Ken Livingstone suspended from Labour party for one more year

Michael Dugher, who previously served as Shadow Secretary for Culture, Media and Sport under Jeremy Corbyn, said: "Labour have spent 12 months investigating what to every sensible person is an open-and-shut case. This looks like an embarrassing fudge. The Jewish Board of Deputies said it was anti-Semitism, as did the Holocaust Education Trust, the Jewish Labour Movement and the chief rabbi.

"Is the party really saying it knows more about anti-Semitism than the chief rabbi? The current reluctance of the party to apparently take swift and severe action against Livingstone does us no credit whatsoever."

Mr Livingstone remained defiant, insisting the allegations against him were nonsense.

Todays Labour Party panel extended my suspension for another year because of my political views, not because I have done anything to harm the Labour Party, he said.

Speaking outside the hearing, Mr Livingstone compared the process to sitting through a court in North Korea.

Asked if he wanted to apologise to Jewish people who had been offended by his comments, the former London mayor replied: I apologise for the offence caused by those Labour MPs who lied and said I said Hitler was a Zionist.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The rising tide of obesity, the over-reliance on hospitals and the adult social care funding shortfall have left the National Health Service in a state of crisis, according to a new House of Lords report.

The report by the Long-term Sustainability of the NHS Committee calls the NHS the countrys national religion and an iconic part of Britain's social fabric, but argues it is not sustainable in its current form.

It calls for a new campaign to highlight the obesity epidemic and urges ministers to look into the possibility of an insurance scheme to enable people to prepare for their care needs in older age.

Recommended Junior doctor whose post on NHS pressures went viral found dead

It says the health service should remain free at the point of use, which would require a shift in government priorities or increases in taxation.

The report, written by a House of Lords Select Committee that looked specifically at the question of the long-term sustainability of the NHS, criticises the short-sightedness of successive governments to plan ahead.

It argues for the creation of an office for health and care sustainability to look 15 to 20 years ahead to counter the endemic NHS disease of short-termism.

Peers say preventable health problems, particularly obesity, are putting a significant burden on the system. The report also drew attention to the funding crisis in adult social care, which it described as "on the brink of collapse".

The funding crisis in adult social care is worsening to the point of imminent breakdown, the report says.

Pressures in social care are the greatest external threat to the long-term sustainability of the NHS.

Social care is currently funded directly by local authorities, separately from the NHS. The report suggests the Department of Health should fund this centrally, and be renamed the Department of Health and Care.

It suggest a social care insurance system could replicate similar schemes in Japan and Germany, both of which involve compulsory long-term care insurance schemes shared between an employer and employee, like the workplace pension scheme.

The committees chair, cross-bench peer Lord Patel, said: The Department of Health at both the political and official level is failing to think beyond the next few years.

There is a shocking lack of long-term strategic planning in the NHS.

This short-sightedness stems from the political importance of the NHS and the temptation for politicians to reach for short-term fixes, not long-term solutions.

A Department of Health spokesman said: We are totally committed to an NHS, free at the point of use, providing world-class care  and we agree that means taking decisions to ensure the sustainability of the service in future.

That's why we are already expanding the number of medical training places by 25 per cent to ensure we have all the doctors we need, investing in social care and working on a long-term funding solution in a green paper, and putting 325m into local transformation plans to improve services, with more to follow in the autumn.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Nigel Farage has been jeered in the European Parliament after accusing the EU of behaving like the mafia by holding Britain to ransom with vindictive demands in the Brexit negotiations.

"You're behaving like the mafia - you think we're a hostage. We're free to go! the former Ukip leader said in Strasbourg.

His incendiary comments came as MEPs in the European Parliament began debating the EUs draft negotiating guidelines following the triggering of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty by Theresa May last week.

It is expected the parliament will formalise their position on Brexit on Wednesday and set out its red lines  the first European institution to do so.

The former Ukip leader, who was referred to as a demagogue by one MEP before he gave his speech, added that last Wednesday was a historic day for Britain following the activation of Article 50. An act that that he been cheered by hundreds of millions of people all over the world, he added.

He continued: The response to the triggering of Article 50 has been all too predictable. Already youve made a series of demands that are not just unreasonable but in some cases clearly impossible for Britain to comply with.

Recommended Hammond accuses Tory Eurosceptics of plotting to torpedo Brexit deal

Referring to the so-called divorce bill, he added: You began by telling us we have to pay a bill  a cool 52bn sterling  a figure that has clearly been plucked out of the air, effectively a form of ransom demand. You should be making us an offer we cant refuse to go.

In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations with Britain, French Michel Barnier listens at the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty Images In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, delivers his speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg EPA In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt, President of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), addresses the European Parliament during a debate on Brexit priorities and the upcomming talks on the UK's withdrawal from the EU Reuters In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Michel Barnier, European Chief Negotiator for Brexit reacts during a meeting at the European Parliament in Strasbourg EPA In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Member of the European Parliament and former leader of the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage wears socks with Union Jack flag at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty Images In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Nigel Farage, United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) member and MEP, addresses the European Parliament during a debate on Brexit priorities and the upcoming talks on the UK's withdrawal from the EU Reuters In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations with Britain, French Michel Barnier gestures during speeches at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions The President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker (L) speaks with European commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations with Britain, French Michel Barnier at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt, President of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), addresses the European Parliament during a debate on Brexit priorities and the upcomming talks on the UK's withdrawal from the EU Reuters In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivers a speech during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions The European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France Getty Images

Youve shown yourself with these demands to be vindictive, to be nasty. All I can say is thank goodness were leaving. You're behaving like the mafia - you think we're a hostage. We're free to go!

But the Ukip leader changed his remark to gangster after being chastised by the chair of the European Parliament for comparing the EU to the criminal organisation during the raucous debate.

Mr Farage also told MEPs that if the EU tried to impose tariffs on exports from the UK, Britons could boycott European goods.

"If you wish to have no deal, if you wish to force us to walk away from the table, it is not us that will be hurt," he said.

"Do you know, we don't have to buy German motor cars, we don't have to drink French wine, we don't have to eat Belgian chocolate. There are a lot of other people that will give that to us.

"A return to tariffs will risk the jobs of hundreds of thousands of people living in the European Union and yet what you are saying is you want to put the interests of the European Union above that of your citizens and your companies.

"If you continue with that route, it won't just be the United Kingdom that triggers Article 50. There will be many more to come."
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Chancellor Philip Hammond has said Tory Eurosceptics are plotting to torpedo any chance of a Brexit deal.

He said there would almost definitely be tensions as Theresa May tried to push forward with a plan to secure the best deal possible for the UK as it leaves the EU.

His intervention follows comments from Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis that leaving with no deal would not be a disaster for the UK.

Mr Hammond said while on a trip to India: There are definitely some people on both sides who do not want a deal, they do not want to see Britain continuing to collaborate in what the Prime Minister described in a letter as a deep and special partnership with the European Union.

Predicting with a high degree of confidence there would be tensions along the way, he added: Im clear the objective from the UK side is to reach a deal and what Im hearing from my counterparts in Europe is that is their objective.

Those people who are hoping for no deal, I say we have to disprove their thinking by showing there is clear goodwill on the Europe side to reach a deal.

Mr Johnson, who was meeting Germanys Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel in London, said he was confident of reaching an agreement with the remaining 27 EU member states.

 Philip Hammond: We simply do not recognise the very large numbers bandied about in Brussels

But he said that if there was a failure, it would not be a problem for the UK, which would continue to thrive.

It is possible to do a deal that is win-win. I dont want to be unduly pessimistic. I think we can get a deal, he said.

But if you ask me If we dont get a deal would the UK survive? I think we would more than survive.

 Brexit: Theresa May on trade, security and the single market

Last month, Mr Davis said that leaving without a deal was not as frightening as some people think but not as simple as some people think.

In her Lancaster House speech in January Ms May said that no deal was better than a bad deal for the UK, but when she triggered Article in March she dropped the language from her speech, taking a more emollient tone.

The no deal comment was seen on the continent as a threat to walk away from the negotiating table if the Prime Minister was not given what she wanted.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Theresa May faces calls to be honest with the public about the impact of falling immigration on the UK after admitting freedom of movement will continue after 2020.

Former business minister Pat McFadden said the Prime Ministers admission showed that reality is beginning to bite about Ms Mays plans to force immigration down to the tens of thousands.

It follows the launch of the joint Drop the Target campaign between The Independent and the Open Britain group to persuade the Government to drop its discredited target.

Recommended The Government has questions to answer about its immigration target

Ms May was on a trip to Saudi Arabia when she accepted that curbs on freedom of movement would not come into force straight after Britain has quit the EU.

Labour MP and Open Britain supporter Mr McFadden said: These comments show that reality is beginning to bite.

Ministers know that our economy and public services will continue to need immigration from inside and outside the EU in the future. The pity is that they could not have been more honest with the public about this until now.

Calling for the Government to ditch its target, he added: They know they won't achieve it without doing damage to the economy, and it is time they acknowledged this.

 Theresa May on immigration in conference speech

The promise to cut migration to tens of thousands was made by David Cameron at the 2010 general election and repeated in the 2015 Conservative manifesto.

Although Theresa May described it as an ambition rather than a firm target when she was Home Secretary, she has stuck to it since becoming Prime Minister.

Cutting immigration was key promise of Brexiteers during the referendum campaign, but Ms May has signalled that reductions may take some time to come.

The Government will first have to pass its Immigration Bill which is expected in the Queens Speech.

Speaking on her trip to the Middle East, the Prime Minister said she expects there to be an implementation period after Brexit before new immigration rules are imposed.

She said: If you think about it, once weve got the deal  once weve agreed what the new relationship will be for the future  it will be necessary for there to be a period of time when businesses and governments are adjusting systems and so forth... A period of time during which that deal will be implemented.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A leaked document has exposed how Theresa May sabotaged a Government-wide plan to explain the benefits of immigration to the British public.

The Cabinet Office paper seen by The Independent suggests Ms May used her political clout to prevent the bid to explain the positive impacts immigrants bring the economy and NHS.

Critics now claim the incident reveals how the Prime Minister will be prepared to put political considerations on immigration ahead of the national interest going into Brexit talks.

Ms May has taken a hawkish approach to immigration since making ending free movement the cornerstone of her Brexit plan, to the extent that she has even clashed with pro-Brexit ministers over her hardline stance.

But despite having to admit this week that free movement may continue well past 2020, she still refuses to ditch a promise to lower immigration to the "tens of thousands".

The Cabinet Office document leaked to The Independent reveals that the Home Office, then run by Ms May, refused to back a cross-departmental drive during the EU referendum about the positive impacts that migration can have on the economy as a whole and on individual public services.

The aim was to more effectively counteract the arguments of those advocating Leave.

In the report to Sir Jeremy Heywood, the Cabinet Secretary, one of his officials wrote: Despite attending the initial cross-Whitehall meeting, the Home Office havent really engaged with this work at all - I assume because they do not think the Home Secretary [Ms May] will agree to it.

The document concluded that without a political decision by the Home Secretary, the Government could not go further than its previous statements on the number of skilled EU workers in public services; the fiscal contribution of EU migrants and their broadly neutral impact on public finances and public services.

It was written on 5 May last year, as the Leave camp put immigration at the heart of its referendum campaign and eclipsed Remains warnings about the economic risk of Brexit, dubbed Project Fear. Immigration was widely seen as tipping the balance in favour of Leave.

The leaked report was seized on by MPs involved in Open Britain, the successor to Remain, which is running a Drop the Target campaign with The Independent urging the Government to abandon its goal of reducing net migration to under 100,000 a year.

Chuka Umunna, the Labour MP and former shadow Business Secretary, said: An ideological Prime Minister undermined the referendum campaign by failing to make the case for the value of migration. She helped sabotage Remain by refusing to properly engage with the migration debate.

He added: She is now compounding the cost by putting extreme migration cuts ahead of economic growth and jobs, leaving the single market based on the fantasy that the same benefits can be secured outside of it. Its time to drop the tens of thousands migration target.

Pat McFadden, Labours former shadow Europe Minister, said: This document reveals that even though Number 10 wanted to make a more positive case about the effects of migration, their view was the Home Secretary was so hostile she wouldnt take part. Immigration was a huge issue in the campaign. This could have made a difference.

 Nigel Farage forced to admit that immigration had nothing to do with Westminster terror attack

Norman Lamb, the former Liberal Democrat minister, said: Throughout the referendum, the Remain campaign was fighting with one hand behind its back thanks to the appalling cynicism of Theresa May. By pretending to be in favour of EU membership while refusing even to engage with the debate about migration, she could not have done a better job for Leave if she had been working for them secretly.

But May allies dismissed the claim that she sabotaged the Remain campaign, pointing out that she endorsed it. One said: People who lost the referendum are trying to pin the blame on someone else. They should stop re-fighting the campaign, move on and support the Prime Ministers efforts to regain control of migration, which is what the public voted for.

Her allies insisted that David Cameron and George Osborne, not Ms May, decided not to return the Leave camps fire on immigration. They believed it would dilute their message on the economy and merely draw more attention to immigration.

Recommended People who want to prevent immigration are less happy than others

Mr Cameron rejected pressure from Labour and Liberal Democrat figures in the Remain campaign to make a speech about immigration. Some former Cameron aides now believe it was a mistake not to tackle the issue head-on.

The leaked report will fuel the debate about Ms Mays actions during the referendum. Sir Craig Oliver, who was Mr Camerons director of communications, claimed in a book that the then Home Secretary failed to back Remain on 13 occasions and was described by some in the campaign as an enemy agent and submarine May.

Critics claim Ms Mays position as a reluctant Remainer was designed not to alienate either Remainers or Leavers in order boost her prospects in a future Tory leadership election. She delighted Leavers by saying EU membership made it harder to control the volume of immigration and that she did not believe the sky will fall in after a vote for Brexit.

In 2015, Ms May said the evidence showed that while selective and controlled immigration had benefits, at best the net economic and fiscal effect of high immigration is close to zero. She argued that there was no case, in the national interest, for immigration of the scale we have experienced over the last decade. She added: When immigration is too high, when the pace of change is too fast, it's impossible to build a cohesive society.

Ms May has refused to remove international students from the net migration totals, even though that would give the Government a quick win in cutting the numbers. This has put her at odds with Cabinet colleagues, including Boris Johnson and Liam Fox, who have suggested that students should not be included in the cap.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Theresa May met the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia without wearing a headscarf, in defiance of the kingdoms strict rules on female dress.

The deeply conservative theocracy imposes strict controls on its female citizens, requiring them to wear long, black cloaks known as abayas with a hijab or niqab to cover their heads in public places.

It also heavily restricts womens rights and freedom of movement with laws requiring adult woman to have a male guardian and a ban on women driving.

 Theresa May arrives in Saudi Arabia without a headscarf

The Foreign Office advises women travelling to the country to cover their hair and wear loose fitting clothes. But Ms May followed in the footsteps of Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton when she stepped out bare-headed and in trouser suit to meet Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef.

There had been intense speculation ahead of the visit to strengthen trade links over whether Ms May would conform to the kingdoms strict rules, but she was seen without a headscarf as her plane touched down in Riyadh on Tuesday.

Ms May said she wanted to act as a role model to oppressed women in Saudi Arabia by showing them what women can achieve.

She said: "It's important for me as a woman leader and as leader of the Government of the United Kingdom to maintain the relationships that are important to us as a country, for our security, and our trade for the future.

"But I hope also that people see me as a woman leader, will see what women can achieve and how women can be in significant positions."

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

Following the meeting with Crown Prince Muhammad, Ms May announced sweeping reforms which will revolutionise the Saudi economy with Britains help.

The Saudi royal family is attempting to move the kingdom away from its traditional dependence on oil following a collapse in the price per barrel over the last few years.

It plans to increase the number of women in work as well as boosting access to its culture.

Last month, King Salman bin Abdul-aziz al Saud toured several Asian nations including Japan, Indonesia and China to establish trade links.

The visit, along with the UKs long-standing relationship with Saudi Arabia, has drawn heavy criticism from human rights campaigners.

Activists have condemned Saudi Arabias poor human rights record within the country as well as its military intervention in Yemen  using UK-made arms.

The two-year conflict has so far left 7,600 dead and 42,000 injured - mostly in Saudi-led air strikes - with approximately 70 per cent of the country needing humanitarian aid.
Since 2012, the Chinese government has tightened its grip on civil society, citing national security and stability as main motivations. (Photo : Getty Images)

Feng Chongyi, an academic based in Sydney, has finally returned to Australia after being detained in China for several weeks, the Strait Times reported.



Feng was in mainland China to conduct field interviews for a project on Chinese human rights lawyers. Although he is a permanent resident in Australia, Feng continues to hold a Chinese passport.



Advertisement

If they wanted to scare me they failed miserably, Feng told Reuters in an interview. Im not scared of them. I did not do anything illegal.



During his detention, Feng underwent daily interrogations. The real motivations behind his detention by Chinese authorities remain unclear, although the reputation of academics, lawyers, and activists might have had something to do with it. In China, the government is wary of such professionals, believing they are working with foreign organizations to stir unrest and opposition against the government.



It just so happens that Feng, a renowned expert on China Studies at the University of Technology Study, is working on a project deemed by the Chinese government as a sensitive subject matter.



On Thursday, March 30, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Feng was detained due to national security matters but did not elaborate.



Since 2012, the Chinese government has tightened its grip on civil society, citing national security and stability as main motivations. As a result, hundreds of human rights lawyers and government critics have been detained or questioned, according to the Straits Times.



Feng arrived in China a month ago. He was first detained for questioning in Kunming, Yunnan Province. Finally, on March 31, Feng was barred from boarding his flight to Guangzhou. The day after, Feng was told by state security officers that he has been given leave to depart for Australia.



In terms of rule of law and human rights, its getting worse and worse. Its clear their control of Chinese citizens has become harder and harder, Feng told Reuters.


For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A British journalist who was captured, chained up and tortured by the Sudanese authorities for more than six weeks was able to produce a film about his hellish ordeal by hiding a memory card in his anus.

Phil Cox crossed the border into Sudan along with his colleague Daoud Hari in December 2016 with the aim of reporting on the plight of people in the Darfur region  but was soon abducted by armed militiamen.

During their capture, the pair discovered the Sudanese authorities had tracked their movements and put a capture or kill bounty on their heads for more than 250,000.

As they neared the Jebel Marra mountains, the team were kidnapped by a militia in Darfur and held hostage by guards armed with AK47s. They were chained to a tree in the desert for a week and beaten.

It was at this point that Mr Cox was able to trick his captors into filming themselves on his camera. He then took the memory card and, in order to preserve the footage he had already obtained, wrapped it in a strip of black plastic and hid it inside himself.

The contents of that memory card are to feature in a two-part film by Channel 4 News, which commissioned Mr Cox and Mr Hari to report on the impact of illegal migration through Sudan and investigate allegations of Sudanese government attacks on civilians in Darfur using chemical weapons.

Their ordeal did not end in the desert, however. The militia transferred the pair to the Sudanese Government authorities, who detained them in the notorious Kobar Prison, Khartoum.

Writing in The Guardian on Wednesday, Mr Cox describes how on the flight from El Fasher to Khartoum, men threatened to throw him off the plane.

The plane was taxiing, and I started to shout, to beg for my life, he recounted. My body swayed with the movement of the plane  then I heard the voice of the security chief from the offices in El Fasher. Be a man, he said to me, and laughed.

This was the start of weeks of mistreatment. During his 40-day detention, Mr Cox was beaten, given electric shocks with a cattle prod and once subjected to a mock execution.

After repeated overtures from the US and UK governments, Mr Hari  a Sudanese national granted asylum in the US  was released on 18 January, followed by Mr Cox on 1 February.

At the time, Sudanese officials told reporters that Mr Cox had been pardoned by President Omar al-Bashir. An official told the EFE news agency that Mr Cox had entered the country illegally, and that his intention to investigate Amnesty International claims of chemical weapons use  and thereby his involvement in planned activities harmful to national security has been proved.

Channel 4 News editor Ben de Pear said: We sent Daoud and Phil to investigate allegations of human rights abuses in Sudan, but we never thought that they themselves would fall victim to these horrific abuses.

They were beaten, tortured and electrocuted, simply for being journalists. Their story from within the belly of the Sudanese security state is one of the most frightening we have ever broadcast on Channel 4 News.

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

Maddy Crowther from Waging Peace, a UK-based NGO campaigning for human rights in Sudan, told The Independent: Phil Cox and Daoud Haris harrowing experiences should remind us of the Sudan governments true face.

This incident should call into question the UKs decision to bring Sudan in from the cold, when its officials are capable of engaging in strategic dialogue with UK officials on the one hand, and commissioning the detention, interrogation and torture of one of our citizens on the other.

Im grateful for Cox and Haris bravery in shining a light on the forgotten victims of government repression in Sudan. We need to keep shouting about the individuals still suffering similar abuse in Khartoums prisons and black sites.

Mr Cox said: Daoud and I experienced first-hand the lengths that the Sudanese government will go to stop any independent reporting on what is happening in Darfur.

Our time in prison gave us a terrifying insight into the brutal tactics of the Sudanese security forces, and it also revealed the arbitrary and heavy-handed way any perceived opposition or anti-government criticism is dealt with.

The two-part film Hunted in Sudan will be broadcast on Channel 4 News on 5 and 6 April at 7pm.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Bill OReilly and Fox News have settled five sexual harassment lawsuits since 2004, the New York Times revealed on Saturday. In total the known settlements have amounted to about $13m (10.4m). While Fox News seems to have paid the bulk of them, Mr OReilly says he has resolved all cases he considers his personal responsibility.

Since the allegations have come to light Fox News has faced growing pressure to fire their star host, whose primetime show averages 3.9m viewers every night on The OReilly Factor. At least a dozen companies have pulled adverts from the show so far (Update: the figure is now around 50), including Mercedes, BMW, and Hyundai. Mr OReilly denies all wrongdoing and has released a statement indicating he is a victim of a celebrity witch hunt.

But what are the allegations? Not all details are known due to confidentiality agreements, but he has been accused of:

Making sexual advances that made a female host fall over

Juliet Huddy reached a settlement in September after she made a number of allegations against OReilly. In one instance, Ms Huddy claimed he tried to kiss her in a way that made her fall over as she pulled away, and that he didnt help her up.

Ms Huddy also accused Mr OReilly of inappropriate phone calls, trying to stymie her career once she had rejected him, and threatening her with his lawyers. In a letter obtained by the New York Times, Mr O'Reilly's lawyers say she would face significant credibility concerns if she tries to pursue a claim.

Telling a female employee to buy a vibrator

In 2004 Andrea Mackris sued Mr OReilly for sexual harassment after working as a producer on The OReilly Factor. She settled for about $9m and released a joint-statement with Mr OReilly saying no wrongdoing whatsoever had occurred. But according to court files, Ms Mackris had claimed Mr OReilly made many offensive sexual comments to her during their time as colleagues, including a time when he told her to buy a vibrator.

In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Show all 32 1 /32 In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London An image of President Donald Trump is seen on a placard during the Women's March in London, England Getty In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydney A view of the skywriting word reading 'Trump' as thousands rally in support of equal rights in Sydney, New South Wales EPA In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Rome People shout and hold signs during a rally against US newly sworn-in President Donald Trump in Rome Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London A protester holds a placard during the Women's March in London, England Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Marseille A placard ready 'Pussy grabs back' is attached to the handle bar of a bike during a 'Women's March' organized by Feminist and human rights groups in solidarity with women marching in Washington and around the world for their rights and against the reactionary politics of the newly sworn-in US President Donald Trump, at the Old Port (Vieux Port) of Marseille, southern France Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Bangkok A young Thai girl holds a "women's rights are human rights" sign at Roadhouse BBQ restaurant where many of the Bangkok Womens March participants gathered in Bangkok, Thailand Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Bangkok A Thai woman takes a photo of a "hate is not great" sign at the women's solidarity gathering in Bangkok, Thailand Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Bangkok American expats and travellers gather with the international community in Bangkok at the Roadhouse BBQ restaurant to stand in solidarity in Bangkok, Thailand Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London Protetesters gather outside The US Embassy in Grosvenor Square ahead of the Women's March in London, England Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Marseille Women's March at the Old Port (Vieux Port) of Marseille, southern France Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Marseille Protestors hold placards reading 'My body my choice, my vote my voice' during a 'Women's March' organized by Feminist and human rights groups in solidarity with women marching in Washington and around the world for their rights and against the reactionary politics of the newly sworn-in US President Donald Trump, at the Old Port (Vieux Port) of Marseille, southern France Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Rome A person holds a sign during a rally against US newly sworn-in President Donald Trump in Rome Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Kolkata Activist Sarah Annay Williamson holds a placard and shouts slogan during the Women's March rally in Kolkata, India AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Kolkata Activists participate in the Women's March rally in Kolkata, India AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London A Women's March placards are rested on a bench outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square ahead of the Women's March in London, England Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London A women carries her placard ahead of the Women's March in London, England Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Manila Women protesters shout slogans while displaying placards during a rally in solidarity against the inauguration of President Donald Trump, in suburban Quezon city, northeast of Manila, Philippines AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Berlin Protesters attend a 'Berlin Women's March on Washington' demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Berlin Protesters attend a 'Berlin Women's March on Washington' demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Berlin Protesters attend a 'Berlin Women's March on Washington' demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Melbourne Protesters take part in the Melbourne rally to protest against the Trump Inauguration in Melbourne, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Macau Protesters take part in the Women's March rally in Macau Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Melbourne Womens march on Melbourne protestors marching during a rally where rights groups marched in solidarity with Americans to speak out against misogyny, bigotry and hatred Rex In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Macau Protesters hold placards as they take part at the Women's March rally in Macau Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Macau Protesters hold placards as they take part at the Women's March rally in Macau, Macau. The Women's March originated in Washington DC but soon spread to be a global march calling on all concerned citizens to stand up for equality, diversity and inclusion and for women's rights to be recognised around the world as human rights Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Manila A mother carries her son as they join a rally in solidarity against the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States in suburban Quezon city northeast of Manila, Philippines AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydney An infant is held up at a demonstration against new U.S. President Donald Trump in Sydney, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydney A woman attends a demonstration against new U.S. President Donald Trump in Sydney, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydney A woman expresses her Anti-Trump views in Sydney, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydeney Protesters demonstrate against new U.S. President Donald Trump in Sydney, Australia. The marches in Australia were organised to show solidarity with those marching on Washington DC and around the world in defense of women's rights and human rights Getty In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London Protesters march from The US Embassy in Grosvenor Square towards Trafalgar Square during the Women's March in London, England Getty In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London Protesters carrying banners take part in the Women's March on London, as they stand in Trafalgar Square, in central London Reuters

Phoning women up and seeming to masturbate with a vibrator

Ms. Mackris, who never worked in television news again after the settlement, also claimed in her lawsuit there were times she thought she heard him masturbating while on the phone to her. She said he would describe his sexual fantasies to her, and tried to have unwanted phone sex while using a vibrator on himself.

Promising lucrative jobs opportunities before making sexual advances

Wendy Walsh has recently told the New York Times that Mr OReilly made inappropriate advances after promising to make her a contributor on his show. After she rejected him, Ms Walsh says the verbal offer was withdrawn, and his promise never materialised.

Ms Walsh claims Mr OReilly invited her back to his hotel suite after promising her the role over dinner. She declined but wanting to remain cordial suggested they go to the hotel bar. He accepted her offer but became hostile towards her once they arrived. She continued to appear on the show for four months before a producer told her she was no longer needed.

 Former Fox News pundit Wendy Walsh calls out Bill O'Reilly for sexual misconduct

Threatening against people complaining

In her 2004 lawsuit Ms Mackris said that Mr OReilly threatened her about complaining, and said anyone who did so would pay so dearly that shell wish shed never been born.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Hands folded, then fingers pointing, explaining how he left his home in Somalia and travelled half way around the world. Explaining, with his face partly concealed by a scarf and hat belonging to a friend, how he slipped across the border and placed both feet on Canadian soil.

Muhammad, a 30-year-old from Mogadishu, left Somalia in the summer of 2015. Now, after a twisting journey, he had made it to Canada, one of hundreds of people who walked across the border since the election of Donald Trump and the immigration crackdown he set in place.

That journey was horrible. It was not something I can say is easy, he told The Independent, speaking in an accommodation centre established by migrants rights activists in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Muhammad said he was made to feel like a criminal by the US authorities (Andrew Buncombe ) (Andrew Buncombe)

Its crossing the top of the snow, [its] very cold, nighttime and the weather was cold. It was not an easy journey. We were walking one hour to cross the border to reach the other side in Canada.

The businessman and interpreter is among the scores of migrants who have created an immigration flashpoint at points along the US-Canada border since Mr Trump was elected last November.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said it has arrested 1,134 migrants this year so far, the same as for all of 2016. Officials say the majority are from countries such as Somalia, other African nations, or which have seen war or conflict. More recently, the migrants have come from a longer list of nations, many of them in Latin America.

People in towns such as Emerson have largely looked at the refugees with sympathy. But they say they feel they are caught in a political push and pull, with Mr Trump pushing the migrants out, and Prime Minster Justin Trudeau, welcoming them. A recent survey found 60 per cent of Canadians supported welcoming refugees from Syria but felt there should be more screening.

Muhammad paid $5,000 to a coyote to take him to the US. The journey took six months, with the final leg being a boat journey from the Bahamas to Florida.

He was captured by the authorities almost immediately and detained. He was released on bail as he sought asylum and challenged an order that he be deported.

The people from Somalia want to come to Canada. I would encourage my fellow Somalis not to try it, he said. I was not not expecting people to detain me and treat me like a criminal.

 Emerson, Canada: the new frontline of the refugee crisis in a Trumpian world

He added: Ive never committed a crime. They treated me like a criminal. They treated me badly. They treated me very badly. They shackle you from hands to legs.

Rita Chahal runs the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council in Winnipeg, which provided the emergency shelter for Muhammad and dozens of others.

Since the recent increase in the number of migrants, Ms Chahal has been subjected to racist abuse on social media. The council has had to employ security guards around the clock. It does not publicise the location of its accommodation centre.

She said she encouraged the media that visited the centre to focus not simply the numbers of people coming to Canada, but on the individuals themselves and the circumstances that have driven them to take such drastic steps.

She said the recent influx of migrants had coincided with with the election of Mr Trump. You have to have the human faces here.

Muhammad, speaking in imperfect English, said he made his crossing on a freezing night after he learned that on January 22 2017, officials operating according to Mr Trumps new immigration crackdown, deported 100 Somalis.

Muhammad crossed the border after 100 Somalis were deported by the Trump administration (Andrew Buncombe ) (Andrew Buncombe)

It made me feel very bad. That is why I was scared to stay in the United States. I was released on supervision, he said. I cant feel secure. Anytime they could catch me and deport me to Somalia. That is why I came to Canada and looked for protection.

The young man said that he had travelled by car to North Dakota, passing through the town of Grand Forks, before being dropped near the border, the vast majority of which is unfenced. He crossed as part of a ten-strong group on the night of March 19, a Sunday.

We walked through the snow. Almost one hour, then the police catch us in the snow. We were almost dying. We were frozen. We cant feel our hands. You cant feel it. You dont feel it. There were about ten people," he said.

We have some coats. But we fall in the water. Our clothes became wet. We became frozen so it was not easy, that journey.

He said that when they arrived in the border town of Emerson, people treated them very nicely, testimony to the efforts of the 650 residents of the border town to do what they can.

People in Emerson say they have tried to help those entering Canada (AP)

The members of the volunteer fire department have set off in blizzards and storm to reach those lost in the snow - among them a group sheltering in a barn, which included a pregnant mother and a 16-month old child.

Muhammad said he thought Mr Trump had little idea of the realities of life in Somalia. He said his own family had been threatened and attacked by the extremist group Al-Shabaab because his late father had once worked for the government. His mother had been injured in one incident.

During his campaign time, Trump hates Muslims. He said Somalia is one of the countries he does not like. He is a racist president, he said.

He talked about pirates, I cant remember what he said, they had kidnapped an American boat."

emerson-cross6.jpg, by Andrew Buncombe (Andrew Buncombe)

He added: So he thinks that. But this is not everyone. Its one or two people. Why does he think Somalia is like this. Its not like this.

Muhammad, and hundreds of others who had crossed the border, seek to take benefit from an agreement between the US and Canada under which any migrant approaching an official Canadian border crossing is turned back if they have already made a refugee claim in America.

However, if someone is able to set a foot on Canadian soil, they are allowed to stay and make a separate asylum claim. With the help of Ms Chahals group, Muhammad has already done so.

Now he has hopes for the future, an education, a Masters degree and a job, and the sponsorship of his wife and young child, who are still in Somalia.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, he has only good things to say about the people he has met in Canada.

Now I feel free. I feel nice, he said. They treat me like a good human. They have a good heart. They treat us nicely.

* Video production by Tom Goulding and Charlie Atkin
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

As a candidate, Lenin Moreno ran as a sunny, conciliatory figure, a leader who would preserve President Rafael Correas left-wing policies without his pugilistic, domineering style.

Morenos nice-guy skills will now be put to the test.

Moreno squeaked to a win in the presidential election on Sunday, an outcome that triggered street protests amid cries of fraud from his opponent, Guillermo Lasso. Although election authorities have not officially declared Moreno the winner, his 51 per cent to 49 per cent advantage  with more than 99 per cent of the ballots counted  looked insuperable.

Moreno will need to mend ties not just with the opposition but with the United States, Ecuador's top trading partner, with whom relations were often strained during the decade that Correa was in power. Correa kicked out the US ambassador in 2011, gave political asylum in his country's London embassy to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2012, and reliably sided with the leftist bloc of Latin American nations that view the US as an imperialistic bully.

Moreno, 64, will need to accomplish all this healing at a time of heightening political tensions in South America and a showdown over the erosion of democracy in leftist ally Venezuela.

Analysts say Moreno may not have the luxury of taking a more moderate path if Lasso's rejection of the election results leads to a prolonged standoff that requires the new President to shore up support from Correa's more radical base and regional allies like Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

But Moreno, who lost the use of his legs when he was shot by carjackers in 1998, is the stylistic opposite of alpha-dog Correa, who relished political combat. On the campaign trail, Moreno seemed to use his wheelchair to close the distance that usually exists between politicians and ordinary people. He met them below eye level, instead of towering over them, and invited children on to his lap. At rallies he cracked jokes and crooned ballads.

In his victory speeches, he has promised to extend a hand to his rivals and seek compromise.

Moreno is less rigid and ideological than Correa, but whether or not he can be conciliatory will also depend on the stance of the opposition, said Sebastian Hurtado, a Quito-based political analyst. If the opposition turns more radical, the government could also dig in and turn more radical as well.

Lasso, 61, a conservative former banker, immediately declared victory after polls closed on Sunday, citing three exit surveys showing him winning. Deep stores of resentment at the Correa government seemed to spill out at the mere sight of those unofficial results, as many middle-class Quito residents zoomed through the streets in cars, honking and waving flags.

Those emotions quickly turned to anger when the official count showed Moreno with a slight lead. Lasso called on his supporters to reject the results and resist what he said was a naked attempt to steal the election.

His campaign began posting photographs to Lasso's Twitter account on Monday that it said bore evidence of manipulated vote-tally sheets. International observers from the Organisation of American States and other groups had yet to make a pronouncement about the integrity of the vote.

We will exhaust all our political and legal channels, here in Ecuador and abroad, to make them respect the will of the people who called for CHANGE, Lasso wrote on Monday.

But with the Correa government in full control of state institutions and backed by a majority in Ecuador's congress, it was unlikely Lasso's challenge could change the results, Hurtado said.

The opposition will question the results and insist there was fraud, but I don't think it will destabilize the country, he said. The government will work to quickly impose its will.

Ecuador is deeply divided politically, and its presidential contest became a proxy fight between struggling left-wing governments in the region, led by Venezuela, and more-conservative forces that have won recent elections in Argentina, Peru and elsewhere.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Venezuela's Maduro effusively praised Moreno in a flurry of tweets, congratulating him for a heroic victory.

Analysts say Lasso's defeat saves Maduro from seeing another close ally turn against his government at a time when countries in the region have condemned Venezuela's slide toward authoritarian rule.

That effort likely would have intensified had Lasso won, given comments he made on the campaign trail, said Eric Farnsworth, a former US diplomat who is the vice president of the Council of the Americas, a business group.

Despite a desire to improve relations with the United States, particularly as a means to draw investment, there is little likelihood that a Moreno government would break publicly with Caracas, Farnsworth added, particularly given the active and vocal support that Moreno has received from outgoing president Correa.

 Washington Post
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Ivanka Trump has been mocked by Merriam-Webster dictionary for appearing to not know what the word complicit means.

President Donald Trumps daughter, who is said to be his favourite, was impersonated by Scarlett Johansson in a Saturday Night Live sketch cuttingly titled complicit last month. The faux perfume advert which quickly went viral suggested the first daughter was complicit in the actions of the Trump administration.

Ms Trump has now been pressed about accusations of complicity and suggestions she has been involved in morally questionable activities.

I don't know what it means to be complicit, she told CBS on Tuesday in her first interview since taking up an official role in the White House. But you know, I hope time will prove that I have done a good job and much more importantly that my fathers administration is the success that I know it will be.

Merriam-Webster, a prestigious dictionary founded in the mid-1800s, has weighed in on Ms Trumps apparent inability to define complicit.

"'Complicit' is trending after Ivanka Trump told CBS 'I dont know what it means to be complicit,'" Merriam-Webster said on Twitter. The dictionary also included a link to the definition of the word which is defined as "helping to commit a crime or do wrong in some way."

If being complicit ... is wanting to be a force for good and to make a positive impact, then I'm complicit," Ms Trump also used the interview to say.

I don't know that the critics who may say that of me, if they found themselves in this very unique and unprecedented situation that I am now in, would do any differently than I am doing,. So I hope to make a positive impact.

In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home Show all 13 1 /13 In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The front of the house Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The lobby Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The house exterior Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The patio Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The bedroom Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The living room Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The living area Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The Living Room Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The kitchen Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The living room Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The bathroom Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The living room Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The hall Zillow

The dictionary was not the only party to offer Ms Trump, a former executive of the Trump Organisation, a definition of the word. Complicit... that, that's the new fragrance from Chanel right? quipped another.

This is by means the first time Merriam-Webster has subtly mocked the Trump administration. After reports emerged the first daughter, who has been accused of failing to stand up to her father, would be joining the administration as an official government employee last week, Merriam-Webster tweeted: Nepotism is our #15 lookup right now.

Whats more, while evidence built of Mr Trumps alleged ties to Russia, Merriam-Webster provided a definition of dossier and pronounced that disinformation comes from the Russian dezinformatsiya.

The dictionary also gently reminded Kellyanne Conway, a senior Trump advisor, of the definition of feminism in February.

After Ms Conway, the first woman to run a successful US presidential campaign, said she does not consider herself a feminist in a classic sense because the term is associated with being anti-male and pro-abortion, the dictionary intervened. They said Feminism is defined as the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities".

Just some other examples of their contributions include their polite tip that Mr Trumps preferred word big league is rarely used as an adverb and their assertion that ombre is not the same as hombre.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A suspect in the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl that was streamed live on Facebook was turned in to a police station by his mother.

The teenage girl, from Chicago, was allegedly assaulted by five or six males as around 40 people watched on the video streaming service without reporting the attack.

During the initial hearing for the 15-year-old, one of two boys charged in the case, Assistant State's Attorney Maha Gardner said the 14-year-old charged in the attack told the victim she could "have sex the easy way or the hard way."

The 15-year-old boy was taken into custody "accompanied by a parent", The Chicago Tribune reported.

Both suspects are charged with aggravated sexual assault and manufacturing and dissemination of child pornography.

"Both videotaped these egregious actions," Ms Gardner said. "They didn't stop there. They put them up on Facebook for the world to see."

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

Ms Gardner said the 15-year-old was with another boy when they encountered the 15-year-old girl in a neighbourhood park on 19 March and lured her to a basement in the West Side neighborhood of Lawndale, where authorities say she was assaulted.

Both boys knew the girl, the prosecutor said.

The boys threatened to have a pit bull attack the girl if she tried to get away, Ms Gardner said, and added the girl was slapped several times during the attack.

Assistant public defender Liliana Dago said prosecutors hadn't proven probable cause for the 15-year-old, particularly on the child pornography charge. She also said most of the sex acts were carried out by the 14-year-old.

The judge said the 15-year-old bore responsibility for the assault as well.

"The very nature that he's in the video ... one can assume he was manufacturing child pornography," Judge Patricia Mendoza said.

Police said they expect other juveniles and an adult to be charged in the case.

The girl's mother later told The Associated Press the girl and her family were being taunted online and ridiculed and harassed by children in their neighbourhood and police said they are investigating the online comments.

Police have moved the girl, whom they describe as "traumatised," to a home outside the neighbourhood.

Additional reporting by Associated Press
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A missile fired by North Korea into the Sea of Japan span out of control and the test ended in a fiery crash, a senior US defence official has said.

The muted response to Pyongyangs latest missile test from US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson raised eyebrows on Wednesday, as other countries in the region issued strong condemnations.

The test came a day before Chinese President Xi Jinpings visit to the US for a meeting with President Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

But Mr Tillerson's brief statement on the matter read simply: North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment.

South Koreas Foreign Ministry called the latest missile launch a reckless provocation and Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the country lodged a strong protest over the issue.

Ahead of Mr Xi's visit, the US has been pushing for China to be more assertive in its efforts to pressure North Korea into stopping its nuclear programme and missile testing, and Mr Trump warned that if China is not going to solve North Korea, we will.

The Florida summit is expected to touch upon the subject of the nuclear threat from the country.

The unnamed senior US defence official told the Associated Press the extended-range Scud missile suffered an in-flight failure and fell into the sea off North Korea's east coast, according to US imagery and assessments.

Initial reports suggested an advanced KN-15 medium-range missile was used, the first known test of which by North Korea was in February. But unlike the KN-15, which uses solid fuel, the missile fired on Wednesday used liquid fuel and was fired from a fixed location, rather than a mobile launcher, the official said.

The South Korean military said the missile was fired from land near the east coast city of Sinpo and flew only about 60 km (40 miles).

The launch of objects using ballistic missile technology is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

Given Mr Trump's previously strong words, some were left confused by the State Departments response that the US has spoken enough about the issue.

Some people have been criticising the statement's brevity, calling it "generic and non-responsive".

The missile launch also follows annual military drills between the US and South Korea, which North Korea sees as a rehearsal for a potential invasion of their territory.

Earlier in March North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew approximately 1,000km (620 miles), and three of them landed in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive military zone.

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something to coincide with the Trump-Xi summit, perhaps conduct a nuclear test. The missile launch may be a precursor, with more to come as the summit starts Thursday, he said.

I've joked before that they don't mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored, Cossa said.

Recent satellite imagery shows possible preparations for a test at North Korea's main nuclear test site, including the laying of communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data.

Analysts say North Korea might also time nuclear and long-range rocket tests to the 15 April birthday of North Korea founder Kim Il-sung, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Former Obama national security adviser Susan E. Rice said Tuesday that she absolutely never sought to uncover for political purposes the names of Trump campaign or transition officials concealed in intelligence intercepts, and she called suggestions that she leaked those identities completely false.

I leaked nothing, to nobody, and never have and never would, Rice said in response to the latest charges and countercharges flowing from politically charged investigations into Russian interference in the presidential election.

Since they first surfaced over the weekend, the Rice reports have quickly overtaken the steady drumbeat of revelations about connections to Moscow that have dogged President Trump for months. On Tuesday, the subject dominated cable news and flooded Twitter.

RICE ORDERED SPY DOCS ON TRUMP? the President retweeted, with a link to the Daily Caller and a Drudge Report headlined Boiled Rice.

A number of Republican lawmakers said that Rice should be called to testify before congressional inquiries into what US intelligence has said were Russian efforts not only to roil the presidential race, but also to tip the scales in Trumps favour.

If the reports are right, then she will be of interest to us, said Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which, along with its House counterpart and the FBI, is investigating the matter.

When it comes to Susan E. Rice, you need to verify, not trust, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-SC) said in an interview with Fox News. I think every American should know whether or not the national security adviser to President Obama was involved in unmasking Trump transition figures for political purposes.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), called Rice the Typhoid Mary of the Obama administration.

Beyond Trumps tweets, however, the White House was uncharacteristically restrained on the subject, as its media and Capitol Hill allies expressed outrage on its behalf. Its not for me to decide who should testify or how they should do it, press secretary Sean Spicer said.

Rep. Adam B. Schiff (California), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called the attention focused on Rice a diversionary tactic. He has also called on the Intelligence Committees chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes (R), a Trump transition official and fellow Californian, to recuse himself from the investigation. The White House, Schiff said, has a strong desire... that we lose our focus, that we not pursue the investigation of Russia, particularly as it might impact the Trump campaign.

At the same time, Schiff told CNN, Rice has long been a target of what he called the Breitbart crowd . . . the hard right since the September 2012 attacks on a US diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya. Four US officials were killed in an extremist attack that Rice initially described as an anti-American protest that evolved into violence.

White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon is the former chairman of Breitbart News, which he has described as the platform for the alt-right, an anti-globalist movement that seeks a whites-only state.

Asked Tuesday whether she was willing to testify, Rice told MSNBC, Lets see what comes. Investigations on Russian involvement in our electoral process are very important, theyre very serious, and every American ought to have an interest in those investigations going wherever the evidence indicates they should, she said.

I have an interest as an American citizen, as a former official, Rice said. I would want to be helpful in that process if I could.

The focus on Rice comes as lawmakers are trying to iron out why Nunes went to the White House two weeks ago to view documents that he later said suggested that the names of Trump transition team members had been improperly unmasked. Top officials can ask intelligence agencies to reveal the names to them for national security or other reasons.

The term refers to revealing a name that has been blacked out in an intelligence surveillance report. The law does not permit surveillance of US people without a warrant; if one shows up in authorised surveillance of a foreign person, it is masked.

News media reports on contacts between Russia and Trump associates, including in The Washington Post, have included names said to have appeared in intelligence reports  either persons named in conversations between foreigners, or conversations directly between foreigners and US persons.

Most prominent among them is former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, whose December phone conversations with Russias ambassador in Washington included references to US sanctions imposed under President Barack Obama. After a Post report on the conversations, Trump ousted Flynn for mischaracterising them to Vice President Pence.

Trump later charged that he, himself, had been surveilled under orders from Obama, who allegedly was seeking to undermine him. The administration has said repeatedly that attention should be focused on who unmasked and leaked, rather than on the information revealed.

After Nuness statement about the unmasking, The Post reported last week that at least three White House officials were involved in handling the files shown to him. On Monday, a report by Bloomberg View suggested that those officials began examining the files after discovering that Rice, while working as Obamas national security adviser, had requested the names be unmasked.

The Daily Caller followed with a report, sourced to former US attorney Joe DiGenova and other official sources, that said that Rice ordered US spy agencies to produce detailed spreadsheets of phone calls involving Trump and his aides.

The White House immediately drew attention to a PBS interview in which Rice, on the same day as Nuness statement about the documents, said, I know nothing about this.

Speaking Tuesday to MSNBC, Rice said that she, like other top officials in all administrations, sometimes asked for names of US persons that had been blacked out in intelligence reports  on every topic under the sun when it seemed relevant  when necessary to protect the American people and do our jobs.

Let me give you an example  completely made up, she said. Lets say there was a conversation between two foreigners about a conversation they were having about an American who was proposing to sell to them high-tech bomb-making equipment.

Now, if that came to me as the national security adviser, it would matter enormously  is that some kook sitting in his living room communicating via the Internet to sell something he doesnt have, or is this a serious person or company or entity with the ability to provide this technology perhaps to an adversary? That would be an example of how it is necessary knowing who that person was to assess that information.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

I cant say that the pace of unmasking requests rose during the Trump transition, Rice said. But, she said, the pace of intelligence reports on Russian interference efforts increased beginning in late summer. Intelligence officials went back to rescrub the reports after Obama requested a compilation of them, which was delivered in January, she said.

There was no spreadsheet, nothing of the sort, Rice said.

The allegation is that somehow Obama administration officials utilised intelligence for political purposes, she said. Absolutely false.

The Washington Post
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

China is now more popular among Americans than their own president, according to the latest polling.

Despite being cast as a bete noire coming to take American jobs during Donald Trumps election campaign, the number of people who have a favourable impression of Beijing has risen seven per cent over the past year.

A Pew Research Centre survey of 1,505 respondents between 16 February and 15 March found 44 per cent of people now had a favourable view of China compared to 37 per cent this time last year.

Meanwhile, Mr Trumps approval ratings have crashed to the lowest they have ever been for any president at this point in their first term.

His approval ratings have dipped below 40 per cent after just over two months in the Oval Office  with one poll putting it as low as 34 per cent.

The former reality stars presidency has been marred by controversy after controversy, including the fallout from the Muslim ban which has been the subject of repeated court bans and the ongoing investigation by the House Intelligence Committee into whether Trump officials colluded with Russian agents during the election campaign.

Mr Trumps first National Security Adviser, General Michael Flynn, was forced to resign only three weeks into the job after he failed to disclose his meetings with Russian officials during the campaign.

The new Attorney General Jeff Sessions was similarly forced to recuse himself from the Russian investigation after it emerged he had met with Russian officials and failed to tell the House during his confirmation hearing.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The turbulence surrounding the New York property tycoon has been exacerbated by Mr Trumps late night tweeting, where he has made claims about Barack Obama wiretapping his home and suggested Germany owes America money for Nato.

Much of the US softening attitude towards China appear to come as fears about trade decrease.

While Mr Trump is promising to Make America Great Again by pursuing protectionist policies, the number of US citizens concerned about their trade deficit with China  which was $310bn (245bn) last year  fell to 44 per cent, from 61 per cent five years ago.

The Pew report suggested peoples shifting view of China might be to do with their increasingly confidence in the US economy. The number of people saying the US economic situation was 'very or somewhat good' has jumped from 44 per cent to 58 per cent.

However, despite the increasingly positive view of China as a whole, Mr Trump is still viewed more favourably than the east Asian country's President, Xi Jinping.

Just 31 per cent of Americans trust Mr Xi, who has ruled China since 2012, to do the right thing when it comes to world affairs.

Mr Trump and Mr Xi are due to meet in Washington DC on Thursday where the American leader has insisted he will press the issue of North Koreas nuclear testing.

China is seen as the only country which is able to rein in Pyongyang but has traditionally proved reluctant to do so, though it did suspend coal imports from the country in February, cutting a major economic lifeline for the secretive kingdom.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Donald Trump said a former Obama administration official may have committed a crime, calling it "one of the big stories of our time", in an interview with the New York Times.

It is unclear what crime he believes Susan Rice, the former National Security Adviser, committed or what evidence, if any, Mr Trump has to back his claim.

It was revealed recently that Ms Rice, during her time as government official, requested names in intelligence documents detailing communications of the Trump transition team to be "unmasked", as she called it on MSNBC. These names are usually redacted or even given vague descriptors like 'Male 1'.

Recommended Former Obama adviser denies claims she leaked names of Trump aides

The Trump associates mentioned in the intelligence documents were not under surveillance themselves, but had been recorded while speaking with foreigners who were under surveillance by the US.

As US citizens, surveillance and spying on them is restricted but the foreigners were being observed under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and the Americans speaking to them were caught under what is known as "incidental collection".

What Ms Rice did in asking for names of US citizens on the Trump transition team to be "unmasked" is different than actively spying on these individuals.

"Imagine if we saw something of grave significance about Russia, or China, or anybody else interfering with our political process, she said to explain the unmasking.

Ms Rice has denied any wrongdoing, saying in an interview with MSNBC: "The allegations that somehow Obama administration officials utilised intelligence for political purposes are absolutely false."

Susan Hennessey, a former attorney for the National Security Agency and a fellow at the think tank Brookings Institution, tweeted: What we're seeing here is US officials doing jobs to respond to what had markers of a counterintelligence threat: the Trump campaign.

Mr Trump also previously accused former President Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower in New York during the 2016 campaign. It is unclear whether Mr Trump believes Ms Rice had anything to do with that accusation.

FBI Director James Comey testified before Congress that his agency had no evidence to support Mr Trump's accusation either.

Ms Rice was not asking for campaign team members' names to be "unmasked", but members of the transition team - the interim staff which assisted Mr Trump before he took office in January.

Several national security and intelligence experts have weighed in and, across the political spectrum, almost unanimously agree that Ms Rice did not commit a crime.

As Nada Bakos, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and former CIA analyst, tweeted that Ms Rice was a National Security Advisor "reading a report of foreign officials discussing US persons coming into [the White House]. This isn't odd or wrong.

Leaking any information Ms Rice learned from the documents would likely be considered a crime, however no public evidence is available to suggest she did that.

I leaked nothing to nobody, and never have and never would, Ms Rice said.
South Koreas Lotte Will Continue Doing Business in China Despite THAAD Dispute

South Koreas Lotte Mart (Photo : Getty Images)

On Monday, an executive of South Korea's Lotte Group said that the company will continue doing business in China. Rumors have spread that the group intends to decrease its investments in China due to the THAAD dispute.



Dozens of Lotte retail stores have been closed by Chinese authorities last month. The shutdown has caused an increased pressure on the company. South Korea's fifth-largest family-run conglomerate had previously offered land for the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system outside Seoul.



Advertisement

According to South Korea and the U.S., the THAAD missile system is intended to hinder the missile threats of North Korea. However, Beijing raised the concern of the systems radar reaching China.



As a response to the THAAD deployment, Chinese state media have appealed for its citizens to boycott Lotte businesses.



"Currently we plan to continue to invest in our China business and continue to strengthen the business," said Lotte executive Hwang Kag-gyu.



Hwang is the top leader of Lotte Corporate Innovation Office. He is deemed as the second to highest executive, following Chairman Shin Dong-bin.



"It's been 20 years since Lotte entered the China market . . . we believe the China business is still in an investment period," Hwang said.



The rumors that the group is scaling back its businesses in China after the shutdown and the boycott have been spread by South Korean media, including wire service Yonhap.



According to a Lotte Mart spokesman, 75 out of the 99 Lotte hypermarkets in China had been shut down by Chinese authorities as of April 2.



Lotte was trying to resolve the issues concerning the hypermarkets that were brought up by Chinese officials at the back of the THAAD deployment, Hwang said.



China is Lottes largest market abroad gaining more than $2.70 billion annual revenue in 2015. The country is also among the companys four strategic markets along with Vietnam, Russia and Indonesia. Lotte has been concentrating on these markets as its retail business in South Korea has declined.



The planned $4.5 billion initial public offering of Hotel Lotte, which was postponed last year, would rely on the recovery of its major duty-free business from the THAAD effect, said Hwang.



"We do not know 100 percent what their [Chinese authorities'] intentions are, so concerning future developments, all we can do is watch," he said.



South Koreas Lotte Group is working to resolve the effects of THAAD dispute so it can keep on doing business in China.


Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Donald Trump has given an ominous warning about future US foreign policy in Syria, responding to questions about his plans for the war-torn country by saying simply: "You'll see."

His comments came during a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah in the Oval Office.

The US President, referring to a suspected chemical attack, said: These are very troubled times in the Middle East. And we see what happened just yesterday in Syria. Horrible, horrible things, unspeakable.

Asked whether he was formulating a new policy towards Syria, Mr Trump told reporters: "You'll see."

It comes as the US envoy to the UN said America could be "compelled to take its own action" in Syria if the world body fails to act.

"When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley told a Security Council meeting on Syria.

Holding up photos of victims of the alleged attack, she accused Russia of blocking action.

She said Moscow had closed its eyes to the "barbarity" of previous chemical attacks by vetoing a resolution in late February that would have imposed sanctions on those responsible.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, South Korea's military has said, ahead of a summit between Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart in Florida.

The missile was launched from the city of Sinpo  the site of a submarine base - and flew for 40 miles before plunging into the sea.

It comes a day before the start of a meeting between the US President and China's President Xi Jinping in Mar-a-Lago.

The summit is expected to include talks on the nuclear threat from the North.

North Korea attempted to launch a ballistic missile two weeks ago from its east coast and earlier in March fired four missiles towards Japan, some of which came as close as 190 miles from its coast.

Any launch of objects using the ballistic missile technology is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

The reclusive state has also conducted two nuclear weapons tests since January 2016.

 US defence secretary Jim Mattis condemns 'reckless' North Korea

The US military's Pacific Command said the launch was likely to be of a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile.

The North is believed to be developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can hit the United States and its leader, Kim Jong Un, has vowed to test-launch one at any time.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the North's missile launch was "extremely problematic" and Tokyo has lodged a strong protest against its nuclear-armed neighbour.

South Korea's presidential Blue House called a National Security Council meeting to review the situation.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Malaysian parliament has passed a new law on child sex crimes, but voted not to amend the Sexual Offences against Children bill to include a ban on child marriages.

The amendment to the bill had been proposed by Kulai-Democratic Action Party (DAP) member Teo Nie Ching.

The law criminalises grooming  touching and befriending children as a prelude to abuse. The maximum penalty for possessing, making or distributing child pornography is 30 years in jail and six strokes of the whip, and a special court will be set up to deal with child abuse cases more quickly.

Shabudin Yahaya, a member of the Barisan Nasional coalition said that girls as young as nine are physically and spiritually ready for marriage.

Mr Yahaya said They reach puberty at the age of nine or 12. And at that time, their body is already akin to them being 18 years old. So physically and spiritually, it is not a barrier for the girl to marry.

He also said there was nothing wrong with rape victims marrying their rapist as they would not face a bleak future.

In a Facebook post on the subject, Malaysian minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan condemned Mr Yahayas comments.

He wrote: I just came across an article about the comments of Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Shabudin Yahya in Parliament in respect of underage marriages and marriages between victims and rapists with utter shock and disappointment.

He continued by stating that in accordance with Malaysian Penal Code Section 375 (g) it is considered statutory rape for a man to have sex with a girl under 16 years of age  with or without her consent.

Civil law sets the minimum age of marriage at 18, but those above 16 can be married with the permission of their state's chief minister.

Several opposition MPs are calling for Mr Yahaya to resign.

In light of the mounting criticism, he attempted to clarify matters and claimed that his comments were taken out of context, and said that marriage was not a back door exit to legalise rape.

Under Sharia law, Islamic courts can grant permission of marriage to Muslims under the age of 16.

Additional reporting by agencies.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A rhinoceros has been captured on camera charging animal conservationists riding elephants moments after it was released back in to the wild.

The rare one-horned rhino was also seen attacking the vehicle that had transported it, forcing forestry workers to seek safety on trees and a wooden platform.

The giant mammal was released into Nepal's Chitwan National Park as part of an effort to boost the animals' numbers, after poachers devastated the population in the early 20th Century.

(Getty Images)

Although conservation efforts have increased numbers, there are still thought to be fewer than 4,000 across India and Nepal.

The forestry team hopes to release four female rhinos this week to join the male in Chitwan, in the far west of the country, in the hope of sparking a new breeding group, according to the Daily Mail.

Ram Chandra Kandel, Chitwan park chief, said: He is one of the dominant males in this area.

A relocated rhino charges a Nepalese forestry team (Getty Images)

There are thought to be fewer than 30,000 rhinos of all species combined left in the wild around the world. Poachers hunt the herbivore for its horn, which is used in some East Asian cultures for traditional medicinal purposes.

In pictures: Angry rhino charges conservationists in Nepal Show all 6 1 /6 In pictures: Angry rhino charges conservationists in Nepal In pictures: Angry rhino charges conservationists in Nepal A relocated rhino charges a Nepalese forestry team on elephants Getty Images In pictures: Angry rhino charges conservationists in Nepal Forestry workers seek safety on top of the transportation vehicle Getty Images In pictures: Angry rhino charges conservationists in Nepal The rhino sends elephants scrambling to move out of the way Getty Images In pictures: Angry rhino charges conservationists in Nepal The rhino attacks the vehicle that brought it to Chitwan Getty Images In pictures: Angry rhino charges conservationists in Nepal Forestry workers can be seen seeking safety in trees and on a wooden shelter Getty Images In pictures: Angry rhino charges conservationists in Nepal The male rhino makes a dash for forestry workers riding elephants Getty Images

In March, poachers broke into a zoo near Paris, fatally shooting a rhino three times in the head before cutting off its horn with a chainsaw.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Germanys president has condemned British politicians who back Brexit, saying they are irresponsible, bitter and will be unable to deliver their promise to take back control.

In a provocative speech delivered at the European Parliament, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Britain would not be able to make its voice heard once it leaves the EU.

It is wrong to say, in my conviction, that in this world a single European country standing alone and without the EU can make its voice heard or assert its economic interests, he said. Quite to the contrary.

Recommended Theresa May admits defeat on crucial Brexit policy

If we, as Europe, dont become fully fledged partners on the world stage we will all individually become the plaything of other powers and I suspect that is what Michael Heseltine, a Briton of all people, was thinking when he recently said in an interview that Brexit was the biggest loss of sovereignty he can recollect, and he may be right.

Lord Heseltine, a Conservative peer, held several cabinet posts under Margaret Thatcher and was sacked as a government adviser last month after voting against the Government on Brexit.

Mr Steinmeier also criticised Eurosceptics claim that leaving the EU will allow Britain to take back control.

Populists paint the world black and white and turn fears into political capital, he said. Take back control is a strong slogan that we hear everywhere. Nationalists are unable to deliver it and if it can be delivered at all, it is something we can only do together.

Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned  forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA  because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty

It is irresponsible to lead people to believe that, in a world that is becoming more complex, the answers are becoming more simple.

People who wanted Britain to leave the EU were bitter, he added.

Mr Steinmeier, a former German foreign secretary, was speaking hours after another senior European official had warned that UK ministers had not fully grasped the consequences of Brexit.

Some of the politicians in London have not understood what leaving the European Union means said Manfred Weber, who leads the largest group in the European Parliament. It means being alone.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Social networks that fail to remove defamatory fake news, hate speech and other illegal content will be fined up to 50m (43m) under new plans agreed by the German government.

Angela Merkels cabinet voted on the measures amid concerns over free speech, with campaigners, technology firms and journalists raising fears that tightened regulations could restrict expression.

Heiko Maas, the German justice minister, vowed to push for similar rules Europe-wide, adding: There should be just as little tolerance for criminal incitement on social networks as on the street.

 Trump calls leak "fake news" and "something that Nazi Germany would have done"

We owe it to the victims of hate crime to manage this better.

The bill strengthens Germanys existing laws covering hate speech, slander, defamation, threats and incitement, adding to prison sentences already enforceable for Holocaust denial or inciting hatred against minorities.

The issue has taken on increasing urgency ahead of the countrys federal elections in September, with concerns the proliferation of fake news and racist content online could affect the outcome.

Fears over terror attacks claimed by Isis have been a point of contention, as has the reaction to the arrival of more than 1 million refugees in Germany over the past two years.

Facebook won a court case last month after a Syrian refugee falsely accused of being a terrorist and attempted murderer in a series of xenophobic posts attempted to sue the social networking giant for damages.

Anas Modamani, whose chance selfie with Ms Merkel is one of a series of images seized upon by far-right groups, argued that failure to remove the posts put him at risk.

His lawyer pointed out that Facebooks community standards violations did not include libel, which is a criminal offence in Germany, the UK and elsewhere.

A photo of Anas Modamani taking a selfie with Angela Merkel went viral after it was used by news organisations around the world (Getty) (Getty Images)

The new law would give social networks 24 hours to delete or block criminal content and seven days to deal with less clear-cut cases, with an obligation to report back to the person who filed the complaint about how it was handled.

Failure to comply could see a company fined up to 50m (43m), with its chief representative in Germany handed an additional penalty of 5m (4.3m).

The Digital Society Association was among the groups opposing the move, with its head Volker Tripp saying: It is the wrong approach to make social networks into a content police.

Bitkom, an association that represents digital companies, said the government should build up specialist teams to monitor online content for potential infringements, rather than expect social networks to do it themselves.

Given the short deadlines and the severe penalties, providers will be forced to delete doubtful statements as a precaution, said Bitkom manager Bernhard Rohleder.

That would have a serious impact on free speech on the internet.

Since it was unveiled last month, the draft law has been amended to include new categories of content, such as child pornography and now allows courts to order social networks to reveal the identity of the user behind criminal posts.

To address concerns over free speech, the legislation was tweaked to make clear that a fine would not necessarily be imposed after just one infraction, and still needs to be approved by the Bundestag.

Refugees settle in Germany Show all 12 1 /12 Refugees settle in Germany Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, plays with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, in the one room they and Mohamed's wife Laloosh call home at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany A refugee child Amnat Musayeva points to a star with her photo and name that decorates the door to her classroom as teacher Martina Fischer looks on at the local kindergarten Amnat and her siblings attend on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The children live with their family at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian asylum-applicant Mohamed Ali Hussein (R), 19, and fellow applicant Autur, from Latvia, load benches onto a truckbed while performing community service, for which they receive a small allowance, in Wilhelmsaue village on October 9, 2015 near Letschin, Germany. Mohamed and Autur live at an asylum-applicants' shelter in nearby Vossberg village. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Ali Hussein ((L), 19, and his cousin Sinjar Hussein, 34, sweep leaves at a cemetery in Gieshof village, for which they receive a small allowance, near Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, looks among donated clothing in the basement of the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to Mohamed, his wife Laloosh and their daughter Ranim as residents' laundry dries behind in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asya Sugaipova (L), Mohza Mukayeva and Khadra Zhukova prepare food in the communal kitchen at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Efrah Abdullahi Ahmed looks down from the communal kitchen window at her daughter Sumaya, 10, who had just returned from school, at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asylum-applicants, including Syrians Mohamed Ali Hussein (C-R, in black jacket) and Fadi Almasalmeh (C), return from grocery shopping with other refugees to the asylum-applicants' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat (2nd from L), a refugee from Syria, smokes a cigarette after shopping for groceries with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, and fellow-Syrian refugees Mohamed Ali Hussein (C) and Fadi Almasalmeh (L) at a local supermarket on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. All of them live at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian refugees Leila, 9, carries her sister Avin, 1, in the backyard at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to them and their family in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Somali refugees and husband and wife Said Ahmed Gure (R) and Ayaan Gure pose with their infant son Muzammili, who was born in Germany, in the room they share at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity, and are waiting for authorities to process their application for asylum 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany German Chancellor Angela Merkel pauses for a selfie with a refugee after she visited the AWO Refugium Askanierring shelter for refugees in Berlin Getty Images

Mr Maas said freedom of expression was of huge importance in Germany, but that freedom of expression ends where criminal law begins.

The justice ministry said research showed that Facebook deleted just 39 per cent of content reported by users and Twitter only 1 per cent, despite signing a code of conduct in 2015 that included a pledge to delete hate speech within 24 hours.

The cabinet also approved a new law cracking down on the recognition of child marriage among arriving refugees on Wednesday.

It proposes automatically declaring certificates void if one of the partners was under the age of 16 when they wed, despite concerns that the move would leave young female asylum seekers and those with children vulnerable.

In principle, marriages involving under-18s will also not be recognised, but courts will be allowed to decide whether to annul them on a case-by-case basis after receiving advice from youth protection agencies.

Cabinet members agreed the measure as a newspaper report claimed that about 270,000 Syrians living in Germany have the right to bring their family members into the country.

Bilds report could add fuel to the raging debate about migration less than six months before national elections, where Ms Merkel is seeking a fourth term as Chancellor.

Her conservative bloc faces opposition from the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has lost support in recent months amid improving poll performances by the centre-left Social Democrats.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A dedicated pacifist who has never even held a gun, Andrei Sivak discovered that his government considered him a dangerous extremist when he tried to change some money and the teller suddenly looked up at me with a face full of fear.

His name had popped up on the exchange bureaus computer system, along with those of members of al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and other militant groups responsible for shocking acts of violence.

The only group the 43-year-old father of three has ever belonged to, however, is Jehovahs Witnesses, a Christian denomination committed to the belief that the Bible must be taken literally, particularly its injunction Thou shalt not kill.

Yet, in a throwback to the days of the Soviet Union, when Jehovahs Witnesses were hounded as spies and malcontents by the KGB, the denomination is at the centre of an escalating campaign by the authorities to curtail religious groups that compete with the Russian Orthodox Church and that challenge President Vladimir Putins efforts to rally the country behind traditional and often militaristic patriotic values.

The Justice Ministry on Thursday put the headquarters of Jehovahs Witnesses in Russia, an office complex near St. Petersburg, on a list of the bodies banned in connection with the carrying out of extremist activities.

Last month, the ministry asked the Supreme Court to outlaw the religious organisation and stop its more than 170,000 Russian members from spreading extremist texts. The court is scheduled to hear  and is likely to rule on  the case on Wednesday.

Extremism, as defined by a law passed in 2002 but amended and expanded several times since, has become a catchall charge that can be deployed against just about anybody, as it has been against some of those involved in recent anti-corruption protests in Moscow and scores of other cities.

Several students who took part in demonstrations in the Siberian city of Tomsk are now being investigated by a special anti-extremism unit while Leonid Volkov, the senior aide to the jailed protest leader Aleksei A. Navalny, said he himself was detained last week under the extremism law.

In the case of Jehovahs Witnesses, the putative extremism seems to derive mostly from the groups absolute opposition to violence, a stand that infuriated Soviet and now Russian authorities whose legitimacy rests in large part on the celebration of martial triumphs, most notably over Nazi Germany in World War II but also over rebels in Syria.

Jehovahs Witnesses, members of a denomination founded in the United States in the 19th century and active in Russia for more than 100 years, refuse military service, do not vote and view God as the only true leader. They shun the patriotic festivals promoted with gusto by the Kremlin, like the annual celebration of victory in 1945 and recent events to celebrate the annexation of Crimea in March 2014.

Sivak, who says he lost his job as a physical education teacher because of his role as a Jehovahs Witnesses elder, said he voted for Putin in 2000, three years before joining the denomination. He added that while he had not voted since, nor had he supported anti-Kremlin activities of the sort that usually attract the attention of Russias post-Soviet version of the KGB, the Federal Security Service, or FSB.

I have absolutely no interest in politics, he said during a recent Jehovahs Witnesses Friday service in a wooden country house in Vorokhobino, a snow-covered village north of Moscow. Around 100 worshippers crammed into a long, chilly room under fluorescent lights to listen to readings from the Bible, sing and watch a video advising them to dress for worship as they would for a meeting with the president.

From the Russian states perspective, Jehovahs Witnesses are completely separate, said Geraldine Fagan, the author of Believing in Russia  Religious Policy After Communism. She added, They dont get involved in politics, but this is itself seen as a suspicious political deviation.

The idea of independent and public religious activity that is completely outside the control of  and also indifferent to  the state sets all sorts of alarm bells ringing in the Orthodox Church and the security services, she said.

That the worldwide headquarters of Jehovahs Witnesses is in the United States and that its publications are mostly prepared there, Fagan added, all adds up to a big conspiracy theory for the increasingly assertive FSB.

For Sivak, it has added up to a long legal nightmare. His troubles began, he said, when undercover security officers posed as worshippers and secretly filmed a service where he was helping to officiate in 2010.

Accused of inciting hatred and disparaging the human dignity of citizens, he was put on trial for extremism along with a second elder, Vyacheslav Stepanov, 40. The prosecutors case, heard by a municipal court in Sergiyev Posad, a centre of the Russian Orthodox Church, produced no evidence of extremism and focused instead on the insufficient patriotism of Jehovahs Witnesses.

Their disregard for the state, a report prepared for the prosecution said, erodes any sense of civic affiliation and promotes the destruction of national and state security.

In a ruling last year, the court found the two men not guilty and their ordeal seemed over  until Sivak tried to change money and was told that he had been placed on a list of terrorists and extremists.

He and Stepanov now face new charges of extremism and are to appear before a regional court this month. There is a big wave of repression breaking, Stepanov said.

In response to written questions, the Justice Ministry in Moscow said a yearlong review of documents at the Jehovahs Witnesses administrative center near St. Petersburg had uncovered violations of a Russian law banning extremism. As a result, it added, the centre should be liquidated, along with nearly 400 locally registered branches of the group and other structures.

For the denominations leaders in Russia, the sharp escalation in a long campaign of harassment, previously driven mostly by local officials, drew horrifying flashbacks to the Soviet era.

Vasily Kalin, the chairman of Jehovahs Witnesses Russian arm, recalled that his whole family had been deported to Siberia when he was a child. It is sad and reprehensible that my children and grandchildren should be facing a similar fate, he said. Never did I expect that we would again face the threat of religious persecution in modern Russia.

In Russia, as in many countries, the door-to-door proselytising of Jehovahs Witnesses often causes irritation, and their theological idiosyncrasies disturb many mainstream Christians. The group has also been widely criticised for saying that the Bible prohibits blood transfusions. But it has never promoted violent or even peaceful political resistance.

I cannot imagine that anyone really thinks they are a threat, said Alexander Verkhovsky, director of the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, which monitors extremism in Russia. But they are seen as a good target. They are pacifists, so they cannot be radicalised, no matter what you do to them. They can be used to send a message.

That message, it would seem, is that everyone needs to get with the Putin programme  or risk being branded as an extremist for displaying indifference, never mind hostility, to the Kremlins drive to make Russia a great power again.

A big reason they are being targeted is simply that they are an easy target, Fagan said. They dont vote, so nobody is going to lose votes by attacking them.

Attacking Jehovahs Witnesses also sends a signal that even the mildest deviation from the norm, if proclaimed publicly and insistently, can be punished under the anti-extremism law, which was passed after Russias second war in Chechnya and the September 11 attacks in the United States.

Billed as a move by Russia to join a worldwide struggle against terrorism, the law prohibited incitement of racial, national or religious strife, and social hatred associated with violence or calls for violence.

But the reference to violence was later deleted, opening the way for the authorities to classify as extremist any group claiming to offer a unique, true path to religious or political salvation.

Even the Russian Orthodox Church has sometimes fallen afoul of the law: The slogan Orthodoxy or Death!  a rallying cry embraced by some hard-line believers  has been banned as an illegal extremist text.

To help protect the Orthodox Church and other established religions, Parliament passed a law in 2015 to exempt the Bible and the Quran, as well as Jewish and Buddhist scripture, from charges of extremism based on their claims to offer the only true faith.

The main impetus for the current crackdown, however, appears to come from the security services, not the Orthodox Church. Roman Lunkin, director of the Institute of Religion and Law, a Moscow research group, described it as part of a broad policy of suppressing all nongovernmental organizations that has gained particular force because of the highly centralised structure of Jehovahs Witnesses under a worldwide leadership based in the United States.

They are controlled from outside Russia and this is very suspicious for our secret services, he said. They dont like having an organisation that they do not and cannot control.

Artyom Grigoryan, a former Jehovahs Witness who used to work at the groups Russian headquarters but who now follows the Orthodox Church, said the organisation had many positive elements, like its ban on excessive drinking, smoking and other unhealthy habits.

All the same, he said it deserved to be treated with suspicion. Look at it from the view of the state, he said. Here is an organisation that is run from America, that gets financing from abroad, and whose members dont serve in the army and dont vote.

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

Estranged from his parents, who are still members and view his departure as sinful, he said Jehovahs Witnesses broke up families and in the logic of the state, it presents a threat.

He added, I am not saying this is real or not, but it needs to be checked by objective experts.

Sivak, now preparing for yet another trial, said that he had always tried to follow the law and that he respected the state, but could not put its interests above the commands of his faith.

They say I am a terrorist, he said, but all I ever wanted to do was to get people to pay attention to the Bible.

The New York Times
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Russia has unveiled its armys most powerful submarine to date, capable of carrying hundreds of torpedoes and reaching speeds of up to 31 knots.

The new Yasen-class nuclear powered attack submarine, called the Kazan, is armed with torpedoes and long-range Kalibr cruise missiles. The ship was launched at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, northern Russia.

According to Russias state news agency TASS, the new submarine has been designed to destroy an enemys submarines, surface ships, naval bases and ports, among other targets.

The ship reportedly carries a crew of up to 90 men and can be at sea for 100 days. It measures at around 139 metres long and can reach depths of around 600 metres underwater.

The vessel has space for eight Oniks and Kalibr cruise missiles and 300 torpedoes, and can reach speeds of up to 31 knots.

A single-shaft steam turbine nuclear power unit is understood to be part of the ships design, giving it a capacity of 43,000 horse power, and its arsenal is thought to be capable of hitting targets up to 1,500 miles away, The Mirror reported.

The Russian military had fallen on hard times after the 1991 Soviet collapse when it was forced to scrap many relatively new ships and keep most others at harbor for lack of funds. The military has revived its strength thanks to a sweeping arms modernization program amid tensions with the West over Ukraine.

At the launch of the new submarine, Admiral Vladimir Korolyov claimed the new ship is the most modern in the world, emphasising how hard it is to track due to its low-level noise.

It represents the cutting edge of nuclear submarine design, he said.

The launch comes at a time when Russian submarines combat patrols have reached levels not seen since the Cold War. Crews spent more than 3,000 days on patrol last year, which Admiral Korolyov called an excellent level.

The submarine is expected to be placed in service by next year and Russias navy intends to commission a total of seven of the submarines to be put into service by 2023.

Additional reporting by Associated Press
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The British Government has made discreet approaches to Moscow in an effort to improve frayed relations between the two countries, The Independent has learned. The move is said to follows Donald Trumps arrival at the White House and the anticipation that his administration will forge ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Londons decision to engage more with the Kremlin came in early March as Boris Johnson prepared to be the first British foreign secretary to visit Russia in five years, according to senior diplomats. The range of issues due to be under discussion include the ongoing crisis in Syria, Ukraine and Libya as well as Islamist terrorism.

In the event, Mr Johnsons trip was cancelled because of the rescheduling of a Nato foreign ministers meeting which followed the decision by the US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, to remain in America for the state visit of the Chinese President, Xi Jinping. But it is expected to go ahead in a few weeks time.

Recommended Russia launches most powerful nuclear attack submarine yet

Members of the new administration in Washington, including Defence Secretary Gen James Mattis and Mr Tillerson, have taken a tough public stance on Russia. But the belief in diplomatic circles is that this was to be expected with the Trump election team facing investigations for links to the Kremlin, and that there will be a drive to build bridges in the future reflecting Mr Trumps expressions of admiration for Mr Putin.

A number of Western European governments had been concerned about what they viewed as Britains confrontational stance towards Russia which, they claimed, was damaging the chances of dialogue with Moscow on issues of mutual concern. Officials of some of these allies have been privately told of the new British initiative.

One senior Western European diplomat based in London said: The UK had to look at its relation again with Russia in the light of what is likely to be the Trump administrations attitude towards Russia in the future. We characterise the British position now as pragmatism taking over from dogmatism.

This is essential considering Russias growing presence in the Middle East and North Africa. We are not backing away from our condemnation of things like Russias annexation of Crimea [from Ukraine]. But at the same time it is obvious that we need to talk to Moscow.

The British Governments line, when Mr Johnsons visit was first announced, was that he would be robust with Moscow. Another Western diplomat commented: We expected them to say that and criticism should be made if its warranted. But the UK also know that they have to improve relations with Russia, if only because thats what the Americans are going to do. This will be especially important to them after Brexit; we have seen the UK echo the Trump administration on a number of matters.

There is a need for dialogue. We have seen in the terrible events in London and St Petersburg what a common threat terrorism is. And you cannot really discuss terrorism and measures to control it without discussing and trying to resolve what is going on in places like Syria and Libya.

The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Show all 20 1 /20 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Digital Economy Bill  Give every household the legal right to fast broadband  but if they live in some remote areas, theyll have to pay part of the cost themselves  Phone and broadband companies to be forced to release details of customer complaints and average broadband speeds  New powers to allow public bodies like councils and government department to share swathes of data  including unpaid bills Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 3/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Transport Bill  New laws to govern the development of driverless cars, drones and space planes which the Government hopes will encourage investment in the new technologies to take place in the UK  Making it legal for customers to buy insurance for driverless vehicles Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 4/5 This content is subject to copyright. The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Planning Bill  Giving legal powers to villages and towns to set their own priorities for new housing. They wont be able to turn down new homes, but they will have a say in where they can be built  Create a new National Infrastructure Commission to push through big projects such as nuclear power stations and new rail and road links  cutting the amount of time it takes to develop them Controversy Rating: 3/5 Change Britain Rating: 3/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Jobs Bill  Give powers to local authorities to reduce the level of business rates they charge. City Mayors would also be able to increase rates in some areas to pay for specific infrastructure projects to that would boost local growth Controversy Rating: 2/5 Change Britain Rating: 2/5 This content is subject to copyright. The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Markets Bill  Making it easier for consumers to switch electricity and gas suppliers  Cutting down the time it takes for the Competition and Markets Authority to launch investigations into uncompetitive practices Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 3/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Bus Services Bill  Give local authorities and mayors powers to set standards for local buses  including frequency of services and fairs  Force all bus companies to provide real time information on services to app developers so everyone across the country will have the same ability as Londoners to know when the next bus is coming on their smart phone Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 3/5 2007 Getty Images The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 NHS Overseas Charging Bill  Increasing the number of services for which the NHS charges foreign patients  Reduces the number of people from the European Economic Area who are eligible for free services Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 1/5 2016 Getty Images The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Pensions Bill  Capping early exit fees on company pension schemes  Create a new pensions guidance body to help consumers know their pension rights  and make best use of previous Government reforms allowing pensioners the right to take the money they have saved in a lump sum on retirement to invest how they like Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 3/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Children and Social Work Bill  New obligation on councils to be a corporate parent to children in care and look after them even after they have grown up  Giving all children leaving care a personal advisor to help them find jobs, secure a home and deal with any problems  Create a new regulator for social work along the lines of Ofsted to drive up standards in the profession Controversy Rating: 2/5 Change Britain Rating: 3/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Education Bill  Force failing local authorities to convert all the schools in their area to academies  Reform school funding to address long standing disparities across the country that has disadvantaged schools in some rural areas Controversy Rating: 3/5 Change Britain Rating: 2/5 2015 Getty Images The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Higher Education Bill  Making it simpler and easier for companies and other providers to set up new universities around the country. Ministers want to encourage institutions like Harvard and companies like Google to consider setting up campuses in the UK  Allowing universities who have been rated "excellent" for teaching to charge more than those who are not  Law to force universities to publish information about their application processes broken down by ethnicity, gender and socio economic background Controversy Rating: 2/5 Change Britain Rating: 4/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Prisons and Courts Bill  New law to create reform prisons giving governors powers to set their own regimes and budgets  Obligation to publish re-offending rates by prison Controversy Rating: 2/5 Change Britain Rating: 4/5 2016 Getty Images The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 National Citizen Service Bill  New law to force schools to promote NCS to all 16 year olds and putting the scheme for the first time on a statutory footing Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 3/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Lifetime Savings Bill  Putting into law a Government plans to give people on working tax credits who save 50 a month a Government "bonus" of 50 up to a maximum of 300 a year Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 2/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Soft Drinks Industry Levy Bill  Introduce a sugar tax on soft drinks to fund school sports Controversy Rating: 3/5 Change Britain Rating: 5/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Bill of Rights  A new bill of rights to replace the Human Rights Act that will be based on the European Convention of Human Rights but will also take account of English common law Controversy Rating: 5/5 Change Britain Rating: 4/5 This content is subject to copyright. The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Counter-Extremism Bill  New civil powers to allow authorities to ban so-called "extremist preachers"  New powers to intervene in Madrassas and other unregulated environments where children are present  New undisclosed powers to come out of Louise Caseys review of Muslim integration Controversy Rating: 5/5 Change Britain Rating: 4/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Criminal Finances Bill  Make it an offence for companies not to stop their staff facilitating tax evasion  New undisclosed powers for courts to recover criminal assets Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 1/5 2016 Getty Images The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Cultural Property Bill (Armed Forces)  Making it illegal for UK troops to damage cultural property in conflicts at home or abroad Controversy Rating: 1/5 Change Britain Rating: 1/5 The governments legislative programme for 2016-17 Wales Bill  Bill to put plans for further Welsh devolution on a statutory footing  following the new powers recently given to the Scottish Parliament Controversy Rating: 2/5 Change Britain Rating: 3/5

One issue over which Britain may have to change its stance is the crisis in Libya, of particular concern to countries in southern Europe that have become the destination for hundreds of thousands of refugees using the lawless North African state as a staging post to cross the Mediterranean.

Britain and France, under David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy, were instrumental in Nato embarking on the military campaign that deposed Muammar Gaddafi from power, a key factor that pushed Libya into its current state of semi-anarchy and the southern European states hold that London and Paris should be playing a greater role in attempts to find a settlement in the country.

Russia is taking a rapidly expanding role in Libya, backing General Khalifa Haftar, a former commander who is heading a force opposed to the UN-backed government in Tripoli. In the latest move, Moscow is said to have sent special forces to a base in Egypt near the Libyan border.

Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, recently warned Russia against interfering in Libya, declaring: We dont need the bear sticking his paws in ... Putin is testing the West, hes testing the alliance. At any point where he sees weakness, he pushes home. The Russian defence minister, Sergey Shoygu, kept to the anthropomorphistic theme in his response: What is on Britains coat of arms  a lion, isnt it? We do not think there is an animal in their zoo that can tell a bear what to do.

Members of Sir Michaels own party appear to be taking a different view from him over Libya. A group of British Conservative MPs met Gen Haftar in Benghazi, in a meeting organised by a right-wing think tank, in early March. This was followed by a meeting between the general and Peter Millett, the British ambassador to Libya who is based in Tunis, also in Benghazi. A Foreign Office spokesman in London said: This was a positive meeting and part of the UKs wider diplomatic outreach to promote stability in Libya through peaceful dialogue and to encourage all Libyans to work together to alleviate the suffering of the Libyan people.

Russia is not the only foreign backer of Gen Haftar: he has long enjoyed the support of Egypt and the UAE whose warplanes have bombed his enemies. General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, now on an official visit to the US, was the first foreign leader to congratulate Mr Trump after his victory and the Egyptian President had been pressing Washington to back Gen Haftar. Some of Mr Trumps advisors are said to look upon the proposal favourably.

 General Mattis: Russia has been 'mucking around inside other people's elections'

Barack Obama had refused to deal with General Haftar but the Libyan commander and his backers, the parliament in Benghazi, one of the countrys three governments, say they are also now optimistic that they will eventually get the support of the new administration.

The European Union would like to see deal between the UN sponsored government of Fayez al-Sarraj, which it supports, and Gen Haftar, which the commander has so far refused to accept. Western officials believe that Moscow, with resources devoted in Syria and Ukraine, would not want to overstretch its resources with a Libyan commitment and may persuade Gen Haftar to accept an accommodation. This, however, means constructive dialogue with Moscow rather than the belligerent tone used by some British ministers, they hold.

On Syria, the US will continue and extend the liaison already taking place, the diplomats believe. Mr Johnson is expected to raise concern with Moscow about civilian casualties caused by air strikes by the Assad regime and the Russians, with the chemical attack in Idlib the latest horrific example. Britain and the European Union held the regime culpable, while Damascus and Russia maintain that it was the resulted from air strikes on a rebel factory storing toxic substances. But, on a wider basis, the UK has in effect dropped its demand that President Assad must go before any peace deal can take place, something that had been a fundamental point of contention with the Russians.

Britain has been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine in its confrontation with the Kremlin, a key voice for continuing sanctions against Russia over the annexation of Crimea and interference in the separatist east of the country. London is also providing military training and advice on anti-corruption measures.

But the Trump administration is said to have been angered by what it saw as the government of President Petro Poroshenko siding with Hillary Clinton, who had taken a strong anti-Russian stance over Ukraine, during the US election, and relations between Washington and Kiev are frayed at present. It remains to be seen just how much the UKs dealings with Ukraine will depend on what approach Mr Trump decides to take towards Ukraine and Russia in the longer term.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: As we made clear when announcing the visit, this is not a return to business as usual and significant differences between the UK and Russia remain. The UK will continue to engage with Russia where it is in our national interest to do so but the Foreign Secretary will be robust on those issues where we disagree.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Women campaigners in Saudi Arabia have filmed themselves silently walking in the street without male companions as part of their fight for the right to drive.

The campaign is part of a growing protest against sweeping restrictions which prevent women from doing everyday activities unless they are accompanied by a male guardian.

Prime Minister Theresa May has been urged to address human rights abuses including the oppression of women during her visit to the deeply conservative Islamic kingdom, which comes as part of a Government bid to secure post-Brexit trade deals.

She said she hopes to be seen as a role model for women there and met the countrys crown prince without wearing a head scarf, eschewing sharia laws strict dress code.

Sharia courts: Legal status in the UK Show all 3 1 /3 Sharia courts: Legal status in the UK Sharia courts: Legal status in the UK There are believed to be dozens of Sharia courts operating in the UK. However, although they adjudicate on religious matters, they do not have the legal status of courts, acting more as councils or tribunals Getty Sharia courts: Legal status in the UK Weddings and divorces overseen by Sharia councils are religious matters and are not necessarily recognised by the state. Likewise, a civil divorce or wedding isnt necessarily recognised by the Sharia council Sharia courts: Legal status in the UK Sharia councils can have legal status as mediation and arbitration bodies under the Arbitration Act 1996. Any divorce agreements made in this capacity, however, have to be approved by a law court if they are to be recognised under civil law, and can be overturned. Sharia councils can also provide advice on the religious law on matters such as wills, law contracts and fatwas

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are banned from driving under its strict interpretation of Islamic law. The Interior Ministry strictly enforces the ban, which came into effect in 1957.

The silent footage of the women carries the hashtag #resistancebywalking on social media.

Campaign organiser Mariam Alhubail said on Twitter where she uses the handle @ms_freespeech: We want to encourage women to go out alone for a walk or to do their daily tasks and reject the idea men take care of these tasks.

She added: I walk alone. Until we have the streets again.

They dont mind me crossing the streets on foot. What matters to them is that I shouldnt drive and that I dont become my own guardian, another Saudi woman said on Twitter.

Under the strict Saudi interpretation of Islamic law, women are forbidden from travelling, conducting official business such as opening bank accounts or undergoing certain medical procedures without permission from their male guardians.

Women are also required to have a man swear on their behalf that their evidence is truthful if they appear in court.

They are barred from wearing clothes or make-up that show off their beauty, so most cover up with a long cloak and head scarf. The face does not necessarily need to be covered, although there are hardliners who would prefer to insist on the full veil.

Women are required to restrict the amount of time they spend with men to whom they are not related and the majority of public buildings, including universities, offices and banks, have separate entrances for males and females.

Public transport, parks and beaches are also segregated in most parts of the country and unlawful mixing can lead to criminal charges.

Women are not allowed to try on clothes in shops, according to Vanity Fair writer Maureen Dowd, who wrote in A Girls Guide to Saudi Arabia: The mere thought of a disrobed woman behind a dressing-room door is apparently too much for men to handle.

The countrys most influential advisory council last year refused to even examine the possibility of allowing women to drive in spite of a growing clamour from protesters, partly motivated by the Arab Spring of 2011.

Thousands of women have signed a petition calling on the Saudi Government to end the guardianship system.

Recommended Saudi Arabia warns it will use force if campaigners protest against

Saudi activist and author Wajjeha al-Huwaider has spearheaded the right to drive campaign in the country and was arrested after filming herself driving on international womens day in 2008.

Speaking in Jordan, Ms May defended her visit to Saudi Arabia, which has faced international condemnation for its human rights abuses including its oppression of women.

It's important for me as a woman leader and as leader of the Government of the United Kingdom to maintain the relationships that are important to us as a country, for our security, and our trade for the future.

"But I hope also that people see me as a woman leader, will see what women can achieve and how women can be in significant positions."

Recommended Christian Theresa May must be standing up for her values in Saudi

The Prime Minister claimed there had already been some changes in relation to womens rights and representation in the country and highlighted that during her trip she would be meeting a female minister who she would talk to about the role she and other Saudi women play in society.

I've talked to the Saudis on a number of occasions now and I raise issues of this sort. I think we have already seen some changes, Ms May said.

One of the meetings I'm going to be having when I'm in Saudi will be with a female, they have a minister who is a female minister. I'll be meeting with her and talking to her about the role that she plays, and generally we do encourage people to look at a woman's role in society.

Ms May was on Wednesday set to meet King Salman to sign the UK up to a new partnership deal known as 2030 to boost economic ties with the country.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (L) shakes hands with retired Assam Rifles personnel Naren Chandra Das. (Photo : Getty Images)

During his visit to northeast India, the Dalai Lama met Naren Chandra Das, an Indian soldier guard from his flight from Tibet in 1959. The Tibetan spiritual leader is now 81 years old while the Indian soldier is 79.



Advertisement

"Looking at your face, I now realize I must be very old too," the Dalai Lama said.



Back in 1959, The Tibetan leader met the guard following a difficult two-week journey across the mountains from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. He fled to India after a failed Tibetan rebellion against the Chinese reign.



With Indias pledge to extend support, the Dalai Lama disguised as a soldier and was able to cross the borders together with a small entourage.



"Guards of the Assam Rifles Platoon No 9 had brought the Dalai Lama from Zuthangbo and handed him over to five of us at Shakti [in Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China and Bhutan], Das said.



"We brought him to Lungla from where he was escorted on his onward journey to Tawang by another group of guards," he added.



According to the retired member of the Assam Rifles, troops were forbidden to speak a word to the Dalai Lama.



"Our duty was only to guard and escort him during his journey," Das said.



The Tibetan leader expressed his gratitude to the retired soldier and said that he was "very, very happy" to unite with a member of the troop that brought him safely to India.



The Dalai Lama lived at the Tawang monastery shortly after his escape. He then went to Dharamsala in north India where he settled and established the Tibetan government-in-exile.



The spiritual leader is scheduled to visit the monastery later this week to convey his teachings.



China is angered with the Dalai Lamas visit. The Chinese government claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of its territory.



Weeks earlier, China has given warnings to India on the possible damages the visit could bring to China-India ties.



A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman advised India to "avoid taking any actions that would further complicate the border issue, [and to] not provide a platform for the 14th Dalai clique's separatist activities."



Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama deemed his return to northeast India "like a reunion."



"When I revisit the Tawang area, I am reminded of the freedom that I had experienced for the first time [in 1959]. That was the beginning of a new chapter in my life," he said, as quoted by the Associated Press News Agency.



The meeting of the Dalai Lama and Indian soldier guard has revived the memories of the 1959 Tibetan uprising.


For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Warplanes were bombing a rebel-held town in Syria for a second day amid increasing international tensions over an apparent chemical attack that killed more than 70 people.

Bashar al-Assads government has categorically denied using poisonous gases in Khan Sheikhoun or possessing the banned munitions, while his ally Russia claimed Syrian jets conducting legitimate strikes had struck a rebel weapons facility.

Major General Igor Konashenkov, from the Russian defence ministry, claimed a destroyed warehouse was used to produce and store shells containing toxic gas to be sent to Iraq.

The statement carried by Russian state media cited no evidence for the claim, which was also made over alleged chemical attacks in Aleppo, but said the information was fully objective and verified.

Hasan Haj Ali, commander of the Free Idlib Army rebel group, called the Russian statement a lie.

Everyone saw the plane while it was bombing with gas, he told Reuters.

Likewise, all the civilians in the area know that there are no military positions there, or places for the manufacture [of weapons]. The various factions of the opposition are not capable of producing these substances.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 72 people were killed on what has been dubbed Black Tuesday in Idlib province.

It said 20 children and 17 women were among dead civilians in Khan Sheikhoun, killed by gases that caused suffocation and other symptoms doctors said pointed to the use of sarin.

Destruction at a hospital that was bombed while treating victims of a suspected chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib, on 4 April (AFP/Getty Images)

The Observatory said many victims remained in hospital on Wednesday morning, when at least five new air strikes were carried out. There was no immediate information on casualties.

United Nations war crimes investigators have launched a probe into both the alleged chemical attack and subsequent bombardment that hit hospitals, saying the use of chemical weapons or deliberate targeting of medical facilities would amount to war crimes and serious violations of human rights law.

Recommended World leaders condemn chemical attack at Brussels confence

Events in Khan Sheikhoun were expected to dominate a major international conference being co-hosted by the UK in Brussels on supporting the future of Syria and the region.

Boris Johnson said all evidence so far suggests this was the Assad regime who did it in the full knowledge that they were using illegal weapons in a barbaric attack on their own people, adding that he would like to see those culpable pay a price for this.

The UNs special envoy to Syria said an emergency Security Council meeting would be held, while investigations continue into what appeared to be a chemical attack from the air.

Donald Trumps spokesman condemned heinous actions by the Assad regime, blaming the attack on the Obama administration, while US Secretary of State said it was clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism.

Rex Tillerson called for Assads allies in Russia and Iran to exercise their influence to work towards a genuine ceasefire, accusing them of bearing great moral responsibility for the deaths.

French President Francois Hollande said Assad was counting on the complicity of his allies to benefit from intolerable impunity, predicting that the regime would deny evidence of its responsibility.

 May demands probe into Syria 'chemical weapons attack'

Pope Francis said he was horrified by the unacceptable massacre of innocent civilians, telling tens of thousands of people in St Peter's Square he was praying for the defenceless victims, including many children.

The Catholic leader appealed to the consciences of those who hold political power, both at the local and international levels so that these tragedies end.

The government-controlled Syrian Arab News Agency (Sana) carried a denial from the countrys foreign ministry claiming the Syrian Arab Army does not possess any form of chemical weapons.

An anonymous source blamed armed terrorist groups for the attack in Khan Sheikhoun, adding: As usual and since four years, those sides have fabricated fake accusations against the armed forces in the Syrian Arab Republic.

A statement claimed the campaign was revenge for military gains by the regime and aimed to justify hostile resolutions it expects to be adopted at the Brussels conference.

But the Syrian opposition said the massacre was a direct consequence of statements by Mr Tillerson and Mr Trumps UN ambassador Nikki Haley suggesting the removal of Assad was not a priority, while foreign politicians suggested the new US administration was being tested.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said it was seriously concerned about reports emerging from Khan Sheikhoun and was gathering evidence, following persistent allegations of illegal chemical weapons use in Syria.

Doctors said victims started to choke, vomit and faint with foam coming out of their mouths, showing symptoms of possible sarin gas exposure.

Pin-point pupils and a lack of the odour associated with more commonly used chlorine gas were among the evidence cited for the nerve agent, which is banned as a weapon of mass destruction under international law.

Graphic footage showed convulsing and choking patients being doused with water and loaded into ambulances, with the bodies of around a dozen young children seen being laid out on blankets in a flat-bed truck.

Hours afterwards, clinics treating the victims were themselves hit by suspected rocket attacks from fighter jets.

A White Helmets rescuer breathes through an oxygen mask, after a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib, on 4 April (Reuters)

If confirmed, the incident would be the deadliest chemical attack in Syria since rockets containing sarin gas killed hundreds of civilians in Ghouta in August 2013, almost sparking British military intervention.

Following the attack, Syria joined the international Chemical Weapons Convention under a US-Russian deal, averting the threat of American intervention to overthrow Assad.

Under the deal, Syria agreed to give up its chemical arsenal and surrendered 1,300 tonnes of toxic weapons and industrial chemicals to the international community for destruction.

But UN-OPCW investigators found the regime has continued to use chlorine, which is widely available and hard to trace, in barrel bombs dropped from helicopters.

A report by the released last year concluded that Syrian government forces were responsible for three examined chemical attacks but China and Russia have vetoed sanctions.

At least 53 people were killed in a similar suspected chemical incident in the Isis-controlled town of Uqayribat in December but the attack received little international attention.

Khan Sheikhoun sits near the frontline between regime and opposition-held territory, on a strategic motorway linking the city of Hama with rebel strongholds to the north.

Idlib province, in north-western Syria, is a key battleground between regime forces and rebels including an alliance of Islamist factions linked to al-Qaeda.

It was the destination for rebel fighters evacuated from eastern Aleppo earlier this year, and is widely expected to be Assad's next major target.

Successive rounds of peace talks in Geneva and Astana have so far failed to produce a lasting ceasefire in the Syrian conflict, which shows no sign of ending in its seventh year of bloodshed.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Pope Francis has called on countries supporting atrocities in Syria to examine their consciences as Russia vows to continue its backing for Bashar al-Assad.

The Pope said he was horrified by the suspected chemical weapons attack in the rebel-held town on Khan Sheikhoun, calling it an unacceptable massacre of innocent civilians.

We look on horrified by the recent events in Syria, he told tens of thousands of people in St Peter's Square during his weekly audience.

 Boris Johnson: Syrian chemical attack evidence points to Assad

The Catholic leader said he was praying for the defenceless victims, including many children, before appealing to "the conscience of those who hold political power, both at the local and international levels so that these tragedies end.

Britain, the US and France are among the countries strongly suspecting the Syrian regime was behind the attack, which left more than 70 people dead and is being investigated as a potential war crime by the UN.

Recommended World leaders condemn chemical attack at Brussels confence

Assads government denied using chemical weapons in the air strikes, saying the country does not possess the munitions after agreeing to have them destroyed following a sarin attack that left hundreds dead in 2013.

Vladimir Putins spokesman said Russian forces would not stop their support for the anti-terrorist operation to liberate the country carried out by the Syrian Arab Republic's army.

The Kremlin denied involvement in Tuesdays suspected chemical attack in Idlib province, blaming the release of toxic gas on an alleged rebel weapons facility  an allegation rejected by the opposition.

Doctors said victims started to choke, vomit and faint with foam coming out of their mouths, showing symptoms of possible sarin gas exposure after either Syrian or Russian jets dropped bombs on the area.

A White Helmets rescuer breathes through an oxygen mask, after a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib, on 4 April (Reuters)

It was not the first time Vladimir Putins forces have been accused of complicity in suspected war crimes, following persistent reports of civilian casualties in intensive bombardment of rebel-held areas.

Both Russia and Syria class any armed opposition groups as terrorists, with the defence ministry claiming it was determined to combat terrorism despite allegations by critics that its operations have focused on rebels rather than Isis and al-Qaeda.

Recommended Bombing continues in Idlib as Assad regime denies chemical attack

World leaders gathering in Brussels called on Russia not to use its veto at the UN Security Council to block an international investigation or sanctions over the alleged chemical attack.

The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres told the conference on Syria that the council must live up to its responsibilities to see the perpetrators brought to justice.

Russia and China have repeatedly vetoed sanctions on the Assad regime over chemical weapons, as well as an attempted referral to the International Criminal Court.

Chemical weapons were first reportedly used in Syria in 2012, the World Health Organisation said, and have since occurred with disturbing frequency despite a 2013 agreement aiming to reduce the regimes stockpiles.

Boris Johnson said he had seen absolutely nothing to suggest that anyone but Assads forces could have been responsible for the massacre.

Boris Johnson among world leaders from countries including Denmark, Canada, Qatar and Kuwait at an international conference on Syria being held in Brussels on 5 April (AFP/Getty Images)

You cannot go on with a regime that's willing to use illegal weapons against its own people, a regime that's killed hundreds of thousands of its own people, he told reporters in Brussels.

What's needed now is a political process to get rid of that regime and give the people of Syria a chance.

He and his French counterpart, Jean-Marc Ayrault, renewed calls for Assad to step down as part of a lasting political solution in Syria, just days after suggestions from the US Secretary of State and UN Ambassador that his removal was no longer a priority.

Also appearing at the Brussels conference was the Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, who echoed anger among the Syrian opposition by accusing the world of failing to prevent atrocities like the Khan Sheikhoun attack.

The world should not be shocked because it's letting such a regime do what it is doing, he said.

What should shock us is the increase of children dying and that the whole world is watching.

Mr Hariri told reporters that everyone is coming to Brussels to make a statement and the regime made its statement in Syria.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

President Donald Trump has said Tuesday's chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians "crossed many lines" and changed his opinion of the Assad regime.

Speaking at the White House during the visit of King Abdullah of Jordan, Mr Trump described the attack as "horrible, unspeakable" and a "terrible affront to humanity".

Asked if the regime's alleged use of chemical weapons against its own people crossed a "red line" for the new US administration, Mr Trump said: "It crossed a lot of lines for me. When you kill innocent children ... that crosses many, many lines."

Mr Trump has in recent days described any effort to remove President Bashar al-Assad in Syria as secondary to defeating the Isis militant group, and White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the US approach was being driven by a new "reality".

But on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Trump said: "That attack on children yesterday had a big impact on me ... my attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much."

Earlier, the US envoy to the UN has said America could be "compelled to take its own action" in Syria if the world body fails to act in the wake of the Idlib attack.

"When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley told a Security Council meeting on Syria.

She also said Mr Assad has no incentive to stop using chemical weapons unless Russia stops protecting him.

 Boris Johnson: If chemical attack in Syria is verified, we must go to UN

More than 70 people died in the apparent chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun, where activists and rescue workers found terrified survivors hiding in shelters near the site of the assault.

A Syrian opposition group said renewed air strikes hit the town a day after the attack, which the Trump administration and others have blamed on the Assad regime and his main patrons, Russia and Iran.

Damascus and Moscow have denied they were behind the attack. Russia's Defence Ministry said the toxic agents were released when a Syrian air strike hit a rebel arsenal, an account Britain dismissed at an emergency UN session called in response to the attack.

British ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the UK had seen nothing that would suggest rebels "have the sort of chemical weapons that are consistent with the symptoms that we saw yesterday".

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

A resolution drafted by Britain, France, and the US stressed the Syrian government's obligation to provide information about its air operations, including the names of those in command of any helicopter squadrons on the day of the attack.

Richard Gowan, UN expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations, told The Independent if the US "launches punitive strikes on Syria now, the the Russians and Chinese will respond furiously in the Security Council. Equally, if the US does not act at all, Haley will find it hard to put much real pressure on the Russians in future".

Mr Gowan said that many countries at the UN thought the US and Ms Haley would "buddy up" with Russia in the Security Council in order to come to some sort of bargain over Syria. "That notion looks pretty much dead now."

The World Health Organisation and the international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said victims of the attack appear to show symptoms consistent with exposure to a nerve agent. In a statement, the agency said "the likelihood of exposure to a chemical attack is amplified by an apparent lack of external injuries reported in cases showing a rapid onset of similar symptoms, including acute respiratory distress as the main cause of death."
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Doctors who treated children affected by a chemical weapons attack in northern Syria on Tuesday have spoken out about the devastating scenes they witnessed.

At least 72 civilians, including 20 children, were killed in what is feared to be the worst chemical weapons attack in Syria in almost four years, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Hospitals treating victims of a suspected toxic gas were themselves targeted in a series of air strikes following the atrocity in a rebel-held town in Idlib province, where activists claimed up to 100 people died.

At a hospital in Idlib, about 30 miles away from Khan Sheikhoun, the town that was hit, Doctor Mizar Hassani said he treated around 30 patients, among them four children.

They just woke up to find everything in their life changed, Dr Hassani told ABC News via Skype, adding that the children kept crying.

When we receive them they are crying  we will give them our medication, our treatment. When they wake up they are crying. I cannot continue ... their father, mother died. What will we do for them?

Dr Hassani explained that when the victims of the attack were drowsy and agitated and had lesions and runny noses on arrival at the hospital  symptoms consistent with a gas attack. He added that the children he treated survived and were doing better now.

Abdulhai Tennari, who also treated victims, said the attack happened at 6am local time, and that six hours later children started to arrive at his hospital.

Children arrived dead. They were found under the rubble. There are children who dont have their parents, he said.

We dont know where their parents are. We treated them and are looking for their parents. Their parents might be looking for them.

Dr Tennari said many of the injured died immediately, most of them choking on gas, while others died on their way to the hospital where some survived and were treated.

UN war crimes investigators have launched a probe into both rounds of bombing, saying the use of chemical weapons or deliberate targeting of medical facilities would amount to war crimes and serious violations of human rights law.

Responding to the incident, Sonia Khush, Save the Children's Syria Director, warned that following the brutal events of Tuesday, the international community must act to prevent events from escalating into the situation we saw in East Aleppo".

Doctors at a health clinic run by our partner Syria Relief told us they received three children under six years old today," said Ms Kush.

"They were struggling to breathe and barely conscious, with running noses and contracted pupils  doctors say these symptoms are consistent with the use of nerve agents such as Sarin.

Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Show all 12 1 /12 Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man crosses a street in Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A vendor sits inside an antique shop in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors walk inside Aleppo's Umayyad mosque, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk inside the Khan al-Shounah market, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man walks past shops in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk along an alley in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors tour Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A general view shows the Old City of Aleppo as seen from Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk near Aleppo's Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower, Syria October 6, 2010 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man stands inside Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters

If a banned chemical substance is confirmed, this would be in clear violation of international law and a worrying indication that not all chemical weapons have been destroyed in Syria as UNSCR 2118 reached in September 2013 demanded.

Idlib is home to some two million civilians, including many people who were displaced by the conflict in neighbouring Aleppo and other areas. Tomorrows meeting of Foreign Ministers and the UN Secretary General in Brussels must address the threat of ongoing assault and brutality faced by people in Idlib.

We cannot allow events to escalate into the situation we saw in East Aleppo."
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Experts have dismissed Russias claim that a rebel chemical weapons facility caused the death of more than 70 people in Syria as evidence indicating the governments use of a banned nerve agent mounts.

Britain, the US and France are among the nations accusing Bashar al-Assads regime of gassing civilians in the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun, but Damascus claims it destroyed its toxic stockpiles following an international agreement struck in 2013.

The Russian defence ministry put out a competing version of events claiming that legitimate Syrian air strikes against terrorists had struck a warehouse used to produce and store shells containing toxic gas, which were allegedly being sent to Iraq.

 Boris Johnson: Syrian chemical attack evidence points to Assad

From 11.30am to 12.30pm local time, [9.30am to 10.30am BST] Syrian aircraft conducted an air strike in the eastern outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun on a large warehouse of ammunition of terrorists and the mass of military equipment, said Major General Igor Konashenkov, according to a translation by Russian state media.

But witnesses and survivors said the bombs struck hours earlier, with images showing at least one hit a road rather than a building.

Recommended Doctors in Syria describe aftermath of chemical weapons attack

Hasan Haj Ali, commander of the Free Idlib Army rebel group, called the Russian statement blaming the rebels a lie and said rebels did not have the capability to produce nerve gas.

Everyone saw the plane while it was bombing with gas, he said.

Likewise, all the civilians in the area know that there are no military positions there, or places for the manufacture of weapons.

While Isis is known to have used mustard gas, the area around Khan Sheikhoun is controlled by a range of opposition factions including Islamists and groups linked to al-Qaeda.

Russia accused fighters of deploying chlorine gas in Aleppo but no evidence to support the allegations has been put forward by international agencies, who believe that sarin was deployed in Tuesdays attack.

In pictures: Children play underground in Syria Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: Children play underground in Syria In pictures: Children play underground in Syria A child plays in the ball pit at the 'Land of Childhood,' an underground playground in a besieged town in Syria Unicef In pictures: Children play underground in Syria Abdulaziz, 10, plays in the 'Land of Childhood' underground playground in Syria Unicef In pictures: Children play underground in Syria Boys look through a show window inside the tunnel that provides a safe passage for children between the two basements that form the 'Land of Childhood' in a besieged town in Syria Unicef In pictures: Children play underground in Syria Children play at the underground 'Land of Childhood' in a besieged town in Syria Unicef In pictures: Children play underground in Syria Two girls play at the 'Land of Childhood' underground playground in a besieged town in Syria Unicef In pictures: Children play underground in Syria Children on the ride on a ferris wheel at the 'Land of Childhood', an underground playground in a besieged town in Syria Unicef In pictures: Children play underground in Syria Seven-year-old Massa at the "Land of Childhood" underground playground in a besieged town in Syria Unicef In pictures: Children play underground in Syria Children wait in line to buy sweets at the 'Land of Childhood,' an underground playground in a besieged town in Syria Unicef

Beyza Unal, a research fellow with the International Security Department at Chatham House, said the banned nerve agent is expensive and difficult to purify and store.

Something that needs a certain level of expertise and also money, she told The Independent, saying any facility would need the ability to take oxygen out of the area where sarin is stored.

Recommended World leaders condemn chemical attack at Brussels confence

I dont think rebel groups would have the ability governments would have to purify nerve agents to a level that would make them stable, Dr Unal added.

I dont buy the Russian claimsthe story doesnt add up.

She added that images of bomb craters in Khan Sheikhoun indicated small payloads, rather than explosives of the type typically used to destroy an entire building.

Sarin can be fatal when either inhaled or absorbed through the skin, contaminating water and clothing to affect anyone coming into contact with symptoms including blurred vision, choking, nausea, weakness, convulsions, paralysis and respiratory failure.

Several volunteers who rushed to help victims of the initial bombing have themselves been taken ill, including Syrian Civil Defence members.

A White Helmets rescuer breathes through an oxygen mask, after a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib, on 4 April (Reuters)

Hamid Kutini, a volunteer with the White Helmets, told The Independent he and several of his friends are unwell.

I reached the area early after the attack and am still suffering now with weakness in my vision, a continuous headache, and I am not seeing colours well, he said.

Mr Kutini said families were asleep when the bombs struck at around 6.30am local time (4.30am BST), with people calling the White Helmets reporting strange symptoms including drowsiness.

We knew that some kind of poison gas was used, he recalled. The team found people fainting, and people with froth coming from the mouth, and shivers in their bodiesmany died while they were asleep.

Graphic footage showed rescuers dragging bodies and survivors out of buildings, removing their clothes and hosing them down with water in attempts to remove the toxin.

Doctors said victims started to choke, vomit and convulse with foam coming out of their mouths and pin-point pupils, showing symptoms of possible sarin gas exposure.

Amnesty International said many of at least 20 children killed appeared to have died in their beds, with the lack of visible wounds on their corpses pointing to a chemical attack.

A Syrian child receives treatment following a suspected gas attack in Khan Sheikhoun, a rebel-held town in the northwestern Syrian Idlib province, on 4 April (AFP/Getty)

A nurse working at the al-Rahma hospital, which was later bombed, told the charity he heard the bombs strike but with a dull thump that was unlike a normal explosion sound. Minutes later, the casualties started pouring in.

The youngest victims were the first to succumb to respiratory failure and paralysis, a doctor said, adding: Children are the first ones to die, they cannot fight this. We only had one child who, thank God, survived.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the symptoms were consistent with exposure to organophosphorus chemicals, a category of chemicals that includes nerve agents that are banned as weapons of mass destruction.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) seconded the analysis, saying medical teams that treated affected patients in Bab al-Hawa found symptoms consistent with exposure to a neurotoxic agent such as sarin gas.

Doctors also detected the smell of bleach on some victims, suggesting they had been exposed to chlorine as one of at least two different chemical agents.

Hassan Elbahtimy, from the Centre for Science and Security Studies at King's College London, said all evidence available so far pointed to the use of sarin in Khan Shaikhoun.

A Syrian forces' artillery observer looks through a scope as smoke plumes rise on the horizon, near the town of Qumhanah in the countryside of the central province of Hama, on April 1, 2017. (AFP/Getty Images)

In this conflict, it is the regime that ultimately is more capable to mount chemical attacks, he told The Independent, pointing to the previous sarin attack on Ghouta in 2013.

They were supposed to have declared all their chemical weapons, including sarin stocks, which got destroyed under international supervision.

If this turns out to be sarin and the regime is responsible, it means either they did not get rid of all their stocks or managed to reconstitute some of their production and handling capabilities.

Dr Elbahtimy said Khan Sheikhoun was a significant target for Assads forces as it borders a motorway connecting government-held cities with rebel strongholds in the north.

The area saw intense fighting in 2016, with previous allegations of chlorine attacks levelled at the government.

Ammar Abdullah, a citizen journalist, told The Independent he had seen chlorine gas before but it was nothing like this, adding that friends from Damascus compared the symptoms to those seen in the Ghouta attack.

How can international society let such thing happen? he asked.

More than 70 people lost their lives, and the world is watching with no action...we are losing the hope that anyone will help.


For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The UN Secretary General has called a suspected chemical weapons attack that left more than 70 people dead in Syria a moment of truth amid anger over the failure to prevent repeated atrocities in the six-year conflict.

Antonio Guterres told a conference co-hosted by the UK in Brussels that the massacre in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun must be investigated.

The horrific events of yesterday demonstrate that unfortunately war crimes are going on in Syria, that international humanitarian law remains being violated frequently, he said.

Recommended Bombing continues in Idlib as Assad regime denies chemical attack

Mr Guterres said he was confident that UN Security Council meeting due later in the day would live up to its responsibilities after Russia and China repeatedly vetoed sanctions on Bashar al-Assads regime over chemical weapons.

The Syrian government denied deploying toxic gas in the latest incident in Idlib, with Russia claiming a terrorist weapons development facility caused the deaths when it was hit by legitimate air strikes  an allegation rejected by opposition groups.

Doctors said victims started to choke, vomit and faint with foam coming out of their mouths, showing symptoms of possible sarin gas exposure.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has not named the toxin involved as investigations continued but said the evidence was consistent with reactions to a nerve agent.

 Victims of alleged chemical attack in Idlib, Syria

The UN agency said at least 70 people were killed and hundreds more affected in Khan Skeikhoun, adding: The likelihood of exposure to a chemical attack is amplified by an apparent lack of external injuries reported in cases showing a rapid onset of similar symptoms, including acute respiratory distress as the main cause of death.

Some cases appear to show additional signs consistent with exposure to organophosphorus chemicals, a category of chemicals that includes nerve agents.

Recommended Trump tweet undermines his blaming of Obama for Syria chemical attack

Chemical weapons were first reportedly used in Syria in 2012, WHO said, and have since occurred with disturbing frequency despite a 2013 agreement aiming to reduce the regimes stockpiles.

Boris Johnson said he had seen absolutely nothing to suggest that anyone but Assads forces could have been responsible for the massacre, which is being investigated as a potential war crime by the UN.

"All the evidence I've seen suggests that this was the Assad regime who did it in the full knowledge that they were using illegal weapons in a barbaric attack on their own people, the Foreign Secretary told reporters in Brussels.

"You cannot go on with a regime that's willing to use illegal weapons against its own people, a regime that's killed hundreds of thousands of its own people.

What's needed now is a political process to get rid of that regime and give the people of Syria a chance.

A Syrian child receives treatment following a suspected gas attack in Khan Sheikhoun, a rebel-held town in the northwestern Syrian Idlib province, on 4 April (AFP/Getty)

Mr Johnson said it was impossible to imagine continuing power for the Assad regime after its latest alleged war crime, adding: This is a government that has absolutely no compassion for its own people that has put itself beyond the pale.

He and his French counterpart, Jean-Marc Ayrault, renewed calls for Assad to step down as part of a lasting political solution in Syria, just days after suggestions from the US Secretary of State and UN Ambassador that his removal was no longer a priority.

Donald Trumps spokesman also blamed the Syrian government for the reprehensible attack  as well as the Obama administrations inaction.

Germanys foreign minister, Sigmar Gabriel, called on Russia to endorse a planned UN Security Council resolution aiming to bring to justice those who are responsible.

Also appearing at the Brussels conference was the Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, who said the world had failed to prevent atrocities like the Khan Sheikhoun attack.

The world should not be shocked because it's letting such a regime do what it is doing, he added.

What should shock us is the increase of children dying and that the whole world is watching.

He told reporters that everyone is coming to Brussels to make a statement and the regime made its statement in Syria.

Destruction at a hospital that was bombed while treating victims of a suspected chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib, on 4 April (AFP/Getty Images)

Syrian activists and rebels were also voicing their frustration over global inaction over the repeated use of chemical weapons in Syria and other atrocities they say have been overlooked as the world focuses on Isis.

It is unacceptable that six years into Syrias crisis, civilians continue to be slaughtered with impunity, said Assaad al-Achi, from the opposition NGO Baytna Syria.

Syrians are depending on Europe to show real moral courage and help stop the killing. We hope Europe will not let us down.

Successive rounds of UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva have failed, while Russia and China have vetoed a resolution to refer the Syrian regime to the International Criminal Court and governments including the UK have been defeated in parliamentary votes on military action against Assad.

Mr al-Achi called on the EU to take active measures to enforce a Syrian ceasefire, rather than placing responsibility on Russia, Iran and other supporters of the Assad regime holding rival peace talks in Astana.

Syrian opposition representatives are among delegates at the Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region, which is being held over two days in the Belgian capital.

Delegates were expected to pledge huge amounts of aid for humanitarian assistance inside Syria, as well as for more than five million refugees who have fled the country.

Mr Johnson was criticised after praising Lebanon and Turkey for setting a moral example to the world by taking in millions of asylum seekers, when the UK is falling short of its own targets and has scrapped a programme to resettle child refugees.

Mr Hariri said Lebanon has been overwhelmed by the arrival of around 1.5 million Syrians and cannot sustain this issue anymore, adding: The international community has to do something.

As the number of Syrians fleeing the country continues to rise, more refugees are dying attempting to reach Europe than ever before, with more than 900 migrants killed attempting treacherous sea journeys so far this year.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (Medecins sans Frontieres) has said that the Syrian victims of an alleged chemical attack in rebel-held Khan Sheikhoun may have been exposed to nerve agents as well as suspected chlorine gas, as calls for the perpetrators of what is thought to be one of the worst uses of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war to date to be brought to justice grow.

At least 52 adults and 20 children were killed in the attack in Idlib province on Tuesday morning in what United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said showed war crimes are going on in Syria (and that) international humanitarian law is being violated frequently.

There were so many victims local hospitals were overwhelmed, witnesses on the ground said. One nearby hospital was also hit by an air strike as it struggled to deal with the flow of patients, as video footage captured by a local activist showed.

 Guterres on Syria chemical attack: 'International humanitarian law remains being violated'

Some of the dead, including children, showed no visible injuries, indicating the gas had killed them in their beds, said Mouin Abed al-Menem, a doctor who treated several victims.

A White Helmets civil rescue service volunteer who did not want to be named told The Independent he was woken up by the early morning attacks and arrived at the scene to find colleagues suffering from the effects of the gas.

"There were people shivering all around, suffocating, they had froth from the mouth," he said, adding that he and his colleagues worked until they could no longer see or breathe to remove people from the affected areas.

Some of the dead in Khan Sheikhoun had symptoms of exposure to sarin gas, the charity said in a statement on Thursday.

Sarin is a colour and odourless nerve agent which causes convulsions, suffocation, vomiting, dilated pupils, coughing blood and foaming at the mouth if inhaled, and is deadly in highly concentrated enough volumes or after prolonged exposure.

MSF said its medical teams reported the smell of bleach at a couple of hospitals, suggesting they were exposed to chlorine gas.

The organisation said the reports strongly suggest that victims... were exposed to at least two different chemical agents.

Syrias rebel groups and the international community have been quick to condemn the Syrian government for the attack, which both Damascus and its allies in Moscow have denied carrying out.

President Bashar al-Assads government gave up 1,300 tonnes of chemical weapons stocks to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) after sarin gas attacks in 2013 which killed hundreds in Ghouta, a rebel-held Damascus suburb.

Several UN investigations did not explicitly name perpetrators, but concluded that the weapons used matched those in the Syrian governments arsenal. French intelligence reports found that the Ghouta attack could not have been ordered and carried out by anyone but the Syrian government.

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

While former US President Barack Obama memorably called chemical weapons use in Syria a red line, rebel officials have long accused Mr Assad of holding back some chemical stocks from the OPCW removal and destruction of its arsenal.

Dozens of chemical attacks have occurred across Syria since then, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports, While most are thought to have been carried out by the regime, Isis has also created and used basic chemical weapons on civilians.

The UN Security Council met on Wednesday for emergency talks on the situation in Syria, where US ambassador Nikki Haley accused Russia of closing its eyes to the barbarity of previous attacks by vetoing a resolution in late February that would have imposed sanctions on those responsible.

Russia's deputy UN ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov, opposed Wednesdays draft resolution, saying it was based on information from discredited groups.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Europeans have forgotten about the growing humanitarian crisis in Yemen because they dont feel like the conflict affects them, an NGO director working in the country has told The Independent.

Giorgio Trombatore, Yemen country director for the International Medical Corps, said the famine fails to get the same attention as the armed conflicts across the Middle East, particularly Syria.

"I think one of the reasons might be the fact people are not directly reaching European seashores," Mr Trombatore said. "It seems more disconnected from what is happening in Europe.

"Half the country is now suffering from food insecurity and malnutrition, and this is something that could have been prevented."

 The child victims of Yemens civil war

A recent YouGov poll found only 49 per cent of the British public knew of Yemen's ongoing civil war, a figure that was even lower in the 18 to 24 age group, where only 37 per cent were aware of the conflict.

Mr Trombatore told The Independent the famine situation is getting worse and there is currently little hope for improvement.

"I expect the situation to deteriorate more," Mr Trombatore he said. "People here are coping with massive problems.

"The war is still ongoing. The bombing is still going on. There's a shortage of food and medication."

The situation in Yemen Show all 14 1 /14 The situation in Yemen The situation in Yemen Houthi supporters trample on a US flag during a gathering mobilizing more fighters into several Yemeni battlefronts, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen People carry the coffins of men, who were killed in the recent Saudi-led airstrikes during their funeral, in the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen AP The situation in Yemen Pro-government fighters give food to Yemeni children on the road leading to the southwestern port city of Mokha. Yemeni rebels are putting up fierce resistance in a key Red Sea port city where they are encircled by pro-government force Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni stands in front of a graffiti protesting US military operations in war-affected Yemen, in Sana'a, Yemen. According to reports, US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen A Yemeni female fighter supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, takes part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen Yemeni female fighters supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, take part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A boy shouts slogans next to pro-Houthi fighters, who have been injured during recent fighting, during a rally held to honour those injured or maimed while fighting in Houthi ranks in Sanaa, Yemen Reuters The situation in Yemen Balls of fire and smoke rise from a Houthi-held military camp following alleged Saudi-led airstrikes, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy looks on as Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy sits amidst the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa AFP/Getty The situation in Yemen Marine One with US President Donald Trump flies with a decoy and support helicopters to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, for the dignified transfer of Navy Seal Chief Petty Officer William 'Ryan' Owens who was killed in Yemen Getty Images The situation in Yemen US President Donald Trump aboard the Marine One to greet the remains of a US military commando killed during a raid on the al Qaeda militant group in southern Yemen on Sunday, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, US Reuters

The International Medical Corps warned as many as 460,000 children face severe malnutrition in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest nation which has been engulfed in three years of civil war.

Overall, 14.1 million people are food insecure while seven million people are considered severely food insecure.

Mr Trombatore described seeing people waiting near restaurants to ask if they could eat the scraps from diners plates.

"You can see these people are even dressed well, they never did this before. They are simply hungry and are probably displaced people," he said. "They are not beggars. They are not people who usually live like this. They are the result of the war."

He also said he had visited hospitals where he was shown malnourished children and adults, which he described as "very painful to see."

"The situation will definitely deteriorate because there are no signs for improvement," he added. "No signs for improvement at all."

Children at a camp for displaced people in Dharawan in Yemen (Reuters)

He urged people to help, either through raising money or pressuring the Saudi-led coalition to allow increased access for first aid, drugs or medicine.

The Saudi-led coalition has imposed an air and naval blockade on Yemen, imposing strict restrictions on what can and cannot be brought into the country and causing delays to aid deliveries, the UN has said.

Mr Trombatore added: "As long as this is brought up to any international level, these kind of things make pressure. So as long as people are silent and no one is talking about it, the crime continues."

The UK is the fourth largest aid donor to Yemen, committing 103m in humanitarian aid in the last year.
Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

If any country has a reputation for modesty and manners, its Japan. The Japanese are polite, never late and constantly bowing, goes the usual narrative  and theres certainly truth in that. But the reality is a little more complicated  and that complexity is on full view at one of the countrys most outlandish religious festivals, the Kanamara Matsuri, or Festival of the Steel Phallus, held annually in Kawasaki, just south of Tokyo.

Its the first Sunday in April, and Im in Kawasakis Daishi neighbourhood, surrounded by penises of all colours and sizes. Normally the streets here are sleepy  just three days ago, only a few lonely pedestrians were walking the alleys  but today theres a scrum of people shouting, laughing and chanting, pushing and shoving as they jockey for position.

Theyre all trying to get a glimpse of the massive penis mikoshi, or portable shrines, being paraded through the town. Each mikoshi is carried by dozens of locals outfitted in happi coats and sweatbands, while some of the men are in fundoshi, loincloth-style underwear.

The Kanamara Matsuri is often presented to outsiders as yet another face of quirky Japan, but in fact, its a serious religious affair, linked to Japans nature-worshipping Shinto religion.

Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' Show all 15 1 /15 Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' The festival is LGBT-friendly Selena Hoy Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' Everything is penis-related on the day of the festival Selena Hoy Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' There are plenty of souvenirs for sale Selena Hoy Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' There's a serious side to the festival too Selena Hoy Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' But it has solid historical and religious roots Selena Hoy Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' Today, the festival includes a cross-dressing group carrying this giant pink penis Selena Hoy Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' The festival's now become part of Japan's 'wacky' identity Selena Hoy Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' Phallic imagery abounds in Shinto Selena Hoy Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' The Elizabeth Kaikan group carry the pink penis Selena Hoy Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' Thousands of people attend the festival Selena Hoy Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' The Elizabeth Kaikan group carry the pink penis Selena Hoy Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' The Shinto religion focuses on fertility Selena Hoy Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' There's every kind of food in phallic shape Selena Hoy Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' The serious part of the procession Selena Hoy Inside Japan's annual 'penis festival' Participants can wear anything from loincloths to full uniforms Selena Hoy

Its organised by the priests of Kanayama Jinja, a sub-shrine of the larger Wakamiya Hachimangu that, the rest of the year, is populated almost exclusively by locals. For centuries, Kanayama has been a place where couples pray for fertility and marital harmony; during the Edo era, from the 17th to 19th centuries, sex workers would come and pray to be rid of the STIs that they picked up in the course of the job. There was even a festival revolving around fertility and sexual health during those times  but the tradition was lost in the late 1800s. In the 1970s, then-chief priest Hirohiko Nakamura decided to resurrect it.

Early incarnations of the new Kanamara Matsuri were held at night and saw only about a dozen attendees. But since then, the festival has morphed into what it is today: a joyful and blatant celebration of the penis in this usually more circumspect country.

The Japanese arent exactly known for broadcasting their sex lives and until recently, the Kanamara Matsuri mostly attracted a smattering of overseas visitors. But five years ago everything changed when it was name-checked by Matsuko Deluxe, a Japanese TV personality known for his cross-dressing and pro-sexuality views. The festival quickly gained domestic followers  today it attracts around 50,000 visitors.

The parade consists of three mikoshi, each containing an enormous disembodied phallus. The first  ramrod straight and made of shiny black metal  is carried by a troupe of whistling and chanting shrine-bearers, careering from side to side down the street as festivalgoers jump out of the way. The second is an old wooden model, ancient and gnarled.

Phallic imagery isnt uncommon in Shinto (Selena Hoy)

The third is carried by a joso group: members of a cross-dressing club called Elizabeth Kaikan whose members are decked out in bright makeup and colourful wigs as they jiggle the mikoshi in the air, pouting and preening for the cameras.

But although some see the festival as a joke, Kimiko Nakamura, former chief priestess at the shrine (and wife of Hirohiko, who rebooted the festival), stresses that its a legitimate event  politically as well as from a religious perspective.

Officials who handle human rights from City Hall have come to the festival and handed out pamphlets, promoting this festival as a LGBT-positive, non-discriminatory event, she tells me. This event has deep, wide roots in that kind of thinking, and we dont want anybody to take it another way.

We consider that there should be no discrimination against anybody, including LGBT people. Anybody should be able to come to this festival and enjoy it. Fertility prayers arent unusual in Shinto, of course  and neither is phallic imagery.

Back in the procession, groups of people wander by sucking on penis-shaped lollipops coloured green, blue, purple and pink. The line at the sweet stand is at least 30 deep. Even local restaurants are doing their own take on phallic-shaped fare.

Its known as a fun event but the festivals roots go way back (Selena Hoy)

And everyones loving it. I see grannies enjoying themselves. I meet one woman who tells me she works at the nursery school next to the shrine and has been a festival stalwart for 30 years. And lots of people have brought small children, too. One little boy perches on his dads shoulders and points to the big pink phallus mikoshi. Wow, a willy! he says. Yeah, his dad responds. Its a big willy.

Click here to find your ideal hotel or resort in Japan.
Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Airline passengers flying to, from and within Italy have experienced severe delays and cancellations on a day involving widespread strikes by aviation workers, with more industrial action planned for the end of the Easter holidays.

Alitalia staff are striking in disputes on pay and conditions, along with groups of ground staff the length and breadth of Italy.

Hundreds of flights on the Italian national airline have been cancelled, amounting to 60 per cent of the days schedule.

Alitalia is telling passengers: The airline has immediately taken special measures to minimise inconvenience to its customers, by rebooking as many of the passengers affected by cancellations as possible on the first available flights. But with many services cancelled, including multiple flights to New York and other long-haul destinations, it could take days to get passengers where they need to be.

Flights from Heathrow and London City to Milan and Rome were among those cancelled. Because crews and aircraft will be out of position on Thursday, Alitalia has already cancelled more than 50 additional departures  including a morning service from Heathrow to Rome.

The strike calendar published by Italys Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport shows a vast number of impending strikes by transport workers. On Thursday, many bus drivers in the Lazio region surrounding Rome will strike, followed by their counterparts in Sicily, the Naples area and Brescia.

Sunday sees railway workers in the Piedmont region taking action. In February, taxi drivers in Rome stopped work for four days.

More aviation strikes are planned across the country for 21 April  a key date for British families returning from their Easter holiday breaks.

Other airlines were less affected by todays action.

British Airways cancelled a handful of flights serving Florence, Genoa and Pisa. BA told passengers: Unfortunately we have been forced to cancel a very small number of services.

Although the industrial action is beyond our control and will affect a number of airlines, we are sorry for any potential disruption to your travel plans.

The airline has also cancelled tonights flight from Heathrow to Buenos Aires and back, because of a separate dispute at the Argentinian capitals main airport.
Xiongan New Special Economic Zone (Photo : Getty Images)

To kickstart growth for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integration, the Chinese government is set to establish a new special economic zone in Xiongan, where non-government facilities such as schools, markets, research institutions and hospitals will be relocated from Beijing.



Advertisement

Reuters reported that the new special economic zone, which will be located around 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing, will have the same significance as Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, which helped spur economic reform in 1980.



It will be built close to Shijiazhuang, Hebei's capital, and will accommodate Beijing's "non-capital functions," according to a circular by China's Cabinet.



The move to relocate non-capital functions and industries from Beijing is part of the city's efforts to curb pollution and address congestion, the report said. The move is also part of the broader plan to integrate development in the Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei region through an improved economic structure and public services.



Xiongan New Area is expected to compete with Shenzhen and Pudong, two special economic zones, which was established by former leaders Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin. From a small fishing village, Shenzhen rose to a busy metropolis while Pudong, which was once a wetland, became the country's financial hub.



According to People's Daily, the Communist Party's newspaper, the decision to establish the Xiongan New Area is a major step in the country's efforts to address urban problems and spur new growth.



The new special economic zone would become the model for optimized development in highly-populated areas and the improvement in urban planning in the region, according to the Cabinet circular



The Xiongan New Area will eventually be expanded from 100 sq. km. to 2,000 sq km., the report said.



The plan to develop a new area where Beijing's non-capital functions will be relocated was first envisioned by President Xi Jinping.



Xi wanted to prioritize ecological protection for the area, where people can enjoy better living conditions well-being and practice Chinese culture and traditions.



The new area covers the counties of Xiongxian, Anxin and Rongcheng. It is also home to Baiyangdian, one of the largest freshwater wetlands in the north.



Government data showed that the three counties have a combined GDP of about 20 billion yuan ($4 billion) last year, less than 1 percent of Beijing's GDP.


Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The solution to the shortage of airport space in the UK and elsewhere? Create an endless runway. The revolutionary concept of a circular runway has been developed by Henk Hesselink at the National Aerospace Laboratory in the Netherlands with EU funding.

Mr Hesselink and his colleagues are looking ahead to 2050 and beyond, by which time air traffic within Europe is predicted to triple.

The researchers say: Physical constraints on runway operations, like wake-vortex separation minima and cross- and tailwind limits, make it hard to improve performance of conventional airport configurations further.

The runway has a diameter of 3 to 4km, with all the terminal infrastructure located inside the circle. This makes the airport compact, while allowing current-day aircraft to use the circle without significant structural modifications, says the research document.

In an exclusive interview for The Independent, Mr Hesselink envisaged the possibility of aircraft landing almost simultaneously, dramatically increasing the capacity of a constrained airport.

In principle the circle is so large that you can have three aircraft [operating] without interfering with each other.

We took the busiest day of the year at Charles de Gaulle and simulated it for a circular runway. It worked well.

The UK Government is currently consulting on airport expansion plans in South-East England, though a circular runway has never been considered.

Besides squeezing in more planes, a circular runway could also eliminate the problem of crosswinds. At the UKs leading airports  Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted and Edinburgh  there is either a single runway or two parallel strips.

Crosswinds can make landings challenging, slow the flow rate of aircraft or even halt operations temporarily, with diversions and delays. But with the Endless Runway, an aircraft can always operate into the wind.

The idea has already been tested in the 1960s, said Mr Hesselink: Some flight trials have been conducted, but the air-traffic controllers and the systems were not ready. You need computer support for this. He believes that improvements in aircraft and GPS technology makes operations feasible.

With a curved runway that has a slight incline to tackle the complex forces involved, pilots will need additional training to handle take-offs and landings. But, said Mr Hesselink: There have been some trials on military airports in the US: its actually pretty easy to do.

Some pilots in online forums have been vocal about the concept. One wrote: I can't see how this could result in an increase in traffic or spread the noise around much. The only useable part of the circle is the into wind part, the rest is crosswind or downwind to varying degrees meaning that most movements will inevitably be from the same into wind sector, as will the approaches and departures.

Then there's tyre wear, stress on the gear, the practical problem of landing in a turn, designing a whole new instrument landing system that can cope with a 360-degree runway

Mr Hesselink said: If you talk to pilots there are some challenges. We have really considered all the nominal situations and taken into account the safety aspects.

A leading air safety expert in the Netherlands said: His idea is fun, but is not very practical. It would take up a huge amount of space  if the full circle was built. The accuracy required to land without building up high sideloads on the landing gear probably require all landings to be performed by an autoland system. This would have an impact on an airports capacity.

The project team are undeterred.Our next wish is to see if we can do real flight trials, said Mr Hesselink, adding You dont have to build the full circle at once.
Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The Trump slump, as it has become known, is alive and well. Since President Trump took office, the numbers show, tourists just arent as keen on visiting the United States.

International travel to the US dropped 6.5 per cent in the eight days following the presidents proposed travel ban on January 27 when compared to the same period in 2016, according to travel data company ForwardKeys. Online searches for flights to America also dropped by 17 per cent the same week, said flight app Hopper. And the president of Dubai-based airline Emirates, Sir Tim Clark, confirmed in March that the travel ban, which sought to stop nationals from seven mainly Muslim countries from travelling to the US, immediately triggered a drop in bookings from Dubai by over a third.

All this has resulted in an estimated loss of $185 million in business travel bookings from January 28 to February 4, as calculated by the Global Business Travel Association. The drop-off in tourism is predicted to result in 4.3 million fewer visitors this year, which adds up to a staggering loss of $7.4 billion in revenue for the US.

The UK is no exception to this trend. Since Donald Trump took office, almost a third (29 per cent) of Britons said they have been put off holidaying in America and flight searches to the US have dropped overall by 13 per cent, according to a poll by flight comparison site Cheapflights.co.uk.

A significant number of Brits have been spooked by what they see happening over the pond, and are beginning to vote with their clicks as they explore alternative options for travel in 2017, said managing director of Cheapflights Andrew Shelton. With UK travellers contributing nearly $5 billion a year to the US economy, tourism chiefs in the country should take note of what could be a substantial reduction in support for a major industry there.

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

These findings were backed up at the end of February by online booking agent Kayak.co.uk, which found that UK flight searches to Miami  the second most popular US city for overseas visitors  had fallen off a cliff. Search was down 52 per cent compared to last year.

On an anecdotal level, many British travellers have told The Independent that President Trumps policies have put them off a holiday to the US. As a two-mum family, definitely, said blogger Laura Costello when asked if she was concerned about travelling to the States now Donald Trump is in charge. We're going to Florida in December and I would be lying if I said Trump doesn't concern me.

Similarly, author Damian Barr and his husband changed their travel plans in the wake of Trump's policies, opting to head to Bangkok instead of their regular January trip to California. "We've done this for 10 years, starting in San Francisco and heading down to Palm Springs," he told The Independent.

 Meet the migrant fleeing Al-Shabaab who escapes deportation by Trump by crossing into Canada

"Trump is the opposite of a holiday, and although Cali is holding out against him we didn't want to try and relax in a siege atmosphere. It's a road trip and I would struggle not to ram a Trump bumper sticker. And I don't want his administration to misspend my tourist dollars enacting oppressive bigoted policies."

For activist and campaigner Tamanna Miah, race plays a huge part in deterring her from travelling to America. She told The Independent: I don't want to go somewhere where I'm not welcome  and I wouldn't want to take the risk of being kicked off a plane for being Muslim.

Fear of not getting in on arrival and fear of racist attitudes over there puts me off. I would not want to constantly be worried or looking over my shoulder all the time, or experience bullying, racism and abuse from people.

Trump's proposed travel ban alienated many potential tourists (Andrew Harnik/AP)

I would not feel comfortable or welcome there at all; why should I spend my valuable time and money investing in their tourism trade when the country does not want me or my fellow Muslims there?

Meanwhile, Emily Norfolk-Thompson, a mother of three from Kent, cancelled a trip to America with her daughter over concerns that their Senegalese-born, British passport-holding nanny would face difficulties. "Of course my daughter and I will have no problem getting through US immigration - we are white, Christian and British born," she told The Independent. "However, things might be more difficult for Awa who is black, Muslim and non-British born."

She added: "I'm just not inclined to 'holiday' anywhere that has a particularly bad political atmosphere, and undeniably the US has that right now."

The American travel industry seems well aware of its predicament. Rafat Ali, the founder and CEO of travel intelligence provider Skift, told the Independent: The US is screwed for the next four years. We are our own worst enemies these days."

Other travel industry insiders have attempted to halt the decline in tourism by appealing directly to the President. Roger Dow, CEO of the US Travel Association, wrote an open letter to Donald Trump in which he expressed his concerns: Mr. President, please tell the world that while were closed to terror, were open for business. Imbalanced communication is especially susceptible to being lost in translation  so lets work together to inform our friends and neighbours, who could benefit from reassurance, not just who is no longer welcome here, but who remains invited.

However, its not all bad news for American tourism. Bucking the trend, New York has seen a surge in bookings this Easter. According to data from online travel agent Opodo.co.uk, bookings are up 198 per cent compared to Easter 2016. However, this could have more to do with high profile deals offered by budget airlines such as Norwegian, rather than an endorsement of the new president.

With the recent dip in flight prices as airlines vie to offer rock-bottom prices with huge advertising and marketing spend behind them, this choice has been shown to be a very savvy one indeed, said Lukas Balter, Opodo destination expert, of the rise in New York bookings.
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Boris Johnson has celebrated the efforts of countries like Lebanon for bearing the brunt of the refugee crisis at the Syrian aid conference in Brussels this week.

To date Lebanon has taken in 1.5 million Syrian refugees over the course of the countys six-year civil war, with displaced Syrians now making up a quarter of the countrys population. The UK, in contrast, has taken in just 6,000 refugees  including, shamefully, just 340 out of the 3,000 unaccompanied minors we vowed to take in under the aborted Dubs Amendment. If taking in millions makes you a moral example to the international community, what does taking in a few thousand do? Perhaps Johnson should consider that before opening his mouth and blowing out more hot air.

The UKs agreed strategy toward Syria is to provide aid over resettlement. Since 2012, it has committed 2.3bn to the humanitarian crisis: as well as funds being sent directly to improve the conditions on the ground in Syria, 463m of that aid has gone to Lebanon, 423m to Jordan, 317m to Turkey as well as Iraq and Egypt.

 Boris Johnson: Syrian chemical attack evidence points to Assad

The aim is to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees at the regional level so that they are discouraged from making the journey to Europe. The same logic forms the basis of the EU-Turkey deal, which allows Greece to return refugees to Turkey, from where EU countries would organise their resettlement.

A problem out of sight is a problem out of mind, but its still a problem. Take Lebanon, the largest recipient of UK aid outside of Syria. Unlike Jordan and Turkey, there are no formal camps in Lebanon, with all aid provided by a civil society who are no longer able to cope with the demands on their resources.

At the state level, Lebanon is barely able to care for its own population. It is a country with its own long-term infrastructure problems (water and electricity shortages are frequent), and seeing its population increase by 25 per cent in just six years has taken its toll. Schools are struggling to cope with new and often traumatised pupils; overcrowding and a lack of sanitation are putting a strain on the countrys health service; and Lebanons annual economic growth has slowed from 8 per cent to an average of 1 per cent.

Lebanons PM Saad Hariri has spoken of the growing fear of tension between Lebanese and Syrian communities, and the development of civil unrest. This is a country that has for years strived to disassociate itself from foreign policy controversies in the region, and is still working to heal the rifts of war in its own society  to put this into perspective, an estimated six out of ten households still own an automatic weapon. Add millions of refugees, with minimal support, to the equation and you can see how easily the balance could be tipped in favour of widespread discontent.

Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Show all 12 1 /12 Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man crosses a street in Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A vendor sits inside an antique shop in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, December 12, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A view shows part of Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors walk inside Aleppo's Umayyad mosque, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk inside the Khan al-Shounah market, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man walks past shops in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk along an alley in al-Jdeideh neighbourhood, in the Old City of Aleppo, Syria Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Visitors tour Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A general view shows the Old City of Aleppo as seen from Aleppo's historic citadel, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War People walk near Aleppo's Bab al-Faraj Clock Tower, Syria October 6, 2010 Reuters Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War Aleppo before the Syrian Civil War A man stands inside Aleppo's historic citadel, overlooking Aleppo city, Syria December 11, 2009 Reuters

In contrast, what are a few more thousand refugees to a relatively stable and affluent country like the UK? The UK has vowed to take in 20,000 refugees by 2020, but in the current political context, this seems highlight unlikely, especially given the Conservative Governments inclination to U-turn on such matters.

If Boris Johnson really admired the efforts of Syrias neighbours so much, he might want to put his money where his mouth is and lobby for the UK to take in its fair share, thus making Britain a similar moral example within Europe. Sadly, his bit-part in Brexit has made such a project way beyond his public profile now.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The latest leg of International Trade Secretary Liam Foxs trade crusade comes to the Philippines, and with it another low point for Brexit Britain. Cue more shameless photocalls with dubious despots and awkward silences regarding human rights. Only this time, with the Philippines, Britannia really is surfing new waves.

President Rodrigo Duterte has so far done all he can to break old alliances and has only really made new friends with Russia and China. British and Filipino relations are not a consideration of any magnitude for either party, but it seems like Fox smells a free lunch. If he dines with Duterte, however, he may need someone to taste it first.

Duterte has just finished his latest tirade, coincidentally or not, against the EU, who he told to f*** off (and not for the first time) within the last six months. The EU had the temerity to question his decision to bring back the death penalty, having previously condemned his murderous war on drugs that has left at least 8,000 people dead and his practice of jailing and shaming opposition figures.

 Liam Fox meets President Duterte

Maybe Fox believes it is impolite to mention such matters during trade talks; is there any need to draw Dutertes ire when raising his human rights record can be left to the likes of the UN rapporteur for extra-judicial killings, Agnes Callamard?

Perhaps top of agenda at Foxs first meeting was the question of the post-Brexit fate of the 12,000 Filipinos currently working in the NHS for a Government wanting to reduce immigration. The Philippines is the third largest provider of NHS workers to Britain, and the leading provider of nurses and midwives. Britains negotiating position here is hardly strong. Sharing a supply-demand relationship for qualified, English speaking and economical healthcare workers does not a shared value make.

However, the US  from whom Duterte seeks to divorce itself from an undoubtedly unfair marriage of convenience  has taken a much firmer stance. Trumps trade envoy shamed the British mission, by publicly claiming that the countrys systemic corruption was the fundamental barrier to US investment in the Philippines. What do they know that we dont?

Recommended Christian Theresa May must be standing up for her values in Saudi

While doing business in the Philippines is risky. The street murder of the lawyer wife of a British man, for example, and of a South Korean businessman while in police custody, would certainly present immediate problems for budding adventurous Brexit investors. You could always call upon on the British ambassador, Asif Ahmad, whose monthly column in the local press  The Great British View  is an exercise in banality. Following the visit of Fox and an audience with Duterte, I would expect the ambassador to have some material to expound on the shared values Fox declared.

Total UK-Filipino trade is worth less than 0.5 per cent of the UK-EU trading relationship. So why are we grovelling at the hands of a leader who this week, by his own admission, expressed his willingness to kill?

The true price of Brexit will be borne far and wide.

Tom Smith is a lecturer in international relations at the University of Portsmouth. He specialises in Asian security, specifically terrorism and conflicts in South-east Asia
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Russia is a victim of terrorism. At least as much as any western country. Airport bombings, airplane bombings, theatres and schools, overground and now underground train bombings. Russia has had its share. The Houses of Parliament, the Brandenburg Gate and other iconic buildings should be emblazoned with the Russian flag in sympathy and solidarity (although they wont be).

Suspicion initially fell on Russias own North Caucasus republics  an Achilles heel which has often proved the source in the past. The latest information suggests the opening up of a new front however, with the suspect apparently coming from southern Kyrgyzstan (though having lived in Russia for about five years). At this stage, all such information should be examined with very hard eyes as the authorities are not above pinning the blame on the nearest non-Russian-looking person.

If true however, this is a worrying development for Russia, which hosts between 3-4 million seasonal migrant workers a year from the wider Central Asian region  the largest migrant intake in the world after the USA. But the Kyrgyzstani element should not be a complete surprise either. The June 2016 Istanbul airport suicide bombers are also thought to have originated from the North Caucasus and Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan. Clearly the region requires a reassessment by all major powers. The West in particular has largely ignored it since the pull-out from Afghanistan.

 Russia President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at scene of blast in St Petersburg

Although Russia does have form in intervening in Central Asia, it has been nothing like the bull-in-a-china-shop approach that it has employed in Syria  or indeed in the North Caucasus. In fact, Kyrgyzstan is an example of Russian military restraint. During the 2010 fighting largely between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, Russia chose not to send in troops  although it did have a hand in choosing the Kyrgyz government that came next.

However  and there does need to be a however in any honest assessment of the overall terrorist threat to Russia  in the search for solutions it is impossible to avoid Russias own actions at home and abroad as an explanation  not, of course, as justification.

Just as it is nonsensical to deny the causal link between the UKs involvement in the invasion of Iraq and Londons own underground bombing atrocity in July 2005, the broader link between Russias actions towards Islamic peoples and yesterdays act of terror can only be disputed by those with a political agenda  those for whom doctrine and a powerful state is more important than human life.

St. Petersburg metro blast Show all 5 1 /5 St. Petersburg metro blast St. Petersburg metro blast An injured person is helped by emergency services outside Sennaya Ploshchad metro station, following explosions in two train carriages at metro stations in St. Petersburg Reuters St. Petersburg metro blast Emergency services work outside Sennaya Square metro station in St Petersburg Reuters St. Petersburg metro blast An injured person is helped by emergency services outside Sennaya Ploshchad metro station, following explosions in two train carriages at metro stations in St. Petersburg Reuters St. Petersburg metro blast Emergency services direct pedestrians outside Sennaya Ploshchad metro station, following explosions in two train carriages at metro stations in St. Petersburg Reuters St. Petersburg metro blast Twitter/ varlamov

In terms of approaches and responses to terror, regardless of its point of origin, Russia and the West differ greatly. This explains the absence of flags on the Brandenburg Gate (or indeed on Facebook). Of course it does not mean that western citizens have less sympathy for the dead of St Petersburg than for the dead of Nice or Westminster Bridge  that would be racist. But there are two explanations for the different reactions.

First, some may find it hard to distinguish between the unsavoury geopolitics Russia prosecutes beyond its borders and its 150 million-strong population. But the only fault that can be lain at door of Russias citizens is that too many accept the Kremlin account of Russias actions abroad at face value  and even that is somewhat excusable as they are force-fed that version through state-directed television.

The second reason for the international response being different towards St Petersburg than it was towards, say, Nice is that Russia remains a brutalised society and the official reaction tends to be more akin to revenge than to justice. This makes western empathy harder.

Meanwhile, Russia will face more terrorism in the months and years to come  and quite possibly with greater frequency, not least due to fighters who originate from Central Asia and Russias southern Muslim republics returning from the war in Syria  some 2,000 Russians from the North Caucasus have been fighting there according to some estimates, and some will surely return over time and with violent intent. But terror attacks in Russia will also increase because the traditional reaction from authorities  and particularly autocracies  is to use atrocities to tighten the screws. This is especially convenient in order to show strength in the run-up to Russias presidential elections in March next year. But such is the nature of terrorism  its ubiquity, and its relative ease to perpetrate  that tightening tends to have the effect of squeezing terrorists elsewhere much as it did when Russia bombed Chechnya into submission in the late 1990s. But not necessarily much further afield: as the worlds largest country, Russia contains far too many targets over too wide an area to realistically protect.

James Nixey is Head of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House
The withdrawal agreement between the United Kingdom and European Union must recognise the unique position and special circumstances of the island of Ireland, MEPS have said.

A resolution adopted by the European Parliament, setting out its red lines in the Brexit talks, said that all means and measures consistent with EU law and the Good Friday Agreement must be used to mitigate the effects of Brexit on the border.

The resolution noted that there was a need to ensure the stability of the peace process and to do everything possible to avoid a hardening of the border.

The text largely repeated the same priorities set by European Council President Donald Tusk in his draft negotiating guidelines released last week.

The text was backed by more than two-thirds of those in the parliament, which will have to approve any deal with the UK.

Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan said he was greatly encouraged that the resolution contains a very strong acknowledgement of Irelands unique concerns on Brexit.

This position reflects the sound understanding within the Parliament of our unique issues, not least in relation to the peace process, the border and the Common Travel Area, and the need to address these issues effectively in the forthcoming negotiations, Mr Flanagan said.

The resolution noted that the European Parliament was especially concerned about the consequences of Brexit for Northern Ireland and its future relations with the Republic.

Earlier, the EUs chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the EU will not look to punish the UK, but it must pay what it owes.

He also said that the talks process will ensure the peace process here is not called into question.

Mr Barnier - who was chastised by Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson for twiddling on his phone as Mr Nicholson spoke - also said that Britain must stop pressing for immediate parallel talks with the EU on a post-Brexit free trade deal.

This is a very risky approach, Mr Barnier said in his speech to the European Parliament.

To succeed, we need on the contrary to devote the first phase of negotiations exclusively to reaching an agreement on the principles of the exit.
Facebook is to crack down on incidents of revenge porn with new tools aimed at blocking intimate images shared without consent.

The technology will be applied to Instagram and Facebook Messenger as well as the main site. However, it will not apply to Whatsapp, which Facebook also owns.

The new tools will depend on users reporting images. Specially trained teams, some of which are based in Ireland, will review the images to see if they warrant removal.

In many cases we will also disable the account for sharing intimate images without permission, said Antigone Davis, head of global safety at Facebook.

Ms Davis also said that Facebook will offer an appeals process for people who believe their images were taken down in error.

If someone tries to share the image after it's been reported and removed, we will alert them that it violates our policies and that we have stopped their attempt to share it.

The move comes after several recent cases of revenge porn and sharing intimate images without consent.

Last month, a man from Skerries pleaded guilty in Balbriggan District Court to uploading a 10-minute video of himself and his girlfriend having sex. The 26-year-old man posted the video twice to an online pornography website.

Meanwhile, Hollywood actress Mischa Barton said that she has taken out a restraining order against two ex-boyfriends who she suspects of attempting to sell naked images of her, describing herself as being trapped in a "horrific situation".

Barton, star of the television show 'The OC', accused her former partners Jon Zacharias and Adam Shaw of trying to sell the "revenge porn" footage, with a starting price of $500,000 (468,000).

"I have been put through an incredibly hard and trying time, she said. My absolute worst fear was realised when I learned that someone I thought I loved and trusted was filming my most intimate and private moments, without my consent, with hidden cameras.

Facebook has now outlined steps that people should take if they believe they are the victim of revenge porn imagery. It advises people to document everything, including the taking of screenshots, even though this might be upsetting. The company also advises printing the images out or saving them to a secure storage drive.

As we build a global community, this is a moment of truth, said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder. Our success isn't just based on whether we can capture videos and share them with friends. It's about whether we're building a community that helps keep us safe, that prevents harm, helps during crises, and rebuilds afterwards.
New Holland has launched a new T5 Series aimed at drystock and dairy farmers in the popular 80-120hp market segment.

There are five models in the new line up, ranging from the T5.75 up to T5.115. Sean Lennon, Head of Tractor Product Management at New Holland, said: "With the new T5 we have completed the process for the renewal and rationalisation of our medium range.

"The process was focused on providing today's farmers with an ample choice of solutions to match their specific requirements and meeting the growing demand for powerful, light all-rounders. We think the new T5 Series offers a complete package at a very competitive price."

Transmission choice

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

The T5 Series is available with a wide choice of transmissions. The entry-level 12x12 Synchro Shuttle transmission offers traditional robust operation with positive direction changes. The 12x12 Hydraulic Power shuttle delivers fingertip direction changes without letting go off the steering wheel.

The new 24x24 Dual Command transmission features a Hi-Lo Splitter full load power shift that delivers a tailored shuttling performance. The top transport speed of 40kph makes short work of transporting, and the full T5 range is available with either two or four-wheel drive.

The T5 is factory ready for New Holland's 500TL and new 700TL front loaders, which can be combined with a front linkage.

The factory fitted front linkage has a lifting capacity of up to 1,670 kg which, combined with the 1000-speed PTO, further adds to the T5 range's versatility.

Customers who want to work with front-mounted mowers or for municipalities will be able to swap easily between a front ballast carrier, front linkage and front PTO.

Hydraulics

The hydraulic offering has been designed for mixed farmers. For standard farming applications, the 48 litre/minute with a dedicated 28 litre/minute services pump is sufficient.

The bigger so called MegaFlow option delivers up to 64 litre/minute to the main pump and 36 litre/minute to the services pump; New Holland says this provides the power required for the most demanding applications, including front loader work, while keeping the steering light and responsive at all times. Customers can tailor the hydraulics package to their needs. The T5 features two standard rear remote valves and two mid-mount valves. The number of hydraulic couplings can be increased to eight with an optional diverter.

The impressive rear lift capacity of 4,400 kg with a second assist ram ramps up productivity. A three speed PTO featuring ECO speed and ground speed multiplies the number of implements that can be used and reduces fuel consumption.

Engine rating

The new T5 range is powered by a 3.4 litre common rail engine developed by FPT Industrial. The powerful, quiet engine develops from 75 to 110hp and up to 457 Nm of torque.

The engines reach maximum power at just 1,900rpm and is available up to 2,300rpm, the most frequently used working range. Engine Speed Management with two speed settings and makes fieldwork easier, adding to the operator's productivity.

With a power-to-weight ratio of just 31.6 kg/hp, the T5 reduces the risk of soil compaction and uses less fuel. Fuel efficiency is further improved by features such as the 40kph ECO, which has the added advantage of quieter operation on the road. The high fuel efficiency combined with the larger, 160-litre fuel tank and 600 hour service interval means the tractor spends more time working in the field.

From the cab there is good all-round visibility, further improved by a single wiper blade with 200-degree movement and wide-angle mirrors.

For loader operation, a roof hatch can be specified to provide unrestricted view.

All the controls in the cab are ergonomically laid out, while many elements are adjustable to create a comfortable work station tailored to the operator.

The instrument cluster moves in conjunction with the fully tiltable steering column. The touch screen monitor puts the operator in control of all the main parameters.

As ever these days, a choice of seats is available offering varying degrees of comfort all the way up to the deluxe air-suspension version.
El-Sisi said Egypt is making every effort to achieve a delicate balance of respecting civil and human rights while upholding security and stability

Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met Tuesday with a number of congressmen and senators during his visit to the Capitol in Washington, where he discussed economic reforms, counter-terrorism measures, and mutual interests between Egypt and the US, a presidency statement read.

The Egyptian president met with a number of congressmen including the Speaker of US House of Representatives Paul Ryan and the Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, expressing Egypts wish to bolster its ties with the US, especially parliamentary ties between the two countries.

During his meetings, El-Sisi underlined the importance of reaching a fair and comprehensive political settlement to the Palestinian cause, adding that it would contribute to the stability of the Middle East.

El-Sisi also stressed the importance of the United States' role in reviving peace talks between the Israeli and Palestinian sides.

The Egyptian president also relayed the latest updates on Egypts economic reform measures as well as progress made in fulfilling the International Monetary Funds conditions for a $12 billion loan agreed upon last year.

El-Sisi also discussed efforts to renew religious discourse in order to reflect Islams "moderate and tolerant spirit" and to combat extremism and fanaticism.

In this context, El-Sisi assured congressmen and senators that all citizens of Egypt enjoy the same rights regardless of religious belief.

The president also emphasised Egypt's interest in promoting democracy and protecting human rights.

He added that the country is making every effort to achieve the delicate balance of respecting civil and human rights, on the one hand, and upholding security and stability, on the other.

On Monday, El-Sisi met President Donald Trump, who vowed to provide Egypt with firm backing and cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

Trump gave El-Sisi a warm welcome at the Oval Office, moving to mend relations strained under the administration of his predecessor, Barack Obama.

He said El-Sisi is doing a "fantastic job" in Egypt.

The trip is El-Sisi's first official visit to the US since he became president in 2014. The last time an Egyptian leader visited the White House was in August 2009 when now-ousted Hosni Mubarak met with Obama in the Oval Office.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Another Guinness World Record was broken on RTE Ones Big Week on the Farm this week.

Farmer Patrick Shalvey, whose family are hosting Big Week on the Farm on their dairy farm in Cootehill, Co Cavan, smashed the existing world record for reversing a tractor and trailer by 2.8 kilometres.

The attempt was filmed on Wednesday last week with Patrick reversing his 30-year-old tractor and trailer down the N3 in Cavan.

Footage of the attempt and GPS tracker information were sent to Guinness World Records for verification and on tonights Big Week on the Farm, Guinness World Records adjudicator Jack Brockbank confirmed that Patrick had broken the record.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

Patrick reversed the tractor and trailer for a total of 20.16 kilometres. The previous record was held by Kerryman Eamonn Hickson who managed 17.36 kilometres in August 2014.

To qualify as a record, the entire journey had to be done in reverse using a commercially available tractor and trailer with no modifications.

Speaking after learning he had broken the record, Patrick said: Im thrilled with that result. It is just fantastic. It was very enjoyable doing it and I had great help along the road. It is fantastic to be able to beat Kerry in something! It was two and a half hours and my neck was a bit sore afterwards but I had a bit of physio. It was worth it  to get that result tonight was really, really good.

Earlier this week, Cavan butcher Barry John Crowe broke the record for sausage-making on the opening episode of this years Big Week on the Farm. Barry John made 78 sausages in 60 seconds, beating the previous record of 60. However, an attempt to break the world sausage eating record the following night failed when Cavan man Taz Smith fell short of the eight sausages in one minute required to beat the longstanding record.

Big Week on the Farm airs all week on RTE One at 7pm.

This years Big Week on the Farm comes live from the Shalvey dairy farm in Cootehill, Co Cavan, for five successive nights on RTE One. Hosted by Aine Lawlor and Ella McSweeney the agricultural show gives viewers an insight into life on Irelands farms as they come to life during spring.

Over the course of the week celebrity guest presenters including Ruby Walsh, Al Porter, Vogue Williams, Pat Shortt and Aoibhin Garrihy, will descend on the Shalvey familys dairy farm, amidst the chaos of spring calving and milking.

Big Week on the Farm is co-funded with RTE by Science Foundation Ireland. Science and technology are increasingly part of modern farming and food production.

Science Foundation Ireland both through the scientific researchers and the public engagement activities it supports wants to help inform, and broaden everyones understanding of the developments in this key sector of our economy, and its potential impact on our everyday lives.
Ciara Shiels, Loughrea, Roberta McDonald, Sligo, Laura Starnes, I.C.S.A., Laois and Paula Mullen, Ahascragh, County Galway at the West Women in Farming conference in the Clayton Hotel, Galway. Photo: Ray Ryan

Moments before the official launch of West Women in Farming Ireland (WWFI), MEP Mairead McGuinness voiced her support for the current nationwide farm movement aimed at "breaking through the grass ceiling".

Martina Calvey, co-founder WWFI, told the gathering of farm women from Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Laois, Offaly and Westmeath, that Ms McGuinness had phoned to offer her "congratulations and support" and to remind the farm women of Ireland that she is a "channel to Europe".
Ireland's economic model is set to come under unprecedented scrutiny after the Trump administration launched an investigation into its trade relations with "partners" around the world.

New data shows that Ireland currently has the most favourable trade with the US of any country in Europe bar Germany.

It should be good news, showing we export far more to the US than we buy there.

But, US authorities have named Ireland as one of the countries it claims are guilty of running "chronic" trade surpluses with the US.

President Donald Trump's protectionist rhetoric has led to widespread concern that trade barriers will be used to slow trade.

The multinational sector in Ireland, dominated by US firms, faces particular uncertainty.

Government sources have told this newspaper that some US companies have shelved Irish investment plans altogether until Mr Trump's plans become more clear.

"The fact that we already down this route with the Trump administration less than three months into the presidency shows they are serious about this," said Alan McQuaid, chief economist with Merrion Capital, who believes that the latest pronouncement from the US administration is a worrying development for this country.

Ireland had a trade surplus with the US of $36bn (33.7bn) last year, enough to be listed alongside China ($347bn), Japan ($69bn), Germany ($65bn) and Mexico ($63bn) as countries the US has accused of running what it says are "unfair" deficits.

Data from the United States Census Bureau shows that Ireland was responsible for over a fifth of the EU's trade surplus with the US.

The data show that the EU ran a total trade surplus of $165bn (154bn) with the US last year.

The US exported goods and services worth $247bn (231bn) to the European Union last year. EU exports to the US were $362bn (339bn), roughly a fifth of all exports from the bloc.

The trade imbalance is more pronounced in the case of Ireland.

Indeed, of all EU countries, only Malta (27pc) sends a higher proportion of exports to the US than Ireland, but the numbers involved there are tiny.

"It looks like we are going to be in the eye of the storm on the trade issue, on corporation tax and obviously there's Brexit," Alan McQuaid said.

Germany(9pc) and the UK (15pc) also count the US as their largest export market.

While the Germans have been the target of the US administration's new investigation, trade relations with the UK will be smoother given that the US ran a trade deficit of $1bn with the country over the course of 2016.

Belgium ($15.2bn), The Netherlands ($24.2bn), Luxembourg ($949m) and Cyprus ($132m) are the only other EU countries that had a trade deficit with the US last year.

Other countries with large surpluses with the US include in Italy ($28.4bn),France ($15.8bn), Denmark ($5.7bn), Sweden ($5.9bn), Austria($7bn) and Spain($3bn).

Undoubtedly the most pressing issue for global trade presently is the discussions between Mr Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping, scheduled for later this week.

The two differ in almost every respect, from their political styles to their diplomatic experience, adding uncertainty to what has been called the world's most important bilateral relationship. (Additional reporting Reuters)
Exceptional costs of 3.6m contributed to the Irish arm of Carphone Warehouse recording pre-tax losses of 11.99m last year.

New accounts filed with the Companies Office by The Carphone Warehouse Ltd show that the firm recorded the 11.4m pre-tax loss as revenues declined from 123.66m to 114.1m in the year to the end of April 30 last. However, the prior period was for a 57-week period. The loss last year followed a pre-tax loss of 2.49m in 2015.

Carphone Warehouse has merged with Curry's and PC World. Following the merger, Carphone Warehouse confirmed plans to reduce the Ireland and UK store portfolio by 76.

According to the directors, this arises from the Dixons Carphone Group launching a roll out of its three-in-one store concept that involves merging the remaining PC World and Curry stores and inserting a Carphone Warehouse.

According to the directors' report "the costs associated with this initiative, being early lease termination premiums, onerous lease provisions, fixed-asset impairment and redundancy costs, have been treated as exceptional items totalling 3.6m.

The pre-tax loss last year also includes interest charges of 1m. The directors state that it is their intention to continue to develop the activities of the company.

A note attached to the Carphone Warehouse accounts states that the firm's accumulated losses of 50m reflect "an ongoing competitive market place, impacting trading margin during the financial period and provisions in respect of a property rationalisation plan".

The note states that the directors have reviewed budgets and cash projections for the 12 months from the approval of the accounts and with the support of parent, Dixons Carphone PLC have adequate financial resources to meet the company's requirements.
Irish company Version 1 is to create 365 IT services jobs over the next three years at its base in Dublin.

The jobs will be in the areas of ERP, systems integration, cloud and data analytics.

Version 1 is aiming to fill 100 positions this year, from graduate level to senior management.

The company is also launching their 2018 Graduate Programme in May to hire 70 IT graduates, making it one of the largest IT graduate employers in Ireland.

"The announcement today of 365 new jobs is as a result of our growth over the past five years and our confidence in our ambitious growth plans over the next three years," CEO of Version 1 Tom OConnor said.

Version 1 creates advanced software systems which aim to transform the way their clients do business and address the core challenges of their day-today operations.

Their business partners include Microsoft, Amazon and Oracle.

In describing the business, OConnor said it is "the glue that holds the economy together, managing huge numbers of day-to-day interactions such as providing insurance quotes, handling EU payments to farmers and processing motor tax payments. We develop systems that allows these kinds of processes to happen quickly and accurately".

Speaking at the jobs announcement An Taoiseach Enda Kenny commended the ambition and drive of Version 1 who will create 365 jobs over the next three years here in Ireland.

"The jobs represent a vote of confidence in the strength of Ireland's business environment, our highly skilled workforce and our strong education system, he said.

Mr Kenny went on to say that the Government aims to create 45,000 new jobs this year, "today's announcement contributes to that and I want to thank outgoing CEO Justin Keatinge and incoming CEO Tom O'Connor for their continued efforts and belief in Ireland", Mr Kenny said.

The jobs announcement comes as Version 1 is currently expanding into the UK and Europe following rapid growth over the past five years.

Since 2014, the company has created close to 200 extra jobs in Dublin and doubled its workforce to over 850 employees in Ireland and the UK. Version 1 now has offices in Belfast, Dublin, Cork, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester and London.

This year Version 1 will generate revenues of over 100m for the first time.

The company has expanded rapidly through organic and acquisitive growth since 2014, acquiring several large companies to expand its market share in the UK. It acquired the Rocela Group in January 2014, Patech in November 2014 and BMS Software in October 2016.

Version 1 is now embarking on its next phase of growth which will see it target more substantial acquisitions while also looking to the European market. The company intends to double again in size in the next five years.

Its next phase of growth is driven by a recently announced 90m investment by London-based investment firm Volpi Capital, who specialise in partnering with ambitious management teams in growth companies to assist them to achieve and accelerate their international growth plans.

This will be Volpis first investment in an Irish company and its largest investment to date.

This investment will also see 40 senior managers become shareholders. Founders Justin Keatinge and John Mullen will remain as Board members with Tom OConnor taking up the role of CEO.
THE US government has started to deliver on President Donald Trump's campaign promise to crack down on a visa programme that channels thousands of skilled overseas workers to tech firms.

Fed up with a programme it says favours foreign workers at the expense of Americans, the Trump administration has rolled out a trio of policy shifts.

On Friday, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services agency made it harder for companies to bring overseas tech workers to the US using the H-1B visa. On Monday, the agency laid out new measures to combat "fraud and abuse" in the programme. The Justice Department also warned firms not to discriminate against US workers.

Trump campaigned on a promise to overhaul the immigration system, calling for companies to hire more Americans instead of outsourcing jobs to countries with cheaper labour or bringing in lower-paid foreign workers.

Silicon Valley's biggest tech companies say efforts to thwart immigration, threaten innovation, recruitment and startup formation. Trump's executive orders restricting travel from a handful of Muslim-majority nations led to unprecedented opposition from the industry.

But there's also broad recognition that reform is needed, given several high-profile examples where American employees have been replaced by lower-paid foreign staff through the programme. Its estimated there were 460,000 people on H-1B visas in 2013.

Outsourcing firms are considered the worst abusers of the system, an impression that the tech industry has been happy to encourage. USCIS says it will focus inspections on workplaces with the largest percentage of H-1B workers, and those with employees who do IT work for other companies.

"Each of these steps are small steps by themselves," said R Chandrashekhar, president of Nasscom, which represents many India tech firms.

"What we are waiting to see is how they will tighten the process."

The changes bring more scrutiny to those for computer programmers doing the simplest jobs. "This is a step in the right direction in terms of tightening up the eligibility," said Ron Hira, an associate professor at Howard University. "You're going to have to beef up your argument for why you need this person."

Technology and outsourcing companies are the heaviest users of the H-1B visa, which is the largest programme for temporary foreign workers in the US by a wide margin.

India-based outsourcing companies receive a disproportionate percentage of the visas and tend to pay lower salaries than US-based tech firms. Employers sought H-1B visas for more than 13,000 computer programmers in 2016, citing an average salary of about $72,000 (67,000).

Scott Corley, executive director Compete America, a coalition of employers that rely on high-skilled immigrants, said reform should be part of a broader re-assessment.

"Our outdated legal immigration system relies heavily on a single temporary visa category, the H-1B, to prove work authorisation for every kind of high-skilled foreign professional we recruit," he said. The result? "Chaos, inefficiencies, and criticism." (Bloomberg)
Comedian and TV presenter Dara O'Briain has revealed he is alive.

Fans were undoubtedly horrified to read of the star's apparent death last night on (fake) news website meganews360.com.

The 'satirical' site claims O'Briain, "passed away in the early hours of this morning after the vehicle he was travelling with fell into a ravine along the Patrick Street in Dublin city centre after colliding with a government vehicle."

It adds, "Initial prove showed that the government vehicle's tire exploded after it ran over a pothole.

"Bean lost control of the vehicle until it fell into a 3-meter irrigation canal trapping them in the inside."

Apparently O'Briain was "driving home from a showbiz" at the time.

Terrible things those showbizzes.

O'Briain, or someone posing as O'Briain, took to Twitter to address the news.

"Apparently I'm dead. Huge if true. Another victim of those ravines in the middle of Dublin City. We must fill them in before others die too!"

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

The story was flagged by a fellow Twitter user who questioned O'Briain's apparent bilocation skills as he is currently touring Australia with his Crowd Tickler show.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference
The video and photos sparked controversy in the country, with many describing her behaviour as 'inappropriate' for a university professor. Others defended the professor, saying it is a matter of personal freedom

Egypt's Suez Canal University has decided to investigate English literature professor Mona Prince after personal images of her  including a two-minute video of her dancing on the roof of her home  went viral on social media on Tuesday.

The video and photos sparked controversy in the country, with many describing her behaviour as "inappropriate" for a university professor, Others defended the professor, saying it is a matter of personal freedom.

Professor Prince told Ahram Online on Wednesday that she has not received an official notice from the university regarding an investigation.

However, the university president said in a TV interview that the decision to investigate came after the university received many complaints that Prince violated academic principles when she posted the images, which included photos of her in a revealing swimsuit and drinking alcohol.

Hany Abu Zeid, a Facebook user who grabbed the professor's videos and photos and shared them on his page, said that the professor publically shared the material on her Facebook page.

Prince said "I do not know this man  who claims to be a journalist  either from social media or in person. He was probably pushed by someone else to defame me."

The professor defended her behaviour, saying it is a matter of personal freedom that harms no one, and called on the Egyptian community to consider discussing topics of more importance like health and education, instead of "a common citizen dancing at her home."

She added that she is ready to sue anyone who shared her photos and videos with the aim of to defaming her, since she shared this material on her private Facebook page a long time ago.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


RTE last night refused to comment after panelist Amanda Brunker was removed from yesterday's episode of the Today Show at short notice.

The former Miss Ireland has been a regular contributor to the RTE series for the last two years and covers film premieres and red carpet events.

It is believed Ms Brunker (42) was told late on Monday night that she was no longer needed to appear alongside fellow panelist Neil Prendeville on yesterday's show.

The TV couple, who frequently disagree on the programme, first became embroiled in a spat last week when they were discussing the recent penalty points scandal.

Ms Brunker grew further frustrated when they spoke about the Daily Mail's recent controversial 'Legs-It' front page picture and story which focused on British Prime Minister Theresa May and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's legs.

Writing for the Herald last week, she accused her fellow panelist of mansplaining and talking over the presenters.

Sources say Mr Prendeville was upset by her comments, however RTE last night refused to comment when asked if this was the reason Ms Brunker was removed from yesterday's show.

Despite their differences, Ms Brunker said she was available and happy to appear alongside Neil on the show.

"This has been going on for ages but last Tuesday I just snapped and said, 'Neil this isn't your show, you can't just keep talking over me'," she said.

She added that the presenters are told by producers that "monologues" aren't allowed and no one can speak by themselves for too long, and added: "It can't be one person just talking the whole time but of course he ignored that.

"I've had the gig for the last two years and I enjoy being a panellist on the show so it was kind of annoying that I wasn't allowed do it."

Video of the Day

Mr Prendeville refused to comment when asked about Amanda being removed from her slot on the show.

"It has got nothing to do with me," he said.

He is a well-known voice on the Cork airwaves, having previously presented on 96fm while currently hosting a show on Redfm.

The Cork man has been no stranger to controversy in the past.

In 2011, he narrowly avoided prosecution due to a jurisdictional technicality after he was accused of exposing himself on an Aer Lingus flight.

Ms Brunker is also accustomed to ruffling feathers.

The outspoken model recently caused an online uproar when she received botox treatments live on The Late Late Show.
Kendall Jenner's new Pepsi ad has been accused of being 'stupefyingly diabolical' and 'tone deaf' as it sees her leave a modelling shoot to hand a police officer a can of Pepsi during a peace protest.

Critics of the ad claim it draws from the recent protests over police brutality against black people in America and undermines the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

In the 2 minute 40 second video, set to Skip Marley's 'Lions', the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star (in a blonde wig) is seen posing during a modelling shoot as a peace protest takes place on the streets outside.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

People of various nationalities are seen joining the protest and are eventually joined by Kendall, who then gives a Pepsi to a police officer standing on the sidelines as she's photographed by a presumably Muslim woman wearing a headscarf.

Pepsi says the ad is about "the moments when we decide to let go, choose to act, follow our passion and nothing holds us back".

The soda brand released a statement saying, "This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony.

"We think this is an important message to convey.

Reaction has been overwhelmingly negative. Jenner has yet to respond to the criticism.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

Video of the Day

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference
An alleged Isil facilitator deported from Ireland last year is planning to mount a legal bid to be allowed to return here.

The man (54), who was an associate of Dublin-born suicide bomber Khalid Kelly, was deported to Jordan last July following a lengthy legal battle.

But his lawyers are now preparing to bring his case to the Court of Appeal arguing that a request for asylum should have been considered by authorities prior to his deportation.

If the case is successful, it could lead to the invalidation of the order used to deport him.

Human rights solicitor Darragh Mackin, of KRW Law, confirmed to the Irish Independent that an appeal was planned.

"We are in the process of drafting grounds of appeal at present," he said.

Expand Close Bomber: Khalid Kelly blew himself up near Mosul / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Bomber: Khalid Kelly blew himself up near Mosul

The father-of-four, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies claims by authorities that he acted as an Isil organiser while living in Ireland.

He claimed his safety would be at risk if he was returned to Jordan as he had previously been tortured there due to his political views. This involved the use of electric shocks, the squeezing of his fingernails, and falanga - the whipping or beating of the soles of the feet, he claimed.

However, he lost High Court judicial review proceedings in which he sought orders compelling Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald to consider an application for asylum and a declaration he be allowed to apply for refugee status without the minister's consent.

Read More

The Irish Independent understands he was detained in Jordan for a short period following his deportation, but was subsequently released.

During the High Court proceedings it emerged gardai suspected the man of being the "foremost organiser and facilitator within the State" of Isil terrorists.

It was alleged he made "travel arrangements" for others to fight abroad in countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

One of his sons had been killed fighting in the Syrian conflict, while another was detained in Jordan on a number of occasions.

The man was accompanied at one court hearing in March last year by Kelly, who would go on to carry out an Isil suicide mission in Iraq last November.

During earlier proceedings, the Jordanian's barrister Michael Lynn queried why gardai had not brought criminal charges against his client, given the allegations that were being made. No reason was given for the failure to prosecute him over his alleged activities.

Although she would not comment on the case specifically, Ms Fitzgerald said she made no apology for deporting individuals in cases where intelligence suggested they were supporting Islamic extremism.

The man left Jordan in 1995 and travelled around Europe before arriving in Ireland in 2000 and applying for asylum.

The asylum request was withdrawn months later following the birth of a child and he was granted residency in 2001.

His eldest son died fighting in Syria in 2013 and the man's wife returned to Jordan with two of their children shortly afterwards.

In 2015 he sought to renew his residency in Ireland but ran into difficulties when it emerged his Irish-born child had been in Jordan for a period.

That March he was informed of plans to deport him due to the belief he was "an organiser for Isil".

The following month he made a new application for asylum, but the Justice Minister refused to consent to the application being made.
The evidence against an alleged tiger kidnapper is almost entirely circumstantial but taken together conclusively proves the guilt of the accused, a jury has been told.

Jonathan Gill (35) is accused of a kidnapping a Drogheda postal worker, his partner and their 10-week-old baby daughter before robbing 660,000 from the man's workplace.

It is the State's case that Mr Gill was one of a group of five who were involved in holding the family hostage in their own home before moving them to a shed about a 90-minute drive away.

Mr Gill of Malahide Road, Swords, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to falsely imprisoning Warren Nawn, Jean Marie Nawn and their ten-week-old baby in Drogheda between August 1 and August 2, 2011.

Evidence has now concluded in the case. The jury has heard there is no evidence placing Mr Gill at the crime scenes nor any forensic evidence directly linking him to the offence.

The prosecution is instead attempting to link Mr Gill to the kidnapping by showing his association with two other men who are forensically linked to the crime as well as showing a car linked to Mr Gill was in the area of the kidnapping on the day in question.

The State has also presented evidence that Mr Gill was picked up on CCTV buying milk at 24 hour garage in Balbriggan at 5.30am while the kidnapping was in progress.

Ms Nawn had told the jury she was given a litre of milk during the night by the raiders to feed her crying 10 week old baby. A milk carton of the same brand was found in a partially burnt out car the next day after the family was released.

During his closing speech, prosecuting counsel Vincent Heneghan SC, said that several threads of evidence against Mr Gill mean nothing individually but when you pull the threads together and intertwined they form a rope.

Counsel said it was a circumstantial case but that circumstantial evidence can be just as compelling as DNA or fingerprint evidence.

Mr Heneghan pointed to a Renault Clio which he said was under the control or command of Mr Gill. He said this Clio was spotted at 6pm on the day of the kidnapping by a garda automatic number plate recognition system on a Drogheda road.

A few seconds later another car linked to another suspected tiger kidnapper was spotted by the same system. Counsel said they were travelling together.

Counsel also referenced evidence from the garda National Surveillance Unit that Mr Gill was seen driving the Clio at 9pm on the day of the kidnapping in Swords. Two other cars linked to the kidnapping were seen nearby.

Mr Heneghan said one of the other kidnappers, who he named as Anton Singleton, was seen driving out of a farmyard area in the months before the kidnapping. Counsel said this farm was used to hold the Nawns overnight during their ordeal.

In his closing speech counsel for Mr Gill, Sean Guerin SC, told the jury you cant make a rope with flimsy threads.

He said the prosecution admitted it couldn't prove what role Mr Gill played in the offence. He said there was no evidence whatsoever referring to Mr Gill between the start of the kidnapping at 10.30pm and the buying of the milk at 5.15am.

Referring to the observations of Mr Gill in the company of Mr Singleton, Counsel said there was no such thing as guilt by association.

You are not your brother's keeper or indeed your friends keeper, Mr Guerin said.

He also pointed to the intensive garda surveillance operation of Mr Singleton in the days leading up to the offence and said that during this time Mr Gill was not spotted with Mr Singleton.

The jury of seven men and five women will be addressed by Judge Elma Sheahan today before beginning deliberations.
Former Rehab Group chief executive Angela Kerins has avoided having to pay a massive legal bill after her failed High Court action against the Dail Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Normally losing parties would have to bear all of the costs, expected in this case to be between 500,000 and 700,000 after ten days of hearings last year.

However, the three-judge division of the Court ruled today that the PAC will have to pay two-thirds of Ms Kerinss legal bill.

The decision means the PAC will also have to pay its own legal costs on top of that. These stand at 234,000, according to documents released under Freedom of Information rules.

Two other defendants in the case, Ireland and the Attorney General, will also have to pay their own legal costs after they failed to secure orders for costs against Ms Kerins.

Ms Kerins (58) unsuccessfully sued for damages and sought declarations that the PACs activities were unlawful and tainted by bias following two hearings of the committee in 2014.

Expand Close Claim: Angela Kerins Picture: Collins Courts / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Claim: Angela Kerins Picture: Collins Courts

She alleged bullying by certain committee members, claiming they pursued a vendetta and a witch-hunt against her, forcing her to attempt suicide.

In a judgment read out by the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, the court found the circumstances of the case warranted a departure from the normal rules on costs.

Expand Close Former Rehab CEO Angela Kerins leaves the High Court. Photo: Collins Courts / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Former Rehab CEO Angela Kerins leaves the High Court. Photo: Collins Courts

He said Ms Kerins had attended the PAC in a voluntary capacity on February 27, 2014 and was dealt with in a manner set out in a previous judgment of the court.

That judgment said comments were made by TDs had damaged her reputation personally and professionally.

Mr Justice Kelly said Ms Kerins was not in attendance for medical reasons at a second hearing on April 10, 2014, but in her absence was dealt with in the manner described.

The judge said the court was restrained by the Constitution from commenting on utterances made by any member of the PAC.

But nonetheless it cannot be gainsaid that much of what was put to the applicant and said about her in the course of the two meetings in question was damaging to her reputation personally and professionally, he said.

The ruling said the court was satisfied the taking of the proceedings by Ms Kerins was a proportionate reaction to what had occurred.

It also said the court was satisfied Ms Kerins had raised issues of special and general public importance and of some novelty.

She raised issues concerning the legal safeguards, if any, available to witnesses who appear before the PAC in a voluntary capacity, the ruling said.

The PAC has an important function. Questions concerning the proper discharge of its function and the conduct of its members are matters of public importance.

The ruling went on to say the case also raised important questions of freedom of speech in parliament, the separation of powers and the extent to which the court may intervene in the affairs of the legislature.

The court said the case determined that Article 15.13 of the Constitution, concerning Oireachtas privilege, extended to comments made in committees as well as in the Dail and Seanad.

The case also casts light on the position of persons who volunteer to appear before the PAC, it said.

This may well have implications for the PAC in future since the court was told that it operates to a significant extent on voluntary participation of witnesses in hearings before it.

A stay has been put on the costs order in the event of an appeal.

At a previous hearing, Ms Kerinss counsel, John Rogers SC, argued she should be able to recover her costs from the PAC as it had acted outside its jurisdiction in its dealings with her.

He said Ms Kerins took the case where there was no established precedent which determined the extent of the immunities enjoyed by Oireachtas committees.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference
A man who brutally attacked an 89-year-old woman in her home has been handed an eight-year jail term.

Jamie O'Brien (22), formerly of Hazelwood, Fassaroe, Bray, Co Wicklow, was one of two men who broke into the home of pensioner Eva Sutton in the early hours of September 15, 2015.

They tied her up, beat her and ransacked the house in a raid that lasted 90 minutes.

O'Brien was before Judge Michael O'Shea yesterday at Wicklow Circuit Court for sentencing. He entered a plea of guilty last December to burglary, false imprisonment and serious assault causing harm.

Expand Close Eva Sutton / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Eva Sutton

"It is unimaginable that any human being could subject another human being to such a degrading, humiliating, horrific, shocking and terrifying ordeal," Judge O'Shea said.

He said that the raid ruined Ms Sutton's life.

Garda Patrick Milward told the court that at the time of the offence Ms Sutton lived alone in her home on Dublin Road in Bray, where she had been for more than 50 years.

The court was told that Ms Sutton was in bed when O'Brien and another man broke in at 4.38am.

Mrs Sutton heard a bang when the front door was kicked in and went down to investigate.

In a statement, she told gardai: "They went for me and demanded money and jewellery. They were kicking me and put the hand of my walking stick around my neck. They were vicious with me.

"I was knocked to the ground. I said to them 'I'm dying, I'm dying', it made no difference to them.

"They kicked and hit me all over my body and tied me up in the hall. They dragged me by the hair into the sitting room, shoving me in."

When she asked them not to pull her by the hair, they stopped and started kicking her in the head and chest.

They couldn't find her bag, but did take her watch. "They did their best to pull my wedding ring off but did not succeed," she said.

The court was told that Ms Sutton was tied up with dog leads and belts, and the raiders left her in the sitting room before leaving the house.

Terrifying

Ms Sutton managed to release the straps and get outside where a Garda patrol car happened to be passing.

Several items of jewellery, including an engagement ring, and 100 (116) were taken in the burglary.

A medical report read to the court told how Ms Sutton was "tortured, taunted and dragged by her hair around her beloved home".

The court heard that Ms Sutton decided not to return to her house after the terrifying assault.

Judge O'Shea sentenced O'Brien to 10 years but suspended the final two. A second man awaits sentencing in the matter.
Egypt has strongly condemned what it described as the "indiscriminate bombardment" of Khan Sheikhoun town in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, which resulted in the death and injury of hundreds on Tuesday.

In a statement the Egyptian foreign ministry said that the "painful and unacceptable" images of the massacre reaffirm the necessity of reaching a political solution to end the crisis in Syria, in light of the international community decisions and UN Security Council Resolution 2254, as well as the Geneva Conventions.

At least 72 civilians, among them 20 children, were killed in Tuesday's attack in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun, and dozens more were left gasping for air, convulsing, and foaming at the mouth, doctors said.

Washington and London have pointed the finger at President Bashar Al-Assad's government for the attack, although the regime has denied using chemical weapons.

The UN Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting later Wednesday to discuss the attack, with Britain, France and the United States pushing a resolution demanding a swift investigation.

Moscow, which launched a military intervention in 2015 in support of Assad's forces, said the deaths were caused when a Syrian air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" containing "toxic substances."

The Russian defence ministry said in a statement that the building housed "a warehouse making bombs, with toxic substances," without saying if the strike was accidental or deliberate.

Syria's army had earlier denied any use of chemical weapons, saying it "has never used them, anytime, anywhere, and will not do so in the future."

Search Keywords:

Short link:


A juvenile who went on a drunken rampage has been sentenced to detention for attacking three women who had attended a Beyonce concert.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the boy (17), who cannot be identified because of his age, consumed half a litre of vodka at home on 10 July 2016, before going to a local pub where he spent a further 90 on vodka and mixers.

Maddie Grant BL, prosecuting, showed the court CCTV footage of the accused assaulting the women and another man outside his local chipper next to the pub.

Garda Nathan Burke told the court that following an enjoyable evening at a Beyonce concert, the three women travelled together to a pub where they met the accused, who they knew vaguely.

Later outside the chipper the boy asked the women if he could accompany them back to a house for a few drinks. When they declined he told one woman I'll smash your face in.

The boy then smashed the glass window and door of the chipper and damaged the windscreen of a car parked nearby. He then began attacking the women, pushing one woman to to the ground and kicking her as she lay semi-unconscious in a ball.

A man who was in the chipper tried to intervene and was knocked to the ground by the accused, sustaining a head wound.

He threw another woman to the pavement. She sustained a bruised coccyx and injuries to the back of her head. A third woman was then shoved to the ground, suffering a sprained ankle and injuries to her leg from the shattered glass.

The boy pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to four people and criminal damage at the location in Dublin city.

Judge Melanie Greally described the incident as one filled with terror and violence. She sentenced the boy to five years, with the final three suspended, and instructed that he engage fully with the Probation Services on his release and deal fully with his anger and alcohol issues.

All three women said in victim impact statements that they suffered acute psychological distress as a result of the assault.

Ms Grant described the events as a drunken rampage.

Eoin Lawlor BL, defending, accepted that the CCTV of the incident made for startling watching. However, he said that the accused had pleaded guilty, saving the victims the stress of a trial.

He told the court that the accused's family were well regarded in the area and noted that the boy wished to offer a sincere apology to all involved.

Mr Lawlor said the accused was one of ten children, who found solace in alcohol at a young age.

Judge Greally noted the extremely serious nature of the accused actions, knocking members of the public to the ground next to a busy road. She said that all four victims were exposed to the risk of real injury.

The judge remarked that a significant portion of the boy's problems could be attributed to alcohol and to having an overburdened mother.

She said that the law required her to view the accused as a child, both at the time he committed the offences and on the date of sentence.
A woman fractured her ankle when she slipped and fell at a 40th birthday party in a pub, it has been claimed in the High Court.

Martine Minnock said she slipped while walking across the dance floor in the Beehive pub in the village of Mountbolus, near Tullamore, Co Offaly. She claims the floor was wet.

The pub owners claim Ms Minnock had attempted to lift her brother in law John Cody from the floor and as a result fell. It denies the floor was wet.

The 44-year old mother-of-three told the court that as she went down, she grabbed at the back of her brother in law and pulled him, so the both fell back on the floor.

Ms Minnock, Arden View, Tullamore, Co Offaly, has sued pub owners Andrew Johnston and Sian Marie Johnston as a result of the alleged fall on February 11, 2012. She was attending the birthday party of her brother in law John Cody.

She claims the floor was permitted to be wet and slippy.

The claims are denied.

Her counsel John Paul Shortt said his side contended the ladies toilet flooded and sufficient precautions were not taken to prevent the tracking of water on to the floor.

When Ms Minnock was helped from the floor, she noticed the back of her dress was damp, counsel said.

The pub owners also say Ms Minnock was engaged in dangerous and boisterous behaviour with another patron when she fell.

She also allegedly wilfully and recklessly engaged in behaviour that carried with it a risk of falling, it is argued.

It is further denied the floor was wet and it is contended Ms Minnock failed to have adequate regard for her own safety.

Ms Minnock told the court she had a four or five glasses of lager and then went to the smoking area.

She said after smoking she saw Mr Cody and went across the dance floor to wish him a happy birthday.

Cross examined by John Durcan BL, Ms Minnock said she found out last week that Mr Cody will giving evidence for the pub side.

When counsel put it to her she had tried to lift Mr Cody from behind, Ms Minnock said "no way,"

Mr Durcan said four people, including Mr Cody, will give evidence she was trying to lift Mr Cody.

She replied:"I did not lift John Cody."

Counsel said another woman will give evidence that later in the hospital Ms Minnock allegedly said:

"You know me when I get a few drinks on me; I went to lift John Cody, the h**r, and my left leg buckled."

Ms Minnock also denied she was wearing four inch stiletto heels at the time and said she had two inch heels.

The case continues before Mr Justice Michael Moriarty.
A manager at Xtravision who tapped into customer's dormant accounts and stole over 10,000 by giving himself the credit that was owed by them has avoided a jail term.

Noel Carroll (27) took the credit by creating a gift card for that amount that he could later deposit in a savings account and withdraw as cash. He also issued himself vouchers which he used to buy various items including a television, laptop and computer in different Xtravision branches.

Detective Garda Finola Heeney told Diarmuid Collins BL, prosecuting, that Carroll was caught when an auditor for the company noticed that a number of refunds from dormant accounts had been grouped together in batches, which was considered an unusual practice.

Further investigation showed that Carroll processed each of the transactions. It was initially thought that he had stolen just under 2,000 but following a more thorough investigation, the company discovered that 10,025 had been taken from the various accounts.

Carroll of Graham Court, Ballyherrin, Wicklow town, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to theft at various branches of Xtravision on dates between December 15, 2013 and June 10, 2015.

The married father of two has no previous convictions. He has since repaid the company in full with the help of a loan from his parents.

Judge Cormac Quinn said Carroll had taped into these accounts and refunded the cash for his own use. He said it was aserious breach of trust but acknowledged that he made full admissions and was previously of good character.

He sentenced Carroll to 18 months in prison which he suspended in full on strict conditions after noting that a probation report put him at a low risk of re-offending.

Det Gda Heeney said the credits on the customers' accounts were usually due to people putting down a small deposit of about 5 to reserve a game which they never returned to purchase.

Carroll told gardai in interview that he came across a customer credit report one day in work and a short while later came up with an idea of how he might take the money. He said he knew the accounts were dormant as they had been inactive for a long time.

He said he was tight for money at the time and used it to pay his rent or buy petrol. He admitted that he used the store credit to get things he didn't need.

Det Gda Heeney said Carroll had forfeited his last wage with the company and had been paying back 50 per week before Xtravision went into liquidation. His father then gave him the balance of 8,245 as a loan to fully re-reimburse the company.

Carroll's father told Karl Monahan BL, defending that his son has an awful lot of shame, is withdrawn, quiet and depressed since the crime came to light.

He described his behaviour as totally out of character and said Carroll had previously worked as an assistant manager in his own petrol station without any difficulties.
There is a lot of talk about making the education system more diverse.

Classrooms are certainly more inclusive but progress on changing the architecture of school patronage to reflect the shift in cultural and religious mores has been slow.

Much of the focus in the debate is on the place of religion in the primary school sector. A situation where 90pc of schools are under the control of the Catholic Church is regarded, even by the church itself, as not a proper reflection of the needs of modern Ireland.

A five-year-old process to divest some of the 2,900 Catholic schools to other patrons has seen no more than 10 change hands. The current education minister, Richard Bruton, has come up with a new word, reconfiguration, and a different process, to try to move it on.

The new approach is not unrelated to the arrival, in recent years, of community national schools, which are run by the education and training boards (ETBs), the successors to the VECs. The Catholic Church certainly seems amenable to them as a patron body to which it would transfer schools, and so does the minister.

Unlike the traditional multi-denominational model - which keeps religion teaching out of the classrooms altogether - community national schools, while providing a general multi-belief programme, also offer faith formation within school time, for those who want it.

Clear battle lines are drawn between Educate Together, which has been the main provider of multi-denominational schools at primary level, and ETBs, which act as patrons of the community national schools. But they are not the only ones in the field, and it is not only a religious war.

Primary school enrolments will peak in the next year or so, which means there will be very few new schools in the foreseeable future. So, a shakeout of the Catholic Church-controlled sector provides the main opportunity for patron bodies of all persuasions, religious or otherwise, to grow their presence.

An Foras Patrunachta is the patron for most Irish-medium schools in the country. It has some concerns that, in the current debate, its offering is not fully understood and that it may get squeezed if the reshaping of Irish primary education is seen purely through the lens of religious ethos.

Its general secretary, Caoimhin O hEaghra, says the issue to be confronted is not only religion but also the medium of instruction. But, if it is about religious ethos, he wants it known that he can offer all options.

An Foras Patrunachta's main mission is the provision of Irish-medium schools; it is flexible on the issue of spiritual ethos, responding to local needs. Its first school, in 1993, was multi-denominational and it also has schools that are denominational (Catholic) and inter-denominational (Catholic and Protestant). So, it has ticked all the traditional boxes in terms of religion.

Now there is a another option - the one offered by community national schools, a hybrid of sorts between denominational and multi-denominational.

Last month, O hEaghra wrote to Richard Bruton to let him know that An Foras Patrunachta was adding this choice to its offering and asking him to spread the word to relevant parties.

That is a reference to the surveys to be conducted under the reconfiguration process, by ETBs, to identify towns or areas within their regions there is demand for greater school diversity. (As well as being a patron body for community national schools, the ETBs have been given this central role - to the displeasure of some.) Where demand for change is identified, there will be discussions between individual ETBs and local church interests about possible transfers.

O hEaghra says it provides an opportunity not only for Catholic gaelscoileanna to transfer to an Irish-medium patron, but also to establish Irish medium schools in areas where there are none, and provide multi-denominational or inter-belief education through the medium of Irish.

So, what is the demand for Irish-medium education? O hEaghra offers an example: Last year, a new school opened on the north side of Dublin city, serving the Marino-Drumcondra-Dublin 1 area, to cater for 450 pupils. This was not to do with divestment or reconfiguration, but a consequence of local birth rates.

Once the Department of Education decides there is sufficient demand for a new school, it invites patrons to apply, and to back up their application with evidence of parental support. In this case, An Foras Patrunachta produced 733 names - but almost half were from outside the qualifying area. On the other hand, Educate Together, had 643 parental preferences, 622 of which were valid, and was awarded the patronage.

O hEaghra says that even if many of their supporters were outside the official boundary, and many, only slightly, he says it did establish a significant demand in the area for an Irish-medium school that has not been addressed and "there remains no option for a multi-denominational gaelscoil north of the Liffey in Dublin".

He points to a 2015 ESRI study that shows growing interest for Irish-medium education: between 2011 and 2015 there was an increase, from 13pc to 23pc, in parents who said they would consider sending their child to an all-Irish primary school, if one was located near their home. Some 4.7pc of primary schools are gaelscoileanna.

An Foras Patrunachta is patron to 65 primary schools and four second-level schools, with two more on the way. O hEaghra says that where it does establish schools at both levels the "results are formidable".

In Kildare, it has four primary schools and one second-level. The 2011 census showed that 83,526 people in the county could speak Irish, compared with 73,373 in 2006. O hEaghra says they "attribute this growth directly to the success of our schools and their efforts to promote and foster an Irish speaking community in their areas. In addition to their children, parents are often motivated to re-learn Irish along with their children".

He says that one-in-four of their schools is multi-denominational, and that the make up of their schools generally reflect the local community.

Gaelscoileanna often face charges of being elitist and allegedly only interested in children whose parents are fluent in Irish. He counters that with the results of an An Foras Patrunachta study, conducted in January and February, which shows that 9.6pc of its pupils are "new Irish", compared with a national average of 10.4pc. Almost half of its schools have a higher rate of "new Irish" than the national average and, in one school, in Co Cavan, 28pc of pupils are "new Irish".

Notwithstanding this, he says they face challenges getting their message across: "We are working to encourage more 'new Irish' to attend our schools. Many families are not aware of how their child's home language/or development of English is actually enhanced by the immersion education model and that the distinctive ethos can vary from gaelscoil to gaelscoil."

Gaeilgeoiri - and proud of it

The rapid expansion of Balbriggan in north county Dublin in the past decade has also seen it transform into a town with one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the country.

Among its primary schools is Gaelscoil Bhaile Brigin, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

The gaelscoil opened with 35 pupils in 2006, and now it is full to capacity with 485, including many from "new Irish" families. In some cases, one, or both, parents come from a non-Irish background. In the past two years, the school has opened two special classes for pupils with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).

Principal Clodagh Ni Mhaoilchiarain says the different ethnic background of the pupils is not an issue when it comes to education through the medium of Irish, either for the children or their parents. She says children have no difficulty, including those with special educational needs: "It doesn't matter what the child's background is. It is shown internationally, and nationally, that learning through a second language is hugely beneficial to all children."

On the question of the proficiency in levels in Irish of parents, she says that while "people might say that it could be difficult for them, they would attest that it is not as big a worry as it may appear before their children start in the school. There are plenty of supports".
Maynooth University (MU) has been ranked in the top 50 of the worlds youngest universities, the best ever placing for Ireland.

It is 49th in the UK-based Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Rankings, while Dublin City University (DCU) is in the top 100, rising five places this year, to 74th .

Maynooth jumped18 places in a year, credited to particular strength in attracting global talent to its staff and international research collaborations.

This measure of international outlook is one of 13 metrics used in compiling the annual listing - others include research income achieved, reputation for teaching, number of PhDs awarded and research citations.

The table which expanded in this, its sixth year, to cover the leading 200 institutions under 50 years old, was previously known as the THE 150 Under 50. The Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne in Switzerland holds the number one position, for the third year in a row. Asia performs well with institutions from Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea taking five places in the top 10

Phil Baty, who edits the annual, THE World University Rankings editor, congratulated Maynooth for making the top 50 and taking the number one position in Ireland.

He said the Young University Rankings use the same exacting performance indicators as the traditional THE World University Rankings.

MU is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, having been separated out from St Patricks College, Maynooth on foot of the Universities Act 1997. It is a fast-growing university, more than 11,000 students, including almost 1,600 taught postgraduate and professional students and over 400 research students.

Maynooth president Professor Philip Nolan described it as a proud day and a huge endorsement of the universitys strategy.

Mr Baty said Maynooths performance as an exceptional achievement. He said the Young University Rankings used the same exacting performance indicators as the World University Rankings.

DCU President, Professor Brian MacCraith said an improved performance for DCU was welcomed as it raised the profile of both the university and Ireland as a destination for international students, international academic staff and institutional research partners.

This is particularly significant in a post-Brexit landscape where the reputation of our education and research offerings will be critical if Ireland is to exploit the opportunities presented, he said.

The rankings are designed to highlight the future global university star performer and offer a very different perspective on global higher education excellence from the THE World University Rankings, which are dominated by institutions from the US and UK.

You can see the full ranking list here
DISAPPEARED: Philip Cairns vanished on the way to school

Missing schoolboy Philip Cairns and heroic coastguard volunteer Caitriona Lucas, who took part in many search operations, have been remembered at a ceremony today.

Family members of missing people and the Tanaiste were among the guests at an event in Farmleigh House in Dublin this afternoon to mark National Missing Persons Day.

Sandra Cairns, whose brother Philip Cairns vanished on his school lunch hour aged 13 in 1986, spoke at the event.

Philip, from Rathfarnham in south Dublin, had only started secondary school the previous month.

Despite extensive searches of the area and other areas in Dublin no trace of the youngster was ever found.

Ms Cairns told those at Farmleigh House that the public had shown great support to her family.

But she said a recent social media campaign related to the case "has been shocking and deeply distressing, according to RTE.

Meanwhile, Michael Deely, the dad of a Dublin man who went missing 16 years ago, also attended the event.

Trevor Deely from Naas in Co Kildare, went missing on 8 December 2000 aged 22. He had been at a Christmas office party in Dublin and was last seen in the Baggot Street/Leeson Street area.

A new investigation into his disappearance has been opened.

Minister David Stanton also spoke at the event and thanked gardai for their work and continued support for families whose loved ones go missing.

I also think it is important on this day that we remember Irish Coast Guard Volunteer, Caitriona Lucas who gave her life in the line of duty in September this year, he said.
The ministers of interior from a number of Arab countries vowed to cooperate more in combating terrorism during the 34th Conference of Arab Interior Ministers held in Tunisia on Wednesday.

The two-day conference, which started on Wednesday, is also set to see a discussion with an Interpol delegation on ways of combating illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

Tunisia's interior minister Al-Hady Al-Magzoub gave the opening speech at the conference on behalf of the country's President Beji Caid Essebsi, stressing that combating terrorism and extremist ideas requires a comprehensive plan that targets all aspects of the phenomenon.

The minister also warned of the dangers of extremist militants returning from conflict zones to their home countries in the Arab region in the coming period.

Egypt's Minister of Interior Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar informed the conference of Cairo's strategy in combating terrorism, calling for a comprehensive plan covering all aspects of countering terrorism and extremism in the region.

Abdel-Ghaffar also called for a unified strategy in dealing with international internet and communication companies to prevent terrorists and militant organisations from using social media platforms as a hub for communication, recruitment and propaganda.

He also affirmed that combating terrorism is a shared Arab and international responsibility, saying that Egypt appreciates the importance of Arab joint efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Gardai are probing if a simmering row over the use of a noisy bird-scaring device triggered the murder of a 74-year-old Kerry farmer with a heavy agricultural vehicle.

Anthony O'Mahony died when his car was struck side-on by the teleporter, a type of agricultural haulage vehicle, as he visited his farm outside Ballyduff in north Kerry shortly before 9am yesterday.

Mr O'Mahony, who was single, died at the scene at Rattoo despite desperate efforts by local GPs and paramedics to save him.

By 11am yesterday, gardai had launched a murder investigation and a man in his 60s, who was known to Mr O'Mahony, was arrested.

He was taken to Listowel garda station for questioning and he can be held for an initial period of 24 hours.

Mr O'Mahony's brother, Seamas, told the Irish Independent that his family were "totally heartbroken".

He stressed there was no inkling his brother was under any kind of threat or in danger.

"We used to have a bird banger on below there. (Some people) don't like to hear that going," he said.

"That is the only thing. He would go down there and turn it on at 8am and then turn it off again at 8pm.

"It was nothing out of the ordinary.

"But no, he absolutely was not (living in fear)."

Seamas heard the news of his brother's death as he was travelling in connection with his pre-cast concrete business.

He said he was stunned when he learned that his brother's death was being treated as murder.

"It's been very, very difficult. Anthony was very quiet but very knowledgeable. He was totally dedicated to his work. If he could do a good turn for someone, he would do it," he said.
Aidan The Beast ODriscoll was gunned down in the street

Gardai have arrested five people in relation to the murder of former RIRA commander Aidan 'The Beast' O'Driscoll.

The 37-year-old was ambushed and killed in Cork on December 7.

There have been a number of previous arrests and the investigation is ongoing, gardai confirmed.

Sources said four men and one woman were arrested and are being questioned at stations in Cork.

Expand Close Aidan O'Driscoll / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Aidan O'Driscoll

Forty detectives at Watercourse Road Garda Station iare investigating the killing, which was carried out on a busy street in the Blackpool area of the city.

O'Driscoll was the former chief of staff of the RIRA and was involved in a number of feuds with Dublin gangs.

He was Alan Ryan's boss while the Donaghmede-native launched an extortion campaign against the city's drugs gangs.

A senior garda source said they believe O'Driscoll fell victim to a power struggle within the dissident republican ranks in Cork, with the former chief of staff also being targeted because of personal feuds with a number of other RIRA men.

Read More

"This was a very carefully planned murder because of the manner in which the killers fled from the scene," said the source.

Up to four vehicles were used in the getaway, two of which, a Nissan Almera and Vauxhall Astra van, were found burned out on Redemption Road in the city and at Killeens a couple of hours after the shooting.

A third vehicle, an Opel Astra, was only found shortly before Christmas in a remote ravine in Nadd.

A fourth was used by the killers to flee from Nadd, possibly a Toyota Avensis. Gardai also suspect a motorcyclist may have operated as a spotter for the gunmen.

Two weapons - a sawn-off shotgun and a US-made Colt semi-automatic pistol - were seized from a property on the Old Commons Road in Cork only hours after O'Driscoll was killed.
Doctors accounted for the majority of those who were supported last year and alcohol abuse was the main reason for referral (Stock picture)

The 50 doctors, dentists and pharmacists treated for addiction and mental health problems last year are likely to be the "tip of the iceberg" of health professionals with similar issues, it emerged yesterday.

Dr Ide Delargy, a Dublin GP, estimated that more than 2,000 of the 25,000 professionals in the country have issues, including drink and drug problems.

She was speaking at the launch of the first annual report of the Practitioner Health Matters Programme, an independent charity organisation which provides a free, confidential service.

Health professionals can have higher suicide rates and the ready access to powerful drugs is an added complication.

Doctors accounted for the majority of those who were supported last year and alcohol abuse was the main reason for referral.

Others were abusing over-the-counter drugs or painkiller medicines.

Other professionals suffered from depression, anxiety, bi-polar and delusional disorder.

"They can be very slow to come forward to declare that they may have a mental health or alcohol or drug-related problems due to fears about reputation and confidentiality," Dr Delargy said.

In one case a doctor, with a young family, was binge drinking at weekends, suffering financial problems and stress.

A GP attended seeking help with burnout and was under financial pressure.

Another involved a young doctor who was the subject of a complaint to the Medical Council. She felt dejected and a short period off work was recommended. The doctor was helped and is now back at practice.

Dr Delargy said: "They generally present when in crisis, often having tried to self-manage and self-medicate their problem."

The highest number were in their 30s and 50s. Women accounted for nearly half those who were treated and tended to be in their 20s or 60s.

One doctor spoke of how they had turned to self-medicating as a coping mechanism for insomnia and stress.

Nearly half came forward for help themselves and the rest were referred by a psychiatrist or colleague.

More than half continued to practise and others took a break from work for a period but have since returned or plan to do so in the future.

The service is non-judgmental and complete confidentiality is assured. "We want to get the message out there that health professionals in difficulty can come to us to have their health needs met," Dr Delargy said.

"Early intervention is key and while taking that first step can be extremely challenging for the person involved or their friend or family, it can also be lifesaving."

Statistics show recovery rates are very good.
A MAN will appear before a Kerry court today in connection with the murder of elderly farmer Anthony O'Mahony.

The man had been questioned at Listowel Garda Station since yesterday but, on the instructions of the Director of Public Prosecutions, will appear later today before a Tralee court charged in relation to the Garda investigation.

Gardai fear a simmering row over the use of 'crow bangers' triggered the murder of the 74 year old Kerry farmer with a tele-porter machine.

Anthony O'Mahony (74) died when his car was struck side-on by the tele-porter, a type of heavy agricultural haulage machine, as he visited his farm outside Ballyduff in north Kerry shortly before 9am.

Expand Close Victim Anthony OMahony / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Victim Anthony OMahony

Mr O'Mahony's brother, Seamas, said his family were "totally heartbroken."

He stressed that there was no inkling his brother was under kind of threat or in any danger.

"We don't know - we thought at the start he was involved in an accident. That's all," he said.

"We used to have a bird banger on below there. (Some people) don't like to hear that going."

"That is the only thing. He would go down there and turn it on at 8am and then turn it off again at 8pm. It was nothing out of the ordinary."

"But no, he absolutely was not (living in fear)."

Mr O'Mahony heard the news of his brother's death as he was travelling in connection with his pre-cast concrete business.

"Margaret (his wife) rang me at 10.30am and told me there was a bad accident over in Rattoo."

"It's been very, very difficult. Anthony was very quiet but very knowledgeable. He was totally dedicated to his work. If he could do a good turn for someone, he would do it."

"There was very few people would have the know-how about grain that he did."

"He was a genius I suppose."

Seamas said he last spoke with his brother on Saturday.

Mr O'Mahony, who was single and unmarried, died at the scene at Rattoo despite desperate efforts by local GPs and paramedics to save him.

While he farmed a holding at Rattoo, he lived around 3km away on the other side of Ballyduff village.

He is understood to have suffered catastrophic injuries to his head and torso in the impact between his car and the heavy agricultural machine which had a pronged extension used for lifting heavy loads.

Part of the large wheels of the tele-porter also mounted Mr O'Mahony's vehicle.

The collision occurred just 100 metres from a local GP surgery.

A man in his 60s, who was known to Mr O'Mahony, was arrested at the scene and taken to Listowel Garda Station for questioning.

He can be held for an initial period of 24 hours.

By 11am, Gardai had launched a murder investigation.

Gardai immediately sealed off the narrow country roadway, some 2km from Ballyduff village, to allow for an examination by Garda Technical Bureau experts.

Uniformed Gardai also began door-to-door inquiries to determine if anyone had witnessed the fatal collision.

Mr O'Mahony's body remained at the scene until it could be examined by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster.

The body was then transferred to Tralee for a full post mortem examination shortly before 7pm.

The post mortem examination is expected to conclude today.

Gardai must decide later today whether to release the man in custody or to charge him.

Supt Dan Keane appealed to anyone with information to contact Listowel Garda Station to assist their inquiries.

Supt Keane confirmed that both the deceased and the man in custody were known to each other.

"We would appeal to anyone who may have information or who may have witnessed what happened to contact us," he said.

"This has been a huge shock for the area."

Many farms now using teleporters

Expand Close Teleporters are a common sight on Irish farms / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Teleporters are a common sight on Irish farms

Teleporters are machines that are increasingly popular on Irish farms.

The machines are effectively a cross between a tractor and a fork-lift.

They have traditionally been widely used across European industry for their ability to ferry heavy loads within factories.

Their extension lift capability has made them very valuable for their ability to stack and then retrieve items from heavy duty warehouse shelves.

The machines are built in a variety of sizes depending on need and the weight of the load to be handled.

However, over the past 20 years they have become an increasingly common sight on Irish farms.

This has largely been due to the increasing intensification of Irish agriculture.

As farms have gotten bigger, feeding for livestock has become an even more intensive task.

Teleporters are particularly useful for farmers thanks to their ability to handle large silage bales now commonplace on Irish farms.

This allows farmers to retrieve the bales and then distribute them across whatever feeding station on the farm it is required.

However, teleporters also have other uses which make them a valuable farmyard asset.

They boast exceptional visibility and, thanks to their large wheels and powerful engines, are capable of accessing virtually any terrain.

Teleporters supplement rather than replace the work of tractors on most large-scale Irish farms.
John McAreavey, with his sister Claire, talks in Mauritius about the murder of wife Michaela Photo: PA

The widower of murdered honeymooner Michaela McAreavey has offered a 50,000 reward for help in catching his late wife's killer.

John McAreavey has returned to Mauritius, where his new bride was strangled in 2011, to make a public appeal for help.

He said he felt betrayed by the justice authorities on the holiday island, accusing them of inaction in the stalled investigation.

Mrs McAreavey, a 27-year-old teacher who was the only daughter of Tyrone GAA boss Mickey Harte, was killed in her room in a luxury resort hotel.

Two former hotel workers were acquitted of the crime after a high-profile trial in the summer of 2012.

Mr McAreavey, who has since remarried, said his quest for justice would not end until those responsible for her death were brought to justice.

"Over the past six-and-a-half years, our resolve to win justice for Michaela remains undiminished," he said.

"We believe we have given the Mauritian authorities every chance to deliver on their very public promise that justice would be done.

Expand Close Michaela McAreavey / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Michaela McAreavey

"However, until this visit, the reality falls far short of that, and as the years have passed, it appears that the unofficial policy has become one of 'out of sight - out of mind'.

"But we have no intention of just slipping out of mind or sight. Michaela deserves justice, and we intend to get it.

"Put quite bluntly, we have felt let down time and time again."

The reward will be paid to anyone who provides information that leads to the successful prosecution of the killer or killers.
Hundreds of thousands of rural dwellers are to be left in broadband limbo after the Government signed a contract with Eir to slash the number of homes included in the State-subsidised National Broadband Plan.

With the new contract handing over future broadband provision for 300,000 rural homes to Eir, the Government is now unable to say when roll out for the majority of the homes will begin.

It means that the project, which was due to begin this year, may not start with any building phase until late 2018.

Rival bidders to Eir also say that they may hold off participating in the wider state scheme for 540,000 rural homes and businesses.

"We will now take time to review whether this changed scope impacts the viability of Siro's participation," said a spokesman for Siro, the joint venture between the ESB and Vodafone which is one of two rival shortlisted bidders.

At a conference announcing the contract with Eir yesterday, Communications Minister Denis Naughten declined to say when the majority of the rural homes would see any rollout progress.

"I'm not into timeframes, I am into delivery," he told reporters.

"We're confident the three bidders will continue in this process. Whoever is successful in relation to the final phase will have access to the infrastructure being put in place by Eir to service the 300,000 premises.

"Because of this, it will allow us to rollout the remaining homes far quicker."

However, he could not say whether the 540,000 rural homes earmarked to receive high-speed broadband under the National Broadband Plan will see any broadband within the next year.

Under the terms of the new contract with Eir, the telecoms company has pledged to extend its commercial broadband service to 300,000 additional homes and businesses in areas currently not served by high-speed broadband.

The Government says that this will be done by the end of 2018, with unspecified financial penalties applicable if Eir misses its deadline.

Some 90pc of the new Eir connections are to be fibre lines into homes, with the remaining 10pc based on existing phone lines.

However, the move has attracted criticism from other telecoms companies, which have cast doubt on Eir's ability to deliver the promised broadband services.

"How can the minister do this?" said Ronan Lupton, chairman of Alto, an association of telecoms companies.

"We're talking about a company that was in administration in 2012 and seeking to go for an IPO."

Mr Lupton said that the move jeopardises the competitive basis for the National Broadband Plan.

"The whole commercial viability of the National Broadband Plan is now in question," he said.

"We're in Angola with regards to rural broadband and it looks like we're going to stay in Angola."

However, Mr Naughten said that the Government plan was still on track.

He said that the majority of rural homes left out of Eir's roadmap would be covered "by the end of 2020".

"I'm from rural Ireland, I'm from the constituency with the worst broadband in the country," he said.

"Nobody has more skin in this game than me. The wool has not been pulled over my eyes on this."

Mr Naughten also brushed off the prospect of legal action by rival bidders for the National Broadband Plan.

"We've faced legal action from the beginning and none of them has come to fruition. At each stage we have to be very careful. We're going through a process here."
Bus Eireann management are going to meet representatives from the National Bus and Rail Union and SIPTU this afternoon at the Workplace Relations Commission for crunch talks.

The strikes have caused chaos for thousands of commuters across the country, particularly last Friday when Dublin Bus and Irish Rail staff took unofficial action.

Read More

Here's all you need to know about the dispute:

1. The beginning

2,600 Bus Eireann workers began striking on March 24 over cuts to pay and conditions

2. Losses

Expand Close Pickets at the Bus Eireann depot at Turners Cross in Cork city. Photo: David Creedon / Anzenberger / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Pickets at the Bus Eireann depot at Turners Cross in Cork city. Photo: David Creedon / Anzenberger

Bus Eireann recorded losses of 9.4 million and claim the pay cuts are essential to prevent insolvency, during the strike they have also lost 500,000 each day.

3. Warning

Bus Eireann's Acting Chief Executive Ray Hernan has warned the company faces insolvency in May and must impose a a 30m cost-cutting plan.

4. Calls for review

The NBRU have said they are going to call for a complete review of the management at WRC today.

5. Resolution

The NBRU has said that the Department of Transport and the National Transport Authority must take an active role in the discussions if they want to resolve the dispute.

6. Claims

The NBRU's General Secretary Dermot O'Leary says some staff have had their wages cut by as much as 180 since January and claims some have been threatened with dismissal.

7. Defending pickets

SIPTU's Sector Organiser Willie Noone defended the decision for workers to continue striking during the discussions, saying expecting the to return to work before an agreement is reached would be "not reasonable or acceptable."

8. Previous talks

Previous WRC talks have collapsed over changes to overtime. Now, Transport Minister Shane Ross has welcome the latest round of discussions, saying he hopes "parties can come to an agreement that allows for an end to this recent period of disruption to transport services."
At least 31 people were killed, including 14 police officers, and more than 40 wounded in attacks overnight by Islamic State militants in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, security and medical sources said on Wednesday.

The militants wore police uniforms and used a police vehicle to enter the city, 175 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad, police colonel Khalid Mahmoud told Reuters. He said there were around 10 attackers, including two suicide bombers.

Islamic State's Amaq news agency said seven suicide fighters attacked a police position and the home of the head of the city's counter-terrorism service, who was killed. The assailants blew themselves up when they ran out of ammunition, it said.

A total of 31 bodies were taken to hospital, including 14 policemen, said Nawfal Mustafa, a doctor at the city's main hospital. The death toll rose during the morning as the bodies of civilians killed in their shops were found.

The attacks targeted a police checkpoint and the house of a police colonel, who was killed with four members of his family, officers said.

Two suicide attackers detonated their vests when surrounded by police, and three others were killed in separate clashes.

Five militants are thought to be hiding and Mahmoud said Tikrit authorities had declared a curfew on Wednesday. Sporadic gunfire could be heard in the morning.

A US-backed offensive is underway to dislodge Islamic State from the remaining districts under its control in Mosul, 225 km away, the group's last major urban stronghold in Iraq.

The militants overran about a third of Iraq's territory nearly three years ago, capturing most Sunni Arab cities located north and west of Baghdad, including Tikrit.

Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Shia militias drove the militants away from Tikrit two years ago. Tikrit is the home region of Saddam Hussein, the former president toppled in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


An Irish charity is using a new Down Syndrome doll as part of their therapy programme.

Billy's Dolls of Comfort say that while the dolls are "a comfort not a cure", they claim they have been proven to help people with a range of conditions, particularly those with Alzheimer's.

Winnie O'Neill founded the organisation about 18 months ago and she explained how the toys make a big difference.

Winnie, who lives in Carbury in Co Kildare, told Independent.ie: "My daughter works in a nursing home and she was telling me that many of the Alzheimer's patients like dolls, I was intrigued by this so I decided to collect some to give to nursing homes.

"When I was first asking people to donate they thought I was mad, they'd never heard of doll therapy. I brought any that needed restoration to a knitting lady who gives them fabulous makeovers and any, that aren't suitable for elderly patients, are given in the Christmas shoebox appeal to children in places like Haiti and the Philippines.

"It's all about the kids and older people.

"It was only after I gave it that I found out it's not just people with Alzheimer's the dolls help but they provide comfort to all sorts of people.

"We also deliver dolls to autistic children in schools.

"We've been told that these dolls can really help calm older people who might be distressed, we got a call a few weeks ago about a woman with Alzheimer's who was crying over the death of her son and when we gave her a boy doll that was wrapped up, seemingly that did the trick and helped her."

Read More

Billy's Dolls of Comforts has grown so much over the past year and a half that Winne now runs it with business partner Jennifer Brady and three volunteers.

This week Winnie (54) provided her first doll that is designed to resemble someone with Down Syndrome, which she has named Noah.

She said: "The reason we got the Noah doll was because we got a call from a nursing home in Athlone saying there was a client there who was very upset. When we got there it turned out her son has Down Syndrome and she was missing him but we didn't have a doll with Down Syndrome so we went looking for one online and we tracked some down to a company in Germany.

"We ordered them and they took a few weeks to come and there was a lot of delays and we couldn't understand why but we're going to be giving it to the woman now.

"If she bonds with Noah and wants to keep him we'll have to charge, it'll be between 80 and 100. We've never charged before, everything we do is completely free but this doll is specialised and it cost us to order him.

"If other people want one we can get them for them too, it's no problem.

"I've never seen a Down Syndrome doll before but we've been led to believe that children with Down Syndrome gel quicker with them than with other dolls."

Read More

They receive no funding and rely on donations and Winnie says that the organisation is "getting bigger than her" and she would love to receive sponsorship.

For more information or to find out about donate please visit their Facebook page
THEREs no place like home for sea bass, with a new study showing that more than 90pc return to Cork Harbour after wintering in the Celtic Sea, and then confine themselves to an area of just 3kms.

Researchers led by NUI Galway have discovered that Cork-based fish, officially named Dicentrarchus labrax L., are highly resident, and remain within 3kms from where they were originally caught and tagged, a behaviour previously unknown.

Some 30 fish were caught and fitted with an electronic transmitter before being released back to the harbour. A series of listening posts dotted around the area identified individual fish when they swam within 500 metres of a listening post.

The study, published in Scientific Reports, was led and co-authored by Dr Tom Doyle from the Ryan Institute and MaREI Centre at NUI Galway with researchers from UCCs MaREI Centre and expert angler, Jim Clohessy from Cork Harbour Angling Hub.

Dr Doyle said that the fish, which can live for up to 25 years and grow to 80cms in length, confined themselves to neighbourhoods within the harbour. Those living on the east of the harbour didnt travel west, and vice versa,

They would have been born in the Celtic sea somewhere, and its a lot to do with chance that they end up in Cork harbour, he said. They must imprint at some point in Cork Harbour and decide to call it home.

We showed when you caught a fish, they really are localised. They are homebirds and stay put in this area over a number of months. Those tagged in the east of Cork Harbour came back to the east, and those tagged in the west went to the west.

One fish in particular displayed this homing instinct.

It basically went the wrong way and ended up on the east side (after returning after wintering). For two weeks it was moving up and down and didnt seem to be settling anywhere, as if it wasnt quite happy. Eventually, it just took a beeline to the westside where it found home and stayed there.

Sea bass is found in Irish and UK waters and south into the Mediterranean and along North Africa. It cannot be caught commercially in Ireland, but is an important fish for recreational anglers who can catch one a day and is worth up to 70m a year to the economy.

Populations in northern European waters have been declining since 2010. The International Council for the Exploration of our Seas (ICES) has advised the EU Commission that there should be no catch of sea bass in 2017.
Fine Gael will vote against the final report of a Dail committee set up to make recommendations on the end of water charges.

Amid claims of dishonesty, flip flops and populism the government party was beaten on almost every vote at a series of meetings today.

As a result charges will not be applied even in cases of excess usage, although penalties will be introduced for wilful/abusive use of water.

Fianna Fail also joined forced with Sinn Fein to stop the automatic installation of water meters in all newly built homes.

The outcome is a major blow for Housing Minister Simon Coveney who must now set about drawing up legislation to reflect the work of the committee.

Fine Gael TDs have tonight claimed the minister is being asked to do something which will result in Ireland getting massive fines from the EU.

Fianna Fail have put populism before the needs of our country, and of the Irish people. They have continuously flip-flopped with their position on the funding of domestic water services and are now willing to hold the State and the Irish taxpayer to ransom for their own political gain, said Dublin Fingal TD Alan Farrell.

However, Fianna Fails water spokesman Barry Cowen said Fine Gael needed to realise that a majority had spoken.

He said his party went into the 20 meetings of the water committee in a bid to compromise.

Everybody gave and took a bit out of this, he said.

Mr Cowen claimed Fine Gael were looking for back door ways of reintroducing charges.

Solidarity-PBP TD Paul Murphy claimed the result is a victory for the tens of thousands of people who took part in anti-water charge protests.

Im not sure what Fine Gael were playing at with this whole thing, he said.

Earlier Mr Cowen and Mr Coveney engaged in a Twitter spat over what had been agreed by the parties last week.
A total of 3,300 fewer people were unemployed in March compared to February on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Central Statistics Office figures (Stock picture)

The number of people out of work has fallen again and now stands at under 6.5pc of the workforce.

A total of 141,400 people, or 6.4pc of the labour market, had no job last month compared with 144,700, or 6.6pc, the previous month.

This marks a drop of 39,800 in the number of people without jobs since the unemployment rate was at 8.3pc in March last year.

A total of 3,300 fewer people were unemployed in March compared to February on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Central Statistics Office figures.

Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar welcomed the "encouraging" figures and said they showed "that the recovery continues".

"It's particularly encouraging that we are already closing in on our 2020 target of 6pc unemployment," he said.

However, he said the Government needed to continue its focus on long-term unemployment and said his department would publish a new strategy for jobless households later this year.

Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor described the latest official statistics as "gratifying" news.

She said her department would continue to focus on creating the best possible environment to sustain and grow jobs so that these figures could drop further.

"Being able to earn a livelihood is all important, allowing people to take charge of their future, to make plans and to have hope and optimism," she said.

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association acknowledged the fall in unemployment but said that it was concerned at rising commercial rates, which it said were having an impact on employment growth.

It also noted that youth unemployment was still high, standing at 13.9pc.
Housing Minister Simon Coveney has rejected proposals to redraw the electoral boundaries between Kilkenny and Waterford amid accusations of a 'land grab'.

Having come under intense pressure from within his own party, Mr Coveney has confirmed he will not take on board the advice of the Boundary Commission to extend Waterford into Kilkenny.

On the grounds of population shifts, the Commission recommended that almost 20,000 acres of land currently in Kilkenny should be 'moved' into the Waterford constituency. This would have resulted in around 7,500 people's votes being transferred.

Carlow-Kilkenny TD John Paul Phelan had previously clashed with the minister over the proposal, even threatening to leave the party if the changes were implemented.

And of over 19,131 public submissions received by the Boundary Commission, 19,096 opposed changes.

The Committee said that the current border was an "impractical boundary".

But in a statement, Mr Coveney said the committee's reports are only "advisory".

"The recommendation in the Waterford/Kilkenny report to move the existing county boundaries has caused a lot of unease and concern in the area.

"This has been articulated directly to me by elected representatives and citizens through the consultation process on the National Planning Framework.

"The issue of identity, linked to county boundaries must be an important consideration," he said.

"I want to make clear now that I will not be implementing the recommendation to change the county boundaries. Kilkenny will continue to be Kilkenny and Waterford will be Waterford."

However, he added: "There is a responsibility on me now to ensure we have an appropriate management structure to allow Waterford City to grow into the South Kilkenny area."

Mr Phelan told the Irish Independent he welcomed the announcement but would reserve judgment until he sees full details of what is being planned.
The Oireachtas water committee is at risk of collapsing without agreement after Fine Gael lost a series of key votes on the issue of so-called "excessive usage".

Yesterday's committee hearing descended into farce as TDs squabbled over the wording of the final report.

Fine Gael demanded that the report must be significantly changed to reflect the need for householders who wilfully waste water to be hit with a tariff or levy.

The party wants the final document to state clearly that anyone who wastes water will be hit with a bill.

Fine Gael's representatives on the committee insisted the draft document circulated by chairman Padraig O Ceidigh proposed a system that would instead be "non-compliant" with EU law and leave Ireland open to hefty fines.

But Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail rejected amendments proposed by Fine Gael and forced the issue to a series of votes, which were won by the Opposition parties.

Fianna Fail TD Barry Cowen said what was being proposed by Fine Gael was akin to "bills by the back door".

Just minutes into the meeting, an adjournment was called because agreement could not be reached over the first recommendation tabled.

The recommendation states: "The committee recommends that domestic water charging as provided for under the Water Services Act 2014 be discontinued."

Fine Gael insisted this statement must be amended to include a charge for excessive usage.

But the party was outvoted by Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein.

There were frantic scenes as the Fine Gael members gathered outside the committee room to consult with each other on what approach to take.

It is understood a number of TDs phoned Housing Minister Simon Coveney for advice.

But after losing a series of further votes, the Fine Gael contingent refused to resume negotiations over the final document in the afternoon.

The main parties then arranged a series impromptu media interviews on the Dail plinth, during which they levelled accusations at each other.

Fine Gael chairman Martin Heydon said the language used in the report was "disingenuous and misleading to the Irish people and the members of the Oireachtas".

Party colleague Kate O'Connell said excessive usage needed to be quantified and based on the metric system. She said: "We are saying to the Irish people: 'You will get an allowance. Above that, you will get a bill in the door, simple as'.

"It can be called a charge, a levy or otherwise, or a penalty. But a charge for excessive use."

Just minutes later, Fianna Fail held its own media event, led by Mr Cowen.

The Offaly TD said he did not know what Fine Gael's problem was, but suggested that it was linked to the fact that Mr Coveney was engaged in a leadership contest.

Labour Party TD Jan O'Sullivan then held a briefing, during which she described the situation as "farcical".

She said she did not believe much of the document would be accepted by the EU.

Last night, Fine Gael tried to clarify its position, telling journalists the Government "cannot stand over a report that does not meaningfully seek to ensure that Ireland meets its EU obligations".

But Fianna Fail last night accused Fine Gael politicians of "acting like spoilt children".

A senior source told the Irish Independent: "They enter a process and because they don't get their own way, they throw a strop."

The committee is due to resume today, but any failure to reach agreement could have serious consequences for the Government.

Water charges are due to be suspended until the end of the month. If Fine Gael and Fianna Fail do not reach an agreement, there is a risk that no final report will be put forward for a Dail vote.
Two Irishmen were arrested as part of the same operation as gardai also seized cocaine worth approximately 5,000 (Stock picture)

A top international hitman has been arrested in Dublin carrying a list of names of key Hutch associates, details of their movements and various disguises.

The wanted criminal, nicknamed 'The Butcher', was held by gardai in a raid at 11am yesterday and is being held on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.

The Estonian national, who is in his 50s, has been linked to crimes in several countries.

He had only recently arrived in the country and is not suspected of being involved in any previous attacks linked to the Kinahan cartel.

A senior source said: "This man had written details of Hutch associates and specific information about their movements. He also had a number of disguises."

The source said: "This man is world-renowned and it is suspected he was hired by the Kinahan cartel. He is a war veteran with military training."

He has long denied any involvement in crime and has said his business interests lie in real estate.

It's thought the Estonian moved to Spain's Costa del Sol in the 1990s and took up with the cartel in later years.

Two Irishmen were arrested as part of the same operation as gardai also seized cocaine worth approximately 5,000.

One of the Irishmen is being questioned on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.

The second man is being held on suspicion of possession of drugs.

The men are being held under anti-gangland legislation.

Members of the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, supported by the Special Crime Task Force, carried out the raid in Blakestown, west Dublin.

The men are being held at stations in west Dublin.

Gardai have not yet located a weapon but searches are ongoing. The Irishmen arrested are aged in their 30s and 50s and a source said they were known members of the Kinahan crime cartel.

A source said the Estonian man arrived in the last number of days. In a statement last night, gardai confirmed investigations were ongoing.
Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday that a poisonous gas contamination in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun was the result of gas leaking from a rebel chemical weapons depot after it was hit by Syrian government air strikes.

The United States has blamed the administration of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the attack, in which scores of people are reported to have been killed.

"Yesterday, from 11:30 am to 12:30 p.m. local time, Syrian aviation made a strike on a large terrorist ammunition depot and a concentration of military hardware in the eastern outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun town," Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konoshenkov said in a statement posted on YouTube.

"On the territory of the depot there were workshops which produced chemical warfare munitions."

He said the chemical munitions had been used by rebels in Aleppo last year. "The poisoning symptoms of the victims in Khan Sheikhoun shown on videos in social networks are the same as they were in autumn of the previous year in Aleppo," Konoshenkov said.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Every mother will at some point encounter another parent whose baby is a paragon of good sleep practices. These are the people who have never had to contend with bedtime-as-battleground nor have they known the debilitating fatigue caused by being woken on the hour by crying, 10 nights in a row where you feel you might start hallucinating. While we can envy them their night-time bliss, there is some comfort to be had in the fact that the experience of having a solid little sleeper is not the norm. Most parents will agree that the expression 'sleeping like a baby' is largely a misnomer and many mums and dads will struggle with their child's sleeping problems, from infants simply refusing to sleep to toddlers demanding to get into their parents' bed.

Paediatric sleep consultant, Lucy Wolfe, who heads up private sleep consultancy practice Sleep Matters, has heard it all. Ireland's leading sleep expert and a regular contributor to Mothers & Babies for the last six years, she has helped more than 4,000 families regulate their sleeping problems, either in her Cork office, or via Skype sessions. Working with babies aged six months old to six-year-old children, her gentle methods have been 98pc effective in resolving baby sleep problems and her first book, The Baby Sleep Solution, promises to teach frazzled parents how they can help their child sleep through the night.

The mother-of-four, who worked in property as a chartered surveyor and auctioneer, was a sleep-deprived parent herself and this is how her interest in the area of baby sleep was sparked.

"When I had my first child - who is nearly 15 now - she was a great sleeper. I thought I was brilliant but by the time she was about 10 months, she was a horrible sleeper," Wolfe says. "I didn't really know anything about sleep and neither did any of my friends because I was one of the youngest to have a family. I started reading books, and ones from the States suggested that you should go and see a sleep consultant. When I asked my GP, she told me there was no such thing here. The internet 15 years ago wasn't as sophisticated as it is now and I felt really vulnerable. In the end I sorted it out by reading various bits and pieces."

Her second daughter was a different kind of sleeper entirely, and this fuelled her interest even more. Wolfe was also discovering at this time, as her friends and relatives started to have children, that sleep was a very common issue for everybody. Looking for a career change, and feeling that this might be something she had a talent for - she had already become the go-to person for advice in the playground - she trained in the US and UK before beginning her sleep consultancy business.

"I just had a conviction that it would be needed and that it was a support that wasn't there," she says. "It was really busy from almost day one. I suppose I have perfected my craft - it might come from having lots of children of my own but I think I'm very instinctive when I'm working with a family and that I'm able to bring them to the place they need to be."

She has devised an approach called stay-and-support, which involves various elements including physically and verbally responding to your child, using distraction, with guidelines on when to pick up and within what time frame, but never leaving them alone to cry.

It allows the baby to feel loved, safe and secure and it also gives parents confidence.

Expand Close Lucy with her children Jesse (14), Ellen (12), Eden (9) and Harry (6) Burke / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Lucy with her children Jesse (14), Ellen (12), Eden (9) and Harry (6) Burke

The sleep expert says that extremes like crying it out are unnecessary. "I feel quite strongly about that and I actually wouldn't even use words like sleep training because I don't think that's what I do," she says. "I think I help a child learn to sleep and I like that my approach is gentle and considerate and that it's child-centred and parent-led. A lot of parents are still under the impression that in order to get better sleep, you've got to compromise your child's emotional well-being and you've got to be tough. But that's not the case at all. Sleep is a really natural process so all I do with a family is unlock that natural ability with an approach where I take everything into account. It's not just one piece of the puzzle but trying to encompass every piece of the child's development."

In her experience, the biggest mistake parents are making is that their children's bedtimes are too late.

"Generally speaking, young children's bedtimes are somewhere between six and eight. Bedtime is the time the child should be asleep by and not the time you start the process. Lots of children I see might not be even going up the stairs until half past eight and if you're coming from a weak background in terms of sleep, sometimes even 7.30pm is too late. If you've got someone who is not sleeping routinely through the night a much earlier onset of sleep is actually a requisite.

"It's not early bedtime for early bedtime's sake or for you to have time on your own. It's because it's the way that young children are programmed. If we embrace that and underpin it, then we can work through to better sleep practices."

The most common sleep problem she encounters is frequent nocturnal activity, where children are awake for hours at a time or waking every 40 minutes. However, Wolfe says that's it's rarely a case of one problem just existing in isolation and that the situation tends to be multi-layered.

"The next most common thing is that the parents are involved in the context of their child's sleep so they're doing something to make sleep happen - feeding them a bottle, rocking them, laying down with them," she explains. "Generally what we see is that those two common problems sit on top of each other. There's probably an irregularity where the schedule is concerned and then there is probably a dependency somewhere along the line as well."

Parents may sometimes worry that their child may prove to be the exception to the rule and that a good night's sleep will be unattainable. While Wolfe acknowledges that all children are different, and what works for one may not work for another, she is keen to stress one thing. "I think everybody can learn how to sleep better and I think it can all be improved on."

And as one might anticipate, she herself is an excellent sleeper. "I love it. I'm so disciplined; I'm like a little robot. If I don't get my sleep, I'm not the best version of myself and I hate feeling under par. I put a huge value on my sleep. My son has said to me that all you ever talk about is sleep and food!"

sleepmatters.ie
Looking for summer getaway suggestions? With airlines moving to summer schedules, here are your options from Irish airports...

Before we start, a few housekeeping notes - this is not an exhaustive list. We've included new and seasonal routes resuming for summer, but existing year-round flights are excluded.

Now, happy holiday hunting!

Dublin Airport

Expand Close Isola Bella, Taormina, Sicily. Photo: Deposit / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Isola Bella, Taormina, Sicily. Photo: Deposit



Sicily for the hols?

After its busiest ever year in 2016, Dublin is heading for a bumper summer.

Almeria , Ryanair, 2x weekly

, Ryanair, 2x weekly Athens , Aer Lingus, 3x weekly, from April 29

, Aer Lingus, 3x weekly, from April 29 Barcelona Reus , Ryanair, daily

, Ryanair, daily Bari , Ryanair, 2x weekly

, Ryanair, 2x weekly Biarritz , Ryanair, 3x weekly

, Ryanair, 3x weekly Bilbao , Aer Lingus, up to 3x weekly

, Aer Lingus, up to 3x weekly Boston , Delta, 7 weekly, from May 26

, Delta, 7 weekly, from May 26 Boston Providence , Norwegian, 5x weekly, from July NEW

, Norwegian, 5x weekly, from July Bourgas (Bulgaria), Aer Lingus, 6x weekly, April 28

(Bulgaria), Aer Lingus, 6x weekly, April 28 Catania (Sicily) , Aer Lingus, 2x weekly

, Aer Lingus, 2x weekly Chania (Crete) , Ryanair, 2x weekly

, Ryanair, 2x weekly Corfu , Aer Lingus, 2x weekly, from April 29

, Aer Lingus, 2x weekly, from April 29 Cyprus (Larnaca), Cobalt Aero, 2x weekly, from April 8

(Larnaca), Cobalt Aero, 2x weekly, from April 8 Doha , Qatar Airways, 7 weekly, from June 12 NEW

, Qatar Airways, 7 weekly, from June 12 Dubrovnik , Aer Lingus, 4x weekly

, Aer Lingus, 4x weekly Girona , Ryanair, 2x weekly

, Ryanair, 2x weekly Ibiza , British Airways, 1x weekly, from May 19

, British Airways, 1x weekly, from May 19 Izmir (Turkey), Aer Lingus, 2x weekly

(Turkey), Aer Lingus, 2x weekly La Rochelle , Ryanair, up to 4x weekly

, Ryanair, up to 4x weekly Marseille , Aer Lingus, 4x weekly from end of April

, Aer Lingus, 4x weekly from end of April Miami , Aer Lingus, 3x weekly, from September 1, NEW

, Aer Lingus, 3x weekly, from September 1, Montpellier , Aer Lingus, 2x weekly, from April 28

, Aer Lingus, 2x weekly, from April 28 Munich , Transavia, 3x weekly, from March 26

, Transavia, 3x weekly, from March 26 Murcia , Aer Lingus, 4x weekly

, Aer Lingus, 4x weekly Nantes , Aer Lingus, 2x weekly, from April 19

, Aer Lingus, 2x weekly, from April 19 Naples , Aer Lingus, 4x weekly

, Aer Lingus, 4x weekly New York Stewart , Norwegian, 7x weekly, from July NEW

, Norwegian, 7x weekly, from July Palma de Mallorca , Ryanair & Aer Lingus, daily

, Ryanair & Aer Lingus, daily Perpignon, Aer Lingus, 4x weekly, from end of April

Aer Lingus, 4x weekly, from end of April Pisa , Ryanair, up to 6x weekly

, Ryanair, up to 6x weekly Pula , Aer Lingus, 3x weekly, from May 27

, Aer Lingus, 3x weekly, from May 27 Santander , Ryanair, up to 3x weekly

, Ryanair, up to 3x weekly Santiago de Compostela , Aer Lingus, 3x weekly

, Aer Lingus, 3x weekly Split , Aer Lingus, 2x weekly, from May 27

, Aer Lingus, 2x weekly, from May 27 Stockholm , Norwegian, 2x weekly, from June 9 NEW

, Norwegian, 2x weekly, from June 9 Tours Loire Valley , Ryanair, 2x weekly

, Ryanair, 2x weekly Valencia , Ryanair, up to 3x weekly

, Ryanair, up to 3x weekly Vigo, Ryanair, 2x weekly

Norwegian's new transatlantic routes, Aer Lingus's service to Miami and Qatar Airway's flights to Doha are all new year-round services, while popular sun destinations like Faro, Malaga and Orlando are of course, served all year round.

Other seasonal flight changes from Dublin include both Etihad and Turkish Airlines moving to double-daily services on their Abu Dhabi and Istanbul routes, respectively.

It's not all a tale of growth, however - Ryanair has pulled its direct flight from Dublin to Marrakech, and Aer Lingus has scrapped its proposed route to Porto.

Cork Airport

Expand Close Reykjavik. Deposit photos / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Reykjavik. Deposit photos



Reykjavik - direct flights from Cork this May

Ireland's second-busiest airport is on a roll after a wave of new route announcements, including its first ever direct, scheduled transatlantic flights.

Barcelona , Aer Lingus, 4x weekly, from May 1

, Aer Lingus, 4x weekly, from May 1 Boston Providence , Norwegian, 3x weekly, from July 1 NEW

, Norwegian, 3x weekly, from July 1 Bordeaux , Ryanair, 1x weekly, from June 3

, Ryanair, 1x weekly, from June 3 Faro , Aer Lingus & Ryanair, 6x weekly

, Aer Lingus & Ryanair, 6x weekly Carcassonne , Ryanair, 2x weekly, from June 4

, Ryanair, 2x weekly, from June 4 Dusseldorf , Aer Lingus, 2x weekly, from May 3

, Aer Lingus, 2x weekly, from May 3 Girona , Ryanair, 2x weekly, from June 3

, Ryanair, 2x weekly, from June 3 Milan Bergamo , Ryanair, 2x weekly, from June 1

, Ryanair, 2x weekly, from June 1 Madrid , Iberia Express, 2x weekly, from June 3

, Iberia Express, 2x weekly, from June 3 Newquay , Aer Lingus Regional, 2x weekly, from May NEW

, Aer Lingus Regional, 2x weekly, from May Palma de Mallorca , Aer Lingus & Ryanair, 5x weekly, from May 1

, Aer Lingus & Ryanair, 5x weekly, from May 1 Reus , Ryanair, 4x weekly, from June 2

, Ryanair, 4x weekly, from June 2 Rennes , Aer Lingus, 2x weekly, from May 27

, Aer Lingus, 2x weekly, from May 27 Reykjavik , WOW air, 3x weekly, from May 19 NEW

, WOW air, 3x weekly, from May 19 Zurich , SWISS, 2x weekly, from June 2 NEW

, SWISS, 2x weekly, from June 2 Verona, Volotea, 1x weekly, from June

Shannon Airport

Expand Close The Bean, Chicago / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp The Bean, Chicago



Reflecting on a trip to Chicago...

Shannon Airport recently introduced Europe's first sensory room (video) for passengers with autism, and has new US routes this year.

Alicante , Ryanair, 3x weekly

, Ryanair, 3x weekly Boston Providence , Norwegian, 2x weekly from July 1 NEW

, Norwegian, 2x weekly from July 1 Chicago , United, up to 7x weekly, from May 26

, United, up to 7x weekly, from May 26 Faro , Ryanair & Aer Lingus, 7x weekly

, Ryanair & Aer Lingus, 7x weekly Frankfurt , Lufthansa, 1x weekly, from April 29 NEW

, Lufthansa, 1x weekly, from April 29 New York Stewart , Norwegian, 2x weekly, from July 1 NEW

, Norwegian, 2x weekly, from July 1 Malaga , Aer Lingus, 2x weekly, from May 2

, Aer Lingus, 2x weekly, from May 2 New York , Delta, daily from May 5

, Delta, daily from May 5 Palma , Ryanair, up to 3x weekly

, Ryanair, up to 3x weekly Philadelphia , American Airlines, daily from May 6

, American Airlines, daily from May 6 Stockholm , SAS, 2x weekly, from August 1 NEW

, SAS, 2x weekly, from August 1 Zurich, Helvetic Airways, 1x weekly, from May 20

Ireland West (Knock Airport)

Expand Close Dubrovnik in Croatia / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Dubrovnik in Croatia



Croatian seaside scenes in Dubrovnik...

Ireland West (Knock) clocked its busiest ever year in 2016, handling 734,000 passengers during its 30th anniversary year.

Bristol , Ryanair, 3x weekly

, Ryanair, 3x weekly Tenerife , Ryanair 1x weekly

, Ryanair 1x weekly Faro , Ryanair, 4x weekly

, Ryanair, 4x weekly Malaga , Ryanair, 4x weekly

, Ryanair, 4x weekly Alicante , Ryanair, 4x weekly, from June

, Ryanair, 4x weekly, from June Barcelona , Ryanair, 2x weekly, from June

, Ryanair, 2x weekly, from June Milan , Ryanair, 2x weekly, from June

, Ryanair, 2x weekly, from June Costa Dorada , Falcon Holidays & Thomson, weekly charter from June

, Falcon Holidays & Thomson, weekly charter from June Dubrovnik, Concorde Travel, weekly charter from June

Kerry Airport

Alicante , Ryanair, 2x weekly

, Ryanair, 2x weekly Faro, Ryanair, 2x weekly

NB: This is not an exhaustive list. Existing year-round flights have not been included. Routes without a date are already operational.

Read more:
The star has spoken openly about her marriage, and also addressed the inequality in Hollywood.

Actress Anne Hathaway said she looks to her husband to allow to her feel comfortable in the world, and that his love has changed her.

The Oscar winner, 34, said that while women do not need anybody in todays society, she does rely heavily on her spouse Adam Shulman.

Praising her partner in an interview with Americas Elle magazine, Anne said: He changed my ability to be in the world comfortably.

I think the accepted narrative now is that we, as women, dont need anybody. But I need my husband.

His unique and specific love has changed me.

Anne has been married to actor and producer Adam since 2012, and last year the pair welcomed their first child together, a son called Jonathan.

In the interview, Anne also took aim at Hollywood for not being a place of equality.

The Devil Wears Prada star said: Hollywood is not a place of equality. I dont say that with anger or judgment; its a statistical fact.

Referencing her new film, the female-led Oceans Eight, she said: And even though Ive been in some female-centric films, Ive never been in a film like this. It just kind of makes you aware of the ways you sort of unconsciously change yourself to fit certain scenarios.

Video of the Day

Its not better or worse Or right or wrong, but there are certain things you understand about one another because of experiences you have in common.

Its probably easy for men to take that for granted. Just being on a set where Im the one who possesses that ease is really something. Its a nice alternative narrative.
The new director of The Gate theatre Selina Cartmell with actor Aidan Turner at the opening night of Noel Coward's Private Lives. Photo: Tony Gavin 5/4/2017

The new director of The Gate theatre Selina Cartmell with actor Aidan Turner at the opening night of Noel Coward's Private Lives. Photo: Tony Gavin 5/4/2017

Aidan Turner has returned to Dublin for a rare night out at home, as Poldark fans are in a spin over the show's earlier return to our screens.

The heart-throb was snapped tonight at The Gate theatre with new director of the theatre Selina Cartmell at the opening night of Noel Coward's Private Lives.

He appeared tonight at the theatre dressed down in jeans and a beanie hat for the show, which is at the beginning of a three month run.

Women around the world have fallen for the Clondalkin native thanks to his shirtless scenes in the drama and his Irish accent off-screen but he is off-the-market.

Fans of the hit show which catapulted him to fame recently learned that it will be back on the BBC in June in a move that means it will no longer clash with ITV hit Victoria.

"The earlier filming schedule on this series means that we can bring the much anticipated third series back sooner for fans to Sunday nights in June," a BBC spokeswoman said.
At least 22 people have been killed in suicide attacks in Iraq

At least 22 people have been killed in suicide attacks by Islamic militants in Tikrit, north of Baghdad.

Five suicide bombers on foot targeted a police patrol and broke into a police officer's house in Tikrit's al-Zihoor neighbourhood, according to a Salahuddin provincial council member.

Ahmed al-Karim said that security forces managed to kill three of the bombers while two blew themselves up.

Ten police officers were among the dead and up to 31 people were wounded in the attacks, he added.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombings but Islamic State militants have carried out scores of similar attacks to detract from the fighting in Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city.

The Sunni extremist group frequently targets Iraqi security forces and civilians in urban areas.

Iraqi forces drove out IS militants from Tikrit in April 2015. Since then, IS militants have launched a number of big attacks in and around Tikrit, located about 80 miles north of Baghdad.

IS has suffered a string of defeats over the past two years - most recently in the Mosul operation where Iraqi forces, backed by a US-led coalition, are battling to drive the extremists out of the western part of the city, a more densely populated area.

Eastern Mosul, which is separated by the Tigris river from the western part of the city, was declared liberated from IS in January.

Despite the severe setbacks, the Islamic State group has managed to regularly launch attacks in some Iraqi cities. A series of large-scale bombings claimed by IS has also struck Baghdad since the operation to retake Mosul began in October.

Iraqi and US-led international coalition officials have repeatedly warned that after Mosul, IS will likely return to its insurgent roots as it loses more territory in both Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

AP
Another step in Chapecoenses road to recovery after last years tragic plane crash.

Chapecoense were travelling to play Atletico Nacional when their plane crashed in November 2016, killing 71 of the 77 passengers on board, so the Recopa Sudamericana final between the sides was an emotional occasion.

The teams were due to play one another in the Copa Sudamericana final last year, but when the crash occurred, killing 19 of Chapecoenses players and staff, Atletico Nacional asked for the trophy to be awarded to their opponents.

The result is that the two sides met in the Recopa, contested by the winners of the Copa Libertadores (Atletico Nacional) and the winners of the Copa Sudamericana  played over two legs, the first was hosted at Chapes Arena Conda.

Chapecoense have obviously had to rebuild their team, so it was an astounding result when the home side managed to win 2-1, with goals from Reinaldo and Luiz Otavio proving enough to win the first leg.

The mayors of Chapeco and Medellin embraced one another on the pitch, and on 71 minutes the fans sang: Vamos, vamos Chape! meaning Lets go Chape!. Federico Gutierrez, the mayor of Medellin, said: Fraternity was born out of all this great tragedy.

The return fixture will take place on May 10 in Medellins Antanasio Girardot stadium, where Chape will hope to hold onto their lead.
Russia defended its ally Damascus on Wednesday against international outcry over a suspected chemical attack that killed scores of civilians, saying a Syrian air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse".

At least 72 civilians, among them 20 children, were killed in Tuesday's attack in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun, and dozens more were left gasping for air, convulsing, and foaming at the mouth, doctors said.

The UN Security Council was to hold an emergency meeting later Wednesday on the attack, with Britain, France and the United States pushing a resolution demanding a swift investigation.

Washington and London have pointed the finger at President Bashar al-Assad's government for the attack, though the regime has denied using chemical weapons.

Moscow, which launched a military intervention in 2015 in support of Assad's forces, said the deaths were caused when a Syrian air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" containing "toxic substances".

The Russian defence ministry said in a statement that the building housed "a warehouse making bombs, with toxic substances", without saying if the strike was accidental or deliberate.

Syria's army had earlier denied any use of chemical weapons, saying it "has never used them, any time, anywhere, and will not do so in the future."

Its denials have done little to quiet international condemnation, with UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday saying the "horrific events" showed that "war crimes are going on in Syria".

Pope Francis said he was "horrified" by the "unacceptable massacre... where dozens of defenseless people, including many children, were killed."

Others blamed Damascus more directly for the attack, including British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson who said "all the evidence I have seen suggests this was the Assad regime."

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also pointed the finger at the regime, saying "it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism."

If confirmed, the attack would be among the worst incidents of chemical weapons use in Syria's brutal civil war, which has killed over 320,000 people since it began in March 2011.

It unfolded in the early hours of Tuesday morning, with airplanes carrying out strikes that released "toxic gas" on Khan Sheikhun, in the northwestern province of Idlib, according to witnesses and a monitoring group."We ran inside the houses and saw whole families just dead in their beds," resident Abu Mustafa told AFP of the attack's aftermath.

"Children, women, old people dead in the streets."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said at least 160 people suffered the effects of the gas, with medical sources reporting incidents of vomiting, fainting, breathing problems and foaming at the mouth.

Medics worked frantically in the hours after the attack to treat a steady stream of patients, administering oxygen and hosing down victims to wash off chemical residue.

Even as they worked, air strikes hit a medical facility treating victims, an AFP correspondent said, bringing rubble down on top of medics and patients.

Air strikes hit Khan Sheikhun again on Wednesday morning, the Observatory said. There were no immediate details on a toll.

Idlib province is controlled mostly by an alliance of rebel and jihadist groups, including the former Al-Qaeda affiliate known as Fateh al-Sham Front.

Syria officially relinquished its chemical arsenal and signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013, to avert military action after it was accused of an attack outside Damascus that killed hundreds.

But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use since, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said it was "seriously concerned" by reports of Tuesday's attack.

Britain, France and the United States were to present a resolution to the Security Council Wednesday calling for the OPCW to quickly report findings on the attack.

But it was unclear if Russia would veto the measure, as it has often done with previous Security Council resolutions concerning Syria.

The text calls on Syria to provide flight plans, flight logs and other information on its military operations on the day of the assault.

Successive rounds of peace talks aimed at ending Syria's civil war have failed to produce results, and Syria's opposition warned Tuesday that the attack cast doubt on the prospects for future negotiations.

Donor nations were meanwhile meeting for a second day in Brussels at a conference hosted by the European Union and United Nations to raise new funds for Syrian refugees, whose number now tops five million.

Over half Syria's population has been displaced internally and abroad since the conflict began, with regional neighbours hosting most of those who have become refugees.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Turkish experts evacuate a victim of a suspected chemical weapons attacks in the Syrian city of Idlib, at a local hospital in Reyhanli, Turkey, Tuesday, April 4, 2017. A suspected chemical attack in a town in Syria's rebel-held northern Idlib province killed dozens of people on Tuesday, opposition activists said, describing the attack as among the worst in the country's six-year civil war. (DHA-Depo Photos via AP)

Assads regime has denied responsibility for the attack.

A suspected chemical gas attack in northern Syria has killed at least 58 people and left dozens injured, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

So what do we know so far?

What happened?

A gas attack occurred on Tuesday in the town of Khan Sheiktoun, in northern Syria. The province of Idlib, in which the attack occurred, is almost exclusively controlled by Syrian opposition forces and is home to over 900,000 displaced Syrians.

Opposition activists say they do not know what type of gas was used in the attack, but that 11 children were killed in the attack and the death toll was expected to rise.

Shortly after the incident, activists say a field hospital treating the injured was hit by an airstrike.

Photos and video emerging from Khan Sheikhoun showed limp bodies of children and adults. Some are seen struggling to breathe while others appeared to be foaming at the mouth.

Pinpoint pupils, breathing difficulties and foaming at the mouth are symptoms commonly associated with toxic gas exposure.

Whos responsible?

The Syrian government is denying involvement in the incident. An official from the foreign ministry told SANA, the countrys official news agency, that it had not used them before or later and doesnt seek to acquire them.

However, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says the alleged chemical attack near Idlib bears all the hallmarks of the Syrian government.

He went on to say he was horrified at the reports of the attack and said Bashar Assads government has repeatedly used chemical weapons in the past.

Russias Defense Ministry has also rejected the claim that its planes attacked a northern Syrian town with chemical weapons.

The ministry said that Russian air force planes havent dealt any strikes on Khan Sheikhoun in the province of Idlib.

The Syrian military blamed any use of chemical weapons on the opposition and those who support them. It says the rebels fabricate accusations of chemical attacks to divert attention from their battlefield failures.

What are foreign actors saying about the attack?

The European Unions top diplomat says Syrian President Bashar Assads government must assume its responsibilities following the reports of the attack.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that the news is awful and that Assads government has the primary responsibility of protecting its people and not attacking its people.

Benjamin Netanyahu said he was shocked and outraged by images of the victims and called on the international community to fully and finally remove these horrible weapons from Syria.

Frances foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault is calling for an emergency UN Security Council meeting over a suspected chemical attack in Syrias rebel-held Idlib province.

Theresa May condemned the attack and called for an investigation, saying: If proven, this will be further evidence of the barbarism of the Syrian regime, and the UK has led international efforts to call to account the Syrian regime and Daesh for the use of chemical weapons and I would urge the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to investigate this incident as soon as possible.

Turkeys foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called the attack a crime against humanity, but also went on to criticise Western nations who, he said, give frequent lectures to the Middle East on human rights but, remained carefree when the red line was crossed before.

Is this the first chemical gas attack in Syria?

No. Tuesdays attack was the third claim of a chemical attack in just over a week in Syria. The previous two were reported in Hama province, in an area not far from Khan Sheikhoun, the site of Tuesdays alleged attack.

The worst attack was what a UN report said was an attack by toxic sarin gas in August 2013 on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta that killed hundreds of civilians.

In the wake of the 2013 attack, Assad agreed to a Russia-sponsored deal to destroy his chemical arsenal and joined the Chemical Weapons Convention.
A U.S. Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter approaches the deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during the annual joint military exercise called Foal Eagle between South Korea and the United States at an unidentified location in the international waters, east of the Korean Peninsula. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast, US and South Korean officials said, amid worries that Pyongyang might soon conduct banned nuclear or long-range rocket tests.

The firing was also made as North Korea expressed anger over annual military drills between the United States and South Korea that the North sees as an invasion rehearsal.

The US Pacific Command said it detected and tracked what it assessed as a North Korean missile launched from land near the eastern city of Sinpo.

A US statement said initial assessments indicate the type of missile was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a similar assessment, saying the missile flew about 37 miles - a much shorter distance than other North Korean missiles travelled in their recent test launches.

Two weeks ago the South Korean and US militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch.

South Korean media speculated at the time that North Korea might have attempted to test a missile that it has not deployed.

Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 620 miles, with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

The North's latest launch came as outside satellite imagery show possible preparations for a new nuclear test at the North's main nuclear test site, such as communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data being already laid.

North Korea's state media has also said the world will soon witness what it calls "eventful successes" the country achieves in the space development.

Washington, Seoul and others call the North's space programme a cover for its long-range missile development scheme.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls US hostility.

Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental US within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

North Korea also often responds to US-South Korean military drills with its own military training and harsh rhetoric.

The allies say the drills set to run until the end of this month are defensive in nature.

US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said "the United States has spoken enough about North Korea" in reaction to the launch.

The State Department issued a terse statement from America's top diplomat acknowledging "yet another" launch and saying: "We have no further comment."

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something to coincide with the Trump-Xi summit, perhaps conducting a nuclear test.

He said the missile launch may be a precursor, with more to come as the summit starts later this week.

"I've joked before that they don't mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored," he said.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry called the North's latest missile launch a "reckless provocation" that posed a threat to international peace, while Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said the country lodged a strong protest.
A multinational force has driven Boko Haram Islamic extremists out of most towns and villages in north-eastern Nigeria

A dog at a Nigerian wedding party grappled with a suicide bomber until her explosives detonated, killing the animal as well.

Buba Ahmed, of Belbelo, a village near the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, said guests are grateful that the dog sacrificed itself to save their lives.

He said the teenage bomber was on the outskirts of a gathering where most villagers were attending a wedding ceremony when the dog pounced on her.

Police spokesman Victor Isuku confirmed that the dog had intervened to save the wedding party.

A multinational force has driven Boko Haram Islamic extremists out of most towns and villages in north-eastern Nigeria, but the extremists have resorted to attacking soft targets with suicide bombers.

AP
The French presidential campaign was blighted by fresh corruption allegations yesterday after it emerged that far-right Front National leader Marine Le Pen's campaign director was the focus of a preliminary investigation into a fake jobs probe.

Prosecutors in Lille have launched an investigation into whether the FN used funds earmarked for the regional Nord-Pas- de-Calais region to pay party members from 2010-2015, a judicial source confirmed.

Ms Le Pen's campaign chief, David Rachline, is the focus of the probe, according to 'Le Canard Enchaine', the investigative weekly, which carries the story in its edition out today.

Mr Rachline (29), a rising star in Ms Le Pen's anti-immigration and anti-euro party, had been on the payroll of the Lille-based regional council while at the same time being an elected councillor in a region in Provence, about 1,000 to the south, it said.

Campaign

Prosecutors suspect Ms Le Pen of "preparing the 2012 presidential campaign from the regional council, using local human and material means".

Expand Close Francoise Fillon / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Francoise Fillon

Mr Rachline said the investigation bore the hallmark of "a political attack".

The fake job allegation is the latest in a string of corruption scandals to beset candidates in the two-stage election due to take place on April 23 and May 7.

Polls predict Ms Le Pen could come first in the initial round of the election but would lose by a sizeable margin to independent centrist Emmanuel Macron in the run-off in May.

The former front-runner Francois Fillon, the conservative French presidential candidate, is facing charges over suspicions he used parliamentary funds to pay his wife and two children around 800,000 for "fake jobs".

He has claimed there is an orchestrated campaign to discredit him and denies any wrongdoing. He is now trailing in third place.

Debate

News of the Front National probe came just hours ahead of a televised debate by all 11 French presidential rivals last night.

Ten million watched the leading five contenders - Mr Macron, Ms Le Pen, Mr Fillon, Jean-Luc Melenchon, the Communist-backed radical, and Benoit Hamon, the Socialist contender - face off on TV last month.

This time, the six "smaller" rivals would also be there, with each candidate having 17 minutes to talk about three themes: employment, security and their preferred social model. ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
President Donald Trump should not point to his White House predecessor about a recent deadly chemical weapons attack on Syrian civilians but directly blame that nation's regime instead, Republican and Democratic senators urged Wednesday.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Senate Democrat Ben Cardin were introducing a resolution assailing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his forces for apparently using chemical weapons in an attack that left 86 civilians dead, including 30 children.

They also demanded a sharper position against Assad by the Trump administration, whose senior officials recently suggested it was no longer a priority that Assad be removed from power.

"This needs to become a priority," Rubio said at a press conference with Cardin, both of whom branded Assad a war criminal.

"I don't think it's a secret that I disagreed with many of the decisions made by the Obama administration on foreign policy, but that presidency's over. We have a new presidency," Rubio said.

"Bottom line is, the people who killed these children are Bashar al-Assad with the assistance of Vladimir Putin's military forces," Rubio added, referring to the presidents of Syria and Russia, respectively.

The Assad regime stands accused of conducting the latest chemical weapons assault, believed to be the worst since 2013 in the war-ravaged nation.

On Tuesday, Trump blamed Obama for failing to enforce his "red line" after Assad used chemical weapons four years ago.

"President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing," he said.

Trump offered stronger criticism of Assad Wednesday, labeling the latest attack an "affront to humanity."

Still, lawmakers were eager to see the new administration formulate a firm position on Syria.

"We need to know President Trump's policies for countering these atrocities and the challenges we have," Cardin said.

Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for the formulation of clear US policy that Assad has "no legitimacy as the leader of Syria and no future as the leader of Syria."

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson raised eyebrows last week when he said Assad's fate was up to the Syrian people, and that the primary US goal was defeating the Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria and Iraq.

Rubio said he does "not believe it is coincidental" that the attack followed such comments.

But he placed the blame squarely on Assad's forces.

"Any effort to take even an iota of blame away from the people truly responsible does not further the cause that we seek to make and bring light to today," he said.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


A man at Tekhnologichesky Institut metro station in St Petersburg sits by a memorial for victims of the blast. Photo: Grigory Dukor/Reuters

A 22-year-old suicide bomber born in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan was behind a blast on the St Petersburg subway that killed 14 people, Russian investigators have said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's attack, which came while Russian president Vladimir Putin was visiting the city, the country's second-biggest and Mr Putin's hometown.

Russia's health minister yesterday raised the death toll from 11 to 14 and said 49 people were still in hospital. Authorities did not say whether the suicide attacker was included in the death toll.

City hall officials said there were several foreign nationals among those killed and injured.

Residents brought flowers to the stations near where the blast occurred. Every corner at the ornate, Soviet-built Sennaya Square station was covered with red and white carnations yesterday.

Russian investigators said the bomb was set off by a suicide bomber and identified him as Kyrgyz-born Russian citizen Akbarzhon Dzhalilov, who turned 22 two days before the attack.

Expand Close Kyrgyzstan-born Akbarzhon Dzhalilov. Photo: Reuters / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Kyrgyzstan-born Akbarzhon Dzhalilov. Photo: Reuters

The investigative committee said that forensic experts also found the man's DNA on the bag with a bomb that was found and deactivated at another subway station in St Petersburg on Monday. Kyrgyzstan confirmed the man's identity and said it would help the Russian probe.

Authorities believe the suspect was linked to radical Islamic groups and carried the explosive device on to the train in a backpack, reports claim.

The entire subway system in St Petersburg, a city of five million, was shut down and evacuated before partial service resumed six hours later.

Monday's explosion occurred as the train travelled between stations on one of the city's north-south lines. The driver appeared in front of reporters yesterday, looking tired, but not visibly shaken by the events of the previous day.

Alexander Kavernin (50), who has worked on the subway for 14 years, said he heard the blast while his train was running, called security and carried on to the next station as the emergency instructions prescribe.

"I had no time to think about fear at that moment," he said.

The decision to keep moving was praised by authorities, who said it helped evacuation efforts and cut danger to passengers who would have had to walk along the electrified tracks.

In the past two decades, Russian trains and planes have been frequent targets of attack, usually blamed on Islamic militants.
Men using Mexico Citys metro trains got a shock when they sat down on a seat featuring a lifelike penis.

Campaigners against sexual violence placed the seat, which is moulded in the shape of a male body  complete with genitals, on public transport in a drive designed to show men the difficulties women face every day.

A note on the floor in front of the seat read: Its uncomfortable to sit here, but thats nothing compared to the sexual violence suffered by women on their commute.

A video promoting the stunt has been watched some 800,000 times on YouTube and is part of a UN Women campaign, alongside the Mexico City government, to tackle the problem of sexual assault.

In it, men can be seen leaping straight back up after trying to sit in the seat. Bemused, confused and disgusted expressions are seen on passengers faces as they catch sight of the moulding.

Mexico City moved in 2000 to make the first three carriages of metro trains women-only all day because of a surge in complaints about harassment, but it appears the problem remains.

Even one of the countrys most famous luchadores has joined the #NoEsDeHombres campaign. Masked professional wrestler El Hijo Del Santo exhorted his 70,000 Twitter followers to inform yourselves and share, until its clear this fight will be won.

Holly Kearl, founder of the Stop Street Harassment campaign in the US, told the BBC: Too often initiatives around womens safety focus on what women should or should not do, so it is refreshing to see a creative campaign aimed at men.

On YouTube, the reaction was not universally positive.

One angry male commenter condemned the video as misandrist and said it accused an entire gender over the actions of an idiotic and uneducated percentage.

A woman wrote under the video: These misandrist campaigns make me angry. To other women I say, Dont you have sons, fathers or partners? Do you agree with generalising and demonising the male sex in this way?"
The death toll from a suspected chemical attack on a northern Syrian town has risen to 75, as activists and rescue workers continued to find more terrified survivors hiding in shelters near the site.

A Syrian opposition group said renewed air strikes hit the town of Khan Sheikhoun a day after the attack, which the Trump administration and others have blamed on the government of President Bashar Assad, as well as his main patrons, Russia and Iran.

Damascus and Moscow have denied they were behind the attack.

Russia's defence ministry said the toxic agents were released when a Syrian air strike hit a rebel arsenal, an account Britain dismissed at an emergency UN session called in response to the attack.

British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the UK had seen nothing that would suggest rebels "have the sort of chemical weapons that are consistent with the symptoms that we saw yesterday".

Russia said it would submit information from its defence ministry to the Security Council debate.

A resolution drafted by Britain, France, and the US stresses the Syrian government's obligation to provide information about its air operations, including the names of those in command of any helicopter squadrons on the day of the attack.

Diplomats were also meeting in Brussels for a major donors conference on the future of Syria and the region. Representatives from 70 countries were present.

The attack on Khan Sheikhoun killed dozens of people on Tuesday, leaving residents gasping for breath and convulsing in the streets. Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using fire hoses to wash the chemicals from victims' bodies.

The attack was reminiscent of a 2013 chemical assault that left hundreds dead and was the worst in the country's six-year conflict.

The Turkish health ministry said three victims of the attack died while being treated in Turkey, and that 29 people wounded in the attack were still being cared for in hospitals in the country. Syrian opposition groups had previously reported 72 had died.

Turkey set up a decontamination centre at a border crossing in the province of Hatay following the attack, where the victims are initially treated before being moved to hospitals.

Syrian doctors said a combination of toxic gases is suspected to have been released during the air strikes, causing the high death toll and severe symptoms.

The World Health Organisation and the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders said victims of the attack appeared to show symptoms consistent with exposure to a nerve agent.

Read More

In a statement, the agency said "the likelihood of exposure to a chemical attack is amplified by an apparent lack of external injuries reported in cases showing a rapid onset of similar symptoms, including acute respiratory distress as the main cause of death".

Pope Francis said during his general audience that he was "watching with horror at the latest events in Syria", and that he "strongly deplored the unacceptable massacre".

Earlier, President Donald Trump denounced the attack as a "heinous" act that "cannot be ignored by the civilised world". German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel called on Russia to endorse a planned Security Council resolution condemning the attack.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said "all the evidence" he had seen so far in the latest chemical weapons attack in Syria "suggests this was the Assad regime... (that) did it in the full knowledge that they were using illegal weapons in a barbaric attack on their own people".

Syria's government denied it carried out any chemical attack. But early on Wednesday, Russia, a major ally of the Syrian government, alleged a Syrian air strike hit a rebel arsenal, releasing the toxic agents.

Russian defence ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement that Russian military assets registered the strike on a weapons depot and ammunition factory on the town's eastern outskirts. He said the factory produced chemical weapons that were used in Iraq.

Wednesday's renewed air strikes hit near the location of the suspected chemical attack, said Ahmed al-Sheikho, of the Idlib civil defence team. He said the strikes did not cause any casualties because the area had been evacuated following Tuesday's attack.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 20 children and 17 women were among those killed. Abu Hamdu, a senior member of the Syrian civil defence in Khan Sheikhoun, said his group has recorded 70 deaths.

He said his team of rescuers was still finding survivors, including two women and a boy hiding in an underground shelter beneath their home.

Israeli defence officials said on Wednesday that military intelligence officers believed government forces were behind the attack.

The officials said Israel believes Assad has tons of chemical weapons currently in his arsenal. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also blamed the Syrian government for the attack.

A top Syrian rebel representative said he held UN mediator Staffan De Mistura "personally responsible" for the attack.

Mohammad Alloush, the rebels' chief negotiator at UN-mediated talks with the Syrian government, said the envoy must begin labelling the Syrian government as responsible for killing civilians. He said the UN's silence "legitimises" the strategy.

"The true solution for Syria is to put Bashar Assad, the chemical weapons user, in court, and not at the negotiations table," said Mr Alloush, who is an official in the Islam Army rebel faction.

Syria's rebels, and the Islam Army in particular, are also accused of killing civilians in Syria, but rights watchdogs attribute the overwhelming portion of civilian causalities over the course of the six-year-war to the actions of government forces and their allies.
Turkish experts evacuate a victim of a suspected chemical weapons attacks in the Syrian city of Idlib, at a local hospital in Reyhanli, Turkey (DHA-Depo Photos via AP)

he United Nations is holding an emergency meeting as the world expressed horror at the chemical weapons attack in northern Syria that killed dozens of people and left others gasping for breath and convulsing in the streets and overcrowded hospitals.

The Trump administration blamed the Syrian government for the attack, one of the deadliest in years, and said its patrons, Russia and Iran, bore "great moral responsibility" for the deaths.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 58 people, including 11 children, died in the early morning attack on Tuesday in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, which witnesses said was carried out by Sukhoi jets operated by the Russian and Syrian governments.

Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using fire hoses to wash the chemicals from victims' bodies.

Haunting images of lifeless children piled in heaps reflected the magnitude of the attack, reminiscent of a 2013 chemical assault that left hundreds dead and was the worst in the country's ruinous six-year civil war.

Tuesday's attack drew swift condemnation from world leaders, including US president Donald Trump, who called it as a "heinous" act that "cannot be ignored by the civilised world".

The UN Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday in response to the strike, which came on the eve of a major international donors' conference in Brussels on the future of Syria and the region.

Read More

Mr Trump also blamed former US president Barack Obama for "weakness" in failing to respond aggressively after the 2013 attack.

Expand Close European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura brief the media during an international conference on the future of Syria and the region, in Brussels, Belgium REUTERS/Francois Lenoir / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura brief the media during an international conference on the future of Syria and the region, in Brussels, Belgium REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

"President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing. The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack," he said.

Mr Trump left it to his top diplomat, secretary of state Rex Tillerson, to assign at least some blame to Russia and Iran, Assad's most powerful allies.

Mr Tillerson called on both countries to use their influence over Assad to prevent future chemical weapons attacks and noted Russia's and Iran's roles in helping broker a ceasefire through diplomatic talks in the Kazakh capital Astana.

"As the self-proclaimed guarantors to the ceasefire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths," he said.

In a statement, the Syrian government "categorically rejected" claims that it was responsible, saying it did not possess chemical weapons, had not used them in the past and would not in the future.

It laid the blame squarely on the rebels, accusing them of fabricating the attack and trying to frame the Syrian government.

The Russian Defence Ministry said Khan Sheikhoun residents were exposed to toxic agents from a rebel arsenal hit by a Syrian air strike.

It was the third claim of a chemical attack in just over a week in Syria. The previous two were reported in Hama province, in an area not far from Khan Sheikhoun.

Opposition activists and a doctor in Idlib said it was the worst incident since the 2013 gas attack on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta that killed hundreds of civilians and which a UN investigation said used sarin gas.

Faced with international outrage over that attack, Assad agreed to a Russia-sponsored deal to destroy his chemical arsenal.

His government declared a 1,300-ton stockpile of chemical weapons and so-called precursor chemicals that can be used to make weapons, all of which were destroyed.

But member states of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have repeatedly questioned whether Assad declared everything.

The widely available chemical chlorine was not covered in the 2013 declaration and activists say they have documented dozens of cases of chlorine gas attacks since then.

The Syrian government has consistently denied using chemical weapons and chlorine gas, accusing the rebels of deploying it in the war instead.

Dr AbdulHai Tennari, a pulmonologist who treated dozens of victims of Tuesday's attack, said it appeared to be more serious than a chlorine attack.

He said doctors were struggling amid extreme shortages, including of the antidote used to save patients, Pralidoxem.

Dr Mohammed Tennari, a radiologist and AbdulHaj Tennari's brother, said Tuesday's attack was more severe than previous ones in the province, most of which used chlorine cylinders.

"Honestly, we have not seen this before. The previous times the wounds were less severe," he said.

The doctor, who gave evidence before the United Nations in 2015 about renewed Syrian government use of chemical attacks despite claims it has destroyed its stockpiles, said there was a chlorine smell after Tuesday's attack, but it was mixed with another unknown "toxic gas which causes poison and death".

Mohammed Hassoun, a media activist in the nearby town of Sarmin, where some of the critical cases were transferred, said doctors there also believed it was probably more than one gas.

"Chlorine gas doesn't cause such convulsions," he said, adding that doctors suspected sarin was used.

The province of Idlib, which is almost entirely controlled by the opposition, is home to some 900,000 displaced Syrians, according to the United Nations.

Rebels and opposition officials have expressed concerns that the government is planning to mount a concentrated attack on the crowded province.

New York-based Human Rights Watch has accused the Syrian government of conducting at least eight chlorine gas attacks on opposition-controlled residential areas during the final months of the battle for Aleppo last year that killed at least nine civilians and injured 200.

A joint investigation by the UN and the international chemical weapons watchdog determined the Syrian government was behind at least three additional attacks in 2014 and 2015 involving chlorine gas, and that the Islamic State terror group was responsible for at least one, involving mustard gas.

Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said the use of chemical weapons was "illegal and abhorrent".

"While the full facts are still to be determined, if the Assad regime is responsible for this attack, those who approved and deployed these weapons must be held accountable," he said.
A Syrian boy from Idlib is carried by Turkish medics wearing chemical protective suits to a hospital in the border town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Turkey. Photo: Ferhat Dervisoglu/Dogan News Agency via Reuters

Dozens of people have been killed in a suspected chemical attack in a town in Syria's northern Idlib province.

Monitoring groups put the death toll at 58, saying there were 11 children among the dead. The Idlib Media Centre said dozens of people had been killed.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer condemned what he called "these heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime", and said it was in the best interests of the Syrian people for President Assad to leave.

He was joined in his condemnation by the UK, United Nations and France, among others.

Hours after the attack, a small field hospital in the region was struck and destroyed, according to a civil defence worker in the area.

It was the third claim of a chemical attack in just over a week in Syria. The previous two were reported in Hama province, in an area not far from Khan Sheikhoun, the site of yesterday's attack.

Expand Close A Syrian child receives treatment following a suspected toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhun, a rebel-held town in the northwestern Syrian Idlib province, on April 4, 2017 / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp A Syrian child receives treatment following a suspected toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhun, a rebel-held town in the northwestern Syrian Idlib province, on April 4, 2017

The Syrian American Medical Society, which supports hospitals in opposition-held territory, said it had sent a team of inspectors to Khan Sheikhoun and an investigation was under way.

The Syrian activists claimed the attack was caused by an air strike carried out either by the Syrian government or Russian warplanes.

Russia's defence ministry categorically rejected the claim that its planes attacked the town with chemical weapons.

The ministry said that "Russian air force planes haven't dealt any strikes on Khan Sheikhoun in the province of Idlib".

Expand Close Syrian President Bashar Assad faces demands to quit / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Syrian President Bashar Assad faces demands to quit

The Syrian army command also denied it used any chemical weapons against civilians.

A Turkey-based Syrian woman, whose niece, husband and one-year-old daughter were among those killed, said the warplanes struck early, as residents were still in their beds. Makeshift hospitals soon crowded with people suffocating.

The province of Idlib is almost entirely controlled by the Syrian opposition. It is home to some 900,000 displaced Syrians, according to the United Nations.

Rebels and opposition officials have expressed concerns that the government is planning to mount a concentrated attack on the crowded province.

Expand Close A man carries a child following the suspected chemical attack. Photo: AP / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp A man carries a child following the suspected chemical attack. Photo: AP

The reports came on the eve of a major international meeting in Brussels on the future of Syria and the region hosted by the EU's High Representative, Federica Mogherini.

Claims of chemical weapons attacks, particularly the use of the chlorine agent, are not uncommon in Syria's conflict. The worst attack was what a UN report said was an attack by toxic sarin gas in August 2013 on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta that killed hundreds of civilians.

In the wake of the 2013 attack, President Assad agreed to a Russia-sponsored deal to destroy his chemical arsenal and joined the Chemical Weapons Convention.

His government declared a 1,300-tonne stockpile of chemical weapons and so-called precursor chemicals that can be used to make weapons amid international outrage at a nerve gas attack on the outskirts of Damascus.

Those weapons have been destroyed, but member states of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have repeatedly questioned whether President Assad declared everything in 2013.

The widely available chemical chlorine was not covered in the 2013 declaration and activists say they have documented dozens of cases of chlorine gas attacks since then.

The Syrian government has consistently denied using chemical weapons and chlorine gas, accusing the rebels of deploying it in the war instead.

Tarik Jasarevic, spokesman for the World Health Organisation, said in a statement that the agency is contacting health providers from Idlib to get more information about yesterday's incident.

The Syrian Coalition, an opposition group based outside the country, said government planes carried out the air strike on Khan Sheikhoun, south of the city of Idlib, the provincial capital.

It said the planes fired missiles carrying poisonous gases, killing dozens of people, many of them women and children.

The coalition described the attack as a "horrifying massacre".

Photos and video emerged from Khan Sheikhoun showing limp bodies of children and adults.

Some were seen struggling to breathe, while others appeared to be foaming at the mouth.

A doctor said his hospital in Idlib province received three victims, all with narrow, pinpoint pupils that did not respond to light.

Pinpoint pupils, breathing difficulties and foaming at the mouth are symptoms commonly associated with toxic gas exposure.

The United Nations Security Council will meet this morning to be briefed on yesterday's suspected chemical weapons attack
Mare Nostrum is a fictional short film, written, produced and directed by Syrian couple Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf, who now reside in Jordan after leaving war-torn Syria.



The film, which depicts a Syrian father and his daughter, won the best short fiction film award at the third BBC Arabic Festival last month.



In Mare Nostrum, silence plays a pivotal role; the high-quality cinematography and the plot are very powerful, making it a captivating silent movie.



The silence is eerie and troubling, just like the Syrian refugee crisis.



The film begins by shocking the viewer, with a father throwing his own daughter into deep water. The audience reacted strongly, some gasping or crying, others holding their breath.



Ahram Online met the film's two directors during the festival in London, to talk about the film, lost dreams and found hopes.

Rana Kazkaz (RK): I needed to shock the audience from the start because the judgement against the refugees and migrants is too harsh. It is horrifying. They risk their lives and to criticise them and judge them is so difficult.I wanted to see if the audience is going to judge the man for throwing his own daughter into the water, for sleeping with her in the same bed. I wanted to see if they going to judge him for the lack of conversation?The audience is not the same after seeing the movie. The shock pulls people in and gets them out of their assumptions in the end.I wanted that emotional involvement from the beginning. This is fiction, drama symbolism. I just cant imagine stepping my foot on this boat.RK: Yes, we were watching the news one day and it was another boat sinking. My heart sinks with it every time; it is a very tough decision to gather your life and go on that boat. And where do you go after that? Who is waiting for you at the other end?Anas Khalaf (AK): You know that the boat sank and people drowned even though they were wearing life jackets. But the jackets sold to them in Turkey were made of cotton. Who do you blame?RK: Many people asked me: where is the mother of this child? Well, the mother passed away. She died in the war or died on a boat. The cinema that we love is like an onion; you peel it layer by layer. It is an art of bringing someone in and not letting them go until the end.AK: Yes, it made it to 30 film festivals so far and yes, we have had very good feedback.But did we expect it? We knew we had something strong but were not sure what the reaction would be. The reaction sometimes surprised us.But at the same time, the film was not selected for many other festivals as sometimes the jury didnt believe it could happen. It is too extreme for some people. I once heard one member of the audience say that this is a bad Muslim father, although we have nothing in the film that gives away the religion of the protagonist. He could be anything and he is a very kind and loving father.I once also heard the reaction that in the 14 minutes of this film, it tells the world everything that happened during the five years of the Syrian revolution. It is a love story.

Earlier this year, the film was screened during the Sharm El-Sheikh Film Festival and the audience loved it.



AO: But this is not your first film, is it?



RK: We made five short films before but this is our first successful one. And now we are working on our first feature film. We are going to Cannes in fact. Our film was accepted for the Cine Foundation Atelier among 15 film projects and we hope to shoot in May next year. It is about the first three months of the Syrian revolution.



AO: Why did you choose this silent form with no dialogue?



RK: We love cinema with very little dialogue. The film has a more universal message and I found there was no need for words or subtitles. And we choose to end with the AP footage to show how the media speaks nonstop without saying anything really.



AO: When there was still hope, you are clearly very emotional about the Syrian revolution and the destruction and resulting migration. How do you manage to distance yourselves and create a film about something you clearly are emotionally involved in?



RK: Thats the job of the artists. We are involved, attached and affected but connecting with other humans is beautiful. We were personally in a very dark place when we produced Mare Nostrum but we managed to create a different life for ourselves and coming out of the darkness we find hope again. Thats how we Syrians live.



AO: How did you cast Ziad Bakri, the main protagonist?



RK: He is a famous Palestinian actor and he comes from a Palestinian acting family. He was in a French series, Le Bureau des Legendes, with Anas and we found him amazing. It was very interesting working with him because often we found it very difficult to say "cut". He is sad, vulnerable and very bright.



AO: Did you find it difficult casting your own daughter, Zayn Khalaf, in the film?



RK: We didnt want to cast her at all. We held auditions and chose a young girl but there was no chemistry at all between her and Ziad. Then one day we invited him for dinner at our house and they hit it off. Then she wanted to play the role and he wanted her to play it. It was a very difficult yet amazing experience for her. She matured a lot and had a great time during the production.



AO: But didnt you think its too much for a little girl to be involved in this dark film, instead of playing and enjoying her childhood, especially after fleeing Syria and settling in Jordan?



RK: She was playing. Ziad brought his family and during the breaks, she and Ziads son were building sandcastles.



And indeed, the film was so dark, yet making it was fun and joy. Ziad knew the success of the film relied on the chemistry between them so he and his family spent a lot of time connecting with her aside from work.



AO: Did she watch the film?



RK: Yes she did. In the beginning it was hard for her to watch the film with an audience as she was vulnerable, but now she is proud of her film and her role.



AO: Why did you choose Amman after leaving Syria?



AK: Because it is easier to make films in Amman than anywhere else. There is no censorship, while in Beirut it is complicated.



AO: And finally, where does the name of the film, Mare Nostrum, come from?



RK: It is Latin for "our sea" and it also referenced the Mediterranean specifically. The Mediterranean is where different countries, different regimes and different ways of life meet. It is also the name of the Italian rescue operation that assists sinking boats.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

Search Keywords:

Short link:


The missile was launched near the eastern city of Sinpo, the US Pacific Command said

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the waters off its east coast, US and South Korean officials said, amid worries that Pyongyang might soon conduct banned nuclear or long-range rocket tests.

The firing was also made as North Korea expressed anger over annual military drills between the United States and South Korea that the North sees as an invasion rehearsal.

The US Pacific Command said it detected and tracked what it assessed as a North Korean missile launched from land near the eastern city of Sinpo.

A US statement said initial assessments indicate the type of missile was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a similar assessment, saying the missile flew about 37 miles - a much shorter distance than other North Korean missiles travelled in their recent test launches.

Two weeks ago the South Korean and US militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch.

South Korean media speculated at the time that North Korea might have attempted to test a missile that it has not deployed.

Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 620 miles, with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

The North's latest launch came as outside satellite imagery show possible preparations for a new nuclear test at the North's main nuclear test site, such as communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data being already laid.

North Korea's state media has also said the world will soon witness what it calls "eventful successes" the country achieves in the space development.

Washington, Seoul and others call the North's space programme a cover for its long-range missile development scheme.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls US hostility.

Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental US within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

North Korea also often responds to US-South Korean military drills with its own military training and harsh rhetoric.

The allies say the drills set to run until the end of this month are defensive in nature.

AP

US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said "the United States has spoken enough about North Korea" in reaction to the launch.

The State Department issued a terse statement from America's top diplomat acknowledging "yet another" launch and saying: "We have no further comment."

AP

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something to coincide with the Trump-Xi summit, perhaps conducting a nuclear test.

He said the missile launch may be a precursor, with more to come as the summit starts later this week.

"I've joked before that they don't mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored," he said.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry called the North's latest missile launch a "reckless provocation" that posed a threat to international peace, while Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said the country lodged a strong protest.

AP
US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned on Wednesday that US President's Trump administration will take action against chemical attacks in Syria - if the UN Security Council fails to act.

Haley - who said the attack bears "all the hallmarks" of President Bashar Assad's government - urged the council at an emergency meeting to immediately approve a resolution drafted by the US, Britain and France that condemns and threatens consequences for the use of chemical weapons.

Tuesday's attack in rebel-held Idlib province killed dozens of people.

"There are times at the United Nations when we are compelled to take collective action," she said. "When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action."

"For the sake of the victims, I hope the rest of the council is finally willing to do the same," she added.

Haley spoke after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced Moscow's opposition to the draft resolution.

She called it "categorically unacceptable" because "it runs ahead of the investigation results and names the culprit, Damascus."

"The main task now is to have an objective inquiry into what happened," Russia's deputy UN ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told the Security Council. "Up to now all falsified reports about this incident have come from the White Helmets or the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights based in London which have been discredited long ago."

He said that from 11:30am until 12:30pm on April 4, the Syrian government carried out an airstrike on the eastern edge of the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun "on a large warehouse of ammunition and military equipment".

On that compound, he said, there was a facility "to produce ammunition with the use of toxic weapons" which was supposed to be used in Iraq and Aleppo.

"Their use was confirmed last year by Russia and military experts," Safronkov said. "The symptoms of those affected in Khan Sheikhoun were the same as those by people who were affected last year in Aleppo."

Britain's UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft also told the council that Tuesday's attack "bears all the hallmarks" of President Bashar Assad's regime.

"We have every indication that this was a sustained attack using aircraft over a number of hours," Rycroft said. "We see all the signs of an attack using a nerve agent capable of killing over a hundred people and harming hundreds more."

The resolution drafted by the US, Britain and France would condemn the use of chemical weapons in Syria, especially on Tuesday, "in the strongest terms" and back an investigation by the international chemical weapons watchdog, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

It stresses that the Syrian government, under previous Security Council resolutions, is obligated to provide OPCW investigators and a UN-OPCW team charged with assessing blame for chemical attacks with information on all flight plans and air operations on April 4 and the names of commanders of any helicopter squadrons.

Syria's deputy UN ambassador Mounzer Mounzer told the council his government categorically rejects "false claims and accusations" that the army used toxic chemicals against Syrian civilians in Khan Sheikhoun, saying they are being used "as human shields by armed terrorist groups".

He said the army does not have any type of chemical weapons and "we have never used them and we will never use them."

The death toll from Tuesday's attack has risen to 86, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

AP
CONCORD- A charter bus driver was charged with a DWI after an accident involving high school students.

Our news partner WSOC-TV reported that driver Jorge Ospina is facing DWI charges after a crash in Cabarrus County over the weekend.

Channel 9 said the accident was reported around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 2 in Concord when the charter bus hit a box truck. There were 43 people on the bus at the time, but none of them were injured.

The students, who were with a music group at Myers Park High School, were traveling home from New York City at the time of the accident.

There is no further information at this time.
The adventure/ drama film is inspired by a Japanese historical era in 17th century

Directed by Martin Scorsese, Silence (2016) will be screened at Alexandrias Jesuits Cultural Centre on 11 April.

The movie depicts two Portuguese Jesuit priests Sebastian Rodrigues and Father Francisco Garpue who find their long-missing mentor in Japan during the 17th century.

The film portrays a historical era when Japanese ruler Shogun Tokugawa denounced Christianity and was cleansing the country from Christians to prevent the spread of the religion.

Silence was nominated for an Oscar for Best Achievement in Cinematography. The two-hour film stars Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, and Liam Neeson among others.

Programme:

Tuesday 11 April, 7pm

Jesuits Cultural Centre, 298 Port Said St., Alexandria

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture



Search Keywords:

Short link:


The Modi governments win in various state elections last month, including the prized state of Uttar Pradesh, demonstrates the powerful and enduring appeal of the Prime Minister. This is clear as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) projected PM Modi as the face of all its state level campaigns, running on platforms that showcased his proven track records.

In the past few months, Modi has managed to win mass favor as he doubled down on his 2016 decision to demonetize the 500 and 1000 currency notes in his fight against black money. Yet, while his attempts to rebrand India as a global manufacturing and investment hub have garnered global attention, many have been surprised at the slow pace of reforms given Modis historic mandate.

In this article, we break down some of the factors that shape Indias current business landscape by identifying what reforms have been passed, the growth of state-based reforms, and the reasons why the federal government has faltered on some of Modis more ambitious proposals.

Reforms implemented

The strength of these impressive reforms now needs to be bolstered by proper implementation and enforcement. For instance, while a single window exists for opening a business, business owners still have to go through a stifling number of procedures, often subjected to unnecessary delays, to open a business. To transform Indias business environment, the federal government needs to ensure efficiency at the operative level  securing approvals, permits, and speeding up processing times.

In September 2014, PM Modi announced his Make in India campaign  an initiative that seeks to kick-start Indias lagging manufacturing sector. While billions of dollars have begun to enter India, a stronger manufacturing ecosystem is needed for India to actually compete with its regional manufacturing rivals. Key areas like tax reform, contract compliance, cross-border agreements, and construction regulation need to be supported with improved logistics infrastructure as well as internet connectivity to make Indias manufacturing ecosystem a compelling proposition for foreign investors.

Indeed, two major reforms vital to establishing India as a global manufacturing hub  land acquisition and labor relations  remain elusive for the federal government. Nevertheless, these reforms are seeing greater success in individual states.

Ease of doing business in India

Unlike at the federal level, some states have taken up the challenge to reform labor and land regulations. Individual states have begun drafting and passing their own amendments to the 2013 Land Bill as well as simplifying labor laws to help businesses open and maintain smaller factories. The states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and recently created Telangana are leading these reform initiatives.

While India did not make significant gains in the World Banks 2017 Doing Business Report (DBR), individual states are attracting investors and manufacturers on their home turf through state-specific reforms and policies. According to a joint initiative between the World Bank and the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), 16 Indian states have implemented over 75 percent of the 340 reforms proposed by the DIPPs Business Reform Action Plan in 2015-2016.

Furthermore, the central government of India has empowered and directed state authorities to make their states more business friendly. Through Article 254(2) of the Indian constitution, states can make their own legislative changes on issues concurrently governed by states and the center  pending a signed approval from the president. The federal government of India has operationalized this rarely used clause to nurture a competitive spirit among states  allowing individual states to experiment with new legislation, which other states may emulate while simultaneously ranking states on their progress implementing business reforms.

Potential for state-based change: A look at Rajasthan

States often have an easier time passing through legislation that would otherwise be entangled in controversy at the federal level. State assemblies do not garner the same media attention as federal decisions do. Further, given the relatively smaller size of a state assembly versus the parliament, state votes take less time, and can manage opposition more easily.

Rajasthan, for instance, has been able to side step barriers to reforms that the federal government has failed to accomplish. The Rajasthan Assembly recently passed state-level amendments, which essentially relax several labor laws: allowing factories with up to 300 workers to retrench employees without government permission, and increasing the eligible workforce required to unionize from 15 percent to 30 percent.

Rajasthan has also ushered in a significant wave of land reform. Under these reforms it is now easier for land owners to sublet or lease part or all of their land to solar and wind power companies (providing much needed space for an expanding wind and solar energy sector); the state government can acquire land in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (40 percent of which falls within the borders of Rajasthan); and an expedited process of land acquisition complemented with statutory backing to land records (effectively guaranteeing land and property ownership).

Additionally, Rajasthan has established three Special Economic Zones (SEZ): a SEZ for jewelry in Jaipur, handicrafts in Jodhpur, and a multi-product SEZ in Mahindra World City. Rajasthan has also developed Japanese and Korean industrial zones to boost trade with the two respective countries.

Challenges at the federal level

The Modi governments staggered performance on reforms can be explained on two fronts. On one hand, the federal government faces roadblocks propped by opposition parties in the upper house of parliament where Modis BJP party is not in majority. Secondly, internal conflicts within the ruling party itself weaken the governments intent. The Hindu right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), for example, is considered to be the BJPs ideological parent and often expresses strong anti-globalization sentiments, which run up against liberalizing projects. The RSS enjoys considerable influence over the BJP with many of its members affiliated with the organization, including PM Modi himself having risen through the RSS cadres.

As Indias prospects rise, states lead the way

The regulatory landscape in India is changing with a concentrated effort on improving the ease of doing business. The federal government of India as a whole, however, has not always shown consistency in implementing significant economic reforms. However, a closer look at the interplay between states and the federal government is promising, and foreign investors and companies looking to do business in India should take a regional approach  targeting areas where federal policies complement those of state based reform.
Romanian model and Salman Khan's alleged girlfriend Iulia Vantur recently shot for the music video of her upcoming album 'Aap Se Mausiki'. The music has been composed by Himesh Reshammiya who was also present with the model at the time of the video shoot.

There has been plenty of rumors and reports on Salman and Iulia's relationship. It's also been said that Bhaijaan had been mentoring the actress and it was he who introduced her to Himesh.

In a recent interview with a popular tabloid, yet again Iulia was quizzed about Salman to which she replied, "It should be private, but I see you asking me [ questions on it] anyway," I understand the curiosity and am used to it [being written about]. Everybody [journalists] has to do their job, but many a time, things are created just for the sake of it." (sic)

Iulia who has received a great support from Salman's family and lives as a part of the Khandaan says, "You never know what you find, where and how you find it. That's the beauty of life.

What do I say? The Khan family is so beautiful. I really admire them; they are united and welcoming. Their doors are always open for everyone." (sic)

Iulia had also joined the Khan family to ring in Ahil's first birthday in Maldives and was later spotted with them at the Mumbai airport as they all returned together from the birthday bash.





(Credits: Mid-day)
Facebook

Kolkata, Apr 5 (IBNS): Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right wing organisation and the ideological mentor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and its sister organizations, including Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Hindu Samhati, held rallies across West Bengal to celebrate Ram Navami (a spring Hindu festival that celebrates the birthday of god Rama) on Wednesday.

A large number of right wing activists took part in those rallies, which were organized in Kolkata and several other districts of the state, carrying swords and other sharp weapons, according to reports.

RSS leaders said that they would celebrate the birth of god Rama throughout the running week.

State's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) worshiped Hanuman, an ardent devotee of Rama, across the state, specially at Suri area in Birbhum district where RSS and VHP held a massive Ram Navami rally.

TMC activists also hosted peace march in several districts of Bengal on Wednesday against BJP and RSS's alleged practice of hurting communal harmony, reports said.

Meanwhile, alleging that RSS and BJP are spreading communal politics in the state through Ram Navami celebration, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attacked the ruling party of India.

"Ram Navami is not your own festival, don't try to practice communal politics here. Festivals of all religions are practiced here in Bengal," Mamata Banerjee said, during a meeting in Bankura district of West Bengal.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha, Images: Facebook)


Ali Osman Al-Haj, who trained and conducted the visually impaired orchestra, passed away 16 February

On Sunday 9 April, Al-Nour Wal Amal (Light And Hope) Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble consisting entirely of blind Egyptian female musicians, will give a concert commemorating its late conductor Ali Osman Al Haj.

The concert will include works from their standard repertoire of Western classical music as well as compositions by Ali Osman.

The concert will take place at Al-Nour Wal Amal Association in Heliopolis.

Since it was founded in 1954, Al-Nour Wal Amal has provided support to the blind and visually impaired girls through free education and training to integrate in the larger society.

In 1961, Al-Nour Wal Amal Music Institute was founded by the late Samha El-Kholy, former dean of the Cairo Conservatory, and a few years later the Al-Nour Wal Amal Chamber Orchestra was born, first trained and conducted by Ahmed Abul Eid.

Ali Osman worked with the musicians since 2000 and took over leadership after the death of Abul Eid in 2004.

Acting as a mentor, conductor and father figure, Osman shaped the musicians, carved their understanding of the material, and prepared them for many concerts inside Egypt and internationally, where the ensemble was always warmly applauded by audiences.

Born and raised in Sudan, Ali Osman came to Egypt as a young musician and enrolled at the Cairo Conservatory. Ever since he made Egypt his home. He was considered among the third generation of Egyptian composers, listed beside names such as Baligh Hamdi (1932-1993), Rageh Daoud (born 1954) and Omar Khayrat (born 1949), among others.

Osman died suddenly 16 February, on a day of one of Al-Nour Wal Amal's concerts in Egypt.

His role has now been taken up by Mohamed Saad Basha, who was previously responsible for the younger ensemble, known as Junior Al-Nour Wal Amal Orchestra.

Programme:

Sunday, 9 April, 6pm

Al-Nour Wal Amal Association, 16 Abou Bakr El-Seddik Street Heliopolis, Cairo

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Preliminary studies on hieroglyphs found in newly discovered pyramid ruins in the Dahshour necropolis have revealed a cartouche of the 13th Dynasty King Emny Kamaw, Adel Okasha, director-general of the Dahshour necropolis, told Ahram Online.

Okasha said that offering texts are engraved on the ruins, as well as a female name of the king's family.

Okasha said that excavation work is ongoing to reveal more of the pyramid's secrets.

Earlier this week, an Egyptian mission from the Ministry of Antiquities uncovered remains of the pyramid.

Okasha says that the structure is composed of a corridor leading to the inside of the pyramid, a hall leading to a southern ramp, and a room at the western end.

An alabaster block measuring 15cm by 17cm has been found in the corridor, engraved with 10 vertical hieroglyphic lines that are still being studied.

A granite lintel and a collection of stony blocks showing the interior design of the pyramid have also been uncovered.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


PDS board approves interim dividend of Rs2.50 per share PDS Limited has informed that the Board of Directors of the Company on Monday has approved an Interim Dividend of Rd2.50 per share. The Company adopted a dividend distribution policy... November 07, 2022 | 07-11-2022 3:10 pm

Rajesh Exports incorporates 100% subsidiary ACC Energy Storage; Stock climbs 2% Rajesh Exports Ltd. has announced that it is foraying into Advanced Technology Solutions with a focus on Energy Storage Solutions. REL has been selected by the Government Of India as one ... November 07, 2022 | 07-11-2022 2:42 pm

Markets under selling pressure with Nifty around 18,100-levels Domestic benchmark indices trading mixed after a gap-up opening on Monday. Both the Sensex and Nifty benchmarks are marginally lower in the afternoon market session. On the sectoral front... November 07, 2022 | 07-11-2022 2:00 pm

Rupee rises 23 paise to 82.12/ $ Early on Monday, the rupee strengthened versus the US dollar by 23 paise to 82.12 amid rising local stocks and falling oil prices. The native currency rose 23 paise from its previous close to t... November 07, 2022 | 07-11-2022 1:20 pm

Cineline India opens 5-Screen multiplex, MovieMAX in Mumbai; Stock jumps 3% Cineline India Limited stocks in the fast lane after announcement of opening of 5-Screen multiplex at Sarvodaya Mall Kalyan, Mumbai. In a regulatory filing, the company informed the ... November 07, 2022 | 07-11-2022 12:47 pm
Have you ever been hurt by someone? I mean one of those hurts where youre bothered so badly that you want to get back at them? That you maybe want to do something to them? That you wanted them to hurt at least as much as you did?

In Proverbs 17:9, there is a reference to love being fostered when an offense is covered. This refers to forgiveness. Love is willing to forgive. Love doesnt seek to hold grudges. Love doesnt want to keep those same feelings of ought against our mate that can bring the relationship to its knees. When you love someone, you forgive them.

Forgiveness  Deeper dive

So lets take a deeper look at forgiveness. What is it? What does it even mean? The Free Dictionary says forgiveness is To give up resentment against or stop wanting to punish someone for an offense or a fault. Merriam-Webster adds it is To stop requiring payment of something that is owed. Both of these are important, because that feeling that someone owes you something is essential to understanding forgiveness.

I asked a group of high school students in one of my classes what it would take for them to forgive someone. Most of them (well, those who said that they would do it at all) said the first thing that had to happen before they would even consider it is that the person would have to ask for it. The offending party would have to come to them and be sincere. Can you relate to that answer?

Does someone really have to ask me in order for me to forgive them? Quick answer, short answer, short word: No. Remember, I own it, and that other person really doesnt have a say in what I do with what I own. It may be easier for me to let it go if they have come to me with sincerity, but its still up to me. So I can forgive someone without them ever saying anything to me. As a matter of fact, they may still be gloating or even bragging about it. That still doesnt mean that I cant forgive them.

The purpose of forgiving

Now that we know what forgiveness is, we need to understand why we need to do it; what is its purpose? Its simple. The main purpose of forgiving is so we can move on. Even as we look at the definitions, its easy to see that were the ones who own it: we give up resentment, we stop requiring, we let go. Its up to us to either do it or not do it. But what may not be obvious it that it takes energy to not forgive someone. That resentment, the desire to punish, the requiring of payment, all of those are things that use up our personal resources. Were truly the ones being held captive.

I read somewhere that not forgiving is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. I wish I had made that up, because it is exactly like that. In essence, its holding something negative inside you, eating at you, causing all kinds of problems, because you want someone else to feel bad.

As love matures, we should be looking at how to make it better, more sustaining. Being able to actively forgive is essential in making that happen.

Chris and his wife Diane teach the Saying I DO classes at Eastern Star Church. They can be contacted through their company Marriage Making Sense (marriagemakingsense.com).
After a brief lull, the notorious cow vigilante groups are back, this time in Rajasthan. A video circulating online shows a group of gau rakshaks beating up men who were transporting cows.

According to reports, the five men were on their way to Haryana, after purchasing cattle from Jaipur, when they were intercepted by the gau rakshaks affiliated to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal in Alwar. Read more

1. Pakistan Violates Ceasefire For The Fourth Time In 48 Hours, Targets Indian Army Along LoC

Pakistan may be showing interest in solving the Kashmir issue with the help of the United States, but there seems to be no effort on its part to end the ceasefire violation at the line of control (LoC).

The provocation from the Pakistani side continued today as Indian army positions in Kashmir were targetted fourth time in the last two days. Read more

2. CRPF Commandant Chetan Cheetah Who Survived Nine Bullets In Terrorists Attack To Leave Hospital After Two Months

Chetan Kumar Cheetah, a CRPF Commandant who narrowly cheated death after being hit by at least nine bullets during an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir is all set to leave his hospital bed.

Chetan who had earlier slipped into a coma made a recovery, which according to doctors at AIIMS is nothing short of a miracle. Read more

3. Flipkart May Soon Buy Snapdeal After Softbank Clears The Biggest Deal In Indian E-Commerce

SoftBank, the largest shareholder in Snapdeal, held boardroom discussions on the proposed sale of the online marketplace to rival Flipkart on Tuesday according to two people aware of people aware of the development.

According to the terms proposed by the Japanese media and telecom conglomerate, Snapdeal shareholders will get one share of the country's largest e-commerce company for every ten they own according to the people cited above. Read more

4. Don't Call Every Attacks On Africans As Racially Motivated Before Inquiry Is Done, Says Sushma Swaraj

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said that "not all attacks are racial" after opposition members raised concern over the attacks on Nigerians in the Lok Sabha.

"The incident took place when some miscreants took advantage of the anger among locals in the death of 19-year-old Manish allegedly due to drug overdose,"Sushma said on Wednesday, adding, An independent inquiry is already underway into the two incidents, including that of Kenyan national." Read more

5. Bandipur Tiger Reserve's Legendary Big Cat 'Prince' That Had Gone Missing, Is Found Dead

For many years, he was the 'star attraction' at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve giving him a celebrity status among tourists. But, 'Prince' won't be around anymore to greet the hundreds of tourists who would come to visit him.

Prince, the legendary tiger of Bandipur and a darling of tourists, was last seen two weeks ago, is believed to be dead after the discovery of a carcass on Sunday. Read more
Ayesha Aziz was all of 16 when she got licensed as a pilot.

TOI

When she became the country's youngest student pilot at 16 on receiving a student pilot's licence in 2011, she epitomised courage, diligence and perseverance to follow a dream.

But hola peeps, because she is now eyeing to become the first Indian woman to fly a MIG-29 fighter jet at Russias Sokul airbase.

At a time when conservatives jump at every opportunity to curtail women's freedom, Aziz, the daughter of a businessman from Worli, has worked hard to earn her wings.

"The first time I flew an aircraft with my parents on board, the greatest feeling I had was of independence ... a sense of liberation," says Aziz, who graduated in aviation from the Bombay Flying Club last year.

NDTV

So far, she has flown single-engine aircraft for 200 hours for her training. Aziz credits her success to her father, Abdul Aziz.

"I have always believed that knowledge and enquiry are keys to human progress. If my child had a dream which was achievable, I had to be part of the process and see that she realised this dream," says Abdul Aziz, who is married to a Kashmiri.

As a child, Aziz would accompany her mother to travel to Srinagar by air. "I got fascinated by pilots. As I grew up, my fascination only increased and I finally landed up at Bombay Flying Club," says Aziz.

When news of her becoming the youngest student pilot was splashed across media platforms, many celebrated, but a few naysayers, especially the conservatives in Kashmir, derided her.





"A Muslim girl without hijab, not a perfect profession for a Kashmiri girl" and similar disapproving comments were hurled at her.

"If the Prophet's wife Hazrat Ayesha could ride a camel in a battle, why can't I fly an aircraft? We have to change our attitude and do justice to girls," says Aziz, who can win any debate on gender rights hands down.

(Also read: India's First Muslim Woman Pilot Says She Faces A Lot Of Islamophobia)

"Women must be allowed to come out of their comfort zone and take up more challenging careers than just becoming teachers, doctors or stay as housewives even if they are educated."

As for the scope for women in flying, she says the scene is not so bad in India. "There are 11.3% women pilots in India against just 3% globally. But there is a lot of scope for more women to join this challenging profession," says Aziz.

She visited NASA for astronaut training in 2012 and cherishes the moments when she met famed astronauts Sunita Williams and Jon A McBride. "They are my inspirations," says Aziz, who is now sought by many educational institutions and social groups as a role model.

May these women continue to inspire us!
When TV channels and newspapers carried the images of a small group of farmers from Tamil Nadu protesting in Delhi, it intrigued many, mostly because the way they were protesting.

Indiatimes

This was because they were demonstrating with the skulls of farmers who had committed suicide due to drought and mounting debt.

The group comprising of almost 150 farmers began their sit-in demonstration on 14th of March in Delhi's Jantar Mantar, seeking a waiver of agriculture loans. They stood out at Jantar Mantar, mostly due to their attire, which was in most of the cases just briefs, and the skulls sitting next to them, or with them at times.

Indiatimes

On the outset, it might look creepy, but it takes some amount of desperation if someone has to dig up the skull of their loved ones, who ended their lives, unable to withstand the years of crop loss and the mounting debts.

But once the initial shock settled down, both media and politicians alike kind of forgot them, that was until once again they took another shocking step, this time with holding dead rats in their mouth, to symbolise their plight.

Reuters

They further stepped up the ante with shaven and half shaven heads as the protests showed no signs of slowing down.

Reuters

While politicians mostly from Tamil Nadu and recently Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi made token visits to the protest venue, in 22 days the farmers have got little reassurance from the government.

This has however not deterred them from their resolve, that is to get the loans of thousands of small and medium scale farmers who cannot repay their debts.

So who are these protests?

Lead by Desiya Thennidiya Nadhigal Inaippu Sangam president P Ayyakannu, the demonstrators in Jantar Mantar number around 150. These are small to medium scale farmers from all across Tamil Nadu. Most of them own less than 10 acres of land, which they have been, for years, cultivating paddy and sugarcane. But this year, the state is going through an acute drought, which Ayyakannu says is the worst in 140 years.

Indiatimes

An estimated 32 lakhs farmers are believed to have been affected by the drought. They say that despite the state government declaring drought requesting the centre to release funds, Ayyakannu said nothing has been done by the government in Delhi.

The farmers are demanding farm loan waiver, a drought relief package of Rs 40,000 crore from the Centre and setting up of Cauvery Management Board.

Indiatimes

Ayyakannu, who owns around 20 acres of land, said, "Till the Modi government, which had promised minimum support price and linking of rivers across the country fulfils their promise, it should waive off the farmer debts."

"In just past six months alone, 400 farmers have committed suicide. If the loans borrowed by the farmers are not waived off, 4 lakhs people in Tamil Nadu will be forced to commit suicide."

Reuters

On Tuesday, the Madras high court asked the Tamil Nadu government to waive loans of all drought-hit farmers. According to Ayyakannu, the average loan taken by the farmers are less than Rs 10 lakhs, which has since, in some cases multiplied due to the delay in payments.

The farmers say they will go back only with their demand met, or will die in Delhi. Ayyakannu showed rashes on his body, which he says is the result of the blistering Delhi sun.

Reuters

A Husband, who travelled with his wife's skull and a father who brought the skulls of his two sons!

Among the protesters was Damodharan, a resident of Nagapattinam in coastal Tamil Nadu. He is in Delhi with the skull of his wife, who committed suicide. Damodharan had taken a loan of Rs 4 lakhs in 2006 to buy a tractor, which has now become Rs 20 lakhs.

Indiatimes

He said his wife committed suicide almost two years ago when the bank officials came to impute the tractor due to non-payment of loans.

Another farmer who wanted to remain unnamed told Indiatimes that he had brought the skulls of his two sons who ended their lives in a span of two years, due to repeated crop failures.

Indiatimes

Every protester, that Indiatimes spoke to had lost someone in their family or knew some who have gone through the pain. And that is the core of their resolve.
More than 150 farmers from Tamil Nadu have been protesting at Jantar Mantar since March 14, 2017 with skulls of farmers who had allegedly committed suicide.

They are demanding better drought-relief package for Tamil Nadu farmers, as the relief package announced by the government hardly covers their losses. They are also demanding a loan waiver for peasants from the southern state.

The farmers from Tanjavur and Tiruchirapalli in the state's of Cauvery belt have warned that they will continue the stir unless the government listens to their demands.

AFP

The farmers are sitting on a hunger strike and among those, one had even attempted to hang himself on a tree at the Jantar Mantar road but was stopped by the police.

The police officials have somehow convinced them to eat food. The leaders of the group were also allowed to meet government officials.

The farmers have vowed to carry on the protest unless the government adheres to their demands and offers them a better relief package.

AFP

The January 2017 drought in Tamil Nadu is worse in over 140 years. The National Human Rights Commission had sent a notice to the Tamil Nadu government in January 2017. The notice says  The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of media reports regarding the deaths of 106 farmers during a period of one month in Tamil Nadu which it considers as a matter of concern.

The issue was taken up by Radha Mohan Singh in Rajya Sabha on March 10, 2017, promising to provide substantial financial assistance to the drought-hit farmers in Tamil Nadu.
While the Aam Aadmi Party is turning the heat on the alleged Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) tampering and foul play in assembly polls, Russia is keen on adopting EVMs technology method for the 2018 presidential elections in the country.

PTI

Russia is keen on using India's EVM technology for its upcoming presidential election, even as Kejriwal doubts the credibility of the machines.

According to an Economic Times report, Russia hopes to learn from "India's experience" of conducting polls through EVMs.

The Russian government reportedly sent Nikolai Levichev, Deputy Chairman of the Russia's Election Commission to Uttarakhand during February's Assembly polls to observe and understand the process of voting through EVMs.

Nikolai Levichev/Reuters

Levichev, according to officials, was mighty impressed with the functioning of EVMs as it reduced the role of people in the elections. Russian officials have also offered to assist India in developing a "State-of-the-art tabulation system" for counting of votes. This system is also expected to help Indian officials in "Obtaining faster region-wise and group-wise polling patterns."

Vladimir Putin will seek re-election during the 2018 presidential elections. The elections are touted to be a massive process and the country's election commission is hoping to to conduct it smoothly with the help of EVM technology.

Vladimir Putin/Reuters

In 2014, the Indian Election Commission supplied additional ballot papers to Afghanistan, after they ran out of ballot papers owing to an unprecedented increase in voters.

While country's all over the world are impressed with India's voting system, things aren't all that rosy in India. The AAP which was defeated both in Punjab and Goa during the assembly polls accused the Election Commission on the efficiency of EVMs used in the polls.

PTI

AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal even wrote to the election commission to allow use ballot papers for the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi polls on April 23. At a recent press conference, Arvind Kejriwal challenged the Election Commission to give him 72 hours to prove that EVMs can be tampered with. He also demanded that the upcoming Delhi municipal polls be conducted with paper ballots.
Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad is expected to attend Lok Sabha proceedings later this week where he may present his side of the story in the House about assaulting an Air India official.

ANI

Gaikwad will attend Parliament session either on Thursday or Friday, a source close to the Shiv MP from Osmanabad told PTI.

He will first present his side of the story in the House and only then will appear before media, the source added.

Gaikwad has failed to reach Delhi as both Air India and private airlines have blacklisted him from flying after his assault an AI staffer last month.

The MP's multiple attempts to book a ticket to Delhi has since failed.

Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday threatened to disrupt Lok Sabha proceedings if no action was taken against Air India for banning Gaikwad from flying.

BCCL

Sena said just one side of the story and today again protested against the ban on their MP imposed by a group of airlines. Anandrao Adsul, the Shiv Sena leader in the Lok Sabha, said it has been waiting for 15 days for a response from the Civil Aviation Ministry to its challenging of the ban.
The civil war in Syria, which as claimed thousands of lives so far, showed its ugly side once again on Tuesday. Suspected chemical attacks killed at least 100 people in Syria's rebel-held northwestern province of Idlib and left another 400 suffering from respiratory problems.

afp

The death toll is likely to rise, according to the Union of Medical Care Organisations, a coalition of international aid agencies that funds hospitals in Syria and which is partly based in Paris.

At least 58 people, 11 of them children, were reportedly killed by a "toxic gas" attack in #Idlib province, northwest Syria. #SyriaGasAttack pic.twitter.com/ktxVJXB9ur  dwnews (@dwnews) April 4, 2017

afp

The group said the village of Khan Sheikhoun to the south of Idlib had initially been hit before strikes on the White Helmets emergency services centre in Khan Sheikhoun and the Al-Rahme hospital.

afp

"We have seen more than 40 strikes since 06h30," it said.

afp

The international community was soon to condemn the barbaric act. EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said the al-Assad regime bears 'primary responsibility' for the attack.

"Today the news is awful," Mogherini said adding, "But this is a dramatic reminder of the fact that the situation on the ground still continues to be dramatic in many different parts of Syria."

AFP

Britain meanwhile condemned the attack in the northwestern town of Idlib and called for those responsible for being held to account.

"Horrific reports of chemical weapons attack in Idlib, Syria. The incident must be investigated and perpetrators held to account," Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Twitter.

Reuters

Russia, one of the few international backers of Assad, however, painted a different picture.

The Kremlin-backed international broadcaster, Russia Today, quoting Russian Defence Ministry said Syrian Air Force destroyed a warehouse in Idlib, where ammunition dump containing chemical weapons was being produced by militants before being delivered to Iraq.

Reuters

According to Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov, the strike was launched midday Tuesday and targeted a major rebel ammunition depot east of the town of Khan Sheikhoun.
All evidence points to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad being behind a suspected chemical weapons attack which left more than 70 dead in a rebel-held town, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said today.

REUTERS

"All the evidence I have seen suggests this was the Assad regime... Using illegal weapons on their own people, Johnson said as he arrived for a Syrian aid conference in Brussels.

On Tuesday, a northern rebel-held area of Idlib in Syria turned into a toxic zone in an alleged chemical bombing. Graphic footage of the attack posted online by activists and residents showed dozens of people, including children, floundering to breathe. Some could be seen writhing, choking, gasping or foaming from the mouth  after breathing in poison that possibly contained a nerve agent or other banned chemicals.

AP

Doctors, rescue workers were witness to bombs that were dropped from warplanes in the early hours on 4th April.

Some rescue workers too fell ill and were left unconscious due to the proximity to the dead. Other reports suggest that as many as 100 have been killed and over 400 civilians are seriously injured left with respiratory problems.
Watch out Paytm! According to recent reports, WhatsApp may be looking to introduce a digital payment feature into its app in India.

REUTERS

A Reuters report on Tuesday pointed out that the Facebook-owned instant messaging client is looking to hire a digital transactions head in India. If the company goes through with its digital payment solution, itll be the first of its kind for WhatsApp anywhere in the world.

A job advertisement on WhatsApps own website said its looking for a candidate with technical and financial experience, who also understands the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) and the Bharat India Money (BHIM) app. For those of you in the dark, UPI was launched in India in April 2016 as a system to allow users to transact online from accounts in various banks through one single app.

If WhatsApp is indeed looking to launch online payment services to its 200 million Indian users, it would be following in the footsteps of apps like Tencents WeChat in China. The app is rumoured to formally launch the service within the next six months.

REUTERS

"India is an important country for WhatsApp, and we're understanding how we can contribute more to the vision of Digital India," a WhatsApp spokesperson said. "We're exploring how we might work with companies that share this vision and continuing to listen closely to feedback from our users."

Digital transactions are primed to be a major growth point in India right now, with the Modi government pushing hard for country-wide adoption of the system through the BHIM app.

ALSO READ: WhatsApp's Good Old Text-Only Status Is Making A Comeback Thanks To Popular Demand
Unions representing employees of the state-run Public Power Corp. (PPC) have filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in a bid to block a looming partial privatization of the power transmission grid operator (ADMIE) by the Greek state.
Trump Ally Roger Stone Says : Jared Kushner Is Leaking To MSNBC

By Brad Reed

April 04, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Raw Story " - Longtime Donald Trump ally Roger Stone on Tuesday publicly accused Trumps son-in-law of leaking damaging information about the White House to MSNBCs Joe Scarborough.

During an interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, Stone called out Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner for constantly leaking dirt to Scarborough, the MSNBC host who has of late been very critical of the presidents performance.

Sources tell me the presidents son-in-law enjoys a very lively text exchange with Joe Scarborough, and that Scarboroughs repeated attacks on Steve Bannon, not to mention some of these attacks on the president, clearly are being manipulated by Jared Kushner, Stone said. Any criticisms I have of the Trump administration, or any member thereof are meant to be constructive, not destructive. But in this case, Joe Scarborough is no friend of the president, he revels in passing fake news.

Stone went on to say that Kushner was particularly dangerous for the Trump administration because, as the husband of First Daughter Ivanka Trump, hes perhaps the one presidential aide who cannot be fired.

Stone also said that Kushner was working overtime to smear top White House political strategist Steve Bannon, despite the fact that Kushner himself has a very full plate in handling Middle Eastern peace and the China visit.

Watch the whole video below.

No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter
How Israel Lobby Manufactured UK Labour Partys anti-Semitism Crisis

By Asa Winstanley

April 05, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " Electronic Intifada " - Last year, socialist stalwart Jeremy Corbyn won the leadership of the UKs Labour Party by a landslide.

Since then, there has been a steady flow of claims by Israels supporters that Corbyn has not done enough to combat anti-Semitism.

This has only accelerated in the lead-up to a major test for Corbyn, the UK local elections on 5 May.

Even as this story was in preparation, two more victims were claimed in the war against his leadership.

Lawmaker Naz Shah and the former mayor of London, long-time Palestine campaigner Ken Livingstone, were also suspended from the party  within hours of being accused of anti-Semitism.

But an investigation by The Electronic Intifada has found that some of the most prominent stories about anti-Semitism in the party are falsified.

The Electronic Intifada can reveal that a key player in Labours anti-Semitism crisis covered up his involvement in the Israel lobby.

Most Labour members so accused are in reality being attacked for expressing opinions in favor of Palestinian human rights and particularly for supporting the boycott of Israel.

Labour activists, many of them Jews, have told The Electronic Intifada that false accusations of anti-Semitism are being used as a weapon against Corbyn by the partys right-wing.

Corbyn has been active in the Palestine solidarity movement for more than three decades. In an interview with The Electronic Intifada last year, he endorsed key elements of the Palestinian call for a boycott of Israel. For example, he urged an end to weapons trading with Israel.

His election represented a radical shift in Labour, a popular revolt at the grassroots membership level.

Although Labours membership has grown since Corbyns victory, he has been under constant attack from right-leaning politicians within the party. In an attempt to weaken his position, some of his critics have manufactured a crisis about alleged anti-Semitism.

Attacks on Corbyn have escalated in the lead-up to next weeks local elections. Poor results would be seized upon by his enemies within the party.

Witch hunt

Charley Allan, a Jewish member of the party, and a Morning Star columnist, has described the current atmosphere in the press and Labour Party as a witch hunt.

It has reached such an absurd volume that any usage of the word Zionist is deemed to be anti-Semitic  although tellingly not when used by self-described Zionists .

Where real instances of anti-Jewish bigotry have come to light, the leadership and party machine have taken robust action.

According to The Spectator , the partys general secretary Iain McNicol told a recent meeting of Labour lawmakers that everyone who had been reported for anti-Semitism had either been suspended or excluded.

Corbyn has responded to the media storm by repeatedly condemning anti-Semitism and saying that anyone making an anti-Semitic remark is auto-excluded from the party.

John McDonnell, the shadow finance minister and a long-standing Corbyn ally, told The Independent that any party member found by an investigation to be expressing anti-Semitic views should be expelled for life. If people express these views, full stop theyre out, McDonnell said.

Smears

Smears of anti-Semitism against Corbyn started even before he was elected.

During his leadership campaign in the summer of 2015, the establishment media worked itself into a frenzy of anti-Corbyn hysteria, led more than any other paper by the liberal Guardian .

One of the recurring themes in this campaign was Corbyns long-standing support for Palestinian human rights.

Because of this, attempts were made to say outright, or to imply, that Corbyn was a secret anti-Semite, or that he associated with, or tolerated notorious anti-Semites.

Although these hit jobs gained some traction, they were soon debunked , and ultimately seemed to have little impact on the leadership election.

This dishonest theme is now being revisited. In February, the slow drip of anti-Semitism scare stories burst into a flood.

Oxford

An anti-Semitism scandal erupted in the Oxford University Labour Club  an association of student supporters of the party.

Alex Chalmers posing with Labour MP Caroline Flint in a photo taken from his Facebook. A failed candidate for deputy leader, Flint is a leading voice in Progress, a right-wing Labour faction.

In a public Facebook posting Alex Chalmers, the co-chair of the club, resigned his position over what he claimed was anti-Semitic behavior in a large proportion of the student Labour club and the student left in Oxford more generally.

But as evidence he cited the clubs decision, in a majority vote, to endorse Oxfords Israeli Apartheid Week, an annual awareness-raising exercise by student groups which support Palestinian rights.

This connection was clearly designed to smear Palestine solidarity activists as anti-Semites  a standard tactic of the Israel lobby .

In fact, the similarity was no coincidence.

The Electronic Intifada can reveal for the first time evidence that Chalmers himself has been part of the UKs Israel lobby.

Chalmers has worked for BICOM , the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre.

Funded by the billionaire Poju Zabludowicz, BICOM is a leading pro-Israel group in London.

Chalmers once listed an internship with BICOM on his LinkedIn profile, although the page was deleted some time in February.

But even were this key fact not known, Chalmers accusations were not credible.

No one specific was named in his Facebook posting. He claimed that shortening the word Zionist to Zio and expressing support for the Palestinian political party and resistance organization Hamas were enough to prove anti-Semitism.

Chalmers did not reply to an emailed request for comment. He set his Twitter profile to private the day after the email was sent by The Electronic Intifada.

One of his tweets from 2014 sought to smear The Electronic Intifada with Islamism.

One of his tweets from 2014 sought to smear The Electronic Intifada with Islamism.

Chalmers has also been accused of disseminating a false allegation that a left-wing Labour student at Oxford had organized people into a group to follow a Jewish student around campus calling her a filthy Zionist, and that he had been disciplined as a result.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the accused student said that he had reason to believe Chalmers may have been behind the dissemination of this smear.

Paul Di Felice, the current acting principal of the Oxford college in question, confirmed to The Electronic Intifada the authenticity of a statement from its late principal denying all the allegations. I have found no evidence of any allegations being made to the college about the student involving anti-Semitism, or indeed anything else, during his time at the college, the statement read.

The Electronic Intifada put all this to Alex Chalmers in an email, but he failed to reply.

Dirty tricks

The Oxford University Labour Club responded with a statement saying it was horrified at the accusations and would fully cooperate with an investigation launched by the party organization Labour Students.

It did not take long, however, for someone to leak names to the right-wing press.

Citing an anonymous source at the club, The Telegraph named two left-wingers at Oxford who were supposedly being investigated over alleged anti-Semitism at Oxford University.

No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter

Again, there were no further details. Chalmers dubious and obviously politicized accusations were raised in general terms.

One of the two, James Elliott, was a vocal advocate at Oxford University of BDS, the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, and was photographed in the Telegraph article sitting next to Corbyn.

But in an email to a Daily Mail journalist, seen by The Electronic Intifada, Chalmers privately admitted that Elliott wasnt involved. I havent heard any allegations relating to him, Chalmers wrote.

Both activists named by The Telegraph are part of Momentum, the grouping founded by Labour left-wingers in the wake of Jeremy Corbyns election victory to support his leadership.

The Electronic Intifada has seen evidence of a whispering campaign against the activists at Oxford. A dossier of allegations against the student Labour club is said to have been filed with the unions Jewish society.

That society has posted a summary of the dossier on Facebook .

Asked in an email if he had been behind the dossier or the press leaks, Chalmers did not reply.

Hit pieces

Alex Chalmers Facebook post resigning from the Oxford University Labour Club was seized on by anti-Corbyn forces aiming to influence key internal elections to the Labour Partys youth wing, in which the Momentum pair were both candidates.

On 19 February, the Guardian reported that Momentum candidates had swept the board in Young Labours elections , conducted by online ballot.

The Telegraph published its highly dubious hit piece four days later.

At the Young Labour conference the following weekend, several other positions remained to be elected. Elliott stood for the youth representative on Labours National Executive Committee (NEC).

After the smear campaign against him, Momentum candidate Elliott lost to right-wing Labour First candidate Jasmin Beckett  by only a tenth of a percentage point .

But Beckett was caught carrying out a dirty tricks campaign against Elliott.

As a result, a formal complaint has been submitted calling for her to be disqualified from the NEC.

The smear campaign drew on right-wing media insinuations against the Momentum pair at Oxford.

Beckett did not reply to an emailed request for comment.

Go hard

As first revealed by Morning Star , Beckett urged supporters to get a few people tweeting allegations against Elliott.

But because such negative campaigning is against Labour rules, Beckett cautioned supporters to distance themselves from her. She asked her supporters to remove twibbons  promotional badges for her election campaign  from their social media accounts before making allegations against Elliott.

One supporter, Josh Woolas  son of former Labour MP Phil Woolas  cautioned it needs to look like a genuine complaint about racism and not a smear campaign!

In a Facebook group chat titled #TeamJB ( viewable in full on the Labour blog Left Futures, edited by the chair of Momentum), Beckett encouraged other young Labour members to share unsubstantiated hit pieces on Elliott from right-wing media.

She asked do you actually want an anti-Semite as NEC rep? She suggested her friends get a few people tweeting saying shocked my union GMB are supporting James Elliott who is anti-Semitic or something.

Lets just get it out there, agreed Labour activist Tom Jennings. Weve got a huge opportunity  thus shaving off votes for him at [the Young Labour] conference.

Investigation

The complaint against Beckett was subsequently rolled into another investigation into Chalmers allegations of anti-Semitism at Oxford, one ultimately taken over by Janet Royall, the Labour leader in the House of Lords, the unelected upper chamber of the UK parliament.

Labour Students conducted a hasty investigation into the Oxford allegations. But, Labour activists told The Electronic Intifada, it was so obviously botched that it was not credible.

That investigation was led by Michael Rubin, Labour Students national chairperson  who happened to be the boyfriend of one of Becketts allies, Rachel Holland. Holland was part of Becketts dirty tricks campaign, expressing support for it in the #TeamJB group chat.

Elliott told The Electronic Intifada he could not comment until the Royall investigation is concluded.

That seems unlikely to happen until after the crucial local elections at the earliest, and probably not until the summer, the BBC says , when Beckett is due to take her seat on the NEC.

The witch hunt expanded.

Fresh row

In March, Huffington Post talked up a fresh row over Labour anti-Semitism.

The website referred to how union official Jennie Formby had allegedly pointed out at a meeting of Labours NEC that Royall once took part in a sponsored trip to the Middle East organized by Labour Friends of Israel , a pressure group within the party.

Formby has successfully pushed at the NEC to have private security firm G4S banned from Labour conferences, due to its supply of equipment to Israeli prisons that practice torture against Palestinians.

The Jewish Chronicle claimed Unites Jennie Formby was to be moved from her role partly as a result of her anti-Israel activism. It cited no evidence.

The paper claimed the move represented a demotion by the union, the UKs largest.

But the report was instantly denied by Formby and her union.

Formby said she never questioned Royalls ability to conduct the investigation.

In fact, Formby said , she was appointed to the new job long before Chalmers made his allegations on Facebook.

@stephenkb JF applied for the post 5 months ago. It is a promotion. She will remain on the NEC. Please check facts.  Unite the union (@unitetheunion) March 11, 2016

The Jewish Chronicle swiftly edited the online text and headline of the article to water down its claims (a copy of the original can still be found online).

But the narrative was already out there.

Tony Greenstein

In March, the witch hunt reached Tony Greenstein , a Jewish anti-Zionist well known in Palestine solidarity circles.

Despite supporting other left-wing parties in the past, Greenstein had joined the Labour Party after the election of Corbyn, hoping it would take a new, leftward direction.

But on 18 March he received a letter from the partys Compliance Unit (also known as the Constitutional Unit) saying that his membership had been suspended pending an investigation into a possible breach of party rules.

These allegations relate to comments you are alleged to have made, wrote John Stolliday, head of the unit. Greenstein asked to see the allegations against him, but his request was denied.

Although the party refused to let Greenstein know what he was being accused of, further vague allegations were leaked to the right-wing press.

In April, The Telegraph published a story citing Greensteins admittance to the party as the latest anti-Semitism scandal to hit Labour.

Greenstein says he is considering legal action.

The Telegraph later added a clarification saying it wanted to make clear that we had not intended to imply that Tony Greenstein is anti-Semitic.

It would, however, be difficult to read the article as intending to do anything else.

Ironically, Greenstein has been at the forefront of moves to combat genuine cases of anti-Semitism on the fringes of the Palestine solidarity movement.

Im going to fight

For years Greenstein has been perhaps the most vocal foe in the UK of Gilad Atzmon  an Israeli jazz musician based in London who claims to express solidarity with Palestinians, even while opposing the BDS movement and relentlessly attacking activists.

Four years ago, Atzmon was criticized by prominent members of the Palestine movement over racism and anti-Semitism in his work.

Also in 2012, a Holocaust denier was expelled from the UKs Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Greenstein has written that he is the person who had first reported the Holocaust denier to the PSC.

The Compliance Unit has also been behind the expulsion of many new Jeremy Corbyn voters accused of being hard left or infiltrators.

In February, John McDonnell, the shadow finance minister, called for the unit to be scrapped .

Im going to fight it of course, Greenstein told The Electronic Intifada. He also accused the Compliance Unit itself of being behind the leaks  The Telegraph article cited evidence compiled by the unit.

Labours general secretary wrote to Greenstein denying this.

Corbyn hasnt got a grip on the [party] machine, thats part of the problem, said Greenstein.

Israel lobby

One of the people at the forefront of the witch hunt has been Jeremy Newmark , now the chairperson of the Jewish Labour Movement.

The JLM is affiliated to the UK Labour Party, the Israeli Labor Party and the World Zionist Organization  according to the UN, the latter pumps millions into building in the occupied West Bank through its settlement division.

Newmark has for years been active in the Israel lobbys anti-Palestinian campaigns in the UK.

He was previously the chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, an anti-Palestinian lobbying group behind numerous attacks on BDS.

During his tenure, the group invested huge efforts in an attempt to sue the University and College Union for anti-Semitism after some members proposed discussing the academic boycott of Israel.

Newmark was left with egg on his face, however, when in 2013 a tribunal judge ruled against the case on all counts.

The judge found it was devoid of any merit and an impermissible attempt to achieve a political end by litigious means.

The judge criticized Newmark personally for a disturbing attempt to crush free speech in the union. He also found that that Newmarks evidence to the tribunal was preposterous and untrue.

Given all this, media should treat Newmarks claims about anti-Semitism in Corbyns Labour Party with caution.

Instead theyve been buying it all.

In The Telegraph hit piece on Greenstein, Newmark claimed the affair was a sign of Corbyn being impotent over anti-Semitism.

He also told BBC Radio 4s influential Today program this month that the party was not doing enough about anti-Semitism.

None of these journalists disclosed Newmarks long-standing role in the Israel lobby, or his record of lying about anti-Semitism.

Right-wing Labour

There is a large crossover between right-wing, anti-Corbyn Labour and the pro-Israel lobby within the party.

Right-wing Labour MP Wes Streeting has participated in Israeli government efforts to cast Palestine solidarity as evil. ( The Leadership Foundation/Flickr )

One example is Labour lawmaker Wes Streeting, also an Israel lobby stalwart.

Streeting appeared on the same radio segment as Newmark. The right-wing Labour MP claimed that weve now got a problem that people think the party is apathetic to anti-Semitism.

Streeting has a long history in Progress , a right-wing faction within the party that continues to support former prime minister Tony Blair.

One of Progress leading supporters has described the group as an unaccountable faction dominated by the secretive billionaire Lord Sainsbury.

In 2009, when he was president of the National Union of Students, Streeting attended an anti-BDS working group in Jerusalem.

The visit was organized by the Israeli foreign ministry, which slandered the BDS movement as evil.

As an MP, Streeting has been consistently hostile to Corbyn.

Term of abuse

Streeting and Newmark are arguing for tougher action and changes to the partys rules.

The head of Progress proposed rule changes in the Mirror which would put a modern understanding of anti-Semitism into the party. It is not acceptable to use the term Zionism as a term of abuse, the article stated, arguing for people who did so to be expelled.

This proposal echoes efforts pushed by Israel lobby groups, including at the University of California , to legislate that opposition to Zionism  Israels state ideology  is itself a form of anti-Semitism.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Labour Party staffer told The Electronic Intifada that, even were the rule change to pass, such expulsions would still have to be approved by the NEC.

The staffer emphasized that for many within the party, concerns about incidences of anti-Semitism were genuine.

But the member of staff said that for the non-Jewish Zionists in groups like Progress, anti-Semitism is just a tool in a field of battle to smash up Jeremy at all costs.

Whatever gets agreed will not be good enough for them, the member of staff said.

Streeting did not reply to emails requesting comment.

Five cases

Labour is a mass membership organization, which now has more than 380,000 full members, according to party figures.

The staff member said that, amid all the politicized attacks in recent months, there had been about five actual cases of alleged anti-Semitism within the party.

A 2015 survey by Pew found that seven percent of the UK public held unfavorable views of Jews. By contrast, about a fifth held negative views of Muslims and almost two-fifths viewed Roma people unfavorably.

Theres no evidence to suggest that such views are any more prevalent in the Labour Party  and the tiny number of anti-Semitism complaints suggests they may well be less so in a movement many of whose activists have been in the frontline of anti-racist struggles.

The staff member said that in the five or so cases that had come to its attention, the party had taken swift action to expel, or suspend the membership of those alleged to have made anti-Semitic comments.

One of the most prominent of these was Vicki Kirby, a Labour Party candidate in Woking who is alleged to have tweeted that Israel is evil.

She also reacted to Israels 2014 war on Gaza by tweeting in August: Who is the Zionist God? I am starting to think it may be Hitler. #FreePalestine.

That assault resulted in 2,251 dead Palestinians , including 1,462 civilians, 551 of whom were children, according to an independent inquiry commissioned by the UN.

Kirbys comments led to her suspension from the Labour Party in 2014.

Speaking to the media for the first time, Kirby told The Electronic Intifada that her choice of words had been awful and appalling. It was a reaction. I didnt think it through. Im not a born politician, she said.

Later, still under the leadership of Corbyns predecessor, Kirbys suspension from the party was lifted. But, after Corbyn became leader, somebody leaked a photo of Kirby posing with Corbyn to the partys enemies in the media.

Doctored tweet

The hard-right gossip blogger known as Guido Fawkes, then proceeded to trawl through her entire Twitter backlog. He found a Tweet from 2011, a time when Kirby says she was not even in the Labour Party.

Guido Fawkes then doctored a screenshot of the tweet, making it appear as if she had tweeted What do you know abt Jews? Theyve got big noses and support spurs lol. The screenshot of the Tweet on Guidos site has clearly been cropped .

But Kirby says this was one of a series of tweets of quotes from the 2010 comedy film The Infidel.

Kirby provided The Electronic Intifada with evidence  a portion of a spreadsheet of her Twitter archive  showing that the original tweet concluded with the hashtag #TheInfidel.

The writer of the film David Baddiel confirmed this on Twitter at the time, even tweeting this to a Guido Fawkes blogger.

The wider press then ran with the story and started to use Kirby as a stick to beat Corbyn.

Kirby says she has received death threats to her and hate email from around the world, including the wish that your children get cancer and die. She says she even had to take legal actions against a constant barrage of journalists door-stepping her and harassing her family.

Despite swift party action to suspend Kirby once again, the incident was still weaponized by the right.

Jeremy Corbyn needs to answer some serious questions, Streeting told the Mirror .

Stoking the flames

Writing in the Jewish Chronicle, Momentum founder Jon Lansman  a key Corbyn ally  said that my Jewish identity and anti-Semitism are at the core of my left Labour politics and so I welcome an investigation into anti-Semitism at Oxford University.

But Lansman cautioned that within the Labour Party, some people have factional reasons for stoking the flames.

He acknowledged that racism, including anti-Semitism had historically been part of the Labour movement. It was not until the 1980s that the efforts to eradicate it became serious, and that was thanks in part to Ken Livingstone as leader of the Greater London Council, Lansman added.

During that period, Livingstone, and what the right derided as the looney left in local government, became the prime targets of Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. But with her party unable to defeat Livingstone at the ballot box, she simply abolished Londons city-wide government altogether.

It wasnt until the Blair years that the capital once again had a London-wide government and Livingstone was elected mayor. It would now seem that with his suspension, the Thatcherite campaign against Livingstone has resumed, but this time from within the Labour Party.

Ian Saville, who started the group Jews For Jeremy and then later joined the party, told The Electronic Intifada that some in the Labour Party, who do not have an understanding of the complexities of the situation, take [the accusations of prejudice] at face value, and quite understandably wish to oppose anti-Semitism.

He said that unfortunately, this opposition to anti-Semitism has support of Israel and Zionism bundled in with it, so it fulfills the double purpose of isolating the left and supporting Israel uncritically.

Greenstein wrote that false allegations of anti-Semitism are akin to the boy who cried wolf. They immunize people against the real thing. As a Jewish anti-Zionist my main experience of anti-Semitism is from Zionists  I have even been told that it was a pity I didnt die in Auschwitz.

Back foot

In the Tony Blair years, the Labour Party took a major rightward shift.

Blair notoriously led the UK into a war of aggression against Iraq in 2003  which even he later admitted was a major factor in the emergence of Islamic State.

Blair is also staunchly pro-Israel.

The 2006 Israeli war against Lebanon killed 1,191 Lebanese, the overwhelming majority of them civilians according to Amnesty International . But Blair stood strongly behind Israel in that war. He later admitted in his memoir this caused him political damage. I suffered accordingly, he wrote .

For career-minded, rising Labour MPs, joining Labour Friends of Israel was long seen as the place to be. That has been slowly changing .

Under Blair, Jeremy Corbyn was a backbench MP, and a gadfly of the big business and war-friendly clique that had captured Labours leadership. He voted against Blairs party line hundreds of times .

The scale of Corbyns victory  almost 60 percent of 422,664 voters  last summer put the right on the back foot.

So now they are resorting to ever more desperate tactics, blaming alleged anti-Semitism in the party on Corbyns leadership.

Michael Levy, a Labour member of the House of Lords who was a key fundraiser for the party during the Tony Blair years, is a strong supporter of Israel. He has made a number of media appearances in recent weeks denouncing Corbyn for supposedly not doing enough against anti-Semitism.

Left-wing Jewish activists say that anti-Semitism has become the weapon of choice against the left.

Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, a local Labour Party activist and founder of Jews For Boycotting Israeli Goods, told The Electronic Intifada that it has become a really pernicious  pincer movement by the Israel lobby and the Labour right.

Maybe theve overstepped themselves this time, she said, before cautioning that what happens would depend on how well activists fought back and educated people on the true nature of anti-Semitism and Zionism.

For the moment, the manufactured anti-Semitism crisis shows no sign of abating.

The same day Ken Livingstone was suspended from the party, BICOM appealed to the mob, posting a tweet with the words: save your pitch fork for Corbyn.

'Save your pitch fork for Corbyn'. Alan Johnson on Naz Shah, Labour and AntiSemitism in @Politics_co_uk https://t.co/ukcxOkNnGO  BICOM (@BritainIsrael) April 28, 2016

It appears the witch hunt will not stop until it is either victorious or is defeated.

Editors note: This article initially stated that Jennie Formby is a Unison official. In fact, she works for Unite. This has now been corrected.

Asa Winstanley is an investigative journalist and associate editor with The Electronic Intifada.
Safe Zones As Soft Military Occupation: Trumps Plan For Syria, Iraq Is Taking Shape



The Trump administration is moving closer to its goal of creating safe zones within Syria. Though this strategy may be described as a humanitarian effort, the sizable increase in military presence that it will bring looks more like an invasion in disguise.



By Whitney Webb

=====

U.S.-Led Coalition Already Using Idlib Chemical Attack As Pretext For War In Syria

Whitney Webb

April 05, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - " MPN " - A deadly chemical attack was carried out in northwestern Syrias Idlib Province early Tuesday, killing at least 58 people. The United States and its allies have been quick to blame Syrias government for orchestrating the attack, despite a significant lack of proof.

Whitney Webb is a MintPress contributor who has written for several news organizations in both English and Spanish; her stories have been featured on ZeroHedge, the Anti-Media, 21st Century Wire, and True Activist among others - she currently resides in Southern Chile. Follow on Facebook

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.

See also
How Netanyahus Dirty Tricks Squad Targets Boycotts

By Jonathan Cook

April 05, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed cohorts of Israel loyalists in the United States by video link last week at the annual conference of Aipac, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee.

They should, he said, follow his governments example and defend Israel on the moral battlefield against the growing threat of the international boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. In Mr Netanyahus simple-minded language, support for Palestinian rights, and opposition to the settlements, is equivalent to delegitimisation of Israel.

The current obsession with BDS reflects a changing political environment for Israel.

According to an investigation by the Haaretz newspaper last month, Israeli agents subverted the human rights community in the 1970s and 1980s. Their job was to launder Israels image abroad. Yoram Dinstein, a professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, led the local chapter of Amnesty International, the worlds most influential rights organisation of the time, running it effectively as a wing of Israels foreign ministry.

Mr Dinsteins interference allowed Israel to falsely characterise the occupation as benevolent while presenting the Palestinians liberation struggle as terrorism. The reality of Israels oppression of Palestinians rarely reached outsiders.

Israels task is harder five decades on. The human rights community is more independent, while social media and mobile phone cameras have allowed Palestinians and their supporters to bypass the gatekeepers.

In the past few days, videos have shown an Israeli policeman savagely beating a Palestinian lorry driver, and soldiers taking hostage a terrified eight-year-old after he crossed their path while searching for a toy.

If concealment at source is no longer so easy, the battle must be taken to those who disseminate this damning information. The urgency has grown as artists refuse to visit, universities sever ties, churches pull their investments and companies back out of deals.

Israel is already sealing itself off from outside scrutiny as best it can. Last month it passed a law denying entry into Israel or the occupied territories to those who support BDS or delegitimise Israel.

But domestic critics have proved trickier. The Israel government has chipped away at the human rights communitys financial base. Media regulation has intensified. And the culture ministry is cracking down on film productions that criticise the occupation or government policy.

But the local boycott movement is feeling the brunt of the assault. Activists already risk punitive damages if they call for a boycott of the settlements. Transport minister Yisrael Katz stepped up the threats last year, warning BDS leaders that they faced civil targeted assassination. What did he mean?

No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter

Omar Barghouti, the movements Palestinian figurehead, was arrested last month, accused of tax evasion. He is already under a travel ban, preventing him from receiving an international peace award this month. And Israeli officials want to strip him of his not-so permanent residency.

At the same time, a leading Israeli rights activist, Jeff Halper, founder of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, was detained by police on suspicion of promoting BDS while leading activists on a tour of an illegal settlement.

These are the first signs of the repression to come. The police minister, Gilad Erdan, has announced plans for a database of Israelis who support BDS, to mirror existing spying operations on BDS activists overseas. The information will help a dirty tricks unit whose job is to tarnish their reputations.

Mr Erdan also wants a blacklist of companies and organisations that support boycotts. A law passed in February already shames the few companies prepared to deny services to the settlements, forcing them publicly to out themselves.

Why is Israel so fearful? Officials say the immediate danger is Europes labelling of settlement products, the first step on a slippery slope they fear could lead to Israel being called an apartheid state. That would shift the debate from popular boycotts and divestment by civil society groups to pressure for action by governments  or sanctions.

The inexorable trend was illustrated last month when a United Nations commission found Israel guilty of breaching the international convention on the crime of apartheid. Washington forced the UN secretary-general to repudiate the report, but the comparison is not going away.

Israel supporters in the United States have taken Mr Netanyahus message to heart. Last week they unveiled an online boycotters map, identifying academics who support BDS  both to prevent them entering Israel and presumably to damage their careers.

For the moment, the Israeli-engineered backlash is working. Western governments are characterising support for a boycott, even of the settlements, as anti-Semitic  driven by hatred of Jews rather than opposition to Israels oppression of Palestinians. Anti-BDS legislation has passed in France, Britain, Switzerland, Canada and the US.

This is precisely how Mr Netanyahu wants to shape the moral battlefield. A reign of terror against free speech and political activism abroad and at home, leaving Israel free to crush the Palestinians.

On paper, it may sound workable. But Israel will soon have to accept that the apartheid genie is out of the bottle  and it cannot be put back.

Jonathan Cook is a Nazareth- based journalist and winner of the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism . http://www.jonathan-cook.net
Demonizing Syria and Russia - Show us the evidence.

Watch - Russian, U.S. UK And Syria Speaking At UN Emergency Meeting

Video

President Donald Trump's envoy threatened unilateral U.S. action if the world body failed to act. "There are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," Haley declared

"Terrorists sought to create a pretext for the use of military force against a sovereign State" -#Russia Ambassador to the #UNSC

Russia's Foreign Ministry has rejected a draft UN Security Council resolution condemning an apparent chemical-weapons attack in Syrias Idlib Province that left dozens killed and injured.

Moscow said that the poison gas belonged to rebels and had leaked from an insurgent weapons depot hit by Syrian bombs.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on April 5 that the resolution -- drafted by the United States, Britain, and France -- was "categorically unacceptable" and obviously was drawn up in haste.

Leaders and officials in other countries, including Britain and Israel, joined the U.S. in saying Assad's forces were responsible.

No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Daily Newsletter

At least 72 people died in the town of Khan Sheikhoun. The World Health Organization said victims seemed to show symptoms consistent with nerve agent exposure. Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using firehoses to wash the chemicals from victims' bodies and lifeless children being piled in heaps.

The British ambassador to the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, strongly criticized Russia

Lest we forget: Seymour M. Hersh: Whose sarin? The U.S. intelligence agencies produced evidence that the al-Nusra Front, a jihadi group affiliated with al-Qaida, had mastered the mechanics of creating sarin and was capable of manufacturing it in quantity.
A Gudu Upper Area Court, Abuja, on Wednesday ordered the remand of 24-year-old cleaner, Olamide Balogun, in prison for allegedly raping a 6-year-old girl.

The judge, Umar Kagarko, adjourned the case till June 15 for hearing.

The defendant who lives in Mabushi, Abuja, was arraigned on a count charge of rape, an offence he denied committing.

The prosecutor, Oyeyemi Adeniyi, told the court that one Loveth Abdul reported the matter at the Mabushi Police Station on Jan. 23.

He said the plaintiff discovered that the defendant had been having carnal knowledge of the 6-year-old girl, whenever she was left alone in the house.

Mr. Adeniyi said that the offence contravened Section 283 of the Penal Code.

Source:(NAN)
Three senior Prisons officers, have been suspended by the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board over the controversial release of former Adamawa governor, Bala Ngilari, recently jailed for corruption.

The affected officers are Peter Tenkwa, the controller of Prisons for Adamawa State and Abubakar Abaka, the Deputy Comptroller and John Bukar, a Superintendent of Prisons.

The statement was released by the spokesperson of Prisons, Francis Enobore, on Tuesday said the suspended officers were indicted for their roles in the issuance of an unauthorised medical report that helped Mr. Ngilari leave jail.

The governor was sentenced to a five-year jail term.

The letter dated 3rd April, 2017 and signed by the Director/Secretary of the Board, Sunday Ogu, approved the suspension of the officers pending the outcome of all necessary investigations into the matter.

Justice Nathan Musa of Yola High Court had last week granted bail to Mr. Ngilari on health grounds.

Shortly after the decision of the court was reported, Mr. Tenkwa had alleged that the letter used by the convicted former governor to secure the bail was fraudulent.

Mr. Tenkwa sais he was not aware of the letter and had communicated to the prison headquarters.

Meanwhile, the statement on Tuesday said a new Controller and officer in-charge had already been posted to take over the state command and Yola prison respectively.

A medical doctor was also deployed to oversee the prison clinic, the statement said.

 The officers have since resumed duties, the statement said.

The prison authorities were silent on the fate of Mr. Ngilari who is believed to have left Nigeria after the controversial release. Neither the prison nor the police have indicated any intention to either re-arrest the ex-governor or appeal his controversial bail.

Source: ( Premium Times )
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Jigawa says it has arrested 27 suspects, including six nationals of Niger republic, for allegedly burning down its office in Maigatari Local Government Area of the state.

The corps Spokesman, Mr Adamu Abdullahi, confirmed the arrest to newsmen in Dutse on Tuesday.

Some suspected hoodlums had on March 30 allegedly razed down the NSCDCs office in Maigatari town.

As I told you the other time, we had identified those suspected to have participated in burning down our office in Maigatari.

So, yesterday in the night, we sent our men to the area and were able to arrest 27 suspects.

But six of them are from Niger Republic, while the rest are from Maigatari town.

Also, seven of the 27 suspects are juveniles, Abdullahi said.

He said an investigation into the case had since commenced after which the suspects would be charged to court.

For these juveniles, after our investigation, we will decide whether to send them to juvenile court or invite their parents to sign an undertaking, depending on the outcome of the investigation, he said.

(NAN)
Just as the effect of economic recession is biting hard on millions of Nigerians, a woman reportedly collapsed and became unconscious at Ikolaba area of Ibadan, out of hunger.

Ms Tawakalitu Adeyeye, was last week, rescued by the operatives of Nigerian Police after she collapsed and became unconscious at Ikolaba area of Ibadan, Oyo State, around 8.30p.m.

According to The Tribune, though the cause of her collapse was unknown to passersby, many of them were said to have been reluctant to help the single mother of three out of fear.

However, one of the passersby summoned courage, moved close to her and tried to resuscitate her by pouring cold water on her, all to no avail. An eyewitness reportedly put a call through to the Police who acted promptly, after which the woman was rushed to the nearest hospital.

Upon regaining consciousness, the labourer said there was nothing wrong with her medically, but that she collapsed because she was hungry and had not taken anything in two days.

Speaking feebly on the hospital bed, Adeyeye said: I am a labourer, and I had gone to the Wema area, in Iwo Road, where labourers normally converge daily for menial work, but for the past one month, I have not done any work.

On the day I collapsed, I was returning home to Ijokodo, Sango area, and was trekking back like I did in the morning when I went in search of a job. I didnt eat the previous day because I had nothing, so as I was trekking back home, I became weak and fell to the ground.

It was gathered that her husband, a cab driver, had abandoned her and their three children, and she is left to fend for the children alone.

Moved by her story, the Oyo State PPRO, Adekunle Ajisebutu, donated food items and an undisclosed amount of cash to her. .

The Director of Salaudeen Memorial Hospital, Ikolaba, where Tawakalitu was rushed to, Dr Rashidi Olasunkanmi Salaudeen, said she could have died if help had not come her way on time.
Organisers of the Nigeria International Book Fair Trust (NIBFT) have expressed worry that most exhibitors may not participate at this years fair due to the economic recession.

The book fair is scheduled to hold next month at the University of Lagos. The NIBFTs Executive Secretary, Mr. Biodun Omotuti told newsmen in Lagos that only a few local and foreign exhibitors have indicated interest to participate.

We have been having issues at encouraging exhibitors. It has been very hard to convince them to participate at the book fair. The recession has negatively affected the preparations.

Those who usually register early are yet to do so, despite the fact that the fair would take place few six weeks from now. Also, some foreign exhibitors have declared that they would not be participating at the fair.

Omotuti, who pointed out that the impact of the recession on the turnout was affecting participants from Kenya, Senegal and South Africa, however disclosed that there were favourable responses from Ghana.

According to him, there was also reluctance from the Asian countries where only India, with the largest number of exhibitors, has registered to participate at the fair. This is probably due to the fact that over the years, India had emerged the strongest Asian participant at the NIBFT.

He said: We are sure that at least, seven Indian regular exhibitors would be here to support us. However, one organisation from the United Kingdom has indicated its interest to participate at the fair.

He expressed NIBFTs determination to forge ahead despite the daunting challenges occasioned by the recession and collapsing social infrastructure.

Omotuti added that new measures were being put in place to ensure that more participants register for the event since the registration has not yet closed.

He explained that the NIBFT had approached the All Nigerian Colleges Principals (ANCOPS), Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nigerian Parents Teachers Association (NAPTAN), the Nigerian Copyrights Commission (NCC), Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) and government to ensure the success of the fair.

Source: Guardian
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has headed for the Court of Appeal to challenge the unfreezing of the Guaranty Trust Bank account of Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) by the Federal High Court in Lagos.

The order unfreezing Ozekhomes account into which he received N75m legal fee from the Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose was made on Monday by Justice Abdulaziz Anka.

Though the EFCC had claimed that the N75m was proceeds of criminal activities by Fayose, Justice Anka on Monday held that Ozekhome could not be held liable for receiving the money as legal fee from Fayose because there was no restriction on Fayoses account when the payment was made.

Justice Anka then subsequently vacated his own order of February 7, 2017 in which he restrained Ozekhome from accessing the N75m in his account.

Not pleased, however, the EFCC has gone before the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn Justice Ankas decision.

The EFCCs lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, contended that Justice Anka erred in law in ordering the unfreezing of Ozekhomes account.

He prayed the appellate court to set the lower courts ruling aside.

The EFCC had, in the application taken before Justice Anka, claimed that the N75m which Fayose paid to Ozekhome was part of the N2.26bn arms procurement funds, which a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), allegedly looted

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, was, yesterday, told how the children of a former acting Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Haruna Jauro, were invited to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC offices.





A subpoenaed witness, Mr Peter Achuneni, who is a lawyer, gave the evidence at the resumed trial-within-trial of Jauro.

Jauro assumed leadership of NIMASA, after the erstwhile Director General, Patrick Akpobolokemi.

He is charged by the EFCC, alongside Dauda Bawa and Thlumbau Enterprises Ltd on 19 counts charge of N304.1 million fraud.

During trial in February, the prosecutor Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, had called its first witness, Mr Chukwuma Orji, who had testified how several sums of money was allegedly converted by the accused.

Oyedepo had then sought to tender a written statement of the accused as evidence in court, but his move was opposed by defence counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo, who argued that the said statements were not voluntarily obtained.

The trial judge, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun had consequently, ordered a trial-within-trial.

At the hearing, yesterday, defence counsel, Ojo called on the subpoenaed witness, Achuneni, who told the court that he represented the first accused (Jauro) at the EFCC during investigations.

Led in examination in chief by Ojo, the witness then told the court that EFCC operatives promised to make things difficult for the accused and even invite his children, if he did not cooperate with them.

According to him, the children of the accused were eventually invited to the commission the following day, including his six-year-old child who had no knowledge of anything.

He told the court that he reported at the commission for about six days, and equally went along with the children when they were invited.

Source: Vanguard
Controversial Nollywood actress, Cossy Orjiakor has reacted to the arrest and detention of popular Nigerian blogger and journalist, Kemi Olunloyo.

Kemi Olunloyo, daughter of a former Governor of Oyo was two weeks ago arrested and detained in Port Harcourt for allegedly making defamatory report against the founder and General Overseer of Salvation Ministry, Pastor David Ibiyeomie.

She was on Thursday granted bail by a Port Harcourt Magistrate Court but was immediately remanded again by a Federal High sitting in the same city.

Just yesterday, another Nollywood actor, Uche Nnanna noted that Jesus Christ, would not have arrested Kemi over her comment.

Reacting to the arrest and detention of the controversial journalist, Cossy said she expected politicians, who had received much of Kemis negative publications to arrest her and not a pastor.

Cossy wrote on her Instagram page, I expected Mrs Kemi to be locked up by her father, Obasanjo, Mr Kosoko or other Actors but not a pastor.

That really beats my imagination. Well. Maybe I should have reported each and every pastor that defamed me during the dog saga.

Yes they preached. During the ordeal after the whole frame up. I was hurting. I was alone. I was a poor Little girl trying to find her way.. Trying to understand life. I was called all sorts of names.

Pastors preached. The congregation moaned and rained curses to the name that brought shame to womanhood.

My mum was in church somewhere in Abuja. The pastor preached about this fake sermon. The lust after money.

The girl that slept with dog just for N10,000 dollars, Who is she then to challenge the pastor?

Well she was just the mother to the girl that supposedly slept with dog. She simply left the church and never went back. My father wasnt spared either.

They gathered in the church and went to my village house to rain curses on the girl who brought immense shame to the church and the village. My father knew it was just a movie. So never really cared. I was withdrawn.

I was hurting. How can an award winning performance I was paid only #30,000 naira brought me so much head ache and pains. How can the pastors believe such lies. Didnt they call on God for guidance before preaching and prosecuting me back then.

The magazine made lots of money off the image they created of me. The jobs stopped coming. From a young starlet I went down to zero. All hope was lost. I thank God I didnt take a leap of fate into the now popular eko bridge.

The people I looked up to described me in unimaginable ways. Thats when I really decided that most pastors have lost touch with God. I forgave them all. The magazine. The pastors.

Do you know the true identity of the man that turned me in to a pimp? Do you know the true identity of Iyanu? Same old stories. I leave you to do the calculation. Because Mr? Real profession is written in ungrateful Delilah. And if they come after me again Hahahahahhaha. Everyone goes down.

Source: Daily Post
The German government plans to repatriate 12,000 Nigerians who are seeking asylum in the country.

The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Diaspora Affairs, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, disclosed this on Tuesday at the public presentation of two books From Libya with Tears and Practical News and Feature Writing written by former Managing Editor/Director of News Agency of Nigeria, Mr Dele Bodunde.

Just some days ago, 128 Nigerians died in the Mediterranean sea out of 576. Most of them were from West African countries and they were on their way to Europe.

Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa, represented by her Special Assistant on Media, Mr Abdul-Rahman Balogun, said that the German Embassy in Nigeria had intimated her office on plans to repatriate no fewer than 12,000 Nigerian asylum seekers from the European country.

The presidential aide further said that about 128 Nigerians died while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. She described the situation as unfortunate, noting that it showed Nigerians desperation to get to Europe by all means.

Now, this is an unfortunate incident and I think it is better to remain in Nigeria and keep struggling, instead of making desperate journeys that could take their lives, the presidential aide said.

Dabiri-Erewa said some Nigerians had been trapped in Libya and were subjected to various inhuman treatments and that only the intervention of the Federal Government had ensured the return of many.

NAN.
Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has said that perpetrators of clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the state would henceforth be treated as criminal suspects and be made to face the full wrath of the law.

The governor, who stated this yesterday at a meeting with members of the State Chapter of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), noted that such attacks constitute a crime against the state and must be handled as such.

He, therefore, called on all affected parties to allow justice take its course by treating such incidents as violation of the law. The State Secretary of MACBAN, Malam Abdulazeez Mohammed, said that they were at the meeting to express their bitterness over the attack on their members and also to seek protection for their people across the state.

He also expressed the associations support for the governments decision to compensate victims of the attack and also treat culprits as criminals. In another development, indigenes of Cross River State have urged Governor Ben Ayade to immediately expel Fulani herdsmen from their soil following Sundays attack on members of Obio Usiere community in Odukpani Local Council of the state.

Addressing journalists on behalf of the indigenes in Lagos, a former House of Representatives candidate for Odukpani and Calabar Municipal under the defunct African Liberation Party, Dr. Grace Ekpoawan Achum, said that more than 10 people were killed in the recent attack while over 50 others are missing and property worth millions of naira were destroyed.

She warned the governor not to throw the state into anarchy by trying to please the Presidency. However, the state police spokesman, who confirmed that only one person died in the attack, said policemen had been drafted to the area to provide 24 hours security.

In a similar vein, the National Association of Delta State Students (NADESSTU) has flayed the state governments alleged non-chalant act over the continued killing of persons, particularly farmers, by the rampaging Fulani herdsmen in the state.

The students union body, after an emergency meeting yesterday, also issued a 21-day ultimatum to the state government to address the menace of the herdsmen. The union in a statement signed by its National President and Secretary, Shaka Emomine and Otuorha Oghenekaro respectively, however, appealed to the state government to take up the educational responsibilities of the late senior member of staff of Delta State University (DELSU), Sunday Idama, and others who had fallen victims to attacks by the herdsmen.

But the State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah, chided the students union leadership for its comments, saying that the state government under the leadership of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa had never fold its hands to the alleged killing of persons in the state allegedly by the Fulani herdsmen.

Meanwhile, a combined security team has recovered illegal weapons from an underground bunker in a suburb village near Gbishe in Katsina-Ala Local Council of Benue State. Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Col. Edwin Jando, who displayed the ammunition at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, said that the bunker, according to intelligent information, was one of the many bunkers in the area where illegal arms are stored.

Source: Guardian
Ongoing controversy over the perceived shortfall in fiscal policy direction in the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has been attributed to lack of properly constituted Board to direct strategy implementation as contained in the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA Act C 45 of 2004).

The National Council of Management Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) has petitioned the Presidency on the need for the Minister of Finance to constitute the Customs Board almost two years after the Comptroller General, Hameed Ali assumed office.

The agents are worried over the lacuna, as the non-existence of the Board of Directors automatically makes Ali a sole administrator of Customs, which is at variance with the provisions of CEMA.

The petition obtained by The Guardian reads in part: There is the urgent need to give the service direction through the legally constituted Board under the Chairmanship of the Minister of Finance in line with provision of the Nigeria Customs Service Board Act, and the Customs and Excise Management Act C45 of 2004 by compliance with the provision as contained in the Nigeria Customs service Board Act.

As member and sub-committee chairman on the draft report of Presidential Task Force on the Reform of Nigeria Customs Service, we are indeed disturbed with the controversy that has been generated by recent policy, which is a complete set back to the economy.

The Nigeria Customs Board is a statutory Board, which confers on the Minister of Finance the power to constitute the Board as contained in Section 2-(2), and to appoint persons after consultation with various ministries and organisations.

The petition signed by the National President, NCMDLCA, Lucky Amiwero, also cited other sections of CEMA to underscore its points. For instance, it noted that The provision as contained in the Nigeria Customs Service Board Act, requires the Board to administer the Customs and Excise Management Act, rectify any appointment, promotion, dismissal, disciplinary control of staff, and policy directive released by the Minister of Finance as Chairman of the Board and the regulatory power on import, Export and Excise under the Customs and Excise Management Act.

With reference to CEMA, the agents said the Board should be responsible for; formulating the general policy guidelines for the Customs; administering the CEMA and, accordingly subject to the general control of the minister, control and manage the administration of the customs and excise laws and; collect revenue of Customs and Excise and account for them in such manner as the minister shall, from time to time direct.

The collection of revenue of Customs and Excise is directly under the ministries of finance and he direct from time to time, directive as to revenue collection matters, which is the sole responsibility of the minister of finance as contained in the act, it stated.

Source: Guardian
The outbreak of Meningitis has continued to spread in Nigeria,according to reports,a 12-year-old boy was on Wednesday confirmed dead following an outbreak of Cerebral Spinal Meningitis in Cross River State.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Inyang Asibong, who disclosed this in Calabar, said 23 other persons had received treatment at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital.

Asibong gave the name of the victim as Paul Ogar, who was brought to Calabar from Ogoja Local Government Area.

She expressed concerns that the scourge has been on the increase in the state.

The commissioner said the death toll would have been heavier if not for the prompt action of the state health ministry in containing the outbreak.

While explaining that most of the victims had been treated and discharged from the hospital, the commissioner said the ministry was doing its best to curb further outbreak.

She said that Cross River was among the 16 states with the outbreak of CSM.

The commissioner said, Before now, we have actually been having sporadic cases of CSM, but it has been on the increase this year and this is not normal for Cross River.

We have set our state team in motion and the epidemiology department is currently on top of the situation, carrying out surveillance in all quarters.

Another notable thing is that these cases were mainly recorded in Ogoja and Yala local government areas of the state.

We are working with the federal ministry of health to ensure that we curb this outbreak and hoping that we get the vaccination for the symptoms.

She advised residents to improve on their personal hygiene, especially washing of hands, avoiding overcrowded places and direct contact with people coughing or sneezing.

People living in overcrowded conditions, poorly ventilated houses and generally poor sanitary conditions are very vulnerable to respiratory infections, and this encourages the growth and survival of the bacteria.

Incubation period for CSM vary from two to 10 days, with symptoms such as but not limited to stiff neck, high fever, headache, vomiting, and confusion.

Early treatment can help prevent serious long-term consequences such as deafness, blindness, epileptic seizures and brain damage, Asibong explained.

She also urged residents to allow adequate ventilation in their houses, warning anyone who observes any of the symptoms to seek immediate medical attention.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
There was unrest in Ado Ekiti,Capital of Ekiti State, on Tuesday when Muslims in the state took to the streets to protest against the proposed move by Governor Ayodele Fayose to demolish the mosque built on the premises of petrol stations.

Government officials on Monday marked a mosque in NIPCO Filling Station in the Adebayo area of the state for demolition.

A petroleum dealer, Alhaji Suleman Akinbami, built the mosque and donated it to the Muslim community.

It was gathered that the Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Mr. Tae Otitoju, had visited the mosque at about 5pm on Monday and marked it for demolition, saying worshipers could contract cancer from the radioactive emission from the petrol station.

The action sparked outrage among worshippers, who took to the streets on Tuesday to protest the action.

The youths marched from the central mosque at Oja Oba to Odo Ado area to brief the Chief Imam of Ekiti State, Alhaji Jamiu Kewulere, before moving to the palace of Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe.

The Muslims, under the aegis of the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations, described the proposed demolition as an attempt to further oppress Muslims by Fayose.

Addressing the protesters, Kewulere assured that he would liaise with the government for a peaceful resolution of the issue.

Islam is a religion of peace and we have respect for leadership. So, I beg that you allow the Muslim leaders to look into this matter. We dont want you to take laws into your own hands because this state belongs to all of us.

We are going to meet with the governor to actually get the true position of things and we will do all that we need to do for a peaceful resolution of this issue, he said.

The Coordinator of NACOMYO in Ekiti, Tajudeen Ahmed, a lawyer, wondered why the government wanted to demolish mosques after allegedly short-changing Muslims in government appointments.

Ahmed accused Fayose of taking the action for political reasons, urging him to have a rethink in the interest of peace.

He said, The proposed demolition is curious and we see it as an attempt to further oppress us. Governor Fayose made appointments and he put very abysmal numbers of Muslims into his government despite that we constitute 35 per cent of the population in Ekiti.

We are not violent and we believe in leadership. We want to plead with Governor Fayose to reverse this action. How can a mosque located behind a petrol station constitute a health hazard to worshipers? Besides, it has been in existence for over a decade and if it can affect the worshippers, what would then happen to those selling the product?

Akinbami, who is the Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, recently addressed journalists over the governments plot to demolish some petrol stations built in residential areas in the state.

But reacting, Otitoju said the government took the step in the interest of the people.

He said, The Ekiti State Government wants to make whoever comes to a fuel station safe. What the government is saying is that it is not safe to have a place of worship inside a filling station, whether a church, a mosque or even a shrine.

The reason behind the move is the recent fire incident at a petrol station in Ado Ekiti, and we want to ensure that there are as few people converging at or around petrol stations as possible.

With a church or a mosque at a station, the tendency is for people to gather there from time to time and it is not safe. So, it is for the safety and security of the people of the state.

We have to notify the people affected and we have done that. It is also noteworthy that these people applied for the construction of petrol filling stations and building a place of worship there may not be necessary. Yes, there could be offices to service the station and a few other concerns, but not a worship place.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
Tragedy struck naval community in Lagos, on Wednesday, as Fleet Commander of Western Naval Command (WNC), Rear Admiral Daniel Ikoli, was found dead at his Apapa, Lagos residence.

It was believed that Admiral Ikoli shot himself dead.

Ikoli, who was Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT and later appointed into the presidential committee on the probe of arms deal, was said to have been found in a pool of his blood.

It was gathered that the naval officer left the office, on Tuesday afternoon, after complaining he was not feeling too well.

It was also gathered that Admiral Ikoli was battling an undisclosed illness, which made him lose weight.

He also became withdrawn contrary to his usual boisterous personality.

It was also gathered that the deceased was suffering from depression caused by the high dollar rate and unavailability Foreign Exchange (FOREX) for his childrens tuition.

According to sources, Ikoli usually expressed worries about the possibility of assassins going after him as a result of his membership in the committee.

Officers who worked under the deceased have expressed shock over his death, insisting he might have been assassinated.

According to a close aide to the deceased, a boy who lives at his home claimed he heard gunshot from Ikolis room and took cover.

He said: The boy said he heard gunshot and when he did, he took cover. His wife is in Abuja and his children school abroad. His orderly and Naval Assistant (NA) usually go after dropping him.

The bullet hit him on the chest. Three bullets were seen in his room. No one can really tell what happened but the position he was seen suggests he might have been scared of something or someone.

He was a nice and intelligent officer. He was the one who spearheaded the renovations at BEECROFT when he was Commander. Its a sad news really.

Contacted, the commands information officer, Lieutenant Commander Chinwe Umar, said the police have been invited for investigation.

She said: In the early hours of Wednesday, April 5, gunshots were heard in the vicinity where Rear Admiral Teikumo Daniel Ikoli resides in Apapa.

When his room was opened, he was found dead. Police have been invited and investigation is ongoing. When the situation is clearer, an update would be given.

Source: TheSun
Niger State Government has kicked against the punishment issued to the man who raped a 9 years-old boy to death.

The convict, Nuhu Musa, 37, was sentenced to one-month imprisonment with an option of N30, 000 fine by a Kontagora Magistrates Court for kidnap and rape of a minor.

The incidents occurred in Kontagora Local Government Area of Niger.

Musas jail term ended on Tuesday (April 4).

The Public Relations Officer of the Niger Police Command, DSP Bala Elkana, said on Tuesday in Minna that further investigations would be carried out on the case, and that Musa would be charged with murder, rape and kidnap.

Elkana said that the Musas sentence was not commensurate with his offences, adding that the child eventually died from injuries sustained from the rape.

Meanwhile, Hajiya Mariam Kolo, Director-General of the Niger State Child Rights Protection Agency, said that the child was abducted alongside four other boys.

She said that Musa had sex with the deceased and injured him severely.

Kolo said that the child was consequently taken to a hospital and operated upon but died the following day.

She said that Musa was arrested, charged to court and given a sentence of one-month imprisonment on a two-count.

She said that Musa was sentenced to one-month imprisonment on each of the counts of rape and abduction with an option of fine of N30,000.

The director-general said that the agency had recommended Musas re-arrest and re-arraignment.

She said that the state government had given the mother of the child a grinding machine and some money to start a business to comfort her.

(NAN)
Nollywood Actor, Alex Ekubo maturely throws shades at THE GIANT OF AFRICA for their inadequate supply of electricity.

He has been in Cameroon for a new film hes acting in, and he commended them.

He wrote;

So ive been filming in Cameroon for the past 5 days & its been uninterrupted power supply, meanwhile we say we are the Giant of Africa, Big Name wey dey kill small dog.

Source: Instagram
An officer of the National Security and Civil Defense Corps, Taiwo Babalola, has been remanded by a Kogi High Court in Lokoja for an alleged armed robbery.

The case is been presided by Justice Sunday Otu of High Court 3, Babalola, currently serving with the Kogi Command of the NSCDC, was alleged to have committed the offense, along with the two others, on December 9, 2016 at Lokogoma village in Lokoja.

The News Agency of Nigeria quotes Mr. Kadiri Mukailu, victim of the robbery attack, as telling the court in his testimony that on the said date, the trio, armed with guns and other weapons, invaded his residence at Lokogoma, forcefully collected his car keys and drove the vehicle away.

Mukailu said the car, which had not been recovered, was taken away by the trio along with his UBA ATM card.

Others items taken away by the accused, he said, included two phones valued at N16,00, a wrist watch valued at N1, 500, 10 pieces of cloth valued at N30,000 and the vehicles original particulars.

He told the court that during the robbery operation, which lasted for two hours, he had a full glimpse of the faces of the armed robbers because the lights were on and the suspects did not wear masks.

The victim stressed that he particularly remembered Kolawale Samson who had scattered teeth, wielded a big gun and called himself MOPOL.

Mukailu also told the court that his family members recognised Babalola as the robber that attacked his house when, on January 8, he returned to the vicinity for another robbery operation.

When the robbery gang came on January 8, I immediately drew the attention of members of a local vigilante, who condoned off the premises and alerted the police, leading to the arrest of the suspects along with Babalola, he said.

In his defence, Babalola said he was a neighbour to Mukailu at Lokogoma, but denied being part of any robbery.

He told the court that he was in his house on December 9, 2016, when three men, who claimed to be policemen, accosted him and told him that they were trailing some criminals, who entered Mukailus house.

As a security officer, I asked if I could follow them, but they rejected that request. I even reported the incident to my superiors in the office the following day, he said.

Babalola said he was surprised when he was arrested in his house at Lokogoma, on January 8 along with the two other suspects and taken to the `D Division of the Kogi Police Command.

The accused, however, admitted that he saw some people driving off in the said car, on the day of the robbery, but did not know who they were, and further told the court that the two accused were his brother and friend.

Further hearing in the case of criminal conspiracy and armed robbery preferred against the trio was adjourned till April 11.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
Prospective Students in Calabar took to the streets to protest against their inability to register for the 2017 UTME.

The candidates, who started the protest at 7am from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) office on Marian Road, went round Barracks Road and the Millennium Park, before returning to the JAMB office.

The candidates were chanting solidarity songs and held fresh leaves in their hands, while the Police and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps followed them to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

A candidate, Mr Jeremiah Osibu, said that since the beginning of the registration on March 20, he had not been able to get his Personal Identity Number for his registration.

The process of registration this year has been so difficult. I come to this JAMB office every working day; but till now, I have not been registered, he said.

Also, Miss Comfort Eban, said that after paying the N6, 200 fee for the UTME, she had spent more than N8,000 on transportation from her house to JAMB office since March 20.

I am joining this protest today because we want our leaders and the examination body to do something about it. The 2017 process of registration is too stressful.

From the look of things, if this registration continues like this in the next few days, thousands of prospective candidates would not be able to sit for this examination, she said.

Mr Richard Onah, who said he came from Ogoja Local Government Area to register for the examination, called on JAMB to extend the registration to capture all prospective candidates.

Efforts made to speak with JAMB officials in the state were not successful as protesters blocked the entrance to the JAMB office.

Petty traders were making brisk businesses through the sales of food, sachet water, biscuits and banana, as a result of the delay being experienced by prospective UTME candidates in JAMB office.

(NAN)
More weapons and ammunitions has been returned to the Rivers State government.The Amnesty Committee has said it was expecting the recovery of more arms and ammunition from various cult groups in Gokana and Eleme local government areas.

The Chairman of the State Amnesty Committee, Mr. Kenneth Chinda, who spoke with Southern City News in a telephone chat, said the committee would not relent until peace returned to Ogoniland.

Chinda said with the repentance of over 3,300 cultists in Khana Local Government Area, more cultists were expected to leave their old ways and surrender their weapons when the committee visits Gokana and Eleme for disarmament within the next five days.

He urged those who had surrendered their weapons in Khana LGA not to succumb to pressure from errant politicians and traditional rulers, who might want to lure them back to crime.

It will be recalled there had been cult-related violence in Ogoniland, leading to loss of lives and destruction of property worth millions of naira.

Chinda said, We were in Bori, Khana Local Government Area on Friday and in a few days, we will be in Gokana and after Gokana, we will be in Eleme LGA.

Our mission is to recover arms and ammunition from repentant cultists in order to bring peace back to Ogoniland. We are calling on the repentant cultists not to fall into the temptation of going back to crime again.

They (repentant cultists) should ignore some traditional rulers and politicians who would want to use to foment trouble in the communities. The state government is working on roads in Ogoniland and without peace in the area, the contractors will not be able to execute the work.

They (repentant cultists) were initially not sincere with the programme when we had it the last time. But this time, they are sincere and have surrendered lots of arms and ammunition in Khana.

Weapons surrendered by former members of Iceland cult group are three AK-47 rifles, one pump-action gun, 17 dane guns, 20 locally-made pistols, 10 AK-47 magazines, four cutlasses, two knives, three axes and five 7.62mm (NATO), 417 quantity of 7.62mm (special), 5.56mm, and four cartridges.

Those surrendered by former Degbam cult group are three AK-47 rifles, one G3 rifle, one FN rifle, one pump action gun, five AK-47 magazines, one G3 magazine, one FN magazine, eight locally-made pistols and three locally made revolver.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
Owners of uncertified Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) storage tanks across the country have been warned to get the standardisation and certification of the facilities or have then shut down.

In this regard, the Standards Organiastion of Nigeria (SON), has given a two-week ultimatum to all owners of LPG storage tanks nationwide to commence the process of certifications or have the tanks dismantled.

The Director General, SON, Mr. Osita Aboloma, in a statement, was quoted to have expressed concern by the sharp rise in the installation of LPG storage tanks in petrol filling stations across the country, many of which could not provide evidence of SON certifications.

Aboloma has therefore directed all the organisations officials to intensify the surveillance of all installed LPG storage tanks in their areas of coverage, to ascertain those that have undergone SON certifications before installation as required by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) regulation.

He insisted that all imported and locally fabricated LPG storage tanks are required to undergo SON certification to assure conformity to the Nigeria Industrial Standards (NIS) 419:2000, specification and testing of unfired pressure vessels for the storage of LGP as well as safety and performance requirements.

According to the SON helmsman, locally manufactured vessels are required to undergo certification under the SON Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP), while imported vessels are required to undergo the offshore Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) certification.

The SON boss appealed to the public to be vigilant and report any installation of LPG storage tanks in their vicinity to the nearest SON office for verification of compliance to standards requirement in the interest of public safety.

He warned that Nigerian should not suffer from gas explosion due to the use of sub-standard storage tanks, saying: The time has come to put our acts together and end the nightmare. We are committed towards the full implementation of the policy against the use of substandard storage tanks.

Source: Guardian
The news that Microsoft will sell Samsungs Galaxy S8 in its U.S. stores came as a surprise to many. Shouldnt Microsoft be concentrating on keeping its Windows 10 Mobile platform going, while we wait for the (perhaps) mythical Surface Phone? Its a move thats made many Windows Mobile fans unhappy.

But pull back the curtains a little, and it turns out that Microsoft has slowly been making inroads on the Android ecosystem, co-opting Googles platform and absorbing it into its overall enterprise software strategy. Starting with Office 365, Microsoft has been slowly bending Android to its own image, even providing its own lock screen and launchers to give it that distinctly Microsoft feel.

Making a Microsoft Android

Its an approach Ive become very familiar with over the last year, when I stopped using one of Microsofts Windows Mobile-based Lumia smartphones and started carrying an Android-based Samsung Galaxy Note 5. What began as an experiment became my everyday smartphone, and I later upgraded to the newer Galaxy S7 Edge. It turned out that everything I could do with my Lumias Windows Mobile I could do on my Galaxys Androidand quite a bit more, besides.

Much of that is down to Microsofts mobile Office 365 apps. The mobile versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint have very similar capabilities across Windows Mobile, iOS, and Android. With your files stored on OneDrive, you also have access to the data you want wherever you are. In my case, that can even be on an underground train, thanks to Wi-Fis availability in Londons Tube.

Another Microsoft product, SwiftKey, makes an excellent swipeable keyboard replacement for both Googles and Samsungs Android onscreen keyboards. (Though for more than basic editing and quick replies, Ive invested in a decent lightweight Bluetooth keyboard that works with all my mobile devices.)

Making an Android smartphone like the Samsung S8 feel more Microsofty isnt hard. Installing the Next lock screen and the Arrow launcher goes a long way to giving it a Windows feel while keeping it an Android device. Thanks to integration with key Microsoft services, including OneDrive and Wunderlist, it's easy to ignore Google services. With Skype, Cortana, and Outlook installed, your only point of contact with Google is the Play Storeand Microsoft offers a separate app to help find and download its apps.

The secret sauce is Office 365

The key to Microsofts success on Android (and on iOS) has been a series of strategic acquisitions. Its mobile version of Outlook is one of the best cross-platform email clientsnot because it inherits features from the desktop Outlook but because its the direct descendant of the Accompli email client and the Sunrise calendar. Microsoft bought both tools, and their development teams are now part of the Office group. If youve used Accompli, youll find mobile Outlook very familiar. Although it has a different emphasis from desktop Outlook, the latest Office Insider builds of Outlook 2016 are bringing features from the mobile client to your PCincluding its focus view, which displays emails from regular correspondents only.

The decision to extend Office 365 and many of its components to Android and iOS cant have been easy for Microsoft; it would have seemed like giving up on Windows Mobile. But its also one of its most successful changes, bringing new talent and perspective to Microsoft, and giving Office a greatly expanded reach. With OneDrive, Skype, Flow, OneNote, and Outlook in every app store, its surprisingly easy to use Microsoft tools rather than the devices defaults. The only item missing from Microsofts Android tools is an SMS application, and that cant be far away. Its already in the Windows 10 Mobile version of Skype.

Adding enterprise glue to Android with EMS

Buying an Android smartphone in a Microsoft Store and having it customized with Office is an easy on-ramp for the consumer, but what about for business users?

It turns out that switching your enterprise users from Windows Mobile to Android isnt painful, either. If you use System Center or Microsofts cloud-hosted Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) suite, you have access to all the tools you need to manage Android devices. EMSs Intune mobile device management service comes with a complete set of Android controls, including the ability to push apps to devices and to control them from a central dashboardwhether for a fully managed fleet of corporate devices or a users device as part of a BYOD policy. Theres even a corporate app store for Android that will distribute your apps to managed devices. Of course, this is all true even if you use a mobile management service from another provider like MobileIron or VMware.

But you can get Microsofts special sauce with EMS if you work with Office 365. EMS helps secure your documents on any mobile platform by using Azure Rights Management to control access. With Azure RM, you can block employees from opening and reading files unless they comply with your choice of security settings, which include everything from running managed apps to whether a user has logged in via multifactor authentication. An Azure RM SDK gives your apps an extra layer of security, ensuring those who are logged in can read files.

Control is important on enterprise devices, and choosing EMS to manage your fleet of devices makes a lot of sense. Locking down files lets users install their choice of apps while making sure business information doesnt leak to the outside world. By controlling only a limited subset of apps, you avoid the old BlackBerry problem of giving IT admins too much control over a personal device; it's much more likely that those users will opt for a managed device rather than going outside your sphere of control and increasing the risk of data loss as a side effect.

Is Microsofts Android support a stopgap or the future?

Microsoft has missed the boat on making Windows 10 Mobile the default enterprise smartphone. But while Microsoft retrenches and rethinks its device strategy, it makes sense for Microsoft to sell non-Windows devices running its software. With a suite of Office 365 apps and an enterprise management platform offering, promoting Android is the logical stepand a flagship device like Samsungs Galaxy S8 is an attractive entry point.

Well know if Android is a permanent fixture in Microsoft stores if the Galaxy S8 is joined by midrange and budget devices, along with fleet purchase plans. (iPhones are a less likely proposition because Apple lets no provider, not even the carriers, customize the default app mix.) Until then, itll let Microsoft keep its foot in the door of the mobile market, until its own hardware comes along again.
Jeff Williams became an application security engineer in the late 1990s, before it was a common job title.

"General Electric came to my company and said, 'We like your data centers, but we need every line of code reviewed for security before it goes on the internet,'" he recalled. "The sales team quickly said, 'Sure!' Everyone else took a quick step backwards and I got the job of figuring out how to deliver."

Thinkstock Download the PDF version of this article

That meant learning how to do penetration testing, security code reviews, secure coding training, application security architecture, and threat modeling, he said.

Since then, Williams, who is now the CTO and cofounder at Palo Alto, Calif.-based application security vendor Contrast Security, has hired hundreds of application security engineers.

He said that he looks for people with strong computer science skills, who are fluent in multiple programming styles and languages.

"But that's not enough," he added. "I always looked for people  like myself  who loved programming, but didnt necessarily want to spend their life coding other peoples ideas. I look for people who work on open source projects, write their own tools, and code every day  those people that are excited and passionate about code. So, its a lot more about real-world experience than book learning."

Many large companies, particularly in the financial services industry, have application security teams, he said.

"You can also work at a consulting company, where you will get experience with a lot of different technologies and many different types of businesses," he said. "If youre up for some really hard work it can be a tremendously rewarding experience. Theres just no other way to get the breadth of experience you can get this way, and youll work with the best in the business.

Application security vendors are also hiring, he added.

"You can get a job building an application security product," he said. "You might be a product developer, security researcher, product marketer, sales engineer, or solutions architect."

These jobs are often in security startups, he added. That can be exciting, he said, but can also be volatile place to build a career.

For those starting out, Anthony Bettini, senior director of software engineering at Columbia, Md.-based Tenable Network Security, recommends NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering, Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon and Purdue as having good programs in this field.

"Cybersecurity education at the university level is a lot better now than it was, say, ten years ago," he said.

The annual Black Hat conference also has a lot of content related to application security, he added. "Their historic talks are archived, and there are a lot of white papers online."

People looking to move over from application engineering can also get certifications and attend training programs, he said, though they most often focus on operational security rather than application security.

As with other security fields, there is a wage premium. The national median salary for an application security engineer is $98,040, according to Glassdoor, while the salary for an application engineer is $82,467.

Plus, it's another growing area, said Bettini.

"It's no longer just technology companies developing software," he said. "All of the Fortune 500 have become software companies, and are facing increasing cybersecurity risks, so it's causing them to hire more application security engineers."

That, and the demand from the vendor side, is driving wages up, he said.

It's the area of cybersecurity that's had the least investment so far, and is the most immature, said Kennet Westby, chief security strategist at Denver-based Coalfire Systems, Inc. "It's an area where we're seeing huge demand."

Most of the application security engineers he's hired come from an application development background, he said.
Campden BRI wins 0.5 million South Korea contract

Campden BRI has been awarded a 3-year contract worth in excess of 0.5 million for a joint food research programme in South Korea which also involves The Korea National Food Cluster (FOODPOLIS) and Dongguk University.

Campden BRI has been awarded a contract worth in excess of 0.5 million for a joint food research programme in South Korea. The three-year agreement also involves The Korea National Food Cluster (FOODPOLIS) and Dongguk University.

The contract, funded by the South Korean government, aims to enhance food safety, quality and product innovation. Campden BRI will be working in three key areas: advanced analytical methods for non-targeted chemical screening, analytical methods for difficult to measure components and the commercial exploitation of insects as a source of high quality proteins.

In support of this new initiative Campden BRI has also opened an office within FOODPOLIS in order to encourage international collaboration among food manufacturers, researchers, universities and business support services in the North East Asia region.

We are delighted to be working with our Korean partners in these cutting-edge research projects and in doing so strengthen our already well established links with South Korea, said Professor Martin Hall, Director of Science, Campden BRI. The opening of our local office marks a further expansion of our international business activities and gives us a stake in this multi-million pound government initiative in the Far East.
Renault, China's Geely announced powertrain joint venture AP - Tue Nov 8, 12:17AM CST Renault SA and Chinas Geely say they plan to launch a joint venture to produce gasoline-powered and hybrid powertrains, adding to a series of partnerships between global automakers to share soaring... $SPX : 3,806.80 (+0.96%) $DOWI : 32,827.00 (+1.31%) $IUXX : 10,977.00 (+1.10%)

S&P500 (ES) Weekly MACD Positively Crossing Tradable Patterns - Tue Nov 8, 12:02AM CST The S&P500 (ESZ22) is consolidating a 2 day bounce, and appears to be gearing up this week for a retest of the October high and the 50% Fib retrace of the August to October slide. Any reclaiming of... ESZ22 : 3,820.75 (+0.14%) SPY : 379.95 (+0.96%) SPXS : 23.70 (-2.87%) SPXU : 17.99 (-2.86%) SPXL : 62.52 (+2.88%)

Hog Commentary Walsh Trading - Mon Nov 7, 5:00PM CST Hog markets rallied significantly today with the Dec contract up over $4 and the Feb contract up over $2.50, hitting a high of $89.65 before settling at 89.05 on the day. This rally comes after speculation...

Cotton Closes in Black on Monday Barchart - Mon Nov 7, 4:46PM CST Mondays cotton trade added 16 to 87 points to the rally. December ended the day up by 56 points and to levels not seen since 10/11. NASS reported 62% of the cotton crop was harvested through 11/6. That... CTZ22 : 86.91 (-0.66%) CTH23 : 85.20 (-0.73%) CTK23 : 84.53 (-0.63%)

Cattle Close Higher on Monday Barchart - Mon Nov 7, 4:46PM CST Live cattle futures ended the week with $0.47 to $1.40 gains led by the Dec contract. Feeder cattle closed the day with 30 to 70 cent gains. Cash trade was quiet on Monday. Last weeks cash price was... LEZ22 : 153.050s (+0.92%) LEG23 : 155.025s (+0.42%) LEJ23 : 158.550s (+0.35%) GFX22 : 178.225s (+0.22%) GFF23 : 179.925s (+0.17%)

$4 Gain for Dec Hogs Barchart - Mon Nov 7, 4:46PM CST December hogs rallied $4.60 of their $4.75 limit at the high on the day, and closed with a $4.07 gain. That took the contract back to 10/27 levels. The other front months also closed higher, but the gains... HEZ22 : 87.050s (+4.91%) HEJ23 : 94.350s (+2.11%) KMZ22 : 96.200s (+2.48%)

Double Digit Pullback for Soy Futures Barchart - Mon Nov 7, 4:46PM CST The new week of soybean trading ended with beans 8 1/4 to 12 cents in the red. Jan beans closed near their low on a 22c range. Meal prices bounced in the afternoon to end mixed within $1.50/ton of UNCH.... ZSX22 : 1440-4 (unch) ZSPAUS.CM : 14.1524 (-0.72%) ZSF23 : 1447-4 (-0.19%) ZSH23 : 1455-2 (-0.19%)
Update 4/4/17  For the tenth year, Westy Self Storage of Chatham, N.J., is supporting Summit College Clubs book drive by providing storage and acting as a drop-off site. Donations of gently used softcover and hardcover books as well as DVDs can be dropped off at 13 River Road through April 12. The items will be sold at a book sale, April 25-30, at the American Legion Hall in New Providence, N.J.

Westys assistance by providing a drop-off location and secure storage is invaluable to us, especially financially, thus enabling us to award five scholarships last year, said Lynne Rogerson, chairwoman of the Summit College Club Book Sale Committee. The team at Westy in Chatham is friendly, helpful and a pleasure to work with. We thank Westy for being a great organization that gives back to the community.

We are pleased to be able to again assist the Summit College Clubs book drive, said Tim Mincin, Westys district director. We value the importance of education, and it gives us great satisfaction to assist such a deserving cause. 3/5/2015  Westy Self Storage of Chatham, N.J., will once again provide storage and act as a drop-off site for this years Summit College Club book drive, which runs through April 8. Its the eighth year the self-storage operator has participated in the campaign. The donated items will be sold during the colleges book sale, April 21-26, at The American Legion Hall.

"Our book sale would not be possible without the help of so many volunteers especially Westy Self Storage," said Anita Meritt, chairman of the Summit College Club Book Sale Committee.

Now through April 2, Westy Self Storage in Chatham, N.J., is serving as a donation-collection site for the Summit College Club annual book sale, providing free use of a storage unit for related donations. The book sale itself, April 16-21, will raise funds to provide scholarships to high school girls and women pursuing graduate-level studies. It will be held at The American Legion Hall, 357 Elkwood Ave., in New Providence, N.J.

All donated books must be in good condition and packed in flat, stackable containers. DVDs will also be accepted. Donations can be dropped off at Westy Self Storage, 15 River Road, during operating hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The Summit College Club is a branch of the American Association of University Women, a national network of members dedicated to helping women and girls reach their full potential. The organization launched the first book sale in 1934.

Founded in 1990, Westy Self Storage is headquartered in Stamford, Conn. The company's portfolio of facilities span the tri-state area of Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.
Three students at the University of Sussex School of Business, Management and Economics won 1,000 in a Student Marketing Competition in collaboration with U.K. self-storage operator Big Yellow Group PLC. Students were challenged to come up with a plan to increase the brand awareness of Big Yellow Self Storage among prospective residential customers, according to the source.

Though the contest was open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students at the university, freshmen Samantha Letts, Emilia Roberts and Emma Sivess took first place. Their entry earned praise for how the homeowner audience was segmented, target-marketing ideas and media proposals, the source reported. Second and third place prizes of 600 and 400, respectively, were also awarded. Entries were judged by Anthony Chenery, head of marketing for Big Yellow, and James Sutton, a marketing professor at the university.

Big Yellows commitment to supporting the community includes helping local students, and this marketing challenge enabled us to do that, Chenery told the source. We gave the teams a real-life marketing brief to work on, and all the teams presented back some fantastic ideas. Congratulations to the winners for an impressive and well-thought-out plan.

We wanted to give students a flavor of the real world of marketing before they embark on their adventures in their chosen careers, added Sutton. Having the chance to work on a real brief will be invaluable experience for all the students who took part.

Big Yellow Group operates 89 self-storage locations in the United Kingdom under the Big Yellow Self Storage and Armadillo Self Storage brand names, with most concentrated in Greater London. Its total portfolio comprises 5.3 million square feet.
StorageMart, which operates more than 190 self-storage properties across Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, has acquired a Store More America facility in Soquel, Calif., for $18.6 million. Its the operators first foray into the Santa Cruz County storage market, according to a press release from the Loeffler Self-Storage Group (LSSG), the real estate firm that brokered the transaction.

The 2-acre property at 3711 Soquel Drive is a quarter mile north of California State Route 1. It comprises two multi-level buildings containing 78,000 square feet of storage space in 667 climate-controlled units. Built in 2009, the facility offers controlled access, a large loading area, two freight elevators and video cameras.

"The No. 1 feature customers want in self-storage is convenience," said StorageMart President Cris Burnam, adding that location was a prime factor in the acquisition. "Our goal is to make storage easy for our customers, and a centrally located facility is a big part of that."

The seller, Store More America Soquel LLC, was represented in the transaction by Bobby Loeffler, president, and Tyler Skelly, national director, of LSSG.

StorageMart also purchased a Store More America facility in Watsonville, Calif., nearly a year ago. Built in 1985, the facility comprises 106,818 net rentable square feet of storage space in 918 units.

Founded in 1999 and based in Columbia, Mo., StorageMart is privately owned and operated by the Burnam family, which has been in the storage industry for three generations. It serves more than 75,000 self-storage customers, and operates in Chinese, English, Punjabi, Quebecois French and Spanish.

Store More America operates 29 facilities in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas.

LSSG specializes in self-storage real estate in California and Nevada, having closed more than 80 transactions in those states.
JAMES RIVER, NS (April 5, 2017)  Jason Hathaway, a multi-time winner on the NASCAR Pintys Series (NPS), will enter two Parts For Trucks Pro Stock Tour events at Riverside International Speedway this year. Hathaway, from Uxbridge, Ontario, will make the trek to Riverside for the Ron MacGillivray Chev Buick GMC 150 on June 17 and the IWK 250 Presented by Steve Lewis Auto Body on July 15.

Winning the IWK 250 is our goal for 2017, said Hathaway, who retired from full-time NPS competition at the end of the 2016 season. Its the biggest race of the year for us. Were going to run the June race as a tune-up for the 250.

Hathaway is no stranger to Riverside with 11 NPS starts and a win in the 2013 edition of the annual event. This year he will drive a new super late model race car out of his own shop; his team will be the same one that worked with him in the NASCAR series. He will have an opportunity to shake the car down in an event closer to home at Sunset Speedway on May 27, one of four Ontario races on his late model docket for 2017. Besides those and the two at Riverside he will also run two NPS races with his NASCAR race car, both at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario.

Riverside is the nicest track in Canada, and Ive run most of them, said Hathaway. It brings racing to another level and is a highlight for anyone who has ever raced there, even more so if they win. Ive always wanted to run the IWK 250 but it didnt work out with my schedule until now.

Racing with NASCAR legend and Hall of Fame inductee Mark Martin, the celebrity driver for this years IWK 250, has not gone unnoticed  even for a race car driver of Hathaways standing.

Its definitely an added bonus, said Hathaway of the opportunity to compete against Martin. Its a pretty cool deal.

Even though he has a win at Riverside and is ranked among the best race car drivers in Canada with his NASCAR experience, Hathaway is quick to concede his goal of winning the IWK will not be easy.

We wont have as much experience in those cars as the others so weve got a learning curve ahead of us, said Hathaway. Besides competing against Mark Martin, the Pro Stock Tour is stacked with talent.

In his 12-year career in the NPS Hathaway has nine wins, 33 top five finishes, and 68 top 10 finishes. He was the series Most Popular Driver in 2015 and 2016. One of only two drivers to start in all 121 NASCAR races in Canada. He started his racing career in karts then moved to street stock, CASCAR, and the NPS. Among his limited number of late model starts are two with the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour finishing 20th at Riverside in 2011 and 21st at Scotia Speedworld in 2014.

Advance tickets for the Ron MacGillivray Chev Buick GMC 150 will be available three weeks prior to the event. Advance tickets for the IWK 250 will be available starting the week of June 19.

Riverside International Speedway is recognized as a premier stock car racing facility in Canada. The 1/3-mile high banked asphalt oval roars to action several times a year for special events. It is the home for eastern Canadas only NASCAR event, and of the IWK 250  widely known as the best stock car race in Canada. Located in James River, between New Glasgow and Antigonish, the facility is easily accessible at exit 30 on Trans Canada Highway 104. For more information call 902.863.2410 or click www.riversidespeedway.ca.
When Darren Walker joined the Ford Foundation as president in 2013, he did so with the intention of shaking things up. One initiative he began to push for early in his term was for the foundation to use more of its endowment dollars to help the causes it supports.

Today, after much debate and discussion among its board and staff, the Ford Foundation is announcing it will do just that. The New Yorkbased foundation, which was established in 1936 by Edsel Ford and is among the largest in the U.S. , has announced it will commit $1 billion of its $12 billion in assets to so-called impact investing, or investments that focus on generating an economic return while also making a strong environmental or social impact.

At the Ford Foundation we have always believed that the capital markets can and should be a part of solving the worlds largest problems, said Walker on a teleconference announcing the initiative. Increasingly, market leaders are exploring ways to enable markets to contribute to social returns. Market leaders like Larry Fink at BlackRock and Andy Sieg at Merrill Lynch are noting that their clients are increasingly demanding impact investment products.

Fords move will undoubtedly be heralded as a bold innovation by some. For impact investing skeptics, however, its prospects for success are far from clear. By law, foundations must spend a minimum of 5 percent of their assets a year to retain their not-for-profit status. The question of what the other 95 percent of a foundations assets does has long been a source of tension in the foundation community.

Investment offices argue that they are supporting the foundations mission in the best way possible, by making money in a prudent, risk-adjusted fashion. Activists and philanthropists counter that foundations should not be supporting issues and causes with their investment dollars that they oppose with their philanthropic efforts, and that they could be a lot more effective in their missions if they put more of their assets behind the effort. Enter impact investing.

$1 Billion in Ten Years

In an essay Walker published on the Ford Foundations web site in 2015, he wrote, I no longer find it defensible to say that our investment strategy is only to maximize the value of our endowment  just as its no longer defensible for a corporation to say its only responsibility is to maximize shareholder value.

With todays announcement, Ford is making a bet that by directing $1 billion of the endowments assets to impact investing, it will not sacrifice returns and will also forward its mission. It is building up a separate impact team to manage this new allocation and has engaged a search firm to help recruit a director for the impact portfolio. Two members of the existing impact team at Ford, Christine Looney and Megan Thompson, will join the new effort. They and the new director will report to Xavier de Souza Briggs, head of the current mission-related investment (MRI) program  rather than to the CIO, Eric Doppstadt, a longtime Ford employee. (The foundation currently makes impact investments out of its grant money.)

Ford plans is to implement this strategy over the next ten years. If successful, Walker would like to see the foundation invest assets more quickly, and in greater amounts, in line with its mission. The new strategy will start by investing in funds that are focused on two areas: housing and economic inclusion. These are core to the foundations mission but also are the areas in which the staff and board feel there are moneymaking opportunities.

Fossil Fuel Divestment

The foundation said in a statement that it maintains a healthy liquidity profile in its portfolio and that the trustees will approve a cap on new MRI commitments each year, given the foundations current investment performance and spending needs. We believe this is a responsible and appropriately flexible way to manage the deployment of capital into MRIs, the statement read.

What may be significant for the broader sustainable investment movement, however, is that the foundation is not making any changes to the rest of its investment approach. It has not, for example, committed to divest from fossil fuel companies  something environmental activists have been pushing a number of the large foundations and other institutional investors to do. (Some of those activist groups have received funding from Ford.)

Many foundations are struggling with the challenges of integrating impact into their portfolios. Kristine Pelletier, senior consultant with NEPC and co-head of the Boston-based investment consultants 20-person impact investing committee, says that a high-profile commitment from a large foundation like Ford could help other foundations move forward.

This validates the demand that the investment management industry has been hearing for so-called impact investment  and that, in turn, encourages asset mangers to develop more funds, she says.
The asset manager is selling itself at a premium, but its still trading at a fraction of its IPO price. The big losers? Us.

Last December business executives from around the globe made their way to Manhattans Trump Tower to meet with president-elect Donald Trump. But few made as big of a splash as Masayoshi Son, head of SoftBank Group Corp., who had Trump crowing on Twitter about the Japanese moguls pledge to invest $50 billion in the U.S. and create 50,000 American jobs.

Hes one of the great men of industry, so I just want to thank you very much, Trump said of Son, who took over as SoftBanks CEO last year following poor performance by his predecessor. One might have predicted that Sons first U.S. investments during the Trump era would be in the kinds of high-flying tech companies, like Alibaba Group Holding, that SoftBank has become famous for staking. Instead, on February 14, SoftBank agreed to pay $3.3 billion to buy Fortress Investment Group, the struggling alternative-investment firm that went public to great fanfare ten years ago but whose shares have since lost 74 percent of their market value.

Despite the slide in the firms stock, Fortresss principals have made out well, pulling billions out of the company  thanks in part to the latest deal with SoftBank.

The founders got a big payday when they took it public, and now theyre getting a second good payday, says Myron Kaplan, a founding partner of law firm Kleinberg, Kaplan, Wolff & Cohen, who counsels hedge fund firms like Elliott Management Corp. on organizational structure and succession planning. Kaplan says Fortress has been terrible for public investors.

Fortress was the first U.S. alternatives firm to go public, in 2007, starting a trend that burned red-hot, then quickly flamed out, proving over the past ten years that these deals have been a disaster for public shareholders, which include big mutual funds catering to both retail and institutional investors. Among Fortresss shareholders: Allianz Asset Management, Fidelity Investments, Wellington Management Co., and even the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio.

And there is another ominous takeaway. Unlike most of its hedge fund and private equity peers, Fortress makes its numbers public, and they shine a harsh light on the alternative-investment business over the past decade. Fortresss assets have more than doubled since 2005, but the firms net income was lower in 2016 than it was in 2005.

Fortress hasnt performed great, says Ann Dai, an analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods who says the complexity of the firms business model also has made investors wary. Complicated tax issues, a plethora of esoteric investment strategies, and a dual share-class structure that gives the principals disproportionate voting power arent for the faint-hearted. Although almost half of its $69.6 billion in assets under management are in the staid, low-fee world of fixed income, Fortresss private equity funds invest in senior-living centers and railroads, and its hedge funds buy distressed real estate credit. Meanwhile, its best-known macro hedge funds have flopped, its vaunted private equity funds havent surpassed their hurdle rates in years, and even its highly regarded credit funds seem to have hit a wall.

Fortress co-founder and co-chairman Wes Edens may have inadvertently summed up his firms value last fall, on a third-quarter conference call, when he talked about the environment for Fortresss private equity business: I think its a time to be cautious. There are lots of things for sale, and there are few things that are really worth buying.

That isnt stopping SoftBank. Though primarily an Internet and telecommunications company, it recently said it planned to parlay its hefty cash hoard into a $100 billion investment fund. Fortresss $3.3 billion deal with SoftBank was driven by Rajeev Misra, a former Deutsche Bank derivatives expert who is now in charge of investment strategy for the Japanese firm. A few years ago Misra worked briefly at Fortress, where he developed a relationship with Edens and Peter Briger Jr., who cochair the board of directors. (Briger also has ties to Japan, where he previously worked for Goldman Sachs Group.)

SoftBanks purchase of Fortress may be part of a grand strategic vision that has yet to be articulated. But Fortress had long been looking to sell, analysts say. Indeed, just months after going public, the firm reportedly hoped to secure a tie-up with Bear Stearns Cos., before the latter imploded into the arms of JPMorgan Chase & Co. The sale to SoftBank wasnt easy to pull off, either.

The consummation of the deal was in serious doubt as late as February 12, 2017, according to a complaint by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding suspected insider trading in Fortress shares at two brokerages in Singapore and London (Maybank Kim Eng Securities and R.J. OBrien) ahead of the announcement.

Both Fortress execs and Son are appropriately ecstatic about the deal. SoftBank is an extraordinary company that has thrived under the visionary leadership of Masayoshi Son, Briger and Edens said in a public statement. We anticipate substantial benefits for our investors and business as a whole, and we have never been more optimistic about our prospects going forward.

Son said in the same statement, Fortresss excellent track record speaks for itself, and we look forward to benefiting from its leadership, broad-based expertise and world-class investment platform. Neither Fortress nor SoftBank responded to requests for comment beyond those public statements.

SoftBank is paying a huge premium for Fortress, having agreed on $8.08 per share when the stock was trading at $5.83, with a book value of $4 per share. That has led some analysts to applaud the deal. Fortress wasnt getting credit in the public markets, says JMP Securities analyst Devin Ryan. This transaction gives them a bigger partner to grow their business at a faster rate.

A source close to Fortress says, The sale seems to reflect the principals belief in the business model and investment platform, but probably a profound skepticism that an alternative manager will ever be ascribed a premium valuation in the public markets.

It has left some hedge fund veterans scratching their heads. Culturally, it is such a disconnect, says Bruce Ruehl, a former executive at hedge fund consulting firm Aksia. Fortress has virtually no footprint in the high-tech world, and the Japanese record in asset management isnt strong. Yet the pressure on alternative-investment firms to sell will continue, Ruehl reckons, given that they are under siege. Theres tons of fee pressure on any products sold into the institutional space, he explains. Ive seen a lot of cycles, but this one is different. You better be doing it well and have some kind of hook that really differentiates you.

Fortress is arguably not in the top tier of alternative-investment firms, but even the star managers have hit hard times. Last year investors yanked more than $70 billion from hedge funds, according to Hedge Fund Research, as the industry underperformed the broader markets for the seventh year running. A few big names, like Perry Capital, shut their doors, and regulatory woes hit firms as diverse as Omega Advisors, which faces insider trading charges, and Och-Ziff Capital Management Group, whose African subsidiary pleaded guilty to bribing foreign government officials. Even industry legends like Paul Tudor Jones are slicing their firms fees, and the pressure shows no signs of abating.

More firms will shrink, disappear, or  if theyre lucky, like Fortress  be gobbled up. The Japanese arent the only foreigners who are circling. A subsidiary of Chinas HNA Capital, an aviation and shipping conglomerate, was part of a consortium that agreed to buy out Anthony Scaramuccis stake in $12 billion fund of funds SkyBridge Capital so he could work for the White House. It was an opportune time for Scaramucci to sell, as SkyBridge had lost money for the past two years.

Fortresss woes exploded into public view in 2015, when Michael Novogratz, one of the firms principals and an industry luminary who had joined from Goldman Sachs, retired after shutting down his Drawbridge Macro fund following wrongheaded bets on everything from Brazil to China. The Novogratz departure made headlines, but in fact the problems at Fortress had been brewing almost from the time it went public.

The year Fortress tapped the public markets, 2007, was an auspicious time for hedge funds, which had just burst into the public consciousness: Institutional investors like pension funds had started piling into them after losing money in the stock market crash earlier in the decade. Multibillion-dollar fund launches were not uncommon, banks were trying to gain a toehold by taking stakes in top funds, and a mystique of riches surrounded the highfliers. Although the Fortress IPO was priced at $18.50, it was oversubscribed, leading to a market debut at $35 per share. Both Blackstone Group and Och-Ziff Capital followed suit, debuting later that year at $31 and $32 per share, respectively.

Fortress had quickly grown assets during the hedge fund heyday, amassing $29.7 billion by the time of its IPO. The firms initial valuation of $7.5 billion was 37 times its 2005 pretax income, an indication that investors thought theyd found the next great growth stock. Instead, it was a market top indicator. Fortress principals Edens, Robert Kauffman, and Randal Nardone (all from UBS), and ex-Goldman stars Briger and Novogratz became billionaires on paper, owning more than 77 percent of the stock.

The founders also cashed out. One of the more brazen aspects of the deal was that $250 million of the IPO proceeds was set aside to pay off a term loan facility that had been used to make a onetime capital distribution to the principals the previous year. In total, the five took $1.66 billion out of the firm before the IPO through dividend payments and private stock sales, including a 15 percent stake sold to Japanese bank Nomura right before the offering.

The deal caused a stir  and some hand-wringing in the industry. Writing about the Fortress IPO in the 2009 edition of Pioneering Portfolio Management, Yale University endowment chief David Swensen criticized the firms principals for the conflicts of interest inherent in their deal, and joked that a section on greed was absent from Fortresss SEC offering document.

At the time of the IPO, Fortress had $17.3 billion in private equity funds, $9.4 billion in hedge funds, and $3 billion in real estate. The large asset base was achieved in part by using loan proceeds to invest in the funds, leveraging assets in a way many funds do not. Many of the funds investments were not publicly traded, making their valuation so suspect that some investors shied away from them. In fact, in its IPO prospectus Fortress acknowledged that the value of 29 percent of its assets was based on internal models with unobservable market parameters. Even many of its hedge funds, specifically the credit funds run by Briger, were relatively illiquid.

To say 2007 was the top for Fortress is an understatement. Shares started falling almost immediately out of the gate and by January 2009 had sunk to $1.00, a decline of 97 percent from the peak. With the financial world in collapse, Blackstone and Och-Ziff also suffered huge declines: Blackstone ended 2008 at $6.26, down 80 percent, and Och-Ziff fell to $5.19, an 84 percent drop. Since then Blackstone has performed the best, but its still up only 3 percent from its 2007 launch. Och-Ziff has fared the worst, down 90 percent from its October 2007 debut.

At Fortress troubles first surfaced in the macro funds run by Novogratz, a man known for his glitzy lifestyle, complete with a Tribeca duplex once owned by Robert De Niro and a flamboyant wardrobe featuring diamond-studded belts and cowboy boots. Of all of Fortresss products, Novogratzs were the most liquid, yet he had a two-year lock-up on investors money. Before the crash many hedge funds had adopted this feature, which at the time allowed them to avoid registering with the SEC. But because his funds were run out of a publicly traded firm, Novogratz had no such rationale, and there was no issue with liquidity.

The losses of 2008 threw that bit of arrogance into stark relief. Although Fortress had put up the gates to keep investors locked in when its funds suffered double-digit losses, it was forced to open them eventually, and some $4.6 billion was redeemed between 2012 and 2014 in the firms liquid hedge funds. By 2015, when the macro fund fell 18 percent  leaving it with an annualized return of 2.8 percent  Fortress was forced to shut it down, with only $1.6 billion left. By the end of 2016, the firms hedge fund assets were about half of what they were at the time of the IPO, and Novogratz was gone.

The shutdown of Fortresss macro funds was a big loss. The hedge funds had charged investors as much as 3 percent in management fees and between 20 and 25 percent in incentive fees. But last year Fortress earned only $1 million in incentive fees and $14 million in management fees on its liquid hedge funds, down from $16 million and $138 million, respectively, in 2014. Total incentive income for the Fortress macro funds was less than $100,000 and $3.8 million for 2015 and 2014, respectively; management fees sank to $34.7 million in 2015 from $63.3 million in 2014.

Private equity, run by Edens, was originally considered Fortresss crown jewel. Between 1998 and 2006 those funds netted 39.7 percent on an internal rate of return basis, according to the IPO prospectus, but such returns have disappeared. Essentially, we view that business in runoff, says Keefe Bruyettes Dai. Its more or less a shrinking asset pool.

One major problem, the analyst notes, is that the portfolios returns havent been high enough to push them over their hurdle rates so that Fortress can start charging incentive fees. Last year the firm said most of its private equity vehicles had hurdle rates of 8 percent. We dont have any intention to lower the hurdle rates, Briger said on the third-quarter conference call, responding to questions from analysts. I think in terms of private equity credit, if youre really not going for substantially higher than 8 percent gross, our view would be why are you actually going out and investing in those types of investments, just given the illiquidity risk?

In 2016, Fortress received no incentive income from its main private equity funds, compared with $2.9 million in 2014. Management fees also fell  to $93.8 million from $136 million  as funds matured and no new ones took their place. The firms third private equity fund, launched in September 2004, reaped management fees of $9.9 million and $13.8 million for 2015 and 2014, respectively. But there have been no incentive fees for years: Returns were a respective 5.8 percent, 6.9 percent, and 4.8 percent in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Last year the funds annualized return was 2.0 percent, and a fourth fund was in the red on an annualized basis.

The immediate future doesnt look much better, according to Briger. Our investing pace today in terms of [private equity] investments has slowed significantly, he said on the conference call. We have a bunch of dry powder, and I would say we need a better environment to be investing in the types of things that produce the types of returns, the types of PE incentive, than we are seeing now.

Fortresss credit funds, run by Briger, have been the best performers in recent years. Last year the Drawbridge Special Opportunities hedge fund gained 9.7 percent, annualizing at 10.7 percent, and its offshore equivalent gained 5.9 percent for an annualized 9.5 percent. Brigers private equity credit funds also have been strong performers, with double-digit annualized returns.

But their future is unclear right now, and this has led Fortress to return capital to investors. We are in a period of time where the opportunity set is low, Briger said in November, adding that Fortress had given back 20 percent of the capital in the offshore credit fund. We would look to do that in our credit hedge funds to the extent that we were building up more cash than the opportunity set, in our judgment, necessitated over some medium-term period. Part of the problem, he said, was the lack of big investment themes in credit. Theres nothing that is thematically interesting, he told analysts. Everything that were doing is idiosyncratic, based upon the specific circumstances of a transaction or an investment, and it is unlikely that thats going to change in the real short term.

The inside joke about hedge funds is that by bulking up assets they can make enough money from management fees so that profiting from their investment acumen  that is, earning incentive fees  becomes practically irrelevant. Asset gathering is the name of the game. But eventually that quits working. Investors pull capital, and it becomes harder to raise it.

Asset growth at Fortress was flat in the years after it went public, so in 2010 the firm grew by buying a fixed-income asset management firm, Logan Circle Partners, which now accounts for almost half of its assets under management  $33 billion of $69.6 billion. But managing fixed income throws off little in fees, analysts point out: Logan Circle has barely been breaking even.

The bottom line for Fortress is that its revenue and income have continued to shrink even as markets have come back. Total revenue was $1.2 billion last year, down 4 percent, or $50.1 million, from 2015. Since 2014 net income has fallen 25 percent, to $181 million. Pretax distributive earnings, which analysts look at, fell 19 percent between 2014 and 2016, to $362 million. They peaked at $551 million in 2007. In 2005, before it went public, Fortress grew profits at an annualized rate of more than 100 percent. That year it booked net income of $193 million on less than $30 billion in assets and $1 billion in revenue.

To many observers the Fortress saga proves that publicly traded alternatives firms arent a good idea. One problem, attorney Kaplan says, is the conflicting demands of running a hedge fund and operating a public company: When youre running a hedge fund, youre trying to maximize value and return for investors in the fund, but if youre a public shareholder, your interest is fees being as big as possible. Instead of running a fund strictly for the benefit of investors, now youve got shareholders to be responsible to. Fortress doesnt seem to have done well by either.

As Kaplan puts it, Its pretty clear now that public ownership is not the future of hedge funds. And this time around, the principals cant take the money and run. They will have to reinvest 50 percent of their sale proceeds in either their own funds or those of SoftBank. With the sale of Fortress to SoftBank, the cycle appears to have come full circle.
Much has been made of the changes in the insurance market over the last six months but what are the best things brokers can do to remain successful on changing ground?According to one industry leader, there is no magic involved in remaining successful in a hardening market, but a focus on some broking basics will be key.Speaking at the annual Steadfast Convention held in Sydney this week, Michael Pocknee, general manager of tailored solutions at Allianz , revealed his four tips for working in the hardening market.There will always be strong competition for good quality business, Pocknee told attendees.If you and your client are working together to improve the quality of their risk and, perhaps just as importantly, are presenting those really well to the underwriters when you are marketing those risks, you are far more likely to get a better outcome than by not doing so.Pocknee focused on the liability, property and corporate fleet markets and noted that rates are moving upward, which could put pressure on brokers and their clients.Brokers need to ensure they have a deep understanding of their clients risks as the soft market and more competition has allowed them to place business without as much information to hand.Pocknee said that maintaining a strong relationship with clients will hold even more importance over the hardening phase.A long-term, sustainable relationship is developed when there is a partnership between the client, broker and insurer, Pocknee continued.What I have noticed over the years is when an underwriter, particularly in more complex areas, really understands the client's business, they definitely provide better solutions at the front end and they almost always provide better claims outcomes when the losses do occur.Brokers can also look to utilise risk engineering to help clients further understand their risks and loss scenarios. Preparing for a claim before it occurs can help create a better outcome for clients and a more efficient claims process for all parties, Pocknee noted.Pocknee said that brokers need to consider not only the strength of the insurer that they are recommending to clients but any other value-added features insurers can offer to help clients.As the prolonged soft cycle begins to dissipate, Pocknee noted that brokers have a key role in the industry  however, conditions will remain challenging.Many brokers that are dealing in the market today havent been through that hard cycle, they havent had to hear tough news from underwriters around rates increasing and they certainly havent had to take that to their clients and sell that, which can be pretty challenging, he explained.
Australias peak insurance body has defended what has been tagged as prohibitively expensive insurance premiums of up to up to $30,000 a year in flood-impacted northern New South Wales.The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) said that for premiums in the region to come down, there is a need for the Federal Government to allocate $200 million in the upcoming budget for flood mitigation measures.Residents in Lismore in northern NSW said, however, that flood insurance remains prohibitively expensive despite a town levy designed to lower the risk of catastrophic damage, ABC reported.Insurers are required to risk-rate customers, and where the risks of flood are high, those risks are reflected in the premiums, ICA spokesman Campbell Fuller told ABC.The only thing that can significantly and sustainably reduce the risk of flood is permanent mitigation.And the flow-on effect from that is that premiums fall - weve seen that right around Australia where permanent mitigation is put in place.The ICA spokesman said Lismores levee did not reduce the risk of damage for larger floods, and therefore could not curtail the high insurance premiums.The flood levy in Lismore is designed for a very small flood, its not designed for the catastrophic flood that we have seen in Lismore and that Lismore has suffered in the past, he told ABC.Fuller also denied claims that commercial flood insurance was not made available to businesses in Lismore.Commercial flood insurance was available from most insurers, but that flood insurance is related to the risk of a catastrophic flood, he said.Now weve seen that catastrophic flood happened because the mitigation in place was insufficient to deal with the floodwaters that hit the town.
With the federal government set to legalize recreational cannabis by July 2018, advocates are calling for Health Canada to work toward creating insurance coverage for medical marijuana, starting with properly classifying the substance.Standard health insurance typically does not cover for the cost of medical cannabis, with the exception of limited coverage for veterans and patients with healthcare spending accounts.Every patient comes in and is kind of wondering the same thing. Can we be covered; will we be covered? Natural Health Services community outreach director Kait Shane, whose Calgary-based company prescribes medical cannabis treatment to patients, told CBC.Shane pointed out that marijuana  as a medical treatment  lacks a proper drug identification number; a classification that all new drugs must undergo that involves an extensive and rigorous approval process by Health Canada. Without this designation, health insurers cannot recognize cannabis as a legitimate medical treatment that can be covered.Its a matter of lobbying . . . to get Health Canada to recognize its not feasible for them to go through the same trials as other drugs, Shane told CBC, further explaining that unlike other narcotics, cannabis has been used as a medical treatment for a long time.Shane also warned that failing to insure medical marijuana could alienate those who cannot afford the drug through licensed producers.High costs currently push many patients to seek alternative options through illegal avenues with zero testing protocols, she elaborated. The lack of testing could put a patients health at risk.Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association director of health policy Joan Weir said that although there is work being done to give marijuana a DIN, progress has been slow.Theres not a lot of good research on the impact of adding medical marijuana to your drug program, Weir told CBC. So there needs to be a fair bit more research to make employers comfortable on including it as a benefit.On the other hand, Weir noted that some employers have already offered coverage for the drug, on top of their group insurance.
The CEO of the worlds largest property and casualty insurer has blasted brokers for abusive behavior, according to the Financial Times.Evan Greenberg, chairman and CEO of Chubb , predicted that some broker practices would prompt a regulatory backlash. According to Greenberg, some brokers are demanding excessive commission terms  a simply unsustainable practice, he wrote.There will be customer and regulator backlash, or worse, Greenberg wrote.Greenbergs prediction or regulatory backlash is reminiscent of a similar backlash more than a decade ago. Following an industry probe by then-New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, top brokers were banned from receiving certain types of commissions, according to the Financial Times. But smaller brokers were able to keep making those commissions, raising concerns about whether the ban was fair. Regulators agreed to ease the compliance regime for larger brokers in 2010.As a result, the Financial Times reported, some kinds of commissions have started reappearing. In his annual letter to shareholders, Greenberg cautioned against abusive behaviour on the part of some brokers who enrich themselves at the expense of both their customers and underwriters.These predatory behaviours, which have shown up around the world, and in London in particular, are simply unsustainable from an underwriting perspective and will come back to haunt these brokers, Greenberg wrote.
Iowa lawmakers are reportedly getting maximized insurance benefits for minimum prices, and their constituents are not happy with it.Some state residents have expressed their disapproval of an alleged practice among lawmakers in the state, who are reported to be paying as little as $20 a month for state health insurance. The price is the rate charged to union employees, but local media said that these lawmakers are getting non-union benefits.The Des Moines Register reported that Iowans want their lawmakers to reimburse $435,000 in underpaid premiums that they have been ringing up since January 2016.However, a number of lawmakers defended the privilege in several town hall meetings.A past report by the publication was quoted as saying a majority, or 133 of the 150 lawmakers in the state, have underpaid on their insurance policies.The Register said that the Iowa Department of Administrative Service, which manages state employee matters, has declined to comment on the issue.Meanwhile, the report also pointed out that Iowa legislature has taken steps to amend the law governing its insurance coverage.
Specialist insurer Beazley has launched the new Anything Lineslip in London, which offers terms for a number of challenging risks in the US.The latest offering will seek to quote US management, professional, cyber and healthcare liability risks that can be legally underwritten, provided that no other London insurer provides terms.The Anything Lineslip will give brokers placing these US liability risks in London the confidence that we can help even when others have said no, said Adrian Cox, Beazleys head of speciality lines.Led by Beazley, the Anything Lineslip offering is supported by several other carriers including Antares and ARK 4020.Anything Lineslip follows Beazleys other recent products that cover new and emerging risks, such as cyber insurance offering Beazley Breach Response, evacuation and response service Beazley Flight, and Cancellation Plus, which insures events suffering diminished sales due to adverse weather.Cox said Beazley is at the forefront of promoting London as the worlds leading market for specialist insurance.
Penn Community Insurance, a Perkasie, Penn.-based wholly owned subsidiary of Penn Community Bank, has hired Peter Frentzen and Robert J. Roberts.

Frentzen and Roberts bring additional skills and capabilities to Penn Community Insurance, which has expanded in recent years to meet the insurance needs of individuals, families and businesses with products ranging from home and auto insurance to commercial business insurance.

Frentzen and Roberts will work closely with President Michael Meeneghan, a longtime insurance industry executive who joined Penn Community Insurance in 2016.

For more than four decades in the insurance field, Frentzen has held various roles including sales, sales management, training and program development. He previously served as a vice president of personal lines sales and service for a large regional financial organization.

Roberts, with nearly 15 years in the insurance business, most recently served as an account manager for one of the nations leading carriers of commercial insurance. He was responsible for selling and servicing products including commercial lines insurance, commercial life insurance, 401K plans and group products.

Penn Community Insurance offers a range of personal and commercial insurance products, including commercial auto, property, casualty, professional liability and workers compensation insurance. Its agents provide solutions for businesses in industries including construction, hospitality, manufacturing, nonprofit, habitational and more.

Source: Penn Community Insurance

Topics Pennsylvania
A painting with problematic pigment. A Chanel suit dressed up with acetate trim instead of silk. A Stradivarius violin that, well, just doesnt sound right.

Theyre all part of a new exhibit at Delawares Winterthur Museum that offers would-be sleuths a firsthand look at how experts detect the high-priced fakes and forgeries that rock the rarified world of fine arts.

Treasures on Trial: The Art and Science of Detecting Fakes, illustrates the ongoing battle that pits clever forgers and con men against equally determined art conservationists and historians.

The exhibition, which includes documentary film and a lecture series, opened Saturday and runs through Jan. 7.

The weapons used by art gallery gumshoes who dedicate themselves to uncovering fraud include historical documentation of ownership, or provenance; scientific analysis; and connoisseurship, a systematic but nonetheless subjective examination of an object for perceived consistencies or inconsistencies with one known to be genuine.

In a small gallery at Winterthur, best known for its collection of American decorative arts, the abstract expressionist painting by Mark Rothko that greets visitors might seem out of place.

Until you discover its a forgery that was part of the largest art fraud in American history, in which New York art dealer Glafira Rosales admitted participating in a 15-year scam that fooled art collectors into buying more than $60 million of counterfeit paintings attributed to the likes of Rothko, Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.

They had a mysterious provenancethey came out of nowhere, said art sleuth and exhibit co-curator Colette Loll, founder and director of Art FraudInsights, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm.

The scandal, which resulted in the closing of New Yorks Knoedler & Co. art gallery, should serve as a cautionary tale, Loll suggested.

Rosales was sentenced earlier this year to nine months of house arrest and three years probation, but Loll noted that no one was ever prosecuted for actually creating the forgeries.

In the U.S., we dont have anti-forgery laws, unlike many other European countries, Loll said, explaining that the crime is in representing a forgery or fake as the genuine item.

Its the intent to deceive, she said.

While intent is a key element, the motivations behind art fraud can vary, including financial gain, an artists frustration about not being appreciated, a desire for attention, or simply the challenge of trying to fool the experts.

The exhibit, in which fakes and forgeries can be seen alongside authentic objects, offers a rare look into the tools and techniques used by Winterthurs Scientific Research and Analysis Lab. They include a variety of spectrometers that use infrared light, ultraviolet light and x-rays to analyze the chemical composition of materials and help determine, for example, that the solder used in a lampshade long thought to be a genuine Tiffany creation contained zinc instead of lead, confirming that it was a fake.

A very, very good fake, acknowledged exhibit co-curator Linda Eaton, director of collections and senior curator of textiles at Winterthur.

Not surprisingly, even experienced collectors can be fooled by fakes, including furniture purchased by Winterthur founder Henry Francis du Pont, and millions of dollars of counterfeit fine wine, including bottles that purportedly belonged to Thomas Jefferson, bought by billionaire Bill Koch.

I think one of the takeaways that we want to make sure people have is how all of us need to be humbled and need to keep an open mind, Eaton said.

In other words, we may never know whether vampires are real, but a little sleuthing might help determine the authenticity of a 19th-century vampire killing kit.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Fraud
RMC Group, a Naples, Fla.-based consortium of leading insurance and actuarial consulting firms, announced that Ryan S. Mitchell has been named president of its U.K.-based operation.

Working out of RMCs London office, Mitchell will coordinate and oversee RMCs European reinsurance operations, the company said in a statement.

For more than a decade, Mitchell has been an industry leader with significant global management and operational experience, RMC said. He currently serves as executive vice president and chief actuarial officer of RMC Groups U.S. operations, where he is responsible for RMCs property, casualty, captive insurance and reinsurance business. Mitchell will remain on RMCs executive committee, as well as its board of directors.

In late March, the company announced it was opening two London offices, demonstrating its commitment to the U.K. market, despite the countrys future outside the European Union.

Source: RMC Group
Civil rights groups, media advocates and some lawmakers are opposing an Iowa bill that would end public access to many 911 calls, a broadly-worded measure that also could shield some police videos.

The bill declares that 911 calls involving injured people are confidential medical records and exempt from Iowas open records law. The secrecy would apply to audio and video not limited to the call recordings themselves, a clause that critics fear could apply to videos documenting the aftermath of officer-involved shootings. Calls made by minors under the age of 18 or about minors would also become secret.

The bill passed the Iowa House unanimously with little debate, with backers saying it would protect medical privacy and the privacy of children. But a chorus of opposition has emerged as the Senate considers whether to schedule it for a vote, the final approval needed before going to Gov. Terry Branstad.

While states often debate which 911 calls should be public records, the sweeping Iowa measure appears rare. One organization that tracks state legislation said the ambiguous wording could be interpreted to include cameras and microphones attached to officers uniforms and cars.

This is, to my knowledge, a very unique definition of a medical record, said Nancy La Vigne, director of the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute. And one that could have some unintended consequences that could limit transparency and accountability of police.

Sen. Jake Chapman, R-Adel, defended the language last week. He said it was intended to shield anything that would be linked with audio or video of that medical call, including video from body cameras and security cameras at dispatch centers.

We have an obligation to our constituents to make sure were protecting their medical information, he said.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Dixs office said its still evaluating whether to pursue the bill. Branstads spokesman was noncommittal on whether hed sign it.

Its sponsor has said the legislation is a response to the release of 911 calls last year to The Associated Press related to three accidental shootings in Tama County that killed and injured adolescent girls.

The countys emergency management coordinator, Mindy Benson, said she sought language that would prevent the release of all 911 calls involving juveniles but doesnt know where the medical privacy provisions came from. She said childrens privacy should outweigh the publics right to access 911 recordings, even if the childs deceased.

Its about protecting kids and to try to let them and their families heal, she said.

AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton said the news cooperative opposes the measure.

Shielding 911 calls from the Iowa public records law would deprive the public of important information it needs in order to properly evaluate government behavior, she said.

Some Democratic senators opposed the bill last week, with one saying she was confused about its scope. The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa denounced the bill, saying it could prevent the release of information surrounding disputed police shootings.

The Iowa Newspaper Association said that it opposed the bill in its current form and is working with lawmakers to limit the legislation to specific medical information not related to the incident.

Carol Hunter, executive editor of The Des Moines Register, said residents should be deeply troubled about the prospect of 911 calls being shielded. Her reporters have used calls to shed light on the deaths of four police officers recently killed on duty.

Calls can reveal delays in emergency response, provide valuable context about the difficult circumstances law enforcement officers confront and offer key evidence in those rare instances when officers actions were inappropriate, she said.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation Law Enforcement Iowa
For the first time in 20 months, the MarketScout composite rate index for commercial accounts in the United States measured a rate increase at plus 1 percent in the first quarter.

Rates for business interruption, general liability and surety coverages held steady in the quarter while rates for property, inland marine and workers compensation dipped. All other coverages increased.

By industry class, every industry experienced a move toward higher rates in the first quarter. Transportation had the largest rate increase at plus 5 percent.

Richard Kerr, CEO of MarketScout, said the plus 1 percent composite rate index was driven by larger rate increases in commercial auto, transportation, professional and directors and officers liability rates.

The index also recorded small rate increases in the majority of coverage and industry classifications. So, 2017 begins with insurers moving away from the rate cuts of 2016, Kerr said.

Small accounts (up to $25,000) were assessed a 1 percent rate increase in the first quarter of 2017. Medium accounts ($25,001  $250,000) were flat while both large ($250,001  $1 million) and jumbo (over $1 million) accounts enjoyed rate decreases of minus 1 percent and minus 2 percent respectively.

MarketScout is a Dallas-based national managing general agent and wholesale broker. The firm owns the MarketScout Exchange that helps retail agents find specialty markets. For its market barometers, MarketScout uses information from its own Exchange database of actual renewal rates quoted on risks from across the country along with in-person surveys conducted by the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research with as many as 2,000 agents and brokers a month.

Source: MarketScout

Topics Trends Agencies Commercial Lines Business Insurance Pricing Trends
A new report published by ProPublica accuses the auto insurance industry of pricing discrimination against minorities.

The report, titled Minority Neighborhoods Pay Higher Car Insurance Premiums Than White Areas with the Same Risk, claims insurers overcharge drivers in minority zip codes compared to drivers in other zip codes with similar payouts on claims.

The insurance industry as well as the insurance regulators of California and Illinois have criticized the report, its methodology and conclusions as inaccurate. The industry-backed Insurance Information Institute (III) held a press briefing and penned an in-depth opinion column blasting what it said are serious but unfounded charges of racial bias.

The critics said the studys fundamental flaw is that it uses one example of a driver with a safe driving record and then assumes that differences in prices can be explained solely by zip code or race when in fact insurers algorithms employ multiple factors in rating every driver that could explain the differences.

James Lynch, chief actuary for the I.I.I., accused ProPublica of an attempt to sensationalize an issue that should only be taken in the most serious of manners and stressed that state regulators review algorithms used and rates charged so that they are not excessive or unfairly discriminatory.

Auto insurers ask prospective policyholders many questions during the application process including where they live and what kind of car they drive. The majority of states go so far as to safeguard question about ethnicity from ever being asked during the process. Insurance companies go even further; they never ask about race or income, Lynch told reporters.

I.I.I.: Why ProPublica Auto Insurance Report Is Inacurate, Unfair and Irresponsible

Lynch said ProPublica saw disparities in prices with one driver and then concluded the disparities were based on zip code when in fact they are the result of multiple factors related to the individual driver including location, miles driven and driving history that the research did not take into consideration.

Lynch denied there could be inadvertent discrimination happening. There is no unfair discrimination, intentional or unintentional, he said.

Lynch said I.I.I. showed ProPublica an independent actuarial review of its data that disputed ProPublicas conclusions and methodology but ProPublica ignored it. He said his group is disappointed in ProPublicas attempt to sensationalize an important issue.

ProPublica claims its research shows that Allstate, GEICO, Liberty Mutual and other insurers are in some cases charging premiums averaging 30 percent higher in zip codes where most residents are minorities than they are charging drivers in whiter neighborhoods with similar accident costs.

ProPublica and Consumer Reports examined auto insurance premiums and payouts in California, Illinois, Texas and Missouri, the only four states it says would release geographic data on insurance payouts.

The researchers limited their analysis to results for a 30-year-old woman with a safe driving record and then compared those premiums, which were provided by Quadrant Information Services, to the average amounts paid out by insurers for liability claims in each zip code.

ProPublica said the California Department of Insurance criticized its analysis and conclusions on the grounds that an individual insurers losses in a given zip code may vary significantly from the industry average.

ProPublica said the Illinois Department of Insurance also criticized its reports methodology as incomplete and oversimplified in its comparison of rates in minority vs. non-minority neighborhoods.

ProPublica said many insurers did not respond to its inquiries. Those that did  including Nationwide and USAA  disputed the results and said that they do not discriminate by race in pricing.

This story is part of a series by ProPublica called Machine Bias that is probing the hidden power of algorithms used by businesses, government and organizations for everything from identifying top selling products to generating criminal risk scores.

The industry also took a hit earlier this year in a study by the U.S. Treasury Department that found nearly 19 million Americans live in areas where auto insurance is unaffordable. The study, conducted by the departments Federal Insurance Office (FIO), found that car insurance is generally unaffordable in 845 U.S. areas, as defined by postal codes, that are typically home to minorities and people with low-to-moderate incomes.

Topics Carriers California Auto Illinois
It looks like ProPublica failed its first actuarial exam.

The renowned investigative journalism website has, along with Consumer Reports magazine, published reports that auto insurers systematically charge unfairly high rates to people in minority and low-income communities

It is an explosive charge  to say that in, for example, Illinois, 33 out of 34 companies the journalists looked at (including the nations largest insurers) all systematically price-gouged minority communities and areas with predominantly low income households.

And the charge is inaccurate.

ProPublicas analysis makes an unfair comparison (and a fundamental actuarial mistake) by comparing the losses of all drivers within a ZIP code to the premium charged to a single person. Again, this is a basic error in statistical analysis, one so elemental that all actuaries learn about it early in their rigorous curriculum. Underwriters learn about it, too. In fact, most people working in the insurance industry understand this mistake and are taught not to make it. Most people in insurance would put it this way: The reporters are not making an apples-to-apples comparison.

ProPublicas investigation is so faulty, it is being criticized not only by U.S. auto insurers but the state governmental agencies that regulate them. If their failure isnt obvious to you, dont worry; Ill explain it shortly.

ProPublicas journalists claim that bias permeates the industry, all supposedly perpetrated under the nose of state regulators, who monitor and often approve in advance the rates insurers charge. And ProPublica said it found discrimination in California, where industry skeptics can earn literally millions of dollars challenging auto insurers rate filings.

Discrimination is a charge the insurance industry takes seriously, and in fact, the industry works meticulously with its regulators to ensure that the millions of Americans paying for their products and services are provided fair and accurate pricing. To be clear, insurance companies do not gather information on race or income, nor do they set rates based on this information.

As American society grows increasingly diverse, insurers want to reflect that diversity, both in the people they employ and in the customers they protect. Embracing diversity is good for business. More importantly, it is the right thing to do.

If insurers were to systematically discriminate by race or income, it would be an alarming betrayal of much of what the industry stands for.

Here is why ProPublicas reporters are wrong:

Insurance departments in four states  California, Illinois, Missouri and Texas  provided information on the accident rate and on the average size of claim by ZIP code. The reporters multiplied accident rate times size of claim within each ZIP code to calculate what they call a risk factor. (Insurance professionals will recognize that the accident rate times the average size of claim is the pure premium, or as I will refer to it, the loss cost.)

The loss cost in each ZIP code is then compared to the rate an insurer would charge a single risk in that ZIP code: a 30-year-old schoolteacher who has been driving for 14 years. This leads to a finding that the ratio of the fictional schoolteachers premium to loss cost varies by ZIP code and that the ratio is higher in minority and low income areas than elsewhere.

That, the reporters conclude, is evidence of discrimination.

Having read that  if you work in the insurance industry  you may be dumbfounded. You might be aghast. You are probably thinking the obvious: They havent made an apples-to-apples comparison. You are right.

Why is this bad? Well, the loss experience in any ZIP code is driven by all of the factors that make up that areas drivers. And those drivers together are an eclectic mix. People in some ZIP codes drive, on average, more miles than people elsewhere. People in some ZIP codes get in fewer accidents than people elsewhere.

Here is a super-simplified example to make the point:

Suppose that people who drive a lot  say 10,000 miles a year  cost insurance companies $200 in losses per year. And suppose people who drive a little (5,000 miles a year) cost $100 to insure. (And assume there are no expenses or taxes. Including them complicates the math here needlessly.)

Further, suppose that there is a ZIP code in which everyone drives a lot and a minority-majority ZIP code in which everyone drives a little. Other than that, drivers are identical in either ZIP code.

How much will it cost to insure a person who drives a lot? $200 in both ZIP codes.

Would the insurer be discriminating? According to ProPublicas reasoning, the answer is yes.

In the first ZIP code the ProPublica risk factor would be $200 and in the minority-majority ZIP code it would be $100.

And the ratio of premium to risk score  ProPublicas metric for measuring discrimination  would be 1.0 in the first ZIP code ($200/$200) and 2.0 ($200/$100) in the minority-majority ZIP code. People in the minority-majority area are charged twice as much as the other people, using ProPublicas flawed logic.

This, according to ProPublica, would be evidence of discrimination. However, the fact is that race or income didnt create the disparity  it is the fact that the hypothetical driver behaves differently from the typical person in the minority-majority ZIP code.

ProPublica was told about this error  not just once, but several times. As chief actuary at the Insurance Information Institute, I explained it to reporter Julia Angwin in a telephone conversation February 13 and in a series of emails dated February 16 and 17. I also know that some of the insurers that stand accused told reporters the same thing.

To its credit, ProPublica shared its data with us. We hired a respected actuarial firm, Pinnacle Actuarial Resources, to independently review the study. They have come to the same conclusion. The journalists had made a rookie mistake.

Because of this, however, ProPublica has concluded that EVERYONE  actuaries, underwriters, executives, regulators  is doing something awful.

And that is why ProPublica journalists found something to accuse insurers of, something that had eluded teams of state regulators, apparently for decades, and scores of industry skeptics.

When you look at what ProPublica did, though, a more likely explanation emerges. ProPublica had a theory  some insurers refused in the 20th century to sell its policies to minority consumers  and updated it for a 21st century audience. Their premise today is that, in 2017, insurers are willing to sell policies to minority consumers but only on the condition that regulators allow insurers to overcharge minorities.

There are other issues I have with ProPublicas study, including:

In most states, it doesnt seem to account for different auto insurance policy limits.

It doesnt consider that an auto insurers individual loss costs  the amount they pay out in claims  could vary from the statewide averages.

It doesnt seem to address how auto insurers priced policies where data about the policyholders and a ZIP codes loss costs was thin.

These errors could all help produce the result ProPublica has reported, but the failure to understand the simple idea of the apples-to-apples comparison is the most obvious error, as well as the least forgivable.

Upon this faulty analysis, ProPublica and Consumer Reports hang a charge of minority discrimination. And they were told, repeatedly, that they were analyzing their data incorrectly. Confronted with this fact, they did nothing, which makes it clear they chose sensationalism over realty.

As a former journalist, and a practitioner of the actuarial science, I cannot help but to take this manner of reporting personally. It is irresponsible at the least.

Topics Carriers Auto Profit Loss Market
Note this article originally appeared in the Texas Tribune.

After pushing the issue for nearly a decade, key lawmakers in the Texas Legislature are optimistic that a statewide texting-while-driving ban is within reach.

Texas is one of four states that do not have a statewide ban on texting and driving. That distinction has drawn renewed attention in recent days following an accident in West Texas in which a truck driver who was texting and driving crashed into a church bus and killed 13 senior citizens.

State Rep. Tom Craddick, R-Midland, author of the texting ban bill that recently passed the House, said about the accident: Its a tragic situation. Its a wasted situation.

Craddick, who has pushed for the ban for four sessions in a row, offered condolences to the victims, their families and the church in a statement last week.

No message or e-mail is important enough to risk injury or death while driving on our Texas roadways, Craddick said.

If Texas had passed a texting-while-driving ban when Craddick first filed a bill creating one in 2011, Texas would have been the ninth state to pass such a law, he said. If House Bill 62 passes this session, it will be the 47th.

In 2015 and 2013, Craddicks proposal passed the House but died in the Senate. In 2011, it traveled through both chambers only to be vetoed by Gov. Rick Perry, who said it would micromanage the behavior of adults.

In the 2015 session, a group of conservative senators helped kill the proposal, arguing that it could lead to unreasonable searches by police, among other concerns.

This year, both Craddick and the measures most vocal advocate in the Senate, Judith Zaffirini, are hopeful the measure will draw enough support in the upper chamber and Gov. Greg Abbott will sign it.

There are some members in the Senate who have voted against a statewide ban in the past that are now saying they are going to vote for it, Craddick noted.

One of them is state Sen. Craig Estes, who said in March, according to KUT, When we first started working on this, I was a no, and then I almost had a terrible wreck.

Other senators have changed their minds over the years as they have grown more sensitive to the prevalence of the issue and the consequences of inaction, Zaffirini said.

The first time I carried it in 2009, nobody was interested in it but I kept on. Now more people understand it, Zaffirini said.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has also changed course on the legislation. In 2011, he said to pass a law on texting and driving is one more nanny state intrusion on our lives.

This session, he said in a radio interview on KRLD, that he is uncertain whether there is enough support in the Texas Senate for the ban, but suggests he backs it. Personally, I dont think people should be taking their eye off the road, Patrick said. I have evolved on the issue personally over the past several years. Its clear now its a serious issue.

Under Craddicks proposal, first offenders would be charged with a misdemeanor and could be fined up to $99. Repeat offenders could pay up to $200 in fines.

Craddick pointed to research from Alva Ferdinand, an associate professor in health policy and management at Texas A&M, who has said a statewide ban could prevent 90 deaths a year. The most effective way to curb deaths related to people texting-and-driving is to make it illegal, he said, comparing the move to the law that people in cars wear seat belts.

No one ever thought seat belts would go into effect and now its just standard use to buckle up. Only once it became law did most people start to buckle up, Craddick said.

About three dozen Texas cities already have a texting-and-driving ban in place. Cities would still be allowed to implement ordinances that are stricter than the proposed state law under the current version of the legislation.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2017/04/04/austin-bus-crash-brings-concerns-about-texting-and-driving-ban/.

The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Related:

Topics Trends Legislation Texas Personal Auto
A bill backed by the insurance industry to curb the abuse of Floridas one-way attorney fee statute in assignment of benefit claims has stalled as lawmakers opted to instead advance what the insurance industry and the states regulator feel is a less effective measure.

The legislative maneuver sparked criticism by the Wall Street Journal of the Senate chair of the key committee, who in turn has accused the industry of mounting a smear campaign against her.

The industry setback came on Monday when the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, chaired by Senate President Pro Tempore Anitere Flores (R-Miami, Monroe), left Senate Bill 1038 off its agenda. This bill, drafted by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation with support from the state-run insurer Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and other industry groups, seeks to keep AOB consumer protections in place, but take away the incentive  the one-way attorney fee  that the industry claims is driving abuse by unregulated water mitigation, remediation and roofing contractors typically working with attorney groups.

Tempered Expectations

The insurance industry had tempered its expectations of getting the legislation passed because of lobbying by trial attorneys and unlicensed contractors, who the industry says are inflating water damage claims and filing frivolous lawsuits. Under Floridas current one-way attorney fee statute, policyholders suing their insurer over a claim dispute can recover their attorneys fees if the insurer is shown to have underpaid the claim, by any amount.

If you look at the trends of water claims over the last five years  its alarming, Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier told Insurance Journal in February. Absent any kind of reforms to address those trends, we could be seeing rate increases of 10 percent a year just to keep up.

Altmaier, who worked with the industry in drafting SB 1038 and has been outspoken against this abuse, said the one-way attorney fee statue provides an extraordinary incentive for people to get into a dispute with the insurance company and inflate the claim so the company has to pay attorney fees.

Altmaier told Insurance Journal in February that the goal of the OIR bill is not to remove the one-way attorney fee statute, which he said is a very important protection for insureds.

That is a very good statute for an insured  we think it should stay in place for insureds, Altmaier said. We think that it was not intended to apply to anybody other than insureds. So we think that a good first step is to look at whether we can clarify the intent of that statute and make sure that it remains intact for insureds, but isnt able to be abused by folks that are not the insured.

OIRs bill stipulated that attorney fees would not be awarded under the current statute in favor of any person or entity seeking relief against the insurer pursuant to an assignment agreement.

But the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee opted to pass on hearing the legislation at its committee meeting on April 3.

Instead, the committee pushed forward another bill targeting AOB abuse  SB 1218  introduced by one of its committee members, Sen. Gary Farmer (D- Ft. Lauderdale). Farmers bill requires water damage remediation specialists to be contracted by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Farmers bill also prevents insurers from prohibiting assignment agreements, but mandates that the policyholder and assignee deliver the agreement to the insurer (with conditions). It also allows policyholders to rescind an AOB under certain circumstances.

One caveat of the bill that the industry is not likely to support is a requirement that insurers cannot pass on legal costs to consumers if the company loses in court; the money would instead have to come out of the insurance companys profits. An amendment to the bill would also keep insurers from requiring insureds use a particular vendor to make repairs or recommend vendors, an option the industry has explored to weed out bad actors.

Speaking before the committee on Monday, Altmaier opposed Farmers bill, claiming the ideas in it could be effective only if they are coupled with provisions addressing the one-way attorney fee statute.

We believe that the major incentive to the abuse that we have seen over the past few years is the one-way attorney fee statute, Altmaier told the committee. We are concerned that any reform that doesnt meaningfully address the one-way attorney fee statute will fall very short of being effectivewithout that fix in this bill, we are opposed to the legislation.

In a scathing editorial in the Wall Street Journal, Flores was accused of keeping a trial bar payday going for another year, and for refusing to allow SB 1038 to be added to the agenda.

Thats a remarkable political choice given that Sen. Floress South Florida constituents are paying increasingly high premiums thanks to AOB abuse, the WSJ editorial stated.

WSJ added that Farmer, the sponsor of the committee-approved legislation (SB 1218), used to run Floridas trial-bar lobby.

Mr. Farmers bills would keep the attorney fee game going, among other bad ideas, WSJ wrote. Floridians had better hope a Category 5 hurricane doesnt hit the state this year and hobble Citizens even more than their politicians have.

Flores responded to Insurance Journals request for comment with a statement saying the insurance industry is smearing someone who has always fought for consumers because she wont just do what they say. Flores added that the industry is pushing hard for a rival bill [that] they themselves helped craft.

Flores said that the industry-backed bill (SB 1038) does nothing to guarantee property insurance rates will decrease, and it hinders consumers ability to protect themselves when insurance companies take advantage of them.

The Senate recognizes that there is abuse in the insurance system being driven by fraud, and I promised my constituents I would advocate for meaningful legislation that would protect their money and hold bad actors accountable, Flores said in her statement. If [SB 1038] would be amended to ensure that insurance rates will go down for some time as a result of passing that bill, this committee will be happy to hear it.

Supporters of SB 1038 say they anticipated that getting the bill passed would be difficult despite the support of OIR and insurers.

Lets face it, the trial bar is extremely powerful and theres absolutely no question they are going to fight this hard. They are going to fight anything that in any way shape or form impacts their ability to take on vendors as clients and eliminates any possibility for them to get fees, said Barry Gilway, CEO and executive director of Citizens, in February.

Still, the insurance industry is urging lawmakers to reform the one-way attorney fee statute.

Without addressing one-way attorney fees, lawsuits will continue to go up. At the end of the day, that costs homeowners more and makes the cost of homeownership more expensive, said Edie Ousley, on behalf of the Consumer Protection Coalition.

Were still working to address attorney fees. We believe the data shows that is the real cost driver, said Logan McFaddin of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI). It is clear that skyrocketing litigation costs are a major problem, and we encourage the Florida Legislature to support a bill that puts an end to AOB abuse.

Related:

Topics Carriers Florida Legislation Agribusiness Market
Authorities say a woman stole more than $3 million from the South Carolina real estate company she worked for more than a decade.

A police report obtained by WMBF-TV said an audit at Hoffman Corporation determined 48-year-old broker in charge Alicia Altman took the money between 2007 and 2017.

Court records show Altman was charged with breach of trust on march 22. Records did not show if she had a lawyer.

Hoffman Corporation sent a letter to employees saying Altman had been fired.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Agencies Fraud South Carolina
Alliant Insurance Services Inc. has acquired SES Insurance Brokerage Services Inc. in Santa Ana, Calif.

SES will join Alliant MGA and program administrator. The executive leadership team of SES will continue to operate the company under its existing name and its management and service teams will remain in place.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Newport Beach, Calif.-based Alliant provides property/casualty, workers compensation, employee benefits, surety and financial products and services.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions California Agencies Alliant
LIstat ha rivisto al rialzo la crescita del primo trimestre del 2017, con il Pil che balza allo 0,4% sui precedenti tre mesi e all1,2% su base annua. Le prime indicazioni dellIstituto, diffuse a meta maggio, davano il Prodotto interno lordo a +0,2% a livello congiunturale e a +0,8% in termini tendenziali. La revisione, a sorpresa, e dovuta, spiegano dallIstat, allintegrazione nei dati della buona performance dei servizi.

LIstat rileva che il primo trimestre del 2017 ha avuto due giornate lavorative in piu sia rispetto al trimestre precedente, sia rispetto al primo trimestre del 2016. La variazione acquisita per il 2017 e pari a 0,9%.

Rispetto al trimestre precedente, i principali aggregati della domanda nazionale hanno registrato una crescita dello 0,5% dei consumi finali nazionali e un calo dello 0,8% gli investimenti fissi lordi. Le importazioni sono aumentate dell1,6% e le esportazioni dello 0,7%. La domanda nazionale al netto delle scorte ha contribuito per 0,3 punti percentuali alla crescita del pil (0,3 i consumi delle famiglie e delle Istituzioni Sociali Private (Isp), 0,1 la spesa della pubblica amministrazione (Pa) e -0,1 gli investimenti fissi lordi).

Anche la variazione delle scorte ha contribuito positivamente alla variazione del Pil (0,4 punti percentuali), mentre lapporto della domanda estera netta e stato negativo per 0,2 punti percentuali. Si registrano andamenti congiunturali positivi per il valore aggiunto di agricoltura (+4,2%) e servizi (+0,6%), mentre quello dellindustria risulta negativo (-0,3%).

#Istat Riviste al rialzo le stime per il 2017. LItalia cresce piu del previsto e limpegno continua ha commentato su Twitter il premier Paolo Gentiloni.

Per Matteo Renzi i dati di ieri e di oggi dellIstat dimostrano che con la flessibilita ottenuta nei Mille Giorni e con le riforme fatte, leconomia riprende fiato. Sulla sua pagina Fb il segretario del Pd parla di risultati figli degli anni di lavoro serio e rigoroso che abbiamo alle spalle.

Con la revisione delle stime sul Pil lItalia recupera anche a livello europeo. Il +0,4% congiunturale e il +1,2% tendenziale non vedono piu lItalia isolata, fanalino di coda. LIstat infatti, diffondendo i conti trimestrali, riporta anche i dati relativi agli altri Paesi. Svetta la Germania (+0,6% e +2,9% su anno), ma la Francia fa come noi a livello congiunturale (+0,4%) e peggio su base annua (+1,0%). Restiamo pero sotto la media dellEurozona (+0,5% e +1,7% annuo).
A private company is one without publicly traded shares. Private companies can issue stock to shareholders, but those shares aren't listed on a stock exchange. Private companies are not subject to the reporting requirements imposed on publicly listed corporations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Private firms are free from the constant pressure to deliver quick returns, as is the case for many large publicly listed companies. That means management can embark on long-term, high-risk, and high-return ventures without worrying about quarterly results.

Some private companies, including private equity firms, extend those advantages to publicly listed companies they buy and take private. At deal closing, the publicly traded shares are delisted, with shareholders receiving the specified price per share in cash.

This article looks at 10 of the best known public companies that went private.

Key Takeaways Taking public companies private is a popular investment strategy and business model that has involved some of the most recognizable consumer brands.

Companies taken private are often listed publicly again a few years later as their private owners seek to cash out.

Newly private companies are freed from shareholder pressure but not from the imperative to deliver a financial return for their new owners as soon as possible

An alternative to a second initial public offering after a going-private deal is the sale of the company or a part of the company to an industry buyer, often a competitor.

Twitter, Inc.

In April 2022, the messaging platform operator accepted a $44 billion buyout offer from Elon Musk, the planet's richest human at the time with an estimated net worth of $268 billion. Musk's fortune stems largely from his stake in Tesla, Inc. (TSLA), the maker of electric vehicles Musk leads.

Twitter's (TWTR) share price peaked above $77 in February 2021, but was down more than 50% from that high by January 2022, when Musk began accumulating the 9.2% stake he disclosed in March. Musk was offered and accepted a seat on Twitter's board, but declined it days later and instead made an informal offer of $54.20 per share in a public "bear hug" letter to Twitter's board.

Twitter adopted a poison pill shareholder rights plan to discourage Musk from increasing his stake, but entered talks with the tycoon after he disclosed committed financing for the transaction. Musk said after the deal was reached his goal for Twitter is to ensure free speech while improving the service's features.

H.J. Heinz

Heinz, the producer of a famous ketchup brand dating back to 1869 and a variety of other processed foods, agreed to be acquired by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) and Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital in 2013, in a deal worth about $28 billion including assumed debt.

In 2015, the company merged with Kraft Foods Group to form The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC), with Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital investing an additional $10 billion in exchange for 51% of the combined company.

Burger King

The fast-food restaurant chain first went public in 2006, raising $425 million. Shares traded on the NYSE under the ticker symbol BKC.

3G Capital took the company private again in 2010, buying it for $24 per share, or $4 billion. Burger King relisted as a public company in 2012 through a reverse merger with London-listed Justice Holdings.

In 2014, Burger King bought Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons in a tax inversion merger worth $11.5 billion at the time of the announcement. The combined company, named Restaurant Brands International (QSR), is based for tax purposes in Canada, though it retained a New York Stock Exchange listing in addition to one on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX).



Dell Computer

Michael Dell, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Dell Computer who famously started the computer hardware supplier in his college dorm room, teamed up with the Silver Lake Partners private equity firm to take the company private for $24.4 billion in October 2013.

After acquiring EMC in 2015 in a $67 billion mostly debt-financed deal, Dell returned to public markets in late 2018 through a controversial exchange of Dell stock for VMWare tracking shares listed as part of the EMC deal. The deal was worth roughly $24 billion. In 2021, Dell spun off VMWare. Inc. (VMW) into a separate publicly listed company.

Alliance Boots PLC

The European health care and pharmacy chain, then listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), set a record as the biggest leveraged buyout in Europe when Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR), and Italian billionaire Stefano Pessina bought it for $22.2 billion in 2007, prevailing over a rival group of private equity bidders.

U.S. pharmacy chain Walgreens purchased a 45% stake in the private company in 2012 and the remainder in 2014, paying a total of about $22 billion in cash and stock, to form Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA).



EQ Office

Equity Office Properties Trust, founded by real estate tycoon Sam Zell, was the largest publicly listed owner of office and commercial properties in the U.S. when it agreed in 2006 to be acquired by an affiliate of the Blackstone Group (BX) for $36 billion. The deal followed multiple rounds of high-stakes bidding, with Blackstone ultimately prevailing over Vornado Realty Trust (VNO). The company changed its name to EQ Office in 2018.



Hilton Worldwide Holdings

Hilton is a leading global hotel franchise with more than 6,800 properties in 122 countries and territories. The company was founded by Conrad Hilton in 1919 after he purchased his first hotel in Cisco, Texas. The first hotel to use the Hilton name was in Dallas.

In October 2007, Blackstone Group bought the company in a leveraged buyout (LBO) for $26 billion. Hilton went public again, resuming trading on the NYSE under the ticker symbol HLT in December 2013, with Blackstone retaining a stake of more than 45%. The company's second IPO raised more than $2 billion.

Kinder Morgan

Kinder Morgan was managing one of North America's largest energy pipelines and storage portfolios when it went private in May 2007 in a buyout by American International Group (AIG), The Carlyle Group (CG), Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, and Riverstone Holdings LLC for about $22 billion.

The company went public again less than four years later, raising about $3 billion from the listing of a 15.5% stake.



Panera Bread

Panera has more than 2,100 locations nationwide and boasts annual sales of about $5.3 billion for 2020. In April 2017, Panera agreed to be acquired by the private investment firm JAB Holding Companywhich also owns brands like Keurig, Krispy Kreme, and Peets Coffee and Teain a deal worth more than $7 billion. In a move to prepare for going public, JAB Holding Company combined Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee, and Einstein Bagels into Panera Brands in August 2021. A couple of months later, Panera Brands announced its intent to file paperwork with the SEC to launch an IPO; paperwork is still pending as of May 2022.



Readers Digest

Celebrating its 100th birthday in 2022, Readers Digest is published in 22 countries and 17 languages.

Readers Digest, was acquired by Ripplewood Holdings LLC in March 2007 for $2.4 billion. The company faced financial problems before the deal, and in its aftermath filed for bankruptcy twice, in 2009 and 2013. A couple of years later in 2015, Reader's Digest Association rebranded itself as Trusted Media Brands.

The Bottom Line

The pattern is clear: today's going-private buyout is in some future year a likely new initial public offering, as private owners seek to cash out. Private equity firms have time-constrained investment horizons and are generally not in the business of running the same businesses for decades.

That, in turn, means that while private companies are not subject to pressure from public shareholders, they are still managed in the short-term interest of their new private owners. That might mean laying off employees, divesting assets, or taking on new debt to pay the owners a dividend, and such measures may or may not be in the company's long-term interest as distinct from that of its new paymasters.

In any case, private buyers taking control of publicly listed companies are among the most sophisticated players in business and finance. If they're paying up, it's likely because they've mapped several potentially lucrative exit strategies. Listing the company again in time is often going to be near the top of that list.
Top News - Investor Idea

Cleantech and Climate Change Podcast  Interview with Founder and CEO of Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN) Discussing Recent Acquisitions, Rollout and Manufacturing of EV Line of Products

Vancouver, Kelowna, Delta, BC - November 7, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Investorideas.com, a global news source and leading investor resource covering cleantech and renewable energy stocks issues a new edition of the Cleantech and Climate Change Podcast, featuring an interview with Mr. David Michery, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Electric Vehicle Company, Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN).

Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea

Breaking AI Stock News: GBT's (OTCPK: GTCH) AI Driven Financial Technology Patent Application Received a Notice of Publication

San Diego, CA - November 3, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) received a notice of publication for its financial software patent application.

Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea

Breaking AI Stock News: Intellagents, a FatBrain AI (OTCQB: LZGI) Company, Announces Hiring of Insurtech Industry Veteran as Chief Revenue Officer

NEW YORK, NY - November 2, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow, announces the hiring of Euan King, an experienced and respected Insurtech industry leader as Chief Revenue Officer for insurance technology-focused subsidiary Intellagents.

Top Health and Wellness News - Investor Idea

Health and Wellness Stock News - Endexx (OTCBB: EDXC) Secures $3.8M Order for Non-Nicotine Vape Product HYLA from Italy

CAVE CREEK, Az. - November 2, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Endexx Corporation (OTCBB:EDXC), a provider of innovative, plant-based, and sustainable health and skincare products, today announces it has secured a new $3.8 million USD order for its newly acquired, non-nicotine based vape product, HYLA from customers in Italy.

Check out our Podcasts for great investor ideas:

Get new posts by email: Subscribe Powered by

Investorideas.com Newswire:

Subscribe to Investor Ideas Newswire
Press Release

IPU pushes for increased access to investigate human rights violations of MPs

Dhaka, 5 April 2017

The IPU is calling for a mission to the Philippines where it is deeply concerned over the detention of Senator Leila de Lima., Noel Celis/AFP

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) calls for fact-finding missions by the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians to the Philippines, Turkey and Venezuela and several other countries on the closing day of the 136th IPU Assembly in Dhaka.



As Venezuela's political crisis worsens, the IPU is calling for a fact-finding mission to the country to look into heightened concerns about the treatment of parliamentarians and parliament itself. The Organization is convinced that a mission is crucial to assess the overall political situation, and discuss with the authorities IPUs offer to use its good offices to mediate the crisis in the country.



In a resolution adopted at the 136th IPU Assembly in Dhaka, the Organization also said it found the rulings by the Supreme Court to null and void all decisions by the National Assembly as grossly excessive. It also called on all sides to act in good faith to solve the countrys crisis through dialogue.



In a series of other decisions adopted on the closing day of the Assembly, the Organization expressed concern about the cases of MPs in Cambodia, Malaysia and the Philippines.



The Organization is calling for a mission to the Philippines where it is deeply concerned over the detention of Senator Leila de Lima and the accusations that she was involved in drug trafficking. The Senator has been a vocal critic of President Duterte, leading a series of investigations into alleged extra judicial killings when he was Mayor of Davao city and initiating an inquiry into the alleged summary killings of thousands of alleged drug users and dealers since he took office in June 2016 and waged his war on drugs.



As the Malaysian opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim remains in jail with little medical care, the Organization reiterated serious doubts about his conviction. The IPU repeats its call for his release and reinstatement as a Member of Parliament. The Organization considers that a follow-up visit to Malaysia is required to address the outstanding concerns and questions.



Despite efforts to organize a fact-finding mission to Turkey, IPU regrets its request has been turned down. It is deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation of parliamentarians in the country. It also expressed the hope that a mission could be organized rapidly.



The IPU is alarmed at the escalating harassment of members of the opposition in Cambodia. Since 2014, 15 opposition members have been subjected to arrest, persecution and suspension from Parliament. The Organization is also concerned at the prospect that one opposition party, the Cambodian National Rescue Party, may be dissolved and not allowed to take part in the upcoming election.



For further information:



Watch the 136th Assembly live at http://www.ipu136bangladesh.org/ from 1-5 April.



Follow or take part in discussions on Twitter using #IPU136.



Photos of the event will be made available on Flickr.



For further information, please contact:



The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of national parliaments. It works to safeguard peace and drives positive democratic change through political dialogue and concrete action.
In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will inform their development agendas and policies over the next 15 years. Parliaments have a crucial role to play in advancing the integration of the SDGs and monitoring national progress, while both holding governments accountable for the goals they have subscribed to and also making sure that enabling laws are passed and budgets adopted. It is within this framework that the National Assembly of the S.R. Viet Nam and the Inter-Parliamentary Union are jointly organizing a Regional Seminar on the Sustainable Development Goals for the Parliaments in the Asia-Pacific region. The Seminar will take place in Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam) from 11 till 13 May 2017 and will be part of a series of IPU regional seminars to advance the work and contribution of parliaments to the SDGs. The seminar will provide a platform to identify which practical steps parliaments can take to support the implementation of the SDGs in their respective countries and in the region as a whole. Through the prism of the climate change challenges facing the region, it will focus on the role of different stakeholders in the responses to climate change and on the requirement for national parliaments to take action in the form of legislation and to fulfil international commitments. Gender equality, as well as health and resource mobilization will also be at the core of the discussions. The seminar will also be informed by a field visit to Ben Tre province, where participants will be taken of a tour of areas that are affected by climate change and will also meet with officials of the Provincial Peoples Committee. The documents of the meeting are available in English only.
Italian police are investigating claims that an Irish woman was sexually assaulted while staying in a hotel in Turin, with reports that a man has been arrested by Italian police, writes Noel Baker.

The story was reported in local media in the northern Italian city, alleging that a woman described as an Irish dancer was the victim of the assault while staying in a hotel in the city as part of an Irish-themed festival.
Concern Worldwide Chief Executive Dominic MacSorley has welcomed an Irish governments promise of 25 million in funding to support civilians affected by the Syrian conflict.

Mr MacSorley said the urgent need for the Irish governments pledge was reinforced by Tuesdays barbaric chemical attack on civilians in north-western Syria.

This 25 million will help the millions of civilians caught up in the horrific Syrian conflict and is hugely welcome," he said.

Concern staff are on the ground providing lifesaving assistance to over 1.5 million people in Syria and in its neighbouring countries.

This additional funding will go towards closing gaps in crucial areas such as education, protection and access to health care.

Mr MacSorley went on to say the Irish governments funding was "timely and desperately needed."

However, the conflict shows no signs of abating and, if anything, it is intensifying.

Tuesdays barbaric chemical attack only reinforces the need for an urgent and immediate need to end to fighting. The eyes of the world are on the powers that be, including the United Nations Security Council, to make this happen."
Seven suspected Islamic State recruiters have been arrested by authorities investigating Monday's deadly explosion on the St Petersburg subway.

Investigators rounded up the suspects, from the Central Asian region of the former Soviet Union, but found no immediate evidence of their involvement in the subway attack.

Russia's Investigative Committee has not caught any associates of 22-year-old Akbarzhon Dzhalilov, a native of Kyrgyzstan.

The committee said it is looking into the possibility that Dzhalilov could have been linked to the militant group.

The impoverished, predominantly Muslim countries in Central Asia are seen as fertile ground for Islamic extremists, and thousands of their residents are believed to have joined IS in Syria and Iraq.

Meeting with the heads of security services from a regional alliance that includes most of Russia's Central Asian neighbours, President Vladimir Putin warned that terror threats still loom over the region.

"We see that, unfortunately, the situation is not improving," Mr Putin said.

"The recent tragic events in St Petersburg are the best confirmation of this. We know that each of our countries, practically every one, is a possible and potential target of terrorist attacks."

In Wednesday's sweep in St Petersburg, law enforcement agencies arrested seven Central Asian migrants who are suspected of acting as recruiters for IS and al Qaida's branch in Syria.

The detainees were accused of seeking "mostly immigrants from the republics of Central Asia to commit crimes of a terrorist nature and encourage them to get involved in the activities of terrorist organisations," the Investigative Committee said.

Investigators were still checking their contacts, it added, but noted that as of now, "there is no information about any links between the detainees and the perpetrator of the terror attack".

The investigators have also searched Dzhalilov's home and found objects similar to those used in the subway bomb, it said.

CCTV footage from outside his apartment building showed him leave home with a bag and a backpack on Monday.

The explosion on a train running along a busy north-south subway line killed the attacker and 13 other people. Another 55 remain in hospital, and several of them are in critical condition, according to the Russian Health Ministry.

AP
A dog at a Nigerian wedding party grappled with a suicide bomber until her explosives detonated, killing the animal as well.

Buba Ahmed, of Belbelo, a village near the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, said guests are grateful that the dog unwittingly sacrificed itself to save their lives.
Nigel Farage was heckled in the European Parliament after accusing MEPs of "behaving like the mafia" over the conditions of Brexit.

The former Ukip leader was told to retract his "unacceptable" remark by the Parliament's president, Italian Antonio Tajani, and said that, in respect of national sensitivities, he would instead brand them "gangsters".

The row came as the Parliament heard a string of senior MEPs insist that Britain cannot enjoy "the same or better conditions" in its relations with the European Union as full member states after Brexit.

And the European Parliament's Brexit co-ordinator, Guy Verhofstadt, told MEPs that he expected the UK to return to the EU in the future, when a younger generation recognises withdrawal as "a loss of time, a waste of energy and a stupidity".

But Mr Farage said last week's delivery of Mrs May's Article 50 letter was "a great historic day" applauded by millions around the world, and dismissed requests for a divorce payment as "a form of ransom demand".

Referring to the European Council's suggestion that Spain should be given a veto over future agreements on Gibraltar, Mr Farage said: "We believe in national self-determination, your aim and ambition is to destroy nation-state democracy. Gibraltar is clearly a deal-breaker on these terms.

"You have shown yourselves by these demands to be vindictive, to be nasty. All I can say is thank goodness we are leaving. You are behaving like the mafia. You think we are a hostage - we are not, we are free to go."

Mr Farage told MEPs that if the EU tried to impose tariffs on exports from the UK, Britons could boycott European goods.

"If you wish to have no deal, if you wish to force us to walk away from the table, it is not us that will be hurt," he said.

"Do you know, we don't have to buy German motor cars, we don't have to drink French wine, we don't have to eat Belgian chocolate. There are a lot of other people that will give that to us.

"A return to tariffs will risk the jobs of hundreds of thousands of people living in the European Union and yet what you are saying is you want to put the interests of the European Union above that of your citizens and your companies.

"If you continue with that route, it won't just be the United Kingdom that triggers Article 50. There will be many more to come."

MEPs in Strasbourg were debating the European Parliament's red lines for any withdrawal agreement in two years' time.

The European Parliament effectively holds a veto on any Brexit deal as it must be approved by a majority of MEPs in a vote after having first received the assent of a qualified majority of national leaders in the European Council.

The debate came after British Prime Minister Theresa May said curbs on freedom of movement would not come into force immediately after Britain has quit the European Union.

Speaking during a trip to Saudi Arabia, Mrs May said there would be an "implementation" phase once a deal had been struck, with business and governments needing a "period of time" to adjust to the new rules.

"In terms of the deal that we negotiate and the arrangements that will come there, what we have talked about, you've used the phrase 'transitional phase'; I have used the phrase 'implementation period'," Mrs May said.

"If you think about it, once we've got the deal, once we've agreed what the new relationship will be for the future, it will be necessary for there to be a period of time when businesses and governments are adjusting systems and so forth, depending on the nature of the deal - but a period of time when that deal will be implemented."

Leaders of the main groupings in the European Parliament said they wanted "fair and constructive" talks with Britain during the two-year withdrawal talks under Article 50, but insisted that divorce talks must come before negotiations over future trade relations and that the UK will not be allowed to "cherry-pick" favoured elements of EU membership to keep.

The leader of the EPP group of centre-right MEPs, Germany's Manfred Weber, told the Parliament that the UK could not simply pick and choose areas such as security, scientific collaboration and free trade where it wanted to co-operate with the remaining 27 member states

"I feel London thinks it will find the perfect deal and will take the positive points and leave the negative points," said Mr Weber. "This will not happen. Cherry-picking will not happen.

"A state outside the EU cannot have the same or better conditions than a state inside the EU."

Mr Weber said: "We are going to remain partners and friends but the UK has to accept the fact that there will be a tough negotiating position on the European side."

Both Mr Weber and the leader of the socialist grouping, Italian MEP Gianni Pittella, were scathing about the recent debate in the UK over the future of Gibraltar, and former Conservative leader Lord Howard's suggestion that military forces might be used to put pressure on Spain.

Mr Pitella dismissed Lord Howard's comments as "the words of lost dilettantes clutching at straws", while Mr Weber warned: "We have taken this debate in the wrong direction, led by nationalists and populists."

The Italian socialist leader insisted the European Parliament would be ready to veto a Brexit deal if the conditions of its resolution were not respected.

Britain would not be allowed to become a "tax haven" off the shores of Europe, he said.

And he warned the EU would not back down on demands for a "divorce bill" - estimated at around 50 billion - telling MEPs: "It's like any family. If you leave the house, you still have to pay your bills."

And in a direct message to Conservative Brexiteers, he said: "You wanted to take back control, but what did you want to take back control of? You were promising people a better future, but your lies have caused absolute chaos in the UK."

Mr Verhofstadt said the UK had recovered from being "the sick man of Europe" thanks to its membership of the single market and had been helped by EU membership to "punch above its weight" in the world.

He said: "There will be, one day or another, a young man or woman who will try again, who will lead Britain again into the European family once again, and a young generation that will see Brexit for what it really is - a cat-fight in the Conservative Party that got out of hand, a loss of time, a waste of energy and a stupidity."

Former Ukip MEP Steven Woolfe, now sitting as an independent, said the European Parliament should remember Britain's contribution in money and lives fighting Nazism and Communism on the continent.

"We are leaving a European Union that has forgotten the costs and sacrifices Britons freely gave to ensure you are free to exercise your diplomacy of the defeated in this chamber of the forgetful," said Mr Woolfe.

The co-president of the far-right Europe of Nations and Freedom grouping, Dutch MEP Marcel de Graaff, congratulated Mrs May on triggering Article 50.

Quoting Churchill's wartime promise to "defend our island, whatever the cost may be", Mr de Graaff said his message to Britain was: "You have regained your freedom and your sovereignty by invoking Article 50, by leaving the European Union.

"You have regained the opportunity to flourish as a nation, to control your borders, to make your own laws, to make your own trade deals.

"The bureaucrats from the EU will try to make you pay 60 billion euros, they will try to force you to comply with all EU directives and standards and to accept hundreds of thousands of migrants and accept the rulings of the European Court of Justice.

"Don't give in to these demands. You are far better off outside the EU."
Real Estate Loan Management Finance (Relm) will provide loans to companies, businesses and investors in commercial property investments across Ireland.

CEO Paul Dowling said the company was very interested in lending in Cork and the regions and would include all pubs, retail, offices, hospitality and residential investment properties.

The company, known as Relm, is already processing loan applications in excess of 30m following a pilot phase.

The initial 200m that has been secured and available for lending is expected to be further expanded by Relm throughout the year.

As well as phone and website applications, Relm is using an app called Cents Check for the initial loan applications.

It will provide loans from 1m upwards and customers approved for loans will benefit from a quick draw down of funds.

Relm said initial decisions will be provided within four days and full draw down in four to five weeks following approval.

Loans issued and managed by Relm will be non-recourse debt, secured primarily by property assets.

Relm is part of the Bartra group of companies and is backed by Avenue Capital Group.

Mr Dowling said: Well be lending on suitable investments nationwide and this will contribute strongly to economic growth and development. Customers will also benefit through a streamlined system from the initial application to the full drawdown of funds, providing high levels of certainty for their investment process.

"We have a very experienced team of professionals at Relm Finance, drawing on over 100 years of lending and banking experience.
Professor Patrick OShea told the monthly Cork Chamber business breakfast that he wanted to utilise 150,000 UCC graduates around the world as trump cards in getting industry leaders to establish a base in the Cork region.

In Silicon Valley two weeks ago, I met some of the most highly accomplished alumni. They are ready to help Cork and Ireland, he said.

We can leverage that expertise to persuade industry to move here.

Prof OShea said Cork could become the Eindhoven of photonics  the science of manipulation and harnessing of light  because of the Tyndall Institutes position as a world leader in the field.

The Dutch city has become synonymous with industry and cutting-edge technology, with brands such as electronics giant Philips.

Prof OShea said that from his experience as vice president and chief research officer at the University of Maryland  one of the worlds leading research institutions, where he oversaw $500m (440m) annual research funding  the key was communicating with the community.

Maryland had record funding, he said, because it got the message out about how the community was benefiting from the research being carried out.

Once you get that story out, then you get that trust, he said.

He called for infrastructure throughout regional Ireland to be connected, saying that Waterford, Cork and Limerick should be connected to routes going all the way to Derry in a Celtic coastal connector.

It is critical to the country, not just Cork, to Limerick and Waterford, he said.

He said the proposed business school campus in Cork city centre will be a driving force for economic growth post-Brexit, as Corks importance as a European city was enhanced.

Business is what Cork is all about. The school can really help spread business around the world. We live in the EU with a stable government and regulatory environment, he said.

Mr OShea announced last month that UCC will build a business school in the city which will be one of the largest academic buildings in the country.

Cork Chamber president Barrie OConnell said the school was ambitious for Cork, which produced the most business graduates.
The story was reported in local media in the northern Italian city, alleging that a woman described as an Irish dancer was the victim of the assault while staying in a hotel in the city as part of an Irish-themed festival.

The report in Torino Today carried claims that the Irish woman awoke to find she was being assaulted by another man, even though her boyfriend was sleeping in the same room.
The research, conducted by Dr Maire Hanniffy and presented to the School of School of Political Science and Sociology at NUI Galway, also found some concern over class sizes as well as widespread support for the free preschool year and its extension to two years.

The research involved interviews with 20 caregivers, 16 educators, 88 children who took part in the Draw and Tell technique, and the completion of early development instruments for 46 children aged between three years and 11 months and five years and five months at the start of September 2013, with the focus on Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (Deis) schools in the West of Ireland.

According to the study, children seem more comfortable when they are capable of using the toilet and washing their hands when they are starting school.

Primary school educators suggested that approximately half the children in the class are insufficiently prepared while the caregivers largely believe their children are ready.

The report states: Taking into consideration a childs readiness and the role of chronological age, five years old is suggested as a minimum age of entry by many of the educators and in the meantime a cut-off point should be implemented for children in the lower age range.

Uninterested caregivers are cited as a reason why some children are not prepared for school.

Regarding one sample, 42.5% of the children were considered vulnerable on at least one of the five scales linked to school readiness.

Statistically significant differences were revealed between children with English as a second language and those with it as a first language; between Traveller children and non-Traveller children; between children who attended preschool and those who did not; and between children from families dependent on social welfare payments and those whose families are not dependent on social welfare payments.

There were no statistically significant differences found in relation to other factors, such as hours of sleep, hours of TV viewed, or the frequency of reading with the children.

Recommendations based on the findings include implementing Aistear (Early Childhood Curriculum Framework) in all early childhood care and education settings and infant classes in primary school, and that the school entry age policy, unchanged since 1936, is reviewed as Ireland remains in the minority of countries that allow children to start primary school at the age of four.
Central Bank governor Philip Lane also said he could not rule out the hypothesis of collusion between some lenders, describing the scandal as systemic and widespread.

Mr Lane said the scandal could cost up to 500m in compensation and fines.

Head of enforcement at the Central Bank, Derville Rowland, told the Oireachtas finance committee there had been meetings with gardai . She said the Central Bank would always consider taking cases against individuals if wrongdoing was suspected. However, she said no criminal complaints have been made and the conversations with gardai were on general terms.

Some 9,900 customer accounts were identified by the end of February as having been wrongly moved off tracker mortgages. The figure is expected to rise to upwards of 15,000. It is believed at least 100 customers lost their homes because of the scandal. So far almost 80m has been paid out to 2,600 customers. There are 15 lenders under review.

The average redress and compensation payment to affected customers so far is around 30,000.

Mr Lane said the Central Bank was determined to ensure there would be proper redress and compensation for all customers. But he warned he was barred from naming and shaming the responsible banks, the number of mortgage accounts affected and how much compensation each lender is being forced to pay out.

The refusal of banks to allow customers to move on to tracker rates first emerged as far back as 2010  the year taxpayers were lumbered with a multibillion-euro bailout. Also, lenders cannot be forced by the Central Bank to compensate homeowners for tracker issues prior to 201.

In the six years since, banks have repossessed over 7,500 homes and apartments.
Cork Chamber and Cork Business Association (CBA) have prepared submissions for the OPW before Fridays deadline which back the project. They also call for further engagement on the finishes of direct defences in certain areas; the use of more glass panels at certain locations; and fast-tracking of construction.

The Irish National Flood Forum has also endorsed the project.

The Save Cork City group, which is opposed to the scheme, said it is still finalising its submission but that it will be ready by Friday.

In a joint statement yesterday, the CBA and Chamber said they have pursued the need for flood defences in the city for some time.

Chamber president Barrie OConnell said the proposed scheme will provide flood protection to 3,179 properties including almost 400 protected structures, and deliver more than 1km of new public walkways, new public plazas, a 20m clean-up and restoration of over 3km masonry quay walls, as well as improving disability access to pathways.

CBA president Pat OConnell said the OPWs flood defence plan is the only realistic option and has been well considered, studied, and adapted to the needs of Cork City.

Chief executive Lawrence Owens said the CBA has been consistent in seeking to strike the right balance between an effective flood defence system and respecting the citys built and natural heritage. This 140m will deliver on both fronts and we will continue to advocate for improvements in terms of finish and aesthetics.

Irish Flood Forum spokesman Jer Buckley said it has faith in the OPW to deliver for the city, given its record on defence schemes in Mallow, Fermoy, and Clonmel.
Melissa Whelan, aged 27, with an address in Moyross, was yesterday jailed for nine years at Limerick Circuit Court for assault causing serious harm to Wayne Fitzgerald, also aged 27.

Judge Tom ODonnell said no civilised society could tolerate the level of savagery involved in the assault.

Whelan had previous convictions for violence.

The attack with the bottle lasted more than 20 minutes.

Due to the extent of his injuries, Mr Fitzgerald  described as an innocent party  spent six months in hospital, one month of which was in an induced coma after undergoing operations for brain injuries.

Det Sgt Derek Clancy told the court a noisy party with lots of drink took place at an apartment in Knockhill, Ennis Rd, on December 21, 2016.

Mr Fitzgerald was minding his own business, placidly watching TV and did not have much to drink.

Without warning, Whelan commenced a vicious assault on him with a bottle.

As he lay unconscious, she dragged him out onto a patio and proceeded to kick him as he lay defenceless on the ground.

Others present froze on seeing the viciousness of the attack.

A neighbour saw a person on the patio and called gardai.

Such were his injuries, gardai thought he would die before an ambulance came.

Whelan was later traced to another address where a number of blood-stained items were found, including the bottle she used in the attack.

Mr Fitzgerald was brought to University Hospital Limerick and then transferred to Cork University Hospital.

After undergoing surgery, doctors told his family to prepare for the worst as it was not expected he would survive.

He was later transferred to the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dun Laoghaire where he had to learn everything again such as eating, walking, and talking.

However, he was left with numerous disabilities and needs full-time care at home.

A victim impact statement prepared by a cousin said his life had changed dramatically as a result of the assault.

His independence had been taken away and he now needs full-time care by the family.

Judge ODonnell said the DPP considered the assault was in the upper sentence range of seven and a half years to 12 and a half years.

The assault, he said, had catastrophic consequences for Mr Fitzgerald and he and his family will have to cope with the injuries he received for the rest of his life.

This savagery cannot be accepted in any civilised society, he said.

He imposed a 12-year sentence with the final three years suspended.
Prof Dermot Walsh told the Irish Examiner he was surprised and disappointed that yesterdays statement by the Tanaiste, announcing the commission, told us nothing about its composition and the talents and experience of members, or how its recommendations would be implemented.

The Kent Law School academic said that without this and other basic information it was very difficult to assess whether this reflects a genuine commitment to effect a fundamental reform of policing in Ireland or just another exercise in being seen to be active.

In other policing developments, Taoiseach Enda Kenny confirmed that the 740-page second report of the Fennelly Commission on Garda recording of phonecalls was to be published in the coming days, while an expert group chaired by the CSO on the Garda Inspectorates recommendations on crime statistics is also set to be published shortly.

And the Oireachtas justice committee has given the Garda commissioner a week to respond to 15 key questions following her bruising four-hour meeting at the committee last Thursday.

Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald yesterday said the Government had given approval to begin the process of establishing a Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland.

She said the commissions terms of reference should be wide ranging and allow for an examination of all aspects of policing.

Ms Fitzgerald said that among the issues it should address were:

Structures and management required for the most effective delivery of policing including all functions currently conducted by Garda  community safety, security and immigration;

Composition, recruitment and training of personnel;

Culture and ethos;

Structures for oversight and accountability;

Legislative framework.

She said the terms should take account of best policing practices of other countries and previous reports on policing in Ireland.

Prof Walsh, an author of books and papers on policing and criminal justice in Ireland, said the terms of reference were critical for the commission to be an actual root and branch review.

He said this meant not examining the Garda in isolation, but external governance and accountability. While the oversight structures are mentioned, he said the key relationship between the Garda and the Department of Justice and the Government was not.

He said the commission must examine the powers and duties of gardai, human rights issues, promotion and pay and conditions. He said it was crucial it be wholly independent of government; ideally it should be appointed by the Oireachtas and report to the Oireachtas. He said there had to be an implementation body or there was a very real risk it would gather dust like many reports.

The overall object should be to establish why the Garda seems so prone to corruption, neglect and inefficiency across so many aspects so many years after the Morris report, and what can be done to turn it around.

Government sources said it had yet to be decided who may lead it and that it could have several members.

The Tanaiste will consult the opposition, oversight agencies, the gardai and others before terms of reference are decided next week.

The commission may be given at least a year.
The Labour Party wants to toughen up the laws around cyberbullying, online stalking, and harassment to prevent the sharing of intimate pictures without someones permission.

Brendan Howlin said Irelands harassment laws havent been updated since the advent of the text message and that his partys bill will address this: The measures we are proposing seek to bring Irelands regulations into the 21st century, by broadening the definition of communication to cover all electronic, written and spoken words. For example, this would mean a threatening iMessage sent on an Apple electronic device or a Whatsapp or Facebook message would be covered by law, which is currently not the case.

At the launch of the bill yesterday, Labour councillor Martina Genockey told how she received online rape threats when she was running for the party during the 2014 local elections. Ms Genockey, a councillor in south Dublin County Council, said: It was my first time running for political office, everything was new to me and while I expected a lot of debate, a lot of questions, some level of abuse and people wanting nothing to do with me, I was not expecting the level of abuse and harassment that I received through social media. I strongly believe this behaviour has no place in society.

She said online abuse is almost impossible to avoid as it follows you home and even the most private spaces feel compromised and unsafe. When it goes too far I believe that we need to be able to do something about it, we need to know that the laws are there to back up someone who is being harassed and allow them to claim back their personal space and time, she said.

The changes being put forward by Labour set out the broadest possible definition of communication of information by any means. This includes the communication of information that is generated, processed, transmitted, received, recorded, stored or displayed by electronic means or in electronic form. It also updates the offence of harassment and allows for stalking to count as an aggravating factor in sentencing.

The bill also creates a new of offence of distributing an intimate image without consent  commonly referred to as revenge porn. This offence would carry a six-month jail term and/or a fine.

Mr Howlin said: Sadly, women too are particularly targeted, and Labours bill moves to protect against so-called revenge porn by creating a new offence.
WAYLON Gary White Deer will always be welcome in Ireland, wrote the late Martin McGuinness in his introduction to the 2012 book Touched By Thunder, a memoir by the artist from the Choctaw nation tribe, who now calls Ireland home.

I live in the Donegal Gaeltacht, a place where the native community speak a language among themselves, says White Deer.

He is known as Gary by most of the Irish friends he has made he since he was first invited to visit in 1995, mainly as a result of Irish Choctaw Famine commemorations and links. He settled here permanently in 2012.

White Deer participated in the Famine Commemorations in Skibbereen in 2009, led several Afri Famine walks in Mayo, and met Damien Dempsey for the first time filming for RTEs Nationwide as Damien was singing Choctaw Nation.

They have since become firm friends.

He also made an appearance in an episode of Fair City in 2013, performed Choctaw songs at the Electric picnic, and was once asked to ride a horse down Grafton Street to advertise a brand of fast food  an offer which he declined!

In his former life in Ada Oklahoma, White Deer and his now ex-wife Sarah raised seven children supported almost entirely on earnings from his painting.

He inherited this gift from his father Gilbert, nicknamed Chief, who used to wake from his dreams and go straight to the kitchen table to paint what he saw.

Chief was influenced by his friend Apache artist Alan Houser, and used a traditional style known as flatwork.

The Choctaw traditionally believe that we dwell in tandem with the spirit world who will inspire if you know how to listen.

A detail from White Deers painting, Choctaw Donation to Ireland.

White Deer attended the Institute of American Indian Arts studying under Fritz Scholder, who sought to deconstruct the mythos of the American Indian depicting them with beer cans and American flags.

After his children grew up, White Deer says he followed a sense of inner go with the flow that eventually found him staying permanently in Ireland.

He travels back and forth to visit his family and see his grandchildren. He paints constantly, often with an eclectic variety of music playing in the background.

As well as an inner sense of my own culture its the wind, the sea and the landscape of this part of Donegal which inspires my painting now. Recently waves have started to appear in my work, he says.

Growing up in Oklahoma, I remember white kids pinched you if you were not wearing green on St Patricks Day. I learned of the 1847 Choctaw donation to Famine Ireland when I was in Indian boarding school, he says, referring to when a collection among impoverished Choctaws raised the then substantial sum of $170 for famine-relief in Ireland.

With stories there are two kinds that matter, those we feel, and those we know because they happened to us. We carry both kinds beneath our skin, like hidden tattoos. My stories happened to me so I know them pretty well, reflects White Deer

Those songs and stories I thought I was meant to feel or know I tried to remember, or else they made places within me. In Indian country we dont chase after stories or songs. They come around to where we are. Just like an arrow shot through time which I depict in one of my paintings.

His ethnicity has often been a source of confusion for Irish people but he takes it all in his stride.

Last year an older gentleman asked me how long it took me to fly to India, and I told him I think you have the wrong Indian. Ive been mistaken for John Rocha twice, and ended up saying I was Bob Rocha, John Rochas American cousin for a bit of craic, but Im not American either. Im Choctaw, he says.

His grandmother told him that his last name came from a man called Issi Tohbi which means White Deer in his native tongue.

It was the only name he had. In those days they had only one name, not like today, he says.

There are at least three hundred tribal nations in the place they now call America, with different languages and cultures. I like the phrase First Nations rather than  Native Americans. Perhaps what we witnessed in the Dakota Access Pipeline standoff were re -emerging First Nations Sovereignties. he continued.

White Deer has received painting commissions from the Irish State, and Donegal County Council and has also painted a mural on the walls of Derry.

While working on the mural in Derry, the nationalism there influenced my own sense of tribal sovereignty, just as it does today.

"Among other things my paintings try and show how alive with spirit our tribal ways are, and to help move them forward into other generations.

"The beautiful ancient culture of Ireland that was once suppressed should also be cherished, he says.
Wednesday, April 5th, 2017 (12:39 pm) - Score 1,889

The Scottish Road Works Commissioner has fined fibre optic network builder Cityfibre 35,000 due to a number of serious failures to comply with road works legislation in Scotland, such as the one that occurred in Edinburgh (here) after a contractor sat exposed in a manhole on a busy street.

The offences, which are said to have occurred primarily in the Edinburgh area, included endangering road workers and the general public, non-compliance with the reinstatement specification, working without valid notification on the Scottish Road Works Register, a lack of qualifications and not co-operating with the City of Edinburgh Council.

Most damningly of all the SRWC warned that there had been no significant improvement in Cityfibres performance, which is despite various meetings and the company being monitored and scrutinised over the last year. The Edinburgh Council has recently been particularly scathing of the company, not least due to the rising number of reinstatement (street works) jobs that needed to be re-done in the area.

Angus Carmichael, Scottish Road Works Commissioner, said: The performance of CityFibre has been monitored and scrutinised over the last year. Staff have also met with the company on two occasions. In addition to CityFibres annual performance review, performance reports have been issued on a quarterly basis and updated statistics were available to the company on the Register throughout the period in question for the company to monitor. Despite this, there had been no significant improvement in the performance of the company. A particular incident in Edinburgh on 27 February 2017, which could have resulted in a fatality, further demonstrated CityFibres lack of compliance with road works legislation. The company has subsequently carried out an investigation into the incident, the findings of which confirm my conclusion that they have systematically failed to meet their statutory duty to co-operate under Section 119 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991. In view of their clear performance failures, I am left with no option other than to apply a financial penalty. As the failures are of a very serious nature, compromising both safety and quality, I have decided to impose a significant penalty of 35,000 to send a clear message to all organisations undertaking road works that poor performance is unacceptable.

Cityfibre has since provided the SRWC with an Improvement Plan and confirmed that they are committed to improving their performance and complying with the legislation in future. We should add that the bulk of complaints relate to some of the third-party contractors that the company has hired, such as KNNS.

Meanwhile the operator continues to extend their existing Gigabit capable Fibre-to-the-Premise (FTTP) broadband and Ethernet network in Edinburgh (here), as well as similar work in other Scottish cities like Glasgow etc. We have asked for a comment and are awaiting a reply.

UPDATE 1:13pm

The full response from Cityfibre has now been provided.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Datacastle CEO Ron Faith, who spoke about the critical nature of properly conducting exit interviews to help prevent sensitive data from walking out the door with an employee who leaves the company. Here, I want to back up a bit, and share Faiths insights on how companies can work to avoid that outcome long before the employee leaves.

I opened this portion of the conversation by asking Faith to what extent having employees walk out the door with sensitive company data is a preventable problem. He said its not completely preventable, but you can mitigate the risk around it.

You can create greater friction for the employee so that you can reduce the amount of exposure, or the likelihood of it happening, he said. He noted two dimensions to the problem.

One is in the area of data loss; the other is in the area of a data breach, he said. There are some things you can do on the analytics and smart data discovery side to help predict or get ahead of some of these things.

In the area of data loss, Faith said the BYOD phenomenon has exacerbated the problem of what he called dark data  companies dont know whats on those devices, and they dont know what information theyre losing when the employee leaves.

Its very important that they perform a continuous backup of all those endpoints, whether its a laptop or smartphone or what have you, so that when the employee leaves, you havent lost the asset, Faith said. That needs to happen not only on the endpoints, but on what I think of as virtual endpoints, as well, which are the enterprise file sync and share repositories, like Dropbox or Box.

On the data breach side, Faith said, procedures need to be in place in terms of notifying employees when they leave what the rules are.

Its also important to have the ability to remotely wipe the data, either by command by IT, or by poison pill, he said. And then the other thing on data breach is that lots of enterprises now have multiple SaaS applications. And where theres access to data, there are often different logins, and different departments buying different applications. So having a single sign-on, and being able to revoke privileges quickly, is pretty important.

Faith also discussed the forensics of determining the source of a data breach.

On the investigatory side, this is where things like analytics capabilities come in, he said. What we [at Datacastle] do is we take every document and break it up into a bunch of little blocks, and then encrypt every block with its own key and give every block its own signature. We can then identify where across your organization that block first existed, how it propagated through your organization, and who had it at the time in question. So if youre investigating where the leak came from, or where the points of exposure were, youd have the ability to determine that within minutes.

Faith noted that its important to have the ability to conduct such an investigation without creating a toxic environment in the company.

Depending on where the content was located internally, and who had access to it, a traditional investigation can wind up being very disruptive, and very toxic, to the organization, he said. So being able to conduct an investigation without necessarily tipping anybody off that the investigations going on, and without having to take workstations and laptops offline in order to perform the forensics, can avoid a situation that ends up being problematic.

With the capabilities that [the Datacastle product] provides, youve backed up all the endpoints, and you have the analytics capability to conduct the investigation without letting anybody know that its even going on, Faith said. Youre able to prevent that lack of trust.

A contributing writer on IT management and career topics with IT Business Edge since 2009, Don Tennant began his technology journalism career in 1990 in Hong Kong, where he served as editor of the Hong Kong edition of Computerworld. After returning to the U.S. in 2000, he became Editor in Chief of the U.S. edition of Computerworld, and later assumed the editorial directorship of Computerworld and InfoWorld. Don was presented with the 2007 Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity by American Business Media, and he is a recipient of the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for editorial excellence in news coverage. Follow him on Twitter @dontennant.
For all the hype surrounding the NoSQL movement, SQL remains the lingua franca for queries across both relational and other types of emerging databases. In fact, one of the fastest growing use cases for SQL is on top of Hadoop clusters. This week, Hortonworks underscored that point at a Dataworks Summit/Hadoop Summit Munich conference via a release to the Hortonworks Data Platform (HDP) that adds support for an instance of Apache Hive 2.0 with Live Long and Process (LLP) capabilities that runs in memory.

Rather than having to invest in a commercial relational database, Hortonworks CTO Scott Gnau says HDP 2.6 provides all the advantages of SQL running on a platform that can handle several orders of magnitude more data. Because Hive 2.0 LLP runs in memory, any query against that data can now be processed in the sub-second range, says Gnau.

Armed with these capabilities, Gnau says, many IT organizations will increasingly be migrating analytics applications off relational databases in favor of directly accessing data stored in Hadoop.

Its now really only a matter of when, says Gnau.

Other enhancements provided in HDP 2.6 include support for version 2.1 of the Spark in-memory computing framework and Zeppelin, an open source Apache project for creating interactive notebooks using analytics data. In addition, Hortonworks has made it simpler to configure and secure a Hadoop cluster.

As more organizations opt to employ Hadoop as the primary platform for storing data, it only makes sense to move as many of the engines for processing that data as close to Hadoop as possible. The only question now is determining how many of those engines are to run on the Hadoop platform itself versus continuing to allocate additional dedicated infrastructure.
Samsung's Tizen just suffered a major blow on its overall capability as a working OS due to security issues. According to Israeli researcher Amihai Neiderman, the open source operating system used on a range of Internet-of-Things devices is chock-full of security issues and coding problems. As a systems analyst and researcher, Neiderman presented his full review, riddled with devastating evaluation, during the Kaspersky Lab's Security Analyst Summit.

Noted as a sometime competitor to Android, the OS in questions has been described by Neiderman as "the worst code I've ever seen". He added that it's surprising that "Everything you can do wrong there, they do it". Needless to say, Neiderman was not impressed by the weak performance of the OS and had very little positive to say about the state of the code.

Samsung has been developing Tizen for many years, which started as an Intel and Nokia project merged with Bada operating system in 2013. Built on a Linux kernel like the Android, and running on C++ and HTML5, it was developed with a large chunk of open source software running on top. According to the Ars Technica, the OS is predominantly used in smart devices, but Samsung continues to dabble with it on smartphones.

Neiderman reported having found a surprising amount of flaws in the newer code. He added that there is a widespread improper use of the strcpy() function in C, which is notorious for making devices vulnerable to dangerous functions that are well known to experienced C and C++ programmers. Many developers use alternative functions entirely in order to avoid these risks, but Tizen developers are "using it everywhere".

Additionally, Samsung suffers further bad review as its code fails to use SSL in a consistent way. According to Android Police, Neiderman found that one of the most critical vulnerabilities was in the Tizen Store, which allowed the injection of malicious code into his Samsung TV. He concluded that with the OS, it's extremely easy for malicious code to be uploaded into the Tizen system.
Even the Duggar family was not able to escape an April Fools prank. A publication recently mocked the religious traditions of the celebrity family as newly pronounced couple Joseph Duggar and Kendra Caldwell are allegedly expecting a baby. Fans who were not able to finish the whole article were fast to judge the young couple while those who found out that it was for April Fools expressed their disgust over the joke.

April Fools took the fans of Duggar family in a craze when The Hollywood Reporter wrote a long expose on Joseph Duggar and Kendra Caldwell's sin. Joseph allegedly took to their family blog site to confess about his grave sin where he supposedly wrote: "I have sinned...I mean, I have really sinned like crazy, y'all." The publication even added: "There were nights that Kendra and I sinned like four or five times in just a couple hours."

Just with these opening statements of Joseph Duggar in his supposed confession, fans might have already felt like the 22-year-old lad purposely had a premarital activity to disrespect his family's rules. As TLC viewers already know, the Duggar family rose to fame for their religious standards, practices, and rules which had gained them 19 kids. However, the testimony of the Duggars was somehow stained when the eldest son, Josh, admitted to multiple child molestation and cheating scandals.

Josh Duggar's infamy was even mocked on the report where his brother Joseph allegedly compared fornication to the former's acts. Joseph Duggar supposedly wrote that he thinks it is not at all as bad as what his older brother did. Then at the end of the report, it was noted that the news was for April Fools.

The fans of the TLC stars though seemed to be more angry than happy about the joke. A lot of fans condemned the prank on Joseph Duggar and Kendra Caldwell. Most commented that the Duggar family will not have laughed off the report as sin is not tolerated in their household. Some of their followers were actually worried about another bad rumor ruining the family as fans know very well how the Duggars suffered from Josh's mistakes which even caused them their reality series "19 Kids and Counting."

Joseph and Kendra announced their courtship earlier last month after two more Duggar children were rumored to be in a relationship with the Caldwell siblings. The two did not reveal when their romance exactly was begun but fans are expecting that they will follow the footsteps of the other Duggar children who took their courtship into engagement and marriage. The two are reportedly in an honest relationship and are not planning to break any of the courtship rules of the Duggar family.
Facebooks appeal against 381 warrants for information from the accounts of its users was rejected by a New York court on the ground that earlier orders refusing to quash the warrants issued in a criminal proceeding could not be appealed.

The decision by the New York State Court of Appeals did not address key issues of whether the broad searches were unconstitutional, and whether internet service providers like Facebook have standing to challenge such warrants on behalf of their users, particularly when they are served with gag orders that prevent providers from informing subscribers about the warrants.

This case undoubtedly implicates novel and important substantive issues regarding the constitutional rights of privacy and freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, and the parameters of a federal statute establishing methods by which the government may obtain certain types of information, wrote Judge Leslie E. Stein, writing for the majority.

The judge added that the court was constrained by state law to affirm the Appellate Divisions order. We have no occasion to consider, and therefore do not pass on, the merits of the parties' arguments regarding Facebook's standing to assert Fourth Amendment claims on behalf of its users, whether an individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy in his or her electronic communications, the constitutionality of the warrants at issue, or the propriety of the District Attorney's refusal to release the supporting affidavit, she wrote.

A number of technology companies including Google, Twitter and Microsoft, and civil rights groups like the New York Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union have backed Facebook in this long-drawn dispute. The NYCLU has objected to what it described as broad fishing expeditions by government into personal and social conversations with family and friends with no regard to user privacy.

Manhattan prosecutors had obtained the search warrants issued by the New York Supreme Court under the Stored Communications Act in July 2013, which sought subscriber information and content for a criminal investigation into a Social Security disability fraud case. Facebook challenged the warrants, which it said were overbroad, and it was not allowed to inform the affected users.

The New York Supreme Court asked Facebook to immediately comply with the warrants, after it ruled that Facebook lacked standing to assert any expectation of privacy or Fourth Amendment claims against unreasonable searches and seizures on behalf of account holders, and also rejected Facebook's challenge to the nondisclosure clauses of the warrants on the ground that disclosure of the warrants to the subscribers would put the ongoing criminal investigation at risk.

Facebook appealed the Supreme Court's order, and sought a stay pending resolution of its appeal. After the Appellate Division denied Facebook's application for a stay, it complied with the warrants and provided the requested data, which led to 63 account holders being charged in the disability fraud. The Appellate Division order was on Tuesday upheld by the Court of Appeals.

Were disappointed by the courts ruling, but we are encouraged to see the thorough dissent that supports Facebooks position arguing for peoples online privacy, Facebook said in a statement. We are grateful to the many organizations that joined us in challenging these overbroad warrants, and we are continuing to evaluate our options because we believe strongly in the issues underlying this case.

A key issue before the appeals court was whether the order served on Facebook for customer information should be treated as a warrant, largely associated with criminal procedures and with search and seizures by law enforcement, or as a subpoena, which requires the service provider to provide the information.

Facebook asked the appeals court to treat the Supreme Court's first order denying its motion to quash the warrants as an appealable order denying a motion to quash subpoenas, but Judge Stein found the argument unpersuasive.

Dissenting Judge Rowan Wilson wrote that a warrant under the SCA operates more like a subpoena than like traditional search warrants, as it compels third parties like Facebook, who are not the targets of the investigation, to put in resources for producing the documents.

Section 2703 (d) of the SCA gives service providers standing to move a court to modify or quash an order, "if the information or records requested are unusually voluminous in nature or compliance with such order otherwise would cause an undue burden on such provider."

Compelling a company to disclose the private information of its customers may tarnish its brand or alienate its current or future users, which could constitute an undue burden when evaluated against the scope of the request and its potential benefit to the prosecutor, wrote dissenting Judge Wilson. But the majority opinion was that the move to modify the order would have to be in the same court that issued the order, without specifying an express right to appeal.
The legal battle between Cisco and Arista is heating up as the two sides square off again in court this week in a hearing about their technology patent infringement and enforcement case.

This hearing is the latest round in an ongoing battle that began in 2014. Most recently, in January the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency revoked its November 2016 finding that Aristas redesigned products dont infringe a key Cisco patent -- as a result Cisco called on Arista to stop importing those products and recall others sold with redesigned software.

+More on Network World: Open source routing project gets a vital technology infusion+

In the summer of 2016 the US Trade Representative began an import ban as well as a cease and desist order covering Arista products imposed by the International Trade Commission in June where it ruled that Arista had infringed on a number of Ciscos technology patents.

Of the hearing this week Mark Chandler, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Cisco wrote in his blog:

While Arista claims to have redesigned its products to avoid Ciscos SysDB patent, they declined to present the redesign to the Commission for review. The ITC now will determine in the enforcement proceeding whether Aristas redesign continues to infringe Ciscos SysDB patent and, if so, what the penalty should be for the ongoing infringement."

+More on Network World: IBM technology creates smart wingman for self-driving cars+

"We appreciate the staff attorneys positions presented in opening statements today, which highlight issues to be considered in the enforcement proceeding. Our goal all along has been to stop Arista from using IP copied from Cisco in its products. We believe that the changes made in Aristas redesign were insignificant, and that their switches continue to rely on the teaching of Ciscos patent for the operation of their switches. We intend to present evidence to that effect in the enforcement proceeding.

Chandler went on to write: Customs and Border Protection (CBP) met with counsel from both parties in February, during which Cisco expressed our concerns about the Arista redesign. CBP is expected to issue a ruling on whether Arista should be allowed to import its redesigned product while the ITC enforcement proceedings are underway, but will be bound by the final ITC decision in September. If the ITC finds that Aristas redesign still infringes after considering all the evidence, CBP will enforce the import ban of Aristas products, and the ITC may issue substantial penalties for Aristas continued sale of infringing products after the ITC cease and desist order went into effect.

Arista didnt commented on Chandlers current remarks, but there was this news today about the case:

"On April 4, 2017, the ITC staff attorney assigned to the enforcement action announced the Office of Unfair Import Investigations (OUII) position on the merits. OUII serves as a neutral third party representing the interests of the public in ITC investigations. OUII takes the position that Aristas redesigned products do not infringe the 537 patent, that Arista has fully complied with the ITCs orders, and that Arista acted in good faith in doing so. Both parties will participate in a hearing for this matter on April 5, 2017.The ALJs initial determination on this matter is expected on June 20, 2017, and the ITCs final determination is expected on September 20, 2017."

In February on its 4Q earnings call Jayshree Ullal, CEO of Arista said of the lawsuit: Regarding customs, late evening on Friday, January 13, 2017, we were surprised to receive a letter from Customs and Border Protection, CBP, that revoked its previously issued 177 ruling on November 18, 2016. It is important to emphasize that CBP has not ruled that Arista's products infringe. CBP currently have no stated position on that issue. Instead, CBP has set up a process to obtain input from both parties before issuing a new ruling. We do look forward to cooperating with customs in forthcoming weeks. We are in inter-party process to resolve the matter. Arista is firmly resolute and steadfast in lawful supply of our products and servicing them without disruption to our customers. As a reminder, the ITC and customs orders do not prohibit us from selling non-infringing products manufactured in the domestic USA.

[For a full read of Aristas Q4 statements, see Seeking Alphas transcript here].

In January Arista said It is important to understand that CBP has not ruled that Aristas products infringe. Instead, CBP has expressed concern that its original ruling was incorrect, based on input provided by Cisco. It is equally important to understand that Arista has not yet responded to Ciscos arguments and has not yet had an opportunity to address any concerns Customs may have as a result of those arguments. We look forward to engaging with CBP in the coming days, and we are confident that CBP will diligently and carefully evaluate the facts, as they have done throughout this process.

Cisco began its legal proceedings on December 19, 2014 by filing two lawsuits against Arista. One suit is for patent infringement, which charges Arista with violating 14 Cisco patents for 12 features in the Arista EOS operating system. The second suit is for extensive copying of Ciscos user manuals and command line structures, right down to the grammatical errors within them, Network World wrote at the time.
Today

Generally sunny despite a few afternoon clouds. High 79F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.

Tonight

A few clouds from time to time. Low 61F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.

Tomorrow

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally sunny. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 69F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.
Korea's popularity as a travel destination among Chinese tourists has plummeted sharply amid an unofficial boycott over Seoul's decision to deploy a U.S. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery.

Korea came a poor 16th with a mere 1.4 percent in a survey of favored travel destinations by Ctrip, China's largest online travel agency. That was down a whopping 13 notches from third place last year, according to the Korea International Trade Association.


Email

Links to our top local news stories of the day, Monday through Saturday.
Police have started providing top-level official security for presidential candidates as the nomination process came to an end on Tuesday. Police assigned five to eight officers to each candidate to guard him or her around the clock and could deploy more later.

Minjoo Party candidate Moon Jae-in has a security detail of former commandos assigned right after he was nominated by his party on Monday. People's Party candidate Ahn Cheol-soo was also put under protection once he won his party's nomination on Tuesday.

Bareun Party candidate Yoo Seung-min and the Liberty Korea Party's Hong Joon-pyo have been under protection since they were nominated last week.

Only Sim Sang-jung, the candidate of the leftwing Justice Party, held out after her nomination on Feb. 16 but agreed to accept protection on Tuesday.

The security detail for each candidate will grow to about 30 as soon as they register with the National Election Commission on April 15-16.


The privately held owner of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. is expanding its breakfast reach by offering to buy Panera Bread Co. for $7.5 billion.

JAB Holdings Inc. said it would pay $315 per share for Panera, representing a 20 percent premium over Paneras all-time share price high and a 30 percent premium from its March 31 closing price.

The deal including taking over $340 million in Panera debt. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter.

JAB is buying a company with $5 billion in sales in 2016.

We are pleased to join with JAB, a private investor with an equally long-term perspective, as well as a deep commitment to our strategic plan, Ron Shaich, Paneras founder, chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.

The deal requires approval of Panera shareholders. Shaich has agreed to vote his 15.5 percent ownership stake in favor of the deal.

By comparison, JAB affiliate JAB Beech paid $1.35 billion for Krispy Kreme on July 27. That deal was worth $21 a share, representing a 25 percent premium over its share price of $16.86 when the deal was announced May 9.

As of Dec. 27, Panera had 2,036 restaurants in 46 states and in Ontario, Canada, operating under the brand of Panera Bread, Saint Louis Bread Co. and Paradise Bakery & Cafe.

That includes four in Greensboro, two in Winston-Salem and one each in Boone, Burlington, Clemmons, Kernersville and High Point.

"By any measure, Panera has been one of the most successful restaurant companies in history, Shaich said.

Shaich said in Panera 25 years as a publicly traded company, it has been the best performing restaurant stock of the past twenty years  up over 8,000 percent.

Today's transaction is a direct reflection of those efforts, and delivers substantial additional value for our shareholders, Shaich said.

The themes we have bet on  digital, wellness, loyalty, omni-channel, new formats for growth  are shaping the restaurant industry today.

Olivier Goudet, a JAB partner and chief executive, said the strong Panera financial performance and management team led JAB to make its offer.

We strongly support Panera's vision for the future, strategic initiatives, culture of innovation, and balanced company vs. franchise store mix, Goudet said.

We are excited to invest in and work together with the company's management team and franchisees to continue to lead the industry."

JAB said it will follow the same format with Panera as it did with Krispy Kreme, converting them into a private company, retaining local management, headquarters and workforce.

However, much of Krispy Kremes management team prior to the sale, including chief executive Tony Thompson, have left the company. Most apparently left with lucrative golden-parachute compensation packages.

JAB Holding also has a controlling interest in Keurig Green Mountain, Peets Coffee & Tea, Caribou Coffee Co., Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Espresso House in Scandinavia, and Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Inc.

Nick Setyan, an analyst with Wedbush Securities Inc., said that when Krispy Kreme was taken private that it has been increasingly clear from recent management articulations of their strategy that they are investing in a long-term transformation of the business.

Usually, it is easier to focus on the long term as a private company.

John Stanton, a professor of food marketing at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, said "I'm not sure what direction this will go."

"The main issue is whether JAB will allow Panera to stay on the strategy that has made it successful. Businesses frequently buy great brands and then merge them into the company's model, losing the essence of the brand.

"The other coffee businesses and Krispy Kreme might benefit from the Panera supply chain knowledge," Stanton said. "But Panera and Krispy may not be on the same strategic plane. This might be a case of just letting the separate businesses continue as is."
Do you remember cherry-vanilla ice cream? The kind with dark, sour cherries and just a hint of vanilla in the sweet, thick cream? This old-fashioned combo doesnt seem to be popular these days the way it once was.

Todays recipe takes those same dramatic flavors and uses them in an easy bread. This is part-quick bread and part-buttery poundcake studded with dark, rich, tart cherries. I first started thinking about the delicious possibilities when I came across a large bag of Montmorency cherries at my local club store. I grabbed a bag, thinking theyd be a great addition to my morning oatmeal. Then I started snacking on the intense little gems when I remembered my favorite ice cream flavor as a child  cherry-vanilla.

Yes, they are wonderful when stirred into a steaming bowl of oatmeal. But youre going to love the result of this quick bread. After several loaves, Ive finally given up on the hope of having leftovers long enough to make French toast. It seems that when a loaf is in the house, it never lasts until the next day. If you can, try turning day-old or two-day-old cherry-vanilla bread into French toast and let me know how it turns out.
David Erik Van Slee was angry on April 13, 2016.

His estranged longtime girlfriend, Jaffrine Kennard, had brought home Christopher Gilles Raymond, the man she had found through the online dating site Plenty of Fish and had been seeing for months.

Just after midnight, Van Slee burst into a bedroom, saw Raymond in bed with Kennard, and fatally shot Raymond, a Forsyth County prosecutor said Wednesday.

Raymond, 32, died at 4065 Lamond Drive from a gunshot wound to the chest, Assistant District Attorney Lizmar Bosques said in Forsyth Superior Court.

Van Slee pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Wednesday, and Judge Susan Bray sentenced him to 12 years to 15 years and five months in prison. Bosques and Van Slees attorney, Chris Beechler, agreed to the sentence as part of the plea arrangement.

Van Slee has been in custody since his arrest on April 13, 2016.

Online dating site

Bosques said the events that led to Raymonds death had begun months before, when Van Slee and Kennard started having problems in their relationship. The two had dated since at least 2010 and had two children together, she said. They moved to North Carolina from Chicago and lived together at the house on Lamond Drive.

It got so bad that Kennard decided to see other men and turned to Plenty of Fish. Thats where she met Raymond and they began dating. Kennard told investigators that Van Slee knew she was dating other people and that Van Slee was dating other people as well.

Kennard told Kathy Van Slee, Van Slees mother, that she was dating Raymond and asked if Raymond could pick her up at Kathy Van Slees house. Kathy Van Slee had some concerns, particularly about her grandchildren, and checked out Raymond through social media. She discovered that Raymond was married and contacted Raymonds wife, Kylie Raymond. She told Kylie Raymond that her husband was cheating on her.

Bosques said that started back-and-forth arguments among Kylie Raymond, Christopher Raymond, David Van Slee and Kennard over Facebook and text messages on cellphones.

Done with relationship

According to search warrants, Kennard told Van Slee seven days before the shooting that she no longer wanted to be with him. Bosques said in court that Kennard told Van Slee she planned to continue dating Raymond.

Raymond told his wife, Kylie, they were going to separate, according to search warrants.

Van Slee and the couples children moved out of the house and went to live with Van Slees mother. Bosques said Van Slee told Kennard that he did not want Raymond in the couples house.

Bosques said that Van Slee also indicated he was afraid of Raymond, pointing to an alleged incident the day before the shooting during which Kylie Raymond told him that Raymond had thrown something at her during an argument. Van Slee also told authorities that Raymond threatened to choke him in a text message to Kennard.

About 9 p.m. April 12, 2016, Raymond and Kennard went to dinner. Van Slee came to the house to take care of the couples dog and texted Kennard but heard nothing. He asked a relative to drive by the house later that night to see if anyone was there. That relative only saw Kennards car. (Raymond had parked away from the house.)

Van Slee came back to the house just after midnight on April 13, 2016, armed with a gun. He heard Raymond and Kennard having sex and burst into the back bedroom.

What are you doing in my home? Van Slee asked Raymond, according to Bosques. Kennard ran into the bathroom. Raymond asked, What are you doing? Van Slee told Raymond not to move and said he would shoot him if Raymond took a step.

What are you going to do? Shoot me? Raymond said.

Raymond took a step. Van Slee fired, hitting Raymond in the chest. The bullet tore through Raymonds aorta and main pulmonary artery.

Kennard told authorities that Van Slees face immediately changed, as if he was in shock about what had happened.

When Forsyth County sheriffs deputies arrived, they found Van Slee performing CPR on Raymond, who was lying on the floor near the bed. Van Slee told authorities the gun was on the bed.

Deputies took Van Slee out of the room and continued performing CPR on Raymond while Kennard stood on the porch. Forsyth County EMS arrived and pronounced Raymond dead.

Bosques said Van Slee initially told authorities Raymond had come toward him and he was afraid. He eventually gave a full statement, she said.

Terrible mistake

Chris Beechler, Van Slees attorney, said his client knows he made a terrible mistake.

He is going to miss the best years of his kids lives and thats the price he pays for taking someones life, Beechler said.

Van Slee apologized to his family and Raymonds family. He said he wanted to protect his family.

I did what any man or father would do in that situation, he said, adding that now he knows he made a mistake.

Bosques said the three children have suffered the most  Raymonds son and Van Slees two children.

Its just a sad set of circumstances where the adults made so many poor decisions that resulted in the biggest cost to these children, she said.
Sayari Analytics, a financial intelligence firm in Washington, said in a recent report that 600 Chinese companies did business with North Korea over the last three or four years, and the money involved came to a whopping $8 billion.

Some 300 Chinese businesses have dealings with North Korea amounting to more than US$1 million a year, and the North relies on Chinese firms for 40 percent of its hard currency earnings.

Three hundred of them did more than $1 million a year in business with the North, and 50 more than $10 million.

At least 15 companies were involved in more than $100 million worth of business with North Korea since 2013, and 20 even formed joint ventures with North Korean firms that were blacklisted by the U.S.

Given that North Korea's external trade amounted to $6.25 billion in 2015, the Chinese companies were vital lifelines for the impoverished country, accounting for 40 percent of its foreign earnings.

A substantial number of Chinese companies continued doing business with North Korea after UN and U.S.-led sanctions against the North were significantly bolstered last year.

More than half of the 50 Chinese companies that did over $10 million worth of business a year with the North before the sanctions were tightened continued to trade with it last year, as did one-third of the companies whose annual trade with Pyongyang amounted to at least $1 million, according to the report. This shows that sanctions against the North are not having the hoped-for impact.

The U.S. House of Representatives has recently passed a bill allowing the U.S. to impose sanctions against third countries including China that are engaged in trade with North Korea.

Sayari Analytics did not reveal the names of the companies.


U.S. and Chinese investment in Korea plunged 34 percent and 56 percent in the first quarter of this year amid growing protectionism in America and an unofficial Chinese boycott.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Tuesday that direct U.S. investment in Korea in the first quarter stood at US$365 million, down 34 percent on-year, and Chinese investment reached just $163 million over the same period, down 56 percent.

Overall foreign direct investment in Korea fell 9.2 percent.

Chung In-kyo at Inha University said, "Chinese businesses have no choice but to protect themselves" amid the Chinese government's retaliatory measures against the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery in Korea.

But Heo Yoon at Sogang University said FDI shrank due to a large number of external uncertainties, and more analysis is needed to see if the THAAD boycott and U.S. President Donald Trump's protectionist campaigns have had any impact.

The ministry also said it is unclear whether Chinese companies are really cutting back severely, because many now invest in Korea through Singapore and Hong Kong. And indeed, investment by Hong Kong and Singapore-based companies rose 35 percent to $1.94 billion.


A bid from Pulte Homes to rezone and add 465 residences and possibly a school near Sandy Run Creek on Jedburg Road wasn't met with open arms at a Oct. 26 community meeting on the part of local homeowners seeking to preserve the area's rural characteristics. Read moreJedburg Road residents tell Pulte Homes: 'Keep it rural'
Pastor Thomas Dixon (left), co-founder of The Coalition: People United to take Back our Community, and Louis Smith, Summerville community activist and founder of the Community Resource Center in town, address media Wednesday at Town Hall. The civil rights leaders are frustrated with the continued presence of the Confederate Battle Flag in the Lowcountry and most recently at the Flowertown Festival.
Prosecutors on Tuesday questioned ex-President Park Geun-hye for more than 10 hours in the remand prison where she has been held since late last week.

The session lasted until around 6 p.m., but it took another hour and a half for Park to read over her statement and make corrections, and prosecutors plan to question her again on Thursday.

At the request of Park's lawyers, the interrogation was not recorded or videotaped.
JURIST Guest Columnist William W. Berry III of the University of Mississippi School of Law discusses the constitutional questions and unclear future of the death penalty 

The State of Mississippi legislature has recently passed a bill [PDF] to amend its death penalty statute to provide for additional alternative methods of execution if lethal injection becomes unconstitutional, and to broaden the acceptable techniques of lethal injection. Specifically, the new statute provides that if lethal injection becomes unconstitutional, the state must use the gas chamber as the method of killing. If then the gas chamber also becomes unconstitutional, the state must use a firing squad as the method of execution. Finally, if lethal injection, gas chamber, and firing squad all become unconstitutional, the state must execute using electrocution.

This new approach is a bizarre reaction to the current lethal injection crisis where the state wants to make sure that it has some way to execute the 47 inmates on its death row. While other states have increasingly explored other methods of execution, Mississippi is the first to sequentially stack and prefer a series of methods. Like most states, the new Mississippi statute does not provide a choice of method to inmates.

This concern with the efficacy of execution methods underscores the broader death penalty landscape, with states facing increasing difficulty in obtaining the needed drugs to conduct lethal injection procedures. The drug in particular that states cannot obtain is the anesthetic given before the lethal drugs. The European companies that made such drugs, most often sodium thiopental or similar barbiturate, have ceased manufacturing them, and American companies have not attempted to fill the void, both because of FDA restrictions and public stigma that might attach from manufacturing death penalty drugs.

As states have run out of sodium thiopental, some began to use pentobarbital as a substitute, but supplies of that drug have dried up as well. The most recent substitute adopted by a number of states is midazolam, an anesthetic used in surgeries. Indeed, the state of Arkansas has chosen to execute eight inmates in a ten-day period in April largely because its supply of midazolam faces an upcoming expiration date.

These approaches by states in executing inmates remain troublesome on two levels. First, the procedures in many cases are experimentalstates are using new protocols for execution and the inmate receiving the lethal injection becomes the guinea pig for their approach. For obvious reasons, states have not tested such approaches before, but there remains an alarming lack of medical involvement in developing these procedures.

Second, in many lethal injection protocols, the second drug (after the anesthetic) is a paralytic, making it impossible to determine the effect of the lethal injection on the inmate with respect to anesthesia and pain. While assuaging the visual picture for observers (inmates appear to drop off into a peaceful sleep), the use of a paralytic hides the success (or failure) of the anesthetic. If the anesthetic wears off, the inmate receives the sensation of being burned alive from the inside, with the added torture of not being able to move in response to this excruciating pain. Several botched lethal injections (where the anesthetic did not work) have demonstrated the potentially gruesome nature of this kind of punishment. There may be constitutional issues with the use of secrecy in this context.

Inmates have challenged the use of midazolam specifically, as having a ceiling effect, where additional dosage does not lengthen the period of sedation. With no clinical trial to observe, states have simply increased the dosage amount for midazolam and hoped for the best. The paralytic, though, makes it very difficult to determine whether (and how) such an approach has worked in recent lethal injections.

In 2015, the Supreme Court considered [PDF] the constitutionality of the lethal injection protocol using midazolam, upholding the approach as a punishment that did not fall within the Eighth Amendments proscription against cruel and unusual punishments. In adopting a very high standard for showing unconstitutionality (proving a substantial risk of severe pain and showing a feasible statutory alternative), Justice Alitos opinion chastised the guerrilla warfare attacks on the availability of lethal injection drugs, emphasizing that if a punishment is constitutional, there must be a constitutional way to impose it.

His opinion, however, demonstrated the manner in which the court has muddied the distinction between the punishment (the death penalty), the method (lethal injection), and the technique (three-drug protocol with midazolam). All three must meet the requirements of the Eighth Amendment. Despite the similar nature of the questionwhether the punishment, method, or technique is a cruel and unusual punishmentthe court uses different tests to assess each issue.

With respect to the punishment and its application, the court uses its evolving standards of decency test. This test looks to the majority practice and then requires the court to determine whether the application of the punishment satisfies one or more purposes of punishment. As for the technique, the court uses its substantial risk of pain test as it did in Glossip v. Gross [PDF], and its predecessor, Baze v. Rees, which upheld Kentuckys lethal injection protocol in 2008. It is unclear whether the former test or the latter test would apply to challenges to the method itself, particularly because there have been no recent challenges to methods, only techniques.

The constitutionality of statutes such as the proposed Mississippi statute could hinge on which test the court elects to apply. If the evolving-standards-of-decency test constitutes the applicable standard, the court would look to whether other states use the methods in question. Currently, thirty-three states use some form of lethal injection. Not counting Mississippi, only eight states allow electrocution, five states allow the gas chamber, three states allow hanging, and two states allow firing squads. Under the courts doctrine, no method other than lethal injection would satisfy the majoritarian part of the test, as an overwhelming majority of jurisdictions do not use such methods. The second part of the test, the application of the purposes of punishment, would be more uncertain. The central question would be whether the method (electrocution, gas chamber, hanging, or firing squad) would satisfy the purpose of retribution or the purpose of general deterrence. Interestingly, the court has never had a case where the results of the two evolving standards inquiries diverge.

If the court applied the Glossip test, the question would be whether the method created a substantial risk of severe pain. If the petitioner could make such a showing, the petitioner would then have to show that an available alternative method offered a substantial lower risk of severe pain.

A petitioner offering such a theory with respect to lethal injection had his petitioner for certiorari recently denied by the court [PDF]. Alabama death row inmate Thomas Arthur amassed significant evidence that lethal injection would create a much more substantial risk of severe pain because he has a heart condition and requested death by firing squad. Justices Sotomayor and Breyer dissented to the denial of certiorari, arguing that Arthur had met the Glossip standard.

Despite the doctrinal confusion, the court has never held that a method or technique of execution was unconstitutional. If, however, states continue to experiment with old methods and techniques or create new ones, it remains to be seen whether the court might intervene in a given circumstance.

Given the continued issues with obtaining lethal injection drugs and renewed efforts by states to find alternative methods and techniques of execution, the future of the death penalty remains both murky and unpredictable. To be sure, the myriad of issues relating to the legality of methods and techniques has spurred action by states in a number of different directions. What makes this even more interesting is the gradual decline of the death penalty over the past decade in terms of public opinion, number of new death sentences, and number of executions themselves. The current rash of action might be the impetus to return to the heyday of the 1990s, or more likely, the last gasp of the death penalty before it gradually disappears.

William Berry is an Associate Professor of Law and Frank Montague, Jr. Professor at the University of Mississippi. Professor Berry has focused his scholarly work on the Eighth Amendment and its application to criminal sentencing, including the death penalty. He has published widely, including articles in the Texas Law Review, the Southern California Law Review, and the Wisconsin Law Review, to name a few. In addition, his doctoral dissertation for his D.Phil. from the University of Oxford (UK) assessed proportionality review in capital cases by the Ohio Supreme Court over a twenty-year period.

Suggested citation: William W. Berry III The Execution Methods Crisis, JURIST  Academic Commentary, April 3, 2017, http://jurist.org/academic/2017/04/william-berry-the-execution-methods-crisis.php.
The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit [official website] ruled Tuesday that LGBT employees are protected from workplace discrimination [opinion, PDF] under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act [text]. The plaintiff in the case was Kimberly Hively, who claims [AP report] that she was not hired by Ivy Tech Community College because of her sexual orientation. The judges found that discrimination based on sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination barred under the act. The decision explains that:

Viewed through the lens of the gender non-conformity line of cases, Hively represents the ultimate case of failure to conform to the female stereotype (at least as understood in a place such as modern America, which views heterosexuality as the norm and other forms of sexuality as exceptional): she is not heterosexual. Hivelys claim is no different from the claims brought by women who were rejected for jobs in traditionally male workplaces, such as fire departments, construction, and policing. The employers in those cases were policing the boundaries of what jobs or behaviors they found acceptable for a woman (or in some cases, for a man).

This is the first time that a federal appeals court has made this legal finding and it comes just a few weeks after a court in Atlanta made the opposite ruling.

Throughout the US, the rights of LGBT persons remain a highly controversial issue. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments [JURIST report] on Monday over a Mississippi law dealing with religious objections to same-sex marriage and would permit merchants to deny services to same-sex couples. Last month, Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed [JURIST report] amendments to SB 196, repealing language that barred advocacy of homosexuality in Utah public schools. In February the Arkansas Supreme Court on ruled [JURIST report] that a Fayetteville city ordinance broadening nondiscrimination laws to include sexual orientation or gender identity was invalid under a state statute that prohibited cities from adopting or enforcing ordinances prohibiting discrimination beyond that barred by state law.
Australias Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion [Official website] on Tuesday rejected a call [press release] from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Victoria Tauli-Corpuz [official website] to create specific targets to improve the treatment of Aboriginal peoples. Tauli-Corpuz visited Australia between March 20 and April 3. She noted that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders represent 3% of the countrys population, but 27% of the countrys prison population. She also noted that 95% of the children who are incarcerated at the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Australia has previously started the Closing the Gap strategy which is meant to close gaps between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to that of the general Australian population in the areas of health, education, employment, and others. Tauli-Corpuz recommends that targets on justice be included in this Closing the Gap strategy. Scullion has rejected [ABC News Report] the idea of setting targets on justice, stating that [t]argets are appropriate in some circumstances in some jurisdictions and not in others. Scullion also stated that the government does not poses the appropriate levers to control the incarceration rates of these groups.

Australias treatment of Aboriginal people has drawn criticism from the international community. Tauli-Corpuzs report criticized several areas of treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, calling [JURIST report] their treatment appalling. Last month, another UN rapporteur said that Australias policies to prevent violence against women do not benefit [JURIST report] Aboriginal women. In December the UN called on [JURIST report] Australia to end all forms of racial discrimination, including against indigenous Australians. Last July Amnesty International said Australia must address [JURIST report] abuse of child prisoners.
[JURIST] Brazils top court, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) [official website, in Portuguese], on Tuesday suspended the trial of President Michel Temer [BBC backgrounder] who is accused of receiving illegal donations during his 2014 campaign. Following former president Dilma Rousseffs [Britannica profile] removal from office, her lawyers presented evidence [JURIST report] in November that Temer received a US $295,351 deposit after the same amount was donated by construction firm Andrade Gutierrez to the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party [official websites, in Portuguese]. Temers legal team has denied [Reuters report] such allegations. Currently, the TSE will not issue a verdict until May at the earliest. Until then, the TSE will hear additional witnesses and arguments from Brazils political parties.

Brazils political establishment has been in turmoil as many powerful politicians have been brought to the center of embarrassing corruption investigation and trials. Last month, Brazils top prosecutor asked [JURIST report] the TSE to open 83 more investigations into politicians in connection to the Petrobras scandal [JURIST news archive]. More than 100 individuals and 50 politicians have been arrested in connection to the scandal, and charges have been filed against some of Brazils most powerful politicians, including [JURIST report] former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Although not directly related to Petrobras, in August the Brazil Senate voted to convict [JURIST op-ed] Rousseff on allegations that she used improper accounting to cover-up a growing budget deficit and illegal loans from state-owned banks.
[JURIST] French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault [official profile] condemned [Twitter post, in French] a suspected chemical attack in Syria and called an emergency meeting [statement] of the United Nations Security Council [official website] to address the issue. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) [advocacy website] reported [SOHR report] that an attack took place on a hospital in in Idlib region of Syria, killing 58-including 11 children, involving the use of chemical weapons. It is suspected [Reuters report] that the Syrian government ordered the attack on the rebel-held province. Ayrault stated, France has, since the start of the conflict, done its utmost to ensure that the international community sheds full light on the use of chemical weapons in Syria, identifies the perpetrators and draws the necessary conclusions in order to put an end to it.

The Syrian Civil War [JURIST backgrounder] has been ongoing since 2011 when opposition groups first began protesting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, and the increasingly bloody nature of the conflict has put pressure on the international community to intervene. In February the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported [JURIST report] that the Syrian government is systematically exterminating detainees. In November Human Rights Watch released a report stating that the practice of caging captured soldiers and civilians constitutes hostage-taking [JURIST report] and an outrage against their personal dignity. In October France opened a torture investigation [JURIST report] into the actions of the Syrian government under Assad in detention facilities. Additionally, Amnesty International released a report [JURIST report] in October detailing the possibility of war crimes in Syria. The AI report criticized the Syrian government by stating that they have maintained unlawful sieges, restricted humanitarian assistance deliveries, deliberately attacked civilians, and carried out indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, arbitrary detentions, abductions and enforced disappearances.
A group of US Senators [official site] on Tuesday introduced [press release] a bipartisan bill [official summary, PDF] to require government agents to get a warrant when searching electronic devices of US citizens at the border. The Protecting Data at the Border Act [text, PDF] seeks to allow citizens to deny a request of border agents to search their electronic devices without being denied entry or exit at the border except for in emergency situations. The bill requires either a warrant or probable cause to search or seize a device.

A Governmental entity may not seize any electronic equipment belonging to or in the possession of a United States person at the border unless there is probable cause to believe that the electronic equipment contains information that is relevant to an allegation that the United States person has committed a felony.

Furthermore the bill requires data collection of the number of times agents access digital data, request access to data, or attempt so access data of citizens as well as create a record of the number of non-citizens for the same. The Senate must approve the measure before it moves to the House[official site].

The bill comes on the heels of recent issues impacting digital data and privacy. The US Congress voted [JURIST report] last week to repeal Internet privacy regulations, preventing the Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and Other Telecommunications Services rule from entering into force. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy , Joseph Cannataci, presented a report [JURIST report] to the Human Rights Council in early March condemning modern-day surveillance legislation and expressing grave concerns regarding the threat to privacy rights in the digital age. Facebook settled [JURIST report] a class-action lawsuit levied against aslo in March for its prior practice of scanning private messages to aid in ads.
A UK high court on Wednesday stayed the extradition of a British man, Rosslee Charles, to Turkey given concerns over his safety. Charles, a gay man, was convicted of homosexual rape in Turkey in 2006. Before the trial, Charles had been held for six months [Guardian report] in a Turkish prison. During that time he was assaulted by guards and fellow prisoners who beat him while being called derogatory names. According to written submissions to the court, he was also forcibly converted to Islam and beaten when he made mistakes in the Arabic text that he was forced to read out loud. Charles was allowed to return to the UK before the trial due to fears for his safety. A lower court had agreed to his extradition on the Turkish governments assurance that Charles would serve his seven-year sentence in a wing designated for LGBT prisoners. The high court allowed Charles application to deny extradition on the grounds that, despite the assurance, the special unit was wholly unworkable. Due to mass arrests following a failed coup in Turkey there was also fear that the lack of staff would deny Charles the required monitoring for his own safety.

Since the failed coup in Turkey in July, where Turkish military forces tried to overthrow the government, the Turkish government has taken several controversial steps to strengthen its power. Turkish Labor Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said that authorities have dismissed more than 90,000 public servants for alleged connections to the coup [JURIST report]. Earlier in March around 330 individuals were put on trial [JURIST report] for alleged involvement in the attempted coup. In February Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights urged [JURIST report] Turkey to change course and to display the responsibility and tolerance expected in a democratic society. The commissioners document comes amid increased scrutiny of Turkeys treatment of journalists and other members of Turkish society, allegedly leading to the repression of free speech and self-censorship. In January a judge for the UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals ordered the release [JURIST report] of Turkish judge Aydin Sefa Akay who was detained in July. In November Turkey significantly restricted the activities of NGOs like human rights organizations and childrens groups and arrested opposition party leaders [JURIST reports] alleging they were connected to terror organizations. In October Human Rights Watch warned [JURIST report] that the emergency decrees put in place after the failed coup, had resulted in serious human rights violations. In July Amnesty International condemned [JURIST report] Turkey for attacking the freedom of the press by issuing arrest warrants for 42 journalists.
[JURIST] The United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) [official website] said Tuesday that it is monitoring alleged ceasefire violations in the neutral zone between Pakistan and India (the LOC). UN Secretary Generals spokesman Stephane Dujarric [official profile] explained the situation. Weve seen the alleged ceasefire violations over the Line of Control, which are currently being investigated by the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan, in the Pakistani-administered side of the Line of Control at Domel, Kotli and Bhimber, where the security situation has, indeed, been tense. India has been against the UNMOGIP and says that it has no use after the Simla Agreement [backgrounder]. The UN maintains the need for peaceful dialogue [Hindustan Times report] to end the escalation of conflict between India and Pakistan.

The conflict between India and Pakistan spans decades [BBC backgrounder; JURIST commentary] as the border became highly contested after the split from the British Empire and subsequent partition. Ever since the partition the two countries have been at odds with series of fighting and peace talks. Human rights in the area of conflict have been a significant concern [JURIST report] for the UN over the years as well.
Taking the stand, Choi said, "I admit that things happened because I met the wrong people, but it is completely false that I colluded with the president." Her testimony quickly descended into by-now familiar histrionics.

Choi and her lawyers retreated behind rhetorical smokescreens as they denied the charge. Her attorney Lee Kyung-jae said Choi "accepts the reality that her mistakes are responsible for Park's indictment" and is "deeply sorry to Samsung, which showed such good will."

Ex-President Park Geun-hye's crony Choi Soon-sil appeared in court on Tuesday to answer a fresh criminal charge of colluding with Park in soliciting W43.3 billion in bribes from Samsung (US$1=W1,124).

She claimed the independent counsel who investigated the scandal and brought the fresh charge "set his own facts and demanded that I testify. I even tried to take my own life for being falsely accused," she said.

The "wrong people" Choi mentioned appear to include her colorful former lover Koh Young-tae, on whom she seems determined to offload some of the blame.

Prosecutors submitted statements to show that Choi ran every aspect of Park's life. They included testimony from a former staffer of a boutique run by Koh, a one-time gigolo-turned fashion designer, where Choi commissioned the ex-president's drab outfits.

The staffer, identified as Im, said the boutique was essentially Choi's own, and was paid W300 million until October of 2016 to make clothes for the president, including staff wages, rent and fabric costs. "Choi covered those expenses," Im added.

Im said Cheong Wa Dae administrative staffer Yoon Jeon-choo, who acts as a kind of valet to Park, "told me to keep my mouth shut if approached by journalists when the scandal was about to break in October and told me to hand over receipts for the clothes."

Another witness who supplied clothes to Park since 1998, told investigators, "Choi paid for everything in cash. One time she even paid me in the presidential office when nobody was there."

Choi denied the allegations and protested it is "improper" to investigate Park's personal affairs like clothing.
NEWSLETTER

Sign up

Tick the boxes of the newsletters you would like to receive.

Just Drinks Daily News

The top stories of the day delivered to you every weekday.

Just Drinks Weekly News

A weekly roundup of the latest news and analysis, sent every Monday.

Just Drinks Magazine

The industry's most comprehensive news and information delivered every quarter
NEWSLETTER

Sign up

Tick the boxes of the newsletters you would like to receive.

Just Style Daily Update

The top stories of the day delivered to you every weekday.

Just Style Weekly Update

A weekly roundup of the latest news and analysis, sent every Monday.

Just Style Magazine

The industry's most comprehensive news and information delivered every quarter.
Britain, France and the United States strongly condemned Russia Wednesday during an emergency UN Security Council for its support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government's role in a suspected chemical weapons attack.

The attack in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun, in Idlib province, killed scores of people, including children, and sparked global moral outrage.

The World Health Organization said Wednesday the victims appear to show symptoms consistent with exposure to a nerve agent. An umbrella organization of Western relief groups put the death toll at 100, with more than 350 others stricken.

At a White House news conference Wednesday with visiting Jordanian King Abdullah, President Donald Trump described the attack as an "affront to humanity that cannot be tolerated." Asked whether he would consider a military response, the president was deliberately vague, "I'm not saying I'm doing anything one way or another."

King Abdullah said, "this is another testament to the failure of international diplomacy to find solutions to this crisis."

 Security Council Meeting

In New York, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told council members, "If nothing is done these attacks will continue. Assad has no incentive to stop using chemical weapons as long as Russia protects his regime from consequences."

She appeared to warn that if council members do not step up, the United States could act on its own.

"When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," Haley warned. "For the sake of the victims, I hope the rest of the council is willing to do the same."

The fate of a draft UN resolution condemning the attack written by the United States, Britain and France remains in limbo, as Russia's envoy said at the emergency session he did think the time was right for such action.

Russia has "categorically denied" any role in the attack, blaming the incident on Syrian warplanes striking a warehouse or factory storing chemical weapons possessed by rebel forces. Syria's government repeatedly has denied using chemical weapons against civilians throughout the six-year war.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis said he deplored "the unacceptable massacre."
Switzerland and Italy are in a diplomatic dispute over Switzerland's decision to close three secondary border crossings at night in a bid to fight crime.

Italy's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned the Swiss ambassador for urgent talks, emphasizing that the closings violate Europe's norms on free circulation.

In an e-mail, the press office of the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs said Ambassador Giancarlo Kessler "took note" of the message from Italian authorities and pledged to keep them informed on the results from what it characterized as an experiment.

Italian mayors in the affected region had protested the closures as penalizing Italians who legitimately cross the border for work or other reasons.

The crossings from the Italian provinces of Como and Varese have an average nightly traffic of 90 vehicles during the week and 110 vehicles on weekends, 20 percent of which are Swiss vehicles, according to Swiss authorities.


Shanghai gears vocational training for growth

From:Shanghai Daily | 2017-04-05 01:40

A validation team from WorldSkills International, a global organization that promotes vocational training, recently visited Shanghai to view the citys efforts in vocational education and training.

Its itinerary included stops at the Le Cordon Bleu Shanghai Culinary Arts Academy, which opened in 2015 as a joint venture between the Shanghai Business and Tourism School and the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute of France. The visit also took in the training center of the Shentong Metro Group, where workers learn skills in the mass transit system.

Both sites have won accolades for their vocational training programs.

The city is embarked on a campaign to help train people for the needs of the job market through vocational education programs that teach skills like auto repair, website design, mechatronics and floristry.

It aims to help migrant laborers and other low-skill residents who find themselves stuck on the bottom rungs of the job market ladder.

We have laborers who have difficulties finding jobs, and at the same time, we have companies complaining they cant recruit the skills they need, said Gu Weidong, chief of the Department of Vocational Capacity Building at the Shanghai Human Resources and Social Security Bureau. It reflects a mismatch in our job market and skill structure that we need to address.

In the olden days, vocational training meant apprenticeships, where experienced hands taught a younger generation the skills of their trades. More formal vocational education was introduced in China in 1934, requiring all work sites with 50 employees or more to provide classes and on-the-job training.

Starting in the 1980s, technical training schools broadened their scope, adding literacy and other curricula to their programs.

At the end of 2015, Shanghai had 89 secondary vocational schools with 130,000 students, and 52 colleges providing higher vocational education for about 142,000 students. The system was underpinned by 95 training centers and hundreds of related facilities.

Fast industrial and economic development has left a gap between what vocational education provides and what employers are looking for in recruitment. That has led the city to reorient vocational training and invite employers to play a larger role in its configuration.

Since 2007, nine vocational education groups have been formed around specific skillsets, ranging from nursing and transportation to logistics. Vocational education teachers are now required to visit workplaces to see the latest trends first-hand.

Shanghai has initiated a pilot project allowing some vocational students to acquire academic degrees alongside their vocational qualifications. Students once consigned to what was considered a lower tier of education are now able to pursue undergraduate and even graduate diplomas.

The push for public awareness even extends to primary and middle schools, where young pupils visit vocational training sites every year.

The government provides subsidies to companies that provide vocational training for employees and has set up a public service platform for smaller companies that lack training capability. More than 80,000 employees participate every year.

A new apprentice program was launched in 2015 to encourage closer ties between companies and vocational schools. Participating apprentices can earn up to 8,000 yuan (US$1,160) a year within the first two years. In 2016 and 2017, 29 companies have been approved for the program, which involves 4,500 apprentices, including 3,100 new hires.

Training for migrant workers and for nursing care staff is among the top priorities.

Many rural laborers come to Shanghai without any vocational training, said Gu. It is important to provide training for them to improve their skills and their earnings.

Since 2010, more than 1.7 million migrant workers have undergone vocational training in Shanghai.

The citys aging population has created a demand for more nursing staff. Shanghai has set a goal of training 100,000 nurses by 2020, including newcomers and existing care staff.

Shanghais ambition to become a world center of technology and innovation also creates demand for new skills.

Since 2011, Shanghai has established 89 centers to teach technical skills in the services sector, advanced manufacturing, emerging industries and agriculture. By the end of last year, Shanghai had allocated more than 2.3 billion yuan to fund the centers, which have already trained 960,000 people.

As incentive, the city also provides subsidies for chief technicians willing to pass on their skills. About 123 skill master workshops have been established with government funding to promote training in sectors deemed important to technological innovation.

To embed the ideals of skills training in the public mind, the city has created competitions where workers can win awards for the talents they have mastered. The contests attract more than 100,000 contestants a year.

Last year for the first time, Shanghai held a competition to select contestants to represent China in the WorldSkills Competition. Thirty-five people from Shanghai were selected to participate in a national training camp.

The city has applied to host the 46th WorldSkills Competition in 2021. The last competition was in Sao Paulo in 2015.

The WorldSkills Competition has helped improve our awareness of vocational education and training, said Gu. We think we can learn more by hosting the event.
Seeking social status: You are what you eat?

From:Shanghai Daily | 2017-04-01 14:20

FOOD that becomes a sensation in online forums is a profitable business out in the real world. A cup of Heytea milk tea or a piece of Baoshifu pork floss cake can mark you as a person of social status, if you have the time and money to squander.

Heytea is a Guangdong Province-based milk tea chain, and Baoshifu, or Master Bo, is a Beijing-based pastry shop chain. They are currently the biggest hits in Shanghai, as witnessed by queues of customers waiting for five hours or more for their celebrity food fix.

Wanghong shipin, or literally web celebrity food, has also spawned the popularity of Gelaoguan bullfrog hotpot and Xinghualou qingtuan (green sticky rice dumplings) that have a newly concocted filling of dried meat floss and salty egg yolk.

I was very curious about the taste, so I came here to wait, said Xu Miaomiao, 28, an office worker standing at the back of a long line zigzagging over for several turns in the central court of the downtown Raffles City.

First-floor space at the mall has been cleared to make room for the queue, security guards maintain order to prevent queue jumping and teashop waiters keep a keen eye out for scalpers.

Xu, according to the queue number held in her hand, was the 836th customer of the day at Heytea. A security guard said she might have to wait five hours to get a cup of the shops signature Jinfeng tea king, freshly brewed from Shizuoka matcha powder, imported cheese from Australia and Taiwan Oolong tea.

Scalpers prowl the area, looking for customers too impatient to stand in line. For 80-100 yuan (US$11.60-14.50), they sell lower-number queue tickets. The tea itself costs about 25 yuan.

We receive more than 1,000 customers every day, said a waiter in charge of handing out queue numbers that entitle each customer to buy a maximum of three cups.

So is the tea really worth all the effort?

Well, frankly speaking, no, said Rainbow Zhao, 35, after she finally got to taste the tea after standing for hours in the queue. It features fresh brewing, but a chain tea shop obviously wont use the very best tea leaves.

Despite negative feedback, customers keep lining up.

Heytea opened its Shanghai outlet in February and has invested heavily in advertising on social media. The company is so successful that it recently attracted venture capital investment of about 100 million yuan.

The situation is pretty much the same at the Baoshifu pastry shop just opposite Raffles City. Long queues there, too, plus the usual scalpers. Each customer is limited to no more than 1 kilogram of the floss cake at the center of all the hype.

One scalper said he earns about 300 yuan a day, shuttling between the queues at Baoshifu and Heytea to do business.

Eager customers can also hire people to stand in line for them. A smartphone app called Linqu charges 0.5 yuan for every minute of queuing. It will also deliver the food once purchased.

I placed an order to buy some cakes at Baoshifu at 10am and they arrived at 5pm, said Xu Wen, a designer. They charged me about 100 yuan.

Shanghai Daily observed that about 10 percent of people in the queue at Heytea and Baoshifu were from the app Linqu.

Its a part-time job, and the app takes a 10-20 percent commission on each order, one errand runner said.

Some people in Shanghai ask friends to bring Baoshifu cakes home with them when they travel to Beijing, where queues are only about 30 minutes.

Customers have mixed reviews about these sought-after cakes.

They are delicious, and I love them, office worker Shen Ke told Shanghai Daily as he shared some cakes with colleagues after a business trip to Beijing.

Rainbow Zhao, however, said the yolk eggs were dry and the cakes tasted plain.

Food bubbles are easily shattered. Late last week, the popular Shanghai bakery chain Farine on Wukang Road, which made what it called web celebrity bread, was forced to close after inspectors found the company using out-of-date wheat flour. Fans said they were heartbroken, and the French owner of the chain fled back to his home country on the day the scandal broke out.

I think the web celebrity food trend is not about the food itself, said Liu Changxi, director of Economics and Sociology Department at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. Its symbolized consumption. It does not matter if its really delicious or not. If you have a popular web food in hand, it sends a message to your social network: Ive got something hot, hard to get and you dont have it.

Such is the substance of the Internet era, Liu added. Something goes viral, fanned by marketing campaigns or personal experiences shared on social networks like WeChat and Weibo. Its like a rolling snowball, gathering mass as everyone wants to join in for fear of being left out in the cold.

But when the supply grows, like more chain stores opening, and access become easy, the status symbol disappears and people become more rational, Liu said. Queuing for something up to 20 or 30 minutes is understandable, but for several hours  thats far too crazy.

Indeed, Xinghualous green sticky rice dumplings were the in thing last year. It took four hours in a queue to buy a box of the snack. This year, with many more food stores offering the same floss-and-egg yolk green dumplings, the fever has abated.

The long lines at Heytea and Baoshifu not only provoke comment online but also have many passers-by scratching their heads.

I think its just a merchandising stunt, Zha Junyan told Shanghai Daily as she walked past Raffles City. As if milk tea could cure cancer!
Premier Li Keqiang, who has repeatedly called for industrial upgrading with new driving forces on many occasions, again reiterated the importance of the transformation of old and new growth drivers at this years two sessions and pointed out that its development relies on entrepreneurship and innovation.

During a discussion with the delegation from Shandong province during last months two sessions, Premier Li said he hoped Shandong would continue to lead the transformation of old and new drivers. In talks with the delegation from Anhui province, he also stressed the focus on supply-side structural reform to accelerate the transformation of driving forces.

With Premier Lis continuous efforts and encouragement in improving the manufacturing industry with new drivers during his domestic inspections and meetings, traditional enterprises are making further progress in pursuing the innovation-driven development strategy.

Statistics from the State Administration of Taxation show that in 2016, emerging industries represented by new driving forces had become a new growth point for taxation and had also played a decisive role in the restructuring of traditional industries with old growth drivers.

The Premier praised the Flying Pigeon Cycle Manufacture for forging hundred-year-old brands among Chinas traditional enterprises during a visit to one of their stores in Tianjin last year.

The company has increased the amount of tax revenue it contributes to the government by 37 percent in the last two years.

While another bicycle accessory supplier has also increased its contribution to tax revenue nearly 50 times in 2016 on the back of the booming shared bicycle services.

Meanwhile, Kocel Machinery in Yinchuan, which won praise from Premier Li in Feb 2016 for upgrading its traditional manufacturing factories to new 3D printing workshops, has now built an intelligent factory with a brand-new digital production line.

China must aim to upgrade its manufacturing by embracing emerging technology such as big data, cloud computing, the internet of things and 3D printing, the Premier said at the executive meeting of the State Council on March 5, 2016.

At the State Councils first executive meeting this year, Premier Li urged all government departments to improve market supervision and provide better services to allow new forms of business to drive the transformation of traditional industries.

Institute of International Finance chief executive Timothy Adams compared Chinas economy to a hybrid car. The traditional economic driving forces were like more traditional gas-guzzling form of propulsion, while the new driving forces were like a greener electric engine, according to Adams.

Over time, the hybrid will increasingly provide the needed propulsion (for Chinas economic growth), Adams said.

As Premier Li pointed out, replacing old drivers of growth with new ones is a process of painful adjustment. But it is, at the same time, an upgrading process with great promise.

We just have to get through this process, and we can, without question, reinvigorate the economy and ensure its dynamic growth, the Premier said.
As Premier Li Keqiang wrapped up his official visit to New Zealand, Prime Minister Bill English wrote his third post, A review of Premier Li Keqiangs visit, on his WeChat account, NZPMBillEnglish.

A week ago, on the day Premier Li arrived in New Zealand, English opened the account and then released two posts, as a welcome to his Chinese counterpart.

This time, in the video story, he recalled moments that impressed him the most, such as Premier Lis spontaneous speech, and fruitful cooperation between the two countries.

It is undoubtedly that the bilateral ties will continue to strengthen, and both countries will benefit from it, the New Zealand PM said.

The videos transcript reads as follows:

Last week we had the most important offshore visit this year from Premier Li of China, a big part of New Zealands economic future.

I was glad to see him do something that I havent seen any Chinese leaders do before, he gave a spontaneous speech at the lunch in Auckland when he was presented with the No 10 All Blacks jersey and I explained to him the No 10 is the playmaker. He was also really touched by seeing young Kiwis up on the stage speaking Mandarin and fluently. And he told me their accents were better than his. So that was pretty impressive.

And we also got the formal gains of the agreements start negotiation for upgrading a very successful free trade agreement. And, as with other relationships, specific agreements that can fit one industry or a region, in this case, chilled meat into China and agreements about how to deal with the onion trade.

So, all in all, a very successful visit, but Premier Li got some real insight into New Zealand and commented on the warmth of his welcome. I think that even though they are pretty formal in the way they do business, they enjoyed the Kiwi relaxed, informal atmosphere and I think it brought out the best for them.
EDITORS NOTE: The author is a member of the Sigma Xi Promotions Team at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

KEARNEY  Near the end of summer, on Aug. 21, people in and around Kearney will be directly in the path of the total solar eclipse that will stretch from coast to coast over the United States.

The eclipse is one of the most-anticipated astronomical events in recent history, and as many as 14 states are in the path of totality.

The University of Nebraska at Kearney science honorary society Sigma Xi is working to generate interest about and knowledge of the eclipse by arranging a panel discussion from 5-7 p.m. April 17 at the Merryman Performing Arts Center. The event is free, open to the public, and will feature Doug Biggs from UNK, Daniel Kennefick from the University of Arkansas, and Phil Plait from the Discovery Channel series How the Universe Works.

This event is intended to educate and build enthusiasm in the community and schools of central Nebraska about the upcoming solar eclipse with historical and scientific context provided by our expert panel, and ultimately its goal is to promote science, UNK Sigma Xi chapter President Allen Thomas said.

During the panel discussion, each guest speaker will have 20 minutes to share material about the eclipse, followed by a 30-minute period for audience questions.

Plait, aka the Bad Astronomer, said he plans to quickly address misconceptions about eclipse viewing. For example, many people think that looking directly at the sun, even during a total eclipse, will damage their eyes. Plait will set minds at ease, detailing the logic behind why a total solar eclipse is one of the only cases when you can look directly at the position of the sun, albeit for a very specific and short time. Remember to bring eclipse viewing glasses or other approved eye safety equipment.

Plait plans to spend the rest of his speaking time elaborating on the significance of the event. Because of tidal forces, the moons orbit is growing larger. The moon is getting farther away, at a rate of around four centimeters a year, or about the same rate at which fingernails grow Plait said.

Due to the size and distance of the Moon, it is virtually the same apparent size as the sun as seen from earth. This means that the Moon can perfectly block the disk of the sun, leaving only the corona visible, creating a perfect total eclipse. In fact, Earth is the only planet with such conditions that allow for total solar eclipses.

Kennefick, editor for the Einstein Papers and a contributor to the study of gravitational waves, plans to talk largely about the 1919 eclipse expedition organized by Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington and Sir Frank Watson Dyson.

In 1919, there was a total solar eclipse much like the one happening this year. However, it was visible only in the Southern Hemisphere, and much of its path was across the Atlantic Ocean.

Eddington and Dyson launched an expedition that would make possible a scientific experiment that would test a hypothesis called gravitational lensing put forth by Albert Einstein, an unknown scientist at the time. The 1919 experiment supported Einsteins general theory of relativity, and Einstein became famous practically overnight.

Biggs, a professor of history at UNK and fellow of the Royal Historical Society, will talk about historical interpretations of solar eclipses. Today, eclipses are fun for the whole family and treasure troves of data for scientists, but throughout history eclipses were often seen as signs from the heavens and could have societal-wide effects.

Biggs will elaborate how, historically, eclipses, comets and other such astronomical phenomena were not taken as lightly as they are today and were often interpreted as omens of bad things to come.
LINCOLN  Concertgoers file into Pinnacle Bank Arena with handguns openly strapped to their hips.

Its a scenario Lincoln Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister said could play out if Nebraska lawmakers pass legislation that would prohibit Lincoln, Omaha and other cities from enforcing most local gun ordinances. Thats why he spent Tuesday afternoon at the State Capitol, urging lawmakers to oppose the bill as they debated it on the floor.

Such scenarios prompted concern among some state senators.

This is not the Wild West, said Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln. This isnt every gun in every place.

Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln, who sponsored and prioritized Legislative Bill 68, said opening public buildings to guns is not the intent of his bill. Building managers could still govern entry to public property, just like they require customers to wear shirts and shoes, he said.

What his bill would do, he argued, is end the patchwork of local regulations that make it confusing and even illegal for otherwise law-abiding gun owners to transport their firearms from city to city in Nebraska.

Opponents filibustered the bill, which helped prevent a vote on it during three hours of debate Tuesday afternoon. If Hilgers can muster at least 33 votes to overcome the filibuster, the bill will return to the agenda for more first-round debate, possibly as soon as next week.

Hilgers didnt want to predict any vote totals Tuesday, but opponents of the measure said they expect it to be close.

The bill represents a national push by the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights organizations to have state legislatures, not local governments, call the shots when it comes to restricting firearms. Under the bill, local elected officials could not enact ordinances more restrictive than state law.

So-called gun pre-emption bills have been passed in 42 states, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, an organization that supports gun control. Nebraska is the only state that voted for Donald Trump without a pre-emption law.

Hilgers bill carves out exceptions for local governments to restrict the discharge of guns in their communities. And a committee amendment also offers a compromise aimed at neutralizing the opposition of the Omaha Police Officers Association, which helped secure the defeat of a similar measure last year.

Under the amendment, in order to carry a gun outside of a vehicle, the firearm would have to be broken down into its components so it couldnt be fired. Inside a vehicle, guns would have to be unloaded and either stored in the trunk or a locked container other than the glove box or center console.

The amendment would apply only to cities of the metropolitan class. Omaha is currently the only such city in the state.

To provide these tools to the City of Omaha but not the City of Lincoln is insulting, its irresponsible and its dangerous, said Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln.

Nebraskans Against Gun Violence and the Police Chiefs Association of Nebraska are opposed to the bill. That prompted Morfeld to challenge his colleagues who support they bill to explain how they can also stand with blue.

The notion that were sticking our thumb in the eye of police is wrong, its flat wrong, Hilgers said.

Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha said he helped bring the Omaha police union and the NRA to the table to hash out a compromise. He credited Hilgers for showing leadership and said neither side got all that it wanted.

Jon Bruning, lobbyist for the NRA, said his client supports the amended version of the bill. So does the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association.

Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha and other opponents of the measure said it makes no sense to take away tools that law enforcement uses to help reduce gun violence. For example, Omaha has an ordinance that requires a permit to own or possess a handgun, while Lincoln restricts those convicted of certain misdemeanor offenses from obtaining one.

I know people in this body care not one whit for what happens in our community, so Im not going to stand here and degrade us by saying look at my wounds, Chambers said.

Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete, a supporter of the bill, said state lawmakers wouldnt stand silently and allow city councils to pass ordinances banning construction of mosques in their communities. So why do they think its OK to infringe upon the right to bear arms in the state and federal constitutions? she asked.

Sen. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln said firearm industry data shows women are the fastest-growing group of gun owners. Women think about safety every time they go for a run, for a bike ride or have to walk to their cars after dark.

She told her colleagues that shes a gun owner who holds a state permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Im not looking to kill anyone with a gun, she said. I am a law-abiding citizen. But I am more comfortable with a gun in my home so I, myself, dont get killed, raped or assaulted.
Automatic voter registration in Nebraska would be a smart and efficient way to change a severely outdated registration system in our state. LB290 will increase the integrity of data and government efficiency and accuracy.

Currently, when you obtain a Nebraska drivers license or state-issued ID, you have to check a box to opt-in to register to vote. LB290 would change this to an opt-out system where eligible voters are automatically registered, unless they choose not to be. This modernization will help voter rolls stay accurate while saving taxpayer dollars at a rate of nearly 80 cents per application.

Oregon was the first state to implement automatic voter registration and it has been a success. A total of 275,000 eligible Oregonians were registered and 97,000 participated in the 2016 election, triggering a new record for voter participation in the state. Oregon was also able to update address information of 570,000 voters, increasing data accuracy and reducing the chances of voter fraud.

The good folks of Kearney Indivisible and I urge our senators to support LB290. It will save money, guard against fraud, and streamline the voting process for Nebraskans.

Ashley Weets, Kearney
The word tax is defined as a compulsory contribution to state revenue levied by the government on workers income and business profits or added to the cost of some goods, services and transactions.

The word apocalypse is defined as an event involving destruction or damage on an awesome or catastrophic scale.

So it has happened. Nebraska lawmakers are finally facing what has likely been billed as the biggest fight of the session. The taxpocalypse. Income tax breaks for the rich and changes in the way farmers land is valued. What does that mean for the rest of us as we watch revenues decline and schools scramble to make ends meet?

With the 2017 Legislature two-thirds finished, the final 30 days will be spread over four-day work weeks with plans and compromises being hammered out behind closed doors in committee executive sessions. The pressure is mounting. Its more than economics at stake; its politics and the future. Its political futures.

Its as much about a first-term governor looking at re-election in 2018 as it is about members of the Gang of 27, who bullied their way into leadership positions, showing their worth. The outcome of this tax debate could cost some senators their political futures, either as state senators or viable candidates for higher office.

Heres whats on the discussion table so far:

- Gov. Pete Ricketts LB337, sponsored by Revenue Committee chair Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion, would gradually lower the states top individual income tax rate from 6.84 percent to 5.99 percent over a minimum of eight years. The cuts would be enacted by a trigger if the states projected revenue increases more than 3.5 percent the previous year;

- Omaha Sen. Brett Lindstroms LB542 would make similar, phased-in cuts to the top corporate income tax rate, and would immediately combine the states two lowest individual income tax brackets into one bracket with a rate of 3.1 percent;

- Bancroft Sen. Lydia Braschs LB338 would change how ag land is valued and place a 3.5-percent cap on the aggregate of farm- and ranch- land valuations; North Platte Sen. Mike Groenes LB640 would use money from the states property tax credit fund to offset new limits on property taxation by local schools.

Smith has rightfully dubbed this discussion heavy lifting. He has also correctly predicted that some of the final decisions will come down to the wire as the session lurches toward a June 2 completion.

It may look like were halfway there, but I think the heavy lifting will be at the end, said Smith, chairman of the heavily partisan Revenue Committee. Seven of the eight committee members are Republicans. Omaha Sen. Burke Harr is a Democrat, but has received some support in questioning  if not opposing  the proposals from fellow committee member Paul Schumacher of Columbus who is more independent than many.

During initial discussions in the committee, the two expressed concerns about the lack of detail on the proposals. At one point, Harr likened the proposals to Obamacare, where I have to pass it to find out whats in it. To his credit, Harr has asked for an analysis on how each proposal would impact people of varying wealth.

Schumacher has said the income tax cuts would offer the most savings to people making six- to eight-figure salaries. He has offered a series of bills this year calling for an end to some tax incentive programs and has asked for studies of the economic impact of others.

Hats off to Harr and Schumacher for trying to stave off what is becoming the Republican Rubberstamp Legislature. May the taxpocalypse shake things out and not leave Nebraska facing the same struggles as Oklahoma and our neighbors in Kansas.

J.L. Schmidt, a registered Independent, is the Nebraska Press Associations statehouse correspondent.
Recalling my 12-day visit to England and Scotland with my son six weeks ago, I find myself thinking of the smaller, serene, out-of-the-way spots. On our last evening in London, as dusk was spreading, my son and I walked down a wide tree-shaded path past Kensington Palace.

On paper, this was far less splashy than other stops of the day: Morning Prayer at Westminster Abbey, the London Eye and the British Museum, but it was as soothing as a steaming cup of tea, and every bit as memorable.

We passed the Princess Diana Memorial Playground. The gate was locked for the night, but we paused to look through the fence and remembered how this nation shuddered in grief when Princess Diana died. Next, we passed handsome, stately Kensington Palace, where Prince William and Princess Kate and their two toddlers live in a 22-room apartment.

Dusk was slipping away, as if candles were being blown out one by one, but we reminisced about this busy day and our final stop before this one: a walk on Abbey Road to see the Abbey Road Studios where the Beatles recorded their music between 1962-1970.

As rain threatened, we had taken an Uber ride from the British Museum to Abbey Road. Our driver was an immigrant from Turkey who came to London with his wife six years ago, but London is so expensive that they have just now found a suitable apartment they can afford.

As he zipped through narrow, traffic-clogged London streets on this cloudy afternoon, the driver asked about Donald Trump. He sighed audibly about the troubles of the world, which seem to be getting darker now. He said he wished everyone could just get along. We share that wish, we said.

We got to Abbey Road too late to go into the studios or the gift shop, but we admired the studios, located in a white Georgian townhouse built in 1831. We watched other tourists pose in the shady two-lane street, just like the Beatles did for their Abbey Road album. It was a busy street. One man was practically hit by a car.

We kept walking, remembering. In the distance now, we approached Notting Hill, one of Londons most glitzy neighborhoods, home to billionaires and others. Warm lights of apartments, cozy restaurants and shops beckoned us. We went inside an Italian restaurant, where I ordered lasagna made by the restaurant owner, an Italian immigrant.

The next morning, we took the train from London to Edinburgh. On that 4.5-hour journey north, I watched towns get smaller and be replaced by sheep and crumbling 1,000-year-old monasteries. The land was emerald green, even in February. Hadrians Wall, built by the Romans in 78 A.D., stood nearby. Its age made 150-year-old Kearney seem like it was hammered together just last week.

The train hurried into Scotlands rumpled hills and picturesque villages. There I learned about Scotlands fierce yearning for independence and the soap-opera-plot life of Mary Queen of Scots and other members of royalty. So much history. So much to comprehend. The English never apologize for any of their past wars. I thought about that, too.

As I flew home, I treasured seeing some of the less flashy, but no less memorable, places in Great Britain. Unless youre constrained by time, limiting your trip to only the headline attractions is like zipping through Nebraska without leaving I-80 to feel the states muscle and fiber.

Last week I met a woman from Omaha whod never seen the sandhill cranes. When I asked her why not, she couldnt tell me. Life is short.
FILE - In this Thursday, March 31, 2016, file photo, a driver for Uber Technologies Inc., arrives at an authorized customer pick up area at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, in Seattle. A federal judge in Seattle on Tuesday, April 4, 2017, temporarily blocked the city's first-in-the-nation law allowing drivers of ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft to unionize over pay and working conditions. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. speaks to reporters just outside the Senate chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 5, 2017, after he ended a 15 hour all-night talk-a-thon as the Senate heads toward a showdown over the confirmation vote for Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan had embarrassed the Pinarayi Vijayan Government by rejecting its nominee for the post of the interim Vice Chancellor and appointing a person of his choice.
Gov. Doug Burgum's office is asking the 17 executive departments with cabinet level positions to trim their staff.

Ten of the offices have decided to ask for voluntary retirements from employees.

A letter was sent out to employees of these agencies asking them to participate in a Voluntary Separation Incentive Program, which will offer a financial incentive to anyone who wants to end their employment with the state.

The governor's office doesn't know how many cuts will be needed, since the budget has not been finalized, and is not sure if more employment cuts will be necessary after the voluntary retirements.

The following agencies will be participating:

Office of Management and Budget

Department of Financial Institutions

Department of Health (except the Environmental Health Division)

Department of Human Services

Securities Department

Workforce Safety and Insurance

Highway Patrol

Adjutant General

Department of Commerce

Parks and Recreation Department

The governors office is also participating in the program.
In order for the City of El Cenizo to keep improving the city and lives of those living there, they are asking Governor Greg Abbott to keep the Community Block Grant alive.

In the letter to Governor Abbott, El Cenizo Mayor Raul Reyes highlights the importance of his town receiving grant funds and the negative consequences which would come if it's eliminated.

Reyes presents Abbott with a list of projects the city benefits from those funds such as:

- Clean drinking water and adequate sewer services.

- Disaster recovery and flood control improvements.

- Infrastructure to support private enterprise and create new jobs, streets and drainage.

To read the entire letter, you can click the attached document.
The National Weather Service has issued a minor flood warning after the Rio Grande's water level rose to 10.9 feet.

The highest possible level for Tuesday will be 11.3 feet.

This level is associated with water possibly reaching the lower sections of the parking lot.

The peak for Tuesday is predicted to be reached by later in the evening.

Then a fall in the water level will begin overnight, dropping below flood stage by Wednesday evening.
Piltown author, Simon Bourke has penned his first novel and has been receiving great reviews.

And with two sepearate endings, it has also caused a stir in literary circles.

The book begins with Sinead McLoughlin, pregnant at 17 years of age.

She does the only thing she can think of; she runs away from home.

She will go to England and put her child up for adoption. But when she lays eyes on it for the first time, lays eyes on him, she knows she can never let him go.

Just one problem. Hes already been promised to someone else.

A tale of love and loss, remorse and redemption, And the birds kept on singing tells two stories, both about the same boy.

In one Sinead keeps her son and returns home to her parents, to 1980s Ireland and life as a single mother.

In the other she gives him away, to the Philliskirks, Malcolm and Margaret, knowing that they can give him the kind of life she never could.

As her son progresses through childhood and becomes a young man, Sinead is forced to face the consequences of her decision.

Did she do the right thing? Should she have kept him or given him away?

And will she spend the rest of her life regretting the choices she has made?

Simon Bourke

Having spent the majority of his teens and twenties wondering just what would become of him, Simon chanced upon a hitherto unrealised ability to write.

This ability, compelled him to enrol as a mature student of Journalism at the University of Limerick.

His dreams of super-stardom were almost immediately curtailed by a punishing, unexplained illness which took away three years of his life but perversely, enabled him to write the book.

Those were dark, depressing years but in spite of the toll they took on him, Simon understands were it not for that illness he would never have found the wherewithal to pen this, his first, novel.

He has since returned to his studies. If you were to ask him to tell you which career hed prefer; journalist or novelist, he would smirk to himself and say that its impossible to make it as a novelist these days. He would then smirk some more and say that journalism is a dying industry.

Simon is a nephew of Piltown playwright, Ger Bourke.
Kiplinger's spoke with Stacy Brown (pictured above), 42, founder of the Auburn, Ala.-based restaurant franchise Chicken Salad Chick (opens in new tab), about how she went from being a stay-at-home mom to running her own company. Here's an excerpt from our interview:

How did you grow? We opened two more restaurants in Auburn to handle demand. Then we targeted other college towns. Visiting parents would ask, What do we have to do to get one of these in Little Rock or Tuscaloosa? Franchise requests poured in. We secured a local partner and investor and built our franchising infrastructure.

We got a lot of press, and many private-equity companies came knocking. We turned away all but one. Eagle Merchant Partners, of Atlanta, believed in what we do, valued our core values, respected what we had built and didnt want to change it. We accepted their offer in May 2015. They bought majority ownership and infused more capital. In 2016, we had revenue of $12.4 million.

Subscribe to Kiplingers Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Save up to 74% Sign up for Kiplingers Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice - straight to your e-mail. Sign up

Your role now? Kevin passed away from cancer in 2015. I still have a share of ownership, and Im financially secure. Now, Im the companys brand voice to make sure we stay true to who we are.

Whats the goal? We want to be the best chicken salad in the nation. The cost to establish a franchise, depending on square footage, runs from $400,000 to $550,000 per restaurant. We hope to have 200 restaurants by 2020.

Are you sick of chicken salad? I was when I was the one cooking it. I probably didnt eat it for a year and a half. When I got back to it, I thought, Darn, this is good. Really good.
Kiplinger's spoke with Joseph Turow (pictured above), a professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania and author of "The Aisles Have Eyes: How Retailers Track Your Shopping, Strip Your Privacy, and Define Your Power," about some of the various ways your favorite retailers may be tracking you.

Why are retailers tracking us? They want to send messages to customers based on their history with the store, their location in the store and their value to the store. For example, a store may see that you're near the women's shoe department and know that youve purchased shoes there before. It then sends you a text message or an advertisement via the stores app on your phone offering you 20% off if you buy shoes in the next hour.

How do retailers track their customers? Inside the store, many retailersparticularly the largest chainsuse devices called beacons, which connect to your phone's Bluetooth signal. Stores can also track you through your phone's Wi-Fi connection. Outside the store, retailers can track you with GPS. If you're near competitors, for example, retailers might send you advertisements or coupons to lure you to them instead. When you use a frequent-shopper card, you allow a company to collect data about what you buy, too.

Subscribe to Kiplingers Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Save up to 74% Sign up for Kiplingers Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice - straight to your e-mail. Sign up

Can customers use any tricks to get discounts? If you save a coupon on your phone to use in a store, keep it there for a while. Or when you're shopping online, put something in the cart and leave it there without buying. If the store thinks you're not going to act, it may offer you a larger discount.

What else do stores do with the information they collect? If you look at companies that sell marketing data, such as Acxiom and Experian, a lot of what they have comes from retailers. A store might, say, sell information about which over-the-counter drugs you buy to a company that wants to sell you insurance.

What's the harm? There are winners and losers. In a way, we're back to the era of peddlers, who used what they knew about customers to charge them different prices or show them different items. Some companies might want your business because of your salary or how much you spend. But if you're not valuable to a storesay, because you only buy bargainsit will ignore you.

How can customers protect their privacy? If you don't want to be tracked in a store, shut off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections. Avoid using the store's app, participating in its loyalty program or paying with a credit card.
* Debbie knocks out 11.5 mln tonnes of coking coal - Noble

* Alternative supplies mostly come from U.S, but also Russia

* Australian, Chinese coking coal prices spike

* Australian thermal coal prices also rise

* Cyclone takes out 2.5 mln tonnes thermal coal - Noble

(Updates with new prices, China's return to market, fresh comment, graphics)

By Henning Gloystein and Timothy Gardner

SINGAPORE/WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - China, the world's biggest coking coal importer, is scrambling to cover Australian supply disruptions after Cyclone Debbie knocked out mines and rails by turning to an unusual source: the United States.

Debbie, which hit Australia's Queensland state last week, caused the evacuation of several mines and damaged coal trains supplying export terminals, triggering two miners - Yancoal Australia and QCoal - to declare force majeure on its deliveries. With other miners like BHP Billiton and Glencore also affected by the storm's fallout, more disruptions may follow. Force majeure is a commercial term that means a buyer or seller cannot fulfill their obligations because of outside forces. It is typically invoked after natural disasters or accidents.

The outages caused Australian coking coal futures on the Singapore Exchange on Monday to spike by over 43 percent to a last settlement of $225 per tonne, the highest since the beginning of the year.

Australia is the world's biggest coking coal exporter and is China's largest supplier, leaving steel makers scrambling to find alternative supplies.

Spot coking coal prices on the Dalian Commodity Exchange, closed on Monday and Tuesday for a public holiday, jumped over 7 percent early on Wednesday to $197.8 per tonne, their highest level since December 2016.

"The Chinese are fixing cargoes from the United States in order to replace the shortfall from Australia," one coal trader with knowledge of the matter said, speaking on the condition of anonymity as he was not cleared to talk about commercial deals.

"More will make its way from the U.S. to China very soon," he said.

George Dethlefsen, Corsa Coal Corp's chief executive, said his company has been overwhelmed with inquiries for cargoes over the past few days from customers in Asia.

"Right now we, like everyone else, are trying to figure out what tonnes are available and what we can produce to fulfill potential new orders," he said.

Thomson Reuters Eikon data shows that China already has imported more than 500,000 tonnes of U.S. coking coal in 2017, with 427,000 tonnes shipped in just in February, ending a two-year stretch when no coking coal was shipped between the two countries.

Chuck Bradford of Bradford Research said the February coal sold for nearly $190 per tonne.

President Donald Trump has promised to revive the U.S. coal industry and issued an executive order last week to dismantle former President Barack Obama's regulations on the sector.

Luke Popovich, a spokesman for the National Mining Association trade group, said it was not clear that the demand had any link to the administration's push to axe regulations.

STILL MORE NEEDED

As China returns from its long weekend, it will require even more coal, as the Australian outages far outstrip what is immediately available from the United States.

"The minimum impact over the coming weeks we would expect would be in the region of 14 million tonnes of coal (11.5 million metallurgical, and 2.5 million tonnes thermal)," said Rodrigo Echeverri, head of energy coal analysis at commodities trading house Noble Group , adding that the current estimate was for the outages to last around five weeks.

Shipping data in Eikon shows that over 70 ships are waiting to load the marooned coal off the Queensland ports of Abbot Point, Mackay, Dalrymple Bay, and Hay Point.

China has also turned to Russia for more coking coal, with imports already rising to over 400,000 tonnes in February from 275,000 tonnes in December.

Mongolia and Indonesia are other potential sources of coking coal for China, three coal traders said. Anthracite coal shipments from North Korea to China, also used as coking coal, have dried up after Beijing ordered an import ban following missile tests of its isolated neighbour. Overall, traders said it was unlikely that all of China's near-term demand could be met without Queensland supplies, likely requiring inventory drawdowns, which will push up prices.

The supply squeeze has also affected the market for thermal coal, used in power generation, where benchmark Australian cargo prices from its Newcatle terminal have soared over 11 percent this month to $90 a tonne, the highest since the beginning of the year.

"The Pacific basin is showing signs of sudden tightness which is very likely based on the disruptions in Queensland," said Georgi Slavov, global head of energy, iron ore and shipping research at commodities brokerage Marex Spectron.

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ CHART-Coking coal supplies to China CHART-Coking coal futures spike after cyclone Debbie Interactive Map reuters://REALTIME/verb=Interactive%20Map/context=%3CNavigation%3E%3CEntities%3E%3CEntity%3E%3CInteractiveMap%20version=%221%22%3E%3CMap%3E%3CMapTargetZoom%3E8%3C/MapTargetZoom%3E%3CMapTargetCenter%20X=%22148.42185403%22%20Y=%22-20.51355268%22%20/%3E%3CMapMode%3E2%3C/MapMode%3E%3CWrapAround%3ETrue%3C/WrapAround%3E%3CLayers%3E%3CLayer%20Type=%22UserList%22%3E%3CIdentifiers%20/%3E%3C/Layer%3E%3CLayer%20Type=%22CoalMines%22%20/%3E%3CLayer%20Type=%22PortBerthAnchorage%22%20/%3E%3CLayer%20Type=%22BulkerVessels%22%3E%3CConfiguration%3E%3CVesselTypeRoot%3E%3CItem%20RCS=%22F:2I%22%3E%3CItem%20RCS=%22F:2J%22%3E%3CItem%20RCS=%22F:2Q%22%20Selected=%22False%22%20/%3E%3CItem%20RCS=%22F:2R%22%20Selected=%22False%22%20/%3E%3C/Item%3E%3CItem%20RCS=%22F:2S%22%20Selected=%22False%22%20/%3E%3CItem%20RCS=%22F:2T%22%20Selected=%22False%22%20/%3E%3C/Item%3E%3C/VesselTypeRoot%3E%3C/Configuration%3E%3C/Layer%3E%3C/Layers%3E%3C/Map%3E%3C/InteractiveMap%3E%3C/Entity%3E%3C/Entities%3E%3C/Navigation%3E Cyclone disrupts coal market IMG ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Reporting by Henning Gloystein in SINGAPORE and Timothy Gardner in WASHINGTON; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Richard Pullin)
LONDON, April 5 (Reuters) - Iran's oil minister dismissed India's decision to cut oil imports from Tehran in 2017/18 by a fifth as a threat on Wednesday, in an escalation of a dispute over a giant gas field contract.

Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters last week that Indian state refiners were going to cut oil imports from Iran, as New Delhi seeks to put pressure on Tehran to award the Farzad B gas field to an Indian consortium. "India is one of our good costumers, but we cannot sign (a) contract under threat," Bijan Zanganeh was quoted as saying by Iran's ISNA news agency.

"India's cut of oil imports from Iran will not cause any trouble to us as we have other buyers," he added.

Zanganeh said despite an extension of deadlines, India has not offered an acceptable proposal for the development of the gas field.

"Their proposal was not profitable to Iran ... We sent (the) Indians a letter and told them we are keen to continue negotiations, but under sensible conditions, not under threats."

India, Iran's biggest oil buyer after China, was among a handful of countries that continued to deal with the Tehran despite Western sanctions over its nuclear programme.

A consortium headed by ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas investment arm of Indian explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp, discovered Farzad B in the Farsi offshore block in 2008.

The consortium, which also includes Oil India and Indian Oil Corp, could not obtain permission to develop the field due to Western sanctions, but those sanctions were removed last year.

India and Iran had both been hopeful of wrapping up the Farzad B deal by March, although Zanganeh said Iran has asked other countries to submit their proposals for its development.

(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; editing by Alexander Smith)
* Feb exports +26.5 pct y/y vs Reuters poll +17.9 pct

* Feb imports +27.7 pct y/y vs poll f'cast +21.7 pct

* Trade surplus 8.7 bln rgt vs poll f'cast of 4.7 bln rgt

* Exports to China +47.6 pct y/y, U.S. +13.2 pct, EU +26.6 pct

* Jan-Feb exports rise 19.8 pct y/y, imports up 21.5 pct

KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 (Reuters) - Malaysia's export growth hit a near seven-year high in February, government data showed on Wednesday, due to a jump in shipments of manufactured goods and commodities.

Exports rose 26.5 percent from a year earlier, the fastest growth since May 2010 and the fourth consecutive month of expansion.

The annual increase beat economists' expectations of 17.9 percent. January shipments rose 13.6 percent from a year earlier. Data from the International Trade and Industry Ministry showed February exports of manufactured goods rose 24.3 percent and accounted for 80 percent of Malaysia's total.

Exports of mining goods increased 21.6 percent, mainly on rising crude oil prices, the data showed.

Imports in February rose 27.7 percent year-on-year, above the 16.1 percent increase the previous month and the fastest rate of growth since June 2010's 29.9 percent.

The trade surplus in December widened to 8.71 billion ringgit ($1.97 billion), from January's 4.7 billion ringgit.

Exports to China rose 47.6 percent from a year earlier, due to higher shipments of electrical and electronic products and commodities including petroleum products, rubber and palm oil.

Exports to the United States went up 13.2 percent on stronger demand for manufactured goods, while exports to the European Union grew 26.6 percent.

Malaysia reports trade data in ringgit .

February was the fourth consecutive month where exports topped 70 billion ringgit.

For a graphic on Malaysia's exports and imports, click: KEY DATA

(Exports and imports in percent, trade in billions of ringgit)

Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Sept Aug July Exports 71.8 70.2 75.6 72.8 69.2 68.0 67.6 59.9 y/y% 26.5 13.6 10.7 7.8 -8.6 -3.0 1.5 -5.3 Imports 63.1 65.5 66.8 63.8 59.4 60.5 59.1 57.9 y/y% 27.7 16.1 11.5 11.2 -6.6 -0.1 4.9 -4.8 Balance 8.71 4.71 8.72 9.03 9.76 7.56 8.51 1.91 MAIN EXPORTS

Feb 2017 % of % change

(bln rgt) total vs year ago

Electrical & 24.6 34.2 22.4 Electronic Products Palm oil & Palm-based 4.8 6.7 63.4 products

Liquefied natural gas 3.3 4.6 2.1 Chemicals and 5.9 8.2 37.5 products Crude oil 2.4 3.3 50.3

Petroleum products 5.2 7.3 50.9 Machinery 3.3 4.6 12.9 Metal 2.8 3.8 -0.4 Rubber 2.1 2.9 38.4 Optical and 2.4 3.3 14.3 scientific equipment

EXPORT MARKETS

(bln rgt) % of total % yr/yr

China 9.57 13.3 47.6 Singapore 9.96 13.9 25.3 Japan 6.72 9.4 19.9 USA 6.71 9.4 13.2 Thailand 4.26 5.9 29.7 ($1 = 4.4280 ringgit)

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
DUBAI, April 5 (Reuters) - A senior central banker in Oman has called on the country's banks to be extra-vigilant about their exposure to sensitive sectors such as real estate as the Gulf state copes with the impact of lower oil prices.

Oman lacks the ample oil and fiscal reserves of its wealthy neighbours and its finances have been hit hard by the plunge in fuel prices since 2014.

Qais Al Yahyaei, head of the financial stability department of the Central Bank of Oman, made his comments at a meeting this week that assessed the vulnerabilities of the country's financial system, according to a statement posted on the bank's website late on Tuesday.

Investors are concerned about the outlook for Oman's economy, as it faces a current account and a fiscal deficit.

A Bank of America Merrill Lynch report said earlier this month that Oman's twin deficits imply a need for material external financing to prevent sustained erosion in foreign assets and to defend the rial peg to the U.S. dollar.

Al Yahyaei was quoted as saying that the current prevailing macroeconomic uncertainty "warrants extra vigilance and cautionary measures from banks in their exposures towards sensitive sectors such as real estate and personal loans."

His presentation also raised concerns on the concentration of loans, deposits, and borrowers in the banking sector. The statement did not provide more details.

The statement said data as of end-December 2016 showed that there was no immediate concerns on capital adequacy, liquidity, assets quality and profitability of the banks.

Oman's government sold $5 billion of international bonds earlier this month, completing its entire foreign borrowing plan for 2017 in a single issue .

(Reporting by Saeed Azhar; Editing by Stephen Powell)
(Refiles to clarify attribution in paragraph 13)

* Nigeria in first recession in 25 years

* Naira overvalued by 10-20 pct -IMF

* Nigeria authorities concerned about IMF view -IMF

ABUJA, April 5 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned Nigeria its economy needs urgent reform in a report published on Wednesday that highlighted the risks to growth for the recession-hit country and the dangers of a volatile foreign exchange market.

The document, a report from IMF staff which Reuters saw an earlier version of last month, outlines a raft of failings in Nigeria's handling of Africa's largest economy and could affect talks over at least $1.4 billion in international loans. It strikes a more critical tone than the Fund's board adopted in a statement last week, though that also said Nigeria should lift its remaining foreign exchange restrictions and scrap its system of multiple exchange rates. Nigeria fell into recession in 2016, its first in 25 years, largely due to the impact of low oil prices and militant attacks on energy facilities in the Niger Delta oil hub. Crude sales account for more than 90 percent of foreign exchange earnings and two-thirds of government revenue.

The country, whose economy contracted 1.5 percent last year, has also been plagued by a conflict with Boko Haram militants since 2009, creating a humanitarian crisis in the northeast which authorities are struggling to handle.

The Washington-based fund's analysis came on the same day that Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari held a launch ceremony for a flagship economic recovery plan. But the IMF said the plan, criticised by economists for including few concrete measures, is not enough to drag Africa's biggest economy out of recession.

If Nigeria's economy is to recover, "much more needs to be done", the IMF said in the staff report.

It also urged the major oil producer to introduce immediate changes to its exchange rate policy - characterised by central bank curbs, multiple exchange rates and an artificially high naira valuation - or risk "a disorderly exchange rate depreciation".

That naira overvaluation is "somewhere to the tune of 10 to 20 percent," Gene Leon, IMF mission chief for Nigeria, said in a separate telephone media briefing.

Additionally, Nigeria's 2017 projections for non-oil revenues are more optimistic than the IMF's, and authorities need to increase tax levels to diversify its income, said Leon.

The presidency, budget and planning ministry, finance ministry and central bank did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Africa constituency executive director at the Fund said the Nigerian authorities were concerned about the IMF staff report's view. That director represents and speaks on behalf of member countries.

Nigerian authorities had said further measures were under way which included the implementation of a more flexible foreign exchange market and "maintaining tight monetary policy to underpin price stability", according to the IMF report.

Nigeria has not asked the Fund for fiscal support but its recommendations may influence institutional lenders ahead of the annual spring meetings with the World Bank.

The World Bank has been in talks with Nigeria for more than a year over an application for a loan of at least $1 billion and the African Development Bank has $400 million on offer. But talks have stalled over economic reforms.

(Reporting by Paul Carsten in Abuja and Alexis Akwagyiram in Lagos; Editing by Alison Williams and Stephen Powell)
HANOI, April 5 (Reuters) - Here's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official and unofficial markets, indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi and interbank offered rates at 0411 GMT.

April 5 USD/VND mid-point 22,297 USD/VND interbank 22,710/22,715 USD/VND unofficial 22,715/22,730 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 36.34/36.56

Interbank offered rates Overnight 4.4-5.1

1 week 4.7-5.2

1 month 4.9-5.3

3 months 5.0-5.3

NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016 the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank offered rates are the latest indicative bid/ask prices, quoted from market sources.

One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co.

For more interbank rate fixings released at 0400 GMT, click on .

For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom)
U.S. President Donald Trump removed his chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council on Wednesday, reversing his controversial decision early this year to give a political adviser an unprecedented role in security discussions.

Trump's overhaul of the NSC, confirmed by a White House official, also elevated General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Dan Coats, the director of National Intelligence who heads all 17 U.S. intelligence agencies. The official said the change moves the NSC "back to its core function of what its supposed to do."

It also appears to mark a victory by national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who had told some national security experts he felt he was in a battle to the death with Bannon and others on the White House staff.

Trump's White House team has grappled with infighting and palace intrigue. In recent days, several other senior U.S. foreign policy and national security officials have said the mechanisms for shaping the Trump administration's response to pressing challenges such as Syria, North Korea and Iran were still not in place.

Critics of Bannon's role on the NSC said it gave too much weight in decision-making to someone who lacked foreign policy expertise.

Before joining the Trump administration, Bannon headed Breitbart News, a right-wing website.

The White House official said Bannon was no longer needed on the NSC after the departure of Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

Flynn was forced to resign on Feb. 13 over his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak, prior to Trump's taking office on Jan. 20.

The official said Bannon had been placed on the NSC originally as a check on Flynn and had only ever attended one of the NSC's regular meetings.

The official dismissed questions about a power struggle between Bannon and McMaster, saying they shared the same world view.

However, two current national security officials rejected the White House explanation, noting that two months have passed since Flynn's departure. McMaster, they said, speaking on the condition of anonymity, also has dueled with Bannon and others over direct access to Trump; the future of deputy national security adviser K.T. McFarland, a former Fox News commentator; intelligence director Ezra Cohen-Watnick, a Flynn appointee; and other staffing decisions.Trump is preparing for his first face-to-face meeting on Thursday and Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping with the threat of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs a key component of their talks.

(Additional reporting by Ayesha Rascoe; Editing by Caren Bohan and Tom Brown)
ISTANBUL, April 5 (Reuters) - Here are news, reports and events that may affect Turkish financial markets on Wednesday.

The lira stood at 3.6761 against the U.S. dollar at 0504 GMT, firming slightly from 3.6805 at Tuesday's close.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year bond was at 10.93 percent in spot trade on Tuesday and edged up to 10.97 percent in Wednesday-dated trade.

The main BIST 100 share index edged down 0.06 percent to 88,612.55 points on Tuesday.

GLOBAL MARKETS

Asian stocks rose on Wednesday, helped by a bounce in Chinese shares, though the underlying sentiment was still cautious with investors wary of taking big positions before Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping start their summit on Thursday. Construction counters were among the top gainers in the mainland and Hong Kong after Beijing on Saturday announced plans to build Xiongan New Area, modelled on the Shenzhen special economic zone next to Hong Kong that helped kickstart China's economic reforms in 1980. ERDOGAN

President Tayyip Erdogan will make a speech to neighbourhood administrators at the presidential palace (0800 GMT). He will also attend a rally in the northwestern city of Bursa (1300 GMT).

YILDIRIM

As part of campaigning ahead of the April 16 referendum, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim will attend a groundbreaking ceremony for a motorway in the western coastal province of Izmir (0830 GMT). He will also attend an opening ceremony in the city (1100 GMT) and a groundbreaking ceremony for an urban transformation project (1300 GMT).

SYRIAN GAS ATTACK

A suspected Syrian government chemical attack killed scores of people, including children, in the northwestern province of Idlib on Tuesday, a monitoring group, medics and rescue workers in the rebel-held area said. HALKBANK Moody's has placed Halkbank's long-term foreign currency senior unsecured debt and long-term local- currency deposit ratings (Ba1) and long-term foreign currency deposit rating (Ba2) on review for downgrade. FINANCE MINISTER

Finance Minister Naci Agbal will attend an automotive conference (0615 GMT).

For other related news, double click on:

Turkish politics Turkish equities Turkish money Turkish debt Turkish hot stocks Forex news All emerging market news All Turkish news For real-time quotes, double click on:

Istanbul National-100 stock index , interbank lira trading , lira bond trading (Reporting by Daren Butler)
To mark its 225th anniversary, the U.S. Mint will soon accept orders for its historic Lady Liberty gold coin, which features a brand-new design of an African-American woman wearing a crown of stars.

Struck in conjunction with the Mint's 225th anniversary, this unique coin portrays allegorical Liberty as an African-American woman, the mints spokesman Michael White said in a press release.

Purchase orders are being accepted starting at noon Eastern Time (ET) on April 6, with mintage limited to 100,000 units.

To make the selling fair, none of the purchase requests made prior to this date and time will be valid. Also, the U.S. Mint said it wants to maximize availability and is not imposing a household order limit, according to the press release.

These one-ounce, .9999 fine 24-karat gold coins are being produced at the West Point Mint. The Lady Liberty has a face value of $100, but each coin is actually worth at least around $1,257.7 based on current June Comex gold prices. Ahead of the noon release, the Mint has priced the coin at $1,640.

While the mint is celebrating a historic milestone with its new design, some numismatic professionals warn that investors should realize that these coins arent great as investments as it is unlikely to be worth more than the intrinsic value of the metal.

Michael Fuljenz, president of Universal Coin & Bullion, in Beaumont Texas warned investors that while this is a historic coin it would make a lousy investment.

Owning this coin is owning a piece of history, a piece of the mint and a piece of this country but I wouldnt consider it an investment, he said. If you just want the gold content, you are better off buying an American Buffalo, or American Eagle.

Donn Pearlman, a member of the Professional Numismatists Guild also doesnt expect the coin to have long-term collector value.

"This beautiful new coin may see a quick bounce in secondary market value, but we've seen in the past with other modern coins that the bounce can be short-lived. This 24K coin will appreciate in value if/when the price of gold moves up, but in the long-term there may not be much significant, additional "collector value." The coin is a fine addition to a collection of U.S. gold coins, but if you are looking to only make an investment in gold, there are other bullion coins that are available at a smaller premium over the precious metal content."

The obverse of the coin depicts a profile of Liberty wearing a crown of stars, while the reverse portrays a bold and powerful eagle in flight, with eyes toward opportunity and a determination to attain it, said White.

The release comes at a time when demand for gold coins is on a decline. The U.S. Mint had the weakest March sales since 2014, selling only 21,000 ounces of gold in various denominations of the American Eagle gold coins.

Last months total sales were tied with 2014 March results and both were the lowest since March 2002, when the U.S. Mint sold only 13,500 ounces, according to the official statistics.
* Volumes slashed by 73 percent from first round - sources

* PetroChina not given quota in this trade category - sources

(Adds details)

By Seng Li Peng and Jessica Jaganathan

SINGAPORE, April 5 (Reuters) - China has cut oil product export quotas to the nation's four oil majors by 73 percent in the second batch of export quotas for 2017, two sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The quota did not include PetroChina , the sources said, which is unusual as PetroChina is a major exporter of oil products. The reason was not immediately clear.

But this does not mean PetroChina will not be exporting oil products, a source said, adding that PetroChina would continue to export under a different trade category.

Sinopec Corp , CNOOC and Sinochem Group will be allowed to sell an additional 3.335 million tonnes of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel this year, the sources said.

The three oil majors together with PetroChina were given a quota of 12.4 million tonnes of oil products to export in 2017 in the first round of quotas. China issued allowances for a record 46.08 million tonnes of oil products in 2016, up 80 percent from 2015. The world's second-largest oil consumer exported about 48.3 million tonnes of refined oil products in 2016, up 34 percent from the previous year, customs data shows. Traders had expected the second quota round to be higher than the first as regional fuel demand for construction and transport usually picks up after the winter slowdown.

China usually releases three or four rounds of quotas a year.

Table: Volunes in '000 tonnes 2016 (2nd round) Total Diesel Jet fuel Gasoline Sinopec 10,000 4,050 4,650 1,300 PetroChina 3,000 1,140 650 1,210 Sinochem Quanzhou 1,050 400 50 600 CNOOC nil nil nil nil Total 14,050 5,590 5,350 3,110

2017 (1st round) Total Diesel Jet fuel Gasoline Sinopec 6,050 2,710 2,540 800 PetroChina 4,000 1,640 760 1,600 Sinochem Quanzhou 1,550 550 0 1,000 CNOOC 800 350 200 250

2017 (2nd Round) Total Diesel Jet fuel Gasoline Sinopec 2,700 320 2,280 100 PetroChina nil nil nil nil Sinochem Quanzhou 450 360 0 90 CNOOC 185 10 125 50 * Nil = Refiner was not given a quota for the specific round

(Reporting by Seng Li Peng and Jessica Jaganathan; Editing by Edmund Blair and Susan Thomas)
* Feb exports +26.5 pct y/y vs Reuters poll +17.9 pct

* Feb imports +27.7 pct y/y vs poll f'cast +21.7 pct

* Economists say Feb growth pace cannot be sustained

* Trade surplus 8.7 bln rgt vs poll f'cast of 4.7 bln rgt

* Jan-Feb exports rise 19.8 pct y/y, imports up 21.5 pct

(Adds comments, background)

KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 (Reuters) - Malaysia's exports and imports surged in February at the fastest annual pace for a month in nearly seven years, but the strong numbers stemmed mainly from a low base and are unlikely to be sustained.

Exports rose 26.5 percent from a year earlier, data from the International Trade and Industry Ministry showed on Wednesday. That was the fastest growth since May 2010 and the fourth straight month of expansion.

Economists had forecast 17.6 percent. In January, exports grew 13.6 percent. Imports in February rose 27.7 percent from a year earlier, the biggest annual gain since June 2010.

Economists said the high figures were rooted in a low base, stemming from the timing of the Lunar New Year, which last year was in February. This year, festivities began in late January.

"We don't expect this to sustain at current levels, and we can expect to see an unfavourable base effect emerge in March," said Brian Tan, an analyst with Nomura in Singapore.

A GOOD START

While the February export spike likely won't be repeated, Malaysia's trade - which it reports in ringgit - is off to a good start in 2017.

For January-February combined, exports were up 19.8 percent from a year earlier and imports by 21.5 percent.

Weiwen Ng of ANZ said that on a seasonally-adjusted basis, February exports were 12 percent higher than in January.

He said drivers of February's exports included strong demand for electrical and electronic products as well as higher prices for liquefied natural gas.

February exports of manufactured goods rose 24.3 percent and accounted for 80 percent of Malaysia's total.

Exports of mining goods increased 21.6 percent, on higher prices of crude oil and liquefied natural gas, the data showed.

February exports to China, Malaysia's second-largest trading partner, nearly doubled at 47.6 percent from a year earlier on higher shipments of manufactured goods and commodities.

Exports to the United States went up 13.2 percent on stronger demand for manufactured goods, while shipments to the European Union grew 26.6 percent.

The trade surplus in February widened to 8.71 billion ringgit ($1.97 billion) from January's 4.7 billion ringgit.

($1 = 4.4280 ringgit)

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
(Adds statements from province, Barrick; updates share prices)

By John Tilak and Nicole Mordant

TORONTO/VANCOUVER, April 5 (Reuters) - China's Shandong Gold Mining Co Ltd is in advanced talks to buy a 50 percent stake in Barrick Gold Corp's Veladero gold mine in Argentina, people familiar with the process told Reuters even as the Canadian miner grappled with a pipe rupture at the site.

Barrick is no longer in discussions with China's Zijin Mining Group Co Ltd about the Veladero mine stake sale, the sources said. A sale could fetch more than $1 billion, they added.

Veladero, one of Barrick's five core mines, was the site of a pipe rupture last week - the third incident in 18 months at the mine involving cyanide-bearing solution.

In the wake of the incident, the government of Argentina's San Juan province, where Veladero is located, said on Wednesday it has rejected a work plan presented by Barrick.

San Juan's governor and provincial mining minister met with Barrick President Kelvin Dushnisky and other company executives, according to a statement on the province's website. A second meeting is expected to be scheduled soon, it said. Barrick will "work with the authorities to understand their concerns and make adjustments as needed," a spokesman said in an emailed response.

Barrick's shares were down 1 percent in Toronto at C$25.85 in early afternoon trading, falling more than its peers.

As part of a purchase plan being discussed, Shandong would also acquire 50 percent of Barrick's nearby undeveloped Pascua-Lama gold and silver project, one of the people said.

The Pascua-Lama project, which straddles the border of Argentina and Chile in the Andes, was put on hold in 2013 due to environmental issues, political opposition, labor unrest and development costs that ballooned to $8.5 billion.

NEW INCIDENT

Last week's pipe break may delay an agreement as Shandong might want to discuss the incident, a source said, but added that it was unlikely to reduce the Chinese firm's interest in the asset.

China is the world's top consumer of the yellow metal and given the global scarcity of large, low-cost gold mines, buyers in China would not likely be deterred by environmental mishaps, analysts have said.

Shandong is one of China's biggest gold producers and a deal would mark the latest instance of Chinese companies investing in Latin America's resource-rich commodities sector, partly to feed domestic demand.

The talks with Shandong are at the "final stage of agreeing the conditions and amounts," one of the sources said.

Shandong did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The company halted trading in its shares in Shanghai late on Wednesday pending an announcement. Barrick and Zijin declined to comment.

There is no certainty that the talks will result in a transaction, the people said. The people, whom Reuters spoke to over a period of several days, declined to be named as the talks were confidential.

Reuters reported on Oct. 25 that Zijin and Shandong had held separate talks with Barrick to buy half of Veladero. On March 28, a coupling between two pipes on the leach pad processing facility at Veladero failed, causing a gold and diluted cyanide solution to spill. Although all the solution from the incident was contained within the operating facility and Barrick has said there was no impact on people or the environment, the Argentine province of San Juan ordered the miner to stop adding cyanide to the leach pad pending repairs.

(Reporting by John Tilak in Toronto and Nicole Mordant in Vancouver; Additional reporting by Caroline Stauffer in Buenos Aires and Susan Taylor in Toronto, additional reporting by Shanghai newsroom; editing by Andrew Hay, G Crosse)
The Korea Industrial Complex Corp. (KICOX) said Wednesday that it is successfully running a center to support small- and medium-sized companies stationed in industrial compounds.

It vows to ease the burden of the mid-sized firms struggling with manpower shortages so they will be able to focus on developing their businesses.

The state-owned KICOX operates as a specialized agency for industrial complexes, committed to contributing to the growth of the nation's economy by developing and managing industrial complexes and backing manufacturing activities of tenant companies. The agency, headquartered in Daegu, was established in 1964.

According to the agency, the center will support the companies in the complexes with pre-R&D such as demand surveys and technology planning and post-research and development (R&D).

The center is aimed at revving up field-based cooperation between the industry, universities and institutes and on industrialization and R&D.

To do this, the KICOX completed the selection of operators for the seven centers in Sihwa, Gumi, Changwon, Gwangju, Pangyo, Cheonan and Wonju, with 70 civilian specialists deployed there on a regular basis.

In addition, the center picked 84 companies from the seven centers in 2016 to put them on its priority list and since then it has carried out 381 mid- and long-term nurture programs.

The center also helps the companies deal with challenges such as R&D expenditures and business management and offers a program to solve urgent issues at production sites.

"The mid-sized entities at the industrial complexes have difficulties in finding manpower for technology and management, but the nurture centers will settle the programs, helping them make further progress," a KICOX official said.

As of January 2017, 61 complexes are managed and supervised by the KICOX. (Advertorial)
By Yoon Sung-won



Female startup entrepreneurs are still far outnumbered by their male counterparts despite gradually increasing in recent years, according the industry, Wednesday.



Data by the Small and Medium Business Administration (SMBA) and the Korea Venture Business Women's Association (KOVWA) shows the number of startups run by female CEOs stood at 2,923 in 2016, which is only 8.7 percent of the total 33,547.



The data also showed that the proportion of startups with female CEOs has continued to increase in recent years. The proportion settled at 3.5 percent in 2007 but has gradually improved to 6.5 percent in 2009, 7.5 percent in 2011 and 8 percent in 2014.



The KOVWA said that it is still less than a tenth compared to 91.3 percent of startups run by male CEOs as of last year and urged the government to step up its efforts.



"The need for proper use of female human resources has expanded amid the economy struggling with low growth and a low birth rate," a KOVWA official said. "The government should actively push to channel high-quality female human resources into startup businesses."



The association also pointed out most small businesses with female CEOs focus on conventional areas such as food, lodging and retail whereas few are looking into startups based on novel technologies and ideas.



It added that government provides funding for startups only when they have promising technologies or R&D capabilities.

In 2015, the SMBA surveyed small businesses founded less than seven years earlier. The results showed that only 38.4 percent of them were established by female entrepreneurs. The proportion was 34.9 percent in 2014.



The data, however, also hinted that the number of startups led by female CEOs will continue to increase.



Among all female startups leaders last year, 20.6 percent of them were under 40, showing that young women are actively engaging in the startup business. When male startup CEOs are included, the proportion drastically went down to 8.4 percent.



Female startup leaders also turned out to be more active in tapping into female human resources. Over 73 percent of startups run by female leaders had female employees, compared to 30.6 percent of those managed by a male CEO, the data showed.




Simon Lee, CEO of Flitto, gave a lecture on the future of translation using mobile platform and web online at the Korea CQ forum hosted by Corea Image Communication Institute at Flitto building in Samseong-dong, Seoul, Tuesday. Participants included Chevron Korea Chairman Bill Miner, left in the back row, Turkish Ambassador to Korea Arslan Hakan Okcal, third from left in the back row, Lee, fourth from left in the back row and The Korea Times CEO Lee Chang-sup, right in the back row. CICI President Choi Jung-wha is seen fourth from left in the front row. / Courtesy of CICI
A man at Seoul Station watches a TV news program showing footage of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Wednesday, after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea ahead of the first summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week. The text reads, "North Korea fired a ballistic missile." / AP-Yonhap



By Jun Ji-hye

North Korea launched a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile into the East Sea, Wednesday, a day before the United States and China will hold a summit to discuss how to handle the recalcitrant regime.

Military officials and experts here assessed that the latest provocation reflected North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's determination to go head-to-head with U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping who are expected to discuss strengthening sanctions and pressure on the North during their summit.

"The missile was fired from a site in the vicinity of Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, at 6:42 a.m.," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. "The flight distance was 60 kilometers, and the maximum altitude was 189 kilometers."

The JCS said initial assessments by the militaries of South Korea and the United States indicated the missile was a KN-15 believed to have a range of 1,200 to 2,000 kilometers. The KN-15, a name given by the Pentagon, is called the Pukguksong-2 in North Korea.

This is the second time for the North to launch such a missile. The first one fired Feb. 12 flew about 500 kilometers.

Calling it a "North Korean style new type strategic weapon system," the North's state media claimed that Pyongyang developed the missile  propelled by solid-fuel  on the basis of a successful submarine-launched ballistic missile underwater test-firing last August.












By Yi Whan-woo

The diplomatic row between Korea and Japan over "comfort women" may deepen in the years to come because no presidential candidate here respects a bilateral agreement signed in December 2015.

All five major presidential nominees  Moon Jae-in, Ahn Cheol-soo, Hong Joon-pyo, Yoo Seong-min and Sim Sang-jung  are pledging to either renegotiate or scrap the deal.

Their diplomatic principles are contrary to Japan's plan to ensure that the next Korean government will carry out the deal as promised by the outgoing conservative administration.

Analysts said Wednesday failing to narrow the gap may take Seoul-Tokyo relations to their lowest level. They said bilateral ties may become worse than before December 2015 when the two countries made the controversial agreement.

"At least one side may need to yield ground, and it is very unlikely to happen," said Kim Hyun-wook, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.

Shin Yul, a politics science professor at Myongji University echoed a view, saying "Korea must get ready for the worst."

He pointed out that even the two conservative candidates  South Gyeongsang Gov. Hong of the Liberty Party of Korea (LDP) and Rep. Yoo of the Bareun Party  are with their liberal rivals in protesting the December 2015 deal.

Hong said it would be "right to scrap the deal," adding, "It is a betrayal of the spirit of the country."












A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Tuesday urged President Donald Trump to use his upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping to bring an end to "unwarranted and unfair" retaliatory measures Beijing has taken against South Korea for hosting the U.S. THAAD missile defense system.



A total of 26 senators, led by Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), made the appeal in a joint letter to Trump just two days before he is set to host China's Xi for high-stakes talks expected to cover all-important security and economic issues, including the North's nuclear and missile threats.



The Trump-Xi meetings, set for Thursday and Friday at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, will also be watched closely as to whether the U.S. stands up to China for bullying South Korea for hosting a THAAD battery, designed to defend against missile threats from North Korea.



"While China continues to aggressively oppose a missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula, China has done little in recent years to slow or halt North Korea's missile and nuclear programs ? the only reason this system is needed," the senators said in the letter.



"Mr. President, we hope you will call upon President Xi to reexamine his view of the THAAD deployment and encourage his country to cease its unwarranted and unfair economic retaliation against South Korea," they said.



They also said China should use its "considerable influence" over Pyongyang for the North's denuclearization.



"As President Xi knows well, THAAD is a defensive missile system critical to protecting the Korean people and, just as importantly, the tens of thousands of American troops and their families stationed in Northeast Asia from evolving North Korean capabilities," the senators said.



"In your discussions with President Xi, we hope you will underscore that the United States and the Republic of Korea's joint decision to deploy THAAD is entirely a result of North Korea's continued aggressive behavior," they said.



South Korea's foreign ministry viewed the latest U.S. senators' action toward China's retaliation against the THAAD deployment as "very meaningful" in that it came right ahead of the summit and that it directly urged President Trump to send a "clear message" on that issue when he meets the Chinese leader.



The ministry added that the Seoul government will continue to prepare diverse countermeasures and take necessary steps in close coordination with the U.S. (Yonhap)




By Lyman McLallen





When he decided to move to Korea, he figured he would stay for a couple of years and then move back to the United States but he never moved back. When he started working at a university in Korea he discovered that all of the students taking his classes had at least a basic understanding of English. He learned many of them were fluent with the language and intelligently so and he was certain they could enroll in the best universities in the U.S. and do well  something he knew he could never have done when he was their age, even though he was a native speaker, while hardly any of them had lived outside of Korea. But he also knew that not all of them were nearly so fluent and he knew he would have to help these students the most and try not to be dazzled so much by the students who were brilliant. In the city where he lived in the United States, he taught humanities and writing courses at the college of art. Every time before he walked in the classroom he would remind himself that all of the students he worked with knew how to do things he couldn't do. They could draw, paint, sculpt, work with clay, craft fine woodwork and print and bind beautiful books of paper they made themselves and he could do none of those things. Still, he enjoyed working with the students at the college of art, for they amazed him with the fine objects they made. He began teaching before he was 30, long before he went to Korea. He was in his 40s when he landed at Gimpo Airport in Seoul.

The dean at the university that hired him  a Korean who was a professor of accountancy who had studied for several years in Michigan and spoke English with an informed and pleasant voice  told him the university wanted him to speak his native English and engage the students with it in and out of the classroom. The dean did not tell him how to teach or what materials to use or anything like that. He wanted him to pour his heart into the classroom  in English, of course  which he did, gladly.

The students asked him questions  in English  that spurred him to think before he answered. He found he had to consider carefully everything they asked him because he wanted to give them good answers they could understand, which might get them to ask him more questions.

It surprised him that many of the students he met in Korea had mastered the mechanics of English before they ever entered his classroom. They knew the parts of speech, knew English grammar and could write readable sentences in English. He found he didn't know nearly as much about the language as they did, at least not the technical aspects of it.

What was truly wonderful about them, he thought, was their eagerness to learn more about English, its quirks and nuances, the meanings and origins of idioms, the different styles of pronunciation Americans and other native speakers of the language spoke with. They wanted to know how they could best express themselves with English and he told them the best way he thought they could do that was to read everything they could get their hands on and watch good movies.

The classes he taught were two hours long which gave him and the students plenty of time to experiment. He read the English daily newspapers with the students  like the one you are reading now  and together they found interesting articles they enjoyed reading.

One of the activities he liked to do with the students was to have them read and study a few paragraphs of an article during the first hour of the class. Then in the second hour he would have them recreate the paragraphs from memory on paper. He did not grade them on this. He wanted the students to compare for themselves what they had written with the actual paragraphs in the article they had read and studied earlier.

When he was an undergraduate student a great teacher did this exercise with him and his classmates and he remembered how much he learned from it. So he did it with the students he was teaching, whether at the college of art or in Korea.

In the years he worked as a teacher, he felt if the students learned to enjoy studying English and continued studying it on their own after the semester was finished, then maybe he had served them well.

McLallen is a copy editor at The Korea Times.
Shim Gyu-hui, left, a 15-year-old teen suffering from leukemia, smiles on board an F-15K during his visit to the 11th Fighter Wing in Daegu, Monday. / Courtesy of Air Force



By Jun Ji-hye

Shim Gyu-hui, 15, who suffers from leukemia, is a fighter buff who knows the different kinds and data of combat planes operated by the Air Force.

His dream is to become a fighter pilot after getting over his disease.

The Air Force has prepared a special gift him to encourage him to battle the disease and continue to nurture his desire to become a great pilot.

On Monday, the 11th Fighter Wing in Daegu invited Shim to give him a chance to experience being an F-15K pilot.

Upon his arrival, Shim was given a pilot's jumpsuit with his name tag attached and a red muffler, a symbol of South Korean Air Force pilots.

Then, he boarded the F-15K, feeling like his dream had come true.

Shim could not take an actual flight due to his illness. Instead, he experienced a flight simulator, designed to simulate the conditions of an actual flight, and held the control stick by himself from takeoff to landing.

"I held talks with a lot of real pilots and boarded the F-15K myself," Shim said. "I thought I really want to be cured at the earliest possible date and fly around the skies."

The Air Force said it invited Shim upon the request from the "Make A Wish" foundation that helps children with life-threatening illnesses through its wish-granting work.

Shim was originally scheduled to experience being a pilot at the end of last year, but the event was postponed after his health worsened while he was receiving anti-cancer treatments.

At the time, pilots and engineers of the 11th Fighter Wing delivered a video clip cheering him up.

"We hope Shim took courage from his experience and will overcome the disease," Lt. Col. So Yoon-young said. "We will wait for him to become a pilot and meet us again."
The Ulsan District Court sentenced a man who hired six gangsters to threaten teenage girls allegedly responsible for bullying his daughter to a year's prison on Tuesday. / Courtesy of the Ulsan District Court



By Eom Da-sol

The Ulsan District Court has jailed a man who raided a middle school with six thugs to threaten teenage girls who bullied his daughter.

The court Tuesday jailed the father for a year and sentenced the gangsters he hired to terms ranging from eight months to a year. They were accused of the crime in 2015.

The convicted man's daughter allegedly suffered serious distress two years ago because of school bullies.

The man acted after the bullies shared a photo of his daughter's body parts with classmates without her permission, asking the thugs to "take revenge."

Later, the father and one of his henchmen broke into the school principal's office, threatening the principal to assemble the bullies. The five other thugs were waiting at the school's main gate to intimidate students and staff.

The principal refused to give in, so the men broke into the bullies' classroom. They forced the alleged bullies to kneel in front of the class and threatened to beat them.

The threat stopped when police arrived an hour later.

The judge said: "Although the girl may have been bullied by the students, the alleged harassers have also been insulted and threatened by the girl's father and his friends. The students still shed tears when they recall the unforgettable trauma."
The semisubmersible recovery ship, to which the Sewol is secured, pulls up near the dock at the Mokpo New Port, South Jeolla Province, Wednesday. / Yonhap



By Lee Kyung-min

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries plans to test modular transporters that will move the ferry Sewol into a dry dock today.

"We will run a test operation after maneuvering 480 transporters, which can carry up to 40 tons each, under Sewol," said Lee Cheol-jo, the ministry official overseeing the salvage operation.

The ministry had only 456 transporters but added 24 more following an assessment by the special committee investigating the ferry Tuesday that concluded the ferry weighed 14,592 tons, 1,100 tons more than the ministry's earlier estimate of 13,460 tons.

If moving the ferry proves difficult using the 480 transporters, 336 more will be added, which can support up to 60 tons each.

The transporters will move the ferry from the semisubmersible recovery ship, to which the Sewol is secured, to the dry dock.

The ministry said the work should be completed by next Monday, reversing an earlier statement that it would be done by Saturday, when the first neap tide of the month is forecast to end.

It was believed that the ministry would have needed to wait 15 days for the next tide to ensure the work could be conducted under the safest conditions, but wave interference will likely be negligible through Monday, it said.

The ministry decided against drilling any more holes in the ferry after the 21 drilled Tuesday failed to help drain water and mud from inside the Sewol.

Earlier, the ministry, with the agreement of the special investigation committee late Sunday, began drilling as it was deemed the only way to reduce the weight of the ferry before maneuvering the transporters under it.

A total of 101 objects had been recovered, as of Wednesday. They are believed to be personal belongings of those aboard the Sewol including cosmetic products, nine diaries, stationery, a blanket, a pair of shoes, a sweater, a tie and a cell phone.

A black bag belonging to a victim, whose body was recovered a week after the sinking on April 16, 2014, was recovered. The ministry said relatives of the girl surnamed Kim who attended Danwon High School, Gyeonggi Province, were on their way to Mokpo New Port, South Jeolla Province. The bag contained her school uniform, name tag, and other clothing.

Those were in addition to the passport and a credit card that belonged to ferry captain, Lee Joon-seok, recovered in the early hours of Sunday. Lee is serving a life sentence at the Suncheon Correctional Institution in South Jeolla Province, after the Supreme Court upheld a high court ruling in 2015 that found him guilty of murder, negligence and dereliction of duty.

Meanwhile, the recovery crew, under the supervision of National Forensic Service officials, continued to collect mud for further content analysis as it could contain the remains of the nine victims unaccounted for.



Meanwhile, the semisubmersible recovery ship, to which the Sewol is secured, was moved near to the dock at Mokpo New Port, Wednesday.
The tourism industry on South Korea's resort island of Jeju remained relatively sound in March, despite worries about a serious economic setback from China's travel package ban to its neighbor amid a diplomatic standoff, industry sources said Wednesday.

The number of tourists who came to Jeju Island was 1.25 million between March 1 and April 3, down 3.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the data by the Jeju Provincial Tourism Association.

Of the tally, foreign tourists plunged by 56.4 percent to 118,410, but local visitors jumped by 10 percent to some 1.13 million over the cited period, it said.

The data reflected the anticipated outcome after Beijing's order on its travel agencies to stop selling tours to Korea went into effect March 15. China has stepped up its restrictions on Korean companies and goods, in retribution for Seoul's installation of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on its soil.

The number of Chinese tourists declined 36.6 percent to 61,477 between March 1-15. Since March 16, the figure has nearly halved to some 19,000, according to the association.

But the popular tourist island, located off the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula, has shrugged off such concerns on the back of robust non-Chinese demand.

"Despite the THAAD issues, Jeju managed to stay relatively sound in terms of the tourist count, backed by strong demand from locals and steady inflows from Japan and Southeast Asia," an official at the association said.

The number of Japanese visitors rose 8.3 percent to 4,138 in the cited period, with that of other regions, including Southeast Asia, gaining 7.4 percent to 33,805, the association said. (Yonhap)
By Choi Ha-young



Presidential candidates and political parties need to start talks on how to ensure stable state management after the election, analysts said Wednesday.



This is because no party has a parliamentary majority, and there are wide ideological differences among them. Whoever wins the race, political turmoil will be inevitable unless there is a political consensus on how the next government should push for reform, they said.



One viable option for the next leader is to form a coalition government, sharing Cabinet posts and cooperating in parliamentary negotiations with different parties.



Even if the frontrunner Moon Jae-in from the 120-seat Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) wins the May 9 election, he has to undergo three years with 178 opposition lawmakers from four opposition parties  the Liberty Korea Party (LKP) with 93 seats, the People's Party with 39 seats, the Bareun Party with 33 seats and the Justice Party with six seats.



South Chungcheong Governor An Hee-jung, who was defeated by Moon in the DPK primary, kindled talks around a "grand coalition" with conservatives. Highlighting the necessity to push for reforms with an overwhelming alliance, he even pledged to share Cabinet posts with opposition parties, if elected.



In response, Moon suggested a "small coalition" only with liberals, excluding the LKP which is under the influence of former President Park Geun-hye and other conservatives. Instead of appointing opponents to key posts, he vowed to facilitate talks with opposition leaders.



"If Moon is elected, he is likely to actively talk with opposition parties first and tap people from various walks of life outside of the DPK," political pundit Choi Young-il said. "The final shape of the negotiation would be a coalition government including other liberals  the People's Party and Justice Party."



Moon's rival, Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party boasted that he is unhindered to cooperate with other parties, unlike Moon. "I ask the voters to judge who will be better at cooperative politics. If tied to a certain faction, it is impossible to cooperate with others," Ahn said Tuesday after being nominated.



"Ahn, who has fewer human resources than Moon, is likely to recruit those from the Bareun Party or anti-Moon figures in the DPK to form a coalition government," Choi said.



The term coalition generally refers to a political system, where two different parties share cabinet posts. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leads a coalition government made up of the conservative CDU and the center-left Social Democratic Party.



According to the definition, the leading contenders, both Moon and Ahn, put dialogue with opponents first, rather than a coalition government.



Experts generally recognize the necessity of forming a coalition government in the long term, but are unsure about the possibility for now. "To share posts, parties should have agreed on common goals and set up a specific plan," said Junhan Lee, political science professor at Incheon National University.



In Germany, the alliance members publish joint pledges and sign a contract ahead of elections. The documents clarify what will happen if the deal falls apart. Korea has never adopted such a system.



This shows the difficulty of achieving a grand coalition even in European countries, Lee said. "It has been impossible to convince the LKP lawmakers. The ideological gap between the former ruling party and others is too large to be narrowed." Further, without the LKP, the four others account for two-thirds in the Assembly.



Even though the election is only one month away, parties and candidates need more active discussions on this issue, said Im Hyug-baeg, a professor emeritus of Korea University.



"Candidates should tell people how they will govern the nation before the election. Without these pledges, there will be only a collusion of certain political forces," Im said.



In a sense, forming a coalition government could be against public wishes for radical reform. The leader of a coalition government may have to give up reformist bills if there is friction with Cabinet members from different parties, according to Suh Bok-kyung, a research professor at Sogang University.




By Kim Rahn



Moon Jae-in, the presidential candidate of the largest Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), is seeking to embrace supporters of his former in-house rivals to form an integrated election camp.



This is a move to prevent factional disputes and possible defections of those who supported South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung and Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung. Moon said he would reflect their pledges in policymaking.



In a meeting Tuesday, a day after he was picked as the party's nominee, Moon said he hoped to form a party-centered election camp led by Chairwoman Choo Mi-ae.



"If we change the government, it will be the DPK administration, not the Moon administration," he said. "The entire party will take charge of the election campaign."



His move reflects previous elections when party members were divided into several groups in line with the contenders they had supported in the primaries, and failed to unite for the final race.



It is also a measure to prevent An supporters from moving toward the People's Party candidate Ahn Cheol-soo, a center-left rival who has recently absorbed the support of An who also took a centrist stance compared to Moon.



By having the party, not the pro-Moon faction, take charge of the campaign, Moon opened the door for An and Lee supporters to actively join the campaign. He said he would also cooperate with Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and Rep. Kim Boo-kyum who dropped out of the race before the primaries.



"As the fierce competition has ended, we should unite again," he said.



It is impossible for An and Lee to be directly engaged in campaigning because they are elected public officials who are obliged to keep politically neutral in elections according to the law.



"Instead we plan to invite some of their aides to work as co-leaders of the campaign along with Choo," a party official said, adding Moon plans to have a meeting with the two former rivals soon.



The official said Moon will also accept some of An and Lee's campaign pledges as his own.



An had focused on the value of an alliance and coalition, and Moon said he would reflect this in making policies. An also proposed sabbatical leave for all workers so they could have a year off after working for 10 years, and Moon's aides said they would polish the idea to make it feasible.



Lee used the slogan, "Government change that will change my life," and Moon is considering using that slogan during the campaign in an effort to present policies that can directly help improve people's lives.



Responding to Moon's stance, An encouraged his supporters to help him win the presidential race. "I hope all the people who supported me will support Moon now," he told reporters. "It is the duty of a primaries contender to call for support for the selected candidate's victory."




By Kim Hyo-jin





Kim Chong-in

Kim Chong-in, former interim leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) who has been at odds with leading presidential contender Moon Jae-in, announced his bid for the top office, Wednesday.



Kim said he would play an active role in an alliance against Moon. He pledged to form a coalition government if elected, saying it was the only way to stabilize the country after the May 9 election.



"Making a good country in the current condition is not something a president alone can do. I will be the top coordinator who embraces various political forces and figures," Kim said during a speech at the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Businesses on Yeouido.



"My presidential bid and campaign is aimed at forming a coalition government. This will be the only way of managing state affairs immediately after the May 9 election."



Kim, who does not belong to any party, is joining the race after the five major parties nominated their candidates. His move is widely seen as an intention to shake up the current political landscape as the DPK's Moon is cementing his lead.



Kim has sought to make an alliance with non-mainstreamers outside the party opposed to Moon, and lawmakers aligned with him. He has been negative about Moon's possible leadership as he and his followers in the DPK are reluctant to share power in the new government.



"The presidential election this time is a competition between a capable force that believes in unity and an incapable force that prefers doing things alone," Kim said, taking aim at Moon.



He expressed concern that a new government under Moon would fail to renovate the county with the National Assembly where no single party has enough seats to unilaterally pass a bill.



Kim's aides said he intends to lead talks on forming an alliance of political parties and fielding a unified candidate against Moon.



Kim has already reached out to presidential aspirants who are not affiliated with a party  former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan and former JoongAng Media Network Chairman Hong Seok-hyun. He is said to be seeking to join hands with Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party and Yoo Seong-min of the Bareun Party after creating an alliance with Chung and Hong.

Critics say Kim's move will end as "a storm in a teacup." Ahn, who won his party's ticket with an overwhelming victory in the primaries, is determined to keep his candidacy. He did not reply to a question about a possible alliance with Kim, Wednesday, saying, "I have no idea what Kim has in mind. We haven't even had talks."



Meanwhile, two-term lawmaker Lee Un-ju, said to be aligned with Kim, reportedly decided to quit the DPK and join the People's Party to support Ahn's bid. Speculation is rising that Lee will act as a bridge between Kim and Ahn in pushing for the anti-Moon alliance.
By Park Yoon-bae





One of the most popular news items on April Fools' Day was certainly an article about the 10 worst lies in modern Korean history. It was not a story that anyone can just laugh off on such a funny day.



Atop the list is Oxy Reckitt Benckiser's humidifier disinfectant ad stating, "Our product is safe for anyone, even for babies." According to an online survey of 700 Korean adults conducted by the Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, the respondents picked the ad as the most unforgivable lie.



The biocide case, one of the worst scandals involving a consumer product in Korea, occurred in 2011 after four pregnant women died from unknown lung problems.



In January this year, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Shin Hyun-woo, then president of the U.K.-invested firm, to seven years in prison for failing to ensure the safety of the product. The court found the company used false advertising without proving its product safety. The chemical was responsible for at least 103 deaths.



The second-most serious lie selected by the respondents is an announcement by then national police chief Kang Min-chang about the death of a student protester in 1987. Kang said Park Jong-chul, a Seoul National University student, "suddenly died because of shock when we slammed the desk."



Under the military dictatorship of former President Chun Doo-hwan, the police tried to cover up the case of Park's death which was actually caused by torture. The case triggered the June 1987 pro-democracy movement that led to a constitutional revision and the downfall of the military junta.



What's more intriguing is that the top 10 list includes lies told by four former presidents  Syngman Rhee, Chun Doo-hwan, Park Geun-hye and Kim Dae-jung whose lies rank third, fourth, fifth and 10th, respectively.



What Rhee, the country's first president, said has become a classic example of a presidential lie. He made a radio announcement vowing to defend Seoul against invading North Korean troops, at around 9 p.m. June 27, 1950  two days after the Korean War broke out. But he already fled south at 2 a.m. on the same day. He even ordered the military to blow up the Han River Bridge to stop the invaders from marching to the south. Rhee drew severe criticism for not only trapping civilians in the capital but also lying to the nation.



Ex-President Chun lied about his wealth in 2003 by saying, "All I have is 290,000 won ($260)." The lie came years after a court ordered him to forfeit 220.4 billion won, convicting him of treason, bribery and tax evasion he committed during his presidency from 1980 to 1988. Then he only paid 31.4 billion won.



Chun's remark only proved to be a sheer lie to avoid the forfeiture of the remaining 189 billion won. Authorities have so far managed to confiscate 114 billion won from Chun.



The just-ousted President Park promised to cooperate with investigations into allegations about her involvement in a massive corruption scandal surrounding her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil in November 2016 when she was still in office.



But she refused to keep her promise in a desperate bid to cover up her wrongdoing and avoid any criminal charges. The people became infuriated and frustrated with her only to realize that she lied to the nation. What a poor president she was!



Her lie has culminated in a denial tactic by which she denied all charges brought against her. Now she must realize that her denial tactic will only add to her woes. It will only make her a shameless and impudent former head of state.

The former presidents' lies have had a different impact on the people and the nation. They have also drawn different reactions. However, the simple fact is that they became liars.



Now, the question is why they had to lie. There might have been different reasons. Some did so to get out of a crisis. Others did so to hide inconvenient truths.



But lying cannot and should not be justified in any circumstance. This is because lying, especially by a president, constitutes a betrayal of the people and the nation and causes a crisis of trust.



Lying often comes hand in hand with perjury, bribery and other grave crimes. One of the most typical cases of lying is the ongoing presidential corruption and influence-peddling scandal.



The presidential campaign will soon officially start for the May 9 election. Voters should elect a president with a high degree of integrity who does not repeat the same mistakes of his or her disgraced predecessors.





byb@ktimes.com
A century ago  April 6, 1917  America entered "The Great War" in Europe after spending nearly three years resolutely determined to stay out. The war churned on for another 19 months and claimed 117,000 American lives. The last of the soldiers and sailors who survived battles "over there" are gone.



Why focus on a war fought so long ago? Because we live in a world mightily shaped by that war and the one that followed. Because we never know when America will next know war. And because war is an engine for change, just as surely as the internet or medical cures or globalization or any other force that cannot be defied or denied. Construction follows destruction.



At the beginning of World War I in 1914, a Chicago Tribune editorial, "The Twilight of the Kings," foresaw a war that would sweep aside sclerotic monarchies and self-serving despots to let democracies breathe. Specifically, to let republics take root and grow in Europe. That editorial predicted: " ... out of the sacrifice will come, we think, a resolution firmly taken to have no more wheat growers and growers of corn, makers of wine, miners and fishers, artisans and traders, sailors and storekeepers offered up with prayer to the Almighty in a feudal slaughter."



A succession of U.S. presidents, from Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt through Ronald Reagan, spent much of the 20th century protecting Europe from mortal danger: WWI swept aside monarchs and czars as predicted, but in their place came even worse, World War II and the axis powers Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. After that conflict, Stalin and communism crushed Eastern Europe and menaced Western Europe.



But would America's 21st-century presidents still honor bonds forged in war?



Today we look back (easy) and forward (much harder). In 1921, three years after the end of World War I, an editorial titled "The Unknown Soldier" celebrated "the end of the greatest conflict in human history" and noted that "Only the future can read its full meaning in the fulfillment of final consequences. ... While we are too close to this event to measure its scope, we can at least see that it has a significance greater and more complicated than the overthrow of one military power by another. ... Vast material and political changes are in its wake."



It is futile to predict how the repercussions of war or any other cataclysm will play out over time. There are too many moving parts. But this nation's principles, chief among them the defense of allies, should remain constant. The world, then and now, looks to American leadership when dictators and tyrants rise and march. When American presidents slink to the corner, when the U.S. leads from behind or not at all, someone else will gladly fill the void. Perhaps an ambitious Russian president. A genocidal Syrian dictator. A North Korean madman. A theocratic Iranian tyrant.

As today's threats loom, Europe trembles. Trembles and asks, would this American president have our back?



President Donald Trump has rightly made much of his demand that Europe pay more for its own defense. That's slowly happening. Good, because decades of European lassitude  of refusing to invest much in self-defense  have invited adversaries to wonder: If there's some lack of resolve, can we exploit it?



As we wrote in 2014 on the centennial of World War I's opening shot: In succeeding decades, with U.S. involvement in the growth of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and in a long list of geopolitical crises, America's service to Europe has exacted high costs. What was once the most self-reliant continent now sniffs smoke and looks west, trusting that if fire erupts, America will strike it.



That trust has been shaken by a president who blithely disrespects allies, who bad-mouths NATO, who inexplicably embraces Western Europe's chief adversary, Vladimir Putin.



As a result, no American ally  not Great Britain, not France, not Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Japan or South Korea  can know where Washington stands now and whether it will stand in the same place a day or even an hour from now. That's dangerous. Twitter rants are not diplomacy. The best way to stay out of wars is to make sure the enemies of America or its friends never calculate that they'd have a chance to prevail in one.



That commitment to allies should be as inviolate as it was on April 6, 1917  no matter who is president. The next foes of Europe, and of America, could be nation-states. Or they could be terrorists without capitals, nihilists who pledge not "the war to end all wars," but endless war.



Today, as in 1917, Europe casts an anxious glance over its shoulder, hoping to see the reassuring shadow of the American colossus. Threats overseas change, and different presidents have varied opinions on how the U.S. should engage. But obligations, by treaty or by shared values, endure. May this nation's commitment to its allies  again, no matter who is president  never falter.





This editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune and was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.




Out-of-box' approach on NK to trump Xi



Pundits have given long odds against U.S. President Donald Trump in his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. They stack Xi's ample experience against Trump's absence of it.



But this shouldn't force President Trump to alter his "Art of the Deal" business approach in the Mar-a-Largo meeting. If he gives up on it and adopts a strategy that takes him out of his element, it would carry a bigger risk of failure.



It is only natural that he should apply his unique style to the issue of North Korea, the key issue of the summit. He dared China to resolve it or the U.S. will deal with it alone. This is the right first move to put pressure on Xi.



Now, Trump should preempt Xi further when the two meet.



Xi would likely expect the status quo, either believing that the U.S. will rely on its old playbook that is full of half-hearted attempts and failures or trying to distract him with gifts such as large-scale imports.



Trump had better understand that settling for Xi's gifts would be tantamount to giving him permission to misbehave until they meet again. China and the North feel as tight as "lips and teeth" _ becoming vulnerable without the help of the other.



That's why Beijing has kept calling for calmness when the North fires long-range missiles and detonates nuclear devices, even though this policy of extreme tolerance helps the North perfect its weapons of mass destruction. The failure to see this China-North Korea nexus and act to break it is also responsible for the collapse of the six-party talks aimed at separating the North from its weapons of mass destruction.



Then, what would be an alternative for Trump to take to stop the North from becoming a bigger threat and keep China in check?



First, it requires the breaking-up of the current frame in which Beijing and Pyongyang close ranks to form a tight defensive format against the U.S. This is where Trump can put his unconventional approach to its best use. He can offer Xi to go easy on the sanctions-oriented policy toward its ally and propose holistic talks to bring about lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.



The caveat is that China should be held responsible for any more provocative acts by the North in the lead-up to the start of such talks. This alone could make Beijing stop making its lame excuse _ its hands are tied.



The holistic agenda should be bold enough to entice China and the North, not ruling out the establishment of an inter-Korean permanent peace regime and recognition of the North as a nuclear state. Both have its pitfalls: the first can lead to the North's demand for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea, while the second could trigger a domino effect of nuclear armament among aspiring nations. Bringing the North's armament to a standstill and keeping China busy can buy more time for Trump to figure out a more fundamental solution.




Caffe Bene CEO Choi Seung-woo

By Lee Hyo-sik

Caffe Bene failed to turn things around in 2016, posting an operating loss for four consecutive years, as its money-losing U.S. unit weighed heavily on its bottom line, company officials said Wednesday.

Early last year, company CEO Choi Seung-woo had pledged to make one of Korea's leading home-grown coffee franchises profitable again, but it turned out to be a hollow slogan.

Choi, who took the helm in September 2015, is expected to face an uphill battle this year and beyond to get Caffe Bene back on track amid its battered brand image and intensifying market competition.

According to the Financial Supervisory Service, Caffe Been, founded in April 2008, earned 81.7 billion won ($72.9 million) in sales last year, down 32 percent from 2015. Its operating loss rose 18 percent to 13.4 billion won, with its net loss climbing 25 percent to 33.6 billion won.

The firm's 2016 revenue is less than one-tenth of Starbucks Coffee Korea's 1.03 trillion won sales. The Korean unit of the Seattle-based coffee chain also posted an 85.4 billion won operating profit, up 81.2 percent from 2015.

Caffe Bene officials say the company fared relatively well in the domestic market, but its unprofitable American unit, which runs about 50 stores, made things go from bad to worse for the struggling coffee chain.

"At home, we did quite well because our net loss declined to 550 million won last year from 4.4 billion won a year earlier," a company official said. "But our American and other overseas units failed to meet expectations. Our primary task this year is to restructure our foreign businesses into profitable and efficiently operating entities."

Caffebene Inc., a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Caffe Bene, generated 5.3 billion won in sales in 2016 but lost 13.2 billion won, according to the official, who said the company will subject its U.S. unit to stringent restructuring.

"We operate a store in Manhattan directly and the rest are franchisees. We are now trying to find a business partner willing to set up a joint venture or sign a master franchise contract with us," he said. "We desperately need to do everything we can to turn our U.S. business around."

Under the master franchise deal, Caffe Bene hands over the control of the franchising activities to its business partners. In return, it receives a certain percentage of revenue from them.

The official said the company will strengthen its mobile business platform and introduce a range of innovative coffees, while closing money-losing franchisees.

"We now operate about 800 stores in Korea but the number will likely decline in the coming months as we restructure our business," he said. "For the time being, we will take all possible steps to bolster our bottom line even if this hurts our sales."

Caffe Bene was once Korea's largest and most promising coffee chain. But it soon lost its glory as founder Kim Sun-kwon focused too much on increasing the number of its stores, rather than on properly educating its franchise owners on how to run a coffee house.

In addition, the coffee franchise's aggressive overseas ventures and "excessive" diversification have taken things from bad to worse.

A year and a half ago, CEO Choi took over the ailing company from Kim, who decided to give up managerial control in order to attract investment from a private equity fund.
A woman prays at a cemetery in Dagantangcun, 30km east of Beijing, during last year's Ching Ming festival.



Villagers are willing to pay hundreds of thousands of yuan for a female corpse to bury alongside an unmarried deceased male, Xinhua reports



By Sidney Leng

As Chinese across the nation honour their ancestors by visiting their graves this week, state media has drawn attention to one ugly side of traditional views about death.

Xinhua ran a report about the black market trade in corpse-stealing, in which families obtain a dead woman to bury alongside an unmarried male so he will not be alone in the afterlife.

The practice, known as "ghost marriages", was banned by the government in 1949 but continues to exist in remote villages, especially in the north.

The trade can be lucrative for criminals willing to source the bodies, sometimes by murder, with families willing to pay hundreds of thousands of yuan for a corpse.

In Hongtong, a county with a population of about 760,000 in Shanxi province, 27 female bodies have been reported stolen since 2013, according to the Xinhua report. But the actual number could be much higher, as some villagers might feel too ashamed to report to officials that a body of a deceased family member had gone missing.

During last year's tomb-sweeping festival, known as Ching Ming, county resident Zhang Gainong, not his real name, spent 180,000 yuan (US$26,145 or HK$203,175))to purchase a young girl's body to bury with his dead son, according to Xinhua. He often checked the site to ensure it had not been disturbed and the woman's body stolen and sold again.

Another resident, Jing Gouzi, spent 3,000 yuan for a female corpse in 2015 to pair with his dead elder brother. For a county with a rural per capita gross domestic product just above 8,000 yuan, the ritual can be a financial burden.

"We said making a dummy body might be enough, but the elderly in our village refused, saying it would set a bad example for our children," Jing's wife Xing Xueli was quoted as saying.

Since 2012, China's criminal courts have decided on more than 40 "ghost marriage" cases, according to an online database of court judgments.

Last December, Hongtong County People's Court sent two men from Linfen city to jail for "insulting a corpse". According to a court document, in 2012, Qiao Yuxi sold a female body through middleman Zhang Jianwei to a villager for 8,800 yuan. In return, Zhang received 2,100 yuan.

To fend off tomb raiders, some rural residents will sleep beside their female relatives' tombs for weeks at a time, cement the tombs with concrete, or even build tombs inside their villages, the report said.
GOT7's blessings just keep on coming! The boy band album "Flight Log: Arrival" has reached the number one spot on the monthly album charts on Hanteo for the month of March.

According to All Kpop, the number of pre-orders for GOT7's "Flight Log: Arrival" reached 220,000 copies. Within the first week of the album's release, GOT7 sold almost 160,000 copies of their album.

GOT7's first week of sales was also the 3rd highest in Hanteo's history. Combine all of that numbers, and GOT7 claims the No. 1 spot on Hanteo's monthly album sales.

Also, GOT7's music video for "Just Right" just achieved 1 million likes on YouTube. "Just Right" belonged to GOT7's 6-track EP of the same name released on July 2015. The music video also achieved 100 million views on YouTube earlier this year in February, making it GOT7's first ever major feat.

GOT7 also rapidly rose up to global iTunes chart just a few days after releasing "Flight Log: Arrival" in March 13. As previously reported, "Flight Log: Arrival" peaked iTunes albums charts not just in Asia, but in some European countries as well.

GOT7 ranked first in the iTunes charts in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, and in the Philippines. "Flight Log: Arrival" claimed the No. 2 spot in iTunes charts in Singapore and Taiwan. The album landed the No. 3 spot in Macau.

"Flight Log: Arrival" made its way into European countries like Finland and Norway where it claimed the No. 2 spot in the iTunes charts. Meanwhile, GOT7's album landed the No. 4 spot in Sweden, and the No. 5 spot in the United States.

GOT7's Jackson however, was not able to celebrate with the group. Prior to their comeback, Jackson was sent to the hospital after he collapsed during a fan meeting.

Jackson was slated to rejoin GOT7 on March 19 but was unable to do so. He eventually rejoined GOT7's promotions for "Flight Log: Arrival" on March 25.
Will OCN make another season of "Bad Guys"? An OCN insider just confirmed they will!

"The second season of 'Bad Guys' is planned to air sometime during the second half of this year," said an OCN insider on Tuesday, April 4 as reported by Soompi. "However, it has not been confirmed to air in September."

OCN's "Bad Guys" is a crime action thriller genre that aired in October 2014. The plot follows Detective Oh Gu Tak (played by Kim Sang Joong) as he uses a team of "bad guys" to hunt down other bad guys.

OCN's "Bad Guys" stars Park Hae Jin, Ma Dong Seok, Jo Dong Hyuk, and Kang Shin Il. "Bad Guys" also stars actress Kang Ye Won, which was known for her roles in "Quick" and "Haeudae".

OCN's "Bad Guys" started airing on October 4, 2016 and continued every Saturday until its final episode on December 13, 2014. "Bad Guys" had a total of 11 episodes.

As of now, OCN is currently showing the drama "Tunnel". OCN is slated to air "Duel" soon starring Jung Jae Young ("Broken", "You Call It Passion"), Kim Jung Eun ("Lovers in Paris", "Kim Jung Eun's Chocolates"), and Park Hae Jin ("Doctor Stranger", "Bad Guys").

Orion Cinema Network, or OCN, is a movie channel in Korea. According to Wikipedia, OCN was previously owned by Daewoo Broadcasting from 1995 to 1999 and was formerly known as Daewoo Cinema Network.

OCN was then bought by On Media, a former subsidiary of Orion Confectionery in 1999 until 2010. Since 2010, OCN is under CJ E&M Broadcasting Group.

OCN's sister channels include Mnet, tvN, tvN Asia, O tvN, OnStyle, O'Live, OCN Series, XTM, OGN, Channel CGV, CATCH ON 1, CATCH ON 2, and Chungwa TV. National Geographic Korea, Tooniverse, and UXN are also sister channels of OCN.
Fans might want to hear any recent updates about Girls Generation comeback that presumably will kick off on August. Fortunately, Hyoyeon recently posted a photo of all the 8 queens pose together that somehow make all fans couldn't wait any longer to see them performing on stage.

On April 4, Hyoyeon answered fans' wish to see all eight Girls' Generation members being in the same frame. On her Instagram, Hyoyeon posted a photo of her and other fellow members wearing a black dress displaying their goofiness and hotness at the same time, Allkpop reported. The girls pull off sassy looks in a sexy, sparkling black dress that display their fabulous figure. Hyoyeon wrote in the caption that they have grown to be closer than ever after all these years.

Previously, Sooyeon had spilled a little detail about Girls' Generation comeback via a photo she posted on her Instagram. In the photo, the Girls' Generation members gathered together in a seeming rehearsal room. The photo quickly gained thousands of comments from SONE expressing their excitement to the anticipated comeback of the legend K-Pop girl group.

Girls' Generation recently performed in a special concert in Hanoi to celebrate Vietnam-South Korea friendship. This special occasion marks the group's first performance before they make a comeback in August. To start off their promotional activities, Girls' Generation has been making a special monthly release before the big comeback event kicks off. Previously, Soompi reported that Hyoyeon and Yoona are prepared to release a single in April and May respectively.

Meanwhile, each member of Girls' Generation has been kept busy with their individual promotion. Seohyun and Tiffany released solo albums, while the group's frontwoman, Taeyeon recently made multiple record-breaking achievements with her solo album. Yuri, Yoona, Sunny, Sooyoung, and Hyoyeon have been making on-screen appearances in the dramas and variety shows as well.
A former Springfield resident and radio news director will lead a national journalism organization. Dan Shelley left Springfield in 1995 for a series of jobs in larger cities, including New York City.

RTDNA and RTDNF announced Wednesday that their boards picked Shelley as the next executive director of the two organizations. Shelley is a longtime member of RTDNA (Radio Television Digital News Association). He's a former chairman of the RTDNA board and is the current secretary/treasurer of RTDNF (Radio Television Digital News Foundation), which is the educational arm of RTDNA.

Shelley begins working for the organizaitons immediately and will assume the role of executive director in September when the current executive director retires.

Shelley graduated from Parkview High School in Springfield in 1977 and Southwest Missouri State University (now MSU) in 1982. He worked at KTTS in Springfield, including as news director, from 1983 - 1995. When he left, KTTS had the largest radio news staff in Missouri.

Shelley left Springfield for a job in Milwaukee with Journal Broadcast Group, which later bought KTTS from Great Empire Broadcasting of Wichita. From there, Shelley moved to New York City to work for WCBS-TV as executive editor of digital media. He's also worked as an executive for iHeartMedia and Radio One.

After serving as RTNDA chairman in 2005 - '06, Shelley continued to serve on its board and chaired its programs, awards and convention planning committees.

Dan's unique blend of experience, energy and deep understanding of our mission will position us for growth and continued success, said RTNDA Board Chairman Vincent Duffy, news director of Michigan Radio, in a new release. His passion and dedication make him an ideal leader for our organization.

I am honored to take on this exciting new challenge at a critical time for our profession, Shelley said in a news release. More than ever, RTDNA plays an essential role in defending the rights of electronic journalists. I am looking forward to serving our members and advocating on their behalf.

This spring and summer, Shelley will oversee the development of RTDNA's Voice of the First Amendment Task Force and will become executive director at the conclusion of the annual Excellence in Journalism conference on Sept. 9.

Current Executive Director Mike Cavender, who previously announced his intention to retire, will provide transition assistance to the organizations through the end of the year.

About RTDNA & RTDNF

RTDNA is the world's largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism. Founded as a grassroots organization in 1946, RTDNA works to protect the rights of electronic journalists throughout the country, promotes ethical standards in the industry, provides members with training and education and honors outstanding work in the profession through the Edward R. Murrow Awards.

RTDNF, a 501 (c) 3 educational foundation, works to uphold the standards of ethical journalism and promote leadership in the newsroom. It offers professional development opportunities, training and support of First Amendment issues. The Foundation also provides scholarships and fellowships to aspiring and early-career electronic journalists.
A hair past her 100th day in office, District 1 City Council member and La Jolla resident, Barbara Bry, spoke to guests at La Jolla Community Center, March 29, as part of its Distinguished Speaker series. Bry was sworn in Dec. 12, 2016.

At the Community Center, Bry discussed her life, her priorities at City Hall, what she has accomplished thus far, and what La Jollans can expect in the coming weeks and months.

Its going to be a challenge to do everything we want to do when we want to do it, she said. How can we do more with what looks like less? Its going to take a business mind and it is my mission to bring that entrepreneurial mind to City Hall so we can get things done for the community, and to expand what is do-able for the betterment of my district and the entire City of San Diego.

Making good on her campaign promise to look into regulations for short-term vacation rentals, Bry asked in her first 100 days, for a legal opinion  in writing  from City Attorney Mara Elliott about whether the practice of renting out ones home short-term is allowed under the San Diego Municipal Code. On March 15, Elliott issued that opinion.

She put out a memo saying that short-term vacation rentals are illegal, Bry reported. We have a permissible zoning code, which means unless something is specifically listed, it is illegal. This opinion is a very important first step toward effective regulation of the industry.

In the next few months, Bry added, the San Diego City Council will be presented with recommendations to regulate rentals in residential neighborhoods, and she encouraged community involvement in the form of writing letters and making phone calls to City Hall with residents concerns.

Brys position on short-term rentals, she said, is, Im fine if you rent out your primary residence when you go on vacation, I support renting a granny flat if it is on the same site as your primary residence and I support renting a room if you are on site. What Im against is absentee investors buying up single-family homes in residential neighborhoods and turning them into what I call mini-Marriotts.

Another issue in La Jolla on which Bry will focus is the continuation of the Torrey Pines Road Corridor Project, for which shes discovered there is money available in the 2018 and 2019 fiscal year budgets. She said she has a meeting scheduled to discuss the specific next steps. The Corridor Projects completed Phase 1 made the north side of Torrey Pines Road more pedestrian-friendly with the construction of a sidewalk on the south side between Calle Juela and Roseland Drive that has curb ramps on each end. The yet-to-begin Phase 2 would see the installation of a pedestrian-activated crosswalk across Torrey Pines Road mid-block between Amalfi Street and Princess Street, and the installation of an asphalt concrete overlay, a buffered bike lane and a non-raised, decorative median.

Bry also pledged to continue working to resolve the stench at La Jolla Cove, and said a Coastal Management Plan was being developed that would hopefully offer a solution soon.

Ive already had several meetings with the Mayor about this plan, the importance of completing this plan and getting it out to the community, she said. Im hopeful that something will be released in the next few weeks. Ive seen a draft of the plan, but it is not final yet, so I cannot say more tonight. Bry was asked several times after about seal and sea lion issues, but continued to say the answer lies in the Coastal Management Plan.

Citywide budget

Offering some insight into the Citys budget process, she said her next major project would be tackling the budget.

Were going into budget season right now  the Mayor has asked each City department to develop a budget that is 3.5 percent less than they spent last year, she said, adding her budget priorities are assuring adequate funds for public safety. I want to make sure we have the funds to fill the approximate 180 police officer vacancies, and (additionally) there is a new piece of legislation that requires police officers across the state collect certain data when they stop people, and I want to make sure we have the technology, probably an app, to implement this effectively.

Next year, when San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman retires (as part of the Citys Deferred Retirement Option Plan, which states she must retire by March 2018, per the Citys pension system), Bry said she would like there to be funding for a nationwide search for a new chief.

On April 14, Bry said San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer will present a budget for the City Councils independent budget analyst to review. In early May, the City Council starts two weeks of budget hearings, including one in the local communities, where the public can comment. This is the time to let us know whats on your mind, she said, adding that the final budget is issued in June.

Although more than half of Brys talk was dedicated to hearing from constituents, the response from the audience was mixed, with some saying they would have liked to hear more answers than just offer their thoughts.

Richard Wolf said, We have problems with the seals, with the roads, with police protection, just about everything you can think of  I thought it was great that she came, but she evaded every issue.

However, another attendee said it was, wonderful that she spoke and I think its great that she listens.

District 1 City Council member Barbara Bry can be reached at (619) 236-6611 or barbarabry@sandiego.gov
A harbor seal mother and her pup were being harassed by beach-goers March 22 at South Casa Beach. That scene repeats daily at the La Jolla enclave, only a few feet away from Childrens Pool, where the seals (by City law) have the shore to themselves during pupping season (Dec. 15 to May 15).

Seal Society of San Diego volunteer Ellen Shively told La Jolla Light that during the process of getting the Childrens Pool beach closure, they thought that would be enough space for the seals. But whats happened is some of the seals were born on South Casa Beach, so when they grow up and have their own first seal pup, they go back to the place where they were born.

In South Casa Beach, the unprotected seals are constantly harassed by visitors. Justin Viezbicke, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stranding coordinator, said the federal agency requests that people show some courtesy to the animals. Taking selfies with the seals can result in problems, so were asking people to be more respectful and not get too close.

Since the Marine Mammal Protection Act was enacted in 1972, all marine mammals are protected by federal law, regardless of where they haul out. However, NOAA has no power of enforcement.

This year, no animals have been considered abandoned at South Casa Beach, but five pups were found starving at the nearby Childrens Pool. When one of these cases arises, NOAA coordinates with the San Diego County designated agent for marine mammal rescues, SeaWorld Rescue.

For Childrens Pool, weve set up a case-by-case authorization, and it depends on a number of factors, Viezbicke said. We need a minimum 48-hour watch to determine if the pup is really abandoned. We dont want to rush down there and take a pup from the beach if the mother is still there  In particular, on that beach, we dont want to go down there and cause any disturbance because theres potential for animals to get trampled or mothers and pups to be separated.

SeaWorld lead rescue coordinator Jody Westberg told the Light, If its decided theres potential that a pup has been abandoned, the next thing were going to do is look at the entire colony or rookery of animals. She said SeaWorld would never put the entire Childrens Pool colony at risk to save one animal. She explained, These animals dont understand that were here to help them, so the first thing theyre going to do is either fight or flight, and with harbor seals, the majority of the time its flight. Theyre going to rush to the water, putting other animals at risk.

Westberg confirmed there was one harbor seal pup rescued this pupping season from Childrens Pool. SeaWorld did get permission from NOAA to take this pup and move it back onto the beach in hopes that it would reunite with its mother. Unfortunately, that mother and pup did not reunite, and that pup found its way into a rocky crevice. Now, this was an area in which SeaWorld found we could be very stealth and try to rescue the pup without disrupting the rest of the animals, she said, adding that the pup is now developing in one of SeaWorlds rescue facilities and will be released into the wild when appropriate.

Many visitors mistake a starving pup for one thats being weaned, Westberg explained. The mothers will wean them at 4-6 weeks of age. What that means is were going to see these pups with this amazing, robust fat layer, start losing weight, and they will continue to vocalize for their mother. But this process is natural, and eventually, theyre going to learn how to (find food and eat) on their own and theyre going to gain all that weight back.

To report a seal in distress: Call the SeaWorld Animal Rescue Hotline at (800) 541-SEAL.
When the March 23 San Diego Historical Resources Board (HRB) meeting began with David McCullough sitting in as chair instead of La Jolla resident Courtney Coyle, all parties were surprised, especially since Item No. 5 of a revised meeting agenda was HRB vote of confidence and support for chair Coyle.

I think before we move on, Id like to take a minute and give an explanation, started McCullough. Recently, the board has been acting with Miss Coyle as our chair person. The position is an appointed position by the Mayor, and we got a letter from the Mayor last night, and the directive from the Mayor was for myself to become the chair.

The letter from Mayor Kevin Faulconer, directed to San Diego City Council president Myrtle Coyle, also appointed Diana Reynolds-Cordileone and Cindy Stankowski to the HRB board, and re-appointed McCullough, Richard Larimer, Todd Pitman, Amy Strider-Haleman and Ann Woods.

According to the Municipal Code, its the Mayors prerogative to appoint HRB members, who then are subject to confirmation by the City Council. As for the board chair, the Mayor must appoint one in March. The code reads, If the Mayor has not designated a chairperson by April 15, the Board shall elect a chairperson from among its members. Following this rule, Coyle was elected chair by her fellow board members seven months ago.

I want to thank Courtney for filling in for us, I personally think shes doing an unbelievably great job, McCullough continued. He proposed that the item to confirm Coyle as chair be withdrawn from the agenda, but member Priscilla Berge protested.

Can the item on the agenda be addressed in terms of a motion of appreciation for Coyles service? Berge asked. She was elected by the board at a time when the Mayor was not able (to do it) and I think it would be nice to have something in our minutes rather than just a blanket withdrawn.

Berge, the most veteran member of the HRB board, will also step down, as was announced during the meeting. Her motion to convey appreciation for Coyles service passed 5-0-1.

During public comment, meeting attendees expressed concern over the unexpected chair change. Former board member and Native American advocate Abel Silvas, called the move a blow to the heart for Native Americans. I had a whole speech about confidence in Courtney Coyle. (She) has supported a lot of projects within the San Diego city limits and with the (HRBs) Archeological Subcommittee. Im a little thrown back by this. Ill go back to my communities and explain it, and maybe Ill be back next month with a reply.

Preservationist David Swarens added, Ms. Coyle was a real chair, not a substitute chair, and I hope we dont diminish her service in any way. I would like to say that Ms. Coyle has guided the board with professionalism and balance, which has served the community and the City very well during her tenure.

Coyle accepted the Second Vice-Chair position. Board member Tim Hutter will be the HRBs First Vice-Chair.

Bird Rock home historical

The Michael and Clara Brown house at 5645 Taft Ave. in Bird Rock was designated historical during the meeting, under Criterion C, for its embodiment of the Post-and-Beam architectural style. The 1968 Richard Lareau-designed home was originally nominated as representative of the Modern Organic Geometric style, but board member Berge pulled the item from the consent agenda to correct the record.

It has the horizontal massing, it has the shallow-pitched roof with deep overhangs, the fix wood windows, the wooden planks and sidings as part of an exterior finish, and an absence of decorations (of the Post-and-Beam style)  It doesnt have the motifs you expect to see with Organic Geometric, she said.

The applicant, who in 2016 built a two-story addition in the back reflecting the Secretary of Interior Standards to pursue historical designation, agreed with the terminology change.

Board member Matthew Winter said he supported the designation, adding, One of the troubles, when you hit Mid-Century Modern, (is that) these styles can all blend together.

Pitman agreed with the designation but, as a landscape architect, requested more information about property landscaping changes in the future. Theres been some landscape work done to this house, and Im happy to hear the (front) tree is original, but we need to give equal time to these kinds of revisions as we do to the facade and the addition, he concluded.

 The next HRB meeting will be April 27 at City Concourse North Terrace Rooms, Civic Plaza. Time TBD along with agenda at bit.ly/HistoricalResourcesBoard
April 6, 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the United States entry into World War I, also called The War to End All Wars.

It didnt.

But what it did do was change American cultural attitudes toward Germany and Germans.

One of the results of that shift is that the Black Point Estate summer home on Geneva Lake is called Black Point, instead of its original name.

Emily Larson and David Desimone of the Black Point Estate Historic Preserve presented an overview of that now largely-forgotten episode in American history. Its local impact, however, was huge.

It affected all German-Americans, including the descendants of Conrad Seipp, a German-American beer brewer who built the Black Point summer home for his family.

Larson and Desimone made their presentation before a full-house on March 29, in the Smith Meeting Room at the Lake Geneva Public Library.

During his brief introduction, Desimone gave some background on the extent of the public fear of anyone of German descent after the U.S. entered the war in 1917.

Desimone asked everyone with German ancestry to stand.

As many as three-fourths of the 60 or so in attendance stood. He then asked who could speak some German. Maybe a third remained standing.

Post office photos

If this were 1917, youd be required to answer some questions after this presentation, Desimone told the German-Americans in attendance. Those who spoke German would have had to meet with a government official and answer some questions and have their photograph taken at the local post office.

As Americas went to war, they viewed foreign Germans as Huns, and many viewed German-Americans as potential saboteurs.

Wisconsins population in 1917 was about 2.3 million, Desimone said. Of that, nearly one-third, 700,000, were of German-Austrian ancestry.

Among them were the Seipp-Schmidt family, which owned Black Point.

The family patriarch, Conrad Seipp, emigrated from Germany to the United States in the 1840s. In 1854, he got into brewing. By the 1870s, Seipp beer was the largest brand in Chicago. He died in 1890, but his family continued in the brewery business.

Seipps summer home on Black Point was completed in 1888. He named it Die Lorelei, after a famous German poem.

One of the casualties in America during World War I was anything that sounded German, said Larson Sauerkraut became liberty cabbage and dachshunds became wiener dogs, she said.

And the Seipp-Schmidt family renamed their summer home from Die Lorelei to Black Point.

Sauerkraut and dachshund have come back into fashion. Black Point remains Black Point.

Before the U.S. entered the war, most Wisconsin residents, German and non-German, were strong neutralists.

Pro-Germanism

But, as the war progressed, newspapers, including the New York Times, were publishing stories equating peace and neutrality with pro-Germanism.

Desimone showed a New York newspaper which printed a sedition map of Wisconsin, with areas heavily populated with German-Americans marked in deep gray.

It should be noted that Walworth County was not regarded as seditious. However, there were reports of at least one arrest for sedition in Lake Geneva, Desimone said.

During the early years of the war, when the United States was genuinely neutral, German identity ran deep in the Seipp family.

Seipps daughter, Emma, married Dr. Otto Schmidt.

Emma and Ottos daughter, Alma Schmidt made a trip to Germany just prior to the outbreak of World War I in 1914.

Larson said information about the trip comes from the Black Point archive, which includes her letters home from Germany.

Almas letters revealed that she was impressed with Germany and the German people. She made no mention of the assassination of Austrian Archduke Ferdinand, which was the trigger for the events that led to the war. However, Alma wrote that she was hearing more and more talk of war as she toured Europe.
Dear W.C.,

Eighteen months ago my whole world came crashing down. I had to quit my job after my youngest child, my daughter, was diagnosed with cancer and became so sick. She was only 5 years old. She was the light of my life and now she is gone for the past three months. She died after many months of surgery, chemo and we even tried some alternative medicine. Even when she was so sick she would always try to smile and tell me she was OK. I was able to stay strong for her until the very end, but I seem to have fallen apart since then. I lost my car when I couldnt keep up with the payments. I havent been able to buy good food or clothes for my son in a long time. I have been really struggling to keep up with all my bills but now I am so far behind in my rent and utilities I am on the verge of eviction. I know I need to return to work but I have been struggling with depression. There is no one that seems to understand how hard it is to care for a child that is so sick and then the total devastation you feel when you lose your child. The only thing keeping me going right now is my 9-year-old son. He needs me now more than ever. My childrens father has been nonexistent in their lives and is years behind in his child support. He did not even bother to visit his daughter when she was so sick. I even paid for her funeral by selling my furniture. A nurse at the hospital told me how you helped people in situations like mine. I have always been a strong person but losing my daughter has taken me to my knees.

Dear Readers,

The loss of a child is one of the hardest things anyone can endure. When I first began The Time Is Now to Help I used to help many homeless women and children in the Chicago suburbs.

One of our clients lost their child in a home fire caused by a space heater they used when their utilities were disconnected. The mother asked me to attend the babys funeral and I will remember that day for the rest of my life.

The unspeakable pain I felt from that mother has been shared with me many more times over the years. No matter the cause, the loss of a child can be unbearable. What concerned me most in this letter was the fact there is another child that needed his mother and not only her love but also her ability to shelter and feed him.

I went to the address listed on the letter requesting our assistance.

When I knocked on the door it was answered by who I assumed was the son. He questioned who I was and called out to his mother.

I was not surprised by the appearance of the woman that came to the door.

I have seen the appearance of people in the throes of depression before, disheveled hair, dark circles under her eyes and bedraggled clothing. When the woman introduced herself as the mother and confirmed she had written the letter I saw the embarrassment on her face. She apologized for her appearance and the state of her small rental home. It looked like it had not been straightened up in some time, but again this is what I would consider normal for someone that had recently lost a child and was suffering with depression. After I showed my identification she invited me inside.

The son stayed close, as if he felt he may need to protect his mother. I talked to him and tried to explain I was there to talk to his mother and help out if I could. I did not want to go into details with a child that was already feeling he had to be the strong one in the household.

He too had suffered the loss of a sister and also the loss of his childhood innocence to the painful loss of death. Im sure it had been very difficult for him over the past 18 months.

After he was sure I was not there to hurt his mother in any way he said he was going to his room so we could talk, but I noticed he still kept his door open and knew he would be listening.

The mother was stooped and shuffled her feet as she moved to clear off a spot at the kitchen table where we could talk. I asked her to gather her bills, a budget if she had one and other items I would need to verify her financial state.

I watched as she went through stacks of papers on her counters and tried to gather up these items. She again apologized for the state of things in her home and her lack of organization. I replied, I know you have been through a lot lately, more than most people, but thats why Im here. I am here to help you get your life back on track. Are you ready for that?

I watched as the mother stopped what she was doing and looked distant for a moment. Then I saw the tears start to stream down her face as she said, I dont know if I will ever feel normal again. How do I go on without my daughter? I answered, You go on for your son. At first you just make the motions for him. Then you will see each day gets just a little easier. It wont be like before but you will be able to smile and laugh again someday. The mother shook her head saying, I dont think I will ever smile again.

I asked the woman if she wanted to talk about her daughter and she said she could not yet. Again I saw the pain and tears fill her eyes. I did not need to know all the details of what they went through as I have heard this already numerous times from other people we have helped in the past that have suffered this pain. Ive been told it is a loss you never recover from; you just learn how to live with it. Instead of talking about the circumstances that got her to the place she was financially we focused on putting together a budget and going over her bills. I could see they were living very frugally but there was no way they could continue on without her returning to work. I asked about the childrens father and she looked away in disgust. She told me how he had no relationship with his children and failed to pay his child support on a regular basis since they were infants. The mother told me, He moved out of state and never felt any sense of responsibility towards his children. He showed up for his daughters funeral and left again immediately afterwards. He just stayed long enough to upset us even further.

I asked where she would like to see her son and herself in a years time. She looked surprised when I asked this as I was sure she was only living in her pain and not even considering the future. I pointed to her sons room and asked, What are your hopes and dreams for your son? Do you have any? At first she seemed almost offended I asked that question but then I think she realized what I was trying to do. I was trying to get her from living just in her own pain and grief and thinking about her future with her son.

She finally answered me, I thought I lost all my hopes and dreams when my daughter died. Thats all Ive been thinking about. How could I have been so selfish? My son still has his life and we must go on. I liked the more positive turn in our conversation. We talked about the ways she could start moving on, not forgetting her daughter but just thinking about her beautiful happy spirit and what she would have wanted for her mother and brother, not dwelling on the last pain-filled 18 months of her life.

The mother began to cry again,saying, One of the last things my daughter told me was she wanted to see me smile again. I guess its not wrong for us to smile again, right?

I assured her, from what she had told me about her daughter, it was exactly what her daughter wanted.

The mother looked around the small messy room and said, I guess I can start right here by making this a home again for my son. Maybe he can have a friend over or go to a friends house again without feeling like it would be too much for me.

If I clean up in here and maybe clean myself up too, comb my hair and actually put on more than sweats, I might feel more energetic. I encouraged both ideas and we added a few more ideas to her list of ways to feel better. I included having a volunteer stop by with some food, not just any volunteer but one that had also lost a child and knows what she is going through. I knew this volunteer would be easy to talk to and give her some advice on ways to make her days easier.

Once I saw this mother was now motivated to try and help their situation, we went over her bills. Her rent and utilities were both behind. Her car had been repossessed so she did not have any transportation. I asked when she would be ready to return to work. The mother said, I havent even thought about it much until today.

I see now that I must return to work. We cant live like this forever. It is time I find another job. I looked over her resume she had prepared but not sent out.

She had good job skills and when she told me about her job in the past she spoke about it with the first semblance of strength I had seen. I asked if she would be able to return to her past employer but she again shook her head no, saying, I cant go back there. Everyone knows about my daughter and looks at me with sympathy. I know they cant help it but it just makes me sadder. When Im ready I would like to start some place new.

I knew with her skills and the excellent reference she assured me her past employer would provide she should not have any problem finding a job.

I told the mother we would be willing to provide a car when she gave me proof of employment. We have so many requests for cars at this time that we are only able to provide them to people that are employed and need that car for their job security. The mother told me she would be sending out her resume and filling out applications as soon as possible.

I looked at the mother and said, You look like a completely different person from the one I met just a few hours ago. She answered, I feel like a completely different person. I needed you to come in here and show me I still have something to live for. I know now that just sitting here crying everyday is not going to bring my daughter back.

She would not want me to be that kind of mom to her brother. She loved him as much as I do so I have to make sure he knows I will be there for him now.

When I was through analyzing their financial situation I came up with a plan to get them caught up if the mother could get a job. We together would provide the overdue rent and the present months rent to stop the pending eviction. We also would bring their utilities up to date and provide some nutritious food. I handed the mother several gift cards for clothing so she could get a few work-appropriate outfits for herself and school clothes for her son. Just as I thought, the volunteer I had sent over became not only a mentor but a friend. She gave the mother needed advice and referred her to her support group for grieving parents that met monthly at her church.

Within a few weeks the mother provided me with the information about her new job and we were able to purchase a reliable used car to ensure safe transportation for her and her son. After all we did together to help this mother and son their lives have been renewed.

The mother confessed she stills cries every day because she misses her daughter but she does not let it take over her whole day.

She is enjoying her new job and how it has given her purpose to get up every morning and dress for the day. She is showing her son how to positively get through grief and they are now talking openly about his grief as well. One visit, one volunteer and all of us have done this together. Thank you and God bless you for your support that makes our good works possible.

We have nearly matched the Family Foundation 2017 $30,000 Matching Grant. Please continue to donate now knowing every dollar will be matched, doubling your donation.

We have many people coming to us in desperate need, living in fear trying to survive without the necessities of life.

Many volunteers and I work very hard verifying the genuine need of good people. Together we need to continue to do our good works that make our mission for God a success. Together we make a big difference removing the pains of poverty for our fellow creations. Thank you and God bless you.

Health and happiness, love and God bless everyone, W.C./Sal
The good, the bad and the ugly of banquet halls.

The concept of a banquet hall has varied meanings depending on location, location, location.

A banquet hall is good because it can be a great place to create lasting memories celebrating with friends and family. A banquet hall is bad due to adverse side effects and collateral damage that occur when a large group congregates in one place with an invitation to celebrate freely. A banquet hall is ugly if its located in a residential neighborhood and particularly ugly and disgusting if that location is next to private homes.

Try to empathize and imagine what your feelings would be living next to a banquet hall like the Geneva Inn Corp. has proposed for weddings every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Whether its the temporary tent planned for now or the permanent Taj Mahal style wedding hall they started planning in 2004, they both open up to the outdoors to capture the ambiance of the lakeshore and the allure of the lake. Thats good for attendees, but ugly for you and your neighbors. The noise pollution alone destroys the quiet lifestyle youve paid dearly to obtain, but the intimidation caused by inebriated strangers walking through the neighborhood forces you to stay inside like a prisoner, or risk a confrontation with celebrants out to have a good time even if it is at your expense. For specifics on ugly events, Google banquet hall problems.

Thats why banquet halls should never be allowed in a residential neighborhood and almost never are except when rewards are part of the deal.

An ugly banquet hall is so toxic in a neighborhood that the Geneva Inn Corp. appears to be using it as a weapon to force their neighbors into selling their homes cheaply to get away from the abuse. The Geneva Inn Corp. could then rezone these residential lakeshore properties into even more commercialization.

This act of ugly banquet hall vengeance by the Geneva Inn Corporation to commercialize the residential lakeshore has been rejected in the town of Linn for the past 13 years thanks to the public responses in speeches, letters, emails and over 1,000 petitions in opposition to the Geneva Inns plans.

So now theyre turning to the city and demanding approval of these same draconian plans in exchange for annexation. The annexation isnt the problem; its the rezone of residential lakeshore property. For over 100 years the Geneva Lake community has honored the covenant dictum of never commercializing the residential lakeshore. To betray that tradition now would be treasonous because once you approve one such rezone, youre forced to approve all.

So we beg the citizens of Lake Geneva to empathize with your neighbors in Linn to understand the pain and distress this rezone would mean for them now and, whats most important, for the future of Geneva Lake. Tell your mayor and aldermen to remember the second great commandment, love thy neighbor as thyself, and to vote no on the Geneva Inn rezone.

Dick Malmin

Town of Linn
Despite the Q&A I conducted last week about wine tasting, I am hardly a connoisseur.

My go-to wines typically have three things in common  they can be found at Target, theyre made from white grapes and they cost less than $10 a bottle.

So when I found out I was going to have the opportunity to experience the Grand Tasting during the Lake Geneva Festival of Wine at the Grand Geneva Resort and Spa, I decided to use the opportunity to expand my palette.

Code red

My mission when I stepped into the event hall was to find a red wine that I would not only like but also be able to explain why I liked it.

Im a picky-eater and, I guess, drinker, too, and red vino has never appealed to me.

Nevertheless, I walked into the room convinced that in order to be taken seriously, I would have to learn to like a glass of the crimson variety.

The large venue was set up so that each vendor had a stand along the wall. The stands wound around the entire room.

I approached the first vendor and asked him which of his red wines he would recommend for someone who is trying to find a red they like.

He poured me an Italian brand and recommended that I try it with some cheese.

The taste of the cheese, he told me, would complement the wine and give it a different flavor.

So I made my way to the cheese table in the middle of the room.

Wining and dining

As soon as I saw the rows and rows of cheese piled up on the tables, I realized that I had forgotten to ask the vendor one very important question  what kind?

As everyone around me heaped multiple types of cheeses onto their china, I carefully selected one, small, milky-white square and placed it precariously in the middle of my plate.

I took a sip of wine, a nibble of cheese and repeated the process.

I didnt like it.

Dismayed, I pushed on.

I tried more red wines with no real success.

At one point, I confidently told one vendor that the drink she had just poured me tasted sweet.

Apparently, I was pretty off-base, and she politely told me as much.

After that, I resigned myself to taking a gulp of a burgundy beverage that I didnt really enjoy and then flashing the vendor a big smile.

Its good, I would say before quickly moving on to the next booth.

A reason for Riesling

One vendor didnt buy it.

Are you sure? He asked me, after I told him I liked the sip I had just taken.

He poured me some Riesling, and this time, my assertion was genuine.

After that, I switched to white wines.

And though the alcohol I had already had might have had a little to do with it, I found myself enjoying the tasting much more after this switch.

It was easier to explain what flavors I was tasting when I was drinking something I liked.

I also didnt feel the need to tell each vendor that the wine was good if I didnt care for it.

If it wasnt something I enjoyed, they almost always had other whites I could try until I found something I did like.

Rick Froelicher, the director of food and beverage at the Grand Geneva, had told me the previous week during my Q&A with him that wine tasting often comes down to personal taste. You have to like what youre tasting.

I had hoped to leave the tasting with a new-found love for red vino.

That didnt happen.

I did, however, come away from the experience with a knowledge of a plethora of new, white wines that I enjoy. I also feel more confident identifying what it is Im tasting in the wines. If its sweet, I can now tell you whats making it sweet.

Red wine may not be for me, but I still branched out.

And who knows?

Maybe Ill even take this message one step further.

After all, Target isnt the only place that sells wine.
Honoring Cesar Chavez

Op Ed by Ruben Martinez, Ph.D.

Cesar Chavez died near his hometown of Yuma, AZ on April 22, 1993 at the age of 66. Chavez was in San Luis, AZ to assist UFW attorneys defend the union against a lawsuit brought by Bruce Church Inc. (BCI), a giant California-based lettuce and vegetable producer.

Eastern Michigan University's 12th annual Cesar Chavez celebration

YPSILANTI: Eastern Michigan University is the most diverse university in Michigan, which it holds as a defining and singular strength. As part of that, EMU is proud to host various events throughout the year that celebrate all races, cultures and ethnicities.

Por: Isabel Flores, corresponsal La Prensa

DETROIT, MI: La Comision Nacional de Libros de Textos Gratuitos (Conaliteg) cuenta en su portal de internet con el acervo digital de todos los libros de texto gratuitos para el ciclo escolar 2019 - 2020. El catalogo puede consultarse en la direccion: http:/libros.conaliteg.gob.mx De esta manera, los ninos podran mantenerse entretenidos con informacion en su propio idioma y estar al dia con sus materias, mientras se encuentran en casa por la contingencia.

Census 2020: Todos Debemos ser Contados
PRESS RELEASE

Lavrov Slams Obama Administration, Again

April 4, 2017 (EIRNS)Speaking at a joint briefing with the Kyrgzyz Foreign Minister in Moscow today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov went after "speculation, reasoning by some media," that the bombing in the St. Petersburg metro was in revenge for Russias policy in Syria. Lavrov called that "cynical, vile," TASS reported.

He launched into a broadside against unnamed "politicians," referencing the threat of terrorism inside Russia in revenge for Syrian policy made by "figures in the Obama Administration:"
PRESS RELEASE

Ted Postol, on the Fallacy of Winning a Nuclear War

April 4, 2017 (EIRNS)Emeritus MIT physicist Ted Postol, who has studied, in great detail, both the lies of the Pentagons claims that ballistic missile defense (BMD) tests were successful, and the fact that the real target of the U.S. European BMD deployment is Russia, not Iran, was interviewed by Undark on missile defense, on March 27. Bottom line:

"U.S. missile defenses have no chance of working against any adversary who has even a modest understanding of what they are doing."

Asked if the current failed system will be continued under the new administration, Postol says that, so far, deployment is continuing, and explains that the "defense system will have little or no capability."

The real danger, Postol says, is not from Iran or North Korea, but the fact that

"the United States is in the process of building a vast nuclear arsenal that appears to be aimed at having the ability to fight and win nuclear wars. The fact that the concept of fighting and winning a nuclear war is completely divorced from the realities of nuclear weapons effects has not deterred the United States from moving forward, as if such an objective is possible."

Postol continues, that

"given this [American] behavior, it is to be expected that the Russians would be scared to death, and that the Chinese would also be close behind them. I believe the situation is extremely dangerous, and, in fact, getting more so."

Regarding North Korea, Postol says that the "biggest danger" is "that they could stumble into a nuclear confrontation with the West." He says, the "North Korean leadership is not crazy." Instead, it
PRESS RELEASE

Zuma Rallies South Africans Against Regime Change

April 4, 2017 (EIRNS)The leadership of South African President Jacob Zuma was tested and confirmed today. The battle for South African sovereignty and participation in the BRICS (the alliance including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) is being fought on several levels.

A mass rally today at midday in Germiston, part of Greater Johannesburg, cosponsored by the African National Congress Youth League and the South African Student Congress, drew thousands and packed the stadium. Speakers included members of the ruling ANCs National Executive Committee (NEC). One speaker declared, "The West cannot dictate who will be President of South Africa." Another emphasized that "Credit ratings have nothing to do with the economy."

The small ANC National Working Committee (NWC) met with the President for hours today, and unofficial reports indicate that the meeting went well for the President and his cabinet.

Standard and Poor's has downgraded South African government bonds to junk status, but Moodys has postponed any decision to change its rating.

The regime-change movements public leader, ousted Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, nominally an ANC member, has confirmed, "Yes, I am calling for mass mobilization," but he is a man without a political machine.

The regime-change strategy has shifted away from expecting to succeed in a No Confidence motion when Parliament reconvenes. Now it believes it must topple Zuma before the return of Parliament, but is operating on both tracks concurrently. It plans a monster march on the government at Union Buildings in Pretoria on April 9. There is danger of another Kiev Maidan here, but the government is aware of that danger, and has recently been reminded of it through the circulation of EIRs dossier to government ministries.

LaRouche South Africas R.P. Tsokolibane, in connection with the circulation of the dossier, has issued a release calling for an independent inquiry into regime-change operations in South Africaespecially the roles of Obama, Soros, and former U.S. ambassador to South Africa Patrick Gaspardand providing links to EIRs articles on regime-change networks and initiatives there. The release has gone to all MPs, among many others.

Tsokolibane has written to U.S. Senator Mike Lee, asking that the U.S. Congress investigate regime-change operations in South Africa.

Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane, in a Johannesburg press conference of opposition party leaders yesterday, insisted defensively (and falsely) that "this is not a regime change" or an attack on the ANC, but about removing one man, Zuma.
The chairman of a powerful House committee welcomed the nations top consumer financial watchdog to a hearing Wednesday by expressing surprise he showed up, and hoped he never does so again.

The nearly five hours of questioning that followed marked a new level of hostility in the sharply partisan battle over a controversial agency.

I believe the president is clearly justified in dismissing you and I call upon the president  to do just that, and to do it immediately, Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) told Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Advertisement

Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee addressed Cordray like prosecutors as they targeted the head of an independent agency they have opposed since its creation in 2010 and which played a key role in sanctioning Wells Fargo & Co. for its fake accounts scandal.

Part of the GOP attack focused on the Wells Fargo case as they argued the watchdog agency was asleep at the wheel in identifying that the bank was creating unauthorized accounts and only got involved after the Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles City Atty Feuer had uncovered the problems.

Cordray, one of the highest-profile remaining appointees by President Obama, faced a withering attack in his first congressional appearance since President Trumps inauguration.

The bureau has angered Republicans and many financial sector players by creating a public database of consumer complaints that identifies companies, enacting regulations placing new restrictions on mortgages and other products, as well as taking high-profile enforcement actions that led to billions of dollars in refunds and penalties.

Cordray, a Democrat, gave no ground. He often frustrated Republicans by dodging yes or no questions, complaining at one point of character assassination, and offered no indication that he would resign before his five-year term ends in July 2018.

One lawmaker during the lengthy and contentious hearing even threatened Cordray with embarrassing public hearings about alleged bureau wrongdoing if he didnt quit.

Whats a better way to do this for you? asked Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.)

Democrats came to the defense of Cordray and an agency that is a key piece of Obamas legacy.

Boy, they really hate you, dont they? Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) told Cordray, saying his numerous appearances before the Republican-controlled panel were designed to beat the hell out of you and to make sure we get rid of the agency.

The hearing came as Cordray and the bureau are in the midst of a high-stakes legal battle over the constitutional right of the president to deal with heads of independent agencies.

Hensarling, the bureaus leading critic, ripped into Cordray by first suggesting he was using the regulatory job to launch a campaign for Ohio governor.

Noting that Cordray had been invited to testify, Hensarling said, Im otherwise surprised to see you here in that, as you well know, there have been many press reports saying that you would have otherwise returned to Ohio to pursue a gubernatorial bid.

Perhaps the rumors of your political aspirations are greatly exaggerated, Hensarling said.

Then he made his case that Cordray should be fired and the bureaus authority should be reduced because it has restricted consumer access to credit by limiting products available to them, such as payday loans. Hensarling also criticized the way Cordray has treated businesses the agency oversees.

For conducting unlawful activities, abusing his authority and denying market participants due process, Richard Cordray should be dismissed by our president, Hensarling said. Not only must Mr. Cordray go, but this current CFPB must go as well.

Hensarling is among several Republicans who have called for Trump to fire Cordray. And after Trumps inauguration, the Justice Department switched sides and told a federal court that Trump should be able to fire him at will.

A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in October that the bureaus structure violated the Constitutions separation of powers because it limited the presidents authority.

The court said the solution was to strike down the laws for cause provision, meaning that the president could remove the consumer bureaus director for any reason, as with other executive branch appointees. The bureau appealed the ruling to the full court. The case was brought by PHH Corp., a New Jersey mortgage services company.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in February that the bureau was an unaccountable and unconstitutional new agency that does not adequately protect consumers. But Trump has yet to try to fire him.

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) accused Republicans of misguided attacks. She noted that the bureau, which oversees mortgages, credit cards and other consumer financial products, has recovered nearly $12 billion for 29 million consumers.

Republicans have been clamoring to weaken, impede, and ultimately destroy the consumer bureau since its creation, Waters told Cordray. I would hope this president, even though I doubt it, would have the wisdom to ask you to stay on.

Some of the money recovered for consumers came from Wells Fargos agreement to pay $185 million to settle investigations by the bureau, Feuer and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

The settlement came after aggressive sales quotas led employees at the San Francisco bank to open as many as 2 million accounts without customers consent in a scandal first made public by the Los Angeles Times in December 2013.

Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) said the bureau failed to start an investigation of Wells Fargo until 2015.

The only conclusion there is to draw regarding the Wells Fargo scandal is the CFPB was asleep at the wheel, she said. The L.A. Times, the [comptrollers office] and the L.A. city attorney all got there before you did, Mr. Cordray.

Cordray reiterated past statements that the bureau was tipped off by whistle-blower tips in mid-2013, before The Times article appeared, although I would say that was a splendid piece of investigative reporting.

They dont want to give us any credit for anything we do, Cordray told Capuano about the bureaus critics.

Twitter: @JimPuzzanghera

jim.puzzanghera@latimes.com

ALSO

Changes to H-1B visa policy could have a chilling effect on the tech industry

Trump has signed repeal of FCCs Internet privacy rule. Heres what happens next

Will Congress kill a $101-billion tax break for Californians?

UPDATES:

12:35 p.m.: This article was updated to note the hearing lasted nearly five hours.

This article originally was published at 11:40 a.m.
Caitlyn Jenner memoirs version of life with Kris Jenner creates a new rift in the family

(Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images)

As Caitlyn Jenners just-published memoir The Secrets of My Life pulls back the curtain on her gender transition and her life among the Kardashians, not everybody is taking it well.

Especially not Kris Jenner.

Details about the Olympian-turned-reality-stars decision to transition in 2015 from Bruce Jenner to Caitlyn Jenner and confirmation that she had her final gender reassignment surgery are all in the book, but some dishy material about the Kardashian matriarch is reverberating with fans and upsetting the reigning first family of reality TV.

The memoir, co-written by Buzz Bissinger, who penned the Vanity Fair article that introduced Caitlyn Jenner to the masses, has some kind words for the momager, including admiration for Kris connections, her business acumen and her ability to perfectly apply lip liner without a mirror.

However, Caitlyn also said in the book that she told Kris about her gender issues before they got married and said Kris knew that for 4 years before they met, Caitlyn had been on hormones. Additionally, Caitlyn wrote that she told Kris about her gender problems before they would make love.

I told her there had been a woman inside me all my life, she wrote.

The couple announced their split in 2013 and finalized their divorce in 2014. During their decades-long union, Caitlyn cross-dressed in front of her ex but was asked by Kris to do it only while traveling, so that their children wouldnt get wind of it. It was something Caitlyn grew to resent, she said, and she would steal her wifes gowns and purses to wear while traveling. (Their differing takes on their marital woes have been a topic of discussion for years.)

In a recent episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kris fumed with anger about passages in The Secrets of My Life that claimed she knew Caitlyn was transgender before they wed.

None of it makes sense,Kris said to daughters Khloe and Kim Kardashian. I read it and basically the only nice thing she had to say was that I was great socially at a party one time. ... Everything she says is all made up. Why does everything have to be that Kris is such a bitch?

She added: Ive never been so angry and disappointed in somebody in my whole life.

In response, the Olympic gold medalist said on Good Morning America that the book is extraordinarily honest.

It is my perspective, and obviously when you do a book like that, there are different opinions. I have a lot of friends that know the truth and know what Ive been through and know the whole situation, Caitlyn said.

She told Andy Cohen that in the wake of publishing, Kris said she didnt want to talk to Caitlyn ever again. (Caitlyn also elaborated on her claims that she was a punching bag on the show and a revelation that Kris had been in charge of her finances.)

Honestly, I never had a low point [while doing the show], actually, until the other day when Kris said some of that stuff. It was the first time I was really upset, she said. I had some of the best conversations with my children on that show. ... It forces you to deal with issues. ... It forces you to sit down with your kids and deal with a lot of things.

Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenners second-born child with the late Robert Kardashian, shared her thoughts on the feud on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in an episode that aired Thursday.

My heart breaks for my mom, you know, because I feel like shes been through so much and [Caitlyn is] promoting this book and shes saying all these things, Kardashian said. I just dont think its necessary and I just feel like its unfair. Things arent truthful.

Kardashian said Caitlyn was dishonest with certain things about Kris in the book.

I feel like its taken [Caitlyn] a really long time to be honest with herself, so I dont expect her to be honest about my mom now. But its just so hurtful, she said. I wish her all the success in the world, but not at our expense.

Kardashian said she and husband Kanye West have been avid supporters of Caitlyn Jenners transition and wanted to remain respectful of her, but thought there was no need to bash the family. She said she was hurt by her stepfather, whos dad to her half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and hasnt spoken to Caitlyn in a few weeks.

Kendall and Kylie, thats their dad and I think my moms been so respectful for so long and always wanting Caitlyn around and always wanting to have a great relationship with Caitlyn, Kardashian said. But that doesnt appear to be the case for the rest of the Kardashian brood.

Ill always love her. That was my stepdad for so many years. She taught me about character and so much growing up and I just feel like I dont respect the character that shes showing now.

Kim Kardashians younger sister, Khloe Kardashian, is also taking it a little tough, Caitlyn said at a book signing, according to RadarOnline. Everyone on the Jenner side is fine. All this stuff tends to work itself out!

Someone call Ryan Murphy, because this needs to be turned into a Feud series, stat.

------------

FOR THE RECORD

April 27, 3:31 p.m.: An earlier version of this article said Bruce Jenner and Kris Jenner finalized their divorce in 2013. They divorced in 2014.

------------
Cinema has always been a cyborg of the arts, part human, part technology. The trick is in maintaining the balance.

The TCM Classic Film Festival, now in its eighth year, goes a long way in fighting for that balance. With movies crafted almost exclusively before the dawn of CG, in-person appearances by celebrated filmmakers and plenty of interaction among moviegoers, the four-day event is full of that most human of special effects, emotion.

A new restoration of the 1967 Academy Award best picture winner, In the Heat of the Night, is the festivals opening night film, with actors Sidney Poitier, Lee Grant and Scott Wilson; director Norman Jewison; producer Walter Mirisch; composer Quincy Jones; and casting director Lynn Stalmaster in attendance.

Advertisement

Its really going to be one for the books for us, says festival director Genevieve McGillicuddy. Its a phenomenal lineup.

The festivals theme, Make Em Laugh: Comedy in the Movies, may seem like a ready-made remedy for the anxieties of 2017, but the folks behind the festival swear they had the idea 10 months ago.

We decided this would be a fun theme for us to explore, not knowing what was coming, says Charlie Tabesh, senior vice president of programming for TCM and FilmStruck.

Certain kinds of comedy were more prevalent in the past, and a bigger part of the moviegoing experience, Tabesh continues. Sophisticated comedies, well-written, smart romantic comedies that youll see in the festival and you dont see as much of anymore.

Director Ernst Lubitsch epitomizes smart, sophisticated comedy and Tabesh is pleased the festival will screen two of the masters films, the silent 1926 So This Is Paris and the pre-code 1932 One Hour With You, starring Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. Also screening is RKOs pre-code Rafter Romance (1933), featuring Ginger Rogers and Norman Foster (a really charming, enjoyable comedy, Tabesh says), which was out of circulation for many years due to rights issues.

If screwball comedy is your thing, theres a dedicated sidebar called Divorce/Remorse, highlighted by Leo McCareys classic The Awful Truth from 1937 with Cary Grant and Irene Dunne.

The festival does not limit itself to Hollywoods Golden Age or comedy and this year includes a variety of more recent films, including a cast reunion for Christopher Guests 2000 dog-show satire Best in Show. Actors Bob Balaban, John Michael Higgins, Jim Piddock and Fred Willard will be on hand.

Theres a range of films we can look at every year and there are so many factors that go into how the programming is chosen, whether its an anniversary or an opportunity to bring someone in associated with the film, says McGillicuddy. Whats great is that we can choose from any of these eras.

From 1984 comes Top Secret!, with writer-directors Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker (who also have the 1977 sketch comedy Kentucky Fried Movie screening), and 1987s Broadcast News with writer-director James L. Brooks attending.

Joining In the Heat of the Night in celebrating their 50th anniversaries  1967 was quite a year  are Barefoot in the Park, Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate. The latter screening will have co-writer Buck Henry, he of the memorable hotel desk clerk cameo, in attendance.

McGillicuddy calls the Conversations With  series a real hallmark of the festival for us since day one. That is really the magic that happens for our audience to have this intimate experience with people that they might never see in person and hear their stories.

Among the actor-filmmakers and their films being featured are Peter Bogdanovich (Whats Up Doc? and Last Picture Show), Grant (Detective Story and The Landlord in addition to In the Heat of the Night), and Michael Douglas (The China Syndrome).

Carl Reiner (The Jerk) and Rob Reiner (The Princess Bride) will be honored with a hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre.

A first for the festival will be the screening of nitrate prints of such films as the 1947 drama Black Narcissus, the 1944 noir Laura and Alfred Hitchcocks 1934 version of The Man Who Knew Too Much. That is something Im absolutely thrilled we can incorporate into the festival this year, McGillicuddy says. Its not a format you can screen easily.

In that vein, the festival will also screen the world premiere restoration of the 1953 3-D movie, Those Redheads From Seattle.

Every year, we try to challenge ourselves to think about what we can show in original formats, McGillicuddy says.

The festival returns to the Cinerama Dome for two shows, This Is Cinerama, which heralded the three-projector, curved screen Cinerama format in 1952, and the 1963 all-star comedy Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. These are experiences that are rare and hard to find elsewhere, said McGillicuddy.

Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher will be remembered with screenings of the 1952 musical Singin in the Rain and Fishers biting Postcards From the Edge. Todd Fisher, who loaned several costumes from Singin in the Rain for display at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotels Club TCM, will be on hand.

They were both so important to TCM, Tabesh says. Carrie Fisher was The Essentials co-host for a while and Debbie Reynolds did a lot with us.

And, of course, the festival will pay homage to TCMs longtime host and Hollywood mainstay Robert Osborne, who died March 6. The opening-night panel Remembering Robert will feature network staff and Osbornes friends, including actress Diane Baker, sharing memories with current TCM host, Ben Mankiewicz, along with a video tribute.

-------------

TCM Classic Film Festival

Where: TLC Chinese Theatres, Egyptian Theatre, Cinerama Dome, Montalban Theatre and Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, all in Hollywood

When: April 6-9

Info: www.tcm.com/festival

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

Movie Trailers

calendar@latimes.com

@LATimesMovies
The most ambitious reissue yet of an individual album from the Beatles catalog is coming May 26 with an expanded and newly remixed edition of the Fab Fours 1967 pop masterpiece, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Consistently ranked by critics and fans among the most influential rock albums of all time, Sgt. Pepper is being reissued in multiple formats and editions, including new stereo and surround-sound audio mixes along with nearly three dozen previously unreleased recordings from the same sessions.

Its crazy to think that 50 years later we are looking back on this project with such fondness and a little bit of amazement at how four guys, a great producer and his engineers could make such a lasting piece of art, Paul McCartney writes in a new introduction for the anniversary edition of a project that started out as his baby.

Advertisement

In a 1970 interview with Rolling Stone, John Lennon said, It was a peak. Paul and I were definitely working together.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

Ringo Starr, the quartets other surviving member, writes in his introductory remarks to the new edition that Sgt. Pepper seemed to capture the mood of that year, and it also allowed a lot of other people to kick off from there and to really go for it.

Indeed, the Doors drummer, John Densmore, told The Times recently, We were working on our second album, Strange Days [in 1967] and while we were working on it, we got an early copy of Sgt. Pepper and we just died. That made us experiment more, inspired us to try the Moog synthesizer, made us generally be wild and just say What the hell?

Purists still love to debate whether Rubber Soul, Revolver or Abbey Road are more consistently creative works than Sgt. Pepper, and McCartney has often said there are days he leans toward any of those four as his favorite of the bands studio works during its relatively short but astonishingly fertile seven-year career as a recording unit.

But dozens of musicians, producers, record executives, music writers and others polled by Rolling Stone magazine in 2012 place Sgt. Pepper at the pinnacle of the publications list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, lauding it as simply the best of everything the Beatles ever did as musicians, pioneers and pop stars, all in one place.

Breaking from a long-standing tradition of avoiding fanfare over significant anniversaries since the group disbanded in 1970, McCartney, Starr, Lennons widow, Yoko Ono, and George Harrisons widow, Olivia, this time gave approval for the grand-scale look back at Sgt. Pepper.

Giles Martin, the son of the Beatles original producer, George Martin, has collaborated again with veteran Abbey Road studios engineer Sam Okell on the new stereo and 5.1 multi-channel mixes of the album.

Perhaps the most tantalizing element for Beatles aficionados is the word that Giles Martin and Okell created the new stereo mix with direct transfers from the original four-track tapes, rather than the two-track master that has been the basis of all previous stereo versions of Sgt. Pepper for the last 50 years.

Why so much attention to a new stereo version of an album that has been available in stereo for five decades?

In 1967, George Martin and the Beatles spent the vast majority of their time focused on the monaural mix, which was still the dominant playback format in England at that time. The group members by and large were not even present during mixing of the stereo version of the album.

Hence the new anniversary edition is an attempt to create a mix closer to what the world might have heard if the Beatles and George Martin had cared about stereo at that point.

Among other facets of the new version, it restores the original playback speed of the ballad Shes Leaving Home rather than using the slowed-down version most listeners have heard on the existing stereo mix.

The Anniversary Editions of Sgt. Pepper will include a single CD version with the new stereo mix (priced at $18.98 on Amazon) and a deluxe two-CD and digital version ($24.98) containing 13 alternate takes of all the Sgt. Pepper songs in the original sequence plus five additional takes.

Those five takes are two previously unreleased versions of Penny Lane and three of Strawberry Fields Forever, songs recorded at the beginning of the Sgt. Pepper sessions but issued as a double-sided single four months before the album came out to help satiate fans demands for new Beatles music.

The two-LP vinyl deluxe version ($38.98) will have everything on the double CD and digital versions except the Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever mixes.

There also will be a six-disc super deluxe edition ($149.98), housed in a 12-by-12-inch box with lenticular artwork of pop artist Peter Blakes iconic cover image of the Beatles surrounded by more than 60 figures from then-contemporary pop culture to ancient history.

That set includes the new stereo mix on one CD and two CDs with 33 more recordings from the Sgt. Pepper sessions, most previously unreleased. A fourth CD contains direct transfers of the original mono mix of the full album and the extra Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane tracks, a U.S. promotional mono mix of Penny Lane and early mono mixes of Shes Leaving Home, A Day in the Life and Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.

The latter had been thought lost but was discovered during the research process for the anniversary edition.

The sets fifth and sixth discs are a Blu-ray and DVD with the new high-resolution surround-sound mixes of the album, high-res audio versions of the new stereo mix and Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever and various video features including a newly restored 25th anniversary documentary about the making of the album that aired in 1992 but was never released on home video.

After its release, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on Billboards U.S. album sales chart, the longest reign in the top spot of any of the groups albums. It was No. 1 for 27 weeks on the British sales ranking and has sold more than 11 million copies in the U.S. alone over the ensuing half a century, according to the Recording Industry Assn. of America. It won Grammy Awards for overall album and pop album of the year and was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

As Rolling Stone put it in its assessment five years ago, Sgt. Pepper is the most important rock n roll album ever made, an unsurpassed adventure in concept, sound, songwriting, cover art and studio technology by the greatest rock n roll group of all time.

randy.lewis@latimes.com

Follow @RandyLewis2 on Twitter.com

For Classic Rock coverage, join us on Facebook

ALSO

Exclusive: Keith Richards talks Chuck Berry: Ive learned more and more from him over the years

Appreciation: Close encounters with Chuck Berry, as a fan, musician and journalist

A Brand New Day for the Mavericks with new album, new Mono Mundo label
The sexual harassment claims against Fox News and its star anchor Bill OReilly represent merely the latest example of a prominent news personality being embroiled in scandal.

Numerous news figures through the decades, including early 20th-century print moguls such as William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, have been the target of bad press. However, such scandals seem to have blossomed in the age of the Internet, social media and fake news.

Instances of sexual harassment, false reporting and inappropriate behavior have led to the downfall of journalists who have been considered among TVs most trustworthy figures in past years. With some of OReillys critics calling for his termination, heres a look at other recent scandals involving notable news anchors and others:

Advertisement

2004: CBS 60 Minutes II aired a report from veteran network newsman Dan Rather that questioned President George W. Bushs record in the Air National Guard during the 1960s and 1970s. Several of the documents used in the report turned out to be forged, indicating that CBS had not thoroughly vetted them before the segment aired. The fallout led to the firing of CBS News producer Mary Mapes and the resignation of Rather.

2010: CNN anchor Rick Sanchez was fired after he appeared on the satellite radio show Stand Up! With Pete Dominick claiming that Jewish people ran CNN and all the other networks, that Comedy Centrals Jon Stewart was a bigot and rejecting the idea that Jews were an oppressed minority.

2015: NBC News lead anchor Brian Williams in 2003 made the claim that a Chinook helicopter he was aboard took enemy fire while he was covering the invasion of Iraq, and that he was nearly killed. Williams over the next few years repeated the story on numerous talk shows and at public events. In 2015, soldiers who had accompanied Williams in the helicopter refuted his account on social media, prompting the anchor to issue a retraction and an apology. He was suspended from anchoring NBC News and was replaced by Lester Holt. Williams currently serves as MSNBCs chief anchor.

2016: NBCs Today host Billy Bush faced severe backlash when a 2005 recording between him and then-presidential nominee Donald Trump surfaced in which the two exchanged lewd remarks about women during a taping of Access Hollywood when Bush was that shows host. Facing pressure, NBC suspended Bush from Today, followed by his resignation.

2016: Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson accused Roger Ailes, that networks chairman, of sexual harassment. Other women, including former anchor Megyn Kelly, made similar accusations against Ailes, leading to his resignation. In September 2016, Fox News announced that it had settled Carlsons lawsuit for a rumored $20 million, along with several other settlements in separate harassment suits.

2017: The New York Times revealed that a total of $13 million had been paid to various female Fox News employees accusing longtime network fixture Bill OReilly of sexual harassment, dating back to 2002. The latest settlement awarding more than $1 million went to former anchor Laurie Dhue, whose suit also accused Ailes of harassment.

calendar@latimes.com

ALSO

Brian Williams will get a late-night news program on MSNBC

Fox News faces another sexual harassment claim as Mercedes and Hyundai pull ads from OReilly Factor

Megyn Kelly thinks Roger Ailes would still be running Fox News if he had not been sued for sexual harassment
Karl Lagerfeld, once dubbed Hedis Slim Man by WWD, is not about to welcome his designing friend into the house that Gabrielle Chanel founded.

In a statement issued exclusively to WWD, Chanel squelched ongoing speculation that it was plotting a move into mens wear with Hedi Slimane.

The house of Chanel has no projects with Hedi Slimane, the company said, adding, Chanel doesnt work on the launch of a Chanel mens wear collection.

Advertisement

Ever since Slimane exited Saint Laurent in April 2016 at the expiration of his initial four-year contract as creative and image director, rumors have persisted that the designer could wind up at Chanel, given his long and close friendship with Lagerfeld and Lagerfelds penchant for Slimanes rock n roll-tinged designs.

In 2000 and 2001, Lagerfeld famously shed nearly 90 pounds after a low-fat regime that he followed primarily to be able to shimmy into the pencil-thin suits Slimane was designing for Dior Homme.

Its all about the clothes, Lagerfeld told WWD at the time.

Chanels longtime couturier has since maintained a close rapport with Slimane, also an accomplished photographer like him.

Lagerfeld commissioned Slimane to shoot his portrait for the cover of the holiday issue of French Vogue that he guest-edited. And while he remains loyal to Dior Homme, Lagerfeld continues to wear jackets Slimane creates expressly for him with his name on the label.

Lagerfeld occasionally features mens wear on the Chanel runway and has two signature mens lines, but he has repeatedly said hes more interested in wearing mens clothes than designing them.

A mens wear maverick who took up womens wear during his explosive tenure at Saint Laurent, Slimane has yet to indicate his next career move and has resumed his pre-YSL career as a commercial and art photographer. He has also been embroiled in legal proceedings against YSLs parent Kering over non-competition obligations and other issues.

Meanwhile, Lagerfeld is in the midst of designing Chanels cruise collection, to be paraded in Paris on May 3. He is also the designer of fur and ready-to-wear at Fendi.

ALSO

On the final day of Paris Fashion Week, the Chanel runway is a launchpad for interstellar luxe

Pharrell Williams is the first man to appear in a Chanel handbag campaign

On scene: Kim Kardashian West, Nick Jonas, Paris Jackson and Nicki Minaj at Fashion Los Angeles Awards
Rosario Dawson has some thoughts about Pepsis latest controversial commercial featuring Kendall Jenner. The actress took to Twitter on Tuesday after the release of Pepsis ad to point out some similarities between it and a music video she appeared in in 1999.

Eerily reminiscent of Chemical Brothers Out of Control vid we shot in Mexico City ~15 yrs ago sadly minus the point, Dawson wrote in the tweet. She also included a YouTube link for the Out of Control video by The Chemical Brothers.

Pepsis commercial features a blonde-wig-wearing Kendall Jenner completing a photo shoot against a wall in Bangkok. She catches sight of a peaceful protest in the streets and decides to join it. Jenner rips off her wig and enters the crowd, later handing a Pepsi can to a police officer.

The video for The Chemical Brothers Out of Control, directed by W.I.Z., features Dawson making peace with the police by sharing a fictional soda beverage with them. The video was meant to be a commentary on the advertising culture of big companies.

Pepsi released a statement Tuesday after receiving a storm of backlash on social media for its ad. The company defended the commercial, saying, This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think thats an important message to convey.

I had never been to Bangkok before, so it was interesting to be in that city, Jenner said of the Pepsi ad ahead of its release. There were a lot of really cool people on set that I got to meet. It was fun, it was entertaining. The whole concept is really something that Im about, so it was just fun to be a part of.

The model shared a behind-the-scenes post from the commercial on Instagram Tuesday. She has not yet spoken out about the backlash the video has received.

ALSO

Today in Entertainment: Pepsi defends Kendall Jenner ad; 'Marvel's New Warriors' heads to Freeform;

Pepsi defends Kendall Jenner ad amid widespread outrage

Cringe-worthy Pepsi ad uses Kendall Jenner, protests and police to sell soda
A group of residents gathered outside Los Angeles City Hall this afternoon to ask elected officials to officially declare President Trump a persona non grata  a person who is unwelcome.

We are calling for a symbolic shunning of him, said campaign director Joseph Keating. Organizers with a new group called the Decimals held a news conference and delivered their petition to Mayor Eric Garcetti and each City Council member.

Similar petitions spurred by Trumps presidency are underway in Seattle and Portland, Ore.

Advertisement

We are a group of people who have come together to make a point, Keating said. We are resisting the abusive actions and conduct of Donald Trump.

The Decimals, composed of a core of about 13 organizers, said that they represent thousands of people who take issue with Trump and that they plan to take their campaign nationwide in coming months.

We are hopeful Los Angeles will be a leader, Keating said.

The petition lists a number of complaints and allegations about the president, including his administrations ties to Russia, his environmental and immigration proposals and his lying to the American people and intimidation and bullying.

esmeralda.bermudez@latimes.com

@LATBermudez
News of Edythe Edie Russells predicament traveled quickly on Saturday when Kerri Shafer-Ross, who works for an escrow company, posted an alert on Nextdoor Carlsbad.

Please help me find help for this woman, Shafer-Ross wrote on the site, which serves as sort of a digital bulletin board in various communities. Shafer-Ross included a link to my Sunday column on Russell, who lost her home in a trailer park and had been living in her car with her two dogs for about three weeks.

Mike Haas, a real estate agent, saw the Nextdoor post and drove to the Carlsbad Senior Center, where he found Russell in her PT Cruiser with pups Chloe and Tippy. Haas offered Russell some water and snacks, and told her someone else would be along in the morning to check on her.

Advertisement

Ive done that stuff with my church for years, said Haas, who told me he used to have more time for that kind of outreach at Life Christian Church in Vista, before work and family obligations mounted.

 A 78-year old woman lost her home and was living in her car with her dogs. (April 5, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here http://bit.ly/2n6VKPR)

Shafer-Ross, meanwhile, has a friend named Dani, who made a sizable donation to the cause. On Sunday morning, Shafer-Ross went to the senior center and introduced herself to Russell.

By then, residents of the area had helped Russell start her car, which had a dead battery and was out of gas. Shafer-Ross led Russell to a nearby Motel 6, and used the donation from Dani to set her up for a week.

But that wasnt the end of local efforts to help a 78-year-old woman who told me she never quite recovered from the loss of two real estate investments during the housing crash and has been on medication for depression for years.

A retired woman named Jeanine (Im withholding some last names by request) took Russell to dinner Sunday night. Jeanine, who said she has helped seniors in similar straits more than once, wanted to get to know Russell, earn her trust and come up with ways to help her over the long term.

Some locals offered pet supplies for Chloe and Tippy. Chris Deatrick of SoCal Auto in San Marcos offered to service the car. Diane Lofshult, a writer, relayed updates to me. Some folks offered referrals to public and nonprofit housing and social services, such as Father Joes Villages in San Diego. Shafer-Ross set up a fundraising site for those wishing to make donations (go to youcaring.com).

It was as if the community had thrown out a safety net for a stranger.

Lets face it, a lot of us are only a few paychecks away from being in Edies situation, said Jeri Lumpkin of Vista.

Lumpkin lives in the trailer park where Russell, whose last steady work was as a caregiver for ailing seniors, fell behind with the rent and got evicted. Lumpkin, a retiree, told me she volunteers at a homeless outreach program called the Gleaning Field Foundation. Shes seen firsthand the way bad luck and poor choices can send someone tumbling.

Any of us can make bad choices. Trust me, Ive made a few of them in my life, said Lumpkin. When we try to help the people at our outreach, I understand that some can never be helped. But if we can help a few, then its worth the effort.

When mechanic Jarrett Rogers, 25, emailed me to say hed be happy to fix Russells car, I asked where his generosity came from.

I used to live in my car, too, so I understand her hardships, said Rogers.

Rogers told me he had a job he hated so much, he quit, and lived in his Chevy Malibu for a year. That was when he came up with the idea for a mobile auto repair company, Trusted Mechanix. Hes got an apartment now and said business is good.

Lets face it, a lot of us are only a few paychecks away from being in Edies situation.  Jeri Lumpkin, who lives in the trailer park where Russell used to live

Robin Doyno, whos on the Homeless Solutions Committee in Mar Vista, checked in with me to make a pitch for Safe Parking as an option for people who are homeless but have vehicles. Thats a program in Santa Barbara, where parking lots at 23 churches and synagogues, local businesses and public facilities are available for overnight stays. About half the participants are 55 and older, and the funding is primarily from local, state and federal grants.

Cassie Roach, the program coordinator, said support services are provided by New Beginnings Counseling Center with the goal of getting people back into housing and/or work. The big challenge is finding affordable homes, she said, but 61 individuals were housed in the last year. Roach said San Diego, Long Beach, Stockton, Los Angeles and Mountain View have sent representatives to Santa Barbara to look at the program.

In Carlsbad, Jeanine is serving as a volunteer social worker, for all intents and purposes, in trying to line up the best options for Russell and help her make good choices, financial and otherwise. On Tuesday, Jeanine, who is retired from the insurance business, went to Russells old trailer and began hauling her things away to a storage facility.

Shafer-Ross, meanwhile, took lunch to Russell at the Motel 6.

Russell is but one person among tens of thousands in Southern California who live in cars and parks and on sidewalks  no fewer than a dozen of them hang out at the Carlsbad Senior Center.

Every one of them has a story, some more sympathetic than others, and its easy to throw your hands up at the enormity of the problem, to oversimplify the causes, to judge people or cast blame.

In Carlsbad, neighbors didnt do that.

They simply helped, and Edythe Russell is extremely grateful.

People have been great, she said.

Get more of Steve Lopezs work and follow him on Twitter @LATstevelopez

ALSO

At Police Commission hearing, LAPD and critics agree: policing alone isnt the answer to homelessness

Trumps healthcare flop lowers blood pressure for those who feared the worst

Warmer weather means fewer beds, more challenges for L.A.'s homeless
USC names retired aerospace executive Wanda Austin as acting president, announces Nikias departure By Harriet Ryan USC appointed a retired aerospace executive as interim president and laid out a detailed plan for selecting a permanent leader Tuesday, ending speculation about whether outgoing President C.L. Max Nikias might remain in the post. Nikias, embattled over his administrations handling of a campus gynecologist accused of sexually abusing patients, relinquished his duties after a meeting of USCs board. The trustees tapped one of their own, Wanda Austin, an alumna and former president of the Aerospace Corp., to temporarily run the university. The trustees also approved the formation of a search committee and the hiring of firm Isaacson, Miller to coordinate the selection of a successor. A second search company, Heidrick & Struggles, will also advise trustees. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Ex-student sues elite Brentwood School after teacher is charged with sexually abusing him By Richard Winton A former student sued the elite Brentwood School on Monday in the wake of a female teacher being charged with repeatedly having sex with the minor, alleging that other faculty members encouraged the unlawful behavior and failed to report it to authorities. The lawsuit accuses the private school, whose students include the children of many of Hollywoods elite and L.A.s powerful, of acting negligently and allowing Aimee Palmitessa to abuse and batter the teenager sexually. The suit alleges that the student was abused in summer 2017 after one of the schools counselors offered words of encouragement to the then-17-year-old, identified in the suit as only John Doe, to engage in an illegal relationship with the teacher. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Civil jury vindicates fired Montebello school executives in whistleblower case By Howard Blume The Montebello school district is in dire straits  at risk of insolvency and under apparent criminal investigation. An outside audit in July found some teachers earning more than $200,000 a year, as well as improper raises, excess paid vacation time and inappropriate overtime, sick leave and car allowances. Fixing the district and pinpointing blame could take time. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

L.A. schools fall short on safety measures, new report warns By Howard Blume After the mass shooting at Floridas Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February, Los Angeles school officials reassured parents that much had been done to keep local schools safe. California had tougher gun laws, after all, and the school district paid close attention to students mental health. But a new report issued Monday by a panel convened to take a close look offers some cause for concern, flagging inconsistent campus safety measures, thinly spread mental health staff and inadequate coordination between the school district and other public agencies. With the stakes this high, we must strive to do better, said L.A. City Atty. Mike Feuer, who assembled the panel. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

L.A. school district says more are graduating, but rate may not show it By Howard Blume The L.A. Unified School District has hopes of continuing its winning streak this year with another record graduation rate, but the official numbers may not show it. A senior district administrator warned the board Tuesday that graduation rates were likely to decline 2% to 3% across the state, even though L.A. Unified is likely doing better than ever in producing graduates, he said. The issue is that the state will now count high school students who transfer to adult school as dropouts, said Oscar Lafarga, who heads the districts office of data and accountability. Previously, schools treated these students as though they had simply enrolled in another high school, he said. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Betsy DeVos to California: Not so fast on that federal education plan By Joy Resmovits In April, Californias top education officials breathed a sigh of relief. After months of debate and back-and-forth with Betsy DeVos staff, they had finalized a plan to satisfy a major education law that aims to make sure all students get a decent education. The state focused on aligning its plan to fulfill the requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act with Californias Local Control Funding Formula, which gives extra money to districts to help students who come from low-income families, are in the foster system or are English learners. But this week, DeVos team said not so fast. Jason Botel, the U.S. Department of Educations principal deputy assistant secretary, sent California education officials a letter asking for more information in such areas as measuring student progress, graduation rates and English learners. In an unsigned statement, the California Department of Education declared itself surprised and disappointed because officials thought  after a meeting with federal officials in Washington  that they were on the right track to get approval. Now the Every Student Succeeds Act plan will be up for discussion once again at the July meeting of the State Board of Education. The U.S. Department of Education has already approved most state plans. Every Student Succeeds is the Obama administrations 2015 replacement for the No Child Left Behind Act. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

L.A. school board sets a new goal: prepare every grad to be eligible to apply for Cal State or UC By Sonali Kohli Last month, Los Angeles school board president proposed a spate of highly ambitious mandates aimed at ensuring that every district graduate be eligible to apply to one of the states public four-year universities by 2023. By the time the L.A. Unified school board unanimously approved the resolution Tuesday, the original language had been watered down. The goal is no longer that in five years 100% of students meet the long list of benchmarks, which include not just college eligibility for graduates but first-grade reading proficiency and English fluency by sixth grade for all students who enter the district in kindergarten or first grade speaking another language. The original college-readiness goal, for example, called for 100% of all high school students to be eligible to apply to one of the states four-year universities. Now the goal seems to offer more wiggle room: Prepare all high school graduates to be eligible to apply to a California four-year university. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

We have been hurt. More women say they were mistreated by USC gynecologist By Richard Winton USC student Anika Narayanan says she vividly recalls her first appointment with Dr. George Tyndall at the campus health center, alleging that he made several explicit comments during an examination she felt was inappropriate and invasive. When she came back for a second visit in 2016 after a nonconsensual sexual encounter, he allegedly chastised her, she said in a civil lawsuit and at a press conference Tuesday. He asked me if I had forgotten to use a condom again,  said Narayanan, 21. At one point, she said, Tyndall asked if I did a lot of doggy style,  she said. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

L.A. Unified gives inspector general brief contract extension By Howard Blume The Los Angeles school board on Tuesday extended the contract of Ken Bramlett, its inspector general, by three months, though his job is far from secure and questions remain about the future direction of his watchdog office. Board members also unanimously promoted Vivian Ekchian, who had been the runner-up for the superintendents job, to deputy superintendent  the districts No. 2 position. Both moves had elements of peacemaking between different factions on the board. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

USCs handling of complaints about campus gynecologist is being investigated by federal government By Harriet Ryan The U.S. Department of Education announced Monday that it has launched an investigation into how the University of Southern California handled misconduct complaints against a campus gynecologist, the latest fallout in a scandal that has prompted the resignation of USCs president, two law enforcement investigations and dozens of lawsuits. In revealing the inquiry by the departments Office of Civil Rights, officials rebuked USC for what they alleged was improper withholding of information about Dr. George Tyndall during a previous federal investigation. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who has been criticized for taking a less vigorous approach to examining sexual misconduct than predecessors, called for a systemic examination of USC and urged administrators to fully cooperate. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Judge to sentence woman and her boyfriend for the murder of an 8-year-old that led to L.A. child welfare reforms By Marisa Gerber A woman and her boyfriend are expected to be sentenced Thursday for the torture and murder of an 8-year-old boy whose killing in 2013 provoked public outrage, prompted sweeping reform of Los Angeles Countys child welfare system, and led to unprecedented criminal charges against social workers who handled the childs case. Pearl Sinthia Fernandez, 34, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole for her role in the death of her son, Gabriel. A jury decided last year that her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, 37, should be executed. When paramedics arrived at the boys Palmdale home in May 2013, Gabriel had slipped out of consciousness. He had a fractured skull, broken ribs, burned skin, missing teeth and BB pellets embedded in his groin. A paramedic would later testify that every inch of the boys small body had been abused. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

L.A. Unifieds spending out of step with similar school systems, task force says By Howard Blume The Los Angeles school district is out of step with similar school systems, spending more on teachers pay and health benefits and less on activities that could enhance student learning, according to a new report by an outside task force. The L.A. Unified School District Advisory Task Force did not make specific recommendations, but instead posed a series of questions it said the district needs to answer to make sure its funding is aimed at providing a full opportunity for all students to succeed. What were trying to say is: Lets put the data on the table. Lets look at the truth. Lets be transparent and here are the numbers, said task force member Renata Simril. This is not to say that  we should cut teachers salaries. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Top USC medical school official feared dean was doing drugs and alerted administration, he testifies By Paul Pringle A former vice dean of USCs Keck School of Medicine testified Tuesday that he feared the schools then-dean, Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, could be doing drugs and expressed concerns about his general well-being to the universitys No. 2 administrator before Puliafito abruptly left his job in 2016. Dr. Henri Fords testimony at a hearing of the state Medical Board marks the first suggestion that any USC administrator had suspicions about Puliafitos possible drug use before he stepped down. A Times investigation in 2017 found Puliafito led a secret second life of using illegal drugs with a circle of young criminals and addicts. Puliafito testified about his behavior at the hearing Tuesday, saying he took drugs with one young woman on a weekly basis. Ford said that he decided to alert USC Provost Michael Quick after receiving reports in early 2016 that Puliafito was partying in hotels with people of questionable reputation, and that he came to worry about his mental stability. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Why L.A. Unified may face financial crisis even with a giant surplus this year By Jessica Calefati With more than half a billion dollars socked away for next school year, the Los Angeles Unified School District hardly seems just two years from financial ruin. Its a scenario that is especially tough to swallow if youre a low-wage worker seeking a raise or a teacher who wants smaller classes. But budget documents show that todays $548-million surplus cannot be sustained  and that even basic services face steep, seemingly unavoidable cuts because of massive problems barreling the districts way. Theres a disconnect between the rosy short-term picture and what we know is coming, said board member Kelly Gonez. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

We have failed: Top USC officials try to reassure students amid gynecologist scandal By Joy Resmovits Top administrators at USC are reaching out to students in the wake of misconduct allegations against the universitys longtime gynecologist, acknowledging failings and vowing reforms as they try to address growing outrage over the revelations. Several USC deans have sent out messages trying to reassure students and faculty that the university is committed to changing. We have failed, wrote Jack H. Knott, dean of USCs Sol Price School of Public Policy, in a May 24 letter. What happened is antithetical to everything we know is right. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Rick Caruso is named chair of USCs trustees, vows swift investigation of gynecologist scandal By Thomas Curwen The University of Southern Californias board of trustees has elected mall magnate Rick Caruso to be the new chair of the board, giving fresh leadership as the university navigates a widening scandal involving a longtime campus gynecologist. The move marks the latest effort by USC to address the case, which has sparked a criminal investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department and dozens of civil lawsuits. More than 400 people have contacted a hotline that the university established for patients to make reports about their experience with Dr. George Tyndall. In his first act as chairman, Caruso announced that the white-shoe L.A. law firm OMelveny & Myers would conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the gynecologists conduct and reporting failures at the clinic. He set an ambitious timeline for the review, pledging it would conclude before students return for the fall semester. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

UC Berkeley students persistence helps win more liberal rules for in-state tuition By Teresa Watanabe Ifechukwu Okeke thought shed be a shoo-in for in-state tuition when she was admitted to UC Berkeley for fall 2016. She had moved to the United States from Nigeria in 2012 to go to Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga. By the time she got her acceptance to transfer to UC to study molecular and cell biology, she had lived in California four years. She had a California drivers license, bank account and rental records as proof. UC Berkeley, however, ruled she was a nonresident  which meant she would have to pay nearly $27,000 more. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

State medical board calls former County-USC doctor a sexual predator, suspends his license By Matt Hamilton A UCLA cardiologist has been temporarily stripped of his medical license after state regulators described him as a sexual predator who assaulted three female colleagues when he was working and training at L.A. County-USC Medical Center. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Global California 2030 aims to get more students learning more languages By Joy Resmovits Tom Torlakson (Andrew Seng / Associated Press) Outgoing state Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson on Wednesday announced a new statewide effort to encourage students to learn more languages. Called Global California 2030, its goal is to help more students become fluent in multiple tongues. Torlakson said that by 2030, he wants half of the states 6.2 million K-12 students to participate in classes or programs that lead to proficiency in two or more languages. By 2040, he wants three out of four students to be proficient enough to earn the State Seal of Biliteracy. Torlakson announced the initiative at Cahuenga Elementary School, which offers a dual-language immersion program in English and Korean. Californias public school students speak more than 60 languages at home, and 40% come to school with knowledge of a language other than English. Torlakson called his plan a call to action that invites parents, legislators, educators and community members to pool resources to expand language offerings in schools and get more bilingual teachers trained. He said the state already is working with Mexico and Spain to expand a teacher-exchange program. Fluency, the plan argues, can help students succeed economically  and language acquisition can help their overall critical thinking. The initiative builds on Proposition 58, a ballot initiative passed in 2016 that undid an earlier requirement that English learners be taught in English-immersion classes unless their parents signed waivers. Torlakson recently visited Mexico and met with that countrys education secretary. They later signed a pact to increase collaboration, particularly in language education. This [Global California 2030] is great follow-through on Toms part and very important, Patricia Gandara, a UCLA education professor who hosted the Mexico meeting, said in an email. It hands over a plan to move forward in an area in which California has a unique advantage, but must seize the opportunity. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Jury convicts man of murder in 2015 slaying of UCLA student found inside her burning apartment By Marisa Gerber A jury on Tuesday convicted a man in the 2015 slaying of a UCLA student found dead inside her burning apartment  a gruesome stabbing case that led to a fierce rebuke of the police response amid concerns that the killing could have been prevented. The panel deliberated for about six hours before finding Alberto Medina, 24, guilty of murder, arson, burglary and animal cruelty. On Sept. 21, 2015, firefighters found the charred body of Andrea DelVesco inside her apartment after responding to the complex a block from campus. The 21-year-old student  an Austin, Texas, native known to her sorority sisters as a fearless giver who befriended others with ease  was stabbed at least 19 times, authorities said. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

LAPD begins sweeping criminal probe of former USC gynecologist while urging patients to come forward By Adam Elmahrek The Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday it is investigating 52 complaints of misconduct filed by former patients of USCs longtime campus gynecologist as detectives launch a sweeping criminal probe into the scandal that has rocked the university. LAPD detectives also made an appeal for other patients who feel mistreated to come forward, noting that thousands of students were examined by Dr. George Tyndall during his nearly 30-year career at USC. More than 410 people have contacted a university hotline about the physician since The Times revealed the allegations this month. Tyndalls behavior and practices appear to go beyond the norms of the medical profession and gynecological examinations, said Asst. Chief Beatrice Girmala. We sincerely realize that victims may have difficulty recounting such details to investigators. We are empathetic and ready to listen. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

At L.A.'s only school for the deaf, parents want leaders who speak the same language By Anna M. Phillips Ever since her son was 6 months old, Juliet Hidalgo has been bringing him to the Marlton School, a low-slung building in Baldwin Hills that for generations has been a second home for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Los Angeles. Marlton staff taught Hidalgos brother and sister, both of whom are deaf. The school was where her deaf son learned to make the signs for milk and food. Hidalgo had planned to enroll her daughter, taking advantage of a popular program that allows hearing children to learn American Sign Language alongside their deaf siblings. But after more than a decade of involvement, she and other family members are considering withdrawing their children. They are not alone. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Fueled by unlimited donations, independent groups play their biggest role yet in a California primary for governor By Ryan Menezes An unprecedented amount of money from wealthy donors, unions and corporations is flowing into the California governors race, giving independent groups  unrestricted by contribution limits  a greater say in picking the states chief executive than ever before. The groups have already spent more than $26 million through Thursday, the most ever spent by noncandidate committees in a gubernatorial primary, according to a Times analysis of campaign finance reports. California elections have always been expensive, and the future is even more expensive, said Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College and a former state Republican leader. The stakes are very real. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

2 hurt in Indiana middle school shooting; suspect in custody, authorities say By Associated Press Authorities say two victims in a shooting at a suburban Indianapolis school are being taken to a hospital and the lone suspect is in custody. Bryant Orem, a spokesman for the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office, said in a news release that the victims in Friday mornings attack at Noblesville West Middle School are being taken to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and their families have been notified. He says no other information is available about the victims. Orem said the suspect is believed to have acted alone and was taken into custody. No additional information about the suspect was made public. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

For new L.A. schools chief Austin Beutner, some key unions are giving no honeymoon period By Howard Blume In the less than two weeks since Austin Beutner took charge of Los Angeles schools, unions representing teachers and administrators have staged a job action and a protest. Theyve made it clear that they will not give the new superintendent the traditional honeymoon period, and they are bashing him for his wealth and lack of experience running either a school or a school district. Beutner is a billionaire investment banker with zero qualifications, local teachers union President Alex Caputo-Pearl told members in a phone alert urging them to participate in a Thursday afternoon rally in Grand Park. The board is saying that billionaires who made their money blowing institutions up and making money off it know best  not the education professionals who have dedicated our careers to working with students. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Pressure grows on Board of Trustees amid USC gynecologist scandal By Paul Pringle USCs large and powerful Board of Trustees is coming under growing pressure to provide a stronger hand as the university faces a crisis over misconduct allegations against the campus longtime gynecologist that has prompted calls for President C.L. Max Nikias to step down. Allegations that Dr. George Tyndall mistreated students during his nearly 30 years at USC have roiled the campus, with about 300 people coming forward to make reports to the university and the Los Angeles Police Department launching a criminal investigation. USC is already beginning to face what is expected to be costly litigation by women who say they were victimized by the physician. So far, the trustees to whom Nikias reports have expressed sympathy for the women who have come forward and launched an independent investigation while also publicly backing the president. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

UC regents approve leaner budget for Janet Napolitano By Teresa Watanabe University of California regents on Thursday unanimously approved a leaner, more transparent budget for President Janet Napolitano, moving to address political criticism over the systems central office operations. The $876.4-million budget for 2018-19 reflects spending cuts of 2%, including reductions in staffing, travel and such systemwide programs as public service law fellowships, carbon neutrality and food security. Napolitano shifted $30 million to campuses for housing needs and $10 million to UC Riverside to support its five-year-old medical school. She also permanently redirected $8.5 million annually to help enroll more California students, as required by the state. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

USCs Academic Senate calls on university president to resign after a series of scandals By Matt Hamilton The body that represents USCs faculty called on President C.L. Max Nikias to resign Wednesday in the wake of relevations that the universitys longtime gynecologist faced years of accusations of misconduct by students and colleagues at the campus health clinic. The Academic Senate took the vote late Wednesday afternoon after a fiery town hall meeting attended by more than 100 faculty members, many of whom voiced outrage over Nikias and the Board of Trustees leadership. The vote came a day after the trustees executive committee stood firmly behind Nikias, saying it has full confidence in his leadership, ethics and values. At the town hall meeting, Senate President Paul Rosenbloom said he did not think Nikias or Provost Michael Quick committed wrongdoing but that the university president deserved criticism for a lack of transparency. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Californias public universities on the way to getting a big longed-for boost in funding By Teresa Watanabe The University of California and California State University systems are poised to get major funding boosts that will help them enroll thousands of additional state students and eliminate the need for tuition increases in the coming school year. A key Assembly budget panel on Wednesday approved $117.5 million in new funds for the UC. A Senate panel approved a similar sum last week. The same committees recently approved even more funding for the Cal State system. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

UC regents to scrutinize Janet Napolitanos office budget in a step toward stronger oversight By Teresa Watanabe University of California regents this week plan to scrutinize the budget of President Janet Napolitano, whose office came under political fire last year for questionable spending and murky accounting. Regents will vote on the proposed $876.4-million budget for 2018-19 during their two-day meeting, which starts Wednesday, at UC San Francisco. They also will discuss state funding, financial aid, online education and transfer student policies. Board Chairman George Kieffer said regents are stepping up to exert stronger oversight of the presidents office after a blistering state audit last year found financial problems including an unreported $175 million budget reserve. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

State legislative panels approve major funding boost for Cal State By Teresa Watanabe After months of intensive lobbying, Cal State University has convinced two key legislative panels to approve funding to enroll nearly 11,000 more students, hire more faculty and expand housing aid to those without shelter this fall. An Assembly budget panel on Tuesday approved $215.7 million more for Cal State, adding to Gov. Jerry Browns proposed $92.1 million general fund increase. A Senate budget panel approved a similar increase last week. The extra funding  which went beyond Cal States own request to the Legislature of $171 million  is still subject to final budget negotiations with Brown. But the actions by the Senate and Assembly panels amount to a demand from Democrats that the governor hike higher education spending. Cal State University is the workhorse undergraduate university serving hundreds of thousands of Californians, said Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), who heads the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance. We need more graduates for the California workforce and higher education is the ticket to the middle class. Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White hailed the actions, but said it was too soon to celebrate. The CSU has a singular focus on helping students earn high-quality degrees sooner, and the entire university community has rallied to reinforce that message to our states lawmakers, he said in a statement. The actions taken thus far by the Assembly and Senate are promising and show that our message is being received, but there is still work to be done. Funding for the University of California was not taken up Tuesday as originally scheduled. McCarty would not comment on sticking points but said he was confident that a resolution would be reached this week. Were looking to provide resources above whats in the governors budget, but negotiations are ongoing, he said in an interview. State per-student funding is not what it once was, leaving both Cal State and the UC in a tough financial squeeze. Both systems raised tuition last year after a six-year freeze on higher costs. For this year, Cal State had asked for funding to enroll an additional 3,621 students, but both the Senate and Assembly panels approved three times that amount. Cal State, the largest public university system in the nation, turned away 32,000 eligible students last year because its campuses werent able to accommodate them. The panels asked that at least $50 million of the extra funding be used to hire more tenure-track faculty to help boost graduation rates. The Assembly panel also approved one-time funding of $5 million to ease hunger on campuses and $14 million for rapid rehousing pilot projects at three campuses, offering needy students rental support and short-term case management. Other items approved include $5 million to support the CSU Long Beach Shark Labs research on sharks and beach safety and $2 million for equal employment opportunity practices. This post has been updated to include comments from Assemblyman Kevin McCarty and Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Faculty members call for USC president to step down: He has lost the moral authority to lead By Matt Hamilton Two hundred USC professors on Tuesday demanded the resignation of university President C. L. Max Nikias, saying he had lost the moral authority to lead in the wake of revelations that a campus gynecologist was kept on staff for decades despite repeated complaints of misconduct. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Gun battle, negotiations lasted 15 minutes before Texas school shooter was apprehended, sheriff says By Molly Hennessy-Fiske Minutes after a school shooter opened fire in an art class last week, killing 10 people and wounding 13, including a local police officer, fellow officers returned fire in a protracted gun battle before isolating the suspect, the local sheriff said Monday. Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset praised first responders as well as Santa Fe Police Officer John Barnes, who was working as a resource officer at the school the day of the shooting. Their actions, he said, prevented the attack from spreading to other classrooms and potentially claiming additional victims. As officials continue to probe last Fridays shooting at Santa Fe High School, students are worried about returning to the scene of the attack when classes resume next week. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

6 women sue USC, alleging they were victimized by campus gynecologist By Richard Winton Six women filed civil lawsuits Monday alleging that a longtime gynecologist at the University of Southern California sexually victimized them under the pretext of medical care and that USC failed to address complaints from clinic staff about the doctors behavior. One woman alleged Dr. George Tyndall forced his entire ungloved hand into her vagina during an appointment in 2003 while making vulgar remarks about her genitalia, according to one of the lawsuits. Another woman alleged that Tyndall groped her breasts in a 2008 visit and that later he falsely told her she likely had AIDS. A third woman accused the doctor of grazing his ungloved fingers over her nude body and leering at her during a purported skin exam, the lawsuit states. The wave of litigation comes as USC continues to grapple with the scandal, which legal experts said could prove costly to the university as scores of former patients come forward about their experiences with the gynecologist. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Fatalities reported in Texas high school shooting; suspect arrested, officials say By Associated Press Houston-area media citing unnamed law enforcement officials are reporting that there are fatalities following a shooting at a local high school Friday morning. Television station KHOU and the Houston Chronicle are citing unnamed federal, county and police officials following the shooting at Santa Fe High School, which went on lockdown around 8 a.m. The Associated Press has not been able to confirm the reports. The school district has confirmed an unspecified number of injuries but said it wouldnt immediately release further details. Assistant Principal Cris Richardson said a suspect has been arrested and secured. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

This student followed the new L.A. schools chief on his first-day tour Melissa Barales-Lopez, a senior at Garfield High School followed Supt. Austin Beutner on his first day on the job, as he toured a variety of programs around the Los Angeles Unified School District. Heres what she took from the experience. LAUSD students and staff alike are looking for a personal champion, someone who will address and improve the difficulties afflicting their education.  What LAUSD students need is someone whos willing to listen and learn, someone who can understand the current issues affecting their schools and act to efficiently amend them, someone who can unlock the full potential of LAUSD students and enable them to reach their goals. During the entirety of his first day, superintendent Austin Beutner did indeed demonstrate a willingness to learn. Posing questions to teachers and students, Beutner engaged with the student communities he encountered to gain a better comprehension of the minutiae and nuances that distinguish each school inside an overwhelmingly large district. From inquiries about Grand View Boulevard Elementary Schools dual language program to questions regarding the services of LAUSDs after-school program, Beyond the Bell, Beutner revealed he has a lot to learn about the system. But, Beutner also showcased a willingness to tackle challenges head-on on his first day. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

USC let a gynecologist continue treating students despite years of misconduct allegations By Matt Hamilton For nearly 30 years, the University of Southern Californias student health clinic had one full-time gynecologist: Dr. George Tyndall. Tall and garrulous with distinctive jet black hair, he treated tens of thousands of female students, many of them teenagers seeing a gynecologist for the first time. Few who lay down on Tyndalls exam table at the Engemann Student Health Center knew that he had been accused repeatedly of misconduct toward young patients. The complaints began in the 1990s, when co-workers alleged he was improperly photographing students genitals. In the years that followed, patients and nursing staff accused him again and again of creepy behavior, including touching women inappropriately during pelvic exams and making sexually suggestive remarks about their bodies. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Cal State trustees to discuss Browns latest budget proposal, which they say still falls $171 million short By Joy Resmovits Just how much money does California State University need to serve its students? In recent years, this question has been front and center for the nations largest public university system. Cal States leaders say that to keep their campuses quality from slipping, they need much more money than the state is giving them. This year, theyre also at odds with Gov. Jerry Brown on the question of whether any extra money should come in one-time bursts or be ongoing. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

On his first day as L.A. schools chief, Beutner plans a day of visits across the district By Howard Blume L.A. Unifieds new superintendent, Austin Beutner, will kick off his first day of work on Tuesday with a choreographed tour of the nations second-largest school district, from the San Fernando Valley to Carson. His day is scheduled to begin at 5:15 a.m. at a school bus depot and end more than 12 hours later at a parent meeting at Garfield High School. Along the way, Beutner is expected to be joined by school district administrators, L.A. Unified board members and the vice president of the union that represents school bus drivers. Though he will be covering a lot of ground, Beutners tour has him skipping Tuesdays school board meeting, when board members are expected to discuss labor negotiations in closed session. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Cal State trustees to discuss Browns latest budget proposal, which they say still falls $171 million short By Joy Resmovits Just how much money does California State University need to serve its students? In recent years, this question has been front and center for the nations largest public university system. Cal States leaders say that to keep their campuses quality from slipping, they need much more money than the state is giving them. This year, theyre also at odds with Gov. Jerry Brown on the question of whether any extra money should come in one-time bursts or be ongoing. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Why a handful of rich charter school supporters are spending millions to elect Antonio Villaraigosa as governor By Ryan Menezes California voters have seen a barrage of sunny television ads in recent weeks touting former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosas record on finances, crime and education, aired by Families & Teachers for Antonio Villaraigosa for Governor 2018. But the group is, in fact, largely funded by a handful of wealthy charter-school supporters. Together they have spent more than $13 million in less than a month to boost Villaraigosas chances in the June 5 primary  at a time when his fundraising and poll numbers are lagging. Reed Hastings, the founder of Netflix, jump-started the group with a $7-million check, by far the largest donation to support any candidate in the election. Their efforts are part of a broader proxy war among Democrats between teachers unions  longtime stalwarts of the party  and those who argue that the groups have failed low-income and minority schoolchildren. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Talking schools with L.A. Unifieds new superintendent By Anna M. Phillips Austin Beutner, who officially starts Tuesday as the new superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, is taking on a famously difficult job at a particularly difficult time. The school board is divided and did not back him unanimously. The nations second-largest school district has deep-seated problems, including declining enrollment, lagging academic achievement and rising pension and healthcare costs that eat away at its budget. The 58-year-old former investment banker and former L.A. Times publisher has years of experience in the financial world but none as an educator. Earlier this week, he sat down with the Times education team to discuss the challenges facing the district, which has about 60,000 employees and 500,000 students in traditional public schools. He did not talk about his plans  saying repeatedly, stay tuned  but he spoke in broad terms about his mindset in approaching the tough decisions ahead. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Suspect detained, authorities search campus after reports of armed man at Palmdale high school By James Queally One person has been detained after a report of an armed man at a Palmdale high school sparked a massive law enforcement response Friday morning. The suspect was spotted at 7:05 a.m. on the campus of Highland High School in Palmdale, according to Sheriffs Department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida. The person was detained in a nearby parking lot, according to Nishida, who did not know whether that person was an adult or juvenile. Deputies at the scene are clearing the school methodically, and students will be transported home via school buses once the campus is deemed safe, Nishida said. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

The education of Bertha Perez: How a UC Merced custodians disenchantment led to a political awakening By Robin Abcarian Its the third day of a three-day strike, and UC Merced custodian Bertha Perez is taking a break from a picket line at the universitys unremarkable entrance, an intersection with stop lights. Photos from other UC campuses this week have shown big crowds of striking service workers  members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees  marching and chanting pro-labor slogans as they try to force the University of California back to the negotiating table. But here, at UC Merced, whose handful of big buildings rise from a flat expanse of farmland, the picket line is tiny, maybe two dozen workers and a few students. Its not a big-city-style show of force. Then again, a union sympathizer is banging relentlessly on a snare drum, so its noisier than youd expect. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Ref Rodriguez resigns from teacher credentialing commission By Howard Blume Ref Rodriguez appears during a court appearance. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles school board member Ref Rodriguez has resigned from the states Commission on Teacher Credentialing, which oversees the integrity and quality of Californias teachers. Rodriguez faces felony and misdemeanor charges for political money laundering. Separately, his former employer, a charter school organization, has accused him of improperly authorizing checks to a nonprofit under his control. Rodriguez has denied wrongdoing. Rodriguezs resignation from the state body was effective May 4, days after he cast a crucial vote as part of a narrow majority that voted to authorize contract negotiations with Austin Beutner to become superintendent of the L.A. Unified School District. Beutners first official day on the job is Tuesday. Rodriguez remains in his $125,000-a-year position on the Los Angeles Board of Education. The mission of the state body is to ensure integrity, relevance, and high quality in the preparation, certification, and discipline of Californias teachers. Critics had questioned Rodriguezs continued service on the commission, given that teachers can be suspended from work if they face criminal charges. They also can lose their jobs for lapses in personal behavior, such as excessive drinking, with the potential to affect their performance. Police in Pasadena arrested Rodriguez on a Friday afternoon in March for public drunkenness. He was not charged in the incident and has apologized. The state commission reviews teacher discipline cases and can take action to remove a teachers credential to work in a California classroom. The commission has 15 members. Rodriguezs departure was disclosed in a one-sentence announcement on the agencys website. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

School board members request for restraining order against blogger is rejected By Priscella Vega An Orange County Superior Court judge on Wednesday denied a school board members petition for a permanent restraining order against a Huntington Beach blogger. Attorney Jeffrey W. Shields filed the petition on behalf of Ocean View School District trustee Gina Clayton-Tarvin, 46, who alleged in court documents that Charles Keeler Johnson, 56, has threatened her on social media and at school board meetings, causing her to fear for my own safety and for that of my immediate family members. Johnson, who goes by Chuck and publishes HBSledgehammer.com, said the trustee tried to stifle his freedom of speech. He also contended that Clayton-Tarvin took his blog posts and Facebook comments too seriously and out of context, saying anyone who is afraid of metaphors has serious issues. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Deal with workers averts one-day strike that could have shut down L.A. schools By Howard Blume Los Angeles school district and union officials announced a contract agreement Tuesday night that averted a one-day strike planned for next week. The pact, which runs through June 2020, removes one labor problem from the desk of incoming Supt. Austin Beutner  whose first day on the job would have coincided with the strike. Plenty of other challenges remain. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

UC labor strike expands with show of support from more unions By Teresa Watanabe Fong Chuu is a registered nurse who has assisted with countless liver transplants, kidney surgeries and gastric bypasses during 34 years at UCLA. Working with her are scrub technicians who sterilize equipment, hand medical instruments to the surgeon and dress patient wounds. They are a team, Chuu says, which is why she walked off her job Tuesday in support of those technicians and other members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299. The 25,000 member AFSCME local, the University of Californias largest employee union, launched a three-day strike Monday. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

We are humans too: Voices of UCLAs striking custodians, hospital aides and imaging technicians By Joy Resmovits Demonstrators parade in front of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) This week, thousands of UC employees are staging a three-day strike for better pay and working conditions. On Monday, more than 20,000 custodians, cooks, lab technicians, nurse aides and other members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 walked off their jobs. By Tuesday, two more unions joined in sympathy strikes. The union and UC reached a bargaining impasse last year. The university has said it wont meet the workers demands. The strikers said they wanted better pay, more equity in the allocation of work, stable healthcare premiums and an end to the universitys use of contract workers. These are their stories. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Massive UC workers strike disrupts dining, classes and medical services By Joy Resmovits A massive labor strike across the University of California on Monday forced medical centers to reschedule more than 12,000 surgeries, cancer treatments and appointments, and campuses to cancel some classes and limit dining services. More than 20,000 members of UCs largest employee union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, walked off their jobs on the first day of a three-day strike. They include custodians, gardeners, cooks, truck drivers, lab technicians and nurse aides. Two altercations involving protesters and people driving near the rallies were reported at UCLA and UC Santa Cruz. At UCLA, police took a man into custody Monday after he drove his vehicle into a crowd, hitting three staff members. They were treated for minor injuries at the scene and released, said Lt. Kevin Kilgore of the UCLA Police Department. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Sen. Kamala Harris to skip UC Berkeley commencement in support of striking workers By Teresa Watanabe California Sen. Kamala Harris has canceled plans to deliver UC Berkeleys commencement address this weekend in support of UC workers who are on strike over wages and health benefits. Due to the ongoing labor dispute, Sen. Harris regretfully cannot attend and speak at this years commencement ceremony at UC Berkeley, said a statement from Harris office issued Monday. She wishes the graduates and their families a joyous commencement weekend and success for the future. They are bright young leaders and our country is counting on them. UCs largest employee union, the 25,000-member American Federation of County, State and Municipal Employees Local 3299, launched a three-day strike Monday and had earlier called for a speakers boycott. The union and university reached a bargaining impasse last year and subsequent mediation efforts have failed to produce an agreement. The union is asking for a multiyear contract with a 6% annual pay increase while the university is offering 3% annual increases over four years. UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ will deliver the keynote address instead, the university announced. About 5,800 students are expected to participate in the ceremony Saturday. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

School mural depicting Trumps bloody, severed head sparks controversy By Gary Warth A Chula Vista school mural that depicts the bloody, severed head of President Trump on a spear sparked a controversy that prompted officials to cover it and issue a response distancing themselves from the work. The statement also said the artist will alter the painting. We understand that there was a mural painted at the event this past weekend that does not align with our schools philosophy of non-violence, read the statement from MAAC Community Charter School director Tommy Ramirez. We have been in communication with the artist  who has agreed to modify the artwork  to better align with the schools philosophy. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

New blackface incident at Cal Poly prompts calls for state investigation By Kim Christensen Cal Poly San Luis Obispo officials have asked the state attorney generals office to investigate after a new photo of a white student in blackface surfaced on a fraternity groups private Snapchat. I am outraged, Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong said in a video address Friday to the campus. These vile and absolutely unacceptable acts cannot continue. We must not allow these acts to define us as an institution. Armstrong said the latest photo was intended to imitate an incident last month in which a white member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity was photographed at a party wearing blackface. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

More than 50,000 UC workers set to strike this week but campuses will remain open By Teresa Watanabe More than 50,000 workers across the University of California are set to strike this week, causing potential disruptions to surgery schedules, food preparation and campus maintenance. The systems 10 campuses and five medical centers are to remain open, with classes scheduled as planned. UCs largest employee union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, plans to begin a three-day strike Monday involving 25,000 workers, including custodians, gardeners, cooks, truck drivers, lab technicians and nurse aides. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

New L.A. schools chief Beutner pledges to listen, learn and take action By Howard Blume New Los Angeles schools Supt. Austin Beutner proved Wednesday that hes a quick learner even without an education background. Like countless public officials before him, he appeared at an important event  his first speech and news conference  with a photogenic background of students. His message  that he would put those students first  seemed heartfelt if hardly original. Nor was it a huge surprise that he pledged to push cooperatively but unflinchingly to improve the districts academic performance and stabilize its finances. As an introduction, Beutner, a former investment banker who made a fortune on Wall Street, offered little flash, but that was partly the point. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

In a school lockdown, one student takes stock of the stressful scene At the beginning of lunch one day late last month, Duarte High School, Northview Middle School, and California School of the Arts-San Gabriel Valley were advised by the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department to go into lockdown mode due to police activity in the immediate area. Phalaen Chang, a junior at the California School of the Arts, wrote a series of notes on her iPhone while she sat in a room with her classmates. By the time the lockdown ended an hour later, she wrote, she knew which of her friends would hold open the door for others, be the ones calming others down, be the ones barricading the doors. She knew that all of them have the potential to be such strong people. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Tale as old as time: L.A. Unified superintendent pick follows a historical pattern of outside-the-box choices By Joy Resmovits L.A. Unified has long gone back and forth between picking insiders and outsiders to run the nations second largest school district. The choice of Austin Beutner, announced Tuesday, places the district squarely back in the outsider camp  months after a consummate insider, Supt. Michelle King, announced that she had cancer and would not return to the job. Check out this timeline of former L.A. superintendents to see how the school board members have changed their minds, sometimes favoring leaders who come from the world of education and sometimes executives from elsewhere, recruited to shock the system into change. At one point, the district hired someone from the military  retired Navy Vice Adm. David L. Brewer III, who served as superintendent from 2006-2008. In hiring Brewer, board members had opted for a non-educator  largely because they sought a fresh thinker, unwedded to the bureaucracy, unafraid to make bold, even unorthodox moves, reads a 2008 Times story. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Austin Beutner named superintendent of Los Angeles schools By Howard Blume Austin Beutner, a philanthropist and former investment banker, on Tuesday was named superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nations second-largest school system. His selection was the biggest move yet by a Los Angeles school board majority elected with major support from charter school advocates. The decision came after lengthy public testimony, most of it in support of the other remaining finalist, interim Supt. Vivian Ekchian, who is well known within the school system. Beutner, 58, has no background leading a school or school district. Less than 2 years ago, a school board with a very different balance of power named Michelle King, a former teacher who rose through the district throughout her career, to L.A. Unifieds top job. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Hearing delay gives both sides more time in Ref Rodriguezs potential trial By Howard Blume Ref Rodriguez and his attorneys will have more time to prepare their defense against charges of political money laundering, a judge ruled Monday. The preliminary hearing in the case had been scheduled to begin May 9, but that date will now be pushed back to July 23 per the ruling from L.A. Superior Court Judge Deborah S. Brazil. Rodriguez, 46, faces three felony charges of conspiracy, perjury and procuring and offering a false or forged instrument, as well as 25 misdemeanor counts related to the alleged campaign money laundering. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

L.A. school board poised to name Beutner as superintendent By Howard Blume The Los Angeles Board of Education is poised to select philanthropist and former investment banker Austin Beutner to be the next superintendent of the nations second-largest school system. Barring a last-minute development, the only mystery is whether Beutner emerges with four or five votes from the boards seven members. Terms of his contract already have been under discussion, according to sources close to the process who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak. The selection of Beutner, 58, who has no experience managing a school or a school district, would be a signal that the board majority that took control nearly a year ago wants to rely on business management skills instead of insider educational expertise. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Teacher walkouts in Arizona and Colorado continue national debate on money for schools By Michael Livingston Following the lead of teachers who walked off the job in other states in recent weeks, thousands of teachers and their supporters took to the streets in Arizona and Colorado for the second day in a row to demand better pay and more funding for education. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Three decades before the #MeToo movement, UC San Diego led the way against sexual assault By Teresa Watanabe When Nancy Wahlig first started her fight against sexual assault, one company was marketing a capsule for women to stash in their bras and then smash to release a vile odor. Because of the very nature of society, the only person who can prevent rape is the woman herself, read a 1981 advertisement for the Repulse rape deterrent. Ideas about how to prevent sexual violence have come a long way since then, and Wahlig has helped lead that evolution on college campuses. In 1988, she started UC San Diegos Sexual Assault Resource Center (SARC), the first stand-alone program at the University of California. Today, she remains the systems most senior specialist. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Andres Alonso withdraws from consideration for L.A. schools job By Howard Blume Andres Alonso, believed to be one of three remaining finalists to lead the Los Angeles school system, has withdrawn from consideration. The remaining known candidates in the confidential search are former investment banker Austin Beutner and interim Supt. Vivian Ekchian. Alonso, 60, announced his decision on Twitter on Thursday night, saying he had notified the L.A. Unified School District on Monday. The exit of Alonso, the former Baltimore schools chief, seems to solidify the front-runner status of Beutner, who also was a former L.A. Times publisher and a Los Angeles deputy mayor. He held each of those positions for about a year. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Heres why the apparent increase in autism spectrum disorders may be good for U.S. children By Karen Kaplan The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among American children continues to rise, new government data suggest. And that may be a good thing. Among 11 sites across the U.S. where records of 8-year-olds are scrutinized in detail, 1 in 59 kids was deemed to have ASD in 2014. Thats up from 1 in 68 in 2012. Normally, health officials would prefer to see less of a disease, not more of it. But in this case, the higher number is probably a sign that more children of color who are on the autism spectrum are being recognized as such and getting services to help them, according to a report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

UC shelves tuition increase for now, in hopes of getting more state funding By Teresa Watanabe University of California regents will not vote on a tuition increase next month, shelving the plan for now in hopes that state lawmakers will come through with more funding. Raising tuition is always a last resort and one we take very seriously, UC President Janet Napolitano said Thursday in a statement. We will continue to advocate with our students who are doing a tremendous job of educating legislators about the necessity of adequately funding the university to ensure UC remains a world-class institution and engine of economic growth for our state. Last week, Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White said the 23-campus system no longer would consider a plan to raise tuition for the 2018-19 academic year. But unlike Cal State, UC officials have not taken a tuition increase off the table entirely. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

A chemical spill, unchecked eyewash stations, poor training: Audit details Cal States lax lab safety By Joy Resmovits In May 2016, two bottles tumbled off a poorly supported shelf and broke, leading to a chemical spill in a Sacramento State University lab. The liquid got onto one students legs and soaked anothers feet. Five employees cleaned up the mess, even though no one knew for sure what it was and whether it was dangerous. They called fellow employee Kim Harrington, their union representative, to let her know what happened. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

After blackface incident, minority students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo say they dont feel welcome By Hailey Branson-Potts Aaliyah Ramos was walking through the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus last year when a prospective student approached her. Ramos was the only black person, the young woman said, that she and her mother had seen that day. They asked about the quality of education and the diversity of the student body. Ramos, a mechanical engineering student, didnt want to sugarcoat the truth: Cal Poly long has been predominantly white. But she told the young woman  who also was black  that she didnt want to discourage her from applying, because that wouldnt help with diversity at a school where only 0.7% of students are African American  the lowest percentage of any university in the California State system. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills wins the 2018 U.S. Academic Decathlon By Carlos Lozano El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills has won the 2018 U.S. Academic Decathlon, officials said. The winner was announced early Saturday at a ceremony in Frisco, Texas. More than 600 students from the U.S., Canada, China and the United Kingdom gathered there over the last three days to compete in the 37th annual U.S. Academic Decathlon. Congratulations to El Camino Real Charter High School for another impressive victory, said Vivian Ekchian, interim superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Your academic stamina and competitive spirit to win is remarkable. The entire L.A. Unified family is so proud of you. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Anticipation mounts as L.A. school board meets over superintendent selection By Howard Blume The Los Angeles Board of Education is reconvening in closed session Friday at noon as anticipation mounts about the choice of the next leader of the nations second-largest school system. The presumed front-runner is former investment banker and philanthropist Austin Beutner, but interim Supt. Vivian Ekchian and former Baltimore Supt. Andres Alonso also are in the running. Most district insiders appear to be rooting for Ekchian, who has spent her entire career in education within the school system. After her 10 years as a teacher, her roles have included head of human resources, chief labor negotiator and regional administrator for campuses in the west San Fernando Valley. Shes managed the district since September, when then-Supt. Michelle King went on medical leave and chose Ekchian to fill in for her. King, who is battling cancer, never returned and announced her retirement in January. Numerous influential civic leaders have urged  and pressured  the board to select Beutner. Also lending their weight have been advocates for charter schools, which are independently operated, growing in number and competing for students with district-operated campuses. Four of the seven board members  enough to control the outcome  were elected with major financial support from charter supporters. Beutner has two ongoing connections with the L.A. Unified School District. The first is his leadership of an outside task force that is making recommendations on how to improve the school system. The second is his charity, Vision to Learn, which supplies glasses to low-income students. The charity and the school system are in a dispute at the moment over who is responsible for delays in providing services to students as part of a $6 million contract, half of which is paid for by L.A. Unified. Unlike Ekchian and Buetner, Alonso, who currently teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, has no deep-seated local constituency, but the prospect of his selection has generated some excitement. While in Baltimore, Alonso was recognized for pushing for progress at low-performing schools, and for being willing to take strong action. While in Baltimore, he also weathered a test-score cheating scandal and occasionally rocky relations with the teachers union. But by the time he resigned, after six years, he and union leaders seemed to be working together without rancor. Leaders of some community groups have split from the pro-Beutner camp. They worry that Beutners approach to confronting the districts financial problems could shut out their voices or involve severe economic cutbacks that would undermine programs that are helping students. Some prefer Ekchian; some Alonso. Theyve been reluctant to speak out publicly because theyll have to work with whoever is selected, but they have tried to get the ear of board members. On Friday morning, one leader of a community group decided to come out in favor of Alonso. L.A. Unified has the opportunity to bring in an instructional leader of color with a history of success, said Alberto Retana, president and chief executive of Community Coalition, which works on behalf of low-income students and families in South Los Angeles. If we have a shot at that, we should go for it  because its in the best interests of our kids and of our community. Retana said his statement was not meant to criticize Beutner or Ekchian but to alert board members that there also is community support for Alonso. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Cal State leader shelves proposed tuition hike: Its the right thing to do, but its not without risk By Joy Resmovits Cal State, the nations largest public university system, will no longer consider a plan to raise tuition for the 2018-19 academic year, Chancellor Timothy P. White announced Friday. The decision is a bet that Sacramento will come through in the end. If Cal State loses that bet, it could mean cuts to campus programs. White said in an interview that Californias economy is strong enough that families should not be shouldering the burden of higher college costs. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

L.A. students to participate in national walkout activities on Friday By Joy Resmovits Students are taking to the streets again Friday to protest gun violence on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting. Starting at 10 a.m., students at many schools will spend 13 seconds honoring the 13 people  12 students and one teacher  killed on that day in Littleton, Colo. After that, theyll participate in a host of different activities. Within L.A. Unified, one school is having an open-mic event for students to talk about school violence, and lawmakers are visiting campuses to hear students thoughts. According to a central hub for organizing the protests  written by the students of Ridgefield High School in Connecticut  the walkouts are intended to drive the political change necessary to curb school violence. The day is also a time for students to interact on an elevated platform they have never had before, the site states. It is a day of discourse and thoughtful sharing. Bringing together communities and students to get a national discussion rolling. Organizers have suggested using the event to convey the importance of curbing gun violence to legislators. They are encouraging students to push legislation that would ban assault weapons and tighten up rules around who can buy guns and how. Over 2,500 schools nationwide are expected to participate. In L.A., some students  at campuses including Eagle Rock High School, the Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts and Bravo Medical Magnet  plan to walk out. Students from various schools expect to join area marches, including those in Santa Monica and Huntington Park. Other schools are hosting career days and voter registration drives. At 1 p.m., students plan to start a rally in front of L.A. Unified headquarters. For the record: An earlier version of this article stated that 12 teachers and one student were killed in the Columbine shooting. The opposite is true: twelve students and one teacher died. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Stabbing of popular student devastates South El Monte High School; teen friend suspected in slaying By Sonali Kohli When administrators at South El Monte High School called Jeremy Sanchezs parents to say he never showed up for class Wednesday, his father began to worry. It was unusual for the 17-year-old junior to miss school, so his father filed a missing persons report and assembled two of Jeremys close friends to look for the popular student-athlete. Their search took them to a scenic stretch of the San Gabriel River Trail, where one of the friends  a 16-year-old boy  made a tragic discovery. Among the bushes in the riverbed near Thienes Avenue and Parkway Drive was Jeremys body, punctured with stab wounds, according to Lt. John Corina of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Racist fliers spark outrage at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo By Alene Tchekmedyian Soon after Neal MacDougall arrived on the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus Tuesday, the professor noticed university police standing outside a restroom near his office. A racial slur against African Americans had been scrawled in red marker on a stall wall. Later, he discovered a series of racist fliers pinned up next to his door. Someone had also slashed posters hed hung outside his office supporting students in the country illegally. The discovery was the latest controversy on the prestigious campus  which the president said is less than 55% white  that MacDougall said demonstrates a culture of racism at the university. Last week, photographs emerged of white fraternity members, including one in blackface, flashing gang signs. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

The superintendent waiting game, paying for L.A.'s College Promise, Princetons slave history: Whats new in education By Joy Resmovits Acting LAUSD superintendent Vivian Ekchian is a finalist for the permanent job. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) In and around Los Angeles: The L.A. Unified school board spent 10 hours interviewing and discussing candidates for superintendent. When they adjourned after 10 p.m., they said they would reconvene on Friday. Who is paying for Mayor Eric Garcettis much-touted College Promise, a program that promises two years of community college for LAUSD grads? In California: The Legislature is considering a proposal that would boost K-12 education funding for black students. When the cost of living is taken into account, California has the highest rate of child poverty. Nationwide: The families of two children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School are suing Alex Jones and Infowars for saying the school massacre never occurred. Princeton will name two spaces  an arch and a garden  after slaves who lived or worked on the campus. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

L.A. school board meets privately with finalists and debates choice for school district leader By Howard Blume The Los Angeles Board of Education adjourned late Tuesday after spending more than 10 hours interviewing candidates and trying to reach a decision on who would be the next leader of the nations second-largest school system. When the meeting finally recessed at 10:11 p.m., a spokesman announced only that the school board would reconvene Friday at noon. Going into the days meetings, there were apparently four finalists, according to sources who could not be named because they were unauthorized to speak. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Two Sandy Hook families sue Alex Jones and Infowars for saying the school massacre never happened By David Altimari Families of two children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School have filed lawsuits in Texas against controversial radio host Alex Jones for continually claiming the massacre never happened. Neil Heslin, the father of Jesse Lewis, and Leonard Pozner and Veronique De La Rosa, whose son Noah Pozner died in the massacre, filed separate lawsuits late Monday in Travis County, Texas. The lawsuits allege that Jones defamed the parents by constantly calling them crisis actors and insisting the shooting was a false flag operation; they also claim Jones accusations have led to death threats against the Sandy Hook families by Jones followers. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Beutner emerges as a top pick for L.A. schools superintendent amid last-minute jockeying By Howard Blume Austin Beutner has emerged as a leading contender to run the Los Angeles school district, with backers saying he is smart enough and tough enough to confront its financial and academic struggles. Though he does not have a background in education, the former investment banker has in the last year examined some of the districts intractable problems, serving as co-chair of an outside task force with the support of then-Supt. Michelle King. Sources inside and outside the school district said Beutner appears to have more support on the seven-member board than other finalists, and his name could come up for a vote as early as Tuesday. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Challenge at Chicago school construction site: Watch for 38,000 unmarked graves By Nereida Moreno A 15-year effort to build a school in Chicagos Dunning neighborhood is underway with an unusual complication: Construction workers are taking careful steps to avoid disturbing human remains that may lie beneath the soil. The $70-million school is to be built on the grounds of a former Cook County Poor House, where an estimated 38,000 people were buried in unmarked graves. Among the dead are residents who were too poor to afford funeral costs, unclaimed bodies and patients from the countys insane asylum. There can be and there have been bodies found all over the place, said Barry Fleig, a genealogist and cemetery researcher who began investigating the site in 1989. Its a spooky, scary place. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Oklahoma teacher walkout winds down despite lawmakers failure to meet demands By Washington Post Oklahomas largest teachers union has announced an end to a walkout that has drawn thousands of educators out of classrooms and to the state Capitol demanding greater investment in the states schools, which have endured the nations steepest funding cuts. The announcement Thursday from the Oklahoma Education Assn. does not necessarily end the protests at the Capitol, as teachers not affiliated with the union vowed to stay longer. Instead of a walkout, the union and school districts across the state have said they plan to send delegations of teachers to Oklahoma City to keep the pressure on lawmakers. Teachers and their supporters have also promised to push education issues to the forefront of November elections, when the state chooses a new governor. As school districts begin to reopen, the protests may lose steam. The Legislature is not in session Friday, and observers are waiting to see what happens Monday, when lawmakers return. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Most Californians are worried about school shooting threats and oppose arming teachers, survey finds By Joy Resmovits Hamilton High School student Aiyana Dabriel holds a sign during a March 14 walkout in support of the Parkland shooting victims. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Most Californians are worried that a school shooting like the one that occurred in Parkland, Fla., in February could shed blood closer to home, a new survey found. Some 73% percent of adults and 82% of public school parents said they were very concerned or somewhat concerned about school shootings. The Public Policy Institute of California surveyed 1,704 adults in the state by phone just after the March for Our Lives protest against gun violence. Latino and black respondents were significantly more likely to be concerned about school violence than white or Asian respondents, the institute found. Two-thirds of adults and public school parents said they opposed letting more educators carry weapons in school. The response differed across party lines, with 86% of Democrats and 69% of independents voicing their opposition, while 60% percent of Republicans said they would support a measure to arm educators. The poll, which had a margin of error of 3.2% in either direction, also asked Californians about school funding, educational issues in the governors race and the impact of immigration enforcement on students. You can find the full results here. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Californias largest virtual charter school network agrees to contract with its teachers By Anna M. Phillips Nearly four years after teachers at Californias largest online charter school voted to unionize, they have reached a deal to increase pay and create job protections, according to a spokesman for the California Teachers Assn. The contract, which is still tentative and subject to ratification, is a victory for the teachers union. Although charter schools are publicly funded, most are privately managed and their employees arent protected by labor contracts. Under the terms of the contract  the result of years of negotiation and legal wrangling  approximately 500 teachers working for California Virtual Academies will no longer be at-will employees who can be dismissed for almost any reason. Their average salary will rise to just over $45,000, according to union estimates, a figure that remains far below the norm for traditional public school teachers. Still, it is an improvement over the previous average of $38,000. The accord also places a limit on the number of students each teacher is responsible for monitoring in online homeroom classes. Were very satisfied with the gains we made, said teacher Brianna Carroll, president of California Virtual Educators United. I think were going to see some extraordinary changes in our schools. According to Carroll, teachers at California Virtual Academies  better known as CAVA  had grown frustrated with the organizations foot-dragging and were making preparations to go on strike when CAVAs leadership agreed to the deal. CAVA and K12, the Virginia-based for-profit company linked to its schools, did not immediately respond to an email Tuesday asking for comment. The network currently operates nine virtual charter schools across California. In 2016, the charter network agreed to pay $8.5 million to settle claims of false advertising, misleading parents and inadequate instruction. The state attorney generals office had also accused K12 of controlling the charters for its own financial benefit. Neither CAVA nor K12 admitted to wrongdoing in the settlement. A year later, the state imposed a $2-million fine on CAVA after an audit found that it had misspent public funds. The network disputed the findings. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

School board approves a new formula for funding high-need schools By Sonali Kohli L.A. schools will soon get more money if they are located in neighborhoods with such problems as high levels of gun violence and asthma. The Los Angeles Unified school board voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt a new formula to determine how to dole out some funding to schools, based not only on the characteristics of the student populations but on the traumas that affect the communities around campuses. The new formula will be applied to $25 million in funding next fiscal year and about $263 million annually in future years  a small part of the districts $7.5 billion annual budget. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Protesters demand Ref Rodriguez resignation outside school board meeting By Sonali Kohli Students, parents, teachers and UTLA marching outside the board meeting chanting "Ref resign" pic.twitter.com/W0LRWZSIXY  Sonali Kohli  (@Sonali_Kohli) April 10, 2018 A few dozen parents, students and teachers marched outside the Los Angeles Unified School Board meeting Tuesday, some calling for board member Ref Rodriguez to resign the week after news broke that he was taken into custody on suspicion of being drunk in public at a Pasadena bar and restaurant. Rodriguez was not cited or charged in that incident, but was held for more than five and a half hours before being released. The school board member faces felony and misdemeanor charges for political money laundering. He is accused of getting more than two dozen people people to donate to his campaign for his school board seat with the understanding that he would reimburse them. He stepped down from his post as school board president after he was charged last fall, but he did not give up his seat on the board. He has pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of conspiracy, perjury, and procuring and offering a false or forged instrument, as well as 25 misdemeanor counts related to the alleged campaign money laundering. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May. He cant give his full focus to our students, said Rebecca LaFond, a Highland Park parent whose three children marched with her as she chanted, Ref resign. One daughter marched in front of her, using a drum stick to hit the bottom of a gallon-size empty water jug. Our kids deserve someone who has the utmost ethical standards representing them, LaFond said. The protests continued into the board meeting, where some addressed Rodriguez directly, calling on him to step down during public comment portions of the meeting. Rodriguez, through his chief of staff, declined to comment. Some parents outside the board meeting did not know about the charges against Rodriguez but came out to protest the possibility of sharing their school campuses with charter schools. Protesters also oppose colocation  not all of the parents are here to ask Ref Rodriguez to step down pic.twitter.com/1Co8zQ9zSi  Sonali Kohli  (@Sonali_Kohli) April 10, 2018 Cynthia Martinez said her son, who goes to Christopher Dena Elementary School in Boyle Heights, has been bullied in the past by students from a charter school sharing the campus. She said she didnt know who Rodriguez was. Some parents and teachers are worried about losing computer labs, robotics rooms and fitness centers if they are required to share their campus with charter schools, said Ilse Escobar, a parent community organizer for United Teachers Los Angeles. The issues of Rodriguez and colocation are related, Escobar said. Rodriguez is part of a majority on the school board elected with financial backing from charter school supporters, and many parents, she said, feel that the school board is compromised if he is a part of it. Staff reporter Howard Blume contributed to this post. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Delaine Eastin tries to gain momentum in the California governors race, one voter at a time By Seema Mehta Delaine Eastin was a sophomore in high school when a drama teacher urged her to try out for a part in The Man Who Came to Dinner. She hesitated until he told her: This is a metaphor for your whole life. If you never try out, you will never get the part. Eastin auditioned and won the role. Decades later, the advice sticks with the former state schools chief, this time in her unlikely run for governor. Despite calls for more women in leadership roles in state politics following sexual misconduct allegations in Sacramento, Eastin has been largely overlooked in the race, lagging far behind her Democratic rivals in fundraising and the polls. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Arizona high court rejects in-state tuition for DACA recipients By Associated Press Young immigrants granted deferred deportation status under a program started by President Obama are not eligible for lower in-state college tuition, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Monday. The unanimous ruling will affect at least 2,000 students attending the states largest community college district and hundreds more at other colleges and the states three public universities. The Maricopa County Community Colleges District and state universities said they would begin raising tuition immediately for the coming school year. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

New York high school students injured when bus strikes overpass By Associated Press A charter bus carrying teenagers returning from a spring break trip Sunday night struck a bridge overpass on Long Island, seriously injuring six passengers and mangling the entire length of the top of the bus. The crash happened shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday on the Southern State Parkway in Lakeview, according to New York State Police. One of the six injured passengers had very serious injuries, said State Police Maj. David Candelaria. Thirty-seven other passengers suffered minor injuries. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Some good news for California in national student test scores By Joy Resmovits Every two years, the nations fourth- and eighth-graders are tested in math and reading  and newly released results from last years tests give California at least a little reason to be pleased. The 2017 results  out Monday night  were mostly flat nationwide compared with 2015, though the average score in eighth-grade reading went up. But while that improvement largely came from the increased scores of the highest-performing students, California eighth-graders showed some reading progress from the lowest levels to the highest. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Under state control, Inglewood school districts financial picture worsened By Anna M. Phillips When Eugenio Villa agreed to return to the Inglewood schools for a second tour last summer, he knew the district remained one of Californias most troubled. Inglewood Unified had been nearly insolvent when it was taken over by the state Department of Education in 2012. Six years later, its enrollment was still declining. Its school buildings were tired  some edging into decrepitude. Its test scores and graduation rates were still below the state average. And the public was out of patience. Still, Villa, who had signed back on as the districts chief business official, was shocked at what he found when he arrived in June 2017. Two years earlier, he had left the school system on what he thought was firm ground. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Charter school group drops two lawsuits against L.A. Unified By Howard Blume A charter schools advocacy group last week announced that it would end two long-running lawsuits in which it was seeking more classroom space and construction money from the Los Angeles school district. The decision, the California Charter Schools Assn. said, reflects better relations between charter schools and the L.A. Unified School District. But the move also suggests that the litigation, which already contributed to significant gains for area charters, was unlikely to produce much more. It takes time, money and effort to litigate, said Ricardo Soto, general counsel for the charter group. Maybe its better to see if we can find the time and opportunity for collaboration. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

L.A. school board member Ref Rodriguez is arrested on suspicion of public intoxication By Richard Winton Los Angeles school board member Ref Rodriguez was arrested recently on suspicion of being drunk in public at a Pasadena restaurant, the latest trouble for an elected official who faces political money-laundering charges. Pasadena police took Rodriguez into custody on March 16, according to city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian. Officers arrested Rodriguez at about 4:30 p.m. at the Yard House restaurant and bar at the Paseo Mall and held him in jail for more than five-and-a-half hours. Rodriguez was ultimately released without being cited or charged, Derderian told The Times. Other details about the arrest were not available, she said. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Kentucky teachers rally at Capitol over state budget By Associated Press Thousands of Kentucky teachers filled the streets near the state Capitol in Frankfort on a cold, overcast Monday to rally for education funding. Teachers and other school employees gathered outside the Kentucky Education Assn. a couple of blocks from the Capitol chanting, Stop the war on public education and holding or posting signs that say, Weve Had Enough. Were madder than hornets, and the hornets are swarming today, said Claudette Green, a retired teacher and principal. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy L
Imagine a border wall made of solar panels or a booby trap of nuclear waste where the United States meets Mexico.

Those were some of the proposals submitted for a 2,000-mile barrier along the Mexico border, a cornerstone of President Trumps campaign. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will choose roughly 20 companies from among the bidders, who then will be invited to build prototype designs on federal land in San Diego County.

The wall has yet to be funded, as Congress is expected to debate the upcoming federal budget for much of April. Trump originally said he would get Mexico to pay for the wall, but has since pushed for federal spending to begin the process.

Advertisement

For James Carpenter, owner of Quantum Logistics in Mission, Texas, the Tuesday deadline to submit bids was a welcome finish.

I feel like I can get some sleep, he said over the phone from Kabul, Afghanistan, where his company is installing perimeter security for a U.S. Department of Defense site.

Almost 100 California entities are interested in building Trumps border wall 

Carpenter, an Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he started working on a wall design three months ago because he anticipated the federal government would be taking bids.

He submitted designs for a concrete wall and for one made of other strong materials to protect the barrier from a car bomb or suicide vest. His designs also use seismic sensors and drones to secure the barrier.

Everybody else looks at this as a construction project, Carpenter said. I look at this from a security standpoint.

The Trump administration said winning bids must be structures at least 30 feet tall that cannot be climbed over or dug under for at least 6 feet. The side facing the U.S. should be aesthetically pleasing in color, the instructions said.

Many of the companies came up with unique solutions for the wall that went beyond what the federal government requested.

Manatts Construction Co., a Johnston, Iowa-based contractor, proposed using the wall as an opportunity for engraving  memorials or family trees, for example  to pay for the wall. The company said its research showed a high demand from Americans to engrave the wall, and suggested a public-private partnership to get it done.

National Consulting Service of National City, Calif., proposed building a monorail on top of the wall that could help revitalize cities on both sides of the border.

Gleason Partners, based in Las Vegas, designed a wall with massive solar panels to help recoup the cost of the wall and fill infrastructure needs for the Border Patrol.

Black Security Products out of Austin, Texas, designed 4-inch spacing below the bottom of its system to allow animals to pass through, as well as riprap  a loose-stone system  so that water and some small species could traverse the wall.

Pittsburgh-based Clayton Industries would have a chain fence, followed by sensor banks and a 100-foot-deep trench with nuclear waste at the bottom. Anyone managing to cross that would face a rail line and a 30-foot wall.

It is not clear whether the government, which is expected to select the winning designs around June 1, would release them to the public.

Speaking to an unnamed U.S. official with knowledge of the plans, the Associated Press said the government would spend $200,000 to $500,000 on each prototype, and the Border Patrol and local police would establish a buffer zone at the site where they are constructed.

Submitting a bid, let alone winning, can bring risks.

Several Latino business owners have reported death threats since it became public they were bidding on the wall, according to the Washington Post.

One San Diego company, R.E. Staite Engineering, was the subject of a protest last week. One sign placed outside the business said, This company is selling its soul.

Another bidder, Concrete Contractors Interstate, which has been in San Diego County for more than 30 years, has 55 employees, many of whom are Latino. Owner Russ Baumgartner decided to ask his workers before putting in a bid.

The overall response was, Our family comes first. If it keeps us busy, go for it, Baumgartner said.

phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com

Molnar writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune

ALSO

Editorial: Pretty much the only thing Trumps border wall will block is common sense

Trumps budget cuts would free billions to build a border wall and ramp up deportations

Column: Build a wall? Trump should talk to the man who spent 25 years fixing it

UPDATES:

8:55 p.m.: This article was updated with information on Clayton Industries design incorporating nuclear waste.

This article was originally published at 8:35 p.m.
Twelve people have been identified as victims in a series of attacks last year that left four dead, most of them homeless men.

Some were injured while they were sleeping or struck in the head from behind, a prosecutor said Tuesday during a brief court hearing in San Diego. A couple of the men who were killed had had railroad spikes driven into their heads or chests. Two of the victims were set on fire.

Jon David Guerrero, 40, was arrested last summer after an intense, nearly two-week-long manhunt. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday to felony charges including murder, premeditated attempted murder, arson and assault.

Advertisement

The district attorneys office has not said whether it will seek the death penalty if Guerrero is convicted or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

On Tuesday, San Diego Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Fraser ordered the defendant to be held without bail. A preliminary hearing was tentatively scheduled for July 11, when a different judge will be asked to determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence to go to trial.

Guerrero initially was expected to be arraigned shortly after his arrest in July. But criminal proceedings were suspended when his lawyer raised questions about his competency.

Guerrero was sent to a state mental hospital in San Bernardino County until doctors determined he was able to understand the court proceedings and assist in his own defense. A judge ruled last month that the case would resume.

At the arraignment Tuesday, Deputy Dist. Atty. Makenzie Harvey said the charges stemmed from a series of attacks that began in February 2016, earlier than previously reported.

On Feb. 8, 2016, a victim who had been asleep on a sidewalk awoke to being stabbed in the face and neck with something sharp, the prosecutor said. The victim chased the attacker, who dropped a flashlight. Guerreros DNA was on that flashlight, Harvey said.

The first fatality was Angelo DeNardo, 53, whose body was found July 3 under a freeway bridge in Bay Park. A railroad spike had been driven into his head and chest. He was then lit on fire. The body of Shawn Mitchell Longley, 41, was found the next day in Ocean Beach. Dionicio Derek Vahidy, 23, was injured July 6 and died days later.

Guerrero also was charged in the death of 83-year-old Molly Simons, who was attacked July 13 while she walked to a bus stop in North Park. The prosecutor said Guerrero rode by on his bike and struck Simons in the head. She died at a hospital about three weeks later.

At the time of Guerreros arrest July 15, police recovered a backpack they said belonged to the defendant. In it, they found a mallet that appeared to have blood on it and three railroad spikes, Harvey said.

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

Littlefield writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune

MORE LOCAL NEWS

Woman killed in front of her toddlers; boyfriend suspected

Federal authorities raid Bicycle Hotel and Casino in Bell Gardens

At Police Commission hearing, LAPD and critics agree: policing alone isnt the answer to homelessness
A dentist who once lived and practiced in Temecula pleaded guilty Monday to possession and distribution of child pornography, including videos of children engaged in sex acts.

Milan Irvin, 34, admitted in an earlier plea agreement to possessing and sharing videos and hundreds of images of young minors during a nearly two-year period. Irvin stored about 200 images and 50 videos of child porn on a personal computer and distributed the files using the ARES peer-to-peer file-sharing network.

Irvin was arrested as part of an undercover operation that targeted individuals who were using the ARES network, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles.

Advertisement

In at least two of the videos found on Irvins laptop, children under the age of 12 are depicted engaged in sexually explicit acts with male adults.

Irvin faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The earlier plea agreement asks for a three- to five-year sentence with the addition of a 10-year supervised release, and he must register as a sex offender. According to the U.S. attorneys office, if the judges actual sentence differs from the agreement, both parties may withdraw from the plea deal and head to trial.

Irvin, who now lives in Rancho Cucamonga, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10.

jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda
Every month for many years, tenants living at a trailer park at the Los Angeles County fairgrounds were charged not only rent, but a 10% tax.

It was a tax they never should have been hit with.

Now, the nonprofit operator of the fairgrounds, the Los Angeles County Fair Assn., has agreed to pay $325,000 to resolve a lawsuit, according to court documents. More than 475 people are believed to be eligible for a reimbursement.

The amount is based upon improperly collected taxes received by the fair association for four years before the filing of a lawsuit in 2015, an attorney for the tenants, Raymond Chandler, said. Chandler said the average payout will probably be $1,300 to $1,400.

Advertisement

On Wednesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ann Jones extended the postmark deadline to May 22 for 477 tenants to file for a reimbursement. So far, only 184 people have responded to request the refund, Chandler said.

The settlement does not cover all of the improperly collected taxes. Longtime residents say they have been charged the tax for 10 years or more, and some have said they paid as much as $5,000 in improperly levied taxes.

Something is better than nothing, said resident Ellen McKeever-Jacobs, 58. But she still was unhappy at the money she has lost over the years, adding: That was money out of our pocket. I think they shouldve given it all back to us.

Resident Eric Zavalza agreed. Zavalza estimated he and his mother are owed more than $4,000. Considering those of us who have been here longer  thats not a lot of money, he said.

But the statute of limitations for civil suits alleging unfair business practices is four years prior to the filing of the lawsuit, Chandler said. Trying to go back further in time would have required a legal effort that he said would have been time-consuming and impractical.

Last year, the Fair Assn. said it was not its responsibility to reimburse the tenants. The association said the funds were delivered to the city of Pomona and that the fair association did not benefit from the revenue.

But on Tuesday, the new chief executive, Miguel Santana, said the fair association agreed to the settlement to address concerns about how the trailer park has been managed.

The Fairplexs interests are in bringing resolution to this issue, said Santana, who has been on the job for three months. Bringing closure to concerns about the [trailer] park is part of my effort to move forward and think about the future.

Santana said the Fairplex has hired a new trailer park manager and has submitted plans to a state regulatory agency for more renovations, which will include giving trailers more space, making improvements to lighting and landscaping and modernizing utilities. Santana said the renovations will reduce the overall capacity of the trailer park from its limit of 158 spaces, but that long-term residents will not be displaced.

The agreement comes after The Times last year reported on problems at the trailer park. Residents complained of open sewer pipes that unleashed the stench of raw sewage, bathrooms in disrepair, overhead power lines peeling insulation, and roads and walkways marked by potholes and cracked pavement.

Santana said the fair association has already spent $250,000 to renovate the public bathrooms and showers.

The fair association has long levied a transient occupancy tax, the same levied on hotel guests, on behalf of the city of Pomona. But the tax is only supposed to be levied on transients renting a location for 30 days or less.

The city refunded a years worth of the tax money to residents who filed a claim  about $46,000 to 95 people in the trailer park, and about $39,000 to 63 residents in a separate RV park on the fairgrounds  and blamed the association for the improper collections.

Those who claim the reimbursement will receive at least 70% of the improperly collected taxes they paid over the four-year period covered by the settlement, Chandler said. They could receive up to 100% depending on how many people respond to the claims administrator.

The L.A. County Fair Assn., which operates on land owned by the county, has been in a state of turmoil since 2015, when two rave attendees suffered fatal drug overdoses at the fairgrounds and the parents of one of the dead filed a lawsuit.

The Times subsequently published reports on the lucrative pay and benefits given to the previous chief executive, James Henwood Jr., and other top managers as the nonprofit reported financial losses.

Henwood received more than $1 million in total compensation in 2014, far more than other fair executives in California. Separately, a state audit concluded that taxpayers were denied millions of dollars in revenue from the fairs hotel and conference center and its other enterprises, and government auditors called for the association to pay back rent.

Henwood resigned in 2016. A moratorium on raves at the fairgrounds is in place.

Henwoods replacement, Santana, who until last year was Los Angeles city administrative officer, has launched an effort to improve the Fairplexs standing with elected officials and Pomona residents.

Santana said he has embarked on a strategic process to imagine what the Fairplex should look like over the next century. He has scheduled eight public meetings on topics like governance and transparency to solicit feedback from the public. A schedule can be found at the Fairplexs website.

Santana, who is making roughly half of what his predecessor made in 2014, declined to answer questions about revising compensation of other executives.

Critics say they welcome the gestures from Santana, but say the fair association has a lot of work to do to recover from what they view as the groups secretive and insular reputation. They say the association also focuses on maximizing revenue at the expense of the neighborhood, which residents say has been disrupted by alcohol- and drug-fueled events.

There needs to be more folks from the community that may not always agree with the fair, Pomona City Councilman Robert Torres said of the associations outreach. Its going to take time to build up trust again.

Among the suggestions: Meetings of the associations board of directors should be open to the public, as well as meetings between city and fair officials, said resident Judy St. John. And the associations governing board should welcome representatives of neighborhood groups, like hers, which have clashed with the Fair Assn.

They need to include people who will be forthright with them about negative impacts, St. John said. Sometimes I wonder about what real change is going to come since the board of directors is remaining the same.

ron.lin@latimes.com

@ronlin
A Bay Area woman was shot to death Tuesday morning while driving with her two young children, and her estranged boyfriend is suspected in the killing, police said.

Rashanda Franklin was killed in a targeted shooting as she drove her children to school in Richmond. She was found wounded behind the steering wheel and died at the scene.

Her children, both boys, were not hurt, Richmond police Lt. Felix Tan said.

Advertisement

A $2-million warrant has been issued for the arrest of Franklins estranged boyfriend, Dushan McBride, 43, of San Pablo.

Tan said police had been called for previous domestic violence situations involving the couple but didnt give any other details.

Franklin drove around the area trying to avoid McBride but when she stopped at an intersection, he drove his car ahead and stopped in front of her, police said.

Surveillance footage from a camera at a home near the scene captured McBride getting out of his car, walking up to Franklins SUV, and after a few minutes walking back to his car and driving away. Police say that after a brief argument, McBride shot Franklin in the chest as the children watched.

Franklins mother, Barbara Harris, said her daughter and McBride were in a relationship that went bad.

She had called it off with him, and he had been stalking her, a sobbing Harris told the San Francisco Chronicle. Harris, who spoke from the living room of her home in Richmond, was surrounded by the two children who had been with Franklin as well as a third, younger son.

I guess he didnt want to let her go. And apparently he decided to gun my child down, she added.

ALSO

Inland Empire dentist admits to possession and distribution of child pornography

1 teen killed, 2 critically injured in South L.A. shooting, police say

More charges against the man accused in fatal attacks against homeless men in San Diego
A 15-year-old boy was killed and two other teenagers were critically wounded Tuesday afternoon when a gunman opened fire in South Los Angeles near a cluster of schools, police said.

About 10 gunshots were heard just before 4 p.m. at a strip mall near 60th Street and Vermont Avenue, said Officer Mike Lopez, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

The location is near John Muir Middle School and Augustus Hawkins High School. Aerial images broadcast by local television stations showed a school bus near the scene.

Advertisement

The victims were two boys and one girl, Lopez said. All three victims were rushed to a hospital in critical condition.

At the hospital, the 15-year-old boy died, Officer Tony Im said. The medical status of the other two teens was not immediately available, but earlier, police said their condition had stabilized.

School had just gotten out, so there was a lot of people out here and a lot of potential victims, LAPD Deputy Chief Phillip Tingirides told KTLA-TV. We have three that were hit and Im just grateful there werent more that were hit.

Its unclear what precipitated the shooting or if the victims were connected to the nearby schools.

The gunman was believed to be a black male wearing jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. He remains at large, and police did not release additional information about him.

A bystander reacts as she arrives at the scene where three teenagers were shot by a gunman who opened fire and then fled the scene in South Los Angeles. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno

ALSO

Woman killed in front of her toddlers; boyfriend suspected

LAPD officer taken to hospital after traffic collision in Beverly Grove

Inland Empire dentist admits to possession and distribution of child pornography

UPDATES:

11:20 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Deputy Chief Phillip Tingirides.

7:30 p.m.: This article was updated with confirmation that one person has died.

This article was originally published at 5:10 p.m.
Voters in Los Angeles city and county have loudly asserted their desire to conquer homelessness in recent months, approving two tax measures that will provide billions of dollars for housing and services over the next decade.

But the money cant arrive quickly enough for skid row, which has reached a critical point as relentless development presses in on the 50-block neighborhood and living conditions grow more dire for thousands of its homeless residents.

Against this backdrop, another type of election is concluding Thursday  one limited to people with ties to downtown  that will determine whether skid row gets its own neighborhood council and, potentially, a stronger voice in shaping its future.

Advertisement

The measure, if approved, would create the Skid Row Neighborhood Council, allowing the epicenter of Los Angeles homelessness  bounded by Main, Alameda, 3rd and 7th streets  to break away from two larger councils.

Most of skid row is now represented by the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, whose board is dominated by loft owners, market-rate apartment renters and business interests.

Measure organizers say skid rows 10,000 residents have been sadly neglected as the rest of downtown has boomed. They are calling for showers, bathroom access, 24-hour cleanups, family housing, parks, tree-plantings and other amenities for those who live in the neighborhoods streets, tenements and refurbished welfare hotels.

Opponents counter that skid row should be better integrated into the rest of downtown. The central city is stronger if it speaks with one voice, says this faction, which backs housing aimed at working people with moderate incomes, retail projects and more policing to lift skid row out of its squalor.

LOS ANGLES, CA APRIL 5, 2017: General Jeff Page, right, speaks with Terry Prescod, left, at in Gladys Park in the skid row area of Los Angles, Ca April 5, 2017. He is an organizer of the proposed skid row neighborhood council. (Francine Orr/ Los Angeles Times) (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

The council proposal comes as residential development for people who can pay market rates is pushing into skid row.

The Topaz apartment complex, currently under construction, will open onto both Main and Los Angeles streets. While Main has undergone significant gentrification, Los Angeles  just one block over  has seen little to none. Even deeper into skid row, a live-work loft project is proposed at the old Catalina swimwear headquarters on San Pedro Street across from the Downtown Womens Center, which serves homeless clients.

At the same time, police and social service providers say the level of misery is unprecedented for skid row, with as many as 2,000 people squeezed into increasingly confined and violent tent encampments.

Its like a slow landslide; it just keeps going down, said Mel Tillekeratne, whose volunteer group, Monday Night Mission, feeds skid row residents every weeknight.

Its never been worse, said Andy Bales of Union Rescue Mission, adding that his shelter is housing 55% more people this year than last.

General Jeff Page, the proposed councils lead organizer, said skid row residents can do better on their own.

These are homeless people trying to help themselves, Page said. They say we want to put more tents up on streets. No, we want housing.

But opponents say the new council would do little to tamp down the areas drugs and disorder.

Scott Gray, director of operations at Capital Foresight, a downtown developer, predicted the council would drive the area backward. The tents are more likely to expand, he said.

The skid row election is the first test of a new ordinance making it possible for neighborhood councils to be subdivided. Although some analysts dismiss neighborhood councils as purely advisory bodies, they have flashed muscle at City Hall.

General Jeff Page, left, high-fives Zelenne Cardenas, director of prevention services at Social Model Recovery Systems in skid row, as he canvasses the neighborhood in support of a vote to establish a separate skid row council. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

The new council would be carved out of the areas currently represented by the Downtown Los Angeles and the Historic Cultural neighborhood councils. Its fate will be decided by people with ties to those broader swaths of downtown  workers, business owners, employers and members of volunteer groups, as well as residents.

The proposal has proved divisive, with online descriptions of skid row as nothing but a drug market, and counter-accusations of racism and economic marginalization.

Some residents of Main Street lofts vehemently oppose being labeled part of skid row. But some Little Tokyo and Arts District residents appear to favor a skid row council, said Yuval Bar-Zemer, who developed the Arts Districts Biscuit Company and Toy Factory lofts.

Its pretty amazing to see a grass-roots group from this area get support and say, We have a voice we want to articulate, said Bar-Zemer, who sits on the Historic Cultural Neighborhood Council board.

Dr. Josh Albrektson, a radiologist and downtown council board member, said the new councils proposed board seats leave out business owners. He also argued that homeless services should be spread around the city.

Skid row is a place every drug dealer goes to because it has the most addicts in Los Angeles, Albrektson said. If we spread the services, it wouldnt be all in one place.

Skid row council supporters call the dispersal argument code for getting rid of homeless people.

Both sides say they back mixed residential and business development and help for homeless people. The question is what mix, where and for whom?

Nonprofit developers have proposed hundreds of new homeless apartments on skid row.

Those include the Weingart Center Assn.s plan for an 18-story, 278-unit tower on Crocker Street. Most of the units would be for chronically homeless, disabled people, while 56 one-bedroom apartments would be for low-income people who dont qualify for supportive services.

By contrast, a 236-unit apartment project planned to replace Triangle Plaza shopping center on Central Avenue would primarily serve market-rate renters. Eleven units would be set aside for very low-income households.

Downtown business groups pushed the City Council for a last-minute decision allowing online voting and early pop-up polling stations. That decision could favor existing councils with access to membership lists for email blasts.

But homeless people without identification will be allowed to self-affirm their status, while online voters have to register ID documents.

Page hopes to draw support from church and other groups that volunteer on skid row. An early L.A. hip-hop pioneer, Page lined up YouTube testimonials from rap luminaries including DJ Battlecat and Mellow Man Ace to promote the council cause.

Its very important that we have a voice for the homeless, Lonzo Williams of World Class Wreckin Cru  who was portrayed in the 2015 hip-hop film Straight Outta Compton  told viewers.

The election might not be the last word on a skid row council. At a public hearing, former City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo, representing a group called United Downtown L.A., outlined elements of a possible legal challenge to the skid row council proposal.

gholland@latimes.com

Twitter: @geholland
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to look for ways to make it easier to fire or reassign sheriffs deputies, social workers and other county employees who have been dishonest or committed other serious misconduct.

The move comes amid high-profile cases that have shone a spotlight on county employees accused of dishonesty while on the job.

Sheriff Jim McDonnell has been pushing to fire deputies who were previously allowed to keep their jobs despite internal investigations showing they had lied. And four social workers and supervisors from the Department of Children and Family Services are facing trial on charges of child abuse and falsifying public records in the case of an 8-year-old boy who prosecutors say was tortured and killed by his mother and her boyfriend while under the countys supervision.

Advertisement

Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, who co-sponsored Tuesdays motion with Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, said the goal is to make clear what conduct will result in termination for those responsible for public safety or where lives are at stake.

Kuehl noted that the countys Civil Service Commission had in some cases overruled attempts to fire deputies who lied, which made the sheriff kind of crazy and made us kind of crazy because we wanted those people out of there.

The motion calls for the countys chief executive to coordinate with other departments to decide whether civil service rules should be changed to allow the county to fire, demote or reassign employees if they have been found to have made false statements or omitted facts in internal investigations, including those who were already previously disciplined for misconduct.

It also called on county officials to examine which types of employees might be subject to the rule changes and who should be included on a list of problem workers provided to prosecutors in case they testify in court.

The union that represents rank-and-file deputies successfully went to court to block McDonnell from giving prosecutors the names of about 300 deputies on a similar so-called Brady list. The department compiled the list by examining the personnel files of deputies for evidence of moral turpitude, such as accepting bribes or gifts, misappropriating property, tampering with evidence, lying, obstructing investigations, falsifying records or using unreasonable force. The group represents about 3% of the departments roughly 9,100 deputies.

County officials are expected to consult with union representatives and report back to the board within 60 days.

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said the motion aims to protect the rights of good hardworking employees, while also ensuring that employees who do not comply with the rules are not able to manipulate the system.

It is not an attempt to violate employee rights. We protect them. We are exploring how we can ensure the highest level of public confidence and that our employees are doing what they are supposed to be doing and doing it well, he said.

Mark-Anthony Johnson, health and wellness director for the activist group Dignity and Power Now, was one of seven advocates who spoke out in support of the motion. He also delivered a petition with 12,000 signatures urging the Los Angeles County Superior Court to allow the sheriff to release the names of the 300 deputies to the district attorneys office.

This motion would send a message to the unions. Sheriff McDonnell is trying to be transparent and the unions are undermining it, Johnson said during his testimony.

Johnson said the motion could help expose the harmful behavior of sheriff personnel experienced by our loved ones in and outside of the jails.

The motion comes almost one year after the Board of Supervisors approved a series of steps to revamp the civil service hearing process.

Derek Hsieh, executive director of the Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, the union that represents rank-and-file deputies, didnt testify but watched the outcome of the vote.

We knew this was something that was going to pass. We just want to make sure our rights are going to be protected, Hsieh said.

There were some speakers who were adamantly anti-law enforcement, but once you strip those folks out, there are certain groups who are concerned about the integrity of the process, and we get that, he said.

Hsieh, however, said he would encourage the supervisors to examine the reasons that some employees were allowed to keep their jobs, saying they were sometimes the victims of unfairness.

When we have seen discipline overturned, generally its the result of management not doing a good job of putting the case together or not having a case in the first place, he said.

But for Melanie Ochoa, staff attorney at the ACLU of Southern California, the boards action Tuesday marked an important reform.

Its the first step toward actually changing the policy, to allow the Civil Service Commission to take into account whether an officer should be on the force if their presence undermines confidence in the agency overall, she said.

melissa.etehad@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @melissaetehad

ALSO

Civil rights groups alarmed at Justice Departments review of local police settlements

Editorial: L.A. County employees need workplace protections, but they also need to be held accountable

L.A. County Sheriffs Department switches from silver to gold belt buckles at a cost of $300,000
While President Trump awaits the authorization and funds to construct his promised 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border wall, an organization has proposed a local initiative that would keep immigrants who are in the country illegally out of some Inland Empire schools.

Voters in the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District  a district split by San Bernardino and Riverside counties  may soon be able to decide if undocumented immigrants should be prohibited from attending K-12 public schools, and whether American-born children of immigrants here illegally should be charged nonresident tuition.

Joseph Turner, a former San Bernardino resident now living in Torrance, filed a notice of intent this week with the San Bernardino County registrar of voters to circulate a petition for the proposed ballot measure.

Advertisement

We can no longer subjugate the education and future of our children, Turner wrote in the filing on behalf of his nonprofit group, American Children First. We will no longer take care of those who have broken our laws and seek to prosper at the expense of our children.

Turner founded American Children First last month. The group advocates heavily for anti-illegal immigration reform among other issues, including free trade and education.

Turner has long pushed for reform of immigration policies toward those here illegally, most recently founding a similar immigration nonprofit in 2004, Save Our State, and authoring the City of San Bernardino Illegal Immigration Relief Act in 2006.

That measure would have barred landlords from renting to immigrants in the country illegally and prohibited business owners from receiving permits if they employed them. A San Bernardino County Superior Court judge determined Turner had not collected enough signatures to qualify the measure for the city ballot.

Now, Turner said hes been reinvigorated by Trump and plans to bring his initiatives to a national level by first targeting a small school district.

Trump did very well [in the Inland Empire] and Im hoping the audience will be very receptive to his proposal, Turner said.

The school district serves nearly 10,000 students in the cities of Yucaipa and Calimesa, and has more than 32,000 registered voters. Turner would need about 3,200 signatures for his initiative to qualify for the ballot.

In the 2016 presidential election, 42% of San Bernardino County voters selected Trump, while 44% of Riverside County voters did.

Turners latest proposed initiative shares components of California Proposition 187, which left those here in the country illegally ineligible for public benefits. Although voters approved it in 1994, legal challenges after its passing led to a federal district court declaring the initiative unconstitutional.

Niels Frenzen, an expert in immigration and refugee law at USC, said the implications of a 1982 Supreme Court Decision, Plyler v. Doe, played a major part in Proposition 187s fate and would also weigh heavy on Turners proposed measure should voters pass it. Plyler v. Doe struck down a Texas statute that restricted free K-12 education to citizens, as well as an attempt to impose an annual fee on students in the country illegally.

Its not surprising, of course, that there are individuals who feel this way, but given this well established legal principle [of Plyler v. Doe] thats of constitutional significance, it would really be irresponsible for a politician, conservative or not, to call for noncompliance, Frenzen said.

On both his organizations website and in the letter to the registrar, Turner takes umbrage with the past decision, claiming that it undermines the quality of education for the children of American taxpayers.

I think we have a lot of fake Americans in Sacramento that say they are for educating all children but what that really means is theyre for compromising the education that American citizens receive so we can pay for illegal aliens, Turner said.

Cali Binks, superintendent of the Yucaipa-Mesa district, said Turner has not reached out to her or members of the school board.

She said the district does not plan to change how it treats students in the country illegally while the proposed resolution makes its way through the process, and she encourages all students to continue attending classes.

We have a very tight-knit community and we care for everybody, Binks said.

jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda

ALSO

Parents ask: What happens to my child if Im deported?

A tuition break for immigrants is gaining support from some Republicans in Tennessee

Churches answer call to offer immigrants sanctuary in an uneasy mix of politics and compassion
In another U-turn from existing environmental policy, the Trump administration has eased the way for a controversial California desert water project that President Obamas team had blocked.

Federal directives drafted under Obama had erected a major obstacle to Cadiz Inc.s long-standing plans to pump Mojave Desert groundwater and sell it to urban Southern California.

But in a March 29 memo, an acting assistant director at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management revoked two legal guidances that underpinned the agencys 2015 decision that Cadiz could not use an existing federal railroad right-of-way for a new water pipeline to carry supplies from the projects proposed well field to the Colorado River Aqueduct.

Advertisement

That meant Cadiz would have to go through federal environmental review to construct a pipeline over federal land, a lengthy and costly process that the company wants to avoid.

Cadiz immediately asked the BLM to reverse what it called a flawed decision. The Obama administration declined to do so.

The new administration appears sympathetic to the companys concerns.

Although the one-page order doesnt mention Cadiz, it sets the stage for reversing the finding by BLMs California field office, which determined that the company needed federal approval for its proposed 43-mile pipeline.

The Trump administration has once again put corporate profits ahead of the publics interest.  U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)

The memo from the BLM, issued under Trump, also states that future right-of-way decisions will be made by the agencys Washington office.

Cadiz Chief Executive Scott Slater said that he is cautiously optimistic that the new decision will open the way for a pipeline on the right-of-way.

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), a longtime opponent of the groundwater project, condemned the move.

The Trump administration has once again put corporate profits ahead of the publics interest, she said in a statement.

Feinstein called the reversal a blatant attempt to muscle the Cadiz water project through, and an effort to circumvent an environmental review that any project of this magnitude on federal land would normally undergo.

The Cadiz project was approved by San Bernardino County, and the company prevailed in several environmental lawsuits filed under state law.

But Feinstein, who was instrumental in creating the nearby Mojave National Preserve, has doggedly fought Cadiz. For years she has attached a rider to congressional appropriations bills barring the BLM from spending money on the Cadiz project.

I think it has a lot to do with things other than Cadiz.  Cadiz CEO Scott Slater

The company, founded by Keith Brackpool, wants to pump enough groundwater from beneath its private Mojave holdings to supply 100,000 homes a year and sell it to urban California at prices that could, over the projects 50-year-life, reap $1 billion to $2 billion in revenue.

Federal hydrologists have said Cadiz experts are overstating the natural recharge rate of the desert aquifer. And public land advocates argue the pumping could dry up springs vital to wildlife on surrounding federal land, a claim that Cadiz rejects.

The company has garnered congressional support, including from Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. Bishop was one of 18 members of Congress that a month ago urged Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to withdraw the BLM directives  which they said threatened businesses ability to run power, telephone or fiber optic lines along railroad rights-of-way.

I think it has a lot to do with things other than Cadiz, Slater said.

The issue revolves around how much leeway railroads have in letting other interests use their rights-of-way.

An Interior Department solicitors 1989 opinion concluded that the 1875 railroad law allowed railroads to authorize other uses without Interior approval. A later solicitor opinion modified that, saying other uses had to derive from or further a railroad purpose.

The two rescinded memos laid out guidelines for deciding what furthered railroad purposes. And the California BLM office subsequently concluded that conveyance of water for public consumption is not a railroad purpose.

That finding, said opposition attorney Adam Keats, can still be used against the project.

This is not an easy thing for the Trump administration to unwind, he said.

Slater is a water attorney and shareholder of the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, which runs a high-profile lobbying operation in Washington. For three years Slater was co-chair, along with David Bernhardt, of the firms Natural Resources Department.

Bernhardt, who served as Interior Department solicitor under the George W. Bush administration, is reportedly a candidate for a top-level Interior position under Trump. The department oversees the BLM.

Slater said Bernhardt was not behind last weeks action. David did not lobby for us. I do not believe that he had anything to do with it.

bettina.boxall@latimes.com

Twitter: @boxall

ALSO

Michigan will spend $87 million to replace Flints water lines

Crescenta Valley water conservation status goes from yellow to blue

California isnt giving up on fighting auto pollution  even with Trump in office
As global outrage surged over an apparent chemical attack that killed dozens in Syria, President Trump said Wednesday that the incident crosses many, many lines and had changed very much his attitude toward Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Trump offered no concrete American response, but horrific images of slain children and Syrian adults desperately gasping for breath  and evidence that banned sarin gas might have been used  have put pressure on Trump and his government to respond.

While trying to shift blame to former President Obama, Trump also acknowledged that the responsibility is now mine.

Advertisement

Trump on Tuesday had attacked Obama for failing to make good in 2013 on a threat to punish any use of chemical weapons by Syria, what Obama called his red line. On Wednesday, Trump used similar language in declaring that his attitude toward Syria and Assad  blamed for most of the atrocities in the war  had changed very much.

The deadly attack crossed a lot of lines for me, Trump said at a brief White House Rose Garden news conference with Jordans King Abdullah II. When you kill innocent children ... little babies with a chemical gas that is so lethal ... that crosses many, many lines. Beyond a red line, many, many lines.

The United States has launched thousands of airstrikes against Islamic State militants across Syria and Iraq, but until now has not launched direct attacks targeting the Syrian government. Trumps use of Obamas phrase, red line  in response to questions from reporters  hinted that he might be weighing a stronger response.

He was unclear, however, about what actions he might take, saying only that he remained flexible and would not telegraph possible future operations. Military retaliation is problematic, however, because it would draw the U.S. into more direct confrontation with Assads chief backer, Russia, whom Trump would like to make an ally.

These heinous actions by the Assad regime cannot be tolerated, he said.

The Obama administrations position was that Assad had to be removed, but Trump officials have been backing away from that demand.

Later Wednesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made his first on-camera remarks about the attack  and cited Russias role, which Trump had ignored.

Theres no doubt in our mind that the Syrian regime under the leadership of Bashar al Assad is responsible for this horrific attack, Tillerson said during a photo-op with the foreign secretary of Mexico, Luis Videgaray. We think its time that the Russians really need to think carefully about their continued support for the Assad regime.

Tillerson is scheduled to travel to Moscow next week.

Meanwhile, at the United Nations in New York, the yawning gap between how the United States and Russia see events in Syria was on full display.

During an emergency meeting of the Security Council, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley stood before the assembled body and held aloft gruesome photographs of victims from the deadly attack.

We cannot close our eyes to those pictures, Haley said. We cannot close our minds to actions that must be taken. The truth is Syria, Russia and Iran have no interest in peace, Haley said. Iran also supports Syrias Assad.

Haley hinted that if the U.N. Security Council again failed to act  Russia routinely vetoes resolutions that punish Syria  the United States might do so.

When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action, she said. For the sake of the victims, I hope the rest of the council is finally willing to do the same.

Defense Secretary James N. Mattis was asked about a possible U.S. response.

It was a heinous act and will be treated as such, Mattis said at the Pentagon.

The exact composition of the toxic substance that killed more than 70 people in the northwest Syrian province of Idlib was still being investigated Wednesday, but U.S. intelligence officials said they believed it was probably sarin gas, possibly mixed with chlorine.

At the U.N., the United States occupies the rotating presidency of the Security Council. Haley called the emergency meeting and U.S. officials said they fought to have the Syria gathering as an open session. The meeting adjourned before noon for the councils 15 members to debate a resolution drafted by the U.S., Britain and France, and a vote could come as early as Wednesday evening, officials said.

But there were early indications that the same hurdle the council has always faced on Syria  vetoes by China and Russia  would stymie immediate action regarding the suspected chemical gas attack.

This body has always been eloquent in its condemnations, Ukraines ambassador, Volodymyr Yelchenko, said. But thats about it. There is an outstanding gap between talk and action.

British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft also scolded the councils inability to stop the slaughter of Syrians or the apparent use of illegal chemical weapons.

He noted the Security Councils failure in February to condemn an earlier attack by forces loyal to Assad. The censure was vetoed by China and Russia.

Yesterday we saw the consequences of those vetoes, he said.

The Russian representative, Vladimir Safronkov, was eager to cast doubt on the attack, suggesting it was the work of terrorists fighting Assad and asserting that witness accounts were unreliable claims from discredited organizations. He blasted the Security Council discussion as a clearly ideological discussion closely interwoven with the anti-Damascus movement.

Haley retorted: Time and time again, [Russia] uses the same false narrative ... and attempts to place the blame on others.

Moscow and Damascus were vehemently denying the use of chemical weapons.

Russian army Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov was quoted by the Russian state news agency Tass as claiming that Syrian aviation carried out an airstrike targeting a major ammunition storage facility of terrorists and a cluster of military hardware.

In all, 72 people were killed, including 20 children and 17 women, after an airstrike on Khan Sheikhoun, according to the monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Medical sources, the observatory said, had reported victims struggling to breathe and displaying constricted pupils and other symptoms consistent with an attack with poison gas.

Other activists put the death toll at more than 100 and claimed that sarin gas, a colorless, odorless agent that is lethal if inhaled or touches the skin, had been deployed in the strike.

In Washington, a senior State Department official dismissed the Russian claims. Anyone with common sense and the ability to look at pictures knows that what the Russians are saying about the depot [storage facility] is not true, the official said.

Hussein Kayyal, a media activist with the pro-opposition Edlib Media Center, said warplanes had struck Khan Sheikhoun again Wednesday with heavy machine guns.

They [Russian warplanes] struck it in the morning, said Kayyal in a phone interview on Wednesday. However, there were no casualties because most people, roughly 80% of people in the town, had left.

Staffan de Mistura, U.N. special envoy for Syria, called for a credible investigation of the horrific act. He was speaking in Brussels, where international diplomats were scheduled to come together to discuss humanitarian aid for the war-battered country.

The meeting, also aimed at trying to revive peace talks, went ahead despite the attack, which nevertheless overshadowed it. Ministers from the European Union, the U.S. and several Middle Eastern states pledged $6 billion in aid.

Arab countries in attendance, like Lebanon, called for more support to care for the millions of refugees they are sheltering. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini wanted ministers at the Brussels conference to consider how they could help reconstruct Syria after the violent conflict there ends. But several ministers indicated that they would not pay for reconstruction until there is a political solution to the conflict.

Public outrage surged in the U.S. and abroad, with criticism for Trump from both sides of the political spectrum.

This was a moment the president could have spoken with moral authority and with the beginning of an outline of a strategy, said Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania. And we dont see it.

There needs to be a level of outrage, said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). This needs to become a priority. Otherwise, we have lost our compass as a people and as a nation.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter

Staff writers W.J. Hennigan and Michael Memoli in Washington and special correspondents Nabih Bulos in Beirut and Catherine Stupp in Brussels contributed to this report.

ALSO

White House says reprehensible gas attack in Syria resulted from President Obamas red line

Israel reportedly launches strike on Syria as tensions rise

Trump administration stops disclosing troop deployments in Iraq and Syria

UPDATES:

3:58 p.m.: This story has been updated with additional details on the United Nations debate and comments from President Trump.

12:51 p.m.: This story, first published at 11:50 a.m., was updated to remove extraneous word in lead quote.
Since the end of the Cold War, in U.S. administrations Republican and Democratic, concern for human rights  from abused minorities and jailed dissidents to freedom of the press  has been a bedrock of U.S. policy around the globe.

But as Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Florida on Thursday for a two-day summit with President Trump, the sensitive issue  once a key part of White House discussions with Chinas authoritarian leaders  has all but disappeared from the public U.S. agenda.

Xi has overseen a crackdown on Chinese political dissidents and minorities that human rights groups describe as the most severe in a generation. White House officials say they plan to bring up human rights in private discussions with Xi, but it isnt the priority.

Advertisement

As part of Trumps America First policy, he and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have signaled a far more transactional with-us-or-against-us foreign policy, even if it means embracing authoritarian leaders and governments accused of grievous abuses and ruthless violence.

The shift in some ways is a return to the crude realpolitik of the Cold War, when U.S. presidents supported brutal dictators in Chile, the Philippines, South Africa and elsewhere as long as they opposed the Soviet Union.

Under Trump, U.S. foreign policy pivots in many cases on whether the foreign leader aggressively supports the battle against the Islamic State and other terrorist groups.

On Monday, for example, Trump gave an effusive, warm White House welcome to the fantastic Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi, who is fighting an Al Qaeda-linked insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula.

Sisi, a former general, seized power in a coup and was shunned by President Obama for his use of mass detentions, killings of protesters by security forces, military trials of civilians and hundreds of death sentences.

Last Thursday, Tillerson held long meetings in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, another autocrat who has played a key role supporting U.S. military operations against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

Erdogans government closed numerous media outlets and fired or arrested tens of thousands of public officials  including judges, teachers, journalists and university academics  after an abortive coup last summer.

Tillerson and Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, also signaled that the administration does not oppose the continued rule of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a sharp shift from the Obama administration, in the countrys vicious multi-sided civil war.

Although Trump blamed Obama for failing to bomb Syria after Assad used chemical weapons in 2012, some analysts faulted the recent comments from Trumps team for tacitly giving Assad a green light to use toxic weapons this week in one of the worst chemical attacks of the six-year war. Assads government has denied responsibility.

It took nine hours for Trump to join an international chorus of outrage against the poison gas attack, which left dozens of civilians dead. On Wednesday, Trump said said the attack crosses many, many lines. Beyond a red line, many, many lines.

The administration also removed the requirement that Bahrain meet human rights standards before it can buy U.S. fighter jets. It also sought to approve the blocked sale of a package of precision-guided missiles to Saudi Arabia.

Both governments relentlessly repress political dissent at home and have been blamed for using cluster bombs and other munitions against civilian targets in Yemen that left hundreds of casualties.

The Trump administration insists it continues to view the fight for human rights as important, but that it is better conducted out of public view.

A senior administration official, briefing reporters ahead of Sisis visit, declared it was most effective to handle human rights in a private, more discreet way.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer echoed that view when reporters asked why the White House did not condemn Sisis human rights record.

We understand the concern, and I think those are the kind of things that I believe progress is made privately, Spicer said.

But human rights advocates and many current and former diplomats disagree.

Tom Malinowski, who as assistant secretary of State for democracy, human rights and labor under President Obama saw his portfolio expanded and given a high profile, said the White House under the new administration can no longer be viewed as a broker for justice in the world.

Trump has told us very, very clearly ... that he doesnt really believe that the United States can be or should be a force for good in other countries, Malinowski said.

This is a clarifying moment for a lot of people, Malinowski said during a conference on abuses by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has expressed admiration for Putin, but relations with Russia remain in a near-freeze amid U.S. investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Avoiding sensitive bilateral issues like human rights is not a prescription for effective diplomacy  it does not buy you trust or leverage, William Burns, president of the Carnegie Endowment for Peace and a former deputy secretary of State, said in an interview.

Ive always found being direct and consistent about our concerns is a signal of the strength, not weakness, of our relationships, said Burns, who held ambassadorial posts under Democratic and Republican administrations.

Trump has proposed cutting the State Department budget by about 29%. If approved by Congress, the cuts would target foreign aid programs meant to promote democracy, human rights, maternal health care, clean water and other positive goals.

The White House also seeks to cut funds for United Nations peacekeeping efforts and is reportedly considering withdrawing from the U.N. Human Rights Council. It also plans to gut highly touted social spending in Central America that was intended to prevent an exodus of migrants to the U.S. border.

The prominence of human rights in U.S. foreign policy has ebbed and flowed through the decades, with presidents often embracing despots in Asia, Africa and Latin America as long as they supported U.S. policy.

President Carter, who took office in 1977, was the first president to make the cause of human rights an official part of U.S. foreign policy, an issue that did not help him at the ballot box. He served only one term.

His successor, Ronald Reagan, moved quickly to purge diplomats and other officials who had promoted the Carter-era policies that they viewed as weak, backing often-brutal anti-Soviet leaders around the globe at the height of the Cold War.

Once the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the administrations of Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama all reasserted human rights overseas as a priority in different degrees.

In a break with that tradition, Tillerson did not personally present the State Departments annual report on the status of human rights around the world this year. For the last-quarter century, the secretarys endorsement at a high-level press conference has guaranteed global headlines for the assessment.

Instead, Tillersons absence drew notice. The report was announced on a telephone conference call by a State Department official who refused to let reporters quote her by name.

Trumps meetings with Xi this week may provide a test of his interest in human rights.

Susan Thornton, acting assistant secretary of State for East Asian affairs, insisted that the issue cannot help but come up. But she did not explain her reasons for confidence, nor whether it would be the presidents who discussed the topic.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter
The suspect is in jail.

But that is little comfort to the hundreds of thousands of Atlanta commuters trapped in the nightmare that authorities say he caused. A giant concrete slab of Interstate 85  which carries 250,000 vehicles a day  collapsed during rush hour Thursday in a fire that police allege was set by 39-year-old Basil Eleby, who is homeless and has a string of drug and assault arrests.

Authorities say it could take 10 weeks to reopen the freeway.

As commuters contemplate how to get to work and back home, the experience is forcing the city to confront its massive sprawl, extreme dependence on the automobile and lack of investment in public transportation.

Advertisement

It is also leading to lots of finger-pointing  beyond Eleby, who faces charges of arson and criminal damage to property, and the two people arrested with him and charged with criminal trespassing. The three discussed smoking crack cocaine beneath the overpass before the fire started, according to an arrest warrant.

In all my experiences wit crack &/or crackheads I aint NEVER seen nothing like this  !!!, the Grammy-winning hip-hop artist T.I. wrote on Twitter, with the hashtags #OnlyInAtlanta and #SomethingDontAddUp.

In an article headlined, Sure. Blame the Crackhead, George Chidi, a journalist for Georgiapol.com, rebuked the media for letting state officials off the hook.

He and others seized on the fact that the state transportation department had inadvertently provided the fuel for the fire: flammable spools of high-density polyethylene conduit left under the bridge.

Let me state the obvious: whoever is responsible for storing material under the interstate that could melt a bridge had better still be in prison when Eleby gets out, Chidi wrote. The Department of Transportation bears the true burden for this disaster.

Russell McMurry, the Transportation Department commissioner, said at a news conference Tuesday that the material was kept under the overpass  behind a fence with a locked gate  to use for other projects and save tax dollars.

He has asked the state fire marshal and insurance commissioner to investigate whether the practice still makes sense.

This week, commuters woke up before dawn to scour apps that lead them on long detours on narrow city streets or around the perimeter of Atlanta.

Many sought to avoid roads altogether by working from home or taking public transportation.

On a typical day, 400,000 people used the rail and bus lines of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, known as MARTA. The number of passengers on some lines Monday was up 50%.

Many commuters looked befuddled as they took trains Monday for the first time.

Its adding two hours a day to my commute, but I dont have a choice, shrugged Jon Stokes, 50, a property tax manager for Coca-Cola who took a bus and a train to downtown Atlanta from Buford, more than 35 miles to the northeast. Hopefully, Ill work at home at least one day a week.

Leigh Smith, an executive assistant at a Midtown Atlanta law firm, got up before sunrise Monday to catch a bus in Buford. But after an hour and 15 minutes it still hadnt shown up, so she resorted to calling her husband to drive her.

It makes me want to quit my job, she said.

For decades, efforts to expand the public transit system were blocked by suburban counties that feared it would bring the inner city to their communities, prompting some white residents to refer to MARTA as Moving Africans Rapidly Through Atlanta.

As recently as five years ago, voters rejected a $7.2-billion transportation plan that business leaders pitched as vital to solving the areas traffic congestion.

Last year Atlantans voted overwhelmingly to give the city and MARTA permission to raise taxes to upgrade roads and expand rail and bus transit. But it will take years to see those benefits.

Were finding out the hard way that by over-relying on roads and low-occupancy transport, were vulnerable to any shock that might crowd the system, said Simon Berrebi, a doctoral student at Georgia Institute of Technology and director of MARTA Army, an activist group seeking better public transportation.

Transportation experts and urban planners wonder whether the highway collapse will spur some commuters to adopt new, car-free routines on a more permanent basis.

This is Atlantas chance to show that it can be more than a car-dominated city, said Kari Watkins, a professor at Georgia Institute of Technologys school of civil and environmental engineering. The question is whether there will be permanent change, or if we will just adapt for the moment and then switch back to old habits.

Jarvie is a special correspondent.

ALSO

L.A. keeps building near freeways, even though living there makes people sick

Motorcyclist who became an Internet sensation with freeway jump is critically injured in another stunt

Only hours after horses ran onto a freeway in Northern California, so did a bull
The decision this week by a federal appeals court that said the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBTQ employees from workplace discrimination raises questions about the intent of the law passed more than five decades ago as the struggle for racial equality gripped the nation.

In a ruling  the first of its kind  the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals decided on Tuesday that the act protects LGBTQ people from discrimination by employers. The decision came after the court threw out a finding last year by three of its judges who ruled that the law doesnt cover sexual orientation bias.

The case originated from a lawsuit by an Indiana teacher alleging that a community college didnt hire her full time because she is a lesbian. Many law experts expect the issue to be placed before the Supreme Court at some point.

Advertisement

Although advocates of LGBTQ rights lauded the ruling as a needed step to curb discrimination, some like Bishop Garland R. Hunt said Wednesday its an atrocity to the African American lives lost to pass the Civil Rights Act.

For Hunt, the ruling is an affront to the Civil Rights Act, which he said was meant to undo the ramifications of slavery and Jim Crow laws  inequality, poverty, lack of education, to name a few.

Blacks have been killed and discriminated against solely because of our skin color, said Hunt, who is the head pastor at the Fathers House, a predominantly African American church in the Atlanta suburbs.

In recent years, Hunt, along with many black pastors, have been outspoken in their views that LGBTQ rights are not civil rights.

Hunt says that while the Civil Rights Act outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion and sex, it should not benefit gays and lesbians.

It seems some are trying to make the efforts for gay rights similar to the struggles minorities faced in the effort for equality, he said. Really, this should be about racial discrimination.

For some African Americans such as Hunt, whose Christian views have led him to oppose same-sex marriage, the progress of LGBTQ rights has caused concern that the struggles of blacks who endured Jim Crow laws will be overlooked.

In 2012, when President Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage, many in African American churches nationwide did not agree with his views on the issue. Many polls showed that black voters  who overwhelmingly supported Obama  viewed same-sex marriage differently than he did.

Still, not everyone views the ruling the same. Some say that discrimination is discrimination and must be banned in workplaces nationwide.

Marc Morial, chief operating officer of the National Urban League, among the nations largest civil rights organizations, lauded the decision.

Its the correct ruling in the fight for civil rights for all, Morial said. These protections need to be granted to everyone  regardless of race, religion or sex.

Morial said the foundation of the Civil Rights Act was race, but its always been much more broader as well.

Even though the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015, other legal protections, including housing and employment, have not been across the board for LGBTQ people.

Sarah Warbelow, legal director for the Human Rights Campaign, a group that advocates for the equal rights of LGBTQ people, lauded the ruling and said that everyone recognizes and understands that experiences of African Americans in the country are different from the LGBTQ community.

Both groups have faced discrimination, she said. We should not compare the two struggles. No one should face discrimination.

Greg Nevins, who argued the case before the 7th Circuit, said the focus must be on Title VII of the act, which prohibits workplace discrimination.

Of course there are different historical factors, Nevins said. This ruling says that gays and lesbians are covered.

Still, there are those with the views of Bishop Gilbert Thompson, founder of Jubilee Christian Church in Boston. He agrees with Hunt in that gays and lesbians should not be afforded protections under the Civil Rights Act.

I dont think anyone should face discrimination  let that be clear, he said. But in my view I dont think gays and lesbians should be lumped in with civil rights, I just dont. In a workplace, you shouldnt be forcing your sexual orientation anyway. Where as if youre black or a woman, thats something you cant hide or put to the side. Its who you are and for all to see.

kurtis.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @kurtisalee
The mayor of Ferguson, Mo., was reelected to a third term Tuesday night, pulling off a remarkable feat of political survival in the St. Louis suburbs first mayoral election since protests erupted there three years ago.

James Knowles III was mayor on Aug. 9, 2014, when a white police officer shot and killed an unarmed black 18-year-old after a struggle. The shooting ignited a national protest movement that turned Ferguson into a symbol of racial dysfunction, with Knowles as one of its most prominent faces  a white official leading the overwhelmingly white government of a city that was two-thirds black.

By a margin of 56% to 44%, Knowles defeated his lone challenger, Councilwoman Ella Jones, who is black. If Jones had won, she would have made history as the first black mayor of a city that was once an overwhelmingly white sundown town where, until the 1960s, African Americans were banned after dark.

Advertisement

Instead, Knowles remains in office after the protests that led to a wave of resignations and departures among the citys political leadership, which now faces new uncertainty under the Trump administration.

The election fell a day after Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions ordered the Justice Department to review its consent decrees with embattled police departments like Fergusons. The legal pacts aim to limit racial profiling and excessive use of force, and Ferguson officials and activists are uncertain about what level of federal oversight to expect.

The shooting death of Michael Brown revealed the stark racial gap separating the city government and its residents. Ferguson was undergoing a demographic shift and had become two-thirds black, but five of the six council members were white, as were the police chief, city manager and almost all of the citys police officers.

An investigation by the Obama administrations Justice Department, launched after daily protests engrossed the nation, found city employees emailing racist jokes to each other, as well as a pattern of racial discrimination by police. The report said black drivers were twice as likely to get pulled over but 26% less likely to be found with contraband than white drivers.

After a wave of resignations and elections, Ferguson now has three black council members, a black police chief and a black city manager.

But Knowles remains, to the ire of local activists who have long protested him. (Knowles couldnt be reached by phone Tuesday and did not answer an email.) He survived a recall attempt in 2015 and, unbowed, launched a bid for a third and final three-year term as mayor.

In a Facebook post in February, Knowles said he wanted to follow the example of President Abraham Lincoln:

For those familiar with history, during the Civil War, Lincoln was often criticized by people on both sides of the issues of slavery and the war because of his even-handedness and his resistance to the pressures of radicals on both sides. He knew radicalism, even after the war, would further divide us, which it has for generations.

Knowles bid drew a challenge from Jones, a newcomer to the City Council who had a busy election day Tuesday trying to persuade last-minute voters that it was time for a change.

Phone banking, delivering lunch to the poll workers, knocking on doors  Im doing everything, Jones said in an interview. Its time for Ferguson to unite and become one Ferguson, and we cannot move forward under the leadership that we are under at this point.

Jones criticized Sessions move to review Fergusons consent decree with the federal government, which Sessions had previously said was based on a report that was anecdotal and not so scientifically based.

Sessions action is not going to help Ferguson at all, Jones said. We need that consent decree in order to keep Ferguson moving forward.

Money has become a problem following the protests, leading officials to push for recent hikes of the sales tax (which was successful) and the property tax (which was not).

City Manager DeCarlon Seewood recently wrote that after a drastic decline in revenue, the citys operating budget is beyond lean. Its emaciated.

Its not hard to see why. Before the protests, the city of roughly 21,000 drew much of its general revenue from fining motorists and residents  who were often poor and black  over minor infractions and then jailing them if they couldnt pay. Court fines were a bigger source of revenue than property taxes, making up almost $2 million of the citys $12.5 million in revenue in 2014.

But following protests and reforms at the local and state level, revenue from court fines has plummeted by almost 75%. One city budget analysis said police issued 2,197 tickets in 2016 compared with 14,590 tickets in 2014.

With 71% in favor, voters also overwhelming supported a ballot measure Tuesday to require that the citys police officers keep their body cameras on at all times, with certain exceptions, and that the footage be stored for two years.

matt.pearce@latimes.com | @mattdpearce

ALSO

White House and GOP aim for do-over of failed Obamacare repeal, but chances for agreement are slim

At Trumps EPA, going to work can be an act of defiance

Washington may be shaking its head, but Devin Nunes is still a hometown hero

UPDATES:

8:50 p.m.: Updated with election results.

This article was originally published at 6:45 p.m.
Environmentalists cheered as Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan followed through on his promise to sign a statewide fracking ban  and some predicted that the states action could bolster efforts in other states to prohibit the controversial method of drilling for natural gas.

We already know this victory is inspiring folks who are pushing for a ban in Florida, said Mitch Jones, a senior policy advocate for Food and Water Watch. Floridas legislature is weighing bills to ban fracking, and activists are hoping to stop or curtail fracking in Pennsylvania and California.

While New York has banned fracking by executive order, Maryland is the first state where fracking is geologically possible to prohibit the practice in law.

Advertisement

Environmentalists have been fighting for a ban on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to extract natural gas from underground shale formations  a practice they say has the ability to taint drinking water wells and pollute the air and water.

They found an unexpected ally this year in the Republican governor, who announced his support just as the advocates appeared to reach a veto-proof majority in the General Assembly. He signed the legislation Tuesday.

What Maryland has done here, with Larry Hogans support, is not just to protect Maryland but will help protect other states, said Mike Tidwell, founder of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

The stakes in Maryland were relatively low: The rush by drilling companies to secure land for fracking has passed, at least for now. As the price of natural gas has dropped, Maryland looked increasingly unattractive for fracking.

Drew Cobbs, executive director of the pro-drilling Maryland Petroleum Council, called it more symbolic than anything else and compared it to a ban that passed in Vermont, where there are no stores of natural gas that could be fracked.

Wood writes for the Baltimore Sun.

ALSO

Trump removes Stephen Bannon from National Security Council in staff shakeup

Fergusons white mayor wins reelection in his first race since 2014 unrest

A building boom and climate change create an even hotter, drier Phoenix
President Trump said Wednesday without offering evidence that Susan Rice, President Obamas national security advisor, may have committed a crime last year by seeking the identity of Trump associates referred to anonymously in classified intelligence reports.

Rice said Tuesday that any allegations that she improperly sought the names of Trump associates and leaked intelligence information was absolutely false.

The dispute revolves around so-called incidental collection-- when U.S. intelligence agencies inadvertently pick up the names or conversations of U.S. persons on wiretaps or other communications intercepts.

Advertisement

How does incidental collection occur?

The National Security Agency, which conducts global eavesdropping for the U.S. government, intercepts phone calls, email or other communications of suspected terrorists or foreign agents. But it sometimes picks up communications involving U.S. citizens who are not the target of the investigation.

In some cases, Americans are communicating directly with the NSAs target. In others, the target may mention the name of a U.S. citizen or personal information about her. Sometimes the targets describe previous conversations or interactions with U.S. citizens.

What happens to this information?

If the information involving Americans has no intelligence value, it is supposed to be destroyed.

If the intercept pertains to national securityor if it points to a possible crimethe NSA is allowed to include it in classified intelligence reports that circulate in the government to those with security clearances high enough to view such information.

By law, the agency is still required to protect the privacy of U.S. persons, a process known as minimization. The rules specify that in most cases a generic term, such as U.S. Person 1 is used, instead of the actual name.

So the names of Americans picked up by eavesdropping can never be used?

Actually, no. But there are lengthy guidelines for when names and other information about Americans can be included in intelligence reports.

If a communications intercept turns up evidence that a U.S. citizen is a foreign spy, for instance, his or her name can be included in intelligence reports sent to the FBI and other counter-espionage agencies for further investigation and possible prosecution.

Americans names also can be included if doing so is necessary to understand foreign intelligence information or assess its importance, according to guidelines made public by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies.

How does this pertain to Rice?

Senior government officials who receive highly sensitive intelligence can ask about the identity of U.S. persons, including their names, to get a better understanding of the intelligence. Senior intelligence agency officials then decide whether that information can be provided without violating the legal guidelines.

Rice told MSNBC in an interview Tuesday that she sometimes made those requests while she served as Obamas national security advisor. But she said it was only to do our jobs in the national security realm and not for political purposes.

There is an established process for senior national security officials to ask for the identity of U.S. persons in these reports, she added.

Is there any public evidence to support Trumps claim that Rice may have committed a crime?

No, and Trump provided none.

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, started all this last month when he said he had been briefed at the White House about dozens of intelligence reports containing incidental collection on Trump transition team members.

Nunes spokesman said he was was concerned about possible improper unmasking of Trump associates in intelligence reports, referring to seeking their names. Bloomberg later reported that White House aides said Rice was responsible for asking intelligence agencies to supply names or other identifying information in the reports.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), the top Democrat on the committee, said Wednesday that the White House made the allegations against Rice to distract from separate investigations by the House and Senate intelligence committees and the FBI into whether there was improper coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.

If Rice or someone else in the Obama administration did request the unmasking of Trump associates, would it be a crime?

Not necessarily. Intelligence agency lawyers would need to sign off on such a request. There might have been legitimate reasons for seeking information about Trump associates who were communicating with foreign ambassadors or others in the United States who were under court-authorized surveillance for counterintelligence purposes.

In her interview, Rice said the volume of intelligence reports that she saw about Russias attempts to influence the U.S. presidential election increased after Obama requested an intelligence assessment of Moscows interference.

The only transition officials known to have been picked up communicating with foreign officials was Mike Flynn, who had several telephone calls with Russias ambassador, Sergey Kislyak. Flynn was forced to resign as national security advisor after he admitted he had misled White House officials about those conversations.

david.cloud@latimes.com

Twitter: @davidcloudLAT
Now it is President Trumps turn at the plate, after consecutive administrations before him have failed to solve the problem of North Korea.

A considerable portion of this weeks meeting in Florida with Chinese President Xi Jinping will be devoted to the long-festering crisis of North Koreas nuclear weapons program. Trumps predecessors have tried various combinations of sticks and carrots, including sanctions and U.N. resolutions, without stopping the juggernaut of a missile and nuclear program that is now sufficiently advanced to pose a credible threat to the United States.

True to his inimitable style, Trump has been talking  and tweeting  tough on North Korea. He had hinted repeatedly that he would support military action to prevent North Korea from developing an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.

Advertisement

Well if China is not going to solve North Korea, we will. That is all I am telling you, Trump cryptically told the Financial Times in an interview published this week.

North Korean soldiers carry packs marked with the nuclear symbol look to their leader, Kim Jong Un, from a military parade vehicle in Pyongyang in July 2013. (Wong Maye-E / AP)

Blustering aside, Trump presumably knows that unilateral military action against Pyongyang could start a war with devastating consequences. Even without advanced weapons of mass destruction, North Koreas conventional artillery at the demilitarized zone could easily reach the 30,000 U.S. troops in South Korea as well as 25 million South Koreans living in the Seoul metropolitan area.

The calculus hasnt changed much since 1994, when the Clinton administration considered striking the North Koreans main nuclear facility at Yongbyon. South Koreans produced a computer simulation projecting 1 million dead if a war broke out with North Korea. Although all the war games showed North Korea would be quickly defeated, the costs were deemed too high.

Trump is also unlikely to follow through on an off-hand suggestion he made at a campaign rally in Atlanta to invite the rotund young leader, Kim Jong Un, out for a hamburger.

So that leaves Trump stuck dealing with China, which has been North Koreas benefactor and enabler since 1950, when Mao Tse-tung sent his troops to fight on behalf of their Communist brethren.

With an 850-mile border between the countries, China is North Koreas lifeline, supplying almost all its fuel oil, imported foods, consumer goods as well as the raw materials used to construct its weapons program.

Beijing has been reluctant to enforce United Nations sanctions against North Korea or to shut down North Korean trading companies in China that handle money for the leadership and import weapons. At military parades in Pyongyang, the North Koreans have shamelessly displayed Chinese-made trucks converted into missile launchers. The Bank of Chinas Singapore branch was implicated in a criminal case last year in the island city-state in which a shipping company was convicted of helping North Korea import weapons from Cuba.

North Korea has faced very few impediments to establishing front companies in China that do global business busting sanctions, said William Newcomb, formerly the American representative on the U.N. panel that enforces North Koreas sanctions. I suspect the [Chinese] Ministry of State Security knows everything about North Koreas activities, and the fact that they are allowed to continue is pretty disgraceful.

Going into the meeting Thursday, Trump has the advantage of dealing directly with the only person in China capable of deciding to crack down on the North Koreans.

Chinas North Korea policy is handled by the Communist Party Central Committees secretive International Liaison Department, often bypassing the Foreign Ministry. It is not dissimilar to the way that Trump has taken some foreign policy matters away from the State Department to be handled in the White House by his closest associates, including son-in-law Jared Kushner.

You have two alpha males who will be in the same room. Trump wants to come out of this meeting with something tangible that he has achieved, said Jonathan Pollack, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. And for all their differences, he said, their grievances about North Korea are not wildly dissimilar.

Kim Jong-Un, center, inspects testing of a new high-thrust engine at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, in an undated image released by North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency on March 19. (STR / AFP/Getty Images)

Despite its historic ties with North Korea, Beijing has been disdainful of the reckless behavior of Kim Jong Un, who took over in 2011 before his 30th birthday after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il. In more than five years at the helm, Kim Jong Un has yet to visit to Beijing, a sure sign of the falling out between the two.

The young leader has purged many of his elders, including an uncle who was close to the Chinese, and has accelerated the pace of the nuclear and missile program. Since the beginning of last year, the North Koreans have conducted more than two dozen missile tests, the most recent a medium-range ballistic missile fired Wednesday morning from the eastern port of Sinpo.

However, the Chinese balk at any measures that could lead to the collapse of North Korea, an important buffer between its borders and U.S.-allied South Korea. And Trump will have more than met his match when negotiating with Xi, analysts say.

Xi obviously has not-insignificant amounts of experience dealing with American leaders. He is going to come in better briefed, more knowledgeable of the history and the record and more prepared to deflect critiques and beseeching by the United States, said Pollack.

Chinese President Xi Jinping smiles during a meeting in Helsinki, Finland, on Wednesday. (KIMMO BRANDT / EPA)

Joshua Stanton, a lawyer specializing in North Korea sanctions, said the best leverage that the United States has in the negotiation is to implement so-called secondary sanctions against Chinese banks and businesses doing business with North Korea.

What I hope to see out of this meeting is not Trump and Xi coming out shaking hands and smiling. That probably means that Xi has made a promise he has no intention of fulfilling, said Stanton.

We all know that [Trumps book is] The Art of the Deal, but the Chinese read that book too,said Scott Snyder of the Council on Foreign Relations. They are well-positioned to call Trumps bluff.

Trump laid down the gauntlet with a sharply worded tweet that warned It wont happen! in response to a New Years address in which Kim boasted that his country would soon be able to test an intercontinental ballistic missile.

However, Trumps bluster and inexperience dealing with the erratic North Korean regime have unnerved Korea specialists who fear that a chain of misunderstandings could lead to another war on the Korean peninsula.

I dont like bluffing unless Im playing for small stakes, said Robert Gallucci, a professor at Georgetown University who served in the State Department during the 1994 crisis.

Gallucci said that any military response, such as trying to strike a missile on a launch pad, would likely be ineffective because North Korean weapons facilities are hidden underground and scattered around the country.

You couldnt ever, ever assume that the North Koreans would just suck it up, and there are vulnerabilities in the South, which is where they would retaliate, said Gallucci. We would be involved in a military engagement, and people would die.

Gallucci believes that the United States must rely on the same strategies of deterrence used during the Cold War. The Russians had 30,000 nuclear weapons. The North Koreans have 12, he said.

In 1994, after the Clinton administration decided against airstrikes, former President Jimmy Carter flew to Pyongyang and helped negotiate a pact that gave energy assistance to North Korea in exchange for a nuclear freeze. That deal fell apart under President George W. Bush in 2002 amid evidence that the North Koreans were cheating.

In his second term, Bush tried but failed to negotiate another deal, and the nuclear and missile development programs advanced. The Obama administration was less active on North Korea, engaging in a tactic it called strategic patience.

Military analysts disagree on how close North Korea is to being able to launch an ICBM capable of reaching the West Coast of the United States or to mount a nuclear warhead, but most agree it is making rapid progress.

The breakneck pace of North Korean nuclear ballistic missile and nuclear testing in the past few years means that a North Korean missile tipped with a nuclear warhead, capable of reaching our homeland, is no longer a distant hypothetical, but an imminent danger, Gen. John E. Hyten, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, told a congressional panel Tuesday.

Times staff writer W. J. Hennigan in Washington contributed to this report.

barbara.demick@latimes.com

Twitter: @BarbaraDemick

ALSO

China pushes back on tougher U.S. approach to North Korea

As he gets ready to meet Trump in Florida, Chinas Xi Jinping has a lot to worry about

At Trumps EPA, going to work can be an act of defiance
A federal judge on Wednesday denied the U.S. Department of Justices request for a 90-day pause in the Baltimore consent decree case, calling it untimely ahead of a scheduled public hearing Thursday  which will now proceed.

U.S. District Court Judge James K. Bredar said the federal governments request to cancel the hearing at the eleventh hour would be to unduly burden and inconvenience the Court, the other parties, and, most importantly, the public.

The hearing has been scheduled since mid-February. The Justice Department asked for the continuance in the case at the close of business on Monday.

Advertisement

It was not immediately clear what Bredars order means for the future of the police reform agreement.

He did not address the broader argument in the Justice Departments request for a continuance, that top officials in the new Trump administration needed more time to review the proposed deal, which was struck in the waning days of the Obama administration.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on Bredars ruling Wednesday.

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said Wednesday that her administration is prepared for the hearing.

Pugh said she hopes federal government lawyers hear the concerns of Baltimores citizens about the need for a consent decree imposing strict outside oversight of the police in order to prevent civil rights abuses.

Criminal justice reform is something we must do in our city, the mayor said. When they hear from the citizens tomorrow, theyll get a flavor of why this is important.

The Justice Departments motion cited President Trumps executive order in February calling on the department to prioritize crime reduction and Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions formation of a task force to ensure that the agency is using its resources to push that agenda.

The consent decree was negotiated after President Obamas Justice Department conducted a sweeping investigation of the Baltimore Police Department following the 2015 unrest after Freddie Grays death from injuries suffered in police custody. The agency said it found a pattern of unconstitutional and discriminatory policing in the city, particularly in poor, predominantly black neighborhoods.

Ian D. Prior, a spokesman for the Department of Justice, said the request for a delay did not mean Sessions opposes police reform.

The attorney general agrees with the need for police reform and the need to rebuild public confidence in law enforcement in Baltimore, Prior said. Permitting more time for the department to examine the proposed consent decree will help ensure that the best result is achieved for the people of the city and ensure that the BPD can carry out its mission of fostering trust with community members, safeguarding life and property, and promoting public safety through enforcing the law in a fair and impartial manner.

Bredar avoided the Justice Departments broader arguments for the pause, focusing his order on the inconvenience the cancellation of Thursdays public hearing would pose to the public.

The primary purpose of this hearing is to hear from the public; it would be especially inappropriate to grant this late request for a delay when it would be the public who were most adversely affected by a postponement, Bredar wrote.

He also wrote that the Justice Department offered no real prejudice to them if the hearing proceeds as scheduled.

In February, Bredar had issued a separate order scheduling the public hearing for Thursday and setting out how it would work.

According to that order, anyone interested in speaking at the hearing will be allowed to sign up. The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. and last until 5 p.m., with occasional breaks. After counsel for the city and the Justice Department are given an opportunity to speak, members of the public will be given three minutes each to make their statements, in the order they signed up, the order says.

The court will only be hearing comments about whether the consent decree is fair, adequate, and reasonable and is not illegal, the product of collusion, or against the public interest, the order says. All speakers must give their name and, if applicable, the organization they represent. Organizations may only have one representative speak.

While the court hopes to hear from all who sign up, the hearing will end at 5 p.m. regardless of whether everyone who signed up to speak has been heard.

Pugh and other top Baltimore officials have pledged to move forward with reform the citys Police Department whether or not the Department of Justice pursues its pending consent decree with the city.

The mayor said, however, that having a legally binding court order will help the public have confidence in the reform and bolster her case for obtaining outside money to fund new technology and training for the police department.

Pugh said she is working with members of Marylands congressional delegation to seek federal funding for police reform.

Our federal delegation is ready to move forward to seek funds for us, Pugh said. For the civilian community, having that consent decree in place gives them confidence.

Broadwater and Rector write for the Baltimore Sun.
If you think college campuses are hotbeds of political expression, Kevin Shaw may change your mind.

Shaw, a student at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, says he was handing out Spanish-language copies of the U.S. Constitution on campus last November when he was stopped by a college administrator who told him he was allowed to exercise his 1st Amendment rights only within a minuscule free speech zone located near a campus thoroughfare. Not only that  before doing so, he had to obtain a permit from college officials.

With legal assistance from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE, a national organization that advocates for free speech on college campuses, Shaw is suing Pierce and the Los Angeles Community College District claiming that his 1st Amendment rights were violated. He makes a compelling case.

Advertisement

A spokesman for the district says that it firmly stands behind every students right to free expression. But that lofty language is hard to square with a policy of confining free speech  including protests, speeches and the distribution of literature  to a 616-square-foot parcel on a 426-acre campus. And if, as Shaws complaint alleges, Pierce requires permission in advance before a student may engage in speech even within the zone, that limits spontaneous and anonymous speech and may imply that the college can veto speech it didnt like.

As Shaws complaint in federal court notes, the Supreme Court has held that state colleges and universities are not enclaves immune from the sweep of the 1st Amendment. Yet the community college district has only grudgingly acknowledged that reality. Its free speech policy describes the colleges as non-public forums, except for those portions of each college designated as free speech areas.

No one would suggest that every inch of a campus must be open to leafleting and political proselytizing. Dormitories, dining halls and classrooms are different from open spaces and sidewalks. (Pierces campus also includes a farm used for the colleges agricultural and equestrian programs. A student milking a cow shouldnt be interrupted by a political spiel any more than a student dissecting a lab specimen or translating a poem.)

But when a public college or university squeezes the expression of political views into a tightly circumscribed area, it not only undermines its commitment to the free exchange of ideas; it runs afoul of the 1st Amendment.

As a federal judge put it in a 2004 case involving a challenge to limitations on expression at Texas Tech University Law School: To the extent [that] the campus has park areas, sidewalks, streets, or other similar common areas, these areas are public forums, at least for the universitys students, irrespective of whether the university has so designated them or not.

The community college district should see this lawsuit as a learning experience. The lesson is that its view of the 1st Amendment  like the space in which Pierce College apparently wanted to confine Kevin Shaw and his advocacy  is too small.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook
The news out of Syria is disturbing: President Bashar Assad stands accused of killing  gassing  his own people. So too the news from Washington. Consider a recent zinger: What, you think our countrys so innocent?

Years from now, when the inevitable and inevitably gaudy Donald J. Trump Presidential Library and Museum opens its doors, that quotation from our leader ought to occupy a place of prominence. Uttered in response to Vladimir Putins murderous actions but applicable to all manner of atrocities, it contains considerable wisdom, even if coming from a most unlikely source.

Most Americans, I dare say, do not see Trump as a purveyor of deep truths. Even before formally entering politics, he had acquired a well-deserved reputation as a vulgar provocateur. These days much of what he says (or tweets) is sheer nonsense. When off-script, he tends to be off the wall. Trump regularly and in all likelihood knowingly contradicts himself. He makes George W. Bush look like a deep thinker.

Advertisement

Yet Trumps unvarnished candor in acknowledging that America is not so innocent has potentially profound implications for U.S. policy. He is, after all, the nations commander-in-chief, invested with responsibility for employing (or holding in abeyance) American military power.

Even morally justifiable purposes, such as liberating Europe from Nazi occupation, entail morally problematic acts.

The argument that the exercise of power in international politics necessarily incurs guilt is a familiar one. Even morally justifiable purposes, such as liberating Europe from Nazi occupation, entail morally problematic acts.

Yet rarely, if ever, has a sitting president made the point so bluntly. After all, Franklin Roosevelt did not apologize for the strategic bombing campaign that flattened German cities during World War II. Whatever qualms FDR may have had about thereby killing tens of thousands of noncombatants he kept to himself, as did his various successors. Until now at least. Trump, as is his wont, dares to say aloud what others pass over in silence. As a people, we are, in fact, anything but innocent.

Today the United States condemns the intentional killing of civilians in wartime. In the past, it killed civilians in far greater numbers than does Assad. One explanation for the shift in official thinking on this issue is that in a more enlightened era moral considerations carry greater weight than they once did. An alternative explanation is that emphasizing noncombatant immunity works to the benefit of a nation that at huge cost has amassed an arsenal of precision weapons.

Having become better at targeting, we want to capitalize on that advantage. So as former practitioners of carpet-bombing, we now reproach anyone daring to drop barrel bombs out of helicopters. In effect, as the preferred American mode of waging war has changed, so too have the norms to which U.S. policymakers profess to subscribe, a process that is itself not so innocent.

For any morally serious person, this disparity between Americas recent words and past actions complicates the question of what the United States should do given the evidence that the Assad regime has once again used chemical agents against its own citizens. What is the obligation of our not so innocent nation? By attributing this atrocity to his predecessors weakness and irresolution, Trump himself implies that the United States has incurred some such obligation, even if thus far he shows no inclination to act on it.

Blaming Obama is a poor excuse for policy. Might there be a better approach, one qualifying as both moral and effective?

Assad is, of course, a particularly contemptible despot. So too, of course, was Iraqs Saddam Hussein. Even if we take seriously the moral arguments mustered for toppling Hussein, employing force to do so produced an epic disaster. Costs vastly exceeded benefits. Even today, the people of Iraq continue to pay a heavy price for the Bush administrations hubris and folly. In Libya, the overthrow of Muammar Kadafi, another contemptible despot, produced a similar disaster, this one laid at the feet of the Obama administration.

Both morally and strategically, employing violence as an antidote to Arab repression has proven to be a bust. So anyone proposing that the United States have another go at it, this time targeting Assad, should think long and hard. We dont need more war in the Middle East. War hasnt worked.

My vote for an alternative: Follow the German model.

When you compare American behavior in Franklin Roosevelts day to that of Hitlers Germany, the balance sheet clearly favors the United States. Yet to compare recent American behavior with that of Angela Merkels Germany, not so much. The German response to the plight of Syrians caught in the middle of a terrible civil war has been simplicity itself: Provide sanctuary to the displaced.

Germany has thereby saved literally hundreds of thousands of lives. If it chose to do so, the United States could do likewise. What the Syrian people need is not more bombs but more visas  one way of making partial amends for our own not so innocent past.

Andrew J. Bacevich is professor emeritus of history and international relations at Boston University.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook

MORE FROM OPINION

Has the United States abandoned its commitment to human rights?

When it comes to healthcare, Republicans need to take a Hippocratic Oath to do no harm

Trumps ineptness is unparalleled, but Americans  and the L.A. Times  should have seen this coming
Gen. Abdel Fattah Sisis Egypt holds at least 40,000 political prisoners, secular democrats as well as Islamic extremists. His security forces have killed thousands  at least 817 at a single demonstration, according to Human Rights Watch. For three years, the Obama administration kept Sisi at arms length, working with his government on counterterrorism while expressing disapproval of its repression.

No longer. This week, President Trump welcomed Sisi to the White House and hailed him as a hero.

We are very much behind President Sisi, Trump said. Hes done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation.

Advertisement

In public, no U.S. official said a word about human rights. Trumps spokesman refused to say whether the issue came up in private.

Sisi isnt the only strongman whos getting a free pass from the Trump administration. Chinas President Xi Jinping will be visiting Trumps Florida vacation home at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, and hes not likely to hear much about human rights either. And last week, the Trump administration told Congress it intends to lift the human rights conditions that had blocked the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Bahrain.

Its one thing to retreat from putting human rights first. Its another to abandon the field entirely.

Most famously, Russias Vladimir Putin has long been an object of Trumps praise for his strength, even as his regime assassinates opponents and jails protesters.

Trump made it clear in his presidential campaign that he was interested in military strength and trade deals more than promoting democracy.

But its still striking: The president is systematically dismantling a 40-year-old bipartisan tradition of U.S. foreign policy.

Presidents have used rhetoric about freedom and democracy for more than a century, but Jimmy Carter elevated human rights to a top priority in 1977. Ronald Reagan made the issue bipartisan in the 1980s as he campaigned to undermine the Soviet empire. Even after the end of the Cold War, all of their successors maintained the tradition with varying degrees of enthusiasm  until Trump.

Not only did the new president define his foreign policy as America First, he once breezily suggested that he didnt see much difference between American democracy and Putins authoritarianism.

We have a lot of killers, he shrugged in a famous interview on Fox News. You think our country is so innocent?

Its one thing to retreat from putting human rights first. Its another to abandon the field entirely. Its not only morally offensive; its bad policy, for practical reasons.

The moral argument is straightforward: Americans who believe in democracy and due process of law ought to care when they are denied to people in other countries. But the practical arguments are compelling, as well. Democratic countries are, by and large, less dangerous than dictatorships  less likely to start wars and spawn international terrorist organizations. We should want more democracies for our safetys sake. Our strongest alliances are with other democracies, partly because they share our values. If we no longer care as much about those values, we are likely to weaken our alliances as well.

That proposition has a flip side: Our most important adversaries  Russia, China, North Korea, Iran  are all authoritarian states. Pressing them to grant political and human rights to their citizens isnt just consistent with American values; its a way to apply leverage. Notice how insecure those regimes are when the question is raised  how touchy Chinas leaders get, for instance, when their domestic repression is publicized.

These are pretty low-cost diplomatic tools. And they dont get in the way of deal-making, unless we choose to let them. Reagan negotiated nuclear arms deals with the Soviet Union even as he demanded an end to the Berlin Wall. Other presidents cut plenty of trade deals with China despite friction over human rights.

Walking away from human rights is a sign of weakness, not strength. Its consistent with Trumps view that the United States is a crippled country, a superpower that can no longer pull its weight. Its a retreat from American exceptionalism; it means we think we no longer have the capability to think much beyond a narrow conception of American interests.

Trump often boasts that his foreign policy is about hard power  military assets, financial strength  and not soft power, intangible assets such as values and alliances.But the strategist who coined the term soft power, Harvards Joseph Nye, has long argued that its not an either/or choice. The most successful nation, he contends, will find an effective combination of both kinds of power.

Soft power is one of the comparative advantages the United States enjoys over its rivals. If were serious about promoting democracy and human rights, people in other countries may ally with us because they share those aspirations.

If, however, we abandon those values, and suggest that as a nation were not so different, really, from Putins Russia or Xis China, were giving that asset away. Its a form of unilateral disarmament, an idea Trump would naturally reject if it came up in a discussion of hard power. The worst thing is: He may not even realize it.

doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com

Twitter: @DoyleMcManus

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook.
When I became a doctor, I went to work in an emergency room that admitted and treated the kind of hard-working, low-income farmworker families I grew up with. For many of them, the ER was their first and last resort after avoiding the doctor for years because they had no health insurance.

We didnt check a patients political affiliation before treating them. I didnt check the party affiliation of the other doctors and nurses, either, and they didnt ask me for mine. Rather, we worked together as a team, following through on the Hippocratic Oath we had taken to treat patients to the best of our ability and, above all, to do no harm.

I treated patients before the passage of the Affordable Care Act, and I treated patients after, just as the legislation was beginning to take effect. I noticed firsthand that many patients stopped fearing the cost of their ER visit as more were covered by health insurance. When they pulled out their insurance cards, I could tell they felt peace of mind.

Advertisement

If only politicians were required to take an oath to do no harm. Since gaining a majority in Congress, most Republicans have been actively working to bleed the ACA dry so that it will fail, thereby fulfilling their own prophecy. They voted repeatedly to repeal the law and sued to stop it in court.

Now that they have full control of government, theyre trying to sabotage it.

After Republicans pulled Trumpcare from the House floor last month, President Trump responded with a blame-filled diatribe in the Oval Office  10 minutes of finger-pointing in which he offered up the cynical hope that our healthcare system will explode. The president of the United States actually stated that letting the healthcare system explode was the best thing we can do politically speaking.

Republicans arent interested in improving the ACA; theyd rather attack it for political gain.

More recently, the Trump administration has stopped promoting the open-enrollment period for health insurance plans, a move that is now being investigated by the Office of Inspector General in the Department of Health and Human Services. The idea, apparently, is that if people dont know by what date they need to sign up for a plan, they wont enroll, fewer people overall will be covered, premiums will rise for everyone else, and the administration will have even more grounds for saying the ACA doesnt work.

Coupled with the absurd failure of Trumpcare, these deliberately destructive moves lay bare what many of us suspected all along  the Republicans arent interested in improving the ACA; theyd rather attack it for political gain. Trump and the Republican leadership have been fundamentally dishonest to the American people for the purposes of winning votes and securing power. This is exactly what disgusts voters about Washington.

With the right wing up in arms over their failure to repeal the ACA, Republicans are sure to try again. But they seem to have learned no lessons from their first attempt. They continue to show no intention of reaching across the aisle to work on commonsense solutions.

According to some policy experts, the Trump administration could immediately reduce the size of deductibles and other healthcare costs for low-income Americans by permanently funding cost-sharing reductions  federally subsidized discounts that Republicans have filed lawsuits to prevent. Republicans could also instantly repair the ACAs risk corridor provision, a program that helped insurers to share risk and offset losses, and which Republicans effectively undid in 2014, driving dozens of insurers out of the marketplace. Unfortunately for the American people, Trump has made it clear that these solutions are not in his political interest.

To the White House and Republican leadership: When are you going to get it? Even after years of attacks and sabotage, Americans want the Affordable Care Act. They want it to work, and they want Republicans and Democrats to work together to make it better.

You are doing harm to real people for your own political gain. Youve undercut the ACA every step of the way and now you own it. You claim you want a healthcare system that covers more people and reduces costs, and thats what Democrats have been working to achieve. When youre ready to get serious, take an oath to do no harm and quit the sabotage and partisan games. Only then can we work together to help people.

U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert) is an M.D. and former emergency physician who represents Californias 36th Congressional District.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
To the editor: For seeking to protect the California justice system from the intimidating presence of federal immigration agents in and around local courthouses, state Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye deserves praise, not admonishment. (Blasting federal action on immigration, Californias chief justice warns the rule of law is under threat, March 27)

There is ample evidence that immigrants view such practices as a form of stalking that deters them from seeking justice for themselves or cooperating in the administration of justice for others.

The Trump administrations response, that the chief justice should direct her concerns to Gov. Jerry Brown and law enforcement officials because of their alleged lack of cooperation with federal authorities, appears to be part of a policy on the part of this administration to coerce state and local officials into compliance with federal immigration practices.

Advertisement

Joseph Grodin, Berkeley

The writer is a former California Supreme Court justice.

..

To the editor: Cantil-Sakauye was not commenting on a case before the California Supreme Court; rather, she entered the political arena and made public her personal views.

By accusing federal agents of stalking, a felony in California, she used her office to slander federal agents who are enforcing federal law. By doing so, the chief justice is legitimizing disrespect for the rule of law.

If theres a problem, accusing federal agents of felonious behavior is not the way to handle it.

Bill Gravlin, Rancho Palos Verdes

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
University of California administration is paying excessive salaries and mishandling funds, state audit says

UCLA campus (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The administration of the University of California system pays top workers salaries and benefits significantly higher than that of similar state employees, and failed to disclose to the Board of Regents and the public that it had $175 million in budget reserve funds while it was seeking to raise tuition, a state audit found Tuesday.

The audit triggered a dispute with UC President Janet Napolitano, who said charges of hidden funds were false, while two members of the UC Board of Regents charged recommendations to give the Legislature budget authority over the Office of the President encroached on UCs constitutional powers.

Among the sticking points, the auditors believe the regents should contract with an independent third party that can assist the regents in monitoring a three-year corrective action plan.

The audit of the Office of the President also found that it failed to satisfactorily justify its spending on system-wide initiatives and inappropriately screened surveys submitted by auditors to campus officials.

Our report concludes that the Office of the President has amassed substantial reserve funds, used misleading budgeting practices, provided its employees with generous salaries and atypical benefits, and failed to satisfactorily justify its spending on systemwide initiatives, State Auditor Elaine Howle wrote to Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature.

Furthermore, when we sought independent perspective from campuses about the quality and cost of the services and programs the Office of the President provides to them, the Office of the President intentionally interfered with our audit process, Howle wrote.

The auditor said that because of recent tuition hikes, she recommends the Office of the President should refund available funds in the reserves by returning them to the campuses for the benefit of students.

Ralph Washington Jr. president of the U.C. Students Assn. said if any reserve money is found it should go to help students, possibly by killing the tuition increase or helping students who are starving or homeless, but he is concerned legislators may use the audit to say the U.C. doesnt need so much general fund money.

Students definitely dont want their tuition to go up, he said.

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount), who serves on the board of regents, said the audit requires more inquiry.

The audit of the UC Office of the President appears to have uncovered the same kind of budgetary misrepresentations and executive excess that weve seen before with the State Parks Department and the Public Utilities Commission, Rendon said in a statement. There are many questions that need to be answeredand answered honestly.

The audit was requested by legislators concerned about high tuition and complaints of a bloated administration overseeing the UC systems 10 campuses.

The reserve included $32 million in unspent funds it received from an annual charge levied on the campusesfunds that campuses could have spent on students, the audit said.

Auditors said salaries paid to those in the presidents office are much higher than the pay of comparable positions in other state government jobs.

President Napolitano agreed with the vast majority of recommendations for improving budget processes and spending, but denied that $175 million was hidden from the UC Board of Regents.

In a letter to Howle, the president said changes were already underway.

The recommendations to [the UC presidents office] are helpful, Napolitano wrote. We welcome this constructive input, which aligns with our proactive efforts to continually improve UCOPs operations, and UCOP intends to implement the recommendations.

However, Board of Regents Chair Monica Lozano and Regent Charlene Zettel asked Howle to remove recommendations that they feel encroach on the constitutional autonomy of the university system, including proposals to have the Legislature approve the Office of the Presidents budget.

As written, we believe these recommendations threaten the Universitys standing as a constitutionally autonomous entity, and the Board of Regents itself, the regents wrote.

Administrative salaries amounted to $2.5 million more than the maximum annual salary ranges for comparable state employees, auditors found.

For instance, an accounting managers maximum annual salary is $169,000 at UC compared to $156,000 for other state employees.

An information system manager can make $258,000 with UC, but $150,000 with other state agencies.

The audit said: 10 executives in the Office of the President whose compensation we analyzed were paid a total of $3.7 million in fiscal year 2014-15  over $700,000 more than the combined salaries of their highest paid state employee counterparts.

On benefits, the Office of the President provided a regular retirement plan but also offered its executives a retirement savings account into which the office contributes up to 5% of the executives salariesabout $2.5 million over the past five years, the audit found.

The Office of the President also spent more than $2 million for its staffs business meetings and entertainment expenses over the past five yearsa benefit that the State does not offer to its employees except in limited circumstances, the audit said..

The audit also said the Office of the President reimbursed questionable travel expenses, including a ticket for a theater performance and limousine services. One person spent $350 per night on hotel rooms, which is above the allowable standard for other state agencies.

The audit said the Office of the President has not managed its own budget  which amounted to $747 million in fiscal year 201516  in a fiscally prudent or transparent way.

Napolitano said the audit was in error in claiming her office failed to publicly disclose tens of millions in surplus funds.

In fact, UCOPs budget and financial approaches reflect strategic, deliberate and transparent spending and investment in UC and state priorities, said a statement by the Office of the President.

Howle disagreed.

Significant reforms are necessary to strengthen the publics trust in the Office of the President, the audit concluded.

Read the audit here.
As the Senate heads toward a showdown this week over President Trumps nominee of Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, the stalemate threatens a history-making upheaval in the way the upper chamber operates. Heres a brief history of the filibuster, cloture and the nuclear option  and what this weeks potential rule change could mean for the future of the Senate.

Whats a filibuster?

The Senate has from its start operated on the principle of limitless debate  the idea that any one senator could stand and talk endlessly about an issue. Its a way to woo lawmakers to your side or, more pointedly, to block bills or other measures from advancing. Think of Jimmy Stewart holding forth in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Whats the point of so much talking?

The idea for the Senate was that the upper chamber would run differently from the House, even though it, too, according to Senate.gov, once allowed unlimited debate until the number of representatives grew. The Senate would be a slower-moving place, and require bipartisan cooperation to advance legislation, a counterweight to the passions of the majority-rules peoples House.

Advertisement

How do senators stop a filibuster?

All that talking, though, made it easy for senators to block bills, and they did. The Senate became a breeding ground for filibusters, according to Senate.gov. That became too much for President Woodrow Wilson at the onset of World War I, as one 23-day filibuster tanked his effort to arm merchant ships. Wilson urged the Senate to develop a work-around.

Has the filibuster ever been changed?

Senators in 1917 agreed upon a rule change to provide a way to end a filibuster  ending debate  with a two-thirds vote of the senators. That process is called cloture.

What, exactly, is cloture?

Cloture began as a rarely used tool to end filibusters, and it is a cumbersome, time-consuming process. Once a cloture petition is filed, an intervening day must pass before a vote can be taken. After that, there is another 30 hours of debate before a vote can occur on the actual bill being considered. By the 1960s, the filibuster, though, remained a force, including a 60-day filibuster of the Civil Rights Act. A decade later, in 1975, the Senate changed its rules again, lowering the cloture vote threshold needed to end a filibuster to 60 votes, as it remains today.

Why dont senators still stand up and talk, Jimmy Stewart-style, anymore?

Over the years, senators have largely dispatched with the drama, and instead simply signaled their intent to filibuster. Thats enough for party leaders to file cloture, or move on to other items. When a senator does seize the floor, as some have recently done, theyre usually simply filling the cloture time already required to overcome the filibuster. These days, dozens, if not hundreds, of cloture votes are taken during a two-year Senate session.

Has a Supreme Court nominee ever been filibustered?

Traditionally, senators are disinclined to filibuster a presidents Supreme Court pick, even if they ultimately vote against the nominee. One exception was President Lyndon B. Johnsons nomination of Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas to become chief justice in 1968. He ran into bipartisan opposition and was filibustered.

Why is a filibuster of Gorsuch such a big deal?

The planned Democratic filibuster of Gorsuch this week would be the first purely partisan block of a presidents choice for the Supreme Court. Republicans argue that this is undue partisanship, while Democrats contend that they are simply maintaining the 60-vote threshold needed to advance nominees  particularly after Republicans refused to consider President Obamas nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, after the seat was made vacant in February 2016 with the sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia. The standoff has led Republicans to threaten the so-called nuclear option.

What is the nuclear option?

Over the years, both Republicans and Democrats have threatened to use this tactic  changing the Senate rules to lower the threshold needed for judicial nominees to a simple majority. It is viewed as such a dramatic step in the procedural arms race that its been likened to nuclear warfare. Such a move was narrowly averted in 2005 during a partisan standoff over President George W. Bushs district and appellate court picks. But in 2013, Democrats responded to a Republican blockade of Obamas nominees  an unprecedented escalation of the partisan fights over appointments  by changing the rules to allow a simple-majority approval of judicial or executive branch nominations. Democrats were able to swiftly approve Obamas picks, but deploying the nuclear option backfired when they became the minority and President Trumps Cabinet nominees this year were able to be approved by Republicans with the lower, 51-vote threshold. Though the 2013 rule change excluded Supreme Court nominees, it opened the door for Republicans to use the nuclear option this week to allow Gorsuch to be approved over the Democratic filibuster.

Will this bring on the end of the filibuster?

Senators are increasingly worried that, at this rate, the filibuster may one day be abolished, making the Senate operate more like the House does. Even though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) insist this week only involves the Supreme Court nominee, senators are not so sure. They fear its only a matter of time before legislation, too, is no longer subject to a filibuster. And that, they say, would substantially change the way the Senate operates, relying less on bipartisan cooperation and more on majority rule.

lisa.mascaro@latimes.com

@LisaMascaro

ALSO

Senators work quietly on long-shot bid for compromise as Democrats secure votes to filibuster Gorsuch

How the Senates once-revered traditions are falling victim to partisan divide

More coverage of Congress

More coverage of politics and the White House
The Senate has been called dysfunctional, outdated and downright broken.

But the anticipated showdown over President Trumps nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, just might inflict damage beyond repair upon the once-lofty chamber.

On Thursday, Democrats are set to mount a historic filibuster of the nomination, to quickly be followed by a once-unthinkable Republican rule change to break the logjam with a simple majority  clearing the way for Gorsuch to be confirmed Friday for a lifetime seat on the court.

Advertisement

Whats about to unfold is called the nuclear option for a reason, and the potential devastation is creating a deeply toxic political environment that threatens core Senate operations for the foreseeable future.

Now, senators worry that its only a matter of time before legislation will also be swiftly approved over minority objections, making the famously deliberative Senate run more like the majority-rules House.

This is not a vote so much about Judge Gorsuch. Its a vote about the inability of both parties to work with each other in a substantive way, said Douglas W. Kmiec, a constitutional law professor at Pepperdine University and former advisor to past administrations.

The use of the nuclear option wont resolve any of the underlying difficulties, he said. Theyll still hate each other in the morning.

The Senate was always supposed to be the slower-moving chamber of Congress, where the filibuster protected the rights of the minority and gave nod to the bipartisanship needed to get anything done.

Its a revered tradition, fictionalized by Hollywood  most famously in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington  but also studied as a crucial tool of whats called the worlds most deliberative body.

The mood around the Capitol on Wednesday was grim  troubling, sad, senators said, adding that the Founding Fathers would be ashamed.

I fear that someday we will regret what we are about to do, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said in a somber speech Wednesday. In fact, Im confident we will.

Yet, despite all the hand-wringing and political soul-searching, senators have not been able  so far  to change what appears to be an inevitable outcome.

Republicans are hungry for a political win, as Trump approaches the first 100 days of his presidency and Congress recesses for a two-week spring break without having repealed Obamacare or solved other top items on the White House to-do list.

And Democrats are angling for a fight. They want to show their liberal base voters they are resisting Trumps nominee, a conservative Colorado judge who they say is too far out of the mainstream.

A loose alliance of 10 senators, Republicans and Democrats, worked over the weekend  as other Senate gangs have done in past standoffs  to negotiate a way around the stalemate.

But trust has been eroded in the Senate, and they could not strike the core guarantee: that the nuclear option would be off the table for the next stalemate.

It didnt work, acknowledged Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who joined the effort.

Theres plenty of blame to go around for what has led the Senate to this moment.

Republican senators raised the nuclear option a decade ago, when the Democratic minority blocked then-President George W. Bushs district and appellate court nominees. But cooler heads prevailed.

Over time, though, the filibuster has been increasingly employed as a sharp tool, not just to stop nominees, but to block types of legislative measures, grinding Senate operations to a standstill.

Outside groups on both the left and right pressure senators to filibuster, harnessing the power of social media to mobilize thousands of voters to flood offices with calls and emails, and raising money to support those senators who hold the floor.

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Wednesday that she knows an issue resonates with California voters when her office receives 30,000 calls. On Gorsuch, she has received 112,000  the vast majority opposing his nomination.

But senators now worry its a slippery slope before another crisis forces a rule change so that it only takes 51 votes to advance legislation and other measures  rather than the 60 now needed to break a filibuster.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) insists the filibuster will remain for legislation, but others are not so sure. And history proves the skeptics are probably right.

When then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) invoked the nuclear option in 2013, after Republicans pledged to filibuster all of President Obamas nominees, the rule change applied only to judicial and executive branch picks, not Supreme Court nominations.

Republicans objected at the time, but when they became the majority, they quietly began talking among themselves about using the maneuver for the Supreme Court vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalias death last year.

With this strategy in mind, Republicans refused to consider Obamas nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, to replace Scalia  who died with 11 months left in the presidents term  preferring to leave the court with the vacancy so a new White House administration could fill the seat.

The argument can be easily extended to legislation once the next must-pass bill faces the logjam of filibuster gridlock.

Therell be increased pressure over time for whoevers in the majority, by their base, to get rid of the filibuster, Sen. Marco Rubio said Wednesday in a brief interview. Im not happy about it, but its where we are.

Those who have grown weary of the slow-moving Senate may cheer this weeks actions as a needed dose of modernity to kick-start what they see as a moribund institution.

A majority-rules Senate could more easily dispatch with Trumps priorities  repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act or building the wall along the border with Mexico. If control flips, Democrats could more easily pass theirs.

Expediency, though, comes with a price, and others see a darker outcome. They see the changes in the Senate as chiseling away at the ability of the minority to halt the majority  and the Congress to provide substantial check on the executive branch, regardless of which party is in power.

Its very unlikely theyll be able to keep it closeted, said Kmiec. Theyll pretend to do that. But then theyll get angry at each other and it will go out the window.

lisa.mascaro@latimes.com

@LisaMascaro

ALSO

Q&A: Filibuster, cloture and what the nuclear option means for Gorsuch nomination and future of the Senate

Trump removes Stephen Bannon from National Security Council in staff shakeup

Filibuster or not, Sen. Jeff Merkleys all-night talk-a-thon against Gorsuch nomination joins the record books

More coverage of Congress

More coverage of politics and the White House
President Trumps central campaign promise  a big, beautiful wall along the border with Mexico  will not actually stretch across the entire border, Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly told a Senate committee Wednesday.

Its unlikely that we will build a wall or physical barrier from sea to shining sea, Kelly testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

But  Im committed to putting it where the men and women say we should put it, he said, referring to the agents involved in immigration and border enforcement.

Advertisement

Kellys statement was the administrations clearest official acknowledgment that there will be no wall along the entire border, something he and other officials have suggested somewhat less directly in other forums.

Throughout the campaign, Trump had insisted that the border wall would be a physical structure paid for by Mexico. His administration plans to request money for the wall from Congress. Trump still says he will find a way to force Mexico to reimburse the U.S. for the cost, something the Mexican government calls a nonstarter.

Kelly said many aspects of the wall remained uncertain, including the cost and the structure. Some estimates have put the cost from $12 billion to $38 billion.

Theres no way I can give the committee an estimate of how much this will cost, he said.

I mean, I dont know what it will be made of. I dont know how high it will be. I dont know if its going to have solar panels on each side, and what the one sides going to look like and how its going to be painted, have no idea.

Kelly, under questioning from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), conceded that what the president refers to as the wall could be interpreted as a combination of drones, towers, fences, technology to detect tunnels and other electronic means combined with border guards  an approach that would not differ sharply from current policy.

Yes, sir. In my view, the wall is all of that, Kelly said.

Both under George W. Bush and Barack Obama, the U.S. has built many miles of additional fencing along the border that has significantly reduced crossings.

Officials at the Border Patrol union, which has considerable influence with Trump, have said that additional fencing is needed in certain urban areas.

Agents prefer fences to walls because a wall allows people to be hidden on the other side, agents have noted. They also have emphasized fences in urban areas to prevent people from crossing the border and quickly blending in with a citys population. In less populated areas, surveillance and patrols work better, they have said, since a fence needs to be monitored to be effective.

Even as Kelly testified, the Trump administration touted new numbers on border crossings that it said vindicated its approach, including an effort to crack down on sanctuary cities and beef up security at the border.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that 16,600 people were apprehended and deemed inadmissible at the southern border in March, a 35% decrease from the previous month and a 64% decrease from same month in 2016.

noah.bierman@latimes.com

Twitter: @noahbierman

ALSO:

Trump removes Stephen Bannon from National Security Council in staff shakeup

At Trumps EPA, going to work can be an act of defiance

Can the U.S. defend against a North Korean missile strike?
President Trump removed his controversial chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, from the powerful National Security Council in a high-level staff reshuffle that consolidated the power of White House national security advisor H.R. McMaster.

During the first weeks of his presidency, Trump was sharply criticized for authorizing Bannon to attend all NSC meetings, a move that gave the outspoken political advisor outsized influence over military and intelligence decisions from the policy-making body.

The reorganization, which also affected several other key aides, largely brings a traditional structure back to a White House national security system that has been roiled by leaks, infighting and intrigue since Trump took office.

Advertisement

As a result, Bannon, a divisive figure in the Trump orbit, will focus more on domestic policy while Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law, will help conduct foreign affairs, and a trio of generals  McMaster, Defense Secretary James N. Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly  will take the lead on national security.

The revamp reduced the role of Trumps Homeland Security advisor, Tom Bossert, and restored Dan Coats, director of national intelligence, and Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as regular attendees at NSC meetings. Their initial removal had rankled national security veterans.

The high-level reshuffle comes during a crucial week for Trumps national security team. Trump met the president of Egypt on Monday, the king of Jordan on Wednesday and will meet the president of China on Thursday and Friday  and faced escalating crises in Syria and North Korea.

Though Trump is hardly the first president to shift key advisors early in his administration, the backbiting in his White House has been especially intense, with every move viewed through the prism of a zero-sum contest between top advisors jockeying for influence with a president who has a reputation for stoking such competition.

Such was the case last week when Katie Walsh, the top deputy to White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, left her post after the administrations efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare suffered an early and perhaps fatal setback in the Republican-led Congress. All sides said publicly it was a mutual decision.

On Wednesday, White House officials similarly cast the ouster of Bannon from the NSC as insignificant. They said he had not attended many council meetings since he was given a regular seat on Jan. 28, shortly after Trump took office.

There was no shake-up, a White House official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Bannon believed President Obamas national security aides got too involved in day-to-day operations of the U.S. security apparatus and he wanted to de-operationalize the NSC to make it more of an advisory body in the White House, the official said.

The changes were disclosed in a notice published Wednesday in the Federal Register.

Trump named McMaster, an Army lieutenant general, as his national security advisor in late February after his first choice, Michael Flynn, was forced to resign for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his phone calls with the Russian ambassador.

The White House said at the time that McMaster would have full authority to choose personnel on the council. He has methodically done so over the last six weeks.

James Carafano, a foreign policy analyst for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, said the changes at the NSC were a natural evolution for a young administration, particularly after McMaster took over for Flynn.

You can think you know how a White House should run. And you may have been in a White House before. But the reality is, it has to work for that particular president, he said. Its almost impossible with 100% clarity to know exactly what that should look like on Day One.

Bannon, the former head of the far-right website Breitbart News, can still attend the high-level meetings when he is invited.

As chief strategist, Bannon has pushed Trump toward a more isolationist policy that holds an especially dark view of the Muslim world. His large portfolio and nationalistic views, as well as his pugnacious style, have made him a target for White House critics.

He has advocated for upending long-standing diplomatic and military alliances with allies, and was closely involved in Trumps failed attempts to ban travelers from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S., orders that have been repeatedly blocked in federal courts.

His removal from the NSC may reflect Bannons decision to pick his battles in the West Wing.

Early in the administration, Bannon was at Trumps side for nearly every meeting, serving as the unofficial conscience of the Trump voter, pushing for the travel ban and increased deportations, said a White House official who has been in dozens of Oval Office meetings.

But in recent weeks, Bannon has been less ubiquitous, the official said.

In the last month, Kushner has gained increasing influence with Trump on setting Middle East policy and improving relations with China, arguably Americas most important bilateral relationship.

Partly as a result, Bannon has stepped back from areas where Kushner has Trumps ear. He instead has focused on restructuring trade deals, rolling back government regulations, jousting with Congress on replacing the Affordable Care Act and protecting Trumps restrictive policies on immigration.

People have to be realistic about the role that Jared and Bannon are going to play, said Carafano, who advised the Trump campaign and then the transition team on foreign policy and domestic security issues. Theyve got these outsized portfolios but virtually no staff. What people are finding is, you craft your portfolios, and then as you get in you realize maybe thats not exactly how things are going to work, or should work.

Carafano said the revised NSC structure reflected its original goal as a body that coordinates the actions of officials in the West Wing and the presidents Cabinet.

The changes in the White House seem to reflect an honest effort to make sure that everybody feels like theyre working as a team, he said.

Democrats saw the shift as reflective of controversies that have dogged the new administration, particularly the fallout from Flynns resignation and the presidents unproven claims that Obama wiretapped him during the campaign.

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, questioned whether Bannon was involved with dealings between NSC staff and Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee that is investigating Russian interference in the U.S. election.

Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called Bannons removal from the NSC a positive step by McMaster to gain control over a body that was being politicized by Bannons involvement.

As the administrations policy over North Korea, China, Russia and Syria continues to drift, we can only hope this shake-up brings some level of strategic vision to the body, Schiff said.

Twitter: @ByBrianBennett

brian.bennett@latimes.com

ALSO

Trump condemns Syria attack but offers no hint of response as U.N. debates action over Russian objections

Mike Pence wont dine alone with a woman whos not his wife. Is that sexist?

At Trumps EPA, going to work can be an act of defiance
Records show ex-Trump campaign chief Paul Manaforts firm received payout from Ukraine ledger under investgation

Last August, a handwritten ledger surfaced in Ukraine with dollar amounts and dates next to the name of Paul Manafort, who was then chairman of Donald Trumps presidential campaign.

Ukrainian investigators called it evidence of off-the-books payments from a pro-Russian political party  and part of a larger pattern of corruption under the countrys former president. Manafort, who worked for the party as an international political consultant, has publicly questioned the ledgers authenticity.

Now, financial records newly obtained by the Associated Press confirm that at least $1.2 million in payments listed in the ledger next to Manaforts name were actually received by his consulting firm in the United States. They include payments in 2007 and 2009, providing the first evidence that Manaforts firm received at least some money listed in the so-called Black Ledger.

The two payments came years before Manafort became involved in Trumps campaign, but for the first time bolster the credibility of the ledger. They also put the ledger in a new light, as federal prosecutors in the U.S. have been investigating Manaforts work in Eastern Europe as part of a larger anti-corruption probe.

Separately, Manafort is also under scrutiny as part of congressional and FBI investigations into possible contacts between Trump associates and Russias government under President Vladimir Putin during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. The payments detailed in the ledger and confirmed by the documents obtained by the AP are unrelated to the 2016 presidential campaign and came years before Manafort worked as Trumps unpaid campaign chairman.

In a statement to the AP, Manafort did not deny that his firm received the money but said any wire transactions received by my company are legitimate payments for political consulting work that was provided. I invoiced my clients and they paid via wire transfer, which I received through a U.S. bank.

Manafort noted that he agreed to be paid according to his clients preferred financial institutions and instructions.

Previously, Manafort and his spokesman, Jason Maloni, have maintained that the ledger was fabricated and said no public evidence existed that Manafort or others received payments recorded in it.

The AP, however, identified in the records two payments received by Manafort that aligned with the ledger: one for $750,000 that a Ukrainian lawmaker said last month was part of a money-laundering effort that should be investigated by U.S. authorities. The other was $455,249 and also matched a ledger entry.

The newly obtained records also expand the global scope of Manaforts financial activities related to his Ukrainian political consulting, because both payments came from companies once registered in the Central American country of Belize. Last month, the AP reported that the U.S. government has examined Manaforts financial transactions in the Mediterranean country of Cyprus as part of its probe.

Federal prosecutors have been looking into Manaforts work for years as part of an effort to recover Ukrainian assets stolen after the 2014 ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, who fled to Russia. No charges have been filed as part of the investigation.

Manafort, a longtime Republican political operative, led the presidential campaign from March until August last year when Trump asked him to resign. The resignation came after a tumultuous week in which the New York Times revealed that Manaforts name appeared in the Ukraine ledger  although the newspaper said at the time that officials were unsure whether Manafort actually received the money  and after the AP separately reported that he had orchestrated a covert Washington lobbying operation until 2014 on behalf of Ukraines pro-Russian Party of Regions.

Officials with the Ukrainian National Anti-Corruption Bureau, which is investigating corruption under Yanukovich, have said they believe the ledger is genuine. But they have previously noted that they have no way of knowing whether Manafort received the money listed next to his name. The bureau said it is not investigating Manafort because he is not a Ukrainian citizen.

Still, Manaforts work continues to draw attention in Ukrainian politics.

Last month, Ukrainian lawmaker Serhiy Leshchenko revealed an invoice bearing the letterhead of Manaforts namesake company, Davis Manafort, that Leshchenko said was crafted to conceal a payment to Manafort as a purchase of 501 computers.

The AP provided to Manafort the amounts of the payments, dates and number of the bank account where they were received. Manafort told the AP that he was unable to review his own banking records showing receipt of the payments because his bank destroyed the records after a standard seven-year retention period. He said Tuesday the computer sales contract is a fraud.

The signature is not mine, and I didnt sell computers, he said in a statement. What is clear, however, is individuals with political motivations are taking disparate pieces of information and distorting their significance through a campaign of smear and innuendo.

Leshchenko said last month the 2009 invoice was one of about 50 pages of documents, including private paperwork and copies of employee-issued debit cards, that were found in Manaforts former Kiev office by a new tenant.

The amount of the invoice  $750,000 and the payment date of Oct. 14, 2009, matches one entry on the ledger indicating payments to Manafort from the Party of Regions. The invoice was addressed to Neocom Systems Ltd., a company formerly registered in Belize, and included the account and routing numbers and postal address for Manaforts account at a branch of Wachovia National Bank in Alexandria, Va.

The AP had previously been unable to independently verify the $750,000 payment went to a Manafort company, but the newly obtained financial records reflect Manaforts receipt of that payment. The records show that Davis Manafort received the amount from Neocom Systems the day after the date of the invoice.

Leshchenko contended to AP that Yanukovich, as Ukraines leader, paid Manafort money that came from his governments budget and was stolen from Ukrainian citizens. He said: Money received by Manafort has to be returned to the Ukrainian people.

Leshchenko said U.S. authorities should investigate what he described as corrupt deals between Manafort and Yanukovich. Its about a U.S. citizen and money was transferred to a U.S. bank account, he said.

A $455,249 payment in November 2007 also matches the amount in the ledger. It came from Graten Alliance Ltd., a company that had also been registered in Belize. It is now inactive.

The AP reported last month that federal prosecutors are looking into Manaforts financial transactions in Cyprus, an island nation once known as a favored locale for money laundering.

Among those transactions was a $1-million payment in October 2009 routed through the Bank of Cyprus. The money was deposited into an account controlled by a Manafort-linked company, then left the account on the same day, broken into two disbursements of $500,000, according to documents obtained by the AP.

The records of Manaforts Cypriot transactions were requested by the U.S. Treasury Department Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which works internationally with agencies to track money laundering and the movement of illicit funds around the globe.

Dozens of Ukrainian political figures mentioned in the Black Ledger are under investigation in Ukraine. The anti-corruption bureau, which has been looking into the Black Ledger, publicly confirmed the authenticity of the signature of one top official mentioned there. In December, the bureau accused Mykhaylo Okhendovsky of receiving more than $160,000 from Party of Regions officials in 2012, when he was Ukraines main election official.

The bureau said it would identify more suspects in the coming months.
As it turns out, Brexit was not the first time Britain has separated from the European mainland. Scientists say that England and France were once connected by a ridge of land, until powerful waterfalls from an overfull lake demolished their connection.

The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, help shed light on the emergence of Britain as an island, and on the changes this separation wrought in the greater regions climate, ecology and human history.



For the record: An earlier version of this story said the plunge pools were hundreds of kilometers deep; they were hundreds of meters deep.

The opening of the Strait has significance for the biogeography and archaeology of NW Europe, with particular attention on the pattern of early human colonization of Britain, the study authors wrote.

Advertisement

Some 450,000 years ago, Europe was a very different place. Glaciers covering the North Sea locked up much of the worlds water, leaving sea levels much lower than they are today. The English Channel was not a wide strip of water separating present-day England and France, but instead a frozen, river-ribboned tundra connecting the two lands.

The debate over how the dry tundra turned into a wide waterway has dogged scientists for decades. Was it a sudden change or a gradual process?

The mechanism and history of the breaching of the Dover Strait is a question of importance to not only understanding the geographic isolation of Britain from continental Europe, but also the large-scale rerouting of northwest European drainage and meltwater to the North Atlantic via the Channel, the study authors wrote.

In their paper, a team of European scientists led by Sanjeev Gupta of Imperial College London says theyve found new evidence backing up an old but until now unproven idea: that Britain was cut off from France thanks to some devastating waterfalls.

The evidence for that lay in a series of strange plunge pools at the sea floor of the Dover Strait. Discovered in the 1960s while engineers were surveying the sea floor, these depressions could stretch roughly seven kilometers wide and hundreds of meters deep. These pits had been filled with looser sediment, forcing officials to reroute construction of the Channel Tunnel. In the 1980s, Bedford College marine geologist Alec Smith suggested that powerful, prehistoric waterfalls dug those enormous holes, but at the time, scientists lacked the data to determine whether this idea was true.

But now, using bathymetric maps to study the sea floor, the scientists found that Smiths hypothesis was largely correct. Their analysis shows that Britain was once connected to the mainland thanks to a chalk ridge that extended from Dover (home of the famous white-chalk cliffs) in England to Calais in France, right across the Dover Strait. This ridge kept a proglacial lake  a lake formed in front of a glacier  at bay, until some unknown event caused it to spill over the natural dam, plunging into the valley below. This must have occurred at several spots along the ridge, leaving the telltale string of seven or so oversized plunge pools stretching from Dover to Calais.

The scientists cant say for sure exactly what caused the lake to overflow and break the chalk dam. Perhaps a chunk of ice broke off the glacier and plunged into the lake, causing it to slosh over the ridge like sugar cubes dropped into a generous cup of tea. Its also possible earthquakes helped to weaken the dam. In any case, the results certainly left telltale scars on the sea floor.

It was a second major event, however, that finished the job, separating Britain from the mainland for good. The Lobourg Channel, a valley at the bottom of the channel that stretches 80 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide, was likely carved after a series of smaller lakes brimmed over. Though the scientists are unclear on precisely how far apart in time these two massive events took place, they think the second episode may have occurred around 160,000 years ago.

The researchers say more study is needed (though it may be easier said than done in the well-trafficked strait).

The Fosses Dangeard sediment infills are an outstanding target for future drilling in order to precisely constrain the chronology of events shaping the breaching history of the Strait, and its palaeogeographic consequences, the study authors wrote.

See the most-read stories in Science this hour 

The findings, however, could refine our understanding of when various species  humans included  arrived in Britain. How different would ancient and modern history have been, for example, if Britain had not become an island but had instead remained a peninsula, rather like Denmark today?

Such a chronological framework is necessary to better understand the timing of when Britain first became isolated from mainland Europe during interglacial high sea-level phases, the study authors wrote. This has profound significance to understanding the ability and timing of biota, including humans, to colonize the British Isles.

Understanding how Britain became an island nation will also help scientists understand how such a dramatic rerouting of a massive body of water would have affected the climate, they added.

The rerouting of meltwater from the British-Scandinavian Ice Sheet and its injection into the North Atlantic has implications for inter-hemispheric climate variability, the scientists wrote.

amina.khan@latimes.com

Follow @aminawrite on Twitter for more science news and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

MORE FROM SCIENCE

How did Mars lose so much of its atmosphere? MAVEN has an answer

This is how much global trade costs, not in dollars but in premature deaths caused by pollution

Drastic cuts to NIH budget could translate to less innovation and fewer patents, study argues
A Sylmar man has pleaded no contest in the shooting of an occupied vehicle on a Burbank freeway overpass in 2016.

Joseph Blanco Lupercio, 25, was sentenced to 27 years in prison late last month for a car-to-car shooting last year, according to a statement released on Friday by the Burbank Police Department.

On the night of Feb. 8, 2016, Lupercio was a passenger in a vehicle driven by his girlfriend, 26-year-old Sarah Sullivan, when the two encountered a car on the Burbank Boulevard overpass that had Sullivans ex-boyfriend as a passenger.

Join the conversation on Facebook 

Lupercio then opened fire at the car, but struck the vehicles driver instead of the ex-boyfriend, according to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office.

The driver, identified as Rane Melkom in court documents, drove away from the scene, and someone in the car subsequently took the wheel. The car ended up in the 1600 block of Grismer Avenue, where its occupants called for help.

Melkom survived the shooting, according to Burbank Police Sgt. Derek Green.

Meanwhile, Lupercio and Sullivan fled from the scene, but were arrested the next morning in Sylmar. Lupercio reportedly refused to surrender himself to police and attempted to flee from the back of his home before being taken into custody.

He was initially charged with attempted murder, while Sullivan was charged with being an accessory after the fact. The two pleaded not guilty at the time.

Sullivan eventually pleaded no contest to being an accessory in September 2016 and was sentenced to three years of probation, according to court records.

andy.nguyen@latimes.com

Twitter: @Andy_Truc

MORE CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

Community asked to weigh in on police performance

Words could only do so much: Burbank business honors police and firefighters

We were all very shocked: Procession held for fallen Burbank firefighter
While restaurants have come and gone in Laguna Beach, one brick-walled building with arched windows emblematic of a Spanish mission has endured the decades by satisfying taco and burrito cravings.

The Taco Bell at 699 S. Coast Hwy. cant compare in historical significance to Californias mission system, but the fast-food place, which opened in 1967, nonetheless maintains a noteworthy place in modern history.

It is the third-oldest, still-operating Taco Bell in the country. The oldest, in Santa Barbara, opened in late 1966, according to franchisee Steve Smith, who took the reins of the Laguna location in 2003.

On Saturday, the outlet will celebrate 50 years in Laguna Beach with free food and rolled-back prices for a limited time as well as T-shirts.

From 10 a.m. to noon, visitors can indulge in free Doritos Locos Tacos while supplies last. Then from noon to 3 p.m. crunchy tacos will cost the same as they did when the restaurant opened in 1967  19 cents  with a 10-per-person limit.

When the Taco Bell opened, it had an outdoor patio with a fire pit, powered by natural gas, and no dining room, said Smith. A remodel in the 1970s led to construction of an indoor dining room, Smith said.

But gaps in its history remain.

A photo from the late 1960s shows the stores curved facade with a metal bell set inside a cavity. But its hard to find anyone in town who can recall the circumstances surrounding the bells removal.

In a city concerned with maintaining its cohesive look and character, the buildings exterior reveals a nod to tradition as well as a blending in with the surrounding environment. A fountain and neatly kept planters with succulents greet patrons.

The popular Doritos Locos tacos at the Taco Bell in Laguna Beach. (Don Leach / Daily Pilot)

But while this location, at the corner of South Coast Highway and Cleo Street, is a prime spot to catch the eye of pedestrians or work crews seeking a bite, its space and growth potential are limited.

Its certainly not high volume because there is no drive-through and limited parking, Smith said.

Most customers are high school students and tourists, Smith said, adding, We dont get a lot of adult residents.

Norm Rest is an exception. The Laguna resident said he visits Taco Bell four times a week. His usual order is something not on the menu: a breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs, black beans, rice and pico de gallo.

The burrito is the ideal pick-me-up after a morning bike ride. On a late morning last week, Rest sat outside, drizzling hot sauce inside his burrito.

Ill get three or four and give them to the guys at the bike shop, said Rest, 68.

Smith credits Taco Bell founder Glen Bell, who inked a 55-year lease on the Laguna location, with keeping the rent favorable  meaning only modest increases. Of course, what happens in five years is a question.

Bell opened the first Taco Bell in Downey in 1962, and eight more locations dawned in the next two years, the Huffington Post has reported. He started franchising Taco Bells in 1965, and by January 1967, 100 of the Mexican eateries dotted the Los Angeles region.

Step inside the Laguna Beach location and one is immediately hit with the familiar scent of warmed tortillas. On a recent workday, a crew of construction workers gobbled down tacos.

The Taco Bell Laguna Beach location will celebrate its 50-year anniversary with free tacos and 19-cent tacos on Saturday. (Don Leach / Daily Pilot)

One employee noticed that a container of hot sauce packets was running low and quickly replenished the supply.

All of my other stores are in large cities such as Santa Ana, Westminster, Smith said. "[Laguna Beach] is a small town so the community can get involved.

Most cities have multiple Taco Bells. Here we truly are the local Taco Bell.

bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce
After a hearing that lasted less than 10 minutes and featured only one public speaker, Costa Mesa City Council members voted unanimously Tuesday night to give additional review to possible salary increases for top-level city employees and possibly adopt them later this month.

A second public hearing is scheduled for April 18, when the council is expected to vote on whether to approve the changes.

The salary-range increases presented to the council Tuesday would be the first since 2008 for the citys executive and division management positions.

The current compensation packages create challenges in recruiting and retaining top talent, according to a city staff report.

The proposed raises would apply to executive-level officials, including the city manager, assistant city manager, finance director, information technology director, economic development services director, public services director, fire chief and police chief.

Also in line for possible raises are division managers including the assistant development services director, assistant finance director, building official, city clerk, city engineer, human-resources manager, legislative and public affairs manager, maintenance services manager, recreation manager, senior center program administrator and transportation services manager.

Those employees volunteered in 2012 to increase their contributions for their pensions to the California Public Employees Retirement System without a salary increase, which effectively resulted in a pay reduction, according to Assistant City Manager Tammy Letourneau.

If approved as proposed, raises for executives would range from 2% for the fire chief to 15.88% for the assistant city manager position.

City Manager Tom Hatch would see his salary increase by 9.33%, to $237,963. Annual salaries for Costa Mesas two current assistant city managers  Letourneau and Rick Francis  would rise to $213,047 and $184,040, respectively.

By comparison, Newport Beach City Manager Dave Kiff earns a base salary of $265,680 and the assistant city manager there, Carol Jacobs, makes $196,965 annually.

Increases proposed for Costa Mesas division managers would range from 2% for the legislative and public affairs manager to 15.76% for the assistant finance director.

Under the proposal, executives and division managers would contribute more of their pay toward their pensions.

They currently pay 7.75% to 10.47% but would be required to kick in 9% to 12%, depending on their retirement plan.

Resident Al Melone, a City Council candidate last year, addressed the proposed changes during Tuesdays meeting.

He said he was concerned the plan might not take an employees job performance into account.

The problem is that those who are superstars may be unhappy to see that their performance is not being accurately reflected in their compensation and they may choose to leave, which is not good, he said.

The proposed increases were based on City Council direction to adjust the salaries so they are 5% below the average total compensation for similar positions in Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Newport Beach and Santa Ana, according to city staff.

If a positions salary range is already within that 5%, staff is recommending that the council adjust it so the employee wouldnt see a pay reduction after contributing more to CalPERS.

The proposal also includes increasing the monthly car allowance for executives from $477 to $575 and issuing a technology allowance of $75 per month.

Management- and executive-level employees also would see a lower cap on the amount of vacation they can accrue each year  320 hours rather than the current 424  and a lower rate at which they earn vacation time.

All told, the proposed changes would create $362,723 in additional annual costs, according to city estimates.

luke.money@latimes.com

Twitter @LukeMMoney
An Arizona man has been charged in connection with a series of home vandalism and burglary incidents in Newport Beachs Dover Shores neighborhood last week.

The Orange County district attorneys office charged Steven Walter Conner Ohlau, 35, of Lakeside, Ariz., with four counts of felony vandalism, one count of felony burglary and one count of possession of burglary tools, a misdemeanor.

Ohlau pleaded not guilty to all charges Monday in Orange County Superior Court. He was released from Orange County Jail on bond Tuesday, according to jail records.

Newport Beach police arrested Ohlau on March 29. That night, police received a report that the front door of a home in the 800 block of Muirfield Drive was forced open between 7 and 10 p.m. and a thief made off with watches and jewelry.

At 11:17 p.m., police said, an officer patrolling the Dover Shores area saw Ohlau driving an SUV matching the description of one seen in four incidents earlier in the week. The vehicle rolled through a stop sign at Mariners and Dover drives, police said.

The officer pulled over the vehicle and searched it, finding burglary tools and jewelry, police said.

In the earlier incidents, four Dover Shores residents reported that someone had tried to burglarize their homes late March 27 and early March 28.

In each case, a man tried to force open the front door of the residence, possibly by kicking it, police said.

No property was taken in any of those incidents. Residents reported seeing an SUV near their homes at the time of the crimes.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
The California High-Speed Rail Authority has proposed building three elevated railways at three intersections in Glendale as a safety measure. However, several residents have concerns about the states plans and want officials to come up with something else.

About 30 residents gathered in a meeting room at the citys Environmental Management Center Wednesday evening to listen to high-speed rail officials talk about the 12-mile Burbank-to-Los Angeles portion of a proposed railway that is expected to cut through Glendale.

The authority is planning to construct four grade separations in Glendale  at Sonora Avenue, Grandview Avenue, Flower Street and Chevy Chase Drive/ Goodwin Avenue. A fifth elevated railway is proposed to be built at Doran Street, but that project will be managed by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, known as Metro.

State engineers have proposed to elevate the train tracks at Sonora, Grandview and Flower by partially raising the railway and partially lowering the street by varying degrees.

Join the conversation on Facebook 

There are two path options rail officials are considering as high-speed trains travel from a proposed station in Burbank to Los Angeles Union Station. One option is to have the train run underground through Burbank for several miles until resurfacing at the tracks behind the Empire Center. The other alternative is to use the current rail right-of-way and use the elevated railway at Buena Vista Street, which was recently completed by the California Department of Transportation, and the elevated tracks at Empire Avenue, which will be constructed by the state transportation department in the future.

Resident Steve Mills said he was upset with the states proposal to have elevated tracks at Sonora, Grandview and Flower because he thinks having the trains  high-speed, passenger and freight  that high would project noise further out into the surrounding neighborhoods.

Its being designed in a way to save money at our expense, he said.

Melissa de la Pena, the high-speed rail authoritys project manager for the Burbank-Los Angeles portion, said the rails are either lowered or raised as a safety precaution, to reduce traffic congestion and to improve the train service.

As the authority inches closer to completing a draft environmental impact report for this stretch of the project, it could be determined that the noise produced by the elevated trains  which could be between 15 and 30 feet above the ground  would require some type of mitigation. At that point, officials could recommend the construction of sound barriers, said Ali Mir, a regional consultant and environmental manager for the authority.

Besides the noise, some residents, including Patrick Masihi, think the grade separations would decrease property values in the surrounding area.

Theres no question that property values are going to be impacted, he said. I have a state of California real estate license. I know about property values and what impacts property values.

Since the high-speed train will not be making any stops in Glendale, Masihi and Mills said they would prefer the train go underground in the city.

We have no utilities under Griffith Park, Masihi said. We have sophisticated technology and devices that can burrow through that mountain within a year. These people want to do it with the least amount of costs, but they dont care about our property values, which is what were losing in the middle of this.

anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio
Bravo Ms. Verma. Your informed and measured March 30 response to Joe Puglias reductionist March 16 whining is counterproductive column was exactly on point. Peaceful protest and dissent are constitutionally protected rights  and responsibilities  of the American people.

It is important to add at this point that a proven, powerfully effective way for each American to ensure that their voice is heard is by calling their elected local officials. Informative web sites such as 5calls.org enables citizens to obtain the telephone numbers of their local representatives and make simple phone calls stating their positions on policy matters they deem important. Its easy, takes literally minutes, and it works. As our former president stated in his farewell address, the best way to express opposition and exact change is to engage and take action. If you refuse to do so then, well, Mr. Puglia was right: stop whining.

Gloria Wang

La Canada Flintridge

Join the conversation on Facebook 

More on whining

A 2015 poll showed that La Canadans preferred multiple haulers. Yet, this matter is still being debated because some people cannot deal with a few minutes of noise once a week by trucks picking up their trash.

Rather than wasting more time, why doesnt the La Canada Flintridge City Council just tell those whiners to dump their own trash? One of those whiners was Keith Eich (we should be glad that he wasnt elected to the council) who stated that we would get a better rate with just one hauler. Im not even going to try to educate him by citing the DWP as an example of low rates from a utility monopoly provider.

Another genius is this guy named Charles Gelhaar, who cites a kid in Newport Beach getting killed by a trash truck as an important reason why we should have one hauler. He forgot to mention that trash in Newport Beach is collected by the citys trash collection union. In other words, Mr. Gelhaar, a single union hauling truck killed the kid. How did this bureaucrat ever get appointed to the Public Works Commission?

It seems that Councilwoman Terry Walker is the only sane voice in this matter. Why try to fix something that is not broken? No kids have been killed or even injured with three operators working the streets. Perhaps, the City Council should start addressing some more pressing problems. May I suggest revisiting the appointment of a certain commissioner?

Bob Tanabe

La Canada Flintridge

MORE OPINION

Thoughts from Dr. Joe: JFK inspired generation to be physically fit

A Word, Please: Commas come under scrutiny

The Focused Student: The power of physical education
Break open the bubbly and hoist a glass  for just 60 cents  as the Tropicana Las Vegas celebrates its diamond anniversary.

The Trop, the second oldest, still-standing hotel on the Strip, welcomed its first guests April 4, 1957. The nearby Flamingo turned 60 in December.

Advertisement

The resort, at Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue, is inviting guests to join in special celebrations throughout April.

Champagne toasts are just 60 cents each at the Tropicana Lounge while supplies last.

You can savor a multi-course meal for $60 at Biscayne Steak Sea Wine, which puts a South Beach spin on the classic steakhouse.

The anniversary menu includes Biscayne lettuce wedge, beef tenderloin and key lime tart. (The per person price does not include tax or gratuity.)

The Tropicana Theater will also host six different shows during April, including:

--Chef Robert Irvines live cooking demonstration Thursday;

--The musical Jesus Christ Superstar on Saturday;

--Kool & The Gang on April 15;

--Andrew Dice Clay on April 22;

--Wynonna and the Big Noise on April 28;

--John Michael Montgomery and special guests April 29.

Tickets are available online or by calling (800) 829-9034.

After recent renovations, the hotel is now branded as a DoubleTree by Hilton property.

Info: Tropicana Las Vegas, (800) 462-8767

ALSO

Resort fees at 10 popular Las Vegas hotel-casinos set to increase

El Cortez in Las Vegas turns 75. (Makes 50-year-old Caesars seem young)

Chat with Terry Fators puppet versions of Elton John, Donald Trump and others backstage at the Mirage

In Puerto Escondido, great food, low prices, super surf. Whats not to love? (Maybe a few things, but just a few)

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel
It is a calamity we are expecting to come It is a calamity we are expecting to come, says Sister Maria Engracia Robles, about the number of people she expects will be deported from the U.S. to Mexico under the Trump administration. Sister Robles works at El Comedor, or Dining Room, in
After handling a Seal Beach subdivision, Arthur Cleaver was left with a odd shaped three-acre lot. When he thought about selling it, his wife Kathryn Cleaver had second thoughts. They kept the lot.

A story in the Feb. 27, 1928, Los Angeles Times explains:

Reports to the effect that J. Paul Getty, oil operator, plans to drill as least two new wells to the deepest zone in the Seal Beach field, on the Cleaver lease at Los Alamitos, recalls the interesting experience of A. W. Cleaver of Fullerton some years ago in subdividing 240 acres practically in the heart of what has since become a rich oil field.

A business man is expected to have at least reasonable ability to see the future, but he cannot be expected to see a mile into the earth, so it is not at all surprising that Mr. Cleaver saw nothing but real estate possibilities in the tract, but everyone will congratulate him on the face that circumstances caused him to hold three acres of it, which have made him quite wealthy.

Advertisement

Almost twenty-four years ago Mr. Cleaver, a laundry operator, organized the Long Beach and Alamitos Improvement Company to subdivide a tract of low land just east of Long Beach, but now within its city limits. The lots moved slowly at prices ranging between $100 and $350 each.

Finally Mr. Cleaver disposed of all but about eight acres, and three years ago, just before the oil belched forth, he sold, for $3500, a five-acre block where the Pan American Petroleum Company developed several excellent wells.

All that was left was a long, narrow strip, hardly fifteen feet wide in places. It was a subdivision remnant, and nobody seemed to want it. At one end it squared out into about two acres, but a string of it 1500 feet long was too narrow for an oil derrick.

When oil was found at Seal Beach, J. Paul Getty leased the strip from Mr. Cleaver and drilled four or five wells on the largest portion of it. The first of these wells, yielding 12,000 barrels per day, came in on Mr. Cleavers sixty-seventh birthday anniversary. Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver celebrated by going down and buying them a fine new car, and they are now planning to make a tour of the world this year. Being a modest man, Mr. Cleaver is shy about telling how much money he has derived from his one-sixth of the oil and gas, but a fairly sharp pencil manages to figure out that the income for nine months of 1927, must have been $40,000 to $60,000 per month, and that it must still range about $25,000 per month.

In Fullerton, Mr. Cleaver operates the Sanitary Laundry at no. 225 West Santa Fe avenue. He is now engaged in spending considerable oil royalty money to remodel the entire front of the laundry and install a lot of the very latest laundry machinery.

He admits that at one time he felt disposed to sell the shoestring strip for whatever he could get for it, but says Mrs. Cleaver had a hunch that they had better keep it.

This apparently was one hunch that paid off big.

Arthur W. Cleaver passed away on Dec. 18, 1943. His second wife, Kathryn Cleaver passed away on March 16, 1942.
As recently as 2009, China believed that climate action was a Western conspiracy. The U.S. tried to convince Beijing to reduce its emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, and China refused. The U.S., its leaders thought, was simply devising new ways to suppress growth in the developing world.

Since then, the tables have turned. As President Trump rolls back Obama-era climate initiatives, China is not only accelerating its emissions reduction efforts  its pressuring other countries, including the U.S., to do the same.

The world is beginning to look toward China as a global leader on climate, and to some degree, China has embraced the mission. Yet there are deep questions about whether the country  the worlds largest emitter of greenhouse gases  has the will, or the ability, to fill a Washington-sized void.

Advertisement

I dont think China operates in quite the way the U.S. has, said Jonathan Pershing, President Obamas former climate envoy, who now directs the environment program at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in Menlo Park. The United States has got a history of being able to stand up and really cajole, and persuade, and push countries to a common view on global issues. Really nobody else does that quite the way we do.

The Trump administrations stance on climate change, environmental activists worry, could be the death knell for the Paris agreement, a historic 2015 accord  championed by the U.S. and China  that aims to avert some of the worst effects of global warming and shift economies around the world to cleaner energy sources

Chinas climate advocacy is primarily rooted in domestic priorities, especially cleaning up its noxious air pollution. And the countrys own challenges  its still-extreme air pollution, its bureaucratic rigidity, its relatively inward-looking foreign policy  raise questions about whether China is ready to assume the role of chief international deal maker for the accord.

Chinas leaders have done a pretty good job, as far as we can see from the outside, in living up to the commitments that theyve made, Pershing said. And thats certainly a good signal, but its not the same as trying to build a coalition around a larger vision.

Under Obama, climate action offered a rare opportunity for diplomatic progress with China  a way to forge agreements despite friction over human rights, cyberattacks, the South China Sea and other areas of conflict. Yet it was not expected to loom large in Trumps meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the U.S. presidents Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Friday  their differing viewpoints leave little room for common ground.

Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on the existence of human-induced climate change; in 2012, he called it a Chinese hoax. He has threatened to cancel the Paris agreement, as well as the $2 billion in pledges the Obama administration made to the Green Climate Fund, a financial mechanism which aims to help poor countries deal with climate change.

Last week, he signed an executive order directing the federal government to begin the lengthy and complicated process of dismantling Obamas Clean Power Plan  the landmark federal policy to combat climate change by restricting power plant emissions.

Chinas president, meanwhile, defended the Paris agreement in a speech at the Davos World Economic Forum in January. All signatories should stick to it instead of walking away from it, as this is a responsibility we must assume for future generations, he said.

China has, indeed, become a global center of gravity on climate initiatives  even for individual U.S. states. I see Washington declining in influence, but the momentum is being maintained by California and other states aligned with China, California governor Jerry Brown said in an interview last week, hours after Trumps executive order on climate change.

Brown will travel to China for the Clean Energy Ministerial, a regular meeting of energy ministers, in June. California and China will work together, he said. I met with President Xi on more than one occasion, and I will continue doing my best to work with and rouse the world community, whatever the politicians in Washington do or dont do. 

1 / 2 A tourist wearing the mask looks at the Forbidden City in Beijing as pollution covers it Jan. 16. Heavy smog shrouded Beijing as pollution reached hazardous levels days earlier. (Feng Li / Getty Images) 2 / 2 A view of the pollution shrouding the watchtower of the Forbidden City on Jan. 16. (Feng Li / Getty Images)

China has made tremendous progress on climate change initiatives in recent years. Its coal use has dropped every year since 2013, and Beijing plans to implement a national market for trading greenhouse gas quotas  a cap-and-trade scheme  by the end of 2017.

It has also pledged that by 2030, 20% of the countrys energy mix will come from non-fossil fuel sources, which will require building about the same amount of clean energy capacity in the next 13 years as the entire U.S. electricity grid. Perennially smoggy Beijing shut its last coal-fired power plant in March.

Yet this is only half the picture. People are sort of cherry-picking the metrics, in how theyre seeing Chinas leadership, said Angel Hsu, a professor at Yale-NUS College who studies Chinas environment.

China remains the worlds largest producer of coal, with the fuel comprising nearly two-thirds of its energy mix. In the first five weeks of 2017, Beijings average concentration of PM2.5  particulate matter small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs  was twice as high as the same time last year. Local officials and state-owned enterprises in several northern Chinese provinces boosted steel production, one of the countrys most heavily-polluting industries, primarily to support factory jobs and avoid social unrest.

Although wind and solar energy projects have sprung up nationwide, many remain unconnected to the national grid, and the energy they produce is often wasted.

Xis comments on climate change at Davos, Hsu said, havent trickled down.

Even though theyve done well on capacity side, with wind and solar, theres more that needs to be done, Hsu said. And I think theyre looking to the U.S. for leadership.

Then theres Chinas lack of leadership abroad. Developing nations are desperate for cheap power, and Chinas state-owned companies  looking for alternatives in light of tightening environmental regulations at home  are happy to help.

China remains the worlds largest exporter of coal-related financing and equipment to other nations; it invested $25 billion in coal projects worldwide between 2007 and 2015, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

In December 2009, Washington and Beijing found themselves on opposing sides at contentious talks at a climate conference in Copenhagen. Unlike some of their U.S. counterparts, Chinas leaders have never denied that climate change is a serious problem.

Yet at the conference, its leaders took a position shared by many developing nations: that the developed world got rich through the use of coal, oil and other fossil fuels, so it should shoulder the burden of shifting the worlds economies to cleaner energy.

The conference, an attempt to reach a global accord to fight climate change, descended into chaos and finger-pointing, and was widely declared a failure. Chinas lead climate negotiator, Su Fei, accused the U.S. of trying to evade their historic responsibilities with various excuses.

But a lot can change within five years, especially in rapidly-growing China. And the countrys air pollution  a miasmic haze that sweeps across huge swaths of the country at least every few weeks  proved to be a remarkable catalyst. The pollution is mainly driven by coal combustion, which is also a major producer of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas.

In 2013, Chinas smog problem hit a tipping point. That winter, Beijings air was so filthy  grounding flights, packing respiratory wards to capacity  that citizens began complaining openly, forcing the government to respond.

Chinese leaders also saw an opportunity: China could be a major player in new energy, a rapidly growing market worldwide. The country could clean up its skies, and grow richer in the process.

In 2014, Obama and Xi appeared side-by-side in Beijing to announce an ambitious joint plan to curb their countries carbon outputs. Xi pledged that China would stop its emissions from growing by 2030, if not sooner. Obama promised that the U.S. would emit at least 26% less in 2025 than it did in 2005.

Without that deal, climate policy experts doubt it would have been possible to persuade many other countries to set targets of their own. A year later, nearly 200 countries adopted the agreement in Paris to fight climate change by reducing emissions.

The Obama-Xi announcement did actually lead to a seismic shift in climate politics globally, said Paul Bodnar, senior director for energy and climate change at the National Security Council under Obama.

It was a pretty impressive kind of cooperation between these two powers and an important, stabilizing influence in the relationship, at a time of turbulence on other issues related to national security and economics.

United Nations officials have sought to reassure parties to the Paris accord that the deals success does not hinge on any one government. In a note to staff members Friday, U.N. climate chief Patricia Espinosa noted, for example, that new research showed that solar power capacity globally grew 50% in 2016, led by the U.S. and China.

This governmental momentum continues to be underpinned by companies, investors, cities, regions and territories, she said.

India, which is responsible for 6% of global carbon dioxide emissions, once held a position similar to Chinas, blaming Western countries for rampant pollution while arguing that it needed to use fossil fuels to lift hundreds of millions of citizens out of poverty.

But the country, with its drought-plagued agrarian population and long coastline vulnerable to rising sea levels, now has an interest in seeing the Paris agreement survive even without the U.S.

The country has already seen a remarkable drop in emissions, said Thiagarajan Jayaraman, a professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, and that momentum is not going away.

Kaiman reported from Beijing and Zavis from Los Angeles. Times staff writers Shashank Bengali in Mumbai and Evan Halper in Washington and special correspondents Jessica Meyers, Nicole Liu and Gaochao Zhang in Beijing contributed to this report.

jonathan.kaiman@latimes.com

For more news from Asia, follow @JRKaiman on Twitter

alexandra.zavis@latimes.com

Twitter: @alexzavis

Is this the end of U.S. participation in the Paris climate deal? Not necessarily, says Obamas former envoy

A big challenge for the author of The Art of the Deal  getting China to rein in North Korea

Climate report card: hot, wild and with an increasingly visible human footprint
A flurry of recent missile tests by North Korea has set nerves on edge and stirred fresh concern about whether U.S. defenses could protect Americans against a sneak attack. North Korea has detonated nuclear devices and is trying to develop long-range missiles capable of reaching the United States.

The Pentagon has spent more than $40 billion on the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system  GMD for short. Its designed specifically to thwart a nuclear strike by North Korea or Iran. Yet there are grave doubts about whether its up to the task.

Here is a look at the systems origins, how its supposed to work and the technical problems that have bedeviled it.

What exactly is GMD supposed to do?

Its designed to defend the United States against a limited nuclear attack. That means a strike with a handful of missiles, as opposed to a massive assault of the kind that Russia or China could launch. The United States relies on deterrence  the threat of overwhelming retaliation  to prevent Russia or China from ever unleashing missiles against us. In the case of North Korea or Iran, we would rely on GMD to knock incoming warheads out of the sky.

How would GMD do that?

By intercepting incoming warheads in space, just as theyre about to begin their reentry into the atmosphere. Thats the approximate midcourse point in a warheads journey from launch pad to target.

Whats an interceptor, and how does it work?

The GMD interceptors are 60-foot-tall, three-stage rockets. Each has a five-foot, 150-pound kill vehicle at its tip. In the event of an attack, interceptors would be launched from their underground silos. Once in space, the kill vehicles would separate from their boost rockets and fly independently toward their targets, at speeds up to 4 miles per second.

A kill vehicle on display at Ft. Greely, Alaska, with its silver thrusters protruding. (Al Grillo / Associated Press) (Al Grillo / Associated Press)

How many interceptors are there, and where are they based?

There are 37 operational interceptors  four at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County, Calif., and 33 at Ft. Greely, Alaska.

Map shows approximate locations of Ft. Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg AFB in California. (Los Angeles Times)

How would the kill vehicle destroy an incoming warhead? By blowing it up?

The kill vehicles carry no explosives. Theyre designed to destroy enemy warheads with kinetic energy, or energy of motion  in other words, by crashing into them.

How would the kill vehicle find the incoming warhead?

Satellites and powerful radars, stationed on land and at sea, track airborne objects. The GMD system receives data from these and other sources and would use it to guide the interceptors. The kill vehicle also has an on-board navigation system to help it zero in on its target.

Why are there doubts about GMDs reliability?

Intercepting a warhead traveling at hypersonic speed is a supreme technical challenge. Its been compared to hitting one speeding bullet with another. GMD has not shown that it could do that dependably.

The system has performed poorly in flight tests, and technical problems keep cropping up. In nine simulated attacks since GMD was deployed in 2004, interceptors have failed to take out their targets six times. And the flight tests are much less challenging than an actual attack would be. Theyre carefully scripted for success: The operating personnel know ahead of time when mock warheads will be launched, as well as their size, speed and approximate trajectory.

Given that test record, why do Pentagon officials assume the system could knock out all the incoming warheads if an enemy attacked?

They dont assume that. To the contrary, defense planners assume that four or five GMD interceptors would have to be launched for every incoming warhead to have a good chance of destroying them all, according to current and former government officials. Thats called the shot doctrine, and it reflects GMDs shortcomings. It means that if an adversary launched multiple missiles, our inventory of interceptors could be quickly depleted.

What caused the failures in the GMD test flights?

Its no single problem  its a variety of causes. And thats what so concerns experts whove studied the system. In some cases, divert thrusters were blamed. These are small rocket motors, four of which are attached to each kill vehicle. Theyre supposed to fire rapidly to make course corrections and keep the kill vehicle on course once its in space and flying on its own. In some tests, the thrusters rough combustion of fuel was found to have thrown off the kill vehicles on-board guidance system.

A lot of time and money was spent redesigning the thrusters to cure this problem. In January 2016, a flight test was initiated from Vandenberg Air Force Base to check out the new thrusters. The Missile Defense Agency and its lead contractors pronounced the test a success. But as The Times later reported, it wasnt. Partway through the exercise, one of the new thrusters stopped working, and the kill vehicle veered far off-course.

A review overseen by the missile agency found that the thruster most likely malfunctioned because of a glitch in the circuit board that powered it. As The Times reported, circuit boards in most of the kill vehicles now in the GMD fleet are vulnerable to the same kind of mishap.

Bottom line: The kill vehicles are tremendously complex machines. Each one has more than 1,000 components. And because of the speed with which theyve been produced and deployed, no two are identical.

Why the rush?

American scientists had been working on missile defense technology for decades, with the aim of creating a reliable shield for the U.S. homeland. President Clinton, whose administration supported and funded such research, concluded that the technology wasnt ready for prime time. But his successor, President George W. Bush, had campaigned on a promise to deploy a homeland missile defense system quickly, asserting that the country was in imminent danger of a sneak attack by a rogue state such as North Korea or Iran.

In late 2002, Bush ordered the Pentagon to field a set of missile defense capabilities by the end of 2004. To speed things along, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld exempted the program from the Pentagons normal procurement and testing standards.

Analysts trace GMDs problems to these early decisions to prioritize speed above meticulous engineering and development of proven capabilities.

What kind of marks has GMD gotten from experts?

The Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress, reported last year that GMDs test record has been insufficient to demonstrate that an operationally useful defense capability exists. In July, a team of missile defense experts who studied GMD for the Union of Concerned Scientists said the system is simply unable to protect the U.S. public.

In January, the Pentagons Operational Test and Evaluation office, in its annual report on U.S. defense programs, rated GMDs reliability as low. It said the day-to-day availability, or readiness, of the systems interceptors was also low. The report added that flight tests had revealed unspecified new failure modes.

What does the Missile Defense Agency say?

The agency says it is absolutely confident in GMDs ability to protect the homeland.

Who built the interceptors and other components of GMD?

A handful of defense contractors have produced the systems major elements. Raytheon Co. has built the kill vehicles and radars. Orbital ATK Inc. has made the boost rockets. Northrop Grumman Corp. has provided the worldwide communications links. Boeing Co. has managed GMD as the governments prime contractor.

Is there any sign that the Pentagon is reconsidering this entire approach to missile defense?

Some generals have said the cost of an interceptor-based system is unsustainable, and that the U.S. needs to give greater thought to a left of launch strategy. Thats military-speak for taking out missiles before they could be launched, as opposed to trying to shoot them out of the sky.

Yet for now the Pentagon is expanding GMD to 44 interceptors, with bipartisan support from Congress. (This is not a Trump initiative; it started under President Obama.) The government is also studying possible sites for a third interceptor field, in the eastern half of the U.S. That would add up to 60 interceptors to the GMD fleet.

david.willman@latimes.com
Senior officials from the European Union, Middle Eastern nations and the U.S.on Wednesday pledged $6 billion in humanitarian aid to support Syria, one day after a gas attack in the northern province of Idlib killed at least 72 people and injured hundreds.

Ministers met in Brussels at a conference hosted by the EU and the United Nations to raise funds for humanitarian relief in Syria, where more than 400,000 people have been killed since the countrys civil war began in 2011.

The meeting was intended to raise funds and back peace talks in Syria, but Tuesdays devastating attack overshadowed the event.

Advertisement

The images weve seen yesterday from Syria remind us that here we all have a responsibility, said Federica Mogherini, the EUs foreign affairs chief.

Several European ministers heaped blame on Syrian President Bashar Assad for the deadly assault.

All the evidence I have seen suggests that this was the Assad regime, who did it in the full knowledge that they are using illegal weapons in a barbaric attack on their own people, British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told reporters there was no doubt that Assad was responsible for the attack.

The nations pledged $6 billion Wednesday but expect to need a total of $8 billion in and around Syria this year, according to a United Nations estimate.

Mogherini told reporters the Brussels conference was needed to bolster ongoing U.N.-backed peace talks in Geneva, although a breakthrough still seems far off. Russia, a close ally of Assad, has not appeared willing to abandon the Syrian government.

The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized a U.N. resolution backed by the United States, the United Kingdom and France that blames the Syrian government for the deadly attack in Idlib.

Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, pointed at countries allied with Assad for turning a blind eye to the violence.

The Syrian regime bears the primary responsibility for the atrocities. But all those who support the regime share the moral and political responsibility for the situation, Tusk said, referring to the Idlib attack during a visit to Greece.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said there cannot be a peace agreement between Assad and opposition groups in Syria without support from Russia and the United States.

But Gabriel told reporters that he is concerned the U.S. may not be committed to supporting political change in Syria.

Our worry is that the U.S. concentrates a lot on the fight against ISIS and on the terrorists and accepts that Assad and his regime will stabilize itself, Gabriel said, calling the political process in Syria at least as important as the fight against terror. ISIS is an acronym for Islamic State.

The Trump administration has signaled that it will prioritize the fight against Islamic State over efforts to remove Assad from power.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said during a visit to Turkey last week that Assads long-term status will be decided by the Syrian people.

Middle Eastern ministers in Brussels called for more humanitarian aid for their countries, which are buckling under pressure from the Syrian crisis.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri told conference attendees that the time has come to implement long-term solutions for this long-term crisis. Lebanon has taken in more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees.

Mogherini wanted ministers at the Brussels conference to consider how they could help rebuild Syria after the violent conflict there ends. But several ministers indicated that they will not pay for reconstruction until there is a political solution to the conflict.

European governments have been cautious about spending money in Syria while the fighting continues because they do not want funds misused by the Assad government. A declaration endorsed by Mogherini and ministers from five countries said they would fund efforts to reconstruct Syria once a credible political transition is firmly underway.

Johnson said the British people will not accept that their money should in any way go to those who are responsible for these crimes.

Stupp is a special correspondent.
Islamic militants unleashed suicide attacks in the city of Tikrit, north of Baghdad, killing at least 22 people, a provincial official said on Wednesday.

Five suicide bombers on foot targeted a police patrol and broke into a police officers house in Tikrits Zihoor neighborhood, according to a Salahuddin provincial council member, Ahmed Karim.

Al-Karim told the Associated Press that security forces managed to kill three of the bombers while two blew themselves up. Ten policemen were among the dead and up to 31 people were wounded in Tuesday nights attacks, he added.

Advertisement

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombings but Islamic State militants have carried out scores of similar attacks to detract from the fighting in Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city. The Sunni extremist group frequently targets Iraqi security forces and civilians in urban areas.

Iraqi forces drove out Islamic State militants from Tikrit in April 2015. Since then, Islamic State militants have launched a number of big attacks in and around Tikrit, located about 80 miles north of Baghdad.

Islamic State has suffered a string of defeats over the past two years  most recently in the Mosul operation where Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition are battling to drive the extremists out of the western part of the city, a more densely populated area. Eastern Mosul, which is separated by the Tigris river from the western part of the city, was declared liberated from Islamic State in January.

Despite the severe setbacks, Islamic State has managed to regularly launch attacks in some Iraqi cities. A series of large-scale bombings claimed by Islamic State has also struck Baghdad since the operation to retake Mosul began in October.

Iraqi and U.S.-led international coalition officials have repeatedly warned that after Mosul, Islamic State will likely return to its insurgent roots as it loses more territory in both Iraq and neighboring Syria.

ALSO

New report shows mounting number of civilians killed in Iraq

More than 200 civilians killed in suspected U.S. airstrike in Iraq

With nowhere to turn, refugees crowd makeshift camps as they flee the Islamic State in Iraq
Iraqi officials said Wednesday that they had removed nearly 300 bodies from the site of an apparent airstrike in west Mosul, the largest civilian death toll since the battle against Islamic State began more than two years ago and among the deadliest incidents in decades of modern warfare.

More bodies were being removed Wednesday as the U.S.-led coalition investigated whether it was responsible, Iraqi officials blamed Islamic State, and the injured continued to suffer.

The attack came after government officials urged residents at the start of the Oct. 17 offensive to stay in their homes. Responsibility for the deaths has been disputed, as has the number killed.

Advertisement

Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top U.S. general commanding the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, has said that there was at least a fair chance that the U.S.-led coalition was responsible for the strike, but if so, it was an unintentional accident of war, and we will transparently report it to you.

The coalition has not released an estimated death toll. It is still investigating, with results expected by months end, said U.S. Army Col. Joe Scrocca, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the coalition.

The Pentagon has acknowledged 229 civilian deaths from coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria since the U.S. campaign against Islamic State began. Independent monitoring groups such as the London-based nonprofit Airwars put the casualty figures much higher, at about 2,700 civilians killed in airstrikes in both countries during that time.

 The strike is believed to have killed more than 200 people, the highest death toll since the campaign against Islamic State began three years ago.

Iraqi civil defense officials called to the scene of the apparent airstrike on March 17, in the Jadidah neighborhood, initially said more than 200 people had been killed. At least 50 bodies were visible in the area they were excavating a week after the attack.

As of Wednesday, they had removed 278 bodies, many of them children, and it was unclear how many more were buried beneath the rubble, said Civil Defense Lt. Col. Taha Ali.

But Sabah Numan, a spokesman for the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service, which has led the push into the city since the offensive began in October, insisted that far fewer bodies had been recovered  61  and that the total death toll was likely lower, 100 to 130. He also raised questions about whether the damage was caused by an airstrike at all.

He noted that Iraqs Defense Ministry released a statement this week saying field inspections by military commanders at the site found no evidence of airstrikes

Coalition fighter jets had bombarded the neighborhood at the request of Iraqi commanders, Numan said, but an expert team found no sign of holes that would prove it had sustained an airstrike.

Instead, Numan said they found walls had been booby trapped by militants, who parked a car full of explosives nearby, forced civilians into their homes and then used the houses to fire at security forces.

ISIS planted IEDs in the houses, Numan said of Islamic State. We checked the walls.

He said three government committees investigated, one from Prime Minister Haider Abadis office, and they all reached the same result.

Residents work with their hands on March 24 to remove bodies from the rubble of a home destroyed in an apparent airstrike in Mosul, Iraq. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

When Abadi met with military commanders this week, he said, ISIS stores explosives in some buildings and when a strike happens, it may cause an explosion and subsequent casualties. The prime minister said he had instructed commanders to take greater precautions to avoid civilian casualties even as they accelerate the campaign to recapture the city.

Access to Jadidah and other neighborhoods near the front line was restricted after The Times and others visited the site a week after the alleged strike.

Numan said commanders only limited access for reporters and other civilians to ensure their safety.

Troops were still instructing residents to shelter in place, although sometimes, as the situation needs, we evacuate people.

We took care of the civilians and tried to keep them alive, as troops advanced from east to west Mosul, Numan said. We want to do our job and defeat ISIS soon, but not causing casualties to civilians. So we are balancing the speed of the fighting and the safety of civilians.

He said troops have not slowed their pace in the wake of the strike, freeing Jadidah and several nearby neighborhoods, including the Maghreb neighborhood Wednesday.

Jadidah is fully safe, he said. Its behind us.

But many of the injured are still reeling.

Suhaida Hussein, 19, is treated in an Irbil hospital on March 17. Her first thought after the attack was for her pregnancy. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Suhaida Hussein was seven months pregnant with her first child, a boy, when the attack occurred.

Hussein, 19, and her husband were buried in the rubble. When relatives and neighbors rescued them, they were unable to walk, both having suffered potentially crippling spine injuries.

Hussein later said her first thought wasnt about her back: It was about her pregnancy, which she thought was over.

When my husband came to me, I was crying and saying My son is gone, Hussein recalled from her hospital bed this week. He said, I dont care. I just want to see you. As it turned out, the fetus was fine. But Hussein remains hospitalized, still unable to move her legs.

She and her husband are being treated at a hospital 50 miles east in Irbil, but doctors told them they will have to leave in a few days. Theyre not sure where they will go, and hope help will arrive soon for the injured.

I dont want to go back, said her husband, Khaled Aswa Jasim, 34, a vegetable vendor, from his bed next to hers in their cramped hospital room. I lost my house, my car, even my back. Anywhere, just not Mosul.

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com

Twitter: @mollyhf

ALSO

Take Ahmed and let me die: Victims of U.S. airstrike in Mosul recount a day of horror

U.S. condemns suspected Syrian chemical attack on civilians, but says the Assad government is a political reality

New report shows mounting number of civilians killed in Iraq
BEIRUT -- Prosecutors in southern Turkey have alleged that Syrian rebel groups were seeking to buy materials that could be used to produce highly toxic sarin gas, Turkish media reported Friday.

An indictment issued in the southern city of Adana alleged that a Syrian national identified as Hytham Qassap, 35, was in Turkey trying to procure chemical materials for a pair of well-known Islamist rebel blocs, Al Nusra Front and the Ahrar al-Sham Brigades, the reports said. Washington has designated Al Nusra Front as a terrorist group linked to Al Qaeda.

Neither group is affiliated with the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army.

Advertisement

Five other suspects, all Turkish citizens, were indicted in the case, Turkish media reported. All six suspects have pleaded not guilty, according to the English-language Hurriyet Daily News, which quoted from the indictment.

The alleged ring never manufactured sarin, a potent nerve agent, according to Turkish media.

The investigation began with a tip to police that some Syrian rebel groups might be seeking to obtain materials in Turkey to produce chemical weapons, the reports said. In May, Turkish police arrested 11 suspects in connection with the case. Turkish officials denied as erroneous some initial reports that sarin had been seized as part of the investigation.

The Turkish-Syrian border, which stretches more than 500 miles, has long been a conduit for arms and manpower destined for the Syrian rebels.

Syrian authorities have repeatedly cited the Adana arrests to bolster their allegation that it is the armed opposition, not their own military, that has mounted poison gas attacks, including the Aug. 21 incident outside Damascus that left hundreds dead.

Russia, Syrias close ally, has alleged that the opposition has created a chemical weapons cottage industry, designed to frame the Syrian government and prompt Western intervention in the civil war.

The United States and its allies say the proof is overwhelming that it was forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad who unleashed sarin outside Damascus on Aug. 21 and in several previous, smaller-scale attacks elsewhere in Syria.

On Friday, Louay Mekdad, spokesman for the U.S.-backed Syrian National Coalition, said via telephone from Turkey that his group had no connection to the Adana case, and he repeated denials of charges that the opposition possesses chemical weapons.

The Syrian government may be behind the criminal case in an undercover bid to discredit the rebels, Mekdad said.

We do not rule out that this may be a false flag operation, an intelligence operation of the regime, the opposition spokesman said.

ALSO:

Four sentenced to death in India gang-rape case

Death toll at 30 in fire at Russian psychiatric hospital

Americans escape harm in assault on U.S. Consulate in Afghanistan

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

Twitter: @mcdneville

Special correspondents Nabih Bulos in Philadelphia and Justin Vela in Helsinki, Finland, contributed to this report.
Banks in Colombia feel the pinch from the bribery scandal, but sources are confident deal flow will pick up again
All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced.  19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc.
Chaos ignited in Venezuela after Maduro's government closes the subway stations, the square, and even set up checkpoints. The Venezuelan securities tried to block the opposition rally by quelled masked protesters with tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannon in Caracas.

On Tuesday, hundreds of demonstrators had clashed with the security forces as they have tried to rally against the socialist President Nicolas Maduro. The opposition-controlled National Assembly called for a protest ahead of a vote by the lawmakers to diminish members of the country's top court, Blomberg has reported.

With just a week after, the judges tried to seize the power of congress. Youths have built barricades, hurled rocks, and burned trashes battling with the police and soldiers. While some opposition leaders have already organized roadblocks. The national securities have used pepper spray to Julio Borges, head of the National Assembly, to Henrique Capriles a two-time presidential candidate and to Lilian Tintori, rights activist.

The three names have led the protesters into the highways and began jostled at barricades. Bernardo Sanchez, a protester claimed that there are armed men pro-government has joined the chaos and opened fire. He shared that around 50-100 men arrived on the site and started shooting in the air and a bullet strike into his thigh.

There are women who sang the national and anthem and some neighbors threw their pans and pots to show their anger. Other pro-Maduro residents threw trash onto protesters below and supporters of the 51-year-old president also created their own rally in a volatile way. The Venezuela government blame the opposition parties helping a U.S plot to topple Maduro, CNBC has reported.

Tuesday's vote was reportedly canceled after the national securities blocked the protesters as they attempted to cross Caracas's main avenue. The mayor of the municipality of Chacao, Ramon Muchacho have reported nine injuries that include gunshots victim. Members of Maduro's party have concluded that the National Assembly's effort was no more than a political theater.
Ontario police accuse 12 exotic car owners of 'stunt driving'

Apr 5, 2017, 12:26pm ET

Police allege some vehicles in the convoy were traveling more than 30 mph over the speed limit, though lawyers suggest \'haters\' are simply jealous and exaggerating.

Ontario Provincial Police impounded a dozen vehicles over the weekend and levied 'stung driving' charges against the owners.

A group of up to 50 exotic and luxury vehicles was reportedly driving together near Barrie, Ontario when police began to receive complaints from other motorists. Some of the vehicles were accused of obstructing lanes, intimidating traffic and driving more than 50 km/h over the speed limit.

Police used coordinated roadblocks to divert traffic into a service station, enabling the alleged offenders to be plucked out of the crowd. Some were let go with a warning but were 12 charged with stunt driving and had their vehicles impounded.

"You have to remember that it's not just speed that stunt driving involves," Const. Randal Haddrall told CTV News. "It can be following too close, like in very close proximity, cutting other vehicles off, multiple lane changes."

The impounded vehicles included a Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, Mercedes-AMG, Porsche and BMW, among others.

Lawyers representing the drivers reportedly argue that complaints were called in by "haters" who are simply jealous and exaggerating.
A majority of Bethlehem City Council members support a proposed ban on growing bamboo on city properties.

Under the proposed law, properties with existing running bamboo would be grandfathered but they would have to take steps to stop the bamboo from spreading to neighboring properties. Clumping bamboo would be exempt.

"This will be a complaint-driven enforcement," Councilman Michael Colon said.

The ordinance passed on first reading in a 5-2 vote.

Council Vice President Adam Waldron and Councilwoman Olga Negron said while they understand the headaches unwanted bamboo may cause, they still could not support the ban.

The ordinance demands too much of homeowners with existing bamboo, Waldron said.

Under the proposal, property owners with existing bamboo must take specific steps to contain the invasive species.

Bamboo must be isolated from other vegetation by a high-density polypropylene or polyethylene barrier, which is secured and joined together with stainless steel clamps or closure strips, and goes at least 30 inches deep. At least 3 inches of barrier must stick up above ground level and it must slant outward from bottom to top.

City health bureau Director Kristin Wenrich explained that is the recommended method to contain bamboo.

Bethlehem is trying to be proactive, Wenrich said.The city has fielded a handful of complaints in recent years and it's had no remedy to help homeowners. Bamboo is incredibly invasive and can damage infrastructure and neighboring properties, she said.

"It can spread very quickly," Wenrich said.

Resident Jamie Lantz, who planted bamboo at his home in 2008, said he thought the issue should be left up to the courts.

"I don't like government controlling what I can plant on my property," Lantz said

Councilman Bryan Callahan, who ultimately backed the plan, said he had been struggling with the issue. He sees both sides: he'd hate to have it on his property but digging a 30-inch hole could require a backhoe and could get costly.

Councilman Eric Evans said there are good arguments on both sides. For Evans, it came down to a quality-of-life issue. Health bureau employees won't be out searching the city for bamboo and the city will work with affected homeowners on a case-by-case basis, he said.

"We are not out to hammer them," he said.

Council is scheduled to take a second vote on the ordinance Tuesday, April 18.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Bethlehem wants to expand a north side tax incentive zone in hopes of jump-starting stalled redevelopment and encouraging housing rehab.

Bethlehem City Council on Tuesday night backed on first reading an expanded Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance -- or LERTA -- zone that includes the neighborhoods surrounding Moravian College. Council passed a north side LERTA in September, but declined to act on a last-minute request to expand it.

The city administration made the case Tuesday for the larger district, which would run from Maple Street on the east and Main Street and Mauch Chunk Road on the west to West Broad Street on the south and along East Laurel to the north.

City officials worry that the number of rental properties in the district is on the rise and that several major commercial redevelopments have stalled. They hope LERTA paired with other city programs can turn the tide.

"LERTA is just one tool in our toolkit," said Allyson Lysaght, Bethlehem's housing and community development planner.

Councilman Shawn Martell praised the administration for doubling down on the original plan of protecting and energizing neighborhoods. The LERTA district truly represents a microcosm of the heart of Bethlehem, he said.

"This really is an iconic blue-collar area of the city," Martell said.

LERTA is designed to encourage property improvements in deteriorating areas by phasing in any increases in taxes that come with renovations. Fixing up a facade won't trigger a reassessment, but changing a property's use or adding square footage with a new garage or porch does.

The city had proposed allowing property owners to continue to pay their base tax bill while the increased taxes are phased in over 10 years.

With Mayor Bob Donchez and city council President J. William Reynolds proposing investing city dollars into a north Bethlehem neighborhood community investment program, the city is scaling back the abatement.

The proposal now calls for a flat 10 percent tax abatement over a decade, Lysaght explained. The average assessment of a home on Goepp Street is $39,249, so the city is not talking about forgoing a lot of tax revenue, she said.

Donchez and Reynolds announced Monday they've formed a steering committee to guide their new initiative, which is dubbed North Side 2027. Moravian College and the Bethlehem Area School District are key partners in the plan.

The administration hopes the LERTA could spur redevelopment on the former Miller Wholesale building, the Silk Mill complex and the former James Kunsman and Sons Roofing building at 250 E. Broad St., Lysaght said.

City officials are concerned that free and reduced lunch rates in the neighborhood's schools are on the rise as are foreclosures and sheriff's sales.

About 59 percent of the homes in the area are rentals and the city fears that is on the uptick, Lysaght said. The city wants to offer rental property owners an incentive to tackle deferred maintenance and improve their properties.

She noted Northampton County has graded the majority of the rentals as C or D properties.

"We want children to be able to have stable, safe and secure housing," Lysaght said.

Donchez echoed his support for the new LERTA Tuesday night, calling it a unique program that should be used in north Bethlehem.

North Side 2027 is a strategic plan that will give the neighborhoods the sort of attention and investment they have never before seen, Reynolds said. LERTA is an important tool in that vision, he said.

The city has had success with a LERTA that helped the development of the Liberty Property Trust building and new Hyatt Place downtown. South Bethlehem's LERTA expires this year.

Moravian President Bryon Grigsby pledged the college's support Tuesday for the new LERTA boundaries and any other initiatives in the area.

Council will vote on the ordinance again Tuesday, April 18.

The Bethlehem Area School Board will be asked to support it in May and then the measure goes to Northampton County Council. While the other bodies aren't required to support it, the city would like their support.

The LERTA would go into effect Oct. 1 and expire in December 2023. Council could opt to extend it. Enrolled property owners would receive the tax abatement for 10 years.

The city hopes to bundle LERTA with its robust housing rehab offerings open to homeowners -- like $20,000 deferred payment loans and up to $60,000 loans for exterior building improvements.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Andrew Doerfler | For lehighvalleylive.com

No matter where you are in the Lehigh Valley, you probably don't have to look far for an affordable meal. Whether you want tacos, pizza, bar fare, diner grub or a gyros, it's easy to stuff yourself for less than $15. But how do you sort through all the inexpensive options? That neighborhood joint might be a hole-in-the-wall gem  or those hot dogs could be marked down for a good reason. So why not take it from some folks who know firsthand what makes a good meal?

We asked 12 of the Lehigh Valley's top chefs where they go to eat without breaking the bank. Check out their picks below.

Don't Edit

Sliced Beef Tendon w. Roasted Chili Vinaigrette  Posted by Red Hot  chinese restaurant on Sunday, October 26, 2014

Lee Chizmar picks Red Hot in Bethlehem and Aci Halal in Allentown

A meal for two at Bolete might run you more than $100, but the restaurant's head chef knows that fine dining isn't all the Lehigh Valley has to offer. James Beard Award semifinalist Lee Chizmar suggests Red Hot, an unassuming shopping center spot in Bethlehem, for affordable Chinese food. Start off with the beef tendon, an appetizer served cold but packed with flavor, then move on to an entree of sauteed pork or Mapo tofu. His other favorite Asian flavors in the area include the pho at Loan's Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine at the Allentown Fairgrounds and the dumplings and kimchi at Kim's Kitchen in Upper Saucon Township.

Don't Edit

Bill Adams

For Middle Eastern cuisine, Chizmar gives nods to Olive Branch in Bethlehem for its hummus, grape leaves and meat pies, and Aci Halal's iskander, tarator and shepherd salad. He orders the Italian and Jewish hoagies at Lee's in Emmaus, and heads to Tulum in Bethlehem for burritos and chicken wings.

Don't Edit

Lori M. Nichols

Victor Bock picks PJ Whelihan's in Bethlehem and Vassi's Drive-In in Hellertown

Victor Bock, the executive chef at Sands Bethlehem, can be found downing wings at the PJ Whelihan's location off Schoenersville Road. He doesn't have to stray far from the office to grab two of his other favorites: breakfast at Puffin's Cafe or gyros at the greasy spoon Vassi's Drive-In in Hellertown.

Don't Edit

Bill Adams

Christina Wilson chooses Toby's Cup and Nicolosi's Pizza in Phillipsburg

Christina Wilson's culinary career  catapulted by her win on season 10 of "Hell's Kitchen"  has taken her far from her hometown of Phillipsburg. She's now the executive chef for the US Division of the Gordon Ramsay Group. But whenever she returns home, she makes sure to stop by Nicolosi's Pizza. And while Wilson isn't much of a hot dog person, she can't resist the deep-fried dogs at Toby's Cup. She admits she crosses the state line for Marblehead Chowder House. "I don't give a positive nod to most things over in Rover Nation, but their lobster bisque is flawless," she said, and adds that the crab and shrimp gremolata is "addicting."

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Ryan Lukow and Cristian Gonzalez like Tijuana Tacos in Quakertown and Coopersburg Diner

Lukow and Gonzalez, the top chefs at Hamilton Kitchen, love tacos. Their two favorite spots are Tijuana Tacos in Quakertown, where they prefer lengua tacos, and La Placita in Allentown, where they can't narrow down a favorite. The menudo at Tijuana Tacos is also a winner, they say. If they want burritos instead, they like Cali Burrito in Allentown, recommending the smoked tofu and falafel burritos.

For breakfast, their go-to spot is Coopersburg Diner, and for pizza and beer they head to Tavern on Liberty.

Don't Edit

Courtesy photo

Patrick Barber loves the Aioli Food Truck

The head chef at Blue Grillhouse's favorite spot isn't a restaurant. When summer festivals come around, he looks forward grabbing braciola and a smoked pork sandwich from Aioli, the "fine food truck" based in Bethlehem. "Pair that with a cold frosty beer and I'm set!" Barber said.

Don't Edit

Nate Thatcher picks the Taco Town food truck and Mariam's in Allentown

The head chef at the Emmaus gastropub the Trapp Door craves the al pastor tacos from Taco Town, an Allentown food truck. He also digs the Ethiopian food at Mariam's Restaurant in Allentown, recommending the lamb tibs combo. When he wants bar grub, he'll head to Tavern on Liberty, where he enjoys the cheeseburger pizza and, in his words, the area's only "legitimately spicy wings." For a "full meal in hot dog form," Thatcher suggests the "garbage dog" at Potts', which is slathered with ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut, onions, relish, pickles, cheese, bacon and chili.

Don't Edit

Matt Smith

Heather Williams craves Easton Baking Co. and Sicily's in Forks Township

Though she had a star turn as the first runner-up last season on "Hell's Kitchen," Heather Williams' didn't forget her favorite spots back home. You'll find the "Hell's Kitchen" first runner-up picking up donuts and pastries at Easton Baking Co. on weekends, satisfying her sweet tooth before she goes to work as sous chef at Marblehead Chowder House. Her go-to pizzeria is Sicily's in Forks Township  in part because of its convenient drive-through window. For bar grub, she loves the duck fat fries at Two Rivers Brewing. At the Easton Public Market, her favorite stand is Mr. Lee's Noodles, where loves gets the Dutch Ramen.

Don't Edit

Williams also shared some her favorite affordable beverages: the dirty chai at Terra Cafe; the "Beach Bummed" and "Tropical Mojo" smoothies, the cold-pressed coffee and the "Jamaican Me Crazy" juice at Mojo 516 Cafe; and the Nitro Brew at Fieldstone Coffee Roasters in the Easton Public Market.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Check out that line-up! Unofficial Opening Tap of Lehigh Valley Beer Week! We are celebrating with Weyerbacher Brewing,... Posted by The Spinnerstown Hotel Restaurant and Tap Room on Friday, February 17, 2017

Nate Weida chooses Spinnerstown Hotel and Volpe's in Emmaus

"Almost any given Monday you can find me at Spinnerstown Hotel sampling a wide selection of beers, and more than likely eating their Irish Breakfast," says Nate Weida, who is the head chef at House & Barn and the reigning champ of Taste of Elegance. While the Milford Township restaurant's entrees get pricey, the Irish breakfast is priced at $11 and comes with stout braised corned beef, a fried egg, potatoes, grilled tomatoes, and smoked cheddar sauce. Weida said he appreciates the friendly crowd and great service from the bartenders at "the Spinny."

Don't Edit

Andrew Doerfler | For lehighvalleylive.com

For a place where everybody knows his name, Weida goes to Armetta's, where he enjoys the subs and the "Cheers"-like atmosphere. Nearby Volpe's Sports Bar is his go-to for wings. He said it's "kind of like a college bar, except nobody is in college."

Don't Edit

Pork BBQ Skewers, we also have Chicken BBQ Skewers Posted by Pinoy Kitchen & Grill on Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Christopher Heath picks Pinoy Kitchen in Bethlehem and Cali Burrito in Allentown

The culinary head of Paxos Restaurants  the group that encompasses Top Cut Steakhouse, Melt, Torre and Blue Grillhouse  likes the no-frills Filipino joint Pinoy Kitchen on Schoenersville Road. For burritos, he'll head to the popular Allentown spot Cali Burrito, which offers several vegetarian options and quirky "burritos of the week"  the "Friendly Creole," for example, Cajun veggie burger, veggie dirty rice, chili mustard remoulade, red cabbage, pickled chili relish. He's also a fan of Allentown's Karl Ehmer Meats, the sausage deli that also has locations in New York and New Jersey and specializes in brats, wieners, bacon and ham.

Don't Edit

Andrew Doerfler | For lehighvalleylive.com

Tom Boehlke loves Grumpy's Bar-B-Que Roadhouse in Allentown

The head chef at Kome, the Japanese restaurant in the Promenade Shops, likes the laidback, country-style vibe at Grumpy's Bar-B-Que Roadhouse on Mauch Chunk Road in Allentown when he wants to hang out with inexpensive food and a few drinks. The smell from the smoker get his his taste buds excited as soon as he pulls into the parking lot. "Everything on the menu, from the gumbo to the a la carte ribs, is fantastic," Boehlke said. "You really can't make a bad decision on whatever you choose."

Don't Edit

Tim Widrick chooses Red Wolf Bar & Grille in Bath and Point Phillips Hotel in Moore Township

For "a great hometown atmosphere with an energetic friendly staff," Widrick, the head chef at Edge Restaurant in Bethlehem, heads to Red Wolf Bar & Grille in Bath and orders a pizza. He's partial to "the Grey Wolf," topped with pepperoni, sausage, bacon and ham, and "the German," with steak meat, green peppers and onions. "They are made to order and always heaping with toppings," Widrick said.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Andrew Doerfler | For lehighvalleylive.com

He also loves the Point Phillips Hotel, the somewhat remote Moore Township tavern where much of the menu is smoked in-house and sausages are made on-site from scratch. Widrick's absolute favorite is the cheese andouille sausage, which he says is stuffed with just the right amount of heat and cheese. He pairs it with the cheese steak nachos.

Don't Edit

Happy eating

In the shareable map above, check out the full list of recommendations from the chefs. Let us know your favorite cheap eats spots in the comments.

Don't Edit

Ashli Truchon

Read more about Lehigh Valley restaurants

The 16 most popular Lehigh Valley restaurants of 2016

The top-rated restaurant in each of the Lehigh Valley's 30 biggest towns

The 13 most expensive restaurants in the Lehigh Valley

This cherished Lehigh Valley restaurant is closed after 65 years
March 3, 2017 fatal crash on I-80

This Mercedes-Benz collided with another car then caught fire after striking a tree off Interstate 80 West in Knowlton Township on Monday, April 3, 2017, according to New Jersey State Police. Rear passenger Peiran "Joyce" Shi was fatally injured in the crash, authorities said. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)

The 20-year-old woman fatally injured in Monday night's crash on Interstate 80 in Warren County was originally from China, and was a student at Cornell University.

Peiran "Joyce" Shi, a native of Shenzhen, was a student in the Ithaca, New York, school's College of Arts & Sciences, said Ryan Lombardi, vice president for student and campus life at Cornell.

Shi, who lived in Ithaca, was with two other Cornell students, both of whom were treated and released from an area hospital, Lombardi said in a statement.

To members of the Cornell Community, We write this message with difficult news. Earlier today, we were deeply saddened... Posted by Cornell Student Assembly on Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Cornell Physics extends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Peiran "Joyce" Shi.  Cornell Physics (@CornellPhysics) April 4, 2017

The three were in a Mercedes-Benz that collided with another vehicle while headed west on I-80 approaching Exit 4 in Knowlton Township, according to New Jersey State Police.

A rear passenger, Shi was ejected when the Mercedes hit a tree about 9:30 p.m. at mile-marker 6.2, according to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office. The other two occupants were up front and escaped with minor injuries.

Shi was flown for treatment to St. Luke's University Hospital in Fountain Hill. She was pronounced dead there at 11:45 p.m. of multiple blunt-force injuries, and her death was ruled an accident.

Shi planned to major in physics and pursued many academic and extracurricular interests at Cornell, including foreign languages, electronic circuits and karate, according to Lombardi.

"On behalf of the university community, I extend our deepest condolences to Joyce's family and friends," Lombardi stated. "Please keep them in your thoughts as we mourn this tremendous loss to the Cornell community."

State police were continuing to investigate the crash and were not immediately identifying other people in the Mercedes or in the second vehicle, a Mitsubishi.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Laois food enthusiasts and culinary students with a flair for cheesy recipes could win a cooking holiday to Tuscany in a new competition being run by The National Dairy Council to celebrate European cheese.

There are two categories for entering your special cheese recipe:

Passionate cooks must create a delicious, healthy and nutritious family style recipe that you might cook mid-week. The prize for this is a cooking holiday in Tuscany including flights from Dublin and accommodation for two people plus professional kitchen equipment to the value of 500.

Meanwhile, trainee chefs and culinary students have to present a special occasion recipe that you might cook for a dinner party or celebratory occasion.

The prize for this is a professional cooking holiday in Tuscany including flights from Dublin and accommodation for two people, plus attendance at a special Cheese Symposium in Brussels June 7/8.

The competition forms part of an EU wide programme with the aim of promoting and creating awareness of the taste, versatility and convenience of cheese in everyday life.

One of the judges of the competition, Irish chef and author Clodagh McKenna, said: I am really looking forward to seeing the exciting recipes entries for this competition and feel the versatility of cheese lends itself so well to a myriad of dishes.

Further details on the competition and entry form can be found at www.cheeseupyourlife.ie Closing date for all entries is Friday April 21.
The association for windfarm developers in Ireland is to try and persuade Laois councillors to reverse their ban on turbines in Laois.

Last month councillors voted to remove 'open for consideration' zoning from all parts of Laois in the 2017-2023 development plan.

Along with their 1.5km setback rule, itwas double insurance against further windfarms for Laois, prompting a warning by CEO John Mulholland that the minister may intervene.

The Irish Wind Energy Association is disappointed with their decision.

It is extremely regrettable and completely at variance with national energy policy as well as Laois County Council's stated support for renewable energy, said IWEA Chief Executive Gary Healy.

The decision of local authority members to proceed with this vote is disappointing certainly, but we are also concerned that it has been taken without the full facts being made available to Councillors. The decision is completely at odds with national energy policy, he said.

He cited the EPA's statistic that air pollution causes the premature deaths of 1200 people a year in Ireland.

Developing clean and renewable energy will eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels. Wind energy is generally the best available source of renewables in Ireland and it is the cheapest renewable to bring online, he said.

He also gave figures of payments lost to the council.

I am disappointed the members did not engage with developers and investors prior to their decision as wind farms pay significant levels of development contributions and rates. Wind farms pay 20m a year in commercial rates and IWEA estimates that a modest 16 turbine/50 megawatt wind farm in Laois would generate 320,000 in annual commercial rates and approximately 700-800,000 in development contributions. It would generate electricity to power 32,000 homes, he said.

Mr Healy said that the vote creates a difficulty for the IWEA in engaging with residents.

Engagement with residents in communities in Laois and across the country, who have real genuinely held concerns, is paramount.

But it must also be understood that an appetite for engagement must in the first instance exist. That is why the vote of Councillors creates a difficulty. Nonetheless we will be seeking to reach to members of the local authority with a process we hope they can engage with in the coming weeks, he said.
A Portlaoise man who was part of a three-man group who robbed an off licence with knives has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison, with the final two years suspended.

At the recent sitting of Portlaoise Circuit Court, Kevin Moore (41), with an address listed at OMoore Place, Portlaoise, was charged with robbery and production of an article.

Detective Garda John Paul OBrien gave evidence, along with State prosecutor, Mr Will Fennelly, that on December 27, 2015, three males armed with knives entered the Carry Out Off Licence on the Mountmellick Road in Portlaoise.

The men had their faces covered and were carrying bags, and they threatened the two male staff assistants.

Det OBrien said that Moore stood at the door of the off licence with a knife in his hand to terrify anyone who came in during the robbery.

Det OBrien said the staff were in utter shock by the incident.

The trio stole around 1,000 in cash, tobacco worth 102, and alcohol worth 21.49.

The robbers were identified from CCTV and on January 5, 2016, the accused was arrested.

He was interviewed by gardai twice, making full admissions in the second interview after he was shown the CCTV footage.

Det OBrien said that Moore was a Dublin native who had come to garda attention over the years.

He had 85 previous convictions, including thefts, drugs, public order, burglary and road traffic offences.

Mr Fennelly said that a lot of his offending related to alcohol and drugs, to which Det OBrien said that the accused was using heroin and prescription tablets.

The accused was serving a five-month sentence on separate charges when he appeared in court. He committed the robbery while on district court bail.

Det OBrien said that during a search of the accuseds home, 1,300 was found hidden in two socks and was seized by the gardai.

Defence, barrister Ms Geraldine Fitzpatrick said that her client claimed the money had been saved up to repair damage to his moneys roof.

In relation to the robbery, she said that Moore wasnt the main instigator of the three men involved.

Replied Det OBrien: It mightnt have been his idea, but he was more than willing to participate. He was shouting orders at the other two in the shop.

Judge Keenan Johnson said he wanted time to consider the matter, and remanded the accused in custody to the end of the circuit court sessions some ten days later.

When the case returned to the court on Friday, March 10, Judge Johnson noted that a victim impact statement by one of the staff members of the off licence had indicated the man was scared for his life during the robbery.

The man didnt sleep on the night of the incident. Prior to the robbery he used to be a very trusting person, unfortunately as a consequence of the robbery he is no longer as trusting as he used to be and he hopes that his sense of trust and confidence will come back in time.

Judge Johnson noted that the other staff member had also suffered similar consequences and was extremely frightened by the experience.

The judge went on to say that this was the fourth case he had dealt with at the recent sittings of the circuit court concerning shops being robbed.

It is not acceptable that shopkeepers and retailers should be subjected to this type of robbery, he said, adding that the use of knives was common and very concerning.

It is also clear that all of these robberies are perpetrated by people who are either out of their head on drugs or stealing to feed their drug habit, said Judge Johnson.

The judge said the court was obliged to send out a clear message that people like the accused who engage in these crimes will suffer a severe sentence.

The judge imposed five years and six months imprisonment, with the final two years suspended for two years on condition the accused enter a peace bond; he remain under probation supervision for 18 months; and he remain free of alcohol and drugs for two years post release.

The sentence was to take effect upon the expiration of the current sentence Moore was serving.
For anybody with an interest in boats, there is only one place to be in Laois this weekend.

This Friday April 7, a flotilla of vintage barges will moor in Vicarstown to enjoy a weekend of local sightseeing.

The stop is organised by the Heritage Boat Association who are bringing the flotilla along the Grand Canal, down the Barrow and on to Waterford.

The owners will be around to answer questions from the public about the boats' fascinating history.

"Because of the boats' size and draft they only go down the Barrow every 4 years or so. They are lovely to look at. The oldest boat amongst the flotilla is 4B and dates back to 1912. These barges plied their trade up and down the waterways until 1960 when rail and road took over," explains Orla from Barrowline Cruises in Vicarstown, who have a warm welcome planned for the crews.

"The captains and their mates will be attending the traditional Irish music session in Creans Vicarstown Inn on Friday night and are looking forward to visiting the Steam Museum in Stradbally on Saturday 8. They will enjoy more live music in Vicarstown on Saturday night. They plan on leaving Vicarstown on Sunday 9," she said, inviting the public to come along and meet them.
Laois TD and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan as welcomed progress in situation facing Irish citizen, Ibrahim Halawa, in Egypt.

I welcome the progress made today in the case. My officials were in court today, as they have been on every occasion that Ibrahim Halawas case before the court and I received an update from Egypt after the case was adjourned. 11 witnesses testified before the court today and over 30 witnesses have appeared to date. Following a frustrating and unacceptably long delay, there is now a clear sense that a trial is underway. This is important due to the commitment by President El Sisi to assist when the case concludes.

Furthermore, today Ibrahim Halawas lawyers requested his release on medical ground and the Judge undertook to consider that application. Last week the Government took the unprecedented step of deploying a doctor to Egypt to meet with Ibrahim Halawa. He recommended that Ibrahim Halawa be released to facilitate further specialist medical assessments. Following that report, the Taoiseach again wrote to President El Sisi, again appealing for Ibrahim Halawas release, stressing the Irish Governments humanitarian and medical concerns.

I met today with Irelands Ambassador to Egypt, Damien Cole, and had a detailed discussion on the case. Ambassador Cole has made an unprecedented number of consular visits to Ibrahim Halawa and he and his officials play an essential role in monitoring Ibrahims welfare and in reporting and following up on any concerns to the Egyptian authorities.

The Government will continue with its efforts to have Ibrahim Halawa returned to Ireland on humanitarian grounds without delay. In the meantime, my officials in Cairo and in Dublin will continue to provide all possible consular assistance, concluded Minister Flanagan.
A visually stunning book that details the full history of Abbey Leix demesne in Laois was launched last week in Trinity College Library, with a local launch to follow.

The book was commissioned by owner Sir David Davies, and written by William Laffan, an expert in Irish art and country houses.

It tells the complete tale of the pastoral Noreside forested land, that has been home to a 12th century Cistercian monastery, the seat of the O'Mores Kings of Laois, the Ormonds, and the the De Vesci family who built the house and lived there for almost three centuries.

For almost 30 years now, it has been the comfortably restored home of the Davies family, filled with Irish art and furniture.

"It's a family home, I wanted it called a home and not a house in the title, because that is what it is to me and my family," Sir David told the Leinster Express, in his sunlit library.

Sir David Davies, Patrick Prendergast (Provost of Trinity College) and William Laffan (Author) at the launch of Abbey Leix An Irish Home and its Demesne, in Trinity Library on March 30.

The book includes a chapter on the the Vesey family, with Tom De Vesci also at the launch.

"I feel he is happy that it is in good hands. I told him I consider myself a patron for the longterm, rather than an owner," said Sir David, a banker and businessman who grew up in Wales and Wicklow.

Among the treasures the book reveals, is that the 1200 acre estate contains the oldest oak in Ireland, and the tomb of Malachy O'More, Prince of Laois.

A local launch will follow, but copies of the book can now be purchased through the estate office, call (057) 8731961.

See next Tuesday's Leinster Express for more.
A Dublin man has been convicted for drink driving in a Kildare court one day after he was convicted for the same offence in a Dublin court.

Philip Sheridan (41), with an address given as 91 Belmont Park, Raheny, Dublin 5, appeared before the Kilcock District Court sitting held in Naas on Tuesday, April 4 this week.

He had been stopped by Garda Garvan Kelleher at Laraghbryan on the Kilcock Road in Maynooth on December 17 2015. Tests showed an 80mg breath alcohol reading.

Garda Kelleher told the court that Mr Sheridans car had come off roundabout at Maynooth University and his car veered on to the hatch markings.

A Garda colleague drove Mr Sheridans car back to Leixlip Garda Station, while the defendant was in the patrol car.

Judge Desmond Zaidan was told that on last Monday, the day before he appeared in Naas, Mr Sheridan had been convicted of a similar offence at Dun Laoghaire District Court. That offence took place a week before the Maynooth incident in December 2015.

Garda Inspector John Costello said that created a difficulty. A second conviction for drink driving carries a different penalty to a first conviction.

The question arose to to whether the Dun Laoghaire offence, which is currently being appealed, thus counted for a first offence for drink driving.

The court was told that Mr Sheridan, a self-employed carpenter, had was going through a very acrimonious divorce at the time of the two offences between December 15-February 2016.

Judge Desmond Zaidan asked the Gardai to check with the Director of Public Prosecution over the issue.

After doing that, Inspector Costello said the DPP had advised that the Maynooth conviction be considered the first one. Judge Zaidan fined the defendant 400 and disqualified him from driving for six months.
Kildare man Daragh Feighery has been appointed as the general manager of Irelands first Center Parcs holiday village.

Center Parcs Longford Forest will open near Ballymahon, Co Longford, in 2019.

Mr Feighery is the companys first employee in Ireland and he will have the most senior role at the massive 233 million holiday resort.

The Celbridge resident joins the company from Aramark Ireland, where he has been Operations Director Northern Europe since 2006. He is married with four children, and in his spare time plays an active role in nearby Lucan Sarsfields GAA.

Mr Feighery, speaking on his appointment, said: I also look forward to working closely with the local community in what is a very positive and exciting time for Longford and the wider Midlands Community."

As general manager, his main responsibility will be to oversee the safe and successful operation of Center Parcs Longford Forest, which includes the 1,000 employees and approximately 2,500 guests per break. Hewill also work closely with the local community once operational to ensure that Center Parcs remains a long term, sustainable partner within County Longford and the wider midlands region.

Mr Feighery will officially join Center Parcs at the end of May and will work in the UK over the next year and a half to familiarise himself with the business.

He will then return to Ireland in time for the start of the main recruitment campaign, and opening of the Longford Forest in 2019.
Kildare County Council is still standing over its demand that Dunnes Stores remove the Great Wall of Dunnes in Newbridge.

Last Friday (March 31), the local authority asked the supermarket to address the serious concerns it had about the wall between Dunnes Stores and Newbridge Retail Park.

The council said the wall may endanger public safety by reason of a traffic hazard.

It also said it reduced connectivity between the shopping centre and the adjacent retail park.

In response to the local authoritys previous demand for further information, the supermarket said the shopping centre got planning permission as a standalone unit.

It said planning permission had never been sought for a vehicular access/pedestrian link to Newbridge Retail Park.

KCC had asked the store owners to provide details of the reinstatement of the gap as part of a planning application for the revamp of the Shopping Centre.

The concrete block wall was built in September 2015, just days before the neighbouring SuperValu store opened.

Appeals were made for it to be taken down, but Dunnes stood firm.

Cllr Paddy Kennedy and fellow local councillors called for it to be removed, saying the structure was not in line with the local area plan.

He said the access point had been open for 14 years prior to it being blocked up.

A Facebook page was set up to campaign for the destruction of the wall.

Dunnes contended the majority of the adjacent retail park was vacant and used for bulky retailing goods only when he gap was open.

It said more traffic was generated more units were occupied and this is why it was closed.

A final decision on the plans still has to be made.
Top Oil, Irelands leading family owned home heating and fuel business, is calling on Irelands top amateur photographers to enter the Top Oil 2017 Amateur Photography Competition. Ireland Through the Lens has been revealed as the theme of this years competition, which was launched today by comedian and Today FM presenter, Al Porter.

The photo competition, now in its 11th year, is open for entries and any amateur photographer from across Ireland can submit their image on what they think best represents the beauty of Ireland Through the Lens. The competition is open from now until 1st June 2017, which will then see Top Oil selecting an overall winning image and a further 11 of the best images to create the Top Oil 2018 Calendar.

Each year the popular Top Oil calendar showcases some of Irelands most beautiful landscapes and wildlife as captured by amateur photographers from across the country. Last year, over 1000 entries were received from across Ireland and Top Oil is hopeful that this year will once again receive even more interest from aspiring amateur photographers.

For more information and to enter the 2017 Amateur Photography Competition, visit www.topphotocompetition.ie The competition closing date is Thursday 1st June, 2017.
Ray and Des O'Rourke from Corraleehan are the only Leitrim people to make it onto the 2017 Sunday Independent Rich List of the wealthiest people in Ireland.



The O'Rourke brothers are listed at number 31 of the top 300 richest people in Ireland.

The pair are worth 455m and jointly own the global construction giant Laing O'Rourke.

The brothers are down 275m from last year, but Ray O'Rourke has told the business they plan to achieve a turnover of about 4.5bn by the end of 2019.

This should be helped by a reported order book of 11.5bn.



The owners now have their sons working in the business which has worked on Dubai's biggest skyscrappers, London's Olympic venues and Heathrow's Terminal 5 as well as rai8l lines in Asia.

Ray stepped down as CEO four years ago, but returned once again at the end of 2015. They had merged with builder Laing in 2001.

The company also acquired Barclay Mowlem in 2006 which led to the creation of the extended international engineering and construction group.



The Mistry Family originally from India but now have an Irish Passport are number one of the rich list with 15.4bn.

The Weston Family in Dublin are number two, John Graken the American private equity mogul is number 3, Denis O'Brien makes number 4 and Pearse Lyons Altech tycoon is number 5.

Eugene Murtagh who owns Kingspan in Co Cavan is number 17 on the list with 1bn.
Can you see the word Easter in the image above? The image is a screenshot of the National Trust website for its Easter activity.

Yet, Theresa May saw fit to interrupt her visit to Saudi Arabia to criticise Cadburys and the National Trust for calling the activity an Egg Hunt rather than a Easter Egg Hunt  even though Easter is emblazoned above the title.

How ridiculous is that?

Now I see that I am being asked to boycott Cadburys Creme Eggs as a result of this nonsense.

I dont eat Cadburys Easter eggs anyway so I cant boycott them. But there is no compunction on chocolate manufacturers to make sure their labelling is theologically sound. The Church, particularly the Church of England (of which I am a member) already has vast resources (just take a shuftie at the real estate in Deans Yard, London SW1 for starters) and privileges (e.g guaranteed seats for bishops in the UK legislature) at its disposal to get the good message across. We dont have to rely on Cadburys to supplement the message  indeed such confectionery business has something of the money changers in the temple about it these days. Cadburys is owned by a firm headquartered in Illinois, USA. Its founding Quaker roots have long gone. That horse has bolted. But the fact that Easter is prominently associated with the whole campaign (the word Easter is apparently mentioned 13,000 times on the National Trust website) should surely be more than enough. It hardly justifies an interruption to international diplomacy.

* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
Having spent the last few weeks delivering leaflets and talking to residents in Manchester Gorton I wanted to share my thoughts on the by-election.

Manchester Gorton presents a huge opportunity for us as a party. The response that we are getting for our candidate, Jackie Pearcey, is really very impressive. I have been struck by the number of people who have told me on the doorstep how much better their local area was when they were represented by local Lib Dem Councillors like Jackie. This is a constituency that voted 65% remain, had 19 out of 21 Lib Dem Councillors just a few years ago and where we used to get a very substantial vote at the general election. This is a real chance to show that we can do to Labour in Manchester what we did to the Tories in Witney. We are the only party that is openly campaigning against Theresa Mays Hard Brexit agenda in this election. The Labour candidate even said he agreed with Corbyn to 3 line whip the vote to trigger article 50!

Quite simply the only barrier to us winning this seat right now is people not thinking we can win and not coming to help. When we won Manchester Withington in 2005 our biggest challenge was persuading people that the effort there was worthwhile. In Manchester Gorton it really is. This is our opportunity to deliver a knockout blow to Labour and show up their hypocrisy on Brexit. Getting a good result in Manchester Gorton improves the chances for all of us facing Labour in elections in the future.

So please come join me on the streets of Manchester and help me deliver our proud and defiant message to the people of this constituency. They deserve someone who will really fight for them and in Jackie Pearcey and the Liberal Democrats, thats what they will get!

You can sign up to help in the Manchester Gorton by-election here.

* Cllr John Leech was Lib Dem MP for Manchester Withington until 2015 and is now an opposition councillor in Manchester.
Tom Brake wrote for The House magazine about the threats to civil liberties in the wake of the Westminster attacks. He said that the appropriate response to the horror was:

What the attacker sought to do in his rampage was to instil fear and division, erode our democracy, shake confidence in our institutions and rupture our way of life. Our response must be more unity, more democracy, and steadfast humanity in the face of evil. We must always counter hate with love. We will remain open, tolerant and united.

The article was written before Amber Rudd effectively conceded that she had been talking rubbish about encryption, but he highlighted why that was a bad idea and went on to talk about how the sweeping powers the Government had given itself could be absued in the wrong hands:

The bigger issue, of course, is this will not be effective. The 2015 Paris attacks were planned on non-encrypted burner phones, and the attackers were known to the authorities. The issue was the lack of police resources to track potential criminals, not the lack of access to encrypted messages. And drowning our intelligence services in a mountain of irrelevant data is unlikely to help, as the Danes recently discovered. The Snoopers Charter was a startling overreach when it was voted through last year, and this would be a horrifying extension of it. Few of us would give the government a key to our house to look through our drawers without a court warrant, and we must be careful to treat our online belongings with the same respect. Tools which are originally well intentioned can, with a simple change of government, be appropriated as tools to silence free speech, erode our privacy and curtail our freedoms. What was once about protecting us from terrorism or children from abuse, can easily become about tracking those who dissent from government opinion or blocking access to certain media outlets. If this sounds Orwellian, it should. That is the reality of the slippery slope the government is wilfully guiding us down.

* Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary in print, on air or online.
As Theresa May went all Donald Trump on us by playing up to traditional Tory supporters and focusing on an irrelevant and inaccurate news report about Easter eggs to distract us from the general chaos of her Government, The Liberal Democrat Press Office quietly went about providing commentary on the actual big issues of the day.

Our press team highlighted contradictory remarks by Philip Hammond and Boris Johnson. Boris was doing his best Itll be fine if we dont get a brexit deal in Germany, while Hammond said that we needed one to protect our economy in India. Tim Farron commented:

This Government is in utter chaos over Brexit. Philip Hammond says one thing in India, then is immediately contradicted by Boris Johnson in Germany. It seems its not just some in the Chancellors own party who dont want a deal on Brexit  its some in his own cabinet. Theresa May should clarify whether she still believes that no deal is better than a bad deal, and if she agrees with her Chancellor of her Foreign Secretary. The Brexiteers need to drop the bluster and bravado and admit that crashing out of the EU without a deal would be a disaster for our economy.

Tom Brake reminded us of the failings of the Philippines leader as Liam Fox was about to pay a visit:

Duterte is one of the 21st centurys most sinister leaders and Liam Fox has flown halfway around the world to grovel to him. The fact that the first visit made by Fox since triggering Article 50 is to the Philippines shows just how low this government is willing to stoop in order to secure even a minimal trade deal in the future. According to UK trade statistics, the value of our exports to the Philippines are just 500 million a year- to put this into context our total international trade is currently over 28 billion a month. So not only is Fox blind to the horrific human rights abuses and endemic corruption in the Philippines, hes also clearly oblivious to the actual realities of doing trade with them. No amount of pandering to corrupt regimes can replace our membership of the Single Market, which is why the Liberal Democrats will continue to fight against the hard, divisive Brexit this government is pursuing.

If, like me, youve noticed that things seem to cost more when you do your food shopping, youd be right. Prices in supermarkets have gone up by 2.3% in the last three months according to research. Susan Kramer said:

Shoppers are feeling the Brexit squeeze, with prices rising while real wages continue to fall. This is only set to get worse as the Government continues with its reckless plans to damage our economy by pulling Britain out of the Single Market. Its not too late to stop a hard Brexit and prevent a long-term squeeze to peoples living standards. The British people must be given the final say over what comes next. They can choose to keep Britain in the Single Market, and if they want, to remain in the European Union.

This was just a fraction of their output on the serious stuff yesterday.

However, they couldnt resist a wee foray into Egg-gate. They are human, after all. How many egg analogies can you get into one press release? I was slightly disappointed that they didnt get hard-boiled in there, given that thats what we traditionally do with them at Easter, but I did smile.

Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have got egg on their faces today. They both scrambled out eggs-traordinary statements criticising Cadburys and the National Trust for something they havent actually done. This is a eggs-tremely big distraction. I think we all feel poached by this whole sorry saga, but none of us more so than Cadburys and the National Trust, who have done nothing wrong and are right to feel egg-rieved by the criticism they have received. Happy Easter, everyone.

But the funniest part was the Notes to eggs at the end:

Notes to Eggs  FAO Cadburys Press Office  please send free samples to 8-10 Great George Street, London SW1P 3AE.

The press team has got itself a good reputation for rapid response to stores. Remember last week, proper journalists were talking on Twitter about how good they are so they definitely deserve to be rewarded with chocolate.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
If you listen to most experts, the reason for the crisis in the NHS comes from under-resourcing and an aging population. But, no, UKIP council candidates in Chard in Yeovil have come up with another explanation. Its all the fault of women doctors and their career breaks and part-time doctors. Buzzfeed has the story:

The leaflet was produced by local UKIP councillors in Somerset who suggest alleged positive discrimination in the GP hiring process could ultimately lead to local surgeries closing altogether. How many female Doctors are there in your surgery working 2 or 3 days a week? it asks, warning the issue could result in thousands of patients being left without access to medical care when GPs retire.

They have a quote from Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Yeovil, Daisy Benson:

UKIP might wish we were living in the 1950s, but its 2017!

Quite!
UNIONS and Bus Eireann management are attending WRC talks this Wednesday morning, with the hope of ending the industrial action, should all parties come to an agreement.

While talks recommence at 10.30am, up to 80 Bus Eireann workers remain at the station as the strike enters its 13th day.

The Transport Salaried Staff Association said this week that its the longest-lasting industrial action the union has participated in, in its 120 years.

Speaking ahead of Wednesdays talks, the National Bus and Rail Union said that it will address a number issues during the meeting.

"One of the first items on our agenda will be a complete review of the managerial structure at Bus Eireann, inclusive of the salary levels associated with the roles of those who are leading the demand for our members to become more productive, a spokesperson said.

Just returning home from Limerick where I attended an excellent discussion with 40 bus workers on how the Govt and BE agenda can be defeated  Mick Barry TD (@MickBarryTD) March 31, 2017

"NBRU members, and other staff across Bus Eireann are extremely frustrated with the apparent lack of urgency around the requirement to resolve this debilitating transport dispute, NBRU boss Dermot OLeary said on Tuesday evening.

Minister for Transport Shane Ross, welcoming the resumed talks, said in a statement on Tuesday: I welcome the announcement that both parties have accepted an invitation from the WRC to recommence discussions. I hope that all involved can use this opportunity to agree upon an acceptable and fair deal. The travelling public will expect that the parties can come to an agreement that allows for an end to this recent period of disruption to transport services.
A VOLUNTARY group which has re-established scenic walking routes has brought a new lease of life to an often forgotten corner of West Limerick.

Often passed over by many tourists heading down the N21 or N69 to Co Kerry, the Broadford/Ashford area is one of the most beautiful and scenic parts of Limerick.

A community project, chaired by Broadford man Sean Neenan has brought a series of neglected trails around the Mullaghareirk mountain range back into use, delivering economic benefits to the area.

Set up in 2012, the voluntary committee has produced storyboards and guided walks around six routes in the hills above the two villages, with the trails running between 6km and 20km.

While guided walks are offered on the second Sunday of the month  with alternating starts between Broadford and Ashford  the up-to-date storyboards and waymarkers ensure that outside these times, it will be hard for anyone to get lost!

Broadford/Ashford Walking Trails is the Limerick Leaders representative in the annual Get Involved contest, a national initiative aimed at recognising sustainable enterprises.

And this is exactly what the local group believe they are providing to the parishes.

In a submission to the Get Involved judges  who will consider the application fully next week  the group states: Our project shows our holistic application of sustainability principles. Our community sees many advantages in the trails, and each aspect of the benefits of the trails are interconnected. With such a huge emphasis on mental health and wellbeing, and exercise being a very important factor relating to these, the trails are there for everyone to use on an ongoing basis. The community is caring more for its environment by enjoying the flora and fauna and learning as they walk with the informative storyboards.

The project marries the need for sustainability with an appreciation for the environment.

On top of this, it has improved the atmosphere in what are already thriving communities in Ashford and Broadford.

Maintaining social contact with our neighbours is very important to us in the West Limerick area. The first co-operative creamery opened in Ireland by the co-operative movement was in the Dromcollogher/Broadford area in 1889 and strong links like these continued to be carried out. Unfortunately in recent times, the area has suffered a number of factory closures, particularly in the area of poultry processing, and the amalgamation of large dairy factories. As a consequence, pro-active and inclusive roles have been taken on by various members of the community to build local resilience and generate new livelihoods.

The walks will be there for generations to come, while being used by all age groups now. They are of huge advantage to the local school as they have been awarded Green and Active flags.

The group hopes being part of the contest will give some much needed attention to the area, which was hailed by RTEs John Creedon as A beautiful part of the world with fantastic views over the valley floor.
A LEADING European Commission funding representative said that the UK stands to be worse hit than Ireland following Brexit and that Foynes Port will play a huge role in trade between the two countries.

Professor Peter Balazs, who is the European coordinator for the North Sea Mediterranean Core Network Corridor, was in Foynes this week to get an update on the companys programme of investment, which is part-funded by the corridor.

He was greeted by Shannon Foynes Port Company CEO Pat Keating and a local political delegation.

Mr Balazs, who visited the port for the first time two years ago, also said that Shannon Foynes Port Companys current investment programme is moving in the right direction in a post-Brexit EU.

Speaking of the Brexit implications, he said that we dont know yet at this very early stage what the UKs framework conditions will be.

But I am confident that any form of free trade arrangement between the UK and the rest of the EU would not affect the trade for here, he said.

It will have a serious impact on trade with the outside world, mostly for the UK, much less for Europe. A lot of new agreements will be concluded, but for trade [to happen] between the UK and the rest of the EU, including Ireland, transport will be needed and I think that Shannon Foynes is going in the right direction, in a nutshell, he added.

Professor Balazs said that while it is too early to predict what will flow from Brexit discussions, there will be some changes in financing. He also hinted that the North Sea Mediterranean Corridor could be extended to include Foynes Port.

I can only hope that we can maintain the integrity of the existing North Sea Mediterranean Corridor, which had included for the first time in history the UK into an EU based transport project, he said.

Of course some conditions of co-finance will change for the UK, not for Ireland. But this is a good opportunity to reconsider some fundamental questions, including the corridor alignment for the Irish territory and I would be very much in favour of extending the scope of the corridor in Ireland. This depends on the approval of all the EU member states and institutions but we can take some initial steps in that direction, added the professor.

Hungarian native Mr Balazs also said that he is impressed by developments at the port. I can see since my first visit here more than two years ago the progress, and I am convinced that Shannon Foynes has obvious opportunities, he said.

One is the deep water access, which is a privilege for a seaport to have. The deep water is important because of the growing size of ships. Shannon has a natural advantage, because many other ports within the corridor I am in charge of are investing big amounts in deepening their waters. Shannon has it natural, so it has to be very pleased with that.

Another advantage for Shannon is the very high market share of this port in Ireland. A third advantage is the long term strategy of the port as it has concrete plans out to 2041. This is an excellent idea to get political support and the confidence from business circles and, of course, co-financing from the European Union.

Two years ago, the port company successfully applied for a 3m grant from the North Med Corridor for two projects - 2.2m for the East Jetty Infill Programme at Foynes Port and a further 800,000 for a feasibility study for the regeneration of the rail link between Limerick and the port.

It is now applying for funding under the 2017 fund, Blended Call, to join existing jetties at Foynes, infill an area behind these jetties and also develop 90 acres of lands for ancillary port storage and port-related activities, at a total cost of 25m.
May 1, 2021, 6 AM

Though unused, the stamplike imprint on this airmail envelope expressed the home-rule aspirations of Basque people in northern Spain.

Covering the World  By Ken Lawrence

This unused airmail envelope has a cinderella stamp imprint that includes a bilingual inscription in Basque and Spanish languages. In English it translates as Government of Basque Country and Airmail.

The pictorial element of the indicium includes a Basque national flag in the foreground, an airplane silhouette overhead at the left, and a covered bridge over a creek below at the right.

Considering the historical context, contemporaneous opportunities to mail such an envelope legally, even with Spanish postage stamps affixed, would have been short-lived.

Connect with Linns Stamp News:

Sign up for our newsletter

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

The envelope probably was printed and distributed in the mid-1930s when the Spanish Republic, in the throes of civil war, negotiated and adopted a statute that granted home rule to Basque provinces in Spain. The 1936 law was repealed after the Basque army surrendered to Gen. Francisco Francos Falangist force in 1937.

On April 26, 1937, the Basques had endured the most notorious atrocity of that cruel conflict when the German Luftwaffe Condor Legion bombed the Basque village of Guernica, intentionally killing hundreds of civilians. It became the subject of Pablo Picassos most famous painting, titled Guernica.
We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.
Birds and the bees

in June 2015, scientists published a study in the journal Current Biology describing what was thought to be the first solid evidence of virgin births in vertebrates in the wild. In Florida, smalltooth sawfish were found to reproduce without sex, in a type of asexual reproduction known as parthenogenesis. (Image credit: Oceans-Image/Photoshot/Newscom)

Forget what you know about the birds and the bees: Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands.

Reproduction typically requires sperm from a male to fertilize a woman's egg, but in some cases, nature has outsmarted the system. To cope with living in captivity, or a lack of suitable mates, evolutionary adaptations have enabled some creatures to have babies without sex. And while that may sound miraculous, it's not as uncommon as you may think. Here are nine incredible tales of virgin births in the animal kingdom.

Zebra shark

In April 2016, three baby zebra sharks were born at the Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia. While the birth of baby animals is not altogether unusual at aquariums, these babies were born to a female shark named Leonie who had been living apart from male sharks for several years. (Image credit: Tourism & Events Queensland)

In April 2016, three baby zebra sharks were born at the Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia. While the birth of baby animals is not altogether unusual at aquariums, these babies were born to a female shark named Leonie who had been living apart from male sharks for several years. In fact, Leonie was separated from her mate in 2012.

So what gives? At the time, biologists said Leonie could be the first shark ever observed to make the switch from sexual to asexual reproduction. The type of asexual reproduction characterized in Leonie's case is known as parthenogenesis, which occurs when embryos develop and mature without fertilization by a male's sperm. Instead, an egg progenitor cell functions as a surrogate sperm to "fertilize" the egg.

In a study published in January 2017 in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers said Leonie's case suggests that parthenogenesis could be an evolutionary adaptation to a lack of suitable mates. [Read the full story about Leonie the shark]

Yellow-bellied water snake

In September 2015, a female water snake at the Missouri Department of Conservation's (MDC) Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center gave birth to a litter of snakes without any help from a male. (Image credit: Candice Davis, MDC)

Turns out, there's at least one yellow-bellied water snake that doesn't need a man. In September 2015, a female water snake at the Missouri Department of Conservation's (MDC) Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center gave birth to a litter of snakes without any help from a male. At the time, the snake had not been with a male mate in eight years, and it was actually the second year in a row that she had a "virgin birth," according to MDC officials.

The female snake's impressive feat boils down to parthenogenesis, during which babies are produced by females absent of genetic contribution from a male. Scientists have seen this type of reproduction in other snake species, including copperheads, green anacondas and pit vipers.

With parthenogenesis, the normal division of cells typically results in four egg-progenitor cells, but instead of the female's body reabsorbing three egg-progenitor cells (leaving one egg), one of the female cells behaves like sperm and fertilizes the egg. Why does this happen? Essentially, this type of asexual reproduction occurs when there is a lack of suitable mates. It's evolution in action, folks. [Read the full story about the snake's virgin birth]

Komodo dragon

At London's Chester Zoo, a female Komodo dragon named Flora had the first documented virgin births of their lizard species in 2006. (Image credit: Steve Finn/Getty Images)

At London's Chester Zoo, a female Komodo dragon named Flora had the world's first documented virgin births of this lizard species in 2006. The reproductive process, called parthenogenesis, occurs when an unfertilized egg develops to maturity. In May 2006, Flora laid 25 eggs, including 11 that were viable. Zookeepers knew something strange was going on, because Flora had never come in contact with a male Komodo dragon while at the Chester Zoo. A paternity test confirmed that all the genetic material in the eggs had come from Flora. [Read the full story about Flora's virgin conception]

Boa constrictor

In 2010, scientists discovered that boa constrictors can reproduce by virgin birth. Scientists studied a female boa constrictor from an online store that sells captive-bred boas. The female serpent had given birth to litters twice in two years. (Image credit: Warren Booth)

No boys allowed! In 2010, scientists discovered that boa constrictors can reproduce by virgin birth. Scientists studied a female boa constrictor from an online store that sold captive-bred boas. The female serpent had given birth to litters twice in two years. The baby boas were all female and were the same caramel color as their mother. Genetic tests revealed that the progeny did not carry any genes from any of the males that had come into contact with the female boa, indicating that they were fatherless.

Interestingly, the female boa experienced this type of asexual reproduction in years when males were present.

"Is it possible that the female selectively chose not to utilize the male sperm if breeding occurred?" study co-author Warren Booth, a population and evolutionary geneticist at North Carolina State University at Raleigh told Live Science in 2010. "Is it possible that the males were genetically incompatible with the female? We simply do not know enough about parthenogenesis in boas to speculate." [Read the full story about fatherless reproduction in boas]

Sawfish

in June 2015, scientists published a study in the journal Current Biology describing what was thought to be the first solid evidence of virgin births in vertebrates in the wild. In Florida, smalltooth sawfish were found to reproduce without sex, in a type of asexual reproduction known as parthenogenesis. (Image credit: Oceans-Image/Photoshot/Newscom)

Most "virgin births" in vertebrates (animals with a backbone) are seen with captive animals, but in June 2015, scientists published a study in the journal Current Biology describing what was thought to be the first solid evidence of virgin births in vertebrates in the wild. In Florida, smalltooth sawfish were found to reproduce without sex, instead relying on parthenogenesis.

"Vertebrate animals that we always thought were restricted to reproducing via sex in the wild actually have another option that does not involve sex," study co-author Demian Chapman, a marine biologist at Stony Brook University in New York, told Live Science in 2015.

In the study, the researchers said the babies born from virgin births regularly live in the wild. Parthenogenesis may occur in small or dwindling populations when mates are scarce, the scientists found. And though this may seem like good news for the endangered smalltooth sawfish, parthenogenesis alone is not enough to save species from extinction. Still, the researchers said the findings could inspire conservation efforts. [Read the full story about virgin births among sawfish]

Pit viper

In 2011, scientists revealed that deadly pit vipers can also reproduce without sex. Researchers investigated a female copperhead at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. (Image credit: Adobe Stock)

In 2011, scientists revealed that deadly pit vipers can also reproduce without sex. Researchers investigated a female copperhead at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. The serpent came into contact with only one male corn snake over the course of five years. Scientists said interbreeding between the two species was unlikely or even impossible. In 2009, the female copperhead gave birth to a litter, and when scientists analyzed DNA from the babies, they found no evidence of genes from a father.

"With the availability of DNA fingerprinting technologies, we are now becoming aware that the process of parthenogenesis is in fact more common than we ever imagined," study author Warren Booth, an evolutionary and population geneticist at North Carolina State University at Raleigh, told Live Science in 2011.

In the study, scientists said parthenogenesis may have evolved in pit vipers to overcome a lack of suitable mates. [Read the full story about virgin births in pit vipers]

Atlantic blacktip shark

Tidbit didn't need a male to have a baby. Scientists discovered that Atlantic blacktip sharks are capable of virgin births after performing an autopsy on Tidbit and finding that the female shark was with child. (Image credit: Adobe Stock)

Tidbit didn't need a male to have a baby. Scientists discovered that Atlantic blacktip sharks are capable of virgin births, after performing an autopsy on Tidbit and finding that the female shark was pregnant. It was the second reported case of virgin pregnancy in sharks (the first being a hammerhead shark that gave birth to a single pup with no father).

"We have never observed her in reproductive behavior or showing typical signs of having been bred," Beth Firchau, a researcher at the Virginia Aquarium, said in 2008.

Firchau said there were no males in Tidbit's tank for the prior eight years, and scientists used genetic testing to confirm that the shark's unborn pup contained only DNA from its mom. The discovery was described in a study published in October 2008 in the Journal of Fish Biology. [Read the full story about Tidbit's shark pup]

Hammerhead shark

It started with the unexpected birth of a baby hammerhead shark at Nebraskas Henry Doorly Zoo in December 2001. The surprising delivery stunned zookeepers because the shark tank contained only female hammerheads. (Image credit: Adobe Stock)

It started with the unexpected birth of a baby hammerhead shark at Nebraska's Henry Doorly Zoo in December 2001. The surprising delivery stunned zookeepers because the shark tank contained only female hammerheads. What's more, none of the female sharks, which were all caught off the coast of Florida as babies, had been exposed to a male shark during their time in captivity, according to zoo officials.

An analysis revealed that the baby hammerhead's DNA only matched up with its mother, indicating there was no father involved when the female shark became pregnant.

"The findings were really surprising because as far as anyone knew, all sharks reproduced only sexually by a male and female mating, requiring the embryo to get DNA from both parents for full development, just like in mammals," study co-author Paulo Prodohl, an evolutionary biologist at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, said in 2007. [Read the full story about the surprising hammerhead birth]

Cockroach

As it turns out, female American cockroaches are perfectly capable of having babies without a male. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

As it turns out, female American cockroaches are perfectly capable of having babies without a male. These hardy critters can produce eggs by parthenogenesis, in which unfertilized eggs develop to maturity. But while the cockroaches are capable of fatherless reproduction, they do like to synch up their deliveries with other virgin females. A study published in March 2017 in the journal Zoological Letters found that virgin female cockroaches housed together are quicker to have babies than virgin females that live alone. This could be a primitive example of female cooperation, according to the study researchers. [Read the full story about virgin cockroach births]
Another recent, high-profile death was also due to a nerve agent  VX nerve agent was used to kill Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in February. But what exactly are these deadly chemicals, and what sort of treatments can save those who have been exposed?

Nerve agents are highly poisonous chemicals that can interfere with the nervous system's signaling, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There are several types, but the most well-known nerve agent is probably sarin, which first gained widespread recognition after the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo used it during the Tokyo subway attacks in 1995, killing 12 people. [5 Lethal Chemical Warfare Agents]

In a more recent sarin attack, the Syrian government deployed the gas in the suburbs of Damascus in 2013, killing more than 1,000 people, according to The New York Times. After that attack, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he would forfeit Syria's chemical weapons and demolish chemical production and storage facilities in the country.

Other nerve agents include soman and tabun, which are clear, colorless, tasteless liquids that have a slightly fruity smell, according to the CDC. Both can become vapors when heated.

Sarin, soman and tabun are all based on insecticides that were developed in the 1930s and 1940s. These pesticides, as well as nerve agents, belong to a class of chemicals called organophosphates. The nerve agents and insecticides work in similar ways but affect the body in different places, although there is some overlap in symptoms, said Dr. Lewis Nelson, the chairman of emergency medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

A Syrian victim receives treatment after a chemical attack at a field hospital in Saraqib, Idlib province, northern Syria, on April 4, 2017. Media reports quoting the British war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights state the attack in the rebel-held area killed at least 58 people, including 11 minors, and wounded dozens more. (Image credit: Stringer/EPA/Newscom)

How they work

Organophosphate pesticides and nerve agents both bind to an enzyme that turns off the nerve-signaling molecule acetylcholine. Without the enzyme to turn it off, acetylcholine will continue to "aggressively" stimulate certain receptors on nerve cells, Nelson told Live Science.

But organophosphate pesticides tend to bind to this enzyme within glands, causing a lot of fluid release. People exposed to these pesticides may experience excessive salivation, tears and sweat, diarrhea, urination, small (constricted) pupils and pulmonary edema, a condition caused by fluid in the lungs, which can lead to death, Nelson said.

In contrast, organophosphate nerve agents tend to target the enzyme within the body's neuromuscular junctions, where nerves meet muscles. Once nerve agents disable the enzyme that turns off acetylcholine, there can be a buildup of acetylcholine in the muscles, which can lead to excessive twitching, Nelson said.

"Some people describe it like a bag of worms," Nelson told Live Science. "You get these little movements of all of the muscles in your body. Then, after a minute or two of that, your muscle gets paralyzed," and you aren't able to operate the muscles needed to breathe, he said.

Excessive active acetylcholine in the brain can also lead to seizures, Patrick Forcelli, an assistant professor of pharmacology at Georgetown University Medical Center, told Live Science previously. [The 10 Most Outrageous Military Experiments]

Available treatments

Nerve agents work quickly, often causing symptoms within minutes. If people are exposed to nerve agents, they should immediately decontaminate themselves  that is, remove their clothing and wash their skin with soap and water, Nelson said. They can also flush their eyes with water, and gargle water in their mouths, he said.

If a person becomes paralyzed, a caretaker can give them an oxygen mask attached to a device that will help them breathe, Nelson said. However, caretakers who aren't properly protected could suddenly become victims themselves by having skin-to-skin contact with an affected person, or by breathing in the nerve agent, Nelson said.

If a person has breathed in a nerve agent, an antidote can help, Nelson said. One antidote, called atropine, blocks acetylcholine receptors, preventing overstimulation, he said. Another, known as pralidoxime, or 2-PAM, removes the organophosphate from the enzyme that stops acetylcholine from building up.

However, both atropine and pralidoxime must be given quickly, within about 10 minutes of exposure, in order to work, Nelson said.

"If it's not immediately available, it's going to be almost too late," Nelson said.

Original article on Live Science.
This photo was taken during a fetal surgery performed at 24 weeks of gestation, to remove a tumor on the heart called an intrapericardial teratoma. The fetal arms (indicated with blue arrows) have been pulled out of the uterus and lifted, so the surgeons could make their incision into the fetal chest. The yellow arrows indicate the wall of the mothers uterus. (This photo does not show Baby Juan's surgery, but rather that of the first time the procedure was performed.)

Surgeons in Philadelphia recently removed a tumor from what may be the tiniest heart ever to undergo surgery. The heart belonged to a 21-week-old fetus, still inside the womb.

"The fetus was just about 6 inches [15 centimeters] in total length, and his heart was the size of a peanut, perhaps a centimeter or less," said Dr. Jack Rychik, director of the Fetal Heart Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

Doctors at CHOP have performed more than 1,400 fetal operations since 1995, according to the hospital's officials. Most of those procedures have been done to remedy cases of spina bifida, a birth defect of the spine.

Operating on a fetus's heart, however, is extremely risky and rarely done, Rychik said. He told Live Science the CHOP team undertook the procedure only because it was a matter of life or death for the fetus. The tumor was the size of a walnut, larger than the heart itself, and was squeezing the tiny organ, Rychik said.

The mother, Cecilia Cella, lives in Uruguay. She had gone to see a pediatric cardiologist there, Dr. Roberto Canessa, who texted Rychik with video of a strange mass he saw on Cella's sonogram. [7 Baby Myths Debunked]

"He sent it to me and said, 'What the hell is this?'" Rychik said.

Rychik said he recognized the mass as an extremely rare, rapidly growing tumor called an intrapericardial teratoma. Such tumors grow on the sac surrounding the heart and can place deadly pressure on a fetus's heart if left unchecked.

Fortunately, Cella and her partner, Pablo Paladino,were able to fly to Philadelphia in a matter of days, and the CHOP team readied for surgery.

"Had we waited another day, I think it would have been too late," Rychik said. "The tumor was just too large."

To operate on the fetus, the doctors first placed the mother under general anesthesia, which anesthetizes both mother and the fetus. The operating team included lead surgeon Dr. Holly Hedrick, Rychik and three other surgeons.

Then, the surgeons made an incision into the mother's uterus and drained the amniotic fluid (it was later replaced with artificial amniotic fluid). At this point, the fetus, a male, was further anesthetized, to ensure it would remain still for the procedure.

Then, it was a matter of gaining access to the fetus's heart. To do this, Rychik explained, the team delicately lifted the fetus's arms out of the uterus, leaving the head and rest of the torso inside the womb.

"By bringing the arms out and the chest up, [we ensure that] the chest is available to the surgery," Rychik said. "Then, an incision is made into the chest and the ribs are cut as they would be in an adult."

The doctors were able to excise the tumor from the fetal heart's sac. They then sewed up the incisions in the fetus, put it into the womb and sewed up the uterus, so the pregnancy could continue. Cella was then sewn back up.

This photo shows the removal of the tumor during the fetal surgery. (This photo does not show Baby Juans surgery, but rather that of the first time the procedure was performed.) (Image credit: AJOC)

While the procedure was underway, the team constantly monitored the fetus's heart through images projected by a very tiny ultrasound probe, which Rychick guided. The live sonogram images helped the surgeons avoid compressing the heart during the procedure and blocking blood flow.

The 3-hour procedure was mostly a success, but the surgeons weren't able to cut away all of the tumor, Rychik said. About 2 percent of the tumor was "too intimately attached" to the heart, he said.

"We worried if we removed that last bit, it may have caused damage to the heart," he said.

Three weeks after the surgery, the tumor had started to grow and appeared again on sonograms. Nonetheless, Rychik said the surgery bought the fetus vital additional weeks inside the mother's womb.

The baby, named Juan, was born on Dec. 11, 2016, at 31 weeks. Two weeks later, Juan underwent another surgery to remove all remaining traces of the tumor. He is now nearly 4 months old, back home in Uruguay and reportedly doing well.

Before Juan, the CHOP team had previously performed an in utero heart surgery like this just once, on a 24-week-old fetus, who is now a healthy 3-year-old thriving at his home in Vermont. [Social Surgery: Images of Live-Tweeted Operations]

The doctors wrote about that case, along with seven other fetal heart-tumor cases that they saw from 2009 to 2015 in a report they published in December 2016 in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In six of those cases, the doctors could not operate and the fetuses died. In one case, the doctors were able to deliver the baby early and perform the surgery after delivery.

The one case that involved a successful in utero surgery was that of the now-3-year-old Tucker Roussin, who loves sandboxes and monster trucks, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported at the time. Juan and Tucker are now the only two known fetuses to have undergone the procedure.

"Until now, we've only been able to watch these tumors grow and inform the mother that the fetus probably would not be able to survive," Rychik said. "Now, we're showing that a different result is possible."

Originally published on Live Science.
The germanium detector array is being lowered into the liquid argon. The physicists wanted to see if this germanium-76 ever decays without releasing the neutrinos  neutrinoless double-beta decay.

A never-before-seen type of radioactivity could explain why matter, including humans, exists today. And now a team of physicists has launched an experiment to find the oddball phenomenon.

When the universe first formed some 13.7 billion years ago, current theories say that equal amounts of matter and its bizarre cousin, antimatter, should have been produced during the Big Bang. Physicists know that when the two come into contact, they annihilate each other  poof. If that were the case, though, nothing should exist except photons and neutrinos. And yet, here we are. Calculations show there was a tiny bit more matter than antimatter  enough so that things exist  but why?

One way to explain this matter-antimatter asymmetry is to look for some difference between the two, besides charge, that could explain matter's advantage. It's a big question in contemporary physics, because otherwise matter and antimatter should, per contemporary theories, behave the same way. [The 18 Biggest Unsolved Mysteries in Physics]

Weird neutrinos

In this new study, physicists are seeking so-called neutrinoless double-beta decay. Normally, some radioactive atoms' unstable nuclei will lose a neutron via beta decay  the neutron transforms into a proton by releasing an electron and a tiny particle called an electron antineutrino. A mirror image can also occur, in which a proton turns into a neutron, releasing a positron and an electron neutrino  the normal-matter counterpart to the antineutrino. Double-beta decay happens when two electrons and two antineutrinos (the antimatter counterparts of neutrinos) are released: basically, the beta decay happens twice. Scientists have long theorized a neutrinoless version of this process  something that would suggest that the two neutrinos annihilated each other before being released from the atom. Essentially, the neutrino behaves as its own antimatter sibling.

(Particles of matter that are their own antiparticles are called Majorana fermions, after the Italian physicist Ettore Majorana, who hypothesized their existence in 1937.)

If neutrinos and antineutrinos behave differently from each other, that could help to explain why all matter wasn't annihilated at the instant the universe formed. [5 Elusive Particles That May Lurk in the Universe]

Detecting decay

Finding this odd event though, is hard to do, because there's so much background "noise," said Bernhard Schwingenheuer, the spokesman for the GERmanium Detector Array (GERDA) collaboration. The background "noise" comes largely from cosmic rays.

In the experiment, physicists had to account for background noise, mostly from cosmic rays. So they covered the inner walls of the water tank surrounding the liquid argon with a reflecting foil to improve light detection and allow for the identification of cosmic muons (formed when cosmic rays interact with Earth's atmosphere). (Image credit: K. Freund/GERDA collaboration)

So the physicists turned to GERDA. Nestled in an underground lab in Italy, the GERDA experiment consists of detectors in a bath of liquid argon that is enriched with the isotope germanium-76, which is mildly radioactive. It has a half-life of 1.78 x 1021 years (or 1.78 billion trillion years)  meaning that it takes that amount of time for half of its atoms to turn into selenium, which is many orders of magnitude longer than the universe's 14-billion-year age.

Usually, germanium will emit two electrons and two electron antineutrinos  the ordinary double-beta process  when it transforms via its slow decay. The physicists wanted to see if this ever happens without releasing the neutrinos: the long-sought neutrinoless double-beta decay.

With such a long half-life, one might think it would take too long to see this happen, but a half-life is a probabilistic phenomenon. This is why the experimenters used some 84 lbs. of germanium mixed with the liquid argon: that yields about 4.5 x 1025 (or 45 trillion trillion) atoms, which means at least a few of them should undergo the decay while scientists are watching.

The GERDA team gathered data for about seven months, from December 2015 until June 2016. They didn't find the decay, but they could put a lower limit on how often the decay happens: It has a half-life of 5.3 x 1025 years, which means you'd have a 50-50 chance of seeing a single atom do it in that amount of time.

Extending the Standard Model

If they find it, that would mean that neutrinos are their own antiparticle, like photons  the neutrinoless decay couldn't happen unless that were the case. It also means that this kind of radioactive decay is not symmetrical. Recall that beta decay has a mirror image  either electrons and antineutrinos or positrons and neutrinos are emitted. If the double-beta decay isn't symmetrical, that means that neutrinos and antineutrinos behave differently. This isn't true of other kinds of particle-antiparticle pairs, as far as anyone knows.

This phenomenon would affect the Standard Model, which has been a wildly successful way to describe particle physics, but it's clearly incomplete. The model predicted the existence of the Higgs boson particle. However, Schwingenheuer noted that there is evidence that neutrinos have a tiny mass (only discovered in 1998, which won the Nobel in 2015) and that dark matter exists  indicating that the Standard Model isn't the last word.

"If neutrinoless double-beta decay is observed, it helps solve a couple of problems," said Philip Barbeau, an assistant professor of physics at Duke University in an email to Live Science. "For one, it helps to explain the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe. It also helps explain why neutrino masses are so surprisingly small. We would also get an idea of the neutrino masses as well, as the decay rate is related to the mass scale of the neutrinos."

The question then becomes what kind of physics lies beyond it. The GERDA experiment has yet to reveal the decay that the researchers seek, but that doesn't mean it won't in the future, Schwingenheuer said. And it would be difficult to rule it out entirely, because it's possible that the timescale is just longer than they think. Right now, they've set a lower limit on the half-life for this decay, but further experimental runs could push that number up.

As for what happens if they don't see the odd decay after many runs, Barbeau said it might not be a deal breaker for new models. "We don't go back to the drawing board from the point of view of the underlying theories. We just won't know whether neutrinos are Majorana or not."

The research is detailed in the April 6 issue of the journal Nature (opens in new tab).

Original article on Live Science.
American Airlines Flight 587 crashed shortly after takeoff on Nov. 12, 2001, in a neighborhood of Queens, New York, killing all 260 people on board.

American Airlines Flight 587. Germanwings Flight 9525. Air France Flight 447. How long will these flights, all of which crashed and killed everyone aboard, be remembered?

If history is any guide, about 45 years.

A new study finds that collective memory of plane crashes lasts about 45 years, at least based on Wikipedia lookups of these disasters. Wikipedia makes it possible to peek into people's collective memories, said study leader Taha Yasseri, a computational social scientist at the University of Oxford. And it turns out that plane crashes trigger memories of other plane crashes  even distant events that don't have anything to do with one another. That's the case with, for example, the 2015 Germanwings crash, in which a suicidal pilot flew an Airbus into a mountainside, and the 2001 American Airlines crash in the Rockaway neighborhood of New York City, which was caused by co-pilot error in response to turbulence from another jet. [Facts About the Mysterious Disappearance of Malaysian Flight 370]

"When the Germanwings crash happened, the viewership of the American Airlines article increased threefold," Yasseri told Live Science. The increased interest occurred even though there was no hyperlink from the Germanwings Wikipedia article to the American Airlines disaster article.

Externalizing memory

Yasseri became interested in studying the public's memories of plane crashes after the Germanwings flight, when he noticed the sudden surge in interest in the 2001 American Airlines disaster. Yasseri's work focuses on Wikipedia and on other internet search behavior as a way of peering into what people are thinking. Data on Wikipedia page views allows researchers to quantify thoughts and memories that simply weren't quantifiable before.

The digital view into people's psyches has revealed some contradictory truths, Yasseri said. On one hand, people have short attention spans  their attention to news events tends to drop off after about a week or so. On the other hand, sites like Wikipedia archive details about past events; before the internet age, people might have had to dig through old newspaper clippings to recall these events. [10 Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp]

"We might have a shortened attention span due to social media and digital technology, but the same technology gives us the opportunity to memorialize or remember things or to educate ourselves about events in the past," Yasseri said.

Memory connections

In the new research, published today (April 5) in the journal Science Advances, Yasseri and his colleagues focused on aircraft accidents listed in English-language Wikipedia pages between 2008 and 2016. Then, they examined how attention on these accidents flowed into attention on older accidents.

A graph showing Wikipedia page views after the Germanwings 9525 air disaster (red line) and of the unrelated American Airlines 587 crash 14 years earlier. (Image credit: Taha Yasseri/Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford)

They found some intriguing patterns. First, some old crashes are more memorable than others, Yasseri said. When an airline accident happens, people are likely to go down a Wikipedia rabbit hole that leads to the planes that crashed on 9/11.

"People go back and read about the 9/11 flights again and again," Yasseri said.

Perhaps not surprisingly, people remember recent disasters more readily than older ones, the researchers found. After about 45 years, memories of a crash are rarely triggered, at least as far as Wikipedia is concerned. Accidents rarely prompt searches for past disasters more than 45 years prior.

Death toll matters, too. People tend to gravitate toward airline disasters with the largest death tolls when going down memory lane, the researchers found. Perhaps surprisingly, though, past accidents with zero fatalities tend to get more attention than past accidents with a handful of fatalities. That is probably because zero-fatality accidents likely only get a Wikipedia page if something bizarre happened, Yasseri and his colleagues wrote, citing the example of a midair collision in 1940 over Brocklesby, Australia, in which a pilot was able to safely land two locked-together Avro Ansons.

Overall, memories triggered by a very recent plane crash fill a significant amount of people's brain space. In the first week after a new airline accident, the disaster's Wikipedia page gets 7.4 million views, on average, the researchers found. The spike in views of old airline crashes triggered by the new accident is 10.5 million views, on average.

Similar results would probably be seen with other types of disasters, like earthquakes, Yasseri said. The memory-triggering effect is probably present for positive events, too, he said  current sporting events do prompt searches of past sporting events, for example.

Wikipedia views have been shown to correlate with Google searches, Yasseri said, so the giant online encyclopedia is a good proxy for internet users' behavior. But he'd like to take the research further.

"I would like to have data from social media, from news outlets and more traditional media as well," Yasseri said.

Original article on Live Science.
Vantablack is now available in a spray-on form that blocks 99.8 percent of ultraviolet, visible and infrared light  enough to make an otherwise detailed 3D object appear as a flat black void.

Though it may look like a 2D cartoon wormhole, "Vantablack" is the blackest material known to science.

Vantablack was first created by researchers in 2014, and was found to be the world's darkest material  capable of absorbing 99.96 percent of ultraviolet, visible and infrared light. The material is not a paint, pigment or fabric, but a special coating designed to achieve a near total lack of reflectance, according to Surrey NanoSystems, the company that produces Vantablack.

Since its initial development, researchers have increased the material's blackness. In 2016, the research team announced on YouTube that an updated version of the material was so black no spectrometer was able to measure how much light Vantablack absorbs  meaning it the first material material so 'black' that it can't be measured, according to the researchers. [10 Technologies That Will Transform Your Life]

Now, a variation of Vantablack (known as Vantablack S-VIS) is available in a spray-on form that blocks 99.8 percent of ultraviolet, visible and infrared light  enough to make an otherwise detailed 3D object appear as a flat black void.

"If you see [Vantablack S-VIS] on a flat surface on its own, with no other black material to reference it against, it just looks like a black velvet surface," Ben Jensen, chief technical officer for Surrey NanoSystems, recently told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC). "If you see it on a 3D object, like crinkled foil, the coated side still looks like a black two-dimensional flat surface. It's only when you turn it around and you realize that it's got a lot of dimensionality, that you grasp how different it is."

Vantablack achieves its supreme blackness through millions of carbon nanotubes. Each nanotube of the coating is around 20 nanometers in diameter (about 3,500 times smaller than the width of a human hair) and around 14 microns to 50 microns long, according to Surrey NanoSystems. This amounts to about 1 billion nanotubes on a surface area of 0.1 inches square (1 centimeter square).

When light hits this nanotube "forest," it enters the microscopic spaces amid the tubes and is rapidly absorbed as it bounces between them. The almost perfectly black, light-void surface is created because of the material's near-total lack of reflectance.

"To understand this effect, try to visualize walking through a forest in which the trees are around 3 km [1.86 miles] tall instead of the usual 10 to 20 meters [33 to 66 feet]," Surrey NanoSystems researchers explained on the company's website. "Its easy to imagine just how little light, if any, would reach you."

According to the researchers, Vantablack's ability to absorb light could increase performance of infrared cameras and sensors, benefit scientific instruments and eventually provide "a unique aesthetic" to luxury products. The material's delicate nanotube structure  which is mostly empty space  can't be touched without disrupting the coating's effect, so current applications are limited.

The coating has made its way into space, however  where it can be used without being disturbed  on a satellite. ABC reports that Vantablack was used on a European microsatellite that launched in December 2015, as a coating on the satellite's star tracker, a device that measures the positions of stars.

"You can imagine up in space people think of it as being really black and dark, but actually it's incredibly bright up there because the sun's like a huge arc lamp and you've got light reflecting off the Earth and moon. So, the stars are really quite faint," Jensen told ABC. "This material's helping those star-tracker cameras to improve performance and reduce the mass on the satellite, which is really important."

Though Vantablack is not commercially available, Surrey NanoSystems has licensed the product and is pursuing multiple new applications, ranging from science to art. Universities, museums and similar research institutions can also request a sample of Vantablack  "a sealed 'crinkled foil' display unit," according to Surrey NanoSystems.

Original article on Live Science.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

It has been nine days since a deadly fire swept through a ramshackle West Oakland building, but for those who havent figured out what to do next, the crisis goes on and on.

The last 11 displaced residents of the fatal San Pablo Avenue fire remaining at an emergency shelter were packing up in Oakland on Tuesday and trying to decide where to go. Most had no idea where their next cup of coffee or pair of pants was coming from, let alone the next roof over their heads.

Their time at an emergency shelter established for them at the West Oakland Youth Center had run out. The youth center said it needs the space for youth activities over spring break. The Red Cross, which had helped with managing the immediate crisis following the fire, said its not in the business of long-term housing.

The still-homeless victims stood on the Market Street sidewalk in front of the shelter Tuesday. Some smoked cigarettes. Some rummaged through plastic garbage bags full of donated clothes. Some chewed on chicken sandwiches, the last of the free lunches that would be offered.

All I have is one pair of pants, a couple pairs of shorts, socks and some shirts. I lost everything, said Joseph Kearse, 50, a cigarette between his fingers.

Kearse, along with seven other men and three women, were advised that Wednesday would be moving day from the two-story youth center with the pink front door. They were the last of the 80 residents displaced by the March 27 fire at a halfway house at 2551 San Pablo Ave., a few blocks away, which killed four people. Most have found other arrangements, but the remaining residents said its not that easy to find lodging as affordable as the building they got burned out of.

The fire was the second deadly blaze in a problem-plagued Oakland building in less than four months. On December 2, a fire at the Ghost Ship artists collective in the Fruitvale neighborhood killed 36 people, many of them young musicians and artists.

City officials have been widely criticized for failing to order either building to be shut down before the tragedies struck. Before the latest blaze, Oakland firefighters who previously answered calls at the San Pablo Avenue building had told their supervisors in January that the place should be shut down  citing trash, exposed electrical wires and locked doors to a fire escape in their warnings.

Kearse said that he was frustrated and anxious and that he and the other survivors of the blaze seem to have been forgotten. He said he had no idea what he would do after breakfast Wednesday, when time is up to leave the emergency shelter.

I need to go brush my teeth, Kearse said.

Red Cross spokeswoman Cynthia Shaw said the fire victims were being urged to visit a client assistance center at Frank Ogawa Plaza that would be able to offer more help. She said emergency shelters like the one at the West Oakland Youth Center are intended to fill a short-term need, not a long-term one.

A temporary shelter is not meant for people to stay in for multiple weeks, she said. Its time for the next stage of their recovery.

Shaw said the remaining victims include seniors and people with mental health needs or other problems not within the purview of a disaster relief agency.

The Red Cross offered the victims a list of four other Oakland shelters that had beds available. One displaced resident went to the client assistance center and said he was told to come back Sunday.

Kearse said people falsely claiming to be victims of the fire had been showing up at the shelter on Market Street, helping themselves to food, clothes and other supplies and driving off with them. Now all the good clothes were gone. Nothing was the right size.

Kearse, a resident of the burned building for four years, said he was grateful to the Red Cross for its help and for the $125 debit card that he and other displaced residents received. But his monthly rent at the burned-out building was $850 and other lodging is more expensive.

Harlan Smith, 40, the former live-in handyman at the burned-out building, was standing outside the youth center, wondering where he would go next. He said he lost his tools in the fire.

Nobody talked about replacing my tools, Smith said. I cant do work without them.

His $125 debit card went to buy clothes. Its all used up, he said. A sales tag was still on the new hat he was wearing. He rummaged through the black trash bags at the youth center in search of a jacket. The only one he found was a womans jacket, pink and too small.

He said he preferred the youth center to another emergency shelter where he had spent the first night after the fire.

I had to smell other peoples funky feet, he said, shaking his head.

Wayne Caluya, a 53-year-old cook, paid $550 a month for his one-bedroom apartment and fears hell never find a replacement home at that price.

My head is spinning, he said.

He went to the Ogawa Plaza center, where a counselor gave him a debit card and told him to come back Sunday for a re-evaluation of his housing needs.

Everything is helpful, he said. I got a good spirit. I couldve been dead by now. I want to get me to some place where I can take a bath. Soak myself. And go to sleep.

Kim Usher, 37, had paid $150 a month to live in the now-gutted building. She lived on the first floor with her three sons.

On Tuesday, Usher sat in a chair in front of the shelter, holding a bottle of water. Usher said she had an appointment with a housing counselor named Michelle. She said she already knew what she would be telling Michelle.

All I want is some stability. I dont want money, I want a key. I need help to get me some housing. I gotta help myself. Im trying to help me, my kids and my mama. I need a house.

When she went to see the housing counselor, all she got was a hug and no promise that a permanent place to live would soon be found  news that made her struggle to keep from crying while her son sat on her lap playing on a phone.

The hardest part, Usher said, is answering her kids when they ask, Mama, what are we gonna do now?

She said, I dont like telling them I dont know.

Sarah Ravani and Steve Rubenstein are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com and srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani and @SteveRubeSF
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The face of Latin America's cartels is changing as more women are rising up in leadership and taking on roles in drug trafficking and assassination.

Known as "Las Flakas" (Skinny Girls), young women are taking up lives of crime, becoming effective agents for the cartels' causes. Since the chance of being assassinated is great, the title of "La Flaka" has been passed from one female to another.

HOW IT WORKS: This is how drug cartels get American guns into Mexico

The Daily Beast named the first "La Flaca" as Veronica Mireya Moreno Carreon, who worked for Los Zetas and was arrested in 2011. The second was Nancy Manriquez Quintanar, who was also arrested in 2011.

The most recent to make headlines was Joselyn Alejandra Nino, who was found dismembered and stuffed in an ice chest along the US-Mexico border in April of 2015. The Gulf Cartel assassin's chopped up body was found along with another dismembered woman and a decapitated man in the back of a truck.

She made headlines after a photo of her toting an assault rifle with a smile went viral months before her murder.

Facebook screenshots

Nino's death has been credited to La Gladys of the Zetas Cartel, who remains "at large terrorizing the communities of northern Mexico," Fox News reported.

TEXAS CARTEL TIES: Lubbock woman goes to prison for ties to Sinaloa Cartel

"They are ideal killers; young, beautiful and reckless," Andrew Chesnut, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, told Fox News. "By keeping a low profile they avoid suspicion where men doing the same job would quickly find themselves in trouble."

Chesnut continued to explain that the young female assassins work their way up to become killers - beginning as low-level lookout workers or prostitutes. Some others are recruited in prison or were born into cartel families.

"There's an inextricable link between sex and death in the culture of these female killers," Chesnut told Fox News. "In seeking to be the most desired by the narco men, they seek also to be the most brutal among their group of peers. It's gone as far as having them worship the image of Saint Death in their own likenesses, dressed in lingerie."

Last year, another female killer known as "La Peque" (the little one) claimed to have had intercourse with beheaded corpses and bathed in and drank their blood. The 29-year -old member of the Sinaloa Cartel is currently in prison in Baja California Sur.

DRUG MIGRATION: DEA maps show where drug cartels hold sway in Texas, U.S.

Melisa Margarita Calderon Ojeda, known as "La China", is another former assassin who is currently locked up in a Baja California Sur prison for homicide. She and her ex-partner, Eduardo Martin Alvarado "El Kumi," were ordered to kill another rival assassin, but they accidentally killed his father instead, according to reports.

Though not an official assassin, Ann Marie Hernandez, known as "La Muneca," was another leading female cartel member who was arrested in 2015 for drug smuggling and bribery charges. She and her ex-husband Daniel Ledezma smuggled thousands of kilograms of cocaine through an El Paso border crossing where he worked.

To see these and other female assassins who have made a name for themselves for their ruthlessness, click through the gallery above. And continue clicking to see the other inside photos that have been leaked through the years of the world of cartel men and women.
A problem with the role-playing portion of a San Francisco Police Department promotional exam means 408 officers vying to become sergeants must retake the tactical test, officials said.

A letter to candidates for promotion from Micki Callahan, the citys human resources director, said her department learned during the scoring process that there were inconsistencies in how the actors in the role-playing exercise provided information to candidates.

The inconsistencies, Callahan wrote, unfairly impacted the testing environment for a certain number of candidates and may have affected their performance. The fairest response, she said, was to administer the test again.

The 408 candidates went through the exam in February. No date has been set for the do-over.

Martin Halloran, president of the police officers union, said that the Civil Service Commission, the agency that oversees the citys merit-based system, had hired a new contractor to give the test and that role players in the exercise were either not qualified, not prepared, or both.

Police Department officials declined to comment on the promotional exams, but Susan Gard, chief of policy at the Department of Human Resources, said that while the Civil Service Commission makes the rules, its up to Human Resources to administer and rate the exams.

Gard attributed the inconsistencies in the test to human error. She said that the department did hire a new contractor but that the problems involved actors hired for the tactical exercise who were not affiliated with the contractor.

We hired actors for the tactical portion and they were trained for 12 hours and given a test to make sure they would stick to the script and stay consistent, she said. During the course of the exam, some of them did not stick to the script. Some officers were provided different information than other officers were provided.

It was just human error on the part of the role players, Gard said. I think some of them hadnt been in a situation like that before with someone taking a test.

The sergeants exam is notoriously demanding. Gard said she did not know how long it would take to readminister the tactical portion.

Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said Wednesday that it has cited prominent Houston chef and restaurateur Bruce Molzan with buying large quantities of protected fish from a network of unlicensed commercial fishermen that may rank as the largest in Texas history.



State officials said a two-year investigation indicates that since as far back as 2013, Molzan "funneled" 14 tons of illegally caught finfish through his current restaurant, the paleo-skewed Ruggles Black that's a darling of professional athletes, and the eco-friendly Ruggles Green fast-casual spots he founded but from which he separated in October. The separation occurred when North Carolina investment company Hargett Hunter Capital Partners bought a majority interest in the chain.



The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department estimates that sales of illegally caught fish  including red snapper, tuna, amberjack, grouper and red drum from a network of about a dozen unlicensed commercial fishermen  may have netted Molzan's restaurants a profit estimated at more than $400,000. Texas game wardens, the U.S. Coast Guard and special agents from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have cooperated

in investigating the alleged scheme.



Molzan could not be reached for comment. But his attorney, Joel Androphy, describes the Class C misdemeanors his client faces as "the equivalent of a traffic ticket."



According to a statement from Androphy, "the actual charges against Bruce Molzan and Ruggles in this investigation are buying from an unlicensed fisherman, not running an organized illegal operation as being falsely reported. We are challenging these allegations in court and expect them to be dismissed."



Hargett Hunter moved to distance the firm from the citations involving against Ruggles Green.

"In no way were any of these practices taking place when Hargett Hunter purchased the company," said spokesperson Jessica Nunez. "And (the practices are) not happening as they own the company today."



Nunez said Ruggles Green abides by sustainable seafood practices, and illegal seafood sales "is not something we'd ever be affiliated with."



So far, game wardens have issued more than 200 Class C misdemeanor citations in the matter, including to Molzan and his current or former businesses. Those citations carry a penalty up to $500 apiece.



Fish poached from federal waters are a different story. Two recreational fishermen who were busted off Freeport in April last year with 488 red snapper, a highly regulated species, have been charged with the felonies of lying to a federal investigator and falsifying documents. That incident broke open the case, tying the illegal catch to the larger network alleged to have supplied Molzan's restaurants, Texas Parks and Wildlife said in a statement.



There could be more charges to come.



"Multiple agencies are involved in an ongoing investigation," said Capt. Frank Ruiz, of the Texas Parks and Wildlife. "There are tentacles that go in several directions."

***

The citations stand as further troubles for a chef who has attracted more than his share of them over the four decades in which he has been a player on Houston's restaurant scene. Molzan and his then-wife, Susan Molzan, created one of the hottest restaurants of the 1980s at their original Ruggles Grill on Westheimer near the corner of Montrose.



On weekend nights, everybody from socialites to scenesters to the neighborhood's gay gentry could be found inside the rambling, cottagey Ruggles Grill dining rooms. They table-hopped, gossiped about each other and exclaimed over the nine different vegetables  nobody had ever quite seen the like  arrayed on each carefully arranged plate of Molzan's California-inflected Southwestern cuisine.



Those heady times waned as the century turned and the Molzans divorced in 2005. By 2012, he had faced a rare staff walkout as servers struck over unpaid tips, ending in a picket line.



Numerous lawsuits and countersuits trailed Molzan's involvement in other ventures, too, including disputes over a downtown ballpark cafe, Grille 5115 inside the Galleria's Saks Fifth Avenue and Ruggles 11th Street Cafe in the Heights.



A Ruggles Green investor who helped Molzan rebuild the original Ruggles Grill after Hurricane Ike sued the chef over an ownership agreement; and Molzan wound up suing the co-owners who operated Ruggles Green. Molzan invariably blamed the other side.



"I get saddled up and ridden like a Seattle Slew," he told the Chronicle in 2012, referring to the winner of horse racing's Triple Crown. "People jump on your coattails and take advantage."

***

The courts will decide the latest allegations against Molzan's business practices, his lawyer said. In the meantime, the Houston restaurant and sport fishing worlds are already picking apart the charges.

Red snapper are among Texas' most iconic sport and eating fish, and they are also among the most highly regulated Gulf species.

The size of the illegal catches the TPWD is citing as part of the alleged poaching scheme seem staggering to recreational fishermen who are limited to two red snapper a day during a nine-day annual season. Commercial finfishing has become so highly regulated in Texas  with the record-keeping and controls enforced at every step along the path of legal fish on their way to market  that illegal commercial fishing has declined over the years.



Fourteen tons of illegal fish looms large from both a law-enforcement and a fisheries standpoint, Parks and Wildlife officials said. Health and safety concerns are at issue, too.



"This is a big deal," said Col. Craig Hunter, TPWD law enforcement director, who noted the case "exemplifies the critically important work our Texas game wardens do to protect the state's natural resources. Not only did these unscrupulous actors violate recreational fishing regulations at an extreme level for personal profit, but they also circumvented restrictions and rules governing the possession, safe handling and sale of commercial aquatic products intended for human consumption."



Bryan Caswell, executive chef and co-owner of Reef restaurant, said he was appalled to hear about the citations for unlawful fishing.



"It's the antithesis of what I've tried to fight for my entire career," said Caswell, whose Midtown restaurant is known for the Gulf seafood emphasis of its menu.



Last year he and his wife, Jennifer Caswell, founded Southern Salt Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and conservation of Gulf Coast shorelines and wildlife.

"We're both flabbergasted that this may have been going on," said Caswell, an avid recreational Gulf fisherman who said his restaurant business is dependent on a healthy state of the commercial fishery.



Meanwhile Hargett Hunter will forge ahead with plans to expand the Ruggles Green brand with as many as 30 more locations over the next four years, including in Houston. When it comes to seafood, all the i's will be dotted and every last t crossed, Nunez said, and Ruggles Green "will respond to any concerns its customers have about seafood practices and policy."

Greg Morago, Jody Schmal and

Shannon Tompkins

contributed to this story.

This story has been updated.
The Houston Barbecue Festival, which will mark its fifth anniversary on April 9 at NRG Park, was conceived in 2013 as a way to promote the growing reputation of the Houston barbecue scene.

Co-founders J.C. "Chris" Reid and Michael Fulmer began the festival in to showcase the city's unique barbecue traditions that are larded with Mexican-American, African-American, Creole and Cajun foodways.
The City of Laredo debuted its online community calendar at a news conference on Tuesday.

Anyone can post an event on the calendar as long as it is family-friendly and public.

Introducing the Laredo Community Calendar, an electronic pin board open for the public to use, to post events, meetings, family friendly occurrences, and overall share information, Mayor Pete Saenz was quoted as saying in a news release.

Anyone can view the calendar, but in order to post events, users must make an account at cityoflaredocalendar.com/calendar. It took about two hours to receive account approval Tuesday afternoon. To add an event to the calendar is fairly intuitive, but for those who need assistance, the City of Laredo will hold a training session for new users on Wedenesday, April 12 from 1:30-3 p.m. at the Joe A. Guerra Public Library multi-purpose room.

The city undertook the project, with Saenz encouragement, in order to promote future events in the city at no cost, according to a news release.

Events must be posted at least 48 hours in advance, and will be approved Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Carlos Ramirez, micro computer specialist at the City Secretarys office, advises that events are posted at least two weeks in advance. Events will be backlogged for three months, and can be posted as far as a year in advance.

Theres a lot of things to do in our city. This will make it simpler for everybody, Ramirez said.

The platform shows a monthly calendar view of activities. Users can double click on any event, and more detailed information will pop up. Ramirez said videos are supported here too.

Blasita Lopez, City of Laredo spokeswoman, said the calendar will make it easier for organizations to plan events if they already know which days are busy.

She also said everyone is tired of hearing that theres nothing to do in town, and this will prove that its not true.

Theres a lot to do in Laredo, Texas, Saenz concluded.
Courtesy

Leslie Gonzalez, a third grader at Nye Elementary, is the regional winner of the Take Care of Texas art contest for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's Laredo region.

The contest allows students to submit artwork showing how they help keep the air and water clean, conserve water and energy and reduce waste. Take Care of Texas is a statewide campaign from the TCEQ that provides helpful information on environmental protection.
Theres an outstanding movie to be made about Gertrude Bell, the intensely independent British noblewoman who, in the first decades of the 20th century, traveled throughout the Arab world and contributed to the formation of the modern Middle East.

Queen of the Desert, unfortunately, is a so-so account of her life and work. And its an unhappy surprise that this quite conventional movie was made by Werner Herzog, renowned for his depictions of the visionary and idiosyncratic.

The film does not stint on detailing Bells accomplishments and showing her intelligence and determination, nicely conveyed by Nicole Kidman. But it also places unexpected emphasis on her relationships with several men. Thats odd, because part of whats intriguing about Bell is how she bulled her way, in opposition to the wishes of the British military, across desert territories controlled by tribal leaders definitely not used to dealing with strong-willed women.

Until now, Herzogs work has focused on male megalomaniacs and misfits  think of Aguirre, the Wrath of God and the other films he made with the mercurial Klaus Kinski. Its nice that Herzogs seen the light, and Kidman is more than capable of playing a woman who stands on her own two feet. But Queen of the Desert is tasteful to the point that it borders on anemic, though it comes from a filmmaker who usually errs on the side of grandiosity.

The movie opens with Bell newly graduated from Oxford and eager to see what life outside of England might have in store for her. Her father sends her to the British Embassy at Tehran, where she meets and falls for an English diplomat, Henry Cadogan (James Franco). Her father opposes the match, and things end unhappily.

Bell eventually crosses paths  in a decidedly non-romantic way  with none other than T.E. Lawrence, awkwardly played by Robert Pattinson. (By the way, you cant read much about Bell before you come across a reference to her as the female Lawrence of Arabia.) Theres some amusement in watching Bell and Lawrence interact, and they will be reunited later as advisers to Winston Churchill.

In her travels through the desert, Bell encounters warlords and wannabe potentates, and uses her brains, a bit of charm and some forged documents to go places that are way off-limits to the British establishment. Her information will prove useful to diplomats, the military and mapmakers.

She will also fall in love again, with a married British officer, Charles Doughty-Wylie (Damian Lewis, in the strongest performance after Kidmans). She writes him high-flown letters, which are one of the films few noticeable Herzogian touches  hes given to fanciful rhetorical flourishes. Another Herzog feature is the films gorgeous desert photography. It was filmed in Morocco and Jordan, and aficionados of the director will see reflections of the haunted, internal landscapes in many of his other works.

Its a great story, but the movie has a flatness that cant be denied. Whod have expected a Herzog film to invoke thoughts of Masterpiece Theater and Merchant-Ivory productions at their most stiff and formal? I surely did not.

Walter Addiego is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: waddiego@sfchronicle.com.

Queen of the Desert

Biographical drama. Starring Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Robert Pattinson, Damian Lewis. Directed by Werner Herzog. (PG-13. 128 minutes.)

To see a trailer: http://bit.ly/2oeHmZv.
File

Two people were struck - one killed - while walking along the shoulder of US 59 in Shepherd Tuesday night, according to a report from Sgt. Stephanie Davis, spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The accident took place around 9:20 p.m. Tuesday about one mile south of Shepherd. Initial reports suggest that a 2005 Dodge pickup truck was traveling northbound on US 59 when he drove onto the shoulder, striking both pedestrians as they walked northbound.
#taxi Seoul to increase late-night taxi service amid shortage The Seoul city government said Tuesday it will expand the operation of late-night taxis to cope with the growing demand for taxi service during late hours. Currently, an average...

#prosecution Prosecution raids bakery giant SPC in probe into alleged unfair practices Prosecutors raided the offices of the nation's largest bakery chain SPC Group on Tuesday as part of an investigation into alleged unfair practices of awarding business contracts to...
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

One day after a veteran lawman was fatally gunned down, former Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson has been placed under armed protection as new details emerged about the brazen daytime attack.

Police have not yet identified any suspects and wouldn't offer specifics about why Anderson or other friends and former colleagues of slain peace officer Clint Greenwood have been offered security.

"It's horrifying," Anderson said Tuesday about Monday's shooting of the former prosecutor who previously headed the DA's public integrity unit, which investigated police misconduct.

Less than a week before he was killed, Greenwood told county officials he felt threatened by a man he'd once targeted in a corruption investigation while he worked at the district attorney's office.

"If somebody's brazen enough to take an officer's life, there obviously would be a little concern for the family (and friends) as well," said Baytown Police Lt. Steve Dorris, referring to the extra protection as "precautionary."

The killer remained at large late Tuesday despite an intense investigation by state, local and federal law enforcement agencies. Sources said investigators were looking at several possible suspects who may have had dealings with and grievances against Greenwood in the past.

Baytown police - who are leading the investigation - released a video Tuesday afternoon showing a man walking in the area of the shooting. Authorities described him as white or Hispanic, about 6 feet to 6 feet 3 inches tall, with short hair and a medium to stocky build.

A public funeral for the lawman will be held Thursday at Second Baptist Church, 6400 Woodway. Public visitation is set for 10 a.m., followed by the service at 11 a.m.

More than 300 mourners turned up Tuesday night for a candlelight vigil outside the courthouse annex where Greenwood was shot. Earlier, a "Back the Blue" convoy with more than 60 trucks drove to the courthouse to support Greenwood and other law enforcement officers.

'A hit, no doubt'

Greenwood was ambushed shortly after arriving at work about 7 a.m. Monday - shot at close range by a man who stepped out from behind a dumpster in the parking lot at the county building in Baytown, a source close to the investigation said Tuesday.

The gunman approached Greenwood as he was attempting to retrieve some items from the passenger side of his county vehicle.

"This guy just walks up ... and pops him two times," said the source, who did not want to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the case. "Clearly, this guy was there for one purpose."

Greenwood, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was shot once in the chest and a second time in the neck. Two shell casings from a 9 mm handgun were found at the scene.

Greenwood was able to radio for help, saying, "I have been shot and I'm bleeding out," sources said.

When responding officers arrived at the scene, Greenwood was still standing by his vehicle, holding the wound on his neck and pointing in the direction the gunman fled. He was taken by Life Flight to Memorial Hermann Hospital.

A law enforcement task force working to solve Monday's slaying is hoping the combination of a $65,000 reward for information about those responsible for the shooting and surveillance footage will help them identify the shooter.

"It's a hit, no doubt," said one top federal official assisting with the investigation. "He basically got ambushed."

'One of us'

Greenwood, 57, a former lawyer, law enforcement officer and prosecutor, started work in January as an assistant chief deputy constable in Precinct 3.

Greenwood spent much of his professional life working with law enforcement misconduct - as a defense attorney representing officers, as a prosecutor in the district attorney's office or heading internal affairs investigations for the sheriff's office.

In January, he moved into a leadership position with the Precinct 3 Constable's Office, where he had put together field training and use-of-force manuals.

At the vigil, tear-streaked crowds sang "Amazing Grace" and "God Bless America" as an ever-growing stream of Greenwood's friends and supporters lit candles, took pictures and released balloons.

"Officer Greenwood was one of us," said 15-year-old Jordan Garrison, a high school student who helped organize the event. "He was a community of us. And we can't just let that go. We have to stay on the hunt for whoever murdered him."

Deputy Landon McDonald, a spokesman for Precinct 3, remembered Greenwood as a fun boss, a man who could poke fun in a serious job.

Last week, Greenwood needled McDonald about his scuffed boots - and jokingly ordered him to shine them by Monday.

"So I did; I went and shined them," McDonald said. "He didn't get a chance to see them, but I know he has now."

Many of those who gathered for the "Back the Blue" convoy didn't know the slain officer but wanted to send a message of support.

"It's important to show that there are still strangers that care, people that care about one another," said Frank Bejarano, 34, of Houston-Area Off Road Recovery.

"Today, we're basically going to get a convoy going to show our respect and show, hey, we got big trucks and big Jeeps and we stand behind them."

Organizers said more than 130 trucks and 15 motorcycles honored the slain officer.

The event was arranged after Donna VanKirk, a group member who knew Greenwood, heard about his death.

"Clint taught me how to shoot," she said. "We just decided this would be a great way to honor him."

Andrew Kragie andBrian Rogers contributedto this report.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

More than 1.3 million people turned out April 5, 1986, on an overcast Saturday night to see French composer Jean-Michel Jarre's "Rendez-vous Houston: A City in Concert."

The show landed the city in the Guinness Book of World records and made enduring memories for Houstonians who were there.

WHEN OIL FELL: How Houston dealt with the oil bust in the '80s

The music, fireworks, laser beams and the bigger-than-life projections on the sides of Houstons tallest skyscrapers were a feast for the eyes and ears.

Rendez-vous was a component of the Houston Festival, which would later be called the Houston International Festival, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Texas and Houston that year.

The event also paid tribute to the men and women who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger accident, just months before.

According to Houston Chronicle web producer and history blogger J.R. Gonzales, the concert also included a piece of music that Challenger astronaut Ron McNair had planned to perform in space during the concert itself.

THE BIG BASH: Looking back at Rendez-Vous Houston decades later

The event was in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest crowd ever to witness a sound-and-light display.

CNNs Jonathan Hawkins turned in a bittersweet chronicle of the event, with details on McNair and Jarres touching friendship.

It's not uncommon to see a yellowed poster featuring the night's lights and fire in the back of a local eatery or antique store, all these years later. However, that skyline appears sparse compared to what Houston has now.

SCRAPING THE SKY: Houston's favorite skyscrapers as they looked while under construction

Talk of Rendez-vous usually sparks discussions about having something similar here in Houston again. Lord knows, technology has progressed enough over the years that a modern light spectacle would make what we saw in 1986 look like an Etch-A-Sketch in comparison.

Back in 2011, Jarre told the Houston Chronicle hed love to come back to the Bayou City for another round. Maybe next time we can find a way to avoid the hellish traffic jam that came after it. We have more bicycles now.

Jarre himself will be in Houston again on April 10 for a concert at the Smart Financial Centre in the Sugar Land.

Craig Hlavaty is a reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com.
A dog trained by Border Patrol agents sniffed out a hefty load of drugs during the inspection of a truck in West Texas.

Customs and Border Patrol agents said in a statement the dog alerted to the possibility of either drugs or concealed people inside a a tractor-trailer stopped at Sierra Blanca, Texas, just east of El Paso, on Monday.
A San Antonio law firms case runner has been sentenced to four years in prison for swindling personal-injury clients out of of settlement money, trying to evade $1.6 million in taxes and hiding $429,000 in assets in his bankruptcy.

A lawyer, meanwhile, got five years of probation for enabling the fraud by case runner Elpidio Pete Gongora by letting him use his law license. Gongora is not an attorney.

Prosecutors argued the lawyer, Ronald Higgins, 54, was less culpable in the fraud, which involved a series of thefts taken from proceeds collected as lawsuit settlements or from what should have gone to doctors and therapists who treated the plaintiffs involved.

Besides handing down the sentences Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ordered Gongora to pay $3.49 million in restitution, and Higgins to pay $1.49 million.

Gongora, 47, pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, tax evasion and bankruptcy fraud.

He admitted conspiring with Higgins and two others, bookkeeper Rosa Ramirez, 48, and one of her relatives, Juan Rodriguez, 47. Gongoras co-defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, and Ramirez and Rodriguez are to be sentenced in June.

According to court documents, from 2009 through early 2015, Gongora operated the law offices of Higgins, who exercised a complete and total lack of oversight and, after learning about the fraud in its waning periods, told Gongora to pay the clients but did not report it to the feds. Two other lawyers who were part of the office were kept in the dark about the fraud, the documents say.

Gongoras lawyer, Scott McCrum, has said Gongora had agreements with the lawyers to find clients for them since about 2003. Business was brisk, McCrum said, but things went downhill in the wake of Texas tort reforms, changes to the law that let insurance companies deny more claims.

The FBI and IRS criminal investigators said Gongora lived large while the scheme was peaking, moving from a $550,000 house on the far West Side to an $850,000 home in the exclusive Dominion subdivision. He also bought a $600,000 house in Aransas Pass, on the Texas coast.

Gongora also acquired a $118,000 Ferrari, a $185,000 Lamborghini, a $28,000 Mercedes-Benz and an $85,000 boat and trailer.

He even spent $26,000 on his daughters quinceanera at The Club at Sonterra but disguised the expense as an immigration seminar/workshop. Even as he went through bankruptcy proceedings in 2013 and 2014, he dropped more than $28,650 on Spurs tickets.

Gongora admitted that he and his wife reported substantial amounts of income on their tax returns between 2003 to 2013 but that Gongora failed to pay his full tax obligations. The IRS said Gongora now owes around $2 million, which is included in the $3.49 million total restitution he must pay.

Gongora and his wife filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2013, and last year he admitted he did not disclose assets that included a 33-foot Chris Craft cabin cruiser, a 29-foot 2005 Seaswirl boat, a 2005 Ford F-150 truck, real estate in San Antonio and the Aransas Pass house.

gcontreras@express-news.net

Twitter: @gmaninfedland
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

It seems the happiest little turtle has been hanging out in North Texas.

Texas Parks and Wildlife officials posted a photo of a turtle found at Lake Lewisville during an event that seeks to find all the species living in a specific area.

"This razor-backed musk turtle is just one of the awesome critters found at the LLELA Lewisville Lake BioBlitz this weekend," Texas Parks and Wildlife officials said on Facebook.

LLELA is the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area, nestled underneath the Lewisville Dam, according to its Facebook page. LLELA works to "preserve and restore" natural habitats and biodiversity, according to its Facebook page.

RELATED: 'It's like Yellowstone in Texas': State park welcomes new bison calves

The BioBlitz event, held April 1, was "an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area," the LLEAL website states. Scientists, naturalists and volunteers recorded everything from plants to fungi to mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.

See photos of the wildlife that spotted during the LLEAL BioBlitz in the gallery above.

The photo of the enthusiastic turtle has been shared more than 300 times on Facebook since it was posted Monday, and comments have flooded in.

"...and jazz hands! Super cute little guy," one commenter said.

Another joked the turtle resembled them when they see a piece of cake.

In addition to the turtle, LLELA found 296 other species during the event.

RELATED: 'Monster' alligator snapping turtle at Texas lake takes social media by storm

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Bernice King dealt what may have been the finishing blow to the Pepsi advertisement debacle on Wednesday morning.

If only dad had known about the power of Pepsi, the youngest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. wrote on Twitter, above an archived photo of police officers shoving her father and other peaceful protesters during a 1960s march.

Less than an hour and a half later, the controversial soda commercial came down, with a long-awaited apology from PepsiCo, which spends $2.5 billion a year on advertising. Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize.

That was the stunning thing about the ill-conceived 2-minute Pepsi commercial released early Tuesday, featuring reality show personality and model Kendall Jenner shedding a wig and makeup, walking in slow motion into a multicultural political protest  conjuring immediate thoughts of Black Lives Matter  and seemingly ending the conflict to cheers by handing a police officer a can of Pepsi.

Its a bit baffling that the advertisement made it past marketing executives and Jenner team members, none of whom put a stop to it, and interesting that it was released on the day King died. But what really surprised most people was that it took so long for the soda giant to take action.

While critics on social media were posting flowcharts of PepsiCo subsidiaries after the ad was released, calling for boycotts of everything from Quaker Oats to Aquafina water, Pepsi and the Jenner team continued to celebrate and defend the ad.

This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think thats an important message to convey, PepsiCo said in its initial response to the controversy.

But by late evening Tuesday, more critical columns and think pieces arrived (CNN Moneys headline: Pepsi and Kendall Jenner join the rogues gallery of tone-deaf ads), and stars from Patton Oswalt to Lena Dunham continued to blast the company.

The next morning, when the King family weighed in, Pepsi  or the crisis communication firm guiding it at this point  finally threw in the towel.

We did not intend to make light of a serious issue, the company said. We are pulling the content and halting any further rollout. We also apologize for putting Kendall Jenner in this position.

When PepsiCo released its apology, Jenner/Kardashian family matriarch Kris Jenner still had this tweet at the top of her feed: So proud of you @kendalljenner! Thank you @pepsi for choosing Kendall to be the face of your new campaign! #Pepsi #PepsiMoment #LiveforNow.

One last relic in (the latest) ill-fated corporate marketing campaign, laid to waste by a real-life protest that couldnt be quelled with a can of soda.

Peter Hartlaub is The San Francisco Chronicles pop culture critic. Email: phartlaub@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @PeterHartlaub
If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view unlimited articles for the month, please choose this option.
A man accused of being one of three males who carried out a serious assault on a man in Longford town on St Patrick's Day has been refused High Court bail.

Ciaran McDonnell (18) of 34 College Park, Longford, was charged with assault causing harm following an incident which occurred at New Street, Longford on March 17 2017.

He, together with two juveniles, appeared at a special sitting of Longford District Court two days later where his two co-accused were granted bail.

Mr McDonnell, however, failed in his attempts to secure bail and was remanded in custody by Judge Kevin Kilraine.

The teenager subsequently appeared at a sitting of Longford District Court last Tuesday where he was charged with a number of other alleged, but unrelated incidents including assault, theft and aggravated burglary.

Two days later, Mr McDonnell, took his challenge to secure bail to Dublin's High Court but was consequently denied in those attempts.

Mr McDonnell. alongside two 15-year-old and 17-year old juveniles were due to appear back at yesterday's (Tuesday) sitting of Longford District Court.
Daragh Feighery has been appointed as the first General Manager of Center Parcs Longford Forest, at Newcastle Wood Ballymahon.

Daragh joins Center Parcs from ARAMARK Ireland, where he has been Operations Director Northern Europe since 2006, with responsibility for the implementation of Aramarks strategic and operational business plans.



Daragh lives in County Kildare and is married with 4 children, and in his spare time plays an active role in the local GAA club, Lucan Sarsfields.

The General Manager is a key appointment and Daragh becomes the companys first employee in Ireland and will be the most senior role at Center Parcs Longford Forest.

Commenting on Daraghs appointment, Martin Dalby, CEO of Center Parcs, said: We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Daragh to the Center Parcs team. He brings with him a wealth of industry experience in Ireland as well as the drive and personality that are crucial to the role of General Manager at Center Parcs. This appointment represents another key milestone in our journey to bring Center Parcs to Ireland and we look forward to Daragh taking up his position in May."

Daragh Feighery, said, "I am extremely excited to join the Center Parcs team and look forward to what will be a fantastic opportunity for families like my own to enjoy a unique family break in Ireland. I believe my experience, skills and beliefs will be a great match in the role of General Manager in Center Parcs Longford Forest. I also look forward to working closely with the local community in what is a very positive and exciting time for Longford and the wider Midlands Community. "

As General Manager Daraghs main responsibility will be to oversee the safe and successful operation of Center Parcs Longford Forest, which includes the 1000 employees and approximately 2500 guests per break.



Daragh will also work closely with the local community once operational to ensure that Center Parcs remains a long term, sustainable partner within County Longford and the wider Midlands region.

Daragh will officially join Center Parcs on May 29 and will spend much of the next 15-18 months working in the UK to fully understand the Center Parcs business before returning to Ireland in time for the start of the main recruitment campaign and opening of the Longford Forest in 2019.

You may also be interested in reading:

First signs of building activity at proposed Center Parcs Longford Forest site

Limerick firm wins first major building contract ahead of opening of Center Parcs Longford Forest
By Long Island News & PR Published: April 05 2017

Volunteer Attorneys set for April 17.

Mineola, NY - April 5, 2017 - As a free community service to help those fearful of losing their homes, As a free community service to help those fearful of losing their homes, Nassau County Bar Association hosts Mortgage Foreclosure/Sandy Recovery Free Legal Consultation Clinics. Held twice a month to meet the demand, the next two clinics are scheduled for Monday, April 17, 3 - 6 p.m., at the Nassau County Bar Association, located on 15th Street at the corner of West Street, Mineola , two blocks south of the bus and train stations.

NCBA volunteer attorneys meet one-on-one with homeowners who are then referred for additional help for mortgage modifications, loan restructuring, bankruptcy, financial planning assistance, services for lower income households or emotional support. Many of these resources and agencies are available immediately in the same room, such as American Debt Resources, LI Housing Partnership, La Fuerza Unida, and LI Housing Services.

There are no income restrictions to attend the clinics. Since 2009, NCBA has held more than 150 clinics assisting more than 12,000 Nassau families in distress. Currently, each clinic averages 30 - 50 homeowners, signifying that foreclosure continues to be prevalent in Nassau.

Volunteer attorneys also answer Sandy victims' questions regarding homeowner, flood, property damage and automobile insurance claims; FEMA, debt deferral, and consumer protection issues.

Bi-lingual attorneys fluent in Spanish are on site. Attorneys bi-lingual in other languages, including Russian, Haitian Creole, Korean, Chinese, Hindi and American Sign Language, may be requested when making reservations.

To make an appointment for the next clinic, call the Bar Association at 516-747-4070. Attendees are asked to bring their mortgage documents or other important papers and correspondence with them.

This program is funded through the NYS Attorney General Homeownership Protection Program (known as HOPP).

About the Nassau County Bar Association
Local News, Business & Finance

By Long Island News & PR Published: April 05 2017

Company will open several new stores nationwide including a growing northeast footprint.

84 Lumber will be holding a Grand Opening celebration for their new Riverhead, NY location on April 6.

Riverhead, NY  April 5, 2017 - In 2016, In 2016, 84 Lumber experienced strong growth with revenue topping $2.86B and the opening of several new stores. Maintaining that momentum in 2017, 84 Lumber will continue to open new stores  across the county  with a grand opening in Riverhead , N.Y. first on the list.

The 36,000 square foot facility will serve both residential and commercial customers in need of building materials. It will offer a variety of specialty departments including a 6,500 square foot showroom featuring an 84 Lumber Kitchen & Bath Design Studio with an Andersen window display, a custom millwork shop, and a reclaimed-wood display that will act as inspiration for customers looking to bring their ideas to life.

Were glad to be back in the Riverhead community once again, said Frank Cicero, 84 Lumbers chief operating officer. As we identified new opportunities for the company this year, we felt returning to Riverhead to help service the East End with our capabilities and high-end showroom, was an easy business decision.

84 Lumber will hold a grand opening celebration for its Riverhead store, located at 1751 West Main Street, beginning Thursday, April 6. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on Thursday with the Kitchen Cousins in attendance. Festivities will continue through Saturday, April 8 and the store will be offering custom promotions available at this location only.

This new store is just part of the companys aggressive expansion strategy for 2017. Upcoming grand openings include Holbrook (South Boston), San Antonio, Tampa South, and Durham N.C. among others.

With more than 250 stores in the United States, 84 Lumber operates 24 locations in New York.

To find an 84 Lumber location near you, visit the company online here

About 84 Lumber
Local News, Business & Finance

By Long Island News & PR Published: April 05 2017

In Letter To Congressional Leaders, 18 AGs Make Strong Case In Support Of CFPBs Final Rule On Prepaid Cards.

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman opposes resolutions which could derail a rule that seeks to protect the millions of consumers who use prepaid cards.

Long Island, NY - April 5, 2017 - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman joined his fellow Attorneys General in calling on Congressional leadership to oppose three resolutions, each of which could derail a Final Rule announced by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CPFB) that seeks to protect the millions of consumers who use prepaid cards. The rule was first considered by the CFPB in May 2012 and is scheduled to go into effect on April 1, 2018 barring the passage of S.J. Res.19, H.J Res. 62 or H.J. Res. 73.

Joining Attorney General Schneiderman in support of the CFPBs Final Rule are the Attorneys General for the District of Columbia, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington State, as well as the Executive Director of the Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection.

Prepaid cards represent one of the fastest growing consumer financial products in the United States, often used by consumers who have limited or no access to a traditional bank account. Today, more consumers especially low-wage, hourly workers receive their wages via prepaid cards than by paper checks. Although most consumers use these cards to avoid overdraft fees, some of the payday lenders who provide funds through these cards subject consumers to overdraft fees. Additionally, these consumers frequently incur hidden or undisclosed fees, even in cases where the cards are used to receive their salary or student loan deposits. In fact, a 2014 report by the non-partisan Pew Charitable Trusts estimated that the median consumer using one of the 66 major prepaid cards incurs fees of $10 to $30 each month.

No consumer should be charged fees just to receive their paycheck, said Attorney General Schneiderman. Today, Im proud to stand with attorneys general from across the country who are committed to protecting consumers from fraud, unauthorized charges, and hidden fees. We urge Congress to do the same by letting CFPBs common sense final rule stand.

The CFPBs Final Rule provides a common sense approach to regulating prepaid cards, offering protections that consumers have come to expect in similar financial products. Among its key provisions protecting consumers, the Final Rule will:

Protect prepaid card users against fraud and unauthorized charges;

Help consumers avoid hidden fees and comparison shop with a simple chart of common fees;

Provide convenient, free access to account transactions and account balances;

Require employers to inform employees they do not have to receive wages on a payroll card; and

Require prepaid credit cards to comply with existing credit card laws, including an ability to conduct pay analysis, limits on overdraft fees in the first year, and safeguards on how funds are repaid.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause

By Long Island News & PR Published: April 05 2017

The month-long celebration is designed to raise awareness of the life-saving role New York residents can play.

Albany, NY - April 5, 2017 - Assemblyman Chad A. Lupinacci (R,C,I,Ref-South Assemblyman Chad A. Lupinacci (R,C,I,Ref-South Huntington ) spoke on the floor of the Assembly chamber today as he recognized April as the beginning of National Donate Life Month. The month-long celebration is designed to raise awareness of the life-saving role New York residents can play by registering as an organ, tissue and eye donor.

As we enter April, National Donate Life Month begins and the need for more organ donors has become critical, said Lupinacci. With more than 10,000 New Yorkers on waiting lists, only 15 percent of eligible donors are registered, creating a problem for those in desperate need of a transplant. For some in need of an organ donation it can take an average of five years, and only two states, Vermont and Texas, do worse than New York in the amount of registered donors.

Together weve helped save and heal the lives of many. Our efforts have increased donation awareness and have ensured tens of thousands of life-saving transplants. Still, there is much work to be done. New Yorks Department of Health website has launched an online registration program for those interested in making a difference in the life of someone in need. I encourage everyone to visit their site, learn more about this important issue, and join the thousands whove made the decision to become an organ donor.

New York offers three simple ways to register as an organ, tissue or eye donor:

Enroll online through the New York State Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and Health (DOH);

Mail a printable paper form to the NYS DMV or DOH; or

Registering at the Board of Elections.

For more information on becoming a donor, please visit the New York State Department of Health website here
Local Experts, Business & Finance, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: April 05 2017

Jean-Pierre: Its absolutely shameful that were still fighting this battle in 2017.

Albany, NY - April 5, 2017 - Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre (D- Babylon ) announced that she passed a series of measures to help ensure women earn equal pay for equal work. The legislation coincides with Equal Pay Day, April 4, which marks how far into the year women have to work to earn the same amount their male counterparts earned the previous year.

Its absolutely shameful that were still fighting this battle in 2017, said Jean-Pierre. The gender pay gap in itself is an enormous injustice, but it also has far-reaching consequences, hurting not only women but also their families and the economy. I wont stop pushing to close the gap once and for all and ensure women have full equality.

Women in New York State only earn 89 cents for every dollar a man does. The gap is even worse for African-American and Hispanic women, who earn 66 cents and 56 cents for every dollar earned by their white male counterpart, respectively. Altogether, New York women working full time lose a combined $54 billion a year because of pay inequity.[1] Jean-Pierre noted that pay equity is more than just a matter of economic fairness, especially for working mothers who also have to contend with the rising costs of child care and everyday expenses which often push financial security out of reach.

To ensure women have greater protections under the law, the Assembly legislation enacts the New York State Fair Pay Act to address and enforce pay equity, including broadening equal pay protections to include equivalent jobs and ensuring that traditional female and minority jobs are not undervalued (A.4696).

The legislative package also includes measures to implement a state policy of wage equality for state and municipal employees, as well as direct the Civil Service Commission to study and publish a report evaluating wage disparities among public employees in order to establish where and how inequities exist. (A.658, A.2549). Further, legislation was passed to ensure the state complies with the federal Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and gives public employees a private right of action to sue for compensation and enforce equal pay disparities (A.2425).
Culture / Art Republik

The contemplative elegance of the Belfast-born artists installations question the sustainability of the fragile relationship between man and the environment

Apr 05, 2017 | By Teo Hui Min

Visually arresting, Claire Morgans installation and paper works achieve their resonance by tapping into a sense of the uncanny. Bringing into question our perceived notions of organic life and movement, the animals in Morgans works are lifeless shells preserved through her skill as a professional taxidermist. Different species of animals suspended in motion move through spaces constrained by geometric pattern and regularity.

Morgans hanging installations are assemblages of organic and non-organic material brought into a meticulous and calculating order that serves to emphasise themes surrounding the human relationship to our environment, and the ceaseless ebb and flow of death and the regeneration of life. Exploring the physicality of animals, death, and illusions of permanence in the work is my way of trying to come to terms with these things myself, she says.

The artist was trained in sculpture at Northumbria University in England, and born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1980. Having exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo in France in 2009, Morgan went on to present to great acclaim, a solo exhibition titled Life.Blood. at Galerie Karsten Greve, also in Paris. Since then, Morgans has participated in international shows across Europe, the United States and Australia.

There is a stillness to Morgans works that acts as a poetic juxtaposition to the active postures that many of her animal subjects possess. The environments they are situated within are immersive, densely overwhelming, and composed of delicate and painstakingly mounted materials that range from individual seeds to scraps of polyethylene and cellophane. Morgan acknowledges then, the fragility of these rigidly imposed spaces. Nevertheless, her subjects remain trapped  wild animals caged in a perpetual quietude.

Morgan is also known for her blood drawings, works on paper that depict the conceptual process leading towards a completed sculpture or installation. Passionately gestural, the works on paper capture pathways of motion and energy that run through the final works, often alongside detailed renderings of the built environments that will eventually come to confine them.

Seen in relation to the completed sculptures, the paper works draw attention to the intentional construction of a mechanical order of straight lines and grids that is intercut by the order of nature. The organic lines of nature represented through flowing lines and animal forms gently but surely disrupt the linear composition of their surroundings. As we enter a period of global uncertainty, Morgans works inspire deep introspection within the increasingly relevant conversation of the human impact on environmental degradation and change.

Her first solo show in the United States, Stop Me Feeling runs at Frist Centre for Visual Arts in Nashville, Tennessee, from February 10 to May 7, 2017. Fondation Frances in Senlis, France, will display a solo show, Resurgence  My God-Shaped Hole from March to December 2017. In Autumn 2017, Paris-based Galerie Karsten Greve, will also present a solo exhibition of new works.

This article is written by Teo Hui Min and was originally published in Art Republik 14.
The great Gold Rush Music Festival returns to the township of Waihi, with the first nuggets of gold dropping for the highly anticipated return of the 2023 festival.
Interview with Badder Al-Ghanim, CEO (Board Member) of Alghanim Catering (Al-Awama Group)

How much potential is there in the Kuwaiti catering market?

For now, there is a good amount of potential. Government contracts are the cornerstone of all catering companies that deal in Kuwait and want to generate large amounts of revenue. Government contracts now and what we have seen over the past several decades are quite consistent in terms of catering. Most catering contracts are for three years, they get retendered, and you have multiple contracts. If you have a good pricing team and you know what you are doing, you can win a few contracts and sustain your business. In the private industry, the potential is quite good now because there are many projects that the Kuwait government is initiating within KOC and infrastructure, leading to many contractors and staff that need life support. We anticipate the potential for the next five to eight years to be very strong.

How long has Alghanim Catering been in the market? What is an overview of your services?

We started operations in 1992, and have been running for 25 years. We grew from a small catering business. We used to only do private camps. We did one private camp and we slowly grew. Now, we provide a combination of government contracts, private camps, and full life support for clients, which includes housing, laundry, catering, housekeeping, as well as occasional transportation.

What clients do you work with?

With the private clients, I cannot say because of confidentiality issues. With the government, it is transparent. Most companies know who won contracts. We have been lucky enough over the past few years to deal with the Ministry of Defence, the National Guard, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Social Affairs, and Kuwait University. We have had a bit of luck in that sense.

We are lucky enough to have a good core group of people in management that have been with us for fifteen or more years.

There are countless catering companies here in Kuwait. Apart from being established in 1992, providing you with a certain footprint in the industry, how do you differentiate yourself from other competitors?

Concerning government contracts, differentiating yourself is somewhat difficult. The government has prequalified specific companies that match specific criteria. When you look at the list of companies that are qualified for government contracts, you will see a short list, and all of these companies, although different, tend to have similar operations because we all meet the criteria that the government requires. With the government, you submit a tender and that is your price. If you are the cheapest, you win, if you are not you do not win. When you look at private contracts, that is when the real competition comes in. The private it is back and forth negotiation. You have a company coming in trying to offer a better service or a better price. That is where differentiating yourself really comes into play. When you talk about the catering business, it comes down to how good your chefs are and how good your management team is. Within the management team, you always have the executive chef who is the one creating menus and meals for other companies to consume. If you win a contract, but your meals are not up to standard, they pull it from you and give it to somebody else in the private sector. We differentiate by putting effort into recruiting the right people and having menus and raw material that we think are up to a specific standard. We are lucky enough to have a good core group of people in management that have been with us for fifteen or more years. They consider this company not as a company, but as a home. We see them consistently go above and beyond, and that is very good for us.

What is it like to do business in Kuwait now? You began your business in the last century and you have had to do certain things in terms of restructuring internally. Is there also a generational transformation?

This has nothing to do with catering specifically, but it has to do with any family business. When you come in as a new generation and you begin to slowly take over the day to day management of a business, on paper, you may look at the business and see that it is doing fine, the numbers are good, you are very happy, and it is sustaining the family. But when you actually take over, you see that the numbers are only half the story. At the end of the day, you work in order to generate a profit, but it needs to be efficient. Growing up, many things have changed. We went from a time where computers were rare, where there were no cell phones, up to a point where everything we do now is automated and the internet plays a big role. It is difficult moving things from an old way, from this pencil and paper system where you have a room full of files, to pushing it towards a more modern, automated system that is more efficient and saves you time. A task such as updating residencies for all of your staff used to take an HR staff three days, and now it can be done in only three hours.

But it is still surprising how long it takes. I came in thinking I could do this in six months and everything will be up to date and automated. It is not even close. Now, it has been six years and we are still going slowly, taking bit by bit. You make one section happy, it takes them six months to say they like the system, then you can move to the next division and the next and the next after that. It has taken much longer than I expected, but it is progressing.

What divisions are part of your group?

Under Al-Awama General Trading, we have several companies that operate. Alghanim Catering Services offers full life support. The Universal American School is one of the oldest American schools here in Kuwait. Universal Projects is our electromechanical branch. ProCom is our software branch where we do ERP systems for SAP. We have a media business called Everything Kuwait which was started a few years ago, and is being run by my brother, Jasem. They do online media advertising for firms in Kuwait, such as Facebook, Instagram, and event management. It is a nice mix of things that we have going on.

Are you present in the international scene?

In Kuwait, there is an agency kind of setup where most companies that want to operate in Kuwait usually have an agent. This can be seen with consumer products, such as Unilever, which has an agent in Kuwait and imports. We do not do that. We have international companies that we represent in Kuwait that are international contractors or international consultants. This is what my brother does most of the time. He is much better than I am at dealing with time differences, phone calls, managing, and organizing multiple international requests. I am better on a day to day ground level.

Are these companies from the region?

They are UK based companies, US based companies, and companies from Singapore and China. We represent them, but we do not have a business where we import consumer products. We represent companies that operate in other fields, such as consultancy. For instance, we represent WS Atkins here in Kuwait. They were responsible for the Kuwait Master Plan, the design for the Kuwait Metro, and several other projects here in Kuwait from a consultancy point of view.

How do these companies approach you?

It is us approaching them. It is years of building relationships, a great deal of travel, it is going to them and knocking on their doors to tell them about the potential of Kuwait. Now, it is much easier. People know Kuwait and people know about the amount that is being spent here, so they actively want to come here. It is a matter of getting your foot through the door and convincing them you are the right partner. When my father was negotiating with Atkins, there were several other companies in Kuwait that were competing with us to represent them in the region. For whatever reason, they saw that we were the right partners and they asked us to represent them.

What is your vision for Alghanim Catering in the medium term? In three years time, what would you like the company to have achieved?

If you look at the company four years ago, and you look at it today, as far as revenue growth, it has been quite a shift. Internally, as a family, we had a strategy that we wanted to implement in order to reach the level we are today in top line sales. Most people would say, in five years I want to be generating five times more revenue. That is not a realistic achievement. I would like three years from now to have all our internal processes up to date. For me, that is more important than anything else. Generating business is always great, but if I am generating business and my internal processes are only allowing me x percentage of profit because we are extremely inefficient, it is useless. I need to have ten contracts in order to generate this. If I can reach a point where I can only have five contracts and still generate the same amount of revenue because I am much more efficient, that is exactly the growth potential we have in the company. Putting in those processes will allow us to sustain the business.

FAIR USE POLICY

This material (including media content) may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed. However, linking directly to the page (including the source, i.e. Marcopolis.net) is permitted and encouraged.
Interview with Mohammed Jaffar, Deputy Chairman & CEO of Faith Capital Holding, Board Member in Kuwait London Company

What are the trends in terms of startups and entrepreneurs taking business into their own hands in Kuwait?

The Kuwaiti culture has had entrepreneurs for hundreds of years. My great grandfather, grandfather, and father were all entrepreneurs. We had a period of time where people became a bit complacent, but now, with young people coming back to traditional entrepreneurship, we see people starting all kinds of SMEs in technology, service, and other industries. We take that as a great sign that we are now heading in the right direction.

Is the globalization of local Kuwaiti brands specific to food and beverage?

Not necessarily. When I saw an opportunity online for a delivery space, my aim was to make a local Kuwaiti business into a GCC business. Being in the Gulf, it is easy for us to expand and have businesses in the region. We speak the same language, look the same, and talk the same. For us, the minimum is to have a GCC based business instead of a one-country based business.

What was the key to Talabats success?

The major key to Talabats success was Gods blessing. We worked very hard and spent a lot of money on the business, but others have worked just as hard and spent more money than us. We concentrated on doing things in an ethical way. That is very important to my beliefs. I have a very successful father and grandfather that also believe in ethical business. If you do good, ethical business, Gods blessing will come to you in life.

We concentrated on doing things in an ethical way. That is very important to my beliefs. I have a very successful father and grandfather that also believe in ethical business. If you do good, ethical business, Gods blessing will come to you in life.

How did you come to the decision to sell and exit the business?

If you enter a business, there must be an exit scenario. We had several options, either to sell to a private entity or IPO the business. In 2015, the market headed towards consolidation, and we decided to have Talabat be a part of that instead of being an outsider.

What is the current strategy for the company?

We strated Kuwait London Company (KLGTC) in 2008. Our strategy now is to offer these brands throughout the Gulf. The idea behind this is to find companies that have the potential to scale up and become regional companies instead of local ones. The most important aspect for us is to leverage our culture and the way we believe business should be conducted into these small businesses and show how ethical business and ethical growth will lead to success. We want that culture to be spread through the ecosystem of local entrepreneurship in this part of the world. This is why we have the name Faith Capital. We are not a traditional private equity. There is an idea and a culture behind it. We believe in this culture and we believe that this is how business should be conducted, in an ethical manner. This is not something I invented. People have done this for thousands of years and found success as a result. We must remind them that ethically, you should not segregate between peoples races or religions. In the end, if you improve your business, it will encourage others to improve their business. We will work very hard and spend the needed funds to push this vision through.

What is ethical business?

People working in business know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. We are human beings. One of the main things for us is to not segregate based on religion. You should not say you are a Muslim or a Christian or Jew; you are a human being. Secondly, there should be no differentiation between males and females, races, or even the color of your eyes. We work very hard and we do things the way that God intended them to be done. God put us on this earth for us to do things the right way. We should respect other countries and other religions. People want to feel that this is their business, and if you apply that behavior into your business, they will work extremely hard on their own. We do not simply come here and do our job, clock in, clock out, and get a salary. It is much more than that. When we first came in, we were a very small player competing with national corporations and we were able to beat them because we did things this way. It was not because we were super men and they were normal. We did things to get Gods blessing on our side. That is exactly what we teach to entrepreneurs. If you want to do business, this is how business should be done. This is not something that I created. This is something that is written in all the religious books that God gave and it is pure logic and common sense.

Do you want to pass your legacy forward?

Absolutely. I saw my grandfather follow this procedure and he ended up becoming one of the most successful people in the Gulf. He has a huge empire in seventeen different countries, and tens of thousands of people in his companies. He started off from zero. He did not do it because he was a genius. He was smart, he worked hard, he was an extremely good person, and people wished good things for him. That is why he became successful. The same was true for my father. So, why should I come and reinvent the wheel? This is the methodology that really works and we have seen it work for thousands of years. It is about reminding people that this is the way forward.

Are there companies similar to yours in Kuwait?

There are similar companies in the MENA region. What makes Faith Capital Holding different is that we get involved heavily in the investments we make. Therefore, we only make a select number of investments, so we can have enough time and be dedicated to them.

What are your main challenges?

There are many challenges. We are competing not only with competitors, but with technology itself which is changing fast, with consumer behavior, and with trends all at the same time. There is a risk of whether we are able to execute the mission. There are exit risks. Sometimes you may execute great business, but people may not be interested in acquiring it. However, we believe we have what it takes to make it in this space.

We are looking at consumer facing businesses. We are interested in market based concepts and we are looking at GCC based businesses. Our aim is to grow that local business that may have started in one country and over the next couple of years, make it a GGC business that has branches across the six countries in the Gulf. The Gulf is a great place to do business. There is strong consumer spending here, which is a good thing. It is also a safe part of the world.

What are the challenges in communication?

We could very easily take a completely different approach and invest in companies left and right and hope for one or two hits, but that will not give me the chance to spread my message. The message I want to spread is ethical business. If I am successful in something, it is not because I am smart. I am an ordinary person. But, if I do things the way they should be done and as God intended them to be done, then I will have Gods blessing on my side. If I have this, then I must be patient, because God tests people. Then, God willing, success will come. This is our philosophy. I have seen it work firsthand. I was lucky enough to see it with my own grandfather who started out as a foreperson, then he made a huge business, ended up losing that business in the late 70s, then made it up again in the later years of his life. He never panicked when he lost his business because he knew exactly how he did it the first time. It was not luck. He knew it was not from him. So, he worked in the same approach and God rewarded him even more than what he had lost. But, he had to be patient. It is not about being in a panic, it is about having the will to leverage this knowhow. That gives me the most enjoyment. If that culture is being followed by others as well, in the end, it is going to be to their own benefit and interest.

What is your vision? Where would you like to be in two to three years time?

I hope to have the voice I need to show people that this way of doing business will result in success. I would also love to have the chance to do something for my country. If I strive to spread ethical business, that is something positive for my country and my religion. I get very frustrated when I see people and the media classify things like Islam as terrorism. Islam has nothing to do with terrorism. It is a very peaceful religion. Islam means peace. Our religion forbids us from doing harm to anyone. We cannot even harm a tree, let alone a human being. These are all things I want to do and to show for us to move forward and become civilized nations, similar to the Americans and the Europeans. For us to become like the Europeans and Americans, we must invest in our minds and in our business because that is the way forward. We have a great culture in this part of the world. The youth are very enthusiastic about entrepreneurship and they are much better than my generation, which is an extremely good sign. We are headed in the right way in the Gulf. God willing, if I can contribute in any way to that, I will have done my part.

FAIR USE POLICY

This material (including media content) may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed. However, linking directly to the page (including the source, i.e. Marcopolis.net) is permitted and encouraged.
MARTINSVILLEA former Henry County deputy faces charges after an incident over the weekend involving a person he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

Bassett resident Justin Lloyd Powell, 27, is being held without bail, charged with use of a communication system or other electronic means for the purpose of procuring or promoting the use of a minor for an activity in violation of [the Virginia law dealing with taking indecent liberties with any child under 15 years old]," according to records at the Clerk of Martinsville General District Courts office.

Capt. M.J. Harmony of the Bedford County Sheriffs Office, assigned to the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, posted an advertisement on Craigslist, claiming to be a woman looking for a man. A person who identified himself as Justin Powell responded.

During the conversation, Powell sent two photographs of his face to Harmony that were identified by numerous Martinsville police officers as Justin Powell. Harmony sent Powell a picture and identified himself as a 14-year-old girl. The chat went on for several hours.

According to the chat log, which the task force collected, Powell allegedly said he was going to stop chatting, but told the person he believed to be a 14-year-old to look him up on social media and continued the conversation.

At a later time in the chat, Powell allegedly sent a sexually explicit photo to the person he believed to be the 14-year-old girl. This could get me in trouble too, Powell told the other person, according to the chat log. I should stop. I shouldn't have showed you my (expletive).

Right after that, Powell allegedly typed again that I could get in so much trouble, and finally, I should stop. We could both get in trouble. Its not worth it, ya know.

After reading the chat logs and being briefed on the incident by Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) investigators, Sgt. C.S. Boblett of the Martinsville Police Department obtained a warrant for Powells arrest and a search warrant for his residence. Powell was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Martinsville Police Department.

Bobletts police report states that Once at the police department, I read Mr. Powell his Miranda warning. He signed the waiver and elected to speak to myself and Captain M. Harmony, ICAC. Mr. Powell admitted to sending the photograph. Mr. Powell expressed his regret for his actions and stated that he knew he should not have done what he did. The interview was recorded.

According to a court record, Powell is unemployed, worked at the Henry County Sheriffs Office for two months and has two years of college.

Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry said Powell no longer works for our office. He was employed about three months.

Perry said he did not immediately have the exact dates but said Powell worked for the sheriffs office recently. Powell was hired as a deputy and was assigned to corrections, working in the jail, Perry said.

We are very adamant about crimes against children, Perry said. We very aggressively pursue crimes against children.

He added that the sheriffs office regularly works with agencies investigating Internet crimes against children.

We are just as shocked as anybody else by this, Perry said.
TODAYS WORD is ubiquitous (yoo-bik-wi-tuh-s). Example: As I glanced around the restaurant, I noticed that every diner was staring at his or her ubiquitous cell phone.

TUESDAYS WORD was apotheosis. It means the ideal example; epitome. Example: With its towering fins, the 1959 model was truly the apotheosis of Cadillacs.

Bassett breakfast

Bassett Ruritan Club on Philpott Dam Road will host its annual monthly breakfast Saturday, April 8 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. The breakfast, which costs $6, is all-you-can-eat and includes sausage, fried bologna, gravy, biscuits, eggs, apples, pancakes made to order, juice and coffee.

Bassett Craft Show

Bassett High School, 85 Riverside Drive, will have a craft show on Saturday to raise money for the schools band program. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a $2 admission fee. There will be baked goods, jewelry, decorations and other items up for sale.

TODAY IS: National Caramel Day

Caramels are made by adding milk and fat to a sugary syrup that has been heated and stirred until it reaches a light brown color. As early as the 17th century, American women were using caramelized sugar and water to make candies. Around 1850, it was discovered that adding milk and fat to the mixture produced a softer, chewier candy. The way that someone pronounces the word can give you insight into what part of the country theyre from. East of the Mississippi River, it is generally pronounced car-a-mel, with all three syllables intact. West of the Mississippi, it is usually pronounced car-mel, with just two syllables.

TRIVIA QUESTION: In 1939, Gustav Brunn fled Nazi Germany and arrived in the U.S., taking a job at spice manufacturer McCormick and Company. A week later, he was fired  according to Brunn, it was because the company discovered he was Jewish. But later that year, Brunn founded his own company, and his famous product can still be found in supermarkets today. What product did Brunn invent?

TUESDAYS TRIVIA ANSWER: On March 12, 1951, a popular comic strip made its debut in the U.S. Across the pond in the U.K., a comic strip with a similar premise and the exact same title made its debut on the exact same day, yet remarkably, there is no evidence that either creator even knew of the others existence. What are the two comic strips? The answer is Dennis the Menace  and Dennis the Menace. In the U.S., Hank Ketcham created Dennis the Menace, and his antics were initially distributed by Post-Hall Syndicate as a syndicated newspaper comic strip. In the U.K., a different Dennis the Menace was created by David Law, and his comic strip appeared in a popular comedy comic book called The Beano. Both characters are also easily identified by their striped shirts; U.S. Dennis has a blue-and-black striped shirt, while U.K. Dennis has a red-and-black striped shirt. The similarities between these characters, and the fact that they debuted on the exact same day, are simply a strange cosmic coincidence.
To say that the American healthcare system is criminally expensive and convoluted would be an understatement.

Earlier this year, the New York Times reported that 20% of people under the age of 65, although insured, have trouble paying medical bills. 75% of them reported that, as a result, they had had to cut back on household spending, and 63% of them used up all or most of their savings to pay a medical bill. In 2015, an average family of four had to shell out $24,671 for medical expenses. An ambulance ride costs $164 per mile, on average. An emergency room visit by itself could cost you around $1,233. The national average for a vaginal birth is now $8,775, and a c-section will set you back $11,525.At the same time, medical and healthcare professionals are relentlessly overworked. Nurses in the US often work shifts that can run as long as 24 to 36 hours. Only 16% of nurses in a national survey think they are adequately compensated. There is a chronic shortage of doctors, who spend an average of just 12 minutes per patient during appointments. Moreover, the for-profit system creates incentives for doctors to provide add-on services, often medically unnecessary, which leads to an estimated 210,000 patients dying each year due to medical errors.

This is the nightmarish scenario that millions of American workers are subjected to in the richest country on earth. How is it that a country with such enormous wealth and advanced medical technology provides the majority of its population with such appalling healthcare?

The need for a state provision of healthcare was recognized by many capitalist countries decades ago, especially during and after World War II. Western European countries such as Britain and France established their national healthcare systems in 1945. In the case of Britain, the National Health Service (NHS) was legislated in the aftermath of a massive Labour Party victory. In France, provision of healthcare by the state was adopted by the Provisional Government under the influence of the Communist and Socialist Parties, which had played a leading role in the resistance to Nazi occupation.

Photo: Azat Akhyarov

Even Francos Spain had a tax-funded obligatory health insurance scheme, begun in 1942, and expanded in 1984 into to a unified health system. Denmarks renowned healthcare system has a long history of proletarian struggle behind it, going as far back as the late 1800s, but it began as state-subsidized health insurance scheme until it changed into a single-payer system in 1973. Japan implemented universal health coverage in 1961. And it goes without saying that the Stalinist states, despite their extreme flaws and mostly backward conditions, provided universal healthcare on the basis of their nationalized-planned economies.

All of this begs the question: why is the healthcare system in the US so chaotic and prohibitively expensive? The answer lies in the fact that the market, rather than state intervention, is the primary factor that shaped how healthcare is provided for the majority.

At the beginning of the 20th century, American workers spent only the equivalent of $100 on healthcare each year. This was because most of the time they could rarely afford a doctor, and used cheap and dubious potions to treat their diseases. If they did visit a hospital, it was most likely that they would die there. The advent of antibiotics and other medicines rapidly changed the role that hospitals played in medicine. Instead of a place of death, they became a place of treatment and distribution of medical products and services.

The working class and its mass organizations were the first to fight for healthcare for all. The Socialist Party, under Eugene Debss leadership, put out a demand for a compulsory healthcare system as early as 1904. A small group of academics who argued for a state-run healthcare system, known as The American Association for Labor Legislation, received thunderous support from workers, trade unionists, and women suffragists in 1919. Unfortunately, this demand, along with the movement behind it, was defeated by the ruling class during the first Red Scare. Some conservative legislators even fittingly branded the demand for universal healthcare as Bolshevism. The future of healthcare was left to the mercy of the market.

However, as medical care wasnt as easy to sell as mass-produced commodities, hospitals had to figure out other ways to ensure a steady revenue and accumulation of capital. In 1929, the Baylor University Hospital in Dallas, Texas created a scheme whereby a group of public school teachers could pay a monthly premium to the hospital, and their subsequent visits to the hospitals would be free of charge. This model quickly became popular, and eventually, a health insurance company was founded based on it. The companys name was Blue Cross, the precursor of todays health insurance conglomerate, Blue Cross Blue Shield.

It wasnt until World War II that private health insurance truly proliferated on the American market. During the war, private enterprises were under pressure to hire more people in order to produce for the war economy. Unlike their counterparts in Europe, where healthcare was statified, the US government provided tax exemptions and credits to companies in exchange for purchasing health insurance for their workers to attract more workers into their industries. This marked the beginning of employer-provided health insurance on a wide scale.

However, the workers could have halted this trend had it not been for the class-collaborationist labor leadership. There was a rank-and-file demand in the unions, especially in the industrial CIO, to fight for healthcare for all. The leadership of these unions initially took up the demand, but systematically discouraged rank-and-file participation in the campaign. Gradually, they began arguing that it was easier to bargain with individual employers for insurance rather than fighting for a national health insurance program. As the postwar boom gathered steam, and unionized workers won concessions from the bosses, including employer-provided healthcare, the pressure on the union leadership subsided and the movement for universal healthcare again fell by the wayside.

The companies that profit from the sale of health insurance and delivery of care services, known as Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), quickly tied the welfare of millions of American workers to the whim of the bourgeoisie under the governments attempt to motivate corporations to administer healthcare, rather than placing it under state control. Between the 1940s and 1970s, the vast majority of health insurance enrollees were covered under industrialist Henry Kaisers HMO, known as the Kaiser system.

The continuous expansion of American capitalism, coupled with conscious government encouragement, allowed a number of new HMOs to develop and thrive. In the 1970s, several major HMOs became for-profit and went public on the stock market. They quickly ran into a crisis of overproduction, resulting in the HMO bust from 1987 to 1990. This led to increasing concentration of the HMO industry, putting a large portion of American working class at risk, as they could easily be refused coverage by the HMOs if they were not covered by their employers plan.

The market-based solution to healthcare pursued by the US government had a formative effect on how medical facilities are run in the US. The passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1966 offered federal reimbursements to hospitals caring for patients of age 65 or older, or deemed medically indigent by the state. This qualitatively pivoted the way medicine and public health developed in the US. The AFL-CIO participated in the campaign for Medicare, but its participants were primarily retirees rather than active workers. Medicare to this day remains the primary single-payer health insurance provider in the US. While it was indeed a byproduct of progressive struggles in the 1960s, just as all positive reforms, it falls short of being a comprehensive system for all, and remains heavily reliant on the fluctuations and anarchy of the medical market.

With the rising costs of constantly improving technology, the financial incentives provided by Medicare drove most privately owned hospitals to create a variety of business models to game the system. This led to the practice of creating a variety of medical services that can be mass produced and sold repeatedly to elderly patients. Hospitals became increasingly profit-driveneven non-profits. Physician-owned specialist clinics centered on lucrative fields like orthopedics, surgery, and cardiology also began to rise. Less profitable departments and disciplines were sidelined, then shut down. Starting in the 1980s, a process of centralization began in which hospitals were closed or absorbed in a wave of hospital mergers that continued into the 1990s. In 1996 alone, as many as 768 hospitals were involved in 235 merger deals.

As a result of the overgrowth and monopolization of for-profit hospital systems focused on the most profitable services, American workers increasingly came to rely on community hospitals for other necessary treatments. In the late 1980s, a grassroots movement for a single-payer system began to emerge in the unions, in conjunction with the Gray Panthers, the Consumers Union, as well as mental and public health groups. A group called Citizen Action, which includes members of the CWA and ILGWU, managed to send one million postcards to the White House demanding a single-payer system. However, major unions like AFSCME and the UAW opposed this campaign to avoid antagonizing the Clinton administration. Once again, major union leaders convinced the rank and file that they needed to work from within the system in order to achieve their goalsa grave mistake that opened the way to a massive assault by the Clinton administration against healthcare access.

In 1997, Bill Clinton introduced the Balanced Budget Act which cut federal funding to Medicare, further accelerating the marketization process. Community hospitals providing complex but less profitable services were forced to find ways to generate revenues and cut costs, resulting in as many as a third of US hospitals failing financially, while another third were thrown into financial precarity. This led to layoffs, overworked staff, artificial increases in patient turnover, and price hikes, as hospitals devised ways to bill more services to patients HMOs.

The law dictates that each state administer Medicaid fund provided by the federal government. However, every state has differing standards for who qualifies as medically indigent, and the level of commitment that the state has to the Medicaid program. This results in all sorts of inequalities and complications that are completely nonsensical, placing the health of millions at risk. By 2006, 44 million Americans had no healthcare and those who had it had to pay absurd amounts out of pocket for decreasing quality of care. Incredibly, the US spent 83% more per capita on healthcare than Canada, which has government-provided universal coverage. Where those billions of dollars went is no mystery: they went to line the pockets of the shareholders and executive officers of the HMOs, hospitals, pharmaceutical, and medical device corporations.

This dysfunctional mess, which uses public money to subsidize private profits, could only be resolved through a single-payer, socialized healthcare system. However, the Affordable Care Act, more well-known as Obamacare, is in fact a repetition of the same approach of using market-based solutions to patch up the growing problems resulting from marketized healthcare. The most abjectly poor gained access to expanded Medicaid coverage, while the insurance premiums of millions of others were subsidized by government handouts to the HMOs. As if there werent enough for both advocates of a single-payer system and enemies of the poor to hate, it also imposes a tax penalty for anyone not purchasing coverage.

While the program did initially allow more people to purchase health insurance, it immediately faced the problem of implementation. Nearly half the states continue to resist expanding Medicaid, leaving millions uninsured who make too much money according to their states ridiculously low poverty line to qualify them for Medicaid, but still cannot afford even the lowest grade of insurance offered by the Obamacare exchanges. The White House itself pointed out that there are 4.3 million people in this situation, but was content to simply point fingers at the states rather than doing anything to remedy the situation.

More importantly, this legislation not only fails to address the contradictions existing in hospital systems and the continuous pressure to raise prices, it also relies on the major HMOs to cooperate by joining in the state exchanges. Since it does not own or control these entities, the only way it can compel them to do so is to entice them with the prospect of juicy profits at the public expense. Earlier this year, major HMO Aetna announced that they are no longer participating in the exchanges, citing financial losses. If more large HMOs follow suit, the exchanges would have no policies to sell and costs per patient would rise even further.

The government response was to announce massive increases in Obamacare premiums starting in 2017, by an average of 22%. Immediately, over 1.6 million people dropped out of the plan because they could no longer afford it. Those who are still able to buy the lower tier health insurance through Obamacare will have to pay a $3,500 to $6,000 deductible when they do visit the hospitalthis at a time when only 37% of Americans have the $500-$1,000 in savings required to cover an emergency medical bill. The Affordable Care Act at this point is decidedly unaffordable. No wonder Trump was able to demagogically play on Americans discontent with Obamas signature legislation.

However, whatever Trump and the Republicans come up with can only be even worse than Obamacare. Their aim is Robin Hood in Reversepublic subsidies to big business while cutting support from the poor. Support for a socialized national healthcare system is widespread and could be easily achieved by simply expanding Medicare and Medicaid into a universal, single-payer system. In 2009, legislation HR 676, also known as Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act, was endorsed by 561 union organizations in 49 states, including 130 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations, as well as 39 state AFL-CIOs. However, the labor leadership did not mobilize the working class or threaten strike action to compel its approval, and its fate was left to a handful of Democratic Party cosponsors. It remains stuck in congressional limbo to this day.

The problems with US healthcare are wide-ranging but the fundamental problem is simple: it is a for-profit system, not a healthcare system. But even if we achieve a single-payer system, on the basis of capitalism, it inevitably would go into crisis along with the rest of the economy. Weve seen this repeatedly in European countries that have single-payer systems as they are forced to slash public health expenditures as part of the austerity programs demanded by the crisis of the system, and the complete failure of reformists to combat this trend. This is why the only lasting solution is to nationalize the key levers of the economy, including all aspects of healthcare provision, to be run democratically under workers and public control.
In Defence of Marxism is committed to safeguarding your privacy. At all times we aim to respect any personal data you share with us, or that we receive from other organisations, and keep it safe. This Privacy Policy (Policy) sets out our data collection and processing practices and your options regarding the ways in which your personal information is used.

This Policy contains important information about your personal rights to privacy. Please read it carefully to understand how we use your personal data. We may update this Policy from time to time without notice to you, so please check it regularly.

The provision of your personal data to us is voluntary. However, without providing us with your personal data, you will be unable to (as appropriate): contact us; subscribe to our mailing list; subscribe to any of our publications; or receive information about In Defence of Marxism.

We collect information about you:

(1) When you give it to us DIRECTLY

You may give us your personal data in order to subscribe to a newsletter or publication, when you contact us by phone, email or post, when you sign a petition / statement, and/or when you donate money to us.

(2) When you give it to us INDIRECTLY

Your information will also be provided to us when you follow us or otherwise interact with on or via Twitter, when you like and/or join our page on Facebook or interact with us in other ways on or via Facebook.

(3) When you give permission to OTHER ORGANISATIONS to share it or it is AVAILABLE PUBLICLY

We may combine information you provide to us with information available from external publicly available sources. Depending on your privacy settings for social media services, we may also access information from those accounts or services. We use this information to gain a better understanding of you and to improve our communications and fundraising activities.

(4) When you visit our WEBSITE

We use cookies to identify you when you visit our website. Please refer to our Cookies Policy for details on the way our use of cookies affects your personal data.

What information do we collect?

We may collect, store and use the following kinds of personal data:

(1) We will typically hold your name and contact details, including telephone number, location, and e-mail address. However, we may request other information where it is appropriate and relevant, for example:

Your bank details or debit/credit card details (if making a donation).

(2) any communication preferences you give;

(3) information about your computer and about your visits to and use of this website including your IP address, geographical location, browser type, referral source, length of visit and number of page views; and/or

(4) any other information shared with us as per clause 1.

Do we process sensitive personal information?

Applicable law recognises certain categories of personal information as sensitive and therefore requiring more protection, including political opinions and trade union membership. In limited cases, we may collect sensitive personal data about you. We would only collect sensitive personal data if there is a clear reason for doing so; and will only do so with your explicit consent.

How and why will we use your personal data?

Personal data, however provided to us, will be used for the purposes specified in this Policy or in relevant parts of the website.

We may use your personal information to:

(1) Enable you to subscribe to our hard copy publications;

(2) Send you information about our work, campaigns, organisations and any other information, products or services that we provide (this will not be done without your consent);

(3) Provide you with the services, products or information you have requested;

(4) If you request, put you in touch with other supporters in your area (who have also provided such consent);

(5) Handle the administration of any donation or other payment you make via credit/debit card, cheque, standing order or BACS transfer;

(6) Collect payments from you and send statements and/or receipts to you;

(7) Conduct research into the impact of our activity / campaigns;

(8) Deal with enquiries and complaints made by you relating to the website or us in general;

(9) Make petition submissions to third parties, where you have signed a petition and the third party is a target of the campaign to which the petition relates; and/or

(10) Audit and/or administer our accounts.

Supporter Analysis

Google Analytics

We may use some of your personal information to analyse our digital performance, for example to see how our website can be improved to help us achieve the purposes set out in section 9 below, to record how you are using our website or to assess the popularity of different articles / campaigns.

For more information on how we use your personal information in relation to Google Analytics, please view our cookie policy by clicking this link cookies policy



You can opt-out of the collection of information for such purposes here: http://www.aboutads.info/choices

Communications, updates, fundraising

Where you have provided appropriate consent, we will contact you by telephone and e-mail, with targeted communications to let you know about our events and/or activities that we consider may be of particular interest; about the work of In Defence of Marxism; and to ask for donations or other support.

Donations and other payments

All financial transactions carried out on our website are handled through either:

PayPal (Europe) S.a r.l. (PayPal), a third party payment services provider. We recommend that you read PayPals privacy policy (available at https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full?locale.x=en_GB ) prior to effecting any transactions with us through PayPal; or

GoCardless Ltd (GoCardless), a third party payment services provider. We recommend that you read GoCardlesss privacy policy (available at https://www.gocardless.com/legal/privacy) prior to effecting any transactions with us through GoCardless.

We will provide your personal data to PayPal / GoCardless only to the extent necessary for the purposes of processing payments for transactions you enter into with us. We do not store your financial details.

Childrens data

We do not knowingly process data of any person under the age of 16. If we come to discover, or have reason to believe, that you are 15 and under and we are holding your personal information, we will delete that information within a reasonable period and withhold our services accordingly.

Security of and access to your personal data

We endeavour to ensure that there are appropriate and proportionate technical and organisational measures to prevent the loss, destruction, misuse, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or of access to your personal information.

Your information is only accessible by appropriately trained staff and volunteers.

We may also use agencies and/or suppliers to process data on our behalf. We may also merge or partner with other organisations and in so doing transfer and/or acquire personal data.

Please note that some countries outside of the EEA have a lower standard of protection for personal data, including lower security requirements and fewer rights for individuals. We may transfer and/or store personal data collected from you to and/or at a destination outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Such personal data may be processed by agencies and/or suppliers operating outside the EEA. If we transfer and/or store your personal data outside the EEA we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient implements appropriate measures to protect your personal data.

Otherwise than as set out in this Privacy Policy, we will only ever share your data with your informed consent.

Your rights

Where we rely on your consent to use your personal information, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This includes the right to ask us to stop using your personal information for direct marketing purposes or to be unsubscribed from our email list at any time. You also have the following rights:

(1) Right to be informed  you have the right to be told how your personal information will be used. This Policy and any other policies and statements used on our website and in our communications are intended to provide you with a clear and transparent description of how your personal information may be used.

(2) Right of access  you can write to us to ask for confirmation of what information we hold on you and to request a copy of that information. Provided we are satisfied that you are entitled to see the information requested and we have successfully confirmed your identity, we have 30 days to comply.

(3) Right of erasure  as from 25 May 2018, you can ask us for your personal information to be deleted from our records.

(4) Right of rectification  if you believe our records of your personal information are inaccurate, you have the right to ask for those records to be updated.

(5) Right to restrict processing  you have the right to ask for processing of your personal data to be restricted if there is disagreement about its accuracy or legitimate usage.

(6) Right to data portability  to the extent required by the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) where we are processing your personal information (i) under your consent, (ii) because such processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are party or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contact or (iii) by automated means, you may ask us to provide it to you  or another service provider  in a machine-readable format.

To exercise these rights, please send a description of the personal information in question using the contact details in section 15 below. You can also unsubscribe from our email list by sending a blank email to news-unsubscribe@marxist.com

Where we consider that the information with which you have provided us does not enable us to identify the personal information in question, we reserve the right to ask for (i) personal identification and/or (ii) further information.

Lawful processing

We are required to have one or more lawful grounds to process your personal information. Only 4 of these are relevant to us:

Personal information is processed on the basis of a persons consent Personal information is processed on the basis of a contractual relationship Personal information is processed on the basis of legal obligations Personal information is processed on the basis of legitimate interests

(1) Consent

We will ask for your consent to use your information to send you electronic communications such as newsletters and and fundraising emails, and if you ever share sensitive personal information with us.

(2) Contractual relationships

Most of our interactions with supporters are voluntary and not contractual. However, sometimes it will be necessary to process personal information so that we can enter contractual relationships with people. For example, if you subscribe to one of our publications, or purchase merchandise online.

(3) Legal obligations

Sometimes we will be obliged to process your personal information due to legal obligations which are binding on us. We will only ever do so when strictly necessary.

(4) Legitimate interests

Applicable law allows personal information to be collected and used if it is reasonably necessary for our legitimate activities (as long as its use is fair, balanced and does not unduly impact individuals rights).

We will rely on this ground to process your personal data when it is not practical or appropriate to ask for consent.

Achieving our purposes

These include (but are not limited to) promoting socialist policies

Governance

Internal and external audit for financial or regulatory compliance purposes

Statutory reporting

Publicity and income generation

Conventional direct marketing and other forms of marketing, publicity or advertisement

Unsolicited messages, including campaigns, newsletters, and fundraising appeals

Analysis, targeting and segmentation to develop and promote or strategy and improve communication efficiency

Personalisation used to tailor and enhance your experience of our communications

Operational Management

Maintenance of suppression files

Processing for historical, scientific or statistical purpose

Purely administrative purposes

Responding to enquiries

Delivery of requested products or information

Communications designed to administer existing services including subscriptions, administration of petitions and financial transactions

Thank you communications and receipts

Maintaining a supporter database and suppression lists

Financial Management and control

Processing financial transactions and maintaining financial controls

Prevention of fraud, misuse of services, or money laundering

Enforcement of legal claims

Reporting criminal acts and compliance with law enforcement agencies

When we use your personal information, we will consider if it is fair and balanced to do so and if it is within your reasonable expectations. We will balance your rights and our legitimate interests to ensure that we use your personal information in ways that are not unduly intrusive or unfair in other ways.

Data retention

The length of time each category of data will be retained will vary depending on how long we need to process it for, the reason it was collected, and in line with any statutory requirements. After this point the data will either be deleted, or we may retain a secure anonymised record for research and analytical purposes.

In the event that you ask us to stop sending you direct marketing/fundraising/other electronic communications, we will keep your name on our internal suppression list to ensure that you are not contacted again.

Policy amendments

We keep this Privacy Policy under regular review and reserve the right to update from time-to-time by posting an updated version on our website, not least because of changes in applicable law. We recommend that you check this Privacy Policy occasionally to ensure you remain happy with it. We may also notify you of changes to our privacy policy by email.

Third party websites

We link our website directly to other sites. This Privacy Policy does not cover external websites and we are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any external websites you visit via links on our website.

Updating information

You can check the personal data we hold about you, and ask us to update it where necessary, by emailing us at webmaster@marxist.com

Contact

We are not required by law to have a Data Protection Officer  however we have a Data Protection Manager.

Please let us know if you have any queries or concerns whatsoever about the way in which your data is being processed by emailing the Data Protection Manager at webmaster@marxist.com
The digital media world is "utterly complex," MassLive Media President Tim Kennedy said Wednesday. "And the world keeps changing."

To help local businesses understand the digital technologies and operations, MassLive Media hosted an "Insider Breakfast with Google" in downtown Springfield Wednesday.

"The thing that makes us different is that everything we talk about are things we have to do from a media perspective to attract our audience," Kennedy told attendees. MassLive has been a Google Partner company for several years.

MassLive Director of Digital Solutions Rob Madrid spoke of how businesses can use "big data" to better learn about their customer base.

Matt Targett, a strategic partner manager with Google, spoke of how companies can take advantage of "micro-moments" and tips on how to use such customer interactions to better reach their targeted audience.

"People are more loyal to their needs than brands these days," he told attendees. "What we have at Google is an understanding of these moments."

The free talk Wednesday was held in the MassLive Building. A second talk on digital marketing strategies with Central Massachusetts businesses will be held on Thursday, April 6 at Worcester's Hanover Theatre.
Garcia.jpeg

Springfield actress Marianna Garcia

Springfield actress Marianna Garcia will appear tonight on NBC's hit crime drama "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

It is the first network appearance for the 17-year-old Garcia, a model who was featured in the 2014 short film "Sharp Shooter."

In the episode "Know It All," the SVU team has to deal with a suspect in a rape and murder investigation, who threatens to reveal the secrets of those working the case. Garcia plays Ashtonja Abreu, an independent 15-year-old from the Bronx -- a role she described as "my first big thing, my break through."

Garcia appeared opposite series stars Mariska Hargitay and Peter Scanavino, who were supportive and encouraging to the young actress.

"Mariska and the producer told me I was so good. They said, 'When you make it big, don't forget all of us little people,'" Garcia recalled. "It was the biggest compliment I have ever gotten in my life."

Garcia, who is represented by the Exxcel Model & Talent Agency, auditioned back in December and filmed her scenes in midtown Manhattan a month later.

She has modeled in print, noting with a laugh that at 4-feet, 11 inches she is too short for a successful career as a runway model.

The Springfield native, who has worked at Cracker Barrel and retail sales at the Holyoke Mall, takes online high school classes. She attended Tantasqua Regional in Fiskdale and Thornton Burgess Middle School in Hampden.

She lives in Springfield with her parents, Jacob and Yolanda Garcia, and her two siblings.
21497253-mmmain.jpg

Bill Chu, center, has received a new kidney and is recovering in Boston. Han, his mother, and father Tu Chu are grateful to his Amherst community for its support.

(Republican File Diane Lederman)

AMHERST -- Wildwood Elementary School fourth-grader Bill Chu has a new kidney, but now he and his family must wait and see how his body handles it.

"We need to keep an eye on signs of rejection or infection," his father, Tu Chu, wrote in an email. "We have to go back forth many months more until Bill's health actually (will) be back."

He expected his son would remain in Boston Children's Hospital in Boston for several more days, depending on how well he recovers from the March 29 surgery. He said the transplant team was pleased with his improving condition.

Bill had end-stage renal disease and underwent dialysis while he waited for the kidney transplant. He was placed on a national transplant list, which provided an organ from someone who died in Iowa.

"By getting new kidney early and no more dialysis, we are feeling relief because we know the end of his journey comes near," Tu Chu wrote.

"We are so grateful (for) strong support from our communities," he wrote.

The North Amherst neighborhood where the family lives has helped with rides and fundraising. That, Tu Chu said, has allowed them to "bring Bill to Boston to receive (the) best medical care and this is truly a miracle."

While Bill continues to recover at the hospital, his father said that he wanted to "convey our thanks to all of those who (were) involved and support Bill and family in different ways to make this miracle."

An employee in auxiliary services at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Tu Chu is himself battling leukemia. He and his wife, Han Chu, came to the U.S. more than 25 years ago from Vietnam.

Tu Chu served as a soldier in the South Vietnamese army and was held in a labor camp for six years after the Vietnam War because he was sympathetic to American soldiers.

So far more than $30,000 has been raised on the Children's Organ Transplant Association website to help the family with myriad expenses.
SPRINGFIELD -- Despite being paralyzed in a police shooting and confined to a hospital for the last several months, Clifford Ahern appears to be in more trouble.

Ahern, 60, is now charged in Palmer District Court with violating a restraining order obtained by his wife, Ellen Ahern.

Although he never left Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Boston, Ahern allegedly sent a contractor to his wife's home at 41 Helen Circle in East Longmeadow on Sunday to take measurements and provide a quote for building a wheelchair ramp.

The restraining order requires that Ahern have no direct or indirect contact with his wife. In addition, conditions of release set by Hampden Superior Court Judge John S. Ferrara in a separate case say he must abide by his wife's restraining order.

Ahern was shot Nov. 4 by East Longmeadow Police Officer Joseph Dalessio after Ahern allegedly approached another officer with a knife. Police responded to Ahern's home after he allegedly fled a traffic stop where officers attempted to arrest him on a warrant related to a domestic assault charge.

Defense lawyer Lawrence Madden successfully argued at a February court hearing that Clifford Ahern is no danger to anyone because he is a paraplegic for life after being shot twice in the back by Dalessio. Ferrara released Ahern on his own recognizance but with conditions.

Assistant District Attorney James M. Forsyth has filed a motion in Hampden Superior Court seeking a warrant for Ahern for violating his conditions of release and asking that his bail be revoked.

According to a report by East Longmeadow Police Officer Donald J. Cavanaugh, on Sunday at about 3:15 p.m. he was dispatched to 41 Helen Circle "for a report of an unknown subject taking measurements in the front yard of the home."

Cavanaugh said he approached the man, who said he worked for Amramp and was contacted by Clifford Ahern for a quote to install a wheelchair ramp there. The man, identified as Brian Jewett, said he was told the home would be empty and he did not know there were any domestic issues involved.

Ellen Ahern was extremely upset and had a strong response to Jewett's presence, Cavanaugh said.

Clifford Ahern is charged with armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, resisting arrest, failure to stop for police and assault and battery on a family or household member in connection with incidents Nov. 4.

Among his conditions for release in that case, Ferrara ordered Ahern to stay at least 200 yards away from East Longmeadow Police Officer Steven Manning.

The judge imposed a 24-hour curfew on Ahern, who was shot by Dalessio after allegedly threatening Manning with a knife.

In his ruling, Ferrara cited the defendant's medical condition, saying, "While he may have presented a threat of serious danger (to his wife and Manning) prior to his being shot, he would only present such a danger in his present condition if he was armed with a firearm and somehow able to approach either."

With the release conditions, the court can "reasonably guarantee the safety of (his wife and Manning) and the defendant's appearance as required," Ferrara said.

Among other conditions, the judge ordered Ahern to notify probation officials if he is moved to another hospital or nursing facility. No matter where he lives, he can only leave for medical appointments, court dates and meetings with his lawyer, the judge said.
christian picciolini.jpg

Christian Picciolini, a former neo-Nazi who now helps people escape hate groups, speaking at Flywheel Arts Collective in Easthampton on April 4, 2017.

(Mary Serreze photo)

EASTHAMPTON -- A man who spent his teen years as a neo-Nazi leader in Chicago said he was initially drawn to the world of violent extremism by the promise of identity, community, and a sense of purpose.

"In 1987, when I was 14 years old, I was a pretty normal teenager," said Christian Picciolini, speaking to a full house at Flywheel Arts Collective Tuesday night. "But I was also very insecure and had low self-esteem."

Picciolini described his initial soft recruitment in a Chicago alleyway, his ascendancy within the white power movement, his violent acts, growing misgivings, and eventual decision to leave that world behind.

He is now director of Life After Hate, a non-profit that helps people leave extremist groups through a process of compassionate listening and networked support.

Picciolini said his mother and father were Italian immigrants who worked long hours at their small business. He was surrounded by love and not raised with racism, but his parents didn't have time to attend school events, and were often not at home.

"I really felt abandoned by them," he said. "So I went looking for identity, community, and a sense of family elsewhere."

Former white supremacist to speak in Easthampton



He said nobody ever took him aside and encouraged him to develop his talents in a positive way, and that in retrospect, his intense desire for attention made him vulnerable to manipulation.

"Everybody was my adversary," he said.

The tattooed skinhead who first pulled him into the movement actually listened to him and took him under his wing. He promoted an "us against them" mentality where self-reflection was discouraged and anger was projected outward.

"We need to do everything we can to support young people in positive ways," Picciolini said. "We should all be teachers. We should all be guides. And we should all be platforms and launch pads for the success of our young people."

He said those who cling to extremism often suffer from problems including poverty, trauma, or mental illness. Sometimes people need job training, or even need to have an offensive tattoo removed.

"We try to fill the potholes in peoples' lives," he said. "When people gain resiliency and self-confidence, the ideology starts to fall away."

He said it's important to bridge divides and encourage communication: "Most people who say they hate Muslims have never even met a Muslim."

Those who use violence gain respect and standing within hate groups, he said, adding that its perpetrators teach that "the enemy is not human."

Picciolini said he first started to question those beliefs at the age of 19 as owner of a record store. While his store sold "white power" music, it also offered other genres. His customers were "black, gay, Jewish, Asian, you name it." He started to develop close friendships with people he was supposed to hate. Those friendships proved important after his wife and child left him and he fell into depression.

"I received compassion from people I least deserved it from, when I least deserved it," he said.

In today's world, the white power movement isn't expressed with shaved heads, jackboots and swastikas. Instead, said Picciolini, it is dressed in a suit and tie and re-branded as the "Alt-Right."

What used to be promoted through flyers and meetings is now largely an internet phenomenon, with millions of "awkward young people" becoming individually radicalized.

He advised parents and teachers not to "attack or confront" those drawn into extreme, black-and-white thinking, but to "build a bridge of empathy" and listen -- to try to understand the underlying pain, even if the ideology is abhorrent.



"It's not an overnight thing," he said. "We can't just ostracize these people -- we need to embrace them."

Picciolini is an award-winning television producer and public speaker. He is author of the 2015 book Romantic Violence: Memoirs of an American Skinhead. He won an Emmy Award for producing a public service advertisement that speaks directly to those immersed in white power culture.

Tuesday's conversation was moderated by Mehlaga Samdani, director of the Longmeadow-based Critical Connections. The group sponsored Tuesday's event along with the Karuna Center for Peacebuilding.



Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com
Staff and students from Holyoke Community College are among the thousands attending the 21st Annual Immigrant's Day at the State House on Beacon Hill.

Forty students and family members in HCC's English as a Second Language programs located in Ludlow and Springfield were scheduled to make their way up to Boston Wednesday morning to join in the discussion issues and concerns surrounding the importance for foreign-individuals bettering themselves in the U.S.

"This (ESOL) institution is so useful to everyone, but I think we need more places to guide us, because when we first arrive here, we have a lot of problems," said Vahan Hanafi, an Iranian national within HCC's Ludlow program. "We have problems in relation to our language, and we need some places to guide us in insurance, health and apart of the institution for employing English."

According to Hanafi, she was looking forward to learning more about the state of immigration policies in the U.S. and the commonwealth and hopes Immigration Day can put an end to prejudices instigated by the "Muslim Ban" executive.

In celebration of the contributions that foreign-born individuals have made in Massachusetts, Immigration Day will feature a speaking program starting at 9:50 a.m., with a keynote address provided by Somerville mayor, Joseph Curtatone.

Students attending the event are looking to speak with legislators about the importance of ESL and ESOL programs in the state and their concerns around budgeting issues and more.

According to Ana Maria Joachim from Colombia, she sees the advocacy day as an opportunity to show how valuable immigrants are to the U.S. and the impact they have made thus far.

"We are a lot of people and we are able to work for this country because we didn't come here to make it worse," she said. "I think it's important for us to go there and talk to the representatives and let them know that programs that they have in the towns like this are very helpful for us, because it lets us improve our skills. If they don't continue supporting these kind of programs, then future immigrants will be affected."

Also among the scheduled speakers will be State Rep. Juana Matias, D-Lawrence, and Sen. James Eldridge, D-Acton, and Eva Millona, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA).

MIRA will also host a rally outside the State House from noon to 1 p.m. to give people a chance to participate and continue to raise awareness.

According Bory Assoumou, another student attending Immigration Day, he is happy to get an opportunity to gain valuable information from state officials in the process.

The Gabon native added that his wife is currently living in the U.S. with a temporary work visa but he is hoping to learn how he can help here gain a more permanent residency in the country so she can continue to work.

"It is a very good opportunity to talk with the representatives," he said. "I'm just here for a few months. I'm working for Shell Gabon Oil Company, but I want to talk with them on behalf of my wife. That will be a good opportunity for me and I want to take this opportunity to talk with them face to face."
NORTH ADAMS -- A female passed a fake $100 bill Wednesday at a local gas station, police warn.

Police posted photographs of the bogus bill on their department's Facebook page. "As you can tell, this bill is clearly fake and was printed for use in 'Motion pictures' only," the post states.

Similar bills, which are clearly marked for motion picture or cinematic use only, have recently been passed in New York and Vermont, police said.
45 sfd fire.jpg

Springfield firefighters on the scene of a fire Wednesday, April 5, at 31 Daytona St. The fire was found to be intentionally set. Four were displaced and damage was estimated at $25,000.

(Patrick Johnson / The Republican)

SPRINGFIELD - A fire Wednesday afternoon in the basement of a home at 31 Daytona St. in the city's Forest Park neighborhood has been determined to be intentionally set, according to a fire department spokesman.

Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant, said members of the city Arson and Bomb Squad is treating the fire as an arson investigation.

No one was injured in the fire, reported just after 3 p.m. he said.

The fire was quickly extinguished before it could spread, but damage to the house from smoke and water was estimated at $25,000, he said.

The first floor was vacant, but four residents of the second floor are displaced until repairs can be made.

The Western Massachusetts chapter of the American Red Cross was called in to assist with temporary shelter.

Daytona Street is off Sumner Avenue just east of The X.
What you do before your workday kicks off and after it winds down can have a big impact on how productive you are during the hours in between.

By Pavithra Mohan

Full Story: https://www.fastcompany.com/3069290/how-the-most-successful-people-start-and-end-their-workdays?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=leadershipdaily-top&position=5&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=04042017
Our range includes a flat range from 10-100 yards as well as a 20 target walking course for more realistic simulation of hunting scenarios.
With the Trump administration targeting various government clean energy programs, we can think of no better time to celebrate the U.S. cities with the most installed solar energy.

A new report found the country has made some serious solar strides in 2016, particularly in 20 cities across the country.

BY NICOLE GALLUCCI

Full Story: http://mashable.com/2017/04/04/solar-power-top-20-cities-us/?utm_cid=hp-hh-pri#XPS6j7YNhPql
The U.S. government ordered Wells Fargo & Co. to reinstate a former bank manager who was fired after reporting suspected illegal behavior to his superiors and on a company hotline.

The manager, who wasnt identified, was dismissed in 2010 after reporting on incidents of suspected bank, mail and wire fraud by two bankers in the Los Angeles area, according to a statement Monday from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The San Francisco-based lender also was ordered to give the whistle-blower about $5.4 million in back pay, compensatory damages and legal fees after OSHA determined his warnings were at least a contributing factor in the termination.

by Laura J Keller

Full Story: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-03/wells-fargo-told-to-reinstate-whistle-blower-pay-5-4-million

***

Missoula, Montana City Council orders divestment of funds from Wells Fargo

The Missoula City Council voted unanimously Monday night to divest all city funds from Wells Fargo Bank, bringing tears to one council members eyes and words of thanks from a dozen citizens in attendance.

The resolution, proposed by councilwomen Ruth Swaney and Heidi West, calls out Wells Fargo both for its nearly $4 billion involvement in the Dakota Access Pipeline and for unscrupulous and predatory banking practices.

All of those who spoke at Mondays meeting favored the divestment, and thanked the council for speaking out on behalf of clean water, Native American rights, social and environmental justice, and consumer protection.

By Sherry Devlin/Missoula Current

Full Story: http://www.missoulacurrent.com/business/2017/04/missoula-wells-fargo-dapl/
Google operates what is surely the largest computer network on Earth, a system that comprises custom-built, warehouse-sized data centers spanning 15 locations in four continents. But about six years ago, as the company embraced a new form of voice recognition on Android phones, its engineers worried that this network wasnt nearly big enough. If each of the worlds Android phones used the new Google voice search for just three minutes a day, these engineers realized, the company would need twice as many data centers.

Cade Metz

Full Story: https://www.wired.com/2017/04/building-ai-chip-saved-google-building-dozen-new-data-centers/
Facebook is opening another massive data center to power its hugely popular social networking platform. But this hub of high-tech computing couldnt rise much farther from the coastal havens where the company anchors most of its operations. Instead, the data centerFacebooks ninthwill make its home in a Nebraska town on the outskirts of Omaha called Papillion. Thats likely a good thing for this community of just under 22,000 Nebraskans. And its definitely a good thing for the tech industry as it tries to battle the perception that its inventions only destroy human jobs. As Facebooks project would seem to show, tech can also create them.

Issie Lapowsky

Full Story: https://www.wired.com/2017/04/facebooks-shovel-ready-infrastructure-rest-america/
On Saturday, April 22, Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina hosts a guided hike on a conservancy-owned property, known as the Bear Den property, which lies along the Blue Ridge Parkway in McDowell County.

The tract includes a prominent mountain ridge, streams, and cascades in close proximity to the parkway's spectacular Bear Den Overlook. Beginning at 10:30 a.m., the hike is moderate after a short but steep descent, and is expected to take two to three hours. Participants are asked to wear appropriate footwear and pack water and snacks or lunch.

Hikers will meet and carpool to the trailhead. The hike is free to Foothills Conservancy members and $10 for non-members. RSVP is required. RSVP by Tuesday, April 18 by emailing bwillardpatton@foothillsconservancy.org or calling 828-437-9930. Additional details (including the meet-up location) will be provided to those who register.

Foothills Conservancy purchased the 208-acre Bear Den property in September 2016. The property adjoins both the Blue Ridge Parkway and Pisgah National Forest. Its acquisition further protects critical lands amidst a complex of federal, state, and privately owned conservation lands along the Blue Ridge Parkway east of Spruce Pine, N.C.

In addition to preserving scenic views from the parkway, purchase of the Bear Den property will also protect water quality in the Honeycutt Creek watershed in the Catawba Basins headwaters in McDowell County. The property contains more than 1.5 miles of streams that drain into Honeycutt Creek.

Foothills Conservancy plans to transfer the property to the National Park Service for addition to the Blue Ridge Parkway lands after raising additional public and private funds to retire the loan.
Marion will get a Dunkin' Donuts franchise in the near future, the company said on Wednesday.

Dunkin' Donuts, Americas all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, announced today the signing of multi-unit store development agreements with two franchise groups to develop a total of 12 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in North Carolina over the next several years, reads a news release sent out Wednesday morning.

One of those is Marion, along with other nearby cities.

New franchisee HARA Foodservice Group, LLC, plans to develop four Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in the Charlotte area within Hickory, Lenoir, Marion and Morganton, reads the news release. Led by (franchise owner) Roy Clark, the teams first restaurant is planned to open in 2018.

Dunkin' Donuts spokeswoman Courtney Whelan sent out the news release. She said Wednesday morning that she was not sure about the specific location for the Marion store or the specific target date.

"Dunkin' Donuts has announced the expansion plans to develop four restaurants in the Charlotte area within Hickory, Lenoir, Marion and Morganton with new franchisee HARA Foodservice Group, LLC," reads a prepared statement. "The first location is planned to open in 2018. At this time, no specific restaurant locations have been secured. The group is continuing to scout out areas for development."

Steve Bush, executive director with the McDowell Chamber of Commerce, said there are certain details that have to be worked out.

In addition, existing franchise group, Carolina Donuts, LLC plans to develop eight new restaurants throughout the Winston-Salem area. The team, led by Steve Galloway and his partners, recently acquired five existing Dunkin' Donuts restaurants throughout the Winston-Salem area and currently operates 12 restaurants throughout Florida and Tennessee. The groups first new North Carolina location is planned to open in 2018, according to the news release.

Dunkin' Donuts' growth would not be possible without our new and existing franchisees like HARA Foodservice Group, LLC and Carolina Donuts, LLC, who continue to demonstrate their high confidence in our brand and world-class support team, said Grant Benson, CFE, senior vice president of franchising and development, Dunkin Brands. As we continue to work towards our long-term goal of developing 17,000 Dunkin Donuts in the U.S., we also remain committed to providing great products, exceptional guest service and innovative marketing to our loyal guests across the country.

Currently, there are more than 300 Dunkin' Donuts located throughout North Carolina, and the company is continuing to recruit franchisees in the Raleigh, Jacksonville/Sneads Ferry, High Point and Burlington/Mebane areas. To help fuel growth in North Carolina, special development incentives are available, according to the news release.

In an effort to keep the brand fresh and competitive, Dunkin' Donuts offers flexible concepts for any real estate format including free-standing restaurants, end caps, in-line sites, gas and convenience, travel plazas, universities, as well as other retail environments.

Dunkin' Donuts menu offerings include high-quality, freshly-brewed Hot and Iced Coffees, Cold Brew and Rainforest Alliance Certified Dark Roast, along with a Rainforest Alliance Certified espresso lineup that includes Americano, Cappuccino, Espresso, and Hot and Iced Lattes and Macchiato, reads the news release. Dunkin Donuts also serves a full menu of Premium Hot Teas, Coolatta frozen beverages, delicious donuts, bakery goods and sandwiches that pair perfectly with the brands beverages.

To learn more about Dunkin' Donuts, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com. It is also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/DunkinDonuts) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/DunkinDonuts).

Founded in 1950, Dunkin' Donuts is America's favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin' Donuts is a market leader in the hot regular/decaf/flavored coffee, iced coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin' Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for 11 years running. The company has more than 12,200 restaurants in 45 countries worldwide. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin' Donuts is part of the Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc.
Morgan County Veterans Day Parade slated Nov. 11 Audio Article The Morgan County Veterans Day Parade will be held on Friday, Nov. 11. The parade will form at the Commons, in McConnelsville, at 9:30 a.m. and set out at 10 a.m. The American Legion Post 24 will render honors at the monuments at the Commons, Riecker Building, the Square, at...

A concert with two purposes Audio Article Wednesday, Nov. 30, a concert with dual purposes is being held at the Twin City Opera House in McConnelsville, Ohio. Its a thank-you to healthcare workers, who can attend for free, and its a benefit for the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society. In September 2021, Rick Shriver contracted COVID-19. He collapsed...

BOE reminder of early voting hours and polling location change Audio Article Remaining early voting hours at the Morgan County Board of Elections are as follows: from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov, 2 through Friday, Nov. 4; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5; from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6; and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m....

Lions Club announces annual Wreaths Across America Audio Article On Saturday, Dec. 17, the Chesterhill Lions Club will be joining with National Wreaths Across America in the laying of wreaths at each of the seven cemeteries located in Marion Township. The mission is to honor the local veterans who have served our nation so their families can rest assured...

Governor DeWine awards $6.7 million for domestic violence survivor programs Audio Article Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has announced that he is awarding $6.7 million to support the work of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN) to offer mobile and health advocacy services and temporary residential services for domestic violence survivors across the state. The announcement comes during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month....

CDC committee vote wont change Ohio school vaccine requirement Audio Article Ohio Department of Health Director Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, MBA has released the following statement: The CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation for the COVID-19 vaccine to be added to the formulary or schedule of vaccines for children does not mandate this vaccine for school children. Ohio law determines...
Ship lists Trumps way

By Daniel M. Ryan



The AHCAs failure the week before last prompted the usual cries of doom which President Trump has laughed off all the way to the White House. Rich Lowrys The Crisis of Trumpism? went viral: unsurprisingly, because he told the D.C. audience what they wanted to hear. Mr. Lowry, of course, is the editor of Natioanl Review and was so for its Against Trump? issue. He and his crew are long past the days of President Trump being a  conservative-movement-menace?, but his piece shows that hes not quite reconstructed. He still pegs President Trump as a populist instead of a Conservative, for which he blames the fiasco. Unsurprisingly, he believes that Trump should work with some Dems but blew that chance by tweeting and saying mean things. Equally unsurprisingly, he forecasts that President Trump will work with some Dems  specially, New York Dems  and end up like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Yep, he told em what they wanted to hear.

To be fair to the fellow, his Crisis? piece was not even in the same league as Chuck Todds wish-disguised-as-a-prediction made last Friday. On MSNBCs Andrea Mitchell show, Todd said: "President Donald Trump must accept 'the fact' that Russia interfered in this election or he will be 'on the brink of becoming a temporary lame duck presidency.'"

Like most hopes expressed as predictions, Todds words came right at the wrong turning point. This last week, weve seen the momentum shift towards President Trumps charge that his campaign has been spied upon by Obama? - meaning of course the Obama Administration. The star of the news cycle is now House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence chairman Devin Nunes.

Piecing It Together

The main charm of the Internet is the wide availability of content, in particular backed-up commentary. We now have the freedom to bust out of the pre-packaged narratives that we had to settle for in the aulden days.

With this freedom comes a new responsibility: the duty to read a whole bunch of items, commentaries, and so on. Not to mention, the responsibility to check out items that smell of fakery. (For what its worth, I ashcanned one linkie because it proved to be fake news.)

The turn of the tide from Russian interference? to Obama wiretapping? was made for the exercise of this new freedom, and responsibility. Topics like this are ones for which the usual suspects rely heavily on anonymous sources, which means that the backing for them aint auditable. If I want to verify the claim that U.S. Treasury debt shrunk slightly since President Trumps inauguration, I can emulate those easy-to-make-cheap-shots-at toilers in the think tanks and get the figures from this page. Not so with anonymous sources: we have to rely upon old-fashioned nose work, sniffing out pieces that we have to put together.

As for the Nunes ascendancy, and the newfound credibility of his claims of wiretapping, a good summary was put together by Flopping Aces. Excerpting the investigative work of Adam Housley and Malia Zimmerman of Fox News, it zeroes in on Nunes suspicion that the surveillance of Trump figures like General Flynn was too indiscriminate to be chalked up to national security. It also points out that Adam Schiff essentially punted by squawking about procedure instead of reiterating his tales about Russian hacking. The Hill has Schiffs splutter here.

The Fox scoop itself, which was one of the few which deserved the appellation Breaking News,? contained this bombshell:

The communications collected from Trump team associates apparently were picked up during surveillance of foreign targets. But an intelligence source familiar with those targets said they were spied on long before Trump became the GOP presidential nominee in mid-July.



In addition, citizens affiliated with Trumps team who were unmasked were not associated with any intelligence about Russia or other foreign intelligence, sources confirmed. The initial unmasking led to other surveillance, which led to other private citizens being wrongly unmasked, sources said.



"Unmasking is not unprecedented, but unmasking for political purposes ... specifically of Trump transition team members ... is highly suspect and questionable," an intelligence source told Fox News. "Opposition by some in the intelligence agencies who were very connected to the Obama and Clinton teams was strong. After Trump was elected, they decided they were going to ruin his presidency by picking them off one by one."

Stipulated, former prosecutor Andrew McCarthy thinks that the unmasking of Gen. Flynn and others is licit. But he does say that the FBI's sharing of the Flynn-Kislyak conversation with "Obama advisers" and "Obama officials" does look fishy, as does the later interrogation of Flynn by FBI officials. Like the overkill about Putin, this overkill looks too insistent to be taken at face value.

As for Rep. Schiffs complaints, the Daily Caller disposed of one with dispatch: "Nunes Did Nothing New By Viewing Raw Intel At The White House.? It says that Nunes trip to the White House to view that classified info was not out of line because it's been done quite a few times before. The White House viewing space normally handles raw intel while Congressional secure room received finished reports. The Callers debunking does come with a non-anonymous source that backs it up.

The Farkas Connection...

The uproar aborned a reluctant star, Evelyn Farkas. Thanks to the elephants memory of the Internet, a chatty discussion with the friendly folks at MSNBC on March 2nd turned into the smoking gun? admission that the Obama Administration did spy on Trump for political reasons. Even Snopes has taken notice, in its usual way. She herself has officially denied that she spilled the beans; the American Spectator was collegial enough to publish her full denial. As is customary for well-respected senior government officials who have also served as Hillary Clinton campaign advisors, she relies upon gripping rhetoric - Wild Misinterpretation? - as the icing for the cake of selectively edited.? Mark Levins Conservative Review has been good enough to embed a video of her entire big debut, which you can watch all through to judge for yourself. Your humble scribe is of the opinion that her final money quote - Thats why you have the leaking, Farkas concluded. People are worried.? - was an awfully smooth transition from the meat of her words:

"Because I had a fear that somehow that information would disappear with the senior [Obama] people who left, so it would be hidden away in the bureaucracy... that the Trump folks  if they found out how we knew what we knew about their... the Trump staff dealing with Russians  that they would try to compromise those sources and methods, meaning we no longer have access to that intelligence." [This was her explanation of why the Obama Administration abruptly lowered the classification level of the data and shoved it around to all and sundry.]

Unsurprisingly, shes now one of the people that are worried. In her denial, she said flatly that she had no access to any classified information after she left her government post in 2015. So, she denied being one of the six Hillary staffers who did have access to classified information after they left their government jobs for Hillarys employ.

In the absence of hard data, we gotta do the best we can with circumstantial evidence. Given that Dr. Farkas was a Clinton-campaign colleague of the staffers who did have access, we have to rely on James Comeys fulsome praise of Hllarys scrupulosity in quarantining classified data. And of course, the level of integrity in Hillary campaign advisors that shone through in the Emails that Wikileaks published. (Evelyn Farkas name is not mentioned in any of them.)

...And The Fade-Away Of Russia

At least one pundit, the redoubtable Sundance of the Last Resort, has said that President Trump has used the fooforaw to get rid of an in-house leakin mole: Katie Walsh. His post says that Ms. Walsh was fired because she was the leaker who gave the names of Ezra Cohen-Watnick and Michael Ellis to the New York Times. These two were the officials who showed Rep. Nunes the raw intel. (Both of them have security clearances and authorization to do so.) Brietbarts Joel Pollack comes out and says that President Trump has turned the news-cycle tables, and also says that Trump is secretly enjoying all this fooforaw.

Already, Trump has been much tougher on Russia than Obama ever was. From blasting Russia at the UN Security Council over the eastern Ukraine, to threatening to tear up the New START treaty, Trump has opposed Putin  and it shows. Trump foreign policy adviser Sebastian Gorka, formerly of Breitbart News, is also a vociferous critic of Russia.



So the Russia "scandal" is much ado about nothing. But it keeps the media distracted from what Trump is really doing  such as taking a chainsaw to Obamas regulations  and it keeps the Democrats from developing an actual message.

And were all supposed to believe it.

Leave it to the Russkies to have what should be the last word on the rickety Kremlin-interference narrative:

"You have reached the Russian embassy, your call is very important to us. To arrange a call from a Russian diplomat to your political opponent, press 1. To use the services of Russian hackers press 2. To request election interference, press 3 and wait until the next election campaign. Please note that all calls are recorded for quality improvement and training purposes."

Daniel M. Ryan, as Nxtblg, is shepherding the independently-run Open Audi Initiative Prediction Market Shadowing Project. He has stubbornly assumed all the responsibility and blame for the workings and outcome of the project.
The Swiss Post, which is the national postal service of Switzerland, has announced that it will soon begin performing regular drone flights of lab samples between two hospitals in the town of Lugano. Currently, a driver has to deliver the samples across town, often taking a long time to do so due to traffic. The drone being currently trialed by the Swiss Post is the Matternet M2, which can travel at 22 Mph (26 Kph) autonomously in a straight line between the hospitals. It takes off and lands all on its own, thanks to an infrared tracker positioned on the ground, and only requires a freshly charged battery and the return destination to fly back to where it came from. Importantly, it can carry up to 4.4 pounds (2 Kg) of cargo for 12 miles (20 Km) on a single battery. It can avoid buildings and hillsides and flies on an approved route to avoid any contact with anything standing or flying. It has redundant sensors and systems, and even a parachute if something goes wrong in midair.

The Swiss Post has already performed about 70 flights and has the Swiss governments civil aviation authority giving it the green light to move forward with the service. The Swiss Post expects to spend the rest of the year testing the delivery service in various flight conditions to evaluate the capabilities and needs of the drones and hospitals.

Via: Swiss Post
Lassociation Le Maroc Digital livre une serie de propositions concretes, grace auxquelles le Maroc pourra profiter de la revolution digitale et non la subir.

Lassociation Le Maroc Digital livre une serie de propositions concretes, grace auxquelles le Maroc pourra profiter de la revolution digitale et non la subir.

Le Maroc Digital presente six mesures fortes qui permettront au pays de mieux saisir les opportunites reelles de la nouvelle economie et de creer davantage demplois pour les jeunes dans un contexte economique morose.

Il s'agit de:

- Une TVA allegee ou une reduction de la TVA pour le e-commerce, a l'instar de ce qui a ete fait aux Etats-Unis en vue dencourager le-commerce;

- L'arret du monopole de Poste Maroc pour les colis de moins dun kg, afin de favoriser la competitivite pour la logistique du e-commerce;

- Un basculement des subventions de la presse ecrite, de moins en moins lue, vers la presse electronique dont le lectorat augmente en volume;

- Un cahier des charges pour encadrer et encourager les metiers du digital: plate-formes technologiques de mise en relation (transport, hotellerie, autres services), agences de marketing digitales et medias en ligne;

- Une loi pour encadrer et encourager le crowdfunding, en discussion mais non aboutie;

- Une liberalisation totale du marche des paiements en ligne afin de reduire les frais de paiement.

"Si elles se concretisent, ces propositions apporteront au Maroc le cadre necessaire a une competitivite meilleure et durable, dans un contexte concurrentiel accru face a des pays emergents plus innovants et alors que l'economie traditionnelle cree de moins en moins demplois pour les nouvelles generations", a declare Larbi Alaoui Belrhiti, president de Le Maroc Digital, cite dans un communique.

Lancee en juillet 2015, lassociation Le Maroc Digital forme le principal reseau d'entrepreneurs, dedie au potentiel economique et social du digital au niveau national. Elle uvre depuis pres de deux ans a laccompagnement et au developpement du secteur.
At a scientific meeting this week, researchers report some progress in developing an immunotherapy for ovarian cancer. However, they also outline the considerable challenges that remain before the treatment can be made effective for this and other cancers that have solid tumors. Share on Pinterest The new research reports some success in engineering immune system T cells to attack ovarian cancer cells, but the researchers caution that there are still some major challenges to overcome before the immunotherapy is ready for clinical trials in patients with ovarian cancer. The researchers  from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch) in Seattle, WA  presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. Estimates from the American Cancer Society suggest that , in the United States, around 22,440 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and approximately 14,000 will die from the disease during 2017. The cancer begins in cells of the ovaries  reproductive glands found only in women. Each woman normally has two ovaries, situated on each side of the uterus inside the pelvis. The ovaries produce eggs that travel to the uterus through the fallopian tubes. If an egg is fertilized by male sperm, it develops into a fetus. Dr. Kristin Anderson, an immunotherapy researcher at Fred Hutch who presented the findings at the meeting, says that while ovarian cancer is not as common in the U.S. as other cancers with solid tumors, it has a low rate of survival and a high rate of relapse. The main reason is that the cancer does not cause obvious symptoms and is often advanced by the time it is diagnosed. Immunotherapy is a relatively new area of medicine that is showing promising results in the treatment of cancer. The approach uses the patients own immune system to fight disease.

Adoptive T cell transfer lessons for solid tumors The new study concerns a method called adoptive T cell transfer. In this approach, immune cells called T cells are taken from the patients own blood and trained to target and destroy cancer cells. Then, after multiplying in the laboratory, the primed cells are returned to the patients body. Sometimes donor cells are used instead. Fast facts about ovarian cancer In the U.S., a womans risk of developing ovarian cancer in her lifetime is around 1 in 75.

Around half of diagnosed cases are in women aged 63 and older.

Rates of diagnosis have been falling slowly over the past 20 years. Learn more about ovarian cancer Fred Hutch have a number of teams researching immunotherapy cancer treatments. In particular, Dr. Anderson and colleagues have reported success in using adoptive T cell transfer to treat blood cancers. In her meeting presentation, Dr. Anderson reported progress on applying lessons learned from that work to the treatment of solid tumors. The researchers found that ovarian cancer cells overproduce two proteins  WT1 and mesothelin  and showed that T cells engineered to target them can kill mouse and human ovarian cancer cells in the laboratory. They also found that the engineered T cells significantly increased survival in a mouse model of ovarian cancer. However, Dr. Anderson cautions that there is still some way to go before adoptive T cell transfer is ready for clinical trials in human patients. The team discovered that, compared with treating blood cancers, it is much harder to apply T cell therapy to solid tumors like breast, ovarian, lung, and pancreatic cancers. In leukemia and lymphoma, the engineered T cells can be infused directly into the bloodstream to target the blood cancer. However, access to solid tumors that are tucked away inside the body poses some major challenges. Among these are issues concerning the tumor microenvironment  a mixture of noncancerous cells, molecules, and extracellular matrix in and around the tumor.
The common antibiotic doxycycline can disrupt the formation of negative associations in the brain, according to new research from UCL and the University of Zurich.

The study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, was a pre-registered, placebo-controlled, double-blind randomised controlled trial in 76 healthy volunteers.

In the first session, participants were given either doxycycline or a placebo and learnt to associate a certain colour with an electric shock. A week later they were shown the colours again, accompanied by a loud sound but no shocks, and their fear responses were measured.*

The fear response was 60% lower in participants who had doxycycline in the first session compared to those who had the placebo, suggesting that the fear memory was significantly suppressed by the drug. Other cognitive measures including sensory memory and attention were not affected.

"When we talk about reducing fear memory, we are not talking about deleting the memory of what actually happened," explains lead author Professor Dominik Bach (UCL Wellcome Centre for Neuroimaging, Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research and University of Zurich Division of Clinical Psychiatry Research). "The participants may not forget that they received a shock when the screen was red, but they 'forget' to be instinctively scared when they next see a red screen. Learning to fear threats is an important ability for any organism, helping us to avoid dangers such as predators. Over-prediction of threat, however, can cause tremendous suffering and distress in anxiety disorders such as PTSD."

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a term for a broad range of psychological symptoms that can develop after someone experiences or witnesses a traumatic event. PTSD is caused by an overactive fear memory, and the new research shows that doxycycline can reduce the fear memory response in healthy volunteers.

"We have demonstrated a proof-of-principle for an entirely new treatment strategy for PTSD," explains Professor Bach. "The theory is based on the recent discovery that our brains need proteins outside nerve cells, called matrix enzymes, to form memories. Matrix enzymes are found throughout the body, and their over-activity is involved in certain immune diseases and cancers. To treat such diseases, we already have clinically approved drugs that block these enzymes, including the antibiotic doxycycline, so we wanted to see if they could help to prevent fear memories from forming in the brain. Our results support this theory, opening up an exciting avenue of research that might help us to find treatments for PTSD.

"Using drugs to prevent PTSD would be challenging, since in the real world we don't know when a traumatic event is about to occur. However, there is growing evidence that people's memories and associations can be changed after the event when they experience or imagine similar situations. This is called 'reconsolidation', and we now plan to test the effect of doxycycline on reconsolidation of fear memories. If this is successful, we would hope to apply the technique to more clinically realistic models of PTSD within a few years."

The work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, University of Zurich and Wellcome.
Touch Screen Sensitivity and Biosensors

Advertisement

Limitations in the Current Method of Diabetes Detection

A small 'prick and blood test' is currently used to monitor blood sugar levels. The method is invasive and continuous monitoring is not possible. Moreover, pricking too often can be tiresome.

Continuous glucose monitoring normally requires the use of electrodes that are inserted into the skin at various sites, which is painful or could lead to skin irritations.

Advantages of Bio-sensing Contact Lenses

They can be used for continuous monitoring

They are non-invasive

Compliance could be improved as the individual can replace it every day

They are transparent which will not make the individual self-conscious

Biosensors to detect glucose Levels in saliva

The concept of developing a biosensor occurred to Dr.Herman while he worked in an industrial set up, revolutionizing electronics by teaming up with two of his colleagues to develop the compound composed of. This semiconductor offered consumers high quality displays with superior resolution for smartphones, televisions and tablets, enhancing touch screen sensitivity and saving power.Dr. Herman moved to Oregon University and began to delve deeper into the biomedical aspects of this semiconductor technology. He was motivated to find a method by which people with diabetes could monitor their sugar level continuously using these biosensor lenses.Dr. Herman stated that the limitations associated with the current methods of testing could be eliminated with bio-sensing contact lenses.The first step towards developing this continuous diabetes monitoring system was by developing methods that were inexpensive. The biosensor was fabricated using a transparent sheet of IGZO field-effect transistors with glucose oxidase. This enzyme is instrumental in breaking down glucose. When glucose was added to the mixture, the enzyme was found to oxidize the blood sugar which increased the pH of the mixture and brought about changes in the flow of current passing through the IGZO transistor.The electrical changes that occur when used in conventional biosensors can be used to measure the glucose concentrations present in the interstitial fluid present below the skin of the patient. However, the glucose concentrations present in the eye are very low. To overcome the low levels of glucose, the IGZO biosensors were designed with nanostructures which are highly sensitive to trace even small amounts of glucose.The biosensor can be designed to include more than 2,500 biosensors, with each biosensor measuring various functions of the body. They can be placed in a 1-millimeter square patch of an IGZO contact lens. The biosensors are being developed to transmit essential information to smartphones and other devices that are wifi enabled.Previous studies with the biosensors involve its use to indicate kidney function by measuring uric acid. It could take another year before this biosensor can be used for animal studies. The biosensor can also be used for efficient delivery of drugs, especially for ocular conditions.Biosensors are being carefully designed to improve technology based medical diagnosis. A research team from Hong Kong Polytechnic University developed a biosensor which was sensitive to glucose. This biosensor detects the level of glucose by identifying the electric current In the saliva.This biosensor was found to detect glucose levels that were as low as 10-5mmol/L which is a lot more sensitive than conventional methods of detection. They are cost effective and can even be used on human skin and as wearable technology.There are several other biosensors that are being keenly developed like theand the. These sensors are revolutionizing medical diagnosis and will help in detecting medical conditions early, sometimes even before the symptoms actually set it.Source: Medindia
Advertisement

Generalized lipodystrophy may result in fat loss throughout the entire body.

Partial lipodystrophy may cause fat loss mostly in the arms, legs, head and torso and fat accumulation the neck, face and intra-abdominal areas of the body.

The research study funded by the National Institutes of Health was conducted on 23 patients with partial lipodystrophy-associated nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (fatty liver). The response of these patients to the metreleptin drug was predicted.The research team reported that patients who had a lower leptin level had a higher response rate, after one year of treatment with metreleptin.Elif Oral, M.D., associate professor of endocrinology at Michigan Medicine and principal investigator of the study, said, "Fatty liver, or excess fat building up in the liver, is a common metabolic disturbance seen in patients with lipodystrophy.""The underlying metabolic disturbances seen in this patient population can be difficult to manage with traditional therapies."The patients who had partial lipodystrophy underwent two liver biopsies, during the beginning and after the treatment.Scientists evaluated the NASH score and NAS score. The NASH score is a numerical score which investigates the progression of fatty liver disease in patients, while the NAS score evaluates the numerical score for progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.Around 22 patients were treated with meterleptin drug. The study findings of 18 patients who completed treatment after one year revealed an improvement in NASH and NAS score.The research team also noted that these changes were statistically remarkable in the patient group.Oral said, "About half of the patients had scores that lowered by two points or more, which is clinically significant in patients with this disease.""Generally, that type of drop is only seen with 10 percent or more sustained weight loss in the common form of fatty liver disease, which usually only occurs with metabolic surgery."Patients with greater reduction improvement in their scores from treatment had lower leptin level of 14.5ng/mL when compared to those who had an average leptin level of 25ng/mL.There was also a reduction in glucose control and lipid levels. Side effects reported in more than 20% of the patients include upper respiratory tract infections, hypoglycemia and diarrhea.Nevin Ajluni, M.D., assistant professor of endocrinology at Michigan Medicine, said, "The liver disease at baseline is quite significant among the patients in this study, which showed a significant degree of inflammation and fibrosis, even in the absence of liver test abnormalities.""This highlights the importance of screening for this complication."Metreleptin drug is a man-made version of the naturally occurring hormone leptin, which may regulate the fat and glucose metabolism.The drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2014 to treat generalized lipodystrophy. However, it has not been approved to treat partial lipodystrophy.Lipodystrophy refers to the abnormal fat changes in the body. They can dramatically change your appearance.Two types of lipodystrophy namely,Source: Medindia
As many of you may know, I grew up in Tampico, Tamaulipas, a fish town in the Gulf of Mexico. This gave me an exposure to a lot of seafood dishes, as my hometown is known for its many seafood offerings.

Tequila Shrimp Recipe

I remember that my older brother used to work at a nearby shrimp packing company during the summers. Once the fishing boats came back from the sea during the afternoon hours loaded with fresh shrimp, the packers would get to work in a speedy fashion, in order to preserve the freshness of the product.

They would pack all the highest quality shrimp very nicely in attractive cardboard boxes that would be placed in large freezers. Its going to the United States, they would say. At that point in my life, I wouldnt have thought that one day Id live in the US.

And now, I find myself buying shrimp in the frozen section of my grocery store! And in case you didnt know it, I love grocery stores. Like my local Kroger store, for example. It is always so clean and bright with wide aisles. Their customer service here is exceptional, not only at this store by my house but also at the one in my last neighborhood here in Dallas, they were all very nice.

Just this last Saturday, while I was looking for shrimp, one of the associates helped me find the right type of shrimp I needed for this Tequila Shrimp dish.

Ronnie has been working for Kroger for 30 years, and he loves his work!

He helped me find the right type of shrimp I needed for this recipe.

Ive partnered with Kroger to bring you this recipe as part of their Taste of Mexico campaign. With this recipe, you can have a really nice, authentic Mexican meal that you can prepare in your own kitchen, without the need to go out to a restaurant.

This Tequila Shrimp recipe takes only a few minutes to prepare, and you can pair it with rice or a good pasta and a salad for a completely scrumptious meal. You can easily make it your own way by adding some Mexican Cream or change the flavors with Mexican oregano, for example. All these and more are available at your local Kroger store, they always have a good stock of Mexican ingredients for your next cooking experience!

How to make Tequila Shrimp Recipe

JUMP TO FULL INSTRUCTIONS

DIRECTIONS:

Start by heating the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, until it melts. (Please check the ingredients list below)

Stir in the chopped garlic and cook until it starts releasing its nice aroma. Keep an eye on the temperature to avoid burning the butter.

Add the shrimp and cook for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time, until they change to a nice pink color. The cooking time will also depend on the size of the shrimp.

Pour in the Tequila and the lime juice, and let the alcohol evaporate for about 1 to 2 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the crushed pepper and the chopped cilantro, and remove from heat.

Serve immediately! You can serve this dish with white rice or over pasta.

For the pasta, I used Bucatini from the HEMISFares Kroger brand. I was also planning on adding tomatoes, but I just added the shrimp over the cooked pasta.

Leave a comment and share your experience with the recipe.This recipe was made in collaboration with Kroger/Frys Grocery Store. Im very selective with whom I partner up with as I dont want to overwhelm my readers with products & sponsorships.

Therefore, if you see a company or product Im working with, its because they rock! They help this little blog of mine keep producing delish recipes and showing you the things I love.

Buen Provecho!

Mely Martinez,

If you are on Pinterest, check our boards with hundreds of delicious ideas I'm pinning for you! Or if you are on Instagram, check out the meals pictures or stories ideas.

More recipes:

Pork in tomate sauce

Pollo Asado Recipe
Auctioneers must improve integrity to move up to the next level, say experts. Lin Qi reports

Last year, China took the largest share of the market in global sales of art and antiques at open auctions. However, if one adds up transactions at auctions and through dealers and galleries, China ranked third by value, after the United States and the United Kingdom, according to a recent report.

A Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) painting album of Chinese roses fetches 173.6 million yuan ($22 million) at a Beijing auction. [China Daily]

The first Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report said Chinese auction sales accounted for 34 percent of the world total by value, exceeding the US, which recorded 32 percent, and Britain, which had 18 percent.

However, China falls behind those countries when the bigger art industry picture is taken into consideration, because deals are also made by dealers and galleries at sales exhibitions and art fairs, as well as via expanding online sales.

The report said the US maintains the premier position. It accounts for 40 percent of global share by value, followed by the UK with 21 percent and China with 20 percent.

It also said the global art market generated $56.6 billion in total sales, and the top three marketsthe US, UK and Chinacemented a combined dominant position that has endured for a decade.

The report was published by Art Basel, an international art fair, and UBS during the fifth Art Basel Hong Kong event, held from March 23 to 25. It navigates the current trends in the global art and antiques trade, and analyzes the performances of auction houses, dealers and online sales.

The report was written by Clare McAndrew, founder of Arts Economics, a researcher and consultancy in Dublin. McAndrew based her analysis on market statistics provided by several institutions, including Collectrium, an international art collection management platform that provided the bulk of data, and the Art Market Monitor of Artron, of Artron Art Group, which provided Chinese auction data.

McAndrew said China's leading auction sales is the result of a decline in US auction sales and a "relatively stable performance at the high end" (objects sold for more than $1 million) in domestic salerooms.

High prices

Last year, Chinese auctions saw several expensive sales in the classical Chinese paintings and antiques market. A 14th-century colored ink-brush painting went for more than 303 million yuan ($44 million) in a December sale in Beijing. A 15th-century blue-and-white dragon-patterned jar grossed HK$158 million ($20 million) in a Hong Kong sale.

Works of 20th-century ink-brush masters also hit mind-boggling heights. Fu Baoshi's The God of Rain and The Lord of Fate, and Zhang Daqian's Peach Blossoms each sold for more than 220 million yuan, ranking them among the top three Chinese paintings at auction last year.

The annual report of the China Association of Auctioneers shows that there were about 436 houses in the mainland's art and antiques auction market by the end of 2015.

According to the Art Basel and UBS report, auction sales dominated the market in China, with a share of almost 68 percent by value.

Ji Tao, an art market observer in Beijing, said China's art auction market is immature in terms of scope and scale when compared with those in the US and Europe, and it needs to become more globalized to narrow the gap with those dominant markets.

He said almost all the objects in domestic salesrooms are Chinese works of art and antiquity, while buyers can find a variety of pieces from across the world at auctions in New York, London and other art hubs, which have attracted Chinese buyers who are diversifying their cultural properties.

"What the domestic market offers is quite homogeneous, but it means the homegrown market has great potential to develop into a global art trade center," Ji said.

To achieve that goal, which is a long-term commitment, Chinese auction houses should also expand their domestic brand influence to the international stage.

According to the Art Basel and UBS market report, three Chinese auction housesPoly, Guardian and Council, which all arrange sales in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kongare ranked in the highest tier, based on reported total sales at public auctions. They come after Christie's and Sotheby's, the long-time market leaders which have histories of more than 250 years.

Rapid expansion

The three Chinese art brokers are no more than 25 years old. Guardian, the oldest, was established in 1993 and hosted the mainland's first art auction. Its business has expanded rapidly during the past two decades.

Ji, the art observer in Beijing, said domestic auction houses mainly cater to Chinese people at home and abroad. Moreover, the buyers and the sources from which auction houses find objects to sell are mostly Chinese.

"It will take a long time for local houses to build an international, competitive brand," he said.

International houses have also flourished in online auctions, which have been well received by the younger generation of collectors, including those from China. While the Chinese market hasn't seen a boom in online auctions because few houses offer regular sales, Christie's noted that buyers from China accounted for 90 percent of their online sales of Chinese paintings. Following the success of an online sale of Chinese ceramics from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art last year, Christie's is hoping for another stellar performance as demand for highly decorated porcelain in the Asian markets continues to grow.

"Quality and provenance are always important to our clients and attract international buyers to our online sales, as they do our live auctions," said Samantha Phillips, Christie's global head of online sales of Asian arts.

The insatiable appetite of Chinese buyers doesn't stop at Asian art. The auction house Fellows, which specializes in jewelry and watches but has the occasional Asian artwork on the block, has seen a 30 to 40 percent increase in Chinese clients in the last 12 months.

"Chinese buyers are more determined than their European counterparts," said Stephen Whittaker, the managing director. "For Asian art pieces, for example, I think Chinese bidders are culturally more attached to them."

Strengthen integrity

According to Ji, the Chinese market also has to strengthen its integrity. He said there has been fewer counterfeit antiques at auction in recent years, and fewer swindles in salerooms, some of which use hired shrills who pretend to bid but actually push up prices and mislead other bidders. He added that there are still doubts about the integrity of some sales, especially when they hit top prices.

The market analysis provided by Basel and UBS said Chinese auctions reported an unsold rate of 55 percent; much higher than in 2004, when it was 35 percent, and in other countriesfor example, the US market has an unsold rate of 26 percent.

The report explained that the high rate indicates "a continuing problem with fakes in the market", and it is the result of a glut of lower-quality objects and insufficient number of top-quality works with sound sources of origin that are sought by collectors.

McAndrew said most dealers and auction houses in China agree that sourcing high-quality works remains a big challenge, despite demand far outstripping supply.

Chinese auction houses also deal with the recurring issue of late or nonpayment by winning bidders.

The Art Basel and UBS report further revealed that the rate of nonpayment has risen in recent years, with a rise of 5 percent annually from 2013 to 2016.

"To reach international standards, Chinese auctioneers should learn more about how to win the respect of their clients, counterparts and other circles of society, so they can achieve sustainable success," Ji said.

In a statement in the market report, Mark Haefele, global chief investment officer at UBS Wealth Management, said by its nature art will not deliver some of the features crucial to long-term investment propositions, which are more readily found in more-traditional financial assets.

"What art can give us is different, however, and in some ways it is worth more," he said.

"Art offers pleasure, passion, the thrill of a new perspective, and, ultimately, the chance to leave a legacy that goes beyond money."

Bo Leung in London contributed to the story.

Contact the writer at linqi@chinadaily.com.cn
BRUSSELS -- The European Union (EU) regulators gave green light to ChemChina's merger of Swiss Syngenta with condition on Wednesday.

The company logo of China National Chemical Corp, or ChemChina, is seen at its headquarters in Beijing, China February 3, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

"ChemChina has offered significant remedies, which fully address our competition concerns. This has allowed us to approve the transaction," the EU Commissioner for competition Margrethe Vestager told a press conference.Syngenta is a leading pesticide supplier worldwide. ChemChina is currently active in pesticide markets in Europe through Adama, its wholly-owned Israel-based subsidiary which is the world's biggest producer of generic pesticides.The approval came following a set of commitments made by ChemChina as the commission had concerns that the merger would have reduced competition in a number of existing markets for pesticides and plant growth regulators, said the European Commission, the bloc's executive body which overseas competition policy.To win the approval, ChemChina has promised to divest significant parts of Adama and Syngenta pesticides and plant growth regulator business, said the commission in a statement.The deal, worth up to 43 billion US dollars, was reported to gain approval from the U.S. regulators on Tuesday.
California slashes funding of public schools that have too many whites

The far-Left wackos who run the state of California are not only institutional bigots and racists, they are overt about it as well.

Well, if youre white, that is  which makes this nothing short of hate on steroids, given that whites ceased to be a majority in the state in 2015, having been surpassed by Latinos.

As reported by KABC, there was growing outrage in late March at Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood because the school is facing larger class sizes and layoffs of staff and teachers, thanks to a law that limits funding for schools who have more white kids.

The station noted that the school is operated by the Los Angeles Unified School District, which hands out more funding to those with student bodies containing 30 percent or fewer white kids. In a recent letter to parents, district officials announced that they would be cutting funding to Walter Reed in NoHo, which is very highly regarded, because its student body consisted of more than 30 percent white children for the past few years. (RELATED: CLAIM: Berkeley Cops Were Ordered To Stand Down While Violent Left-Wing Terrorists Assaulted Conservatives.)

KABC noted further:

The racial formula was a condition imposed by court decisions dealing with desegregation in the 1970s. Parents, however, remain frustrated with what the cuts might mean for their children.

When your class sizes are getting larger and youre taking resources away from students, I mean as parents, you do want your kid to go to college, parent Rosemary Estrada told KABC.

The district has tried to soften the budget cuts by changing the schools spending formula to one that is instead based on the overall number of students, but thats only going to help to an extent.

Thankfully were going to keep our librarian, said Sheila Edmiston, another parent. Were going to keep our nurse, but we may lose a few teachers, but not as many as we once thought.

Nevertheless, the loss of funding will still result in several lost jobs and larger class sizes. For many parents, KABC reported, the race-based reason of too many white students has made the cuts more difficult to swallow.

Well, thats certainly putting it mildly. To assume that some parents  especially most white parents  arent seething about this is to be about as naive as it gets.

A quick Google search will bring up a ton of references to past federal court cases ordering schools  especially across the South, decades ago  to de-segregate. The idea, which of course was correct, is that no matter what a childs skin color, everyone deserves the same educational opportunities.

And while the Constitution acknowledged that were all created equal, that principle was not universally applied through most of our early history. But then again, thats what was so genius about the Constitution; as our society evolved, it provided American legislators and courts the tools to change laws and practices to make things right, so to speak.

But how do those court rulings justify racism against whites today, especially when theyre not even a majority of the population in California? Broader question: Why has the Left been permitted to justify any and all racial bigotry as long as it is directed towards anyone with white skin? (RELATED: California Should Be Stripped Of Electoral College Votes Due To High Number Of Illegals In The CA Census.)

If equality means what it implies  and you know, Californias Left-wing Democrats claim theyre all about equality  then neither this school nor any other in the state (or anywhere) should be punished for any reason having anything at all to do with the ethnicity of students.

This is just another reason why sane people, with the means, are fleeing California in droves. High taxes, massive regulations, and racist education policies are not what most Americans find appealing.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

ABC7.com

LATimes.com

NaturalNews.com
Russias preparing US invasion from the North Pole

Whoever controls this region, will ultimately control the worlds economy. This map also demonstrates, from a military perspective why Russia is obsessed with occupying the North Pole

(Article by Dave Hodges from thecommonsenseshow.com)

Russia Announces Complete Militarization of the North Pole by 2020

Russia;s immediate goals are to equip military facilities mainly on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, the Franz Josef Archipelago, the New Siberian archipelago and the Wrangel Island. Russias interest in the North Pole is not just tied to expanding military domination of the region. There are also economic designs as well as Putin is expanding trade routes and mining expecitions in the Arctic, which will be supported by building a massive transport and energy production infrastructure.

In order to protect their Nort Pole activities, Russia is developing as well as installing military bases in the the Northern Sea Route linking Europe and Asia. Russia views this as necessary because of their lack of usable water ports.

British geographer and military historian, Sir Halford MacKinder, in1904, wrote an article that changed how politicians and military men viewed the world. It was a perception that influenced Hitler to send his troops eastward in an attack upon Russia in 1940. It was also the driving force that led to the underpinnings for superpower foreign policy which guided foreign policy for both sides during the Cold War. The theory that had so influenced nearly three generations of strategists was called simply, the Heartland Theory.

Basically, Mackinders Heartland Theory viewed geo-political military history as a struggle between land-based and sea-based powers. Mackinder believed the world had become a closed system, with virtually no new lands left for the Europeans powers to discover, to conquer, and to fight over without creating chaos elsewhere. According to the theory the common denominator for world conflict has been reduced to sea powers vs. land-based powers which would subsequently struggle for dominance of the world, and the ultimate victor would be in a position to set up a world empire. The determining factor in this struggle was physical geography; Man and not nature initiates, but nature in large measure controls.

This is an unmitigated disaster for NATO miitary planners.

King of the Hill

Do you remember as a child in elementary school playing games like Capture the flag and King of the hill? As you grew older you were taught from a military perspective that military commanders want to occupy the high ground. If we go on to learn military strategy, we frequently encounter the admonitions that it is imperative to occupy the high ground. The master analyst of all warfare, Sun Tzu often spoke of this as well:

Read more at: thecommonsenseshow.com
Trump to China: Deal with North Korea or the U.S. will

In what is the strongest indication yet that the Trump administration is planning to take definitive action against North Korea for its continued threats and pursuit of nuclear weapons delivery systems, the president himself warned China if it would not deal with its belligerent neighbor, Washington would.

In an exclusive interview with the Financial Times, Trump said the U.S. will take unilateral action to eliminate the nuclear threat from North Korea unless China increases pressure on the regime in Pyongyang, the paper noted.

The ultimatum comes less than a week before Trump is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida. What to do about North Korea, as well as trade, is high on the list of discussions.

China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they wont, Trump said in the Oval Office, FT noted. If they do, that will be very good for China, and if they dont, it wont be good for anyone. (RELATED: North Korea Could Kill 90% Of All Americans By Dropping EMP Nukes From Orbiting Satellites.)

Nevertheless, Trump was clear that the U.S. was ready and willing to act if China failed to step up and use its influence over Pyongyang to convince the reclusive Stalinist country to abandon its quest for nuclear-tipped ICBMs.

When asked if Trump would agree to a grand bargain where Beijing would apply pressure to its neighbor in exchange for the removal of U.S. troops from South Korea later on, Trump responded, Well, if China is not going to solve North Korea, we will. That is all I am telling you.

As noted by Zero Hedge, China already has taken some punitive action against North Korea over the latters continued testing of ballistic missiles. In February, Beijing banned all coal imports from Pyongyang, effectively depriving North Korea of a principal source of income, as nearly all its coal exports are sent to China.

But that doesnt appear to be satisfactory for the Trump administration.

FT noted further that the administration views North Korea as the most important and imminent threat after being told by outgoing President Barack Obama that since he took office in 2009, the North has substantially increased its long-range missile technology and nuclear weapons. White House Deputy National Security Advisor K. T. McFarland told the FT, there is a real possibility that North Korea will be able to hit the U.S. with a nuclear-armed missile by the end of the first Trump term.

Recently the National Security Council completed a review of options regarding North Korea that Trump ordered shortly after his inauguration, two people familiar with the review told the FT. One of them also said that the review was hastened so it would be completed in time for Trumps one-on-one with Xi.

When asked if the U.S. would need Chinese assistance to deal with North Korea, Trump insisted that wasnt the case, saying it was totally possible to handle North Korea alone. When pressed he said, I dont have to say anymore. Totally.

What President Trump is trying to do here is press the Chinese hard by warning them what comes next if they dont help or join with the U.S. to deal with this problem, Dennis Wilder, a former CIA China analyst who served as President George W. Bushs top White House Asia aide told the FT.

The administration has not ruled out a pre-emptive strike on North Korea, having said that all options are on the table. (RELATED: Is a preemptive strike against North Korea imminent?)

Trumps comments come just days after Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson both made clear the White House was growing impatient with North Koreas ballistic missile tests. For his part, Tillerson  during a recent visit to South Korea and China  said further talks with North Korea would be a waste of time and non-productive, just as theyve always been.

The policy of strategic patience has ended, he said, noting a pre-emptive strike would be considered if the Norths missile development reached an unacceptable level, The New York Times reported.

Mattis, at a conference in London, declared, Right now, [North Korea] appears to be going in a very reckless manner  and that has got to be stopped, NBC News noted.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

ZeroHedge.com

FT.com

NYTimes.com

NBCNews.com

Prophecy.news
To the editor:

Youve heard that wind turbines are no louder than refrigerators at 40 decibels? That measurement is taken a foot or two away from the bottom of the refrigerator.

If 40 decibels is acceptable to you, then maybe refrigerators should be installed on your night stand next to your bed. Please make sure the refrigerator is set to turn on and off, on and off every two seconds to simulate the wind turbine blades movement. Do you really think that two-second intermittent noise all night long will lull you to sleep?

The scientific studies referred to by wind energy companies are often wind energy-funded studies. And when recent studies from many independent researchers are published that comment on audible noise, pulsation/vibration, and shadow flicker affecting nearby residents, the wind faction is quick to dismiss, trivialize, debunk, and simply ignore that information.

Michigan State University has been promoting sample zoning for wind energy systems that was highly permissive toward wind development and darn near hostile to neighbors of wind turbines. The animosity created in communities with unsafe wind development favoring wind developers may take years to disappear.

Its a brand new ball game because, on March 6, MSU released its new wind energy sample zoning regulations. MSU researchers dont condone prohibiting turbines. They condone safe setbacks.

The study informs the uninformed about wind development and reasonable land use regulations. These new recommendations are extremely important and confirm all of the things so many people in Michigan have worked so hard for.

Here are some highlights of the MSU recommendations:

Sound Level  On-site use wind energy systems shall not exceed 40 dB(A) at the property line closest to the wind energy system. This sound pressure level may be briefly exceeded during short term events such as utility outages and/or severe wind storms.

One MSU recommendation is a turbine setback of 2,500 feet from the property line of any parcel which is not receiving compensation for the Utility Grid Wind Energy System.

And, to show how wind energy is losing its grip in Michigan, here is a recent straw poll: In Ingersoll Township, Michigan (just south of Midland), board officials took a poll of 88 people at their March 22 board meeting. Results?

 75 against wind development in township

 3 for wind development in township

 10 undecided

The money a community can make and the money a large landholder can make certainly is important. But, its the only bullet the pro wind faction has. However, to allow so many large landholders a financial gain is to throw the neighbors of wind turbines under the bus.

Norm Stephens

Caro
Q: My small company recently set up a veteran hiring initiative, tied to our business and branding strategy. We are getting results and veterans are expressing interest in joining our team! But our hiring goals are small: Hiring one or two veterans per year. How can we help those veterans we meet who we can't end up hiring?

A: Congratulations for making the commitment to hire our Nation's heroes, and for building a system to do so intelligently and thoughtfully. I hope your program is a great success. This is a common challenge for many employers, regardless of the hiring quotient you set. You simply can't acquire every candidate you fall in love with, but you don't want to lose touch with them in case another opportunity becomes available. When those candidates are veterans, many employers express a sense of duty to want to help even the ones they can't acquire.

There are many ways to help the veterans you can't hire, keeping them connected and engaged with your company and brand, including:

Consider modifying your Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to create a separate database of veterans who you'd love to have hired, but could not at this time. This system would encourage an ongoing relationship with candidates who aren't immediately hired, and permits information sharing in both directions: You can alert the candidate about events and resources they might value, and they can update their employment status or interest in the company. One client of mine uses this system and has found internal cross-functional teams regularly secure contract resources from the database of veterans who been vetted and who have expressed interest in the company, but weren't immediately hired. This modified ATS database also allows you to nurture their interest in the company, keep them updated about opportunities, and provide additional resources and tools to them as they move through the candidate process. Set up a community event in your company name, engaging both your employees and the candidates who impressed you but weren't hired. You could offer on-site coaching, networking, and training to showcase the values of your company. Companies that have successfully done this say that not only does it create a positive impression amongst the veterans, but their civilian employees learn a great deal by interacting with former military service members. As an alternative to #2, you might partner up with a community-based or veteran serving organization in your area. Sponsoring their events is great, but you also have a chance to interact with their constituents, sharing expertise, insights, tools and resources these veterans might not be aware of. As your company builds its profile as a partner, you can extend the invitation to participate to veterans in your network who, again, applied for work and were not hired. Offer a mentoring program to veterans. In highly competitive industries and companies, the number of applications for open positions is often disproportionate. This creates opportunity for your company to build or enhance a mentoring program for veterans who come through your system. It's possible these candidates could take the learning they gain from your company and work for your competitor, but the net benefit is that you helped a veteran gain employment. That's a win for everyone. Consider formalizing an internship program. Internships are great options for candidates who don't make the hiring cut or aren't ready to join your team. Learn more about internships here. Give money to a non-profit that supports veterans. While it may not feel as "hands on" as mentoring a veteran, providing financial resources to organizations that serve many veterans is worthwhile and very needed. Create or find an opportunity to sit and talk to a veteran. There are groups across the U.S. right now developing events where veterans can gather and have a conversation with civilians. Whether these are veterans of Vietnam era conflicts or Post 911 veterans, they are human beings who sometimes miss just having a conversation with another person. Consider encouraging your staff to explore these opportunities as well.

I admire your desire to help those you can't hire, and hope this short list provides some ideas for you to begin to explore!

About Lida Citroen

Lida Citroen, a branding expert based in Denver, has made a career of helping people and companies create new or enhanced identities. She is passionate about helping veterans learn how to compete for careers in the civilian sector. A TEDx Speaker, Lida presents her unique personal branding training programs across the U.S., at military installations and events, serves on the Board of Directors of NAVSO volunteers with ESGR, and has produced numerous programs and materials to help military veterans successfully transition after service. If you have a transition question Lida can help answer, email her at lida@lida360.com. She is also the author of the best selling book, "Your Next Mission: A personal branding guide for the military-to-civilian transition," available at www.YourNextMissionBook.com and on Amazon.
Spouses know that caring for a veteran -- no matter how severe or invisible his or her injury -- can be a lonely business, especially if the family has moved back to a community that is not near a military base.

That loneliness is one of the key feelings Hearts of Valor, a part of Operation Homefront, seeks to combat through a veteran caregiver program. Previously known as Wounded Warrior Wives, Hearts of Valor serves military spouse caregivers by connecting them to peer-to-peer support, retreats and resources.

"One of the biggest things that I've noticed in the caregiver community is isolation," said Sara Boz, a psychologist and the program's senior director. "The caregivers often tell me that they do not have anybody in their immediate friends and family that they can go to and talk to, because no one really understands."

But by connecting caregivers to each other, the Hearts of Valor program can work through that. With more than 3,200 caregivers registered in the program and more than 60 meetups nationwide, the program coordinators can link up caregivers with others who know what they are dealing with because they have dealt with it too.

"Hearts of Valor is a community of other people in the same experiences," Boz said. "They have a lot of situations that are similar and only a caregiver can really, truly understand what another caregiver is going through."

For veteran caregivers in the program who do not live near an official program meetup, she said the program may be able to connect them with just one or two other caregivers in the region. The program also hosts a few free annual caregiver retreats that those in the group can register to attend. And if all else fails, Hearts of Valor can help the caregiver connect with resources in his or her local community.

Everyone who joins Hearts of Valor is confirmed as an actual military caregiver through documents shared with Operation Homefront during the registration process, Boz said. And while the group is officially for post-9/11 veteran caregivers only, they do make case-by-case exceptions if a veteran caregiver of a previous conflict era is in need of help.

To get involved in Hearts of Valor, caregivers can visit and register on the Hearts of Valor website.

-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at amy.bushatz@military.com.
[April 04, 2017] University Research Teams to Study Potential Aeronautical Innovations

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Imagine an aircraft structure that can change its shape in flight to reduce the sonic boom noise produced by supersonics airplanes. Or imagine an airliner that can take-off and fly with a quiet and energy efficient electric propulsion system. These are two of five examples of the transformative system-level aviation innovations NASA has selected for potential awards to university teams that will have them spend as long as five years exploring novel ideas for improving aviation, all in support of the agency's strategic research goals for aeronautics. "These awards further enhance the strong relationship we have with our university partners," said Jaiwon Shin, NASA's associate administrator for aeronautics. "We expect the awards will spur the Nation's leading universities to take a larger leadership role in advancing the revolutionary ideas needed to transform aviation and further advance U.S. global leadership in the aviation community." Total value of the five research awards from NASA Aeronautics' University Leadership Initiative (ULI) over five years is expected to be no more than $50 million. "Potential outcomes of the research could include revolutionary technologies, operational concepts, design tools models, or other advancements we can't even begin to characterize today," said Doug Rohn, director of NASA's Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program.



One key idea in the selection process was that NASA did not specify the research topics or disciplines for the schools to pursue, which distinguishes ULI from a standard NASA research award. Instead, universities were asked to come up on their own with the most compelling investigations, so long as that technical challenge addressed one of the agency's main aviation research goals. In addition to the technical challenges, another goal of ULI is to develop the ability of these university researchers to lead diverse, multi-disciplinary teams. In many cases, the teams include members from academia and industry, including those who may not have an aviation background, but whose expertise offers the potential for technology convergence. In addition, teams are encouraged to reach out broadly to universities that serve underrepresented student populations. These diverse partnerships are expected to bring different perspectives that contribute to novel, innovative approaches.

"With ULI we want to provide a forum for U.S. universities to show their leadership in innovation to contribute to our nation's aviation community," Rohn said. The university teams selected for negotiations leading to a potential award are: University of South Carolina for research into advanced, wireless communication networks to enhance the safety and efficiency of air traffic management with both piloted aircraft and drones.

for research into advanced, wireless communication networks to enhance the safety and efficiency of air traffic management with both piloted aircraft and drones. Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, for research into designing commercial supersonic aircraft that could modify their shape during a flight to help minimize noise from sonic booms.

University of Tennessee, Knoxville , for research into designing an ultra-efficient aerodynamic wing that could enable significant savings in fuel or energy consumption.

, for research into designing an ultra-efficient aerodynamic wing that could enable significant savings in fuel or energy consumption. Ohio State University , for research into electric propulsion, including areas of battery and energy storage and thermal management, among others.

, for research into electric propulsion, including areas of battery and energy storage and thermal management, among others. Arizona State University , for research into safely integrating the complex set of data sources that will drive future air traffic management systems. For more information about NASA's aeronautics research, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/aero To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/university-research-teams-to-study-potential-aeronautical-innovations-300434615.html SOURCE NASA

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
A meat vendor sits inside his shop in Allahabad, India March 28, 2017. REUTERS/Jitendra Prakash - RTX330KW

In a relief to meat-eating citizens and meat traders of Uttar Pradesh, the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court has ruled that food and food habits are connected to the right to life and livelihood guaranteed under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.

Citizens and meat shop owners in Uttar Pradesh have been bearing the brunt of Yogi Adityanath-led state governments crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses.

Hearing a petition by a meat trader, the division of Justices Amreshwar Pratap Sahi and Sanjai Harkauli said that the food habits such as meat consumption have been integral to Uttar Pradeshs secular culture.

In its arguments, the state government contended that it doesnt intend to ban meat consumption or slaughterhouse. It said the state intends to comply with a Supreme Court order in the case Laxmi Narayan Modi vs Union of India.

The court observed that the inaction of the state government in the past should not be a shield for imposing a state of almost prohibition. Compliance of law should not end in deprivation, the cause whereof may be attributable to the inaction of the state government, according to the order.

The bench also said that just because the state wishes to crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses, it cannot give up facilities for the legal ones. It directly affects private choice of food, the court observed. It is the private life of an individual that is also affected who may desire to have such food as his private choice of consumption. It should not appear to be abrupt for those who are at the receiving end, the bench said.

The bench also observed that the inaction of state government affects the livelihood of meat traders which contradicts their right to trade and profession guaranteed by Article 19 of the Constitution.

In the recent weeks, the Uttar Pradesh administration has sealed over 20 illegal slaughter houses. Reports peg the number of abattoirs and meat shops at 14 and 50,000, respectively.
China central bank will pursue a crack down on illegal fund transfers via underground banks and offshore companies, it said in a statement posted on its website on Wednesday.

The People's Bank of China (PBOC) issued the message in a working meeting last month aimed at strengthening financial sector rules.
business Here's what is brewing at Adani Ports In the last four days Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) has seen a gain of close to about 10 percent. Anisha Jain of CNBC-TV18 tells us what is brewing at APSEZ and what could be the reason for the stock doing well.
Madhuchanda Dey

Moneycontrol Research

Yogi Adityanath, who is fast proving to be a magnet for the media, continued to grab headlines on Tuesday by waiving farm loans totalling Rs36,359 crore. In one stroke the Uttar Pradesh chief minister lived up to his partys poll promise, put pressure on other state governments to follow suit, and paved the way for a potential moral hazard problem.

Moral hazard, of course, is the lack of incentive to guard against a risk because protection against its consequences is guaranteed. In this case, for example, if farmers are protected from default by the government, it might dissuade them from making timely repayments to the banks.

It would be a mistake, however, to take a simplistic view. The loan waiver could be seen as prompting me-too moves nationally, but it should also be analysed as just one measure in a series that Yogi is unveiling. The former perception may be a negative for markets; the latter, a potential positive.

The waiver amount works out to 3.9% of banking systems exposure to agriculture and allied activities and 0.5% of gross bank credit. The decision prima facie doesnt impact financials of banks at the moment, but sets a precedent that public sector banks will not be too happy with.

To be sure, the share of UP in total bank credit is around 13% and the share of UPs rural areas is around 12% of total rural credit. So if this waiver is followed by growth in the agriculture sector, the banking sector will have reasons to cheer.

The fear of the Domino Effect

The loan waiver decision comes on a day the Madras High Court directed the Tamil Nadu government to write off loans of all drought-hit farmers in the state, which would entail an additional burden of Rs 1,980 crore on the state government.

Similarly, such demands could come up in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, due for elections by December, in Karnataka, which goes to the polls in mid-2018, and also in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, all of which are due to elect governments at the end of next year. The new Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has also promised a waiver of farm loans to farmers in the state.

Whats at stake?

The UP government has waived loans up to Rs 1 lakh taken by small and marginal farmers. The waiver, applicable for 2016-17, includes Rs30,729 cr of crop loans, and Rs5,630 cr loans taken by 700,000 farmers which have turned into non-performing assets (NPAs).

There are a total of 23 million farmers in Uttar Pradesh, out of which at least 92.5% farmers, or 21.5 million, are small and marginal farmers who will benefit the most from the decision. So the arithmetic average works out to Rs 16,911 per farmer.

It was feared that the public sector banks or the Central government would have to bear the burden of Adityanaths populism, but thats not the case. Reports suggest that UP government will introduce Kisan Rahat (farmers relief) Bonds to raise money for the loan waiver. The proposal will be introduced in the upcoming state budget.

Raising bonds will not be an easy task for the state government. Its likely to be a challenge to convince the rating agencies with its fiscal deficit numbers. In 2016-17, UP had budgeted for a deficit of Rs 49,960 crore (4.04 per cent of the gross state domestic product, or GSDP). At a time when the state is also staring at its Pay Commission obligations, any additional sop is bound to be fiscally burdensome. The government, incidentally has a target to bring down the deficit to 3% by FY18.

However, it will be myopic from the markets perspective to focus singularly on the loan waiver. In other decisions, the UP Cabinet also announced that the government will procure 8 million tonnes of wheat from farmers through 5,000 wheat purchasing centres. It also decided to transfer the amount directly into the bank account of farmers to eliminate middlemen. A committee has been constituted to help potato farmers as well. Besides, to stop migration of youth and attract investments, the state Cabinet also decided to formulate a new industrial policy, with the objective of a single-window clearance system.

Expenditure on Agriculture as % of total expenditure

While in a capitalistic framework, a waiver is viewed extremely negatively and the latest decision is no exception, we will be watchful of the follow up action from Adityanath. If his socialistic policies of improving the plight of the bottom of the pyramid is consistent and genuine, it can well be music to the ears of the markets and to a host of sectors.
Indian energy giant Adani's controversial Carmichael coal and mine project in Australia has received approval for a water licence from Queensland state government, a "milestone" in the approval process for the 21.7 billion dollar project.

Adani Australia confirmed this on its Facebook page by stating that it has achieved another milestone in the approval process for the project.

"The Department of Natural Resources and Mines has granted an associated water licence to allow the safe operation of the mine. The modelling assessed by the department shows that up to 4.55 GL of groundwater could be taken per year," it said.

With the granting of the associated water licence there are now 100 conditions related to groundwater including specific conditions relating to monitoring and reporting, the company said.

It said that under the conditions of the associated water licence for groundwater, Adani will also need to establish good agreements with groundwater users who could potentially be affected by changes to water availability or quality.

Adani Australia CEO Jeyakumar Janakaraj, at a recently held 'Energy and Resource: Mega projects' told a business forum that the company was eyeing to start the rail and mine construction in August/September this year.

"This project will get funded and will see execution this year," Janakaraj said.

While highlighting the growing need for energy consumption in India, Janakaraj said to meet the growing demand Adani had imported 77 million tonnes of coal from Australia last year.

"(India) does have resources but those resources are limited, they have their own challenge(s) because they also have to feed 1.2 billion people and this is exactly where countries and vast areas like Australia play a very strategic role in terms of the food security, the energy security and long term strategic partnership between large countries," he said.

"India's demand in terms of gigawatt and in terms of coal will continue to grow and that is something that, as a market, we will need to be extremely well prepared to take on," he said.

"We are the largest power generator in the private sector and in India the mix of energy is always a very interesting one to see. The balance of energy mix will shift and thats a very important thing and a very good thing as well," he said.

"We have a large solar ambition in Australia as well," he said and disclosed that Adani's first solar plant will be in Moranbah, Queensland, with the intention of operating in the solar space in Australia before 2022.

"It is extremely important for us to keep this strategy in the right direction. We are an energy player so we play in the long-term sustainable economic growth of renewable energy," he said.

Meanwhile, Australia India Business Council (AIBC) today issued a statement to support Adani Group's Carmichael project and dubbed it as a "critical part" of the Indian infrastructure giant's energy strategy.

AIBC National Chair Sheba Nandkeolyar said the project will actually contribute to reducing carbon emissions because coal from the Carmichael mine produces around 30 per cent less carbon than coal sourced locally in India and imported from Indonesia.

"The Australia India Business Council understands the importance of the Adani Carmichael project for the Australia-India relationship. AIBC supports the project and commends Adani's patience to see this investment through," Nandkeolyar said.

AIBC noted Adani as the single-largest Indian investor in Australia and said it encouraged more Indian companies to consider investing in Australia.

Nandkeolyar said the Australian environmental authorities have imposed strict conditions to mitigate any environmental risks.

"This project will provide jobs for thousands of people in rural Queensland and at the same time help meet Indias soaring energy demand with cleaner coal than is currently being used for cooking and power generation," she said.
Naveen Tewari, the founder and chief executive of the Indian mobile advertising firm InMobi, looks into a laptop inside his office in Bengaluru, India, September 11, 2015. InMobi said on September 16, 2015 it is partnering APUS, a Chinese start-up that customizes Android software, in an alliance that InMobi expects will help it reach 500 million new users in China and other countries by 2016. Picture taken September 11, 2015. REUTERS/Abhishek N. Chinnappa - RTS1DA9

Startups have a habit of being flashy, but this company has gone about its business in rather understated fashion and quietly turned profitable after being written off by several investors and analysts.

Advertising technology firm InMobi, once considered one of the Indias most promising startups, managed a net profit in the last quarter of 2016 and its chief executive Naveen Tewari expects it to be profitable this year.

Backed by SoftBank, InMobi is now only the second Indian unicorn to reach profitability after data analytics firm MuSigma. It also claims to be the third-largest digital ad network in the world after Google and Facebook.

Tewari did not reveal the companys profit numbers, but told Mint that the profit push began in mid-2015 after signing high-margin deals with clients, an increase in its video ad business and a shift towards more profitable markets.

He said the profit is based on delivering video ads to smartphone users and by helping clients increase the conversion rate for online shopping.

However, sales growth dipped to around 20 percent in 2016, down from the average in previous years of at least 30 percent.

But Tewari expects growth to pick up this year as InMobi increases its presence in India, Indonesia and Australia.

Rise and fall

The picture was not so rosy until recently.

The company was founded in 2007 as mKhoj and provided SMS-based services. The following year it switched to mobile advertising and rebranded as InMobi. It initially served as a platform for text ads before video gained prominence and helped it grow.

After a couple of funding rounds, its hiring spree across 2012 and 2013 backfired and some of its products turned out to be duds.

InMobi reported a loss of USD 40 million on a revenue of USD 262 million for FY16, according to report by FactorDaily.

The startup last raised funds in 2011 when it received USD 200 million from SoftBank. Subsequent talks with investors failed to bear fruit.

Turning it around

Following pressure from investors, it cut costs and staff in 2016.

You start choosing the right deals and giving up the bad deals. Then, last year, we focused only on two marketsUS and China. This year, were focusing on three other marketsIndia, Indonesia and Australia. This is a big shift from previous years when we were spending freely on expanding in all markets, Tewari said.

Now, Tewari said the company does not need to raise money for running the business but for strategic quests such as acquisitions.

In China, it has doubled its investment and has a substantial share of the advertisement market, and also claims to be ahead in Indonesia.

An Initial Public Offering (IPO) may even be on the cards.

Now that we are profitable, we think we can be a public company. Either going public or figuring out if this could be a bigger play (combining) with somebody elsethose are both opportunities, Tewari was quoted as saying.
Representative Image.

live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Commercial vehicle (CV) manufacturers are now exploring the option of converting their inventory of banned Bharat Stage III (BS-III) vehicles into being BS-IV compliant, but there is uncertainty about whether the upgrade is viable.

At least two of the top three commercial vehicle (CV) players in India have said that they could look at upgrading the unsold stock to BS-IV standards and are examining its economic viability.

The Supreme Court had last week banned the sale and registration of BS-III vehicles from April 1. On March 27, a counsel appearing for one of the manufacturers told the Supreme Court that converting BS-III stocks to BS-IV was not possible even as the cost was considered to be secondary.

But a source at Chennai-headquartered Ashok Leyland, the countrys third largest CV producer, said that it was possible to upgrade the BS-III units to BS-IV and that the company is looking at that option, though a final call is yet to be taken.

There is fine tuning of the EGR (exhaust gas recirculator) one has to do to bring it on par with the EGR of BS-IV. But this the most basic way, depending on the model there could be other complexities involved, said the source.

Ashok Leyland has between 5,000-10,000 units of unsold BS-III stock collectively worth around Rs 1000 crore, say dealer sources. These are being bought back by the company from the dealers who were doling out discounts in the range of Rs 50,000-200,000 to get rid of the stocks before the April 1 deadline.

Similarly, Mahindra & Mahindra, the countrys second largest CV maker, has said that though upgrading to BS-IV standards will not be easy, it can certainly be done.

Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Pawan Goenka, Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra, said, It is not simply a question of converting from BS-III to BS-IV because when you go from BS-III to BS-IV, sometimes, it is just an engine modification, in which case we can do it fairly easily. But in other cases, it is an engine replacement and if it is engine replacement, it is also a chassis change, it is also a wiring harness change. So, I do not have an exact number right now, but we are doing the calculations and we are looking to see which bucket each vehicle falls in.

Tata Motors, the countrys biggest CV maker, is believed to be holding the largest stock of unsold BS-III inventory at around 20,000-25,000 units. While the company has said that it will explore the option of exporting the unsold lot, it also clarified that upgrading them to BS-IV was not possible.

Speaking to Moneycontrol on the sidelines of the launch of the Tigor sedan, Guenter Butschek, Managing Director at Tata Motors, said, I disagree with what I read that is was possible to move BS-III vehicles to BS-IV. Let me tell you that is not possible. So one of the solutions we can look at is exporting the BS-III stock.

VE Commercial Vehicles, the joint venture of Eicher Motors and Volvo, has an unsold BS-III inventory of 1700-2000 units. The company has not clarified what it intends to do with the stock.

A CRISIL report estimates the remaining 40,000-45,000 units of unsold inventory to be returned in the upcoming months. These mainly comprise less-popular models since there were instances of supply shortage in some popular BS-III models.

"The truck makers are likely to adopt a mix of the following steps to manage unsold BS-III inventory - upgrading them for resale, dismantling vehicles for spares or incur higher working capital for holding the inventory until it is exported (which could take 5-6 months)," read the report.
Q1. It was originally started in 1940 and ran successfully till it was closed for a few years during the Indo-China War. Chen re-opened it, joining hands with a partner Tham Mouyiu, in 1968, and is actively involved in the day-to-day operations of running the restaurant. The restaurant runs solely on word-of-mouth publicity of its loyal patrons which include Bollywood royalty from Shashi Kapoor to Rekha and Kajol , to the who is who of politics including VK Krishna Menon. One of the most unusual gues was Deng Pufang the paraplegic first son of the Chinese premier Deng Xiaoping. Identify this legendary Mumbai establishment which recently shut shop. (Representative image)

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group today said it is looking to aggressively expand its hospitality business and may have more than 200 properties by 2020.

The group had earlier estimated a target of 170 properties by 2020, but looking at the strong momentum in India, it said the number is likely to cross 200.

Notably, the group has signed a seven deal package in the Kashmir valley representing all major tourist destinations in the area and is planning to open its first hotel in Srinagar this year under the brand Radisson.

"Our pipeline is strong and we are adding 8-9 hotels annually to our portfolio in India and are signing 12-14 deals every year," Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group CEO, South Asia, Raj Rana told PTI here.

"We are focusing on expanding with our three mid-scale brands - Radisson RED, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inns and Suites By Carlson," he said.

To drive organic growth, the group's South Asia team has expanded its presence in state capitals, while accelerating growth in emerging secondary and tertiary cities as connectivity and infrastructure in India improves, he said.

In India, the group's portfolio consists of 140 hotels in operation and under development across 60 cities in the country, including 16 state capitals. "Looking at the momentum, we may even cross our target to over 200 properties by 2020. About 60 per cent of our pipeline represents our mid-scale brands," he said.

With presence all over the country, the group has signed seven deals in Kashmir valley. "We have wide presence across the country and we are planning to strengthen it further. We have signed a seven deal package in the Kashmir valley representing all major tourist destinations in the area. We are planning to open our first hotel in Srinagar this year under Radisson brand," Rana said.

The Group has also seen a healthy revenue per available room (RevPAR) growth in India at 8 per cent compared to the industry's performance of 6 per cent for 2016.

"As one of the leading international hospitality operators in India, we have established a nationwide presence through a significant footprint and deep understanding of this key market," Group's president, Asia Pacific, Thorsten Kirschke said.

"We believe in the further expansion through new strategic partnerships and growth opportunities," he said.

On their luxury brand 'Quorvus Collection', Kirschke said the company is still looking at the right opportunity, which will either be a palace or a resort.
Indias e-commerce giant Flipkart is betting on an artificial intelligence (AI) solution that will use its vast data of online consumer market collected over 10 years to make smarter decisions to predict sales of products.

"We are trying to predict how many units of what we will sell. This is a very complex thing that is dependent on a variety of inputs such as price, discount or if an event, such as Diwali or Christmas is coming up," Krishnendu Chaudhury, principal scientist and head of image sciences at Flipkart, was quoted by Business Standard as saying.

Although global player Amazon has been in the e-commerce space 10 years before Flipkart, it set foot in India only in 2013. As a result, Flipkart enjoys an advantage over its rival from the enormous data it has collected over the years. This will help the Indian company to train its AI engines as they provide accurate solutions when more data is available.

Another factor that may help Flipkarts AI solution success is its 100 million user base.

Out of the 100 million users, majority of them make use of smartphones. This helps the company in understanding consumer behavior, purchasing power and socio-economic background of an individual depending on the smartphone they use.

The e-commerce player can also gauge the signals a users phone captures and leverage it by targeting the right products to the consumers.

Not more can be known about the AI sales predicting engine of Flipkart as it is patent pending.
Ready to cook food app Fingerlix has raised USD 3 million in Series A round funding from Zephyr Peacock. The company plans to utilise these funds for expansion into newer geographies.

It also looks forward to hiring new talent to scale up the team.

The company offers a wide range of products like batters, mixes, curries, dals, parathas and fully-ready accompaniments to go with them. The company aims to spread its services in 10 cities over the next 18 months.

With this latest round of fund infusion, we aim to introduce more offerings and foray into newer cities to spread Fingerlix to a larger customer base, the company said in a statement.

Founded in 2016, the startup has so far raised USD 4.3 million in funding.

Food startups are drawing a lot of attention from investors as last month Bangalore-based Licious also fetched USD 10 million in funding.

Zephyr Peacocks Pankaj Raina said, With rapid changes in consumers lifestyle and food choices, the convenience food category is set for massive growth. Within this segment, the market for ready-to-cook traditional Indian meals remains largely untapped. We believe that Fingerlix is well-positioned to become the market leader in this emerging segment with its unique product offerings and robust growth strategies.

Zephyr Peacock is a private equity investments company targeting Indian SME segment.
The general insurance industry has crossed Rs 1 lakh crore in premiums backed by strong growth in the retail segments of motor and health insurance, said sources.

Further, the government's crop insurance scheme - Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana - has also contributed a large portion of the premium collections, with a source in the industry saying that crop insurance has contributed 40-45 percent to the entire general insurance industry.

The official figures for premium collection have not yet been released by the regulator.

Crop insurance, according to the insurance industry, has seen the government has put in about Rs 20,000 crore in the form of premium. More than 1 million farmers have been given cover under this scheme, making India the third largest agriculture insurance market in the world after US and China.

The scheme, approved by the Cabinet in January 2016, has a uniform premium of two percent to be paid by farmers for all kharif crops and 1.5 percent for all rabi crops. For commercial and horticultural crops, the farmers premium is 5 percent. The rest of the premium is paid by the government.

Among the retail segments, third party motor insurance and health has seen double digit growth. The last few days of FY17 saw a fire sale of BS-III vehicles by auto companies which contributed to the sale of motor policies. Third party insurance is mandatory for all vehicles as per Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

Since the motor third party premiums have been revised from April 1, there was also a rush to either buy a policy or renew the existing policy under the old rates in the previous financial year.

According to sources in the health insurance segment, standalone health insurers saw a higher growth backed by customer preferences to buy niche products from specialised companies operating in the space. Aditya Birla Health is the latest entrant to this segment and it started operations in the second half of the last financial year.

Even the group health segment saw a marginal growth backed by more price discipline and lesser quantum of discounts being offered. Industry sources said that fire and engineering segment continues to suffer,
Representational image

live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Newcomer Jio's 72 million paid customers are "credit positive" for parent Reliance Industries as subscriber enrolment reduces cash flow uncertainty of the telecom business, Moody's Investors Service said today.

Moody's calculation shows that Jio will be able to generate revenue of about Rs 213 billion (Rs 21,300 crore) for the current financial year, assuming all 72 million users pay Rs 303 per 28 days between July 2017 and March 2018.

On the enrolment of paid subscribers, Moody's Investors Service said, "This is credit positive as the subscriber enrolment reduces cash flow uncertainty of the telecom business, on which RIL has spent over Rs 1.7 trillion (Rs 1,70,000 crore) over the last six years."

Jio, in February, said it has enrolled 100 million users for its free services that was slated to end on March 31. The company had also announced that it would start charging for services from April 1 and introduced Jio-Prime membership, a discounted set of price plans to incentivise non-paying subscribers to subscribe to paid services.

It has now extended by a fortnight the deadline for enrolment to its Jio-Prime plan, and as per its last update has 72 million paid customers. Also, it has announced that all Prime members who subscribe to higher value plans (Rs 303 and above) will enjoy complimentary services for three months and that subscribers will only be charged for services from July.

"... there was uncertainty about the success rate of transitioning non-paying subscribers to paid plans, but that uncertainty has now reduced to a large extent," the statement by Moody's said.

It further said a significant portion of the 72 million subscribers are expected to opt for Rs 303 plan, given that it is the minimum plan that gives complimentary services for three months.

"However, as the price plan does not require the subscriber to commit beyond the 28 days, they are free to switch at any time after that," it said, adding that Prime membership will therefore have to continue to be competitive and maintain service quality to retain customers.

The company may have to revisit its price plans beyond April 15 to attract and retain subscribers who do not sign up for the Prime offering, it noted.

Even if Jio were to generate about Rs 200 billion (Rs 20,000 crore) in revenue, it will not be sufficient to generate free cash flows as the company's spending on capex will be significantly higher than its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), Moody's said.

Hence, despite a large paying subscriber base, Moody's said, "We continue to expect that Jio will remain a drag on RIL's cash flows for at least the next 2-3 years."

Jio's aggressive stance will ensure a heightened state of competition in the sector for the foreseeable future, it added.
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

India's largest tractor maker Mahindra & Mahindra on Wednesday launched Jivo, a small capacity tractor aimed at the affluent farmer for Rs 3.9 lakh.

With Jivo, the company said it has plugged a crucial portfolio gap to enter a segment which clocks sales of 50,000 units a year. The launch expands the company's tractor line-up which comprises models like Nuvo and Yuvo.

The new tractor, which is built on a completely new platform, has seen an investment of Rs 90 crore. It generates peak power of 24 hp and will thus play in the white space of 20-30 hp segment with only a competition from Japanese giant Kubota.

Rajesh Jejurikar, president  farm equipment sector Mahindra & Mahindra said, The Jivo will help in small farm mechanisation with its multi-application suitability. The buyer of the Jivo is someone who has a small land holding but is yet affluent.

There will be two more variants of the Jivo offered later. These will be a 2 Wheel Drive version and a 20hp version. Both the variants will be priced lower than the 4 Wheel Drive launched on Wednesday.

M&M maintained its grip over the tractor segment commanding a share of 42.7 percent in the recently concluded financial year when the industry saw sales of 582,000 units.

We are predicting a double digit growth for the industry this financial year. We gained 1.7 percent market share last financial year, added Jejurikar.

The Mumbai-based company launched two new platforms in the last two years. In 2014 the company launched the Arjun Nuvo range of premium-end tractors which was followed by the launch of Yuvo range in the 32-45hp range.

At the lower end of the spectrum M&M already has the Yuvraj range of tractors that are mainly in the 15hp range priced at around Rs 2.3 lakh.
Cement

live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Investor concerns over balance sheet impact and regulatory issues notwithstanding, Orient Cements plan to acquire part of Jaypee Groups cement capacity is in the final stages and the deal could be announced shortly, according to people familiar with the development.

The arrangement between the two companies, announced on October 6 last year, was a combination of two assets of the Noida-headquartered company. One was Orients acquisition of Jaiprakash Associates entire stake in Bhilai Jaypee Cement, a 74:26 joint venture of the Jaiprakash Gaur-promoted company and Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). The enterprise value of the joint venture company was pegged at Rs. 1,450 crores.

The joint venture has a 1.1 mtpa clinker unit at Satna in Madhya Pradesh and a 2.2 mtpa grinding unit at Bhilai in Chhattisgarh.

The other asset that the CK Birla Group company signed up to acquire was Jaiprakash Power Ventures' 2 mtpa grinding unit at Nigrie in Madhya Pradesh for a total consideration of Rs 500 crore.

The top management of both Orient and Jaypee Group are meeting this week to thrash out the last-minute details, one of the officials part of the deal-making process told Moneycontrol. It got held back due to various unforeseen reasons that were in no way connected to the deal.

Two issues surrounding the deal have occupied investor mindspace and the Orient Cement stock is down 37 percent since the deal was first announced.

Investors are concerned over how Orient would fund the deal given that its balance sheet size is not much bigger than the deal size, an analyst with a local brokerage in Mumbai told Moneycontrol.

At the end of March 2016, Orient Cement had a balance sheet size of Rs 2,863 crore while the enterprise of the entire deal came at Rs. 1,950 crore. Orients final outgo would be adjusted after accounting for net debt and working capital at closing.

Please understand that the promoters have around 40 percent stake in Orient Cement. So they will be most affected by the deal and therefore wont do anything that harms shareholder value, the official, quoted first, said.

Promoter holding in Orient Cement came in at 37.5 percent at the end of December, according to information available on BSE website.

The transaction will be funded through a mix of internal accruals and debt and equity funding to target a prudent debt to equity ratio.

The other concern related to SAILs consent for the deal. Dalmia Bharat had to acquire SAIls 26 percent stake in Bokaro Jaypee Cement in November 2014 after the Dalmia company bought Jaiprakash Associatess 74 percent stake in the joint venture company. The official insisted that such a scenario would not be applicable in this case.

Investors were worried about the fate of the limestone mine attached to the Bhilai JV since the mine was in SAILs name and if SAIL insisted that Orient bought out its stake like it did in the case of the Dalmia deal, then Orients right to the mine would become uncertain.

SAIL will stay invested in the joint venture with Orient. The mine will remain with SAIL and therefore the joint venture company would also continue to have access to those limestone deposits, the official said.

Jaypee currently has a cement capacity of 10.6 mtpa while Orient wants to take its capacity to 15 mln tn by 2020 from 8 mtpa now.

While the acquisition is in line with Orient's long-term to enhance its manufacturing capacity, the deal is even more crucial for Jaypee as the group seeks to cut down its at least Rs 40,000 crore debt.

In the last two years, the group has sold almost two-thirds of its cement and more than half its power generation capacities to bring down its debt.
A technician is pictured inside a desalter plant of Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, September 30, 2016. Picture taken September 30, 2016. REUTERS/Amit Dave - RTSS6X9

live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

National oil & gas explorer ONGC is planning to invest over USD 3 billion in the Farzad-B natural gas block in Iran, a top company official said.

The proposed investment will be driven through a consortium of state-run oil companies led by its overseas arm ONGC Videsh (OVL). The statement comes amidst media reports that government is threatening to massively reduce crude intake from Iran as Tehran delays clearing the investment plan in the block.

An OVL-led consortium had already submitted a USD 3 billion development plan to Iran to develop an offshore field in Farzad B, which is said to hold 12.5 trillion cubic feet in reserves, which may last for 30 years.

Iran has been delaying New Delhi's proposal after the US-led western nations lifted the economic embargo on Tehran last year opening its doors to more competitive options, which Tehran wants to explore now.

"Last month, we submitted a revised plan to Tehran for the block. We will be able to develop the block within five years if we are given the go-ahead," OVL managing director NK Verma told reporters on the sidelines of an industry meeting here.

"We are keen to invest north of USD 3 billion to develop this field," he said adding they are awaiting feedback from Tehran now.

It can be noted that New Delhi was one of the few large oil consumers to have continued buying Iranian crude during the global economic sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme. But since the lifting of the sanctions last year, Iran has sought other investors and there is some uncertainty whether new Delhi would get the Farzad block contract.

Output from Farzad-B could range from 1 billion to 1.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, Verma said.

On its production target, Verma said the company expects to raise production in fiscal 2018 to 14 million tonne oil equivalent, up from 12 million tonne in fiscal 2017.

He also said the company is planning to invest USD 45 million to produce from gas wells owned by Imperial Energy, which was acquired by OVL in 2008.

As part of its plans to secure energy resources, government has chalked out an investment plan worth USD 20 billion in Iran, which will include developing oil and gas fields apart from setting up petrochemical plants, gas-processing facilities and developing the strategic Chabahar port in Southern Iran.

Earlier this week, media reports said the government would massively reduce its Iranian oil purchases by a fifth over the delay in clearing the investment in the gas field.

For Iran, India is the biggest oil buyer after China. Unhappy with Tehran's delays, the oil ministry has reportedly asked state refiners to cut imports from Iran.

The state-run refiners reportedly told National Iranian Oil Co about their plans to reduce oil imports by a fifth to 1,90,000 bpd from 2,40,000 bpd. Between April 2016 and February 2017, the domestic oil companies more than doubled their intake from Iran at 5,42,400 bpd, compared to 2,25,522 bpd a year earlier.
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Two of PTC India's subsidiaries - the listed energy sector lender PTC India Financial Services and the unlisted renewable power generator PTC Energy  may raise equity from outside sources in the current financial year, according to an official familiar with the development.

We have so far invested Rs 650 crore equity in PTC Energy and Rs 750 crores in PTC Financial as equity," the official with the parent company told Moneycontrol. "Now it is up to the two to raise equity to fund their growth plans. Its not that we dont want to invest more equity and wont invest in the two, but we feel the two companies should now also look at outside sources.

While PTC India wholly owns PTC Energy, it has a 64.99 percent stake in PTC India Financial, having increased its stake during the last concluded quarter from 60 percent at a cost of Rs. 308.77 crore.

He said the PTC India board was willing to dilute up to 26 percent stake in PTC Energy.

"PTC India wont sell any stake but it is willing to go for dilution," the official said. "Now it is up to PTC Energy who they want to get. They need money to grow their business. The option of an initial public offering by PTC Energy will come much later.

He said that PTCs own networth was Rs 3,000 crore and the combined equity investment in the two subsidiaries came at Rs 1,400 crore. These are substantial investments. We would want someone who is credible. This could be a sovereign wealth fund or a pension fund, the official said.

PTC Energy is now a 300 MW wind power generating company with plans to add another 200 MW-250 MW in the current financial year. The unlisted subsidiary has a debt of Rs. 1,640 crore on its books.

Currently, we have only wind power capacity. In future, we would like to have both wind and solar with a long-term plan of having a total installed renewable power capacity of 2,000 MW by 2021, an official with PTC Energy told Moneycontrol.

The official said the company would set up capacities only in those states where it was able to sign power purchase agreements prior to undertaking any work on the project.
South Korean giant Samsung has regained top spot as India's most trusted brand in 2017, according to the Brand Trust Report. The consumer electronics company jumped 17 spots from its 2016 ranking, while rivals Sony and LG retained No.2 and No. 3 ranks, respectively.

Among the top 20 brands, Apple was ranked as India's 4th Most Trusted Brand, rising 12 ranks from 2016. This is the first time Apple made it to top 5 on the list.

Despite the ups and down following the exit of Cyrus Mistry, brand Tata held on to the fifth rank, followed by auto companies Honda at No. 6 and Maruti Suzuki at No. 7.

Technology services and products provider Dell ranked eight on the list, just ahead of peer Lenovo which sprung 18 spots from 2016.

Bajaj, a brand which has been in the top 10 in five out of seven Brand Trust Reports, ranked 10 in India's Most Trusted Brands list.

Making its mark among top 20 brands, new entrant in the telecom space, Reliance Jio stood at the 19th position.

"Of the 2016 list, four brands slipped out of the top ten list of 2017, namely Samsung Mobiles, Nokia, Godrej and ICICI Bank," said N Chandramouli, Chief Executive Officer, TRA Research.

The top five greatest gainers over last year are Mahindra Auto, US Polo, Kurl-On, and Birla Sun Life.

Fee category leaders in Brand Trust are Bata  rank 12 from Personal Accessories; State Bank of India  rank 13  from BFSI; Patanjali  rank 15  from FMCG; Airtel  rank 16  from telecom; Amul  rank 21from F&B; Google  rank 40from Internet; Himalaya  rank 57 from Healthcare; and SpiceJet  rank 172  leading in Airlines.

Disclosure: Reliance Industries, which owns Reliance Jio, also owns Network18, which publishes Moneycontrol.com.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off 17 Advance Life Support (ALS) ambulances here which have been provided to the Haryana Health Department under MPLAD fund.

These ambulances, equipped with modern equipment and costing a total of Rs 3.5 crore, would serve patients in far-flung areas, thereby strengthening healthcare services in the state, he said.

The ambulances are for Ambala City, Bhiwani, Faridabad, Gurugram, Hisar, Jind, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Panchkula, Jhajjar, Sonipat, SHKM Medical College, Mewat, Kalpana Chawla Medical College, Karnal, Maharaja Agarsen Medical College, Hissar, and three ambulances for Pt. Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, Prabhu said.

These ambulances have been provided to the state health department under MPLAD fund, an official release said.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the state government is focusing on opening medical colleges in every district to increase the number of doctors in the state.

This would help in preparing about 2,000 doctors every year. These medical institutes would be set up either by the government or in public-private-partnership mode, he said, adding his government is making concerted efforts to strengthen infrastructure of the health sector in Haryana.
Mumbai: RBI displays the newly issued rupees 500 and 2000 notes at Reserve Bank of India headquarters in Mumbai on Wednesday. PTI Photo by Santosh Hirlekar (PTI11_9_2016_000203B)

In a major setback for the governments revenue targets, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) for tax evaders to declare unaccounted money has turned out to be a big flop.

Barely Rs 4,000 crore of undisclosed income has been reported under the scheme, against the targeted Rs 1 lakh crore, two senior officials told Moneycontrol.

Collection under the scheme from the country's business capital, Mumbai, was a meagre Rs 500 crore.

Tax officials say declarants are seeking more time to deposit the money they declared under the scheme.

The I-T Department has got requests to extend the deadline for depositing money to September 30, which is also the last day to submit money under IDS (Income Declaration Scheme).

Also read: Why black money holders don't mind taking on I-T department

Unveiled a month after the demonetisation, the PMGKY was aimed to give another chance to individuals to disclose unaccounted money. Black money holders will be levied a charge of 50 percent on the declared amount. Another 25 percent of the amount declared will go into the non interest-bearing Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Deposit Scheme, 2016, for four years.

Black money holders who choose not to reveal their unaccounted income under PMGKY will have to pay 107 percent tax if caught.

The government has said that it would closely track black money holders, in particular those who have failed to disclose unaccounted income.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that through data mining, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Income Tax department found that cash deposited by 18 lakh people did not match their income profile.

After the government asked for an explanation from these individuals through SMS and emails, only 8.71 lakh citizens responded. The Income Tax department will take action against the remaining people in the coming days, Jaitley said.
Nearly five months have passed since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the historic demonetisation move and after a gradual pickup in the cash in circulation in the economy, it seems a liquidity crunch again seems to be taking hold in some parts of the country.

Anecdotal reports from many states suggests that due to a combination of factors, people have been struggling to obtain adequate cash from either ATMs or bank accounts.

The worst hit seem Andhra Pradesh and Telangana where many ATMs have run dry. People in Hyderabad have been left stranded as several ATMs across the country displayed a no-cash board.

According to a report in Business Standard, a State Bank of India official said that the supply of currency from RBI was far less than the demand. RBI has been supplying Rs 50 crore daily, whereas the demand was Rs 250 crore.

The Kerala government yesterday said the salary and pension distribution to its employees were disturbed by the shortage of currency in treasuries, as per a PTI report.

Kerala Finance Minister T M Thomas Issac said that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has not distributed enough notes and the salary and pension for the month of April even after the government has funds for the disbursements.

A similar scene was witnessed in Mumbai over the last weekend, which happened to be the financial year-end as well as an extended holiday.

President of the Cash Logistics Association of India, Rituraj Sinha, told a newspaper that ATMs ran dry because of the holidays and the year end.

A Moneylife report said that immediately after demonetisation, the RBI had started airlifting cash stock directly from its printing presses but stopped the practice after December 31 as cash supply increased.

What may have also aggravated the situation were recent rumours that the government may withdraw Rs 2,000 notes, something that could have resulted in a rush for acquiring more Rs 500 notes, according to Moneylife's analysis.

The rise of a liquidity crunch contrasts with official RBI data, which suggests the total currency in circulation by the end of March 2017 has risen to Rs 13.12 lakh crore (against a low of Rs 7.8 lakh crore immediately after the cash ban and Rs 16.63 lakh crore a year back).

RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya said last month the process of replacing currency would take another 2 months.
Representative Image

The Indian Railways has likely managed to notch up the highest ever revenue of Rs 1.68 lakh crore in FY17, reported an article in the Economic Times today. It had posted a total revenue of Rs 1.62 lakh crore last fiscal.

Discounts offered on certain commodity movement, favourable changes in freight usage charges and dynamic pricing for premium passenger trains were some of the initiatives undertaken, among other initiates last year helped boost freight and passenger movement in the country subsequently aiding in hitting record numbers.

In the fiscal gone by, the passenger segment is estimated to have added Rs 2,000 crore in revenue from the previous year to post about Rs 48,000 crore. Freight revenue also reportedly increased to Rs 1.09 lakh crore from Rs 1.04 lakh crore previous fiscal. Miscellaneous income like that from sale of scrap, advertising rights etc. totalled Rs 11,000 crore.

The national transporter exceeded its targeted cargo carriage of 1.094 billion tonnes for FY17, the national transporter managed to clock 1.107 billion tonnes of cargo in the year ended March 31, surpassing its most recent target of 1.094 billion tonnes for fiscal 2017.

What the railways lost on coal freight business last fiscal year due to weak demand for the dry fuel, it made up for by transporting more iron ore, making it a record loading.

However, despite the record revenues what remains to be seen is the improvement in its operating ratio or the amount spent to earn every Rs 100. Increase in salary bill, particularly from implementation of the seventh pay commission, has led operating ratio to remain around 95 per cent. This leaves the carrier with marginal funds to take up safety and maintenance projects.
Representative Image

Moneycontrol Research

As though politicians shouting from the rooftops was not enough, the judiciary too has joined the debate on loan waivers. The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Tamil Nadu government to waive agricultural loans of all farmers, irrespective of their land holding, and to ensure that no penal action or loan recovery is initiated against them.

Why this ruling is important is that it sets a precedent for the central government to step in if the state government fails. The central government cannot be a bystander and should extend the support to Tamil Nadu the court added, acknowledging the challenging financial situation in the state.

Politicians had made loan waiver an election issue in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has already implemented his promise. Not to be left behind, other states are also asking for a similar scheme. Opposition parties in Maharashtra, along with the main coalition partner in the state, have demanded a loan waiver, ironically, after a period of good rainfall.

It is an established fact that loan waivers offer only short-term relief for the farmer. In fact, it spoils their credit score with the bankers. In 2008, when the last loan waiver was announced by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, it cost the exchequer Rs 65,000 crore but more importantly it took the farmers many years to get back into the banking system.

Worst still is that a fact-finding committee pointed out the enormous leakage in the loan waiver scheme announced by the government. In short, the benefits of loan waiver did not reach the farmers completely.

In any case, farmers are the proverbial political holy cows. Every year new schemes are announced in the budget for their benefit. Schemes range from bringing down the cost of farming by announcing various subsidies to de-risking the production through crop insurance. Despite all these measures, bad rainfall leads to an outcry for loans to be forgiven.

In states such as Tamil Nadu, the impact of poor monsoon can be understandable. But Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are both river fed with summer ensuring that the rivers are full on account of melting snow. Further, these states also have a good irrigation network.

There is no doubt that farmers need as much government support as possible, especially the marginal and small farmers. But there has to be a scientific process to arrive at loan waivers.

In case of a bad monsoon, a farmer who takes insurance cover recovers around half the value that he would have realized in case of a normal crop. His cost of inputs is covered through insurance; most of the loan amount would have been taken to meet the input requirement. A crop insurance payout, if triggered, takes care of his input cost, but he does not have money left to take care of his other requirements until the next season. The loan waiver scheme also covers only the amount taken to meet his input costs.

In case of crop failures, the government could increase the sum insured under the crop insurance so that the farmers whole requirement is also covered. This way it could keep the banks insulated from political interference in the agriculture sector and encourage them to lend further.

But then how would politicians ask for votes from farmers without announcing populist schemes like loan waivers, crop failure or not? It needs a strong political will to handle the loan waiver issue; that will is not in sight, and what is on display is political opportunism.
The Reserve Bank of India has appointed insider Malvika Sinha as Executive Director (ED) to replace B P Kanungo, who was appointed as the Deputy Governor on April 3, 2017.

Malvika Sinha, who also took charge on April 3 as Executive Director, will look after Foreign Exchange Department, Department of Government and Bank Accounts and Internal Debt Management Department, RBI said.

Prior to being promoted as ED, Sinha was Principal Chief General Manager, Department of Co-operative Banking Supervision in the Reserve Bank.

Sinha joined Reserve Bank in 1982 and as a career central banker served in the areas of regulation and supervision, foreign exchange and government and bank accounts in the Bank.

Sinha holds a Masters Degree from University of Bombay and has done her Masters in Public Administration. She is also a Certificated Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers.
The Aadhaar enrollment process implemented by the UIDAI has fetched much criticism lately as experts have said that a person's linking financial details with the 12-digit unique identification number is vulnerable to misuse and data theft.

Refuting allegations questioning the data's security, Ajay Bhushan Pandey, UIDAI CEO said that the data with UIDAI is fully safe and secure.

Speaking to CNBC-TV18 he said that more than 113 crore Indians have registered for Aadhaar and till date not a single case of data leak from UIDAI has been reported.

He further said that critics need to make a judgement on security after looking into the data.

Aadhaar is as secure as any other contemporary system and in case of any security breach, UIDAI is capable enough to detect and repel attacks, he added.

Below is the verbatim transcript of the interview

Q: First, there has been a lot of negative criticism around Aadhaar in the last few weeks, rather in the last few years. Aadhaar advocates say that this will definitely streamline the system and weed out duplicates as well as frauds, but critics are concerned about data security breach and also on privacy. What are your comments on the recent developments around this and the campaign that has been going as far as Aadhaar is concerned? What are your comments on that?

A: What we would like to say is that whatever data that is with UIDAI is fully safe and secure. One fact that I would like to present to you is that ever since we started Aadhaar, Aadhaar was started in September 29, 2010, and since then, we have give Aadhaar to more than 113 crore people. We have also started authentication service where you can give your Aadhaar number and give your biometric and then our system will tell yes and no.

Till now, we have done more than 500 crore of authentications, more than 100 crore of Aadhaar based e-KYC for various purposes, for opening bank accounts, for getting sim cards and these things.

Now, not a single case of data leak from the UIDAI, data breach from UIDAI, not a single case of identity theft or financial loss has been reported to us. So, this is the only thing that I would like to say and then the people should make a judgement whether Aadhaar is safe or not.

Q: To follow up on this question, you are definitely saying that Aadhaar database is absolutely secure, there was a backlash on social media last week over the online publication of personal information, be it Aadhaar numbers to bank account details and also names and addresses. Several privacy advocates alleged that information collected by ministries, departments and state governments are readily available just by an online search. So how secure really is Aadhaar database? How do you allay these concerns?

A: Let me explain. There are two parts of this whole problem. One is, as you know, the database which is inside the UIDAI and as I mentioned, no breach has happened and we are quite vigilant about it because we can never say that we are 100 percent and absolutely secure. In the security world, there is nothing called fully secure and absolutely security.

Q: But you are saying that this is fool proof?

A: It is secure as much as any other contemporary system. This is number one. Now, the social media and the other parts of the media, the story that has come out that some people's personal data which could include even the bank account details, financial information and including his Aadhaar number, that was outside the UIDAI system.

Let us say, suppose somebody went to receive some benefits or somebody went to some school for getting school admission, he wants to apply for a scholarship. Now he has to give some form of ID. Now, because most people have Aadhaar, they may have given Aadhaar identity and also they have given their bank account number. Publishing bank account number is also an offence under the Income Tax Act and then the banking laws.

Similarly, publishing Aadhaar number also is an offence. So, what has happened is in the overall scenario, some users of Aadhaar as well as the financial information they were not very vigilant and therefore, they published the list of the beneficiaries online along with their names, addresses and Aadhaar number, bank account number.

So, that is what the government, last week, gave an advisory to all ministries of the central government and also the state government saying that please be vigilant, be respectful to the privacy of people and do not publish such data including Aadhaar, including bank account details and other things because we need to respect the privacy of the people whom you try to serve.

But so far as data from Aadhaar itself was never leaked.

Q: But is the UIDAI really equipped to deal with any kind of data breach in the near future?

A: So far as the UIDAI system is concerned, we are fully equipped to one is prevent and in case suppose, hypothetically, something happens, we have a mechanism to immediately detect and repel those attacks. And in case, something happens unfortunately, let us say in some remote probability, if something happens, then we have a very strong law, Aadhaar Act that any breach into Aadhaar database is a serious offence and punishment is imprisonment up to three years.

So it is a very tough and serious crime which has been provided for specifically in Aadhaar Act.

Q: To follow up on that question, who has access to the Aadhaar database because the Aadhaar Act says that the information will be disclosed on Centre's orders if national security is threatened, but there is no specific definition of national security in the Act itself. How do you really define that?

A: First of all, the Aadhaar database access is defined only in two manners. One is that if a person wants to authenticate and confirm his identity, then he gives his Aadhaar number and gives his biometric and then he also gives consent to the person who is collecting this that I hereby give you consent to collect my biometric and also my Aadhaar number so that you can authenticate from the UIDAI server. This is one.

Also, we have another kind of service where you give your biometric and your Aadhaar number and we give the e-KYC information that your name, address, photograph so that it will help you open the bank accounts and in this manner, more than 4.47 crore people have opened bank accounts through Aadhaar e-KYC because they did not have any other IDs. This is a very important point.

However, there could be some case where for national security purpose, supposing accessing to Aadhaar database is required, then Aadhaar Act provides a very stringent condition which is not there in any other contemporary law.

For example, in case of Aadhaar, if this data is required without the consent of the individual, then an order of a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home will be required and before that order takes effect, this order has to be vetted and approved by a committee headed by Cabinet Secretary and Secretary of Ministry of Information Technology and Secretary of Ministry of Law, such senior officers. They would weigh whether it is a case of national security or not and in the national security, if they decide that yes, in certain cases, Aadhaar data has to be shared, then Aadhaar Act allows that.

But I will just give you a little bit of a parallel. Let us say, in other domains, let us say for example, today certain data is shared, for example, if suppose somebody's telephone has to be tapped, then what does it require? It requires the order of Officers of the various state government. In case of Aadhaar, what we have done is that this power is available to the highest, first of all, highest official of the country which is the Cabinet Secretary.

Q: My question is what is the scope of definition of national security? In what kind of cases does this conform to? When can the centre access the information of general public?

A: The definition of national security, whether a case falls into the overall situation of national security or not, it will be decided by the committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary.

Q: What are the remedies available to a citizen, if you could really tell this to our viewers out here, in case of a data breach of course, or a fraud? For instance, money being taken out from a bank account, what is the redressal system? Should a person go to the court, file a police complaint or come to you for redressal?

A: I will give you an example. Let us say suppose somebody finds out that some money has been withdrawn from his bank account. Basically, he should go to the police and lodge a complaint saying that my money has been withdrawn from my bank account and I do not know how the money has been withdrawn, through the debit card or credit card or somebody forged the signature and then he withdrew the money.

Now during the investigation, supposing if the police comes to know that yes, it is a case of a signature fraud, then in that particular case, police will take a different course of action. But during the investigation if it is found that this particular fraud was committed through Aadhaar number, then in that particular case, police will approach us and take our approval under the Aadhaar Act and we will give approval in that particular case.

So, the fact is that anyone who is aggrieved by any fraud first has to go to the normal police under the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and then follow the due process of law. The law also provides that you can go to court and then the court can direct the police to conduct investigation.

So, these are the options available but as and when it comes to the notice during the investigation that Aadhaar data was used to commit this fraud or commit this offence then at that particular time, if it is a violation of Aadhaar Act, they can come to us and we will give approval.

Q: Would bringing perhaps a privacy bill settle some of the data security concerns? Is there something in the making, has the government internally discussed on way forward and how to tackle the privacy concerns? Of course as you said it is very much secured but any privacy bill?

A: There are two parts of the problem, one is the privacy relating to Aadhaar. So, far as the Aadhaar Act is concerned, this whole privacy protection features have been inbuilt into the Aadhaar Act itself. For example Aadhaar Act Section 29 describes what privacy protection measures are there.

Section 29 says that your core biometric cannot be shared with anyone for any reason whatsoever. Supposing if somebody comes and says that I want the biometric of this person, even if the resident says that I have no objection if my biometric is given to this person, we will say no. Aadhaar core biometric cannot be given to anyone.

If any agency has collected Aadhaar number, he has to take his consent that we want to have your Aadhaar number because we want to give you some service. At the time of collection of Aadhaar number and biometric that agency has to disclose the purpose for which Aadhaar number is being collected. Then this Aadhaar number can be used only for the purpose which was disclosed to that resident.

In case if there is any violation then again it is a serious offence under the Aadhaar Act.

The Aadhaar Act also says that Aadhaar information, Aadhaar number and other details cannot be published online. If anyone does that he is committing an offence. So, that is precisely the point, that in the social media that you talked about in the beginning some people were inadvertently publishing this data along with name and other details and we told them that this is technically an offence and please dont do this otherwise tomorrow you will have to face action.

Q: The governments decision to make Aadhaar mandatory for a host of services including filing of the Income Tax Returns now have been criticised by not only experts but also the opposition who say that the centre has unconstitutionally bypassed the Rajya Sabha and disregarded the Supreme Court order that has called for Aadhaar to not be made mandatory. So, this leaves citizens with no option but to enrol. Why is there an extreme hurry to mandate Aadhaar in terms of these kind of services?

A: Aadhaar Act was passed by the Parliament last year and then it has been notified by the government in September last year. So, it has become the law of the land. What does this law of land say? The law of land says, and which is passed by the parliament, that if government wants to give any service from the consolidated fund of India or benefits or subsidy from consolidated fund of India like scholarship or PDS benefit or MNREGA, housing or various health benefits, in all these programmes the money comes from the consolidated fund of India, so the government can say that Aadhaar is required. However the government also recognises that not everyone in the country even today, even though we have given Aadhaar to more than 113 crore people, still there could be a very few people who may be left out and there is no justification for denying them the benefit just because they have not been able to enrol for Aadhaar. Therefore the provision of giving an alternate means of identifications to those who do not have Aadhaar is provided in the Aadhaar Act itself.

So, what Aadhaar Act says, that if anyone wants benefit from the government then he has to give Aadhaar and if he doesnt have Aadhaar then he should try to enrol for Aadhaar. Till he is able to enrol for Aadhaar and till he is given Aadhaar number from the UIDAI, the benefit shall be given by the concerned department through the alternate means of identification without an Aadhaar card, that is the law of the land.

Q: So, it is still possible to avail the entitlement without an Aadhaar card?

A: Yes that is the law of the land. However the only thing is that the person has to at least enrol for Aadhaar. There could be a case where somebody says that I will not enrol for Aadhaar forever and you continue to give me the benefit.(Interrupted)

Q: That itself is mandatory, you have to enrol for Aadhaar or you have an Aadhaar card.

A: Exactly, that is the law of the land.

Q: Right from retaining your PAN card or applying for a new PAN to filing ITR, to even get your driving licence, the list is getting longer. However linking Aadhaar with other identities may not be an easy task. For instance mismatch of names, is that going to be a hurdle because there can be a different name in my PAN account, so how do you really take care of that?

A: That is precisely the purpose of purifying the system. We have been noticing multiple cases that a person may have a multiple pan cards with little variation of names or little different name. So, idea is that the person should have as far as possible one name and then try to give the same identity everywhere. So, what the system provides here is that let us say somebody has a different name in the pan card and different name in Aadhaar card, now the person has a choice, either he can apply for a name correction in Aadhaar system and this can be done online or he can also request Income Tax department to make that correction or make a change in the name in pan card. So, both are possible.

Q: But now of course, citizens will have to hurry to enrol to an Aadhaar card right from the elderly to a new-born. But for Aadhaar linkage to happen, what is the window really for Aadhaar seeding to be implemented?

A: So far as the use of Aadhaar is concerned, the use is governed by the rules of those user departments and we do not have any say in that. For example, if the income tax department has said that by such and such date, you should link your Aadhaar to the PAN card, it is the discretion or the jurisdiction of income tax department. We have absolutely no say in their plan of action.

Q: 113 crore people have enrolled for Aadhaar as we speak. This is almost about 88 percent of the population that have enrolled for an Aadhaar card.

A: More than 90 percent.

Q: But how has the enrolment really been in perhaps the north east or Jammu and Kashmir? Has that been really slow as of now?

A: Even as we speak, we enrol around five lakh people every day from all over the country. More than 40,000 enrolment centres are working across the country. The coverage of Aadhaar has been relatively on the lower side in a few north eastern states. In fact, Sikkim has done very well. Tripura has done very well. A few other north eastern states, they are yet to catch up. Similarly, Jammu and Kashmir.

So, we are working with those governments and trying to ensure that the people who are residing in those states also, they are able to get their Aadhaar enrolment done as early as possible.

Q: So, what is the next phase? How soon will we see 100 percent enrolment? Of course, now with the deadlines coming in, I am sure in the next few months, we will see?

A: I would like to say there is nothing like 100 percent enrolment because children will continue to be born, roughly two crore children will continue to be born every year. So they will have to be enrolled. They will cross the age of five because we collect biometrics at the age of five, so we will collect again their biometrics, they will have to come to our centres and we will collect their biometrics. And again at the age of 15, again we will collect their biometrics, all ten finger prints and iris so the person has to be in touch with Aadhaar system, enrolment system thrice in their lifetime.

Q: Aadhaar is getting a lot of global attention, right from the World Bank appreciating the Aadhaar architecture, right from countries showing keen interest, how are you looking at working with such countries who have shown interest in understanding the Aadhaar architecture.

A: We have got request from various countries that in what way we can help them. So, we have always been willing to help them, the teams have come from various countries and we have had very extensive discussions. However, there is a word of caution here that under the Aadhaar Act, all our technical processes, the technical details are considered confidential.

Why did we do that? Because of security. For the purpose of ensuring security, we need to keep our technical information also secret. And therefore, except that part, so far as the broad principles are concerned, how Aadhaar is being used by the various ministries, all those experience sharing, all those things can take place.

Q: In fact Aadhaar has brought significant savings to the government and now, with Aadhaar being made mandatory to a whole list of entitlements and welfare schemes of course, this will of course add up to the governments total savings going ahead. How much of that is a target really?

A: Now what Aadhaar has done and wherever this Aadhaar has been used, for example in Public Distribution System (PDS), it has been fully used in a state like Andhra Pradesh, in Rajasthan, now it is being used in Gujarat and it is being extended all across the country, Aadhaar in PDS.

Now in these three states where Aadhaar is being used, the initial results are that the savings are to the tune of around 15 percent at least. Similar savings are being reported in the other sector where the Aadhaar is being used which is consistent with the earlier studies that I talked about that the studies have estimated that the bogus, duplicates, fakes accounted for the leakage of around 15-20 percent overall. So, in the last 2.5 years Aadhaar is being used only for some schemes in certain areas and that has given the benefit of more than Rs 49,000 crore to the central government.

There is a very interesting report from the World Bank which published a report called Digital Dividend last year and where World Bank estimated that if Aadhaar is used across all central government schemes, then it will save government at least USD 11 billion which amounts to almost Rs 70,000 crore every year.
Dalai Lama

India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China's "bottom line", Chinese state media said today, threatening that New Delhi may have "underestimated" Beijing's determination to protect its core interests.

The Chinese reaction to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh came in an article in the state-run Global Times, which is part of the ruling Communist Party publications an is known for striking nationalistic postures.

"Beijing has voiced concerns over the issue, but New Delhi claimed that China shouldn't intervene in its 'internal affairs'," the article said, referring to Indian Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju's comments yesterday.

"This is absurd," the article said.

Rijiju has said India never interfered in Beijing's affairs, has respected the "One China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in India's internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lama's visit. "There is no political angle behind his holiness's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is completely religious."

Separately, External Affairs Ministry has said that no "artificial controversy" should be created about the visit.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry is yet to react to Rijiju's comments or the External Affairs statement yesterday.

However, the state media asked India to "overcome its suspicion" of Beijing. "China doesn't allow India to free ride on its economic growth while jeopardising Beijing's core interests."

It warned, "New Delhi may have underestimated Beijing's determination to safeguard its core interests. Many countries have pledged not to extend invitations to the Dalai Lama. As the two largest emerging economies, China and India have great potential for cooperation."

Today's article also accused India of playing the "Tibet card" as it is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance on India's bid for Nuclear Suppliers Group membership and its attempts to add Masood Azhar, the chief of Pakistan-backed militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), to a UN Security Council blacklist.

"Therefore, Delhi attempts to play the Tibet card against Beijing," it said, adding that "unlike his predecessors, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have taken a different stance on the Dalai issue, raising public engagements with the monk and challenging Beijing's bottom line," it said.

India and China have had discussions on the two issues, yet the matters are far from being resolved, leading to strain in ties. Also, China is sensitive to the visit of the Dalai Lama, who it calls an "anti-China separatist", to Arunachal's Tawang region which happens to be the birthplace in 1683 of the sixth Dalai Lama and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.

China has in recent days upped its rhetoric on claims to parts of Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls southern Tibet, and even warned India of "serious damage" to ties if New Delhi allowed Tibet's exiled spiritual leader's visit to go ahead.

The article added, "India is also exploring the option of linking the strategic border district of Tawang with a railway network, another provocation against Beijing. India has also invited a 'parliamentary delegation from Taiwan in February'."

Citing other instances like the Dalai Lama's meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee in December, which Beijing sees as a "provocation", it quoted Rijiju as having said to an international news agency in an interview that "it's a behavioural change you are seeing. India is more assertive."

It said that the Dalai Lama is "now openly used by India as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage."

Last night, another piece on the newspaper's website said India was using the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang "to upset" China.

An unnamed Chinese analyst told the newspaper that the 14th Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang will hurt Sino-Indian ties.

"The Dalai's visit to the controversial area, especially Tawang, which China hopes will be returned, will affect relations between China and India," the analyst from the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the paper on the condition of anonymity.

The analyst too pointed out the religious significance of the Tawang to Tibetans, saying it's the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso.

The analyst said this was not the first time India has used the Dalai Lama to express its displeasure to China, especially when bilateral talks fail to include their demands or to "pander to domestic anti-China issues".
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Private player IndusInd Bank plans to raise Rs 1,000 crore by issuing Basel III compliant bonds.

The bank proposes to raise funds by issue and allotment of rated, listed, non-convertible, perpetual, subordinated and unsecured Basel III compliant Bonds in nature of debentures towards non-equity regulatory additional tier I capital, IndusInd Bank said in a regulatory filing.

The bonds with face value of Rs 10 lakh each for cash will aggregate Rs 1,000 crore on a private placement basis, it added.

The fund raising plan is pending shareholder approval and nod from the board of directors.

To comply with Basel-III capital regulations, banks need to improve and strengthen their capital planning processes.

These norms are being implemented to mitigate concerns on potential stresses on asset quality and consequential impact on performance and profitability of banks.

Banks in India are implementing the Basel III standards in phases since April 2013. They are expected to fully implement these norms by March 2019.

The stock closed 0.22 per cent down at Rs 1,400.20 on BSE today.
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

The S&P BSE Sensex finally reclaimed mount 30K, but it is at the same level where it was in March 2015, but almost 600 stocks more than doubled your wealth in the same period.

The S&P BSE Sensex might not have gone anywhere but a lot has changed since then. The political climate, as well as economic positioning, is very different than what it was back in the year 2015 which makes this rally more authentic.

As much as 66 stocks more than doubled investors wealth in the S&P BSE 500 index since then which include names like Jubilant Life, which rose 420 percent, followed by Nilkamal which gained 381 percent, and SpiceJet which zoomed 370 percent in the same period.

Small & midcap stocks hogged the limelight as 11 stocks rallied more than 1,000 percent since March 2015 which include not so well know names like Medicamen Biotec which rallied 4,397 percent, followed by Fiberweb which gained 2870 per cent, and Dwarikesh Sugar rallied 1576 percent in the same period.

In the S&P BSE 200 index, almost 14 stocks more than doubled investors wealth since March 2015 which include names like Jubilant Life (up 420 percent), Rajesh Exports (264 percent), Natco Pharma (189 percent), Bajaj Finserv (180 percent), Bajaj Finance (174 percent), Biocon (163 percent), among others.

The S&P BSE Sensex, which hit a fresh record high of 30,007.48 on Wednesday rose 18 percent in the last financial year but the rally may not be over yet. Analysts advise investors to maintain their positive outlook on markets but be conservative in stock picking.

Along with strong flows from foreign institutional investors (FIIs) on the back of strong economic fundamentals which makes India one of the sought after investment destinations, domestic flows (DIIs) are picking momentum too.

Fiscal year 2017 was a cherishing year for investors. The FII poured a net of Rs 50,206 crore into Indian equity market in FY17 compared to a net outflow of Rs 17,579 crore in FY16.

The domestic mutual funds pumped Rs 54,735 crore in the equity market, making them a significant contributor in the market besides FIIs.

One major factor which is favouring Indian markets is the political climate which is slowly changing. Political leaders are taking hard decisions which will go a long way for the markets and domestic fund flows will surprise everyone.

India is going through very exciting times. We are entering a new era of economic development. The way politicians are managing the economy, the way the corporate world is taking shape and the way disruptive growth is happening is all unprecedented. We have never seen such a situation before, Porinju Veliyath, MD & Portfolio Manager, Equity Intelligence India told CNBC-TV18.

In the last 12 months Nifty did well but the smallcap stock pickers made 100 percent return in the last one year. Going into FY2018, Porinju feels Nifty could well give 15-20 per cent growth in the Nifty and smart stock pickers can make 50-100 percent in the same period.

The market direction in FY18 would be driven by global factors rather than local ones. Triggers for the markets would be a pick-up in global GDP and earnings growth, tax reforms and fiscal stimulus in the US, suggest experts.

We expect the global corporate earnings growth to pick up from 1 percent in CY16 to 11 percent in CY17. We further expect earnings growth for emerging markets to pick up from 9 percent in CY16 to 13 percent in CY17, Akash Singhania, Dy CIO (Equities) at DHFL Pramerica Asset Managers told moneycontrol.

We expect CY17 to be a benign year for FII investments into India, surpassing the investments made in the last two years. This is based on the premise that macro remains strong and India remains an attractive emerging market in terms of robust fundamentals and reasonable valuations, he added.
The Nifty which rose by about 18 percent in the financial year 2017 could well deliver another 15-20 percent return in FY18 while smart stock pickers can make anywhere between 50-100 percent return in the same period, Porinju Veliyath, MD & Portfolio Manager, Equity Intelligence India said in an interview with CNBC TV-18.

One major factor which is favouring Indian markets is the political climate which is slowly changing. Political leaders are taking hard decisions which will go a long way for the markets and domestic fund flows will surprise everyone.

India is going through very exciting times. We are entering a new era of economic development. The way politicians are managing the economy, the way the corporate world is taking shape and the way disruptive growth is happening is all unprecedented. We have never seen such a situation before, said Veliyath.

In the last 12 months, Nifty did well but the smallcap stock pickers made 100 percent return in the last one year. Going into FY2018, Porinju feels Nifty could well give 15-20 per cent growth in the Nifty and smart stock pickers can make 50-100 percent in the same period.

There is a huge opportunity for stock pickers and smart entrepreneurs for the next two years but at the same time investors should remain conservative and be choosy. Not all smallcap stocks are buys and not to forget WhatsApp is the biggest villain.

Investors usually look at stocks which are trading at a record high but Porinju has a different approach. He looks at stocks which are trading at 1-year low or multi-year lows.

Many of the small and midcap stocks are going to grow very big in the next 2 years. People always fancy names, but it is time to look beyond because we have more and enough choice with respect to picking stocks, he said.

We have collated a list of stocks in which Porinju is positive on from his interview with CNBC-Tv18:

Selan Exploration:

Porinju recently added Selan into his portfolio which in fact eroded wealth for investors. Selan was trading at 10-year lows, he said. With oil prices trading at these levels, Selan is a beautiful company with cash on the balance sheet.

Orient Cement & HSIL:

HSIL is a very large company, but it is not in fancy. It is not a great performer but carries huge relevance going forward, explains Porinju.

The government is expected to go big guns in housing. The government is developing many schemes such as housing for all, Mission 2022. Our economy structurally is so strong that we can do these things and luckily for us, Indian politicians are taking hard decisions, said Porinju.

Reliance Industries:

It will be difficult to quantify how much more RIL can grow from here, but it could well keep giving returns to investors for half a century, said Porinju.

(Disclosure: Network 18, which publishes moneycontrol.com, is a part of the Reliance Group.)

Kotak Mahindra Bank:

Kotak Bank has the potential to grow up to $100 billion market cap in the next 10 years in the backdrop of the given economic environment. We have to understand that the structure of the Indian economy and demography structure are pointing towards smart entrepreneurs and relevant business, said Porinju.

There is a huge potential for such businesses to grow compounded at 15-25 per cent annually for the next 10-20 years. That is kind of inflection points of our economy we are sitting on, he explains.

Below is the verbatim transcript of the interview.

Latha: What is the mood in the market looking like? Sudarshan Sukhani was just telling us that 10,000 is round the corner. What is your sense?

A: The market mood is very evident; whatever you feel and whatever people talk today is considered to be the market mood. As you know I dont go with the market mood. The best of course I have made is the time when everybody has been bearish and things were looking not so bright. But, as you said I am not really a midcap specialist or a smallcap specialist. Of course in the search of values when we look for deep values naturally people like me end up with smaller cap companies in India. It is because of the structure of the Indian economy and where we are heading to. I feel it is very sad, a lot of people, active investors, trading community they have been missing always the big picture on India. This is what I have been always talking about.

In the last maybe four year time I had never been bearish even for a day, even for an hour except for Saturdays and Sundays. I have been very optimistic that is because of the big picture I am looking at. Therefore, I will request investors, even the active investors and trading community - if you are trading or investing in India you need to change your  I mean those who are not already in-line with what is required, have to change the way you are looking at Indian markets, Indian equities and Indian economy.

Please understand one thing, India is going through very exciting times. We are entering in new era of economic development and everything is changing. This is an unprecedented change. The way politicians manage economy and the way the competitive world is taking shape, the way disruptive growth is happening we never had this kind of a situation earlier. During this kind of times the normal analyst and so-called experts may go wrong if they continue to do the traditional way of number crunching and price earnings multiples kind of focus.

Anuj: I remember you saying about two-three months back that a lot of people will have missed out feeling. A lot of people now have a missed out feeling on the market but do you get a sense that this year the market could continue to surprise on the upside?

A: Last year we had around 18 percent plus return on Nifty, around 24 percent return on BSE 500, it's a broader index but I would say the smallcaps, I do not know the smallcap index and I do not believe in the composition of that index, it's a small representation, in fact the smallcap stock pickers made at least 100 percent return in the last one year. Therefore, going forward in financial year 2018, I feel a similar kind of position; we may grow 15-20 percent on Nifty and smart stock pickers can make anything between 50-100 percent return. This is not something too exciting thing and at the same time it's time to be conservative and to be choosy on the market, be very selective. You cannot buy any stock listed or it is very sad that a lot of small investors get cheated; they follow SMS tips, WhatsApp is a major villain for those people who are vulnerable to that. So these are not the healthy way of investing in the market. They should stay away from such kind of things.

Sonia: Since you picked up this theme about smallcap and midcap stocks. You are generally known to take fancy to stocks that are not much loved in this market and I know you don't want to talk about individual stocks but recently you bought Selan Exploration Technology; a stock that has not given any return, in fact eroded wealth over the last two years. What kind of potential do you see in spaces and stocks like this?

A: I was looking at some stocks last two weeks, in fact I had Twitted a message - March ending is coming up, a lot of people will throw away shares which are not performing to book loss and adjust to the profit on other side, so that's a pocket of opportunity. I was buying stocks which were at one year low or multiyear low in the last two weeks and Selan was one of them. Selan was at around 10 year low. We didn't have any position otherwise. This was one of my stocks earlier, many years ago I bought and we made profit and then exited. However, as you said, in the last two years it was wealth destruction.

Selan is a beautiful company. It is sitting on Rs 130-140 crore cash and they have huge potential to expand more and more production and this kind of low oil price regime, it is making Rs 30-40 crore kind of cash flow. So the whole marketcap is around Rs 250-300 crore. There are many small and midcaps in India. Next two years is going to be a wonderful period for stock pickers. They should focus on that sector, not because they are smallcap and midcap. Many of the small and midcaps are going to grow very big.

However, as I said we have many midcap companies which are industry leaders in India today. They are not fancy; they are at attractive levels. People always want fancy name, something discussed on the media and lot of people talk about it. The structure of Indian market is very different. We have enough and more choice and there is abundant opportunity in this market.

Latha: I am going to ask you one of the well-publicised themes which is housing. It is expected that the government is going to go big guns on it and in India in any case it is an evergreen theme. I noticed that in your list you have Orient Cement and HSIL, but tell us about how you handle this theme?

A: HSIL is an industry leader and very important company, well-managed company. Their margins are improving. It is a very large company, but today it is not in fancy. It is not a great performer if you see last two years in the market and this is one of our holding in portfolio management. I think this company has huge relevance going forward when you talk about housing and housing for all the poor.

The government is developing many schemes talking about the vision 2022, everybody have a home. This is practical. Our economy is structurally so strong we can do all these things. If you have a will and if you have got really decisions  the political decisions are very important. So, luckily that is happening after so many decades of independence first time Indian politicians are taking strong and hard decisions which is very important going forward. I really appreciate that.

Anuj: Three months back we were talking about Reliance Industries in Taking Stock' and you said it is at inflection point how much more for this stock because it drives market as we have seen over the last two to three months?

A: I dont know how to answer how much more. It will continue to give returns to investors for next half a century.

Sonia: I also wanted to ask you about Kotak Mahindra Bank because we all know that you started you career with Uday Kotak etc, so you fondness for him is well known. But you recently tweeted that the bank has a potential to grow to USD 100 billion and it has been in focus because of the possible acquisitions etc. You think it could be growing with some of these inorganic acquisitions, the non banking financial companies (NBFCs) companies that everyone is talking about?

A: The USD 100 billion what I put is without inorganic potential. That is very easy. That can happen much earlier than the time frame I gave. This is again a commonsense approach and not any number crunching. The structure of Indian economy and our demography structure are pointing towards smart entrepreneurs and relevant business. There is a huge potential to grow compound at 15-20-25 percent for next 10-20 years. That is the kind of inflection point of our economy we are sitting on. And that is why I told even if you guys remember immediately after demonetisation, I was talking about - this was the biggest positive economic development since independence in India and people were throwing away shares for such a positive development. I couldnt believe myself, what is happening in this stock market? What the analysts are doing? When we talk about revolutionary transformation from black economy to white and decline in corruption and such kind of revolutionary things happening in a country and economy, people go bearish for that. So, I dont know, I can understand if Pakistanis do that when something like that good happening in India, but it is happening in our own country.
Moneycontrol News

Bringing a halt to the much discussed rift among the investors of Snapdeal, Japanese fund Softbank on Tuesday in a board meeting showed interest in buying the stake of early investors Kalaari Capital and Nexus Venture Partners, according to sources.

This is expected to expedite the process of selling Snapdeal.

The e-commerce firm was reported to be in talks with larger rival Flipkart for a possible acquisition. Softbank could end up picking a 20 percent stake in the merged entity, sources had earlier told Moneycontrol.

No final decision has however been taken so far, sources privy to the development said.

Gurgaon-headquartered Snapdeal has so far raised close to USD 1.76 billion from investors such as Ontario Teachers Pension Fund, Softbank, Alibaba Group, Temasek and others. Kalaari and Nexus Venture Partners are the earliest investors in Snapdeal.

Moneycontrol had earlier reported that the company had been slashing jobs and reducing spending in its efforts to go lean for an acquisition.

The company was earlier also in talks with e-commerce and online payments firm Paytm for a potential acquisition. However, the deal was called off because of valuation issues.

According to top sources, Paytm was not keen to consider a valuation of up to USD 1 billion for Snapdeal.

A deal was on the cards as both Paytm and Snapdeal had Alibaba Group as a common investor.

It wasn't immediately certain if Paytm could be back in the reckining should Softbank's deal with Flipkart falls through.

Flipkart is also in talks to raise USD 1 billion in funding from investors such as Microsoft, eBay and Tencent. A merger would make eBay a common investor in both Flipkart and Snapdeal.
Aditya Birla Money share price was locked at 20 percent upper circuit at Rs 39.80 amid heavy volumes on Wednesday after the Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank received licence from the Reserve Bank of India to start payments bank. Aditya Birla Nuvo gained nearly 3 percent.

Industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla-owned Aditya Birla Nuvo and Idea Cellular own 51 percent and 49 percent stake in payments bank, respectively.

"The Reserve Bank of India vide its letter dated April 3, has granted license to Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank to carry on the business of payments bank in India," Aditya Birla Nuvo said in its BSE filing.

Aditya Birla Nuvo is a holding company for the group's businesses like telecom, textile, insurance, financial services while Aditya Birla Money provides stock broking, wealth management, online management and corporate & treasury services.

At present, Airtel and India Post are offering payments bank services in the country.

Idea Cellular Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Rajat Mukarji had earlier said the Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank will be launched in the first half of 2017.

With the objective of deepening financial inclusion, RBI kicked off an era of differentiated banking by allowing SFBs (small finance banks) and PBs (payments banks) to start services. A total of 21 entities were given in-principle nod, including 11 for payments banks.

Later, three entities -- Tech Mahindra, Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company and a consortium of Dilip Shanghvi, IDFC Bank and Telenor Financial Services -- backed out of the payments bank licensing.

Payments banks can accept deposits from individuals and small businesses up to a maximum of Rs 1 lakh per account.

At 11:20 hours IST, the stock was quoting at Rs 1,555.00, up Rs 36.20, or 2.38 percent on the BSE.

(With inputs from PTI)
Achiievers Equities' commodity report on Crudeoil

Crudeoil trading range for the day is 3272-3360.

Crudeoil gained settled above $51 mark for first time in month supported by an unplanned production outage.

Support seen as political risk from the launch of a medium-range ballistic missile by North Korea ahead of a summit between US and China.

Crude inventories in the U.S. dropped a more than expected 1.83mbls at the end of last week, API said.

BUY CRUDEOIL APR 2017 @ 3300 SL 3270 TGT 3345-3380.MCX.

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

Read More
A labourer works at the construction site of the Delhi-Jaipur national highway in Manesar in the northern state of Haryana, India, July 9, 2015. To match insight INDIA-INFRASCTRUCTURE/ REUTERS/Adnan Abidi - RTX1KM9A

live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Share price of MEP Infrastructure Developers touched 52-week high of Rs 60.70, rises 2.5 percent intraday Wednesday as it has entered into MoU with CIDB Holdings SDN BHD.

"The company has entered into Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CIDB Holdings SDN BHD, fully owned subsidiary of the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB Malaysia) to strengthen, promote and develop their cooperation by knowledge sharing and introducing best practices towards joint development of sustainable highway and expressways projects in India and related investments," as per company release.

"The activities mentioned above may be carried out in India or any other country as may be mutually agreed upon," it added.

At 09:54 hrs MEP Infrastructure Developers was quoting at Rs 60.15, up Rs 0.95, or 1.60 percent on the BSE.

Posted by Rakesh Patil
business UP farm loan waiver: Here's how it will impact PSU banks The Yogi government has fulfilled its poll promise and approves farm loan waiver of up to Rs 1 lakh to struggling farmers. Over 2,25,00,000 (two crore twenty five lakh) farmers will be benefited by this particular move. This move is expected to cost around Rs 36,000 crore to the state. Watch CNBC-TV18's Latha Venkatesh speaking about what does this mean for public sector undertaking (PSU) banks.
Dalai Lama

China warned today that it will take "necessary measures" to defend its territorial sovereignty and interests after India "obstinately" allowed the Dalai Lama to visit the "disputed" parts of Arunachal Pradesh causing "serious damage" to the bilateral ties.

"India in disregard to China's concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lama's visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to China's interests and China-India relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters.

"China firmly opposes this move and will lodge representations with the Indian side," she said.

"China's stand on the eastern part of the borders is consistent and clear. India is keenly aware of the role played by the 14th Dalai Lama. Arranging his visit to those sensitive and disputed areas not only runs counter to the Indian side's commitment to the issues related to Tibet but also escalate disputes over the border area," she said.

"It goes against the momentum of the sound growth of bilateral relations and will not benefit India in anyway," she said.

"China will firmly take necessary measures to defend its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests. We demand the Indian side immediately stop its actions using the Dalai Lama to undermine China's interests and not hype up sensitive issues between the two countries, not artificially damage the foundation of the talks between the two countries on the border issues and bilateral legislations and take concrete actions to safeguard the China-India relations," she said.

The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader reached Bomdila in West Kameng district yesterday, starting his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

China claims parts of Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet and had previously warned that if India allowed the visit of the Dalai Lama, whom it calls an "anti-China separatist", it would cause "serious damage" to ties.

China is sensitive to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang region in Arunachal which happens to be the birthplace in 1683 of the sixth Dalai Lama and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.

Yesterday, Minister of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said India never interfered in Beijing's affairs, has respected the "One China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in India's internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lama's visit. "There is no political angle behind his holiness's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is completely religious."

Separately, the External Affairs Ministry has said that no "artificial controversy" should be created about the visit.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson rejected Rijiju's comments, saying "China upholds the policy of not interfering with other countries internal affairs. This is unquestionable."

"But in disregard to China's concerns India arranged the visit of Dalai Lama to the disputed areas. This issue goes beyond internal affairs," she said.

"The role played by the Dalai Lama is clear to all. China's position on the eastern section of the boundary is also very clear," she said.

"The arrangement of Dalai's visit to the disputed area by India runs counter to its commitments on issues related to Tibet and it runs counter to benefits of bilateral relations. We demand that India stop this wrong action," she said.

About Rijiju's comments that it was a religious visit and should not be politicised, she said, "We have noted the statement of the official from the Indian side."

"Could you tell me honestly do you seriously believe that Dalai is only a religious leader. I think the answer is known to all. He is not just a religious figure. Therefore, his visit to the place will not be purely of religious purpose. So using the empty words to defend this arrangement is not reasonable. We demand the Indian side to stop this move of undermining Chinese interests," she said.
Dalai Lama

Amid protests by Beijing against his scheduled visit to Tawang, the Dalai Lama today said India has never used him against China.

"India has never used me against China. I am a messenger of the ancient Indian thought and I talk about ahimsa, peace, harmony and secular ethics wherever I go," the Tibetan spiritual leader said while talking to the media here.

His remarks came after Chinese state media today said India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China's "bottom line".

"I am a Buddhist. The entire Himalayan range had been traditionally following Buddhist dharma and modern physics is based on Buddhist philosophy," he said.

On corruption, the Dalai Lama said graft is a big problem facing the world and it was increasing because of lack of moral principles.

He spoke fondly of Arunachal Pradesh and said he had a special connection with the state as it served as his point of entry when he arrived in India in 1959.

"When I got freedom, when I first reached India, I entered through Arunanchal Pradesh. I have an emotional connect with the state. It is a special place for me," he said.

The Dalai Lama thanked Indian government for letting him visit the frontier state.

"I would like to thank the government of India. I have been here since 1959. India has taken great care of me. I am their longest staying guest. I am thankful to them," he added.

He gave a discourse at Buddha Park here this morning.

The spriritual leader had arrived here last evening from Guwahati accompanied by state Chief Minister Pema Khandu.

Tomorrow, he would impart teachings at Dirang and confer the 'Avalokiteshvara Permission' at Thupsung Dhargyeling Monastery in the morning.

From April 8 to 10, the Dalai Lama will deliver discourses in Tawang. Owing to the rescheduled visit, he would not be able to go to Itanagar.
While it may take a few more years for flying cars from the Jetsons and teleporters from Star Trek to become a reality, the quest for futuristic transportation is in top gear and can be best exemplified by the concept of Hyperloop.

The internet allowed the free flow of information across the globe and enabled the rapid development we see today in communication devices  our smartphones. There are many areas where technology is yet to bring an end to the archaic methods on which we depend and transportation is one of them. With the entry of Hyperloop, we might start on a journey that can take us closer to science fiction in terms of transit and commute.

Back in 2013, serial entrepreneur and innovator Elon Musk released a white paper describing the describing the futuristic mode of transport that can run close to the speed of sound and cover the distance between Delhi and Mumbai in 55 minutes.

Founded in 2013, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) was among the first to accept this challenge and started to make this idea of an improved, eco-friendly, self-sustaining transportation system into reality. Alongside Hyperloop One, it is among the few companies that look a few years away from making the technology a reality.

Recently, Hyperloop was the talk of the town as the government plans to set up Indias first bullet train. Some experts suggested India should skip focusing on incremental improvement of railways and leapfrog past to embrace the idea of Hyperloop.

Related stories Bibop Gresta Chairman & COO|Hyperloop Transportation Technologies

In an email conversation with Moneycontrol, Bibop Gresta, Chairman and COO of HTT listed his views on the importance of this technology, concerns around it and the disruption potential it holds by bringing the world closer.

Q: How important is Hyperloop as a technology and what sort of disruption it can bring to the world as we know it?

A: At Hyperloop TT, we are arduously working towards creating a fifth mode of transport - after planes, trains, cars and boats. Transportation of every kind has had its uniqueness and has never failed to impress humanity. But, sadly, none works on technologies that are latest and innovation based. Every mode, be it high-speed rail or the metro systems, require huge capital investments and constant subsidy from the government for smooth operations.

While, Hyperloop is cost effective, energy efficient, extremely convenient, time saver, immune to weather changes, sustainably self-powering and resistant to earthquakes.

Hyperloop will use a combination of renewable energy to generate more electricity than it consumes. This means, a cheaper cost of construction and maintenance, a cheaper price of ticket for the passengers and no need for subsidies to be profitable. Further, it does not pollute the planet unlike conventional transportation.

The speed of the system really opens up possibilities for bringing cities and nations together like never before, but this is not the main benefit. Its the global efficiency of the system that is revolutionary.

Hyperloop will be the landmark change in times to come and prove to the world that systems can be improved to be more efficient, enjoyable and, perhaps most importantly, profitable.

Q: Hyperloop sounds like something out of science fiction, when did you first decide to make it into a reality?

A: I got together with Dirk Ahlborn, Founder and CEO of JumpStarter Inc. in 2014 to work on this visionary idea of Hyperloop. Jumpstart Inc. or JumpStartFund is a unique crowdfunding and crowdsourcing incubator platform that uses collective knowledge and assets to make ideas like Hyperloop a reality.

I had just moved to LA and had started attending tech meet ups in the area when I met Dirk. He approached me and told me that hes been working on Hyperloop with a team of 100 scientists at that time. I found it strange because Elon Musks white paper had been released only a few months ago and here Dirk was claiming to be working with 100 scientists already.

Further, Dirk explained to me that he had crowd sourced the Hyperloop project and, in a very short span of time scientists from different geographies and companies, including NASA and Livermore Labs had joined in. I was still not convinced. He then gave me the detailed report of Hyperloop and after reading through it and mulling over it for a month, is when I decided to join this revolutionary project and since then, there has been no looking back.

Today, Im only working towards making Hyperloop a reality.

Q: Travelling at the speed of sound, a small error could lead to a fatal disaster, what are the contingency measures you have deployed to counter such accidents?

A: The entire tube system is built on pylons, lowering the cost of land acquisition, making it impervious to weather conditions, earthquakes, and crashes. Hyperloop is self-sustaining, due to its use of passive magnetic levitation, regenerative braking, solar power, and other renewable energy resources. Simplified and efficient design combined with self-sustaining energy. Having said this, in case of an emergency the capsule can be stopped very quickly, the tube can be sealed and passengers can be evacuated through the pylons.

We also have developed a system that can re-inject air in less than 10 seconds (that will balance the air pressure, thus avoiding accidents).

At Hyperloop, we are obsessed with safety. Also, I should mention that none of these features are available even on airplanes.

Q: By when and where can we see the first test run?

A: We very recently made a global announcement about HTT starting construction of the worlds first full-scale Passenger Hyperloop Capsule. This first capsule is the culmination of over three years and thousands of hours of design, research, and analysis. Construction is underway for delivery and should happen by early 2018 at HTTs R&D center in Toulouse, France for integration and optimization.

Currently, the Abu Dhabi government has given a go-ahead to build the Hyperloop connecting Abu Dhabi with Al Ain. We are on with the feasibility study there. The four other governments that are in the same position are  California, Slovakia, Czech Republic and France. These are the places where we have signed deals and are in advanced talks.

Toulouse in France, in particular, is interesting because they have not only got land, but also an entire building for a research and innovation centre.

Q: What is the likelihood of the test run to fail and if such a thing happens then what would be the next plan of action?

A: Our aim is to build Hyperloop to be safer than walking. Its possible because youre in a fully automated system in an enclosed environment. Most accidents today are due to human failure or some kind of outside interference with the track. We have teams of world-class experts engineering with safety as our primary concern.

Q: In what range do you estimate the fare cost, let's say between Delhi and Mumbai to be post production?

A: To be precise on this requires a feasibility study for the Indian market, but, generically we can talk about 20-40 million USD per KM. This means that in some case we can be half or 4 times less expensive than high-speed rail and one fifth of the cost to maintain it.

Q: What will power the machine and how environment-friendly will it be?

A: The HTT system consists of a capsule for passengers or cargo levitating inside a low air pressure tube, with a passive levitation system - exclusively licensed from Lawrence Livermore Labs.

For propulsion, magnetic accelerators will be planted along the length of the tube, propelling the pods forward. The tubes would house a low-pressure environment, surrounding the pod with a cushion of air that permits the pod to move safely at such high speeds  almost the speed of sound suing prima fraction of energy. With this environment, the capsule, along with moving at such speeds, will require very little energy making the system highly efficient.

The system will use a combination of renewable energy to generate more electricity than it consumes.

Q: How has the response been from the Indian government towards your proposals? By when can we a running Hyperloop in India?

A: We have received overwhelming response from the Indian government, media and people. We even met with PM Narendra Modi in San Francisco recently and have had a meeting with Union Transports Minister Mr. Nitin Gadkari, as well as several Chief Ministers.

Everyone is excited about this revolutionary new technology that can bring tremendous value to India. We have several proposals on the table that are waiting to be approved, and I am confident that we will be able to announce something very soon.

We are looking forward to work on a PPP (public-private partnership) model that will allow us to bring foreign investor together with local partners.
Education

Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu.

Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu.

Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events:

International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu.

EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu.

Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale  an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s  will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets  June Homecoming: Participant  $18 per person; Sustainer  $25 per person; Benefactor  $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler  Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events:

SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available  for information call 610-275-1960

Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above)

SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m.

Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.  4 p.m.  computers are available during those hours.

Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863.

Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376.

Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com.

The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes:

Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at

other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020.

CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313.

The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events:

Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m.

Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30.

Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301.

For Kids & Families

The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443.

Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950.

Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required.

The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950.

Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus.

Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage.

Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun.

Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train.

Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world!

Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class.

Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org.

Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583.

Community Events at the Ambler Y:

-YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register.

Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org.

Health

Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot.

The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information.

Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245.

Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net.

Spring Aquatic Programs  UDHS Pool:

-Summer is just around the corner  Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required.

 Shallow Water Aerobics  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR.

 Adult Swim Instructions  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR

-Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21.

-Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday  Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m.

-Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons.

-Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates.

Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994.

SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com.

Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org.

Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs:

FITNESS CLASSES

Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month.

Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30  9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000.

Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30  7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047.

New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m.  12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30  4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931.

Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325.

Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes.

Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com.

Librarytalk

Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744

www.upperdublinlibrary.org

APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS:

Storytimes: Please register in the library.

o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m.

o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m.

o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m.

o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6.

APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS:

North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee

APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS:

NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org.

One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register  contact info above.

Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744.

o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register.

Meetings:

Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m.

Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m.

Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org.

For children and teens at Blue Bell:

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m.

* May 14  Despicable Me

* June 11  Alpha and Omega

* Special Events

* April  watch for date of spring/Easter events

* April 14 at 4:30 p.m.  Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children.

* April 14 at 7 p.m.  Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided.

* April 16 at 1 p.m.  Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King.

* April 16 at 1:30 p.m.  Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes?

* April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button.

* April 30 through May 3  Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults.

* May  sign up for Science in the Summer

* June  sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children

* June  sign up for Summer Reading, all ages

For adults at Blue Bell:

* Daytime Book Discussion Group  fourth Tuesday, Jan  April at 1:30 p.m.

* April 26  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Night-time Book Discussion Group  third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.

o April 19  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges

o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked?

*Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs

* Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class.

* Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class.

* Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m.

* Giant Book Sale, April 29  May 3

o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults!

o Held during library hours.

o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m.

o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join.

* Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series

o May 11 at 1 p.m.  Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society

* Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room.

* Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read.

* Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome.

* Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome.

*Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older.

* Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours

* Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours

* Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday!

Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library.

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* For adults:

* Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn.

* Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net

* Special Events:

* April 14 at 1:30 p.m.  Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.

* April 19 at 7 p.m.  Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m.

* April 21 at 7 p.m.  Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades.

*May 2 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

*May 10  Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*May 12 at 1:30p.m.  Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

*May 17  Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*June 13 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

Meetings and Lectures

The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833.

The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200.

The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/.

LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings.

Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org.

Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org)

-Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them.

The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter.

For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps.

Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin.

Special Events

The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County.

The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065.

Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members.

Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex.

The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com.

The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348.

The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org.

Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163.

The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu.

The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com.

The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net.

Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages.

13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries.

Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family.

The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler.

JPRN  Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them  Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike.

Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies.

Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately.

Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways.

Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table.

Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp  Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall:

-Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store.

Music and Theater

The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220.

Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html.

Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free.

The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org

Religious News

The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276.

Reunions

St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net.

Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572.

Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779.

Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net

Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net

The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411.

Support

New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149.

PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931.

The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296.

Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656.

Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group  every other Wednesday, 7  8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support  second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner  Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers  Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information.

CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7  8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich,
NORRISTOWN  With just days until the 2022 general election a board room on the eighth floor of One Montgomery Plaza was filled with an air of contention. Public comment surrounding election practices including the dozen drop boxes posted across...
Rabbis installation at Keneseth Israel will get a boost of student creativity
Friends In Pink is still on the radar and growing every year
Letter to editor: Voting is necessary to protect democracy
What is Lomography? Its retro film photography captured on quirky toy cameras. Its imagery will eternally surprise you, with effects you cannot truly control

Thanks to the egalitarian nature of digital photography, all of us can now quite possibly take a beautiful photo. That sumptuous array of filters lets us evoke the atmosphere we need, from stark noir witchery to pop bubblegum magic or sepia vintage charm.

In contrast, manual photography (see beginner film photography tips here for framing shots) takes a certain degree of skill but there is a note of romance to the way we must learn its intricacies over time. Mistakes cannot be erased and replaced in the work of a moment with a version that more purely captures our vision. We must adapt and learn, and it takes a great deal of experimentation and discipline.

Lomography takes things a step further. It is an utterly romantic adventure in film photography.

Credit 2.0: Luci Correia used a Nikon D3000 to portray her journey as a lomographer

For lomographers, the art lies in the surprise of seeing what youre going to get. There is no such thing as a bad picture; only the fleeting moment of capture and ensuing surprise. And its all thanks to a little toy camera that became popular in the nineties.

What Is Lomography?

Lomography is a photography movement that takes its name from a cheap Russian toy camera, the LOMO LC-A. Back in the nineties, some Viennese students fell in love with the unique, colourful and sometimes blurry images this quirky little beast created. They founded the Lomographic Society International, hosted exhibitions and spread the virtues of a film photography movement whose motto was Dont Think. Just Shoot.

What made LOMO pictures tug at the heartstrings? They came out blurred, or saturated with colour like Summer painted in Autumn tones. Their light distortion evoked extra-terrestrial landings or ghostly apparitions.

Credit 2.0: Blanca used a Diana Mini and lomography xpro film

In fact, some of our most treasured vintage filters on mobile cameras today are a homage to the vagaries of lomography. Their unruly nature made them the freeform dance of photography, not a choreographed performance.

The 10 Rules of Lomography

Visit Lomography.com and youll see 10 rules to follow if you want to use lomography cameras in the spirit of Dont Think. Just Shoot:

Take your camera wherever you go. Use it at any time of day or night. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but a part of it. Try to shoot from the hip. Approach the objects of your Lomographic desire as closely as possible. Dont think. Be fast. You dont have to know in advance what you captured on film. Or afterwards, either. Dont worry about any rules!

Find out a little more about some ways to apply those rules here. There is great pleasure to be taken in a well-staged shot, but its also freeing to think that lomography encourages you to say farewell to staging and premeditation. Its freeing, that idea that your camera is not an interference in your life, but a part of it. In fact, some lomography cameras dont even have viewfinders so you really wont know what your photos might look like until you get the film processed!

If this all resonates with you, lomography is a hobby you can take up today. The cameras still exist, as does the film. They are small enough for you to carry anywhere, so thats rule #1 sorted. What else could you possibly need to know?

How To Get Started With Lomography

1. Choose a camera

Unfortunately, lomography cameras are more expensive nowadays than when they first came out. Quelle surprise. That said, here are a few lovely ones to play with.

The Diana Mini comes in a pleasing array of colours.



One of the cheaper models is the Diana Mini. It is impossibly cute. It uses 35mm film which is easy to buy and develop anywhere. It is teeny enough that you can fit it into a pocket and carry it with you, just as you would your wallet or phone. It also has a viewfinder, in case you love the concept of lomography but are less enamoured of being unable to see a framed view of the picture youre taking.

The Fisheye and the Superheadz are also 35mm lomography cameras. As you might expect, the Fisheye creates a nearly circular image framed in black as it takes a 170-degree view of the surroundings. The Superheadz takes colour-saturated photos, often with dark smudges around the corners, and can work out a little cheaper than the Diana Mini. You can also take the risk of 120mm lomography cameras which are harder to buy and develop film for, like the Holga and Diana F+. However, these might be a better option for dedicated lomographers.

2. Experiment and Go Wild.

In a way, youre not seeing what you can do as a lomo photographer. Youre on an adventure to see what your camera can do. Double exposures, making your own colour filter and long exposures at any time of day or night are just a few things you can try. Here are some great lomography tutorials to be inspired by.

Lomography has its roots in the nineties, yet its a perfect tonic for modern curated imagery. Curated imagery is, in its own way, wonderful and freeing! This is not to take away the joy of taking beautiful mobile photos. No art is bad art. Creativity is to be celebrated in all its forms. Nevertheless, lomography takes the concept that no art is bad art a little further. Relish the freedom and spontaneity of unplanned shots. Never again need you view the resulting image as a mistake

DONT THINK. JUST SHOOT.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save
April 05, 2017

WMDs In The UNSC - History Repeats Itself, First As Tragedy, Second As Farce

Pic: April 5 2017 - U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council

Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, on Wednesday strongly condemned the Syrian government in the wake of an alleged chemical weapons attack perpetrated on its own civilians this week. "When the UN consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," Haley said. She added that if the UN doesn't take collective action, "we may."

Posted by b on April 5, 2017 at 17:29 UTC | Permalink

Comments

next page 
The only one that couldn't make it had a pretty good reason not to be there...

2 hours ago
Editor's Note: This is the fourth in a five-part series on the new Broughton Hospital project.

When the new Broughton Hospital opens, local legislator Rep. Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke) doesnt believe it will have the space needed to serve patients or adequate room for staff.

The whole idea behind building a new hospital was to bring everything under one roof. But according to the latest from state officials, that wont be the case.

Blackwell said the cafeteria in the new hospital is only big enough for four tables. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services officials say the cafeteria would be able to seat 24 people at a time.

Thats inadequate considering there can be as many as 1,000 people at the hospital at a time, Blackwell said.

Blackwell said DHHS officials told him the building also has three 28-seat capacity employee break rooms. He also was told the cafeteria will provide take-out for staff and employees could eat outside or at their desks.

Blackwell said he views the small cafeteria space in the new hospital as an employee morale issue. He said if there are 800 employees on a shift change for lunch, having 100 seats for employees is a drop in the bucket of what is needed.

But one of the biggest issues with the hospital is beds. Blackwell said he doesnt believe there will be enough bed space.

The current Broughton Hospital has 297 beds. The new hospital is planned to house 382 beds, which is a total of 85 new beds.

However, 50 of those beds will be in a new forensic unit, which is used for criminal patients.

The deaf services unit is gaining eight beds for a total of 22. The adolescent unit is gaining 20 beds for a total of 48. The geriatric unit is losing two beds, while another 12 are being moved to the medical services unit. The geriatric unit will have a total of 24 beds and the medical services unit will have a total of 20 beds.

The adult extended treatment will gain nine beds for a total of 97.

The general population unit will gain seven beds for a total of 121 beds, according to DHHS documents.

Blackwell said the waiting list, particularly for men, is long, and with the states growing population, bed space was not adequate five years ago. Its going to be even more inadequate now, he said, and the hospital needs to make room for additional beds.

Morganton Department of Public Safety Capt. Jason Whisnant, who also is a licensed mental health therapist, recently said the city has seen a huge spike of people in mental health crisis related to depression, anger and rage.

He gave an example of a woman in Morganton who recently tried to commit suicide by driving her car down an embankment. The woman was committed for a mental health evaluation, he said.

This is a disturbing trend we are experiencing, said Capt. Whisnant. The frequency and intensity of encounters with the emotionally disturbed, depression, substance abuse and suicidal people is a challenge.

Capt. Whisnant said spikes with people in crisis are typically seasonal, occurring during summer months and holidays.

But Morganton Department of Public Safety has seen its involuntary commitments nearly double in a year. It is at a five-year all-time high, Whisnant said. He said the department had 406 involuntary commitments in 2016, up from 225 involuntary commitments in 2015 and 215 involuntary commitments in 2014.

Those numbers are not a reflection of danger in our community, its a reflection of a mental health care system struggling to meet the needs of the consumers, Capt. Whisnant said. The overwhelming majority of involuntary commitments are non-violent and struggling with substance abuse and depression.

Capt. Whisnant said he started looking at his departments involuntary commitments and how much it is costing taxpayers while he was enrolled at N.C. State Universitys administrative officer management program in 2014.

Capt. Whisnant estimated the cost of officer man hours in 2016 at more than $15,500 and more than $8,500 in 2015. He said his departments protocol for an involuntary commitment is for two units to respond to the scene because the situations can be volatile.

An average hourly pay for two officers is $38.46, Capt. Whisnant said. That doesnt include fuel or wear and tear on patrol vehicles, he said. The average time officers at his department spend on one commitment is an hour, Capt. Whisnant said.

Burke Countys involuntary commitments also have been increasing and are higher than those seen in the city of Morganton.

The Burke County Sheriffs Office had 373 involuntary commitments in 2014; 456 in 2015; and 563 involuntary commitments in 2016, according to information from Sheriff Steve Whisenant. And so far this year, the sheriffs office has had 147 involuntary commitments, according to the information.

Sheriff Whisenant said his department has a statutory obligation to transport all involuntary commitments, including those picked up by all other law enforcement agencies within the county, to any county in the state where treatment beds are available.

He said his department also is responsible for transporting the patients who are treated throughout the state back to their residences when theyre released from the other counties. There are two private companies who assist with some transports to beds throughout the state but those private companies do not transport the patients back home, Sheriff Whisenant said.

While the numbers in Burke County are increasing, Burke isnt the only county Broughton serves. In addition to Burke, it serves 36 other western counties in the state.

Blackwell said he has met with legislative staff to determine what plan he can propose to come up with more beds for the hospital and to persuade colleagues to come up with more money for additional beds.

In addition to what Blackwell says are inadequate beds, the new hospital also lacks adequate areas for support staff offices.

When some legislators questioned staff office space in the new hospital, DHHS responded by saying the plan from the beginning has been to maintain some of the existing Broughton buildings, including the gym, Lippard Chapel and Moran Building.

The response from DHHS said when funding for new Broughton Hospital was reduced by $8 million, the new Broughton design was reduced by 20,000 square feet. Patient programming was not decreased, but office space was decreased, DHHS said.

The need for additional office space, as well as space for record storage, has resulted in the need to also maintain the existing Jones Building, according to the state. DHHS officials said the design of the new hospital was based on the expectation that it would have an electronic health record system.

The state also will continue to use some facility engineering buildings, grounds shop and paint shop, DHHS said. All of the current Broughton Hospital buildings are anticipated to be used indefinitely, the department said.

Sharon McBrayer is a staff writer and can be reached at smcbrayer@morganton.com or at 828-432-8946.
Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investors point of view. We also respect individual opinionsthey represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive.

To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.
One big bank is butting heads with real estate associations over how best to address affordability in one of the countrys priciest markets.Whats a week without a harangue on Toronto Housing? Douglas Porter, chief economist with BMO mused in his latest economic report.Whats a day? We ask.Porters latest centred on affordability in Toronto; he argued increasing supply is not the issue.I spent the past week listening to presentations, sitting at roundtables, and reading opinion pieces where the received wisdom was that fixing the supply side is the answer to Torontos sizzling housing market. I respectfully disagree, Porter wrote. No doubt, policymakers should do what they can to alleviate supply constraints, and a shortage of listings is helping send prices skyward.But, history teaches us that in an overheated market, or what some (ahem) may even call a bubble, we have to look first at cooling demand, he continued. Otherwise, with prices screaming higher by 20%-to-30% per year, any moderate increase in housing supply will be swallowed whole in the great maw of raging demand.He expounds that argument by asking  rhetorically  if the right course of action with past bubbles, including the dot-com boom and Americas own housing bubble, would have been to increase supply.In each and every case the answer is an emphatic no!the problem was overly exuberant demand, Porter wrote. This is not to suggest that Toronto housing is in the same league as those big bubbles, but we dont want to get anywhere close to those episodes.That opinion flies in the face of recent diatribes by the various real estate associations.The provincial government should work with municipalities and related industry stakeholders to look at ways in which the supply of housing could be increased, including, potentially revisiting land use designations in built-up areas to allow for a broader array of home types to be built, streamlining the development approvals process, streamlining the permit process, and examining ways to incentivize land owners to develop," TREB President Larry Cerqua said last month.Its a stance echoed by the provincial board as well.The Canadian dream of home ownership is at risk in the GTA. This is the year for provincial and municipal governments to step up with solutions to ensure the dream of home ownership does not slip away from future generations, Tim Hudak, Ontario Real Estate Association, recently said. The housing supply issue is a real problem, but the solutions exist. We need the government to get real estate experts together on this issue, to hammer out a plan for putting more homes on the market and making home ownership more affordable for young families and first-time buyers.
Thanks for visiting !

The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy.

We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here.

Thank you for your support!
While LinkedIn may not be the first place that comes to mind when you are promoting an event, it is an excellent platform to 
We are collating signatures to petition ...
GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here.
WASHINGTON -- Beto ORourke, a third-term congressman from El Paso, is trying to accomplish something Democrats havent done since 1994: win statewide office in Texas.

ORourke officially announced his bid to take on Sen. Ted Cruz on Friday, a lofty goal considering Cruz has a national fundraising network and gobs of name recognition from his 2016 presidential run. The 44-year-old ORourke insists that crisscrossing the state and relying on small donations is the way to unseat Cruz, who won in 2012 after besting Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a primary upset.

But first ORourke will need to win the Democratic nomination, and another Democratic rising star may upset his plans: Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio. Castro will make a decision about joining the race in the next month.

A primary showdown between two well-liked and well-funded Democrats would add an extra layer of time and money for ORourke and potentially Castro -- and could make it easier for Cruz to brand the winner as an out-of-touch liberal if ORourke and Castro need to spend time winning over the states liberal base.

A competitive primary will split the party, leave hard feelings and limit the ability to raise the money needed to compete in the general election, said University of Houston professor Brandon Rottinghaus, author of a recent book on Texas politics. Two competitive Democrats in the primary who have run in the past has fractured the party and created new fault lines that Dem voters werent able to cross.

Rottinghaus brought up the 2002 election, in which former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk won a four-way Democratic primary to challenge Sen. John Cornyn for an open seat at the time. While Republicans were united behind Cornyns ultimately successful bid, Democrats were divided by geographical and ideological interests that made it harder to win the general election.

In recent years, big-name Democrats have largely stayed out of one anothers way in statewide races. State Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth faced nominal opposition in her 2014 gubernatorial bid against Greg Abbott, which she lost. Democrats did not contest primaries in races for lieutenant governor or attorney general.

Democratic strategists say it would take at least $40 million to mount a credible challenge against Cruz, who likely would draw millions in outside money at the first hint of trouble. Theres also the chance that major national Democratic organizations might shift their time and attention to defending a slew of vulnerable incumbents in states President Donald Trump won, as Texas would be an expensive and potentially daunting target.

Texas Democrats have to save themselves, said Matt Angle of the Lone Star Project, a Democratic political research group. If youre counting on winning by outside progressive dollars, its almost always cheaper to invest in a smaller state than in a giant state like Texas.

Angle emphasized that ORourke or anyone else who jumps into the race must run a Texas-focused campaign that aggressively targets Cruz as an out-of-touch hard-liner who cares more about being president than representing Texas.

While ORourkes timing pre-emptively puts the onus on Castro to make a decision that could make it harder for either to unseat Cruz, Rottinghaus argues it was smart for ORourke to enter when he did.

ORourke has had a couple of weeks of really good national press, Rottinghaus said, referring to the lawmakers recent bipartisan road trip from El Paso to Washington with Republican Rep. Will Hurd, which was streamed over Facebook.

In terms of monetary payoff it may not be very much, but the imagery and messaging it provided was worth its weight, Rottinghaus said. The biggest problem for ORourke is that hes always going to be a liberal Democrat from liberal El Paso. Wendy Davis was labeled as a liberal, and ORourke has the same problem. The road trip gave him a way to introduce himself as a moderate.

Rottinghaus and Angle argued that a lack of attention and cash from national Democrats could play to ORourkes advantage in the messaging war. Republicans successfully tied Davis to her stance on abortion rights and painted her as an unabashed liberal even though her legislative voting record in Austin was relatively moderate. If ORourke is able to define himself before Cruz and other Republicans do it for him, he may have a better shot at winning over independents and some moderate Republicans.

Cruz enters the race with $4.2 million in the bank, according to Federal Election Commission records. ORourke has raised $217,000 online since he announced his bid Friday, according to the Texas Tribune.

---

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.






MERIDEN  Sixteen Meriden teachers will travel this summer and use their experiences in the classroom after receiving thousands of dollars in grants from the Fund for Teachers.



Projects include a trip to Paris and Wales to study restorative justice, an Australian expedition to explore wildlife and a Puerto Rican excursion to experience authentic native cuisine.



Were thrilled that our teachers are taking advantage of this great opportunity, Superintendent of Schools Mark Benigni said. Its exciting for us to know our teachers want to take time out of their summer schedule for professional growth and learning.



Fund for Teachers and the Dalio Foundation award fellowships to teachers through an application process. Teachers document the trips and relay their experiences to students as a way to enhance the curriculum.



The Fund for Teachers has awarded over $27 million in fellowships to about 7,500 teachers since 2011. Of 210 Connecticut grants awarded in 2017, Meriden had the third highest number of fellows statewide. Teachers are awarded up to $5,000 each.



School administrators, Board of Education representatives and Fund for Teachers staff surprised the winners in their classrooms in April.



Maloney High School English teacher Catherine Valentin was shocked when Board of Education President Mark Hughes handed her a red backpack to announce her dream journey to trace mythology in Greece and Italy would be a reality.



No! Thats awesome, Valentin said as her jaw dropped.



Washington Middle School math teacher Kari Baransky welled up with tears after learning her trip to Wales and Paris with colleagues Lynda Thorton and Stacy Folcik was funded.



Its a little crazy, Folcik said. Ive got to update my passport.



Their project will examine a rehabilitative approach to criminal justice used in Europe, to find out about how they have taken their entire town to be restorative and use restorative practices not just as the school and prison system but the entire city, Baransky said.



Students in Danielle Rios life skills class at Washington Middle School knew something was up when a group of administrators filed into the classroom.



Is that what I think it is? asked Rios, overjoyed her trip to Puerto Rico was funded. She will be learning about the islands cuisine and agriculture for her food and nutrition class.



A special thanks to the Dalio Foundation and Fund for Teachers for granting our teachers the means to explore new learning opportunities, said Erin Benham, president of the Meriden Federation of Teachers, in a statement. This generosity has made a real difference in the lives of our teachers and the students they serve.



ltauss@record-journal.com 203-317-2231 Twitter: @LeighTaussRJ






This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

One of Conroe's most patriotic citizens and leaders served the U.S. not once but twice during war time.

Thomas Earle Gentry, who served in both World War I and World War II, was also a much-respected mayor and businessman in Conroe.

"He was a real patriot. He loved the stories of the founding fathers. He was an emotional patriot, he thought our country was just sacred," according to his granddaughter Susie Moore Pokorski in a previous Courier article written about World War I.

On this day before the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entering World War I on April 6, 1917, The Courier is paying tribute to Gentry and his lasting contributions to the city.

Early life

Thomas Earle Gentry was born May 8, 1896 on a farm about eight miles north of Montgomery.

His father was a road overseer and he was educated by his mother until he was 20, according to an oral history given by Gentry to The Institute of Texan Cultures in 1986.

He worked for a professor in Huntsville as a young man.

World War I

"Then in 1917, the war came along and I went out. Well, a short time I had hurt my ankle and some of the boys went on in and I taught a little school in Williams County," Gentry said in the oral history. "I taught up there and right after that, why the draft was comin' up and I reported back here and went into the service in 1918."

He was inducted into the US Army in February 1918, three months shy of his 22nd birthday. He was shipped to Camp Pike, Arkansas to train as an infantry replacement.

As fate would have it, Gentry would never leave U.S. soil during World War I.

He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in October 1918 and sent to Camp Sherman, Ohio where he trained more troops until his discharge in 1919 at the end of the war.

Return to Conroe

Upon his return to Conroe, a young Miss Iola Everett, daughter of store owner H.B. Everett, caught Gentry's eye.

"He met her and they courted and he asked her father who owned Everett's general store if he could marry her," said Susie Moore Pokorski in a previous article. "Mr. Everett said 'no way.' Gentry wanted to be a farmer. But Mr. Everett didn't want his daughter who was educated and refined to work the hard life on the farm." Instead Gentry went to work at Delta Land and Timber Company, one of the largest mills in the area.

Gentry and Iola Everett were married in 1923. Mrs. Gentry later taught drama and speech at JOH Bennette High School.

Contributions to Conroe

According to Pokorski, Gentry studied fire prevention and fire safety while working at the mill.

He became Conroe's first volunteer fire chief and trained many of Conroe's volunteer fire fighters.

She recalls many of the old timers calling her grandfather "Chief."

She said he was a "yellow-dog" Democrat. The term applied to Southern voters who voted solely for Democratic candidates.

His order of priorities were God, church, family, the United States of America and right under that, the Democratic Party, Pokorski said.

A return to military service

She says when Pearl Harbor was bombed, he wept because he knew what it would mean.

Having started his own store and becoming a noted businessman of Conroe, Gentry left his business and family and position of mayor to fight in the war.

He rejoined the US Army in 1942 when he was 46. He served in Europe as a Captain and in the Military Police, guarding prisoners of war.

A business owner

When he returned to Conroe after the war, he retained his status as the town's mayor and owner of Gentry's Men's Store in downtown Conroe.

Gentry was also good friends with Lyndon B. Johnson.

Larry Foerster, Montgomery County Historical Commission Chairman, recalls Ann Gentry Moore, Gentry's daughter, telling stories of how LBJ would visit her father and they'd retire to the upstairs area of the store to visit.

Gentry passed away in April 1987 at the age of 91, but he's left a lasting legacy of service and patriotism in the of Conroe.

The Gentrys had one daughter, Ann Boynton Gentry.

She married A. Lavoy Moore in 1949. Their children are Susan Moore Pokorski, Bonnie Anne Moore Hanley and Nancy Kay Moore.
Off-price retailer Burlington will open a store in University Commons Center at U.S. 59 and University Boulevard in Sugar Land on Friday.

The company has hired 100 employees to staff the 50,000-square-foot store, which will host a ribbon cutting at 9:30 Friday and additional grand opening festivities Saturday.
Texas drivers living in minority areas generally are charged more for auto insurance than are people with similar risk profiles who live in Anglo neighborhoods  despite laws that ban discriminatory rate setting, a new study of car insurance pricing shows.

ProPublica and Consumer Reports released a report Wednesday that shows insurers, including Allstate, Geico and Liberty Mutual, were charging premiums that were in some cases an average of 30 percent higher in ZIP codes with mostly minority residents than in Anglo neighborhoods in Texas and three other states.

This disparity may amount to a subtler form of redlining, a term that traditionally refers to denial of services or products to minority areas, the report stated.

Its the first time insurance claims have been used to measure racial disparities in car insurance premiums across states. The analysis examined more than 100,000 premiums charged for liability insurance, which covers bodily injury and property damages, in Texas, California, Illinois and Missouri. It then compared rates between ZIP codes that had similar risk profiles, measured by their average claims.

The study found significant gaps between the premiums charged in minority and non-minority neighborhoods for drivers with identical driving records, credit scores and accident histories.

In San Antonio, drivers living in ZIP code 78214 on the South Side thats predominately Hispanic were charged an average annual rate of $603 for basic liability coverage, the data show.

By comparison, drivers living in the Texas community of Seagraves  where the risk is comparable but the drivers are mostly Anglo  were charged an average of $482 a year among the 18 insurers surveyed. Thats a 25 percent premium for the same coverage for drivers in ZIP codes with the same risk profiles.

At least half of the insurers examined in Texas charged higher premiums for a safe driver with good credit in high-risk minority communities than in non-minority communities with the same risk profile.

Jerry Hagins, spokesman for the Texas Department of Insurance, said there was a time when race was used in establishing insurance rates, but a lot has been done to eradicate that.

Its very complicated to isolate the effect of individual factors that affect premiums, Hagins said in response to the report. We do look at every auto insurance rate that is filed and we make sure that they meet statutory requirements, that theyre not excessive or unfairly discriminatory.

If there are any geographic differences in pricing, they have to be based on sound actuarial principles. Our state law here in Texas strictly prohibits any type of pricing based on race.

The insurance industry and some regulators have questioned the methodology. James Lynch, chief actuary for the Insurance Information Institute, a trade group representing insurers, called the study flawed.

Insurance companies  do no take into account the race of the person, Lynch said in an interview. They take into account the driving characteristics and the risks that that person presents. Regardless of race, the riskier person will pay more and the less risky person will pay less.

Lynch added, What ProPublica has done is theyve tried to take the main way that drivers can differ from neighborhood to neighborhood and theyve tried to say the only reason that rates can vary from area to area is because of race, and thats just wrong.

He added the study reached an incendiary conclusion.

The report noted the California Department of Insurance also took issue with how the study was done.

The studys flawed methodology results in a flawed conclusion that some insurers discriminate in setting rates, the agency told ProPublica.

To equalize driver-related variables such as age and accident history, the study was limited to one type of customer: a 30-year-old female teacher with no accidents or moving violations.

ProPublica filed public record requests in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, seeking data on claims payouts, but only the four states provided the data.

In Illinois, 33 of 34 companies analyzed charged at least 10 percent more, on average, for the same driver in minority ZIP codes than in comparably risky white ZIP codes, the report said. The exception was San Antonio-based USAAs Garrison Property & Casualty subsidiary, which charged 9 percent more.

USAA provides insurance for our members where they live at a rate that reflects their risks, company spokesman Roger Wildermuth said in an email. Many of our members live near military installations, and fewer tend to live in designated underserved areas.

State laws allow insurers to give some consideration to how insurance losses occur in different areas and how costly those losses tend to be, he said.

As a result, some areas may have slightly higher rates due to factors such as congestion that leads to more accidents, or higher crime rates that lead to higher auto thefts, Wildermuth added.

The report also cited Texas consumer advocate Birny Birbaum, who 20 years ago used state insurance data to show USAA, State Farm, Safeco, Nationwide and Farm Bureau were among the worst redliners in the state because they had much smaller market share in minority neighborhoods than in other neighborhoods.

Birnbaum, director of the Center for Economic Justice, has called for state insurance commissions to collect and release data that can be used for analysis of redlining and other issues, the report added. He couldnt immediately be reached for comment.

Regulators are no better equipped to analyze or address these problems than they were 20 or 30 years ago, he told ProPublica. If you cant even monitor the market or identify the problem, youre certainly not going to be in a position to address the problem.

pdanner@express-news.net

Twitter: @AlamoPD
LONDON  Over the last several years, a European family business has spent more than $40 billion assembling a coffee empire.

JAB Holding Company has acquired the American brands Peets Coffee, Caribou Coffee and Keurig Green Mountain, all since 2012.

It also combined the European coffee giant, D.E. Master Blenders 1753, with the coffee business of Mondelez International foods to create a company now known as Jacobs Douwe Egbert. Then it bought the high-end coffee retailers Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Intelligentsia. Mondelez continues to own 25 percent of Douwe Egbert and has a similar stake in Keurig.

Now JAB needs somewhere to sell all that coffee.

On Wednesday, JAB, which is privately held, said it would add the Panera restaurant chain to its growing empire of U.S. coffee and food favorites for $7.5 billion, including debt.

It is only the latest effort to expand into restaurants by JAB, the investment arm of the Reimann family of Germany, who are heirs to the consumer goods company Joh. A. Benckiser. In 2014, JAB bought the bagel chain Einstein Brothers, which it has been combining with Caribou is some markets. And last year, it paid $1.35 billion for Krispy Kreme, the struggling doughnut chain.

In Panera, JAB will acquire a popular fast casual chain that serves soups, salads, sandwiches and baked goods at about 2,000 locations. But Panera, which went public in 1991, has chafed under Wall Streets relentless demand for growth.

Ron Shaich, Paneras personable chief executive who controls roughly 15 percent of its stock, said one of the biggest attractions to the JAB deal was the chance to take his company private.

For the last 20 years, Ive spent 20 percent of my time telling people what weve done to grow and another 20 percent of my time telling people what were going to do to grow, Shaich said in an interview. I wont have to do that anymore.

Shaich said that he planned to continue to lead Panera. Nothing will change, he said. The management team and I will remain.

The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter and is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Acting opposite a movie star like Pierce Brosnan could have been daunting for a young man with relatively little experience.

But 26-year-old Shane Graham, a Magik Children's Theater alum, described playing the 007 star's onscreen grandson in the Texas-set TV series "The Son" as nothing but delightful, thanks to Brosnan's kind and inviting personality.

"Pierce is like the loving best friend you wish you always had," Graham, who grew up on a small farm in Marion, just outside of San Antonio, said in a phone chat from his current home of Los Angeles.

"When you get to work with someone that high on the acting totem pole, you naturally assume he'll have a movie star feel about him. But he's not like that at all. He's welcoming, inviting and listens to everything you say. Pierce is so approachable."

The 10-episode first season of "The Son," shot largely in Austin and set in the Texas capital and surrounding areas, debuts at 8 p.m. Saturday. The premiere will be repeated several times during the week -- check listings -- before the second episode airs on April 15.

RELATED: 'American Ninja Warrior's' San Antonio shoot nets thrills, fab exposure

The vivid, bloody and brutal adaptation of the best-selling Philipp Meyer novel about a multi-generational South Texas family presents two parallel story lines in different time periods: young Eli McCullough's life as a Comanche captive in 1849 and his older years in 1915 as the steely and ambitious patriarch who was formed by that raw, brutal experience.

Already the prosperous owner of a cattle ranch, Eli has set his sights on amassing a new fortune through oil. But nothing is easy in turbulent, early 20th century Texas, where Anglo and Mexican residents are caught up in violent and emotionally charged conflicts over land, rights and general treatment.

Jacob Lofland ably portrays the young Eli, and 63-year-old Brosnan, who's known best for his four-movie portrayal of James Bond, is memorably dynamic as the older and hardened Eli.

Graham's character is Charles McCullough, the oldest of three children of Eli's married son Pete (Henry Garrett), a frustrated peacemaker who strives for a civilized existence with his Mexican neighbors only to be thwarted by a ruthless father who'll stop at nothing to protect his land and family.

READ ALSO: Two San Antonio stars land thrilling new TV series

Charles is introduced in the first episode, but his character begins to blossom in the ferocious and action-packed fourth and fifth episodes, when he begins to make his mark as a vital member of the McCullough clan.

"My character is a young man who's part of a wealthy family and doesn't know where he fits in. He's trying to find his place," said Graham, a frequent visitor to San Antonio who enjoys staying with his grandmother, who still lives here.

The native Texan and son of a cowboy said he was a big fan of the rodeo here during his younger years. So he came into the series with plenty of horse-riding experience.

"I showed I could ride comfortably," Graham said. "In the scenes where I'm riding, I'm doing it myself."

Brosnan helped him feel comfortable with other aspects of his character, he said.

"He's larger than life, yes, but also loving," he said. "I couldn't ask for a better scene partner. He's so kind and present and in the moment. He makes it real easy as an actor to do the work."

Off set, Graham also enjoyed hanging with Brosnan and "having a few beers together."

"He was very fun and jokey," he recalled.

RELATED: 'Northern Exposure' star with San Antonio roots returning for event

Born in Bryan, Graham lived on a ranch with his mom and dad in Crockett before moving to Marion at a young age. While living there, he acted in two plays at Magik Theatre in San Antonio, where he also did plenty of commercial work.

From there, he was cast in small roles in "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D," "Boyhood" and "Girl on the Edge."

After high school in Marion, he studied acting in New York and eventually moved to Los Angeles, because "that's where the casting opportunities are."

The past year has been good to him, he added. Since his work on "The Son," he's been cast in two movies: as the lead in "Ride" opposite co-star Ludacris and as a young pilot in "Doolittle's Heroes."

He was thrilled, however, to return to Texas for "The Son," his biggest acting break thus far, he said.

Brosnan, whose role as Eli McCullough marks his return to TV after 30 years, described the character as "magnificent and glorious" and "a real learning experience historically," and he has signed on for two more seasons after this one.

What he did find tough to endure was the South Texas summer heat.

"It was hotter than sin," the Irish actor recently told TV critics. "When you wake up at 5 o'clock in the morning and there's a heat advisory saying do not go out and and you're on a hot horse on a hot land at 9 o'clock, it can be a long day."

That's where Graham, who's used to the broiling Texas temps, had the advantage.

"It was hot, but that's Texas. I'm fine with it," he said. "Pierce was always sweating, but it worked well for the scenes."

jjakle@express-news.net
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A man suspected of robbery and assaulting an elderly woman barricaded himself inside a southeast Houston apartment, sparking a SWAT scene that sent heavily-armed Houston police officers surrounding the building.

About 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, Houston police officers were sent to the apartments at the 7200 block of Patrician Lane to assist Harris County Precinct 6 deputy constables who were investigating the robbery and assault allegations.

The man known to some local residents only as "Freddy" had forced his way into one of the apartments.

"We attempted to negotiate with him but he refused to come out," said Sgt. James DeMartin with the Houston Police Department.

Barbara Diaz Martinez, who lives in the next apartment, said the man attacked her mother earlier in the day. She said he hit her on the back of the head with a piece of concrete.

"Why would you want to hit a 75-year-old lady?" an incredulous Martinez asked.

Her mother was treated at an area medical clinic for her injuries, Martinez said.

Houston police SWAT officers were called to the scene and set up a perimeter around the building. They quickly moved residents from nearby apartments out of the danger zone.

The man finally surrendered to Houston police about 7:45 p.m. HPD officers said he slipped after leaving the apartment and fell onto a piece of broken bottle.

He was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital with a wound to the neck that HPD officers said did not appear to be life-threatening.

Harris County prosecutors will file charges of robbery and abuse of an elderly person - both felonies.
Atsushi Nishijima/HONS

THEIR FINEST: In London in 1940 two screenwriters (Gemma Arterton, Sam Clafin) write an epic propaganda film about a heroic rescue at Dunkirk. (R)

THE TICKET: Dan Stevens ("Legion") plays a man blind since his youth whose vision miraculously returns, causing complications. (NR)
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

H-E-B customers are quick to brag about the Combo Loco steals they scored, but not many will confess to swiping sweets from the baked goods aisle like one shameless Texas teen recently did on Twitter.

"FREE DONUTS AT ANY H-E-B Just walk into the donut section and grab a free donut of any choice but must be eaten inside and away from employees," reads his tweet, which has garnered the attention of more than 20,000 people and counting.

The South Texas teen told mySA.com this sticky fingers situation happened on April 3, but he usually swipes a doughnut "every chance" he shops at a H-E-B Plus, which he estimated is about once a month. (At the family's request, this story has been updated to withhold the identity of the teen who now regrets the mischief.)

RELATED: Texas police department has had enough of Whataburger fans stealing table tents

He also doesn't have any shame in taking advantage of the produce section or free samples.

"If they (employees) are okay with it I'll ask if I can have a second or third free sample," he said.

A natural class clown, the teen said the Twitter notifications have been "constant" in the last couple of days. Some of the reactions include people calling the tweet of the half-eaten treat "hilarious," while others reminded the teen he was committing theft.

"Howard E. Butt would not be happy about this," another Twitter take read.

H-E-B spokeswoman Dya Campos said in an email Wednesday the San Antonio-based supermarket chain is not, in fact, giving away free doughnuts.

"It is obviously a joke," Campos said. "Must be a slow news day."

The teen was philosophical about his shopping shenanigans, and framed his experience in a wider perspective.

"There's always a reason to go to H-E-B and adding one little snack on my shopping journey doesn't hurt much," he said. "I know it's wrong, but hey I'm not the only one."

mmendoza@mysa.com

Twitter: @MaddySkye
Disneyland is pegged as the place "Where Dreams Come True," but that magical land seems like its actually a short drive north of Anaheim, in Rosemead, California.

Rose City Pizza, a San Gabriel Valley restaurant owned by brother-sister duo Brian and Catherine Nittayo, takes the top spot with their out-of-the-box toppings. The restaurant makes pizzas topped with elote, Hot Cheetos, al pastor and other pairings worthy of San Antonio taste buds.
DANBURY - Mayor Mark Boughtons proposed budget for next year reflects a deep concern with what he calls Connecticuts fiscal meltdown.

Hartfords budget crisis, which the long-term GOP mayor said could involve a $5 billion deficit over the next two years, means Danbury isnt counting on state help when the new budget year begins in July.

In response, Boughton proposed a $250 million budget for 2017-18 that holds the line on most department spending, freezes raises for non-negotiated salaries and defers new hires.

The city budget also respects the state spending cap, set to go into effect in the next budget year, restricting municipalities from increasing spending from one budget to the next by more than 2.5 percent.

The proposed budget carries a modest tax rate increase of 0.27 percent.

Boughton, a likely GOP candidate for governor in 2018, said the city is betting that one of Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloys deficit-closing proposals will not be adopted by the state legislature.

We are going to assume that the most controversial parts of the governors budget, requiring us to pay $7 million to the state teachers retirement fund ... as well as applying the property tax to Danbury Hospital, will not happen, Boughton said this week during a budget address at City Hall.

Boughton was referring to a Malloy proposal to raise $200 million for next years budget by giving Connecticut cities and towns the power to tax hospital properties that are now exempt.

More Information 2017-18 proposed budget: $250 million Spending increase over current budget: 2.5 percent Tax rate increase 0.27 percent Highlights: No raises, no new hires Public hearing: April 17 See More Collapse

Malloys proposal would also shift $400 million in teacher pension costs to cities and towns. Malloy said the $200 million in new property taxes on hospitals would be offset with $250 million in new grants to hospitals.

Danburians will have a chance to question the mayors proposed budget during an April 17 public hearing.

With the exception of education spending, the philosophy of this spending plan is to cut first and look at revenue second, Boughton said during a Tuesday night budget presentation to the City Council. We have embarked on a new government that is leaner and more efficient.

Under the spending proposal, property owners would pay $28.95 per $1,000 of assessed property value. A homeowner with a house assessed at $270,000 would pay $7,816 in taxes next year, or about $70 more than this year.

One department that would see a budget increase is the citys school system - which would see an increase of 2.25 percent, to $128.6 million.

The budget carries with it a $10 million capital spending plan that includes:

Construction of two outdoor basketball courts.

Expansion of the Danbury Library parking lot.

A government transparency initiative to make city government information quickly accsessible online.
H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media

BROOKFIELD - The Brookfield Craft Center will host an opening reception Saturday for its latest exhibit, featuring the work of a mid-century artist.

The exhibit will display the pieces of Hilda Kraus, a postwar craftsman known as a leader in enameling, jewelery design and metalwork.
/ H. John Voorhees III

U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty wants to help more family members care for veterans, with legislation to extend a federal program to more service people.

Esty and fellow congress member Ryan Costello of Pennsylvania have introduced legislation to expand the current Veterans Affairs Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers to veterans of all service eras, according to a release.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

GREENWICH  Nearly 150 people were curious enough about plans to change how presidential election votes are counted to devote nearly two hours Tuesday night to the discussion.

The Greenwich League of Women Voters hosted a panel discussion on the pros and cons of the National Popular Vote Compact at the Greenwich Librarys Cole Auditorium, featuring representatives from Common Cause and Ctvoterscount.org, New Yorker columnist Hendrik Hertzberg and historian and author Mark Albertson.

It was moderated by Victoria Bassetti of the Brennan Center for Justice.

Frankly this is something that makes sense for all the states, said Pam Wilmot, a member of Common Cause, who had pushed for Massachusetts to be a part of the compact.

It particularly makes sense for states like Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, Texas, Idaho and Oklahoma because they are all part of the three-fourths of states that are ignored in the current system. The current system doesnt help small states. It doesnt help big states. It helps battleground states.

Countered Luther Weeks of the grassroots Ctvoterscount.org, which describes itself as dedicated to election fairness and integrity: I understand the theoretical advantages of the popular vote, but there is a mismatch with the electoral college system and one the compact does not change. There are things like nuclear power and DDT and fracking that all sound good but have unintended consequences that might not be apparent at the beginning.

The compact, crafted more than a decade ago, has been picking up political backing since Novembers election of President Donald Trump. Despite losing the popular election by more than 3 million votes, Trump won the electoral college and the presidency.

Its bipartisan support includes former Democratic Vice President Al Gore, who famously lost the 2000 race despite winning the popular vote; former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Republican Congressman and Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr.

The compact does not abolish the Electoral College, but does mandate that the winner of the popular vote receive the votes of all the states in the compact, no matter if that candidate won the state or not.

The state legislature is considering whether to allow Connecticut to join the Compact, which already has signed on New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Hawaii and Illinois, among other states.

It has only limited support from Greenwichs legislative delegation. State Sen. L. Scott Frantz (R-36th) and State Reps. Michael Bocchino (R-150th) and Fred Camillo (R-151st) have stated their opposition. State Rep. Livvy Floren (R-149th) said she wanted to see the final language before making any decisions on a vote.

The compact would go into effect once the Electoral College votes of the states that are a part of it reach 270, the total needed to win the presidency.

Making the change, Wilmot said, would expand the influence of states now considered in one or another political party and therefore mostly ignored during presidential elections while candidates concentrate on swing states: Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

We dont really have an election that really involves us all and, as a result, people in my state of Massachusetts and you here in Connecticut, when want to get involved in the presidential race, have to get on buses to New Hampshire or they go to Ohio or Pennsylvania, Wilmot said. We dont have candidates that campaign here.

Compact supporter Hertzberg called the compact a democratic plot ... with the small D.

Its such a good idea, he said. Its even a better idea than having this as a constitutional amendment. The whole idea of having a national popular vote is that we are a republic not a democracy, which is what the framers said.

Weeks said he believed the compact would do more harm than good and was more complicated than its supporters have explained.

The compact would cobble together the popular vote on an already flawed system which would magnify the risks, particularly for recounts. A close election, he said, would leave states confused and could lead to allegations and lawsuits.

But most of all, he said, the compact would not solve voting inequities that already exist in the system, from turnout to fraud to voter disenfranchisement.

Hertzberg claimed any technical issues with the compact could also be applied in equal or greater force to the current electoral college system.

The panel discussion was co-sponsored by the League, Common Cause Connecticut, Ctvoterscount.org, National Popular Vote Connecticut and Greenwich Library.

The national League of Women Voters support a popular vote compact, said Deirdre Kamlani, a member of the League of Women Voters of Greenwichs board and program committee.

The national League has been in favor of the direct election of the president by popular vote for nearly 50 years and our state league supports the compact, Kamlani said.

Several members of the audience questioned how effective the compact would be if money, influence and gerrymandering were not addressed first.

A compact dealing with the popular vote will not remove the influence of swing states, audience member Steve Klausner said. California is mostly Democratic, New York is mostly Democratic and Connecticut is mostly Democratic. It still means the parties are going to go and spend their money where it is a 50/50 proposition and that will be the swing states that will swing the popular vote.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Troy

Doubling the size of a National Historic Site doesn't happen often, but there's a chance a foreclosure auction may help the Kate Mullany National Historic Site at 350 Eighth St. pull it off.

Mullany was an Irish immigrant who in 1864 organized 300 women to form the Collar Laundry Union, the country's first all-female labor union. She lived in 350 Eighth St. while making labor and women's history.

The Mullany family built the duplex at 350 and 352 Eighth St. in 1869. Title to the twin buildings separated sometime in the 20th century.

A foreclosure auction for 352 Eighth St. on Tuesday morning at the Rensselaer County Courthouse has inspired local historians to start the reunification of the two three-story brick buildings in the North Central neighborhood.

But it's going to take luck, generosity and money for the American Labor Studies Center to gain ownership of the vacant three-apartment building linking it back with the Kate Mullany House.

Without any money to jump into the brief foreclosure auction, P. Thomas Carroll, an American Labor Studies Center board member, watched as a representative of Nationstar Mortgage LLC, which held the mortgage, placed the only bid at $62,800 and took title to the building.

The rental property was foreclosed on last year after absentee landlord Marilene Evans of North Hollywood, Calif., didn't pay the mortgage. She bought the building in 2005 for $106,000 and had a mortgage of $84,800, according to records filed in the Rensselaer County clerk's office.

"This may be a moment when there's an opportunity for this situation to move on to the next level," Carroll said.

"It would be wonderful if it could be arranged for the American Labor Studies Center to own it," said Carroll, who previously was the Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway's director and is a historian of the Capital Region's industrial and scientific past.

The federal law establishing the Kate Mullany National Historic Site at 350 Eighth St. has a provision to automatically add 352 Eighth St. to the site if ALSC gains ownership.

"There are 91 National Historic Sites in the U.S. This is the only one that has extensive ties with labor, women and immigrants. This is a unique property in the National Parks system," said Paul Cole, the ALSC's executive director.

"The ultimate goal would be for us to purchase the property and restore the three apartments to what they were in 1869," Cole said.

The labor center learned of the auction Monday. Board members have begun seeking ways to gain title to the 2,178-square-foot building.

Getting 352 Eighth St. would require raising money to buy the building, getting it donated or acquiring through another agency.

Carroll spoke with Joe Fama, executive director of the Troy Community Land Bank, after the auction. The land bank purchases and accepts donations of buildings in the North Central neighborhood in an effort to encourage redevelopment.

"It's something we're interested in. We have to figure out what level of help we can provide," Fama said.

Cole estimated it would take up to $750,000 to restore 352 Eighth St. to its 19th-century condition. He said about that much has been spent on restoring the Kate Mullany House.

The center is completing work on the Kate Mullany House restoration with a $239,000 state grant and $60,000 in matching funds that it's contributed with the help of local construction unions.

kcrowe@timesunion.com  518-454-5084  @KennethCrowe
AUSTIN -- A controversial program that fines Texas drivers would face major reforms or even total elimination under two bills considered at Wednesday's Senate Transportation Committee. The Driver Responsibility Program was created in 2003 as a way to cover part of a budget shortfall that year, but critics say it's putting a massive financial burden on Texas drivers.

The program assigns "points" to drivers based on the number of traffic violations, which stay with the driver for two to three years, depending on the severity of the offense. These points accumulate with additional violations and once a person has six points, they have to pay a yearly $100 surcharge, and $25 more for every point above that. It also assesses surcharges upon conviction of some offenses, like an extra $250 fine in the case of a conviction for driving without insurance. "Paying these surcharges along with the litany of other costs can become an impossible task," said Edgewood Sen. Bob Hall, who cited figures stating that 1.2 million Texans have had their license suspended because they can't pay the program's fines.

Though the project is widely derided by the public and elected officials, it provides millions of dollars to support trauma care in the state, $55 million in 2015 alone. The committee considered a proposal to eliminate it entirely, SB 90 by Hall, who says the state needs to find a better way to pay for trauma care. "There is never a right reason to do the wrong thing," he said. "Let's end this program and find a sustainable funding stream for trauma care elsewhere." Sen. Kirk Watson offered a compromise bill, SB 266. His bill would cut in half the fines associated with the program and require that all the revenue earned from the program go into trauma care. "Its just an effort to come to some sort of balance on a bad program," he said. Both bills remain pending.

Also Wednesday, the Transportation Committee heard and passed a series of bills that would put restrictions on a high speed rail project being proposed in the state. A private company is currently planning a privately-funded high speed rail route between Dallas and Houston, but members representing areas in the planned route have serious concerns about the project. They point to a similar project in California they say has vastly overrun projected costs and worry that the state will be on the hook if the project fails. "Many of my constituents are concerned that if the private entity fails in its ambitious undertaking, taxpayers would be left with an incomplete or failed high speed rail project potentially requiring an infusion of state dollars to be either complete the project or return the land to its original condition," said Georgetown Sen. Charles Schwertner, whose Senate District 5 spans part of the possible high speed rail route.

Schwertner offered a suite of bills intended to protect taxpayers from supporting or bailing out the project should it fail. One, SB 977, prohibits the use of state funds to support the project other than as required under current law. Another, SB 979, would require any land taken through eminent domain for high speed rail be used for high speed rail or offered back to the land owner. A third, SB 980, would say that if the state does have to bail out the project, then the state becomes the primary creditor and must be paid back before anyone else.

Sen. Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham proposed a bill, SB 981, to require the project to be usable by multiple types of train engine. She says the current proposal will only work with one kind of train and one kind of rail, and would create a monopoly for the operator. Finally, Sen. Brian Birdwell put forward a bill that would require a company operating a high speed rail project to ensure a high level of safety and security for passengers and communities on the route and reimburse communities for the use of police officers for any security purposes.

The Senate will reconvene Thursday, April 6 at 10 am.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Jay R. Jordan/The Courier of Montgomery County Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Jay R. Jordan/The Courier of Montgomery County Show More Show Less 3 of 3





HOUSTON  A pair of males reportedly botched a smash-and-grab at the Love's Travel Stop in Willis early Wednesday then led Montgomery County Sheriff's deputies on a chase into Houston.

Two males were seen around 4 a.m. at the truck stop in the 9600 block of Longstreet ramming a pickup truck into the doors of the business but failed to break through. The truck then drove toward Interstate 45 North, heading south toward Houston. Deputies spotted the suspect vehicle while it was still southbound in Montgomery County. As it approached The Woodlands, the passenger of the vehicle hopped out near Texas 242 as the driver stayed in the truck and sped off. The passenger is still on the loose.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The Houston City Council member who - as a bail bondsman - found himself in the middle of an alleged murder-for-hire plot involving a prominent Montrose veterinarian and her boyfriend said Wednesday that he fears for his family's safety.

Michael Kubosh, who operates a well-known bail bond business, said he called police about a possible scheme that turned out to be the alleged plot involving 39-year-old Leon Phillip Jacob and vet Valerie Busick McDaniel.

FOLLOW UP: Houston Councilman Kubosh to answer questions about murder for hire case

Both were arrested last month on charges of solicitation of capital murder. McDaniel killed herself a week after the arrest. Jacob remains in the Harris County jail without bail.

Kubosh, who supplied the bail bond for a previous stalking charge for Jacob, told police in February that he was troubled by things Jacob said about the case.

On Wednesday, Kubosh and his brotherwho is the family attorneyheld a press conference at their downtown offices about the incident because his name was revealed in a hearing last week.

"We're very upset, as a family, that Mike was exposed," said Paul Kubosh. "We have seen the DA's office and the police take better care of drug dealers who are confidential informants. They keep their identities secret and there was no attempt to keep Michael Kubosh's identity secret at all."

UNLIKELY SOURCE: Houston councilman Kubosh alerted police to murder-for-hire plot

Michael Kubosh, a 66-year-old grandfather who employs several family members at the business, said his family members, including his adult daughter and son, are worried about what could happen.

"My daughter is here, she's very concerned not only about my safety, but about the safety of my family," he said.

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg's office responded to the complaints.

"We appreciate Councilman Kubosh coming forward as his action certainly helped save two lives," according to a statement released by the office. "If we ever feel that any witness' life is in danger, we take that threat seriously and we take appropriate action immediately."

Kubosh, who has been a councilman since 2013, became alarmed after his conversations with Jacob and contacted Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo directly.

Kubosh said Jacob hired him to write a bond after he was arrested for stalking. Kubosh said Jacob met with him and demanded the phone number for another client named Zack.

"He said, 'You know who Zack is. I want his number. I've already paid him to take care of this matter. I want this girl out of the picture. I don't want her to testify against me," Kubosh said of his "troubling" meeting with Jacob.

INSIGHT: Montrose veterinarian shared her story with TV station moments before killing herself

"I've been in business over 20 years," Kubosh said. "I knew this was serious by the way he talked to me and the way he acted."

An hour later, Kubosh had called police and told them of the incident. He did not know who Zack was but after police investigated, Kubosh found out he had written a bond for Zack under his real name. That man has not been charged.

Police convinced him to introduce Jacob to an undercover police officer posing as a hitman.

After staging crime scene photos to make it look like Jacob's ex-girlfriend and McDaniel's ex-husband had been killed, Jacob and McDaniel paid the undercover officer $20,000 and two Cartier watches. After they paid the supposed hitman, they were arrested.

If convicted, Jacob faces the possibility of life in prison.

brian.rogers@chron.com

twitter.com/brianjrogers
Donna Kreuzer, board member with Pregnancy and Postpartum Health Alliance of Texas, stood in front of the House Committee on Public Health to share the tragic story of her daughter who died of postpartum depression. In tears, Kreuzer urged lawmakers to support a bill that would help women get diagnosed before its too late.

My daughter did not survive postpartum depression and I dont want that to happen to anybody else, Kreuzer said Tuesday. Each of you please realize that (it) is real. It needs to be addressed as quickly as possible.

The committee heard three bills that aim to increase access to screening and treatment for postpartum depression. This mental illness, advocates said, is among the reasons of a recent spike in pregnancy-related deaths among Texan mothers.

According to a report by the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force, an agency under the Department of State Health Services, 189 mothers died less than a year after giving birth in 2011-2012, and suicide and substance abuse due to mental illness were two of the main contributors. According to research published in the August issue of the medical journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Texas maternal mortality rate has doubled since 2011.

One of the bills, HB 2466, authored by state Rep. Sarah Davis, R-Houston, would provide mothers with the option to be screened and referred for treatment for maternal depression during their babys well-check visit with a pediatrician or other primary care provider. This would be covered through the babys Medicaid or Childrens Health Insurance Program plan for up to one year after the babys birth.

Postpartum depression is not just about being overwhelmed or having a little anxiety. It is identified as one of the top killers of women in this state, Davis said to committee members.

In Texas, women are usually screened after the birth of their child by their primary care doctor or by their OB/GYN. But part of the problem, advocates said, is that moms under Medicaid lose their benefits 60 days after delivery, and postpartum depression can be triggered three weeks to one year after having a baby.

According to a report released Monday by Texans Care for Children, a non-profit childrens policy organization, half of all cases of postpartum depression go undetected and undiagnosed. Children are more likely to experience developmental delays and a higher chance of experiencing depression later in childhood and adolescence, the study said.

Since pediatricians and other primary care providers frequently interact with mothers during a childs first year of life, Davis said pediatricians should be able to conduct the screening and bill the insurance company.

Besides Davis bill, the committee also heard HB 2135, authored by state Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, which would provide screening and treatment coverage to a mom through the babys CHIP insurance program up to a year after birth.

HB 2604, authored by state Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, would require the Health and Human Services Commission to develop a strategic 5-year plan to improve access to postpartum depression screening, referral, treatment and support services.

Adriana Kohler, a senior health policy associate at Texans Care for Children, said that without early detection, women are four times more likely to use the emergency room and that untreated postpartum depression among moms incurs 90 percent higher health costs compared to non-depressed mothers.

All three bills were left pending in committee.

elutz@express-news.net

@elenamejialutz
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Numerous Bexar County residents testified at the state capital Wednesday in favor of proposed legislation that would significantly curtail cities ability to annex unincorporated areas, while city and military officials gave the opposing view.

Had there been a requirement 50 years ago that people vote before the city could annex them, as this bill would require, the City of San Antonio would likely be no larger than our in- ner Loop 410, said Councilman Joe Krier, testifying against the proposal before the House Land and Resource Management Committee. We would not have companies like USAA, Toyota and Valero in our city limits.

I know annexations are not popular, but allowing a relatively small number of affected citizens to decide whether or not the city grows would be putting their interests ahead of those of the entire region, Krier said.

But residents in areas targeted for annexation say the small number is actually the group of city leaders who want to decide the fate of hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of others not living under city authority.

Many who live in Alamo Ranch, for example, a large master-planned community in far west Bexar County that San Antonio is considering annexing, have spoken out loudly against the plan.

This action was taken by a small group of people that dont represent me, said Mike Stewart, who lives off I-10 West in an area San Antonio plans to annex, testifying before the Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations. This is just plain inconsistent with our representative form of government.

Alamo Ranch resident Clay Hadick said San Antonio officials may say annexation is about controlling development but he believes the actions are obviously about money, calling areas like Alamo Ranch a cash cow for cities. Residents want the right to vote and argued they will get insufficient services if brought into the city and then have to pay more taxes to boot.

Several annexation bills are being floated in the Texas Senate and House. State Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, has proposed SB 715, calling it the Texas Annexation Reform Act. It would allow residents to vote on whether they want to be an- nexed by a city like San Antonio.

Its been two decades since annexation has been addressed in a very comprehensive way, and during that time the need for reform has become apparent with the public outcry against annexation, Campbell said at the Wednesday hearing on her bill where Stewart and Hadick testified.

She called the annexation process cumbersome, fiscally wasteful and an attempt by cities to boost their tax base by adding property-tax-rich areas while bypassing poorer areas in desperate need of city services.

Campbells bill would allow cities to annex unincorporated areas with populations greater than 200 people only if the majority of residents support the measure; the bill includes an additional stipulation that if the registered voters dont own more than 50 percent of land in the area, the city must get a petition signed by more than 50 percent of property owners before annexation can occur.

Campbell pursued a similar bill during the 2015 legislative session; it passed the Senate but, like several other annexation bills two years ago, failed to make it out of session.

Jeff Coyle, director of government and public affairs for San Antonio, told the Senate committee that if an election is necessary before annexation, city residents also should be able to vote because those who are bearing the tax burden have a vested interest in the outcome.

Campbell wasnt receptive to that idea.

The people that are going to be affected are the ones who need to have the vote (about) whether they want to be grabbed, Campbell said.

In the end, the committee approved Campbells bill, 5-2, with Sens. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, and Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, voting against. The measure now goes to the full Senate for consideration.

Meanwhile, over in the House, its Land and Resource Management Committee heard several bills aimed at limiting cities ability to annex, including one filed by state Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio. That hearing was still going on late Wednesday.

At the House hearing, as in the Senate, San Antonio officials argued that those who live in areas to be annexed often work in San Antonio and are sure to be using its streets, libraries and parks. They say that annexation is a tool that helps enhance the quality of life for the entire region.

Military leaders with Joint Base San Antonio have spoken in favor of annexation, arguing it protects the bases and their missions from encroaching development. A case in point is Camp Bullis that needs to keep light pollution around the facility to a minimum so night training missions can continue there.

Brig. Gen. Heather Pringle, Joint Base San Antonio commander, submitted a letter read at the Senate hearing that said the proposed bills will make it more difficult for us to work with local officials in promoting compatible land use within our community.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

County officials moved ahead with plans to redevelop the citys old Hot Wells Resort, just days after negotiations looked close to being abandoned.

In Tuesdays Commissioners Court meeting, officials approved a deed that would hold the county responsible for environmental clean-up and constructing an entrance to the site over railroad tracks, two issues that nearly stalled negotiations between local builder James Lifshutz and the county.

Lifshutz now has until April 13 to agree to the terms of the deed, otherwise the offer will be terminated. He plans to build single-family homes and an ice house on the land. The deed calls for Lifshutz to donate close to four acres to the county for a park.

Now its in his court, said Nelson Wolff, Bexar County Judge. Well live with it either way.

Lifshutz didnt respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Wolff cited a few major obstacles that made development on the once-lavish resort famous for its sulfuric hot springs and ostrich farm more complicated than the court initially thought.

We may have never gotten into this thing had we known itd be this difficult, Wolff said, adding that the court has been in talks regarding this property for about three years.

Along with unexpected lead contamination in the soil, the abandoned site is adjacent to a Union Pacific railroad track and had a $344,000 lien from the Edwards Aquifer Authority to cover the cost of plugging up a water well on the site. According to the deed, the county will pay for the lien in proportion to the number of acres it owns and county officials agreed to pay for environmental clean up to qualify for a $1 million grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife to develop the park.

Meanwhile, commissioners also approved $32 million Tuesday to build its own Central Magistrate to handle prisoner intake within the countys jail expansion project.

The county and city halted talks after the two groups disagreed on procedures for the new facility. The city currently runs the Central Magistrate off South Frio Street.

Mike Lozito, director of Judicial Services with the county, said the city and county ultimately had different purposes. While the county wants to move a person through the intake system more efficiently, incorporating access to mental health providers or substance abuse counselors, a police officers priority will be to bring a person in for booking and get back out on the street as soon as possible, Lozito said.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said in a statement the countys plan is not viable for SAPD because it does not handle all classification of arrestees and would potentially require police officers to spend more time processing prisoners, which has a direct impact on our ability to get officers back out in the street patrolling our neighborhoods. We intend to continue working with the County to find an agreeable solution in the best interest of public safety.

Tony Fabelo, director of research at the Justice Center, described the citys current magistrate facility as not a place humans should be locked up.

The place is a dungeon, he said. He said the plans for a 512-bed facility with close proximity to medical and mental health services and an open floor plan is a good decision moving forward as the local population continues to grow.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Two women are facing charges in the death of a 2-year-old girl who police said appeared to have been physically abused for some time before her arrival Saturday night at a local hospital.

Shari Anniquia De Mar Tricea Newman, 22, was arrested Wednesday on a capital murder charge three days after her daughter Alaina Beauford-Rosebur arrived dead at Methodist Children's Hospital, San Antonio Police Department spokesman Sgt. Jesse Salame said.

When the officer got there, he noticed there was some bruising on the kids body and called for homicide (detectives), Salame said. There was lots of bruising all over the body  head, face, back.

Newmans girlfriend, Letica Young, 31, was arrested Tuesday night, Salame said. Young also faces a capital murder charge.

During interviews with detectives, the couple said Alaina fell from a motorized scooter, Salame said.

It didnt seem consistent at all with the nature of the injuries, Salame said.

The Bexar County Medical Examiners Office found several injuries in various stages of healing. Alaina had a skull fracture and internal injuries that were consistent with blunt force trauma, Salame said.

After the autopsy, Newman and Young were brought before detectives once more.

They admitted that they had concocted the story about her falling off the scooter, Salame said. They wouldnt admit to what type of abuse was going on.

Investigators found evidence of abuse at the couples apartment in the 8600 block of Fairhaven Street.

Blood on the walls, some impression marks in the walls that looked like somebody had been pushed into the wall along with blood and clumps of hair, Salame said.

Newman kept her head down as she was led by officers to a police vehicle in the San Antonio Public Safety Headquarters.

She was quiet when reporters questioned her about the accusation of abuse.

jbeltran@express-news.net

Twitter: @JBfromSA
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The only bus passenger to live through last week's horrific crash in Uvalde County has been sent to a rehabilitation center, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Rose Mary Harris, 64, was taken to San Antonio Military Medical in critical condition on March 29 after she was involved in a bus crash near Garner State Park that killed the 13 other people on board.

Harris was transferred to New Braunfels Regional Rehabilitation Hospital on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the rehabilitation hospital. She is in "good condition," officials said.

"Her vital signs are stable and within normal limits, and she is conscious and comfortable," reads the statement, issued by Lizbeth Chapa, director of marketing and business development for the hospital.

RELATED: Video: Erratic driver swerves on Texas highway moments before striking church bus, killing 13

"Ms. Harris and her family appreciate the community's love, support and concern for her well-being, but at this time, they would like to focus fully on her recovery," the statement continued. "They ask that you please allow her privacy during her rehabilitation process."

Harris was traveling with a group of choir members from the First Baptist Church in New Braunfels, headed home from a retreat at Alto Frio Baptist Camp and Conference Center in Leakey, about 40 miles north of Uvalde, when the accident occurred.

A 2004 white Dodge dually pickup that crossed the center line of U.S. 83 hit the group's minibus head-on, killing the bus driver and 12 of the 13 passengers.

The driver of the pickup truck, Jack D. Young, also was released from University Hospital on Tuesday, said Sgt. Johnny Hernandez of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Young, 20, does not currently face any criminal charges though the crash remains under investigation, Hernandez said. Neither Young nor his family have returned to their home in Leakey, and the father said earlier this week that he would have no comment.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

More registered sex offenders attend San Antonio College than any other single college campus in the state of Texas, according to records from the Texas Department of Public Safety's sex offender registry pulled April 4.

San Antonio College lands just above Central Texas College in Killeen and the Texas State Technical College in Waco.

Click through the slideshow above for a look at the Texas campuses with the highest number of sex offenders on campus, according to state data.

RELATED: Officials identify Converse couple found dead inside home Monday

The Alamo Community College District educates 45 sex offenders across all of its campuses, with 35 attending SAC and St. Phillip's College combined, state records show.

But Dallas County Community College District has the highest cumulative number of registered sex offenders, with 50 across its seven campuses. In the Austin Community College District, 38 sex offenders are on campus, according to DPS data.

Our Lady of the Lake University and St. Mary's University of San Antonio were the only two universities in the Alamo City devoid of registered sex offenders on campus. Five sex offenders attend classes at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and one is employed by the school.

RELATED: Police searching for hit-and-run driver who struck 20-year-old walking home on West Side

Trinity University and Texas A&M University-San Antonio both have only one registered sex offender on campus, state records show.

Data reviewed by mySA.com shows sex offenders are more commonly found at community colleges than they are at Texas 4-year universities, but that does not mean such schools are free of them. The University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Texas at El Paso both land in the top 10 of statewide campuses.

RELATED: Driver pinned in pickup truck after smashing into utility pole on West Side

Private universities in Texas, such as Baylor, Rice, Texas Christian University and Southern Methodist University, all have zero registered sex offenders on their campuses, according to DPS data.

Sex offenders who are employed, or are a student at a institution of higher education are required to report that fact to the appropriate authority.

Information available in the state sex offender database is based on records gathered from local reporting agencies, including the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the Texas Youth Commission, and the accuracy of these records is contingent upon the registrant's honesty in reporting necessary information.

Errors identified on an offender's record should be reported to the local law enforcement agency with which the individual registered.

Failure to comply with the state's sex offender registration guidelines is a felony offense and a warrant may be issued for their arrest.

cdowns@mysa.com

Twitter: @calebjdowns
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Lobos, the K-9 unit responsible for numerous drug busts in Central Texas, thwarted yet another alleged attempt at smuggling drugs across the state on Monday.

The driver, 41-year-old Linda Montiel, and her passenger, 24-year-old Pablo Ruiz, both of Laredo, were arrested on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance.

RELATED: Texas K-9's impressive drug busts have made him a 'local celebrity'

Lobos and his handler, Sgt. Randy Thumann of the Fayette County Sheriffs Office Narcotics Canine Unit, conducted a traffic stop at about 1:40 p.m. Monday on a Chevrolet Impala on Interstate 10 at Mile Marker 658 for a traffic violation.

While speaking with the driver and passenger, Thumann identified discrepancies in the pair's travel plans. He believed the two may be transporting illegal narcotics from Laredo to Houston, a news release said Monday.

The occupants gave Thumann consent to search the vehicle, and he deployed Lobos, a Belgian Malinois drug-sniffing K-9, to sweep the vehicles exterior. Lobos was not initially able to determine where the drug scent was coming from, according to the release.

RELATED: 450 pounds of marijuana found behind trap door in Texas teen's fuel tank on I-10

But Lobos and the sergeant ultimately found 5.4 pounds of cocaine, valued at about $245,000, taped to the female drivers body, according to the sheriff's office.

The two suspects were transported to the Dan R. Beck Justice Center for booking.

Thumann and his K-9 partner have been working for the Fayette County Sheriffs Offices narcotics unit for at least six years, according to previous reports.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

twhite@mysa.com

Twitter: @tylerlwhite
A 33-year-old woman was held in Hale County jail Wednesday on two bonds totaling $1,700 on charges of no drivers license and possession of marijuana under 2 oz. A 50-year-old woman also was held in Hale County jail on $200 bond for public intoxication. The two were arrested about 11:45 p.m. Tuesday in the 1200 block of Joliet.

--A 26-year-old man was held in Hale County jail Wednesday on $1,500 bond for driving while license invalid with previous conviction and without proof of financial responsibility. He was arrested about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday in the 1200 block of West Seventh.

--A 37-year-old man was held in Hale County jail Wednesday on $200 bond for public intoxication. He was arrested about noon Tuesday in the 700 block of Denver.

--A 29-year-old man was held in Hale County jail on three bonds totaling $1,900 for no drivers license, failure to maintain financial responsibility and possession of marijuana under 2 oz. He was arrested about 8 p.m. Tuesday in the 800 block of North Columbia following a traffic stop.

--An unknown person vandalized property in the 2600 block of West 20th sometime Tuesday. Damage was estimated between $100 and $750.

--An assault by threat reportedly occurred about 2 a.m. Tuesday in the 1600 block of North Date.

--A 34-year-old woman was held in Hale County jail Wednesday on charges of criminal trespass ($1,500 bond) and theft of property under $1,500 with two or more previous convictions (no bond). She was arrested about 9 a.m. Tuesday in the 2400 block of North Columbia in connection with a shoplifting incident.

--An assault causing bodily injury reportedly occurred about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 200 block of Bryan.

--A 37-year-old man was held in Hale County jail Wednesday without bond after being arrested about 7:35 p.m. Tuesday in the 2000 block of South Broadway on outstanding Justice of the Peace warrants for public intoxication (fine $355) and failure to appear (fine $350).

--A 32-year-old woman was held in Hale County jail Wednesday on two bonds totaling $400, for outstanding municipal warrants for possession of drug paraphernalia (fine $642.22) and failure to appear (fine $305.18). She was arrested about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday in the 2200 block of Houston following a traffic stop.

(Anyone with information on crime in Plainview and Hale County may contact the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 293-8477 or 293-TIPS.)
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

WASHINGTON  The White House took credit Wednesday for a sharp drop in the number of people arrested trying to cross the Southwest border illegally since President Donald Trump took office.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials reported 16,600 individuals were apprehended or deemed inadmissible in March. That was a 35 percent decrease from February, and a 61 percent decrease from January.
Connecticuts leadership has an unfortunate broken relationship with the nonprofit hospitals that perform vital services to the public.

Perennially short of money, the state has unfairly eyed most of the 28 hospitals as cash cows to be taxed and taxed again. What a misguided shame.

Hospitals not only provide critical care to all, regardless of ability to pay, but also are generally among the largest employers in a community. Unlike corporations, they cannot relocate to a friendlier state.

Fractures started in the relationship between the administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the hospitals several years ago. In 2012 the state began taxing hospitals revenue in order to qualify for Medicaid reimbursement from the federal government under the Affordable Care Act. The idea was to return the money to the hospitals  and that went well for about a year.

Then as the state increasingly needed to make far-apart ends meet, it returned less and less to the hospitals. This fiscal year, for example, hospitals will pay an estimated $556 million in taxes on revenues, but get only $117 million returned.

Any shreds of trust that might have been left disintegrated when Malloy proposed in February that nonprofit hospitals be stripped of their property tax-exempt status so local municipalities could levy taxes on them. It was seen as relief for the municipalities, which would be reeling from the sudden 30 percent contribution to teachers pensions proposed by Malloy. Everything is connected.

The cities and towns dont want to pick up the pension tab, and the hospitals dont want another tax, which would amount to about $212.2 million in the first year. Not all hospitals would pay a property tax  the University of Connecticut John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington would remain exempt, as it is state owned.

House Majority Leader Matthew Ritter, speaking in Danbury on Wednesday, pledged there is no support in the General Assembly for removing the hospitals property tax exemption. He acknowledged that trust has to be restored. That is a good start.

But politicians also need to get to the root of the fractured relationship. The Malloy administration had reasoned, as it began siphoning hospital revenue, that hospital executives salaries were too high. Yet when the state gave Bridgewater Associates, the worlds largest hedge fund, $22 million in incentives to stay in Westport, no one in the administration questioned the CEOs $1.4 billion salary. The argument is hollow.

Hospitals are an integral part of the states economy. As state Comptroller Kevin Lembo told the Hearst Connecticut Media Editorial Board recently, they are not the bad guys.

Hospitals are in the unique position to affect most everyones quality of life, from first breath to last. Drastic cuts to their revenue affect their ability to deliver services and maintain adequate workforce levels. With the health care climate and commitment to Medicaid uncertain in Washington, the state should make extra effort to repair its broken relationship with the hospitals for the best interests of all.
No one in the United States knows the perils of an insecure Mexican border better than members of the South Texans Property Rights Association and their neighbors. We live with the ill effects every day, and some of us have even been forced to sell or abandon living on our properties.

We, of all people, desire a quick and definitive fix for our broken border. However, as it is apparently envisioned, The Wall would be nothing but counterproductive in making the border region more secure. Here are 10 specific reasons not to build The Wall:

1. The terrain is not conducive. The Rio Grande watershed in Texas is 50,000 square miles, roughly the size of Alabama. Building a wall around two of the largest lakes in Texas, Falcon Lake and Lake Amistad, and through the massive mountains and canyons of the Big Bend region would require an unfathomable engineering and construction feat that would require constant maintenance.

2. Even if constructed, it wouldnt work. While physical barriers are useful for slowing and redirecting human movement, they never stop it. The Great Wall of China certainly didnt stop Genghis Khan, as evidenced by the millions of people throughout China with his DNA.

3. It would surrender the Rio Grande, not to mention the land between the river and the wall, as a natural barrier. Both the state and the feds have had success deploying boats along the river. More boats would bring more success.

4. It could take forever. Besides design and construction time, private landowners along the river would rightfully advocate for adequate compensation in the court system for land that is taken from them. That process would take years.

5. It would consume resources that are needed for Customs and Border Patrol enforcement and support personnel, technology, and equipment, and the Coast Guard, which is already seeing increased activity.

6. It would consume resources that are needed for detention facilities and the justice system.

7. It would diminish trade with Mexico, our third largest trading partner, and consume resources that could be used to improve and better secure our ports of entry.

8. It would consume resources that could be used for interior domestic drug enforcement and treatment.

9. It would consume resources that could be used to address the need for an enhanced legal workforce in many sectors of our economy.

10. It would consume resources that could be used to address the root causes of people fleeing their living conditions in Central America.

In short, spending precious taxpayer dollars on building a monolithic physical barrier along the Rio Grande in Texas would be a gross misappropriation of funds. Such expenditures would fail to address root issues and would ultimately lead to a less secure border, both now and in the future.

Susan Kibbe is executive director of the South Texans Property Rights Association, a diverse organization of landowners and managers who represent over five million acres of land in the region.
West Virginia went overwhelmingly for Donald Trump in November  in fact, he beat Hillary Clinton by almost a 3-to-1 majority. And it may seem obvious why: The state is the heart of coal country, and Trump promised to bring coal jobs back by eliminating Obama-era environmental regulations. So at first glance the 2016 election looks like a political realignment reflecting differences in regional interests.

But that simple story breaks down when you look at the realities of the situation  and not just because environmentalism is a minor factor in coals decline. For coal country isnt really coal country anymore and hasnt been for a long time.

Why does an industry that is no longer a major employer even in West Virginia retain such a hold on the regions imagination and lead its residents to vote overwhelmingly against their own interests?

Coal powered the Industrial Revolution, and once upon a time it did indeed employ a lot of people. But the number of miners began a steep decline after World War II, and especially after 1980, even though coal production continued to rise. This was mainly because modern extraction techniques  like blowing the tops off mountains  require far less labor than old-fashioned pick-and-shovel mining. The decline accelerated about a decade ago as the rise of fracking led to competition from cheap natural gas.

Even in West Virginia, the most coal-oriented state, it has been a quarter century since they accounted for as much as 5 percent of total employment.

What, then, do West Virginians actually do for a living these days? Well, many of them work in health care: Almost 1 in 6 workers is employed in the category health care and social assistance.

Oh, and where does the money for those health care jobs come from? Actually, a lot of it comes from Washington.

West Virginia has a relatively old population, so 22 percent of its residents are on Medicare, versus 16.7 percent for the nation as a whole. Its also a state that has benefited hugely from Obamacare, with the percentage of the population lacking health insurance falling from 14 percent in 2013 to 6 percent in 2015; these gains came mainly from a big expansion of Medicaid.

Its true that the nation as a whole pays for these health care programs with taxes. But an older, poorer state like West Virginia receives much more than it pays in  and it would have received virtually none of the tax cuts Trumpcare would have lavished on the wealthy.

Now think about what Trumpism means for a state like this. Killing environmental rules might bring back a few mining jobs, but not many, and mining isnt really central to the economy in any case. Meanwhile, the Trump administration and its allies just tried to replace the Affordable Care Act.

And aside from the devastating effect on coverage, think about how the Republican assault on Obamacare would have affected the health sector that now employs so many West Virginians. Its almost certain that the job losses from Trumpcare cuts would have greatly exceeded any possible gains in coal.

Coal country residents werent voting to preserve what they have, or had until recently; they were voting on behalf of a story their region tells about itself, a story that hasnt been true for a generation or more.

Their Trump votes werent even about the regions interests; they were about cultural symbolism.

Now, regional cultures that invoke a long-gone past are hardly unique to Appalachia; think of Texans wearing 10-gallon hats and cowboy boots as they stroll through air-conditioned malls.

But when it comes to energy and environmental policy, were not talking about mere cultural affectations. Going backward on the environment will sicken and kill thousands in the near future; over the longer term, failing to act on climate change could, all too plausibly, lead to civilizational collapse.

So its incredible, and terrifying, to think that we may really be about to do all of that because Donald Trump successfully pandered to cultural nostalgia.

Paul Krugman writes a column for the New York Times.
The video is jarring.

A large white truck swerving back and forth across the highway for miles at speeds as high as 80 mph. As the road snakes and curves, the truck repeatedly swerves across the center line and shoulder. One close call after another follows. Near misses with oncoming traffic. A close brush with a parked dump truck on the side of the road.

Then, tragically, 13 members of First Baptist Church in New Braunfels returning home from a retreat in Leakey are killed in a head-on crash. Their deaths have left a community in disarray, as people search for answers where none exists.

While the official investigation unfolds  cause unknown  witnesses have said the driver of the truck, Jack D. Young, who slammed into the church van heading the opposite direction, admitted to texting while behind the wheel.

I told him, Son, do you know what you just did, recalled Jody Kuchler, who had been following the truck and repeatedly called law enforcement about the erratic driving. He just kept saying, Im sorry. Im sorry.

Young, 20, survived the accident and was airlifted to University Hospital.

Would a statewide texting ban have saved these lives? Well never know. Partly because officials havent determined the cause of the accident. Partly because a ban wont stop everyone from texting while driving.

But a ban would provide some much-needed muscle  a statement from the highest levels of state government that driving while fidgeting with a cellphone is a dangerous act.

In that regard, may state Rep. Tom Craddicks fourth attempt to pass a state ban on texting while driving succeed. More than 100 municipalities, including San Antonio, have ordinances banning the use of hand-held devices while driving, but this is an issue where patchwork regulation is not good enough.

State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, is carrying the companion bill. This is her fifth time filing such legislation.

Far too often, we see drivers moving at high speeds while looking at their cellphones. Not only is it a dangerous act, but its also an incredibly selfish one. Common sense would dictate that driving while using a cellphone is a terrible idea, but clearly not all drivers agree.

State lawmakers should approve the legislation. We all should make a point of putting our phones down when we drive. The emails and text messages can wait.
Soon internet service providers such as Verizon, AT&T and Spectrum will be able to sell your online browsing history and other personal data.

You can thank Republicans in Congress for turning your browsing history into a product for Big Telecom. Republicans in the House and Senate have repealed a recent Federal Communications Commission rule that requires internet service providers to get permission before selling a persons browsing history and other data to marketers and advertisers.

This includes such data as app usage history, location and Social Security numbers. The rule also set higher standards for data protection from hackers.

In addition to repealing the FCC rule, the legislation would prevent the FCC from adopting similar privacy rules in the future. The White House has indicated President Donald J. Trump will sign the legislation.

Those particularly concerned about maintaining privacy may want to consider a home VPN, virtual private network, linking your computer to a server in another country. Most VPN services cost $10 or less per month. They arent perfect in terms of ensuring privacy  nothing is  but they will increase privacy.

Supporters of this legislation have been grasping at straws to defend it as something other than a big giveaway to a powerful special interest group. Supporters have said it will lead to better targeted advertisements for consumers, for example, but that hardly seems worth the loss of privacy. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., preposterously said it will enhance privacy.

Ajit Pai, the FCC chairman, argued the FCCs privacy rule is unfair since websites such as Google and Facebook can collect and sell data. But this overlooks a few key details. First, the FCC only has authority over telecommunications companies, so it couldnt set up similar privacy rules for search engines or social media websites.

Second, consumers at least have options to avoid sites that mine their data. They can choose to use alternatives to Google or Facebook, for example. Or they can clear their web histories and cookies. But most consumers only have one or two internet service providers to choose from, making it difficult to find a company with stronger privacy practices.

Its always been a good rule of thumb to assume you have no privacy on the internet. Unfortunately, repealing this FCC rule simply strengthens that reality.
GREENWICH  A truck driver who knocked out a utility pole, causing a local power outage, fled from the scene and had drugs in his possession when cops caught up with him, according to his arrest report.

A utility pole was knocked down on Edgewood Avenue in central Greenwich Monday afternoon, and a description of the truck that allegedly left the scene was broadcast to police units in the area.
TUSCOLA COUNTY  Incidents law enforcement officers responded to between March 31 and April 4 in Tuscola County by township:

Almer Charter Township

 Burglary/forced entry on 400 block E. Deckerville Road  motorcycle removed without permission.

Arbela Township

 Larceny  items for sale by roadway taken at 6000 block of Birch Run Road.

 Suspicious situation  dead raccoon in a mailbox at 1000 block Baker Drive

Dayton Township

 Car-deer accident at Treasurer Road.

Denmark Township

 False alarm at 9000 block W. Dixon Road.

Fairgrove Township

 Assist EMS at 3000 block of Darbee Road with non-cooperative patient.

Fremont Township

 Investigation of harassment for an ongoing civil dispute at 3000 block Washburn Road.

 Obstruction  vehicle partly on roadway  1000 block Dixon Road.

Indianfields Township

 Obstruction/other on 1000 block Dixon Road, with warrant arrest made.

 Single-vehicle accident on Washburn Road.

 Miscellaneous investigation at 2000 block W. Bliss Road for an Onstar call to locate vehicle (found and cleared).

 Family trouble at 700 block Ann Drive for a verbal family dispute.

 Assist EMS 3205 on Cat Lake Road to help backboard subject and with CPR.

 Welfare check at 2431 S. Hurds Corner Road.

Juniata Township

 Assist Michigan State Police at 3261 Leix Road for a missing person (person found).

 Single vehicle accident on W. Sanilac Road.

 Probation violation on W. Sanilac Road  warrant arrest of subject of a vehicle accident.

Kingston Township

 Suicide call at 000 block Washington Street  pill over dose with subject transported to hospital.

Millington Township

 Car/deer accident at Sheridan Road.

 False alarm at 9000 block of Lane Road.

 Welfare check 9000 block of Sheridan Road.

 Trespassing-other at 10000 block of Sheridan Road (for vehicle parked in driveway that wasn't homeowners). Warnings were given before.

 Be on the lookout for vehicle all over State Road (vehicle eventually located and stopped, and driver was taken home).

Novesta Township

 Assist EMS at 7000 block Shabbona Road for a welfare check with subject transported to hospital.

Tuscola Township

 Assist Genesee County with an attempt to locate in 1000 block Williams St.

 False alarm 1000 block W. Saginaw Road.

Vassar Township

 Attempt to flee and elude police officer on State Road. Motorcycle pursuit for several miles with speeds of 120 miles  pursuit eventually called off.

 Suspicious situation at 5000 block of Caine Road. Civil dispute  checked and cleared.

 Assault and battery at 7000 block of State Road.

Wisner Township

 Welfare check at 9000 block of Willett Road.

Fairgrove Village

 Assault and battery at 1900 block of Main Street.

Gagetown Village

 Larceny from a building at 4000 block of State Street (prescription drugs taken).

Kingston Village

 False alarm at 5000 block of State Street.

Unionville Village

 Larceny at 2000 block of Cass Street (stolen debit card from vehicle).

Millington Village

 Driving while license suspended on State Road.

Reese Village

 Assist Reese Police Department on Washington Street in watching four subjects while search conducted.

Caro City

 Assist Caro Police Department at 300 block of E. Grant Street with possible suicidal subject (a transport to hospital was eventually made).

 Public relation assist at Tuscola County Fairgrounds for Easter egg hunt.

 Assist Tuscola County correction officers at 420 Court Street (helped put inmate in a restraint chair).

 Assist Vassar Police Department on Huron Street with an operating under the influence of drug stop.

 Probation violation arrest at 400 block of Goodrich St.

*Listing includes information from the Michigan State Police and other law enforcement agencies
Walter Mzembi was the last Foreign Affairs minister to serve under former president Robert Mugabe.

Although his tenure was brief, for it was during his stint that the Mugabes regime fell, it was an event-packed period that has not been recorded.

Daily News News Editor Gift Phiri had an opportunity to hear these events from the horses mouth. Below are excerpts of the interview:

Q: Where were you when the military tanks rolled into Harare? What was your reaction?

A: Before I respond to your questions, let me hasten to say the first casualty of conflict is truth. I am hoping this interview can lay to rest the many falsehoods and fake news that have been generated and disseminated around my name and whereabouts in the most recent past, amounting to hate speech! Thank you for the opportunity to set the record straight. Now back to your first question, we were of course in bed at that wee hour but had been kept wide awake by anxiety over the statement by the military and its implications and also queries from the region on what was going on, remember on the night in question

I had missed a flight to South Africa, where I had been granted an appointment with the South African Foreign Affairs minister in Pretoria in the morning of the 15th and later a meeting with President (Jacob) Zuma at 6pm in Cape Town as part of my regional diplomatic tour but also as the ex-presidents special envoy.

I had just completed a similar assignment in Zambia the previous day, where I had met both the Foreign Affairs minister and President Lungu. So my colleagues in the region were equally anxious. As to our reaction as a family, we stayed on, and only moved into a hotel around 6am, as we were now responding to various messages on the insecurity of Cabinet ministers getting to us from various sources.

Q: Some people suggest you took sanctuary in the Cuban Embassy. Is this correct?

A: We never were visited by the military contrary to falsehoods peddled by social media, and some of my colleagues in government who have been authoritatively peddling lies about my whereabouts and supposed fugitive status. I never left Zimbabwe nor sought sanctuary anywhere including the Cuban Embassy as asserted by some. My immigration and passport records can confirm this, including checking with the said embassies that are clearly irritated by these falsehoods. Its just malice!

Q: So where did you go?

A: I went to a hotel, and after two days was back at my residence.

Q: Why do you think you were expelled from Zanu PF?

A: Retaliatory action from my colleagues. Remember we were clearly split into two factions. The one with the upper hand expels the other! Those expelling others had been expelled the previous week or so, some childish game of sorts hence the intervention by the military who are stockholders of this party.

Q: In hindsight do you think you did the right thing ?

A: None of us is more righteous than the other, I hope one day there can be an honest stocktaking of actions, and a genuine attempt to heal the party. We have no other home outside Zanu PF, so expelling individuals is not the solution for a mature party such as Zanu PF. You sit down in the true spirit of Operation Restore Legacy , and examine the conflict points including generational and ideological misunderstandings and mend the fences, not just physically but mentally.

Q: What do you make of the process used to oust the president?

A: It was unfortunate, what started as a struggle within a struggle of a liberation movement was hijacked by civil society and others and we were unable on our own to sort things out without inviting other interests. Now they talk of going for the kill, and here they refer to Zanu PF, we have to pause and sort things on our own going forward, and clearly an eye for an eye left the world blind. This is my cautionary statement to the party.

Q: Do you believe the ex-president was ousted through a coup? Some are calling it a democratic military coup, which seems like an oxymoron.

A: He denied it himself that it was a coup and instructed me in the diplomatic solution I was championing to communicate that to Sadc. Our courts also adjudged that it wasnt a coup. So it wasnt a coup but a military arbitration in a party in which the military are stockholders. Dont look for it anywhere, nor try it elsewhere, you will not find a precedent. It was made in Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans.

Q: You were suspected of being a member of the so-called G40. Is it a correct assertion?

A: No I wasnt a member of G40 as you know it or as its characterised now. I spent my last two years detached from local politics until after the UNWTO General Assembly in Chengndu, China this last September. So my drama in local politics is two months old, with the results you know now.

Q: Do you buy the argument that the ex-first lady had usurped the authority of the ex-president and there were plans afoot to impose a dynasty?

A: That can only be answered by the former president himself.

Q: Have you spoken to the ex-president or former first lady after November the 21st?

A: Yes

Q: Your expulsion also deprived you of a Cabinet post. You have since been replaced by your predecessor who has become your successor. Your comment?

A: No deployment is permanent. The president must be allowed space to choose his own Foreign minister, its his prerogative! And we serve at his pleasure. Its a very sensitive portfolio, requiring absolute trust, and when you are in there you are the last in terms of loyalty to ship out hence my hanging on until D Day. I am sure even the new president respects and admires my loyalty, he needs a lot more principled people around him, thats my prayer.

Q: Would you accept a Cabinet post in President Mnangagwas administration?

A: Am I ready to work and contribute in any capacity including as a private citizen? So the answer is yes, that notwithstanding Zimbabwe needs all hands on the deck private and public and it should not just be about Cabinet posts, there are people who have been contributing to the well being of Zimbabwe beyond measure as Private Citizens, in business, academia, religion etc. There is life beyond these deployments, so I will lend my absolute support regardless of nomination for Cabinet and in whatever role.

Q: You have interacted in Cabinet with the new President, what type of man is he?

A: Pragmatic, shrewd and maybe reserved bordering on aloofness, but he certainly has bottled up ideas and refreshing thoughts that are only coming out now, which is natural for an astute politician who was reserving his best for future use and avoiding policy clashes!

Q: Do you think he will revive this shrinking economy?

A: He will lead the revival of the economy only to the extent that we all support him. He has said all the right things so far and is on track. He is carrying the cross as our leader but he needs all of us to achieve his vision and mission for a prosperous Zimbabwe.

Q: Zanu PF has recalled five MPs. Are you confident of retaining your seat?

A: I am ready to surrender my seat if it unites the party more going forward provided its done procedurally. An election is in the horizon and I am not sure what is served by taking away my seat from the electors in Masvingo South Constituency purely out of a decision of a central committee that may be completely disconnected to grassroots feelings on the same. They just sit here in Harare and decide for the people without consulting them.

Q: You went to the National Assembly on Wednesday, and reports suggest you shook hands with the new First Lady. Why did you do that?

A: She is the first lady of Zimbabwe and the shadow of the president inside the House of Assembly. Secondly, circumstances had not permitted me to pay my respects and courtesies nor attend the inauguration ceremony, so it was the cultural and normal thing to do. I am still on standby to extend my congratulations to the president himself too.

Q: Are you pursuing a future in politics?

A: President Mnangagwa was an avid supporter of my UNWTO Campaign, politics cannot only be constituency representative and/ or Executive deployment, both of which I am reconsidering going forward. I am yet to meet my constituency to sound them out on this, but if its not Zanu PF representation as predicated by my expulsion from the party, its time for a sabbatical. I will lend my support to any Zanu PF cadre nominated by the Party and I hope they can support me in my private life trajectory as well.

Q: There were claims by some war veterans that during the talks between H.E and the generals you acted as the ex-presidents special envoy ostensibly to mobilise regional support for him to dig in. What happened?

A: No, quite to the contrary the traditional itinerary of a new Foreign minister kicks off with regional courtesy calls, starting with Sadc and its dean who happens to be minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane of South Africa, then it follows the hierarchy of the Sadc Troika which was very relevant at the time, Angola as chair, Zambia, vice chair and Tanzania. The special envoy status is a coveted one, because it allows the visiting minister to engage the host president and share his foreign policy thrust at the highest level in addition to any message one may be delivering at the time from the Head of State.

Its time for a political sabbatical, says Mzembi. So you are not privy to the contents of the special message but should be ready to appraise the host president of issues that may be prompted by him during interaction. So my diplomatic tour was overtaken by events and ostensibly even the special messages because I never embarked on the rest of the tour after Zambia.

Q: You visited Zambia during that interregnum, what was the purpose of your visit?

A: Same objectives as alluded to already, but I came back from Zambia on the evening of the 13th of November, and the mix up of my whereabouts kicked off from there, notwithstanding the fact that I attended the Cabinet session of November 14. Even the reassurance message given to President Lungu that all was well was also overtaken by events thereafter.

There was a very naughty string of fake news that sought to bring the integrity of our meeting and President Lungus position on Zimbabwe into disrepute. I am glad he shamed the purveyors of these falsehoods by bringing a high powered delegation of three presidents to the inauguration, two of them past Presidents. It was the highest expression of endorsement of President Mnangagwa seen in Zambia as their son too because of shared family links dating back to the liberation struggle. As vice president, he was recently the guest of honour to the class of 1975 law school celebrations , which he was part of at UNZA.

Q: President Lungu later despatched ex-president Kaunda to Harare to lean on the old man. Were you involved in that shuttle diplomacy?

A: We were pleasantly interrupted from a lengthy conversation with former president Mugabe when President Kaunda telephoned announcing his arrival , and he just exclaimed Oh KK , and indicated he would call me back. Of course, I was constantly in touch with both the Foreign Affairs minister and President Lungu. It was their own decision. On my earlier visit I had sought to see ex-president Kaunda which I have done before regardless of deployment, because he is my mentor having been partly educated in Zambia myself too. In 2015, he was the Guest of Honour at my firstborn son Kombas wedding in Lusaka.

Q: To what extent where you involved in the talks?

A: I was in the loop on the Sadc diplomatic solution, and the point person with regards to communication with ex-president Mugabe and the region, and would consult him frequently on direction and vice versa. This in hindsight seemed disconnected to the local mediation effort. The diplomatic solution to be communicated by presidents Zuma and Lourenco of Angola was to deliver the same outcome as the people have now in President Mnangagwa except that it was a sequential one, starting with our Congress endorsing him for presidency of the party in December, and reappointment to vice president in government and then president Mugabe hand holding him to elections in 2018.

It was a solution in the interest of healing relations between the two of them and inside the party which has been raven by expulsions and counter expulsions. The mediators are presiding over sister liberation movements and had no interest in an implosion of Zanu PF, contrary to the indifference which was coming from civil society and other political parties who were assisting the demise of our party in the name of the Mugabe must go mantra . .There is contagion effect on the Region if one of liberation parties is under siege.

Q: When did you sign off as Foreign minister. There are claims you stood with Mugabe, to the end until he capitulated, why and how?

A: Given the diplomatic networking role not known to many, I am sure you appreciate the need for my professional conduct at the time, and why it was necessary to abstain from processes that were taking place in the party and in Parliament, they would have clearly conflicted my role in this whole saga. I chose to stand on principle and the rest is history. All this coordination and mediation work with Sadc happened from my home office, not the Cuban Embassy or any other country as shared at press conferences by comrades who were trying to cash in on my whereabouts and perceived demise for their own sinister interests.

I played my anticipated diplomatic role diligently to the end and I do not feel it was an exercise in circumventing a peoples will at all. I go honourably with my head high after 10 years of illustrious service and dedication to my country, and president and I have no regrets in being the last man standing. I was observing my oath of loyalty consistent with the seniority of the office I was holding.

Q: Your final word?

A: Hail the new President, His Excellency Cde ED Mnangagwa! It is time to move on for everyone, time for healing, for forgiveness, time to love, to smile, to laugh , time to live. As in 1980, lets turn our swords into ploughshares. Let bygones be bygones!

Breaking News via Email
Government has activated health emergency systems to respond to the Covid-19 variant  B.1.1.529  detected in neighboring countries, South Africa and Botswana.

The variant described as, the worst one weve seen so far is not yet in Zimbabwe.

This particular variant has presented the world with a huge challenge and fears of the latest mutant has sparked Africa travel curbs starting with the United Kingdom temporarily suspending direct flights from some Southern African countries including Zimbabwe.

Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Constantino Chiwenga urged the nation to remain calm and told a Health Professions Authority congress this morning that Zimbabwe has to escalate its response mechanism to contain the new variant.

Zimbabwe has so far defied the odds with a thorough and effective response to the pandemic, including a comprehensive curb of the highly infectious  B.1. 617  widely known as the Indian variant.

With regards to the recent new Covid-19 variants being reported in the media, the country should not panic because we are very prepared, said Vice President Chiwenga.

The ramping up of our vaccination programme in the past month has seen marked increase in the vaccination uptake.

We remain focused on this very critical initiative that is designed to protect the nation from the negative impact of any new variants.

Meanwhile, our scientists are already doing genomic sequencing for identification of any new variants hence help support timely strengthening of our response, said VP Chiwenga.

 Herald

Breaking News via Email
SEATTLE  Incoming Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson, who officially starts on Monday, has plans for growing the chain in the Midwest and suburbs, the Wall Street Journal reports. For several years, Starbucks had posted rising quarterly same-store sales of 5% or more, but last year, the coffeehouse chain started faltering. A snafu earlier this year with its mobile-ordering app creating the very congestion it was trying to reduce and contributed to sagging sales, according to Starbucks.

Johnson said he will focus on lunch to bolster sales. We already have a significant number of customers coming to Starbucks at lunch for a beverage. Our thought is, if we have fresh food that pairs well with the beverages customers are buying at lunch, well sell more food items at lunch, he said. The company is launching a new lunch menu featuring fresh-made foods.

Johnson also said that growth opportunities in the United States would likely be less urban places, more suburban areas, the Midwest. Over the next five years, weve projected building 12,000 additional stores globally, taking us to 37,000 stores. More than half of those stores will be in the U.S. and China.

While Johnson said he doesnt plan on speaking out on social issues as much as his predecessor, Howard Schultz, had done, he does think theres more to Starbucks than good cup of coffee. One of the reasons people come to work at Starbucks is because we stand for something. Its about human connection and having a sense of humanity. We think thats part of what makes Starbucks a special place that both partners and customers want to be associated with.

Starbucks continues to test new ideas, such as its mobile-only store within its headquarters office, having Amazons Alexa order coffee and selling ice cream at select stores.
Yves here. Dr. Roy Poses finds evidence suggesting that the sudden display of hand-wringing by health care firm CEOs over physician burnout is driven by the profit motive rather than concern about patients or doctors. A key bit of supporting information: the cost of replacing a physician who retires early.

By Roy Poses, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Brown University, and the President of FIRM  the Foundation for Integrity and Responsibility in Medicine. Originally published at Health Care Renewal

Physician burnout is in the news again. Late in 2015, an article by Shaneyfelt and colleagues in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings showed an increase in the proportion of physicians reporting at least one symptom of burnout to 54.4% in 2014(1), up from the 45.5% they reported in 2012(2). A March 28, 2017, post in the Health Affairs blog based on the latest article warning about burnout and suggesting how to address it got considerable attention.

Background  Physician Burnout

However, physician burnout is hardly new. As we wrote in 2012 about the predecessor the 2012 Shaneyfelt article, this is just the latest in a long series of studies showing physicians growing angst, dissatisfaction, burnout, or whatever one calls it. In 1987, in an AMA survey of physicians over 40, 44% replied that were they given chances to do it all over again, they would not go into medicine.(3) In a 2001 survey of Massachusetts physicians, 62.3% were dissatisfied with the practice environment.(4) In 2002, a national survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that 45% of physicians would not recommend that a young person should go into medicine.(5) In a survey of primary care physicians in 2007, 38.7% were somewhat or very dissatisfied.(6) I have a 6 inch thick set of paper files containing articles on the subject, although it is remarkable how many research studies reported only average scores on instruments, and hence did not report proportions of physicians who were burned out or dissatisfied. Yet the 2017 Health Affairs post garnered headlines declaring physician burnout to now be a crisis.

Whether the current attention to burnout will lead to any real improvements is doubtful. In particular, I am concerned that the Health Affairs blog post that sparked all the attention was at best misdirected. It avoided discussing more than a few of the most immediate, proximate causes of burnout. It seemed more motivated more by concerns about money than about patients and the physicians that try to serve them. It read like a top down diktat uninfomed by the concerns of physicians or patients, maybe because all of its authors were CEOs of large health care organizations, all but one large hospital systems.

I will venture to go through the issues point by point in the hope of sparking a discussion more focused on the physicians subject to or at risk of burnout, and ultimately the effects of their burnout on their patients.

For the Love of Money

While the blog post began with a nod towards improving the quality of, lowering the cost of, and improving access to health care, there was a subtext. Consider some quotes, first, stating that one cause of burnout is,

profound inefficiencies in the practice environment

Also,

The experience from Atrius Health suggests that replacing a physician who retires early or leaves to pursue other career opportunities can cost between $500,000 and $1 million due to recruitment, training, and lost revenue during this time.

Also,

Professional satisfaction for physicians is primarily driven by the ability to provide high-quality care to patients in an efficient manner.

Also,

As leaders, we must recognize burnout in physicians and other health care workers as a serious problem and respond vigorously. This is especially true if we want to maximize the effectiveness, productivity, and longevity of clinicians.

Also,

More than words are needed. Leaders of health care delivery organizations must embrace physician well-being as a critical factor in the long-term clinical and financial success of our organizations. We must make both the prevention of burnout and the restoration of the joy of a career in medicine core priorities, and address this issue with the same urgent methods we would use to solve any other important business problem: commit to measurement, develop strategy and tactics, and allocate the resources necessary to achieve success.

To interpret these passages, note that the authors of the blog post were John Noseworthy, James Madara, Delos Cosgrove, Mitchell Edgeworth, Ed Ellison, Sarah Krevans, Paul Rothman, Kevin Sowers, Steven Strongwater, David Torchiana, and Dean Harrison (links are those supplied by the post.) All but Dr Madara are CEOs of large, nominally non-profit corporate hospital systems. Dr Madara is the CEO of the American Medical Association (AMA).

I would suggest that to a business CEO, efficiency refers to a state in which goods and services are produced with a minimum of costs. Furthermore, many business managers follow the business dogma first called the shareholder value theory, which seems mainly to be interpreted to mean managers should maximize short-term revenue as their first priority (look here). This is part of the larger financialization of all spheres of life, including hospital systems.

The focus on relentless revenue maximization may be reinforced by large incentives for top managers, particularly CEOs, based on revenue and other financial, not clinical outcomes. Such perverse incentives have resulted in huge increases in executive compensation for hospital CEOs. For example, as we recently discussed, author Dr John Noseworthy, CEO of the Mayo Clinic, received more than $2.3 million in total compensation in 2013, and was just reported to have received more than $2.5 million in 2015. Author Dr Delos (Toby) Cosgrove, CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, received more than $4.8 million in 2015 (look here).

Thus, too a hospital CEO, efficiency might mean the ability to provide services as cheaply as possible, and such efficiency is likely to be a top priority. The quotes above suggest that hospital CEOs mainly want to combat burnout to increase efficiency. One quote above refers directly to the monetary costs, again presumably to the hospital, of losing physicians to burnout. One quote refers to burnout as hampering physician productivity, which to a hospital CEO might mean the ability to produce maximum billing, that is revenue, in the minimum amount of time. Finally, one quote suggests that to the authors, burnout is a business problem, not a human problem, or a clinical problem.

Even stranger, two quotes suggest that the CEO authors believe inefficiency might cause burnout. That would appear very strange to employed physicians who may be increasingly pressured by top management to be more efficient, and thus to increase revenue. I would guess that many employed physicians would attribute their burnout to this relentless push for productivity and efficiency by top management.

So reading not between the lines, but the lines themselves suggests that the CEO authors might be more interested in reducing burnout to increase hospital revenues, and thus their total compensation, rather than to make physicians happier or more fulfilled, much to less improve patient care. Such a focus on revenue might not be reassuring to burned out physicians, especially those who feel forced to shortchange time spent with individual patients to fuel revenue. The repetitive discussion of efficiency and productivity in the Health Affairs blog post should worry any physician who feels his or her first responsbility is to take the best care of each individual patient.

Hear No Evil,

Proximal Versus Organizational, Leadership and Governance Causes of Burnout

Here is what the blog post said about the causes of burnout:

The spike in reported burnout is directly attributable to loss of control over work, increased performance measurement (quality, cost, patient experience), the increasing complexity of medical care, the implementation of electronic health records (EHRs), and profound inefficiencies in the practice environment, all of which have altered work flows and patient interactions.

We dealt with the curious citation of inefficiencies as a cause of burnout above.

The rest of the items seem more plausible. However absent from the post is consideration of why physicians lost control over work, have been subject to performance measurement (often without good evidence that it improves performance, and particularly patients outcomes), and have been forced to use often badly designed, poorly implemented EHRs. Particularly absent was any consideration of whether the nature or actions of large organizations, such as those led by the authors of the blog post, could have had anything to do with physician burnout.

Contrast this discusion with how we on Health Care Renewal have discussed burnout in the past. In 2012, we noted the first report on burnout by Shanefelt et al(2). At that time we observed that the already voluminous literature on burnout often did not attend to the external forces and influences on physicians that are likely to be producing burnout. Instead, burnout etc has been addressed as if it were lack of resilience, or even some sort of psychiatric disease of physicians.

In fact, we began the project that led to the establishment of Health Care Renewal because of our general perception that physician angst was worsening (in the first few years of the 21st century), and that no one was seriously addressing its causes. Our first crude qualitative research(8) suggested hypotheses that physicians angst was due to perceived threats to their core values, and that these threats arose from the issues this blog discusses: concentration and abuse of power, leadership that is ill-informed, uncaring about or hostile to the values of health care professionals, incompetent, deceptive or dishonest, self-interested, conflicted, or outright corrupt, and governance that lacks accountability, and transparency, . We have found hundreds of cases and anecdotes supporting this viewpoint.

We found some corroboration of these hypotheses from other research. Written comments from the 2001 Massachusetts survey made similar points about the causes of dissatisfaction, for example: too much emphasis on the bottom line. Taken over by large corporations. Quality of care and interaction now subsumed by productivity and profit, and the once most noble profession has become a factory job with a facade of ethics(4) Pololi and colleagues qualitative interviews of young medical faculty included anecdotes of angst due to academic leaders who put revenues ahead of patient care, teaching, and research; and who allegedly used deception for personal gain.(9) (Also, see our comments on this paper.)(10) Pololi and colleagues large survey of US medical faculty showed that over half thought that managers were only interested in them because of the money they brought in.(11) We were able to show in a preliminary analysis of data from a physician survey that an instrument meant to measure physicians perception of the integrity of the leadership of their organizations, which incorporated questions about whether leaders supported core values, put patient care ahead of revenue, supported transparency about quality issues, put patient care ahead of self-interest, and displayed honesty strongly correlated (negatively) with stress, intention to leave the practice, and burnout.(12)

Yet at best most studies of physicians burnout, angst, or dissatisfaction only vaguely allude to system factors and not greedy, money-focused, preversely incentivized, self-interested, or corrupt leadership, etc as its causes. System factors such as bad EHRs and performance measures suggested by the Health Affairs bloggers were more likely to have been imposed on physicians by bad organizational leadership than by the physicians themselves. Of course, the CEO authors of the post likely would be made very uncomfortable with the notion that bad health care leadership, including of hospital systems like their own, might be a major cause of burnout.

Furthermore, there clearly have been leadership problems at many of the blog post authors institutions that could have made them more uncomfortable. Cases involving some of the authors institutions have appeared on Health Care Renewal.

Most recently we noted that Mayo Clinic CEO Dr Noseworthy had raised questions of mission-hostile management by suggesting that the Mayo Clinic should give some patients with commercial health care insurance priority over those with less well paying government health insurance (look here). Not long ago we noted the controversy generated by Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr Cosgroves lukewarm approach to the Trump administrations Muslim ban, even though that ban had affected one of the Clinics own house-staff, while the Clinic was planning a fund raising event at Mr Trumps Mar a Lago resort, raising yet more conflict of interest questions (look here).

We have also disccused issues occurring at the American Medical Assocation, and particularly its RBRVS Update Committee (RUC) (CEO Dr Madara), Sutter Health (CEO Ms Krevans), Johns Hopkins (CEO Dr Rothman), Duke (CEO Mr Sowers), Partners (CEO Dr Torchiana), and Northwestern (CEO Mr Harrison).

Finally, several of the Health Affairs authors have board level conflicts of interest. In 2006, we first blogged about a new species of conflict of interest which involved health care organizational leaders who were simultaneously members of the boards of directors of for-profit health care corporations or other corporations which could strongly influence health care. We posited these conflicts would be particularly important because being on the board of directors entails not just a financial incentive, but also requires board members to demonstrate unyielding loyalty to the companys shareholders [Per Monks RAG, Minow N. Corporate Governance, 3rd edition. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2004. P.200.]

Three Health Affairs blog authors have such conflicts. Dr Paul Rothman is on the boards of Merck and of Cancer Genetics, a biotechnology company specializing in DNA based testing. Dr David Torchiana is on the IKS Health Advisory Board, apparently a health care consulting firm. Dean M Harrison is on the board of Northern Trust, a wealth management firm. He was on the board of Ikaria Inc, a biotechnology company now part of Mallinckrodt, and is a special advisor to Merrick Ventures, a private equity firm (look here).

Thus, how can one regard as credible an article on physician burnout which ignores how large organizations nature or actions might be the major cause of such burnout, and which was written by the top leaders of such organizations?

Corporate Employment as a Cause of Burnout

Finally, the Health Affairs post mention of loss of control over work deserves special attention. It could represent a catch-all of more system factors as noted above. However, the biggest cause of physicians loss of control over work may be the rising power of large health care organizations, in particular the large hospital systems that now increasingly employ physicians, turning them into corporate physicians.

In the US, home of the most commercialized health care system among developed countries, physicians increasingly practice as employees of large organizations, usually hospitals and hospital systems, sometimes for-profit corporations. The leaders of such systems meanwhile are now often generic managers, people trained as managers without specific training or experience in medicine or health care, and managerialists who apply generic management theory and dogma to medicine and health care just as it might be applied to building widgets or selling soap.

We have also frequently posted about what we have called generic management, the managers coup detat, and mission-hostile management. Managerialism wraps these concepts up into a single package. The idea is that all organizations, including health care organizations, ought to be run people with generic management training and background, not necessarily by people with specific backgrounds or training in the organizations areas of operation. Thus, for example, hospitals ought to be run by MBAs, not doctors, nurses, or public health experts. Furthermore, all organizations ought to be run according to the same basic principles of business management. These principles in turn ought to be based on current neoliberal dogma, with the prime directive that short-term revenue is the primary goal.

Again, the authors of the Health Affaris post included some generic managers: Mr Edgeworth, whose highest degree was an MBA, and who had a long career as a hospital manager; Ms Krevans, and MBA with an MPH, who also had a long career as a hospital manager; and Mr Harrison, an MBA, who also had a career in hospital management. Doubtless all of the authors lead organizations whose upper management is frequently generic and managerialist. It is likely that the hospital systems they lead increasingly employ physicians, who thus have become corporate. So the Health Affairs blog authors might not be comfortable with the notion that a major cause of burnout may physicians new status as hired employees sometimes of their own hospital systems, rather than autonomous practitioners.

To repeat, how can one regard as credible an article on physician burnout which ignores how large organizations nature or actions might be the major cause of such burnout, and which was written by the top leaders of such organizations?

Summary

I am glad that physician burnout is getting less anechoic. However, in my humble opinion, the last thing physicians at risk of or suffering burnout need is a top down diktat from CEOs of large health care organizations. The CEOs who wrote the Health Affairs post not have any personal responsibility for any physicians burnout. However, the transformation of medical practice by the influence of large health care organizations run by the authors fellow CEOs, particularly huge hospital systems, often resulting in physicians practicing as hired employees of such corporations likely is a major cause of burnout. If the leaders of such large organizations really want to reduce burnout, they should first listen to their own physicians. But this might lead them to realize that reducing burnout might require them to divest themselves of considerable authority, power, and hence remuneration. True health care reform in this sphere will require the breakup of concentrations of power, and the transformation of leadership to make it well-informed, supportive of and willing to be accountable for the health care mission, honest and unconflicted.

Physicians need to join up with other health care professionals and concerned member of the public to push for such reform, which may seem radical in our current era. Such reform may be made more difficult because it clearly would threaten the financial status of some people who have gotten very rich from the status quo, and can use their wealth and power to resist reform.

Despite the fact that the current US president has stated he is for the forgotten people rather than the elites, do not expect such reform from him. He has sought advice on health care policy from the same people who wrote the Health Affairs post, as per the Washington Post, December 28, 2016:

On Wednesday, his guests were health-care executives, many of whom represent companies or institutions that have a big stake in the outcome of Trumps ambitions to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. According to a pool report, the group, all men, met with him at 11 a.m. at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. They included John Noseworthy of the Mayo Clinic, Paul Rothman of Johns Hopkins Medicine, David Torchiana of Partners HealthCare and Toby Cosgrove of the Cleveland Clinic.

We truly live in interesting times.

See original post for references
Who do you want a war with? Take the Mash test Daily Mash. I suspect readers could create their own version.

Meet the professor who teaches a 7-hour-long class called Existential Despair Daily Pennsylvanian (guurst). Some might say we do that here for free! Actually, though if you read the article, this sounds like using the reading to create the effect of watching the movie Die groe Stille and talking about it later.

Philosophy tool kit Aeon (Micael)

See a Ravioli Moon, Jovian Swirls and More Space Treats NBC (furzy)

Smartphones and Cognition: A review of research exploring the links between mobile technology habits and cognitive functioning Frontiers in Psychology (resilc). Some of the findings are wild, such as: Further evidence suggests that even the mere awareness of the physical presence of a cell phone may impact cognitive performance.

Brexit 1.0: Scientists find evidence of Britains original separation from Europe PhysOrg (Chuck L)

China?

North Korea greets China-US summit with (another) missile test Asia Times

David Murray warns of 1890s housing crash depression MacroBusiness. Effectively presupposes a China crash, since theyd need to not be able or inclined to bottom fish.

Brexit

Freeing up the rich to exploit the poor  thats what Trump and Brexit are about George Monbiot, Guardian (Joe H, vlade)

French Election

Greece races to secure next tranche of aid Financial Times. Recall the plan was to get this settled well before the French election. Oops. And it isnt clear whether the IMF will get on board.

Dijsselbloems Parliament boycott inflames tensions Politico. The topic was the Greek bailout.

Sicily: the base for a US/Nato attack Voltairenet (Wat). From last month, still interesting.

Syraqistan

New Cold War

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

U.S. Car Demand Collapse Jeopardizes Trumps Auto Factory Push Bloomberg (resilc)

86 percent of Trump counties make less in a year than 27 Trump staffers are worth Washington Post

Boeing Wins $3 Billion Iran Sale in Potential Test for Trump Bloomberg (resilc)

Trump Transition

Obamacare

House Panel Wants Obama Aide to Testify, as Russia Probe Widens Wall Street Journal

The Military Is Resisting Trumps Denialism, but Its Still Not a Force for Climate Justice Truthout

Bernie Sanderss Misguided Attacks on the Liberal Elite New Republic. Bob K: This is the definition of a left hack. You wouldnt think it possible to get everything wrong about the elites who captured the Democrat party, but this guy is giving it a shot.

Dimon Warns Something Is Wrong With the U.S. Bloomberg. As if he isnt part of the problem.

Productivity and bad bosses Flip Chart Fairy Tales (vlade)

Tarullo Suggests Phasing Out Key Part of Bank Stress Tests Bloomberg

Wells Fargo Has to Pay a WhistleBlower $5.4 Million and Give Him His Job Back Reuters (Ulpanaylaylo). Not related to the fake accounts scam.

U.S. Firms Expected to Post Strongest Quarter Since 2011 Wall Street Journal

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour. neighbor7:

At Newport, Oregon. Imagine this scene x 10 (other, and larger, platforms also). When a newcomer tries to board, theres lots of complaint, aggressive teeth-flaring, etc. Once they are aboard, all is snuggly-wuggly. They really seem more like sea cows than sea lions.

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
The big financial news story tonight is the unexpected resignation of Richmond Fed president Jeffrey Lacker, only six months before his term was due to end. Despite headlines like the one at the Wall Street Journal, Feds Lacker Resigns Over Leak, Dealing Blow to Banks Credibility, putting the damage to the banks reputation front and center, it looks as if the central bank and outside investigators have not come close to getting to the bottom of the matter.

The background is that, Medley Global Advisors, a firm that had its origins as a distressed debt investor but whose research unit is now owned by the Financial Times,1 published a note in 2012 that made no bones about being based on extensive inside information from the Fed. Weve embedded it at the end of the post. It described what September Fed open market committee meeting minutes said, stating that they were not to be released until the next day, at 2:00 PM.

From a trading perspective, the big news was at the top: The minutes will showit will be unlikely that the labor market improvement will be substantial enough to stave off new Treasury purchases into 2013. And in the sixth paragraph it describes how the Fed was likely to vote as early as December to stop the part of its MBS buying designed to counter the bonds being paid off (due to foreclosures, home sales, refis) and buy roughly $45 billion a month of Treasuries instead.

The amount of granular detail was stunning. For instance:

The committee will attach a predictive timetable outlining the duration of these purchasesThe monthly MBS purchases of around $40 billion will continue along side the new programTomorrows minutes will reference a staff paperThe minutes will show the dovish majority was ready.[to make] open ended MBS and Treasury purchases as early as last month.

This is so specific that it comes of as if Medley either got its hands on an advance draft of the FOMC minutes or someone read it to her.

The report also describes, again in depth, how the decision process prior to the September meeting departed from established norms as well as voyeristic tidbits, such as that finalizing the text of the policy recommendations kept staffers up until after midnight.

Given how extraordinarily revealing this note was, Lackers departure is unsatisfactory. Specifically:

Either Lacker lied or the investigators arent even close to getting to the bottom of this. Lacker has admitted only to taking a call from the Medley analyst, supposedly having her run insider detail by him, and indirectly confirming it by not getting off the phone. From his resignation letter, which was released by law firm McGuireWoods, not the Richmond Fed:

During that October 2, 2012 discussion, the [Medley] Analyst introduced into the conversation an important non-public detail about one of the policy options considered by participants prior to the meeting. Due to the highly confidential and sensitive nature of this information, I should have declined to comment and perhaps have ended the phone call. Instead, I did not refuse or express my inability to comment and the interview continued. Additionally, after that phone call, I did not, as required by the Information Security Policy, report to any FOMC personnel that the Analyst was in possession of confidential FOMC information. When Medley published a report by the Analyst the following day, October 3, 2012, it contained this important detail about one of the policy options and I realized that my failure to decline comment on the information could have been taken by the Analyst, in the context of the conversation, as an acknowledgment or confirmation of the information.

This reads like the equivalent of a plea bargain, that Lacker and his lawyers negotiated him to fess up to the most minimal breach possible provided he resign.

Alternatively, if Lacker is being truthful, it means that one or more additional people provided the information to the Medley analyst, Regina Schleiger.

The Fed appears to have engaged in coverup. From CNBC:

The Fed was criticized for not referring the leak to the Securities and Exchange Commission or the FBI. Instead, Fed General Counsel Scott Alvarez lead a Fed probe into the matter from October 2012 until March of 2013.

Weve written before about Scott Alvarez, who lied shamelessly to the court in the AIG bailout trial. Lacker apparently felt he was at no risk in keeping mum during Alvarezs internal investigation. That also suggests that it was unserious, as in Alvarez didnt seek phone records. There could only have been a comparatively small number of people who would have had enough knowledge to provide the information to Medley, and if none of them admitted to the breach after being asked politely, the next response should have been to try to ferret out what had happened by other means. Alvarez and Lacker apparently hoped this would blow over.

Using new rules under Dodd Frank, the CFTC investigated and made a criminal referral to Department of Justice, which took it up. It was only when Federal investigators came calling and Lacker was at risk of prosecution for lying to Federal investigators that he admitted to speaking to Medley.

The Fed allowing staff, particularly members of the Board of Governors, to speak to hedgies and people who sell research to them is barmy. The Fed guidelines on staff contacts with the public kinda-sorta say that this sort of thing isnt on. See, for instance, Item 6:

Staff will strive to ensure that their contacts with members of the public do not pro vide any profit-making person, firm, or organization with a prestige advantage over its competitors. They will consider this principle carefully and rigorously in considering invitations to speak at meetings sponsored by profit- making organizations and in scheduling meet- ings with anyone who might benefit financially from apparently-exclusive contacts with Federal Reserve staff.

But let us not forget that Yellen herself met twice with Medley, in person, in 2011 and 2012. But the central bank said that was OKbecause the last meeting was in June, well before the leaked decisions took place in September and October, so she couldnt be blamed for it.

The 2105 Wall Street Journal story discussing these incidents cited analysts trying to defend the practice:

Stephen Stanley, chief economist with Amherst Pierpont, has met with Fed officials and said they tend to say as little as possible. Its usually 95% someone like me talking and maybe 5% them, and most of their input is asking questions, he said. Usually the folks at the Fed, when they have those sorts of meetings, they have to be careful not to reveal too much.

Let us not kid ourselves. The Fed gets top economics graduates for its research staff. They are perfectly capable of digesting data and also have access to the intelligence of the New York Fed trading desk. The idea that Fed governors have anything substantive to gain via these meetings, save a perverse idea that this amounts to some sort of transparency, is misguided. The analysts hope to gain a scintilla of insight that they can use to gain actual or apparent insight. The same Journal story showed that Medley treated this sort of access as a selling point:

Medley makes money by providing clients with information about policy developments in areas including central banks, energy markets and geopolitics. The firm says on its website it does this by cultivating relationships with senior policy makers around the globe.

And as a mere management consultant (at that point the blog didnt have all that much traffic), back in 2007, a senior person at Medley, who was also a consultant to the Treasury for terrorist financing and mentioned he could get the ECBs president Jean-Claude Trichet on the phone, was astonishingly gossipy the few times I saw him for drinks when there was no obvious commercial benefit, and a fair bit of was inside information. I wrote some of it up in late 2007. An astute reader recognized some of it as intel from the Fed, shorted Fed futures based on it and rode them all the way down through the Lehman phase of the crisis, making a six figure profit. So if someone who was merely in Medleys outer circle was getting tradeable information, what have the clients been getting? In other words, the gaffe appears to have been that the Medley analyst and her boss had the bad judgment to give away so much detail in writing, as opposed to, say, in a conference call.

When the Europeans do this sort of thing, they are much more efficient. From a 2015 Wall Street Journal article:

Investors at a select dinner at a five-star London hotel on Monday were handed a roughly 12-hour head start over the rest of the market when a top European Central Bank official presented them with fresh details of the banks bond-buying program. Fewer than 100 diners, including hedge-fund managers and other investors, heard ECB board member Benoit Coeure explain that the bank would speed up the pace of bond purchases before the summer. When the ECB made Mr. Coeures comments public Tuesday morning, the euro tumbled while stocks and bonds soared.

Back to the US. Its widely believed among finance professionals that the Fed is way too close to certain major institutions, such as Pimco, and they do, as one would expect, get an information advantage. However, given that laffaire Medley was not with an institutional investor, those cozy arrangements appear to be under no threat.

_____

1 Update. The original version of the post didnt clarify that the Medley investing business continued to operate as Medley Capital after the research group was sold to the Financial Times. See here and here for more detail.

Medley Global Advisors' October 3, 2012 Report by CNBC.com on Scribd
Improving silver nanowires for FTCEs with flash light interactions (Nanowerk News) Flexible transparent conducting electrodes (FTCEs) are an essential element of flexible optoelectronics for next-generation wearable displays, augmented reality (AR), and the Internet of Things (IoTs). Silver nanowires (Ag NWs) have received a great deal of attention as future FTCEs due to their great flexibility, material stability, and large-scale productivity. Despite these advantages, Ag NWs have drawbacks such as high wire-to-wire contact resistance and poor adhesion to substrates, resulting in severe power consumption and the delamination of FTCEs.

A Korean research team led by Professor Keon Jae Lee of the Materials Science and Engineering Department at KAIST and Dr. Hong-Jin Park from BSP Inc., has developed high-performance Ag NWs (sheet resistance ~ 5 /sq, transmittance 90 % at  = 550 nm) with strong adhesion on plastic (interfacial energy of 30.7 J m -2 ) using flash light-material interactions.

This picture shows the Ag NWs on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film after the flash-induced plasmonic thermal process. (Image: KAIST) (click on image to enlarge)

The broad ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of a flash light enables the localized heating at the junctions of nanowires (NWs), which results in the fast and complete welding of Ag NWs. Consequently, the Ag NWs demonstrate six times higher conductivity than that of the pristine NWs. In addition, the near-infrared (NIR) of the flash lamp melted the interface between the Ag NWs and a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate, dramatically enhancing the adhesion force of the Ag NWs to the PET by 310 %.

Professor Lee said, "Light interaction with nanomaterials is an important field for future flexible electronics since it can overcome thermal limit of plastics, and we are currently expanding our research into light-inorganic interactions."

Meanwhile, BSP Inc., a laser manufacturing company and a collaborator of this work, has launched new flash lamp equipment for flexible applications based on the Prof. Lee's research.

The results of this work were published in Advanced Materials as the cover article ("Flash-Induced Self-Limited Plasmonic Welding of Ag NW Network for Transparent Flexible Energy Harvester").
Tailoring nanoparticles to evade immune cells and prevent inflammatory response (Nanowerk News) A Houston Methodist-led research team showed that the systemic administration of nanoparticles triggers an inflammatory response because of blood components accumulating on their surface. This finding may help researchers create more effective ways to avoid activating the immune system and more precisely direct therapies in patients.

In the journal ACS Nano ("Unveiling the in vivo protein corona of circulating leukocyte-like carriers"), the team of nanomedicine and regenerative medicine scientists recently described how specially-engineered nanoparticles (leukosomes) injected into mice can prevent the formation of a layer of biomolecules (protein corona) around their surface. The bodys natural defense response to the formation of this protein is to filter out the foreign objects, in this case the nanoparticles. The presence of immune system regulators, known as macrophage receptors, on the surface of the leukosomes improved the amount of time these nanoparticles remained in the body to reach their target.

Circulating white blood cells, commonly referred to as leukocytes (large yellow clusters), can be seen lining an inflamed vessel wall along with leukosomes (small yellow speckles). Leukosomes, designed to mimic white blood cells, go unnoticed as they accumulate at the inflamed vessel (purple background), allowing them to concentrate their therapeutic payload at the target site.

Last year, Ennio Tasciotti, Ph.D, senior author and director of the Center for Biomimetic Medicine at Houston Methodist Research Institute and team created these leukosomes and evaluated their ability to treat localized inflammation (Nature Materials, "Biomimetic proteolipid vesicles for targeting inflamed tissues"). Leukosomes are able to target inflamed tissues because their design mimics immune cell membranes.

Now we have a clearer understanding of how to use our leukosomes to evade those immune cells and prevent the bodys inflammatory response, Tasciotti said. Weve known overactive immune cells can behave like Pac Men, gobbling up the nanoparticles and ridding the body of these foreign invaders before they reach the intended target.

Learning how to treat inflammation by overcoming the bodys own defense mechanisms may lead to broader applications for treating diseases characterized by inflammation such as cancer, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases.
Quantum transport goes ballistic (Nanowerk News) IBM scientists have shot an electron through an III-V semiconductor nanowire integrated on silicon for the first time (Nano Letters, "Ballistic One-Dimensional InAs Nanowire Cross-Junction Interconnects"). This achievement will form the basis for sophisticated quantum wire devices for future integrated circuits used in advanced powerful computational systems.

IBM scientist Johannes Gooth is focused on nanoscale electronics and quantum physics.

IBM scientist and lead author on the paper Dr. Johannes Gooth explains the paper in this Q&A.

The title of your paper is Ballistic one-dimensional InAs nanowire cross-junction interconnects. When I read ballistic rather large missiles come to mind, but here you are doing this at the nanoscale. Can you talk about the challenges this presents?

Johannes Gooth (JG): Yes, this is very similar, but of course at a much different scale. Electrons are fired from one contact electrode and fly through the nanowire without being scattered until they hit the opposed electrode. The nanowire acts as a perfect guide for electrons, such that the full quantum information of this electron (energy, momentum, spin) can be transferred without losses.

We can now do this in cross-junctions, which allows us to build up electron pipe networks, where quantum information can perfectly be transmitted. The challenge is to fabricate a geometrically very well defined material with no scatterers inside on the nano scale. The template-assisted selective epitaxy or TASE process, which was developed here at the IBM Zurich Lab by my colleagues, makes this possible for the first time.

How does this research compare to other activities underway elsewhere?

JG: Most importantly, compared to optical and superconducting quantum applications the technique is scalable and compatible with standard electronics and CMOS processes.

What role do you see for quantum transport as we look to build a universal quantum computer?

JG: I see quantum transport as an essential piece. If you want to exercise the full power of quantum information technology, you need to connect everything ballistic: a quantum system that is fully ballistically (quantum) connected has an exponentially larger computational state space compared to classically connected systems.

Also, as stated above, the electronics are scalable. Moreover, combining our nanowire structures with superconductors allows for topological protected quantum computing, which enables fault tolerant computation. These are major advantages compared to other techniques.

How easily can this be manufactured using existing processes and whats the next step?

JG: This is a major advantage of our technique because our devices are fully integrated into existing CMOS processes and technology.

Whats next for your research?
Taking the sting out of bone repair

(Nanowerk News) Bone tissue engineering is theoretically now possible at a large scale. A*STAR researchers have developed small biodegradable and biocompatible supports that aid stem cell differentiation and multiplication as well as bone formation in living animal models (Cytotherapy, "Biodegradable ECM-coated PCL microcarriers support scalable human early MSC expansion and in vivo bone formation").

Stem cells (red) on polycaprolactone-based microcarriers.

Mesenchymal stem cells self-renew and differentiate into fat, muscle, bone, and cartilage cells, which makes them attractive for organ repair and regeneration. These stem cells can be isolated from different sources, such as the human placenta and fatty tissue. Human early mesenchymal stem cells (heMSCs), which are derived from fetal bone marrow, were thought to be best suited for bone healing, but were not readily accessible for therapeutic use.

Existing approaches to expand stem cells for industrial applications tend to use two-dimensional materials as culture media, but their production yields are too low for clinical demand. Furthermore, stem cells typically need to be harvested with enzymes and attached to a scaffold before they can be implanted.

To bring commercially viable cell therapies to market, Asha Shekaran and Steve Oh, from the A*STAR Bioprocessing Technology Institute, have created directly implantable microscopic spheres in collaboration with the A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering. These spheres, which acted as heMSC microcarriers, consist of a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer called polycaprolactone.

According to Shekaran, their initial aim was to expand stem cells on microcarriers in bioreactors to scale up production. However, this strategy threw up difficulties, especially when attempting to effectively dissociate the cells from the microcarriers and transfer them to biodegradable scaffolds for implantation.

A biodegradable microcarrier would have a dual purpose, Shekaran says, noting that it could potentially provide a substrate for cell attachment during scalable expansion in bioreactors, and a porous scaffold for cell delivery during implantation.

The researchers generated their microcarriers by synthesizing polycaprolactone spheres and coating them with two proteins polylysine and fibronectin. These proteins are found in the extracellular matrix that assists cell adhesion, growth, proliferation, and differentiation in the body.

Microcarriers that most induced cell attachment also promoted cell differentiation into bone-like matrix more strongly than conventional two-dimensional supports. In addition, implanted stem cells grown on these microcarriers produced an equivalent amount of bone to their conventionally-derived analogs.

This is encouraging because microcarrier-based expansion and delivery are more scalable than two-dimensional culture methods, says Shekaran.
Graduation certificates were presented on 27 March 2017 to 25 Uzbek officers, who had completed an intensive 250-hour long Military English Language Course conducted by the British Council in Tashkent. The course was co-sponsored by the British Embassy and the NATO Liaison Office in Central Asia, aimed at developing general English skills and equipping students with military terminology that would allow them to participate in training and exercises organised by NATO or its member states.

The NATO Liaison Officer in Central Asia, Rosaria Puglisi, awarded the certificates together with the British defence attache, Squadron Leader Andrew Strefford, and the Head of the British Council in Uzbekistan, Mark Crossey.

This was the last event conducted by the NATO Liaison Office in Central Asia, based in Tashkent, ahead of its closure  for budgetary reasons  on 31 March. However, NATO will continue to maintain and seek to enhance its political dialogue and practical relations with its five Central Asian partners. Following the closure of the Office, practical liaison will be conducted through NATO Headquarters and the NATO military structures.

Meeting Uzbek authorities and representatives of the diplomatic corps in Tashkent at a farewell reception on 15 March, Ms Puglisi recalled the Alliances commitment towards Central Asian partners, The closure of the Office does not mean that NATOs interest in the region has decreased. The willingness to work together is there and the opportunities for Central Asian countries to take part in NATO trainings and programmes remains unchanged.
(Natural News) A recent analysis commissioned by Friends of the Earth Europe finds that living in the countryside offers greater health benefits than living in the city. Researchers at the Institute for European Environmental Policy examined data from more than 200 academic studies and finds that living in the countryside  where green, open spaces can be easily accessed  may help cut the risk of premature death and certain diseases. Conversely, living in heavily-polluted cities may raise the risk of these conditions, the analysis shows. The results of the analysis support previous findings that residing in industrialized cities and urban areas could be a primary risk factor for a host of adverse health conditions.

According to the review, people living in regions with lush vegetation and open spaces are less likely to suffer depression or obesity than those living in cities. Data also shows that people with easy access to open fields and trees have a 16% lower death rate than those living in urban jungles. Researchers also find that pregnant women who live in areas with more trees and open spaces gave birth to children with much healthier sizes. These findings suggest that increased opportunity for physical activity and reduced exposure to ambient air pollution may be the reasons behind the positive health effects of living in the countryside.

The evidence is strong and growing that people and communities can only thrive when they have access to nature. We all need nature in our lives, it gives us freedom and helps us live healthily; yet deprived communities are routinely cut off from nature in their surroundings and it is suffocating for their well-being, says Friends of the Earth Europe campaigner Robbie Blake.

Previous studies establish link between environment, health

The recent analysis is only one of many studies that have demonstrated the environments effects on the bodys overall health. For instance, a study published in the journal Science reveals that gallbladder surgery patients who had bedside windows overlooking leafy trees had faster recovery than those who only saw a brick wall. Patients who had access to bedside windows also required fewer pain relievers and showed less post-surgical complications, the study shows.

Harvard University researchers also find that people living in urban jungles have a 12% higher death rate than those living in areas with access to green spaces. A review of 110,000 women shows that those who live in urbanized areas are at an increased risk of developing cancer and respiratory conditions. On the other hand, those who live in the greenest areas had a 13% lower rate of cancer-related death, and a 34% lower rate of respiratory disease-related mortality.

Another review published in BMC Public Health shows that walking or running in natural green spaces results in reduced anger, fatigue, and depression as well as improved attention levels compared with doing so in a synthetic environment.

Having more trees in a city block may help improve health perception in residents, according to an Ontario Health Study. Researchers say this trees lend to people perceiving certain events more positively, which in turn leads to a healthier immune system. Interestingly, positive perception can also lead to an annual personal income increase of $10,000.

The study also shows that having 11 more trees in a neighborhood helps cut the rates of cardio-metabolic conditions. This is comparable to being 1.4 years younger or a raise in annual personal income of $20,000.

The environment we live in has a big impact on our perception of wellbeing, but also objectively on our health outcomes. We have to take that information into account when conducting urban planning, says Lyle Palmer, the studys executive scientific director.

The findings were published in the journal Nature.

Sources:

DailyMail.co.uk

TheGuardian.co.uk

ScientificAmerican.com

Nature.com

JournalistsResource.org
(Natural News) As the scandal grows surrounding former Obama National Security Advisor Susan Rice, who allegedly ordered the Intelligence Community to create detailed surveillance documents on Team Trump before and after the election, its important to note that the original story was broken by an alternative media figure, not the so-called mainstream media.

In an April 2 story published on his Medium account, Mike Cernovich broke the story that Rice requested that at least some members of Trumps transition and campaign teams be unmasked  an intelligence term meaning the identification of Americans caught up in incidental intelligence surveillance of other foreign figures  which is not supposed to happen unless the American in question is believed to be acting on behalf of a foreign entity. (RELATED: Obama officials caught red-handed in most explosive abuse of power in U.S. history bigger than Watergate is Susan Rice going to prison?)

In a follow-up to his blockbuster story, Cernovich said he was tipped off by someone at either Bloomberg or The New York Times, both of whom had reporters who knew of the Rice revelations but were sitting on it and werent likely to report it.

In a video (below), Cernovich identified that both Eli Lake at Bloomberg and Maggie Haberman at the Times had the story but refused to publish it because they dislike Trump and wanted to protect the Obama presidency.

Maggie Haberman had it. She will not run any articles that are critical of the Obama administration, he said. Eli Lake had it. He didnt want to run it and Bloomberg didnt want to run it because it vindicates Trumps claim that he had been spied upon. And Eli Lake is a never Trumper. Bloomberg was a never Trump publication.

Cernovich further noted:

Im showing you the politics of real journalism. Real journalism is that Bloomberg had it and the New York Times had it but they wouldnt run it because they dont want to run any stories that would make Obama look bad or that will vindicate Trump. They only want to run stories that make Trump look bad so thats why they sat on it.

Cernovich says he has sources in all major media outlets, including Bloomberg and The New York Times , though he did not identify from which publication his source came from for this story. (RELATED: Serial Plagiarist CNNs Fareed Zakaria Calls President Bulls**Ter Several Times On Air  Trump Derangement Syndrome Is Real)

Shortly after Cernovich published his story, he tweeted that every major outlet had the story but wouldnt run it:

Obama may be the first POTUS brought down by a scandal after he left office. Every major outlet had this scoop, none would run it. https://t.co/LvPEGqJxtk  Mike Cernovich (@Cernovich) April 2, 2017

That likely spurred Lake to publish his story  a day after Cernovich published his  in which he reported essentially the same thing:

White House lawyers last month learned that the former national security adviser Susan Rice requested the identities of U.S. persons in raw intelligence reports on dozens of occasions that connect to the Donald Trump transition and campaign, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

For her part, Rice denied knowing anything about this less than a month ago in an interview with PBS.

I know nothing about this, Rice responded at the time. I was surprised to see reports from (House Intelligence Committee) Chairman Nunes on that count (RELATED: SHOCKER: Did Obama National Security Advisor Susan Rice Unmask Team Trump Members?)

SoI really dont know to what Chairman Nunes was referring, but he said that whatever he was referring to was a legal, lawful surveillance, and that it was potentially incidental collection on American citizens, added Rice, who went on to criticize Trump for his accusation that Obama wiretapped him during the presidential campaign.

Cernovichs bombshell follows additional investigatory reporting that appears to prove, beyond any doubt, that President Donald J. Trumps March 4 tweet  that Obama wiretapped him  are exactly right.

But the point is the corrupt, so-called mainstream media knew about this and refused to report it because it is harmful to a Democratic president and his administration  which tells you all you need to know about the depths of dishonesty the pretend journalists in Washingtons establishment press will go to in order to shield their favored party from blame or scrutiny.

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

Medium.com

FreeBeacon.com

TheNationalSentinel.com
Tuesday, April 04, 2017 by: Earl Garcia Tags: obesity , obesity epidemic , processed foods This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) Researchers have identified yet another fat-related pandemic that has affected the vast majority of the worlds population. New Zealand-based researchers have coined the term overfat to describe a condition where the amount of excess body fat is enough to increase the risk of adverse health conditions. Data from a recent study reveal that up to 76% of the worlds population is overfat, which equates to about 5.5 billion people. Of this, 49% are either overweight or obese. In contrast, only 18% of the total global population has normal fat levels.

The overfat pandemic has not spared those who exercise or even compete in sports. The overfat category includes normal-weight people with increased risk factors for chronic disease, such as high abdominal fat, and those with characteristics of a condition called normal-weight metabolic obesity, said lead author Dr. Philip Maffetone.

Researchers say the findings demonstrate that traditional body mass index only measures weight and height, but fails to assess the total body fat composition. Waist circumference may serve as a better indicator of metabolic health issues compared with a weighing scale. Improved terminology may increase awareness about the risks of being overfat, which in turn may help medical professionals, health care officials, and the general public to address this concern.

We want to bring awareness of the rise in these risk factors, where the terms overfat and underfat describe new body composition states. We hope the terms will enter into common usage, to help create substantive improvements in world health, Maffetone adds.

The results are published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.

Cheaper processed foods contribute to the worlds bulging waistline

Decades of choosing cheaper processed foods over nutritious but otherwise costly foods have greatly contributed to the worsening global obesity epidemic, a London-based thinktank states.

According to the Overseas Development Institute, prices of fruits and vegetables in certain countries  including China, Mexico, Brazil, and Korea  surged by up to 91% between 1990 and 2012, while prices of some processed foods such as prepackaged meals declined by up to 20% during the same period. In the U.K., prices of fruits and vegetables tripled between 1980 and 2012, while the price of an ice cream showed a 50% decrease over the same period.

A report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Pan American Health Organization also reveals that increased consumption of processed meals contributes to the rising obesity epidemic in Latin America. According to the report, almost 58% of the regions population are either overweight or obese, which equates to about 360 million people. The Bahamas showed the highest obesity rate at 69%, followed by Mexico and Chile at 64% and 63%, respectively.

In the U.S., about 90% of an average persons food budget was allocated to processed foods. This increases the risk of certain health conditions and medical expenditures in the process. In fact, the U.S. spends as much as US $147 to US $210 billion annually on preventable chronic diseases and their related costs. Data shows that obese adults spend 42% more on direct medical costs compared with their healthier counterparts. Data also reveals that per capita health care costs for morbidly obese adults were 81% higher than adults with healthier weight.

Moderately obese people are also twice as likely as their healthier counterparts to be prescribed with drugs to manage adverse health conditions. The cost for chest pain-related emergency room visits is 41% higher in morbidly obese patients, 28% higher for obese patients and 22% higher for overweight patients compared with their healthier counterparts.

Sources:

Sci-News.com

ScienceDaily.com

TheGuardian.com

Reuters.com

StateOfObesity.org
(Natural News) Long gone from the minds of most people in the U.S. and around the world is the Fukushima nuclear disaster in northeastern Japan.

On March 11, 2011, a massive tsunami triggered by an equally massive earthquake, nearly destroyed the entire complex. When the giant wave hit the multi-nuclear plant complex, the reactors automatically shut down their sustained fission reactions, but the tsunami wave also knocked out emergency generators that were supposed to provide power to operate pumps and keep the reactors cool. The inability to cool reactors led to three of them melting down, followed by a series of hydrogen air chemical explosions and widespread regional radiation contamination, making Fukushima the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union in 1986.

Enormous problems remain at the plant to this day. As noted by Fukushima Watch, a former nuclear engineer, Arnie Gundersen, believes the worst is yet to come, as workers at the plant get closer to the reactors. (RELATED: Fukushima nuclear catastrophe forces world to rethink future of nuclear power.)

As they get in [the containment vessel at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2], theyre finding that combination of hot steam  these are not just radioactive chemicals, but its a toxic mix of chemicals that are going to react with the steel, he said in an interview with the BBC. So theres rust and hunks of nuclear fuel lying around, and steam, and its raining all the time because of the condensation.

I think its about as close to hell as I could imagine, he added, noting that the contamination will continue for thousands of years.

Whats worse, that hell could actually spread to the four corners of the earth, including, of course, North America. Should the damage at Fukushima suddenly be extended  say, by melting fuel rods or perhaps another earthquake-induced super-tsunami  thatd be all it would take to spread the radiation far beyond Japan.

Now, however, thanks to Natural News founder/editor Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, people can obtain additional protection from radiation poisoning.

The U.S. Patent Office recently awarded Mike Adams a patent for a very unique formula known as the Cesium Eliminator, which works to get rid of radioactive cesium isotopes from the human digestive tract if you happen to ingest contaminated food and water.

I developed this lifesaving invention, which is also described at CesiumEliminator.com, to save lives in the aftermath of a nuclear accident, nuclear terrorism or nuclear war, he wrote.

Speaking of the latter two possibilities, the Trump administration is reportedly considering its options for a potential pre-emptive strike against North Korea, which is known to be armed with perhaps as many as eight nuclear bombs and is actively developing the ICBM technology to deliver them. Short of that, Pyongyang could attempt to smuggle a nuclear bomb aboard a cargo ship and perhaps detonate it in a U.S. harbor, rendering it useless for a millennium, or longer, and severely damaging our country economically. A recent high-level defector from North Korea said the countrys erratic leader, Kim Jong-Un, most definitely would retaliate to any attack on his country with nuclear weapons.

So obviously, with clear and present nuclear dangers lurking, Adams patented Cesium Eliminator has come along at exactly the right time. (RELATED: Robots Keep Dying From Radiation In Fukushima, Making The Nuclear Fallout Investigation Impossible.)

CesiumEliminator.com explains what cesium is and how it harms your body:

Cesium-137 is a radioactive isotope produced from nuclear catastrophes like Chernobyl and Fukushima. Its also a deadly radioisotope created in the aftermath of nuclear bombs.

Cesium-137 has a half-life of 30 years and it mimics potassium in soils and plants. It contaminates soils for 200  300 years, making the land unusable for agriculture. Cesium-137 contamination is the reason why no one lives near Chernobyl to this very day.

Once you eat cesium-137, you are irradiating your body from the inside out.

The product is laboratory-validated to bind with and capture cesium isotopes during simulated human ingestion. Adams said he developed his formula at CWC Labs, where he is the science director. He said his product formula is based on a unique combination of zeolites and dehydrated seaweeds, which were lab-confirmed to be very effective at binding with cesium, including cesium 137.

Learn more about Cesium Eliminator here. Listen to the Health Rangers podcast here..

J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.

Sources:

FukushimaWatch.com

NaturalNews.com

CesiumEliminator.com
Wednesday, April 05, 2017 by: Jayson Veley Tags: abortion , fetal tissue , Fetuses , health , science , vaccines This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) Early last year, it was reported that Planned Parenthood was illegally profiting from selling aborted body parts. The Center for Medical Progress released an undercover video from inside Planned Parenthood that revealed the tricks and tactics used by the womens health organization to illegally sell dismembered fetuses. Documents that were released just weeks later by a Congressional committee, went on to confirm the videos claims.

In a research article published by Jessica Farnsworth in May of 2011, Farnsworth addresses the link between aborted fetuses and vaccine production, a relationship that leads one to conclude that the vaccine industry may in fact be largely reliant on Planned Parenthood. (RELATED: Youll be in shock when you read this article about food corporations using fetal tissue).

As the study points out, past investigations reveal that abortion facilities that supply aborted fetuses to researchers are offered a fee by the research facilities so that the babys organs can be harvested immediately and on-site.

RELATED: A new, upcoming docu-series called The Truth About Vaccines launches in one week and features 60 speakers and health experts who reveal little-known truths about vaccines.

Farnsworth begins her study by giving a detailed history of the use of aborted babies in vaccine research. In the 1960s, Dr. Leonard Hayflick at the Wistar Institute located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania began working with aborted babies in an attempt to obtain human cell strains that would provide a culture medium for the growth of viruses, her study explains.

Farnsworth continues, Cell strains from fetal organs can multiply many times and provide a cell source for many decades, serving as an ideal culture medium due to their longevity. One aborted baby can be the source of a cell strain with a potential yield of about 20 million metric tons of cells, which can be stored frozen for many years. (RELATED: You wont believe what else aborted human fetuses are used for).

For decades, doctors and researchers have been developing cell lines from aborted fetuses. In 1964, for example, Dr. Leonard Hayflick successfully created a cell line from the lungs of an aborted 3-month old fetus. The cell line, which was named WI-38, is frequently used by pharmaceutical companies for vaccine production to this day.

Later in her study, Farnsworth lists the vaccines that use aborted fetal cells. Among them are vaccines for chickenpox, rubella, hepatitis A, rabies, smallpox and shingles.

In conclusion, Farnsworth gives her own personal opinion as to how people should respond to the use of fetal tissue in vaccines. She argues that people, especially Christians, should boycott the products in order to force pharmaceutical companies to produce vaccines in an ethical manner instead of using cells from aborted babies.

Most people who have seen the disturbing images of dismembered fetuses resting on blood-covered Petri dishes are able to reach the conclusion that the sale of tiny lungs, brains and limbs of babies for profit is a sick practice. The act of abortion is gruesome enough, given all of the twisted and unethical methods that are used, but to go ahead and sell the cut up remains of what once was a living and breathing form of life is borderline sociopathic.

There will come a day when Americans look back on the practice of abortion and the sale of fetal body parts and cringe. Future generations will question our sanity, and wonder what could have possibly compelled us to destroy innocent life.

The Declaration of Independence makes it clear in its Preamble that the federal government has the responsibility to defend Americans rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But the truth is, without the right to life, there would be no liberty and happiness to defend in the first place.

The basis of any decent and civil society has to do with how that society treats the most innocent forms of life; that is, the elderly, newborns and the unborn. Perhaps its time for our society to take a look in the mirror and reform our practices before we lose ourselves altogether.

Sources:

COGForLife.org[PDF]

LifeNews.com
Refuge: Transforming a Broken Refugee System

Alexander Betts and Paul Collier. Allen Lane: 2017.

978-0670023554

978-0241289235

In April 2015, more than 700 refugees died crossing the Mediterranean Sea. That disaster, argue migration specialist Alexander Betts and economist Paul Collier in Refuge, opened the world's eyes to the scale of the crisis. More than 65 million people are displaced globally; some 1.4 million have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe since the start of 2015. Credit: Illustrations by Matt Saunders

The book's premise is one few would deny: that the refugee system, set up after the Second World War, fails to protect or provide for those forced to migrate. Millions of refugees are left in limbo, festering in grossly underfunded camps in developing countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan. With no protection or socio-economic rights, particularly to work, many travel to other countries. A small proportion make the dangerous journey to Europe, Australia or the United States.

Betts and Collier's book is one of very few to provide an overarching account of how the refugee system took its current form, and the mismatch between refugees' needs and the system's capabilities. It is also one of the few to consider how the global approach might be reformulated. The authors call for policies to move from humanitarian assistance to development. They advocate harnessing the remarkable opportunities of globalization to create a winwin for developing countries that support refugees with limited resources and for rich countries struggling politically to manage migration.

Refuge is self-assured, but neither its diagnosis nor its vision take us closer to a solution. Early on, Betts and Collier argue that post-war institutions such as the United Nations' refugee agency (UNHCR) are not keeping pace with shifts in the triggers of forced migration, from individual persecution to war and social disruption. They offer a sweeping historical and geographical account of the causes of refugee movements, cherry-picking examples. But they engage only partially with the complex political and economic realities.

They attribute the growth in refugee numbers to violence and instability spurred by the end of the cold war, technological changes, resource extraction and the rise of Islamic extremism. They discuss the spread of 'free' elections that can legitimize oppressive regimes. But they largely omit or misrepresent the role of international politics, foreign policy, the arms trade or outside military intervention. They describe Libyans as having liberated themselves from the regime of Mu'ammer Gaddafi, yet make no reference to the 2011 military intervention led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or its consequences. Decades-long conflicts in Afghanistan, Somalia and Sudan are covered in a few pages. There is no mention of the targeting of individuals, groups and communities because of their beliefs or identity in countries such as Syria and Myanmar.

Betts and Collier then present four big new ideas relating to the duty of rescue, safe havens, autonomy in exile and incubation of post-conflict recovery. They call for a paradigm shift, away from a focus on vulnerabilities and towards building refugee capabilities. This is important at a time when the toxic rhetoric in the United States and parts of Europe routinely presents refugees as a social and economic drain or a security threat. But the call is not new. The actual and potential contribution of refugees has been extolled for years, from posters reminding people that Albert Einstein was a refugee to campaigns calling on governments to allow refugees to work. The International Monetary Fund expects refugees who arrived from 2015 onwards to boost annual output in their host countries, with gross domestic product (GDP) rising by 0.5% in Austria alone by the end of 2017. Meanwhile, problems associated with refugee camps such as Dadaab in Kenya are well understood by academics and a plethora of international organizations.

What is new is the contention that global capitalism can come to the rescue of the refugee system through the creation of special economic zones (SEZs). Developed through increased financial investment by rich countries, SEZs offer tax breaks and reduced regulation as well as, ostensibly, opportunities for work and autonomy. The first was established in Ireland in 1959; there are now more than 4,300 globally. The authors argue that if refugees are offered an opportunity to work closer to home, they will be less likely to embark on risky journeys run by smuggling networks. The European Union has already established SEZ partnerships with Jordan and Lebanon, which between them officially host nearly 1.7 million Syrian refugees, although the real numbers are thought to be much larger.

Yet the tactic's potential is questionable. In India, some dub SEZs 'special exploitation zones'. Critics suggest that they can compromise labour rights and lead to low wages, forced overtime physical abuse, land grabbing and environmental degradation. Refugees need the universal basics: meaningful regulated work, rights to education, housing and health care, and a sense of a future. The authors give no account of how rights would be protected. Nor do they explain why refugees, and not other migrants, should have such opportunities, or whether it will be possible to make a distinction. In the context of 'mixed flows' of people moving for protection and work, this is a pressing challenge.

With little serious discussion of human rights, Betts and Collier's recommendations effectively remove rich countries' international obligations, and legitimize narratives that position refugees as 'undeserving'. They present partnerships between the EU and governments of countries that host many refugees, notably Jordan, as evidence that the embarrassment of the rich world can be leveraged into a solid system of international financing for the first countries of asylum. There is another explanation: that governments want an easy way out, and global businesses want new ways to make money.

In my view, the book's fundamental flaw is the way in which flows of refugees, and the needs and aspirations of people fleeing violence, conflict and persecution, are understood. The analysis is underpinned by ethnocentric assumptions, such as the assertion that most of the billion-plus people of India would be better off in Europe or North America. Terms such as honeypot countries and boutique asylum systems reinforces populist narratives. And in their simplistic conclusion, Betts and Collier argue that setting up SEZs in Jordan earlier in the Syrian refugee crisis would have prevented millions of refugees moving on, borders closing, people-smugglers thriving and even Britain leaving the EU. That is a misrepresentation. It also brings the focus back to Europe, ignoring difficulties in countries such as Pakistan, Iran and Chad, which host some of the world's largest refugee populations and for which investment in SEZs seems unlikely.
The Enlightened Mr. Parkinson: The Pioneering Life of a Forgotten English Surgeon Cherry Lewis Icon: 2017. 978-1681774541 978-1785781780 | ISBN: 978-1-681-77454-1

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative condition in the world, with 6 million people affected. But who was Parkinson? In a splendid new book, historian of geology Cherry Lewis introduces us to a fascinating, multifaceted Enlightenment figure: the intellectually curious, politically active and socially concerned London surgeon-apothecary James Parkinson (17551824). Credit: Illustrations by Matt Saunders

The Enlightened Mr. Parkinson reveals a man involved in endeavours as varied as the founding of the Geological Society and the alleged Popgun Plot to assassinate George III. Perhaps his most extraordinary accomplishment was the prescient 1817 monograph An Essay on the Shaking Palsy  the first extensive description of the disorder that would be named after him. As Lewis reveals, the path to this historic discovery was long and winding.

Parkinson lived in the same house in Hoxton, east London, for most of his life. He practised medicine there with his father, and then his son, in a business that would span at least four generations. In a seven-year apprenticeship, he learned to make medicines, diagnose ailments and purge, bleed and blister his patients, mostly lower-middle-class but with a smattering of the rich. He then spent six months as a surgical dresser at what is now the Royal London Hospital.

During Parkinson's lifetime, Lewis shows, Hoxton's open fields disappeared beneath tenements and factories as the Industrial Revolution gathered pace. London's water and air became grossly contaminated, and overcrowding provided ideal conditions for diseases such as tuberculosis. Open fires, combustible clothing and dangerous manual work meant that fractures, lacerations, burns and hernias were common. The conditions Parkinson saw as he travelled on his rounds, often stricken with gout, might well have stirred his social and political awakening.

He lived in turbulent times, marked by the Seven Years War, the War of American Independence and the Napoleonic Wars. High taxes to pay for these military adventures coincided with civilian unrest, influenced by the French Revolution of 1789. Parkinson became increasingly radical, advocating votes for all (at a time when approximately 2% of Britons were enfranchised), parliamentary reform, education of the poor and unfettered discussion of politics and religion. In 1792, he joined the London Corresponding Society, which campaigned for parliamentary reform and promoted representation of all men. Parkinson became adroit at the social media of his age  producing periodical articles, broadsheets and pamphlets, often under the pseudonym Old Hubert.

In 1794, the radicalized Parkinson was caught up in the Popgun Plot. The conspiracy seems to have been 'fake news', concocted by the authorities to justify restrictive legislation. Summoned to Whitehall to be examined, with Prime Minister William Pitt (the Younger) leading the questioning, Parkinson admitted to writing inflammatory  even seditious  pamphlets, but was never arrested. How he escaped is not clear.

Next, Parkinson turned his talents to books on geology and general medical advice. As a young apothecary, he had attended anatomical lectures by the celebrated surgeon John Hunter, who, like many medics, collected fossils and encouraged their study. Parkinson started his own collection. In 1807, he was invited to join like-minded individuals such as chemist Humphrey Davy and physician William Babington in founding the Geological Society. Struggling to reconcile biblical authority with the fossil record, which suggested the existence of animal life hundreds of thousands of years before humanity, he embraced the theory of Swiss naturalist Jean-Andre de Luc that geological history was a sequence of seven vast periods, each corresponding to a day of creation.

In his medical work, Parkinson continued to demonstrate a concern for social justice. His 1799 book Medical Admonitions was intended to help poor families to recognize disease and understand when to pay for medical advice. In the following years, cheaper, condensed versions found a ready market with an increasingly literate working class. Parkinson became involved with local issues of late-eighteenth-century medicine: child labour, asylums and vaccination. His investigation of the horrific conditions endured by destitute children working in factories brought about local improvements, 30 years before any national legislation.

He was also one of the first people in London to offer smallpox vaccinations (he gave a dissecting microscope to his friend Edward Jenner, who pioneered the procedure). Less successfully, he served as a medical attendant to a private asylum. At a trial in 1810, he was involved in a notorious false commitment of a sane woman, for which he was widely criticized. That experience prompted a book the following year  Mad-houses: Observations on the Act for Regulating Mad-houses. Many of its suggestions for the humane treatment and legal protection of the mentally ill were finally incorporated in the 1845 Lunacy Act.
Energy and Civilization: A History Vaclav Smil MIT Press: 2017. 978-0262035774 | ISBN: 978-0-262-03577-4

Vaclav Smil's Energy and Civilization is a monumental history of how humanity has harnessed muscle, steam and combustion to build palaces and skyscrapers, light the night and land on the Moon. Want to learn about the number of labourers needed to build Egypt's pyramids of Giza, or US inventor Thomas Edison's battles with Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse to electrify homes and cities, or the upscaling of power stations and blast furnaces in the twentieth century? Look no further. Credit: Illustrations by Matt Saunders

Admired by Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, Smil is a prolific writer on energy and environmental issues, with a penchant for history. This is especially valuable today, when renewables such as wind and solar power are set to disrupt the fossil-fuel-based energy system. Our use of energy has been transformed since the late nineteenth century with the extraction of oil and natural gas, the diffusion of technologies driven by electricity and the expansion of power-distribution networks. History offers guidance on paradigm shifts, and how we adapt.

The book is a significantly revised, updated and more detailed version of Smil's Energy in World History (Westview, 1994). It takes us back to prehistory to quantify the energy expended by foragers, hunters and agrarian societies. Smil uses evidence from the !Kung people in Botswana, the Maasai in Kenya and Alaskan whalers, and discusses 500,000-year-old spear tips found in South Africa and the role of hunting in the extinction of the mammoths.

From the fifth millennium BC to the middle of the second millennium AD, civilizations such as those of ancient Egypt, Rome and China through to medieval and Renaissance Europe collectively invented technologies reliant on muscle power, wind and water, along with increasingly refined wheels and pulleys. Smil explains that the shift from human to animal power and the use of irrigation, fertilizer and crop rotation were key to increasing agricultural yields and ultimately population size. He reveals how settlements in warm climates, such as Mesoamerica or India, depended on an area of agricultural land 60 times greater than that of the average town at the time. It was 100 times greater in colder climates such as northern Europe, where forests providing fuel for heat were also needed. The ability to mine and use energy-dense fossil fuels altered the 'energy footprint' of towns and cities and allowed urban centres to become denser. Smil dwells on genius scientists and heroic engineers of the first and second industrial revolutions between 1760 and 1913, and the high-tech takeover of the twentieth century.

He is not a historian. There is no strong narrative or testing of a central hypothesis. But he does provide economic and geopolitical context. For instance, he touches on the importance of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and the oil-price shocks of the 1970s in ushering in a new energy era. Larger petroleum reserves, alternative energy sources and more efficient technologies were frantically sought to minimize the economic damage from the oil-price hike.

Smil concludes with some broader points. He notes that advances in the capacity to harness energy have led to huge improvements in human well-being, including greater mobility and illumination. However, he stresses that many political leaders in the twentieth century, from Vladimir Lenin to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, have been let down by the promise of economic growth boosted by huge energy investments, such as hydroelectric dams and nuclear power stations. These are not panaceas, because abundant energy is a necessary but not sufficient condition for development.

Similarly, energy subsidies  mostly for fossil-fuel production and consumption  may do more harm than good. Running at around 6.5% of global gross domestic product, they lock economies into energy-intensive and polluting consumption patterns, making them more vulnerable to price shocks, trade-balance deficits, political pressures from energy companies and pollution. Furthermore, Smil warns, humanity's ability to harness greater power could lead it down several very different pathways, including melting the entire Antarctic ice sheet and raising sea levels by 58 metres. Ultimately, he warns that the long-term survival of our high-energy civilization remains uncertain.

Smil's detailed review of military applications of energy is fascinating, and unusual. He notes, for instance, that the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima by US forces on 6 August 1945 produced 63,000 gigajoules of energy. On other negative aspects of energy production and consumption, the book is weaker. Coal mining and nuclear accidents  such as the disasters in Chernobyl, Ukraine, and Fukushima, Japan, in 1986 and 2011, respectively  have scarred communities. Yet the most lethal side-effects of energy use have been car accidents and air pollution, each only briefly mentioned. Traffic accidents cause almost 1.3 million deaths per year. Harder to quantify, air pollution has also led to millions of lost lives in the past 200 years.

Although these risks have been tolerated, Smil reminds us that concerns about air pollution have encouraged transitions away from coal in Europe and China. Chinese investment in wind turbines and solar panels has driven down the price of renewable power so that in many locations it is the cheapest source of electricity. Although it is too early to say, we could be witnessing a dramatic new chapter in energy history. But a lesson from history is that solving one environmental problem often leads to another: increased energy consumption.

Solving one environmental problem often leads to another
The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Gilded Age David Callahan Alfred A. Knopf: 2017. 978-1101947050 | ISBN: 978-1-101-94705-0

In January, Oxfam released its annual zinger on inequality: the collective net worth of the world's poorest half (3.6 billion people) is equivalent to that of just 8 of the wealthiest men. This figure was released to coincide with the yearly gathering in Davos, Switzerland, of economic and political elites and celebrities, who publicly commit to advancing global well-being even as they safeguard conditions for private profiteering.

Each of the eight wealthiest men is a megaphilanthropist, underwriting billions of dollars for medical research, public health, humanitarian causes and education. The bulk are familiar US names, including technology gurus Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Lawrence Ellison, investment oracle Warren Buffett, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and media magnate (and politician) Michael Bloomberg. Health is much in their sights: Zuckerberg has earmarked US$3 billion to cure, prevent or manage disease; Bloomberg has designated almost $1 billion to curb smoking and traffic fatalities; and Gates has ploughed some $20 billion into vaccine development and global health. This group  with many others in the top tier of the $700-billion US philanthropic sector  is the subject of David Callahan's expose, The Givers.

As Callahan reveals, many philanthropists participate in the Giving Pledge, a brainchild of Gates and Buffett that invites the world's wealthiest to contribute the majority of their assets to addressing society's most pressing problems, echoing steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie's 1889 homily 'The Gospel of Wealth'. Drawing on insider interviews, Callahan discovers that many pledgers are initially humble about giving. This contrasts with the arrogance enabling their profitmaking journeys, which spills over into a sense of hyperagency  sociologist Paul Schervish's term for elites' sense of entitlement.

Callahan goes beyond such sentiments to explore the scientific, social and political implications of largesse in the new gilded age. His breathless overview of the provenance, giving style and domestic impact of current US philanthropy finds it undemocratic. Most egregiously, this set-up heightens private influence in an era of plunging public spending. Not all philanthropists are anti-government. Buffett calls for increased taxes; Bloomberg wants philanthropy to embolden, not replace, government. Still, both continue to marshal soaring wealth while their donations mount, making them absurd reformers of the system that empowers them.

Older-style legacy philanthropy (exemplified by New York City's Rockefeller Foundation) was based on slow accumulation from mainline industries, with late-in-life or posthumous creation of perpetual, bureaucratized foundations. Callahan is more interested in those with fast and vast fortunes derived from finance and technology. Overnight tycoons prefer to 'give while they live', spending down huge fortunes with huge donations. Their venture philanthropy is characterized by risk-taking, mirroring the donors' own business trajectories to big bucks  leaving room for both colossal failure and large-scale impact. It often bypasses traditional support for educational and cultural institutions to invest in catalysing issues, including gene editing and artificial intelligence.

Philanthropy remains gendered: men earn fortunes and their wives or daughters give them away, with little focus on gender equity beyond reproductive rights. Still, women's philanthropic networks (such as Women Moving Millions, based in New York City) have emerged, perhaps portending change around women's political representation.

Callahan marvels at the ideological range of philanthropic giving. Firmly for or against issues ranging from the 2010 US Affordable Care Act to climate change, it also spans support of both liberal and conservative think tanks such as, respectively, the Center for American Progress and the libertarian Cato Institute, both in Washington DC. (Think-tank funding is a savvy way of bypassing laxly enforced prohibitions on political lobbying by non-profit institutions.) Yet Callahan is troubled that the donors' agenda-setting priorities do not reflect the public's. He believes that philanthropists are more fiscally conservative and socially liberal than the general population, and are stronger advocates of market solutions and technocratic fixes. Thus they typically favour the latest medical innovation over ensuring decent housing conditions.

Callahan's discussion of science and medicine is circumscribed. One concern is that therapies for the wealthy, such as precision oncology, garner undue attention. Prospects for accelerating research where government grant-making is bureaucratic and cautious, he fears, are accompanied by spending cuts leading to the privatization of science. Callahan says little about the impact of such changes, but foreseeable problems include ratcheting down peer-review processes and ignoring already underfunded arenas such as occupational health.

One of the most contentious targets of activist philanthropy is education. Among others, the Walton family  heirs to the Walmart fortune  Zuckerberg and hedge-fund maestro Bill Ackman have given enormous sums to charter schools, facilities that are publicly funded, privately administered and sometimes for-profit. Illustrating how fraught this philanthropic involvement is, in Newark, New Jersey, a top-down school-reform strategy disregarded community priorities, generated wide resentment, exacerbated inequity and defunded public schools.

Despite his lament that increasingly powerful philanthropy engenders civic inequality, Callahan pays inadequate attention to philanthrocapitalism. This model, which infuses business principles into philanthropy (proffering handsome investment returns), essentially justifies wealth accumulation on the backs of ordinary people. He mentions various structural enablers of gargantuan fortunes, from tax shelters to weak securities laws and corporate pressure to cut taxes and shrink regulation. Yet he retreats to mild critique, calling for a balancing act of middling reforms around philanthropic accountability, transparency, partnerships and political lobbying.

Many would argue that It is time to rein in the billionaires.
In a bid to revive giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), China is putting up a massive Giant Panda National Park which will be three times bigger than the Yellowstone National Park in the U.S.

According to Xinhua, aside from habitat loss and climate change, local administrations in various provinces in China that enforces different standards on protected land hampers the breeding potential of pandas. Hence, the park will connect three provinces -- Gansu, Shaanxi and Sichuan -- to allow the pandas to move freely from one mountain to another and meet with prospective mates. The unbroken range will improve the species' gene pool and preserve their remaining population.

The report cited that the park will cover 27,134 square kilometers and protect pandas in 67 current reserves as well as other 8,000 endangered animals and plants.



According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), giant pandas have been classified endangered since 1990. Their status was only downgraded to "vulnerable" last year when a nationwide census revealed a 17 percent rise in the population in the decade up to 2014 -- from 1,596 to 1,864.

Read: Giant Pandas Removed from IUCN's Endangered List -- How Did China Do It?



However, IUCN noted that although the numbers from the survey showed recovery of their population, the giant pandas are still threatened because of climate change and their declining habitat. More than one-third of the panda's bamboo habitat could disappear in the next 80 years, IUCN reported.

Joe Walston, Vice President of Conservation Field Programs for the Wildlife Conservation Society, previously told Live Science that we can help giant pandas adapt to changing landscapes and conditions by providing them with more space.



"The most important thing we can do at the moment is to be able to grow the extent and range of that habitat and by doing that you allow pandas to move across landscapes," he said.

On the other hand, increasing the habitat range of giant pandas would mean sacrificing space for humans. About 170,000 people will have to be moved elsewhere to make way for the sanctuary, Associated Press cited.

Read: Scientists Answer the Age-Old Question: Why Are Pandas Black and White?
Over 50 innocent people, consisting mostly of women and children, in Syria died in what is now considered to be one of the deadliest chemical attacks in the country's six-year war.

According to a report from New York Times, the suspected chemical attack occurred after warplanes dropped bombs on Syria's northwestern Idlib Province. People who were caught by the toxic gas either choked or fainted. Others were observed foaming at their mouth after inhaling the chemical.

Estimates from the Syrian Observatory for Human Right revealed that at least 58 people, including 11 children, died due to the chemical attack. However, local doctors claim that the number of deaths is higher, noting that entire families were killed in their sleep.

Aside from choking and foaming at the mouth, doctors on the scene observed that the pupils of the victims were too constricted. This suggests that the chemical used in the attack is a more potent nerve agent or other banned toxins compared to chlorine, which was used in previous chemical attacks in Syria. Volunteers and hospital staff treating the victims were reported to be sickened after coming into contact with the patients.

Activists blame Syrian President Bashar al Assad. The Syrian National Coalition claimed that the warplanes used in the chemical attack were owned by the country's military.

"This bears all the hallmarks of an attack by the regime, which has repeatedly used chemical weapons," said British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, as per ARANEWS. "If this is shown to be the work of the regime, it is further evidence of the atrocities perpetrated against the Syrian people over six years of appalling conflict."

Just a few hours after the chemical attack in Syria, warplanes once again swoop from the sky, destroying a small hospital that's treating the victims of the earlier attack. The airstrike injured more than 100 people.

Idlib Province is a rebel-held area in northern Syria. Latest estimate show that the region houses more than 900,000 people, most of whom were displaced from other areas due to the long war.
An elephant stampede near a camp in Kruger National Park has resulted to the death of one ranger and serious injury to another.

The fallen woman, who was not identified, died after the tusk of an elephant entered her lower back and went through her chest, while the injured woman was transported to a clinic with a broken femur, CBS reported.



The incident, which involved both employees of South African National Parks, occurred Thursday around 4:20 p.m.

South African National Parks spokesman William Mabasa released a statement, expressing his sympathies: "On behalf of the SANParks management and staff, we would like to express our heartfelt condolences to the family, relatives and friends of the deceased and to wish the other colleague who is currently in hospital a speedy recovery."

Speaking to local news site Lowvelder, Jaco Gericke, an emergency worker at Kruger National Park, said they are not sure whether it was a single elephant or a herd that attacked the employees.

"The elephant was already gone when we arrived," Gericke said. However, the park later confirmed that it was a herd of elephants.

Sky News noted that in Africa, it's most likely that villagers will attack elephants to protect their crops, rather than the other way around. In rare cases when elephants charge humans, it is most likely because they are too close to the animal.

Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa, covering nearly 2 million hectares of wildlife diversity. According to their website, an estimated 1,500 lions, 17,000 elephants, 48,000 buffalos and 1,000 leopards can be found in Kruger National Park. Mammals such as black and white rhino, hippopotamus, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, warthog, antelope species, cheetah, wild dog and spotted hyena also roam free in the area.



Elephants are the world's largest land animals. Survey results from the Great Elephant Census show that there are 352,271 African savanna elephants in 18 countries -- a 30 percent population decrease in seven years due to illegal poaching and habitat loss.



The African elephant is listed as "vulnerable" species while the Asian elephant is classified as "endangered" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, ancient Britain split up from the rest of Europe. It was, as scientists say, the original Brexit -- a separation that was brought about not by political and societal factors, but natural geologic events that new evidence now sheds light on.

According to a report from BBC News, researchers from the Imperial College London and other institutes in Europe have worked out how a strip of land that used to connect Britain to Europe was snuffed out.

Specifically, this stretch of land linked Dover in the south of England to Calais in the north of France. A large lake located in the north of this strip likely overflowed 450,000 years ago to the land, causing erosion and damaging it. Later, another flood opened the Dover Strait.

Large underwater holes discovered a few decades ago in the depths of the English Channel support this series of events. Analysis of the mysterious holes showed that they were most likely caused by the lake spilling over.

Study leader Sanjeev Gupta of the Imperial College London described the holes as isolated depressions occurring in a line. The underwater holes were measured as 100-meter deep and hundreds of meters to several kilometers in diameter.

"So we interpret these as giant plunge pools," Gupta explained. "We think there was basically lake water plunging over this rock ridge in the Dover Strait through a whole series of waterfalls, which then eroded and carved out these depressions. It's difficult to explain them by any other mechanism."

Aside from the massive lake spilling over, the researchers believe that a second flood occurred to completely destroy the land bridge 150,000 years ago and create the Straits of Dover. Gupta pointed out that the valley through the strait exhibit qualities consistent with flood erosion.

The team isn't certain about the cause of these events. Possibilities are earthquakes or part of the ice sheet breaking off into the lake.

There may be more than what the team hopes to achieve in this study -- they're hoping to figure out the precise timing of the "geological Brexit" next -- but they're also convinced that these events shaped the British psyche in a significant way.

"You know, there's something in the British psyche about this island state that's very important to us," co-author Jenny Collier told Gizmodo. "We are part of continental Europe, but in terms of history, this did mark the point of our physical isolation. The Straits of Dover have an iconic meaning to the British throughout time."

The researchers published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has proposed to the Victorian government the downgrading of the critically endangered status of Leadbeater's possum to save Victoria's Heyfield timber mill. Doing so would open up protected forests in the state's central highlands and would allow loggers to harvest more timber for their livelihood.

Herald Sun reported that Barnaby's letter to Premier Daniel Andrews was sent on March 25. The letter urged Andrews to work with the federal government and craft a sustainable plan to keep the mills alive. He also suggested that Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg review the status of the possum, checking if it really needs to be protected more than the 21,000 people directly employed in the state's timber industry.

The letter is in response to the offer of the government-owned logger VicForests to reduce the supply of timber to the Australian Sustainable Hardwood (ASH) to 80,000 cubic meters in year one, followed by 60,000 cubic meters in the subsequent two years, The Guardian reported. The offer comes as their contract will expire this June.

According to ABC.net.au, the mill, which is the main source of hardwood for the state and the largest processor in Australia, says it requires 130,000 cubic meters of sawlogs each year to stay in business. With the current offer, there is no way they can operate long-term.

ASH director Clinton Tilley announced to the workers on March 17 that the mill will close for over 18 months. In a report from The Age, Tilley explained to the laborers that the proposal to supply 60,000 cubic meters of timber would cost more than $20 million, with another $30 million for retooling.

Because of the additional costs, they would have to cut back on employees and would only retain 60 staff. The company is also considering moving their manufacturing operations to Tasmania.

The possum is the state's faunal emblem. It was previously listed by then-environment minister Greg Hunt as critically endangered. Last year, it was found through a survey that the population of the possum in the protected forest has reached 1,500. However, they clarified that the increase in number does not mean they had already recovered since the accepted population figure remain around 3,000, The Guardian notes.
An independent report commissioned by Thomas Cook, Britain's second largest travel company, found that most animal attractions are not following the basic welfare guidelines.

The assessment was done by Global Spirit. Of the 25 attractions they evaluated, 16 did not meet the minimum standards. Thomas Cook's website cites that as a minimum, all animals need the following: food and water, suitable living environment, good health, opportunity to exhibit natural behaviors and protection from fear and distress.

However, the report showed horrifying conditions of the animals. Travel Weekly reported that they found dolphins with badly damaged skin and elephants which were being kept in cruel conditions, mentioning that they were heavily chained and were forced to engage in activities that were not natural for them.

As a result, Thomas Cook is axing the attractions, including Ocean World in the Dominican Republic, Sealanya in Turkey and Baan Chang tours in Samui, Thailand, plus others in India and Cuba, The Sun noted. Over the weekend, the employees of the said establishments were told to stop promoting the attractions and discontinue selling tickets.

Peter Fankhauser, CEO of the Thomas Cook Group, told the Sunday Times, "Our industry has not changed fast enough. By taking these attractions off sale, we are sending a message that we won't accept anything less than full compliance with the welfare standards our customers would expect."

According to Daily Mail, a separate inspection was done by another agency and found out that Ocean World in Dominican Republic held dolphins in shallow tanks surrounded by 20 tourists for 30 minutes at a time, while the poor animals were forced to hug and shake hands with each tourist.

Meanwhile, animal and wildlife groups responded positively on the action of Thomas Cook.

"We are delighted Thomas Cook appears to be taking this issue seriously. Many other travel companies are not, and many facilities continue to flout the Abta animal welfare guidelines," the Whale and Dolphin conservation group said in a statement.
A 17-year-old is making Southern California proud after she achieved the incredible feat of being accepted into all eight Ivy League schools.

"It's completely surreal," Cassandra Hsiao told NBC4 Tuesday. "I opened them one after another, and they all were saying, 'Congratulations! Congratulations!' And I know that is something special."

Hsiao, from Walnut, has offers from Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, Cornell and Penn  leaving her with the difficult decision of which world-class institution she wants to join as part of the class of 2021.

Hsiao immigrated from Malaysia at just 5 years old. Shes a first-generation immigrant, and it was her essay about learning English that impressed the universities.

Touting her 4.67 GPA and 1540 score on the SATs, the writer and journalist attends Orange County School of the Arts.

But the impressive resume doesnt end there  shes one of two student body presidents, an editor-in-chief of the school's magazine and active in her community.

Hsiao has conducted on-camera interviews on red carpets at film festivals, media screenings and press conferences. The conversations she's had with dozens of celebrities can be found on her YouTube channel.

Hsiao even bravely took the chance to ask "Hamilton" creator Lin Manuel-Miranda a question by rapping at a news conference for Disney's "Moana."

"She's multi-faceted," Josh Wood, OCSA's director of creative writing, said of the student journalist, film critic and playwright. "She's such a go-getter and makes opportunities for herself."

In addition to being accepted to all Ivy League schools, she was also accepted to Stanford University, John Hopkins University, University of Southern California, Northwestern University, New York University, Amherst College and many others in the UC system.
Noor Salman, the widow of Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen, could soon be heading back to Florida for her trial.

Salman has waived her right to a removal hearing that was scheduled on April 10 in federal court in Oakland, meaning she won't fight extradition to Florida, according to court documents filed on Tuesday.

Officials suspect Salman of helping Mateen before he gunned down 49 people and injured more than 50 in an Orlando club in June 2016. He was killed in a shootout with police after a three-hour standoff.

Salman, who was arrested at her parents home in Rodeo in Contra Costa Count in January, has pleaded not guilty to charges of aiding and abetting, and obstruction of justice.

In March, a federal judge in Oakland ruled that Salman could be released on a $500,000 bond, but the decision was revoked by a Florida judge.

Salman is still in custody at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, according to the Alameda County sheriff's office. U.S. Marshals will transport her to Florida at an unknown time. She is expected to report to the Middle District of Florida's Orlando Division to continue her court proceedings.

Check back for updates.
North Korea fired a ballistic missile into its eastern waters Wednesday, U.S. and South Korean officials said, amid worries the North might conduct nuclear or long-range rocket tests ahead of the first summit between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week.

The U.S. Pacific Command said it detected and tracked what it assessed as North Korean missile launched from land near the eastern coastal city of Sinpo. A U.S. statement said initial assessments indicate the type of missile was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile flew about 60 kilometers (37 miles).

The KN-15 missile reportedly refers to what North Korea calls the solid-fuel "Pukguksong-2. The use of solid-fuel missiles is a worrying development because the fuel already being inside the rocket shortens launch preparation times and make it harder for outsiders to detect what's happening before liftoff.

When North Korea test-fired this missile in February, South Korean officials said it flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles) before landing in international waters. It wasn't immediately known if the much shorter distance of Wednesday's flight meant a failed launch.

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something to coincide with the Trump-Xi summit, perhaps conduct a nuclear test. The missile launch may be a precursor, with more to come as the summit starts later this week, Cossa said.

"I've joked before that they don't mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored," Cossa said.

Recent outside satellite imagery show possible preparations for a new nuclear test at the North's main nuclear test site, such as the laying of communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data. North Korea's state media has also said the world will soon witness what it calls "eventful successes" the country achieves in the space development. Washington, Seoul and others call the North's space program a cover for its long-range missile development program.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry called the North's latest missile launch a "reckless provocation" that posed a threat to international peace, while Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the country lodged a strong protest over the launch.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged the launch in a statement but said the U.S. had spoken enough about North Korea and would not comment further.

Analysts says North might time nuclear and long-range rocket tests to the April 15 birthday of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility. Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

The North's latest missile launch also came as it is responding annual military drills between the United States and South Korea with weapons tests and harsh rhetoric. North Korea sees the drills as an invasion rehearsal.

Two weeks ago, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch. Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.
Authorities say 23 students were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries after a school bus crash in Bedford, Massachusetts, on Wednesday morning.

The school bus was carrying about 40 students when it collided with a GMC van towing a trailer around 9 a.m. on Route 3 southbound, just before exit 26, according to state police.

Police said preliminary investigation indicates the crash occurred when an unidentified vehicle abruptly changed lanes in front of the bus, causing the bus driver to brake sharply. The van was unable to stop in time and hit the rear of the bus.

The two right lanes and the breakdown lane were initially closed but have since reopened.

The Lowell Superintendent's Office said the bus was one of eight buses from the Bartlett Community Partnership School in Lowell that were heading to Boston for a field trip to the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

The injured students were taken to various local hospitals for further evaluation as a precautionary measure. The students who were not injured were taken off the highway and returned to the school.

Bedford Police Chief Robert Bongiorno said the students had mostly bumps and bruises.

"We were extremely fortunate that there weren't more serious injuries in this accident," he said.

The bus driver - a 44-year-old Methuen man - was hospitalized for minor injuries.

The driver of the van, only identified as 24-year-old Lynn man, was not injured.

The accident remains under investigation by state police. The car reported to have cut off the bus has not been located, and no charges have been filed.
A school board race in suburban Chicago centers on transgender student access to locker rooms and restrooms, with a slate of candidates in Tuesday's election promising to roll back a policy that allowed a transgender student to use the girls' facilities.

Three parents seeking seats on the Palatine-based Township High School District 211 school board have pledged to end locker room and bathroom access for students for students of the opposite biological sex. The district reached an agreement in late 2015 with a student that allows her to use the girls' locker rooms and restrooms.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, which supported the student in her lawsuit against district, said that if all three parents calling themselves Parents With Purpose win seats on the board, there will likely be enough votes to roll back the district's policy. The parents' campaigns have drawn financial support from Richard Uihlein, a businessman from Lake Forest who has given millions to conservative causes.

ACLU spokesman Ed Yohnka said the suburban Chicago case sticks out because elsewhere in the U.S. transgender access issues involving students have been worked out in a few school board meetings and without court intervention.

"In other school districts . most of that anger and angst really did dissipate. Instead, in this case, we're 2 1/2 years into this and it shows no sign of letting up," he told the Chicago Tribune. "They've decided to make a school board race out of it. It seems out of proportion and out of bounds of what we've seen happen in other places."

More than 50 families calling themselves Parents for Privacy are suing the district over the transgender policy. Vicki Wilson, who co-founded Parents for Privacy, said parents have a reasonable expectation that private areas such as locker rooms are designated by biological sex.

"There is a path forward where all students are protected and respected," she said. "I'd say, 'Let's get you an accommodation, but not in the girls' locker room.'"

School officials previously offered the anonymous student a separate changing facility, but President Barack Obama's administration threatened to withhold millions of dollars in funding. U.S. officials argued the district was in violation of Title IX legal protections against sex discrimination.

The district in response made a deal with the student in December 2015, agreeing to let her use the girls' locker room with the understanding she would use a private changing station that other students also can access.

President Donald Trump's administration has rescinded Obama administration guidance and left it to states and school districts to interpret U.S. anti-discrimination law and determine whether students should have access to restrooms in accordance with their expressed gender identity, and not just their sex at birth.
Authorities say a teenager from Kentucky fought off a shark by punching it as it attacked her in the waters off Florida's Panhandle.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said Caitlyn Taylor suffered a bite wound to her leg Sunday while swimming the in the Gulf of Mexico behind a condominium at 1040 East Highway 98 in Destin. The girl from Louisville, Kentucky, was visiting Destin with her high school softball team.

According to the sheriff's office, Taylor said she initially thought it was a dolphin in the water. It was in a wave headed towards her. She says it took her by the legs, tugged on her, and immediately turned her loose.

Witnesses told police a 5-foot shark bit the girl while she was in waist deep water around 3:39 p.m. Sunday.

Sgt. Jason Fulghum of the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said Taylor suffered puncture bite wounds to her right leg and scrapes on her left leg. Authorities said she required 80 stitches.

A tourist told the newspaper he saw blood running from the teen's thigh as two friends helped her out of the water. Authorities said it wasn't clear what kind of shark bit her.

The Florida Museum of Natural History, which documents shark attacks worldwide, says it's the fourth documented attack off Okaloosa County beaches since 1882. None were fatal.
Groups and lawmakers advocating for equal pay for equal work spoke out at the Connecticut State Capitol Tuesday.

Tuesday was National Equal Pay Day for women, the day advocates say is when women earn what their male counterparts earn for the 2016 calendar year.

"It takes us longer to earn the same amount of money," said Kate Farrar, Executive Director of the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund.

The Labor Committee in the General Assembly has already approved, on a party-line 7-6 vote, legislation that would place new restrictions on employers when it comes compensation, job history and what they can ask during application processes.

The most notable proposal would bar employers from asking all applicants about their previous compensation.

Businesses want to hire based on qualifications, how hard you work, how productive youre going to be, not based on gender," said Rep. Derek Slap, the bill's sponsor.

"Discrimination is inefficient," he added.

The business community has lined up against the proposal, as well as, top House Republican Themis Klarides.

She says any official moves to ensure a woman makes less money than a male counterpart should be addressed and is unacceptable, she said. However, Klarides, described questioning about an applicant's previous as a "tool in a tool box," and said the legislature shouldn't be doing anything that "ties the hands," of small businesses.

The group that represents businesses across the state, the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, describe the proposals from Rep. Slap as "layers of new regulations and costs at a time when Connecticut has fallen way behind in our recession-related job recovery."

People like Amy Tenenbaum, a junior at Central Connecticut State University, say these kinds of proposals are long overdue.

She says since she will owe tens of thousands in student loans, and then anticipates to make less than men, she feels this is a way to reshuffle the deck.

Im going to be paying interest on this so Im going to actually be paying more money for college so Im making less money and Im paying more for college. It doesnt make any sense.
If you are heading to Bradley Airport this week, expect crowds because it's school vacation week and the Connecticut Airport Authorities recommends leaving early to ensure you get to your gate on time.

Because spring break has begun, the number of passengers traveling through Bradley International Airport is up 30 percent from today through Sunday.

The key during this busy travel week is to give yourself extra time and to be prepared, Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, said in a statement. Our team will do everything we can to make your travel through the airport as carefree as possible.

If you are traveling domestically, leave at least 90 minutes for check in with your airline and to get through TSA security screening.

People traveling internationally should give themselves three hours.

TSA is fully prepared for the busy travel week, William Csontos, TSAs federal security director for Connecticut, said in a statement. Our Officers are extremely dedicated, efficient and focused on the security of each passenger traveling though our system.

The Connecticut Airport Authority recommends that you confirm the status of your flight before leaving for the airport.

Flight information is available on Bradley Airports website www.flybdl.org. Twitter users can also tweet their flight number @BDLFlightInfo to receive real-time flight information.

If you are unsure if an item is allowed through security get live assistance by tweeting your questions and comments to @AskTSA or through Facebook Messenger, weekdays, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and weekends/holidays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can also reach the Contact Center at 866-289-9673.
Sikorsky will be producing 200 CH-53K King Stallion helicopters in Connecticut that will go to the U.S. Marine Corps.

Gov. Dannel Malloy said Tuesday that the Stratford-based company has approval from the U.S. Department of Defense.

The headline is that these state-of-the-art helicopters will be made in Connecticut. This is an exciting milestone for Sikorsky and for our state. Competition in todays worldwide economic climate is fierce, and Connecticut has shown we remain a valued leader where businesses can access one of the most well educated, productive workforces and maintain a competitive edge well into the future, Malloy said in a statement.

A statement from Sikorsky said the first six helicopters are under contract and will be delivered next year.

"We have just successfully launched the production of the most powerful helicopter our nation has ever designed. This incredible positive step function in capability is going to revolutionize the way our nation conducts business in the battlespace by ensuring a substantial increase in logistical throughput into that battlespace. I could not be prouder of our government-contractor team for making this happen," Col Hank Vanderborght, U.S. Marine Corps program manager for the Naval Air Systems Command's Heavy Lift Helicopters program, PMA-261, said in a statement.

This isnt only about Sikorsky  its also about the supply chain companies and the thousands of employees in every corner of our state who will benefit. Thats why we worked so hard to ensure the CH-53K King Stallion would be built right here in Connecticut, Malloy said.
The State of Connecticut has been in the habit of closing prisons due to fewer inmates for nearly a decade.

On Wednesday, Gov. Dannel Malloy announced the partial closure of Corrigan Radgowski Correctional Center in Montville.

The facility once housed 250 inmates, though due to a decreasing prison inmate population, the Department of Correction took steps over the past several months to move prisoners out of part of the facility and into a different section.

No one was released to allow this to happen," said Malloy during an event held at the prison. "There may have been people who were released because their sentences expired but no one was released to make this happen."

For the pass nine years, Connecticut has saved more than $42 million as a direct result of prison closures and Corrigan Radgowski is the latest of seven closures since 2008.

State officials said the closures have been a result of a reduction crime, where Connecticut has been among the leaders nationwide in recent years.

The goal is not to close prisons, the goal is to reduce crime, because if you reduce crime because if there are few people coming in then the inmate count will go down and then you will be able to take facilities offline," said Mike Lawlor, who handles criminal justice issues for the Malloy Administration.

What were trying to do is focus on the high-risk more dangerous guys and for others find other ways to hold them accountable thats more effective and less expensive, Lawlor said.
Months after the police shootings in downtown Dallas, many are still struggling with grief. That's especially true for some of the youngest in North Texas.



I was like, 'is this really happening?' Because I always saw it in other communities but I never thought it would happen in mine. I really felt sad, Leila Tarighi, 10, said. I really wanted to do something, but I couldnt.



Tarighi and her fifth grade classmates at Rose Mary Hagger Elementary School in Plano used their sadness, confusion and concern to inspire them.



We decided we should make a book; raise awareness, Caleb Wright, 11, said.



How could we help? We thought maybe we can write a book and we could raise money for gear, Jack Jacobson, 11, said.



The students wrote and illustrated the book, Protect and Respect, and sold copies with the money going to the Plano Police Department.



Armor and shields and protective gear for the police, Drake Reasoner, 10, explained.



I think they appreciate how kids would consider this, because lots of kids wouldnt think about this, said Meili Mowery, 11.



So far, the children have raised $1,570 and plan to print more copies of their popular book.



Weve already sold almost all of our 100 books and we want to keep going with this because it is for a really good cause, Mowery added.



Law enforcement is a very difficult job. There are a lot of very difficult decisions to make and its been very difficult on us, Plano police chief Gregory Rushin said. Things like this certainly brighten the officers day.



Beyond their measures of good will for the officers, the students have something they can be proud of.



I think its really cool that someone our age would create a book and raise money for the police, Jacobson said.



I feel pretty good about it. Were published authors. Not many people get to do that in their lives, Wright said. I did it at 11 years old



The students are all part of the schools Destination Imagination team. The books was a part of a project for the students which garnered regional honors.
A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal from a suburban Houston man on death row for arranging the killings of his mother and brother in 2003 so he could collect a $1 million inheritance.

Attorneys for Thomas "Bart" Whitaker argued to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that his trial lawyers were deficient and Fort Bend County prosecutors, during the guilt-innocence and punishment phases of his trial, improperly referred to discussion of a plea deal that never was reached.

Whitaker offered to take responsibility for the killings and accept life sentences. Attorneys say prosecutors rejected his statement because it contained no expressions of remorse.

A jury condemned him for the shooting deaths of his mother, Patricia Whitaker, 51, and brother, Kevin, 19, at the family's Sugar Land home.
The Texas Senate has voted to boost security protections for state and local judges after an attempted assassination of a district judge outside her Austin home in 2015.

The bill would raise civil case filing fees by $5 to pay for courthouse personnel security training while removing judges' personal information from public documents.

Judges would also get personal security from the state if a threat is deemed credible.

State District Judge Julie Kocurek was ambushed and injured two years ago, when a suspect fired shots into her car. Travis County officials later acknowledged they knew about a pending threat but didn't inform Kocurek before the attack.

The county later paid her a $500,000 settlement. The judge has returned to the bench.

The bill now moves to the House for consideration.
A 17-year-old boy was killed and two other teenagers were wounded in a shootingTuesday at a strip mall in South Los Angeles.

The triple shooting occurred about 3:50 p.m. near 60th Street and Vermont Avenue, said Los Angeles police Officer Mike Lopez. The gunman got out of a car and opened fire at somebody standing with a group of teenagers at a bus stop, said LAPD Deputy Chief Phillip Tingirides.

About 10 shots were fired, Lopez said.

All of the victims are under 18.

The gunman was only described as a black male wearing a dark hoodie and jeans, Lopez said.

Lopez said it was too early to know whether the shooting was gang-related.

The victims were two boys and a girl.

Two of the victims were taken to a hospital in critical condition, Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

The 17-year-old boy later died at the hospital. A 17-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl were in the hospital in critical, but stable, condition.

City News Service contributed to this report.
Federal investigators served search warrants Wednesday at a San Gabriel Valley business and two homes in connection with a probe into an alleged $50 million high-end visa fraud scheme involving as many as 100 Chinese nationals.

Laura Eimiller of the FBI confirmed the warrants were being served in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney's Office. According to a federal affidavit in support of a search warrant, authorities were searching the offices of the California Investment Immigration Fund in San Gabriel, along with a home in Arcadia and a townhouse in El Monte.

According to the affidavit, the three suspects targeted in the investigation allegedly operated a scheme involving the EB-5 visa program, which offers foreign nationals legal residency in the United States in exchange for investments of at least $500,000 in U.S. businesses that create at least 10 American jobs.

Prosecutors allege that the suspects convinced more than 100 Chinese nationals to invest more than $50 million with the California Investment Immigration Fund, which the suspects operated, or its related companies.

"However, rather than legitimately investing the funds into American businesses, CIIF either refunded the funds to the EB-5 investors while their EB- 5 petitions were pending, in direct violation of the EB-5 program, or stole millions of dollars to use for personal expenditures, including buying million- dollar homes," according to the affidavit. "As a result of the fraudulent scheme, many foreign nationals were able to improperly obtain U.S. green cards through the EB-5 visa program, even though those foreigners did not in fact truly invest in U.S. businesses, nor were new American jobs created," according to the document.

Prosecutors contend in the affidavit that several people who took advantage of the program to come the United States were fugitives on China's 100-most-wanted list. At least three of those fugitives were ultimately issued green cards under the program, "even though their EB-5 petitions contained false information," according to the affidavit.
A motorcyclist who drew social media attention across Southern California and prompted an investigation by the California Highway Patrol was critically hurt in another dangerous stunt.

The first stunt captured on video March 3 showed the 24-year-old San Clemente motorcyclist jumping over the 60 Freeway as cars passed underneath him.

He was identified by a friend as Kyle Katsandris. Simi Valley police have not yet confirmed his identity to NBC4.

The wild stunt video was viewed hundreds of thousands of times, and prompted an investigation by the California Highway Patrol.

"We hope to never see this again," said Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga at the time of the first incident. "It was illegal and dangerous to motorists. It could have been a tragedy."

But authorities did see it again, as Simi Valley police reported Monday.

Sunday a motorcyclist crashed in the 500 block of W. Los Angeles Avenue while attempting a planned off-road stunt, police said.

The rider went flying over a steep hill, lunched into the air, and crash-landed on the other side.

"He called me last week, asking me about this jump. And I told him, 'Uh ...you know, it's big,'" his friend Colin Morrison said.

The rider was critically injured when he hit a bump at the top of the first hill, Morrison said.

Ten years ago, Morrison said he was one of the very few to nail the Los Angeles Avenue jump, which sends the rider flying over railroad tracks.

He said he did it three times - twice over a moving train.

There are now numerous "get well" tributes on Katsandris' Instagram account after the dangerous jump.

Colin's father, John Morrison, questioned all of the risky jumps.

"I told Colin just a little while ago -- I said, 'What if Kyle dies? Was it worth it?' And Colin says, "Yeah, I think it was. Look at how cool it is,'" John said.

When the first jump happened, and the video began getting hundreds of thousands of views on social media, Caltrans officials said they blocked access to the makeshift dirt ramps in Riverside in order to prevent would-be copycats.

It wasn't clear what action authorities would take in the secondary incident.

The first jump broke a few misdemeanor laws, including trespassing on state property, and was reckless endangerment while operating a motorized vehicle, due to the fact that the rider jumped over a freeway, CHP told NBC4 Southern California.

Gordon Tokumatsu contributed to this report.
The Oklahoma City Police Department released body cam footage Tuesday from a fatal police shooting that occurred last month.

On March 4, a truck driver failed to pull over for a broken tag light and a pursuit ensued.

After losing control and crashing the vehicle, the driver started reversing toward officers, NBC affiliate KFOR reported.

The footage shows the driver, 38-year-old George Lee Seeton, throw the truck in reverse as the officer takes cover behind the patrol car and fires his weapon.

The trooper and the officer both fired, striking the suspect.

They tried to revive Seeton, but he died at the scene.

Read more from KFOR
The family of a local man killed when he was hit by a drunk driver on one South Florida roadway is making an appeal for people to think about how theyll spend the remaining spring break time.

Relatives of Walter Reyes have launched the Be True to You campaign, asking people to avoid drinking and driving as they celebrate spring holidays.

The 59-year-old cyclist died when a 21-year-old drunk driver, Alejandro Alvarez, struck him on the Rickenbacker Causeway two years ago. The Reyes family is now joining forces with Mothers Against Drunk Driving to encourage family conversations about alcohol use.

"All the plans after 25 years of marriage, they're gone. And it was all due to the fact that there was a 21-year-old who should have known better," wife Maribel Reyes said.

Alvarez pled guilty in 2015 to DUI manslaughter and was sentenced to two years in jail  followed by two years house arrest and 10 years of probation.

MADD says that parents, not peers, are the biggest influencers on children when it comes to alcohol and decisions about whether to ride with a drinking driver.
The Florida Senate unanimously voted Tuesday for a bill that would require elementary schools to set aside 20 minutes each day for "free-play recess."

At the same time, the House of Representatives is moving in a different direction with their version of the bill.

The House version proposes school districts to offer recess as part of physical education classes. But the legislation does not include a mandate to offer it every school day and it would only apply to students between kindergarten and third grade.

While many schools do this already, it is not a state requirement. Both the House and Senate will have to agree on the same bill before it goes to the Governor Rick Scott's desk for approval.
What to Know Monday's derailment at NY Penn largely crippled the Manhattan hub, and service changes will continue Wednesday

Amtrak, LIRR and NJ Transit are all operating on modified schedules; there's no estimated timetable for full service restoration

A full restoration is still days away, sources said

Lingering service changes stemming from Monday's NJ Transit derailment at New York's Penn Station are posing more headaches yet again for commuters Wednesday.

With full restoration of rail service in and out of Penn still days away, here's what you need to know (for real-time updates, click here):

NJ TRANSIT





New Jersey Transit Executive Director Steve Santoro said eight tracks in the station are out of commission. It's not clear when full service in and out of New York Penn will be back. Service on the busy Northeast Corridor (NEC) and North Jersey Coast Line (NJCL) are operating on a holiday schedule again Wednesday; this means trains will not operate to or from the Jersey Avenue and Avenue stations. Additional train service inbound and outbound to Penn Station is being added. Click here for the full list of additional service.

Midtown Direct trains will continue to operate in and out of Hoboken Terminal, where customers can access PATH and NJ Transit bus service and New York Waterway ferry.

Raritan Valley Line service will operate on a regular weekday schedule and originate/terminate at Newark Penn Station.

Main/Bergen, Pascack Valley and Port Jervis Lines will operate on regular weekday schedules.

Atlantic City Rail line rail service will operate on a regular weekday schedule.

Customers are encouraged to check njtransit.com for complete details.

Cross-honoring remains in effect with NJ Transit bus, private carrier bus, NY Waterway ferry, and PATH at Newark, Hoboken and 33rd Street. PATH will also have increased service.

Hoboken services will also be impacted due to the additional trains in the terminal.





NJ Transit and private bus carriers are increasing bus service as much as possible on routes along the affected rail lines. Academy will enhance its PNC park-and-ride service to accommodate North Jersey Coast Line customers. Suburban Transit will also add service to accommodate Northeast Corridor customers.

Commuters are still going to experience frustration on the rails following Mondays derailment, sources say. Tracie Strahan reports.

LIRR





LIRR is canceling 10 trains from Penn Station between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Three more trains will terminate at Jamaica and another will divert to Hunterspoint Avenue in Queens. Full details here.

New York City Transit will cross-honor LIRR tickets at Jamaica, Atlantic Terminal and Hunterspoint Avenue.

LIRR will operate primarily out of Tracks 17 through 21 at Penn Station; in some cases, trains may depart from 10, 11 or 12, which are accessible from the exit corridor closer to Eighth Avenue, or via NJ Transit's concourse.

In "incremental improvements" from Tuesday, westbound service to Penn Station on the Port Washington branch will not be suspended.

Westbound service between Jamaica and Penn will be available after 5 p.m. in contrast to Monday and Tuesday. Customers will be able to transfer at Jamaica via the E subway train for continued service to Penn Station.

The LIRR will operate on near normal schedules out of Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn, and Hunterspoint Avenue, Queens.

Subways are cross-honoring LIRR tickets at Penn Station on the 1/2/3 and A/C/E lines.

Chris Ciminos weather forecast for Wednesday, April 5.

PATH





Cross-honoring remains in effect for NJ Transit and Amtrak tickets at Newark.

Extra trains were added Tuesday afternoon to the Journal Square-33rd Street and Hoboken-33rd Street lines in response to increasing ridership demands.

PATH will continue to run additional trains through the evening commute Tursday.

Passengers should expect higher volume on trains and should allow extra travel time

AMTRAK





A top Amtrak official said a switch machine was badly damaged in Monday's derailment. Echoing Santoro's earlier comments, the official would not even speculate on when service might return to normal.

Amtrak will operate a modified schedule on the Northeast Corridor on Wednesday and continue through Thursday. Customers on trains arriving/departing New York Penn Station may experience delays up to 50 minutes during rush hours and up to 25 minutes during non-rush hours.

Due to reduced track capacity, the Northeast Regional service will operate a modified schedule with reduced frequencies between Washington, D.C. and New York. To accommodate passengers during the modified schedule, Amtrak is providing some additional stops in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey on Wednesday.

The Empire Service and Keystone Service will also run on a modified schedule with some reduced frequencies.

All long distance trains that normally travel to and from the Northeast Corridor will maintain normally scheduled service.

[NATL] Extreme Weather Photos: Record Heat Threatens Europe

METRO-NORTH





Metro-Norths customers of the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line will have regular train schedules from Hoboken. But Metro-North advises customers that train service to Secaucus will be reduced in accordance with information released by NJ TRANSIT. As a result, Metro-Norths Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line customers who are departing from New York City are advised to ride PATH trains to Hoboken to connect with Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line trains.





With extra NJ TRANSIT trains scheduled from Hoboken Terminal, Hoboken customers should expect congestion-related delays and plan extra time for travel.

Top Tri-State News Photos

FERRY





NY Waterway ferries are accepting NJ Transit tickets on all routes Wednesday and Thursday. NY Waterway will also operate a special ferry route for NJ Transit ticket holders only from the Hoboken NJ Transit Terminal Slip 5 to Midtown West 39th Street. Those ferries will depart every half-hour from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., with return trips from West 39th Street every 30 minutes from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Free NY Waterway buses meet arriving ferries at West 39th Street and carry passengers on several crosstown routes. A free bus location app is available on nywaterway.com.

[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More
What to Know Eleven Madison Park, owned by chef Daniel Humm and Will Guidara, has scored the top spot on the annual World's 50 Best Restaurants list

The ranking is compiled by an academy comprising 1,000 experts on the international restaurant scene

Dishes on the seven-course tasting menu include celery root cooked in a pig's bladder, which Humm has said is a career-defining creation

A New York City restaurant has been named the world's best.

Eleven Madison Park, owned by chef Daniel Humm and Will Guidara, has scored the top spot on the annual World's 50 Best Restaurants list. The ranking is compiled by an academy comprising 1,000 experts on the international restaurant scene.

"It's the perfect partnership of outstanding hospitality and exquisite food in an iconic setting in New York City that makes Eleven Madison Park the No. 1 in The World's 50 Best Restaurants," the World's 50 Best Restaurants Academy says.

This is the first time since 2004 that a U.S. establishment has won the top spot on the list, which was created in 2002, according to Bloomberg News. Last year, Eleven Madison Park was No. 3.

Typical dishes include Humm's signature roasted duck, which includes iterations of classic honey and lavender to honey-glazed with turnips and huckleberries.

Dishes on the seven-course tasting menu include celery root cooked in a pig's bladder, which Humm has said is a career-defining creation.

Diners hoping to eat at the world's best restaurant of 2017 have a limited time to do so, though: it's closing for renovation in June, and will reopen in September with a new kitchen and refurbished dining room.

Until then, the 11-course retrospective tasting menu with classics from the last 11 years will be available. And then during the summer, Humm and Guidara will open a pop-up restaurant in the Hamptons.

The only other New York City restaurants on the list are Le Bernardin (no. 17) and Cosme (no. 40). Le Bernardin, headed up by Eric Ripert, is touted as one of the world's premier destinations for seafood lovers in a sleek, modern space. Cosme is praised for its "combination of stunningly plated modern Mexican dishes and a stylish interior with a long bar serving a variety of mezcals."

The World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards started informally to promote U.K.-based Restaurant magazine, but quickly exploded in popularity and became a global phenomenon, according to Bloomberg News. When Copenhagen restaurant Noma first won in 2010, 100,000 people tried to book online the following day.
What to Know Eight of the 21 train tracks at Penn Station will be out of commission again on Wednesday and at least for a couple more days

A 17-year-old has achieved the incredible feat of being accepted into all eight Ivy League schools

About 1 out of 10 women in the U.S. who tested positive for the Zika infection had a baby with Zika-related birth defects, a new study shows

Get the top headlines of the day in your morning briefing from NBC 4 New York, Monday through Friday. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Return to Normal Rail Service Still Days Away, Sources Say

A switch machine was so badly damaged in Monday's derailment in Penn Station that eight of the 21 train tracks at the station will be out of commission again on Wednesday and at least for a couple more days  unwelcome news for commuters who have crammed crowded trains and platforms during ongoing rail delays and cancellations, and the frustration is boiling over. Amtrak COO Scot Naparstek wouldn't estimate when service might return to normal, but transit sources told News 4 New York the agency is aiming to have service back by Friday morning. In a press release, Amtrak said modified service will be in place Wednesday and again on Thursday. Delayed and canceled trains have already wreaked havoc for hundreds of thousands of travelers and commuters in the tri-state and beyond since the derailment Monday morning.

White House Effort to Revive Health Bill Gets Mixed Reaction

A White House offensive to resurrect the moribund House Republican health care bill got an uneven reception from GOP moderates and conservatives, leaving prospects shaky for the party to salvage one of its leading priorities. Vice President Pence and other top administration officials were offering to let states request federal exemptions from insurance coverage requirements imposed by President Obama's health care overhaul. Top House conservatives and moderates met with Pence in hopes of finding common ground, but the odds for success seemed long. At the White House, Pence said he and President Trump "remain confident that working with the Congress we will repeal and replace Obamacare," while White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump wanted an agreement, if possible.

Border Wall Bids Include Tourist Attraction, Solar Panels

The deadline has passed for companies to propose designs for President Trump's border wall with Mexico. The government won't identify companies until contracts are awarded around June 1  and even then, only the winners  but some bidders released plans on their own. Gleason Partners LLC of Las Vegas proposes solar panels to cover sections of the wall. The panels would provide electricity for lighting, sensors and patrol stations along the wall. Sales of electricity to utilities could cover the cost of construction in 20 years or less, according to the company. Crisis Resolution Security Services Inc. of Clarence, Illinois, proposes a wall that is 56 feet high and 22 feet wide at the top  with plenty of room to allow tourists to enjoy desert views. The height  nearly twice what the government envisions  would deter climbers, and its width would give the structure longevity, said a chief executive officer.

Suspected Suicide Bomber's Home Searched, Investigators Say

Investigators say they have searched the home of the suspected suicide bomber behind the deadly explosion on the St. Petersburg subway. The bomb went off on a train under Russia's second-largest city, killing 14 people and injuring dozens. Investigators said they suspect a 22-year old Kyrgyz-born Russian citizen, Akbardzhon Dzhalilov, of having detonated the bomb. The Investigative Committee said in a statement that the investigators searched the man's home in St. Petersburg. They also examined CCTV footage from outside Dzhalilov's home, which shows him leave home with a bag and a backpack. Another bomb, hidden in a bag, was found and de-activated.

First-Generation Immigrant Teen Accepted Into All 8 Ivy Leagues

A 17-year-old is making Southern California proud after she achieved the incredible feat of being accepted into all eight Ivy League schools. Cassandra Hsiao has offers from Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, Cornell and Penn  leaving her with the difficult decision of which world-class institution she wants to join as part of the class of 2021. Hsiao immigrated from Malaysia at just 5 years old. Shes a first-generation immigrant, and it was her essay about learning English that impressed the universities. Touting her amazing 4.67 GPA and 1540 score on the SATs, the writer and journalist attends Orange County School of the Arts. But the impressive resume doesnt end there  shes one of two student body presidents, an editor-in-chief of the school's magazine and active in her community.

1 in 10 Pregnant Women with Zika Have Babies with Birth Defects, Study Shows

About 1 out of 10 women in the United States who tested positive for the Zika infection had a fetus or baby with Zika-related birth defects, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC's Vital Signs report is the first to provide an analysis of a subgroup of 250 pregnant women in the U.S. with confirmed test results of Zika virus infection. Zika testing remains complex because there is a narrow timeframe for obtaining a positive laboratory result, and many infected people do not show symptoms, the CDC said. The lack of motivation for testing led the CDC to monitor all pregnant women with any evidence of recent Zika infection. In 2016, nearly 1,000 pregnant women from the 44 states who completed their pregnancies had some evidence of a recent Zika infection and were at risk of having a fetus or baby with Zika-related birth defects. Most of the women acquired Zika during travel to an area where the virus was known to be present.

Why Ian McKellen Turned Down Role in 'Harry Potter' Films

Audiences know and love Ian McKellen's portrayal of Gandalf the Grey (and later White), the bearded wizard in the "Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" films. But it turns out the actor could have played a hirsute magician in yet another classic film franchise: The "Harry Potter" films! Alas, he turned the role down  and the reason may surprise you, according to Today.com. But Harris didn't have a very high opinion of McKellen. During a recent interview on the BBC's "HARDTalk" show, interviewer Stephen Sackur recounted a quote in which Harris said McKellen and fellow actor Derek Jacobi were "technically brilliant but passionless." "Nonsense," McKellen said of the criticism, noting that when Harris died he had been playing Dumbledore, but then quipped, "I played the real wizard."
What to Know NJ Transit and the MTA are blasting Amtrak after a NJ Transit train derailed at Penn Station Monday

Amtrak is essentially the landlord of the tracks at the station, which are leased by both NJ Transit and MTA

NJ Transit and MTA say Amtrak isn't doing enough in the way of maintenance and operation

New Jersey Transit and MTA officials are demanding immediate action from Amtrak over the derailment at Penn Station that has been mucking up commutes for hundreds of thousands of rail riders.

NJ Transit Executive Director Steven H. Santoro says customers are "beyond frustrated with the havoc that has been wreaked upon their lives."

"It is Amtrak's responsibility to take immediate action and all corrective actions to resolve the continuing problems at Penn Station New York for the sake of all of our customers and the region's transit system," he said at a news conference Wednesday.

Amtrak owns and maintains the tracks at Penn Station, and leases them to both NJ Transit and the MTA's Long Island Rail Road.

"As a tenant, New Jersey Transit will take all measures to hold Amtrak accountable," Santoro said.

Santoro wants Amtrak to form a team of rail experts from NJ Transit, Amtrak and LIRR to "walk every inch of track" at Penn Station and perform an exhaustive inspection analysis of tracks and signals around the station.

And in the long term, NJ Transit should be more directly involved in the maintenance and operation of terminal, Santoro said.

Santoro's remarks echoed that of MTA officials, who earlier called the derailment "the latest in a series of unacceptable infrastructure failures."

"The increasing frequency of failures leaves the clear impression that Amtrak is not aggressively maintaining its tracks, switches and related equipment at Penn Station and that repairs have not happened as swiftly as needed," MTA Acting Chairman Fernando Ferrer and Interim Executive Director Veronique Hakim wrote in a letter to Amtrak CEO Charles W. Moorman.

"The current state of affairs is simply unacceptable," the MTA letter stated.

LIRR riders have seen trains canceled or delayed during every rush hour since the derailment, which has left eight of 21 tracks inoperable.

Ferrer said in the letter that Moorman had assured him in phone calls this week that Amtrak was working diligently to repair the damaged equipment and restore service as quickly as possible.

But Ferrer says more must be done.

"The pace of repairs following this week's derailment of a NJ Transit train has had a serious impact on the 230,000 LIRR passengers that go through Penn Station each day and the rippling delays are lasting longer and longer," Ferrer said in the letter.

Like Santoro, Ferrer and Hakim requested a meeting with Moorman to talk about Amtrak's infrastructure maintenance policies going forward and to review the existing operating agreement used to determine track assignments in cases of major disruptions.

Amtrak President and CEO Wick Moorman says he values their partnership with NJ Transit and LIRR, and shares the frustration from the derailments. He says Amtrak has requested the Federal Railroad Administration join in a "thorough review" of infrastructure at Penn Station to evaluate current conditions.

"New York Penn Station is our busiest and most important station, and we take our role as host seriously and make every effort to keep it operating smoothly," Moor said in a statment. "We are investigating the causes of these recent derailments and will take prompt action to address them."

"We will continue to work with our partners at LIRR and NJ Transit to ensure that adequate work windows and funding are available to keep these heavily-used and aged assets functioning reliably as we pursue the long term goal of modernizing Penn Station infrastructure," Moor said.

Santoro was on platforms and trains Wednesday fielding questions, frustrations and feedback from commuters. News 4 caught up with him at Penn Station and asked him about Amtrak's statement.

"It's a good start, but it's words. We need to see action," Santoro said.

Meanwhile, Amtrak is hoping to restore regular service by the end of the week.

"Amtrak engineering forces are making good progress as they work as safely and quickly as possibly to repair damage to one of the most complex interlockings on the Northeast Corridor, a location where two tunnel tracks diverge towards the 21 station tracks," said spokesman Mike Tolbert. "Our crews hope to restore regular service to Penn Station by Friday."

A switch machine was badly damaged in the derailment, leaving eight tracks at Penn Station unusable. Not all eight tracks are damaged but the tunnels can only be accessed by certain tracks, and there are power collection differences between LIRR, Amtrak and NJ Transit that limit the tracks that each train can use, according to an Amtrak spokesman.

Investigators are still looking into why the NJ Transit train derailed just outside the station Monday morning. It was the second derailment at the busy Manhattan hub in 11 days: the first involved an Amtrak Acela.

Neither Amtrak nor NJ Transit have offered any explanation for Monday's derailment. Three cars in the middle of an inbound NJ Transit train dislodged from a track as it approached a platform at Penn Station.

By now, commuters are tired of it all.

"It's unfortunate we have to put up with it," Gloria Konrad, of Ronkonkoma, said as she waited for a train. "Our tax dollars should do better."
Attention West Coast travelers. Alaska Airlines will soon ferry passengers from Philadelphia to Los Angeles nonstop starting in September.

The first departure is scheduled to depart Los Angeles International Airport September 1 at 8:45 p.m. and land at Philadelphia International Airport at 5 a.m. the next day. A westbound debut will leave Philadelphia September 2 at 8:45 p.m and land in Los Angeles at 9:26 a.m.

The flights will be operated by Virgin America, which merged with Alaska in December 2016.

Last month, Alaska announced a nonstop service from Philadelphia to San Francisco starting August 31. The Seattle-based has been operating out of Philly since 2012. Los Angeles will be its fourth nonstop destination.

This is more wonderful news for travelers in the Philadelphia region, said Airport CEO Chellie

Cameron. We are very excited that Alaska is expanding in Philadelphia, and we look forward to more flights to more cities.

The first departure is scheduled to depart Los Angeles International Airport Sept.1 at 8:45 p.m. and land at Philadelphia International Airport at 5 a.m. the next morning. A westbound flight will leave Philadelphia Sept. 2 at 8:45 p.m and land in Los Angeles at 9:26 a.m.

The flights will be operated by Virgin America, which merged with Alaska in December 2016.

This is more wonderful news for travelers in the Philadelphia region, Philadelphia International Airport CEO Chellie Cameron said. We are very excited that Alaska is expanding in Philadelphia, and we look forward to more flights to more cities.

Last month, Alaska announced a nonstop service from Philadelphia to San Francisco starting August 31. The Seattle-based has been operating out of Philly since 2012. Los Angeles will be its fourth nonstop destination.
An attorney for consumers, restaurants and beverage industry groups asked Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court on Wednesday to strike down Philadelphia's 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on sweetened beverages, saying it violates a state law that limits the city's taxing authority, among other laws.

The 1932 law known as the Sterling Act was passed by the General Assembly to give the city its own taxing authority  but also to specifically prohibit Philadelphia from taxing anything already taxed by the state.

Chip Becker, the attorney arguing against the tax Wednesday in Pittsburgh, argued that because soda and other sweetened beverages are already subject to the state's 6 percent sales tax, Philadelphia's tax on them is illegal.

"Philadelphia may not tax any substance that the state already taxes," Becker told the seven-judge panel.

Becker wants the court to reverse a Philadelphia Common Pleas judge's December decision upholding the tax with an order that would send the case back to the lower court so the tax could be declared "invalid and void."

But Mark Aronchick, the attorney defending the city's position, argued the tax isn't on soda, but on its distribution to retail outlets in the city. Because the state's sales tax is on retail sales, whereas the soda tax is paid by retailers to whom the drinks are distributed  and because the state imposes no similar tax at that point in the supply chain  the city's tax is legal and should stand, he argued.

The tax amounts to 18 cents on a 12-ounce can of soda or $1.44 on a six-pack of 16-ounce bottles if retailers pass on the entire amount to consumers.

Berkeley, California, has a similar soda tax, while Chicago taxes retail soft drink sales and fountain drinks. But soda tax proposals have failed in more than 30 cities and states. Democratic Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has pledged to spend most of the estimated $90 million in new tax revenue each year to pay for pre-kindergarten, community schools and recreation centers.

Judge Ann Covey asked Becker how it is that Philadelphia can impose its own tax on cigarettes if the state also taxes them.

Becker explained that the General Assembly had to pass a separate statute allowing Philadelphia to go beyond the authority granted it by the Sterling Act. He said the same thing happened when the city wanted to impose its own 2-percent sales tax on top of the state's.

Becker argued that state's sales tax statute prohibits what's called "tax pyramiding"  that is, allowing different jurisdictions to tax the same product at different points along the supply chain. Because soda is subject to the retail sales tax, its distribution by wholesalers  or any other transaction along the supply chain  should not be taxed, Becker argued. State law also prohibits taxing the same product, service or industry at different rates in different jurisdictions, which Becker said the Philadelphia tax also violates.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in September that the "local share assessment"  a tax Pennsylvania's 12 casinos pay to the municipalities where they're located  was unconstitutional because different casinos paid different rates in different areas. The General Assembly is working on a replacement law.

Aronchick argued that the challenges to the soda tax are similar to those raised anytime a specific industry is hit with a new tax.

"It's always 'The sky is gonna fall,' but somehow the sun rises the next day and we move forward," Aronchick said.

NFL Draft Brings Weeks of Road Closures to Philadelphia's Art Museum Area
His expression grave and his words emphatic, President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday the deadly chemical attack in Syria had crossed "many, many lines" and abruptly changed his views of Syrian President Bashar Assad. But he refused to say what the U.S. might do in response.

Trump issued no ultimatums in comments that were being scoured by world leaders for signs of how the new president would react to a global crisis. In a rare reversal of roles, Trump was more reserved than many of his top advisers  including his U.N. envoy, who revived the hard-hitting rhetoric of Trump's political campaign and strongly hinted some U.S. action was coming.

Trump himself was noncommittal.

"I'm not saying I'm doing anything one way or another, but I'm certainly not going to be telling you," he told reporters.

He blamed the attack squarely on Assad's forces, though the embattled Syrian leader and his Russian backers denied it. He suggested that the assault that killed 72 people had diminished his former reluctance to plunge the U.S. further into the complex and dangerous turmoil in the Middle East.

"When you kill innocent children, innocent babies  babies, little babies  with a chemical gas that is so lethal, people were shocked to hear what gas it was, that crosses many, many lines," Trump said in the White House Rose Garden. U.S. officials said the gas was likely chlorine, with traces of a nerve agent like sarin.

While continuing to fault predecessor Barack Obama for much of the current situation in Syria, he acknowledged that dealing with the crisis is now his own responsibility and vowed to "carry it very proudly."

Only days earlier multiple members of Trump's administration had said Assad's ouster was no longer a U.S. priority, drawing outrage from Assad critics in the U.S. and abroad. But Trump said Tuesday's attack "had a big impact on me  big impact."

"My attitude towards Syria and Assad has changed very much," he said.

Since the attack Tuesday in rebel-held territory in northern Syria, Trump has been under increasing pressure to explain whether the attack would bring a U.S. response. After all, Trump's first reaction was merely to blame Obama's "weakness" in earlier years for enabling Assad.

Obama had put Assad on notice that using chemical weapons would cross a "red line" necessitating a U.S. response, but then failed to follow through, pulling back from planned airstrikes after Congress wouldn't vote to approve them. Trump and other critics have cited that as a key moment the U.S. lost much global credibility.

"I now have responsibility," Trump said. "That responsibility could be made a lot easier if it was handled years ago."

Yet he was adamant that he would not telegraph any potential U.S. military retaliation, saying anew that that was a mistake the Obama administration had repeatedly made.

Standing alongside Jordan's King Abdullah II at a news conference, Trump appeared to adopt the first part of Obama's stance  that chemical weapons use is intolerable  while stopping short of saying what might come next.

That left some Assad opponents wanting more.

"It's simply impossible to shame the Assad and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin regimes with words alone," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

The strongest indication that the U.S. might act came at the United Nations, where U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley held up photos of the attack's victims in an emotional plea to the Security Council to intervene.

"When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action," Haley declared.

Though Trump didn't mention it, both Haley and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have argued that Russia and Iran  Assad's two staunchest allies  must use their influence to prevent him from mounting further attacks. Tillerson said Russia needed to "think carefully about their continued support for the Assad regime."

"There's no doubt in our mind that the Syrian regime under the leadership of Bashar al Assad is responsible for this horrific attack," Tillerson said.

The most recent attack, in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, bore telltale signs of nerve agent exposure such as victims convulsing and foaming from the mouth. Videos showed volunteer medics using firehoses to wash chemicals from victims' bodies and lifeless children being piled in heaps.

Early U.S. assessments show the attack most likely involved chlorine and traces of the nerve agent sarin, according to two U.S. officials, who weren't authorized to speak publicly about intelligence assessments and demanded anonymity. Use of sarin would be especially troubling because it would suggest Syria may have cheated on its previous deal to give up chemical weapons.

After a 2013 attack, the U.S. and Russia brokered a deal in which Syria declared its chemical weapons arsenal and agreed to destroy it. Chlorine, which has legitimate uses as well, isn't banned except when used in a weapon. But nerve agents like sarin are banned in all circumstances.

As Trump and other world leaders scrambled for a response, the U.S. was working to lock down details proving Assad's culpability. Russia's military, insisting Assad wasn't responsible, has said the chemicals were dispersed when a Syrian military strike hit a facility where the rebels were manufacturing weapons for use in Iraq.

An American review of radar and other assessments showed Syrian aircraft flying in the area at the time of the attack, a U.S. official said. Russian and U.S. coalition aircraft were not there, the official said.
A mother and daughter died after a home in Mission Hills erupted into flames early Tuesday, San Diego Fire-Rescue officials confirmed.

The women, one of them described by a battalion chief as bed-ridden, lived in the home on Fort Stockton Drive.

Someone walking their dog called 911 just after 5 a.m. When firefighters arrived, they found the home engulfed in flames.

It was impossible and unsafe for crews to attack from inside the home so crews took a defensive position to protect nearby homes, fire officials said.

The intensity of the fire caused part of the roof to collapse.

The body of one victim was found near the front of the home, according to fire officials. The second victim was found in the back of the home.

"Search efforts were complicated and delayed because of the extensive fuel load, large fire involvement, and various portions of the structure collapsed," SDFD spokesperson Monica Munoz said.

There was a lot of furniture and hoarding conditions inside the home.

The first thought I had was its probably that one (on Fort Stockton) because its so unkempt, neighbor Holly Raley said. It looked like it was falling down.

"We do not know at this time if there was a smoke or carbon monoxide detection device in the home," Munoz added.

The victims were mother and daughter and the deaths have sent shock waves through the quiet neighborhood. People who knew them say the mother and daughter rarely left the house.

Julia Lafferty said she woke up and looked across the street to see her neighbors home was engulfed in flames.

Just absolutely terrifying. Ive never seen a fire that big so close, right across the street from my house, Lafferty said. We actually started to gather a few personal belongings just in case, to be ready.

The home to the left of the fire appeared to be undamaged. The home to the right was lined with a number of trees. It was unclear if that home has sustained any damage.

San Diego police blocked the street to all traffic including residents.

The neighborhood is located north of Washington Street and east of Interstate 5. Smoke from the fire was visible by commuters along I-5 and Interstate 8 to the north.
After a Virginia couples long driveway was changed to a street, their cable company continued sending bills to the new address without a problem, but when it was time to update their equipment, the company couldnt seem to find them.

In 2008, Fairfax County requested Joanne Wiggins and her husband give their long, winding driveway a street name.

They came up with the idea that our driveway should be a street, and so we should name it, she said.

They had to notify everyone about their new address.

We got everything sorted out with FedEx, UPS, the post office -- everything except Comcast, Wiggins said.

Comcast, which owns NBC, changed the billing address right away, she said, but a problem arose in December after Comcast sent an alert to its customers.

The alert comes up on the TV, You're eligible for free new equipment! Wiggins said

But Comcast sent the equipment to the Wiggins old address, and because that address doesnt exist anymore, the equipment was returned, she said.

Wiggins said she and her husband tried repeatedly but unsuccessfully to convince Comcast to change their address and time was running out.

They said the equipment is being upgraded and if you don't have the new equipment, you won't have the cable anymore, so we had to do something, Wiggins said.

They went in person to a Comcast office with all of their documents, but that didn't work, either, she said.

We're going to have to refer this to the corporate office, Wiggins said. That is when I said, 'Forget it! I'm looking up Susan Hogan's email address.

Shortly after NBC4 Responds contacted Comcast, an agent followed up with the Wiggins, corrected their address and sent out a technician to upgrade their equipment at no charge.

Comcast said it was an unusual scenario they will look at to find ways to prevent it from happening again.
A camera attached to a Largo, Maryland, townhouse showed investigators some of the devastation of a large fire that damaged four residences Monday night.

Nine people were left without a home after the fire tore through the rear of a townhouse and damaged three others, Prince George's County fire officials said. Firefighters were called to the 11500 block of Dunloring Drive about 12:30 p.m. Monday.

Video showed the flames from where investigators believe the fire started. Smoke, fire and water damaged three other homes.

No other injuries were reported, but officials said eight adults and a child were displaced by the fire.

Prince George's County Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady said investigators trying to establish the cause were able to fairly quickly narrow their focus after an arson dog detected accelerants.

A GoFundMe page was established to help out one of the families involved in the fire.
Hundreds of vaping cartridges filled with THC -- the hallucinogenic chemical in marijuana -- were seized in College Park, Maryland, police say.

Prince George's County police arrested 21-year-old Brandon Kraut, of Holland, Pennsylvania, after searching a home on Dickinson Avenue. Kraut is a part-time student at the University of Maryland, police said.

Inside the home, narcotics officers found 375 vials of THC oil and $8,480 in cash.

According to court documents, Kraut told police he had just gotten back from studying abroad and that he sold the vials on the street for $45 each because he had no money.

The vials police seized came in dozens of flavors from banana to creamsicle to tangerine and are used in electronic cigarettes and other vaping instruments.

Vaping THC oil is like smoking marijuana without the telltale odor, police said.

This case shows the availability of products on the market that enable individuals to openly use drugs that are illegal in Maryland without being detected. This product masks the odor of marijuana and the user appears to be vaping with legal products," Major Timothy Muldoon, Commander of the Narcotics Enforcement Division, said in a news release.

Muldoon said vape pens are also used to ingest dangerous drugs like meth and heroin.
President Donald Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon was removed from the National Security Council Wednesday, NBC News reported.

As part of the shakeup announced Wednesday, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry was added to the NSC's Principals Committee. Two other officials were also added back to the committee: the director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford.

A White House official told NBC News that Bannon was originally placed on the NSC's Principals' Committee as a "check against Michael Flynn," Trump's former national security adviser.

Flynn resigned in February after it was revealed he misled Vice President Mike Pence about a conversation he had with Russia's ambassador prior to Trump's inauguration.
A Maine man is facing animal cruelty charges after he allegedly choked two cats to death last month.

Michael Herrmann, 47, of Greene, is charged with aggravated animal cruelty. He is free on $160 cash bail.

According to the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Department, the animal control officer in the area began investigating last month after learning that the two cats had been killed in an inhumane manner. Their bodies were later dumped in the woods near Herrmann's home, on South Mountain Road.

Police say Herrmann had been watching them for a neighbor. He allegedly told investigators he killed them because he didnt have time to take them to the local humane society and figured they would be euthanized anyway.

Herrmann complained that the cats were causing his daughter's allergies, so he used "martial arts skills" to subdue and strangle them near a snowmobile trail, according to the sheriff's department.

He allegedly told police his martial arts training taught him how to "choke things out."

A person at Herrmann's address refused to speak to necn Tuesday.

Herrmann has been ordered to have no contact with animals while out on bail.
A body found inside a Salem, New Hampshire, home following an explosion and massive fire on Monday has been identified as the homeowner.

Salem police said the body has been identified as 55-year-old Charles Hill. He was found in the basement with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

He was found with an unknown type 7.62 mm long rifle, a 9mm handgun, a .45 caliber handgun, two knives and 136 rounds of ammunition for the three firearms nearby.

Additionally, over 1,700 rounds of ammunition and four exploded magazines were found elsewhere in the home.

Salem police initially went to the condemned property at 20 Irving St. on Monday night for a neighbor dispute over property lines. A vehicle was seen in the driveway of the home but when officers attempted to make contact, no one inside answered, police said.

Officers then heard a hissing noise and smelled the odor of gas. While backing away, they heard a loud explosion and the windows blew out of the house. Police said the house then began to smoke and eventually was engulfed by flames. Following the initial explosion, officials said multiple rounds of ammunition could be heard going off inside the home.

Firefighters soon arrived at the scene to douse the flames, which could be seen shooting from the home. Nearby homes were temporarily evacuated.

Police said it appeared that Hill had planned the incident, possibly even preparing for police or fire to get close to the residence. They said it did not appear to have been an accident.

No first responders were injured in Monday's incident, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. Some consumer grade fireworks were found in the rubble.

Investigators weren't able to access the charred remains of the home until Tuesday afternoon after the bomb squad determined it was safe. Boards with nails sticking out of them had been set up along the accessway to the home, so there was some concern that the property might be booby trapped.

When they did enter, police found Hill's body in the basement, along with the weapons and ammunition. But he was not officially identified until Wednesday morning.

According to court documents, the town filed suit against Hill last summer, saying he was in violation of local zoning ordinances and housing standards because of accumulating trash and debris on his property and that the home was "unfit for human habitation."

Water and electricity had been shut off at the property since 2013, and police responding to the home in 2015 observed "rotting food, insects, garbage, unsanitary dishes, and a strong odor of feces and urine throughout the dwelling."

The home was demolished on Tuesday.
A University of Vermont student has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault and lewd and lascivious conduct involving two students.

Police say Nikolai Kalininskii, a 19-year-old UVM sophomore from Russia, touched the genitals of two female students who live in his dorm during separate incidents Saturday and Monday.

According to text messages in court documents sent to multiple media outlets, Kalininskii said he was drunk when the sexual assaults took place.

"Sorry that I did that with you, every action leads consequences," Kalininskii allegedly texted one victim. "What can I do to make you forgive me?"

He was arrested and arraigned in Chittenden Superior Court on Tuesday.

Kalininskii was issued a no-trespass order for the entire UVM campus.

"We're always encouraging people to report these incidents and they did. We got a lot of cooperation from the community in this particular incident and that made a big difference," said Tim Bilodeau of the University Police.

A phone message left for the supervising attorney at the Chittenden County Public Defender's' office was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Kalininskii faces a minimum of three years in prison and a $25,000 fine if convicted on the charges.
Growing up watching her father put the uniform on day in and day out motivated her to follow in his footsteps and become an Airman, but she never imagined she would get the opportunity to serve alongside her hero.

It was all made possible through the 571st Mobility Support Advisory Squadron, who is charged with strengthening partner nations capabilities. The squadron trains, advises and assists partner nations in developing airpower capabilities.

A year ago Master Sgt. Alejandro Medina, 571st MSAS air advisor, noted the need to bolster the Guatemalan Air Forces intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform. He quickly suggested his daughter, Senior Airman Giannina, a sensor operator at Creech AFB, Nevada, come aboard to help.

During the mission to Guatemala, the father and daughter duo instructed 10 partner nation service members and contributed to more than 50 hours of classroom and hands-on training.

"It was exciting hearing her talk about her students, what she helped them with, and seeing her involved in such an important role," Medina said. "I'm glad that she got to see another side of the Air Force mission and how the MSAS impacts the national strategic plans."

Giannina explained that working alongside her father was one of the coolest things shes done throughout her Air Force career.

Its hard for me to pick a favorite moment from the Guatemalan mission because I was able to be a part of something so amazing, Giannina said. I taught a whole new curriculum to an entire different country, with a different mission, in a different language and to top it all off, my father was right by my side.

Giannina was pivotal in developing a new checklists for reconnaissance operations which enabled her to earn a hard to come by patch from the Guatemalan Air Force students and leadership.

Working with the Guatemalan Air Force was an experience that I will never forget, Giannina said. I was able to see the military from a completely different point of view. The students that I had the opportunity to teach were very eager to learn and open to talk about our different experiences not only in life, but in our work environment as well.

Though they didn't have the same students, they were able to have lunch together every day and talk about their class and how they interacted with them.

Hearing how proud my daughter felt about the work she was doing with the Guatemalan Air Force made me extremely proud of her and happy I steered her in the United States Air Force direction, Medina said.

In addition to teaching ISR, the 15 manned mobile training team also conducted aircraft maintenance, tactics and procedures, first aid and CPR training along with a number of other courses.

The team also was involved in a community outreach opportunity where they delivered various school supplies to a local orphanage.


East Anglian inter faith pilgrimage at Walsingham East Anglian inter faith pilgrimage at Walsingham

The second East Anglian Inter Faith Pilgrimage took place on Saturday April 1, when around 100 pilgrims including Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews and Pagans from Norwich, Ipswich, Cambridge, Wisbech, Lowestoft, Peterborough and from the local Walsingham Deanery met at Walsingham.

The first pilgrimage took place in 2015 and was organised by Suffolk Inter Faith Resource, this years Pilgrimage was arranged by the Catholic Diocese of East Anglia, Wisbech Inter Faith Forum and Peterborough Inter Faith Council.



The Pilgrimage started with a Catholic Mass at the Catholic National Shrine, concelebrated by Monsignor John Armitage, Rector of the Shrine, Fr Michael Rear who was leading the Pilgrimage and Deacon Paul Hirons. This was followed by a shared lunch.



After lunch most of the pilgrims walked one and a quarter miles along the Pilgrims Way to Little Walsingham, stopping at six stations for time to reflect on our world today.



Reflections were shared by Sean Finlay from Wisbech Inter Faith Council, Brian Keegan from the Catholic Diocese of East Anglia, Bharat Khetani from Wisbech Inter Faith Council, a reading from the Sikh scripture provided by Jaspal Singh Chairman of Peterborough Inter Faith Council read by Canon Matthew Bradbury from St Peters and St Pauls Anglican Church in Wisbech, Di Nicholas, the Liberal Jewish representative on the Peterborough Inter Faith Council and a reading from the Quran said by Zahid Akbar, Secretary of the Peterborough Inter Faith Council.

Those that walked then joined with those who were unable to walk at the Anglican Shrine for the Sprinkling Service celebrated by Fr Andreas Wenzel, the Shrine Priest.



Brian Keegan, the Lead for Inter Faith Relations in the Catholic Diocese and also a member of Peterborough Inter Faith Council, one of the joint organisers, said: I was delighted that so many pilgrims from all the major faiths, as well as the Chair of Cambridge Inter Faith Group, who is a pagan, were able to join us for this pilgrimage and share with us from their sacred texts readings which enabled us to reflect together about the problems facing our world today and pray in our own ways for peace.



Brian also thanked Chris Woods from Norwich Inter Faith Link who had suggested the idea of a walk with reflections but who was unable to join the pilgrims on the day, as well as the help received from both the Anglican and Catholic shrines.



Pictured top are the pilgrims at the end of the walk and, above, one of the station readings along the way.
In Jasons last post, he discussed how we are apt to see more intricate and complex data integrity attacks this year, with the adversaries main motivation being financial gain and/or political manipulation.

As the cyber landscape becomes increasingly complex, private enterprises and public entities are looking for ways to better protect information and preserve the integrity of their data, while individuals want to ensure that the internet remains open and provides equal access to information to all. And while there are a number of technologies that are valuable, people are now being recognized as a powerful tool to solve these problems.

As such, the negative perception surrounding hackers is shifting. Most large technology companies run notable bug bounty programs, including Google, Apple and Tesla. Recently the U.S. government has added programs such as HackthePentagonand HacktheArmy, and the recent Department of Defense Vulnerability Disclosure Policy.

Ethical hackers are now the new white knights, looked upon as strengthening our collective security and making the cyber landscape safe and accessible for all. And as we look to hackers for help, I think its natural for us to wonder: What makes a good hacker?

Anatomy of a hacker

In all honesty, its not that hard to be a good hacker. The odds are actually in favor of hackers because while the organizations they target have to make sure every tool, system and interaction is secure, the hacker needs to find just that one vulnerability, that one open seam in an organization, that one employee who will click a phishing email to gain access. Through technology, it is possible to become a good hacker, but it's hard to become great. Great hackers have four critical personality traits: They are social, curious, adaptable and motivated.

Curious: Great hackers have a natural curiosity. They continually ask why a certain system works the way it does, how an organization operates, what the responsibilities of their victim are or their psychologyuntil they get down to the very root of that technology or person. Assumptions and opinions that have not been vetted through curiosity are a sure-fire way to be unsuccessful or, worse, get caught.

Social: Every hacker attacks technology, but smart hackers attack peopleand great hackers know when to do which. Hackers need to be curious about people as much as they need to be about technology. People have proven over and over again to be the weakest link when it comes to security. Verizons Data Breach Report indicated legitimate user credentials were used in 63 percent of breaches. Great hackers recognize this weakness and want to understand the psychology of who they are attacking. By understanding how their victim thinks and operates, the hacker can find vulnerabilities to exploit.

The hackers our times need most are those who are motivated to protect the people and organizations that could be potential targetsthe ones who are motivated by doing the right thing.

Adaptable: As George Santayana said, Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. To be successful, hackers need to learn from their triumphs and failuresespecially from the community at large. Decades later, there are still buffer overflows, and hackers still get caught because they overestimate their ability to be covert. They need to adapt their tactics, techniques and procedures to accomplish what they set out to do.

Motivated: The hacker that usually makes headlines is the one that has malicious intentbe it their own financial gain, to influence politics, or even to just embarrass their victim. The hackers our times need most are those who are motivated to protect the people and organizations that could be potential targetsthe ones who are motivated by doing the right thing. Its that very motivation that is the biggest differentiator between who hacks to protect the integrity of data and who hacks to disrupt itwhich brings me to an important aspect of the need to bolster our cyber defense that is less discussed.

Preserving peace

Wars have never hurt anybody except the people who die.Salvador Dali

Being prepared for cyber warfare is the most effective way to preserve peace. Thus, the cyber arms race by nations, states and corporations is necessary, but it needs to be handled with the same level of caution as nuclear arms. We need to have the people with capabilities who can navigate the space and operate within it, as well as relevant technology thats effective.

However, we need to be extremely judicious about its use. Attacks against national critical infrastructure continue to rise, but thankfully no lives have been reported lost (yet). We should not have hackers who are motivated by greed and power, only those who are motivated by the greater good.

Theres no question that given todays threat landscape, leveraging great ethical hackers to protect the integrity of data and our access to information is a logical way forward. We just need to ensure these individuals have a strong moral compass and ultimately will help make cyberspace safer for all. We all need to contribute in playing whatever part we canto educate, train, join forces or simply encourage such global citizens.

So, are you in?
Speculation is heating up again this week regarding the possibility that Apple might delay the arrival of its iPhone 8 (or iPhone X) smartphone until October or November due to technical issues related to the lamination of its new curved OLED displays as well as with its 3D sensing system.

Apple historically has released its new flagship iPhones in September, but scuttlebutt in the supply chain says things could be otherwise in 2017. Speculation is that Apple could roll out its 7s and 7s Plus phones in September, with the high-end iPhone 8 becoming available shortly afterwards.

MORE: Apple's Mobility Partner Program comes out of hiding

The Chinese-language Economic Daily News got the latest ball rolling, with Apple watchers such as Apple Insider and Patently Apple picking up on the tip.

Apple is expected to pull out all the stops for its 10th anniversary iPhone, and that includes energy efficient and bright curved OLED screens along the lines of what (and Samsung is the display supplier, too).

A PRICE BREAK ON iPHONE 8?

The prevailing rumor on the iPhone 8's price is that it might sneak over the $1,000 mark, but now there's talk that it won't be quite that pricey even though Apple is expected to pack an OLED display, more storage, fancy sensing technology and impressive specifications into the device.

The source of this new reassurance is an investor's note from UBS analyst Steven Milunovich, who according to CNBC says predicts that the factory cost of a 64GB iPhone 8 would fall between $850 and $900, which would amount to $70 to $90 more than an equivalent iPhone 7s Plus model.

iPHONE 8 HOME BUTTON CONCEPT

For good measure, we share with you a new iPhone 8 concept video from Domenico Panacea that focuses on the embedded home button concept. It's actually a two-in-one video, with one concept having the home button disappear after unlock, and the other featuring an always-on home button for those of us who might need it as a binky.
Youd think ponying up for a technology leader to be your schools commencement day speaker would be so much less of a hassle than going with a high profile politician such as President Donald Trump or his rival Hillary Clinton, yet 2017 appears to be a lean year for top techies on the college/university commencement circuit.

This seems especially true for tech leaders in enterprise networking and IT, whereas in the past the heads of companies such as Cisco, IBM and Salesforce.com have commanded the commencement day stage at top schools.

This is not to say that a few big names from the tech world arent slated to share their wisdom with new grads this spring.

MIT snagged Apple CEO Tim Cook early to be its speaker on Friday, June 9. Mr. Cooks brilliance as a business leader, his genuineness as a human being, and his passion for issues that matter to our community make his voice one that I know will resonate deeply with our graduates, MIT President L. Rafael Reif gushed.

Apple Apple CEO Tim Cook: Headed to MIT

Cook in 2015 delivered the commencement address at George Washington University.

RELATED: Apple's Steve Jobs delivers Stanford University commencement address in 2005

On a related note, Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson (currently CEO of the Aspen Institute) has been tapped to deliver the commencement address at the College of William and Mary in May.

MORE: |

Another big name, Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman, will deliver the commencement address at Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday, May 21. Other high profile women in technology, such as Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Girls Who Code founder and CEO Reshma Saujani, also will make commencement speeches in May. Sandberg will do the honors at Virginia Tech and Saujani will regale Scripps Colleges grads with life lessons.

Sandberg colleague Mark Zuckerberg, in a dramatic twist, will return to Harvard presumably not to extol the virtues of dropping out of the Ivy League school as he did in 2005. Fellow Harvard dropout and mega technology industry success story Bill Gates gave the commencement address at Harvard back in 2007.

Beating the spring commencement season rush, DeVry University in Phoenix had that state's CIO and DeVry grad  Morgan Reed as its speaker for a graduation ceremony that took place in January.

Numerous schools still haven't disclosed their speakers. If you know of other techie speakers that have been announced or that get announced after this story initially posts, feel free to ping me at bbrown@nww.com.
Priest and Imam side by side to condemn Westminster terror attack

A MULTI-faith event to condemn last month's Westminster terror attack was held in Newbury town centre today (Wednesday).

The event, under the banner 'Not In My Name,' was organised by Newbury Mosque and Muslim Youth Group (MYG) to show solidarity with the bereaved and to remember those who were killed and injured.

Marchers walked from the mosque in Pound Street to Newbury Town Hall at 2pm.

A minute's silence for the victims of the attack - PC Keith Palmer, Kurt Cochran, Aysha Frade, and Leslie Rhodes - and a laying of flowers followed at 2.40pm.

Prayers led by Imam Mobasshir Mushtaq and the Rev David McLeod from St Marys Church in Greenham were followed by speeches from local Muslim leaders, Newbury MP Richard Benyon and the mayor of Newbury, Julian Swift-Hook.

The attack was carried out by Khalid Masood, who drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before crashing into railings outside the Palace of Westminster on March 22.

Masood then ran through the palace gates and stabbed PC Palmer before being shot by police.

A spokesman for Newbury's mosque congregation, Lucky Nizami, spoke from the town hall steps, telling those present: "Our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost loved ones in Westminster - heart and soul, we feel for the families.

"These were not the actions of a Muslim but an act of a terrorist who does not believe in God or humanity. We are British; we are British Muslims. And no one will take that away from us."

He added: "We stand side by side with the wider community; we are one."

Imam Mushtaq said: "We strongly condemn these acts of violence by some individual claiming to be acting in the name of Islam. We love our neighbours, we must love the whole of humanity and live in harmony with our neighbours of all faiths.

"By coming together here we're sending a message to the wider community that we won't be divided by acts of violence."

Newbury mayor Julian Swift-Hook said: "Not in my name and not in our name. This is a gesture of community solidarity in Newbury. There's strength in diversity as today shows. Those who seek to disrupt our way of life won't succeed."

Newbury MP Richard Benyon, who was in the House of Commons when the attack took place, said: "We have a thriving civic society here in Newbury and the fact that different faiths and different communities have come together like this sends a message to those who would seek to divide us."

Wreaths were laid on the town hall steps and those gathered observed a minute's silence for the victims.
By PTI

CHENNAI: Auto major TATA Motors Ltd has drawn up plans, including setting up a new format for showrooms, doubling of sales and service outlets, as part of its vision to enter the top three automobile manufacturers in the country slot by 2019, a top official said here today.

"Our ambition is to be on Number 3 (automobile manufacturer) across the country by 2019. Right now, we are fifth (position). Already, in Tamil Nadu we are ranked No 3", Tata Motors Ltd, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, President, Mayank Pareek told reporters here.

Elaborating, Pareek said the company would tap technology to set up digital showroom expected to come up in Mumbai initially and had also planned to increase the sales and service outlets present across the country by 2020. "Right now, our sales network is 700. We will more than double sales by 2020. That is the plan", he said.

On the outlook for financial year 2017-18, he said the company hopes to grow more than the industry growth. "For the next year, the industry forecast is expected to be at 9-10 per cent growth. We will be doing better than industry. We certainly promise to do much better than industry growth", he said, without declining to reveal any figures.

Last year, the industry grew by nine per cent while Tata Motors registered 22 per cent growth, he said.

On the exports front, Pareek said the company would focus more on the domestic market though it ships some of its products in small quantities to various countries. Pareek and senior company officials were here to unveil the latest compact sedan Tigor priced from Rs 4.82 lakh (ex-showroom Chennai) for base petrol variant while the diesel top end variant is priced at Rs 7.28 lakh (ex-showroom-Chennai).

CHENNAI: Auto major TATA Motors Ltd has drawn up plans, including setting up a new format for showrooms, doubling of sales and service outlets, as part of its vision to enter the top three automobile manufacturers in the country slot by 2019, a top official said here today. "Our ambition is to be on Number 3 (automobile manufacturer) across the country by 2019. Right now, we are fifth (position). Already, in Tamil Nadu we are ranked No 3", Tata Motors Ltd, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, President, Mayank Pareek told reporters here. Elaborating, Pareek said the company would tap technology to set up digital showroom expected to come up in Mumbai initially and had also planned to increase the sales and service outlets present across the country by 2020. "Right now, our sales network is 700. We will more than double sales by 2020. That is the plan", he said. On the outlook for financial year 2017-18, he said the company hopes to grow more than the industry growth. "For the next year, the industry forecast is expected to be at 9-10 per cent growth. We will be doing better than industry. We certainly promise to do much better than industry growth", he said, without declining to reveal any figures. Last year, the industry grew by nine per cent while Tata Motors registered 22 per cent growth, he said. On the exports front, Pareek said the company would focus more on the domestic market though it ships some of its products in small quantities to various countries. Pareek and senior company officials were here to unveil the latest compact sedan Tigor priced from Rs 4.82 lakh (ex-showroom Chennai) for base petrol variant while the diesel top end variant is priced at Rs 7.28 lakh (ex-showroom-Chennai).
By AFP

WASHINGTON: US antitrust regulators approved ChemChina's $43 billion takeover of Swiss pesticide and seed giant Syngenta after they agreed the Chinese company must sell three products, the Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday.

The deal would mark the largest foreign takeover by a Chinese firm.

Under a preliminary settlement, the FTC said it required the divestitures to address a loss of competition over the herbicide paraquat and two other products in which the merger would have likely led to higher prices for consumers.

The US federal agency said the deal, as originally proposed, created antitrust problems because ChemChina's generics subsidiary ADAMA is either the first- or second-largest generics supplier in the United States for the three products in question.

The other two products are the insecticide abamectin, which protects primarily citrus and tree nut crops, and the fungicide chlorothalonil, which protects peanuts and potatoes.

"Without the proposed divestiture, the merger would eliminate the direct competition that exists today between ChemChina generics subsidiary ADAMA and Syngenta's branded products," the FTC said.

"The merger would also increase the likelihood that US customers buying paraquat, abamectin and chlorothalonil would be forced to pay higher prices or accept reduced service for these products."

The FTC said it worked with its counterparts in Australia, Canada, the European Union, India and Mexico "to analyze the proposed transaction and potential remedies."

The FTC's settlement is subject to public comment for 30 days after which the commission will determine whether to finalize it.

Syngenta said in February it expects the transaction with ChemChina to close in the second quarter.

The deal is just one of several huge takeovers in the agro-chemical sector that regulators are grappling with, with German giant Bayer offering $66 billion for US firm Monsanto, which in 2015 had tried to acquire Syngenta for $46 billion.

US giants DuPont and Dow Chemical are also merging in a $130 billion deal.

Last week, DuPont said it will sell some of its pesticide business to Philadelphia-based chemical company FMC to clear regulatory hurdles.

The European Commission had ruled that the merger could go ahead if DuPont divested "major parts" of its global pesticides business due to antitrust concerns.

In exchange, DuPont will receive the health and nutrition business from FMC along with $1.6 billion in cash and working capital.

WASHINGTON: US antitrust regulators approved ChemChina's $43 billion takeover of Swiss pesticide and seed giant Syngenta after they agreed the Chinese company must sell three products, the Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday. The deal would mark the largest foreign takeover by a Chinese firm. Under a preliminary settlement, the FTC said it required the divestitures to address a loss of competition over the herbicide paraquat and two other products in which the merger would have likely led to higher prices for consumers. The US federal agency said the deal, as originally proposed, created antitrust problems because ChemChina's generics subsidiary ADAMA is either the first- or second-largest generics supplier in the United States for the three products in question. The other two products are the insecticide abamectin, which protects primarily citrus and tree nut crops, and the fungicide chlorothalonil, which protects peanuts and potatoes. "Without the proposed divestiture, the merger would eliminate the direct competition that exists today between ChemChina generics subsidiary ADAMA and Syngenta's branded products," the FTC said. "The merger would also increase the likelihood that US customers buying paraquat, abamectin and chlorothalonil would be forced to pay higher prices or accept reduced service for these products." The FTC said it worked with its counterparts in Australia, Canada, the European Union, India and Mexico "to analyze the proposed transaction and potential remedies." The FTC's settlement is subject to public comment for 30 days after which the commission will determine whether to finalize it. Syngenta said in February it expects the transaction with ChemChina to close in the second quarter. The deal is just one of several huge takeovers in the agro-chemical sector that regulators are grappling with, with German giant Bayer offering $66 billion for US firm Monsanto, which in 2015 had tried to acquire Syngenta for $46 billion. US giants DuPont and Dow Chemical are also merging in a $130 billion deal. Last week, DuPont said it will sell some of its pesticide business to Philadelphia-based chemical company FMC to clear regulatory hurdles. The European Commission had ruled that the merger could go ahead if DuPont divested "major parts" of its global pesticides business due to antitrust concerns. In exchange, DuPont will receive the health and nutrition business from FMC along with $1.6 billion in cash and working capital.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: In view of a rise in militant violence, apprehension of stone pelting and boycott call given by the separatists, at least 300 companies of security forces would be deployed for smooth conduct of bypolls to parliamentary seats in the Valley.

At least 300 security forces companies would be deployed for smooth and peaceful polling for bypolls in the Valley, IG CRPF Kashmir Ravideep Sahi told New Indian Express.

The bypolls for Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary seat in Central Kashmir and Anantnag-Pulwama seat in South Kashmir would be held on April 9 and 12 respectively.

IG CRPF said of the 300 companies to be deployed for poll duties, 180 will be from CRPF and rest will be from SSB, ITBP and J&K police.

He said around 150 CRPF companies have been rushed from outside state for their deployment for poll duties in the Valley. 70% of the companies have reached and 30% are on the way.

The separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, who spearheaded over five months of unrest in Valley last year after killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, have called on people to boycott polls and stage 2016-like protests in the Valley on polling days for the by-election to two Lok Sabha seats.

According to Sahi, area domination is being conducted by the security personnel and naka and checkpoints have been set up to ensure smooth conduct of polling.

Besides CRF men are carrying out cordon and search operations at the suspected areas in coordination with J&K police and other security agencies, he said.

The IG CRPF said they are assessing the situation on daily basis. Since the security situation is changing all the times, we are also accordingly redeploying our men.

There has also been a rise in militant violence in Valley and militants carried out three attacks on security forces in Srinagar in three days killing two CRPF men and injuring 23 security men.

Asked whether they anticipate stone pelting on polling booths during bypolls, IG CRPF said, We are ready to deal with any contingency situation including militant attacks or security pelting. We have geared up and our men would be deployed with anti-riot gears to take on the stone pelters.

To a query whether any instructions have been given to security men to observe restraint while dealing with stone pelting incidents, he said the directions have been passed to the jawans and officials to exercise maximum restraint while dealing with the law and order situation.

Losing a human being whether a stone pelter, a civilian or a security jawan is always unfortunate and demoralising, he said.

SRINAGAR: In view of a rise in militant violence, apprehension of stone pelting and boycott call given by the separatists, at least 300 companies of security forces would be deployed for smooth conduct of bypolls to parliamentary seats in the Valley. At least 300 security forces companies would be deployed for smooth and peaceful polling for bypolls in the Valley, IG CRPF Kashmir Ravideep Sahi told New Indian Express. The bypolls for Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary seat in Central Kashmir and Anantnag-Pulwama seat in South Kashmir would be held on April 9 and 12 respectively. IG CRPF said of the 300 companies to be deployed for poll duties, 180 will be from CRPF and rest will be from SSB, ITBP and J&K police. He said around 150 CRPF companies have been rushed from outside state for their deployment for poll duties in the Valley. 70% of the companies have reached and 30% are on the way. The separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, who spearheaded over five months of unrest in Valley last year after killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, have called on people to boycott polls and stage 2016-like protests in the Valley on polling days for the by-election to two Lok Sabha seats. According to Sahi, area domination is being conducted by the security personnel and naka and checkpoints have been set up to ensure smooth conduct of polling. Besides CRF men are carrying out cordon and search operations at the suspected areas in coordination with J&K police and other security agencies, he said. The IG CRPF said they are assessing the situation on daily basis. Since the security situation is changing all the times, we are also accordingly redeploying our men. There has also been a rise in militant violence in Valley and militants carried out three attacks on security forces in Srinagar in three days killing two CRPF men and injuring 23 security men. Asked whether they anticipate stone pelting on polling booths during bypolls, IG CRPF said, We are ready to deal with any contingency situation including militant attacks or security pelting. We have geared up and our men would be deployed with anti-riot gears to take on the stone pelters. To a query whether any instructions have been given to security men to observe restraint while dealing with stone pelting incidents, he said the directions have been passed to the jawans and officials to exercise maximum restraint while dealing with the law and order situation. Losing a human being whether a stone pelter, a civilian or a security jawan is always unfortunate and demoralising, he said.
By ANI

NEW DELHI: British Chancellor of the Exchequer and Member of Parliament Philip Hammond will be on a two-day official visit to India beginning on Wednesday to carry forward the relationship between both sides.

In tune with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' initiative, Hammond will set out how the UK is perfectly placed to become New Delhi's leading finance partner.

The Chancellor is leading a high-level business delegation including Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney, Commercial Secretary Baroness Neville-Rolfe and International Trade Minister Mark Garnier for talks in Delhi and Mumbai.

This visit is part of the annual UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue and the Chancellor's delegation includes some of the UK's most experienced leaders in financial services and some of Britain's most exciting FinTech entrepreneurs.

The UK is already the world's largest exporter of financial services and the leading centre for FinTech.

India's ambitious growth aspirations require it to develop its financial infrastructure and tap into global investors, with estimates suggesting that it needs over $1.5 trillion of capital in infrastructure investment alone in the coming years.

The UK and London are, therefore, perfectly placed to be India's partner of choice to raise the finance it needs to deliver on its plans.

During his visit, he will also recognise the major opportunities for collaboration for British Fintech firms specifically as India continues its drive towards a society less dependent on cash, using technology to increase access to banking and finance for everyone.

This ongoing push across India means that its finance sector is undergoing a significant transformation, with new payment firms, small finance banks and insurance players entering the field.?

This shift presents enormous opportunities for the UK to work much more closely with India's own exciting Fintech sector and for that reason, this week's visit includes some of the UK's most exciting new Fintech firms, such as TransferWise and World First - who are actively looking to expand their activities and interest with India.

The UK and India already share strong links in these areas. Almost 80 percent of all masala bonds have been issued in London.

British firm Standard Chartered, which employs over 18,000 people in India, recently sponsored a new Chevening Scholarship programme between the two countries. This will see eight top Indian leaders of the future attend an intensive course in financial services in London this year.

The trip is also a significant opportunity, following the triggering of Article 50, for the Chancellor to discuss Britain's new role in the world, as it prepares to revitalise its links with friends and allies, opening up new markets and new opportunities for British businesses.

"I'm delighted to be leading such a heavy-weight delegation to India to bang the drum for British business. I am determined to create a truly Global Britain, reaching out and promoting the best of what we have to offer," Chancellor Hammond said

"As we leave the EU and embark on an exciting new phase of our economic history, looking to boost our trade and investment beyond the borders of Europe and strengthening our relationships with the world's most vibrant economies is more important than ever," he added.

"The UK is perfectly placed to be India's financial partner of choice, helping it to raise the finance needed for its continued rapid growth and my message will be ' Make in India, finance in the UK. Our innovative markets have helped support the development of whole new product classes such as masala bonds that will support India's transformation," Chancellor Hammond said.

NEW DELHI: British Chancellor of the Exchequer and Member of Parliament Philip Hammond will be on a two-day official visit to India beginning on Wednesday to carry forward the relationship between both sides. In tune with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' initiative, Hammond will set out how the UK is perfectly placed to become New Delhi's leading finance partner. The Chancellor is leading a high-level business delegation including Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney, Commercial Secretary Baroness Neville-Rolfe and International Trade Minister Mark Garnier for talks in Delhi and Mumbai. This visit is part of the annual UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue and the Chancellor's delegation includes some of the UK's most experienced leaders in financial services and some of Britain's most exciting FinTech entrepreneurs. The UK is already the world's largest exporter of financial services and the leading centre for FinTech. India's ambitious growth aspirations require it to develop its financial infrastructure and tap into global investors, with estimates suggesting that it needs over $1.5 trillion of capital in infrastructure investment alone in the coming years. The UK and London are, therefore, perfectly placed to be India's partner of choice to raise the finance it needs to deliver on its plans. During his visit, he will also recognise the major opportunities for collaboration for British Fintech firms specifically as India continues its drive towards a society less dependent on cash, using technology to increase access to banking and finance for everyone. This ongoing push across India means that its finance sector is undergoing a significant transformation, with new payment firms, small finance banks and insurance players entering the field.? This shift presents enormous opportunities for the UK to work much more closely with India's own exciting Fintech sector and for that reason, this week's visit includes some of the UK's most exciting new Fintech firms, such as TransferWise and World First - who are actively looking to expand their activities and interest with India. The UK and India already share strong links in these areas. Almost 80 percent of all masala bonds have been issued in London. British firm Standard Chartered, which employs over 18,000 people in India, recently sponsored a new Chevening Scholarship programme between the two countries. This will see eight top Indian leaders of the future attend an intensive course in financial services in London this year. The trip is also a significant opportunity, following the triggering of Article 50, for the Chancellor to discuss Britain's new role in the world, as it prepares to revitalise its links with friends and allies, opening up new markets and new opportunities for British businesses. "I'm delighted to be leading such a heavy-weight delegation to India to bang the drum for British business. I am determined to create a truly Global Britain, reaching out and promoting the best of what we have to offer," Chancellor Hammond said "As we leave the EU and embark on an exciting new phase of our economic history, looking to boost our trade and investment beyond the borders of Europe and strengthening our relationships with the world's most vibrant economies is more important than ever," he added. "The UK is perfectly placed to be India's financial partner of choice, helping it to raise the finance needed for its continued rapid growth and my message will be ' Make in India, finance in the UK. Our innovative markets have helped support the development of whole new product classes such as masala bonds that will support India's transformation," Chancellor Hammond said.
Vikram Sharma By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: This is nothing short of a miracle. After battling death for nearly two months, Chetan Kumar Cheetah, a commandant in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) who slipped into coma after he took nine bullets and splinter injuries during a gun battle with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district in February, is back to normal and was discharged from AIIMS on Wednesday.

While fighting terrorists in Bandipora, Cheetah was shot at nine times and also suffered splinter injuries. Even as he collapsed, he kept firing at the terrorists. He was shot in the head and his arms fractured and was in deep coma when he was flown to Delhi and admitted in AIIMS.

Doctors at the trauma centre in AIIMS, where 45-year-old Cheetah was treated said that his upper limbs were fractured and his right eye ruptured when he was brought into the hospital. ''He is fit to be discharged,'' they said, adding that his GCS Score, a test done to gauge the severity of brain injury was M3. Now, his score is M6 and all his vitals are stable,'' they said.

Three soldiers and one militant were killed in the fierce gun battle in Hajin area of Bandipora district of Kashmir on February 14, where Cheetah got injured. About 15 more security personnel were injured.

A visibly elated Uma Singh, Cheetah's wife, said: ''I am very proud of what Chetan has done. He is progressively improving. He is fine now. His penchant for fitness and strong will power has brought him back. I always knew he would recover.''

A resident of Delhi, she said that though Cheetah would call her at a particular time everyday, he did not call her up on the encounter day. ''I knew something was wrong. Later, I called up the control room and it was then that I got to know that he was injured,'' she said. The couple have two school-going children.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, who paid a visit to the hospital to see Cheetah, described it as a miracle and victory of will power. ''He is doing fine and I thank the doctors. It was difficult to imagine him back to life. He is a very brave officer and his will power brought him back to life. I told him (Cheetah) that I want to see him back in his uniform. The government will extend every possible help to the brave soldier,'' he said.

Professor Anurag Srivastava of the department of Surgery at AIIMS, said that both Cheetah's arms were fractured and he had multiple facial wounds. ''His blood pressure was low and we gave him drugs to stabilise it after which he was shifted to ICU. The first surgery was performed in Srinagar itself and that saved his life. We had apprehensions if we would be able to save his eyesight but we did our best. His right eye is ruptured,'' he said.

Dr Amit Gupta, professor of trauma surgery and critical care at the centre, described the recovery as a miracle. ''The recovery and the pace with which it happened is no less than a miracle,'' he said.

Immediately after the encounter, the CRPF commandant was first taken to military hospital in Srinagar where he was initially treated. However, due to his comatose state, he was airlifted to the AIIMS trauma centre. The doctors said that within 24 hours of admission, surgery was conducted to remove a portion of the skull to reduce intra-cranial pressure. Cheetah was put on heavy antibiotics to reduce infection and his wounds were repeatedly cleaned, doctors said.

After his condition stabilised, different teams operated separately to treat the injuries. ''Ophthalmologists took care of the splinter wound in the left eye but the right eye could not be repaired. Simultaneously, orthopaedics worked on the fracture in the limbs while critical care experts planned his antibiotic therapy,'' doctors said.

NEW DELHI: This is nothing short of a miracle. After battling death for nearly two months, Chetan Kumar Cheetah, a commandant in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) who slipped into coma after he took nine bullets and splinter injuries during a gun battle with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district in February, is back to normal and was discharged from AIIMS on Wednesday. While fighting terrorists in Bandipora, Cheetah was shot at nine times and also suffered splinter injuries. Even as he collapsed, he kept firing at the terrorists. He was shot in the head and his arms fractured and was in deep coma when he was flown to Delhi and admitted in AIIMS. Doctors at the trauma centre in AIIMS, where 45-year-old Cheetah was treated said that his upper limbs were fractured and his right eye ruptured when he was brought into the hospital. ''He is fit to be discharged,'' they said, adding that his GCS Score, a test done to gauge the severity of brain injury was M3. Now, his score is M6 and all his vitals are stable,'' they said. Three soldiers and one militant were killed in the fierce gun battle in Hajin area of Bandipora district of Kashmir on February 14, where Cheetah got injured. About 15 more security personnel were injured. A visibly elated Uma Singh, Cheetah's wife, said: ''I am very proud of what Chetan has done. He is progressively improving. He is fine now. His penchant for fitness and strong will power has brought him back. I always knew he would recover.'' A resident of Delhi, she said that though Cheetah would call her at a particular time everyday, he did not call her up on the encounter day. ''I knew something was wrong. Later, I called up the control room and it was then that I got to know that he was injured,'' she said. The couple have two school-going children. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, who paid a visit to the hospital to see Cheetah, described it as a miracle and victory of will power. ''He is doing fine and I thank the doctors. It was difficult to imagine him back to life. He is a very brave officer and his will power brought him back to life. I told him (Cheetah) that I want to see him back in his uniform. The government will extend every possible help to the brave soldier,'' he said. Professor Anurag Srivastava of the department of Surgery at AIIMS, said that both Cheetah's arms were fractured and he had multiple facial wounds. ''His blood pressure was low and we gave him drugs to stabilise it after which he was shifted to ICU. The first surgery was performed in Srinagar itself and that saved his life. We had apprehensions if we would be able to save his eyesight but we did our best. His right eye is ruptured,'' he said. Dr Amit Gupta, professor of trauma surgery and critical care at the centre, described the recovery as a miracle. ''The recovery and the pace with which it happened is no less than a miracle,'' he said. Immediately after the encounter, the CRPF commandant was first taken to military hospital in Srinagar where he was initially treated. However, due to his comatose state, he was airlifted to the AIIMS trauma centre. The doctors said that within 24 hours of admission, surgery was conducted to remove a portion of the skull to reduce intra-cranial pressure. Cheetah was put on heavy antibiotics to reduce infection and his wounds were repeatedly cleaned, doctors said. After his condition stabilised, different teams operated separately to treat the injuries. ''Ophthalmologists took care of the splinter wound in the left eye but the right eye could not be repaired. Simultaneously, orthopaedics worked on the fracture in the limbs while critical care experts planned his antibiotic therapy,'' doctors said.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: Opposition National Conference president and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday defended stone pelters saying the stone pelters were not giving their lives for tourism but fighting for nation and resolution of the Kashmir issue.

I want to tell Prime Minister Narendra Modi that tourism is our life. There is no doubt to it. But the person, who is pelting stone, has nothing to do with tourism. He is not connecting with tourism, Abdullah, who is NC-Congress candidate for Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary seat, said while addressing party workers, here.

He said the stone pelters will die of starvation but will continue to pelt stones for the nation.

It needs to be understood that if he is giving his life, he is not giving it for tourism but fighting for nation. He wants that Kashmir issue should be resolved as per the wishes and aspiration of the people of Kashmir, Abdullah said.

He was reacting to PM Modi's statement on April 2 at the inauguration of countrys longest road tunnel at Chenani on Srinagar-Jammu national highway that the youth of Kashmir have to choose between tourism and terrorism.

The Hurriyat Conference faction led by hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani had recently described stone pelting as tool in the hands of deprived people.

Seeking unity among all stakeholders in Kashmir, Abdullah asked divided quarters to unite in the quest for resolving the political issue.

Every conscientious individual and organization in Kashmir  whether mainstream or separatist  should have the ultimate aim of facilitating a resolution of the political issue to give relief, hope and peace to our people. Unfortunately, rather than brining everyone together, various forces have chosen to fragment organizations and conglomerates under an operational policy to perpetuate confusion, chaos and contradictions in Kashmir. Today I ask all these organizations to come together guided by the common goal of working for the interests of our people and our State above political and ideological divides, he said.

Abdullah, who has been three-time Chief Minister of the State, welcomed the United States offer of mediation between India and Pakistan.

India has been saying that it wants to resolve the issue bilaterally with Pakistan and it does not want third party intervention. We too were supporting the view. But many years have passed and lot of water has flown since and there has been no forward movement between India and Pakistan to resolve the issues, he said.

According to him, New Delhi and Islamabads failure to engage with each other bilaterally over the years has added weight to the argument for international mediation.

Terming US intervention offer as a good step, Abdullah said, US should make an effort to resolve the issue. This is must and they should start the process before the nuclear war starts between the two countries.

SRINAGAR: Opposition National Conference president and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday defended stone pelters saying the stone pelters were not giving their lives for tourism but fighting for nation and resolution of the Kashmir issue. I want to tell Prime Minister Narendra Modi that tourism is our life. There is no doubt to it. But the person, who is pelting stone, has nothing to do with tourism. He is not connecting with tourism, Abdullah, who is NC-Congress candidate for Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary seat, said while addressing party workers, here. He said the stone pelters will die of starvation but will continue to pelt stones for the nation. It needs to be understood that if he is giving his life, he is not giving it for tourism but fighting for nation. He wants that Kashmir issue should be resolved as per the wishes and aspiration of the people of Kashmir, Abdullah said. He was reacting to PM Modi's statement on April 2 at the inauguration of countrys longest road tunnel at Chenani on Srinagar-Jammu national highway that the youth of Kashmir have to choose between tourism and terrorism. The Hurriyat Conference faction led by hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani had recently described stone pelting as tool in the hands of deprived people. Seeking unity among all stakeholders in Kashmir, Abdullah asked divided quarters to unite in the quest for resolving the political issue. Every conscientious individual and organization in Kashmir  whether mainstream or separatist  should have the ultimate aim of facilitating a resolution of the political issue to give relief, hope and peace to our people. Unfortunately, rather than brining everyone together, various forces have chosen to fragment organizations and conglomerates under an operational policy to perpetuate confusion, chaos and contradictions in Kashmir. Today I ask all these organizations to come together guided by the common goal of working for the interests of our people and our State above political and ideological divides, he said. Abdullah, who has been three-time Chief Minister of the State, welcomed the United States offer of mediation between India and Pakistan. India has been saying that it wants to resolve the issue bilaterally with Pakistan and it does not want third party intervention. We too were supporting the view. But many years have passed and lot of water has flown since and there has been no forward movement between India and Pakistan to resolve the issues, he said. According to him, New Delhi and Islamabads failure to engage with each other bilaterally over the years has added weight to the argument for international mediation. Terming US intervention offer as a good step, Abdullah said, US should make an effort to resolve the issue. This is must and they should start the process before the nuclear war starts between the two countries.
By PTI

BOMDILA: Amid protests by Beijing against his scheduled visit to Tawang, the Dalai Lama today said India has never used him against China.

"India has never used me against China. I am a messenger of the ancient Indian thought and I talk about ahimsa, peace, harmony and secular ethics wherever I go," the Tibetan spiritual leader said while talking to the media here.

His remarks came after Chinese state media today said India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China's "bottom line".

"I am a Buddhist. The entire Himalayan range had been traditionally following Buddhist dharma and modern physics is based on Buddhist philosophy," he said.

On corruption, the Dalai Lama said graft is a big problem facing the world and it was increasing because of lack of moral principles.

He spoke fondly of Arunachal Pradesh and said he had a special connection with the state as it served as his point of entry when he arrived in India in 1959.

"When I got freedom, when I first reached India, I entered through Arunachal Pradesh. I have an emotional connect with the state. It is a special place for me," he said.

The Dalai Lama thanked Indian government for letting him visit the frontier state.

"I would like to thank the government of India. I have been here since 1959. India has taken great care of me. I am their longest staying guest. I am thankful to them," he added.

He gave a discourse at Buddha Park here this morning.

The spiritual leader had arrived here last evening from Guwahati accompanied by state Chief Minister Pema Khandu.

Tomorrow, he would impart teachings at Dirang and confer the 'Avalokiteshvara Permission' at Thupsung Dhargyeling Monastery in the morning.

From April 8 to 10, the Dalai Lama will deliver discourses in Tawang. Owing to the rescheduled visit, he would not be able to go to Itanagar.

BOMDILA: Amid protests by Beijing against his scheduled visit to Tawang, the Dalai Lama today said India has never used him against China. "India has never used me against China. I am a messenger of the ancient Indian thought and I talk about ahimsa, peace, harmony and secular ethics wherever I go," the Tibetan spiritual leader said while talking to the media here. His remarks came after Chinese state media today said India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China's "bottom line". "I am a Buddhist. The entire Himalayan range had been traditionally following Buddhist dharma and modern physics is based on Buddhist philosophy," he said. On corruption, the Dalai Lama said graft is a big problem facing the world and it was increasing because of lack of moral principles. He spoke fondly of Arunachal Pradesh and said he had a special connection with the state as it served as his point of entry when he arrived in India in 1959. "When I got freedom, when I first reached India, I entered through Arunachal Pradesh. I have an emotional connect with the state. It is a special place for me," he said. The Dalai Lama thanked Indian government for letting him visit the frontier state. "I would like to thank the government of India. I have been here since 1959. India has taken great care of me. I am their longest staying guest. I am thankful to them," he added. He gave a discourse at Buddha Park here this morning. The spiritual leader had arrived here last evening from Guwahati accompanied by state Chief Minister Pema Khandu. Tomorrow, he would impart teachings at Dirang and confer the 'Avalokiteshvara Permission' at Thupsung Dhargyeling Monastery in the morning. From April 8 to 10, the Dalai Lama will deliver discourses in Tawang. Owing to the rescheduled visit, he would not be able to go to Itanagar.
Ramananda Sengupta By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: New Delhi on Tuesday snubbed the US offer to mediate in the India-Pakistan conflict, saying there was no change in the governments position on bilateral redressal of all India-Pakistan issues in an environment free of terror and violence.

This follows American ambassador to the UN Nikki Haleys remarks at a press conference in New York Monday, where she said Washington may try and find its place in efforts to de-escalate Indo-Pak tensions and not wait till something happens. She went on to add that apart from the US National Security Council, even President Donald Trump might get involved in the process.

In a terse statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said that while Indias position against third party interference is consistent, We of course expect international community to enforce international mechanisms and mandates concerning terrorism emanating from Pakistan, which continues to be the single-biggest threat to peace and stability in our region and beyond.

Haleys not a serious player, said Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal. Trump doesnt give much importance to the UN. She has no participation in decision making. Besides, while Trump has been seeking some opening towards Russia, she has been making harsh statements and lambasting Russia at the UN, he added . She has no apparent understanding about Indian sensitivities and the positions that have been taken by the earlier US administrations including George Bush, to not publicly intervene, he said.

Trump and his team are very agitated about Islamic terrorism, the kind that you see in Kashmir. So she is creating difficulties for herself, for her UN role, and relationship with India. At a time when PM Modi is planning to visit Washington, she has put an unnecessary issue on the table, said Sibal.

Haley does not actually indicate any shift in US policy, argues Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, Fellow at Ananta Aspen Centre. There is a difference between wanting to mediate between India and Pakistan and saying US will seek to preempt any conflict between the two countries. The US did intervene in a conflict before: during Kargil and it worked in Indias favour.. ..

CHENNAI: New Delhi on Tuesday snubbed the US offer to mediate in the India-Pakistan conflict, saying there was no change in the governments position on bilateral redressal of all India-Pakistan issues in an environment free of terror and violence. This follows American ambassador to the UN Nikki Haleys remarks at a press conference in New York Monday, where she said Washington may try and find its place in efforts to de-escalate Indo-Pak tensions and not wait till something happens. She went on to add that apart from the US National Security Council, even President Donald Trump might get involved in the process. In a terse statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said that while Indias position against third party interference is consistent, We of course expect international community to enforce international mechanisms and mandates concerning terrorism emanating from Pakistan, which continues to be the single-biggest threat to peace and stability in our region and beyond. Haleys not a serious player, said Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal. Trump doesnt give much importance to the UN. She has no participation in decision making. Besides, while Trump has been seeking some opening towards Russia, she has been making harsh statements and lambasting Russia at the UN, he added . She has no apparent understanding about Indian sensitivities and the positions that have been taken by the earlier US administrations including George Bush, to not publicly intervene, he said. Trump and his team are very agitated about Islamic terrorism, the kind that you see in Kashmir. So she is creating difficulties for herself, for her UN role, and relationship with India. At a time when PM Modi is planning to visit Washington, she has put an unnecessary issue on the table, said Sibal. Haley does not actually indicate any shift in US policy, argues Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, Fellow at Ananta Aspen Centre. There is a difference between wanting to mediate between India and Pakistan and saying US will seek to preempt any conflict between the two countries. The US did intervene in a conflict before: during Kargil and it worked in Indias favour.. ..
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Refuting allegations that the government did not take adequate steps regarding the attack on Nigerian nationals in Greater Noida, Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said that all such attacks cant be termed racial.

The minister made the statement in Lok Sabha on Wednesday on recent attacks on African national in the country. She also took strong objection to African heads of Missions remark that Indias response was inadequate on the attacks on Africans.

Sushma Swaraj reiterated that all attacks on Africans in India or on Indians in the United States cannot be called xenophobic and racial in nature. Racial crimes are pre-planned, which was not the case with the recent attack on the African students by a mob in Greater Noida, she said asserting that the government is committed to their safety.

Its not right to connect with racism before probe ends. I said this in the context of attacks in the US too, said Sushma Swaraj in Lok Sabha. Calling the statement of Africans envoys unfortunate, painful and surprising, Sushma Swaraj said, You cant say our steps are inadequate. We are committed to ensuring the security of all foreigners in India.

The minister also informed that the African group head of the missions, who had issued a strongly-worded statement, was called by her ministry on Wednesday and conveyed the government's response. She said that her deputy in the ministry V K Singh spoke to him about the prompt response she took as well as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and told him that the African missions could have sought a meeting with the Prime Minister if they were still not satisfied.

Sushma Swarajs response came days after the attack on four Nigerian students in Greater Noida, some 40 km from the Indian capital, following protests over the death of a Class 12 student of a residential colony there due to a drug overdose. Some people who were holding a candle-light vigil for the student attacked the Nigerians suspecting them of drug-running.

In her statement in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj also gave details of the incident saying a youth in Greater Noida had died and his parents had blamed drug overdose for this. Locals took out a candle march, during which an uncontrolled mob of criminals who had infiltrated the crowd attacked the African students, she said.

The external affair minister also mentioned the name of her deputy in the ministry, M J Akbar saying he kept in touch with African missions and told them that the PM was personally monitoring the situation.

NEW DELHI: Refuting allegations that the government did not take adequate steps regarding the attack on Nigerian nationals in Greater Noida, Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said that all such attacks cant be termed racial. The minister made the statement in Lok Sabha on Wednesday on recent attacks on African national in the country. She also took strong objection to African heads of Missions remark that Indias response was inadequate on the attacks on Africans. Sushma Swaraj reiterated that all attacks on Africans in India or on Indians in the United States cannot be called xenophobic and racial in nature. Racial crimes are pre-planned, which was not the case with the recent attack on the African students by a mob in Greater Noida, she said asserting that the government is committed to their safety. Its not right to connect with racism before probe ends. I said this in the context of attacks in the US too, said Sushma Swaraj in Lok Sabha. Calling the statement of Africans envoys unfortunate, painful and surprising, Sushma Swaraj said, You cant say our steps are inadequate. We are committed to ensuring the security of all foreigners in India. The minister also informed that the African group head of the missions, who had issued a strongly-worded statement, was called by her ministry on Wednesday and conveyed the government's response. She said that her deputy in the ministry V K Singh spoke to him about the prompt response she took as well as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and told him that the African missions could have sought a meeting with the Prime Minister if they were still not satisfied. Sushma Swarajs response came days after the attack on four Nigerian students in Greater Noida, some 40 km from the Indian capital, following protests over the death of a Class 12 student of a residential colony there due to a drug overdose. Some people who were holding a candle-light vigil for the student attacked the Nigerians suspecting them of drug-running. In her statement in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj also gave details of the incident saying a youth in Greater Noida had died and his parents had blamed drug overdose for this. Locals took out a candle march, during which an uncontrolled mob of criminals who had infiltrated the crowd attacked the African students, she said. The external affair minister also mentioned the name of her deputy in the ministry, M J Akbar saying he kept in touch with African missions and told them that the PM was personally monitoring the situation.
By IANS

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani on Wednesday was in trouble when a Mumbai court issued a non-bailable warrant against him and his business partners in connection with the bouncing of a cheque of Rs 19 lakh issued by his Eva Group of Companies.

According to information available here, the Bhavnagar-based Eva Group, of which Vaghani is a partner, had bought a piece of land for Rs 10.85 crore in Mumbai's upmarket Bandra suburb in an auction in August 2010. The land was originally owned by Stan Rose Steel Ltd, which went into liquidation.

The company then re-sold it a higher premium to Novelty Power Infratech Company, which paid Rs 3 crore as the first instalment. But Novelty Power later cancelled the deal since the Eva Group was taking far too long to get title clearance for the land.

The Eva Group agreed to return the money along with interest and other expenses. But its first cheque of Rs 24 lakh was dishonoured for lack of funds in the account. This payment was the first instalment.

A metropolitan magistrate's court in Bandra issued a warrant against Vaghani and his partners under Sections 138 and 141 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The Eva group challenged the order in a higher court, which rejected its plea.

After this, the court issued a bailable warrant but the Gujarat Police returned the warrant claiming that the addresses were "untraceable". The Mumbai court now issued a non-bailable warrant and directed the Gujarat Police to go to Bhavnagar to execute the warrant.

But the Gujarat Police again claimed that despite two visits to his addresses on Monday and Sunday, the state BJP chief could not be found. However, Vaghani was available to reporters in Ahmedabad on Wednesday to allege that the case was "politically motivated to give a bad name" to his party.

Meanwhile, state BJP spokesman Bharat Pandya claimed that very next day after the cheque bounced, Vaghani had transferred Rs 19 lakh to the company through RTGS. "But some interested parties had suppressed the facts about his making the payment through RTGS and was misusing the social media to defame Vaghani and the BJP."

Vaghani himself, however, did not say anything about his transferring the money through RTGS.



AHMEDABAD: Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani on Wednesday was in trouble when a Mumbai court issued a non-bailable warrant against him and his business partners in connection with the bouncing of a cheque of Rs 19 lakh issued by his Eva Group of Companies. According to information available here, the Bhavnagar-based Eva Group, of which Vaghani is a partner, had bought a piece of land for Rs 10.85 crore in Mumbai's upmarket Bandra suburb in an auction in August 2010. The land was originally owned by Stan Rose Steel Ltd, which went into liquidation. The company then re-sold it a higher premium to Novelty Power Infratech Company, which paid Rs 3 crore as the first instalment. But Novelty Power later cancelled the deal since the Eva Group was taking far too long to get title clearance for the land. The Eva Group agreed to return the money along with interest and other expenses. But its first cheque of Rs 24 lakh was dishonoured for lack of funds in the account. This payment was the first instalment. A metropolitan magistrate's court in Bandra issued a warrant against Vaghani and his partners under Sections 138 and 141 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The Eva group challenged the order in a higher court, which rejected its plea. After this, the court issued a bailable warrant but the Gujarat Police returned the warrant claiming that the addresses were "untraceable". The Mumbai court now issued a non-bailable warrant and directed the Gujarat Police to go to Bhavnagar to execute the warrant. But the Gujarat Police again claimed that despite two visits to his addresses on Monday and Sunday, the state BJP chief could not be found. However, Vaghani was available to reporters in Ahmedabad on Wednesday to allege that the case was "politically motivated to give a bad name" to his party. Meanwhile, state BJP spokesman Bharat Pandya claimed that very next day after the cheque bounced, Vaghani had transferred Rs 19 lakh to the company through RTGS. "But some interested parties had suppressed the facts about his making the payment through RTGS and was misusing the social media to defame Vaghani and the BJP." Vaghani himself, however, did not say anything about his transferring the money through RTGS.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: NGOs will now have to execute a bond in favour of the President of India and breach of trust will entail refund of grants while inviting the tag of "black listed" organisation, the Centre told the Supreme Court today.

It said to regulate the funding and use of grants by over 32 lakhs NGOs and voluntary organisations (VOs), their financial statements will be audited annually by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and the chartered accountants.

The Centre, which tightened the monitoring process of accounts of NGOs, has framed the guidelines under which every auditor will have access to all the books, vouchers and other records in possession of the organisation concerned.

A bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud was told by ASG Tushar Mehta that the auditor's report should state whether such expenditure, failure, omission, loss or waste was caused in consequence of breach of trust, or misapplication or any other misconduct on the part of employees/officials/trustees or any other person.

The Centre also barred the appointment of auditors if they are in any way related or have business interests with office bearers of the VOs/NGOs.

It further said that where the accounts are audited by the CAG in a financial year, he shall continue to do the audit of accounts for next two years.

The guidelines also stipulate disciplinary procedures in case of misappropriation of funds or breach of trust by the NGOs/VOs including initiation of a legal case and refund of funds with interest.

The guidelines, which were taken on record by the apex court, said, "The members of executive committee of the organisation shall execute a bond in favour of the President of India, for the sanctioned amount in the prescribed format binding themselves jointly and severally to the terms and conditions.

"In the event of the grantee failing to comply with the conditions or committing breach of the conditions of the bond, the signatories of the bond shall be jointly and severally liable to refund the President of India, the whole or part amount of the grant with interest at the rate of 10 per cent per annum or the sum specified under the bond," it said.

The government said if it is not satisfied with the progress of the project or considers that there have been violations of the norms then it "reserves the right to terminate grant in aid with immediate effect and black listing of such organisations".

"After providing an opportunity of hearing NGOs, and conducting field visit, if necessary, if the ministry comes to the conclusion that there is a case of material irregularity including diversion or misappropriation of funds given to the NGOs, the ministry shall immediately stop any further grants to the NGO and black list the particular NGO to ensure that further public grants are not made available from other institutions," it said.

NEW DELHI: NGOs will now have to execute a bond in favour of the President of India and breach of trust will entail refund of grants while inviting the tag of "black listed" organisation, the Centre told the Supreme Court today. It said to regulate the funding and use of grants by over 32 lakhs NGOs and voluntary organisations (VOs), their financial statements will be audited annually by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and the chartered accountants. The Centre, which tightened the monitoring process of accounts of NGOs, has framed the guidelines under which every auditor will have access to all the books, vouchers and other records in possession of the organisation concerned. A bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud was told by ASG Tushar Mehta that the auditor's report should state whether such expenditure, failure, omission, loss or waste was caused in consequence of breach of trust, or misapplication or any other misconduct on the part of employees/officials/trustees or any other person. The Centre also barred the appointment of auditors if they are in any way related or have business interests with office bearers of the VOs/NGOs. It further said that where the accounts are audited by the CAG in a financial year, he shall continue to do the audit of accounts for next two years. The guidelines also stipulate disciplinary procedures in case of misappropriation of funds or breach of trust by the NGOs/VOs including initiation of a legal case and refund of funds with interest. The guidelines, which were taken on record by the apex court, said, "The members of executive committee of the organisation shall execute a bond in favour of the President of India, for the sanctioned amount in the prescribed format binding themselves jointly and severally to the terms and conditions. "In the event of the grantee failing to comply with the conditions or committing breach of the conditions of the bond, the signatories of the bond shall be jointly and severally liable to refund the President of India, the whole or part amount of the grant with interest at the rate of 10 per cent per annum or the sum specified under the bond," it said. The government said if it is not satisfied with the progress of the project or considers that there have been violations of the norms then it "reserves the right to terminate grant in aid with immediate effect and black listing of such organisations". "After providing an opportunity of hearing NGOs, and conducting field visit, if necessary, if the ministry comes to the conclusion that there is a case of material irregularity including diversion or misappropriation of funds given to the NGOs, the ministry shall immediately stop any further grants to the NGO and black list the particular NGO to ensure that further public grants are not made available from other institutions," it said.
By Express News Service

GUWAHATI: The Dalai Lama on Wednesday broke his silence over Chinas protests against his visit to Arunachal saying that he had no problem if someone considered him a demon.

He told reporters in Bomdila, Tibet may be a part of China geographically but politically it has always been a sovereign nation. Some consider me a demon. Do I really look like a demon?

China is repeatedly warning India that his visit to the frontier State would damage bilateral ties. India downplayed the Chinese concerns asserting that the visit was utterly religious and not political.

Neither the Tibetan government (in exile) nor I want Tibets independence. Sovereignty is important but to me spiritual unity is more important. Materialistically, China is far ahead of us (Tibet) but spiritually we are far ahead of them. China should, on honourable conditions, give autonomy to Tibet, he asserted.

The Tibetan spiritual leader refuted allegation that India was using him as a weapon diplomatically. He said India and Tibet had been sharing robust cultural and religious ties for ages.

The way India has been helping me and my followers for 58 years by giving us shelter, we can never forget that, he asserted.

As per the schedule, he will attend a programme in Dirang on Thursday and leave for Tawang, located just 25 km away from the McMahon Line that marks the India-China border, in a chopper the next day.

Tawang MLA Tsering Tashi told the New Indian Express that the Dalai Lama would spend three days in Tawang where he will attend a series of programmes. This will be his seventh visit to the town with the last being in 2009.

We are eagerly waiting for His Holiness. We are expecting a turnout of 60,000 people. Some 2,000 delegates from Bhutan have already arrived in the town, Tashi added.

GUWAHATI: The Dalai Lama on Wednesday broke his silence over Chinas protests against his visit to Arunachal saying that he had no problem if someone considered him a demon. He told reporters in Bomdila, Tibet may be a part of China geographically but politically it has always been a sovereign nation. Some consider me a demon. Do I really look like a demon? China is repeatedly warning India that his visit to the frontier State would damage bilateral ties. India downplayed the Chinese concerns asserting that the visit was utterly religious and not political. Neither the Tibetan government (in exile) nor I want Tibets independence. Sovereignty is important but to me spiritual unity is more important. Materialistically, China is far ahead of us (Tibet) but spiritually we are far ahead of them. China should, on honourable conditions, give autonomy to Tibet, he asserted. The Tibetan spiritual leader refuted allegation that India was using him as a weapon diplomatically. He said India and Tibet had been sharing robust cultural and religious ties for ages. The way India has been helping me and my followers for 58 years by giving us shelter, we can never forget that, he asserted. As per the schedule, he will attend a programme in Dirang on Thursday and leave for Tawang, located just 25 km away from the McMahon Line that marks the India-China border, in a chopper the next day. Tawang MLA Tsering Tashi told the New Indian Express that the Dalai Lama would spend three days in Tawang where he will attend a series of programmes. This will be his seventh visit to the town with the last being in 2009. We are eagerly waiting for His Holiness. We are expecting a turnout of 60,000 people. Some 2,000 delegates from Bhutan have already arrived in the town, Tashi added.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Opposition Congress, SP and BSP today forced a brief adjournment of proceedings in Rajya Sabha over alleged tampering of electronic voting machines (EVM) to favour the ruling BJP. Opposition members trooped into the Well of the House calling the government a "cheat", forcing Deputy Chairman P J Kurien to adjourn the proceedings for about 7 minutes.

The Government vehemently denied the charge, saying if anybody has a problem, they should go to the Election Commission as Parliament is not the forum to agitate. Congress and SP members gave as many as four notices under rule 267 seeking suspension of business to take up the issue, which the treasury benches vehemently opposed. Mayawati (BSP) called the ruling party "beiman" (cheat), a comment that led to pandemonium in the House with Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi saying the BSP supremo had "insulted the people of the country" and insulted democracy.

Opposition members protested saying the barb was directed at BJP and not to the people, but the protests from treasury benches led Kurien to say he would expunge such remarks from the records. Angry exchanges were also witnessed between Naqvi and Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad. Naqvi said the general elections in 2004 and 2009 and the assembly elections in Bihar, Punjab and Delhi where the BJP lost, were all conducted using EVMs and the Congress did not seem to have any objections then. Azad shot back saying the governments under Congress rule did not tamper with EVMs and its only now that such practices have crept in.

When the House met for the day, Digvijaya Singh (Cong) said the testing of EVMs for a by-election in Madhya Pradesh had a few days back had shown manipulations wherein vote would be credited to BJP irrespective of the candidate for whom it has been cast. He demanded that ballot papers be used for the upcoming by-elections and elections henceforth. HRD Minister Prakash Javedkar countered him saying the Election Commission has made it clear there can be no manipulation of EVMs and if the opposition had any problem they should go to it and not waste Parliament's time.

While Ramgopal Yadav (SP) alleged the EVMs are being deliberately programmed to favour the BJP, Mayawati said mass irregularities were committed in the recently concluded assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. BSP, she said, has gone to the court against the use of EVMs. She went on to call it "murder of democracy" and demanded the use of ballot papers in future elections. Her party's Satish Misra said this was a government of EVMs and the ministers protesting were "EVM ministers." The treasury benches protested these remarks as an insult to the people and democracy.

Kurien said he has not allowed notices under rule 267 but allowed those who had given such notices to make brief submission on the issue. "I am not allowing discussion under 267," he said. "If you want discussion, there are other ways." Stating that "a cheat will be called a cheat", Naresh Agrawal (SP) said chips used in EVMs are being programmed to favour the BJP. Kurien said the Election Commission has clarified that this is not possible. Leader of the Opposition said free and fair elections are the foundation of Indian democracy but unfortunately for the first time, doubts have been cast over EVMs. Azad alleged that a "thief" does not rob the entire house but does it only selectively so as not to get caught.

And in this case, the EVMs were manipulated in the largest state Uttar Pradesh. He demanded that by-elections in Madhya Pradesh and the coming assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh be conducted using ballot papers. Naqvi again said the aspersions cast are not against the government but against the Election Commission and the people of the country.

"If victory has a glamour, defeat should have grace," he said, a comment which infuriated the opposition who trooped into the Well of the House shouting slogans. Kurien asked opposition members to take up the issue with the Election Commission. "This is an issue to be taken up with Election Commission," he said. "Election Commission is to examine if EVM is functioning properly or not. Chair cannot do anything." As opposition members shouted slogans, he said, "I have to inform you that this is an issue to be taken up with Election Commission not with Chair" before adjourning the proceedings till 1130 hours.

NEW DELHI: Opposition Congress, SP and BSP today forced a brief adjournment of proceedings in Rajya Sabha over alleged tampering of electronic voting machines (EVM) to favour the ruling BJP. Opposition members trooped into the Well of the House calling the government a "cheat", forcing Deputy Chairman P J Kurien to adjourn the proceedings for about 7 minutes. The Government vehemently denied the charge, saying if anybody has a problem, they should go to the Election Commission as Parliament is not the forum to agitate. Congress and SP members gave as many as four notices under rule 267 seeking suspension of business to take up the issue, which the treasury benches vehemently opposed. Mayawati (BSP) called the ruling party "beiman" (cheat), a comment that led to pandemonium in the House with Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi saying the BSP supremo had "insulted the people of the country" and insulted democracy. Opposition members protested saying the barb was directed at BJP and not to the people, but the protests from treasury benches led Kurien to say he would expunge such remarks from the records. Angry exchanges were also witnessed between Naqvi and Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad. Naqvi said the general elections in 2004 and 2009 and the assembly elections in Bihar, Punjab and Delhi where the BJP lost, were all conducted using EVMs and the Congress did not seem to have any objections then. Azad shot back saying the governments under Congress rule did not tamper with EVMs and its only now that such practices have crept in. When the House met for the day, Digvijaya Singh (Cong) said the testing of EVMs for a by-election in Madhya Pradesh had a few days back had shown manipulations wherein vote would be credited to BJP irrespective of the candidate for whom it has been cast. He demanded that ballot papers be used for the upcoming by-elections and elections henceforth. HRD Minister Prakash Javedkar countered him saying the Election Commission has made it clear there can be no manipulation of EVMs and if the opposition had any problem they should go to it and not waste Parliament's time. While Ramgopal Yadav (SP) alleged the EVMs are being deliberately programmed to favour the BJP, Mayawati said mass irregularities were committed in the recently concluded assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. BSP, she said, has gone to the court against the use of EVMs. She went on to call it "murder of democracy" and demanded the use of ballot papers in future elections. Her party's Satish Misra said this was a government of EVMs and the ministers protesting were "EVM ministers." The treasury benches protested these remarks as an insult to the people and democracy. Kurien said he has not allowed notices under rule 267 but allowed those who had given such notices to make brief submission on the issue. "I am not allowing discussion under 267," he said. "If you want discussion, there are other ways." Stating that "a cheat will be called a cheat", Naresh Agrawal (SP) said chips used in EVMs are being programmed to favour the BJP. Kurien said the Election Commission has clarified that this is not possible. Leader of the Opposition said free and fair elections are the foundation of Indian democracy but unfortunately for the first time, doubts have been cast over EVMs. Azad alleged that a "thief" does not rob the entire house but does it only selectively so as not to get caught. And in this case, the EVMs were manipulated in the largest state Uttar Pradesh. He demanded that by-elections in Madhya Pradesh and the coming assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh be conducted using ballot papers. Naqvi again said the aspersions cast are not against the government but against the Election Commission and the people of the country. "If victory has a glamour, defeat should have grace," he said, a comment which infuriated the opposition who trooped into the Well of the House shouting slogans. Kurien asked opposition members to take up the issue with the Election Commission. "This is an issue to be taken up with Election Commission," he said. "Election Commission is to examine if EVM is functioning properly or not. Chair cannot do anything." As opposition members shouted slogans, he said, "I have to inform you that this is an issue to be taken up with Election Commission not with Chair" before adjourning the proceedings till 1130 hours.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: After months of deliberations, India and Russia finally gave formal approval for a joint venture between Russian helicopters and Indian aeronautical public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to manufacture 200 Kamov-226T helicopters, according to senior defence ministry official in the national capital.

A $1 billion inter-government agreement to manufacture the helicopters in India was finalised at the Indo-Russian Summit in Goa October 2016, in presence of Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was in December 2015 that it was first announced that the Kamov-226T would be the copter of choice.

According to defence ministry sources, after reservation from New Delhi over cost sharing, the deal was stuck for months but was eventually got final approval from the office of Russian President Vladimir Putin now.

According to an agreement, Kamov-HAL will be producing 200 of the Kamov 226-T copters at a cost of nearly Rs 6,500 crore or Rs 32 crore per copter in India. However, Indian forces require nearly 800 such light utility helicopters for their day to day requirement, as an incumbent fleet of Cheetah and Chetak vintage helicopters have lived beyond the threshold by more than 12-15 years which were purchased from France and inducted into the Indian Army over 40 years ago in 1971.

These light utility helicopters termed as a lifeline for high altitude operations used for high altitude posts, which are inaccessible by roads to supply ration, equipment, weapons and casualty evacuation missions.

Army has been making efforts to replace its ageing fleet of light utility helicopters for the last 15 years.

The Army had initiated the process of replacing Cheetah and Chetak fleet in early 2002, but the jinxed acquisition process could not go through in Congress led UPA government after repeated bribery scandals. Eventually, the MoD in 2014 scrapped Armys contract of buying 197 such utility helicopters.

Upset with repeated accidents involving Cheetah and Cheetak helicopters, in 2012, army headquarters had written a letter to the office of the then defence minister AK Antony highlighting obsolescence issues which are dogging the fleet are component failures, low reliability, accidents and increased structural failures.

Army had gone into saying that cheetah/chetak have helicopters have virtually become death traps.

According to an official, as many as 20 pilots have lost their life in the Cheetah crashes in the recent years.

In 2014, a delegation of wives of army helicopter pilots had met the then defence minister Manohar Parrikar and raised their concern about the accidents involving these obsolete choppers.

There are about 250 Cheetahs/chetak in service at present with the army aviation corps. The airframe life of the light-utility helicopter is about 4,500 hours, but most of the Cheetahs that the Army has have logged over 6,000 flying hours. The engine life of the chopper is 1750 hours and most have gone past that too.

NEW DELHI: After months of deliberations, India and Russia finally gave formal approval for a joint venture between Russian helicopters and Indian aeronautical public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to manufacture 200 Kamov-226T helicopters, according to senior defence ministry official in the national capital. A $1 billion inter-government agreement to manufacture the helicopters in India was finalised at the Indo-Russian Summit in Goa October 2016, in presence of Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was in December 2015 that it was first announced that the Kamov-226T would be the copter of choice. According to defence ministry sources, after reservation from New Delhi over cost sharing, the deal was stuck for months but was eventually got final approval from the office of Russian President Vladimir Putin now. According to an agreement, Kamov-HAL will be producing 200 of the Kamov 226-T copters at a cost of nearly Rs 6,500 crore or Rs 32 crore per copter in India. However, Indian forces require nearly 800 such light utility helicopters for their day to day requirement, as an incumbent fleet of Cheetah and Chetak vintage helicopters have lived beyond the threshold by more than 12-15 years which were purchased from France and inducted into the Indian Army over 40 years ago in 1971. These light utility helicopters termed as a lifeline for high altitude operations used for high altitude posts, which are inaccessible by roads to supply ration, equipment, weapons and casualty evacuation missions. Army has been making efforts to replace its ageing fleet of light utility helicopters for the last 15 years. The Army had initiated the process of replacing Cheetah and Chetak fleet in early 2002, but the jinxed acquisition process could not go through in Congress led UPA government after repeated bribery scandals. Eventually, the MoD in 2014 scrapped Armys contract of buying 197 such utility helicopters. Upset with repeated accidents involving Cheetah and Cheetak helicopters, in 2012, army headquarters had written a letter to the office of the then defence minister AK Antony highlighting obsolescence issues which are dogging the fleet are component failures, low reliability, accidents and increased structural failures. Army had gone into saying that cheetah/chetak have helicopters have virtually become death traps. According to an official, as many as 20 pilots have lost their life in the Cheetah crashes in the recent years. In 2014, a delegation of wives of army helicopter pilots had met the then defence minister Manohar Parrikar and raised their concern about the accidents involving these obsolete choppers. There are about 250 Cheetahs/chetak in service at present with the army aviation corps. The airframe life of the light-utility helicopter is about 4,500 hours, but most of the Cheetahs that the Army has have logged over 6,000 flying hours. The engine life of the chopper is 1750 hours and most have gone past that too.
By PTI

SRINAGAR: Separatists in Kashmir today welcomed US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley's statement that the Trump administration would try and "find its place" in efforts to de-escalate Indo-Pak tension.

The statement of American Ambassador to the UN is "encouraging" as Kashmir is a long standing political issue in the south Asian region, moderate Hurriyat faction led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said in a statement here.

Despite bilateral talks between India and Pakistan the issue stands unresolved for the past 70 years and is heading towards dangerous proportions with each passing day, it added.

The Hurriyat said the two neighbours are nuclear powers and the lingering Kashmir issue has been the root cause of their "bitter relations and growing tension".

"Besides being a political problem in nature, Kashmir is a humanitarian issue as well. Therefore, the indication by America, being the super power at present, to play a positive role in the region is satisfactory for the people of Kashmir," the Hurriyat said.

It said that India enjoys good relations with America and should take advantage of this opportunity giving up its traditional "rigid" policy on Kashmir.

JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, who is at present under detention at Srinagar Central Jail, welcomed Haley's statement and said "peace and prosperity of south Asia is subservient to the resolution of Jammu Kashmir dispute".

"The Statement of United States envoy to UN is a welcome and appreciable step. Hope this statement will be translated into action," Malik said in a statement.

SRINAGAR: Separatists in Kashmir today welcomed US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley's statement that the Trump administration would try and "find its place" in efforts to de-escalate Indo-Pak tension. The statement of American Ambassador to the UN is "encouraging" as Kashmir is a long standing political issue in the south Asian region, moderate Hurriyat faction led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said in a statement here. Despite bilateral talks between India and Pakistan the issue stands unresolved for the past 70 years and is heading towards dangerous proportions with each passing day, it added. The Hurriyat said the two neighbours are nuclear powers and the lingering Kashmir issue has been the root cause of their "bitter relations and growing tension". "Besides being a political problem in nature, Kashmir is a humanitarian issue as well. Therefore, the indication by America, being the super power at present, to play a positive role in the region is satisfactory for the people of Kashmir," the Hurriyat said. It said that India enjoys good relations with America and should take advantage of this opportunity giving up its traditional "rigid" policy on Kashmir. JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, who is at present under detention at Srinagar Central Jail, welcomed Haley's statement and said "peace and prosperity of south Asia is subservient to the resolution of Jammu Kashmir dispute". "The Statement of United States envoy to UN is a welcome and appreciable step. Hope this statement will be translated into action," Malik said in a statement.
Vikram Sharma By

Express News Service

Rocking, said Chetan Kumar Cheetah to reporters as he was wheeled out of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences after a 45-day battle with multiple injuries suffered in a gun battle with terrorists in Bandipora in the Kashmir Valley.

After taking nine bullets from terroirsts, suffering multiple injuries to his brain, eyes, abdomen, arms, hand and buttocks, he survived a long spell in coma as doctors at the AIIMS Trauma Centre battled to save the life of the 45-year-old commandant of the 45th battalion of the Central Reserve Police force (CRPF).

Doctors said it was nothing short of a miracle. Specialists in the trauma centre said Cheetahs GCS Score, a test done to gauge the severity of a brain injury, was M3 when he was admitted. Now it is M6 with all vital parameters stable.

Three soldiers and one militant were killed in the gun battle in the Hajin area of Bandipora district on February 14. Cheetah was among 15 security personnel grievously wounded.

She soldiers wife Uma Singh said, Im proud of what Chetan has done.''

She looked visibly relieved as she recalled receiving news of the Bandipora encounter. Cheetah would call her at a particular time every day. On Feb. 14 he did not. I knew something was wrong. So I called up the control room and I learnt of the encounter and his injuries.

The couple live in Delhi and have two schoolgoing children.

How Cheetah was saved

Immediately after the encounter, the CRPF commandant was first taken to the military base hospital in Srinagar. However, due to his comatose state, he had to be airlifted to the AIIMS trauma centre. Within 24 hours of admission, surgery was conducted to remove a portion of the skull to reduce the intra-cranial pressure. Cheetah was put on heavy antibiotics to reduce infection and his wounds were repeatedly cleaned.

Prof Anurag Srivastava of the AIIMS Department of Surgery said Cheetah's life was saved by the first surgery. After his condition stabilised, different teams of doctors operated separately to treat the injuries. Ophthalmologists took care of the splinter wound in the left eye but the right eye could not be repaired. Simultaneously, orthopaedics worked on the fractures in the limbs while critical care experts planned his antibiotic therapy.

Dr Amit Gupta, professor of trauma surgery and critical care, described the recovery as a miracle. The recovery and the pace with which it happened is no less than a miracle, he said.

CRPFs first volunteer

In the force, Cheetah was always known for his derring do. Unko dekh lenge, Sir,'' he would tell his senior colleague Rajesh Yadav while leading his team out on an operation. Every time information trickled in about terrorist presence or stone pelting, Cheetah would be the first to volunteer for the strike party.

As commander of the 45th battalion of CRPF based at Sumbal in Bandipora district, he was always out to prove that ''we are no less than the Army when it comes to dealing with terrorists.

Yadav recalled the day, February 14, when information regarding the presence of terrorists came in. As always, Cheetah was the first volunteer. He never believed in sending junior officers to a gunfight. He always led from the front. When he was hit, he continued firing.

At the base hospital (in Srinagar, when I first saw his x-ray report, I was shocked to see that a bullet had pierced his skull, said Yadav, who is the commandant of the 161th battalion of CRPF. But his grit pulled him through.

Cheetah is said to be a dedicated family man. His family visited Srinagar just a few days before that encounter on February 14 and he posted their photographs on Facebook.

Former CRPF director-general K Durgaprasad said Cheetah is a fighter on field and off field. It is a miraculous recovery. I can only say that it was his fighting spirit that brought him back.

Rocking, said Chetan Kumar Cheetah to reporters as he was wheeled out of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences after a 45-day battle with multiple injuries suffered in a gun battle with terrorists in Bandipora in the Kashmir Valley. After taking nine bullets from terroirsts, suffering multiple injuries to his brain, eyes, abdomen, arms, hand and buttocks, he survived a long spell in coma as doctors at the AIIMS Trauma Centre battled to save the life of the 45-year-old commandant of the 45th battalion of the Central Reserve Police force (CRPF). Doctors said it was nothing short of a miracle. Specialists in the trauma centre said Cheetahs GCS Score, a test done to gauge the severity of a brain injury, was M3 when he was admitted. Now it is M6 with all vital parameters stable. Three soldiers and one militant were killed in the gun battle in the Hajin area of Bandipora district on February 14. Cheetah was among 15 security personnel grievously wounded. She soldiers wife Uma Singh said, Im proud of what Chetan has done.'' She looked visibly relieved as she recalled receiving news of the Bandipora encounter. Cheetah would call her at a particular time every day. On Feb. 14 he did not. I knew something was wrong. So I called up the control room and I learnt of the encounter and his injuries. The couple live in Delhi and have two schoolgoing children. How Cheetah was saved Immediately after the encounter, the CRPF commandant was first taken to the military base hospital in Srinagar. However, due to his comatose state, he had to be airlifted to the AIIMS trauma centre. Within 24 hours of admission, surgery was conducted to remove a portion of the skull to reduce the intra-cranial pressure. Cheetah was put on heavy antibiotics to reduce infection and his wounds were repeatedly cleaned. Prof Anurag Srivastava of the AIIMS Department of Surgery said Cheetah's life was saved by the first surgery. After his condition stabilised, different teams of doctors operated separately to treat the injuries. Ophthalmologists took care of the splinter wound in the left eye but the right eye could not be repaired. Simultaneously, orthopaedics worked on the fractures in the limbs while critical care experts planned his antibiotic therapy. Dr Amit Gupta, professor of trauma surgery and critical care, described the recovery as a miracle. The recovery and the pace with which it happened is no less than a miracle, he said. CRPFs first volunteer In the force, Cheetah was always known for his derring do. Unko dekh lenge, Sir,'' he would tell his senior colleague Rajesh Yadav while leading his team out on an operation. Every time information trickled in about terrorist presence or stone pelting, Cheetah would be the first to volunteer for the strike party. As commander of the 45th battalion of CRPF based at Sumbal in Bandipora district, he was always out to prove that ''we are no less than the Army when it comes to dealing with terrorists. Yadav recalled the day, February 14, when information regarding the presence of terrorists came in. As always, Cheetah was the first volunteer. He never believed in sending junior officers to a gunfight. He always led from the front. When he was hit, he continued firing. At the base hospital (in Srinagar, when I first saw his x-ray report, I was shocked to see that a bullet had pierced his skull, said Yadav, who is the commandant of the 161th battalion of CRPF. But his grit pulled him through. Cheetah is said to be a dedicated family man. His family visited Srinagar just a few days before that encounter on February 14 and he posted their photographs on Facebook. Former CRPF director-general K Durgaprasad said Cheetah is a fighter on field and off field. It is a miraculous recovery. I can only say that it was his fighting spirit that brought him back.
By Express News Service

VISAKHAPATNAM: Health minister Kamineni Srinivasa Rao on Tuesday said that a new 100-bed hospital for women and child will be constructed with `20-crore budget on the premises of Victoria Hospital. The minister, who was here on Tuesday, visited the Victoria Hospital and also took part in several inaugural functions, including a new dialysis unit at Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS).

He said that in the vacant place on the Victoria Hospital premises, they would construct a 100-bed hospital exclusively for women and children sponsored by industries and ministers from the CSR and MLALAD funds. He said `5 crore had already been released by some ministers.

The building plans will be prepared by the end of May and then tenders will be floated. The building will be ready within 18 months, Rao said.

Earlier, he inaugurated a dialysis unit and a new building block for patient attenders at the VIMS. Another new block was inaugurated at TB Hospital. Collector Pravin Kumar, principal secretary (Health) Poonam Malakondaiah were present.

VISAKHAPATNAM: Health minister Kamineni Srinivasa Rao on Tuesday said that a new 100-bed hospital for women and child will be constructed with `20-crore budget on the premises of Victoria Hospital. The minister, who was here on Tuesday, visited the Victoria Hospital and also took part in several inaugural functions, including a new dialysis unit at Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS). He said that in the vacant place on the Victoria Hospital premises, they would construct a 100-bed hospital exclusively for women and children sponsored by industries and ministers from the CSR and MLALAD funds. He said `5 crore had already been released by some ministers. The building plans will be prepared by the end of May and then tenders will be floated. The building will be ready within 18 months, Rao said. Earlier, he inaugurated a dialysis unit and a new building block for patient attenders at the VIMS. Another new block was inaugurated at TB Hospital. Collector Pravin Kumar, principal secretary (Health) Poonam Malakondaiah were present.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Justifying the police action against Mahija on Wednesday, the mother of deceased engineering student Jishnu Prannoy, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said there were no lapses by the police.

Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of a function, Pinarayi Vijayan said some outsiders, who were not Jishnu's family members or relatives, had begun trouble at the protest venue.

Jishnu's mother had come to discuss the issue with State police chief Lokanath Behera, accompanied by five relatives who were given prior permission for the meeting, Pinarayi Vijayan said.

He added that activists of the BJP, SDPI and SUCI hijacked the protest and tried to force their way to the meeting.

"The protest was held at the State police headquarters where such things are not allowed. So, she was removed from the place. Inspector General Manoj Abraham will probe the matter," Pinarayi Vijayan said.

The chief minister also added that Lokanath Behera had visited Mahija at the hospital. When asked whether he would visit Mahija, Pinarayi replied in the negative.

Meanwhile, a BJP Yuva Morcha activist waved black flags at the chief minister when he was about the leave after addressing the media amid tight police security. The activist was beaten up by CPM supporters and later taken into custody by the police.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Justifying the police action against Mahija on Wednesday, the mother of deceased engineering student Jishnu Prannoy, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said there were no lapses by the police. Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of a function, Pinarayi Vijayan said some outsiders, who were not Jishnu's family members or relatives, had begun trouble at the protest venue. Jishnu's mother had come to discuss the issue with State police chief Lokanath Behera, accompanied by five relatives who were given prior permission for the meeting, Pinarayi Vijayan said. He added that activists of the BJP, SDPI and SUCI hijacked the protest and tried to force their way to the meeting. "The protest was held at the State police headquarters where such things are not allowed. So, she was removed from the place. Inspector General Manoj Abraham will probe the matter," Pinarayi Vijayan said. The chief minister also added that Lokanath Behera had visited Mahija at the hospital. When asked whether he would visit Mahija, Pinarayi replied in the negative. Meanwhile, a BJP Yuva Morcha activist waved black flags at the chief minister when he was about the leave after addressing the media amid tight police security. The activist was beaten up by CPM supporters and later taken into custody by the police.
Asish Senapati By

Express News Service

KENDRAPARA: At an age when the sight of a crocodile could frighten children away, a little girl from Kendrapara district on Tuesday displayed rare courage and fought off the reptile to save her friend from its jaws.

Eight year-old Pinki Dalei was washing utensils along with her seven-year-old friend Basanti Dalei in a pond at Bankuala village under Dangamala gram panchayat within Bhitarkanika National Park on Tuesday afternoon when a crocodile appeared from the waters and caught hold of Basantis leg.

While a panicked Basanti screamed for help, Pinki displayed immense courage and common sense to save her friend. Using the utensils, she drove away the huge reptile.

I attacked the reptile with our utensils as a result of which the crocodile lost its grip and failed to drag Basanti into deep water, said Pinki. The reptile attack left Basanti with injuries on her legs and hands. Basanti is now undergoing treatment in Rajnagar Community Health Centre (CHC) and doctors attending her said she is out of danger.

The Forest Department would bear the cost of treatment of the injured girl, said Akshay Kumar Nayak, Forest Range Officer of Bhitarkanika.

KENDRAPARA: At an age when the sight of a crocodile could frighten children away, a little girl from Kendrapara district on Tuesday displayed rare courage and fought off the reptile to save her friend from its jaws. Eight year-old Pinki Dalei was washing utensils along with her seven-year-old friend Basanti Dalei in a pond at Bankuala village under Dangamala gram panchayat within Bhitarkanika National Park on Tuesday afternoon when a crocodile appeared from the waters and caught hold of Basantis leg. While a panicked Basanti screamed for help, Pinki displayed immense courage and common sense to save her friend. Using the utensils, she drove away the huge reptile. I attacked the reptile with our utensils as a result of which the crocodile lost its grip and failed to drag Basanti into deep water, said Pinki. The reptile attack left Basanti with injuries on her legs and hands. Basanti is now undergoing treatment in Rajnagar Community Health Centre (CHC) and doctors attending her said she is out of danger. The Forest Department would bear the cost of treatment of the injured girl, said Akshay Kumar Nayak, Forest Range Officer of Bhitarkanika.
Siva Sekaran By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The waiver of crop loans, restricted to small and marginal farmers in Tamil Nadu, should be extended to all peasants in the State irrespective of the extent of land they hold, the Madras High Court ruled on Tuesday. A division bench of Justices S Nagamuthu and MV Muralidharan gave the ruling while allowing a PIL by the National South Indian River Interlinking Agriculturist Associations State president P Ayyakannu.

The bench directed the secretary of Co-operation, Food and Consumer Protection and the Registrar of Co-operative Societies to extend the crop loan waiver scheme announced in the GOs dated May 23 and June 28, 2016 to all farmers, including those whose land holding is more than five acres. It also directed the secretary to issue necessary consequential orders extending the scheme to all farmers within three months. Consequently, the bench restrained the authorities concerned from initiating penal action against farmers for recovery of crop loans due to co-operative societies/banks as on March 31, 2016. The bench also held that the responsibility of saving farmers is not entirely upon the State, which had already shouldered the burden to the tune of `5,780 crore and it would be an additional burden to bear `1,980.33 crore. The Centre should help and share the burden. So, it is for the State to approach the Central government seeking allocation of funds for this purpose. The bench hoped that the Union government would consider this unprecedented situation in Tamil Nadu and help the State reduce its financial burden.

Farmer loan waiver violates article 14 of the Constitution

Extending the waiver of crop loans to all peasants in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, the Madras High Court division bench of Justices S Nagamuthu and MV Muralidharan said that denial of the crop loan waiver benefit to the farmers who had cultivated lands exceeding five acres is a clear discrimination violating Article 14 of the Constitution. Earlier, Advocate-General R Muthukumaraswamy told the judges that the issue is a policy decision and the court cannot interfere.

Rejecting this contention, the bench said that it was very conscious that it should not allow itself to enter into the domain of the policy of the State government. But, in the instant case, the waiver scheme was announced by the AIADMK in its manifesto during the May 2016 general elections. Accordingly, the party issued the two GOs after capturing power in May and June, 2016 restricting the benefit to small and marginal farmers. The classification is discriminatory and unconstitutional and if once it is so declared as a corollary, the benefit shall be extended to all the farmers, the bench added.

CHENNAI: The waiver of crop loans, restricted to small and marginal farmers in Tamil Nadu, should be extended to all peasants in the State irrespective of the extent of land they hold, the Madras High Court ruled on Tuesday. A division bench of Justices S Nagamuthu and MV Muralidharan gave the ruling while allowing a PIL by the National South Indian River Interlinking Agriculturist Associations State president P Ayyakannu. The bench directed the secretary of Co-operation, Food and Consumer Protection and the Registrar of Co-operative Societies to extend the crop loan waiver scheme announced in the GOs dated May 23 and June 28, 2016 to all farmers, including those whose land holding is more than five acres. It also directed the secretary to issue necessary consequential orders extending the scheme to all farmers within three months. Consequently, the bench restrained the authorities concerned from initiating penal action against farmers for recovery of crop loans due to co-operative societies/banks as on March 31, 2016. The bench also held that the responsibility of saving farmers is not entirely upon the State, which had already shouldered the burden to the tune of `5,780 crore and it would be an additional burden to bear `1,980.33 crore. The Centre should help and share the burden. So, it is for the State to approach the Central government seeking allocation of funds for this purpose. The bench hoped that the Union government would consider this unprecedented situation in Tamil Nadu and help the State reduce its financial burden. Farmer loan waiver violates article 14 of the Constitution Extending the waiver of crop loans to all peasants in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, the Madras High Court division bench of Justices S Nagamuthu and MV Muralidharan said that denial of the crop loan waiver benefit to the farmers who had cultivated lands exceeding five acres is a clear discrimination violating Article 14 of the Constitution. Earlier, Advocate-General R Muthukumaraswamy told the judges that the issue is a policy decision and the court cannot interfere. Rejecting this contention, the bench said that it was very conscious that it should not allow itself to enter into the domain of the policy of the State government. But, in the instant case, the waiver scheme was announced by the AIADMK in its manifesto during the May 2016 general elections. Accordingly, the party issued the two GOs after capturing power in May and June, 2016 restricting the benefit to small and marginal farmers. The classification is discriminatory and unconstitutional and if once it is so declared as a corollary, the benefit shall be extended to all the farmers, the bench added.
By AFP

WASHINGTON: The White House condemned what it called a "reprehensible" and "intolerable" chemical attack in Syria Tuesday and pinned the blame squarely on Bashar al-Assad's regime.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said an "extremely alarmed" President Donald Trump had been briefed extensively on the attack, and suggested it was in the "best interest" of the Syrians for Assad not to lead the country.

"Today's chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible," Spicer said, adding that the administration was "confident" in its assessment that Assad was to blame.

Spicer said it was a "political reality" that Assad is in power and there was no "fundamental option of regime change."

But the White House comments signaled a tougher tone against the Russian and Iranian-supported regime in Damascus.

"The idea that someone would use chemical weapons on their own people, including women and children, is not something that any civilized nation should sit back and accept or tolerate," he said.

"I think it's in the best interest of the Syrian people to not have anybody who would do the kind of heinous acts," said Spicer.

"Any leader who treats their people with this kind of activity, death and destruction. Yeah. I don't think anyone would wish this upon anybody."

The suspected chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun in Syria's northwest Idlib province has left at least 58 civilians dead, including 11 children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Syrian army has categorically denied involvement.

Spicer refused to speculate on how the US would respond. "I'm not ready to talk about our next step, but we will get there soon."

WASHINGTON: The White House condemned what it called a "reprehensible" and "intolerable" chemical attack in Syria Tuesday and pinned the blame squarely on Bashar al-Assad's regime. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said an "extremely alarmed" President Donald Trump had been briefed extensively on the attack, and suggested it was in the "best interest" of the Syrians for Assad not to lead the country. "Today's chemical attack in Syria against innocent people, including women and children, is reprehensible," Spicer said, adding that the administration was "confident" in its assessment that Assad was to blame. Spicer said it was a "political reality" that Assad is in power and there was no "fundamental option of regime change." But the White House comments signaled a tougher tone against the Russian and Iranian-supported regime in Damascus. "The idea that someone would use chemical weapons on their own people, including women and children, is not something that any civilized nation should sit back and accept or tolerate," he said. "I think it's in the best interest of the Syrian people to not have anybody who would do the kind of heinous acts," said Spicer. "Any leader who treats their people with this kind of activity, death and destruction. Yeah. I don't think anyone would wish this upon anybody." The suspected chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun in Syria's northwest Idlib province has left at least 58 civilians dead, including 11 children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Syrian army has categorically denied involvement. Spicer refused to speculate on how the US would respond. "I'm not ready to talk about our next step, but we will get there soon."
By AFP

ADEN: Thirteen rebels were killed as air raids by the Saudi-led Arab coalition struck their positions on the coast of western Yemen today, military and medical officials said. Warplanes and Apache helicopters took part in the raids that targeted rebel positions in Taif and Nakhliya, 10 kilometres (six miles) south of the Red Sea city of Hodeida, a military official said.

Medical officials said 13 rebels were killed in the strikes. The raids destroyed five fishing boats allegedly used by the Shiite Huthi rebels to deliver arms to the isle of Tarfa, around five kilometres offshore, the military official said.

The warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition, which intervened in 2015 in support of the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, target rebel positions regularly. The government has said Hodeida is its next target in a military campaign to push rebels out of the lengthy Red Sea coast, mainly to stop arms smuggling to the insurgents.

The coalition called last month on the United Nation to place the port under its supervision, shortly after more than 40 Somali refugees were shot dead on board a boat off Hodeida. The UN urged warring parties yesterday to "ensure the continued functioning" of the port because it remains the main point of entry for humanitarian aid.

More than 7,700 people -- most of them civilians -- have been killed in Yemen's war since the March 2015 military intervention of the coalition, the World Heath Organization says. The United Nations says seven million people face a serious risk of famine in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country unless international donors intervene.

ADEN: Thirteen rebels were killed as air raids by the Saudi-led Arab coalition struck their positions on the coast of western Yemen today, military and medical officials said. Warplanes and Apache helicopters took part in the raids that targeted rebel positions in Taif and Nakhliya, 10 kilometres (six miles) south of the Red Sea city of Hodeida, a military official said. Medical officials said 13 rebels were killed in the strikes. The raids destroyed five fishing boats allegedly used by the Shiite Huthi rebels to deliver arms to the isle of Tarfa, around five kilometres offshore, the military official said. The warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition, which intervened in 2015 in support of the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, target rebel positions regularly. The government has said Hodeida is its next target in a military campaign to push rebels out of the lengthy Red Sea coast, mainly to stop arms smuggling to the insurgents. The coalition called last month on the United Nation to place the port under its supervision, shortly after more than 40 Somali refugees were shot dead on board a boat off Hodeida. The UN urged warring parties yesterday to "ensure the continued functioning" of the port because it remains the main point of entry for humanitarian aid. More than 7,700 people -- most of them civilians -- have been killed in Yemen's war since the March 2015 military intervention of the coalition, the World Heath Organization says. The United Nations says seven million people face a serious risk of famine in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country unless international donors intervene.
By Associated Press

BEIRUT: The death toll from a suspected chemical attack on a northern Syrian town rose to 75 today as activists and rescue workers found terrified survivors hiding in shelters near the site of the assault, one of the deadliest in Syria's civil war.

A Syrian opposition group said renewed airstrikes hit the town of Khan Sheikhoun a day after the attack, which the Trump administration and others have blamed on the government of President Bashar Assad, as well as his main patrons, Russia and Iran.

Damascus and Moscow have denied they were behind the attack. Russia's Defence Ministry said the toxic agents were released when a Syrian airstrike hit a rebel arsenal, an account Britain dismissed at an emergency UN session called in response to the attack.

British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the UK had seen nothing that would suggest rebels "have the sort of chemical weapons that are consistent with the symptoms that we saw yesterday." Russia said it would submit information from its Defense Ministry to the Security Council debate.

A resolution drafted by Britain, France, and the US stresses the Syrian government's obligation to provide information about its air operations, including the names of those in command of any helicopter squadrons on the day of the attack.

Diplomats were also meeting in Brussels for a major donors' conference on the future of Syria and the region. Representatives from 70 countries were present. The attack on Khan Sheikhoun killed dozens of people on Tuesday, leaving residents gasping for breath and convulsing in the streets.

Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using fire hoses to wash the chemicals from victims' bodies. Haunting images of lifeless children piled in heaps reflected the magnitude of the attack, which was reminiscent of a 2013 chemical assault that left hundreds dead and was the worst in the country's six-year conflict.

The Turkish Health Ministry said three victims of the attack died while being treated in Turkey, and that 29 people wounded in the attack were still being cared for in hospitals in the country. Syrian opposition groups had previously reported 72 dead.

Turkey set up a decontamination center at a border crossing in the province of Hatay following the attack, where the victims are initially treated before being moved to hospitals. Syrian doctors said a combination of toxic gases is suspected to have been released during the airstrikes, causing the high death toll and severe symptoms.

The World Health Organisation and the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders said victims of the attack appear to show symptoms consistent with exposure to a nerve agent.

In a statement, the agency said "the likelihood of exposure to a chemical attack is amplified by an apparent lack of external injuries reported in cases showing a rapid onset of similar symptoms, including acute respiratory distress as the main cause of death."

BEIRUT: The death toll from a suspected chemical attack on a northern Syrian town rose to 75 today as activists and rescue workers found terrified survivors hiding in shelters near the site of the assault, one of the deadliest in Syria's civil war. A Syrian opposition group said renewed airstrikes hit the town of Khan Sheikhoun a day after the attack, which the Trump administration and others have blamed on the government of President Bashar Assad, as well as his main patrons, Russia and Iran. Damascus and Moscow have denied they were behind the attack. Russia's Defence Ministry said the toxic agents were released when a Syrian airstrike hit a rebel arsenal, an account Britain dismissed at an emergency UN session called in response to the attack. British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the UK had seen nothing that would suggest rebels "have the sort of chemical weapons that are consistent with the symptoms that we saw yesterday." Russia said it would submit information from its Defense Ministry to the Security Council debate. A resolution drafted by Britain, France, and the US stresses the Syrian government's obligation to provide information about its air operations, including the names of those in command of any helicopter squadrons on the day of the attack. Diplomats were also meeting in Brussels for a major donors' conference on the future of Syria and the region. Representatives from 70 countries were present. The attack on Khan Sheikhoun killed dozens of people on Tuesday, leaving residents gasping for breath and convulsing in the streets. Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using fire hoses to wash the chemicals from victims' bodies. Haunting images of lifeless children piled in heaps reflected the magnitude of the attack, which was reminiscent of a 2013 chemical assault that left hundreds dead and was the worst in the country's six-year conflict. The Turkish Health Ministry said three victims of the attack died while being treated in Turkey, and that 29 people wounded in the attack were still being cared for in hospitals in the country. Syrian opposition groups had previously reported 72 dead. Turkey set up a decontamination center at a border crossing in the province of Hatay following the attack, where the victims are initially treated before being moved to hospitals. Syrian doctors said a combination of toxic gases is suspected to have been released during the airstrikes, causing the high death toll and severe symptoms. The World Health Organisation and the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders said victims of the attack appear to show symptoms consistent with exposure to a nerve agent. In a statement, the agency said "the likelihood of exposure to a chemical attack is amplified by an apparent lack of external injuries reported in cases showing a rapid onset of similar symptoms, including acute respiratory distress as the main cause of death."
By AFP

QUITO: Ecuador's President-elect Lenin Moreno warned Julian Assange on Tuesday not to meddle in the country's politics, after the WikiLeaks founder taunted a rival candidate following his loss.

Moreno's election victory Sunday was a relief for Assange, who has been holed up in Ecuador's London embassy since 2012 to avoid arrest.

The socialist president-elect's conservative rival, Guillermo Lasso, had vowed to kick Assange out of the embassy.

But Moreno had some stern words after Assange took to Twitter to celebrate Lasso's loss.

"Mr Julian Assange must respect the condition (of asylum) he is in and not meddle in Ecuadoran politics," he said at a news conference.

As results showed Lasso losing on election night, Assange had exuberantly turned around the right-wing candidate's threat to expel him within 30 days.

"I cordially invite Lasso to leave Ecuador within 30 days (with or without his tax haven millions)," he tweeted -- a reference to allegations the ex-banker has money stashed in offshore accounts.

Assange fled to the embassy to avoid arrest and extradition to Sweden, where he faces a rape allegation.

The 45-year-old Australian, who denies the allegation, says he fears Sweden would send him to the United States to face trial for leaking hundreds of thousands of secret US military and diplomatic documents in 2010.

Outgoing President Rafael Correa, a fiery critic of the US, granted Assange asylum, and Moreno has vowed to uphold it.

Assange's case has returned to the spotlight since WikiLeaks was accused of meddling in the US election last year by releasing a damaging trove of hacked emails from presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign and her Democratic party.

That created an awkward situation for the Ecuadoran government, which responded by temporarily restricting his internet access.

QUITO: Ecuador's President-elect Lenin Moreno warned Julian Assange on Tuesday not to meddle in the country's politics, after the WikiLeaks founder taunted a rival candidate following his loss. Moreno's election victory Sunday was a relief for Assange, who has been holed up in Ecuador's London embassy since 2012 to avoid arrest. The socialist president-elect's conservative rival, Guillermo Lasso, had vowed to kick Assange out of the embassy. But Moreno had some stern words after Assange took to Twitter to celebrate Lasso's loss. "Mr Julian Assange must respect the condition (of asylum) he is in and not meddle in Ecuadoran politics," he said at a news conference. As results showed Lasso losing on election night, Assange had exuberantly turned around the right-wing candidate's threat to expel him within 30 days. "I cordially invite Lasso to leave Ecuador within 30 days (with or without his tax haven millions)," he tweeted -- a reference to allegations the ex-banker has money stashed in offshore accounts. Assange fled to the embassy to avoid arrest and extradition to Sweden, where he faces a rape allegation. The 45-year-old Australian, who denies the allegation, says he fears Sweden would send him to the United States to face trial for leaking hundreds of thousands of secret US military and diplomatic documents in 2010. Outgoing President Rafael Correa, a fiery critic of the US, granted Assange asylum, and Moreno has vowed to uphold it. Assange's case has returned to the spotlight since WikiLeaks was accused of meddling in the US election last year by releasing a damaging trove of hacked emails from presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign and her Democratic party. That created an awkward situation for the Ecuadoran government, which responded by temporarily restricting his internet access.
By Associated Press

SEOUL: North Korea fired a ballistic missile into its eastern waters Wednesday, U.S. and South Korean officials said, amid worries the North might conduct nuclear or long-range rocket tests ahead of the first summit between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week.

The U.S. Pacific Command said it detected and tracked what it assessed as North Korean missile launched from land near the eastern coastal city of Sinpo. A U.S. statement said initial assessments indicate the type of missile was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile flew about 60 kilometers (37 miles).

The KN-15 missile reportedly refers to what North Korea calls the solid-fuel "Pukguksong-2. The use of solid-fuel missiles is a worrying development because the fuel already being inside the rocket shortens launch preparation times and make it harder for outsiders to detect what's happening before liftoff.

When North Korea test-fired this missile in February, South Korean officials said it flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles) before landing in international waters. It wasn't immediately known if the much shorter distance of Wednesday's flight meant a failed launch.

Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something to coincide with the Trump-Xi summit, perhaps conduct a nuclear test. The missile launch may be a precursor, with more to come as the summit starts later this week, Cossa said.

"I've joked before that they don't mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored," Cossa said.

Recent outside satellite imagery show possible preparations for a new nuclear test at the North's main nuclear test site, such as the laying of communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data. North Korea's state media has also said the world will soon witness what it calls "eventful successes" the country achieves in the space development. Washington, Seoul and others call the North's space program a cover for its long-range missile development program.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry called the North's latest missile launch a "reckless provocation" that posed a threat to international peace, while Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the country lodged a strong protest over the launch.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged the launch in a statement but said the U.S. had spoken enough about North Korea and would not comment further.

Analysts says North might time nuclear and long-range rocket tests to the April 15 birthday of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility. Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year.

The North's latest missile launch also came as it is responding annual military drills between the United States and South Korea with weapons tests and harsh rhetoric. North Korea sees the drills as an invasion rehearsal.

Two weeks ago, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch. Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.

SEOUL: North Korea fired a ballistic missile into its eastern waters Wednesday, U.S. and South Korean officials said, amid worries the North might conduct nuclear or long-range rocket tests ahead of the first summit between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week. The U.S. Pacific Command said it detected and tracked what it assessed as North Korean missile launched from land near the eastern coastal city of Sinpo. A U.S. statement said initial assessments indicate the type of missile was a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile flew about 60 kilometers (37 miles). The KN-15 missile reportedly refers to what North Korea calls the solid-fuel "Pukguksong-2. The use of solid-fuel missiles is a worrying development because the fuel already being inside the rocket shortens launch preparation times and make it harder for outsiders to detect what's happening before liftoff. When North Korea test-fired this missile in February, South Korean officials said it flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles) before landing in international waters. It wasn't immediately known if the much shorter distance of Wednesday's flight meant a failed launch. Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Honolulu, said he was expecting North Korea would do something to coincide with the Trump-Xi summit, perhaps conduct a nuclear test. The missile launch may be a precursor, with more to come as the summit starts later this week, Cossa said. window.__ventunoplayer = window.__ventunoplayer||[]; window.__ventunoplayer.push({video_key: 'OTE2MzA2fHw4fHw2fHwxLDIsMQ==', holder_id: 'vt-video-player', player_type: 'vp', width:'100%', ratio:'4:3'}); "I've joked before that they don't mind being hated but they definitely hate to be ignored," Cossa said. Recent outside satellite imagery show possible preparations for a new nuclear test at the North's main nuclear test site, such as the laying of communication cables used to initiate a test and collect data. North Korea's state media has also said the world will soon witness what it calls "eventful successes" the country achieves in the space development. Washington, Seoul and others call the North's space program a cover for its long-range missile development program. South Korea's Foreign Ministry called the North's latest missile launch a "reckless provocation" that posed a threat to international peace, while Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the country lodged a strong protest over the launch. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged the launch in a statement but said the U.S. had spoken enough about North Korea and would not comment further. Analysts says North might time nuclear and long-range rocket tests to the April 15 birthday of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea is pushing hard to upgrade its weapons systems to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility. Many weapons experts say the North could have a functioning nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. within a few years. North Korea carried out two nuclear tests last year. The North's latest missile launch also came as it is responding annual military drills between the United States and South Korea with weapons tests and harsh rhetoric. North Korea sees the drills as an invasion rehearsal. Two weeks ago, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said they had detected a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch. Earlier in March, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles that flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), with three of them landing in waters that Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone.
By Associated Press

LONDON: It's an urban myth come true  the presence of a man dedicated to ridding the English city of Bristol of grammatical errors in its shop signs.

He goes out at night with a self-styled device used to cover up misplaced apostrophes from street signs in the city 120 miles (195 kilometers) west of London. He uses stickers, not paint.

The man has not been identified but he told BBC in a report broadcast Monday that he doesn't consider his alterations of the signs and store fronts to be a crime. He says the real crime is putting apostrophes in the wrong places to begin with.

It's not a new obsession  he's been at it for 13 years.

LONDON: It's an urban myth come true  the presence of a man dedicated to ridding the English city of Bristol of grammatical errors in its shop signs. He goes out at night with a self-styled device used to cover up misplaced apostrophes from street signs in the city 120 miles (195 kilometers) west of London. He uses stickers, not paint. The man has not been identified but he told BBC in a report broadcast Monday that he doesn't consider his alterations of the signs and store fronts to be a crime. He says the real crime is putting apostrophes in the wrong places to begin with. It's not a new obsession  he's been at it for 13 years.
Foreign Affairs Minister of Oman calls on Prime Minister

New Delhi, April 3: Mr. Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs of Oman called on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today.





(Posted on 03 April 2017, 1667901546 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/more-news.php  (Posted on 03 April 2017, 1667901546 173O212O198O32)

Prime Minister and Mr. Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah exchanged views on the close relations between India and Oman that are making progress in diverse areas.Mr. Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah carried the greetings of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said. Prime Minister in turn conveyed his esteemed greetings to His Majesty.
Sorry, that page not found!



Please visit our Home Page for latest updates
Jessica Chastain did 'Zero Dark Thirty' because of Tom Cruise?

Los Angeles [USA], April 04 : Did you love Jessica Chastain's portrayal of Maya in 'Zero Dark Thirty'?





(Posted on 04 April 2017, 1667901547 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/hollywood-news.php  (Posted on 04 April 2017, 1667901547 173O212O198O32)

Well, if yes, then you should thank Tom Cruise for that.If it was not for him, she would never have been a part of this Oscar-winning project.In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 40-year-old-actress revealed that Tom Cruise was the person who made it possible for her to do 'Zero Dark Thirty'."I was signed to do another movie. I was contractually obligated to do something else that I was really wanting to do, and I was excited to do [the 2013 thriller 'Oblivion,' starring Cruise]. But when this came my way, I realized I had to do this. And the person who made it possible for me to do this movie is Tom Cruise," she said.Adding, "Someone contacted him from my agency and said, 'Listen, she wants to work with you. And she would love to, but there is this other film, and it's so important.' And he said, 'OK, we're going to let you out of your contract."Jessica even said that though they have never worked together, she would love to as she is really "grateful" to him."I really hope to find something in the future to do with him because I'm very grateful." She added, "I've seen him afterwards. And I was like, 'Dude, you're awesome!'."The 'Miss Sloane' star also recalled the moment when she was asked to play the role of a CIA agent in the movie."I got cold-called by [director] Kathryn Bigelow. I was in Toronto, and I had heard from [producer] Megan Ellison. We had done a film, [2012's] 'Lawless,' together. 'By the way, do you know Kathryn Bigelow's trying to get a hold of you? She wants to meet with you on something.' And I was like, 'What? Please give her my number'," the actress shared.'Zero Dark Thirty' was based on the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, post the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6, in May 2011.The movie got nominated for five Oscars at 85th Academy Awards, including 'Best Picture' and 'Best Actress' nomination for Jessica Chastain and won the golden statuette for 'Achievement in Sound Editing.'
Tyre Express raises additional funding via IvyCamp platform

New Delhi , Apr. 4 : Enterprise IoT solutions start-up Tyre Express, who incurred funding over eight weeks ago via the IvyCamp platform, further raised an undisclosed amount of additional funding in seed round.





(Posted on 04 April 2017, 1667901547 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/business-india-news.php  (Posted on 04 April 2017, 1667901547 173O212O198O32)

Tyre Express is working on Internet of Things (IoT)-based solutions for vehicle diagnostics and has developed a platform to track and monitor performance of tyres in real-time for fleet operators. The platform enables a fleet operator to enhance tyre life, improve fuel efficiency, reduce incidence of accidents and improve the overall operational efficiency for the fleet."I was introduced to Tyre Express via IvyCamp, which is a unique Alumni based platform for upcoming startups in India to connect with relevant industry experts. I liked the energy, chemistry and flexibility that the 3 promoters brought to the venture. The very application of IoT to real life problems, especially in India, is exciting and I wish Tyre Express team grand success in their venture. " said Rohitash Gupta, who has funded Tyre Express."Rohitash has a strong experience in scaling up businesses in tech domain. We look forward to working with Rohitash and leveraging his experience as we look to scale our venture. Given that we have raised a second round in a matter of 8 weeks is also a testament to the great value addition that IvyCamp brings to young startups like us", stated Brijesh Shukla ,Cofounder Tyre Express.Tyre Express had previously raised via IvyCamp platform, from an investor who is an IIT-Delhi and Wharton Alumni, and based in New York."The recent investments on the Platform in IoT, VR, AR, Analytics sectors validates our belief that there is opportunity and market for these products in India. There is clear indication that future is increasingly becoming tech-driven and the IvyCamp Alumni network will help in sourcing, mentoring, evaluating, and investing in the early stage start-ups by leveraging our extensive connects not just in India but also globally," said Anju Gupta, Co-founder and President at IvyCamp.
Michael Keaton to join Tim Burton's 'Dumbo'?

Los Angeles [USA], April 05 : It seems, Tim Burton and Michael Keaton finally found a project they were looking for.





(Posted on 05 April 2017, 1667901550 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/hollywood-news.php  (Posted on 05 April 2017, 1667901550 173O212O198O32)

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Keaton is in talks to star in Disney's new live-action film 'Dumbo,' helmed by Tim Burton.The 'Birdman' star might reunite with 'Beetlejuice' and 'Batman' director, after 25 years since 1992's 'Batman Returns'.If the deal is made, Keaton would play a villain, who buys a circus with hopes of exploiting the elephants.With Ehren Kruger writing the script, the movie is based on Disney's classic 1941 animated movie about a baby circus elephant who is made fun of for his large ears and is separated from his mother.Colin Farrell and Eva Green also are in talks to join the project too.Plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources say that one thing the new version does is expand and deepen the circus aspect of the story.On the work front, Michael Keaton will be next seen in Sony and Marvel's 'Spiderman: Homecoming,' alongside Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr.The flick is slated to release on July 6.
Talk to patients politely, don't do private practice: Adityanath tells docs

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) , Apr. 5 : Sending a stern message to the doctors' fraternity, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday asked them to talk to the patients politely and not indulge in private practice.





(Posted on 05 April 2017, 1667901553 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/india-news.php  (Posted on 05 April 2017, 1667901553 173O212O198O32)

"Five lakh more doctors are required in Uttar Pradesh as of now. If a doctor talks to his patient politely, half the ailment disappears," Adityanath said after inaugurating 56 new ventilators in the King George's Medical University (KGMU) hospital here.He said that health facilities should reach the end person in the queue, adding that kick-backs involved in medical transactions and poor people's exploitation in the name of expensive treatment should stop."Don't try to earn money, try to earn blessings of the people as well," he said.The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said that six AIIMS like hospitals and 25 medical colleges will be made in the state in next five years.Adityanath said that medical colleges are facing a crisis of faculties, adding the doctors don't stay at hospitals during night.For improving the healthcare facility in rural areas, the Chief Minister also urged the medical students to practice in villages for at least two years after completing their MBBS.Hitting out at the doctors, Adityanath said, "These days the doctors do not even spare a minute for patients, by seeing the report they pen down the medicines and ask the patient to leave.""The poor reaches the doorstep of hospitals with a hope that he will be taken care of and will be cured but most of the ventilators in the hospitals are not in a working condition. The hospitals mention 150 of them to be in a working condition but it is contradictory of the reality," he added.Stating that water in Lucknow's Gomti river is getting polluted day-by-day, the Chief Minister announced that the government would soon launch a water awareness plan where all the medical students can join in the cause.
India, Bangladesh likely to ink 33 MoUs during Sheikh Hasina's visit

Dhaka [Bangladesh], Apr. 5 : Bangladesh Foreign Minister A H Mahmood Ali has said that 33 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) are e likely to be signed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's official visit to New Delhi.





(Posted on 05 April 2017, 1667901553 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/business-india-news.php  (Posted on 05 April 2017, 1667901553 173O212O198O32)

Prime Minister will be undertaking a four-day visit to India from Friday.Addressing media here ahead of the visit, Mahmood said that it will be aimed at expanding bilateral trade, boosting investment, connectivity and sub-regional assistance.Construction of Padma and Ganges barrages, distribution of common river water, border management and fighting cross-border drugs and human trafficking are also among the issues likely to be discussed.The Bangladesh Prime Minister will also honour 1661 Indian soldiers who lost their lives during the 1971 Liberation War, he said.All agreements will be made public, Ali said at a media briefing in Dhaka.The prime minister will fly to India on April 7 and return to Dhaka on April 10.The deals to be signed are tied to the establishment of border posts, information exchange, nuclear power, science, technology, electricity, energy and defence, the foreign minister said.Asked about the defence agreements and possibility of a breakthrough on the Teesta water sharing agreement, Ali said while he would not go into specifics, everything would be done in a transparent manner.
Chinese top political advisor to visit Pak, Lanka

Beijing [China], Apr. 5 : China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng will pay an official visit to Pakistan and Sri Lanka beginning Wednesday.





(Posted on 05 April 2017, 1667901554 173O212O198O32) https://www.newkerala.com/world-news.php  (Posted on 05 April 2017, 1667901554 173O212O198O32)

Yu, who is the chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), will visit the two countries on the invitation of Pakistani Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani and Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya respectively, reports Xinhua.In 2013, the strategic cooperative partnership between China and Pakistan was further enhanced, and bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields deepened. The two countries maintained frequent high-level exchange of visits and increased political mutual trust.Cooperation in regional and international affairs was further strengthened as Pakistan continued to support China's position on Taiwan, Tibet and other issues. The two countries maintained cooperation on Afghanistan-related issues.As for Beijing's partnership with Colombo, the two countries have supported each other on major issues, maintained close communication and coordination on regional and international affairs, and conducted sound cooperation on human rights and other areas.In February this year, Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka during the 10th round of China-Sri Lanka diplomatic consultations.
A new restaurant has plans to move into the former Carmella's Pizzeria
Tom Kacich, who for 40 years has covered politics for The News-Gazette, weighs in on what grabbed his attention during Tuesday's elections.
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells, which are white blood cells produced in bone marrow that churn out antibodies to help fight infection. When plasma cells become cancerous, they produce abnormal proteins, and the cells can build up in bone marrow, ultimately seeping into the bloodstream.

The disease is typically diagnosed through a bone marrow biopsy, in which a needle is inserted near a patient's hip bone to suck out a sample of bone marrow -- a painful process for many patients. Clinicians can then isolate and analyze the plasma cells in the bone marrow sample to determine if they are cancerous.

There is currently no way to easily detect plasma cells that have escaped into the bloodstream. Circulating plasma cells are not normally found in healthy people, and the ability to detect these cells in blood could enable doctors to diagnose and track the progression of multiple myeloma.

Now engineers at MIT have devised a microfluidic technique to capture and count circulating plasma cells from small samples of blood. The technique, which relies on conventional blood draws, may provide patients with a less painful test for multiple myeloma.

"Procedures of the traditional tissue biopsy are painful, associated with complications such as potential infections, and often available only in central hospitals which require patients to travel long distances," says former MIT postdoc Mohammad Qasaimeh. "Capturing plasma cells from blood samples can serve as a liquid biopsy, which can be performed in clinics as often as required, and serve as a diagnostic and prognostic test during and after chemotherapy treatment. Moreover, captured cells can be used for drug testing and thus serve as a tool for personalized medicine."

Qasaimeh and his colleagues have published their results today in the journal Scientific Reports. His co-authors include Rohit Karnik, an associate professor in MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering; Yichao Wu and Suman Bose, both former students; Jeffrey Karp, an associate professor in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology; and Rao Prabhala, an instructor in medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School.

A herringbone trap

The group's technique builds on a microfluidic design that was previously developed by George Whitesides, a professor of chemistry at Harvard University. Whitesides and his colleagues fabricated a small microchip, the channel of which they etched with repeating, V-shaped grooves, similar to a herringbone pattern. The grooves cause any fluid flowing through the microchip to swirl about in eddies, rather passing straight through. The cells within the fluid therefore have a higher chance of making contact with the floor of the device, as first shown by Memhmet Toner at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Researchers including Karnik have since reproduced this microfluidic design, coating the microchip's floor with certain molecules to attract cells of interest.

In its latest work, Karnik's team used the microfluidic herringbone design to capture circulating plasma cells. They coated the channels of a microchip, about the size of a glass slide, with CD138, an antibody that is also expressed on the membranes of plasma cells. The team then flowed small, 1-milliliter samples of blood through the device. The herringbone grooves circulated the blood in the microfluidic channels, where the antibodies, acting as tiny Velcro pads, grabbed onto any passing plasma cells while letting the rest of the blood flow out of the device.

Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

Once the cells were isolated in the microchip, the researchers could count the cells, as well determine the kinds of antibodies that each cell secretes.

"With the ease of a blood draw"

The researchers tested the device using blood samples from healthy donors as well as patients with the disease. After counting the number of cells captured in each sample, they observed very low numbers of circulating plasma cells in healthy samples -- about two to five cells per milliliter of blood -- versus substantially higher counts in patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma, of about 45 to 184 cells per milliliter.

The team also analyzed the captured plasma cells to determine the type of antibodies they produced. Plasma cells can generate one of two kinds of antibodies, known as kappa- and lambda-type. In addition to conducting bone marrow biopsies, clinicians can analyze blood samples for the ratio of these two antibodies, which can be an indicator of how the disease is progressing.

Karnik and his colleagues determined the ratio of plasma cells producing kappa- and lambda-type antibodies, and compared them to conventional blood tests for the same antibodies, for both healthy subjects and patients with multiple myeloma. Encouragingly, they found both sets of results matched, validating the microfluidic device's accuracy.

Surprisingly, the team noted that patients who were in remission exhibited higher counts of circulating plasma cells than healthy donors. These same patients had shown normal ratios of antibodies in conventional blood tests. Karnik says that the group's new device may reveal more subtle information about a patient's state, even in remission.

"When patients go into remission, their antibody levels can look normal," Karnik says. "But we detect a level of circulating plasma cells that is above the baseline. It's hard to tell whether these cells are cancerous, but at least this technique is giving us more information. With the ease of a blood draw, this may enable us to track cancer in a much better way."

Karnik adds that in the future, researchers may use the group's design to perform genetic tests on the captured cells, or to look for mutations in the cells that may further characterize the disease.

"We can capture and stain these cells in the device, which opens the possibility of studying whether there are new mutations in the cells," Karnik says. "With cancers like multiple myeloma, even for patients in remission, cancer can recur. Detecting the level or mutation of plasma cells in blood might provide an early detection method for these patients."
A new cancer-drug delivery system shows the ability to exploit the oxygen-poor areas of solid tumors that make the growths resistant to standard chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

Carcinomas that affect the breast, lung, prostate and colon are among these solid-tumor cancers, as are malignancies in the lymphatic system, known as lymphomas, and the much less common sarcomas that arise in connective tissue.

These solid masses often contain hypoxic regions, where the concentration of oxygen in the tissue is low. Hypoxic cancer cells grow slowly, and that makes them less susceptible to the drugs prescribed to kill or damage them.

Researchers at Oregon State University have found a way to turn the tables on those cells using a "prodrug" loaded into nanostructured platforms.

A prodrug is a pharmacologically inactive compound that the body metabolizes into an active drug, in this case the cancer drug vinblastine.

Provided with the prodrug vinblastine-N-oxide by research partners at Cascade Prodrug Inc. of Eugene, Oregon, OSU scientists developed two different lipid-based platform formulations known as liposomes to carry the prodrug to the tumor's hypoxic regions. There, the lack of oxygen triggers its metabolic conversion to vinblastine.

In both formulations - one with polyethylene glycol on its surface, one without - the prodrug proved both safe and much more effective against non-small cell lung cancer than when it was delivered without a liposome.

"One of the hallmarks of these solid tumors is their hypoxic regions," said the study's lead author, Adam Alani of the OSU College of Pharmacy. "One reason these cancers become very aggressive is the development of this hypoxia. Since the late 1990s, researchers have been trying to take advantage of the hypoxia.

"The tumor model we chose, lung cancer, is one of the very well established tumors and there's a very strong hypoxia associated with that - as well as, lung cancer is one of these cancers that in its advanced stages, it's a terminal disease, and there's a need for new treatments."

By itself, vinblastine-N-oxide had shown less than optimal efficacy in testing by Cascade Prodrug because of how fast the body clears it from the system - it has a half-life of less than half an hour.

Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

"When it was tested in mice and dogs, it did not have a chance to assimilate in the cancer tissue to produce the desired pharmacological effect," Alani said.

But the liposomes - both the "pegylated" one containing polyethylene glycol, and the non-pegylated one - increased the half-life dramatically to 9.5 and 5.5 hours, respectively.

"The nano carriers performed much better than the prodrug itself," Alani said. "We were able to literally cure the tumor."

Alani's research began with laboratory cultures and progressed to safety and efficacy testing in animals.

"We made sure the nanostructure platform worked properly against lung cancer in vitro, then looked at the safety of the formulation in healthy mice and looked at the maximum tolerated dose - the biggest dose you can use without producing side effects," Alani said. "Then we determined how long the nano carriers could keep the drug in the blood compared to the drug without the nanostructures."

When those data were "very encouraging," Alani's team assessed the efficacy of the formulations in mice that had tumors grafted into them.

Without any liposome, the drug showed some tumor suppression, but the mice that had received the drug alone had to be euthanized after 70 days because of tumors that were no longer being controlled.

Mice that had received the drug with one of the liposomes were healthy and tumor-free for the nearly 100-day run of the experiment.

"The formulations clearly performed better than the unformulated drug as well as much better than Cisplatin, the standard-of-care drug for this research," Alani said. "Now we're collaborating with Cascade Prodrug and the College of Veterinary Medicine to assess safety and efficacy in dog models, and trying to look at other tumors, like bladder cancer, associated with dogs."

One goal, Alani said, is to develop a new treatment for cancer in dogs, and another is to look at dogs as a model for drug development - "to get data Cascade can use to move the process forward for approval for use in dogs, as well as preliminary data for a new drug application with the FDA," Alani said.

Source: http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2017/apr/new-drug-delivery-system-shows-promise-fighting-solid-tumors
In a collaboration between Swedish and Italian researchers, the aim was to analyse how the brain interprets information from a virtual experience of touch, created by a finger prosthesis with artificial sensation. The result was - completely unexpectedly - a new method for measuring brain health.

"We were able to measure the cooperation between neural networks in a very precise and detailed way. We can also see how the entire network changes when new information comes in", says neuroscience researcher Henrik Jorntell from Lund University in Sweden.

The Pisa-Lund group generated artificial touch experiences with a bionic fingertip currently used for robotic upper limb neuroprostheses. These artificial touch experiences were provided to the touch sensor nerves of the skin in the rat, as a kind of neuroscientific playback of information to the brain. Using a high-resolution analysis of how individual neurons and their connected brain networks processed this touch information, designed by neurocomputational scientist Alberto Mazzoni and physics scientist Anton Spanne, the groups got an unexpected insight into the brain representations of the external world experienced through touch. Single neurons in the brain are able to convey much more information than was previously thought and can interact to generate potentially super rich representations of sensory stimuli.

"This knowledge will be embodied into a novel generation of sensitive robotic hands able to convey fine tactile information to amputees, says lead bioroboticist Calogero Oddo. Such robotic arms with human-like richness of touch are also being used to perform complex tasks in surgical robots, rescue, services and industry."

Brain function is made up of complex neural networks. In cases of neurological diseases like Alzheimer's, stroke and Parkinson's, the function of these networks changes. It has been difficult, however, to study exactly what happens, as well as to evaluate different treatments. The method developed by these Swedish and Italian researchers could mean a big step forward in this respect.

Neuroscience eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

The prosthesis was made to touch various objects, which generate different patterns of electrical signals. These were subsequently fed into a part of the paw of an anesthetized rat, and then, with the help of electrodes in the brain and advanced analytical techniques, the researchers were able to measure the reactions in the neuronal networks. They managed to record the reactions at very high resolution, as the electrical signals were carefully controlled and could therefore be delivered multiple times with exact reproducibility.

"If you use real-life experiences of touch, it is impossible to achieve the same conditions every time. It is enough, for instance, that the stimulus that provides the sensation of touch is moved some ten micrometres across the skin in order for the neural patterns to be completely different", says Henrik Jorntell.

For the Italian group, and for all others involved in research on advanced prostheses, the method provides a new tool for exploring the sensations the prostheses can provide. As for the Lund researchers, the method provides a tool for studying how neurons cooperate inside a healthy brain and in animal models with different neurological diseases. The fact that the cooperation involves the sense of touch is in this context less important; when it comes to neurological diseases (and even if the damage is local, as in the case of stroke) the entire neural network is disrupted. The brain's response to sensory impressions can therefore reflect the health of the entire brain.

"The tool is unique in its resolution, in its ability to reproduce the tests in the exact same way, and in that the brain activity can be measured objectively and precisely", says Henrik Jorntell.
BioDirection, Inc., a privately held medical device company developing novel and rapid point-of-care products for the objective detection of concussion and other traumatic brain injury (TBI), announced today results from a pre-clinical study show that the companys Tbit System for the detection of TBI is sensitive, provides actionable results in point-of-care settings, and has the potential to reduce the number of unnecessary computerized tomography (CT) scans. The study was recognized with the best overall abstract award in neurotechnology among more than 800 submissions at the International Brain Injury Associations 12th World Congress on Brain Injury, the worlds largest gathering of clinicians, scientists, and industry representatives focused on brain injury, held March 29  April 1, 2017 at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Early, objective diagnostic testing of patients who have experienced head trauma can support more rapid and appropriate treatment decisions while potentially reducing unnecessary head CT scans, said Eric Goorno, president and CEO of BioDirection. The Tbit System allows for testing to be performed at the earliest stages of a concussion using a single drop of blood. The results from this pre-clinical study, coupled with our meeting with the FDA to review our pre-submission package, have positioned us to initiate our formal clinical trials to support FDA clearance.

The Tbit System is based on a patented nanotechnology biosensor that rapidly detects and accurately measures protein biomarkers released from the brain immediately following a head trauma, including S100 calcium binding protein beta (S100) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). The system includes a disposable cartridge and portable analyzer designed for testing to be performed with a single drop of blood at the earliest stages of a concussion.

The pre-clinical study was designed to evaluate the ability of the Tbit System to screen TBI patients for a CT positive or CT negative test. Frozen plasma samples were collected from a total of 100 patients who had undergone CT scans post hospital admission. The Tbit System demonstrated 100% sensitivity with no false negative results, and a 41% specificity level.

The Tbit System provides a sensitive and rapid diagnostic platform that enables the detection of biomarkers of TBI at the molecular level, said Sergey Dryga, PhD, MBA, chief scientific officer of BioDirection. This pre-clinical study demonstrated the potential to detect any brain injury requiring further assessment, while reducing the number of unnecessary CT scans by over 40%. The Tbit System also has the potential to enable a much broader range of applications by detecting any number of proven biomarkers in a complex biological sample such as whole blood.
Insilico Medicine, Inc, a big data analytics company applying latest advances in deep learning to drug discovery, biomarker development, and aging research today announced that the line of nutraceuticals developed in collaboration with Life Extension will be available across Europe.

To develop the first formulation for Life Extension scientists at Insilico Medicine developed a "signature of aging" for every tissue in the human body by comparing the gene expression in young and old tissue. Gene expression data is hugely variable, so the team needed to develop a set of tools to capture the minute changes that transpire during the aging process. The team analyzed the effects of most of the compounds implicated in the longevity of model organisms on human aging signatures. The data for these compounds came from high-throughput experiments, where thousands of tiny petri dishes filled with human cells were exposed to a large number of molecules and gene expression was measured. The team evaluated the top scoring molecules that reversed the aging signatures and looked at those that are safe and were already sold over the counter for human use and had lots of experimental data available showing that they are safe. The team validated these predictions on human cells and demonstrated that most of the predictions made using the computer simulations were correct and the compounds reduced the senescent phenotype in aged cells. The team applied its deep learning algorithms that it uses in multiple collaborations with the pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions to predict the therapeutic properties and adverse effects of the top scoring molecules. The most promising and safe candidates were combined to maximize the cumulative effect. These molecules are: N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), myricetin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and tocotrienol.

The molecules were compounded into the advanced soft gel with Vitamin E present in the tocotrienol solution used as a filler, but present on the product's label.

Drug Discovery eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

"We received an overwhelming number of requests for the Ageless Cell formulation, the first product in the Life Extension's GEROPROTECT line of intelligently-formulated nutraceuticals. We are pleased to see that the latest advances in artificial intelligence are propagating into nutritional supplements", said Heidi Teschemacher, Head of Marketing & Ecommerce, Life Extension Europe.

Through its focus on aging research and drug discovery, Insilico Medicine is bringing the knowledge gap between the consumer and pharmaceutical industries and collaborates with some of the largest pharmaceutical, cosmetics and nutrition companies and academic institutions. In 2016 Insilico Medicine published several seminal proof of concept papers demonstrating the applications of deep learning to drug discovery, biomarker development, and aging research. A study published in

Insilico Medicine was the first company to apply deep generative adversarial networks (GANs) to generating anti-cancer drugs with given parameters and published a seminal paper in Oncotarget. The paper published in

"Life Extension Europe has a very large and educated customer base and we are happy to see that our latest nutraceuticals were approved for distribution in Europe. Launching geroprotectors that are likely to be effective in humans and analyzing real life results using blood tests, surveys and forums is a path for rapid validation of our advanced signaling pathway analysis algorithms and deep learning methods. We are very happy to collaborate with Life Extension Europe and their support staff in many European countries", said Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine, Inc.
Porvair Sciences is pleased to welcome J. G. Finneran Associates into the Porvair family following its acquisition by Porvair plc earlier today.

Based in Vineland, New Jersey (USA) - J. G. Finneran designs, manufactures and distributes specialist laboratory consumables including vials, filters, microplates, closures and ancillary products. Finneran products clearly complement the biotechnology and chromatography product lines of Porvair Sciences and the combined product ranges will provide an enhanced offering to all customers.

There is a good fit and synergy between the J.G. Finneran and Porvair Sciences businesses with Finneran bringing glass, plastics and assembly manufacturing capabilities as well as strong US distribution. This complements the strong UK based manufacturing and distribution capabilities of Porvair Sciences and together the businesses have a broad product offering for chromatography, sample preparation and environmental laboratories.

Both companies have a strong history of innovation and this will continue with emphasis on developing unique solutions for sample preparation in biotechnology and chromatography applications based around their core vial, microplate and filtration capabilities. Customers will benefit from Porvair Sciences products being manufactured, stocked and distributed from J. G. Finnerans facility in Vineland USA, as well as Finneran products being distributed from Wrexham UK. This is an exciting time in the development of both companies who look forward to achieving significant growth in the international scientific laboratory marketplace.


Researchers at Michigan Medicine have found the livers of patients with a rare disease that affects metabolism have responded positively to leptin therapy.

In an open-label study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, the research team predicted the response of 23 patients with partial lipodystrophy-associated nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (fatty liver) to metreleptin, a man-made version of the naturally occurring hormone leptin, which regulates fat and glucose metabolism.

The researchers reported patients with a lower baseline leptin level had a higher response rate after one year of treatment with metreleptin, a pharmaceutical produced by Novelion Therapeutics' subsidiary. They presented their findings today at ENDO 2017, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Orlando, Florida.

Lipodystrophy is a group of rare diseases that share in common the selective loss of fat tissue from the body. Patients affected by the diseases generally have severe insulin resistance, high lipids in their blood and fatty liver. The condition highlights how important fat cells are to regulating a person's metabolism.

Generalized lipodystrophy results in fat loss throughout the entire body. Partial lipodystrophy results in fat loss typically in the arms, legs, head and torso, and fat accumulation in the neck, face and intra-abdominal areas of the body. Metreleptin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2014 to treat generalized lipodystrophy, but has not been approved to treat partial lipodystrophy.

"Fatty liver, or excess fat building up in the liver, is a common metabolic disturbance seen in patients with lipodystrophy," says Elif Oral, M.D., associate professor of endocrinology at Michigan Medicine and principal investigator of the study. "The underlying metabolic disturbances seen in this patient population can be difficult to manage with traditional therapies."

The partial lipodystrophy study participants underwent two liver biopsies, one at the beginning of the trial and after one year of treatment. Investigators observed their NASH score, a numerical score for progression of fatty liver disease in patients, and their NAS score, a numerical score for progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Of the 23 patients enrolled in the study, 22 were treated with at least one dose of metreleptin at baseline. Of the 18 patients who completed treatment after one year, NASH scores improved from a mean of 6 at baseline (showing moderate to advanced disease) to a mean of 5. NAS scores also improved from a mean of 5 at baseline to a mean of 4 after 12 months of treatment.

The researchers noted that these changes were statistically significant in the patient group.

"About half of the patients had scores that lowered by two points or more, which is clinically significant in patients with this disease," says Oral. "Generally, that type of drop is only seen with 10 percent or more sustained weight loss in the common form of fatty liver disease, which usually only occurs with metabolic surgery."

Patients that experienced the two-point or greater reduction improvement in their scores from treatment had a lower baseline leptin level of 14.5 ng/mL versus non-responders whose average leptin level at baseline was 25 ng/mL.

In addition, some patients saw reductions in glucose control and lipid levels, but the differences noted in the entire cohort did not attain statistical significance. The most frequently reported adverse events in the study, occurring in more than 20 percent of the patients, were upper respiratory infections, hypoglycemia and diarrhea.

"The liver disease at baseline is quite significant among the patients in this study, which showed a significant degree of inflammation and fibrosis, even in the absence of liver test abnormalities," says Nevin Ajluni, M.D., assistant professor of endocrinology at Michigan Medicine and the presenting author of the study. "This highlights the importance of screening for this complication."
Taking tissue samples from the liver to diagnose fatty liver can be replaced in most cases by a painless magnetic resonance investigation. This is the conclusion of a new study from Linkoping University in Sweden, published in the scientific journal Gastroenterology. The authors propose that the current value considered to be a normal amount of fat in the liver should be lowered.

Excess energy from food and drink can be stored in fat cells, or it can be stored as fat in the liver. The condition fatty liver has long been associated with unhealthy alcohol consumption. There is, however, a close correlation also between overweight and fatty liver, and the condition is in this case known as "non-alcoholic fatty liver disease", or "NAFLD".

Around 25% of adults in Sweden have NAFLD, many without knowing about it. The condition is often discovered as an incidental finding when people visit a doctor for something else, and the doctor takes blood samples that suggest that the liver is affected. Most people who have fatty liver will not experience impaired liver function. In some cases, however, scar tissue forms and liver cirrhosis can arise. This is a serious medical condition with possibly severe complications.

The standard method used to diagnose fatty liver is to take a tissue sample, or biopsy, from the liver. A doctor examines the liver sample in a microscope and assesses the amount of fat present. Taking a biopsy can involve some discomfort for the patient, and there is a small risk of profuse bleeding, so researchers are attempting to develop non-invasive investigations that do not require sticking needles into the liver.

In the new study, researchers wanted to determine the accuracy of magnetic resonance spectroscopy, or MRS, of fatty liver by comparing it with the conventional biopsy method. The study involved 94 people who were being investigated for elevated levels of liver enzymes in the blood. Magnetic resonance technology can measure the percentage of the liver weight that consists of fat, even when this percentage is very low. Currently a level of 5% fat in the liver is considered to be the limit for a diagnosis of fatty liver by MRS.

"We know, however, that some people with a fat level in the liver lower than 5% suffer liver damage. Our study shows that everyone who had as low as 3% fat in the liver, as determined by MRS, was assessed to have a fatty liver when a tissue biopsy was examined in the microscope. Reducing the cut-off to 3% fat will still give us 100% accuracy in diagnosis, but we will find significantly more people who have fatty liver. These will receive an explanation for their elevated liver enzyme levels from this more gentle investigation," says Stergios Kechagias, professor in internal medicine at the Department of Medical and Health Sciences and consultant at the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Linkoping University Hospital.

Fatty liver increases the risk of developing diabetes type 2 and cardiovascular disease. But the good news is that the amount of fat in the liver can be reduced by lifestyle changes, and this significantly reduces the risk of disease. MRS makes it possible to follow small changes in the amount of fat in the liver and how it changes with time, without needing to take tissue samples from the liver.

"This is a good example of research in advanced medical physics that is very close to clinical application," says Peter Lundberg, adjunct professor in magnetic resonance physics at the Department of Medical and Health Sciences and associated with the Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV). He has led the study together with Stergios Kechagias.
Researchers affiliated with the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, have shown that genetic information can be used to improve early prediction of the response to drugs in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE), one of the most severe forms of epilepsy. Patients who do not respond well to treatment with antiepileptic drugs are candidates for surgery.

The research was conducted at the Brazilian Research Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology (BRAINN) - one of the Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (RIDCs) funded by FAPESP - and led by Professor Iscia Lopes-Cendes.

"According to estimates, at the world's best centers, it takes between 15 and 20 years for patients with MTLE refractory to drug treatment to be referred for surgery," Lopes-Cendes said. "Meanwhile, they continue to suffer from uncontrolled seizures. If we can shorten this process, we can improve the lives of many patients, potentially making the difference between going or not going to university, having or not having a job and a normal life."

MTLE, she explained, is caused by alterations in the functioning of neurons located in the deepest structures of the brain, such as the hippocampus and amygdala, which control important functions such as memory, attention, and anxiety, among others. Seizures due to abnormal electric discharges in a large group of neurons may or may not result in convulsions but do impair memory and other brain functions, often putting the patient at risk of accident and death.

Although MTLE is not the most frequent form of epilepsy, accounting for only 30-40% of cases, it is considered the hardest to treat in adults. Up to 40% of patients with MTLE do not respond to any of the available drugs. In these cases, surgical removal of the brain area that originates the seizures is often recommended.

"Any operation involves risks, and in this case, part of the brain is removed," Lopes-Cendes said. "That isn't innocuous, and the consensus today favors controlling seizures with different regimes of drug therapy. The disease usually manifests in late adolescence or early adulthood, a crucial phase in anyone's life. Imagine the difference it would make if you could control seizures at age 12 instead of 35."

The study was based on an analysis of data for 237 individuals with MTLE who had been monitored at UNICAMP for at least two years. The researchers already knew that 162 of these patients were not responsive to antiepileptic drugs.

Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

The aim of the study, according to Lopes-Cendes, was to develop a methodology for distinguishing between the two groups by analyzing their genetic material. To do this, the researchers selected a set of 11 genes that have been shown to be involved in antiepileptic drug absorption, metabolism, and transport in the scientific literature.

For these 11 genes, they genotyped 119 different single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) molecular markers to see which alleles were present.

"We deployed a series of statistical procedures to develop the model with the best capacity to predict whether the patient would be responsive to drug treatment," Lopes-Cendes said. "In this model, we included and excluded variables to see which ones contributed most to the power of the predictors. Besides genetic polymorphisms, we also included clinical data such as the presence or absence of hippocampal atrophy, the age at and frequency of seizures at epilepsy onset, patient gender, and so on."

When only the clinical variables were taken into account, the model's predictions were about 45% accurate, which, according to Lopes-Cendes, is less than would be achieved by tossing a coin.

However, the model's accuracy increased to 80% when only SNP markers were used and to 82% when both clinical and genetic variables were used.

As Lopes-Cendes explained, in order to be sure that the two groups of patients belonged to the same population from a genetic standpoint and hence were genuinely comparable, the researchers also genotyped 90 other SNPs in different genes located on the same chromosomes as in the previous analysis.

"We call this testing technique 'genome control'," she said. "Without it, we risk selecting patient and control groups from different populations, which would invalidate the results of the analysis."

In light of the model's high level of accuracy, Lopes-Cendes revealed that she and her team at BRAINN now plan to begin a multicenter study involving patients from several countries.

"The idea is to genotype these SNPs at the start of treatment and to follow the patients for two years to see what happens. If the results corroborate our findings in this first study, we'll have sufficient evidence to include the methodology in clinical practice," she said.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center immunotherapy researchers Drs. Kristin Anderson and Philip Greenberg and their colleagues are working on ways to tweak their team's early successes with T-cell therapy for leukemia to apply to solid tumors.

In a presentation on April 4 at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research in Washington, D.C., Anderson will describe preclinical research on T-cell therapy for ovarian tumors and the particular tumor microenvironment factors that any clinical version of this therapy will need to take into account.

For some patients, certain forms of immunotherapy are showing promise in treating previously difficult-to-treat cancers. In the case of T-cell therapies, though, most of the early experimental successes have been seen in blood cancers. Solid tumors, like breast, lung, ovarian and pancreatic cancers, pose a tougher nut to crack for this new wave of cancer therapies.

There are a number of additional hurdles T-cell therapy has to overcome to reach these cancers, which kill more people in the U.S. than blood cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. There's the simple issue of access  patients with leukemia or lymphoma can receive an infusion of engineered T cells directly into their bloodstream, but it can be more difficult to tweak the cells to traffic to a tumor tucked away in the body. A major roadblock to adopting T-cell therapy to solid tumors is what's known as the tumor microenvironment, the local milieu of non-cancerous cells and molecules in and around the tumor.

Anderson and her colleagues have identified proteins overproduced by ovarian cancer cells, known as WT1 and mesothelin, and have found that T cells engineered to specifically recognize these proteins can kill both human and mouse ovarian cancer cells in the lab. They've also found that the T cells significantly extend survival in a mouse model of the cancer, but there's a ways to go before this therapy is ready for clinical trials in humans, Anderson said.

"Tumor microenvironment issues come hand-in-hand with working on solid tumors," she said.

In her presentation, Anderson will describe three types of roadblocks to an effective ovarian cancer T-cell therapy  and how the research team is working to overcome each. They are:

Immunosuppressive cells and proteins in the microenvironment that can signal the engineered T cells to shut down or ignore tumors. Existing checkpoint inhibitor drugs could circumvent this problem, Anderson said, and the Fred Hutch team is also exploring engineering the therapeutic T cells to block those immunosuppressive signals.

A "death signal" produced by both ovarian tumor cells and nearby blood vessels on their surfaces. This molecular signal causes T cells coming to the tumor from the bloodstream to commit suicide before they can fight the cancer. Dr. Shannon Oda in the Greenberg lab is working on a new type of fusion protein the engineered T cells will carry that will rewire their internal circuitry, causing the death signal to instead boost their anti-tumor activity.

The tumors' low-sugar environment. Fast-growing ovarian cancer cells churn through the glucose in their environment  the same energy source engineered T cells need to do their work. Researchers in the Greenberg lab are working to re-engineer the therapeutic T cells to process other sources of energy.

Although her current work focuses on ovarian cancer, a particularly difficult-to-treat solid tumor, Anderson hopes the work will shed light on new therapeutic avenues for other solid tumors as well.

"If we can solve some of the issues that really plague us with these hard ones, then we can more readily apply them to some of the cancers that have fewer of these hurdles," she said.
The new Vital Signs report, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has reported that of 250 pregnant women confirmed with Zika infection in 2016, approximately 1 in 10 of them had a fetus or infant with virus-related birth defects. This report is the first of its kind, to present an analysis from a sample of US women with a definite case of Zika infection during pregnancy.

Credit: Tacio Philip Sansonovski / Shutterstock.com

It is difficult to test for Zika, as once infected, there is a short timeframe where the individual must be tested in order to obtain a positive laboratory outcome to show infection. In addition, many infected people are asymptotic, which means that they are unaware of the need for testing. On these grounds, CDC is examining all pregnant women with proof of Zika infectivity.

Zika infection during pregnancy can severely harm the brain of the developing fetus, and result in a smaller head size, known as microcephaly. If congenital Zika syndrome develops, this can lead to a pattern of birth defects that include abnormalities of the brain, vision loss or difficulty in hearing, problems in motility, or other virus-related health issues that may not show at birth.

Anne Schuchat, M.D, CDC Acting Director, mentions that:

Zika virus can be scary and potentially devastating to families. Zika continues to be a threat to pregnant women across the US. With warm weather and a new mosquito season approaching, prevention is crucial to protect the health of mothers and babies. Healthcare providers can play a key role in prevention efforts

The report concludes the serious hazard posed by the Zika infection during pregnancy and the need for pregnant women to take extra care in preventing their exposure to the virus, whether via a mosquito host or sexually transmitted. The report also highlights the significance of the healthcare professionals in testing all pregnant women for the Zika virus, and examining and evaluating all babies born to women infected with Zika during their pregnancy.

The data for this report spans January 15 and December 27, 2016. The Zika pregnancy registry collected data from all the states in the US and from Washington DC., except the territory of Puerto Rico, which has its own surveillance system to monitor Zika pregnancies in their area. The CDC report also highlights potential gaps in the clinical assessment of babies with the possibility of Zika infection present at birth.

The report concludes that in 2016, 44 states reported evidence of Zika virus in about 1,300 pregnant women. Most of these women got infected while traveling to areas reported with cases of Zika. Of the 1,000 babies born in that year, more than 50 had Zika-related birth defects.

Among pregnant women infected with the Zika virus, fetus or baby with virus-related birth defects is reported in about 1 out of 10 babies, whereas evidence of infections during the first trimester of pregnancy is prone to 15% the highest risk for Zika-related birth defects. While 1 in 3 babies with possible congenital Zika viral infection had no report of Zika testing at the time of birth, 1 in 4 infants were reported to have received brain imaging post birth.

Peggy Honein, Ph.D, the co-lead of Zika Response Pregnancy and Birth Defects Task Force, said that CDC advises pregnant women to avoid traveling to Zika-risk places and refrain from having sex with partners who have traveled to Zika-infected areas.

CDC continues to work closely with health departments on the US Zika Pregnancy Registry to follow up infants with possible congenital Zika virus infection and better understand the full range of disabilities that can result from this infection." Peggy Honein, co-lead of Zika Response Pregnancy and Birth Defects Task Force.

CDC encourages physicians to instruct families on Zika prevention, and make available all required checks and follow-up support to infants and families.

CDC is continuously updating regulations for healthcare professionals on testing and the clinical care for pregnant women and infants affected by Zika. It is also examining new infections and is working towards recognizing the long-term results of the Zika virus.
To create awareness on women empowerment, Dr. Najma Heptulla, Governor of Manipur, flagged off a team of four women - Meenakshi Aravind, Mookambika Rathinam, Ruckmani V and Priya Rajpal in a Tata HEXA, to complete the XPD 24-70 mission, from Imphal.With an endeavor to raise funds for the Rotary India Literacy Mission and to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Indian Independence, four women Rotarians have embarked on an all-women expedition from Coimbatore to London and yesterday marked their last stop in India.Tata HEXA has been the vehicle of choice in this international journey. The Tata HEXA Automatic variant has been sponsored to the team by Tata Motors. The Company has also provided service support to the team in this journey.Powered by the next-gen 2.2L VARICOR 400 diesel engine, the Tata HEXA will deliver a 400 Nm torque and 156 PS power, as per the company. The HEXAs Super Drive Modes will help them switch between the four different driving modes  Auto, Comfort, Dynamic and Rough Road, as they cover an average of 400 kms a day. The All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system is electronically controlled via an adaptive system by Borg Warner, with the torque on demand feature.For this journey, the Tata HEXA has been equipped with accessories like a roof platform, a canopy, luggage bags, high lift jack, shovel, jerry can, a navigation unit and a wireless charger.
American automaker Ford will recall 5,798 cars of its two luxury models in China due to faulty airbags, authorities said. The recall, starting on June 30, involves imported 2016-2017 Lincoln MKX and Lincoln Continental models, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a statement on its website.



Due to a problem with the airbag manufacturer, the driver- side front airbags may fail to completely fill during airbag deployment, and airbag cushions may detach from the airbag modules, increasing the risk of injury for drivers, the quality watchdog said.



Of the affected vehicles, 393 are Lincoln Continental cars manufactured between June 24 and December 5, 2016, while 5,405 were Lincoln MKX cars made between January 14 and October 26, 2016, the statement said.



Ford (China) urged owners of the vehicles to contact dealers as soon as the recall starts. The company said it would replace the defective airbags free of charge, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.


Jamie Dimon may have turned down an official job in Donald Trumps administration, but he is still offering a lot of advice to the President.

Though Dimons annual letter to shareholders never mentions Trump by name, the CEO of J.P. Morgan jpm may as well have addressed it to him directly. The 45-page letter, released Tuesday, reads like a manual for how best to grow the economy, instructing politicians on how they should go about dismantling financial regulations such as Dodd-Frank, enacting tax reform, creating jobs and solving income inequality.

Its exactly the kind of policy platform that befits a candidate for Treasury Secretary. Trump considered Dimon for that position, despite the fact that the bank CEO has previously supported Democrats as well as Republicans.

And its clear that the head of J.P. Morgan agrees with President Trump on many things, including the need to cut corporate taxes, roll back unnecessary regulations and help low-income Americans by expanding the earned income tax credit. Like Trump, Dimon also dismisses the consensus view that the U.S. is permanently stuck with ho-hum GDP growth of 2% or less annually. Many economists believe we are now permanently relegated to slower growth and lower productivity (they say that secular stagnation is the new normal), Dimon wrote in the letter. But I strongly disagree.

Still, Dimon also took aim at several of Trumps policies and promises, warning of the dangers of scrapping longstanding trade agreements and of cracking down on immigration, although he did so without explicitly criticizing the President. Below, five issues on which Dimons shareholder letter takes issue with Trump:

1. Immigration

As a company that does business around the world, J.P. Morgan has always had to deal with global geopolitical issues, so its all the more telling that Dimon cited the heightened state of anti-globalization sentiment, including anti-immigration positions, as one of the top two risks currently facing the bank, right up there with Brexit. And though he tried to avoid diving too deep into the subject (writing in parentheses, Im not going to write about immigration in this letter-we have always supported proper immigration-it is a vital part of the strength of America), Dimon eventually returned to the issue with a biting critique of Trumps pledges and executive orders intended to limit immigration.

Story continues

Listing problems standing in the way of U.S. economic growth, Dimon cited American immigration policies that often prevent foreign college students from getting a job in this country after they graduate. (Trumps recent executive orders targeting immigration largely from Muslim-majority countries were met with uproar on many U.S. college campuses, where international students feared they would be barred from completing their education here, let alone staying afterwards.) It is alarming that approximately 40% (this is an astounding 300,000 students each year) of those who receive advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and math at American universities are foreign nationals with no legal way of staying here even when many would choose to do so, Dimon wrote. We are forcing great talent overseas by not allowing these young people to build their dreams here.

2. Mexico and NAFTA

Besides anti-immigration sentiment, Dimon is also worried about the risk de-globalization poses to J.P. Morgan in the form of poorly conceived anti-trade policies with Mexico and China, two countries where Trump has made it clear he is not happy with the status quo. In the case of Mexico, Trump has simultaneously gone after trade and immigration, promising to not only build a wall at the southern border of the U.S. but also to scrap and renegotiate NAFTA, the agreement governing trade between the countries.

In his letter, Dimon defended Mexico as well as NAFTA and even refuted some of the Presidents arguments regarding illegal immigration into the U.S. Mexico is a long-standing peaceful neighbor, and it is wholly in our countrys interest that Mexico be a prosperous nation, Dimon wrote, noting that J.P. Morgan has business in Mexico worth $400 million in sales. Our trade agreement with Mexico helps ensure that the young democracy in Mexico is not hijacked by populist and anti-American leaders (like Chavez did in Venezuela), Dimon continued, calling NAFTA simpler than the U.S.s agreement with China. While there are some clear, identifiable problems with NAFTA, I believe they will be worked out in a way that is fair and beneficial for both sides. The logic to do so is completely compelling.

One reason Dimon gave to make sure Mexicos economy is healthy: This actually reduces immigration issues (there are now more Mexicans going back to Mexico than coming into the United States). The statistic Dimon refers to is frequently cited by critics of Trumps proposed border wall and trade policy with Mexico.

3. China

With China increasingly concerned about a Trump-inspired trade war with the U.S., Dimon also made a plea to keep that from happening. Though he acknowledged that the U.S. has some serious trade issues with China, which have grown over the years, including not just tariffs but also alleged Chinese cybersecurity breaches and intellectual property violations of American companies, the CEO said those problems do not necessitate a trade war. There is no inevitable or compelling reason that China and America have to clash-in fact, improving political and economic relationships can be good for both parties, Dimon wrote in the shareholder letter. So while the issues here are not easy, I am hopeful they can be resolved in a way that is fair and constructive for the two countries.

4. The Environment and Climate Change

Dimons condemnation of Trumps environmental policy was so brief it was easy to miss, but the point the executive was making was unmistakable. After devoting a solid 15 pages of his letter on how the U.S. should slash regulations, Dimon made a point to single out a single area of government oversight that has undeniable value: Some regulations quite clearly create a common good (e.g., clean air and water), Dimon noted, in a sentence that went on to catalog the ways regulation is otherwise bad for the economy-making it all the more striking that he chose to highlight environmental issues.

Indeed, Trumps proposed budget cuts funding for the Environmental Protection Agency by 31%, and specifically eliminates measures designed to preserve clean air and water and ward off climate change-including Obama-era legislation amending the longstanding Clean Air Act and creating what is literally known as the Clean Water Rule. Dimons choice of words, then, is all the more significant.

5. Defense

Trumps budget also calls for what the President deemed a historic increase in military spending, amounting to an additional $52 billion allocation for the Department of Defense. Dimon, however, seems to think this money would be better spent elsewhere in pursuit of greater economic growth. In his list of obstacles to the U.S. economy, the J.P. Morgan CEO included defense spending: Over the last 16 years, we have spent trillions of dollars on wars when we could have been investing that money productively. (Im not saying that money didnt need to be spent; but every dollar spent on battle is a dollar that cant be put to use elsewhere.), Dimon said.

If Trump is reading Dimons letter, he might take a page from the banker and rejigger his priorities in order to achieve his famous goal of making America great again.

This article was originally published on FORTUNE.com
New Delhi: People using fake rent receipts to save on income tax may be in for some trouble now.



A report in the Economic Times says those submitting forged receipts need to be more careful now as income tax officials can ask them to show more proof that they are genuine tenants



The report quoted Dilip Lakhani, senior tax advisor, Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP as saying that the ITAT (Income Tax Appellate Tribunal) ruling has now laid down the criteria for the assessing officer to consider the claim of a salaried employee and if necessary question its justification. This will put the onus on the salaried class to follow the rules in availing the tax rebate.



Till now, to avail of the benefit, the PAN of the owner of the residence was one needed in case the rent is above Rs 1 lakh per annum. But now the official can ask for proof even if it is below Rs 1 lakh.



The assessing officer can now demand proof, such as leave and licence agreement, letter to the housing co-operative society informing about the tenancy, electricity bill or water bill if he suspects the rent receipts are fake, according to a recent tribunal ruling.



As of now, a salaried employee receiving 'house rent allowance' from the employer could escape paying tax on at least 60% of this amount by generating a fake rent receipt.



This tribunal ruling comes a few months after the government's decision to cap the loss on property bought with borrowed money.
MoS Sh @KirenRijiju seeing CRPF Comdt Sh Chetan Kumar Cheetah at AIIMS, who survived fatal bullet injuries in an encounter in J&K in Feb,17. pic.twitter.com/H84o1WtftR  Kuldeep Dhatwalia (@PIBHomeAffairs) April 5, 2017

CRPF officer Chetan Cheeta who was injured during encounter in Bandipora(J&K) to be discharged today from AIIMS, Delhi. pic.twitter.com/BPL15xbTj9  ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

I thank the team of doctors who have helped Shri Chetan Cheetah in his recovery. Hope to see 'Cheetah' back in action soon. @crpfindia  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) April 5, 2017

More than two months ago a soldier took nine bullets, including one in the head, during an encounter.He fell into a coma which lasted over a month, but then after treatment is now ready to go home. Doctors are calling it nothing short of a miracle.CRPF commandant Chetan Cheetah survived severe injuries to his head, upper limb, waist, pelvic region, eye and hand, and to the wonder of doctors at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences, has recovered well enough to be discharged.Cheetah's wife summed up the mood at the AIIMS trauma center when she told media persons, "It is not Ramnavami, but Diwali for us today."Doctors at AIIMS called it the rebirth of a soldier and credited the family for the miraculous recovery. "Families usually are in denial mode, but his wife was rock solid," Dr Anurag Srivastav, chief doctor at AIIMs trauma centre said.The 45-year-old commanding officer of the 45th Battalion of CRPF led his team to the Parray Mohalla encounter of Hajin area in Bandipora on February 14.A Lashkar-e-Taiba terror suspect attacked, and in the ensuing encounter, three security personnel died and eight, including a civilian, were injured. Witnesses said Cheetah fired 16 rounds even after taking bullets on his body.He was airlifted to AIIMS Delhi from the army base hospital at Srinagar and those who visited him then, including MoS Home Kiren Rijiju, had very little hope of his recovery. "His condition was so bad then that this recovery seems like a miracle," Rijiju told CNN-News18.Several doctors were part of the AIIMS team which treated Cheetah. His right eye could not be saved but his other vitals are stable."Eye specialists, neurologists, plastic surgeons all worked to snatch Cheetah back from jaws of death," a CRPF statement said.On March 16, a month after the attack, he was moved out of the ICU and taken off ventilator support.On March 20, he was given food orally for the first time in one and half months, much to the relief of the doctors and his colleagues in the CRPF.On Wednesday, Rijiju visited Cheetah again in the hospital, thanking doctors and telling the brave soldier that his fight will inspire others in the forces."He is doing very fine. It's miraculous, first of all, I would like to thank the team of doctors from AIIMS. That day when I visited him I never expected him to speak to me some day" said Rijiju." He was smiling and was excited to get back on duty. This shows his ability to survive and his will power," Rijiju told reporters outside AIIMS.Cheetah said he felt very proud when the MoS Home and Army Chief visited him." I feel I have contributed something to the nation," he said, though yet unable to speak properly.The braveheart will go back home to his wife and two children where further treatment including physiotherapy will continue.
Lucknow: Teachers of 158 government colleges and 331 government-aided colleges in Uttar Pradesh have been instructed to dress up modestly and give up jeans and t-shirts.



All the faculty members and other university officials are requested to come in on time in modest clothing and perform their duties with responsibility. Jeans and T-shirts are prohibited while on duty, according to March 30 circular issued by the directorate of higher education.



Signed by the joint director of higher education Urmila Singh, the circular says bio-metric systems will be installed in all government colleges to mark attendance and ensure timely and transparent working.



This comes along with a crackdown on smoking, and consumption of pan masala and gutkha in government offices, schools and colleges ordered by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.



Speaking to News18, the director of higher education RP Singh said, The order emphasises on wearing shaleen (modest) clothes  the term shaleen itself implies that jeans and T-shirt is not allowed. The teachers are role models for students, if they are dressed decorously then students will follow the same pattern. This will inspire students to follow a modest way of dressing. Teachers can wear black or navy blue trouser and white or sky blue shirt to serve as adarsh to students, said Singh.



Shailesh Kumar Pandey, a teacher at Mewalal Ayodhya Prasad Inter College said, This is a step in right direction  we whole-heartedly support it. He added, Students have uniform, which removes all chances of disparity and discrimination. If teachers are also made to dress in a modest way, then the students will not judge them by their dressing.



Earlier, the district magistrate in UP agreed to follow a dress code. Since then, many district administrations have banned casuals at work.



Surendra Singh, district magistrate of Bareilly, who has banned government officials from wearing jeans and T-shirts said, All the employees have been asked to come in formals and ensure speedy disposal of the work. Now attendance will be done using bio-metric systems to bring transparency. Several tehsil employees in Bareilly were found in violation of the new dress code and were asked to leave.
Patna: Rupa Devi, for the first time, is seeing the sober side of her son, Arun, and living in a happy family. Her son now brings Rs 200 every day, and, more importantly, doesn't return drunk. Rupa lost her husband and elder son, who were addicted to alcohol.



Even Arun was an alcohol addict, before Nitish Kumar's ban on liquor forced him to quit drinking, helping him lead a normal life now. Arun now plies cycle-rickshaw on Gaya-Wajirganj road, ferrying passengers to local bus stands.



Not too far from Rupa Devis home, lives Gyani, in adjacent Aurangabad district. He, also, owes his new life to Nitish Kumar. Gyani, who was once a mid-sized farmer, is a landless farmer now. All because of his drinking habits. He would his day with a few extra-large pegs, continuing until he went to bed.



An abusive husband and an irresponsible father, he had all the traits to earn everyones hate and anger. Three acres of land that he owned was sold to just to fulfill his drinking habits. On Wednesday, a year after Nitish imposed a ban on liquor sale in Bihar, Gyanis life is back on track, not cosy though. He, along with his son, works in the fields of other farmers, making decent money. His life and liver both are safe now.



The liquor ban in Bihar has given a new lease of life to numerous alcohol addicts, scattered all over Bihar. Nitish's ban on liquor stirred a revolution of sorts, making people concede that if they can't give up drinking, Bihar is not a state for them



The awareness regarding the ban is unprecedented, with instances, where women called up police to get their drunk husbands and fathers arrested, seeing the light of the day.



Now, its the bootlegging that Nitish has to fight on a regular basis. In just one year, 45,000 people have been arrested for violating liquor ban. The drop in states revenue is also one of the big challenges to ponder upon.



Though the revenue collection has fallen sharply, Nitish is ready to take this blow as long as money, earlier spent on liquor, is saved, and used for useful products such as milk, milk products, sweets, sewing machines, electrical goods, vehicles and furniture had increased, post-prohibition.



A year since Bihar became a 100% dry state, debates over whether or not it was possible to keep a state, as large as Bihar, free of liquor surfaced? Whether laws Nitish Kumar has put in place are draconian or not? Is it in violation of ones freedom of choice to not allow even a single drop of alcohol?



Debates on the streets, in the courtrooms, everywhere, but the outcome was exactly what Nitish wanted. Bihar remained a dry state. Courts refused to intervene and rather, appreciated the move. Above all, the ban elated women across Bihar. The biggest challenge, though, is to counter the nexus, comprising criminals, officials, and politicians, which is keeping the illicit liquor trade alive.



A year later, the roadmap is clear. For Nitish, the ban is beyond debates. He, perhaps, knows no political party would criticise the move vociferously or speak in favour of the "liquor lobby". As 2019 nears, Nitish is expected to move beyond the territorial boundaries of Bihar, taking his "prohibition wand" to the far corners of India.
Kolkata: Buoyed by BJPs victory in Uttar Pradesh, Jishnu Basu, General Secretary of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in South Bengal is busy with a mass reach-out drive.



He believes people in the state always liked RSS and are now fearless to discuss their ideology. So much so that he says many Muslims are joining the Sangh to serve the nation.



In a freewheeling conversation with News18s Sujit Nath, Basu talks about RSS cow protection drive and says that since the law permits cow slaughter in the Trinamool Congress-ruled state, RSS will educate meat sellers and butchers about bovine-based economy apart from seeking assistance of the central government and asking BJP-ruled states to ban transportation of cows. Edited Excerpts:



Q There is a perception that after BJPs impressive victory in Uttar Pradesh, the Hindutva project is targeting states like West Bengal where RSS and its allied organizations have traditionally been weak. Is it true?



Our presence was always there in Bengal but now people are discussing it without any fear. Our ideology is same but style of functioning has changed. We have increased our reach out across the state because some of the state leaders are indulged in jihadi activities. The issue was discussed recently in Coimbatore where we passed a resolution at Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha expressing concern over rise in Jihadi activities and declining of Hindu population in West Bengal. Our slogan is End Jihad and we will continue to fight against the ruling party till we achieve our target.



Q Is it true that Muslims are also joining Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in West Bengal?



Yes, though the percentage is smaller. Muslims are willingly coming forward to join the RSS. We got good response from Burdwan and Asansol regions. In North Bengal, one of our active members is a Muslim. We are not forcing anyone to join our organisation. They came to know about our service (in 1830 Sakhas), approached us and joined us to serve the people. I would like to clarify that we are not forcing our Muslim brothers to join RSS. We are hopeful that in coming years many Muslims will join us.



Q Most states have banned cow slaughter. Will you have a similar campaign in West Bengal? How are you planning to go about it?



RSS has a unique idea to prevent cow slaughter in West Bengal by educating meat sellers and butchers about bovine-based economy. We cant confront with the state government because cow slaughtering is legal here. So we are planning to educate those involved in the meat industry. In Baruipur (South 24-Parganas), we are coming up with a model township on Gau Seva (cow service). The 60-acre township will have organic vegetable farming, milk production and other products. We will show people how to generate revenue based on cow. Once they will realize that, slaughtering will be less. It is a daunting task but not an impossible one.



Q In UP, Yogi Adityanath government is conducting a drive against illegal slaughterhouses. Do you think meat industry in West Bengal is following the norms?



I have doubts. As per rule, only an unproductive cow above 15 years can be slaughtered. But in many places meat traders are violating norms and there is no way to keep a check. Like UP, there are several illegal slaughterhouses in Bengal but no one is bothered to take action. We will raise the issue with the central government. We will also request the UP government to prevent transportation of cows to Bengal.



Q Over the past few months incidents of communal clashes have been reported in parts of West Bengal. What do you think are the reasons behind it?



The main problem is beef and atrocities on Hindu in Muslim dominated areas. More than cow slaughtering, increasing number of beef shops near temples is the main reason behind communal tension. This should be stopped. The state government cant ignore the issue. Like Western UP, a large number of Hindus are migrating from Muslim dominated areas in Bengal. This year we are going to have extensive ground work to prevent mass exodus.
The Sri Lankan government requested the assistance of the Indian Coast Guard following a fire onboard a container carrier MV MAC Daniella close the countrys coast.The merchant ship was on passage from Singapore to Suez Canal when a fire broke out about 32 nautical miles west of Colombo.ICGS Shoor, which was on a friendly visit to Sri Lanka, sailed out to assist the stricken ship. The ship has been in the area since 11 PM on Tuesday and engaged in firefighting onboard the Daniella.The fire was finally put out by 1:45 AM on Wednesday with the assistance the ICGS Shoor.
It is alleged that after the birth, the nursing staff handed over the baby to the family members declaring it dead, without proper medical examination of the newborn by a medical officer or a pediatrician.

Dr D S Sharma examined the baby when she was rushed to hospital again and she was alive, said the medical jurist at the hospital, Dr Anil Arora, adding the newborn was extremely premature only with the lungs functioning and her survival is hardly possible. Dr Verma admitted to the negligence on part of nursing staff by not calling the medical officer on duty and handing over the baby to family members as dead without proper medical examination by doctor. We checked the call book of the hospital and the medical officer on duty was not called, Verma said.

In a shocking incident, a newborn was on Tuesday declared dead allegedly by the nursing staff of a government hospital after they failed to find any movement or respiration by the baby, but was found alive by the family members right before the burial.The incident happened at the hospital, when the on-duty nursing staff performed the delivery of 25-year-old Durgesh Rathore, a resident of Barnara village under Silor primary health centre of district, allegedly in the absence of a gynecologist or a medical officer, sources said.The woman, who was admitted to the hospital on April 2, delivered a 22-to 24-weeks old premature baby, weighing about 350 to 400 grams this morning with the help of the nursing staff, said Deputy Hospital Superintendent Dr O P Verma.The baby was motional less, with no cry or respiration, he said, adding the two Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANMs) on-duty handed over the newborn to the family members asking them to take care of her by themselves as there was no movement and respiration with the body.. When the family members were about to bury the dead baby, they felt its heartbeats and breathing, and rushed to it back to the hospital.Later, when the medical officer-on-duty examined the baby, she was alive.Taking a serious note, district collector Naresh Kumar Thakral ordered an inquiry by a two member committee  Dr Gajanand Verma and Dr Chandresh Meena  into the matter and sought a report by Wednesday. Additional district collector Mamata Tiwari also visited the hospital and inquired about the matter and also spoke to the family members.
This is a pure contract issue and there is no need to constitute a constitution bench to hear the matter, submitted the counsel for the Facebook.

This is a matter which affects people in large and is an issue related to Article 21 as well as Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution of India, said the petitioner.



When counsel for Facebook further pressed the issue of not forming a constitution bench as it is a contract issue, the SC stood firm by its order. Facebook had also submitted that this matter has been decided earlier by a seven judge bench and forming a five judge bench was not correct.



In the current Whatsapp-Facebook privacy case, the Supreme Court on Wednesday referred the matter to be heard by a Constitution bench on April 18 but the counsel for Facebook contended that since it was a contract issue, it does not need the formation of a constitution bench.In January, the apex court while hearing a petition by engineering student Kamya Singh Sareen and a law student Shreya Sethi agreed to examine whether Facebooks access to the details of calls, messages, pictures and documents exchanged by over 160 million Whatsapp users in India after it purchased the popular communication application violated the right to privacy of an Indian citizen.On Wednesday, the petitioner submitted that this matter indeed merits to be heard by a constitution bench as it involves crucial questions of constitutional law.This matter was previously slated to be heard by the constitution bench during the summer vacations when the apex court is going to hear cases like that of Triple Talaq and others. But in a sudden change of decision, the Chief Justice of India, JS Khehar ordered that a constitution bench of five judges will hear the matter on April 18 to decide if sharing the information of users with Facebook violates the right to privacy under Article 21 and also the right of free speech enshrined under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution of India.You can pray for this in front of the Constitution bench, whether it is the date of hearing or size of the bench said the bench led by CJI Khehar.In January while hearing the matter, the bench of CJI Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud were initially hesitant to hear the petition as it pointed the users own will to sign up for the free services.Isn't Whatsapp free? When the service is free and the user has the option of opting out from using the services, how can they be restrained from accessing the data sent through the medium created by them? It is a facility extended to you free of cost, take it or leave it," it had said.But Harish Salve who was appearing for the petitioners had submitted that there is a need to regulate Whatsapp as it might pose a probable privacy threat. Salve had stated that the enormous amount of messages and calls made daily through Whatsapp has made it a virtual telecom service provider, who stands to lose its licence in case of illegal tapping or accessing of calls or messages. Salve had argued that Whatsapp had promised to protect the privacy of user data when it started operations in India in 2010 and this was a violation of its promise.
"India (is) using Dalai Lama's visit to upset Beijing," the paper quoted the analyst as saying.

He said Tawang is also the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, which gives the place religious meaning to Tibetans.

India is using the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh to upset China and New Delhi should deliver on its political commitments to Beijing on Tibet-related issues, state-run Chinese media said on Tuesday.The 14th Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang bordering China will hurt Sino-Indian ties because China opposes any official invitations to him, the Global Times quoted an unnamed Chinese analyst as saying."The Dalai's visit to the controversial area, especially Tawang, which China hopes will be returned, will affect relations between China and India," an analyst from the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the paper on condition of anonymity.The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader on Wednesday arrived at Bomdila in West Kameng district, marking the beginning of his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh."India should deliver its political commitments to China on Tibet-related issues, including opposition to separatists," he said, noting that China would take steps against any government which invites the Dalai Lama.Reacting to Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju's remarks that the Dalai Lama's visit is "purely religious," and that there is no political angle behind it, the expert said this is not the first time India has used the Dalai Lama to express its displeasure to China, especially when bilateral talks fail to include their demands or to "pander to domestic anti-China issues".The Chinese Foreign Ministry, which is currently on a holiday for the Tomb-sweeping festival, has not responded to a query seeking its reaction to External Affairs Ministry remarks as well as comments by Rijju over the Tibetan spiritual leader's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as southern Tibet.
New Delhi: India's innovation strategy should focus on generating ideas that promote inclusive growth and benefit those who are at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid, President Pranab Mukherjee said on Wednesday.



Addressing a conference on "Mentoring Grassroots Entrepreneurs in Smart Grams for Inclusive Growth" at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Mukherjee said with 68 per cent of population still living in rural areas, smart development can take place only if villages and villagers become smart.



"I have always held that India will grow when the whole of India grows," he said.



On Rashtrapati Bhavan's initiative to turn five villages of Gurugram into smart villages, he said the villages have round-the-clock access to electricity, common service centers, training centers, medical clinics and wellness centers with more than 30 organisations joining the smartgram consortium.



"Encouraged by our early successes, we expanded the project from 5 to 50 villages in the region in February this year. I am confident of expanding this project to 100 villages by the end of May," he said.



The President said a smart village is "essentially three 'H'- Humane, Hi-tech and Happy", which ensures an enhanced quality of life that contributes to harmony, happiness and well-being of our village dwellers.



"It must have the required basic physical and social infrastructure with a layer of smart information and communication embedded in the infrastructure to improve governance and delivery of services, livelihood and economic opportunities," he said.



Mukherjee said roughly 12 million youth enter the labour market every year and 65 per cent of are under the age of 35.



"Imparting skill and providing gainful employment is essential for meeting the demographic challenge and for harnessing the enthusiasm, energy and ambition of our youth to contribute to economic development," he said.



He said India has a huge domestic market and it is an advantage for enterprises that use local material and technologies to produce low cost but good quality products for the market.
Kolkata: Jadavpur University Vice-chancellor Prof Suranjan Das on Wednesday said the institution cannot be held responsible if any fringe element raises any separatist slogan in it.



"If any fringe element raises any separatist slogan, how can the university as a whole be linked with that ? It is a law and order issue to be addressed by the administration, Das told PTI.



Das' comments follows that of Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar who had said JNU and Jadavpur University have not been awarded for their "pro-Afzal Guru slogans or for keeping their vice-chancellors under siege but for their academic credentials and excellent research."



That students of Jadavpur University are not always involved in demonstration was evident from the fact that JU has been ranked 12th in overall category, the 5th spot among universities and the 9th among engineering institutes in the Union HRD report, he said.



"While I believe everyone has the right to use his democratic rights in a democratic country, I am of the view one should exercise such democratic rights within constitutional limits which has been clearly defined ... It is important in democracy to ensure that I don't interfere into other's freedom while exercising my own right," Das said.



Stating he believed in inclusive way of functioning, Das said, "I have always supported creative constructive thinking and even if my views differ from views of others, I take everyone in confidence for every move."



On the allegations raised by AFSU (Arts Faculty Students Union) that boys and girls were harassed by saffron forces during a programme at the university campus on Saturday, the VC said that auditorium is not owned by JU.



"So far I understand a legally recognised organization had rented the hall. If there is any law and order problem that has to be looked after by the administration."



Asked to comment on the past agitation by students about poor hostel facilities with reference to JU lagging in infrastructure and poor teacher-student ratio in the HRD score card, he alleged that a section of the media was highlighting only the negative sides of the university.



"There are both good and bad sides of an institution. But unlike in foreign countries, only negative issues are projected by the media. But yes with more funds we will be able to upgrade hostel facilities while from next session the teacher-student ratio will be bettered," he said.


New Delhi: At a time when Uttar Pradesh is seeing a crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses, the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court has said that food, food habits and vending thereof is undisputedly connected with the Right to Life and Livelihood guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.



The HC made this observation while hearing a petition filed by a meat shop owner seeking renewal of the license.



The petitioner, a goat meat seller, has contended that the Nagar Palika Parishad of Lakhimpur Kheri was not renewing his license which had expired on March 31.



He said since he was earning his livelihood by selling goat meat, the non-renewal of the license was directly affecting his ability to survive.



In its response, the state government informed the court that the intention was not to ban the meat shops but only to target the unlawful slaughterhouses.



The division bench of Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi and Justice Sanjai Harkauli noted that the inaction of the state government in the past should not be a shield for imposing a state of almost prohibition.



The bench noted that the inaction of the state government also affects the livelihood of the meat shop owners, violating their right to trade and profession, as well as fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution.



The bench also said that just because the state wishes to crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses, it cannot forego facilities for the legal ones as it directly affects private choice of food.

It is the private life of an individual that is also affected who may desire to have such food as his private choice of consumption. It should not appear to be abrupt for those who are at the receiving end, observed the division bench.



The court has given the state government 10 days to convene a meeting and decide on the issue so that individuals livelihood and right to carry a trade and profession do not suffer. The matter has been posted for further hearing on April 13.



According to a news report, there are no official records of illegal slaughterhouses in Uttar Pradesh. Industry insiders say there are 140 abattoirs and over 50,000 meat shops that dont have the requisite permission. Under the current crackdown, the state government has sealed more than 20 illegal slaughterhouses and several meat shops.


Begusarai: It's been an year since Bihar imposed blanket ban on sale, consumption and manufacture of liquor in the state and the decision has brought a positive change in the lives of many people.



One such man is Sanjay whose life has been completely changed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's decision.



Sanjay, who was the owner of 40 liquor shops in Begusarai district of Bihar, has now become a sweets shop owner and set an example for the people involved in liquor trade. He has learned preparing more than 70 kinds of sweets and opened a shop at Kapasiya Chowk after liquor ban in the state.



Sanjay, father of two children, is thankful to Nitish Kumar for his landmark decision as it has helped him in bringing a positive change in his life after which people started paying more respect to him and his family. Locals are also supportive and all praises for the example he has set for others.
We hope the union minister will discuss these issues. This will empower us to monitor suspicious activities in the North Andaman Sea, he said.

: Home Minister Rajnath Singhs three days official tour to Andaman and Nicobar, beginning April 6, is likely to be circled around maritime security and other development-related issues.Concerned over maritime security and threats from the neighbouring countries, the local administration has sent a proposal to the Union Defence Ministry and Ministry of Home Affairs to extend two existing runways - close to China, Burma and Indonesia - with night landing facilities in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.It is expected that besides attending host of programmes, Singh may review the proposal (on maritime security) with the concerned officials in the archipelago.Strategically, Shivpur Naval Airbase in North Andaman Islands (which is close to China), and Campbell Bay airstrip in Port Blair (which is close to Indonesia and Thailand) are important points in terms of Indias maritime security. The reason being China has already set up a huge naval and air force base in Coco Island in Myanmar.Also, the Western Coast of Nicobar Island required an elaborate security plan. This stretch is a safe haven for the poachers from China, Burma and Thailand. We should not forget 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, where the perpetrators came in a boat from Pakistan, Speaking to News18, a senior Coast Guard official said.Andaman and Nicobar is an important strategic point due to its proximity with the Malacca Straits - gateway to international trade. As per statistics, every year more than 42,000 ships - carrying critical energy and defence products beside other trade items - passe through the Malacca Straits.It is expected that Singh may announce several measures to strengthen security. During his stay, Singh will lay a wreath at the Martyr's Column at Cellular jail and meet the Lt Governor Jagdish Mukhi.He will also lay the foundation stone for a solar power plant at Guptapara village and will visit Tsunami Memorial in Car Nicobar Island. He will inaugurate a new building of a senior secondary school at Malacca and hold a meeting with tribal council captains and other tribal leaders there. He is also scheduled to visit Ross and Havelock Island.
New Delhi: The All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) has adopted three resolutions including a fatwa against cow slaughter, a move to ban Triple Talaq and a call to solve the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute through an out-of-court settlement.



The fatwa banning the slaughter of cows in India was issued at its executive meeting in Lucknow on Wednesday after the AISPLB sought a clarification from Ayatollah Sheikh Basheer Hussain Najafi, a top Shia cleric from Iraq. It said communal tensions arise often in the country over cow slaughter. Seventy five-year-old Hussain Najafi is one of the five Grand Ayatollahs in Iraq and is entitled to issue a fatwa for the community members.



Maulana Yasoob Abbas, member of the All India Shia Personal Law Board told News18 that how this fatwa aims to put an end to communal riots.



"For us Shias, horses are considered an important animal and likewise cows are considered holy by the Hindus. Hence, we need to respect other religions as well. If due to the death of one cow, a hundred humans are killed, I think it is best to save that cow," said Abbas.



This move from the Shia community comes just a day after the Dewan of Ajmer Dargah and an influential Sunni Islamic spiritual leader came down heavily on the practice of triple talaq and called it un-Islamic and something which was against the Holy Quran. He also called for a legislation which would ban the slaughter of all the bovine species in India and announced a personal decision to have given up beef along with his family members.



However, this resolution concerning triple talaq was not unexpected as on March 15, Shia Personal Law Board member Maulana Yasoob Abbas had stated that triple talaq in one sitting was not acceptable.



Abbas said: "I am moving an intervening application in the SC in the next two or three days and will request the court to make me a party. This is because I want such a strong law against triple talaq, that a man thinks thrice before divorcing his wife."



The Shia personal law board also seems to have supported the Chief Justice of Indias stand by calling for an out-of-court settlement when most of the parties to the dispute had dismissed the offer stating that previous negotiations and mediations have not yielded any result.



On the suggestion for an out-of-court settlement for the Babri Masjid dispute Abbas said: "Whenever there is a religious matter to be decided, it's best to leave the political parties aside and take a call. Hence, this settlement should be without political interference and I am sure it will be successful as we understand each others concern."



Recently Abbas had paid a courtesy visit to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, to express their demands in connection with certain demands of the Shias in India.



The Shia delegation headed by Abbas was expected to demand the establishment of a separate committee or commission on the lines of the Sachar Committee report for ensuring development and welfare of minority Shia among the Muslims.








On Tuesday night, seven such attacks were reported in Lucknow alone.

At Mohanlalganj on Lucknow-Raebareli highway, a group of women forcefully shut down a liquor shop saying there is a temple and a school in the vicinity. Local authorities have sealed the shop and informed the state excise department about the incident.

Incidentally, attacks on liquor shops by women are happening at a time when about 8,500 such outlets have been affected by the Supreme Courts order.

Women groups demanding Bihar-like liquor prohibition in Uttar Pradesh is not new, but it seems some women have decided to fight for it, quite literally.Over the past few days, several women vigilante groups have invaded wine shops, beer bars and country-made liquor shops across Uttar Pradesh, demanding closure of such establishments.From Lucknow to Hapur, and from Bulandshahr to Ambedkar Nagar women attacking alcohol shops is becoming a common sight.Interestingly, there is no single organisation behind these incidents and the women vigilante groups claim to be inspired by each other.A man who witnessed one such attack near Dalibagh area of Lucknow told News18 that the attackers were wearing saffron bandanas and they shouted religious slogans before shutting down the liquor shop.Hours before the Dalibagh incident, a shop of country-made liquor at Nawabpurva near Gomti Nagar railway station was burned down. The caretaker of the shop sustained injuries while trying to douse the fire.In a similar incident, a liquor shop, which was earlier relocated from Lucknow-Sitapur highway to Chataurpur village, was torched by the villagers after a drunk man allegedly assaulted an eight-year-old girl. Apart from attacking alcohol shops, these women often block highways.Similar incidents have been reported from Sarojni Nagar area of Lucknow and Banthara on Lucknow-Kanpur highway.In a region otherwise known for patriarchal social structure, UP has had women vigilante groups in past as well. In 2010, Gulabi Gang, a group of women activists in Bundelkhand region, came to limelight for its violent protests against domestic abuse.According to report, 5,334 liquor shops have already shifted. Experts say if liquor shops move to residential areas, such protests could see a spike.Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya has assured women groups that the state government would will do the best it can to protest their rights.
Veteran actor Vinod Khanna has been admitted to HN Reliance Foundation and Research Centre in Girgaon, Mumbai on Friday. The actors health is said to be improving now. Initially, his family was not ready to give out any details as to why he was taken to the hospital but late on Tuesday night, the actors son, Rahul Khanna, issued a statement on the familys behalf.Dad was hospitalised on Friday for severe dehydration. The situation was quickly brought under control, hes doing much better and the doctors are looking to discharge him soon. Our family is most grateful for the extraordinary care hes been receiving at the hospital and we are touched by all the good wishes pouring in. the statement read.Meanwhile, an official at the hospital told Indian Express that the actor was admitted to the hospital on Sunday, 2 April and not 31st March. The patients family members have asked us not to reveal more details, but there is definitely an improvement in Vinod Khannajis health, the official said.The actors other family members have chose to maintain silence over his health. More details are awaited.Vinod Khanna was last seen in Shah Rukh Khans Dilwale in 2015. The actor is soon going to be seen in Ek Thi Rani Aisi Bhi which stars Hema Malini opposite him.
: Ahead of crucial meet with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over Teesta, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that there is no water in the river (Teesta).In an administrative meeting in Bankura, Mamata expressed concern over water crisis in the state and claimed that water levels are going down.Prioritizing Bengals interest she said, There is a water crisis in Teesta River. Water levels are drying up in Teesta as well as in Mahananda. Just imagine what will happen during peak summer.Also Read: Mamata To Be Part Of Indo-Bangla Ties During Hasina's Visit This is not for the first time when Mamata expressed her reluctance over sharing Teesta water with Bangladesh.The Teesta river is one of the important sources of water for the entire north Bengal. Originating from the Teesta Kangse, a glacial lake in Sikkim located at an altitude of 7,068 metres, the river flows into Bengal via Sikkim and later enters Bangladesh.Mamata is scheduled to meet Hasina and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a grand dinner hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee on April 8.Hasina would be in Delhi from April 7 to 10, her first state visit in seven years, and would be putting up at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Just a few days later, two key aides of Mayawati, Kamla Kant Gautam and Gangaram Ambedkar, resigned from the party and announced formation of an alternate political forum  Mission Suraksha Parishad.

There must not have been more than 85 people at Kanshi Ram Smarak Sthal that day. It was a big embarrassment for everyone. Usually one would have seen lakhs turn up on Kanshi Rams birth anniversary. She had called party office bearers from across the state. But this was a huge thumbs down, said a senior party leader.

Longtime associates of Mayawati, Ambedkar and Gautam say that they have not heard from the party leadership even after turning in their resignations. We will continue to support BSP, but since doing so from within the party seems impossible, we are creating an alternative body to help Kanshi Rams cause.

: The crisis in Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is difficult to understate. After suffering her third consecutive electoral rout, Mayawati is again trying to shape up the party. But the organisation might be slipping out of her grip like sand.While she has been busy restructuring the party and blaming faulty electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the crushing defeat in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, the cadre has been staging protests and her close aides have started turning in their resignations.Last week the party tried to hold review meetings of its mandals, but the workers disrupted the meetings and burnt effigies of leaders like Naseemuddin Siddiqui in Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Jhansi, Meerut, Saharanpur, Moradabad and Etawah, accusing the party leadership of selling tickets.Gautam has been an MLC from the party and a minister in the previous BSP government and Ambedkar has been Mayawatis officer on special duty and has been with her for the last 14 years.Such has been the anger against Mayawati and other senior leaders that when she called all senior organisation leaders to Lucknow on March 15, on occasion of party founder Kanshi Rams birth anniversary, not even 100 people turned up.Meanwhile, in preparation for 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the party has dissolved 403 of its Vidhan Sabha committees. For the new assembly committees, the party has also decided to appoint a Scheduled Caste (SC) member as the president, an Other Backward Caste (OBC) member as general secretary and a Muslim as the treasurer. But the decision to restructure BSP seems to have come too late.We could have changed in 2012, but we didnt. Neither did we change in 2014, nor in 2017. The top leadership of BSP is not listening to its cadre. There is no connect. While BSP became ideologically bankrupt, BJP emulated our formula and won the state. BJP had 60 tertiary organisations from RSS to help it, we allowed our parallel bodies like the song and dance wing Jagriti Jathha and our think tank BAMCEF to rot, said Gangaram Ambedkar.He added that there is a mood of despondency in the party. We kept seeing our voters like Dhobis, Kurmis, Valmikis, Nats, Banjaras slip out of hand and we did nothing. And now the cadre believes that there is no way out of this free fall.The party though doesnt think there is cause for worry. Talking to News18, BSP spokesperson Sudheendra Bhadoria rubbished the idea of revolt within the party. Small time defections happen in all parties and more so in the case of BJP. But I dont think there is any revolt within the party.Another senior leader indirectly blamed the BJP for protests and resignations. Every other leader is now saying what our leader said on the day of results  that there was a large scale bungling in EVMs. This was done by the same party that is right now trying to foment trouble within BSP. We have called a nationwide protest against EVM fraud on April 11. Once you see the support for that event, you will believe how popular the party still is, said Ram Kumar Kuril.
New Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the UP government's decision to waive off farm loan was a "partial relief" but a step in the "right direction" and asked the Centre to evolve a national response to the widespread distress.



Gandhi said the Centre should not discriminate amongst states and no politics should be played with farmers suffering across the country.



"A partial relief for UP farmers, but a step in the right direction. Congress has always supported loan waivers for farmers in distress," he said on Twitter.



Gandhi's response came a day after the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in UP announced a loan waiver of Rs 36,359 crore for small and marginal farmers in the state.



"I'm happy BJP has finally been forced to see reason.But let's not play politics with our farmers who are suffering across the country.



"The Central Government must have a national response to the widespread distress and not discriminate amongst states," he also tweeted.



The Congress has been pressing for a loan waiver across the country on the lines of that done during UPA rule.



Delivering on BJP's poll promise to small and marginal farmers, the Yogi Adityanath government yesterday decided to waive their crop loans up to Rs 1 lakh, totalling a staggering Rs 36,359 crore.



The move will benefit over 2.15 crore farmers, besides 7 lakh others who had secured loans which turned into non- performing assets (NPAs).


SYDNEY, April 5 (Reuters) - Iron ore shipments to China from Australia's Port Hedland terminal, used by BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals Group, rose to 31.50 million tonnes from 30.19 million in February, port data showed on Wednesday.

Overall shipments from the world's biggest iron ore export terminal increased to 39.09 million tonnes from 35.67 million in February, according to the Pilbara Ports Authority. (Reporting by James Regan; Editing by Tom Hogue)
Brussels: All evidence points to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad being behind a suspected chemical weapons attack which left more than 70 dead in a rebel-held town, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Wednesday.



"All the evidence I have seen suggests this was the Assad regime... using illegal weapons on their own people," Johnson said as he arrived for a Syria aid conference in Brussels.



"What it confirms to everybody is that this is a barbaric regime which has made it impossible for us to imagine them (having) authority over Syria after this conflict," he added.



The Brussels conference, co-chaired by the EU and UN, is a follow up to last year's London meeting which raised $11 billion (10 billion euros) for humanitarian aid programmes in the devastated country.



It is also meant to support UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva where mediator Staffan de Mistura has reported some very modest progress in solving a conflict which has claimed more than 320,000 lives and displaced most of the Syrian population.



Assad's future role is a key sticking point -- the rebels and their international backers demand that he must step down.



But Assad refuses to budge and his key ally in Moscow has backed him to the hilt against the rebels and shows no sign of changing tack.



EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini urged the international community to press ahead with the peace talks, which were made even more urgent after Tuesday's suspected chemical weapons attack.



"We need to give a push, a strong push to the political talks in Geneva. We have to unite the international community behind these negotiations," Mogherini said.
Beirut: A suspected Syrian government chemical attack killed scores of people, including children, in the northwestern province of Idlib on Tuesday, a monitoring group, medics and rescue workers in the rebel-held area said.



The US government believes the chemical agent sarin was used in the attack, a US government source said, adding it was "almost certainly" carried out by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.



The Syrian military denied responsibility and said it would never use chemical weapons, echoing denials it has made over the course of the more than six-year Syrian civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands, created the world's worst refugee crisis and drawn in nations such as Russia, Iran and the United States.



The United States, Britain and France on Tuesday proposed a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the attack, which they have blamed on Assad's forces. Diplomats said the resolution would likely be put to a vote on Wednesday.



The attack also sparked political recriminations.



US President Donald Trump condemned the "heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime," but also blamed his predecessor Barack Obama's "weakness" on Syria.



A Syrian opposition figure said it was a consequence of recent US statements suggesting a focus on stopping Islamic State militants rather than ousting Assad.



If confirmed, the incident reported in the town of Khan Sheikhoun would be the deadliest chemical attack in Syria since sarin gas killed hundreds of civilians in Ghouta near Damascus in August 2013. Western states said the Syrian government was responsible for that attack. Damascus blamed rebels.



The head of the health authority in rebel-held Idlib province said more than 50 people had been killed and 300 wounded in the latest incident. The Union of Medical Care Organizations, a coalition of international aid agencies that funds hospitals in Syria, said the death toll was at least 100.



The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack killed at least 58 people and was believed to have been carried out by Syrian government jets. It caused many people to choke and some to foam at the mouth.



Director Rami Abdulrahman said that the assessment that Syrian government warplanes were to blame was based on several factors such as the type of aircraft, including Sukhoi 22 jets, that carried out the raid.







"We deny completely the use of any chemical or toxic material in Khan Sheikhoun town today and the army has not used nor will use in any place or time neither in past or in future," the Syrian army command said in a statement.



The Russian Defence Ministry, whose forces are backing Assad, said its aircraft had not carried out the attack. The U.N. Security Council was expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss the incident.



Reuters photographs showed people breathing through oxygen masks and wearing protection suits, while others carried the bodies of dead children. Corpses wrapped in blankets were lined up on the ground.



Activists in northern Syria circulated pictures on social media showing a man with foam around his mouth, and rescue workers hosing down almost-naked children squirming on the floor.



BLAME GAME



Mounzer Khalil, head of Idlib's health authority, said hospitals in the province were overflowing with victims.



"This morning, at 6:30 a.m., warplanes targeted Khan Sheikhoun with gases, believed to be sarin and chlorine," he told a news conference.



The attack sparked a blame game within the United States.



Trump faulted Obama for not enforcing a 2012 "red line" against the use of chemical weapons and suggested the attack was "a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution."



An Obama spokesman declined comment.



US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued an appeal for Russia and Iran "to exercise their influence over the Syrian regime and to guarantee that this sort of horrific attack never happens again."



In contrast, Syrian opposition member Basma Kodmani blamed recent statements by Tillerson and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley that suggested the new U.S. administration could live with Assad remaining in power for the time being.



"This is a direct consequence of American statements about Assad not being a priority and giving him time and allowing him to stay in power," Kodmani told Reuters via text, saying the U.S. officials' comments amounted to "a blank check for Assad."



French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the attack was a way of testing the Trump administration and urged Washington to clarify its position on Assad.



The incident was condemned by a host of leaders, including the president of France, who directly blamed Syrian government forces, and Britain, which said Assad would be guilty of a war crime if his government was proved responsible.



U.N. Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura said the "horrific" chemical attack had come from the air.



The draft text of the UN resolution, seen by Reuters, says Syria's government must provide an international investigation with flight plans and logs for Tuesday, the names of all helicopter squadron commanders and provide access to air bases where investigators believe attacks using chemicals may have been launched.



In February, Russia, backed by China, cast its seventh veto to protect Assad's government from U.N. Security Council action, blocking a bid by Western powers to impose sanctions over accusations of chemical weapons attacks during the conflict.



A series of investigations by the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) found that various parties in the Syrian war had used chlorine, sulfur mustard gas and sarin.



TOXIC ARSENAL



Idlib province contains the largest populated area controlled by anti-Assad rebels - both nationalist Free Syrian Army groups and powerful Islamist factions including the former al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front.



Idlib's population has ballooned, with thousands of fighters and civilians shuttled out of Aleppo city and areas around Damascus that the government has retaken in recent months as Assad has gained the upper hand in the war.



The United States has also launched a spate of air strikes in Idlib this year, targeting jihadist insurgents.



Following the 2013 attack, Syria joined the international Chemical Weapons Convention under a U.S.-Russian deal, averting the threat of US-led military intervention.



Under the deal, Syria agreed to give up its toxic arsenal and surrendered 1,300 tonnes of toxic weapons and industrial chemicals to the international community for destruction.



UN-OPCW investigators found, however, that it continued to use chlorine, which is widely available and hard to trace, in so-called barrel bombs dropped from helicopters. Chlorine is not a banned substance, but the use of any chemical is banned under 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Syria is a member.
In a statement, Trump also blamed former President Barack Obama for "weakness" in failing to respond aggressively after the 2013 attack.

Photos and video emerging from Khan Sheikhoun, located south of the provincial capital of Idlib, showed the limp bodies of children and adults. Some were struggling to breathe; others appeared to be foaming at the mouth.

A chemical weapons attack in an opposition-held town in northern Syria killed dozens of people on Tuesday, leaving residents gasping for breath and convulsing in the streets and overcrowded hospitals. The Trump administration blamed the Syrian government for the attack, one of the deadliest in years, and said Syria's patrons, Russia and Iran, bore "great moral responsibility" for the deaths.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 58 people died, including 11 children, in the early morning attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, which witnesses said was carried out by Sukhoi jets operated by the Russian and Syrian governments.Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using fire hoses to wash the chemicals from victims' bodies. Haunting images of lifeless children piled in heaps reflected the magnitude of the attack, which was reminiscent of a 2013 chemical assault that left hundreds dead and was the worst in the country's ruinous six-year civil war.Tuesday's attack drew swift condemnation from world leaders, including President Donald Trump, who denounced it as a "heinous" act that "cannot be ignored by the civilized world." The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday in response to the strike, which came on the eve of a major international donors' conference in Brussels on the future of Syria and the region."These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution," Trump said. "President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing. The United States stands with our allies across the globe to condemn this intolerable attack."Trump left it to his top diplomat, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to assign at least some blame to Russia and Iran, Assad's most powerful allies. Tillerson called on both countries to use their influence over Assad to prevent future chemical weapons attacks, and noted Russia's and Iran's roles in helping broker a cease-fire through diplomatic talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana."As the self-proclaimed guarantors to the cease-fire negotiated in Astana, Russia and Iran also bear great moral responsibility for these deaths," Tillerson said.In a statement, the Syrian government "categorically rejected" claims that it was responsible, asserting that it does not possess chemical weapons, hasn't used them in the past and will not use them in the future. It laid the blame squarely on the rebels, accusing them of fabricating the attack and trying to frame the Syrian government. The Russian Defense Ministry also denied any involvementThe activist-run Assi Press published video of paramedics carrying victims, stripped down to their underwear and many appearing unresponsive, from the scene in pickup trucks.It was not immediately clear if all those killed died from suffocation or were struck by other airstrikes that occurred in the area around the same time.It was the third claim of a chemical attack in just over a week in Syria. The previous two were reported in Hama province, in an area not far from Khan Sheikhoun.Opposition activists and a doctor in Idlib said it was the worst incident since the 2013 gas attack on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta that killed hundreds of civilians and which a U.N. investigation said used sarin gas.Faced with international outrage over that attack, Assad agreed to a Russia-sponsored deal to destroy his chemical arsenal. His government declared a 1,300-ton stockpile of chemical weapons and so-called precursor chemicals that can be used to make weapons, all of which were destroyed.But member states of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have repeatedly questioned whether Assad declared everything. The widely available chemical chlorine was not covered in the 2013 declaration and activists say they have documented dozens of cases of chlorine gas attacks since then.The Syrian government has consistently denied using chemical weapons and chlorine gas, accusing the rebels of deploying it in the war instead.Dr. AbdulHai Tennari, a pulmonologist who treated dozens of victims of Tuesday's attack, said it appeared to be more serious than a chlorine attack.In a Skype interview, he said doctors were struggling amid extreme shortages, including of the antidote used to save patients, Pralidoxem.Most of the fatalities died before they reached hospitals, Tennari said. "If they got to the hospital we can treat them. Two children who took a while before they were lifted out of the rubble died," he said.Dr. Mohammed Tennari, a radiologist and AbdulHaj Tennari's brother, said Tuesday's attack was more severe than previous ones in the province, most of which used chlorine cylinders."Honestly, we have not seen this before. The previous times the wounds were less severe," he said. The doctor, who testified before the United Nations in 2015 about renewed Syrian government use of chemical attacks despite claims it has destroyed its stockpiles, said there was a chlorine smell after Tuesday's attack, but it was mixed with another unknown "toxic gas which causes poison and death."Mohammed Hassoun, a media activist in the nearby town of Sarmin, where some of the critical cases were transferred, said doctors there also believed it was likely more than one gas. "Chlorine gas doesn't cause such convulsions," he said, adding that doctors suspect sarin was used."There are 18 critical cases here. They were unconscious, they had seizures and when oxygen was administered, they bled from the nose and mouth," he told The Associated Press.Tarik Jasarevic, spokesman for the World Health Organization in Geneva, said in an e-mailed statement that the agency was gathering more information about Tuesday's incident. The Syrian American Medical Society, which supports hospitals in opposition-held territory, also said it had sent a team of inspectors to Khan Sheikhoun and an investigation was underway.Hussein Kayal, a photographer for the Idlib Media Center, said he was awakened by the sound of a bomb blast around 6:30 a.m., and when he arrived at the scene he found entire families inside their homes unable to move, with their eyes wide open and their pupils constricted. He put on a mask, and he and others took victims to an emergency room. He said he later felt a burning sensation in his fingers and was treated for that.The province of Idlib, which is almost entirely controlled by the opposition, is home to some 900,000 displaced Syrians, according to the United Nations. Rebels and opposition officials have expressed concerns that the government is planning to mount a concentrated attack on the crowded province.New York-based Human Rights Watch has accused the Syrian government of conducting at least eight chemical attacks using chlorine gas on opposition-controlled residential areas during the final months of the battle for Aleppo last year that killed at least nine civilians and injured 200.A joint investigation by the United Nations and the international chemical weapons watchdog determined the Syrian government was behind at least three additional attacks in 2014 and 2015 involving chlorine gas, and that the Islamic State group was responsible for at least one, involving mustard gas.Late Tuesday, Abu Hamdu, a rescue worker in Khan Sheikhoun, said people were still searching for their family members, nearly 12 hours after the attack."People are still very lost," he said.
Washington: The US military confirmed on Tuesday that nuclear-armed North Korea had fired a ballistic missile, finding it posed no threat to North America and vowing to work closely with its regional allies.



The move came after the reclusive state warned it will retaliate if the global community ramps up sanctions over its latest round of weapons tests.



Ahead of a key visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump had said the United States was prepared to go it alone in bringing Pyongyang to heel if China did not step in.



"US Pacific Command is fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security," the military command in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region said.



"The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America."



In a very brief statement, US diplomatic chief Rex Tillerson said: "North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment."



PACOM said it determined the launch of the KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile took place at 11:42 am (2142 GMT), landing in the Sea of Japan at 11:51 am, in line with findings by the South Korean defense ministry.



Pyongyang is on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year.


Senators Rand Paul and Chris Coons on Tuesday introduced a resolution urging Pakistan to release Aasiya Noreen, commonly referred to as Asia Bibi, a mother of five from Nankana area of Punjab province who was convicted of blasphemy in 2009 and has been on death row since 2010.

"No one, in any part of the world, should be victimized for freely and peacefully practicing his or her beliefs. I urge the government of Pakistan to release Asia Bibi and work to promote an inclusive and pluralistic society, starting with reforming its blasphemy laws," Coons said.

Two top American Senators have introduced a resolution in the US Senate urging Pakistan to release a Pakistani-Christian woman who is serving a jail term for alleged violation of the country's draconian blasphemy laws.However, after an international outcry, the Pakistani Supreme Court stayed her execution. The senators also asked Pakistan to reform the laws that have led to the targeting of religious minorities."My heart goes out to Asia Bibi as she continues to endure her unjust imprisonment in Pakistan," said Paul."It's time for Pakistan to immediately release Asia Bibi and put a stop to the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities," he added.If Asia's sentencing were to be upheld, she would have been the first woman to be executed in Pakistan as a result of blasphemy laws. This resolution highlights her case and that of other religious minorities who have been indiscriminate victims of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, the two senators said in a statement.The resolution urges the Pakistani government to release Asia Bibi and reform its "religiously intolerant" laws regarding blasphemy.In Pakistan, mere accusations of blasphemy, even by private individuals, often lead to violence against those accused by private actors, the resolution alleged.Pakistan's human rights problems include poor prison conditions, arbitrary detention, lengthy pretrial detention, a weak criminal justice system, lack of judicial independence in the lower courts, and governmental infringement on citizens' privacy rights, it said.The bipartisan resolution urges Pakistan to reform its laws to reflect democratic norms and ideals and work to promote tolerance of religious minorities so that no one is in danger of persecution from the government or their neighbours for exercising their right to free speech and practicing their religion.Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, which introduced the draconian laws in 1985 in a bid to appease rightwing parties. These laws have been often alleged to have been misused to settle personal scores.Militants also target people blamed for blasphemy or those demanding changes to them.Punjab's liberal governor Salman Taseer was killed in 2011 when he termed the regulations "black law" after meeting Asia Bibi after her conviction.
New York: The worldwide women's marches that millions attended the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration are being honoured at this year's PEN Literary Gala.



PEN America told The Associated Press today that "The Women's March" has won the PEN/Toni and James C Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award.



Bob Bland, one of four national co-chairs who helped organise the massive January 21 gathering in Washington, will accept the prize.



"The Women's March began as a quixotic idea shared with friends on Facebook. In the hands of 99.9 per cent of people, it would have ended there, as a pipe dream. But Bob Bland and the group of women who joined her forged a powerful, diverse coalition that worked with immense drive to win over skeptics and build the support of an extraordinarily broad coalition of which PEN America became part," Suzanne Nossel, executive director of PEN America, said in a statement.



"The Women's March convinced Americans that mass citizen's action was possible. If not for the Women's March, people would not have flooded to airports over a weekend to reject a discriminatory visa ban just days later."



"We honor the Women's March for acting at a critical moment to overcome the inertia and fear of failure that can impair public mobilisation, and for inspiring millions in America and around the world to do the same," she said.



PEN, the literary and human rights organisation, praised Bland and co-chairs Tamika D Mallory, Carmen Perez, and Linda Sarsour for helping to "galvanize a potent global movement to resist infringements on the rights and dignity of women and many other groups."



Previous winners of the freedom of expression award include the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo and Lee-Anne Walters and Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha for raising awareness about the deadly levels of lead in the water supply for Flint, Michigan.



The PEN gala will be held April 25 at the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, with other honorees including Stephen Sondheim, the imprisoned Ukranian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov and publishing executive John Sargent, the CEO of Macmillan.


For the majority of Lynchburg residents and people in the business community, the overwhelming plea was for City Council to nix proposed tax increases.

Lynchburg City Council held two public hearings Tuesday concerning the proposed fiscal year 2018 budget and three proposed tax increases.

The citys fiscal year 2018 proposed budget stands at $375.9 million  a 6.7 percent increase from the current year.

Three proposed tax increases are included in the budget:

A 5-cent increase in the real property tax. The real property tax would increase from $1.11 to $1.16 per $100 of assessed value. The increase is expected to generate $2.6 million in additional revenue.

A 2 percent increase in the lodging tax. The lodging tax would increase from 5.5 percent to 7.5 percent. An existing charge of $1 per room per night would remain unchanged. The proposed increase is expected to generate an additional $692,000.

A 0.5 percent increase in the meals tax. The meals tax would increase from 6.5 percent to 7 percent. The tax increase would provide $1.1 million in additional revenue.

City Manager Bonnie Svrcek said the increases in the real property and lodging taxes will be used to maintain and replace infrastructure while the increase in the meals tax will be used to support initiatives to improve educational outcomes and reduce poverty, which stands at around a quarter of the citys population.

About 70 people attended the two public hearings. About three dozen people gave their views on the various tax increases or other aspects of the proposed budget.

Bob Plunkett operates Shakers and The Neighbors Place restaurants and said patrons sometimes ask hostesses about the meals tax on their bills.

Its a bigger deal than what people might think, Plunkett said.

Joe Wertz, of the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association, said he wished to clear up a misconception. He said some people believe the meals tax is a luxury tax on people with higher incomes who go out to eat, but instead the meals tax is regressive and has a larger effect on low-income people.

Todd Swindell, hotel director of Craddock Terry Hotel & Event Center, said a 2 percent increase in the lodging tax is a considerable increase for hotels to endure at one time.

If the tax increase is imposed, many hotels will have to actually absorb some of those tax increases to keep our businesses, Swindell said.

Resident Wilson Carter said a rising assessment of his property already has increased his real property taxes, and they would increase further under the proposed real property tax hike. Carter added he hasnt had a Social Security increase since 2014.

Im speaking for seniors: How are we going to survive? Carter said.

Lynchburg resident Wendell Walker said the city should do what he and his wife do, as well as many other families.

You have to learn to live within your means, he said.

Resident Steve Troxel followed Walkers remarks.

If you keep raising taxes so people cant afford to live here, youre not going to have anybody here to pay taxes, Troxel said.

One person appeared to support the tax increases.

Ben Blanks said the city is at a crossroads in terms of its infrastructure, and the city needs to reverse its poverty issue.

I know taxes aint the most popular way to go in life, but in order to keep up with things, sometimes we have to bite the bitter pill and try to help people out that need it, Blanks said.

Several people spoke on behalf of Lynchburg City Schools at the public hearing.

The proposed local contribution in the fiscal year 2018 budget to Lynchburg City Schools is $50.4 million, which reflects an increase of $1.2 million from the current year. Lynchburg City Schools has requested an increase of $3.7 million.

Yvonne McMann is a parent and educator and spoke of the challenges that come from student poverty. There should be more teachers in the classroom to help students one-on-one and overcome obstacles, she said, and requested City Council approve the school divisions budget in its entirety.

Kevin Smith, general counsel for Genworth Financial, is a parent of two graduates of Lynchburg City Schools and said he supports the $3.7 million increase requested by the school system. Smith said the school division was a major selling point to him when he was hired, adding theres nothing more attractive to businesses who are relocating employees than quality public schools.

The needs of the Lynchburg Police Department were a concern for some.

Rhonnie Smith is a member of LPDs Community Policing Advisory Group and said the city should address turnover in the department, which is fueled by factors that include compensation and the departments facility needs.

Earlier in her remarks, Svrcek said the police headquarters and general district and circuit courts are in dire need of major renovation and replacement. The Lynchburg Police Department currently operates out of multiple buildings, which include an aging former church.

Smith said operating out of several buildings leads to communication issues and inefficiencies within the department.

Gerald Cheatham, president of the Lynchburg branch of the NAACP, also spoke in support of improving conditions, such as the facilities and turnover rate, for the Lynchburg Police Department.

Their primary job is public safety. We want to make sure theyre taking care of so that they can take care of us.




Republican Governor Sam Brownback of Kansas, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., February 23, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

Kansas lawmakers on Monday failed to override Republican Gov. Sam Brownback's veto of a bill that would have expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

The Kansas House voted 81-44 to override Brownback's veto, three votes short of the necessary majority needed.

Brownback vetoed a bill last week that proposed expanding Medicaid, the government-run health program that provides insurance primarily to pregnant women, single parents, people with disabilities, and seniors with low incomes.

"I am vetoing this expansion of Obamacare because it fails to serve the truly vulnerable before the able-bodied, lacks work requirements to help able-bodied Kansans escape poverty, and burdens the state budget with unrestrainable entitlement costs," Brownback said in a statement.

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

Lawmakers have been trying to expand the program under a provision of the Affordable Care Act that opens eligibility up to any adult living under 138% of the federal poverty level  an income of $27,821 for a family of three in 2016.

Thirty-two states, including the District of Columbia, have chosen to participate, leading to more than 11 million people nationwide gaining coverage.

The Kansas House passed the bill in February by the same margin of 81-44, and the Senate passed it on Tuesday by a margin of 25-14.

In the lead up to the vote on the veto override, many of the bill's supporters acknowledged the tall order.

Sen. John Doll, a moderate Republican elected in 2016 amidst a public backlash against Brownback's conservative policies, told Business Insider on Thursday that garnering the two votes needed to override in the Senate would be "really difficult."

"I hope we are able to. I just dont see it," Doll said.

Story continues

Barbara Bollier, a first-term senator representing several Kansas City suburbs and a retired physician, expressed hope that overwhelming public support for the bill could push some senators and representatives from no to yes.

A public opinion poll conducted by the American Cancer Society in January found that 82% of Kansans support the Medicaid expansion. Several other polls from recent months put the number closer to 62%. Still, it has been hampered, its supporters say, by its association with the Affordable Care Act.

A major supporter of the bill, Doll said that even if an override failed, public support would ensure that Medicaid expansion will be raised by lawmakers again, though probably not until the next legislative session.

"It will come before the legislature again and again until it becomes law. Or until [the ACA] is repealed in Washington," Doll said.

A major obstacle to the bill's passage is its association with the ACA, according to Doll.

"Some of us cant get past the origination of the law," Doll said. "Weve got to look past parties and look at policies. We need a big lesson that at every level of government, but especially state and federal. We need to look at whats good for the people."

In his veto memo, Brownback said that an increase in federal Medicaid funding would result in increased funding to abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood and said that because Kansas is "pro-life," he could not support the bill.

Bollier called Brownback's reasoning "disingenuous" and a "weak excuse," noting that amendments to the Medicaid expansion bill addressing funding to abortion providers were introduced in both chambers and were voted down because voters did not support the measures.

"The people have spoken. [Planned Parenthood is] not their issue," said Bollier. "We're a far cry from listening to the people right now."

Bollier also suggested that Brownback's objection to the bill's lack of work requirements for Medicaid recipients was a non-issue because the population gaining coverage is "the working poor."

NOW WATCH: Here's why the former head of the CIA says Obama never tapped Trump's phones





More From Business Insider
Slowly but surely, work continues toward a new medical clinic in the town of Appomattox.

Blue Ridge Medical Center and Horizon Behavioral Health plan to provide primary care, pediatrics and mental health care all under one roof.

BRMC and Horizon have their eyes on an office building at the former Thomasville Furniture plant. BRMC CEO Peggy Whitehead said they like the building because of its central and easily visible location and mature landscaping.

BRMC needs to raise $300,000 to hire a full-time family practice doctor and cover other start-up costs.

It really depends on if we can nail the funding, Whitehead said. It would be awesome if we could get in there sometime in the summer, but it depends on the funding and finding a doctor to fill that position.

The Virginia Health Care Foundation will award BRMC a $213,000 grant, but only if BRMC can raise the rest of the money through other sources, including other grant applications and fundraising.

Horizon CEO Damien Cabezas said his agency, the community service board for Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell, does not need to raise money for its share of the project due to lower start-up costs associated with mental health treatment. Horizon will place three administrative employees, one psychiatrist, six clinicians and one nurse in the space to serve Appomattox.

This will be especially helpful to that area, because with our three administrative employees in the office, patients wont have to drive all the way into Lynchburg to do their intake paperwork, he said. This collaboration with Blue Ridge Medical Center will bring a great combination of primary care with mental health into one office and bring it to an area that needs services.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Appomattox is designated as a Health Professional Shortage Area and currently has one health care provider for every 3,809 patients. In comparison, there is one provider for every 822 residents in Lynchburg.

Im very encouraged that we can move forward, Whitehead said. Our board is very much behind the effort. I have a lot of support from people in Appomattox and saying the need is there.

Horizons Director of Communications Tecca Wright could not provide specific data on the need for more mental health care in Appomattox, but she said Horizon wants to pursue the project because of what it has heard from community members.

Blue Ridge Medical Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center, a designation that requires the facility to operate in an underserved area, offer a sliding fee scale based on income, provide a wide range of medical services in one location, have an ongoing quality assurance program and have a governing board of directors.

According to Amy Simmons Farber, communications director for the National Association for Community Health Centers, clinics such as this  often called community health centers  serve 25 million people, or one in 13 Americans.

[Community health centers] on average save $2,371 per Medicaid patient because of their ability to innovate and their ability to manage complex conditions really well by coordinating care and reducing the need for patients to use costly hospital services, Farber said.

Appomattox Mayor Paul Harvey said he hopes the project comes together to bring more medical care to the area.

There is definitely a need for the kind of service Blue Ridge would provide, and we would hope that is something that would happen, he said.

Thomasville site developer George Aznavorian could not be reached for comment.
Revisit the founding of the JSA and foreshadow its future in The New Golden Age #1 preview

And see what lies ahead in the future of the DC Universe
Culinary Team gears up for competition

Organised by the Trinidad Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism Association (THRTA), the event took place on March 28, at the Port-of- Spain Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Trinidad.

The team: Brandon Maharaj, chef, Sails Restaurant Pub & Grill; Aswad Forde, chef, Hyatt Regency Trinidad; Tyrone Benjamin, bartender, Naris On the Avenue; Anasuya Jackson, pastry chef, Jaffa at the Oval; Rondell Thompson, junior chef; Ridge Juman, alternate chef, Fanatic Kitchen Studio; Shana Rajahram, alternate bartender, The Rise Restaurant.

This team will compete against their Caribbean counterparts at the highly prestigious Taste of the Caribbean Culinary Competition, organised by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHTA ), which will be held in Miami from June 2 to 6. The year marks the 20th anniversary of TT s participation in this premier Caribbean competition.

At the Taste of the Caribbean competition, teams from all around the region will vie for honours including: Caribbean Culinary Team of the Year, Caribbean Chef of the Year, Caribbean Pastry Chef of the Year, Caribbean Bartender of the Year, Caribbean Junior Chef of the Year and Best Caribbean Chef in the category of beef and seafood.

Last year the TT Culinary Team trumped its Caribbean counterparts by winning the Caribbean Team of the Year an unprecedented six times as well as five other Gold medals and two silver medals.

Those collecting awards and prizes included Brandon Maharaj, Chef of the Year Rondell Thompson, Junior Chef of the Year Anasuya Jackson, Pastry Chef of the Year Tyronne Benjamin Bartender of the Year Jordan Cox, TT HTI student, Best Rum Drink Shana Rajahram, Best Vodka Drink Naomi Lovell, Hyatt Regency Trinidad, Most Creative Menu (Junior and Senior Chefs)
Tom Brady Just Became

First NFL Player to Do This
Michelle Dinning called police Tuesday morning when she couldn't find her 9-year-old son, Josh, last seen in his bedroom the night before. For nearly four hours, a search party roamed the area looking for the UK boy; the police force put dozens of officers, search dogs, and even a helicopter to the task, the Times reports. And then they decided to check the family home a second time ... and there was Josh, under his bed. Or, more specifically, in his bed; he had crawled through a gap in the bed frame, the Northern Echo reports. Why? He didn't want to go to school. Officers found him after deciding to actually lift up all the beds.

"I just couldn't bring myself to be angry with him, the relief that he was alive and well was just too much," says his mom. Josh was discovered just before a press conference on his disappearance was set to take place. The search is estimated to have cost the police force thousands of dollars, but the official statement on the matter makes no mention of that. "We can confirm that missing Josh Dinning was found at around 12:40pm hiding in a hidden drawer compartment under his bed," the statement says, adding that the police force will be reviewing its search procedures and looking into why he wasn't found in the initial search of the home. The Chronicle has a picture of the compartment where Josh hid. (Read more strange stuff stories.)
The Civil Rights Act protects gay and lesbian employees from workplace discrimination, a federal appeals court decided Tuesdaythree weeks after a three-judge panel in Atlanta ruled the opposite. In a ruling that is being called a "game changer" by LGBT rights groups, the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago decided 8 to 3 that the 1964 act covered the case of Kim Hively, a teacher in Indiana who says she was discriminated against for being a lesbian, the AP reports. "I don't see why firing a lesbian because she is in the subset of women who are lesbian should be thought any less a form of sex discrimination than firing a woman because she's a woman," wrote Judge Richard Posner for the majority.

Posnera Ronald Reagan appointeeargued that a law like the 53-year-old Civil Rights Act should not be considered "frozen" on the day it is passed. The three dissenting judges argued that while Title VII of the act did not define discrimination based on sex, "sex" and "sexual orientation" did not mean the same thing in 1964 or today, the Chicago Tribune reports. Posner said the words of Title VII are interpreted differently today "not because we're smarter than the statute's framers and ratifiers but because we live in a different era, a different culture." Hively's former employers do not plan to appeal to the Supreme Court, though the issue is expected to end up there at some point anyway because of the Atlanta panel's conflicting ruling. (Read more Civil Rights Act stories.)
North Korea may have just moved up the agenda at President Trump's first meeting with China's President Xi Jinping: In what is seen as a provocation ahead of the US-China summit later this week, North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile into the sea Wednesday morning in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, Reuters reports. US and South Korean officials believe the missile, like one fired in February, was a KN-15 medium-range missile, a type of missile more mobile, easier to launch, and harder to detect than other missiles in Pyongyang's arsenal, the AP reports. The one fired in February traveled 310 miles, but this one only flew around 37 miles, suggesting the test may not have been a complete success.

North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons program was already expected to be a main focus of the talks between Xi and Trump, who recently said the US can deal with the problem alone if China is unwilling to help. "The launch took place possibly in consideration of the US-China summit, while at the same time it was to check its missile capability," a South Korean official tells Reuters. Japan condemned the latest launch as "extremely problematic," while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said: "The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment." (This week, a North Korean defector had an ominous warning about Kim Jong Un's state of mind.)
An apparent chemical attack that killed scores of people Tuesday is being called one of the worst atrocities of the Syrian civil warand President Trump blames his predecessor. The "heinous" actions of the Assad regime "are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution," Trump said in a statement, per NBC News. "President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line,' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing." Syrian activists say at least 72 people, including many children, were killed in a regime airstrike on a rebel-held town in Idlib province. In other developments:



Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed the deaths were the result of an airstrike on a "terrorist" chemical weapons workshop in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, CNN reports. The Syrian government also blamed rebels for the deaths and denied involvement in the airstrike.

The US, Britain, and France are pushing the United Nations Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning the attack and ordering the Syrian government to provide international investigators with information, including flight logs, the New York Times reports.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said it was clear the attack involved chemical weapons and accused the Assad regime of "barbarism," NBC News reports. "Those who defend and support him, including Russia and Iran, should have no illusions about Assad or his intentions," Tillerson said in a statement. "Anyone who uses chemical weapons to attack his own people shows a fundamental disregard for human decency and must be held accountable."

Turkey's health minister says 30 Syrians were taken across the border for treatment and that they showed symptoms of a chemical attack, according to reports in the Turkish media. Harrowing photos and videos from the scene showed piles of dead children.

Hassan Haj Ali, commander of the Free Idlib Army rebel group, tells Reuters that Russia's claim rebels are responsible is a lie, and that opposition forces in the area don't have the capacity to produce chemical weapons. He says many people saw the plane bomb the area with gas.

The Washington Post calls Trump's statement blaming Obama "puzzling," especially in light of Trump tweets from 2013 in which he urged Obama not to enforce his "red line" against Syria after a chemical attack.

The attack is believed to have involved sarin gas, which has been used before in Syria. Chemical weapons expert Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon tells the BBC that Russia's version of events is "pretty fanciful" and that it's hard to believe that a gas like sarin would have spread after a strike on manufacturing facilities. The British government is among those that have condemned the attack as a war crime.

Syrian activists say the town was hit by more airstrikes Wednesday, the AP reports. They say rescue workers are still finding terrified survivors sheltering near the scene of Tuesday's attack.

(Read more Syria stories.)
A stunning 59.6 carat diamond known as the "Pink Star" sold for $71.2 million at a Sotheby's auction Tuesday in Hong Kong, setting a new world record for any diamond or jewel, according to the auction house. The oval mixed-cut diamond smashed the $60 million pre-sale estimate set by Sotheby's when it went on the block, reports the AP. The sale comes three years after the gem was sold for a record $83 million at another Sotheby's auction in Geneva; the buyer later defaulted. The gem is the largest flawless fancy vivid pink diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America. Three telephone bidders competed for the stone before it was sold for a hammer price of $63 million, not including the buyer's premium.

"We're very happy," says Sotheby's Asia Chairwoman Patti Wong, who identifies the winning bidder as Hong Kong jeweler Chow Tai Fook. Wong adds the company is not worried about another default because the bidders were vetted and have longstanding relationships with Sotheby's. Until now, the most expensive diamond ever sold at auction was the "Oppenheimer Blue," which fetched $57.6 million last May. The previous world auction record for a pink diamond was $46.2 million for the 24.78 carat "Graff Pink" in 2010. The "Pink Star" was mined in Africa by De Beers in 1999 as a raw 132.5 carat gem and cut over a two-year period. (A man found Sierra Leone's second-largest diamond ever, then gave it away.)
The National Archives wants to preserve all of President Trump's tweets for the historical recordincluding ones deleted because of misspellings. Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero wrote in a letter to Sens. Claire McCaskill and Tom Carper that the White House has been advised to "capture and preserve all tweets that the president posts in the course of his official duties," including deleted ones, ABC News reports. The Democratic senators wrote to the National Archives last month expressing concern that Trump might not be complying with the Presidential Records Act of 1978.

Trump has been criticized for deleting misspelled tweets, including one on Inauguration Day in which he said he was "honered" to serve the American people. Ferriero says he has been assured by the White House that all of Trump's tweets are being preserved, and that contrary to media reports, White House staffers have been banned from using apps that do not preserve emails, the AP reports. A Washington Post analysis of Trump's tweets finds that while he has remained a prolific tweeter since becoming president, his habit of using two, three, or even 15 exclamation points at the end of sentences stopped as soon as he became presidentthough single exclamation marks still appear in almost 60% of his tweets. (Read more President Trump stories.)
The bulls are back after China kicks off 2017 with strength

Looks like the bulls are back in the China shop, pushing stocks up for the first quarter of the year on the back of stronger economic data and better-than-expected corporate earnings.

The benchmark MSCI China Index (Hong Kong Stock Exchange: 2801-HK) gained 13 percent in the first three months of 2017, while the Shanghai Composite (Shanghai Stock Exchange: .SSEC) added 3.8 percent. Over the last year, mainland-traded stocks have posted a pretty steady ascent  markets in Shanghai and Shenzhen have added 7 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively.

"This past quarter was a great one for China stocks," said Larry Hu, China economist at Macquarie, attributing the rise to solid earnings growth, a strengthening property market and a stable yuan.

It's a sign that perhaps confidence is returning to China, the world's second-largest economy. For years, the fear had been that the country's growth would implode in a "hard landing," disrupting the global economy.

"There's been this cyclical recovery  China's in an easing mode  It shows up in the economic numbers, and it shows up in many company earnings reports," said Brendan Ahern, chief investment officer at Krane Funds Advisors. It's a "stealth bull market."

China restricts international investment on its domestic stock markets, but foreign investors can seek exposure by trading Chinese firms listed in Hong Kong or New York. They can also buy through special programs set up by the Chinese government to boost investment flows between the mainland and the rest of the world.

While much of the gains are coming from investors buying outside the mainland, domestic markets are also seeing a bump. Shanghai and Shenzhen stocks have posted a healthy start to the year, even though "people are still a little bit hesitant," said Francis Cheung, head of China and Hong Kong strategy at brokerage firm CLSA.

A booming property market and recent central bank policy moves have spooked some Chinese investors, who are partly still reeling from the spectacular mid-2015 crash when trillions in market value vanished.

Story continues

But Cheung said he sees things continuing on the up and up, especially as "the signals are clear that the government does want the stock market to do well this year." That's because a strong equity market could help with managing corporate debt risk as companies seek access to financing by listing publicly  one way to keep at bay China's ticking debt bomb.

But while investor sentiment has been buoyed by a Chinese economy that looks stronger than it did a year ago, experts say that plenty of core challenges remain.

For one, Beijing has talked big on reforms for years, though nothing beyond piecemeal moves have materialized. This year, painful overhauls are again taking a backseat as the government prioritizes stability, especially given an upcoming leadership change that occurs once in five years. Beijing has even reverted to its old playbook, such as pushing forth stronger capital controls to stabilize the yuan, a surge of easy credit and massive state spending to support growth.

Optimists, however, are holding out, saying President Xi Jinping is taking the time now to put supporters in place to help push through the big reforms later.

U.S.-China relations could also pose a hiccup: President Donald Trump has continued to talk tough against China, heightening worries of a trade war.

"Some of the rhetoric out of DC is probably giving investors pause," Ahern said. But "President Xi and Trump meeting will hopefully set us on a path of better communication."

Yet despite these potential risks, experts remain laser focused on Chinese markets, and bullish given positive fundamentals.

"The economic data looks very good," Cheung said.

"To me, the clearest thing to buy is actually e-commerce and the luxury names," he added, pointing to an online sales jump at the start of the year.





More From CNBC


Krishna Maharaj has maintained his innocence over the 30 years he's spent in a Florida prison. Now he'll get the chance to prove it. Based on fresh evidence, an appeals court has granted a new hearing for the British businessman convicted of the 1986 killings of Derrick and Duane Moo Young in a Miami hotel room, reports the AP. Maharaj, whose fingerprints were found inside the hotel room, has claimed he was framed for the murders of the father and son, who owed him $400,000 from a property deal, the Guardian reported in January. He says the killings were actually ordered by Pablo Escobar after members of his Medellin drug cartel caught the Moo Youngs embezzling laundered money, reports the BBC.

Maharaj's lawyer now says six cartel associatesincluding one of Escobar's favorite hit men, John Jairo "Popeye" Velasqueclaim responsibility for the murders, per the Sun. However, a rep for the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office says a judge previously "found these witnesses and/or claims to not be credible or have any merit." Earlier this year, Maharaj's lawyer said the 78-year-old was near death, suffering from a "flesh eating bacteria" as a result of "horrific" conditions at South Florida Reception Center, where he's serving a life sentence. Says Maharaj's wife of 41 years: "I know God will bring him home. We are coming to the end of our lives and we need some time together." (Colombia got pretty annoyed with this rapper after his stunt at Escobar's tomb.)
More than a million Facebook users like the idea of hosting the 2024 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Many of them, oddly enough, from Pakistan. A report prepared for the AP says most of LA's likes have come in the past six weeks from far away from Southern California. An analyst says it "does seem suspicious": "Countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan suddenly spike from almost zero to tens of thousands of fans within a few days in February." LA campaign spokesman Jeff Millman said there was nothing suspicious about the figures. He said LA kicked off a series of Facebook advertisements starting Feb. 3.

Millman argued that it made sense to seek fans internationally. "We are a global campaign, as the Olympic movement is global," he said. The figures give some insight into the dynamics of both the Paris and Los Angeles social media campaigns. By the end of 2016, Los Angeles had 209,000 or so likes, nearly all of which came from the US. Paris had 62,000 or so fans, 80% of which came from France. By last week, both sides' figures had grown. Paris' Facebook page tripled its following, but four out of five endorsements came from France, with many of the others originating in Algeria and Tunisia, former French colonies. LA saw an explosion in support from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Indonesia, Egypt, India, Afghanistan, and other low-income countries. (Read more Olympics stories.)
The 23-year-old man who shot three teenage burglars dead last week "acted in accordance with his rights as an Oklahoma citizen" and will not face criminal charges, authorities announced this week. Zach Peters, 23, opened fire with an AR-15 assault rifle when Jaykob Woodruff, 16, Jacob Redfearn, 17, and Maxwell Cook, 19, broke into his home, killing all three. District Attorney Brian Kuester says investigators have determined that Peters, who lived with his father but was the only one home at the time, was "in fear for his life" when he shot the intruders, who were dressed all in black and wearing masks, reports the Tulsa World. One intruder had a knife and another had brass knuckles, police say.

Minutes after the shooting in Broken Arrow last Monday, Peters called 911 and asked for medical help for the intruders. Alleged getaway driver Elizabeth Marie Rodriguez, 21, told reporters last week that she doesn't blame Peters for the deaths. Rodriguez, who surrendered to authorities hours after her three accomplices were killed, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to three counts of first-degree murder, KJRH reports. Rodriguez, who was Cook's girlfriend, argues that she is only guilty of burglary, but authorities say she has been charged with murder because the teens were killed while she was committing a felony. (Read more Oklahoma stories.)
The Islamic State has delivered its first public pronouncement about President Trump, and it's one that mocks him as an "idiot." The translation from Reuters is as follows: "America you have drowned and there is no savior, and you have become prey for the soldiers of the caliphate in every part of the earth, you are bankrupt and the signs of your demise are evident to every eye." The spokesman continues: "There is no more evidence than the fact that you are being run by an idiot who does not know what Syria or Iraq or Islam is." The 36-minute audio does not specifically mention policies such as Trump's controversial travel ban, notes NBC News.

Trump has vowed to "obliterate" ISIS, and the group's silence toward him until now had baffled those who keep tabs on the groupparticularly because President Obama had been such a frequent target, reports the New York Times. The newspaper quotes a senior research fellow in London with a possible explanation: In a sense, he says, ISIS viewed Obama's more favorable standing among Muslims as more threatening. "They assumed that with [Obama] you need to tease out those subtleties. 'He calls Muslims part of American family, but he doesnt really believe that.' Whereas with Trump, he openly declared Islam hates us. There are no subtleties to unmask." (Read more ISIS stories.)
"Music and chicken have become intertwined." That's the word from Steve Lillywhite, the well-known producer for such bands as U2 and the Rolling Stones, who has won six Grammys over the course of his career. He's talking about his other job, in Indonesia, where he works as the CEO of Jagonya Music & Sport Indonesia. What that means: He decides which musical artists to hawk on CDs that are sold at the country's Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants, the New York Times reports. Yes, really. He takes pitches from record companies and also approaches unsigned artists to sign directly with Jagonya. "My job is basically like running a record label, except this record label also happens to sell chicken," he says.

CD sales are falling in the US thanks to the popularity of streaming and digital music sales, but Jagonya sells 500,000 CDs a month (so far featuring only Indonesian artists) via KFC restaurants, which in Indonesia are a bit more upscale, more like a Hard Rock Cafe. Lillywhite fell in love with Indonesia years ago and moved there in 2014; in 2016, he got the job at Jagonya. He does still take trips from time to time to produce albums for his more well-known clients, and yes, Bono knows all about his KFC gig. "Bono is obsessed with it," Lillywhite says. "He's always telling people: 'Do you know what Lillywhite's doing? He's working for KFC!'" The full Times article is worth a read. (Read more Kentucky Fried Chicken stories.)
Senators who oppose Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the Supreme Court might have a little more ammunition to work with this week: Both Politico and BuzzFeed are out with reports suggesting that Gorsuch copied other authors without attribution in his writings, particularly in his 1986 book The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia. One quick caveat: The author hes accused of pilfering from in that book defends him. "I have reviewed both passages and do not see an issue here, even though the language is similar," says Abigail Lawlis Kuzma. She says the passages about a 1982 case involving a baby with Down syndrome were "factual, not analytical in nature," and "it would have been awkward and difficult for Judge Gorsuch to have used different language." Politico, however, showed the writings in question to six experts and finds disagreement on that.

Ive never seen a plagiarism code that this would not be in violation of, says Syracuse University professor Rebecca Moore Howard. And an associate law professor at Campbell Law School says Gorsuchs writing would be investigated "as a potential violation of our plagiarism policy. Its similar enough to the original work." Both Politico and BuzzFeed go into depth with comparisons. One example:

Kuzma, in her Indiana Law Journal article: Esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula indicates that the esophageal passage from the mouth to the stomach ends in a pouch, with an abnormal connection between the trachea and the esophagus.

Gorsuch, in his book: Esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula means that the esophageal passage from the mouth to the stomach ends in a pouch, with an abnormal connection between the trachea and the esophagus.

The White House is defending Gorsuch from what it calls a "false attack," as is National Review writer Ed Whelan: "Surprise, surprise. Another desperate 11th-hour smear, something that appears to have become a rite of passage for Republican Supreme Court nominees." The full Senate was expected to vote on Gorsuch later this week, with Republicans poised to exercise the "nuclear option" to overcome a Democratic filibuster. (Read more Neil Gorsuch stories.)
The hiring committee at Pittsburg High School took Amy Robertson's list of credentialsincluding supposed masters and doctorate degreesat face value. But not the school's students, whose investigation has since led to their new principal's resignation. After Robertson was hired for the job at the Kansas school last month, with an annual salary of $93,000, six student journalists writing for the school's Booster Redux newspaper began to dig into her pastonly to find things "just didnt quite add up," one student tells the Washington Post. For example, Corllins University, where Robertson claimed to have been educated, was accused of selling degrees, had no known physical address, and wasn't accredited by the Department of Education. Robertson told the students she attended Corllins before it lost accreditation, but she also "presented incomplete answers, conflicting dates, and inconsistencies in her responses," the Redux reported.

Robertson, who has lived in Dubai for the last two decades, told the Kansas City Star last week that she wouldn't comment on her credentials because the students' "concerns are not based on facts." It was "red flags" about her time in Dubai that turned up during an electronic search of her name that prompted the students' full investigation; initially, one of the student journalists was planning to write a standard article introducing the students to their new principal. Ultimately, Robertson resigned Tuesday after she was unable to verify an undergraduate degree she said she received from the University of Tulsa, a Redux adviser tells the Post. The students are getting plenty of praise for their investigative work from professional journalists. The school superintendent, meanwhile, says it was up to the school board to review Robertson's credentials before approving the hire, which it did. (Read more Kansas stories.)
Curious which nations are considered the healthiest in the worldand which ones may need a health overhaul? 24/7 Wall St. examined 170 countries with populations of 250,000 or more, using various gauges from World Bank data such as infant and maternal mortality rates, life expectancy, and tuberculosis incidence to come up with its rankings. Iceland, with its universal health care and ample per-capita spending on health care, shoots to the top of the list, while Lesotho sits at the bottom, not even breaking out of the 40s in terms of average life span. The US, meanwhile, fell behind 30 other countries when it comes to longevity. Here, the top five healthiest and least healthy nations, along with average life expectancies in years:

Healthiest

Iceland, 82.1 Japan, 83.6 Italy, 82.7 Singapore, 82.6 Sweden, 82

Lesotho, 49.7 Central African Republic, 50.7 Sierra Leone, 50.9 Swaziland, 48.9 Nigeria, 52.8

Check out where other countries around the globe rank . (The 10 countries with the highest quality of life .)
Sen. Jeff Merkley started talking on the Senate floor at about 6:50pm Tuesday and didn't yield until 10:14am Wednesday. No, it wasn't a filibuster, but the Oregon Democrat was speaking out against President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, the Hill reports. Merkley, a longtime opponent of Gorsuch's nomination, said it's important not to allow him to fill a "stolen seat" on the high court, and talked about how "ugly" the Senate had gotten over the nomination fight. When Republicans last year refused to even consider then-President Obama's nominee for the seat, they essentially "decided to steal a Supreme Court seat," Merkley said, per the New York Times. "Such a theft never, ever has happened in the history of our nation."

Sen. Dick Durbin also spoke for a bit around 6:30am, and numerous other senators cheered Merkley on via social media. But ultimately, the 15-plus-hour speech won't delay anything; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell filed cloture before Merkley's speech Tuesday, meaning an automatic procedural vote will go forward Thursday morning. That's when Democrats will stage the actual filibuster; they have enough opposing votes to block Gorsuch, but Republicans are then expected to exercise the "nuclear option," changing the rules of the chamber in order to allow Gorsuch to be confirmed on a simple majority vote. They are determined to confirm him by Friday and have him on the court by late this month. (A new wrinkle might have just cropped up for Gorsuch.)
WEST SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwired - April 04, 2017) - The California State Teachers' Retirement System today praised Banc of California's announcement that it has added Mary Allis Curran and Dr. Bonnie Guiton Hill to its board of directors. CalSTRS worked together with investment partners Legion Partners Asset Management, LLC and Banc of California to identify the best board candidates.

Ms. Curran is a retired executive vice president at Union Bank and Dr. Hill is president of B. Hill Enterprises LLC.

"The addition of Ms. Curran and Dr. Hill to Banc of California's board showcases the progress that shareholders can make on governance issues -- like board diversity -- through collaborative, strategic engagement with company management," said CalSTRS Director of Corporate Governance Anne Sheehan. "In addition to their extensive industry knowledge, these highly-qualified women bring a fresh perspective to what had been a board stuck in old school governance practices."

Ms. Sheehan added, "As long-term shareholders, we appreciate the company's openness and progress toward constructing a best-in-class governance structure. In 2016 we sent letters to 87 California companies to engage them in improving board diversity. Banc of California's commitment to diversifying its board is proof that engagement works."

About CalSTRS

The California State Teachers' Retirement System, with a portfolio valued at $202 billion as of February 28, 2017, is the largest educator-only pension fund in the world. CalSTRS administers a hybrid retirement system, consisting of traditional defined benefit, cash balance and voluntary defined contribution plans. CalSTRS also provides disability and survivor benefits. CalSTRS serves California's more than 914,000 public school educators and their families from the state's 1,700 school districts, county offices of education and community college districts.

Read CalSTRS Corporate Governance 2016 Annual Report for more information on our multipronged approach to improving board diversity.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2017/4/4/11G135143/Images/Anne_Sheehan_v2_4x6-48c40c909759abb9ba8678db364efa2f.jpg


Scores were killed in Syria's Idlib province on Tuesday in what the New York Times calls "the worst chemical attack in years" in the war-torn country. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime is saying it had nothing to do with it, and Syrian ally Russia is also deflecting blame, claiming that an airstrike hit a "terrorist" chemical weapons workshop in Khan Sheikhoun, dispersing the poison, now widely believed to have been a nerve agent like sarin gas. But members of the Trump administration, as well as other US politicians, are now blasting Vladimir Putin for protecting Assad, with UN Ambassador Nikki Haley taking the lead at a UN Security Council gathering Wednesday, the Washington Post reports. "How many more children have to die before Russia cares?" she asked at the special session that was prompted by a request from Britain and France.

Some are noting that just last week, Haley said removing Assad from power was no longer a US priority and that the US had to "pick and choose" its battles; Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also said last week that Assad's fate was now up to the Syrian people, per Reuters. GOP Sen. Marco Rubio voiced his opinion on the matter Wednesday, noting on an AM Tampa Bay radio program that the timeline between when Tillerson made his remarks and the attack doesn't seem to be an accident. "I don't think it's a coincidence that a few days later we see this," Rubio said, per CNN. And Sen. John McCain noted Tuesday on CNN's New Day he's positive Syria and the Russians "took note of what our secretary of state said," calling the decision to turn away from Syria's civil war "disgraceful." (Read more Syria stories.)
New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made 56 foreign visits since assuming charge in May 2014, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

According to a list provided by Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, after first visiting Bhutan in June 2014, Modi visited the US four times, and Nepal, Japan, Russia, Afghanistan and China two times each.

In September 2014, he combined his bilateral visit to Washington with a visit to New York for the UN General Assembly session.

In September 2015, he visited New York for the UN General Assembly session during the course of which he again met then US President Barack Obama and then proceeded to San Jose, California, where he interacted with top Fortune 500 CEOs.

The Prime Minister made his third visit to the US in the spring of 2016 for the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington during which he highlighted India's role and commitment to the global partnership in nuclear security.

He again visited the US at the invitation of Obama in June 2016 during the course of which he addressed the US Congress.

Modi paid an official bilateral visit to Nepal in August 2014, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 17 years, and again visited the Himalayan nation in November 2014 to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Summit.

He visited Japan in the autumn of 2014 and then in November 2016, both times to attend the annual bilateral summit.

The Prime Minister visited Russia in July 2015 to attend the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit in Ufa and then again in December 2015 to attend the annual bilateral summit.

He visited Afghanistan in December 2015 during which he jointly dedicated with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani the country's new parliament building built with Indian aid, and again in June 2016 to jointly dedicate the Afghan-India Friendship Dam in Herat province.

He went to China on a bilateral visit in May 2015 and then again in September 2016 to attend the G20 Summit in Hangzhou.

In May 2015, he became the first ever Indian Prime Minister to visit Mongolia marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Mongolia.

His visits to the Indian Ocean archipelago nation of Seychelles in March 2015 and to the United Arab Emirates in August 2015 were the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 34 years.

Among other major nations, Modi made bilateral visits to Canada in April 2015 and to Britain in November 2015.

In November 2014, he visited Australia to attend the G20 Summit in Brisbane and then stayed back for a bilateral visit.
The Sri Lankan government has released 38 Indian fishermen

New Delhi : The Sri Lankan government has released 38 Indian fishermen, the External Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday.

"38 Indian fishermen, released by Sri Lanka govt with efforts of HCI (High Commission of India), left KKS (Kankesanthurai) Naval Stn," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said in a tweet.

He said that the released fishermen would be handed over to the Indian Coast Guard at the International Maritime Boundary Line.
Sorry!

This content is not available in your region
New Delhi:

The Kapil Sharma Show without Sunil Grover aka Gutthi has become "Suna suna lamha lamha" as both the Indian comedian has been together for a long time now and seeing them apart has left the "masaledar tadka" away from the show.

In other word Kapil Sharma and Sunil Grover are two body but one soul when it comes to "The Kapil Sharma Show".

After Sunil Grover has left 'The Kapil Sharma Show' the channel has seen a major dip in TRP. Without Kapil Sharma and Sunil Grovers jugalbandi, Gutthi's solo gigs has also failed to hit that comic spot.

Also Read: Sunil Grover NOT returning to 'The Kapil Sharma Show', confirms on twitter

So the point is if Sunil Grover leaves 'The Kapil Sharma Show' it will not only effect the channel but it will equally effect Kapil sharma and their fans.

Also Read: Sunil Grover: Missing Gutthi from 'The Kapil Sharma Show' to be BACK with solo live show

And this has been clear after Dr. Mashoor Gulati Comedy Clinic in Delhi and watching the finale of the singing reality show, Indian Idol 9. It seems Sunil Grover has made his mind on not returning to 'the Kapil Sharma show', will be doing live gigs for the time being.

Also Read: Taimur Ali Khan: Kareena Kapoor gives befitting reply to controversy on baby boy's name

The actor-comedian told the reporters, I am overwhelmed with everyones love and support. I want to thank them for taking out time for our show. I feel that love is ultimate because everything comes and goes but love will remain forever. Also, Sunil is planning to go ahead with his live shows as he believes, There is a lot to be explored in the live medium.
Jammu:

Pakistani troops on Wednesday violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir by shelling mortar bombs on forward posts, drawing retaliation from Indian troops. This is the fourth ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops in the last 48 hours.



Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing from small arms and fired automatic and mortar shells from 0905 hours on Indian Army posts along the LoC in Poonch sector, a defence spokesman said.



Army troops deployed on forward posts retaliated and the exchange was continuing till last reports came in.Yesterday, Pakistani Army fired mortar shells on Indian Army posts along the LoC in Bhimbher Gali (BG) sector of Rajouri district.



On April 3, Pakistani troops had shelled mortar bombs on forward posts in Balakote sector of Rajouri district.

ALSO READ | Cross-border terrorism by Pak affecting India's vision of peaceful neighbourhood: Sushma Swaraj



In the second ceasefire violation on April 3, Pakistani troops had shelled Indian posts along the LoC in Digwararea in Poonch sector.

ALSO READ | J&K: Pak violates ceasefire along LoC in Rajouri sector, 3rd violation in 24 hours

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister on Wednesday called the African missions statement describing the attacks on African students as xenophobic and racial as unfortunate, painful and surprising. Swaraj also said that the Indian response to this cannot be called inadequate by any means.

She told the Lok Sabha that racial crimes are pre-planned, which was not the case with the recent attack on the African students by a mob in Greater Noida, asserting that the government is committed to their safety.

She said the African group head of the missions, who had issued a strongly-worded statement, was called by her ministry on Wednesday and conveyed the governments response.

Her deputy in the ministry V K Singh spoke to him about the prompt response taken by her as well as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and told him that the African missions could have sought a meeting with the Prime Minister if they were still not satisfied, she said.

Also read: Attacks on Africans in Greater Noida were racial: African missions in India

The Deans statement that our political leadership is silent is completely contrary to facts... His statement was surprising and painful. We have said that it was unfortunate. The Indian governments response cannot be called inadequate by any means, she said.

Swaraj also objected to the African missions demand for an investigation by the Human Rights Council and said the government has told him that India has robust human rights bodies and NGOs, besides an independent media and judiciary.

Her statement came after K C Venugopal (Congress) attacked the government over the development and accused it of diplomatic failure.

Giving details of the incident, she said a youth in Greater Noida had died and his parents had blamed drug overdose for this. Locals took out a candle march, during which an uncontrolled mob of criminals who had infiltrated the crowd attacked the African students, she said.

Racist crimes are pre-planned which was not the case here, she said.

Also read: Attack on Africans: India refuses to categorise as racial

Swaraj said she had spoken to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and tweeted about this. He promised an impartial probe and tweeted as well.

She said M J Akbar, her deputy in the ministry, kept in touch with African missions and told them that the Prime Minister was personally monitoring the situation.

Six people have been arrested by the state police and it was not proper to call the crime racially-motivated before the probe is completed, she said.

Citing the recent incidents of attacks on Indians in the US and the killing of an Indian in Mozambique earlier, she said India did not dub them racially-inspired.

Let the probe report come first, she said.

Swaraj said another purported incident of attack on an African student has turned to be untrue as the Kenyan, who had made the allegation, has admitted she had manufactured it.

She had withdrawn the complaint and our inquiry has found that her visa had expired long back, the minister said.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Defeating death with his valour, CRPF Commandant Chetan Cheeta, who was injured during militant attack in Bandipora of Jammu and Kashmir, to be discharged on Wednesday from AIIMS.

The doctors said that Cheetas will power has helped him in recovering from injuries and now he is fit to go home. The doctors said he need rehabilitation.

The CRPF commandant had survived nine bullets during the encounter with militants.

While appearing before media, Chetan Cheeta said that he is rocking. Cheetas wife Uma Singh said that the former is progressing.

CRPF officer Chetan Cheeta who was injured during encounter in Bandipora(J&K) to be discharged today from AIIMS, Delhi. pic.twitter.com/BPL15xbTj9  ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

Earlier, the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju met CRPF officer Chetan Cheeta.

After meeting the CRPF officer, Rijiju said that the former is doing fine and it is a miracle as the officer has recovered from coma.

CRPF's Chetan Cheeta is fit to go home, requires rehabilitation. His strong will power helped him fight back and recover: AIIMS pic.twitter.com/tg1fFY3xHg  ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

The minister recalled the day when Cheeta was brought to Delhi from Srinagar. The minister said it was diffcult to imagine whether the injured officer will talk to him.

As per reports published in TOI, Cheeta had received serious injuries in head and later slipped into coma but now he has recovered from the critical phase and started giving proper response.

A doctor informed that Cheetas GCS (A test to map the seriousness of injury) score was M3 but now he has responded well and the score is M6. He said Cheeta is stable.

Also Read | Kashmir: Three militants, civilian killed in Padgampora in two encounters

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Blaming Centre as beiman (cheat), Bahujan Samaj Party on Wednesday traded charges of EVM tampering along with the opposition parties Congress and SP on government. The pandemonium forced a brief adjournment of proceedings in Rajya Sabha over alleged tampering of electronic voting machines (EVM) to favour the ruling BJP.

Opposition members trooped into the Well of the House calling the government a cheat, forcing Deputy Chairman P J Kurien to adjourn the proceedings for about 7 minutes.

The Government vehemently denied the charge, saying if anybody has a problem, they should go to the Election Commission as Parliament is not the forum to agitate.

Congress and SP members gave as many as four notices under rule 267 seeking suspension of business to take up the issue, which the treasury benches vehemently opposed.

Mayawati (BSP) called the ruling party beiman (cheat), a comment that led to pandemonium in the House with Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi saying the BSP supremo had insulted the people of the country and insulted democracy.

Opposition members protested saying the barb was directed at BJP and not to the people, but the protests from treasury benches led Kurien to say he would expunge such remarks from the records.

Angry exchanges were also witnessed between Naqvi and Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Naqvi said the general elections in 2004 and 2009 and the assembly elections in Bihar, Punjab and Delhi where the BJP lost, were all conducted using EVMs and the Congress did not seem to have any objections then.

Azad shot back saying the governments under Congress rule did not tamper with EVMs and its only now that such practices have crept in.

When the House met for the day, Digvijaya Singh (Cong) said the testing of EVMs for a by-election in Madhya Pradesh had a few days back had shown manipulations wherein vote would be credited to BJP irrespective of the candidate for whom it has been cast.

He demanded that ballot papers be used for the upcoming by-elections and elections henceforth.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Beijing:

China warned on Wednesday that it will take "necessary measures" to defend its territorial sovereignty and interests after India "obstinately" allowed the Dalai Lama to visit the "disputed" parts of Arunachal Pradesh causing "serious damage" to the bilateral ties.



China also lodged a protest with India's Ambassador in Beijing Vijay Gokhale over the Dalai Lama's visit. "India in disregard to China's concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lama's visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to China's interests and China-India relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters.

China firmly opposes this move, she asserted. "China's stand on the eastern part of the borders is consistent and clear. India is keenly aware of the role played by the 14th Dalai Lama.



"Arranging his visit to those sensitive and disputed areas not only runs counter to the Indian side's commitment to the issues related to Tibet but also escalates disputes over the border area," she said.

ALSO READ | Chinese media slams India on Dalai Lamas Arunachal visit

Hua stated that it goes against the momentum of the sound growth of bilateral relations and will not benefit India inanyway.

"The visit will for sure trigger China's dissatisfaction. This will not bring any benefit to India," she said. China will firmly take necessary measures to defend its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests, Hua asserted.Asked what measures China would take, Hua did not elaborate.



"I don't have much to add. I want to add the issues concerning Tibet has a bearing on China's core interests. India in disregard of China's concerns obstinately arranged the visit," she said.

"We demand the Indian side immediately stop its actionsusing the Dalai Lama to undermine China's interests and not hype up sensitive issues between the two countries, not artificially damage the foundation of the talks between the two countries on the border issues and bilateral legislations and take concrete actions to safeguard the China-India relations," she said.



The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader reached Bomdila in West Kameng district yesterday, starting his nine-day visitto Arunachal Pradesh.



China claims parts of Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet and had previously warned that if India allowed the visit ofthe Dalai Lama, whom it calls an "anti-China separatist", it would cause "serious damage" to ties.

China is sensitive to the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang region in Arunachal which happens to be the birthplace in 1683 of the sixth Dalai Lama and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.

"We hope we can work together to maintain growth of India China relations. We know India and China are two closeneighbours and countries in Asia. Cooperation between us will serve interests of the region," Hua said.



"We hope to maintain good momentum of growth but this move runs counter to this wish, so we hope India stop doingthings that undermine our interests," she said.

Yesterday, Minister of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said India never interfered in Beijing's affairs, has respected the"One China" policy, and thus China should not interfere in India's internal affairs or object to the Dalai Lama's visit.

ALSO READ | China should not interfere in India's internal affairs, says Kiren Rijiju on Dalai Lama's visit



"There is no political angle behind his holiness's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It is completely religious." Separately, the External Affairs Ministry has said that no "artificial controversy" should be created about the visit.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson rejectedRijiju's comments, saying "China upholds the policy of not interfering with other countries internal affairs. This is unquestionable."

"But in disregard to China's concerns India arranged the visit of Dalai Lama to the disputed areas. This issue goes beyond internal affairs," she said.

"The role played by the Dalai Lama is clear to all. China's position on the eastern section of the boundary isalso very clear," she said. "The arrangement of Dalai's visit to the disputed area by India runs counter to its commitments on issues related toTibet and it runs counter to benefits of bilateral relations. We demand that India stop this wrong action," she said.

About Rijiju's comments that it was a religious visit and should not be politicised, she said, "We have noted the statement of the official from the Indian side."

"Could you tell me honestly do you seriously believe that Dalai is only a religious leader. I think the answer is knownto all. He is not just a religious figure. "Therefore, his visit to the place will not be purely of religious purpose. So using the empty words to defend thisarrangement is not reasonable.

ALSO READ | Dalai Lama reunites with the man who escorted him to India 58 yrs ago

We demand the Indian side to stop this move of undermining Chinese interests," she said. Chinese officials in off the record conversations with the media said China is really angry about the Dalai Lama'svisit specially because he was accompanied by a minister. Unlike previous visits, the officials said the Dalai Lama was accompanied by a minister which makes it different.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath vowed on Tuesday to open six AIIMS in the state to provide adequate medical facilities to the people.

Adityanath while inaugurating ventilator machines at Lucknow's King George's Medical University said said that there is a dearth of doctors in the state.

"The state needs at least 5 lakh doctors. The government also wants to open 25 medical colleges in the coming five years," the chief minister said.

Read | Yogi Adityanath's first Cabinet key decisions: Rs 30,729cr farmers loans, NPAs worth 5,630 crores waived off

Adityanath also asked doctors not to indulge in private practice and deal with patients in a polite manner.

"Doctors should work hard to earn blessings from patients rather than running after the money," he said.

During his speech, Adityanath also targeted the previous Samajwadi Party government accusing it of sending top-class doctors to its stronghold Safai and Kannauj while giving step-motherly treatment to areas like Gorakhpur.

Read | Yogi Adityanath cabinet waives off crop loans up to Rs 1 lakh; decision to benefit 2.15 crore farmers in UP

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Bomdila:

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama today emphatically said India has never used him against China, remarks that came amid loud protests by Beijing against his ongoing visit to Arunachal Pradesh.



The Dalai also urged China to give Tibet meaningful self-rule and autonomy.



The remarks by the 81-year-old Nobel Laureate came on a day when China alleged that India in disregard to its concerns obstinately arranged his visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to its interests and bilateral relations.



India has never used me against China. I am a messenger of the ancient Indian thought and I talk about ahimsa, peace, harmony and secular ethics wherever I go, he said talking to reporters here on the second day of his week-long visit to the remote northeastern state.



His remarks also came against the backdrop of criticism by the Chinese state media that India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge Chinas bottom line.

Also Read | China warns India of serious damage to bilateral ties after Dalai Lama visits Arunachal Pradesh



Unfazed by Beijings objections to his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Dalai said, Many Chinese love India but there are some narrow minded politicians as I have mentioned, they consider me as a demon.



Articulating the Tibetan stand, the Dalai said, We are not seeking independence. we are willing to remain within the Peoples Republic of China.



I always admire the spirit of the European Union. Individual nations sovereignty is important but thats not so important. What is important is the common interests.



So for material development to remain with the Peoples Republic of China is in our interest. So, the Chinese government also should feel ok. At the same time the Chinese government should give us meaningful self-role/autonomy, he said.



The Dalai thanked Indian government for letting him visit the frontier state.



He spoke fondly of Arunachal Pradesh and said he had a special connection with the state as it served as his point of entry when he arrived in India in 1959.

Also Read | Chinese media slams India on Dalai Lamas Arunachal visit

I would like to thank the government of India. I have been in this country since 1959. India has taken great care of me. I am their longest staying guest. I am thankful to them.



When I got freedom, when I first reached India, I entered through Arunanchal Pradesh. I have an emotional connect with the state. It is a special place for me.



He gave a discourse at Buddha Park here this morning.



The spriritual leader had arrived here last evening from Guwahati accompanied by state Chief Minister Pema Khandu.



Tomorrow, he would impart teachings at Dirang and confer the Avalokiteshvara Permission at Thupsung Dhargyeling Monastery in the morning.



From April 8 to 10, the Dalai will deliver discourses in Tawang. Owing to the rescheduled visit, he would not be able to go to Itanagar.



I am a Buddhist. The entire Himalayan range had been traditionally following Buddhist dharma and modern physics is based on Buddhist philosophy.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Bhopal:

Congress on Wednesday said the Election Commission should stop experimenting with democracy and bring back the ballot paper system.

The electronic voting machine dispensed only lotus (BJP) symbol slips during a public demonstration in Bhind, which was an eye-opener. So the Election Commission should explore the possibility of shifting to alternative system of paper ballot and stop experimenting with the democratic process, Congress general secretary Mohan Prakash said here on Wednesday.

Prakash, who is in charge of party affairs in Madhya Pradesh, said the EC had assured the Supreme Court that it would introduce EVMs equipped with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail devices in a phased manner.

ALSO READ | For Kejriwal EVM means Everyone Votes for Modiji, soon he will demand EC be handed over to Delhi govt: Harsh Vardhan

It was going on in a sluggish manner. However, doubts have cropped up in voters mind following the demonstration in Bhind. Ballot paper system is a tested one, he added.

He also alleged that the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh posted only certain officers for election duty.

ALSO READ | BSP, Congress target Centre over EVM tampering issue in Rajya Sabha

Why the government appoints certain officials in every by-poll? The lower-rank employees are being threatened by the government. Even the officials who were transferred upon ECs directive are still working in Bhind, he said.

Congress would take the issue of EVMs to the people, he said. A trial of EVM ahead of Ater Assembly by-election in Bhind district led to a controversy when some reports said that VVPAT machine dispensed only BJP slips no matter which button on the EVM was pressed. However the Chief Electoral Officer of the state denied this.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Beijing/New Delhi:

Following the blame from China that India is using Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lamas visit to Arunachal Pradesh to upset China, the Dalai Lama on Wednesday emphatically said India has never used him against China.

The whole incident triggered war of words between India and China with India making its stand clear that the Dalai Lama is a revered religious leader and has visited Arunachal earlier on half a dozen occasions.

A riled China also lodged a protest with Indias Ambassador in Beijing Vijay Gokhale over the Tibetan spiritual leaders visit.

India in disregard to Chinas concerns obstinately arranged the Dalai Lamas visit to the disputed part of the eastern part of China-India border, causing serious damage to Chinas interests and China-India relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters, adding that China firmly opposes this move.

However, in New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said, We clearly said that the Dalai Lama is a revered religious leader and has visited Arunachal earlier on half a dozen occasions.

Also read: Chinese media slams India on Dalai Lamas Arunachal visit

We also urged that no political colour be ascribed to his religious and spiritual activities and to his visits to states of India, and no artificial controversy created around his ongoing visit.

Contradicting Indias assertion, Hua said, Could you tell me honestly do you seriously believe that Dalai is only a religious leader. I think the answer is known to all. He is not just a religious figure.

Therefore, his visit to the place will not be purely of religious purpose. So using the empty words to defend this arrangement is not reasonable. We demand the Indian side to stop this move of undermining Chinese interests.

The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader reached Bomdila in West Kameng district yesterday, starting his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

Asserting that Chinas stand on the eastern part of the borders is consistent and clear, Hua said by arranging his visit to those sensitive and disputed areas not only runs counter to the Indian sides commitment to the issues related to Tibet but also escalates disputes over the border area.

Also read: Dalai Lama praises India, says 'it never used me against China'

The Chinese spokesperson also stated that it goes against the momentum of the sound growth of bilateral relations and will not benefit India in anyway.

China will firmly take necessary measures to defend its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests, she asserted but did not elaborate on it.

I dont have much to add. I want to add the issues concerning Tibet have a bearing on Chinas core interests. India in disregard of Chinas concerns obstinately arranged the visit, she said.

We demand the Indian side immediately stop its actions using the Dalai Lama to undermine Chinas interests and not hype up sensitive issues between the two countries, not artificially damage the foundation of the talks between the two countries on the border issues and bilateral legislations and take concrete actions to safeguard the China-India relations, she said.

China claims parts of Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet and had previously warned that if India allowed the visit of the Dalai Lama, whom it calls an anti-China separatist, it would cause serious damage to ties.

China is sensitive to the Dalai Lamas visit to Tawang region in Arunachal which happens to be the birth place of the sixth Dalai Lama, who was born in 1683, and is at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.

Hua also rejected Minister of Home Affairs Kiren Rijijus remarks that India never interfered in Beijings affairs and has respected the One China policy, and thus China should not interfere in Indias internal affairs.

China upholds the policy of not interfering with other countries internal affairs. This is unquestionable.

But in disregard to Chinas concerns, India arranged the visit of Dalai Lama to the disputed areas. This issue goes beyond internal affairs, she said.

Chinese officials in off the record conversations with the media said China is really angry about the Dalai Lamas visit specially because he was accompanied by a minister.

Unlike previous visits, the officials said the Dalai Lama was accompanied by a minister which makes it different.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

India and the UK discussed on Wednesday the possibility of a new trade pact as Britain aims to build on its bilateral business ties post its exit from the 27-nation European Union. As Britain's top financial policymakers began a two-dayvisit to India, a free trade agreement (FTA) figured duringtalks at the 9th UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue.

UK Finance Minister Philip Hammond, Business Secretary Greg Clark, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) CEO Andrew Bailey are visiting the national capital on Wednesday and Mumbai on Thursday to boost trade ties with the world's fastest growing major economy.

While Britain, which is attempting to establish itself as "a truly global" player after Brexit, pitched for increased trade engagement with India, New Delhi said a formal dialogue on possible bilateral trade agreement can start only after the completion of UK's exit from EU that may take up to two years. After talks, Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said India in its communication with the UK government has stated that post Brexit it will look for more open trade, and moretrade arrangements.

"Obviously this can be formally discussed after the Brexit takes place but it is probably going to imply a farwider and a far higher engagement between the two countries.

"What shape it is going to take can only be formalised post Brexit negotiation," he told a joint press briefing. Jaitley further said India is open to all arrangementswhich are in mutual interest for expanding trade onceopportunities arise after Brexit.

"India as you have seen has been opening up. We areopening up in terms of nature of investment in India, we areopening in terms of our trade. I am quite certain that arrangements which are mutually beneficial to both theeconomies would be arrived at (after the Brexit)," he said.

Hammond said the two nations have very significant trade and investment relationship and Britain is the largest G20 investor in India in the last 10 years, while India is the 3rd largest investor in the UK. "We have continued to consolidate past success andidentify new areas where we can work together over the nextcouple of years, preparing for the point where Britain leaves the EU and is able to engage with Indian colleagues in a deep discussion about a future FTA between the UK and India," he said.

Noting that this a mature relationship between the equals-- the largest democracy in the world and the oldest democracyin the world, Hammond said "both of us see opportunities and opportunities of course based on commonalities; we share legal system, we share language of business which gives us huge advantages in trying to build trade and investment links between our countries".

India is a major investor in the UK economy just as the UK is the major investor in the Indian economy, he said. On masala bond, he said, there are more issues coming and more and more Indian entities will come and raise from London.

Stating that both countries had a "very successful dialogue", Jaitley said the next one or two years are going to be momentous because of the changes taking place in both the economies.

"The UK, post Brexit, is looking at a different kind of relationship with India and there is a huge aspiration in India itself also to add to and improve upon that relationship.

The 10th and 11th round of this dialogue will take this to an entirely different level," Jaitley said. The UK is among India's major trading partners and in 2014-15, it ranked 18th in the list of India's top 25 trading partners.

Since 2000, Britain has invested more than 19 billion pounds (USD 24 billion) in India. As per the Department of Commerce data, two-way merchandise trade during 2014-15 was USD 14.33 billion, marking a decrease of 9.39 per cent as compared to 2013-14.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

The Supreme Court dismissed on Wednesday the plea filed by the Karnataka government seeking review of its verdict by which it had abated the proceedings in a disproportionate assets case against late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa.



"Applications for personal hearing of review petitions before the court are rejected. "We have considered the review petitions filed by the State of Karnataka on merits. In our opinion, no case for review of our order dated February 14, 2017 is made out. Consequently, the review petitions are dismissed on merits," a bench of Justice PC Ghose and Justice Amitava Roy said.

The Karnataka government had on March 21 moved the apex court against its February 14 judgement contending that once the proceedings were abated, it would not be possible to recover the fine of Rs 100 crore imposed on the late leader which was part of the punishment awarded to her in the case.

Read | Jayalalithaa disproportionate assets case: Supreme Court to give verdict in one week



The apex court had on February 14 convicted AIADMK chief VK Sasikala and two others in the case, while abating proceedings against Jayalalithaa as she was no more.



The court had, however, made clear that the fine imposed on her can be recovered. The apex court had restored the special trial court verdict convicting all the accused and set aside the Karnataka high court judgement in the case.



The trial court had found disproportionate assets valued at Rs 53.60 crore, which Jayalalithaa and the three others could not account for. The CBI had alleged that the unaccounted wealth was to the tune of Rs 66.65 crore.

Read | Chidambaram calls for swift punishment to end graft in Jayalalithaa regime



In its review plea, the state government had contended that the apex court's decision to abate the proceedings against Jayalalithaa was an "error apparent on the face of record". The plea had said that the abatement of proceedings was "erroneous" as there was no provision either in the Constitution or the Supreme Court rules for it.



Jayalalithaa had been sentenced to a four-year jail term, along with Rs 100 crore fine by the Bengaluru court. 60-year-old Sasikala has to serve a jail term of around three-and-a-half years, out of the four years awarded by the trial court, as she has already spent almost six months in prison.



The conviction of Sasikala's two relatives V N Sudhakaran and Elavarasi was also upheld by the apex court and they were directed to surrender to serve their four-year term. The apex court had set aside the high court order, acquitting all the four accused and had "restored in toto" the trial court's decision in the 19-year-old case.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Srinagar:

The National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said that Stone-pelting youth were not giving up their lives for tourism but for resolution of the Kashmir issue as per the wishes of its people.

If he (stone pelting youth) is giving up his life, he is not doing it for tourism. He is giving his life so that the destiny of this nation is decided which should be acceptable to the people of this place. This needs to be understood, Abdullah said at an election meeting in Sonawar constituency in Srinagar.

The former chief minister was reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modis statement on April 2 at the inauguration of Chenani-Nashri tunnel that the youth of Kashmir need to choose between tourism and terrorism.

Recently the tunnel was opened. He (the Prime Minister) said the youth here should think whether they want tourism or terrorism. I want to tell Modi sahib tourism is our lifeline, there is no doubt about it.

Also read: LS bypolls in Kashmir: NC seeks support from Jamaat-e-Islami

But he is a stone pelter. He has nothing to do with tourism. He will starve to death but he is pelting stones for his nation and there is a need to understand this, Abdullah said.

Abdullah is contesting the bye-election to Srinagar Lok Sabha seat as the joint candidate of opposition National Conference and Congress.

The polling in the constituency will be held on April 9.

Also read: This country belongs to all of us and not just a single religion: Farooq Abdullah

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi :

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju met CRPF officer Chetan Cheeta on Wednesday who is recovering in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Trauma Centre from injuries sustained while fighting militants in Bandipora of Jammu and Kashmir on February 14.

After meeting the CRPF officer, Rijiju said that the former is doing fine and it is a miracle as the officer has recovered from coma.

The minister recalled the day when Cheeta was brought to Delhi from Srinagar. The minister said it was diffcult to imagine whether the injured officer will talk to him.

The day I came here when he was brought from Srinagar it ws difficult to imagine he'll talk to me; Proud: Rijiju after meeting Chetan Cheeta pic.twitter.com/YYOKj1O6W7  ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

Rijiju said he is proud of the CRPF officer.

Delhi: MoS Home Kiren Rijiju met Chetan Cheeta, who was injured during an encounter in J&K's Bandipora pic.twitter.com/G9mAXuUUTn  ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

As per reports published in TOI, Cheeta had received serious injuries in head and later slipped into coma but now he has recovered from the critical phase and started giving proper response.

A doctor informed that Cheetas GCS (A test to map the seriousness of injury) score was M3 but now he has responded well and the score is M6. He said Cheeta is stable.

Also Read | J-K: Militants attack CRPF convoy in Srinagar; 6 jawans, 1 civilian injured

After the attack, Cheta was given medical aid to stop his bleeding but later he was shifted to AIIMS trauma Centre via air ambulance. In the militant attack, three soldiers were also killed.

Also Read | Nowhatta grenade blast: J-K cop killed, 14 personnel injured in attack by suspected militants

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Mumbai:

The Maharashtra government has informed the Bombay high court that it has mooted a proposal to hike the compensation to the victims of rape, sexual assault and acid attacks from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.



Under the Manodhairya Yojana launched in October 2013, the state government had decided to give compensation of up to Rs 3 lakh to the victims of rape and other crimes against women.



Apart from the monetary compensation, the government provides counselling to the victim and vocational or educational training, if required.

Read | Tamil Nadu: German woman alleges rape in Mahabalipuram; 2 suspects detained by police



The high court had earlier suggested the government to consider increasing the amount to Rs 10 lakh in some cases, looking at the gravity of the offence and the condition of the victims.

Following this, government lawyer Abhay Patki told the court on Wednesday that the proposal to increase the compensation has been initiated and a final decision on the same would be taken within six weeks.



The court had earlier made the suggestion while hearing a petition filed by a 14-year-old girl, who claims to be a victim of rape, seeking compensation of Rs 3 lakh under the Manodhairya Yojana.

The girl was given a sum of Rs 2 lakh by the government after the petition was filed in October last year. The bench had then slammed the government for its insensitive approach and had said that the Manodhairya scheme was "insulting, inhuman and shameful."

Read | Girl suffers burn injuries in an acid attack by a rejected suitor

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Bhubaneswar:

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik preferred to take time to consider a decision on his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumars suggestion for formation of a grand alliance of opposition parties to stop the BJP surge, on Wednesday.

I think general elections are too far away to take any such decision, Patnaik told reporters when asked about Patnaiks party Biju Janata Dalls stand on the suggestion.

Kumar had on April 3 stressed on a grand alliance of the opposition parties at the national level to stop the surge of the BJP and had urged the Congress and the Left parties to take the initiative for this.

Read more: Nitish Kumar asks Bihar officials to use drones to conduct road quality checks

The BJPs victory in Uttar Pradesh was mainly because of the lack of a Bihar-like mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) ... If you add the vote percentage of the Samajwadi Party, the Congress and the BSP, it is 10 per cent more than the votes polled by the BJP, Kumar had said.

The suggestion is being considered more relevant for Odisha as the BJP had already set its target on the ruling BJD and succeeded to an extent in the recently concluded panchayat polls.

The BJP increased its tally to 297 zilla parishad seats in 2017 panchayat elections from just 36 seats in 2012 and it has pushed Congress to the third position.

The grand alliance talk in Odisha took place when JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar visited Bhubaneswar to pay tribute to former Lok Sabha Speaker late Rabi Ray on March 7.

Both of them separately met Patnaik and held discussions on the proposed grand alliance, sources said.

Read more: CM Yogi Adityanath to UP doctors: Work to earn patients' blessings, don't run after money

Though Kumar did not say anything, Yadav had said he spoke to Patnaik on the impact of Uttar Pradesh elections result on the national politics during his meeting with him.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths decision to waive off farmers loan was a partial relief. However, he said that it was a step in the right direction. The congress vice president also asked the Centre to evolve a national response to the widespread distress.

Rahul said that the Centre should not discriminate amongst states and no politics should be played with farmers suffering across the country.



A partial relief for UP farmers, but a step in the right direction. Congress has always supported loan waivers for farmers in distress, he said on Twitter.



Gandhis response came a day after the Yogi Adityanath led BJP government in UP announced a loan waiver of Rs 36,359 crore for small and marginal farmers in the state.

ALSO READ | Yogi Adityanath cabinet waives off crop loans up to Rs 1 lakh; decision to benefit 2.15 crore farmers in UP



Im happy BJP has finally been forced to see reason.But lets not play politics with our farmers who are suffering across the country.



The Central Government must have a national response to the widespread distress and not discriminate amongst states, he also tweeted.



The Congress has been pressing for a loan waiver across the country on the lines of that done during UPA rule.



Delivering on BJPs poll promise to small and marginal farmers, the Yogi Adityanath government yesterday decided to waive their crop loans up to Rs 1 lakh, totalling a staggering Rs 36,359 crore.

ALSO READ | UP CM Adityanath has proved election promises are not mere jumlas: Uddhav on crop loan waive off



The move will benefit over 2.15 crore farmers, besides 7 lakh others who had secured loans which turned into non-performing assets (NPAs).

Congress supports loan waiver for farmers bt this is only partial relief.Central Gov must respond to ease distress of farmers across country pic.twitter.com/2hU14cCjVc  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) April 5, 2017

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Lucknow:

Days after the humiliating defeat in the state assembly elections, senior Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav met Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath at his residence in Lucknow on Tuesday.

Interestingly, the meeting comes days after party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav met the UP chief minister.



Shivpal, who is also MLA from the party's bastion of Jaswantnagar, held a "courtesy meeting" with Adityanath for nearly 15 minutes at 5 Kalidas Marg.

Read | Shivpal Yadav dismisses rumours of floating another party



Earlier on March 24, Aparna Yadav had met the UP chief minister. On March 31, Adityanath had visited a cow shelter run by Aparna Yadav. The SP got only 47 seats in the 403-member UP assembly.



Shivpal, the warring uncle of party chief Akhilesh Yadav, had threatened to form a new party after the polls. However, he had recently said any decision on forming a new party was yet to be taken. "I am with Netaji (Mulayam) and would stay with him," he had said.

Read | Akhilesh takes jibes at UP CM, says Adiyanath is one year older but much behind in work

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Twitter is buzzing with news alerts from India and rest of the world. Here are the latest updates from the micro-blogging site in one scroll:

#11:17 PM

J&K: Jammu-Srinagar National Highway closed again after landslide hits the road. Hundreds of vehicles stranded at Ramban.- ANI

#11:03 PM

Trump says attitude towards Assad 'has changed very much'- AFP

#10:44 PM

Rajasthan: 3 persons arrested in connection with an attack by cow vigilantes on a group of 5 men (1 of them succumbed to injuries) in Alwar.- ANI

#10:31 PM

Indian weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga won the men's 56 Kg silver medal in the World Youth Weightlifting Championship in Bangkok.- ANI

#10:29 PM

Some Chinese officials, I think, describe me as a terrorist: Dalai Lama in Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh in response to a question on tolerance- ANI

#10:18 PM

US Congress recognises Vaisakhi as the Creation of Khalsa in 1699, in a resolution submitted by Congressmen Johan Garamendi & Patrick Meehan- ANI

#10:18 PM

US threatens unilateral action if UN fails to act on Syria attack: Haley- AFP

#9:52 PM

Chhatisgarh: 2 Maoists arrested from Konta area; they were involved in recent Bheji attack in which 12 CRPF jawans lost their lives.- ANI

#9:43 PM

Trump condemns Syria attack as 'horrible,' 'unspeakable- AFP

#9:25 PM

US envoy to UN hits out at Russia over suspected Syria chemical attack- AFP

#9:24 PM

Trump removes chief strategist Steve Bannon from National Security Council, reversing controversial early decision.- AP

#8:48 PM

Maharashtra: Government starts deploying security forces at govt hospitals as per undertaking in HC, visuals from Mumbai's JJ Hospital- ANI

#8:22 PM

Delhi: Congress VP Rahul Gandhi met CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury in Parliament today. discussed GST.- ANI

#8:09 PM

On 21st March, 2017 the average was 23 Km/day, next year target would be 40 Km/day- Union Min Nitin Gadkari on rate of highway construction.- ANI

#8:09 PM

Cabinet approves India-France MoU in Civil Aviation,Air Services Agreemnt b/w India&Georgia,closure of MahatmaGandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana- ANI

#7:59 PM

CRPF & West Bengal Police confiscated 1,80,000 electronic detonators near village Khabpur in Birbhum.- ANI

#7:56 pm

Cabinet approves one year extension of implementation of Crime &Criminal Tracking Network &Systems Project, setting up of Rail Dev Authority- ANI

#7:54 PM

France's Hollande calls for sanctions against Assad regime- AFP

#7:52 PM

"Children do not belong in the marriage registry office or the wedding hall." Germany cracks down on child marriages- AFP

#7:45 PM

Oregon Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley ends marathon Senate speech against Supreme Court nominee after more than 15 hours.-AP



#7:43 PM

Turkey's Erdogan blames 'murderer Assad' for suspected Syria chemical attack- AFP

#7:39 PM

US Secretary of State Tillerson to visit Russia April 11-12: Moscow- AFP

#7:39 PM

UN Security Council meets on suspected Syria chemical attack- AFP

#7:29 PM

Maryland officials investigating downed military aircraft near Joint Base Andrews.- AP

#7:25 PM

A threat perception is always there as Kolkata Metro is a vital installation: Munawar Khan, Senior Commandant on deployment of 30 commandos- ANI

#6:45 PM

The original IPL iconic players Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav, Sehwag and Laxman are here to kickstart the proceedings. (Read more)

#6:45 PM

Rain lashes parts of Delhi, bringing respite for residents from scorching heat- ANI

#6:44 PM

What he told me that there was no interruption from Home Ministry or Home Secy: V Vaithilingam, Puducherry Assembly Speaker on Chief Secy- ANI

#6:42 PM

CRPF officer Chetan Cheeta welcomed at his residence in Najafgarh in Delhi, who was injured in Bandipora (J&K) encounter being- ANI

#6:34 PM

ED attaches assets worth over Rs 150 crore under PMLA of M/s Gold Quest International, Chennai, in a multi level marketing scam.- ANI

#6:31 PM

RBI appoints Malvika Sinha as the New Executive Director- ANI

#6:30 PM

The Sri Lankan Fishing boat was apprehended approx position 150 NM off Kanyakumai Coast while engaged in illegal fishing in Indian waters.- ANI

#6:29 PM

Quoting Aadhaar for filing of return of income & for applying for allotment of PAN will be mandatory with effect from 1st July, 2017.- ANI

#6:29 PM

Indian Coast Guard Ship Vaibhav apprehended a Sri Lankan fishing boat with 7 crew onboard under MZI Act during EEZ Security Patrol yesterday- ANI

#6:16 PM

Lucknow: UP CM Yogi Adityanath performs Kanya Pujan- ANI

#5:56 PM

We've asked for explanation:Laxmi Narayanan,Privilege committee member on Chief Secy who signed transfer order without Pudcherry LG's permsn- ANI

#5:52 PM

Mizoram: Indo-Mongolian Jt Military Training-Exercise Nomadic ElephantXII, being conducted over a period of 14 days, commences in Vairengte- ANI

#5:51 PM

Manipur: Landslide hits Sirarakhong village of Ukhrul district.- ANI



#5:51 PM

Iran condemns 'all use of chemical weapons' in Syria- AFP

#5:43 PM

Avalanche warning issued for next 24 hrs (starting from 5 pm today) for slopes of Kupwara, Bandipora & Kargil in J&K; Lahaul and Spiti in HP- ANI

#5:34 PM

New York's Eleven Madison Park named world's best restaurant of 2017- AFP

#5:28 PM

Asked for fatwa from Ayatollah Sheikh Basheer Najafi,who is in Iraq, he said not to slaughter cows or eat beef: Maulana Yasoob Abbas, AISPLB- ANI

#5:18

Solar Scam case: Karnataka Civil Court allows protection of former CM Kerala Oomen Chandy. Hearing to start in court on 1 June.- ANI

#5:12 PM

Russia says 'continuing' Syria operation to support Assad's forces- AFP

#4:57 PM

If a Doctor talks to his patient politely, half the ailment disappears: UP CM Yogi Adityanath at King George's Medical University in Lucknow.- ANI

#4:53 PM

Five lakh more doctors required in UP as of now: CM Yogi Adityanath at King George's Medical University in Lucknow.- ANI

#4:39 PM

ED attaches properties worth Rs 23.54 cr related to Ex MD of UP small Scale Industries corporation (UPSIC) in NRHM Scam- ANI

#4:38 PM

CRPF officer Chetan Cheeta discharged from AIIMS, Delhi.He got injured in Bandipora encounter, and was undergoing treatment.- ANI

#4:35 PM

MeT issues alert for heavy rain and hailstorm in Pithoragarh, Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Bageshwar of Uttarakhand for next 48 hrs.- ANI

#4:31 PM

Himachal Pradesh: Heavy rain continues to lash Shimla, state Meteorological department has further predicted rainfall for next 24-48 hours- ANI

#4:26 PM

The case pertains to loans given by Central Bank, IDBI Bank and Vijaya Bank. Role of Bank officials to be probed.- ANI

#4:25 PM

CBI registers 6 cases against Winsome Diamonds Group & others for alleged fraud of Rs 1530 Cr( approx) involving loans- ANI

#4:19 PM

CRPF officer Chetan Cheeta discharged from AIIMS, Delhi.He got injured in Bandipora encounter, and was undergoing treatment.- ANI

#3:59 PM

Sensex 64.02 points up, currently at 29,974.24. Nifty at 9,265.15.- ANI

#3:55 PM

Syria attack victims show signs of exposure to 'nerve agents': WHO- AFP

#3:54 PM

EU Parliament overwhelmingly backs Brexit 'red lines'- AFP

#3:54 PM

Issue of cervical cancer vaccination case: Supreme Court referred the matter to a Constitution bench- ANI

#3:51 PM

A bench of SC dismissed the plea filed by Karnataka govt, that sought review of apex Court order abating fine of Rs 100 crores on Jayalalitha- ANI

#3:50 PM

Supreme court refused to review its earlier order in Jayalalithaa DA Case - ANI

#3:45 PM

Vineet Gupta was arrested in a case of alleged irregularities related to the conversion of old currency and supply of new notes - ANI

#3:44 PM

Vineet Gupta, suspended branch manager in Axis Bank's Kashmere Gate branch in Delhi, has been denied anticipatory bail by Tis hazari court - ANI

#3:32 PM

I decided to declare the order invalid: Puducherry LG Kiran Bedi on Chief Secy who signed the transfer order of a municipal commissioner. - ANI

#3:23 PM

When stone pelters stop security forces from working, it is an act of war: T Chhewang, MP Ladakh on Farooq Abdullah - ANI

#3:21 PM

I noticed he violated it, he signed order himself: Puducherry LG Kiran Bedi on Chief Secy who forcefully transferred a municipal commisioner - ANI

#3:21 PM

Condemn his statement, stone pelters are not innocent: T Chhewang, MP Ladakh on Farooq Abdullah's statement. ANI

#3:25 PM

Immediate action should be taken. Thinking to raise the issue in Parliament tomorrow after getting all details: M Kharge on Alwar incident - ANI

#3:04 PM

Suicide attack kills at least 31 in Iraq: officers - AFP

#2:57 PM

How can triple talaq happen thru speedpost? Will go to UP CM, PM & SC for justice: Aliya Siddiqui, who was given divorce thru speedpost: ANI

#2:57 PM

BSF in joint op wth Narcotic Control Bureau seized 15 packets of suspected Heroin at BOP Khalra barrier, Firozpur: ANI

#2:54 PM

Punjab: BSF in joint op with Narcotics Control Bureau seized 15 Packets of suspected Heroin at BOP Khalra barrier, Firozpur. - ANI

#2:54 PM

Iran "not concerned" by Indian threat to cut oil imports: Reuters India

#2:49 PM

Germany to fine online giants up to 50 million euros for hate speech: AFP

#2:40 PM

Russia says six 'terrorist' recruiters detained in Saint Petersburg: AFP

#2:29 PM

It looks like EVMs can be manipulated. Ballot papers should be used in HP assembly polls: HP CM VirbhadraSingh: ANI

#2:27 PM

Himachal Pradesh: Fresh snowfall at Keylong of Lahaul and Spiti district: ANI

#2:25 PM

Ban on cow slaughter appropriate: All India Shia Personal Law board in Lucknow: ANI

#2:20 PM

The Ayodhya matter should be resolved via talks between all parties: All India ShiaPersonal Law board: ANI

#2:18 PM

Pope Francis calls Syria attack an 'unacceptable massacre' : AFP

#2:14 PM

FM Arun Jaitley moves GST bills for consideration in Rajya Sabha

#1:54 PM

DA Case: Himachal CM Virbhadra Singh files appeal in Supreme Court challenging the Delhi HC order which had refused to quash the FIR: ANI

#1:51 PM

Bailur (Karnataka): Wreath laying ceremony of CRPF jawan Basappa Bajantri who lost his life in Pathan Chowk attack in Srinagar, J&K: ANI

#1:50 PM

7 injured after jeep falls falls in gorge in #Uttarakhand's #Bageshwar, being given #medicaltreatment in hospital:ANI

#1:43 PM

Dalai Lama's visit seriously damaged ties with #India: China - PTI

#1:40 PM

TN BJP Chief T Soundararajan files complaint with TN CEO on money distribution by ruling & opposition parties before by-poll in Chennai: ANI

#1:38 PM

Chetan Cheetah is progressing, says his wife Uma Singh

#1:36 PM

Three dead after explosion in an illegal fireworks factory in Madhya Pradesh's Datia. Rescue operation underway-ANI

#1:30 PM

Already instructed Finance Secy to study UP farm loan waiver.We r workng hard tohelp farmers: Devendra Fadnavis-ANI

#1:25 PM

UN chief Guterres says suspected chemical attack shows 'war crimes' in #Syria: Reuters India

#1:24 PM

They (stone pelters) will risk starvation but will throw stones for the nation that's what we need to understand: Farooq Abdullah: ANI

#1:22 PM

I want to tell PM Modi that tourism is our life no doubt about that but a stone pelter has nothing to do with tourism: Farooq Abdullah -ANI

#1:13 PM

Chetan Cheeta is fit to go home, requires rehabilitation. His strong will power helped him fight back: AIIMS - ANI

#1:12 PM

There should be complete ban on liquor in the country: Sakshi Maharaj



#1:10 PM

Hooliganism hs increased in name of cowslaughter; since incident of murder since Akhlaq's murder: Asaduddin Owaisi

#1:01 PM

Magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes near Mashhad in northeastern Iran: Reuters India

#12:53 PM

Sushma Swaraj terms "unfortunate, painful & surprising" African envoys' statement on attacks on African students: PTI

#12:52 PM

You can't say our steps r inadequate. We r committed toensuring security ofall foreignersin India: Sushma Swaraj:ANI

#12:48 PM

Not right to connect with racism before probe ends. I said this in context of attacks in US too: EAM Swaraj in LS attacks on Africans:ANI

#12:37 PM

Family's name dragged deliberately. Zoo director sent notice to many: Lalu Yadav on corruption allegations against son TejPratapYadav: ANI

#12:33 PM

West Bengal: A bus carrying opera artists fell off a bridge in Jhetla area of Paschim Medinipur; 35 injured: ANI

#12:22 PM

WhatsApp privacy case- Supreme Court orders setting up of a five-judge constitution bench to hear the case: ANI

#12:20 PM

NGO funding matter: Indian govt today filed additional affidavit; matter posted for further hearing aftr 2 weeks:ANI

#12:18 PM

Nearlly 26 killed in attacks by Islamic State militants in Tikrit, Baghdad - Iraq security sources: Reuters India

#12:18 PM

J&K: Unidentified gunmen barged into & ransacked house of fmr Sarpanch in Shopian district last night.Gunmen fled after alarm raised: ANI

#11:57 AM

No problem, even if some consider me as demon: the Dalai Lama in Bomdila on China objecting to his #AP visit - ANI

#11:50 AM

Shivpal Singh Yadav met UP CM Yogi Adityanath

#11:44 AM

Chetan Cheeta with wife Uma Singh at AIIMS, his wife says he may be discharged today. Cheeta was injured in #Bandipora (J&K) encounter: ANI

#11:42 AM

Hijacked Indian vessel moved to new location off Somalia, says pirate leader: Reuters India

#11:29 AM

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 11:30 after opposition raised slogan- 'EVM ki ye sarkar nahi chalegi, nahi chalegi' - ANI

Also Read: Live : Uproar in Rajya Sabha after Mayawati raises Bhind EVM tampering issue

#11:28 AM

At least six killed in suicide blast in Pakistan's Lahore: officials - PTI

#11:27 AM

Ayodhya: Woman killed in stampede at Kanak Bhavan temple on Ramnavami

1 dead due to suffocation because of heavy rush at Ayodhya's Kanak BhavanTemple: Anant Deo, SSP Faizabad

#11:20 AM

Tamil Nadu farmers continue protest demanding drought relief fund at JantarMantar in Delhi - ANI

#11:17 AM

20 children among 72 dead in suspected Syria chemical attack: new toll - AFP

#11:09 AM

1 died aftr being beaten; Police registered case against people smuggling cows & over death of man- Rajasthan HM

#10:53 AM

Suicide bomber hits army vehicle in Pakistan's Lahore, four killed, 18 wounded - police official - Reuters India

#10:51 AM

Cong's KC Venugopal gives privilege notice against FM Jaitley alleging he's misguiding on Lokpal bill pending with standing committee in LS: ANI

#10:48 AM

Syria warplanes behind suspected chemical attack: Moscow - Reuters India

#10:43 AM

Chennai: Justice Indira Banerjee sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the Madras High Court: ANI

#10:36 AM

The day I came here when he was brought from Srinagar it ws difficult to imagine he'll talk to me; Proud: Rijiju after meeting Chetan Cheeta

#10:35 AM

He's doing very fine, its miraculous: MoS Home Kiren Rijiju after meeting Chetan Cheeta

ALSO READ: MoS Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju meets injured CRPF officer Chetan Cheeta at AIIMS today

#10:33 AM

US court rules 1964 civil rights law protects LGBT workers from bias: Reuters India



#10:30 AM

Five men assualted by cow vigilantes in Alwar, Rajasthan, i person dies

ALSO READ: Man allegedly assaulted by cow vigilantes in Rajasthan's Alwar, dies; attack caught on camera



#10:27 AM

Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission Raj Kishore Yadav submits his resignation from post to UP Chief Secy:ANI



#10:20 AM

Karnataka-Asst Sub Inspector attacked by 2 bike-borne assailants onTuesaday night in Mangalore's Oorva Police Station limits, he's under treatment: ANI

#9:50 AM

Pakistani violated ceasefire along LoC in Poonch sector's Degwar at 0905 hrs; Indian Army posts retaliating; firing is presently on- ANI

#9:35 AM

Sensex tops 30,000-mark, Nifty at new high of 9,264.95 in opening trade- PTI

#9:19 AM

Pakistan violates ceasefire in Degwar sector of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir - ANI

#8:59 AM

BJP leader Raja Balmiki shot dead by 3 bike borne assailants in Muzaffarnagar

ALSO READ: BJP leader Raja Balmiki shot dead by bike-borne assailants in Muzaffarnagar

#8:58 AM

Chhattisgarh: 5 Maoists arrested in Bijapur district's Usur Police Station limits - ANI

#8:50 AM

Delhi: Vice President Hamid Ansari paid tributes at Babu Jagjivan Ram's memorial Samta Sthal on latter's birth anniversary: ANI

#8:34 AM

Indian Navy ships Gharial and Darshak dispatched to assist in fire fighting ops on Merchant Vessel Daniela -ANI

#8:32 AM

Merchant Vessel Daniela caught fire off Colombo coast, Coast Guard Ship Shoor sent to help in fire fighting ops early morning on Wednesday - ANI

#8:29 AM

Arunachal Pradesh: The Dalai Lama's preaching session underway in West Kameng district's Bomdila - ANI

#8:07 AM

SamajwadiParty's @shivpalsinghyad to meet UP CM @myogiadityanath on Wednesday in #Lucknow - ANI

#7:58 AM

Delhi's Jhandewalan temple witnesses early morning rush of devotees on Ram Navami on Wednesday- ANI



#07:21 AM

GST Bill to be discussed in Rajya Sabha today- ANI

#02:08 AM

I urge Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis to follow in UP CM Yogi Adityanath's footsteps & announce loan waiver: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray - PTI

#02:05 AM

Nearly 19,000 Kashmiri youth from across the 10 districts of the Valley apply for recruitment in Indian army: Defence Official- PTI

#02:00 AM

CEO, 4 media persons of a TV channel arrested over telecast of a purported sleaze audio clip which led to a Kerala minister's resignation. - PTI

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Kolkata :

Over 200 Ram Navami processions were taken out in all over West Bengal as claimed by RSS on Wednesday, using the festival to unite the Hindus against what they called the growing Jehadi activities in the state.

The unprecedented scale of Ram Navami celebrations this year in the state appears to have rattled even Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who accused the RSS-BJP combine of trying to appropriate the festival and asked them not to mix religion with politics.

Virtually seeking to paint the state saffron, right wing activists marched through the streets of various cities across the state, waving saffron flags, carrying posters pledging to build Sri Ram temple at Ayodhya and shouting Jai Sri Ram.

At some places like Birbhum and Purulia, women and men were seen brandishing even swords and knives in colourful rallies and renting the air with slogans of Jai Siya Ram.

Read more: Chinese goods should be shunned to boost domestic production: RSS

Amid the unprecedented Ram Navami celebrations, held under the banner of Rama Navami Udjapan Samity across the state, police said there were no reports of any untoward incident from anywhere.

In Kolkata and its adjoining areas alone, more than 22 rallies were taken out.

In the state, a total 200 rallies and processions with participants varying from 2,000 to 20,000 were held, Bidyut Mukherjee, RSS organizational secretary for West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands told PTI.

The response of the common people was very good. We have been able to unite the Hindus to a large extent through these rallies, he said.

The RSS-backed Ram Navami rallies were held on such a scale close on the heels of RSS Coimbatore resolution last month in which it had expressed concern over the growing Jehadi activities and declining Hindu population in West Bengal.

If you have to unite a community then religious festivals are the best way to send out a message for uniting the society under one umbrella, said a VHP functionary.

Expressing support to the RSS programme, WB BJP president Dilip Ghosh said, We fully support such programmes to celebrate Ram Navami. It will help people unite against the anti-national forces and vote-bank politics. If a rally can be taken out on Nabi Diwas, why cant one be taken out on Ram Navami? Whats the harm in it?

Read more: Saffron-clad look created 'misconceptions': Adityanath

Facing heat from the right wing parties, ruling TMC had asked its leaders to organize Ram Navami rallies and special prayers for Lord Hanuman in their areas.

Apparently rattled by the scale of RSS-backed Ram Navmi celebrations in the state, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused BJP of trying to appropriate the festival and asked it not to mix religion with politics.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

For the first time in ten years World Health Organisation has launched a new policy guidance on malaria elimination, which provides countries with strategies aimed at achieving elimination of the disease.

Malaria is a public health problem in several parts of the country with over 10 lakh malaria cases being registered last year.

The 2017 framework for malaria elimination was officially released at a global forum attended by national programme managers from the E2020, a group of countries that, according to WHO, have the potential to reach zero indigenous cases of the disease by 2020.

Also Read: Traumatic stress disorder: Common antibiotic may help disrupt its formation

"The new guidance recognises that malaria transmission represents a continuum and it is designed to support all malaria-endemic countries. Programme actions are highlighted across the spectrum of transmission intensity, from high to very low," it said.

The new framework includes a streamlined process for WHOcertification of malaria elimination and clarifies the threshold for re-establishment of transmission.

It offers new guidance on setting targets and systems to verify malaria-free areas within a country's borders, which can be an important foundation for future national certification.

About 95 per cent population in the country resides in malaria endemic areas and 80 per cent of malaria reported in the country is confined to areas consisting 20 per cent of population residing in tribal, hilly, difficult and inaccessible areas, according to National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme.

According to the Programme, last year, there were10,59,437 cases of malaria in India, while 242 people died due to the disease.

India had last year launched the National Framework forMalariaElimination (NFME) 2016-2030, which outlines the country's strategy for elimination of the disease by 2030.

According to WHO estimates, an increasing number of countries are moving towards malaria elimination.

In 2000, an estimated 13 countries had fewer than 1000 cases of malaria and by 2015, 33 countries had achieved this milestone.

Similarly, the number of countries with fewer than 100 cases of malaria, and with fewer than 10 cases of the disease, has increased sharply since 2000.

In April 2016, WHO identified 21 countries with the potential to achieve zero indigenous cases of malaria by 2020.

The analysis, published on World Malaria Day, was based on trends in malaria case incidence between 2000 and 2014, the declared malaria objectives of affected countries and the informed opinions of WHO experts in the field. Together, these 21 countries represent the "E-2020".

The new guidance was developed over the course of 18 months by the WHO Secretariat and an independent Evidence Review Group chaired by Rick Steketee, Director of the Malaria Control and Elimination Partnership in Africa (MACEPA).

It involved a broad process of consultation with national programme managers and culminated in a final review inSeptember 2016 by the Malaria Policy Advisory Committee(MPAC).

"This guidance builds on and is fully aligned with WHO'sGlobal Technical Strategy for Malaria, a 15-year framework forall countries working to control and eliminate malaria.

"Malaria elimination in at least 10 countries is one of the strategy's near-term targets for 2020," WHO said.
New Delhi:

In its journey towards outer regions of solar system, US space agency NASAs New Horizons spacecraft has now covered half the distance from Pluto as part of its journey.

The NASA New Horizons spacecraft is now heading towards the Kuiper Belt object (KBO)  2014 MU69  which is its next target. According to NASA, the New Horizons probe is scheduled to fly past the KBO on January 1, 2019.

The spacecraft is currently between the Pluto and MU69, 782.45 million kms beyond the two.

"It's fantastic to have completed half the journey to our next flyby; that flyby will set the record for the most distant world ever explored in the history of civilization," said Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado.

Later this week, NASA New Horizons probe will start a new period of hibernation.

The NASA New Horizons probe will go to sleep through the April 7 halfway timing marker to MU69. The mission operators at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland will be required to put the spacecraft into hibernation two hours beforehand.

NASA New Horizons spacecraft has made breakthroughs, distant observations of a dozen KBOs apart from its historic encounter with Pluto. It has also relayed data from the Pluto encounter back to Earth for 16 subsequent months.

The New Horizons probe has gathered unique data on the dust and charged-particle environment of the Kuiper Belt and also studied the hydrogen gas that permeates the vast space surrounding the Sun, called the heliosphere.

"The January 2019 MU69 flyby is the next big event for us, but New Horizons is truly a mission to more broadly explore the Kuiper Belt," said Hal Weaver, New Horizons project scientist from APL.

"In addition to MU69, we plan to study more than two-dozen other KBOs in the distance and measure the charged particle and dust environment all the way across the Kuiper Belt," Weaver added.

ALSO READ | NASAs New Horizons spacecraft back to operation after glitch for next target Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69

Currently, NASAs New Horizons spacecraft is 5.7 billion kms from Earth. A radio signal sent from the operations team - and travelling at light speed - needs about five hours and 20 minutes to reach the spacecraft at that distance.

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Beijing:

State-run Chinese media on Wednesday blamed India, saying that the New Delhi is using the Dalai Lamas visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh to upset China and it should deliver on its political commitments to Beijing on Tibet related issues.

The 14th Dalai Lamas visit to Tawang bordering China will hurt Sino-Indian ties because China opposes any official invitations to him, the Global Times quoted an unnamed Chinese analyst as saying.

The Dalais visit to the controversial area, especially Tawang, which China hopes will be returned, will affect relations between China and India, an analyst from the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the paper on condition of anonymity.

India (is) using Dalai Lamas visit to upset Beijing, the paper quoted the analyst as saying.

The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader today arrived at Bomdila in West Kameng district, marking the beginning of his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

India should deliver its political commitments to China on Tibet-related issues, including opposition to separatists, he said, noting that China would take steps against any government which invites the Dalai Lama.

Also Read | China should not interfere in India's internal affairs, says Kiren Rijiju on Dalai Lama's visit

He said Tawang is also the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, which gives the place religious meaning to Tibetans.

Reacting to Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijijus remarks that the Dalai Lamas visit is purely religious, and that there is no political angle behind it, the expert said this is not the first time India has used the Dalai Lama to express its displeasure to China, especially when bilateral talks fail to include their demands or to pander to domestic anti-China issues.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry, which is currently on a holiday for the Tomb sweeping festival, has not responded to a query seeking its reaction to External Affairs Ministry remarks as well as comments by Rijju over the Tibetan spiritual leader?s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as southern Tibet.

Also Read: Dalai Lama likes to keep secret of his beautiful skin to himself

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Berlin:

The German government on Wednesday approved fines of up to 50 million euros (USD 53 million) against online giants that fail to remove hate speech and fake news reported by users within a week.

Executives of social media groups like Twitter and Facebook also risk individual fines up to five million euros in case of non-compliance, said the government in a statement.

Hate crimes that are not effectively combatted and prosecuted pose a great danger for the peaceful cohesion of a free, open and democratic society, said Chancellor Angela Merkels cabinet.

ALSO READ | Donald Trump holds maiden talks with Angela Merkel, denies handshake, says he is not an isolationist

Since the arrival of around one million asylum seekers in Germany since 2015, the volume of xenophobic hate speech has exploded online.

Alarmed by the incendiary nature of many posts, the government has repeatedly warned the online giants to take action to better police the content on their networks.

But Merkels government decided on the tough action after determining that social network giants were not doing enough to erase content that ran afoul of German law.

Beyond hate speech and fake news, the draft legislation also covers other illegal content, including child pornography and terror-related activity.

The companies would have 24 hours to remove any posts that openly flout German law after they are flagged by users. Other offensive content would have to be deleted within seven days after it is reported.

The media groups also have to make it easier for users to report problematic posts. The government said it was pushed into action as there is currently a massive change in the online discussion.

The culture of online debate is often aggressive, hurtful and hate-filled, it noted.

ALSO READ | German secret service BND spied on global media brands: Report

Through hate crimes, anyone can be defamed because of his or her opinion, skin colour or origin, religion, gender or sexual orientation. The draft law stills require approval from parliament, which is dominated by Merkels grand right-left coalition.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Washington:

The Islamic State on Wednesday vehemently attacked UP President Donald Trump by saying that he is a stupid idiot. The terror outfit deemed his rise to power was a sign of Americas bankruptcy.

Targeting Trump directly for the first time since he took office, the ISIS terror group in the 36-minute audio released by its spokesperson Abu Hasan al-Muhajir on Tuesday called him an Arabic term that means an idiot, saying the US President does not know anything about Islam, NBC News reported.

Terming the US as bankrupt, it said, the sign of your elimination are now clearer to everyone, as the most clear of signs is that you are now ruled by a stupid idiot who does not know what Sham and Iraq are, or what Islam is, who continues to express his hatred and war against Islam.

The propaganda said Trump has expressed his hatred and war against Islam, the report said.

Also read: Baghdad suicide bombing: Islamic State claims responsibility for attack that killed 17

Other translations of the statement replaced stupid idiot with riff raff or harebrained, it said.

Al-sham is a term ISIS uses to describe a region that includes Syria.

It appears to be the first time the Islamic State has referred to Trump since he took office.

ISIS, which controls large swaths of territories in Iraq and Syria, is currently being targeted by a US-led military coalition.

Trump has pledged to totally obliterate ISIS, which swept across parts of Iraq in 2014.

Trump has been widely criticised in the past for his controversial statements on Islam.

The ISIS statement does not appear to directly refer to Trumps executive order temporarily banning people of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.

Also read: PM Modi on ISIS radar? NIA reveals about terrorist organisations failed bid at his life

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Washington:

North Korea on Wednesday fired another ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, following which the US has warned that it was considering all options to tackle the threat posed by Pyongyangs repeated nuclear arms tests.



Confirming the missile launch, the US Pacific Command said that its systems detected and tracked what it assessed was a North Korean missile launch at 11:42 AM (Hawaii time) on April 4.



The launch of a single ballistic missile occurred at a land-based facility near Sinpo, the Command said in a statement. The missile was tracked until it landed in the Sea of Japan at 11:51 AM (Hawaii time).



Initial assessments indicate the type of missile was a KN-15 medium range ballistic missile, it said.



North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement.



The missile launch comes ahead of the crucial meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Florida tomorrow during which the two leaders are expected to discuss a range of global issues, including North Koreas nuclear ambitions.



The White House reacted strongly to the launch and said that the clock is ticking for Pyongyang.



I can tell you that it is now urgent, because we feel that the clock is very, very quickly running out, a senior White House official told reporters at a news conference.

ALSO READ | Seoul says North Korea failed in fresh missile test



We would have loved to see North Korea join the community of nations. Theyve been given that opportunity over the course of different dialogues and offers over the course of four administrations, with some of our best diplomats and statesmen doing the best they could to bring about a resolution.



The clock has now run out and all options are on the table for us, the official said.



The testing of nuclear weapons by North Korea is expected to figure prominently in talks between the Trump and Jinping during their meeting, the official said on condition of anonymity.

ALSO READ | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un acting very badly after new rocket engine test: Trump

North Korea clearly is a matter of urgent interest for the president and the administration as a whole. The president has been pretty clear in messaging how important it is for China to coordinate with the United States, and for China to begin exerting its considerable economic leverage to bring about a peaceful resolution to that problem.



It is going to come up in their discussions. Somewhere on the order of just shy of 90 per cent of North Koreas external trade is with China. So, even though we hear sometimes that Chinas political influence may have diminished with North Korea, clearly its economic leverage has not. It is considerable, the official said.



The US will be monitoring how well partners, including China, implement the UN resolutions with regard to North Korea.



Coal is one very important area, given the volume of trade and what that means in terms of hard currency to the North Korean regime. And certainly well use whatever methods we have to monitor compliance, the official said.



The US will always act to defend its homeland and allies from any threat, particularly the one posed by Kim Jong Uns regime with the kinds of terrible weapons that theyre developing.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Beirut/Khan Sheikhun:

A suspected chemical attack in rebel-held northwestern Syria killed 72 civilians including 20 children and left many more sick and gasping, causing widespread outrage.



The attack on the town of Khan Sheikhun killed at least 72 civilians and saw dozens suffer respiratory problems and symptoms including vomiting, fainting and foaming at the mouth, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.



"There were also 17 women among the dead and the death toll could rise further because there are people missing," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.A



Syria's opposition blamed President Bashar al-Assad's forces, saying the attack cast doubt on the future of peace talks.



The army denied any involvement in a statement blaming "terrorist groups" for using "chemical and toxic substances".



The United Nations Commission of Inquiry for Syria has said that it had begun investigating a suspected chemical attack that killed at least 58 people in a rebel-held town in the northwestern Idlib Province.

I don't wish to share graphic images from chemical massacre in Syria. But this father holding his 2 dead kids shredded my heart. That is all pic.twitter.com/WGJztSMbqd a Kareem Shaheen (@kshaheen) April 4, 2017



"Reports suggesting that this was a chemical weapons attack are extremely concerning. The commission is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding this attack including the alleged use of chemical weapons," said a statement from the UN experts who are probing potential war crimes committed during Syria's civil war.



However, the Syrian army has denied involvement in any suspected chemical attack.



"The army command categorically denies using any chemical or toxic substance in Khan Sheikhun today," said a statement carried by the state news agency SANA.



"It stresses that it has never used them, any time, anywhere, and will not do so in the future," it added.





Moscow defends Syrian regimeA

A Syrian air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" containing "toxic substances", Moscow said today, a day after a suspected chemical attack in rebel-held northwest Syria that killed scores of civilians.



"According to the objective data of the Russian airspace control, Syrian aviation struck a large terrorist warehouse near Khan Sheikhun," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.



It housed "a warehouse making bombs, with toxic substances", said the ministry, without stating if the strike was voluntary or deliberate.



The statement did not specify whether the Syrian regime knew there were chemical weapons there and pointed the finger at "terrorists" who they say hold the toxic arms.

These are the horrifying photos coming out of #Syria after a suspected chemical attack https://t.co/MyJMKW8IJd pic.twitter.com/E70jIaM24Y a Anup Kaphle (@AnupKaphle) April 5, 2017



'US condemns attack'

The US has strongly condemned a suspected chemical attack in Syria describing it as "reprehensible" and "intolerable" attack.



"The US stands with its allies to condemn this horrible attack," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said during an off-camera news conference.



Asserting that such an attack is "unacceptable", Spicer suggested it was in the "best interest" of the Syrians for President Bashar Al-Assad not to lead the country.



He, however, did not disclose the next steps that the Trump administration plans to take against this attack.



"We are not ready to say what should be the next step, but we will get there soon," Spicer said in response to a question, adding that the US President Donald Trump was briefed on this issue by his national security staff.





72 killed in 'toxic gas attack'

A suspected chemical attack killed at least 72 civilians including several children in rebel-held northwestern Syria on Tuesday, a monitor said, with the opposition accusing the government and demanding a UN investigation.

The attack in the town of Khan Sheikhun left dozens suffering respiratory problems and symptoms including vomiting, fainting and foaming at the mouth, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

A hospital in the town where doctors were treating victims of the attack was also bombarded.

The entrance of the building was hit, bringing down rubble on top of medics who had earlier been seen dousing a steady stream of arrivals to wash away chemical residue.



The violence came as the European Union and UN hosted a conference in Brussels on Syria's future, with confusion over Washington's position on the issue of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's future.



The Observatory said the attack on a residential part of Khan Sheikhun came in the early hours of Tuesday, when a warplane carried out strikes that released "toxic gas".



It said 20 children, 17 women were among the dead, with at least 160 injured, and that many people were dying even after arriving at medical facilities.



The monitor could not confirm the nature of the gas or whether the strikes were carried out by Syrian warplanes or those of government ally Russia.

#Syria: horrible photos are coming out of Khan Shaykhun (#Idlib) where the regime has committed a major chemical attack on civilians pic.twitter.com/qcY25Dvoal a Thomas van Linge (@arabthomness) April 4, 2017



It relies on a network of sources inside Syria and says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used.



An AFP journalist in Khan Sheikun saw a young girl, a woman and two elderly people dead at the hospital prior to the bombardment, all with foam still visible around their mouths.



Doctors at the facility had been using basic equipment, some not even wearing lab coats, and attempting to revive patients who were not breathing.



The town is in Syria's Idlib province, which is largely controlled by an alliance of rebels including former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.



The province is regularly targeted in strikes by the regime, as well as Russian warplanes, and has also been hit by the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group, usually targeting jihadists.



Syria's leading opposition group, the National Coalition, accused the "regime of the criminal Bashar" of being behind the attack.

the situation in #Syria is saddening ,we have to help the people of #KhanSheikhoun

please do something for them pic.twitter.com/Hv0fCnkoBu a mohsen (@mohsenfarshidy) April 4, 2017



It called on the UN Security Council to convene an emergency session, "open an immediate investigation and take the necessary measures to ensure the officials, perpetrators and supporters are held accountable."



"Failure to do so will be understood as a message of blessing to the regime for its actions," the statement added.



Syria's government officially joined the Chemical Weapons Convention and turned over its chemical arsenal in 2013, as part of a deal to avert US military action.



But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use by the government since then, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015.A





'World must act'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the world must act to rid Syria of chemical weapons.



"When I saw pictures of babies suffocating from a chemical attack in Syria, I was shocked and outraged," Netanyahu's office quoted him as saying in English.



"I call on the international community to fulfil its obligation from 2013 to fully and finally remove these horrible weapons from Syria."



'Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad responsible'

French President Francois Hollande has accused Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad of responsibility for the "massacre".



"Once again the Syrian regime will deny the evidence of its responsibility for this massacre," Hollande said in a statement.



"Those who support this regime can once again reflect on the enormity of their political, strategic and moral responsibility," Hollande added.

France called earlier Tuesday for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council over the attack.A





Syria, a member of Chemical Weapons Convention

Syria's government officially joined the Chemical Weapons Convention and turned over its chemical arsenal in 2013, as part of a deal to avert US military action.

That agreement came after hundreds of people -- up to 1,429 according to a US intelligence report -- were killed in chemical weapons strikes allegedly carried out by Syrian troops east and southwest of Damascus.



But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use by the government since then, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015.



Tuesday's attack was the latest apparently involving chemical weapons since protests against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 morphed into a civil war, which has since left more than 320,000 people dead.

58 people, including 11 children, have been killed in #Syria in what appears to be a gas attack by govat planes. https://t.co/aeDZR2jznA pic.twitter.com/kPiu4xZ0km a Jim Roberts (@nycjim) April 4, 2017



Global watchdog 'seriously concerned'

The global chemical arms watchdog said today it was "seriously concerned" by reports of a suspected gas attack on a rebel-held town in Syria that killed at least 58 people.



"The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seriously concerned about the alleged chemical weapons attack reported by the media this morning in the Khan Sheikhun area of southern Idlib," the group said, adding it was "gathering and analysing information from all available sources."

A

With inputs from PTI

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Khan Sheikhun:

Syria's all-weather friend Russia defended Bashar al-Assad government on Wednesday in the face of an international outcry over a suspected chemical attack that killed scores of civilians.



Justifying government's high-handedness, Russia said that a Syrian air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse".



The UN Security Council was to hold an emergency meeting later on Wednesday on the attack, which killed at least 72 civilians, among them 20 children, in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun on Tuesday.

Washington and London have pointed the finger at President Bashar al-Assad's government for the attack, though the regime has denied any use of chemical weapons.

Read | Airstrike kills 16 in Syrian prison: Monitor

Moscow, which launched a military intervention in 2015 in support of Assad's forces, said the deaths were caused when a Syrian air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" containing "toxic substances".

The Russian defence ministry said in a statement that the building housed "a warehouse making bombs, with toxic substances", without saying if the strike was accidental or deliberate.

The ministry said the "arsenal of chemical weapons" was intended for fighters in Iraq, describing its information as "completely reliable and objective."

Airstrike on Hammuriyeh town near Damascus kills 16 civilians: Monitor

Syria's army had earlier denied any use of chemical weapons, saying it "has never used them, any time, anywhere, and will not do so in the future."

Its denials have done little to quiet international condemnation, with UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday saying the "horrific events" showed that "war crimes are going on in Syria". Others have blamed Damascus more directly for the attack, including British foreign secretary Boris Johnson who said "all the evidence I have seen suggests this was the Assad regime."

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also pointed the finger at the regime, saying "it is clear that this is how Bashar al-Assad operates: with brutal, unabashed barbarism."

If confirmed, the attack would be among the worst incidents of chemical weapons use in Syria's brutal civil war, which has killed over 320,000 people since it began in March 2011.

It unfolded in the early hours of this morning, with airplanes carrying out strikes that released "toxic gas" on Khan Sheikun, in the northwestern province of Idlib, according to witnesses and a monitoring group.

"We ran inside the houses and saw whole families just dead in their beds," resident Abu Mustafa told AFP of the attack's aftermath. "Children, women, old people dead in the streets."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said at least 160 people suffered the effects of the gas, with medical sources reporting incidents of vomiting, fainting, breathing problems and foaming at the mouth.

Read | Rouhani to meet Putin, focus on economic ties and the Syrian conflict

Medic Hazem Shehwan told AFP he saw victims with "pinpoint pupils, convulsions, foaming at the mouth and rapid pulses".

Medics worked frantically in the hours after the attack to treat a steady stream of patients, administering oxygen and hosing down victims to wash off chemical residue.

Even as they worked, air strikes hit a medical facility treating victims, an AFP correspondent said, bringing rubble down on top of medics and patients.

Air strikes hit Khan Sheikun again on Wednesday morning, the Observatory said. There were no immediate details on a toll.

Syria officially relinquished its chemical arsenal and signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013, to avert military action after it was accused of an attack outside Damascus that killed hundreds.

But there have been repeated allegations of chemical weapons use since, with a UN-led investigation pointing the finger at the regime for at least three chlorine attacks in 2014 and 2015.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said it was "seriously concerned" by reports of yesterday's attack. The UN's Commission of Inquiry for Syria said it had also begun investigating the "alleged use of chemical weapons".

Britain, France and the United States were to present a resolution to the Security Council today calling for the OPCW to quickly report findings on the attack.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Washington:

The US has said it will rigorously use its authority to initiate investigations of H1-B visa violators, signalling an intensified effort by the Trump administration to stop abuse of the programme mainly used by Indian IT firms and professionals.

The Labour Department said its effort to protect American workers will involve greater coordination with other government departments for investigation and, if necessary, prosecution.

The Labour Department is the third federal agency after the US Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Justice Department to implement the Trump administrations pledge to prevent abuse of H1-B visas.

ALSO READ | Trump administration warns companies not to misuse H1B visas

It said it fully supports the justice department in cautioning employers who petition for H1-B visas not to discriminate against US workers, as well as the homeland security departments measures to further deter and detect H1-B visa fraud and abuse.

The labour department yesterday said it will protect American workers against discrimination by considering changes to Labour Condition Application for future application cycles.

The Labour Condition Application, which is a required part of the H1-B visa application process, may be updated to provide greater transparency for agency personnel, US workers and the general public, it said.

Two top Senators demanding reforms of the visa programme popular among Indian techies - Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin - in a statement said the measures announced by the various federal agencies were a welcome step but not enough.

This announcement by the Trump administration to target employers who abuse the H-1B programme is a welcomed first step toward preventing the firing of skilled American workers. However, much more needs to be done, they said. The president should continue using his authority to prevent outsourcing companies from displacing American workers.

Grassley and Durbin have introduced legislation in January to restore Congress original intent in the H-1B and L-1 visa programmes by increasing enforcement, modifying wage requirements and securing protections for both American workers and visa holders.

The H1-B worker visa programme was created to fill gaps in the high-skilled American workforce, not to displace American workers. Yet, stories of employers who abuse or exploit the H-1B programme at the expense of American workers are well documented, the two senators said.

On Monday, the White House warned against abuse of H1-B visas by companies, saying The Trump administration will enforce laws protecting Americans from discriminating hiring practices.

ALSO READ | India rejects US administration role in sorting out Indo-Pak issues



The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has a Congressional mandate to issue 65,000 H1B visas this year and another 20,000 for those applicants having higher education masters and above - from US universities in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

USCIS started accepting application process for this years H1-B visas on Monday. Acting Assistant Attorney General Tom Wheeler of the Civil Rights Division said: The Justice Department will not tolerate employers misusing the H-1B visa process to discriminate against US workers.

The anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) generally prohibits employers from discriminating against US workers because of their citizenship or national origin in hiring, firing and recruiting.

Employers violate the INA if they have a discriminatory hiring preference that favours H-1B visa holders over US workers, the Justice Department said in a statement.

The USCIS said that the US government is going to be tough and stringent in approval of H1-B visas this year.

It said the H1-B visa programme should help American firms recruit highly-skilled foreign nationals when there is a shortage of qualified workers in the country.

Yet, too many American workers who are as qualified, willing and deserving to work in these fields have been ignored or unfairly disadvantaged. Protecting American workers by combating fraud in our employment-based immigration programs is a priority for USCIS, a media statement aid.

Also announcing the launch of a email helpline against abuse and fraud of H-1B visas, USCIS said it will now onwards take a more targeted approach when making site visits across the country to H-1B petitioners and the worksites of H-1B employees.

USCIS will focus on cases where USCIS cannot validate the employers basic business information through commercially available data; H-1B-dependent employers (those who have a high ratio of H-1B workers as compared to US workers, as defined by statute); and employers petitioning for H1-B workers who work off-site at another company or organisations location.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Washington:

Taking initiative to save a Pakistani-christian woman, two top American Senators have introduced a resolution in the US Senate urging Pakistan to release her as she is serving a jail term for alleged violation of the countrys draconian blasphemy laws.

Senators Rand Paul and Chris Coons on Tuesday introduced a resolution urging Pakistan to release Aasiya Noreen, commonly referred to as Asia Bibi, a mother of five from Nankana area of Punjab province who was convicted of blasphemy in 2009 and has been on death row since 2010.

However, after an international outcry, the Pakistani Supreme Court stayed her execution.

The senators also asked Pakistan to reform the laws that have led to the targeting of religious minorities. My heart goes out to Asia Bibi as she continues to endure her unjust imprisonment in Pakistan, said Paul.

Its time for Pakistan to immediately release Asia Bibi and put a stop to the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities, he added.

Also Read: US Senators push Trump admin on defense deals with India

If Asias sentencing were to be upheld, she would have been the first woman to be executed in Pakistan as a result of blasphemy laws. This resolution highlights her case and that of other religious minorities who have been indiscriminate victims of Pakistans blasphemy laws, the two senators said in a statement.

No one, in any part of the world, should be victimized for freely and peacefully practicing his or her beliefs. I urge the government of Pakistan to release Asia Bibi and work to promote an inclusive and pluralistic society, starting with reforming its blasphemy laws, Coons said.

The resolution urges the Pakistani government to release Asia Bibi and reform its religiously intolerant laws regarding blasphemy.

In Pakistan, mere accusations of blasphemy, even by private individuals, often lead to violence against those accused by private actors, the resolution alleged. Pakistans human rights problems include poor prison conditions, arbitrary detention, lengthy pretrial detention, a weak criminal justice system, lack of judicial independence in the lower courts, and governmental infringement on citizens privacy rights, it said.

The bipartisan resolution urges Pakistan to reform its laws to reflect democratic norms and ideals and work to promote tolerance of religious minorities so that no one is in danger of persecution from the government or their neighbours for exercising their right to free speech and practicing their religion.

Also Read | Pakistan can't let terror groups sneak into India: US Senator

Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, which introduced the draconian laws in 1985 in a bid to appease rightwing parties. These laws have been often alleged to have been misused to settle personal scores. Militants also target people blamed for blasphemy or those demanding changes to them.

Punjabs liberal governor Salman Taseer was killed in 2011 when he termed the regulations black law after meeting Asia Bibi after her conviction.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
(Adds statements from province, Barrick; updates share prices)

By John Tilak and Nicole Mordant

TORONTO/VANCOUVER, April 5 (Reuters) - China's Shandong Gold Mining Co Ltd is in advanced talks to buy a 50 percent stake in Barrick Gold Corp's Veladero gold mine in Argentina, people familiar with the process told Reuters even as the Canadian miner grappled with a pipe rupture at the site.

Barrick is no longer in discussions with China's Zijin Mining Group Co Ltd about the Veladero mine stake sale, the sources said. A sale could fetch more than $1 billion, they added.

Veladero, one of Barrick's five core mines, was the site of a pipe rupture last week - the third incident in 18 months at the mine involving cyanide-bearing solution.

In the wake of the incident, the government of Argentina's San Juan province, where Veladero is located, said on Wednesday it has rejected a work plan presented by Barrick.

San Juan's governor and provincial mining minister met with Barrick President Kelvin Dushnisky and other company executives, according to a statement on the province's website. A second meeting is expected to be scheduled soon, it said.

Barrick will "work with the authorities to understand their concerns and make adjustments as needed," a spokesman said in an emailed response.

Barrick's shares were down 1 percent in Toronto at C$25.85 in early afternoon trading, falling more than its peers.

As part of a purchase plan being discussed, Shandong would also acquire 50 percent of Barrick's nearby undeveloped Pascua-Lama gold and silver project, one of the people said.

The Pascua-Lama project, which straddles the border of Argentina and Chile in the Andes, was put on hold in 2013 due to environmental issues, political opposition, labor unrest and development costs that ballooned to $8.5 billion.

NEW INCIDENT

Last week's pipe break may delay an agreement as Shandong might want to discuss the incident, a source said, but added that it was unlikely to reduce the Chinese firm's interest in the asset.

Story continues

China is the world's top consumer of the yellow metal and given the global scarcity of large, low-cost gold mines, buyers in China would not likely be deterred by environmental mishaps, analysts have said.

Shandong is one of China's biggest gold producers and a deal would mark the latest instance of Chinese companies investing in Latin America's resource-rich commodities sector, partly to feed domestic demand.

The talks with Shandong are at the "final stage of agreeing the conditions and amounts," one of the sources said.

Shandong did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The company halted trading in its shares in Shanghai late on Wednesday pending an announcement.

Barrick and Zijin declined to comment.

There is no certainty that the talks will result in a transaction, the people said. The people, whom Reuters spoke to over a period of several days, declined to be named as the talks were confidential.

Reuters reported on Oct. 25 that Zijin and Shandong had held separate talks with Barrick to buy half of Veladero.

On March 28, a coupling between two pipes on the leach pad processing facility at Veladero failed, causing a gold and diluted cyanide solution to spill.

Although all the solution from the incident was contained within the operating facility and Barrick has said there was no impact on people or the environment, the Argentine province of San Juan ordered the miner to stop adding cyanide to the leach pad pending repairs. (Reporting by John Tilak in Toronto and Nicole Mordant in Vancouver; Additional reporting by Caroline Stauffer in Buenos Aires and Susan Taylor in Toronto, additional reporting by Shanghai newsroom; editing by Andrew Hay, G Crosse)
By John Tilak and Nicole Mordant

TORONTO/VANCOUVER (Reuters) - China's Shandong Gold Mining Co Ltd is in advanced talks to buy a 50 percent stake in Barrick Gold Corp's Veladero gold mine in Argentina, people familiar with the process told Reuters even as the Canadian miner grappled with a pipe rupture at the site.

Barrick is no longer in discussions with China's Zijin Mining Group Co Ltd about the Veladero mine stake sale, the sources said. A sale could fetch more than $1 billion, they added.

Veladero, one of Barrick's five core mines, was the site of a pipe rupture last week - the third incident in 18 months at the mine involving cyanide-bearing solution.

In the wake of the incident, the government of Argentina's San Juan province, where Veladero is located, said on Wednesday it has rejected a work plan presented by Barrick.

San Juan's governor and provincial mining minister met with Barrick President Kelvin Dushnisky and other company executives, according to a statement on the province's website. A second meeting is expected to be scheduled soon, it said.

Barrick will "work with the authorities to understand their concerns and make adjustments as needed," a spokesman said in an emailed response.

Barrick's shares were down 1 percent in Toronto at C$25.85 in early afternoon trading, falling more than its peers.

As part of a purchase plan being discussed, Shandong would also acquire 50 percent of Barrick's nearby undeveloped Pascua-Lama gold and silver project, one of the people said.

The Pascua-Lama project, which straddles the border of Argentina and Chile in the Andes, was put on hold in 2013 due to environmental issues, political opposition, labor unrest and development costs that ballooned to $8.5 billion.

NEW INCIDENT

Last week's pipe break may delay an agreement as Shandong might want to discuss the incident, a source said, but added that it was unlikely to reduce the Chinese firm's interest in the asset.

China is the world's top consumer of the yellow metal and given the global scarcity of large, low-cost gold mines, buyers in China would not likely be deterred by environmental mishaps, analysts have said.

Story continues

Shandong is one of China's biggest gold producers and a deal would mark the latest instance of Chinese companies investing in Latin America's resource-rich commodities sector, partly to feed domestic demand.

The talks with Shandong are at the "final stage of agreeing the conditions and amounts," one of the sources said.

Shandong did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The company halted trading in its shares in Shanghai late on Wednesday pending an announcement.

Barrick and Zijin declined to comment.

There is no certainty that the talks will result in a transaction, the people said. The people, whom Reuters spoke to over a period of several days, declined to be named as the talks were confidential.

Reuters reported on Oct. 25 that Zijin and Shandong had held separate talks with Barrick to buy half of Veladero.

On March 28, a coupling between two pipes on the leach pad processing facility at Veladero failed, causing a gold and diluted cyanide solution to spill.

Although all the solution from the incident was contained within the operating facility and Barrick has said there was no impact on people or the environment, the Argentine province of San Juan ordered the miner to stop adding cyanide to the leach pad pending repairs.

(Reporting by John Tilak in Toronto and Nicole Mordant in Vancouver; Additional reporting by Caroline Stauffer in Buenos Aires and Susan Taylor in Toronto, additional reporting by Shanghai newsroom; editing by Andrew Hay, G Crosse)


Lab-grown blood given to people in world-first clinical trial It is hoped the blood could revolutionise care for people who need regular donations.







Jamie Olivers home will be protected by beavers The 350,000 project will help reduce flood risk in the area







How did doctors cure this man who had COVID-19 for over a year? Researchers used several treatments to try to save a seriously ill 59-year-old man in August this year who had been infected since 2020. However, none worked.







Couple paid 7,000 a month in benefits jailed for child neglect A couple who were paid 7,000 a month in benefits have been jailed for neglect.







Hereford nurse Lucy Letby told off colleague over shout for help' MURDER-ACCUSED Hereford Lucy Letby told off a colleague who shouted for help when a babys oxygen levels dropped, her trial has been told.







Inside building where first mayor of Wolverhampton once lived Salisbury House in Tettenhall Road has been converted into an office building







What is an ethnic minority anyway? An individuals self-declared status is ultimately secondary to how states choose to identify them







Trump rally live: Trump reveals date for 2024 announcement after hijacking midterm coverage with Ohio tease Get ready: Trump says he will very probably run again for president in 2024 Donald Trump is speaking at a rally in Ohio for would-be Republican...







Kelowna RCMP officer pleads guilty to assault in violent 2020 wellness check The long-delayed criminal trial of RCMP Const. Lacy Browning was set to begin Monday afternoon in provincial court in Kelowna, B.C., but quickly ended in a...







Scots woman left paralysed after hitting head on toilet in bathroom fall Marie Ogilvie, 54, from Perth was feeling sick when she went to the bathroom and fell causing severe damage to her spine.




Who was behind the St. Petersburg bombing and what was the motive?

It has now been a day after the attacks in St. Petersburg and the Western world is once again showing their hand as a result of their callous, stern responses. These public responses stand in direct contrast to their grandstanding and expressions of solidarity with any Western nation or Israel when a terrorist attack takes place or, more realistically, is allowed or directed to happen by Western governments.

( Article by Brandon Turbeville from thedailysheeple.com )

After some initial confusion, it is now understood that anywhere from 10 to 14 people were killed and at least 37 injured after an explosion took place in a train carriage in a metro tunnel in St. Petersburg on Monday. It is being reported that the explosion was set off by an explosive device hidden in a bag or briefcase that had been left on the train before it departed Sennaya Ploshchad station and headed toward the Tekhnologichesky Institut station.

There was apparently a secondary device, disguised as a fire extinguisher, which did not detonate but which was much larger than the first. The driver of the train is now being hailed as a hero because of his decision to force the train into the next station. His decision saved the lives of many because, had the train become stationary in the tunnel, the victims would have been stuck with major delays for rescue personnel.

The Cause And Motive

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that The causes of this event have not been determined yet, so its too early to talk about [possible causes]. The investigation will show. Certainly, we will consider all possibilities: common, criminal, but first of all of a terrorist nature.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov added that It is unacceptable to try to seek some connection with the origin of the person, his religious beliefs. Terrorism is a crime against all mankind and against all religions As for the media quoted by you that the terrorist act is revenge for our policy in Syria, its cynical, mean.

According to CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer, the chief bombing suspect was identified as Akbarzhon Jalilov by Kyrgyzstan security forces. Jalilov was born in Kyrgyzstan in 1995. Russian authorities later confirmed that Jalilov was indeed the prime suspect. The national Russian Investigative Committee also confirmed that they were still searching for Jalilovs suspected accomplices.

The investigation is currently ongoing in terms of determining Jalilovs motive and whether or not he was connected to ISIS in any way. While supporters of the terrorist organization did praise the attack, ISIS has yet to take credit for it. However, in its last issue of Dabiq, one ISIS media mouthpieces, the organization did threaten to carry out attacks in Russia as payback for Russian attacks on ISIS in Syria.

Read more at: thedailysheeple.com

Submit a correction >>
With oil prices on the rise, Jim Cramer took to technician Carolyn Boroden's charts to determine whether the uptick is just a one-off or if it's time to get bullish.

On Tuesday, oil prices closed just shy of a one-month high on news of a decline in U.S. crude and product inventories, with U.S. light crude (New York Mercantile Exchange: @CL.1) settling at $51.03 a barrel.

Boroden, Cramer's colleague at RealMoney.com and the technician behind FibonacciQueen.com, began by examining the chart of crude oil for any notable patterns.

She noticed that oil prices have been seeing both higher highs and higher lows, a healthy trend that could mean near-term upside if the pattern repeats itself.

"As long as oil can stay above its floor of support at the $45 to $47 area, Boroden believes it can go higher, and if it clears just a few more hurdles of resistance, then she wouldn't be surprised to see if crude ends up rallying from $50 and change all the way up to $57," Cramer said.

If oil prices are set to move up, there would be some technical clues in the stocks of big oil producers, so Boroden turned to their charts to determine any tangible effects.

Boroden typically tracks the size and length of past swings, and being the "Fibonacci Queen," runs them through a series of Fibonacci ratios to find key dates or price levels.

The charts of ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM)and Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) showed key support levels for both names. Exxon, which currently trades around $82, has one floor of support at $79 and a second from $76 to $77.

"She says that as long as the stock holds above at least one of these zones, then Exxon's more than likely to rally here. Boroden believes it could be smooth sailing up to the $89 to $91 area, with the stock perhaps rallying up to $99 if it can keep the momentum going," Cramer said.

Chevron, which trades around $108, also showed it has two support floors, one at the $104 to $105 level and another from $100 to $102. Boroden noted that Chevron's recent $106 low suggested the stock could be ready for a rally.

Story continues

"Longer term, she wouldn't be surprised if Chevron can sail to $122," Cramer said.

But if either Exxon or Chevron break under their lowest floors of support, Cramer said Boroden's points are negated, and all bets are off.

Boroden's favorite two charts were from Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE: PXD) and EOG Resources (NYSE: EOG), two massive independent oil and gas producers.

The technician noticed that each of Pioneer Natural Resources' recent moves down were more or less symmetrical, and were each followed by a nudge upward.

"The key here is that these symmetry projections identify an important floor of support for Pioneer, running from $171 to $176," Cramer said. "Given the stock's recent run up to $187, that floor might not seem all that comforting, but as long as this support holds, then Boroden believes that Pioneer can keep climbing."

EOG, which currently trades around $97, showed a recent double-bottom pattern, giving Boroden insight into another floor of support between $91 and $93.

Cramer's bottom line? "The charts ... suggest that many of these oil stocks could be ready to take off given the recent rebound in the price of crude," he said. "If you believe oil can hold here or even keep rallying, then you've got to do some buying, and Boroden will turn out to be absolutely right."

Watch the full segment here:

Questions for Cramer?

Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC

Want to take a deep dive into Cramer's world? Hit him up!

Mad Money Twitter - Jim Cramer Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Vine

Questions, comments, suggestions for the "Mad Money" website? madcap@cnbc.com

Also From CNBC

Watch The Profit on Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.





More From CNBC


This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

DANBURY - Two men victimized by what authorities describe as a long-running sex trafficking ring are looking to seize at least $10 million in assets from two men charged last week as clients of the operation.

A filing in Bridgeport Superior Court on Wednesday seeks to freeze the assets of Westport resident William Trefzger, 71, a convicted sex offender, and Glastonbury resident Bruce Bemer, 63, the owner of the Waterford Speedbowl and Bemer Petroleum, according to court documents. Bemer and Trefzger are accused of patronizing a trafficked person.

Wednesdays filing would be the first step toward filing a civil suit for damages.

A third man, Robert King of Danbury, is accused of masterminding the ring, which has been in operation for more than 20 years.

Police said King preyed on young men with mental disabilities, plying them with drugs including cocaine and heroin until they ran up substantial debts, then pushing them into prostitution to repay the debts. Bemer admitted to investigators that he had been seeing boys delivered by King for more than 20 years, court records show.

These young men deserve a better life  and sexual predators like Bemer and Trefzger will be held accountable for the irreversible damage they have caused, said the victims attorney, Joel Faxon. Criminals like this have to know that if they engage in such despicable abuse, there will be a heavy financial cost exacted.

We will extract every last dollar from these sadistic sociopaths and put them out of business permanently, Faxon said.

Ed Gavin, an attorney representing Trefzger, said he wants to explore further why the state has chosen to use the trafficking laws against those accused of involvement in the ring. Trafficking cases are typically handled by federal authorities, he said.

There is no claim that these people were forcibly sexually assaulted, Gavin said. I just hope people dont jump to conclusions. This is a very complicated case.

Faxon said he represents several victims in the case  police have identified 15  and that more lawsuits will likely be filed soon. And while King wasnt named in Wednesdays filing, he might be named in additional court documents and future lawsuits, Faxon said.

(This) filing was solely to restrain assets of the defendants, Faxon said, adding that King apparently has no significant assests in his own name.

Faxon added that at least one of the victims is in the care of a court-appointed conservator, and the state might have incurred significant expenses over the years caring for him and other victims.

The state has liens they can pursue against people if state resources were used to care for the victims, he said. So the state will likely benefit from this case. The taxpayers have had to foot the bill for these mens depravity.

A hearing has been scheduled April 24 to hear arguments related to the proposed asset seizure.

Most victims in the case were young men in their 20s, court records show.

One plaintiff in the case is said in court documents to have been approached by King while going through a Dumpster looking for bottles. The victim, who then lived at a group home in Danbury, told police he would hang out with King at his mobile home playing guitar and doing drugs, and that he eventually wound up hooked and in debt.

The victim told police that the drugs, combined with his mental state, might have allowed people to do things to him that he wouldnt normally do, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

I only like girls, Im not gay, he told police.

Bember, the document notes, also told police that he he stopped paying for sex with one of the young men involved because he got too old.

dperrefort@newstimes.com
President Donald Trump this week signed the repeal of FCC rules that were intended to prevent customer information from being used by internet service providers without the users knowledge or permission. The rules, which were adopted under the Obama administration last fall, were set to go into effect later this year.

With the regulations, ISPs would have been required to get a customer's consent before collecting, sharing or selling information such as app usage history, geolocation, financial and health information, social security numbers, web browsing history and the content of communications. Leading up to last weeks vote on the legislation, a number of small internet providers sent an open letter urging the Senate to vote against the resolution.

We really think it would be a violation of [our customers'] trust and an inappropriate abuse of our position if we engage in monetizing their activity or use of our service beyond the membership fees that we charge, Sonic CEO Dane Jasper tells Entrepreneur.

Jaspers company is a mid-size telecommunications carrier and internet access provider based in California, and it is one of the businesses that signed the letter. One of his concerns around the new legislation is its provision that prevents the FCC from enacting similar privacy rules in the future.

Related: Senate Votes to Reverse FCC Consumer Internet Privacy Rules

What that creates for carriers is a very clear signal that analyzing consumer behaviors on the internet across all the services and websites that they visit through the conduit that the carrier provides is OK, Jasper says. Carriers are now free to create business models that monetize that behavior, separately from and in addition to the subscription fees we charge customers for access to the internet. That to me is downright creepy.

One possible business model that could arise is highly targeted direct marketing. For example, a customer who emails a friend about meeting for breakfast could get an ad for cereal moments later, according to Rudy Rucker, co-founder of MonkeyBrains, another California-based independent ISP that signed the open letter.

Describing customer data as now being fair game, Jasper says he thinks it's possible that businesses that have a model dependent upon the sharing of sensitive information could take a hit in the wake of the legislation, because customers could be less likely to want to share confidential information on the internet in general. He adds that while he doesnt believe that any of the larger national carriers will make a commitment to protect customer privacy, he hopes that customers who can do so will vote with their wallets and punish those who dont step up.

Related: How Do Google, Apple and Others Stack Up When it Comes to Protecting Your Privacy?

The repeal of the protections could push customers to make additional moves to protect their privacy, such as using a virtual private network (VPN), Jasper says.

One business that provides anonymity services is NordVPN. Jodi Myers, the companys head of communications, tells Entrepreneur that before the vote in Congress, the company had seen a 90 percent uptick in inquiries, and after the bills approval, that amount surged to nearly 200 percent.

NordVPN is headquartered in Panama and has customers all over the world. Myers says that the increase in interest around privacy tools in the United States is familiar. The same [thing] happened when the U.K. passed the intrusive Investigatory Powers Act [and when] Australia passed their own anti-privacy data retention laws, she says.

For consumers and entrepreneurs alike, in addition to VPNs, Myers recommends encryption services and secure communication tools, as well as making sure that all of your passwords, firewalls and antivirus software are strong and up to date.

Like NordVPN, Rucker says that MonkeyBrains has seen an increase in queries regarding its services. However, while MonkeyBrains is available to consumers in the San Francisco area, many people across the country have only one or two options available to them.

Even if consumer choices are limited, a push for privacy protection down the line could create a space for startup ISPs to move the needle, says Alex Menendez, Ruckers co-founder at MonkeyBrains.

Related: Future Technology Will Bring Terrifying Prospects You Can Innovate Against

Its a little sad that [customers] have to distrust the service they are paying for. It leads the way for another company to come in with a full-blown privacy stance and take that customer, Menendez says. The more that smaller ISPs start gobbling up lucrative density markets for the large ISPs, the more they are going to be forced to compete and ultimately improve their terms of service.

Though the Obama-era rules were never implemented, and the passage of the legislation is essentially an affirmation of the business environment that has existed all along, it seems that with a growing customer cognizance around data protection, there could be a business opportunity for companies that emphasize customer privacy.

The question should really be, do you want to be in a business that is geared toward selling users data vs. how to protect it? Rucker says. We sell internet, and it would be against our principles to turn around and attempt to sell the usage patterns of users -- it would be similar to Verizon recording, digitizing and then selling your conversations to advertisers or even to other individuals. Imagine a conversation you had 10 years ago with a friend was suddenly online and for sale for $1 -- that is the direction the Senate Joint Resolution 34 is sending us.

Related:

'Downright Creepy': Internet Entrepreneurs Weigh in on Repeal of Internet Privacy Rules

IoT Threat Scenarios : Protection for IoT Security & Privacy

How Do Google, Apple and Others Stack Up When it Comes to Protecting Your Privacy?



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Chances are, you didnt negotiate your last salary offer -- more than half of all American workers dont. Women are especially reluctant, fearing theyll look pushy or even lose the job offer entirely.

And while not asking for more can hold anyone back, this practice has dramatic impact on those who get offered lower wages to begin with. Research has revealed that wage gaps exist across gender, race and age lines and across education levels and fields from tech to elementary education. Being underpaid means being more likely to struggle with things like daily expenses, retirement savings and escaping poverty.

While many employers -- especially in male-dominated tech -- are working to correct these issues, employees and hiring managers can do their part by getting better at negotiation. After all, even those who do negotiate often dont think they did it effectively.

In recognition of Equal Pay Day in the U.S., an event that annually raises awareness about pay gaps between men and women, Entrepreneur talked to Sally Klingel, the director of labor management relations at the Cornell University Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution. Shes outlined three common negotiation scenarios for employees and hiring managers to ensure the process is handled fairly and confidently.

Related: New Study Finds the Global Gender Pay Gap Won't Be Closed Until 2186

Scenario One: Initial offer

For hiring managers: Many job descriptions state something along the lines of, salary commensurate with experience. Klingel advises employers to instead establish a salary range when hiring -- one which theyre willing to negotiate within. This range sets expectations for the search, especially internally. It also helps level the playing field by avoiding the wait-and-see crutch. Its not about going into each negotiation just waiting and thinking, Well see what they ask for, and then well decide if want to give it to them, she says, but actually trying to make this a more straightforward affair so that you arent advantaging those who are a little more bold.

For potential hires: Dont just research the salary range for the role and know whats common for this company and your industry. During the negotiation, ask, Whats your criteria for making pay decisions before you make an offer? Klingel suggests. Employers might respond by specifying priorities such as longevity, new skills or productivity, which will help you make your case.

And if youre reluctant to ask for what you want, consider that your competition isnt, Klingel says. Women are less likely than men to ask for a salary on the high end of a range, as well as less likely to inflate their salary needs.

Related: 8 Ways to Negotiate Your Way to a Higher Salary

Scenario Two: Requesting a flexible or part-time schedule

For managers: There are a number of reasons staffers might want to -- even temporarily -- transition to part-time work, say to spend more time with young children or care for an elderly family member. Companies can get ahead of these discussions by outlining general company policies with flexibility built in for individual circumstances, as well as check-ins to determine if the new setup is still working for everyone involved.

Still, employers will need to be open to options within that policy, and not just limit it to what worked for the last person. And while you might be tempted to handle requests on a case-by-case basis, be careful. Managers need to make sure theyre not establishing a discriminatory pattern, Klingel says, or putting themselves in a position where they cant replicate a solution for another employee.

For employees: Once again, do your homework. Before you meet with your boss, find out what flexible schedule policies already exist, who might have taken advantage of them and what those experiences were like. And before you iron out a full proposal, meet with your manager to have a conversation about what the company might need. You dont have to anticipate whats the right solution until youve had a back-and-forth, she says.

Be open minded about solutions. Emphasize that you want to jointly come up with a plan that allows you to keep making keep making productive contributions -- and not put the company at a disadvantage.

And dont assume youre the only staffer with a need for flexibility. This might mean talking to others on your team and brainstorming on solutions that could benefit the group. I think women tend to feel like its up to them to come up with a solution to their situation as opposed to talking with others who have similar situations and looking for something that will work broadly for everyone, Klingel says.

Related: Why Banning Salary Negotiations Won't Close the Gender Pay Gap

Scenario Three: Asking for a raise

For managers: Klingel emphasizes that periodic performance reviews can be a great opportunity to jumpstart conversations about performance and expectations. While you should give feedback regularly, a formal review can help make salary talks -- and their outcomes -- less surprising when pay boosts or promotions arent appropriate. They can also help standardize your conversations about progress, making salary increases more fair.

For employees: While knowing how others have earned new titles or salary boosts is helpful, youll also need to honest with yourself. You may think, Im working harder than everybody else, Klingel says, but our perceptions of that are often way off. So you have to be disciplined about not making assumptions.

To help ground you, keep an open dialogue with your manager about your progress and know what goes into decisions to promote staffers or boost their pay. When you think youve earned a raise or title, be clear about your contributions and your needs to either move ahead or learn more. Then present a range of options. Talk about the pros and cons from both perspectives, and ask for insights form the person on the other side of the table.

The negotiation doesnt have to be this trading situation where, I made this proposal, now you tell me what your counter offer is, which could often be quite reductive, Klingel says. With this approach, the creativity gets cut off.

Related:

Fixing the Pay Gap Starts With Your Salary Negotiation Skills

How to Negotiate Your Way to Better Rates on Your Bills

The Nuances Of Negotiation



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
State lawmakers in Nebraska are considering a new bill that would allow for the use of medical marijuana, which would make it the first heartland state to do so.

A traditionally red state, Nebraska joined Oklahoma in suing Colorado after the Rocky Mountain State approved adult-use marijuana in 2014. The two states argued that growers in Colorado were illegally selling marijuana in their states.

However, Nebraska now could potentially join the list of states where medical marijuana is allowed. Lawmakers currently are considering a bill from State Senator Anna Wishart called the Medical Cannabis Act, which would allow use of medical marijuana in certain cases.

Related: Colorado Considers End Run if Feds Crack Down on Recreational Marijuana

Wishart, a freshman member of the senate who won election last November, represents the Lincoln area.

The bill passed out of committee in March and will now go to the Senate floor. Opposition is expected by members of the Senate. The head of the Nebraska State Patrol has already testified against the bill, as has a representative of the state attorney generals office.

Goverbir Pete Ricketts also opposed a similar measure last year.

Still, Wishart told the Omaha World Herald she is optimistic that members will listen to their constituents who are desperately asking them to legalize this form of treatment.

Help For Patients

As with many states that have legalized medical marijuana, the Nebraska bill would allow those suffering from certain chronic or severe diseases and conditions to use medical marijuana with a doctors prescription.

They include glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Tourettes syndrome, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, seizures and severe and persistent muscle spasms. Those with cancer or a diagnosis of having less than a year to live who also experience chronic pain or nausea would also qualify.

Patients would need to submit all the required paperwork to the state along with a physicians prescription. The program would be open only to Nebraska residents who enroll in a state registry. The program would be overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services.

In a departure from many states, the Nebraska law would not allow patients to smoke marijuana. Instead, it would require use through pills, liquids, lotions or a vaporizer.

Related: Hurdles and Hopes in the Development, Production and Distribution of Cannabis

If approved, the program would begin July 1, 2018.

New Territory for Marijuana

However, the details of the bill, which mostly mirror those in other states, seems less relevant in the national picture than the political and geographical position of Nebraska.

More than half of American states have some form of legalized marijuana. But, despite polls showing support nationwide for medical marijuana, the legalization effort has, to date, skipped two large sections of the country: the midwest and the south.

Both are filled primarily with red states, and a recent poll show that Republicans and seniors are the two demographic groups that remain most opposed to legalized marijuana.

This map from Governing magazine offers a quick picture of the current state of affairs for legalized marijuana. While there are exceptions  North Dakota and Minnesota  the middle of the country from Texas to South Dakota has yet to approve any form of legalized marijuana, even for severe medical conditions.

Also, most of the South has yet to legalize medical marijuana. The exceptions are Florida, Arkansas and Louisiana. Nebraska could join those states as breaking new ground in a region where state leaders have been hesitant to follow the medical marijuana legalization trend.

Related:

Marijuana In the Midwest? Nebraska Lawmakers Consider Cannabis Legalization.

Colorado Considers End Run if Feds Crack Down on Recreational Marijuana

Hurdles and Hopes in the Development, Production and Distribution of Cannabis



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
I met many interesting and brilliant entrepreneurs at the World Government Summit in Dubai this year, but one of the most enlightening and surprising was Israeli native and Silicon Valley veteran, Jonathan Matus, CEO and founder of Zendrive. Aside from being a former Google and Facebook employee -- who also graduated from Harvard -- Matus was a requested Israeli speaker in the UAE. Why is this surprising? For those who dont know, Israelites are more often than not denied visas to enter the UAE. But the technology that Matus and his team at Zendrive have created has sparked the interest of people everywhere, including the UAE.

His groundbreaking technology could reduce automotive crashes drastically, but what does this mean for the future of jobs involving drivers of these automobiles? Autonomous vehicles were one of the main topics of discussion at the Summit this year, so perhaps artificial intelligence, in relation to our own vehicles, is closer than we think.

Related: 5 Major Artificial Intelligence Hurdles We're on Track to Overcome by 2020

I was lucky enough to get an interview with Matus, and you can read it below.

Q: There is a lot of amazing tech coming out of Israel. What brought you to create Zendrive?

I came to the states for college, I went to Harvard and studied A.I.. Following that, I joined Google very early on. I was the 25th employee on the Android team. Using that as a segway, I spent the last 11 or 12 years in Silicon Valley working on some pretty cool tech stuff including launching Androids, picture recognition in Google, Facebook mobile and now Zendrive.

Q: How did you end up speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai? As an Israeli, that is quite astonishing, isnt it?

Got it (laughs), yes, it is pretty surreal. At Zendrive, we are very much involved with both artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles. We were invited by one of the main editors of Wired, who is a world expert of artificial intelligence, to come and share a little bit of the next decade or two decades of artificial intelligence and the impact of technology and the social makeup, and to help governments and policy makers plan for it. It was a really interesting panel.

Q: I listened to your panel about autonomous cars. What do you foresee the next job opportunities are for people who drive cars for a living and wont be able to in the future?

Thats the billion-dollar question. I think job displacement is a major problem and one that should be addressed primarily through education. People who consider themselves drivers need to be retrained and will need to find new occupations. There are a lot of opportunities, a lot of them mainly in technology, of course, but technical skills are considered to be relatively difficult to acquire. If there is a strategic investment in making coding accessible to everyone, everywhere, these people will be assimilated into the economy very quickly. But because this doesnt fit everyone, you need to come up with other service jobs and other opportunities, and I dont think anyone has a really good answer for immediate employment opportunities.

Related: Good, Bad & Ugly! Artificial Intelligence for Humans is All of This & More

Q: I have read that the mission of the company is to make roads safer. It seems that this company cares a lot about people. What was the primary reason for creating Zendrive?

Absolutely. When I quit Facebook, after working about 7 years with Google and Facebook, I was hugely frustrated with the amount of talent and caliber of people that focus all their attention on the advertising space. Why do you need too many PhDs and smart folks optimizing click through rates? This is to essentially make people buy stuff they dont need. I felt that there is a need, opportunity and a requirement for folks to focus their attention on mission-driven and socially beneficial projects.

So, with Zendrive, our mission is to make roads safe using data analytics, and we put together the worlds best team to solve this. When we measure progress, its not just in terms of dollars or in term of miles that weve tracked. Its in terms of lives that weve saved and the impact that we have on roads globally.

Q: How did you build such a strong team?

My co-founder and I have known each other for about 11 years now, he was my first tech lead at Google. He built and scaled the artificial intelligence engine behind speech recognition at Google. He is literally one of the smartest people on the planet. When I met him, we had a geek bro-mance. We really liked talking tech and talking shop, and we knew that we were going to work together in the future. When I was ready to start my new chapter, he happened to be in Silicon Valley, and we went out for dinner. We knew we had to do this together.

Q: For people who want to work with you, what are three things you look for in a new hire or partner?

The first one is curiosity. I believe that in order to be successful in whatever it is you do, you need to learn every day, have a passion for meeting new people and want to solving problems. The second thing is passion for making positive social impact. We call it focusing on the mission. The people who come to Zendrive are not here because of the paycheck. They work at Zendrive because they want to look back and say, "I really made an important change in the world." The third thing is what we call true grit. Startups are difficult. Going after a huge problem like road safety is something that has its ups and downs. Sometimes things go amazingly well, and youre speaking at a panel in Dubai. Sometimes things can be really difficult, and youre banging your head against the wall because you cant solve a technical problem. Being able to stay focused and determined, even in the toughest times, is a very important property for entrepreneurs and startup people.

Related: How Artificial Intelligence Startups Strike Gold

Q: How do your parents feel about all your success?

I dont consider myself very successful; I am very lucky. My parents are very proud, and they are also very supportive. My mother has this saying -- "Take things gradually, dont go all in, and you are too determined and driven!" She reminds me every now and then to take a breather, go to a beautiful forest or meditate. I owe her that, and I miss them a lot actually.

I find that many strong entrepreneurs also have a strong mother, of course. This new technology is exciting, groundbreaking and could change the world in so many ways. Like all changes, mostly involving technology, there are pros and cons. With artificial intelligence rising at a rapid speed, Matus hints that we may need to re-vamp our education system and teach the world how to flow with new technologies and companies like Zendrive. This new technology clearly does not simply address road safety, and it raises the bar for artificial intelligence and job opportunities across the globe.

Related:

The Future of Driving as Seen From the World Government Summit

How to Embrace AI for Enacting Humanitarian Change

How India's Growth Curve Can Reach A New High Riding On Artificial Intelligence



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
In April 1993, I got my first management job while I was still in college. I remember the beautiful spring day so clearly and how I felt so excited to become an assistant manager In fact, I was so excited, I likely would have worked for free.

I worked for $16,000 a year Canadian (about $20,000 USD in todays dollars) as an assistant manager of a high-volume business with great brand recognition and about 70 employees. At 19 years old working, 60+ hours a week, I thought Id hit the jackpot: a management role with real supervisory authority, inventory management and cash responsibilities. I even had business cards and keys to the building to prove it.

I knew the other managers were earning considerably more than I was, and a male colleague made twice as much for an almost identical job.

What did I do about it? I put my head down and worked harder than anyone else -- even worked for free on my days off. I kept telling myself that I would end up being highly successful so my current wage didnt matter. I believed that, by working hard, I would show them how good I was.

Related: 5 Habits of the Wealthy That Helped Them Get Rich

I did end up being successful as I would have defined it in my 20s. I made partner at a record-breaking age of 24 and started my own company.

So, the moral of the story is put your head down, work hard and you will get ahead, right? Wrong. During my mission to show everyone what I was worth, I lost sight of all the other women around me who may not have had all of my advantages. I didn't consider their lives at home or whether they'd have time to nurture their social networks.

In 1993, I didnt realize the responsibility I had to speak up -- and for more than just myself.

Related: 22 Qualities That Make a Great Leader

To all of the women I worked alongside, and those who followed me, I am truly sorry. I should have spoken up about the wage gap. I let you down.

Today, the wage gap still exists in almost every industry in every country in the world. Beyond being unfair, this is a real economic issue -- according to the consulting firm McKinsey, ending the gender gap would create trillions of dollars for world economies.

The reasons for this inequality are many and complicated. That means no one solution alone will close the gap, but it also means there are a lot of things we can do to help.

One thing we can do is to view this as a business opportunity, not a womens problem. In order to move the needle, we must all be part of the solution: If we know about inequities, we need to speak up, share our personal stories and, most importantly, publically recognize positive behaviors.

Related: Inspiring Quotes to Help You Get Through Your Work Day

We can also speak up when we're being mistreated -- or be the one others can speak to when they're being mistreated. As CEOs and business leaders, we have a responsibility to stand up for others who cant.

I should have spoken up when I was a young manager earning $16,000 a year. I should not have waited until I was CEO. Even now, as I do my best to make up for lost time, I know I can't do it alone. Together, though, through education, positive work environments and productivity, we can all do something about the wage gap.

Related:

Why I Didn't Speak Up When Male Colleagues Made More Doing the Same Job -- But Worse

The Role of Gender in Entrepreneurship Today (Infographic)

A Lesson on Striving for Gender Equality Learned at Home



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
- By Alberto Abaterusso





Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX) informed the market through a news release published on its web site that because of "a rupture of a pipe carrying gold-bearing solution on the leach pad" on March 28 at Veladero mine in Argentina that was not detected by the monitoring system, the provincial government of San Juan "has temporarily restricted the addition of cyanide to the Veladero mine's heap leach facility."





According to Barrick's news release, the miner is obliged to complete some corrective works and maintenance before the restrictions to the quantity of solution that can be added to the heap leach of the Veladero mine will be removed.

The picture below shows the heap leaching method where the concentrate is accumulated in a heap and the cyanide solution is spread over the surface from the heap to leach metal.

Source

With this method, the wanted metals are solubilized as the leaching reagent sprayed over the heap passes through the pile. Then the drained solution that contains the wanted metal is sent to the next processing phase for metal recovery after it has collected in a basin.

The local authorities were immediately informed and the site was inspected after the incident that "did not pose any threat to the health of employees, communities or the environment," added Barrick Gold, as "the safety of people and the environment remains" the company's top priority.

The company also reports that "all solution was contained within the operating site and none reached any diversion channels or watercourses."

Unfortunately, this type of incident is common in the area. As a matter of fact, the area had experienced three cyanide leaks in 2011-12, one in September 2015 for which Barrick was fined about $9.82 million in March 2016 by the San Juan province of Argentina and another one in 2016. However, the cyanide leaks never represented a potential risk to the environment and were always reported duly to the appropriate local authorities.

Story continues

Barrick does not anticipate any material impact from the incident to the operating guidance of the Argentinian mine for 2017. At Veladero, the world's largest gold mining company expects to produce between 770,000 ounces and 830,000 ounces, with the cost of one ounce of gold sold being between $750 and $800 and at an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) per ounce of between $790 and $860.

Investors hope that Barrick will solve the issue at Veladero as soon as possible since the gold producer expects that its increased production at Veladero mine combined with that one from Cortez mine will counterbalance expected decreases at Goldstrike and Pueblo Viejo, so that 2017 gold production will be higher than 2016 when the company produced 5.52 million ounces of gold, a 9.8% decrease on a year-over-year basis and slightly lower than the upper limit of the guided production.

The Argentinian mine is one of its five core mines together with Lagunas Norte in Peru, Pueblo Viejo in the Dominican Republic and Goldstrike and Cortez in the U.S.

From its core mines in the Americas, Barrick expects to produce approximately 70% of 2017 production, which is expected to range between 5.6 million and 5.9 million ounces at AISC of $650 to $710 per ounce and the world's biggest gold producer is determined to lower the overall AISC to the target of less than $700 per ounce by 2019.

Barrick Gold is trading at $19.31 per share with a price-sales (P/S) ratio of 2.64 and a price-book (P/B) ratio of 2.79. The EV/EBITDA ratio is 6.61. The gold stock is uptrending and gained nearly 19% year to date.

The miner will release the results of the first quarter of 2017 on April 24, for which 16 analysts surveyed estimate an EPS of 20 cents on average, an 81.8% increase from EPS of the same quarter of 2016 and ranging between a low estimate of 11 cents and a high estimate of 27 cents. Revenue for the first quarter of 2017 are forecasted by seven analysts surveyed to come in at $2.15 billion. This figure ranges between a low of $1.74 billion and a high of $2.33 billion.

Disclosure: I have no positions in Barrick Gold.

Start a free seven-day trial of Premium Membership to GuruFocus.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






WOODBURY - A New York man was killed Tuesday afternoon during a head on collision on Goodhill Road.

Police said James Hinican, of Grahamsville, NY, was killed after his car, a Honda Civic crossed over the double yellow line at around 2:20 p.m. and into an oncoming vehicle. Hinican was pronounced dead at the scene.
Morneau Shepell is pleased to take on a leading role for the special project to mark Canada's sesquicentennial launches this month

TORONTO, April 5, 2017 /CNW/ - The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Morneau Shepell today announced their joint effort to support 150 Leading Canadians for Mental Health. Morneau Shepell will be Presenting Partner for the national program. Morneau Shepell has been a leader in workplace mental health for more than 30 years, creating strategies and solutions to help organizations develop more psychologically healthy workplaces.

Mental illness is a leading cause of disability in Canada. In any given week, at least 500,000 employed Canadians are unable to work due to mental illness. The national program, 150 Leading Canadians for Mental Health, celebrates those who have changed the course of mental illness through research, philanthropy, advocacy, social change or inspiration. Canadians are invited to nominate people they feel qualify. Nominations will open on April 7, 2017.

"We are thrilled to have Morneau Shepell as our Presenting Partner. Their commitment to mental health and national reach are ideal for bringing 150 Leading Canadians for Mental Health to people in every corner of our country," said Jim Treliving, co-chair of 150 Leading Canadians for Mental Health.

Co-chair Sandi Treliving explains that the shared values between CAMH and Morneau Shepell make for an ideal partnership. "Morneau Shepell is exemplary in the business community to take on such a leadership role in the mental health space. It is truly a model for companies in Canada and around the world, looking to foster mental health in their employee and client base. The bar it has set is remarkably high, and together we hope we can bring this message to Canadians from coast to coast."

As Presenting Partner, Morneau Shepell will take an active leadership role in the program, hosting regional events across the country and providing support for a Thinkers Conference.

"Morneau Shepell has been shifting the narrative on stigma surrounding mental illnesses for many years, and this partnership takes us to a new level," said Stephen Liptrap, Chief Operating Officer, Morneau Shepell. "We are proud to partner with CAMH on this initiative and look forward to celebrating the achievements of Canadians who have contributed to the field of mental health."

Nominations for 150 Leading Canadians for Mental Health open on April 7 and the deadline to submit a nomination is July 1, 2017. From there, a national committee of 36 Canadians, including three nominating co-chairs and the nominations committee, will evaluate the nominations. Finalists of 150 Leading Canadians for Mental Health will be announced in December 2017. The 150 Leading Canadians for Mental Health program will culminate with a Thinkers Conference and celebration gala on May 23, 2018.

Visit camhdifferencemakers.ca for more information.

About the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital and a world leading research centre in this field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental illness and addiction. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please visit camh.ca or follow @CAMHnews on Twitter.

About Morneau Shepell

Morneau Shepell is the only human resources consulting and technology company that takes an integrative approach to employee assistance, health, benefits, and retirement needs. The Company is the leading provider of employee and family assistance programs, the largest administrator of pension and benefits plans and the largest provider of integrated absence management solutions in Canada. Through health and productivity, administrative, and retirement solutions, Morneau Shepell helps clients reduce costs, increase employee productivity, and improve their competitive position. Established in 1966, Morneau Shepell serves approximately 20,000 clients, ranging from small businesses to some of the largest corporations and associations. With approximately 4,300 employees in offices across North America, Morneau Shepell provides services to organizations across Canada, in the United States, and around the globe. Morneau Shepell is a publicly-traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: MSI). For more information, visit morneaushepell.com.

SOURCE Morneau Shepell Inc.

For further information: Karen Cleveland, CAMH Foundation, 416-729-8402, [email protected]; Cathren Ronberg, Morneau Shepell, 416-355-5632, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.morneaushepell.com


CALGARY, April 5, 2017 /CNW/ - Enerplus Corporation ("Enerplus") (TSX: ERF) (NYSE: ERF) will be releasing its operating and financial results for the first quarter of 2017 at 4:00 AM MT (6:00 AM ET) on Friday, May 5, 2017. A conference call hosted by Mr. Ian C. Dundas will be held at 8:00 AM MT (10:00 AM ET) to discuss these results. Details of the conference call are as follows:

Q1 Results Live Conference Call

Date: Friday, May 5, 2017 Time: 8:00 AM MT (10:00 AM ET) Dial-In: 647-427-7450

1-888-231-8191 (toll free) Audiocast: http://event.on24.com/r.htm?e=1400951&s=1&k=74DDC295ABF30D38B104D54D466F6D9C

To ensure timely participation in the conference call, callers are encouraged to dial in 15 minutes prior to the start time to register for the event. A telephone replay will be available for 30 days following the conference call and can be accessed at the following numbers:

Dial-In: 416-849-0833

1-855-859-2056 (toll free) Passcode: 2229316

Annual Meeting

Enerplus Corporation will also be hosting our Annual Meeting (the "Meeting") on Friday, May 5, 2017 at 10:00 AM MT (12:00 PM ET) at the TELUS Convention Centre, 120  9th Ave SE, Glen Room 206, in Calgary, Alberta. Mr. Ian C. Dundas, President and CEO will provide a brief update on Enerplus' operations immediately following the Meeting. The details for the Meeting and operations update are as follows:

Date: Friday, May 5, 2017 Time: 10:00 AM MT (12:00 PM ET) Audiocast: http://event.on24.com/r.htm?e=1401024&s=1&k=5B38856F9896CB3F4D9748751EFBD319

A replay will be available after the meeting on our website at www.enerplus.com.

Electronic copies of our 2016 year-end MD&A and Financial Statements, along with other public information including investor presentations, are available on our website at www.enerplus.com. Shareholders may request a hard copy of Enerplus' complete audited financial statements at any time free of charge. For further information, please contact Investor Relations at 1-800-319-6462 or email [email protected].

About Us

Enerplus Corporation is a responsible developer of high quality crude oil and natural gas assets in Canada and the United States committed to creating value for its shareholders through a disciplined capital investment strategy.

Follow @EnerplusCorp on Twitter at https://twitter.com/EnerplusCorp.

Ian C. Dundas

President & Chief Executive Officer

Enerplus Corporation

SOURCE Enerplus Corporation

For further information: ENERPLUS CORPORATION, The Dome Tower, Suite 3000, 333 - 7th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 2Z1, T. 403-298-2200, F. 403-298-2211, www.enerplus.com

Related Links

http://www.enerplus.com


TORONTO, April 5, 2017 /CNW/ - Mackenzie Financial Corporation (Mackenzie Investments) announced today that it is the platinum sponsor of the True Patriot Love Scotiabank Mackenzie Expedition that will celebrate Sir Alexander Mackenzie's first crossing of North America in 1793.

True Patriot Love Foundation (TPL) is a national charity with the mission to inspire every Canadian to contribute to the resilience and wellbeing of military and Veteran families. To celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation, the organization is pairing up teams of Canadian business leaders with ill and injured soldiers to explore three of the most challenging and remote locations across the country. The "Best of Canada Expedition Series" will raise critical funds for programs and services that support Veterans and their families as they transition into civilian life. The "Mackenzie expedition"  which Mackenzie Investments is sponsoring  will recreate the last leg of Mackenzie's monumental journey through British Columbia.

"As a firm with a long-standing commitment to philanthropy and being part of the communities we serve, we wanted to do something special to celebrate not only Canada 150, but our own 50th anniversary. The TPL Scotiabank Mackenzie Expedition is the perfect opportunity for us to mark these monumental occasions," said Barry McInerney, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mackenzie Investments. "True Patriot Love Foundation's work to support Canada's Veterans and their families helps in so many ways and we are honoured to contribute to those efforts."

David Faassen, Senior Vice President Marketing for Mackenzie Investments, will take part in a two-week journey along with other business leaders and soldiers through British Columbia retracing the steps that the explorer Mackenzie did 224 years ago. In July, the team will hike over the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, white-water raft down the Bella Coola River and then paddle ocean canoes out to the explorer's historic inscription: "First crossing of North America by land, July 22, 1793 in the Pacific."

"I'm looking forward to getting out on the trail and retracing the historical steps that Sir Alexander Mackenzie took," said Faassen. "Raising awareness and critical funds for our brave Veterans and their families is at the heart of this mission and I can't think of a better way to honour them."

Bronwen Evans, CEO of True Patriot Love Foundation said, "True Patriot Love is grateful to Mackenzie Investments for its incredible support of the Mackenzie Expedition. These expeditions provide a rare opportunity for business leaders and soldier participants to connect in unique and meaningful ways. Corporate leaders leave with an enhanced understanding of a soldier's skill set and the tremendous value they can offer to the workforce, while the soldier participants forge new mentor relationships that directly benefit them as they transition into the civilian workforce. Without the support of partners like Mackenzie Investments these expeditions wouldn't be possible."

North Pole Expedition participant Bruno Guevremont explained his experience with TPL: "True Patriot Love has opened the doors of opportunity for me. When I was first asked to go on the North Pole Expedition, I was uncertain of what to expect and where I was on my road to recovery. The Expedition, the struggles and the austere environment provided the right tools to help me deal with some of my toughest issues. Coupled with the unending care and willingness to help from every single business leader, it made this stage of my journey a complete success."

About True Patriot Love Foundation

Since 2009, True Patriot Love Foundation (TPL) has provided more than $18 million to support military families, including supporting more than 100 community-based programs across the country that address the unique challenges resulting from service including mental health, physical rehabilitation, transitioning to civilian life, and the special needs of children. In addition, TPL contributes to advancements in research and technology through our $5 million commitment to the Canadian Institute for Military and Veterans Health Research (Queen's University). For more information, visit www.truepatriotlove.com

About Mackenzie Investments

Mackenzie Investments was founded in 1967, and is a leading investment management firm providing investment advisory and related services. With $65.6 billion in assets under management as of February 28, 2017, Mackenzie Investments distributes its investment services through multiple distribution channels to both retail and institutional investors. Mackenzie Investments is a member of the IGM Financial Inc. (TSX: IGM) group of companies. IGM Financial is one of Canada's premier financial services companies with $145 billion in total assets under management as of February 28, 2017. For more information, visit mackenzieinvestments.com.

SOURCE Mackenzie Financial Corporation

For further information: Trish Tervit, Director, Communications and Media Relations, Mackenzie Investments, 416-967-2166, [email protected]; Laura Hearn, Senior Director, Marketing and Communications, True Patriot Love Foundation, 647-213-4631, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.mackenziefinancial.com


Follow Yahoo Finances full coverage of JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimons annual letter to shareholders

In his annual letter, JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon told shareholders that while America today is stronger than ever before, there are key factors holding us back.

Our problems are significant, and they are not the singular purview of either political party, Dimon wrote. We need coherent, consistent, comprehensive and coordinated policies that help fix these problems.

Dimons picture isnt all dark. In fact, Dimon celebrates the US military, self-reliance on natural resources (food, water, energy), top universities and hospitals, reliable rule of law and low corruption, strong work ethic, entrepreneurial strength, and wide and transparent financial markets.

But he also cites major flaws in our system. He points to 11 self-inflicted problems for the economy:

1) Excessive regulation

Everyone agrees we should have proper regulation  and of course regulations have many positive effects. But anyone in business understands the damaging effects of over-complicated and inefficient regulations, Dimon wrote. Dimon explained that some estimate that $2 trillion is spent on regulations annually (roughly $15,000 per US household). And even if exaggerated, he said that sum highlights a disturbing problem, particularly because it also hinders small business creation.

2) High spending on wars

Over the last 16 years, we have spent trillions of dollars on wars when we could have been investing that money productively, Dimon wrote. While some of the money needed to be spent, he explained that every dollar spent on battle could be spent elsewhere.

3) Student loan growth

Since 2010, when the government took over student lending, direct government lending to students has gone from approximately $200 billion to more than $900 billion, he wrote. We have little to show for it except dramatically increased student defaults and students who are rightfully angry about how much money they owe.

Story continues

4) High health care costs

Our nations health care costs are essentially twice as much per person versus most other developed nations.

5) High-skilled immigrants leaving US

Approximately 40% of those who receive advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and math at American universities300,000 students each yearare foreign nationals with no legal way of staying here even when many would choose to do so. We are forcing great talent overseas by not allowing these young people to build their dreams here, Dimon wrote.

6) Felony convictions high

Felony convictions for even minor offenses have led, in part, to millions of American citizens with criminal records, and this group often has a hard time getting a job, Dimon explained.

7) Mortgage market tight

The inability to reform mortgage markets has reduced mortgage availability significantly, according to Dimon. We estimate that mortgages alone would have been more than $1 trillion higher had we had healthier mortgage markets, he wrote, adding that this would led to more homebuilding, creating more jobs and promoting more investment.

8) Labor force participation too low

Labor force participation in the US has gone from 66% to 63% between 2008 and today. While some of this decline is due to demographic changes, even men 25-54 have seen a significant participation drop (96% in 1968 to 88% today). Much of this decline is attributable to poor education and health issues (often obesity and diabetes), Dimon wrote.

9) Education leaving too many behind

Many high schools and vocational schools do not provide the education students need, Dimon said, adding that the goal should be to graduate and to get a decent job. In many inner city schools, fewer than 60% of students graduate and many who do graduate are not prepared for employment, Dimon wrote.

10) Infrastructure needs planning and investment

Dimon explained that while in the early 1960s, America was considered by most to have the best infrastructurefrom highways to airports to tunnelsthe World Economic Forum now ranks the US number 27 among 138 countries, behind developed countries including the UK, France and Korea. And, Dimon explained, the US has not built a major airport in more than 20 years while China has built 75 new civilian airports in the last 10 years alone.

11) Flawed corporate tax system

Our policies continue to drive capital and brains overseas, Dimon wrote. The US now has the highest corporate tax rates among developed nations while most other developed nations have reduced their tax rates significantly over the past decade. Dimon explained this is causing American corporations to invest overseas and incentivizing foreign companies to buy American companies. Meanwhile, American corporations hold more than $2 trillion in cash overseas that has not been brought back to the US because of the additional taxes that would be incurred.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon as he hosts a strategy and policy forum with chief executives of major U.S. companies at the White House in Washington February 3, 2017. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

Theres something wrong with our growth

The US economy has been growing much more slowly in the last decade or two than in the 50 years before that. From 1948 to 2000, real per capita GDP grew 2.3%; from 2000 to 2016, it grew 1%. If the US achieved growth at its historical levels, GDP per capita would be more than $12,500 per person higher than it is, Dimon explained.

A longer historical snapshot of the slowdown in GDP growth can be seen below from the Harvard Competitiveness Project conducted last year.



Source: Harvard Business School US Competitiveness Study

Meanwhile, real median household incomes in 2015 were 2.5% lower than they were in 1999, and the percentage of middle-class households has shrunk over time (from 61% of households in 1971 to 50% in 2015), Dimon explained. The bottom 20% of earnersmainly lower skilled workershave seen real incomes decline by more than 8% between 1999 and 2015.

Dimon disagrees with economists who believe we are now stuck in a state of slower growth and productivity.

Why? Because our problems (listed above) are fixable.

Making this list was an upsetting exercise, especially since many of our problems have been self-inflicted, Dimon said. That said, it was also a good reminder of how much of this is in our control and how critical it is that we focus on all the levers that could be pulled to help the US economy. We must do this because it will help all Americans.

Nicole Sinclair is markets correspondent at Yahoo Finance.

Please also see:

Why the next crisis could be worse for everyone else but the banks

DIMON: Americas high corporate tax rate is doing considerable damage

Jamie Dimons 9 reasons why the US is truly exceptional

Jamie Dimons new letter says America is great, but regulation is holding us back

DIMON: Its clear that something is wrong with the U.S. economy

Jamie Dimon thinks Americas secret sauce is at risk

Dimon explains what would happen if Lehman Brothers failed today

Jamie Dimon supports an earned income tax credit for low-skilled, low-paid workers

DIMON: 11 ways America is holding itself back
CALGARY, April 4, 2017 /CNW/ - Stuart Olson Inc. (TSX: SOX, SOX.DB.A) ("Stuart Olson" or the "Company") today announced that it will release its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2017 on or about Tuesday, May 2, 2017 after the close of the Canadian capital markets.

Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call and webcast to discuss its 2017 first quarter results on Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at 7:30 a.m. MT (9:30 a.m. ET).

The conference call will include prepared remarks from David LeMay, President and CEO, and Daryl Sands, Executive Vice President and CFO. After the prepared remarks, Stuart Olson will accept questions from analysts and institutional investors.

Date: Wednesday, May 3, 2017



Time: 7:30 a.m. MT (9:30 a.m. ET)



Call: 1-888-390-0546 (Canada and USA) or 1-587-880-2171 (outside Canada and USA)

Participants are asked to call at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. For those unable to participate on the live call, a replay will be made available until Wednesday, May 17, 2017, by dialing 1-888-390-0541 (Canada and USA) or 1-416-764-8677 (outside Canada and USA), pin 188690. The public is invited to listen to the live conference call or the replay.

Webcast

A presentation and webcast link will be posted on Stuart Olson's website prior to the call under the "Investor Relations" tab, within the Presentations and Events section. To listen to and view the live webcast, visit Stuart Olson's website at least 10 minutes early to register and download and install any necessary audio software. For those unable to listen during the live webcast, a replay will be available on Stuart Olson's website shortly after the conclusion of the conference call for a period of 90 days.

About Stuart Olson Inc.

Stuart Olson Inc. provides general contracting and electrical building systems contracting in the public and private construction markets as well as electrical, mechanical and specialty trades, such as insulation, cladding and asbestos abatement, in the industrial construction and services market. The Company operates office locations throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. Stuart Olson's common shares and convertible debentures are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols "SOX" and "SOX.DB.A", respectively. www.stuartolson.com

SOURCE Stuart Olson Inc.

For further information: Daryl Sands, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Stuart Olson Inc., (403) 685-7777, Email: [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.stuartolson.com/


TORONTO, April 5, 2017 /CNW/ - Representatives of The Co-operators and its 44 member organizations reviewed the company's performance in 2016 and looked ahead to the future at its Annual General Meeting (AGM), which wrapped up today in Toronto. The event brought together 180 participants from across Canada, including representatives of the member organizations and co-operative affiliates.

As a co-operative, The Co-operators is governed on a democratic basis by its members. Earlier this week, it announced the addition of its newest member, the St-Albert Cheese Co-operative. Members appoint delegates to seven region committees, which nominate and elect the 22 members of the Board of Directors. Vice-chairperson Johanne Charbonneau, retired from the board of directors and Marilyn Loewen Mauritz joined the board at this AGM.

Despite the impact of the tragic wildfire in Fort McMurray, the most costly insured natural disaster in Canadian history, the strong financial performance of The Co-operators group of companies resulted in net income after tax of $234.6 million in 2016.

"We will always remember 2016 as the year of the tragic Fort McMurray wildfire, and I was extremely proud of the way our staff and advisors stepped up to support our clients in their time of need," said Rob Wesseling, president and CEO of The Co-operators. "Our ability to rise to the challenge and maintain a strong financial performance throughout the year is a testament to the financial stability of our group of companies."

The Board of Directors hired Rob Wesseling as the new president and CEO in 2016, following Kathy Bardswick's retirement.

The organization contributed $7.5 million last year to Canadian non-profits, co-operatives and charities as part of its efforts to support community resilience. This included contributions totalling $1.6 million to Canadian co-operatives as well as a special contribution of $260,000 to organizations helping Syrian refugees prepare for employability in Canada.

The Co-operators launched its inaugural integrated report, becoming one of a handful of pioneering Canadian companies to have adopted the emerging leading practice. Integrated reporting provides a holistic analysis of how a company creates value for its stakeholders both in the short and long term. The Co-operators 2016 Integrated Annual Report was released yesterday and can be viewed at cooperators.ca.

Throughout the AGM, donations were collected to support West End Food Co-op, a not-for-profit organization that seeks to provide viable food security that meets the unique needs of communities in the west end of Toronto. The Co-operators matched the personal donations collected from AGM participants, and a cheque for $8,500 was presented at the close of the meeting.

About The Co-operators

The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian co-operative with more than $44 billion in assets under administration. Through its group of companies it offers home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance, as well as investment products. The Co-operators is well known for its community involvement and its commitment to sustainability. It was ranked #3 on Corporate Knights' Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada list, among the Top 50 Socially Responsible Corporations in Canada by Sustainalytics and Maclean's magazine, the Best Employers in Canada by Aon Hewitt, and it earned the Governance Professionals in Canada's Excellence in Governance: Best Practices in Sustainability and Environmental, Social and Governance award in 2016. For more information visit www.cooperators.ca.

SOURCE The Co-operators

For further information: Leonard Sharman, The Co-operators, (519) 767-3937

Related Links

www.cooperators.ca


TORONTO, April 5, 2017 /CNW/ - The Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) is warning consumers that an organization known as Switzerland Imperial Bank AG ("S I B AG Corporation") is not licensed to do insurance business in Ontario.

Switzerland Imperial Bank AG appears to have issued a fraudulent liability slip ("pink card") to a consumer as proof of auto insurance.

Switzerland Imperial Bank AG is not licensed with FSCO or the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario.

Switzerland Imperial Bank AG is using the email address [email protected], is soliciting insurance business through their website, https://www.s-i-bank-ag.com/, and appears to be directing Ontario consumers to their Ontario director, Enzo Jones, at phone number (905) 551-0346.

Also, on its website, the address of Switzerland Imperial Bank AG's headquarters is listed as Bosch 73 Huenenberg, Switzerland, and its telephone is listed as + 41 41 819 16 50.

Consumers should exercise caution if they are contacted by anyone claiming to represent Switzerland Imperial Bank AG or using these coordinates. Consumers should not purchase insurance items through Switzerland Imperial Bank AG, but instead are encouraged to contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

If consumers purchase items or insurance through individuals or companies that are not licensed in the province, they are not protected under the Insurance Act and the regulations that govern Ontario's licensed insurance companies and agents.

FSCO's website contains a list of all insurance companies and agents licensed to do business in Ontario. The website of the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario contains a list of all brokers licensed to do business in Ontario.

Additional Information:

What to Do If You Think You are a Victim of a Scam or Fraud

SOURCE Financial Services Commission of Ontario

For further information: For media inquiries, please contact: Malon Edwards, Senior Communications Officer, Telephone: 416-590-7536, Toll free: 1-800-668-0128, ext. 7795, Fax: 416-590-7070, TTY Toll Free: 1-800-387-0584, Email: [email protected]; Public inquiries, 1-800-668-0128, [email protected]

Related Links

www.fsco.gov.on.ca


The RAND think tank used open, unclassified sources to compile The U.S.-China Military Scorecard: Forces, Geography, and the Evolving Balance of Power. This comprehensive report examines U.S. and Chinese military capabilities in ten operational areas, and presents a scorecard for each. The analysis is presented in ten scorecards that assess military capabilities as they have evolved over four snapshot years: 1996, 2003, 2010, and 2017.

The results show that China is not close to catching up to the United States in terms of aggregate capabilities, but also that it does not need to catch up to challenge the United States on its immediate periphery. Furthermore, although Chinas ability to project power to more distant locations remains limited, its reach is growing, and in the future U.S. military dominance is likely to be challenged at greater distances from Chinas coast. To maintain robust defense and deterrence capabilities in an era of fiscal constraints, the United States will need to ensure that its own operational concepts, procurement, and diplomacy anticipate future developments in Chinese military capabilities.

Over the next five to 15 years, if US and Chinese forces remain on current trajectories, Asia will witness a progressively receding frontier of US dominance. Chinese forces will become more capable of establishing temporary local air and naval superiority at the outset of a conflict, and this might enable China to achieve limited objectives without defeating US forces.

1. Chinese air base attack

Given the importance of airpower in Americas recent wars, it is not surprising that China has sought ways of neutralizing U.S. capabilities in this area. Of greatest significance, the PLA has developed ballistic and cruise missiles that threaten forward U.S. air bases. From a handful of conventionally armed ballistic missiles in 1996, Chinas inventory now numbers roughly 1,400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of cruise missiles. Although most are short-range systems, they include a growing number of intermediate-range ballistic missiles that can reach U.S. bases in Japan. Importantly, accuracy has also improved. Circular error probabilities have decreased from hundreds of meters in the 1990s to as little as five or ten meters today. Weapon ranges have increased from short (less than 1,000 km) to medium (1,0003,000 km).

RAND models of attacks by these ballistic missiles on Kadena Air Base, the closest U.S. air base to the Taiwan Strait, suggest that even a relatively small number of accurate missiles could shut the base to flight operations for critical days at the outset of hostilities, and focused, committed attacks might close a single base for weeks. U.S. countermeasuressuch as improved defenses, hardened shelters for aircraft, faster runway repair methods, or the dispersion of aircraftcan potentially mitigate the threat. But barring a major U.S. defensive technological breakthrough, the growing number and variety of Chinese missiles will almost certainly challenge the U.S. ability to operate from forward bases. As a larger proportion of U.S. aircraft are forced to fly from bases that are either susceptible to attack or farther from the scene of conflict, basing issues will pose greater challenges for U.S. efforts to gain air superiority over the battlefield.

2. U.S. vs. Chinese air superiority

In virtually any East Asian scenario, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy aircraft would play a critical role in blunting Chinese attacks. Since 1996, the United States has improved existing aircraft and introduced so-called fifth-generation aircraft, including the F-22 and F-35. China, meanwhile, has replaced many of its obsolete second-generation aircraft, which made up an overwhelming proportion of its force in 1996, with modern fourth-generation designs. These fourth-generation aircraft now constitute roughly half of the PLA Air Forces fighter inventory. The net effect of these changes has been to narrow, but not close, the qualitative gap between the U.S. and Chinese air forces. To evaluate the impact of this change on the two scenarios considered, we employed tactical and operational air combat models, using the appropriate basing, flight distances, and force structure data. The models evaluate the number of fighter aircraft that the United States would need to maintain in the Western Pacific to defeat a Chinese air campaign. The results suggest that U.S. requirements have increased by several hundred percent since 1996. In the 2017 Taiwan case, U.S. commanders would probably be unable to find the basing required for U.S. forces to prevail in a seven-day campaign. They could relax their time requirement and prevail in a more extended campaign, but this would entail leaving ground and naval forces vulnerable to Chinese air operations for a correspondingly longer period. The Spratly Islands scenario would be easier, requiring roughly half the forces of the Taiwan scenario.

5. Chinese anti-surface warfare

The PLA has placed as much emphasis on putting U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups (CSGs) at risk as it has into efforts to neutralize U.S. ground-based airpower. China has developed a credible and increasingly robust over-the-horizon (OTH) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability. It launched its first operational military imaging satellites in 2000 and deployed its first OTH skywave radar system in 2007. The skywave system can detect targets and provide a general, though not precise, location out to 2,000 km beyond Chinas coastline. The development of Chinas space and electronics sectors has enabled it to increase the pace of satellite launches and deploy a wider range of sophisticated ISR satellites. Chinas development of anti-ship ballistic missilesthe first of their kind anywhere in the worldpresents a new threat dimension for U.S. naval commanders. That said, the kill chain for these missiles will pose great difficulties for the PLA, and the United States will make every effort to develop countermeasures. Anti-ship ballistic missiles therefore may not pose the kind of one-shot, one-kill threat sometimes supposed in the popular media. At the same time, however, the ongoing modernization of Chinese air and, especially, submarine capabilities represents a more certain and challenging threat to CSGs. Between 1996 and 2015, the number of modern diesel submarines in Chinas inventory rose from two to 41, and all but four of theses boats are armed with cruise missiles (as well as torpedoes). RAND modeling suggests that the effectiveness of the Chinese submarine fleet (as measured by the number of attack opportunities it might achieve against carriers) rose by roughly an order of magnitude between 1996 and 2010, and that it will continue to improve its relative capabilities through 2017. Chinese submarines would present a credible threat to U.S. surface ships in a conflict over Taiwan or the South China Sea.

Recommendations

* U.S. military leaders should ensure that U.S. planning for Pacific military operations is as dynamic as possible. The U.S. military should adopt operational concepts and strategies that capitalize on potential advantages and utilize the geographic size and depth of the theater, as well as areas of particular U.S. military strength. * Specifically, the U.S. military should consider employing an active denial strategy that would improve the resiliency of the force and diminish its vulnerability to preemptive attack. Forces would be more dispersed at the outset of conflict, with many deployed at greater distances from China, but with the ability to move forward as Chinese missile inventories are exhausted or reduced through attrition. * Military procurement priorities should be adjusted, emphasizing base redundancy and survivability; standoff systems optimized for high-intensity conflict; stealthy, survivable fighters and bombers; submarine and anti-submarine warfare; and robust space and counterspace capabilities. To save money, U.S. decisionmakers should consider more rapid cuts to legacy fighter forces and a decreased emphasis on large aircraft carriers. * Political and military leaders should intensify diplomatic efforts in the Pacific and Southeast Asia with the goal of expanding potential U.S. access in wartime. This will provide greater strategic depth and more options for U.S. forces.

Western governments and commentators should make it clear to China that aggression would carry immense risks and that China should be cautious not to exaggerate its ability to prevail in armed conflict. They should also engage China on issues of strategic stability and escalation.
In 2016, International Data Corporation (IDC) has identified robotics as one of six Innovation Accelerators that will drive digital transformation by opening new revenue streams and changing the way work is performed. IDC forecasted global spending on robotics and related services to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17% from more than $71 billion in 2015 to $135.4 billion in 2019.

In 2017, IDC projected world robotics industry growing from $91.5 billion in 2016 to more than $188 billion in 2020.

2016 91 billion 2017 109 2018 131 2019 157 2020 188

2019 is projected to be 16% higher than the prior year projection.

The projected annual growth rate in robotics has increased from 17% to 20%.

The new spending guide measures purchases of robotic systems, system hardware, software, robotics-related services, and after-market robotics hardware on a regional level across thirteen key industries and fifty-two use cases.

The market for robotics continues to experience tremendous growth, said John Santagate, research manager, Supply Chain at IDC Manufacturing Insights. This growth is really fueled by a combination of technology improvements, expanded use cases, and acceptance in the market. Innovators in the field of robotics are delivering robots that can be used to perform a broader range of tasks, which is helping to drive the adoption of robotics into a wider base of industries.

More than half of all robotics spending comes from the manufacturing with Discrete Manufacturing delivering 31% and Process Manufacturing providing 28% of the worldwide total in 2016. This situation will remain relatively unchanged throughout the forecast with the two industries investing nearly $110 billion in robotics in 2020. The leading robotics use case in Discrete Manufacturing is assembly, welding and painting, while mixing is the leading use case in Process Manufacturing.

After manufacturing, the three industries with the largest robotics spending in 2016 were Resource Industries ($8.0 billion), Consumer ($6.5 billion), and Healthcare ($4.5 billion). These industries will maintain their relative positions throughout the forecast, although Consumer spending will significantly narrow the gap with Resource Industries by 2020. Cross Industry robotics spending, which represents use cases common to all industries, such as warehouse pick and pack, will also rank among the top segments throughout the five-year forecast. The industries that will experience the fastest growth over the 2015-2020 forecast period are Consumer, Healthcare, and Retail.

From a technology perspective, purchases of robotics systems, which includes consumer, industrial, and service robots, and after-market robotic hardware will total more than $40 billion in 2016. Services-related spending, which encompasses applications management, education & training, hardware deployment, systems integration, and consulting, will come to more than $20 billion in 2016. The fastest growing segments of robotics spending are drones and after-market drone hardware, which will grow to nearly $20 billion in 2020.

On a geographic basis, the Asia/Pacific region, including Japan, will account for more than two thirds of total robotics spending throughout the forecast. Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) is the second largest region with expenditures of $14.7 billion in 2016, followed by the Americas with a 2016 spending total of $12.9 billion. Robotics spending will more than double in Asia/Pacific over the 2015-2020 forecast period, making it the fastest growing region followed by the Americas, which will edge ahead of EMEA in total spending by 2018.

IDC Asia/Pacific reports that China spending on robotics and related services will more than double, growing from $24.6 billion in 2016 to $59.4 billion in 2020.

China is the single largest and the fastest growing robotics market in the world, and will account for more than 30% of the worldwide robotics spending in 2020. Manufacturing continues to dominate China spending in robotics, with discrete and process manufacturing accounting for over 50% of spending in 2016.

With Made in China 2025 (China industrial plan), China is aiming to become one of the top technological industrial nations within just a few years. However, in order to achieve Beijings target of a robot density of 150 units by 2020, some 600,000 to 650,000 new industrial robots will have to be installed throughout China. By comparison: Around 254,000 units were sold in the global market during 2015.

If China were to become a top ten country in industrial robot density in 2025 then they would need about 13-15 million robots (if they maintained the 100 million manufacturing workforce). If the manufacturing workforce were halved to 50 million then China would need 7 to 10 million robots by 2025.

Those levels will require doubling the industrial robots every 2.5 years for the lower number. This would be about 34% annual growth in robots..
Discovery CEO David Zaslav achieved 92% of his qualitative goals for 2016, and 99.9% of the quantitative ones, the board determined as it lifted his annual compensation 14.9% last year to $37.2 million, the company disclosed today in its proxy statement filed at the SEC.

The package includes a $3 million salary, $15.1 million in stock awards, $11.1 million in option awards, $7.5 million in non-equity incentives, and $442,532 in other compensation. The last category includes $302,608 for personal use of the company jet, a $16,800 car allowance, and $54,326 for personal security services.

Discovery shares appreciated 2.7% in 2016. Revenues grew 1.6% to $6.5 billion while net income was up 15.5%to $1.2 billion.

Discovery shareholders will have a chance to voice their opinion about the compensation package in an advisory vote at the annual meeting, scheduled for May 18 at the company headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.

In another advisory vote, the company will ask shareholders to endorse a plan to just formally seek investor views about compensation once every three years. That, the company says, would give our Board sufficient time to engage with stockholders to better understand their views about executive compensation and respond effectively to their concerns.

The company known for its nature fare opposes a shareholder resolution to link executive pay to the companys performance in protecting the environment. Although the board says it agrees that sustainability is important, it believes that the existing executive compensation program promotes the best interest of our stockholders over time.

Discovery also opposes a shareholder resolution to expand the diversity of board members. It appears to have no minorities on its board, supporters of the resolution say. It was all male until December when C-SPAN co-CEO Susan Swain joined. Shes now on the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee,

Story continues

The company says it looks for the most suitable candidates for director based on merit, without regard to gender, race, religion or ethnicity.

Related stories

Michael Phelps Will Swim With The Great Whites For Discovery Channel's Shark Week - Upfronts

Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge Made $98.5M In 2016

Discovery To Cut Hollywood Programming In Northern Europe Due To Competition
Most people at Chicagos Automate conference are looking over the latest robots, which are faster, safer, and smarter than ever before. Theyre here to see how they might incorporate automation into their places of work.

I, on the other hand, am here as the final stop on a six-week adventure: Researching the effect that robots will have on the American labor force. My report will take the form of a CBS Sunday Morning story thats tentatively slated to be broadcast this Sunday, April 9.

One thing is clear: Robots are definitely going to take over millions of our jobs. About 5 million retail jobs, 3 million truck-driving jobs, and 500,000 taxi and ride-sharing jobs in the US could, in time, take their places alongside the millions of factory jobs that robots have already displaced.

In preparing this story, I rode in a robotic truck that drove itself down a Florida highway, and I ate pizza that had been made by a line of robots in a Silicon Valley pizzeria.

Visitors stand behind a robot at the booth of THK at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2017 in Hamburg, Germany April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer

And I interviewed experts on both coasts.

This much, they agree on: The disruption of human workers by robots and AI is about to take a gigantic leap forward. (According to a PwC report last month, 38% of US jobs could be at high risk of automation by the 2030s.)

What they dont agree on at all is what this means. Some, like Rise of the Robots author Martin Ford, predict massive unemploymentto the point where we need to start considering what people will live on, and how theyll find meaning in life.

Others, like MIT economist David Autor, point out that weve seen many technological revolutions before: in farming, in cars, in electricity, in computing. Yes, theres always massive displacement of workersnot many people make buggy whips or repair typewriters anymorebut that doesnt mean they wind up unemployed. They just shift to something else, to new industries that their predecessors couldnt have imagined.

Were in the same boat, he says. No, our children wont be taxi drivers, truck drivers, factory workers, or checkout cashiers. Truth is, we dont know what theyll be doingbecause the future isnt here yet. But itll be something.

Story continues

More from David Pogue:

David Pogue tested 47 pill-reminder apps to find the best one

David Pogues search for the worlds best air-travel app

The little-known iPhone feature that lets blind people see with their fingers

I paid $3,000 for my MacBook Pro and got emotional whiplash

Heres the real money-maker for the Internet of Things

David Pogue, tech columnist for Yahoo Finance, welcomes non-toxic comments in the Comments below. On the web, hes davidpogue.com. On Twitter, hes @pogue. On email, hes poguester@yahoo.com. You can read all his articles here, or you can sign up to get his columns by email.
The White House said it is confident Bashar al-Assads government was behind an apparent chemical attack that killed at least 58 pe...

The White House said it is confident Bashar al-Assads government was behind an apparent chemical attack that killed at least 58 people in north-west Syria.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that strikes on Khan Sheikhoun by Syrian government or Russian jets had caused many people to choke.Later, aircraft fired rockets at local clinics treating survivors, medics and activists told the BBC.Syrias army denied the government had used any such weapons.White House spokesman, Sean Spicer, condemned what he called these heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime, and said it was in the best interests of the Syrian people for President Assad to leave.He was joined in his condemnation by the United Kingdom, United Nations and France, among others.If confirmed, it would be one of the deadliest chemical attacks in Syrias civil war.The warplanes are reported to have attacked rebel-held Khan Sheikhoun, about 50km (30 miles) south of the city of Idlib, early on Tuesday, when many people were asleep.




Chris Ubosi, the chairman of Megaletrics owners of Beat FM, Classic Fm and Naija Fm is today celebrating his 20th wedding anniversary with his wife, Ijeoma.The 50-year-old entrepreneur and his wife are blessed with 3 kids.In his anniversary message to his wife, he wrote, '20 years ago, full of smiles, Ijeoma Ubosi and I got married. Today, by HIS Grace, my (obviously) better half's love and 3 wonderful kids later, there's still so much smiling and joy between us. I am deeply grateful. Thank you dearest Ije. Happy 20th Anniversary and Here's to the next 50years. Thanks to all of you who have journeyed with us. The Almighty God will meet you all at your points of need'.
Visitors are reflected in the installation Mirror Maze by artist Es Devlin, at the Copeland Park in Peckham, south London, Britain September 21, 2016.

When Leon Chua joined the University of California-Berkeley in 1971, there were three known fundamental electrical devices. Combined in elaborate circuits, resistors (controlling current and voltages), capacitors (basically tiny batteries, and inductors (storing electrical energy in magnetic fields) worked in computers, radios, TV sets, and pretty much every other electrical machine imaginable at that time.

Chua, though, was thinking beyond what was imaginable for most: In a groundbreaking paper, he theorized a fourth fundamental device, which he called a memristor, a device that would change its resistance depending on the history of current that had previously flowed through it, and remember this resistance even when the power supply was turned off. Now, almost half a century later, memristors are few years away from becoming basic building blocks of future artificial brains that truly learn and think like humans.

Overcoming the memory bottleneck

Thinking like humans makes even the most powerful computers struggle. Thats because their design is dramatically different from the biological brain. Almost all modern computers are based on the so-called Von Neumann architecture, says Shinhyun Choi, a researcher at MIT who specializes in neuromorphic computing.

Von Neumann architecture consists of three elements: a processor, an input/output unit, and memory. Every task thrown at a computer is broken down into simple steps. The first step is stored in the memory and transferred to the processor. After computation, the results of the processing are sent back to the memory for storage. Then step two is sent to the processor; its processed, and then sent back to the memory. Even simple operations like adding two plus two takes several of these cycles. Our computers seem to work fast, because they can do huge numbers of such operations every second. But even the fastest computers have nowhere near the efficiency of the human brain.

Story continues

Biological brains can do multiple operations at once. Neurons transmit signals through synapses; the more often a signal goes through a given synapse, the more this synapse gets reinforced, finally building a permanent memory. Theres no need to endlessly shuffle data between processing and memory units because both processing and memorizing are being done at the same time thanks to the phenomenon of synaptic plasticitythe ability of synapses to reconfigure the strength with which they connect two neurons depending on the past electrical activity of these neurons. The brains processing and memorizing work in parallel, rather than step-by-step computing. That means the brain doesnt suffer from the memory bottleneck problem, which is a scourge of every Von Neumann machine, says Choi.

The real brain requires just 20 watts, barely enough to power a dim light bulb. Shuffling data back and forth between memory and processor all the time consumes lots of power. The Lawrence Livermore National Lab had to call on 96 Blue Gene/Q racks of its Sequoia supercomputer, using 7.9 megawatts of power, to simulate a human brain with 100 trillions of synapsesand the simulation ran 1,500 times slower than the real-time speed of the brain. According to some estimates, simulating the human brain in its full capacity with Von Neumann computers would take 12 gigawatts of powerroughly the annual power consumption of Norway. The real brain requires just 20 watts, barely enough to power a dim light bulb.

Thats why a new kind of computing architecture is needed to run truly brain-like machines.

Shrinking things down to the nanobrain

Chuas memristors seem like they might be the keylike the real brain, memristors process and memorize in parallel, and thus should, in theory, be faster and more energy efficient than current computer processors.

Julie Grollier leads the Nanobrain project team at the CNRS/Thales lab in France trying to bring memristor technology from theory into the world. Grollier says her team has already built a memristor small, fast, and durable enough to work as synapses in physical neural networks. Their design is also reportedly power-efficient and generates very little heat, so unlike transistors in every classical microprocessor, they can be arranged in 3D structures, layer upon layer. Future machine brains will look more like a cube than like a wafer.

And, as Grollier argued during her speech at World Economic Forum in Davos 2016, they will work just as our brains do. When you keep sending a signal between two memristors, the resistance of voltage flowing between the two lowers, which eventually builds up long-term memory in a device.

Grolliers device doesnt simulate learning. It learns. In a paper published April 3 in Nature Communications, Grolliers team describes a simulated nine by five array of their memristors that can cope with a simple image-recognition task amazingly well, reaching 100% accuracy. The array, the team argues, exhibits synaptic plasticity and seems to have the same physical properties that let biological-learning systemsinsects, animals, humanslearn without any external control or prior knowledge. Grolliers device doesnt simulate learning. It learns.

But thats all about a synapse, says Grollier. We also need a neuron.

One of the most compelling artificial neuron design proposals to date would use nonlinear oscillators, electronic devices that behave differently depending on the strength of the input signal. They can spike when the incoming voltage reaches a certain threshold, just like real human neurons. But all attempts at building an actual device so far have failed, because the oscillators were either too big, making the whole idea a bit pointless (with billions of neurons working in the human brain, the desired size of a suitable oscillator was below one micrometer), or unstable at nanoscale. They also wouldnt interfere with each others work when stacked at very high density and therefore should be able to work in huge networksa necessity when you want to build a brain with millions of neurons.

A team led by Jacob Torrejon of Universite Paris-Saclay, France (of which Grollier was also a member) seems to have come pretty close to ticking all those boxes. Their nano-oscillator is roughly 0.3 micrometer in diameter, easy to manufacture, and reliable. When you put them close together, their magnetic fields start to interact dynamically and synchronize somehowjust like biological neurons, says Grollier.

One of the most common benchmarks measuring neural networks performance is a spoken-digits test. Nine different speakers say a few different digits, and the AI tries to recognize them. Modern neural networks, like Siri, achieve way above 99% recognition rate. Torrejons team threw the same spoken digits at just one of their artificial neurons and ended up with average score of 99.8%. But there is lots of work ahead.

People in the field are currently experimenting with small arrays of memristors, say 12 by 12. But its obviously too little to process large datasets, says Choi. His own team at MIT wants to build a memristor-based artificial brain for the Cheetah, a four-legged robot which can run and jump over obstacles. Today, you can stick a high-quality camera on a robot and give it great real-time visual databut the bot cant handle the processing of all that data to make sense of it. Its too much information for our current neural networks to cope with in a timely manner. With its new brain, Cheetah will be able to see and process images in real time, pretty much like humans. I think in a few years we can achieve human speed of cognition. Cheetahs brain should be ready three, maybe four years from now, Choi says.

Grollier is more cautiousbut only a bit. Were betting on entirely new basic devices and this will obviously take some time. I expect us to reach a working prototype within five years or so.

How machines could beat biological brains

Grollier thinks neuromorphic memristor technology will get close to a biological brain in terms of computing power and energy efficiency, but wont ever get better. Choi thinks quite the opposite.

A biological neuron is quite large, in the range of one micrometer. Memristors can be 10 times smaller than that, he says. So, its physically possible to achieve much higher density in an artificial chip than in a biological brain. Those things can theoretically have more computing power than humans with the same energy consumption. But eventually, we can go even beyond artificial brains as we know them, and build robots that think with their entire bodies.

The human brain basically works as a biological CPU. It takes input from the available sensorseyes, ears, nose, skinand process the data. Our hands or eyes dont do any processing, they simply act as sensors. This doesnt mean, though, that their artificial cousins should be limited in the same way. Imagine an artificial limb that recognize a shape of an object upon touching it. Then, rather than doing the computation centrally, with sending all the input from the sensors all the way to the CPU, you can do it in a limb itself, says Alberto Salleo, a professor at Stanford University. Salleos team recently built an organic artificial synapse which seems radically different from everything thats been proposed so far.

Do we want to become the new Nvidia? Of course. Their artificial synapse is based off a battery design. It consists of two thin, flexible films with three terminals, connected by salt water working as an electrolyte. Depending on the extent to which the battery is charged, you can get a different state of the electrolyte. When the battery is disconnected from the outside world, that state stays the same, and when you reconnect the battery, the state changes again. Like a neural path in a biological brain being reinforced through learning, the researchers program the artificial synapse by discharging and recharging it repeatedly to weaken or strengthen the connection between the neurons.

Salleo says that their design is low-cost and easy to fabricateunlike the Nanobrain devices which, he says, are made of very high-quality materials, not easy to make. In addition, they are flexible and can even be inkjet printed, so they can be used in applications like soft robotics and prosthetics.

There are downsides. The device is relatively slow, so unlikely to ever act as a basis of a future CPU. Researchers havent made the artificial synapse small enough to fit on a chip, so its hard to say how dense they can be packed. There also remains the question of what is going to act as the neuron.

Well need a solution very soon. Artificial intelligence keeps finding its way to more and more devices and is going to need hardware acceleration.

Back in 1999 Nvidia marketed its GeForce 256 as the worlds first GPU, a dedicated graphics processor predominantly for gaming. Since then, the company has become one of the most recognizable brands in consumer 3D hardware, and dedicated graphics chips have become ubiquitous. And dedicated chips for artificial intelligence are sure to go down that road as well. Do we want to become the new Nvidia? Of course we do, says Choi. Only this time, the stakes are even higher.

Robotics, prosthetics, self-driving cars, autonomous drones, all kinds of consumer devices are possible applications for our technology. The market is huge, says Choi. Im not saying those dedicated chips will make machines smarter than humans. We have no idea how to design algorithms for creativity and everything that goes into human-like intelligence. But sure I want to build hardware to run them.

Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news.

More stories from Quartz:
A team of UN experts has arrived in Nigeria to assess the number of landmines Boko Haram terrorists have laid in the Sambisa Forest.

A team of UN experts has arrived in Nigeria to assess the number of landmines Boko Haram terrorists have laid in the Sambisa Forest.Ms Agnes Marcaillou, Director, UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), told a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York that the team arrived the country on Tuesday.According to her, the assessment is with a view to de-mining and clearing the area of landmines.UNMAS collaborates with 11 other UN departments, agencies, programmes and funds to ensure effective, proactive and coordinated response to the problems of landmines and explosive remnants of war, including cluster munitions.The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, had on Sunday called for deliberate efforts to remove mines from the Sambisa forest after the sack of the insurgents from the area.Buratai said the effort required the assistance of the UN, Non-Governmental Organisations and development partners as the country could not do it alone.Speaking on the UN response, Marcaillou said: UNMAS has sent some people to Nigeria and they have arrived already today (Tuesday) to explore this matter further.I would say that the standard is that we need first and foremost, the involvement of the country in looking at the threat, its a partnership.The United Nations and UNMAS have no magic wand. We need to get an assessment of the problem together; UN brings the capacities of the UN and the government together.And then the Government of Nigeria will take the lead in mobilising the international community support.This is because everything that we will do together at one point or another in Nigeria will require funding to meet those needs.We need the concrete engagement of the government. We need to have evidence that the Government of Nigeria has put this question as a top priority on its agenda.She, however, pledged the commitment of the UN mine service to working with the Federal Government to rid the conflict-prone areas of landmines.But right now, the positive side of the story is that we have responded to the call.And we have a number of people who have already arrived the country today (Tuesday) to discuss it further, she said.
While Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari was in the United Kingdom for a medical vacation, a Nigerian wellwisher, Akinjide Ajisafe...

While Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari was in the United Kingdom for a medical vacation, a Nigerian wellwisher, Akinjide Ajisafe, delivered flowers and get well soon cards for him at the Abuja House.Five weeks after, Buhari has written a letter to appreciate the gesture of the 38-year-old Oyo-born health and safety and fire management consultant.On February 13th, 2017, Ajisafe, a resident of UK, had submitted a card and flower at the Nigerian Embassy, UK, with the following message to wish the ailing Nigeria president quick recovery:Dear President Muhammadu BuhariMay the prayers and blessings of good health I am sending with these flowers make you stronger and healthyMr president, I am sure if you have look outside, right in London the sun of Allah is shining and he is telling you to get well. Many are so earger to have you back, especially in terms of the stability of the country. I hope this little card and flower help a little to know how lovingly you are thought of  by many of us in UKMay Allah continue to guide, bless and direct you to the right path.Presenting the letter dated March 20th, 2017 and signed by a senior special assistant to the president, Mallam Sabiu Yusuf, the Nigeria Embassy administrative officer, Mr. Orisamakin Raphael Adewunmi, praised Ajisafe, adding that Nigeria will regain its value with existence of people like him.Ajisafe, who spoke with Inside Oyo from the United Kingdom, said he may not like some of the policies of the present administration but as a Nigerian, I must wish my country well, at all times.According to him, Though I disagree with some of the policies of President Buhari, that does not mean we should wish him bad. If he dies, we will start all over again.
Nigerian Senate on Wednesday raised a motion stopping the bill that seeks to establish the Chartered Institute of Fraud Examiners.

Nigerian Senate on Wednesday raised a motion stopping the bill that seeks to establish the Chartered Institute of Fraud Examiners.The Bill was sponsored by Senator Foster Ogola.Senator Dino Melaye, while speaking against the Bill said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has a forensic department for the same purpose.He said the department also involves Chartered Institute for training in gaining forensic experience.Based on the considerations, Senator Olusola Adeyeye appealed to Senator Ogola to withdraw the Bill to establish the Chartered Institute of Fraud Examiners.Senator Foster Ogola moved the Motion for the withdrawal of the Bill and was seconded by Senator Godswill Akpabio.
The Federal High Court, Lagos, heard on Tuesday that the children of a former acting Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administr...

The Federal High Court, Lagos, heard on Tuesday that the children of a former acting Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Haruna Jauro, including his six-year old daughter, were invited for interrogation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).A subpoenaed witness, Mr. Peter Achuneni, who is a lawyer, gave the evidence at the resumed trial-within-trial of Jauro.EFCC charged the NIMASA DG alongside Dauda Bawa and Thlumbau Enterprises Limited on 19- count charge of N304.1 million fraud.Justice Mojisola Olatoregun had ordered a trial-within-trial after Jauro claimed his statements were not made voluntarily.The witness, led in evidence by Jauros lawyer, Olalekan Ojo, said he represented Jauro during investigation at the EFCC.The witness told the court that at the commission, he introduced himself to an operative of the EFCC, Mr. Chukwuma Orji, who later detailed one of his subordinates to take the first accused to a table for interrogation.Achuneni said an asset declaration form was also given to the accused to fill, adding that as lawyer, he attempted severally to approach the accused at the table, but he was asked to return back to the gallery where visitors were seated.The witness told the court that after observing disappointment on the face of the accused, (his client at that time), he again attempted for the second and third time to approach the table where he was being interrogated.He said following his persistent attempt, the EFCC operative (Orji), warned him again to go away or risk been joined alongside the accused.Achuneni said Orji later asked him to endorse the accused statement, adding that he was present when it was taken and all went well.
Scores of Muslims yesterday staged a public protest against alleged plans by the Ayo Fayose administration to demolish mosques built wit...

Scores of Muslims yesterday staged a public protest against alleged plans by the Ayo Fayose administration to demolish mosques built within petrol stations.The protest was triggered by the marking of a mosque built inside a filling station owned by a petrol dealer, Alhaji Sulaiman Akinbami, for demolition by the officials of the Ministry of Environment on Monday.The ministry officials, who claimed to be acting on order from above, said the government has issued a directive that all mosques built within filling stations will be demolished because worshippers can contract cancer from effects of radioactive emission.The protesters, acting under the aegis of the state chapter of National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO), marched on the streets of Ado-Ekiti as early as 7.30 am, warning Fayose against the planned action.Chanting Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!! Allahu Akbar !!!, the protesters marched from Ado-Ekiti Central Mosque in Oja Oba to the home of the Grand Imam, who also doubles as the president of League of Imams and Alfas in Southwest, Edo and Delta states, Sheikh Jamiu Kewulere Bello in Odo Ado.The protesters went to the palace of the Ewi, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, to register their disapproval.Addressing them, Kewulere advised them against violence, promising to seek an audience with Fayose on the development as early as possible to find a solution.Kewulere said: Islam is a religion of peace and we have respect for leadership, so I beg that you allow the Muslim leaders to look into this matter. We dont want you to take laws into your hands because this state belongs to all of us.We are going to meet with the governor to actually get the true position of things and we will do all that we need to do for peaceful resolution of this issue.The state NACOMYO Coordinator, Tajudeen Ahmed, described the proposed demolition as an attempt by the Fayose administration to muzzle, denigrate and oppress Muslims.We are not violent people and we believe in leadership. We want to plead with Governor Fayose to reverse this action. How can a mosque located behind a petrol station constitute a health hazard to worshipers?Besides, it has been in existence for over a decade and if it can affect the worshipers, what would then happen to those selling the product?The Ekiti State government has said the planned demolition of places of worship within filling stations is to protect lives.Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development Taelolu Otitoju said: The reason behind the move is the recent fire at a petrol filling station in Ado Ekiti and we want to ensure that few people converge on petrol stations as possible.it is not safe to build a place of worship in a petrol station.With a church or a mosque in a station, the tendency is for people to gather there from time to time and it is not safe.We have to notify the people affected and we have done that.
The All Progressives Congress caucus at the Senate on Tuesday expressed its grievances against the executive at a meeting with the partys...

The All Progressives Congress caucus at the Senate on Tuesday expressed its grievances against the executive at a meeting with the partys National Working Committee.It was gathered that at the closed-door meeting, which started at 2.45pm and ended at 5.25pm, the APC senators absolved themselves of blame over the non-confirmation of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu.It was learnt that the senators told the party leaders that Magus confirmation died before getting to the Senate and that the senators only did its funeral.Investigations also showed that senators, who were loyal to the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, demanded the withdrawal of the suit against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, describing the trial as political.The meeting, which was held in Room 022 in the New Building section of the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, began shortly after Saraki and the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, led others to the venue at 2.30pm before journalists were sent out at 2.45pm.In his opening remarks, the Majority Leader of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, said the event was historic as it was the first time the leadership of the party would be meeting with the senators.This will be the first meeting of the APC Senate caucus with our National Working Committee. On behalf of my colleagues here, Mr. Chairman, I welcome you to this historic, memorable and very important interaction with the Senate APC Caucus of the National Assembly, he said.Odigie-Oyegun, who made reference to the point made by Lawan in his remarks, also described the meeting as historic.Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Odigie-Oyegun called on party stakeholders to cease fire.He said, My appeal is that as we start now the process of reconstructing relationships and consultations, there should be what I will call a ceasefire in terms of the kind of abuse that is used all round on one institution of government or the other, even principal parties of these institutions.Saraki pointed out that whether there were issues or not, regular consultations between the caucus and the party were important.He stated, Despite all the noise you heard last week, we still passed an amendment to the INEC law that had been there for over six or seven years.By this time next week, our Committee on Petroleum will lay the PIB, which has never been done.Its unfortunate but the most important thing is that a lot of stakeholders must respect these institutions. These institutions are there now and they are going to be there after, and we should not allow our selfish interests to enable us to try and ridicule the institutions.When asked if the suspension of the former Majority Leader of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume, was raised at the meeting, Saraki replied, Your question again is distracting from the issues. You have 108 senators here and you have the National Chairman. Let us focus on national issues.A senator, who was at the meeting, but spoke on condition of anonymity, said the lawmakers drew the attention of the party leaders to the reports of the Department of State Services that indicted Magu.It was gathered that the senators took on the national leadership of the APC, accusing the NWC of staying aloof while the crisis between the executive and the legislature was worsening.The lawmaker, who confided in newsmen, said members of the Senate APC Caucus berated the party for failing to advise President Muhammadu Buhari to caution his political appointees.The source said, We told the leadership of our party that political appointees of President Muhammadu Buhari were using the media against us, especially Magu. We stated to them that Magu (case) was brought in dead; that what we did was to only conduct his funeral.We called the attention of the party leaders to the fact that an agency under the executive issues a damning report twice against the nominee under the same executive. We told them we were not to be blamed for what happened to Magu.Many reiterated the fact that Magus case was dead on arrival at the Senate and there was no way we could have ignored the report and clear him.According to the source, the senators accused Buharis appointees of disrespecting them, the senators said, We also called for more respect for the institution of the Senate, especially by those under the executive. That was where the cases of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (Mr. Babachir Lawal) and the Director General of the Nigeria Customs Service (Col. Hameed Ali) were cited.The senator further said the lawmakers reminded the NWC that the National Assembly caucus of the party was critical to the existence and well being of the APC as the members were the ones who were funding the party.He added, We told the party that we have been considerate enough. In fact, we would have rejected about four ministerial nominees but we felt we should not embarrass the President Buhari-led administration.When asked about the demands of the APC leadership, the source said the members of the NWC could not refute some of the issues raised by the lawmakers.The Senator stated, They also realised that they had not been playing their role. We even asked Odigie-Oyegun if he usually takes directives from President Buhari before taking actions regarding the party. We told him that he did not need to consult with the President before playing his role as the leader of the party. We also warned the leaders that our party might find it difficult to win elections the way things are going.It was also gathered that some APC senators, particularly those loyal to Saraki, urged the party to ensure that the ongoing trial of the Senate President at the Code of Conduct Tribunal was stopped, describing it as political.Another source at the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, The APC leaders said we were too confrontational against the President.They said the Presidency was not supposed to be finding things difficult with us since we belonged to the same party.However, several senators explained that they were not happy with the Presidents style. They complained that the President was not giving them due consideration especially. They said most of the people the President was appointing were unknown to them.Some of the senators also asked the party leadership to ensure that Sarakis trial at the CCT was stopped as this would be the perfect way to reconcile the two arms of government.It was learnt that the party leaders promised to convey the issues to Buhari while the senators said they would ensure that the 2017 budget was swiftly looked into as well as the screening of the Resident Electoral Commissioners and ministers.Senate may resume RECs confirmationThere were also indications after the meeting that the Senate was set to resume the confirmation hearing for ministers and the RECs nominated by the President.
Many politicians will be infected with meningitis if it is caused by sin, says Ben Murray Bruce, senator representing Bayelsa east.

Many politicians will be infected with meningitis if it is caused by sin, says Ben Murray Bruce, senator representing Bayelsa east.Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara state, had on Tuesday said the outbreak of stereotype C meningitis was Gods way of punishing Nigerians for rampant fornication and nefarious activities.What we used to know as far as meningitis is concerned is the type A virus. The World Health Organisation, WHO, has carried out vaccinations against this type A virus not just in Zamfara, but many other states.However, because people refused to stop their nefarious activities, God now decided to send Type C virus, which has no vaccination, the governor said after a meeting with President Muhammdu Buhari.Reacting via Twitter on Wednesday, Bruce criticised Yaris reasoning and said the real sin behind the outbreak is the mismanagement of funds earmarked to cure and prevent the disease.Meningitis is caused by bacteria not sin. If sin caused meningitis, most of us politicians will get it, but its the poor who suffer it most, he wrote.The real sin causing meningitis is the sin of mismanaging the money budgeted to cure and prevent a disease that regularly affects Nigerians.We cant have such brilliant medical minds like Bennet Omalu and still operate from the mindset that sins cause diseases like meningitis, he added.
The Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, on Tuesday said the ongoing outbreak of Type C Cerebrospinal Meningitis in some parts of the ...

The Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, on Tuesday said the ongoing outbreak of Type C Cerebrospinal Meningitis in some parts of the country is Gods way of showing his anger against Nigerians for turning their back on him.He made the remark while speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammdu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.Zamfara has been the worst hit state since the outbreak of the disease with over 200 persons dead and several others receiving treatment at various hospitals and clinics in the state.Medical doctors under the aegis of Nigeria Medical Association, Zamfara State chapter, had last weekend accused the state government of failing to prepare for the outbreak of the disease despite warnings.According to them, the government is still not responding well to contain the outbreak.Speaking in Hausa language on Tuesday, Yari said the outbreak might not be unconnected with the peoples total disregard to Gods commandments.He said, What we used to know as far as meningitis is concerned is the type A virus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has carried out vaccinations against this type A virus not just in Zamfara, but many other states.However, because people refused to stop their nefarious activities, God now decided to send Type C virus, which has no vaccination.People have turned away from God and he has promised that if you do anyhow, you see anyhow that is just the cause of this outbreak as far as I am concernThere is no way fornication will be so rampant and God will not send a disease that cannot be cured.He also disagreed with the insinuations that his government failed to act accordingly to address the outbreak.The governor said he called an emergency meeting comprising all top state and local government officials and traditional rulers towards stamping out the disease.The meeting came out with a strategy to be adopted and the money required to deal with the outbreak and a lot of work is going on, he added.
More than half a million people have signed a petition demanding that First Lady Melania Trump move into the White House or foot the expe...

More than half a million people have signed a petition demanding that First Lady Melania Trump move into the White House or foot the expense of living in New York herself.Melania has continued to live at her Manhattan penthouse apartment more than two months after husband Donald Trump was sworn in as 45th president of the United States.The first lady has said that she and 11-year-old son Barron will move to Washington after the current school year ends in the summer.New York expects to spend an average of $127,000-$146,000 a day for the police and $4.5m annually for the fire department to protect the first lady and her child while they live in Trump Tower, city police chief James ONeill wrote February in a letter to local members of Congress.Police spent $24m on protecting the family from election day on November 8, 2016 to inauguration day on January 20, on the eve of which the New York real estate tycoon moved to Washington.The US taxpayer is paying an exorbitant amount of money to protect the First Lady in Trump Tower, said the petition set up on Change.Org.As to help relieve the national debt, this expense yields no positive results for the nation and should be cut from being funded, it added.The petition, which was started two weeks ago, has already been signed by more than 514,200 people. It has a goal of reaching one million supporters.The petition is to be delivered to Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, both prominent Trump opponents on the left of US politics.The president has not returned to New York since moving to Washington but has spent multiple weekends at his estate in Palm Beach, Florida to the frustration of some residents there.Signatories to the petition have left less than savory words for the first familys living arrangements.Melania not living in the White House is not only expensive but an insult to Americans, wrote Gary Strauss from Madison, Wisconsin on Tuesday.This exposes one of the many hypocrisies of this administration, added Roderick Grant of Huntington Station, New York.
Nollywood Actor, John Okafor, popularly known as Mr. Ibu has narrated how he almost jumped into a well to commit suicide. According to him,...

Nollywood Actor, John Okafor, popularly known as Mr. Ibu has narrated how he almost jumped into a well to commit suicide. According to him, several years ago the man he was living with at Ajao Estate area of Oshodi, Lagos, Nigeria threw him out of his house with his loads.





Mr. Ibu, who was a guest on Brilla FM with Murphy Ijemba, said after his friend threw him out, he had already opened a well to jump inside when he heard the song from Michael Bolton being played from a neighbours house.

Mr. Ibu

I went back from where I was standing before and the guy who was living in the next building, he was playing Michael Bolton and the title of the song was when I am back on my feet again. I listened to it. I covered the well back, I went back closer and the man singing was talking to me straight. After I listened to that music, I said God would have hated me if I had killed myself. God would have driven me away from his kingdom. I would have been in hell, he disclosed.

After the music finished playing, I discovered my new self and I said, well, the guy threw out my bags and clothes on the floor, I left them there. I was still wearing what I wore that day. I left the compound and I was looking for a place like uncompleted building or abandoned vehicle so that I can clean it up to sleep.

I saw a trailer parked and I decided to sleep there, all of a sudden, in that trailer, I saw the marks of dogs and I decided not to sleep there anymore for fear of the dogs. I worked into the street and I saw some crowd gathered at Ajao Estate, I met some colleagues, I was given a script to read but because I had not eaten anything and my sight was bad, I could not read it.



Michael Bolton

There is name I always prayed for; she told me to come and stay in her house, she was just a fan, she wanted me to follow her to her boy friends house; I followed her since I dont have a place to sleep. When we got there, the boyfriend travelled. We got to a street called Adetola Aguda, I remembered the number I was given sometimes ago, it was 125 and I searched for it.

Coincidentally, that my friend came back from Germany the day before. He told me that wherever I live in Lagos I must park out today. The guy took me to my house and saw my bags and loads outside, I first lied to him that I wanted to travel, which was why I brought out the load. I carried my bag and clothes and we went back to his house and he gave me a room; I went in and started crying again. I reserve my biggest thanks to that girl, one Sandra Eze, God will pick you up and collect your case file. Everything must be yours, he narrated.

Mr. Ibu said due to what happened to him in the past, he could not watch anybody shedding tears before him, saying that

I go the extra mile to help them, I dont have to know you, I have taken people out of this country who are not my relatives, I just met them on the streets. I dont have to know you, the issue is that I just reflected what happened to me years back, I made up my mind that assisting people will be a key thing in my life.
* Deal elusive as Greece, lenders remain at odds

* Euro zone finance ministers to meet on Friday

* Greek PM says will call for EU summit if no deal (Updates throughout)

By Renee Maltezou and Jan Strupczewski

ATHENS/BRUSSELS, April 5 (Reuters) - Greece and its international lenders remained at odds in talks to release fresh bailout loans to Athens on Wednesday as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said a deal was needed this week and accused creditors of 'playing games' and causing delays.

Talks between Greece, the European Union and International Monetary Fund have stuttered for months due to differences over Greece's fiscal progress, labour and energy market reforms, rekindling worries of a new crisis in Europe.

Euro zone finance ministers will discuss the state of Greek negotiations on Friday at an informal meeting in Malta, but officials said a full deal there was unlikely.

Tsipras said he would ask for an EU leaders summit if there was no deal this week and accused some creditors of being obstinate.

"The Greek economy is ready to leave the crisis behind it. But despite the impressive fiscal results, some of our creditors appear unrepentant," Tsipras told a news conference after meeting EU Council President Donald Tusk in Athens.

"This isn't child's play. This is the future of a people we are talking about."

Greece is on its third bailout from euro zone governments but to get money it has to pass regular reviews of reforms it agreed to in return for the financing.

"What we are trying to achieve is to get close enough to a deal so that lenders' teams of experts may go back to Athens and finalise the numbers," one official said.

SCEPTICAL

If experts return to Athens, they would still work several more days there to come up with what is called a staff level agreement - a report on Greek reforms that would allow ministers to acknowledge their completion and disburse loans.

The latest problem concerns reforms that Greece has to implement to reach and keep a 3.5 percent of GDP budget surplus before debt servicing costs over several years starting in 2018.

Story continues

Institutions representing euro zone governments believe Greece will keep the 3.5 percent surplus also in 2019, but the International Monetary Fund, which euro zone governments want to join the bailout for credibility reasons, is sceptical.

The biggest debate is caused by the pension reform, which would marginally raise payouts for some on the lowest pensions, but slash the highest pensions by 40 percent, with an overall average reduction in payouts of some 15 percent.

Tsipras said Greece had achieved a primary budget surplus of 3.5 percent of GDP in 2016, outperforming its 0.5 percent target, so the debate was unnecessary.

Responding to criticism, Tusk said the European Union stood by Greece's side and was facilitating negotiations.

"The sacrifices of the Greek citizens have been immense. One thing must be clear - no one intends to punish Greece, our goal is only to help Greece," he said. "I have no doubt that there is no alternative to a positive breakthrough on Friday."

A spokeswoman for Germany's Finance Ministry said the government was watching the "intensive" discussions between Greece and its lenders. "Delays are not good for economic recovery so we are waiting to see what comes out of these talks," she said. (Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
Nigeria is launching a mass vaccination campaign as part of emergency response to an outbreak of meningitis in the northwestern states.

Nigeria is launching a mass vaccination campaign as part of emergency response to an outbreak of meningitis in the northwestern states.The countrys Centre for Disease Control said on Tuesday the death toll has climbed to 336.The number of suspected cases has hit 2,997, over 1,000 more than what was recorded at the beginning of last week, when 269 people had died, the centre said.If unchecked, the surge in infections could raise the prospect of a repeat of 2009, when more than 2,000 Nigerians died from the disease, Reuters reported.Basic healthcare is limited in rural parts of the country, where most people live on less than $2 a day, despite the countrys huge oil resources.The emergency response, according to the centre, includes vaccination campaigns across the affected states, beginning on Wednesday.The team will also deploy and coordinate a robust national communication and social mobilisation campaign, focused on (meningitis) prevention and control in rural and urban areas of affected states, the centre said.The most affected states are Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger and Sokoto, while the worst-hit population group is children aged five to 14, it added.Meningitis is the inflammation of tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord which can be caused by viral or bacterial infections.It spreads mainly through kisses, sneezes, coughs and in close living quarters.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has issued an official statement regarding the rumours of a fuel price hike.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has issued an official statement regarding the rumours of a fuel price hike.The statement issued by NNPC Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr Ndu Ughammadu, read,''NNPC wishes to assure consumers of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, otherwise known as petrol that the review of bridging cost would not lead to increase in the price of the white product."The review of the bridging allowance which enjoyed the blessing of the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, would be absorbed in the existing products import template."
North Korea on Wednesday, test-fired a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast, South Koreas military said. The development is...

North Korea on Wednesday, test-fired a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast, South Koreas military said. The development is ahead of a summit between U.S. and Chinese leaders who are set to discuss Pyongyangs increasingly defiant arms programme. The missile flew about 60 km (40 miles) from its launch site at Sinpo, a port city on North Koreas east coast, the South Korean Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.Sinpo is home to a North Korean submarine base. The launch came just a day before the start of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where talks about adding pressure on the North to drop its arms development will take centre stage.The launch took place possibly in consideration of the U.S.-China summit, while at the same time it was to check its missile capability, a South Korean official said.The missile was fired at a high angle and reached an altitude of 189 km (117 miles), the official said. U.S. officials said the missile appeared to be a liquid-fueled, extended-range Scud missile which only traveled a fraction of its range. Initially, U.S. and South Korean militaries said assessments indicated the latest launch was of a KN-15 medium-range ballistic missile which would have been the same kind North Korea test-launched in February.We are now certain it was a liquid-fueled Scud, said a senior White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. It spun out of control after going only a fraction of its range, the official said. Any launch of objects using ballistic missile technology is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The North has defied the ban, saying it infringed on its sovereign rights to self-defence and the pursuit of space exploration.The launch drew swift condemnation from Japan, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying further provocative action was possible. Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga described the launch as extremely problematic and said Tokyo had lodged a strong protest. South Koreas Foreign Ministry also condemned the launch as a blunt challenge to series of UN Security Council resolutions targeting North Koreas nuclear and missile programme.Seoul called a National Security Council meeting and vowed to respond strongly in case of further provocations. In a terse statement, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said: The U.S. has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment.
The Peoples Democratic Party has asked Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State to resign for attributing the outbreak of meningitis to ...

The Peoples Democratic Party has asked Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State to resign for attributing the outbreak of meningitis to Gods punishment.The party made this known in a statement signed by Prince Dayo Adeyeye the partys National Publicity Secretary. Recalled that Governor Abdulaziz Yari has said that the outbreak of Type C Cerebrospinal Meningitis in the country was a direct punishment from God to the people of Nigeria for their various sinful acts.
According to reports, Gabons Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will pay a 50,000 euro fine for his latest masked escapade.The striker has famously donned Spiderman and Batman masks in the past to celebrate goals, and he did so again this past weekend when he scored in Borussia Dortmunds 1-1 draw with regional rivals Schalke in the Bundesliga.However, he has fallen foul of his club because the mask he used against Schalke is the same as one he used in a marketing campaign for his sponsors Nike.Rival sportswear company Puma are shareholders in Dortmund and have expressed their dissatisfaction with Aubameyangs stunt, but left it up to the club to decide his punishment.Bild reports that the player will be given a five-figure fine.The Gabonese player has already been in trouble with the clubs bosses for shaving Nikes famous swoosh symbol into his hair last month."It's not on that we are forced in this way to push through the economic interests of Nike. Our partner is Puma," Dortmund's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told Bild."This act is unworthy of a large corporation. A serious (business) relationship is different to that."The relationship is currently significantly strained at the moment," he added, referring to the club's relations with Nike.
Thousands of people from Borno South yesterday stormed the National Assembly, Abuja, protesting the suspension of their representative i...

Thousands of people from Borno South yesterday stormed the National Assembly, Abuja, protesting the suspension of their representative in the Senate, Mohammed Ali Ndume.Similarly, hundreds of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the senators district also converged on the Unity Fountain, Abuja in protest over Ndumes suspension.The IDPs vowed to remain at the spot until their senator is recalled by the upper legislative chamber.The Senate, last Wednesday, suspended Ndume for calling for investigation of alleged irregular importation of a N298 million bulletproof Range Rover with fake Customs documents. The vehicle had since been seized by the Customs.Ndume also drew the attention of the Senate to the allegation of first degree certificate forgery against Senator Dino Malaye (Kogi West), as reported by an online publication, Saharareporters.He was subsequently suspended for six months, ostensibly based on a report by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.His colleagues accused the Borno senator of unnecessarily distracting the attention of the Senate on allegations based on rumours and for failing to investigate the allegations before raising them on the floor of the Senate.But the protesters, who carried placards with varied inscriptions, condemned the senators suspension, insisting that Ndume did not commit any offence against Saraki and Melaye.Describing the suspension as illegal, undemocratic and self-serving, the protesters said Saraki is a curse to democracy.Addressing reporters at the main entrance to the National Assembly, the leader of the protesters, Mr. Musa Ali, declared that the people of the senatorial district could not afford to have their senator stay suspended for six months.According to Ali, the constituents have been benefitting hugely from the senators representation, adding that leaving him out in the cold for six months would be unbearable.We cannot allow our senator to be out for six months as annoyingly decided by the Senate last week. Where do the senators want IDPs, who have been surviving through Ndumes magnanimity to run to? What about these hundreds of constituents benefitting from the senator? Where do they want them to run to?Boko Haram insurgents pursued most of these people you are seeing away from their various homes in Southern Borno, but have been getting needed assistance and support from their senator, Ali Ndume, only for the Senate to now pursue their helper from his place of help. This to us is unacceptable and must be revisited by the Senate, Ali declared.The protesters later forwarded a protest letter to Saraki on behalf of the people of Southern Borno.In the letter, the group called for urgent reconsideration of the senators suspension, describing the action as too injurious for the people of the zone to bear.Also, the constituents from the IDP camp, who joined the protest from an IDPs camp in Wassa, Abuja, vowed not to return to the camp until Ndumes suspension is lifted.Their spokesperson, Mr. Kyellu Suleiman, said the IDPs would remain at the Unity Fountain Square until justice is done in the Ndume case.The leadership of the Senate did not grant the protesters audience while the protest lasted.
Legislators in the house of representatives on Wednesday kicked against a bill seeking to empower the national assembly to remove governor...

Legislators in the house of representatives on Wednesday kicked against a bill seeking to empower the national assembly to remove governors and deputy governors from office in appropriate circumstances.The bill is seeking to delete the proviso of section 11 (4) of the constitution which already specified that the national assembly could take over state house of assemblies in times of crisis.The sponsors of the bill are Edward Pwajock from Plateau and Ali Isa from Gombe.Pwajock had moved a motion for the bill to be heard, but his colleagues kicked against it, saying it would not only make the national assembly too powerful, but also create tension in the country.Ayo Omideran, lawmaker from Osun, said debating the issue on the floor of the house was a waste of time.We dont need to waste our time on it. This bill wants to make national assembly members to be omnipotent, she said.Anybody that has problems with his governor should go home and settle it.Contributing to the debate, Nkeruika Onyejocha, lawmaker from Abia, said the national assembly had no business removing state governors.She said the proviso of section 11 (4) of the constitution which gives the national assembly powers to take over state houses of assemblies in times of crisis has not worked well enough.I say it without mincing words that we dont have business with the states, she said.We had the issue of Kogi, we were handling their matter and they went ahead to be doing their own.Also speaking, Femi Gbajabiamila, majority house leader, said the bill was ineffective and lacked moral and legal sense.This bill must fall on its own sword. Why is this bill before the house? To allow us impeach a governor? he asked.Also contributing to the debate, Jagaba Jagaba, lawmaker from Kaduna state, said: This bill is going to create serious issues and a lot of members will have issues.Mohammad Zakari, lawmaker from Kwara state, said Nigeria was practising federalism and not a unitary system of government.What we are practising is federalism. Edward Pwajock should bring in a bill to amend the constitution, Zakari said.At this point Pwajock was forced to withdraw the bill, and Yusuf Lasun, deputy speaker, stepped down the bill accordingly.
The House of Representatives on Tuesday called for the extension of the deadline for the 2017 registration of Unified Tertiary Matricula...

The House of Representatives on Tuesday called for the extension of the deadline for the 2017 registration of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).The house mandated its Committee on Tertiary Education and Services to liaise with the Joint Matriculation and Admission Board (JAMB) to ensure that the extension call was honoured.This emanated from the adoption of a motion by Rep. Damburam Nuhu (KanoAPC).In the motion, Nuhu called for one-month extension on the exercise, saying that it would create additional time for more prospective applicants to register for the examination.He said that the slow process of the registration frustrated some applicants from registering.According to him, some of the approved centres are registering 250 applicants at a time and most of them are not spacious and do not have adequate computers.Some of them have naked wires exposed and are haphazardly arranged on ordinary planks, thus lacking in safety requirement in case of an emergency, Nuhu said.He said that out of over 1.5 million secondary school students expected to register for the examination, only 600, 000 were able to register for the exercise two weeks into the one month period allotted to it.He urged JAMB to specify requirements, including safety measures, which qualified any centre to participate in the conduct of the UTME computer-based test.The lawmaker also stated the need for the house to invite the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, to explain the proficiency of the computer-based process of registration for applicants in rural areas.The Committee is expected to carry out the assignment within one week.
Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday lost in his bid to prevent the recall of an official of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) w...

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday lost in his bid to prevent the recall of an official of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) who had earlier testified in his trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for alleged false assets declaration.At the commencement of proceedings on Wednesday, lead prosecution lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), re-invited the CCB official, Samuel Madojemu, to clarify his earlier testimonies during cross-examination by Sarakis lawyer.Before Madojemu could answer the first question from Jacobs, Sarakis lawyer, Paul Erokoro (SAN), objected to the witness being asked questions about the Senate presidents London property.Erokoro said Madojemu had earlier admitted that he knew nothing about the London mortgage and did not seek any explanation from the Fortis Bank in London.The CCT Chairman, Danladi Umar, overruled Erokoro and allowed Jacobs to continue with his re-examination of the witness.Madojemu proceeded to answer Jacobs question and restated his evidence that Saraki failed to declare a London property he allegedly acquired through mortgage in 2010.Madojemu, the Head of Intelligence Unit at the CCB, had during cross-examination by Erokoro, identified a property at 70 Bourne Street, South-West London, valued at $4,800,000, which he said Saraki declared that he acquired through proceeds from sales of rice and sugar in January 2002.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has cautioned Itse Sagay, chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC) t...

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has cautioned Itse Sagay, chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC) to desist from making utterances that could be interpreted as an attack on the national assembly.In a statement by Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, APC said as a professor of law, Sagay ought to appreciate the need not to denigrate the institutions of democracy.Describing federal lawmakers as critical to the running of government and the nurturing of democracy, Abdullahi advised Sagay to key into the temper of Buhari.In furtherance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) efforts to resolve the rift between the executive and the national assembly, the APC urges all government appointees to stop making statements that may further worsen the relationship between the two arms of government and derail the partys effort to make peace, the statement read.Specifically, the party urges Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC) to exercise restraint and desist from making utterances that may be misconstrued as an attack on the institution of the national assembly.The party acknowledges the fatherly role being played by the President, H.E Muhammadu Buhari to resolve outstanding issues with the national assembly, by setting up a high-level committee led by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.We believe the comments attributed to Prof. Sagay are uncalled for, regrettable and could further complicate the relationship between these vital arms of government.Our expectation would be that as a Law Professor of repute, Prof. Sagay would appreciate the need to not denigrate the institutions of democracy, be it the executive, legislature or judiciary.Moreover, as an appointee of Mr. President, we should expect the learned professor to key into his principals temper and help him to make friends that would make his job easier and not make enemies of people who, by virtue of the position they occupy under our law, are critical to the running of government and the nurturing of our democracy.APC also disagreed with Sagays position on the summons by the senate.The lawmakers had invited the lawyer to appear before them, but he rejected the invitation, saying the senate lacked the power to summon him.But the ruling party said as an appointee of Buhari, the senate could invite Sagay if it deemed it fit.The party specifically objects to the professors call on the senate to withdraw invitation extended to him. As someone appointed by our government, we find this kind of posturing unacceptable and potentially injurious to the peace efforts by the party, the statement read.The party wishes to reiterate its earlier position admonishing all elected or appointed officials of our government to desist from utterances that may endanger efforts to build harmonious relationship between the two arms of government. Prof. Sagay should not operate outside this admonition.The party expresses happiness with the meeting it had with the senate caucus on Tuesday and is confident that all the issues raised will be addressed. It also urges the national assembly to further intensify its efforts to ensure timely passage of the 2017 national budget.
* European agency says precautions needed after laptop ban

* Cites possible fire risk from lithium-ion batteries

* First response by a safety regulator after U.S., UK bans (Adds TSA comment, background)

By Victoria Bryan and Tim Hepher

BERLIN/PARIS, April 5 (Reuters) - Europe's aviation regulator voiced concern on Wednesday over the risk of battery fires in the cargo holds of passenger planes after U.S. and British authorities banned certain electronics from passenger cabins despite U.S. assurances that its agency had been thoroughly briefed on the proper handling of electronics.

The European Aviation Safety Agency, which is responsible for safe flying in 32 countries, said personal electronic devices (PED) carried a fire risk due to their lithium batteries and should preferably be carried inside passenger cabins so that any problems could be identified and dealt with.

In regard to the European agency's concerns, the U.S. Transportation Safety Administration said it had "coordinated closely with the FAA" (Federal Aviation Administration) on the logistics of the ban and that the agency had provided information to airlines regarding appropriate handling of electronics and lithium batteries.

The European agency, however, warned in a bulletin: "When the carriage of PEDs in the cabin is not allowed, it leads to a significant increase of the number of PEDs in the cargo compartment. Certain precautions should therefore be observed to mitigate the risk of accidental fire in the cargo hold."

Computers in checked baggage must be completely switched off and "well protected from accidental activation," it added.

The Cologne, Germany-based agency issued its guidance two weeks after the United States and Britain banned gadgets larger than a smartphone from passenger cabins on flights from certain countries because of security concerns.

The European safety recommendation is not mandatory, but is likely to rekindle a debate about the new rules, which some airline chiefs have criticised as inconsistent or ineffective.

Story continues

A group representing 38,000 European pilots said last week it was "seriously concerned" about the ban, on the grounds that it could create new safety risks.

"With current airplane cargo hold fire suppression systems, it might prove to be impossible to extinguish a lithium battery fire in the cargo hold, especially when the batteries are stored together. Therefore, any event of this nature during flight would more than likely be catastrophic," the European Cockpit Association said.

It is not the first time regulators have called for personal devices to be carried in the cabin, but possibly the first time such measures have clashed so directly with security considerations.

In 2015, international regulators urged airlines to transport lithium-powered hoverboards in the cabin following reports of the popular devices catching fire. Several airlines went even further and banned them altogether, but travel experts say such a draconian ban on computers would carry little support from the industry or its lucrative business travellers.

JUGGLING RISKS

Security experts say the decision to place electronics into checked bags on U.S.-bound flights from eight Middle East or North African countries suggests Washington has intelligence that enough material can now be packed into a laptop, usually disguised as its battery, to cause catastrophic damage.

Placing such objects in checked baggage would expose them to greater screening for explosives and reduce the chances that a hidden bomb could be deliberately placed next to the cabin wall.

France has been studying whether and how to apply similar restrictions on cabin baggage, security sources say.

Last year, a suspected suicide bomber tried to blow up a Somali jetliner as it was taking off from Mogadishu by placing a computer bomb near the window. He was sucked out of the jet without causing it to crash, but the incident focused attention on the threat of bombs hidden inside ordinary-looking gadgets.

Reuters last month reported that the rules banning many items from passenger cabins on U.S.- and Britain-bound flights would, however, force a rethink on fire safety concerns now that they were being consigned to the hold.

EASA's warning highlights the struggle to juggle rules on safety with increasingly stringent security protections and the wider risk that rules to solve one problem can lead to another.

The FAA says such "unintended effects" are one of the common themes it has identified in its database on lessons learned from past crashes.

"The recent laptop ban on certain routes to the USA has brought into sharp relief exactly this challenge," said UK-based aviation consultant John Strickland.

"Simply taking items powered by lithium batteries and stashing them in the hold is not an option unless done with sufficient attention to safety," he added.

Safety regulators have focused for years on the growing headache caused by temperamental lithium-ion batteries.

In 2015, the FAA told airlines not to let passengers pack extra lithium-ion batteries inside their checked baggage.

Airlines had already been alerted to the risk of carrying large shipments of lithium batteries as cargo after a UPS Boeing 747 cargo jet crashed in 2010, killing both crew.

But current FAA advice suggests it has fewer concerns than its European counterpart about the threat of fires from batteries already installed in individual passenger's devices.

(Writing by Tim Hepher, additional reporting by Alana Wise, David Shepardson; editing by Susan Fenton, G Crosse)
Itse Sagay, chairman of the presidential advisory committee against corruption, has maintained that the senate lacks the power to summon h...

Itse Sagay, chairman of the presidential advisory committee against corruption, has maintained that the senate lacks the power to summon him and urged any aggrieved lawmaker to sue him for defamation.The senate had resolved to invite Sagay over his criticism of the red chamber for refusing to screen 27 resident electoral commissioners and seeking the sack of Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).After a point of order was raised by Bala Ibn NaAllah, deputy senate leader, the senate referred the matter to its committee on ethics and privileges.Sagay had shortly thereafter responded saying the senate lacked the power to summon him.Reacting again, Sagay has written to the senate a letter titled, Re: Resolution summoning me to appear before the Senate.The senior advocate of Nigeria addressed the letter to Bukola Saraki, senate president.My attention has been drawn to the well publicised resolution of the Senate, summoning me to appear before it to justify my criticism of the illegal call on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack Mr. Ibrahim Magu, the acting Chairman of the EFCC, the letter read.My criticism was anchored on Section 171(1) of the Constitution, which has empowered the President to appoint any person to hold or act in the office of the head of any extra-ministerial department of the Federal Government.Although I have not been served with any summons from the Senate, I deem it fit to take issue with members of the Senate over the threatened violation of my fundamental right to freedom of expression guaranteed by Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (Cap A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.However, the power to conduct enquiries is not at large. Thus, by virtue of Section 88 (1) & (2) of the 1999 Constitution the National Assembly shall have power to direct or cause to be directed investigation into the conduct of any person, authority, ministry or agency of the Federal Government subject to the provisions of the constitution, Sagay said.The senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) cited three instances regarding the power of the national assembly to summon people.Sagay said the cases of Innocent Adikwu v. Federal House of Representatives ((1982) 3 NCLR 394 at 416), Senate of National Assembly v. Momoh ((1983) 4 NCLR 269 at 29), and Mallam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai v. The House of Representatives, National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria & Ors ((2003) 46 WRN 70) showed that the senate lacked the right to summon him.It reads further: Applying the principle of law, enunciated in the above cited cases, I am fortified in my submission that the Senate lacks the constitutional power to summon me to justify my condemnation of the illegal actions of its members.The Senate cannot be accuser, prosecutor and judge in its own case. However, any aggrieved member of the Senate has the liberty to sue me for defamation in a competent court of jurisdiction.Consequently, I urge you to withdraw the resolution summoning me to appear before the Senate. If you fail to accede to my request, I will not hesitate to challenge the legal validity of the summons, once it is served on me.
By Alexandra Alper and Norihiko Shirouzu MEXICO CITY/BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor Co Ltd <601633.SS><2333.HK> is considering building an auto plant in two Mexican states hit by U.S. President Donald Trump's drive to make American companies invest at home, sources said. Great Wall Motor, which describes itself as China's largest SUV and pickup manufacturer, is interested in building a plant in Nuevo Leon in northern Mexico or the central state of San Luis Potosi, three people familiar with the matter said. Under pressure from Trump to keep jobs in the United States, Ford Motor Co in January canceled a $1.6 billion plant in San Luis Potosi, while heating and air conditioning firm Carrier in December scaled back plans to move production to Nuevo Leon. Great Wall Motor officials met with Mexico's top railroad firms, Ferrocarril Mexicano (Ferromex), part of Grupo Mexico , as well as Kansas City Southern de Mexico [KCSM.UL] , to evaluate the states' connectivity, according to a source and two documents seen by Reuters. One of the sources said the company was in direct talks with Nuevo Leon's government. Another source said the automaker was also eyeing a U.S.-based plant but gave no further detail on locations. A senior Great Wall Motor executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the choice between U.S. and Mexican locations would depend on trade issues involving the United States, Mexico and China. Great Wall Motor and Ferromex did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for Kansas City Southern de Mexico confirmed Great Wall Motor officials met the company, but declined to provide further details. A pledge by the Chinese firm could bolster Mexico's efforts to reduce dependence on U.S. trade and investment as Trump threatens to rip up the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and rails against U.S. firms moving jobs south. China, a low-cost manufacturing rival to Mexico, has traditionally invested little in Latin America's second largest economy. But there are signs that could be changing. In February, China's Anhui Jianghuai Automobile (JAC Motor) and distributor Chori Company unveiled plans with a firm part-owned by Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim to invest over $200 million in a car plant in the central state of Hidalgo. According to one of the sources, construction on the Great Wall Motor plant could get underway next year and cost about $500 million. It would produce some 250,000 autos a year for the American and Mexican markets and seek to use Chinese inputs, the person added. (Additional reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu and Jake Spring in Beijing and Anthony Esposito, Adriana Barrera, and Gabriel Stargardter in Mexico City; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
Per recent sources, ExxonMobil Corporation XOM is planning to foray into Brazils prized deep-water resources.



Interestingly, ExxonMobil is the only oil major that does not have a significant holding in the country. So far, the discussions indicate the possibility of a joint venture through which ExxonMobil would invest in projects with state-oil firm, Petroleo Brasileiro SA or Petrobras PBR. Also, ExxonMobil is likely to purchase stakes in offshore tracts that the Brazilian government plans to lease out this year. However, no specific terms of any agreement has yet been finalized by ExxonMobil.



ExxonMobil has been keen on participating in deepwater resources of Brazil since the past 10 years. It has also been working with Hess Corporation HES to strengthen its foothold in Brazil as the country revised regulations last year to draw greater foreign investment.



ExxonMobils price chart, however, shows weakness. Shares of the company lost 5.4% in the last six months, while the Zacks categorized Oil & Gas  International Integrated industry registered an increase of 0.7% in the same time span.







ExxonMobil is the worlds largest publicly traded oil company, engaged in oil and natural gas exploration and production, petroleum products refining and marketing, chemicals manufacture, and other energy-related businesses.



Recently, ExxonMobil entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Eni SpA E to acquire 25% indirect interest in the natural gas-rich Area 4 block, off the coast of Mozambique. We believe that ExxonMobils financial strength along with industry-leading project execution skills will help it capitalize on the developments strong prospects and likely create long-term economic value for shareholders.



Currently, ExxonMobil carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Zacks Best Private Investment Ideas



In addition to the recommendations that are available to the public on our website, how would you like to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time?



Our experts cover all kinds of trades from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Starting today, for the next month, you can have unrestricted access. Click here for Zacks' private trades >>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (PBR): Free Stock Analysis Report



ENI S.p.A. (E): Free Stock Analysis Report



Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM): Free Stock Analysis Report



Hess Corporation (HES): Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
New Orleans population numbers: Is it time to stop looking for the Katrina effect?
(Adds U.S. vice president's expected visit to Indonesia, background, paragraphs 5, 10-12)

By Mitra Taj

SANTIAGO, April 5 (Reuters) - Freeport McMoRan Inc is awaiting final details on a temporary export permit in Indonesia, which would end a 12-week ban that has cost the world's biggest publicly traded copper company nearly $1 billion in lost revenues, its top executives told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday.

"With the short-term arrangement, we'll start ramping production back up to feed our mill 100 percent," said Chief Financial Officer Kathleen Quirk referring to Freeport's Grasberg mine.

"It shouldn't take very long, we're talking weeks," she said, alongside Chief Executive Officer Richard Adkerson, at the CRU World Copper Conference in Santiago.

Indonesia banned miners from exporting copper concentrate on Jan. 12 under new rules aimed at boosting the Southeast Asian nation's domestic smelting industry.

For each month exports are banned, Grasberg output is reduced by 70 million pounds of copper, Freeport says.

Freeport is required to adopt a special license, that includes new taxes and royalties, divesting a 51 percent stake in its operations and relinquishing arbitration rights.

The Phoenix-based company has lost revenues "approaching $1 billion," under the export stoppage, said Quirk, mitigated by cost and capital spending cuts. It is unlikely deferred capital spending will resume until a long-term mining agreement is reached, said Adkerson.

Under a temporary permit, extending to October, Freeport could resume copper concentrate exports from Grasberg, the world's second-biggest copper mine, while negotiating contentious issues that have prevented a longer-term agreement, including divestment, economic and legal protection and domestic smelting investment.

Freeport plans to boost Grasberg production from 40 percent currently to full capacity in a matter of weeks after receiving the short-term permit, Quirk said.

Freeport insists any new permit must have the same fiscal and legal guarantees as under its 30-year mining contract. The company has warned that if the matter is unresolved by June 17, it could go to arbitration and seek damages. A temporary permit does not affect that timeline, but Adkerson said there is no reason for arbitration if negotiations progress.

Story continues

Shareholder pressure is mounting on Freeport to stand up to the government. The issue could emerge during a visit to Indonesia by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence this month, part of a larger Asian tour reported by the media.

Freeport's ban, coupled with a strike at BHP Billiton's Escondida mine in Chile, the world's biggest copper mine, pushed copper prices to 20-month highs of $6,204 a tonne on the London Metal Exchange in February.

(Reporting by Mitra Taj and Felipe Iturriet in Santiago, writing by Susan Taylor in Toronto in Vancouver; Editing by David Gregorio and W Simon)
Keriana Alexcee, an Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office deputy, was booked on a charge of malfeasance in office Wednesday, April 5, 2017, related to the Oct. 17, 2016, suicide death of 15-year-old inmate Jaquin Thomas, who authorities say hung himself inside the Orleans Justice Center jail. (Orleans Justice Center jail)
Canadian researchers have unmasked a disinformation campaign with possible links to Iran that includes posing as mainstream media to spread falsehoods targeting primarily Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States (AFP Photo/SAUL LOEB)

Berlin (AFP) - Germany on Wednesday took the European lead in cracking down against hate speech and fake news, threatening social media giants with fines of up to 50 million euros if they fail to remove offensive posts promptly.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet approved the tough measure after assessing that companies like Twitter and Facebook were not doing enough to erase content that falls foul of German law.

"Hate crimes that are not effectively combatted and prosecuted pose a great danger to the peaceful cohesion of a free, open and democratic society," said Merkel's government in a statement.

Since the arrival of around one million asylum-seekers in Germany since 2015, the volume of xenophobic hate speech has exploded online.

Alarmed by the incendiary nature of the posts, the government has repeatedly warned the online behemoths to better police the content on their network.

The web companies had pledged in 2015 to examine and remove within 24 hours any hateful comments, but Justice Minister Heiko Maas said not enough was done.

Citing a government study, Maas said Twitter only took down one percent and Facebook 39 percent of the content reported by users.

Google's YouTube video sharing platform fared far better, with a rate of 90 percent.

Beyond hate speech and fake news, the draft legislation also covers other illegal content, including child pornography and terror-related activity.

The companies would have 24 hours to remove any posts that openly violate German law after they are flagged by users.

Other offensive content would have to be deleted within seven days after it is reported and reviewed.

Executives of the social media groups also risk individual fines up to five million euros ($5.3 million) in case of non-compliance.

Under German law, Holocaust denial, incitement of hatred and racist speech are illegal.

- 'Policing opinion?' -

But critics warned that the proposed law could stifle freedom of expression.

Story continues

Renate Kuenast, an MP with the opposition Greens, said the fines were "almost an invitation to not just erase real insults, but to wipe out almost everything for the sake of playing it safe".

Likewise, the German Federation of Journalists said it would be "difficult to reconcile freedom of the press and opinion" with the proposed legislation.

Facebook warned that "this legislation would force private companies rather than the courts to become the judges of what is illegal in Germany".

More than 700 people will be working on the content review task force for the company in Berlin by year's end, said the group, which made profits of $3.7 billion (3.5 billion euros) in the last three months of 2016.

It also rejected the data cited by Maas, saying that a test carried out by FSM -- a self-regulation lobby group backed by online media -- found that Facebook deleted more than 65 percent of illegal content within a day.

Maas acknowledged that freedom of expression "has huge significance in our democracy".

But he added: "Freedom of expression ends where criminal law begins," predicting that Germany's measure would only be a start.

"In the end, we need European solutions for companies that operate across Europe," Maas told reporters.

- 'Talking to a wall' -

Underlining the frustration with the slow-moving fight against such online hate, one social network user, Steffi Brachtel, told AFP she had filed countless complaints to Facebook over offensive posts.

But only once did it agree to remove a post -- a Hitler-related one, she said.

The waitress had begun her one-woman campaign against online hate speech after a friend shared an objectionable cartoon on Facebook.

"I spent several hours every day on Facebook, trying to tell people to watch what they are saying... but got the feeling that I was talking to a wall," she said.

Brachtel said she also faced physical threats. Neo-Nazis followed her on her way home and her letterbox was bombed.

But she warned that if action is not taken against far-right material, "then it just gets passed on and on, and that's how the hate gets bigger in people, and that's a major problem".
A Louisiana House bill filed to expand the people to which domestic violence laws apply could have affected Louisiana State Senator Troy Brown, who plead guilty to assaulting his wife and girlfriend in two different incidents.(Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump. The nine-member panel sent a letter to the former president's lawyers on Friday, demanding his testimony under oath by mid-November and outlining a series of corresponding documents. The decision by lawmakers to exercise their subpoena power comes a week after the committee made its final case against the former president, who they say is the "central cause" of the multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It remains unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond to the subpoena, if at all.
Rosalina Kariotakis, President of the Ride Share Drivers' Association of Australia, is reflected in a mirror as she drives her car she uses for the ride services company Uber along a street in central Sydney, Australia, March 31, 2017. REUTERS/David Gray

By Cecile Lefort

SYDNEY (Reuters) - When ride-hailing company Uber started in 2014, Sydney resident Rosalina Kariotakis was among the first drivers to sign up, becoming part of the "gig economy" where freelance work is transforming the traditional job market in step with advances in technology.

Mobile or online platforms are at the forefront of a boon in casual work for individuals who are seeking greater flexibility for less security - many of them are giving up benefits such as sick leave, life insurance and pension fund savings.

In Australia, this sea change is putting a strain on the country's much-admired A$2.1 trillion ($1.60 trillion) system of retirement savings - the world's fourth largest - which relies on mandated contributions by employers.

"Our research shows that contingent and part-time workers are missing out on A$150 million a year in super payments," said Damian Hill, chief executive of REST Super, a superannuation fund with A$39 billion in assets.

Australia is one of the few countries to have a mandatory retirement system, also known as superannuations or supers, whereby employers pay a contribution of 9.5 percent on top of the employees' wages.

But digital companies including Uber, Deliveroo, Airtasker and Foodora, which employ independent contractors are not obliged to contribute to superannuations as the workers are seen as self employed.

Even Kariotakis, a former General Motors (GM.N) employee now in her mid-40s, is nervous about the absence of retirement savings.

"It's a big problem," Kariotakis said, in response to how she envisages her finances when she retires. "At the moment, we can't afford to put money aside."

WORRISOME TREND

So as the gig economy grows, it signals a problematic trend for the retirement savings pool in Australia which made superannuations compulsory in 1983 to reduce the reliance on the national pension system.

Even though the gig economy's "leakage" from the pension funds is a drop compared with the A$136 billion of annual contributions paid by employers in 2016, the dent on retirement savings could be significant in years to come.

Story continues

"When people are self-employed, their tendency to set aside money for retirement is secondary to their need to maintain cashflow for the business," said Martin Fahy, the chief executive of Australia's superannuation industry body.

While the scale of Australia's gig economy - a relatively recent phenomenon - is yet to be reflected in official data, an increasing number of individuals are freelancing for various digital outfits.

The Australian Industry Group, a major business lobby, said in an August 2016 report that 32 percent of the country's workforce had freelanced between 2014 and 2015 - meaning the digital economy is already creating irrevocable changes in the country's labor market.

In the longer term, Kariotakis is hoping to see modifications to the national benefits framework so that employers, such as Uber, are legally forced to pay pension benefits.

Such changes are already being considered in the United States and Great Britain where policymakers are looking to alter the definition of employees and contractors to reinforce workers' rights in the modern economy.

"We'd like to have a situation where it doesn't matter whether it's an employee or a contractor doing the work as long as they end up getting the same benefits," said Professor Kevin Davis, a research director at the Australian Center for Financial Studies.

"How you do it? I'm not sure."

(Reporting by Cecile Lefort; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
The Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved signing onto agreements to join watershed authorities for the East Nishnabotna River and the West Nishnabotna River.

The agreement is part of the Iowa Watershed Approach, a five-year project that features nine watersheds from around the state.

The project is funded by a $96.6 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant. Leading the effort is the University of Iowa-based Iowa Flood Center and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

The project will monitor the two Nishnabotna rivers and their adjacent streams as the authorities work on flood mitigation and water quality projects.

The West Nishnabotna River watershed stretches from around Aspinwall in Crawford County on the north down to Sidney on the south, touching about 27 towns and 10 counties.

The East Nishnabotna watershed stretches from Templeton in Carroll County south to Riverton in Fremont County, and includes portions of 19 towns and nine counties.

Portions of both watersheds are located in Pottawattamie County.

The supervisors had tabled the issue at their previous two meetings, waiting on more information from a quarterly meeting of the Iowa Watershed Approach held on March 29 in Oakland.

The board decided to approve the agreement, with the idea that Maggie Popp-Reyes and the Pottawattamie County Attorneys Office would offer amendments to the agreement to reduce some confusion on language and verbiage, among a few concerns.

In signing the agreement, the county is not committed to contribute any funding to the watershed project.
PAPILLION, Neb.  Facebook has officially announced plans to build a massive data center south of Papillion, Nebraska.

The announcement from the social media giant came at a press conference Tuesday at Papillion City Hall attended by Gov. Pete Ricketts, Papillion Mayor David Black and a Facebook representative.

Sarpy County is an economic engine for Nebraska, Black said.

The data center project has long been in the works. Using the code name Project Raven, Facebook has already gone through multiple layers of approval from Papillion as well as finalized land negotiations. Property owners werent told in advance who was buying their land.

The data center campus will occupy a 146-acre site north of Capehart Road at Nebraska Highway 50.

Capehart Road is still gravel, in a more rural part of Sarpy County.

The data center will have four buildings east and west of Highway 50, with 970,000 square feet on the campus.

A tunnel under the highway will connect the two campuses. The center will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The project should be online by as early as 2020, according to a news release from the governors office.

More than 1,000 local jobs will be created during construction, Facebook officials said. Once online, it will employ more than 100 workers.

Growing Silicon Prairie through the states tech industry has been a priority for my administration, said Ricketts, who said he visited Facebooks headquarters in Menlo Park, California, to meet with executives instrumental in building the companys network of data centers.

Facebook currently has data centers in Altoona; Prineville, Oregon; Forest City, North Carolina; and Lulea, Sweden. Construction on additional data centers is currently underway in Fort Worth, Texas; Clonee, Ireland; Los Lunas, New Mexico; and Odense, Denmark.

Construction of new wind farms in Nebraska will allow the company to power the facility solely through wind-generated electricity, according to the governors office. OPPD will supply power to the center.

Tom Furlong, vice president of infrastructure for Facebook, said the Papillion data center will be one of the most energy-efficient data centers in the world.

The Papillion site will be Facebooks first location in Nebraska.

Facebook will be in good company in Sarpy County, which already boasts data centers from Yahoo, Fidelity, Cabelas and Travelers. Facebook also built a $300 million data center in Altoona in 2015.
A road leading to the bridge on Old Lincoln Highway that spans Simon Run Creek north of Crescent will be closed to traffic at the bridge beginning Monday, according to Pottawattamie County Engineer John Rasmussen.

County officials currently estimate the road will be reopened in mid-June.

Rasmussen said the bridge closure was initially planned for last Monday but was postponed for a week because of weather delays.

The new bridge, constructed just west of the current bridge over Simon Run Creek, is nearing completion, with the deck being placed last Monday.

We staged the project to allow the new bridge to be constructed while traffic was maintained on the existing structure, Rasmussen said. We estimate this reduced the time of the detour by two months.

Unfortunately the remaining work requires the old road be removed and approximately 2,000 feet of new roadway to be constructed. The plan is to close the road on April 10 to allow for the power poles to be moved to the west side of the road temporarily. This work could take a week to complete. Grading work cannot be completed until the power poles are relocated.

Rasmussen said on or around April 17 the asphalt will be removed from the existing roadway. At that point the road will be unsafe for through traffic.

Also, the grading contractor plans to start work on or around April 17. The contractor will need to utilize the old bridge to move soil from the south to the north end of the project.

The grading contractor may use off-road equipment and will be utilizing the existing bridge to save wear and tear on the new structure.

The grading work will be dependent on weather and will be the controlling operation for the most of the remaining project period.

Grading and paving will progress, as well as permanent power pole placement back to the east side of the road prior to the road reopening in mid-June.

We are optimistic that the project will be completed sooner, Rasmussen said. However, we are estimating the completion date based on weather delays.

The County understands and acknowledges the hardship the detour provides and minimized the detour time with staged construction, he added. However, we are now at the point of the project that the construction will conflict with through traffic, creating an unsafe environment. The road must be closed to complete the remaining work.
Eighth-grader Savannah Kuiper wants to be a firefighter when she grows up.

My whole family is apart of it, Kuiper said. Ive grown up around it.

The Wilson Middle School student was one of hundreds of other students that participated in CAREEROCKIT  a week-long event geared toward bringing awareness to students about career opportunities available in Council Bluffs, Omaha and surrounding areas.

Launched by the Greater Omaha Chamber and supported by the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce, the initiative aims to connect students to area businesses.

Too many of our young people are leaving and we need to fight harder to keep those young people, said Randy Thelen, senior vice president of economic development for the Omaha Chamber. We want to showcase those great jobs and careers and introduce great companies to increase our odds of keeping our kids closer to home and helping our companies and economy grow.

Students from both Council Bluffs and Omaha are participating in the week-long event, which started Tuesday at Wilson.

Over 8,000 students across the region will be matched with career experiences, Thelen said. We know talent development is where its at to help keep our kids close to home. After students participated in a career interest survey earlier this year, they were then paired with two career sessions centered around their interests.

We want to expose kids at a young age so they can think about their futures, said Rachel Bruce, assistant principal of Wilson. We want them thinking about their success and being on the right career path for whatever career they decide whether or not its college or in the technical field.

Wilson alone will host over 25 presenters and over 40 different presentations during its three-day event. Kirn Middle School, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln High Schools are also participating in the event in Council Bluffs.

Over three days, we will give 1,900 career experiences to the kids at Wilson, Bruce said. The Chamber set out a goal to offer 10,000 experiences over the week and Council Bluffs is providing about a third of that with our students and schools  were pretty proud.

As part of one of her sessions, Kuiper chose to learn more about the Council Bluffs Fire Department. For 40 minutes, a classroom of roughly 19 students listened to Fire Captain Robert Martin from Station 2 in Council Bluffs talk about the duties of being on the fire department.

We try to train for real-life situations, Martin said. Its hard work and a very difficult job.

Martin talked with students about different on-the-job experiences and stressed to students the importance of education.

Its important that you learn and do your work in school, Martin said. Science and math both play a huge role in the fire department.

After Martin finished his presentation, students went outside to interact with one of the departments fire trucks.

Kuiper said she hopes to join the departments cadet program this year where shell learn hands-on by firefighters in the community. She submitted her application last weekend, and shell find out in May on whether or not she was accepted into the program.

Its pretty cool to learn about it since Im going to be apart of it soon, Kuiper said.
A community known for its antiques is getting a new look for showcasing them.

The Streetscape Enhancement Project is upgrading the main business district in Walnut at a cost of more than $1 million.

Its going to be refreshed, said Mayor Gene Larsen. It will all look revitalized.

Work is moving along on the first of the two-phase project with the goal of combining beauty and safer walking, according to Larsen.

This first phase involves all new exterior work on 15 downtown store fronts, such as new entry doors, paint and windows where needed.

Were fixing whatever has to be fixed, Larsen said.

Most of the work should be done before the communitys annual Walnut Antique Show during the Fathers Day weekend in June.

After that, the second phase will start. According to City Clerk Terri Abel, this will involve replacing the sidewalks along the store fronts, along with new curbs and gutters. Handicapped accessibility will be improved where needed.

Bricks will be straightened out on the main brick street and bricks will be added to the base of the light poles to complement the street, Abel said. Also planned is a mid-block pedestrian crossing that will jut out onto the street allowing room for benches or a town clock, though that hasnt yet been determined. Work should be completed in the fall.

The $1.09 million project is funded in part by a $400,000 Iowa West Foundation CITIES grant and a $300,000 revitalization grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

Business owners are contributing funds as well, while the City of Walnut is putting up $340,000 in local option sales tax dollars.

Four bids for the projects second phase were submitted to the City Clerks Office on Tuesday afternoon.

Were pleased with that number, Abel said. All were within the estimated budget for this project. Thats not always the case, so were pleased.

The Walnut City Council will vote on what it considers the best bid on Thursday afternoon.

This is biggest thing (being) done, in Walnut in years Larsen said of the project.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a session of the International Arctic Forum in Arkhangelsk, Russia March 30, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

Russia's government said Wednesday that the toxic gas that killed 83 people and wounded at least 150 in northern Syria the day before was released accidentally when a Syrian air strike hit a "terrorist warehouse" containing "toxic substances."

"According to the objective data of the Russian airspace control, Syrian aviation struck a large terrorist warehouse near Khan Shaykhun that housed a warehouse making bombs, with toxic substances," the Russian defense ministry said in a statement.

"The arsenal of chemical weapons" was destined for fighters in Iraq, the ministry added.

Experts have cast doubt on Russia's explanation for Syria's worst chemical weapons attack since 2013, when Syrian President Bashar Assad  an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin  is believed to have used sarin gas to kill as many as 1,400 people in the outskirts of Syria's capital, Damascus. Assad still denies responsibility for that attack.

A civil defence member breathes through an oxygen mask, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah

Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a chemical-weapons expert, told the BBC on Wednesday that Russia's claim was "fanciful" and that it would be "unsustainable" for a nerve agent like Sarin gas to spread as far as it did as the result of a bombing.

Instead, the US has determined that Syrian warplanes dropped the chemical weapons, which caused injuries and deaths that the World Health Organization said were "consistent with exposure to organophosphorus chemicals, a category of chemicals that includes nerve agents."

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said "all the evidence I have seen suggests this was the Assad regime ... using illegal weapons on their own people."

The commander of the Free Idlib Army rebel brigade, Hasan Haj Ali, told Reuters that "everyone saw the plane while it was bombing with gas."

Story continues

Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins, who has covered the Syrian civil war extensively, poured more cold water on the Russian claim early Wednesday morning.

Russian claims the warehouse containing chemical weapons was bombed two to three hours AFTER the first images of victims were posted online. pic.twitter.com/zjGMMUfX8v  Eliot Higgins (@EliotHiggins) April 5, 2017

Higgins added that other images from the chemical attack were posted online at 2:28 a.m. ET, two hours before the air strike was said to hit the chemical warehouse, which Russia said occurred at 4:30 a.m. ET.

The Conflict Intelligence Team, a nonprofit founded by Russian blogger and activist Ruslan Leviev to monitor the events in eastern Ukraine, added that while "Russian media did report repeated use of chemical weapons by rebels in Aleppo" in late 2016, "each time the weapon allegedly used was chlorine"  not sarin. The Assad regime has been accused of dropping chlorine bombs on civilians in Idlib province at least twice between 2014 and 2015.

syria aleppo chlorine gas

An 'infantile argument'

Dan Kaszeta, a veteran of the US Army Reserve's Chemical Corps  the branch of the US Army responsible for protection against chemical, biological, and nuclear threats  further debunked Russia's claim.

"To date, all of the nerve agents used in the Syrian conflict have been binary chemical warfare agents," Kaszeta wrote on Bellingcat, adding that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons inspections after Syrias accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013 "revealed a variety of fixed and mobile mixing apparatus for making binary nerve agents."

The Assad regime began mixing the chemicals to create sarin in 2012, CNN reported at the time.

"Even assuming that large quantities of both sarin precursors were located in the same part of the same warehouse (a practice that seems odd), an airstrike is not going to cause the production of large quantities of sarin," Kaszeta added. "Dropping a bomb on the binary components does not actually provide the correct mechanism for making the nerve agent. It is an infantile argument."

Brian Palmer, a reporter for Slate covering science and medicine, wrote in 2012 that "the technical challenge for users of sarin is the dispersal." The nerve agent, he wrote, is exponentially more deadly when it is "aerosolized," or converted into a fine spray.

Because one of the "precursors" for sarin is isopropyl alcohol, if a warehouse with sarin in it had been bombed, then it would have gone up "in a ball of flame," Kaszeta wrote. "A very large one. Which has not been in evidence."

Additionally, he said, the sheer volume of materials  many of them "exotic"  necessary to produce sarin makes it extremely unlikely that the rebels could have stockpiled it in a large enough quantity to kill dozens of people.

"Having a quantity of any of the nerve agents relies on a sophisticated supply chain of exotic precursors and an industrial base," Kaszeta wrote. "Are we to seriously believe that one of the rebel factions has expended the vast sums of money and developed this industrial base, somehow not noticed to date and not molested by attack?"

NOW WATCH: Trump appears to ignore requests for a handshake with Angela Merkel during their first meeting





More From Business Insider


JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon said Tuesday that President Donald Trump got it right when he accused China of having unfair trade practices and stealing Americas intellectual property.

Had trade been fair with China? Dimon asked rhetorically at a town hall event in Washington, D.C. with Yahoo Finances editor-in-chief, Andy Serwer.

With the assumption that the answer was no, Dimon went on to say, The president pointed this out, and I hate to tell you, hes right. We all know that. The Chinese know it. They steal intellectual property. Theres cybersecurity. There are very high tariffs for certain things.

When hes right, hes right, Dimon added, later on. Theres no reason in saying hes Trump, therefore, hes wrong.

Trump made China a frequent talking point during the presidential campaign and after. He accused China of devaluing its currency, intellectual property theft and even raping the US with its unfair trade policy. While Trumps language on China is harsh, Dimon is hardly the only fellow critic of the countrys trade practices (though Larry Summers has taken serious issue with Trumps currency-manipulation claims).

In 2015, William Evanina, a national counterintelligence executive, estimated that the Chinese government was behind 90% of cyber-attacks in the US related to economic espionage, according to a Bloomberg report. And that kind of espionage costs US businesses $400 billion a year, he said. Meanwhile, US companies doing business in China have claimed to be unfairly targeted by regulators.

Dimon says that he wants to change this reality, for the good of both the US and China. I think their lack of market reform has hurt them, he said. Theres no compelling reason these two powers have to go to [a trade] war  But theres a pretty compelling reason they should work together.

JPMorgan has a vested interest in improved relations. The bank does business in China and in February announced that it had won approval to underwrite bonds in the countrys interbank market. JPMorgan was the first US-headquartered bank to win this approval in China, which has the worlds third-largest bond market.

Story continues



MrTopStep Group

https://mrtopstep.com

Questions: info@mrtopstep.com

Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter For More Intra-Day Market Updates!

https://www.facebook.com/mrtopstep

https://twitter.com/MrTopStep (@MrTopStep)

Dont Forget To Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel!

Sign Up Here: http://www.youtube.com/mrtopstepgroup
When it comes to trade policy, the most challenging force for President Trump to confront is the rise of emerging economies. This is according Jim ONeill, the economist who in 2001 coined BRIC  the acronym for Brazil, Russia, India and Chinato highlight the rise of these regions in the global economy.

ONeill said he finds Trumps protectionist, anti-China policies to be troubling.

The US is very naive not to be part of a trade deal involving Asia, ONeill said. Its dangerous.

A new calculus

ONeill explained that Apple (AAPL) is the quintessential example of the backward thinking of the Trump administration.

Apple one of the most iconic, modern success stories in the US, and the China relationship poses a real threat to growth, ONeill said. When we should be thinking about companies like this, policymakers are thinking about Chinas threat to the steel industry. Its almost prehistoric.

In 2015, Apple sold more iPhones in greater China than in the US for the first time. Sales growth in China, 25% of the companys sales, has been an important driver of growth, especially as analysts point to slowing US sales. However, the company confronts big obstacles in the region, with concerns about the Chinese government roadblocks and regulations on foreign businesses.

Chinese flag on a boat on the Yalu River, with tourists sightseeing close to the shores of North Korea. (REUTERS/Damir Sagolj)

Trumps antagonism toward China goes about things the wrong way, he said. We need to work with China.

In analyzing Trumps agenda, analysts have weighed the balance of pro-growth policies (potential positive fiscal developments) with negative protectionist policies.

Jim ONeill

Goldman Sachs analysts Andrew Tilton and Alec Phillips wrote in a recent note that Trump will likely not back down on imposing restrictions on Chinese imports such as steel and machinery.

We believe the Trump administration is likely to make an announcement on Chinas currency policy and impose unilateral tariffs on a number of products, they wrote.

Peter Navarro, director of the National Trade Council, has defended the potential need for a 45% tariff of Chinese goods.

Story continues

All of this is coming into focus ahead of Trumps meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping on Thursday at Mar-a-Lago. The President said he expects his meeting to be very difficult, with jobs and trade in focus, along with North Korea nuclear ambitions.

The potential negative impact of protectionist trade policy

Trumps first executive order during his first full working day as president was to withdraw from the negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the trade deal he spoke against strongly during the campaign.

While Trump rallied against potential negative impacts of the deal (including killing blue-collar jobs), some analysts are now concerned that trade for countries in the Pacific region will now be dictated by China.

China, the largest trading partner for the US, is also the largest source of the USs trade deficit at $347 billion, something Trump has promised to reverse (even though a deficit doesnt necessarily mean a loss for the US.)

Trump has continued to repeat his America First policy laid out during his campaign and his inaugural address.

America will start winning again, winning like never before, Trump said during his speech. We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength.

President Obama told Yahoo Finance last year that trade relations have been mischaracterized during the election and emphasized the importance of creating important trade relationships in the Pacific.

The key thing for Americans to understand is somebodys going to write the trade rules in the future. Its either going to be us or its going to be China. And if youre concerned and worried about whether China is going to out-compete us in the future, then you definitely want to pass this trade legislation that establishes a fair and level playing field for us, Obama said said.

Nicole Sinclair is markets correspondent for Yahoo Finance.

Please also see:

DIMON: 11 ways America is holding itself back

DIMON: We have a national emergency

Harvard professor identifies worst nightmare in America right now

Obama on corporate competition
Editors note: Eugene Glock raises corn and soybeans, primarily for seed production, on the family farm near Rising City. He was recently honored at the Nebraska Hall of Agriculture Achievement. This is a synopsis of the message he shared that evening.

Nebraska is a national leader in agricultural production, both in grain and livestock.

Our leadership role is no coincidence. Its the result of the University of Nebraska following the land-grant philosophy that informed its founding almost a century and a half ago.

When I enrolled in the Nebraska College of Agriculture in 1949, it was drummed into all of us students that the college was dependent on the model of a three-legged stool. All the legs had to be equal, we were told, or the stool would collapse.

The three legs were the colleges agricultural education programs, the research department and its extension offerings. The college was responsible for educating students, equipping them with information on the best-known methods of production. Then some of these students would go on to conduct research to find new methods of increasing production in an efficient and sustainable manner. And then the successful methods they developed would be disseminated to producers so they could adapt to the latest available technologies.

That model worked in 1869, when our university was established. It worked in the 1940s and 1950s, when I was a student. It works today. And  at a time when innovation in agricultural production is needed more than ever  it will be the model that sustains Nebraskas leadership in feeding an increasingly hungry and thirsty world.

In earlier years, most of the technologies and improvements to production were the result of research at what would become UNLs Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. But as technology has developed at a more and more rapid pace, IANR has wisely taken advantage of the resources and talents of a diverse range of disciplines across the university system.

That kind of collaborative, interdisciplinary thinking is exactly the approach thats needed to address the complex challenges facing our planet today. The University of Nebraska, and consequently the State of Nebraska, has benefited from leaders who have recognized the importance of partnership both within and outside of the university system to keep Nebraska at the forefront in agricultural production and efficient use of our precious natural resources. In my view, were ahead of other states in gathering the best minds around the table to come up with solutions to pressing challenges  and Nebraskans are better for it.

As one example, consider the development of the university-wide Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute. I was fortunate to serve on the search committee for the founding executive director of the institute, and I was joined by representatives from across the university as well as external partners. Similarly, stakeholders within the university and beyond provided input on the development of the Water for Food Institutes strategic plan and programming.

Our partnership is paying off. Only seven years after the institute was established, the University of Nebraska is increasingly recognized as an international leader in developing methods for the most efficient use of water to feed the world. Our global leadership will be on display in a few weeks, when we host hundreds of researchers, producers, business managers, government and non-governmental organization directors, students and others from around the world for the Water for Food Conference in Lincoln.

Im confident that if we, the citizens of Nebraska, continue to support our excellent university system, our state will lead the nation  and in many ways the world  in developing more efficient and sustainable methods of supporting the growing population. The long-term well-being of the planet depends on our success. Nebraska, through the education, research and extension programs that have been at the heart of the University of Nebraskas mission for almost 150 years, is ready to lead.
Tickets are now on sale for the Eighth Annual Crown Beer Fest, which returns June 10 to the Lake County Fairgrounds, 889 S. Court St. in Crown Point.

Organizer Crown Brewing said it's almost sold out of VIP tickets, which cost $75 and give attendees early access from 1:30 to 6 p.m.

Crown Beer Fest, one of the largest and longest-running craft beer festivals in the Region, will feature more than 200 beers from 50 breweries, including Wildrose Brewing, Ironwood Brewing, Three Floyds Brewing, Flossmoor Station Brewing Co., Zorn Brew Works, Scarlet Lane Brewing, Shoreline Brewing, and Burnem Brewing.

This year's roster include Michigan breweries like Tapistry Brewing, Greenbush Brewing, Shorts Brewing and Saugutuck Brewing, as well as breweries from across the country like 10 Barrel Brewing Co. from Bend, Oregon and Blue Point Brewing from New York state.

VIP tickets also include a "swag bag," a collector's glass, a food voucher and unlimited sampling. Regular tickets cost $35, and include the collector's glass, unlimited sampling and admission from 2:30 to 6 p.m. Designated drivers can get tickets for $20 and enjoy and unlimited amount of pop in one of the collector's cups.

We are excited to host the Eighth Annual Crown Beer Fest, the largest craft beer festival in Northwest Indiana. With over 50 breweries in attendance, this event is a craft beer lovers dream, said Barb Smrecansky, of Crown Brewing.

To purchase tickets, visit www.crownbeerfest.com. For more information, call 219-663-4545.
Diners who have a taste for authentic Mexican food should pay a visit to La Fogata Taqueria in Hammond.

The restaurant, which was established four years ago on Calumet Avenue, features flavorful dishes and a colorful atmosphere.

Recipes featured at the restaurant include a mix of traditional Mexican fare such as fajitas, tacos, quesadillas and enchiladas and an assortment of other delicious dishes.

Diner guests will find unique items such as the Quesadilla La Fogata, which stars cheese, steak, cabbage and tomato; and the Alambre, a dinner plate starring bacon, steak, ham, green peppers, green onion and cheese.

A lunch buffet is also in the spotlight at La Fogata and features foods such as rice and beans, ribs with green sauce, chicken and mole and other dishes.

Walking into the restaurant, guests will see a rustic atmosphere featuring bright colors. La Fogata is translated as bonfire in Spanish. Logs are placed around the eatery as decorations and there's even a statue of the Virgin Mary situated in the corner of the restaurant.

During a recent Sunday morning breakfast at La Fogata, we enjoyed Juevos con Nopales (cactus), and Chicken and Mole.

Among items on the menu are Juevos con Nopales, which is cactus; Chicken and Mole; Huevos Rancheros; Queso Fundido; Carne a La Tampiquena, which is broiled skirt steak; Burrito Dinners; Shrimp Cocktail; Seven Seas Soup, featuring assorted seafood; and much more.

Plan to visit La Fogata for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You won't be disappointed with the quality or variety of items on the menu.
A former inmate at the Porter County Jail filed a federal lawsuit last year claiming she was denied treatment for cancer during her month behind bars and, as a result, her disease progressed to a terminal stage.

Another woman filed suit claiming she was denied adequate medical treatment for bleeding and severe diarrhea for more than two months while locked up at the Lake County Jail.

There is no shortage of federal and local lawsuits claiming inmates are being denied basic medical care while behind bars. But police and providers of that care tell a different story.

"The inmates get better care when in jail than when out on the streets," said Lisa Scroggins, owner of Quality Correctional Care of Muncie, which provides medical care to inmates in more than half (47) of the counties in Indiana, including Porter County.

She said her company, which began operating in Porter County this year, aims to do more than just maintain inmate health.

"Generally speaking, inmates are much healthier when they leave jail than when they are booked into jail," Scroggins said.

Mark Back, director of public relations and health care services at the Lake County Sheriff's Department, said, "The bottom line is inmates do not suffer because they are in jail."

"The health care they receive is as good or better than it would be on the outside," he said. "They may have more choices regarding specific providers or specialists on the outside, but they have the same or better access to care while incarcerated."

Who is providing care

The Lake County Jail entered into a three-year contract late last year with Correctional Health Indiana to provide health care at the jail. The contract puts them in compliance with a federal mandate triggered several years earlier by a U.S. Department of Justice finding of substandard health care for inmates.

The service is costing the county $4.45 million this year, $4.55 million next year and $4.65 million in 2019.

The DOJ's civil rights division declared the jail deficient in terms of 99 federal standards in 2009, following a string of inmate suicides and an outbreak of infectious disease in overcrowded conditions.

"Inmates at the LCJ see medical providers more often than they would on the outside," Back said.

Inmates undergo a comprehensive medical and mental health intake process when arriving at the jail, including a head-to-toe screening, he said. They then have access to doctors, nurses and a variety of health care providers around the clock during their lockup time.

Inmates seeking care fill out a "sick call slip," which is reviewed by a nurse the same day, Back said. They will see a health care provider the same day if symptomatic, and receive care on site or, in the event of an emergency, off site.

Scroggins said the state sets standards for inmate care, but individual sheriffs have some flexibility.

"The sheriff has to be a good steward of tax dollars," she said.

The Porter County commissioners agreed in January to pay Quality Correctional Care $1,545,100 a year to provide round-the-clock medical care at the jail. This cost came in addition to the $8 million taxpayers already were footing each year for the Sheriff's Department and jail.

"No one likes to pay this much money, but we have to," Commissioner Jim Biggs, R-North, said at the time.

The Indiana Department of Correction also relies on contracted help to provide health care to inmates, which cost $94.5 million last year, according to Communications Director Ike Randolph.

The DOC is transitioning that care from Corizon Health, of Brentwood, Tennessee, to Wexford Health Sources, of Pittsburgh.

LaPorte County did not respond to requests for information about its inmate health care.

Insurance helps little

"The cost of inmate health care represents a large portion of a sheriff's jail budget," Scroggins said.

Indiana law offers some relief by allowing counties to pass along some of the financial responsibility to inmates by charging a co-pay of up to $15 for in-house services and prescription medications, she said.

Porter County charges a $15 co-pay per doctor visit and $5 for a nurse, said Sheriff's Department Sgt. Jamie Erow.

Private insurance provides little relief to a jail's medical cost burden, Back said.

"It is very rare for an inmate to have private insurance," he said. "Many inmates are homeless or unemployed."

When an inmate does have private or public insurance coverage, the jail can bill only for health care provided outside the jail, Back said.

Most of those who show up at the jail with insurance coverage are age 26 and under and still are on their parent's plan, Scroggins said.

"When an inmate requires medical care outside of the jail facility, generally the costs are paid by county tax dollars," she said.

However, if an inmate is insured through a private health plan or is on Medicaid/Healthy Indiana Plan, some off-site charges may be covered, Scroggins said.

"Medicaid/HIP coverage is generally suspended upon incarceration; however, current Indiana law allows for services related to inpatient hospital stays or inpatient mental health treatments to be covered by the Medicaid/HIP program," she said.

Medications

While money could potentially be saved by allowing inmates to take their own medications into the jail, Back said the security risk is too high.

"If an inmate's family brings medications to the jail for the inmate, we do not accept the delivery," he said. "All inmate medications administered in the jail come directly from a pharmacy that is contracted with our facility."

Scroggins said it is up to each individual sheriff to decide whether to allow inmates to use their own medications. Porter County does not allow it.

She said her medical staff reviews the needs of all incoming inmates rather than just accepting what medications had been prescribed before their arrival. There are a lot of people who have been over-prescribed drugs such as opiates.

"What someone is used to is not always in their best interest," she said.

Back said the Lake County Jail does not administer Schedule 2 drugs, which are highly addictive substances such as opiates. A substitute is given in their place, with the exception of rare cases, such as post-surgery pain relief.

Scroggins said the challenge overall is that the inmate population is high-risk, underserved and arrives with high levels of mental health and substance abuse problems. They also like to sue, she said, adding that the good quality of care provided by her company has prevented it from ever losing in court.

"We take this stuff seriously," she said.
HAMMOND  A 45-year-old from Lynwood was sentenced Tuesday to 51 months in prison for federal identity theft.

Angela Young was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Hammond on one count of conspiracy to commit identity fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of knowingly disclosing HIPPA information and one count of unlawful use of social security numbers, according to a news release from acting U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson's office.

Young was an employee between June 2007 and October 2009 at an unnamed medical facility in Illinois, where she had access to patient information, court records show. Young worked and conspired with co-defendants to obtain names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers without the victims' knowledge to obtain merchandise with credit cards opened in the victims' name, court records show.

As part of her sentencing agreement, Young also will serve two years of supervised release. She also was ordered to pay nearly $64,800 in restitution to victims.

Young used her position to take various patients' information without their knowledge, authority, or permission or that of their representatives or the medical facility, according to the news release. She then disclosed the patient information to a co-defendant, who used the information to open credit card accounts in the names of the patients and their representatives without their knowledge, the release stated.

Last year, three women were sentenced for their involvement in the identity theft case. Chavonne Jackson, 30, of Hammond, was ordered to serve one year of probation, including three months of home detention. She was ordered to also pay $9,638.50 in restitution jointly with co-defendants Alexis T. Young, 34, of Hammond, and Angela Young, 44, of Lynwood, according to U.S. District Court records.

Montrease Young, 32, of Hammond, was given one year of probation, including six months of home detention. Jackson and Montrease Young each pleaded guilty in spring 2015 to conspiracy to possess stolen identification documents. Montrease Young is not related to Angela and Alexis Young, court records said.
VALPARAISO  A Jasper County man was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison for his role in a Sept. 7 home invasion in southern Porter County where a man was shot in the leg.

John Potts was sentenced to two decades in prison for his role after taking a plea deal agreeing to identify the shooter.

He said the shooter was Chad Kackos, 36, of DeMotte.

Kackos has been charged, along with twins Andrea and Leslie Wert, both 36, of Pleasant Township. Their cases are pending.

Porter County Public Defender Mitch Peters said Tuesday that Potts acknowledged at the sentencing hearing that this was a horrible crime and accepted his fate. Naming Kackos as the shooter was a factor in the plea agreement Potts made with the prosecutor, Peters said.

According to court documents, Andrew Wert was the victim's girlfriend. She and her sister arranged the burglary.

The victim told police he was asleep on his couch and was awakened when he was hit on the head with the butt of a pistol.
CROWN POINT  A bill that would create a new state program to house the homeless was approved 99-0 Tuesday by the Indiana House.

Senate Bill 242, co-authored by Sens. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, and James Merritt, R-Indianapolis, would create by Jan. 1 a homelessness prevention program based on the Housing First model, which prioritizes placing eligible homeless persons into permanent housing before addressing other issues, such as unemployment or drug addiction.

The bill does not include an appropriation for the Housing First Program, but the House's proposed state biennial budget would provide $1 million a year in funding.

The bill, which passed 47-3 in the Senate on Feb. 28, will advance to Gov. Eric Holcomb for final approval.

Tallian said Wednesday Merritt promoted the bill as part of a larger legislative blitz intended to address the state's ongoing opioid crisis.

Tallian said the Housing First program would first and foremost get opiate addicts off the streets and into housing, where it will then be easier to rehabilitate them.

Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, authored a similar bill in the House and co-sponsored the Senate bill. His parents, former State Reps. Earl Harris and Donna Harris, have previously championed homelessness legislation.

Harris said Wednesday the Indiana Housing First Program would be based on a similar program implemented in Utah that state officials there said reduced chronic homelessness by 91 percent.

The representative said providing housing was not only the most humane way to address homelessness, but the most cost effective.

A chronically homeless person can cost taxpayers anywhere between $30,000 to $50,000 through the use of emergency, police and hospital services, according to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.

Of the 3,711 homeless persons counted in the state's most recently published survey of the homeless population, 357 were identified as chronically homeless, and cost the state between $10.7 million and $17.9 million per year, by the council's estimates.
VALPARAISO  The citys advisory Human Relations Council has revived its push for Valparaiso to hire a director of housing and community relations.

The HRC unanimously recommended the hire in October and has hosted presentations by directors from Oak Park, Illinois, and Columbus, Indiana, so residents and city officials could learn what the position entails.

Although the HRC has recommended the hire, it has yet to formally present a proposal to the City Council, which must approve the creation of and funding for the job.

HRC Chair Heath Carter said at Tuesday's meeting there were a lot of questions and obstacles to be figured out. The council plans to hone its case for a director at its next several meetings and gather input from residents.

The HRC had suggested the position should be full-time and management-level.

Duties could include overseeing the citys human rights ordinance; training city staff on best practices in diversity and inclusion; building bridges between residents and organizations; and boosting economic development by helping Valparaiso businesses recruit diverse talent and strengthen relationships with regional organizations such as black and Latino chambers of commerce.

Carter said two recent initiatives in the city, ValpoNEXT and Altogether Valpo, have called for staffing on both the housing and diversity fronts.

He noted Valparaiso has been undergoing a historic transition since 1990, when 98.3 percent of residents were white. In 2010, the number had decreased to 85 percent, and it will continue to shrink, while the number of people of color will grow, Carter said.

How do we navigate this transition were in the middle of, he asked. How can we be intentional about strengthening ties? This position is about creating social solidarity and helping to build trust and a sense of belonging for everyone who lives in the city.

Valparaiso Police Chief Mike Brickner, a non-voting member of the HRC, said the panel should carefully consider how to present its case to the City Council.

This council has to be prepared to justify a senior level staff person because you will be competing for the same funds myself and other departments compete for.

Brickner wondered how many discrimination complaints had been filed since the citys human rights ordinance was put in place a year ago. No one answered his question.

HRC member John Albers said the council needs to identify why having a director is a must for the city.

The HRC's next meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. May 23 at Valparaiso City Hall.
INDIANAPOLIS  A plan to indefinitely continue enhanced state assistance for lead-impacted areas of East Chicago was approved 48-0 Tuesday by the Indiana Senate.

House Bill 1344, sponsored by state Rep. Earl Harris, Jr., D-East Chicago, largely mirrors Gov. Eric Holcomb's current East Chicago emergency declaration by designating neighborhoods contaminated by past lead manufacturing operations as "areas of special concern."

If enacted into law, state agencies would be directed to continue working in those areas with their federal counterparts to relocate residents and remove or remediate soil tainted by lead or arsenic.

It also would require the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to annually test East Chicago's water supply to confirm it complies with federal lead and copper limits for drinking water.

"This is one piece of a very big puzzle that's being put together and addressed up in East Chicago," said state Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, the Senate sponsor.

State Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, who grew up near the Superfund site, called the lead contamination issue a four-decade "catastrophe" that needs to be corrected "to make the city whole again."

"I appreciate any and everything that you can possibly do," Randolph said.

The legislation now returns to the House for lawmakers to either consent to Senate amendments, which would advance it to Holcomb, or to send the proposal to a conference committee for further revision.
INDIANAPOLIS  A proposal to significantly reduce the $100 million debt burden of the Gary Community School Corp. overwhelmingly was rejected Wednesday by the Republican-controlled Indiana Senate.

State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Merrillville, offered an amendment to House Bill 1001  the two-year state budget  that would have authorized Indiana officials to cancel repayment of all or part of the $30 million in loans provided over the years to Gary schools through the state's Common School Fund.

Melton said eliminating that debt would go a long way toward putting the Gary district on a path to sustainability, notwithstanding its ongoing financial pressures tied to declining enrollment, competitive charter schools and the cost of maintaining older buildings.

"We have a crisis on our hands," Melton said.

The Senate was unpersuaded.

It defeated Melton's proposal on a voice vote, where the shouts of "no" greatly exceeded the few "ayes."

State Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, who is working with Melton on Senate Bill 567 for a state-appointed emergency manager to take over the finances of the Gary school corporation, said Melton's loan-forgiveness idea was not yet ripe for action.

"This recommends a solution that is possible to be in the offing at some point in time," Kenley said.

"But I think it would be premature to adopt this today due to the fact that we have so many other things to decide to do, and so many more issues to consider, in terms of what is the right formula to get Gary and the Gary schools back in shape  which I hope we can do."

Melton did succeed in winning Senate approval for the Gary school corporation to sell any of its unoccupied buildings without first making the properties available for a charter school to use.

That was the only Democratic amendment incorporated into the budget legislation, which is set for a roll call vote Thursday to advance the measure to a House-Senate conference committee.

The 41 Republicans in the 50-member chamber repeatedly voted along party lines to reject other Democratic amendments, including several offered by state Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes.

The legislative package included proposals to increase the state's minimum wage, halt pending reductions in the corporate income tax rate, enact a penalty enhancement for bias-motivated crimes, cap funding for private school vouchers and establish an independent redistricting commission.

The Senate also denied Democratic efforts to boost spending on pre-kindergarten education, food banks, senior citizen home care programs, the state's child care tax credit, earned income tax credit and soil lead testing in St. Joseph County.

Kenley said some of those amendments didn't belong in the budget legislation and appropriately were defeated.

But others, he said, will be considered as the House and Senate work over the next two weeks to devise a compromise state spending plan that must be re-approved by both chambers to go to the governor for his signature or veto.
EAST CHICAGO  Scott Pruitt, the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency, will visit East Chicago this month, where residents and local, state and federal officials are grappling with a lead crisis, according to a news release from U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana.

Young, along with U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, and Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb each had invited Pruitt to visit the lead- and arsenic-contaminated USS Lead Superfund site after his recently appointment to the position.

The EPA's Superfund site has been the focus for local, state and federal officials since the magnitude of the environmental contamination became clear last summer.

Pruitt will visit April 19. Details will be announced at a later date.

This administration has shown that it wants to bring a swift resolution to a problem that has lingered for too long, Young, who will be making his third visit to East Chicago, said in the news release. Administrator Pruitt has not only pledged to visit the site, but also to ensure his agency is working closely with city and state officials to develop and execute a coordinated plan.

Holcomb late last year signed an executive order, declaring the site an emergency disaster zone. The additional state assistance is helping local housing officials relocate the remaining families from the West Calumet Housing Complex, secure money to demolish the complex, and other aid.

His predecessor, now-Vice President Mike Pence, was heavily criticized for not issuing an executive order during his time in office.

Visclosky said in the release he is "pleased" that Pruitt is taking the time to see firsthand the families of the Calumet community in need of assistance.

Donnelly said hundreds of families have to leave their homes in the West Calumet Housing Complex. He also noted how others are now worried about how "their own backyards may be impacting their health."

"The federal government needs to get this cleanup right, and visiting will provide Administrator Pruitt with a first-hand perspective of the challenges residents are facing and help him understand the situation," Donnelly said.
MICHIGAN CITY  The SFC Gallery (Sharpeye Framing Company Gallery) will be partnering with the Chesterton Art Center to present a Hazel Hannell exhibit during the month of April. The pieces featured are from Chesterton Art Center's private collection. Opening reception for the exhibit will be during First Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the SFC Gallery, 607 Franklin St. The exhibit will then hang through the end of the month.

Hazel Hannell was an influential painter and sculptor from Northwest Indiana. She and her husband, Vin, were both artists who met in Chicago and later moved in the 1930s to the Furnessville area. Hazel is well known for her vibrant flowers in watercolors and her dunes landscapes in oils, as well as her pottery made from clay sourced in her backyard. She was instrumental in starting the Chesterton Art Center and helped launch the Chesterton Art Fair, which still occurs every August.
LAPORTE  An ordinance requiring carbon monoxide detectors in new single-family homes in LaPorte was bolstered this week to include new multifamily dwellings like duplexes.

The amendment to the ordinance was adopted when Mayor Blair Milo, citing a desire to send a positive message, broke a 3-3 tie on the City Council Monday night.

Loud applause then followed from the near standing room-only crowd.

Currently, the state is among just a few that doesn't have such a mandate.

Tim Stabosz, Karyl Machek and Roger Galloway were the council members wanting to wait to see if the state would eventually require the detectors before acting locally.

Milo said there's no harm in having something in the books first. A defeat of the amendment would have meant the Indiana State Building Commission would void the original city ordinance.

"If the state gets to a point where they supersede what we've done here, then fine. We'll certainly happily cross that bridge when we come to it. If we come to it," Milo said.

Councilman Miles Fettinger said there's no guarantee any action by the state will occur anytime soon, and waiting at the local level just opens the door for tragedy no matter how long the odds.

He brought up Saturday's carbon monoxide death of 13-year-old Bryan Watts, of Niles, Michigan, at the Quality Inn & Suites at Niles where 11 others were treated. According to media reports, a malfunctioning pool heater is blamed for the buildup of the deadly odorless and colorless gas and there was no detector.

"If we can make a difference now and save one person now, it'll always be worth it," Fettinger said.

Among the other concerns is a history of carbon monoxide detectors being unreliable and people not knowing if the sound is from the presence of the deadly gas or a low battery.

LaPorte Fire Chief Andy Snyder said improvements in the technology contained in detectors has greatly improved their accuracy and lowered false alarms significantly in recent years.

Under the ordinance, the city will not issue an occupancy permit to any newly constructed home or housing unit unless a carbon monoxide detector is installed.
Illinois natives moving to Northwest Indiana bring not only a boon to the housing industry, but also a new set of expectations for amenities here.

U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky and others have talked about how young people are leaving Northwest Indiana and that millennials have different expectations than the generations before them.

We should look at why so many of them move to Illinois, and what it would take to bring them to Northwest Indiana. Lake and LaPorte counties, after all, are losing residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

This is about building our Region's future.

People on the Illinois side of the Chicago metro area are accustomed to easy travel between destinations. Public transportation, which millennials enjoy using, is readily available there.

In Northwest Indiana, we take pride in knowing we don't have the high taxes that Illinois residents must pay. The political situation in Springfield is appalling. Illinois must break that budget stalemate and bring significant reforms to the state.

But low taxes should not be our only enticement to new residents. We also should be preparing for the Region's future, and that means being open to new ways of doing this, including providing amenities we might not currently have.

We must build a future that makes Northwest Indiana more attractive for new residents and for development.

That includes expanding and shoring up the existing transportation infrastructure. Road funding must be adequate not only to maintain what we already have, but also to build roads to meet future needs. Public transportation, too, must be adequate to meet future needs.

The expansion of commuter rail service is vital to secure the Region's economic prospects and improve the quality of life here. That includes the extension of service south to Dyer and the double-tracking project along the existing east-west route.

Also needed are the authority, and political will, to redevelop areas around train stations to make them more attractive to riders. Transit-oriented development is needed there.

Along the existing South Shore Line, there is a need to provide the right mix of housing at train stations that will put riders near enough to walk instead of drive to the station. Make those neighborhoods attractive for new residents.

The Illinois residents moving to Northwest Indiana enjoy amenities like this. We must plan accordingly to help Northwest Indiana grow and flourish.

If we invest in making this a more desirable region to live in, perhaps we could see population stability and eventually growth.

As Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett has said, even if investments do not attract new residents, well still have a better place for us to live in than we did before.
LEWISBURG, Pa.  A Pennsylvania couple pranked their mailman on April Fools' Day by leaving an extra-long letter sticking out of the mail slot on their front door.

Bill Kelly and his wife used a piece of paper several feet long that they folded over to look like an envelope. They waited for the mailman to grab it from the mail slot and laughed as he pulled several feet of it from the door of their Lewisburg home on Saturday.

The couple addressed it to "A.P. Rilfools" and, in case the postman didn't figure it out right away, wrote "April Fools!" in big letters on the other end of the fake envelope.

The couple posted several photos of the prank on Facebook and even posed with the letter and the grinning mailman.
ALBANY, N.Y. - Lawmakers in New York's capital have reached a deal on a new state budget days after missing their April 1 deadline.

The State Senate began debate on the $152 billion spending plan late Tuesday night.

A final vote in the chamber is set for Wednesday and will then go to the Assembly.

The budget keeps taxes flat, raises college tuition assistance and puts $2.5 billion toward the state's water infrastructure.

It would also allow Uber and Lyft to expand into upstate cities like Albany and Buffalo.

An agreement also appears to have been reached on one major sticking point - raising the age of criminal liability in the state to 18.

New York is currently one of only two states to try 16 and 17-year-olds as adults.

Lawmakers are optimistic that the deal will be approved Wednesday.

"Ive talked about that fact that I think this has been extremely dysfunctional. Its gone on and on and on so I think the people of New York are expecting us to get a budget, to do our jobs, and Im hoping we will be able to that.

On Monday, lawmakers passed an "extender" for the previous budget, which kept the state government running through May.
The end of construction is in sight for the new Auburn High School on Samford Avenue, but the completion date has been pushed back two weeks as final touches and inspections are performed.

The new target date for completion is now May 12, Ken Upchurch, managing principal of TCU Consulting Services told the Auburn City Schools Board of Education at a work session on Tuesday.

Workers are coordinating the installation of IT components and unloading trucks of furniture and fixtures while finishing construction, Tim Cantey, project manager with TCU, told the board. They are also preparing for ongoing inspections and upcoming inspections, including with the Alabama Building Commission.

All those pieces have to be coordinated in a fixed schedule to work within the dates that are set for the inspections that take place, Cantey said.  When you think about punching outif yall are not familiar with the term, literally walking through the building and looking at one particular classroom and denoting any deficiencies relative to the engineering component, the mechanical ducts, lighting, plugs on the wall being crooked, to finishes of sheetrock and flooringover 350,000 square feet, that just takes time.

Rabren Construction is wrapping up landscaping, coordinating how to finish without impacting completed work. Finals layers of asphalt are laid and the installation of furnishings and IT equipment is being coordinated.

The extra two weeks will not affect other deadlines for opening the school, DeLano told the board.

We are confident that with a little bit of push and a little bit of acrimony that we will have that date, Upchurch said. Im shocked that weve only got a 14-day extension relative to this project given the enormity of it.

Upchurch attributed the push back in completion to timing, but added that plumbing, glass and cabinetry installation are lagging. However, Upchurch said all workers are rallying to the cause.

On Friday, 211 workers were on the site, and 219 were working on Saturday. Crews from other sites have been brought in on weekends to help finish out the project, Upchurch said.

I dont want to throw stones because, ultimately, we want to have a high quality project to be finished, and Im confident thats what is going to happen, Upchurch said.

The board also reviewed Change Order 3, which added hoisted theater lighting in the performing arts center, fencing along the property line near the bus loop out to University Drive, signage and additional electrical work. The additions total about $200,000.

New elementary school and rezoning ahead

A final plan for a new elementary school on Richland Road has been submitted to the Alabama Building Commission, Cantey said, adding that they are working with the architects and estimator to determine a budget for the school.

Bids and prequalification requirements have been advertised, and nine contractors have requested prequalification forms as of Tuesday, Cantey said.

When you get into a $13 million range, a lot more contractors would like the opportunity to bid that project, Cantey said.

DeLano is also recommending the board hire Cooperative Strategies to assist with rezoning Auburns elementary schools. The rezoning would take into account the school systems Facilities Plan 2024, which includes a pair for the new elementary school opening in 2021 and a second high school in 2022.

As large as weve gotten and as complicated as the rezoning becomes, I believe we need some expert attention with this, DeLano said. With building going on, we really dont have the staff that can spend the time on this that I feel like its going to take. I dont take rezoning lightlyits one of those r words we dont like, but I do feel like the history of the school system is that we manage that very well. I dont want anything to change that.

If the board approves the hire at its regular meeting on Tuesday, the company will begin gathering info and present options for rezoning to the board in June.

After working through proposals, DeLano anticipates public meetings will be held in the fall for community input. A final rezoning recommendation could come before the board for a vote in January.

The board will meet next Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Auburn High Schools multi-media room.
The search for candidates to fill Auburns vacant city manager position will soon begin following action by the Auburn City Council on Tuesday night.

The council unanimously approved a $24,500 contract with Colin Baenziger & Associates to perform an executive search for candidates to fill the vacancy left by former City Manager Charlie Duggans retirement in February.

Duggan retired after 28 years working for the city of Auburn, 10 of which he served as the city manager. Assistant City Manager James Buston has taken the role of interim city manager in his absence.

Buston has worked with Doug Watson, former Auburn city manager, and Human Resources Director Steve Reeves to find a recruiting firm to assist the council in filling the position.

After receiving applications from 11 search firms, the group whittled the selection down to three and held Skype interviews with each, Buston said. They then performed background checks, contacting references provided by the firms and other cities that the firms had worked with that were not listed as references.

All of that together, we ended up feeling that Colin Baenzinger was the best firm to recommend to the council, Buston said, adding that the firms experience with cities in the southeast appealed to the group.

The next step will be for the council to meet with the firm to express desired qualifications for the next city manager. The council will also need to narrow down a range for the new managers compensation package.

Buston expects the council will meet with the firm before the next council meeting on April 18. The firm will then begin advertising the position and could begin reviewing candidates in about two months.

From there, the timeline depends on what the council decides.

Then it becomes scheduling  How do you get the council scheduled? How do you get the interview scheduled? How many Skype interviews do you do? Do you pay for all seven (candidates) to come on site or do you wait till you have three, then have those come on site? Buston said. Again, that schedule is kind of in the air. We wont know until after the council meets with the firm.

Public input will likely be solicited when the council is reviewing finalists, Buston said.

Say they decided on three finalistsI would expect, and again, this is just my speculation, but I would suspect that the council will invite the candidates here and would have one-on-one interviews with each council member, Buston said. I would expect that during that same period, they would have an open forum where the three can meet the public, and where the public can ask questions, and the council can observe how they do in the public. That would be my suggestion, and I think that will probably happen.

The council could narrow down candidates around August, and a new city manager could be selected as early as November, Buston said. But until the council meets with the consultant, nothing is set in stone.

The council also received an update on the design of a new public safety building that will be constructed on the site of Fire Station 1. Construction is expected to begin in December with a completion date of May 2019.

The council also:

> approved an emergency leasing of a temporary office trailer to house the police divisions detectives and narcotics section.

> approved on an incentive package for an addition to the Auburn Industrial Park that will be announced at the Paris Air Show in June.

> adopted an action plan for distributing Community Development Block Grant funds in fiscal year 2017.

> approved a commercial development agreement to revitalize an old home into a coffee shop at 150 N. Ross St.
Senate Bill 231, set for a legislative hearing today, is the second attempt by Sen. Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, to pass a bill that redefines sewer to include stormwater.

Its more than a matter of definition. Its an attempt to evade the requirements of Proposition 218, which prevents local governments from calling taxes fees to get around Proposition 13s provision that two-thirds of voters must approve tax increases.

Proposition 218 included an exception for increases to taxes, fees and assessments for trash, household water and sewer service. By redefining sewer to include stormwater, Hertzbergs bill would allow local governments to pay for costly stormwater management projects simply by adding hundreds or thousands of dollars to property tax bills.

Taxpayers would have the opportunity for a protest vote, but unless a majority of them knew about the increases and mailed in their protests within the time limit, the charges would go into effect.

Thats clearly contrary to voters intentions, expressed time and again, to vote on any tax increases. Californians passed Proposition 13 in 1978 and Proposition 218 in 1996. Then, when some local governments overcharged for services and used the extra money for other expenses, voters passed Proposition 26, the Stop Hidden Taxes Initiative, in 2010.

Hertzbergs bill also conflicts with the 2002 ruling in Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association v. City of Salinas, in which the states Sixth District Court of Appeal said the city could not add a charge for stormwater runoff to residents bills for sewer service.

Stormwater management for flood control, environmental protection and groundwater replenishment is very expensive. Further compliance with stormwater regulations will cost cities in Los Angeles County an estimated $20 billion. Where will the money come from? In the city of Glendora, officials calculated that, if a stormwater assessment was added to property tax bills, the per-parcel annual charge would average $1,200.

As with all public infrastructure, the question is one of responsibility, resources, costs and benefits. Should the federal government help to pay the cost of compliance with federal clean water standards? Should the state provide funding for cities to comply with state mandates? Should the cost of stormwater management be borne by property owners alone, or should all taxpayers be equally responsible? Do the regulations go too far and cost too much?

None of those questions are answered by SB231. It merely attempts to override the decision by the Court of Appeal so cities can charge the cost of stormwater management to taxpayers without calling it a tax, and without the approval of two-thirds of the voters.

That probably wont stand up to a court challenge, so Hertzberg has also introduced Senate Constitutional Amendment 4, which currently contains only placeholder language. This companion bill could provide the means to override Proposition 218  and any other constitutional protections that require municipalities to set utility rates based on the cost of service, not for raising revenue or modifying behavior.

SB231 and SCA4 should circle the drain and disappear. Major infrastructure spending should be debated openly and in accordance with the express wishes of the voters that tax increases must be submitted to them for their approval.
The Chinese government has denied Tyler Armstrong, 13, a permit to climb Mount Everest, meaning he cant be the youngest person to summit the worlds tallest mountain.

The government denied his request last year, shortly after it set age restrictions barring people younger than 18 and older than 75 from climbs in an effort to improve safety.

It was a very emotional experience that I cant climb Mount Everest and break the world record, Armstrong said. Its a little disappointing that they are just looking at my age and not my skill level.

The denial came in Feb. 16 email, but Armstrongs dad, Kevin Armstrong, kept working the phones to see if an exception would be granted.

They said they might reconsider again when he is 16, but that wont give Tyler the world record, Kevin Armstrong said. Hes done more than what an adult would have to do, but he still got denied because of his age.

Armstrong turned 13 in January. If he got the permit to climb this spring, hed have squeaked in as the youngest.

Hes climbed five of the Seven Summits  the tallest mountain on each continent  and has been working to be the youngest to complete that goal as well. These are climbs that take several days, often in harsh weather.

In July he spent 18 days in cold temperatures and high winds summiting Alaskas Denali  formerly called Mount McKinley  which is 20,310 feet tall. It is the third largest of the worlds summits; he climbed the second, Mount Aconcagua at age 9.

Kevin Armstrong and his wife, Priscilla, delivered the dream-crushing verdict to Armstrong about three weeks ago while they sat around in back yard of their Yorba Linda home.

It was definitely emotional,  Kevin Armstrong said. But he is a strong boy.

The denial also eliminated sponsorships, so the tough part will be figuring out how to finance his climb to the two remaining peaks: Mount Vinson in Antarctica and Mount Everest in Nepal (once he is granted a permit).

Kevin Armstrong said it would cost about $85,000 for him and Tyler to climb Mount Vinson and about $175,000 to climb Mount Everest.

We do not have the funds as a family for him to do that, Kevin Armstrong said. The fact that he wont be setting the world record, especially for Mount Everest, its not in their best interest to cough up almost $200,000 if its not going to bring in the publicity they need for their brand.

While the family figures out what comes next, the globe-trotting mountain climber and his father plan to climb the Triple Crown this summer  Mount Rainier, 14,441 feet, and Mount Adams, 12,280 feet, in Washington and Mount Hood in Oregon, 11,250 feet.

I still love climbing just as much as I did before and Ill still pursue my passion, Armstrong said.

Armstrong has raised about $35,000 of his $1 million goal to help find a cure for Duchenne, a fatal genetic disorder that causes muscle degeneration and weakness, leaving those affected unable to walk. After meeting a boy with the disease, Armstrong set out to raise the money by reaching the worlds highest summits.

Its something that he was looking forward to and I think it would have been very positive not only on his life, but in the lives of many children, Priscilla Armstrong said, adding climbing Mount Everest would have brought awareness to Duchenne. Its turning down not only his dream, but the dream of many other kids.

The Seven Summits

Mount Kosciuszko in Australia, 7,310 feet

Mount Vinson in Antarctica, 16,050 feet

Mount Elbrus in Russia, 18,510 feet

Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, 19,341 feet

Mount Denali in Alaska, 20,310 feet

Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, 22,837 feet

Mount Everest in Nepal, 29,029 feet
For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android.

The effort by the White House to revive the Republican bill to overhaul healthcare appears to have hit multiple roadblocks in the past two days, as a deal that would please all sides of the House GOP conference has again proved hard to nail down.

After a two-hour negotiation session Tuesday night between White House representatives and members of various GOP House caucuses, major sticking points were left unresolved. And the future of the American Health Care Act  the bill to repeal and replace Obamacare  is as murky as ever.

Accusations of a double-faced deal, a significant policy disagreement, and a tight schedule all threaten to derail the AHCA.

Two deals

The White House's effort to revive the bill, which was pulled from the House floor before a vote in March, is being led by Vice President Mike Pence, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney.

The group has been attempting to bring the conservative House Freedom Caucus on board to secure enough votes to pass the bill through the House. At the same time, the White House team is attempting to keep the bill palatable for the more moderate members of the Tuesday Group.

According to Politico's Rachael Bade and Josh Dawsey, during meetings on Tuesday, the White House team offered the two sides different deals  or they at least felt that way.

The disagreements are over two Obamacare regulations regarding so-called essential health benefits and community ratings. Freedom Caucus members want these regulations repealed to ensure what they consider a freer market for insurance, while moderates believe a repeal would undermine protections for people with preexisting conditions and leave sick Americans without affordable coverage.

In a meeting with moderates, Pence seemed to hint that a repeal of the provisions would be limited and subject to approval by the federal government.

Story continues

But in a later meeting with Freedom Caucus members, however, lawmakers said Pence painted the repeal of these regulations as simpler and said the federal government would rubber-stamp any state that wished to do so.

According to Politico, members of both sides said there were a variety of options the White House team promised to one side but not the other.

mark Meadows

'No agreements'

Overall, the two sides do not appear any closer to taking any meaningful steps toward a deal.

House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday that the negotiations were still in "conceptual stages."

Lawmakers said the two-hour meeting didn't bring the sides together.

"There were no agreements tonight in principle, and certainly no agreements in terms of a foundation," Rep. Mark Meadows, the chairman of the Freedom Caucus, told reporters after the meeting.

As was the case during the first negotiations over the AHCA, it appears the Freedom Caucus is forcing the bill further to the right and pushing for the repeal of the regulations. This would make support from moderate Republicans less and less likely.

According to David Nather at Axios, some GOP leaders believe the changes being proposed to appease the Freedom Caucus are losing the bill votes rather than winning them.

With a vote on the bill this week, before a two-week break for Congress, looking increasingly unlikely, it appears, again, that "Trumpcare" isn't moving forward anytime soon.

NOW WATCH: Animated map shows which states are the biggest winners and losers from 'Trumpcare'



More From Business Insider
Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens has warned that her department could lose its $26 million federal contract to house immigrant detainees under a state bill aimed at restricting local police from aiding federal authorities in enforcing immigration laws.

Senate Bill 54, also known as the California Values Act, by state Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, won approval from the state Senate on Monday, April 3, and is headed to the Assembly.

Orange Countys contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement represents 5 percent of the departments $520 million in revenue this fiscal year.

Without this agreement, our budget will be significantly compromised, Hutchens said in a March 3 letter to state Sen. Pat Bates, R-Laguna Niguel.

Bates issued a statement Monday claiming that Orange, Contra Costa, Yuba and Sacramento counties, which have contracts to house ICE detainees, might have to pull deputies off the street to balance their ledgers.

These counties may have little choice but to lay off sheriffs deputies, which would endanger citizens and immigrants alike, Bates said.

De Leon, however, said the bill will actually save money for most local departments.

Our precious local law enforcement resources will be squandered if police are pulled from their duties to arrest otherwise law-abiding maids, busboys, laborers, mothers and fathers. Trust will be lost. Crimes will go unreported for fear of deportation, he said in a statement.

The bill bans local law enforcement from using their resources to investigate, detain or arrest persons for immigration reasons.

If passed, SB 54 puts local law enforcement in the unenviable position of being in conflict with federal law, Hutchens countered. Sheriffs across California will have to choose whether to honor current agreements with the federal government or violate California law.

Hutchens and Bates stressed that they agree local authorities should not enforce federal immigration laws. But sometimes the missions of local law enforcement and ICE intersect, they said.

Californias public safety agencies interact with the federal government to protect the public, Bates said. SB 54 is not needed. It would lead to dangerous individuals falling through the cracks and being let out on the streets when they should have been deported instead.

Hutchens explained that the Orange County jail notifies ICE when an undocumented immigrant is in custody for a serious crime, ranging from murder to driving under the influence. In 2016, 391 immigrant inmates in Orange County were reported to ICE.

These offenders pose a significant risk to our communities and removing them is consistent with the departments mission to enhance public safety, Hutchens wrote.

De Leon, however, said jailed immigrants can still be reported to ICE under the bill.

No one wants dangerous or violent criminals roaming our streets. The California Values Act allows state and local law enforcement to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement before violent or dangerous criminals are released from incarceration and allows their transfer into federal custody for deportation, de Leon said in a statement. But Californians will not squander their precious public safety dollars to separate mothers from their children, to detain DREAMERS, or to deport honest, hardworking people who are so critical to our economy.

Amendments to the bill allow local agencies to participate in task forces with ICE. However, the agencies must submit semi-annual reports to the state Department of Justice. Hutchens was not satisfied with the amendments.

I am concerned that such requirements would hinder effectiveness, divert energies from investigative work and compromise the security of personnel who participate in undercover work, Hutchens wrote.
An Orange County jury ordered SunCal Cos. Chief Executive Bruce Elieff to pay $20.3 million to a former business partner who claimed the Irvine developer failed to pay off an earlier court settlement worth almost $50 million.

But verdict, handed down last Thursday, probably wont end the protracted legal battle that already has gone through two trials and an appeal. Elieffs attorney vowed Monday to appeal the case again if he cant get the judgment thrown out.

Irvine-based SunCal has been involved in major developments throughout the West, including past ties to the Marblehead project in San Clemente and Pacifica San Juan in San Juan Capistrano. The company currently is behind a planned 58-story, mixed-use development in downtown Los Angeles Arts District.

At issue in the court case is an unpaid settlement Elieff promised to pay in 2005 to former development partner Todd Kurtin to buy him out of about 20 SunCal projects in which he had a 50-50 interest.

According to court records, Elieff agreed to pay Kurtin $48.8 million. Elieff would pay a portion of that money himself, and the rest would come from proceeds in three homebuilding partnerships, including housing developments in San Juan Capistrano and Orange. According to Kurtins lawsuit, Elieff asserted he had the authority to obligate the partnerships to pay off the debt, but later halted the payments, saying he didnt have that authority after all.

Kurtins attorneys maintained Elieff still owed him about $22 million when the payments stopped.

The lawsuit also alleged that Elieff stripped millions of dollars from the partnerships, so they were unable to make their settlement payments.

Elieffs attorney, Louis Skip Miller, denied that accusation, however, blaming the housing crash for defaults on the 2005 settlement.

Home sales in California plummeted in late 2005, mortgage defaults skyrocketed in 2006 and by the summer of 2007, home prices tanked, falling 42 percent in Orange County. At least 22 SunCal homebuilding projects, many bankrolled by Lehman Brothers, declared bankruptcy in 2008.

They were supposed to be paid by these projects, and the recession wiped out the projects, Miller said. There were no more proceeds. There was nothing he could do. Everything dried up.

Not in dispute, attorneys in the case said, is that SunCal partnerships failed to pay Kurtin their portion of the $48.8 million settlement and that Elieff wrongfully claimed he had the authority to obligate them to make those payments. Kurtin said he relied on Elieffs claim in agreeing to the settlement terms.

The jury voted not to award damages to Kurtin over Elieffs inaccurate claim that he could obligate the partnerships to make payments. Because the error wasnt intentional, Miller said, there was no fraud.

He made a mistake, Miller said. It was an honest mistake.

One of Kurtins lawyers said, however, the jury got it right and predicted that when interest is included, the total judgment will come to more than $40 million.

It is unfortunate that our client had to endure a decade of litigation, said Sherry Bragg, one of Kurtins lawyers. Mr. Kurtin is pleased with the verdict.
SANTA ANA  The city on Tuesday, April 4, approved a consultant to determine what happens next with the Santa Ana Jail, despite public comments alleging that the company selected is biased toward reusing the site as a detention center of some kind.

On a 5-0 vote, with Councilman Sal Tinajero absent and Mayor Miguel Pulido abstaining, the council directed staff to execute a $103,155 one-year agreement for the study with Vanir Construction Management Inc.

City staff had revised the scope of the study after the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement gave Santa Ana notice on Feb. 23 that it was terminating its contract at the jail. Council members say they are seeking a study with all types of options, including moving to a holding facility or not doing the jail business at all in the building.

Staff removed a jail conditions assessment and an alternatives to detention component, which really revolved around ICE and that program, according to Jorge Garcia of the city managers office.

My only concern is that we limit scope and Im not sure if it makes the results of the recommendation inferior to what we originally wanted  If were limiting it to a (study) that is simply going to tell us, Reuse this as another jail or holding facility, Councilman Vincent Sarmiento said. I know that when we had this robust discussion of, What could this be?

Hairo Cortes, a program coordinator for Orange County Immigrant Youth United, said that going with Vanir would put Santa Ana on a contradictory path to the councils direction last year to get out of the jail business.

Vanir has a documented history of turning jail reuse studies into jail construction and expansion opportunities, Cortes said.

But Garcia said Vanir provided a well-rounded and balanced approach to handling Santa Anas jail reuse study and that staff spoke with the company to request that wild-card options for its use be provided.

I understand your concern, Tinajero said to concerned residents before stepping out for the vote. I ask that you have faith in us up here that the reuse study is going to have a public benefit and not (be) another holding facility.

Council members voted in support of Sarmientos motion that a jail conditions assessment be added back to the study.

The agreement includes a project contingency of $21,845 for a total cost not exceeding $125,000 for deeper dives on reuse options.

Vanir is expected to produce the study in four months, expedited from a timeline of at least six months after ICE pulled its contract.

Santa Ana opened the 512-bed Type 2 jail  used to detain people pending arraignment, during trial and upon a sentence of commitment  in 1997 and faces a $3 million debt annually through 2024 for building it. The city receives about $340,000 in monthly revenue from the ICE contract, which is the largest at the jail and initially included 200 beds.

Mayor Pro Tem Michele Martinez said moving toward a Type 1 jail, where people are held for no more than 96 hours after booking, would be financially sustainable for the city. She also suggested providing mental health services.

What I want to do is to make sure that the city is solvent, that it can continue to run not just now but again, five to 10 years from now, Martinez said.
WASHINGTON  Parents and children caught crossing the Mexican border into the United States illegally generally can remain together, the Homeland Security Department said Wednesday, in a partial reversal of previous comments.

Secretary John Kelly told a Senate panel that families would not be separated unless the situation at the time requires it. He gave as possible examples if the mother is sick or addicted to drugs. But he said separation would not be routine.

Kellys comment to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Oversight committee contrasted with earlier pronouncements that his agency was considering separation as a deterrent to would-be border crossers, mostly from Central America.

In written testimony, Kelly said about 1,100 people traveling as families were caught trying to cross the Mexican border into the United States illegally last month.

Immigrant families and children traveling alone have accounted for hundreds of thousands of arrests at the border in recent years, at times overwhelming federal authorities.

Kelly said he has not issued a written directive outlining the policy to border agents, but has told employees that he must approve any such separations. In a somewhat tense back and forth with Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Kelly said border agents dont need a written policy because hes given the order verbally.

Kelly also told lawmakers that a sharp decline in people crossing the southern border illegally was due in part to President Donald Trumps immigration policies and widely publicized arrests of immigrants living in the United States illegally. Smugglers have also raised prices to bring would-be immigrants from Central America through Mexico and to the border, he said.

Kelly also took some credit for himself, saying that his direct plea to government officials in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala along with conversations with church leaders and others in the region have helped curb the number of people trying to sneak into the United States.

In written testimony, Kelly told the Senate panel that fewer than 12,500 people were caught trying to enter the United States illegally across the Mexican border in March. It was the second straight decline in arrests at the border, a likely signal that fewer people are trying to come into the United States illegally, and the fewest arrests in a month in at least the last 17 years.

Kelly said that decline in the number of people trying to enter the United States illegally wont continue unless his agency gets the resources needed to secure the border.

It wont last  unless we do something, again, to secure the border, Kelly said. The wall. A physical barrier. All we know is that physical barriers do work if they are put in the right places.

Kelly said the wall wont be from sea to shining sea, but in places where border agents say it would be most effective.

In response to a question from Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Kelly said the wall could extend beyond a physical barrier and include a mix of technology including drones.

The prospects for that wall and billions of dollars to pay for it appear dim this year, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., made clear Wednesday morning.

The majority of Senate  is not going to sign a blank check for a wall we know is never going to be built, McCaskill said.
Gov. Jerry Brown visited Riverside on Tuesday, April 4 to make an impassioned plea for state lawmakers to pass a $52 billion funding package to fix Californias crumbling roads.

Speaking just outside North Park, on a road above University Avenue and with train horns blaring nearby, the governor said its time to put partisan politics aside and pay for repairs now  or the price will literally and figuratively rise.

If this bill doesnt pass,Im concerned we wont ever get it, Brown said. We may get in a hole we may not climb out of.

The governor, a Democrat, also took aim at Republican lawmakers who oppose raising taxes and fees to pay for transportation infrastructure.

I think they expect the tooth fairy to pay the $5 billion bill every year, Brown said.

As he spoke, a small group of protesters shouted No new taxes! One waved a sign that read: Stop picking our pocket.

Brown was joined by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount and Senate President pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, who echoed the need for urgency in passing the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.

Other local elected leaders who attended todays press conference included Assemblyman Jose Medina, D-Riverside; and a host of local elected leaders, including Riverside County supervisors Chuck Washington and John Tavaglione; Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey; Corona Mayor Dick Haley; and council members from Perris and Moreno Valley.

Brown, Rendon and de Leon are trying to rally the votes needed to pass the bill, SB 1, which seeks to tackle a road repair backlog exceeding $130 billion.

To do that, the legislation sponsored by Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, and Assemblyman Jim Frazier, D-Oakley, would raise the states gas excise tax by 12 cents a gallon. It also would raise the diesel excise tax by 20 cents a gallon and boost the diesel sales tax by 5.75 percent.

Money also would come from a new fee based on a vehicles worth. Those worth $5,000 or less would be charged $25 a year while owners of vehicles worth $60,000 or more would pay $175 annually.

Zero-emission vehicles would be subject to a $100-a-year fee. In all, the bill would cost most drivers less than $10 a month, according to the governors office.

The taxes and fees are expected to raise $52.4 billion over 10 years. A constitutional amendment would require the money to be spent on transportation.

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 5-2 along party lines Monday to send the bill to the Senate floor. A full vote is expected Thursday.
Gov. Jerry Brown has made his wishes clear: He wants the conflicts between Californias medical and recreational cannabis laws resolved by the end of the year.

On Tuesday night his office published a 92-page document offering up recommendations for how to settle key differences in laws regulating both segments of the industry, with the governor choosing sides on everything from how many licenses marijuana business owners can hold to how weed should be distributed statewide.

The proposals were included in a trailer bill to Browns 2017-18 budget. The Legislature will vote on whether those proposals become law, before they ultimately head back to Brown for final approval.

We were extremely happy when we saw what the governors office did, said Nate Bradley, executive director of the California Cannabis Industry Association.

Since Brown largely sided with voter-approved recreational marijuana laws rather than legislator-crafted medical laws, Bradley said the governor recognized the will of the voters as he attempted to reconcile the two systems.

In an email about the trailer bill, Hezekiah Allen, who heads up the cannabis industry trade group the California Growers Association, applauded Browns proposals for limiting the number of larger farms and protecting the environment while expressing concern over the lack of clarity about delivery services and the governors recommendation to allow for vertical integration.

There is a lot of work still to do to clarify and improve the proposal, Allen said. I expect many changes to come.

The conflict started brewing back in 2015, when Brown signed into law a trio of bills known as the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act. The bills mandate comprehensive regulations on medical marijuana for the first time since Californians voted to legalize the plant as medicine in 1996, with requirements for all marijuana businesses to be licensed, all cannabis to be tested, pesticides to be regulated and more by Jan. 1, 2018.

Those bills also created the Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation and the states first so-called pot czar  a position now held by former alcohol industry regulator Lori Ajax  to oversee crafting specific regulations on the industry.

Then voters legalized marijuana for all adults on Nov. 8 under Proposition 64. The measure also gave the state until Jan. 1, 2018 to come up with detailed regulations for that side of the industry, making Ajaxs already challenging job even tougher.

Prop. 64 was shaped around the states new medical marijuana laws, so the two systems are largely similar. But there are some key distinctions. And those conflicts have been causing battles in Sacramento over the past five months between big unions and longtime marijuana farmers, small business owners and entrepreneurs with big plans for the industry.

Here are three key differences between the two laws and a look at how Brown proposes to resolve them.

Distribution: Medical marijuana laws state that an independent distributor must take products from the grower or manufacturer to the retailer, much like how alcohol is handled. Prop. 64 would allow producers to drop off their products themselves, as they have for years. Brown recommends going with Prop. 64 on this one, saying that system will make it easier for businesses to enter the market, encourage innovation, and strengthen compliance with state law. The Teamsters, who were the most vocal opponents to that option, didnt immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment on Browns take.

Farm sizes: Medical marijuana laws limit the number of medium-sized farms that would be allowed in the state. Prop. 64 does not. Brown proposes going with the medical marijuana policy here, saying it will help illegal production and shipping product out of state.

Number of licenses: Medical marijuana laws state a person can only hold two different types of licenses in the cannabis industry, say for cultivation and retail. Prop. 64 doesnt include those limits, allowing entrepreneurs to control many aspects of the production chain. Brown sides with Prop. 64 here, saying such restrictions can stifle business and noting that the recreational laws still include provisions to guard against monopolies.

Brown also recommends doing away with a requirement now in the law that says medical marijuana patients must get state ID cards. Instead, patients could continue to choose to get county-issued cards or purchase medical cannabis with only their doctors recommendation, as they have been able to since 1996.

As Browns budget proposal moves through the approval process, the Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation is also crafting detailed regulations over both sides of the industry.

This provides us with direction for our regulations, bureau spokesman Alex Traverso said.

A draft of medical marijuana rules are expected later this month, Traverso said, with recreational cannabis regulations due out this fall.

Check out our new website covering Californias cannabis scene: The Cannifornian.com
In its world premiere at South Coast Repertory, The Siegel blasts us with laughs aimed at its characters, yet those laughs have a way of deflecting our thoughts back to our own lives.

Directed by Casey Stangl with self-assured comedic timing, Michael Mitnicks contemporary urban romcom has its basis in other works but is refreshingly original, and every time you think its about to veer into sitcom territory, it instead makes us pause and take stock of ourselves.

The plays opening scene sets the overarching tone as comedic: Although Ethan (Ben Feldman) and Alice (Mamie Gummer) were a couple for four years, that was two years ago  so no one takes seriously his sudden, out-of-the-blue marriage proposal to Alice.

Ethans strategy is multi-pronged: Win over Alices parents, Ron (Matthew Arkin) and Deborah (Amy Aquino); persuade Alices current boyfriend, Nelson (Dominique Worsley), to break up with her; and, of course, launch a major charm offensive at Alice.

Working against Ethans cause is the damning fact that two years ago he, not Alice, ended the relationship  so why suddenly reappear and want her back?

Other major forces shape the story and characters  mainly, progressive political strategist Alices funk since a crushing national election loss she blames on herself (and though we never hear the names Clinton, Trump or of either major party, its clear who Alice was invested in).

The characters of The Siegel are comically blunt  open books all, with not much of a brain-mouth filter. Mitnicks primary themes, though, are fraught with heft and nuance, revolving around the compromises we make in life and the bargains we make with ourselves along the way.

The The Siegel is meant to suggest The Seagull, yet you wont find many traces of Chekhov aside from the constant yearning of its characters for the ideal love  and each characters propensity for falling for someone who in turn loves someone else.

A more familiar precedent to Mitnicks scenario of two men in love with the same woman is Philip Barrys The Philadelphia Story, while Ethans attempts to woo his ex away from her current beau mirror the premise of the classic screwball comedy His Girl Friday.

Stangl has a feel for the scripts comedic rhythms, re-injecting them into SCRs fast-moving staging while allowing the storys more dramatic points the room and time they need to breathe.

Feldman and Gummer show that though Ethan and Alice are ex almost-marrieds, theyre still able to relate amicably, playfully batting banter to and fro. But their generally stiff and frosty ambience is too prolonged; its only once both are drunk (late in the play) that we get a glimmer of their potential for happiness.

Feldmans Ethan is aggressively sweet and never afraid to toot his own horn  likable, but poised to say anything to get Alice back. That dichotomy, played for laughs, points to serious blind spots in his view of life.

Gummers Alice is smart, tough and self-reliant, defined by a rational, adult-in-the-room poise that has us wondering what she saw, or sees, in Ethan. Alice is a heavy hitter who values career over personal life, yet doesnt want to go without love  but absent from Mitnicks text are clear statements of Alices past love for Ethan and current indecision.

Arkin shows Rons obvious affinity with Ethan and Aquino Deborahs general (and understandable) distaste for him. Rons diffidence, a trait both touching and laugh-inducing, is the antithesis of Ethans pizzazz, while Aquino shows that the forceful, even intimidating Deborah obviously was Alices role model.

Worsley projects a cerebral, Obama-like cool and aplomb that fit Nelsons status as a bona fide intellectual, a Zen facade that doesnt crack until Alice starts to actually consider Ethans proposal. Devon Sorvari portrays Jordan, a sixth character who appears late in the play  and whose presence, personality and rapport with Ethan may hold the key to our understanding of The Siegel.

Michael B. Raifords scenic design is part abstract  a background watercolor wash of the common urban scene of busy crowds, the tall buildings windows represented by bright rectangular lights  and part concrete, the various set pieces and furnishings rotating swiftly into place via turntables.

The musical underscoring is mostly classic rock (Beatles hits like Two of Us) but also includes Randy Newmans touchingly romantic piano waltz One More Hour. The inference is that although the play might depict a possibly fatally mismatched couple, it believes that true love is still a fact of life.

The Siegel

When: Through April 23. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays

Where: South Coast Repertory Theater, Segerstrom Stage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

Tickets: $40-$79

Length: 1 hour, 25 minutes (no intermission)

Suitability: Adult language and content

Information: 714-708-5555; scr.org
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Costa Mesa, said his idea to help pay for a border wall was well- received by President Donald Trump during a 45-minute meeting at the White House on Tuesday, April 4.

He was especially keen on my proposal to create a new visa program that would help finance the border wall and protect our countrys sovereign territory by charging wealthy foreigners to become citizens of the United States, Rohrabacher said in an emailed statement. No additional details about the plan were available at press time.

Described as a wide-ranging discussion on foreign and domestic issues with Trump, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and strategist Steven Bannon, the meeting specifically included discussion of building partnerships with other countries menaced by Islamist terrorism, according to Rohrabachers statement.

Having worked with Ronald Reagan and sat with him in that very same Oval Office, I was deeply impressed with President Trumps grasp of the challenges we face, said Rohrabacher, who was a Reagan speechwriter.

Rohrabacher, like Trump, has urged building a more cooperative relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prior to the meeting, he dismissed concerns that Trump has been too cozy with Putin, according to The Associated Press.

Because of the brouhaha over nothing that the Democrats are trying to distract everybodys attention with, the ability to actually try to establish the type of relationship with Russia that we could possibly do is being blocked, Rohrabacher said.
The allure of the Northern Lights led me to Iceland.

Little did I know how elusive they are.

Checking the weather one last time before departure on my WOW air flight, things werent looking promising. Precipitation appeared in the forecast for the entire week, and clear skies are required to see the aurora borealis.

When my three travel buddies and I landed at Keflavik International Airport, we were greeted by rain, not snow. Turns out the country isnt as icy as it sounds  at least not all the time, even in mid-February.

It was 4 a.m., another five-and-a-half hours to go before sunrise, so we got the rental car and drove around trying to see Keflavik. The town was asleep.

The elusive Northern Lights can only be seen on nights with clear skies and away from city lights. (Photo by Jessica Kwong, OC Register/SCNG)

Stones painted with the flags of visitorsO countries lay near water in Akranes, a small fishing town north of Reykjavik. (Photo by Jessica Kwong, OC Register/SCNG)

The view looking out from the Black Diamond ice cave in Skaftafell, a wilderness area in Vatnajkull National Park. (Photo by Jessica Kwong, OC Register/SCNG)

Locals and visitors stack stones at the shore of Reykjavik, IcelandOs scenic capital steeped in nature. (Photo by Jessica Kwong, OC Register/SCNG)

The Sun Voyager sculpture of a Viking ship sits by the shore in Reykjavik, IcelandOs capital and its largest city. (Photo by Jessica Kwong, OC Register/SCNG)

The crashing waves at Black Sand Beach appear snow white against the dark pebble sand and cliffs of basalt columns tower overhead. (Photo by Jessica Kwong, OC Register/SCNG)

The small fishing town of Akranes, a short drive from Reykjavik through an underwater tunnel, has a lighthouse that offers a panoramic view. (Photo by Jessica Kwong, OC Register/SCNG)

No barrier stands between visitors and the Skogafloss waterfall in southern Iceland. (Photo by Jessica Kwong, OC Register/SCNG)

A popular stop along the Golden Circle route, the Strokkur fountain geyser shoots water high up in the air every few minutes. (Photo by Jessica Kwong, OC Register/SCNG)

One of the most popular attractions in Iceland, the Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa where visitors can swim and spread silica mud and algae masks on their faces. (Photo by Jessica Kwong, OC Register/SCNG)

Tourists descend to get a close look at parts of ice caves in Skaftafell, a wilderness area in Vatnajkull National Park. (Photo by Jessica Kwong, OC Register/SCNG)

Diamond Beach, near the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon, was named so because of the many icebergs that sit on the black sand. (Photo by Jessica Kwong, OC Register/SCNG)

Cafe Haiti in Reykjavik serves Icelandic fish stew, which has a thick and rich consistency. (Photo by Jessica Kwong, OC Register/SCNG)

Gullfloss, a two-tiered waterfall, is one of the most popular destinations in IcelandOs Golden Circle area. (Photo by Jessica Kwong, OC Register/SCNG)

The Katla volcano eruption laid black lava for miles and miles across the landscape. (Photo by Jessica Kwong, OC Register/SCNG)

Buildings in Reykjavik, IcelandOs capital, are quaint and colorful and the streets serene. (Photo by Jessica Kwong, OC Register/SCNG)

Arriving in Reykjavik, Icelands capital and its largest city, we were enticed by an illuminated glass dome structure on a hill and drove up a side road to see it. It was the Perlan, a hot water tower perched over the city. In town, we were lucky to be accommodated at our guesthouse hours before check-in and took a much-needed nap before sunrise.

Outside, the air was fresh and chilly. We drove back west to the Blue Lagoon, which we had tickets for, but on our last night. A geothermal spa, the large lagoon was a bright turquoise color during the day, its warm water creating steam that rose into the frigid, 30-degree air.

Further southwest, we reached the noisy Gunnuhver steam vents, spewing heat from the ground nonstop, theyre named after a female ghost who supposedly haunts the place. Closeby, the Hafnaberg Cliffs showed off Icelands rugged coastline. Waves crashed against protruding rocks as relentless wind pounded us, forcing us to retreat to the car.

Iceland was cold, but couldve been worse. Snow boots  waterproof  with thick socks, a thermal long sleeve shirt, leggings under pants, a light down jacket and a waterproof North Face jacket got me through just fine. I only wore snow pants on a couple of occasions.

Iceland is known for fresh fish and lamb, so we stopped at Fish House Bar & Grill in Grindavik. Fish and chips of haddock melted in your mouth and the grilled lamb chops tasted particularly rich. The sun set just after 5:45 p.m., and we rested for the next days excursion.

Before dawn, we loaded our backpacks into the car and drove to meet our Discover tour guide Orri Amin, who would take us in a 4 X 4 super Jeep for the next couple of days to explore south Iceland.

Once we hit the road east, visibility dropped. As Orri drove through the fog and rain with ease, we were grateful we chose not to drive ourselves. Soon, we began off-roading. The Jeep cleared rocks, small hills and went down and over shallow rivers to reach the Gigjokull glacier outlet.

Orri pointed out the massive block of ice nestled in between the mountains and explained that Eyjafjallajokull, a volcano covered in an ice cap, erupted in 2010 and caused Gigjokull to burst and melt. He said we could walk as close to it as we wanted, but warned we would have to cross water. He stayed behind.

At a narrower part of the stream, someone had placed a plank of wood, so I crossed  and almost slipped in the process. The glacier was farther than it looked, and a bit daunting knowing I was standing where a chunk of it had broken off and melted: I turned back.

Next year, it will be gone, Orri said as we drove away from the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The glacier is melting very fast.

Our next stop was the Seljalandsfoss waterfall. I walked up to where it was roped off but no further. Orri said we could walk behind it but would get soaked.

Next we ventured to Skogafoss, another towering waterfall that was even more extraordinary when you realized you could walk right up to it without any barrier or obstruction. I stopped when a wall of water hit my face, but feeling its thunderous pulse for a moment was stunning. We continued walking up what felt like hundreds of narrow steps to see Skogafoss from above.

Tired and hungry, we welcomed Orris suggestion that we eat at the best place for fish and chips. It was a food stand, Sveitagrill Miu Mias Country Grill, which serves only the catch of the day. The fillet of deep-fried fish paired perfectly with potato wedges served with salt and vinegar and Icelandic tartar sauce, slightly sweeter than American style with crunchy relish and a hint of curry.

The last stop of the day was Black Sand Beach. Beneath a gray, overcast sky, the beach was even darker than I imagined. The sand was the color of charcoal, a sharp contrast to the crashing white waves. Orri warned us not to stand too close. Up close, you cant see the waves coming, he said, and families have been swept away never to be seen again.

I found I could have stared at the beachs wicked beauty for hours, if it wasnt for the cold, beating wind. A couple of large rocks protruded from the sea. On the sand, cliffs of basalt columns resembled a step pyramid and offered a photo opp for visitors willing to climb.

We stayed overnight at the Gerdi Guesthouse surrounded by nothing but mountains and the ocean. I eagerly asked Orri if we could see the Northern Lights and he pointed to the sky. The aurora activity was high, he said, but we had no hope of seeing it through the clouds. He showed us pictures of the auroras and said they look better in photos, but are still very beautiful.

The next day, we went looking for ice caves in Skaftafell, a wilderness area in Vatnajokull National Park. Our guide, Lu Gudmundsdottir, helped us hook spikes on the bottoms of our snow boots so we could walk on the glacier, she led us to several ice caves. The first was flooded and we were not able to enter. The second was more inviting.

Were very lucky because (the water) was gone through the night, Lu said of the cave, called Black Diamond. Everything we were standing on was flooded.

Usual Februaries in Iceland are much colder.

As we approached the large opening, I was awed by crystallized, frozen walls illuminated by daylight. Deeper in, the light disappeared and we used the headlights on our helmets to navigate our way in. The caves ceiling dropped gradually until we had to duck down and nearly crawl. It was humbling to sit there and take in the natural formations that are melting and breaking at an increasing rate with climate change.

Now its disappearing, Orri said. Thats just the way it is.

The rest of the day trip was less physical, but no less marvelous.

Jokularson, a glacial lagoon, was full of large, soft blue, floating icebergs shifting slowly. It was hard to imagine the lagoon was iceless a few days ago, but had changed due to wind and the current, according to Orri.

Just when I thought we had seen the highlights, Orri took us to the other side of Jokularson to Diamond Beach. Icebergs washed ashore, or left on the black pebbled ground by the receding water level, dotted the entire area. I climbed on various chunks of ice, most of them bigger than me. I felt tiny walking through what seemed like a maze of diamonds.

On the way back to Reykjavik, Orri drove us up a trail he said his wife doesnt like him to cross, so we could see the damage that the recent Katla volcano eruption caused. Looking down from the top of the mountain, we could see miles and miles of black matter that from a distance looked like an ocean, but was actually dried lava. Then the volcano disappeared behind the fog.

Now you know why I love my country. Its incredible, Orri said. We had it for two minutes and its gone.

It was almost dark when we reached Seljalandsfoss, but Orri kept his promise about climbing behind it. Cold and weary, I felt like passing, but some visitors leaving said we should do it. The incline wasnt too steep but scary, as there was no railing, but worth braving and getting drenched. The backside of the waterfall was majestic to see at nightfall, when no one else was around.

The Golden Circle, one of the most visited tourist attractions in Iceland, paled in comparison to the private super Jeep excursion. Perhaps we should have done it first.

We drove the route ourselves instead of joining a large tour bus. The Strokkur fountain geyser was impressive, shooting water high in the air, and suddenly, every few minutes. The Gullfloss waterfall was unlike Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss  two-tiered and only able to be admired from a distance.

We spent the rest of the day into the evening at Laugarvatn Fontana, a lesser-known spa with geothermal baths, steam saunas and access to a frigid lake I only dipped my toe into. It wouldve been nice to see the Northern Lights from there, but again it was overcast.

On our last day, we walked around Reykjavik, admiring the quaint buildings against natures rugged backdrop and finding our way to the tall, Lutheran parish church Hallgrimskirkja visible through the narrow streets.

With a little time left to spare, we drove through an underwater tunnel and to the small fishing town of Akranes. It was more deserted than other parts of Iceland, and had a small lighthouse. Stones painted with flags of the countries people had visited littered the ground.

At night, we returned to the Blue Lagoon. It was freezing, so instead of walking, I swam out from a different exit. I spread silica mud on my face and deemed a blueberry Skyr yogurt smoothie as my drink, rinsed it with the warm lagoon water and put on an algae mask. It was a relaxing way to end the trip full of extreme sightseeing.

Leaving the Blue Lagoon at night, we saw a pastel smear across the dark sky and I thought maybe those were the Northern Lights. Earlier, I had checked the forecast and was excited to see the western part of the country would clear up.

We drove to an area where some cars had parked on the side of the road.

One of us had a pro camera, set it up on a tripod and snapped a shot and, sure enough, captured the eerie green light. Soon, the aurora activity intensified and revealed its colors to the naked eye.

With my iPhone incapable of capturing even a faint dash of the phenomenon, I learned to simply enjoy the moment. Many times in life, things arent what they seem, and sometimes, well, there they are.

Contact the writer: jkwong@scng.comJessicaGKwong on Twitter
Want to hang loose with Dr. Seuss or sling a web with Spiderman? Then Universals Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando is the place for you.

Besides Spidey, there is a chance to confront King Kong, take a wild ride thanks to the Incredible Hulk, and visit a lost continent. Oh, and then take a magical flight with Harry Potter, too.

This was the second theme park built by Universal in Florida. It opened in 1999, nine years after Universal Studios Florida. When Islands of Adventure opened, Universal also renamed its location Universal Orlando Resort as it opened the Florida version of Citywalk on the property the same day. A hotel opened up as part of the resort, too.

The park is made up of seven lands  islands  plus the Port of Entry land that serves as the entranceway to the park.

Visitors must also trek through most of Citywalk to enter the park, except for those coming from the resorts five hotels, many of whom may come by boat.

Another way to get into the park is on the Hogwarts Express from Universal Studios Florida, from Diagon Alley and into Hogsmeade Station adjacent to the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

And thanks to Harry Potter, this park is getting more attendance, so lets take a tour around the islands.

(Editors note: Short opinions from the writer, a former Disney Imagineer, appear in italics. Click here to read a guide to Walt Disney World. Click here to read a guide to Universal Studios Florida.)

Port of Entry

Feeling a bit like a North African seaport, this land serves not just as the main entrance into the park, but is similar to Disneys Main Street U.S.A. in its approach. This main entrance to the park is marked by a fantasy version of Pharos Lighthouse. There are no rides in the area, just shops and a few eateries, and a bar.

Though it is a funnel to the park, the park is not laid out in the famous Disneyland hub and spoke approach to get to the other lands. Once you leave this area, going either left or right, you have to walk around the entire lagoon that is in the center of the theme park  just like at Epcots World Showcase area at Walt Disney World.

At least at Epcot, there are boats to shuttle visitors across the lagoon. No such luck here, so be prepared to walk around, no short cuts.

Marvel Super Hero Island

Before Disney bought up Marvel, Universal obtained the license to use Marvels comic book characters in Florida. Though they could have, they failed to use the license for the characters on the West Coast, so Universal currently cannot use them in California.

The land is heavily themed around the characters, with giant flat comic book versions of the heroes and villains plastered on the front of many of the lands structures  not like the live-action versions of the characters. There are themed shops and diners in the land, along with four rides:

The Incredible Hulk Coaster  Hes green and hes mean, and wants to send you on a thrilling ride. Once through the queue, riders are loaded into the coaster train inside General Ross launching platform. From there, riders are sent into the gamma core and up to the gamma ray launch tunnel.

A roar of the Incredible Hulk and riders are launched, not lifted, up the hill, reaching 40 mph at the top. Out of the tube and into the open air, the coaster dips down a hill and into the first of its high-speed inversions. There are seven inversions on the ride that reaches speeds in excess of 60 mph on the green track.

This is a fantastic roller coaster, and being launched up a hill out of a tube is a great addition that appeared in 2016 after a nearly yearlong refurbishment. Yes, the theme add-on is a bit of a stretch, but its still a fun ride  just not for the faint of heart.

Storm Force Accelatron  The X-Men character Storm is the focus of this spinner ride. According to the back story, the Accelatron was built by Professor Xavier to help Storm battle the evil Magneto. Spinning the ride vehicles helps Storm produce thunder and lightning, defeating Magneto once again.

Think Mad Tea Party at Disney with an X-Men theme. The ride is about the length of time it takes to read this description and critique.

Doctor Dooms Fearfall  Make sure the safety bar is pulled down because Doctor Doom wants to suck the fear out of riders by launching them straight up 185 feet in just a couple seconds. And just when you reach the top, it tosses you back down just as fast. But then the rider survives, in support of the Fantastic Four, and Doctor Doom meets his doom.

Sort of like Tower of Terror meets Freefall with this very weak theme overlaid on a basic amusement park ride, makes me wish it would meet its doom.

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man  Join Peter Parker as the web slinger on this ride through the streets and underworld of Manhattan as a cub reporter. During the ride, riders will meet Spider-Man and face several villains from that comic book world, including Doctor Oculus, Electro, Scream and Hobgoblin  who are all part of the Sinister Syndicate.

The hard news story is they are attacking the city with an anti-gravity canyon and have stolen the Statue of Liberty, which they will destroy unless the city surrenders.

The queue line wends its way through the now-empty offices of The Bugle, as everyone working there has fled the city. Via a video, J. Jonah Jameson, The Bugles editor-in-chief, has no choice but to send the tourists (those in line) to cover the story.

Given night vision goggles (3D glasses), riders as cub reporters get inside the Scoop, the Bugles new car-like vehicle.

After meeting Spidey, riders speed past a trash truck driven by Stan Lee, then its into a seedy warehouse, sewers and other locations only a villain could love. In the end, Spider-Man saves the day as the Scoop returns to the station.

This ride set a new standard for Universal and the theme park business when it opened with the park. It combined many elements used in attractions, including 3D film, physical effects, ride simulation and more, all on a track. The ride system, or versions of it, have since been used on other Universal attractions, including the Harry Potter rides. One of the lead designers has since been enticed to work for Walt Disney Imagineering on the Star Wars land attractions  while others used to work for Walt Disney Imagineering. With this ride, Universal arrived, and could do things as good as, if not better, than Disney. This is one fantastic ride through the Spider-man universe.

Toon Lagoon

Step into the world of newspaper comic strips and the cartoons of Jay Ward in this land. The comic strips are all courtesy of a license from King Features Syndicate and include characters like Beetle Bailey, Snuffy Smith and Popeye. Jay Wards characters included Dudley Do-Right, along with Nell and villainous Snidely Whiplash.

The fronts of the many shops and cafes feature large, flat versions of the comic strip characters. There are also a number of photo-op stops with statues of the characters, including Popeye. Some of the comic strip characters date to the earlier days of newspapers, including the classic Blondie.

Water seems to be the prevailing theme of the rides in this area:

Me Ship, The Olive  The title of this playground attraction, designed more for kids, is titled in classic Popeye-speak. There are nets to climb, slides to ride and several passageways to explore in the three-story play area. In one area, kids and adults can squirt water cannons at people riding the nearby rapids raft ride, also based on the world of Popeye.

Hey, its a kids play area. Nicely themed, though Im not sure any of them know anything about Popeye or Olive Oyl.

Popeye & Blutos Bilge-Rat Barges  Its a ride in a raft down some rapids, a perfect ride for a hot day, of which there are plenty in Orlando.

Popeye (the hero) is a tour guide on a trip to Paradise Island, only Bluto (the villain) has taken over the ride. So instead of a nice guided tour by Popeye to Paradise Island, we get the rough rapids ride courtesy of Bluto. A final water slide reveals that Popeye has finally captured Bluto  but too late, you will be thoroughly soaked.

Great theme and storyline for a rapids ride, something rare in the business where most rapids rides are just a raft ride through a concrete trough full of water.

Dudley Do-Rights Ripsaw Falls  Water is the overriding theme of this ride, which is a log flume trip through the world of this Jay Ward spoof of the Canadian Mounties. A story is told of Snidely Whiplashs latest scheme and of Dudley saving the day and his girlfriend, Nell. Though Nell kisses Dudleys horse  named Horse  in the end.

The ride ends, of course, with a final 75-foot drop down the falls, with a slight bump at the end guaranteed to get people wet.

This is a fun water ride, especially on a hot day. It could use a few more scenes with Dudley and company along the way. It would be better for folks if the younger set knew who the characters were, but alas, I dont think the kids do  though they do enjoy getting wet.

Skull Island

Its a land that just has a ride and nothing much else:

Skull Island: Reign of Kong  From the moment you enter the line, you know this is much more than a ride. The queue line is full of eerie sights and sounds, which set the rider up for the trip around Skull Island aboard an expedition truck. Magical effects make riders think they have a driver on board, talking with Kate, who is one of the explorers on the island.

During the hazardous journey, huge spiders swarm over and around the truck, dinosaurs threaten to eat the passengers, and finally, King Kong jumps in to battle the dinosaurs and inadvertently save the truck.

Finally, there is a confrontation between the truck and a very large Kong, before his roar chases the truck full of passengers away.

Like Harry Potter and Spider-Man rides, this one combines the use of a moving simulator, with 3D film technology mixed with practical effects, sets and large animatronic figures. It is well done, but an experienced theme park person like me feels like it is the same type of ride with a different story line. Still, its very immersive and well done.

Jurassic Park

Its more than a ride in Florida; its a land. Yes, its all about dinosaurs but there are opportunities to see them in settings that are not just in a water ride.

Theres a center where families can learn about dinosaurs and a flying adventure for kids. There are also a variety of food and shopping locations themed around the Jurassic Park movie. There are five attractions in this park.

Camp Jurassic  This area is billed as a prehistoric playground for kids. There are nets to climb and slides to slide, and caves to explore in the hopes of finding evidence of dinosaurs. Theres also a lava pit chamber that rumbles to life as the kids walk through it and a swaying suspension bridge.

Of course everyone knows what this is, Disneys Tom Sawyer Island with dinosaurs and more attitude.

Pteranodon Flyers  A flying, gliding roller coaster that soars over Camp Jurassic. Adults are not allowed unless they are with a child that is 36 to 56 inches tall. The simple coaster makes you feel like youre flying through the jungle beneath the wings of a Pteranodon.

Its nice to have a roller coaster ride for children that is something other than the same old thing found in so many other kids lands.

Jurassic Park River Adventure  A virtual duplicate of the same ride in California. Riders start out on a river raft journey through Jurassic Park, only some more aggressive dinosaurs cause problems.

The raft ends up mistakenly entering the Environmental Systems Building for Jurassic Park, only to hear an announcer saying to clear the building for a major problem.

That major problem is a Tyrannosaurus Rex that has escaped and confronts the rafts riders at the top of a waterfall. The only escape? Down the 85-foot drop into a tropical lagoon  with a major splashdown guaranteed to soak nearly all riders.

This is a fun ride, if a little dated. Maybe updating it with some better figures and a story from the newer films will give it some legs to stand on.

Jurassic Park Discovery Center  If dinosaurs were alive at a zoo, this would be the enclosed area where the dinosaur eggs are hatched and research done while visitors stop in to chat with the scientists.

A nice air-conditioned space to escape the heat. Only appreciated by the younger set, but barely.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter  Hogsmeade

Harry Potter and the gang from J.K. Rowling first flew into the theme park world here in Orlando at Islands of Adventure in 2010. It was an immediate success, sparking long lines and many trips by fans of the movies and books to Florida.

A few years later, Universal built one in Japan, followed by one in California.

Stepping into the land and the village of Hogsmeade immerses visitors into the worlds seen in the movies. The village contains shops right from those worlds, including a wand shop where the wand picks you.

This was where Butterbeer made its debut  purchased at the Hogs Head pub. Hungry wizards can dine in the Three Broomsticks restaurant. Wizards with the right wands can wander the village and attempt to create magic at many locations.

Looming over the land is Hogwarts Castle, the school for young wizards that contains the major ride of four rides in the land:

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey  The motion-based ride simulates flying with Harry Potter, Hermione and Ron around and through Hogwarts Castle. On the flying journey, riders will be helped with some magic from the three as they confront Dementors, fly through a Quidditch match and more before returning to the castle for a safe landing.

This is a fun ride that makes me feel like Im flying with Harry Potter and the gang. It uses the same types of technology as the Spider-Man ride and others at the park.

Flight of the Hippogriff  Riders get to fly around Hagrids home on this short, family-friendly roller coaster. This coaster already existed when Harry Potter was added to the park, so Universal created a theme around the existing ride.

It would be nice if this ride were a little longer.

Dragon Challenge  These are two very fast and intense roller coasters complete with several inversions. Because of the inversions and some accidents where stuff flew out of riders pockets, metal detectors were installed that riders must go through before moving toward the loading station.

The coasters were there when Universal decided to make the area into a Harry Potter theme, and were kept with some new themes added to them. While the coasters get high ratings from enthusiasts, they really dont fit into the Harry Potter theme at all.

Hogwarts Express  The Hogwarts Express travels between this theme park and the Harry Potter-based land Diagon Alley area at Universal Studios Florida. While on board the train (more of a funicular), riders will journey from Hogsmeade Station to London. While on the journey, Hagrid flies by on his motorcycle and other scenes can be seen out the windows.

This is a fantastic ride.

The Lost Continent

This land has two areas with their own themes: An Arabian Marketplace and The Lost City. The dining choices here are more interesting than most of the other lands at this park, other than Harry Potter. One of them is the full-service Mythos Restaurant, which has received very high rankings by visitors.

Attractions in the area are not rides, but shows:

The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad  Yes, thats Sindbad not Sinbad. Still the same theme, but with a one letter difference in the name. Not really based directly on any movies, it is still a live stage/stunt show complete with fights, falls and fire.

Yes, its a stunt show  but not nearly as good as the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular at Walt Disney World.

The Mystic Fountain  Stop for a spell and sit or stand by the fountain, it will probably talk to you and you may even get wet if the fountain decides you deserve it.

Everyone knows someone live is watching, controlling and speaking for the fountain that is alive, but its still a lot of fun.

Poseidons Fury  A tour guide takes you on a walking tour of the Temple of Poseidon. Also there is Lord Darkenon, his enemy. People inside the temple walk through a water tunnel as they enter the room where the final battle between the two takes place. There are lots of neat effects used in this walk-through attraction and show.

This attraction really depends on the tour guide, but it seems a little cheesy, and the storyline is very weak. The water tunnel, with real water roiling around you as you walk through, is really cool.

Seuss Landing

Is that a cat in a hat, or a fish I wish? Thats what people will do upon entering this land that makes visitors feel like theyve walked into world of Dr. Seuss. All the shops and dining location have Seuss-like names. The rides and shows are all geared toward the learning-to-read set:

The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride  This is an elevated trolley ride above Seuss Landing with great views of the land and much of the theme park. While onboard, a narrator reads a Dr. Seuss-like story describing the sights and occasional scenes throughout the journey.

Definitely for the kids, though adults will like the literary passages from the rides narrator, like I did.

Caro-Seuss-el  A merry-go-round with characters to ride that are straight from the Dr. Seuss menagerie of characters.

Who doesnt like a unique merry-go-round?

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish  A spinner ride that lets the young riders control the height of their fish-themed riding vehicle.

This is Dumbo, but with a Dr. Seuss look  definitely for adults with small children, or those wishing to make a fish fly.

The Cat in the Hat  Step on board and take a ride through the house from the book in this dark ride. Its a colorful journey through the pages of the book realized as three-dimensional sets, complete with the Cat and Thing 1 and Thing 2. Sort of like Mister Toads Wild Ride at Disneyland, but with a Dr. Seuss story line.

Very enjoyable.

If I Ran the Zoo  A playground for younger children.

Email: meades@scng.com or follow on twitter @markaeades.
The Senate is poised to vote this week on President Donald Trumps U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-9 along party lines to send Gorsuchs nomination to the full Senate, setting up a political showdown as Democrats say theyve gained enough support to filibuster the vote.

Gorsuch, 49, is currently a judge on the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but little else was known about Trumps nominee before he was chosen.

Trump selected the conservative U.S. appeals court judge as his nominee to fill the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy on Jan. 31, 2017.

Below, six fast facts about Gorsuch.

 Gorsuch currently lives in Boulder, Colo., with his wife, Marie Louise, and their two daughters.

 He was an appointee of former President George W. Bush, nominated to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in May 2006 after the seat was vacated by David M. Ebel. He was confirmed by the Senate in July 2006 and received commission a month later, per the Federal Judicial Center.

 Gorsuch graduated from Columbia University in 1988 before attending Harvard Law School, from which he graduated in 1991. He received his doctoral degree from the University of Oxford. Before Gorsuch was appointed as a federal judge, he completed a clerkship with the Supreme Court, worked at a private practice for about 10 years and at the Department of Justice for two years, according to The New York Times.

 He joined an opinion in 2013 saying that owners of private companies could object on religious grounds to a provision of the Affordable Care Act requiring employers to provide coverage for birth control for women.

 He is the youngest nominee to the nations highest court in more than a quarter century, and he could influence the direction of the court for decades.

 Gorsuch isnt the only political one in the family. His mother, Anne M. Gorsuch, was the fourth administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. She was appointed by former President Ronald Reagan and served from 1981 until 1983, when she resigned during a program mismanagement scandal that resulted in her being cited for contempt of Congress, The New York Times and Washington Post reported at the time.
Dave Min has declared hell challenge Republican Congresswoman Mimi Walters, becoming the second Democratic, Harvard-educated UC Irvine law professor to join the 2018 race in the past three days.

Min, the 41-year-old son of Korean immigrants and a former aide to Sen. Chuck Schumer, said his decision to run grew out of Donald Trumps victory in November and his frustration with the new president.

The straw that broke the camels back was the Muslim (travel) ban, he told the Register on Tuesday. You think about what brought my parents here  it was the core American values of tolerance, diversity, economic opportunity and social mobility. What Trump was doing with the Muslim ban was un-American. Whos next on Donald Trumps list?

Min joins fellow UC Irvine Professor Katie Porter in the race. Porter is a consumer advocate who oversaw Californias share of the $25 billion national mortgage settlement, studied and wrote a book with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and has been endorsed by Warren and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.

Like Porter, Mins law degree is from Harvard. His undergraduate degree is in economics, from Wharton School, and he specializes in contracts, banking regulations and housing loans. And like Porter, he emphasizes that Walters has voted consistently with Trump so far and was an early supporter of Republicans abandoned repeal-and-replacement of Obamacare.

Min also complains that Walters hasnt made a public statement regarding her view of the travel ban.

The Irvine resident emphasizes his experience developing and implementing policy, including three years with the left-leaning Center for American Progress advocacy think tank. His 2007-to-2009 stint with current Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer was mostly spent as an aide to the Joint Economic Committee, of which Schumer was then chairman.

As for policy differences between himself and Porter, Min said, On the issues, there will be time to talk later.

Instead, he pointed to differences in the background of the two Democrats, including his having Korean immigrant parents.

I think I have a lot in common with a lot of people in the district, he said.

The district consists of Irvine, Tustin, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Rancho Santa Margarita, Laguna Woods, Villa Park, Anaheim Hills and a portion of Orange.. Walters lives outside of the district in Laguna Beach as district residency is not a requirement for Congress.

Min said about 20 percent of the districts eligible voters are of Asian or Pacific Island descent. He also noted that Korean Americans nationwide have displayed an eagerness to support candidates from their community. In 2012, Irvine Democrat Sukhee Kang, a Korean immigrant, raised $755,000 for a longshot bid against then-incumbent Rep. John Campbell, R-Irvine, with much of the money coming from Korean Americans.

At that time, Republicans had a 15.5 percentage point advantage over Democrats in the districts voter registration. That edge is now 9.2 points and shrinking. Additionally, Hillary Clinton outpolled Trump among the districts voters last year, further buoying Democrats hopes and making the race more attractive to Democratic donors.

Min estimated that Walters would get $8 million in direct contributions and independent expenditures for the 2018 general election and that a successful opponent would need at least $5 million for the November race. He acknowledged that there was a danger of Democrats burning money in a competitive primary that would be needed in the general election  and that at least one more Democrat is expected to enter the race.

Hopefully by January, some will have dropped out, he said. If I see I dont have a chance, I will drop out.
SACRAMENTO  Democrats in the California Senate ramped up their fight Tuesday against President Donald Trump, advancing a bill that would provide statewide sanctuary for immigrants by keeping local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

The move in the nations largest state  home to an estimated 2.3 million immigrants without legal authorization  came days after Trump launched a crackdown on immigration and sanctuary cities across the nation.

On the same day, committees also advanced a pair of other immigration-related bills: One that would prohibit local officials from assisting in the creation of a Muslim registry and a another that would provide money for lawyers to represent people facing deportation. Both now go to the state Legislature.

The state Senate Public Safety Committee approved the sanctuary measure with a 5-2 party-line vote after Trump signed an order threatening to withdraw some federal grants from sanctuary cities.

We want to make sure that police officers dont abandon their beat and go enforce immigration laws, said Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon of Los Angeles, the author of the measure.

Republicans and law enforcement groups said the bill would make it harder for law officers to work together to fight crime.

I think this bill is making it that much more difficult for the federal authorities to get the most dangerous criminals that we want to deport to keep our communities safe, said Sen. Jeff Stone, a Temecula Republican who voted against the measure.

Some Republicans have criticized the Democratic reaction to Trumps policies, saying bombastic rhetoric and provocative legislation will inflame tensions with the president and harm California.

Many of Californias largest cities  including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento  already have sanctuary policies that prohibit police from cooperating with immigration authorities.

SB54 would extend those policies statewide, prohibiting police officers and jailers from arresting or detaining people solely for immigration violations unless a judge issues a warrant. State and local law enforcement agencies could not help investigate immigration violations, inquire about someones immigration status or provide addresses to immigration officers.

Law enforcement databases would be off limits for immigration investigations, though police officials could still discuss someones previous arrests and convictions with immigration agents.

The legislation also seeks to limit immigration enforcement activity at schools, courthouses and shelters.

Democrats said the bill is needed to protect people such as Victor Alvarez, a U.S. citizen who told the committee that his father was pulled over for a broken taillight and deported hours later.

Since my dad was deported the whole family has been suffering, Alvarez said. I had to put school on hold just to support the family.
Japanese artist Yoneji Inamura spent six years of his life collecting 20,000 beetles of different varieties and using them to create a five-foot sculpture of a popular Buddhist deity.

Its unclear how and when exactly Inamura started catching and collecting beetles. Some sources claim that it was during his days working for the local railroad, in Itakura, Japans Gunma Prefecture, after noticing that the rhinoceros beetles horn resembled the fingers of the Buddhist deity, while others say that he was helping local children collect beetles and just became fascinated with them. Living in a rural area of Japan, Inamura was always surrounded by various types of beetles, including rhinoceros beetles, winged jewel beetles, drone beetles, longhorn beetles, just to name a few, and he dedicated most of his free time to catching and adding them to his collection.

Photo: H. Zell

Yoneji Inamura was not a professional artist, but in 1970, he somehow got the idea of using his extensive collection of beetles to create art. His first notable work was a wooden samurai sculpture covered in 5,000 beetles of different varieties. He spent 10 months using the bugs to make a unique armor for the samurai and the result was simply breathtaking.

But while the self-taught artist got a lot of attention when his beetle samurai was unveiled, it wasnt all positive feedback. While some people praised his talent, others called him cruel for killing so many insects to create the artwork. He wasnt immune to this criticism, so he decided to make amends for killing thousands of tiny critters in the most bizarre way  killing even more of them.

In 1972, Yoneji Inamura started working on his most impressive beetle sculpture, a five-foot-tall statue of the senju kannon bosatsu (1000-armed bodhisattva), a popular deity in Japan. If I shaped them into the form of a Buddhist statue it would also serve as a memorial to the insects, he told Japanese newspaper Asahi.

Over the next six years, Inamura collected beetles almost every day, before and after work, and added them to his artwork. It took him a total of six years and 20,000 beetles to complete the Buddha. The controversial sculpture generated a lot of publicity in the late 1970s, and people from all over Japan traveled to Itakura to see it in person, but it was eventually forgotten.

Luckily the beetle Buddha was rediscovered two years ago, by a Tokyo art museum director looking for interesting artworks for an exhibit. It received ample coverage in Japanese media, and it is now proudly displayed at the Itakura Town Hall.

Yoneji Inamura passed away earlier this year, at the age of 98, so well probably never know why he thought it was a good idea to make a memorial to the beetles by killing even more of them.

Theres no denying that Inamuras artworks have a unique charm, but knowing that they consist of thousands of dead insects also adds a layer of creepiness.

Here are some photos of his beetle samurai sculpture.

Yoneji Inamuras art reminds me of a similarly controversial artwork created by renowned artist Damien Hirst. In 2009, he sparked controversy with his etomology series, which features thousands of insects sealed in gloss paint.

Sources: Spoon & Tamago, Kotaku, Journal News
The International Food Information Council recommends a daily caffeine intake of 300 mg, while the FDA recommends 400 mg, but just one 12-ounce cup of Black Insomnia brew contains 702 mg of caffeine, which will definitely keep you up at night and may even cause some health problems.

Black Insomnia Coffee was founded in 2016 by South African coffee lover Sean Kristafor. From the very beginning, his goal was to create the strongest coffee in the world, and he managed to do it by using the stronger Robusta variety, instead of the more aromatic Arabica. The secret to its high caffeine content is apparently in the way that the coffee beans are roasted, but Kristafor is obviously not interested in revealing the process. He only says that they can make it considerably stronger, and actually had to dial it down a bit for the commercial version, just so it was safe to consume.

Launched in June of last year, Black Insomnia was originally only available in select cafes in Cape Town South Africa, but it was so successful there that by October, the brand had already expanded to 22 countries around the world, and since last month, its also available on Amazon US. The company claims it sells five to six tons of its signature Black Insomnia coffee every month, and it is barely keeping up with demand.

The worlds strongest coffee is a bold claim to make, so in order to provide clear proof of Black Insomnias potency, Sean Kristafor sent samples to a Swiss-based laboratory, where it was tested using liquid chromatography, and compaired against several other known strong coffees. It came out on top, with a caffeine content of 17.5 grams per kilograms.

By comparison, Death Wish, the previous holder of the worlds strongest coffee, came out at 13.2 grams of caffeine per kilogram during testing, and Wod Fee, a coffee blend with added caffeine, had 13.8 grams per kilogram. One kilogram of Starbucks dark roast coffee only contained 5 to 6 grams of caffeine.

Caffeine Informer reports that Black Insomnia has 58.5 mg of caffeine per fluid ounce, while Dead Wish coffee scores 54.2mg. Starbucks dark roast contains 21.25mg, Red Bull energy drink has 9.46 mg, and Coca Cola has 2.8mg.

But these are all just numbers. How strong is Black Insomnia really? Well, strong enough to be put on the list of Most Dangerous Caffeinated Products featured on Caffeine Informer, and enough to cause palpitations in people with arrhythmias or those with a low caffeine tolerance. High doses of caffeine are also known to cause jitters, nervousness and insomnia.

Switching to a stronger coffee also increases your bodys tolerance to caffeine, as Dr. Sharonne N. Hayes, M.D., cardiologist at Mayo Clinic and professor of cardiovascular diseases, told TODAY.com. You will gain a higher caffeine tolerance because of the vasoconstriction, so the coffee you used to drink wont feel as effective in keeping you alert as before.

Black Insomnia may be the new worlds strongest coffee  a claim still disputed by Death Wish  but that only applies to coffee you can brew in your own home. If youre looking for the worlds strongest cup of coffee, just head over to Viscous Coffee cafe, in Adelaide, Australia, for some Asskicker. One cup of this ridiculously-strong coffee contains five grams of caffeine, 80 times more than a normal cup of java.
Agricultural News

ICYMI - The Noble Foundation's Josh Gaskamp Offers Producers Training in the Art of Hog Trapping

In Case You Missed It - Josh Gaskamp of the Noble Foundation, joined Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays in studio last week to discuss the feral hog problem plaguing farmers across Oklahoma. With feral swine extermination being one of his specialities, Gaskamp updated Hays on the work being done to bring the hog situation under control. He says that despite only recent attention, the feral hog problem in Oklahoma and across the United States for that matter, has been ongoing really for some time now.





"Feral hogs were introduced to Oklahoma 30 or 40 years ago and they've been around in low numbers in the South," Gaskamp said. "But as the glorification of hog hunting came in, these animals moved on trailers to new locations. At the same time, they distributed themselves across the state because populations started getting longer and out growing their local habitats."





This problem subsequently spread rapidly out of control. Gaskamp cites a study done in 2000 that revealed hogs caused an annual cost of agricultural damage of $1.5 billion. He says with commodity prices much higher than in 2000, that figure is exponentially more than when it was initially reported. In an effort to help reign in the damage of wild hogs, the Noble Foundation is training producers to deal with hog population on and around their land. Gaskamp recommends that in order to be effective, farmers should join forces and work together to control large areas - otherwise he said the individual efforts of one farmer in reality does very little. The most common tactic he recommends though in getting rid of hogs, is trapping.





"There are a whole host of different control strategies that a land owner has at their disposal," he said. "But we often tell producers the most effective one is trapping."





You can listen to Gaskamp's conversation with Hays about the ongoing efforts to depopulate feral swine in the state, by clicking or tapping the LISTEN BAR below.



















Listen to Gaskamp's conversation with Hays about the ongoing efforts to depopulate feral swine in OK

WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady NSI

Top Agricultural News
LONDON, April 5 (Reuters) - Scotland's economy slowed sharply last year, trailing the rest of the United Kingdom by the biggest margin in six years, official data showed on Wednesday, just days after Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon called for a fresh independence vote.

Scots voted by 55 percent to 45 percent in 2014 to stay part of the United Kingdom, but Sturgeon said last week that there should be a new referendum within the next two years now that Britain plans to leave the European Union.

Most Scots opposed leaving the EU in June 2016's Brexit vote, and on Wednesday Scotland's government blamed negative sentiment after the referendum and a slowdown in the global oil industry for the recent hefty economic underperformance.

Economic growth in Scotland fell to 0.4 percent last year from 2.1 percent in 2015, the sharpest slowdown since 2009 and in marked contrast to the United Kingdom as a whole, where the economy grew by 1.8 percent.

The gap between UK and Scottish growth is now the widest since 2010.

"We have already seen significantly lower consumer confidence in Scotland since the vote last summer. Now we see that feeding through into our growth figures," said the Scottish government's finance secretary, Derek Mackay.

Growth in Scotland was weak even before June's vote. The economy did not expand at all in the first three months of 2016, before seeing 0.1 percent growth in each of the next two quarters, before shrinking in the last three months of the year.

Mackay also highlighted the effect of a weaker oil industry. Wednesday's data does not include North Sea oil revenue, but does include Scottish companies onshore that service the sector.

The Confederation of British Industry - a business lobby which forecast negative economic consequences from both Brexit and Scottish independence - said Scotland's nationalist-led government should focus on tax reform and improving schools.

"Businesses are facing increased uncertainty and rising cost pressures, which has resulted in a number of recent closures and potential job cuts affecting hundreds of people across Scotland," CBI official Hugh Aitken said.

"The Scottish Government should therefore prioritise ... improving education attainment and setting a competitive tax regime," he added. (Reporting by David Milliken, editing by Andy Bruce)
tim scott

You would think that if a US senator had it on good authority that Medicare was spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a drug that may not work, there would be an uproar.

Especially if the drug cost 3,000% more than it did a decade ago, even though nothing about it had materially changed in that time (or for that matter since its creation in the 1950s).

You would think someone would be upset if it was quickly becoming one of the top expenses for Medicare's prescription drug program.

You would think there would be congressional hearings  embarrassed CEOs taking their private jets to Washington, at the very least, to be yelled at in front of the entire country.

You would think there would be an attempt at looking into what happened.

You would think that someone, somewhere in Washington, would get to writing legislation to prevent this kind of government waste.

The situation is real, but none of that happened.

The drug we're talking about is called Acthar. It's made by a company called Mallinckrodt, which acquired it 2014. In January, Mallinckrodt raised its price to $36,382 a vial, according to the data provider Truven, but that wasn't far off what it cost back in 2015 when Medicare Part D, a prescription drug program, spent over $500 million on the drug, making it one of the top 20 expenses for the program, government data shows.

One other thing you should know. For years pharmacy benefit managers and insurance plans have been restricting use of Acthar or requiring prior approval for prescriptions of the drug to treat anything but infantile spasms.



Mallinckrodt says it has seen "growth in the product" in commercial payers as well as Medicare, but Medicare spending in 2015 was nearly half the company's revenue from Acthar.



We've covered all the details of this, including Mallinckrodt's responses to criticism it has faced over the years separately. You can read that here. What we didn't know until recently was that many of these complaints made their way onto the desk of a Senator back in 2015.

Story continues

One-at-a-timin'

Back in September 2015, Sen. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican, learned of all of Acthar's issues and sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to find out what was going on.

"The overwhelming majority of prescriptions for Acthar are being paid for by Medicare," Scott wrote in the letter, which was obtained by Business Insider.

"Costs to Medicare rose from $7 million in 2008 to $141 million in 2012. Acthar reimbursements have been severely restricted by most large pharmaceutical companies and Tricare has discontinued reimbursements for this drug. In a recent NBC report, Florida and Dr. Sean Orr, former Chief of Neurology at Baptist Medical Center were charged with fraud for intentionally diagnosing patients with MS and prescribing Acthar to treat a disease these patients did not have. At the same time, Questcor Pharmaceuticals  the manufacturer of Acthar  paid Orr $250,000 for consulting fees."

Questcor is the company Mallinckrodt acquired to gain Acthar.

As I said, Acthar is primarily used as a treatment for infantile spasms, but it is indicated to treat 18 other ailments (including multiple sclerosis, or MS).

hp achtar spending vs patients v3

So it's not hard to see why it's suspect that Medicare Part D, a program for the elderly, started spending hundreds of millions of dollars on Acthar after Mallinckrodt acquired it in 2014.

"As stewards of the taxpayer, we need to know why CMS continues to pay for this drug when Tricare and the nation's top insurance providers have severely restricted reimbursements for this drug," Scott's letter said.

The response he got from CMS was, to put it mildly, less than adequate.

"Part D sponsors are responsible for making appropriate coverage determinations and ensuring that covered Part D drugs meet the requirements in this section," CMS wrote back to Scott a week later.

"Acthar H.P. gel meets all criteria for inclusion as a covered Medicare Part D medication. CMS does not have any oversight of the cost of medications and medication pricing. CMS regulations state that we cover the medication as long as it is determined to be a Part D billable drug."

In other words, Acthar doesn't violate the law as it's written, and we don't write laws  senators do.

Inventing moral fiber

We contacted Scott's office to see what happened after it received CMS' response  to see whether it planned on addressing this in Congress, or at least with other GOP senators.

"This was a constituent-based inquiry, and we wanted to assist a South Carolina resident who had concerns over these specific prescription costs," Michele Exner, Scott's press secretary, told us.

And that was that. So, back to the letter.

Remember that this was all going down in 2015, right when the fury over pharmaceutical firms jacking up drug prices was rising to the public's attention and taking hold of Washington. Martin Shkreli, the pharma-bro CEO who raised the price of an AIDS medication by 2,000%, was public enemy No. 1. Valeant Pharmaceuticals, which dramatically raised the price of two lifesaving heart drugs, caught the ire of Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign.

The company's executives would eventually be called to answer for their business model, as would Shkreli and eventually Heather Bresch, the CEO of the EpiPen maker Mylan Pharmaceuticals (again the bare minimum of what we can ask for under these circumstances).

But nothing ever happened to anyone at Mallinckrodt.

It's just another example of the government's inability to hold the company accountable for abusive behavior. Aside from Acthar  Mallinckrodt's big moneymaker  the company also manufactures a generic form of oxycodone, a powerful opioid.

HP Acthar chart price

As The Washington Post reported this week, the Drug Enforcement Administration started investigating Mallinckrodt in 2011 on suspicion of violating laws meant to stop highly addictive opioids from making it into the black market, principally in Florida.

From The Post:

"Ultimately, the DEA and federal prosecutors would contend that the company ignored its responsibility to report suspicious orders as 500 million of its pills ended up in Florida between 2008 and 2012  66 percent of all oxycodone sold in the state. Government investigators alleged in internal documents that the company's lack of due diligence could have resulted in nearly 44,000 federal violations and exposed it to $2.3 billion in fines, according to confidential government records and emails obtained by The Washington Post."

After six years of investigating, though, the best the government could get out of Mallinckrodt was a $35 million fine and no admission of wrongdoing.

According to internal DEA documents viewed by The Post, "'Mallinckrodt's response was that 'everyone knew what was going on in Florida but they had no duty to report it.'"

So the company knew that it was hurting people. It's just that apparently the legal framework to hold a company responsible for knowingly allowing opioids to make it to the black market isn't really in place.

And that's really the point here. Medicare Part D is a relatively new program (from the George W. Bush presidency), and the opioid crisis is also a new, tragic phenomena. These are the moments when government should act swiftly to craft legislation that could stop abusive behavior in the private sector, especially if legislators are interested in lowering the cost of healthcare across the board. But that's not happening.

Instead, people are becoming addicted to deadly drugs. Instead, money is being wasted on alleged placebos. Instead, nothing is happening at all.

Read the full letter from Scott embedded below:

Sen. Tim Scott letter to CMS, 2015 by Linette Lopez on Scribd

NOW WATCH: Children who eat too much sugar are developing diseases that only alcoholics used to get





More From Business Insider


Social media giant Facebook is helping to boost the share of electricity from wind within the Omaha Public Power District.

OPPD, which already doubled its wind-generating capacity in January of this year, will add even more wind to meet Facebooks stated intention of powering its planned Sarpy County data center with 100 percent renewable energy.

The OPPD board in January approved a new rate structure that allows a large electricity user  in this case, Facebook  to fulfill its energy demand completely with renewable generation. Before, OPPD customers got some of their power from renewables, but not all.

OPPD President and Chief Executive Tim Burke said he and the utilitys then-new head of economic development met with Facebook officials at the companys Menlo Park, California, headquarters in 2013 to start talking about how to land large, environmentally minded electric customers in Omaha.

They met with other companies, too, and since the new rate was approved in January, other companies have taken notice.

We have several customers right now that are putting together potential expansion projects and will utilize that (new) rate to grow, Burke said.

Brett Illers, senior program manager for sustainability at Yahoo, on Tuesday held up the new rate as evidence of a revolution in sustainable energy markets.

Large customers must work with utilities on renewable energy, and were pleased to see OPPD shares this vision, Illers said. Yahoo has advocated for these types of solutions, and we look forward to adopting this rate to help bring our growing Nebraska facilities to complete renewable energy consumption.

The new rate does not come at the expense of existing customers, Burke noted. That conclusion is supported by a review of the January proposal by the Brattle Group, an independent consultant headquartered near Boston, that found the rate is fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory across OPPDs customer base.

We were very clear that we didnt want this project to drive rate increases for other customers, and (Facebook) understood that and didnt want to be part of that, either, Burke said.

Landing a large industrial user like a data center could help spread out fixed costs like power lines in OPPDs service territory. The utility last summer moved its 20-year demand outlook into negative territory, meaning that it expects customers will use less energy in coming years than they do now.

Thats thanks largely to more efficient appliances like dishwashers, televisions and washing machines.

But unlike in households, where electricity usage fluctuates up and down depending on the time of day and weather, a data center uses a constant volume of energy.

The average OPPD residential customer used 11,084 kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2016.

By comparison, a Facebook data center in Altoona, Iowa, used 174,000 megawatt-hours of electricity in 2015, the most recent year for which data is available. Thats equivalent to about 15,700 OPPD households, or more than twice as many households as are in Papillion, according to census data.

Even though Facebooks Sarpy County project is said to be among the most energy-efficient data centers in the world, OPPDs Burke said it will still be among OPPDs largest 25 customers.

In January, OPPD boosted its share of wind by 400 megawatts to more than 800 megawatts when it added the Grande Prairie wind farm in Holt County. That project is the largest wind farm in Nebraska.

Because of the Facebook project and the recent closure of its nuclear plant, OPPD plans to recommend to its board that it add even more wind energy  up to 450 megawatts. Burke said he expects a decision on the additional wind power in May or June.

The winning bid will partially fill what OPPD lost when it closed Fort Calhoun in October. Before then, the utility was generating far more electricity than it needed to serve customers, so it only will replace about 40 percent of Calhouns output with wind energy.
Shopping for a career? One way to test the fit is to try on the tools of the trade.

Slip on this 45-pound tactical vest. Hoist this 50-pound battering ram. Snap on that welders helmet.

As part of a new hands-on event called Careerockit, local students are doing just that: trying out the jobs and equipment used by police officers, U.S. marshals, welders, web designers, medical providers and other professionals.

The weeklong event, which ends Saturday, is sponsored by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. It offers 10,000 middle school, high school and college students the chance to learn about career opportunities at more than 80 area organizations and businesses. In the next decade, according to the chamber, the Omaha area is expected to face a shortage of 4,000 workers in health care, construction, technology and finance.

Thats why its important to introduce local students to local employers.

On the flip side, employers get the opportunity to highlight their career offerings and the education and skills required to fill those jobs.

At the Latino Center of the Midlands in Omaha, more than 100 students got an introduction to the culinary arts and law enforcement, thanks to the Metropolitan Community Colleges Institute of Culinary Arts, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Omaha Police Department.

During a presentation by Mark Martinez, U.S. marshal for the district of Nebraska, Jeyline Ortiz and Yessenia Guerrero, both juniors at Omaha South High School, jumped at the chance to try on a 45-pound tactical vest, standard workwear for a federal marshal.

Its pretty hard to walk with that on, but I think I can do it, Guerrero said confidently.

It was cool to try on, added Ortiz.

Jaime Galindo, chief deputy of the U.S. Marshals Service office, said the real test is wearing body armor on a hot July day and trying to run after a fugitive whos wearing shorts and a T-shirt.

Both teens said the workshop helped pique their interest in a law enforcement career.

Students also tried their hand at lifting a 50-pound battering ram, another handy tool.

We dont kick in doors  that could really hurt your leg, Galindo explained. Thats only on TV.

Outside the center, Sgt. Matt Manhart, commander of the Omaha police bomb response unit, introduced students to his duties, which include operating one of the departments robots.

Carmen Chagolla, lead student advocate at Bryan High School, stepped up to try on a 100-pound protective suit worn by bomb squad officers. Strapped into the $35,000 suit and helmet, she could still see and wiggle her fingers: an important function when you have to examine potential explosives, Manhart explained.

Chagolla, a Creighton University graduate who mentors students, said the up-close presentations by real, down-to-earth police officers and federal marshals allowed students to better see a potential career.

I can tell them about these careers, but seeing them in person gets them motivated, Chagolla said.

Students appreciated hearing the personal stories of police officers and marshals, and realizing many of them came from families similar to their own.

Dont want to be on the street behind a badge? There are a variety of careers that support law enforcement but dont involve joining the force.

Engineers, technicians and software designers who build and repair bomb disposal robots are hot career choices, Manhart said.

That struck a chord with Brandon Gonzalez, a sophomore at South, who said he was more interested in design than donning a uniform.

I dont know if Id want to be on the bomb squad, but maybe Id like to be somebody who builds the robots, he said.

At other locations around the metro area this week, students shadowed emergency room staff at Memorial Community Hospital & Health System in Blair, delved into web design at Bellevue University and tried welding steel at Distefano Technology & Manufacturing in Omaha.

David Brown, the chambers president and chief executive, said Careerockit so far is shaping up to be a success.

The way our partners have rallied around this brand-new initiative has been incredible, he said.

Careerockit is our way  and our communitys way  of connecting business and education to help students explore career options right here at home and ultimately build our talent pipeline.

In addition to Omaha police and the U.S. Marshals Office, event partners include Leo A. Daly, Lozier, Valmont, Marcotte, Lamp Rynearson, Opera Omaha and even small businesses like Chiltepes Restaurant at 4833 24th Street in South Omaha.

During a culinary career workshop Monday at the Latino Center, Chiltepes owner Flori Herrera offered students tips on how to start a business, as well as the secret to cooking a perfect pupusa.

Fry the thick, hand-made tortilla thats stuffed with cheese, pork and beans for 4 minutes on each side, she said. No more, no less.
As state and city leaders shared congratulatory handshakes and posed for photos with shiny blue Facebook shovels Tuesday morning, construction was already beginning on the social media giants new data center south of Papillion.

We want to move fast, said Tom Furlong, vice president of infrastructure for Facebook.

Timing is key for Facebook when it comes to site selection, Furlong said after the announcement at Papillions City Hall. He was joined by Gov. Pete Ricketts, Papillion Mayor David Black and other state and county leaders, who took turns standing in front of a backdrop featuring Facebooks logo intermingled with the Greater Omaha Chambers We Dont Coast slogan.

Nebraska leaders say the deal was years in the making.

Its been a big team effort, Ricketts said during the press conference Tuesday morning.

The planned data center  Facebooks ninth data center worldwide  is massive, Furlong said. It will be Facebooks sixth data center in the United States and one of the most advanced and energy-efficient data centers in the world, he said.

The 146-acre campus will boast two 450,000-square-foot buildings at Nebraska Highway 50 and Capehart Road. The two buildings will be accompanied by a 70,000-square-foot administrative building. Construction will take about 18 months, Furlong said, and the data center is expected to be online in 2020.

Were terribly excited about the opportunity to have Facebook here and help us be able to grow our burgeoning data center industry here in Nebraska, Ricketts said.

Ricketts said in a press release that landing Facebook will be vital in expanding the burgeoning Silicon Prairie, which has been a priority for his administration.

Last year, Ricketts visited with executives at Facebooks headquarters in Menlo Park, California, in an effort to entice the social media giant.

Furlong said Sarpy Countys existing network of data centers helped catch Facebooks attention. Yahoo, Fidelity, Cabelas and Travelers already operate data centers in the county. Locating near other data centers creates an ideal ecosystem for tech companies to thrive, he said.

A deal with the Omaha Public Power District that will allow Facebook to power the facility solely through wind-generated electricity was also key, he said. Facebook has a goal of using 50 percent clean and renewable energy in its electricity supply mix for data centers in 2018.

Facebook data centers of this size usually bring about 1,000 temporary construction jobs and about 100 permanent jobs, said Lindsay Amos, a Facebook spokeswoman. Although Facebook does use some of its own contractors, construction labor will be mostly local. The company declined to discuss salaries for its permanent employees.

Once its online, the data center will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Papillion Mayor David Black said the Facebook campus, which is outside city limits but in Papillions zoning jurisdiction, would lead to infrastructure improvements that he believes will spur economic growth in the rural area of the county.

Capehart Road will be paved for the project, which will improve accessibility to the area, Black said.

The data center will also get its own sewage lift station. Facebook's connection fee will help pay for it to be installed.

Using the codename Project Raven, Facebook has already gone through multiple layers of approval from Papillion as well as finalized land negotiations. Property owners werent told in advance who was buying their land.

The Sarpy County Economic Development Corporation, which is part of the Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership, represented Facebook in the approvals process. Andrew Rainbolt, executive director of the economic development corporation, said hes been working on the project since January 2016.

The Papillion site will be Facebooks first location in Nebraska. Organizers are not seeking tax-increment financing for the project.

Facebook currently has data centers in Prineville, Oregon; Forest City, North Carolina; Lulea, Sweden; and Altoona, Iowa. Construction on additional data centers is underway in Fort Worth, Texas; Clonee, Ireland; Los Lunas, New Mexico; and Odense, Denmark.
A game with a gun appears to have led to the death of a 20-year-old Council Bluffs man, according to the Douglas County attorney.

Eighteen-year-old Montana Garbez has been charged with manslaughter and use of a firearm to commit a felony in the Sunday shooting of 20-year-old Scott Evans.

Serenity Gaytan, 19, of the Omaha-Council Bluffs area has been charged with being an accessory to a felony. Prosecutors said she lied to homicide detectives, saying she wasn't in the room when the shooting occurred. Other witnesses, however, said she was present.

Garbez and Gaytan appeared in court Wednesday. Garbez was ordered held on $250,000 bail, meaning he would have to post $25,000 to be released. Gaytan's bail was set at $15,000, meaning she would have to post $1,500.

Evans was found dead about 6 a.m. Sunday after police were called to a home at 27th Street and Camden Avenue in Omaha.

It appears there was a party, and these two men were involved in some sort of gun play, using a gun in a kind of game similar to Russian roulette, said Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine. In the course of that, unfortunately the young man was shot in the head and died. It appears to be unintentional.

In court Wednesday, prosecutors said Garbez pointed a gun at Evans' head and fired a shot.

Evans mother, Carol Cornell of Council Bluffs, said her son went to Omaha after receiving a call from Gaytan, who turned 19 on Sunday. His mother has only heard pieces about what happened.

I want to know what silly, stupid thing drove them to do whatever they did over there, Cornell said Tuesday. My son didnt have weapons. He was a good kid who loved people.

Fracisca Gaytan, Serenitys mother, said by telephone that she wouldnt comment on the incident while its under investigation. She also said the investigation will exonerate her daughter of any wrongdoing. Attempts to reach members of Garbezs family were unsuccessful.

Evans graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 2015 and was preparing to take welding classes at Iowa Western Community College, his mother said. He also was overcoming some physical and mental issues, she said.

We found out Scott had spina bifida when he was 15, she said. He was this big guy, but he had the back of a 90-year-old man.

The back problems were improving after many, many surgeries, Cornell said. Evans, who had been depressed by his condition, was starting to feel good about himself again, his mother said.

When he figured out that welding was something he would be able to do, he was very excited, Cornell said. Things were turning around for him. He just went out and got glasses on his own  I couldnt keep them on him when he was young  because he was having trouble reading and he wanted to be ready for school.

The glasses gave Evans a Drew Carey look, his mom said, referring to the comedian and game show host. That was appropriate, she said, because the young man enjoyed making people laugh.

He was a big-hearted guy who loved joking around, she said. He also loved mushroom hunting and fishing. He just told me the other day, Mom, I can smell those mushrooms coming up. 

Cornell said her son longed for a girlfriend. She thinks he probably jumped at the chance to go to a party with some girls Saturday night.

That was something that he talked about, she said through tears. He really, really wanted a girlfriend. He wanted to find love.

In addition to his mother, Evans is survived by his father, Roger Evans Sr. of Council Bluffs; sister Samantha Evans of Council Bluffs; and stepbrother Roger Evans Jr. of Omaha.

Donations to help with Evans funeral expenses are being accepted at www.gofundme.com/funeral-expenses-scottevans.

World-Herald staff writer Mara Klecker contributed to this report.
China is the world's second-largest pharmaceutical market, so it is inevitable that companies are clamoring at its door, but appealing to Chinese consumers isn't easy.

For Sigma Pharmaceuticals (ASX: SIP-AU), an Australian pharmacy wholesaler and distributor, the secret to that market may be unexpected: mobile technology.

Speaking to CNBC's "Capital Connection" on Tuesday, Sigma CEO Mark Hooper said mobile is "the way of the world in China these days, using social networks and platforms to do everything in your life including payment."

In a market notoriously difficult for foreign entrance, Sigma recognized the importance of understanding the Chinese consumer's needs. In attempting to establish a foothold in the Chinese pharmaceutical market, it tapped the expertise of cross-border eCommerce solutions provider Azoya.

"Azoya was the perfect solution for us and I guess more critically, they had the experience in terms of the marketing support for that market," Hooper said, emphasizing the importance of access to local know-how.

The company's efforts may be paying off as it recently reported revenue figures from its Chinese Amcal pharmacy website that exceeded expectations. The company has since announced plans to expand into Hong Kong, with the possibility of additional expansion into Asia.

"We've already got the commerce platform that leverages into Chinese consumers and we feel like the next logical step is then to tap into the Hong Kong market," Hooper said.

Due to regulatory restrictions, the company has only been able to sell the Chinese consumer over-the-counter drugs. This is a change from the company's Australia business model, in which sales are driven by large-scale distribution to hospitals as well as the sale of prescription drugs for the treatment of diseases such as Hepatitis-C.

"It's very much a sort of just a toe in the water for us in terms of the e-Commerce presence we've got because one of the challenges is the challenging regulatory front in China," Hooper said.

Story continues

Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.





More From CNBC


LINCOLN  A Peruvian Navy report on the deaths of a Gretna couple during a cruise on the Amazon has confirmed the worst fears of their family, their two daughters say.

The investigation concluded that the tragedy might have been averted had the 31-passenger luxury cruise ship been equipped with its advertised safety features, had its crew been adequately trained and had crew members responded promptly.

Larry and Christy Hammer died in an April 10, 2016, blaze that was confined to their cabin.

Prompt action was not taken to aid and rescue the passengers, according to an English translation of the report. An opportune reaction and participation by the whole of the crew ... would have enabled at least Mrs. Christy Hammer to be saved.

The Hammers daughters, Kelly Hammer Lankford of Overland Park, Kansas, and Jill Hammer Malott of Menlo Park, California, said they see the report as confirming that even simple steps, such as working smoke alarms or a crew that reacted immediately, might have saved their parents.

Its disturbing that something like this could ever happen, Malott said.

Lankford and Malott  who grew up in Lincoln  have been seeking answers from officials in Peru and from the American eco-cruise company that operated the cruise, International Expeditions of Helena, Alabama, since their parents died nearly a year ago.

A spokeswoman for International Expeditions said in an email that IE continues to be deeply saddened by the deaths of the Hammers but that it could not comment on the report because the findings are being appealed by the ships owner.

A criminal investigation by a local prosecutor in Peru is still in progress.

IE shares the familys desire for information as the Peruvian authorities continue their investigation. Throughout this process, the safety of IE guests and this accident remain a high priority for IE, spokeswoman Emily Harley said.

The report, prepared by the harbor master of the port of Iquitos on the Amazon River, states that the fire started because of a short circuit in a power strip provided by the ship.

That power strip was connected to a CPAP machine used by Larry Hammer, a retired employee of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Fire alarms on the Estrella Amazonica did not sound as the fire spread, and smoke engulfed the couples cabin. The crew member on night watch, the report said, was not certified in basic safety or in responding to emergencies and neither were several other members of the 18-member crew.

Almost 21 minutes passed before six or seven crew members mounted a rescue effort, the report said.

Larry Hammer, 74, was dead by the time the crew entered the cabin. His 72-year-old wife, a former teacher in Lincoln and an analyst with Gallup, was still alive. She died later of carbon monoxide poisoning, five minutes from reaching a hospital, according to the harbor master.

The report also noted that fire-resistant materials were not used, as required, in the cabins and that the captain slept through the emergency.

To the Hammers daughters, the findings were particularly astonishing, given that the 4-year-old boat was billed as the best on the Amazon by the cruise company.

In addition, the daughters have discovered that because their parents were elderly, the damages they might recover could be limited.

Under a 97-year-old U.S. law governing deaths on the high seas, court awards are based on a victims earnings and if they have dependents. That might restrict damages to only funeral expenses from the cruise line and ship operator.

An attorney for the daughters, however, said he is looking at alternatives to the Death on the High Seas Act and is confident that he can find other ways to recover damages for his clients.

The daughters are continuing their crusade, urging changes in the Death on the High Seas Act and improvements in safety measures on cruise ships.

The Peruvian Navy report was issued on Oct. 26, but the daughters were not able to obtain an English translation until February. The report confirmed many of the safety concerns uncovered by private investigators hired by the daughters.

The harbor master ordered the revocation of the captains license and a $19,000 fine for the owner of the ship, a Peruvian subcontractor called Expediciones Amazonicas, for what the report called a very serious accident.

The Estrella Amazonica is still sailing the Amazon. Harley, the spokeswoman for the American cruise company, did not respond to questions about what safety changes, if any, have been made on the ship or past assurances that the company had made about the vessels safety.

The ships owner also did not respond to emails seeking comment.

The two daughters said International Expeditions made specific claims in its advertising that the ship exceeded Peruvian safety standards and was designed to meet international Safety of Life at Seas guidelines  claims they say were disproved by the Peruvian investigation.

A recent look at the website for International Expeditions found no reference to the safety features on its ships.

The daughters said the death of their parents illustrates why the Death on the High Seas Act should be changed.

Brett Rivkind, a Miami attorney hired by the family, said he has example after example of the harshness of the act in limiting awards for the deaths of elderly or young passengers on cruise ships.

Ross Diamond III, a Mobile, Alabama, lawyer who also specializes in maritime law, agreed. The limits on damages are pretty cruel, he said.

The two lawyers said the act bars the recovery of damages that are typically allowed in a wrongful death case, such as a familys pain and suffering.

Rivkind, who has testified before Congress to urge reforms, said that because cruise ship companies face so little liability, they have little incentive to adopt the highest safety standards.

If someone dies on their cruise ship, no matter how reckless their behavior, they know their exposure from a civil lawsuit is very low, he said.

Both Rivkind and Diamond said efforts to amend the Death on the High Seas Act in Congress have been blocked by lobbyists from the cruise ship industry.

Meanwhile, Malott and Lankford said they want the cruise ship company to accept responsibility for the deaths and to take steps to prevent future accidents.

A simple thing like installing smoke alarms in every cabin could have made a big difference, they said.

Ten dollars a cabin could have saved our parents lives, Malott said.
Nebraska is a natural in several ways to host the data centers that handle large-scale information operations in the modern economy.

Nebraska has significant advantages  such as a central geographic location and a robust telecommunication infrastructure  that give it a leg up on many competing states.

Such advantages doesnt necessarily close the deal, however.

In addition, Nebraska leaders need to be engaged, willing to work with companies to see that their specific needs are met. A growing number of major corporations, for example, require that their data centers are powered entirely by renewable energy.

All these pieces have come together impressively to clinch the agreement by which Facebook will place its first data center in Nebraska. The project, announced this week, is a major win for Nebraska and for Sarpy County.

Sarpy is building a notable reputation for its ability to host these large information-handling facilities. Yahoo, Fidelity, Cabelas and Travelers all have operations there.

The Facebook announcement puts an exclamation point on Sarpy Countys data-center success.

Facebooks 146-acre campus south of Papillion will provide about 1,000 temporary construction jobs and about 100 permanent positions.

A variety of Nebraska leaders stepped up to work out the details for this project, including Gov. Pete Ricketts, city and county officials and staff plus the Sarpy County Economic Development Corporation.

The Omaha Public Power District worked with Facebook to meet the companys requirement that renewable energy supply all of the data centers power.

This energy requirement is an increasingly common one for data centers and in the past has sometimes tripped up Nebraskas efforts to land them. Its encouraging that this was no obstacle for the Facebook project, thanks to OPPDs moves to diversify its power generation.

Tim Burke, OPPDs chief executive officer, says additional companies have expressed interest in possible expansion projects since the utility adopted a new rate structure in January allowing large electricity users to tap renewables for all of their energy needs.

The Facebook project, in other words, points to more possible development to come. Its great to see how Nebraskas success is building on itself when it comes to landing data centers.
Shares of Tesla, Inc. TSLA rose 7.3% on Apr 3 to close at $298.52, while that of Ford Motor Company F fell 1.7% to close at $11.44. While price change generally holds significance in itself, a major impact of this change was Teslas upgradation to the second largest automaker in the U.S. by market capitalization.

Yesterdays closing price increased Teslas market cap to $48.63 billion while that of Ford fell to $45.47 billion. General Motors Company GM maintained its number one spot with a market cap of $51.19 billion.

Teslas share price rose on the preliminary deliveries of first-quarter 2017. The company reported record quarterly deliveries of over 25,000 vehicles, up 69% year over year, indicating its likelihood of achieving the target of 50,000 vehicles in the first half of 2017.

Meanwhile, Ford reported U.S. sales of 236,250 units in March, a 7.2% year over year decline. The companys U.S. sales, as of Apr 3, also declined 4.4% year over year.

The Background

Ford was established almost 114 years ago and has been making mass market vehicles for a large part of its history. The company sells millions of cars each year, has revenues in billions and has been profitable every year post the financial crisis.

The company generated revenues of $151.8 billion, sold over 2.61 million vehicles and recorded $4.6 billion profit in 2016. It is also focused on enhancing shareholder returns. In first-quarter 2017, the company declared a $200 million supplemental cash dividend, equivalent to 5 cents per share, in addition to its regular quarterly dividend of 15 cents.

On the other hand, Tesla is roughly 14 years old and is about to commence the production of its first mass market vehicle, the Model 3. The company is highly unprofitable, deeply indebted and burning cash at a high rate. In 2016, the company generated revenues of $7 billion, sold roughly 76,000 vehicles and remained a loss-making company. Moreover, the company raised further capital of over $1 billion recently.

Story continues

Price Performance

However, Tesla has clearly outperformed Ford over the past one year. During this period, Teslas shares rallied 20.9% while Ford saw a 10.6% decline.

Whats Driving Tesla Faster than Ford?

While Ford has been a stable company in the long term, Tesla seems to be the favorable choice for investors lately. The electric car maker has been rapidly expanding its operations, with recent proliferation in the Middle East, and plans to make Model 3 available in many new markets, including India, Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand, Singapore and Ireland. The company has also received a vote of confidence in China, with one of the countrys largest tech company, Tencent Holdings, revealing its 5% stake in Tesla.

The company also aims to ramp up its production to 500,000 units by 2018, although the possibility seems unlikely. Moreover, it is rapidly developing a network of Superchargers with a faster battery-pack charging ability compared to normal electric charging stations to support its vehicles.

Meanwhile, Ford discontinued its operations in Japan and Indonesia in 2016 and is facing sluggish demand in South America. The companys future in Europe is also uncertain as its major operations are based in the U.K., which has voted in favor of Brexit. The future of the company depends significantly on trade agreements negotiated with other EU nations.

As a result, Ford expects headwinds of $400$500 million in 2017 and 2018 due to Brexit. It also expects first-quarter adjusted earnings per share in the range of 3035 cents, lower than the 68 cents reported in the prior-year quarter. The low expectations are attributable to increased costs, lower volumes as well as unfavorable currency translations. In addition, the companys adjusted pre-tax profits and adjusted earnings per share are expected to decline in 2017 from 2016 levels.

Let's take a look at how Tesla, a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and Ford, a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), are stacked up against each other in terms of certain key metrics.

Estimate Revisions

Over the past month, Teslas current year estimates have narrowed by around 1.5% to a loss of $2.69 per share. On the other hand, Fords estimates for earnings for the current year decreased 3.7% over the same period to $1.58.

EPS & Sales Growth

Teslas EPS and sales have been growing substantially while that of Ford has been declining. In fourth-quarter 2016, as compared to fourth-quarter 2015, Tesla saw EPS and sales growth of 3.1% and 88.1%, respectively, while Ford saw declines of 48.3% and 5%, respectively.

Long-Term Growth Expectations

In terms of long-term growth expectations, Tesla scores way above Ford. The expected growth rate for Tesla for the next 35 years is 30% compared with an expected growth of 8.2% for Ford.

Leverage

Tesla has a lower leverage as evident by its debt to equity ratio of 1.06, compared with Fords debt to equity ratio of 3.20.

In Conclusion

Going by the above arguments, it can safely be said that Tesla stands out as a better investment proposition compared to Ford. With a solid Zacks Rank, positive estimate revisions, better outlook and strong growth prospects, the scale is clearly tilted in favor of Tesla.

Another stock investors can consider within the auto sector is Renault SA RNLSY. The company carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Zacks Best Private Investment Ideas

In addition to the recommendations that are available to the public on our website, how would you like to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time?

Our experts cover all kinds of trades from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Starting today, for the next month, you can have unrestricted access. Click here for Zacks' private trades >>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Ford Motor Company (F): Free Stock Analysis Report



General Motors Company (GM): Free Stock Analysis Report



Tesla Inc. (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report



RENAULT SA (RNLSY): Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
Bangladesh PM's visit: Needed a Hasina-Modi visit for sub-regional cooperation

Feature

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Bangladesh is India's most vital and empathetic neighbour and this is symbolised in the decision by Dhaka to posthumously honor 1,661 Indian soldiers for their contribution and sacrifice in the blood-soaked birth of its nation in December 1971. This rare honor by a visiting leader will be conferred by the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her visit to New Delhi from April 8-10.

I would make the case that this summit level visit is the most critical for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a number of reasons that have a historical resonance as Delhi prepares for the 70th anniversary of India's independence and the bloody partition of the subcontinent in August.

The Hasina visit would also be the first summit-level meeting for Modi after the spectacular electoral victory that he single-handedly delivered to the BJP, particularly in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh.

The high-octane triumph of Hindu majoritarianism was also reflected in the manner that the Chief Minister of UP was chosen and it will be instructive for India's external interlocutors to monitor how electoral triumphalism will play out in foreign policy.

The run-up to the 70th anniversary of August 1947 is embedded in the manner in which India's two principal neighbors -- Pakistan and Bangladesh -- relate to the historical narrative. While Pakistan observes March 23, 1940 as the day of the Lahore resolution that envisioned a nation based exclusively on religion -- in this case the Islamic faith -- the very birth of Bangladesh in 1971 and its trajectory of the last 45 years negates the two-nation theory that led to the partition of August 1947. The Pakistan Army is yet to accept the mea culpa of having killed almost three million of its own citizens during 1970-71 in the most tragic yet forgotten chapters of 20th century history.

Bangladesh, under Prime Minister Hasina, has adopted March 25 as Genocide Day and will urge the United Nations to declare this day as World Genocide Day. What is relevant is the profile and orientation of Pakistan and Bangladesh -- the former slipping further into religious bigotry and sectarian violence even as Hasina has steered her relatively young nation towards enviable progress and tolerance within the extended Islamic world.

It may be recalled that even before he assumed office as Prime Minister, Modi had embarked on innovative diplomacy and invited all the regional leaders for his swearing-in ceremony in May 2014. There was considerable optimism that India's neighborhood policy would be one of amity and tangible cooperation but, barring Bangladesh, there is little that can be held up as a triumph or breakthrough for the Modi-led foreign policy.

Dhaka is the exception. An objective review would indicate that while Pakistan remains India's most visible and intractable security and strategic challenge; and China the more abiding and complex, it is Bangladesh that represents the neighbor with whom India can demonstrate its positive intent and showcase the incentive for investing in the long term cooperative endeavor.

Like most major Muslim nations, Bangladesh (population 164 million) is also grappling with the post 9/11 Islamist fervor and its more virulent Wahabbi-Salafi variant. India's worst-case security scenario would be a neighborhood on its eastern flank that corresponds with the Pakistan-Afghanistan violence and Islamist ideology.

Hasina has demonstrated commendable political courage and conviction in her commitment to the secular principle and one may conjecture that she is determined that her nation should not go down the Pakistan path. Yet there are deeply entrenched forces of obscurantism and religious bigotry and the more recent killing of liberals in the name of Islam is illustrative.

Hasina is seeking to maximise her nation's foreign policy options and here, the relationship with China is distinctive -- both for Bangladesh and India. While it is evident that the Sino-Pak relationship is unlikely to alter its core anti-India orientation, the China-Bangladesh relationship should not be allowed to acquire an adversarial or prickly texture vis-a-vis India. This will be the critical challenge for Modi when he receives Hasina.

Beijing has already acquired a substantive footprint as a major military supplier in the Indian neighborhood and Chinese built submarines in the Bangladesh navy is a tactical reality that India will have to factor in. But the deeper challenge for India is to nurture the Bay of Bengal region into a domain where India and its neighbors can cooperate and if Beijing wishes to be part of this sub-regional effort then Modi should make some bold and innovative investments.

The most viable is to resurrect the dormant BIMSTEC initiative that brings together Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand and impart traction into this sub-regional entity. Modi has outlined his vision of SAGAR (security and growth for all in the region) in the past and this came up at the BRICS (Brazil, India, China, Russia, South Africa) Summit in Goa last October where Hasina was a special invitee.

The April 8 summit is an opportune moment for India and Bangladesh to bilaterally implement many of the suggestions that are already in the pipeline and identify the low-hanging fruit. My personal wish-list would be to prioritizes the connectivity from the Indian east coast (Odisha/Andhra) through Bangladesh ports to Agartala in the Indian northeast and beyond. The Hasina-Modi vision could also enable Dhaka to outline a common sub-regional blueprint that will maximize the collective advantages that can accrue from investing in the 'Blue Economy' -- that related to the ocean.

IANS


Bharat Jodo Yatra will proceed to Srinagar, come what may, says Rahul Gandhi as march enters Maharashtra

More grief for Congress after 26 dump party for BJP in Himachal

After Kejriwal, now Congress wants ballot paper polling to be re-introduced

India

pti-PTI

Bhopal, Apr 5: The Congress on Wednesday said the Election Commission should stop 'experimenting' with democracy and bring back the ballot paper system.

"The electronic voting machine dispensed only lotus symbol slips during a public demonstration in Bhind, which was an eye-opener. So the Election Commission should explore the possibility of shifting to alternative system of paper ballot and stop experimenting with the democratic process," Congress general secretary Mohan Prakash said.

Prakash, who is in charge of party affairs in Madhya Pradesh, said the EC had assured the Supreme Court that it would introduce EVMs equipped with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail devices in a phased manner.

"It was going on in a sluggish manner. However, doubts have cropped up in voters' mind following the demonstration in Bhind. Ballot paper system is a tested one," he added.

He also alleged that the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh posted only certain officers for election duty.

"Why the government appoints certain officials in every by-poll? The lower-rank employees are being threatened by the government. Even the officials who were transferred upon EC's directive are still working in Bhind," he said.

Congress would take the issue of EVMs to the people, he said. A trial of EVM ahead of Ater Assembly by-election in Bhind district led to a controversy when some reports said that VVPAT machine dispensed only BJP slips no matter which button on the EVM was pressed. However, the Chief Electoral Officer of the state denied this.

PTI
Attacks on Hindus in UK: Are Muslims frustrated over spread and reach of Hinduism?

Hijab ban: With SC delivering a split verdict, here is what happens next

Ajmer Dargah chief sacked over beef, triple talaq remarks

India

oi-Preeti Panwar

Ajmer, April 5: A day after making remarks over beef consumption and triple talaq, the Ajmer Dargah chief Syed Zainul Abedin Ali Khan was sacked on Wednesday, April 5.

Expressing dissent over his statement, Khan was removed by his brother Allaudin Alimi and he announced himself as the new diwan of the Ajmer Dargah.

"I am the new deewan. I have the support of the entire (Chishti) clan," Alimi told a news agency, alleging that Abedin was an "apostate because he had spoken in violation of the Islamic law".

"I am not interested in salary. He (Abedin) can have the money. Buy I won't allow him to enter the shrine now. Whatever he has said is blasphemous. I have spoken to muftis (Islamic scholars who interpret sharia) and we will be issuing a fatwa (decree) against him. He is no longer a Muslim."

Abedin has been the deewan of the shrine since after the Supreme Court 1987 order, ruling him as the most direct and eldest descendant of the sufi priest.

In an attempt to honour Hindu sentiments, the diwan of the shrine had advised Muslims to give up beef. The statement was made on April 4 on the occasion of the 805th death anniversary of Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisty, in the presence of religious heads of various shrines from different parts of the country.

Interestingly, Khan's message was supported by various clerics, but with scepticism.

The spiritual head of Ajmer dargah had said, "The government should put a ban on the slaughter of all bovine animals as well as the sale of beef to promote communal harmony in the country."

[Also Read: Muslims should give up beef to honour Hindu sentiments: Ajmer dargah chief]

He also said that Muslims should take initiative to stay away from slaughter of bovine animals and not consume beef so that a good and positive message could be communicated in the country.

He had announced that he and his family members will not eat beef now onwards and said that the government should declare cow as the national animal.

"The government should widely impose ban on slaughtering of all bovine animals and sale of beef, which is one of the prominent reasons for communal hatred. Muslims should become an example by taking resolution to not consume beef in the interest of communal harmony in the country," he had said.

Welcoming the Gujarat government's move to enact a law with the provision of life sentence for those found guilty of cow slaughter, the Diwan had said that the central government should declare cow as the national animal if the government wants to protect it.

"Cow is the symbol of religious belief. Not only the government, but it is also the duty of every follower of the religion to protect them," he had said.

What Khan said on Triple Talaq?

On the practice of 'triple talaq', Khan had said that it is not only irrelevant today but against the sentiments of the Quran. He had said that while practising justified divorce, the side of the woman should be considered equally and detailed dialogue with her should also take place.

The Diwan also said that there are several provisions in the Quran to ensure self-respect and dignity to women in the society, while adding that saying 'talaq' three times in one sitting is not a religiously valid practice and there should be a period of time between repeating 'talaq' thrice for divorce.

The religious heads of various sufi shrines from various parts of the country including Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar among others were present on the occasion.

OneIndia News

(With Agency inputs)
Army most trusted institution in India: Report

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

People see a bigger role for religious leaders when compared to politicians a report states. The report titled State of Democracy in South Asia says that in Pakistan, more than half the respondents favoured the involvement of religious leaders in place of politicians. In the case of India, over one-third said that they are in favour of religious leaders over politicians. However, the army remains the most trusted institution in India.

The survey report took the opinion of 18,576 citizens in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The report was prepared by Global Barometer Survey and conducted by Lokniti, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi, and Jain University, Bengaluru.

The report states that the religious leaders are preferred over politicians highest in Muslim countries. "It can be a matter of debate whether this represents a lack of faith in the political class or a positive endorsement of religious leaders," the report states.

The report says that in Pakistan, minorities such as Hindus and Christians favour a role for the religious leaders. Support for religious leaders reflects is not so much a vote of confidence in their credentials but a clear frustration with the political class, the report also adds.

In India, the respondents said that the army continues to be the most trusted institution. At least 57 per cent trust the army the most, the report states. This is followed by the 36 per cent who trust the judiciary the report adds. The distrust is highest for the police force, it also has found.

The report notes that a higher degree of trust in the army and judiciary could be owing to the insulated way in which they function. Citizens watch their functioning from a distance, often the 'non-transparent' nature of their functioning.

OneIndia News
Homeliness Will Make Your Home The Safest Place To Be At With Quality Water Purifiers

Water Taxi Mumbai to Navi Mumbai: Timings, Ticket Price, Route Map, Terminals, Booking - All You Need to know

As temperature skyrockets, Karnatakas Gulbarga faces severe water crisis

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Bengaluru, April 5: The residents of Gulbarga in Karnataka are battling a tough time. As the day temperature has crossed 42 degrees Celsius, the residents of the city are facing acute water crisis.

The water crisis has reached a mammoth proportion. The natives of the city, around 630-km away from state capital Bengaluru, have to wait for two days for water tankers to arrive to get access to water. Most of the wells and local water bodies have run dry in Gulbarga.

The regular supply of water to houses too has almost stopped. In such a scenario, the locals heavily depend on water tankers to meet their daily requirements. But the demand of water is so high that the numbers of water tankers supplying water are not enough for the city.

People wait in long queues for their turn to buy water from tankers. Most of the women and children spend the whole day in queues to get their quota of water. "Water crisis has hit Karnataka's Gulbarga amidst soaring temperatures. Tankers arrive once every two days for residents of Garib Nawaz Colony," reported ANI.

Water crisis hits Karnataka's Gulbarga amidst soaring temperatures: Tankers arrive once every two days for residents of Garib Nawaz Colony. pic.twitter.com/Hx2NWzFOHp  ANI (@ANI_news) April 4, 2017

"The heat wave is intensifying. We don't know how much more temperature will rise in the coming days. Water provided is not sufficient for us," a resident of Gulbarga told ANI.

Heat wave intensifying, don't know how much more temperatures will rise in coming days. Water provided is not sufficient: Resident,Gulbarga pic.twitter.com/tltwJ0hRXW  ANI (@ANI_news) April 4, 2017

The maximum temperature in Gulbarga on Tuesday was 42 degrees Celsisus. "I appeal to the government to please help us. Every two days only one time water tanker comes to the area. The people and children stand in the queue for the whole day, but are not able to get sufficient water," said another resident of the city.

The Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Congress government had promised to tackle the water crisis issue of the city by using latest technologies to identity groundwater. However, nothing has been done so far, allege local residents. Because of rise in temperature and prevailing dry conditions, several parts of Karnataka are experiencing drought, hitting the farmers badly.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, April 5, 2017, 7:30 [IST]
Rijiju praises PM Modi for his 'day and night work for welfare of people'

Not Maharaja, it was Nehru: Union Minister takes on Congress leader on Kashmirs accession

Bandipora encounter hero Chetan Cheetah discharged

India

oi-Lisa

New Delhi, April 5: Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju met Central Reserve Police Force Commandant Chetan Cheetah, who was injured during an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora. Cheetah was discharged on Wednesday.

After meeting Cheetah, Rijiju told media persons, "He's doing very fine, it's miraculous." Rijiju said, "The day I came here when he was brought from Srinagar it was difficult to imagine he will talk to me."

Delhi: MoS Home Kiren Rijiju met Chetan Cheeta, who was injured during an encounter in J&K's Bandipora pic.twitter.com/G9mAXuUUTn  ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

Cheetah was admitted to the AIIMS trauma centre in New Delhi around two months ago with at least nine bullet injuries. Before being rushed to the trauma centre, Cheetah was taken to the military hospital in Srinagar where he was given treatment to stop bleeding.

Delhi: Chetan Cheeta with wife Uma Singh at AIIMS, his wife says he may be discharged today. Cheeta was injured in Bandipora (J&K) encounter pic.twitter.com/ZNSg1LqjQD  ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

It was decided to airlift him to AIIMS as he was in comatose state and he had injuries to his head, hands, waist, pelvic region and the eyes. He also underwent brain surgery at the AIIMS. Cheetah had slipped into deep coma after receiving injuries.

His recovery is said to be nothing short of a miracle. Army Chief Bipin Rawat had also visited Cheetah and spoken to doctors about his health. The doctors who are treating Cheetah said that now he is conscious and talking and all his vitals are stable.

CRPF's Chetan Cheeta is fit to go home, requires rehabilitation. His strong will power helped him fight back and recover: AIIMS pic.twitter.com/tg1fFY3xHg  ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

At least three soldiers and one militant were killed in the Bandipora encounter.

CRPF officer Chetan Cheeta who was injured during encounter in Bandipora(J&K) to be discharged today from AIIMS, Delhi. pic.twitter.com/BPL15xbTj9  ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

OneIndia News
Cong targets BJP, says no one apologised or resigned for Morbi tragedy

BJP worker Raja Balmiki shot dead in UP

India

oi-Madhuri

Lucknow: A leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party Raja Balmiki was shot dead by three bike-borne assailants in Muzaffarnagar's Khatauli area on Wednesday morning.

It is learnt that Raja Balmiki, former Khatoli city BJP general secretary, was shot dead in his shop when three men on a bike came near him and fired three shots at him though he tried to evade the bullets. They later fled from the scene.

Eyewitnesses said there were three men who executed the killing. One bullet hit him on the head and he died instantaneously, the police said.

The police team had rushed to the spot. The assailants are yet to be apprehended. The body has been sent for post-mortem and the area has been cordoned off, the police added.

Meanwhile, protesting against the murder, irate people blocked the Delhi-Dehradun national highway at Khatoli. The security has been tightened in the area, the SHO K P Singh said.

OneIndia News (with inputs)
Can Karnataka recover Rs 100 crore in Jaya DA case? SC to decide today

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Supreme Court will on Wednesday decide whether Karnataka can recover the Rs 100 crore fine amount from former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case. A division bench comprising Justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy will hear a review plea filed by Karnataka against the abatement of Jayalalithaa in the case.

As a result of the abatement, Karnataka is in no position to collect the Rs 100 crore fine that had been imposed on her by the trial court. The Supreme Court had convicted Sasikala Natarajan and two others and even upheld the fine imposed on them by the trial court.

In the review petition, Karnataka said that if a party dies after the conclusion of arguments and the judgment is reserved, an order of abatement cannot be passed. The judgment subsequently pronounced shall have the same force and effect as if the same was pronounced before the death took place, Karnataka has contended.

It has been contended that there is no provision in the Constitution or the SC rules for such an abatement of appeal. It was also pointed out that as per the 2013 rules of the SC in both civil appeals and election petitions there shall be no abatement if the death takes place after the conclusion of the hearing.

There cannot be an order of sentence since it is infructuous in the event of her death. However, the SC should have ordered that the fine of Rs 100 crore which was levied by the trial court must be paid. The fine should be recovered from her estate, Karnataka has also contended.

Even though the question of A 1 (Jayalalithaa) undergoing further imprisonment does not arise, sentence to pay fine is legally sustainable which has to be recovered from the estate. This is particularly so where the offence alleged is of illegally acquiring disproportionate assets. Therefore, the finding that the appeal has abated is not correct, it was further argued.

Karnataka also pointed out that a criminal appeal involving offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act stand on a slightly different footing where the allegation is of acquisition of disproportionate assets by a public servant. In the circumstances, though the death of the accused no 1 [Jayalalithaa] renders sentence of imprisonment infructuous, the question whether any fine is liable to be imposed as also confiscation of illegally acquired property will survive for consideration.

OneIndia News
'Two-finger test' should be banned in matrimonial dispute cases too, says Maharashtra doctor

Khota sarkar left with egg on their faces: Team Uddhav on Andheri win

Devendra Fadnavis: Maharashtra will study UP's farm loan waiver model

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, April 5: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the state government will study the Uttar Pradesh model of farm loan waiver worth Rs 36,000 crore.

Speaking in the legislative assembly in Mumbai, where Shiv Sena and BJP members demanded that the state government announce a loan waiver for distressed farmers, Fadnavis said, "We will study how Uttar Pradesh will raise such a huge amount."

The CM said he has directed the state finance secretary to study how UP goes about with the promised debt waiver.

Referring to the high court directive in Tamilnadu asking the state government to waive farm loans following a peasant protest, Fadnavis said, "Decision of waiving farm loan is the prerogative of the government."

Fadnavis also targeted the opposition for staying away from the House proceedings saying they were roaming outside in name of 'Sangharsh Yatra'.

"But the Sena and BJP members' sentiments regarding farm loan waiver are genuine and the state government is positive to it," the CM felt.

Fadnavis said, "we have asked Centre for financial assistance. If we don't get help from Centre, we are working on how a loan waiver (of Rs 30,000-crore) can be granted."

Earlier as soon as the House assembled after a three-day break and Speaker Haribhau Bagde called for the questions, Shiv Sena and BJP members were on their feet on the issue of farm loan waiver.

Shamburaje Desai (Shiv Sena) said recently two farmers committed suicide at Wadgaon in Satara district since they were debt-ridden.

"If Uttar Pradesh can make provision of Rs 36,000 crore to waive off loan upto Rs 1 lakh, why can't Maharashtra. Our financial condition is better than Uttar Pradesh. UP Chief Minister did not wait for central government help," he added.

Desai said Rs 30,500-crore loan in Maharashtra should be waived off before the Budget session ends on April 7.

Subhash Sabne (Sena) said farmers in Parbhani are planning to go on strike from June 1 by stopping Kharif sowing.."If farmers strike and stop sowing, should we eat 'dhatura' (poisonous thorn apple)," he asked.

Ashish Deshmukh and Sanjay Kute (both BJP) said the state government should go for a loan waiver to ensure there is no burden on the financial condition of the state and continue the investment in agriculture sector.

Prashant Bamb, an independent supporting the BJP opposed loan waiver to farmers after which enraged Shiv Sena members started arguing with him. Seeing the Sena members getting too close to Bamb, Minister of State for Housing, Ravindra Waikar (Sena) and Raj Purohit (BJP) rushed to defuse the situation.

PTI
- By Holly LaFon





Before he was named Commerce Secretary, most knew Wilbur Ross (Trades, Portfolio) as an investor in distressed assets. As Europe's financial crisis produced these in abundance, Ross found several in which to ply his strategy. A review of Ross' European portfolio shows that the cabinet member focused on foreign trade had mixed results in the investments.





Bank of Cyprus (BOCH.L)

Ross became involved in one of his most recent investments, the Bank of Cyprus, when he joined a group of financiers to raised $1.04 billion to recapitalize it in 2014. With non-performing loans among the highest in Europe at 47% and high levels of public and private sector debt, the bank remained fragile a year on from the height of Cyprus' financial crisis in first-quarter 2013, when a "bail-in" of about 40% of depositors' personal savings and recapitalization prevented its collapse.

Ross bought Bank of Cyprus shares for 24 cents in the summer that year and became director and vice president of the bank that fall. Upon his confirmation as Treasury Secretary, Ross said he would quit those roles but that the funds of WL Ross & Co. would keep their shareholdings, the company said in a statement.

One reason WL Ross & Co. wanted to keep its 1.6% stake, Bloomberg reported, is the loss on the investment. The bank had declined by one-third from Ross' investment price as of Jan. 9, when its existing shares ceased trading on the Cyprus Stock Exchange and new shares began trading there and on the London Stock Exchange for the first time on Jan. 19.

Bank of Ireland (BKIR.L)

When Ross started investing in Cyprus, he had just finished a profitable investment in the struggling Bank of Ireland. In 2011, he bought 2.9 billion of its shares, or a 9.1% stake, as part of a group of investors who invested 1.1 billion euros for a 35% stake.

Story continues

Ross made the purchase several months after the bank agreed to an 85 billion-euro EU/IMF bailout and a review by the Central Bank of Ireland detailed its capital needs and stress testing results. As in Cyprus, he invested as the economy showed signs of stabilization several years after the worst of the country's financial crisis, though it still had low domestic investment, weak consumer sentiment and high unemployment rates.

"The population had already proven that they were willing to put up with a lot of problems, a lot of cutbacks, by government without riots, without car bombs, without nationwide strikes," Ross said in a Yale School of Management discussion in 2014. "They had already shown that the sociology of Ireland was clearly different than that of the Mediterranean countries. Those were the big-picture things we looked at."

The shares that Ross purchased for 10 cents had almost tripled by the time he sold half almost half of the stake in March at 33 euro cents per share. He sold the remaining holding at 26.5 euro cents per share in June, giving up the board seat he took over in 2012. Ross made an estimated profit of 500 million euros on his Bank of Ireland investment.

Following his sell, Bank of Ireland rose to as high as 39 euro cents, and has since slumped to 22.6 euro cents in Dublin trading Tuesday.

Eurobank Ergasias SA (EUROB.AT)

Coinciding with his Cyprus play, Ross came to the embattled Eurobank Ergasias' aid in April 2014, buying 37.5 million euros in shares at 30 euro cents each and joining its governance. An investment group that included Ross' contribution raised 1.33 billion euros to help the bank meet a 2.86 billion euro-capital increase requirement put in place by an update to a recapitalization law the Greek parliament approved in March 2014.

Like many Greek banks, Eurobank, the third largest in Greece, needed the money to strengthen its capital position as a financial crisis fractured the foundations of its banking sector, requiring several international bailouts to avoid default.

Up to assumption of his new cabinet position, Ross still held shares of Eurobank Ergasias, at a significant loss. Eurobank shares traded at 56 euro cents per share on the Athens Stock Exchange Tuesday. Adjusted for a December 2015 reverse stock split, Ross has lost more than 98% on the investment.

See Ross' public U.S. portfolio here.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






Exclusive: Will contest Karnataka polls to fight communal forces says Siddaramaiah

India

oi-Anusha

Unfazed by the exodus of leaders to the BJP, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah continues to be confident about the party's victory in both the constituencies of Nanjangud and Gundlupet. So what if leaders shifted their loyalties, Siddaramaiah believes that his government's work will beat all odds.

OneIndia's Anusha Ravi caught up with the Karnataka Chief Minister and got him talking about S M Krishna, why the bypolls are all important and most importantly his future in electoral politics.

What is the Congress' agenda in Nanjangud and Gundlupet for the bypoll?

The only agenda is development. Our development will speak. We will only raise development as an issue. We are not attacking anyone personally. We may criticise the BJP's ideology but no personal attacks. It is a fight between the communal BJP and a secular Congress and nothing more than that.

We are seeking votes on the basis of our work. We are asking people to recognise our work and vote for us. We are telling them that we have kept our promises and so deserve to get the people's favour but BJP is seeking votes so that Yeddyurappa becomes the Chief Minister in 2018. Is that even an issue in the bypoll?

Do you think B S Yeddyurappa is power hungry?

His speeches in campaigns everywhere only highlight him becoming the Chief Minister. "If your Yeddyurappa should become the Chief Minister, vote for the BJP in this election and ensure the party wins," is what he says in all his addresses. What does that mean?

Does the Congress look at S M Krishna quitting as a loss? How do you plan to make up for it, if it is?

Krishna's move is neither our loss nor BJP's gain. I do not know what he feels about being in the BJP but it is definitely not a loss for us. The results will show what I mean.

S M Krishna in his first outing as a BJP man trashed the Congress and your government. What are your thoughts on it?

Let's assume that S M Krishna was right in saying that our government neither had the vision nor the foresight, but what happened to his government? He himself left Maddur and contested from Chamarajapet in Bengaluru. Maddur was his own constituency but why did he leave especially after being the Chief Minister for five years. Why did 30 ministers in his cabinet lose in elections? From 140 MLAs it was reduced to a mere 60. Was that a result of his vision? Is it because he projected his government as the numero uno in the country?

S M Krishna accuses you of being laid back. He says that yours is an 11 am to 7 PM government, unlike Narendra Modi who works round the clock.

One should recall what he has said in the past about Narendra Modi. The things he has spoken about Modi when he was in power. Why change stance now? S M Krishna being a senior politician says that there has never been a leader like Modi in India. Can Modi be compared with Nehru? One shouldn't talk this way just because he quit the party.

Would you say that Srinivas Prasad moving out is not a loss either?

The constituency speaks for itself. One should visit the constituency to see if there is really a loss. You will know what we have lost and what we have gained.

Congress is being criticised for importing a candidate from the JD(S) for Nanjangud. Was there none within the party after Srinivas Prasad left?

We never had a dearth of candidates. We had many candidates including Mahadevappa's son Sunil Bose. I advised him against his son contesting since he is already the district in-charge minister. I suggested that Sunil Bose contest in the general elections and not this bypoll. By that time Keshavamurthy had joined our party and the workers preferred that the ticket be given to him. Is the BJP any better? Have they fielded a candidate who comes from a RSS background? I do not want to comment much on that.

Why field a Geetha Mahadevprasad who has no prior political experience? Did the party agree with your decision?

It was my decision along with that of the party president's. Mahadevaprasad had won five consecutive times and had already completed 4 years as the minister this time around. With just another year remaining, we wanted to give his family members the opportunity. She is highly educated. She may not have prior political experience but is a doctorate holder. Her husband had been in politics for 30 years.

B S Yeddyurappa says that nervousness is pushing you to campaign vigorously.

Why has he been camping here since 22 days? Is it because he is very confident or has nerves of steel? I have been here only since 4 days but he has been here for 20 plus days. We were all in the assembly but he was here campaigning. Isn't that nervousness? They became desperate and that is why are making false complaints and allegations our party and leaders. They know that they are going to lose the elections.

Why is this bypoll so important? All of the cabinet is here just like all of BJP's leaders are here.

The Congress party is in power and the people know our performance, we have performed very well in four years and have fulfilled more than 90 per cent of the promises that were made to the ppl thru the manifesto. When we are in power how can we not take a bypoll seriously? We have taken it very seriously. BJP is a communal party. We should see that a communal party doesn't win.

Yeddyurappa claims that you have hijacked his welfare schemes. What do you have to say about it?

Who introduced the food security act? It was Manmohan Singh government and not Narendra Modi's government. It is true that we are being given rice at subsidised rates but aren't we doling it out for free? Did Yeddyurappa give it? We are giving 7 kgs of rice and 1 kg of dal free. Did Yeddyurappa do this? How can this be called their program? Aren't we giving Rs 4,000 crore subsidy? Did the union government ask us to give free rice grains to the poor? It is our decision. Why did the union government stop the supply of sugar to BPL card holders? Yeddyurappa never tells the truth. He is asking for loan waiver for farmers now but the same Yeddyurappa, when he was the Chief Minister had said that the union government had not given him a note printing machine to waive off loans. Yeddyurappa loses track of what he has said. He can't differentiate between truth and lies. There is none in the world who lies like the BJP.

What are the chances of a Congress and JD(S) tie up in the 2018 assembly polls?

Neither the Congress nor the JD(S) has spoken about a tie up for the 2018 elections. We will fight alone. There are no talks.

BJP is confident that it will get all the dalit as well as most backward classes votes. What do you have to say about it?

We believe in social justice. We have worked for the poor in the society cutting across caste lines. We have worked to make them economically independent and believe that the poor, farmers, backward classes, women will support us. Who is responsible for operation Kamala? BJP is the pioneer of corrupt electoral practices. What did Yeddyurappa do in the 8 bypolls that were held when he was the Chief Minister?

What would a win in both the constituencies mean to you?

It would mean that the government's work has been appreciated, accepted and blessed by the people. Wouldn't it also mean that the people have accepted the leadership?

Will you lead the Congress in the 2018? Will you contest the poll?

As far as contesting in the poll is concerned, the high command will decide but I will definitely lead the campaign for the Congress in the 2018 assembly polls. I had said that 2013 would be my last election but a communal party is growing. Because a communal party is growing, I have to contest again and have to lead the election campaign.

What about Yathindra Siddaramaiah contesting in the polls?

I am not sure about that, it is again the high command's decision. Workers in our constituency want him to contest the polls but ultimately when elections draw closer, it will all depend on what the high command says and what the workers want. I am not opposed to Yathindra contesting if the people want him to but I will not push him to contest. I will not impose my opinions on people or my son. If the people want him and high command decides to give a ticket to him then it is okay. The constituency will be decided later.

OneIndia News
MP woman punished to beg for a week over the death of calf by village panchayat

Sad but true, no one killed Pehlu Khan, as 6 accused get clean chit

Cow vigilantism hits UP, once again: 2 men beaten up, heads tonsured, paraded for cattle stealing

Five brutally beaten by gau rakshaks in Rajasthan, 1 dead

India

oi-Madhuri

Jaipur: A 55-year-old Muslim man from Haryana was brutally beaten to death by gau rakshaks in Rajasthan's Alwar district on Tuesday.

#WATCH: 5 men beaten up & their vehicle vandalised by cow vigilantes in Rajasthan's Alwar; later 1 man succumbed to injuries (01.04.2017) pic.twitter.com/almfW9W954  ANI (@ANI_news) April 5, 2017

Pehlu Khan and others were injured after a mob attacked them as they suspected him of smuggling cows through Rajasthan. Khan succumbed to his injuries on Monday night. Since then, no arrests were made in the case till Wednesday morning.

According to the reports, Khan and others were returning from a fair in Jaipur where they had reportedly purchased a few cows.

The incident happened on April 1 after gau rakshaks affiliated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal stopped their vehicle on NH 8, alleging that they were illegally transporting cows.

OneIndia News
Bharat Jodo Yatra will proceed to Srinagar, come what may, says Rahul Gandhi as march enters Maharashtra

More grief for Congress after 26 dump party for BJP in Himachal

Former Congress leader Vishwajit Rane to join BJP

India

oi-PTI

Panaji, Apr 5: Former Goa Congress MLA Vishwajit Rane, who defied the party whip to vote against the trust motion of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in March, would be joining the BJP on Thursday, a party leader said on Wednesday.

Rane, who was elected from Valpoi constituency, had resigned from the Congress and quit his assembly membership after absenting himself from the house when Parrikar sought the trust vote.

"Rane would be joining BJP on Thursday. He has not put any condition to join the party," BJP's state president Vinay Tendulkar told PTI. Rane is the son of Congress veteran and former chief minister Pratapsinh Rane, who was also elected to the assembly from Poriem seat in north Goa during the recent state polls.

Asked if Rane would be inducted into the state cabinet, Tendulkar said, "It would be the decision of the chief minister." The BJP Goa legislature wing recently adopted a resolution seeking Rane's induction into the party and also in the Cabinet.

When contacted, Rane confirmed that he will be joining the BJP on Thursday. "My entry to the BJP is unconditional. I want to work for the growth of the party and also for the development of my constituency," he said.

Rane quit the Congress last month after being upset that the party failed to form the government in Goa despite it emerging as the single largest party winning 17 seats in the 40-member Assembly.

In the trust vote held in the house, Parrikar proved his majority with 12 legislators from BJP, three from Goa Forward Party , three from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, three Independents and one from NCP voting in favour of the trust motion.

The opposition benches included 16 MLAs from Congress, as Rane had remained absent during the voting.

After failing to defeat the trust motion, the Goa Congress said it would seek disqualification of Rane from contesting elections for defying its whip to vote against the motion.

PTI
Ram Jethmalani: A look at some of his most controversial, high-profile cases

From Rs 1 to Rs 3.8 crore: How Jethmalanis bill in Kejriwals defamation case inflated

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

New Delhi, April 5: The issue of payment of Ram Jethmalani's legal bill, who is fighting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's defamation suit filed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, is creating a lot of noise in the political circuit.

While Kejriwal and his team members wanted the Delhi government to pay the legal luminary's whopping bill of Rs 3.8 crore, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress slammed the Aam Aadmi Party for using tax payers' money to clear bill pertaining to a personal matter of the chief minister.

In the face of all this controversy, the Rajya Sabha MP on Tuesday told the media that if Kejriwal can't clear his bills, then he would fight the Delhi chief minister's case free of cost.

He told NDTV that since the beginning he was maintaining that he won't charge Kejriwal a single penny, but it was the latter who insisted the senior lawyer to send him the bill.

"Even if (Delhi) government doesn't pay or he can't pay, I will appear for free, will treat him (Kejriwal) as one of my poor clients," said Jethmalani.

In an earlier interview to Scroll in December 2015, the 93-year-old lawyer-turned-politician said he was fighting Kejriwal's case free of cost.

"Listen, I have this reputation that I am a highly-paid lawyer, but what many people don't know is that I earn money from only 10% of my clients. The rest of my work is pro bono. I work free. Sure, I am not charging any fee from Kejriwal and that's because his government itself is so poor. (Laughs heartily.)," Jethmalani told Scroll.

On Tuesday also Jethmalani maintained the same stand that he did not charge any fee to Kejriwal, but it was the Delhi chief minister who insisted on paying the bill. Since Jethmalani is one of the country's most expensive lawyers, it is no surprise that the bill sent to his 'VIP' client was a massive one. However, what is debatable is whether a chief minister should use tax payers' money to clear his/her personal bills?

OneIndia News
Ghazwa-e-Hind in Assam: NIA roped in as Islamists plan destruction of India

Gunotsav, Gujarat government initiative inspires Assam

India

oi-Lisa

Guwahati, April 5: Assam government launched Gunotsav programme in the state taking inspiration from Gujarat. Under Gunotsav, Gujarat government each year sends independent evaluators to state run primary schools to ensure that the quality of education provided to young students is good.

Assam government launched the first phase of Gunostav on Wednesday with an aim to cover 9.11 lakh students in eight districts in a span of three days.

Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had tweeted about the launch of Gunotsav in Assam. He was congratulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the initiative saying that it will benefit both teachers and students.

Sharing mid-day meal MD, NHM, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Dr P Ashok Babu eating mid-day meal with children in Hailakandi. Photo credit: Himanta Biswa Sarma/Twitter CM calls Gunotsav noble cause Gunotsav is one of our Government's sincere initiatives in rejuvenating education sector of Assam. Let's all join hands for the noble cause: CM Sonowal. Photo credit: Himanta Biswa Sarma/Twitter Gunotsav trended on Twitter India Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted that, "With contribution from MLAs, IAS and IPS officers Assam Gunotsav kicked off today, getting huge accolades. It's trending on Twitter India. Ravi Kota, IAS, Commissioner Finance at Khatri ME School for Gunotsav. Photo credit: Himanta Biswa Sarma/Twitter 4,000 schools will be evaluated tomorrow Over 4 thousand schools will be evaluated on Thursday under Gunotsav, Sarma had informed media persons. Photo credit: Himanta Biswa Sarma/Twitter Turning government schools into model schools Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has asked MLAs of the eight districts to develop ten schools of their districts at part with model school in their constituencies. Photo credit: Himanta Biswa Sarma/Twitter

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, April 5, 2017, 17:28 [IST]
Court says it's okay to pay compensation after conviction under Dalit Atrocities Act

HC says Arya Samaj certificate not enough to prove marriage

Muslim man can't remarry if he's unable to take care of family: Allahabad HC

HC gives 10 days to UP govt to address meat scarcity, says choice of food is right to life

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

In the wake of crackdown on illegal slaughter houses by the Uttar Pradesh government, the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday said that food habits were part of right to life guaranteed under the Constitution.

An acute shortage of meat has hit UP since the newly elected government launched a massive crackdown on illegal slaughter houses.

The High Court gave government 10 days to address the problem of meat shortage.

The court was responding to a petition of a trader who sought directions for the government to renew his meat shop licence. The petitioner had stated that delay in renewing his license was affecting his business.

Several shop and slaughterhouse owners in the state have complained about delay in renewal of licences and various approvals.

OneIndia News
What the ISI is doing in Punjab is carbon copy Kashmir: Is SJF the new Hurriyat?

Hurriyat welcomes Haley's statement on Indo-Pak ties

India

pti-PTI

Srinagar, Apr 5: The Separatists in Kashmir on Wednesday welcomed US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley's statement that the Trump administration would try and 'find its place' in efforts to de-escalate Indo-Pak tension.

The statement of American Ambassador to the UN is 'encouraging' as Kashmir is a long standing political issue in the south Asian region, moderate Hurriyat faction led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said in a statement.

Despite bilateral talks between India and Pakistan the issue stands unresolved for the past 70 years and is heading towards dangerous proportions with each passing day, it added.

The Hurriyat said the two neighbours are nuclear powers and the lingering Kashmir issue has been the root cause of their 'bitter relations and growing tension'.

"Besides being a political problem in nature, Kashmir is a humanitarian issue as well. Therefore, the indication by America, being the super power at present, to play a positive role in the region is satisfactory for the people of Kashmir," the Hurriyat said.

It said that India enjoys good relations with America and should take advantage of this opportunity giving up its traditional 'rigid' policy on Kashmir.

JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik, who is at present under detention at Srinagar Central Jail, welcomed Haley's statement and said, "peace and prosperity of south Asia is subservient to the resolution of Jammu Kashmir dispute".

"The Statement of United States envoy to UN is a welcome and appreciable step. Hope this statement will be translated into action," Malik said in a statement.

PTI
When is Ram Navami celebrated:

The birth of Lord Rama is celebrated on the ninth day of Navratri at noon - on the ninth day of Chaitra month (March-April) of the Hindu lunar calendar. The festival starts from Gudi Padwa (Hindu New Year, the first day of Chaitra month) and lasts until the ninth day of the Navratri.

Histroy of this day:

Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who was born to king Dasharatha and queen Kaushalya of Ayodhya, now in Uttar Pradesh is the reason why we celebrate Ram Navami festival.

Vrat Vidhi:

Many devotees observe fast from sunrise until the next day. During fast, devotees eat fruits or any other delicacies made with water chestnut

Lakhs take holy dip:

Lakhs of devotees took a holy dip in the Saryu river in Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Rama, as Ram Navmi was celebrated with traditional fervour.

Rath Yatra:

In several places, Rath Yatra (religious processions) of idols of Lord Rama and Sita are also organised, with devotees chanting hymns.

Significance of this day:

Though the day is the birthday of Lord Ram, it is believed by the devotees that offering prayers on the occasion brings health, wealth and prosperity in return. While many devotees observe fast on the day, others make halva' and poori' and along with serving the prasad' to God, offer it to little girls who are considered to be Goddess Durga's avatars.
Asani Live Tracking: Cyclone over Bay of Bengal on May 8, Landfall likely on May 10, says IMD

India loses an island chain in the Bay of Bengal

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Bengaluru, April 5: A chain of islands that once existed in the Bay of Bengal now lies buried under water, according to a new study by Indian oceanographers.

If this long island chain that stretched from north to south had not been swallowed by the sea, it could have offered a natural barrier against tsunamis like the one that killed thousands in 2004, they say.

These islands had existed during the Late Cretaceous age -- about 68 to 80 million years ago, according to their report in the journal Current Science.

Currently they lie as a ridge buried beneath the enormously thick sediment discharged by the Ganges and Brahmaputra river systems.

The ridge, known as Eighty-five East Ridge -- so named because it runs nearly parallel to the 85 degree east longitude -- extends north-south for about 2,500 km from the Mahanadi Basin in the north Bay of Bengal to the Afanasy Nikitin Seamount in the equatorial Indian Ocean.

That part of the ridge in the Bay of Bengal that once hosted the islands is completely buried under the Bengal Fan sediments, says the report by K.S. Krishna at the National Institute of Oceanography in Goa and his co-workers.

According to the authors, "In spite of more than three decades of research carried out by scientists from different countries, the origin of the ridge still remains a conundrum." In their research, they studied the seismic structure of the ridge.

Their study showed that at the time of ridge emplacement about 80 million years ago, the ocean floor was around four kilometres below sea level and about 500 to 1,000 metres of the ridge summit existed above sea level.

The researchers say their study has provided strong evidence to indicate that the ridge peak remained above sea level as an island for a short period during the Late Cretaceous age before it subsided due to thermal subsidence and volcanic load.

It may have taken about 6 to 12 million years for all the peaks of the ridge to subside below the sea level, says the report. "The processes of thermal subsidence and sedimentation load together placed the island chain below the sea level, and then below the thick pile of Bengal Fan sediments."

In conclusion, the authors say that "the 85 deg.E Ridge remained as a series of island mounts with variable reliefs in the middle of the Bay of Bengal during the Late Cretaceous and got completely submerged below the sea level around 68 million years ago".

"In case such submergence had not happened, the 85 deg.E Ridge would have remained an island chain analogous to present day Maldives Islands in the Indian Ocean and Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean," they say.

"Then it would have acted as a 'natural geo-wall' protecting mainland India from devastating tsunami waves generated near the Sunda subduction zone."

Now, an important question. Did India lose additional land part under her territory?

"The answer," the authors say, "is probably an unfortunate yes."

IANS
Chinese media says India using Dalai Lamas Tawang visit to upset China

India

oi-PTI

India is using the Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh to upset China and New Delhi should deliver on its political commitments to Beijing on Tibet related issues, state-run Chinese media said on Tuesday.

The 14th Dalai Lama's visit to Tawang bordering China will hurt Sino-Indian ties because China opposes any official invitations to him, the Global Times quoted an unnamed Chinese analyst as saying. "The Dalai's visit to the controversial area, especially Tawang, which China hopes will be returned, will affect relations between China and India," an analyst from the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the paper on condition of anonymity.

"India (is) using Dalai Lama's visit to upset Beijing," the paper quoted the analyst as saying. The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader today arrived at Bomdila in West Kameng district, marking the beginning of his nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh. "India should deliver its political commitments to China on Tibet-related issues, including opposition to separatists," he said, noting that China would take steps against any government which invites the Dalai Lama.

He said Tawang is also the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, which gives the place religious meaning to Tibetans.

Reacting to Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju's remarks that the Dalai Lama's visit is "purely religious," and that there is no political angle behind it, the expert said this is not the first time India has used the Dalai Lama to express its displeasure to China, especially when bilateral talks fail to include their demands or to "pander to domestic anti-China issues".

The Chinese Foreign Ministry, which is currently on a holiday for the Tomb sweeping festival, has not responded to a query seeking its reaction to External Affairs Ministry remarks as well as comments by Rijju over the Tibetan spiritual leader's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as southern Tibet.

PTI

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, April 5, 2017, 8:49 [IST]
Imran Khan discharged from hospital, to resume long march from same point where he was shot

This cop from Pakistan became a millionaire overnight: Here is how

Days after attack, Imran Khan's party to resume long march on Nov 10

J&K: Pakistan violates ceasefire in Poonch, fourth violation in 48 hours

India

oi-Madhuri

Pakistani troops on Wednesday resorted to mortar shelling and firing by automatic weapons in Degwar sector of Poonch in Jammu & Kashmir, prompting the army to retaliate.

Today's ceasefire violation is the fourth such incident in less 48 hours along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts.

On April 4, the Pakistani army had initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatic and mortar shells on Indian Army posts along the LoC in Digwar area in Poonch sector.

There had been four ceasefire violations along the LoC in Poonch in March.

In 2016, 228 instances of ceasefire violations along the LoC were reported while there were 221 instances of ceasefire violations along International Border.

OneIndia News (with PTI inputs)
Jadavpur University cannot be blamed for slogan by fringe elements: VC

India

oi-PTI

Kolkata, April 5: Jadavpur University Vice-chancellor professor Suranjan Das on Wednesday said the institution cannot be held responsible if any fringe element raises any separatist slogan in it.

"If any fringe element raises any separatist slogan, how can the university as a whole be linked with that? It is a law and order issue to be addressed by the administration," Das told PTI in Kolkata.

Das' comments follows that of Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar who had said JNU and Jadavpur University have not been awarded for their 'pro-Afzal Guru slogans or for keeping their vice-chancellors under siege but for their academic credentials and excellent research'. That students of Jadavpur University are not always involved in demonstrations was evident from the fact that JU has been ranked 12th in an overall category, the fifth spot among universities and the 9th among engineering institutes in the Union HRD report, he said.

"While I believe everyone has the right to use his democratic rights in a democratic country, I am of the view one should exercise such democratic rights within constitutional limits which has been clearly defined ... It is important in democracy to ensure that I don't interfere into other's freedom while exercising my own right," Das said.

Stating he believed in inclusive way of functioning, Das said, "I have always supported creative constructive thinking and even if my views differ from views of others, I take everyone in confidence for every move."

On the allegations raised by Arts Faculty Students Union that boys and girls were harassed by saffron forces during a programme at the university campus on Saturday, the VC said that auditorium is not owned by JU. "So far I understand a legally recognised organisation had rented the hall. If there is any law and order problem that has to be looked after by the administration."

Asked to comment on the past agitation by students about poor hostel facilities with reference to JU lagging in infrastructure and poor teacher-student ratio in the HRD score card, he alleged that a section of the media was highlighting only the negative sides of the university. "There are both good and bad sides of an institution. But unlike in foreign countries, here only negative issues are projected by the media. But yes with more funds we will be able to upgrade hostel facilities while from next session the teacher-student ratio will be bettered," he said.

PTI
Karnataka bypolls: In Nanjangud, Gundlupet, a battle of perceptions

India

oi-Anusha

It is a two-way fight in both constituencies of Gundlupet and Nanjangud, but the perception divide in Nanjangud is right through the centre. The bypoll may be on April 9, but candiates are fighting a perception battle even before the people of the constituency cast their votes. While on record, the BJP as well as the Congress, claim to have enough support 'for a clean sweep', the ground reality is a divided vote bank. Communities, friends, party workers and even families are divided on who they will favour in the bypoll.

Siddaramaiah unsure about quitting politics says son Yathindra in first ever interview

"We will vote for the person and not the party. Keshavamurthy has no family and will work for us as against a Srinivas Prasad who never visited our village after winning the 2013 elections. He is no doubt a Dalit leader but he should not have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP is a communal party and we will never support it," said Lingaraju, a resident of the controversial Badnaval village.

Standing right next to him, Guruprasad, another voter hailed Srinivas Prasad pledging unwavering support to him irrespective of the party that he is contesting from. "He stood by the Dalits and ensured that we got justice in the two-decade-old Badnaval case. He may have changed his party but his ideology hasn't changed. There is not a single blemish on him or charge of corruption. The Congress in Karnataka is cheating Dalits by first refusing to give Parameshwar a deputy chief minister post, by refusing to give Kharge the chief minister post and by dropping Srinivas Prasad from the cabinet with no valid reason. Siddaramaiah has gone to the extent of not giving Sunil Bose a ticket but imported a candidate from the Janata Dal-Secular. We will vote for the BJP to teach the Congress a lesson," said Guruprasad.

Guruprasad and Lingaraju, both Dalit voters, are mere examples of where rest of the voters in Nanjangudu stand as far as supporting candidates are concerned. Many are voting for the candidate while some are staying true to parties. The voters in Badanval, despite being divided over who they support, displayed expemplary reasoning to justify their choice. So much so that they are confident that the differences that have cropped up now due to 'preference' will die down after the April 9 bypoll.

Nanjangud keeps the suspense up

Most people in Badanval, Devanoor and surrounding villages in Nanjangud believe that Prasad would have won hands down had he contested as an independent. A sympathy wave that was taking shape for him broke away after he joined the BJP for most of his supporters. For others, the party he is in comes as no matter. His face will do the work. "The chances are truly 50:50. Apart from Prasad, Dhruva Narayana has a lot of sway in the region. The Congress' candidate may be Kalale Keshavamurthy but the fight is between Dhruva Narayana and Prasad," said Bhaskar B S, a voter.

"A common man cannot reach Prasad. He was a minister and never visited our village after he won the elections. He has worked for us, none will deny that but many do not approve of his decision to join the BJP," said B K Suresh, a resident. "Keshavamurthy was in the JD-S. He has relatives in large numbers here and may gain some advantage with that but will anyone else profit from it?" he asked.

Caste can't be cast aside

The Dalit voters in the villages are a divided lot but Karnataka BJP president B S Yeddyurappa's hectic campaigning seems to have managed to woo the Lingayat votes banks. "We have decided as a community to vote for the BJP. Yeddyurappa has come to us seeking votes and we belive that he will bring about changes," said Shivaleelamma. While she claims that the entire community (Veer Shaiva) will vote for the BJP, there are voices of dissent.

"If Srinivas Prasad wanted to do something for the people, he would have done it in the last 3 years. The government claims that projects worth Rs 6 crore have been sanctioned for Najangud but that is the Congress' effort and not Prasad's alone. If the ruling government is unable to do anything, what will the opposition do? We will choose the Congress because it has worked for our welfare," said D P Mahadevaswamy.

Indira Gandhi's legacy thrives

Her roti, kapda, makaan slogan has left a mark on Indian political history and former prime minister Indira Gandhi's relevance even to this day in an average Indian village stands proof to that. The situation is not very different in Devanoor as well. The Congress owes its popularity to Indira even decades after her demise. "We will only vote for the party that gave us food and job. Indiraamma helped us when we sought help and we will always be grateful. Our support is always for her party irrespective of who the candidate is. We believe that it will benefit us," said Shivamma, a voter.

With the divided perception, Nanjangud bypoll is all set to emerge as a nail-biter that will keep political parties, supporters and enthusiasts at the edge of their seats till results are announced.

OneIndia News
Kerala sleaze audio: Malayalam TV channel CEO, four other arrested

India

pti-PTI

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 4: The Chief Executive Officer and four mediapersons of a private television channel were arrested on Tuesday night in connection with the telecast of a purported sleaze audio clip which led to the resignation of Kerala minister A K Saseendran.

CEO of Mangalam TV channel R Ajit Kumar and media persons S V Pradeep, M B Santhosh, Feroz Muhammed and Jayachandran were arrested by the special investigation team after questioning them for hours. They would be produced before a court on Wednesday, police said. Four other persons, named in the FIR, were also questioned but were let off, police said. On April 4, Kerala High Court had rejected the anticipatory bail plea of the nine accused.

Last week, police had registered an FIR, under section 120B (common intention) of the IPC and 67A of the Information technology Act, against nine persons, including 'Mangalam' channel's CEO and Managing Director R Ajit Kumar on a complaint by the youth wing of Nationalist Congress Party for airing "obscene conversation". T

he channel on its opening day on March 26 aired an audio clip of the purported talk of Transport Minister A K Saseendran, NCP representative in the LDF cabinet, with a woman, following which he had resigned the same day. The TV channel had tendered an apology for airing the contents and admitted that it was a "sting operation" involving one of their women journalists and not a housewife, as it had claimed earlier.

PTI
Maharashtra govt may hike compensation for rape victims

India

pti-PTI

Mumbai, Apr 5: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that it has mooted a proposal to hike the compensation to the victims of rape, sexual assault and acid attacks from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

Under the Manodhairya Yojana launched in October 2013, the state government had decided to give compensation of up to Rs 3 lakh to the victims of rape and other crimes against women.

Apart from the monetary compensation, the government provides counselling to the victim and vocational or educational training, if required. The high court had earlier suggested the government to consider increasing the amount to Rs 10 lakh in some cases, looking at the gravity of the offence and the condition of the victims.

Following this, government lawyer Abhay Patki told the court that the proposal to increase the compensation has been initiated and a final decision on the same would be taken within six weeks.

The court had earlier made the suggestion while hearing a petition filed by a 14-year-old girl, who claims to be a victim of rape, seeking compensation of Rs 3 lakh under the Manodhairya Yojana.

The girl was given a sum of Rs 2 lakh by the government after the petition was filed in October last year. The bench had then slammed the government for its insensitive approach and had said that the Manodhairya scheme was "insulting, inhuman and shameful."

PTI
Modi follows this Bengaluru man after he puts 'Swachh Bharat' logo on wedding card

India

oi-Gulam Rabbani

Bengaluru: Akash Jain, a young Bengaluru-based entrepreneur was followed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter after he posted a wedding card of his sister with a Swachh Bharat logo on it.

Modi, who follows hardly 1,700 people across the world, followed Akash and retweeted on his post.

According to reports, on April 1, Akash took to his Twitter handle and posted his sister's wedding with Swachh Bharat logo on it and then tagged the prime minister in the post.

"Dear @narendramodi, My dad specifically wanted @swachhbharat logo to be there on my sister's wedding invitation, hence got it. @PMOIndia," he posted with a tweet.

Dear @narendramodi, My dad specifically wanted @swachhbharat logo to be there on my sister's wedding invitation, hence got it. @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/kD28savm82  Akash Jain (@akash207) April 1, 2017

Appreciating his effort, The post was retweeted by the many BJP leaders until it went into the eyes of Narendra Modi. Expressing his happiness on Modi being his follower, Akash said he is honoured to be followed by PM Modi and added that he never thought it would become a reality.

He said that all this was possible because of a positive initiative was taken by the family members to put the Swachh Bharat logo on the wedding card in support of PM Narendra Modi.

He also said that his father, Kantilal Jain has been supporting the Modi's initiative from so long and hence decided to do something, that can promote 'Clean India' drive.

One of the most followed people on Twitter follows me. Nothing can be bigger than this, he added. On October 2, 2014, on Mahatma Gandhi birth anniversary, Narendra Modi launched Swachh Bharat drive as an initiative to make 'Clean India'.

OneIndia News
Chandra Grahan 2022: Check the start and end timing of lunar eclipse in major cities

Total Lunar Eclipse LIVE: Know sutak time and everything about Chandra Grahan

IRCTC update: 136 trains cancelled on Nov 08; here is the complete list

'Kejriwal ji, if my claims true, you'll resign and retire': Sukesh writes a new letter

Narendra Modi made 56 foreign visits as Prime Minister

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, April 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made 56 foreign visits since assuming charge in May 2014, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

According to a list provided by Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, after first visiting Bhutan in June 2014, Modi visited the US four times, and Nepal, Japan, Russia, Afghanistan and China two times each.

In September 2014, he combined his bilateral visit to Washington with a visit to New York for the UN General Assembly session.

In September 2015, he visited New York for the UN General Assembly session during the course of which he again met then US President Barack Obama and then proceeded to San Jose, California, where he interacted with top Fortune 500 CEOs.

The Prime Minister made his third visit to the US in the spring of 2016 for the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington during which he highlighted India's role and commitment to the global partnership in nuclear security.

He again visited the US at the invitation of Obama in June 2016 during the course of which he addressed the US Congress.

Modi paid an official bilateral visit to Nepal in August 2014, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 17 years, and again visited the Himalayan nation in November 2014 to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Summit.

He visited Japan in the autumn of 2014 and then in November 2016, both times to attend the annual bilateral summit.

The Prime Minister visited Russia in July 2015 to attend the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit in Ufa and then again in December 2015 to attend the annual bilateral summit.

He visited Afghanistan in December 2015 during which he jointly dedicated with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani the country's new parliament building built with Indian aid, and again in June 2016 to jointly dedicate the Afghan-India Friendship Dam in Herat province.

He went to China on a bilateral visit in May 2015 and then again in September 2016 to attend the G20 Summit in Hangzhou.

In May 2015, he became the first ever Indian Prime Minister to visit Mongolia marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Mongolia.

His visits to the Indian Ocean archipelago nation of Seychelles in March 2015 and to the United Arab Emirates in August 2015 were the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 34 years.

Among other major nations, Modi made bilateral visits to Canada in April 2015 and to Britain in November 2015.

In November 2014, he visited Australia to attend the G20 Summit in Brisbane and then stayed back for a bilateral visit.

IANS


NC seeks votes from KPs for Farooq Abdullah

India

pti-PTI

Jammu, April 4: The National Conference on Tuesday launched a door-to-door campaign and reached out to the Kashmir Pandit community in Jammu to seek votes for former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, who is contesting the Srinagar Lok Sabha bypoll as NC-Congress alliance candidate.

"National Conference Migrant Cell today launched a door-to-door campaign in support of party nominee from Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency Farooq Abdullah, by urging the people to strengthen secular forces for heralding a lasting peace in Kashmir," NC Minority Cell President M K Yogi told reporters in Jammu.

On the campaign trail along with Provincial Vice President Anil Dhar, former MLC B L Bhat and other migrant leaders, Yogi visited biggest township of KP displaced people in Jagti belt in outskirts of Jammu city and sought votes for Abdullah. They also criticised the PDP-BJP government for 'neglecting' the displaced people, as a result of which their problems continue to accumulate.

He particularly made a reference of the dilapidated condition of tenements in Jagati and suburbs of the Jammu city, alleging the government was unmoved as far as their renovation was concerned. "National Conference has all along worked for the welfare of displaced people and initiated several measures to make their life comfortable in and outside camps in Jammu and elsewhere in the State," Dhar said while interacting with the people.

Former MLC Bhat criticised the 'lackadaisical attitude' of the coalition government in carrying forward the recruitment drive under the Prime Minister's package. He said the educated youth were losing their patience, as some of them were turning over-aged.

The NC leaders also sought vote and support for G A Mir from Annantnag parliamentary constituency. The byelections to Srinagar and Anantnag Lok Sabha constituencies are to be held on April 9 and April 12, respectively.

PTI
Not the issue, it is the development: How NGOs fund protests to defame India

New guidelines to ensure India has clean NGOs

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Any NGO receiving government funds through false and misleading information will be blacklisted, the government said in its draft rules. The centre on Wednesday submitted the draft guidelines for NGOs in the SC. In the guidelines, the centre has proposed stringent guidelines for NGOs requiring them to register afresh online with Niti Aayog.

The NGOs will be provided a unique ID and subjected to the Income Tax Act and Foreign Contribution Regulations act. The NGOs must give details of the audited account, IT returns, area of operation and names of key personnel, the guidelines also state. The NGOs will only be granted accreditation after evaluating their internal governance and ethical standards.

The past record of the NGOs too will be put under scrutiny before accreditation.

The accredited NGOs will be subject to three-tier scrutiny to evaluate the funds utilised. The scrutiny would be also include the quality of work, the guidelines also state.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, April 5, 2017, 13:43 [IST]
No need to worry about ISIS in India: Rajnath Singh

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, April 5: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday assured that there is no need for Indians to be concerned about Islamic State (IS) as the terror group has little penetration in the country.

"There is no need for Indians to be worried about IS (penetration) in India. If a few youth get radicalised by them, we also have counter-radicalisation programmes," Rajnath told the Rajya Sabha.

In response to a question by a member whether unemployment and poor socio-economic background -- and not just religious fundamentalism -- were responsible for Indian youths' radicalisation, Rajnath ruled out the possibility.

"We are running several programmes for socio-economic uplift of minorities, including for the Muslims. These include skill development programmes, easy bank loans for business etc," Singh said.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh asked the Home Minister if Saifullah, killed in a police encounter in Lucknow on March 8, had links with the IS. He said an American intelligence website said as much.

To this, Rajnath Singh said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was probing the matter. He said that "because of things found on Saifullah, some people concluded he had links with IS".

The Uttar Pradesh police had called Saifullah a "self-radicalised terrorist", though Madhya Pradesh police said he was part of an IS module.

Earlier, Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said that the number of Muslim youth who have been radicalised so far by the IS was miniscule in comparison with the Muslim population in India.

"There is not much presence of IS in India. So far only 80 youth have been found to be radicalised by IS through social media and internet, which is a negligible number.

"We are monitoring the social media etc round the clock to check further spread of IS," Ahir said.

He pointed out that even Muslim clerics in India have urged the youth not to join the IS or be influenced by their propaganda, which he said was a welcome step.

Ahir also informed the House that 22 persons from Kerala had tried to join the IS. Of these, the NIA has taken action against 16 persons. The rest, he said, included women and children and their cases were being looked into.

Ahir also said that unemployment could not be a reason behind the radicalisation of some Muslim youth as unemployment or poverty in the country was "not restricted to just one community or religion".

He said that Muslim youth also get employment on merit.

IANS
Central team roped in as dengue cases in Bihar rise to over 5000

Bihar's Gopalganj by-poll to see a tough fight between BJP and RJD

Bihar: Fire breaks out amid Chhath Puja celebrations in Aurangabad; many critical

Over 45,000 held in a year for violating prohibition in Bihar

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Patna, April 5: Over 45,000 people have been arrested in a year in Bihar for violating the liquor prohibition law imposed by the Janata Dal-United government.

Bihar has acted tough against those violating the law on total ban on liquor in the state, Excise and Prohibition Minister Abdul Jalil Mastan said on Wednesday.

"At least 45,033 people were arrested for violating the new law and over 44,000 of them were sent to jail during the last one year," Mastan said.

Bihar has witnessed a complete ban on alcohol since April 2016. The ban completes one year on April 5.

According to Mastan, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has repeatedly made clear his commitment to implement a total ban on liquor in the state.

"The concerned law enforcement agencies have been directed to act tough against those violating the law," he said.

According to a state Excise and Prohibition Department official, police have raided 2,18,722 locations and seized over Rs 50 crore liquor, including Rs 41 crore of foreign liquor, in the last one year.

According to a police report, 40,413 cases were registered in connection with the violation of law.

"We have seized 3,13,187 litre of desi liquor, 47,161 litre spirit, 52,53,334 litre foreign liquor, 11,371 litre beer, 628 quintal mahua, and 1,07,320 raw liquor," the report said.

Police said most of those arrested were released on bail. But nearly 5,000 people are still in jail.

IANS
MP Pappu Yadav resigns from Lok Sabha, alleges Bihar govt trying to arrest him

Stage set for a clash of the titans in Madhepura

Pappu Yadav's arrest raised again in Lok Sabha

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, April 5: Ranjeeth Ranjan, wife of arrested MP Rajesh Ranjan on Wednesday raised the issue of her husband's arrest in Patna.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she has sought details of the incident.

Ranjan alleged that the Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) leader was mistreated, and sought action from the Speaker.

"For five hours, police unnecessarily cordoned the house. They treated him like a criminal. They called you as well, and said he was running away, which was a lie," Ranjan said about the arrest.

The Madhepura MP was not given bail the next morning, she said.

Ranjan said:"They said it was a very high profile case and there was pressure."

"They have not given bail so far.The biggest surprise is he is not arrested for protest at the state assembly. He was arrested for some other incident," Ranjan added.

"This shows the intention was only to arrest and harass. We thought he may get bail in three-four days,"the MP said.

"They wanted him to protest so that they can declare him criminal. A police official said we have instruction to insult," she alleged.

"It is not just about the privilege of an MP. If they treat an MP like this, how will they treat common people," the Congress MP asked.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge also supported Ranjan. "We should condemn how he was treated... Who has given you right to treat someone like this," Kharge said.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan assured action and said she has sought facts on the incident.

"I have a privilege notice as well. When the issue was raised on March 29, I talked to authorities. I have sought a factual note and we will see what can be done. Handcuffing is wrong, we will look into it," she said.

Pappu Yadav founded JAP after being expelled from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

The police in Patna on Monday night arrested Pappu Yadav, hours after his supporters clashed with police during a march towards the state assembly to protest a power tariff hike.

Police said the arrest was in connection with an old case relating to an incident near the Kargil Chowk in the city on January 24.

IANS

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, April 5, 2017, 15:56 [IST]
Bharat Jodo Yatra will proceed to Srinagar, come what may, says Rahul Gandhi as march enters Maharashtra

Partial relief; step in the right direction, Rahul reluctantly praises Yogis aid to farmers

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

New Delhi, April 5: A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party government under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced to waive off crop loans of up to Rs 1 lakh of small and marginal farmers in the state, Congress vice president on Wednesday welcomed the move, albeit reluctantly.

In a series of tweets, posted on Gandhi's official Twitter handle, the Congress VP said, "A partial relief for UP farmers, but a step in the right direction. @INCIndia has always supported loan waivers for farmers in distress(1/3)."

A partial relief for UP farmers, but a step in the right direction. @INCIndia has always supported loan waivers for farmers in distress(1/3)  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) April 5, 2017

"I'm happy BJP has finally been forced to see reason.But let's not play politics with our farmers who are suffering across the country(2/3)."

I'm happy BJP has finally been forced to see reason.But let's not play politics with our farmers who are suffering across the country(2/3)  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) April 5, 2017

"The Central Govt must have a national response to the widespread distress & not discriminate amongst states(3/3)."

The Central Govt must have a national response to the widespread distress & not discriminate amongst states(3/3)  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) April 5, 2017

Farmer leaders in Uttar Pradesh welcomed the state government's move to waive off loans but said the cap of Rs one lakh left them feeling cheated. Farmers unions said the cap and limitation to crop loan would confine the benefit.

"We welcome the gesture and it will help many, but very few small farmers apply for crop loans, so it won't help all... Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised during elections to waive off the entire loan and not a fixed section," Dharmendra Singh from Bharatiya Kisan Union told IANS.

Former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav also termed the announcement as a betrayal.

"Promise was to waive the entire loan... farmers are feeling cheated as the government fixed a limit of Rs 1 lakh. The poor farmers have been betrayed," Akhilesh Yadav tweeted.

Delivering on the BJP's poll promise to small and marginal farmers, the Adityanath cabinet on Tuesday decided to waive their crop loans up to Rs 1 lakh, totalling a staggering Rs 36,359 crore, at its very first meeting.

The move will benefit over 2.15 crore farmers, besides seven lakh others who had secured loans which turned into non-performing assets.

OneIndia News
R K Nagar bypoll: TTV Dinakaran supporters caught on camera bribing voters

India

oi-Anusha

Workers of Sasikala Natarajan faction of AIADMK were caught on camera distributing money to voters of R K Nagar constituency on wednesday. A video shows supporters of AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran handing out Rs 4,000 to each voter inside a house. Every time the man hands out Rs 4,000 he is seen urging voters to vote for 'the hat' symbol.

The video that has been shot in stealth shows three women receiving money on behalf of all the voters in the family from AIADMK Amma workers. The police who arrived at the spot later caught the party workers red-handed. The police seized a bag that the workers were carrying and found bundles of Rs 2,000 notes ready to be distributed to other voters in the constituency.

The video shows at least four Sasikala Natarajan camp workers distributing money against voter list. While one man is seen handing out money, another checks the voter list to verify how many people in the house are eligible to cast a vote.

The video comes days after former Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam filed a complaint with the Election Commission that Dinakaran was bribing voters in violation of the model code of conduct. Dinakaran had rejected the allegations but the video narrates a different story. Apart from money, residents allege that the Dinakaran faction is distributing lamps, cookers, utensils etc to woo voters.

OneIndia News
Rahul seeks Yechury's support for GST bills ammendment

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, April 5: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury and sought Left parties' support on an amendment to be moved by Jairam Ramesh to the Goods and Services Tax bills in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

According to a source in the Communist Party of India-Marxist, Gandhi met Yechury in the afternoon on Wednesday.

"We will also move about 6-7 amendments. Since this is a Money Bill, so just like the Finance Bill that we passed some amendments, it will show that they don't have majority in the House. If the bill is returned with amendments, they have to take it back to the Lok Sabha," said the source who declined to be identified.

Four GST bills are expected to be voted on in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh is likely to move an amendment which says that anything passed by the GST Council should also get parliamentary approval.

"There is only one amendment that was being planned by Jairam Ramesh, which is the one which says that anything passed by the GST Council should also get parliamentary approval," said Congress spokesperson Rajeev Gowda at a media briefing.

"It was discussed and a consensus emerged where it was decided that this amendment is not going to be taken forward as the Congress party's amendment," he added.

IANS
Naxalism is down, but it is still Indias greatest challenge: Rajnath Singh

No documents will be asked or biometric taken for NPR: Home Ministry

Wonder why home minister chose not to go to AIIMS but to private hospital: Shashi Tharoor

Rajnath directs heads of paramilitary forces to serve good food to jawans

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Apr 5: Amidst complaints of poor quality food being served to jawans, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday directed all paramilitary forces to ensure that quality food is served to all personnel under their rolls.

At a high-level meeting, attended by Directors General of CRPF, BSF, CISF, SSB, ITBP, the Home Minister said that the food served to the jawans and others should be good and there should be no room for any complaint, according to official sources.

Singh said paramilitary personnel are deployed in hostile and difficult terrain and if bad food is served they would be demoralised.

The paramilitary personnel should always be served with quality food and the chiefs of the organisations must ensure that, he said. The Home Minister is also learnt to have expressed his unhappiness over more than 160 CRPF jawans falling ill in Kerala due to food poisoning recently.

There have been several complaints in the past regarding poor quality food being served to paramilitary jawans, leading to the Home Ministry ordering an inquiry.

PTI
Review in Jaya DA case dismissed: Here is what the verdict means

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a review petition filed by Karnataka questioning the abatement of former Tamil Nadu chief minister, Jayalalithaa in the disproportionate assets case. As a result of this, Karnataka cannot recover the Rs 100 crore fine imposed on Jayalalithaa by the trial court.

SC rejects plea to declare Jayalalithaa a convict

The SC which rejected the review said," these Review Petitions have been filed against judgment dated February 14, 2017, whereby the appeals filed by the appellant-State of Karnataka were allowed setting aside the judgment and order of the High Court and Jayalalithaa having expired meanwhile, it was held that the appeals, so far as those relate to her stood abated. We have considered the review petitions filed by the State of Karnataka on merits. In our opinion, no case for review of our order dated February 14, 2017 is made out. Consequently, the review petitions are dismissed on merits."

What does this verdict mean?

As a result of this abatement, the fine of Rs 100 crore cannot be recovered. Moreover in the February 14 verdict the court had held that the assets amassed by Jayalalithaa were disproportionate in nature. While only the fine amount of Rs 100 crore cannot be recovered, all other assets would go to the state of Tamil Nadu.

These assets would include the properties, gold articles, slippers etc. Legal experts say that the court had found her guilty. When the court says that she has been abated it means the sentence cannot be carried out in the event of her death. This again would mean the sentence of four years and the fine of Rs 100 crore imposed by the trial court in Karnataka.

Here are some of the properties that were declared disproportionate in nature which will go back to the state of Tamil Nadu:

750 pairs of slippers: Value unknown

10,500 sarees: Value unknown

Gold: Valued at Rs 3.5 crore

500 wine goblets: Value unknown

Diamonds: Rs 1 crore

A portion of Poes Garden residence, Chennai: Value to be fixed by state

Kodanad tea estate, Nilgiris: Value yet to be fixed

Siruthvoor bungalow, Mahabalipuram: Rs 55 crore

Paiyanur bungalow: Purchased at Rs 13 lakh

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, April 5, 2017, 18:47 [IST]
Russia likely to use EVMs for 2018 presidential polls

India

oi-Gulam Rabbani

New Delhi: As the opposition parties in India raked up controversy on EVMs tampering after the five states elections on March 11, Russia is keen on adopting EVMs technology method for the 2018 presidential elections in the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin is also set for a re-election next year.

According to reports, Russia has sent Nikolai Levichev, the deputy chairman of election commission visited Uttarakhand during the assembly polls to check the operations of the electronic voting machines and is believed to had the first-hand experience of voting in EVMs. He is also said to have held meetings with Delhi officials and gathered information on EVM technology and its best practices in the sub-continent.

Nikolai was impressed by the EVM voting process after closely monitoring them at the time of counting. Now Russia with approximate 143.5 million population wants smooth functioning of polls next year using the Indian-made EVM technology, an anonymous source said.

Earlier in 2014, the Indian Election Commission supplied additional ballot papers to its Kabul counterpart when the latter felt short of ballot papers due to the unexpected increase in voters during the presidential voting.

On the other hand, while other countries are impressed with EVMs in India, the opposition has alleged tampering, just after the conclusion of five-state assembly polls on March 11.

BSP chief Mayawati blamed the BJP and the EVMs for her defeat and demanded re-elections in the state. After Mayawati, the Congress in Uttarakhand too raked up the issue on EVMs tampering and demanded a probe into it.

Following the controversy in Uttarakhand, the AAP which was defeated both in Punjab and Goa accused the EC on EVMs used in the polls. AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also wrote to the EC to allow use ballot papers for the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi polls on April 23.

Later, he also sought to postpone the Delhi civic polls in case the EC has to prepare the ballot papers. However, AAP was criticised by the EC on doubting the EVMs and clarified that it will indeed use EVMs for Delhi civic polls.

OneIndia News
SP govt gave us slaughterhouses instead of doctors: Adityanath

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Asserting that affordable health care facilities should be available to everyone, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said his government aims to significantly improve medical system in the state.

Speaking at the King George Medical University in Lucknow where he inaugurated 56 new ventilators, Adityanath urged the doctors to serve people selflessly.

"Doctors should be more tolerant and refrain from running private clinics... Don't try to earn money, try to earn blessings of the people," he said.

He said doctors should be willing to serve in the villages and not strive to practice only in the cities.

The UP CM slammed the previous Samajwadi Party regime for not having focused on improving medical facilities in the state.

"Previous government transferred all good doctors to Saifai and Kannauj. In Gorakhpur, they gave us slaughterhouses instead of good doctors," he said.

Stressing upon the need to hire new doctors, Adityanath said that five lakh more doctors are required in Uttar Pradesh. He said six AIIMS like hospitals and 25 medical colleges will be started in Uttar Pradesh in the next five years.

"My message to doctors - Sometimes, many a disease can be cured just by your politeness towards patients. I hope you all will treat your patients well," he said while concluding his address.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, April 5, 2017, 20:54 [IST]
Suresh Prabhu as defence minister, Vasundhara for external affairs: Is this Modi's new cabinet?

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The name of railway minister Suresh Prabhu is doing the rounds and sources say that he is likely to be made the defence minister of India. A crucial Cabinet reshuffle is on the cards after the end of the Parliament session that concludes on April 12. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was given additional charge of defence after Manohar Parrikar moved to Goa as the CM.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen on having someone senior and trustworthy as the defence minister. The ministry cannot be handled as an additional charge as it is a crucial portfolio, Modi also feels. If the name of Prabhu does not work out, then a new face from the states is likely to be brought in to take over the mantle.

If Prabhu is given defence, then the mantle of the railways may fall on Manoj Sinha who is currently the minister for state for railways. The BJP is thinking of making Sinha a Cabinet minister and give him the full charge of railways.

Sources also say that possibility of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje may be brought to Delhi. The rumour mill is abuzz that she is likely to be made the external affairs minister. Sushma Swaraj who has health issues is unable to travel extensively and hence her replacement is being considered. If Vasundhara is moved to Delhi, then she is likely to be replaced by Om Mathur, the BJP's general secretary.

The BJP is also contemplating moving J P Nadda to Himachal Pradesh if the BJP comes to power. Nadda who is the Union minister for health has been a contender for the post of Himachal Pradesh CM. Elections in the state are due in October.

After the Parliament session, the BJP would also discuss the possible candidates for President of India. There are several names that are doing the rounds amid growing demands for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat to take over the post. The BJP is also contemplating making the 76-year-old minister, Kalraj Mishra as a governor. He is currently the minister for micro, small and medium enterprise.

OneIndia News
Theresa May's response to Assad's attack outclassed Donald Trump

In the aftermath of reports suggesting Syrian president Bashar al-Assad had once again unleashed a deadly chemical weapon on civilians, at least one Western leaderembattled by human rights criticism at homeimmediately responded with class and clarity. Issuing a bullish statement on Twitter, this leader called for a full investigation and declared, there can be no future for Assad in a stable Syria.

That leader, of course, was British prime minister Theresa May. While usually one would expect such a strong statement to come from the USthe traditional leader of the free worldit was the leader of the UK who set the tone on Tuesday.

PM: We condemn the use of chemical weapons in all circumstances. If proven, this will be further evidence of the Syrian regimes barbarism. pic.twitter.com/pzMFzsZ5wP  UK Prime Minister (@Number10gov) April 4, 2017

While Mays position sent a global message, US president Donald Trump was notable for his absence. Facing his biggest foreign policy crisis yet, he said nothing. Instead, in an addendum to a statement on cutting government regulations at home, Trumps spokesman Sean Spicer briefly condemned the attack and blamed it on former president Obamas weakness and irresolution on Syria.

The commentariats backlash was swift. And after several hours of criticism, the White House emailed out the same statement that Spicer had read initially, this time saying it had come from the president.

Trumps not entirely wrong to criticize Obamamany experts argue that the former presidents mishandling of Syria has left the incoming executive with far fewer options on how to deal with Assad. But the complaint might have carried more water had Trump developed any kind of clear policy of his own on the matter. (Or had he not repeatedly instructed Obama to forget Syria after Assads first chemical attack in 2013.)

Story continues

Obama must now start focusing on OUR COUNTRY, jobs, healthcare and all of our many problems. Forget Syria and make America great again!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2013

Instead, Trumps stated policy in the region amounts to little more than bluster and a handful of conflicting statements. Having spent the presidential campaign claiming he had a secret plan to defeat ISIL but refusing to share it, Trump ordered the Pentagon to come up with such a fool-proof strategy after he took office. When asked what that plan was on Tuesday, Spicer merely responded that Trump has made it clear in the past that he is not here to telegraph what were going to do.

With the administration unable or unwilling to share any details, the press and public has been left with a couple of brief statements from the two highest-ranking foreign policy officials in Trumps administration (Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner notwithstanding). On March 30, secretary of state Rex Tillerson implied that the US was no longer calling for regime change in Syria; instead, the Syrian people would decide Assads fate. Days later, UN ambassador Nikki Haley said our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad outonly to seemingly contradict herself hours later, reportedly saying that Assad is always a priority and the US wants him brought to justice.

Asked about the conflicting statements, Spicer said, there is not a fundamental option of regime change as there has been in the past.

Leading Republican foreign policy hawk, US senator John McCain, suggested that Trumps softening stance in the region and the chemical attack were linked: Im sure they took note of what our secretary of state said just the other day, he told CNN. Im sure they are encouraged to know the United States is withdrawing and seeking a new arrangement with the Russians. McCain is a fierce Trump critic but even White House allies like senator Tom Cotton broke with the president to continue calling for regime change.

Irrespective of what Trump ultimately decides is the right solution for the unending humanitarian catastrophe in Syria, one thing is certain: silence, confusion, and blaming Obama are not going to get him anywhere.

Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the worlds most important and interesting news.

More stories from Quartz:
From jeans cause earthquakes to Pokemon conspiracy, these fatwas are a must read

'No one would marry women who wear jeans to mandap', says Satyapal Singh

UP govt now bans jeans, t-shirts for college teachers

India

oi-Madhuri

After launching a crackdown against Romeos and illegal abattoirs, the Uttar Pradesh government now banned wearing of jeans and t-shirts for the all the teachers belonging to government colleges during working hours.

According to the circular issued by the directorate of higher education on March 30, states that all the faculty members and other university officials are requested to come on time in modest clothes and conduct their duties with responsibility. It further read that wearing jeans and t-shirts are prohibited while on duty.

Also, biometric systems will be installed in all the government colleges to mark attendance and ensure timely and transparent working.

Earlier, the chief minister has also banned chewing of paan masala and gutkha in government offices, schools and colleges and has directed removal of all paan shops from close vicinity.

OneIndia News
Waive off all agricultural loans: TN farmers vows to continue protest

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

New Delhi, April 5: A day after the Madras high court in Chennai came to the rescue of drought-hit farmers of Tamil Nadu, a group of protesting farmers from the state decided to continue with their agitation in Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Wednesday till all their demands are met.

[Also read: Madras HC instructs TN govt to waive off loans of drought-hit farmers]

In its order, the court directed the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government to waive off loans of all farmers in cooperative banks. Earlier, the Tamil Nadu government waived off loans of farmers who owned five-acre of land.

"Tamil Nadu farmers continue protest demanding drought relief fund at Jantar Mantar in Delhi," reported ANI on Wednesday.

While the 80-odd farmers, who are peacefully protesting at the national capital, have welcomed the Madras HC's latest order, however, they say this is a small victory. "Our loans from nationalised banks still remain. We will continue to fight and protest, until our demands are met," said South Indian Rivers Inter-Linking Farmers Association president P Ayyakannu, who is leading the protest.

"There are around 20 lakh farmers who had loans from such banks. 16 lakh had already benefitted under the scheme by the state government. The new order will benefit the other 4 lakh farmers too, who had also lost their crops in the drought," added Ayyakannu.

Since March 14, a group of 80-odd farmers from Tamil Nadu are protesting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi demanding financial relief as they have lost their crops and savings in the ongoing drought in the state. The peaceful agitation has brought a lot of attention as the farmers are protesting with skulls.

OneIndia News
What is the soil scam against Lalu Yadav's son about?

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Bharatiya Janata Party has been demanding the ouster of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's son Tej Pratap as forest and environment minister of Bihar over a soil scam worth Rs 90 lakh. It has been alleged that the minister violated norms and handed over a contract to a private company worth Rs 90 lakh for the construction of pathways and improvement of the Sanjay Gandhi Zoological Park in Patna.

The allegation is that a huge amount of soil was removed from a mall site and sold to the Patna Zoo. It is also alleged that this was in nexus and at the behest of Tej Pratap. According to the BJP, the shopping mall is being built on the land transferred to Delight Marketing Company Private limited in which Tej and his younger brother Tejaswi and sister Chanda are directors. Tejaswi is the the deputy chief minister of Bihar.

The RJD, has however denied the allegations and says that there must be some proof about the money being transferred. RJD leaders are now planning on filing a defamation case against BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi for accusing Lalu's family in the scam. The allegations are not backed by proof and hence the statements are defamatory in nature, the RJD has alleged.

OneIndia News
Iraq: 31 killed in suicide attack in Tikrit

International

pti-PTI

Baghdad, Apr 5: An attack by suicide bombers in the Iraqi city of Tikrit killed at least 31 people and wounded at least 42, army and police officers said on Wednesday.

A police lieutenant colonel said the attack began when three militants opened fire in central Tikrit yesterday night.

They later blew themselves up inside homes in the area. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State jihadist group carries out frequent suicide bombings targeting Iraqi civilians and security forces.

IS seized Tikrit during a lightning offensive that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in the summer of 2014, but Iraqi forces recaptured it the following year. Iraqi forces are now battling to retake west Mosul -- the country's last city in which the jihadists hold significant ground. But the jihadists still hold other areas in western Iraq and eastern Syria, and they will remain able to carry out deadly bombings even if all areas under their control are recaptured.

PTI
North Korea fires ballistic missile into Sea of Japan

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

North Korea has launched another intermediate range ballistic missile into the sea of Japan. Officials from the United States and South Korean officials said that the projectile was fired into the Sea of Japan also known as the East Sea.

The US says that it believes that this was a ballistic missile and it is one of the several North Korea has test-fired in recent months. The missile was fired just a day before Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit the US. The US has been telling China to advise North Korea to stop its nuclear programme and missile testing. The US has also indicated that it is prepared to act alone to stop North Korea.

The missile was launched from a site close to Sinpo at 6.42 am Seoul time. It flew around 60 kilometres, South Korean officials said. The Sinpo shipyard is used by North Korea for their submarine activity. In the past few years, the US satellites have observed increased activity in the area.

OneIndia News
Suicide bomber kills at least six persons near eastern Lahore

International

oi-PTI

Lahore, April 5 : A suicide bomber killed at least six persons, including four soldiers, and injured several others in Pakistan's eastern Lahore city when he blew himself up near an army vehicle on Wednesday.

The blast targeted a census team on Lahore's Bedian Road. The six killed included four army personnel, said Punjab government's spokesman Malik Ahmed Khan, adding that as many as 14 people were injured in the explosion, Geo TV reported.

TV footages and photographs from the scene of the attack showed two vans and a motorcycle damaged by the explosion. The details about the attacker -- whether he carried out the attack on foot or riding a motorcycle -- were not immediately available.

Rescue teams have reached the site and a security cordon has been put in place around the area. No terrorist organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, but Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said it appeared to be a terrorist attack, according to the report. Lahore had been on a security high alert for a while. On February 23, a blast in an upscale area in Lahore killed eight people and injured 30 people.

PTI
Solution to India-China issues lies in talks, not military, says Dalai Lama

Ties with India seriously damaged after Dalai Lama's visit: China

International

oi-Gulam Rabbani

Beijing: Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Thursday said that China-India bilateral ties badly damaged after the sub-continent invited Dalai Lama to the disputed India-China border state Arunachal Pradesh.

While speaking to the reporters, she said that China will lodge a diplomatic protest to India for ignoring the China's interests and willingly inviting the Tibetan spiritual leader to Arunachal Pradesh.

Hua alleged that it has dissatisfied the China government with their decision on leader's visit which may not benefit India.

China is ready to take necessary measures against India for allowing Dalai Lama in the disputed border state, she said but did not elaborate on the measures.

She added that India should not undermine China's interests and not make the India-China relations complicated by allowing the Tibetan leader.

Hua also said that Tibet bearing on China's core interests and India's deliberate arrangement for Dalai Lama's visit is a serious damage to ties between both the countries.

On the other hand, the noble peace laureate Lama said that he is the biggest guest in India and the country has never used him against China.

Defending Tibet, the leader said that the country is not looking for independence and willing to remain with the Republic of China.

He added that Tibet is highly developed in a spiritual way but backward in materialistic development. He said that it is Tibet's interest to remain with China on the materialistic development and China government should feel okay with it.

On Tuesday, India has asked the China government not to interfere in country's internal affairs and had added that there should not be any political motive behind Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

"India has always been non-interfering in the neighbours' internal affairs in our approach. In the same manner, we expect the same from our neighbours," said Union Minister Kiren Rijiju.

On Wednesday, the 81-year-old Dalai Lama reached the headquarters Bomdila in West Kameng district of the state for a nine-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

Earlier, China had warned against the visit of Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, April 5, 2017, 17:13 [IST]
Blacklisting Mahmood blocked by China: The man who raised funds under garb of religion in India

UN says it will take 4 to 5 decades to clear weapons in Iraq, Syria

International

pti-PTI

New York, April 5: The United Nations says it will take 40 to 50 years to clear the mines, improvised explosive devices and other unexploded ordnance from Iraq and Syria.

Agnes Marcaillou, director of the UN Mine Action Service, said "we are looking at decades of work for these countries to look like post-World War II Europe where we still find some unexploded ordnance here and there."

She told a news conference on Tuesday marking International Mine Awareness Day that her office is looking at a 'ballpark figure' of between USD 170 million to USD 180 million a year to clean up the areas retaken from the Islamic State extremist group in Iraq.

Marcaillou said that figure includes USD 50 million annually needed just to make safe Mosul, which is still partly held by Islamic State extremists.

PTI
US Court says civil rights bars discrimination against LGBT

International

pti-PTI

Chicago, April 5: A federal appeals court has ruled for the first time that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBT employees from workplace discrimination, setting up a likely battle before the Supreme Court as gay rights advocates push to broaden the scope of the 53-year-old law.

The 8-to-3 decision on Tuesday by the full 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago comes just three weeks after a three-judge panel in Atlanta ruled the opposite, saying employers aren't prohibited from discriminating against employees based on sexual orientation.

The 7th Circuit is considered relatively conservative and five of the eight judges in the majority were appointed by Republican presidents, making the finding all the more notable. The case stems from a lawsuit by Indiana teacher Kimberly Hively alleging that the Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend didn't hire her full time because she is a lesbian.

In an opinion concurring with the majority, Judge Richard Posner wrote that changing norms call for a change in interpretation of the Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin or sex. "I don't see why firing a lesbian because she is in the subset of women who are lesbian should be thought any less a form of sex discrimination than firing a woman because she's a woman," wrote the judge, who was appointed by Republican Ronald Reagan.

The decision comes as President Donald Trump's administration has begun setting its own policies on LGBT rights. Late in January, the White House declared Trump would enforce an Obama administration order barring companies that do federal work from workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual identity.

But in February, it revoked guidance on transgender students' use of public school bathrooms, deferring to states. Hively said after Tuesday's ruling that she agreed to bring the case because she felt she was being 'bullied'. She told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that the time has come "to stop punishing people for being gay, being lesbian, being transgender."

"This decision is game changer for lesbian and gay employees facing discrimination in the workplace and sends a clear message to employers: it is against the law to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation," said Greg Nevins, Employment Fairness Program Director for Lambda Legal, which brought the case on behalf of Hively.

The issue could very well land before the Supreme Court at some point. A GOP-majority House and Senate make it unlikely the Congress will amend the Civil Rights Act; Title VII is the section of the law dealing discrimination on the basis of sex.

PTI
 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd.

All rights reserved.

One News is a registered trademark

of One News Page Ltd.
by  Graham Pierrepoint



Australia is famously home to Kangaroos, Platypuses, Koalas, and numerous other iconic beasts  some considerably less cuddly than others  which are totally unique to the isolated island continent. Australia is just as well-known for its stunning and extreme topography as it is for being one of the most ecologically diverse territories on Earth. What is possibly even more interesting about this colorful and wild continent, however, is that its historical fauna also boasts variety rarely seen elsewhere on Earth  and its been revealed recently that it indeed was once home to more than twenty different species of dinosaur. We know this thanks to the recent efforts of researchers and palaeontologists who have been researching coastlines in Western Australia, revealing what is being touted as the worlds biggest dinosaur footprint!

James Price Point, a 15-mile stretch of coastline in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia, was originally named Walmadany by the indigenous Goolarabooloo people. This is the area where we can today find thousands of fantastically well-preserved ancient markings which feature heavily in the history of the people, and those of which have helped todays researchers track down evidence of dinosaur activity. These tracks are evidence of an unparalleled level of dinosaur habitation in one area - which were uncovered thanks to the Goolarabooloo having gotten in touch with experts to investigate Walmadany when it was earmarked for a gas plant.

Steve Salisbury, a palaeontologist at the University of Queensland, was especially excited about the discovery. The researcher advised sources such as the BBC that the footprints and trails, unearthed thanks to the intervention of the Goolarabooloo, provide a snapshot or census of an extremely diverse dinosaur fauna. We have never seen this level of diversity before, anywhere in the world, Salisbury advises. Its the Cretaceous equivalent of the Serengeti  and its written in stone. Salisbury was even keen to draw parallels with Steven Spielbergs 1993 epic Jurassic Park  such is the immense diversity of the dinosaur community which once lived on the Kimberley coastline!

While fans of the movies may sadly be a few centuries away from a real dinosaur park being resurrected, it is fascinating to think that so many different species dwelled in such a relatively small area  and that, at the same time, one of the biggest species may have stomped around there. While many of us are so focused on the future, many more are still looking to figure out our past  and long may it continue!
Polygraph.info 19 Feb 2021

Theres been no credible proof of false flag chemical attack in Syria, but the Assad regime is credibly accused of several..
A leading Democrat in the U.S. Senate came out in support of "packing" the U.S. Supreme Court and eliminating the Senate filibuster..

FOXNews.com 19 Sep 2020
ETCanada 09 Sep 2021

With the 30th anniversary of Cindy Crawfords iconic Pepsi ad right around the corner, the supermodel is recreating it for a..
Flooring and Carpets Market Growth with Worldwide Industry Analysis to 2025

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-369

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-369

www.futuremarketinsights.com

This research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market, contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, statistically-supported, industry-validated market data, carpets and floorings are a vital part of any household or commercial structure. In addition, carpets and flooring are increasingly gaining importance in other applications such as automobiles, aerospace and aviation. Carpets can be made from various materials such as wool, polymer staple fibers and bulk continuous fibers. In addition, rugs may also sometimes be classified under carpets. Resilient flooring, wood flooring, laminate flooring, rubber flooring and ceramic floor tiles are different types of flooring available in the global market.Recovery of the construction industry in developed regions such as North America and Europe is expected to be one of the main drivers for the growth of the market over the next few years. In addition, increasing construction activities in emerging economies such as China, Brazil and India is expected to fuel the demand for floorings in this region. Moreover, increased consumer expenditure on interiors of houses, hotels and offices is expected contribute significantly to the growth of the market. More and more automobile manufacturers are strategically using carpets and floorings in automobiles to enhance the vehicles appearance. However, price volatility of raw materials such as polymers, rubbers and ceramic are expected to hamper the growth of the market. Development of innovative designed light weight carpets and floorings is expected to open opportunities for the growth of the market in the near future.Request For Report Sample@Market for ceramic tiles was significantly large in Asia Pacific and South America while the market for carpets was substantial in North America and Europe. Rapid industrialization and favorable economic conditions in Asia Pacific is expected to drive the construction market, which in turn is expected to bolster the demand for flooring and carpets over the forecast period. Demand for flooring and carpets are expected to be significant in the Americas over the same time period.Visit For TOC@Some of the key participants of the market include Armstrong World Industries, Autoneum Holding, Beaulieu Group, Dixie Group, FRITZ EGGER, Hangzhou Nabel Group, Interface Incorporated, Mohawk Industries, Oriental Weavers, RPM International and Suminoe Textile among others. The market is highly fragmented in nature owing to the presence of several small, medium and large-scale manufacturers.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Polypropylene Market Revenue and Value Chain 2015-2025

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-449

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-449

www.futuremarketinsights.com

Polypropylene (PP) also known as polypropene, is one of the largest and single most consumed polymer resin in the world. It is a synthetic, high molecular weight thermoplastic polymer, which can be easily formed by catalytic polymerization of propylene. Due to its superior quality, its demand is increasing, especially in consumer disposable and automobile industry. This has resulted in countless opportunities for the global polypropylene market. Additionally, the trend of replacing metal with polypropylene is another factor contributing to the growth of the global polypropylene market.Polypropylene Market: Opportunities, Drivers & RestraintsPolypropylene, owing to its numerous properties, has emerged as one of the most versatile polymers and is widely used in applications, such as construction, geotextiles, medical, automobile, electrical and electronics industries. These widespread applications are expected to have a progressive impact on the global polypropylene market. Opportunities are emerging in the use of eco-friendly materials, as such, demand for bio-based polypropylene is on the rise. Volatile prices of polypropylene, largely dependent on crude oil are the restraining factors for global polypropylene market.Request For Report Sample@Polypropylene Market: SegmentationGlobal polypropylene market can be segmented on the basis of its end-user industry and geographic regions. Depending on the end-user industry, global polypropylene market can be segmented into automotive, electrical, consumer durable, construction, and packaging. Packaging segment accounts for largest share in global polypropylene market, followed by automotive and electrical segments.Polypropylene Market: Region-wise OutlookGlobal polypropylene market is anticipated to expand at a high single-digit CAGR from 2015 to 2025. Depending on the geographic regions, global polypropylene market is segmented into key regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to witness a decline in its share of global polypropylene market. On the other hand, China is one of the largest consumers of polypropylene in terms of production and consumption because of increasing disposable income and changing lifestyles. Adding to this, capacity additions in China and Middle East are expected to boost the market growth.Visit For TOC@Polypropylene Market: Key PlayersSome of the key participants in global polypropylene market are SABIC, Reliance Industries Ltd, PetroChina Company Limited, Sinopec Ltd, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Borealis AG, Formosa Plastics Corporation, and Japan Polypropylene Corporation.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Southwestern Community College Holds Ribbon Cutting for Health Sciences Simulation Lab featuring TekTone

On Tuesday, March 28th, 2017, Southwestern Community College (SCC) in Sylva, North Carolina held a ribbon cutting ceremony for their new state-of-the-art health sciences simulation lab. The lab features the latest simulation technology to be used by students, including simulated dummies for real-life applications such as childbirth and blood samples. The lab includes everything needed to provide a hands-on experience for students enrolled in health science programs, including communication and coordination between different medical occupations.Dr. Mitch Fischer, SCCs Dean of Health Science is incredibly excited about this opportunity. Through the generous donations of funds and equipment by TekTone and others, SCC has realized the dream of having a state of the art simulation lab, he said. This lab will serve as a primary training facility in which students from many disciplines will have the benefit of working with situations common in their fields. This will allow students to become familiar with procedures and situations prior to seeing them on live patients.TekTone is honored to be participating in the development of the new simulation lab through the addition of the Tek-CARE400P5 nurse call system. We take pride in our local education programs and are excited to be contributing to the ongoing education of many generations of students. Communication is an integral part of any healthcare facility, and SCC is working to build that foundation in their students.With their master campus located in Sylva, North Carolina, SCC is consistently ranked among the best institutions of its kind in the United States. The accredited nursing program especially is held in high regard within the western Carolina region and also throughout the country.For over 40 years, TekTone has designed and manufactured UL Listed Tek-CARE nurse call, wireless nurse/emergency call, wander management, Tek-SAFE area of rescue assistance systems, and Tek-ALERT integration systems. TekTone products are designed and built in our FDA-registered, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility located in North Carolina - plus a network of distributors and representatives that stretches worldwide.TekTone Sound & Signal Mfg., Inc.324 Industrial Park RoadFranklin, NC, USA 28734
Neuroendovascular Coil 2017 Global Market Research Report Analysis and Forecast to 2022

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1146777-global-neuroendovascular-coil-market-research-report-2017

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/1146777-global-neuroendovascular-coil-market-research-report-2017

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=1146777

https://www.linkedin.com/company/wise-guy-research-consultants-pvt-ltd-?trk=biz-companies-cym

Neuroendovascular Coil Market 2017Wiseguyreports.Com Adds Neuroendovascular Coil Market -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities, Manufacturers, Analysis of Top Key Players and Forecast to 2022 To Its Research Database.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Neuroendovascular Coil in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaRequest for Sample report @Global Neuroendovascular Coil market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingStrykerCodman (DePuy)MicroVentionCovidien (Medtronic)Penumbra...On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoBare Metal CoilHydrogel Coated CoilOtherOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Neuroendovascular Coil for each application, includingAneurysm-EmbolizationMalformation-EmbolizationIschemic stroke-RevascularizationStenosis-RevascularizationOtherIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.To get complete report visit@Key Points in Table of Content:Global Neuroendovascular Coil Market Research Report 20171 Neuroendovascular Coil Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Neuroendovascular Coil1.2 Neuroendovascular Coil Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category) (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Bare Metal Coil1.2.4 Hydrogel Coated Coil1.2.5 Other1.2.4 Type II1.2.4 Type II1.3 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Segment by Application1.3.1 Neuroendovascular Coil Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Aneurysm-Embolization1.3.3 Malformation-Embolization1.3.4 Ischemic stroke-Revascularization1.3.5 Stenosis-Revascularization1.3.6 Other1.4 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Neuroendovascular Coil (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Neuroendovascular Coil Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Neuroendovascular Coil Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Neuroendovascular Coil Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Neuroendovascular Coil Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Neuroendovascular Coil Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Neuroendovascular Coil Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Neuroendovascular Coil Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Neuroendovascular Coil Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 Southeast Asia Neuroendovascular Coil Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Neuroendovascular Coil Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 North America Neuroendovascular Coil Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Neuroendovascular Coil Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Neuroendovascular Coil Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Neuroendovascular Coil Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Neuroendovascular Coil Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Neuroendovascular Coil Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Neuroendovascular Coil Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)Continued...Buy this report @Contact Us:NORAH TRENTSales@Wiseguyreports.ComPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Follow on LinkedIn @ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.ADDRES:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Detailed examination of the Food Inclusions Market Analysis - opportunities and forecasts, 2016 - 2021

Food Inclusions Market Analysis 2021

http://www.marketintelreports.com/report/fbr%200033/food-inclusions-market-analysis-by-application-beverages-confectionery-bakery-snacks-dairy-frozen-foods-by-form-solid--semisolid-liquids-by-flavor-fruit-savory-dairy-chocolate--caramel-by-geography-north-america-europe-apac-and-row--forecast-20162021

http://www.marketintelreports.com/pdfdownload.php?id=fbr%200033

http://www.marketintelreports.com/purchase.php?id=fbr%200033

www.marketintelreports.com

Food inclusions are solid and liquid substances that are encapsulated in the food products in order to enhance the taste, texture and color. Food inclusions are of different flavors such as fruit flavors, savory, dairy flavors, chocolate & caramel and others. The use of particular flavored inclusion depends on the type of application and desired taste profile of the product. Increasing choices of consumer taste has been major challenge in the food industry. Inclusions are used in various applications such as beverages, bakery & confectionery, snacks, dairy & frozen foods and others. The major application for this market is snacks as huge varieties of inclusions are used in varied product lines.Check Complete Report @Consumer preferences related to food consumption has been witnessing a remarkable shift with increased demand for novel products which encompass exotic flavors. Furthermore, the need for enhanced visual profile of the products is driving the market for innovative color inclusions. These factors have been impacting the product choices, buying and consumption patterns and ultimately the dynamics of the food inclusions market. Cargill Inc. (U.S.), Barry Callebaut (Switzerland), ADM Company (U.S.) are the major manufactures of food inclusion products. The report analyzes the food inclusions related products in various applications and covers the market demand for respective regions.Get Sample Brochure of the Report @The report has forecast values for food inclusions market on the basis of major regions such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. North America leads the market and is estimated to grow substantially. The prime reason for the dominance of North America is high penetration level of packaged food and considerable demand for specialty foods. Further, the report includes analysis on patents and competitive landscape. The report also highlights the drivers and restrains for the market with detailed analysis of trends, opportunities and challenges.Order a copy of Food Inclusions Market Analysis Report now @About us:MarketIntelReports (MIR) aim to empower our clients to successfully manage and outperform in their business decisions, we do this by providing Premium Market Intelligence, Strategic Insights and Databases from a range of Global Publishers.A group of industry veterans who are well experienced in reputed international consulting firms after identifying the sourcing needs of MNCs for market intelligence, have together started this business savior MarketIntelReports.MIR intends to be a one-stop shop with an intuitive design, exhaustive database, expert assistance, secure cart checkout and data privacy integrated. It curates the list of reports, publishers and studies to ensure that the database is constantly updated to dynamically meet the targeted, specific needs of our clients.MarketIntelReports currently has more than 10,000 plus titles and 35+ publishers on our platform and growing consistently to fill the Global Intelligence Demand  Supply Gap. We cover more than 15 industry verticals being: Automotive, Electronics, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Chemicals, Building & Construction, Agriculture, Food & Beverages, Banking & Finance, Media and Government, Public Sector Studies.Contact us:Mayur SSales Manager2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400,Wilmington,Delaware,19808United Statespr@marketintelreports.comTelephone: 1-302-261-5343
Advanced Wound Care Management Market : Growth And Competitive Dynamics With Market Share Analysis, Trends And Forecast

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/advanced-wound-care-management-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=16139

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

Advanced Wound Care Management Market: OverviewThe market for wound care is growing phenomenally, due to growing advancement is treating complex wounds. Advanced wound care market is anticipated to grow in forecasted period, as the products has been a promising solution for faster recovery and wound healing. These products offer superior solution than traditional products by offering desired outcome and effectiveness in healing wounds. The increasing incidences of chronic wound has aggravated the need for the products that offers faster and efficient wound healing. Thus, majority of hospitals have shifted their preferences towards the advanced wound care products. It helps to decrease the average length of stay in hospitals through early recovery from wounds. This assists to decrease the length of hospital stay in order to reduce surgical costs. Thus the rising need and demand for advanced products that increases therapeutic outcome drives the advanced wound care market.Obtain Report Details @Advanced Wound Care Management Market: Scope of the ReportThe report is a combination of primary and secondary research. Primary research formed the bulk of our research efforts, with information collected from telephonic interviews and interactions via e-mail. Secondary research involved study of company websites, annual reports, press releases, stock analysis presentations, and various national and international databases. The report provides market size in terms of US$ Mn for each segment for the period from 2014 to 2024, considering the macro and micro-environmental factors. Growth rates for each segment within the global advanced wound care market have been determined after a thorough analysis of past trends, demographics, future trends, technological developments, vaccination expenditure, and regulatory requirements.The market overview section of the report includes qualitative analysis of the overall advanced wound care market including the determining factors and market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities, along with white space analysis. In addition, market attractiveness analysis by geography, technique, product type, type of wounds, end-user, and competitive landscape by key players have been provided which explain the intensity of competition in the market considering different geographies. The competitive scenario between market players has been evaluated through market share analysis. These factors would help the market players take strategic decisions in order to strengthen their positions and increase their shares in the global market.Advanced Wound Care Management Market: Growth and Competitive DynamicsThe driving factors for advanced wound care market are mainly increasing demand for faster recovery, decrease in healthcare cost by decreasing average length of stay in hospital, rising population falling for trauma, etc. Advanced wound care market is anticipated to grow in forecasted period, as the products has been a promising solution for faster recovery and wound healing. These products offer superior solution than traditional products by offering desired outcome and effectiveness in healing wounds. The increasing incidences of chronic wound has aggravated the need for the products that offers faster and efficient wound healing. Thus, majority of hospitals have shifted their preferences towards the advanced wound care products. It helps to decrease the average length of stay in hospitals through early recovery from wounds. This assists to decrease the length of hospital stay in order to reduce surgical costs. Thus the rising need and demand for advanced products that increases therapeutic outcome drives the advanced wound care market.Geographically, the global advanced wound care market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The applications of advanced wound care are rapidly growing in North America due to increasing direct and indirect investments by the U.S. Government and private companies in wound care. Increasing investments and penetration by key market players in Asia Pacific are likely to drive the advance wound care market during the forecast period.Fill The Form To Gain Deeper Insights On This Market @Major players in the advanced wound care management market are 3M, Acelity L.P. Inc., B. Braun Melsungen AG, BSN medical GmbH, Coloplast A/S, ConvaTec Inc., Medline Industries, Inc., Medtronic, Molnlycke Health Care, Organogenesis, Inc., and Smith & Nephew plc.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Crystalline Solar Collectors Market Global Industry Analysis Forecast 2016 - 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/crystalline-solar-collectors-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=22286

Increasing demands for clean energy is a major reason for the globally growing utilization of solar energy. Innovations in the development of the photovoltaic (PV) cells played a major role in capturing solar energy efficiently. PV cells can be combined in collector panels which convert solar energy into electrical energy through the photoelectric effect. Commercially crystalline silica and its oxides are used to manufacture PV cells. Silicon is abundantly present all around the world and is an environmentally safe element, and thereby the ideal choice. Crystalline solar PV collectors are mostly used in the industrial and residential sectors. Numerous innovations are also in progress to improve the efficiency of PV cells made from crystalline silicon so as to tap solar energy efficiently. Monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, and amorphous silicon are major types of silicon presently used. Other materials which can be employed for this purpose are cadmium telluride and copper indium gallium selenide/sulfide.Browse Market Research Report @ :A majority of the worlds PV solar collectors are based on different variations of silicon used in PV cell manufacturing technologies which distinguished them as monocrystalline and polycrystalline PV cells. These solar cells are made out of cylindrical silicon ingots which are further modified to make silicon wafers. Monocrystalline PV cells are made from an extremely pure form of silica which exhibits prominent solar conversion efficiency. Polycrystalline silicon solar cells are manufactured from less pure silicon and are therefore less efficient. Multiple types of solar collectors have been developed recently to improve the efficiency of solar energy collection such as thin-film solar cells, amorphous silicon (a-Si) collectors, cadmium telluride cells, copper indium gallium selenide-based collectors, and organic photovoltaic collectors. The main advantages of thin film PV collectors are their relatively low consumption of raw materials, high efficiency, reduction in sensitivity on overheating, improved integration & appearance, and excellent performance at high ambient temperatures. Their current drawbacks are their limited solar conversion efficiency and the industrys inadequate experience with lifetime performance.A few recently developed solar collection technologies include solar thermoelectricity systems, dye sensitized solar cells and concentrated photovoltaic collector systems which may hold a significant share in the solar energy market if they become competitive enough to be commercialized.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @ :The annual global production of solar energy is estimated to reach over 500GW by the end of 2020 (from 40 GW in 2013) which indicates that the global crystalline solar collector market is expanding rapidly displays excellent potential. China and Germany are the leading countries in terms of solar PV collectors and account for an installed capacity of more than 37 GW. The market is burgeoning in South East Asia due to growing energy demands and strict global environmental norms. Decreasing costs of PV cells, uncertainties in the global oil & gas industry, and advanced technological innovation are helping make solar panels smaller, cheaper and more customer friendly thereby attracting several countries to adopt them in their energy replenishment programs.Major restraints for the crystalline solar PV collector market are the reduced solar conversion efficiency of the existing PV cells and use of modern crystalline materials which are expensive and toxic for the environment. Efforts are being taken to increase their efficiency of solar collectors through new technological breakthroughs such as nano-crystalline solar cells, thin-film processing, metamorphic multijunction solar cells, and polymer processing to propel the PV solar collector industry. Key global players in market include Wuxi Sutech Power Co., Ltd., First Solar Inc., Juwi Solar, Inc., Yingli Solar, Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group, BP Solar, and Canadian Solar Inc. Major Indian manufacturers are SunFuel, SSL Ltd, and Emmvee Photovoltaic. PV is projected to produce about 10% of worlds electricity by 2030. The Markets future prospects appears to be promising and it is poised to be a major contributor in energy replenishment of the world in the near future.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207
Avocado Market Share, Trend, Production, Demand and Key Manufacturers Analysis and Forecast to 2022

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/global-avocado-market-research-report-2017

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001637214/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/buy&RW0001637214/buy/2900

ReportsWeb.com added Global Avocado Market Research Report 2017 to its vast collection of research Database. The report is spread across 107 pages and supported by 14 company leaders.The Global Avocado Market Research Report 2017 is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Avocado industry. In a word, This report studies Avocado in Global market, especially in North America, South America, Europe, China and Japan, focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with capacity, production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer. Key companies included in this research are Mexico, Dominica, Colombia, Peru, Indonesia, Kenya, United States, Chile, Brazil, Rwanda, Venezuela, China, Guatemala and Israel.Browse complete report @Market Segment by Region, this report splits Global into several key Region, with sales, revenue, market share and growth rate of Avocado in these regions, from 2011 to 2022 (forecast), like United States, North America, South America, Europe, China and Japan. Firstly, Avocado Market Split by product type, with production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided into Hass and Other. Split by application, this report focuses on consumption, market share and growth rate of Avocado in each application, can be divided into Food, Cosmetics, Medical and Others.Request for Sample @Major points from Table of Contents:1 Avocado Market Overview2 Global Avocado Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Avocado Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2011-2017)4 Global Avocado Supply (Production) , Consumption, Export, Import byRegions (2011-2017)5 Global Avocado Production, Revenue (Value) , Price Trend by Type6 Global Avocado Market Analysis by Application7 Global Avocado Manufacturers Countries Profiles/Analysis 427.1 Mexico 427.1.1 Mexico Profile 427.1.2 Product Information 437.1.3 2011-2016 Mexico Avocado Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis 437.2 Dominican 447.2.1 Dominican Profile 447.2.2 Product Information 457.2.3 2011-2016 Dominican Avocado Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis 457.3 Colombia 467.3.1 Colombia Profile 467.3.2 Product Information 477.3.3 2011-2016 Colombia Avocado Sales, Sales Revenue, Sales Price, Gross Margin Analysis 478 Avocado Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Avocado Market Forecast (2017-2022)13 Research Findings and ConclusionList of Tables and FiguresTable Global Avocado Production of Key Countries (2015 and 2016) 16Table Global Avocado Production Share by Countries (2015 and 2016) 16Figure 2015 Avocado Production Share by Countries 17Figure 2016 Avocado Production Share by Countries 18Table Global Avocado Revenue (M USD) by Countries (2015 and 2016) 18Table Global Avocado Revenue Share by Countries (2015 and 2016) 19Table 2015 Global Avocado Revenue Share by Countries 20Table 2016 Global Avocado Revenue Share by Countries 21Table Global Market Avocado Average Price of Key Countries (2015 and 2016) 21Figure Global Market Avocado Average Price of Key Countries in 2015 22Figure 2016 Avocado Production Share by Countries 23Figure Avocado Market Share of Top 3 Countries 24Figure Avocado Market Share of Top 5 Countries 24Table Global Avocado Production by Regions (2011-2016) 26Figure Global Avocado Production and Market Share by Regions (2011-2016) 26Figure Global Avocado Production Market Share by Regions (2011-2016) 27Figure 2015 Global Avocado Production Market Share by Regions 27Table Global Avocado Revenue by Regions (2011-2016) 28Table Global Avocado Revenue Market Share by Regions (2011-2016) 28Table 2015 Global Avocado Revenue Market Share by Regions 29Place a Direct Purchase Order of Complete Report @Contact Info:Name: Sameer JoshiEmail: sales@reportsweb.comOrganization: ReportsWebPhone: +1-646-491-9876ReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
4D Printing Market - LatestGen Frontier for Printing Technology, Trends Analysis 2024

4D Printing Market

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/4d-printing-market.html

https://goo.gl/FfbT5P

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

http://globalresearchmarket.blogspot.in/

4D printing is a state-of-the-art material printing technology where an object is printed in 3D using programmable matter. The use of programmable matter or material enables the object to change its shape after it is printed. The object can be transformed into other shapes through internal or external stimulus. The stimuli maybe immersion in water, fluctuation in temperature, UV light, pressure, electric current, or other forms of energy. 4D printing technology is paving the way for the development of smart shape-shifting materials. These materials can be used in various applications.4D printing is expected to revolutionize almost every industry across the globe, as programmable materials can be transformed into a wide range of objects. 4D printing is still a niche market; commercialism of the market has not yet started. Research in 4D printing technology is being carried out at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (the U.S.), where the innovative idea first came into being. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology s Self-Assembly Lab, Stratasys Education, AutoDesk Inc., are some of the institutes that have come together to carry out research in 4D printing.Obtain Report Details @Based on the type of material, the global 4D printing market can be segmented into programmable carbon fiber, programmable wood grains, and programmable fabric. Upon commercialism, the programmable carbon fiber segment is anticipated to account for the prominent market share during the forecast period owing to the rising demand for programmable carbon fiber in various industries. Programmable wood grains and programmable fabric are also expected to expand at a significant pace during the forecast period. Based on end-use industry, the global 4D printing market can be segmented into aerospace, military and defense, automotive, clothing, construction, healthcare, and utility.The military and defense segment is expected to lead the global market for 4D printing during the forecast period. The segment is estimated to be followed by the aerospace and automobile segments during the forecast period. Rise in demand for the cutting-edge material technology and efficient resources around the globe are the major factors driving the market. High cost of printing technologies and programmable materials is the key restraint of the 4D printing market.Make an Enquiry @In terms of region, the global 4D printing market can be divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. North America is projected to account for the dominant share of the global 4D printing market during the forecast period, led by the initialization of the 4D technological concept in the U.S. and growth in technological trends in the region. The region is likely to be followed by the Asia Pacific and Europe. There has been an increase in technological reforms in Asia Pacific since the last few years. This provides significant opportunities for any advancement, especially in the material management segment. High initial costs is expected to be the only hindrance to the growth of the 4D printing market in Asia Pacific. This factor is anticipated to be overcome by the vast consumer base in the region.Key players operating in the global 4D printing market are Self-Assembly Lab: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stratasys Ltd., AutoDesk Inc., 3D Systems Inc., Hewlett Packard Company, Materialise NV, ExOne Corporation, and Organovo Holdings Inc. ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science. MITs Self-Assembly Lab, Stratasys Education, and AutoDesk Inc. are the pioneers in the advanced 4D printing technology.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insights for decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, TMR employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog:
Global Industry Analysis DER (Distributed Energy Resources) Management Technologies Market Forecast 2016 - 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/der-management-technologies-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=22289

Distributed energy resources (DER) are electricity generation units (typically in the range of 3 kW to 50 MW) located within an electricity distribution system at or near the end user. These units are parallel to the electric utility or stand-alone units. DER have been in use for several years and are known by different names such as generators, back-up generators, or on-site power systems. Terms that are used within the electricity industry include distributed generation (DG), distributed power (DP), and DER. Distributed generation is a technology that produces power outside of the utility grid (e.g. fuel cells, micro-turbines, and photovoltaics). Distributed power is a technology that produces or stores power (e.g. batteries and flywheels) and Distributed energy resources (DER) is a technology that is included in DG and DP. Under DER, power can be sold back to the grid where permitted by regulation.Obtain Report Details @ :DER Management Technologies Market: Dynamics and TrendsSmart grid, micro-grid, and storage deployments are advancing the scope and reach of distributed energy resources management technologies. Distributed energy resources (DER) are growing globally and network operators are facing the challenge of integrating technologies of low-carbon energy and operating a more flexible system. Smart grid solutions is an innovative technology in DER integration and control products. This provides optimum and efficient energy management services for power utilities as well as for DER operators. Distributed energy resources can be integrated to provide power required to meet the regular demand. As electricity grids continue to modernize, DER management technologies such as storage and advanced renewable technologies can help facilitate the transition to smart grid. In order to deploy DER in an efficient, widespread, and cost-effective manner; complex integration with the existing electricity grid is required. DER is considered as the next-age electricity infrastructure with integration and smooth transition of the electricity generation industry. Grid edge technologies for DER integration are being deployed by utilities. This solution would help utilities deal with ageing grid infrastructure or outages during storms. In the recent years, residential and commercial customers are taking advantage of decreasing cost of the technology as well as favorable government policies to adopt DER including solar photovoltaic (rooftop solar) batteries, wind turbines, diesel generators, energy management systems, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems. Due to integration of DER management technologies into distribution grids, strong communication channels to send commands on customers choices have developed.DER Management Technologies Market: SegmentationThe DER management technologies market can be segmented by DER management (DER analytics, DER management systems, and virtual power plant systems); by technology (micro-turbines, combustion turbines, IC engines, sterling engines, fuel cells, energy storage/UPS systems, and others); by application (hospitals, industrial plants, computer data centers, and others); and by region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa).For more information on this report, fill the form @ :DER Management Technologies Market: Region-wise OutlookProgressive utilities, in the U.S. in particular, are expected to drive the market for DER management technologies during the forecast period. Asia Pacific and Europe are expected to witness growth of the market in the near future. Latin America and Middle East & Africa are likely to maintain limited deployments of DER management technologies in the next few years.DER Management Technologies Market: Key PlayersKey players operating in the global DER management technologies market are ABB, AutoGrid, Comverge, Doosan, GridTech, ENBALA Power Networks, GE, OATI, Schneider Electric, and Siemens.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207
Health Insurance Market : Trends, Opportunities & Market Projections For The Coming Years

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/health-insurance-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=5312

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

Health Insurance Market: OverviewThe improving GDPs of several nations across the globe has favored the growth of the global health insurance market in recent years. Health insurance companies have been benefitting from the rising per capita incomes, the emergence of the middle class, and growing number of people with a relatively high income.The research report by Transparency Market Research has also studied using a SWOT analysis and a Porters five forces. The research report includes an explanation of the various factors determining the trajectory of the global health insurance market in the coming few years. Analysts have also factored in opinions of various market experts and leaders to give the readers a fair understanding of the overall market. Additionally, the document includes recommendations for the new entrants and existing players to improve their businesses with the wealth of valuable knowledge about the market.Obtain Report Details @Health Insurance Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe efforts invested by several companies to make their product offerings as transparent as possible has fared well over the past few years. This move has made it easier for buyers to compare and understand the terms of insurance and the products being sold to them. Additionally, the integration of solutions through data analytics, cloud computing, and other modeling techniques is also projected to encourage the growth of the global market in the near future.Despite the positive outlook of the global health insurance market, it faces some tough challenges such as intense competition and tough profit margins. The undulating economic conditions have also led a considerable about of uncertainty in the global market.Health Insurance Market: Region-wise OutlookThe U.S. is the leading health insurance market in the global market due to its unmatched healthcare system in the world. The growth of the market is predominantly being aided by the strong presence of leading players such as Anthem Inc., Aetna Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc., Humana Inc., and Cigna Corp. These players occupy a share of about 80% in the private and public sector of insurance in the U.S. The companies are exploring opportunities of digitizing access to insurance schemes and communication about the same with their consumers to reach out to a wider audience. Options such as providing distributors and consumers with self-service features are also likely to open up a plethora of opportunities for the global market. Furthermore, marketing the products in an easily comprehensible manner is also expected to be the strategy of leading players in the coming years. The only threat for the new entrants is the high level of competition in the U.S. health insurance market.Asia Pacific is expected to a lucrative market as the region has shown a remarkable progress in its GDP. Furthermore, the improving disposable incomes and the enhancement of health security standards are also expected to boost this market in the region in the near future. The growing middle class and an increasing number of high net worth individuals in Asia Pacific are also expected to give the health insurance market the much-needed impetus.Fill The Form To Gain Deeper Insights On This Market @Key Players Mentioned in the ReportSome of the leading players operating in the global health insurance market are Cigna Corporation, AIA Insurance Group, UnitedHealth Group Inc.,Allianz SE, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd., Express Scripts Holding Company, AXA, Aviva plc, Aetna, Inc., Apollo Munich Health Insurance, and International Medical Group.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Therapeutic Respiratory Devices Market : Growth And Competitive Dynamics With Market Share Analysis, Trends And Forecast

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/therapeutic-respiratory-devices-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=5660

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

Therapeutic respiratory devices (TRDs) are meant for therapeutic usage to improve pulmonary function, boost lung oxygenation and aid mucus removal from bronchi during respiratory therapy. TRDs can be of various types such as positive expiratory pressure (PEP) TRDs, oral high frequency oscillation (OHFO) TRDs, intra-pulmonary percussive ventilation (IPV), incentive spirometry (IS) TRDs, high-frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO) TRDs, oxygen concentrators (OCs) and others. Other TRDs may include ventilators,nebulizers, inhalers, flutters, acapella, and cornets. In addition, there are several pediatric TRDs which are specifically utilized in facilitating and regulating respiration among infants during post natal care, especially in the case of premature or small for date babies, post-partum complications, etc.Obtain Report Details @The demand for TRDs is on the rise due to high prevalence of respiratory diseases like asthma and chronic obtrusive pulmonary diseases (COPD). Moreover, these devices are expected to witness high growthdue to a number of factors such as high rate of cigarette smoking, high pollution levels and heightened vulnerability to air borne infections, and accidents causing chest and nasal injuries which lead to respiratory complications. Currently, the market for home based light-weight, potable and rechargeable battery operated TRDs is expected to grow at arapid pace as therapies. Certainly, these features will aid in the development of modern devices that will be preferred over conventional devices that required specialists and large number of hospital visits. The new and advanced TRDs will be highly valued in the therapeutic respiratory devices market as these TRDs are being increasingly utilized during post-operative patient care.TRDs can be classified on the basis of their technique and the therapeutic needs. The PEP TRDs allow air pressure to enter peripheral airways and reach behind secretions via collateral channels, by pushing them towards larger airways where secretions can be expelled in order to prevent alveoli collapse. OHFO TRDs are based on the technique of high frequency jet ventilation that supplement breathing where intubation should be avoided among conscious patientswho have acute or chronic respiratory failure. IPV TRDs are applied through a mouthpiece providing a combination of internal thoracic percussion with aerosol inhalation. IS TRDs use a spirometer to either increase or maintain inhaled lung volume and sputum exploration to prevent lung infections post-surgeries.HFCWO TRDs are mechanical devices such as ThAIRapy bronchial drainage system, Hayek oscillator where positive pressure air pulses are applied via inflatable vest to the chest wall. Oxygen concentrators deliver therapeutic oxygen in home, hospital, and clinical settings though equipment like face mask, nasal cannula, oxygen regulator &trans-tracheal devices.Other major TRDs include nebulizers & inhalers which clear airway passages, flutterswork on the principle of exhalation where flutter valves make high frequency steel ball bearing oscillations that result in mucus expectoration. Acapella is a handheld TRD which is used for airway clearance, it also operates on the same principle. Similarly, cornet is another TRD which can be used in any position and is majorlyutilized in European nations and not in U.S.Geographically, PEP TRDs were first introduced in the U.S to substitute conventional TRDsand currently PEP TRDs comprise the largest market share among different forms of TRDsall over the world. However, there is a steady demand for other TRDs such as ventilators, and oxygen concentrators that are in continual use in critical care globally.Fill The Form To Gain Deeper Insights On This Market @Some of the key players operating in the TRDs market include CareFusion Corporation,Covidien plc (Medtronic plc), Dragerwerk AG, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, GE Healthcare, Inogen, MAQUET Holding B.V. & Co. KG (Getinge Group), Nihon Kohden Corporation. Philips Respironics, Siemens Healthcare,Smiths Medical, andTeleflex Incorporated.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Laser Plastic Welding Market Analysis, Segments, Growth and Value Chain 2016-2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=15332

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/laser-plastic-welding-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Global Industrial sector has shown a number of technological advancement from last couple of decades. As a result, the welding marketplace is undergoing huge changes with specialized focus on offering innovative welding tools/products to various industries. The introduction of laser plastic welding over traditional transmission laser welding has provided the manufacturers a wide range of technological advantage. Through laser plastic welding, now manufacturers can develop high quality of weld joints with simplest joint design at a low price. Laser plastic welding technology uses high-power solid state diode, which provides beam delivery system for a welding equipment. The cost competitiveness coupled with superior weld quality offered by diodes lasers is expected to encourage a significant growth in the laser plastic welding market over the forecast period.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @Laser Plastic Welding Market - Market Dynamics:One of the significant factors contributing towards the growth of the laser plastic welding market is the rampant growth in automotive and electronics sector around the world. Moreover, laser welding is considered as a modern Industrial welding solution for a manufacturing unit and is expected to grow along with the growth of plastic industry. The complexity related to product design along with the increasing demand of plastic based materials has encouraged vendors to introduce new and advance form of welding technology. Today most of the plastic manufacturing companies are preferring laser plastic welding technology over traditional welding. This has boosted the demand of laser plastic welding in global market and is anticipated to show a positive growth of laser plastic welding market.However, the High initial capital requirement to set up the technology is a major concern for small and local manufacturing units. Furthermore, the complexity along with the challenges relating to fiber material may restrain the growth of laser plastic welding market over the forecast period.Obtain Report Details @Laser Plastic Welding Market- Market Segmentation:Global laser plastic welding market is segmented on the basis of welding types, technology and end use. On the basis of welding type, Laser Plastic Welding market can be segmented into CO2 laser welding and transmission laser welding. Transmission laser welding is being preferred by the manufacturer over CO2 laser welding due to its ability of transmitting laser beam over silica optical fiber. On the basis of technology, laser plastic welding market can be segmented into contour welding, simultaneous welding, quasi-simultaneous welding and mask welding. Contour welding accounts for the largest share of the overall market of Laser Plastic Welding. On the basis of end use, Laser Plastic Welding market can be segmented into automobile, medical, electronics, textiles and others. Automobile followed by electronics are expected to maintain the highest market share in laser plastic welding market over the forecast period.Laser Plastic Welding Market - Regional Outlook:Geographically, the global laser plastic welding market is segmented into North Americas laser plastic welding market, Latin Americas laser plastic welding market, Europes laser plastic welding market, Asia-Pacifics laser plastic welding market and the Middle East & Africas laser plastic welding market. The global laser plastic welding market is expected to witness a significant CAGR over the forecast period of 2016-2024. Moreover, North America dominates the global laser plastic welding market and the trend is expected follow the same over the forecast period due to the ability of early adoption of advanced technology by the manufacturing sector. Asia-Pacific for its extensive evolution of the industrial sector in countries such as India & China is anticipated to follow North America. Rest of the world is expected to show a steady growth during the forecast period.Laser Plastic Welding Market - Major Players:Some of the major players identified across the globe in the laser plastic welding market are leister, LPKF, DUKANE, Trumph, Emerson, clearweld, Laser Micronics GmbH and Thomasnet.About TMRTMR is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
ERP Applications Industry Forecasts - China Focus

https://goo.gl/0Q3Xpn

http://www.bigmarketresearch.com/erp-applications-industry-forecasts-china-focus-market

http://www.bigmarketresearch.com

This study focuses on Chinas ERP Applications industry forecasts. In the two past decades, the industry has been growing at a fast pace. The dramatic expansions of the manufacturing capabilities and rising consumer consumptions in China have transformed Chinas society and economy. China is one of the worlds major producers for industrial and consumer products. Far outpacing other economies in the world, China is the worlds fastest growing market for the consumptions of goods and services.Inquire here @The Chinese economy maintains a high speed growth which has been stimulated by the consecutive increases of industrial output, imports & exports, consumer consumption and capital investment for over two decades. Rapid consolidation between medium and large players is anticipated since the Chinese government has been encouraging industry consolidation with an effort to regulate the industry and to improve competitiveness in the world market.Although China has enjoyed the benefits of an expanding market for production and distribution, the industry is suffering from minimal innovation and investment in R&D and new product development. The sectors economies of scale have yet to be achieved. Most domestic manufacturers lack the autonomic intellectual property and financial resources to develop their own brand name products.This new study focuses on industry trends and forecasts with historical data (2006, 2011 and 2016) and long-term forecasts through 2021 and 2026 are presented.The primary and secondary research is done in China in order to access up-to-date government regulations, market information and industry data. Data were collected from the Chinese government publications, Chinese language newspapers and magazines, industry associations, local governments industry bureaus, industry publications, and our in-house databases.Asia Market Info & Dev Co. is one of the leading sources for up-to-date market information and research on the fastest-growing Chinese markets. We have published over 1,500 reports focusing on the Chinese markets, industry forecasts and company profiles. We provide hard-to-find market data and analyses. Our publications are intended to help international marketers identify business opportunities and promote their product sales in the Chinese markets.Get Discount on ERP Applications Industry Forecasts - China FocusContact us:5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesDirect : + 1-503-894-6022Toll Free : + 1-800-910-6452Email: help@bigmarketresearch.comWeb:Our strength is in our research analysts who with their proactive approach are able to source best and correct information which can be detrimental in organizations success. We follow six sigma standards leaving no scope for error.Big Market Research uniqueness lies in its highly ethical reports at economical rates because we value your relationship and growth more than money. Your growth is our aim.5933 NE Win Sivers Drive, #205
Artificial Retina Market : Technological Advancements, Evolving Industry Trends And Insights 2016 - 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/artificial-retina-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=20732

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

Artificial retina is a device which consists of an array of microelectrodes. The device is implanted into the eyes of people who are blind due to retinal diseases. The development of artificial retina is to restore limited vision that enables people to read during mobility and to recognize individuals. Artificial retina has proved to be a breakthrough invention for the medical device industry, as it has provided hope to approximately 285 million visually impaired patients across the globe. The device is made up of carbon nanotube biomimetic film with accessories such as a transmitter and a video processing unit. The global artificial retina market witnessed its first major breakthrough with Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System (approved by U.S. FDA), which is a first implant device used to treat patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Product innovation in the field of ophthalmology is key for the innovation in the treatment. Major players are increasing investment in research and development in this market with the emergence of high competition in the ophthalmic industry, patent approvals, and innovation.Obtain Report Details @Increase in prevalence of visually impaired patients combined with government expenditure on health care, mergers and acquisitions of companies for technology transfer, investment in R&D by key players, and rise in geriatric population and increase in research in the field of ophthalmology are factors which are projected to drive the growth of the global artificial retina market. Collaboration between U.S. governments with key players of medical devices has helped in the initiation of Department of Energy's Artificial Retina Project. This has ignite hope for many visually impaired individuals. However, stringent regulatory approval processes, patent related issues, high cost of products, and high R&D expenditure are restraining the growth of the global artificial retina market.The global artificial retina market is segmented by disease indication, type of retinal implant systems, end-user, and geography. Based on the disease indication, market is segmented into age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa. Based on the type of retinal implant systems, the artificial retina market is segmented into epiretinal implants and subretinal implants. In terms of end-user, the market is categorized into multi-specialty hospitals, ophthalmic clinics, and research institutes.Geographically, the global market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America holds a significant share in the global artificial retina market. This is attributed to well-structured health care infrastructure and increase in spending on research and development in the field of health care by the government. In addition, favorable Medicare reimbursement policies and increase in the number of visually impaired individuals are boosting the market growth of health care in the region. According to the U.S. government statistics, health care contributes approximately 20% in the overall GDP. Europe is the second leading contributor in the global artificial retina market. Awareness about advancement in the medical technology, improved per capita spending, presence of key players, and investment from governments in research and development are important factors for the growth of the market in Europe.Fill The Form To Gain Deeper Insights On This Market @Asia Pacific is an emerging market for artificial retina. According to statistics, 55% of visually impaired patients worldwide is from Asia Pacific and the rate of RP is high in the region. Economic development and increasing government in countries such as India are projected to boost the growth of the Asia Pacific market. Japan is leading in advancement in medical technology, which is estimated to drive the Asia Pacific market furthermore. Latin America and Middle East & Africa are slow emerging markets for artificial retina owing to high cost incurred in the procedure, slow growing economic condition, and less awareness regarding the procedure.Key players operating in the global artificial retina market are Nano-Retina, Second Sight, Aetna Inc., PIXIUM VISION, and Optobionics.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Subcutaneous Immunoglobulin Market 2016 : Industry Insights With Key Company Profiles - Forecast To 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=20594

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/subcutaneous-immunoglobulin-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

Immunoglobulin, commonly known as an antibody, is a Y-shaped protein manufactured primarily by plasma cells. Immunoglobulin is utilized by the immune system to counterbalance pathogens. Subcutaneous injections are administered as vaccines and medications including insulin and immunoglobulin. The process of administering immunoglobulin is known as immunoglobulin therapy. When immunoglobulin therapy is applied below the dermis and epidermis, or cutis, it is known as subcutaneous immunoglobulin. Subcutaneous therapy is useful as it offers a sustained rate of absorption.For Any Queries Get Solutions With A PDF Sample :Immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IRT) is the systematic care for patients with antibody deficit. Immunoglobulin replacement therapy can be of two types: subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIg) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). The choice of treatment depends upon numerous factors such as clinical symptoms, patient physiognomies, intravenous access, and possible side effects. However, subcutaneous immunoglobulin infusions for immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IRT) are more efficient, and these have a satisfactory safety profile along with good tolerance level. Advantages of the subcutaneous route include reduced adverse effects, partial deviation in peak and trough immunoglobulin (Ig) levels, decreased need for vascular access and improved patient autonomy. Subcutaneous immunoglobulin can be administered to most patients where clinically appropriate, and with pertinent learning and follow up care. These factors are likely to fuel the growth of the global subcutaneous immunoglobulin market.Government regulations such as approvals from the Food and Drug Administration is an essential factor likely to shape the global subcutaneous immunoglobulin market. Subcutaneous immunoglobulin requires frequent administration and some patients might need battery driven pumps for taking subcutaneous immunoglobulin. This is likely to hamper the growth of the market. However, subcutaneous immunoglobulin can be administered at home without IV (intravenous) access, thereby making it a cheap alternative as compared to intravenous immunoglobulin. Moreover, ease of use and high movability of subcutaneous immunoglobulin makes them a preferred choice for immune deficient patient. According to a report by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, globally, over 6 million people suffer from primary immune deficiency alone. Therefore, the subcutaneous immunoglobulin market is likely to witness strong growth in the next few years.The subcutaneous immunoglobulin market can be segmented based on condition, end-user, and region. In terms of condition, the market can be segmented into primary immune deficiency and secondary immune deficiency. Primary immune deficiency accounted for the largest share of the global subcutaneous immunoglobulin market and is likely to dominate the market during the forecast period. Based on end-user, the market can be segmented into hospitals, private medical clinics, residential use, and others. Hospitals held the major share of the global market. However, the residential segment is projected to expand at a high growth rate during the forecast period driven by increasing adoption of subcutaneous immunoglobulin.Geographically, the global subcutaneous immunoglobulin market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. North America held the dominant share of the global market. Presence of key players and availability of subcutaneous immunoglobulin as well as rising adoption of advanced medical services has resulted in the dominance of this region. However, Asia Pacific is likely to grow at a substantial rate due to rise in primary immune deficiency in the region.View exclusive Global strategic Business report :The global subcutaneous immunoglobulin market is characterized by the existence of a number of players. With all dealers competing to gain significant market shares, the market is very competitive in nature. Companies are competing on the basis of price and early approvals from the regulatory authorities such as the FDA.Key players in the market include CSL Behring AG, Shire plc, Baxter International AG, Biotest AG, CUVITRU Baxalta US, Inc., Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Vivaglobin CSL, Hizentra CSL Behring AG, HYQVIA, and Behring GmbH.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Visualize, Drive and Optimize Customer Experiences with Teradatas Customer Journey Solution

Teradata Universe

Dubai, UAE, April 5, 2017  Teradata, the leading data and analytics company, today announced several enhancements to the Teradata Customer Journey solution that will give marketers easier access to analytics, dynamic visualizations, machine learning and predictive simulations. Most companies struggle to understand their customers journeys, much less actively manage them. This upgrade, which combines Teradatas expertise in data integration, advanced analytics and multi-channel interaction management, boosts marketers ability to treat every customer as an individual, increasing response rates, reducing churn and ensuring greater customer satisfaction.Customers have come to expect a personalized and relevant experience in every channel  be it digital, mobile or in-store. A study by Gartner indicates that by 2018, companies that have fully invested in online personalization will outsell companies that have not by more than 30% . However, with channel complexity increasing at an unprecedented rate and customers interacting in more ways, and through multiple devices, it is difficult for companies to understand, and then drive and optimize, customer journeys that often involve billions of interactions for millions of customers. Teradata provides businesses with a flexible and scalable platform for advanced multi-genre analytics and real-time, multi-channel interaction management.We want businesses to grow by delivering more sales, reducing churn and improving customer satisfaction. In this release of Customer Journey we are putting more analytics into the hands of marketing, so they can build a deeper understanding of customer experiences and then proactively optimize related journeys, said Dan Harrington, Executive Vice President, Consulting & Support Services at Teradata. Our solution brings together all the required technology, plus the consulting expertise to achieve faster time to market. With Teradata, organizations can have a complete customer journey hub, without the implementation challenges of cobbling together a solution from multiple vendors.Customer engagement has become more complex, costly and problematic with the multiplicity of channels, technologies, analytic applications and new competitive pressures, said Suzanne Smith, Director Enterprise Analytics at Lowe's Companies, Inc. However, we are making good progress with the broad expertise of Teradata consultants who are helping us discover, drive and optimize customer journeys to increase return on marketing.Teradatas Customer Journey solution helps companies understand and optimize each customers experience over time, across all channels and touch points, in real time. Providing marketers with this holistic view, the right analytical insights and built-in automation enables them to execute thousands of concurrent, individualized, multi-channel campaigns without adding headcount.The new capabilities deliver faster business outcomes, ease solution deployment and improve user experience. Integrated customer path analytics offer better understanding of the customer journeys, as well as ideal points of entry to engage with them. Marketers can use this capability to target customers on a specific path, such as churn, with personalized offers to influence decisions for desired business outcomes. Communication journey visualizations show how customers actually flow through a multi-step campaign, so marketers can evaluate factors driving offer acceptance and decline decisions. Parameters can then be refined for improved marketing performance. Visualizations for self-learning models show the relationship between customer attributes (age, income, life stage, life event, etc.) and response rates. This helps marketers understand the profile of customers most likely to respond to an offer and plan communications. Exposing the model to the marketer also enables confidence, thus increasing adoption. Real-time offer simulation gives marketers a predictive ability to see the impact of a new new message, offer or strategy on existing campaigns. By understanding the impact on the number of targeted customers, and ultimately response potential, marketers can run more effective campaigns, and optimize their offer strategy. Bring your own model score allows marketers to inject third party or internally generated model scores into the arbitration logic of self-learning models to optimize the message for any given customer, ensuring no previous work goes to waste.In addition to industry-leading technology, Teradata also offers consulting resources to ensure companies realize these capabilities, quickly and at the right price, to achieve higher business value. Teradata consultants include advanced analytics professionals and marketing experts who have held executive positions with prominent companies across multiple industries. Business capability-focused and technology agnostic, our team delivers solutions specific to a clients organizational needs, data and tools.Teradatas Customer Journey solution is available immediately, worldwide. New features will begin to become available in Q2, 2017 with all features implemented by June 2017.Teradata empowers companies to achieve high-impact business outcomes. With a portfolio of business analytics solutions, architecture consulting, and industry-leading big data and analytics technology, Teradata unleashes the potential of great companies. Visit teradata.com.Conrad Offices, 19th FloorSheikh Zayed Road, Dubai
Global Tomato Paste Market 2017 by Share, Trade, Prices, Geography - Global Trends & Forecast to 2022

http://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/35986/request-sample

https://goo.gl/8AuEQ8

www.fiormarkets.com

www.9dimenreports.com

Global Tomato Paste Industry 2017 is a comprehensive, professional report delivering market research data that is relevant for new market entrants or established players. Key strategies of the companies operating in the market and their impact analysis have been included in the report. Furthermore, a business overview, revenue share, and SWOT analysis of the leading players in the Tomato Paste market is available in the report.Download Free Sample Report @Combining the data integration and analysis capabilities with the relevant findings, the report has predicted strong future growth of the Tomato Paste market in all its geographical and product segments. In addition to this, several significant variables that will shape the Tomato Paste industry and regression models to determine the future direction of the market have been employed to create the report.The report begins with a market overview and moves on to cover the growth prospects of the Tomato Paste market. The current environment of the global Tomato Paste industry and the key trends shaping the market are presented in the report. Insightful predictions for the Tomato Paste market for the coming few years have also been included in the report. These predictions feature important inputs from leading industry experts and take into account every statistical detail regarding the Tomato Paste market.Statistical forecasts in the research study are available for the total Tomato Paste market along with its key segments. The key segments, their growth prospects, and the new opportunities they present to market players have been mentioned in the report. Moreover, the impact analysis of the latest mergers and acquisition and joint ventures has been included in the report. The report also provides valuable proposals for new project development that can help companies optimize their operations and revenue structure.Access Full Report @A detailed segmentation evaluation of the Tomato Paste market has been provided in the report. Detailed information about the key segments of the market and their growth prospects are available in the report. The detailed analysis of their sub-segments is also available in the report. The revenue forecasts and volume shares along with market estimates are available in the report.Fior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Fior Markets provides you the full spectrum of services related to market research, and corroborate with the clients to increase the revenue stream, and address process gaps.Contact UsMark StoneSales Manager2566, Lincoln StreetPrinceton,New Jersey 08540USAPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
Aseptic Packaging Market - By Type (Bottles, Syringes, Bags, Cartons, Vials, Others) Forecasts (2016-2021)

Aseptic Packaging Market 2021

http://www.marketintelreports.com/report/cpr0107/aseptic-packaging-market--by-type-bottles-syringes-bags-cartons-vials-others-by-application-food-beverages-dairy-pharm-and-medical-entities-others-by-material-plastic-paperboard-glass-and-metal--geography-forecasts-20162021

http://www.marketintelreports.com/pdfdownload.php?id=cpr0107

http://www.marketintelreports.com/purchase.php?id=cpr0107

www.marketintelreports.com

Aseptic Packaging is the last step in aseptic food processing; it involves sterile packaging of materials in industries including food & beverages, pharmaceuticals among many others. This type of packaging has certain benefits such as it provides protection the product from the attack of microorganisms, impurities and degradation. In addition to this, it omits the necessity of refrigerators and the materials used for the Aseptic packaging are Recyclable.Check Complete Report @Aseptic packaging is a critical process for the progressing food processing, pharmaceutical, medical and dairy industries. Rising urbanization coupled with increase in awareness regarding the usage of sterile products and convenient products has catalyzed the growth of aseptic packaging market over the last decade.These aseptic packaging materials market has been classified into three segments namely by type, by material and by application. The market by type has been further classified into bottles, vials, cartons and ampoules among many others. The market by material has been classified into plastics, glass, paperboard and metals. Each of the segments has been further segmented to give a better insight of the market. The market has subsequently analyzed based on geography; the major regions covered are Americas, Europe, APAC and RoW.The global market for aseptic packaging was estimated to be $XX billion in 2015. The global market for aseptic packaging is estimated to grow at a CAGR of XX% and is forecast to reach $XX billion by 2021. The carton boxes are forecast to have the highest growth of X% during the forecast period 2016-2021. Asia and Europe alone are estimated to occupy a share of more than XX% in 2015.Get Sample Brochure of the Report @Asia-Pacific is the leading market for aseptic packaging. Asia region is forecast to have highest growth in the next few years due to growing adoption of in above mentioned industries. Asian aseptic packaging value market accounts to XX% of the global market for aseptic packaging and is the fastest growing market followed by Europe. In Asia-Pacific, food processing and beverages industry and pharmaceutical industry are the major end users of aseptic packaging.Food products with extended shelf lives without use of the preservatives and Refrigerators are the main reasons to drive the use of Aseptic packaging materials market. Sterile and preservatives are the key factors to maintain the food, medical and dairy products. In the past few decades the number of industries and players in each industry has increased substantially demanding huge requirement of aseptic packaging.The overall market is also presented from the perspective of different geographic regions and the key countries for this industry. Competitive landscape for each of the product types is highlighted and market players are profiled with attributes of Company Overview, Financial Overview, Business Strategies, Product Portfolio and Recent Developments. The report contains the most detailed and in-depth segmentation of the aseptic packaging materials market.The key players in the aseptic packaging market include: E.I. Du Pont De Nemours and Co. (U.S.) Robert Bosch Gmbh (Germany) Tetra Laval International S.A. (Switzerland) Amcor Corporate (Australia) Reynolds Group Holdings Ltd. (New Zealand) among many others.Order a copy of Aseptic Packaging Market Report now @About us:MarketIntelReports (MIR) aim to empower our clients to successfully manage and outperform in their business decisions, we do this by providing Premium Market Intelligence, Strategic Insights and Databases from a range of Global Publishers.A group of industry veterans who are well experienced in reputed international consulting firms after identifying the sourcing needs of MNCs for market intelligence, have together started this business savior MarketIntelReports.MIR intends to be a one-stop shop with an intuitive design, exhaustive database, expert assistance, secure cart checkout and data privacy integrated. It curates the list of reports, publishers and studies to ensure that the database is constantly updated to dynamically meet the targeted, specific needs of our clients.MarketIntelReports currently has more than 10,000 plus titles and 35+ publishers on our platform and growing consistently to fill the Global Intelligence Demand  Supply Gap. We cover more than 15 industry verticals being: Automotive, Electronics, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Chemicals, Building & Construction, Agriculture, Food & Beverages, Banking & Finance, Media and Government, Public Sector Studies.Contact us:Mayur SSales Manager2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400,Wilmington,Delaware,19808United Statespr@marketintelreports.comTelephone: 1-302-261-5343
Global Glucose Meter Market Research Report 2017

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1043217&type=E

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-glucose-meter-market-research-report-2017.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/category/medical-equipments-market-reports-109.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Glucose Meter Market Research Report 2017" to its huge collection of research reports.This examination looks at the global Glucose Meter market in a persistent way by explaining the main features of the market that are relied upon to hold a sizeable impact on its improvements over the given time frame. The key drivers of the market's development, restrictions, and patterns affecting the global Glucose Meter market are surveyed in extraordinary detail, notwithstanding a subjective and quantitative examination relating to the anticipated effect of these elements on its development prospects sooner rather than later.The vast volumes of data on the Glucose Meter by and large makes it an intense undertaking to take it down to the exceptionally significant bits of data and the genuine bits applicable to the present business issues in the market. Many organizations are additionally known to not have the fundamental committed assets and aptitude for taking up an illustrative statistical surveying in view of recorded information. Centered statistical surveying procedures can help these associations in framing clearer thoughts on their business systems and gather significant stakes in the market.Get sample report @A sweeping volume of information concerning the basic components of the Glucose Meter that can impact its extent of development is given in the report. The report in this manner makes for an exceptionally useful review and can successfully permit organizations and their leads in tending to the main difficulties that  as of now  control the market, and deliberately increase greatest conceivable advantages inside the profoundly focused market scene.The report likewise gives data on the current improvements in items and innovations as currently visible in the market, alongside an examination of the general impact that these progressions may have on any future advancements. The report likewise offers its clients a 360-degree examination of the competitive situation in the Glucose Meter. This is legitimate for organizations of all sizes and development levels inside the worldwide Glucose Meter market and helps different associations get a handle on the main dangers and openings that sellers regularly need to manage.Table of ContentGlobal Glucose Meter Market Research Report 20171 Glucose Meter Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Glucose Meter1.2 Glucose Meter Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Glucose Meter Production and CAGR (%)Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Glucose Meter Production Market Share by Type (Product Category)in 20161.2.3 Portable1.2.4 Continuous Monitoring1.3 Global Glucose Meter Segment by Application1.3.1 Glucose Meter Consumption (Sales)Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Medical1.3.3 Home Care1.4 Global Glucose Meter Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Glucose Meter Market Size (Value)and CAGR (%)Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value)of Glucose Meter (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Glucose Meter Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Glucose Meter Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Glucose Meter Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Glucose Meter Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Glucose Meter Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Glucose Meter Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Glucose Meter Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Glucose Meter Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Glucose Meter Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Glucose Meter Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Glucose Meter Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Glucose Meter Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Glucose Meter Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value)by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Glucose Meter Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Glucose Meter Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Glucose Meter Revenue (Value)and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Glucose Meter Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Glucose Meter Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Glucose Meter Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Glucose Meter Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Glucose Meter Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 Southeast Asia Glucose Meter Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Glucose Meter Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)Browse full table of contents and data tables of Report @4 Global Glucose Meter Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Glucose Meter Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 North America Glucose Meter Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Glucose Meter Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Glucose Meter Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Glucose Meter Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Glucose Meter Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Glucose Meter Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Glucose Meter Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Glucose Meter Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Glucose Meter Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Glucose Meter Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Glucose Meter Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)6 Global Glucose Meter Market Analysis by Application6.1 Global Glucose Meter Consumption and Market Share by Application (2012-2017)6.2 Global Glucose Meter Consumption Growth Rate by Application (2012-2017)6.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities6.3.1 Potential Applications6.3.2 Emerging Markets/CountriesRead more @About UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Feed Premix Market is Anticipated to Show the Robust Growth During 2016 - 2022

http://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/248534

http://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/248534

Global Feed Premix market is estimated at $9.12 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach $11.12 billion by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 3.4% from 2016 to 2022. Increasing awareness on animal food and demand Compound Feed Consumption is driving the market growth. Stringent regulations and rise in price of raw material are the factors hampering the market. Whereas increasing demand for animal food from developing economics across the regions is the opportunity factor for the market. Europe is expected to show healthy growth rate during forecast period owing to increasing animal husbandry in this region.Request a sample copy of Report with Table of contents@Some of the key players in the market include AB Agri Ltd., Archer Daniels Midland Company, Cargill, Incorporated, Charoen Pokphand PCL., Continental Grain Company, DBN Group, DLG Group, ForFarmers B.V, Godrej Agrovet, Invivo Nutrition ET Sante Animales, Koninklijke DSM N.V., Land Olakes, Inc., Nutreco N.V., Phibro Group and BEC Feed Solutions.Ingredients Type Covered:AntibioticsAmino AcidsVitaminsAntioxidantsMineralsOther IngredientsEnzymePreservativesPigmentsFlavorsOrganic acidsLivestocks Covered:Aquatic AnimalsRuminantsSheep-goatCattlePoultrySwineOther AnimalsReptilesPet animalsBirdsEnquiry Before buying Report@Regions Covered:North AmericaUSCanadaMexicoEuropeGermanyFranceItalyUKSpainRest of EuropeAsia PacificJapanChinaIndiaAustraliaNew ZealandRest of Asia PacificRest of the WorldMiddle EastBrazilArgentinaSouth AfricaEgyptAbout Us:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customised reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialisation. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Contact Us:Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas  75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019Email ID: sales@orbisresearch.com
United States EU Japan China India and Southeast Asia Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market Size Status and Forecast 2021

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=857470&type=E

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/united-states-eu-japan-china-india-and-southeast-asia-hospital-linen-supply-and-management-services-market-size-status-and-forecast-2021.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/category/ict-market-reports-96.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

Qyresearchreports include new market research report "United States EU Japan China India and Southeast Asia Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market Size Status and Forecast 2021" to its huge collection of research reports.The Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services from the point of view of all its present patterns that are impacting it, is essential to comprehend so as to acquire the most adjusted answer for business procedures in it. These patterns are financial, topographical, monetary, political, buyer, and social, and their general impact on customer or purchaser inclinations will have a noteworthy say in how this market will frame itself in the years to come. These elements and the way they affect the Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services have been examined in supreme detail in the report. A definitive objective for the spread of this data is to make an unmistakable investigation of how these patterns could conceivably influence the eventual fate of the market inside the report's given forecast period.Enter your information below to receive a sample copy of this report @The report, similar to all reports added to this research repository, is a comprehensive and engaging perspective of the Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services. It explains available progression, extent of development in different regions and specific locations, and different parameters that have been so far compelling amid its extension regarding value and volume. This examination study is along these lines a quantitative and a subjective review for conferring a reasonable vision of every single conceivable circumstance in the Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services, and in addition the drivers that may exist between 2017 and 2022.The Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services is likewise introduced to the readers of this report as an all-encompassing preview of the competitive scene inside the given time frame. It displays a similar examination of the regional portions and player competitiveness, offering readers a superior comprehension of where territories in which they can put their current assets.Table of ContentsUnited States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market Size, Status and Forecast 20211 Industry Overview of Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services1.1 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market Overview1.1.1 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market by Type1.3.1 Rental System1.3.2 Contractual System1.3.3 In Plant System1.3.4 Cooperative System1.4 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Hospitals1.4.2 Clinics1.4.3 Other Medical Institutions2 Global Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market Size (Value) by Players (2015-2016)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in Future3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 AmeriPride3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 Angelica3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.2.5 Recent DevelopmentsBrowse full table of contents and data tables of Report @3.3 Alsco3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 Synergy Health3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.4.4 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.4.5 Recent Developments3.5 Mission3.5.1 Company Profile3.5.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.5.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.5.4 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.5.5 Recent Developments3.6 Unitex3.6.1 Company Profile3.6.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.6.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.6.4 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.6.5 Recent Developments3.7 Crothall3.7.1 Company Profile3.7.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.7.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.7.4 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.7.5 Recent Developments3.8 Tokai3.8.1 Company Profile3.8.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.8.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.8.4 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.8.5 Recent Developments3.9 Ecotex3.9.1 Company Profile3.9.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.9.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.9.4 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.9.5 Recent Developments3.10 Medline3.10.1 Company Profile3.10.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.10.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.10.4 Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Revenue (Value) (2011-2016)3.10.5 Recent Developments3.11 PARIS3.12 Faultless3.13 HCSC3.14 CleanCare3.15 Linen King3.16 Celtic Linen3.17 Economy Linen3.18 Tetsudo Linen4 Global Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market Size by Type and Application (2011-2016)4.1 Global Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market Size by Type (2011-2016)4.2 Global Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market Size by Application (2011-2016)4.3 Potential Application of Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services in Future4.4 Top Consumer/End Users of Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services5 United States Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Development Status and Outlook5.1 United States Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market Size (2011-2016)5.2 United States Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)6 EU Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Development Status and Outlook6.1 EU Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market Size (2011-2016)6.2 EU Hospital Linen Supply and Management Services Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)Read more @About UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Global Container Market  Share, Size, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017-2025 Press release from: IndexBox Marketing

http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-tanks-casks-drums-cans-boxes-and-similar-containers-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/

http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-tanks-casks-drums-cans-boxes-and-similar-containers-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/

www.indexbox.co.uk

IndexBox has just published a new report "World: Tanks, Casks, Drums, Cans, Boxes And Similar Containers - Market Report. Analysis and Forecast to 2025" (This report has been designed to provide a detailed analysis of the global container market. It covers the most recent data sets of quantitative medium-term projections, as well as developments in production, trade, consumption and prices. The report also includes a comparative analysis of the leading consuming countries, revealing opportunities opened for producers and exporters across the globe. The forecast outlines market prospects to 2025.Countries coverage: WorldwideProduct coverage: Containers (other than for compressed or liquefied gas) of iron, steel or aluminum, of capacity not exceeding 300 litresData coverage: Container market size and volume; Container market trends and prospects; Global container production and its dynamics; Per capita consumption; Breakdown of production by region and country; Medium term outlook; Container trade (exports/imports); Prices for container; Profiles of the main manufacturers.The report will help you: Get a bigger picture of the market; Rewire your business around market trends; Devise your marketing strategy; Operate with increased effectiveness.TABLE OF CONTENTS1. INTRODUCTION1.1 REPORT DESCRIPTION1.2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2.1 KEY FINDINGS2.2 MARKET TRENDS3. MARKET OVERVIEW3.1 MARKET VOLUME AND VALUE3.2 CONSUMPTION BY COUNTRY3.3 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES BY COUNTRY3.4 MARKET FORECAST TO 20254. PRODUCTION4.1 PRODUCTION IN 2007-20154.2 PRODUCTION BY COUNTRY5. IMPORTS5.1 IMPORTS IN 2007-20155.2 IMPORTS BY COUNTRY5.3 IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY6. EXPORTS6.1 EXPORTS IN 2007-20156.2 EXPORTS BY COUNTRY6.3 EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY7. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERSDownload a free sample of the report now!IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world. We conduct market research and publish reports.You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets. All the worldwide marketing data you need is at your fingertips.We collect this data from hundreds of highly reliable sources, verify it and carry out market analysis, uncovering new business opportunities and empowering you with actionable insights.The structure of our reports is intuitive and clear. We do our best to allow you to make strategic decisions and take immediate action. If you want to go further and be a step ahead of the market, just tell us your goals and we will tailor a report to your needs.Company Name: IndexBoxContact Person: Kirill BezverhiEmail: kirill.bezverhi@indexbox.co.ukPhone: +44 20 3239 3063Adress: United Kingdom, 44 Main Street, Douglas, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, ML11 0QWWebsite:
Global Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales Market Report 2016

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=872909&type=E

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-water-based-defoaming-coating-additives-sales-market-report-2016.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

This report studies sales (consumption) of Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives in Global market, especially in United States, China, Europe, Japan, focuses on top players in these regions/countries, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player in these regions, coveringBASF SEElementis PLCMnzing Chemie GmbHDOW Corning CorporationMomentive Performance Materials Inc.BYK-Chemie GmbH (Altana)Arkema S.A.Ashland Inc.Evonik Industries AGAllnex SA/NVTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Market Segment by Regions, this report splits Global into several key Regions, with sales (consumption), revenue, market share and growth rate of Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives in these regions, from 2011 to 2021 (forecast), likeUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSplit by product Types, with sales, revenue, price and gross margin, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoType IType IIType IIISplit by applications, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives in each application, can be divided intoApplication 1Application 2Application 3Browse Complete Report with TOC @Table of ContentsGlobal Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales Market Report 20161 Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives1.2 Classification of Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives1.2.1 Type I1.2.2 Type II1.2.3 Type III1.3 Application of Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives1.3.1 Application 11.3.2 Application 21.3.3 Application 31.4 Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Market by Regions1.4.1 United States Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.2 China Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.4 Japan Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives (2011-2021)1.5.1 Global Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2021)1.5.2 Global Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2021)2 Global Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Competition by Manufacturers, Type and Application2.1 Global Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1.1 Global Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2011-2016)2.1.2 Global Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2011-2016)2.2 Global Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)2.2.2 Global Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Revenue and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)2.3 Global Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives (Volume and Value) by Regions2.3.1 Global Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Market Share by Regions (2011-2016)2.3.2 Global Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Revenue and Market Share by Regions (2011-2016)2.4 Global Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives (Volume) by Application3 United States Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Value (2011-2016)3.1.1 United States Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2016)3.1.2 United States Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2016)3.1.3 United States Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales Price Trend (2011-2016)3.2 United States Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers3.3 United States Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Market Share by Type3.4 United States Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Market Share by Application4 China Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4.1 China Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Value (2011-2016)4.1.1 China Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2016)4.1.2 China Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2016)4.1.3 China Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales Price Trend (2011-2016)4.2 China Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers4.3 China Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Market Share by Type4.4 China Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Market Share by Application5 Europe Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5.1 Europe Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Value (2011-2016)5.1.1 Europe Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2016)5.1.2 Europe Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2016)5.1.3 Europe Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales Price Trend (2011-2016)5.2 Europe Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers5.3 Europe Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Market Share by Type5.4 Europe Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Market Share by Application6 Japan Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives (Volume, Value and Sales Price)6.1 Japan Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Value (2011-2016)6.1.1 Japan Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2016)6.1.2 Japan Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2016)6.1.3 Japan Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales Price Trend (2011-2016)6.2 Japan Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers6.3 Japan Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Market Share by Type6.4 Japan Water-Based Defoaming Coating Additives Sales and Market Share by ApplicationQYResearchReports.com is an unimpeachable source of market research data for clients that comprise acclaimed SMEs, Chinese companies, private equity firms, and MNCs. We provide market research reports on various categories such as Energy, Chemicals, Alternative and Green Energy, Manufacturing, Machinery, Pharmaceuticals and Materials, and Glass.QYResearchReportsContact Us1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Renewables Battery Energy Storage Market Research Report 2017 : Global Industry Analysis, Size, Shares, Growth and Forecast

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/981387

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/category/26

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/category/26

Production, means the output of Renewables Battery Energy StorageRevenue, means the sales value of Renewables Battery Energy StorageThis report studies Renewables Battery Energy Storage in Global market, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with capacity, production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringAES Energy StorageA123 SystemsAxion PowerBYDLG ChemNGK InsulatorsSAFTSamsung SDIGE Energy StorageMitsubishi Heavy IndustriesAmperexBoston PowerChina Avaiation Lithium BatterySumitomo ElectricToshibaXtreme PowerMarket Segment by Regions, this report splits Global into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate of Renewables Battery Energy Storage in these regions, from 2011 to 2021 (forecast), likeNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaSplit by product type, with production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoLi-ionLead-acidSodiumOthersSplit by application, this report focuses on consumption, market share and growth rate of Renewables Battery Energy Storage in each application, can be divided intoApplication 1Application 2Download Sample Copy of this Report:Table of ContentsGlobal Renewables Battery Energy Storage Market Research Report 20171 Renewables Battery Energy Storage Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Renewables Battery Energy Storage1.2 Renewables Battery Energy Storage Segment by Type1.2.1 Global Production Market Share of Renewables Battery Energy Storage by Type in 20151.2.2 Li-ion1.2.3 Lead-acid1.2.4 Sodium1.2.5 Others1.3 Renewables Battery Energy Storage Segment by Application1.3.1 Renewables Battery Energy Storage Consumption Market Share by Application in 20151.3.2 Application 11.3.3 Application 21.3.4 Application 31.4 Renewables Battery Energy Storage Market by Region1.4.1 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Renewables Battery Energy Storage (2012-2022)2 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.3 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Average Price by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.4 Manufacturers Renewables Battery Energy Storage Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Renewables Battery Energy Storage Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Renewables Battery Energy Storage Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Renewables Battery Energy Storage Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, ExpansionBrowse More Power Market Research Reports:3 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 Southeast Asia Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)Browse More Power Market Research Reports:4 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2012-2017)4.1 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Consumption by Regions (2012-2017)4.2 North America Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Renewables Battery Energy Storage Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)MarketResearchReports.biz supports your business intelligence needs with over 100,000 market research reports, company profiles, data books, and regional market data sheets in its repository. Our document database is updated by the hour, which means that you always have access to fresh data spanning over 300 industries and their sub-segments.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Large Volume Wearable Injectors Market by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast

http://www.globalinforesearch.com/goods.php?id=3620

http://www.globalinforesearch.com/goods.php?id=3620

http://www.globalinforesearch.com/goods.php?id=4151

http://www.globalinforesearch.com/goods.php?id=4014

http://www.globalinforesearch.com/goods.php?id=3803

http://www.globalinforesearch.com/goods.php?id=4088

http://www.globalinforesearch.com/goods.php?id=4204

http://www.globalinforesearch.com/goods.php?id=3933

http://www.globalinforesearch.com/goods.php?id=3703

http://www.globalinforesearch.com/goods_all.php

http://www.globalinforesearch.com/goods_all.php

Global (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa) Large Volume Wearable Injectors Market by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022Full information Large Volume Wearable Injectors, also known as bolus injectors or non-insulin patch pumps, are drug delivery devices that have above 1 ml capacity of injectable volume. These devices can offer a range of benefits to patients, for example, to make administration more convenient and reduce patient suffering.Conclusion of the Catheter Stabilization Device1. TrendIn the coming years there is an increasing demand for Large Volume Wearable Injectors in the regions of US and Europe that is expected to drive the market for more advanced Large Volume Wearable Injectors. Increasing of the cancer, auto-immune, blood disorders and stable rise in aging population will drive growth in United States and Europe markets.2. ProductionGlobally, the Large Volume Wearable Injectors industry market is concentrated as the manufacturing technology of Large Volume Wearable Injectors is relatively matures than some high-tech equipment. And some enterprises, like West, Unilife, CeQur, etc. are well-known for the wonderful performance of their Large Volume Wearable Injectors and related services. At the same time, United States, occupied 64.61% production market share in 2015, is remarkable in the global Large Volume Wearable Injectors industry because of their market share and technology status of Large Volume Wearable Injectors.3. ConsumptionThe consumption volume of Large Volume Wearable Injectors is related to downstream industries and global economy. As there will always be some uncertain in the global economy in the following years, the growth rate of Large Volume Wearable Injectors industry may not keep that fast. But it is surely forecasted that the market of Large Volume Wearable Injectors is still promising.4. PriceThe product average price declined in the past few years due to the technology development, the average price will keep the trend in the few future years due to increasing mature manufacturing technology and lowing cost of raw materials.5. CostThe impact on the cost and availability of raw materials and certain components is uncertain due to potential supply changes. The costs of raw materials have a significant impact on the level of expenses. If the prices of raw materials and related factors such as energy prices increase, and if new companies cannot pass those price increases on to customers, their results of operations and financial condition would suffer.6. Although the market competition of Large Volume Wearable Injectors is fierce globally, there are many enterprises can obtain considerable profit form the manufacturing and marketing of Large Volume Wearable Injectors and that is the reason that we believe there will also be enterprises enter this market. But it is suggested that enterprises those have plans to enter this industry have careful analysis of this market and the advantages or disadvantages of themselves.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Large Volume Wearable Injectors in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversWestUnilifeCeQurSensile MedicalBD MedicalEnable InjectionsRocheScPharmaceuticalsSteadyMedJ & JMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversElectronical injectorsMechanical injectorsOthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoCancer treatmentAuto-immune treatmentBlood disorders treatmentOthersThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Large Volume Wearable Injectors market.Chapter 1, to describe Large Volume Wearable Injectors Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Large Volume Wearable Injectors, with sales, revenue, and price of Large Volume Wearable Injectors, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Large Volume Wearable Injectors, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the market by countries, by type, by application and by manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Large Volume Wearable Injectors market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Large Volume Wearable Injectors sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceReports topics of other regions:Global (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa) Large Volume Wearable Injectors Market by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022Global Large Volume Wearable Injectors Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022United States Large Volume Wearable Injectors Market by Manufacturers, States, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022North America Large Volume Wearable Injectors Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022Europe Large Volume Wearable Injectors Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022China Large Volume Wearable Injectors Market by Manufacturers, Regions (Province), Type and Application, Forecast to 2022Asia-Pacific Large Volume Wearable Injectors Market by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022EMEA Large Volume Wearable Injectors Market by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022BettySales DirectorE-mailbetty@globalinforesearch.comTel: HK:00852-58197708 USA:0013479661888Add: Room 1902 Two International Finance Centre 8 Finance Street, Central Hong KongWebsite:GlobalInfoResearch is a customer interest-based suppliers. Is in the best interests of our clients, they determine our every move. At the same time, we have great respect for the views of customers. With the improvement of the quality of our research, we develop custom interdisciplinary and comprehensive solution. For further development, we will do better and better.GlobalInfoResearch will with excellent professional knowledge and experience to carry out all aspects of our business. At the same time, we will fully look for information, to give a more comprehensive development.GlobalinforesearchRoom 1902 Two Interational Finance Centre 8 Finance Street,Central Hong KongUSA:0013479661888 HK:00852-58197708Email Id: marco@globalinforesearch.comWebsite:
United States WTE (Waste-To-Energy) Market Research Report 2017 Industry Analysis, Size, Shares, Growth and Forecast

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/908894

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/category/26

Sales, means the sales volume of WTE (Waste-to-Energy)Revenue, means the sales value of WTE (Waste-to-Energy)This report studies sales (consumption) of WTE (Waste-to-Energy) in United States market, focuses on the top players, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player, coveringEEW Energy from WasteGGIGreenEfW Investments LimitedEnerkemCovanta Burnaby Renewable EnergyPlasco Energy Group Inc.Wheelabrator TechnologiesCNTYMarket Segment by States, coveringCaliforniaTexasNew YorkFloridaIllinoisSplit by product types, with sales, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoThermal technologiesBiochemical reactionsSplit by applications, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of WTE (Waste-to-Energy) in each application, can be divided intoElectric powerOil & GasOthersDownload Sample Copy of This Report :Table of ContentsUnited States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Market Report 20171 WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of WTE (Waste-to-Energy)1.2 Classification of WTE (Waste-to-Energy)1.2.1 Thermal technologies1.2.2 Biochemical reactions1.3 Application of WTE (Waste-to-Energy)1.3.1 Electric power1.3.2 Oil & Gas1.3.3 Others1.4 United States Market Size Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) of WTE (Waste-to-Energy) (2011-2021)1.4.1 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2021)1.4.2 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2021)2 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Competition by Manufacturers2.1 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Revenue and Share by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.3 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Average Price by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.4 WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.4.1 WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Market Concentration Rate2.4.2 WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.4.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, ExpansionBrowse More Power Market Research Reports:3 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by States (2011-2016)3.1 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales and Market Share by States (2011-2016)3.2 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Revenue and Market Share by States (2011-2016)3.3 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Price by States (2011-2016)4 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Type (2011-2016)4.1 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)4.2 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Revenue and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)4.3 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Price by Type (2011-2016)4.4 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales Growth Rate by Type (2011-2016)5 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales (Volume) by Application (2011-2016)5.1 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales and Market Share by Application (2011-2016)5.2 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales Growth Rate by Application (2011-2016)5.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities6 United States WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis6.1 EEW Energy from Waste6.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors6.1.2 WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Product Type, Application and Specification6.1.2.1 Thermal technologies6.1.2.2 Biochemical reactions6.1.3 EEW Energy from Waste WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)6.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.2 GGI6.2.2 WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Product Type, Application and Specification6.2.2.1 Thermal technologies6.2.2.2 Biochemical reactions6.2.3 GGI WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)6.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.3 GreenEfW Investments Limited6.3.2 WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Product Type, Application and Specification6.3.2.1 Thermal technologies6.3.2.2 Biochemical reactions6.3.3 GreenEfW Investments Limited WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)6.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.4 Enerkem6.4.2 WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Product Type, Application and Specification6.4.2.1 Thermal technologies6.4.2.2 Biochemical reactions6.4.3 Enerkem WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)6.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.5 Covanta Burnaby Renewable Energy6.5.2 WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Product Type, Application and Specification6.5.2.1 Thermal technologies6.5.2.2 Biochemical reactions6.5.3 Covanta Burnaby Renewable Energy WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)6.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.6 Plasco Energy Group Inc.6.6.2 WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Product Type, Application and Specification6.6.2.1 Thermal technologies6.6.2.2 Biochemical reactions6.6.3 Plasco Energy Group Inc. WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)6.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.7 Wheelabrator Technologies6.7.2 WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Product Type, Application and Specification6.7.2.1 Thermal technologies6.7.2.2 Biochemical reactions6.7.3 Wheelabrator Technologies WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)6.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview6.8 CNTY6.8.2 WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Product Type, Application and Specification6.8.2.1 Thermal technologies6.8.2.2 Biochemical reactions6.8.3 CNTY WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)6.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7 WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Manufacturing Cost Analysis7.1 WTE (Waste-to-Energy) Key Raw Materials Analysis7.1.1 Key Raw Materials7.1.2 Price Trend of Key Raw Materials7.1.3 Key Suppliers of Raw Materials7.1.4 Market Concentration Rate of Raw Materials7.2 Proportion of Manufacturing Cost Structure7.2.1 Raw Materials7.2.2 Labor Cost7.2.3 Manufacturing Expenses7.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of WTE (Waste-to-Energy)MarketResearchReports.biz supports your business intelligence needs with over 100,000 market research reports, company profiles, data books, and regional market data sheets in its repository. Our document database is updated by the hour, which means that you always have access to fresh data spanning over 300 industries and their sub-segments.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Mammography Market 2016 to 2022  Market Share, Growth, Statistics, Competitor Landscape, Key Players Analysis, Trends and Forecasts

Global Mammography Market

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2443

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/peptic-ulcer-drugs-market-2445

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/mammography-market-2443

Market Highlights:The global mammography market has been evaluated to be moderately growing and expected to grow in the future as well. Mammography market is expected to witness rapid development due to the growing healthcare industry and technological advancements. With increasing consumer awareness about health and increase in breast cancer cases are driving the growth for mammography market. Mammogram is a digital x-ray image which can find symptoms of cancer in early stages.APAC is growing rapidly and expected to grow further in future. European market is the second largest and growing steadily. Global Mammography Market Digital X-ray is largest segment but demand for 3D mammography devices are increasing and it expected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period. The global mammography market is divided into different segments such as on the basis of type of the product, applications and its sub segment. The market for mammography is expected to grow at the CAGR 5.3% by 2022.Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 80 market data tables and figures spread over 100 pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on Global Mammography Market Research Report  Forecast to 2020.Major Key Players: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation Siemens Healthcare GmbH FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation General Electric Company Shimadzu Corporation Koninklijke Philips Carestream Health Hitachi Medical Corporation Hologic, IncRequest a Sample Report @Regional Analysis:Considering the global scenario of the market, North America region is believed to be the largest market of mammography. Moreover the European market is also growing and is the second largest market of mammography. On the other hand, Asia-Pacifics mammography market is expected to grow at a fast pace during the forecasted period. Middle East and Africa is likely to have a limited but steady growth with respect to this market.Segmentation:Mammography market been segmented on the basis of product type which comprises digital mammography, 3D mammography, C-View 2D, breast tomosynthesis contrast enhance mammography, Analog, and Others. On the basis of application, the market is segmented into screening, diagnostic, and others.Browse Related Reports:Peptic ulcer drugs are used in the treatment of erosion of gastric and intestinal linings due to a variety of factors. The peptic ulcer drug market is one of the most important segment in entire pharmaceutical market.Intended Audience: Mammography device manufacturers Wearable device Suppliers Research and development (R&D) companies Independent research laboratories Market research and consulting service providers Medical research laboratoriesAccess Report Details @Table of Content1. Report Prologue2. Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope of the Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 Limitations2.3 Market Structure2.4. Market Segmentation3. Research Methodology3.1 Research Process3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size Estimation3.5 Forecast ModelContinuedAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureMarket Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Telecom Billing and Revenue Management Market is estimated to grow with a CAGR of 10.7% between 2016 and 2025 | The Insight Partners

http://www.theinsightpartners.com/reports/telecom-billing-and-revenue-management-market

http://www.theinsightpartners.com/sample/TIPTE100000103

http://www.theinsightpartners.com/discount/TIPTE100000103

http://www.theinsightpartners.com/buy/TIPTE100000103

A blend of top-down and bottom-up approaches were used to come to the exact market sizes and development rates of the global telecom billing and revenue management market and its segments. Various secondary information sources were used to find the overall revenues, product portfolios and geographic reach of the companies operating in the telecom billing and revenue management market. Estimates of the solution, services and deployment type classification revenues were confirmed and validated through primary interviews. Primary interviews are conducted with various players in telecom billing ecosystem and key opinion leaders to confirm the provided percentage split and market share.Browse market data tables and in-depth TOC of the Telecom Billing and Revenue Management Market to 2025 @The telecom billing and revenue management market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.7% during the forecast period 2016  2025 and accounts for US$ 25.27 Bn in the year 2025. The telecom billing and revenue management market is divided on the basis of solutions, services and deployment models, the solutions segment is further categorized on the basis of billing and charging software, mediation software, fraud management software, revenue assurance software, partner and interconnects management software, the service segment is further classified on the basis of, managed services, operations services, consulting services, and system integration services. The market is further classified on the basis of deployment types into cloud-based deployment, on-premise deployment and hybrid deploymentThe geographic segments considered in this report are North America (NA), Middle East & Africa (MEA), Asia-Pacific (APAC), Europe (EU), and South America (SAM). The geographic analysis highlights that Asia-pacific accounted for the major share in the global telecom billing and revenue management market in 2015. The Asia-pacific region is also expected to register a faster growth from 2016 to 2025 at a CAGR of 12.1%, due to the increasing technological adoption trends in this region.Request Sample Copy @The key drivers for this market are increasing mobile penetration in emerging market and high growth of telecom industry in the last few years and increasing data consumption trend, increasing preference and shift towards cloud-based solutions and services is providing ample opportunity for the growth of telecomm billing and revenue management market.The report provides qualitative and qualitative insights about growth rates, key market shares and factors driving the market drivers for all segments. The report highlights the growth rates and market sizes of various segment and highlights the sections expected to experience high growth rate in various geographic segments. The report also consist of company profiles of the market leaders and various players in the telecom billing and revenue management ecosystems. These company profiles include product portfolios, market developments, financial performances and SWOT analysis for each company. The report also offers a competitive landscape of the telecom billing and revenue management market.Inquire about discount on this report @Reasons to Buy This report identifies innovative telecom billing and revenue management technology and strategies adopted by leading Telcos and CSPs worldwide Provides the analysis of leading operators and how they derive benefits for their business Helps Telcos and CSP to analyze trends that impact future prospects in order to realign business strategies Gain insights into the competitive landscape, to strengthen market competitiveness and positioning Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as the those hindering it Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution Examine the current and future impact of the five forces namely: bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, threat of substitutes, threat of new entrants and degree of competition Helps clients to overcome challenges expected to restrict growth prospects of this market during the forecast periodProcure Full Report @About The Insight Partners:The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Media, and Telecommunication industries.Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.com505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Global Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) Devices Batteries Market: Improved Power Sources Ensure Swift Uptake

Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) Devices Batteries Market

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/cardiac-rhythm-management-devices-batteries-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=17678

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

Irregular heartbeats, also known as arrhythmias, are often treated using cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices. CRM devices are powered by batteries that help in regularizing heart beats in a regular rhythm. Currently, batteries, especially lithium anode batteries with different cathode chemistry, are used for powering CRM devices. The growing number of cardiovascular diseases have spurred these demand for CRM devices batteries in recent years. According to the research report, the global market for cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices batteries is expected to be worth US$518.4 mn by the end of 2024 from US$397.3 mn in 2015. Between the forecast years of 2016 and 2024, the global market is expected rise at a CAGR of 3.0%.Read Full Report:The growing emphasis of battery manufacturers to design batteries that come with improved longevity is the key factor driving the CRM device batteries market over the forecast period. Furthermore, several manufacturers are also aiming at making a few value additions to the devices. Some of the foreseeable advancements in these devices will be the reduction in the size and increase the functionality, reliability, and longevity.The global market will be mainly fueled by the growing pool of geriatrics who will are require CRT devices, ICDs, and pacemakers for disease management. These devices are mainly used for managing conditions such as tachycardia, bradycardia, and congestive heart failure. The rampant prevalence of cardiovascular conditions has resulted in increased penetration of such devices in the healthcare sector. The remarkable improvement in these devices due to the evolution of batteries that are made them reliable over the years has also created tremendous scope for growth of the global market.The various types of power sources being used in the global market are lithium-iodine cells (Li/I2), lithium-silver vanadium oxide cell (Li/SVO), lithium-carbon mono-fluoride cells (Li/CFx), and lithium-manganese dioxide cells (Li/MnO2). Of these, the Li/SVO is expected to dominate the global market in the coming years, which will be closely followed by Li/I2. The demand for these power sources will be driven by the growing adoption of ICD and ICP devices and usage of ICD devices with pacemaker technology for disease management in the coming few years. The launch of leadless pacing is also fuelling manufacturers to develop batteries that are small in size and have improved longevity.Download exclusive Sample of this report:On the basis geography, the global market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa. Currently, North America holds a leading position the global market due to better healthcare infrastructure in the region. According to the American Heart Foundation, about 10,000 Americans receive an ICD device implant every month. This statistic is expected to push the ability of battery manufacturers to increase their sales and drive revenues in the region over the forecast period. However, analysts anticipate that Asia pacific will also rise with a significant CAGR due to vast unmet medical needs pertaining to cardiac disorders and a strong presence of battery manufacturers in the region.Some of the leading players operating in the global CRM devices batteries market are BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, Medtronic, Boston Scientific Corporation, St. Jude Medical, Inc., EaglePicher Technologies, LLC, Greatbatch, Inc. (Integer), and Quallion LLC.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.Contact us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Preservative Blends Market - Global Industry Analysis, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016-2024 | MRH

Chemical Industry

http://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1021157

http://www.marketresearchhub.com/report/preservative-blends-market-global-industry-analysis-size-share-growth-trends-and-forecast-2016-2024-report.html

http://www.marketresearchhub.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/market-research-hub

https://www.facebook.com/MarketResearchHub/

https://twitter.com/MktResearchHub

Market Research Hub (MRH) has recently published the latest market study to its online portal, which is titled as Preservative Blends Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024 This study offers professional analysis of the current state of Preservative Blends Market.Request Free Sample Report@Preservative blends are blends of preservative chemicals that are used to prevent fermentation and decomposition of product by microbial growth or other climatic conditions. It helps in extending the shelf life of the products to maintain the unique aroma, color and consistency of the product. The report estimates and forecasts the preservative blends market on the global and regional levels. The study provides forecast between 2016 and 2024 based on volume (Tons) and revenue (US$ Mn) with 2015 as the base year. The report comprises an exhaustive value chain analysis for each of the product segments. It provides a comprehensive view of the market. Value chain analysis also offers detailed information about value addition at each stage.The study includes drivers and restraints for the preservative blends market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period. The study also provides key market indicators affecting the growth of the market. The report analyzes opportunities in the preservative blends market on the global and regional level. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities mentioned in the report are justified through quantitative and qualitative data. These have been verified through primary and secondary resources. Furthermore, the report analyzes substitute analysis of preservative blends and global average price trend analysis.Secondary research sources that were typically referred to include, but were not limited to company websites, financial reports, annual reports, investor presentations, broker reports, and SEC filings. Other sources such as internal and external proprietary databases, statistical databases and market reports, news articles, national government documents, and webcasts specific to companies operating in the market have also been referred for the report. In-depth interviews and discussions with a wide range of key opinion leaders and industry participants were conducted to compile this research report. Primary research represents the bulk of research efforts, supplemented by extensive secondary research. Key players product literature, annual reports, press releases, and relevant documents were reviewed for competitive analysis and market understanding. This helped in validating and strengthening secondary research findings. Primary research further helped in developing the analysis teams expertise and market understanding.Global Preservative Blends Market: Research MethodologyThe report includes Porters Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the preservative blends market. The report comprises a qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein applications and countries have been analyzed based on attractiveness for each region. Growth rate, market size, raw material availability, profit margin, impact strength, technology, competition, and other factors (such as environmental and legal) have been evaluated in order to derive the general attractiveness of the market. The report comprises price trend analysis for preservative blends between 2016 and 2024.Global Preservative Blends Market: Segmentation AnalysisThe study provides a comprehensive view of the preservative blends market by dividing it into applications and geography segments. The preservative blends market has been segmented into beauty, home and personal care based on application. Application segment have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends.Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for preservative blends in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Market segmentation includes demand for individual applications in all the regions.Global Preservative Blends Market: Competitive OutlookThe report covers detailed competitive outlook that includes market share and profiles of key players operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report includes The Dow Chemical Company, Lanxess, Galaxy Surfactants Ltd., BASF SE, Clariant Chemicals and others. Company profiles include attributes such as company overview, number of employees, brand overview, key competitors, business overview, business strategies, recent/key developments, acquisitions, and financial overview (wherever applicable).The global preservative blends market has been segmented as follows:Preservative Blends Market - Product Analysis Parabens Formaldehyde Halogenated Alcohols Organic Acids OthersPreservative Blends Market - Application Analysis Beauty Home Personal careRead Full Report with TOC@Preservative Blends Market - Regional Analysis North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa Latin AmericaAbout Market Research Hub:Market Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of Market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Details:90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (US-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Email: press@marketresearchhub.comWebsite:Follow Us on:LinkedIn:Facebook:Twitter:
Global Smart Lighting Market by Lighting Types, Application and Connectivity Technology to grow with a CAGR of 17.1% by 2025 | The Insight Partners

http://www.theinsightpartners.com/reports/smart-lighting-market

http://www.theinsightpartners.com/sample/TIPTE100000112

http://www.theinsightpartners.com/discount/TIPTE100000112

http://www.theinsightpartners.com/buy/TIPTE100000112

The smart lighting is a technology that enables its users to govern the lighting of any space without being surrounded by unnecessary wires. Smart lighting is a part of upcoming IoT technology, facilitating mobile and sensor based control on the luminosity of lights in a particular space. The intelligent connected lighting offers ecofriendly environment and effectively reduces the consumption of energy. The global Smart Lighting market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.1% during the forecast period 2016  2025 and accounts for US$ 51.05 Bn in the year 2025.Browse market data tables and in-depth TOC of the Smart Lighting Market to 2025 @The global smart lighting market is fragmented on the basis of lighting Type into. Light Emitting Diode (LED) Lamp, Fluorescent Lamps, Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL), High Intensity Discharge Lamps and Others (Neon Lamps and Photographic Flashes). Furthermore the segmentation is based upon application of smart lighting viz. Industrial lighting, Commercial lighting, Residential lighting, Outdoor lighting, Automotive lighting and Government. According to the geographic regions, the market is segmented into Europe, Middle East & Africa (MEA), Asia Pacific (APAC), North America and South America (SAM). With many developing countries in the region of Middle East and Africa, it is expected to have the highest CAGR of 24.4% during the forecast period.The shortcoming of a wireless system are occasional disturbance in communications among the devices. When a wireless lighting system is installed in a place, one should always make sure that the keypads, processors and dimmers are within a specific range. For example, some old residential buildings may be constructed with metal wire integrated in the walls that might create disturbance or weaken the signals of a wireless system. Though it has certain drawbacks, it is expected to capture more than half of the lighting market in next few years. Thus, maximum companies are switching their product portfolio to wireless smart lighting solutions. Major players in this segment are Philips, GE, OSRAM and Daintree.Request Sample Copy @Now a days wireless connectivity is taking a leap over the wire abled connecting networks as wireless is more convenient to use. First this technology was used in the telephones now called as the mobile phones and since then the wireless technology has revolutionized the way things were viewed. Wireless technology has given its consumers freedom from the limited range of the wired devices.The wireless technology has become an integral part of day to day lifestyle. Wireless technologies like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and RF Ids are experiencing high adoption rate among users. The rising popularity of wireless technology in lighting solution is thus considered to be one of the major reasons driving the smart lighting market. The wireless lighting solutions are easy to control and help its customers to attain maximum energy saving.The lighting hardware is highly integrated and dependent on the software platform being used. As there is no common standard for wireless smart lighting products, the complete idea of various smart lighting devices networked together and the entire process of networking becomes complicated. For example, Philips employs ZigBee Light Link, GreenWave uses NXP JenNet-IP and Insteon uses its own wireless technology and all these are incompatible with each other. This incompatibility would result in inconvenience for the user as the choice of products and services will get limited by the platform being used, or else the entire operation of smart lighting would get complicated.Inquire about discount on this report @Major players in the global smart lighting market comprises of Osram Licht AG (Germany), Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.A), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherland), Eaton Corporation PLC. (Ireland), Digital Lumens Inc. (U.S.A), Lutron Electronics Company Inc. (U.S.A), General Electric Company (U.S.A), Legrand SA (France), Streetlight.Vision (France) and Acuity Brands Lighting Inc. (U.S.A).among others.Reasons to Buy Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies Highlights key smart lighting technologies thereby allowing organizations to gain revenues by focusing majorly on select products The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the smart lighting market, thereby allowing players across the value chain to develop effective long term strategies Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as the those hindering it Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution Examine the current and future impact of the five forces namely: bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, threat of substitutes, threat of new entrants and degree of competitionProcure Full Report @About The Insight Partners:The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Media, and Telecommunication industries.Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.com505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Global Corrugated and Paperboard Boxes Market 2017: Industry Research, Review, Growth, Segment and Analysis to 2022

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1643

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/request-toc/1643

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/shrink-sleeve-labels-market

Market ScenarioGrowth in food & beverages and e-commerce industries are the key drivers of with increasing e-commerce platforms, the demand for packaging has gone up, which in turn induces the market for corrugated and paperboard boxes globally. In emerging economies, there is a surge in e-commerce and online shopping portals which widens the scope for logistics and transportation and in turn fuels the market for corrugated and paperboard boxes.Regional Analysis of Global Corrugated and Paperboard Boxes MarketAPAC dominates the global corrugated and paperboard boxes market with its fastest growing market worldwide. The region is expected to show rapid growth in both food & beverages and e-commerce sectors leading to a fast growing corrugated and paperboard boxes market.However, North America holds an impressive market share of corrugated and paperboard boxes marketRequest a Sample Copy @Key PlayersThe key players of global Corrugated and Paperboard Boxes market report include- Mondi Group, Georgia-Pacific Corporation, International Paper, Smurfit Kappa Group, Graphic Packaging International, Inc., Cascades Inc., DS Smith Plc, Klabin S.A., Oji Holding Corporation, Nine Dragons Paper(Holding) Limited, Packaging Corporation Of America, Nippon Paper Industries Co. Ltd, Orora Packaging Australia Pty Ltd, Rengo Co., Ltd.Furthermore the increased consumption of packaged and processed foods has led to the growth corrugated and paperboard boxes.Target Audience Manufactures Raw material Suppliers Aftermarket suppliers Research Institute / Education Institute Potential Investors Key executive (CEO and COO) and strategy growth managerTaste the market data and market information presented through more than 50 market data tables and figures spread in 110 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on Global Corrugated and Paperboard Boxes Market Research Report - Forecast to 2022Request TOC, Tables, Figures and Companies @Study Objectives of Global Corrugated and Paperboard Boxes Market To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 6 years of various segments and sub-segments of the Global Corrugated and Paperboard Boxes Market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyze the global corrugated and paperboard boxes market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, APAC, and Rest of the World (RoW) To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by material, product, application and by region.The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regions.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:North America US CanadaEurope Germany France Italy Netherlands U.K. Rest of EuropeAPAC China India Japan Rest of Asia-PacificRoW South America Middle East AfricaRelated ReportGlobal Shrink Sleeve Labels Market Information by Type (Stretch, and Shrink), Material (PVC, PET-G, Expanded Polystyrene Films, PE, Polylactic Acid Films, and others), Application (Food & Beverage, Pharmaceuticals, Personal Care, and others) and region - Forecast to 2022.Know more about this report @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Waterproof Blankets Market 2017 - Pelican Manufacturing, Shenzhen JiaLiShun, Zhangzhou Merlin Furniture, Shenzhen Palm Beach Camping Manufactory, Jiangsu New Feeling Outdoors Manufacturing

http://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/32626/request-sample

https://goo.gl/RxUB28

www.fiormarkets.com

www.9dimenreports.com

Global Waterproof Blankets Market 2017, presents a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Waterproof Blankets market globally, providing basic overview of Waterproof Blankets market including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure, Waterproof Blankets Market report provides development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. Waterproof Blankets market size, share and end users are analyzed as well as segment markets by types, applications and companies.Download Sample Report @Extensive primary and secondary research capabilities have been used to prepare the report Global Waterproof Blankets Industry. The report on the Global Waterproof Blankets market presents accurate market estimates and forecasts backed by in-depth primary and secondary research. The research report delivers key insights verified by key industry participants. These include market-leading participants, key clients and consumers, and product vendors and distributors.Significant industry insights, industry expectations, and key developments have been covered in this research study. Further, a detailed evaluation of the most influential drivers that will fuel the growth of the Global Waterproof Blankets market is also present in the report. The key market restraints and opportunities is also analyzed by the report.Access Full Report With TOC @The report includes a detailed analysis of the Global Waterproof Blankets market based on different segments, which gives readers a clear perspective of the types of products, services, and technologies available in the market. The Global Waterproof Blankets market is expected to demonstrate positive growth in several segments. The key sectors and their sub-sectors have been listed in this report. The drivers fuelling the growth of the leading market segments, along with the details about the revenue these segments will generate is available in the report. Additionally, historical data about these sectors has also been included in this report. Besides the historical data, the emerging sectors in the Global Waterproof Blankets market are mentioned in this report.Geographic segments of the Global Waterproof Blankets market along with a detailed study on the prospects exhibited by the emerging regional markets of the Global Waterproof Blankets industry are included in the report. The regulatory scenario favouring the leading regions in the Global Waterproof Blankets market has been evaluated in the research study. Evaluation of the top market players along with their revenue shares and top strategies elaborated in the report will help new entrants or established players to form more informed decisions.Fior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Fior Markets provides you the full spectrum of services related to market research, and corroborate with the clients to increase the revenue stream, and address process gaps.Contact UsMark StoneSales Manager2566, Lincoln StreetPrinceton,New Jersey 08540USAPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
Human Microbiome Market is Driven by Rising Investments by Angel Investors and Venture Capital Firms: Forcast Upto 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/human-microbiome-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=3999

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

Since the global human microbiome market is in a nascent stage, a large number of players are entering into this market on a regular interval, which resultantly, is expected to intensify the competition within this market over the forthcoming years, finds a new research study by Transparency Market Research (TMR).Browse Market Research Report @The leading companies are concentrating on technological advancements and product innovations in order to strengthen their position in the global market in the near future. Mergers and acquisitions will also be a preferred strategy among participants looking for further expansion, reports the market study.Increasing Pool of Venture-cap Funded Startups to Ensure North Americas LeadThe research study further presents an exhaustive report on the geographical analysis of the worldwide human microbiome market. North America, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, Europe, and Latin America have been considered as the prime geographical segments of this market in this report. North America has emerged as the leading regional market for human microbiome, thanks to the early adoption of technology and the presence of a state-of-art medical and healthcare industry.This North American market is expected to remain on top over the forecast period on the ground of the increasing pool of venture-capital funded startups and the escalating investments by leading players for research and development of drugs in this region. The North America human microbiome therapeutics market is projected to rise at a CAGR of 9.10% between 2020 and 2024, whereas, the market for human microbiome diagnostics in North America will proliferate at a CAGR of 8.80% from 2018 to 2024, notes the study. The Europe market for human microbiome is projected to retain its second position over the next few years, thanks to the high investments by companies in this domain France.Rise in Clinical Trials for Gut Health-based Diseases to Boost MarketThe global human microbiome market is mainly driven by the rise in clinical trials for gut health-based diseases and the rising investments by angel investors and venture capital firms/individual venture capitalists in the research and development of human microbiome-based therapies, states the author of the study. With human microbiome being a relatively new and highly potent domain, drugmakers across the world have put a keen eye for it, which is materializing into increased capital investments. This, as a result, is likely to boost the worldwide market for human microbiome over the next few years.For more information on this report, fill the form @Although the opportunities in this market look rewarding, the current lack of certainty over the performance of these drugs in the long run over different individuals and the regulatory hurdles for approval are likely to create obstacles in the growth trajectory of this market in the near future, states the research report.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Frontier Pharma: Head and Neck Cancer - Immunotherapies and Signal Transduction Inhibitors Dominate First-in-Class Innovation

https://www.reportsworldwide.com/report/frontier-pharma-head-and-neck-cancer-immunotherapies-and-signal-transduction-inhibitors-dominate-first-in-class-innovation

https://www.reportsworldwide.com/enquiry?report_id=20940

ReportsWorldwide has announced the addition of a new report title Frontier Pharma: Head and Neck Cancer - Immunotherapies and Signal Transduction Inhibitors Dominate First-in-Class Innovation to its growing collection of premium market research reports.SummaryHead and neck squamous cell carcinoma is the sixth most common cancer, and its incidence is rising. The term head and neck cancer (HNC) comprises a number of malignancies that usually begin in the squamous cells that line the moist, mucosal surfaces inside the head and neck. These cancers develop inside the mouth, nose and throat. The annual incidence of head and neck cancers worldwide is more than 550,000 cases, with around 300,000 related deaths. Peak incidence occurs between the ages of 55 and 64.The HNC market is characterized by a small selection of marketed product options, consisting of chemotherapies, cancer immunotherapies and receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor products. The pipeline is moderately sized, with 340 products active across all stages of development. First-in-class products only constitute approximately a third of the pipeline, and represent 39% of products with a disclosed target. The most widely studied group of first-in-class targets are cancer immunotherapies. This has been heavily influenced by the success of Opdivo and Keytruda, which are used in the treatment of HNC (after 2016 FDA approvals) and other oncology indications. The first-in-class targets analyzed in this report have shown encouraging efficacy profiles, and some show the ability to chemosensitize cancer cells.To view a detailed description and Table of Contents please visit:Scope of the Report:- The report analyzes innovation in HNC in the context of the overall pipeline and current market landscape. It also analyzes the deals landscape surrounding first-in-class products, and pinpoints opportunities for in-licensing.- A brief introduction to HNC is provided, including symptoms, pathophysiology, and an overview of pharmacotherapy and treatment algorithms.- The changing molecular target landscape between the market and the pipeline is reviewed, including particular focal points of innovation in the pipeline.- A comprehensive review of the pipeline for first-in-class therapies, analyzed on the basis of stage of development, molecule type and molecular target is included.- First-in-class molecular targets are identified and assessed, with a particular focus on early-stage programs for which clinical utility has yet to be evaluated, as well as literature reviews on novel molecular targets.- An assessment is made of the licensing and co-development deal landscape for HNC therapies.To Get Sample Copy of Report please visit @Reasons to buyThis report will allow you to -- Understand the current clinical and commercial landscape, including a comprehensive study of disease pathogenesis, diagnosis, prognosis and the available treatment options.- Visualize the composition of the HNC market in terms of dominant molecule types and targets, highlighting what the current unmet needs are and how they can be addressed. This knowledge enables a competitive understanding of the gaps in the market.- Analyze the HNC pipeline, stratified by stage of development, molecule type and molecular target.- Assess the therapeutic potential of first-in-class targets. Using a proprietary matrix, first-in-class products have been assessed and ranked according to clinical potential. Promising early-stage targets have been further reviewed in greater detail.- Identify commercial opportunities in the HNC deals landscape by analyzing trends in licensing and co-development deals.About ReportsWorldwide.comReportsWorldwide.com is a leading provider of global market intelligence reports and services. With research reports from top publishers, consulting and advisory firms, ReportsWorldwide.com offers instant online access to a growing database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, geographies and trends.Press Contact:Abigail CrastoSenior Vice President101, Arch StreetBoston, MA 02110USPhone +1 (617) 398-4994Fax +1 (617) 398-4995abigail@reportsworldwide.com
Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) Market Forecast to 2023 with Share & Growth Projections in Key Product Segments

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/community-acquired-pneumonia-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=4314

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

Pneumonia is a lung infection caused by bacteria or viruses. Infection of pneumonia occurred due to social contact is referred as community acquired pneumonia (CAP). Pathogens that cause community acquired pneumonia (CAP) are Haemophilus influenza, Streptococcus pneumonia, atypical bacteria namely Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Legionella sp.Browse Market Research Report @Common symptoms of community acquired pneumonia include, cough, fever, chest pain, tachycardia, sudden loss of appetite, hypothermia, excessive fatigue, nausea, vomiting, migraine, blueness of skin, coughing up blood and rapid and painful breathing. Every year 4 million to 5 million new cases of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) are detected globally, out of which 25% of the cases require hospitalization. Based on the diagnosis type, the global community acquired pneumonia market is classified as follows:Chest radiographyLaboratory Testing> Blood Cultures> Sputum Testing> Urine Testing> Pneumococcal Antigen Testing> Creatine Phosphokinase (CPK) Levels> Ferritin Levels> C-reactive Protein (CRP) Levels> Procalcitonin Levels> OthersBased on the treatment, the global community acquired pneumonia market is segmented as follows:Antibiotic Therapy> Amoxicillin> Amoxicillin/Clavulanate> Ampicillin> Ceftriaxone> Azithromycin> Pencillin G> Cefotaxime> Ciprofloxacin> Levofloxacin< Others> Antiviral therapy> Ribavirin> Oseltamivir> Acyclovir> OthersRising incidences of the disease worldwide coupled with increasing awareness about availability of disease related treatments are the major factors that are driving the global community acquired pneumonia market towards growth. While on the other hand, rising drug resistance among disease causing pathogens is one of the major factors restraining the growth of the global community acquired pneumonia (CAP) market.For more information on this report, fill the form @Geographically, the global community acquired pneumonia (CAP) market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). North America comprises community acquired pneumonia (CAP) market for the U.S and Canada. Europe comprises cumulative market of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and Rest of Europe (RoE). Asia Pacific comprises cumulative market of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) in China, India, Australia, New Zealand and rest of Asia Pacific (RoAPAC). Rest of the World (RoW) comprises community acquired pneumonia (CAP) market in Latin America, Middle East and Russia. Europe and North America are dominating the global community acquired pneumonia (CAP) market. Highly developed healthcare infrastructure, high awareness about availability of diagnostic tests and treatment therapies coupled with presence of well structured regulatory framework are some of the factors that are driving the Europe and North American community acquired pneumonia market. Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period from 2014 to 2020. Rapidly improving healthcare infrastructure on the grounds of booming medical tourism industry in this region is the prime driver for growth of the community acquired pneumonia (CAP) market in Asia Pacific. In addition, swiftly rising disposable income, coupled with availability of government funds to improve healthcare facilities in the region are some other factors that are fueling the growth of the community acquired pneumonia (CAP) market in Asia Pacific region. India, Japan, China, and South Korea are the fastest growing markets in Asia Pacific region. Moreover, Argentina, Mexico and Brazil are the countries in Rest of the World (RoW) region that are expected to show faster growth in this region.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Magnesium Oxide Market 2017: Industry Review, Research, Statistics, and Growth to 2022

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1983

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/magnesium-oxide-market

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/phosphate-market

Market HighlightsGlobal Magnesium Oxide Market is increasing due to various industrial applications such as agriculture industry application, construction industry application and many others. The growing segments are fertilizer, animal feed, and water treatment and construction industry-related applications. In-addition to these industries including iron & steel, glass & ceramics is expected to grow during the forecasted period. As per analysis, emerging economies like China and U.S are increasing production with rise in use of Magnesium Oxide. APAC has been seen as a key market player in economy followed by North America, Europe and Row. global magnesium oxide market is expected to grow at the CAGR of more than 2.10 % from 2016 to 2022. with this it is predictable to cross USD 5.08 Billion by 2022The Global Magnesium Oxide Market has seen a growth over a period and is expected to grow at the same pace in the forecast period. In the product segment, dead-burned magnesia will remain the largest segment, accounting for over 55% value share in the entire magnesium oxide market in 2015. Increasing preference for fused magnesia as an alternative of dead burned magnesia is expected to be seen during the forecast period. Caustic calcined magnesia, which is primarily used as animal feed and fertilizers, is expected to witness a faster growth, with CAGR of 5.2% in terms of value during the forecast period.Request a Sample Copy @Economically developed countries like China and U.S have innovated technology which will allow Magnesium Oxide Market to grow in future. The Global Magnesium Oxide market is expected to reach USD of 8.02 Billion at the end of the forecasted period and is expected to grow at CAGR of more than 8.12% from 2016 to 2022.Key Players RHI AG Magnesita Refrat`rios, Magnezit Group SMZ Jelsava Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties Grecian Magnesite Premier Magnesia LLC Ube Industries Ltd. Israel Chemical Ltd Imerys Qinghua Refractory GroupAPAC will be the leading marketEconomically developed countries like China and U.S have innovated technology which will allow Magnesium Oxide Market to grow in future. The Global Magnesium Oxide market is expected to reach USD of 8.02 Billion at the end of the forecasted period and is expected to grow at CAGR of more than 8.12% from 2016 to 2022.North America, Europe and RoW are the growing market for Global Magnesium Oxide Market and are expected to grow at CAGR of 2.10% respectively from 2016 to 2022.APAC will rule the market for Global Magnesium Oxide, which is accounting USD of 5.08 Billion and is expected to grow over $XX Billion by 2022. With rise in development of emerging economies like China, India and Brazil contribute more share in the market.Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 50 market data tables and figures spread in 110 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on Global Magnesium Oxide Market Research Report- Forecast to 2022Table of Content1. Executive Summary2 Subjects of Report2.1 Market Definition2.2 Objective of Study2.2.1 Research Objectives2.2.2 Assumptions & Limitations2.3 Markets Structure3 Market Research Methodology3.1 Research Process3.2 Secondary Research3.3 Primary Research3.4 Forecast Model4 About Market4.1 Five Forces Analysis4.1.1 Threat of New Entrants4.1.2 Bargaining Power Of Buyers4.1.3 Threat Of Substitutes4.1.4 Segment Rivalry4.2 Value Chain/Supply Chain of Global Magnesium Oxide Market5 Overview of Global Magnesium Oxide MarketContinue.Browse full report @List of TablesTable 1 World Population by Major Regions (2015 To 2030) (Million)Table 2 Global Magnesium Oxide Markets: By Regions, 2014-2022 (USD Million)Table 3 North America Magnesium Oxide Market: By Countries, 2014-2022 (USD Million)Table 4 European Magnesium Oxide Market: 2014-2022 (USD Million)Table 5 Asia-Pacific Magnesium Oxide Market: By Countries, 2014-2022 (USD Million)Continue..List of FiguresFigure 1 Global Magnesium Oxide Market SegmentationFigure 2 Forecast MethodologyFigure 3 Five Forces Analysis Of Global Magnesium Oxide MarketFigure 4 Value Chain Of Global Magnesium Oxide MarketFigure 5 Share Of Global Magnesium Oxide Market In 2014, By Countries (In %)ContinueKey questions answered in this report What will the market size be in 2022 and what will the growth rate be? What are the key market trends? What is driving this market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in this market space? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?Related ReportsPhosphate Market Research Report, By Product Types (Rock, Acid, and Fertilizer), By Application (Agriculture, Animal Feed Supplements and others) by Production method (Wet Process and furnace process) - Forecast To 2022.Know more about this report @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Solenoid Valve Market valued at more than USD 4 Billion by Forecast to 2027

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/864

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/solenoid-valve-market

Market HighlightsGlobal Solenoid valve market has been growing rapidly from last couple of years and registered the CAGR of more than 4%. Currently this market has been valued at more than US $4 billion which is growing rapidly as demand from industries like oil and gas, water and wastewaters, chemical and petrochemical among others are increasing. Solenoid valve are becoming more popular these days as it can be controlled electronically and gives more effective and efficient result.Ask for your specific company profile and country level customization on report.Request a Sample Report @Key Players Curtiss-Wright Corporation Asco Valve Inc. Christian Burkert GmbH & Co. Kg GSR Ventiltechnik GmbH & Co. Kg Danfoss A/S Parker Hannifin Corporation IMI PLC Rotex Controls B.V. The Lee Company SMC CorporationRegional Analysis of Solenoid Valve MarketIn the year 2015 the largest markets for Solenoid valve were North America followed by Europe region. The main factor which is driving the market is increase in the demand for solenoid valve in various industries. North America holds more than XX% of market share followed by Europe which accounts for more than XX% of market share. Asia Pacific has emerged as fastest growing market which accounts for XX% of market share and growing with the CAGR rate of XX%.Market SegmentationThe Global Solenoid Valve market has been segmented on the basis of type, body material, operating type and end user industries. By type the market has been segmented as 2-way, 3-way, 4-way, and 5-way Solenoid Valves. On the basis of body material, the markets are- Brass Body, Stainless Steel, Aluminum Body and Plastic Body material. Operating type includes- Direct, Indirect and semi-direct. The end user industries for the solenoid valve are- Chemical & Petrochemical, Oil & Gas, Food & Beverages, Water & Wastewater, Power Generation, Automotive, Pharmaceutical, Medical and others.Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 85 market data tables and figures spread in 145 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on Global Solenoid valve Market Research Report- Forecast to 2027"Brief TOC of Global Solenoid Valve Market1 Executive Summary2 Scope of the Report2.1 Market Definition2.2 Scope of the Study2.3 Markets Structure3 Market Research Methodology3.1 Research Process3.2 Secondary Research3.3 Primary Research3.4 Forecast Model4 Market Landscape5 Industry Overview of Global Solenoid valve Market5.1 Introduction5.2 Growth Drivers5.3 Impact analysis5.4 Market ChallengesContinued.Browse full SV Market @Geographical Region includes:Americas North America US CanadaEurope Western Europe Germany France Italy Spain U.K Rest of Western Europe Eastern EuropeAsia Pacific Asia China India Japan South Korea Rest of AsiaStudy Objective of Solenoid Valve market To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the global Solenoid valve market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyze the Solenoid valve market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW) To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by type, by body material, by operating type and sub-segments. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global Solenoid valve marketAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact:Akash AnandMarket Research FutureMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Personal Care Packaging Market is expected grow at CAGR of 5.2% with market size of US $36.85 Billion by 2022

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1838

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/personal-care-packaging-market

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/1838

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/smart-packaging-market

Market Overview:The Global Personal Care Packaging Market rapidly growing at a CAGR of 5.2%, expected to cross USD $36, 85 Billion by the end of the forecasted period 2022.Personal Care packaging materials are often used in the packaging of health and beauty products to protect them from damage or contamination.Market Research Future, with their unique quality of simplifying the Market Reports, published yet another in-depth study Report - Global Personal Care Packaging MarketGlobal Personal Care Packaging Market report takes you through the full Market Analysis, Opportunities, Price, Growth, Trends and Featuring the market Predictions right up to the year 2022 and helps you to find out: How the market revenue is progressing globally. What are the key driving or affecting factors for the market growth? How the market revenue is progressing in various segments & geographies. Who are the emerging Players, current players & the Key Players (Leaders) of the market? Get yourself acquainted with their trends. What are the current main market trends responsible for shaping up the Market AcquisitionsRequest a Copy of Sample Report @Major Key Players Amcor Ltd. WestRock Company Saint-Gobain S.A Bemis Company Inc. Mondi Group Sonoco Products Company Albea Services S.A.S Gerresheimer AG Ampac Holdings, LLC AptarGroupSynopsis & ScenarioThe key drivers contributing to the growth of the Global Personal Care Packaging Market are awareness among the people about personal care and the increased investment by the packaging companies to bring technological advancement to the industry.Personal Care manufacturers are focusing upon the brand differentiation and thus are more stringent about the packaging of their products. Manufacturers have to provide a detailed description of every product to consumers, including safety reports, ingredient descriptions, statement of compliance, data on animal testing, and method of manufacturing.Personal Care packaging is widely used in applications such as skin care, cosmetics, fragrances and bath & shower products. Skin Care and hair care segments by products contributes highest to the overall growth. Materials such as glass and plastic are used for packaging such products.Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 50 market data tables and figures spread in 146 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on Global Personal Care Packaging Market Research Report - Forecast to 2022"Access Report Details @Market SegmentsSegmentation by Material: Comprises of Plastic, Glass, Metal, othersSegmentation by Product: Comprises of Bottles, Jars, Cans, Tubes, Pouches, and othersSegmentation by Application: Comprises of Skin Care, Cosmetics, Fragrances, Bath & Shower and othersSegmentation by Region  Comprises of Geographical Regions.Regional AnalysisAsia-Pacific is the fastest growing region, majorly owing to changing lifestyles, rising disposable income and growing awareness among consumers. The demand from the average households in India, China, Russia and Brazil is primarily responsible for the high demand of personal care products.Make an Enquiry @Browse Related ReportGlobal Smart Packaging Information by Technology (Active, Intelligent and MAP), by Application (Food & Beverages, Automotive, Healthcare, Personal Care and others), and Region - Forecast to 2022About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Oman: National Broadband Plan to Drive Expansion of Fiber Networks and Support Telecom Growth

https://www.reportsworldwide.com/enquiry?report_id=20041

https://www.reportsworldwide.com/report/oman-national-broadband-plan-to-drive-expansion-of-fiber-networks-and-support-telecom-growth

ReportsWorldwide has announced the addition of a new report title Oman: National Broadband Plan to Drive Expansion of Fiber Networks and Support Telecom Growth to its growing collection of premium market research reports."Oman: National Broadband Plan to Drive Expansion of Fiber Networks and Support Telecom Growth" a new Country Intelligence Report by GlobalData, provides an executive-level overview of the telecommunications market in Oman today, with detailed forecasts of key indicators up to 2021. Published annually, the report provides detailed analysis of the near-term opportunities, competitive dynamics and evolution of demand by service type and technology/platform across the fixed telephony, broadband and mobile sectors, as well as a review of key regulatory trends.In 2016, Oman generated estimated telecom service revenue of $1.9bn according to GlobalData. Revenue grew by 6.5% year-on-year, driven by fixed Internet and mobile data segments. GlobalData expects growth to improve over the forecast period (2016-2021) at a CAGR of 9.8%. The mobile data segment will be a key growth driver for the market, with its revenue growing at a CAGR of 24.9% over 2016-2021.During the next five years, operators should focus on network investments and upgrades and seize opportunities arising from growth in the mobile data segment.To Enquire about this Report please visit @Scope of the Research Report- The overall telecom service revenue in Oman is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.8% during 2016-2021.- Mobile revenue will account for 79.6% of total telecom revenue by the end of 2021, up from 76.5% in 2016.- The potential entry of a third mobile operator and launch of 4G services by MVNOs will cause competition in the mobile market to further intensify.To view a detailed description and Table of Contents please visit:Reasons to buy- This Country Intelligence Report offers a thorough, forward-looking analysis of Oman's telecommunications market, service providers and key opportunities in a concise format to help executives build proactive and profitable growth strategies.- Accompanying GlobalDatas Forecast products, the report examines the assumptions and drivers behind ongoing and upcoming trends in Oman's mobile communications, fixed telephony and broadband markets, including the evolution of service provider market shares.- With more than 20 charts and tables, the report is designed for an executive-level audience, boasting presentation quality.- The report provides an easily digestible market assessment for decision-makers built around in-depth information gathered from local market players, which enables executives to quickly get up to speed with the current and emerging trends in Oman's telecommunication market.- The broad perspective of the report coupled with comprehensive, actionable detail will help operators, equipment vendors and other telecom industry players succeed in the challenging telecommunications market in Oman.About ReportsWorldwide.comReportsWorldwide.com is a leading provider of global market intelligence reports and services. With research reports from top publishers, consulting and advisory firms, ReportsWorldwide.com offers instant online access to a growing database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, geographies and trends.Press Contact:Abigail CrastoSenior Vice President101, Arch StreetBoston, MA 02110USPhone +1 (617) 398-4994Fax +1 (617) 398-4995abigail@reportsworldwide.com
Kuwait: Launch of New Regulator and Expected Gradual Privatization of Fixed Segment to Drive Telecom Growth

https://www.reportsworldwide.com/enquiry?report_id=20042

https://www.reportsworldwide.com/report/kuwait-launch-of-new-regulator-and-expected-gradual-privatization-of-fixed-segment-to-drive-telecom-growth

ReportsWorldwide has announced the addition of a new report title Kuwait: Launch of New Regulator and Expected Gradual Privatization of Fixed Segment to Drive Telecom Growth to its growing collection of premium market research reports."Kuwait: Launch of New Regulator and Expected Gradual Privatization of Fixed Segment to Drive Telecom Growth" is a new Country Intelligence Report by GlobalData, provides an executive-level overview of the telecommunications market in Kuwait today, with detailed forecasts of key indicators up to 2021. Published annually, the report provides detailed analysis of the near-term opportunities, competitive dynamics and evolution of demand by service type and technology/platform across the fixed telephony, broadband, and mobile, as well as a review of key regulatory trends.The telecom service revenue in Kuwait is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% during 2016-2021, primarily driven by growth in the fixed and mobile data segments. Mobile data will be the largest revenue-contributing segment from 2017 onward, as operators continue to offer data and device bundles and expand LTE/LTE-A networks to cater to the rising data demand. The establishment of the Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) in February 2016 and the gradual privatization of the fixed segment will attract greater investments in the fixed market, offering ample opportunities for vendors and investors.To Enquire about this Report please visit @Scope of the Research Report- The overall telecom service revenue in Kuwait will grow at a CAGR of 4.5% during 2016-2021, mainly driven by growth in the fixed and mobile broadband segments.- Mobile revenue will account for 86.3% of the total telecom revenue in 2021; mobile data will witness a CAGR of 8.4% during 2016-2021.- The top two operators, Zain Kuwait and VIVA Kuwait, accounted for 69.7% share of overall service revenue in 2016. We expect competition to intensify as operators focus on innovative offerings and network upgrades to acquire customers. Establishment of new regulator CITRA, with its focus on privatization of fixed-line services, will open investment opportunities in the fixed sector.- Operators will continue to focus on leveraging the nationwide LTE network to offer M2M services as well as other applications and expansion of 4.5G services.To view a detailed description and Table of Contents please visit:Reasons to buy- This Country Intelligence Report offers a thorough, forward-looking analysis of Kuwait's telecommunications markets, service providers and key opportunities in a concise format to help executives build proactive and profitable growth strategies.- Accompanying GlobalDatas Forecast products, the report examines the assumptions and drivers behind ongoing and upcoming trends in Kuwait's mobile communications, fixed telephony, broadband markets, including the evolution of service provider market shares.- With more than 20 charts and tables, the report is designed for an executive-level audience, boasting presentation quality.- The report provides an easily digestible market assessment for decision-makers built around in-depth information gathered from local market players, which enables executives to quickly get up to speed with the current and emerging trends in Kuwait's telecommunications markets.- The broad perspective of the report coupled with comprehensive, actionable detail will help operators, equipment vendors and other telecom industry players succeed in the challenging telecommunications market in Kuwait.About ReportsWorldwide.comReportsWorldwide.com is a leading provider of global market intelligence reports and services. With research reports from top publishers, consulting and advisory firms, ReportsWorldwide.com offers instant online access to a growing database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, geographies and trends.Press Contact:Abigail CrastoSenior Vice President101, Arch StreetBoston, MA 02110USPhone +1 (617) 398-4994Fax +1 (617) 398-4995abigail@reportsworldwide.com
Honduras: Upcoming 3G and 4G Spectrum Allocations to Attract New Player and Drive Mobile Competition

https://www.reportsworldwide.com/enquiry?report_id=20043

https://www.reportsworldwide.com/report/honduras-upcoming-3g-and-4g-spectrum-allocations-to-attract-new-player-and-drive-mobile-competition

ReportsWorldwide has announced the addition of a new report title Honduras: Upcoming 3G and 4G Spectrum Allocations to Attract New Player and Drive Mobile Competition to its growing collection of premium market research reports.Honduras: Upcoming 3G and 4G Spectrum Allocations to Attract New Player and Drive Mobile Competition a new Country Intelligence Report by GlobalData, provides an executive-level overview of the telecommunications market in Honduras today, with detailed forecasts of key indicators up to 2021. Published annually, the report provides detailed analysis of the near-term opportunities, competitive dynamics and evolution of demand by service type and technology/platform across the fixed telephony, broadband, mobile and pay-TV sectors, as well as a review of key regulatory trends.With an estimated revenue of $1.1bn in 2016, the telecom and pay-TV services market in Honduras is the 15th largest in Latin America and the second-smallest in Central America, just above Nicaragua.To Enquire about this Report please visit @Scope of the Research Report- Competition in the Honduran telecom and pay-TV market has been stable in the recent years. Around 75% of total telecoms revenue is concentrated in the hands of top two players: Tigo and Claro, both offering mobile/fixed voice, broadband and pay-TV services. Hondutel, which also operates in the fixed and mobile communications segments, ranks in a third distant position.- Honduras continues to exhibit one of the lowest fixed-line penetration levels in the region. This can be mainly attributed to an historical lack of investment in network infrastructure, particularly outside the main cities.- The lack of reliable fixed-line infrastructure outside large urban areas and the popularization of mobile communications services across the country have pushed many Hondurans to opt for mobile technology as their primary form of communication.- The pay-TV market in reached a penetration rate of 18.7%, as of year-end 2016, one of the lowest Central America, indicating there is still quite a lot of room for growth in the market, particularly for those operators offering basic and entry pay-TV packages.To view a detailed description and Table of Contents please visit:Reasons to buy- This Country Intelligence Report offers a thorough, forward-looking analysis of Hondurass telecommunications and pay-TV markets, service providers and key opportunities in a concise format to help executives build proactive and profitable growth strategies.- Accompanying GlobalDatas Forecast products, the report examines the assumptions and drivers behind ongoing and upcoming trends in Hondurass mobile communications, fixed telephony/VoIP, broadband and pay-TV markets, including the evolution of service provider market shares.- With more than 20 charts and tables, the report is designed for an executive-level audience, boasting presentation quality.- The report provides an easily digestible market assessment for decision-makers built around in-depth information gathered from local market players, which enables executives to quickly get up to speed with the current and emerging trends in Hondurass telecommunications and pay-TV markets.- The broad perspective of the report coupled with comprehensive, actionable detail will help operators, equipment vendors and other telecom industry players succeed in the challenging telecommunications market in Honduras.About ReportsWorldwide.comReportsWorldwide.com is a leading provider of global market intelligence reports and services. With research reports from top publishers, consulting and advisory firms, ReportsWorldwide.com offers instant online access to a growing database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, geographies and trends.Press Contact:Abigail CrastoSenior Vice President101, Arch StreetBoston, MA 02110USPhone +1 (617) 398-4994Fax +1 (617) 398-4995abigail@reportsworldwide.com
In-depth research on B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma - Pipeline Review, H2 2016

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis/862980

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/862980

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/pressreleases

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/

"The Report B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma - Pipeline Review, H2 2016 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Global Markets Direct's latest Pharmaceutical and Healthcare disease pipeline guide B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Pipeline Review, H2 2016, provides an overview of the B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (Oncology) pipeline landscape.Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, NHL, or sometimes just lymphoma) is a cancer that starts in cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the body's immune system. The two main types of lymphocytes are B lymphocytes (B cells) and T lymphocytes (T cells). Cancer that starts from B lymphocytes (B cells) is known as B Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Common signs and symptoms of B Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma include swelling of the lymph nodes (which is often but not always painless), fever, night sweats, unexplained weight loss and lack of energy. Treatment includes surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.View Report @Report HighlightsGlobal Markets Direct's Pharmaceutical and Healthcare latest pipeline guide B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Pipeline Review, H2 2016, provides comprehensive information on the therapeutics under development for B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (Oncology), complete with analysis by stage of development, drug target, mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type. The guide covers the descriptive pharmacological action of the therapeutics, its complete research and development history and latest news and press releases.The B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (Oncology) pipeline guide also reviews of key players involved in therapeutic development for B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and features dormant and discontinued projects. The guide covers therapeutics under Development by Companies /Universities /Institutes, the molecules developed by Companies in Pre-Registration, Filing rejected/Withdrawn, Phase III, Phase II, Phase I, IND/CTA Filed, Preclinical, Discovery and Unknown stages are 5, 2, 17, 90, 57, 2, 68, 9 and 1 respectively for Similarly, the Universities portfolio in Phase II, Phase I, Preclinical and Discovery stages comprises 7, 4, 8 and 2 molecules, respectively for B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (Oncology) pipeline guide helps in identifying and tracking emerging players in the market and their portfolios, enhances decision making capabilities and helps to create effective counter strategies to gain competitive advantage. The guide is built using data and information sourced from Global Markets Directs proprietary databases, company/university websites, clinical trial registries, conferences, SEC filings, investor presentations and featured press releases from company/university sites and industry-specific third party sources. Additionally, various dynamic tracking processes ensure that the most recent developments are captured on a real time basis.Get Sample Copy of this Report @Scope- The pipeline guide provides a snapshot of the global therapeutic landscape of B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (Oncology).- The pipeline guide reviews pipeline therapeutics for B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (Oncology) by companies and universities/research institutes based on information derived from company and industry-specific sources.- The pipeline guide covers pipeline products based on several stages of development ranging from pre-registration till discovery and undisclosed stages.- The pipeline guide features descriptive drug profiles for the pipeline products which comprise, product description, descriptive licensing and collaboration details, R&D brief, MoA & other developmental activities.- The pipeline guide reviews key companies involved in B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (Oncology) therapeutics and enlists all their major and minor projects.- The pipeline guide evaluates B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (Oncology) therapeutics based on mechanism of action (MoA), drug target, route of administration (RoA) and molecule type.- The pipeline guide encapsulates all the dormant and discontinued pipeline projects.- The pipeline guide reviews latest news related to pipeline therapeutics for B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (Oncology)Reasons to buy- Procure strategically important competitor information, analysis, and insights to formulate effective R&D strategies.- Recognize emerging players with potentially strong product portfolio and create effective counter-strategies to gain competitive advantage.- Find and recognize significant and varied types of therapeutics under development for B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (Oncology).- Classify potential new clients or partners in the target demographic.- Develop tactical initiatives by understanding the focus areas of leading companies.- Plan mergers and acquisitions meritoriously by identifying key players and its most promising pipeline therapeutics.- Formulate corrective measures for pipeline projects by understanding B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (Oncology) pipeline depth and focus of Indication therapeutics.- Develop and design in-licensing and out-licensing strategies by identifying prospective partners with the most attractive projects to enhance and expand business potential and scope.- Adjust the therapeutic portfolio by recognizing discontinued projects and understand from the know-how what drove them from pipeline.Read our latest Press Release atAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA: Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Gallbladder Cancer Pipeline Review, H2 2016, Rising Applications across Healthcare Industry

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis/889483

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/889483

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/pressreleases

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/

"The Report Gallbladder Cancer - Pipeline Review, H2 2016 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Global Markets Direct's latest Pharmaceutical and Healthcare disease pipeline guide Gallbladder Cancer Pipeline Review, H2 2016, provides an overview of the Gallbladder Cancer (Oncology) pipeline landscape.Gallbladder cancer is a cancer that starts in the gallbladder. Symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea and/or vomiting, jaundice, loss of appetite, fever, itchy skin, dark urine and weight loss. Risk factors include overweight, age, family history, gallstones, gender and choledochal cysts. Treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.View Report @Report HighlightsGlobal Markets Direct's Pharmaceutical and Healthcare latest pipeline guide Gallbladder Cancer Pipeline Review, H2 2016, provides comprehensive information on the therapeutics under development for Gallbladder Cancer (Oncology), complete with analysis by stage of development, drug target, mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type. The guide covers the descriptive pharmacological action of the therapeutics, its complete research and development history and latest news and press releases.The Gallbladder Cancer (Oncology) pipeline guide also reviews of key players involved in therapeutic development for Gallbladder Cancer and features dormant and discontinued projects. The guide covers therapeutics under Development by Companies /Universities /Institutes, the molecules developed by Companies in Phase II and Phase I stages are 7 and 2 respectively. Similarly, the Universities portfolio in Phase I stages comprises 1 molecules, respectively.Gallbladder Cancer.Gallbladder Cancer (Oncology) pipeline guide helps in identifying and tracking emerging players in the market and their portfolios, enhances decision making capabilities and helps to create effective counter strategies to gain competitive advantage. The guide is built using data and information sourced from Global Markets Directs proprietary databases, company/university websites, clinical trial registries, conferences, SEC filings, investor presentations and featured press releases from company/university sites and industry-specific third party sources. Additionally, various dynamic tracking processes ensure that the most recent developments are captured on a real time basis.Get Sample Copy of this Report @Scope- The pipeline guide provides a snapshot of the global therapeutic landscape of Gallbladder Cancer (Oncology).- The pipeline guide reviews pipeline therapeutics for Gallbladder Cancer (Oncology) by companies and universities/research institutes based on information derived from company and industry-specific sources.- The pipeline guide covers pipeline products based on several stages of development ranging from pre-registration till discovery and undisclosed stages.- The pipeline guide features descriptive drug profiles for the pipeline products which comprise, product description, descriptive licensing and collaboration details, R&D brief, MoA & other developmental activities.- The pipeline guide reviews key companies involved in Gallbladder Cancer (Oncology) therapeutics and enlists all their major and minor projects.- The pipeline guide evaluates Gallbladder Cancer (Oncology) therapeutics based on mechanism of action (MoA), drug target, route of administration (RoA) and molecule type.- The pipeline guide encapsulates all the dormant and discontinued pipeline projects.- The pipeline guide reviews latest news related to pipeline therapeutics for Gallbladder Cancer (Oncology)Reasons to buy- Procure strategically important competitor information, analysis, and insights to formulate effective R&D strategies.- Recognize emerging players with potentially strong product portfolio and create effective counter-strategies to gain competitive advantage.- Find and recognize significant and varied types of therapeutics under development for Gallbladder Cancer (Oncology).- Classify potential new clients or partners in the target demographic.- Develop tactical initiatives by understanding the focus areas of leading companies.- Plan mergers and acquisitions meritoriously by identifying key players and its most promising pipeline therapeutics.- Formulate corrective measures for pipeline projects by understanding Gallbladder Cancer (Oncology) pipeline depth and focus of Indication therapeutics.- Develop and design in-licensing and out-licensing strategies by identifying prospective partners with the most attractive projects to enhance and expand business potential and scope.- Adjust the therapeutic portfolio by recognizing discontinued projects and understand from the know-how what drove them from pipeline.Read our latest Press Release atAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA: Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Metal Wire Mesh belt Market 2017 Key Manufacturers are: Wire Belt Company, Audubon, Omni Metalcraft, Keystone Manufacturing

http://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/44877/request-sample

https://goo.gl/kdjQOR

www.fiormarkets.com

www.9dimenreports.com

Global Metal Wire Mesh belt Market 2017, presents a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Metal Wire Mesh belt market globally, providing basic overview of Metal Wire Mesh belt market including Definitions, Classifications, Applications and Industry chain structure, Metal Wire Mesh belt Market report provides development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. Metal Wire Mesh belt market size, share and end users are analyzed as well as segment markets by types, applications and companies.Download Free Sample Report @Supported by comprehensive primary as well as secondary research, the report Global Metal Wire Mesh belt Industry 2017 presents profitable market insights. This market research report has deployed suggestions from numerous industry experts and also presents valuable recommendations from expert and experienced market analysts.The report incorporates restraints, Market Drivers, Opportunities, Challenges, Investment Potential, Future Roadmap, New innovations, Vendor Profiles, Market Trends and Strategies. The report also details market size forecasts for the global Metal Wire Mesh belt market. Additionally, further forecasts have been presented pertaining to the dominant segments of the Metal Wire Mesh belt market. The report is deployed along with numerous graphs, charts, and graphics for a better and vivid understanding of the market data.To add on, the report answers some key questions, which are as follows:What are the drivers impacting the market growth of the Metal Wire Mesh belt market?What will be the estimated Metal Wire Mesh belt market size and the CAGR at which the market will expand, by the end of the forecast horizon?Which geographical segments (regions) as well as sub-areas will expand at the most elevated rate during the forecast horizon?What are the primary strategies adopted by the emerging organizations in the Metal Wire Mesh belt market?How will the market dynamics be shaped by the end of the forecasting horizon?Access Full Report @A detailed evaluation of the leading vendors in the Metal Wire Mesh belt market is delivered and a description of how these top companies are focusing at the emerging markets around the world is conferred through this report. In addition to this, recent strategic mergers, partnerships, collaborations, and acquisitions taking place in the global Metal Wire Mesh belt market have been incorporated in this report.A section demonstrating the key recommendations for established players and new entrants is also exhibited in this study. Strategic recommendations from senior analysts provide a clear perspective with regard to the key strategies to be adopted to get the most benefit from entering the Metal Wire Mesh belt market.Fior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Fior Markets provides you the full spectrum of services related to market research, and corroborate with the clients to increase the revenue stream, and address process gapsMark StoneSales Manager2566, Lincoln StreetPrinceton,New Jersey 08540USAPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
Mobile VoIP Market 2016 by User Models, Revenue, Analysis and Forecast to 2020

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/global-mobile-voip-market-2016-2020

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001263456/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001263456/buying

http://www.reportsweb.com/buy&RW0001263456/buy/2500

VoIP functions on broadband networks using packet switched telephone networks (PSTNs), unlike traditional calls on circuit switched networks. PSTNs are more efficient than legacy systems (circuited switched networks), and information can be routed in packets over optimized paths. Mobile VoIP allows IP calls over mobile networks (3G/LTE) or fixed networks, such as wireless hotspots, Wi-Fi, and worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) networks. Mobile VoIP bypasses the originating mobile carrier's telephony network and allows inexpensive calls on mobiles through the Internet providers. It also offers low-cost international calls, and roaming calls, without the need for extensive infrastructures such as PCs and DSL modems. Therefore, it is a threat to traditional mobile voice revenues. Despite the many benefits of mVoIP, the disadvantages include poor speech quality and dropped calls due to latency or packet loss in the Internet service provider's network.Publisher's analysts forecast the global mobile voice over internet protocol (VoIP) market to grow at a CAGR of 28.47% during the period 2016-2020.Complete Report Available atCovered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global mobile voice over internet protocol (VoIP) market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the following:- The service revenue obtained from enterprise users- The service revenue obtained from individual premium users- The service revenue obtained from individual freemium usersPublisher's report, Global Mobile Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors- Big Ant- Cisco Jabber- HipChat- IBM Lotus Sametime- Facebook- Kakao Talk- Line- Skype- Viber- Vonage- WeChatGet Sample of the Report at:Other prominent vendors- 12VoIP- FaceTime- Fring- Google Hangouts- Grasshopper VoIP- magicJack- Mobiboo- One Horizon- PennyTel- Phone.com- RingCentral- StarSSIP- Talk360- TATA Communications- Tencent- TheDigest.com- T-Mobile VoIP- Truphone- Tu Me- VoIPVoIP- Vopium- Vyke- ZadarmaMarket driver- Elevated price variation between voice and data services- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge- Unreliable QoS- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend- Low total cost of ownership- For a full, detailed list, view our reportInquire about Report at:Table of Contents:PART 01: Executive summaryPART 02: Scope of the reportPART 03: Market research methodologyPART 04: IntroductionPART 05: Market landscapePART 06: Market segmentation by user modelsPART 07: Market driversPART 08: Impact of driversPART 09: Market challengesPART 10: Impact of drivers and challengesPART 11: Market trendsPART 12: Vendor landscapePART 13: AppendixPurchase this Premium Research Report at:. (Priced at US$ 2500).Contact Info:Name: Sameer JoshiEmail: sales@reportsweb.comOrganization: ReportsWebPhone: +1-646-491-9876ReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Inhaled Nitric Oxide Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022

Inhaled Nitric Oxide(Picture Courtesy)

http://bit.ly/2naaEc5

http://www.bigmarketresearch.com/global-inhaled-nitric-oxide-by-manufacturers-countries-type-and-application-forecast-to-2022-market

http://bit.ly/2oHvnks

http://www.bigmarketresearch.com

bigmarketresearch.com include new market research report Global Inhaled Nitric Oxide Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022" to its huge collection of research reports.Nitric oxide is a chemical compound in gas form that is sometimes used to treat infants with severe breathing problems associated with narrow blood vessels in the lungs. It works by relaxing smooth muscle to widen (dilate) blood vessels, especially in the lungs. Nitric oxide is usually used together with a breathing machine (ventilator).Request sample report @Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Inhaled Nitric Oxide in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversMallinckrodtCompany twoAir LiquideNovoterisMarket Segment by Type, covers99.92% Purity99.99% PurityOtherLay eyes on complete report @Market Segment by Applications, can be divided intoARDSPPHNOther DiseasesKey Chapters to deeply display the global Inhaled Nitric Oxide market :Chapter 1, to describe Inhaled Nitric Oxide Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Inhaled Nitric Oxide, with sales, revenue, and price of Inhaled Nitric Oxide, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Inhaled Nitric Oxide, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Inhaled Nitric Oxide market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Inhaled Nitric Oxide sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceAsk for discount @About Company :Big Market Research uniqueness lies in its highly ethical reports at economical rates because we value your relationship and growth more than money. Your growth is our aim. With the arsenal of different search reports, we help you here to look and buy research reports that will be helpful to you and your organization. Our research reports have the capability and authenticity to support your organization for growth and consistency.Contact Us :5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United StatesDirect :+ 1-503-894-6022Toll Free : + 1-800-910-6452Email: help@bigmarketresearch.comWeb:
Europe Fuel Cards Southern Markets 2016 Industry Key Trends, Size, Growth, Shares And Forecast Research Report

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=984847

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=984847

http://www.researchmoz.us/

http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG

Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Fuel Cards in Europe, Southern Markets 2016" to its huge collection of research reports.Fuel Cards in Southern Europe 2016 is invaluable for issuers of fleet cards, fuel retailers, fleet leasing companies and other suppliers to the sector. Based on research with issuers and fuel retailers it provides commercial (B2B) fuel card volume (split by fleet and CRT), value and market share forecasts to 2021, key data on independent and oil company card issuers and an analysis of fuel card competition in Southern Europe.Key Findings- The number of fleet cards in Southern Europe have grown annually between 2011 and 2016, however only 7.2% of commercial fleet vehicles will own fuel cards in 2016. The total number of service stations in Greece declined by 0.4% in 2015 totaling 6,477 service stations.- Fuel card volumes will account for 29.0% of total fuel sold in Portugal in 2021 , as it increases annually between 2016 and 2021. Petrol Ofisi maintained its market share in 2015 as it continued to be the dominant fuel card market leader accounting for 24.3% in 2015, as clients were drawn to its large card acceptance network which covers 18.6% of sites in Turkey.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @SynopsisWhile over 60% of CRT vehicles in Southern Europe continue to use company run depots, this proportion will decline towards 2021 as many CRT fleets will expand their businesses internationallyReasons To Buy- Plan effective market entry strategies by uncovering current and future volumes and values of the Southern European fuel card markets. Assess whether you should increase network acceptance of your card and identify potential new merchants by uncovering the position of competitors.- Whether you are an issuer, a processor, a leasing company or a fuel retailer, make informed pitches to partners by understanding their business.- Enhance fuel sales at your service stations by identifying which fuel cards you should accept based on their market shares and network acceptance.Table of ContentsMarket OverviewMarket SizeMarket ForecastChannel SharesMajor Competitors Market SharesMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Global Homecare Telehealth Market Research Report 2017 Industry Analysis, Size, Shares, Growth and Forecast

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/975806

This report studies Homecare Telehealth in Global market, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with capacity, production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringBiotronik SE & Co. KGBoston Scientific CorporationCAS Medical SystemsCONTEC MEDICALDragerwerkGE HealthcareGuangdong Biolight MeditechMedtronic, Inc.Mindray MedicalNihon KohdenPhilips HealthcareSpacelabs HealthcareSt. Jude Medical, Inc.Market Segment by Regions, this report splits Global into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate of Homecare Telehealth in these regions, from 2011 to 2021 (forecast), likeNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaSplit by product type, with production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoExternal Remote Patient Monitoring DevicesImplantable Remote Patient Monitoring DevicesSplit by application, this report focuses on consumption, market share and growth rate of Homecare Telehealth in each application, can be divided intoHomeHospitalGet Sample Copy of This Report :Table of ContentsGlobal Homecare Telehealth Market Research Report 20171 Homecare Telehealth Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Homecare Telehealth1.2 Homecare Telehealth Segment by Type1.2.1 Global Production Market Share of Homecare Telehealth by Type in 20151.2.2 External Remote Patient Monitoring Devices1.2.3 Implantable Remote Patient Monitoring Devices1.3 Homecare Telehealth Segment by Application1.3.1 Homecare Telehealth Consumption Market Share by Application in 20151.3.2 Home1.3.3 Hospital1.3.4 Application 31.4 Homecare Telehealth Market by Region1.4.1 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Homecare Telehealth (2012-2022)2 Global Homecare Telehealth Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Homecare Telehealth Production and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 Global Homecare Telehealth Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.3 Global Homecare Telehealth Average Price by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.4 Manufacturers Homecare Telehealth Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Homecare Telehealth Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Homecare Telehealth Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Homecare Telehealth Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Homecare Telehealth Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Homecare Telehealth Production by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Homecare Telehealth Production Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Homecare Telehealth Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Homecare Telehealth Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Homecare Telehealth Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Homecare Telehealth Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Homecare Telehealth Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Homecare Telehealth Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 Southeast Asia Homecare Telehealth Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Homecare Telehealth Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Homecare Telehealth Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2012-2017)4.1 Global Homecare Telehealth Consumption by Regions (2012-2017)4.2 North America Homecare Telehealth Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Homecare Telehealth Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Homecare Telehealth Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Homecare Telehealth Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Homecare Telehealth Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Homecare Telehealth Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Homecare Telehealth Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Homecare Telehealth Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Homecare Telehealth Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Homecare Telehealth Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Homecare Telehealth Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)6 Global Homecare Telehealth Market Analysis by Application6.1 Global Homecare Telehealth Consumption and Market Share by Application (2012-2017)6.2 Global Homecare Telehealth Consumption Growth Rate by Application (2012-2017)6.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities6.3.1 Potential Applications6.3.2 Emerging Markets/CountriesMarketResearchReports.biz supports your business intelligence needs with over 100,000 market research reports, company profiles, data books, and regional market data sheets in its repository. Our document database is updated by the hour, which means that you always have access to fresh data spanning over 300 industries and their sub-segments.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Organic Personal Care Market Size, Share, Analysis, Report and forecast to 2022

http://www.strategymrc.com/report/organic-personal-care-market

http://www.strategymrc.com/report/organic-personal-care-market

According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Organic Personal Care market is estimated at $10.64 billion in 2015 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.6% to reach $19.83 billion by 2022. Increasing customer awareness about personal hygiene is expected to support the market growth over the forecast period. Personal care products market is observing paradigm move from artificial to organic personal care products. This can be endorsed to environmental and health hazards allied with the use of artificial personal care products, which consists of toxic chemicals such as parabens, aluminum salts, phthalates and petroleum based chemicals etc.The biggest segment in the natural and organic personal care product market is skin care product, followed by hair care and oral care. On the other hand, hair care product segment is anticipated to exhibit fast growth during the forecast period as compared to other segments. Oral care is another important segment of this industry. North America is considered to be the leading market for natural and organic personal care product followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific. Moreover, Europe is expected to be the second largest market in terms of demand. Japan is predicted to register the best ever growth in the global organic personal care products market.Some of the key players in the global Organic Personal Care market are Yves Rocher, WELEDA Inc, The Hain Celestial Group, The Body Shop, Natura Cosmeticos S.A, L'Occitane en Provence, LOreal Group , Kiehls, Estee Lauder, Burts Bee, Bare Escentuals, Aveda Corporation, Arbonne International, Amway and KORRES Group.For More, Please Visit:Products Covered: Hair Care Cosmetics Skin Care Oral care Other Productso Feminine hygiene productso DeodorantsRegions Covered: North Americao USo Canadao Mexico Europeo Germanyo Franceo Italyo UKo Spaino Rest of Europe Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao Indiao Australiao New Zealando Rest of Asia Pacific Rest of the Worldo Middle Easto Brazilo Argentinao South Africao EgyptWhat our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 7 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsFor More, Please Visit:We offer wide spectrum of research and consulting services with in-depth knowledge of different industries. We are known for customized research services, consulting services and Full Time Equivalent (FTE) services in the research world. We explore the market trends and draw our insights with valid assessments and analytical views. We use advanced techniques and tools among the quantitative and qualitative methodologies to identify the market trends. Our research reports and publications are routed to help our clients to design their business models and enhance their business growth in the competitive market scenario. We have a strong team with hand-picked consultants including project managers, implementers, industry experts, researchers, research evaluators and analysts with years of experience in delivering the complex projects.STRATISTICS MRC17049 King James Way, Gaithersburg,MD, 20877, USA
Personal Accident and Health Insurance in Uruguay, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/984807

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketresearchreports-biz

Timetrics 'Personal Accident and Health Insurance in Uruguay Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020' report provides a detailed outlook by product category for the Uruguayan life insurance segment, and a comparison of the Uruguayan insurance industry with its regional counterparts.It provides key performance indicators such as written premium, incurred loss, loss ratio, commissions and expenses, combined ratio, total assets, total investment income and retentions during the review period (20112015) and forecast period (20152020).The report also analyzes distribution channels operating in the segment, gives a comprehensive overview of the Uruguayan economy and demographics, and provides detailed information on the competitive landscape in the country.The report brings together Timetrics research, modeling and analysis expertise, giving insurers access to information on segment dynamics and competitive advantages, and profiles of insurers operating in the country. The report also includes details of insurance regulations, and recent changes in the regulatory structure.SummaryTimetrics 'Personal Accident and Health Insurance in Uruguay Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020' report provides in-depth market analysis, information and insights into the Uruguayan personal accident and health insurance segment, including:An overview of the Uruguayan personal accident and health insurance segmentThe Uruguayan personal accident and health insurance segments growth prospects by categoryA comprehensive overview of the Uruguayan economy and demographicsA comparison of the Uruguayan personal accident and health insurance segment with its regional counterpartsThe various distribution channels in the Uruguayan personal accident and health insurance segmentDetails of the competitive landscape in the personal accident and health insurance segment in UruguayDetails of regulatory policy applicable to the Uruguayan insurance industryScopeThis report provides a comprehensive analysis of the personal accident and health insurance segment in Uruguay:It provides historical values for the Uruguayan personal accident and health insurance segment for the reports 20112015 review period, and projected figures for the 20152020 forecast period.It offers a detailed analysis of the key categories in the Uruguayan personal accident and health insurance segment, and market forecasts to 2020.It provides a comparison of the Uruguayan personal accident and health insurance segment with its regional counterpartsIt provides an overview of the various distribution channels for personal accident and health insurance products in Uruguay.It profiles the top personal accident and health insurance companies in Uruguay, and outlines the key regulations affecting them.Reasons To BuyMake strategic business decisions using in-depth historic and forecast market data related to the Uruguayan personal accident and health insurance segment, and each category within it.Understand the demand-side dynamics, key market trends and growth opportunities in the Uruguayan personal accident and health insurance segment.Assess the competitive dynamics in the personal accident and health insurance segment.Identify growth opportunities and market dynamics in key product categories.Gain insights into key regulations governing the Uruguayan insurance industry, and their impact on companies and the industry's future.Key HighlightsUruguay permits 100.0% foreign direct investment (FDI) in the insurance industry.In July 2015, through its subsidiary Grupo de Inversiones Suramericana, Sura Group acquired Royal & Sun Alliance Seguros (Uruguay) SA for UYU22.3 billion (US$614.0 million).Sancor Seguros provides a comprehensive health insurance plan, which includes medical expenses incurred outside of the country.Download Sample Copy of This Report at:About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports.MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients.We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated researchreports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and typesof companies spanning across various industries.ContactState Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.bizFollow us on LinkedIn:
Global Offshore Supply Vessel (OSV) Markets & Operations 2016-2021 driven by rise in demand for Oil& Gas - Market By Types & Regions, Opportunities and Forecast

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1045358

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=1045358

http://www.researchmoz.us/

http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG

Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Offshore Supply Vessel (OSV) Market: Analysis By Type, By Depth, By Region: Opportunities and Forecasts (2016-2021) - By Type (AHTS, PSV, Others), By Depth (Shallow Water, Deep water), By Region (North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, Middle-East, RoW)" to its huge collection of research reports.A comprehensive research report created through extensive primary research (inputs from industry experts, companies, stakeholders) and secondary research, the report aims to present the analysis of global offshore supply vessels market on the basis of Type (AHTS, PSV & Others), Depth (Shallow water and Deep water) and Region (North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, Middle-East & RoW).Global Offshore Supply Vessels Market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 6.03% during 2016  2021. The strong growth in offshore supply vessels is driven by rise in demand for Oil& Gas globally, increase in offshore drilling activities and growth in production & exploration activities. Moreover, companies operating in this market are focusing on investments in R&D for continuous innovation and strengthening their positions in the market by targeted acquisitions and product expansions. Bourbon, Tidewater Inc., Maersk Supply Services, Edison Chouest Offshore, SIEM offshore Inc., Farstad Shipping ASA are the major players in the market.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Demand for AHTS vessels is projected to display a faster growth than PSV and other vessels. The surging demand for floating production systems coupled with movement towards deeper water basins are some of the major trends affecting the growth of the said market in the near future. Among the regions, the South American region is predicted to advance at the highest rate, mainly driven by the rich unexplored hydrocarbon reserves as well as rise in the offshore drilling activities.According to Azoth Analytics research report, Global Offshore Supply Vessel (OSV) Market: Analysis By Type, By Depth, By Region: Opportunities and Forecasts (2016-2021), Global Offshore Supply Vessels market is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 6.03% during 2016 - 2021.Scope of the ReportGlobal Market (Actual Period: 2011-2015, Forecast Period: 2016E-2021)- Offshore Supply Vessel Market  Volume, Value and Forecast- Offshore Supply Vessel Market By Type- AHTS  Volume, Value and Forecast- PSV - Volume, Value and Forecast- Others - Crew Boats, ERRV, FSV, Seismic Supply Vessel, Installation Vessels - Volume, Value and Forecast- Offshore Supply Vessel Market By Method- Shallow water- Deep waterRegional Markets - N. America, S. America, Europe, APAC, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Rest of the World (Actual Period: 2011-2015, Forecast Period: 2016E-2021)- Offshore Supply Vessel Market By Type- AHTS  Volume, Value and Forecast- PSV - Volume, Value and Forecast- Others - Crew Boats, ERRV, FSV, Seismic Supply Vessel, Installation Vessels - Volume, Value and Forecast- Offshore Supply Vessel Market By Method- Shallow water- Deep waterOther Report Highlights- Market Dynamics  Trends, Drivers, Challenges- Policy and Regulation- SWOT Analysis- Porters Five Forces Analysis- Company Analysis - Bourbon, Tidewater Inc., Maersk Supply Services, Edison Chouest Offshore, SIEM offshore Inc., Farstad Shipping ASA, SEACOR Marine, Hornbeck Offshore, GulfMarket Offshore, Swire Pacific OffshoreCustomization of the ReportThe report could be customized according to the clients specific research requirements. No additional cost will be required to pay for limited additional research.Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Intelligent Emergency Response System Industry Research Report 2025 - Analysis and Future Trends |The Insight Partners

http://www.theinsightpartners.com/sample/TIPTE100000178

http://www.theinsightpartners.com/inquiry/TIPTE100000178

http://www.theinsightpartners.com/discount/TIPTE100000178

The Intelligent Emergency Response System Market report categories the global market by Type, Applications, End-users and Geography report provides a detailed overview of the major factors impacting the global market with the market share analysis and revenues of various sub segments.In the recent past, Natural disasters and man-made catastrophes such as floods, earthquakes, fire, hijacking, terrorist attacks, and others, have been witnessed all over the world causing severe destruction to global economies and loss of human life. In such situations, prompt security and urgent medical help is required. Intelligent emergency response system is proved to be helpful in such disasters by tackling such disastrous situations. Technological developments have made it conceivable to connect, alert and share information to a huge mass in a short period. Intelligent emergency response system is a prime illustration of technological progression that aids in strengthening security through sending alerts to the medical teams, government authorities and civilians while such emergency situations. During emergency circumstances for example fire in buildings, it becomes extremely difficult for evacuees to look for the nearest evacuation path. Emergency response system plays a vital role by helping evacuees find the safest path in situation of emergencies and evade the rush.Fast adoption of technological advancements such as Internet of Things (IoT) in the developed countries as well as urban regions is propelling the global market for intelligent emergency response system. Moreover, governments and other responsible authorities are also encouraging the installation of these systems, concerning about the large crowd and high risk factors involved. Threat of terrorism and homeland security is another major concern of the governments driving the market growth. Fast adoption of these systems has been noticed in highly crowded places such as stadiums, shopping malls and auditoriums due to serious threat of terrorism and thus, need for security is mandatory in such places. Also, upsurge in mining industries, awareness about significance of security, hazardous industries, up-gradation of architecture with up-to-date emergency systems are other factors propelling the demand for the global intelligent emergency response market. However, scarceness of interoperability amongst products and absence or lack of awareness regarding technical features restraining the growth of the market.Request Sample Copy @North America holds the largest share of the global intelligent emergency response systems market and Europe being the second holder. Growing need for new regulations & standards to regenerate emergency response in the countries is the key reason of the growing demand in North America and Europe. APAC is anticipated to be the fastest growing market in the near future, owing to increasing adoption of improved technological solutions in emergency circumstances.Segmentations Covered in the Intelligent Emergency Response System Market Application : Energy & Power, Government, Defense, Industrial, Healthcare, Education, Oil & Gas, Mining, Residential Component : Wireless Chipsets, Display & Lighting, Access Control, Detectors, Sensors, Programmable Logic Controller, Optoelectronics System : Signage, Video Surveillance System, Back-up Power Generators, Communication System, Broadcasting Systems, Perimeter Intrusion System Geographical Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East & Africa (MEA), South America (SAM)Some of the leading players in Intelligent Emergency Response System Market Report Cooper Industries PLC Honeywell, Inc. Safeguard Communications UK LTD Pageone ATI Systems (Acoustic Technology, Inc.) Siemens Ag Everbridge Inc. Criticall Ltd. Mircom Technologies Ltd. Spectrarep, Llc. Vocal Technologies United Technologies Corporation Phoenix It Group Hiplink Software F 24 Ag Digital Acoustics Criticall Ltd.Access Full Report @Reason to buy Highlights widely used product offerings thereby allowing organizations to gain revenues by focusing majorly on select products The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Intelligent Emergency Response System market, thereby allowing players across the value chain to develop effective long term strategies Get reliable information about the strategies manufacturers in this market use to drive revenue Gain insights into the competitive landscape, to strengthen market competitiveness and positioning Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets Scrutinize in-depth global market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the market, as well as the those hindering it Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution Examine the current and future impact of the five forces namely: bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, threat of substitutes, threat of new entrants and degree of competitionInquire about discount on this report @About The Insight Partners:The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Media, and Telecommunication industries.Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.comAbout The Insight Partners:The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Media, and Telecommunication industries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Personal Accident and Health Insurance in Japan, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/954968

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketresearchreports-biz

Timetrics 'Personal Accident and Health Insurance in Japan, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020' report provides a detailed outlook by product category for the Japanese personal accident and health insurance segment, and a comparison of the Japanese insurance industry with its regional counterparts.It provides key performance indicators such as written premium, incurred loss, loss ratio, commissions and expenses, combined ratio, total assets, total investment income and retentions during the review period (20112015) and forecast period (20152020).The report also analyzes distribution channels operating in the segment, gives a comprehensive overview of the Japanese economy and demographics, and provides detailed information on the competitive landscape in the country.The report brings together Timetrics research, modeling and analysis expertise, giving insurers access to information on segment dynamics and competitive advantages, and profiles of insurers operating in the country. The report also includes details of insurance regulations, and recent changes in the regulatory structure.SummaryTimetrics 'Personal Accident and Health Insurance in Japan, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020' report provides in-depth market analysis, information and insights into the Japanese personal accident and health insurance segment, including:An overview of the Japanese personal accident and health insurance segmentThe Japanese personal accident and health insurance segments growth prospects by categoryA comprehensive overview of the Japanese economy and demographicsA comparison of the Japanese personal accident and health insurance segment with its regional counterpartsThe various distribution channels in the Japanese personal accident and health insurance segmentDetails of the competitive landscape in the personal accident and health insurance segment in JapanDetails of regulatory policy applicable to the Japanese insurance industryScopeThis report provides a comprehensive analysis of the personal accident and health insurance segment in Japan:It provides historical values for the Japanese personal accident and health insurance segment for the reports 20112015 review period, and projected figures for the 20152020 forecast period.It offers a detailed analysis of the key categories in the Japanese personal accident and health insurance segment, and market forecasts to 2020.It provides a comparison of the Japanese personal accident and health insurance segment with its regional counterpartsIt provides an overview of the various distribution channels for personal accident and health insurance products in Japan.It profiles the top personal accident and health insurance companies in Japan, and outlines the key regulations affecting them.Reasons To BuyMake strategic business decisions using in-depth historic and forecast market data related to the Japanese personal accident and health insurance segment, and each category within it.Understand the demand-side dynamics, key market trends and growth opportunities in the Japanese personal accident and health insurance segment.Assess the competitive dynamics in the personal accident and health insurance segment.Identify growth opportunities and market dynamics in key product categories.Gain insights into key regulations governing the Japanese insurance industry, and their impact on companies and the industry's future.Key HighlightsHealth insurance dominated the Japanese personal accident and health segment, with a direct written premium share of 84.2% in 2015.Japanese personal accident and health insurance penetration stood at 1.74% in 2015.EHI is a workplace-based health scheme covering employees and dependent family members. It is compulsory for companies employing more than five individuals to provide medical insurance for employees and their dependents.Japans population is falling due to the declining birth rate and high mortality rate. The countrys total population fell from 127.6 million in 2011 to 126.8 million in 2015.Factors such as the depreciation of the yen and low consumer confidence in travelling due to increasing terrorist attacks were the reasons behind the fall in outbound tourism.Download Sample Copy of This Report at:About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports.MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients.We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated researchreports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and typesof companies spanning across various industries.ContactState Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.bizFollow us on LinkedIn:
Global UAV Battery Market Value Estimated To Grow With A Healthy CAGR Rate During 2017-2022

http://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/248348

http://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/2017-market-research-report-on-global-uav-battery-industry

http://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/248348

In our aim to provide our erudite clients with the best research material with absolute in-depth information of the market, our new report on Global UAV Battery Market is confident in meeting their needs and expectations. The 2017 market research report on Global UAV Battery Market is an in-depth study and analysis of the market by our industry experts with unparalleled domain knowledge. The report will shed light on many critical points and trends of the industry which are useful for our esteemed clients. The report covers a vast expanse of information including an overview, comprehensive analysis, definitions and classifications, applications, and expert opinions, among others. With the extent of information filled in the report, the presentation and style of the Global UAV Battery Market report is a noteworthy.Request a sample of this report @The Global UAV Battery Industry report provides key information about the industry, including invaluable facts and figures, expert opinions, and the latest developments across the globe. Not only does the report cover a holistic view of the industry from a global standpoint, but it also covers individual regions and their development. The Global UAV Battery Industry market report showcases the latest trends in the global and regional markets on all critical parameters which include technology, supplies, capacity, production, profit, price, and competition. The key players covered in the report provide a detailed analysis of the competition and their developments in the Global UAV Battery Industry. Accurate forecasts and expert opinion from credible sources, and the recent R&D development in the industry is also a mainstay of the UAV Battery Market report.The report also focuses on the significance of industry chain analysis and all variables, both upstream and downstream. These include equipment and raw materials, client surveys, marketing channels, and industry trends and proposals. Other significant information covering consumption, key regions and distributors, and raw material suppliers are also a covered in this report.Browse the complete report @Finally, the UAV Battery Market report ends with a detailed SWOT analysis of the market, investment feasibility and returns, and development trends and forecasts. As with every report on Orbis Research, the UAV Battery Industry is the holy grail of information which serious knowledge seekers can benefit from.If you have any enquiry before buying a copy of this report @Major Points from Table of Content:Chapter One: UAV Battery Market OverviewChapter Two: Global UAV Battery Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter Three: Global UAV Battery Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)Chapter Four: Global UAV Battery Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)Chapter Five: Global UAV Battery Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter Six: Global UAV Battery Market Analysis by ApplicationChapter Seven: Global UAV Battery Manufacturers Profiles/AnalysisChapter Eight: UAV Battery Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter Nine: Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter Ten: Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter Eleven: Market Effect Factors AnalysisChapter Twelve: Global UAV Battery Market Forecast (2017-2022)Chapter Thirteen: Research Findings and ConclusionChapter Fourteen: AppendixList of Figure:Table Research Programs/Design for This ReportFigure Bottom-up and Top-down Approaches for This ReportFigure Data TriangulationTable Key Data Information from Secondary SourcesTable Key Data Information from Primary SourcesTable Global UAV Battery Output () and Growth Rate (%) Comparison by Types (2016-2022)Figure Global UAV Battery Output Market Share (%) by Types in 2016Figure Product Picture of Lithium ion (Li-ion)Table Major Manufacturers of Lithium ion (Li-ion)Figure Product Picture of Lithium iron phoshate (LiFePO4)Table Major Manufacturers of Lithium iron phoshate (LiFePO4)Figure Product Picture of Lithium polymer (LiPo)Table Major Manufacturers of Lithium polymer (LiPo)Figure Product Picture of LithiumSulfur BatteryTable Major Manufacturers of LithiumSulfur BatteryTable Global UAV Battery Consumption () Comparison by Applications (2012-2022)Figure Global UAV Battery Consumption Market Share (%) by Applications in 2016Figure UAV ExamplesFigure Other ExamplesFigure Global UAV Battery Revenue (Million USD) Comparison by Regions (2012-2022)Table UAV Battery Revenue (Million USD) Comparison by Regions (2012-2022)Figure United States UAV Battery Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure China UAV Battery Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure EU UAV Battery Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Continued..About Us:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Contact Us:Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019Email at: sales@orbisresearch.com
Life Insurance in Japan, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/954966

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketresearchreports-biz

Timetrics 'Life Insurance in Japan, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020' report provides a detailed outlook by product category for the Japanese life insurance segment, and a comparison of the Japanese insurance industry with its regional counterparts.It provides key performance indicators such as written premium, incurred loss, loss ratio, commissions and expenses, total assets, total investment income and retentions during the review period (20112015) and forecast period (20152020).The report also analyzes distribution channels operating in the segment, gives a comprehensive overview of the Japanese economy and demographics, and provides detailed information on the competitive landscape in the country.The report brings together Timetrics research, modeling and analysis expertise, giving insurers access to information on segment dynamics and competitive advantages, and profiles of insurers operating in the country. The report also includes details of insurance regulations, and recent changes in the regulatory structure.SummaryTimetrics 'Life Insurance in Japan, Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020' report provides in-depth market analysis, information and insights into the Japanese life insurance segment, including:An overview of the Japanese life insurance segmentThe Japanese life insurance segments growth prospects by categoryA comprehensive overview of the Japanese economy and demographicsA comparison of the Japanese life insurance segment with its regional counterpartsThe various distribution channels in the Japanese life insurance segmentDetails of the competitive landscape in the life insurance segment in JapanDetails of regulatory policy applicable to the Japanese insurance industryScopeThis report provides a comprehensive analysis of the life insurance segment in Japan:It provides historical values for the Japanese life insurance segment for the reports 20112015 review period, and projected figures for the 20152020 forecast period.It offers a detailed analysis of the key categories in the Japanese life insurance segment, and market forecasts to 2020.It provides a comparison of the Japanese life insurance segment with its regional counterparts.It analyzes the various distribution channels for life insurance products in Japan.It profiles the top life insurance companies in Japan and outlines the key regulations affecting them.Reasons To BuyMake strategic business decisions using in-depth historic and forecast market data related to the Japanese life insurance segment, and each category within it.Understand the demand-side dynamics, key market trends and growth opportunities in the Japanese life insurance segment.Assess the competitive dynamics in the life insurance segment.Identify growth opportunities and market dynamics in key product categories.Gain insights into key regulations governing the Japanese insurance industry, and their impact on companies and the industry's future.Key HighlightsIn 2015, Japans life insurance segment was the second-largest globally after the US, and accounted for 10.2% of the global direct written premium.Japans population is contracting due to a declining birth rate.As of 2015, there were 38 insurers operating in the Japanese life segment. It is regulated by the Financial Services Agency.During the review period the life segment was driven by demand for traditional products. Individual life accounted for 68.3% of the segments direct written premium in 2015.The Japanese life insurance segment is mature and highly competitive. A lack of growth opportunities in the domestic market prompted insurers to expand outside Japan.Download Sample Copy of This Report at:About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports.MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients.We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated researchreports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and typesof companies spanning across various industries.ContactState Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.bizFollow us on LinkedIn:
Railway Traction Motor Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast Analysis For 2016 - 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=5801

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/railway-traction-motor-market.html

Global Railway Traction Motor Market: SynopsisThe global railway traction motor market is envisaged to advance at a varied pace across different geographical regions, especially Europe. The North America market is anticipated to remain highly consolidated with the presence of a number of local and global vendors. The international market is predicted to live through certain transformations in the industry directed toward the improvement of railway systems on the back of intensified research and development activities. The market is foreseen to be influenced by the demand for comfort by consumers, prominence of the need to improve performance, observance of regulatory standards, and slimming down of expenditures.Know More Information about Research Report, Download Brochure@The report on the global railway traction motor market elucidates the key segmentations on the basis of the type of technology, various applications, and geographical outreach. The top regions of the international market are envisaged to ride on the shift towards the electrification of railways. On a worldwide platform, the market is expected to flourish with the availability of high speed range for railway car drivers.Report buyers are offered a deep peep into the critical factors of the global railway traction motor market which have taken the lead to ensure a significant growth. Epoch-making elements such as market structure, growth factors, limitations, and future projections are extensively studied in the report. Moreover, interested parties can have a broad overview of the leading companies in the market, including the macro and micro constituents that are important for their advancement and also of the new entrants.Global Railway Traction Motor Market: Drivers and ConstraintsSince its momentous development in the 20th century with the introduction of the electrification of railways, the global railway traction motor market has exhibited a promising rise. The changing vehicular emission limitations enforced across a diverse range of transportation systems and advancement in railway technologies have assured a substantial growth in the market.Freight trains running at high power mode and a low speed are frequently faced with harmonic distortions, power distortions, flickers, and various other power disturbances due to the shortage of power.However, with the usage of traction motors, railway systems can be pampered with a higher efficiency range and smooth starts with no shocks, not to forget the ability to achieve the desired speed control. Moreover, railway engines can be protected from the risk of overload and breakdowns with the installation of traction motors. Beside this, traction motors can help to ensure a persistent output of diesel engines through automatic adjustment to the altering load and gradient.Global Railway Traction Motor Market: GeographyEurope is prophesied to sit on a major share of the global railway traction motor market as the region makes colossal investments to further advance its railway technologies. The region soon to follow the leading geographical segment is Asia Pacific, which will take advantage of the increasing demand for speed railways. North America is expected to count on the enhancement of railway infrastructures in the U.S. for its market growth. Other important regions studied in the report are Latin America and the Middle East and Africa.Browse Report@Global Railway Traction Motor Market: Competitive OverviewThe report has studied some of the influential players in the global railway traction motor market, which are Bombardier Inc., Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd., Saini Heavy Electrical & Engineering Co Private Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, ALSTOM, Hyundai Rotem Company, Sulzer Ltd., Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd., VEM Sachsenwerk GmbH, Zytek Automotive Ltd., and ABB Group. The report aids railway traction motor businesses to stay ahead of their competitors by providing a pinpoint analysis of the altering competition dynamics.About Us:-Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact Us:-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Mineral Oil Market - Production, Sales, Supply, Demand, Analysis & Regional Forecasts 2017-2022

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001709343/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/global-mineral-oil-market-report-2017

http://www.reportsweb.com/buy&RW0001709343/buy/2999

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001709343/discount

ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global Mineral Oil Market Report 2017 The report focuses on global major leading players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification.The major players in global Mineral Oil market include STE Oil Company, Inc, Resolute Oil, LLC, LSC, Spectrum Chemical, Renkert Oil, Raj Petro Specialities P. Ltd, Sonneborn, Miller Industrial Fluids, Tannin Corporation? Petro?Canada Lubricants Inc, Dow Chemical, BASF.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate of Mineral Oil in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast) , coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaSouth AmericaMiddle East and AfricaRequest For Free Sample Copy atOn the basis of product, the Mineral Oil market is primarily split intoFood GradePharmaceutical GradeIndustrial GradeCosmetic GradeOthersOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report coversSkin Care and CosmeticsHair CareBiomedicineIndustrialFood PreparationOthersFor More Information About This Report atTable of Content1 Mineral Oil Market Overview2 Global Mineral Oil Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Mineral Oil Production by Regions (2012-2017)4 Global Mineral Oil Consumption (K Metric Tons) by Regions (2012-2017)4.1 Global Mineral Oil Consumption (K Metric Tons) by Regions (2012-2017)4.2 North America Mineral Oil Consumption (K Metric Tons) (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Mineral Oil Consumption (K Metric Tons) (2012-2017)4.4 China Mineral Oil Consumption (K Metric Tons) (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Mineral Oil Consumption (K Metric Tons) (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Mineral Oil Consumption (K Metric Tons) (2012-2017)4.7 India Mineral Oil Consumption (K Metric Tons) (2012-2017)4.8 South America Mineral Oil Consumption (K Metric Tons) (2012-2017)4.9 Middle East and Africa Mineral Oil Consumption (K Metric Tons) (2012-2017)5 Global Mineral Oil Production, Revenue, Price Trend by Types5.1 Global Mineral Oil Production (K Metric Tons) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)5.2 Global Mineral Oil Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)5.3 Global Mineral Oil Price (USD/Kg) by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Mineral Oil Production Growth (%) by Type (2012-2017)6 Global Mineral Oil Market Analysis by Applications6.1 Global Mineral Oil Consumption (K Metric Tons) and Market Share (%) by Applications (2012-2017)6.2 Global Mineral Oil Consumption Growth Rate by Applications (2012-2017)7 Global Mineral Oil Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 STE Oil Company, Inc7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Mineral Oil Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 STE Oil Company, Inc Mineral Oil Capacity, Production (K Metric Tons) , Revenue (Million USD) , Price (USD/Kg) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Resolute Oil, LLC7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Mineral Oil Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Resolute Oil, LLC Mineral Oil Capacity, Production (K Metric Tons) , Revenue (Million USD) , Price (USD/Kg) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 LSC7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Mineral Oil Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 LSC Mineral Oil Capacity, Production (K Metric Tons) , Revenue (Million USD) , Price (USD/Kg) and Gross Margin (%) (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview8 Mineral Oil Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Mineral Oil Market Forecast (2017-2022)13 Research Findings and ConclusionPurchase This Report -And Get,Discount on Report Purchase -Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Railroad Equipment Manufacturing Market - Technological Advancements and Focus on Innovation to Boost Uptake

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/railroad-equipment-manufacturing.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1764

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Global Railroad Equipment Manufacturing: Inclusive InsightCompanies operating in the railroad equipment manufacturing industry are involved in the manufacturing of brakes, locomotives, passenger rail cars and freight, and other parts used in operating railroads. The transport equipment manufacturing industry has become the pivot for economic developments across several countries worldwide. The demand for these equipment has intensified owing to the rising volume of transported products and the expansion of the distance covered by logistics vehicles. This particular trend is expected to gain traction over the coming years. The industry is however moderately consolidated with a few key players holding the top notches in the market. The market is likely to expand conferring to the long-term growth opportunities it holds and the expansion of global trade and burgeoning globalization.Obtain Report Details @This industry study is an evaluation of the growth prospects and historical tract of the global railroad equipment manufacturing market. It deals with the assessment of the facets that are projected to sway the expansion of the market both negatively and positively. Further, the key trends have also been indicated in the publication. The research study further presents a wide outlook on the seller landscape of the market with reference to Porters five forces analysis. The research report deals with the R&D activities, mergers, acquisitions, and particulars on certifications and partnerships. The report reviews the approaches related to shares, publicity, and product range of the key accomplices in the global railroad equipment manufacturing market.Global Railroad Equipment Manufacturing: Trends and ProspectsThe demand for freight rolling stock is significantly high in the global railroad equipment manufacturing market. This demand is basically due to the hike in the prices of fuel across the globe at it acts as the key source behind the working of the transportation industry. This has shifted the trend of freight transport to rails from trucks. The profit in this particular industry is purely dependent on gaining lease and long term agreements with big railroad companies. Big multinational companies are at advantage owing to their capacity to manufacture bulk goods in large quantities, thus attaining economies of scale.However, the challenges that the industry is likely to face in the near future is basically due to the various policies relating to railroads implemented by different governments across the globe. It also tends to make the market price sensitive. The opportunities lies in investing in R&D and focusing on product innovation, speeding production, and decreasing price and weight and also ensure passenger safety with it.Global Railroad Equipment Manufacturing: Regional OutlookRegion-wise, Europe and Asia Pacific are the leading regions in terms of manufacturing of railroad equipment. This growth is mainly due to effective policies and large scale investment by leading companies and governments. Brazil, China, and India have been identified as emerging markets in the Asia Pacific region. Rise in domestic consumption, demand for freight transport, and growth in passengers are also some of the leading factors behind the growth of the market in these regions.For more information on this report, fill the form @Global Railroad Equipment Manufacturing: Companies Mentioned in the ReportSome of the key companies are Nippon Sharyo, Siemens, CSR Corporation, China CNR Corporation, Alstom, Bombardier, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies, Trinity Industries, Greenbrier, GE, Electro-Motive Diesel, and American Railcar Industries.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Advanced Batteries Market - Leading Players Focusing on Emerging Countries with Untapped Opportunities to Stay Ahead

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/advanced-batteries-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1691

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Global Advanced Batteries Market: OverviewHighly sophisticated battery technologies will be indispensable in the near future due to the increasing need for more efficient, durable, and cost-effective technologies to meet the soaring demand for energy worldwide. Advanced battery technologies such as lead-acid batteries, sodium sulfur batteries, advanced flow batteries, lithium ion, lithium polymer, and sodium metal halide batteries can be some of the key segments based on technology.The report discusses key trends and major opportunities prevalent in the market. It also includes a detailed assessment of deterrents restraining the markets trajectory. Profiles of the most prominent companies operating in the global advanced batteries market are included in the market study. It also presents insights into their competitive business strategies, collaborations, merger, and acquisitions along with estimating market shares held by individual and topmost players.Obtain Report Details @Global Advanced Batteries Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe advanced batteries market is driven by growing concerns about carbon emissions and increased awareness about using energy efficient devices. An increase in activities such as combustion of oil, natural gas, and coal, deforestation, and industrial activities such as cement production are responsible for the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide. This is a key factor fuelling the demand for advanced batteries. As these devices offer generation asset enhancement, grid flexibility, safety, and efficiency, the demand for advanced batteries is likely to witness a surge.Moreover, the increasing application of advanced batteries across diverse industries has been fuelling the growth of the advanced batteries market. Advanced batteries are deployed in locomotives, lift trucks, EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs, submarines, cars, wheel chairs, trucks, buses, power tools, and toys. Portable devices such as radios, laptop computers, camcorders, mobile phones, electric watches, calculators, and flashlights use advanced batteries. In the military and aerospace sector, emergency power, munitions, communications, satellites, and robots are in-built with advanced batteries. Therefore, the wide range of application of advanced batteries will ensure expansion of the global advanced batteries market.On the contrary, the relative high costs of advanced batteries and ambiguous regulatory frameworks might keep lid on the growth of the market. Nevertheless, significant opportunities are likely emerge from the electric vehicles segment, as several manufacturers are developing more powerful, lighter, durable, more reliable, and cheaper batteries.Global Advanced Batteries Market: Regional OutlookBased on geography, the global market for advanced batteries has been broadly segmented into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and the Rest of the World. North America, led by the U.S., is expected to exhibit considerable growth over the forecast period. With increased public investments in grid modernization and zealous carbon reduction goals, Europe has also been exhibiting a steadily rising demand for advanced batteries. Germany appears to be a promising arena for further expansion as encouragement from extensive research, technological advancements, and conferences such as the Advanced Battery Power- Kraftwerk Batterie held in March 2017 continues to swarm in.Enter your information below to receive a sample copy of this report @The region of Asia Pacific is slated to prosper to achieve significant share in the global advanced batteries market as the costs of advanced batteries are gradually going downhill. The growth in this region can be attributed to the growing demand from countries such as Japan, India, and China.Companies Mentioned in the ReportSome of the major companies operating in the global advanced batteries market are Samsung, Sanyo, Motorola, Sony, Nippon Chemicals, Kodak, Honda, Olympus, Siemens, Fujifilm, Maxell, Nikon, and FMC Lithium.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Optoelectronics Market - Players Focus on Product Development and Improvement to Outsmart Competitors

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/optoelectronics-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1417

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Global Optoelectronics Market: OverviewOptoelectronics currently dominate the global semiconductor industry as the fastest growing segment. As the global optoelectronics market exhibit multi-fold growth every year, the hold in the semiconductor industry is likely to strengthen further. The robust segments within the industry, particularly those catering to the cause of energy-efficiency have led to innovations in image sensors, LEDs, and other optoelectronics. With several other developments underway, Transparency Market Research pegs a high CAGR for the global optoelectronics market between 2016 and 2024.Obtain Report Details @The report presents a broad evaluation of the global optoelectronics market on the basis of various segments. Based on in-depth research it determines the potential threats and opportunities for the market. Besides this, a detailed assessment of the growth drivers and restraints is also included in the report. In order to determine the scope for the entry of new players, the report also conducts an investment feasibility analysis. It also gauges the effect of Porters five forces on the overall market operations.Global Optoelectronics Market: Trends and OpportunitiesExperts connote the optoelectronics market as self-driven by its segments, which are distributed in terms of type and application such as LEDs, the Internet and compact disks (CDs), OLEDs, Blue Ray, and DVDs among others. The exponentially increasing demand for these products and their easy availability are the chief factors translating into opportunities for the optoelectronics industry. In addition, the ever increasing spending incurred on power by consumers in Asia Pacific has been contributing immensely to the high revenue generated by the industry in the last couple of years.On the downside, optoelectronics has higher cost compared to their conventional counterparts. This could hinder the markets expansion to an extent. In terms of application, the demand for liquid crystal displays (LCDs), which is key substitute for LEDs and a more economical solution despite difference in terms of quality, will continue rising through the forecast period. Besides this, the high replacement cost of spare parts will also emerge as a major restraint for the sales of LEDs, which occupy a major revenue share in the global optoelectronics market.Global Optoelectronics Market: Regional OutlookAsia Pacific, among the key regional segments, is foretold to exhibit lucrative market opportunities. The surge in the China optoelectronics market, coupled with the rising demand from other nations such as India, Japan, and South Korea, will enable the Asia Pacific market gain significant momentum over the course of the reports forecast period. Furthermore, the report forecasts the market to witness attractive prospects in Rest of the World.Make an Enquiry @In developed markets such as North America, the rising demand from nations such as Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. will keep the demand for optoelectronics high. In Europe, the market is expected to witness attractive opportunities in countries such as Germany, France, U.K., and others.Global Optoelectronics Market: Vendor LandscapeThe report provides an in-depth overview of the global optoelectronics market complete with a detailed assessment of the prevailing vendor landscape. Some of the leading companies operating in the market are Toshiba Corp., Sony Corp., ROHM, Sharp Corp., BetaLED, Avago Technologies, Panasonic, Philips and others. The report conducts SWOT analysis on the most prominent companies to gauge their strengths and weaknesses. The analysis also helps provide insights into the opportunities and threats that these companies are projected to witness over the course of the forecast period.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Transparency Market Research90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Ablation Catheters Market 2017 - Medtronic, Boston Scientific, St. Jude Medical, Biosense Webster, Vedeng

http://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/45472/request-sample

www.fiormarkets.com

www.9dimenreports.com

The research study Global Ablation Catheters Industry offers strategic assessment of the Global Ablation Catheters market. The industry report focuses on the growth opportunities, which will help the Global Ablation Catheters industry to expand operations in the existing markets or aid its development of the emerging markets. The study assess new product and service positioning strategies in the Global Ablation Catheters market. Furthermore, the new and evolving technologies and their impact on the market is analyzed in detail in this report.The leading players in the Global Ablation Catheters market have been profiled in this report. The key market players with their business overview, marketing strategies, strategic alliances and acquisitions are included in this report. In addition, the report includes the evaluation of the top market players product and service offering and revenue analysis. The report features significant industry insights, market expectations, and key developments, which will help firms operating in the market to make informed business decisions.Download Free Sample Report @The report also delivers a detailed segment-based assessment of the Global Ablation Catheters market. The segments along with their sub-segments have been analyzed in this report. Furthermore, the report evaluates the trends that will help to fuel the growth of the individual sectors. The key segments of the Global Ablation Catheters market along with their market forecasts both in terms of revenue and volume have been covered in the research study. The report also talks about the emerging geographical sectors in this market and the trends that will drive the industry across these regional segments.The report on the Global Ablation Catheters market is created using a data collection mix of supply side and demand side. For the purpose of primary research, information and statistics with regards manufacturers, product wholesalers and distributors, and raw material suppliers from the supply side is analyzed. To evaluate the demand trends exhibited by the market, the report studies consumer surveys, application surveys, and mystery shopping. The report also refers to information obtained from secondary data sources. Backed by extensive research, the report delivers valuable market forecasts and estimates.Fior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Fior Markets provides you the full spectrum of services related to market research, and corroborate with the clients to increase the revenue stream, and address process gaps.Contact UsMark StoneSales Manager2566, Lincoln StreetPrinceton,New Jersey 08540USAPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
Data center cooling market expected to reach approx. $12 billion by 2022

http://www.beigemarketintelligence.com/reports/research-report-ict-market/data-center-cooling-market/

http://www.beigemarketintelligence.com/reports/research-report-ict-market/data-center-cooling-market/

Data Center Cooling Market  Report InsightsThe report considers the present scenario of Worldwide Data Center Cooling Market and strategic assessment of the market for the period 2016-2022.The report also includes the market growth drivers, trends, and restraints. It also includes the top five vendors in the market. The market research report provides the market segmentation of global data center cooling system asScope of the reportThis market research report categories the global data center cooling market based on by Cooling Solutions, Cooling Technique , Cooling Architecture and Geography. This market research includes a detailed market segmentation byBy Cooling SolutionsAir ConditionerChillersEconomizerCooling TowersOthersBy Cooling TechniqueAir-based CoolingLiquid-based CoolingChilled Water CoolingLiquid - immersion CoolingOthersFree CoolingBy Cooling ArchitectureRoom CoolingRow CoolingRack CoolingGeographic SegmentationNorth AmericaAPACEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle East & AfricaROWEach region provides market size and analysis by Cooling Technique and by Cooling ArchitectureBy CountryCanadaChinaGCCIndiaJapanNordic CountriesSouth East Asia(SEA)USEach country provides market size and analysis by Cooling Technique and by Cooling ArchitectureView report :Data Center Cooling Market  Market Size and DynamicsAnalysts at Beige Market Intelligence expect the global Data Center Cooling market to cross approx. US$ 12 billion by 2022.Data Center Cooling Market is expected to witness a steady growth in 2016-2022. In 2016-2019, the y-o-y growth rate will be moderately increase, and after 2019 it will moderately fall. With the emergence of data centers the air based cooling has been very popular among the data center owners. However, the increases in heat energy density along with significant increases in energy prices has kept the water cooling market in a dominant position. Hence the Liquid base cooling market is expected to have the majority market share of global data center cooling market in 2022. The high adoption of water-based cooling systems is expected to bode well for the growth of the Data Center Cooling market in the US.The market research report provides a detailed analysis of the market share of each segment. Furthermore, the report provides a complete study and growth forecast of the key segments.Room level cooling accounts for the largest of market share. However, the demand for room level cooling is falling whilst Rack level cooling demand is increasing. Particularly in data center upgradation projects of US, Canada, Western Europe, Nordic, and Countries like Russia and Australia are deploying rack-based cooling. The data center row level cooling is going to increase almost 4 times by 2022.Data Center Cooling Market  Drivers, Restrains and TrendsGrowing construction of the data centers in the tropical and temperate zone is identified as one of the major factors driving the data center cooling market. The market research report provides comprehensive information about the emerging trends, major growth drivers and upcoming challenges of the global data center cooling market.Need of maintaining heat density inside data center, generation of higher heat due to high-performance computing are some of the major factors catalysing the market growth. Increasing demand of free cooling, increased use of precision air cooling, containerized cooling solutions are among some of the emerging trends mentioned in the report.Cooling systems consume almost 40 percent of the electricity supplied to data centers. Hence, increase cost of power for industry use is one of the major challenges for the data center cooling market.Data Center Cooling Market  Geographic AnalysisThe report includes the market analysis of global data center cooling market in different regions such as North America, APAC, Europe, MEA, Latin America and ROW. The report outlines the major market share holder in global market and the market size analysis of all the regions. Unlike the North America and Europe market; APAC is not witnessing any shift from traditional Air-based and liquid-based cooling to free cooling. Rather, the market is witnessing more of Liquid-based cooling.The APAC region is forecasted to be the market leader in global data center cooling market. The Europe market is witnessing two major significant changes (discussed in the report) in data Center construction point of view, which is directly impacting the data center cooling market in this region.Data Center Cooling Market  Market Share and Key VendorsThe report Data Center cooling market also provides the competitive landscape of the key players. The report covers the players operating in the entire value chain of the market. The major players identified within the report areDaikinEatonRittalSchneider ElectricStulzVertiv (Emerson Network Power)The emerging vendors are Trane, Alfa Laval, Airedale, ebm-papst, Data Aire.Other Vendors 3M, AIRSYS, AmeriCool, Asetek, Chatsworth, Chilldyne, ClimateWorx, CMS, Colt, Coolerado, CoolIT Systens, Ecosaire, GEA Heat Exchangers, General Air Products, HP, InerTech, Instor, Koolant Koolers, Liquid Cool Solutions, Martin International Enclosures, Motivair, NGR Power Solutions, Nortek Air, Opticool Technologies, Swegon, Tripp-Lite, United Metal Products.Source Link:About Beige Market Intelligence:Beige Market Intelligence is new-age provider of competitive business intelligence, working across various industry verticals. Our expertise and knowledge ensures that the market analysis Beige provides is comprehensive, detailed and complete. The analysis helps our client organizations become aware and make educated decisions, as far as investing or devising a marketing strategy is concerned. The actionable insights delivered through our market research provide a comprehensive market analysis for every level of market segmentation in an industry. Beige Market Intelligence is a quality driven high end Market Research organization. Our team of experts ensure the analysis you receive is not just analysed and smartly presented, but is completely customized based on the clients requirement. Our deliverables guarantee our current global client base does not look beyond Beige when it comes to any kind of industry and market analysis.Beige Market IntelligenceChinnapannahalli Main Road, Bangalore - 560037Contact info:contactus@beigemarketintelligence.comUS: +1 347 903 9949UK: +44 20 323 99499APAC: +91 99 012 75473
Vision Excellence Award Goes to Rolls-Royce Power Systems

http://hubs.ly/H06Z_xD0

http://hubs.ly/H06Z_xD0

http://hubs.ly/H06Z_xD0

www.pool4tool.com

Global Price Management WinsVienna | Friedrichshafen, April 05, 2017  MTU Friedrichshafen, the core business of Rolls-Royce Power Systems, has set the course for global transparency in Purchasing with a digital purchasing platform. The innovative concept that harmonizes price and supplier data throughout the company has been selected by POOL4TOOL as the winner of the Vision Excellence Award, which is awarded annually to the most innovative client project. The award ceremony took place last week at the Digital Procurement Day in Vienna for an audience of more than 100 visitors. (The solution specialist POOL4TOOL hosted the Digital Procurement Day last week. More than 100 participants from Purchasing and business came from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland to take part in the event in Vienna. The procurement specialist POOL4TOOL discussed how the challenges of digitization in Purchasing will be managed in the future by using intelligent tools and through process integration. The festive award ceremony for the Vision Excellence Award took place at the evening event. MTU Friedrichshafen, the core business of Rolls-Royce Power Systems, won the award for their global price management.Global price management is an innovative initiative that will allow us to achieve significant savings in the future. The intelligent POOL4TOOL purchasing platform helps us coordinate our global prices and brings us one step closer to a full 360 overview over our suppliers, explained Alexander Dangle, the Vice President of Purchasing at Rolls-Royce Power Systems, after receiving the award. We didnt have a problem, we had a dream. This award is for the whole team. In POOL4TOOL, we found a partner that will support us long-term in our efforts to digitize our purchasing processes. We look forward to continuing our work together. (Global Standards, Local FlexibilityThe challenge for the Purchasing department at MTU Friedrichshafen is enabling quick access to available supplier and price data that is not fully harmonized because they are distributed across four different SAP systems. The solution was to create a user-friendly master data management system in one central location that would automatically transfer the information to the various SAP systems. In order to ensure that the same conditions were being met globally for purchases, the department needed a software solution to make information about the suppliers and their prices transparent and easily available in all of the companys locations. The intelligent POOL4TOOL purchasing platform combined with a complex distribution logic divided into global and local price components allows MTU Friedrichshafen to purchase items at the same prices throughout the entire company, while also maintaining local flexibility.Award for InnovationFor more than 15 years, POOL4TOOL has been laying the groundwork for more efficient purchasing processes with their digital solutions. Standard solutions that benefit the entire client community are driven primarily by cooperation with development partners. Our clients from many different sectors are blazing trails for solutions that will later be available to other clients. Innovative solutions are driven by vision and excellent team work with our customers. We express our appreciation and gratitude for this cooperation each year with the Vision Excellence Award, says Thomas Dieringer, the CEO of POOL4TOOL. Past recipients of the award include NurnbergMesse, world market leader Grohe, and. automotive specialist HELLA. (POOL4TOOL AG is the global market leader for electronic process optimization in "direct procurement", with locations in America and Asia and over 300 clients. The only worldwide All-in-One Supply Collaboration Platform brings together all process from product development through strategic procurement (sourcing), supplier management (SRM), indirect procurement (procurement), Supply Chain Management (SCM) up to Quality Management in one workflow-based solution. POOL4TOOL offers best practices from successful projects with global market leaders from the automotive, engineering and equipment construction, serial production and medical technology branches, as well as a unique supplier network with over 300,000 connected companies. Learn more atPOOL4TOOL AG | Kathrin Kornfeld | Corporate Communications | Wienerbergstrae 11 | A-1100 Vienna |Telephone: +43 (1) 80 490 80 | Email: kathrin.kornfeld@pool4tool.com
Global Biotech Flavor Market: Production Volume to touch 23,980.3 tons by 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/biotech-flavor-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=16178

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

According to a research report by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global biotech flavor market is highly consolidated and competitive in nature, with Naturex occupying the dominant position. The leading companies in this market mostly rely on mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships to improve their visibility and the trend is likely to continue over the forthcoming years, increasing the competition between the players, reports the research study.Browse Market Research Report @As per the report, the global market for biotech flavors, which stood at US$430.6 mn in 2015, is expected to proliferate at a CAGR of 9.70% during the period from 2016 to 2024, increasing the opportunity in this market to US$991.0 mn by the end of the forecast period. The market is projected to touch 23,980.3 tons in terms of volume over the same period of time. The demand for biotech flavors is higher in beverages compared to other end-use segments. On account of the surging consumption of flavored beverages, globally, analysts predict this segment to continue as the leading end user of biotech flavors over the period of the forecast.North America to Lead Market; Asia Pacific to Report High-paced GrowthThe research report further evaluates the worldwide market for biotech flavors on the basis of its regional classification. The Middle East and Africa, North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Latin America and is led by North America, thanks to the high awareness among consumers regarding the benefits of biotech flavors. In 2015, the regional market, followed by Europe, acquired a share of more than 32% in the overall market. Researchers anticipate the North America market for biotech flavors to retain its leadership over the forthcoming years.For more information on this report, fill the form @On the other hand, Asia Pacific is anticipated to exhibit a high-paced growth in its market for biotech flavors in the near future, thanks to the strong demand for biotech flavors from emerging economies, such as China and India. The health and wellness trend is also expected to support the growth of the Asia Pacific biotech flavor market and prompt manufacturers to apply innovative strategies across the supply chain to ensure wide availability of biotech flavors for consumers over the years to come. Apart from this, the increasing demand for beverages in this region is expected to create vital opportunities for the players in the global market.Rising Awareness among Consumers to Boost Growth of Global Biotech Flavor MarketThe rising health consciousness among consumers has augmented the demand for natural ingredients and biotech-based flavors in food products and beverages, which, resultantly, is boosting the global biotech flavor market, says a TMR analyst. The growing awareness among consumers in developed economies concerning the negative impact of artificially-produced food flavors and the increased knowledge of consumers pertaining to the nutritional advantages of biotech flavors is projected to propel this market in the years to come.Although the future of the worldwide biotech flavor market looks thriving, the low shelf-life of biotech flavors and issues related to their stability may hinder the growth of this market in the near future, states the research report.The study presented here is based on a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR), titled Biotech Flavors Market (Flavor - Vanilla and Vanillin and Fruity Flavor; Form - Liquid, Powder, and Paste; Application - Dairy Products, Beverages, Confectionery Products, Non-dairy Ice Cream, Bakery Products, and Nutraceuticals - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024.The global flavors market is segmented into:By FlavorVanilla and VanillinFruityOthersBy FormLiquidPowderPasteBy ApplicationDairy productsBeveragesConfectionery ProductsNon-dairy ice creamBakery productsNutraceuticalsOthersAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Cards And Payments Industry In Thailand: Emerging Trends And Opportunities To 2021

Market Research Report

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1009103

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=1009103

http://www.researchmoz.us/

http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG

Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Cards And Payments Industry In Thailand: Emerging Trends And Opportunities To 2021" to its huge collection of research reports.GlobalDatas "The Cards and Payments Industry in Thailand: Emerging Trends and Opportunities to 2021" report provides detailed analysis of market trends in the Thai cards and payments industry. It provides values and volumes for a number of key performance indicators in the industry, including credit transfers, direct debits, check payments, payment cards and cash transactions during the review period (2012-2016).The report also analyzes various payment card markets operating in the industry, and provides detailed information on the number of cards in circulation, transaction values and volumes during the review period and over the forecast period (2017-2021). It also offers information on the country's competitive landscape, including the market shares of issuers and schemes.The report brings together GlobalDatas research, modeling, and analysis expertise to allow banks and card issuers to identify segment dynamics and competitive advantages. The report also covers details of regulatory policy and recent changes in the regulatory structure.The report provides top-level market analysis, information and insights into the Thai cards and payments industry, including -- Current and forecast values for each market in the Thai cards and payments industry, including debit, credit and charge cards.- Detailed insights into payment instruments including credit transfers, direct debits, cash transactions, checks and payment cards. It also, includes an overview of the country's key alternative payment instruments.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @- E-commerce market analysis and payment methods.- Analysis of various market drivers and regulations governing the Thai cards and payments industry.- Detailed analysis of strategies adopted by banks and other institutions to market debit, credit and charge cards.- Comprehensive analysis of consumer attitudes and buying preferences for cards.- The competitive landscape in the Thai cards and payments industry.Scope- As part of the governments Payment Systems Roadmap 2012-2016, the Bank of Thailand and Thai Bankers Association developed a national e-payment system, Prompt Pay, in 2016. This system was launched in January 2017, and is to be deployed in two phases. In the first phase, users are required to link their bank accounts with a mobile number or national ID number - thereby transferring money to recipients or making payments at merchants without the need to divulge bank account details - while phase two allows users to conduct other transactions such as bill payment and request-to-pay services.- In order to develop the countrys financial sector and promote electronic payments, the Thai government launched the Financial Sector Master Plan (FSMP III) in March 2016; this was an extension to the previously launched FSMP I and II. The plan fosters the government, business and retail sectors to create an environment and infrastructure conducive to the adoption of electronic and financial payments. Some of the initiatives in this regard include the development of robust payment infrastructure, financial literacy among consumers, efficient pricing mechanisms, the establishment of an integrated IT system and industry-wide shared infrastructure and fraud monetary systems. Initiatives like these are expected to further boost electronic payments in the country.- Mobile network operators (MNOs) are also contributing to the promotion of electronic payments. Leading MNOs, including Advanced Info Services (AIS), Total Access Communication Company (DTAC) and True Move H, are now all offering their own digital wallets. To further increase the use of wallets among their subscribers, in 2015 the three MNOs collaborated to integrate their respective wallets - mPAY, Jaew Wallet and True Money - allowing subscribers to make person-to-person (P2P) payments across the three mobile networks using recipients mobile numbers.Reasons to buy- Make strategic business decisions, using top-level historic and forecast market data, related to the Thai cards and payments industry and each market within it.- Understand the key market trends and growth opportunities in the Thai cards and payments industry.- Assess the competitive dynamics in the Thai cards and payments industry.- Gain insights into marketing strategies used for various card types in Thailand.- Gain insights into key regulations governing the Thai cards and payments industry.Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Europe Lane Departure Warning (Ldw) System Market top players-Continental Ag , Delphi Automotive Plc , Robert Bosch Gmbh

https://goo.gl/aJzi5m

http://www.bigmarketresearch.com/europe-lane-departure-warning-ldw-system-report-2017-market

https://goo.gl/NX4P7g

A recent report added with titled, Lane Departure Warning (Ldw) System, is a comprehensive analysis of the Lane Departure Warning (Ldw) System market. It offers useful market insights such as the market share, size and growth. The current trends, growth opportunities and challenges in the Loyalty are highlighted in the report. Factors that influence market growth are listed in the presented study along with factors that impede market growth for the forecast period 2017-2022. The prospects of the upcoming projects and technological advancements have been highlighted in the market study. The scope and feasibility of the emerging industry applications is evaluated in the market study.Request For Sample Report:The key market players included in the report:Continental AgDelphi Automotive PlcRobert Bosch GmbhAisin Seiki Co. Ltd.Autoliv IncDenso CorporationApplicationThe different applications of the Lane Departure Warning (Ldw) System market are evaluated in detail. The market share, future potential and market size of each application is included in the report. The different applications include:Passenger CarCommercial VehicleBrowse Complete Report:Owing to higher adoption rate and technological advancements, the growth rate of application # is on the rise during the forecast period.The presented study takes into account the key raw materials, price trends, suppliers and the market concentration of the raw materials. The various marketing channels used by different distributors and traders are minutely studied and added in the report.Competitive LandscapeThe competitive landscape of the Lane Departure Warning (Ldw) System market is enclosed in the presented report. The recent mergers, acquisitions and collaborations are all penned down in the report. The key market players are studied in the report. Data related to the major market players include:Company profileProduct specificationSales areaSales, revenue, gross margin (2017-2022)Market share by regionManufacturer 4Do Inquire About Report:The different marketing channels, marketing strategies, raw materials, raw material sourcing and key vendors of raw materials is studied under the scope of the market study for the period 2017-2022.With the arsenal of different search reports, we help you here to look and buy research reports that will be helpful to you and your organization. Our research reports have the capability and authenticity to support your organization for growth and consistency.With the window of opportunity getting open and shut at a speed of light, it has become very important to survive in the market and only the fittest and competent enough can do so. So, we try and provide with latest changes in the market that can suit your needs and help you take decision accordingly.5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United States
Global Optoelectronic Components Market by Components (LED Driver and IC, General LED, HV LED, OLED, Image Sensor) 2017-2023

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=713930

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=713930

ALBANY, NY, April 5, 2017 : Growing application across different industry verticals primarily owing to its low power consumption, reliability, scalability, and performance is fueling the demand of optoelectronic components globally. Furthermore, increasing application of high end optoelectronic components in security and defense, automotive and industrial sector is one of the prime contributing factors in directing the growth of the market. Growing usage of LED Driver and IC, OLED, image sensor, infrared components in telecommunication, medical devices and security systems is expected to fuel the growth of optoelectronic components market over the forecast period. Comparatively high price of raw materials, requirement of huge capital investments for developing energy efficient LED displays and niche nature of application of some of the optoelectronic components are major restraining factors for the market. These factors are expected to hinder growth of optoelectronic components market during the forecast period.Get PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @Convenience in terms of application of infrared components in consumer electronics and automotive industry is one of the important factors fueling the growth in adaptation of optoelectronic components across different countries. Growing popularity of infrared LEDs in consumer security cameras is one of the major driving factors contributing to the positive growth of this market globally. Each of these cameras contains a number of rings of infrared LEDs, which offer night vision capabilities. Infrared LEDs are used in handheld devices for identity verification and authentication of monetary transactions. Furthermore, proliferation of applications in telecommunication and industrial set ups spurs demand for optoelectronic components at the global level.By components, the market can be segmented into LED Driver and IC (General LED, HV LED), OLED, Image Sensor (CMOS Image Sensor, CCD Image Sensor, Others), Infrared Component (Infrared Emitting Diode, Irda Transceiver, Infrared Detector), Optocouplers (High Speed Optocoupler, 4 Pin Optocoupler, IGBT Gate Driver, 6 Pin Optocoupler, Isolation Amplifier, Others), Laser Diode (Near Infrared, Red Laser Diode, Blue Laser Diode, Green Laser Diode) and others. Geographically, the optoelectronic components market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). The scope of the report offers an insight into optoelectronic components market in these regions based on revenue (USD billion).The report also includes competitive profiling of leading players in the industry and their market position to aid in strategic decision making. The market attractiveness analysis and patent analysis included in the report provide insight into market dynamics, future research scope, industry competition and strategies adopted by market leaders.The report also breaks down and reviews the various factors impacting the market growth, which can be appropriately described as market drivers, restraints, and opportunities. These factors help to determine the various existing trends and their impact on the market growth. Overall, taking into consideration the various factors affecting the optoelectronic components market, the report includes a holistic analysis of the global optoelectronic components market, and provides an estimate of growth for the period 2015 to 2023.Some of the major companies operating in the optoelectronic components market are Nichia Corporation (Japan), Avago Technologies (U.S.),Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.(U.S.), Cree, Inc. (U.S.), EPISTAR Corporation (Taiwan), OSRAM (Germany), Royal Philips Electronics (Netherlands), Renesas Electronics Corporation (Japan), Toshiba Corporation (Japan), ROHM Semiconductor (Japan), Finisar Corporation (U.S.), Sharp Corporation (Japan), NXP Semiconductors N.V. (Netherlands), STMicroelectronics N.V. (Switzerland), Infineon Technologies AG(Germany), Diodes, Incorporated (U.S.), Sony Corporation (Japan), Maxim Integrated Products Inc. (U.S.), Fairchild Semiconductor (U.S.), Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd (South Korea), Panasonic Corporation (Japan), Maxwell Technologies, Inc (U.S.) and Texas Instruments, Inc. (U.S.).The global optoelectronic components market has been segmented as follows:Global Optoelectronic Components Market by ComponentsLED Driver and ICGeneral LEDHV LEDOLEDImage SensorCMOS Image SensorCCD Image SensorOthersInfrared ComponentInfrared Emitting DiodeIrda TransceiverInfrared DetectorOptocouplers4 Pin Optocoupler6 Pin OptocouplerHigh Speed OptocouplerIGBT Gate DriverIsolation AmplifierOthersLaser DiodeNear InfraredRed Laser DiodeBlue Laser DiodeGreen Laser DiodeOthersMake an Enquiry of this report @Global Optoelectronic Components Market by GeographyNorth AmericaU.S.Rest of the North AmericaEuropeU.K.GermanyItalyFranceRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaSouth KoreaRest of Asia PacificRest of the World (RoW)Latin AmericaMiddle East and AfricaResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.ResearchMoz90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States
Global Data Center Physical Security Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022

Global QYResearch

http://globalqyresearch.com/download-sample/194589

http://globalqyresearch.com/global-data-center-physical-security-market-size-status-and-forecast-2022

http://globalqyresearch.com/checkout-form/0/194589

http://globalqyresearch.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-qy-research

https://twitter.com/gqyresearch

This report studies the global Data Center Physical Security market, analyzes and researches the Data Center Physical Security development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeHoneywellRobert BoschAssa AbloyMorpho (Safran)Hikvision Digital TechnologyTyco InternationalSiemensSchneider ElectricDahua TechnologyAxis CommunicationCisco SystemsMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaRequest more information atMarket segment by Type, Data Center Physical Security can be split intoVideo SurveillanceAccess ControlMarket segment by Application, Data Center Physical Security can be split intoEnterprisesGovernment AgenciesOthersIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.View full report atTable of ContentsGlobal Data Center Physical Security Market Size, Status and Forecast 20221 Industry Overview of Data Center Physical Security1.1 Data Center Physical Security Market Overview1.1.1 Data Center Physical Security Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Data Center Physical Security Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 Data Center Physical Security Market by Type1.3.1 Video Surveillance1.3.2 Access Control1.4 Data Center Physical Security Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Enterprises1.4.2 Government Agencies1.4.3 Others2 Global Data Center Physical Security Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Data Center Physical Security Market Size (Value) by Players (2016 and 2017)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in Future3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 Honeywell3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Data Center Physical Security Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 Robert Bosch3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Data Center Physical Security Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 Assa Abloy3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Data Center Physical Security Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 Morpho (Safran)3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.4.4 Data Center Physical Security Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.4.5 Recent Developments3.5 Hikvision Digital Technology3.5.1 Company Profile3.5.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.5.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.5.4 Data Center Physical Security Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.5.5 Recent Developments3.6 Tyco International3.6.1 Company Profile3.6.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.6.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.6.4 Data Center Physical Security Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.6.5 Recent Developments3.7 Siemens3.7.1 Company Profile3.7.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.7.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.7.4 Data Center Physical Security Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.7.5 Recent Developments3.8 Schneider Electric3.8.1 Company Profile3.8.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.8.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.8.4 Data Center Physical Security Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.8.5 Recent Developments3.9 Dahua Technology3.9.1 Company Profile3.9.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.9.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.9.4 Data Center Physical Security Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.9.5 Recent Developments3.10 Axis Communication3.10.1 Company Profile3.10.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.10.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.10.4 Data Center Physical Security Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.10.5 Recent Developments3.11 Cisco Systems4 Global Data Center Physical Security Market Size by Type and Application (2012-2017)4.1 Global Data Center Physical Security Market Size by Type (2012-2017)4.2 Global Data Center Physical Security Market Size by Application (2012-2017)4.3 Potential Application of Data Center Physical Security in Future4.4 Top Consumer/End Users of Data Center Physical Security5 United States Data Center Physical Security Development Status and Outlook5.1 United States Data Center Physical Security Market Size (2012-2017)5.2 United States Data Center Physical Security Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)6 EU Data Center Physical Security Development Status and Outlook6.1 EU Data Center Physical Security Market Size (2012-2017)6.2 EU Data Center Physical Security Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)7 Japan Data Center Physical Security Development Status and Outlook7.1 Japan Data Center Physical Security Market Size (2012-2017)7.2 Japan Data Center Physical Security Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)8 China Data Center Physical Security Development Status and Outlook8.1 China Data Center Physical Security Market Size (2012-2017)8.2 China Data Center Physical Security Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)9 India Data Center Physical Security Development Status and Outlook9.1 India Data Center Physical Security Market Size (2012-2017)9.2 India Data Center Physical Security Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)10 Southeast Asia Data Center Physical Security Development Status and Outlook10.1 Southeast Asia Data Center Physical Security Market Size (2012-2017)10.2 Southeast Asia Data Center Physical Security Market Size and Market Share by Players (2016 and 2017)11 Market Forecast by Regions, Type and Application (2017-2022)11.1 Global Data Center Physical Security Market Size (Value) by Regions (2017-2022)11.1.1 United States Data Center Physical Security Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.2 EU Data Center Physical Security Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.3 Japan Data Center Physical Security Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.4 China Data Center Physical Security Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.5 India Data Center Physical Security Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.1.6 Southeast Asia Data Center Physical Security Revenue and Growth Rate (2017-2022)11.2 Global Data Center Physical Security Market Size (Value) by Type (2017-2022)11.3 Global Data Center Physical Security Market Size by Application (2017-2022)12 Data Center Physical Security Market Dynamics12.1 Data Center Physical Security Market Opportunities12.2 Data Center Physical Security Challenge and Risk12.2.1 Competition from Opponents12.2.2 Downside Risks of Economy12.3 Data Center Physical Security Market Constraints and Threat12.3.1 Threat from Substitute12.3.2 Government Policy12.3.3 Technology Risks12.4 Data Center Physical Security Market Driving Force12.4.1 Growing Demand from Emerging Markets12.4.2 Potential Application13 Market Effect Factors Analysis13.1 Technology Progress/Risk13.1.1 Substitutes13.1.2 Technology Progress in Related Industry13.2 Consumer Needs Trend/Customer Preference13.3 External Environmental Change13.3.1 Economic Fluctuations13.3.2 Other Risk Factors14 Research Finding/Conclusion15 AppendixTo Purchase this premium Report With Complete TOC atAbout Us:Global QYResearch () is the one spot destination for all your research needs. Global QYResearch holds the repository of quality research reports from numerous publishers across the globe. Our inventory of research reports caters to various industry verticals including Healthcare, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Technology and Media, Chemicals, Materials, Energy, Heavy Industry, etc. With the complete information about the publishers and the industries they cater to for developing market research reports, we help our clients in making purchase decision by understanding their requirements and suggesting best possible collection matching their needs.Contact Us:Unit1, 26 Cleveland Road, South Woodford, London, E182AN, United KingdomContact: +44 20 32392407Email: sales@globalqyresearch.comFollow us:Twitter:
Global Aerospace Material Market - Analysis By Material Type, By Aircraft Type, By Region, By Country: Opportunities And Forecasts (2016-2021)

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/1048254

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/category/26

A comprehensive research report created through extensive primary research (inputs from industry experts, companies, stakeholders) and secondary research, the report aims to present the analysis of global Aerospace Material market on the basis of Material Type (Aluminium Alloys, Titanium Alloys, Super Alloys, Composites, Steel Alloys and Other); By Aircraft Type (Commercial Aircraft, Business, General & Personal Aviation, Civil & Military Helicopter and Military Aircraft); By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and ROW) and By Country (U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, France, China, Japan, India, Brazil and Saudi Arabia)Global Aerospace Material Market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 6.87% during 2016  2021. The strong growth in Global Aerospace Material market is driven by increasing number of commercial aircraft and orders worldwide and increasing military spending by the major countries. Apart from that, the continuous development and enhancing functionalities of the aerospace materials to reduce the weight of the aircrafts and enhancing fuel efficiency are propelling the aerospace material market.The titanium alloys (In terms of value) hold the major percentage share in the total aerospace material market. However, the composites are projected to grow at a significant rate as these are light weight, economical, enhances fuel efficiency leading to reduction in operating of the of the airlines. In the past few years, the use of composites have been extended to the functional components such as wings, fuselage skins, engines and landing gears from traditional light structural or cabin components. The aerospace material market is expected to rise in the forecasted period due to increasing number of commercial aircraft orders and deliveries which consumes the largest share of the aerospace material. Among the regions, Asia Pacific is predicted to advance at the highest rate, mainly driven by robust economic growth, rising per capita income leading to more propensity to travel.Get Sample Copy Of This Report :Scope of the ReportGlobal Market (Actual Period: 2011-2015, Forecast Period: 2016E-2021)Aerospace Material Market  Market Value and ForecastBy Material Type (Aluminium Alloys, Titanium Alloys, Super Alloys, Composites, Steel Alloys, Others)By Aircraft Type (Commercial Aircraft, Business, General & Personal Aviation, Civil & Military Helicopter, Military Aircraft)Regional Markets  N. America, Europe, APAC, RoW (Actual Period: 2011-2015, Forecast Period: 2016E-2021)Aerospace Material Market  Market Value and ForecastBy Material Type (Aluminium Alloys, Titanium Alloys, Super Alloys, Composites, Steel Alloys, Others)By Aircraft Type (Commercial Aircraft, Business, General & Personal Aviation, Civil & Military Helicopter, Military Aircraft)Country Analysis - U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, France, China, Japan, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia (Actual Period: 2011-2015, Forecast Period: 2016E-2021)Aerospace Material Market  Market Value and ForecastBy Aircraft Type (Commercial Aircraft, Business, General & Personal Aviation, Civil & Military Helicopter, Military Aircraft)Other Report HighlightsBrowse More Power Market Research Reports:Market Dynamics  Trends, Drivers, ChallengesPolicy and RegulationSWOT AnalysisPorters Five Forces AnalysisCompany Analysis - Alcoa Corporation, ATI, Constellium, Cytec Solvay Group, DuPont, Kobe Steel, Ltd, Toray Industries, Inc., Teijin Limited, Aleris Inc, AMG Advanced Metallurgical GroupCustomization of the ReportThe report could be customized according to the clients specific research requirements. No additional cost will be required to pay for limited additional research.MarketResearchReports.biz supports your business intelligence needs with over 100,000 market research reports, company profiles, data books, and regional market data sheets in its repository. Our document database is updated by the hour, which means that you always have access to fresh data spanning over 300 industries and their sub-segments.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Communications Processor Market - Comprehensive Evaluation Of The Market Via In-Depth Qualitative Insights

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=15581

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/communications-processor-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Communication processors are devices in communication systems that carry out operations on data such as processing or modifying the data or transferring data to different parts of the system. These processors are specifically optimized to support communication systems. The optimizations are built inside the processors software and/or hardware which enables it to perform its tasks in an efficient manner. Communications processors interface peripheral devices such as tape units, disk units, printers, terminals, and different networks with the host computer. Data transfer between the communications processor and the host computer is achieved through a high speed parallel interface, while the processor interacts with peripheral devices through serial interfaces and communications networks. Communications processors manage computer communications such as error check and correction, network control, protocol processing, data buffering and routing, and data format conversion. Thus, the use of such processors off-loads the host computer from tasks such as, transmitting/receiving messages and managing peripheral devices. A fundamental responsibility of these processors is traffic management which includes establishing and controlling communications between data terminal equipment, switching devices, intranet, and a host computer. Continuous research and development has resulted in the development of advanced communications processors with utilities for monitoring response time, event logging, diagnostic testing, system administration, and terminal status indication. Depending on the configuration, vendor, and the environment, communications processors are referred to as gateway switches, communications servers, hubs, front-end processors (FEPs), and controllers.Fill the form to gain deeper insights on this market @Communications processors are classified on the basis of their flexibility, features, and capabilities. These include the type of terminal equipment supported, aggregate bandwidth, and the host interfaces and protocols supported. To create a required configuration, the communications processor application software is customized, and this process is referred to as system generation. The growing need for multi-functionality on devices is the primary factor driving the communications processor market. Rising demand for wireless communication and the rapid growth of the global consumer electronics market is further fueling the demand of communications processors. The emergence of cloud computing and virtualization is further likely to boost the communications processor market. Multicore communications processors enable better network visibility, scalability, and manageability in supporting software defined networking (SDN) and the adoption of network functions virtualization (NFV) by telecom operators, cloud and web service providers. Such multicore processors are expected to further drive the global communications processor market.Browse Market Research Report @The communications processor market can be segmented on the basis of communications systems, layer in the communication system, applications, and regions. On the basis of communications systems, the market can be further categorized into wired and wireless. Furthermore, on the basis layer in the communication, the market can be segmented into the physical layer, the control layer, and the network layer. Also, on the basis of applications, the market can be further sub-segmented into communications network infrastructure, consumer electronics, computer hardware, automotive, medical/healthcare, and industrial control and automation systems. Geographically, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and South America.The major players in the communications processor market include Avago Technologies, A Broadcom Limited Company, Cavium, NXP Semiconductors N.V., Intel Corporation, IXYS Corporation, Marvell Technology Group, Ltd., Microsemi Corporation, Qualcomm Inc., Texas Instruments, Inc., and Motorola, Inc.About Us :Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact Us :-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Household Refrigerator Market - Driven by Rising Competition in Services Industry

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=15638

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/household-refrigerator-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Household refrigerator is a household appliance primarily used for food storage with protecting it from getting contaminated. It consists of thermally insulated compartment(s) and a heat pump that transfers heat from the inside of the appliance to its external environment maintaining the refrigerator temperature below the ambient room temperature. This reduces the reproduction rate of bacteria and reduces the rate of food spoilage. Recent technological advancements in household refrigerator technology has led to changing ecosystem of household appliances. For instance, filtered hot water on demand and integration of smart phone to check whats inside the fridge, by selecting icons from a panel with the assistance of voice-recognition technology.Fill the form to gain deeper insights on this market @The upgraded models of household refrigerators are meticulously designed with integrated technologies for enhancing utility of appliance and storage of food in specially controlled conditions. Emerging technologies such as wireless communication and Internet of Things (IoT) along with their high adoption rate has led to integration of these technologies in household appliances. Similar trend is expected to transform the household refrigerator market. For instance, refrigerators with Wi-Fi-enabled touchscreen and embedded apps for cooking, messaging and music such as Epicurious for recipes and Evernote for note-taking are supporting additional activities along with food storage, leading to growth in household refrigerator market.Household refrigerator market has been experiencing sustainable growth in recent years due to increasing demand for consumer goods, rapid economic growth, increasing demand for refrigerated food products, easy consumer finance, growth in urbanization and import and export activities in food and beverage sector. The other additional factor contributing to the growth of household refrigerator market is emerging commercialization and changing lifestyles of human in line with adoption of smart technologies. However, low rural penetration and inadequate infrastructure is hindering the household refrigerator market growth. The trends towards smaller families and seasonality in demand is expected to provide opportunities for growth of household refrigerator market during the forecast period.Browse Market Research Report @The global Household refrigerator market is segmented on the basis of cooling technology, deployment type, storage capacity, type of model, and geography. Based on cooling technology, the global household refrigerator market is segmented as compressor refrigerators, absorption refrigerators, solar refrigerators, acoustic refrigerators, magnetic refrigerators, and thermal mass refrigerators. In terms of deployment type, the global household refrigerator market is segmented into free-standing refrigerators and built into a kitchen refrigerators. On the basis of storage capacity, the global household refrigerator market is segmented into small storage capacity refrigerators (300L). Additionally, based on type of model, the global household refrigerator market is segmented into single compressor based model and dual compressor based model. Moreover, based on geography the global household refrigerator market is segmented into North America, Europe, South America, Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa. North America is leading the household refrigerator market due to increased manufacturing of energy efficient household refrigerator in the region. Moreover, Asia Pacific is expected to show significant growth in household refrigerator market due to advancements in the regional home appliance sector and high demand for smart household refrigerators in this region during the forecasted period.Some of the key players operating in household refrigerator market with most significant developments are Godrej Appliances Ltd, Frigidaire, GE Appliances, Whirlpool Corporation, Electrolux AB, Videocon International Ltd., BPL Refrigeration, LG Electronics Inc., Samsung Electronics Limited, Haier Group and Sears Holdings Management Corporation.About Us :Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact Us :-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Sri Lankan Defense Market Intelligence, Participants, Analysis of Industry Leading Companies, and Key News to 2022

http://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/future-of-the-sri-lankan-defense-industry-market-attractiveness-competitive-landscape-and-forecasts-to-2022

http://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/discount/248262

http://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/248262

http://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/248262

https://www.linkedin.com/company/orbis-research

https://twitter.com/orbisresearch

https://www.facebook.com/OrbisResearch

Detailed analysis of the Sri Lankan Defense Market helps to understand the various types of Defense products that are currently in use, along with the variants that would gain prominence in the future.SummaryThe Future of the Sri Lankan Defense Industry - Market Attractiveness, Competitive Landscape and Forecasts to 2022, published by Strategic Defence Intelligence, provides readers with detailed analysis of both historic and forecast defense industry values, factors influencing demand, the challenges faced by industry participants, analysis of industry leading companies, and key news.This report offers detailed analysis of the Sri Lankan defense industry with market size forecasts covering the next five years. This report will also analyze factors that influence demand for the industry, key market trends, and challenges faced by industry participants.Browse the full report @In particular, it provides an in-depth analysis of the following -- The Sri Lankan defense industry market size and drivers: detailed analysis of the Sri Lankan defense industry during 2018-2022, including highlights of the demand drivers and growth stimulators for the industry. It also provides a snapshot of the countrys expenditure and modernization patterns- Budget allocation and key challenges: insights into procurement schedules formulated within the country and a breakdown of the defense budget. It also details the key challenges faced by defense market participants within the country- Porters Five Force analysis of the Sri Lankan defense industry: analysis of the market characteristics by determining the bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, threat of substitution, intensity of rivalry, and barriers to entry- Import and Export Dynamics: analysis of prevalent trends in the countrys imports and exports over the last five years- Market opportunities: details of the top five defense investment opportunities over the next 10 years- Competitive landscape and strategic insights: analysis of the competitive landscape of the Sri Lankan defense industry. It provides an overview of key players, together with insights such as key alliances, strategic initiatives, and a brief financial analysisCompanies Mentioned:Colombo Dockyard Plc. (CDPLC)Check the DISCOUNT on this report @Scope- The Sri Lankan defense budget is valued at US$2 billion in 2017, and registered a CAGR of 4.11% during the historic period. The post-war rehabilitation, threat of the re-emergence of LTTE affiliates, and a tense relationship with India drove the Sri Lankan defense expenditure during the historic period. With this trend expected to continue over the forecast period.- The capital expenditure allocation, which stood at an average of 13% during the historic period, is expected to decrease to an average of 6.6% during the forecast period.- This is primarily due to the procurement of advanced defense equipment and focus on increasing the indigenous defense manufacturing capabilities.- Key opportunities for equipment suppliers are expected in sectors such as patrol vessels and naval infrastructure, combat aircraft, and transport helicopters.- Consequently, revenue expenditure is expected to increase from an average of 87% during the historic period to an average of 93.4% over the forecast period, which will be directed towards additional recruitment, training, and development programs for military personnel.- The MoD is expected to invest in Infrastructure development, Facilities management and MRO for patrol vessels and corvettes.Equiry Before Buying This Report @Reasons to buy- This report will give the user confidence to make the correct business decisions based on a detailed analysis of the Sri Lankan defense industry market trends for the coming five years- The market opportunity section will inform the user about the various military requirements that are expected to generate revenues during the forecast period.- The description includes technical specifications, recent orders, and the expected investment pattern by the country during the forecast period- Detailed profiles of the top domestic and foreign defense manufacturers with information about their products, alliances, recent contract wins, and financial analysis wherever available.- This will provide the user with a total competitive landscape of the sector- A deep qualitative analysis of the Sri Lankan defense industry covering sections including demand drivers, Porters Five Forces Analysis, Key Trends and Growth Stimulators, and latest industry contractsFor more information contact sales@orbisresearch.comSome Points from Table of Contents:1. Introduction 71.1. What is this Report About? 71.2. Definitions 71.3. Summary Methodology 91.4. About Strategic Defence Intelligence 102. Executive Summary 113. Market Attractiveness and Emerging Opportunities 133.1. Current Market Scenario 143.1.1. Primary threat perception 143.1.2. Military Doctrine & Strategy 153.1.3. Military Fleet Size 163.1.4. Procurement Programs 193.1.5. Ongoing procurement programs 193.1.6. Future procurement programs 193.1.7. Social, Political and Economic Environment & Support for Defense Projects 203.1.8. Political & Strategic Alliances 213.2. Defense Market Size Historical and Forecast 223.2.1. Sri Lankan defense budget to grow at a CAGR of 1.24% during 2018-2022 to value US$2 billion in 2022 223.2.2. The re-emergence of the LTTE, geopolitics of Indian Ocean & balancing relationships with regional superpowers are expected to drive Sri Lankan defense expenditure 253.2.3. Sri Lankan defense expenditure as a percentage of GDP is expected to decrease to an average of 1.8% during 2018-2022 273.3. Analysis of Defense Budget Allocation 293.3.1. Share of capital expenditure expected to increase over forecast period 293.3.2. Capital expenditure to increase at a CAGR of 3.38% during the forecast period 313.3.3. Sri Lankan Army accounts for the largest share of defense expenditure 333.3.4. The country is expected to invest US$5.3 billion in its army during the forecast period 353.3.5. Naval defense budget projected to grow at a CAGR of 1.21% during the forecast period 373.3.6. Air force expenditure expected to register a CAGR of 1.71% during the forecast period 383.3.7. Per capita defense expenditure expected to increase over the forecast period 413.4. Homeland Security Market Size and Forecast 423.4.1. Sri Lankan homeland security expected to grow steadily over the forecast period 423.4.2. Maritime security, Counterterrorism, and countering violent extremism are expected to drive Sri Lankan homeland security expenditure 433.4.3. Sri Lank falls under highly affected terrorism category 443.4.4. Sri Lanka is highly affected by terrorism 463.4.5. Sri Lanka has a terrorism index score of 3.5 483.5. Benchmarking with Key Global Markets 493.5.1. Sri Lankan defense budget expected to increase over the forecast period 493.5.2. Sri Lankan military expenditure remains limited compared to countries with the largest defense expenditure 513.5.3. Sri Lanka spent over 2.3% of its GDP on defense in 2017 523.6. Market Opportunities: Key Trends and Growth Stimulators 533.6.1. Demand for infrastructure construction expected to increase over the forecast period 533.6.2. Facilities Management 543.6.3. Corvette MRO 564. Defense Procurement Market Dynamics 574.1. Import Market Dynamics 584.1.1. Defense imports are expected to remain low during the forecast period. 584.1.2. Sri Lanka sourced the majority of its arms imports from Russia 594.1.3. Ships and aircraft dominated military hardware imports 604.2. Export Market Dynamics 614.2.1. The country exported negligible defense goods during 2012-2016 61.ContinuedRequest a sample of this report @For any enquires before buying, connect with us @ enquiry@orbisresearch.comAbout Us:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Contact Us:Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019Follow Us on LinkedIn:Follow us on Twitter:Like us on Facebook:
Millimeter Wave Technology Global Market, By Navigation Technology & Data Mining, Analysis and Forecast 2022

Reportsweb

http://www.reportsweb.com/millimeter-wave-technology-global-market-outlook-2016-2022

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001583473/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001583473/buying

According to Publisher, the Global Millimeter Wave Technology market is accounted for $0.27 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach $2.89 billion by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 40.5%. Rapid increase in usage of Millimeter wave in small cell backhaul networks, demand for innovative applications in the radar and security applications, increasing demand for bandwidth intensive applications and consumer electronics applications are the major drivers for the market growth. However, environmental issues and limited range are the reasons hampering the market growth.For more information atMobile & Telecom segment in application is expected to dominate the market and Industrial segment is estimated to be the fastest growing segment on demand of millimeter wave technology for imaging applications, material research and process control. However, ferrite devices segment among components is expected to dominate the market on account of varied range of applications including; inductors, transformers, storage devices etc. Moreover, North America is estimated to dominate the market due to proliferating demand in mobile and telecom sector in U.S. In addition to that, Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market due to the developments in growing telecommunication sector.Some of the key players of the Millimeter Wave Technology market include Mi-Wave, Inc., AOptix, Aviat Networks, Inc., Bridgewave Communications, Inc., Ducommun, E-band communications, Elva-1, Farran Technology Ltd., Fujitsu, Hittite Microwave Corporation, Loea Corporation, Millimeter Wave Products Inc., Millitech, Inc., Quinstar Technology, Inc., Sage Millimeter, Inc., Siklu Communication, Ltd., Sivers IMA, Smiths Group Plc, Vubiq, Inc. and Wasa Millimeter Wave Ab.Products Covered:- MM Radar & Satellite Communication Systemso Satellite Communication Systemso Perimeter Surveillance Radaro Application-Specific Radar Systems- MM Telecommunication Equipmento Macrocell Equipmento Small Cell Equipment- MM Scanner Systemso Activeo Passive- Other ProductsApplications Covered:- Automotive- Consumer & Commercial- Defense- Security- Healthcare- Imaging- Industrial- Mobile & TelecomComponents Covered:- Amplifiers- Antennas & transceiver- Communication & networking components- Control Devices- Ferrite Devices- Frequency sources & related components- Imaging components- Interface components- Oscillators- Power & Battery Components- RF & Radio Components- Sensors- Other ComponentsFrequency Bands Covered:- Bands between 8 GHz and 57 GHz- Bands between 57 GHz and 86 GHzo V-Bando E-Band- Bands between 86 GHz and 300 GHzLicenses Covered:- Light Licensed Frequency MM Wave- Fully Licensed Frequency MM Wave- Unlicensed Frequency MM WaveRequest Sample Copy:Regions Covered:- North Americao USo Canadao Mexico- Europeo Germanyo Franceo Italyo UKo Spaino Rest of Europe- Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao Indiao Australiao New Zealando Rest of Asia Pacific- Rest of the Worldo Middle Easto Brazilo Argentinao South Africao Egypt12 Company Profiling12.1 Balyo12.2 Bastian Solutions, Inc.12.3 Daifuku Co., Ltd.12.4 Dematic GmbH & Co. Kg12.5 Egemin International NV12.6 Ek Automation12.7 Elettric 80 S.P.A.12.8 Frog AGV Systems B.V.12.9 Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc.12.10 JBT Corporation12.11 KMH Systems, Inc.12.12 Kollmorgen12.13 Seegrid Corporation12.14 Swisslog Holding AG12.15 Toyota Industrial EquipmentMake an enquiry:Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Thermally Conductive Polymer Market 2017 - BASF, HELLA, Royal DSM, RTP Company, Mitsubishi, Covestro, Saint Gobain, Toray Industries

Thermally Conductive Polymer Market

https://goo.gl/tSisOJ

https://goo.gl/PbQl0H

http://www.apexresearch.biz

A market study based on the "Thermally Conductive Polymer Market" across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global Thermally Conductive Polymer Market 2017. The research report analyses the historical as well as present performance of the worldwide Thermally Conductive Polymer industry, and makes predictions on the future status of Thermally Conductive Polymer market on the basis of this analysis.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This ReportBASFCovestroSaint GobainToray IndustriesRoyal DSMHELLARTP CompanyCelanese CorporationPolyone CorporationKaneka CorporationMitsubishiThe report studies the industry for Thermally Conductive Polymer across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in Thermally Conductive Polymer market & dynamics of demand and supply of Thermally Conductive Polymer into consideration. The 'Thermally Conductive Polymer' research study covers each and every aspect of the Thermally Conductive Polymer market globally, which starts from the definition of the Thermally Conductive Polymer industry and develops towards Thermally Conductive Polymer market segmentations. Further, every segment of the Thermally Conductive Polymer market is classified and analyzed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the Thermally Conductive Polymer market. The geographical segmentation of the Thermally Conductive Polymer industry has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the worldwide market for Thermally Conductive Polymer is determined by evaluating the various industry participants, production capacity, Thermally Conductive Polymer market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Thermally Conductive Polymer market worldwide.Enquire Here :The global Thermally Conductive Polymer market 2017 is also analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Thermally Conductive Polymer production volume, data regarding demand and Thermally Conductive Polymer supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the industry for Thermally Conductive Polymer across the globe.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Global Aloe Vera Market Research Report 2016

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=847500&type=E

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-aloe-vera-market-research-report-2016.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/category/chemicals-market-reports-57.htm

Qyresearchreports include new market research reportGlobal Aloe Vera Market Research Report 2016 to its huge collection of research reports.The global Aloe Vera market research report is a thorough analysis of the Aloe Vera industry on the whole, while it digs deep into the most decisive and routine growth factors and restraints followed by key market opportunities. Both seasoned stakeholders and new entrants in the international Aloe Vera market can benefit from the crucial insights presented in the report and find answers to the challenges they are faced with in the current and future scenario. The market intelligence solution offered in the form of this report looks to unveil vital conclusive information and key perspectives for the interested parties to capitalize on to ensure a lasting success in their individual Aloe Vera sectors.Download The exclusive Sample of this report:With a meticulously interpreted growth trajectory of the global Aloe Vera market for the forecast period 2016 to 2021, our adept analysts have offered a determining evaluation of the present and future market situation. Report buyers are facilitated with critical opinions about the Aloe Vera market to get to the bottom of the paradigm shift of consumer preference. In this regard, the analysts have compiled salient observations, radical data, and chief underlying aspects of the Aloe Vera market.The report endeavors to offer a 360-degree analysis of the global Aloe Vera market on the back of an insightful study of the prevailing demand and supply trends, important fiscal statistics of major players sustaining in the market, and the influence of latest economic advancements on the market. Developments in each geographical region is charted using authentic historical data with a view to help gauge the future trajectory of the market across the globe.Table of ContentsGlobal Aloe Vera Market Research Report 20161 Aloe Vera Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Aloe Vera1.2 Aloe Vera Segment by Type1.2.1 Global Production Market Share of Aloe Vera by Type in 20151.2.2 Aloe Vera nutrition product1.2.3 Aloe Vera cosmetic product1.2.4 Type III1.3 Aloe Vera Segment by Application1.3.1 Aloe Vera Consumption Market Share by Application in 20151.3.2 Application 11.3.3 Application 21.3.4 Application 31.4 Aloe Vera Market by Region1.4.1 North America Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.2 Europe Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.3 China Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.4 Japan Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.5 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.6 India Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Aloe Vera (2011-2021)Browse Complete Report with TOC @2 Global Aloe Vera Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Aloe Vera Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 Global Aloe Vera Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.3 Global Aloe Vera Average Price by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.4 Manufacturers Aloe Vera Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Aloe Vera Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Aloe Vera Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Aloe Vera Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Aloe Vera Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2011-2016)3.1 Global Aloe Vera Capacity and Market Share by Region (2011-2016)3.2 Global Aloe Vera Production and Market Share by Region (2011-2016)3.3 Global Aloe Vera Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2011-2016)3.4 Global Aloe Vera Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)3.5 North America Aloe Vera Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)3.6 Europe Aloe Vera Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)3.7 China Aloe Vera Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)3.8 Japan Aloe Vera Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)3.9 Southeast Asia Aloe Vera Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)3.10 India Aloe Vera Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2011-2016)4 Global Aloe Vera Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2011-2016)4.1 Global Aloe Vera Consumption by Regions (2011-2016)4.2 North America Aloe Vera Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2011-2016)4.3 Europe Aloe Vera Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2011-2016)4.4 China Aloe Vera Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2011-2016)4.5 Japan Aloe Vera Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2011-2016)4.6 Southeast Asia Aloe Vera Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2011-2016)4.7 India Aloe Vera Production, Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2011-2016)Read More @QYResearchReports.com is an unimpeachable source of market research data for clients that comprise acclaimed SMEs, Chinese companies, private equity firms, and MNCs. We provide market research reports on various categories such as Energy, Chemicals, Alternative and Green Energy, Manufacturing, Machinery, Pharmaceuticals and Materials, and Glass.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United States
Carminic Acid Market 2017 - DDW COLOR, Frutarom, COLORMAKER, Biocon Del Peru, Proagrosur Peru, Natcolor Peru, Holland Ingredients

Carminic Acid Market

https://goo.gl/wCSgBd

https://goo.gl/edbB6y

http://www.apexresearch.biz

A market study based on the "Carminic Acid Market" across the globe, recently added to the repository of Market Research, is titled Global Carminic Acid Market 2017. The research report analyses the historical as well as present performance of the worldwide Carminic Acid industry, and makes predictions on the future status of Carminic Acid market on the basis of this analysis.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :Top Manufacturers Analysis Of This ReportDDW COLORHolland IngredientsCOLORMAKERFrutaromBiocon Del PeruProagrosur PeruNatcolor PeruThe report studies the industry for Carminic Acid across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in Carminic Acid market & dynamics of demand and supply of Carminic Acid into consideration. The 'Carminic Acid' research study covers each and every aspect of the Carminic Acid market globally, which starts from the definition of the Carminic Acid industry and develops towards Carminic Acid market segmentations. Further, every segment of the Carminic Acid market is classified and analyzed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the Carminic Acid market. The geographical segmentation of the Carminic Acid industry has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the worldwide market for Carminic Acid is determined by evaluating the various industry participants, production capacity, Carminic Acid market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Carminic Acid market worldwide.Enquire Here :The global Carminic Acid market 2017 is also analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Carminic Acid production volume, data regarding demand and Carminic Acid supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the industry for Carminic Acid across the globe.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Global Circuit Breaker Panels Market 2016 Share, Trend, Segmentation and Forecast to 2021

Circuit Breaker Panels Market

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1058507-global-circuit-breaker-panels-market-professional-survey-report-forecast-2017-2021

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/1058507-global-circuit-breaker-panels-market-professional-survey-report-forecast-2017-2021

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=1058507

www.wiseguyreports.com

Request a Sample Report @This report studies Circuit Breaker Panels in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2017, and forecast to 2021.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringSiemensGEABBSchneider ElectricEatonCarling TechnologiesCrabtreeTrim ElectricPanel Tronics...By types, the market can be split intoType 1Type 2Type 3By Application, the market can be split intoApplication 1Application 2Application 3By Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaBrowse Full Report Details@Some Major Points from Table of Content:Table of ContentsGlobal Circuit Breaker Panels Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Circuit Breaker Panels1.1 Definition and Specifications of Circuit Breaker Panels1.1.1 Definition of Circuit Breaker Panels1.1.2 Specifications of Circuit Breaker Panels1.2 Classification of Circuit Breaker Panels1.2.1 Type 11.2.2 Type 21.2.3 Type 31.3 Applications of Circuit Breaker Panels1.3.2 Application 11.3.3 Application 21.3.4 Application 31.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Circuit Breaker Panels2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Circuit Breaker Panels2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Circuit Breaker Panels2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Circuit Breaker Panels3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Circuit Breaker Panels3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Circuit Breaker Panels Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Circuit Breaker Panels Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Circuit Breaker Panels Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Circuit Breaker Panels Major Manufacturers in 20165 Circuit Breaker Panels Regional Market Analysis5.1 North America Circuit Breaker Panels Market Analysis5.1.1 North America Circuit Breaker Panels Market Overview5.1.2 North America 2012-2017 Circuit Breaker Panels Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.1.3 North America 2012-2017 Circuit Breaker Panels Sales Price Analysis5.1.4 North America 2016 Circuit Breaker Panels Market Share Analysis5.2 China Circuit Breaker Panels Market Analysis5.2.1 China Circuit Breaker Panels Market Overview5.2.2 China 2012-2017 Circuit Breaker Panels Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.2.3 China 2012-2017 Circuit Breaker Panels Sales Price Analysis5.2.4 China 2016 Circuit Breaker Panels Market Share Analysis5.3 Europe Circuit Breaker Panels Market Analysis5.3.1 Europe Circuit Breaker Panels Market Overview5.3.2 Europe 2012-2017 Circuit Breaker Panels Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.3.3 Europe 2012-2017 Circuit Breaker Panels Sales Price Analysis5.3.4 Europe 2016 Circuit Breaker Panels Market Share Analysis6 Global 2012-2017 Circuit Breaker Panels Segment Market Analysis (by Type)6.1 Global 2012-2017 Circuit Breaker Panels Sales by Type6.2 Different Types of Circuit Breaker Panels Product Interview Price Analysis6.3 Different Types of Circuit Breaker Panels Product Driving Factors Analysis6.3.1 General keyboard membrane of Circuit Breaker Panels Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.2 Transparent keyboard membrane of Circuit Breaker Panels Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.3 Simulation keyboard membrane of Circuit Breaker Panels Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.4 Colorful keyboard membrane of Circuit Breaker Panels Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.5 Other of Circuit Breaker Panels Growth Driving Factor AnalysisPurchase a Copy of This Report @CONTINUEDMore about WiseGuyReports:Contact Us:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune  411028Maharashtra, India
Global Veterinary Vaccine Market Size Analysis by Live Attenuated, Inactivated and DNA Vaccines Type 2017

http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/926008-global-veterinary-vaccine-market-by-manufacturers-countries-type-and-application-forecast-to-2022.html

http://www.reportsnreports.com/contacts/inquirybeforebuy.aspx?name=926008

http://www.reportsnreports.com/contacts/discount.aspx?name=926008

Global Veterinary Vaccine Market 2017 report spread across 119 pages gives Market Segment Analysis by Key Manufacturers, Countries, Types and Applications.Vaccines are products designed to trigger protective immune responses and prepare the immune system to fight future infections from disease-causing agents. Vaccines stimulate the immune systems production of antibodies that identify and destroy disease-causing organisms that enter the body. Vaccines provide immunity against one or several diseases that can lessen the severity or prevent certain diseases altogether.Complete report is available atScope of the Report:This report focuses on the Global Veterinary Vaccine market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers: Merck, Merial, Boehringer Ingelheim, Zoetis, Virbac, Ceva, Elanco/Eli Lilly, Sindh Poultry Vaccine Centre, Bio-Labs, VaksindoMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers: North America (USA, Canada and Mexico); Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy); Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia); South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.); Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, covers: Live Attenuated Vaccines, Inactivated Vaccines, DNA Vaccines, OtherMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into: Livestock, Swine, Chicken, Dog, Cat, OtherInquire about report atThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Veterinary Vaccine market.Chapter 1 to describe Veterinary Vaccine Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2 to analyze the top manufacturers of Veterinary Vaccine, with sales, revenue, and price of Veterinary Vaccine, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3 to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4 to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Veterinary Vaccine, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Access copy of report atChapter 10 and 11 to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12 Veterinary Vaccine market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15 to describe Veterinary Vaccine sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.ReportsnReports.com is your single source for all market research needs. Our database includes 500,000+ market research reports from over 95 leading global publishers & in-depth market research studies of over 5000 micro markets.Ritesh Tiwari,+ 1 888 391 5441sales@reportsandreports.com
Profilometer Market Analysis, Opportunities and Growth Forecast To 2025

Profilometer Market, Profilometer Market share, Profilometer Market Size

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/profilometer-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=22169

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Profilometer is a device or instrument that is used for measuring the surface profile being used for quantifying the roughness of the surface. Vertical resolution of the surface that is the resolution between the high pint and low point is usually measured at the nanometer level by providing lateral resolutions through profilometers. It consists of two main parts namely detector and sample stage.The detector helps in determination of points present on the sample whereas the stage is used for allowing movement at the time of measurement. Nowadays it is being used for both static as well as dynamic topography. The global market for profilometer has been segmented on the basis of type, application and geography.Contact and non-contact are two main types based on which the global market for profilometer has been segmented. Building materials, metals, consumer goods, oil & mines, pharmaceutical, semiconductor and biotechnology among others form the various application areas based on which the global market for profilometer has been segmented. Global profilometer market based on geography has been segmented into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, Middle East and Africa.Obtain Report Details @High lateral resolution by the usage of profilometer has formed a major factor that has driven the market for profilometer globally. It also does not require any modelling and can be used directly that further increases its global usage. Moreover, a better resolution along with high speed and reliability has also acted as some other drivers to boost the demand for this market.Surface resolution topography and accuracy is expected to be some other deriving factors for profilometer market. In addition to this, vertical measurement also does not require a scanning mechanism along with vertical calibration that is based on the laser source wavelength that has also positively impacted the market for profilometers. Both MEMS vibrations and on-flight measurement problems are solved with the help of profilometers further contributing to the demand of this market. It is also the flexibility and ruggedness of certain profilometers that has led to its incorporation in industrial processes as well.With all these factors there are also certain restraints that affects the overall demand. One such factor being the inaccuracy in resolutions when the surface features are same as size of the stylus. Another factor being the difficulties related to finding flaws that are of the same size as the roughness of the surface. Laser profilometers are expected to provide growth opportunities for this market where the surface can be measured without the need to physically touch the surface profile.Make an Enquiry @Geographically, it is North America that forms a major region contributing to the overall growth of this market followed by Europe. Demand for technological advancement in the surface analysis to be used across different verticals has been a driving factor for this market in these regions. Asia Pacific contributes to being another major region that has accelerated the demand for profilometers further forming one of the fastest growing region globally. China, Japan and Korea among others are expected to be some of the major regions contributing to the growth in Asia Pacific. It is also the growing demand for reliable and accurate data that has pushed the demand for this market in Asia Pacific region. Moreover, the need for lateral resolution that does not make changes on the surface has also acted as another major driver for this region.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Project Waste Heat Recovery Boiler 2017 Global Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 7.3% and Forecast to 2019

Waste Heat Recovery Boiler Industry

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/59492-global-waste-heat-recovery-boiler-market-2015-2019

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/59492-global-waste-heat-recovery-boiler-market-2015-2019

https://www.linkedin.com/company/wise-guy-research-consultants-pvt-ltd-?trk=biz-companies-cym

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=59492

www.wiseguyreports.com

Waste Heat Recovery BoilerThis report studies the Waste Heat Recovery Boiler on global market, focuses on the top players in US market and also the market status and outlook by type and application.Request For Sample Report @Scope of the Report:1.A waste heat recovery boiler captures undesired heat dissipated from industrial processes, which can be reused in other heating applications such as power generation. Waste heat may either be used in the same process or be transferred to other processes.2. It is estimated that as much as 20%-50% of industrial energy usage is released in the form of waste heat. The waste heat recovery boilers capture heat from gen sets, incinerators, furnace exhausts, and from other equipment that involves heat flow related processes.Technavio's analysts forecast the global waste heat recovery boiler market to grow at a CAGR of 7.3% over the period 2014-2019.Covered in this ReportThe report includes the segmentation of the global waste heat recovery boiler market on the basis of source of waste heat recovery as well as geography.Technavio's report, Global Waste Heat Recovery Boiler Market 2015-2019, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects in the coming years. The report includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key Vendors ABB Alstom Echogen Power systems Foster Wheeler GEOther Prominent Vendors Bono Energia China Energy Recovery Forbes Marshall Ormat Technologies Siemens ThermaxMarket Driver Need for Enhanced Energy Efficiency For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket Challenge High Cost of Equipment and Maintenance For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket Trend Huge Investment Plans in MEA For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey Questions Answered in this Report What will the market size be in 2019 and what will the growth rate be? What are the key market trends? What is driving this market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in this market space? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?Complete Report:Table of Contents01 Executive Summary2 List of Abbreviations3 Scope of the Report3.1 Market Overview3.2 Product Offerings4 Market Research Methodology4.1 Market Research Process4.2 Research Methodology5 Introduction6 Market Landscape6.1 Market Overview6.2 Market Size and Forecast6.3 Five Forces Analysis7 Market Segmentation by Source of Waste Heat7.1 Global Waste Heat Recovery Boiler Market Segmentation by Source 20147.2 Global Waste Heat Recovery Boiler Market: Segmentation by Source 20197.3 Global Waste Heat Recovery Boiler Market by Primary Metals Industry07.3.1 Market Size and Forecast7.4 Global Waste Heat Recovery Boiler Market by Non-metallic Mineral Product Manufacturing Industry07.4.1 Market Size and Forecast7.5 Global Waste Heat Recovery Boiler Market by Oil and Gas Industry07.5.1 Market Size and Forecast7.6 Global Waste Heat Recovery Boiler Market in Chemicals Industry07.6.1 Market Size and Forecast8 Geographical Segmentation8.1 Global Waste Heat Recovery Boiler Market by Geographical Segmentation 20148.2 Global Waste Heat Recovery Boiler Market by Geographical Segmentation 20198.3 Waste Heat Recovery Market in EMEA08.3.1 Market Size and Forecast8.4 Waste Heat Recovery Market in Americas08.4.1 Market Size and Forecast8.5 Waste Heat Recovery Boiler Market in APAC08.5.1 Market Size and Forecast9 Key Leading Countries9.1 US9.2 Germany9.3 China10 Buying Criteria11 Market Growth Drivers12 Drivers and their Impact13 Market Challenges14 Impact of Drivers and Challenges15 Market Trends16 Trends and their Impact17 Vendor Landscape17.1 Competitive Scenario17.1.1 Key News17.1.2 Mergers and Acquisitions17.2 Other Prominent Vendors18 Key Vendor Analysis18.1 ABB18.1.1 Key Facts18.1.2 Business Overview18.1.3 Business Segmentation by Revenue 201318.1.4 Business Segmentation by Revenue 2011-201318.1.5 Geographical Segmentation by Revenue 201318.1.6 Business Strategy18.1.7 Key Developments18.1.8 SWOT Analysis18.2 Alstom18.2.1 Key Facts18.2.2 Business Overview18.2.3 Business Segmentation by Revenue 201418.2.4 Business Segmentation by Revenue 2013 and 201418.2.5 Geographical Segmentation by Revenue 201418.2.6 Business Strategy18.2.7 Recent Developments18.2.8 SWOT Analysis18.3 Echogen18.3.1 Key Facts18.3.2 Business Overview18.3.3 Key Offerings18.3.4 Business Strategy18.3.5 Recent Developments18.3.6 SWOT Analysis18.4 Foster Wheeler18.4.1 Key Facts18.4.2 Business Overview18.4.3 Business Segmentation by Revenue 201318.4.4 Business Segmentation by Revenue 2012 and 201318.4.5 Geographical Segmentation by Revenue 201318.4.6 Recent Developments18.4.7 SWOT Analysis18.5 GE18.5.1 Key Facts18.5.2 Business Overview18.5.3 Business Segmentation by Revenue 201318.5.4 Business Segmentation by Revenue 2012 and 201318.5.5 Geographical Segmentation by Revenue 201318.5.6 Business Strategy18.5.7 Recent Developments18.5.8 SWOT Analysis19 Other Reports in this SeriesContinuedVisit to our official website on Linkedin@Continued.Buy This Report@CONTACT US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categoriesOffice No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028 Maharashtra, India
Project Hernia Repair Devices 2017 Global Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 7.08% and Forecast to 2019

Hernia Repair Devices Industry

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/59493-hernia-repair-devices-market-in-us-2015-2019

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/59493-hernia-repair-devices-market-in-us-2015-2019

https://www.linkedin.com/company/wise-guy-research-consultants-pvt-ltd-?trk=biz-companies-cym

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=59493

www.wiseguyreports.com

Hernia Repair DevicesThis report studies the Hernia Repair Devices on global market, focuses on the top players in US market and also the market status and outlook by type and application.Request For Sample Report @Scope of the Report:1.Hernia is the protrusion of a tissue, organ, or fascia of an organ through the wall of a weak surrounding muscle. The condition can be of several types: inguinal, umbilical, hiatal, femoral, and incisional. Inguinal hernia affects men more often than women.2.Obesity, poor nutrition, smoking, and weakening of muscles during childbirth are some of the causes leading to the condition. Herniorrhaphy, hernioplasty, and herniotomy are the surgical procedures that involve the use of hernia repair devices to correct the condition.Technavio's analysts forecast the hernia repair devices market in the US to grow at a CAGR of 7.08% percent over the period 2015-2019.Covered in this ReportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the hernia repair devices market in the US for the period 2015-2019. The market is segmented into two based on product type: mesh products and fixation devices.Technavio's report, Hernia Repair Devices Market in US 2015-2019, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key Vendors Covidien C.R. Bard Ethicon MAQUET Holding W.L. Gore & AssociatesOther Prominent Vendors Acelity B. Braun Biomerix Cook Medical CooperSurgical Insightra Medical KARL STORZ Olympus Synovis Life Technologies Stryker TransEnterixMarket Driver Growing Incidence of Hernia For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket Challenge Complications Associated with Mesh Materials For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket Trend Growing Adoption of Tension-free Repair Procedures For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey Questions Answered in this Report What will the market size be in 2019 and what will the growth rate be? What are the key market trends? What is driving this market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in this market space? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?Complete Report:Table of Contents01 Executive Summary2 List of Abbreviations3 Scope of the Report3.1 Market Overview3.2 Product Offerings4 Market Research Methodology4.1 Market Research Process4.2 Research Methodology5 Introduction6 Market Landscape6.1 Market Overview6.2 Market Size and Forecast6.3 Five Forces Analysis7 Hernias: An Overview7.1 Types of Hernias7.2 Incidence and Prevalence7.3 Causes7.4 Surgical Hernia Repair Procedures8 Market Segmentation by Product8.1 Mesh Products8.2 Fixation Devices8.3 Hernia Repair Devices Market in US by Mesh Products08.3.1 Market Size and Forecast8.4 Hernia Repair Devices Market in US by Fixation Products08.4.1 Market Size and Forecast9 Regulatory Environment10 Reimbursement Scenario in US11 Buying Criteria12 Market Growth Drivers13 Drivers and Their Impact14 Market Challenges15 Impact of Drivers and Challenges16 Market Trends17 Trends and Their Impact18 Vendor Landscape18.1 Competitive Scenario18.1.1 Key News18.1.2 Mergers and Acquisitions18.2 Vendor Analysis 201418.2.1 Hernia Repair Devices Portfolio Matrix18.3 Other Prominent Vendors19 Key Vendor Analysis19.1 Covidien19.1.1 Key Facts19.1.219.1.3 Business Overview19.1.4 Business Segmentation19.1.5 Business Segmentation by Revenue 2012 and 201319.1.6 Geographical Segmentation by Revenue 201319.1.7 Business Strategy19.1.8 Key Information19.1.9 SWOT Analysis19.2 C. R. Bard19.2.1 Key Facts19.2.2 Business Overview19.2.3 Product Segmentation by Revenue 201319.2.4 Product Segmentation by Revenue 2012 and 201319.2.5 Geographical Segmentation by Revenue 201319.2.6 Business Strategy19.2.7 Recent Developments19.2.8 SWOT Analysis19.3 Ethicon19.3.1 Key Facts19.3.2 Business Overview19.3.3 Geographical Presence19.3.4 Recent Developments19.3.5 SWOT Analysis19.4 MAQUET19.4.1 Key Facts19.4.2 Business Overview19.4.3 Business Segmentation19.4.4 Business Strategy19.4.5 Key Information19.4.6 SWOT Analysis19.5 W. L. Gore19.5.1 Key Facts19.5.2 Business Overview19.5.3 Business Strategy19.5.4 Geographical Segmentation19.5.5 Recent Developments19.5.6 SWOT Analysis20 Other Reports in This SeriesContinuedVisit to our official website on Linkedin@Continued.Buy This Report@CONTACT US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categoriesOffice No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028 Maharashtra, India
Transformer Monitoring Systems (TMS) Market - Global Industry Analysis 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/transformer-monitoring-system-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=19952

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Transformer Monitoring Systems: OverviewTMS is defined as a group of components built together in order to sense and monitor various parameters of a pole-mounted transformer or ground transformer that are vital to its functionality. This device is attached to the lines of an existing transformer with minimal effort; it remains non-intrusive to lines and its components. TMS has the capability of monitoring the transformers voltage, current, temperature, and the phase angle. Voltage sensor consists of a plate, an op-amp, two capacitors, and four resistors. TMS is a real time mounting device that monitors a single transformer. This device paves way for a smarter grid system technology to lower electrical downtime of a power generation unit. TMS accurately and effectively reads/records valuable information about pole mounted and grounded transformers. This information is shared over the wireless connections to a central hub computer located at the transfer stations of sub-stations. It detects failure in power lines.Browse Market Research Report @Transformer Monitoring Systems: Dynamics and TrendsThe problems in methods for powering the device and monitoring the transformers parameters have been overcome through the usage of induction coils. The voltage passage through the induction coils have the tendency to escalate from the permissible values due to fluctuating current. Voltage regulators are thus used to control the voltage and keep it under the permissible limits. Diodes incorporated with AP1186 standard regulators are used with a battery backup in case of power failure in order to achieve the desired results in voltage regulations. TMS is a safe and easy approach to help combat any loss in power over the lines and any power shortages through its preventive monitoring measures. TMS is kept near a high power line that emits strong electrical and magnetic fields. Power to the TMS device is critical, as voltage, current, and temperature have to be maintained under the permissible limits. Excessive voltage, current, and temperature can destroy the internal components. Sensors of the TMS read voltage and current across the line and the temperature inside the transformer. The sensors then transmit the information to logical components of the system. Wireless technology helps in passage of information to other TMS devices or to the central hub facility. Computer programing is the final last aspect of a TMS device. It helps view information about transformers received by wireless units. The program also provides sight (screen flashing animations) and hearing alerts (siren blasting through speakers).Transformer Monitoring Systems: SegmentationThe TMS market can be segmented based on type of transformer (pole mounted transformer and ground transformer), method of powering TMS system (solar, battery powered, induction coil, and others), application (distribution transformers, power transformers, and others) and region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa).Transformer Monitoring Systems: Region-wise OutlookAsia Pacific is estimated to be the leading market for TMS. Presence of large number of developing economies, high capacity addition plans, and enactment of supportive policies (tax incentives) are likely to drive the TMS market.Transformer Monitoring Systems: Key PlayersKey players operating in the TMS market include Camlin Power, ICSA (India) Ltd., and CETT Co., Ltd.Fill the form to gain deeper insights on this market @The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Animal Feed industry: Demand from Food and Beverage Manufacturing to Impel Markets Growth

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1611

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/animal-feed-market

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/request-toc/1611

Market ScenarioGlobally, the market is increasing due to increased demand for nutrition and healthy animal feed products, additionally. Hence, animal feed ingredients market is expected to reach Million at the end of the forecasted period and is expected to grow at CAGR from 2016 to 2027.Market Segments:The market for global animal feed ingredients market is segmented on the basis of source, function and application; On basis of Source- vegetables, grains and pulses, oilseeds On basis of Function- carbohydrate, protein, minerals, fat On basis of Application- cattle, swine, aquatic cultureRequest a Sample Report @Study Objectives of Global Animal Feed Ingredients Market In-depth market assessment for individual micro and macro markets for animal feed ingredients To understand the supply demand situation and manufacturing landscape in each of the countries in the scope To provide region level market analysis and future outlook for North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW) and their countries Company profiling of major players in the market Value chain analysis indicating each stage of its production process and identifying the crucial stages for improvements Supply chain analysis of the product indicating the stake of the various suppliers, both basic producers and formulators/distributors, till the end-user Evaluation of historical market trends, patents and technologies, and current government regulatory requirements related to animal feed ingredientsBrowse Report Details @Key PlayersThe key players profiled in global animal feed market report include- Cargill Inc. Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited Novozymes A/S Chr. Hansen Holding A/S BASF SE Archer Daniels Midland Company Alltech, Inc. Evonik Industries AG Nutreco N.V. Adisseo France SASStakeholders Organic feed companies Feed additives Companies Government bodies Traders, exporters, importersRequest Table of Contents for this Report @Regional Analysis of Global Animal Feed Ingredients MarketNorth-America dominates the market for global animal feed ingredients market with the largest market share, accounting for USD million and is expected to grow over USD million by 2027; Europe, Asia-Pacific and RoW are the growing market for global animal feed market and are expected to grow at CAGR respectively from 2016 to 2027.Reasons to buyThis report contains exhaustive study and analysis of animal feed ingredients. It covers market segmentation of animal feed ingredient and by product. Globally, it helps in identifying key animal feed ingredient suppliers and consumers. The report will help in investments for the animal feed ingredient and allied companies providing details on the fast growing segments and regions. In-addition, it will provide the animal feed ingredient companies to improve profitability by using supply chain strategies, cost effectiveness of various products mentioned in the report.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market is Expected to Experience Immense Growth till 2027

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/788

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/e-cigarette-vaporizer-market

Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market by product types (disposable e-cigarette, rechargeable e-cigarette, ego and tanks, personal vaporizers and mods and others): forecast to 2027Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market: OverviewThe E-Cigarette (Electronic Cigarette) was first introduced in the year 2003, by Hon Lik in China and was available commercially in the market by 2006. The recognition of e-cigarettes touched instant base with the US and European markets. Since then this industry has been growing at a rapid pace convincing players from Tobacco industry and Pharmaceutical industry to implement several strategies to grow and sustain in the market. While top established tobacco players are securing their market positions with acquisitions and rolling out new brands. The Pharmaceutical monoliths have been acknowledged as opposing the rising trend of e-cigarettes in this fresh or fledgling market.Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market: Market Growth InfluencerThe Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer market has been mainly driven by a flurry of activities mainly including Mergers & Acquisitions, Patent Warfare, and increasing customization in products. Additionally, the emergence of Vape shops is engaging more users through their extensive variety of products and improved assistance while shopping the preferred products. However, the state and local governments proposals to charge heavy taxes on e-cigarettes is emerging as a key challenge for the Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer market. Also, the compatibility issues and the unfettered manufacturing process in China are other restrictive factors in the e-cigarette market. The e-cigarette industry has come into limelight after 2012, when the tobacco giant Lorillard acquired the US based e-cigarette company, Blu Ecigs. The market was then taken over by the top tobacco giants through a series of mergers & acquisitions which has brought immediate value to the fledgling market. The giants of tobacco companies has started competing aggressively by acquiring the top e-cigarettes brands and rolled out their own brands in the market with newer and advanced technological products. Furthermore, an overall non-uniformity of regulation and taxation policies has allowed large number of players to enter into the market.Get a Sample Report @Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market: Market SegmentationFor the purpose of this study, MRFR has segmented The Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer market into product type. On the basis of product type, the market is differentiated into disposable e-cigarette, rechargeable e-cigarette, ego and tanks, personal vaporizers and mods and others.Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market: Regional AnalysisAsia-Pacific- Asia Pacific prolongs to be the manufacturing center for e-cigarette industry, making the region a predictable player in the supply side. More than 78% of the global production of e-liquids and e-cigarettes is done in China. On the other hand, a major share of the production and manufacturing are meant for export to the US and European market. Many Asian countries are ranked very high in the global tobacco consumption and the government is taking initiatives to bring turn down in such countrys smoking population.North America- North America is considered as the largest revenue generator in the Global E-cigarette market, with a major share contributed by the US. The relentless growth of the market can be primarily credited to the non-uniformity of regulations and the growing perception of e-cigarettes as possible smoking Cessation aid. Moreover, the study of the competitive landscape in the US has brought forward the occurrence of some of the giant e-cigarette brands which are rolled out by tobacco giants such as Philip Morris, Altria, and Lorrilard and among others.Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market: Key PlayersThe key players present in the Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market Include Altria Group, INC, Ballantyne Brands, LLC, British American Tobacco Plc (Bat), CB Distributors, Bull Smoke, INC, Cigavette, Clearette Electronic Cigarette Co, Cloudcig, Gamucci Electronic Cigarettes, Electronic Cigarettes International Group, Fontem Ventures, Fin Branding Group LLC and others.Browse Report @Market Research Future introduces about Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market during the forecast period 2017-2027 which mainly includes the growth drivers, trends and restraints and how the market will grow in the future across the globe. In this report, Market Research Future has focused on the current market scenario which includes market segmentation, market dynamics, and competitive landscape along with company profiles.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.comAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Market Research Future Office No. 524/528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar Pune - 411028 Maharashtra, India
IT Asset Management Software Market, Company Analysis, Key Requirement  Forecast- 2027

IT Asset Management Software

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/920

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/it-asset-management-software-market

IT Asset Management Software refers to software which are being used to monitor the IT assets in the organization. This software plays very vital role in the cost minimization and excess purchase of IT Assets. It involves the identification and deep collection of information about hardware and software which are being used in the organization and helps in the purchase decision. Currently this market has seen marvelous growth as every organization needs IT products for effective process and this software helps to monitor the IT AssetsStudy Objective of IT Asset Management SoftwareTo provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global IT Asset Management Software Market.To analyze the IT Asset Management Software market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc.To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW).To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market.To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global IT Asset Management Software Market.Market SegmentationFor the better understanding of the report, this market has been segmented on the basis Deployment which includes IT asset management software, cloud-based IT asset management software and hybrid IT asset management software. And by types which includes hardware asset management and software asset managementRequest a Sample @Key PlayersService Now Inc. (US),Microsoft Corporation (US)BMC Software Inc. (US)IBM Corporation (US)HP Inc. (US),Dell Inc. (US),Industry NewsIn June 2016, LANDESK Software upgraded the compatibility level to windows 10 and mobile.In May 2016, Symantec Corporation announced the encryption to everywhere in order to make software more secure.Major companies including Microsoft, IBM, and HP among others offer IT asset management software into their product portfolio.Microsoft provides SAM which is Software Asset Management which can be used to assess the strength for the existing infrastructure, process and procedures.IBM offers Tivoli Asset Management software which is used for IT and effective management of IT assets life cycle.HP provides HPE asset manager which is complete asset portfolio management software and keeps provide features like hardware and software asset management, easy cloud chargeback, centralized contact management among other features.The reports also covers brief analysis of Geographical Region includes:AmericasNorth AmericaUSCanadaU.KRest of Western EuropeEastern EuropeAsia PacificAsiaChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaRest of AsiaPacificThe Middle East& AfricaThe report for Global IT Asset Management Software Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regionsAccess this report@About Market Research FutureAt Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.About Market Research FutureAt Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.ContactAkash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Cell Culture Imaging Market - Technological Innovations to Create Lucrative Opportunities

Cell Culture Imaging Market ,Cell Culture Imaging Market share,Cell Culture Imaging Market size

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/cell-culture-imaging-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=22109

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Spheroids techniques are developed for efficient and reliable research on 3-D cell culture further improving the application of spheroids in complex procedures that has led to the usage of cell culture imaging devices. Three dimensional culturing of cells has numerous advantages as compared to monolayer cultures with spheroids being represented in-vitro in the form of small avascular tumors. Various methods or procedures are generated using these techniques such as floating method and hanging drop method among others. Global market for cell culture imaging has been segmented into type, application and geography. Primary cell culture, secondary cell culture and cell line are different types based on which the global market for cell culture imaging has been segmented. The different application areas based on which the global market for cell culture imaging has been segmented into R&D facilities and healthcare among others.Global spheroids counting system market on the basis of geography has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa.Spheroids helps in improving the relevance of in-vitro results forming a major factor that contributes to the growing demand for cell culture imaging market. Spheroids form the biological models that deals with native tissues and engineered solutions further acting as building blocks that are needed for making tissues forming a major factor contributing to the growth of this market globally.Obtain Report Details @In addition to this, applications of cell cultures in cell biology research and engineering of tissues for making it at par with the architectural environment of the natural tissues has also been another major factor to boost the demand for cell culture imaging market globally. Moreover, application of cell culture has lifesaving benefits for critically injured patients that has resulted in the technology being used to capture the defects and working of cells after they are cultured.Considering all these factors that has acted as drivers for this market there are also certain restraints that restricts the demand for this market. One such major restraint being the microscopy techniques that may function well for optically transparent and thin cultures but is not suited for imaging of 3D cell structures. Another major restraint for this market would be the risks associated with the replication of natural cell environment that may have adverse effects on the body of the patient. Along with this, any default on the monitoring of the imaging results may also prove life threatening further contributing to being another major restraint for this market. Huge applications in the research and development sector for making advanced cells will also provide huge growth opportunities for this market in the coming years.Geographically, it is North America that has contributed as one of the major regions for the growth of this market globally followed by Europe. Huge investments being made in the healthcare sector along with applications in R&D has formed some of the other major reasons for the growth of market in this region. Other than this, Asia Pacific has been another major region contributing to the growth of this market along with being one of the fastest growing region globally. China, Japan and India are some of the major regions in the Asia Pacific contributing to the growth. Huge government grants being made in the healthcare sector and research and development facilities has acted as some major drivers for the growth of this market in this region.Make an Enquiry @Some of the major players operating in the cell culture imaging market includes Tokyo Electron (Japan), Screen Holding Co. Ltd. (Japan), and BD Lifesciences (The U.S.) among others present in the market globally. Companies operating in this market focuses on technological advancement as well as invests heavily in research and development for enhancing the company portfolio of different products.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Neuroendocrine Carcinoma Therapeutics Market - Epidemiology Analysis, Development, Growth and Demand Forecast to 2023

www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/neuroendocrine-carcinoma-therapeutics-market

www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/neuroendocrine-carcinoma-therapeutics-market/toc-sample

www.psmarketresearch.com

Global neuroendocrine carcinoma therapeutics market is witnessing significant growth due to large number of marketed drugs and Phase III drugs. Neuroendocrine carcinoma is a tumor that begins in neuroendocrine cells and can spread, or metastasize, to other parts of the body. It starts in the hormone producing cells of the bodys neuroendocrine system. Neuroendocrine tumors can begin in many organs including, lungs, brain and gastrointestinal tract. It is a very rare cancer with symptoms such as hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, diarrhea, weight loss, pain, cough, lump formation, jaundice, unusual bleeding, headache and anxiety. The risk factors of developing neuroendocrine cancer includes, age, gender, family history, immune system suppression, arsenic exposure and sun exposure. The diagnosis can be done by normal physical examination followed by blood tests, urine tests, X- ray, CT scan, PET scan, MRI and biopsy.Explore Report at:The treatments available for neuroendocrine tumor include chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. Chemotherapy comprises the drugs use to destroy malignant cells by hindering the cells ability to divide and grow. Streptozocin (Zanosar) and 5-fluorouracil (Adrucil, 5-FU) are some of the drugs that are used to treat neuroendocrine tumors. Many pharmaceutical companies have been working continuously for the development of targeted therapy for the growth of neuroendocrine cancer market.Sunitinib (Sutent) and Everolimus (Afinitor) are two major targeted drugs that are being used for treatment of neuroendocrine cancer. Genentech Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Callisto Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. and BioSynthema, Inc. are some major companies that are determined to develop therapeutics for various neuroendocrine cancers. Lutathera, Atiprimod and Avastin are pipeline candidates that are presently being studied for their therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of neuroendocrine cancer. Also, there are many other pipeline drugs in Phase III which are expected to enter the neuroendocrine carcinoma therapeutics market in the future.Request for Table of Content at:Some of the key players operating in the global neuroendocrine carcinoma therapeutics market include Pfizer Ltd., Eli Lilly & Company, Novartis AG, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Ispen SA, Amgen, Inc., Callisto Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd., Biosynthema, Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. and Bristol-Myers Squibb among others.About P&S Market ResearchP&S Market Research is a market research company, which offers market research and consulting services for various geographies around the globe. We provide market research reports, industry forecasting reports, business intelligence, and research based consulting services across different industry/business verticals.As one of the top growing market research agency, were keen upon providing market landscape and accurate forecasting. Our analysts and consultants are proficient with business intelligence and market analysis, through their interaction with leading companies of the concerned domain. We help our clients with B2B market research and assist them in identifying various windows of opportunity, and framing informed and customized business expansion strategies in different regions.Contact:AbhishekExecutive  Client Partner347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.comWeb:347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016
Argon Annealed Wafer Market - Technological Advancements to Play Important Role in Market Growth

Argon Annealed Wafer Market,Argon Annealed Wafer Market share,Argon Annealed Wafer Market size

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/argon-annealed-wafer-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=22082

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

The argon annealed wafer is a progressive prime wafer which delivers a defect-free surface region for internal gettering and high device yield for resistance to contamination. Such adaptable features of argon annealed wafer have facilitated the scientists to explore potentials of its application in several fields of consumer application such as wearable and communication devices among others.These highly developed wafers are produced by annealing custom-made substrates. Graphene is being researched upon for developing advanced electronic devices and their components, having better features and efficiency. Argonannealed wafers are used in hightechnology applications with tremendously high excellence requirements for exterior finish. Compared to wafers produced by alternative anneal methods, they have a deeper defect-free layer. Moreover, argon annealed wafer are characterized by their optimized, deep-dependent precipitation behavior. Argon annealed wafer has shown promising results in Complementary MetaloxideSemiconductor (CMOS) technology and has also been seen growing applications in different types of consumer application.However, growing application of argon annealed wafer in automotive electronics devices has been fuelling the demand for Argon Annealed Wafer market across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The global Argon AnnealedWafer market is expected to witness a steady growth during the forecast period from 2017 to 2025.Obtain Report Details @In order to provide comprehensive analysis of the market the global Argon Annealed Wafer market has been segmented on the basis of wafer size, end use industry and geography. However, on the basis of size argon annealed wafer market is bifurcated into 25mm, 100mm, 200 mm,300mm, others. In addition, application segment has been segmented into consumer electronics, healthcare, automotive and aerospace and defense among others.The growing demand for smaller pixel size and improved fill factor in different digital cameras in order to enhance imaging quality is having a high impact on the Argon Annealed Wafer market in terms of usage of annealed wafer for consumer electronics such as camera, cctv , mobile others.In addition, significant rise in demand for argon annealed wafers in the CMOS technology is influencing the demand for this product market in coming years. CMOS image sensors are best-suited for intra-oral x-ray imaging in dental diagnosis. However, healthcare instruments manufacturers are using argon annealed technology in their CMOS technology.This is likely to have a positive impact on the expansion of the Argon Annealed Wafer market.Moreover, argon annealed wafer are used in image technology in different industry verticals which include aerospace and defense, industrial automation and robotics among others which in turn has increased Argon Annealed Wafer market.In addition, argon annealed wafer technology are used to manufacture of different memory device technologies including Flash memory, DRAMs, SRAMS, M/ROMS and other logic devices. This in turn acts as an opportunity for Argon Annealed Wafer market during the forecast period.Make an Enquiry @Geographically, Argon Annealed Wafer market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Latin America. However, the Argon Annealed Wafer market is majorly driven by Asia Pacific.Asia Pacific is estimated to be the significantly attractive market for Argon Annealed wafermanufacturers mainly because of the large-scale of investment in consumer electronics in this part of the region. Asia Pacific is predicted to witness the most promising market in the coming years, owing to increasing number of high end commercial application for consumer electronics. In addition, significant use of argon annealed wafer in semiconductor technology in North America is also expected to create a better opportunity for various semiconductor manufacturers across the globe. Across the globe India, Japan and China is most promising emerging countries in consumer application and is expected to dominate the market share during the forecast period.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Single Board Computers Market - Technological Innovations to Create Lucrative Opportunities

Single Board Computers Market,Single Board Computers Market share,Single Board Computers Market size

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/single-board-computers-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=22073

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

A Single Board Computer is an electronic device installed on single circuit board with micro- processors, memory and other input/output features required for normal functioning of a computer. The Single Board Computer are made by increasing density of integrated circuits. This reduced circuit configuration also reduces the overall cost of the system by reducing number of bus drivers and connectors, by eliminating number of circuit boards required. By merging all the functionalities on a single board, a smaller system popularly known as Single Board Computer is obtained.Increase in the growth of wireless communication infrastructure and consistent developments of product designing along with increasing demand of Single Board Computer applications in ATM machines, industrial computers, medical equipment automation equipment are the major driving factor for the growth of Single Board Computer market.Easy availability of Single Board Computers and standardized form factors will increase the demand of innovative devices in the market. Increased computing power, high flexibility, lowered power consumption and higher efficiency are the key drivers to drive the market demand of Single Board Computer market. Connectivity via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Wi-Fi, are few technological innovation in the field of Single Board Computer trusted communication industry.Obtain Report Details @The consumer need of Single Board Computer differ depending on the deployed environment, application and industries thereby creating demands for various designing needs. Other growth factors includes initiative to develop the designs of devices such that the users have the access to latest software and hardware components at the outset. Major restraint for Single Board Computer market is technological drawbacks as application platforms cannot be aligned to replace latest technology processor as the whole system is integrated on a single board, thereby restricting immediate application or usage for a considerable duration.Another restraining factor affecting the growth of this Single Board Computer market is inefficient cooling process. Multicore Single Board Computer in todays marketplace is the new upcoming opportunity for Single Board Computer market. Customized Single Board Computer is an upcoming embedded platform that contains a carrier board and Computer on Module.Single Board Computer market is segmented by technology as aTCA (Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture), compact PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect), VME (Versacard Multibus Eurocard), VPX (Virtual Path Cross-connect), VXS and Mezzanine. aTCA, LTE (Long term Evolution) and WiMax are the leading technologies during the forecast period. Additionally, SBC market has been segmented as end user majorly in medical industry, precision agriculture, military & aerospace, defense, retail & hospitality, transportation and digital logistics, intelligent systems, communications and networking, embedded control subsystems and industrial automation & control among others. Furthermore, Single Board Computer (SBC) market is also segmented by processor type as ARM cortex, Intel, Power Architecture of NXP semiconductors and others. Others include processors of Qualcomm, Samsung, Rabbit. By geography, the Single Board Computer market has been segmented into various regions namely Asia-Pacific (APAC), Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa (ME&A) and South America.Make an Enquiry @North America leads the Global Single board computer market followed by APAC and Europe. APAC region is estimated to grow at a very high growth rate due to steady economic growth. China , Japan and India are the emerging market in APAC region. The US region has the highest adoption rate for Single Board Computer market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
3D Semiconductor Packaging Market - Key Players Focus on Evolving market Trends and Dynamics

3D Semiconductor Packaging Market ,3D Semiconductor Packaging Market share,3D Semiconductor Packaging Market size

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/3d-semiconductor-packaging-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=22061

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

The 3D packaging relates to integration of 3D schemes which is depended on traditional methods of interconnection with flip chip and wire bonding for vertical stacks. Memory die are stacked and are interconnected with package on package (PoP) configurations which are interconnected with wire bonds and interconnected wire bonds. Flip chips are referred to 3D system in package (SiP) which have mainstream manufacturing with established infrastructure. The package on package method is applied to have vertical integration different technologies like 3D WLP, which uses wafer level processes like for instance water bumping processes to form interconnects and RDL (redistribution layers).The 2.5 D interposer could also be considered a 3 D WLP which is capable of interconnecting with die side-side on silicon organic or glass interposer using RDL and TSVs. In most type of 3 D packaging, the chips in the packaging are mounted in a way as a separate package on a normal circuit board which is communicated with the usage of a off chip signaling. Some of the factors driving the 3 D packaging market include rise in application of portable electronic devices, technological support on 2 D packaging technology and significant growth in demand for miniaturize circuit in microelectronic devices. Thermal complexities with devices and high rate of initial investment which is required in setting up a 3 D packaging plant are some of the challenges faced by the 3 D packaging manufacturers. Growing trend of internet of things is a key opportunity for the 3 D packaging market over the next few years.The 3 D packaging market by technology has been segmented into 3 D Through SILICON VIA (TSV), 3 D Package on Package (PoP), 3 D Fan Out, 3D Wire Bonded and Other (Flip Chip and Hybrid). The 3 D wire bonded segment in the 3 D packaging market segmented by technology dominated the market in 2016. The widespread application of flash memory is driving the 3 D wire bonded segment. This is a traditional method and has high market penetration. Moreover, the widespread application of flash memory in consumer electrics, industrial robotics and smart phones is fueling the expansion of 3 D wire bond package segment.Obtain Report Details @The 3 D packaging market by material could be further segmented into organic substrate, bonding wire, lead frame, encapsulation resin, ceramic package, die attach material and others. The organic substrate segment in the 3 D packaging market segmented by material led the market in 2016.The 3 D packaging market by industry could be segmented into electronics, industrial, telecommunication, healthcare, automotive & transport, aerospace, defense and others. Geographically the 3 D packaging market could be segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, Europe and Latin America. Asia Pacific led the 3 D packaging market in 2016 and is also expected to grow at the fastest rate over the next few years. Asia Pacific is followed by North America and Europe. Most of the major players in the semi conductor industry have manufacturing facility in the region and this is driving the demand for 3 D packaging in Asia Pacific and this accounting for the largest market share.Make an Enquiry @Some of the key payers operating in the 3 D packaging market include Amkor Technology Inc., Jiangsu Changjiang Electronics Technology Co. LTD., International Business Machine Corporation (IBM), Qualcomm Technology Inc., Intel Corporation, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd., Stmicroelectronics N.V., Siliconware Precision Industries Co., Ltd (SPIL), Suss Microtec AG. and ASE Group among others. The key players in the 3 D packaging market have adopted various strategies to expand their business process. Product development and research and development is a key strategy adopted by the players to expand their business in the market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The Dow Chemical Co. and DuPont last week gained European Commission approval of a proposed $130 billion merger, but not everyone wants to see the deal close.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) has urged President Trump to block the merger.

The reduction in competition that would be wrought by a Dow-DuPont merger will result in less innovation, higher prices, and less choice for farmers, NFU President Roger Johnson said in a letter to President Trump. Given the damaging and lasting effects this merger will have on family farmers and rural America, we urge you to oppose this merger.

See the full letter at http://bit.ly/2nSCeZO

The NFU represents family farmers, fishers and ranchers across the country, with formally organized divisions in 33 states, including Michigan, according to its website.

Dow and DuPont still need merger approval from regulatory authorities in the U.S., Europe, Brazil and China. The companies expect to close no earlier than Aug. 1, but expected closing dates have been pushed back several times since the December 2015 merger announcement.

The merger would combine two of the biggest chemical companies in the country. It would be known as DowDuPont, which would spin off into three independent publicly traded companies within 18 months: Material Sciences, to stay headquartered in Midland, along with Agriculture and Specialty Products, to be based in Wilmington, Delaware.

The European Commission approved the merger after both companies offered to sell significant parts of their businesses, including Dows copolymer business and DuPonts global pesticides business. This condition alleviated EC concerns that the merger could reduce competition in the agriculture industry and reduce future innovation.

However, the NFU still sees the merger as harmful to farmers, consumers and rural America.

Johnson noted in the letter that the European Union did not require the two companies to divest any of their seed interests despite the serious impacts the merger will have on input costs for farmers.

The merger of Dow and DuPont, the fourth and fifth largest firms, would give the resulting company about 41 percent of the market for corn seeds and 38 percent of the market for soybean seeds, Johnson said in the letter. If the Dow-DuPont and Bayer-Monsanto mergers were both approved, there would effectively be a duopoly in the corn and soybean seed markets.

For the assets both companies did agree to divest, it is highly likely that many will be purchased by companies of the Big 6, Johnson said, referring to chemical companies Monsanto Co., Bayer, Dow, DuPont, BASF and Syngenta.

Therefore, any reallocation of share within the large incumbents through divestures would only result in a game of market concentration musical chairs, the NFU letter states.

The NFUs opposition has not swayed Dow and DuPont, which continue to seek regulatory approval.

We believe the merger is pro-competitive and good for farmers and consumers in the U.S. and around the world, Dow spokesperson Rachelle Schikorra told the Daily News in a statement. We continue to work constructively with regulators, elected officials and all our agriculture stakeholders to show how we will be better able to help farmers by providing greater choice, more innovative products, and competitive price for value, ultimately increasing grower productivity and profitability.
Free Life Community Churchs program offers a meal, homework help, friendship and Jesus.

The Church: Free Life Community Church in Terre Haute, Indiana

The Challenge: How to reach local children who need loving adults in their lives.

One Big Idea: Create a weekly program that offers a meal, homework help, friendship and Jesus.

How was your day today? a volunteer asks a young child at the weekly childrens program at Free Life Community Church in Terre Haute, Indiana. Every Wednesday evening, vans pick up children in the area and bring them to the church, where they eat dinner and participate in a mentoring program. The church offers homework help, fun activities and friendship to children who need a caring adult in their lives.

It is a Christian-based curriculum about Christ and the life one can have with him, Pastor Dan Willis says. But it also entails mentoring, teaching children to respect and get along well with others, having the right attitude and behavior, and being there for them when they need a friend. The kids we draw dont always have that kind of love and attention in the home.

The church has been serving children in its community for more than 15 years. The program runs year-round, and weekly attendance is between 50 and 100 children. Willis has seen remarkable changes in many of the children.

They become much better behaved over time, and we believe this molds them into more responsible citizens, he says. We ensure that they get a nutritious meal, learn about Christ and have people around them who care. Those things are so important in the life of a child. No matter what we do, the most important thing we can do is teach them about Jesus.

Volunteers also see the benefits of participating in the program. Our volunteers have noticed a resurgence of commitment and spiritual depth in their lives, Willis says. They feel good knowing that these kids are taking Christ home with them into a world where wrong often seems right.

This 100-member congregation fills a need for many children in the community. We help them with whatever needs they have and strive to be an example to them, Willis says. Most of all, we want them to know that they are loved.

Find more childrens outreach ideas 



FREE LIFE COMMUNITY CHURCH

Terre Haute, Indiana

FreeLifeCC.com
NORMAL  Challenger Mary Campbell held a commanding lead in the race for one of two seats on the Heartland Community College board, and incumbent Gregg Chadwick appeared to have the edge over incumbent Jim Drew and challenger Bennett Morris for the remaining seat in Tuesday's election.

With preliminary votes in from the city of Bloomington and McLean, Livingston and Logan counties, Campbell had 12,667 votes and Chadwick had 7,208 votes. Drew had 6,282 votes, and Morris had 4,901 votes.

Figures weren't available from DeWitt, Tazewell or Ford counties at press time, but only small portions of each of those counties are in the Heartland district.

The candidates were competing for six-year terms.

Campbell, 71, of Normal is a retired Illinois State University social work faculty member.

Chadwick, 54, of Bloomington was appointed to the board in 2002 and won elections in 2003, 2005 and 2011. He is executive director of DMH Medical Group in Decatur and has been board chairman since 2011.

Drew, 62, of Lincoln was elected to the board in 2011 and currently serves as vice chairman. He works for the Illinois Farm Bureau/Logan County Farm Bureau.

Morris, 27, of Bloomington is a marketing analyst for State Farm.

If Drew does not win, it will be the first time since Heartland was founded that Logan County has not had a trustee serving on the board.

Jim White of Lincoln served from the election of the first board in 1990 until he declined to seek re-election, and Drew was elected without opposition in 2011.

Heartland Community College District 504 includes all or part of five counties: DeWitt, Ford, Livingston, Logan, McLean and Tazewell. Its main campus is in Normal and it also has facilities in Pontiac and Lincoln.
We value your privacy.

Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy.
The Normal Town Council on Monday will consider an ordinance for the 2022 property tax levy estimated to be $13,381,652, which is the same as last year's levy.
You know the Illinois budget mess is bad when lawmakers start eyeing making recreational pot legal.

But thats whats happening in Springfield. And we think its actually not a half-baked idea.

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, has introduced legislation that would allow those 21 and over to possess, purchase or grow up to an ounce of marijuana. Licensed businesses also would be able to sell cannabis products.

The plan would bring Illinois in line with Colorado and Oregon, two of eight states that have more liberal policies on the drug.

What those states dont have is anything near the two-year fiscal morass of our fine state, home to the lengthiest budget stalemate in the nation.

And thats why the pot plan might help.

Last year, Oregon generated $60 million from marijuana taxes. Colorado took in $140 million.

Cassidy, who in 2014 co-sponsored legislation that legalized medical marijuana, estimates Illinois could make up to $700 million annually.

That would make a small dent in the states $9.6 billion budget gap, but its not the only reason we see value in lifting rules on the drug.

Put simply, its time to examine our draconian cannabis laws, a holdover from the zero-tolerance War on Drugs era that has contributed to overpopulated jails and prisons and numerous social problems that linger today.

Its time to be realistic about marijuana and its users, including those who need it for medical reasons. Seventeen other states are considering similar plans related to recreational pot.

In our view, the legislation is reasonable because it allows a small amount of the drug and prohibits marijuana use in public places and in moving vehicles. And, like alcohol, its taxed and limited to those over 21.

Last year, lawmakers passed legislation decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of pot, which remains illegal at the federal level. This new measure continues the trend, but it faces strong resistance. The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police has been critical of it, and every other state thats legalized marijuana has done it by ballot initiative.

Despite the opposition, we think this is the time to have a conversation about the marijuana policy in Illinois.

Thank you

If you voted yesterday, staffed a polling place, helped count ballots, drove a voter to a polling place or cast an early vote, thank you. You cared enough about the future of our communities, schools, libraries, colleges, and fire and ambulance districts to spend a few minutes choosing who should be our next leaders.

You cared enough to educate yourself on the candidates and issues, some of you knocked on doors or made phone calls or wrote letters to support your candidates and your views.

The time you spent will benefit all of us.
When Father Antonio gently scolds Sister Juana, the heroine of The Heresy of Love, which opened over the weekend at ISU, about the inappropriateness of a nun writing secular poetry and plays, he reminds her, You renounced the world. To which she replies, I did not renounce my mind.

Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz was a real, fiercely intellectual woman, who took her vows in Mexico in the late 17th century. This exquisite play, written by Helen Edmundson, is based on the later part of her life, when the Spanish Inquisition raged and her voracious thirst for knowledge came under the scrutiny of the Catholic Church.

Sister Juana had friends and benefactors who commissioned her to write plays which were widely performed and wildly popular. She became extremely close with her highness, the Vicereine, beautifully played by Sarah Seidler, who desired that Sister Juana write a play in honor of her newborn son.

I hear the nun is writing again, grumbles the Archbishop upon hearing that Sister Juana has taken up her pen again in direct defiance of his express directives.

The Archbishop had already altered the rules so that nuns could receive absolutely no visitors from the outside world, and he had her extensive library burned in the streets.

Between the toxic political climate, various parties jockeying for power, floods, personal tragedy, and the plague, Sister Juana is pitted against some truly mighty forces.

The production, eloquently directed by Robert Quinlan, honors this formidable and fascinating woman.

Scenic designer John Stark has designed an intriguing moving puzzle of iron grill gates, which are practical and brilliantly serve as a visual metaphor for the cloistered life of the nuns.

John Tovar as the Archbishop and Cyndee Brown as Mother Marguerita bring maturity, heft and depth to their respective roles.

While all the performances are excellent in this sterling production, Paige Brantley as Sister Juana steals the show, as she captures the heart of the audience, portraying this notable and noble woman, who thankfully, has not been lost to history.
A federal appeals court in Chicago handed down a major ruling in favor of LGBT rights on Tuesday. The court ruled that LGBT employees are protected from discrimination under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which says employers can't discriminate against workers based on "race, color, religion, sex, or national origin."

In the past, the "sex" part of that clause has been interpreted to mean gender, but for this ruling presiding Judge Diane Wood wrote, "Any discomfort, disapproval, or job decision based on the fact that the complainant  woman or man  dresses differently, speaks differently, or dates or marries a same-sex partner, is a reaction purely and simply based on sex."

The case was brought forward by plaintiff Kimberly Hively, who filed a lawsuit against Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend, Indiana in 2014 in which she claimed that the school declined to offer her a full-time position after her colleagues witnessed her kissing her girlfriend goodbye in her car one morning. According to CNN, Hively received a phone call that there were complaints about her "sucking face" publicly, and her professional opportunities at the school all but disintegrated after the incident.

After a lower court dismissed her suit outright and a three-judge panel of the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected her appeal, Hively sought help from Lambda Legal, a major nonprofit that helps protect LGBT people's civil rights.

Lambda secured a rehearing for Hively in which all 11 judges considered her appeal, eventually ruling 8-3 in her favor. This ruling is somewhat surprising as most of the judges are fairly conservative, and five of the eight who ruled in favor were appointed by Republican judges.

"This decision is game changer for lesbian and gay employees facing discrimination in the workplace and sends a clear message to employers: it is against the law to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation," said Greg Nevins, a Lambda Legal strategist.

Hively said she hopes the ruling "gives people pause when they're bullying someone over their sexual orientation."

Judge Diane Sykes, who dissented from the majority ruling, said that "sex" did not mean "sexual orientation," explaining, "It's understandable that the court is impatient to protect lesbians and gay men from workplace discrimination without waiting for Congress to act. Legislative change is arduous and can be slow to come. But we're not authorized to amend Title VII by interpretation."

The long, slow crawl toward legislative change will likely continue up to the Supreme Court, as an appellate court in Georgia ruled in the opposite direction of the Chicago court three weeks ago. Though Trump promised in January not to undo Obama's executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against workers for sexual orientation or identity, he actually did roll back some of those protections just last week.

[h/t Daily Intelligencer]

Image via Kelly Taub/BFA.com
There was a moment at the beginning of the week when the only thing anyone was talking about was Melania Trump's completely bizarre first official portrait for the White House. We at PAPER Mag wondered "What is Going Through Melania Trump's Mind?" while others on social media were quick to point out how much the overly airbrushed glamour shot was reminiscent of the Meitu app.

But while the rest of the world was critiquing the First Lady for her unconventional approach to presidential professionalism, Stefano Gabanna, one half of the Italian mega-brand Dolce & Gabbana, was busy celebrating Ms. Trump's decision to wear a blazer from his label  one of the First Lady's favorite. He posted the instantly meme-able portrait to his Instagram account with the caption, "#DGWoman BEAUTIFUL  #melaniatrump Thank you  #madeinitaly"

Supporting the Trumps kind of makes that line of Dolce & Gabbana haute couture hijabs a bit hypocritical, huh?

It's important to note that this is not Mr. Gabbana's first time saying something controversial. Back in January, he rang in the New Year by celebrating the fact that Melania wore a Dolce & Gabbana dress to her husband's New Year's Eve extravaganza in Mar-a-Lago. Back in 2015, the designer also told an Italian magazine, Panorama, that he was against same-sex parenting of children, claiming that "family isn't a fleeting trend" and "life has a natural trajectory, there are things that should not be altered."

I guess the Dolce & Gabbana boycott is back on? Where's Elton John?

Splash photo via Matteo Pradoni/BFA.com and Twitter


A student from New Jersey died at a hospital days after she joined a pancake-eating contest in Connecticut. Authorities confirmed she choked during the contest.

Reports identified the 20-year-old college student from Sacred Heart University as Caitlin Nelson of Clark, New Jersey. Nelson was a certified youth mental health counselor and was at a charity event in Connecticut when she joined the pancake-eating contest called "flapjack." Authorities identified the charity event as Greek Life charity dinner.

Nelson, who was on her third year at the university, ate around five pancakes. She then fell to the floor and had convulsions. Two nurses were in the area during the incident and administered life-saving efforts on the student. Authorities came two minutes after people called them about the incident, New York Daily News reported.

Paramedics took Nelson at a hospital in Bridgeport. They listed her under critical but stable condition then transferred her to the New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia on Friday. They pronounced her dead on Sunday. They took the vital organs of the student to help other people.

A rotating officer assigned at the campus, 42-year-old Robert Kalamaras, said Nelson had food allergies but did not give other details about it. Other authorities, however, said the food allergies did not contribute to her death.

Students at the Sacred Heart University and faculty members held a vigil for her. University president John J. Petillo said in a blog post the death of Nelson hurt them all and her death was a tremendous loss to the community, USA Today shared.

A person close to Nelson and her family said, "She was a sweet, sweet, sweet kid. Full of life. Vibrant. It's horrible." The source added Nelson's death due to a charity event was sad because her father died during the 9/11 attack.
President Donald Trump declared April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The White House emphasized the role of the family in reducing the risk factors.

But what are these risk factors and what threats to safety do children face? What are the long-term effects of abuse in children?

The president called upon American families to be alert, aware and well-informed when it comes to children's well-being. In a White House statement to mark Child Abuse Awareness Month, Trump wrote, "The best child abuse prevention program is a strong family with well-equipped, mature, and child-focused parents."

Child abuse involves not the just physically, emotionally or sexually harming children. It is also child abuse when a parent or caregiver neglects to provide food, shelter, clothing and education, as per The Tennessean.

Children face four areas of child abuse risks among family members, adults, their peers and their environment. The family living in poverty, amid exposure to violence and substance abuse, creates an environment that raises the child's risk. A parent who brandishes harsh parenting also perpetuates the abuse.

The formative years are crucial to children as this is when they develop strong self-esteem and good mental health. If they experience abuse at this stage, the effects will carry on in their adult life. Abused children often end up with emotional issues like anxiety and depression, post-traumatic stress, a tendency for violence and substance abuse problems.

Families, especially parents, are responsible for fostering and ensuring their children grow up in a happy, positive and loving environment. The kids need to see and feel their home is the safest place.

If families or parents also suspect child abuse, they must not hesitate to report this to authorities or concerned agencies to stop the abuse and save a child's life. Become a voice to child abuse victims and speak up about this issue to help raise awareness.
When American scientists experimented on the controversial three-parent baby in 2015, they knew they were up to something big. Now, as they finally revealed the technique to how they conceived the embryo, some experts grew concern that they almost created a mutant baby.

Dr. John Zhang, who headed the experimental team in New York, shared their work via the Reproductive BioMedicine Online journal (RBMO). The three-parent baby experiment involved a couple from Jordan. The wife carried the DNA for Leigh syndrome.

Leigh Syndrome is a progressive DNA disorder that kills the infant as soon as he's born, as per Genetic Home Reference. The family already lost two babies because of this and the mom didn't want the same for her third child, so they enlisted Zhang's help.

Zhang and his team performed the experiment using an IVF technique called mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT). They removed a healthy donor egg's nucleus to replace the mom's egg cell so any genetic risks were eliminated. They fused the mom's egg with the donor egg, as per Scientific American.

The father's sperm fertilized the fused egg, thus making up the three-parent procedure. The team then transferred the fertilized egg in the mom's womb.

After 37 weeks, the Jordanian parents' baby, Hassan, was born on April 2016 and the mom's pregnancy was relatively without problems. Hassan was also developing as a healthy child.

"Now, for the first time, an egg with abnormal mitochondria can be changed to contain mostly normal mitochondria from a healthy egg donor," Professor Bart Fauser of RBMO said, as per EurekAlert. "This is a major change of technology and an obvious advantage for women who are at risk of passing such diseases on to the next generation."

The science community, however, has concerns about the long-term effects of this technique. Biologist Professor Robin Lovell-Badge cited Zhang's team was lucky they found a good donor egg, as per Life News. What if the fusion of the donor egg and the mom's egg, as well as the fertilization of the sperm, resulted in an abnormal baby?

The experiment highlighted that while Zhang's team did something groundbreaking, MRT remains risky. Some experts also raised ethical issues involving baby experiments.

"The mitochondria are participants in the development of the organism," biologist Professor Stuart Newman said. "This clearly makes any person [brought into being from the procedure] a product of wholesale genetic engineering."
A pair of 7-month old twin sisters from New Jersey died on the same day and in separate cribs. Medical examiners said Jessenia and Juliana Rodriguez-Garnett did not die due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or foul play. They said the twins succumb due to natural causes.

Mom Alexandria Garnett found her baby girls unresponsive in the morning of March 22. Garnett called 911 and reported her twins looked purple. She also felt they were no longer breathing, as per NJ True Jersey.

The dispatcher instructed the mom to do CPR while help was on the way. She said the babies remained unresponsive. The EMT team confirmed Garnett's worst fears when they arrived: her babies were gone.

The funeral director who received the girls' paperwork said the medical examiner ticked the box for "natural causes" and not SIDS or otherwise known as crib death. Crib death is a common assumption in unexplained situations among babies below one who die during sleep. The state of New Jersey recently launched a campaign to minimize SIDS by giving out free baby boxes, as per CBS New York.

Meanwhile, Jessenia and Juliana's bodies already went through an autopsy but officials at Camden County have yet to release the specific cause of death. Neighbors described Garnett as "a wonderful mom" who "loved kids," as per Philly. A friend of the family said the twin girls were born prematurely. One of them needed heart surgery.

"I knew it was going to be natural causes, because nobody would hurt the kids," neighbor Markia Conover said, as per Palm Beach Post. "They were well taken care of."

The Garnetts reside in Pines Apartments somewhere in Bilper Avenue. Aside from the twins, the mom has two other kids in the age of six and one. The children's grandmother also live with them.
When Prince George attends Thomas's Battersea in September, he's likely to learn ballet in one of his classes. The 3-year-old royal might also have to wear tights and black ballet shoes in his PE classes.

Thomas's Battersea specializes in arts, music, drama, languages and ballet rather than academics. Students are required proper attire in these classes, according to Express.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge do not expect the school to change its policy for Prince George, which means he'll have to comply with the same standards as other children. "They would like, as far as is possible, for him to enjoy the same education that all of our pupils receive and for them to join the school community as all of our new parents do," Thomas's Battersea headmaster Ben Thomas told parents in an email announcing that the royals decided to send their first-born and third in line to the British throne in their school.

Thomas's Battersea is a Christian institution but it welcomes families of different faiths, as per Vogue. The school emphasizes on "life development" in balancing academics.

"We are mindful of the fact that our pupils' experience of school and of life at this early age will in large measure shape the adults that they will become," Thomas said. The school also promotes the value of kindness among students.

Prince George will attend lower school until he's seven. Middle school is from seven to 10-years-old, while upper school is from 10 to 13. Thomas's has four other locations apart from Battersea in London: Clapham, Fulham, and Kensington.

From the letter sent to Parents at Prince George's new school (Thomas's Battersea) ahead of last week's announcement. pic.twitter.com/B8vaQQdCYw  Gert's Royals (@Gertsroyals) March 29, 2017

Royal watchers expected the Cambridge family to choose the all-boys school Wetherby for Prince George, given that it's his father's alma mater. The royals surprised everyone when they picked the co-ed private school instead.

Meanwhile, New York Upper East side parents were disappointed Prince George won't attend Wetherby, Vanity Fair reported. Admissions at the school's Central Park location spiked when rumors sparked the toddler prince would be attending the same school in the London branch. They thought their families would have something in common with the royals. Alas, it would not be the case.
Another strep throat complication case led to the amputation of one of the legs of a six-year-old girl. The Ohio girl dreamt of being a dancer.

Doctors diagnosed the girl, Tessa Puma, with strep throat and gave her antibiotics. A week after, Puma complained to her parents about pain on her legs and arms.

Tessa's parents took her to different hospitals and a doctor found a complication form her strep throat, the flesh-eating bacteria that caused the disease called necrotizing fasciitis. It could spread quickly all over a person's body so Tess's father, Matt, decided to have her undergo tests.

After the tests, doctors confirmed she had the bacteria and at one point, touching her leg made her scream in pain. Doctors performed a surgery to relieve the swelling but they found the bacteria damager her left leg, parts of her shoulder and parts of her back.

Doctors found out the left leg of Tessa no longer had a pulse so they concluded there were numerous dead tissues. They had to amputate her left leg starting from the knee down, ABC News shared.

The six-year-old is part of the dance group called Center Stage Dance Studio and her fellow dancers sent her well wishes on Monday. Her dance instructor, Stacey Kopec, has nothing but kind words to say about Tessa.

"She's only 6 years old and we knew when she was probably 4, so at least for two years, we knew she was just such a superstar, she was born to dance." Kopec said. She also admitted that Tessa's death is the most devastating incident in her 28 years of teaching, WGN TV.com reported.

It remained unclear if Tessa's other leg will get amputated as well. Her family said they received news doctors found a problem on her right leg. She remained at Akron Children's Hospital for other tests.
President Donald Trump recently promised that there will be big spending for education. This came after he proposed billions of budget cut on education and research in order to boost military spending and to support the financing for the Mexican border.

Trump wanted to remove $9 billion from federal education programs but in the latest announcement, the administration said the president will spend lots of federal funding on education. He said at a town hall on Tuesday, "We're going to spend a lot of money... and we're going to get some great talent having to do with education because there is nothing more important than education." The reason cited was the fact that he wanted to increase the number of students graduating so as to fill the employment gap in the country, U.S. News shared.

Trump also told the CEOs during the town hall that spending a lot on education will help prepare students to have the skills that company owners are looking for in an employee. Aside from talking about increasing spending on education, he also talked about Common Core and charter schools, which are two of the main projects of Education secretary Betsy DeVos.

For Common Core, Trump said he hoped for the abolishment of the academic benchmarks of what students should know every after completion of a grade level. CEOs raised their concerns that high school graduates are not prepared for college due to Common Core.

For charter schools, the president cited such schools in New York doing exceptionally well. He pointed out the notion that charter schools in New York City are only experiments is no longer the case.

More on the charter school project and DeVos, Trump praised his Secretary of Education for handling the issues in the department very well. Trump also said they will propose around $1.4 billion for school choice proposals and $168 million for charter schools, Education Week reported.

Many expressed concern over the fact that DeVos is an advocate of charter schools and private schools. They believed she will abolish the entire public school system.
This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions
Apple's Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri said during a February conference that "Today we do much more in-house development of fundamental technologies than we used to. Think of the work we do on processors or sensors. We can push the envelope on innovation. We have better control over timing, over cost and over quality." More evidence of that philosophy was evident this week when Apple made it public that they were going to stop licensing graphics chips from Imagination Technologies Group.

Reuters notes in a report today that Apple's move was "the clearest example yet of the iPhone maker's determination to take greater control of the core technologies in its products - both to guard its hefty margins and to position it for future innovations, especially in so-called augmented reality.

It may also help the company move faster - and save money - as it focuses on new technologies such as virtual and augmented reality. Apple CEO Tim Cook has indicated that Apple plans to integrate augmented reality into its products, which makes 3-D sensors and graphics chips like Imagination's especially important.

Apple spends only $75 million a year on licensing fees for Imagination's chips. But licensing fees to chip designers, taken together, are a significant cost for the iPhone. Apple recently sued Qualcomm for $1 billion over licensing terms for its communications chips - which Apple would have trouble designing in-house because of patent issues." Read the full Reuters report for more details.

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.
Nancy Catallo shares this beautiful shot of a well-lit phone booth containing a Bell of Pennsylvania payphone and, possibly, a phone book. This shot looks like it could have been used by the phone company as an advertisement for its phone booths. Thanks to Nancy for this beauty.

Related
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein recently authored a column (Cadiz water project poses grave threat to California desert, March 12) decrying the Cadiz Water Project as bad for the environment, in violation of federal regulations and a threat to a national monument.

Thats not the Cadiz Water Project I know, nor the project thats been publicly reviewed, approved and upheld in our states courts. Unfortunately, Sen. Feinstein, D-Calif., seems to have overlooked key facts about a project that will help California, not hurt it.

Here are the facts: When fully built, the Cadiz project will provide a new, reliable water supply for 400,000 citizens in Southern California, create and support 5,900 jobs and generate billions of dollars of economic activity. In addition, the project will make available new underground water storage to accommodate extremely wet winters, like the one weve had this year.

The senators assertion that Cadiz does not uphold Californias proud environmental tradition is flatly wrong. Over the past decade, the project has undergone California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review, the most stringent standard in the nation. That lengthy analysis concluded the project would not cause significant environmental impacts on the desert environment or tribal lands. This analysis was challenged in court by opponents, but withstood every legal challenge.

When discussing how much water will enter the Cadiz aquifer annually, or its recharge rate, Sen. Feinstein relies on old data from 2000 without acknowledging the significant site-specific data collected by scientists since that time, nor the leaps and bounds made in technological advancements. In 2000, the iPhone and Facebook didnt exist. Nor did site-specific measurements of the Cadiz Dry Lakes evaporation or a newer, better U.S. Geological Survey model. These tools have allowed hydrologists to more accurately detail the magnitude of the water supply and groundwater flow system, giving regulators the information needed to limit the project and how it operates.

The projects groundwater management plan guarantees project operations will be annually constrained to less than 1 percent of what is in the watershed, and to a specific floor. The County of San Bernardino, which has been recognized as a champion of local resource management by environmental organizations, has authority to halt operations.

Sen. Feinstein also contends that the Cadiz Water Project does not conform to federal regulations and therefore should be subject to National Environmental Protection Act review  but there is no nexus for federal review. The 43-mile Cadiz pipeline will be built underground, alongside an existing railroad route, to avoid federal land or pristine open space. Co-location of utilities alongside railroad tracks is good public policy thats been in place for decades. Use of an existing right-of-way is precisely what federal regulations should encourage, not abuse to further delay needed infrastructure. No environmental review is more rigorous than the one already completed by the Cadiz Water Project; it should be embraced, not ignored.

President Obamas recent designation of the Mojave Trails National Monument did not create a new federal permitting nexus for the project. The Cadiz Water Project is not in the monument, which by law can only include federal lands and cannot impact valid existing rights, including Cadizs property rights. This continued misrepresentation only serves to chill the necessary dialogue about how to manage the federal monument lands for environmental and public uses among all parties in the desert, including Cadiz.

Moreover, due to legislation authored by Sen. Feinstein hiding deep within the Interior Appropriations bill, the federal government is actually prohibited from completing a federal review for the Cadiz Project. How can one argue that the project requires federal review while continuing to block the government from doing so? This insinuates that support for federal review is about politics, not the environment. Perhaps this is why the treatment of Cadiz is under investigation by the U.S. House Oversight Committee. Or why a bipartisan group of House members have asked for Interior to remove the bureaucratic red tape thats stymieing the project.

The accusations against the project levied by Sen. Feinstein are serious, but completely unsupported. The fact remains that over eight years, the project has been studied, publicly reviewed, approved and upheld under our states rigorous environmental laws. It will not and cannot gravely impact the desert. Rather, it will provide needed water, jobs and economic stimulus for Southern California without harm to the environment, or without one dollar of taxpayer money. Cadiz is precisely the kind of water project California needs right now. It is a model public-private partnership. Lets get to work.

Winston Hickox is a member of the Cadiz Inc. board of directors. Previously, he was secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) for Gov. Gray Davis from 19992003; special assistant for environmental affairs to Gov. Jerry Brown (1975-1983) and an alternate for the California Coastal Commission (1997-1999). He has served on the boards of Audubon California, Sustainable Conservation, and California League of Conservation Voters.
Not-so-Golden State

I increasingly wonder why I still live in California. In her Sunday column [Legislators should vote to fix Californias roads, Opinion, April 2], Tonya Burke made the case to raise money to fix roads  definitely a critical need. And in his recent column [Skeptical voters should refocus closer to home, Opinion, March 29], Sal Rodriguez provided the horrific math as the state debt worsens.

Why do we idly stand by and watch our misguided governor and Legislature bring us down, continuing to spend hugely on social programs, retirement benefits and other inane programs while the state is wasting away? Why do about 75 percent of Californians support a sanctuary policy in the face of pending federal action with fiscal (and legal) ramifications?

I feel that supporting Tonya Burkes pitch for more gas tax funds involves a choice between two forms of death. Unfortunately, the answer to my questions above is that California residents are too ignorant, greedy, liberally extreme, uncaring or all of the above.

 Richard Crowe, Beaumont

Where is the money we already gave?

Re: Are California road repairs worth a tax hike? [Opinion, April 4]: They want more gas tax money? I wonder where the gas tax money is being spent in Moreno Valley.

Two very heavily traveled streets in our fine city, Redlands Blvd. and Alessandro Blvd., are becoming a real embarrassment. Other than a few patches, nothing has been done to improve them in the 39 years Ive lived here.

But the city has seen fit to remove one traffic lane east and west on Cottonwood so the bicyclists can have their own lanes. Whoops! Since bicyclists do not pay road use tax, who pays for them, not to mention all the striping for bicyclists throughout the entire city?

 Harold L. Becker, Moreno Valley

Taxed enough

Re: Gas tax hikes a bitter pill we must swallow [Opinion, April 2]: We have been paying gas taxes and it has not been used for the roads. Do-gooders took what would have been road money to pay for buses and trains, and now they want a bullet train to nowhere.

Gov. Brown doesnt want anyone to drive, so if he makes it too expensive to buy gas or register your car, you will no longer be afflicted with road congestion.

 Bracha Meyerowitcz, Hemet
Record winter rainfall may have vanquished the states five-year drought, but that hasnt stopped Californians from conserving water.

Californias urban water conservation for the month of February was 25.1 percent, more than double the 11.9 percent savings in February 2016 and the lowest amount of daily water consumed per capita to date, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.

Even with a banner year for winter precipitation, Californians have continued to practice sensible conservation, with a significant drop in water use in the South Coast, said Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the state water board in a statement.

While it has often lagged in the past, the South Coast hydrological region contributed to 60 percent of the statewide savings in February. Southern Californians saved 51,208 acre-feet of water, or 16.7 billion gallons.

The common thinking is that rainy skies kept Southern Californians from irrigating their lawns, watering their ornamental bushes and washing their cars. While the weather may have helped, the resulting savings is a relatively new outcome, experts say.

RELATED: With conservation still high, Californias water-savings regulation extended

When it rains, yes, people water less. But that could be attributed to the conservation ethic that has taken place. Some of that drought infrastructure has not gone away, said Adan Ortega, water expert and adviser to the group of water agencies and cities of the San Gabriel Valley Water Association.

The State Water Board released a plan in November, Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life, which continues prohibitions against watering lawns after a rainstorm, washing cars without a hose shut-off nozzle and decorative fountains that use potable water thats not recycled. Also, 400 of the largest water suppliers must continue to report savings to the board.

The board is also planning for the possibility that this wet year that dropped above normal amounts of rainfall in Los Angeles and well-above average amounts in Northern California, could be an anomaly and that drought years could return thereafter.

Though our water picture is significantly improved in most of California, we have to maintain our drought memory and shift to planning and action to prepare for the long-term, added Marcus.

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the largest water wholesaler providing imported water to 19 million people in Southern California, like smaller agencies is piping surplus water abundant in Northern California reservoirs to local reservoirs and groundwater basins through the State Water Project aqueduct.

This is certainly positive news and for Southern California as well, said Bob Muir, an MWD spokesman. We are hoping consumers will continue conservation practices as we move into the summer.

Meanwhile, the MWD is moving billions of gallons of water into storage for future dry periods. The Diamond Valley Reservoir in Hemet is at 80 percent capacity and will be full by the end of summer, Muir said. That will equal the most water stored in Diamond Valley in six years, he said.

Local groundwater basins, such as the San Gabriel Basin, which serves 1.9 million people, the Chino Basin (1.2 million people) and the Central Basin (2 million) and West Basin (1 million) in southeast and western Los Angeles County are desperately trying to replenish water tables that hit historic lows during the drought.

Refilling underground basins, where water districts, cities and private water companies use wells to draw out water they deliver to customers, is a slow-and-go process, Ortega said.

The San Gabriel Basin, for example, is still in the hole, he said. Many of our groundwater basins have not recovered.

Local dams in the San Gabriel Mountains are not full, he said, because local rainfall seeped into parched soil instead of running into the mountain reservoirs. The earth has been so dried up from five years of drought that much of that water is underneath those dams. That is a factor invisible to most people, Ortega said.

Still, the state board is reporting the amount of statewide urban potable water production was the lowest in February since reporting began in June 2014.

Potable water savings in February, based on 0.2 acre-feet of water used by the average person per year, equals enough to supply 13 million Californians with water for one year. From June 2015, the states urban users have saved 22.5 percent, which equates to 2,597,681 acre-feet or 847 billion gallons, the agency reported.

RELATED

California at heaviest snowpack in 22 years

The end of Californias drought is much closer after recent rain

Should California call off drought emergency?
Three Murrieta police dogs will be looking a little more like their human counterparts when they receive protective vests designed to keep them safer on the job.

K-9s Rocky, Kazan and Ranger will all receive custom-made vests from a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization. The group, Vested Interest in K9s, aims to help law enforcement agencies keep their dogs safe by providing them vests to protect against a knife attack or bullet.

We want to make sure that every dog working has the availability of a vest to increase their chances of safety, said Sandy Marcal, the president and founder of the organization.

Marcal has been working with K-9 teams for about 17 years, but started the organization to provide them vests in 2009. She said the nonprofit started small.

We were helping dogs locally for about a year and through social media networking, we learned there were dogs all across the country who were impacted and departments who were not able to provide (protective) equipment for their beloved K9s, she said.

The organization has now donated more than 2,400 vests, Marcal said.

To obtain a vest, a department fills out a grant application, she said. If the application is approved, the vests are provided at no cost to the department. Either the department finds sponsors to donate money, or Vested Interest in K9s gives the vests as gifts.

The vests  which cost about $1,050 each  are custom made to fit each dog by a manufacturer in Michigan and sent to departments within eight to 10 weeks.

Of the three vests Murrieta is receiving, two were paid for by sponsors and one was provided as a gift, according to department news releases.

Murieta police Lt. Tony Conrad said the department is planning to apply for a vest for a fourth dog, Buck, very soon, and for a fifth K-9 as soon as that dog completes its training.

Marcal said the vests are designed to withstand bullets and knives, as well as to protect against blunt-force trauma.

She said one officer told her that a vest protected his K-9 partner as a suspect tried to beat the dog with a cellphone.

Marcal stressed that while the vests can protect the animal in a knife or gun attack, theyre not completely knife- or bulletproof. Still, she said, they go a long way toward protecting a police dog. She said thats important for both K-9s and their handlers.

People do love them very much and they want their safety, she said. Theyre part of the family and thats a huge thing.
Two adults and two children were displaced Tuesday afternoon, April 4, when their house burned in Canyon Lake.

The fire in the two-story home in the 23000 block of Canyon Lake Drive North was reported at 4:05 p.m., a news release said. Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department firefighters contained the fire by about 5:15 p.m. Cal Fire said.

The American Red Cross was called to assist the residents.

The cause of the fire was not immediately available.
The city of Beaumont announced settlement of a 2014 lawsuit filed by a regional government organization on Tuesday, April 4, that could have cost the city millions of dollars and potential bankruptcy that officials blamed on bad decisions made by prior city leaders.

The city had appealed a $43 million judgment imposed in 2014 after an Orange County Superior Court judge ruled that the city had shirked obligations to collect millions of dollars in fees from developers for regional transportation projects.

The Beaumont City Council and the Western Riverside Council of Governments board have both approved complex settlement terms.

The total amount the city must pay in the settlement was unclear Tuesday night as the council continued meeting.

RELATED: Heres how to make sense of Beaumonts corruption case

City Manager Todd Parton said none of the settlement dollars would come from the citys general fund, but through funds for development and other sources.

The city will partner with WRCOG in civil court action against unspecified individuals blamed for the citys legal predicament in recent years.

We are really pleased with the settlement moving forward, WRCOG Executive Director Rick Bishop told the council.

The civil case filed by the Western Riverside Council of Governments focused on transportation uniform mitigation fees, TUMF for short, that developers normally pay before they build. The fees raise money for regional road projects to serve development.

Half the money goes toward regional projects and half to local areas where collected. The Beaumont zone, also includes the cities of Banning and Calimesa, and nearby unincorporated areas.

Instead between 2003 and 2009, Beaumont didnt provide its share of such fees to regional authorities, the lawsuit filed by WRCOG alleged.

The city financed projects with bonds paid off by property assessments on people who bought homes in new developments.

The Orange County judge said Beaumont officials at the time engaged in a pattern and practice of deception tantamount to fraud.

The city contended projects completed exceeded any perceived regional obligation and appealed the judgment to the Fourth District Court of Appeals. Justices put deadlines for moving forward on appeal on hold so the parties could spend time in mediation. With interest, the debt has exceeded $67 million.

In the meantime in 2015 raids on city hall and subsequent filing a year later of misappropriation and embezzlement of public funds criminal charges were filed against now former city administrators and consultants. They have denied wrongdoing.

BACKGROUND

Learn more about the key players in corruption case

Seven former city employees charged with corruption

Complete coverage of Beaumont probe
About five years ago, Cameron Moreland had just finished his masters degree in exercise science and was looking for a way to give back to the community. So, he decided to start offering free exercise classes to people out of his home.

The classes became so popular the group eventually grew into the Riverside-based FitOne Foundation, a nonprofit organization that offers exercise classes on a pay-what-you can basis.

We are donation-based, said Moreland, who is a minister and also teaches at Cal Baptist University in Riverside. We ask people to give what they can.

The FitOne Foundation, which has a center south of downtown Riverside, offers CrossFit, CrossFit Kids, boot camps, youth programs, nutritional counseling and health-promoting events to the community. According to the foundations website, the organization has donated 3,600 hours of fitness classes and taught more than 20,000 people through outreach events and educational seminars.

Moreland said hes motivated by the belief that cost should not prevent people from maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The FitOne Foundation offers 25, one-hour fitness classes Monday through Saturday.

The classes are taught by 11 certified fitness instructors who operate on a volunteer basis. Moreland said the FitOne Foundation has about 170 members.

Moreland says he wants people to grow spiritually, mentally and physically, so the classes are often more than just about losing weight.

Riverside resident Harley Nayes joined the FitOne Foundation last year, after his wife passed away from cancer. Nayes said that taking care of his ailing wife had led him to neglect his health and his weight ballooned to 300 pounds. He is down to about 250 pounds.

Nayes said Moreland called him when he was in the hospital.

Medical professionals had also told him to get serious about his health.

The doctor said lose weight or die, said Nayes.

Since he started taking classes at the FitOne Foundation, Nayes is no longer classified as prediabetic and he no longer has high blood pressure.

He said he was attracted by the classes sliding pay scale and that its Christian-based.

But he has also found a supportive community of fellow fitness enthusiasts.
After an emotional public hearing that saw heartfelt pleas from the podium and a councilman leave the dais to confront a speaker, the San Jacinto City Council decided Tuesday, April 4, to delay a decision that would have allowed marijuana cultivation in parts of the city.

We have a long way to go on this, Mayor Scott Miller said after the nearly four-hour meeting. Right now, theres a chasm between council members.

The debate came as San Jacinto is setting rules related to California voters approving the recreational use of marijuana. Voters in the city approved taxing marijuana operations and the council has been debating how best to balance the business and emotional debate surrounding cannabis.

Tuesdays discussion was about a proposal to allow indoor cultivation in areas zoned as light industrial.

Sixteen members of the public spoke 10 against allowing cultivation.

As the public speaking portion continued, Councilman Alonso Ledezma left the dais and was seen in the back of the room engaging with Wayne Magnolia, a cultivator who wants to start a business in San Jacinto.

Magnolia had just given a passionate plea to be allowed to open. As part of his talk, he intimated that anti-marijuana speakers were recruited to the meeting.

Later, Ledezma  who has expressed his anti-marijuana thoughts at previous meetings  said he was sorry for his actions.

I apologize to the speaker and would like to apologize to all of you, he said, adding that he did not encourage any speakers to attend and did not appreciate having his character called into question.

Residents against the proposal expressed fears about increased crime and marijuana being a gateway to harder drugs. Others questioned the distance allowed between cultivation businesses and homes and schools and urged the city to try and find the additional revenue that would come from such business from other sources.

We have enough problems in this world, Raul Quezada said. Do we really need this money from, yes Ill call them this, these drug lords?

Those in favor said cannabis businesses will create jobs and bring tax revenue to the city.

Lauren Dominguez, who identified herself as a college graduate, mother and cannabis cultivator, said there is no way to keep marijuana out of the city.

Its already around, she said. People are going to make the choices (to smoke) whether theres a building on the corner or not. If you do it correctly, it can be a win, win for everybody.

When it became time for the council to ask questions about the proposed zoning change, it was quickly apparent that there would be no consensus.

Councilmembers Andrew Kotyuk and Crystal Ruiz each had a laundry list of items they wanted to be reviewed in the proposed ordinance, prompting Miller to suggest tabling the item to study it more.

The five of us were not even close, he said afterward. Theres a lot of work to be done. As its written today, it wont work.

Miller said he has never seen such a meeting in his six-plus years on the council.

We didnt fix it tonight, he said. But we furthered the conversation.
The House Freedom Caucus swing votes proved enough to kill the American Health Care Act  and President Trump did not respond well.

Setting off a Twitter war, the president tweeted: The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they dont get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!

Some Freedom Caucus members responded with dismay and disappointment.

Freedom Caucus stood with u when others ran. Remember who your friends are. Were trying to help u succeed, Rep. Raul Labrador of Idaho, who in 2015 was one of nine founders of the group, which now numbers about three dozen Republicans, tweeted in reply. Added fellow co-founder Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, It didnt take long for the swamp to drain

@realDonaldTrump. No shame, Mr. President. Almost everyone succumbs to the D.C. Establishment.

Others have questioned the presidents strong-arm tactics to gain support and suppress dissent. In a meeting with Freedom Caucus members in the week before the vote, White House chief strategist Steve Bannon reportedly scolded the legislators: Guys, look. This is not a discussion. This is not a debate. You have no choice but to vote for this bill. And Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., told the Charleston Post and Courier that White House budget director Mick Mulvaney reluctantly delivered the following message to him: The president asked me to look you square in the eyes and to say that he hoped you voted no on this bill so he could run (a primary challenger) against you in 2018.

Political posturing aside, the Freedom Caucus members who voted against the health care bill did so for a simple reason: They felt that Obamacares mandates, taxes and subsidies constituted an unwarranted intrusion on the free market and on Americans health care decisions, but that the new bill did not meet the promises that they, like Trump, had made to repeal it and replace it with something better. Besides, passing an Obamacare-lite bill would only saddle Republicans with the blame when it ultimately failed.

Moreover, the legislation had some uncomfortable parallels with Obamacares genesis, including trying to rush through a large and complicated bill that members of Congress did not have time to thoroughly read, much less digest and analyze, harkening back to the now infamous words of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, in 2010 that we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.

Trumps threat is confusing since, though there may be some strong disagreements with the Freedom Caucus on certain issues, he has no more ardent supporters for major proposals like eliminating regulations and generally reducing the size and scope of government. In addition, both he and the Freedom Caucus owe their political success to bucking the establishment, so it makes little sense for him to try to replace the Freedom Caucus with more establishment Republicans.

In any case, attempting to humiliate and bully those who share at least some of your goals is no way to get things done. Trump should allow cooler heads to prevail and heed the words of Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who tweeted: @realDonaldTrump Its a swamp not a hot tub. We both came here to drain it.
United Bank for Africa (UBA), Africas Global Bank operating in 19 African countries, has announced the promotion of 3,000 staff members, reinforcing its commitment to human capital investment and career progression, at the current challenging operating circumstances. Promotions were made across UBAs global network.



In a letter written on Monday, April 3 2017 to Group staff by CEO, Kennedy Uzoka. Since my recent appointment as GMD/CEO, one of my priorities has been to address the needs of our people. I strongly believe that if we take care of our people, our people will take care of our customers - our ultimate employers.



Investment in our human capital is critical to our success. It is a product of our ability to invest for the long term and create an institution that is built to last. It is the bedrock of our determination to be Africas leading customer focused bank.



In addition to the Group-wide promotion, Mr Uzoka unveiled a new Workforce Model and an extension of the existing Group car loan benefit, to 1000 previously ineligible staff. These policies are in direct response to staff feedback from the Employee Engagement Survey, which the CEO says has helped define current and future human capital investment. The revised Workforce Model democratizes access to leadership roles and opportunities at the bank. All staff  regardless of track  can now aspire to leadership roles, if objective requirements are met. Reforming the Leadership and Service Tracks disparity, which had been a source of frustration for some staff, who had to convert tracks to advance professionally, illustrates again UBAs commitment to creating an environment where talent and merit are rewarded.



Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, congratulated UBAs executive management, as he noted the current challenging business environment. He encouraged the industry to follow UBAs lead, in putting its workers first. Promoting at this scale and creating career opportunities for staff at a time like this is an indication of industry leadership and worthy of emulation.



It is no accident that this is occurring after the announcement of our strong 2016 results and as our shareholders receive dividends later this week. We want all our key stakeholders to share our success. The Chairman continued in praise of the banks equitable policy, I commend the bank for creating robust and meritocratic career opportunities for all staff at a time when some in our industry are downsizing or casualizing staff. This is truly remarkable.



UBA recently announced N385 billion earnings for 2016, an impressive 22% growth over performance in 2015 and also grew profit before tax by 32% to N90.1 billion. The strong performance also reflects the imbedded culture of customer service, driven by high employee engagement and satisfaction.



UBAs commitment to its broader pan-African network was reflected in a series of awards, including five Bank of The Year awards for Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville, Senegal, Cameroon and Chad at the annual Bankers Award in London and the 2016 EMEA Finance Banking Awards by leading financial publication EMEA Finance Magazine.



Mr. Uzoka, ended his letter on an uplifting note, urging UBA employees  Lions and Lionesses  to continue to embody UBA core values daily - in our endless quest for Excellent ServiceDelivered! This advice is timely as staff enter the final stages of preparation for the Group Chairmans Forum which commences on Wednesday April 7th and features a series of events, including the Group AGM and the highly-anticipated annual UBA CEO Awards. During the Forum, the Banks senior executives will share and learn from best practices across UBAs 18 African subsidiaries and our operations in New York, Paris, and London, reflect on Group performance in the past year, and identify ways to enhance growth in the short, medium and long terms.

Source: classfmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Dealers of spare parts at Abossey Okai in Accra have told Citi Business News they are in talks with government to scrap the import levy on imported spare parts.



The traders were thrown in a fix when it emerged that they may not enjoy any tax cuts due to the rules and regulations regarding the ECOWAS common external tariff.



There were agitations from importers on Monday, April 3, 2017 after news broke that the spare parts dealers may not enjoy tax cuts as promised by government in the 2017 budget statement at least not during the tenure of this government.



Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta during the budget statement asserted that the spare parts dealers will be exempted from taxes at the ports.



But Citi Business News checks reveal that the traders may not have the cuts because Ghana signed onto the ECOWAS common external tariff policy last year.



A review of the tariff can only be made after a minimum of five years.



But the spare parts dealers tell Citi Business News despite the development, they are confident government will still go ahead and implement the tax cuts.



Financial Secretary of the Association, Nana Kwabena Peprah said they are in talks with government on the issue.



We have given out our list that this law will cover and we are waiting for the government to respond to it and implement it.



Nana Peprah further said he spends about Ghc5,000 on import levy alone on goods worth Ghc20,000; that figure is minus other taxes he has to pay at the ports before he is able to clear his goods.



Despite governments delay in clearing some of his costs at the ports, he explains that the only reason it is being delayed is because both parties are looking at how best the move will be of benefit to the two groups.



We pay five thousand cedis on import duty alone then we pay VAT among others, but we will still push it. We are a sovereign state, these are laws governing all the blocks so we will force the government to implement the law and then use it as a bargaining power, he said.



An executive member of GUTA, Benjamin Yeboah is also confident government will soon implement the tax cuts to the relief of the importers.



We are quite positive that this decision is not just a say. The ECOWAS treaty will not affect governments decisions. It will inure to the benefit of everyone, not just those in the spare parts business because we are all consumers and it should be our prayer that it works out. I know and Im convinced it will work out,he stressed.



Meanwhile, Citi Business News checks also reveal that some dealers have already reduced the prices of some of their wares even before the implementation of the tax cuts.

Source: citifmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Information Minister, Mustapha Abdul Hamid Tuesday placed the full weight of government behind the Media Coalition Against Galamsey (#StopGalamsey), saying that the government has no excuse not to put the menace down.



Hamid, special guest speaker at the launch of the #StopGalamsey Movement, a coalition of media houses, owners, regulators and practitioners supported by key civil society organisations determined to see off the challenge of illegal mining and the threat it poses to the very future of the country, said given the enthusiastic embrace and common voice of the Ghanaian media in this fight, there can be no looking back.



Now this government really, has no excuse not to do the right things to stamp out this menace that threatens our future, he said, explaining that it was refreshing that the same media that in times past rose to the defence of wrong doers when governments had taken the drastic but necessary decisions to right the wrongs in the society, are today the vanguards.



I am very excited that for the first time in our republican history, what makes the headlines and what dominates discussions on radio and television is not sensationalism. These days when you pick the newspapers - every single day - and if you tune-in to your radio every single day, it is not about somebody has raped somebody or some minister has stolen some money or the presidents daughter kicked somebody and etc.



Every radio station, every television station, every newspaper headline is talking about the threat to our future. Every newspaper is talking about how illegal mining threatens to make us extinct.



And that is refreshing, that is exciting because the media basically is the mirror of society  you reflect what it is that is important for our nation, and therefore the fact that these matters are what dominate our headlines and our discussion programmes shows that this nation is united at this point in the effort to rescue our country and to rescue future generations and to preserve our country.



Now that is important. It is also important because often times when governments, and I mean governments since the Fourth Republic, take decisions that are seemingly drastic but which are important for preserving our lives, often times it is the media that comes at government, and says that oh, but these people will lose their livelihoods, for example demolitions.



Over the years weve all agreed that our country is quite unsightly but often times when governments seek to do demolitions, the media comes at them: oh, but these are people who are making a livelihood by the street corners and these slums, and-so-on-and-so-forth, so preserve their livelihoods.



Now even though there are a few people, and we are not unanimous on the numbers - people say that they are about 200,000 people who are engaged in galamsey, some say that collectively about three million people benefit from galamsey - whatever the numbers are, it is very clear that the people who benefit from galamsey are in the tiniest minority in our country if we are to put our population at 27 million, and even (if) three million people are benefiting, it is very clear that we cannot sacrifice the lives of 24 million people for three million people.



And so this time the media is not saying that people will lose their livelihood so lets not clamp down on galamsey. Which means that now this government really, has no excuse not to do the right thing to stamp out this menace that threatens our future.



And you have heard the president speak over the weekend. He is determined to be referred to as the president who stamped out galamsey, who rescued our country and who restored the future of our nation, and the fact that you are with him and you offer him the support by this coalition, I believe will strengthen his hand in doing what we all agree must now be done to stamp this out.



Several other speakers representing stakeholder orgainsations from government and civil society, all pledged relentless support for the campaign.



#StopGalamsey Coalition



The Media Coalition Against Galamsey (#StopGalamsey) comprises the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), the New Times Corporation, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) and the Private Newspapers Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) and supported by the Christian Council of Ghana.



The coalition announced an eight-member Steering Committee to see to the sustained coordination and implementation of activities until galamsey is stopped and sanity prevails at all mining fronts.



Membership of the steering committee



Dr Kwame Akuffo Anoff-Ntow, the Director General of GBC

Nii Laryea Sowah, PRINPAG President

Ms Carol Annang, the Managing Director of New Times Corporation

Mr Kenneth Ashigbey, Managing Director GCGL

Chief Dr. P. A. Crystal-Djirackor, GIBA

Rev. Dr Kwabena Opuni Frimpong, the General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana

Mr Akwasi Agyemang, the President GIBA

Mr Affail Monney, President of GJA



Activities



-One million signature petition to President Akufo-Addo, the Speaker of Parliament and Chief Justice urging them to take action



-Get all relevant stakeholders to buy-in to the campaign and pledge their actions  politicians, chiefs, heads of security agencies, heads of academia, and the media as well as everybody who can help in the effort to cause a change



-Bring Ghana to a lockdown, and get all of us  newspapers, radio and TV to highlight the dangers of galamsey.



-Working with various Ghanaian websites which will have Lets Stop Galamsey landing pages to draw attention to the fact that this fight needs all hands on deck



-Get all churches to preach to their congregations that galamsey must be stopped



-Get all mosques to urge Speaker of Parliament

-Get all traditional councils to join in the fray

-Promote the speedy trial of suspects by projecting trials and judgements and name and shame officials who put impediments in the way of justice or who turn out accomplices in the galamsey business



-Hold townhall meetings at various locations where galamsey is practiced  Tarkwa in the Western Region, Dunkwa-on-Offin in the Central Region, Kyebi in the Eastern region and other areas in the Brong Ahafo, Northern, Upper East, Upper West and Ashanti regions  to bring the message to the people at the grassroots that by galamsey, they are dying slowly



-Embark on governance dialogues with all key stakeholders for solutions



-Investigative stories to name and shame the big fishes involved.

Source: Daily Graphic









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
Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare has been appointed Director General of the Ghana Health Service by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. His appointment took effect from March 1, 2017.



In a statement signed by Rebecca Ackwonu, Public Relations Officer of GHS, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare takes over from Dr. Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira who has retired from active service.



Below is the release from GHS:



H.E. the President of Ghana has appointed DR. ANTHONY NSIAH-ASARE (MB, ChB, FAChirg, FGCS, FWACS, FICS, Cert. Health Mgmt, Member - Order of the Volta & Fellow Ghana Medical Association) as the new Director-General of the Ghana Health Service with effect from 1st March 2017.

He takes over from Dr. Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira who has retired from active service.



Dr. Nsiah-Asare, prior to his current appointment, has worked in the health sector spanning over 36 (thirty six) years in senior management position and as a Surgical Specialist at the St Patrick Hospital in Offinso-Ashanti and Tamale Teaching Hospital.



He also worked at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital as a Chief Executive Officer and Consultant General Surgeon.



Between 1997 and 2001, Dr Nsiah-Asare served as a part-time lecturer in Clinical Anatomy at the University of Development Studies (UDS), School of Medical Sciences, Tamale.



Rebecca Ackwonu,



Public Relations Officer



for Ghana Health Service

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Ghana Water Company limited (GWCL), has lamented effects of illegal mining activities on its production capacity, as it currently produces forty percent below its national production capacity.



According to the company, almost all of its major treatment plants across the country have been shut down.



Speaking to Citi News, the Head of Corporate Communications at the Ghana Water Company, Stanley Martey, explained that their production has been particularly hit severely in the Eastern and Western Regions.



Our major treatment plants have been affected in almost every region. Notably from Upper East, Upper West, Northern, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti Region, Greater Accra, Volta, the Eastern Region is worse, Western Region is terrible and Central Region is also faced with similar challenges. So almost every major treatment plant that we have in the country is somehow being affected. Mr. Martey further noted that, some of their plants are producing below 40% capacity.



Averagely in the country, we are producing about 60 percent of the capacity of our treatment plants. There are some treatment plants that are producing below 40%, some are around 60% and some are slightly above 60%, so I will say averagely 60%.



It is not the best, it is not cost efficient, but we still have to supply water to our people so we are doing all that we can to ensure that our people have access to water. But with some of the treatment plants, its not cost effective at all to be treating water at this time, he added.



Galamsey in Ghana affecting Ivory Coast



Some water treatment plants in neighbouring Ivory Coast have been shut down following activities of illegal miners in Ghana, which they claim is affecting water bodies in that country.



According to the Minister of Environment, Science and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, he was confronted with the situation when he went to Ivory Coast for a conference.



I was in Abidjan from Wednesday to Saturday for a conference and I was confronted with galamsey almost immediately on the effects that the galamsey in Ghana is having on Ivory Coast because River Bia enters Ivory Coast almost at the lower thirds. And Tano enters the Lagoon and it is polluting the Bia lagoon so they cannot even treat water in some of their treatment plants.



So they [Ivorians] took advantage of my presence to organize a press conference. I met the Minister for Environment and the Mining Minister and they asked me to speak to their people. I made it clear to them that we are very serious to stop galamsey and I was able to convince them that indeed we are serious.



The good thing is that, they always made reference to the good relationship between Ghana and Ivory Coast and especially between Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and the President of Ivory Coast, Prof. Boateng added.

Source: citifmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Reckitt Benckiser might sound like the name of an X-Wing pilot, but its actually a pharmaceutical company that has been fined $6 million for slinging a bunch of types of Nurofen that were actually all chemically identical.

You might well have bought some of Nurofens Specific Pain line, but it turns out you would have received just as much pain relief for your knee if youd bought the identically priced box of Nurofen for period pain.

Reckitt Benckiser (again, not at all a minor Star Wars character) was taken to court in 2015 by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, with the court originally fining them $1.7 million, but the ACCC appealed the decision pushing for a higher penalty, which they won, landing the company with the $6 million fine.

Today the High Court of Australia rejected an appeal from Reckitt Benckiser, ordering them to pay legal costs and the damn fine.

Reckitt Benckiser reckons they werent trying to fuck anyone around:

Nurofen did not intend to mislead consumers, however we recognise that we could have done more to assist our consumers in navigating the Nurofen Specific Pain Range. That is, to show that each of the products in the range is equally effective for the other pains indicated on the Nurofen Specific Pain Range packaging.

It almost seems like you could just release one product that says on the packaging that it does all of those things instead but, hell, we cant all be marketing people.

Source: The Australian.
Where Nickelodeon reigned supreme in the mid-late 90s, the Disney Channel ably took over the mantle of most beloved kids channel in the early 2000s.

The slate of shows the pay-TV network managed to reel off  Recess, Hannah Montana, Lizzy McGuire, Kim Possible, Even Stevens, not to mention the series of High School Musical movies  launched hugely successful careers of a swathe of extremely popular Hollywood stars.

But chief among those cornerstones of yr nostalgia is Thats So Raven.

Raven-Symones series about a teenage girl who receives psychic hallucinations that she determines to be visions of the future despite the fact that getting the reality timeline to lineup with the visions in her head more often than not wound up being a laborious process filled with pitfalls (almost as if IT WASNT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN IN THE FIRST PLACE) originally ran for an even 100 episodes spanning early 2003 until late 2007.

Fast forward 10 years and Raven herself is now 31(!!!) and has enjoyed a solid amount of success and work since Thats So Raven wrapped a decade ago.

Turns out though the old well runs deep, and Disney is now officially keen to dig back into it.

The House of Mouse has announced that the OG series is getting an all growd up spinoff original series thatll see Raven return to her eponymous roots.

Ravens Home will feature Raven as Raven in a brand new series focusing on her characters life ten years after she last left screens.

The spinoff will focus on Raven and pal Chelsea (played by Anneliese van der Pol, also reprising her old role) as divorced single mothers raising their two families in one chaotic household. So you might say its a house thats beyond full. Its a ah fuller house.

Gary Marsh, the president and chief creative officer of Disney, heralded Ravens return to the network that first brought her notoriety.

There is only one Raven  and for over 25 years, she has blessed audiences around the world with the greatest gift of all  the pure, unadulterated joy of laugh-out-loud funny. After being a part of over 20 different Disney projects, we are thrilled to be bringing Raven home to Disney Channel once again.

Raven left her seat on talk show The View late last year to work on the project, but todays announcement makes it a very real thing.

Production on the series is set to begin in Los Angeles this month, ahead of a planned premiere at some point later in the year.

Source: Deadline.
Jim Cheney | Special to PennLive

Compiled by Jim Cheney | Special to PennLive

Even more great Pa. waterfalls

Pennsylvania is known for its natural beauty, but few realize that there are hundreds of beautiful waterfalls to visit in Pa. Some of these can be seen from your car, while others require time and skill to see. However, no matter your skill level, there are beautiful waterfalls that can be seen by anyone.

In the past, I've shared 10 of my favorite waterfalls, and 10 more great waterfalls. However, since spring is the perfect time of year to visit waterfalls, I thought I'd share 10 more great waterfalls to visit.

Don't Edit

Jim Cheney | Special to PennLive

Dingmans Falls

Located in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Dingmans Falls is Pennsylvania's second tallest waterfall (after nearby Raymondskill Falls). Dropping 130 feet into the stream below, this waterfall can be reached in about 10 minutes by following a boardwalk to its base. Along the way, you can see Silver Thread Falls, a beautiful and impressive waterfall in its own right.

Don't Edit

Jim Cheney | Special to PennLive

Seven Tubs

Seven Tubs is a unique series of waterfalls located in the Seven Tubs Nature Area near Wilkes-Barre. As the creek flows down the hill, it forms a series of small waterfalls and glacial potholes, called tubs for their resemblance to a bathtub. Hikers can follow the stream both upstream and downstream to see the beautiful rocky channel cut out by the stream. There is also a great hiking loop through the area for those looking to see more of the area.

Don't Edit

Jim Cheney | Special to PennLive

Sweet Arrow Falls

Located along Upper Little Swatara Creek in Sweet Arrow Lake County Park, Sweet Arrow Falls, is a beautiful waterfall that flows under a striking metal bridge. While it may or may not be natural, it has the appearance of a natural waterfall, and is located inside one of the most beautiful county parks in Pennsylvania.

Don't Edit

Jim Cheney | Special to PennLive

Sullivan Falls

Nearby Ricketts Glen State Park gets more attention, but the nearby State Game Lands 13 is equally as beautiful. While many of the waterfalls here are hidden away far from trails, Sullivan Falls is easy to reach if you know where to look. At approximately 30 feet in height, this waterfall is just as impressive as any of the well-known waterfalls in the area. However, if you have luck on your side, you can enjoy this one all by yourself.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Jim Cheney | Special to PennLive

Packsaddle Covered Bridge

Packsaddle Covered Bridge may be one of 10 historic covered bridges in Somerset County and over 200 in Pa., but it is the only one with a natural waterfall below it. This waterfall on Brush Creek makes this covered bridge worth seeing whether you love natural beauty or historic structures.

Don't Edit

Jim Cheney | Special to PennLive

Mill Creek Falls

One of several Mill Creek Falls in PA, this waterfall is located in Loyalsock State Forest in northeastern Pennsylvania. While this waterfall is only about 10 feet in height, it's located in an isolated, but easy-to-reach area for the forest. Mill Creek has carved a bowl-shaped gorge that creates an impressive setting for this beautiful waterfall.

Don't Edit

Jim Cheney | Special to PennLive

Fall Run Park

The closest waterfall to downtown Pittsburgh is located in Fall Run Park. A short trail leads across several bridges before reaching this 25-foot waterfall near the rear of the park. The hike to the falls isn't especially challenging, though it may require a stream crossing depending on the water levels. However, the chance to see a beautiful and secluded waterfall mere minutes from downtown Pittsburgh makes this a great destination.

Don't Edit

Jim Cheney | Special to PennLive

Rainbow Falls

Rainbow Falls is located in Trough Creek State Park along the shores of Raystown Lake. While it only flows well during the springtime or after a heavy rain, this waterfall is well-worth visiting throughout the year thanks to the beautiful trail to get to this waterfall.

Don't Edit

Jim Cheney | Special to PennLive

Shohola Falls

Pennsylvania has many imposing waterfalls, but few are as impressive as Shohola Falls near Milford, Pa. Approximately 50 feet in height a 75 feet wide, Shohola Falls thunders down the hill before making a 90-degree turn and continuing its path through the forest. Located in state game lands off of Route 6, Shohola Falls is easily-accessible and well worth a stop.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Jim Cheney | Special to PennLive

Tobyhanna Falls

Tobyhanna Falls is another overlooked waterfall in the Pocono Mountains. Located just off of Interstate 80 near the Pocono Raceway, this small waterfall is located in the Austin T. Blakeslee Natural Area. The hike along the creek to reach this waterfall is very scenic, and the pool below the falls is one of the best fishing areas around.

Don't Edit

Jim Cheney | Special to PennLive

About travel writer Jim Cheney

Jim Cheney is the writer behind UncoveringPA, Pennsylvania's most-read travel blog. He has traveled to every county in Pennsylvania and to many countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. He lives in Harrisburg, Pa.

Don't Edit

Looking for more great trips?

Don't Edit

For more must-see waterfalls:

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't Edit
John Becker

In a June 25, 2015 photo, John Becker, 30, of Silver Spring, Md., waves a rainbow flag in support of gay marriage outside of the Supreme Court in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

CHICAGO (AP) -- A federal appeals court ruled for the first time Tuesday that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBT employees from workplace discrimination, setting up a likely battle before the Supreme Court as gay rights advocates push to broaden the scope of the 53-year-old law.



The 8-to-3 decision by the full 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago comes just three weeks after a three-judge panel in Atlanta ruled the opposite, saying employers aren't prohibited from discriminating against employees based on sexual orientation.



The 7th Circuit is considered relatively conservative and five of the eight judges in the majority were appointed by Republican presidents, making the finding all the more notable.



The case stems from a lawsuit by Indiana teacher Kimberly Hively alleging that the Ivy Tech Community College in South Bend didn't hire her full time because she is a lesbian.



In an opinion concurring with the majority, Judge Richard Posner wrote that changing norms call for a change in interpretation of the Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin or sex.



"I don't see why firing a lesbian because she is in the subset of women who are lesbian should be thought any less a form of sex discrimination than firing a woman because she's a woman," wrote the judge, who was appointed by Republican Ronald Reagan.



The decision comes as President Donald Trump's administration has begun setting its own policies on LGBT rights. Late in January, the White House declared Trump would enforce an Obama administration order barring companies that do federal work from workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual identity. But in February, it revoked guidance on transgender students' use of public school bathrooms, deferring to states.

N.C. governor signs bill repealing and replacing transgender bathroom law amid criticism



Hively said after Tuesday the ruling that she agreed to bring the case because she felt she was being "bullied."



She told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that the time has come "to stop punishing people for being gay, being lesbian, being transgender."



"This decision is game changer for lesbian and gay employees facing discrimination in the workplace and sends a clear message to employers: it is against the law to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation," said Greg Nevins, Employment Fairness Program Director for Lambda Legal, which brought the case on behalf of Hively.



The issue could very well land before the Supreme Court at some point. A GOP-majority House and Senate make it unlikely the Congress will amend the Civil Rights Act; Title VII is the section of the law dealing discrimination on the basis of sex. The Chicago ruling came on the anniversary of the assassination of civil rights icon Martin Luther King, whose marches against racism prompted Congress to pass the landmark law.



The debate in the Hively case revolved around the meaning of the word 'sex' in Title VII. Other courts have concluded that Congress meant for the word to refer only to whether a worker was male or female. They said that it would be wrong to stretch the meaning of 'sex' in the statute to also include sexual orientation.



The majority of the 7th Circuit sided with a broader meaning.



"Any discomfort, disapproval, or job decision based on the fact that the complainant -- woman or man -- dresses differently, speaks differently, or dates or marries a same-sex partner, is a reaction purely and simply based on sex. That means that it falls within Title VII's prohibition against sex discrimination ...," writes Judge Diane Wood, a President Bill Clinton appointee.



The dissenting opinion -- written by Judge Diane Sykes, a conservative who was on Trump's list of possible Supreme Court appointees, said the majority were stretching the meaning of the law's text.



"We are not authorized to infuse the text with a new or unconventional meaning or to update it to respond to changed social, economic, or political conditions."



The dissent also alludes to the judicial philosophy of Trump's high-court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, who advocates adhering largely to original legislative texts in deciding legal disputes.



"It's understandable that the court is impatient to protect lesbians and gay men from workplace discrimination without waiting for Congress to act. Legislative change is arduous and can be slow to come. But we're not authorized to amend Title VII by interpretation," Sykes writes.

Civil rights groups alarmed over Jeff Sessions' order on police reforms



Posner, though, said sticking to outdated meanings and fading cultural standards didn't make sense.



"It is well-nigh certain that homosexuality, male or female, did not figure in the minds of the legislators who enacted Title VII," he writes in his concurring opinion.



"They (lawmakers in the 1960s) shouldn't be blamed for that failure of foresight," he writes. "We understand the words of Title VII differently not because we're smarter than the statute's framers and ratifiers but because we live in a different era, a different culture."
Child pornography possession has led to state prison terms for two Lancaster County men.

Christopher DeBarr, left, and Paul Wilson III

Christopher DeBarr, 39, of Washington Borough, was sentenced to 3-and-a-half to 10 years in prison, while Paul Wilson III, 27, of East Hempfield Township, will serve 2 to 10 years.

DeBarr pleaded guilty to eight felony counts regarding more than 600 photos and 150 videos found on laptops and phones at his Spring Meadow Drive home.

Wilson pleaded guilty to eight felony counts regarding 26 photos and three videos found on electronic devices at his home on Colonial Crest Drive.

The charges result from an investigation last year by the Lancaster County Computer Crimes Task Force, along with Manor Township and Hempfield Township police.
BELLEFONTE -- A man arrested in Pennsylvania following a police chase and crash has waived extradition to Connecticut where he will return to face charges he killed his girlfriend then fled with their 6-year-old daughter.

Thirty-nine-year-old Oscar Hernandez was arrested in February after crashing into a tractor-trailer on Interstate 99 in Centre County, Pennsylvania. Police were chasing him under an Amber Alert when he crashed.

He waived extradition Wednesday before a Pennsylvania judge and will soon return to Connecticut, where he's charged with murder, attempted murder and first-degree assault.

Bridgeport, Connecticut police contend Hernandez fatally stabbed Nadia Gonzalez, before fleeing that state with Aylin Sofia Hernandez. She suffered only minor injuries in the Pennsylvania crash.

Hernandez, a citizen of El Salvador, had previously been deported in 2013, and has prior felony convictions for assault and threats.
WILLIAMSPORT -- Ownership of a dog that was living at a 24-hour ambulance service station in Shamokin is the focus of a federal lawsuit claiming false arrest, defamation and invasion of privacy against 19 defendants, including the city, police and a newspaper.

The suit filed Monday in U.S. Middle District Court by Sara Longenberger of Natalie involves a dog that was owned by Nancy Madden, who died on Dec. 26, 2015.

The dog, a Jack Russell terrier and pug mix, had been purchased for her by her daughter, Bridgette McGivern, who, following her mother's death, gave it to a woman.

The suit claims the woman was unable to care for the dog and gave it to Longenberger. However, related criminal charges allege the woman gave the dog to AREA Services, an ambulance service, and it became the station dog.

Shamokin police charged Longenberger, who formerly worked for the ambulance service, with stealing the dog, its bed, toys, leash and food from the station between Jan. 30 and Feb. 4, 2016. A judge later dismissed the charges.

Longenberger claimed she had the dog because McGivern have given it to her, she heard two emergency medical technicians say they were going to harm it, it was chewing items and was allowed to run in the street.

The court complaint accuses The News Item in Shamokin, its owners and one of its reporters of defamation.

It cites an April 7, 2016, article about Longenberger's preliminary hearing that had the headline "'Dog thief' held for court."

Attached to the suit is another article that Longenberger says supports her contention the News-Item routinely refers to people who have been charged but not convicted as perpetrators.

Longenberger claims she suffered great emotional distress over being arrested, she had to hire an attorney to fight the criminal charges and that police failed to contact McGivern, which had they done so, they would have known she had lawful ownership of the dog.

Besides those associated with the newspaper, defendants in the suit that seeks unspecified damages in excess of $75,000 are the City of Shamokin, police Chief Darwin Tobias III and recently retired Officer William J. Minier.
Big Sodas Tax Fight

Attorneys for the beverage industry are asking Commonwealth Court to throw out Philadelphia's tax on soda and other sweetened beverages.

(AP file photo)

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- An attorney for consumers, restaurants and beverage industry groups asked Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court on Wednesday to strike down Philadelphia's 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on sweetened beverages, saying it violates a state law that limits the city's taxing authority, among other laws.

The 1932 law known as the Sterling Act was passed by the General Assembly to give the city its own taxing authority -- but also to specifically prohibit Philadelphia from taxing anything already taxed by the state.

Chip Becker, the attorney arguing against the tax Wednesday in Pittsburgh, argued that because soda and other sweetened beverages are already subject to the state's 6 percent sales tax, Philadelphia's tax on them is illegal.

"Philadelphia may not tax any substance that the state already taxes," Becker told the seven-judge panel.

Becker wants the court to reverse a Philadelphia Common Pleas judge's December decision upholding the tax with an order that would send the case back to the lower court so the tax could be declared "invalid and void."

But Mark Aronchick, the attorney defending the city's position, argued the tax isn't on soda, but on its distribution to retail outlets in the city. Because the state's sales tax is on retail sales, whereas the soda tax is paid by retailers to whom the drinks are distributed -- and because the state imposes no similar tax at that point in the supply chain -- the city's tax is legal and should stand, he argued.

The tax amounts to 18 cents on a 12-ounce can of soda or $1.44 on a six-pack of 16-ounce bottles if retailers pass on the entire amount to consumers.

Berkeley, California, has a similar soda tax, while Chicago taxes retail soft drink sales and fountain drinks. But soda tax proposals have failed in more than 30 cities and states. Democratic Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has pledged to spend most of the estimated $90 million in new tax revenue each year to pay for pre-kindergarten, community schools and recreation centers.

Judge Ann Covey asked Becker how it is that Philadelphia can impose its own tax on cigarettes if the state also taxes them.

Becker explained that the General Assembly had to pass a separate statute allowing Philadelphia to go beyond the authority granted it by the Sterling Act. He said the same thing happened when the city wanted to impose its own 2-percent sales tax on top of the state's.

Becker argued that state's sales tax statute prohibits what's called "tax pyramiding" -- that is, allowing different jurisdictions to tax the same product at different points along the supply chain. Because soda is subject to the retail sales tax, its distribution by wholesalers -- or any other transaction along the supply chain -- should not be taxed, Becker argued. State law also prohibits taxing the same product, service or industry at different rates in different jurisdictions, which Becker said the Philadelphia tax also violates.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in September that the "local share assessment" -- a tax Pennsylvania's 12 casinos pay to the municipalities where they're located -- was unconstitutional because different casinos paid different rates in different areas. The General Assembly is working on a replacement law.

Aronchick argued that the challenges to the soda tax are similar to those raised anytime a specific industry is hit with a new tax.

"It's always 'The sky is gonna fall,' but somehow the sun rises the next day and we move forward," Aronchick said.
Taipei, April 5 (CNA) A national security team has been giving President Tsai Ing-wen () regular briefings to keep her informed on the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping (), the Presidential Office spokesman said Wednesday. Alex Huang () said the team has recently invited related government agencies for intensive discussions and has gathered information on regional and international developments for analysis and forecasting and to draft contingency plans.
FILE - In this Oct. 26, 2016 file photo, Chelsea Clinton speaks in Cincinnati. Chelsea Clinton says she doesnAot have her sights on running for a public office, and has no intention of running against President Donald Trump in the next election. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
The Dionne quintuplets are shown in a 1952 photo. Front row (left to right) Cecile and Yvonne, and back row (left to right) Marie, Emilie and Annette. A decision is expected Tuesday night on the fate of the northeastern Ontario home where the Dionne quintuplets were born.North Bay, Ont., city council is set to vote on a committee's recommendations to keep the home and its contents in the city but move them to a waterfront area.THE CANADIAN PRESS/CP
Visitors sit in front of the TV screen showing a news program reporting about North Korea's missile firing, at Seoul Train Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. North Korea fired a ballistic missile into its eastern waters Wednesday, U.S. and South Korean officials said, amid worries the North might conduct banned nuclear or rocket tests ahead of the first summit between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week. The letters read "North Korea fired a ballistic missile into its eastern waters." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Election explainer: How Michigan's university boards are determined

Michigan's process for determining the members of university governing boards is unique. The state is just one of four that uses a statewide vote.
Shell to fuel world's first LNG-powered Aframax





DUBAI

Petroleumworld 04 05 2017

A unit of Royal Dutch Shell will fuel the world's first LNG-powered Aframax crude oil tankers under a deal signed with Russian shipping company SCF Group (Sovcomflot).

Shippers are looking to liquefied natural gas (LNG) to help them meet stricter emissions regulations in 2020.

Oil tankers are "another marine segment embracing the benefits of LNG fuel", Maarten Wetselaar, Shell's integrated gas and new energies director, said in an announcement released on Monday.

Shell subsidiary Shell Western LNG will supply four Aframax tankers operating in the Baltic Sea and northern Europe from a bunkering vessel that will load at the Gate terminal in Rotterdam and a second supply point in the Baltics.

The dual-fuelled tankers are scheduled to begin operations at the start of the third quarter of 2018.

Ship owners and operators face tougher regulations on marine fuel, also known as bunker fuel, in 2020.

Under International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements set in October, the cap on sulphur emissions from vessels will fall to 0.5 percent by 2020 from the current 3.5 percent.

In order to comply, shippers can burn lower-sulphur, but more expensive, middle distillates, install "scrubbers" that enable them to burn dirtier fuel, or invest in ships powered by LNG.

LNG has virtually no sulphur content, while producing low nitrogen oxides compared to industry standard fuel oil and marine gasoil.






ExxonMobil expressed 'strong interest' in pre-salt oil - Petrobras's CEO





SAO PAULO

Petroleumworld 04 05 2017

U.S. oil company Exxon Mobil Corp expressed to Brazil's state-controlled company Petrobras "strong interest" in the exploration of deep-water oil fields off the Brazilian coast, Petrobras Chief Executive Pedro Parente said on Tuesday.

"Considering movements towards a strategic partnership, we have nothing concrete with Exxon, but they have certainly expressed strong interest in the Brazilian pre-salt exploration," Parente told reporters.

Earlier on Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Exxon was in talks to gain access to Brazil's deep-water oil resources, citing people familiar with the matter.

Petroleo Brasileiro Sa Petrobras, familiarly known as Petrobras, and Exxon initially declined to comment on the report, but later Parente briefly spoke about it on his way out of a seminar in Sao Paulo.

Exxon is one of the few major oil companies still with no presence in the exploration of the recently discovered large fields off the coast of Brazil.

Royal Dutch Shell Plc sharply increased its operations in the area after acquiring BG Group last year. French oil major Total SA did the same recently by closing a strategic partnership with Petrobras.

Norway's Statoil ASA has also bought stakes in the oil region.

Petrobras is looking for partners for some of its projects. Earlier on Tuesday Parente said pre-salt yields have been above the company's expectations, boosting Petrobras cash generation and helping the company to cut its debt load, still one of the highest in the global oil industry at slightly below $100 billion.






Venezuela on Anti-Maduro protest mode demanding elections, new Supreme Court judges

Water cannons, tear gas repel venezuelans demonstrators attempting to march across capital to Congress

CARACAS

Petroleumworld 04 05 2017

Hundreds of demonstrators clashed with Venezuelan security forces Tuesday as they tried to rally behind lawmakers locked in a bitter dispute with the administration of President Nicolas Maduro and the Supreme Court.

The opposition-controlled National Assembly had called for the march ahead of a vote by lawmakers to remove members of the country's top court, less than a week after judges attempted to seize the power of Congress. The protest was the most violent since hundreds of thousands flooded the capital last year demanding the embattled president's ouster.

Tuesday's vote was canceled after national guardsmen blocked the marcher as they attempted to cross Caracas's main avenue, using teargas, pepper spray and water cannons to disperse the crowds. Ramon Muchacho, mayor of the Caracas Municipality of Chacao -- an opposition stronghold -- reported nine injuries including a gunshot victim, after the clashes with police and a rival protest by government sympathizers.

The Supreme Court rolled back part of last week's controversial ruling that sought to neuter the National Assembly after the opposition and foreign leaders qualified it as an attempted self-coup by Venezuela's embattled president. The opposition has since promised to purge institutions of government loyalists as they seek to put an end to nearly two decades of socialist rule.

Member's of Maduro's party have cast the opposition's efforts as little more than political theater.

Today the National Assembly tried to mount a new show, Diosdado Cabello, a congressmen and the ruling socialist party's No. 2, said to a crowd of government supporters in downtown Caracas. The only coup here is against President Nicolas Maduro.






Mexico to benefit from canadian oil disruption, OPEC cuts



Heavy Canadian crude's discount to Maya is smallest since May. Gulf Coast refineries seen taking cheaper Mexican supply

CALGARY, Canada

Petroleumworld 04 05 2017

Canadian crude shipments to the U.S. are poised to shrink just as the effects of OPEC-led output cuts are being felt in the Caribbean. That's good news for Mexico and other local oil producers.

Syncrude Canada Ltd. told customers they wouldn't receive any supply in April from its 350,000-barrel-a-day upgrader, according to people familiar with the matter. The plant, which turns bitumen from Alberta's oil sands into light synthetic crude, moved forward maintenance following a fire last month. Light crude and condensate jumped to the highest level in more than a year last week, and Western Canadian Select on Monday was the strongest since June 2015, when wildfires in Alberta disrupted production.

The loss of some Canadian shipments comes just as U.S. refiners are returning from seasonal maintenance and shipments from the Middle East are declining. Mexico stands to benefit from the disruption, as the higher heavy Canadian crude prices make its similar Maya grade more attractive to U.S. Gulf Coast refiners.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries pumped 32.095 million barrels a day in March, down 200,000 from the previous month, according to a Bloomberg News survey of analysts, oil companies and ship-tracking data. Traders were said to have pulled between 10 million and 20 million barrels of oil from storage in the Caribbean, according to estimates from traders who asked not to be named because their data is proprietary.

U.S. inventories have remained stubbornly high following the output cuts by OPEC and other large producers that took effect in January, even as signs elsewhere point to the market rebalancing. That may be starting to change: analysts surveyed by Bloomberg expect U.S. inventory data due Wednesday to show the biggest weekly decline this year.

The Syncrude production cut is affecting other oil sands producers, including ConocoPhillips , that mix synthetic crude with their oil sands bitumen to ease its transport. On Monday, Suncor Energy Inc. , Syncrude's majority owner, repeated a statement from last week saying that pipeline shipments of treated product from the Syncrude site will resume in April at 50 percent capacity.

Western Canadian Select crude traded at $3.71 a barrel less than Mexican Maya Tuesday, the smallest discount since wildfires shut about a million barrels of oil sands production in May. The price difference is too small to cover the $7 it costs to ship a barrel of the heavy Canadian to the Gulf Coast by pipeline, according to Carl Evans, an analyst at Genscape Inc.

Probably the Gulf will take as much Mexican as it can, Evans said Monday by phone.

The jump last week in prices of synthetic crude and condensate, which are both mixed with bitumen so it can flow easily through pipelines, pushed up heavy crude prices. Western Canadian Select surged 30 cents Tuesday to $10.20 a barrel below West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, the smallest discount in almost two years, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

The Gulf Coast imports of Canadian crude have more than doubled in the past three years as new pipelines capacity opened up. Over the same period, Mexico's shipments to the U.S. fell by about one-third.






Philadelphia is ranked amongst the top 50 most dog-friendly cities in America. This comes as no surprise since the town is home to countless beautifully maintained parks for pets to enjoy. Were breaking down the best dog parks in Philly
Poker AI is Back: Chinese Players to Play AI for $290,000

April 05, 2017 Katie Callahan

Carnegie Mellon University has produced another artificial intelligence bot to compete against six top Chinese poker players in no-limit Texas holdem for a $290,000 winner-take-all purse.

This AI, named Lengpudashi or cold poker master, will play 36,000 hands with the pros April 6-10. Lengpudashi is another version of Libratus, an artificial intelligence bot that collected $1,766,250 in chips, a statistically significant finding, and bested four other poker pros in January.

Alan (Yue) Du leads Team Dragons, the team taking on Lengpudashi. Du won the 2016 WSOP Event #59, the $5,000 buy-in no-limit holdem event.

The creators of Libratus are excited about bringing this new AI technology to China.

I want to explore various commercial opportunities for this in poker and a host of other application areas ranging from recreational games to business strategy to strategic pricing to cybersecurity and medicine, said Tuomas Sandholm, professor of computer science and co-creator of Libratus and Lengpudashi with Ph.D. student Noam Brown, in a release.

Sandholm has exclusively licensed Libratus and other technologies from Carnegie Mellon through his recently founded company, Strategic Machine, Inc.

Unlike the competition in January, which was more of a science experiment, these hands are part of an exhibition, with a smaller number of total hands.

Team Dragon will play against Lengpudashi in Hainan for 10 hours a day, playing two hands at a time on the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Centers Bridges Computer.

Sinovation Ventures, the organizers of the event, and Hainan Resort Software Community are hosting the event in a software park/resort in Haikou City.

Images courtesy of Carnegie Mellon University
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

The White House is reeling on Tuesday as a top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said jail time is likely for Donald Trumps associates over their connections to Russia.

Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro who serves on the House Intelligence Committee told CNNs Wolf Blitzer, during an exchange about the Trump-Russia investigation, that he predicts some of the presidents campaign associates will end up in jail.

Video:

My impression is, I wouldnt be surprised that after all of this is said and done, that some people end up in jail, Castro said on CNN, citing information that he wasnt able to share publicly.

Blitzer pushed back and asked him to elaborate, but Castro wouldnt go much further, suggesting that the evidence will eventually validate his prediction and he would provide a comment when the facts are brought to light.

What should be troubling for Trump and the White House is that Castro has access to significantly more intel than the average member of Congress since hes on the House Intelligence Committee. If what he is seeing right now  before the investigation has even been completed  suggests that jail time is on the table for some people in Trumps orbit, that spells major trouble for the administration.

Castros remarks come after a recent report showed that former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page met with a Russian spy back in 2013  just the latest development in this explosive scandal.

Buckle up, folks, this story isnt going anywhere.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) said Wednesday that he feared Republicans would regret what they are about to do on the filibuster but hes gonna do it anyway:

"I fear that someday we will regret what we are about to do," McCain on nixing filibuster  ahead of his vote to nix the filibuster  Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) April 5, 2017

For a very long time, the press has salivated over Senator John McCain, he of the maverick status that might be more attributable to his BBQs for the press than his actual actions. They love him even more than they love the alleged wonk Speaker Ryan, and thats really saying something. You will be hard pressed to see Democrats described in such loving, well branded terms in mainstream press reports on daily events.

But nowhere is this more absurd than John McCains recent use of principled rhetoric followed by now predictable party caves than on the Republicans claiming they must resort to changing the filibuster rules to get Neil Gorsuch confirmed. Instead of actually finding someone who can get the votes, Republicans will be changing the rules to fit the far right extremist their under FBI investigation for collusion with Russia president has chosen.

For this failure to be grown ups, Republican blame Democrats.

Not for anything Democrats have actually done, of course, since Gorsuch hasnt even had a delayed confirmation hearing by any standard, and Im excluding the nearly 300 delay Republicans added to the average with their partisan, unprecedented obstruction of the very moderate, bipartisan and ethical Merrick Garland (Obamas pick).

No, Republicans have no real reason for their decision to change the Senate rules to pull it to a political body like theyve done to the House. Its just that Trump badly needs a win and this is how Republicans operate now.

A hometown paper in McCains state, the Arizona Republic (part of the USA Today network) called the Republican Senator out on his stupid idiot stance.

Ive honestly tried my best. Ive had numerous conversations. Its just, we have such a polarized environment here, Sen. McCain told the Hill.

So .. is stupid is as stupid does?

When a reporter suggested that some think the filibuster change would be good for the Senate, McCain answered, Whoever said that is a stupid idiot.

Adding, This is a severe body blow to the Senate as an institution.

Fine. Then  do  not  do  it.

But McCain is going to do it. McCain who said on CNN this would be a dark day in the US Senate:

I think its a dark day in the history of the United States Senate. Its going to happen. Its interesting that Republicans were dead set against it when my former colleague Harry Reid invoked it with the judges. But now it seems to be okay. What we should have done is what we did in 2005 and that was a group of us got together, 14 of us, and said look we wont filibuster except in extraordinary conditions. And now, we are so polarized now, including between the two leaders Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer, that theres no communications anymore. But, look, if you can do this with 51 votes, what do you think the next nominee is going to be like? And then what do you think is going to happen when eventually the Democrats are in the majority in the Senate, and thats going to happen sooner or later. I hope later.

And in Bloomberg, McCain warned that Republicans would regret this, I guarantee you, just as the Democrats regretted what Harry Reid did, we will regret doing this I have no choice. I have no choice. Because we need to confirm Gorsuch.

Why? Why do they need to confirm Gorsuch? Why not find a nominee who can get the votes, as the Senate is supposed to operate and is even more essential when confirming a judge to the Supreme Court.

McCains cowardice isnt lonely in the GOP-led Senate.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) was quoted in the AP as saying that the nuclear option would be damaging to the Senate, damaging to them and damaging to the country.

Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) in the Hill speaking to colleagues, If we have to, we will change the rules, and it looks like were going to have to. I hate that, I really, really do.

Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) on CNN, I think it would be bad for the Senate but will he do what he says is the right thing? I dont think so.

Oh. So thanks for sharing?

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said she may have to vote to change the rules but she doesnt want to, as if there were some pressing need to fill the seat Republicans told us was fine to leave open for a year, If its necessary in order to get him confirmed, I may have to vote that way, but I certainly dont want to And I think that is truly tragic. It gets bad for the Senate as an institution, and I think it is bad for the court, as well.

So tragic, but Republicans just have to do this. All of them have the same talking points, so this isnt exactly coming from some deep personal conviction that this seat must suddenly be filled right now by an extremist.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) tried to blame Democrats for Republicans changing the Senate rules, based apparently on the idea that if they cant get their far right nominee confirmed, instead of changing the candidate, they will change the rules and blame Democrats for their failure to be a deliberative body, I hope it doesnt come to that but if the Democrats force our hand, then well be prepared to do what we need to do to confirm the judge.

Republicans will do what they have to in order to get their way in filling the seat they stole from President Obama and the people.

This is what Republicans have become, and its high time people stop treating them like they are the grown-ups in the room. Look at their president and ask yourself if this is a one-off, why is the Republican-led Senate acting like petulant teenagers who if they dont get their way, will blow up the house their parents pay for instead of simply sitting down with their parents to apologize for stealing things that didnt belong to them and set about making it right.

I had such high hopes for Senator John McCain, that he might emerge from this assault on our country as a hero, the maverick hes been branded. But its not to be. McCain is going along to get along, like the rest of his party  serving Trump any way they can, even if it means ruining the U.S. Senate.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

No sane human being is surprised any longer at learning there is another Republican atrocity being committed on purely ideological grounds founded on inhumanity for inhumanitys sake. There was a time not long ago that, although Republicans are draconian by nature, at least they attempted to justify their savagery towards other Americans on phony economic reasons; even when there was no real economic impact as a basis whatsoever. That has been the case for an inordinately large number of Republican-led states that refused to expand Medicaid coverage they claimed was too costly for their failed states. Remember, one of the benefits of expanding Medicaid was it cost states absolutely nothing for the first two years after which the total contributions of the states would be at most a minuscule ten percent of the total cost thereafter.

Early this week, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback came up with a particularly hateful reason to reject Medicaid expansion that would cover at least 150,000 Kansas residents, at no cost to Kansas. And he used that barbaric reason as the justification to veto the Republican-dominated legislatures recent effort to expand Medicaid, save countless rural hospitals from closure, and preserve the jobs they create.

It is noteworthy to mention that the slightly less barbaric Republican legislature recently elected nearly garnered enough support to override Brownbacks veto because Republicans and Democrats alike see the devastation of failing to embrace relatively free Medicaid expansion. It is devastation that Brownback fully supports because one way or the other, he wants to continue wreaking economic damage on the state and keep the poor sick and unable to access healthcare services.

Brownback hates the idea of helping the people that arent quite poor enough to get subsidized assistance to go to the doctor. His reason for vetoing the expansion was that the legislature failed to include a. work requirement for Medicaid beneficiaries. Brownback also said the cost was irresponsible and unsustainable. Brownback actually said that despite the cost of providing tax cuts for the rich and corporations is incredibly irresponsible, unsustainable and is sending the Kansas economy deeper into a massive sinkhole of debt, job losses, and credit downgrades.

Brownback believes that despite the federal government has never allowed states to require that people have jobs to qualify for Medicaid benefits, the GOP movement demanding changes is what is he says is really needed to deny millions of Americans healthcare coverage. He supports not only work requirements for the poor that likely already work at slave-wage jobs, he hotly embraces imposing costly premiums and lifetime limits on Medicaid benefits; anything to deny poor Americans medical care.

Always willing to use the fetus as a reason to punish other Americans, Brownback also denounced the expansion legislation he said facilitates more abortions despite the federal prohibition on using federal money for pregnancy termination. He said, From its infancy, the state of Kansas has affirmed the dignity and equality of each human life. I will not support legislation that undermines a culture of life.

Instead, he vetoed legislation that actually supports the health and well-being of already existing real human lives. According to the Christian bible Brownback he touts as his driving force to protect human life, a fetus is not a living being until it draws a breath of its own accord after it exits the womb.

Brownback also lied and claimed the criticism that failing to expand Medicaid would close down desperately needed rural hospitals, kill jobs and force over 150,OOO Kansans to stay sick was overstated; even when his own Republican legislature complained.

The expansions supporters, Democrats, and Republicans alike, argued unsuccessfully that taking advantage of the expansion will save lives and jobs; Brownback was unmoved. One Democrat from Olathe, Representative Cindy Holscher appealed to her colleagues and said:

We have the ability to help people who truly need it the most. We have the ability to make a decision today that will save lives  not just one, but potentially thousands.

A Republican representative and leading proponent of the expansion from Beloit, Susan Concannon said, What we know most of all is that if we do this, it will prevent closures of hospitals.

It is noteworthy that in a recent survey of Kansas voters funded by the American Cancer Society, a humanitarian organization that backs expansion found that 82 percent of Kansas residents were in favor of expanding Medicaid and accepting the funding from Washington. That 82 percent likely is aware that at least 11 million Americans earning poverty wages have already benefitted from having access to medical care in the states that embraced expansion.

For the time being, Kansas is part of the cruel cabal of Republican states, 19 altogether, that have rejected expanded Medicaid leaving millions of low-income Americans stuck in a coverage gap earning too much for Medicaid under GOP-dominated states cruel guidelines, but too little to qualify for the subsidized coverage through the Affordable Care Acts marketplaces.

The Executive Director of Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, an advocacy organization formed last year in support of expansion, David Jordan said his group of supporters were not ready to give up on helping poor Kansas residents get the medical care they need. Mr. Jordan stated the obvious about Brownbacks savagery in vetoing a rare bipartisan effort in Kansas Republican majority legislature.

The problem of 150,000 Kansans not having access to health care doesnt go away.

Neither does the very real problem that the loss of rural hospitals, and the accompanying jobs, is not going away. Something that doesnt bother Sam Brownback who, for an alleged pro-life zealot, has no problem endangering over 150,000 low-income Kansas residents because they, unlike the fetus, are real living beings.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

Trumps Russia denials just fell apart as after months of denying that they knew Mike Flynn had Russia connections, White House officials admitted that they knew Flynn had problems which is why Steve Bannon was on the NSC.

Rosie Gray of The Atlantic tweeted:

sr WH official tells me Bannon was only on NSC to keep an eye on Flynn & "de-operationalize NSC from Rice" & that he never went to a meeting  Rosie Gray (@RosieGray) April 5, 2017

Same official says the president made the decision, this was the deal from the beginning, and "we all knew Flynn had issues"  Rosie Gray (@RosieGray) April 5, 2017

The White House claimed that Flynn was let go because he lied to Vice President Pence, but it turns out that this wasnt true. Bannon was named to the National Security Council on January 29, so the Trump administration knew about Flynn, and they were worried enough to send Steve Bannon in to keep an eye on him.

The Trump administrations Russia denial continue to be contradicted by facts. What is clear is that the White House is going to try to change the subject from their potential collusion with Russia during the presidential campaign to Susan Rice. If the Susan Rice distraction doesnt stick, they are going to throw Mike Flynn under the bus.

Trump hasnt been telling the truth about Russia, and the removal of Steve Bannon is another crack in the administrations wall of denial.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

During a joint press conference, President Trump was asked if he blamed the Obama administration for the situation in Syria, and if he bears responsibility for responding to the chemical attacks. Trump responded with a humiliating answer that showed that he knows nothing. Trump rambled and tried to change the subject, but he couldnt hide his gross ignorance.

Video:

Trump said, Well, I think the Obama administration had a great opportunity to solve this crisis when he said the red line in the sand, and when he didnt cross that line after making the threat, I think that set us back a long ways not only in Syria, but in many other parts of the world, because it was a blank threat. I think it was something that was not one of our better days as a country, so I do feel that Julie, I feel that very strongly.

Trump tried to dodge the rest of the question about responsibility, but the APs Julie Pace followed up and forced the president to answer, I now have responsibility, and I will have that responsibility and carry it very proudly. I will tell you that. It is now my responsibility. It was a great opportunity missed. As you know, Ill be meeting with the president of China very soon in Florida, and thats another responsibility we have and thats the country of North Korea. We have a big problem. We have somebody whos not doing the right thing, and thats going to be my responsibility, and Im going to tell you that responsibility would be a lot easier if it was handled years ago.

Trump seems to think that saying the word responsibility a lot is the same as outlining responsible behavior or a response. When one closely examines the presidents answer, what he really said was that he blames Obama for Syria. He is upset because Obama didnt solve all of the worlds problems for Trump. Donald Trump isnt going to do anything about Syria, which is why he tried to change the subject to China and North Korea.y

Any world leader that listened to Trumps answer would have fallen off of their chair in laughter because it is clear that this president doesnt know anything. Trump is trying to bluff his way through the presidency. After a horrific chemical attack in Syria, Trumps answer was to blame 9Obama and humiliate himself by repeating the word responsibility six hundred times.

At a time when the world needs the United States to lead, Donald Trump cant stop embarrassing himself.
The massive amount is unusual for a local school board race  and thousands more than any of the other 31 candidates have managed to raise. Read moreA CCSD board candidate has raised almost $100K in campaign funds
Andrew Ross Scott was booked into the Charleston County jail the evening of Nov. 6 on the charge of second-degree domestic violence. The 37-year-old man, who has been employed with the Mount Pleasant Police Department since 2009, has been placed on administrative leave, according to Inspector Don Calabrese. Read moreMount Pleasant police officer placed on leave after domestic violence arrest
South Carolina voters head to the polls Nov. 8, casting ballots in midterm elections that will not only determine the state's next governor but will also act as the first major referendum on the Biden era. Read moreYour voter guide to top races, key issues in South Carolina's 2022 midterm elections
HOUSTON  A woman was injured in a single-car accident Tuesday evening just east of Houston.

State Patrol and Houston County Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene on Houston County Road 22 near Burfield Road where the driver of a 2006 Chrysler minivan had lost control of the vehicle causing the vehicle to enter the ditch and roll, according to a state patrol report.

Stacey Lea Franken, 34, of Caledonia was transported to Gunderson Lutheran Hospital in La Crosse, Wis., with non-life threatening injuries. No update was available on her condition.
A new report from MN Community Measurement (MNCM) on health-care disparities suggests that progress is being made, but differences persist based on populations.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services co-authored the 10th annual report, which was released this morning.

According to the 2016 Health Care Disparities Report, eight of nine statewide measures improved from 2014 to 2015 for adult and children enrolled in Minnesota Health Care Programs such as Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare. Five of those eight measures showed "statistically significant" improvements when compared to private or employer-based health insurance.

The improvements were reflected in certain cancer screenings, immunizations, and care for asthma, depression and diabetes, according to the 230-plus page report .

However, the numbers aren't all rosy. They highlight ongoing challenges experienced by Minnesotans who are considered "of lower socioeconomic status and represent a disproportionate number of persons of color, American Indian or Alaskan natives, persons with disabilities, and elderly adults." More than 900,000 Minnesotans meet that designation.

ADVERTISEMENT

Additionally, the report says those on public health care programs "often experience significant personal challenges that create barriers," such as homelessness, lack of transportation and knowledge gaps, among other things.

"By using Minnesota Health Care Programs enrollment as a proxy for socioeconomic status, this report evaluates health care disparities that exist as a result of socioeconomic status," according to a press release from MN Community Measurement.

More specifically, 10 of the 12 statewide performance rates for patients enrolled in public programs were "significantly lower" than those insured with private or employer-based health insurance. The biggest discrepancies for public programs include: 19 percent less likely to receive colorectal cancer screenings; 16 percent less likely to be screened for breast cancer; 15 percent less likely to receive optimal diabetes care; 12 percent less likely to achieve childhood immunization status; and children ages 5-17 were 12 percent less likely to receive optimal asthma control when compared to those with private health insurance.

"This report highlights that there is still significant room for improvement to reduce health care disparities and close the gaps in care," said Jim Chase, MNCM president.

Despite those gaps, improvements have been recorded since the first such report was issued in 2007. It was the first such report in the nation to include "local level information that was actionable for medical groups and clinics, according to MNCM.

Allison O'Toole, chief executive officer of MNsure, addressed some health care-related thoughts Tuesday with Post Bulletin's editorial board, prior to the release of the MNCM report. She said one of the things she hears anecdotally is that people who pay for insurance through the individual marketplace in MNsure sometimes go without using their insurance because the deductibles are so high, consumers are afraid to use their insurance, especially those who pay a large portion of their premiums without subsidies.

O'Toole said she hoped MNsure enrollees were utilizing the preventative care at their disposal.

"Hopefully, it's not true under (MNsure)," O'Toole said. "Preventative care is free under the ACA."
The plans for downtown Rochester's largest development, the $178 million Bloom project, are in their final stages as are negotiations with the city.

Bloom International Realty, which is based in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, recently submitted a revised version of its plans to the city for the choice riverfront property between Second Street and Fourth Street Southeast.

While the massive project still features apartments, hotel rooms, city parking and senior living facilities, the plan has evolved to featured just two skyscraper towers instead three towers as in the plan Bloom offered in 2016.

"Bloom has returned back to the plans of having two towers instead of three," said Mark Dickson, CEO Rochester's Oxford Management. "The original plan (in 2015) had two towers, but then they decided to add a senior tower. After the crunching the numbers, it was decided to fold those senior apartments into the hotel and go back to two towers."

Oxford Management is the local representative for Bloom. While there still might be some minor changes in parts of the development, Dickson said this latest proposal represents how Bloom envisions this project going forward.

ADVERTISEMENT

City Administrator Stevan Kvenvold informed the Rochester City Council that negotiations with Bloom about the projects, including tax-increment financing amounts, are ongoing and could result in a final development agreement in the next few weeks. If the city council approves the agreement, that could clear the way for construction to begin yet this year.

Dickson confirmed that his team is meeting with the city routinely to work out an agreement.

"Bloom is feeling good about this redesign and they're feeling good about how the negotiations are going," he said.

This new plan is slightly smaller than the previous version. The current plan includes 896,936 gross square feet of space versus the 1 million gross square feet of the 2016, three tower proposal.

The current proposal includes 166 condo apartments, 126 senior living units and 160 hotel rooms. Plans show that the condo apartments will all be housed in the south tower. The senior units are proposed to be located above the hotel rooms in the north tower.

Bloom's interest in downtown Rochester began in 2013 when it purchased the Associated Bank building on the southeast corner of South Broadway and Second Street for $7 million.

The original plan was to demolish the seven-story building and build a hotel on that site. As that moved forward, several tenants left the building. Later that plan shifted into building a more elaborate development along the waterfront and talks started with the city in 2015.

While it's considered a separate project, the Associated Bank property does stand adjacent to the proposed waterfront development. Dickson says Rochester contractors, Benike, have been hired to begin a $7 million renovation of the 50-year-old office building.

ADVERTISEMENT

"Work should start soon. It will mostly be interior work," he said.

The renovation will include removal of asbestos, adding a heating plant to the building and generally upgrading the property to attract back tenants. The complex is about 30 percent occupied right now.

"We want to get it right. It's a great office building in a great location," Dickson saud.
WINONA  Four Winona Area Public Schools buildings were tagged with a local historical designation by the Winona City Council at Monday's council meeting, a move that has members of the school board upset.

"We can't control what they want to do," said School Board President Ben Baratto. "If they want to make them historic, that's what they'll do. And that's what they did."

The schools that were given the historical preservation designation were Central, Washington-Kosciusko, Madison and Jefferson elementary schools. With the exception of Jefferson, which is 79 years old, all the buildings are more than 80 years old. Central is no longer used as an elementary school for the district but does house some district offices.

Thursday, the school board will vote to cut $1.5 million from its 2017-18 budget, a task it will need to repeat each of the next four years in order to make the district's budget balance.

"We don't have the money to run the schools we have open," Baratto said. "I don't see how we can keep them open when the money isn't there."

ADVERTISEMENT

Baratto said the board is unlikely to close any of the schools at Thursday's meeting, but the historical preservation designation has nothing to do with that.

"The reason we're reluctant to close one right now is we'd rather have a master plan in place before we start cutting," he said. Closing schools without a plan could mean sending students to several schools over the course of several years -- with some amount of uncertainty -- while the district sorts out its facilities future. "It'd be chaotic."

While the historic preservation designation does not mean the district cannot close schools, it might impact the district's ability to sell the buildings down the road.

Board Member Steve Schild, who has spoken several times against designating the school buildings as locally historic, said the city's action was irresponsible.

"For the city to force the school board into that position, I don't know how you do that for the overall good of the community," he said.

Whether the historical designation makes it more or less difficult to sell the buildings down the road is anybody's guess, both Schild and Baratto said. The local historical designation makes the buildings eligible for certain rehabilitation grants for construction. But it would make it more difficult to change the exteriors of the buildings or raze them completely.

Schild said he does not relish the idea of the buildings being torn down, but pointed out that two of the buildings  Madison and Central  reside on prime city-block lots near downtown. Those one-block lots, he said, might be more valuable cleared off for a developer.

"What it does without question is give the city veto power over anything the board would like to do with those buildings," he said. "Anything that has any possibility of further complicating our position with facilities is a bad thing."

ADVERTISEMENT

Winona Mayor Mark Peterson said rather than veto power, the city is just trying to make sure when it comes to the historical buildings  all four are on the National Register  the council will have a seat at the table in determining each building's future.

"We fully intend to work with the school district on the issue," Peterson said. "We're not even saying they can't tear a building down in the end if they need to."

Peterson said, the buildings belong to the public, the citizens who invested in them, and this is the kind of case the historical preservation ordinance was meant for.

"These are public buildings, and they belong to the public," the mayor said. "It's the job of the city. The ordinance doesn't state we exclude buildings from Winona State or the Port Authority or any nonprofits."

Rather than make the historical designation now, Schild said, the city could have waited to see if a developer wanted to do work that would qualify for one of the rehabilitation grants, then make the designation as a deal sweetener.

Instead, the historical designation might drive some developers away, he said.

"I think this is a major public policy issue," Schild said. "If the city wants to make historical preservation a priority, then the city needs to come up with substantiative ways to share the financial responsibility."

ADVERTISEMENT
An aging population is the antithesis of what's needed to bolster a booming regional economy. Unfortunately, that's exactly where Southeast Minnesota's workforce is heading, as the region is poised for DMC-related growth.

"Aging Baby Boomers are retiring, and we're having a tough time keeping up," said Mark Schultz, regional labor market analyst for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

From 2000 to 2014, the 11-county region bordered by Freeborn, Steele, Rice and Goodhue counties has seen a population increase of 40,821. Four counties in the region had negative population changes, Schultz said. Within those numbers is the fact that the population is getting older, meaning fewer actual workers to fill jobs.

"The population is getting older, and the younger generations are not keeping up," he said. In fact, the largest age group of the labor force expected to grow between 2015 and 2025 are those ages 65 and older, with 7,301 more individuals in that range.

For those below the retirement age  individuals between 16 and 64  the labor force will drop by 4,458.

ADVERTISEMENT

The result of this demographic shift toward older people, he said, means fewer workers for more expected jobs. "Right now, we have 1.1 job seekers for each vacancy," Schulz said. While that might sound ideal, often the available worker you have does not match up to the job you need filled. "Say you need an engineer. Who's to say that one person has that skill. People who need employees don't have a lot to pick from."

Smarter solutions

The answer, said Jennifer Olson, director of Continuing Education and Customized Training at Minnesota State College Southeast, is to educate people for the jobs that are needed. With Winona and Red Wing both being manufacturing centers, the college with campuses in both cities is working to meet the needs of employers through a combination of credit classes, continuing education and customized training.

"We recently put together a training on diesel maintenance after area businesses and industries requested instruction in diesel maintenance for their employees," she said. "We have to be quick and responsive to the all the industries we serve by providing effective training that will help them stay productive and current with changing technology."

While health care is one of the main areas of growth MSCS sees, Olson said, there are plenty of technical careers where employers are looking for training. And the technical college is doing what it can to meet employers' needs.

A great example, Olson said, is the work it has done with Kwik Trip.

"With the incredible growth Kwik Trip has seen, they need drivers to take products to their stores," she said. "We have trained over 40 employees from Kwik Trip to get their CDL Class A license. Our relationship with Kwik Trip is a great example of how we provide education for employment."

The college also has been working with Hiawatha Valley Adult Basic Education and the Workforce Center to get individuals to its Red Wing campus for evening welding classes.

ADVERTISEMENT

"We worked with local businesses to create the curriculum," she said. "Our students have taken tours of facilities where welding jobs are available."

One of MSCS's goals is to be involved with strengthening the workforce in Southeast Minnesota and keeping jobs, students and talent local, Olson said. "Our partnerships with DEED, chambers of commerce, local governments, businesses and non-profit organizations help us understand what the needs are and come to the table with solutions on ways we can help and all work together," she said.

Travis Thul, dean of trade and technology at MSCS, said students often are looking at options that include two of the three job training components: quick, inexpensive and good. With jobs waiting for many of its degrees or training courses, the school offers students all three.

"I see our position here as one of the most important cogs in getting our populace trained and out there with these skill sets," said Travis Thul, dean of trade and technology at Minnesota State College Southeast. "Where else can you go and in 12 months get the skills to start a job that will build your career for years to come?"

Job growth

"Employers can't find people," said Schultz. With a little more than 11,000 job vacancies currently in the region, the problem right now is where most of those jobs lie. "The (industries) with the most vacancies are ones with part-time jobs." That usually means jobs requiring unskilled labor and paying low wages. Those vacancies are not the most appealing, and it can be hard to fill those spots.

Of course, there is roughly an equal number of jobs requiring some post-secondary education. That should continue to grow, according to DEED projections. Health care and social assistance should account for the majority of the 16,000 new jobs expected between 2012 and 2022. But other industries with big increases include construction, administrative support and waste management services, retail, and professional and technical services. Those are the jobs that will need education.

At Riverland Community College in Austin, the administration works with data from Minnesota State, DEED, workforce centers and the state demographer's office to develop curriculum that is needed to fill jobs out in the community, said Adenuga Atewologun, president of the college. "The college is active on local chambers," he said. "In addition, leadership keeps in touch with legislators and the governor's office to request funds for existing and new programs, equipment and facilities."

ADVERTISEMENT

One area with need, said Wanda Staska, who works in Fire/EMS Training and Education at Riverland, is keeping up with the needs of emergency service providers in the region. With just about every small town having a volunteer fire, EMS or ambulance service, making sure first responders -- whether they are paid or volunteer -- are trained is an ongoing effort.

"There are private training organizations that do this training," Staska said. "But the guidelines set forth by the state and national certifying entities change every few years, and it is sometimes hard for private training programs to keep up."

The college also is working to make sure small business owners  those who will support communities during the growth that comes from DMC  with the expertise to make their businesses successful.

"Riverland is also becoming the entrepreneurial hub for Southeast Minnesota," said Peggy Young, a customized training representative at Riverland. The college is partnering with experienced business owners and small business organizations to provide training in basic small business skills, especially for immigrant families. "Our new American population is hungry for the opportunity to bring their culture and skills to our region. Riverland will be the conduit to making that happen."

In fact, Riverland works with immigrant populations on everything from basic language skills for the workforce to programs to help them develop skills for entry level jobs in health care. "These trainings are often the gateway to full-time, permanent employment for our immigrant populations," Young said.
The Butler Did It par Read more [...]
Five of Americas most prominent Hollywood directors volunteered to put their art to use producing documentary, training, and propaganda films in the Army and Navy during World War II. Feeling certain that war was coming to the United States, and wanting to do something about it, John Ford went first, joining the Navy in September 1941.

After Pearl Harbor, Ford was followed by Frank Capra, John Huston, William Wyler, and George Stevens, each of whom contributed his services to the Army Signal Corps. Mark Harris tells the collective story of these five men in Five Came Back. Harris tells an incredibly powerful story and mostly lets the story do the talking. Terry Teachout noted Harriss narrative artistry in his review of the book for Commentary.

Harris has now turned his book into a three-part documentary (about three hours in total) that was posted on Netflix this past Friday. I watched it over the weekend. Like the book, it is an incredibly moving and powerful piece of work. The series adds a visual dimension and more to Harriss otherwise outstanding book (Netflix trailer below).

My attention was drawn to the series by John Andersons astute review in Fridays Wall Street Journal. Anderson explains that the series uses the device of commentary by five living directors, each of whom is assigned one of the series subjects: Steven Spielberg (Wyler), Paul Greengrass (Ford); Lawrence Kasdan (Stevens), Francis Ford Coppola (Huston) and Guillermo del Toro (Capra). The device works ingeniously.

By my lights, Anderson also correctly observes that the hero of the piece is Wyler, a filmmaker of humanity and precision, an immigrant Jew and a native of the Alsace town of Mulhouse who had been bringing his relations to America for years before the country actually entered the war.He would be abroad when he won his first Best Director Oscar for the last movie he made statesideMrs. Miniver, among the most important films of the war years, one that sanctified middle-class English life in the minds of everyday Americans, and made their fight our own. Anderson adds this note: While all the directors faced danger, Wylers was different: Had his B-17 been shot down during the filming of 1944s The Memphis Belle, he wouldnt have been a prisoner of war. He would have been sent to Dachau.

Harriss book reconstructs the highly improbable story behind the making of Wylers classic postwar film The Best Years of Our Lives when Wyler came back. The third episode of the series discusses how Wyler went deaf flying in the course of his service. Wyler partially recovered his hearing in one ear, but his deafness obviously put his career at risk.

In the book Harris relates that the idea behind The Best Years of Our Lives was Samuel Goldwyns; Goldwyn commissioned MacKinlay Kantor to write a screenplay telling the story of returning veterans. Instead Kantor turned in a treatment in blank verse.

Goldwyn somehow thought to solicit playwright and Rooosevelt confidant Robert Sherwood to draft a screenplay based on Kantors treatment. Sherwood declined, but Goldwyn persisted. Goldwyn also turned to Wyler. Wyler enlisted the great cinematographer Gregg Toland to film it, and Tolands contribution was invaluable.

Wyler jumped at Goldwyns offer. He worked intensely with Sherwood to shape the screenplay. Indeed, as Harris demonstrates, Wyler poured himself into the film and each of its three leading characters. As they collaborated, Harris writes, The Best Years of Our Lives gradually evolved into Wylers own story.

If youve seen the film, you havent forgotten the performance of Harold Russell. While serving as an Army instructor, Russell had lost his hands handling explosives in a training accident. In The Best Years of Our Lives Russells efforts to return to his prewar life give physical form to the challenge confronting the films other protagonists representing veterans who came back.

Goldwyn doubted that they would be able to find an amputee to play the role and said so in his pungent style: You cant have a Jew playing a Jew, it wouldnt work on screen. The disabled veterans visited by Wyler in search of the right man to play the part shared Goldwyns skepticism.

Wyler found Russell in a documentary made during the war. (The documentary is posted online here.) Harris quotes Russells words in the documentary: I got [my injury] on D-Day, all right, but it was in North Carolina when half a pound of TNT exploded ahead of schedule. I didnt have a German scalp hanging from my belt. I didnt have a Purple Heart. I didnt even have an overseas ribbon. All I had was no hands. It wasnt long before he had an Academy Award (actually, two of them) for his performance in the film, which swept the Oscars for 1946.

Giving the film its due in the third episode of the Netflix series, Spielberg says that he watches The Best Years of Our Lives at least once a year. He explains that he likes to invite guests who havent seen the film before so he can watch it through their eyes. Spielbergs commentary on the film is excellent. Like much else in the series, it adds something to the story Harris tells in the book.

Like the book, the series pays tribute to five patriotic directors of enormous distinction who deserve to be remembered for their service in their own right. And like the book, the series prompts reflections on Hollywood (and our culture) then and now to the detriment of Hollywood (and our culture) now.
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar specializes in avoiding outspoken stands on important issues. She looks for opportunities to lead the way on trivialities calculated to garner broad public support, such as her crusade against the threat to life and limb posed by The crisis of the detergent pod.

Senator Klobuchar is a reliable vote for the Democratic Party line, but she is quiet about it. She doesnt want to upset anybody. She wants to preside over an era of good feelings  of good feelings about Amy Klobuchar. Its a form of inanity that has won Klobuchar followers among the mainstream media in Minnesota and elsewhere.

Senator Klobuchars opposition to the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch serves as a case study. On March 28 Senator Klobuchar released a statement asserting her opposition to the confirmation of Judge Gorsuch. She purports to have discovered a few areas of disagreement with Judge Gorsuch. Her statement is to the effect: I say its spinach and I say the hell with it.

Suffice it to say that if Republican Senators applied the standard implicit in Klobuchars statement to nominees served up by Democratic presidents they would never have voted to confirm any one of them. So far as I am aware, however, Senator Klobuchar has not been questioned on the standard she applies to Judge Gorsuch by any member of the Minnesota media.

Senator Klobuchar strongly supports the Democrats partisan filibuster of Judge Gorsuch. Why? Senator Klobuchar isnt saying.

In addition, Senator Klobuchar strongly supports the retention of the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees generally. Why? Senator Klobuchar isnt saying.

Senator Klobuchar nevertheless supported the application of the Reid Rule in 2013 to abolish the filibuster of lower court nominees. In that case she talked with MinnPosts Devin Henry about it, stressing Democrats werent looking to change the rules on Supreme Court nominees. She told Henry that Republicans should follow that precedent.

She didnt tell Henry why the rule shouldnt be extended to Supreme Court nominees or why Republicans should take her advice. If she has anything to say, now is the time. She can take all the time she needs in the course of the Democrats ongoing filibuster.
The Minnesota House of Representatives has passed a bill with a provision increasing the penalties on protesters who shut down highways or block access to the airport. Among others, that would be the Black Lives Matter crowd. The Democrats hauled out their big guns to oppose the provision, one of whom was newly elected Rep. Ilhan Omar. Omar is not a compelling public speaker. Her speech opposing the provision droned on for 15 minutes to no great effect (video below.

Several of Omars legislative colleagues took a time out in the House retiring room while Omar and others droned on. Democratic Minority Leader Melissa Horton played Nurse Ratched as she dealt the race card from the bottom of the deck. Horton made a motion requiring House members to come to the floor. I hate to break up the 100 percent white male card game in the retiring room, she said, but I think this is an important debate.

Indignation ensued. Republican Rep. Bob Dettmer pleaded for an apology. The lady, however, was not for turning.

Republican Rep. Greg Davids also took offense. Davids knows how to play this game. The Star Tribune quoted Davids calling out Hortmans comment as racist and elaborating to the Star Tribunes Paul Walsh: Her comments were extremely offensive and divisive [and] created a hostile work environment. Davids added: I couldnt believe she singled out a race and a sex like that.

Davids called it a breach of House protocol for Hortman to talk about what goes on in the House retiring room. And he criticized the speeches. First of all, the speeches werent that good, he said. They were amazingly repetitive and boring.

Surely we can all agree on that.

Rep. Omar followed up with the obligatory instruction on the true meaning of racism.

Let's just be clear, mentioning a group of people as white and male is not racist or sexist, it is acknowledgement of reality! #mnleg  Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 4, 2017

NOTE: My account of Omars back story in The curious case of Ilhan Omar remains current.
The White House has just released an official portrait of Melania Trump. It is beautiful, in my opinion. But the left-wing Boston Globe somehow found something sinister in what any normal person would consider a lovely portrait:

The White House released an official portrait of Melania Trump. So whats with the crossed arms? https://t.co/H7UszrNJjL pic.twitter.com/R2SxcdZimS  The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) April 4, 2017

Yeah, whats with the crossed arms? How weird can you get? No other White House would dream of putting out an official oil or photo portrait of someone with his or her arms crossed. We all know what that means! Right, fellow Democrats? RIGHT??

Oops. Never mind.
Like other Democratic Party news outlets, the Associated Press is conducting a daily war against President Trump and his administration. This war is waged through biased news stories, which are legion, and through the APs purported fact checks. Todays AP fact check is typical; if anything, better than average: AP FACT CHECK: Trump errs in describing Obama stimulus:

President Donald Trump disparaged his predecessors economic stimulus spending Tuesday as a windfall for social programs and said hes unaware of anything built from the money steered to infrastructure. Thats a mischaracterization of former President Barack Obamas 2009 stimulus package, which had tax cuts as its largest component and plowed more than $100 billion into highway, transit and other shovel-ready infrastructure projects, to use the buzz phrase of that time.

Thats a little over 10% of the purported stimulus, which may be a high estimate. Three percent of the $800 billion stimulus went for roads and bridges, which Obama and his minions endlessly promoted as the main point of the legislation.

TRUMP, in remarks to CEOs Tuesday: There was a very large infrastructure bill that was approved during the Obama administration, a trillion dollars. Nobody ever saw anything being built. I mean, to this day, I havent heard of anything thats been built. They used most of that money  it went and they used it on social programs and we want this to be on infrastructure.

This is a classic AP fact check. It starts with Trump hyperboleNobody ever saw anything being built. Trumps point is that his own infrastructure bill is actually going to go for infrastructure, unlike Obamas. His audience understood that he was exaggerating for humorous effect, and also understood that Trump was basically right. Obamas stimulus plan was sold as a shovel-ready infrastructure building program, but that turned out to be an insignificant portion of the whole. The AP doggedly documents the fact that a tiny portion of Obamas stimulus bill went for infrastructure, and therefore Trump is supposedly a liar.

The AP also quotes left-wing Buzzfeed to the effect that Trump praised Obama and his stimulus bill back in 2009. This apparently comes from the APs library of Trump opposition research. Did the AP similarly bring up Hillary Clintons past statements when she did a head-snapping 180 in 2016, abandoning not only her husbands legacy of the 1990s, but also her own policy statements during the 2008 primary season? Of course not.

This kind of thing happens over and over. Often, it is worse. On Saturday, the AP accused President Trump of false advertising, even though it didnt show that Trump said anything that was false. It merely quoted his statements on various issues and countered with the Democratic Partys talking points.

Do you want to know what is really false advertising? The APs claim that its fact checks constitute a look at the veracity of claims by political figures. In reality, the AP fact checks only one political figure, President Trump, with occasional attacks on members of his administration. Here are the headlines for the last 25 AP fact checks. Judge for yourself:

AP FACT CHECK: Trump errs in describing Obama stimulus

AP FACT CHECK: Republicans thwarted high court picks, too

AP FACT CHECK: Trumps week of feints and false advertising

AP FACT CHECK: Trump didnt get luxury-model Air Force One

AP FACT CHECK: Spicer says case closed on Russia. Its not

AP FACT CHECK: Trump no factor in Social Security increase

AP FACT CHECK: Obama, Trump had role in Flint water relief

AP FACT CHECK: The week when Trumps wiretap accusation died

AP FACT CHECK: Trumps promise on repealing health care law

AP FACT CHECK: Trump overlooks his Obamacare promise

AP FACT CHECK: Trumps truths can come from wisps of info

AP FACT CHECK: Willie Nelson not deathly ill, publicist says

So far, that is the only fact check on a Democrat.

AP FACT CHECK: Trump and his unachieved achievements

AP FACT CHECK: Trumps claim of fleeing doctors rings false

AP FACT CHECK: Trump tweets vs. FBI testimony on Russia

AP FACT CHECK: A Washington week of bluster

Nine out of ten instances of bluster were either President Trump or members of his administration.

AP FACT CHECK: Fukushima radiation not cause for alarm in US

AP FACT CHECK: Who needs a wall? Trump says border is strong

AP FACT CHECK: Irish slavery a St. Patricks Day myth

Well, thats a relief!

AP FACT CHECK: Both sides loose with facts in health debate

Seven instances of President Trump or his administration being loose with facts, one instance of Democrats

AP FACT CHECK: [Trump] Cabinet members go rogue on science, history

AP FACT CHECK: Some Trump boasts stumble, but jobs do grow

AP FACT CHECK: Trump, Carson Give Wrong Impression

AP FACT CHECK: How Trumps Keystone XL story fell apart

AP FACT CHECK: Trumps facts on Navys size dont float

We could go on (and on), but you get the drift. The Associated Press was once a respected news service, but today it is just one more member of the Democratic Partys press auxiliary. There is no reason why anyone should take anything from the AP seriously, if it relates to the Trump administration or to any subject of partisan controversy.
Former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau demonstrates his verbal finesse on behalf of Susan Rice in connection with the unmasking controversy. Like his former boss  indeed, like Rice herself  hes a strong believer in the persuasive power of the ipse dixit. If you say so. Got it.

Students of ancient history may recall that it was Rices job (straight, no chaser) to know the events leading to the murder of our men in Benghazi on 9/11/12. Thats why she was sent out to five Sunday morning gabfests on 9/16/2012 to tell us that a hateful video did it.

It was her fucking job to know this information! This is utter bullshit. https://t.co/YWInNoJxgI  Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) April 4, 2017

This is what set him off.

WSJ editorial: "Rice would have had no obvious need to unmask Trump camp officials other than political curiosity" https://t.co/skGXtxDreh  McKay Coppins (@mckaycoppins) April 4, 2017

Via Twitchy: Jon Favreau has EPIC meltdown over WSJ piece on Susan Rice leaking.'
The International Monetary Fund, IMF, Wednesday, said the Nigerian currency, the Naira, is overvalued to the tune of 10 to 20 per cent.

Gene Leon, IMF mission chief for Nigeria, made this known in a separate telephone media briefing Wednesday afternoon.

Reuters news agency quoted Mr. Leon as saying that the naira overvaluation is somewhere to the tune of 10 to 20 per cent.

Additionally, the IMF boss disclosed that Nigerias 2017 projections for non-oil revenues are more optimistic than the IMFs, and authorities need to increase tax levels to diversify its income.

The Washington-based agency had earlier warned Nigeria that its economy needs urgent reform.

A document, whose earlier version was obtained by Reuters last month, outlines a raft of failings in Nigerias handling of its economy and could affect talks over at least $1.4 billion in international loans.

Nigeria fell into recession in 2016, its first in 25 years, largely due to the impact of low oil prices and militant attacks on energy facilities in the Niger Delta region.

For Africas largest economy, crude sales account for more than 90 percent of foreign exchange earnings and two-thirds of government revenue.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported earlier on Wednesday that President Muhammadu Buhari held a launch ceremony for a flagship economic recovery plan.

But the IMF said the plan, criticised by economists for including few concrete measures, is not enough to drag Africas biggest economy out of recession.

If Nigerias economy is to recover, much more needs to be done, the IMF said in the report.

It also urged the major oil producer to introduce immediate changes to its exchange rate policy  characterised by central bank curbs, multiple exchange rates and an artificially high naira valuation  or risk a disorderly exchange rate depreciation.

The World Bank has been in talks with Nigeria for more than a year over an application for a loan of at least $1 billion and the African Development Bank has $400 million on offer. But talks have stalled over economic reforms.

Nigeria has not asked the fund for fiscal support but its recommendations may influence institutional lenders ahead of the annual spring meetings with the World Bank.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


Concerned about the plight of pensioners who retired under the Contributory Pension Scheme without being paid, the federal government has cleared the inherited arrears of accrued pension benefit for the year 2014, 2015 and 2016 by releasing N41.5 billion to the National Pension Commission, PENCOM, for onward payment to the retirees, Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun has disclosed.

The minister also announced that N12.5 billion being outstanding for January, February and March 2017 has been settled based on 2016 appropriation, bringing the tally to over N54 billion.

Despite conflicting demands for available cash, President Muhammadu Buhari has always expressed concern about the plight of workers and pensioners. Consistent with this, we have released N41.5 billion which clears the arrears inherited from the previous administration relating to the period 2013-15 and underpayments in 2016. This will bring relief to thousands of our elders who have served and deserve to be paid their entitlements promptly and fully, Kemi Adeosun emphasised.

The N41,566,565,184 released to PENCOM was the outstanding appropriated for the year 2014 and 2016 by the National Assembly for the settlement of the retirement benefits of Federal Government employees.

She explained further that the amount we paid includes arrears and the impact is that those who retired as far back as 2013, who had been unable to access pension under the contributory scheme due to nonpayment, will now be paid.

To avoid future accumulation of pension arrears, Mrs. Adeosun assured that henceforth the monthly allocation to the PENCOM based on the appropriation of 2017 will regularly be paid along with monthly salaries of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The Federal Government on Wednesday gave September 2017 as the deadline to fully bring the payroll of the military into the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System, IPPIS.

The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, who disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting of the Executive Council of the Federation in Abuja, said the council has already approved two memos to help realise that target.

Mrs. Adeosun said the first memo was approved for the award of a N550 million contract for the procurement of project managers and verification consultants to bring about 200,000 military personnel, consisting army, navy and air force, unto the IPPIS platform.

We are hoping to bring in all the military personnel by the third quarter of 2017, she said. We have assurances about the savings that we typically generate when we bring agencies on IPPIS.

Generally, when we bring agencies unto IPSS, the payroll goes down. This is part of efforts to sanitise our payroll and make sure that the money we are spending on salaries is very accurate. So, bringing the military on board is a big step in that area, the minister said.

The other memo, Mrs. Adeosun disclosed, was the approval for credit facilities totalling about $1.3 billion to support the Development Bank of Nigeria, DBN, which commenced operations last week.

The bank, which received its operational license last week, is funded by some long-term loans from some of its development partners.

Part of that funding, the minister disclosed, included a $500 million World Bank loan, repayable over 21 years at concessional rate; $450 million facility from the African Development Bank, AfDB; $20 0million from KFW, and $130 million from the French Development Agency.

To access these monies, the minister said, the federal government would be ready to disburse, but would have to meet two requirements, including the legal opinion by the Attorney General of the Federation and the approval of the National Assembly.

Before going to the National Assembly, the minister said, the request to access the monies must be approved by FEC, to enable the bank take off fully and transfer funds to major, small and medium enterprises, MSME, sector.

On the countrys rising debt profile, the minister explained that at the moment debt to gross domestic product, GDP, ratio is just 13 per cent, as against 60 per cent by many African countries and a 100 per cent and above by the West.

She said the purpose for the loans would be to generate growth in the economy, pointing out that government was contemplating additional taxes that would be used to pay back the loans.

We are very specific on what we are borrowing for. We are borrowing for things that will generate wealth in the economy. Take this loan today, for instance, $1.3 billion, 45 per cent of Nigerias economy is SMEs and only 10 per cent can get loans at the moment.

It is either they dont have loans and they are asked to go and bring one document and the other that they dont have, or the interest is so high. In other countries, like Brazil, about 99 per cent of the SMEs have bank loans.

Majority of smaller businesses in Nigeria today are under-capitalised. So, they can make much more money if they have long term cheap funding. That will make them profitable, and they will then pay more taxes, which will be used to service the loans, the minister explained.

Mrs. Adeosun said the government has no choice than to borrow, considering that these were concessional loans with interest of two per cent in some cases for 21 years.

You cant get that kind of money anywhere in the world. It is going directly to the people that need it, he said.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


About 169 Gambian migrants on Wednesday returned home, after journeying across the Sahara in harsh conditions.

According to Reuters report, the returnees were mostly young men in their 20s, seeking a better life abroad, but also some women and children.

Most of the dozen or so Gambian migrants interviewed by Reuters had been gone for more than a year.

The International Organisation of Migration and Gambian government helped release them from detention centres in Tripoli and elsewhere.

European governments are struggling to find a response to the flow of migrants over the Mediterranean from Libya, and the appalling conditions in detention camps run by traffickers or the Libyan government.

A returnee, Lamin Korita, 26, told Reuters that he was glad to have ended a 13-month journey that got him arrested in Tripoli.

He said he had wanted to make it to Italy and find work there.

Its a relief to be home, he said, though he wasnt sure what he would do now without skills and in a country with few jobs.

For others, the trauma of their ordeal remained raw.

Another returnee, Modou Badjie, 27, told Reuters: Libya was horrible for us. There was no peace. People hit me, they used sticks against me like I was an animal.

Badjie, a former Gambian soldier who said he was beaten by bandits in Libya, added that he ended up in a crammed migrant camp in Tripoli.

(Reuters/NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The Iranian foreign ministry has condemned the recent use of chemical weapons in Syrias rebel-held Idlib Province, Tasnim News Agency reports.

The spokesperson of the ministry, Bahram Qasemi, offered his condolences to the Syrians in a statement issued on Wednesday.

He condoled the country over the deaths of Syrians in a recent chemical attack in Syrias Khan Sheikhoun that killed scores of people and wounded hundreds more.

We strongly condemn any use of chemical weapons regardless of its perpetrators and victims, Mr. Qasemi was quoted as saying.

This painful disaster is not the first case of using chemical weapons in the Syrian crisis, he said, adding that adopting double-standard stances toward the issue would hamper efforts in addressing such disasters.

Mr. Qasemi also emphasised that Iran is ready to admit for medication those injured in the incident.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday described Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as a murderer, while reacting to Syrias alleged use of sarin gas against a rebel-held area.

Mr. Erdogan, while speaking at a campaign stop in Bursa, western Turkey, denounced a world which remains silent.

The images of the dead children were heartbreaking.

As a father, I am saddened, Mr. Erdogan said.

He has been a staunch backer of the Syrian opposition.

In recent months, Turkey has toned down some of its rhetoric on Syria, amid closer relations with Russia.

In 2016, Turkey tried to work with Russia and Iran on implementing a ceasefire.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday withdrew his Chief Strategist, Steve Bannon, from the National Security Council (NSC), a Senior White House official said.

Mr. Bannon was removed after it was decided he was no longer needed on the key foreign policy group.

Mr. Bannons removal from the NSC, which includes senior members of Mr. Trumps foreign policy team, was seen as a boost to National Security Adviser (NSA) H.R. McMaster, who officials said had struggled to work together with Mr. Bannon.

A senior White House official said Mr. Bannons presence on the NSC was no longer needed after the departure of Mr. Trumps first NSA Michael Flynn.

Mr. Flynn was forced to resign in February over his contacts with Russias Ambassador to the U.S., Sergei Kisylak, prior to Trumps assumption of office on Jan. 20.

The official said Mr. Bannon had been placed on the NSC originally as a check on Mr. Flynn and had only ever attended one of the NSCs regular meetings.

(Reuters/NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


Accidents involving three trucks have caused a gridlock on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

The Federal Road Safety Commission said in a text message that the incidents involving container-loaded trucks caused total blockade on both sides of the Lagos /Ibadan express way this morning by Magboro and Mountain of fire.

Bisi Kazeem, the spokesperson of the agency, said the FRSC has made heavy deployments to resolve the situation.

Mr. Kazeem advised motorists to take alternative routes to the expressway.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, on Wednesday blasted conservative northern leaders who discourage attitudes and activities that, he said, would have developed the region.

The emir spoke while delivering the keynote speech at KADINVEST 2.0, an event organised by the Kaduna Sate Government to encourage investments.

Giving examples of the destruction of romance and love books by a former Kano governor and the response of the Zamfara State Governor to the current meningitis outbreak in the state, the emir said what exists in Northern Nigeria is a complete failure of social policy.

We are fighting culture and we are fighting civilisation, he said. For us to address social policy, we have to reclaim our religion.

Mr. Sanusi criticised the ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam in some parts of Northern Nigeria that has discouraged girl-child education, family planning and other progressive policies.

On Kannywood, he said he was sad that the Hausa movie industry was gradually moving from Kano to Kaduna due to the latters policies of encouragement, saying building Kannywood would have led to building the economy of Kano.

Im sad that Kano has lost it, but Im happy that Kaduna is getting it, he said.

The emir also criticised Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara for his statement on Tuesday that the meningitis outbreak in his state and others was Gods punishment for peoples sins.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the governors statement in Abuja while addressing reporters on the meningitis which has caused the death of over 214 people in Zamfara and at least 336 people across Nigeria.

Dont give these kind of explanations, Mr. Sanusi said of Mr. Yaris comment. That is not an Islamically correct statement to make.

(If) you dont have vaccines, you dont have vaccines; Go and get vaccines, the emir said.

Zamfara and other states have been battling with insufficient vaccines to prevent the spread of the disease.

On Tuesday, the Secretary to the Zamfara State Government, Abdullahi Shinkafi, said the state government, which required three million dosages of meningitis vaccines, only got 300,000 from the federal government.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


A High Court in Abuja has cleared Justice Adeniyi Ademola and his wife, Olabowale, of charges of corruption brought against them by the Attorney General of the Federation.

Mr. Ademola, a judge of the Federal High Court, was among the judges arrested last October in a late night raid by the State Security Service.

He was eventually charged by the attorney generals office for, among others, allegedly receiving bribes during the discharge of is duties.

Mr. Ademola had requested a speedy trial of his case before he was cleared of any wrongdoing on Wednesday by Justice Jude Okeke.

Details later

EDITORS NOTE: This story has been edited to reflect the court that gave Wednesdays ruling.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


A staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Christian Nwosu, has pleaded guilty to receiving N30 million as bribe from the N23 billion alleged stolen by a former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

The bribe was allegedly meant to compromise electoral officers ahead of the 2015 general elections which the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party lost to the now ruling All Progressives Congress.

Mr. Nwosu was among three INEC officials that were docked on Wednesday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before Justice M. B. Idris of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, on a seven-count charge bordering on receiving gratification to the tune of N265 million.

Mr. Nwosu and the other accused persons- Yisa Adedoyin and Tijani Bashir  had, on March 27, 2015, allegedly received bribes from Mrs. Alison-Madueke.

Count one of the charges reads: That you, Mrs. Diezani Allison  Madueke (still at large), Christian Nwosu, Yisa Olanrewaju Adedoyin and Tijani Bashir on or about the 27th day of March, 2015 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired among yourselves to directly take possession of N264,880,000 (Two Hundred and Sixty-four Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira) which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: gratification and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2002 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

Another count reads: That you, Christian Nwosu, on or about the 27 day of March, 2015 in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court directly used the sum of N30,000,000 which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: gratification and you hereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(a) of the money laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

Both the second and third defendants, Adedoyin and Bashir, pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, the first defendant, Mr. Nwosu, pleaded guilty to the charge preferred against him.

The counsel to the first defendant, Adaku Ngbangba, pleaded with the court to grant her client bail on own recognizance, adding that he is a first-time offender. He has put in over 20 years in service. Given his honestly, I urge you, my Lord, to grant him bail on liberal terms.

The counsel to the second defendant, Ms. Ngbangba, as well as counsel to the third defendant, Nelson Imoh, also pleaded with the court to grant their clients bail on own recognisance.

In his address, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that the first defendant had entered a plea bargain agreement with the commission.

He said: We received the sum of $115 million kept in the custody of Fidelity Bank Plc, which was subsequently converted to N23 billion.

Of this amount of money, it was alleged that the first defendant received a cash payment of N30 million as Director and Administrative Secretary, INEC, Kwara State.

The first defendant went to Fidelity Bank and signed for N264,880,000. This was left in the bank in the custody of the third defendant who carried it in a Hilux bus and was making cash payment/withdrawals without going through any financial institutions.

In the course of making the cash payments, the third defendant paid the first defendant the total sum of N30, 000,000.00 cash.

Mr. Oyedepo further told the court that the first defendant was invited to the Commissions office, where he made his statement under words of caution.

He stated that the receipt of payment of the money signed for by the first defendant was also retrieved by the Commission.

Both the statement and the receipt were tendered and admitted as exhibits A-A6 by the court.

Mr. Oyedepo also told the court that the first defendant had admitted essentially to the ingredients of the alleged offence in his statement to the Commission on December 12, 2016.

The first defendant in his statement, according to Mr. Oyedepo, admitted to have benefitted N30, 000,000. 00.

Mr. Oyedepo, in his address, also stated that the first defendant also gave account of the properties he used the money to acquire.

He brought the title documents to the EFCC office.

Having demonstrated remorse and given useful information to aid the prosecution of the case, he has entered into an agreement to forfeit the properties to the Federal Government. The properties are listed in the paragraphs 1 and 2 of the plea bargain agreement.

The EFCC has recovered the N5 million left from the first defendant, having spent N25m to acquire properties.

He also urged the court to convict the first defendant in line with the count seven of the charges and adopt the term contained in the plea bargain agreement.

Consequently, Justice Idris found the first defendant liable as charged on count seven.

He, however, deferred the sentencing of the first defendant to May 7, 2017.

The first defendant was ordered to be remanded in the EFCC custody till the next adjourned date.

Justice Idris admitted both the second and third defendants to bail in the sum of N50 million, with two sureties in like sum. The sureties must have landed properties within the jurisdiction of the court.

The second and third accused persons are also to submit their international passport to the court.

They were ordered to be remanded in prison custody till the perfection of their bail conditions.

The case was adjourned to May 7, 2017 for continuation of trial.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory on Wednesday discharged a judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja of all 18-count charges of fraud brought against him, his wife and a senior lawyer.

The judge, Adeniyi Ademola, and his wife, Olabowale, as well as Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Joe Agi, were accused of fraudulent diversion of huge sums, ranging from local and foreign currencies, possession of firearms and involvement in illegal collection of gratification.

The defendants, particularly the first and second defendant, Mr. Ademola and his wife, a former Head of Service in Lagos State, were alleged to have abused their offices by conspiring to and consequently collecting gratification, in negation of their constitutional duties as public officers.

They had prayed the court to determine that they had no queries to answer, after the prosecution closed its case at the last adjourned date.

Delivering the judgement on the application for no case submission, Justice Jude Okeke who presided over the matter said the prosecution failed to prove its allegation before the court with facts, hence the court would not rely on speculations.

The judge said his observation of the matter proves that the case was built on high level suspicion and speculation fuelled by the very important fight against corruption.

Mr. Okeke said the allegation of collecting gratification, as made by the prosecution should have indicated clearly that the alleged gratification was corruptly collected and that the reasons for such corrupt transfers were related to the alleged offence.

Regarding the alleged transfer of N10 million for example, between the first and third defendants, Mr. Okeke said the prosecution failed to show clearly the official function of Mr. Ademola, in respect of which the N10 million was illegally offered as gratification.

He added that the prosecution was duty bound to state clearly the ingredients of offences alleged against the defendant. He said the failure of the prosecution to do so, renders unnecessary the requirement of a defence by the accused.

Mr. Okeke further said the prosecution, having alleged that the sum of N30 million was given as gratification to Mr. Ademola spoke from both sides of the mouth when in another breath the prosecution, through its witnesses, said they do not know why the said sum was offered to the defendant.

Regarding the allegation of gratification through the collection of a car which was said to have been transferred through Mr. Ademolas son, Mr. Okeke said the witness who had spoken in court about the purchase of the said car did not in the remotest way indicate that Mr. Ademolas son, an adult, was acting on behalf of his father.

On the allegation of embezzling huge sums of foreign and local currencies, Mr. Okeke said the witness brought to court by the prosecution to speak regarding the matter had agreed that judges were entitled to estacodes which were usually given in foreign currencies; particularly in U.S. dollars.

He said the witness also told the court that the said currencies could be further transferred into other foreign currencies, based on the particular location, where a judge intends to travel.

The prosecution witness derailed, rather than supported the allegation, said Mr. Okeke.

Concerning the alleged discovery of N85 and N90 million, respectively transferred by Mr. Ademola to a company, Danpaca and sons, for the purchase of a property, the judge said the witness brought to court by the same prosecution had testified to the fact that a sum of $520, 000 was found in one of Mr. Ademolas account.

He added that according to the testimony of the witness, the foreign currency was part of proceeds from the sale of properties belonging to the parents of the judge which were shared among himself and his siblings.

Mr. Okeke said the first defendant had stated that his legitimate income did not only include his official earnings as a judge, but his inheritance, from a grandfather who was once a Chief Justice of Nigeria and a father who had risen to the height of a Justice of the Appeal Court.

There is nothing that prevents the first defendant from benefiting from the inheritance of his father, said Mr. Okeke who added that; The fact that judges are expected to live humbly does not mean that every judge is church mouse, that cannot afford to live comfortably.

On the allegation of attempting to collect N25 million as gratification from a defendant, Sani Teidi, while presiding over his case, Mr. Okeke said the witness who had testified in court, made the allegation hopeless by failing to show any direct evidence that Kingsley, O. through whom the bribe was intended to have been collected, was actually acting on behalf of the first defendant.

It is the duty of the prosecution to prove that the first defendant and no one else attempted to collect the alleged N25 million, not an agent.

The calls must be shown to have been made by the first defendant, the judge added, stressing that no link was also created between Mr. Kingsley O. and the first defendant.

Also speaking about the allegation of illegal possession of firearms, Mr. Okeke said section (3) of the Robbery and Firearms Special Provision Act limits the offence to possession of firearms contrary to the provisions of the act.

Mr. Okeke said the decision of the prosecution to add the phrase; Without valid licence in the charge; makes it inconsistent with the provision of the said act.

Mr. Okeke called on security agencies and the law enforcement officers to ensure proper investigation of matters before proceeding to court, stressing that the court of law cannot rely on mere speculations to condemn any defendant.

Mr. Ademola was one of the judges whose homes were raided last October by the State Security Service, SSS. His case is the first to be ruled upon after he asked for expeditious trial.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The Nigerian government on Wednesday explained some of the challenges it is facing in dealing with the meningitis outbreak across several states.

The government listed some of the challenges to include extremely expensive drugs, new strain of bacteria and short shelf life of the drugs usable to treat the strange strain of the microorganism causing the disease.

The Minister of State for Health, Osagie Ehanire, who gave the governments stance, said there have been 2,996 cases of the disease in 16 states and 54 local governments across the country.

Mr. Ehanire said 336 people are believed to have died from the disease, and 141 of such have been confirmed by laboratory tests. Majority of the other dead victims are believed to have been buried before the cause of death could be clinically verified.

While addressing journalists after the meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, in Abuja, Mr. Ehanire said there has been a robust response by his ministry and the governments of the states concerned along with the Nigerian Center for Disease Control, NCDC; Nigeria Primary Health Care Development Agency; World Health Organisation; UNICEF; and other partners since the outbreak.

He said the challenge with the current outbreak was that it is caused by a new strain of bacteria, Type C, different from the well-known Type A strain.

This country before suffers meningitis around this time of year when dry season is turning to raining season; in the area called the meningitis belt that ranges all the way from Senegal down to Ethiopia, Eritrea. And the prevailing germ was the Meningococcus A, he said.

He said mass vaccination over the years against the Type A virus had led to almost total elimination of the disease.

Mr. Ehanire said the Type C has been very rare and immunisation for one type does not work for the other.

Unfortunately, there is no cross immunisation. If you are immune to Type A doesnt make you immune to Type C. And because Type C was very rare, the availability of vaccines has been very meagre relatively, he said.

The minister said so far, the country has mobilised vaccines to come in from all corners; 500,000 units doses of vaccines are being distributed and they have started vaccination campaign already.

He also said Nigeria is getting additional 826,000 units which will be shipped from Europe within the next few days.

Mr. Ehanire said, The most affected states have been Zamfara, Sokoto and Katsina and together they have about 85 per cent of the cases.

He said there is reactive vaccination going on already in the affected states.

There are two treatment centres being set up in every local government and lumber puncture kits have been distributed so that doctors can take samples to laboratory for testing.

There are field epidemiologists who are doing findings and contact tracing in other to interrupt the spread of this epidemic, he said

Vaccines are very expensive

The minister said the vaccines are extremely expensive to make and if acquired and stored without using, they may expire.

So, companies make the vaccines on request and on demand and they store just as much as they calculate will be used.

So, the Type C was not very much in demand; but right now, this present epidemic has led to a big demand, he said.

Mr. Ehanire said the 826,000 doses being shipped to Nigeria was given to the country free of charge, while the ministry has placed an order for additional two million doses.

As the situation goes on we will be able to determine if we need to increase the order or if this one will be sufficient.

You dont want to order more than you need because they all have limited life span, but on the other hand you need to have more of these vaccines to be able to take care of the epidemic.

Right now, it seems there is control going on, it is beginning to decrease in Sokoto State and Zamfara is still trying to even out and we hope that with the reactive vaccinations going on we shall be able to bring the epidemic to a gradual halt, he said.

Reacting to the assertion by the Governor of Zamfara State that God decided to punish Nigerians with Type C meningitis because of their sins, Mr. Ehanire said the federal government does not have views of that nature and I am not sure the state government can really continue to make that statement.

When things happen, yes you can begin to look this way and that way for the cause of it; but like I said nature played us an unfortunate stroke but that is not to say we committed sin or anything. It does happen that things occur out of the blues, he said.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


Hassan Saidu, a prosecution witness in the trial of Tony Omenyi, a retired air vice marshal, who is being prosecuted on an amended 3-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday further narrated how Mr. Omenyi allegedly used two firms, Huzee Nigerian Limited and Sky Experts Limited, a contractor of the Nigeria Air Force, to launder arms funds.

Mr. Omenyi is standing trial alongside Huzee Nigerian Limited, for his alleged role in the diversion of over N136 million meant for the purchase of arms by the military.

Mr. Saidu, whose evidence started on January 23 as PW1 was led in evidence by counsel to EFCC, M. S. Abubakar.

He told the court that the investigation and prosecution of the defendants by the EFCC was triggered by a letter dated December 9, 2015 from the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, alleging that the defendants were operating suspicious accounts.

Mr. Abubakar sought to tender the letter in evidence, but Mr. Omenyis counsel, Chris Uche, SAN, objected to its admissibility on the grounds that the letter was supposed to have been certified by the ONSA and not EFCC.

Mr. Abubakar, however, faulted Mr. Uches argument citing Section 104 (I) of the Evidence Act, 2011, which states that, it is the public officer in custody of a document that should certify it.

Relying on the provision of the authority cited, Mr. Abubakar submitted that, in the case at hand, the EFCC was the proper agency to certify the document.

Justice Dimgba, in a bench ruling admitted the document as exhibit AH 12 i-xlviii.

Other documents tendered include the account statement of Huzee Nigeria Limited in FCMB and Zenith Bank.

Our team also asked for Sky Experts Nigeria Limited account opening package, statement of account, certificate of identification and other incorporated documents which they forwarded.

We also requested for the personal account details of the 1st defendant (Omenyi) from Zenith Bank and it was forwarded to us, Mr. Saidu said.

Though, Mr. Uche objected to the admissibility of the documents on the grounds that the PW1 was not the maker, his objection was however, overruled and the documents were admitted in evidence.

Other documents tendered were the report of CADEP (Committee on Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement) which came with the certificate of incorporation of Sky Experts by the ONSA.

The witness further stated, in the course of investigation, we came across one Dr. Theresa Edu, a director of Sky Experts along with the 1st defendant (Omenyi). We interviewed the 1st defendant concerning the movement of money from Sky Experts to his company account, Huzee Nigeria Ltd. His response was that the money was a refund of loan given to Sky Experts, but there was no document to back the claim.

Mr. Saidu went on to tell the court that, both Mr. Omenyi and Dr. Edu had access to the account and can withdraw money from the account at any time.

He stated that, the address of the 1st defendant and Huzee Nigeria Ltd as well as Sky Experts was the same.

We could not trace Dr. Edu, so we wrote to the Director, DSS and the Director, Nigeria Immigration Services to place her on wanted list, Saidu added.

Further hearing on the case has been fixed for April 26 and May 24, 2017.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The House of Representatives on Wednesday kicked against a bill to enable the National Assembly sack state governors and deputy governors.

The bill was sponsored by the only Senior Advocate of Nigeria in the House, Edward Pwajok (Plateau-PDP), and Ali Isa (Gombe  PDP).

The bill which was presented by the former sought to alter the Nigerian constitution to enable the National Assembly have powers to remove state governors and their deputies when necessary.

The bill was titled; A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Delete the Proviso to Section 11(4) of the Constitution to enable the National Assembly to Remove a Governor or Deputy Governor of a State in Appropriate Circumstances and for Other Related Matters.

Contributing to the debate, the House Leader Femi Gbajabiamila (Lagos- APC) said the bill was more suitable for a unitary system of government.

He said it does not make any legislative or moral sense.

Passing this bill would undermine the spirit of true federalism in Nigeria, Mr. Gbajabiamila said.

In agreement with Mr. Gbajabiamila, Nicholas Ossai (Delta-PDP) said the success of the bill would lead to the collapse of federalism in Nigeria.

He said the bill contradicts the constitution which remains the barometer through which other laws operate.

In times when state of emergency is declared in a state, the democratic structures are retained, Mr. Ossai said.

Also contributing, Peter Akpatason (Edo  APC) said it was impossible to get two-thirds majority from the state Houses of Assembly to amend that section of the constitution.

It is mission impossible, Mr. Akpatason said.

Similarly, Ayo Hulayat (Osun-APC) said the National Assembly already has the power to remove the president and his deputy. She said empowering the National Assembly to remove the state governors and their deputies would make the federal legislators omnipotent.

After all efforts to sell the bill to his colleagues proved futile, Mr. Pwajok dramatically stepped down the bill without the speaker putting it to vote.

The Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Lasun. who presided over plenary, said since it was stepped down by the sponsor, it will be on record that it was never debated upon.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


Residents of Kubwa, a satellite town in Abuja, have expressed concern over the N500 charged at a government centre for meningitis vaccine.

Residents told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday that they could not understand the reason for the fee when the Federal Government had announced that the immunisation was free.

NAN reports that the vaccination was being conducted by a woman suspected to be working for an NGO at the Government Secondary School, Kubwa, in Bwari Area Council of the FCT.

Tony Isibon, a resident who was at the venue, told NAN that because of the fear of the meningitis outbreak, his family had no choice than to pay and receive the vaccine.

The vaccination here is N500 per person. I do not know if it is from government or a private organisation, but they collect N500 per person. We just met people paying N500 and we joined.

Since this is the only centre in Kubwa, and the threat of meningitis is real, people are paying the N500.

There is only one official here; she is the person giving the injection and also the person collecting the money, he said.

Sure they receive N500 from each child and adult; each pay N500 to get the vaccine, a woman, Margaret Gonga, also told NAN.

I brought six children and I had to pay N3,000; we do not mind paying the money as long as we get vaccinated, that is what is important to us, another resident, who simply identified herself as Mrs Benson, told NAN.

The meningitis and the heat is so much that we do not have any option other than to pay and be vaccinated, she said.

Another resident, Humphrey Anaeme, said: They say that this is an NGO. If it is true; let them put their banner so that people will know they are registered to carry out this exercise.

Mr. Anaemem said it was unfair of anyone to use a calamity to make money from people when the government had made it free for citizens.

The question that everyone is asking is: what is the name of the organisation? Where is their banner? How can we know they are legitimate when they are charging N500 and government says it is free?

He expressed fear that vaccinators might be taking advantage of the situation to administer fake drugs that could endanger peoples lives.

The woman administering the vaccine, who declined to give her name, told NAN that she was working for the Maladitrace Foundation, an NGO.

Actually this is Maladitrace Foundation, it is an NGO. Since there is an outbreak in the FCT, our NGO saw the need to curtail the outbreak by making these vaccines available at a cheaper rate to the people.

The one the government actually brought has finished; they started two weeks ago and they have ended the exercise, she said.

Reacting to the development, Rilwanu Mohammed, the Executive Secretary of the FCT Primary Health Care Board, told NAN that the agency was not aware of individuals or organisations collecting money for CSM vaccination in the territory.

Mr. Mohammed said the agency had since exhausted its stock of CSM vaccines made available to it by donor agencies for the exercise.

He did not say if the agency would investigate the report to ascertain the vaccine and its source as well as the rationale behind the charge.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


A Federal High Court in Jos, Plateau State, has sentenced a motorcyclist, James Adamu, to eight years imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a foreign-made pistol and 13 rounds of live ammunition.

Mr. Adamu, 32, a resident of Du, Jos South Local Government Area, was jailed on Wednesday by Justice Dorcas Ajisi.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr. Adamu, after pleading guilty to the crime, begged the court for leniency.

NAN also quotes Mr. Adamus counsel, David Adudu, as praying the court to be lenient in its sentence, considering that the accused did not waste the time of the court.

Mrs. Ajisi, in her judgement, sentenced the convict to five years in prison for unlawful possession of firearm, and three years for being in possession of live ammunition.

The judge, who did not give the convict an option of fine, said that both sentences would run concurrently.

She added that the sentence was meant to serve as a deterrent to those who may want to engage in similar acts.

The convict, who was first arraigned on February 16, had immediately owned up to the crime.

The police prosecutor, E.O Ochai, of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, had told the court that the accused person was arrested on October 9, 2016, and when a search was conducted at his home, the firearm and live ammunition were found in his possession.

Mr. Ochai said the accused person told the police in a confessional statement, that the firearm belonged to his business partner, Mahmuda Hussaini, and that he was holding it as a collateral for money he lent to him (Hussaini).

In the statement, the accused said that sometime in September 2016, he agave Mr. Hussaini N80,000 to buy two cows for him, but that Mr. Hussaini did not deliver on his promise.

Mr. Ochai further quoted the accused as saying that all efforts to recover his money from Mr. Hussaini yielded no results, which made the accused to collect the collateral from him.

The accused, in the statement, said that Mr. Hussaini invited him to Mista Ali, Jos, to collect the collateral and when he arrived Mista Ali, he was handed something in a bag and told not to open it, until he arrived home.

Mr. Adamu, according to the statement, opened the bag at home and discovered a foreign made pistol and live ammunition in the sack, but that out of fear, did not report to the police, or return the items to Mr. Hussaini.

The statement further indicated that on October 8, the accused person invited a woman to his house, but when she refused to sleep with him, he threatened her with the gun and raped her.

The prosecutor said the rape victim thereafter reported the matter to the police and a search was conducted in the accused home and the firearms recovered.

Mr. Ochai said Mr. Hussaini had been arrested and was standing trial for illegal dealings in arms and live ammunition.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The management of the University of Lagos has disowned the 13 students who are currently in prison custody over an alleged riotous invasion of the university campus and a television station.

In a statement on Tuesday, Toyin Adebule, Deputy Registrar, Information Unit of the university said the detained people comprised of students rusticated by the institution and others from a school in Ogun State.

University of Lagos hereby states that the 13 students remanded by the court as reported by different newspaper tabloids and electronic publications are not students of the institution.

Let us emphasise here that the rusticated students are requested to apply for re-admission after serving their punishment. Until re-absorption, they are not considered bona fide students of the university.

The statement came just as Nigerias umbrella student body, the National Association of Nigerian Students, issued a 24-hour ultimatum for the release of the students.

The police had charged the students before a Special Offences Mobile Court for riotous invasion.

The students include Femi Adeyeye (who is currently rusticated for four semesters by the university for criticising the management on social media), Tony Aina, Kodri Yaya, Asimi Oladime, Ismahim Olalekan, Segun Okesola, Abdulazeez Soneye, Idris Abogunloko, and Muyiwa Olaniyi.

The rest are Toheed Oladimeji, Joseph Akanni, Lukumon Olusegun, and Abiodun Agbeniyi.

They are charged before P.E. Nwaka, a chief magistrate, for two counts of unlawful invasion and disruption of activities.

The students pleaded not guilty to the charges.

On Sunday, TVC, a television station the police claimed the students invaded, said they were at their premises and conducted themselves peacefully.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the students were protesting the rustication of a visually-impaired student, Lawrence Success, who was suspended for criticising the university management.

The police arrested the students on Friday and arraigned them before a mobile court on Saturday.

The magistrate had ordered their remand at Kirikiri Prison until April 6 when their bail application will be determined.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


A Nigerian senator, Ben Murray-Bruce, has mocked the governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, for saying that the outbreak of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis in the country was Gods way of punishing the people for their sins.

Three hundred and thirty-six people have so far died of meningitis across Nigeria since the disease broke out few days ago, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control said on Tuesday.

In Zamfara State alone, the number of people suspected to have died from the disease has risen to 215.

Governor Yari had said on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, that What we used to know as far as meningitis is concerned is the Type A virus. The World Health Organisation, WHO, has carried out vaccinations against this Type A virus not just in Zamfara, but many other states.

However, because people refused to stop their nefarious activities, God now decided to send Type C virus, which has no vaccination.

People have turned away from God and he has promised that if you do anyhow, you see anyhow that is just the cause of this outbreak as far as I am concerned.

There is no way fornication will be so rampant and God will not send a disease that cannot be cured, Mr. Yari said.

Mr. Murray-Bruce, who represents Bayelsa East Senatorial District, Bayelsa State, disagreed with the governor.

Meningitis is caused by bacteria, not sin, the senator tweeted on Wednesday. If sin caused meningitis, most of us politicians will get it, but its the poor who suffer it most.

The real sin causing meningitis is the sin of mismanaging the money budgeted to cure and prevent a disease that regularly affects Nigerians, the 61-year-old senator said.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has expressed its disappointment at the federal governments budgetary allocation to the education sector.

The union also called on the National Assembly to address the issue of low funding of education in Nigeria.

The ASUU President, Biodun Ogunyemi, made the call on Wednesday while answering questions from journalists after the inauguration of a new secretariat constructed by the ASUU chapter of Kano State University of Science and Technology, Wudil.

NAN reports that the new ASUU secretariat was named after Nasir Hussein, a founding member of the union in the university.

Mr. Ogunyemi said the union was not happy with the allocations to the sector in the last three years and said that the National Assembly must change the narrative.

In this years budget, 6.1 per cent was allocated, last year it was eight per cent and we rejected it and the year before was 11 per cent.

So, the allocation to the education sector has been on the decline and what we are saying is that we will no longer take it.

We went to the National Assembly during the budget defence and argued our case, the ASUU president said.

He expressed hope that the lawmakers would do something urgently to address the issue, to enable Nigerian universities have the necessary facilities for uninterrupted academic activities and be able to compete with other universities across the world.

We hope the National Assembly will address the issue of funding and address other problems bedevilling the universities in the country.

We have always been engaging government on what they need to do to make our universities globally competitive to attract and retain the best academics.

According to him, the union is also working to promote policies that would address the welfare of its members as well as improve the quality of lives of Nigerians.

Mr. Ogunyemi also commented on salary shortfalls in some universities, saying that the union would no longer tolerate such.

We have written to the government. We met at Yola last week and we put it on the table that as from the end of March, we will no longer accept any reduction in what is due to our members as their entitlements.

He added that ASUU would continue to inform Nigerians to identify people with the capacity to provide the best leadership in the country.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The Fleet Commander of the Western Naval Command, Nigerian Navy, Teikumo Ikoli, was on Wednesday found dead in his Lagos home.

The spokesperson for the Western Naval Command, Chinwe Umar, said in a statement that the cause of Ikolis death had not been known, but investigation was going on.

In the early hours of Wednesday April 5, 2017, gunshots were heard in the vicinity where Rear Admiral Teikumo Daniel Ikoli resides in Apapa, Lagos.

When his room was opened, he was found dead, the naval spokesperson, a lieutenant commander, said in the statement.

He said that the police had been invited for investigation into how the naval chief died, adding that more updates would be given when the situation is clearer.

Mr. Ikoli, a rear admiral, was Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT and later appointed into the Presidential Committee on the probe of arms deal before he became Fleet Commander, Western Naval Command.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The governing All Progressives Congress, APC, has urged the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, PACAC, Itse Sagay, to exercise restraint and desist from making utterances that may be misconstrued as an attack on the institution of the National Assembly.

The party, in a statement Wednesday, by its spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, said its call is based on efforts being made to resolve the rift between the Executive and the National Assembly.

Apart from Mr. Sagay, the APC also asked all government appointees to stop making statements that may further worsen the relationship between the two arms of government and derail the Partys effort to make peace.

Mr. Sagay last week criticised the Senate for refusing to approve electoral commissioners until President Muhammadu Buhari removes the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu. The Senate hinged its stance on its rejection of Mr. Magu, twice, after he was nominated as substantive chairman of EFCC by the president.

After Mr. Sagays statement, the Senate passed a resolution asking its committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to investigate the comments made by Mr. Sagay. The Committee invited the PACAC chairman to appear before it.

However, the professor of Law on Tuesday wrote to Senate President Bukola Saraki asking him to direct the committee to withdraw its summon on him or he would sue them.

Mr. Sagay said his criticism was anchored on Section 171(1) of the Constitution, which empowered the President to appoint any person to hold or act as head of any extra-ministerial department.

He said though he was not served with any summons, he deemed it fit to join issues with members of the Senate on the violation of his fundamental right to freedom of expression.

The rights, he said, were guaranteed by Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution as amended and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (Cap A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

He also said Section 88 of the Constitution under which the Senate purportedly summoned him is subject to other provisions of the Constitution, including Section 39, which guarantees freedom of expression.

The APC on Wednesday said it acknowledges the fatherly role being played by President Buhari to resolve outstanding issues with the National Assembly, by setting up a high-level committee led by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.

We believe the comments attributed to Prof. Sagay are uncalled for, regrettable and could further complicate the relationship between these vital arms of government.

Our expectation would be that as a Law Professor of repute, Prof. Sagay would appreciate the need to not denigrate the institutions of democracy, be it the Executive, Legislature or Judiciary, the party said.

It also said as an appointee of Mr. President, it expects the don to key into his principals temper and help him to make friends that would make his job easier and not make enemies of people who, by virtue of the position they occupy under the nations law, are critical to the running of government and the nurturing of democracy.

The party said it objects to Mr. Sagays call on the Senate to withdraw invitation extended to him.

As someone appointed by our government, we find this kind of posturing unacceptable and potentially injurious to the peace efforts by the party.

The party wishes to reiterate its earlier position admonishing all elected or appointed officials of our government to desist from utterances that may endanger efforts to build harmonious relationship between the two arms of government. Prof. Sagay should not operate outside this admonition, the party said.

The party also expressed happiness with the meeting it had with the Senate Caucus on Tuesday and said is confident that all the issues raised will be addressed. It also urged the National Assembly to further intensify its efforts to ensure timely passage of the 2017 budget.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


A team of UN experts has arrived in Nigeria to assess the number of landmines Boko Haram terrorists have laid in the Sambisa Forest.

Agnes Marcaillou, Director, UN Mine Action Service, UNMAS, told a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria in New York that the team arrived the country on Tuesday.

According to her, the assessment is with a view to de-mining and clearing the area of landmines.

UNMAS collaborates with 11 other UN departments, agencies, programmes and funds to ensure effective, proactive and coordinated response to the problems of landmines and explosive remnants of war, including cluster munitions.

The Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, had on Sunday called for deliberate efforts to remove mines from the Sambisa forest after the sack of the insurgents from the area.

Mr. Buratai, a lieutenant general, said the efforts required the assistance of the UN, Non-Governmental Organisations and development partners as the country could not do it alone.

Speaking on the UN response, Marcaillou said: UNMAS has sent some people to Nigeria and they have arrived already today (Tuesday) to explore this matter further.

I would say that the standard is that we need first and foremost, the involvement of the country in looking at the threat, its a partnership.

The United Nations and UNMAS have no magic wand. We need to get an assessment of the problem together; UN brings the capacities of the UN and the government together.

And then the Government of Nigeria will take the lead in mobilising the international community support.

This is because everything that we will do together at one point or another in Nigeria will require funding to meet those needs.

We need the concrete engagement of the government. We need to have evidence that the Government of Nigeria has put this question as a top priority on its agenda.

She, however, pledged the commitment of the UN mine service to working with the Federal Government to rid the conflict-prone areas of landmines.

But right now, the positive side of the story is that we have responded to the call.

And we have a number of people who have already arrived the country today (Tuesday) to discuss it further, she said.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


Representatives of Ukraine and Canada signed an agreement to enhance bilateral defense cooperation, according to the statement of the Canadian Ministry of National Defense.WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Authorities of Canada and Ukraine have signed an agreement to enhance bilateral defense cooperation, the Canadian Ministry of National Defense said in a release on Monday."This bilateral arrangement further exemplifies Canadas commitment to Ukraine by identifying areas of mutual cooperation such as defense policy; defense research, development, and production; and military education," the release stated.The deal was signed by Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan and his Ukrainian counterpart Minister Stepan Poltorak.Canadian troops AFP 2017/ COLE BURSTONCanadian Troops to 'Fine-Tune' Military Skills for Missions in Ukraine, LatviaThe Canadian authorities have also recently extended through March 2019 the countrys training mission in Ukraine, dubbed operation UNIFIER."Canada remains fully committed to providing assistance to Ukraine, helping to preserve and protect its sovereignty through Operation UNIFIER, and to supporting the implementation of key reforms," Sajjan said in the release.During his visit to Canada, Poltorak is also expected to meet members of parliament and senators, and visit Canadian Armed Forces facilities, according to the release.well there you have itCANADA has signed up with the soros funded neonazis(like the older UNtruedoh! driving around with the nazi HAT on presaged this)great...good thing they waited till all the old WW2 soldiers are pretty much dead
About 3,800 new cases of HIV infections have been recorded in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Borno State, Barkindo Saidu, the Executive Secretary, Borno Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (BOSACA), has said.

Mr. Saidu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri on Wednesday that the new cases were recorded after voluntary screening in 15 IDPs camps in the state.

He said that currently 2.4 per cent of the population of the state or about 108,000 persons are living with HIV and AIDS, going by the demographic survey provided by the National Population Commission.

We recorded 3,800 new cases of HIV between January 2017 to March this year, he said.

Also, 70 children in the IDPs camps tested positive.

So far, in the whole state we have about 18,101 new cases of persons living with HIV within this period and only 9,438 are currently coming for the Anti-Retroviral Therapy and counselling.

Our challenges are enormous and cannot be over emphasised. It will interest you to note that Borno state has not participated in any HIV programme in the last two years.

Only tiny portion of the people living with HIV and AIDs can access treatment because most anti-retroviral centres have closed, he said.

He explained that only 32 out of the 90 anti-retroviral centres were still operational in the state.

Within the last six years, the state was only able to achieve nine per cent out of its HIV reduction prevalence rate in Borno state.

This was because the government and other support partners have not given priority attention to the plight of such persons.

Governor Shettima had approved N45 million counterpart funding for HIV development programmes since December 2016, but the fund is yet to be released.

Three months ago, I wrote a letter to about 29 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to come to the plight of such persons but only UNICEF is assisting.

On the 30 March, the Federal Government had received grant for HIV, TB and Malaria from Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Maleria (GPATM). We cannot access this fund until the state government provide counterpart support funding, Mr. Saidu said.

The executive secretary, therefore, renewed his appeal to the state government to release the counterpart fund and urged NGOs to support people living with HIV/AIDS.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, says he is making moves to ensure the actualisation of the proposed plans to relocate the prison located at the Oke-kura area of Ilorin, the state capital.

The Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media and Communations, Muideen Akorede, made this disclosure in a chat with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday.



PREMIUM TIMES gathered that residents of Oke-Kura area in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, had earlier called for relocation of the prison located in the community to a less congested area.

Reports said some residents of the area, who recalled a recent incident of attempted jail break, lamented that the continuous presence of the facility in the community is dangerous to the safety of residents.

While speking to journalists recently, the President of Ilorin Emirates Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), AbdulHameed Adi, noted that the area is not safe with the prison there.

Government should relocate it because if anything happens at the prison, such as a stray bullet, it could affect the residents of the area, he said.

Similarly, the member representing Ilorin East/South Constituency in the House of Representatives, Abubakar Kannike, during an on-the-spot visit to the prison, said the House will direct the committee on Army to carry out further investigation and to caution the military to interface with the community while discharging their duties.

I also informed the committee to look into the possibility of decongesting the prison, Mr. Kannike added.

Earlier, Mr. Ahmed had said that the Oke-kura prison was long overdue for relocation, as it was not right for a corrective institution to be situated in such residential area.

Mr. Ahmed, who spoke while receiving members of the House of Representatives Committee on Army led by Sunday Katung, suggested that the government would put a public private partnership deal in place to

improve the facility.

We will see to it that the interior ministry will come out with strong position that will review the current status of the prisons even if it requires the Public Private Partnership (PPP) to improve the corrective institutions, the governor had quipped.

In his reaction, Mr. Katung, the Chairman of the HoR committee who was in Ilorin with his members to assess the prison facility, said the Oke-Kura prison is congested and appealed to Governor Ahmed to relocate the facility.

The prison was built in 1914 to accommodate 150 inmates but presently about 350 are accommodated there, Mr. Katung noted.

As stakeholders, we must look at what can be done to improve the present condition of the prisons and inmates.

When contacted Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Akorede told PREMIUM TIMES that the Kwara state governor was perfecting works with other agencies to actualise the successful relocation of the prison.

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed is working with relevant stakeholders such as the National Assembly, Ministry of Interior and through National Economic Council to ensure the movement is actualised, he said.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


Mohammed Mohammed, a school vice principal arraigned for allegedly impregnating his student, has been denied bail by a Magistrates Court in Minna, Niger State.

The court, which rejected his bail plea on Wednesday, ordered that Mr. Mohammed, who is the Vice Principal of Government Day Secondary School, Tunga, be remanded in prison custody.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the accused was arraigned on a two-count charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a child, and impregnating a female student.

The police prosecutor, Pius Asawa, told the court that a man, Sokombo Danjuma of Tunga-Minna, reported the matter at the Child Rights Agency, before it was later transferred to the Police.

Mr. Asawa quoted the complainant as alleging that the vice principal unlawfully had sexual intercourse with the 16-year-old JSS 3 student, and made her pregnant.

He said the offences contravened sections 18(2) and 25 (3) of the Child Rights Law of Niger State.

When the charges were read to the accused person, he pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor thereafter asked the court for adjournment to enable the police complete its investigation into the matter.

He also objected to bail for the accused, arguing that it may jeopardise police investigation.

The counsel to the accused person, A.I Mustapha, however, moved an oral application for bail of his client on the grounds that the offenses were bailable.

Mr. Mustapha also challenged the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter.

In her ruling, the magistrate, Fatima Auna, rejected the bail plea, and asked the defense counsel to formally write a complaint if he was not satisfied with the position of the court as regards bail for the accused.

Mrs. Auna adjourned the matter to April 26 for further mention.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


Members of Babeji/Kiru Federal Constituency in Kano State have asked for the recall of suspended House of Representatives member, Abdulmumini Jibrin, for calling for the immediate resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari over his ill health.

The constituents stated this position on Wednesday as hundreds of them stormed the state headquarters of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to submit a petition for severe punishment to be meted on their representative over his reckless and barbaric attitudes.

Mr. Jibrin last year travelled to the United Kingdom after he was suspended by the House of Representatives for one legislative year for publicly accusing the leadership of the House of impropriety in the 2016 budget padding scandal.

PREMIUM TIMES last week published story on Mr. Jibrin, who via a series of tweets on his Twitter handle, called on President Buhari to resign so as to have time to treat his health. He also asked that the president be allowed to nominate a deputy to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who would become president should Mr. Buhari resign.

Speaking alongside the state chairman of the party, Abdullahi Abbas, the APC Chairman for Kiru Local Government Area, Muntari Isiyaku, on Wednesday said nobody in the constituency would stop the move to recall Mr. Jibrin over his outburst against President Buhari.

The Kiru party chairman submitted the written protest letter to the state party executives.

In the first instance, we will like to disown Abdulmumini Jibrin Kofa on his reckless statement against the health condition of our dear president. He did it without our consent or approval. He is alone on it and he should be punished for making the statement, Mr. Isiyaku said.

Alao speaking, Mr. Jibrins campaign director-general, Musa Bebeji, disowned the suspended lawmaker over the position he expressed on President Buhari.

Mr. Bebeji said he regretted standing for the man he described as a betrayer.

In all the years Jibrin Kofa spent as our representative at the National Assembly, what has he brought to our constituency? Nothing! Even a N10 million project he has not brought to us, he claimed.

Above all, Jibrin has testified to the whole world that he is a thief who has been conniving with the leadership of the House of Representatives to steal our money, this after he said that he was ready to return what he had taken unjustifiably.

The state chairman of the party, Mr. Abbas, after receiving the protest letter, assured the constituents that the party would take appropriate disciplinary measure against Mr. Jibrin.

Mr. Abbas said after dealing with Mr. Jibrin, the party would send a special delegation to Abuja to beg President Buhari for forgiveness against the misdeed of the suspended lawmaker.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The North West Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Inuwa Abdulkadir, on Wednesday said he was not surprised by the demolition of his residence in Kaduna allegedly on the orders of Gov. Nasiru El-Rufai.

Mr. Abdulkadir told the News Agency of Nigeria [NAN] in a telephone interview that the governor had sometimes back threatened to take such action against him.

The APC chieftain said the governor had made the threat in the presence of six other governors from the North West.

I am not surprised by his action, it is a political vendetta. But I will not make further comment because the case is already in court.

NAN reports that officials of the Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Authority [KASUPDA] backed by the police demolished the four-bedroom duplex on Wednesday.

The officials had claimed there was no official permit for the erection of the building.

NAN reports that Mr. Abdulkadir and Mr. El-Rufai had been having running battle over the internal crisis in the state chapter of the APC.

The North West office of the party had quashed the suspension of Shehu Sani, a senator, and asked officials of the party loyal to Mr. El-Rufai to abide by the directive.

The Special Adviser on media and communication to the governor, Muyiwa Adekeye, declined comment on the matter.

He said that only KASUPDA could respond appropriately on the propriety of its action.

[NAN]

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


Ten months after the Nigerian government launched the clean-up of Ogoniland, actual work is yet to commence in the community, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, ERA/FoEN, has said.

The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, in June 2016 flagged off the oil spillage clean-up exercise amidst an elaborate ceremony in Bodo, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Godwin Ojo, Executive Director of ERA/FoEN, said almost six years after the UNEP report, not a drop of oil had been cleaned in Ogoniland.

As we speak, there has been no serious effort to manage the expectations of the Ogonis. While some believe that the clean-up process is a money-making venture, others are facing difficulties to pursue the clean-up process, Mr. Ojo said at a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday.

Authorities responsible for the clean-up should come up publicly, provide a template for the clean-up and a step by step blueprint on how it would progress. The media is even kept in the dark, for example, no one knows the effective date of the clean-up process, and this is not good enough to manage the peoples expectations. Not everyone is being carried along at the moment.

A United Nations Environment Programme scientific study released in 2011 exposed the large-scale, continued contamination of the water and soil in Ogoniland, and the serious threat they pose to human health.

In one case, UNEP found that a community drinking well was polluted with benzene, a cancer-causing substance, at levels 900 times above the World Health Organization guideline.

The report presented to former president, Goodluck Jonathan, on August 4, 2011, was, however, not implemented throughout the life of Mr. Jonathans administration.

Barely three months after he assumed office in 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari approved several actions to fast-track the long delayed implementation of the UNEP report. Some of the actions included the amendment of the official gazette establishing the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP) and the approval of the composition of a Board of Trustees for the HYPREP Trust Fund.

The president also approved a $10 million initial take-off grant for the implementation of the report.

In February, Mr. Osinbajo said the federal government had secured over $1 billion dollar from Shell Petroleum Development Company for the clean-up, adding that a governing council and board of trustees had been inaugurated on August 4, 2016 and January 12 this year, respectively.

A funding of one billion dollars at 200 million dollars per annum over five years has been provided by Shell to provide drinking water, conduct health impact assessment and demonstrate remediation technologies, Mr. Osinbajo, a professor of Law, had said.

Mr. Ojo, however, said the government is yet to release any fund for the clean-up.

From the records we have, the US$10 million promise of initial take-off grant is yet to be released, he said.

And that is not even the question, the government and Shell and other joint ventures have come to the understanding that they will be able to pay $200 million on a yearly basis for the $1 billion recommended by UNEP report.

The UNEP report recommended $1 billion initial take-off grant, but the government and Shell is already short-changing the people to have a fixation of $1 billion.

Almost two years into President Muhammadu Buharis administration and about a year after the kick-off ceremony of the clean-up of the Ogoniland, nothing pointing to justice for the people has started. Justice delayed is justice denied.

The question on the lips of Nigerians is: When will the clean-up of Ogoniland and by extension the Niger Delta begin?

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


A former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, on Wednesday wept at the graveside of former governor of Bayelsa State, Diepriye Alamieyeseigha.

Mr. Ibori visited the graveside during a condolence visit to the family of the deceased in Amassoma, Bayelsa State.

Messrs. Ibori and Alamieyeseigha were elected governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party as Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999 and re-elected in 2003. But Mr. Alamieyeseigha was impeached and jailed for alleged corrupt practice a year later, while Mr. Ibori completed his second term before he was also jailed in the United Kingdom for corrupt practice as governor.

Mr. Alamieyeseigha died in November 2015 while his friend and ally was still serving his jail term abroad.

Mr. Ibori who was accompanied on the visit to Amassoma by political leaders and stakeholders from Delta State, including the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Monday Igbuya, described Mr. Alamieyeseigha as a patriotic leader who was very courageous and outspoken and stood on the side of his people at all times.

He said he was devastated when news of Mr. Alamieyeseighas death got to him in the United Kingdom where Mr. Ibori was in prison.

He said they both shared a common ideology and relationship, which was very deep, and added that Mr. Alamieyeseigha fought against oppression and evil which ultimately led to his untimely death.

While sympathising with the family of the deceased former governor, Mr. Ibori urged the family to take solace in the fact that he was a good man who will forever be remembered for his legacies and also the reality that what he believed in will not die.

The former Delta State Governor who equally took time to visit the graveside of Mr. Alamieyeseigha assured the family that he would always remember and stand by them, as Mr. Alamieyeseigha would have done same for his family.

Earlier, Mr. Ibori had visited Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, at the Government House in Yenagoa where he also expressed his sympathy to the government and people of the state over the death of their first civilian governor.

According to him, the visit was to appreciate Governor Dickson for immortalising the deceased by renaming the Government House banquet hall after him and for pushing forward his noble ideas of governance and strong agitation for rights of Ijaw people and Niger Delta.

I take solace in the fact that having met you, I am encouraged that indeed the flag only flew half mast for a couple of days and after that the flag is flying again. Thank you for playing your bit to immortalise him. He may have left us but his spirit is still with us.

In his remarks, Governor Dickson said the visit was solemn but historic and thanked Mr. Ibori for his thoughtfulness to visit the family, which he said emphasised the brotherliness that existed between him and the late former governor.

Mr. Dickson, who called on people of the Niger Delta to stop betraying their leaders, said both Messrs. Alamieyeseigha and Ibori were victims of the Niger Delta struggle, adding that their travails were as a result of their campaign for resource control and fiscal federalism.

We have done enough when it comes to betraying, sabotaging and pulling down one another, especially our leaders. Nobody in this nation will build and sustain leaders for us, we have to build our leaders, support and encourage them. So, I think the time has come for us in the Niger Delta to turn a new leaf and learn from others.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has reacted to the arraignment of a member of the House of Representatives, Nse Ekpenyong, for alleged forgery of a polytechnic diploma certificate.

Mr. Ekpenyong, who represents the Oron Federal Constituency, Akwa Ibom State, is a member of the PDP.

He was brought before a federal high court in Uyo on March 30 by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, for allegedly forging an ordinary national diploma certificate of the Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, Abia State.

The federal lawmaker was also accused of forging the West African Examination Council, WAEC, certificate.

The PDP, Akwa Ibom State chapter, said there wasnt much they could about Mr. Ekpenyongs arraignment since the matter was a criminal one.

The party is studying the situation. You know that this is a criminal case, and in criminal case, the political party is not a party to the case, the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Ini Ememobong, told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr. Ememobong, who is also a lawyer, said the party was monitoring the case and that it was best to allow the law takes its course.

He, however, warned that the lawmaker shouldnt be demonised before the court gives its verdict.

As a party, we believe that the innocence of the accused person as guaranteed by the constitution will be observed. His right as enshrined in the constitution should be respected.

The lawmaker was yet to brief the PDP on his arraignment, according to Mr. Ememobong.

Meanwhile, a former attorney-general of the state and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Victor Iyanam, has said that Mr. Ekpenyongs arraignment was an embarrassment to the Oro ethnic group where the lawmaker belongs.

If indeed it turns out that the representative does not have a certificate, that means it is shame to the Oro nation, Mr. Iyanam, who is also an Oro man, told PREMIUM TIMES. If it turns out that he forged those documents, it means that the PDP didnt do their scrutiny well before putting him up for the election.

Mr. Iyanam rejected the insinuation that the lawmaker was being prosecuted for forgery because he was from Akwa Ibom.

That is absolute balderdash! he said.

If other Nigerians dont want to expose their own, what is wrong with us exposing our own? We are a very enlightened community in the Oro nation. Every family now in Oro should be able to boast of at least a graduate, and yet somebody would come and say why is he singled out?

If other people dont care, we care here about the quality of representation.

Mr. Iyanam said besides the forgery charges, the lawmakers representation at the House of Representatives has been below standard.

He accused the former governor of the state, Godswill Akpabio, who is now the Senate Minority Leader, of imposing Mr. Ekpenyong on the people during the 2015 general elections.

Imposition means that your scrutiny would be less because you are being imposed by one person. Imposition may not last when people are vigilant and are ready to take the fight to the end, he said.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The Enugu State Government has described the industrial action embarked upon by members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, Enugu State branch as illegal and a contravention of a binding and subsisting order of the National Industrial Court.

A press statement issued by the Secretary to the Enugu State government, G.O. Ajah, noted that the court had restrained the union from going on strike without fulfilling the preconditions outlined in the Trade Dispute Act.

The government said it is instructive that the judiciary union did not appeal against the National Industrial Courts judgement, and there is as yet no order staying the execution of the order restraining the union and its membership from carrying out a strike action on the basis of the Consolidated Judiciary Salary Structure (CONJUSS), which the court had declared to be a non-binding recommendation.

According to Mr. Ajah, sometime in 2009 or thereabouts, the Body of Chief Judges of the various states of the federation recommended an enhanced salary structure for the judiciary staff known as CONJUSS.

The statement noted further that the Judiciary Staff Union in Enugu State had issued a communique threatening to call out its members on strike if the CONJUSS was not implemented, prompting the Enugu State government to file a suit (NIC/EN09/2010) in 2010 against JUSUN at the National Industrial Court praying, among other things, that the communique the members of JUSUN issued was unlawful and that it cannot embark on strike on the basis of CONJUSS without a recourse to due process.

The state had also sought a perpetual injunction restraining the union members from embarking on strike on the basis of non-implementation of CONJUSS.

Mr. Ajah pointed out that although JUSUN and its chairman and secretary who were defendants in the suit, counter-claimed and prayed the court to order the government to implement the Consolidated Structure as recommended with effect from 2009, the court on September 23, 2016, upheld the Enugu State governments claim in part, dismissed JUSUNs claims and made the following submissions:

That the Consolidated Judiciary Salary Structure is a recommendation and not an agreement that can be said to be binding on the parties; that CONJUSS can only form the basis of further negotiations; that members of the union could only lawfully embark on a strike action upon the fulfilment of the precondition in the Trade Dispute Act; that the precondition is the violation of existing collective contracts of employment or collective agreement, and there was nothing before the court to show such violation; an order of perpetual injunction restraining JUSUN and its membership or any staff of the judiciary from embarking on strike on the basis of CONJUSS.

Pointing out that the government began negotiations with the leadership of the union towards an implementable salary raise for the judiciary workers as a demonstration of good faith and had constituted an Executive Council Committee in that regard, he said it is regrettable that the committee was preparing its report to be submitted to the Governor-in-Council when the union commenced an indefinite strike on April 3 without notice.

He also reminded the union that as a further demonstration of fidelity to workers welfare, the state government has maintained the prompt payment of salaries on or before the 25th of every month and does not owe any salary arrears to the union or any other workers in the state.

While calling on the leadership of the union to call off the strike action immediately and resume negotiations with the executive council committee, the states attorney-general and commissioner for justice, Melitus Eze, explained that a violation of a court order does not reflect respect for the rule of law particularly given the fact that JUSUN members are judiciary workers.

On what options the government may consider in the event the union fails to heed the counsel, he said: If they remain adamant, there are implied actions we can take; that is no work, no pay. Also, we can still go forward to at least press the machinery of court to commit the officers for contempt of court, because they are disobeying the positive order of the court restraining them from going on strike.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajmobi, has appointed a son of the immediate past governor of the state, Adebayo Alao-Akala, alongside others, as chairmen of caretaker committees of Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state.

Appointed alongside Mr. Alao-Akalas son, Olamijuwonlo Akala, is Gbade Odulana, son of the late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Samuel Odulana; as well as a man believed to be Mr. Ajmobis half-brother, Teslim.

Mr. Alao-Akala, who ruled Oyo State between 2007 and 2011, contested the 2015 gubernatorial election in the state under the umbrella of the Labour Party, LP, months after defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The former governor has, however, been rumoured to have dumped the LP for the ruling APC, although the Ogbomoso-born politician has not made any public statement to that effect.

Reports said the screening exercise for the new nominees, conducted by the Oyo State House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, held on Tuesday.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the list forwarded to the House of Assembly contained names of nominees for 28 local government areas and 29 LCDAs.

There was however the exclusion of nominees for Atiba, Afijio, Oyo West, Oyo East, Oriire local government areas and their LCDAs owing to a litigation by some chiefs of the areas challenging the recent creation of local council development areas in the state.

Mr. (Olamijwonlo) Akala was nominated to head Ogbomoso North LG, while Messrs. Gbade and Teslim were appointed to head Ibadan North East LCDA and Ibadan South East LG, respectively.

Others are Fatai Ajadi, Ibarapa North East LCDA; Bosun Ajuwon, Ibadan North West LG; Salawu Moroof, Saki East LG; Ogunrinde Gbenjo, Olorunsogo LG; Akanni Abolade, Iseyin LG; Babarinde Olatunbosun, Ogo Oluwa LG.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that upon confirmation by the Assembly, the caretaker chairmen are to serve for three months.

Earlier, some members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Oke-Ogun area of the state had on Monday protested alleged lopsidedness in the appointments made by Mr. Ajimobi.

Kareem Adebayo, a party leader from Saki West Local Government Area, had alleged that imposition of caretaker chairmen was an embarrassment to the party.

Mr. Adebayo said that it was wrong for the governor to pick the chairmen without consulting the party, adding that party supremacy must be respected.

Another party chieftain, Ahmed Ayinla, also alleged that the appointees were not members of the ruling APC.

Most of these people appointed are not members of our party, he had said.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


Starbucks Freshly Brewed Coffee, Americano or Cold Brew at 20% Discount

New Straits Times is giving away daily vouchers for you to enjoy when you visit Starbucks stores! Todays voucher gives you 20% off a cup of freshly brewed coffee, Americano or Cold Brew. Grab a copy now and see you at Starbucks. Terms and conditions apply. Voucher is applicable at all Starbucks in Malaysia. While stock last.



*

~Complete Online Survey and Get Paid in CASH~

Terms and Conditions

Valid at all Starbucks stores in Malaysia except Genting Highlands, Tapah R&R and Sunway Lagoon Kiosk.

Not valid with other discount or promotion.

Voucher is valid until 12th April 2017

Other Ongoing FREE Samples Giveaway
Polish President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday sent a note of condolence to Russia's President Vladimir Putin after Monday's suicide metro bombing in St Petersburg which claimed the lives of 14 people.

"This barbaric act calls for unequivocal protest and condemnation", President Andrzej Duda wrote.

"Let me assure you that in these painful moments I share the grief of the victims' families and all those affected by this tragedy", the president also said.

A Russian suicide bomber originally from mainly Muslim Kyrgyzstan detonated explosives on a St Petersburg metro train on Monday, killing 14 people and wounding 50, authorities said on Tuesday. (PAP)
When was the last time you cleaned out your medicine cabinet?

Unused medication left in your medicine cabinet has the potential to fall into the wrong hands, and may lead to drug abuse or accidental poisoning. Prescription drug abuse is a fast growing problem in the United States, and a grandparents medication is involved in 38% of child poisoning cases.

Instead of flushing or trashing those old medications, take them to a collection site on Saturday, April 29 as part of the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

Over-the-counter and prescription medications can contaminate waterways  rivers, lakes, and groundwater  when flushed, put down the drain, or thrown in the trash. Most water treatment facilities do not have the capacity to remove these compounds.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day provides a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, reducing the potential for abuse, accidental overdose, and environmental impact. After April 1, find a collection site at www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/.

In addition, pharmacies across Nebraska will take back unused medications at any time as part of the Nebraska MEDS initiative. Over 300 pharmacies across the state accept medications for proper disposal, giving consumers an easy and safe method of keeping medications out of the environment and from falling into the wrong hands. Every day is Take-Back Day in Nebraska.

Since August 2012, over 33,000 pounds of medication have been collected by Nebraska pharmacies for safe disposal as part of Nebraska MEDS. Find a participating pharmacy near you at www.nebraskameds.org or call the Nebraska Regional Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222.

The Nebraska MEDS initiative is funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust and the Nebraska Legislature. The Nebraska Medication Education on Disposal Strategies (MEDS) Coalition educates Nebraskans about drug disposal and provide safe ways to dispose of them in order to better safeguard the environment and protect public health. The Coalition includes the Nebraska Pharmacists Association, Lincoln/Lancaster County Health Department, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, Nebraska Regional Poison Center, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, WasteCap Nebraska, and The Groundwater Foundation.
A Cape May Court House Payless shoe store will close immediately, one of seven in New Jersey and nearly 400 overall the retailer is shuttering due to increasing competition from online rivals such as Amazon.

The Topeka, Kansas-based retailer, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, has more than 4,400 stores in more than 30 countries and was founded in 1956.

In Middle Township, the closing store is located in The Plaza at Cape May Court House, which is anchored by an Acme grocery on Court House-South Dennis Road.

Other New Jersey locations being closed are in Marlton, East Rutherford, East Brunswick, Englishtown, Phillipsburg and Bloomfield.

Payless plans to reduce its debt by almost 50 percent, lower how much it pays in interest and line up funds. The company says some of its lenders have agreed to make available as much as $385 million to keep the stores running.

This is a difficult but necessary decision driven by the continued challenges of the retail environment, which will only intensify, Payless CEO Paul Jones said in a statement.

Shoppers are increasingly shifting their buying online or going to discount stores such as T.J. Maxx to grab deals on designer brands. That shift has hurt traditional retailers, even low-price outlets like Payless.

Moodys Investor Service said earlier this year the number of distressed retailers  those with cash problems and lots of debt that are facing strong competition  is at the highest rate since 2009. It named Payless as one of the retailers.

In South Jersey, Payless also has locations in Rio Grande, Somers Point, Egg Harbor Township, Mays Landing, Atlantic City, Hammonton and Vineland. Those stores will remain open.

 Staff Writer Brian Ianieri contributed to this report
ATLANTIC CITY  Twenty-seven years ago, before he was president, Donald Trump walked the gaming floor of the Trump Taj Mahal, celebrating its grand opening.

On the anniversary of the propertys opening ceremony, Hard Rock International on Wednesday detailed plans to spend nearly $400 million rebranding the property into the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City.

The new facility will feature two separate arenas with seating totaling 7,000 and more than 2,400 slot machines. The property is expected to open in the summer of 2018.

If we cant do it right, were not going to do it, said Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International. Our commitment to Atlantic City has never been stronger, and we look forward to being a catalyst for further growth and development of the area.

Allen is confident Hard Rocks opening will not hurt the citys remaining seven casinos. In 2016, the casino industry generated more than $3.6 billion in revenue.

Atlantic City, no doubt, has had some challenging times, said Allen, who owns a home in Linwood. I think that its very important to understand that its still the second biggest gaming market in the United States.

Resort casinos have struggled for years as gambling spread to Pennsylvania, New York and elsewhere, siphoning gamblers who once came exclusively to Atlantic City. But Allen says Hark Rock will bring new people to Atlantic City.

With the Hard Rock brand and its ability to attract 100 million people on an annual basis, we are very confident that we can grow the market, Allen said. I can assure you our marketing plans are not just to take the customers from the existing properties.

Former Revel tenants are moving on ATLANTIC CITY  When Revel Casino Hotel closed in September 2014, it left many  including c

Hard Rock bought the casino March 1 from billionaire investor Carl Icahn. The project is expected to create more than 1,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs, according to Hard Rock. Since the transaction was finalized March 31, Hard Rock has already hired 23 employees as it sets out to bring the once-iconic Taj Mahal back to life under a new name and identity.

While no purchase price was given, the property was valued at $86 million, according to Icahn Enterprises 2016 financial report.

Icahn closed the property Oct. 10, following a labor dispute with Unite Here Local 54.

This is an extraordinary brand that is coming here to Atlantic City, Gov. Chris Christie said. The investment is great news for the city and the state.

Hard Rock is partnering with the fellow New Jersey residents Joseph Jingoli and Jack Morris.

In true New Jersey fashion, the event featured a Bruce Springsteen tribute band and a speech by E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt.

Morris joked the project would be a success because Allen, Jingoli and himself are all Jersey boys.

When I met him (Allen), I saw in his eyes and heart how he felt about Atlantic City. This was not another deal to him, this was personal, Morris said. I have a passion for turning things around. I will try with all my heart to do just that. Its not just about rebuilding the Taj Mahal casino with one of the worlds best hotel casinos. Its about Atlantic City.

The Hard Rock Cafe opened in the Taj Mahal in November 1996 amid great fanfare over its hallmark rock memorabilia. Under the redevelopment plan, the restaurant will move to a new 400-seat venue in the property featuring beach access.

2018 is going to be a great year for us, Mayor Don Guardian said.
When Revel closed in 2014, it left a great deal of voids  and one of the biggest was the absence of Jose Garces in Atlantic City.

The culinary epicenter of South Jersey became accustomed to having the Iron Chef around, as diners raved about Amada and noshed on tacos while sipping margaritas at Distrito.

So when the Philadelphia restaurateur announced he was returning  this time with three concepts at the Tropicana Atlantic City  foodies rejoiced. But those in the know werent all that surprised.

My relationship with the management team of Tropicana goes back quite a bit, particularly with (Vice President of Hotel Operations) Alan Rivin, Garces says. We almost had a deal way back at Resorts like 15 years ago. And when that didnt come together, we kept in touch. We loved being at Revel, so there has been a hunger to get back in the city. When Alan asked us if we were interested in coming to the Tropicana, it made a lot of sense. We had such a great following and loyal customer base there to give us a lot of confidence.

Revel in 'April in Paris' without leaving South Jersey For many Francophiles  those with an affinity for French food, art, music, culture and more

The result is two of the most intriguing and gorgeous dining concepts in Atlantic City with an equally stunning bar separating them: Olon, Bar Olon and Okatshe.

It really came out even better than our expectations, which were high, says Tropicana General Manager Steve Callender, whose culinary team featuring Vice President of Food and Beverage Renee Fleifel and Director of Culinary operations Demetrios Haronis are working hand-in-hand with Garces team, including GM Patrick Sterr and Maria Schmidt, Chef de Cuisine. We knew we wanted a seafood restaurant. And Jose knew he wanted to transform Fin to a beach town restaurant that shows the beautiful vibrancy of the coastal culture. Together, we pulled it off. We are blown away by it, and the customers are, as well.

Although all three concepts have been open for about a month, Callender is shocked by the amount of regulars.

They came for Jose, but they keep coming back for the food and the experience, Callender says. Theres not a better view in town at any restaurant. The way the cocktails match up with the food is the best I have ever seen. Its an amazing experience.

Garces has been overwhelmed by the initial response.

I am so happy to be back, Garces says. I was there recently and went to Chef Vola and a few other places, and the energy and the vibe from everyone is that they are happy we are back. Its been a real warm embrace since we opened.

Olon and Bar Olon

Garces generally lets the space dictate the concept, so when he came to the Tropicana and looked through the windows that lined the former Fin space at the blue ocean, he was immediately inspired to create what would ultimately become Olon, which is named after a city in Ecuador.

The old Fin space had beautiful views but was kind of chopped up in design; I wasnt a huge fan, says Garces, who has Ecuadorian parents. But Ive had the concept of Olon in my head for quite some time. When I looked at the ocean, it brought me back to my childhood. I would visit Ecuadaor where my uncle would have a house in Salinas, and we would go to another beach called Olon. And that view brought me there and back to those great memories where we would have cabanas and guys would roll up with ceviche carts and make fresh seafood right out of the cart. Behind us were rows of restaurant shacks where you get some fresh fish and a beer. The day was so epic, and we wanted to recreate that experience.

Olon certainly does that. Diners are immediately greeted by a raw bar  complete with ceviche bar  offering the freshest seafood imaginable.

There are a half dozen types of oysters ($3, six for $18, 12 for $32) ranging from Blue Points to Alaskan Glacier Points. Ceviches  some of the best you will ever have  include Mexican blue shrimp ($16) with jalapeno, tomato and lime vinaigrette, avocado and cilantro; octopus ($15) with purple potato, toasted quinoa, chorizo and olive emulsion; and others. The paella ($18) is worth the visit alone, with Mexican blue shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, crispy chorizo and saffron emulsion. And the tiradito  sliced raw seafood  must be had, particularly the hamachi ($16) with white soy, Thai basil, mango and spicy yellow chile.

Venture deeper and explore the perched cabanas  reminiscent of Amada at Revel but facing the right direction  that overlook the rest of the beautifully adorned dining room that surprises you every visit when you notice something new, like the fedoras that border the ceiling above the cabanas. Everyone has a perfect view of the ocean, but in the summer, the outdoor patio will allow diners unparalleled views of the beach and boardwalk.

The beauty of Olon is the tapas style. It offers so many choices that you can come six or seven times and not try the same thing twice. Appetizers standouts for us include the crab causa ($16), beautifully tender warm crab served atop saffron potato puree with tobiko and bacon and pepper marmalade; the scallop gratinee ($17) with parsnip and parmesan cream, caviar and chives blends modern and old school for one of the best scallop dishes on the planet; and the black mussels ($14) with yellow pepper butter, bacon and lemongrass will have you asking for more roasted garlic bread to sop up the broth.

Olon is seafood based; the first restaurant of mine that I can truly say that about, Garces says. I am aware we are at the Jersey Shore and we want to speak to that customer. So everything revolves around seafood and the raw and ceviche bars. But, of course, we also speak to other things that I love: four different types of empanadas, a great wood-burning grill for meats and fish, and anticuchos, which are marinated skewers. There is absolutely something for everyone here.

The Peruvian-inspired anticuchos (four per order) include chicken ($18) with purple potato, quail egg and walnuts, as well as pork belly ($16)  a Garces staple  with yuzu glaze, sweet potato, ginger and garlic, as well as prawns ($22) and swordfish ($19), but I recommend you leave the skewers to Okatshe and explore the rest of Olons unique menu, including the empanadas, which are unparalleled in Atlantic City thanks to its crispy yet light dough, and flavors including spinach ($11) with provoleta cheese; Tucamana ($12), wagyu beef with smoked chile; Ropa Vieja ($12), cipotle-braised chicken; and cheese ($10) with ricotta and mozzarella.

The wood grill boasts about 10 items. Our 12-ounce skirt steak ($49), sliced to share, was cooked perfectly medium rare and seasoned simply to and allow the Snake River Farms meat to show its quality. It was the best steak we had all year. They also offer pork flank steak ($45) from Iberico, Spain, Pioneer Ranch lamb chops ($55), whole branzino ($45) and Ora king wild Pacific salmon ($32). Grab some crispy Yucca fries ($9) with a semi-spicy Rocato aioli and youre good to go.

Garces didnt Fin fans, offering five Shore Classics including crab cake ($32) with yuzu mayo, watercress and red chile; whole fried fish (market price) with tomato and orange mojo and ocopa sauce; and even surf and turf ($85), wagyu sirloin paired with whole roasted Maine lobster with red chile butter and ancho chimichurri.

They are my takes on the classics, Garces says. Theres nothing wrong with a great crab cake or mixed broil or nut-crusted fish while looking at the ocean on a summer night.

Olon is open for lunch, and Bar Olon regularly serves the lunch menu, which is a limited dinner menu plus the addition of sandwiches such as the pork sandwich ($15) with roasted onions, cilantro mayo and jalapeno; the Olon burger ($16)  featured in this years Atlantic City Weekly Burger Bash on May 20  and a steak sandwich ($16) with glazed wagyu beef, chipotle ketchup, peppers, onions and fries.

Bar Olon  check out the awesome, retro fan wall  also offers live music 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 16 beer taps and amazingly trendy yet comfortable lounge seating. On select nights, you might even find a cigar roller to fix you up a special smoke for the deck.

Okatshe

Behind a Japanese treat store featuring an assortment of candies, cookies and sugar-filled snacks is a true speakeasy: Okatashe, Garces first foray into Japanese cuisine, and its certainly a sight to behold.

One thing I found in Philadelphia when we opened Tinto was that we had moderate success, but when we opened Village Whiskey next door  dynamically a polar opposite concept playing off each other  it helped the entire business model, and they drove each other as we created efficiencies in management and that sort of thing. So when we looked at Olon and Bar Olon and then another concept, Okatshe came to be. I traveled to Tokyo a few times; I was there in 2009 for Next Iron Chef and then went back with my kids. And we loved the food and have a lot of respect for the cuisine and wanted to show our take on it.

Celebrate National Beer Day April 7 After another amazing Atlantic City Beer and Music Fest, the thirsty throngs are ready for a

Okatshe offers a Japanese streetscape with individual facades and experiences. When you walk in, you see the Japanese whiskey and sake bar featuring the best imported Japanese whiskey they can get their hands on (and its not easy). Then theres a sushi and maki bar. Then theres a yakitori stand. And in the back they offer three different styles of Ramen.

I think its a very fun and dynamic space that is a feast for the senses, Garces says.

Hes right. Not only do the aromas of the grill fill the room (courtesy of about 20 different styles of yakitori cooked on a wood-burning plancha), but the black space is enlivened by intricate chandeliers and whimsical Japanese graffiti art on the back wall.

Like Olon, Okatshe offers a tapas experience. Small plates include Karrage ($11), panko fried chicken with yuzu mayo that we found to be quite tough; Okonamayaki fries ($12), Garces take on Japanese cheese fries with kewpie, scallions and jalapeno that are awesome and worth getting because the kewpie is shaved so thin it moves like its alive when it hits the hot fries; stellar, cripsy chicken wings ($10) with ginger, garlic and scallion; the underwhelming Asari clams ($16) with tofu and a bland broth consisting of green chile and miso; above average gyoza ($10), dumplings stuffed with pork, cabbage with garlic chives and ryu; and Chashu Buns ($10), the best thing on the menu thanks to perfectly tender, marinated, seasoned pork belly with hoisin and cucumber served on steamed Asian buns.

The yakitori  make sure you eat it quickly before it cools  offers something for everyone. Aside from the Tsukune ($2.50), marinated chicken meatballs, which had an odd, off-putting texture, we were delighted with the Gyutan ($2) beef tongue, Harami ($4) wagyu sirloin), wild salmon (market price) and, particularly, the smoked pork sausage imported from Japan. You can also get everything from chicken gizzards to octopus to tomatoes with provolone cheese. Next time.

Our server forgot our Ramen order  a disappointment because no other restaurant offers Ramen in the area  but we were too full to ask for it by the time we realized it wasnt coming. But we will be back for it, since its offered Tokyo style with light chicken and dashi; Tonkotsu with rich pork broth; and Okatshe with lobster dashi ranging in price from $12 to $26 for small bowls, and $18 to $38 for the giant bowls.

We are having fun with the different styles of ramen, Garces says. I like that you can have small or large portions, because if you get the small ones, it allows you to explore the rest of the menu more.

We also enjoyed some great maki  special rolls  including the Okatshe ($24 for eight pieces) with lobster tempura, eel, asparagus, spicy sauce, avocado salsa; and the Tuna Poker Roll ($18 for eight pieces) with tuna tartar, wasabi yuzu dressing and shishito tempura.

Dont leave, however, without trying the mocha ($3), hand-made ice cream stuffed in a Japanese rice cake and frozen. One is better than the other, including the toasted coconut, salted caramel and mango Thai basil.
Parents who knowingly give someone younger than 21 alcohol can face up to $1,000 in fines and six months in jail.

Thats the message of a campaign to fight underage drinking at proms and graduation parties. It is targeting not the students but their parents.

Area prevention groups are partnering to educate parents in Cumberland and Salem counties about the legal consequences for parents hosting parties where there will be alcohol available to those under 21 who are not their children.

Research has shown that parental involvement plays a big role in students actions, said Matthew Rudd, director of communications for the Southwest Council, a private, nonprofit health agency.

Cards highlighting underage drinking laws were distributed at high schools in Cumberland and Salem counties.

As an incentive to make sure they make it home, the cards include a link to a website with a questionnaire for parents that also enters them into a drawing for a $75 gift certificate for a prom-related service such as a tuxedo rental, prom dress, hair or nail appointment.

The program is co-sponsored by the Cumberland County Healthy Communities Coalition and the Salem-Cumberland Regional Action Toward Community Health.

It is our hope that not only will we gain valuable data from these surveys, but that these surveys will prompt parents to refrain from hosting parties where alcohol will be served, and to speak to their children about the dangers of underage drinking this prom season, said Southwest Council employee Ashley Mallon.

Rudd said surveys have shown that parental opinions mean a lot.

What parents think is a big deal, even more than what their peers think, Rudd said.

The survey, in both English and Spanish, is open to residents of Salem and Cumberland Counties at southwestcouncil.org/prom.
ATLANTA  The Rheumatology Research Foundation announced on March 30 that its largest fundraising campaign, Journey to Cure, has funded 14 opportunities for rheumatology health professionals in Nebraska. The funding helps to recruit and train more rheumatology professionals in the state, which currently has only 31 board-certified rheumatologists.

The Foundation not only supports research, but it also helps support academic divisions of rheumatology, which is where all rheumatologists are trained, said James ODell, MD, Chief of the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC).

Of the Foundation awards received in Nebraska over the last five years, three UNMC students and residents received Foundation funding for preceptorships, or one-on-one, real world learning experiences with an established mentor in the field. Another three students from Nebraska received scholarships to the American College of Rheumatology and Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals Annual Meeting. The scholarship is intended to encourage future doctors to consider a rheumatology career in areas that are underserved by rheumatology professionals.

Four UNMC fellows were trained with support from the Foundations fellowship training awards, and another four UNMC faculty members received Foundation funding for research into rheumatic diseases.

Nebraska awardees were among more than 900 rheumatology professionals nationwide that received funding from the Rheumatology Research Foundations Journey to Cure campaign. The campaign set out to raise $60 million to support the Foundations mission to improve the health of people with rheumatic diseases. By the end of 2016, the Foundation surpassed its goal, raising a grand total of $61,430,466 with support from 3,869 donors. Dollars raised during the campaign are directly invested in the Foundations mission objectives to recruit and train future rheumatologists and health professionals, foster innovative research ideas in rheumatology and accelerate advancements in treatments and cures for all rheumatic diseases.
BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP  The Buena Regional Board of Education rejected a proposal to privatize aides at a packed and passionate meeting this week.

It leaves the district with an $800,000 shortfall for next years budget that acting Superintendent Pasquale Yacovelli, who also is business administrator, said will require cuts in other areas.

Aides and parents testified for almost two hours Tuesday night about the role of the aides, saying a private company wont have the same sense of commitment and community as the district aides, many of whom live in the township and attended local schools.

Parent Angela Mathews talked about how aides for her 11-year-old, Julian, who has special needs, take care of him, calling if the weather is bad to see whether he will have problems. One even bought him a winter coat.

We had it put in his IEP (Individualized Education Plan) that he can hug her, Mathews said of an aide. Its his comfort.

Aide Amy Collins talked about her work in the library and how she knows every student and their reading levels and helps them find books they will like. She said she spent her own time for months painting life-sized Disney characters for the school because she loves her job.

We all understand the budget needs to be balanced, she said. But dont do it by bringing strangers in and pushing us out. Its not the way.

Township Committeeman Steve Martinelli and Deputy Mayor Teresa Kelly also testified the Township Committee did not support the plan.

The district already uses a company, Insight, for substitute teachers and aides. Yacovelli said the districts attorney advised they would not be able to extend that contract for full-time aides and would have to request new proposals. The defeated resolution would have authorized getting those proposals.

Yacovelli said the budget was about $1.3 million short, and the 2 percent cap on property taxes raised only about $300,000. He said 11 instructional positions were already planned to be cut, and the only place left to go for the cuts is programs and personnel, because other areas, such as supplies, were cut last year to save personnel.

The high schools supply budget ran out the third week of school, Yacovelli said.

Interim Superintendent Mary Lou DeFrancisco attended the meeting but does not start work until Wednesday. She said she took notes and would listen to any suggestions but added there are no magic tricks to balance the budget.

Its all dollar signs, she said.

DeFrancisco is replacing John DiStefano, who resigned from the district and retired for medical necessity, Yacovelli said.

DeStefano has been out of the district since mid-February. He received a $15,000 separation payment and unused vacation time worth about $4,000.
Aaron Carter, the singer-rapper who began performing as a child and had hit albums starting in his teen years, was found dead at his home in Southern California. He was 34. Representatives for Carters family confirmed the singers death Saturday. They did not provide any immediate further comment. A sheriff's official says deputies responding to reports of a medical emergency found a person deceased at the home in Lancaster. Aaron Carter, the younger brother of Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys, performed as an opening act for Britney Spears as well as his brothers boy band, and appeared on the familys reality series, House of Carters.
PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account.
The alleged leader of a gun- and drug-trafficking organization operating in Atlantic County is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning.

Kenneth J. Burrell, 39, of Egg Harbor City, was arrested and charged with being the leader of a narcotics trafficking network that ended in Atlantic County, according to a statement from Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner.

In addition to Burrell, 15 others were arrested in connection with the network.

Some of the others arrested in connection with the ring are also scheduled to appear Wednesday morning for detention hearings at Atlantic County Superior Court.

Authorities on March 30 arrested 16 people, seized 21 guns and more than 10,000 bags of heroin and fentanyl, the statement said.

Local, state and federal authorities executed five search warrants starting at 4 a.m. Thursday in the Egg Harbor City area and seized handguns, shotguns, rifles, automatic weapons, ammunition, high-capacity magazines, cocaine, heroin and fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic opioid, the statement said.

These arrests followed a two-month investigation from the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office Gangs, Guns and Narcotics Unit, the FBI, the New Jersey State Police, the Galloway Township and Pleasantville police departments, which interrupted a gun operation ending in Atlantic County, the statement said.

Burrell was additionally charged with illegal transport of firearms, seven counts of possession of a handgun during the commission of certain crimes, and conspiracy to distribute controlled dangerous substances, the statement said.

The prosecutor's office said the others arrested and charged include:

 Tyson Nieves, 25, of Egg Harbor City, charged with seven weapons offenses, including possession of handguns for unlawful purposes, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and illegal transport of firearms.

 Scott Dorn, 18, of Egg Harbor City, charged with illegal transport of firearms, possession of a handgun during the commission of certain crimes and four other weapons offenses.

 Leonard Allen, 26, of Egg Harbor City, charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of certain crimes, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and four other weapons offenses.

 Samuel Davis Jr., 22, of Mullica Township, charged with possession of a shotgun, possession with intent/distribution of heroin, and three other gun-and-drug-related counts.

 Brian Foster, 19, of Egg Harbor City, charged with possession of a handgun while distributing a controlled dangerous substance, possession with intent/distribution of heroin and three other charges.

 Joshua Sims, 18, of Augusta, Georgia, charged with six counts related to weapons, including illegal transport of firearms, possession of weapons for unlawful purposes-community gun and unlawful possession of a handgun.

 Umar Salahuddin, 25, of Egg Harbor City, charged with distribution of cocaine, possession of weapons for unlawful purposes and seven other drug-and-gun-related offenses.

 Catoby Collier and Dawayne Fleming, both 40 and from Egg Harbor City, each faces two counts of unlawful possession of a handgun, multiple counts of distribution of controlled dangerous substances within 1,000 feet of school property and four other drug-and-gun related offenses.

 Isaiah Cooper, 27, of Pleasantville, charged with possession of an assault firearm, possession of a firearm during the commission of certain crimes and five other weapons offenses.

Others arrested Thursday and charged with drug offenses:

 Timothy David, 19, of Mullica Township

 Sara A. Davis, 24, of Mullica Township

 Hiram Matos-Aviles, 20, of Egg Harbor City

 Rodney Cline, 34, of Egg Harbor City

 Tariek L. Mack, 27, of Galloway Township.

Check back tomorrow for updates on this story.
EGG HARBOR CITY  A local family says at least 19 police officers with weapons drawn broke into their house by mistake last week during a weapons and narcotics raid.

I was so scared. I was asking them, Whats going on? said Carla Weldon, 29, of Cincinnati Avenue. They were telling me to be quiet and keep my hands up. Because I know we didnt do anything wrong, I couldnt understand why they were coming in.

The morning of March 30 three suspects were arrested at a different address on Cincinnati Avenue on firearms charges.

None of them apologized. None of them told us it was a mistake, Weldon said. He (one of the officers) said, Oh, the door was open, so we came in.

The incident happened the same day the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office arrested 16 people during an interstate weapons and drugs raid, which started at 4 a.m.

Jay McKeen, a spokesman for Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner, said the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office investigates every citizen complaint.

We do not, as a matter of the attorney general and agency policy, publicly discuss details of any individual matter, McKeen said.

Carla Weldon said she was walking out of her bedroom on the second floor of her home in her nightclothes when she heard an officer yelling, Police, police, put your hands up.

Weldon said five officers were on the first floor with four of her children. Another six officers were running up the stairs toward her and Troy Sessoms, 32, who was behind her.

At least two of them had their guns out and were coming toward her and Sessoms, Weldon said.

City police Lt. Dylan Hutton, the officer in charge of the Police Department, told The Press of Atlantic City that Weldon did come into his station March 31 and provide information about what happened. The information will be forwarded to the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office, police said.

Weldon gave the following account of what happened.

Six children were in the house when police broke in, Weldons two children and four coustins, whose ages ranged from seven to 15.

Three of the children were sitting on the couch on the first floor waiting for their school bus to pick them up. At least 10 police officers came through the front door at 6:24 a.m., Weldon said.

The officers were dressed in all black wearing puffy vests. On the back of the vests was the word POLICE in silver lettering, Weldon said.

One of the cousins, 12, was coming down the stairs, Weldon said.

Weldon's daughter, Cayla, 2 was headed back to bed on the second floor while her son Curian, 1 was asleep on the second floor, Weldon said. All her children saw guns except Curian, who slept through the whole incident.

The police asked her why a backroom door was locked on her second-floor, Weldon said.

Weldon told police it was not. Weldon said an officer cursed at her and told her to stop lying.

The police broke down the door, said Weldon, who discovered afterward it was locked by accident.

Weldon said she saw guns in the faces of her children when she made it down the stairs with her hands up.

Troy Sessoms came down behind her.

Cayla was in the arms of one of the police officers, Weldon said.

A female police officer told Weldon not to worry, but to continue to keep her hands up while she was on the first floor of her rented house.

They got all eight of us down into the living room (minus Curian) and started mentioning a name that none of us heard, said Weldon, who added her children also had their hands up. I guess it came to them that they were in the wrong house.

The children were on the couch crying and hysterical, Sessoms said.

After the situation was defused, one of the officers offered to walk Weldons children to their bus stop, Weldon said.

I told them, No, the bus comes right to my door, Weldon said.

At this point, Weldon said her children were already shaken up.

Weldon said she didnt want her children near the officers.

The bus pulled up at 6:42 a.m. as the officers walked out and visited the Weldons next door neighbor, she said.

The March 30 raids included detectives from the Prosecutors Office, the Pleasantville Police Department, the FBI, the State Police and the Galloway Township Police Department, McKeen said.

They were assisted by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, Atlantic County Sheriffs Office and Egg Harbor City, Mullica Township, Atlantic City and Egg Harbor Township police departments, McKeen said.
MAYS LANDING  The alleged leader of an Atlantic County gun- and drug-trafficking organization will be held until trial, an Atlantic County Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday.

Kenneth J. Burrell, 39, of Egg Harbor City, was arrested and charged March 30 with leading a heroin ring in Atlantic County and illegally transporting guns, the Prosecutors Office said.

In addition to Burrell, 15 others were arrested in connection with the network, three of whom appeared Wednesday afternoon for detention hearings. Six of the 16 arrested were released on summonses. Police seized 21 guns and more than 10,000 bags of heroin and fentanyl in the March 30 bust, officials said.

Atlantic County Superior Court Judge John Rauh said Wednesday during the series of detention hearings that the court was deeply troubled by the amount of drugs involved in the bust.

And then you add guns on top of it, he said.

Rauh ordered Catoby Collier be held until trial. Collier, 40, of Egg Harbor City, faces several weapons and drug charges in connection with the network.

People who showed up in support of Collier were visibly upset after the ruling. Colliers attorney, Anthony Padovani, said during the hearing that Collier has five children and two jobs at risk if he continued to be detained until trial.

But Colliers significant flight risk and the amount of weapons and heroin found on his property present a danger to the community, Rauh said.

Were talking about guns and heroin, which are killing people every day, Rauh said. The community at large is the basis for my ruling.

Rauh also heard arguments to hold Scott Dorn, 18, of Egg Harbor City, until trial but ordered his release.

Atlantic County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Anne Crater presented several photos of guns that allegedly were found in the trunk of the car Dorn was riding in. She also cited eight juvenile cases against Dorn.

Rauh ordered Dorns release, however, citing a lack of evidence presented by the state that he would fail to appear for trial or commit additional crimes.

Be careful, OK? Rauh said to Dorn after the order.

After 30 minutes of arguments for the final defendant in the bust, Brian Foster, 19, of Egg Harbor City, had his hearing adjourned until Monday while prosecutors gather more information. He will remain in jail until then.
ATLANTIC CITY  As Hard Rock International unveiled plans Wednesday to reopen the former Trump Taj Mahal casino, everyone agreed it was a great day for a city that has seen some bad ones.

But amid the fanfare of a new casino project, officials wrestled over who should get credit for the good news.

Gov. Chris Christie swooped into the city for a news conference and spoke of tough decisions the state made. The state has taken more control of the citys affairs since 2011  from financial oversight to tourism  culminating in a complete takeover of the local government in November.

Hard Rocks willingness to come in and invest in Atlantic City shows you they appreciate the hard things that have been done to restructure this city, Christie said. In 2018, when this place is rocking on Wednesday night and Thursday night and Tuesday night, forget about the weekend, people will say the decisions that were made here were the right decisions.

Mayor Don Guardian, who warred with the governor over the takeover, was willing to give Christie credit  so long as he took some blame, too.

If youre going to have the governor accept the blame for all the casinos closing, then you have to give him credit for this project opening up, Guardian said.

Assemblyman Chris Brown, R-Atlantic, had a different take on why Hard Rock was here. Brown, a vocal critic of North Jersey casinos, cited Hard Rocks interest in building a casino in the Meadowlands.

Its no secret the Hard Rocks change of plans from building a casino in the Meadowlands to purchasing the Taj Mahal and investing $350 million is a direct result of the defeat of the North Jersey casino referendum, Brown said.

Browns answer seemed to strike a nerve with Senate President Stephen Sweeney, who sponsored bills for the takeover and North Jersey casino referendum.

The (North Jersey casino) initiative had nothing to do with this, said Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland, Salem. Chris Brown says a whole lot of things, and none of them seem to make sense.

For Sweeney, credit belonged to the investors: Hard Rock chairman Jim Allen and developers Joseph Jingoli and Jack Morris. Similar to Christie, he also referenced the tough decisions he and other state officials made.

Marshall Spevak, Assemblyman Vince Mazzeos chief of staff, offered another answer to the credit question.

Ask them if they would be here without the PILOT bill, he said, referring to a law Mazzeo sponsored that let casinos make fixed, predictable payments in lieu of property taxes.

Even billionaire investor Carl Icahn, whose ownership of the Taj Mahal was marked by striking casino workers and the closing of the property, got kudos for selling the place.

I know he may have pissed off a lot of people in this city and this state, but he was a true gentleman and he gave us the opportunity to be here today, Morris said.
For the first time in 10 years, Atlantic City casinos have seen a year-over-year increase in total gaming win. This break in the citys decade-long losing streak, attributed to the rapidly growing internet gaming market, is encouraging but not necessarily the answer to the citys long-term success.

From 1978 through the early 1990s, New Jersey had a virtual monopoly on East Coast casino gaming. However, as the casino gaming market expanded (from 1992 to 2010, in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Rhode Island) and competition increased, Atlantic City found itself sharing more and more of the East Coast gaming market. As a result, gaming revenue has been reduced to less than half of what it was at its height in 2006 ($5.2B), reaching its lowest point in 2015 ($2.5B).

Annual double digit percentage gains in internet gaming win seem to have slowed the decline in gambling revenue and contributed significantly to the modest year over year increase in total gaming win (1.55 percent) in 2016.

However, just as Atlantic Citys monopoly on regional casino gaming came to an end, so too its monopoly on internet gaming is coming to a close. At present only Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey have legalized internet gaming; however, California, New York, Pennsylvania and an increasing number of states are all poised to enter that market. The impact of new competition may not be felt immediately as internet gaming continues to experience its initial growth but, as the industry matures, Atlantic City may again be sharing only a piece of the market.

In this environment, the role of nongaming revenue in Atlantic City has become increasingly important. Changes in revenue share between gaming and nongaming revenue signal a shift in focus for Atlantic City casinos. In 1989 nongaming revenue represented 21 percent of total casino revenue; as of 2015, it represents 29 percent. For casino industry leader Las Vegas, the shift is even more distinct from a 60/40 split gaming vs. nongaming in 1989 to a 35/65 split in 2015.

The shift in focus toward nongaming revenue has manifested in a number of ways, among them investments in convention venues and night clubs to serve both the expanding meetings and conventions business and the growing audience of millennial consumers.

Recent investments in the conventions business, Borgata ($11 million), Harrahs (Waterfront Conference Center, $125.8 million) and Resorts ($9.4 million), have already seen a return on investment. According to the Atlantic City Tourism Sales Barometer, prepared by Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority, hotels (including casino owned properties) saw a 23.2 percent increase in the number of conventions, trade shows, and meetings held at their venues in 2016. The total number of shows offered in the city increased by 10.1 percent in 2016, drawing 9 percent more meeting attendees/delegates who used 21.5 percent more rooms.

In addition to these gains in the meeting and convention business, casino properties have pursued opportunities for growth in attractions targeting millennial consumers. Investments in renovations to the Pool at Harrahs ($3 million), the Premier Nightclub ($14 million) at the Borgata and Ivan Kanes Kiss Kiss Nightclub (part of a $40 million renovation) at the Tropicana are all examples of this.

Interestingly, as Atlantic City celebrates a streak of good news including Hard Rock Internationals purchase of the shuttered Taj Mahal to reopen it as a casino hotel, most discussion has focused on what the reopening will mean in nongaming rather than in gaming revenue terms. Likewise, conversation regarding the reopening of the Atlantic Club focuses on what the project will add in terms nongaming amenities, rather than what it will lose in gaming space.

With both projects, the number of rooms, meeting and parking space, as well as the number of local jobs they are expected to create, are all major topics of interest  whereas the new casinos impact on the gaming market has received comparatively little attention. In fact, Colin Mansfield, director of U.S. corporates at Fitch Ratings, told The Press of Atlantic City that he didnt expect the opening of the Hard Rock Casino to have any significant impact on gaming. With or without it, A.C. is still a $2.4 billion market.

The way forward for Atlantic City will likely come through embracing what the city has to offer in terms of nongaming amenities. The gaming market may be fixed (for now) at $2.4 billion, but growth in nongaming revenue is potentially limitless.

Rummy Pandit, of Galloway Township, is executive director of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality & Tourism at Stockton University.
While fundraising over the past year for a Pet Disaster Relief trailer, Mary DeGraff of Plattsmouth was honored with the 2017 Prudential Spirit of Community Award for her efforts.

Last year, Mary started planning her 4-H Diamond Clover project. Diamond Clover 4-H projects are to be done within a one-year time period. Cass County Extension Educator Ashley Benes said the Diamond Clover project is a capstone project, and must be approved at the state 4-H level.

It is a community project at the diamond level, she said.

Marys mother, Roseann Dobesh-Degraff, Cass County Emergency Management Agency deputy director, recommended Mary raise funds for a Pet Disaster Relief Trailer.

Mary has several pets of her own and jumped at the chance of helping others with their animal companions. Many people doing their Diamond Clover Project like planting flowers or something that helps the community. Im trying to raise around $12,000 in donations for an American Kennel Club (AKC) trailer, she told The Journal.

As a resident in Nebraska, Mary knows the variety of challenges weather brings to the area. In Nebraska we have a high rate of tornados and flash floods. The trailer is one step before it actually happens, because we know Mother Nature is psycho, she said. The American Red Cross helps people in these situations but there are not many who help with pets. Yet, for every person, there are at least two or more animals in their care. Right now, the closest pet relief operations are in Colorado and Oklahoma and over 400 miles away.

The trailer will not only save the lives of pets, but the owners as well.

People will actually stay with their pets and in their houses when they are told to evacuate. The trailer allows pets to be evacuated in a safe way and so they can be reunited with their owners when the danger passes, Mary said.

According a survey taken in 2006 by the Fritz Institute Poll, 44 percent of the people who didnt evacuate during Hurricane Katrina cited not wanting to leave pets behind as a reason.

The trailer would provide a portable shelter for 65 animals separated from their owners/homes due to a disaster.

It coincides with human shelters in a disaster situation, Mary said. It comes with a first-aid kit, microchips, collars, leashes, wristbands for volunteers, volunteer logs for how many animals are found and batteries.

So far, the 17-year-old has raised $3,000 of the $12,000 needed to receive the AKCs matching grant of $12,000.

Mary presented a video to the county board she made about her project and the trailer.

As part of the Prudential Spirit of Community Award, Mary will travel to Washington, D.C., May 8 to learn more about leadership skills. She will also continue to raise funds for the trailer.

It will be housed with Cass County Emergency Management Agency, Mary said. Hopefully, once I obtain the trailer it will also support other southeastern Nebraska counties.

Donations can be made online at www.akcreunite.org/givingback, by phone at 919.816.3980 or by mailing a check made payable to AKC Pet Disaster Relief for Cass County EMA Nebraska trailer. Checks (no cash please) may also be sent to the CCEMA office, 8400 144th St. 200, Weeping Water, NE, 68463 or sent to Mary DeGraff at P.O. Box 414, Plattsmouth, NE, 68048.
Legislation in the months leading up to a New Jersey election deserves at least a suspicion that its more motivated by getting votes than improving government. Three bills under consideration are straightforwardly good enough that they should be enacted.

Two are practical improvements to existing procedures. The other seems born of N.J.-style politics and probably owes its timing to the fall election  but it serves the publics right to know, and we welcome it regardless of its origin.

The simplest of the three bills changes how property-tax relief is delivered by the Senior Freeze program. Instead of the current practice of qualifying senior citizens paying their property taxes and getting rebate checks from the state, the benefit would be turned into a tax credit that reduces their property taxes. That would leave the money with the seniors and spare the state the cost of writing rebate checks.

This sounds obvious enough that it should have been done before, and indeed it was. The Christie administration previously converted the Homestead Benefit from a rebate to a tax credit. Doing the same for the Senior Freeze should happen soon.

The second bill is just as sensible and also sounds overdue. It would allocate funds to counties for preparations to minimize storm damage based on their risk for catastrophic storms.

Preparing for hurricanes and storm surges where theyre likely to occur seems sure to direct more emergency preparedness money to the Jersey Shore, where it belongs.

The bill, which passed the Legislature unanimously toward the end of last month and awaits the governors signature, would require the state to assess county storm risks every two years. The 11 criteria for that  including such things as past disaster declarations, total assessed property and coastline length  could be weighted to favor any of New Jerseys 21 counties, but were confident storm risks will be reasonably judged and result in more funding for Atlantic, Cape May, Ocean and Cumberland counties.

The third bill would prohibit confidential agreements to settle whistleblower lawsuits by public workers against public agencies. That would stop government officials from settling allegations they acted illegally or improperly just to keep the public from finding out about them.

The case behind this legislation began in 2009, early in the Christie administration, with the indictments of the Hunterdon County sheriff and two others in her department on charges they failed to conduct proper background checks, made employees sign loyalty oaths and provided a Christie campaign donor with a false law-enforcement badge. The state Attorney Generals Office took over the case and found the charges were legally deficient. A state judge agreed and dismissed the indictments.

An assistant county prosecutor who presided over the investigation was suspended and then dismissed after questioning the attorney generals actions. He sued the state under the Conscientious Employee Protection Act, reaching a confidential settlement that paid him $1.5 million and cost taxpayers nearly another $4 million for the states defense.

Any or all parts of this saga  the original investigation, indictments, state takeover of the case, dropping the indictments, complaints by the assistant prosecutor and the whistleblower lawsuit  may have been politically motivated. If the ban on confidential settlements is enacted, it wouldnt apply to this one. But the new governor who takes office next year could decide to unseal the Hunterdon settlement.

The bill passed the Assembly unanimously on March 23. We hope the Senate does likewise and the governor signs it into law. Requiring whistleblower settlements to remain open would ensure the public gets the details on allegations against government officials and can evaluate whether settlements are justified.

That would be more than taxpayers often get for political infighting that costs millions of their dollars.
Area residents gathered at First Lutheran Church to attend the 2017 Dodge County Severe Weather Class and Storm Spotter training on Tuesday night.

National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Rebecca Kern conducted the spotter training at the event. Her presentation included information about how to spot severe weather, what constitutes as severe weather, how to report it to the NWS as well as spotter safety tips.

The bottom line for why we need spotters is to save lives, a lot of people think a computer makes a decision of whether or not we are going to issue a warning, but thats not true we rely on people to report to us to make those decisions, Kern said.

The NWS has different guidelines they follow when considering issuing a severe weather warning. If the storm is producing hail, the hail has to be over one inch in diameter for a warning to be issued, and wind must be over fifty knots.

While it can be hard to determine exactly how fast wind is blowing, one way is to look at damage indicators.

Damage indicators like trees and big branches braking are a great way to determine how many miles per hour the wind is blowing, if that is happening there is a good chance that the wind is strong enough to report so we can issue a warning, Kern said.

The class was designed to train people to spot storms, not chase storms, which involves more in-depth training and experience.

Todays program was intended to teach people to be weather reporters, so they learned about different conditions that they might see in the course of their everyday activities. We are not training storm chasers we are training storm reporters, which means they arent going out looking for severe weather but just reporting it where they are, Pook said.

Kern also went over NWS safety tips for spotters that go by the acronym ACES. ACES stands for awareness, communication, escape routes, and safe zones or shelters.

We just lost three storm chasers in Texas recently, so it is always important to know and follow safety procedures when spotting or chasing to avoid accidents. Spotters need to be aware of their surroundings when reporting on storms, they need to communicate with each other and the proper authorities, and they should know their escape routes and know what to stock in their shelters, Kern said.

Along with spotter training the event also featured several practice measures that emergency management groups would take in case of an actual emergency.

Before attendees even entered the church, members of Dodge County REACT were stationed in the parking lot to direct everyone on where to go. This was done to simulate how the group would help in the case of an actual emergency.

Dodge County REACT is a volunteer based organization that provides two-way radio communications for community events.

Upon arrival attendees were registered by the First Lutheran Red Cross Shelter Team as if they were entering a Red Cross Shelter during an actual emergency situation.

The Fremont Fire Department and Three Rivers Public Health got a chance to practice their radiological monitoring program at the event.

After registering with the Shelter Team, attendees were asked to walk through a radiological monitor, which looks similar to a metal detector at the airport, and determines if someone has been exposed to radiation.

There is still a very slim possibility of a potential accident at Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Station and that is why we were testing monitoring equipment, Region 5/6 Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Pook, said.

The plant is in decommission mode right now and for our safety purposes it will be officially closed a year from today (April 4th, 2018), however until then there is still a possibility so it is be prepared.

Region 5/6 Emergency Management also provided attendees with Storm Spotter ID cards.

The Shelter Team also provided refreshments and after the event there was a drawing for door prizes including two tickets to the Huskers opening game against Arkansas State in September.

Severe weather affects us all equally, it doesnt matter where you live or how much money you make. As I have said many times before severe weather is the number one threat to Dodge County so it is important for us all to know what to do in the case of an emergency, Pook said.
LONDON, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Workfront, the leading provider of cloud-based enterprise work management solutions, today published its new ebook 'Make Your Work Matter' which looks to challenge the way the UK looks at the work week. With chapters drafted by thought leaders within the business world, the book explores how modern day workers can navigate new technologies to remain attentive, motivated, and increase their overall productivity.

Make Your Work Matter: 7 Thought Leaders on Why Work Isn't Working For You and How You Can Change It', digs into the fascinating history of the modern workplace, addresses some of the causes of underperformance, challenges conventional wisdom, and provides actionable solutions for today's workers, as well as provides much needed insight for managers.

Workfront set out to create the ebook following findings from its research that too many qualified, talented individuals find themselves underperforming at work, often due to archaic routines, processes, and tools. The ebook's central objective is to demonstrate that the 'typical' working life of constant overtime can be overhauled and workers can reclaim their productivity and effectiveness within a standard 40-hour week.

Alex Shootman, CEO of Workfront commented:



"We've brought together some of the best minds in the industry to create a knowledge tool that is not just insightful, but most importantly, practical. A lot of the content here pushes against today's norms and customs and forces the reader to think about the purpose of work in a new way. We hope this ebook invigorates all who read it and inspires them to change their work life for the better."

The ebook's chapters include:

Time is No Longer Money by business psychologist Tony Crabbe who argues that we should be moving toward a model of managing and measuring attention instead of time.

Data-Driven Management Depends on Identifying the RIGHT Data by Chris Savoie, Director of Product Strategy at Workfront, reveals an exhortation to managers to sift through the 'noise' and identify data that can lead to real change.

Work Smarter- not Harder- to Greater Positivity and Success by Raj Raghunathan, Professor of Marketing at University of Texas, Austin, explores the link between positivity and productivity and posits that employees should be encouraged to spend no more than 40 hours a week at work.

The 8 Dos and Don'ts of Change Management by Jada Balster, Director of Marketing, EMEA, at Workfront, discloses a practical guide to navigate change and emerge successful.

Your Office is Annihilating Your Productivity: 5 Ways to Stop It by Amanda Schneider & Suzanne Maynard from Contract Consulting Group contemplates if the very design of the workplace and tools we use are responsible for lacklustre productivity.

My Life Out in the Open: How 'Open Workspaces' Stink and What I Did to Win Breaking with conventional wisdom, Chris Brogan, CEO of Owner Media Group and a New York Times bestselling author, takes a critical look at the open plan office and offers solutions to maintain productivity amidst distractions.

Why Change Initiatives in the Workplace Fail by business psychologist Dr Craig Knight examines the complex structures that stifle true progress in many companies.

To download the full Workfront ebook 'Make Your Work Matter: 7 Thought Leaders on Why Work Isn't Working For You and How You Can Change It', visit http://www.workfront.com/makeyourworkmatter.

About Workfront

Workfront is a cloud-based Enterprise Work Management solution that helps marketing, IT, and other enterprise teams conquer the chaos of excessive email, redundant status meetings, and disconnected tools. Unlike other tools, Workfront Enterprise Work Cloud is a centralized, easy-to-adopt solution for managing and collaborating on all types of work through the entire work lifecycle, which improves team productivity and executive visibility. Workfront is trusted by thousands of global enterprises, like Cars.com, Cisco Systems, Comcast, iProspect, Schneider Electric and Trek. To learn more, visit www.workfront.com or follow us on Twitter @Workfront_Inc.

For more information please contact:

Manifest London

Niamh Kelly, Julian Obubo

t. 0203 137 9270

e. workfront@manifest.london

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/170565/workfront_inc_logo.jpg

Related Links

https://www.workfront.com



SOURCE Workfront
BOSTON, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Actifio, the Enterprise Data-as-a-Service (EDaaS) company, today announced it has been selected as an ESG Channel Acceleration Award winner in the Program Innovation category as part of the analyst firm's annual channel recognition initiative. The ESG Channel Acceleration Awards recognize channel-focused companies that stood out during 2016 and the strategies, programs, and tactics impacting the IT partner ecosystem.

"We're thrilled to be recognized as a channel-focused company that made an impressive impact in 2016," said Ash Ashutosh, CEO of Actifio. "Accelerating customer interest, shortening the sales cycle, and helping partners do deals more quickly and efficiently is always top of mind for Actifio."

ESG defined Actifio's contributions in three areas: strategy, actions, and impact. Investments to support Cloud Service Provider development spanned the following categories:

Strategy and planning : Developed financial models, joint business plans, and QBR

: Developed financial models, joint business plans, and QBR Products : Funded a series of workshops for joint development of CSP branded SLA offerings

: Funded a series of workshops for joint development of CSP branded SLA offerings Operations : Invested resources with partners training/supporting System Ops and Management

: Invested resources with partners training/supporting System Ops and Management Sales and marketing: Provided campaign-based assets (collateral, webinars, sales guides, and sizing tools) and true sell-with local activities (onsite call blitzes) supported by online Partner Marketplace

"Actifio's level of CSP Program support is highly evolved and touches all the bases," said Kevin Rhone, Senior Partnering Consultant at ESG. "By outlining a business and financial route to profitability, it reduces upfront investment risk and motivates Service Providers to invest with confidence, knowing that Actifio will support them in yielding the predicted ROI. With this, Service Providers enter the market more quickly."

To see a complete list of ESG Channel Acceleration Award Winners, please visit ESG.

About Actifio

Actifio is the world's leading Enterprise Data-as-a-Service (EDaaS) platform. It enables thousands of users around the world to deliver their data just as they deliver their applications and infrastructure... as a service available instantly, anywhere. An enterprise-class software platform powered by patented Virtual Data Pipeline technology, Actifio frees data from traditional infrastructure to accelerate adoption of hybrid cloud, build higher quality applications faster, and improve business resiliency and availability. For more, visit Actifio.com or follow us on Twitter @Actifio.

Media Contact:

Meredith Kelly

Bite for Actifio

[email protected]

SOURCE Actifio

Related Links

https://www.actifio.com


LONDON, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Report Details

The term agricultural biologicals include different substances and compounds that are instrumental in substituting or complementing the conventional fertilizers, plant growth regulators and pesticide chemicals used widely in agriculture. These agricultural biologicals are very significant environmentally as they help in reducing the negative environmental impact of agriculture. Agricultural biologicals include naturally-occurring solutions, for example, plant extracts, beneficial insects, other organic materials, and microbial that enable agriculturalists to improve the crop yield and crop quality and promote sustainable development by using naturally derived substances for agriculture.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4616638/



The global agricultural biologicals market is currently valued at $6.2bn in 2017 and is projected to grow at a robust pace.



The increasing demand for organic products, the environmental hazards caused by traditional agrochemicals, increasing area under degraded soil, and the need to increase agriculture production to meet the requirement of an ever growing population is driving the agricultural biologicals market across the globe.



Visiongain's report keeps you informed of the latest developments in agricultural biologicals and ahead of your competitors. Gain that competitive advantage.



This report answers questions such as:

- What are the prospects for the overall agricultural biologicals industry?

- What does the agricultural biologicals value chain look like?

- Which agricultural biologicals submarket will thrive over the forecast period ?

- Where are the opportunities in the agricultural biologicals industry?

- Who are the key players in the agricultural biologicals industry?

- What are the demand and supply dynamics underpinning the agricultural biologicals sector?



5 Reasons why you must order and read this report today:



1) Our study forecasts agricultural biologicals by type from 2017-2027



- Biopesticides

- Microbial

- Bacterial

- Fungi

- Virus

- Other

- Bio-Rationals

- Botanical Extracts

- Semio-Chemicals



- Biostimulants

- Humic Acid

- Fulvic Acid

- Amino Acid

- Extracts

- Other



- Biofertilizers

- Nitrogen-Fixing

- Phosphate Solubilizing

- Potash Mobilizing

- Other



2) Our study also forecasts agricultural biologicals by crop type from 2017-2027

- Cereals & Grains

- Fruits & Vegetables

- Oilseed & Pulses

- Turf & Forage Grasses

- Other Crops



3) The report provides detailed profiles of 10 leading companies operating within the agricultural biologicals market:

- BASF

- Bayer AG

- Mitsui & Co. Ltd (Certis USA LLC)

- Isagro SpA

- Koppert B.V.

- Marrone Bio Innovation Inc.

- Novozymes A/S

- T.Stanes & Company Limited

- The Dow Chemical Company



4) The study reveals where the demand is growing for Agricultural Biologicals. We show you the prospects for the following 5 regions: and 18 leading national markets. Each region and country is individually also forecast and for the 3 subsegments: Biopesticides, Biostimulants and Biofertilizers



North America

- USA

- Canada

- Mexico



South America

- Argentina

- Brazil

- Paraguay

- Bolivia

- Rest of South America



Europe

- France

- Spain

- UK

- Germany

- Rest of Europe



Asia-Pacific

- China

- India

- Japan

- Australia

- Thailand

- Rest of Asia-Pacific



RoW

- South Africa

- Tanzania

- Other Countries



Competitive advantage

This independent 163 page report guarantees you are better informed than your competitors. With 168 tables and figures examining the agricultural biologicals market space, the report gives you an immediate, one-stop breakdown of your market plus submarket forecasts, from 2017-2027 keeping your knowledge that one step ahead of your rivals.



Who should read this report?

- Anyone within the agricultural biologicals value chain.

- Agrochemicals chemicals

- Scientists

- R&D staff

- CEOs

- Asset managers

- Heads of strategic development

- Market analysts and consultants

- Existing companies

- Companies looking to enter this market

- Industry associations



And also

- Company managers

- Executives

- Investors

- Business development managers

- Marketing managers

- Banks

- Government agencies



Don't miss out

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4616638/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com


NEW YORK, April 4, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC calls on the administration to look into new revelations about Sebastian Gorka's past. They raise serious concerns about his current role as deputy assistant and advisor on counterterrorism to President Donald J. Trump, and as a member of the administration's Strategic Initiatives Group.

From 2002 to 2007, Gorka was involved in Hungarian politics and journalism on the far right of the political spectrum. A new party he helped found in 2007, the New Democratic Coalition, announced its intention not only to advocate for "conservative values," but also to bring "Christianity into the Constitution." Significantly, his associates in launching the party were former members of Jobbik, an outright racist and anti-Semitic group.

More recently, evidence has emerged of Gorka's ties with Vitezi Rend, a pro-Nazi Hungarian group organized during World War II. He has worn the group's medal and has signed his name with a "v", symbolizing the group. Leaders of the organization have claimed him as a member.

Moreover, a 2007 video has surfaced in which Gorka declared support for the Hungarian Guard, known for their black vests, extreme Hungarian nationalism, and anti-Semitism. The European Court of Human Rights has condemned the Guard as racist. According to American immigration laws, membership in it constitutes grounds for denial of admission to the United States.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


CHICAGO, April 4, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The nation's largest professional association of real estate appraisers today urged Congress to protect the independence of real estate appraisers in the federal program that provides housing loans to military veterans. The Appraisal Institute testified at a Congressional subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill.

The Appraisal Institute specifically addressed a central ordering feature of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Appraiser Fee Panel during its testimony before the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. The hearing was called to address the topic "Assessing VA Approved Appraisers and How to Improve the Program for the 21st Century."

"The Appraisal Institute supports the basic framework of the VA Fee Panel in contrast to what is currently found in the Federal Housing Administration or the private sector," Appraisal Institute Vice President Stephen S. Wagner, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS, told the subcommittee. "By comparison, the structure of the Fee Panel facilitates a greater degree of appraisal independence and represents a much more positive environment for real estate appraisers."

Veterans Affairs maintains a Fee Panel of approved real estate appraisers who work on behalf of the agency in providing collateral risk assessment in support of the VA Home Loan program. The Fee Panel is directly managed by the VA and consists of a pool of several thousand appraisers who accept VA appraisal assignments on a rotating basis.

Wagner, a former member of the Fee Panel, praised the Veterans Affairs appraisal staff as "some of the most accessible and responsive within the federal government relating to real estate appraisal issues."

While opposing wholesale changes to overhaul the Fee Panel, the Appraisal Institute offered recommendations to improve the consistency of the VA loan program and to maintain its competitiveness with the private sector:

Maintain an independent Fee Panel of VA appraisers;

Develop a "stand-by" list of approved VA appraisers;

Enhance appraiser recruitment efforts;

Encourage lenders to provide better property information at the time of the appraisal assignment; and

Address appraiser concerns about unpaid appraisal fees.

Read the Appraisal Institute's written testimony to the subcommittee.

Stay connected with the latest news from the Appraisal Institute on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and our blog, Opinions of Value.

The Appraisal Institute is a global professional association of real estate appraisers, with nearly 19,000 professionals in almost 60 countries throughout the world. Its mission is to advance professionalism and ethics, global standards, methodologies, and practices through the professional development of property economics worldwide. Organized in 1932, the Appraisal Institute advocates equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in the appraisal profession and conducts its activities in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Individuals of the Appraisal Institute benefit from an array of professional education and advocacy programs, and may hold the prestigious MAI, SRPA, SRA, AI-GRS and AI-RRS designations. Learn more at www.appraisalinstitute.org.

SOURCE Appraisal Institute

Related Links

http://www.appraisalinstitute.org


LONDON, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Warehouse industry plays a vital role in matching product demand with supply across different levels in the logistics industry. Driven by the demand in manufacturing segment, and need for storage of raw material and finished products from industries such as automobiles, pharmaceutical and food processing, the warehousing industry has evolved significantly. Owing to shift in focus from production to better storage of goods, the warehousing industry has become an integral part of supply chain where goods are not only stored for safekeeping, but also where other value processes are implemented, thereby minimizing wastage and costs. The warehousing industry in India is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 10% during the period of 2016-2022.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4613860/



The report, "Booming Warehouse Sector in India Outlook 2022", portrays the current and future scenario of warehousing industry in India. The report highlights the current space and future space demands of warehousing industry, followed by the Organized and Unorganized sectors. Further, the report highlights the warehouse industry by ownership categorized in private, public, and government, bonded and cooperative.



Additionally, the report provides insight on industry trends and drivers; followed by segmentation of warehousing industry into Industrial, Agricultural, Cold stores and CFS/ICDs, in which Industrial sector accounts for half of the share in Warehousing Industry. There is a huge space demand of warehousing in top 7 cities, in which NCR and Mumbai has the highest space demand. The section of regulatory analysis provides the regulations followed by warehousing industry in India for its accreditation. The challenges witnessed by the warehousing industry, and its players are also have been highlighted in order to build better understanding of the industry.



Furthermore, the report also provides key understanding of the major players in the industry, such as Central Warehousing Corporation, Allcargo logistics, etc., through business overview and recent activities depicting development in warehousing industry. Overall, the research provides comprehensive and pre-requisite information of the industry to the clients, and helps understand the market along with the structure and growth in the coming years.

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4613860/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com


"When it comes to surviving a tornado, every second counts," said Doak. "That's why this bill is so important. I commend Rep. Lucas and Rep. Bridenstine for their hard work on this much needed legislation which includes a Tornado Warning Improvement Program to help develop advanced notification systems. I have no doubt this bill will save both lives and property."

H.R. 353 directs the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to focus resources and effort to:

-Rebalance NOAA funding to place a higher priority on weather-related research and activities;

-Emphasize developing accurate forecasts and timely warnings of high impact weather events;

-Create programs to extend warning lead times and improve forecasts for tornadoes and hurricanes;

-Develop a plan to utilize advanced technology to regain U.S. superiority in weather modeling and forecasts;

-Increase focus and continue development of seasonal forecasts; and

-Enhance coordination among various federal government weather stakeholders.

The legislation also authorizes and extends a NOAA pilot program to purchase commercial satellite weather data.

H.R. 353 has passed both the House and Senate and only needs the President's signature to become law.

About the Oklahoma Insurance Department

The Oklahoma Insurance Department, an agency of the State of Oklahoma, is responsible for the education and protection of the insurance-buying public and for oversight of the insurance industry in the state.

For more information, contact:

Kelly Dexter

405-522-0683

[email protected]

SOURCE Oklahoma Insurance Department

Related Links

http://www.oid.ok.gov


NEW YORK, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Global consumption of sodium metal will grow at a sluggish CAGR of 3.3% through 2024, according to Persistence Market Research's report entitled, "Global Market Study on Sodium Metal: MEA Region Expected to Witness Significant Value and Volume Growth Between 2016 and 2024." In 2016, over 98,400 MT sodium metal was consumed globally, and it is estimated to surpass 127,400 MT by 2024.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161114/438683logo )

The sluggish demand for sodium metal is attributed to hazardous effects of highly reactive sodium element. Challenges with handling and storage of sodium metal will continue to negatively impact the growth of the market. Further, limited availability of sodium metal on account of fewer players has resulted into introduction and use of alternatives, such as magnesium for use in industrial applications.

Key players in this market are concentrating on expansion of their production capacities and making long-term contacts with end-use industries, especially in near proximity, to incur growth opportunities. Manufacturers are also focusing on introduction to new grades of application-specific sodium metal. Inner Mongolia Lantai Industrial Co. Ltd. held the highest volume market share in 2015. Other leading players in the global sodium metal market include Wanji Holdings Group Limited, Shandong Moris Tech Co. Ltd., and MSSA S.A.S.

View Report Overview and Research [email protected] http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/sodium-metal-market.asp

In terms of volume, chemical synthesis application of sodium metal held 70.4% share of the market in 2016; by 2024, this is expected to reach nearly 72%. Sodium metal is also used in the production of dyes, and it is projected that this application segment will grow at 4.7% CAGR in terms of volume through 2024. The weakness in demand will be offset to a certain extent by applications in chemical synthesis and textile industry.

APAC is projected to be the most lucrative region for the global sodium metal market followed by North America and Europe. Asia Pacific forms a hub for textile industries owing to the ever-growing population and demand for a wide range of textiles, resulting in steady demand for sodium metal. Over 53,690 MT of sodium metal was consumed in APAC in 2016. The North America sodium metal market was around US$ 60 Mn in 2016, and it is expected to reach around US$ 80 Mn by 2024. Consumption of sodium metal in Europe, pegged at over 19,700 MT in 2016, is expected to surpass 24,200 MT by 2024.

View Report Table of Contents, Figures, and Tables@ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/sodium-metal-market/toc

Key Market Drivers and Trends

The demand for denim clothing has witnessed a robust growth in the recent past resulting in higher demand for sodium metal for textiles and apparels

Sodium metal forms a key constituent in the manufacturing of indigo dyes

Steady growth in global biodiesel production is one of the primary driving factors as sodium methylate is widely used as a catalyst for large-scale biodiesel production

Application of sodium metal as a reductant in metals manufacturing and refining

Global sodium market is characterized by competitive oligopoly, wherein few manufacturers hold major shares in the overall market supply

A sample of this report is available upon request @ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/14854

Persistence Market Research Overview

Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.

To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.

Contact

Persistence Market Research

U.S. Sales Office:

305 Broadway, 7th Floor

New York City, NY 10007

United States

USA - Canada Toll-Free: 800-961-0353

Email: [email protected]



Web: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

SOURCE Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.
During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Judge Neil Gorsuch summarized what his judicial oath means to him: A judge is there to make sure that every person, poor or rich, mighty or meek, gets equal protection of the law.

Equality before the law is our state motto. It represents the commitment Nebraskans made 150 years ago, when we entered the union. That principle remains strong today. It should be a cornerstone of judicial philosophy for any nominee to our nations highest court. And how fitting it is that the words Equal Justice under Law are engraved on the front of the Supreme Court.

Days after President Trump nominated Judge Gorsuch to fill the late Justice Scalias seat on the Supreme Court, I shared the qualities I wanted to see in a justice: strong commitment to the rule of law, first-rate credentials and a solid judicial record. The Senate is expected to vote on his nomination next week. The time has come to determine whether Judge Gorsuch meets those criteria.

I believe he does.

A justice should be a follower of the Constitution, not a trailblazer or advocate. Judge Gorsuch understands this idea. He takes it seriously. In his confirmation hearing, he emphasized the importance of judicial precedent and a fair approach to the law. As he said, I try to take the facts and the precedent before me very seriously. I come here with no agenda but one . . . to be as good and faithful a judge as I know how to be.

In a private meeting in my office, Gorsuch promised to follow the law, wherever it may lead.

The separation of powers set forth in the Constitution is the bedrock of our democracy. Congress writes the laws, the president executes the laws and the judiciary branch upholds the laws. A justice needs to understand his pivotal, although limited, role in our republic. During days of testimony at his confirmation hearing, he repeatedly made it clear that while legislators answer to the people, a judge answers only to the law.

In addition to his profound respect for our democracy, Gorsuch has an extraordinary resume and a brilliant mind. For 10 years, he has served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. The Senate confirmed him to this position by unanimous consent in 2006. No roll call vote was needed because all 100 members, even then-Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden, supported the nomination.

To date, Judge Gorsuch has decided 2,700 cases. Ninety-seven percent of the decisions in these cases were unanimous. This record tell us something important: he is well within the mainstream. Its why hes gained the respect of prominent attorneys on the right and left. Jane Nitze, an Obama administration attorney, showered Gorsuch with high praise: He is extraordinarily fair-minded. He will approach each case the same, regardless of the issue or the parties before him.

To understand a judges record, we must review his or her decisions on individual cases. In a case involving a new federal agency rule that would have applied retroactively, Gorsuch ruled in favor of curbing agency authority. He asserted that the Constitution permits federal agencies to implement the laws, but not create them. I was also struck by Judge Gorsuchs rulings in two particular religious liberty cases. Each involved prisoners who had been denied access to religious accommodations. In both cases, Gorsuch ruled to protect the individuals right to religious exercise.

These decisions preserved the principles on which our nation was founded: religious tolerance and freedom. As Judge Gorsuch noted, the law doesnt just apply to protect popular religious beliefs: it does perhaps its most important work in protecting unpopular religious beliefs, vindicating this nations long-held aspiration to serve as a refuge of religious tolerance.

Judge Gorsuch is dedicated to applying the law neutrally, equally and fairly to all people.

I look forward to voting in support of his nomination to serve as our next Supreme Court justice. I urge my Senate colleagues to do the same.

Deb Fischer is the senior senator from Nebraska. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012. She can be reached in Washington D.C. at 454 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC, 20510 (202-224-6551); in Lincoln at 440 North 8th Street, Suite 120, Lincoln, NE, 68508 (402-441-4600); in Omaha at 11819 Miracle Hills Dr. Suite 205, Omaha, NE 68154 (402-391-3411).
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130417/608168 )

We have increased our valuation of Quantum Genomics to 180m or 20.60 per share from 172m or 20.51 per share. This is due to advancing our NPVs, offset by lower net cash and moving up some R&D spending. We expect to update our valuation following the release of results in June 2017 from the previously completed Phase IIa HT trial.

Click here to view the full report.

All reports published by Edison are available to download free of charge from its website

http://www.edisoninvestmentresearch.com

About Edison: Edison is an investment research and advisory company, with offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East and AsiaPac. The heart of Edison is our world-renowned equity research platform and deep multi-sector expertise. At Edison Investment Research, our research is widely read by international investors, advisers and stakeholders. Edison Advisors leverages our core research platform to provide differentiated services including investor relations and strategic consulting.

Edison is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Edison is not an adviser or broker-dealer and does not provide investment advice. Edison's reports are not solicitations to buy or sell any securities.

Contact details: Learn more at http://www.edisongroup.com and connect with Edison on:



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edison-investment-research

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Edison_Inv_Res

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/edisonitv

London

+44-(0)20-3077-5700

280 High Holborn

London,

WC1V 7EE

United Kingdom

SOURCE Edison Investment Research
SAN FRANCISCO, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- It's the Summer of Love, baby! Getting into the 50th anniversary spirit, Extranomical Tours today announced that it was inviting San Francisco visitors to "tune on and turn in" to a moment in time that launched a cultural revolution.

"We'd like everyone to 'get on board'literallyfor our new San Francisco Summer of Love tours. Wouldn't it be remarkable to sit next to someone who was there in 1967?" said Gary Lillian, CEO of Extranomical. "Guests will enjoy a delightful three-hour tour of San Francisco, and they'll be part of the experience."

"Our Then and Now promotion will be a spectacular kickoff to the many Summer of Love activities in San Francisco this year," said Linda Bauer, Director of Marketing at Extranomical. "It's really simple. The first 1,000 guests to post a photo of themselves in 1967-era attire on Extranomical's Instagram, Facebook or Google+ with #ExtraSoLove will enjoy this amazing new tour for free."

Extranomical Tours will begin operating its two Summer of Love edition tours on April 19th; reservations can be made starting today. The first, San Francisco Treasures, picks up guests three times a day and shows off 15 city landmarks including: Embarcadero, Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower, Palace of Fine Arts, Chinatown and more. The tour includes a special Golden Gate Bridge view and a stop to probe the origins of the Summer of Love among the Beats and poets of North Beach.

The second itinerary, called San Francisco Parks & Coast, departs twice a day to explore the historic Presidio, the city's daunting coastline, the diversity of the Mission and Castro districts and culturally rich Golden Gate Park, where many Summer of Love events happened. Guests will see the Jimmy Hendrix Red House, Grateful Dead's legendary pad and learn all about the Beats, rock stars and hippies who walked the streets of Haight-Ashbury 50 years ago.

Applicants for the free tour should post their pictures on Extranomical's Instagram, Facebook or Google+ with #ExtraSOLove. "All are welcome," added Mr. Lillian, "because this city can't have too many dreamers."

The fiftieth anniversary of the Summer of Love celebration, inspired by the California Historical Society and San Francisco Travel, looks back at the events that led tens of thousands of young people to converge in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district during the summer of 1967. The growing number of exhibitions and events from May to September will explore the music, art, events and happenings that made San Francisco the center of a social revolution that exploded across the country, then the world.

About Extranomical Tours

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Extranomical Tours is a leading sightseeing and tour company to destinations across Northern California. Since 2002, the company has offered a selection of highly-regarded tours, including: the city of San Francisco, Alcatraz Island, Sausalito, Muir Woods, the Wine Country, Yosemite National Park and Monterey as well as a variety of combo packages that feature multiple destinations. More information is available at www.extranomical.com



Social Media:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/extranomical

Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+Extranomical

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/extranomicaltours

Contact:

Linda Bauer

1-415-517-5941

[email protected]

SOURCE Extranomical Tours

Related Links

http://www.extranomical.com


LONDON, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Market Surge: 20152020 CAGR 16.3% Vs. 3.8% 2000-2015 CAGR. Granulated Into 54 Submarkets



The terror attack in central Berlin, when a large truck ploughed through one of Germany's most hallowed holiday institutions, the Christmas market, killing 12 and injuring dozens, as well as the Paris and Brussels terror attacks coupled with the arrival in Germany of 1.2 million migrants (UN Data), shook the German government, people, homeland security (Heimatsutz) and the intelligence communities. A major upgrade of the German internal security and migration enforcement infrastructure funding is already underway.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3837924/



Based on 6 months of intensive research, interviews and analyses, we forecast that the 2015-2020 market will grow at a CAGR of 16.3%, a 430% hike from the 3.8% CAGR during 2000-2015. 2015 will probably be remembered as a watershed year for Germany's internal security market, with a number of different developments converging to mark a major turning point.



The two-volume* + one "Germany Homeland Security & Public Safety Market  2017-2022" report is the most comprehensive review of the market available today. It provides a detailed and reasoned roadmap of this growing market.



The report covers the German Homeland Security Immigration Enforcement & Public Safety markets since in most cases, products and services have dual or triple use applications and present the same business opportunities (e.g., biometric modalities are used for the following three sectors: counter-crime, immigration enforcement and counter terror).



Germany Counter Terror, Immigration Enforcement & Public Safety Market is boosted by the following drivers:

- Germany, the 4th largest economy in the world with a 2015 GDP of approximately $4 trillion, can invest "whatever it takes" to protect its citizens from the looming risks of terror and the surge of migration.

- The Paris and Brussels 2015-2016 terror attacks shook Germany unlike any other recent homegrown or ISIS-Da'esh-inspired terrorist attacks since they were complex and well-planned.

- Germany is facing problems with a far greater impact than its economic ones. ISIS terror threats coupled with the surge in entry of 1.2 million migrants are alarming facts, and show no signs of abating. Present measures are simply not working. A major nation-wide overhaul of the internal security infrastructure and strategy is essential.

- Terrorist attacks elsewhere in Europe are gradually leading Germany to rethink its liberal attitude towards aggressive security and surveillance policies, rooted in its historical experiences of totalitarian Nazism and Communism.

- Unlike other countries, Germany cannot use its armed forces in order to increase readiness domestically due to constitutional prohibitions. That leaves Germany's police as the first and last line of defense and response to any terror attack. However, they are simply not equipped for the challenge.

- With a number of different converging developments, 2015-2016 will probably be remembered as watershed years for Germany's internal security market.

- According to the German Domestic Intelligence Agency (BFV), Germany has about 8,650 ultra-conservative Salafist Muslims. At least 800 young people (60% of whom are German passport holders) have left to fight in Syria, of which around 260 have returned. In all, security services estimate that about 500 potentially dangerous Islamist radicals currently live in the country.

- Since the year 2001, 11 attacks on German targets by radical Islamists were thwarted.

- In April 2016 ISIS has called for German Muslims to specifically target Chancellor Angela Merkel's office in Berlin and to attack the Cologne-Bonn airport.

- The German market for security & safety products is sophisticated and well served. Even with a preference for locally manufactured products, foreign products can usually strongly compete on the basis of price and performance. They do not encounter any direct trade barriers or quotas. Non-tariff, indirect trade barriers may be the approval process of dual use goods, which include many security market products.



This report is a resource for executives with interests in the German market. It has been explicitly customized for the security industry and government decision-makers in order to enable them to identify business opportunities, developing technologies, market trends and risks, as well as to benchmark business plans.



Questions answered in this 489-page, segmented by 54 submarkets two-volume + one* report include:

- What will the market size and trends be during 2016-2022?

- Which submarkets provide attractive business opportunities?

- Who are the decision-makers?

- What drives the German Homeland Security & Public Safety managers to purchase solutions and services?

- What are the customers looking for?

- What are the technology & services trends?

- What is the market SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats)?

- What are the challenges to market penetration & growth?

With 489 pages, 66 tables and 156 figures, this 2-volume + one* report covers 9 vertical, 9 technology and 3 revenue source submarkets, offering for each of them 2015 data and assessments, and 2016-2022 forecasts and analyses.



* The "Global Homeland Security & Public Safety Industry  2016 Edition" report is a free of charge Bonus for multi-reader license customers and is offered at half price to single-reader customers.



Why Buy this Report?



A. Market data is analyzed via 3 independent perspectives:

With a highly fragmented Homeland Security & Public Safety market we address the "money trail"  each dollar spent  via the following 3 viewpoints:



- By 9 Vertical Markets including:

1. Airport Security

2. Smart Borders, Immigration Enforcement & Border Security

3. Intelligence Agencies

4. Critical Infrastructure Protection

5. Police Modernization & Other 1st Responders

6. Public Events & Safe City

7. Building & Perimeter Security

8. CBRN Security & Safety

9. Other Vertical Markets(including: Maritime Security, Mass Transportation Security and Oil-Gas Industry Security)



- By 3 Revenue Sources including:

1. Products Sales

2. Maintenance & Service, Upgrades, Refurbishment

3. Planning, Training and Consulting



- By 9 Technology Markets including:

1. Cybersecurity

2. Counter Terror & Crime IT

3. Communication Systems & Devices

4. Biometrics

5. Video Surveillance Technologies

6. Intrusion Detection Systems

7. Border & Perimeter Security Technologies

8. Explosives & Weapons Detection Technologies

9. Other Technologies (including: C2/C4ISR Systems, NLW, Counter IED, Personal Protective Gear and more)



B. Detailed market analysis frameworks for each of the market sectors, including:

1. Market drivers & inhibitors

2. Business opportunities

3. SWOT analysis

4. Competitive analysis

5. Business environment

6. The 2015-2022 market segmented by 54 submarkets



C. This is the only report that addresses the Homeland Security & Public Safety dual-use markets:

73% of the German market revenues derive from dual-use products. For example, cybersecurity systems are used to address both cyber-crime and cyber-terror. Decision-makers forming their strategy need a complete view of this overlapping market both independently and in their intersections.



D. The report includes the following 5 appendices:

1. Appendix A: Germany Counter Terror & Public Safety Agencies

2. Appendix B: European Security Related Product Standards

3. Appendix C: The European Union Challenges and Outlook

4. Appendix D: The European Migration Crisis

5. Appendix E: Abbreviations



E. The report addresses over 90 technologies including:

1. Access Control Systems

2. Automated Border Control (ABC) Gates

3. Backscatter X-Ray Container-Vehicle Screening Systems

4. Bio-Agents & Infectious Disease Detection

5. Biometrics

6. Biosecurity and Biosafety Devices & Systems

7. Bio-Terror & Infectious Disease Early Alert System Devices & Systems

8. Boarding Gate Explosives Scanners

9. Border & Perimeter Barriers

10. C2/C4ISR Systems

11. Capacitance Sensors Fence

12. CBRN and Hazmat Personal Protective Gear

13. Cell Broadcast Mass Emergency Notification

14. Chemical Agent Detection

15. Chemical, HAZMAT & Nuclear Detection

16. Coherent Scatter 2D X-Ray Systems

17. Communication Systems & Devices

18. Cybersecurity

19. Decontamination of CBRN & HAZMAT Incidents

20. Desktop ETD Devices

21. Dual Energy LINAC X-Ray Container-Vehicle Screening Systems

22. Dual-View LINAC X-Ray Container-Vehicle Screening Systems

23. Dumb Fences

24. Electronic Fencing

25. Emergency Management IT Systems

26. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Devices & Systems

27. E-Passports

28. Fiber Optic Fence

29. Gamma Ray Systems Container-Vehicle Screening Systems

30. Hand Held Metal Detectors

31. Handheld ETD Devices

32. Homeland Security & Public Safety IT Systems

33. Human Portable Radiation Detection Systems (HPRDS)

34. Hybrid Tomographic EDS & 2D X-Ray Screening

35. IED Placement Detection

36. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) IT

37. Intelligence Community Big Data IT

38. Intelligence Community Cloud Infrastructure IT

39. Intelligence Community Software as a Service (SaaS)

40. Intelligence Services IT

41. Interoperable Communication Systems

42. Intrusion Detection Systems

43. Ion Mobility Spectroscopy (IMS)

44. Liquid Explosives Detection Devices

45. Luggage, Baggage & Mail Screening Systems

46. Maritime Awareness Global Network (MAGNET)

47. Mass Emergency Notification Devices & Systems

48. Metal detection Portals

49. Multimodal Biometric Systems

50. Narcotics Trace Detection Devices

51. Natural & Manmade Disaster Early Warning systems

52. Non-Lethal Weapons(NLW)

53. Nuclear/Radiological Detection Devices & Systems

54. Other Security Technologies

55. People Screening MMWave (AIT) Portals

56. People Screening X-Ray Backscatter (AIT) Portals

57. Perimeter Security Technologies

58. Personal (Ballistic & CBRNE) Protective Gear

59. Personal Body Armor

60. Platform as a Service (PaaS)

61. Police Modernization Systems and Devices

62. Ported Coax Buried Line Fence

63. Rescue & Recovery Equipment

64. Respiratory Protective Equipment

65. Satellite Based Maritime Tracking

66. Shoe Scanners

67. Siren Systems

68. SkyBitz Global Locating System

69. Standoff Explosives & Weapon Detection Systems

70. Standoff Suicide Bombers Detection

71. Strain Sensitive Cables Fence

72. Suicide Bombers Borne IED (PBIED) Detectors

73. Suicide Bombers Detonation Neutralization

74. Taut Wire Fence

75. Text Alert Systems

76. The Advanced Spectroscopic Portals (ASP)

77. Tomographic Explosive Detection Systems (EDS)

78. Transportable X-Ray Screening Checkpoints

79. VBIED Detonation Neutralization

80. Vehicle & Container Screening Systems

81. Vehicle Borne IED (VBIED) Detectors

82. Vehicle Screening ETD Systems

83. Vibration Sensors Mounted on Fence

84. Video Analytics

85. Video Surveillance

86. Visa & Passport related IT

87. Voice Alert Systems

88. Wide Area Communications and Tracking Technology

89. X-Ray Container-Vehicle Screening Systems

90. X-ray Screening systems



F. The report addresses over 300 European Homeland Security and Public Safety standards (including links)



G. The report provides the number of passengers and number of screened cabin & checked-in baggage and luggage at each of the major airports by 2016 & 2020



H. The supplementary* "Global Homeland Security & Public Safety Industry  2016 Edition" report (updated in May 2016) provides the following insights and analyses of the industry including:

- The Global Industry 2016 status

- Effects of Emerging Technologies on the Industry

- The Market Trends

- Vendor  Government Relationship

- Geopolitical Outlook 2016-2022

- The Industry Business Models & Strategies

- Market Entry Challenges

- The Industry: Supply-Side & Demand-Side Analysis

- Market Entry Strategies

- Price Elasticity

- Past Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Events



I. The supplementary* "Global Homeland Security & Public Safety Industry  2016 Edition" report provides an updated (May 2016) and extensive information

(including Company Profile, Recent Annual Revenues, Key Executives, Homeland Security and Public Safety Products, and Contact Info.) on the 119 leading Vendors in the industry, namely:

1. 3M

2. 3i-MIND

3. 3VR

4. 3xLOGIC

5. ABB

6. Accenture

7. ACTi Corporation

8. ADT Security Services

9. AeroVironment Inc.

10. Agent Video Intelligence

11. Airbus Defence and Space

12. Alcatel-Lucent (Nokia Group)

13. ALPHAOPEN

14. American Science & Engineering Inc.

15. Anixter

16. Aralia Systems

17. AT&T Inc.

18. Augusta Systems

19. Austal

20. Avigilon Corporation

21. Aware

22. Axis

23. AxxonSoft

24. Ayonix

25. BAE Systems

26. BioEnable Technologies Pvt Ltd

27. BioLink Solutions

28. Boeing

29. Bollinger Shipyards, Inc

30. Bosch Security Systems

31. Bruker Corporation

32. BT

33. Camero

34. Cassidian

35. CelPlan

36. China Security & Surveillance, Inc.

37. Cisco Systems

38. Citilog

39. Cognitec Systems GmbH

40. Computer Network Limited (CNL)

41. Computer Sciences Corporation

42. CrossMatch

43. Diebold

44. DRS Technologies Inc.

45. DVTel

46. Elbit Systems Ltd.

47. Elsag Datamat

48. Emerson Electric

49. Ericsson

50. ESRI

51. FaceFirst

52. Finmeccanica SpA

53. Firetide

54. Fulcrum Biometrics LLC

55. G4S

56. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.

57. General Dynamics Corporation

58. Getac Technology Corporation

59. Hanwha Techwin

60. Harris Corporation

61. Hewlett Packard Enterprise

62. Hexagon AB

63. Honeywell International Inc.

64. Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd

65. IBM

66. IndigoVision

67. Intel Security

68. IntuVision Inc

69. iOmniscient

70. IPConfigure

71. IPS Intelligent Video Analytics

72. Iris ID Systems, Inc.

73. IriTech Inc.

74. Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.

75. ISS

76. L-3 Security & Detection Systems

77. Leidos, Inc.

78. Lockheed Martin Corporation

79. MACROSCOP

80. MDS

81. Mer group

82. Milestone Systems A/S

83. Mirasys

84. Motorola Solutions, Inc.

85. National Instruments

86. NEC Corporation

87. NICE Systems

88. Northrop Grumman Corporation

89. Nuance Communications, Inc.

90. ObjectVideo

91. Panasonic Corporation

92. Pelco

93. Pivot3

94. Proximex

95. QinetiQ Limited

96. Rapiscan Systems, Inc.

97. Raytheon

98. Rockwell Collins, Inc.

99. Safran S.A.

100. Salient Sciences

101. Schneider Electric

102. SeeTec

103. Siemens

104. Smart China (Holdings) Limited

105. Smiths Detection Inc.

106. Sony Corp.

107. Speech Technology Center

108. Suprema Inc.

109. Synectics Plc

110. Tandu Technologies & Security Systems Ltd

111. Texas Instruments

112. Textron Inc.

113. Thales Group

114. Total Recall

115. Unisys Corporation

116. Verint

117. Vialogy LLC

118. Vigilant Technology

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3837924/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com


LONDON, April 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- REPORT OBJECTIVES

The report "Health Bars: Global Market Intelligence (2012-2021)" provides market intelligence on the different market segments, based on type, Sales Channel, Sales Channel, and geography. Market size and forecast (2012-2021) has been provided in the report. The primary objectives of this report are to provide 1) comprehensive global market intelligence through detailed segmentation, 2) market size and forecasts, growth rates, market dynamics, industry structure and developments, market situation, trends, 3) detailed analysis of current dynamics and trends, key market players, and strategies in the market, 4) detailed value chain analysis and review of growth factors essential for the existing market players and new entrants, 5) provide emerging opportunities in the market and the future impact of major drivers and restraints of the market and, 6) support decision makers in making cost-effective business decisions.

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4699213/



RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In our market size and forecast determination efforts, an extensive secondary research was initially completed to gain a good perspective of the market in each region. Extensive primary research was also carried out by interviewing the key executives from the industry. These interviews helped us to fill-in the data gaps after secondary research. Several secondary sources such as encyclopedia, directories, and databases have been used to identify and collect information useful for this extensive techno-commercial study. The respondents selected experts from manufacturers and selected suppliers - have been interviewed to obtain and verify critical information as well as to assess the future prospects. The usage of obtained information is based on the perceived reliability by the research team. In many cases, a combination of several sources was used. Sprout Intelligence provides an in-depth analysis of the market segmentation, which is a critical element of the market intelligence reports at Sprout Intelligence.



KEY AUDIENCE

Executives in marketing, strategic planning and new product development will find such discussions in our reports pertinent and useful. Management consultants, investment bankers, manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and regulatory authorities are amongst our regular clientele served.



DATA SOURCES

The general data sources used in this report are company websites, trade association publications, regulatory authorities, journals, magazines, news websites, press releases, media publications, interaction with industry experts, company executives, research papers, articles, patents, scientific literature, among many others.



KEY FINDINGS FROM THE REPORT

- The global health bars market is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 8% from 2017 to 2021.

- USA is the largest health bars market whereas China and India are two major markets in Asia-Pacific region.

- The key players in this market are General Mills, Kellogg, Nestle, Quaker Oats, Atkins Nutritionals, Clif Bar, Mars, McKee Foods and Pharmavite among many others.

- Sprout Intelligence expert team estimated that the global Health Bars market in 2016 was worth more than USD 8 Billion.

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4699213/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com


LONDON, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- "Interconnects and passive components market expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.41% between 2017 and 2022"



According to the new market research report, the interconnects and passive components market is expected to grow from USD 144.35 billion in 2016 to USD 187.55 Billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 4.41% between 2017 and 2022.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4813665/



The growth of the interconnects and passive components market could be attributed to the increasing demand for miniaturized and high-performance electronic devices, and proliferation of automotive infotainment and consumer electronics, and increasing government support for healthcare IT solutions. The main restraints in interconnects and passive components market are the overall drop in commodity prices and declining profit margins for manufacturers. The key reasons behind these factors are aggressive competition among manufacturers, severe price erosion, and changing end-use markets.



"Data processing application is expected to dominate the interconnects and passive components market between 2017 and 2022"



Data processing application is expected to dominate interconnects and passive components market during the forecast period. This growth is attributed to the increased demand for data processing products, such as laptops, desktops, personal computers, servers and peripherals, in residential and commercial applications, thereby creating a huge demand for passive components and interconnects.





This report covers regions such as Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), and Rest of the World (RoW). The APAC is expected to have the largest share of interconnects and passive components market between 2017 and 2022. The key market drivers are the easy availability of raw material, cheap labor, and low production-cost in this region.



Moreover, countries in APAC such as India, Taiwan, South Korea and Malaysia, which add new manufacturing facilities year by year are contributing to the growth of the interconnects and passive components market. Furthermore, automotive is the fastest growing application sector in interconnects and passive components market due to which major automotive companies in APAC region have the largest market share.



In the process of determining and verifying the market size for several segments and subsegments gathered through secondary research, extensive primary interviews were conducted with key people.



Break-up of the profile of primary participants is given below:

- By Company Type: Tier 1  35%, Tier 2  40%, and Tier 3  25%

- By Designation: C-Level  50%, Director Level  35%, and Others  15%

- By Region: Americas  35%, Europe  22%, APAC  30%, RoW  13%



The major players in the interconnects and passive components market are TE Connectivity Ltd. (Switzerland), Amphenol Corporation (U.S.), Molex Incorporated (U.S.), Hirose Electric Co., Ltd. (Japan), and Delphi Automotive LLP (U.K.).



Research Coverage:

This report covers the product type segment, which consists of passive components and interconnects. In terms of passive component type, the market is segmented into resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes and transformers. Interconnects and passive components consists of interconnect types that include PCBs, connectors, switches, relays, and others. Others include adapters, sockets, terminals, and splices. Moreover, the market for interconnects and passive components is segmented on the basis of application into consumer electronics, data processing, telecommunication, healthcare, automotive, military and aerospace. The overall interconnects and passive components market is divided on the basis of region into Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Rest of the World (RoW).



Key Benefits of Buying the Report:

- This report includes the market statistics pertaining to the passive component type, interconnect type, application, and region along with their respective revenues

- Porter's five forces framework has been provided along with the value chain analysis to provide an insight into the interconnects and passive components market

- The major drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities for the interconnects and passive components market have been detailed in this report

- Illustrative segmentation, analysis, and forecast for the interconnects and passive components market based on product type, passive component type, interconnect type, application, and region have been conducted to provide an overall view of the interconnects and passive components market

- A detailed competitive landscape has been provided that includes key players, in-depth analysis, and revenues of the key players

- The available customizations for the report offer further country-wise segmentation of interconnects and passive components market in terms of value. Further breakdown of the industry could be provided along with the profiling of additional companies in the report

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4813665/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com


LONDON, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Ion Exchange Membrane Market: Overview



Ion exchange membrane is a membrane that transports dissolved ions across a conductive polymeric membrane. They are made up of a polymeric material attached to a charged ion group. These membranes are used for desalination, electrodialysis, waste water treatment, and other chemical recovery applications. It transfers ions from one solution to another with little passage of water.

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4589983/



Global Ion Exchange Membrane Market: Scope of the Report



The report estimates and forecasts the ion exchange membrane market on the global, regional, and country levels. The study provides forecast between 2016 and 2024 based on volume (Sq. mts) and revenue (US$ Mn) with 2015 as the base year. The report comprises an exhaustive value chain analysis for each of the product segments. It provides a comprehensive view of the market. Value chain analysis also offers detailed information about value addition at each stage. The study includes drivers and restraints for the ion exchange membrane market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period. The study also provides key market indicators affecting the growth of the market. The report analyzes opportunities in the ion exchange membrane market on the global and regional level. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities mentioned in the report are justified through quantitative and qualitative data. These have been verified through primary and secondary resources. Furthermore, the report analyzes substitute analysis of ion exchange membrane and global average price trend analysis.



The report includes Porter's Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the ion exchange membrane market. The report comprises a qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein applications and countries have been analyzed based on attractiveness for each region. Growth rate, market size, raw material availability, profit margin, impact strength, technology, competition, and other factors (such as environmental and legal) have been evaluated in order to derive the general attractiveness of the market. The report comprises price trend analysis for ion exchange membrane between 2016 and 2024.



Global Ion Exchange Membrane Market: Segmentation



The study provides a comprehensive view of the ion exchange membrane market by dividing it into applications and geography segments. The ion exchange membrane market has been segmented into electrodialysis, electrolysis, chromatographic separation, desalination, waste water treatment and radioactive liquid waste treatment based on application. Application segment have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends.



Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for ion exchange membrane in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Additionally, the report comprises country-level analysis in terms of volume and revenue for application segments. Key countries such as the U.S., Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, India, China, South Africa, Mexico, and Brazil have been included in the study. Market segmentation includes demand for individual applications in all the regions and countries.



Global Ion Exchange Membrane Market: Competitive Dynamics



The report covers detailed competitive outlook that includes market share and profiles of key players operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report includes The Dow Chemical Company, Lanxess, 3M and others. Company profiles include attributes such as company overview, number of employees, brand overview, key competitors, business overview, business strategies, recent/key developments, acquisitions, and financial overview (wherever applicable).



Global Ion Exchange Membrane Market: Research Methodology



Secondary research sources that were typically referred to include, but were not limited to company websites, financial reports, annual reports, investor presentations, broker reports, and SEC filings. Other sources such as internal and external proprietary databases, statistical databases and market reports, news articles, national government documents, and webcasts specific to companies operating in the market have also been referred for the report.



In-depth interviews and discussions with a wide range of key opinion leaders and industry participants were conducted to compile this research report. Primary research represents the bulk of research efforts, supplemented by extensive secondary research. Key players' product literature, annual reports, press releases, and relevant documents were reviewed for competitive analysis and market understanding. This helped in validating and strengthening secondary research findings. Primary research further helped in developing the analysis team's expertise and market understanding.



The global ion exchange membrane market has been segmented as follows:



Ion Exchange Membrane Market  Charge Analysis



Cation Exchange Membrane

Anion Exchange Membrane

Amphoteric Ion Exchange Membrane

Bipolar Ion Exchange Membrane

Mosaic Ion Exchange Membrane



Ion Exchange Membrane Market  Material Analysis



Hydrocarbon Membrane

Perfluorocarbon Membrane

Inorganic Membrane

Composite Membrane

Partially Halogenated Membrane



Ion Exchange Membrane Market  Structure Analysis



Heterogeneous Membrane

Homogenous Membrane



Ion Exchange Membrane Market  Application Analysis



Electrodialysis

Electrolysis

Chromatographic Separation

Desalination

Waste water Treatment

Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment



Ion Exchange Membrane Market  Regional Analysis



North America

U.S.

Canada

Europe

Germany

France

U.K.

Italy

Spain

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

India

Japan

ASEAN

Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa

GCC

Egypt

South Africa

Rest of Middle East & Africa

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4589983/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com


FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., April 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Continental Who's Who recognizes James M. Cooper, Esq., as a Pinnacle Lifetime Member in the Legal field.

Cooper serves as an attorney at the firm of Cooper, Davis and Cooper, which has worked on a multitude of general practice and personal injury cases since 1974. The firm utilizes extensive experience in the areas of trusts, estates, personal injury, criminal defense and domestic law. Cooper is also the Trustee for several funds (more than $4M worth) used to further educational pursuits of young people.

During his childhood years, Cooper's father was sent to prison and received a sentence of seven years of hard labor - and served in an underground coal mine. The sentence came as a result of stealing a cow. Cooper's father was without an attorney. As a result of that sentencing, he was inspired to become an attorney and fight against all types of injustice.

Prior to beginning his legal career, Cooper served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, with 14 years as a pilot. He spent a total of more than 7,000 hours of flying time, including more than 100 combat missions in Vietnam. During the 20 years, he obtained an undergraduate degree, making it possible to attend law school and achieve his goal.

Cooper earned his Juris Doctor from Duke University Law School, and is a current member of the North Carolina Bar. He has devoted his time to giving back to the community, including 30 years of service as attorney for the Fayetteville, North Carolina, Housing Authority. He also devotes to his time as President of the Anthony J. Brill Foundation, and as a Trustee for the Anthony J. Brill Trust. Both organizations are devoted to helping young people obtain college educations and otherwise prepare to meet their lifetime goals.

Additionally, Cooper volunteers at the Stanton Hospitality House, assisting families visiting hospitalized patients. He also is a past chairman and board member of a number of community organizations, and is involved in Temple Baptist Church in Eastover, North Carolina, as well as the Republican Party.

In recognition of his outstanding achievements, Cooper has been awarded a Master Pilot's Award for more than 50 years promoting safe aircraft operations, and has been named to Top Attorneys of North America. His goals include inspiring young people to pursue their dreams, to assist the poor with legal problems, especially widows and orphans.

When not working, Cooper enjoys flying planes and spending time with family members, some of who are also involved in the legal profession. His son Robert is also an attorney at the Cooper, Davis & Cooper firm, and his granddaughter, Lora Meredith Mercer, graduated from Campbell University Law School in May, 2016. She has been admitted to the North Carolina Bar and is now an attorney with the Buncombe County, North Carolina, District Attorney's Office.

He dedicates this recognition in loving memory of his wife, Lottie M. Cooper.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


AUSTIN, Texas, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dean Drako, LivingTree owner and executive chairman, announced today that he has funded the Drako Community and Family Engagement Grant for Schools for up to $1M; individual schools and districts who are awarded the grant will receive their own private and secure, Tiered Social Network  including all engagement features, SIS integration, setup, upkeep, training, and support  at no cost for 1 year. Eligible schools include accredited private and public schools in the United States: elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools.

Schools Report Improved Family Engagement with Private Social Networks

A recent survey showed that that only one in five schools reported having greater than 50% of families engaged. Districts cite using more than 12 methodologies to engage families and frustration with results. One hundred percent of districts using private social networks report improvement in family engagement. The top reasons for increased family engagement are based on student achievement and include: higher literacy rates, better attendance, higher test scores, and increased graduation rates in addition to a culture of partnership for educators and families alike.

"We are funding this community and family engagement grant to make it easier for more schools to use the latest technology to build trust and partnership within their communities," said Dean Drako, Executive Chairman, LivingTree. "LivingTree's private and secure Tiered Social Network offers many benefits to improve engagement and awareness, including two-way translation to 100+ languages, native mobile apps, media sharing, volunteer management, emergency alerts, and simple implementation."

$1,000,000 Drako Community and Family Engagement Grant for Schools  Details

Grant winners will receive a grant for one full year of funding for their custom LivingTree Tiered Social Network and associated planning, implementation, and training. The solution includes SIS integration, emergency alerts, SMS texting, two-way translation, mobile apps, media sharing, all other LivingTree engagement features, and community partner networks. LivingTree also provides marketing and awareness materials as well as best practices for using technology to engage families and community. LivingTree social networks are private and secure and offer weekly analytics at the class, campus, and district level.

The Drako Community and Family Engagement Grant for Schools is appealing to help schools use the best technology to consolidate and simplify engagement efforts. Research shows that engaged families can offset as much as $1000 in needed funding per year for each student. Further, some states require objective measures of family engagement while the national Every Student Succeeds Act mandates two way conversation in native language.

LivingTree is a hosted service and requires no additional technology at the school sites. LivingTree is COPPA compliant, FERPA compliant, and a Student Data Privacy Signatory. At the end of the 12 months, if the school chooses to continue using the LivingTree Tiered Social Network, they would purchase the annual license and continue with uninterrupted service. The school / district also has the option to shut down their network, at no charge.

Grant applications will be accepted starting April 4, 2017. Application deadline is June 1, 2017. Grant winners will be selected based on the merits and timeliness of their application.

To learn more and apply for the grant, please visit: Drako Family Engagement Grant

Case Studies on Family Engagement and LivingTree

Briargrove Elementary School: Houston, TX

Briargrove Elementary serves ~900 students in the Houston School District. Nearly half the school's population is Latino and Asian-Pacific, and 23% of students are in ESL programs. Prior to LivingTree, the school relied heavily on room parents and the PTO to relay information and volunteer opportunities to parents. Despite the combined use of flyers, email blasts, and newsletters, parents felt uninformed. Results from a 2011-2012 survey showed parents felt excluded and disconnected from the school. As of Fall 2016, 100% of classrooms were engaged on LivingTree and fully 60% of network members were contributing content, commentary, or appreciation! Briargrove has successfully resolved the disconnect parents originally felt with the school.

Briargrove's Principal, Eden Hinds, shares: "Using the LivingTree platform, our school was able to build a much tighter community and meaningful engagement with our families. It has truly changed our level of transparency with parents and how we converse, share, and coordinate in the context of educating our children."

For the full case study, please visit 100% Participation = Real Results.

Irving Independent School District: Irving, TX

Irving ISD, a district serving approximately 35,000 students in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, began using LivingTree in November 2014. The district has earned a number of accolades, including being named the 2015 national Advanced Placement District of the Year; an "amazing CTE program" in the U.S.; and having its high schools recognized among the top 10% of high schools nationwide by U.S. News and World Report. The district was looking for ways to share those success stories and continue its parent engagement efforts after opening Parent Centers in each of its schools. Like many school districts across the state, Irving ISD serves a diverse student population and wanted a way to reach ALL families, regardless of home language (54 languages are spoken in Irving ISD), the parent's education level or socioeconomic status.

Irving ISD has strong belief in the benefits of parent and community engagement, and has a stated district goal of enabling and ensuring community engagement and collaboration. Based on the results of district wide surveys of teachers, parents, and students in spring 2014, Irving ISD sought to establish digital two-way dialogue accessible via mobile application. That's when Irving ISD decided to implement LivingTree to meet their two-way dialogue, translation, mobile, and privacy needs. "In Irving ISD we started out with 13 campuses as early adopters of LivingTree. The feedback we received from parents, principals and teachers has been incredible. It's helped solidify parents' trust in our schools," says Lesley Weaver, Irving ISD's Director of Communications.

About LivingTree

Founded in 2012, LivingTree's mission is to connect the people who raise, develop, and educate our children. LivingTree aims to include every member of the community regardless of preferred language or socio-economic status. LivingTree's Tiered Social Network empowers leaders, organizations, educators and parents to connect, share, and coordinate up, down and across all levels of their private network to help improve academic achievement. LivingTree has been recognized for this work by the Stevie Awards for Women in Business as the 2016 Gold Community Involvement Program of the Year and 2016 Silver Smartphone App of the Year. http://www.livingtree.com, 844.LIV.TREE, [email protected]

SOURCE LivingTree
NEW YORK, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Winner can visit countries or regions found in their DNA

Last year, travel site momondo launched The DNA Journey, an award-winning film and project that garnered over 300 million views across different platforms worldwide.

momondo invited 67 participants from around the world to take part in the project. The participants were offered a DNA test to find out more about their ancestry, after discussing their heritage and prejudices. Later, the participants were invited back and the results were revealed in an emotional and surprising video. After the film was released, more than 175,000 globally participated in the original competition tied to the video. The prize for the first round of winners was a DNA kit, and the grand prize was a DNA Journey to some of the countries or regions found in the participant's DNA.

"The project is about opening our eyes to the fact that we are all more connected than we think. Many of the participants were surprised to see that they had roots in regions that they initially admitted a prejudice towards. Americans and Canadians have an understanding that most of us have roots in other regions, and I think that reminding ourselves of that with the DNA Journey helps us change our view of other cultures and nationalities for the better," says MaryBeth Lauro, momondo's spokesperson and Colorado native.

The travel site is still working to break down prejudices and believes that travel is a powerful tool that leads to individuals being more open-minded and trusting of other cultures and countries.

"We want to give people the courage to stay curious and open-minded, so we can all enjoy a better, more open world," concludes Lauro.

Now momondo is offering Americans and Canadians another chance to uncover their own ancestry and discover their DNA origins.

From the 5th April 2017, momondo will run a four-week competition to win one of 60 DNA kits**, participants will enter by writing a short brief about how they will open up the world through travel.

And one lucky American and Canadian will each win a DNA Journey worth 1600 dollars* to visit countries or regions found in their DNA.

For more information and to enter the competition please visit

http://www.momondo.com/letsopenourworld/dna

Watch the DNA Journey film here.

*Prize of 1500 EUR roughly equal to 1600 USD.

**Competition will run in both US and Canada with 30 DNA kit winners and one main prize winner in each country.

About momondo

momondo.com is a free and global travel search site that compares billions of prices on flights, hotels and travel deals. Momondo has won several awards and is recommended by leading international media organizations such as CNN, Frommer's, The New York Times and The Daily Telegraph. Momondo is headquartered in Copenhagen and serves travelers across more than 30 international markets. momondo's mobile applications are available for free for iPhone and Android.

SOURCE momondo
LAS VEGAS, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- At the ISC West Show today, Nasatka Security's CEO John Scolaro said the 42-year-old perimeter security solutions provider is seeing the highest interest in perimeter security barrier systems since post 9/11.

Experts say attacks in which cars or trucks are driven into crowded pedestrian areas present a unique challenge for law enforcement officials as they are virtually impossible to predict and relatively easy to execute. They require no advanced training and no specialized materials. Almost anyone can own or rent a vehicle.

According to Scolaro, you won't see many of Nasatka's clients listed on their website, nor will you be able to read about case studies or see onsite installation photos of recognizable government buildings, large corporations or foreign embassies, even though Nasatka is an icon in the perimeter security industry with many active patents and thousands of perimeter security systems all over the world. "Safety for our clients, their employees and the public comes first and perimeter security details shouldn't be available on the Internet for anyone to see; it's irresponsible," Scolaro added.

Two weeks ago, another vehicle was used as a weapon in London, leaving five dead and 40 injured. It was almost a year to the day since 85 died from injuries in the ISIS-inspired attack on Bastille Day in Nice, France. And according to Scolaro, these are merely the incidents being covered by the mainstream media. "It's occurring daily all over the worldand we see it all. We have worked with the Department of Defense (DOD) and various branches of the U.S. Military by supplying, installing and maintaining both fixed and mobile barriers all over the world. We routinely see pictures of vehicles stopped and lives saved," Scolaro said.

Charlie Winter, a senior research fellow at the London-based International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence, says what makes such attacks so frightening is the relatively low barriers to entry. The method was embraced by al-Qaida before being revitalized by ISIS. "It makes for a very effective, unsophisticated, high impact, very frightening form of an operation," he said.

Nasatka has spent over four decades understanding and mastering the science of perimeter security. And although nothing is 100 percent, Nasatka feels they make a significant difference for their clients' protection.

"Strengthening your existing facility against bomb threats or vehicle attacks may seem like a tough feat and you can't really change that protective shell by renovation alone, but you can modify the perimeter and the access control points by installing bollards and barriers to extend stand-off distances, in addition to increasing your security personnel to make your site a less inviting target, "Scolaro said.

Nasatka produces American-made barriers and has installed and maintains thousands of wedge barriers, bollards and crash beams all over the world, protecting some of the most critical assets, including airports, nuclear power plants and ports. Nasatka engineered three versions of their Pop-Up Steel-Plate Barrier to meet the Department of State and U.S. Army K12/L3 (15,000 pounds @ 50 mph) crash certifications. And Nasatka's versatile mobile barriers can be deployed and operational in 12 minutes, protecting targeted facilities, entry control points or special events. There is no surface, footing or barrier anchoring preparation required. Nasatka's mobile barriers are crash tested under the ASTM F2656-07 standard to stop a 15,000 lbs. vehicle at various impact speeds.

Nasatka's National Sales Director, Dan Madden said, "Nasatka Steel-Plate Barriers are the most proven, tested and reliable vehicle-access control barrier system in the world. They are a perfect combination of engineering achievement, durability and security. Absolutely no substitute comes close to the advantages offered by Nasatka Security's Steel-Plate Barrier Systems, bollards and crash beams."

With the economy booming and populations increasing, Nasatka consultants have seen a decrease in the size of real estate land parcels and an increase in the height and vertical footprint of large, mixed-use residential and commercial buildings. Many are upwards of 50 stories, in addition to the first few stories reserved for parking. Add an increase in outdoor space with parks, outdoor venues and sport arenas and this is an area that needs great attention when planning for a safe future.

Nasatka's Vice President of Services Sales, Tom Mullen said, "We have improved awareness and expertise on the design end over the past few years by offering A & E firms the ability to schedule a free "Lunch & Learn" vehicle barrier course (Crash-rated Vehicle Barriers in Your Design). This AIA CES approved course was designed to educate A & E firms on perimeter security technologies and critical differentiators when designing a variety of installations. Architects who are members of AIA can earn one (1) learning unit towards their annual requirement for continuing education.

According to Mullen, Nasatka has also been focusing on preventative maintenance. Nasatka currently has a nationwide maintenance contract that includes virtually all major barrier brands. "Critical infrastructure is invaluable for both government and private industry, especially given the current trend towards vehicle-based attacks. Given new requirements, the architectural design and engineering (A&E) industry must focus on critical infrastructure security. Perimeter security is an essential part of their designs now," Mullen said.

Nasatka is a global maintenance provider in the U.S. with over 5,000 Global ACP Assets. It also delivers 24/7 global support and service on any make/model of barrier plates, bollards and crash beams.

"In today's market, there are many important factors to include when developing a sensible solution for a security-driven design and construction process for both government and private enterprise, in and out of the United States. Creating a comprehensive security plan is like starting any other business; you begin with senior management and a detailed facility security mission statement. This process is unique to each integrator, but we focus on educating the client and/or designers on what technologies are state-of-the-art and how to use them in the security vulnerability assessment process," Scolaro noted.

Today more than ever, Nasatka's barrier systems should be an integral part of any new or upgraded maximum-security plan. Whether the concern is thwarting terrorist vehicle attacks or simply prevention of unauthorized vehicle access, Nasatka's Global Lines of Defense protect some of the world's greatest mission critical assets.

For more information about Nasatka Security, please visit their website at www.nasatka.com or stop by Nasatka's booth #9141 at the ISC West Show in Las Vegas from April 5-7 at The Sand Expo.

About Nasatka Security

Established in 1975 in the Washington, D.C. area, Nasatka Security is the originator of the first patented crash-tested barrier systems developed, manufactured and installed in the United States.

Nasatka has been a leader in innovation, manufacturing, and service of perimeter security products for over 40 years with a global presence, having corporate offices in Clinton, Maryland and sales and service locations spanning throughout the U.S. and in the Middle East. Having installed the first steel plate barrier in the United States (J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C.) and conducted the first steel-plate barrier crash test in the United States in 1985, Nasatka has built, installed and serviced products that are deployed at the highest level security sites in the world. Nasatka Security specializes in the production of vehicular and pedestrian access-control devices for maximum security applications. These products are designed primarily to control, detect and where necessary, stop unauthorized motor vehicles and pedestrians. Nasatka's business is a unique blend of physical, electronic, and cyber security including; crash-tested active and passive vehicle and pedestrian barriers, crash-certified perimeter fencing, guard booths, and turnstiles. Nasatka offers innovative access control products including automated, hands-free solutions to improve traffic throughput and tracking. In addition, Nasatka offers 24/7 Service and Maintenance Programs and Maintenance Services worldwide.

Industry Leadership:

Members of the ASTM F12 Committee Industry Group focused on the F 2656 07 and draft 012 Standard Test Method for Vehicle Crash Testing of Perimeter Barriers

Member of the ASTM E54 Committee on Homeland Security

Member of the ASTM E54.05.4 Subcommittee

About ISC West

The International Security Conference & Exposition  also known as ISC West  is the largest event in the U.S. for the physical security industry, covering Access Control, Alarms & Monitoring, Biometrics, IP Security, Video Surveillance / CCTV, Networked Security Products and more. At ISC West, you'll discover the newest security products & security technology, network with colleagues & security professionals, and gain valuable security industry training & knowledge to keep you ahead through SIA [email protected].



SOURCE Nasatka Security

Related Links

http://www.nasatka.com


PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Parker Waichman LLP, a national law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of victims injured by medical abuse and neglect, comments on a lawsuit brought by the family of deceased Marine Sergeant Bartholomew Ryan, a decorated military combat veteran who ended his life in the Nassau County Jail in 2012. Nick Warywoda of Parker Waichman represents the family; the case is being heard in the U.S. District Court in Central Islip. Allegations include that Sergeant Ryan did not receive appropriate care, although a screen revealed he was a suicide risk, Mr. Warywoda said at trial against the Nassau County Jail and its medical provider, Armor Correctional Health Services. The civil case began on April 3, 2016, according to a Newsday report. (http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/civil-lawsuit-in-nassau-jail-death-kicks-off-in-central-islip-1.13355133)

Marine Sergeant Ryan32 at his deathsuffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and drug addiction following his Iraq War tour. His family alleges wrongful death, that the county and Armor acted with negligence, and that Armor subjected Sergeant Ryan to "cruel and unusual" treatment due to a policy in which inmates with referrals for "urgent" treatment may wait 24 hours for care, wrote Newsday. Mr. Warywoda said it took 18 hours after his admission for a psychiatrist to see him, the jail physician's only diagnosis was opiate dependency, and the Sergeant was not provided medication for mental health issues. He died six hours later.

Sergeant Ryan was arrested over driving under the influence of drugs. The drug abuse began following prescription painkiller due to a service injury. He suffered from bipolar disorder and depression. His family said he returned from eight months of combat a different person following his 2003-2007 military service. "Mentally, he changed, due to what he experienced and saw," Mr. Warywoda said. "If they had just listened to that form that deemed him a suicide risk, we wouldn't be here today," Nicholas Warywoda added.

This federal civil claim is the first of four to reach trial after lawsuits brought against the same defendants following other inmate deaths. According to Newsday, the State Commission of Correction found Armor's treatment deficient in at least five Nassau inmate deaths.

"The firm is saddened by this unnecessary death and is satisfied to see the lawsuit brought on behalf of this decorated Marine is progressing," said Keith Gitman, Managing Attorney at Parker Waichman. "No one should be treated in this manner, but that Sergeant Ryan fought for our country to return home to this treatment is unacceptable."

Parker Waichman is offers free legal consultations to victims of medical abuse and negligence. Please contact the firm by visiting its website at yourlawyer.com or calling 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636). (http://www.yourlawyer.com/)

SOURCE Parker Waichman LLP
NEW YORK, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The need for aligning resources in healthcare settings has compelled medical organizations towards adoption of technological solutions that help manage & arrange patient care information in orderly fashion. Hospitals from across the globe are installing patient throughput & capacity management solutions to tackle challenges associated with management of increasing capacity & space. Ideal use of added functional capacity through improved patient throughput solutions is also a key trend driving the demand for such solutions. Persistence Market Research estimates that towards the end of 2024, more than US$ 1.2 Bn worth of patient throughput & capacity management solutions will be employed across the globe.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161114/438683logo )



The global market for patient throughput & capacity management, according to Persistence Market Research's report, is presently valued at US$ 834 Mn, and will soar steadily at 5% CAGR during the eight-year forecast period. The report further anticipates that over half of global revenues procured from sales of patient throughput & capacity management solutions will be accounted by the US and Canada.

View Report Overview and Research [email protected] http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/patient-throughput-and-capacity-management-market.asp

North America's dominance over the global patient throughput & capacity management market is justified by the region's robust healthcare industry, which is also a proponent to technological advancements and adoption of intelligent solutions. Europe's patient throughput & capacity management market will also leave a sizable imprint on the global market, registering a value CAGR of 5.3%.

High Demand for Real-Time Locating System (RTLS) Solutions

The report reveals that an analysis of global sales of patient throughput & capacity management solutions indicates a major upsurge in demand for RTLS solutions. With more than one-third share, RTLS solutions will remain a top-selling product dominating the global market revenues through 2024. Revenues from global sales of workflow management solutions will impose a consistent share on global revenues, while bed management solutions will exhibit revenue growth at 5.2% CAGR during the projected period. A majority of products offered in the global patient throughput & capacity management market will be offered as integrated solutions. Towards the end of 2024, integrated solutions will surpass 65% share on global revenues, while global demand for standalone solutions will register a marginal decline.

View Report Table of Contents, Figures, and Tables @ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/patient-throughput-and-capacity-management-market/toc

The report also reveals that over 40% of patient throughput & capacity management solutions are delivered through on-premise models. By 2024-end, on-premise delivery of patient throughput & capacity management solutions will net nearly US$ 500 Mn in global revenues. On the other hand, cloud-based delivery is likely to lose out its traction, but will witness a negligible downtrend in terms of revenue growth. The report has also profiled companies such as EPIC Systems Corporation, STANLEY Healthcare, Central Logic, Care Logistics LLC, McKesson Corporation, TeleTracking Technologies, Inc., Sonitor Technologies, Inc., Allscripts, Awarepoint Corporation, and Cerner Corporation as key players of the global patient throughput & capacity management market.

A sample of this report is available upon request @ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/13198

Persistence Market Research Overview

Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.

To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.



Contact

Persistence Market Research

U.S. Sales Office:

305 Broadway, 7th Floor

New York City, NY 10007

United States

USA - Canada Toll-Free: 800-961-0353

Email: [email protected]



Web: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

SOURCE Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.
SANTA CLARA, California, BANGALORE and DUBAI, UAE, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Acceliant, the global leader in eClinical trial management solutions, has been named as one of the 'Top 10 eClinical Trial Management Solution Providers for 2017' by Pharma Tech Outlook magazine.

The finalists were selected by a distinguished panel of CEOs, CIOs, analysts and editors with proven track records in the pharma and life sciences sector. The selection criteria included the organizations' abilities to accurately identify client requirements, develop impactful and measurable approaches to meet these requirements, and provide all kinds of support and customizations while doing so.

Speaking on the recognition, Vivek Gupta, Worldwide Vice President at Acceliant, said, "We are extremely pleased to have been chosen as one of the 'Top 10 eClinical Trial Management Solution Providers for 2017' by Pharma Tech Outlook. This acknowledgement strengthens our resolve to make Acceliant's eClinical Suite, a one-stop solution for all kinds of clinical trial needs."

"We have a robust product roadmap and are confident about achieving our vision: to be the next technology disruptor in the clinical trial industry," he added.

"We are very happy to have received this recognition from Pharma Tech Outlook. I believe that this is a great validation of our capabilities in extending a best-in-class user experience in the clinical data management space," Prashant Bhavaraju, Chief Marketing Officer at Acceliant, said in a statement.

About Pharma Tech Outlook

Published from Fremont, California, Pharma Tech Outlook is a print magazine that covers the most important and latest developments in the pharmaceutical industry. A panel of experts and members of Pharma Tech Outlook's editorial board selected and finalized the 'Top 10 eClinical Trial Management Solution Providers for 2017' and shortlisted the best vendors and consultants.

For more info: http://www.pharmatechoutlook.com.

About Acceliant

Acceliant provides real-time, integrated clinical trial solutions for life sciences, CROs and pharmaceutical tools and expertise to take intelligent and smarter decisions. Its eClinical Suite allows users to build studies, design electronic case report forms (eCRFs), capture data through multiple sources (EDC), capture data directly from patients (ePRO) and manage other clinical data management functions.

Media Contact:

Prashant Bhavaraju

CMO

[email protected]

+1-408-387-5899



http://www.acceliant.com

SOURCE Acceliant
LONDON, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --



INTRODUCTION

Injectable drug delivery systems have traversed a long way from conventional syringes with vials to prefilled syringes, auto-injectors, pen injectors and needle free systems. These modern devices have become preferred devices for parenteral administration of drugs. Specifically, the demand for prefilled syringes has been rising strongly over the past several years. A growing number of healthcare facilities are now adopting this format for delivering drugs. The popularity of prefilled syringes is not limited to healthcare settings; self-injecting patients looking for easier and safer methods also prefer using prefilled syringes for drug administration in home settings. The rise in parenteral drugs, especially biologics for the treatment of diseases and chronic conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, has forced drug and packaging manufacturers to seek more sophisticated container closure and drug delivery systems. Responding to this increasing preference, pharmaceutical companies are now packaging a number of their injectable drugs and vaccines in prefilled syringe format. Over 100 injectable drug products are available in prefilled syringes and a rising number of pipeline drugs are targeted to be delivered by this method.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/2243611/



The origins of prefilled syringes can be traced back to the early 1980s when Sanofi and Rhone Poulenc-Rorer (Sanofi-Aventis) introduced them as drug delivery devices for heparins in Europe. They have been around for more than three decades now and are used for administration of all major classes of therapeutics, including vaccines, anticoagulants, anti-arthritic drugs and anti-anemic drugs. Prefilled syringes have improved significantly over the years. Manufacturers have recently developed multi-chamber syringes for use with lyophilized drugs. Such syringes are also being integrated with advanced injection devices, such as autoinjectors and pen injectors. In addition, prefilled diluent syringes and flush syringes are already quite popular. With more than 60% of candidate drugs / therapies in the clinical pipeline being biologics that usually require parenteral administration, the adoption of prefilled syringes is anticipated to further increase in the mid-long term.



SCOPE OF THE REPORT

The 'Prefilled Syringes Market (4th edition), 2016-2026' report provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of prefilled syringes market and the likely future evolution of these devices over the next decade. Starting with an overview on prefilled syringes, the report elaborates on the development and manufacturing of prefilled syringes. It also includes information on needlestick injuries and provides an overview of the safety laws and legislations related to prefilled syringes across the major markets in the world.



Some of the key objectives of the report were to enumerate the various prefilled syringe systems that are available in the market, identify the drugs that are available in such dosage forms and estimate their corresponding market potential across different geographical regions. Specifically, the report includes insights on:



- The current state of the market with respect to key players, targeted disease indications and the therapeutic classes of drugs that are available in the form of prefilled syringes, including a brief overview of biologics and biosimilars that are considered to be one of the primary growth drivers of this market.

- The key drugs that are available in prefilled syringes; this has been presented in the form of detailed case studies.

- The regulatory landscape in different countries, including the guidelines related to the grant of a marketing authorization for drugs in prefilled syringes.

- The candidates that are likely to be tried for delivery via prefilled syringes in the future. It is worth highlighting that the candidates were chosen based on various parameters, such as their current route of administration, targeted indication and dosage frequency.

- The key prefilled syringe and component manufacturers based in different geographies.

- Product competitiveness and supplier power (in the form of 2 X 2 matrices) across the growing landscape of glass and plastic prefilled syringes.

- Specialty syringes, which include prefilled flush syringes, prefilled diluent systems and contrast agents in prefilled syringes.

- The contract manufacturing organizations providing fill / finish services related to prefilled syringes.

- Future growth opportunities that are likely to drive the market in the short and long terms.



The study also features a detailed analysis of the existing market size and the potential future growth opportunities of these drug delivery devices across different classes of therapeutics. The analysis includes volumetric (number of units of prefilled syringes) and financial (future market size) projections of the market's evolution over the next ten years (2016-2026). We have provided insights on the regional evolution of the prefilled syringes market covering North America, Europe (UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and the rest of Europe), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and the rest of Latin America), Asia Pacific (Japan, China, India, South Korea and the rest of Asia Pacific), and the Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Africa and the rest of the Middle East). In addition, we have provided the likely evolution distributed by the type of material (glass and plastic), and nature of molecules (vaccines, biosynthetic insulins, synthetic pentasaccharides, monoclonal antibodies, small molecules). The forecast takes into account the impending price variations that are likely to emerge in the mid-long term as a result of growing adoption and increased competition. In order to account for the uncertainties associated with drug development and production, we have forecasted three different market scenarios, depicting conservative, base and optimistic tracks of the industry's evolution.



The opinions and insights presented in this study were influenced by discussions conducted with experts in this field. These included contributions from Kevin Cancelliere and Tibor Hlobik (Marketing Directors, West Pharmaceutical Services), Kirti Maheshwari (Chief Technical Officer, Intas Pharmaceuticals), Matthew Young (Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Oval Medical Technologies), and Rondald Wheet (Chief Executive Officer, Revolutions Medical). All actual figures have been sourced and analyzed from publicly available information forums and primary research discussions. Financial figures mentioned in this report are in USD, unless otherwise specified.



1.1. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Most of the data presented in this report has been gathered via secondary and primary research. For all our projects, we conduct interviews with experts in the area (academia, industry, medical practice and other associations) to solicit their opinions on emerging trends in the market. This is primarily useful for us to draw out our own opinion on how the market will evolve across different regions and technology segments. Where possible, the available data has been checked for accuracy from multiple sources of information.



The secondary sources of information include

- Annual reports

- Investor presentations

- SEC filings

- Industry databases

- News releases from company websites

- Government policy documents

- Industry analysts' views



While the focus has been on forecasting the market over the coming ten years, the report also provides our view on various technological and non-commercial trends emerging in the industry. This opinion is solely based on our knowledge, research and understanding of the relevant market gathered from various secondary and primary sources of information.



1.2. CHAPTER OUTLINES

Chapter 2 provides an executive summary of the insights captured in our research and offers a high level view on where the market for prefilled syringes is headed in the mid-long term.



Chapter 3 provides a general overview of prefilled syringes, including details on their origin, required components (barrel, lock adapter, lubricant, needle, needle shield, plunger rod / piston, plunger stopper and tip cap) and manufacturing material (glass and plastic) . The chapter outlines the various types of prefilled syringe systems that are available in the market and provides details on the companies that manufacture such products. It also includes a discussion on the technological advances that have taken place in the recent past.



Chapter 4 highlights the growing concerns associated with needlestick injuries and the various legislative steps that have been taken to prevent them. These include installing various safety features in modern versions of prefilled syringes. In addition, the chapter provides information on some of the safety systems, including both add-on devices and device integrated features, and the companies involved in developing and manufacturing such solutions.



Chapter 5 presents information on the regulatory environment related to the grant of marketing authorizations for combination products across different countries. It highlights the role of regulatory bodies in the approval of prefilled syringes in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East.



Chapter 6 features a detailed discussion on the key growth drivers of the prefilled syringes market. It also describes the rise in the number of chronic diseases, the growing trend of self-injection, changing patient demographics, and the emergence of biologics / biosimilars.



Chapter 7 provides details of the various products available in the form of prefilled syringes, primarily focusing on injectable drugs and vaccines. The chapter includes case studies of some of the marketed drugs available as prefilled syringes, such as Humira, Enbrel, Copaxone, Lovenox and Abilify Maintena. We have also captured details on the molecules that are under clinical development as prefilled syringes. The chapter features a grid analysis, representing the distribution of pipeline drugs across different therapeutic areas and different stages of clinical development. Additionally, the chapter outlines major therapeutic drug classes that are available as prefilled syringes. For each therapeutic class, we have identified the drugs that are already available in prefilled syringes, their estimated patent expiry dates and corresponding generics / biosimilars that are under development.



Chapter 8 presents a list of drug candidates (marketed / pipeline) that are likely to be tried for delivery via prefilled syringes in the future. This list is based on insights gathered on the respective routes of administration of these candidates, the nature of the indication they are prescribed for, dosage frequency and annual sales (in case of marketed drugs).



Chapter 9 provides detailed profiles of some of the key manufacturers of prefilled syringes based in different geographies. Each profile includes a brief overview of the company, its financial information, product portfolio, technology platforms, recent facility expansions and / or acquisitions, and a comprehensive future outlook. The companies that have been included in this section include Aguettant, Becton Dickinson, Gerresheimer, Nipro Corporation, Nuova Ompi, SCHOTT, Terumo Corporation, Unilife, Vetter Pharma, Weigao Group Pharmaceutical Packaging Products Company and West Pharmaceutical Services. In addition, we have included brief profiles of some of the key prefilled syringe manufacturers that are based in emerging markets. The chapter also presents 2 X 2 matrix representations, comparing product competitiveness and supplier power of both glass and plastic prefilled syringes.



Chapter 10 provides insights on the various prefilled syringe component manufacturers along with details of their respective product portfolios. The key players covered in this section include Aptar Stelmi, Datwyler and West Pharmaceutical Services.



Chapter 11 provides information on fill and finish activities and the processes and technologies associated with them. The chapter highlights the importance of aseptic fill and finish operations, and features a discussion on future trends in this segment. It also includes detailed profiles of the global players that are engaged in this segment of the industry.



Chapter 12 features information on specialty syringes, namely prefilled flush syringes, prefilled diluent systems and contrast agents that are supplied in prefilled syringes. For each type of specialty syringe, we have provided a brief overview and presented details such as the different products that are available in the market and their advantages.



Chapter 13 offers a comprehensive perspective on how the prefilled syringe market is likely to evolve over the next ten years. Based on data collected through secondary research and insights from primary research, we adopted a top-down approach in order to estimate the future size of the market, both in terms of volume (number of units) and value (in USD billion). We have projected the market's evolution North America, Europe (UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and the rest of Europe), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and the rest of Latin America), Asia Pacific (Japan, China, India, South Korea and the rest of Asia Pacific), and the Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Africa and the rest of the Middle East). In addition, we have looked at the market's evolution by the type of material (glass and plastic) used and the nature of the product contained within the syringe (vaccines, biosynthetic insulins, synthetic pentasaccharides, monoclonal antibodies, small molecules and others). The analysis presents insightful 2 X 2 matrices based on Market Share and Market Attractiveness derived from the current and likely future state of the market.



Chapter 14 presents a list of autoinjectors that utilize prefilled syringes as their primary containers. In this chapter, we have included profiles of manufacturers of such autoinjectors, featuring an overview of the company and respective product portfolios. The key players that have been covered in this section include Bespak, DALI Medical Devices, Elcam Medical, Nuance Owen Mumford, SHL Group, Union Medico and Ypsomed Delivery Systems.



Chapter 15 discusses the recent technological developments in this domain and their applications. The chapter provides details on the advances in design technology and manufacturing of prefilled syringes that have enabled pharmaceutical companies to market lyophilized drugs in dual / multi chambered systems. The chapter highlights the advances related to novel lubrication and sterilization technologies as well.



Chapter 16 provides a comprehensive SWOT analysis of the prefilled syringes market. The chapter presents strategic insights on major factors that have contributed to the growth of the market, while highlighting the weaknesses and threats that are likely to have an impact on its future.



Chapter 17 summarizes the overall report. In this chapter, we have provided a recap of the key takeaways and expressed our independent opinion, based on the research and analysis described in previous chapters, on how the market is likely to fare in the shot and long terms.



Chapter 18 is a collection of interview transcripts of our discussions with some of the key players in this industry. In this chapter, we have presented the details of our conversations with Kevin Cancelliere and Tibor Hlobik (Marketing Directors, West Pharmaceutical Services), Kirti Maheshwari (Chief Technical Officer, Intas Pharmaceuticals), Matthew Young (Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Oval Medical Technologies), and Rondald Wheet (Chief Executive Officer, Revolutions Medical).



Chapters 19 and 20 are appendices, which provide tabulated data of all the charts and the list of companies that are mentioned in the report.



EXAMPLE HIGHLIGHTS

1. Currently, more than 100 drugs and vaccines are available in prefilled syringes across different therapeutic classes. Humira, Enbrel, Copaxone, Lovenox, Rebif and Pegasys are examples of blockbuster drugs that are being extensively administered via prefilled syringes. In addition, over 65 drugs in prefilled syringe format are in clinical development for the treatment of number of indications such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

2. The rise of biologics has emerged as a major growth driver. Additionally, a number of biologics are getting off patent in the coming few years. Biosimilar developers will be competing for the same drug and, in such situations, use of prefilled syringes as a mode of administration can act as a key differentiator. The market's evolution in the long-term will be fueled by pipeline drugs, technological advances and the rising adoption in developing markets. Moreover, integration of prefilled syringes with advanced delivery systems such as pen and autoinjectors will aid in gaining wider adoption.

3. The development and launch of dual / multi-chambered syringes and prefilled diluent syringes has enabled easier and faster delivery of lyophilized drugs. Novel lubrication technologies such as TriboFilm Research's TriboGlide and Becton Dickinson's XSi coating technologies have been introduced to overcome the problems associated with the use of silicone oil. Additionally, the design and availability of silicone-free and tungsten-free syringes is making them more suitable for use with sensitive drugs such as biologics.

4. The current market is highly consolidated and is dominated by a handful of key manufacturers such as Becton Dickinson, Gerresheimer, SCHOTT, and Nuova Ompi. Other key players include West Pharmaceutical Services and Vetter Pharma; these players have already driven some novel devices and technologies in the market and are likely to foster more innovation.

5. Many regional players have recently surfaced. Specifically in China, which has a large home consumer market, domestic players have an installed annual production capacity of as high as 150 million units; Shandong Weigao Group Medical Polymer Company, Shandong Zibo Minkang Pharmaceutical Packing, and Shandong Pharmaceutical Glass are well-known players. In Japan, Arte Corporation, Nipro Corporation, Taisei Kako and Terumo Corporation are known manufacturers of prefilled syringes; similarly, Roselabs Group, an India based manufacturer has invested heavily in this area.

6. Aseptic filling of sterile drugs into prefilled syringes is one of the most crucial steps in pharmaceutical production. During the course of our study, we identified more than 45 contract manufacturing organizations, which provide fill and finish services for prefilled syringes. Majority (~70%) of the fill and finish service providers are based in North America and Europe. Prominent players in these regions include Biopharma Solutions, Catalent, Pfizer CentreOne, Rovi CM and Boehringer Ingelheim BioXcellence. Some well-known fill and finish service providers based in emerging markets include Cipla BioTec, DM Bio, Genovior Biotech and The Birgi Mefar Group.

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/2243611/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com


The page may have moved, you may have mistyped the address, or followed a bad link.

Visit our homepage, or search for whatever you were looking for
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., April 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sovereign Health, a national behavioral health system, is hosting several continuing education (C.E.) events this month. These courses meet the qualifications for C.E. credits required by the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC).

April 6 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. PDT  Neurobiology and Treatment Considerations in Bipolar Disorder  Sovereign Health of Palm Desert  Keerthy Sunder, M.D., will define neurobiology and functional, symptomatic and syndromal recovery, list evidence based treatment considerations in bipolar disorder ad discuss neuromodulation. To RSVP or for additional information, please contact Greg Silva or call 949-326-4000.

April 13 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. PDT  The Impact of EEG Biofeedback on Trauma and Addiction  Sovereign Health of Los Angeles  Carol Kelson, MFT, Ph.D., will provide an explanation on understanding how the brain is affected by trauma and addiction, defining the dynamics of psychophysiological dysregulation and explaining how neurofeedback works and how it can benefit those with trauma and addiction. To RSVP or for additional information, please contact Mariela Escobar or call 949-324-1280.

April 19 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. PDT  Introduction to the Brain: Physiology and Pharmacology  Sovereign Health Webinar  Andrew B. Thompson, Ph.D., will identify major structures of the brain, describe the physiology of the action potential and discuss the major principles of neuropharmacology. To RSVP or for additional information, please contact Shruti Vashisht or call 888-889-1157.

April 21 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT  Human Trafficking at Your Center  Sovereign Health of Fort Myers  Yaroslaba Garcia, M.S., L.M.H.C., discusses human trafficking and what it looks like, identifies a person who is being trafficked or has survived trafficking and how to recognize and respond appropriately to persons who have been trafficked. To RSVP or for additional information, please contact Keith Vautherot or call 949-426-2939.

April 25 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. PDT  Technology Addiction: How the Science of Addiction Informs Treatment  Sovereign Health of San Clemente  Kenneth Woog, Psy.D., will explain an overview of the science of addiction as defined by the NIDA/NIH, list four major symptoms of internet addiction and list three methods currently used to treat internet addiction. To RSVP or for additional information, please contact Amy Schillander or call 949-276-5553.

About Sovereign Health

Sovereign Health's mission is to provide a broad spectrum of high-quality behavioral health treatment services for adults and adolescents, including support services for family members. One factor that differentiates Sovereign from other treatment providers has been the company's ability to offer separate mental health and addiction or dual diagnosis treatment programs at its facilities. For more information, visit www.sovhealth.com.

SOURCE Sovereign Health

Related Links

http://www.sovhealth.com


DOVER, Del., April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- StorageSeeker.com, the nation's leading online self storage reservation network, is pleased to announce the results of its fifth month of tracking self storage unit rental rates throughout the United States. In March 2017, self storage rental rates turned positive by 0.7% on average nationally after four consecutive months of price decreases. This increase follows a -0.2% storage unit price decline that the Self Storage Rent Index tracked in February 2017.

Find, compare, and reserve self storage near you.

At the local level, there were some cities with larger rental rate changes during the same period, with prices both decreasing and increasing. Below are the Top 10 major cities that saw self storage rent declines or increases across the US in March 2017.

Top 10 Average Self Storage Price Decreases in Major Markets

Baton Rouge, LA -14.3%

Durham, NC -9.8%

Miami, FL -6.0%

Hialeah, FL -4.6%

Bakersfield, CA -3.8%

Cincinnati, OH -3.0%

Somerset, NJ -3.0%

St. Louis, MO -2.5%

York, PA -2.5%

Jersey City, NJ -2.5%

Source: StorageSeeker.com and Sparefoot.com

Top 10 Average Self Storage Price Increases in Major Markets

Plymouth, MA 17.3%

Wheeling, IL 11.6%

Jamaica, NY 8.3%

Pembroke Pines, FL 7.9%

Garland, TX 4.7%

Nashville, TN 4.6%

Lexington, KY 4.4%

Grand Rapids, MI 4.3%

North Las Vegas, NV 4.1%

Salt Lake City, UT 3.6%

Source: StorageSeeker.com and Sparefoot.com

About StorageSeeker.com's Self Storage Rent Index

StorageSeeker.com's Self Storage Rent Index looks at rent changes for same-store units in approximately 3,000 cities around the country to monitor the overall health of the self storage rental industry on both a national and local level. For an expanded view of additional major market self storage unit price changes please see these Top 50 Self Storage Price Changes in March 2017 and for further information about individual cities' market rent changes, please contact us using the below information.

About StorageSeeker.com

StorageSeeker.com is the nation's leading online self storage reservation website with hundreds of thousands of self storage units available to reserve for rent from thousands of self storage facilities across the United States. StorageSeeker.com gives consumers the ability to compare storage prices for different unit sizes and locations while also typically providing discounted rental rates or a move-in special when a unit is reserved online. StorageSeeker.com is based in Dover, Delaware.

To learn more about rent changes in different cities, please visit our self storage blog.

Media Contact

Public Relations Department

Phone: 302.526.0801

Email: [email protected]

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE StorageSeeker.com

Related Links

http://www.StorageSeeker.com


Da Nang International Fireworks Festival 2017, formerly called the Da Nang International Fireworks Competition, will be held for the first time from 30 April to 24 June 2017. The festival with the theme Shining Marble Mountains is expected to attract about two million visitors to Da Nang, Vietnam.

The festival has the participation of eight pyrotechnic teams from the worlds leading countries for fireworks such as Australia, Switzerland, Austria, United Kingdom, Japan, China, Italy and Viet Nam.

Start on 29 April 2017 and end on 24 June 2017 in 5 nights represented for 5 elements of Universes, also the names of 5 peaks of Marble Mountains  the symbol and an tourism attraction of Da Nang city.

The Fire night on 30 April (team Vietnam vs team Austria)

The Earth on night 20 May (team Japan vs team Switzerland)

The Metal night on 27 May (team China vs team Australia)

The Water night on 3 June (team Australia vs team Italy)

The Wood night on 24 June (3 teams in final)

Besides, a series of activities including international food festival, carnival-style atmosphere throughout the city will be held during the festival.

Da Nang is a major port city in Vietnam, and the third largest of all cities in the country. Its a beautiful place to spend time either if youre holidaying there or travelling through Vietnam or the wider South East Asia region, and is within 100km of several stunning UNESCO World Heritage Sites. See the hotel prices in Da Nang.

Tickets for the festival are on sale in Ha Noi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Ninh and Lao Cai with the price from 300,000 - 500,000VND.
NEW YORK, April 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Quintessentially British, lifestyle destination brand The White Company is delighted to announce the opening of its first store in New York City this summer. The first international flagship will sit at 155 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron area of the city and will stock a curated selection of lifestyle, homeware and fashion products across 3,000 square feet. The White Company's expansion into the States follows its acquisition of a US audience, having launched its US e-commerce site in 2014 a main contributor to a record growth year for the company, with operating profits of $21.4 million.

Founded by Chrissie Rucker MBE over 22 years ago, The White Company has become one of the UK's fastest growing multi-channel retailers, topping $229 million turnover, over 1 million customers and more than 50 stores across the UK. The brand is now synonymous with transforming houses into homes, creating impeccably stylish, beautifully designed products  principally in white  with British town and country heritage at its core. The collection encompasses home accessories, such as candles, tableware and vases; beauty  including a recently launched skincare collection  fragrance, bath and body, alongside an impressive clothing range that includes the softest cashmere sweaters, luxurious loungewear and stylish dresses and accessories. A selection of The Little White Company products featuring good quality, affordable white baby clothes and nursery equipment will also be housed in the new store. In less than half a decade, The White Company has become recognized as the lifestyle destination for homeware, clothing and childrenswear.

Chrissie is renowned and celebrated as a leading female entrepreneur, having received an MBE from Her Majesty the Queen in 2010 for outstanding service to the community through her work with The White Company. Her other accolades include: Spears Entrepreneur of The Year Award, The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 league table, Profit Track 100 Best Brand Award and Private Businesswoman of the Year from the Financial Times in 2012. Unable to find well-designed quality bed linen, Chrissie was inspired to create an assortment of essentials for the linen cupboard, including pillowcases, fitted sheets and luxury towels; all in what has now become the iconic 'white' of the brand. Starting as a 12-page mail order brochure, The White Company has become one of the UK's fastest-growing multi-channel retailers and is now considered one of the most successful high-end British brands with a reputation of selling a lifestyle, not simply a product.

http://us.thewhitecompany.com

Contact Emma Harding at Scott Ideas: [email protected] / (+1)7188771787

SOURCE The White Company
DENVER, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The collective North American IPv6 Task Forces announced that Tony Scott, former Federal Chief Information Officer of the United States under President Barack Obama, will speak at this year's North American IPv6 Summit to be held at LinkedIn headquarters in Sunnyvale, CA, April 25-26.

Scott, who currently leads The TonyScottGroup, will address IT Modernization  A Path Forward Leveraging IPv6.

"Tony Scott was instrumental in the acceleration of IPv6 adoption by Federal government agencies that have been instituting standard implementation methodologies and quarterly progress updates," said John Lee, CTO of Internet Associates, sponsor of Scott's speech. "Tony Scott's speech at this year's North American IPv6 Summit should not be missed. It is a great opportunity for network professionals to hear one of the foremost pioneers in cybersecurity and cloud computing."

Spanning decades, Tony Scott's career has found him responsible for groundbreaking information technology developments at global companies. At Marriott, he developed microcomputer based forecasting, labor management and scheduling tools, and later went on to hold executive roles at Sun Microsystems, Price Waterhouse, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. As Chief Information Officer managing corporate-wide IT at The Walt Disney Company, his major accomplishments included upgrading the company's infrastructure, development of enterprise-wide risk management and cybersecurity functions, and insuring company-wide compliance with regulatory and risk issues, including PCI and Sarbanes-Oxley.

Later, as the CIO of Microsoft, Scott was responsible for all aspects of the company's information technology organization, including Microsoft.com and partner-facing websites. He managed internal business application development and support, infrastructure management, IT service delivery, operations risk management for the company, cybersecurity, and technology support for field services. In 2013, Scott joined VMware in Palo Alto California, and was responsible for Global IT, Real Estate and Workplace functions, and Security.

In 2015, Scott was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the third Federal Chief Information Officer of the United States. During his tenure, he improved federal cybersecurity, initiating a 30-day Cybersecurity Sprint and leading the government response to a series of cyber intrusions, eventually successfully launching the President's Cybersecurity National Action Plan.

Today, the TonyScottGroup offers cutting-edge enterprise strategy, advisory services, emerging technology evaluation, and governance assessment in cybersecurity, cloud services, and overall technology management to a variety of organizations.

The IPv6 2017 Summit is being held at LinkedIn headquarters in Sunnyvale, CA, April 25-26. The two-day event, designed to educate network professionals on the current state of IPv6 adoption, will feature a variety of speakers from leading organizations, including LinkedIn, ARIN, Google Fiber, Microsoft, Cisco, Comcast, and others.

About The IPv6 Task Forces

Dedicated to the advancement and adoption of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), the Rocky Mountain, California, Texas and Mexico IPv6 Task Forces work to educate the community on IPv6 and its benefits. As sub-chapters of the North American IPv6 Task Force, these organizations primarily host local IPv6-focused events to promote the use of IPv6 within the North American region. These groups are non-profit/tax-exempt organizations that industry and government can look to for guidance on IPv6 transition information and advice about best practices and solutions involving IPv6. For more information, visit www.RMv6TF.org, www.CAv6TF.org, www.TXv6TF.org, and www.IPv6forum.com.mx .

To attend the conference, register here: REGISTER

Contact:

Scott Hogg

Chairman, Emeritus, Rocky Mountain IPv6 Task Force

Phone: 303-949-4865

Email: [email protected]

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE North American IPv6 Task Forces
NEW YORK, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), also referred as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure repairs the valve without removing the old, damaged valve. Instead, it wedges a replacement valve into the aortic valve's place. Normally valve replacement method requires an open heart procedure with a sternotomy, in which the chest is surgically separated for the treatment.



Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04752140/Transcatheter-aortic-valve-replacement-TAVR-Market-Global-Industry-Analysis-Size-Share-Trends-and-Forecast-.html





Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), also referred as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure repairs the valve without removing the old, damaged valve. Instead, it wedges a replacement valve into the aortic valve's place. Normally valve replacement method requires an open heart procedure with a sternotomy, in which the chest is surgically separated for the treatment. Whereas, the TAVR procedures can be done through very small openings that leave all the chest bones in place.



There are two methods available for TAVR surgical procedure, which includes:

- Entering through the femoral artery (large artery in the groin), called the transfemoral approach, which does not require a surgical incision in the chest.

- A minimally invasive surgical approach with a small incision in the chest and entering through a large artery in the chest or through the tip of the left ventricle (the apex), which is known as the transapical approach.



Recent clinical trials on TAVR devices proved that these devices are non-inferior, and possibly superior, to Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR) within the intermediate risk patient population. These trials were also noteworthy for the low complication rates observed in the TAVR groups. As TVAR's application moves from inoperable and high risk patients to patients who have moderate or lower risk for open heart surgery, the market will expand exponentially in the coming years.



Some of the key driving factors attributing to the growth of this market include increasing number of patients with cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, heart failures and coronary artery diseases. In addition, increasing adoption of minimally invasive procedures over traditional surgical open heart procedures, reduction in hospital stays, low risk of infection, minimal blood loss are further propelling the market. According to World Health Organization (WHO), it has been estimated that the number of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases will increase to 22.2 million by 2030.



The market for TAVR is expected to reach around USD 6.5 billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 21.3% during the forecast period of 2016e to 2022f. However, there are certain restraining factors which could hamper the growth of this market, which includes, high costs associated with the LAVD implantation compared to other therapies available for CVD diseases. A TAVR device costs USD 30,000, which is six times the price of the average surgical valve. In addition, for a hospital to be reimbursed for a TAVR procedure, the patient must be evaluated by a multidisciplinary team that involves multiple cardiac surgeons and interventional cardiologists. However, there are some cost savings compared to surgery, such as shorter length of stay in the hospital.



Geographically, North America is leading contributor to the market and is expected to retain its position during the forecast period. Nonetheless, the market for Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at a faster rate owing to increasing prevalence of CVD diseases, growing awareness about minimally invasive surgical procedures among the population, improving healthcare infrastructure, rise in healthcare spending, and favorable government policies.



Report Highlights:

The report delivers a strategic analysis of the global market for TAVRs and growth forecast for the period from 2016e  2022f. The scope of the report includes competitive analysis of various market players who are operating in the market, segmental analysis based on type of indication. It also covers geographical analysis of the market with growth forecast for the period of 2016e  2022f. The Porter's Five Forces analysis and value chain analysis included in the report provides an insight into market dynamics and industry competition.



The study also provides information for recent merger and acquisition deals happened in the global TAVR market. Moreover, the report also includes growth strategies and entry barriers to be considered to cater to the exact business opportunities in this market. Additionally, to aid in strategic decision making, the report also includes competitive profiling of leading players, recent developments in the industry and various business strategies adopted by them. This report will help players in global TAVR market to plan and implement their strategies in different market areas such as emerging geographies, and new technologies



Companies profiled:

- Edwards Lifesciences Corp.

- Boston Scientific Corp.

- Direct Flow medical, Inc.

- Bracco SpA.

- JenaValve Technology, Inc.

- Medtronic plc

- Meril Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd.

- Jude Medical, Inc.

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04752140/Transcatheter-aortic-valve-replacement-TAVR-Market-Global-Industry-Analysis-Size-Share-Trends-and-Forecast-.html



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



http://www.reportlinker.com

__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

Related Links

http://www.reportlinker.com


IACC, the only association to certify conference and meetings focused venues on a global basis, and Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the leading global association for meeting professionals, have announced a five-year global partnership for the mutual benefit of their members. The two associations will share event and learning platforms, including education delivered at annual conferences, regional events, and online as well as research initiatives.

In the last year IACC has delivered education at European and US MPI events, including more recently at the Southern California Chapter Conference and MPI Philadelphia Area Chapter Education Institute, and the two associations are exploring opportunities for additional MPI chapter events. In addition, MPI presented two workshops at the IACC-Americas Connect conference this week in Los Angeles.

IACCs CEO Mark Cooper commented, The leadership teams at MPI and IACC have been collaborating on several successful initiatives over the last two years and now seems the perfect time to bring all this great work together under one strategy to allow us to seize more opportunities and provide more for our respective members. Just as MPI is passionate about designing great meeting experiences, IACC is passionate about venues delivering an exceptional meetings experience. Its the perfect marriage.

One new project slated to roll out in 2017 will entail MPI conferences streamed live to IACC venues, where MPI members can come together, learn and experience valuable networking. The venues will all be IACC certified and capable of delivering a quality event with live streaming of content, supported by IACC member staff. MPIs 2017 World Education Congress (WEC), which takes place June 19-22 in Las Vegas, will be the first conference featured.

One of our top priorities at MPI is to continuously enrich our portfolio of professional development offerings and this collaboration with IACC will certainly help us deliver more value to our membership community, said Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI. We are especially excited about the opportunity to live stream WEC to members that are unable to make it to the conference this year and in an environment that encompasses peer-to-peer engagement and networking.

MPI will also take part in the next phase of the IACC Meeting Room of the Future research project, which aims to transform the meeting experience through a global collaboration of leaders in conference and meeting space design, technology, hospitality, delegate collaboration, experience and conference management. The first phase surveyed meeting planners including MPI planner members and was published in 2016, and the second phase will focus on the venue buyer community and look to draw parallels with the initial research.

The results will be unveiled at MPIs WEC 2017 this June, with IACC conducting a Research Showcase at the conference. A full copy of the initial report and infographic can be downloaded from the IACC website here.

Alex Cabanas, IACC president and CEO of BENCHMARK, a global hospitality company, comments, This is the perfect project to use as an example of the power of the alliance, as it combines venue innovation and entrepreneurialism with the expertise of meeting industry professionals.

With IACC leading the field in representing the top one percent of small to mid-size meetings focused venues in 25 countries over four continents and MPI representing the largest community of meeting professionals worldwide, this alliance is a natural one and comes following many years of working together.

This is an era where the industry sees a significant increase in the number of part-time meeting planners, who with busy jobs look at professional development a little differently. IACC certified venues, which host smaller conferences and meetings, have a large number of part-time planners booking space and one objective of this alliance is to provide relevant education to this important group.

Additionally, IACC venues consist of many individual and small specialist conference group venues, which MPI and IACC will make more accessible via simple venue search tools on their respective websites.
ALBANY, New York, April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Dominated by Novartis AG, the global transdermal scopolamine market is highly consolidated in nature, states a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR). Novartis alone held 41% of the overall market in 2016. Other two leading players, namely, Baxter International Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline Plc, accounted for a share of 49% in this market the same year. Even though there are a number of small players in this market, the degree of competition within it will remain low over the next few years. The leading partcipants would focus on acquiring small players in a bid to increase consolidation activities, notes the study.

TMR estimates the opportunity in the global market for transdermal scopolamine to increase from US$330.0 mn in 2015 to US$585.3 mn by 2024, proliferating at a CAGR of 6.70% over the period from 2016 to 2024.

Browse Market Research Report @ http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/transdermal-scopolamine-market.html

Supported by High Healthcare Expenditure, North America to Maintain Dominance

In this research report, the worldwide market for transdermal scopolamine is primarily analyzed on the basis of its geographical presence. As per the study, Latin America, North America, the Middle East and Africa, Europe, and Asia Pacific are the primary geographical segments of this market. North America, among these, has emerged as key contributor to this market, thanks to the presence of an advanced healthcare industry. Driven by the high healthcare expenditure and increased usage of transdermal scopolamine in surgeries and post-operative recovery, this regional market is likely to remain dominant throughout the forecast period, rising at a 6.40% CAGR.

Although the North America market will retain its position, the market stagnancy caused by the availably of limited generics is expected to reflect negatively on its growth rate in the near future. Europe, on the other hand, is anticipated to witness a significant rise in its transdermal scopolamine market in the years to come, thanks to the presence of a state-of-art healthcare industry and the rising pool of travelers. Western Europe is projected to surface as the key domestic market in the European market for transdermal scopolamine over the next few years.

Among other regional markets, Asia Pacific is projected to offer lucrative growth opportunities to market players in the near future on the grounds of the rising expenditure on healthcare, infrastructural advancements in the healthcare industry, and the growing focus on community healthcare in developing markets, such as China and India, reports the research study.

Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @ http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=22322

Increasing Awareness Regarding Effectiveness of Transdermal Scopolamine to Drive Demand

The increasing awareness among consumers pertaining to the high efficiency of transdermal scopolamine in treating motion sickness is influencing the global market for transdermal scopolamine substantially, says a TMR analyst. With the increasing number of travelers across the world, the cases of motion sickness are on a rise, reflecting positively on the demand for transdermal scopolamine patches, globally.

Since these patches are also utilized while surgeries to prevent hyper salivation and to speed-up the recovery from post-operative and anesthesia induced vomiting and nausea, the upswing in the number of surgeries performed worldwide is likely to boost the global transdermal scopolamine market considerably over the forecast period. However, the increasing reports of side-effects caused by these patches, such as retarted motion, drowsiness, and diluted pupils, may restrict their usage to some extent in the coming years. Beside this, the enforcement of strict norms and regulations in manufacturing and marketing of transdermal scopolamine patches and products may also hinder the growth of this market over the next few years, states the report.

The study presented here is based on a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR), titled "Transdermal Scopolamine Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024."

Browse Press Release: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/transdermal-scopolamine-market.htm

The global transdermal scopolamine market has been segmented as follows:

By Region

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East and Africa

Browse Related Research Report:

Pharmaceutical Hot Melt Extrusion Market (Product Type - Twin Screw Extruder, Single Screw Extruder, Laboratory Extruder, and RAM Extruder; End User - Research Laboratory, Contract Manufacturing Organization, and Pharma Companies) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pharmaceutical-hot-melt-extrusion-market.html

Cryptococcosis Market (Treatment - Amphotericin B (Amphocin and Fungizone), Flucytosine (Ancobon), Fluconazole (Diflucan), Voriconazole and Surgery Treatment; Distribution Channel - Hospital Pharmacies, Retail Pharmacies, Drug Store, and Mail Order Pharmacies) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/cryptococcosis-market.html

Pharmacologic Stress Agents Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pharmacologic-stress-agents-market.html

About Us:

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S. based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMR's global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.

Contact Us:



Transparency Market Research

90 State Street, Suite 700

Albany, NY 12207

Tel: +1-518-618-1030

USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453

Email: [email protected]



Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Blog: http://www.tmrblog.com/

SOURCE Transparency Market Research
Top digital priorities county gov leaders identified for 2017 include citizen engagement, cybersecurity and the integration of mobile-ready website design. A copy of the new county government eBook, is now available for download at http://info.visioninternet.com/whats-next-in-digital-communications-report-county-2017 .

"With expansive territories and universal service responsibilities, counties are challenged to keep pace with new technologies that enable them to connect with citizens like never before," said Ashley Fruechting, Vision's senior director of marketing. "County leaders take seriously their responsibility to protect and enhance the welfare and safety of their residents."

While counties and municipalities work hand-in-hand on many fronts, Vision found the following key differences in their approach to digital transformation.

1. Citizen Engagement Challenges for County Government

None of the county respondents to the Vision survey rated their agency as "outstanding" in effective citizen engagement. Moreover, 1 in 4 county participants said their agency's efforts to engage citizens were "below average" or "poor."

While county responsibilities vary from state to state, most counties manage justice and public safety systems, foster conditions for economic growth and strengthen infrastructure, which are less visible and immediate than municipal services like city schools, garbage collection and ongoing recreational programs.

"Being farther removed from residents' day-to-day activities makes it harder for counties to establish the kinds of emotional connections required for citizen engagement," Fruechting said.

"Building community engagement takes time, so county leaders can begin by regularly asking residents for opinions on small, everyday issues. They can nurture the habit of engagement by sharing how resident feedback impacts county decisions, and by using blogs and videos to help tell stories better."

2. County Websites are the Hub in the Wheel of Digital Government

For the third straight year, the vast majority of survey participants described their agency website as "integral to their overall communications and public service strategy," with 90 percent of county respondents deeming their websites as either "essential" or "important," compared to 96 percent of municipal respondents.

"Our website is like a calling card for the county," said a county communications director from Arizona.

County officials are aware of the need to continue to evolve and improve their websites, however. Only 24 percent rated their agency website one of their most "highly effective" channels of communications, a number that was comparable to their municipal counterparts. The good news is nearly 3 times that many respondents (71%) believe their websites will be one of their most effective means of communicating with residents in 5 years.

A widespread challenge is still evident as county participants rated how well their websites allow visitors to conduct business online. Only 9 percent gave their website an "outstanding" rating, while 17 percent said their website was "below average" or "poor."

3. Counties Are Slower to Embrace Social Media

Social media was a top area identified by county leaders for expansion or investment in 2017. Seventy-eight percent of county leaders said social media is impacting their operations today, compared to 90 percent for municipal respondents.

A county IT developer from Arizona said, "Social media may be used less often by counties because we have fewer upcoming events and activities to promote. Cities provide services that are closer to home and of more immediate interest to local residents. Also, citizens probably identify themselves more with their city than their county and, as a result, they may follow their city more than their county on social media."

"County leaders are aware that the relationship between citizens and government is evolving," Fruechting said. "The good news from this year's survey is that local leaders are increasingly aware of the innovative tools and technologies now available to help them improve residents' quality of life."

For more information about Vision's transformative technology, or to request a free website review and consultation, please call 888-263-8847 or visit info.visioninternet.com/free-consultation.

About Vision

Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., Vision is a national leader in government website design, development and hosting with more than 700 government, non-profit and education clients in U.S. and Canadian communities with populations that range from less than 1,000 residents to more than 5 million. For more than 20 years, Vision has created cost-effective solutions that increase government efficiency, build transparency and promote interactive communications with citizens. The company's powerful, easy-to-use subscription-based content management system, visionLive, keeps local government websites relevant and effective; and the new visionPulse community engagement platform enables local governments to gather feedback on important issues. For the second year in a row, Vision has been named to Government Technology magazine's GovTech 100, a listing of leading companies developing innovative or disruptive offerings to improve or transform government. The company also was named a top 10 company serving local government by Engaging Local Government Leaders in its 2016 ELGL Choice Awards.

CONTACT:

Lynette Viviani

973-534-1004

[email protected]

SOURCE Vision

Related Links

http://info.visioninternet.com


CHATSWORTH, Calif., April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NEO Tech, a leading provider of manufacturing technology and supply chain solutions for brand name OEMs in the industrial, medical and mil/aero markets, announces that it will showcase its medical device expertise at the BIOMEDevice exhibition. Visit NEO Tech in booth 114 from May 3-4 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in Massachusetts.

NEO Tech's medical segment is focused on designing and building products that improve the patient experience. The company provides a comprehensive set of medical device commercialization services that span product design and manufacturing to repair and refurbishment. Company experts will be available at the exhibition to discuss NEO Tech's abilities to enable high-technology medical OEMs to extend their market position with medical devices, including implantable medical devices, miniaturization and RF and microwave solutions. The NEO Tech solution includes:

Focused centers of medical manufacturing that comply with all requirements for complex medical device manufacturing, test and fulfillment.

Product design services including complete electrical system architecture and design, mechanical design, prototyping and test developmentenabling device OEMs to get products to market faster.

Tailored supply chain architecture to optimize cost, flexibility and risk to each customer's individual needs.

We build, test and fulfill finished medical devices for our OEM customers.

Medical device focused depot repair and refurbishment services.

The event brings the medtech community under one roof with top suppliers, new technology, workshops and a two-day conference. Visitors get hands-on with top products and technologies at hundreds of interactive exhibitor booths. Additionally, BIOMEDevice attendees enhance knowledge and understanding of the latest industry innovations and emerging technologies.

For more information about NEO Tech and/or the products and services that will be highlighted during BIOMEDevice 2017, visit the company's Web site at www.NEOTech.com.

About NEO Tech

NEO Tech combines the strengths of three leading contract manufacturers: NATEL, EPIC, and OnCore. With over 40 years of heritage in electronics manufacturing, NEO Tech focuses on low-medium-volume/high-mix, high-complexity products primarily in the medical, defense/aerospace and industrial markets.

NEO Tech offers full product lifecycle engineering services, manufacturing and testing of microelectronics, cable & harness interconnect products, PCBA, full box build services and aftermarket repair and fulfillment services. The companies that form NEO Tech have been known for solving tough engineering problems that result in high-reliability, high-quality electronic solutions for customers.

Headquartered in Chatsworth, CA, NEO Tech has manufacturing and engineering locations in California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, Mexico, and China. NEO Tech holds and maintains industry specific certifications that include ISO9001, AS9100, ISO13485, ISO/TS16949, ISO14001 and MIL-PRF-38534. To learn more, visit www.NEOTech.com.

Related Links

Steve Heinzen

V.P. Marketing

NEO Tech

510-933-6065

[email protected]

This release was issued through WebWire(R). For more information visit http://www.webwire.com.

SOURCE NEO Tech

Related Links

http://www.NEOTech.com


Candidates for the next Secretary-General of UNWTO should hear this or get out of the race as US court rules LGBT workers protected from discrimination under Civil Rights Act. For the first time, a federal court has extended civil rights protections to LGBT employees under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The LGBT issue has become news as the race for the new SG of the United nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) gets more heated. Some candidates like Zimbabwe and Georgia do not hear the campaign for LGBT rights, but can they today aspire to lead a UN Body.

LGBT as a segment of society needs respect and any future SG of the UNWTO will need to accept this. The press should now formally ask every candidate to pronounce themselves on the matter. It is known that Colombia, Brazil and the Seychelles have more liberal views and endorse the No Discrimination approach.

Seychelles has gone further to make "Tourism for All" their call with Alain St.Ange, the island's candidate actively calling for Tourism without discrimination and citing colour of the skin, gender, women, politics, religion and sexual preferences. He was initially in his campaigned attacked for being white something that sent shockwaves in the UN elections as many countries saw that as distasteful and said that discriminatory attacks could not and should not be tolerated especially when initiated by those aspiring to lead a UN Organisation.

Just days ago World Tourism Wire reported on John Tanzella's statement on IGLTA and the coming UNWTO elections. They said:- High spending LGBT travelers contribute a substantial amount of business to the global travel and tourism industry. John Tanzella, president, and CEO of IGLTA knows this very well. He knows the UNWTO is about to elect a new Secretary General. The new Secretary General will lead this global industry into a new phase. There are seven candidates competing for the highest post.

The only candidate openly supportive to the LGBT community is Alain St. Ange from the Seychelles. During ITB he attended an event with IGLTA and ETOA at the Belgium Embassy in Brussels. The other six candidates did not yet address the issue of gay, lesbian, and transgender travel but discussed in details equality for women and accessible tourism for all. The human right to travel always pops up at UNWTO conferences. Gay and lesbian acts remain illegal in the world, including in a large number of UNWTO member countries. Therefore UNWTO struggles with an official policy on this issue. Last year at World Tourism Day in Bangkok, Mr. Xu Jing, UNWTOs Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific (China), openly voiced UNWTOs support for the LGBT traveler after David Scowsill, President and CEO of WTTC took a lead in including everyone in the tourism for all theme. This happened after eTN publisher Juergen Steinmetz asked the question at a press conference. It is now very clear that a NON-Supportive SG of the UNWTO will end up with lawsuits against the UN Body.

In the US Courts, in an 8-3 decision, the full US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin, also covers discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The case revolved around the meaning of the word sex in Title VII, which the court found to be inseparable from sexual orientation.

It is actually impossible to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation without discriminating on the basis of sex, Chief Judge Diane Wood wrote for the majority. It would require considerable calisthenics to remove the sex from sexual orientation.

To reach their decision, the majority examined decisions made by the Supreme Court over the past 20 years involving employment discrimination and gay rights.

In this case, we have been asked to take a fresh look at our position in light of developments at the Supreme Court extending over two decades. We have done so, and we conclude today that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination, Wood wrote.

The ruling comes from a lawsuit filed by Kimberly Hively, who accused her employer, Ivy Tech Community College, of firing her based on her sexual orientation.

Hively said that the time had come to stop punishing people for being gay, being lesbian, being transgender, in an interview with the Associated Press.

In 2015, Lambda Legal, the LGBT civil rights legal organization that represented Hively, filed an appeal after the Seventh Circuit dismissed her case on the basis that civil rights laws do not protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

This decision is gamechanger for lesbian and gay employees facing discrimination in the workplace and sends a clear message to employers: it is against the law to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, Greg Nevins, Employment Fairness Program Director for Lambda Legal said, according to a press release from the law firm.

Judge Diane Sykes wrote the dissent for the court, calling the decision momentous, while warning about the implications of the courts overreach.

Sykes says that the ruling is not faithful to the text of Title VII, and the law needs to be changed by Congress, rather than the courts.

If Kimberly Hively was denied a job because of her sexual orientation, she was treated unjustly. But Title VII does not provide a remedy for this kind of discrimination. The argument that it should must be addressed to Congress, Sykes wrote.

The decision on Tuesday comes only three weeks after a conflicting decision from the Eleventh Court of Appeals in Atlanta, who ruled that Title VII was not in
VisitBritain has teamed up with American Airlines and British Airways and launched a $3.7 million 'British Famous' campaign featuring British comedian Diane Morgan. In a series of four videos, she attempts to 'make it' in America by transforming herself into what she believes Americans love  a self-help guru, an action star, a hipster foodie and a rock star  while promoting England, Scotland and Wales along the way.

The videos will be released across multiple platforms in the U.S. with the first two, featuring Diane as a self-help guru in Wales & a 'rock star wannabe' in Manchester. See the video below.

The films will drive online traffic to a 'BritishFamous.com' hub filled with destination content from VisitBritain and tactical fares and offers from American Airlines and British Airways, converting the inspiration to visit into bookings.

It is the first time that VisitBritain has partnered with American Airlines, the world's largest carrier, on a marketing campaign of this scale. It is also the first time the three organizations, each contributing $1.25 million to the 'British Famous' campaign, have worked together to promote travel to Britain. As part of their joint business agreement, together, American Airlines and British Airways offer more routes and flights into the UK than any other airline partnership.

Britain is offering great value for U.S. visitors right now. At the end of February 2017, Britain was 13% cheaper for visitors from the U.S. than it was compared to the same month last year, thanks to favorable exchange rates.

The U.S. is Britain's most valuable visitor market, worth more than $3.7 billion annually to the UK economy.

Latest available figures show that there were 2.7 million visits from the U.S. to Britain from January to September 2016, up 3% compared to the same period the year before. Visitors from the U.S. spent $3.1 billion from January to September in 2016 across Britain, up 9% on 2015 figures.

Last year was a record-breaker for overall inbound tourism to the UK with 37.3 million visits, up 3% on 2015 with visitors spending $27.7 billion, matching 2015's record spend.
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
New Delhi, March 31 : Global economic resilience and digitalisation will be among the key areas of focus of the G20 Summit to be held in Hamburg on July 7-8, Andreas Lux, Head of the German G20 Presidency Team Global, said here on Friday.

Speaking at an interactive session organised by the German Embassy here, Lux said that the summit of 20 major economies would aim at ensuring the continuity of key issues facing the group.

He said that for this, Germany was working in close cooperation with its troika partners China and Argentina.

"Previously, resilience in G20 focussed on improving regulation of financial markets," Lux said.

"Now, the German Presidency is aiming at tackling other areas through which resilience of economy may be improved," he stated giving structural reforms as an example.

To build resilience in the global economy, he said the focus areas will be international financial architecture, financial markets, international taxation, trade and investment and employment.

In terms of improving sustainability, the stress will be on shaping digitalisation in the financial sector, climate and energy, the 2030 Agenda of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), health and empowering women.

Lux also highlighted the "Compact with Africa" through which Germany seeks to intensify partnerships with Africa.

"Sustainable development and employment opportunities are key to address poverty and migration in Africa," he stated.

Tackling the causes of human displacement, combating terror-financing and money laundering, fighting corruption and ensuring food security are among the thrust areas of the German Presidency.

Speaking on the occasion, Jayant Narlikar, Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, said that as a member of the G20, India stood for poor countries and developing economies.

Stating that "excellent work" was happening in anti-terrorist financing, Narlikar said India was for universal implementation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) policies.

Among issues of interest for India, he mentioned trade, reforms in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the key role of public investment in climate finance, transfer of clean technologies from advanced economies to developing economies, long-term infrastructure investment and mobility of skilled professionals.

In terms of mobility of professionals, Narlikar said that with most developed countries having aging populations, India has the dividend of youth and was ready to contribute.

Following the presentations by Lux and Narlikar, a panel discussion was also held.
United Nations, April 1 : China's Belt and Road Initiative is a "win-win for everybody" as it connects "hearts" in countries along with the paths, Pakistan's UN ambassador Maleeha Lodhi has said.

Lodhi looks forward to a high-level forum to be hosted by China to boost international cooperation in carrying out the landmark initiative by the world's second-largest economy, she told Xinhua news agency.

The Belt and Road Initiative "is win-win for the whole region", said Lodhi.

She said it is certainly "a cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor", which is part of the initiative.

China plans to host a Belt and Road forum for international cooperation in Beijing this May to brainstorm on interconnected development.

The Belt and Road Initiative, comprising the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, was put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013.

It aims at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa.

"We would like to play a leading role in ensuring regional connectivity, which brings not just people together, but hearts together, because regional connectivity aims to ensure that all people prosper from economic cooperation and trade relations," she said.

Lodhi also stressed that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a good example of the international efforts to carry out the Belt and Road Initiative. India has taken objection to eh CPEC, as portions of it pass through the Pakistan Administerdd Kashmir.

The corridor is a 3,000 km network of roads, railways and pipelines linking Kashgar in Xinjiang region and Pakistan's Gwadar Port.
TripHobo, the worlds largest trip planning website with over 700,000 user generated travel itineraries, announced its results of its study based on the trip plans created by American users on its website over the last six months.

The study reveals geographic, demographic information of its American users and presents where they plan to travel domestically as well as internationally.

Data shows that Americans from the the states of California and Texas traveled the most, followed by those from Florida and New York. Based on the first couple of months, this trend is expected to continue in 2017.

The most active demography in travel planning was 25-34 age group. The millennials are traveling more, planning more of D.I.Y. trips and are also quite experiential in their travel preferences. The age group of 18 to 24 followed with the second largest number of trips. The Millennials are expected to travel more in 2017. Women are as active as men in the trip planning process.

Out of the total trips planned by American travelers on TripHobo, 51% were to international destinations. Canada and Mexico were the most Visited international destinations, followed by Italy. Considering the proximity of Canada and Mexico, these countries also fell in the short-trips radar, increasing their popularity with the American tourists.

Multi-city Trips Galore

Travelers today are seeing and doing more on each trip. 21% of the trips, undertaken by the American travelers were to more than one city and in 2017, the number is estimated to grow.

Rising Popularity of Short Trips

Observing the trend of trips planned by the American travelers, short-trips stood out as the most popular choice. 39% of the total trips were for a duration of 3 to 4 days. This depicts the rising popularity of short-trips and weekend getaways. In 2017, this number is predicted to rise. 48% of the travel was domestic. New York City, Las Vegas and Los Angeles were the top choices in domestic destinations.

Architecture, History and Parks are the Favorites

The most visited attractions were historical landmarks like The Statue of Liberty (NYC), the Colosseum (Italy) and the Sagrada Familia (Spain). Structures exhibiting unique architecture like the Empire State Building and Sky View Observatory were also a preferred choice. These top attractions and points of interest visited by the travelers also helped to deduce the kind of experience the American travelers wish to have. Architecture was the most popular choice of genre, followed by history and leisure. Adventure Theme Parks and National Parks were also preferred.

Budget Hotels Continue to be the Preferred Accommodation, Vacation Rentals are Next

The rising popularity of vacation rentals and B&Bs is visible, but studying the booking pattern shows that budget hotels are still preferred over any other type of accommodation. By the end of 2017, vacation rentals might emerge as the top choice.

Most Visited Destinations within USA

New York City Las Vegas Los Angeles San Francisco Orlando Washington D. C. Seattle Miami New Orleans Chicago San Diego Denver Grand Canyon National Park

Most Visited Attractions in USA

Empire State Building Central Park Statue Of Liberty Santa Monica Pier Fountains Of Bellagio Fremont Street Walt Disney World Washington Monument Sky View Observatory Millennium Park

Most Visited International Destinations

Canada Mexico Italy United Kingdom France Spain Ireland Japan Germany Thailand Greece Netherlands Switzerland

Most Visited Attractions Abroad

Stanley park Chapultepec Castle The London Eye Eiffel Tower Colosseum Grand Canal Sagrada Familia Meiji Jingu Shrine Basilica Di Santa Maria Del Fiore Guinness Storehouse

Source: TripHobo
Ranchi, April 3 : Nearly 700 liquors shops in Jharkhand have been shut in the last one week following a Supreme Court order to close those falling within 500 metres on either side of national or state highways.

"Nearly 700 shops have been ordered to close down. The operation was started on April 1. More than 150 shops have been sealed while hundreds have been issued notices," an Excise Department official told IANS on Monday.

The Supreme Court later clarified that in towns along the highways with a population of 20,000 or less, the distance will be 220 metres.

Many liquors shops in capital Ranchi too have closed, including those on the Albert Ekka roundabout, Ratu Road and other places.

In Jharkhand, sale of liquor by private contractors will end on July 31 since the government has decided to get into liquor sale from August 1 through the Jharkhand Beverage Corp Ltd in a bid to generate more revenue.

More than 800 meat shops too have been shut in Jharkhand after the government ordered the closure of all illegal slaughterhouses. In Ranchi, there are 57 licensed meat shops but not a single legal abattoir.

The Ranchi Municipal Corporation is constructing a slaughterhouse.

The Jharkhand government had given 72 hours to the illegal slaughterhouses to shut while sealing more than 300 illegal abattoirs and meat shops.

"The process to issue licences for meat shops should be eased. In Jharkhand, a majority of such shops sell goat meat only," said shop owner Khalid.
Beijing, April 4 : Beijing on Tuesday criticised Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama for his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, calling him an "anti-China separatist", but stopped short of directly denouncing New Delhi.

"The 14th Dalai Lama is an anti-China separatist who has long lived in exile following a failed armed rebellion by the reactionary group of high-ranking feudal serf owners in Tibet in March 1959," the Chinese Foreign Ministry told Efe news.

"The Chinese government is resolutely opposed to any country's support and facilitation for the 14th Dalai group's anti-China separatist activities," read the statement without alluding directly to India.

Tensions between the two Asian giants have been raised by the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as part of south Tibet.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday that the Tibetan leader had been to Arunachal on six previous occasions, and rejected any controversy that may have been caused due to this visit.

Inclement weather conditions in the area have forced the Dalai Lama to change his itinerary, and the March 5-7 visit to the important Buddhist centre of Tawang has been delayed.

Arunachal Pradesh holds a special significance for the Tibetan leader, as it was the first territory in India he entered while fleeing Chinese troops in 1959 before moving to Dharamsala, where he now resides. He is to attend a major Buddhist event in Tawang.
New Delhi, April 4 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth Rs 36 crore of suspended Chhattisgarh official B.L. Agrawal, who allegedly laundered money through fake bank accounts, an officer said on Tuesday.

Agrawal, an Indian Administrative Service officer then Principal Secretary (Higher Education) in the Chhattisgarh government, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 21 on charge of trying to "settle" a case being probed by the central agency against him.

"ED has attached assets worth Rs 36.09 crore under the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act)," an ED officer told IANS.

The attached property belongs to Agarwal and Raipur-based Prime Ispat Ltd, a compnay owned by his brothers.

According to the Directorate, Agarwal laundered money amassed by him through various fake bank accounts.

With "active connivance of bank officials", Agarwal is alleged to have opened 446 benami bank accounts in the names of villagers in the Union Bank of India, Raipur.

"The cash deposited in the accounts was channelised to shell companies as share application money and thereafter, the shell companies invested the said money as equity at a large premium in Prime Ispat Ltd," said the agency.

"These equity shares belonging to the shell companies were purchased, in the end, by sister concerns of Prime Ispat Ltd, thus leaving the control of the entire tainted money with Babulal Agrawal and his brothers," it said.

The money was also used for investing in factory building, land and machinery and other immovable properties of the company.

The agency said that the funds were moved from the benami bank accounts to 13 shell companies operated by Agrawal, by way of investment.

"In total, the 13 shell companies received investment in its equity to the extent of Rs 39.67 crore," it said.

The ED so far has attached Rs 4.40 crore worth of land, Rs 23.89 crore worth plant and machinery, Rs 7.07 crore worth of factory building as well as a vehicle and residential building belonging to Agarwal.

The CBI had in 2010 registered cases against Agarwal on charges relating to impersonation, cheating and disproportionate assets. The Chhattisgarh Police, too, had registered a disproportionate assets case against him.
Berlin, April 5 : German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier defended the European Union (EU) and criticized those who wished to undermine it as "irresponsible", in a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Steinmeier on Tuesday used his first major foreign policy speech as German President to emphasize the value of the EU and the importance of working hard to ensure its success, Xinhua news agency reported.

Addressing the Brexit, the President said that the slogan of Britain's leave campaign -- "take back control" -- was a "strong slogan", but he insisted that nationalists could not honour it.

Warning of the dangers of populism, the former Foreign Minister said: "It is not only naive, but also irresponsible to fool people. It is irresponsible to let people think that in a world that is becoming more complex, the answers become easier."

His remarks referenced the Brexit debate when he said, "It is irresponsible to say that in this world, a European country alone can make its voice heard or assert its economic interests."

He also said he agreed with former British Cabinet minister Michael Heseltine that Brexit was "the greatest loss of British sovereignty".

To close his speech, Steinmeier switched from German to English, saying his message for his country was: "Yes, we want Europe! We want to build a better Europe, and we want to be a European Germany."
Washington, April 5 : President Donald Trump warned that it is the regulators who are currently running the country's banks, insisting that he will eliminate the "horrible" regulations hampering US job creation and economic progress.

Trump on Tuesday spoke at a White House forum attended by dozens of business leaders to discuss the country's economic climate and how to spur economic and job growth.

"Under Dodd-Frank, the regulators are running the banks," warned Trump, mentioning the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the aim of which is to increase regulation and supervision of the financial system to avoid risk-taking of the kind that led to the 2008 financial crisis, Efe news reported.

The President in February, in a series of executive orders, had launched the process to revoke Dodd-Frank, although it is Congress that actually must eliminate it.

"We're going to do a very major haircut on Dodd-Frank. We want strong restrictions, we want strong regulation. But not regulation that makes it impossible for the banks to loan to people that are going to create jobs," Trump promised.

Regarding his plan to increase investment in infrastructure, Trump noted that he had asked Congress to approve $1 trillion for that purpose, adding that the final figure would be "perhaps even more".

He said that his aim is to provide financing only for infrastructure projects that are ready to be undertaken in the short term.

Projects that cannot be launched within 90 days will not receive any funding, the President said.
United Nations, April 5 : The UN Security Council will hold emergency talks on Wednesday after a suspected chemical attack in Syria left over 50 dead and many wounded, a media report said.

The attack on a rebel-held town brought furious international reaction, with the US and other powers blaming the Syrian government for the deaths, the BBC reported.

Officials in Damascus, however, denied using any such weapons.

The attack will overshadow a conference in the Belgian capital Brussels at which 70 donor nations will discuss aid efforts in Syria, the BBC report said.

Delegates want to step up humanitarian access for thousands of civilians trapped by fighting.

The Syrian Civil War has raged for more than six years with still no political solution in sight.

Nearly five million Syrians have fled the country and more than six million are internally displaced, the UN said. More than 250,000 people have been killed.

Wednesday's emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was called by France and the UK as international outrage mounted over the suspected gas attack on Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province on Tuesday.

Britain's Ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, described it as "very bad news for peace in Syria", the BBC said.

"This is clearly a war crime and I call on the Security Council members who have previously used their vetoes to defend the indefensible to change their course," he told reporters in New York.

Footage from the scene showed civilians, many of them children, choking and foaming at the mouth.

Witnesses said clinics treating the injured were then targeted by air strikes.

UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 58, including 11 children.

It was unable to say what chemical was dropped but pro-opposition groups said it was believed to be the nerve agent Sarin.
Beijing, April 5 : China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng will pay an official visit to Pakistan and Sri Lanka starting Wednesday till Saturday, a media report said.

Yu is the Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

He is set to visit the two countries at the invitation of Pakistani Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani and Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, Xinhua news agency reported.
Athens, April 5 : Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will visit Beijing to take part in the Belt and Road Forum on May 14-15, a media report has said.

The forum calls for international cooperation reviving the Silk Road trade route over land and sea, Xinhua news agency quoted a Tuesday report by the Greek national news agency AMNA.

The visit will be Tsipras' second visit to China in less than a year.

He paid an official visit to Beijing and Shanghai in July 2016, during which the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to deepen bilateral collaboration in many sectors.

According to an announcement from Greece's General Secretariat of Information and Communication, the forum opens on May 14 with a high-level dialogue ensuing on May 15.

There will be a two-session round table discussion and a working lunch at the Yanqi Lake resort in Beijing.

The China-Greek friendship and cooperation improved in particular following China's active support for Greece during its debt crisis.

In 2016, China's Cosco (China Ocean Shipping Group Company) acquired a majority stake in Piraeus Port Authority after having successfully managed to expand part of the port's container terminal in the past seven years.

Piraeus port, Greece's largest port, holds a key role in the Belt and Road Initiative as a main gateway in the European South.
Patna, April 5 : Over 45,000 people have been arrested in a year in Bihar for violating the liquor prohibition law imposed by the Janata Dal-United government.

Bihar has acted tough against those violating the law on total ban on liquor in the state, Excise and Prohibition Minister Abdul Jalil Mastan said on Wednesday.

"At least 45,033 people were arrested for violating the new law and over 44,000 of them were sent to jail during the last one year," Mastan said.

Bihar has witnessed a complete ban on alcohol since April 2016. The ban completes one year on April 5.

According to Mastan, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has repeatedly made clear his commitment to implement a total ban on liquor in the state.

"The concerned law enforcement agencies have been directed to act tough against those violating the law," he said.

According to a state Excise and Prohibition Department official, police have raided 2,18,722 locations and seized over Rs 50 crore liquor, including Rs 41 crore of foreign liquor, in the last one year.

According to a police report, 40,413 cases were registered in connection with the violation of law.

"We have seized 3,13,187 litre of desi liquor, 47,161 litre spirit, 52,53,334 litre foreign liquor, 11,371 litre beer, 628 quintal mahua, and 1,07,320 raw liquor," the report said.

Police said most of those arrested were released on bail. But nearly 5,000 people are still in jail.
New Delhi, April 5 : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday slammed Pakistan's move to declare Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth province and said the whole of Jammu and Kashmir, including areas under Pakistan's occupation, is Indian territory.

The Minister's response came in the Lok Sabha after the issue was raised by Biju Janata Dal member Bhartruhari Mahtab during Zero Hour.

Mahtab questioned the government response to Pakistan's move, and said both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha should pass a resolution to condemn the development.

"The Pakistan government has unilaterally decided to declare Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth province. At the time of Partition, a British political agent in charge of Gilgit and Baltistan allowed Pakistani soldiers to take over the area, even though Indian Constitution recognises Gilgit-Baltistan as an integral part of our country," Mahtab said.

He said the British Parliament had passed a resolution to condemn Islamabad's move, saying the region is part of Jammu and Kashmir, and illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947.

In response, Sushma Swaraj said India rejects Pakistan's move, adding that the government's stand on Jammu and Kashmir being an integral part of India should not be doubted.

"You saw Pakistan's move, but didn't see what we have done. Without losing time, we rejected it, and both the houses of Parliament have said that the entire Jammu and Kashmir, including Pakistan-occupied areas, is ours," the External Affairs Minister said.

"This government has always said that Kashmir, where (Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Shyama Prasad) Mookerjee was martyred, is ours. There should be no doubt," she said.

A Ministry statement last month reacted strongly to Pakistan's move on the Gilgit-Baltistan region, adjacent to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, saying it is "entirely unacceptable".












11-08 17:23
New Delhi, April 5 : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday thanked the doctors at the AIIMS for the recovery of CRPF commandant Chetan Kumar Cheetah who went into deep coma two months ago after sustaining nine gunshot wounds during a gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Fortune favours the brave. Extremely happy to know that 'Cheetah' has made a miraculous recovery. I thank the team of doctors who have helped Chetan Cheetah in his recovery. Hope to see 'Cheetah' back in action soon," the Minister tweeted.

Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Trauma Centre, where Cheetah spent a month in ICU, told IANS that he is fit to be discharged.

"Cheetah has gained consciousness. He is talking. We are planning to discharge him by this (Wednesday) evening," said Dr Amit Gupta, Professor of Trauma Surgery and Critical Care at the centre, adding the recovery was no less than a miracle.

The 45-year-old was initially admitted to a military hospital in Srinagar and later shifted to the AIIMS with multiple wounds on several parts of his body including the head, an eye and stomach.

Cheetah was injured in a gunfight between three suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba militants and a joint team of Central Reserve Police Force, the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police on February 14 morning in Parraypora village, located in Bandipora district's Hajin area.

The operation was conducted after security forces got a tip-off about the militants having holed-up in the village. Eight people -- seven security personnel and one civilian -- were injured in the gunfight.
New Delhi, April 5 : As the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) awaits a reply from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on a letter claiming that some 4G/LTE smartphones slow down network quality owing to sub-standard chipsets, leading smartphone maker Xiaomi has denied any such quality issue with its devices.

In the letter sent to TRAI last week, COAI said that on the basis of tests conducted by individual telecom operators, some 4G/LTE devices, especially those housing MediaTek processors, deteriorated the network quality.

The letter mentioned devices from Lenovo, Xiaomi, Motorola (a Lenovo brand), Oppo, Micromax, Samsung and Intex, among others.

"The analysis in the report specifically points out a degradation in network quality of service (QoS) for handsets that have a MediaTek chipset. All our smartphones are shipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors in India and are optimised for India-specific bands for the most efficient usage of 4G/LTE," a Xiaomi India spokesperson told IANS on Wednesday.

Lenovo, however, refused to comment. Other smartphone makers were given calls which went unanswered.

The devices that went through tests were Lenovo A7000 and K4 Note, Xiaomi Redmi 3S and Note 3, Motorola Moto G4, Oppo A35 and Samsung Galaxy J7, among others.

"TRAI is yet to respond to our letter. Neither has Department of Telecommunications (DoT) got back to us. TRAI has informally asked us to submit some additional information on the testing and indicated that they would like to call an industry meeting to discuss the matter," Rajan S Mathews, Director General, COAI, told IANS.

According to the COAI letter, "it is estimated that MediaTek is present in more than 35 per cent of smartphones in the country".

"It was observed that placing a SIM (which has only 4G/LTE capability) in the number 2 slot (2G-only) significantly deteriorates the throughput of any other operator's 4G SIM present in the main slot, by as much as 40 per cent," the letter further read.

The analysis so far points to a chipset-specific implementation by MediaTek. All the devices that have the MediaTek chipsets are likely to have the issue, it said.

In the letter, COAI urged the authorities to mandate an Over The Air (OTA) update within four weeks' time to fix the issue. "The devices to be taken off the market in case of non-compliance," the letter read.

This suggests that the glitch may be software-related and not a hardware one.

"We have asked the government to ensure that quality phones enter the Indian market and we also want consumers to be careful when they purchase a phone," Mathews told IANS.
Mumbai, April 5 : Amid the ongoing controversy over her arrest, TV and Bollywood actress Rakhi Sawant has called a press conference on Thursday here to clarify the issue.

While the Punjab Police on Tuesday denied Rakhi had been taken into custody following an arrest warrant issued by a court in Ludhiana, her spokesperson said she would surrender. It was not immediately clear where she would do so.

Rakhi has now decided to come in front of the media and answer all the questions.

According to an invite shared by her spokesperson, Rakhi will clarify her stance at the event, to be held at Wows & Flutters Studio at Durga Chambers in Andheri West.

The invite read: "Hi! April 6, 2017, on Thursday at 4:30 p.m., Picture N Kraft, cordially seek your gracious presence where Sunidhi Chauhan will record a song for Rakhi Sawant's upcoming film at 3 p.m. Rakhi Sawant will clarify the air about her arrest by Punjab Police and put all the rumours to rest at 4.30 p.m."

The court in Punjab had issued an arrest warrant after the actress failed to appear before it on March 9 in a case filed against her for allegedly making derogatory remarks against sage Valmiki.

The complainant had accused Rakhi of "hurting the religious sentiments" of the Valmiki community. The case will be next heard on April 10.

Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner of Police Dharuman Nimbale on Tuesday said that a police team which had gone to Mumbai to execute the arrest warrant against Rakhi was returning as it failed to find her at the given address.
New Delhi, April 5 : Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students here on Wednesday continued their protest against the cut in seats for M.Phil and Ph.D courses.

Some 100-120 students shouted slogans against the Human Resource Development Ministry and the Delhi Police.

"There is not much of hope now, but we cannot be stopped from demonstrating our anger," Dileep, a student leader, told IANS.

The curtailing in the seats occurred after the Universtiy Grants Commission order related to faculty-student ratio for research guidance was adopted by the JNU last year.

The order entailed a limitation in the number of Ph.D and M.Phil students who can be taken up for guidance by a faculty member.

The Delhi High Court last month also ruled in favour of the university which had approached it as a consequance of repeated protests by students against the decision.
Chandigarh, April 5 : A person who claimed to be Inspector General (IG) of Police was arrested in Panchkula near here, police said on Wednesday.

Police also impounded his car bearing a Government of India sticker, IRS flag, and number plate with two stars.

"The accused, who is a resident of Sector 15, Panchkula, had purchased five mobile phones worth Rs 1.5 lakh from a mobile shop in Sector 11. He had been threatening the shopkeeper saying he was an IG of Police and refused to pay," said a police spokesman.

The shop owner filed a complaint in Sector 5 police station, and during the investigation, police came to know that the accused was an impersonator, the spokesman said.
Seoul, April 5 : North Korea fired an apparent ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, South Korea's military said on Wednesday.

The launch came hours after US President Donald Trump described North Korea's pursuit of a nuclear arsenal as a "humanity problem" and a senior US official told reporters that the "clock has now run out" on Pyongyang.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul confirmed that the missile was launched from Sinpo, south Hamgyong province in eastern North Korea.

They added that the launch was made from land and not from the sea, ruling out the possibility that it was a ballistic missile launched from a submarine (SLBM), as Pyongyang has launched before from the sea off the coast of Sinpo, where its main centre of development for these projectiles is located.

Wednesday's firing was made as South Korean and US troops were conducting annual military drills that North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal. North Korea often responds to the drills with its own military training and harsh rhetoric.

Two weeks ago, the South Korean and US militaries said they detected what they called a failed North Korean ballistic missile launch.

A White House official also said on Tuesday that "all options are on the table" for the US, though the official would not say what steps Trump was willing to take to curb dictator Kim Jong-un's pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

Seoul and Washington are currently analysing both the missile type and the possible range of the missile launched by Pyongyang, the Yonhap news agency reported, adding that it was most likely a KN-15 medium range ballistic missile.

This latest launch comes just ahead of US President Donald Trump receiving Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida for a meeting which will have North Korea as one of the main topics.

Trump has called on Beijing, Pyongyang's closest ally, to exert more pressure on Kim Jong-un's regime to abandon the development of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.

On March 6, the Pyongyang regime launched four medium-range ballistic missiles, three of which landed in Japan's Special Economic Zone, just 200 km off the archipelago's shores, and two other missile tests since then apparently failed.
New Delhi, April 5 : The AAP on Wednesday sought from the Election Commission the details of the manufacturer of micro-controllers and storage chips used in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Secretary Pankaj Gupta in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Nasim Zaidi thanked the poll panel for accepting the party's proposal "to allow the political parties to examine EVMs with their expert teams".

"Since no official information is available regarding the configuration of EVMs, kindly provide us details (model number/chip number and manufacturer) of the components, micro-controllers, chips used for storage or for any other purpose," Gupta demanded in a letter to the CEC.

The AAP also demanded it be allowed to pick variants of EVMs used to conduct elections, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab state assembly polls.

The party said it should be allowed to choose EVMs "randomly from a strongroom instead of the commission providing us the specific machines, so as not to give a chance for concerns that the machines provided are those specifically prepared for the examination".

AAP Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday challenged the poll panel to hand over the faulty EVM in Madhya Pradesh to the perty for 72 hours as "we have experts who will check if the chip can be rewritten or not".

Kejriwal claimed that the software in the EVM chips can be changed.
New Delhi/Dhaka, April 5 : India and close neighbour Bangladesh are set to ink 35 agreements during the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India beginning Friday, but would the all-important Teesta deal be on the table?

According to Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali, the agreements to be inked when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hasina meet here on April 8 would be related to the establishment of border posts, information exchange, nuclear power, science, technology, electricity, energy and defence. But he declined to reveal if any agreement on sharing of the Teesta river waters, that has been hanging fire for years, would be on the table.

Hasina's visit from April 7 comes seven years after her last bilateral visit to India in January 2010 and almost two years after Modi's visit to Bangladesh in June 2015.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is to join a bilateral meeting between Modi and Hasina during which the issue of the Teesta water sharing and Ganges Barrage project are to be taken up, Bangladesh media said quoting Indian Ministry of External Affairs officials.

Amid speculation of a likely deal on Teesta during Hasina's April 7-10 visit, Banerjee on Wednesday said there is no water in the river.

The West Bengal Chief Minister, whose cooperation is crucial for any river water agreement with Bangladesh, has maintained that she will prioritise her state's interest while deciding on the proposed water sharing treaty.

She has also claimed the Centre has not consulted her over the issue.

"What will I do if there is no water? There is no water in the Teesta," she said on Wednesday.

Banerjee is also scheduled to join a banquet dinner hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee in the honour of Hasina.

Ahead of her keenly-awaited visit, Hasina on Wednesday said that everything between Bangladesh and India would be dealt with maintaining friendly relations, and nothing detrimental to the country would be done.

At an event in Dhaka, Hasina said "vested quarters" had termed the 25 years Friendship Agreement, 1974 between the two nations as an agreement of slavery. But she said, Bangladesh gained more from the agreement including settlement of the land boundary issue.

She said that Bangladesh has been able to resolve the issue of land boundary with India keeping their friendship intact, and in a similar spirit, the issue of their maritime boundary was also settled.

She brushed aside the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party's concerns on the deals to be inked and assured that her government would not sign any deal with India that may harm Bangladesh's interest.

"Loquacious people will talk, but we (Awami League) can never harm our nation," she was quoted as saying at her party office on Wednesday.

Hasina was earlier scheduled to visit India during last December but the visit was postponed as both sides could not agree on dates.

Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar was in Dhaka in February and met the Bangladesh Prime Minister after which it was announced that the visit would take place in April.

Ahead of the announcement of the visit's dates last month, Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla in Dhaka said India attaches "highest importance" to the visit.

Hasina is the head of government of "a neighbouring friendly country with whom we share the longest land boundary. And both land and maritime boundary issues between the two countries have been resolved within a very short time", he said.

India has also started transmitting additional power to Bangladesh and has set up the third Indian internet gateway in Agartala, Tripura, through Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.

Islamist terrorism is also likely to come up for discussion during the summit. With the state of affairs as it is in Pakistan, India would not like to have a similar situation arising in its eastern neighbour where Islamist fervour, particularly of the Wahhabi kind, has been on the rise since 9/11.

Hasina has not hesitated in cracking down on Islamist terrorism in her country.

Sub-regional cooperation is another area that is likely to come up for discussion during the Modi-Hasina summit.

With the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) becoming a virtually ineffective body mainly due to the tensions between India and Pakistan, New Delhi has been giving emphasis to sub-regional groupings within the SAARC and also to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) regional grouping.

Bimstec comprises Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.

In fact, Hasina was among the leaders invited when India hosted the Bimstec Outreach Summit on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit in Goa last year.

With China too cosying up to Bangladesh, New Delhi would like to see that balance of ties in the region is maintained.

President Mukherjee has also invited Hasina to stay at the Rashtrapati Bhavan during the visit.
New Delhi, April 5 : A man has been arrested on charges of cheating people online after obtaining their credit card details, police said on Wednesday.

Police said accused Ashish Kumar Jha of Madhubani in Bihar was arrested on Tuesday night from his Jahangirpuri home in east Delhi.

"Jha obtained confidential details of credit card holders by posing as senior bank executive after telling them their cards had been blocked and he needed the details to unlock the same," Deputy Commissioner of Police Romil Baaniya said.

Sushil Chandra Rastogi of Greater Kailash Part-I had complained to police that a man, later identified as Jha, obtained his details and transferred Rs 1.46 lakh through various e-payment modes, Baaniya said.
Patna, April 5 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday ordered the use of drones to check the quality of road construction in the state.

"Nitish Kumar has ordered officials to use drones to to check quality of road construction. This was decided at a high level review meeting of the rural development department," an official of the Chief Minister's Office said.

Nitish Kumar has asked officials to ensure good quality of road construction, the official said.

In Bihar, complaints of poor quality road construction are frequent and people have been staging protests over it.
Mumbai, April 5 : The Republican Party of India (A), led by Union Minister for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale, is all set to expand its political base in Uttar Pradesh and contest the upcoming Delhi civic elections, a party official said here on Wednesday.

Following the rout of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the recent Uttar Pradesh elections, many office bearers and thousands of its activists are preparing to desert the party and join the RPI (A), claimed the official.

"Athawale will visit Lucknow on Saturday and hold a crucial meeting with over 300 RPI(A) office bearers. A long-term strategy will be chalked out to attract leaders and activists of the BSP and other prominent Dalit parties from each and every village in UP to join our party," he said.

Simultaneously, the RPI(A) has decided to contest 40 seats in the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections for which it has already announced a list of 34 candidates.

Addressing a party leaders' meeting, Athawale alleged that Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party has failed to fulfil any of its promises made during the last assembly elections.

Hence, the RPI(A) has decided to enter the fray to arrest the AAP and eliminate the influence of Mayawati-led BSP from Delhi in the civic elections by contesting 40 seats, he added.

The Mumbai-headquartered RPI(A) is a constituent of the ruling National Democratic Alliance at the Centre, in Maharashtra and in various civic bodies in the state.
Bomdila (Arunachal Pradesh), April 5 : Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday said China has "no right to threaten" India over Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama's movements in Arunachal Pradesh, which, he said, shares a border with "Tibet and not China".

China on Wednesday reacted angrily to the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh and said that by ignoring Beijing's concerns over the issue, New Delhi has caused "serious damage" to bilateral ties.

"Beijing has no right to threaten Delhi on the Dalai Lama's movement within the country as India shares boundary with Tibet and not China," Khandu told IANS.

The 81-year-old Nobel Peace Laureate is on week-long visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims to be part of south Tibet.

"China has no business telling us what to do and what not to do because it is not our next-door neighbour," Khandu stated.

The Chief Minister said the McMahon Line in reality demarcates the boundary between India and Tibet.

The McMahon Line, an imaginary border now known as the Line of Actual Control separates the India-China border, is just 25 kilometres away from Tawang. The Dalai Lama is expected to reach Tawang on April 7 and will be there till April 12.

"Despite the inclement weather, he wanted to reach Tawang, and the people are all there to receive him," said Khandu, who is accompanying the Tibetan spiritual leader, said.

The Dalai Lama had slipped out of Norbulinka, his summer residence in Lhasa, to India via Tawang of the erstwhile North East Frontier Agency in March 17, 1959.

This is the Dalai Lama's seventh visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

His first visit to this mountainous state was in 1983 and the last trip he made was in 2009, which coincided with his 50 years since he crossed through Arunachal Pradesh.

Earlier in the day, the Dalai Lama delivered a public talk in the high school auditorium, where he said intelligence was a necessary component for compassion. He said without first being a better human being, no one can claim to be a true follower of any faith.

"Education is must today as it inculcates a sense of oneness and teaches to forgive and forget the wrongdoings of others and brings positivity. In a truly educated world there will be no hatred, no war and peace will prevail everywhere," he said.

Later in the evening, the Dalai Lama and his entourage were accorded a rousing reception at Thupsung Dhargyelling monastery in Dirang.

People from all walks of life paid their obeisance to him throughout the 40 km stretch of road from Bomdila to Dirang.

The Dalai Lama entered Arunachal Pradesh by road on Tuesday due to inclement weather.
Ahmedabad, April 5 : Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani on Wednesday was in trouble when a Mumbai court issued a non-bailable warrant against him and his business partners in connection with the bouncing of a cheque of Rs 19 lakh issued by his Eva Group of Companies.

According to information available here, the Bhavnagar-based Eva Group, of which Vaghani is a partner, had bought a piece of land for Rs 10.85 crore in Mumbai's upmarket Bandra suburb in an auction in August 2010. The land was originally owned by Stan Rose Steel Ltd, which went into liquidation.

The company then re-sold it a higher premium to Novelty Power Infratech Company, which paid Rs 3 crore as the first instalment. But Novelty Power later cancelled the deal since the Eva Group was taking far too long to get title clearance for the land.

The Eva Group agreed to return the money along with interest and other expenses. But its first cheque of Rs 24 lakh was dishonoured for lack of funds in the account. This payment was the first instalment.

A metropolitan magistrate's court in Bandra issued a warrant against Vaghani and his partners under Sections 138 and 141 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. The Eva group challenged the order in a higher court, which rejected its plea.

After this, the court issued a bailable warrant but the Gujarat Police returned the warrant claiming that the addresses were "untraceable". The Mumbai court now issued a non-bailable warrant and directed the Gujarat Police to go to Bhavnagar to execute the warrant.

But the Gujarat Police again claimed that despite two visits to his addresses on Monday and Sunday, the state BJP chief could not be found. However, Vaghani was available to reporters in Ahmedabad on Wednesday to allege that the case was "politically motivated to give a bad name" to his party.

Meanwhile, state BJP spokesman Bharat Pandya claimed that very next day after the cheque bounced, Vaghani had transferred Rs 19 lakh to the company through RTGS. "But some interested parties had suppressed the facts about his making the payment through RTGS and was misusing the social media to defame Vaghani and the BJP."

Vaghani himself, however, did not say anything about his transferring the money through RTGS.
Mumbai, April 5 : Post-demonetisation, there is a huge potential for India and Britain to become strong partners in the high growth FinTech sector, visiting British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said here on Wednesday.

India has 220 million active SmartPhone users, more than three times the entire population of Britain and India's demonetisation programmes means its financial services sector is undergoing a significant transformation, he said in his address to the UK-India FinTech Conference here.

"New FinTech payment firms, small finance lenders and insurance players are entering the market. These will be crucial in helping the RBI achieve its target of 90 percent of (Indian) population having access to banking services by 2034," Hammond said.

As the world leader in FinTech, Britain couldn't be better placed to help support this target and give more Indians access to crucial financial services than ever before, he added.

On Tuesday, India and Britain announced enhanced collaboration on FinTech which will help forge closer commercial ties between companies and comprehensive links between the regulators on both sides.

This collaboration will benefit ambitious FinTech firms from both countries looking for opportunities to expand their businesses, especially in London and Mumbai where deep pools of expertise and creative energies are available, he noted.

"A deeper partnership between our FinTech sectors will be good for our financial services industries, good for our economies, and good for our consumers in both countries," Hammond pointed out.

It also has an important role to play in the reforms programme developing successfully under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minsiter Arun Jaitley and would be in the interests of both countries to maximise economic collaborations, particularly in innovative FinTech sector, he added.

Dwelling on the existing scenario, he said British companies have invested more in India since 2000 than the US or any other European nation, accounting for 1 in 20 jobs in the organised private sector.

Similarly Indian companies invest more in Britain than in the rest of the Europe Union put together, with groups like Tata among the biggest employers in his country, he said.

Besides, more than 15 Indian banks play a central role in the Britain's vibrant banking community and Britain's financial services firms include some of the biggest names in India across insurance, asset management, FinTech and banking.

With its world-leading strength in the FinTech, Hammond said Britain wants to use it for the benefit of both countries, and India's appetite for investments, particularly infrastructure, can ensure that this desire is fulfilled.
Kolkata, April 5 : For the first time in her six year rule, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday walked out halfway through an administrative meeting in Purulia district, angry over lack of progress in developmental work.

"I have walked out half way through the meeting as the work has not been done properly in the district. I have told the Chief Secretary that I won't be conducting the meeting here unless the work is done properly," Banerjee said after storming out of the venue.

She said the state government had given some instructions to the district administration to complete certain projects for the welfare of the poor people.

"But those haven't been followed properly. I am very strict in these matters. I won't conduct the meeting here if the work is not complete."

The Trinamool supremo, however, did not hold the District Magistrate responsible for the alleged lapses as he has just taken over.

"The DM of the district has just joined. He cannot be held responsible for this," she added.

Terming Banerjee's act as a political stunt, Bharatiya Janata Party national Secretary Rahul Sinha claimed she should walk out of all the district meetings as the progress of work is lagging everywhere.

"If the Chief Minister starts walking out of administrative meetings for the lack of work culture, she has to do the same in district after district because there is no work culture anywhere. It is not as if all the districts are performing extremely well and only Purulia is lagging behind. She should walk out of the administrative meetings in all the districts," he said.

Sinha also described the incident as Banerjee's desperate attempt to change the people's focus as they came out in strength to celebrate Ram Navami in protest against the state government's "communal politics".

"This is nothing but an example of her politics of stunts," Sinha told IANS.

Communist Party of India-Marxist legislative party leader Sujan Chakraborty said Banerjee might have been "upset" with the district officials as she is only habituated in getting affirmative responses from them. He said the Chief Minister has conveyed a message that everyone has to echo her opinions.

"In a meeting she is the only speaker, no body else is allowed to speak. The others are only supposed to greet her and say yes to her commands whether actual work is done or not. She has walked out to communicate that from the next meeting everyone should echo her in the same manner," Chakraborty told IANS.

Since coming to power to 2011, Banerjee has been holding regular administrative meetings in the districts, where she takes stock of development projects and monitors whether welfare schemes have reached the intended beneficiaries. She is known to pull up ministers, district officials, and public representatives for lapses.

However, never in the past has Banerjee walked out of any such meeting midway.
New Delhi, April 5 : German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd MAller met Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday and held discussions in the run-up to the 4th Indo-German inter-governmental consultations in Berlin at the end of May and the G20 Summit in July in Hamburg.

A German embassy release said that during the day-long visit, Muller also visited several projects by civil society organisations supported by the German government. This was the German Minister's third visit to India since 2014.

The release said India and Germany cooperate closely in areas crucial to global development -- particularly in the context of Agenda 2030 (Sustainable Development Goals) and G20.

It said Germany annually commits an average amount of 1 billion Euro (Rs 7,000 crore) to India. "Since last year sustainable urban development is a new focal area of Indo-German cooperation. In this regard Germany supports several Indian initiatives such as Smart Cities, Clean India and Clean Ganga."

The release said a Memorandum of Understanding on a strategic Indo-German partnership on Sustainable Urban Development is envisaged for this year's intergovernmental consultations at end of May.

A major focus of this partnership shall be the development of climate-friendly urban mobility schemes.

Germany and India also cooperate in the field of agricultural innovation.

Ahead of the Minister's visit, an agreement was signed between the Agriculture Ministry and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fAr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in India to develop 'Green Innovation Centres for the Agriculture and Food Sector'.

A cooperation agreement has also been signed between SECI (Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd) and GIZ India regarding German support for the setting-up of photovoltaic rooftops. SECI, the executing agency of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, is tendering out the installation of more than 2.3 Gigawatt photovoltaic rooftops.
Brussels, April 5 : Italy wants the perpetrators of a deadly chemical attack on civilians in northern Syria to be "brought to justice", Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said in Brussels on the sidelines of a conference on the war-wracked Middle Eastern country's future.

"Italy took a very firm line on the necessity of bringing to justice those who are responsible for what are nothing less than war crimes.

"We need to find the way to set up an independent authority that is capable of punishing the perpetrators," he said.

Britain and France requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday amid mounting international outrage over the attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun that allegedly killed 72 people including 20 children.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, a rebel commander and a weapons expert all said the evidence to date pointed to an attack by Syrian government forces - claims denied by Damascus and by Moscow.
Moscow, April 6 : Six people from Central Asia were detained in St Petersburg on suspicion of collaborating with terror organisations including the Islamic State, Russian authorities said.

According to the Investigative Committee of Russia on Wednesday, the suspects were accused of recruiting people for terror groups such as the Islamist former al-Qaida branch Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as the Nusra Front) and the IS, Efe news reported.

The arrests came two days after a deadly terror attack struck the city's metro system, leading to the deaths of 14 persons and leaving scores injured.

Russia's main federal investigative authority said raids had been carried out at the residences of those arrested on Wednesday, during which Islamic extremist material and other documents were found.

Investigators have not said whether the six had any links to Monday's attack, which authorities said was carried out by a Russian citizen of Kyrgyz origin, identified as Akbarzhon Jalilov.

The 22-year-old Jalilov, who worked at a garage in St. Petersburg, was born in the Central American country of Kyrgyzstan, but obtained Russian nationality in 2011.

Jalilov allegedly detonated an explosive on the city's metro between the central Sennaya Square and Tekhnologichesky Institut stations.

Criminal investigators found traces of his DNA on an explosive suitcase that had been left behind in the Ploschad Vosstania station, which was deactivated by police before it could be detonated.
Geneva, April 6 : The World Health Organisation (WHO) condemned the alleged use of chemical weapons in the Syria attack, saying that it was "alarmed" at the use of toxic chemicals as a weapon in the war-torn Middle Eastern country.

"The images and reports coming from Idlib today leave me shocked, saddened and outraged," Xinhua news agency quoted Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme Peter Salama as saying in a statement.

"These types of weapons are banned by international law because they represent an intolerable barbarism," he added.

Located in southern rural Idlib, rebel-held Khan Shikhoun was reportedly struck by toxic chemicals in an attack on Tuesday which killed least 70 people and wounded hundreds more.

WHO warned that the capacity of hospitals in the area to cater to the needs of the wounded was limited amid shortages of medicines and damaged infrastructure.

The Geneva-based organisation said it had sent critical drugs to health care services in the area and that Turkey-based experts were providing advice on how best to diagnose and treat affected patients.
New Delhi : Tehran/Paris, April 6 (Xinhua) Iran strongly condemned the recent use of chemical weapons in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province, while France urged international community to take swift action, media reports said.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi offered his condolences and said: "We strongly condemn any use of chemical weapons regardless of its perpetrators and victims."

"This painful disaster" is not the first case of using chemical weapons in the Syrian crisis, Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying, adding that adopting double-standard stances toward the issue will hamper efforts to address such disasters.

French President Francois Hollande urged international community to take swift action against the alleged use of fatal gas, which he described as "a war crime", Xinhua news agency reported.

Hollande on Tuesday accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of being responsible for an alleged gas attack in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province.

However, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the Syrian army doesn't have any kind of chemical weapons.

On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry also said the deadly gas contamination in Idlib was caused by the explosion of chemical weapons produced by the rebels.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based NGO, said 58 people were killed and tens of others wounded by the gas attack in the rebel-held Idlib on Tuesday.
London, April 6 : Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a mass service at Westminster Abbey in memory of the victims of the recent terror attack in London.

Prince William, his brother, Prince Harry, and his spouse Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge on Wednesday, joined nearly 2,000 attendees to pay tribute to the people who died when Khalid Masood rammed a vehicle into pedestrians and later stabbed a police officer outside Westminster Palace on March 22.

The attack left five dead, including the assailant, and 50 injured, Efe news reported.

Masood was shot and killed after murdering three pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and then mortally wounding police constable Keith Palmer with a knife while he was on duty outside Westminster.

Alongside the members of the British Royal Family stood the British Home Secretary Amber Rudd, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, and the acting Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police Craig Mackey.
ProsperWorks (http://www.prosperworks.com), the #1 recommended CRM solution for Google, has been named Best CRM Vendor to Work For in terms of workplace culture. The research, published by Discover CRM and based on publicly available data from jobs and recruiting site Glassdoor, ranks 10 different sales technology vendors in terms of overall employee satisfaction. It also examines performance across workplace culture and values, work/life balance and how likely employees are to recommend their employer to a friend.

ProsperWorks placed first among all 10 vendors with perfect scores in three out of four categories: Overall Ranking, Culture and Values, and Recommended to a Friend.

From day one, weve focused on making ProsperWorks a company where innovation is embraced, and weve hired a great group of people who share our excitement, said ProsperWorks CEO and cofounder Jon Lee. So much of creating a great company culture starts with architecting a community of passionate professionals who love what they do and are constantly striving to achieve more.

Values like open communication, transparency and performance are pillars of ProsperWorks company culture. The company honors team members for their dedication and contributions and promotes community and wellness through frequent team outings and celebrations that bring everyone together. Employees often cite flexible working hours, enthusiasm for ProsperWorks product and potential for growth as some of the key reasons why they love working for the company.

Employees that work in an innovative, supportive environment tend to create great products  and we can certainly see this correlation in the outcomes of our research, said Discover CRM editor Kathryn Beeson. Were excited to recognize the CRM technology companies that go out of their way to provide a welcoming and exciting environment in which to work, and are rewarded with industry leader status in return.

About ProsperWorks

ProsperWorks is the #1 CRM for G Suite (formerly Google Apps for Work). ProsperWorks helps companies sell more with a CRM thats simple to use, deeply integrated with G Suite and automated to eliminate tedious data entry. Founded by entrepreneurs Jon Lee and Kelly Cheng, ProsperWorks is based in San Francisco, has more than 75,000 customers and 120 employees, and raised $34 million in venture capital financing.

For more information, visit http://www.prosperworks.com.

About Discover CRM

Discover CRM is an online publication which caters to professionals across the sales, marketing and customer services industries. It provides product and industry news, alongside whitepapers and how-to guides for sales professionals looking for advice on selecting, implementing and running CRM tools.
Random Forest Capital (http://www.randomforest.io) completed its seed round in January 2017 with $1.75 million led by a very impressive group of angel investors. The money will be used to build out its full stack software and machine learning algorithms and acquire strategic talent for helping institutional investors find the right opportunities in consumer, residential, and commercial credit.

There are 400+ platforms that originate many types of secured & unsecured debt, said Kevin Farrelly, chief operating officer, general partner, and co-founder of Random Forest Capital. We can analyze a massive amount of data from those platforms in seconds whereas a human analyst will take days to weeks. The need for human analysts is shrinking.

Random Forest Capital uses machine learning algorithms and third-party systems with APIs to source investment opportunities from eight platforms (and growing). Their custom algorithms then price the risk and can execute in microseconds.

Loan originators make money originating loans  so its in their best interest to bucket all the loans together. Our goal is to preserve investor capital. These competing interests create a fundamental divide where alpha in marketplace lending is easily found, said Austin Trombley, chief technology officer and co-founder of Random Forest Capital. Who knows which platforms will survive? A healthy portfolio is diversified across all asset classes. Our platform-agnostic solution protects our investors and helps them diversify.

Random Forest Capital recently added two new members to its expert leadership team.

Julie Choi, Ph.D. has been named the chief risk officer. Choi started her career as a quantitative analyst at Deutsche Bank in New York City. She also served as a portfolio manager for Millennium Partners running systematic, statistically-driven trading strategies. Most recently, Choi worked at Cubist Systematic Strategies deploying computer-driven trading strategies across multiple asset classes. She earned her Ph.D. in Computational Mathematics with a minor in Statistics from Stanford University.

Carl Siemon, Ph.D. has been named the principle data scientist for Random Forest Capital. Siemon is a Physics Ph.D. graduate from UT Austin where he was supported by the prestigious National Defense Science and Engineering Fellowship. He was the first physicist in the world to successfully tackle a research problem alone that better funded and more renowned research groups attempted and failed to solve properly. After graduate school, Siemon joined Gainsight, where he excelled as a lead data scientist and built the companys custom predictive models.

Trombley ran the data strategy for one of the largest P2P platforms for two years and has extensive knowledge of marketplace lending and big data. Farrelly has more than 10 years experience in capital markets and software and holds a BSBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Richmond.

Random Forest Capital offers a more sophisticated, intelligent way to invest in secured residential, commercial & unsecured consumer debt. The company is launching its first fund in May.

About Random Capital Forest

Based in San Francisco, California, Random Forest Capital is a platform-agnostic software company that incorporates a variety of machine learning algorithms and APIs for data collection and analysis. Focused on building an efficient asset management company with lower fees and better investment opportunities, the company is poised to create a niche for itself in alternative credit.

Media Contact:

Kevin Farrelly, COO

Random Forest Capital

kevin(at)randomforest(dot)io
We continue to deploy BridgeWave systems because they are the fastest and most reliable short-haul backhaul systems on the market.

BridgeWave Communications, a market leader and pioneer in wireless backhaul systems, today announced that one of New Jerseys public universities is using the BridgeWave Flex4G-3000 system for fiber-quality interdepartmental connectivity between its main campus and a new building located across train tracks owned by an active mass transit rail line. The University will ultimately use fiber to connect the new facility with the main campus, but the permitting and construction processes for an active fiber connection takes time, and the university needed connectivity immediately. The Flex4G-3000 system, deployed by BridgeWave platinum partner New Jersey Business Systems, started delivering multi-gigabit connectivity within one week and will someday serve as the backup system to fiber after it is deployed.

We continue to deploy BridgeWave systems because they are the fastest and most reliable short-haul backhaul systems on the market, said Mike Bolling, executive vice president, New Jersey Business Systems. New Jersey Business Systems has served the public sector for almost 50 years, and our customers trust our technical expertise and objectivity when it comes to recommending wireless systems that offer the highest performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness for their network infrastructures.

New Jersey Business Systems, a BridgeWave platinum partner, was founded in 1968 and has been providing technology solutions to the public sector since 1987. They have a highly trained staff of engineers and installers who provide site surveys, in house tower climbing, and emergency response services, and they are a State of New Jersey contractor for Contract T2156  Wireless Devices and Services.

The Flex4G-3000 delivers up to 3.2Gbps full-duplex data throughput in a single, zero-footprint all-outdoor solution to provide public and private network operators with an ultra-high capacity backhaul system that quickly and easily scales from 1Gbps to 6.4Gbps (2+0 configuration) to meet future bandwidth requirements. With its unique capability of aggregating different traffic types, the FL4G-3000 provides interfaces for both backhaul and front haul connectivity.

"Our Flex4G line of multi-gigabit backhaul systems enables rapid network extension to off-campus locations for a one-time cost thats far less expensive than the high construction costs of new fiber or leasing fiber lines, said Pamela Valentine, vice president of marketing, BridgeWave Communications. In the case of this deployment, New Jersey Business Systems was able to rapidly deliver fiber-quality connectivity to the university and ensure they have a robust backup to fiber when the fiber is ultimately deployed.

BridgeWave offers a wide portfolio of solutions from 1Gbps to 10Gbps to address the diverse applications and price points in the market. FL4G products have been designed with the same antennas, form factors, and common feature implementation, allowing customers to upgrade from lower capacity to higher capacity radios with minimal disruption to the network equipment through BridgeWaves upgrade program. BridgeWave radios support 60GHz, 70/80GHz, and 6-42GHz frequency bands, and all BridgeWave radios have been designed specifically to boost network capacity and ease network expansion. In the coming months, BridgeWave will announce two more products that are feature-rich, and deliver ultra-high capacity at remarkable price points. The first is a high capacity licensed microwave system with unique features enabling faster ROI to operators, and the next is an 80GHz system which will deliver 10Gbps capacity for true fiber replacement, along with unique technology to significantly improve bandwidth utilization.

About New Jersey Business Systems

New Jersey Business Systems, Inc. (NJBS) was founded in 1968 and has been providing technology solutions to the public sector since 1987 and has led to a unique insight and understanding of the government procurement processes. The companys strength is built on a solid foundation of technical excellence and a growing base of long term, satisfied customers. To accomplish this, NJBS keeps pace with the ever-changing advances in technology with a staff of certified professionals. For more information, visit http://www.njbs.com/.

About BridgeWave

BridgeWave Communications provides high-capacity microwave and millimeter wave backhaul and wireless connectivity solutions to operators, carriers, service providers, governments, and private enterprises. With over 30,000 systems deployed in more than 60 countries, the companys innovative solutions have been entrusted by customers to enable highly reliable and secure, high-capacity, gigabit connectivity while reducing operating costs relative to fiber. Founded in 1999, BridgeWave is headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information, visit http://www.bridgewave.com/.
City Floor Supply (CFS), the nations leading hardwood flooring distributor, has teamed with the National Wood Floor Association (NWFA), the industrys preeminent not-for-profit trade association, to offer Intermediate Installation Training to flooring contractors. The flooring distributor will host the training workshop at their North American headquarters in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania from April 25-27. Seating is limited  click here to register.

The Intermediate Installation course is a three-day training workshop that covers a variety of topics and offers contractors an opportunity to gain hands-on experience at an intermediate level. Contractors will sharpen their installation skills and learn more about jobsite evaluation and preparation, installation techniques, safety, and flooring repairs. They will also will learn how to install both unfinished and prefinished solid and engineered wood floors, and will work with nail-down, glue-down, and floating floors.

In order to attend the Intermediate Installation Training, floor contractors must have a minimum of 1 years experience installing wood floors, or have successfully completed the Principles of Wood Flooring school. Upon successful completion of the 3-day Intermediate Installation Training, contractors will earn 3 CCUs.

Installation Certification Testing will also be available on Friday, April 28. To become a Certified NWFA Installer, contractors must have a minimum of 3-years experience in wood flooring installation and have successfully completed the Intermediate, Advanced or Expert level Installation Training or NWFA Installation Certification School or approved manufacturer school. More information on eligibility requirements can be found on the NWFAs website.

According to Mike Glavin, Founder of City Floor Supply, We are excited to once again partner with the National Wood Floor Association to offer training at our facility. The NWFA is well known for the quality of their educational programs, and the Intermediate Installation course is no exception. This training course was designed so contractors can take their skills and career to the next level, and we are thrilled to be able to help make that happen!

Intermediate Installation Training will be held April 25-27 at City Floor Supply located at 555 East Church Road in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Class will be held from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM each day. Lunch will be served.

The registration fee is $649 for NWFA members or $749 for non-members.

For more information or to register, call 800-737-1786 or visit the NWFAs website.

###

About City Floor Supply (CFS)

City Floor Supply (CFS) is a leading provider of unfinished and prefinished hardwood flooring and accessories including stains, finishes, abrasives, flooring tools, and sanding equipment. Family owned and operated, CFS has been serving hardwood flooring contractors for more than 25 years and provides the expertise needed to install and maintain hardwood floors.

The company offers all the top name manufactures including, Aacer, Century, Norton, Lagler, 3M, Clarke, Bona, Basic, Primatech, Bostick, and more. The companys in-house resources include a top-ranked Machine Repair Center, Rental Center, In-house Chemist, and Gym Floor and Wood Floor Consultants. CFS educates customers via personalized service, online training materials, videos, and free events. Visit the CFS showroom in King of Prussia, PA or shop online at http://www.cityfloorsupply.com.

CFS is active on Facebook and Twitter. For product information and training videos, visit the companys YouTube channel or Blog. For media inquiries, contact Caran Baxter at caran.baxter@cityfloorsupply.com or call 610-940-5757.

About NWFA

The National Wood Flooring Association is a not-for-profit trade organization, with more than 2,650 member companies world-wide, dedicated to educating consumers, architects, designers, specifiers and builders in the uses and benefits of wood flooring. NWFA members receive the best in educational training, benefits, technical resources and networking, to advance their professionalism and success. The NWFA is located at 111 Chesterfield Industrial Boulevard, Chesterfield, MO 63005, and can be contacted at 800.422.4556 (USA & Canada), 636.519.9663 (local and international), or on-line at http://www.nwfa.org.
This hotel has always been one of our most highly-rated properties in Japan, and we are delighted that it has now become Asias first operational BW Premier Collection hotel, said Olivier Berrivin, Managing Director of International Operations - Asia.

Best Western Hotels & Resorts has launched in Japan its newest upscale brand, BW Premier Collection.

The former Best Western Premier Hotel Nagasaki has been delighting guests for years with its impressive array of upscale amenities, from high-end restaurants and bars to international-standard conference facilities. And it has now decided to enhance its reputation even further by joining the desirable BW Premier Collection.

On March 15, 2017, the hotel re-launched as the BW Premier Collection Hotel Nagasaki, making it the brands first location in Japan and the first operational BW Premier Collection property in Asia.

The hotel will still be available for booking via all of Best Westerns distribution channels, and members of Best Western Rewards, the companys popular loyalty program, will continue to earn points on their stays. In fact, the only changes guests will notice are new branding and elevated levels of service and comfort.

This hotel has always been one of our most highly-rated properties in Japan, and we are delighted that it has now become Asias first operational BW Premier Collection hotel, said Olivier Berrivin, Best Westerns Managing Director of International Operations - Asia.

The hotels strong local identity, excellent location and extensive collection of facilities make it a perfect fit for the BW Premier Collection - our curated global selection of upscale hotels. The new branding will elevate this already exceptional hotel to a new level and cement its reputation as one of Nagasakis leading hotels, Olivier added.

A landmark on the Nagasaki skyline, BW Premier Collection Hotel Nagasaki is perfectly positioned in the Japanese citys downtown area. The 181 rooms and suites are bright, modern and well-equipped, with all guests being offered complimentary Wi-Fi. A major destination for conferences and events, the hotel features eight banqueting halls - perfect for all types of function, from corporate conventions to social soirees. And there is even a wedding chapel for the perfect big day.

Guests can unwind in the hotels serene spa and enjoy an array of different cuisines at the hotels F&B outlets, including international, Japanese and American restaurants, a lively bar and cosmopolitan coffee shop.

Officially launched in 2014, BW Premier Collection is a selection of independent upscale hotels in 59 locations around the world, including San Francisco, New York, New Orleans, Vancouver, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, Edinburgh and Liverpool. Best Western also recently announced the signing of a brand new BW Premier Collection in the popular Thai beach resort of Pattaya.

# # #

About Best Western Hotels & Resorts:

Best Western Hotels & Resorts headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, is a privately held hotel brand with a global network of 4,200* hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Best Western offers seven hotel brands to suit the needs of developers and guests in every market: Best Western, Best Western Plus, Best Western Premier, Executive Residency by Best Western, Vib, BW Premier Collection and GLo. Now celebrating more than 70 years of hospitality, Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales and marketing support, and award-winning online and mobile booking capabilities. Best Western continues to set industry records regarding awards and accolades, including nearly sixty percent of the brands North American hotels earning a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence award in 2016, Business Travel News ranking Best Western Plus and Best Western in the top three upper-mid-price and mid-price hotel brands for three years in a row, and Best Western receiving five consecutive Dynatrace Best of the Web gold awards for best hotel website. Best Western has also won eight AAA/CAA Lodging Partner of the Year awards, recognizing the brands commitment to providing exceptional service and great value to AAAs 56 million members in the U.S. and Canada. Nearly 30 million travelers are members of the brands award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western hotel worldwide. Best Westerns partnerships with AAA/CAA and Harley-Davidson provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. Through its partnership with Google Street View, Best Western is the first major company of its size and scale to launch a virtual reality experience for customers, setting a new industry standard and reinventing how guests view hotels.


Gatsby is exclusive, no one with a criminal history can have a dating profile on our platform.

With over 40 million Americans utilizing online dating, finding someone new can be incredibly easy and scary at the same time. News articles from around the world have cited crimes linked to online dating are up seven fold. Gatsbys mission is simple. Their users security and privacy is their primary focus.

Gatsby users are able to sign up like any other social discovery app. Look through users profiles, message one another if there is a match, basically everything weve grown accustom to. The real magic happens under the hood with big data. Gatsby has a treasure trove of public data records exceeding several billion. These data records are what fuel Gatsby's high risk algorithms.

Every single user is compared against criminal and sex offender records. If there is a criminal match, that user is banned for life. These high risk algorithms were originally developed with their initial offering, Friend Verifier.

Gatsby is 5 years in the making. said Joe Penora CEO and founder. When we launched our first app Friend Verifier in 2012, we started the conversation. Now with Gatsby we are utilizing what we've learned. Creating a platform which will quickly become the industry standard for user security. Today we launch a safer way to meet people.

Background checks are expensive and time consuming just to verify every potential match. This makes it highly unlikely a person would even run a background check, putting themselves at risk. However if they did, it could cost them several hundred to several thousand dollars per year. Gatsby is moving the dating industry forward. With their advanced algorithms users no longer have to weigh personal security over their financial stability.

Unlike most technology startups, Gatsby is self-funded and was developed in stealth mode. The online dating space is extremely cluttered. There seems to be a new dating app launched every month. Each new offering might have a different spin on online dating. Yet none have addressed the 800 pound gorilla in the room. User security should be the foremost concern and Gatsby addresses this head on. said Joe Penora.

The biggest hinderance to online dating is feeling safe. If the Gatsby team is to have their way online daters now have a platform they can join with peace of mind. The Gatsby mobile app is completely free and is currently only available in the United States and in the Apple app store. An Android app is planned for later in the year.

iTunes Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gatsby-dating-without-the-baggage/id1106324594?mt=8
Alamosa County joins the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System Alamosa County invites all local vendors to visit www.BidNetDirect.com/colorado and register to receive access to its upcoming solicitations.

Alamosa County has officially joined the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System, one of BidNets regional e-procurment solutions, providing vendors throughout Colorado easy online access its upcoming solicitations. Alamosa County invites all vendors to register online at http://www.BidNetDirect.com/colorado.

The regional purchasing group connects local governments with vendors looking to do business with public agencies. On the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System, vendors seeking business with 188 participating agencies can register online to gain access to a single point of entry for opportunities throughout Colorado. By posting upcoming bids and RFPs on the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System, Alamosa County ensures an entire community of vendors can view their solicitation, download documents, and receive notification of addenda. The vendors self-register and ensure their contact information is up to date.

Because we arent the only agency posting and distributing bids, the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System provides Alamosa County more vendor competition, which we hope will help cut costs. said Belina Ramirez, Administrative Assistant to the County Administrator of Alamosa County when asked why their department decided to join the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System. We also like that it can help our current vendors expand their business opportunities.

Alamosa County invites all local vendors to visit http://www.BidNetDirect.com/colorado and register to receive access to its upcoming solicitations as well as the upcoming bids and RFPs from 189 other public agencies participating on the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System. Registered vendors have the option to upgrade their service to receive customized bid alerts, notification of term contract expiration, and notification of a real-time addendum.

About Alamosa County:

Our thriving community is home to over 15,000 residents. Alamosa is the commercial hub of the San Luis Valley and the gateway to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Equipped with prime agricultural land, innovative businesses in energy, industry, cultural heritage, and transportation, Alamosa County residents and visitors also enjoy access to some of Colorado's best wilderness and outdoor recreation. Our climate is perfect for the agricultural production of barley, potatoes, alfalfa, and with 350+ days of sunshine a year, we are one of the most productive locations for solar power plants in the U.S.

About Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System:

Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System is a part of BidNets regional purchasing groups available at no cost to local government agencies. With years of input from Procurement Professionals, BidNet specifically developed the bid system to fill the need for a robust bid and supplier management solution for local government agencies. BidNet runs regional purchasing groups throughout the country used by nearly 1,100 local government agencies. To learn more about the features and module available to government agencies, please visit http://www.SourceSuite.com.
The New England Center for Children's CDC is a first step for students to learn about various jobs, discover preferences for work, practice skills, and gain confidence, said Julie Weiss, Director of Vocational Services.

For students like Chris who have autism, transitioning from school to the workforce can be a daunting task. Young men and women with autism often face challenges with social and vocational skills that can prohibit them from entering the workplace.

The New England Center for Children (NECC), a global leader in education and research for children with autism, helps prepare their students for the workplace with a comprehensive Vocational Training program.

Vocational skill development begins at age 14, in accordance with Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and state labor laws, and includes up to 4 hours per week of vocational exploration within the school, often starting within NECCs on-site Career Development Center (CDC).

The CDC is a first step for students to learn about various jobs, discover preferences for work, practice skills, and gain confidence, said Julie Weiss, Director of Vocational Services.

As students age, the amount of time spent on vocational training increases, as does paid and volunteer work. The goal is to both advance their skill set and develop work endurance. Students may work in the community or within the school including serving in the cafeteria, working at the staff copy center, delivering mail, staffing the student store, and re-shelving books in the library.

Around age 18, when the transition to adulthood is not far off at age 22, the Vocational Training program focuses on developing adult career goals and securing long-term paid employment.

Chris, a student at NECC, has always loved cars. When Chris began vocational training, his attention to detail was clearly a strength. He enjoyed doing a job where he could see the result of his hard work.

Today he works at J. White Automotive in Framingham, a busy auto service and restoration shop. During his shift, Chris washes the automobiles and learns additional job-related skills. He has been employed by J. Whites Automotive for almost a year.

Chris loves cars and is a dedicated, conscientious worker. He always has a smile and lights up a room. He is learning to detail automobiles, a useful vocational skill that will help Chris secure future work, said Shirley Warren, co-owner of J. Whites Automotive. We are big supporters of The New England Center for Children and believe that kids with autism should be given opportunities to train and work.

What types of paid jobs do students train for and work at? Quite a variety. Jennifer was a cafe attendant at Starbucks and loves her coffee. Honghui was a grocery assistant at Whole Foods and Jamal, a clothes folder at TJ Maxx.

Recognizing the Value of Employees with Autism

Many progressive employers in Massachusetts are working with NECC to provide training and job opportunities for young men and women with autism. These include:



Walgreens

TJ Maxx

Whole Foods

Sun Life Financial

Starbucks

Encompass Fitness

J. White Automotive

Framingham Public Library

Worcester County Food Bank

Community Harvest Project

Beaumont Nursing Centers

Milford Senior Center

Buddy Dog Humane Society

Kitty City of Pet World

MetroWest Humane Society

St. Annes Food Pantry/Thrift Shop

Northborough Free Public Library

MetroWest Home Care and Hospice

Ashland Thrift Store

Disseminating Their Knowledge

In addition to supporting student development at NECC, the organization is steadfast in sharing their knowledge of best-in-practice autism education programs. In May, Weiss and Julie LeBlanc, Vocational Specialist, will present a workshop titled From the classroom to the workforce: Teaching vocational skills to individuals with an autism spectrum disorder at ABAIs 43rd Annual Convention in Denver.

Seeking Employers Dedicated to Diversity

NECC has 140 students over the age of 14 who are ready to begin planning for their career and developing skills related to employment. NECC invites employers in Massachusetts to participate in NECCs Vocational Services program. Please contact Julie Weiss, Director of Vocational Services, (508) 481-1015 x3193, jweiss@necc.org.

About The New England Center for Children

The New England Center for Children (NECC) is a world leader in education, research, and technology for children with autism. For more than 40 years, our community of teachers, researchers and clinicians have been transforming lives and offering hope to children with autism and their families. NECCs award-winning services include home-based, day, and residential programs; public school partnerships and consulting; the John and Diane Kim Autism Institute; and the ACE ABA Software System used by more than 4,620 students in 24 states and nine countries. NECC received the 2017 Award for International Dissemination of Behavior Analysis from the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis (SABA). A 501c3 non-profit, The New England Center for Children is based in Southborough, MA, and also operates a center in Abu Dhabi, UAE. More information is available at http://www.necc.org.

###

Due to confidentiality laws, real student names are not used.
Our employees have worked passionately and diligently to make this exciting technology a reality and the market response weve gotten is a direct reflection of their effort and vision.

Ultimus, Inc., developer of Composed Process Solutions and Adaptive BPM Suite software, announced its second straight year of 400% growth in the number of new Composed Process Solutions (CPS) customers.

CPS is now in use on five continents and in eight industries including Commercial and Retail Banking, Insurance, Finance, CPG Manufacturing, Technology, Business Services, and Government.

Ultimus Composed Process Solutions technology is a completely new, Industrial Approach to low-code software development that produces unmatched gains in application delivery time, quality, manageability, cost, and business value. CPS composes enterprise software and software families on-demand from digital assets in a common CPS Digital Solution Ecosystem.

Karl Freiheit, President of Ultimus, commented Although innovation has always been in Ultimus DNA, CPS stands out among our firsts because of the profound impact it is having on our customers digital transformation efforts. Our employees have worked passionately and diligently to make this exciting technology a reality and the market response weve gotten is a direct reflection of their effort and vision.

About Ultimus, Inc.

Ultimus is a leading global provider of technologies and solutions that automate enterprise business processes for optimal customer service, operational efficiency, and time-to-live. Ultimus technologies for rapid application development (Composed Process Solutions); process design, orchestration, modeling, and optimization (Adaptive BPM Suite); and in-production solution performance, usability, and productivity (Advanced Task Service) together with Ultimus Enterprise Services have been used to automate over 1,400 business processes across every major region, language, and industry. For more information, visit http://www.Ultimus.com.
Reaching the $3 billion extended milestone faster than any company in the industry speaks to the power of the Kabbage Platform...

Kabbage, a pioneering financial services, technology and data platform, announced it has extended more than $3 billion to small businesses across all 50 U.S. states, covering every industry. The company has also now served over 100,000 small businesses through its platform, representing the largest customer base of any online small business lender.

Todays announcement comes less than a year after Kabbage reached $2 billion extended to small businesses and follows a record March, when the company issued more than 20,000 unique loans in a single month. Kabbage customers have connected more than 1.4 million live data sources to the Kabbage Platform. These data connections allow the company to continue scaling at a rapid pace while providing customers with exactly the right funding product over the lifecycle of each business.

Reaching the $3 billion extended milestone faster than any company in the industry speaks to the power of the Kabbage Platform, said Victoria Treyger, Chief Revenue Officer for Kabbage. The platforms ability to deliver the right product throughout the entire customer lifecycle rather than just a single loan has been critical to driving the exponential growth rate for our direct lending business.

About Kabbage

Kabbage Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, has pioneered a financial services data and technology platform to provide automated funding to small businesses in minutes. Kabbage leverages data generated through business activity such as accounting data, online sales, shipping and dozens of other sources to understand performance and deliver fast, flexible funding in real time. Kabbage is funded and backed by leading investors, including Reverence Capital Partners, SoftBank Capital, Thomvest Ventures, Mohr Davidow Ventures, BlueRun Ventures, the UPS Strategic Enterprise Fund, ING, Santander InnoVentures, Scotiabank and TCW/Craton. All Kabbage U.S.-based loans are issued by Celtic Bank, a Utah-Chartered Industrial Bank, Member FDIC. For more information, please visit http://www.kabbage.com.
Construct-A-Lead is an online construction lead service that helps contractors, service providers, manufacturers and suppliers gain information on all large scale construction projects. The service features apartment construction, hotel construction, retail construction, medical construction, school renovations & more, including those hard-to-find private project leads, to help bid on construction, from planning stage- completion.

Construct-A-Lead, the construction Industrys most comprehensive construction lead service, announces a new and redesigned website, with many more upgraded features. Construct-A-Leads advanced search feature now allows the user to find their leads or key contacts by project type, location, bid stage, dollar value, company, or keyword.

Users will now be able to track projects status, save searches, put personalized notes on projects, email a project to a colleague or customer, reach out directly to the decision maker and download construction leads with a one-touch feature.

Interested parties are invited to visit Construct-A-Lead.com and sign up for a no obligation test drive, where they will be able to experience these features. Users will be able to receive regular alerts on new and updated construction projects, in accordance with the individuals preference.

An example of the projects available within the database is listed below. Reference the Project ID to utilize the new site features and to obtain direct contact information for each construction lead:

Phoenix, AZ  Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites - Plans call for the new construction of a 120 room hotel on a 20 acre site. Construction start: Q4, 2017, Q1, 2018, $15,000,000. Project ID: 1389582

Creve Coeur, MO  Mercy Outpatient  Plans call for the new construction of a six story, outpatient surgery center and parking garage. Construction start: Q4, 2017, Q1, 2018. $25,000,000 Project ID: 1389595

Maineville, OH  Little Miami Industrial Park - Plans call for the new construction of 13 speculative industrial buildings ranging from 45,000 square feet to 200,000 square feet, with parking and accompanying offices, on 100 acres. Construction start: Fall, 2017. $150,000,000 Project ID: 1389604

San Francisco, CA  3512 16th St  Plans call for the addition of two modern stories and twelve apartments atop the former Volvo Centrum shop. Plans include a new 3,300-square-foot restaurant, 2,000 square feet of other commercial space and a 262 square foot medical office on the ground floor. Construction start: Q1, Q2, 2018. $5,000,000. Project ID: 1389574

Pittsburgh, PA - Homewood Suites  Plans call for the renovation and conversion of the former Penn Center East - Building 6 office into a 120 room hotel with a fitness center and restaurant. Construction start: Q4, 2017, Q1, 2018 $10,000,000. Project ID: 1389618

Construct-A-Lead is an online database that connects users to large-scale commercial construction projects, including those hidden, private project leads.

The service features hotel construction, office buildings, retail construction, medical facilities, school renovations and much more, to help bid on construction from planning stage through completion. Construct-A-Leads daily updates of commercial construction project leads are an ideal solution for those who want to put their product or service into commercial, government and religious structures.

For more information, visit Construct-A-Lead.com online or call 855-874-1491.
Ichthyosaurs, Nevadas official state fossil, represented the first large predators after a major extinction of most species some 250 million years ago. Nevada is one of the most important localities to understand how Ichthyosaurs helped create and survive in the ancient ecosystem. It was only fitting to name one of our brews after this most important reptile.

Great Basin Brewing Co., headquartered in Sparks, Nev. and the University of Bonn in Germany have teamed up in a rare partnership in the name of the Ichthyosaur.

While sometimes confused with dinosaurs, Ichthyosaurs were true reptiles of a different lineage. Ichthyosaurs, Nevadas official state fossil, represented the first large predators after a major extinction of most species some 250 million years ago. Fossils of various species of these evolving creatures have been found all over the world.

Students and professors from the Division of Paleontology, Steinmann Institute of the University of Bonn, led by Dr. P. Martin Sander, professor of vertebrae paleontology, will be combing the Augusta Mountains in central Nevada this summer to further the understanding of the ancient Triassic ocean environment.

The team from the University of Bonn has currently identified at least 12 different species of Ichthyosaurs in the Augusta Range from previous expeditions. During the last field season, the team uncovered a huge creature, a species completely new to science, projected to have been about 50 feet long  and could well turn out to be the first large predator ever discovered in the fossil record worldwide.

Tom Young, owner and brewmaster of Great Basin Brewing Co. and former geologist, has always been somewhat of a science nerd. His bestseller is the Ichthyosaur India Pale Ale. This aromatic IPA is wonderfully full bodied and smooth with a blast of grapefruit, spice and pine at the finish, and the result of a blend of carefully selected hops. Most call it Icky for short. Great Basin Brewing Co. has produced more than 6 million bottles at their Taps & Tanks location alone, making it the most widely consumed Nevada-made craft beer in the State of Nevada.

Nevada is one of the most important localities to understand how Ichthyosaurs helped create and survive in the ancient ecosystem, said Young. It was only fitting to name one of our brews after this most important reptile.

For 10 years, Great Basin Brewing Co. has offered assistance to further the Augusta Mountains expedition in a couple of ways. In addition to cash donations, last field season, the expedition crew had difficulty locating a truck to travel onto the back roads of Nevada to transport these newly uncovered reptile fossils to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Members of the Great Basin Brewing Co. team drove its beer truck, with a large Ichthyosaur fossil graphic on it, into the desert and delivered the fossils to the museum in Los Angeles. To date, Great Basin Brewing Co. has donated more than $11,000 towards funding this research.

Great Basin Brewing Co. is proud to host its inaugural Ichthyosaur Expedition Party, a fundraiser to assist the upcoming field expedition with Dr. Sander and his University team. This years event takes place at Great Basin Brewing Co,s production brewery on April 7th and includes a keynote by Dr. Sander and the release of the first of four barrel-aged commemorative beers honoring some of the species of Ichthyosaurs  a barrel-aged, dry-hopped IPA named Phalarodon. Games, including team pin the tail on a 50-foot Ichthyosaur and a prehistoric creature spelling bee, food and of course, beer, will be part of the event.

I absolutely relish working with Great Basin Brewing Co. not only because of the sponsorship aspect but because it is such a wonderful and ingenious way to make people aware of paleontological research, said Dr. Sander. I feel that with the Icky beer label you can reach out and pique the curiosity of people who otherwise might not be aware of the scientific treasures to be found in the Nevada mountain ranges.

The largest specimens of Ichthyosaur have been found near Gabbs, Nev. and are preserved and viewable at the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park. These specimens are reported to have died about 225 million years ago and reached lengths of up to 60 feet. During the Triassic Period, Nevada and California were a part of a vast ocean, and did not exist as a landmass. At that time, Pangaea was a supercontinent where all of the present continents were connected surrounded by a vast ocean. Prior to the breakup of Pangaea, some 175 million years ago, both land and sea life evolved.

Along with Great Basin Brewing Co., sponsors of this expedition include; The University of Bonn, DFG German Research Foundation, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the National Geographic Society.

About Great Basin Brewing Co.

Since 1993, Tom Young and his wife Bonda have run a successful restaurant and brewery, now the oldest and most award-winning brewery in Nevada. Great Basin Brewing Co. has become the local place to go for great beer, great food and a great time. To help with the rising demand of local craft beer, Great Basin Brewing Co. opened its second location in Reno in July 2010. Opportunities allowed Great Basin to open the Taps & Tanks location in 2012 as a production facility and taproom. Great Basin is distributing several of its beers in northern Nevada, southern Nevada and northern California, and looking to expand. The company has won numerous medals at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival and the prestigious World Beer Cup.
This award is a great justification of our Entangled Marketing methodology, driving tangible business value for our clients from the establishing of long-term customer relationships through the provision of ongoing value-add content to their lives

Vertic and PayPal are celebrating their win for the Freelance Without Boundaries/#PayPalFreelancer content-marketing program, which received a Silver award at the 9th Annual Internationalist Awards for Innovation in Media.

The award, organized by The Internationalist, celebrates the most innovative marketing campaigns from around the world. Winning entries were evaluated based on innovative use of media, breakthrough communications thinking, demonstrating cross-cultural understanding of marketing issues, and delivering results. The champions from 2017 were chosen by a jury made up of The Internationalist staff and marketing professionals representing Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.

Vertic, on behalf of their client PayPal, submitted a campaign targeting freelancers in the Southeast Asia region. The campaign, titled Freelance Without Boundaries/#PayPalFreelancer saw the team building an online hub that enables freelancers to upgrade their skills to grow their businesses. The site contains articles, as well as videos with tips from experts on various topics including how freelancers can build their own personal brand through marketing their services, improve their negotiation skills and manage their finances.

Commenting on the award, Rahul Shinghal, General Manager for PayPal Southeast Asia, said, Its been an important priority for PayPal to provide support to the freelance community in Southeast Asia and were honored that the Freelance Without Boundaries initiative, with the centralized content hub supporting freelancing career growth has been recognized for having created a high level of value to freelancers in this region.

Mads Petersen, co-founder of Vertic, added, "This award is a great justification of our Entangled Marketing methodology, driving tangible business value for our clients from the establishing of long-term customer relationships through the provision of ongoing value-add content to their lives. With Freelance Without Boundaries, we have developed a platform that not only supports marketing of the brand, raising its profile within a previously unaware audience, but one that also provides definitive meaningfulness to its end audience."

About the Awards

The Internationalist Awards for Innovation in Media are a response to voices in the industry calling for international examples of best practices as media takes the leadership role in the complex world of marketing strategy. Innovation is essential to today's effective media thinking in a world where messages are becoming instantly global.

About Vertic

Vertic is a global advertising agency. Since our launch in 2002, we've been fiercely dedicated to developing digital solutions that help our Fortune 500 clients build their brands, provide superior customer experiences and generate tangible business results. Our approach is interdisciplinary, combining strategy, storytelling, creativity and interactive design. We're independently owned with offices in New York, Seattle, Copenhagen, and Singapore. Visit us at http://www.vertic.com
Create Disruptive Retail by Gustie Creative LLC "In today's rapidly changing retail market, it is more important than ever for companies to retain a competitive edge and provide consumers with a more personal shopping experience." - Rosanne Rosen, Advisory Board Member, Gustie Creative LLC

Gustie Creative is pleased to announce the launch of Create Disruptive Retail, createdisruptiveretail.com a proprietary virtual to physical retail platform devoted to designing unique offline retail solutions for companies, agencies, and non-profit organizations.

We believe brands and businesses need a variety of virtual to physical retail solutions, so we created an exclusive and proprietary virtual design platform that provides cutting edge information, proven marketing strategies, and targeted paths of design, said Karen S. Herman, Founder of Gustie Creative. As we grow and learn what our community and subscribers are most interested in, we will be adding video tutorials, e-learning modules, and design features with AR.

Gustie Creatives research finds that todays retail landscape is strongly influenced by macro changes in the economy, society and technology, and small to medium size businesses, agencies and non-profit organizations need the means to adapt to these changes to survive. Create Disruptive Retail offers a proprietary mix of market-driven strategies and an exclusive curation of disruptive retail design solutions that offer fast, efficient, and effective ways to take a brand or business into the offline marketplace when, where, and for as-long-as desired.

In a new retail world order where online retail has become ultra-competitive and big retail competitors are dominant, retailers must be different and disruptive to get our attention. With Create Disruptive Retail, Gustie Creative has developed a platform right in the middle of this fascinating world of fashion trucks, pop up shops and in-person selling that will define the future of retail for online brands. - Dan Gudema, Founder of StartupPOP, an entrepreneurial event and networking company based in South Florida.

In 2015, Gustie Creative appointed an advisory board to provide strategic guidance as the company continued to research the ever-changing retail landscape, explore new design concepts and retail trends, beta test new technologies and focus efforts to bring innovative products to the retail marketplace.

"In today's rapidly changing retail market, it is more important than ever for companies to retain a competitive edge and provide consumers with a more personal shopping experience that provides a meaningful bridge between them and your product. It's the most innovative way to make sure they talk to others about their experience and ensure they feel connected to your business. Create Disruptive Retail provides that creative and exclusive solution." - Rosanne Rosen, advisory board member and former People to People Senior Vice President of Operations.

Create Disruptive Retail is a retail solutions platform that helps its subscribers create unique environments that bridge the virtual to physical shopping experiences for todays consumer in ways that are entertaining, educational, engaging, and interactive. To increase awareness of virtual to physical retailing, Gustie Creative offers a complimentary monthly newsletter for subscribers to the Create Disruptive Retail website. The company also hosts DisruptShops, half day to full day workshops on specific Disruptive Retail marketing strategies and design paths.

Gustie Creative will be coming out with a second product later this year. The company will publish an expert guide called The Definitive Guide to Disruptive Retail in November 2017. It is currently available for pre-order on createdisruptiveretail.com.

About Gustie Creative LLC

Gustie Creative gustiecreative.com is an innovative disruptive retail design and strategy firm specializing in full service commercial design, retail design strategy, strategic marketing, and design innovation with AR and VR. The company is headquartered in Boca Raton, FL. Clients include Bagel Twins Bagelry & Restaurant, FloSpine, Go Team Travel, HelpedHope.com, Social Enterprise Conference 2016, Warren Technology Inc., Wind2Share, and Zimmerman Advertising.
The Y is a volunteer-founded and volunteer-led organization, and I am grateful that these four highly accomplished and principled professionals will be providing leadership to YMCA of the USA.

YMCA of the USA (Y-USA), the national resource office for 2,700s Ys across the country, is pleased to announce the election of four new members to the nonprofits board of directors. The Y-USA board is composed of 26 members who set strategic direction and policy to guide the national offices work to increase the capacity of Ys to strengthen community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

Y-USA welcomes the following new board members:



Gary Cobbs, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Montgomery

Anne Derber, CEO of Camp Manito-wish YMCA

Dr. Trent Haywood, President of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute and Sr. Vice President/Chief Medical Officer of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Paul McEntire, President and CEO of the YMCA of the Greater Houston Area

The Y is a volunteer-founded and volunteer-led organization, and I am grateful that these four highly accomplished and principled professionals will be providing leadership to YMCA of the USA, said Kevin Washington, President and CEO of Y-USA. I look forward to working with them to advance the Ys cause of strengthening community and ensure YMCAs across the country have the resources and support they need to address the most pressing social issues facing their communities.

Read more about the new board members below.

New Y-USA Board Members:

Gary Cobbs

Gary Cobbs is President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Montgomery (Alabama), a position he has held since 2013. His tenure has been characterized by a renewed focus on leadership development, program quality, facility improvement, membership development and marketing.

Cobbs has worked in the Y Movement for more than 21 years. Prior to Montgomery, he held several leadership positions with the YMCA of Middle Tennessee, including Senior Vice President overseeing several center operations and association initiatives. He earned a bachelors degree in psychology from Middle Tennessee State University.

Anne Derber

Anne Derber is CEO of Camp Manito-wish YMCA (Wisconsin), a position she has held since 2000. She is only the sixth director, and first woman, to lead Camp Manito-Wish. She believes the Manito-wish experience is a time-tested and proven way to develop confident and responsible leaders. During her tenure, she has enthusiastically promoted property and facility maintenance, fiduciary management, strong program areas, collaborative leadership, wilderness tripping, and character and leadership development.

Derber has served the YMCA camping community for more than 25 years and previously worked for the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. She serves on the American Camp Associations Board of Directors. She earned a bachelors degree in recreation administration from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse.

Dr. Trent Haywood

Dr. Trent Haywood is President of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute and Sr. Vice President/Chief Medical Officer of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, the national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. He supports their innovation in communities around the country as they improve health care quality and patient safety for their members. He is responsible for the Office of Clinical Affairs, which includes the Center for Clinical Effectiveness, Center for Clinical Practices and Center for Clinical Value.

Previously, Dr. Haywood served as Sr. Vice President/Chief Medical Officer for VHA, Inc., where he developed best practices to drive quality, stimulate clinical innovation and support pay-for-performance, and prepared for consumer-driven health care. He also served as the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where he led agency priorities including quality public reporting and value-based payment innovations. He earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a juris doctorate from Northwestern University School of Law and a bachelors degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Paul McEntire

Paul McEntire is President and CEO of the YMCA of the Greater Houston Area, a position he has held since 2014. He joined the Houston YMCA in 2011 as Chief Operating Officer, and during his first three years drove revenue growth, improving cash from operations by $5 million. He also oversaw a significant organizational restructuring to enhance performance and reduce overhead. The Houston Ys major program and service areas are: preventing childhood obesity, improving academic performance, teaching water safety skills and swim lessons, preventing chronic disease and strengthening families. The Houston YMCA serves more than 350,000 people annually, including 1,000 refugees.

McEntire previously served in several leadership roles with the YMCA of Floridas First Coast in Jacksonville, including President and CEO from 2007 to 2011. He earned a masters of divinity from Southern Seminary and a bachelors degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

###

About YMCA of the USA

The Y is one of the nations leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 22 million men, women and children  regardless of age, income or background  to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nations health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. ymca.net
CareFinity Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery With eMedApps CareFinity 3 solution our customers can continue to access the patient data that is critical to providing quality care during short-term EMR and health IT system outages.

Centricity Electronic Medical Record (EMR) users can now take advantage of CareFinity, an endorsed business continuity solution. eMedApps partnership with GE Healthcare will provide customers with an efficient and innovative contingency solution that allows clinicians, schedulers, and administrative staff to securely access stored patient information from any device  including mobile devices  whether their EMR is available or not. The versatile, browser-based application delivers all the data, images, results, notes and documents needed and allows users to document visits without resorting to paper.

The vision of the Centricity Partner Program is to offer our customers dependable, vetted solutions that complement the Centricity EMR, said Neeti Gupta, Director of Independent Software Vendor Marketing Programs at GE Healthcare Digital. With eMedApps CareFinity 3 solution our customers can continue to access the patient data that is critical to providing quality care during short-term EMR and health IT system outages.

Healthcare organizations can face EMR outages for numerous reasons, including planned maintenance, hardware or network failures, and power failures. It is critical that healthcare providers have continued access to patient data during these outages.

eMedApps is excited to work with GE Healthcare to offer Centricity EMR users this dependable business continuity solution, said Joseph Cernik, Vice President of Business Development at eMedApps. Complete and up-to-date patient information is a critical component to quality patient care, and we have made it our mission to make sure that access to this data is not interrupted.

Interested Centricity EMR customers may contact eMedApps directly or visit them in their booth at the upcoming Centricity LIVE event.

About eMedApps

Founded in 1999, eMedApps delivers patient-centric and vendor-neutral integration, interface, and business continuity solutions to healthcare delivery organizations across the U.S., enabling improved quality of care, increased EHR efficiency, and interoperability within and across the connected enterprise. With an ONC-ACB Certified Interface Engine and extensive industry expertise, eMedApps Care Connectivity Platform is compatible with all major EHR vendors. Headquartered in Schaumburg, IL. eMedApps has offices in San Diego, Houston, and Boston. Visit http://www.emedapps.com or call (847) 490-6869 to learn more. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services to meet the demand for increased access, enhanced quality and more affordable healthcare around the world. GE works on things that matter - great people and technologies taking on tough challenges. From medical imaging, software & IT, patient monitoring and diagnostics to drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies and performance improvement solutions, GE Healthcare helps medical professionals deliver great healthcare to their patients. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at http://www.gehealthcare.com.
2017 ICPI Contractor Industry Survey Just Released. Its great to see that the overall industry is enjoying growth and that homeowners and other end users understand the benefits of using concrete pavers and slabs.

Gross sales for segmental concrete pavement contractors in the U.S. and Canada increased by 8.8% in 2016, according to a new report released today by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI).

Last years ICPI study of producers reported a strong increase in the number of segmental concrete pavers sold in the U.S. and Canada, said Matt Lynch, ICPI Chair. This years survey of contractors also shows significant progress. Its great to see that the overall industry is enjoying growth and that homeowners and other end users understand the benefits of using concrete pavers and slabs.

In all, 218 contractors from all size companies participated in the 2017 ICPI Contractor Industry Survey, conducted during January for ICPI by Industry Insights of Columbus, Ohio.

Other key findings of the report include:



69.1% of contractors required crews to review and participate in formal, documented safety programs, an increase of 4.1% from 2015.

The greatest challenges confronting contractors included recruiting/hiring quality employees, increasing overhead costs, competition, and retaining quality employees.

Average wages/salary increased by 3.0% in 2016 and is forecasted to increase again in 2017 by 3.2%.

The study also includes overall data on the specific systems contractors use to monitor and reduce the exposure of crew members to respirable silica, as well as promotion and certification trends. In addition to reporting overall data, results are also group based on respondents answers about length of construction season, gross sales, and number of employees during the construction season, providing deeper insight into the industry. The complete 59-page study is available for purchase by visiting http://www.icpi.org/shop.

About Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute

ICPI is the trade association representing the growing industry of segmental concrete pavement systems in the United States and Canada. The associations membership includes producers, contractors, suppliers, design professionals, and distributors. ICPI is the authority for concrete pavers, which are universally recognized as the best value for pavement systems. For more information, visit http://www.icpi.org.
Participants take time to pose for a quick pic prior to the 5K Color Run/Walk.

Andrews Federal Credit Union sponsored Geilenkirchen Airman Family Readiness Centers 5K Color Run/Walk to promote Comprehensive Airman Fitness (CAF).

The event kicked off the 360 Transformation Challenge. The Challenge runs from April 3  May 29. During the 8-week challenge, multiple workshops will be held throughout Geilenkirchen AFB to educate attendees about nutrition and fitness.

We are always excited to support our military community, said James Niba, Schinnen Branch Manager. It was great to see so many participate for such a worthy cause.

About Comprehensive Airman Fitness

CAF is a strength-based approach that emphasizes what fit people/organizations do to foster balanced fitness and teaches adaptive skills that promote comprehensive fitness and optimal performance.

About Andrews Federal Credit Union

Andrews Federal Credit Union was founded in 1948 to serve the needs of military and civilian personnel by providing a vast array of financial products and services. With over $1.5 billion in assets, Andrews Federal has grown to serve more than 120,000 members in the District of Columbia, Joint Base Andrews (MD), Springfield, Virginia (VA), Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (NJ), and military installations in central Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. In addition, the Credit Union serves as a financial partner with many select employee groups in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia and New Jersey.

To learn more about Andrews Federal Credit Union and its community involvement, or to become a member, call 800.487.5500 or visit http://www.andrewsfcu.org.
People don't realize that unless they reinforce their doors, they might as well be leaving them open.

Three teenagers were shot and killed in a small Oklahoma town last week. The teens broke through a door, attempting to rob a house that they thought was empty. It is reported that the son of the homeowner, who happened to be at home, confronted the teens and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle. All three of the would-be burglars were killed. Police later apprehended the get-away driver. The Wagoner County Sheriffs Office has stated that the deaths appear to be the result of self-defense.

In the eyes of the law, and many who have watched this case unfold, this killing was totally justified. However, three mothers will bury their children this week and a 23-year-old will live the rest of his life trying to deal with the fact that he killed three kids. Everyone wants to believe that they would love to play the hero and shoot an intruder that breaks into their home, said security expert and Armor Concepts CEO Alan Young. The sad fact is that killing someone, whether it is justified or not, will change your life forever."

Young points out that while it is easy to justify why a thief may deserve this punishment, the consequences for the shooter are often more severe than most consider. Reportedly, the first question that the shooter asked was are they going to be ok? While it is natural to want to defend your home, living with the fact that you killed three teenagers will not be easy," said Mr. Young.

Perhaps the worst part of this tragedy is that situations like this are often avoidable. In many cases, it takes intruders about 10 seconds to enter a home. In that little bit of time, the homeowner must find their gun and then make a decision to shoot. There is no warning. There was no time to think, said Mr. Young. I believe that he did what many people would have done in a similar situation, and I believe that he was probably justified but that doesnt change the fact that three kids are dead. Young points out that things might have ended differently had the intruders had to spend more time entering the home. If the intruders had a more difficult time getting into the home, they might have moved on, the resident could have warned them or at least he would have had time to think through alternatives. Bad things often happen when individuals have no time to react. Without time to think, things can escalate very quickly.

The shocking nature of this incident illuminates a core issue with home security. Most homeowners have a sense of false security, especially gun owners. A home alarm does nothing but alert you that someone is already inside of your home. A gun is meant to kill someone that has already entered your home. No one really thinks about keeping intruders out, said Mr. Young. People dont realize that unless they reinforce their doors, they might as well be leaving them open. A few simple steps will require an intruder to take 20 to 30 minutes to enter versus 10 seconds. That could be the difference between someone getting in or going somewhere else. According to the FBI, more than 85% of break-ins happen through a door. Soft wooden frames make doors easy to enter with a swift kick or a strong shoulder. Doors containing glass are even easier to enter as intruders can quickly break a pain and unlock the door from the inside.

Finally, Mr. Young said that it is important to note that this is not a question of gun rights or whether homeowners should choose between securing their homes or owning guns. I believe that people have the right to protect themselves and I believe in the Second Amendment. I also believe that this case highlights the difference between the reality of confronting a home intruder and the perceived bravado that many people like to believe comes from owning a gun. Whether you are justified or not, it is always better to avoid a confrontation where you or the intruder could end up getting hurt or killed. Young added, While this incident ended with the perpetrators being shot, in many cases these situations end very badly for the resident. The most important thing is to give yourself time to make a decision.

For economical protection, Mr. Young recommends that homeowners install grade 1 deadbolts on all of their doors. These can be purchased at most home improvement stores for under $40. Mr. Young also recommends that people reinforce their doors with a product like Door Armor, a do-it-yourself solution that is guaranteed to stop kick-ins and can be purchased at Lowes, Menards or online at http://armorconcepts.com/ for around $70. Mr. Young also recommends window film to help prevent thieves from easily breaking glass. Security doesnt need to cost a lot. It just needs to work. However, false security can be a very painful and expensive lesson, Young concluded.
HEB and Rocket21 Join Forces to Bring Career Exploration Program to Texas Middle School Students Meeting today's educational needs while influencing the successful future of our students through a partnership with Texas21 makes perfect sense, said Winell Herron, Group VP of Public Affairs and Diversity, H-E-B.

H-E-B has joined forces with education technology company Rocket21 to bring 21st century career education to Texas middle school students. H-E-B provided pilot funding to facilitate expanded student enrollment in Texas21, an education and career planning online platform designed exclusively for Texas students. The dynamic Texas21 curriculum was created through a partnership between Rocket21 and educators at Texas Education Service Center Region 6 in Huntsville.

Texas21 offers students an engaging, immersive educational experience that guides them through an exploration of their interests and passions while helping them to create their Personal Graduation Plan in one of five Endorsement Areas, as required by Texas House Bill 5. The program provides schools with an education and career planning solution aligned with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for Career Development, Career Exploration and Career Portals, for academic credit.

Advancing through the curriculum's sequence of twenty-one challenges, students formulate their interest profiles, identify relevant career options, and connect with real world professionals from hundreds of fields, before developing a graduation plan containing courses that are available in each students district. Texas21 was first implemented in Texas schools as a pilot project beginning in Fall 2016 and is expected to roll out in hundreds of Texas schools in Fall 2017.

Participation by H-E-B will support the addition of middle school students in San Antonio and Edinburg to complete the curriculum in Spring 2017. HEB wholeheartedly supports education and literacy throughout Texas in the communities we serve, said Winell Herron, Group Vice-President of Public Affairs and Diversity, H-E-B. Meeting todays educational needs, while influencing the successful future of our students through a partnership with Texas21 makes perfect sense.

Enrollment for San Antonio and Edinburg students is underway now, with program completion planned by June 2017. Eva Tristan Torres, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District notes, Texas21 is directly aligned with Edinburg CISDs emphasis on College and Career Readiness for our students. The Texas21 curriculum promises to be an engaging, interactive, and informative program. Our principals and counselors are excited and anxious to bring the program into our classrooms. Our kids are going to love it!

Preliminary results from the Texas21 pilot project are promising. Mr. Will Guidry, Exploring Careers Instructor at Odom Academy in Beaumont, has been implementing Texas21 in classes since Fall 2016. Guidry notes, My students are excited by the site and having the ability to contact various professionals in many careers covering all 16 career clusters. Theyre enjoying each of the Rocket21 applications including Sharing Dreams, creating Interest Rings, and navigating multiple career paths. The online community engages students in progressively finding their career interests in multiple ways. Our students are being awakened to new careers and possibilities that they never considered while establishing a path to get there by learning about endorsements and career clusters. ROCKET21 really is helping our middle schoolers prepare for High School and get ready for life."

For more information about Texas21, email texas21(at)esc6.net.

H-E-B, with sales of more than $23 billion, operates more than 380 stores in Texas and Mexico. Known for its innovation and community service, H-E-B celebrated its 110th anniversary in 2015. Recognized for its fresh food, quality products, convenient services, and a commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability, H-E-B strives to provide the best customer experience at everyday low prices. Based in San Antonio, H-E-B employs more than 96,000 Partners in Texas and Mexico and serves millions of customers in more than 300 communities. For more information, visit heb.com.

Rocket21 is a social engagement platform built on a single, powerful idea: Connecting youth with world class organizations and professionals at the top of their game. Rocket21 is the only social networking platform designed to safely connect kids and teens with professionals and experts representing unprecedented access to world-class experts and organizations while protecting them with a combination of state-of-the-art, real-time filtering and human moderation, extensive safety and security precautions, and a specialized infrastructure designed to keep kids safe. For media inquiries, please contact media relations at media(at)rocket2.com. Like Rocket21 on Facebook and follow @Rocket21 on Twitter. For more information, visit rocket21.com.
The newest exhibit on display at the University City Science Centers Esther Klein Gallery (EKG) is a retrospective by sculptor Rebecca Kamen, featuring a collaborative multi-media installation that explores the relationship between inner and outer space. Continuum opens on April 13th and runs through May 27th. An opening reception featuring a dance performance by Megan Mizanty will be held at EKG on April 13th from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Among the pieces in the exhibit is NeuroCantos, a collaboration between Kamen, sound artist Susan Alexjander, and poet Steven J. Fowler. The installation investigates how the brain distinguishes between inner and outer space through its ability to perceive similar patterns of complexity at the micro and macro scale. The piece is made up of cone-shaped structures representing the neuronal networks in the brain with overlapping shapes and rocks that symbolize arts ability to form bridges of understanding between diverse fields.

Continuum also features works inspired by Kamens residencies at the American Philosophical Society Library and the Chemical Heritage Foundation. Kamens work is informed by wide-ranging research into cosmology, history, philosophy, and by connecting common threads that flow across various scientific fields to capture and re-imagine what scientists see.

Rebecca Kamen has exhibited and lectured both nationally and internationally including China, Hong Kong, Korea, Austria, Chile, Egypt, Spain, and Australia. She has been the recipient of a Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Professional Fellowship, a Pollack Krasner Foundation Fellowship, two Strauss Fellowships, and a Travel Grant from the Chemical Heritage Foundation. As artist-in-residence in the neuroscience program at National Institutes of Health, Kamen has interpreted and transformed neuroscience research into sculptural form. Her artwork is represented in many private and public collections.

About the Science Center

Located in the heart of uCity Square, the Science Center is a mission-driven nonprofit organization that catalyzes and connects innovation to entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. For 50+ years, the Science Center has supported startups, research, and economic development in the life sciences, healthcare, physical sciences, and emerging technology sectors. As a result, graduate firms and current residents of the Science Centers incubator support one out of every 100 jobs in the Greater Philadelphia region and drive $13 billion in economic activity in the region annually. By providing resources and programming for any stage of a businesss lifecycle, the Science Center helps scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators take their concepts from idea to IPO  and beyond.

For more information about the Science Center, go to http://www.sciencecenter.org

About the Esther Klein Gallery

The Esther Klein Gallery (EKG), which opened in 1977, uses the creative arts as a platform to explore relationships between art, science and technology. EKG seeks to positively impact the cultural life of both its immediate neighborhood of West Philadelphia and the broader Philadelphia community. EKG programming is designed to explore the range of art, science and technology exhibitions, and includes gallery talks, panel discussions, and education programs. For more information, visit http://www.sciencecenter.org/discover/ekg.
Backroads guests cooling off after exploring the Galapagos Backroads offers family trips people often dream of, but in reality know they are typically too difficult to plan on their own.

Backroads, the worlds leading active travel company, announced today the most popular summer travel destinations for families  Alaska, Yellowstone & the Tetons, Croatias Dalmatian Coast and Italys Dolomites top the list. The trend of immediate and extended families traveling together continues to grow, as families of all ages look to collect shared authentic experiences, while also doing more with limited vacation time. This summer Backroads is leading the industry with nearly 450 family trip departures. This summers top-selling Backroads trips include easily accessible domestic destinations for those looking for an immersive vacation that is a quick flight or short drive from home. Following last years centennial celebrations in the US National Parks, the companys camping trips continue to sell well. The strong US dollar is also positively impacting growth in Europe with must-see regions like the Loire Valley, and off-the-beaten path destinations, including Sweden are trending hotter than ever.

Backroads top trips in the US this summer include:

Alaska



Family: Alaskas Prince William Sound to Denali Multisport Adventure Tour

Family Breakaway: Alaskas Kenai Peninsula Adventure Tour

Utah & Arizona



Family and Family Breakaway: Bryce, Zion & Grand Canyon Multisport Adventure Tour

Yellowstone & Tetons



Family: Discover the Wonders of Wyomings Wild Preserves Multisport Adventure Tour

Family Breakaway: Exploring the Wyoming Wilderness Walking & Hiking Tour

For families looking to travel internationally, Backroads offers many departures from European gateway cities for easy travel and extended stays on either end of a trip.

European top-selling Backroads trips include:

Croatia



Family: 101 Ways to Play in Croatias Dalmatian Islands Multisport Tour

Family Breakaway: From Split to Dubrovnik via Croatias Island Paradise Bike Tour

Iceland



Family: Exploration at the Edge of the Arctic Circle Multisport Adventure Tour

Family Breakaway: Coastal Fishing Villages of Northern Iceland Walking & Hiking Tour

Spain and Portugal



Family: From Barcelona to Catalonias Peaks & Beaches Bike Tour

Family Breakaway: A Taste of Camino de Santiago Walking & Hiking Tour

Switzerland



Family: Massif Thrills in the Swiss Alps Multisport Adventure Tour

Family Breakaway: A Summer Adventure in the Swiss Alps Walking & Hiking Tour

There is something very special about the tradition of family summer trips. Not only are they a chance to explore and discover new or favorite locations, but they are also a chance for families to spend unforgettable quality time together, said Tom Hale, Backroads founder and president. Our goal at Backroads is to enable people to take full advantage of their vacation time and not sweat any of the details. In many cases we have spent years in these regions and know the most beautiful hikes, the best bike rides, and which campground has the most spectacular view. We offer family trips people often dream of, but in reality know they are typically too difficult to plan on their own.

The leader in the family travel, Backroads has been designing active vacations for almost 40 years and offers Family Trips for kids of all ages all the way up to older teens and 20-somethings. With daily route options and a range of activities, including those designed just for kids, Backroads adventures are geared toward multigenerational travelers and for families of mixed ages, interests, and abilities. The company emphasizes fun, dynamic and safety-focused travel crafted to immerse guests in a place and culture with authentic interactions and highly skilled leaders.

Backroads has nearly 450 family and family breakaway (designed for families with older teens and twenty-something aged kids) departures available this summer, including options for private trips. Trip Consultants help match families with kids of similar ages and provide details on activity age restrictions and recommendations. The company is having a record-breaking summer and trips are filling up fast. For more information on Backroads Family and Family Breakaway Trips, visit. http://www.backroads.com or call 1-800-462-2848.

ABOUT BACKROADS

Backroads (http://www.backroads.com) was founded in 1979 by Tom Hale and has been in business for more close to 40 years. The company hosts thousands of guests, 75% of whom are repeat guests or referrals from past guests, in hundreds of locations across the globe. Backroads is a founding member of the Adventure Collection. For more information, please visit http://www.backroads.com or call 800-462-2848 daily, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Pacific time.
"Sales Focus was able to analyze our market and direct our sales efforts towards the most lucrative opportunities. Knowledge, process and focus were brought into our business from the very beginning of our engagement," CEO, iJet Travel Intelligence.

Over the past 20 years SFI has been recognized as the worlds leader in Intelligent Sales Outsourcing Solutions. Their Full Service Sales Solution provides their clients a team of experts including Executive Management, Human Resources, Financial Management, Recruiters, Leader Generation and Feet On The Street Sales Teams.

In March, Sales Focus has added 6 New Clients, covering a wide range of industries. Volusion, an Ecommerce Website Solution Company has hired outside sales reps in Austin Texas. Choice Care, a Diversified Cloud Based Claim/Billing System has added outside sales reps to Atlanta, Georgia. MARCOA, a California based Marketing/ Advertising for military relocation added outside sales reps in Arizona and outside reps in New Jersey. Carepax, a company that specializes in Individualized Packing Solution for Medication has added outside sales reps in New York. Lead Without a Title in New Jersey has hired an inside sales rep for leadership development, and Swim Lesson Club, a mobile swim lesson company has hired an inside sales rep in Florida.

Due to the expansion of its intelligent sales solutions products and programs, Sales Focus, Inc. has been the recipient of multiple honors and awards. The firm appeared on the list of Inc. 500/5000 fastest growing companies in 2012 and 2013. It was named one of the Fastest 50 by SmartCEO magazine in 2011 - 2015, and was listed on Build 100 and Tech 2000 as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the United States. In 2016 Sales Focus was awarded the Excellence Award for Client Services, Smart CEO Future 50 and Excellence Award for Recruiting.

Were proud to have the privilege of working with some of the worlds most recognized brands, such as Sprint, NRG Energy, General Electric, British Petroleum and AT&T, to name a few, said Horwath. With our continued growth and expansion into new services and new markets we continue to focus on our core commitments to our clients, Immediate Revenue Generation, Reduced Cost, Brand Protection and providing Sales Intelligence.

ABOUT SALES FOCUS, INC.

Sales Focus, Inc. is a sales solutions provider that focuses exclusively on developing dedicated sales teams for organizations that require a greater sales reach in the United States and Globally. Founded in 1998, Sales Focus Inc. pioneered the sales outsourcing industry by deploying dedicated outsourced sales teams that are recruited, trained and managed to meet each clients revenue goals. Sales Focus Inc. utilizes its S.O.L.D. process to build a sales plan, implement the plan and manage inside sales or feet-on-the-street, business-to-business sales teams that excel in client acquisition in the SMB marketplace. To discuss Sales Focus, Inc.s cost containment and profit enhancement solutions, or for more information about Sales Focus and their other innovative products, call 410-442-5600 or visit the website at http://www.SalesFocusInc.com and request a free white paper.
Nexum, a leader in networking and cybersecurity solutions, has been awarded the 2016 North American ATC Partner of the Year by Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. Nexum provides authorized manufacturer technical training courses covering the most in-demand topics in cybersecurity and networking. Our certified instructors are expert-level field engineers with years of direct experience managing real-world network deployments.

Check Point's Authorized Training Center (ATC) Program is a valuable relationship dedicated to providing quality, convenient access to the latest training on Check Point products to customers around the world. Check Point develops detailed courseware, instructor materials, and sales and marketing support for the ATC, while the ATC provides professional instructors, facilities, and training resources as the main education contacts for customers.

Nexum was chosen 2016 ATC Partner of the Year because of the demonstrated commitment to collaborating with Check Point throughout the year. Nexum has supported the Check Point ATC program by continually participating in ATC program promotions and courseware development. As a result of this commitment, Nexum saw a 94% training sales growth rate in 2016.

Nexum is honored to be recognized with this award, said David Lesser, Founder and CEO at Nexum. Our trainers are experienced and certified engineers that bring real field experience into the classroom. We believe that the best trainers are those that have real-world experience on an ongoing basis.

About Nexum, Inc.

Nexum, Inc. (http://www.nexuminc.com) is an IT security and networking company that builds and secures global networks for organizations across multiple verticals around the world. Nexum believes that by remaining absolutely focused on its clients needs, success naturally follows. Nexum meets those needs through a holistic value-based approach that includes best-in-breed products, professional services, Nexum-branded manufacturer support, authorized training, and monitored and managed security services. Latin for an arrangement by which one pledged ones very liberty as security, Nexum stands for a commitment to its customers, to help ensure their security. At Nexum, We Mean Security.

About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (http://www.checkpoint.com) is the largest network cyber security vendor globally, providing industry-leading solutions and protecting customers from cyberattacks with an unmatched catch rate of malware and other types of threats. Check Point offers a complete security architecture defending enterprises  from networks to mobile devices  in addition to the most comprehensive and intuitive security management. Check Point protects over 100,000 organizations of all sizes.
PCB Clustering for OrCAD provides AutoClustering technology, intelligent design (IP) reuse, and replication technology that can significantly reduce board placement time.

EMA Design Automation (http://www.ema-eda.com), a full-service provider and innovator of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) solutions, has just released PCB Clustering for OrCAD. As designs become more complex and project timelines more compressed, its important to identify opportunities to enhance design processes, said Manny Marcano, president and CEO of EMA. PCB Clustering for OrCAD provides AutoClustering technology, intelligent design (IP) reuse, and replication technology that can significantly reduce board placement time.

PCB Clustering for OrCAD resides directly in the OrCAD PCB Editor canvas. Related components are typically grouped together in the schematic. PCB Clustering can leverage this information to auto-generate tiled placement clusters. These clusters can be based on hierarchy, pages, reference designator prefixes/suffixes and/or ROOM properties defined in the schematic. This allows designers to get a quick logical grouping in the physical realm, enabling faster placement.

Once you have defined your clusters, PCB Clustering can automatically replicate that configuration using its matching algorithm by finding other like circuits in the design. This innovative bottom-up approach allows for partial match configurations and works regardless of component orientation. Clusters can be saved for reuse as a template that contains net topology, placement information, and etch. Templates can be referenced and used in current and subsequent designs. Creating a library of templates allows the design team to raise their level of abstraction by focusing on placement by template (group of components) as opposed to one part at a time.

PCB Clustering for OrCAD adds scalability to the core OrCAD toolset, added Marcano. Scalability options allow different companies and industries to manage their costs versus their time-to-market challenges, and in this way we are responding to our customers dynamic and demanding needs.

EMA PCB Clustering for OrCAD is available now and priced for the OrCAD Market at $1,495 for a one year subscription, with an introductory price of $995. For more information, visit go.ema-eda.com/OrCADPCBClustering. To learn more about EMA, go to http://www.ema-eda.com or call 585.334.6001.

About EMA Design Automation, Inc.

EMA Design Automation is a trailblazer in product development solutions offering a complete range of EDA tools, PLM integrations, services, training, and technical support. EMA is a Cadence Channel Partner serving all of North America. EMA develops Ultra Librarian, TimingDesigner, CircuitSpace, CIP, EDABuilder, and a host of custom solutions to enhance the OrCAD products, and all are distributed through a worldwide network of value added resellers. EMA is a privately held corporation headquartered in Rochester, New York. Visit EMA at http://www.ema-eda.com for more information.

EMA Design Automation, TimingDesigner, CircuitSpace, EDABuilder, and the EMA logo are registered trademarks, and

Component Information Portal and Ultra Librarian are trademarks of EMA Design Automation, Inc.

Cadence and OrCAD are registered trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc.

All other trademarks in this release are the property of their respective owners.
MedVet Grapevine will provide the highest quality of care to local veterinary practices, pets and their families, said Dr. Linda Lehmkuhl, MedVets Chief Medical Officer.

MedVet Medical & Cancer Centers for Pets is pleased to announce its expansion in Texas with the addition of Veterinary Medicine Specialists of Dallas/Fort Worth. In addition to adding specialty care to MedVet Uptown, this expansion includes adding a fourth MedVet hospital, MedVet Grapevine, in the greater Dallas area. MedVet Grapevine joins the MedVet family of hospitals including the other locations in the area: MedVet Dallas, MedVet Richardson, and MedVet Uptown.

We are very excited to be expanding in the Dallas community, said MedVet President, Dr. Eric Schertel. Area veterinarians and pet owners have trusted the Veterinary Medicine Specialists of Dallas/Fort Worth to provide specialty care for their pets and MedVet will continue to deliver the highest level of compassionate medical care. Very much like the Veterinary Medicine Specialists of Dallas/Fort Worth, MedVet has a long history of being committed to veterinary ownership and leadership and dedicated to supporting the referring community of general practice veterinarians. MedVet remains a veterinary owned and led organization, and is dedicated to exceptional specialty and emergency care for pets.

Dr. Linda Lehmkuhl, MedVets Chief Medical Officer said, MedVet Grapevine will continue to provide existing specialty services of Internal Medicine and Cardiology. Our goal is to fuse the strength and reputation of the Veterinary Medicine Specialists of Dallas/Fort Worth with MedVets well-known emergency and specialty healthcare expertise to provide the highest quality of care to local veterinary practices, pets and their families.

In addition to MedVet Grapevine, MedVet operates a network of fourteen medical centers in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Alabama, and Texas, and is committed to delivering the highest quality, most compassionate specialty and emergency veterinary care available in the nation.

About MedVet:

MedVet Medical & Cancer Centers for Pets, with headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, is a widely recognized and growing group of emergency and specialty referral veterinary hospitals committed to leading specialty healthcare for pets. MedVet is employee owned, veterinary led, and provides specialty as well as emergency services, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. More than 100,000 dogs and cats are treated annually at MedVets expanding network of medical centers across the country. MedVet Medical & Cancer Centers for Pets was named the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Accredited Referral Practice of the Year for 2014 and 2016, the only group of practices to receive this award twice. For more information on MedVets network of medical centers, visit http://www.medvetforpets.com.

Media Inquiries:

For photos and/or interviews, please contact:

Stacey Sutphin

MedVet Medical & Cancer Centers for Pets

(317) 796-5388 cell

Stacey.sutphin(at)medvetforpets(dot)com
River City Bank names Brett Wait as the newest Senior Vice President, Director of Information Services. In todays society, ensuring data security and identity protection is one of the most important functions of any bank. Were excited to have someone with such caliber to lead the development and and implementation of strategic and tactical plans....

River City Bank announces Brett Wait as its newly appointed Senior Vice President, Director of Information Services. With a wide community banking background and information technology fluency, Wait is a seasoned financial professional with a passion for community institutions.

In his new role, Wait will oversee River City Banks team of information technology professionals, outsourced vendors and all information regarding security compliance. Additionally, he will manage the banks business continuity plan and disaster recovery program, along with daily activities and administration of the companys information services.

In todays society, ensuring data security and identity protection is one of the most important functions of any bank, said Steve Fleming, President and CEO of River City Bank. Were excited to have someone with such caliber to lead the development and implementation of strategic and tactical plans for our technology team.

TWEET THIS: The @RiverCityBank team welcomes Brett Wait as SVP, Director of Information. #SacramentoBusiness https://ctt.ec/d4fwM+

Wait has 13 years of experience in the banking industry and in three short years went from Technology and Operations Manager to Chief Operating Officer of Five Star Bank in Sacramento prior to working with River City Bank. He moved from Wisconsin to California in 2011 and recently received his Master of Business Administration at California State University-Sacramento.

Its an honor to begin working alongside the esteemed professionals who have defined River City Bank as the leading business bank in the greater Sacramento area, said Wait. I look forward to utilizing my skills and banking experience to contribute to this premiere institution that services its community and clients with the upmost respect and dedication.

Wait resides in West Sacramento and enjoys movies, travel and exploring the outdoors by hiking, backpacking and sport shooting.

ABOUT RIVER CITY BANK:

River City Bank is the largest bank based in Sacramento and the Sacramento regions premier business bank with assets over $1.8 billion. River City Bank offers a comprehensive suite of banking services, including loans, deposits and cash management tools to the business, consumer and commercial real estate sectors. With tailored, executive-level service and a Five Star Superior financial rating from the nations leading independent bank-rating firm, Bauer Financial, River City Bank redefines the banking experience and every touch point that surrounds it. River City Bank is the largest, independent, locally-owned bank in the Sacramento region with an office in the San Francisco Bay Area and a presence in Southern California. For additional information, please visit http://www.rivercitybank.com or call (916) 567-2600. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.
Employee engagement is a priority for 74% of US organizations, yet a downturn in budgets is presenting a challenge for many organizations

WINTER PARK, Fla. - TalentKeepers today announced the release of Workplace America, its 13th annual report of employee engagement and retention trends, now the longest continuously running study of engagement and retention in the US. Over 550 organizations participated for 2017, with 54% employing over 1,000 employees.

Employee engagement is gaining respect as a key strategy for many organizations. For four years running, over 70% of US employers rank employee engagement as a strategic priority. Yet the number of organizations rating themselves as very effective in engaging employees dropped from 35% in 2016 to just 27% in 2017. This is a surprisingly large gap given the consequences of poor engagement.

"Morale and Culture" was cited as the top category impacted by poor engagement and turnover among employees. This number grew from 50% in 2014 to 72% in 2017 -- well ahead of productivity and team performance. "This reflects a growing awareness of the significant impact poor engagement can have on an organization's performance. In fact, three of the top issues linked to poor engagement were directly related to bottom-line performance," said Christopher Mulligan, TalentKeepers CEO.

In a troubling trend, employee engagement budgets across America have fallen for the fourth straight year. In 2014, 71% of all employees had some level of funding but it is now down to 50% in 2017. "What we also see is best-in-class organizations all dedicate some of the highest percentages of their labor and operations budgets to engagement strategies," shared Craig Taylor, a vice president at TalentKeepers and the report's lead author.

From 2011 to 2017 unmanaged attrition has been fueled by "Job and Career" issues, however, also notable is 'Leadership" steadily growing for the past five years as a stimulus for turnover. This emerging trend should motivate us to refocus efforts on making leaders the primary reason people stay.

Contact press(at)talentkeepers(dot)com to receive a copy of the full report.

About TalentKeepers

TalentKeepers is celebrating 17 years of providing award-winning employee engagement and retention solutions to help companies around the globe increase their performance. We're a recognized leader in innovative onboarding tools, employee engagement surveys that drive growth and accountability, HRCI and SHRM certified training for HR professionals, unique eLearning leadership programs, teambuilding tools and much more. Twice we have won HR Executive Magazine's Product of the Year award. Re-energize your efforts and expect more from your engagement and retention partner. Contact us today at solutions(at)talentkeepers(dot)com

Contact:

press(at)talentkeepers(dot)com

407.660.6041 x127
The new features in the April release help businesses further benefit from the cost savings, increased efficiency and enhanced connections with customers that come from automation of data, documents and contracts.

Conga, an application provider for companies looking to automate and enhance their business productivity, today announced major enhancements to its Composer, ActionGrid and Novatus products. Composer and ActionGrid are available on the Salesforce AppExchange, which empowers businesses to connect with their customers, partners and employees in entirely new ways. Novatus is a standalone SaaS product available for purchase on http://www.getconga.com.

The new features in the April release help businesses further benefit from the cost savings, increased efficiency and enhanced connections with customers that come from automation of data, documents and contracts. Underscoring Congas commitment to helping its customers stay ahead of the competition, the new releases extend the functionality of its Composer, ActionGrid and Novatus solutions.

Built on the Salesforce Platform, the new releases of Novatus, ActionGrid and Composer are currently available for download at:

Conga Composer: https://appexchange.salesforce.com/listingDetail?listingId=a0N300000016b7FEAQ

Conga ActionGrid: https://appexchange.salesforce.com/listingDetail?listingId=a0N3000000B5ilaEAB

Conga Novatus: https://getconga.com/solutions/contracts/novatus/

To remain competitive, businesses today must ensure the accuracy of their data in order to improve efficiency  this is why we are introducing new features that focus on providing actionable insights, faster data updates and more efficient automation, said Doug Rybacki, vice president of product management at Conga. This latest release enhances our major products based on customer ideas and requests like Live Edit for Composer, ActionGrid Quick-Start Grids to address everyday challenges for Sales, Case Management, Executive Pipeline Management and Salesforce Administrators, and bulk data import into Conga Novatus for faster and easier contract management.

Some of the key updates incorporated in the April release include:

 Conga Composer  Business and Enterprise editions of Composer provide even more flexibility for companies leveraging the document generation technology by now including Live Edit capabilities, which allow users to personalize a document after merging data but prior to distribution. This allows for rich, dynamic documents to be created and fine-tuned entirely within the flow of a Salesforce process. Additionally, customers can now run Conductor batches with 1,000 records in a single batch  double the number of what was previously possible. The new Composer API and OData capabilities (introduced in limited release in February 2017) are now available for broader use in our Beta program.

-The Composer API enables Customers and partners to leverage Composer capabilities in more deeply integrated, automated ways.

-Composer OData enables Customers and partners to include data from other non-Salesforce systems through an open standards query  for example, including ERP data in a sales quote to provide expected shipping date for a product.

 ActionGrid  Customers may use the apps new Quick-Start Grids as pre-built solutions to get quick insight and actionable views into Salesforce data. The QuickStarts can be easily updated to suit modifications to your custom fields and custom objects in Salesforce. Child and parent data can now be not only viewed by edited on a single grid for fast action on account data. Enhanced summary reporting gives users even more visibility into their analytics. Now, users can reach an unlimited number of people with increased batch email size. Export functions have increased accessible items from 10K to 1M for larger export or mass update capabilities, giving customers the flexibility needed to work with large amounts of data.

 Conga Novatus 7.2  New features make contract management even easier in Novatus, letting Beta customers access new bulk data import capabilities. By enabling them to import a spreadsheet with headers and metadata and removing the need to import piece by piece, the process can be faster and easier than before. In addition, single-use dynamic forms are now available to expand the power of reporting and data organization, and e-signature package correction lets customers update the signer or placement of the signature automatically. Finally, segmented document-level security adds another layer of security to specific document types within the same contract profile. Analytics tools and clause management capabilities, announced in beta last December, have been fully released to all customers.

Since implementing Conga Composer, the Despatch sales team now takes only a minute or two to generate simple quotes, said Mark Clementz, Manager - TT Sales Channel, Thermal Processing Technology, Despatch Industries. Thats five times faster than using our old system.

This latest product release comes on the heels of the companys first ever user conference, Conga Connect, in Orlando last month, which gave more than 250 attendees the opportunity to learn how to leverage the Conga product suite to accelerate the sales cycle, accelerate business and improve efficiency across document generation, contracts and reporting processes.

More details on Aprils product release are available here.

About Salesforce AppExchange

Salesforce AppExchange is the worlds leading enterprise apps marketplace that empowers companies to sell, service, market and engage in entirely new ways. With 3,500 partner apps and more than 4 million customer installs, it is the most comprehensive source of cloud, mobile, social, IoT, analytics and artificial intelligence technologies for businesses.

About Conga

Conga developed its suite of enterprise-grade applications to help businesses using the Salesforce Sales Cloud optimize their CRM investments. The Conga Suite, which includes Conga Composer, simplifies and automates data, documents, contracts and reporting.

As a Salesforce Platinum ISV Partner, Conga is committed to providing its customers with enterprise-grade infrastructure, security and solutions. In fact, more than 8,000 businesses in 45+ countries across all industries rely on Conga applications to fully utilize their Salesforce data, including Hilton Worldwide, Schumacher Group and CBRE.

The company is privately-held and based in Colorado with global operations in the UK and Australia. Learn more at getconga.com or follow Conga on Twitter: @getconga.

Additional Resources

 Like Salesforce on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/salesforce

 Follow Salesforce on Twitter: https://twitter.com/salesforce

Salesforce, AppExchange and others are among the trademarks of Salesforce.com, Inc.
To address the increasing demand for cybersecurity professionals, National University's School of Engineering and Computing is expanding its cybersecurity degree offerings by launching a Bachelor of Science Degree Program in Cybersecurity (BSCYB). The program builds on the successes of National University's cybersecurity-focused graduate degree by offering even more opportunities for students to specialize at the undergraduate level. The University, which is among the largest private nonprofit universities in California, launched the bachelor's program online this April, with courses expanding to the Kearny Mesa, San Diego campus in October.

The National University bachelor's degree in cybersecurity focuses on fundamental security skills, basic information technology management concepts and ethical issues associated with cybersecurity. In addition, the program offers concentrations in computer network defense or digital forensics. With an estimated 200,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the United States and over 1 million globally, according to studies by Intel Security and Cisco, the need for a well-trained security workforce has never been greater.

"National University is at the forefront of improving cyber vigilance in terms of educating future cybersecurity professionals, " said Dr. John Cicero, Dean of the School of Engineering and Computing. "Furthermore, this new program helps fulfill National University's mission as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by growing the workforce for the government and commercial sectors. "

National University is one of just six designated centers in California and the first and only in San Diego to be recognized by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. The prestigious designation recognizes quality academic programs that prepare professionals to reduce cyber vulnerabilities in the nation's networks. The BSCYB has been designed to meet National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security Center of Academic Excellence Standards to ensure National University graduates are prepared to enter the workforce in this field.

The University already offers a Master of Science in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance program both online and on campus, which has been ranked among the Top 25 in the country by TheBestSchools.org. National University is the only university in the San Diego region that offers both bachelors and masters degree programs in cybersecurity.

The program's faculty, most of whom have extensive experience working in government and industry, have developed the bachelor's program to provide students the opportunity to complete hands-on labs and research projects using open source cybersecurity tools used by the industry. In addition, classes are offered in a "one course per month " format, which is consistent with almost all programs offered at National University. The program, which is designed for anyone interested in a cybersecurity career, teaches practical skills to get started. As such, students with various backgrounds, not only technical, are entering the program, and the University is seeing great interest among military students in particular.

"National University's accelerated format is ideal for active military, as well as military veterans already in the civilian workforce, " said Chris Simpson, director of the National University Center for Cybersecurity and Academic Program. "Additionally, this field is a great career choice for people who want to make a positive difference in our society by protecting our nation's infrastructure, which is so important. "

Since its founding in 1971, National University has had a long tradition of meeting the needs of adult learners and members of the military. In fact, currently, about 25 percent of the University's total student population has a military service background. Some students bring technical experience from their military background, but the cybersecurity programs at National University provide unique opportunities for students to engage with local businesses and nonprofits to participate in internships and evaluate cybersecurity vulnerabilities. This allows students to give back to the community while gaining valuable experience to take into the field after graduation.

For more information on enrolling in National University's cybersecurity program, visit the Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity page.

About National University

Founded in 1971, National University is one of the largest private, nonprofit universities in California. With more than 150,000 alumni, National University is the flagship institution of the National University System. National University is dedicated to making lifelong learning opportunities accessible, challenging and relevant to a diverse population of students. Four schools and two colleges  the College of Letters and Sciences; the Sanford College of Education; the School of Business and Management; the School of Engineering and Computing; the School of Health and Human Services; and the School of Professional Studies  offer more than 100 graduate and undergraduate degrees and 13 teacher credentials and licences. Programs are offered at locations throughout California and across the nation, and are also available online. National University is headquartered in La Jolla, California. http://www.nu.edu/
Minoxidil by Capillus We are thrilled to now be able to offer Minoxidil for Men

Capillus, LLC, a medical device manufacturer focused on providing customers with the best products in treatment for hair loss, announced today the addition of 5% Extra Strength Minoxidil Hair Regrowth Treatment for men to its product lineup. The hair regrowth treatment revitalizes hair follicles and is clinically proven to help regrow hair in men.

The topical, liquid solution uses a precision spray applicator, which allows for a more targeted application than other similar products in the market. This hands-free application method ensures that more of the formula actually reaches the scalp, resulting in higher absorption. It is also a cleaner method of application and dries more quickly compared to other treatments

We are thrilled to now be able to offer Minoxidil for Men, said Carlos Pina, chief executive officer, Capillus, LLC. We are continually looking at ways to improve the lives of hair loss sufferers, and are excited to provide our patient community yet another option for treatment.

The hair regrowth treatment is indicated to treat thinning hair or gradual hair loss on the top of the scalp. It is not intended for frontal baldness or a receding hairline.

5% Extra Strength Minoxidil Hair Regrowth Treatment joins Capillus line of medical laser devices (Capillus82, Capillus202, Capillus272 Pro, & Capillus272 OfficePro) and cosmetic products, which include a line of clinical hair care products and keratin hair fibers.

5% Extra Strength Minoxidil Hair Regrowth Treatment (MSRP $17.99) is available for purchase on http://www.capillus.com, by calling 1-888-272-9599 and through select physicians.

ABOUT CAPILLUS, LLC

Capillus, LLC is a Miami-based medical device manufacturer & marketer of solutions for hair loss. Founded in 2012, the company is a resource for those battling hair loss. Capillus, LLC serves the physician and the consumer market with medical laser devices (Capillus82, Capillus202, Capillus272 Pro, & Capillus272 OfficePro) and cosmetic products which include a line of clinical hair care products and keratin hair fibers. The company also connects patients to hair transplant surgeons & dermatologists for both surgical & non-invasive treatment options.

Capillus was founded in October 2012 and received its first FDA 510(k) clearance in January of 2015. Capillus has been manufacturing its medical laser devices since January 2015. The company moved to its present day 25,000 square foot location in the area of Doral to expand its manufacturing facilities in June of 2015 and has been experiencing steady growth with a total of 7 FDA 510(k) clearances for its seven laser therapy models.

Building on its mission to provide customers with the best products in treatment of hair loss, all Capillus products cater to both women & men with thinning hair or at risk for thinning hair, a condition that affects up to 50% of adult women & 80% of adult men.
Cats, take a meow. Dogs, bark it from the rooftops: Petplan has crowned Igor from Morris Animal Refuge and Flora from Secondhand Hounds co-champions in its fourth annual Tournament of Tails! The bracket-inspired online tournament features 32 dogs and cats competing for their shelters in friendly nose-to-nose matchups.

Between March 13 and April 3, animal lovers across America cast a record 261,496 votes to advance their favorite furballs to the next round. The massive love and website traffic for these two deserving rescues broke the internet, leaving some clawing at a chance to vote. As a result, this years two finalists will share wagging rights, each taking home a $5,000 donation from Petplan for their respective shelters.

The donations and development resources for Tournament of Tails come via Petplanthropy, Petplans official philanthropic initiative.

Our feline victor, Igor, is a 3-year-old with just as much attitude as the city from which he hails. The Philadelphia-born champ is a vocal guy who loves making his presence known during play time. Igor has a neurological condition that led to his characteristic head tilt. His winning personality made him a favorite at the Refuge, and earned him a new home after his appearance in the bracket!

Over on the dog side, our winner is Flora, a charismatic canine from Secondhand Hounds who would love to be a part of your family. Flora is a loving, eager-to-please Pit Bull who has been in rescue for over two years. She came to Secondhand Hounds in 2014 while she was pregnant with 11 pups. She has a sweet personality and is great with puppies, as she raised her own, but would be happiest as the only dog in the house. Floras ready to find her fur-ever home!

Its great fun watching the fur fly, and this years matchups had us on the edge of our seats! says Natasha Ashton, co-Founder and co-CEO of Petplan. We are excited to crown co-champions this year, and to keep putting pets first in everything we do  whether thats supporting shelters like Morris Animal Refuge and Secondhand Hounds or helping pets live longer, healthier lives with pet insurance.

To check out this years bracket matchups or sniff out more information, visit the Tournament of Tails website at http://www.gopetplan.com/tournament-of-tails.

###

ABOUT PETPLAN

Petplan has built the industrys leading pet insurance for pet parents who demand a higher pedigree of care for their best friends. Weve leveraged 40 years of global experience to create completely customizable coverage pet parents can feel confident in, and world-class claims service thats second to none  24 hours a day, every day.

Petplans innovative approach to pet insurance has been recognized by Forbes, Financial Times, Bloomberg, Inc. magazine, Smart CEO, the Communicator Awards, Ernst & Young and many others.

Petplan policies are underwritten in the U.S. by XL Specialty Insurance Company, and in Canada by XL Specialty Insurance Company  Canadian Branch. The company is rated A+ by S&P. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions. For more information about Petplan pet insurance, visit http://www.gopetplan.com or call 1-866-467-3875.
Va research Scientist Receives Top Award in Epidemiology from Physician's Group Were thrilled that Dr. Roghmann is part of the VA Maryland Health Care System team,' said Dr. Adam M. Robinson, Jr., director of the VA Maryland Health Care System

Mary-Claire Roghmann, MD, MS, staff physician, associate hospital epidemiologist and investigator at the VA Maryland Health Care System and a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, has been awarded the Alvan R. Feinstein Memorial Award from the American College of Physicians (ACP). The award was presented in San Diego at ACPs Convocation Ceremony on Thursday, March 30, 2017, during its annual scientific conference Internal Medicine Meeting.

Were thrilled that Dr. Roghmann is part of the VA Maryland Health Care System team. Her work on universal issues such as infectious disease control and on the prevention of the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria can benefit the delivery of health care throughout VA facilities and in the private sector as well, said Dr. Adam M. Robinson, Jr., director of the VA Maryland Health Care System.

Roghmann, an infectious disease physician and epidemiologist, studies how to prevent the transmission of antibiotic resistant bacteria and the development of infections. Her research in antibiotic resistance is focused on a number of interrelated areas including the transmission of multi-drug resistant organisms in nursing homes, host factors affecting MRSA colonization, and the microbiome of the anterior nares and other sites which Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) frequently colonizes. She has published more than 75 papers in peer reviewed journals. Roghmanns research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Agency for Health Research and Quality.

Mary-Claire is an excellent epidemiologist who has defined how to prevent infection of S. aureus, especially in nursing homes. Shes developed epidemiological data to inform isolation practices that have changed national guidelines, said Dr. Daniel Morgan, chief hospital epidemiologist, Infection Control at the VA Maryland Health Care System and associate professor and University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The Alvan R. Feinstein Memorial Award was established by the ACPs Board of Regents in 2002 in honor of the late Dr. Feinstein, who was internationally recognized as the father of clinical epidemiology. The award is given to an American physician who has made a major contribution to the science of patient care in clinical epidemiology or clinimetrics, involving the direct study of patients clinical conditions. Awardees are selected based on supporting letters from physicians familiar with clinimetrics/clinical epidemiology and how the nominees work contributes to the science of patient care. Selections are also based on whether the nominees contributions have been sustained over time.

The largest medical specialty organization in the United States, ACP members include 148,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists and medical students.

# # #

The VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS) provides a broad spectrum of medical, surgical, rehabilitative, mental health and outpatient care to veterans at two medical centers, one rehabilitation & extended care center and five outpatient clinics located throughout the state. More than 52,000 veterans from various generations receive care from VAMHCS annually. Nationally recognized for its state-of-the-art technology and quality patient care, VAMHCS is proud of its reputation as a leader in veterans health care, research and education. It costs nothing for Veterans to enroll for health care with the VA Maryland Health Care System and it could be one of the more important things a Veteran can do. For information about VA health care eligibility and enrollment or how to apply for a VA medical care hardship to avoid future copayments for VA health care, interested Veterans are urged to call the Enrollment Center for the VA Maryland Health Care System, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 1-800-463-6295, ext. 7324 or visit http://www.maryland.va.gov.
Senator Flake was unprepared to talk about the tax code as it relates to the alpaca industry.

Arizonas Senator Jeff Flake (R) today released his latest report Tax Rackets: Outlandish Loopholes to Lower Tax Liabilities. To promote his report, Sen. Flake released a short video claiming innocent alpacas are being abused and used as a tax shelter. He pleads with his constituents to help him save alpacas. The senator is targeting hard working business owners, causing potential harm to an industry he should, instead, celebrate and encourage for their contributions to the economy.

Sen. Flakes accusations of the abuse of alpacas is disingenuous, said Bud Synhorst, Alpaca Owners Association, Inc. executive director. I am stunned that the senator would go on national television without all of the facts about the North American alpaca industry!

The environmentally friendly alpaca is raised in North America for its fleece. He claims the market for fleece never developed in an interview on Fox & Friends. Compared to other livestock industries, alpacas are still a relatively new livestock in North America. Fleece has been a focus of alpaca owners since the industry began in the 1980s. It was not promoted nationally because there was not enough high quality fleece to support a full-blown alpaca fleece market. However, this does not mean that it was not a focus. Many people have utilized their alpaca fleece on a cottage level and still many others focused on fleece by working to breed alpacas which produce high quality, finer fleece, which is what is desired by producers. Successful alpaca owners knew the traits of the best quality of fleece and their focus was breeding animals to create top quality product.

As the national alpaca herd continues to grow, the alpaca industry, through marketing, will build a higher demand for their unique fleece and a variety of end products. Current levels of supply and demand always dictate the price of any product being sold.

The senator did not mention that the alpaca industry has been steadily growing in North America for more than 30 years. He stated that there are currently around 150,000 alpacas in North America when, in fact, there are more than 250,000. In the United States and Canada, alpaca business owners are striving to build the highest quality herd in the world. Existing strong genetics, scientific breeding programs for genetic advancement, a DNA tracked registry program and superior breeding facilities have already given the North American alpacas a reputation of being the best amongst international judges.

Sen. Flake dismissed the idea that an agricultural business is something that people desire and seek. Alpacas are a business venture that people have made a successful living from. When compared to other livestock, alpacas are a safe animal for children to work with as well  the entire family can get involved. It is a shame that during these difficult economic times, the senator cannot celebrate the fact that Americans are succeeding in a business that makes them happy.

With his familys agriculture background, why would he launch an attack on the North American ag industry, questions Synhorst. The ag industry is the backbone of America.

The alpaca industry is, in many cases, 100% American made from start to finish. In this economic environment, employees are being hired to work on the farms, creating jobs for Americans. Alpaca owners employ builders, veterinarians, farm managers, professionals who build and maintain websites, buy hay, straw, feed, tractors, donate to pay for research conducted at universities... the list goes on. The industry contributes millions of dollars through these things in addition to more than 40 alpaca shows at facilities throughout the country. The recent National Alpaca Show, held in Denver, CO this year, contributed several hundred thousand dollars to that community alone. The upcoming Alpaca Owners Association National Fleece Conference in Sacramento, CA will do the same.

Sen. Flake was unprepared to talk about the tax code as it relates to the alpaca industry, said Synhorst. He misused the facts by stating that alpacas were singled out. In quoting section 179 deductions, Sen. Flake was attacking small businesses and their capacity to deduct equipment and software. They are treated like any other livestock including cattle, hogs and sheep.

Alpaca business owners also receive NO special alpaca tax benefit. They have the same deductions as any other livestock or small business owner in America. These amounts can vary by state and even local laws.

Sen. Flake also mentions the price to purchase alpacas in his interview. The structure of alpaca pricing parallels that of other livestock industries where superior breeding stock and breeding stock in general command higher prices than individuals of average quality and production animals. The latter, especially males with minor defects or inferior fleeces, are often sold cheaply or sometimes even added to a sales package at no extra cost to the buyer. Alpaca breeders, like other livestock producers, know that not all their breeding decisions result in super stars.

Why would a U.S. Senator attack small business owners when his own report was unable to determine the cost of the deductions? said Synhorst. Senator Flake, after over 16 years in Washington, D.C. hasnt apparently made a name for himself so hes grasping at ways to gain attention and is attacking small business owners in the process.

The alpaca industry has forged forward during tough economic times and is currently involved in development of a marketing and brand entity. The industry has taken NO government bailout money. Alpaca may not be a mainstream livestock choice within American Agriculture today and enjoy the recognition of traditional livestock, it is none the less federally recognized as livestock and continues to grow a national herd and develop.

Alpacas require minimal acreage, are gentle on the land, are environmentally friendly, and are comparatively very safe for children to work with. Talk to an alpaca owner near you. They can tell you the name of each and every animal on their farm as well as their individual personalities. Abuse certainly does not come to mind when visiting a successful alpaca business owner.

What wonderful facts to share with constituents as a business option they can research and make decisions about themselves based on facts and discussions with actual alpaca owners. For more information about the North American alpaca industry, visit http://www.alpacainfo.com.

###
The HR Industry Pack makes it easy for HR professionals to see whats working and what isnt within their organizations, and to use this insight to build effective employee-related programs, said Jeff Catlin, CEO of Lexalytics.

Lexalytics, the leader in cloud and on-premise text analytics solutions, today announced its HR Industry Pack, which uses text analytics to improve corporate human resources (HR) operations and voice of the employee (VOE) programs.

The HR Industry Pack uses Lexalytics machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to analyze company reviews, internal company emails, message boards, employee surveys and other workplace data. With the resulting insight into employee sentiment about the organization, management teams can design programs to improve retention, productivity and satisfaction.

With a strong economy and tight job market, its more important than ever for companies to retain and attract top talent, said Jeff Catlin, CEO of Lexalytics. The HR Industry Pack  our latest industry-specific text and sentiment analysis software  makes it easy for HR professionals to see whats working and what isnt within their organizations, and to use this insight to build effective employee-related programs.

The HR Industry Pack includes 185 categories specific to employee content; around concepts like benefits, discrimination, ethics and managerial quality. These categories allow companies to reduce overall risk by catching problems as early as possible, and help them to keep the high performers happy.

The pack also includes more than 2,000 sentiment phrases drawn from genuine employee feedback, such as toxic environment and treated equal*. In a test of over 2,000 documents, the Lexalytics HR Industry Pack achieved 82 per cent overall agreement with human annotators, reaching the gold standard at which humans agree of ~80%.

Availability

The Lexalytics HR/Voice of Employee Industry Pack is now available for Lexalytics on-premise Salience and SaaS Semantria platforms. For more information, please visit https://www.lexalytics.com/technology/industry-packs, or contact sales@lexalytics.com.

About Lexalytics

Processing billions of unstructured documents every day globally, Lexalytics is the industry leader in translating text into profitable decisions. Lexalytics deploys state-of-the-art cloud and on-premise text and sentiment analytics technologies that transform customers thoughts and conversations into actionable insights. The on-premise Salience and SaaS Semantria platforms are implemented in a variety of industries for social media monitoring, reputation management and voice of the customer programs. Based in Boston, MA, Lexalytics has offices in the US and Canada. For more information, please visit http://www.lexalytics.com, email sales@lexalytics.com or call 1-617-249-1049. Follow Lexalytics on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Smart Texas Revolution at Earth Day Texas

The Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA), a 501c(3) Public-Private Partnership dedicated to the design and execution of a smart city strategy for Dallas, is hosting the Smart Texas Revolution at Earth Day Texas, a two-day conference April 20-21, including a first-of-its-kind expo allowing attendees to experience elements of A Day in the Life of a smart city. Day 2 will include a specialized workshop facilitated by the Smart Cities Council, with the ultimate goal of creating an aligned statewide strategy for a Smart Texas.

The DIA works from the definition that a smart city is one that leverages social, technological and data initiatives to create economic growth, resource efficiency, and most importantly, improves quality of life. The global smart city market is estimated to hit $1.4 trillion by 2020.

The Smart Texas Revolution will draw on best practices from cities across the country. The goal is to educate and activate cities across Texas on how to structure and execute a smart cities strategy. Speakers will hail from public, private and civic-centered leadership from cities across the country, including Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, San Diego and beyond. Topics include energy, data, cybersecurity, equity, mobility, water, procurement, financing and academic partnerships.

Through discussions with cities across Texas, it was clear that a dedicated conference focused at the state level was a core need to advancing smart city strategies for cities large and small, stated Jennifer Sanders, Executive Director of the Dallas Innovation Alliance. Our goal is to create an event that brings value and comprehensive information to cities in a way that is accessible both geographically and from a cost perspective. Very few states are embarking on a state level strategy, and we believe Texas is well positioned to lead.

The Details:

Date: April 20-21, 2017

Time: 8:00 am  6:00 pm

Location: Fair Park in Dallas, Texas

Who Should Attend: City representatives across operations, information technology, data, sustainability and beyond; regional and state agencies focused on strategy, planning, mobility and infrastructure; civic organizations; academia and research entities; corporations; and citizens interested in the smart cities movement.

Registration: Details are available at: http://www.dallasinnovationalliance.com/smarttexasrev or http://www.smarttexasrevolution.eventbrite.com. A limited number of discounted tickets have been released with the code: STRLimited

Current Speakers Include:



Richard Sear, Partner and SVP - Visionary Innovation & Smart Cities, Frost & Sullivan

Bill Schrier, Senior Advisor, FirstNet

David Graham, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, City of San Diego

Bill Finch, Chief Information Officer, City of Dallas

Jose de la Cruz, Chief Innovation Officer, City of San Antonio

Theresa ODonnell, Chief Resiliency Officer, City of Dallas

Kansas City  Herb Sih, Managing Partner, Think Big Partners

Bill Fulton, Director, Kinder Institute for Urban Research, Rice University

Dr. Shima Hamidi, Director, Institute of Urban Studies, University of Texas - Arlington

Lane Becker, 18F  General Services Administration (GSA)

Kristie Chin, UT-Austin Transportation Research Center

Gert Christen, Partner, City Innovate Foundation

Carlos Torres, Managing Director, Smart City Capital

Bart Bohn, Austin Technology Incubator

Amy Aussieker, Executive Director, Envision Charlotte

Hank Habicht, US Water Alliance and Sun to Water

Thomas Bamonte, Manager, Automated Vehicles, NCTCOG

Christof Spieler, METRO Board and VP/Director of Planning, Huitt-Zollars

Kathleen Baireuther, Manager  Mobility Transformation, Rocky Mountain Institute

Nevin Grinnell, DART [Dallas Area Rapid Transit]

Eddie Block, Senior Attorney, CISO, Gardere; former CISO, State of Texas

John Ansbach, General Counsel of General Datatech

Ted Lehr, PhD., Data Architect, City of Austin

Jeff Reichman, Founder, SketchCity

Jay Boisseau, President, Austin CityUP

Robert Kent, Director, Trust for Public Land

Sheila Holbrook-White, Resource Development Director, MHMR Tarrant County

Leandre Johns, External Affairs Lead for Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, Uber

The Smart Texas Revolution is hosted by the Dallas Innovation Alliance and Earth Day Texas; supported by the Smart Cities Council, Billingsley Company, ParkHub, Philips and Telensa. The Texas Tribune is a media partner of the Smart Texas Revolution.
The award recognized Accenture Interactive in helping customers design and deliver consistent and seamless digital commerce experiences, utilizing Elastic Path Commerce. The commerce landscape is rapidly evolving and Accenture Interactive is helping companies redefine their businesses for a radically different future. Elastic Path Commerce is a key component in the strategies and experiences we develop for our customers

Accenture Interactive has been recognized as Elastic Paths 2016 Partner of the Year for being the top-performing partner in 2016. This inaugural award was presented by Elastic Path, which develops the worlds most extensible API-first enterprise commerce platform enabling companies to create innovative customer experiences. Accenture Interactive delivered outstanding contributions that empower joint customers to transform their customer experience and innovate their business and industries.

The award recognized Accenture Interactive in helping customers design and deliver consistent and seamless digital commerce experiences, utilizing Elastic Path Commerce. The award reflects Accenture Interactives contribution to Elastic Paths customer success, software revenue, and delivery of complex transformational solutions for enterprises that seek a flexible, open and modular commerce platform. The Accenture Interactive team is globally certified by Elastic Path and are delivering numerous client commerce engagements.

Our strategic partnership with Accenture Interactive was a key factor driving our significant growth in 2016, said Harry Chemko, CEO, Elastic Path Software. The Accenture Interactive team ramped up a global Elastic Path Commerce practice in a very short period of time to serve the rapidly growing market demand. We are partnering with leading brands on digital transformation efforts that are creating entirely unprecedented business strategies using Elastic Path Commerce as the backbone. It is exciting to be at the forefront of this historic shift in customer engagement.

The commerce landscape is rapidly evolving and Accenture Interactive is helping companies redefine their businesses for a radically different future. Elastic Path Commerce is a key component in the strategies and experiences we develop for our customers, said Anatoly Roytman, senior managing director, Accenture Interactive, and global digital commerce lead. We are very pleased to be recognized by the Elastic Path team for our efforts and investments in the partnership and expect continued success in 2017.

The Elastic Path and Accenture Interactive partnership is helping world-renowned brands in their digital transformation efforts, which are reshaping their industries. Some of their joint customers include:



One of the worlds largest vacation travel giants

US-based Fortune 1000 software provider in the financial services industry

One of the worlds largest global telecommunications and wireless providers

About Elastic Path

Defining the future of digital commerce, Elastic Path develops the worlds most sophisticated API-based enterprise commerce platform. The companys flagship product, Elastic Path Commerce, has helped the worlds top brands generate over $45 billion in over 170 countries. Customers from industries as diverse as travel, telecoms, publishing, software, and retail enjoy the benefits of a flexible, open architecture that drives brand-defining customer experiences, facilitates business agility, and eliminates sales channel silos. Elastic Path is a private company based in Vancouver, Canada with sales offices in the UK and US. For more information, visit http://www.elasticpath.com.

# # #

Media Contact

Susie Reeves

Cross Border Communications

Susie(at)crossborderpr.com

+1-650-520-1005
Were passionate about activating community support for the beneficiaries of our new Community Program.

Bryant Agency, a full-service insurance and financial services firm, has announced the initiation of a master charity program created to strengthen the communities they serve. The agency pledges to select a new beneficiary every 60 days, working closely with nonprofit organizations and community leaders to seek out those who most need help. Their wish is to bring awareness to important local causes by forming campaigns which aid worthwhile organizations, families and individuals. Were passionate about activating community support for the beneficiaries of our new Community Program, said Nick Bryant, owner of Bryant Agency.

To debut the new community involvement program, Bryant has chosen to support Northwest Georgia Family Crisis Center. For 38 years this remarkable nonprofit organization has served as a haven for battered and abused women and children. The statistics are staggering: 1 in every 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence every year in our country. Family Crisis Center tackles the issue by providing shelter, care and referral assistance to those affected in the local community. Among others, programs include emergency shelter, transitional housing, services for both adults and children, as well as community education and intervention.

The donations page for each featured campaign will be accompanied by a fully detailed story outlining the cause. The team at Bryant Agency will also spread the word through its own vast network of customers, business associates, neighbors and friends. To join the agency in support of local victims of domestic abuse, donors may visit https://www.crowdrise.com/a-haven-for-victims-of-domestic-abuse and are asked to share the page with their own personal and professional networks. Bryant Agency also produces a monthly publication, Our Hometown magazine, which will use a full page to highlight each selected Community Cause. The electronic Flipbook version of the current issue may be enjoyed at http://bryantagencies.com/magazines/.

About Bryant Agency

A full-service insurance and financial services provider serving families and businesses from offices in Dalton, agency owner Nick Bryant knows many local families. This knowledge and understanding of Georgias people help him to provide customers with an outstanding level of service. Bryant and his team of dedicated professionals work diligently to help families protect the things which are most important to them  their families, homes, businesses, cars and more. They also prepare strategies to help clients achieve long-term financial goals. More information about the agency is available at http://bryantagencies.com/. To speak with a caring expert, please call 706-278-4558.
Dealing with Chinese Medical Device Regulatory Authorities:

Insider Tips from a China Expert

**An FDAnews Webinar**

April 19, 2017  1:30 p.m.  3:00 p.m. ET

http://www.fdanews.com/chinamdreg

Chinas FDA  is an FDA in name only, principally in charge of marketing authorization. Actual device regulation is carried out by regional and local governments of which there are more than three thousand.

To American eyes, the Chinese regulatory system is a Chinese puzzle. Devicemakers cant hope to get a registration approved without a knowledgeable and trustworthy local guide.

But how do they find such a guide? Which regional or local agencies must manufacturers deal with and which can be safely ignored? Do manufacturers still need to obtain marketing authorization from their home country, or has that onerous requirement been abolished under new regulations?

Jason Ma Esq. started his career practicing medicine in a Guangzhou hospital. In 1992, he passed the Chinese bar and joined a Guangzhou law firm specializing in medical device and other healthcare regulation. Later he moved to Hong Kong where he represented international device clients seeking success in the mainland-China market. And now he has landed in the Washington DC office of Mei & Mark LLP.

Attend this webinar to discover:



How to comply with arcane Chinese device rules. Example: Under new regulations, are medical devices imported into China no longer required to obtain marketing authorization from their "exporting countries?

Tips for gaining market approval, including how to find a trustworthy domestic agent to submit applications to the China FDA and other agencies.

What Chinese regulatory authorities look for under a hybrid system where marketing authorization is granted by Chinas FDA but local/regional governments enforce relevant regulations.

How to avoid enforcement actions  the unexpected things Chinese regulators may look for during inspections.

How Chinese regulation works  how Chinas agencies function, how they relate to one another, what to prepare for in person-to-person interactions.

Meet the Presenter:

Jason Ma Esq., Mei & Mark LLP. Mr. Ma practiced medicine in Guangzhou before being admitted to the Chinese bar in 1992. He is a former law partner of a Guangzhou firm and a senior attorney with leading international law firms in Hong Kong. He now practices law in Washington DC, specializing in assisting U.S. devicemakers and CROs navigate the pitfalls of the unfamiliar but lucrative Chinese market.

Who Will Benefit:



Medical Device Presidents and CEOs

Regulatory Affairs Management

Clinical Affairs Management

R&D Management

CRO executives

Webinar Details:

Dealing with Chinese Medical Device Regulatory Authorities:

Insider Tips from a China Expert

**An FDAnews Webinar**

April 19, 2017  1:30 p.m.  3:00 p.m. ET

http://www.fdanews.com/chinamdreg

Tuition:

$287 per site

Easy Ways to Register:

Online: http://www.fdanews.com/chinamdreg

By phone: 888-838-5578 or 703-538-7600

About FDAnews:

FDAnews is the premier provider of domestic and international regulatory, legislative, and business news and information for executives in industries regulated by the US FDA and the European Medicines Agency. Pharmaceutical and medical device professionals rely on FDAnews' print and electronic newsletters, books and conferences to stay in compliance with international standards and the FDA's complex and ever-changing regulations.
International law firm Greenberg Traurig, P.A. hosted a free Estate Planning Clinic for Holocaust survivors March 26 in conjunction with Dr. Stanley and Pearl Goodman Jewish Family Services of Broward.

Greenberg Traurig attorneys from the Fort Lauderdale office provided pro bono legal services and helped the Holocaust survivors prepare estate planning documents, including wills, health care advance directives, and durable powers of attorney. The event, organized by Parker F. Taylor, a Shareholder in the firms Trusts & Estates Practice, is part of an ongoing program of clinics for Holocaust survivors that the firm continues to host throughout South Florida.

We are proud to provide pro bono estate planning clinics to help some of our communitys most vulnerable members  Holocaust survivors, Taylor said. The clinics, which are designed to provide specific services to those who very much need and deserve them, reflect Greenberg Traurig's long-standing commitment to giving back to the community.

Other Greenberg Traurig attorneys participating in the program included Associates Richard B. Rosengarten and Chelsea Koff, both of whom are members of the firms Litigation Practice in the firms Fort Lauderdale office. Rochelle Kaye, a paralegal in the firms Boca Raton office, also assisted.

In addition to the estate planning clinic, Greenberg Traurig has hosted other pro bono clinics in recent years for Holocaust survivors. Between 2008 and 2010, more than 40 Greenberg Traurig attorneys from six offices provided legal services to more than 100 Holocaust survivors, allowing them to begin receiving reparations from the German government. Its estimated that there are close to 130,000 Holocaust survivors in the U.S. and 30 percent are living at or below the poverty line  which is three times the poverty rate for most older Americans.

Organizations in South Florida interested in scheduling Holocaust Survivor Estate Planning Clinics with Greenberg Traurig should contact Dawn R. Wolf, Pro Bono Coordinator, at 202-530-8545 or wolfda(at)gtlaw(dot)com.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GTLaw) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. One firm worldwide, GTLaw has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the second largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2016, and among the Top 20 on the 2016 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
Greenberg Traurig, P.A. Real Estate Shareholder David M. Layman represented the buyer in the $19.5 million purchase of the historic Via Bice located on Palm Beachs Worth Avenue. The purchase of the property, which comprises 18,712 square feet of retail and second level office space in five buildings, closed March 24, 2017.

The buyer is Via Bice Worth Avenue, LLC, an entity affiliated with the Amirsaleh Family Trust. The family investment group, which has offices at 90 Via Mizner, is also the owner of Via Mizner and various other trophy retail and restaurant properties. The trust plans to modernize and renovate Via Bice using the talents of Palm Beach-based designers and architects.

The seller was Via 313-1/2 Worth Avenue, Ltd., which is affiliated with Tricony Management. Via Bice has two addresses: 313 1/2 Worth Avenue and 320 Peruvian Avenue.

At nearly $1,004 per square foot, the sale price shows the continuing desirability of Worth Avenue as one of the premier retail streets in the country and one where investors see tremendous opportunity, said Layman, a member of international law firm Greenberg Traurigs Real Estate Practice in the firms West Palm Beach office.

Worth Avenue, which is considered to be one of the most expensive retail streets in the nation, is home to such stores as Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Chanel, Gucci, Graff Diamonds, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, and Salvatore Ferragamo. BiCE Ristorante is located within Via Bice.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GTLaw) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. One firm worldwide, GTLaw has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the second largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2016, and among the Top 20 on the 2016 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
... We are working closely with our partners at Health Recovery Solutions to chart an exciting course forward in the self-management of care, said Sylvia Getman, Adirondack Health President & CEO.

Adirondack Health and Health Recovery Solutions (HRS) have partnered to provide remote monitoring and videoconferencing services throughout the North Country region of New York State. With multiple health care providers in the region set to use HRSs software to engage and care for patients, Adirondack Health has setup plans to have HRS integrated through Hixny.

Hixny is a Qualified Entity which serves 1.7 million patients in the Capital District, northern New York and the Mohawk Valley. Hixny, among many other services and programs operates a health information exchange (HIE) which allows for secure electronic access to patients records, with consent.

Adirondack Health is a non-profit organization and a family of facilities serving the Adirondack region of northern New York for the past 100 years. The hospital to home initiative project was awarded Capital Restructuring Financing Program (CRFP) funds of $250,000 to support the goals of the Delivery System Reform Incentive Program (DSRIP). DSRIPs goal is to restructure the health care delivery system by expanding the Medicaid program, and reduce avoidable hospital admissions by 25% over five years. Adirondack Health also hopes in the future to expand their approach and open the door to use HRSs software in multiple settings, including cardiology, bariatrics, chronic disease management, behavioral health and post-partum patients.

Franklin, Essex and Hamilton County Public Health Agencies are at the forefront in distributing the tablets and monitoring the patients. Office for the Aging, North Country Home Care, and HCR are the home health agencies who will be assisting the patients if they need help in using their tablets and peripherals. Adirondack Health Institute (AHI), the DSRIP Performing Provider System (PPS) lead agency in the region, is providing support and resources to project partners through its Telemedicine program.

Leveraging the ubiquity and simplicity of tablet computing, we are working closely with our partners at Health Recovery Solutions to chart an exciting course forward in the self-management of care, said Sylvia Getman, Adirondack Health President & CEO. We are also very appreciative of the New York State Department of Healths support for this critical initiative.

HRS uses a 4G-enabled tablet equipped with their software and integrated with Bluetooth devices to capture vital signs and provide high risk-alerts. It also provides educational videos, two-way videoconferencing for family members and clinicians, and assistance with medication management.

For more information please contact Matthew G. Scollin, Director of Communications for Adirondack Health, at (518) 897-2341, or mgscollin(at)adirondackhealth(dot)org. For information on HRS, call (347) 699-6HRS, visit http://www.healthrecoverysolutions.com, or email info(at)healthrecoverysolutions(dot)com.
Building a sense of authority in your online branding takes a consistent effort over an extended period of time.

During one of his speeches, the owner of EAW Consulting revealed statistics that indicated 97.2% of people now conduct research online before going for a job interview. He believes the consequences of which now means that simply having social media pages is not enough; Active engagement is required with all target audiences, or people wont buy in to your channels content. As a business owner, you are part of your companys brand, and when people Google you they should come across credible content that positions you as such.

About Josh Cote: http://www.eawconsulting.co.uk/

Mr. Cotes international travel is almost solely dictated by his speaking engagements and commitment to helping others improve both themselves and their businesses across a variety of different areas. The American-born consultant has been based in London for the last 10 years, and has seen how British business recruiting has evolved with the rise of digital and social technologies  prompting a belief that branding plays a vital role in attracting and retaining top talent.

When people Google you or your company what do they see? Mr. Cote asked his audience, which prompted a lively discussion. The consultant then reiterated the connection between the online profile of the business owner and the business itself, explaining todays branding requirements of owners on both a personal and professional level.

It was clear from the way Mr. Cote focused on this area that he wanted his audience to build their online brands in a coherent and sincere way, so that they could demonstrate authority and credibility on their given areas of expertise; Building a sense of authority in your online branding takes a consistent effort over an extended period of time. As your content bank grows and your social presence increases, your brand will go from strength to strength, stated Mr. Cote.

As a consultant specialising in business development, team building, motivational speaking, and sales & acquisitions, Mr. Cote believes he has a lot to offer budding entrepreneurs across the globe. The EAW Consulting owner has been actively increasing his own online presence of late in a bid to provide further resources and follow up to his motivational and educational speaking engagements.

For more information about Josh Cote follow him on Twitter @JoshCoteLondon
The SLA has provided exceptional industry leadership and support to its members over the years, says Ciardello. My goal is to build on that legacy, and to leave the SLA even better than I found it.

National wholesale insurance brokerage and managing general agent Worldwide Facilities is proud to announce that its Senior Executive Vice President, Tom Ciardello, has been appointed the new Chair for the California SLA Board of Directors.

Ciardello was elected to the position at the SLAs Annual Meeting in February 2017, after serving four years on the board. He brings a wealth of experience to the position, having served in Surplus Lines in the San Francisco area for more than thirty years.

Ciardello came to San Francisco in 1986, where he joined a startup, Tri City Brokers, established its Financial Services division, and served as Executive Vice President. In 2010, he joined Worldwide Facilities, where he oversees the National brokerage operations. He also serves on Worldwide Facilities Executive Committee.

Im excited to give back to the community in this role, says Ciardello. The SLA recently launched new enterprise software, and Im looking forward to working with the staff of dedicated professionals within the organization. As an organization, the SLA is also focusing on recruiting millennials to the board and committees, and to the field of Surplus Lines as a whole.

The SLA has provided exceptional industry leadership and support to its members over the years, Ciardello continues. My goal is to build on that legacy, and to leave the SLA even better than I found it.

Contact: Tom Ciardello, Senior EVP

Direct: 415-625-1270

Cell: 415-305-5358

tciardello(at)wwfi.com

About Worldwide Facilities, LLC

Worldwide Facilities is a national wholesale insurance broker and managing general agent that has been in business since 1970. Our brokers and underwriters are industry leaders providing expertise in a wide range of specialty lines, as well as extensive contacts with carriers domestically and overseas. For more information, please visit wwfi.com.
For most Asian publishers at Bologna, the fair is predominantly an opportunity to reaffirm their market presence, promote select titles and authors, and (re)connect with clients. It is a soft selling approach that sees many countrys pavilions coalescing under a specific slogan or design that make them stand out from the crowd.

Focusing on Content and Creators

Taiwan has two separate and striking pavilions this year: one hosted by the Taipei Book Fair Foundation, the other organized by the Taiwan Ministry of Culture. Both opted for nontraditional displays that throw the spotlight on illustrators and artwork (instead of the usual rows of books).

It is a different kind of exhibit that allows the art and illustration to speak directly to the audience, said James Chao, chairman of the Taipei Book Fair Foundation, pointing out that approximately 136 illustrations from more than 30 illustrators provide the focal point of the booth, which is named Museum of the Fantastic. This art museum concept and design comes from Page Tsou, illustrator of Highest Mountain, Deepest Ocean (Big Picture Press). We want to highlight the quality of Taiwanese illustrators, especially the young ones, so that they continue to build their portfolios and make themselves known to the rest of the world, Chao said.

Over in Hall 29, the Taiwan Ministry of Cultures pavilion is all about content in multiple forms. Pavilion organizer Huang Paoping said, While the content may start in the form of a book, it does not have to end there. The IP can be transformed and delivered in the form of merchandise, games, learning apps, and even music, for instance. The possibilities are endless, and in this age of technology and digital application, anything is possible. Our imagination is the limit.

And imagination, Huang added, is something that childrens book writers and illustrations have in abundance. Take Julia Liu and Leo Tangs Tony Bunny: A Rabbit with Short Ears (CommonWealth Education Media and Publishing Company), which has been published in Korean, Russian, Thai, and Turkish. The story is is inspired by the spike of children with microtia (small ears) and a desire to boost their confidence; a follow-up title, featuring the courageous short-eared bunny and his timid elephant friend, has the same goal. In fact, illustrator Leo Tang created a piggy bank featuring the bunny and elephant to encourage children to save their coins and donate to their peers with microtia, Huang said. One cannot help but be inspired by these unique and uplifting titles.

Picture books, said Huang, transcend barrierscultural and societaland now, it is time for the picture book to transcend its traditional format, to move beyond print into other forms. That is the mission of this pavilion with its 45 illustrator exhibits. We want our content creators, and those from other parts of the world, to think beyond the printed pages, and to think differently.

Pushing Technology- and Membership-based Programs

For Kyowon, one of the biggest publishers in South Korea, its picture books continue to sell well, especially new series such as the 30-volume World Folktales and 24-volume Smart Science with Book TV (which incorporates QR codes that link to videos, animations, augmented reality experiences, and virtual experiments).

But there is one big title that Kyowon is not actively promoting at the fair, and that is DoYoSe English. Launched in April 2016 after a five-year $20-million development initiative, it is currently Koreas #1 English-learning program with sales already topping $16 million and an enrollment of more than 90,000 students. A membership-based program, DoYoSe (derived from Do It Your Self) English is targeted at primary schoolers ages five to 12. DoYoSe English is an after-school program on English reading fluency and achievements, said international rights manager Park Soo-young, pointing out that each student, paying a monthly fee of $100, is provided with a tablet PC, Smart Pen, and digital content.

There are five lessons per week for 48 weeks in the year, with each lesson delivering between seven and 13 activities. At the end of the week, students are tested before progressing to the next level, and a virtual meeting with their teacher is required to go over the weeks progress. There are currently 10 levels in the program. The complexity of this program means that lengthy presentation and explanation is essential, and this is something not doable at book fairs where everybody is pressed for time, said Park, adding that negotiations for the program with publishers in Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam are currently underway.

DoYoSe English combines apps, print workbook, digital content, learning management, and virtual communicationa blend of traditional and new technologiesthat makes learning fun, interactive, and effective for young children. English language learning is a huge market in Asia and other non-English speaking territories, and so we see a lot of potential for rights sales for this particular program, Park said.

Charting the Next Big-Name Illustrator and Trends

For Yuko Nonaka, who is in charge of rights at Tokyo-based Kaisei-sha, though the presence of Japanese exhibitors has definitely decreased this year, the fair itself seems busier. This is my 14th Bologna, and I am seeing even more editors and visitors from different countries compared to previous years.

At the previous Bologna, Kaisei-sha author Akiko Miyakoshi received a special mention at the BolognaRagazzi Awards. Her picture booksWalking Home Through the Night and The Tea Party in the Woodsare now available in English from Kids Can Press. In Japan, there are three big names in childrens books: Taro Gomi, Taro Miura, and Komoko Sakai. Akiko has the potential to be the next one, said Nonaka, whose 81-year-old company was shortlisted for the Bologna Prize for Best Childrens Publishers (Asian category) again this year.

Trend-wise, activity, counting, and game-based titles were popular three to five years ago, according to Nonoka. We had great success with Toshio Iwais 100 Stories series. Then the popularity of Aleksandra and Daniel Mizielinskas Maps threw the spotlight on illustrated nonfiction, and that category became very popular. This year, we are seeing a return to titles with beautiful illustrations and unique storylines.

Interestingly, Kaisei-sha has been working very closely with industry counterparts Fukuinkan Shoten, Iwasaki Shoten, and Kodansha to produce a series of tactile picture books with Braille for Japanese children. We share the technology so as to defray the production costs, and we market the bookscurrently at around 62 titlestogether as a part of our social responsibility and awareness campaign. We believe that visually impaired children should be able to read and enjoy the same picture books that are available to others. While we are not promoting these titles to overseas publishers, we are exhibiting them at this fair to show that Braille can be applied successfully and effectively to picture books.

Working on Social Responsibility and Beyond

Responsibility is also a major topic at Beijing-based Childrens Fun Publishing Company, a joint venture between Egmont Group and Posts & Telecommunications Press. We are talking about social responsibility that goes beyond worker welfare and environmental protection. Sustainability when it comes to printing and selecting the correct printing partners is equally important, said general manager Ao Ran.

Then of course, there is the responsibility in terms of copyright protection. China has made a lot of progress in terms of copyright protection since it signed onto the Berne Convention in 1992; prior to that, everything that was written was in the public domain in China. And we need copyright protection in order to promote authorship, and protect our homegrown IPs. However, there is still a lot that needs to be done, said Ao, whose company, due to the nature of its conception, undergoes four different audits in a year. The audits keep us on the straight and narrow, and make us aware of the importance of regulation and protection.

Recent months have seen Ao and his team raking in sales from Minecraft. Launched in December 2016, it has sold more than 400,000 copies. Such game-based titles work very successfully in Europe, and now they are proven to work in China as well, said Ao. Parents and teachers also find that these titles are educational and healthier compared to other game-based products. So there is the responsibility of a publisher to ensure that a title that it brings to the market is appropriate and good for the children.

Ao and his team are among the contingent of 128 people from China to attend Bologna this year. The China Pavilion, organized by China Childrens Press & Publication Group, hosts 35 publishing companies and exhibits over 2,750 titles. This being its fourth Bologna, the pavilion now has a 400-meter-square exhibition space. Come next year, with China the guest of honor, a much bigger pavilion and contingent are to be expected. (For more on Chinas childrens publishers and book market, check out our recent supplement.)
Flatiron Books president and publisher Bob Miller has announced the acquisition of two non-fiction works by former Vice President Joe Biden, as well as a third book to be co-written with Dr. Jill Biden, his wife.

Sources say the deal is valued at $8 million; Flatiron and its parent company, Macmillan, would not comment. The Bidens were represented by CAA in the world rights deal, Flatiron Books' editorial director Colin Dickerman is set to edit.

Speaking to the titles, Miller said they "promise to give us all a deeper understanding of recent political history." He added that they will also be "about the values that have given the vice president strength in both good times and bad."

Both books have yet to be titled. The first of the two titles will focus on how Biden dealt with political turmoil in the White House while mourning the death of his son, Beau.

This story has been updated with further information.
More than 4,000 comics readers made Saturday the biggest day yet for the MoCCA Arts Festival, an annual gathering focused on independent and self-published comics and graphic novels. Held April 1-2 at the Metropolitan West event space on West 46th Street, the indie comics festival featured an international array of guests including acclaimed artists Blutch, Gene Luen Yang, Becky Cloonan, Cliff Chiang and Thi Bui.

Not only was the attendance on Saturday the biggest single day attendance yet for the show, the festival drew an additional 3,000 fans on Sunday.

MoCCA Art Fests attendance number speak to a familiar story for indie comics festivals (and for pop culture conventions at large), which continue to attract ever larger crowds of fans.

Anelle Miller, executive director of the Society of Illustrators, which organizes the MoCCA Arts Fest, suggested that a larger venue may be needed. (This is the second year the fest was held at Metropolitan West.)

Miller told PW: Wed love a bigger venue, but I'm not sure I can really find one in Manhattan. She also acknowledged the brutal costs of renting space in New York City. [Finding new venues has] always been a challenge," she said, adding that the organizers and fans "do love this space."

For now the event has settled comfortably into Metropolitan West, a two story facility located within sight of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Panels were held around the corner at the nearby Ink48 hotel.

The show featured more than 400 exhibitors, as well as a large swath of the local and national comics community. Attendees included large traditional publishers, such as Abrams, and small literary presses, such as Uncivilized Books. The show also features a large number of self-publishers.

Despite the enthusiastic crowd, MoCCA isnt as big a platform to debut new titles as the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF), a larger independent comics show that is held in May. But, thanks to the diversity of its exhibitors, MoCCA remains a good place to sell books, and has developed as an equally important show for developing contacts and enhancing visibility.

Minneapolis-based Uncivilized Books sold out of Gabrielle Bells new graphic memoir Everything is Flammable, according to associate publisher Jordan Shively. Papercutz, a kids/YA graphic novel publisher, had signings for Jessica Abel's new YA graphic novel series, Trish Trash: Rollergirl of Mars, and John Neilsen's new graphic novel Look. Abrams graphic novel imprint ComicArts had a large table presence and brought in newcomer Thi Bui to sign her bestselling graphic memoir The Best We Could Do.

Raine Hogan, co-publisher of experimental comics publisher 2D Cloud, said that even more than sales, MoCCA is about getting books in front of more readers. For MoCCA the publisher debuted Mirror Mirror II, an extremely dark anthology of sexual horror stories, co-edited by Sean T. Collins and Julia Gfrorer.

Europe Comics, a joint marketing initiative by 13 European comics publishers, organized a visit by acclaimed French comics artist Blutch, his first appearance in the U.S. in 20 years. Blutch attracted a long line of admirers at the Europe Comics table. His graphic novel Peplum is published in the U.S. by New York Review Comics.

Hes really very touched by the response, said Europe Comics spokesperson Nazeli Kyuregyan.

Other big books at show included PRHs Pantheon Graphic Novel lines spring releases, My Brothers Husband by Gengorah Tagame, the fictional story of a Japanese familys first-time meeting with the widowed husband of their estranged gay twin brother; and Kirsten Radkes much anticipated new graphic memoir, Imagine Wanting Only This.

Also taking in the scene was IDW Publishing CEO Ted Adams. Adams said he chose to attend MoCCA rather than WonderCon, a much larger pop culture convention held the same weekend in Los Angeles. I love it here, he told PW. The energy is great.

Also spotted in the aisles: Karen Berger, former executive editor of DCs Vertigo Comics, who recently announced the launch of Berger Books, a new graphic novel imprint at Dark Horse Comics. Berger said she "loves" MoCCA. "Everyones on equal footing from art students selling mini-comics to top indie talent. Its a welcome respite from the mega-crowded, commercially-infused larger cons.

One aspect of the show that has been expanded this year is sponsorship. In addition to the School of Visual Arts, WACOM (which produces digital drawing devices), and RISO (a printer company), new sponsors included the crowdfunding platform Patreon (which uses monthly payments from patrons to fund creators.) Patreon flew in two successful Web cartoonists who had gotten funding through the company, Christopher Grady of Lunarbaboon and Lucy Bellwood.

Bellwood, who self-publishes a variety of nautical-themed comics, said it was her first MoCCA. I sold out of my new book, and MoCCA's as friendly as TCAF.

Miller told PW that she has been focused on increasing sponsors at the show this year. Its not a hard sell, she said, because a lot of companies want to get into the comics space.

Correction; An earlier version of this piece misstated the name of Mirror Mirror II co-editor Sean T. Collins.
Blythe, CA (92225)

Today

Sunshine and some clouds. High 79F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies during the evening will give way to cloudy skies overnight. Low near 60F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
A Connecticut man entered an Alford plea in Henry County Circuit Court on Tuesday to Class X felony possession of cannabis with intent to deliver and was sentenced to nine years in prison.

In an Alford plea, a defendant admits the evidence is sufficient for a finding of guilt if it were presented in court. Judge Jeffrey O'Connor accepted the plea agreement. Charges of cannabis trafficking and cannabis possession were dismissed.

According to court documents, Anthony J. Deegan, 29, in 2014 flew to California and set out to drive a rental car back to Connecticut with 17.5 pounds of cannabis. On July 5, 2014, Illinois State Police Trooper Andrew Fratzke stopped Mr. Deegan in Henry County for speeding and saw cannabis residue on the front seat. A K-9 also alerted for the presence of narcotics, and the cannabis was found in a suitcase in the trunk, court documents state.

Mr. Deegan told state police Inspector Doug Wade that a man named Shannon was going to pay him $1,000 to bring the cannabis to Connecticut, court documents state.

Mr. Deegan also will have three years of mandatory supervised release and must pay a $3,000 drug assessment fee and a $52,500 street value fine. He will receive credit for 363 days served.
CHICAGO (AP)  A 19-year-old man charged with murder in the likely gang-related killings of four men on Chicago's South Side had lost his father in another shooting a day earlier in the same neighborhood, police said Wednesday.

Maurice Harris faces four counts of first-degree murder in the March 30 slayings in the South Shore neighborhood, Chicago police said. Harris was arrested Tuesday, police said. It wasn't immediately clear whether he has a lawyer who can comment on his behalf.

Two of his alleged victims were found shot to death inside the restaurant, a third was found outside and a fourth was found a block away. They included two brothers whose mother worked at the restaurant.

The deaths were part of gun violence in South Shore that left seven people dead in a 12-hour period. Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said last week that the shootings were mostly due to gang conflict.

Commander Brendan Deenihan said Harris is the son of Jerry Jacobs, 37, who was shot March 29 about a mile away from the restaurant. Deenihan said less than "24 hours later, his own son goes and kills four people."

Following the deaths, Johnson promised a heavy and aggressive police presence in South Shore, saying coordinated police operations would target the people who are driving the violence.

The Cook County medical examiner's office identified the victims as brothers Raheem and Dillon Jackson, ages 19 and 20 respectively, and 28-year-old Emmanuel Stokes. The fourth was identified as Edwin Davis, 32.

According to police, Stokes and Davis were found dead inside the Nadia Fish and Chicken restaurant, Dillon Jackson was found outside and Raheem Jackson was found slumped against a tree a block away.

Jacksons' grandmother, Georgia Jackson, has said the two had gone to the restaurant to get food and to see their mother, who had worked there for several years. She said their mother called to tell her about the shooting.
ST. LOUIS (AP)  Officials say a Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville student from Chicago was killed in a St. Louis-area shooting.

The St. Louis County Police Department says three people were in a vehicle early Tuesday when it crashed. Authorities say 18-year-old Khiry Taggart and a 19-year-old woman were shot prior to the crash. Taggart was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman was in stable condition at a hospital. The third passenger wasn't injured.

SIUE vice chancellor for student affairs Jeffrey Waple said in an email to the campus that Taggart was a student at the university. Waple wrote that "we mourn the loss of this young man." SIUE was offering counseling services to students.

The Belleville News Democrat reports that the SIUE directory lists Taggart as a freshman.

Police are investigating.
OSAGE | As soon as visitors to the Mitchell County Historical Society Museum walk through its front doors, they will find themselves on a little journey to Mitchell (and West Mitchell), Iowa.

The display is the second in a series of six-week exhibits featuring communities throughout Mitchell County. The first exhibit featured the city of St. Ansgar.

In addition to artifacts owned by the historical society and used to create the exhibit, several current and former Mitchell residents also contributed to the exhibit, including the city of Mitchell and Dorothy and Bob Clayton.

One resident, in particular, helping with the exhibit was James Mostek.

Mostek, who has spent most of his life living in Mitchell, said he has always been interested in the history of Mitchell and its twin city, West Mitchell.

Many people may not realize West Mitchell was once called Eureka, Mostek said. There was quite a rivalry between the towns of Mitchell and West Mitchell. Maybe not as big as the rivalry that existed between Mitchell and Osage.

Mostek was referencing the dispute the towns of Mitchell and Osage had in regards to the location of the county seat, specifically, the location of the county courthouse.

At one time, Mitchell, with 1,000 residents, had several mills, shops, churches, businesses and schools and was divided into Mitchell and West Mitchell, each with their own mayor and post office.

In 1954, the two towns were combined into Mitchell.

Mostek became more involved in learning more about the history of Mitchell while serving on Mitchells council.

A year or two before our 150th anniversary, I suggested we needed to start planning the towns sesquicentennial, he said. Well, you know how that goes. I became the chairperson.

Mostek was recently called upon to again to help with Mitchell history, when the owners of the County Seat Bar and Grill were looking for decorations and items specifically about Mitchell.

Mostek started a Facebook page, Mitchell Iowa Memories, where he, as well as others, share their memories and photos of Mitchell.

I'd have to say one of my favorite memories of growing up in Mitchell is being a kid in the summer, you had no shortage of fun, he said. We had the Cedar River for fishing, swimming and floating down it on old inner tubes. We would hike through the woods or take a friend's boat upriver to camp out around the campfire and night fish for catfish and turtles.

Mitchell was a great place to grow up, as we knew everyone in town by name.

Mostek recalled a guy named Earl Turner, who would sometimes take him and his friends to the Bel Air Drive In Theater north of St. Ansgar to see a movie and meet up with some of their friends from that area. Another old guy took some of them to Stan's Drive in Osage for ice cream once.

Another time the same guy even let a friend and me take his new Plymouth Duster out east of town to see how fast it could do a quarter-mile run, Mostek said. He rode along of course. Another lady sold me a car and when I didn't have enough cash to cover the registration of it she borrowed me the money.

Halloween was great as we weren't afraid to walk all over town at night to any house with no worries of bad treats. The great fireworks display on July 4th and the annual Mitchell street sale were two of the yearly highlights also.

As most local people know the local history of Mitchell, Mostek shared some possibly, less-known or tall-tale history about the town.

Mostek said there was supposed to be a legend of an old woodsman who got his foot caught in a bear trap many years back and it grew into his leg.

He was said to still haunt the area at night, he said. He was known as Clubfoot and as the story went, you could hear the sound of him dragging the bear trap and the rattle of the trap chain as he moved through the woods."

Mostek said three local boys went camping at a place known as The Point, a clearing across the river from Interstate Park.

One of the older guys, from town, came running down the hill into their campsite yelling the clubfoot was coming, he recalled. They seriously considered swimming across the river to the park and after a few tense moments as they prepared a log to float the youngest brother across the river, the older kid sat down on the riverbank and started to laugh.

Mostek said he hoped people would recall their own memories of Mitchell when they visit the exhibit.

The Mitchell County Historical Museum is open from 1  5 p.m. Wednesday  Sunday and is located in the Cedar River Complex, 809 Sawyer Drive, Osage.
Go To The Polls And Pull The Lever

We hope everyone turns out to pull the lever next Tuesday (Nov. 8). Actually, new voters wont know what we are talking about, as the...

Letters To The Editor

Street Closure Dangers Neighbors, Friends, Citizens of NYC/QUEENS: Many may not know that NYC has decided to close off miles of streets to cars in...
OSAGE  Mitchell County is the tenth-healthiest county in Iowa, according to a recently-released report.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institutes seventh annual County Health Rankings report ranks Mitchell County tenth out of Iowas 99 counties in health outcomes.

The health outcome ranking is based on an equal weighting of the length and quality of life in each county.

Mitchell County, who was second in the state in last years rankings, ranked 16th in length of life and 8th in quality of life.

The quality of life ranking is based on the number of days residents reported being in poor physical and mental health as well as rates of low birth weights.

In addition to the health outcome ranking, each county received a health factor ranking, based on weighted scores for health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors and the physical environment.

Mitchell County ranked 14th overall in health factors, an improvement from last year's ranking.

"It is exciting to see Mitchell County continue to be a leader in the state health rankings, Beth Blumberg, Director of the Cedar River Complex said. "There are many factors that go in to this rank which means there are many organizations in our community all contributing to this success.

"At the CRC we see members of all ages continue to make exercise and healthy choices a priority."

The county was third in health behaviors. Health behavior factors studied in each county included smoking and obesity rates, access to healthy food and exercise opportunities, alcohol-impaired driving deaths, teen births and sexually-transmitted infections.

"We are ecstatic that Mitchell County continues to be in the top ten of healthiest counties in Iowa," Shelly Russell, Mitchell County Regional Health Center, said. "I think it is reflective of the collaborative working relationships within our communities."
G'day! It's Murray here. I've put together a little quiz to test your musical knowledge. Think you can score top marks in Murray's Magic Music Quiz? Give it a go now!
Under an agreement reached in October 2016, the German federal government will contribute around 1.5bn to the project through the Municipal Transport Financing Act (GVFG), with 1.4bn coming from the state of Bavaria, 155m from the city of Munich, and 150m from German Rail (DB). Any additional costs will be divided on a 60:40 basis between the federal and state governments.

The project, which has taken 16 years of planning, will be implemented by Germanys infrastructure manager DB Networks and is due to be completed in 2026.

The 7km twin-bore underground line will run from a point between Leuchtenbergring and East Station in the east to the west of Donnersbergerbrucke with new stations at East Station, Marienhof in the city centre and Munich Main Station. Additional tracks will be constructed to Leuchtenbergring and from Donnersbergerbrucke to the west of Laim. The tunnels will be up to 40m deep because of the need to pass beneath existing U-Bahn lines. The total length of new construction is around 10km.

The original east-west cross-city S-Bahn line opened in 1972 and was designed to transport 250,000 passengers per day. However, traffic has soared since then and the line in now carrying 840,000 passengers on weekdays, more than three times its design capacity.

The new line will reduce journey times as there are fewer intermediate stations than on the existing line. It will also allow the introduction of 30-minute-interval express services to Munich Airport and destinations beyond the current S-Bahn network including Landshut, Mering, and Mammendorf. In addition, the frequency of existing S-Bahn services will be stepped up from a train every 20 minutes to one every 15 minutes.

For more information on rail projects around the world, subscribe to IRJ Pro.

The new S-Bahn line is shown in red and existing S-Bahn lines in green.
Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Engineer Mohammad Saeed Sheikh says the plan will increase capacity for passenger and freight services.

Doubling the track on the 135km Faisalabad - Shahdara and 280km Faisalabad - Khanewal sections would turn them into main lines rather than secondary lines. The Shangla Hill - Wazirabad section is also part of the track doubling plan.

Hopefully, Pakistan Railways will be in a good position to earn maximum revenue for the country in addition to facilitating the shipment of export goods from upcountry to the sea port of Karachi as well as Kwadar deep-sea port, says Sheikh.
The first Bombardier Flexity Freedom LRV for the new Kitchener-Waterloo LRT line arrived Feb. 22, 2017, after a long journey by rail from the carbuilders plant in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The car, double-ended and about 95 feet long, was transported on an older railway flat car equipped with rails, flanked by idler flat cars on either side. Canadian Pacific Railway handled the move as far as its Hayward Street yard in South Kitchener. From here, Ontario Southland moved the LRV to its Lancaster Street yard just east of VIA Rails ex-CN Kitchener station. It was then taken, at night, by OSR in the consist of one of its regular Elmira freight trains, and set out on the southbound LRT/OSR track across from the LRT maintenance and storage yard on Dutton Street.

The car was the object of considerable media attention during much of its trip from Thunder Bay. During periods when it sat overnight in rail yards the LRV was closely guarded to prevent any vandalism.

On Feb. 24, a brief ceremony was held at the shop complex, attended by local politicians and the media. The LRV was moved inside the shop on Feb., using a Trackmobile railcar mover, a portable unloading ramp, and an idler flat car equipped with a coupler that matched that of the LRV.

The LRV, which is expected bear fleet number 500, is being given a thorough examination and testing in the shop, as well as having necessary equipment installed, before operational testing begins, likely this summer. The next of the 14-car order is scheduled to arrive by June or July. Opening of the line is scheduled for the first half of 2018. The contractor, Grandlinq, is required to have all construction completed by July 31.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board on Monday voted on measures to improve service for millions of New Yorkers who use subways.

Initiatives include the next phase of the 2nd Avenue Subway and enhancing train stations in Queens as part of a large-scale plan to overhaul more than 30 stations in the system in the 2015-19 Capital Program and a contract to shorten the 2019 Canarsie Tunnel closure by three months starting in April 2019.

The MTA board voted to award a contract for outreach services for the next phase of the 2nd Avenue Subway project, which advances north to 125th Street and will feature new stations at 106th and 116th Streets. The $7.3-million contract, awarded through a competitive procurement process to East Harlem Community Collaborators JV (a joint venture formed by Spectrum Personal Communications and Sam Schwartz Engineering DPC), will lead to the opening of a staffed Community Information Center (CIC) for the project at 69 E. 125th Street this spring. The CIC was previously located on Second Avenue between 84th and 85th Streets.

On New Years Day 2017, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo celebrated the successful on-time launch of Phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway by opening three new stations on Second Avenue at 96th, 86th and 72nd Streets, and an expanded 63rd Street and Lexington Avenue station. Phase 2 preliminary design and engineering work, as well as environmental studies, have already commenced. Once completed, a project schedule and budget will be established.

The board also voted to award a $150-million contract for the second set of stations in Gov. Cuomos ongoing Enhanced Station Initiative (ESI) to create new and dramatically improved subway stations throughout New York. The stations, which are all elevated, are located on the Astoria Line (N & W) in Queens, including the Broadway, 30th Avenue, 36th Avenue, and 39th Avenue stations. They will be renovated using a single-contractor, design-build method to cut construction time and save money.

The board voted to award an expedited contract to accelerate the rehabilitation of the Canarsie Tunnel, which carries L train riders under the East River, by three months. Judlau Contracting and TC Electric were selected in a joint venture for the $492-million project. Judlau successfully completed similar work on the Montague Tunnel in 2013 following Superstorm Sandy ahead of schedule. Penalties for any delays call for fines of $410,000 a day.

To keep up with MTA contracts and other industry projects, visit IRJ Pro.
The National Transit Institute has named HNTB Corp. Transit/Rail Practice Leader and Senior Vice President Diana Mendes, AICP, 2017 Training Professional of the Year. NTI presented the award at its 2017 Transit Trainers Workshop in Nashville, Tenn.

Mendes has provided training nationwide for the NTI and the FTA (Federal Transit Administration) for more than 15 years. She has aided personnel from transit agencies, state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations to better manage the environmental review process for federal transit projects. Mendes has reached more than 1,200 participants through more than 40 course offerings.

At HNTB, Mendes is responsible for strategic planning and implementation, industry representation, business development, service delivery and client satisfaction. She is based in the firms Arlington, Va., office and works with transit clients across the country.

In addition to NTI, Mendes is active in a number of professional associations, including APTA (American Public Transportation Association) and the APA (American Planning Association). She regularly speaks at a variety of conferences, among them events hosted by WTS (Womens Transportation Seminar), TRB (Transportation Research Board), and COMTO (Conference of Minority Transportation Officials). She has delivered more than 40 presentations to share results of her project work and research.

I am honored to be recognized by the National Transit Institute and support its mission of providing training and educational resources to practicing transit professionals, Mendes said. Trainers play a critical role in the industry and peoples lives by opening new possibilities for our workforce, our customers and our organizations. It is through training that we can recharge, renew, refresh and recommit. We learn from each other, and remember we are better together.

It is a great honor to give this award to Diana. She is an outstanding trainer for NTI and many other programs that she works with, said Paul Larrousse, NTI Director. More important, she is recognized as a mentor to many individuals, particularly the new generation of leaders in our industry. Diana represents the best of those who are committed to advancing public transportation into the future.

According to NTI, the Training Professional of the Year Award recognizes the exceptional contribution and sustained impact of a transit training professional on his or her organization and the industry as a whole. The Training Professional of the Year is chosen based on an applicants innovation, impact, professional development and reference letters.
The intelligence business is rarely off the Australian front pages for long. Recent mooted reforms have added to long-running controversies over surveillance activities and leaks. And in a few months we can expect the release of a new Independent Intelligence Review.

Among all that controversy and scrutiny, it is worth examining the Australian intelligence community's core mission. What is the value of intelligence to the decision-maker, and how can it best be delivered?

The core mission of intelligence is to provide its customer with 'decision advantage'. That is, its advice should mitigate surprise, and lend insight into the threats and opportunities facing policy makers. The vast bulk of the intelligence community's work, from the collection of foreign secrets to the analysis of complex data, is designed to better inform its customers.

In the Australian intelligence community, the fulcrum of that effort is the assessment agencies. Australia's assessment agenciesthe Office of National Assessments and the Defence Intelligence Organisationprovide national-level, all-source reports to policy-makers and planners.

But as the range of threats grows more complex, and as data balloons and becomes quicker and easier to access ( PDF ), the privileged role of intelligence reporting has become more contested. Customers have more sources of information and analysis available to them  from the press to social media to commercial suppliers  and intelligence assessments agencies must compete in an increasingly crowded marketplace of information.

In this environment, intelligence organisations cannot assume their job is done once a report is delivered. Instead, they must add value through three other means: expertise, focus, and access.

First, intelligence agencies should cultivate themselves as centres of expertise. Areas such as military analysis, counter-proliferation, and counter-terrorism targeting require years of training. To be sure, significant expertise already exists, but it should be treated as a priority, supported by advanced training and career pathways for senior experts. A ready pool of experts would also allow intelligence agencies to integrate more closely to the customer's workwith more in-person briefings and participation in increasingly fast-paced decision-making processes.

Second, intelligence agencies should focus their work on what matters for their customers. This requires a close and trusted partnership ( PDF )a more intimate appreciation for the imperatives and constraints of government decision-makers. Intelligence agencies should be able to respond to what they demand, but also work with them to identify intelligence requirements, and provide relevant advice even when the customer has not articulated the requirement.

Third, intelligence agencies should act as the central access node for a even wider network of partners. An assessment agency should provide its customers with mediated access to the full range of associated collection sources and international partners, and also non-government experts. Every collection and assessment agency is increasingly connected to other military, law enforcement, and analytic organisations around the country; and every Australian agency has counterparts in the US, other Five Eyes allies, and other foreign partners. If an agency cannot immediately meet its customers' requirements by itself, it should be able to connect to those partners to request or even direct new collection and analytic efforts.

To an extent, intelligence agencies do all these things already. But future reforms should consider maximising agencies' expertise, focus, and access.

To better deliver on these three priorities, the Australian Intelligence Community should consider a leadership structure with authority to guide and coordinate processes beyond a single agency. At its most basic level, this means reinvigorating important functions such as collection requirements management and customer relationsthe critical sinews that tie the intelligence cycle together. Separately, a 'Director of Intelligence' role could sit at the head of or above the all-source assessments agencies, and would not only oversee the assessment agency's analysis and production, but use her greater coordination authority to direct collection and serve as the principal intelligence advisor to senior government customers, in much the same way that a military 'J2' oversees intelligence activities and advises the commander.

Arzan Tarapore is an adjunct researcher at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation. He is also a PhD candidate at King's College London, where his research interests lie at the intersection of strategic studies and South Asian security. He previously served in the Australian Department of Defence.

This commentary originally appeared on Lowy Institute's Interpreter on April 3, 2017. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
MASON CITY | A wall of teal "bricks" emblazoned with messages of hope and courage was built in Willowbrook Mall on Wednesday.

The cardboard wall was part of the Writing on the Wall project, which allowed survivors and their families to write statements of support or share messages they believe need to be heard about sexual assault.

It's the first of several education events planned for Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Mason City.

The events are designed to spur discussion about the impact of sexual assault, said Shannon Roberts, sexual assault advocate for Cerro Gordo County.

"It does affect all aspects of the survivor's life and their family members," she said.

Other events this month include:

 Cup of Prevention -- Every Thursday in April members of Crisis Intervention's sexual assault team will be at Cabin Coffee in Mason City from 8-9:30 a.m. to talk with patrons. The company will donate $1 for all brewed coffee purchased during those times.

 Clothesline Project -- As with Writing on the Wall, those who have witnessed violence are able to decorate a T-shirt from 1-7 p.m. April 19 at the Willowbrook Mall. Shirts will be displayed on a clothesline.

 Take Back the Night walk -- The awareness walk will be held immediately after the conclusion of the Clothesline Project, or about 7 p.m. April 19, starting at the Willowbrook Mall. The short walk through the neighborhood with be escorted by local law enforcement, with glow sticks and signs provided.
Russian Supreme Court refuses to declare Jehovah's Witnesses victims of repressions

MOSCOW, April 5 (RAPSI)  The Supreme Court of Russia has dismissed a counter lawsuit filed by the Jehovah's Witnesses religious organization against the Justice Ministry seeking to declare its actions unlawful and to recognize organizations members as victims of political repressions, RAPSI reported from the courtroom on Wednesday.

The court ruled that it is ineligible to review this lawsuit because declaring someone a victim of political repressions is responsibility of other organizations. The courts representative did not specify which organizations those would be.

Jehovah's Witnesses lawyers noted that they are subjected to repressions since 1981 when Yury Andropov called them extremists.

On March 16, the Justice Ministry asked the Supreme Court to find the Administrative Centre of Jehovah's Witnesses an extremist organization. The Administrative Centre of Jehovah's Witnesses is a head organization managing local branches of Jehovahs Witnesses across Russia.

The Supreme Courts judgment regarding the Justice Ministrys motion is expected to be announced on April 5.

Jehovahs Witnesses have had many legal problems in Russia.

On January 25, chairman of the Jehovahs Witnesses branch in the town of Dzerzhinsk was fined 4,000 rubles ($67) for keeping and distributing extremist literature banned in Russia.

On October 12, 2015, a court in the Jewish Autonomous Region ruled to ban a branch of The Jehovahs Witnesses in Birobidzhan because of distributing extremist literature by the organization.

On June 16, 2015, Russias Supreme Court declared The Jehovahs Witnesses of Stary Oskol in the Belgorod Region an extremist organization and ruled to liquidate it.

On June 9, 2015, the Jehovahs Witnesses of Belgorod was banned as extremist organization.

In March 2015, a court in Tyumen fined the organization 50,000 rubles ($792) and seized prohibited literature.

In January 2014, a court in Kurgan ruled to ban the organizations booklets as extremist. The books talk about how to have a happy life, what you can hope for, how to develop good relations with God and what you should know about God and its meaning.

In late December 2013, the leader of the sects group in Tobolsk, Siberia was charged with extremism and the prevention of a blood transfusion that nearly led to the death of a female member of the group.

In 2004, a court in Moscow dissolved and banned a Jehovahs Witnesses group on charges of recruiting children, encouraging believers to break from their families, inciting suicide and preventing believers from accepting medical assistance.

Jehovah's Witnesses is an international religious organization based in Brooklyn, New York. Since 2004 sever branches and chapters of the organization were banned and shut down in various regions of Russia.
Chinese citizen charged with stealing brilliant to stay in Russian detention

ST. PETERSBURG, April 5 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov)  The St. Petersburg City Court on Wednesday upheld a lower courts ruling to detain a Chinese citizen Liu Limay, who stands charged with stealing a brilliant worth 6 million rubles ($106,000) from a jewellery exhibition, the united press service of St. Petersburg courts told RAPSI.

The woman will stay in jail until June 6.

Damage amounting to 6 million rubles caused to victims has been paid. However, the brilliant weighing 3.1 carat has not been found yet, the press service added.

According to case papers, on February 1, the brilliant was stolen from the International Jewellery Exhibition JUNWEX held in St. Petersburg.

Investigators believe stole the jewel was stolen by three Chinese nationals specializing in such thefts. Liu Limay allegedly replaced the brilliant with a fake and gave it to her accomplice, who hid the jewel in his mouth. Initially, police officers suspected that the he had swallowed the brilliant. Later, Liu Limay confessed that they had given the brilliant to a third accomplice, who took it away and left for China. According to investigators, that woman has been arrested in Hong Kong.
Russian government approves antiterrorism protection requirements for metro objects

MOSCOW, April 5 (RAPSI) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed an order on approval of requirements for antiterrorist protection of metro facilities, according to the governments statement.

According to the order, emergency response teams would be organized for immediate response within 24 hours to alleged attempts of unlawful interference in the underground.

Moreover, vulnerability assessment is to be carried out in the subway facilities. Based on the assessment, a plan of metro objects would be worked out taking into account and remedial measures would be taken to neutralize vulnerability.

The plan would be submitted to the Federal Rail Transport Agency for approval.

These regulations are binding upon all transport infrastructure subjects (carriers) and apply to all companies and businessmen engaging in activities at metro transportation facilities.

The adopted decisions would enhance efficiency of operation of counterterrorism state system, the statement reads.

On April 3, at around 2:40 PM Moscow time, an unknown device exploded in a train between St. Petersburg metro stations Technological Institute and Sennaya Ploshchad. According to the most recent information, 14 people died in the blast, over 50 were wounded. Investigators claim that the suicide bomber is the Kyrgyz Republics native Akbarzhon Dzhalilov, born in 1995.
CLEAR LAKE | A Clear Lake man has been given a jail sentence for assault with intent to commit sexual abuse involving a 14-year-old girl.

Robert M. Buckner, 41, was sentenced this week to 365 days in jail with all but 14 days suspended. He was put on probation for two years.

After completion of his sentence, he will be under the supervision of the Iowa Department of Corrections for 10 years with the possibility of parole.

Buckner originally was charged with felony third-degree sexual abuse. He agreed to plead guilty to the lesser misdemeanor charge.

The victim's father reported she had been sexually assaulted by Buckner, the father of a friend, at 1:30 a.m. Dec. 12 while she was spending the night at the friend's residence, according to the Clear Lake Police Department.

The girl told police that Buckner came into the bedroom, crawled over the lower part of the bed, straddled her legs and then molested her.

A $625 fine was suspended, but he was ordered to pay a $100 surcharge and a $250 civil penalty. Restitution will be determined at a later date.

 Mary Pieper
Recent incidents in Russia resemble a speeding roller coaster. It is a story of political ups and downs, unexpected turns of events, and conflicting narratives.

With mass anti-corruption demonstrations in Moscow and other Russian cities on March 26, followed by a terrorist attack in St. Petersburg on April 3, Kremlin elites are growing nervous.

Opposition leader Aleksey Navalny, now imprisoned, sparked a wave of public protest when his foundation uncovered a web of criminality and corruption encircling Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedevs hidden wealth, which includes lavish properties, yachts, and wineries, makes him one of the richest people in Russia.

According to polls conducted by the independent Levada Center, nearly 80% of Russians believe that both the federal as well as central authorities are thoroughly corrupt. Experts have always believed that corruption is deeply embedded in the Russian political system.

But given its scale, corruption today seems to be more the system itself, not just one of its core elements.

Russian citizens usually adopt a This is just how it is attitude. This time, however, they reacted spontaneously. Inspired by Navalny they took their disappointment to the street. Thousands protested peacefully throughout the entirety of Russia. Many demonstrators were detained. Some, after a brief prosecution, were sentenced to prison. The head of the anti-corruption movement, Aleksey Navalny, is serving a 15-day sentence for agitating illegal rallies.

Generation Putin

There has been one feature that distinguishes the March events from the last 2011 outcry against the rigged parliamentary elections  the engagement of the Putin generation.

Political consciousness of young people under 18, for whom domestic politics has always been associated with President Vladimir Putin, is slowly awakening.

Anti-corruption slogans have constituted only a part of their demands. They struggle for increasingly limited social and urban space and the right to freely express oneself. For Russian youth the everyday reality does not match the pro-government propaganda broadcast by tightly controlled media. State communication channels have developed a narrative of Russia as a besieged fortress. And one of the ways to protect the fortress is to make sure everyone toes the line internally.

As the Russian economy is going through serious disturbances, the lack of foreign investments is increasingly problematic and the promised high-tech revolution bears no fruit, the Kremlin desperately looks for a theme that could serve to distract the public. The 2014 annexation of Crimea and the ongoing confrontation with the West, as recently outlined by a Russian sociologist Denis Volkov in an article for RBK daily, no longer serve that purpose. In the vacuum that has emerged, anti-corruption actions, which resonate well with the people, have become a political springboard for Navalny.

At first an official reaction to the protest was limited to a prolonged silence on behalf of the Kremlin. Only after three days since the demonstrations have taken place, the authorities recognized them. Until then state TV channels have not run a single report covering the events.

However, it would be naive to think that there will be an investigation concerning Prime Minister Medvedevs circle. Medvedev himself comments on Navalnys work reluctantly. His press secretary Natalya Timakova said it senseless to react to the corruption accusations due to the lack of credible evidence. Prime Ministers political protector Vladimir Putin has (as of yet) no reasons to question Medvedevs loyalty. The status quo will be maintained and no one will be held responsible.

Civil cold war

Some Russian analysts believe that a new civil cold war in Russia has broken out. This is a rather premature interpretation as the protesters are not in any way an institutionalized grouping. Also President Putins grasp on power is as firm as ever. For nearly two decades he has positioned himself as the only guarantor of stability and peace. His authority has never been questioned.

The recent terrorist attack in Petersburg changes the political dynamics in Russia. Vladimir Putin can now carry out a counter-assault directed both at radicals as well as internal opposition.

The 1999 bombings in Russia and the Second Chechen War they led to enabled Putin to consolidate power in the run-up to the presidential elections the following year. The March 2017 demonstrations and the metro attack in Petersburg that followed will serve a similar purpose. Putin will capitalize on the fear of people and he will project the image of the only one that could curb those who want to destabilize the domestic situation in Russia.

What to expect from the Russian authorities in the short-term perspective? Both incidents might lead to the implementation of even more severe restrictions on the freedom of internet in Russia. When it comes to non-parliament opposition it could also experience another wave of sanctions including administrative impediments and controls.

President Vladimir Putin has said on many occasions, quoting Russian poet Fyodor Tyutchev, that for insight on Russia one should not use a brain. In Russia one can only believe. Such an approach invites citizens passiveness and the conviction that no change is possible and the authorities have the monopoly on truth.

A marked transformation of Russia is however feasible. Historically, it required an extraordinary individual like Peter the Great to shape the foundations of the nation and move the country forward. Today, this role could be played by young civil, urban, and cultural activists, who deserve Western moral support.
Chinese Communist Party Chairman Xi Jinping is meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump this week at the real estate moguls Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. While Xi will achieve his main goal of a photo-op with Trump, the meeting still carries risks for Beijing.

As the countrys leader, Xi has overseen an intense crackdown against dissent at home as well as an aggressive foreign policy abroad, even as Chinas economy undergoes a structural downturn. China is in trouble, and this weeks summit will not alleviate any of the pressures on Xi. Indeed, Trump may increase the stress on the CCP chairman by pressuring him to rein in North Korea and to stop Beijings economic malfeasance.

Turning a strategic page

But the Trump administration faces risks as well. Its China policy is not yet well developed, and Trumps high-growth-focused domestic agenda faces obstacles.

First, some strategic context. Trump inherited an Asia in which China was making gains at the expense of the United States. During his time in office, President Obama attempted a strategic reassessment of U.S. priorities in the region, a move often referred to as the Asia rebalance. This policy was meant in part to refocus Washington away from what Obama mistakenly viewed as the end of Americas ongoing wars in the Middle East.

However, the rebalance was also intended as a response to increasingly aggressive Chinese actions in the region, such as the expansion of its territory and military might in the South China Sea, its increased belligerence in the East China Sea toward neighboring Japan, and its coercive efforts against Taiwan. In short, Beijing was diluting U.S. influence in the critical first island chain: the countries and territories running from Japan through parts of Indonesia. Historically, American strategy has been to maintain its strategic dominance and political economic influence in this critical zone. The grand strategy has been a boon to U.S. security and prosperity.

But there was little real substance to the new U.S. approach. The Obama administration should be credited for engaging with Southeast Asia, attempting to reconcile South Korea and Japan, and finalizing new security agreements with the Philippines and Vietnam. However, Obamas belated attempts to negotiate and finalize the Trans-Pacific Partnership, in addition to his clumsy domestic salesmanship during an election year, helped doom that agreement. And although the Obama administration had articulated this so-called pivot, it simultaneously starved the military of the budget it needed to rebuild a force that could effectively counter China in the region.

Finally, Obamas non-policy of strategic patience with North Korea did nothing to arrest the Kim dynastys relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. The Trump team inherited a looming crisis in the Korean Peninsula, and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un amplified his missile and nuclear testing rhetoric and threatened to test an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the United States.

No new model for great power relations

Still, Obamas strategic vision was essentially correct. Much of the work in China policy has little to do with Sino-American bilateral relations. Rather, U.S. strategy relies on establishing sound alliances and partnerships. The goal of the Obama administrations Asia policy was to discourage Beijings attempts at regional dominance, and to prod it to accept its place as one of many Asian powers. That strategy was always doomed to fail, however, without the credible threat of U.S. force to back it up, in addition to a ratified TPP that would have provided the political-economic regional architecture.

As a result of this strategic ambiguity, China has spent the last eight years taking, building, and militarizing maritime territory in the South China Sea, arguably changing the territorial status quo in East Asia. Add to this mix a newly emboldened regime in North Korea, and the potential for a U.S. crisis in the region appears even more likely.

How has the Trump administration approached this daunting set of challenges? As an outsider businessman who captured the imagination of many working-class Americans, Trumps focus has largely been on Chinas economic misconduct. While the U.S.-China economic relationship has yielded some positive returns for America, Chinas theft of intellectual property, its subsidization of state-owned enterprises (SOE), and its barriers to reciprocal market access have hurt American workers and companies. Trump clearly wants to address these issues. As his recent executive orders, tweets, and interviews have underlined, Chinas economic policy is foremost on the presidents mind.

But Chinese trade disputes are not the administration's only concern. The Trump administration has also laid the groundwork for an alliance-centered approach in Asia. His phone conversation with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen made clear that the United States will pursue a One China policy that is consistent with U.S. interests, and not Beijings. Recent trips to the region by Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have helped to reassure Americas allies of continued U.S. support in the face of the North Korea threat and Chinas maritime encroachment. The Trump-Abe summit was highly productive, and made clear again U.S. commitments to Japan in the East China Sea.

However, given Beijings skill in charming all new U.S. governments, the administration may be tempted to slow its pressure on China. Xi will come to Florida armed with promises to address some of the trade issues raised by President Trump and his team, and the Chinese leader will undoubtedly pledge once again to help on North Korea. This is ironic given Beijings coercion and bullying of South Korea as Seoul attempts to defend itself against the Norths missiles by deploying the THAAD.

What should be of most concern to Trump is that Xi will also press the United States to accept Chinas new model of great power relations, which is a Chinese strategic concept and a propaganda tool meant to frustrate the idea of an Asia made up of many autonomous free powers. The administration has privately rejected Chinas attempts to draw the United States into a G2-like structure in which the two countries co-manage East Asia. They should do so publicly.

A series of speeches and official statements that lay out a U.S. vision of Asia would also help alleviate concerns that Washington is accepting Chinas vision for the region. The U.S. strategic objective should be to promote an Asia populated by independent and strategically autonomous states, developing free of coercion, and aligned with The United States.

Ultimately, Trump's high-growth domestic agenda will be key to setting America back on course in Asia. If Trump is successful in implementing his tax and deregulatory agenda, all Americans will enjoy economic growth and increased labor participation. This can create American confidence and the momentum and political capital needed for a positive Asian trade agenda, as well as a real fix to the U.S. defense budget.

Trumps essential commitment to Americans is to strengthen the United States at home and abroad. To succeed, the president must in part develop a regional strategy that ensures Americas role as the predominant power in a whole and free Asia. In the meantime, the administration would do well to articulate where it wants to take U.S. policy in Asia, and thus put the bilateral relationship with China in the proper framework: as one of many important relationships with Asian powers.
Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale

Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada.

Search Real Estate
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/05/2017



ADVERTISEMENT

Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
MASON CITY  Longtime Forest City High School Band Director David Rutt and Mason City Street Superintendent Bob Berggren are honorees for this year's North Iowa Band Festival.

Rutt will receive the Band Masters Award given to a retiring band master in recognition of outstanding work with young musicians over the years.

Berggren will receive the Klempnauer Award, named for the late Dan Klempnauer, and given in recognition for years of service to the Band Festival.

This year's Grand Marshal Award, usually given to an individual, will go to Henkel Construction Co. for its years of service in helping with the festival.

The festival will be May 25-29 in downtown Mason City with a theme of "Music. Family. Fun!"

Berggren has worked for the city for 28 years and has been the city's Band Festival liaison for the past 15 years.

Berggrens crews work as event support during Band Festival weekend. They are responsible for ensuring street closures are clearly marked, keeping the parade route and downtown tidy and providing electrical service to the festivities downtown, along with countless other items.

Rutt has taught instrumental music for 35 years, including 24 at Forest City High School.

His marching bands have received numerous Division 1/Superior ratings at state competitions and set the school record of 33 consecutive Division 1 ratings. The concert band received Division 1 ratings in 22 of Rutts 24 years with the district.

Rutt currently serves as the exhibits chair for the Iowa Music Educators State Conference. He has been involved with the Iowa All-State Music Festival for 10 years, including the past six years as chairperson of the Iowa All-State Band.

He has also served on the Iowa High School Music Association's executive board.
On Saturday, April 20 Athens for Everyone, a local progressive activist group, hosted a town hall at the Athens-Clarke County Library intend
MASON CITY | An action-packed fundraiser to support an 8-year-old Mason City boy fighting brain cancer is planned for Sunday.

Four teachers from Harding Elementary are organizing the Bingo For Burgos fundraiser to benefit Elliot Burgos and his family.

It will be from 2-5 p.m. Sunday at the Columbia Club, which was formerly the Knights of Columbus Hall, 551 S. Taft Ave., Mason City.

A Harding student, Elliot has undergone high-dose chemotherapy, radiation, stem cell transplants and four brain surgeries since his diagnosis with medulloblastoma in March 2016.

His family recently learned the cancer has returned, spreading around his brain and down his spine.

"We went back a couple weeks ago and found out that Elliot's cancer had come back, and it's spread pretty quickly around his brain and down his spine," said his mother, Shanda Burgos. "They're giving him, depending on what treatment option he went with, anywhere from a couple months to maybe a year for survival."

Elliot lives in Mason City with Shanda and his father, Jonathan Burgos, and brothers Cameron, 17, Calob, 15, and Samuel, 7.

The family learned this week that Elliot has been accepted into a medical trial and is working to get him started as soon as possible, Shanda said.

It is a Phase I clinical trial that studies the effectiveness of the measles virus on the treatment of medulloblastoma cells. Participants in Phase I trials are among the first to receive new drugs or treatments, which have not previously been tested on humans, according to the National Institute of Health.

Facilities doing the trial are in Chicago and San Francisco.

"They originally started this in California, so we're going to be contacting them to see if they can get Elliot in there sooner than Chicago can," Shanda Burgos said.

Teachers Kelli Roth, Conie Berding, Heather Lauffer and Shela Lang organized the benefit as a way to support the family.

The event features bingo, door prizes, a raffle and a photo booth. Door charge is $5. Donations also can be made to a benefit account, the Burgos Family Fund, at CENT Credit Union in Mason City.

"When your heart is breaking for someone, you help in any way you can," Kelli said. "Our hearts are hurting because at Harding we are family and a member of our family needs support. Thats what family does. We lead with our hearts and jump in where we can."

The family has chronicled Elliot's battle on a Facebook page, Prayers for Elliot, posting updates for a wide group of family, friends and supporters.

"The amount of support that we've gotten from people, not only financially but just the amount of prayers we've gotten from everybody is overwhelming, I should say, at times, but I definitely think that's what kept us going as strong as we have," Shanda said.

Shanda said it's difficult to find the words to thank people for the support they've shown the family over the past year.

"There's never a way to thank people enough for what they've done," she said. "And, what they think might be something little is something huge for us."
Uttar Pradesh and Punjab have announced loan waivers for farmers, and Maharashtra might concede to Opposition pressure to do so. Sanjeeb Mukherjee reports.

IMAGE: Loans taken from scheduled commercial banks in any given credit season comprise more than 70 per cent of farm credit availed by growers. Photograph: Anuwar Hazarika/Reuters .

The Centre has said it would not share the financial burden of farm-loan waivers announced by states.

This would mean the states would be more comfortable to waive loans taken only from financial institutions within their jurisdiction, which would be state and district credit cooperative societies and primary agriculture credit societies. Uttar Pradesh and Punjab have announced loan waivers, while Maharashtra has not despite Opposition pressure.

Loans taken from scheduled commercial banks in any given credit season comprise more than 70 per cent of farm credit availed by growers. Some experts said any state government can ask scheduled commercial banks to collect loan dues, but this has seldom happened.

It is not clear who would be asked to bear the loan waiver burden: Cooperative societies or the state exchequer?

Barring Punjab, state cooperative banks are not healthy enough in UP and Maharashtra because of non-performing assets (NPAs). But profits of cooperative banks in Punjab do not match the debt-waiver requirement.

Let us look at the financial health of cooperative banks in some major states:

Uttar Pradesh

The most-talked about loan waiver promise was made by the BJP government under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The financial burden on the state's exchequer, according to the available reports, could be between Rs 8,000 crore and over Rs 62,000 crore.

An analysis of the data furnished by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) by independent researchers showed gross NPAs as percentage of gross loans at UP cooperative banks fell from 6.2 per cent to 4.8 per cent from 2012 to 2015. The national average had moved from 6.9 per cent to 5 per cent in this period.

Profits of UP cooperatives rose from Rs 30 crore in 2012 to Rs 40.4 crore in 2015, a 35 per cent increase. The provisioning done by cooperatives for NPAs was not available and, hence, profitability might look higher.

The cooperatives might be able to bear up to Rs 12 crore from their profits.

"The state cooperative banks, contrary to perception, are not in a very bad financial state in UP," a senior official who has worked in the state and central governments told Business Standard.

Punjab

Punjab's new government had recently asked the Centre's support for a farm loan waiver.

Cooperative banks in the state are healthy on the NPA front. Though the profits of state cooperative banks, according to NABARD, have dropped between 2012 and 2014 (Rs 27.2 crore to Rs 17.3 crore), it was Rs 21.3 crore in 2015. NPAs as percentage of outstanding loans were 0.9 to 0.7 between 2012 and 2015 -- lower than the national average.

The total farm indebtedness in Punjab, according to a survey done by the Punjab Agriculture University, was around Rs 69,355 crore.

Maharashtra

The Opposition in this BJP-ruled state have demanded a farm-loan waiver. The state government refused, saying it would cost the exchequer Rs 30,000 crore.

However, the government might concede to the Opposition's demand, sources said.

The state's cooperative financial institutions are saddled with double-digit gross bad debts.

The cooperatives make profits and can bear a debt-waiver burden. A NABARD study showed the cooperative banks' NPAs as percentage of loans outstanding dropped by almost half from 21.2 per cent in 2012 to 11.7 per cent in 2015. Profits of cooperative banks rose from Rs 175.40 crore in 2012 to Rs 410 crore in 2015.

The figures of bad debts are in gross terms and profits might be on the higher side depending on the provisions.
The LaLit plans to market its iconic Indian food restaurant Baluchi separately and take it abroad too.

IMAGE: Baluchi, The LaLit, London. Photograph: Kind Courtesy www.thelalit.com.

The LaLit Suri Hospitality Group is trying to do with its pan-Indian restaurant Baluchi what diversified conglomerate ITC had once done with its iconic Bukhara restaurant, carving out a separate identity and taking it to foreign shores.



"Baluchi will have its own identity, its own website. The marketing and public relations for Baluchi and the hotel will run parallely," said Keshav Suri, executive director of the LaLit Suri Hospitality Group.



Baluchi is now housed in six of the 13 properties owned by the group, but their numbers will grow.





IMAGE: Baluchi, The LaLit, New Delhi. Photograph: Kind Courtesy www.thelalit.com.

"Kolkata, too, will have a Baluchi soon," Suri said.



The idea of creating a separate identity for Baluchi may have come from LaLit's newly opened London property, a 180-year-old building that once housed the erstwhile St Olave's Grammar School, just off Tower Bridge in London. The property was bought by the group at a Christie's auction in 2012 for 15 million pounds.



"The Baluchi there is magnificent. It is where the school assembly used to take place, so it is built like a cathedral. The ceiling is cobalt blue, as are the four-tonne Hyderabadi chandeliers," Suri added.



"Food and beverage is big in London and hotel restaurants have a negative connotation. This restaurant cannot be treated like a hotel restaurant. It has to be treated as a separate business unit. And I want people to come and tell me that they want a franchise of Baluchi in Scotland, Ireland or Paris," he said.



Suri is contemplating taking Baluchi to the US, much like ITC had taken Bukhara to New York and Chicago in the 1980s.



"In the next five years, I see us consolidating and focusing on extended brands like Kitty Su (their night club), Baluchi, 24X7 (their coffee shop), as well as taking these brands to different parts of India and the world where we do not own properties," Suri said.





IMAGE: Baluchi, The LaLit, Mumbai. Photograph: Kind Courtesy www.thelalit.com.

Plans for brands like Kitty Su could take some time to materialise, but Baluchi is definitely going on its own. Offers are already on the table for Noida and Gurgaon. The model will be a franchise one.



Food will be a big future business for the LaLit Suri group. A separate outdoor catering vertical will be created under the Lalit Food Truck Company. Currently, as part of the LaLit Suri Hospitality Group, three food trucks are operational. But by the end of next year, another three will be added.



"It is part of our group. But I am going to make it a separate company. It is becoming bigger," said Suri.
It could ease the burden on the 225 million women in developing countries, says Ari Altstedter.





IMAGE: Years of human trials on the injectable, sperm-zapping product are coming to an end, and researchers are preparing to submit it for regulatory approval. Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Doctors are on the cusp of launching a male contraceptive.

But rather than a big pharma lab, the breakthrough is emerging from a university start-up in the heart of rural India.

Years of human trials on the injectable, sperm-zapping product are coming to an end, and researchers are preparing to submit it for regulatory approval.

Results so far show its safe, effective and easy to use -- but gaining little traction with drugmakers. Thats frustrating its inventor, who says his technique could play a crucial role in condom-averse populations.

A new birth control method for men has the potential to win as much as half the $10 billion market for female contraceptives worldwide; it also has the potential to cut into the $3.2 billion of annual condom sales, businesses dominated by pharmaceutical giants Bayer AG, Pfizer Inc and Merck & Co, according to estimates from the last major drug company to explore the area.

Indias reversible procedure could cost as little as $10 in poor countries, and may provide males with years-long fertility control, overcoming compliance problems and avoiding ongoing costs associated with condoms and the female birth-control pill, which is usually taken daily.

It could also ease the burden on the 225 million women in developing countries who, the World Health Organisation says, have an unmet need for contraception.

Yet, so far, only a US non-profit has taken up development of the technology abroad.

For Sujoy Guha, the 76-year-old biomedical engineer who invented the product, the challenge is to now find a company which wants to sell it -- even though male contraception is an area Big Pharma has so far shown little interest in.

The fact that the big companies are run by white, middle-aged males who have the same feeling -- that they would never do it -- plays a major role, said Herjan Coelingh Bennink, a gynaecology professor who helped develop the contraceptives Implanon and Cerazette as head of research and development in womens health for Organon International from 1987 to 2000.

If those companies were run by women, it would be totally different.

Guhas technique for impairing male fertility relies on a polymer gel thats injected into the sperm-carrying tubes in the scrotum.

The gel, which has the consistency of melted chocolate, carries a positive charge that acts as a buffer on negatively charged sperm, damaging their heads and tails, and rendering them infertile.

The treatment, known as reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance, or RISUG, is reversed with a second shot that breaks down the gel, allowing sperm to reach the penis normally.

The expected launch of RISUG over the next two years will contribute to the Indian contraceptive markets 17 percent growth through 2021, according to a report last year from Pharmaion Consultants, based near New Delhi.

The procedure is 98 per cent effective at preventing pregnancy -- about the same as condoms if they are used every time -- and has no major side effects, according to R S Sharma, head of reproductive biology and maternal health at the Indian Council of Medical Research.

About 540 men have received it in India, where it continues to prevent pregnancies in their partners 13 years after treatment, he said.

A submission to regulators this year will seek approval for RISUG as a permanent method of birth control. That will be appended with clinical data supporting reversibility, Sharma said.

India has more married women with an unmet need for family planning than any other country, and social stigma and a lack of privacy in stores has kept condom use to less than six per cent.

Globally, men tend to take a back seat in matters of contraception. Almost 60 per cent of women in spousal relationships used the contraceptive pill or some other form of modern contraception worldwide in 2015, according to a United Nations report. In contrast, eight per cent relied on their male partner using a condom.



A new option for male birth control could garner as much as half the female contraceptives market, according to research by Organon in the 1990s, when the Dutch drugmaker partnered with Germanys Schering AG on the last major effort to develop a male birth control pill.

Demand would come from couples in long-term relationships looking to share family-planning responsibilities and single men looking for an alternative to condoms to prevent an unintended pregnancy from casual sex, Coelingh Bennink said.

Still, there were questions at Organon about whether it would be worthwhile financially to develop a new entrant in the low-margin contraceptives market, and the project was eventually shelved, he said.

Efforts on a hormone-based male contraceptive continued in 2008, in a study co-funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and UN agencies that was published in October.

While the injected regimens efficacy was relatively good compared to other methods, the study was terminated early after a safety review.

The authors noted a relatively high frequency of mild to moderate mood disorders, sparking a media uproar over perceived double standards in the development of contraceptives because the side effects seemed similar to those women experience on the pill.
'Whether it is the One Belt One Road project or building relationships in the Indian Ocean Region -- supposedly our area of concern -- the Chinese are seriously outpacing us,' points out Vice-Admiral Premvir Das (retd).

IMAGE: People's Liberation Army troops during a military parade in Tiananmen Square. Photograph: Reuters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his tenure by inviting neighbouring country heads, among them Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, to his swearing-in ceremony. This was a path-breaking gesture which he hoped would lead to some forward movement in the relationship between the two countries.

Some efforts were made to resume the dialogue process such as the interface between foreign secretaries and national security advisers of the two countries.

And finally, there was Modi's spontaneous visit to Sharif's private empire at Raiwind near Lahore for a family ceremony. The Indian PM had executed a series of tactical moves that would, apparently, lead to a more congenial interface.

But look at the situation some months later: A daring raid on one of our premier forward air force bases by terrorists from across the border and an even more traumatic attack on a well-guarded military unit just on the border, which left nearly a score dead.

It was just a signal from those who matter in Pakistan that things should get back to where they were.

This was followed by our own much publicised 'surgical strike.' Whether we went in a couple of hundred yards or a few kilometres is not the issue.

The bottom line is that the incursion was widely publicised, unlike earlier such actions, signaling a more muscular stance.

Since then, the border has been 'live' with almost daily exchange of fire between the two militaries.

For ideological and religious reasons, Pakistan has always seen India as a Hindu country and inimical to its interests. This has nothing to do with Partition or with the unresolved Jammu and Kashmir question.

Even if that is out of the way, India is and always will remain the enemy.

The sense among some of our liberals that the younger generation in Pakistan will begin to see things differently is misplaced; they are even more radicalised.

In supporting cross-border terrorism, Pakistan has found a very cost-effective alternative to a full-fledged war. This allows them to keep the enemy image in focus.

For India, the choice is hugely different. Pakistan is not an enemy is our fundamental thesis; it is just a horrible thing.

Its army is hostile, its politicians are weak, it sponsors terrorist groups, etc, but it is not an enemy.

This is the paradox.

We are their adversary, but they are not ours.

Since war is, equally, not an option for us, at least until things really come to grief, our response is to manage what is being thrown at us and this is exactly what we have been doing.

Yes, issues in J&K are a problem, but they are not headaches we cannot live with.

The situation will become grave if something like the Mumbai attack of November 2008 happens to us -- although one assumes that we have plans, short of war, to respond to any such aggression which, in any event, Pakistan will have to think through very carefully.

In short, the status quo seems to be the answer with both sides being content to treat it as such.

Sporadic moves and responses seem to be dictating our strategy.

So, let us get Pakistan out of the way; it is just a tactical scenario.

What we need to focus on is the international battlefield in which another nation -- China -- should be the centre of our strategic focus.

It is already the major Asian power with an economy five times ours.

It is not a country of some 170 million, but one of 1,400 million.

Its economic relations with the world are far ahead of our own.

Its trade with the rest of the world is far in excess to our trade with the same countries.

Its foreign exchange reserves and, consequently, its ability to help others is way beyond our own capabilities.

In short, we stand nowhere in comparison with China today and will struggle to reach where it is now even three decades hence.

This fact has had its impact on the emerging security environment.

China is clearly the second most important global player after the United States.

Take the South China Sea issue -- no country of South East Asia, save Vietnam, is willing to take up against the Chinese stance.

Even the most vitally affected Philippines is prepared to dump the US for China.

Russia, too, is already supporting China's position.

Only Japan has taken a position in line with India's.

Whether it is the One Belt One Road project or building relationships in the Indian Ocean Region -- supposedly our area of concern -- the Chinese are seriously outpacing us.

One positive development that may be to our advantage is the likely easing of the US-Russia tensions in the new US administration.

A positive engagement with the US and Russia, on the one hand, and with Japan, Australia and Vietnam, on the other, along with other smaller partnerships in the IOR littoral region, are critical to cope with the situation developing around us, leave aside every effort to keep the immediate neighbours, except Pakistan, on our side.

This is easier said than done.

Witness China's moves in Bangladesh ($20 billion in aid and two submarines to boot), Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

But there are non-quantifiable synergies in these countries with India which the Chinese cannot easily match and which need to be exploited.

In the IOR, too, we have capabilities which the Chinese will find very hard to equal.

But all this can be done only if we have our focus on the overall map.

The emerging security environment is not very conducive to India's interests and the overall strategic picture, much more than the tactical one, must occupy our minds.

Vice-Admiral Premvir Das (retd) has been Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command. He has also served on the National Security Advisory Board.

DON'T MISS the features in the RELATED LINKS below...
Former AIIMS director Dr S K Kacker discusses the doctors' agitation in Maharashtra and West Bengal's crackdown on private hospitals with Veenu Sandhu.

IMAGE: For five days last month about 4,000 resident doctors in Maharashtra remained on strike to protest against the violence they faced at the hands of relatives of patients. Photograph: Shashank Parade/PTI Photo.

'But who do we blame? Who do we beat up? Doctors!'

For five days last fortnight, about 4,000 doctors from the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors remained on strike to protest against incidents of violence against them by relatives of patients.

They called the strike off only after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gave them an ultimatum to resume duty or face legal action.

In West Bengal, meanwhile, the assembly passed a Bill to regulate private hospitals in the state. Under the new law, the state will oversee private health care facilities and decide how much they can charge and review how they deal with complaints from patients.

Dr S K Kacker, director, Delhi ENT Hospital & Research Centre and former director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, speaks on the two issues.

What are your views on doctors going on strike, like they did in Maharashtra, to protest against attacks on them?

When a patient is brought into hospital in a critical condition and later dies in spite of being treated, how is it the fault of the doctor? Beating the doctor cannot be justified when he has done his duty responsibly and in spite of his best efforts, a tragedy has occurred.

The strike took place because younger doctors are feeling that adequate importance is not being given to their grievance. The protest is a way of establishing their importance, of driving home the message that doctors shouldn't be targeted. However, because the doctors are feeling insecure and have gone on strike, a large number of people are suffering.

I shudder at this thought.

At AIIMS, instead, doctors turned up for duty wearing helmets as a sign of support for the Maharashtra doctors. They attended to patients with their helmets on.

That's a better way of protesting. Wear helmets, or black badges, but do the job because a majority of the patients are not involved in violence. So, why should they be made to suffer? I don't think a strike will sort the problem.

The doctors want the government to ramp up security and ensure their safety in hospitals. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) also wants stricter implementation of the Doctor's Protection Act. Do you think that would help?

There is no way the government can totally prevent such incidents.

You can ensure that people don't carry knives or weapons into the hospital, but how can you prevent someone suddenly turning on a doctor and hitting him?

What can the government do about this?

How will it check such individual incidents?

No director of any institute will like his doctor to be hit. But then, there is a total lack of control today. Only the other day, you had an MP threatening an airline's staff.

These are maverick elements that you can come across anywhere, anytime.

West Bengal has passed a Bill to regulate the way private hospitals function. What are your views on it?

It is a very difficult thing to implement and IMA is against it. It can only be done if the deficiency is made good by the government.

I also run a charitable hospital. We pay our staff from what we get from the patients who pay for their treatment. But for support from charity it would not have been possible to run it.

It's mostly bigger hospitals, which are supported by big money, that are charging exorbitantly. To regulate rates in smaller hospitals will be very difficult.

Just look at health insurance. For tonsillectomy, an insurance company will pay 45,000 for treatment at a bigger hospital and insist on giving only 25,000 if the treatment is in a hospital such as mine. Why?

It will give bizarre arguments for this skewed insurance amount, such as, "Your hospital is not a five-star" or that "heart surgeries are not performed at your hospital".

Now, what has tonsillectomy got to do with a heart surgery?

So what would be a better alternative?

The system in America is very good. The rates there are fixed, no matter where you get that particular surgery done.

That system should be brought in here, but in a rational way after calculating the costs involved. Or else, hospitals will compromise on the quality of the equipment they use to cut costs and this could increase the risk of infection.

This will then also lead to unnecessary manipulation of records. A lot of unnecessary surgeries will be performed and expensive drugs prescribed just to make money. They already are.

Don't also make these charges fixed because every year the cost of running a hospital also goes up.

In 1996, the electricity charges and water and house tax for my hospital came to 25,000. They have now gone up to 1.25 lakh. Similarly, staff salaries also increase every year. So, keep that in mind. You cannot have fixed charges.

Rationalise the charges, but not in a way that hospitals cannot run.
'We have to work for our victories.'

'We have to offer a better alternative governance model.'

'Not just criticise the current government.'

'You have to build bridges, learn from what has gone wrong and create a party for all people.'

IMAGE: Sachin Pilot, president, Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee, at the party's office in Jaipur. Photograph: Archana Masih/Rediff.com

Sachin Pilot president, Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee, breezes into the party's office in Jaipur, takes off his shoes and pays homage to an ex-Pradesh Congress president whose death anniversary is being remembered.

The picture of the deceased is placed on a table with a garland of flowers.

"It is a practice we have been observing," says Pilot, three-and-a-half years into his role as the PCC president, shifting base to Jaipur from Delhi.

On the wall in the foyer is a large picture of Mahatma Gandhi at work on the charkha. The wall also bears an array of framed photographs of all former PCC presidents.

Casually dressed in a pink-t shirt that evening, a departure from the white kurta and pyjama onje is used to seeing him in, Pilot has been busy with the Dholpur assembly by-election. The constituency goes to the polls on Sunday, April 9.

It is the home constituency of state Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, so the battle is prestigious as well as a difficult one.

"In Jaipur, Vasundharaji and my path haven't crossed much. I used to meet her more when I was a minister in Delhi. We have a very cordial relationship on a personal level, but as the principal Opposition party my job to keep the government accountable," he says.

Sitting under portraits of Gandhi, Indira, Rajiv, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in his office, Sachin Pilot discusses with Rediff.com's Archana Masih the road ahead for his party and how he will win back Rajasthan next year. The first of a multi-part interview:

How have three years as Rajasthan PCC president, away from Delhi, changed your politics?

When I moved to Jaipur, the Congress party had suffered its biggest defeat in Rajasthan since 1947.

We were reduced to 21 MLAs out of 200 in the assembly.

At that point both Mrs (Sonia) Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi asked me to take charge.

It was a daunting task because the morale was absolutely down.

Out of the 21 MLAs, there was no Dalit, no SC or Muslim MLA.

The farming community, Dalits, SC, minorities, everyone pretty much had abandoned the party in 2013.

I gave up everything else and started travelling.

I spent 1 or 2 days a week in Jaipur and travelled all over Rajasthan which is geographically India's largest state.

I have travelled its 33 districts at least thrice, if not more.

I was not going to wait for the people to reach out to the Congress party, the Congress had to reach out to them.

Just because someone did not vote for me last time, doesn't mean I stop interacting, learning, talking, discussing with those sections of society.

This travelling was different from my earlier politics.

As a minister and MP, I had travelled all over India for government functions, party rallies, but this was an exercise in building the structures of the Congress party.

The structure itself was very weak in 2013.

You said in an interview that the party had to be built brick by brick.

It has to. If the Congress supporter in a gaon, mohalla, gali, kasba is unable to connect with me, we'll never have that bonding.

I started going for small campaigns, personal functions -- anything I was invited for.

Personal face to face interactions is the key to politics in India.

I've always maintained if you sweat in peacetime, you don't bleed in wartime.

Those days are gone that somebody can come, create a magic and swing in favour of the Opposition party in the last 12 months.

You have to build bridges, learn from what has gone wrong and create a party of people, not of one age group or segment or rural or urban or farming or upward or backward or Dalit or non Dalit.

It has to be a culmination of all.

That's what the idea of the Congress was.

The Congress was an all inclusive party which had space for everybody and the messaging has to be restructured.

IMAGE: Security personnel in the foyer of the office. On the wall are portraits of Rajasthan Congress presidents. Photograph: Archana Masih/Rediff.com

What is it to take charge of a party when it has hit rock bottom?

Then the only way is up.

We fought the by-elections very well. We won 3 out of 4 seats (in September 2014).

In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the BJP polled 56% of the vote, the Congress polled 30%. There was a gap of 26%.

In the panchayat elections, the vote share came down to 2% -- almost on par with the ruling party.

This enhanced the Congress party's rural outreach in Rajasthan.

Out of 290 pradhans, 160 are with the Congress now.

We were able to recapture the grassroots panchayati raj elected positions from the BJP.

That gave us traction and we could take on the government on many issues.

From there to the prestigious Dholpur assembly by-election, which is the CM's home constituency and goes to the polls on April 9. How are you placed?

The government has finished 3 years and 4 months in power.

In terms of Dalit atrocities, Rajasthan is ranked no 3; atrocities against the tribals no 2; rape cases no 3.

The promises made by Vasundharaji are on paper.

15 lakh jobs were offered to the youth, none of that materialised.

For the first time in (Rajasthan's) history 60 farmers have committed suicide because of crop failure.

The entire power structure in Rajasthan is centred in the CM's office.

When you have an overcentralised structure of power and non delivery in terms of governance, it is my obligation as the Opposition to confront those issues.

IMAGE: Vashundhara Raje at her swearing-in ceremony in Jaipur as chief minister in 2013. Photograph: Chandra Mohan Aloria

You are talking about local politics, while in the UP election the Congress could not take its argument against notebandi to the people. Is focussing on local issues more important than larger issues?

All politics is local.

We are a national party. We have the responsibility to critically look at what the government of the day is doing.

Demonetisation was done in haste. It was poorly implemented.

If the money ban was a success in UP and Uttarakhand, it was a failure in Punjab.

That cannot be a barometer to judge if the government's decision was right or wrong.

There are better ways of dealing with black money than what we have adopted.

The UP election is being seen as a stamp of approval for demonetisation which is the wrong way of looking at it.

In Goa and Manipur we got more seats than the BJP, in Punjab we got a 2/3rds majority that means our opposition to the money ban was correct.

It is not simplistic. Every block, every area has its issues.

Every political party has to take a nuanced look at the situation in its state and react accordingly.

In Rajasthan corruption is a big issue.

We have unfolded scams that have been accepted and the government has cancelled orders worth crores.

When you confront a government on its wrongdoings in local state politics, people appreciate that a lot more.

Rather than the big issues?

But we are not a regional party. We are 130 years old.

National affairs, internal security, national security, economic affairs, it is our responsibility to oppose them.

India does not live in Delhi, but in its states, cities and villages.

We have to have a balance of both.

IMAGE: Visitors wait outside Sachin Pilot's office. Photograph: Archana Masih/Rediff.com

If the Congress has to win back Rajasthan in the state election next year, it rests its hopes on you. Is that a heavy mantle to bear?

I don't have a heavy burden of expectation. My only job today is singularly focussed on winning the next assembly election.

If the Congress party can revive itself in many important states, that's the way forward.

Unless we win panchayat, local body, state assembly elections, we will not be able to give the BJP a fight in 2019.

Never underestimate the power of the local elections, they then transform the wave for the assembly and Parliament.

We have to work for our victories.

We have to offer a better alternative governance model. Not just criticise the current government, but give a better viable option.

I need to tell people this is what I am going to do for labour laws, agriculture, employment, energy, power, agri business -- not just a manifesto release, but a holistic plan, a path ahead for the state of Rajasthan.

What are your chances of winning Dholpur?

The seat was held by the BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) and the MLA was convicted for life for a murder charge and hence disqualified as an MLA.

When the election was called the CM decided to give the ticket to our surprise to the same BSP MLA's wife who joined the BJP a few minutes before and was declared the BJP MLA.

That clearly tells you that the CM could not find a single leader or worker in Dholpur district who could be the BJP candidate.

She has been chosen because there is a large concentration of that caste in Dholpur.

It shows nervousness when you have to import a questionable person into your party.

The BJP has 161 MLAs, all 25 Lok Sabha MPs are from the BJP. It is going to be a tough election. A dozen ministers are parked in Dholpur.

The Dholpur Nagarpalika elections were won by the Congress.

The municipal elections in Jhalawar, where the CM is an MLA from, were won by the Congress.

Baran, which is part of the Jhalawar parliamentary constituency represented by her son Dushyant Singh, was won by the Congress.

All three urban body elections were won by the Congress a year-and-half ago.

There is obviously mistrust between the people and current government.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday termed as "unfortunate, painful and surprising" the African missions statement describing the attacks on African students as "xenophobic and racial", saying the Indian response to this cannot be called inadequate by any means.

She told the Lok Sabha that racial crimes are "pre-planned", which was not the case with the recent attack on the African students by a mob in Greater Noida, asserting that the government is committed to their safety.

She said the African group head of the missions, who had issued a strongly-worded statement, was called by her ministry and conveyed the government's response.

Her deputy in the ministry V K Singh spoke to him about the prompt response taken by her as well as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and told him that the African missions could have sought a meeting with the Prime Minister if they were still not satisfied, she said.

"The dean's statement that our political leadership is silent is completely contrary to facts... His statement was surprising and painful. We have said that it was unfortunate. The Indian government's response cannot be called inadequate by any means," she said.

Swaraj also objected to the African missions' demand for an investigation by the Human Rights Council and said the government has told him that India has robust human rights bodies and NGOs, besides an independent media and judiciary.

Her statement came after K C Venugopal (Congress) attacked the government over the development and accused it of "diplomatic failure".

Giving details of the incident, she said a youth in Greater Noida had died and his parents had blamed "drug overdose" for this. Locals took out a candle march, during which an uncontrolled mob of criminals who had infiltrated the crowd attacked the African students, she said.

"Racist crimes are pre-planned which was not the case here," she said.

Swaraj said she had spoken to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and tweeted about this. He promised an impartial probe and tweeted as well.

She said M J Akbar, her deputy in the ministry, kept in touch with African missions and told them that the Prime Minister was personally monitoring the situation.

Six people have been arrested by the state police and it was not proper to call the crime racially-motivated before the probe is completed, she said.

Citing the recent incidents of attacks on Indians in the US and the killing of an Indian in Mozambique earlier, she said India did not dub them racially-inspired.

"Let the probe report come first," she said.

Swaraj said another purported incident of attack on an African student has turned to be untrue as the Kenyan, who had made the allegation, has admitted she had manufactured it.

She had withdrawn the complaint and our inquiry has found that her visa had expired long back, the minister said.
A man who was assaulted by vigilantes over alleged smuggling of cows died at a hospital in Alwar district of Rajasthan on Monday following which the police has launched a manhunt for the accused.

In Jaipur, Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said that it was alright that some people caught those who were illegally transporting animals but added that no one has the right to take the law in their own hands.

Police will take appropriate action against those who took law in their own hands, Kataria said.

The deceased, Pehlu Khan, 55, and four others including his two sons were beaten brutally by villagers on Saturday who suspected they were smuggling cows.

As many as 16 people were allegedly transporting 36 bovine animals illegally in six pick up vans.

They were on their way towards Haryana from Jaipur when the vigilantes stopped two of the vehicles in Behror on the Jaipur-Delhi national highway on Saturday.

Pehlu Khan, his sons Aarif, 22, and Irshad, 25, were in the first van while two more persons Ajmat, 28, and Sharif, 24, were in the second van.

All of them were thrashed and their vans damaged.

-- 'Gau rakshaks feel they have become emperors'

The four vans which followed were also then stopped by the police in which 11 persons were found and arrested under sections of the Rajasthan Bovine Animal (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, ASI of Behror police station Vikram Singh said.

The five men who were beaten were admitted to a district hospital where Pehlu Khan died on Monday night. The condition of the other injured is learnt to be stable, Singh said adding that they had not been placed under arrest so far.

Following Khans death, a case of murder registered against six persons namely Om Yadav, Hukamchand Yadav, Naveen Sharma, Sudhir Yadav, Rahul Saini and Jagmal while 200 other unidentified persons have also been listed as accused.

No one has been arrested so far, Singh said. It is learnt that the police has formed several teams to nab the accused.
Central Reserve Police Force commander Chetan Cheeta, who had slipped into coma after being shot nine times during an encounter with terrorists in Kashmir, has made a miraculous recovery and was discharged from AIIMS on Wednesday.

Cheeta was first wheeled in on February 14 at the trauma centre of the premier medical institute after being airlifted from Srinagar. Doctors attending to him said he has shown a steely resolve to respond to their intensive medical care that went on for close to about two months.

Professor of Trauma Surgery at the AIIMS Subodh Kumar, while announcing his recovery in an interaction with journalists, said it was nothing short of a miracle.

Cheeta was in coma for 16 days and spent a month in the Intensive Care Unit. He was discharged today, Amit Gupta, Additional Medical Superintendent at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, said.

Gupta said the Commanding Officer of the CRPFs 45th battalion in Kashmir Valley had suffered bullet injuries in his brain, right eye, abdomen, both arms, left hand and in the buttock region.

According to doctors, the hope for vision returning to Cheetas right eye is bleak although his left eye which was also injured due to splinters has been restored.

When he was brought in, he was in a coma, had bullet injuries in his head, badly fractured torso and the globe of his eight eye had ruptured, Gupta said.

Describing the treatment provided to him over the last 1.5 months, Subodh said within 24 hours of admission, surgery was conducted to remove a portion of the skull which had bullet injury. After that he underwent multiple surgeries.

Cheeta also developed signs of sepsis due to his wounds which was managed by critical care specialists in ICU. His wounds were regularly debrided, Subodh said.

The COs wife, Uma Singh, who has been besides her husband since the near-fatal encounter, said the journey is not yet over and the final reward for her would be the day when her husband would don his uniform and go to work.

Doctors would say he was in coma, but whenever I would meet him and hold his hands, he would respond by moving his fingers. That strengthened my faith that he was coming back to me, she said.

Cheeta, who hails from Rajasthan, bore the initial brunt of the militant encounter in Hajjan area on February 14 where a joint team of army, CRPF and state police had laid siege following intelligence inputs that two foreign terrorists were hiding in the area.

Cheeta was commanding the 45th Battalion of the CRPF.

He was initially taken to the base hospital in Srinagar where he was operated upon and given primary treatment after which he was shifted using an air ambulance to the AIIMS Trauma Centre at 7.30 pm the same day.

Doctors said he was shifted to ward on March 16 where he underwent rehabilitation in the form of physiotherapy and speech therapy with a total ICU stay of 30 days.

Subsequently, they said, the wounds were covered with skin grafting by the plastic surgery team.

His comeback to normal life has shown the true grit of a warrior, Anurag Srivastava, Chief of AIIMS Trauma Centre, said.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh took to Twitter to hail the courage of the officer and said he wants to see Cheeta back in action.

Fortune favours the brave. Extremely happy to know that Cheeta has made a miraculous recovery.

I thank the team of doctors who have helped Shri Chetan Cheeta in his recovery. Hope to see Cheeta back in action soon, the minister said.

His deputy in the ministry and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju visited the officer at the AIIMS Trauma Centre and talked to him.

Rijiju said he was proud of the officer.

Cheeta, in his short comments, said he felt proud when Army chief General Bipin Rawat and Rijiju visited him during his admission at the hospital and recognised his contribution.

Cheeta had joined the CRPF in Jaunary 1998.

Image: CRPF commandant Chetan Kumar Cheetah with his wife Uma and Doctors after he was discharged from AIIMS Hospital in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI Photo
MASON CITY | The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a development agreement with Cargill Kitchen Solutions to assist with its expansion project and addition of 44 jobs.

Councilman Brett Schoneman said the company should be proud of how it has grown from a workforce of about 30 when it started in Mason City in 2001 to nearly 300 with the additional jobs.

Councilman Travis Hickey agreed, saying it's been good for the community as well.

Cargill operates an egg processing operation at 1750 S. Benjamin Ave. It opened as Sunny Fresh Foods and has had several expansions over the past 16 years.

The new one is an 11,700-square foot $825,000 addition that will allow for a new production line to be installed and freezer expansion.

As part of the development agreement, the city is providing tax rebates for the next three years.

Sunny Fresh was a division of Cargill. The name was changed to Cargill Kitchen Solutions in 2007.

 John Skipper
Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who has been banned from flying by several airlines after he assaulted an Air India staffer on March 23, reached Delhi on Wednesday via a chartered flight, according to sources.

The chartered flight by which Gaikwad flew in to Delhi is believed to have been provided by another Shiv Sena MP Rajkumar Dhoot, reported India Today.

Gaikwad is expected to provide his version of the incident, which led to him being barred from flying on private carriers and Air India, on April 6 in Parliament.

After he was banned from flying, Gaikwad had, in fact, tried at least thrice to book a seat on the national carrier, using a new alias each time.

His staff member had tried booking an Air India flight AI 806 from Mumbai to Delhi and dictated the passengers name as Ravindra Gaikwad. The ticket was promptly cancelled, an airline source said.

Thereafter, a seat was booked on flight AI 551 from Hyderabad to Delhi in the name of Professor V Ravindra Gaikwad. This ticket was cancelled too.

A third attempt was made for travel from Nagpur to Delhi via Mumbai when the MPs staff contacted a travel agent to book a flight for Professor Ravindra Gaikwad.

The travel agent immediately contacted the local station manager and the information was forwarded to Air Indias headquarters in New Delhi.

Gaikwad, who is from Maharashtra, flew on Air India from Pune to Delhi, then refused to leave the plane for an hour while he demanded an explanation for not being given a business class seat. The flight he had taken, however, was all-economy. When a 60-year-old manager arrived to persuade him to leave the plane, the MP assaulted him.

Sena to create ruckus in Parliament

Shiv Sena members in Lok Sabha on Wednesday warned of protests in Parliament if the issue of its MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who has been banned from flying by several airlines after he allegedly hit an Air India staffer, was not resolved soon.

Anandrao Adsul of the Shiv Sena said Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan was the custodian of the House but our matter has not been resolved yet.

If it is not resolved, then we will be force to carry our protest. Being part of the government, we do not want to create a scene but will be forced to do so. This (air travel) is his constitutional right, he said.

Adsul alleged that his party MP Ravindra Gaikwad was also manhandled by airline staffers. Under which law has his travel by air been banned, he questioned.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said: We will see to it.

-- With inputs from PTI
Fifty radicalised Indian youth have crossed over to the "other side", but the Indian ethos and culture have ensured that the menace has not taken dangerous proportions in the country, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Wednesday.

The issue of radicalisation is not limited to Jammu and Kashmir but other states as well and the entire world too, she said in the Lok Sabha.

Responding to supplementaries during the Question Hour, Swaraj said 50 radicalised Indian youth have crossed over to the other side. She, however, did not specify where they have gone.

She said the Centre has already launched an anti- radicalisation programme with states to ensure that the youths are not misled.

The minister credited the "Indian ethos and culture for the minimal damage radicalisation has caused" in India. She said secularism, the watchful eyes of parents and the belief that violence is not good, have helped the country.

Swaraj told the House that India is set to host a conference of ASEAN nations on de-radicalisation but the venue has not yet been finalised.

Besides de-radicalisation, cross-border terrorism would be the other topic of the conference. Responding to a question, Swaraj said South China Sea was not the subject of the proposed event.

She said the government would consider the "positive" suggestion of Asaduddin Owaisi of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen that 'ulemas' (Muslim scholars) of ASEAN countries should also be invited as they have successfully helped check radicalisation in their respective nations.
On April 5, 2016, the Nitish Kumar-led government imposed total prohibition in Bihar. M I Khan crunches numbers for the REAL picture since then.



On Wednesday, Bihar ushered in a year under prohibition.

During this year, the Nitish Kumar-led government has ensured that prohibition under the Bihar Excise (Amendment) Act, 2016 is enforced on the ground and not just on paper, and the implementation has been strict.

Look at the figures.

At least 45,033 people have been arrested for violating the Bihar prohibition law.

Of these, 44,996 were jailed.

The police and excise department officials conducted 2,18,722 raids and seized liquor worth over Rs 50 crore including Rs 41 crore of foreign made liquor in the last one year.



The Bihar government says total prohibition since April 5, 2016, has improved law and order, particularly womens safety.

Our lives have changed after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar imposed total prohibition. He has done a good job by banning liquor," says Gudia Devi, a resident of Berhampur village in Patna district.



The sentiment is repeated by Sobha Devi, Rukhsar Bano, and Sundr Devi. They all said the ban on alcohol was good. My husband, who used to spend half of his daily earnings on alcohol, now saves money for the family. In the last one year we have purchased a new TV and a gold earring for my daughter," said Sobha Devi.



Nitish Kumar has also repeatedly lauded the role of women behind the success of total prohibition in the state. He said the liquor ban has helped women empower themselves and improve their lifestyle.

Now, nearly a dozen states including Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana want to replicate the Bihar model.



According to a report by the state police headquarters in Patna, in the last one year, 40,413 cases were lodged in connection with the violation of prohibition laws. 'We have seized 3,13,187 litres of desi (locally made) liquor, 47,161 litres of spirit, 52,53,334 litres of foreign liquor, 11,371 litres of beer and 628 quintals of mahua,' it said.

Bihar's inspector general (prisons), Anand Kishore, said the 58 jails in the state have a capacity to hold 38,000 prisoners and as of today hold 30,000 prisoners. Of these 5000 prisoners have been jailed for violating the Bihar prohibition law.



The CM has reiterated time and again that it was wrong to assume that prohibition caused a fall in revenue owing to a loss of excise duty. The state used to earn Rs 5000 crore through VAT and excise duty on liquor. After prohibition, the revenue generated in fiscal 2016-17 was almost the same as it was in 2015-16.



In a bid to make total probation a political agenda, Nitish Kumar has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement prohibition in the entire country and to create a favourable environment for it by getting the liquor ban promulgated in BJP-ruled states. This came after the PM praised him for effectively implementing the liquor ban.

IMAGE: Women have been the biggest supporters of prohibition in Bihar.
Amid protests by Beijing against his scheduled visit to Tawang, the Dalai Lama on Wednesday said India has never used him against China.

India has never used me against China. I am a messenger of the ancient Indian thought and I talk about ahimsa, peace, harmony and secular ethics wherever I go, the Tibetan spiritual leader said while talking to the media.

His remarks came after Chinese state media on Wednesday said India is using the Dalai Lama as a diplomatic leverage to challenge Chinas bottom line.

I am a Buddhist. The entire Himalayan range had been traditionally following Buddhist dharma and modern physics is based on Buddhist philosophy, he said.

On corruption, the Dalai Lama said graft is a big problem facing the world and it was increasing because of lack of moral principles.

He spoke fondly of Arunachal Pradesh and said he had a special connection with the state as it served as his point of entry when he arrived in India in 1959.

When I got freedom, when I first reached India, I entered through Arunachal Pradesh. I have an emotional connect with the state. It is a special place for me, he

said.

The Dalai Lama thanked the Indian government for letting him visit the frontier state.

I would like to thank the government of India. I have been here since 1959. India has taken great care of me. I am their longest staying guest. I am thankful to them, he added.

He gave a discourse at Buddha Park at Bomdila on Wednesday morning.

The spiritual leader had arrived on Tuesday evening from Guwahati accompanied by state Chief Minister Pema Khandu.

On Thursday, he would impart teachings at Dirang and confer the Avalokiteshvara Permission at Thupsung Dhargyeling Monastery in the morning.

From April 8 to 10, the Dalai Lama will deliver discourses in Tawang. Owing to the rescheduled visit, he would not be able to go to Itanagar.

Image: Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama with Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu at Thubchog Gatsel Ling Monastery Bomdila in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. Photograph: PTI Photo
The Islamic State has derided United States President Donald Trump as a "stupid idiot" and said his rise to power was a sign of America's bankruptcy.

Targeting Trump directly for the first time since he took office, the Islamic State terror group in the 36-minute audio released by its spokesperson Abu Hasan al-Muhajir yesterday called him an Arabic term that means an "idiot", saying the US President does not know anything about Islam, NBC News reported.

Terming the US as "bankrupt", it said, "the sign of your elimination are now clearer to everyone, as the most clear of signs is that you are now ruled by a stupid idiot who does not know what Sham and Iraq are, or what Islam is, who continues to express his hatred and war against Islam".

The propaganda said Trump has expressed his "hatred and war" against Islam, the report said.

Other translations of the statement replaced "stupid idiot" with "riff raff" or "harebrained", it said.

Al-sham is a term Islamic State uses to describe a region that includes Syria.

It appears to be the first time the Islamic State has referred to Trump since he took office.

IS, which controls large swaths of territories in Iraq and Syria, is currently being targeted by a US-led military coalition.

Trump has pledged to "totally obliterate IS," which swept across parts of Iraq in 2014.

Trump has been widely criticised in the past for his controversial statements on Islam.

The IS statement does not appear to directly refer to Trump's executive order temporarily banning people of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.
The death toll from a suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held Syrian town has risen to 72, 20 of them children, a monitoring group said on Wednesday.

IMAGE: A civil defence member breathes through an oxygen mask, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria. Photograph: Ammar Abdullah/Reuters

There were also 17 women among the dead and the death toll could rise further because there are people missing, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had said those killed in the town of Khan Sheikhun, in Idlib province, had died from the effects of the gas, adding that dozens more suffered respiratory problems and other symptoms.

Doctors treating victims at makeshift hospitals in the area say dozens of victims are showing signs of sarin poisoning, including foaming at the mouth, breathing difficulties and limp bodies.

IMAGE: A man carries the body of a dead child, after the suspected gas attack. Photograph: Ammar Abdullah/Reuters

British Prime Minister Theresa May has called for an investigation into the attack saying: If proven, this will be further evidence of the barbarism of the Syrian regime.

Syrian opposition activists have claimed the chemical attack was caused by an airstrike carried out either by the countrys president Assads forces or Russian warplanes. Russias military said its planes did not carry out any strikes near the town.

If confirmed, the incident reported in the town of Khan Sheikhoun would be the deadliest chemical attack in Syria since sarin gas killed hundreds of civilians in Ghouta near Damascus in August 2013. Western states said the Syrian government was responsible for that attack. Damascus blamed rebels.

The British Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, said all evidence suggested that the Assad regime was behind a barbaric act.

IMAGE: Doctors said that the victims of the attack were showing signs of sarin poisoning, including foaming at the mouth, breathing difficulties and limp bodies. Photograph: Ammar Abdullah/Reuters

The White House called the attack a reprehensible act against innocent people that cannot be ignored by the civilised world.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that former President Barack Obama's administration is to blame for the suspected chemical attack in Syria.

"These heinous actions by the Bashar al-Assad regime are a consequence of the past administration's weakness and irresolution. President Obama said in 2012 that he would establish a 'red line' against the use of chemical weapons and then did nothing," the president said in a statement.
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief VK Sasikala has met visitors 12 times in a month at the Parappana Agrahara central jail in Bengaluru, where she is lodged following her conviction in the disproportionate assets case, allegedly in violation of prison rules.

According to information made available by the Central Prison in response to a Right to Information query, Sasikala met the visitors between February 16 and March 18.

Her relatives and co-convicts in the case, Elavarasi and VN Sudhakaran, met visitors four times and once respectively during the said period.

Among Sasikalas visitors were lawyers, her nephews TTV Dinakaran and Vivek J and Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Thambidurai.

Activist Narasimha Murthy, who had filed the RTI application, said that this was in violation of jail rules.

Undertrials and convicts are entitled to meet visitors as per the Karnataka Prison Manual and Karnataka Prison Rules.

The rules state that undertrial prisoners are eligible for one such meeting a week with their relatives, friends and lawyers, while convicts are eligible to have visitors once in 15 days.

While the jail authorities were unavailable for comments, reports quoting prison officials suggest that the jailer can use discretion in this regard.

On February 15, Sasikala was sent to jail after she surrendered before a trial court here, a day after the Supreme Court restored her conviction in the disproportionate assets case.
Beijing is clearly rattled by the Dalai Lama's visit. Unlike the 2009 visit, which was a four-day religious tour, the current visit is a high-decibel, 10-day affair, without the fig leaf of a "religious event", reports Ajai Shukla.

The first time the Dalai Lama came to the Tawang tract of Arunachal Pradesh in 1959, he was fleeing Mao Tse-tung's Red Army after Lhasa and its surroundings had exploded in revolution against communist oppression.

New Delhi's role in the Dalai Lama's perilous flight and the refuge he was granted in India (which still continues) fanned Chinese suspicions of India's intentions in Tibet, leading inexorably to war three years later, in 1962.

Harmandar Singh, the young frontier official who received the 24-year-old Dalai Lama soon after he crossed into India, and who escorted him to safety in Bomdila, recalled for this correspondent the experience of accompanying this living God through the Buddhist villages of the local Monpa tribe.

It was as if I had been asked to escort Guru Nanak through Punjab, says Harmandar.

Netan Tashi, now retired in Bomdila, was the Intelligence Bureau operative chosen to protect the Dalai Lama once he crossed into India.

Every village turned out to greet him on his way to Tawang. People would stand with bowed heads, outstretched hands offering khadas (ceremonial silk scarves, a token of respect). They would light dhoop (incense) and then prostrate themselves before him. Many would be crying; there was happiness as well as sorrow."

When the Dalai Lama arrives in Tawang on Wednesday, he will find the same local anger at China's treatment of their living God and of countless Buddhist monks across a landscape of defiled monasteries in Tibet.

China sensed that anger when it occupied the Tawang region for a month after the Indian Army withdrew in the 1962 war. The local Monpa tribal populace steadfastly resisted Chinese blandishments and suggestions from their occupiers that the ethnically mongoloid Monpas were more Chinese than Indian.

To this day, as Tibet simmers and occasionally flares into armed rebellion, as in 2008-09, the People's Liberation Army and a host of security agencies that control Tibet look nervously at a free Tawang, a source of inflammatory thoughts and ideas across the border in India.

Strengthening Tawang as a source of rebellious ideas, is the 15th century Buddhist gompa (monastery) that overlooks the Tawang bowl. While communist China strangulated independent thought in Lhasas monasteries -- even the ecclesiastical powerhouses of Sera, Ganden and Drebung -- Tawang Gompa remained beyond communist control.

Beijing appoints the heads of Tibets monasteries, but the Dalai Lama appoints the Tawang Gompa chief. The current khempo (monastery head) is a Monpa, the first non-Tibetan to have that honour.

Tawang's importance as a Buddhist centre is further enhanced by its status as the 6th Dalai Lama's birthplace.

Aware of Tawang's religious power, New Delhi has avoided provoking China by inviting high profile visitors, especially the Dalai Lama and senior Indian officials. Beijing reacts to all such visits by accusing India of "interfering" with the status of a disputed area.

The Dalai Lama visited Arunachal Pradesh several times over the preceding decades, but visited Tawang only in 2009, a full 50 years after his first visit. Now, on his third visit eight years later, China has warned that this would "damage ties with India." Junior home minister, Kiren Rijuji has dismissed this in unusually forthright terms.

China had been similarly prickly about the entry of a third party into disputed territory, when US ambassador to India, Richard Verma, visited Tawang in October as a guest of the Arunachal Pradesh government. Six months earlier, the US consul general in Kolkata said that the US was absolutely clear that Tawang belongs to India.

Yet, China sees no third party problem with its own entry into the Northern Areas, claimed by India but occupied by Pakistan. Decades ago, China built a major highway through the area, linking China with Pakistan. Now, as part of the One Belt, One Road initiative, China will execute further major projects there.

Earlier submissive, New Delhi has taken a stronger line on the territorial dispute at least since 2012, when United Progressive Alliance foreign minister, SM Krishna, reacted to a protracted Chinese border intrusion at Daulat Beg Oldi, in Ladakh, by delivering Beijing the reminder that Kashmir is to India what Tibet is to China.

The National Democratic Alliance has been even more forthright, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inviting to his swearing-in ceremony the Central Tibetan Administration (government-in-exile) chief, Lobsang Sangay.

In December, President Pranab Mukherjee evoked Beijing's ire by inviting the Dalai Lama to Rashtrapati Bhavan for a literary function.

In November, one of the claimants to the disputed post of 17th Karmapa -- the head of the Kagyu sect of Buddhism -- also visited Tawang, accompanied by an Indian government official. Buddhist leaders' visits invariably acquire an anti-China flavour.

In what appears to be an action-reaction dynamic, Beijing has, in recent years, aligned itself openly with Pakistan. Since 2016, it has obliged Islamabad by blocking India's membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group; and opposing the inclusion of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Azhar Mehmood in a list of United Nations designated terrorists.

In the military realm, Beijing has strengthened arms supplies to Pakistan, including fighter aircraft, warships and submarines. China is building up Gwadar port, on the Makran coast, as a potential naval base.

Even so, Beijing is clearly rattled by the Dalai Lama's visit. Unlike the 2009 visit, which was a four-day religious tour, the current visit is a high-decibel, 10-day affair, without the fig leaf of a "religious event". Beijing's concern is evident from a threat from the armed separatist Assamese group, United Liberation Front of Asom, warning the Dalai Lama not to speak against China.

New Delhi's response is increasingly robust. It has strengthened military deployment on the Sino-Indian border, and PLA patrols often find themselves at the receiving end in patrol confrontations. Border infrastructure is being strengthened, including the construction of airfields and roads. Beijing has called for restraint on the proposed first rail link to Arunachal Pradesh.

Even so, India can hardly match China's infrastructure build-up in Tibet. Besides a series of road and rail links radiating to the Indian border, the 13th Five Year Plan for the Tibet Autonomous Region refers to the construction of a new airport in Lhuntse county (Lhunzi Xian), close to the Arunachal border.

Notwithstanding New Delhi's muddled approach to the border region, it continues to enjoy equities that China cannot lay claim to. Noted Tibetologist, Matthew Akester, tells Business Standard: "History aside, India's claim to Tawang district rests on its record of benevolent governance there since the 1950s -- something China cannot credibly claim for its rule of Tibet in the same period. Rather than competing with China's infrastructure binge, it is the strength of popular democracy and local autonomy that must be built on for a progressive solution to the border issue."

For now, Beijing insists that India must cede Tawang to China in any border settlement.

From the 1950s till 1983, China offered an "east-for-west" settlement, with Beijing accepting the territorial status quo in Arunachal Pradesh on the basis of the McMahon Line; while India would accept the territorial status quo in Ladakh, with minor exchanges in the relatively insignificant central sector.

Since 1983, however, Beijing insists that India must make "territorial concessions" in the east as well.

It is clear that China means to have Tawang.

IMAGE: The Dalai Lama arrives at Bomdila in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh on April 4, 2017. Photograph: PTI Photo.
MASON CITY | The City Council on Tuesday gave approval for two public hearings regarding the Gatehouse Capital proposal to build a hotel in the south parking lot of Southbridge Mall.

The public hearings, scheduled for a special council meeting on May 11, will concern changing the downtown urban renewal area to accommodate the proposed hotel project and on approving a pre-development agreement with Gatehouse.

The hotel developer has proposed building the hotel and connecting it with The Music Man Square via a skywalk. Plans call for Gatehouse to build a conference center/ballroom in The Music Man Square and to move the museum to new spot on the property.

City Administrator Brent Trout presented the council with a potential timeline that includes many meetings and negotiations.

He said he will go to Des Moines on April 21 to meet with Iowa Economic Development Authority officials to discuss the new plans and seek their approval. David Rachie of Gatehouse, who was at the council meeting, said he would be glad to participate in that meeting.

Trout said the new plan calls for the council to consider approval of a final development agreement on Sept. 15.

Because of the new proposal and negotiations, the referendum on the ice arena, originally planned for Aug. 1, will have to be pushed back to Nov. 7, the day of the general election.

Rachie, who works out of Gatehouse's Minneapolis office, said he scouted out Mason City as a possible hotel site as a favor to "a friend of a friend" but was not excited about it  until he saw Mason City and The Music Man Square.

"I was blown away by The Music Man Square," he said. "I was taken aback by how amazing this asset is."

Rachie said the convention center drives business and will bring hundreds of people to Mason City with each event. "My hotel will hold 100. The other hoteliers will all benefit," he said.

Rachie said he is "completely fine" with the timeline outlined by Trout. Last month, he held a public forum so that interested residents could comment and ask questions. He said he plans to hold another public forum soon.

Councilman Travis Hickey said he thinks extending the timeline for the projects is beneficial. "We've been accused in the past of rushing things through," he said.

Councilman John Lee said, "I hope now all of our energy is with Gatehouse."
MASON CITY | A Mason City man received a suspended five-year prison sentence and was put on probation for five years this week for defrauding his insurance company.

Johnathan Francis Kofron, 48, pleaded guilty last month in Cerro Gordo County District Court to one felony count of fraudulent insurance application submission.

Mason City man pleads guilty to insurance fraud MASON CITY | A Mason City man pleaded guilty this week to defrauding his insurance company.

He was accused of providing false information to his insurance company in order to get homeowner's insurance on a residence he was renting and filing a fraudulent claim for a lost ring, according to a Mason City Police Department statement.

Police say the ring claim was made in March 2016 and that Kofron received more than $4,200 from his insurance company.

Kofron was given a $750 fine, which was suspended. He was ordered to pay restitution for the money he received from the insurance company.

 Mary Pieper
Disclaimer

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
MASON CITY | A Mason City man was ordered to serve up to 10 years in prison after having his probation revoked this week on a 2014 methamphetamine delivery conviction.

Mark M. Hoffman, 56, also received a sentence of up to five years in prison for violating the conditions of the Iowa Sex Offender Registry, and another five-year sentence after having his probation revoked on a 2014 conviction of failing to meet registry requirements.

All the sentences are to be served concurrently.

Mason City man awaiting sentencing for sex offender violation indicted on federal meth charge MASON CITY | A Mason City man has been indicted in federal court on one count of possession 

Hoffman has been on the sex offender registry since a 1995 conviction of aiding and abetting third-degree sexual abuse.

Hoffman and another man, Kenneth R. Sharp, were accused of kidnapping a woman from outside a Mason City bar and sexually assaulting her.

They were both charged with first-degree kidnapping. Hoffman pleaded guilty to the lesser charge and a jury convicted Sharp, who is now serving a life sentence.

Hoffman was indicted in January in federal court for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. His arraignment date has not been set.

 Mary Pieper
Singapore: Authorities given broad new powers to police protests

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 4 April 2017 Cite as Amnesty International, Singapore: Authorities given broad new powers to police protests, 4 April 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58e49f844.html [accessed 8 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Amendments to Singapore's Public Order Act adopted by its parliament give police and other officials broad and arbitrary powers to further limit or ban public assemblies and protests, said Amnesty International today.

As of 3 April, organizers of public events will have to adhere to strict measures including applying for a permit at least 28 days in advance and informing the police of the estimated size of the gathering. Failure to do so will result in a fine of SGD $20,000 or imprisonment for up to a year, or both.

"Our key concern is that the authorities will use the added powers granted by this law to further curtail freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in a country where government critics and activists are already heavily controlled," said Josef Benedict, Deputy Director for Southeast Asia at Amnesty International.

"The Singaporean government must ensure that the human rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are enjoyed by all, instead of using new laws and other mechanisms to violate these rights."

Under the revised Act, police and a government minister will have wide discretion to cancel, postpone or move events. An application for a permit may also be rejected if the police deem that a public meeting will be used for a political purpose and be attended, organized or funded, in any way by foreign nationals.

These latest amendments follow a government clampdown on free speech and public assembly, which has included the conviction and fining of political activist Han Hui Hui for leading a peaceful protest and "causing a public nuisance", and threats to charge her under wide-ranging contempt of court laws, unless she removed social media posts criticising her trial and punishment.

Background

The Public Order Act, first promulgated in 2009, regulates public talks, religious assemblies and political protests.

In February, a fine of SGD $3,100 (USD $2,281), was imposed against political activist and government critic Han Hui Hui for the peaceful exercise of her right to freedom of expression. This prevents her from standing in the next parliamentary election. The fine followed a peaceful demonstration she organised at Hong Lim Park in 2014, protesting the use of government pension funds.

Last month teenager Amos Yee, who had been jailed twice for blog posts, was granted asylum in the USA, after a US immigration judge ruled that his treatment by Singapore authorities amounted to 'political persecution'.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
US: China Rights Abuse Overview Ahead of Xi-Trump Summit

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 4 April 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, US: China Rights Abuse Overview Ahead of Xi-Trump Summit, 4 April 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58e49ffa4.html [accessed 8 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

China's human rights environment continues to deteriorate as Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump prepare to meet at a summit on April 6-7, 2017, at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, Human Rights Watch said today.

"Torture, disappearances, imprisoning peaceful advocates, destroying religious communities, internet censorship - President Xi has plenty to answer for on these subjects," said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch. "But will he be asked - and asked to change course?"

The Chinese government aggressively stepped up its campaign against civil society activists and online speech in the past year. Many peaceful critics of the government remained locked away, including Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo and Uighur economist Ilham Tohti. Eight of the human rights lawyers and supporters among the 300 detained during a nationwide raid in July 2015 are still facing trial, while another six have been sentenced; the legal proceedings have fallen far short of international standards.

In 2017, President Xi has shown no sign of letting up on his sweeping signature anti-corruption campaign, which is carried out in part through the Chinese Communist Party's own internal disciplinary system, known as shuanggui. This system of arbitrary detention, which has no basis in Chinese law, subjects Party members suspected of violating party rules or engaging in corruption to prolonged sleep deprivation, forced stress positions, deprivation of water and food, and in some cases severe beatings. Chinese authorities have also continued to demolish Larung Gar, a major Tibetan Buddhist institution, expelling monks and nuns, and subjecting them to political re-education, exceptional restrictions on their liberty, and degrading treatment.

As one of the many recent steps by Chinese authorities to impose near-total control of access to information, the government of Chongqing, a city of about 50 million in southwest China, in March made public an unprecedented regulation that bans unauthorized use of internet circumvention tools - which allow "netizens" to get around China's "Great Firewall - in the city.

Also in March, Chinese courts sentenced three activists to sentences ranging from three to four-and-a-half years for supporting democracy in Hong Kong and commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen massacre. And a day after Beijing installed a loyalist in Hong Kong's top governmental position, Hong Kong police charged leaders of the 2014 pro-democracy Umbrella Movement with the crime of "public nuisance."

In recent years, Chinese authorities have also detained citizens of other countries - inside and outside China - such as Taiwanese activist Lee Ming-cheh, Swedish bookseller Gui Minhai, and American businesspeople Sandy Phan-Gillis and James Wang - and denying their embassies access.

"No doubt President Xi will offer soothing words about China's role in the world," Richardson said. "But no one should be fooled by a man and a government who preside through brutality and repression. Xi's record speaks for itself."



Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Thailand: Army Conscript Beaten to Death

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 4 April 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Thailand: Army Conscript Beaten to Death, 4 April 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58e4a05b4.html [accessed 8 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Thai authorities should promptly and independently investigate the death of an army conscript from apparent torture while detained in a military jail, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should also undertake a broader campaign to end the longstanding use of corporal punishment in the armed forces, including by prosecuting military commanders for serious offenses by soldiers under their command.

On April 1, 2017, Pvt. Yutthakinun Boonniam, 22, was pronounced dead at the Surat Thani Hospital, a day after he was brought in from the military remand facility at the 45th Military Circle Camp in Surat Thani province, where he had been detained since March 27 for disciplinary offenses. The doctors stated that he suffered many injuries, including kidney damage, apparently from severe beatings. Yatthakinun's last words to his mother, who visited him at the hospital, were: "I was beaten up. It hurt so much."

"Another army conscript dies from an apparent beating, yet Thai leaders don't seem interested in addressing the problem," said Brad Adams, Asia director. "The government and the military should urgently act to end these brutal assaults and the culture of impunity that has meant no punishment for abusive soldiers and the officers ultimately responsible."

On April 3, the army commander-in-chief, Gen. Chalermchai Sittisat, publicly expressed regret and apologized for Yutthakinun's death. But while stating that corporal punishment was forbidden in military camps, General Chalermchai blamed the death on "old habits among soldiers who were previously deployed along Thailand's border and are used to strict discipline and harsh punitive measures."

The army inducts about 100,000 conscripts across Thailand each year but fails to implement effective safeguards against torture and other human rights violations committed by officers or other soldiers.

"Contrary to army spokesperson Col. Winthai Suvaree's statement on April 3 that Yutthakinun's death was an isolated incident, the Thai army faces a chronic inability to end abuses against its conscripts," Adams said.



In another high-profile case reported by Human Rights Watch, there has been no progress in prosecuting the soldiers responsible for the death of Pvt. Wichian Puaksom, who was tortured to death while undergoing disciplinary punishment at the 151st Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Division in Narathiwat province in June 2011.

Torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment are prohibited under international treaties that Thailand has ratified. The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment specifically places an obligation on governments to investigate and prosecute acts of torture and other ill-treatment.

However, Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha's repeated pledges to make torture a criminal offense under Thai law remain unfulfilled.

Thai military personnel have also been repeatedly implicated in torture and other abuses against suspected insurgents and civilians in Thailand's southern border provinces, where there has been a long-running insurgency.

However, the government is not known to have prosecuted successfully any members of the security forces for torture or other serious abuses against civilians. In many cases, Thai authorities have provided financial compensation to the victims or their families in exchange for their agreement not to pursue criminal prosecution against abusive officials. There have also been many reported instances in which military officers retaliated against their accusers by filing criminal defamation lawsuits and alleging those complainants violated the Computer-Related Crime Act by disseminating false statements online.

"Thailand's military needs to take swift action to show that there will be no place in its ranks for those who believe they have unchecked powers to abuse other soldiers or anyone else," Adams said. "The government and top military commanders should ensure that Private Yutthakinun's death will be the last case of barrack brutality in Thailand."



Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Ukraine: New Law Targets Anti-Corruption Activists, Journalists

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 5 April 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Ukraine: New Law Targets Anti-Corruption Activists, Journalists, 5 April 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58e4a0b04.html [accessed 8 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Recent legislative amendment requires activists and journalists reporting on government corruption to file public declarations of their personal assets, Human Rights Watch said today. The new requirement is vague and could be used to deter or punish investigative journalists and partners of anti-corruption nongovernmental groups for doing their job.

Under the new amendment, activists and journalists working with independent organizations involved in anti-corruption work, as well as members of public councils, must publicly declare their personal assets - even though they do not receive public funding - in the same manner as state officials. President Petro Poroshenko, who signed the amendment on March 27, 2017, should initiate urgent steps to annul the new measure, which is an unjustified interference with freedom of expression and other rights protected by Ukraine's human rights obligations.

"This new requirement is a slap in the face of Ukraine's anti-corruption activists and its international partners who have been calling for a more transparent government," said Tanya Cooper, Ukraine researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The requirement conflates state officials, who have a responsibility to divulge their assets because they enjoy certain privileges of office and their work is funded by tax payers, with private citizens who report on issues of public interest."

Under the amendment, activists, journalists, and others who fail to file asset declarations would face criminal charges and up to two years in prison, the same penalties government officials face.

The new measure is a part of package of amendments to Ukraine's 2014 law on preventing corruption and a 2006 law on military duty and service.

The original amendments, introduced by President Poroshenko on March 10, proposed exempting military personnel engaged in active duty in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine from publicly declaring their personal assets. They did not include the amendment affecting independent groups and journalists, which was later introduced by a member of parliament.

Parliament adopted the measure by a large majority on March 23. The following day, some members tried to introduce a measure to annul the vote results, but the parliament did not let it come to vote.

Following the Maidan mass protests in 2013-2014, Ukraine's political leadership pledged ambitious anti-corruption reforms to create a more transparent government. One of the key reforms has required Ukraine's state officials to publicly declare their assets annually through an online filing system.

Anti-corruption legislative reforms were among the conditions the Ukrainian government agreed to fulfill to meet requirements for visa-free travel by Ukrainians to the European Union.

Several of Ukraine's international partners immediately condemned the new legislation. The Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, said on Twitter: "E-declarations should target corruption in public administration - not hamper work of civil society."

The United Kingdom embassy in Kyiv stated on Twitter that the law was a "serious step back [and] could limit NGOs capacity, expose them to pressure & affect reform." The United States embassy in Kyiv also noted on Twitter that "[m]embers of civil society play vital role for transparency; targeting them is a step backwards."

Independent groups and journalists are essential to Ukraine's anti-corruption reform and should not be intimidated or punished for their work, Human Rights Watch said.

The amendments targeting anti-corruption activists and journalists are incompatible with respect for several human rights - such as freedom of expression and the right to privacy - protected by international treaties to which Ukraine is a party, as well as in its own constitution. For example, Ukraine is a party to both the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), both of which require any interference with either freedom of expression or right to privacy to have a legitimate aim and to be necessary and proportionate to achieve that aim.

In this case, laws that are designed to - or in practice have - a chilling effect on members of civil society and on media reporting on abuse of state power and public office are not a justified interference with freedom of expression standards under international law. Insofar as public officials are already required to comply with the measures that would now extend to private journalists and activists, the European Court of Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Committee, which interprets the ICCPR, have repeatedly held that public officials may be subject to greater scrutiny than others. Restrictions that prevent such scrutiny are in general not compatible with freedom of expressions standards. Likewise, even if the interference into the personal finances of journalists and activists had a legitimate aim, to base that interference simply on the work they do is not justified as either necessary or proportionate.

President Poroshenko promised to facilitate the creation of a working group to amend the signed law to exclude the new measure against activists. However, creating a working group could take time, and, meanwhile, the new amendment could have an immediate chilling effect on activists and journalists, Human Rights Watch said.

"No one is fooled by the true purpose of this amendment," Cooper said. "President Poroshenko should urge parliament to immediately annul it. Such measures have no place in a reform-minded government."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Remove Barriers to Syrian Refugee Education

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 5 April 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Remove Barriers to Syrian Refugee Education, 5 April 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58e4a12d4.html [accessed 8 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Participants at a conference on Syria in Brussels on April 5, 2017, should address the reasons why more than half a million refugee children are still not in school, Human Rights Watch said today. Donors and host countries had pledged that all Syrian refugee children would be receiving a quality education by the end of this school year.

Donors should be more transparent in reporting the delivery and timing of aid. Host countries should fix bottlenecks, lift restrictions that undermine Syrian children's access to school, and collect better enrollment data.

"Donors and host countries have promised that Syrian children will not become a lost generation, and yet six years into the crisis, that is exactly what is happening," said Bill Van Esveld, senior children's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The governments involved urgently need to fix what's not working, and to do that they need better information on how many children are in school and on how funding is being delivered."

In February 2016, at a conference in London, donors and host countries pledged to ensure that all Syrian refugee children in the region were enrolled in school in the 2016-2017 school year. At the time, the United Nations estimated that 715,000 Syrian refugee children ages 5 to 17 were not receiving any education in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan. The latest UN estimates indicate that 536,000 Syrian children are still not in school in these countries, which host the largest number of Syrian refugees in the region. Iraq and Egypt also host Syrian refugees.

Donors at the London conference promised to provide annual funding of US$933 million for education in host countries, including US$250 million for Jordan and US$350 million for Lebanon, and to provide enough of that aid before the beginning of the school year for host countries to plan programs and put them into operation.

But Jordan reported that, as of September, its funding shortfall was US$171 million, and it was still US$71 million by the end of December. The funding gap for Lebanon was US$181 million at the start of the school year and US$97 million at the end of 2016. The London conference did not set an aid target for education in Turkey, which budgeted its spending on refugee education at US$1.17 billion in 2016. The European Union alone provided nearly US$690 million to education in Turkey in 2016.

Publicly-available information does not make it possible to assess why the London pledging goals for Jordan and Lebanon were missed. Based on published data, it is extremely difficult to determine how much support individual donors have provided to education in each host country, when they did so, or whether their support targeted key obstacles to education. Donors also pledged to make predictable, multi-year funding available for education, which is needed for planning purposes by host country authorities and independent groups. But only the UK has published clear, accessible information about multi-year funding.

Donor funding will not be enough by itself to abolish the barriers to education in host countries. But clear, timely, accessible, and detailed public reporting of donor funding is needed to show whether aid is addressing key barriers to education for Syrian children, and to effectively press the responsible parties to remove the barriers.

Host countries should lift restrictions and change their own practices that are keeping children out of school, Human Rights Watch said. In Turkey, for example, Syrian refugees can face delays of six months or more to obtain the identification card that is required for children to enroll in public schools.

Restrictions on legal status and work permits exacerbate poverty and increase risks of child labor and early marriage, and leave families unable to afford fees for school transportation and supplies. In Lebanon, donors funded the education ministry to make 200,000 public school spaces available free for Syrian children in 2015-2016, but only 149,000 children actually enrolled. Part of the problem was that many did not have valid residency, for which all Syrians ages 15 and older had to pay a US$200 annual fee. Lebanese authorities formally waived the fee in February for many refugees, but the waiver still excludes a number of the most vulnerable refugees.

Refugee children also drop out due to abuse on the way to school, corporal punishment by school staff, and lack of support to study in an unfamiliar language - Turkish, and in Lebanon, English or French. Some international groups in Turkey and Lebanon have faced bureaucratic obstacles to assigning staff and providing alternative education programs to reach Syrian children.

Host countries also need to collect better and more consistent information about the number of children who are enrolled in and attending school. The lack of this information makes it difficult to assess progress. In Jordan, during the 2016-2017 school year, a government report claimed that "an additional 24,542 Syrian boys and girls were enrolled in formal education, bringing enrolment up to 170,000 students." But the latest UNICEF estimates, compiled through an improved enrollment-tracking system, found that only 125,000 Syrian children were enrolled in formal education in Jordan in December, and some 40,210 children had no access to education - worse than the out-of-school figures before the London conference.

Host country authorities have compiled enrollment data inconsistently, with various countries using different age groups to compile their data so that it is not comparable. Published figures have not consistently distinguished between formal and non-formal schooling, and often are not broken down by gender or level of education. Secondary-school-age children and children with disabilities suffer from severe barriers to schooling, but enrollment rates for these groups are often not collected or broken down in published data.

"It is still too hard to find answers to basic questions about whether Syrian children are getting an education, and if not, why," Van Esveld said. "It is crucial that donors and host countries collect the information needed for Syrian children to get into school."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Mali: Spate of Killings by Armed Groups

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 5 April 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Mali: Spate of Killings by Armed Groups, 5 April 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58e4a15b4.html [accessed 8 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Armed groups have carried out a wave of killings in central Mali since January 2017. The killings, by Islamist armed groups, self-defense militias, and, to a lesser extent, government soldiers, have resulted in at least 52 deaths, led to the displacement of over 10,000 people, and dramatically elevated ethnic tensions. Malian authorities should investigate and prosecute all those responsible.

Islamist armed groups have over the past two years progressively increased their presence in central Mali, where they have executed civilians and government officials and committed other abuses. Their presence, and recruitment of local residents, has inflamed and exploited tensions among the Peuhl, Bambara, and Dogon ethnic groups, spawning the growth of often-abusive self-defense militias.

"Violence since January fueled by explosive ethnic tensions has swept across central Mali, leaving dozens dead," said Corinne Dufka, associate Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "The Malian government should ramp up efforts to stop this violence by vigorously prosecuting the killings and stepping up patrols to protect vulnerable populations."

During a 10-day research mission to Mali in February, and by phone in late February and March, Human Rights Watch interviewed 57 victims and witnesses to killings and other abuses in central Mali. Human Rights Watch also interviewed members of the ethnic Peuhl and Bambara communities; former detainees; local government, security and justice officials; and foreign diplomats.

On February 11, alleged Peuhl Islamist fighters killed a Bambara shopkeeper near the town of Ke-Macina in Segou region, 320 kilometers from the capital, Bamako. This sparked retaliatory killings against Peuhl villagers by a Bambara self-defense militia known as the Dozos, leaving at least 21 people dead, including children.

On February 18, armed Islamists executed nine Bozo and Bambara traders returning home from a local market for their perceived support of the Dozos. Since then, at least 16 people - both civilians and armed group members - have been killed in an escalating series of tit-for-tat attacks. Both Peuhl and Bambara villagers told Human Rights Watch that villagers were terrified as large groups of armed men have been seen driving around on motorcycles and vehicles in their villages in central Mali.

While the Malian security forces have generally acted to quell the ethnic violence, witnesses reported that in response to the growing presence of armed Islamists in central Mali, some soldiers executed at least eight suspected Islamists and forcibly disappeared several others since late December 2016.

Bambara and Peuhl community leaders lamented the violence that has gripped central Mali for the past two years. Villagers, local officials, and elders from both ethnicities said that poverty, public sector corruption, inadequate security, and the lack of investigations and justice for communal violence and criminality were fueling recruitment by armed groups.

A Peuhl youth leader, addressing the lack of justice for the many killings since early 2015, said: "In central Mali, we, the Peuhl, were the jihadists' first victims we've also lost imams, mayors, and chiefs at the hands of the jihadists, but no one talks about that." Another said, "So many Peuhl have been tortured, disappeared or killed by the soldiers and by the Dozos, but there is never justice for these terrible crimes."

A Bambara leader said: "Since 2015, so many of our people have been gunned down in their farms, at home, or on their way to market. We have reported this to local and Bamako authorities, but what we hear are excuses for why they don't investigate - the rain, the danger, insufficient vehicles. But in the end, there is no justice and the killings keep happening."

A Peuhl villager said, "To end all this, everyone must be treated with dignity; every killing must be investigated. If not, if the state doesn't pay attention, people will continue to join the jihadists and their numbers and force will continue to grow."

Investigate sources of weapons for both armed Islamist groups and self-defense groups, including the Dozos;

Investigate the underlying causes of inter-communal tensions in central Mali, including government corruption, resolution of farmer-herder tensions, and the crucial need for civilian protection from - and justice for - rampant banditry; and

Develop clear recommendations for accountability, reparations, and prevention of further abuses.

"The worsening violence in central Mali thrusts members of all ethnic groups into the dangerous cycle of violence and impunity," Dufka said. "The Malian government and its allies need to confront this insecurity head on before more blood is shed. The Ke-Macina investigation is a very good place to start."

The Seeds of Violence

In 2012, Mali's northern regions fell to separatist ethnic Tuareg and Al-Qaeda-linked armed groups. Military operations by French and Malian forces since 2013, along with a 2015 peace accord, sought to eliminate the presence of Islamist armed groups, disarm Tuareg and other fighters, and re-establish state control over the north. However, insecurity and violence in Mali's previously stable central and southern regions has increased.

Since early 2015, an Islamist armed group referred to as the Macina Liberation Front, or Katiba Macina, under the command of an Islamic preacher, Hamadoun Koufa Diallo, has attacked army bases and police and gendarme posts. The group has executed numerous alleged army informants and officials, including mayors and local administrators.

Armed Islamist groups have closed schools, warned people not to collaborate with the government, increasingly imposed harsh restrictions based on their interpretation of Islam, prohibited traditional celebrations including marriages and baptisms, and imposed Sharia (Islamic law) in some villages. The insecurity has led to displacement of thousands of civilians.

While the group's new area of operation is largely inhabited by the Peuhl, Bambara, and Dogon ethnic groups, Islamist groups have concentrated their recruitment efforts on the Peuhl. Since 2015, Peuhl community leaders have expressed concern about the Islamists' recruitment. They attributed this success to the Islamists' exploitation of community frustrations with poverty, government corruption, generational disputes within Peuhl clan leadership, the lack of justice for common crime, abusive conduct by the Malian security services, and the government's failure to protect civilians from rampant banditry.

The sparse presence of Malian security forces in the area has also led to the formation of ethnically aligned self-defense groups, notably by the Bambara and the Dogon, near the Burkina Faso border. Several Bambara leaders said they took security into their own hands because Malian security forces had failed to protect their villages and property. They said the Islamist armed group killings of numerous Bambara farmers, herders, and local leaders had not been investigated, nor had any of those responsible been brought to account.

The sedentary Bambara and pastoral Peuhl communities have long had disputes and misunderstandings over access to water and land. However, since the proliferation of Islamist armed groups and the growth and militarization of the Dozo, such disputes have become increasingly deadly.

Communal Violence in Ke-Macina

The deadly communal violence on February 11 and 12 between members of the Peuhl and Bambara communities around the town of Ke-Macina was sparked by the February 11 killing of a Bambara shopkeeper, Chiaka Traore, by an alleged Islamist fighter in the village of Diawaribougou, four kilometers away. The Malian Security Ministry said that 20 people had been killed and 18 wounded. However, Peuhl community leaders told Human Rights Watch the death toll could be over 30.

A witness to the killing of the shopkeeper said, "He was killed at about 8 p.m. by two men on a motorcycle who pretended to buy gas at his little shop. They whipped out a gun and shot him several times before speeding off."

A friend of the victim told Human Rights Watch:

Chiaka told me a few weeks before he died that he had gotten death threats from the Peuhl bandits - usually they warn you two times. He said the jihadists told him if he didn't stop talking about [Hamadoun] Kouffa and talking to the FAMA [Malian army], that they would come for him. He said he had complained to the mayor and gendarmes, but they couldn't protect him.

Human Rights Watch has documented about 40 such targeted killings of suspected informants by Islamist armed groups in central Mali since early 2015.

Witnesses said that after burying the shopkeeper on February 12, a group of about 100 Dozos, some living in villages around Ke-Macina and others from neighboring administrative areas, attacked seven largely Peuhl hamlets, killing residents and setting fire to numerous houses. The hamlets attacked were Wuro Hadji Samba, Wuro Botamkobe, Wuro Brahima Hadji, Wuro Nona, Wuro Thate, Wuro Direbe, and Sampey. Witnesses said the Dozos were armed with hunting rifles and some with military assault weapons. An elderly resident who was shot in the arm during the attack on his village said:

We were saddened to learn of the assassination of the shopkeeper, and I went to his burial, but unfortunately, the authorities and Dozos said we should leave. Thirty minutes after returning home, I saw several young people in traditional Dozo attire and armed with hunting rifles and Kalashnikov [assault rifles] coming toward us. I recognized seven of them - they were from my very village. Without talking, they started firing. I was hit in the arm and saw my brother and another relative fall dead. His 4-year-old son was also shot. In my village they killed six people and wounded three then they attacked the next village. We have lived together for a very long time - how could they have done this?

A wounded man from a village three kilometers away gave a similar description, saying a woman and two children from his village were killed in the attack. A herder described the burials of 21 victims, including two who had been burned beyond recognition:

Most of the dead were buried on Sunday and Monday, but on Tuesday we found and buried four more bodies, including a man and women who burned to death inside their house. Eleven are buried in a common grave Ke-Macina, another six in a hamlet, and the four I helped bury. Some were shot at close range, others at a distance others burned.

Other Retaliatory Killings

At least 24 other people have been killed during communal violence since January 2017. The victims include members of Peuhl, Bambara, and Bozo ethnic groups. The attackers are allegedly members of Islamist armed groups and Dozo traditional hunters.

Witnesses and elders from both the Bambara and Peuhl communities said that some of these killings were retaliation for the Ke-Macina violence, while others appeared to be a response for the large-scale theft of livestock.

On February 18, armed Islamists allegedly stopped and killed nine traders - most from the Bozo ethnic group - on their way back from the Saturday market in Niono in Segou region. Three people with detailed knowledge of the incident said that more than 20 heavily armed Islamists, who had been driving around the area in a beige Toyota pickup and several motorcycles, stopped the traders and their donkey carts 25 kilometers from Niono, at about 4 p.m. The armed men accused the traders of complicity in the Ke-Macina killings, demanded to know if they had any relationship with the Dozo, then took them off the main road, tied their hands behind their backs, and shot each one in the head.

At least 15 other people were killed in fighting between the Bambara and Peuhl over livestock theft. Members of both communities said while these disputes have grown increasingly common as competition over grazing and farmland has increased, they have become much more lethal since the appearance of armed Islamist groups in 2015 and the resulting proliferation of firearms. They said the Islamists have on several occasions intervened in the disputes on behalf of the Peuhl, especially after Peuhl herders had been murdered.

Around February 20, Peuhl leaders said, a group of Dozos killed three Peuhl herders tending their cows. A Dozo leader told Human Rights Watch that on February 21, "About 20 kilometers from Diabaly, 10 of our people were killed and 13 wounded when we were ambushed by jihadists while trying to get back our cattle It was a heavy ambush - they were really well armed." He added: "Killing has become an almost daily thing just yesterday [March 27], Bambaras taking a sick relative to the hospital were attacked. Two of our people died." Leaders from both communities lamented the lack of justice for the many killings.

Assassinations of Local Government Representatives

Three local government and village leaders in Mopti region have been assassinated so far in 2017. In all three cases, the perpetrators arrived on motorcycles and quickly fled after killing their victims, two of whom were of Dogon ethnicity. While no Islamist group has claimed responsibility, all three cases resemble previous targeted killings of suspected collaborators by armed Islamists.

The mayor of Boni, Hamadoun Dicko, was shot and killed after leaving a mosque on January 18. The mayor of Mondoro, Souleymane Ongoiba, was fatally shot in front of his home in Douentza on January 28. Adry Ongoiba, the 72-year-old chief of the Dogon section of the village of Yirma, 35 kilometers from Boni, was assassinated on March 26 at his home. A witness to Adry's killing said:

Around 2:20 a.m., I heard gunshots, and immediately ran outside I saw two men running away and moments later heard the sound of a motorcycle as it sped away. I found the chief lying on his back with two bullets in his head and chest There was panic, the women were wailing. People were saying the assailants were speaking Pulaar, and said, "It is you we are looking for." He was killed with an automatic weapon the bullets we found there were not from local hunting rifles, that's for sure.

The Malian Security Forces

Peuhl and Bambara villagers reported that the Malian security forces, who are responsible for protecting all Malians, have both protected vulnerable Peuhl villagers and seemingly turned a blind eye to the violence. Several Peuhl leaders said they believed the government was arming the Dozo militia.

Several residents said that after incidents of communal violence, the army tried to calm tensions by patrolling, crediting the soldiers with saving their lives. Two Peuhl elders told Human Rights Watch they believed many more Peuhl would have died if the army had not deployed in the days after February 12 to dissuade further killing. One official said, "Yes, the army was patrolling, but they cannot be everywhere, and some villages were attacked either just before or after the army had passed through."

A few Peuhl villagers felt both protected and victimized by the army. A man from a village close to Ke-Macina said:

On Sunday night, we were on alert; we had heard of the burned hamlets and people killed. The army arrived, asking if we were okay. We said we were okay for the moment and they continued on their way. But just an hour later, the Dozos arrived on motorcycles and started firing, killing three youth and wounding two more. We tried to defend ourselves from the Dozo with our local-made weapons, but then the army returned and started shooting at us. But later they evacuated the wounded to Ke-Macina.

Other residents questioned why the security forces did not intervene more aggressively to stop the killing on February 12, which they said went on for several hours. "The army was only a few kilometers away when all this going on and the sound of gunfire really carries in the bush," a witness said. One Peuhl man said that he had warned the security forces and local government "of the tense situation at the cemetery." He added, "As soon as I left I told the authorities, 'The situation is hot; there are over 100 Dozos there and more coming, they are armed and talking of revenge the FAMA must go or there will be a serious problem' but they didn't act as aggressively as they should have. The killing went on from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.!"

Several Peuhl villagers and leaders questioned why Dozo members, include several Dozo leaders, had not been detained for questioning in the days after the violence. "The armed Dozos who took part in the killing were there, on the day the government delegation visited the area to assess the damage and try to calm things down," a witness said. "They were armed. Some of those who killed our people were hanging around but no one was arrested."

Peuhl leaders also questioned why a ban on using motorcycles for transportation between villages in the Segou region, announced in mid-February by Chef d'Etat-major Didier Dacko, as a security measure, did not always appear to apply to Dozo.

Gendarmes, army officials, and Dozo leaders interviewed said that the ban applied to everyone. However, several Peuhl said they have on several occasions witnessed large groups of armed men, including Dozo, circulating in Segou region on motorcycles. One Peuhl youth noted, "In some cases, Dozo even stop villagers, ask for IDs, search hamlets and do the job of soldiers."

Several Peuhl leaders said the use by some Dozo of automatic weapons suggests that Malian security services are supporting them, a charge members of the army categorically denied to Human Rights Watch.

Several villagers expressed concern about the proliferation of arms and said that civilians could easily buy them from traders, including those going back and forth to Mauritania. One Bambara villager said:

The state doesn't give the Dozo anything, except rice and help with medical bills, but they also help Peuhl villagers at times. No, both the Dozos and even the Peuhl buy their Kalashnikovs. The state is not present so we are all are doing this. Usually we get them from Mauritania - there is no control at the border, or customs we know how to go about purchasing them and who we have to ask.

A Peuhl youth leader said, similarly:

The price of a nice cow, that's how much a Kalashnikov costs - about 500,000 CFA (US$800). People buy them from shop owners who go to Mauritania and Algeria all the time - for some reason, the army doesn't always search their cars. When you need a gun, whatever [ethnicity] you are, you put in your order, they tell you to wait several days, and your merchandise is delivered.

Malian Security Force Violations

Since early 2017, Human Rights Watch has documented several abuses allegedly committed by members of the Malian security forces, including the summary executions of three men, the enforced disappearance of six men, and the mistreatment in detention of several detainees. The alleged violations occurred during counterterrorism operations in Segou and Mopti regions.

As compared with previous years, allegations of abuse by the security forces have steadily declined. However, the military and civilian justice systems have made little effort to investigate and hold to account soldiers implicated in violations against detainees.

Three witnesses said that about 6:30 a.m. on January 21, soldiers conducting an operation in the village of Yirma, in Mopti region, detained and later executed three members of the same extended family: Hamadoun Isss Diallo, 65; Amadou Hamadou Diallo, 27; and Hamadoun Boucari Diallo, 25.

"From my house I saw three army vehicles with mounted machine guns and full of soldiers take the men away," one said. Another witness said: "the soldiers bound their eyes and drove off in the same direction from which they had come, [toward] Mondoro [26 kilometers away]." Less than 30 minutes later, the witnesses said, they heard gunshots in the distance. They later found the men after disinterring them from a shallow grave near Bamguel village, 18 kilometers away. One witness described following vehicle tracks to the site, where he saw "a grave, newly dug covered with branches of trees and many spent casings I returned to our village to deliver the bad news."

The executions near Yirma occurred just kilometers away from a very similar incident a month earlier, on December 19, when soldiers detained and executed five men from Isseye village. One of two witnesses interviewed said:

At about 11 a.m., 10 FAMA vehicles full of heavily armed soldiers stormed the village. They didn't stay long. They detained the village chief first, then the others. Around 4 p.m., we heard gunfire, and the next morning we found the shallow grave just a few kilometers away. We uncovered the bodies the chief was on top each had several gunshot wounds. There was blood, and many bullet casings.

The witnesses said they had informed the gendarmerie in Boni of the killings, but one witness said, "We're aware of no investigation no one has contacted us since that day - no one is trying to find those who murdered our people. Imagine, in 2015, the chief himself was detained and tortured by the jihadists, and now he has been killed by the authorities."

Human Rights Watch also documented the enforced disappearance of six men. Witnesses said that Malian security forces detained the men during operations in January and February. The witnesses had unsuccessfully looked for the men in several detention centers in Mopti and Segou regions, and even in Bamako.

Two witnesses said that Ibrahim Barry, 35, was detained in Mopti on February 3, during a meeting organized by a local nongovernmental organization. One witness said: "At about 10:30 a.m., two uniformed people came into the room with a list, saying they were looking for a particular person, who wasn't in our meeting. Later, at around 1:30 p.m., we broke for lunch. As Ibrahim headed out the door, he was forced into a white pickup by men in uniform. No one has seen him since that day."

Two witnesses said Boura Alou Diallo, 32, was detained near the village of Kokoli around January 23, and held for two days in the Mondoro army camp. "He was seen tied to a tree near the camp for two days," said one witness. "I was informed by our people that they heard gunfire inside the camp. We have looked everywhere, but haven't seen a trace of him since that day."

Around January 17, four members of the same family were arrested during an army operation in the village of Tomoyi, near the town of Tenenkou. A witness said, "The soldiers surrounded the village, did house to house searches, then took away four men from the same family. Before leaving, an officer said, 'Don't be afraidwe'll do our investigation and return them.'" Their names and approximate ages are: Hassan Sidibe, 53; Boubacar Sidibe, 49; Boubacar Sidibe, 30; and Yonousa Sidibe, 30.

Malian authorities should impartially investigate these cases, as well as the March 30 killing, allegedly by gendarmes, of Amadou Diallo and Amadou Dicko in Konna village, 70 kilometers from Mopti. Agence France Presse (AFP) quoted an army spokesman as saying the security forces recovered arms from the men after they attempted to attack a gendarme post at 2 a.m.

However, local residents including the mayor said the men were not armed at the time. One resident told Human Rights Watch that the two men were arrested shortly after returning to Konna at about 11 p,m. "They had gone to the Boni market to sell about a dozen cows," the resident said. "We saw them being arrested after buying bread at a local store. We know them They are traders, not rebels."

Sekou Toure, president of the Konna Youth Association and a member of the village's security brigade, was quoted by AFP as saying, "We all know these two young people. They are not terrorists, it's just a military blunder."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
UNHCR warns funding cuts threaten aid to Syrian refugees, hosts

Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Publication Date 5 April 2017 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNHCR warns funding cuts threaten aid to Syrian refugees, hosts, 5 April 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58e4a64a4.html [accessed 8 November 2022]

As a major international conference on Syria gets underway today, vital assistance for millions of refugees and the communities hosting them could face substantial cuts due to a lack of funding, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning.

The 'Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region,' on April 4 and 5, comes at a time of uncertainty for Syria. Negotiations are underway to end six years of bloody war, but serious flare-ups of fighting continue on the ground.

The conference also comes at a time of growing humanitarian need, with 13.5 million people requiring assistance within Syria - including 6.3 million internally displaced people - and over five million refugees seeking safety in neighbouring countries.

"The situation is getting desperate," Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said in a in a statement. "We are already seeing children who aren't able to go to school, families who cannot access adequate shelter or provide for their basic needs."

The ongoing conflict remains the largest displacement crisis in the world. But despite the growing needs of those forced to flee their homes, many are instead facing potential cuts to services because of a lack of funding.

An appeal for the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan, or 3RP, for 2017 was launched in Helsinki in January - seeking US$4.63 billion. So far, only US$433 millon - or 9 per cent of the funding sought - has been received, aggravating an already precarious situation

Last year's plan received just 63 per cent (US$2.88 billion) of the US$4.54 billion requested. This has left Syrian refugees - over 70 per cent of whom are women and children - facing the prospect of deep cuts to health, shelter, protection and other services.

The funds are vital to supporting the most vulnerable, like Mariam, a 32-year-old mother of five from Aleppo who has been living in Jordan since 2012. Since early last year, she has been receiving UNHCR monthly cash assistance to help her and her family meet some of their basic living costs.

"Before receiving UNHCR cash assistance, I had to send my two eldest children to work instead of attending school," she said. "This academic year, they are back to their studies and doing well. Without this monthly support, I will be obliged to take them out of school."

Previously, Mariam had racked up debts, simply to cover basic expenses such as rent and utilities, as well as items such as clothing. And as the funding gap grows, the impact of a lack of resources is already being felt by many.

"We recognize and applaud the donations made so far, but the simple truth is that funding isn't keeping up with needs," added Grandi.
OSAGE | Residents of the Osage School District rejected a proposed $9.9 million school bond referendum Tuesday, April 4.

For the second time, the vote failed as it did not receive 60 percent approval to pass.

Osage Superintendent Barb Schwamman said she was disappointed and surprised by the outcome.

The bond received 52.1 percent approval with 816 yes votes and 751 no votes. The first bond referendum only received 48 percent in yes votes.

Schwamman was pleased with the high voter turnout, about 200 more voters than last vote.

We want to thank everyone for participating, Schwamman said.

The bond would have supported changes including a tornado-safe room at both locations, new heating and windows, remodeling classrooms, new preschool classrooms, gymnasiums, music, band and art classrooms, administrative offices and more.

The district plans to continue to find a way to make the necessary improvements to the schools.

Doing nothing is not an option, Schwamman said. The district hasnt had a lot of big projects over the years.

Had the referendum passes, the tax impact would have been a maximum of $1.82 per $1,000 of net taxable value on property.

For the district, its back to the drawing board, Schwamman said.

The $9,900,000 was $5 million less than the first bond referendum. The total cost of the project to renovate the schools is estimated at $20 million.

Well have to go back and discuss our options, Schwamman said. Its time to be creative again.
Mexican journalist held at US border for past two months

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 4 April 2017 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Mexican journalist held at US border for past two months, 4 April 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58e4a8774.html [accessed 8 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

As a major international conference on Syria gets underway today, vital assistance for millions of refugees and the communities hosting them could face substantial cuts due to a lack of funding, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning.

The 'Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region,' on April 4 and 5, comes at a time of uncertainty for Syria. Negotiations are underway to end six years of bloody war, but serious flare-ups of fighting continue on the ground.

The conference also comes at a time of growing humanitarian need, with 13.5 million people requiring assistance within Syria - including 6.3 million internally displaced people - and over five million refugees seeking safety in neighbouring countries.

"The situation is getting desperate," Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said in a in a statement. "We are already seeing children who aren't able to go to school, families who cannot access adequate shelter or provide for their basic needs."

The ongoing conflict remains the largest displacement crisis in the world. But despite the growing needs of those forced to flee their homes, many are instead facing potential cuts to services because of a lack of funding.

An appeal for the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan, or 3RP, for 2017 was launched in Helsinki in January - seeking US$4.63 billion. So far, only US$433 millon - or 9 per cent of the funding sought - has been received, aggravating an already precarious situation

Last year's plan received just 63 per cent (US$2.88 billion) of the US$4.54 billion requested. This has left Syrian refugees - over 70 per cent of whom are women and children - facing the prospect of deep cuts to health, shelter, protection and other services.

The funds are vital to supporting the most vulnerable, like Mariam, a 32-year-old mother of five from Aleppo who has been living in Jordan since 2012. Since early last year, she has been receiving UNHCR monthly cash assistance to help her and her family meet some of their basic living costs.

"Before receiving UNHCR cash assistance, I had to send my two eldest children to work instead of attending school," she said. "This academic year, they are back to their studies and doing well. Without this monthly support, I will be obliged to take them out of school."

Previously, Mariam had racked up debts, simply to cover basic expenses such as rent and utilities, as well as items such as clothing. And as the funding gap grows, the impact of a lack of resources is already being felt by many.

"We recognize and applaud the donations made so far, but the simple truth is that funding isn't keeping up with needs," added Grandi.
Cumhuriyet journalists facing up to 43 years in prison

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 4 April 2017 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Cumhuriyet journalists facing up to 43 years in prison, 4 April 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58e4a8af4.html [accessed 8 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Under an indictment issued today, 19 journalists and other employees of the opposition daily Cumhuriyet could get sentences of between seven and a half and 43 years in prison for supposedly supporting "terrorist" organizations. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) regards the indictment as an "absolute disgrace" for the Turkish authorities.





It was only today that the 19 defendants learned what charges they are facing, although some have been held for the past five months.





They are accused of "membership" or "support" for the movement led by the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen (who is accused by authorities of being behind last July's coup attempt), for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and for the far-left group DHKP/C.





The indictment claims that a "radical change in the editorial line" occurred when Can Dundar took over as editor in February 2015 and that Cumhuriyet thereafter supported the goals of these illegal organizations.





Criminalized editorial policy





Ten of the defendants, including the well known columnist Kadri Gursel, editor-in-chief Murat Sabuncu and cartoonist Musa Kart have already been in pre-trial detention for the past five months. Investigative journalist Ahmet Sk joined them in prison in late December. The defendants also include interim managing editor Aydn Engin, Washington correspondent Ilhan Tanir, and Dundar himself, who is now living in self-imposed exile.





"The charges brought against the staff of Cumhuriyet and the heavy sentences requested by the prosecution are absolute disgrace for the Turkish authorities," RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said.





"The prosecutors are clearly criminalizing an editorial policy critical of President Erdogan, treating it as a form of terrorism. The withdrawal of these charges and the release of the imprisoned journalists is the only appropriate option for the judicial system."





In recent years, Cumhuriyet published a series of revelations that were embarrassing for the authorities and it became the spearhead of the independent press, now under more pressure than ever. Dundar and the newspaper's Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gul have already been convicted over their revelations about Turkish arms deliveries to Islamist groups in Syria.







Punishing journalists with prolonged pre-trial detention





Eleven of the 19 defendants had to wait for months in prison to find out what they were charged with. After challenging the legality of their detention before Turkey's constitutional court, and getting no response, they referred their case to the European Court of Human Rights in March.





Dozens of Turkish journalists have been detained pending trial in recent months. On 31 March, an Istanbul court ordered the release of 21 who had been in pre-trial detention for seven or eight months on charges of constituting the Gulen movement's "media wing."





But the decision was rescinded a few hours later, when the relatives of the journalists were already waiting outside the prison to receive them. The three judges who ordered their release were suspended yesterday.





"Keeping journalists in provisional detention for long months, without any credible explanation, has nothing to do with justice; it is a form of political punishment," RSF's Turkey representative, Erol Onderoglu said. "It is high time that Turkey abandoned these practices and returned to constitutional principles guaranteeing freed of expression."





The already disturbing media situation in Turkey, which is ranked 151st out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index, has become critical under the state of emergency declared in the wake of the failed coup in July 2016.





Around 150 media outlets have been liquidated by decree and more than 100 journalists are currently detained. At least 775 press cards and hundreds of journalists' passports have been cancelled without any judicial proceedings. And censorship of the Internet and online social networks has reached unprecedented levels.
Second break-in in six months at Ugandan newspaper

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 4 April 2017 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Second break-in in six months at Ugandan newspaper, 4 April 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58e4a94b4.html [accessed 8 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns last weekend's break-in at the Kampala-based independent newspaper The Observer, the second in six months, and calls on the Ugandan police to shed light on both incidents.

The persons who broke into the offices of The Observer on the night of 31 March took all the computers, hard disks and servers. Nothing is so far known about their identity or motives.

Some 15 computers were taken during the first break-in, on 15 October 2016. That was a week after the newspaper's editor was summoned before the Parliamentary Committee on Rules, Privileges, and Discipline to explain articles regarded as critical of parliament.

The police opened an investigation into the first break-in but never reported their findings.

"Such repeated attacks on a media outlet cannot remain unpunished," said Reporters Without Borders . "As well as the financial losses incurred by the newspaper, this fosters a climate of fear and paranoia among the staff. We urge the Ugandan police to shed all possible light on both attacks and to report the findings of the investigation under way since October, in order to clearly show that the authorities are not taking such attacks lightly."

The latest break-in was more serious than the first. As well as the main newsroom, each individual office was ransacked, including the office of managing director James Tumusiime, and all the computers were taken, including the back-up server. Some of the details of the break-in are not yet clear, but its precision suggests that it might have had inside help.

Despite the loss of all their computers, The Observer's journalists managed to publish their next issue on schedule yesterday, albeit with some difficulties.

One of its editors, Benon Herbert Oluka, wrote: "I have worked on newspapers during some pretty serious crises. But this is one of the tougher editions of a paper that I have ever been involved in producing. Nothing is going to break our spirit. On Monday your copy of The Observer will be on the streets. Don't miss it!"

Uganda is ranked 102nd out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index.
Open Briefing to United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee

Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Author Volker Turk Publication Date 5 April 2017 Other Languages / Attachments Armenian | Spanish | Russian Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Open Briefing to United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee, 5 April 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58e532c64.html [accessed 8 November 2022]

Mr Chairperson,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, let me thank you for the opportunity to address this Committee and to offer UNHCR's perspectives on the intersection of security and international refugee protection.

In many locations around the world, insecurity stemming specifically from violent conflict, extremist groups, and organized crime has become a common feature of daily life. Often these situations have deeper roots, stemming from growing inequality, weak rule of law, and poor governance. Some may even result from the adverse impacts of climate change on the environment, which can increase competition for scarce resources. Nowhere is insecurity more visible than in the lives of the 21.7 million refugees, and more than 36.4 million internally displaced persons in the world today.[1] The vast majority of refugees flee to countries in their immediate region, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, parts of Asia, Latin America, and Turkey. Smaller numbers are also moving onward, notably across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe and elsewhere. While we have seen - and continue to see - many heartening expressions of compassion and solidarity in response to refugees, we also see divisive politics and xenophobia gaining traction, amplified by uninformed discourse in the media and other public fora. This also plays out in current debates around threats related to terrorism and refugee flows.

Against this backdrop, I would like to set out a number of key considerations, from UNHCR's perspective, that would effectively address security concerns within the refugee context.

First, ensuring security and protecting refugees need to be understood as complementary goals.

In our experience, both security and protection are best served through an integrated approach founded on this principle. Measures to ensure access to safety and protection for those in need, including those fleeing terror, can also help safeguard the security of transit and host countries and communities. In practice, however, security concerns often seem to overshadow equally pressing humanitarian and protection considerations. We see this in restrictive border policies in a number of countries in different regions. Access to territory has become seriously constrained with the institution of various physical barriers to entry, visa requirements, and interdiction practices. Such measures are often justified in the name of security or are rooted in domestic agendas unrelated to the actual presence of refugees.

However, as an organization that works with Governments on all continents, UNHCR has often seen how premising security over protection rarely has the desired results. Measures such as push-backs of refugees and asylum-seekers at borders, detention, and restricting access, combined with few safe and regular avenues to safety, cannot be the answer. The impact of such measures is simply the diversion of refugee movements along other routes and the aggravation of already precarious situations in regions embroiled in conflict. Worse still, without safe and regular pathways to safety, people who have nothing left to lose may risk dangerous journeys with smugglers. This creates an environment in which smuggling and trafficking can thrive, and a situation which terrorist groups can exploit. Also, branding refugees as security threats risks opening the door to xenophobic and racist rhetoric and can even lead to physical attacks directed against refugees.

In other words, separating security from protection considerations ends up doing a disservice to both.

Second, international refugee law provides a solid legal framework that addresses both security and protection concerns.

International refugee law does not pose an obstacle when it comes to addressing security concerns. On the contrary, security considerations have been at the forefront of the international refugee protection regime from the outset.

International refugee law aims precisely to ensure the security of those who flee from situations of conflict, violence, and persecution, including from armed opposition groups and terrorists. It provides a mechanism for protecting them against return to a risk of serious harm, notably through the application of the non-refoulement principle. It sets out clear parameters for actions to strengthen humanitarian and protection responses for people fleeing insecurity. Adherence to its precepts reinforces the rule of law and thus ensures that individuals can be protected even when their countries of origin are unable or unwilling to do so. This begins with the refugee definition in the 1951 Convention, which establishes clear criteria for determining who is a refugee and entitled to international protection.

At the same time, the drafters of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees were very much aware of the national security dimension. They were concerned in particular with ensuring that the refugee protection regime would not provide a cover for persons involved in serious criminality or otherwise posing a threat to the security of host countries. Accordingly, specific provisions were included in the 1951 Convention to ensure that such persons could not benefit from refugee status. They provide a system of checks and balances, taking full account of the security interests of States and host communities, while at the same time protecting the rights of refugees. Article 1F of the Convention provides for the exclusion of persons who are responsible for certain serious crimes or heinous acts, and who are, therefore, not deserving of international protection as refugees.

International refugee law also makes it clear that refugees and asylum-seekers are bound to abide by the laws of their host country. They are not immune from prosecution for any crimes committed on its territory. Their status does not preclude appropriate measures where an individual is found to pose a security risk. This includes express provisions in the 1951 Convention, which permit the expulsion of a refugee on grounds of national security or public order under specifically circumscribed circumstances.

Following from this, and in light of welcome recommendations by this Committee and the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, it is important to consider positively accession to the international refugee instruments. It is equally critical to establish asylum systems that allow for the fair and efficient determination of claims for international protection. Such systems provide for the rigorous and careful application of the exclusion clauses. When States assume responsibility for refugee status determination, they can conduct checks and inquiries to make sure that individuals whose involvement in terrorist acts brings them within the scope of Article 1F are either excluded during the initial determination of refugee status, or have their refugee status revoked at a later stage.

Good practice also involves cooperation between the asylum authorities and the security and intelligence services. Both have a role to play in identifying persons who may fall within the scope of an exclusion clause or who otherwise require appropriate measures to ensure the security of the host country and its community. It is essential that border guards, law enforcement, security, and intelligence authorities are properly trained on data protection principles and standards. Cooperation between different services needs to be based on a clear understanding of the special situation of refugees and asylum-seekers.

With the appropriate safeguards in place, security screening, including by conducting checks against INTERPOL's databases, is also an important element of security monitoring to be carried out both at the border and in other contexts, such as in the resettlement process. It is also important to ensure that data-bases containing information which may help detect dangerous individuals seeking to enter the country speak to each other. In country situations where UNHCR has a stronger operational role, progress has been made to enhance collaboration with host countries on security-related issues. UNHCR and States can work together to ensure not only that dangerous individuals do not abuse the asylum system, but also that persons in need of and deserving of international protection are not deprived of it because they are falsely accused of terrorism.

Third, a cooperative framework requires proper systems for the reception of arrivals and their referral to appropriate processes. This includes instituting proper safeguards to prevent the possible infiltration by criminals or those belonging to terrorist or extremist organisations.

UNHCR continues to work with States to develop and implement protection-sensitive border management systems to achieve this. Ten years ago we developed a 10 Point Plan on Refugee Protection and Mixed Migration, which provides practical suggestions, including on the management of entry systems. In December 2016, we issued an updated compilation with over 120 new practical tools and examples of measures aimed at ensuring that refugees and asylum-seekers [and others with specific needs] traveling irregularly are identified, protected against refoulement, and given access to asylum procedures.

Good practices in this regard include: (1) proper registration, including biometrics, by border authorities who are trained on relevant aspects of security, refugee and human rights protection; (2) referral of those who claim international protection to asylum procedures; and (3) identification of individuals subjected to human trafficking or at risk of being trafficked [or re-trafficked], to ensure that they have access to safety, protection, and support.

When asylum-seekers and refugees are promptly registered and have their status determined in a fair and efficient manner, States can be more confident of who is on their territory. Registration and status determination enable States to identify early on people who are in need of protection, who are not in need of protection, or who may constitute a security risk. As part of this system, we have made the case for promoting the principle of non-detention of asylum-seekers except under exceptional circumstances, and to explore actively alternatives to detention.

By way of example, in December 2016, UNHCR presented a paper to the European Union, entitled Better protecting refugees in the EU and globally,[2] which included a set of proposals on a common registration system to ensure orderly processing of arrivals, access to protection, security screening, and family reunion. This system would build on EURODAC and other relevant EU databases to improve data management. It would include registration, security screening, identification of specific needs, referrals to reception centres, counselling and information, referrals to the appropriate procedures, and swift decision-making. While this paper was written specifically for the EU context, its underlying considerations could apply in many different settings where large-scale movements of refugees and migrants affect multiple countries or whole regions.

Fourth, measures to ensure the security of host countries and to protect refugees need to be included not only at the point of entry, but also after arrival.

The ability of refugees to achieve self-reliance in their host country pending other more durable solutions is key from a protection, solutions, and security perspective. It is in the interest of refugees and host communities alike to ensure that refugees can support themselves and their families and contribute to their communities. A growing number of studies indicate that host societies can benefit from the presence and contributions of refugees - economically, socially, and culturally. Access to livelihoods, education, and social services within a host community can prevent exclusion and marginalization that can lead to disempowerment, disenfranchisement, and in some extreme cases, radicalization.

In the industrialized world, a recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD], for example, presents the main lessons from the experience of OECD countries in fostering the integration of refugees. It stresses the importance of providing access to language courses, employment programmes, and integration services as soon as possible, including for asylum-seekers with high prospects to remain. The World Bank, IMF, and OECD all agree that integration is essential for social cohesion, and investments in economic and social integration need to be made early in the process. In its recent paper for the EU, UNHCR proposes a system for integration that builds upon three key elements, namely: (i) increased funding for integration programmes; (ii) predictable, harmonized integration services; and (iii) fostering welcoming communities.

Providing refugees and their host communities with opportunities that enable them to interact with and understand each other is key to facilitating acceptance and promoting self-reliance. With the right support and systems in place, refugees can play a valuable role in the social, economic, and cultural life of their host country. Initiatives to ensure access to primary, secondary, and tertiary education, as well as youth engagement are critical to ensuring that youth have a sense of possibility for their futures and do not resort to negative coping mechanisms or fall prey to extremist groups. Economic opportunities both for host and refugee communities are also essential to decrease competition for resources and foster social cohesion.

In UNHCR's experience, fostering positive attitudes towards refugees and relationships with host communities is also essential to countering xenophobic narratives, hate speech, fear-mongering, and inflammatory statements - both at the political and civil society levels. If not addressed, a hostile environment can even lead to violent attacks against refugees. States have an important role in countering this mindset and all forms of extremism it may engender, including through community policing and other forms of engagement with refugees. Knowing them and understanding how refugees and host communities interact is essential for law enforcement authorities to prevent social exclusion and to detect and address potential problems at an early stage.

Fifth, a solutions-oriented approach to the current magnitude, scope, and complexity of forced displacement in the world, including its security and law enforcement dimensions, lies in predictable and equitable responsibility-sharing arrangements.

Managing cross-border movements on the scale we are seeing today cannot be left to a few countries alone. Otherwise, one country's problems are simply shifted onto other countries. The solidarity required to be effective is a global one. Responsibility-sharing is in the interest of all. The collective efforts of many States and civil society are essential. At the end of the day, it requires a whole-of-society approach.

And indeed, recognizing the imperative of developing a new joined-up approach, in September 2016, UN Member States unanimously adopted the New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants. The Declaration calls on UNHCR to propose a Global Compact on Refugees, and for the development of a Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The aim of the Global Compact on Refugees will be to ensure equitable and predictable responsibility sharing arrangements to address large-scale movements of refugees. It will also address protracted refugee situations - especially those that are forgotten and chronically underfunded. It is premised on the understanding that large movements of refugees can only be adequately addressed through international cooperation. Such cooperation is also key to ensuring global stability and security, building public confidence in institutions, and strengthening protection for refugees. The New York Declaration makes express reference to the security dimension, with specific undertakings regarding border control and measures to counter terrorism and transnational crime whilst doing so in a manner consistent with international human rights and refugee law.[3]

It is envisioned that as part of the Global Compact on Refugees, States would share responsibility for refugees in a number of areas. They would each have a role to play in conflict prevention and resolution, addressing the humanitarian and development nexus, providing emergency relief, enhancing resettlement and complementary pathways for admission, supporting host communities, and working on solutions. In this connection, let me highlight in particular the dearth of regular avenues to safety, which forces many refugees to travel along dangerous routes, often relying on smugglers and traffickers. This not only exposes refugees to horrific violence and abuse, as has been reported especially in Libya, the Sahel, or in Central America, but also allows criminal networks to flourish.

Providing alternative pathways for admission is an urgent priority. UNHCR is working with States in all regions on initiatives to facilitate the safe and dignified admission of refugees. This may include humanitarian pathways, such as resettlement/humanitarian admission, private sponsorships, humanitarian visas, and medical evacuation. It may also include additional pathways for admission, by creating or expanding opportunities and making it easier for refugees to access safety and protection through family reunion, academic scholarships, apprenticeships, and labour mobility schemes. Both from a protection perspective and from the point of view of addressing potential security concerns, the benefits of such alternative pathways are evident. Easing family reunification in particular would help address one of the main drivers behind onward movement.

In conclusion, while UNHCR is not a security but rather a humanitarian and protection agency mandated to work with States to ensure protection and solutions for refugees, our work with displaced people around the world for more than six decades has made us acutely aware of broader security considerations, including those arising from terrorism. Let us recall that refugees are often the first [and sometimes multiple] victims of terrorism. People involved in terrorist activities have on occasion sought deliberately to undermine support for refugees, including by punishing those who flee from areas controlled by terrorist groups.

Our collective experience gained over many years has taught us that security and protection need to go hand in hand - one is not possible without the other. The international legal regime underpinning refugee protection reflects this reality. International refugee law provides for safeguards and mechanisms to protect those in need of international protection from persecution, conflict, and violence - including terrorism - while bearing in mind the security interests of host countries and their communities. Within an often heated public debate, it is crucial, more generally, to keep things in perspective: while no system is entirely risk free, it is clear that proper asylum procedures are among the most carefully scrutinized channels for gaining admission and stay in a country. This applies equally to resettlement, where security checks and rigorous screening mechanisms are in place even before a refugee is permitted to enter the country.

Finally, let me thank the Counter-Terrorism Committee and its Executive Directorate for their commitment to the fundamentals of the rule of law. We value your human dignity approach to law enforcement and your understanding of the complexities of refugee and migratory movements. Managing the security aspects of people on the move is unthinkable without the protection of people dimension. We see this recognized also in the multi-faceted approach reflected in the four pillars of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, as well as in the numerous resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly, which have made it clear that measures to counter and prevent terrorism, radicalization, and violent extremism must be consistent with international legal obligations.

In my own experience, both refugee protection and national security have the potential to interact well if each role is properly understood. Let us therefore find the opportunities and strive for an integrated response which addresses both of these aspects in the current displacement and migration situations around the world - in a spirit of awareness, mutual understanding, and cooperation.

[1] As of mid-2016, there were more than 16.5 million refugees of concern to UNHCR, and more than 36.4 million internally displaced persons. See UNHCR Mid-Year Trends, 2016, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/statistics/unhcrstats/58aa8f247/mid-year-trends-june-2016.html. In addition, as of the end of 2015, there were 5.2 million Palestinian refugees registered by UNRWA.

[2] UNHCR, Better Protecting Refugees in the EU and Globally: Proposals to rebuild trust through better management, partnership and solidarity, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/58385d4e4.html.

[3] New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, UN Doc. A/71/L.1, para. 24.
Authorities in the northeastern Chinese province of Liaoning have formally arrested two South Korean Protestant pastors accused of trying to help North Koreans flee across the border into China.



The arrests come amid rising tensions between South Korea and China over Seoul's deployment of a U.S.-made missile defense system that China says will affect the regional balance of power.



Neither pastor has been named. One was arrested along with his wife in February as they tried to board a plane for South Korea from Qingdao in the eastern province of Shandong, while the second was detained at a hotel in the northeastern city of Qinhuangdao.



While both wives have since been released, the two pastors remain in police detention on charges linked to illegal immigration.



Peter Chung, spokesman for the human rights group Justice For North Korea, said their families have hired lawyers to represent the pastors, now that the cases look set to proceed to trial.



"The cases are now with the state prosecutor's office; all the files are with the prosecutor now," Chung told RFA on Wednesday. "This was approved on March 29."



"Their lawyers have already met with them a number of times, and they both seem to be in good health," he said.



A Chinese rights lawyer who declined to be named said the pastors had been charged with "organizing illegal crossing of a national border," a charge carrying a relatively light sentence in view of the humanitarian intentions behind their actions.



"I think they are trying to treat them in a friendly manner, bearing in mind political considerations, because they are foreigners," the lawyer said. "They will be dealt with a bit more leniently."



"It's likely that they will be deported before sentencing, or even after it, but not have to serve it," he said.



Calls to the Shenyang municipal police department rang unanswered during office hours on Wednesday.



Missile defense system



South Korea announced last month that it had begun deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) antimissile system sparked a backlash across China, with some hotels saying they wouldn't take South Korean guests.



The move has drawn strong diplomatic protests from Beijing, and sparked demonstrations and store closures at outlets of the South Korea retail chain Lotte across China, as well as the public destruction of South Korean goods.



South Korea and the United States say the system is aimed solely at defending the South against a growing North Korean missile threat.



But Beijing fears the system's powerful radar will compromise its national security.



The pastors' arrests came as China expelled 32 South Korean missionaries based in the northeastern Yanji region bordering North Korea, and arrested four other men, one of whom is a South Korean national.



China says North Koreans fleeing political persecution in the home country are "economic migrants," and typically repatriates them.



Travel within North Korea and across the border into China is officially strictly regulated, with people required to obtain passes, but traders and refugees often manage to travel without required permits by bribing border guards and soldiers at checkpoints.



Reported by Hai Nan for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
We dont wish to make anyone feel unwelcome in Flagstaff, much less someone who has committed to moving from his longtime home in a faraway state to lead a major public institution here.

So our comments on the selection of Michael Penca of Mason City, to lead the Flagstaff Unified School District will be directed at the search and hiring process that brought him here. By all accounts, Mike Penca is a good man. But whether he is a good fit for FUSD superintendent seems in doubt.

To start at the end, Pencas hiring was clearly rushed. He was one of two finalists announced in late February. Within two weeks, one finalist had dropped out, to be replaced by a second. They were interviewed in Flagstaff on the same day in late March and the board agreed the next day to offer the job to Penca.

Why the hurry? Within two weeks, Kim Khatibi, one of three FUSD board members out of five who voted to hire Penca, announced she was leaving the board to join her husband at his new job in Seattle. She had wanted to stay long enough to make the new hire, she told the Daily Sun.

Usually, school boards look to reach consensus when making such an important decision. If they cant agree, they will re-evaluate the job criteria or the pay  even change consultants  then launch a new search.

In this case, one board member, Kara Kelty, wasnt on board with either of the two finalists. Another, Carole Gilmore, had an undisclosed conflict of interest and couldnt vote. That means 40 percent of the group that will be the new superintendents boss didnt vote for him.

Kelty said she had nothing personally against either finalist. Her concern was that they were from much smaller districts in less diverse communities and with no experience dealing with Arizonas complex school funding process.

That all seems true about Mason City and its schools, where Penca is the interim superintendent. It is a city of 28,000 that lost population between 2000 and 2010, according to the census. Yet when the city had the chance to get a meat packing plant with 1,800 jobs last year, it denied the company a development agreement.

The school district has fewer than 4,000 students (FUSD has nearly 10,000) and is 95 percent white (FUSD is less than 50 percent white).

On the other hand, Mason City has an All-American reputation as the model for The Music Man written by city native Meredith Wilson. And its Kraft Foods plant produces the entire U.S. supply of refrigerated ready-to-eat Jell-O pudding snacks.

If the other finalists had different backgrounds, at least the board would have had a choice. But one was from Gallup, N.M. (pop. 21,000) and the other from tiny Hiawatha, Kan. (pop. 3,400). Again, both are no doubt good people to get where they are today.

But a 10,000-student, highly diverse school district in a university city and in a state that underfunds its schools presents challenges where relevant experience would be very handy, even essential.

At this point, Penca has likely signed a contract  FUSD hasnt provided any more information.

It has in Dave Dirksen a very experienced interim superintendent who could continue to fill in if a new search is needed. If not, wed recommend that Dirksen be retained in a consulting capacity to help get Penca through what could be a very steep learning curve.

We wish him success. But we also wish the board had done what was needed to broaden the field with more experienced and diverse candidates.

This editorial appeared in the April 5 edition of the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff, another Lee Enterprises publication.
Authorities in China have detained dozens of petitioners who tried to visit the graves of prominent former Chinese leaders, including the revolutionary war-hero father of current President Xi Jinping.



More than a dozen people who showed up in a town in the northern province of Shaanxi, hoping to pay their respects at the tomb of Xi's father Xi Zhongxun, said they were dragged away and held on a bus for two days instead.



"As soon as we got there with our floral wreaths, two minivans full of riot police pulled up, and 40 or 50 policemen got out and said they would take us into the cemetery, then dragged us aboard the prisoner van," Xi'an petitioner Chen Yumei told RFA on .



"[Then] they put us all on a bus and drove us out to the mountains near Hancheng," she said. "I thought since when did they more Xi Zhongxun's remains out to Hancheng?"



Fellow detainee Wang Tuanfeng said the police had taken them instead to Xi's birthplace rather than his tomb in Shaanxi's Fuping county.



"They gathered up all of our ID cards, so we couldn't go anywhere; we had to follow around behind them wherever they went," Wang said. "To start with it looked as if they were taking us to Xi'an, but then they turned around and came back again, taking us to Hancheng."



"They just left the bus there and went away again. We spent the night on the bus, then they dragged us off the bus again; there were so many of them, all policemen," Wang said.



Liu Meiyan, Han Lifang, Zhou Yongqiang, Wang Huiling, Wang Huling, Wen Dingding, Xiao Huifang, Yang Hongbo and Ma Xirong were among those on the bus, sources told RFA.



Chen, who is complaining about her treatment to the Shaanxi provincial government, said the people who dragged them off the bus were "unofficial security guards."



"In all, we spent two days and a night on that bus," she said. "I was finally able to get a bus back to Xi'an ."



"They deprived us of our liberty, they wouldn't let us eat or drink anything," she said. "They just kept us on that bus ... so that we couldn't even urinate."



Qing Ming activities

The Qing Ming grave-tending festival is often used by activists and petitioners to honor key figures in the political mythology of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, often as a way of highlighting current grievances.



Meanwhile, in Beijing, hundreds of people have been visiting the former home of late ousted premier Zhao Ziyang, who is seldom mentioned in public owing to his sympathies with the student-led democracy protests of 1989.



Police were stationed around the Zhao family residence in Beijing's Goldfish Hutong, but didn't prevent people from entering the traditional courtyard dwelling, family members told reporters.



Talks are still ongoing between the Zhao family and the ruling Chinese Communist Party over a final resting place for the former premier's ashes, his son Zhao Erjun told Hong Kong media.



At issue is whether or not Zhao will be allowed a resting place in the Babaoshan revolutionary cemetery on the outskirts of Beijing, or whether he will have a regular memorial like any other citizen.



Zhao's former aide Bao Tong, who served seven years in jail after his boss' fall from power, and who has been under house arrest for much of the time since his release, called on the government to follow the family's wishes.



"I hope the government will help out and make life easier for the whole family, and support their choices," Bao said in a recent interview with RFA.



"They shouldn't impose anything on the family; they shouldn't do anything," he said. "This decision should really be made by Zhao's children."

Another politically sensitive time



China's annual grave-sweeping festival is a politically sensitive time in China, as memorials for the dead can often swell into broader popular protests.



The 1989 protests themselves were sparked by a spontaneous outpouring of public mourning on Tiananmen Square following the state funeral of ousted former premier Hu Yaobang, who was credited with overturning many of the injustices of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976).



You Weijie, spokeswoman for the Tiananmen Mothers victims group, said some had declined to tend the graves of loved ones who perished when the People's Liberation Army (PLA) opened fire on unarmed civilians, ending weeks of mass protests at the heart of Beijing.



"It's not that they won't let us sweep the graves; it's that if we do, we have to go there in a police vehicle," You said. "They haven't exactly interfered, but we would have to do it with them watching us. It's to stop journalists from running into us there."



However, petitioners said they were prevented from paying their respects to late leaders at Babaoshan, however.



"There are police everywhere, many times more than usual," a petitioner surnamed Zhou told RFA. "You can see that all around Babaoshan, they are stopping people from going in there."



" it was possible to get as far as the cemetery gates, but they are stopping people as far as two kilometers away," Zhou said.



Reported by Yang Fan for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Wen Yuqing for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
North Korean border guards stand outside a building in the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas, Sept. 25, 2013.

North Korean authorities have started attaching GPS satellite tracking devices to guards on duty to intensify border security in a trial run of the technology before rolling out a full-blown plan to outfit all patrols with the gadgets, sources inside the country said.

Satellite tracking devices were introduced to the fourth company of the border garrison in Onsong county [in North Hamgyong province], that suffered flood damage last year, said a source from the province which borders China.

The reason why the satellite tracking devices were introduced to the fourth company first is that the company is guarding the main path for defection and smuggling, he told RFAs Korean Service.

Attached to the guards automatic rifle straps, the satellite tracking device has enabled the battalion headquarters to improve security because it prevents guards from going AWOL from their posts along the border as often as they have done previously, the source said.

A source from Yanggang Province told RFA that a trial run for the satellite tracking devices were introduced to the fifth battalion of the 25th brigade of the border garrison stationed in Kimjongsuk county along the Yalu River on the border between North Korea and China.

However, I cannot understand why the satellite tracking device was introduced in such a remote location, he said

The North Korean-made satellite tracking devices that have been given to members of the battalion only have a registration number, a small oval-shaped LCD display, and a power switch, he said.

The guards have no idea how the satellite tracking device works, the source said. The monitoring equipment for the satellite tracking device is not in the company. It is located in the headquarters of a battalion, so it is hard for guards of the company to figure out how the satellite tracking device works because it is monitored by the battalion headquarters.

Authorities introduced the satellite tracking system because some border guards who were on duty crossed into China to commit robberies or else fell asleep in bunkers when they should have been monitoring the border areas, he said.

Moreover, it is also a preventive measure for keeping border guards from entering residents houses during work hours, the source said.

Yet, it remains unknown whether the current satellite tracking device only confirms the location of a guard or records surrounding sounds and voices as well to prevent them from smuggling or assisting defectors, he said.

However, once the guards of the company confirm how the satellite tracking devices work, then they will be able to cope with them, he said.



Reported by Sunghui Moon for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Soo Min Jo. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Myanmars Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture on Wednesday rejected charges of defamation and insulting religion brought against a prominent journalist by followers of an ultranationalist Buddhist group who say he insulted an outspoken member of their organization in an online post.



In a letter, the ministry said chief editor of Myanmar Now Swe Win broke no law when he posted a quote by a Buddhist abbot on Facebook saying Wirathu of the Ma Ba Tha nationalist group could no longer be considered a monk after praising the murder of a well-known Muslim lawyer.



According to the ministry, which has no legal jurisdiction, Swe Win is not guilty of intentionally defaming Wirathu because he was only carrying out his work as a journalist by informing the public about the monks statement and the abbots response on his Facebook page.



Furthermore, the ministry said, Swe Wins post could not be considered defamation or insulting to Buddhism because his criticism of the incident had been based on fact.



Swe Win had requested a summary of the ministrys opinion on the lawsuits against him, filed under Section 66(d) of the Telecommunications Law in Mandalay and Section 295(a) of Myanmars Penal Code in Yangon.



In a Feb. 28 Facebook post, Swe Win criticized Wirathu for praising the brutal murder of Ko Ni, a prominent Muslim lawyer and critic of Myanmars powerful military, who was shot on Jan. 29 as he held his grandson outside Yangon airport.



The reporter said Wirathu had committed a major violation of parajika [the Buddhist monastic code] by doing so, referring to a statement by a prominent Buddhist abbot.



In response, Wirathu demanded an apology from Swe Win within a week.



Kyaw Myo Shwe, a Ma Ba Tha member and follower of Wirathu, then filed a lawsuit against Swe Win under Section 66(d), which prohibits use of the telecom network to defame people and carries a jail sentence of up to three years and a fine for violators.



Kyaw Myo Shwe had said he would withdraw the complaint in early March after being pressured by his family to do so, but warned that his organization was pursuing further legal action.



The second charge, filed by Thet Myo Oo in Yangons Kyimyintaing township, argues that Swe Win had violated Section 295(a), insulting Buddhism through his social media posts concerning Wirathu.



Facing lawsuits



Swe Win on Wednesday confirmed to RFAs Myanmar Service that he had been notified of the ministrys response to his request.



I received an email from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture saying Im not guilty of any of the charges against me, he said.



The Irrawaddy online journal also quoted Swe Wins legal adviser Khin Maung Myint in a report as saying that the statement from the ministry would help a lot in fighting the criminal charges.



When reached by RFA for comment, Kyaw Thu, a police officer from Mahar Aung Myay township in Mandalay where the lawsuit based on Section 66(d) had been filed, said authorities there have been working on and will continue to work on Swe Wins case according to the law.



According to the Irrawaddy, Swe Win will meet with authorities in Kyimyintaing township to discuss the charges against him filed under Section 295(a).



As of last week, members of the Patriotic Myanmar Monks Union (PMMU) in Mandalay had collected about 40,000 signatures for a petition from monks and nuns demanding legal action Swe Win for allegedly insulting Wirathu, who is known for his fiery anti-Muslim rhetoric.



On March 10, the State Sangha Maha Nayaka (Ma Ha Na), a government-appointed body of high-ranking Buddhist monks that oversees and regulates the Buddhist clergy in Myanmar, barred Wirathu from making public speeches for one year for using hate speech against religions to cause communal strife and hinder efforts to uphold the rule of law.



Religious authorities in Mandalay warned Wirathu that if he did not adhere to the year-long ban on making public speeches, they would take action against him.



Reported by Kyaw Soe Lin for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Ethnic Rakhine people who fled a crackdown in Maungdaw township, western Myanmar's Rakkhine state, stay in tents in a stadium in the state capital Sittwe, Oct. 16, 2016.

The Rakhine state government in western Myanmar will close three internally displaced persons camps, as recommended by an advisory commission appointed by the countrys de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi to help resolve the religious and ethnic divisions in the unstable region, a state official said Wednesday.

The camps house Kaman Muslims, ethnic Rakhine people, and Rohingya Muslims who have been living in them since 2012 when they were displaced by communal violence.

We are doing it as they [the internally displaced persons] want, Min Aung, Rakhine states municipal minister, told RFAs Myanmar Service.

They need cars and trucks to move out of the camps, he said. We have discussed it with a military colonel who is the official that oversees these camps.

Min Aung did not give a timetable for the closure of the camps or provide details about where the camps inhabitants would live.

Appointed in August 2016, the nine-member advisory commission headed by former United Nations chief Kofi Annan has visited Rakhine several times to meet with camp residents, state officials, and ethnic Rakhine and Muslim community leaders to discuss conflict resolution, humanitarian assistance, and development issues in the divided and impoverished state.

The committee had already begun its work when the Myanmar government ordered a security crackdown in the northern part of Rakhine state last October following a deadly attack on border guard posts, which officials later blamed on Rohingya militants.

An estimated 1,000 people were killed during the four-month crackdown, and 77,000 Rohingya fled to safety in neighboring Bangladesh where some accused soldiers of committing human rights violations against them.

The reports sparked allegations by the international community of genocide of the Rohingya Muslims who live in northern Rakhine state.

Though the commission is not responsible for evaluating the human rights situation in Rakhine, it did suggest in an interim report issued in March that the government should immediately begin allowing displaced Rohingya to return to their homes in Rakhine and eventually shut down the internal camps where more than 120,000 have resided following communal violence with Buddhist nationalists in 2012.

The report included 30 recommendations, including allowing humanitarian groups and media to visit conflict areas in Rakhine, providing equal access to health care and education, training police, recognizing Rohingya as Myanmar citizens and giving them citizens rights, and resettling the Rohingya.

The Myanmar government agreed with the findings and said it would implement the majority of its recommendations.

The commission must also submit a final report on its findings to the government this year.

More than 1.1 million stateless Rohingya Muslims, whom the Burmese call Bengalis because they consider them illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh, have long been subjected to persecution and attacks and denied basic rights, including citizenship by the Buddhist majority in Rakhine state.

Reported by Kyaw Soe Lin for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
UPDATED at 10:00 a.m. EST on 04/06/2017

Nearly 200 Tibetan families have been ordered to leave their homes in a county in eastern Tibet to make way for an unspecified government construction project, with the move to new locations to be made at their own expense, according to a local source.



The families now live in two towns lying on opposite sides of the Gyalmo Ngulchu, or Salween River, in Dzogang (in Chinese, Zuogang) and Pashoe (Basu) counties in the Chamdo (Changdu) prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region, a resident of the area told RFAs Tibetan Service.



No explanation was given for the order to move, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.



But the local Tibetans believe that mining or some similar project is being planned for the area, and that this is why they are being told to leave against their own wishes, he said.



The families who are being forced to move have had to register their names with the authorities, he added.



Chinese authorities had initially promised those families registered for removal compensation of from 12,000 to 20,000 yuan (U.S. $2,176 to $2,901) to help with expenses of their move, but the offer was later withdrawn, the source said.



This has placed many poor families in jeopardy, since they cannot stay at their present location, and if they move they may have to do this with money they dont have, he said.



Government order



Though many families affected by the order have filed appeals asking for permission to remain in their homes, authorities have told them that the requirement they leave is a government order that must be obeyed, the source said.



No one knows for sure why these families are being told to leave, but some say that the government is planning to build 13 hydropower dams on the Gyalmo Ngulchu, while others have mentioned a large road project in the area.



Others are talking about a mining project at a sacred mountain that has been examined by Chinese geological surveyors many times since 1991, the source said, adding, The mountain is believed to have rich deposits of ore.



Tibetan areas of China have become an important source of minerals needed for Chinas economic growth, and mining operations have led to frequent standoffs with Tibetans who accuse Chinese firms of disrupting sites of spiritual significance and polluting the environment as they extract local wealth.



In June 2014, police detained 60 men from a village in Dzogang rocked by protests over Chinese plans to excavate gold, sources told RFA in earlier reports.



The protests followed the death in May of a local Tibetan who stabbed himself and jumped from a roof to oppose the project.



Reported by Sangye Dorjee for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney.



UPDATE: This story provides updated information on the location of the two villages targeted for evictions.








Authorities in northwestern Chinas Xinjiang region have begun searching the homes of mostly Muslim ethnic Uyghurs for illegal items, including religious materials and attire, after a deadline for handing in the contraband expired over the weekend, according to official sources.



In early March, Chinese authorities in Hotan (in Chinese, Hetian) prefectures Guma (Pishan) county issued an order requiring local Uyghurs to turn in items such as unsanctioned religious publications, calendars and utensils with the Islamic star and crescent logo, and religious attire, such as burkas.



Uyghurs were called on to hand over the itemsas well as other goods, including matches, leftover fertilizer and carpetsby April 1, after which delinquencies will be dealt with, according to the order, which did not specify what actions authorities planned to take against those who failed to comply.



On March 15, a police officer in Hotanthe location of a deadly attack carried out by a group of Uyghurs a month earliertold RFAs Uyghur Service that the goods could be brought to local neighborhood committees or police stations, where they would be confiscated in exchange for compensation.



If they bring them to us, we simply take them and log the items [in a record book], the officer, who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity, said at the time.



They have to bring all the items listed as illegal. They will be given compensation for the value of their items, though we cant guarantee that they will be given money for all of them.



But while police had earlier deferred to local residents to deliver the so-called illegal items to local authorities, RFA learned in recent days that security personnel have been carrying out searches of Uyghur homes since the deadline expired.



A security guard at the Guma township police station in Guma county contacted over the weekend told RFA that residents would not be held accountable if they hand over items during house searches, despite the passing of the deadline.



Those who do not offer up illicit goods to police that are subsequently uncovered during the searches, however, will be dealt with accordingly, said the guard, who asked not to be named.



A Guma county police officer, who also did not give his name, said the house searches were not extreme measures at all, in the aftermath of the Feb. 15 attack by three Uyghurs in Guma county that left five passersby dead and another five injured, with the attackers themselves shot dead by police.



[Official] working groups are visiting the homes they are responsible for and having conversations with the homeowners, the officer said.



The mosque management committee, village committee and policewe are all conducting the investigation. We are doing this because maintaining social stability is of the utmost priority.



Books confiscated



According to the officer, if books found in homes are on a list of 156 legal publications endorsed by the official United Front and Mosque Management Committeewhich includes the Quranauthorities will stamp them with the Chinese characters inspected and allow residents to keep them.



Books without clear publishing details, as well as those on a list of illegal publications provided to them by the regional government, are confiscated.



Some of the illegal books we collected include ones published during 1980s and 1990s, ones with words that are no longer permitted, ones without copyright information and ones sold by booksellers on the streets, he said.



Residents of Hotan told RFA that the searches, and other security measures enacted by authorities in the region since the February knife attack, had made the lives of local Uyghurs extremely difficult.



An ethnic Han Chinese member of the 47th Regiment of the Hotan region Xinjiang Production and Construction Corpsa quasi-military brigade also known as the bingtuansaid area Uyghurs are required to attend meetings in local village offices every two or three days.



Im not saying there shouldnt be any controls, but the controls should have limits, said the man, who gave his surname as Wang.



[The authorities] are interfering in every aspect of their existence, but the Uyghurs have to have a life as well.



Wang said that many Uyghurs in the area agree with the central governments basic policies in the Xinjiang region, but that the lower level of governments way of doing things is really different.



If you go to someone elses house and order them to do this and that and harass them, you will disturb their normal daily lives and they will not accept that either, Wang said.



This kind of harassment will drive them to do things they wouldnt normally consider.



Hotan crackdown



Authorities in Hotan have cracked down on Uyghur residents since the Feb. 15 knife incident, which sources say was motivated by anger at threats by local officials to punish the attackers for praying with their familyan activity outlawed as part of a bid to restrict Muslim religious practice in Xinjiang.



A week after the attack, the Hotan prefecture government said in a statement that 100 million yuan (U.S. $14.5 million) had been set aside to reward would-be tipsters reporting suspicious acts possibly linked to terrorism.



A second announcement, issued Feb. 28 by the Chira (Cele) county government, said those who report individuals for having stitched the star and crescent moon insignia on their clothing or personal items or the words East Turkestanreferring to the name of a short-lived Uyghur republicon their mobile phone case, purse or other jewelry, were also eligible for cash payments.



China has vowed to crack down on what it calls religious extremism in Xinjiang, and regularly conducts strike hard campaigns including police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people, including videos and other material.



While China blames Uyghur extremists for terrorist attacks, experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from the Uyghurs and that repressive domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence there that has left hundreds dead since 2009.



Reported by Jilil Kashgary for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
An independent environmental group called on the Vietnamese government on Wednesday to allow it to participate in monitoring the payment of compensation to those affected by the Formosa environmental disaster.

Representatives from Green Trees filed a dossier with Vietnams Ministry of Finance, requesting that the group be able to scrutinize payments to people in four central coastal provinces who lost their livelihoods in the fishing and tourism industries following a toxic chemical spill last April by Taiwan-owned Formosa steel plant.

Today I handed over the document calling for compensation for the victims in the central provinces, said Green Trees member Dang Vu Luong. I also want all civil society groups to be able to participate in the monitoring of state stipulations regarding the payouts.

The report emerged as Vietnamese officials were quoted by their state media on Wednesday as saying that Formosa has been declared fit to launch operations on a trial basis.

Following an inspection of the five-year-old plant in Ha Tinh province, officials from the environment ministry said the site would be allowed to open pending approval from Hanoi, Vietnam Television quoted senior environment official Hoang Van Thuc as saying, according to Agence France-Presse.

Luong said it is necessary for civil society groups to be involved in the payment monitoring process because of several contradictory reports by different sourcesvictims of the spill themselves and state-run televisionabout the compensation and settlement of the environment disaster.

We are citizens so we want accurate information for everyone, he said.

The dossier concerns authorities in the natural resources and environment, finance, agriculture and rural development ministries, as well as the peoples committees of the four affected central coastal provinces.

Green Trees cited Articles 2 and 28 of Vietnams 2013 Constitution as the legal basis for its filing of the dossier.

Article 2 stipulates that all state powers belong to the Vietnamese people, while Article 28 says citizens have the right to participate in the administration of the state and management of society and to take part in discussions and recommendations to state bodies on the issues concerning communities, regions and the country.

Green Trees expects the government to listen and provide favorable conditions for the monitoring work, Luong said.

Through this work we would want to remind everybody of the right to participation in state work, he said.

Stipulations about payouts

The company has voluntarily provided U.S. $500 million to clean up and compensate people affected by the spill, but the government has faced protests over the amount of the settlement and the slow pace of payouts.

On Sept. 29, 2016, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued a decision detailing stipulations regarding the compensation rates and those who are to receive payouts.

Since then, according to our assessment based on media news, local peoples thoughts, and our own observations, the compensation process has been slow, and many victims in the affected regions have yet to receive it [payouts], the dossier says.

In many regions, local people continue to protest unfair compensation rates, it says. In addition, we notice a lot of reflections about discrepancies relating to compensation.

Green Trees has asked the government, relevant ministries, and local authorities to provide it with all information and documents related to the payout so it we can exercise the right to monitor the compensation process.

Recently, state media has run news stories that people who live in the central provinces central people are getting bumper [fish] catches and that their lives are back to normal, said Green Trees member Nguyen Manh Cuong.

He noted that a number of protests, however, have broken out over the governments failure to issue the compensation, including a recent one in the Loc Ha district of Ha Tinh province when hundreds of residents from Thach Banh village stormed the local peoples committee office.

As an independent civil society group, Green Trees want to join in the monitoring of compensation for victims, he said.

Our primary purpose in participating in the monitoring of compensation is to let all people in the country know the states policy for victims, Cuong said. We also expect other civil society groups to exercise monitoring rights.

The April spillVietnams largest environmental disaster to datekilled an estimated 115 tons of fish and left fishermen and tourism industry workers jobless in four central provinces, including Ha Tinh.

Two months later, Taiwan-owned Formosa Plastics Group acknowledged it was responsible for the release of toxic chemicals from its massive steel plant located at the deep-water port in Ha Tinh provinces Ky Anh district.

The Vietnamese government said in a report to the National Assembly in July of that year that the disaster had harmed the livelihoods of more than 200,000 people, including 41,000 fishermen.

Reported and translated by Gia Minh for RFAs Vietnamese Service. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Authorities in the central Chinese province of Hubei have beaten up one woman who petitioned against their local government and incarcerated a third in a psychiatric institution, fellow petitioners told RFA.



Wuhan petitioner Hu Yuling was attacked on by a group of unidentified thugs wearing caps, masks and wielding makeshift weapons who piled out of a minivan at around 5.00 p.m., she told RFA.



"I had just left home to go out, and as I was arriving at the scene of the incident, I spotted a minivan parked up across the road, opposite me," Hu said. "The doors suddenly opened and and jumped a bunch of people with weapons, who charged across the road and attacked me savagely like a pack."



"I didn't even have the time to yell for help. It was over as soon as it began, in less than two minutes," Hu said. "They were all wearing face-masks and caps, and they were carrying weapons."



Hu has been petitioning over a forced eviction from her home for years. In 2015, she was among a group of around a dozen evictees from Wuhan who attempted self-immolation in protest on Beijing's Tiananmen Square.



They were later charged with "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," and Hu served one year and one month in prison for her protest.





's attack was the third since her release from jail on Jan. 15, she said.



"Ever since I got out of jail ... there has been someone following me, threatening me if I carry on petitioning, and limiting my freedom," Hu said.



"Back in June and ," she recalls, "they beat me up twice, in front of my three-year-old child, as we were on the way home."



Hu called the police, who opened a case file, but nothing was done.



"Then the forcibly demolished my home on Aug. 12, 2015, and threw all four members of my family out onto the streets wearing only the clothes we had on our backs," she said.



"Since then, I have been petitioning non-stop. When there were no more petitioning routes open to us, I went to Beijing on Dec. 16, 2015, and set fire to myself."



Locked in mental hospital

Elsewhere in Hubei, petitioner Cai Jianping said the authorities had locked up her sister Cai Yinglan after the pair petitioned in Beijing over a dispute with local officials about unpaid farming subsidies.



"They dragged Cai Yinglan into a black van and took her off to the mental hospital," Cai told RFA. "Her ankles and wrists are still bruised and swollen and her feet have changed shape."



"I went to the Ezhou municipal government to complain about this incident, and I called 110 and reported it to the police, but they didn't do anything to save her from there," she said. "It's a case of don't ask, don't tell."



Cai said her sister is now being force-fed psychiatric medication by injection at the Ezhou Special Care Hospital after local officials wrote a report accusing her of "damaging society through petitioning."



While her sister has suffered from intermittent mental health problems, she is able to function normally and has no need of in-patient treatment, she added.



Many petitioners complain of beatings, illegal detention in "black jails" or "legal study centers" and other forms of official harassment after they return home, while reports have emerged of petitioners who die en route, while in the custody of police or interceptors.



Women are particularly vulnerable once they become embroiled in China's "stability maintenance" regime.



Petitioners Wang Shetao and Li Xiaocui, of Luoyang's Liangzhai village, reportedly burned to death in murky circumstances in January after a fire at a police station, official media reported.



Later the same month, Heilongjiang petitioner Li Naiqiu said she was picked up by interceptors from Taihe city and escorted back to her hometown from the unofficial detention center at Majialou on Jan. 22.



On the trip home, she was handcuffed and beaten up by the officials, who also kicked her in the abdomen, putting her unborn baby at risk, she told RFA at the time.



Deaths and "disappearances" in unofficial detention centers, or "black jails," are also not uncommon, but evidence of police wrong-doing is hard to come by when the authorities typically refuse to allow independent autopsies.



Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley condemned Russia and the Syrian government over the apparent chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians on April 4. Haley, who is also the UN Security Council president, told an emergency meeting of the council on April 5 that Russia had "closed their eyes to the barbarity" of the Syrian regime. The Russian deputy ambassador to the UN, Vladimir Safronkov, said that a complete investigation was needed first. (Reuters)
Thousands of Serbs have taken to the streets of Belgrade for a third straight night to protest the April 2 election of Aleksandar Vucic as president.

The crowds of mostly students blew whistles outside the Serbian parliament building on April 5 and accused Vucic of stealing the election.

The presidency is largely ceremonial in Serbia, but Vucic is expected to maintain power through control of his ruling Serbian Progressive Party. The protesters see Vucic as an autocratic leader and the Serbian Progressive Party as corrupt.

Earlier in the day, one group of students posted on social media a list of demands, including the dismissal of the elections commission, the state media regulator, and the heads of the RTS TV state television channel.

They also called for parliament speaker Maja Gojkovic to resign, saying that she adjourned parliament for a week during the campaign which prevented the opposition from using its tribune as a platform.

On April 4, Vucic told journalists that he doesnt object to the protests "as long as they are peaceful."

"Were a democratic country and everyone has the right to be happy or unhappy because of the election results," he said.

with reporting by dpa, Reuters, and B92
WASHINGTON -- Two Democratic lawmakers are pushing a new measure to keep U.S. President Donald Trump from altering current U.S. policy toward Russia until an ongoing FBI investigation is completed.

The resolution introduced April 5 by Representatives Eric Swalwell (California) and Eliot Engel (New York) echoes similar legislation announced in February by a group of Republicans and Democrats in the Senate.

Like the Senate effort, the proposed House resolution calls on the Trump administration "to make no alterations to sanctions, treaties, military aid, or diplomatic relations that might benefit Russian President Vladimir Putin or his government."

Any changes, the resolution said, should come only after the FBI completes its probe into possible ties between Russian officials and Trump aides.

During last year's election campaign, Trump called for a more conciliatory approach toward Moscow, saying the two countries had shared interests, such as the fight against terrorism.

Since taking office, however, that rhetoric has cooled, and Moscow, which had embraced Trump's conciliatory rhetoric, has also responded with growing criticism of the Trump administration.

With Republicans holding majorities in both houses of Congress, it is unlikely that either measure will be adopted.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has sent a letter to Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka expressing "great concern" over a crackdown on citizens protesting against a controversial tax on the unemployed and urged the "immediate" release of those detained.

The letter released on April 5 and signed by four senators also said they were concerned about Russia's use of Belarusian territory for "provocative war games" later this year.

Democrats Richard Durbin and Jeanne Shaheen signed along with Republicans Marco Rubio and John McCain.

Many Belarusians have expressed anger over the tax imposed by Lukashenka's government on the unemployed, a move the president said is aimed at battling "social parasitism."

The tax, reminiscent of Soviet-era legislation, imposes a special levy on Belarusians who work less than half of a calendar year and do not register at the country's labor bureaus, although it exempts homemakers, subsistence farmers, and some others.

Protests broke out in Minsk and throughout Belarus, leading to the arrest of dozens of protesters and activists in a government crackdown, actions both the United States and the European Union have sharply criticized.

The protests have continued despite Lukashenka's announcement on March 9 that the tax payments "will not be collected for a year," although he said the law would not be revoked.

In the letter, the senators said, "We remain troubled by the spate of politically motivated detentions and well as harassment of peaceful protesters, opposition party members, journalists, human rights defenders, and other civil society activists."

They urged the immediate and unconditional release of all people held in connection with the demonstrations.

The senators also had harsh words for the country's longtime ally Russia and expressed hope that Belarus "will not be the next victim of Vladimir Putin's ambitions."

Moscow is planning its Zapad (West) military maneuvers for September this year in a joint effort with Belarus along Russia's western border.
Some demonstrations are apparently OK. Others, not so much.

In the aftermath of this week's attack in St. Petersburg, Yury Shvytkin, the deputy chair of the State Duma's Defense Committee, has proposed placing a "moratorium" on public protests.

Such a move is necessary for public safety, he said, because terrorists time their attacks to "significant events and significant dates."

And apparently is isn't just dangerous to hold anti-Kremlin demonstrations. It's also dangerous to even promote them.

Another lawmaker, Vitaly Milonov, is introducing legislation that would ban online calls for unsanctioned demonstrations and require all social- media users to register with their passport data.

But if anti-Kremlin protests pose a security hazard, state-sponsored demonstrations are another matter entirely.

Because the Kremlin is reportedly encouraging Russia's regional leaders to organize antiterrorism rallies of their own.

According to a report in Kommersant, the aim is to have such state-sponsored rallies in every large Russian city, especially those where large numbers took to the streets on March 26 to protest official corruption.

The first of these, according to media reports, is planned for April 6 in Moscow.

Vladimir Putin's regime is apparently wasting no time in using Russia's latest terrorist attack to change the subject and shift the conversation.

Which should come as no surprise. We have, after all, seen this movie before.

From the 2002 Nord-Ost theater siege in Moscow to the 2004 Beslan school massacre to the 2013 bus and train-station bombings in Volgograd, the Kremlin has treated terrorist acts as opportunities to consolidate power and stifle dissent.

Following the Nord-Ost siege, new press restrictions were placed on the media. In the aftermath of Beslan, the Kremlin eliminated the direct election of governors. And after the Volgograd bombings, the authorities tightened controls on the Internet.

"As concerns about a renewed terrorist threat echo through Russian media, we should be cautious -- but not cynical -- in watching how a new narrative on terrorism is used by the Kremlin," Molly McKew, a former adviser to the Georgian and Moldovan governments, writes in Foreign Policy.

In the short term, the Kremlin is clearly trying to shift public attention away from the mass nationwide protests on March 26 that were sparked by corruption allegations against Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

For a month after opposition leader Aleksei Navalny issued a report alleging that Medvedev owned a vast empire of mansions, estates, yachts, an Italian vineyard, and an 18th-century palace, the prime minister was silent.

He finally chose to respond to the allegations on April 4, one day after the St. Petersburg attacks, calling them "rubbish" and "nonsense."

The allegations, Medvedev added, were made "to try to drag people out into the streets for political purposes."

On the same day, according to Russian media reports, State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin called on lawmakers to defend Medvedev from attacks by Navalny, whom he accused of being "the voice of the Western security services."

In addition to seeking to use this week's attack to change the subject at home, the Kremlin also appears to be hoping that it will change the international conversation as well -- pushing issues like the war in Ukraine and Moscow's meddling in Western elections off the agenda.

Shortly after the attack, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it illustrated "the importance of stepping up joint efforts to combat this evil."

But it is far from clear that the Kremlin will continue to be able to exploit the aftermath of terrorist attacks to advance its political goals.

They've been doing it for years. And as a result, power has been consolidated, dissent has been suppressed -- and terrorism has continued.

And with Moscow's intervention in Syria's civil war, Russia is increasingly becoming a target of choice for jihadists.

And as this threat grows, it will pierce the Kremlin's carefully crafted aura of competence, omnipotence, and omnipresence.

"Terrorist attacks are becoming part of the political agenda in Russia, and that agenda is increasingly not under the control of the authorities," the daily Vedomosti wrote in an editorial this week.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.
They ended the free election of governors.

They placed greater restrictions on the media.

They curtailed online freedom.

And they expanded the definition of extremism to the point where it meant anything the Kremlin doesn't like.

Vladimir Putin's regime did all these things in response to terrorist acts and in the name of preventing future terrorism.

But in fact, these things did little if anything to achieve that goal.

From the 2002 Nord Ost theater siege in Moscow to the 2004 Beslan school massacre to the 2013 bus and train station bombings in Volgograd, the Kremlin has treated terrorist acts as opportunities to consolidate power and stifle dissent.

As a result, power has been consolidated, dissent has been suppressed -- and terrorism has continued.

And just days after this week's tragic bombing in the St. Petersburg Metro, Putin's Kremlin is at it again.

Yury Shvytkin, the deputy chair of the State Duma's Defense Committee, has proposed a moratorium on public demonstrations in response to the attack.

And State Duma Deputy Vitaly Milonov is introducing legislation banning online calls for unsanctioned demonstrations and requiring all social-network users to register with their passport details.

And this, no doubt, is just the beginning.

Because for Putin's Kremlin, terrorism isn't just a tragedy and a crime -- it's also an opportunity.

Keep telling me what you think on The Power Vertical's Twitter feed and on our Facebook page.
The European Union has said it has no evidence to support a claim by Moldovas pro-Russian president, Igor Dodon, that officials in the country's pro-Western governments have pocketed hundreds of millions of dollars in aid the EU allocated to Moldova.

Dodon told the German newspaper Die Welt on April 5 that "more than half" of the 782 million euros allocated by the EU to Moldova between 2007 and 2015 disappeared through murky channels...stolen by corrupt members of the so-called pro-European governments.

European Commission spokesperson Maya Kocijancic told RFE/RL on April 5 that the EU has so far given Moldova about half of the amount Dodon mentioned. She added that the EU applies strict measures to ensure that the money is spent safely."

"If Mr. Dodon is aware of any fraud, he should inform the competent authorities," Kocijancic added.

Moldova, one of the poorest former Soviet states, signed an Association Agreement with the EU in 2014.

Dodon has vowed to renegotiate the EU deal, saying its detrimental for Moldovas economy.

On April 3, Dodon signed a memorandum on cooperation with the Moscow-dominated Eurasian Economic Union. But Moldovas pro-Western Prime Minister Pavel Filip said the memorandum would have "no legal effect" as it lacks backing by the countrys parliament and government.

The post of president is largely ceremonial in Moldova.




Jared Kushner, the son-in-law and top adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, has said during a visit to Iraq he is optimistic that the Iraqi military campaign to retake Mosul from Islamic State (IS) militants will be successful.

Visiting a base 16 kilometers from Mosul, Kushner said on April 4, "I hope the victory that you have in Mosul in the near future will not just be a victory for the American and Iraqi troops but it will be a victory for the world."

Kushner is traveling with Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Kushner also visited Baghdad and Irbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, during his two-day trip.

In Irbil, Kushner and Dunford met with Kurdish leader Masud Barzani and Masrur Barzani, the chancellor of the region's Security Council.

Barzani wrote on Twitter that the meeting was "productive" and said officials discussed the war against IS "and plans for the day after."

The trip has demonstrated the growing power of Kushner, 36, in the Trump administration. He has been given a wide range of domestic- and foreign-policy duties, including working on a Middle East peace deal.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
ASTANA -- Prosecutors have asked a court in Kazakhstan to convict Kazakh labor union activist Nurbek Qushaqbaev of instigating an illegal workers' strike and sentence him to three years in prison.

The request was made on April 4 at Qushaqbaev's trial in Astana, the capital of the energy-rich Central Asian nation.

Qushaqbaev, a member of the union at the Oil Construction Company (OCC) in the western Manghystau region, was arrested in January after hundreds of OCC workers struck for two weeks to protest the closure of a trade-union alliance.

The strike was stopped after a local court declared it illegal.

Qushaqbaev pleaded not guilty.

The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions was closed on January 4 after a court ruled that it had failed to meet deadline for reregistration.

The confederation says its attempts to reregister were impeded by local officials.

A verdict in Qushaqbaev's trial is expected on April 6.
Macedonia has accused neighboring Albania of interfering in its domestic affairs, saying that Tirana is trying to influence the Balkan country's ethnic Albanian minority.

The Macedonian Foreign Ministry said on April 4 that Skopje had summoned Albania's ambassador to protest what it called Albania's "open interference in Macedonia's internal affairs."

It accused Albania of trying to "change the constitutional order in Macedonia."

Macedonia is mired in a political deadlock, with parties representing the ethnic Albanian minority -- which makes up about 25 percent of its 2.1 million population -- demanding concessions to join any coalition following December parliamentary elections.

After meetings in Tirana under the sponsorship of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Macedonia's main ethnic Albanian parties agreed on a platform of demands, seeking more rights and the establishment of Albanian as Macedonia's official second language.

Following the elections, nationalist VMRO-DPMNE leader and former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski was unable to build a governing coalition because he refused the language demands.

Social Democratic Union leader Zoran Zaev agreed with the language demands and attempted to form a coalition with the ethnic Albanian parties.

But President Gjorge Ivanov, also from the VMRO-DPMNE, has refused to give Zaev the official mandate to do so.

Ivanov argued that the language issue was an attempt to destroy Macedonia's independence, and he has accused Albania of interference in its domestic affairs.

In its statement of April 4, the Macedonian Foreign Ministry said it warned Ambassador Fatos Reka against a "serious provocation to good neighborly relations that we wish to maintain."



Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati on April 3 criticized the move by "Gruevski and his political group to transform a democratic crisis into an ethnic crisis."

European Union President Donald Tusk visited Skopje on April 3, but he failed to resolve the crisis.

"My position remains unchanged," Ivanov said after Tusk's visit.

With reporting by AFP and European Western Balkans
Planes, Trains, And Avtomobili

When the Soviet Union opened a number of restricted areas to visitors in 1953, U.S. Army Major Martin Manhoff and his wife, Jan, took full advantage of the thaw that began in the wake of Stalin's death in March. They traveled widely, documenting the sights, sounds, and smells of areas of the country that had seldom  if ever  been visited by Americans.

On May 13, the Manhoffs set off on their first big adventure: a two-week journey into the heart of the country by way of the Trans-Siberian Railway. They were joined on the trip by two of Martin's colleagues from the U.S. Embassy's military attache office.

As she did throughout her time in the Soviet Union, Jan recorded her observations in letters to friends and relatives. In an eight-page letter, she documented the group's often monotonous journey aboard a 10-car train featuring a diner, disagreeable odors, and a highly annoying radio.
About 4,000 people considered to be descendants of Alexander the Great's soldiers have won the right in Pakistan to be counted as a separate ethnic and religious community.

A Pakistani court on April 4 ordered the authorities to count members of the Kalasha separately during the census being carried out in the country.

The Kalasha live mostly in mountainous regions near the border of Afghanistan.

Members maintain distinct religious and cultural customs separate from local Muslims.

The census will be the first in Pakistan in nearly 20 years. Recent counts were called off as officials said violence committed by various militant groups made the process too dangerous.

Existing census procedures make for the listing of individuals and families as Muslim, Hindu, and Christian.

Smaller minority groups have been left out, Kalasha activist Luke Rehmat told dpa news agency.

Rehmat and others filed a petition in a provincial court in the northwestern regions for community members to be counted separately.

The Kalasha are believed to be descendants of Alexander's soldiers who were left behind while the Macedonian warrior marched on to the Indian subcontinent.

Based on reporting by dpa
At least six people have been reported killed and 15 injured in an explosion in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.

"This was a suicide blast," Punjab government spokesman Malik Ahmed Khan said on April 5, adding that the attack targeted an army vehicle taking part in Pakistan's census.

Khan said the dead included four soldiers and two civilians.

"It appears to have been an act of terrorism," Punjab provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said.

The Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) extremist group claimed responsibility for what it called a suicide attack.

On February 13, a Taliban suicide-bomb attack in Lahore, the capital of Punjab Province, killed 14 people.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters
Critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin have long lampooned him with altered photographs that circulate widely on the Internet, many of which mock the macho photo-ops that he is renowned for.



But publishing a retouched photograph of Putin's face made up in drag -- suggesting he is gay -- could now have serious consequences.



Russia has officially banned a photoshopped image showing Putin wearing heavy makeup that authorities say hints at his "alleged nonstandard sexual orientation" and also appears to have included a common slur for gay men.



The Russian Justice Ministry on March 30 included the image in its federal list of banned "extremist materials" based on May 2016 ruling by a court in the central city of Tver.

The ruling stemmed from a criminal case against a man named Aleksandr Tsvetkov, who was accused of stoking hate speech by posting the photograph of Putin in makeup on the popular Russian social-networking site Vkontakte.

Tsvetkov was also charged in connection with other images, including openly racist and anti-immigrant ones, posted on his Vkontakte account, which was later suspended.

Neither the Tver court ruling nor the Justice Ministry specify which image of Putin wearing makeup was posted by Tsvetkov, who was granted relief from criminal liability and later ordered to be placed in psychiatric care.



As noted by the Russian website TJ Journal, the first news organization to flag the Justice Ministry's designation, numerous such images of Putin have circulated on the Internet for years. Some show him together with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who is also shown wearing makeup.



The banned image featured a person "resembling" Putin "with makeup on his face -- painted eyelashes and lips, which, as envisioned by the author ... should serve as a hint at the alleged nonstandard sexual orientation of the president of the Russian Federation," the Justice Ministry said in its designation, repeating the language of the Tver court.



The image was accompanied by a caption that appeared to use a homophobic slur to compare Putin's "voters" with LGBT people, adding "they say there are a lot of them, but I don't know any."



The pejorative was redacted in the court ruling, but phrasing in the caption is consistent with an Internet meme that uses a slur against gay people.



Neither the Tver court's ruling nor the Justice Ministry designation indicates whether the photograph of Putin or the caption was the determining factor in deeming the image illegal.



Russian authorities have moved to aggressively squelch what they call "extremist" material online in recent years, according to rights advocates and activists who track hate-speech cases.



Critics of the crackdown say it targets not only racist hate speech but also legitimate political speech that is protected by the constitution.



Putin has also been denounced for signing laws that his liberal opponents call openly homophobic, including a 2013 law that bans the spreading of "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" among minors.



Putin says the legislation, commonly known as the "gay propaganda" law, is aimed at protecting children but does not infringe on LGBT rights.



Rights watchdogs say the law has bolstered a sense of impunity among right-wing groups who carry out acts of violence against LGBT people.



Many ultranationalists accuse Putin and his government of being too tolerant of minority groups. They also frequently espouse views Tsvetkov appeared to endorse with the now-banned images -- including the one showing Putin in makeup -- that he posted on Vkontakte.
MOSCOW -- A Russian LGBT activist group says it has received more than 10 appeals for help from homosexuals in Chechnya seeking to flee the southern Russian republic, where local authorities are accused of targeting homosexuals in an "unprecedented" campaign of persecution.



The Novaya Gazeta newspaper alleged on April 4 that Chechen authorities have rounded up and held scores of homosexuals in a "secret prison" and published testimony from alleged victims, one of whom said he was driven to the brink of suicide from the abuse he faced over his sexual orientation.

The report follows an earlier story, published by the newspaper on April 1, that more than 100 purportedly gay men in the Muslim-majority republic have been arrested by authorities in the past month -- and that at least three were killed. The allegations have since been corroborated by human rights activists but have been flatly denied by the Chechen authorities.

The head of the local Interior Ministry dismissed the earlier report as a "bad April Fools' joke," while the spokesman for Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya's strongman leader, claimed there were no homosexuals in Chechnya. If they did exist, the spokesman argued, detentions would be unnecessary as relatives themselves would "send them somewhere they wouldnt return from."



Activists with the Russian LGBT Network, an LGBT rights organization based in St. Petersburg, said they had become aware of the alleged abuses in Chechnya prior to Novaya Gazetas April 1 report and set up a hotline on March 29 to provide emergency help to homosexuals there.

'Terribly Scared'

Svetlana Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian LGBT network, told RFE/RL they have since received more than 10 appeals from men seeking help to leave the republic and find safe shelter elsewhere. Zakharova declined to provide concrete information related to the appeals out of concerns for the callers' safety.

She said processing the appeals is complicated by the need to verify the validity of the callers' claims, while the men phoning in are "terribly scared" and also appear doubtful their interlocutors can provide the security they need.



"We've verified three of the appeals and the information has checked out," Zakharova told RFE/RL. "We are already working on evacuating people."

Zakharova said the Russian LGBT network has past experience "evacuating" homosexuals from Chechnya and successfully relocated one man last year. She noted, however, the "unprecedented" scale of the current action against gay men.



"We have never before encountered information anywhere in Russia that hundreds of people have been detained, tortured, and even killed," she said. "I think this is an unprecedented case."

The campaign illustrates how the southern republic of Russia, ruled by Kadyrov with the backing of President Vladimir Putin, largely operates according to its own rules.

On April 3, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that police would "check" the allegations from Novaya Gazeta but said he was unable to confirm the existence of an investigation. He advised citizens who had complaints regarding police to appeal to the courts.



Tanya Lokshina, Human Rights Watch's Russia program director, on April 4 criticized the lack of a strong condemnation from Peskov, writing that it "is particularly disappointing that the Kremlin spokesman should tell the victims to use official channels to complain, without saying a word about any security guarantees."

Lokshina noted the vulnerability of LGBT people in Chechnya, "where homophobia is intense and rampant."



Novaya Gazeta said on April 4 that the recent campaign against homosexuals had come in two waves. It said the first began around February 20, when a man was detained under the influence of narcotics and was found to have revealing photos and videos on his phone, as well as the contacts of dozens of local homosexuals.

A second wave reportedly later began after GayRussia.Ru, a prominent Moscow-based gay-rights group, applied for official permission to hold gay-pride rallies in cities of the North Caucasus, not including Chechnya.



The gay-rights activists reportedly expected to receive refusals from local authorities so they could take the issue to the European Court of Human Rights. Their request was covered in the local press and roiled conservatives.



'Secret Prison'



Novaya Gazeta has alleged that homosexuals were held in a "secret prison" in the city of Argun, where they were beaten and tortured. It said some were released after the payment of a ransom which, in some cases, relatives were only able to raise by selling their apartments. The newspaper said that at least three homosexuals had been killed and that it had unconfirmed information about a fourth death.

The newspaper on April 4 also published testimony from earlier purported victims, posting photographs of bruising and welts on their legs, buttocks, and backs. One man recounted how police had found out about his homosexuality and blackmailed him into regularly paying them to remain silent.

"Despite the tribute money, I was periodically taken to the police station, beaten up, tortured," he was quoted as saying. "They mocked me and humiliated me."

He said he was led to reject his homosexuality, considering it to be an "illness," and got married and started a family. The abuses continued, however, prompting him to flee to Moscow to "start a new life." He told the newspaper that his persecutors found him in Moscow, beat him up, and told him to pay money.



"I wanted to kill myself. The only reason I didnt hang myself was because I found people who helped me leave the country," he was quoted as saying. "Now I go to a psychologist and I realize that it was stupid not to do this earlier."
Russian authorities say that six citizens of Central Asian states have been detained in St. Petersburg on suspicion of recruiting for Islamic militant groups.

The federal Investigative Committee said that there was no evidence "at this time" of any connection between the people detained on April 5 and the Kyrgyz-born suspect in the April 3 subway bombing that killed 14 people in St. Petersburg.

In a statement, the investigators said the detainees had come to Russia to work.

It said they were suspected of recruiting other migrants from Central Asia "to carry out terror-related crimes" and join extremist groups that are banned in Russia, including Islamic State (IS) and the Al-Nusra Front.

WATCH: Russian authorities have named Akbarjon Jalilov as the main suspect in the deadly bombing in the St. Petersburg metro on April 3. Some of Jalilov's former schoolteachers in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, spoke to RFE/RL and described what he was like. (Current Time TV/RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service)

The statement said the authorities had not yet decided whether to press charges against the detainees.

The identification of Kyrgyz-born ethnic Uzbek Akbarjon Jalilov as the bombing suspect stoked fears of police action targeting migrants from Central Asia and the Caucasus.

The Investigative Committee said the six Central Asian citizens were detained as part of a joint operation by investigators, the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Interior Ministry, and the National Guard.

Bombing Suspect's Home Searched

In a separate statement released earlier on April 5, the committee said investigators had searched the home where Jalilov lived and had questioned about 40 witnesses.

It said surveillance cameras had captured the moment when he left his building carrying a bag and a knapsack.

The committee said on April 4 that it had determined that Jalilov, 22, set off a bomb that exploded on a subway train between two stations in central St. Petersburg the previous day, and that his remains were found at the scene.

Russia's top investigative body said DNA evidence indicated that Jalilov also placed a bag containing a bomb at another subway station on April 3. That device was defused.

Jalilov's parents, who live in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh, were questioned there by Kyrgyz authorities on April 4 and were then flown to St. Petersburg.

The suspect's mother, Odinakhon Jalilova, told journalists at the St. Petersburg airport, "I do not believe he did it."

WATCH: Residents of St. Petersburg pulled together following the deadly bombing on the Russian city's subway system on April 3. Dozens of people showed up at a hospital to donate blood for the survivors of the blast. (RFE/RL's Russian Service, Current Time TV, Reuters)

Later on April 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin told senior security officials from countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) that the subway bombing showed that former Soviet republics continue to face a threat from terrorism.

"We see that, unfortunately, the situation is not improving. The recent tragic events in St. Petersburg are the best confirmation of this," Putin said at the meeting in Moscow.

"We know that each of our countries, practically every one, is a possible and potential target of terrorist attacks," he said.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyaev, meeting separately with Putin, said that the bombing "once again signals that we should take very tough measures together" to combat terrorism.

Mirziyaev, who became president after the death of longtime autocrat Islam Karimov was announced in September, said Uzbekistan was prepared to cooperate closely with Russia on security issues.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz and Uzbek services, AP, Reuters, TASS, Interfax, and RIA Novosti
Russian authorities say investigators have searched the apartment where the St. Petersburg subway bombing suspect lived and have questioned about 40 witnesses.

In a statement early on April 5, the federal Investigative Committee said surveillance cameras had captured the moment when suspect Akbarjon Jalilov left his building carrying a bag and a knapsack.

The committee said on April 4 that it had determined that Jalilov, 22, set off a bomb on a subway train in St. Petersburg the previous day, killing 14 people and injuring nearly 50 others. It said his remains were found at the scene.

Russia's top investigative body also said DNA evidence indicated that Jalilov -- a Russian citizen born in Kyrgyzstan -- also placed a bag containing a bomb at another subway station on April 3. That device was defused.

Jalilov's parents, who live in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh, were questioned there by Kyrgyz authorities on April 4 and were then flown to St. Petersburg.

The suspect's mother, Odinakhon Jalilova, told journalists at the St. Petersburg airport, "I do not believe he did it."

With reporting by Interfax, RIA Novosti, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz and Uzbek services
A Russian Muslim who was mistakenly mentioned as a possible bomber in the April 3 attack on the St. Petersburg metro has been facing discrimination since the incident.

Andrei Nikitin, a convert to Islam who calls himself Ilyas, is from the Siberian city of Nizhnevartovsk. Police in St. Petersburg showed photographs of him taken from security cameras after a bomb explosion killed 14 people and injured about 50, naming his as a possible suspect.

Nikitin went to police after his picture circulated on the Internet, and investigators officially excluded him from the list of possible suspects.

However, when Nikitin attempted to fly from St. Petersburg to Nizhnevartovsk via Moscow on April 4, he was not allowed to board his plane in Moscow after passengers recognized him and demanded that he leave the aircraft.

Nikitin was detained and held briefly in a Moscow police station.

The IslamNews website reported on April 6 that Nikitin, who worked as a truck driver, had been fired by his employer in Ufa.

Nikitin told IslamNews that his employer fired him at the request of the regional office of the Investigative Committee (IC).

IC officials in Nizhnevartovsk said the committee had nothing to do with Nikitin losing his job.

Based on reporting by Znak.com and ilsamnews.ru
The URL has been copied to your clipboard

The code has been copied to your clipboard.

Residents of St. Petersburg have pulled together following the deadly bombing on the Russian city's subway system on April 3. Dozens of people showed up at a hospital to donate blood for the survivors of the blast. (RFE/RL's Russian Service, Current Time TV, Reuters)
Demonstrators have taken to the streets of Belgrade for the second straight evening to protest the election of Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic as president.

Protesters blew whistles and chanted, "No to dictatorship!" outside the Serbian parliament on April 4. The crowd swelled into the thousands and periodically blocked traffic.

Vucic won 55 percent of the vote in the April 2 election. Opposition candidate Sasa Jankovic came in second with 16.4 percent.

Some protesters have alleged that the election was rigged, but the demonstrations have not put forward any demands.

The presidency is largely ceremonial in Serbia, but Vucic is expected to maintain power through control of his ruling Serbian Progressive Party.

He has vowed to continue Serbia's pro-European Union course while at the same time working to maintain ties with traditional ally Russia.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP
Kyiv's forces have repelled several waves of Russian attacks in the Donbas, the Ukrainian military says, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the heavy losses sustained by the Russians on a daily basis highlighted the "madness" of Moscow's strategy of attack.

In the southern city of Kherson, Ukraine accused Russia of looting empty homes and occupying them with troops in civilian clothes in expectation of a Ukrainian offensive to retake the city that was the first to fall to Moscow's forces at the start of its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

The Ukrainian military's General Staff said in its daily update that Russian troops in the east continued their attacks on Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Novopavlivka, the focal points of Moscow's offensive in Donetsk in recent weeks.



At the same time, the military said, Russian troops continue to shell critical infrastructure and civilian objectives in various regions of Ukraine.



In his regular video address, Zelenskiy on November 7 called the intense combat in the Donetsk region "the epicenter of the biggest madness of the occupiers."



"They are dying in hundreds every day," Zelenskiy said. "The ground in front of the Ukrainian positions is literally littered with the bodies of the occupiers."



Zelenskiy also said that Russian soldiers in the Pavlivka area had complained to the governor of their region in the Russian Far East.



CNN reported on November 7 that in a letter purportedly sent from the front lines to Primorsky region Governor Oleg Kozhemyako, the men of the 155th Brigade of the Russian Pacific Fleet Marines say they were thrown into an "incomprehensible battle" in the Donetsk and had lost about 300 men, dead and wounded, in four days, while also losing 50 percent of their equipment.



Zelenskiy said that in response to the letter, Kozhemyako had said that the losses were "not that big" and they were "exaggerated."



In Kherson, the only pocket of Russian-held territory on the west bank of the Dnieper River that bisects Ukraine, Moscow has ordered civilians out of the city in anticipation of a Ukrainian assault to recapture the city.



Kherson, with a prewar population of nearly 300,000, has no power or running water, both sides said.



Russian-installed officials blamed Ukrainian "sabotage," while Ukrainian officials said the Russians had dismantled 1 1/2 kilometers of power lines.



Ukraine's military said Russian forces, "disguised in civilian clothes, occupy the premises of civilians and strengthen positions inside for conducting street battles."



Russian forces were "involved in looting and theft from residents and from infrastructure sites and are taking away equipment, food, and vehicles to the Russian Federation," it said in an update late on November 7.



The Ukrainian military reported hits on a Russian antiaircraft facility, ammunition dump, and the destruction of Russian armor in the Beryslav district of the Kherson region, in its November 8 statement. It said 32 Russian military personnel were killed.



The information could not be independently confirmed.

Meanwhile, Zelenskiy said the escalation of Russian missile strikes against critical infrastructure in his country has only resulted in the world responding with new aid to Ukraine.



Ukraine has received "new systems that significantly strengthen our air defense," Zelenskiy said on November 7 in his nightly address. Kyiv will do everything "to ensure that as many countries as possible join this aid," he said.



He added that the protection of the Ukrainian sky was "not 100 percent, but we are gradually moving toward our goal."



Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced earlier on November 7 that Ukraine had received a shipment of NASAMS and Apside air defense systems to help it defend against Russian missile and drone attacks across the country.



"These weapons will significantly strengthen #UAarmy and will make our skies safer," he said on Twitter. Reznikov did not specify which countries the systems were from, but in the tweet he thanked "our partners: Norway, Spain and the U.S."

With reporting by Reuters and CNN
Editor's Note: April 5 is the 25th anniversary of the shootings in Sarajevo of two peace demonstrators, a flash point leading to the 1,425-day siege of the Bosnian capital by Bosnian Serb forces.

I will never forget April 5, 1992. I was working for the Sarajevan daily newspaper Oslobodjenje, and on that day I was downtown covering a large peace demonstration in front of the parliament. Suddenly, shots were fired into the crowd and we all cowered instinctively.

Two women were killed that day. But when I returned to our newsroom, only one of the victims' names was known. She was a student from Dubrovnik, Suada Dilberovic, and she had been killed by a sniper's bullet fired from the Holiday Inn hotel, where the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) led by Radovan Karadzic had positioned its gunmen.

Later, it emerged that another woman, Olga Sucic, had also died. The bridge over the Miljacka River is now named after these two women, who were killed while demonstrating for peace. Occasionally, people leave flowers next to the plaque that bears their names.

Although we werent fully aware of it at the time, that was the first day of the war in Bosnia. For Suada and Olga, of course, it was also the last. For most Sarajevans, it was the beginning of nearly 1,500 days under siege, with its daily suffering and humiliations. The structure of civil life was broken. The mountains surrounding the city became our worst enemies. The city was relentlessly bombarded for the next 3 1/2 years. All telephone lines were cut, along with virtually any other form of communication with the outside world.

The only visitors to a city that had hosted the Winter Olympics a few years earlier were war correspondents, and UN officials and soldiers. That's why the rare appearances by foreign writers and artists were so precious to us. Perhaps the most fondly remembered among those few who risked their lives by coming to besieged Sarajevo was Susan Sontag (1933-2004).

Her first "mission" was to meet with members of the Bosnian chapter of PEN International to help them cope with wartime scarcities. A few short visits later, she came with a more ambitious and unlikely project in mind: to stage a play in wartime Sarajevo with local actors. Her closest friend and guide was director Haris Pasovic. He had been doing his best to keep theater alive under impossible conditions; Pasovic saw it as a way to preserve normality.

Sontag thought of it in similar terms. Rather than a political act, she preferred to see it as an act of conscience. In her words:

"I was not under the illusion that going to Sarajevo to direct the play would make me useful in the way I could be if I were a doctor or a water-system engineer. It would be a small contribution. But it was the only one of three things I do -- write, make films, and direct in the theater -- which yields something that would exist only in Sarajevo, that would be made and consumed there."

Samuel Becketts Waiting For Godot was an obvious choice. That play seemed as if it had been written for Sontag to stage in wartime Sarajevo. Like Vladimir and Estragon, the plays central characters, waiting for a mysterious "Godot" who never arrives, Sarajevans waited in vain for the West to take some action to prevent the daily slaughter in their city and country. After a year and a half of the siege, every day was exactly like the one before, the only variable being the number of dead and wounded.

We did not publish the time and date of the performance, as copies of the newspaper were finding their way to the hills surrounding Sarajevo, where most of the Serb guns and artillery were positioned. Such information would have meant the addition of a theater, cinema, or exhibition to the list of targets.

We learned that the hard way. Once, in the first month of the war, we published information about a 5 p.m. opening of an exhibition of political cartoons, providing the address. Less than five minutes after it opened, the shelling began. I was not hit, but the detonation threw me to the floor. I was unable to move or to help the wounded who were just meters away.

So when it came to Sontags Godot, invitations were circulated strictly by word of mouth. A friend of mine told me about the premiere. It was at 2 p.m. on August 17, 1993. Once the lights were switched off, I felt like I was at some theater on Broadway or Londons West End. No one in the audience made a sound. During those two hours, Sarajevo felt like part of the civilized world; it was not abandoned. At the end of the performance, the Sarajevan actors received a standing ovation.

Once the curtain came down, the mayor of Sarajevo, Muhamed Kresevljakovic, called Sontag to the stage. He announced that she would be declared an honorary citizen of Sarajevo and that, as a token of that honor, she would receive something to identify herself as a Sarajevan. I had no idea what that something might be -- which marked me or anyone else as a citizen of Sarajevo. Sontag came onstage and was presented with a miniature traditional Bosnian carpet. Kresevljakovic told her that every citizen of Sarajevo dreams of leaving the city on a magic carpet and that now she would have one of her own.

Today, decades later, the square in front of the Bosnian National Theater is named after Sontag -- "in the heart of Sarajevo forever," in Pasovic's words.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.
Orlando, Fla., April 04, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CNL Healthcare Properties II, Inc., a non-traded real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on seniors housing and healthcare properties, has purchased the newly constructed Summer Vista Assisted Living Community in Pensacola, Florida, for $21.4 million. This is the first acquisition for CNL Healthcare Properties II.

SRI Management, LLC, which has managed Summer Vista Assisted Living Community since its opening in February 2016, will continue managing the community under a five-year management agreement. SRI manages 15 other seniors housing communities throughout Florida and Louisiana, including two for a related REIT, CNL Healthcare Properties, Inc.



We are pleased to make such a high-quality investment, with a trusted operating partner, as the first addition to our portfolio, says Stephen H. Mauldin, president and CEO of CNL Healthcare Properties II. It is exciting to begin executing on our strategic plan and thoughtfully deploy our shareholders capital in a dynamic healthcare real estate environment. We very much look forward to working closely with SRI Management to provide residents with an exceptional housing and care experience.

Summer Vista Assisted Living Community resides on approximately 3.5 acres and consists of 67 assisted living units and 22 memory care units. Community amenities include a 24-hour emergency response system, on-site therapy, a beauty salon, bistro, fitness center, nature walking trail and chauffeured transportation. The community reached a stabilized occupancy within its first five months of operation.



Our team is excited to continue managing such a first-rate property and leveraging our experience to add value to both residents and CNL Healthcare Properties II, said Don Bishop, CEO of SRI Management. We have enjoyed building a successful partnership with CNL and look forward to the opportunities ahead.

About CNL Healthcare Properties II

CNL Healthcare Properties II intends to qualify as a real estate investment trust (REIT) for federal income tax purposes beginning with the year ending Dec. 31, 2017, or the first year in which it commences material operations. Based in Orlando Florida, CNL Healthcare Properties II intends to invest in the seniors housing, medical office, acute care and post-acute care sectors. For more information, visit CNLHealthcarePropertiesII.com.

About CNL Financial Group

CNL Financial Group (CNL) is a leading private investment management firm providing global real estate and alternative investments. Since inception in 1973, CNL and/or its affiliates have formed or acquired companies with more than $34 billion in assets. CNL is headquartered in Orlando, Florida. For more information, visit CNL.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Statements above that are not statements of historical or current fact may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbor created by Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are statements that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts, but reflect managements current understandings, intentions, beliefs, plans, expectations, assumptions and/or predictions regarding the future of the Companys business and its performance, the economy, and other future conditions and forecasts of future events, and circumstances. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as believes, expects, anticipates, intends, estimates, plans, continues, pro forma, may, will, seeks, should and could, and words and terms of similar substance in connection with discussions of future operating or financial performance, business strategy and portfolios, projected growth prospects, cash flows, costs and financing needs, legal proceedings, amount and timing of anticipated future distributions, and/or other matters. The Companys forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. While the Companys management believes its forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. As with any projection or forecast, forward-looking statements are necessarily dependent on assumptions, data and/or methods that may be incorrect or imprecise, and may not be realized. The Companys forward-looking statements are based on managements current expectations and a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the Companys ability to control or accurately predict. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, the Companys actual results could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors. These risks include that CNL Healthcare Properties II has no prior operating history and there is no assurance that it will be able to achieve its investment objectives; that the board of directors may amend or revise investment and other policies without stockholder consent; that it may have difficulty funding distributions with funds provided by cash flows from operating activities; and that market and business conditions may affect its success, including changes in general or local economic or market conditions and changing demographics. Given these uncertainties, the Company cautions you not to place undue reliance on such statements.

All written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary note. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, publicly release the results of any revisions to its forward-looking statements to reflect new information, changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated subsequent events or circumstances, or changes to future operating results over time, except as otherwise required by law.

###




No media source currently available

The URL has been copied to your clipboard

The code has been copied to your clipboard.

Russia's Foreign Ministry has rejected a draft UN Security Council resolution condemning an apparent chemical-weapons attack in Syrias Idlib Province that left dozens killed and injured.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on April 5 that the resolution -- drafted by the United States, Britain, and France -- was "categorically unacceptable" and obviously was drawn up in haste.

The UN Security Council is holding emergency session to discuss the attack.

"The UN Security Council's draft resolution is anti-Syrian and can lead to more escalation in Syria and in the region as a whole," Zakharova also said.

At the same time, the international community continued to express condemnation of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson noted the hundreds of thousands of people who have died during Syrias six-year civil war and said Assad "is responsible for the vast majority of the butchers bill."

European Council President Donald Tusk said "the Syrian regime bears the primary responsibility for the atrocities." He added that "those who support the regime" share that responsibility.

Russia, a key backer of the Syrian government in its war against opponents, said on April 5 that Syrian planes had attacked the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib Province and asserted that the aircraft struck a weapons depot and ammunition factory. The Syrian government issued a similar statement the previous day.

WATCH: The British ambassador to the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, strongly criticized Russia during a UN Security Council debate, suggesting previous Russian vetoes of resolutions against Syria had emboldened the Assad regime:

In a statement on YouTube, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov claimed that the factory produced chemical weapons that were used in Iraq.

Konashenkov also claimed that the chemical munitions were used by rebels in the Syrian city of Aleppo last year.

A rebel commander called the Russian statement a lie, and a spokeswoman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Russia and Iran bear a share of responsibility for the attack because they back Assad.

Later, air strikes allegedly targeted medical facilities where victims of the attack were being treated.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights increased the death toll from the alleged chemical attack to 72. Half of those killed were children or women.

The Britain-based monitoring group was unable to say what chemical was involved, but local medical personnel said they suspected it was the nerve agent sarin.

Some victims appeared to show symptoms consistent with reaction to a nerve agent, the World Health Organization said on April 5.

Footage from the scene showed civilians choking and foaming at the mouth.

The symptoms of the victims shown on videos in social networks are "the same as they were in autumn of the previous year in Aleppo," Konashenkov said.

The Syrian government statement on April 4 said the attack was carried out by Russian-made Sukhoi Su-22 fighter bombers, which it said are not capable of deploying chemical weapons.

Russia has given Assad crucial military and diplomatic backing throughout the 6-year-old war in Syria, and stepped up its support by launching a campaign of air strikes against government opponents in September 2015.

Moscow and Damascuss claims have also received support from officials and state media in Iran, another key backer of Assad.

WATCH: U.S. Envoy: Russia 'Cannot Escape Responsibility' Over Syrian Attack

However, a commander of the Free Idlib Army rebel group, Hasan Haj Ali, called the Russian statement a "lie."

"Everyone saw the plane while it was bombing with gas," he told the Reuters news agency.

"There are no military positions there, or places for the manufacture [of weapons]," Ali added. "The various factions of the opposition are not capable of producing these substances."

A UN-led investigation has concluded that the Syrian government used chlorine as a weapon at least three time in 2014 and 2015. Damascus denied the charge, blaming rebel fighters.

Russia has blocked several previous resolutions that could have undermined Assad.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on April 5 that "as part of its argument," Russia would "present the facts which have already been laid out by our Defense Ministry."

He said the Russian military would continue what he called its "counterterrorist" operations in Syria.

French President Francois Hollande called on April 5 for "a reaction by the international community commensurate with this war crime," his office said in a statement.

Germany said it expected that "Russia, in the UN Security Council and elsewhere, not interfere in the search for those responsible ... but actively support it."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said on April 5 that Tehran "condemns any use of chemical weapons, regardless of who has used it and who are the victims."

He also called for "the chemical disarmament of armed terrorist groups."

On April 4, U.S. President Donald Trump denounced the attack as a "heinous" act by the Assad regime that "cannot be ignored by the civilized world."

He pointed the finger at his predecessor, Barack Obama, accusing Obama of "weakness and irresolution" on Syria.

UN Syrian envoy Staffan de Mistura said all indications were that "it was a chemical attack and it came from the air."

In Brussels, representatives from some 70 donor countries and organizations gathered on April 5 to drum up billions of dollars in aid for war-ravaged Syria.

Opening the conference, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for Syria's warring factions and their international backers to set aside their differences and bring an end to the conflict.

"Nobody is winning this war; everybody is losing," Guterres said. "It is having a detrimental and destabilizing effect on the entire region and it is providing a focus that is feeding the new threat of global terrorism."

At least 300,000 people have been killed and millions displaced by the war in Syria, which began with a government clampdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011.

With reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, TASS, and Interfax
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit Moscow on April 12 for talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

Russias Foreign Ministry and the State Department announced the trip -- Tillersons first to Moscow since becoming the top U.S. diplomat -- on April 4.

It was unclear whether Tillerson will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The State Department said the visit "is part of our effort to maintain direct lines of communication with senior Russian officials and to ensure U.S. views are clearly conveyed, including on next steps in Minsk implementation," a reference to the process for resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Both statements said the talks would focus on global security, Syria, North Korea, Ukraine, and other issues.

The Russian statement added that Russia has "positively evaluated the new U.S. administrations efforts to improve ties" with Moscow, but said it is necessary "to remove numerous irritants in bilateral relations, such as the arrests of Russian citizens by American special services in third countries, the violations of the rights of Russian adopted children in the United States, and the creation of artificial obstacles to hinder our diplomats from carrying out their duties."

U.S. President Donald Trump campaigned on pledges to improve strained relations with Russia. However, his administration has been dogged by accusations of improper contacts with Russia, which are currently the subject of several investigations.

Tillerson's visit comes as relations have been strained by an apparent chemical-weapons attack in Syria that the United States and others have blamed on the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Moscow has stood by its Middle Eastern ally and asserts Syrian warplanes struck a factory on the ground where chemical weapons were stored.

Two U.S. senators, Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, wrote to Tillerson and urged him to meet with Russian civil-society activists during his trip.

"We feel strongly that democratically minded Russians should know that the U.S. supports their aspirations," the senators wrote.

Before his trip to Moscow, Tillerson will be in Lucca, Italy, on April 9-11 for a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven world powers.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and TASS


April 5 marks 25 years since the first casualties in what would turn out to be a 1,425-day siege of the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, by Bosnian Serb forces. More than 10,000 residents died as a result of shelling or other aspects of the blockade, the longest siege of any capital city in the history of modern warfare.
The British ambassador to the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, strongly criticized Russia during a UN Security Council debate, suggesting previous Russian vetoes of resolutions against Syria had emboldened the Assad regime. A resolution drafted by the United States, Britain, and France condemned Syria for an apparent chemical weapons attack in which dozens were killed. (Reuters)
WASHINGTON -- U.S. authorities have deported a man convicted of working as an unregistered Russian government agent, in a case that has shed light on Russian intelligence operations in the United States.

The case against Yevgeny Buryakov, who U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement said was sent back to Russia on April 5, has also offered a glimpse into some of the ongoing federal investigations of possible collusion between Russian officials and aides of now U.S. President Donald Trump.

Buryakov was accused by federal prosecutors in 2015 of working for the Russian foreign intelligence service, known as the SVR, while employed by the state-owned Russian bank Vneshekonombank.

He was charged with trying to recruit Americans and gathering "economic intelligence" while working at the banks New York branch.

Buryakovs arrest was trumpeted by then-U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder as the latest in a string of arrests that targeted Russians believed to be working as intelligence agents in the United States.

Buryakov pleaded guilty last May to violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires anyone working in a political capacity for a foreign government to register with the U.S. Justice Department.

He was sentenced to prison and agreed to be deported at the conclusion of his sentence. He flew back to Russia on April 5 on a commercial flight and was turned over to Russian authorities, immigration officials said.

In recent months, scrutiny of Buryakovs former employer, Vneshekonombank, has grown as federal investigators look into possible collusion between Russian officials and former and current Trump aides.

The director of the FBI last month confirmed his agency was looking into those ties. The Senate Intelligence Committee and three other congressional committees are also probing the broader question of alleged Russian interference in last years presidential election.

At the time of Buryakovs arrest, prosecutors announced similar charges against two other Russian citizens -- Igor Sporyshev and Viktor Podobny. Both held diplomatic passports, however, and werent in the United States at the time.

Podobnys name popped up again this week when a former Trump campaign aide, Carter Page, confirmed that he had met with Podobny in 2013.

In federal court records filed in 2015, investigators asserted that Podobny was an SVR officer posing as an attache at the Russian mission to the United Nations, and that he tried to recruit a person named "Male 1" as an agent.

Page issued a statement this week confirming a BuzzFeed report that he was, in fact, "Male 1."

According to the court documents, FBI agents secretly recorded Podobny and Sporyshev discussing how to recruit Page, a former Moscow-based investment banker. Page provided them with documents about his New York-based investment firm, Global Energy Capital, which says it focuses on the energy sector in emerging markets,

Last month, Page, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, told reporters he had been contacted by the Senate Intelligence Committee and told to preserve records and communications.

Last July, in the thick of the U.S. presidential election campaign, Page raised eyebrows in U.S. political circles when he flew to Moscow and gave a lecture to students and businesspeople there.

In the lecture, he accused "Washington and other Western capitals" of impeding other nations' "potential progress through their often hypocritical focus on ideas such as democratization, inequality, corruption, and regime change" -- criticisms that echo those frequently voiced by the Kremlin.

At the time of Buryakovs arrest in 2015, Moscow lashed out, accusing the Americans of carrying out an "anti-Russian campaign" and "resort[ing] to their favorite practice of pumping up spy passions."
BOSTON, April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Womens ambition to advance in their careers is not impacted by motherhood, as many commonly believe. Rather, corporate cultures that fail to embrace diversity are a cause of declining ambition, according to Dispelling the Myths of the Gender Ambition Gap, a report issued today by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG).



A BCG study found that women are just as ambitious as men at the start of their careers. Specifically, for employees under the age of 30, there was little distinction between women and men. Over time, while both womens and mens ambition tended to decline, womens ambition eroded faster than mens but only at companies that lag on gender diversity.

At organizations where employees report the least progress on gender diversity, the ambition gap between women and men age 30 to 40, often a key period in a career, was 17 percentage points (66% of women sought promotion, compared with 83% of men). In contrast, there was virtually no ambition gap between women and men in this age group who work at companies where employees feel gender diversity is improving (85% of women sought promotion, compared with 87% of men).

Both genders are equally ambitious and equally rational. If leadership looks possible, employees want to be leaders. If it doesnt, they will lower their ambition, said Matt Krentz, a BCG senior partner and coauthor of the report. Ambition is not a fixed trait; it is an attribute that can be nurtured or damaged over time through the daily interactions and opportunities employees experience at work.

Closing the Ambition Gap

To help foster the right culture, the report outlines four key steps companies can take:

Build a gender-diverse leadership team. These teams should have the right role models in place to demonstrate that leadership is a realistic prospect for women as well as men. When hiring for these roles, take steps to combat unconscious bias by asking for blind and gender-balanced lists of candidates.



These teams should have the right role models in place to demonstrate that leadership is a realistic prospect for women as well as men. When hiring for these roles, take steps to combat unconscious bias by asking for blind and gender-balanced lists of candidates. Change the informal context. An employees work experience isnt defined only by the work they do; it is shaped by many small informal interactions with coworkers and leaders during the course of the day. Be mindful not to perpetuate stereotypes with trips to the cigar bar after work, for example.



An employees work experience isnt defined only by the work they do; it is shaped by many small informal interactions with coworkers and leaders during the course of the day. Be mindful not to perpetuate stereotypes with trips to the cigar bar after work, for example. Make structural changes and relentlessly promote them. Sixty percent of women and men alike cite challenges in meeting increased job responsibilities while managing outside commitments as a reason they are reluctant to advance. Offer more flexible work options for everyone at the company, including senior leaders.



Sixty percent of women and men alike cite challenges in meeting increased job responsibilities while managing outside commitments as a reason they are reluctant to advance. Offer more flexible work options for everyone at the company, including senior leaders. Track progress and involve everybody. CEOs and HR teams should be transparent, track progress, and link diversity efforts to outcomes. For example, companies might tie executive compensation or manager promotions to the level of gender diversity in their businesses or teams.

The good news is that addressing this ambition gap is entirely within an organizations control, said Katie Abouzahr, a health care principal at BCG and coauthor of the report. By creating the right culture, companies can foster womens ambition and tap into the wider pool of talent needed to win in the future.

A copy of the report can be downloaded here.

To arrange an interview with one of the authors, please contact Eric Gregoire at +1 617 850 3783 or gregoire.eric@bcg.com.

About The Boston Consulting Group

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm and the worlds leading advisor on business strategy. We partner with clients from the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors in all regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their enterprises. Our customized approach combines deep insight into the dynamics of companies and markets with close collaboration at all levels of the client organization. This ensures that our clients achieve sustainable competitive advantage, build more capable organizations, and secure lasting results. Founded in 1963, BCG is a private company with 85 offices in 48 countries. For more information, please visit bcg.com.

About bcgperspectives.com

Bcgperspectives.com features the latest thinking from BCG experts as well as from CEOs, academics, and other leaders. It covers issues at the top of senior managements agenda. It also provides unprecedented access to BCGs extensive archive of thought leadership stretching back 50 years to the days of Bruce Henderson, the firms founder and one of the architects of modern management consulting. All of our contentincluding videos, podcasts, commentaries, and reportscan be accessed by PC, mobile, iPad, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
English German

GAM Holding AG today published the invitation (including the agenda) for its Annual General Meeting to be held on 27 April 2017. The full invitation and other related documents are available on www.gam.com/agm2017.

The agenda includes a proposal by the Board of Directors to cancel GAM Holding AG's conditional share capital and therefore delete article 3.4 from its Articles of Incorporation, which are available on www.gam.com/aoi2016.





Media participation

Representatives of the media may register to attend the Annual General Meeting by completing and returning the attached registration form to media@gam.com by 14 April 2017.





Forthcoming events:

26 April 2017 Interim management statement Q1 2017 27 April 2017 Annual General Meeting 2 May 2017 Ex-dividend date 3 May 2017 Dividend record date 4 May 2017 Dividend payment date 3 August 2017 Half-year results 2017 19 October 2017 Interim management statement Q3 2017

For further information please contact:

Media Relations: Investor Relations: Marc Duckeck Patrick Zuppiger T +41 (0) 58 426 62 65 T +41 (0) 58 426 31 36

Visit us at: www.gam.com

Follow us on: Twitter, LinkedIn and XING

About GAM

GAM is one of the world's leading independent, pure-play asset managers. The company provides active investment solutions and products for institutions, financial intermediaries and private investors under two brands: GAM and Julius Baer Funds. The core investment business is complemented by private labelling services, which include management company and other support services to third-party asset managers. GAM employs about 1,000 people in 12 countries with investment centres in London, Cambridge, Zurich, Hong Kong, New York, Milan and Lugano. The investment managers are supported by an extensive global distribution network.

Headquartered in Zurich, GAM is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and is a component of the Swiss Market Index Mid (SMIM) with the symbol 'GAM'. The Group has assets under management of CHF 120.7 billion (USD 118.8 billion) as at 31 December 2016.
Arriving at The Veil Brewing Co. in Scotts Addition at 7 a.m. March 19, Tom Meadows was 40th in line for tickets to The Veils first anniversary celebration, to be held April 22. Tickets would go on sale at noon; 600 available online, 300 for those in line (in person).

Knowing the fervor of the fan base that has spread well beyond state lines, Meadows thought placing his bet on securing tickets online was a poor gamble. Nearly 30 years ago, at age 19, Meadows had slept overnight outside a Ticketmaster location in Worcester, Mass., to be sure he got tickets to see Prince. Now, here he was, 48, a manufacturing professional and union representative, with a similar feeling.

As noon came and the ticket gates opened, those in line refreshed their phones constantly, keeping track of the online sales. Within four minutes, it was sold out. It was crazy, Meadows recalled. It is a rock-star event. Theres no doubt about it.

Surveying The Veils first year, a Frank Sinatra song comes to mind. It was a very good year.

There has been critical acclaim. In January, The Veil was named No. 3 Best New Brewery in the World by RateBeer.com. The brewery was selected out of 6,500 new producers worldwide.

An impressive social media presence has sprouted. As of the end of March, Veil had more than 27,000 Instagram followers; more than 21,000 Facebook likes, with more than 11,000 having checked in there; and more than 3,800 Twitter followers. A fan group called Behind the Veil has more than 3,100 members. (Search Behind the Veil at facebook.com). A new fan group, Behind the Veil (Trades Only), for beer traders, has almost 900 members less than three weeks after being launched March 12.

The Veils production and innovation have been notable as well. It has released nearly 100 different beers since opening, including many variants on popular offerings, showcasing endless creativity and a lack of reverence for sticking with the same recipe. Long lines form regularly on Tuesday afternoons for new release days, with some patrons carting away dollies laden with five or six cases, each case costing close to $100. On a recent Tuesday morning, as the canning line ran full tilt, several local bartenders were in the assembly line, as volunteers, pleased to be part of the team, with an inside view of the phenomenon.

The Veil team also is getting to work with and learn from some of the worlds great new breweries. Trillium Brewing Co. from Boston was named No. 3 in the Top 100 Brewers in the World in February by RateBeer.com, and it collaborated with The Veil on an event in Richmond in that same month.

Zach Page, director of brewing operations at Trillium commented: Collaborating with The Veil felt like such a natural fit for us because they share a very similar brewing philosophy and have shared much of the same business success and obstacles as Trillium. The most inspiring and eye-opening experience during our trip was having the opportunity to taste spontaneously fermented beer currently maturing in casks at The Veils barrel-aging facility. Their spontaneous program is destined to produce world-class wild beers.

Dave Cuttino, an owner and general manager of the award-winning Reservoir Distillery in Scotts Addition, shares Pages interest in The Veils barrel-aging, and notes they definitely have a more Brooklyn or LA scene going on over at the tasting room than your traditional RVA taproom.

Kelly Andrews, a Richmond firefighter who heads to The Veil nearly every Tuesday and about eight times per month, agrees. I really like the vibe. Its got a really different feel.

As almost every fan brings up, Andrews thinks Matt Tarpeys brewing is a major draw. Tarpey worked at widely acclaimed The Alchemist in Stowe, Vt., and Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro, Vt., named the Best Brewer in the World three of the last four years by RateBeer.com, and has apprenticed three times now at Cantillon in Brussels, Belgium, a renowned brewery founded more than a century ago that is famous for its lambics (fruit-based sour beers).

Of the beer, Andrews said, the biggest thing was to get the New England-style IPAs here, which are more juicy and a little more hazy, without that bitter hop taste. And they keep it crazy, always doing something new and different. You never know what theyre going to put out. Andrews favorite? I get most excited about the gose, but my all-time favorite was the coconut Hornswoggler  but thats because I have a coconut obsession!

Meadows, who scored a ticket to the anniversary celebration, says Master Shredder is his favorite because its light, got a good balance of juice in the citrus profile, a good balance of fruity and piney, has a soft mouthfeel, and its easy to drink.

An avid beer trader, Meadows heads to The Veil nearly every Tuesday, always buying the full allotment, so he can trade for heralded beers from across the country. Its either travel there, or trade, he summed up. Meadows sees many aspects behind The Veils success. Theyre very attuned to their customer base, and customer service, and the community. They also do a very good job of creating hype and intrigue, often through their fan base. But the quality of the beer has to back it up, and it does. When Matt hits home runs, it just lifts that status.

Meadows has made lots of friends on line on Tuesdays at The Veil, many of whom are fellow traders. What has shocked him is how far some of them have come. Hes met regulars who drive nearly every week from South Carolina, North Carolina, New Jersey and Philadelphia to get the new releases. They invest in it, they plan for it, they schedule their time off to be able to be in Richmond on Tuesdays. It used to be your days off were the weekend. For these guys, Tuesdays have become the new weekend.
Federal immigration officers arrested 82 illegal immigrants or people who violated their lawful immigration status from 26 countries during a five-day operation focused in Northern Virginia, federal authorities said Wednesday. At least 10 were picked up in the Richmond area.

Of the 82 people arrested during the March 26-30 operation, 68 had previous convictions for crimes such as armed robbery, theft, and drug distribution, said Carissa Cutrell, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Of the remaining 14, authorities said, two had ties to the MS-13 criminal street gang; two had outstanding final warrants for deportation; three had overstayed their visas; one was wanted by a foreign law enforcement agency; one was a verified human rights violator; and two had pending local charges. The others had unlawfully entered the U.S., authorities said.

This is the first targeted enforcement operation in Virginia on this scale under the new administration, said Cutrell, referring to President Donald Trumps administration.

Cutrell added that ICE officers had a targeted list of offenders. But we conduct immigration enforcement actions daily, she said. Even our regular arrests are targeted.

The people arrested in the Richmond area included:

A 45-year-old citizen and native of the Dominican Republic who has a felony conviction for attempted robbery and the sale of cocaine. He was arrested March 28 in Chesterfield County.

A 34-year-old citizen and native of El Salvador who is a documented member of MS-13 and who had been previously deported in 2006. He was arrested March 29 in Chesterfield.

A 57-year-old citizen and native of Honduras who has felony convictions for grand larceny and inflicting corporal injury to spouse. She was arrested March 30 in Richmond.

Cutrell said the names of those detained cannot be released because they were arrested on civil immigration charges.

The majority of the arrests occurred in Northern Virginia, and the rest were split between the Richmond area, the Norfolk area and the Roanoke area, Cutrell said.

Two of the arrests were in the District of Columbia, and one was in Maryland. Cutrell said she had no details on the locations or circumstances of the arrests.

Some of the folks could have been encountered at a jail, or they could have been encountered at a parole office or probation office or at their residence or their place of employment, she said.

The Washington field office director of ICEs Enforcement and Removal Operations, Yvonne Evans, said in a statement that the agency conducts targeted immigration enforcement operations focused on criminal aliens.

Last weeks operation successfully removed immigration violators with a variety of criminal convictions, ranging from driving under the influence to grand larceny, from our communities, Evans added.

The arrestees who have standing orders for deportation, or who returned to the U.S. illegally after being deported, are subject to immediate removal from the country, Cutrell said. The remaining people are in ICE custody awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge, or pending travel arrangements for removal in the near future.

The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy in Richmond issued a statement last Thursday, on the final day of the ICE operation in Virginia, condemning what they described as raids. The group referred specifically to an incident that occurred March 26.

Indiscriminate raids that target hardworking immigrant parents throw families into crisis and communities into terror, VICPP Executive Director Kim Bobo said in a news release. We want Virginia to be safe and welcoming for all. Such raids undermine safety and welcome.

Reached Wednesday and advised about the larger operation throughout Virginia, Bobo said: Obviously, people that are serious criminals and gang members and like that, were not going to argue with that kind of stuff.

But Bobo said one of the two immigrants picked up by ICE whom her organization became aware of had a drunken driving conviction from about seven years ago, and that was it.

They had been hardworking folks, they got kids, so it didnt seem like to us these are like hardened criminals, she said. Theres convictions and theres convictions, right?

When asked where immigration authorities should draw the line, Bobo said: Its not like weve figured out that these ones they should take and these they shouldnt take. But I do think there is a serious change in policy. And I think how theyre doing it is clearly throwing the entire immigrant community into fear.

Bobo indicated that the Honduran immigrant picked up in Richmond with convictions for grand larceny and spousal abuse should not have been targeted by ICE.

It certainly sounds suspicious to me, she said. Grand larceny sounds really grand, but Im not sure it really is in Virginia (with a $200 threshold).
Facing a boisterous, standing-room-only crowd, Hanover Countys School Board was not ready to mark up a new grading scale proposed by the school systems staff.

At its meeting Tuesday evening, the board took no action on a staff proposal to adopt a 10-point scale. The district currently uses a seven-point scale, and the board heard a presentation on a proposal that would make it so a 90 would earn a student an A-minus and a grade of 64 or below would receive an F.

Board members heard a presentation on the proposed change, as well as comments from Superintendent Michael Gill. Gill said it is typical for the board to wait to take action that would change school regulations to give the public time to weigh in on the matter. The grading scale will be discussed again at the boards May meeting.

The presentation was preceded by a vocal public comment period.

Four people took to the podium to express support for the 10-point scale, and one person voiced opposition to changing Hanovers scale.

Carleigh Heckel, a sixth-grader who craned her neck to reach the microphone, said many of her peers are in support of the 10-point scale and assume that its already on the way. After Carleigh spoke, the crowd broke into applause as it had done when Julie Stubblefield spoke in favor of a 10-point scale.

People feel like they dont get the same chance as they would in a neighboring county, Carleigh said.

Major Mansfield spoke against making a change.

We have the best school system in Virginia, Mansfield said. Why change it?

As Mansfield continued, the crowd interrupted him to argue against his assertions. Board Chairman John Axselle had earlier asked the crowd to tone it down and took to the gavel to call for civility before letting Mansfield finish his point.
English French

PRESS RELEASE



REGULATORY INFORMATION

Not for distribution, publication, release, directly or indirectly, in the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan

Paris, April 5, 2017

Iliad was informed of the disposal yesterday in the market of 1,015,400 Iliad S.A. shares (1.72% of the capital of the company), held by NJJ Holding, Mr Xavier Niel's investment holding company and by Mr Niel, in a private placement transaction.

Following this disposal, Mr Xavier Niel remains the main shareholder with 52.43% of Iliad share capital and is subject to a 90-day lock-up on his stake, as from the settlement and delivery of the transaction, subject to certain exceptions.

This share disposal enlarges the free float of the company.

Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking acted as Sole Bookrunner for this transaction.

About Iliad

Iliad is the parent company of Free, the inventor of the Freebox, the first multiservice box on ADSL. Free is behind numerous innovations in the Broadband and Ultra-Fast Broadband access segment (VoIP, IPTV, flat-rate calling plans to multiple destinations, etc.). Free provides straightforward and innovative offerings at the best prices. For example, the Freebox Revolution, the 6th generation of Freebox units, notably includes an NAS and a Blu-RayTM drive, and the Freebox mini 4K was the first Android TVTM and 4K box on the French market. Free was the first operator to include calls from landlines to mobile phones in its offerings and also calls to French overseas departments (DOM). Since January 2012, Free has brought mobile phone usage within everyone's reach with straightforward, no-commitment offerings at very attractive prices. The Free Mobile Plan now includes roaming communications, all year round, in the Europe Zone as well as in the United States, Australia, South Africa, Canada, Israel and New Zealand (3G). As at December 31, 2016, Free had over 19 million subscribers (6.4 million Broadband and Ultra-Fast Broadband subscribers and 12.7 million mobile subscribers).

Exchange: Euronext Paris Market place: Eurolist A of Euronext Paris (SRD) Ticker symbol: ILD ISIN Code: FR0004035913 FTSE classification: 974 Internet Member of Euro Stoxx, SBF 120, CAC Next 20, CAC Mid 100

Disclaimer

No communication and no information in respect of the sale described in this announcement may be distributed to the public in any jurisdiction where a registration or approval is required. No steps have been or will be taken in any jurisdiction where such steps would be required. The placement described in this announcement (the "Placement") may be subject to specific legal or regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions and persons into whose possession any document or other information referred to herein comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restriction.

This announcement is not a prospectus within the meaning of Directive 2003/71/EC, as implemented in each member state of the European Economic Area, and amendments thereto, to the extent implemented in the relevant member State of the European Economic Area (together, the "Prospectus Directive").

This announcement does not, and shall not, in any circumstances constitute a public offering, nor an offer to sell or to subscribe, nor a solicitation to offer to purchase or to subscribe securities in any jurisdiction.

In France, the offer and sale of securities described in this announcement are exclusively carried out through a private placement, in accordance with article L.411-2 II of the French Financial and Monetary Code and the related applicable regulations. The offer and sale of securities described in this announcement do not constitute a public offering within the meaning of article L.411-1 of the French Financial and Monetary Code and will not require the preparation of a prospectus submitted to the visa of the Autorite des marches financiers.

With respect to the member states of the European Economic Area, other than France, which have implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a "Relevant Member State"), no action has been undertaken or will be undertaken to make an offer to the public of the shares of Iliad sold by Mr Xavier Niel and NJJ Holding requiring a publication of a prospectus in any Relevant Member State. As a consequence, the shares of Iliad may only be offered or sold by Mr Xavier Niel and NJJ Holding in any Relevant Member State pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Directive.

The securities referred to herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. Mr Xavier Niel and NJJ Holding do not intend to register the offer or any portion thereof in the United States or to conduct a public offering of securities in the United States.

This document does not constitute a public offering of securities in the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, this document is directed only at persons who (i) are investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Financial Promotion Order"), (ii) to persons referred to under Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Financial Promotion Order ("high net worth entities, unincorporated associations or trust") or (iii) to other persons to whom this document may be lawfully communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). In the United Kingdom, any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents. Any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons.

This press release may not be published, forwarded or distributed in the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan.

www.iliad.fr/en
Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading.
French English

P R E S S R E L E A S E

Paris, 5 April, 2017

HAVAS GROUP SIGNS STRATEGIC

JOINT VENTURE WITH GIMC, CHINA'S LEADING INTEGRATED COMMUNICATIONS GROUP

The Havas Group announced today that it is strengthening its operations in China by signing a joint-venture with Guangdong Advertising Group Co., China's leading advertising company and largest local marketing & communications group. It has expertise in all communications disciplines and is the fastest growing integrated group in the Chinese communications industry. The Havas Group will own 51% of the resulting Havas GIMC Advertising Co., Ltd. which will operate as an integrated media and creative agency headquartered in Shanghai.

Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Guangzhou, GIMC has over 110 member companies and the largest footprint in Greater China with 4500 employees in the main 11 cities (Tier 1 and Tier 2 ). Its service network covers the whole country and provides communication services to over 300 clients including Dongfeng Nissan, GAC Group, China Mobile, China Telecom, Midea Group and Haitian Seasoning. 85% GIMC's clients are brands that they have been serving for more than 5 years.

This joint-venture, will allow, on one hand, Havas' clients to tap into the best existing full service offering in China and, in particular, all the current media clients in this market, to take advantage of the GIMC's massive buying clout and scale that bring incremental value. On the other hand, it will allow GIMC's clients to have access to the world-class creativity and know how that Havas' global network can offer.

This move will also be strategic for Chinese companies seeking to extend their presence in overseas markets and strengthen their competitiveness internationally.

Yannick Bollore, CEO of the Havas Group said: " This move represents a major step in the Havas Group's expansion in China. The Chinese market is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and is now 2nd in terms of ad spending which offers outstanding opportunities for brands. We are very excited to join forces with GIMC; combining our strengths with their capabilities and talent pool, which is the largest in China, will guarantee Havas GIMC Advertising's clients the best service both in the Chinese market and globally."

Since its creation, GIMC enjoys a good creative reputation and has continuously been rewarded for its work. The company was ranked 1st for 9 years in a row by IAI China's Advertising Works Yearbook which also named it as the most creative advertising agency in China in 2012. GIMC has won more than 1000 awards in many prestigious festivals including the London International Advertising Awards, The Mobius Awards, China's Advertising Great Wall Awards, the Times Asia-Pacific Advertising Awards, etc.

Chen Tianlong, Chairman of GIMC commented: "I'm very excited about this partnership. China is not only a scale market, but also a speed market. The joint-venture will leverage creativity, expertise and tools from Havas, and the buying clout and the widest service footprint from GIMC. With this, we can best deliver the scale and the speed needed for our client businesses. More importantly, this joint-venture will be, on the back of Havas global network, the first China based agency with a network dedicated to supporting the international expansion of Chinese companies and bring more Chinese brands globally. "

Click here for a photo of the GIMC's Chairman Chen Tianlong and Havas Group CEO Yannick Bollore.

About Havas Group

Havas is one of the world's largest global communications groups. Founded in 1835 in Paris, the Group employs 20,000 people in over 100 countries. Havas Group is committed to being the world's best company at creating meaningful connections between people and brands through creativity, media and innovation. Based on a client-centric model across media and creative, the Havas Group is the most integrated company in its sector. We operate with three business units (creative, media and healthcare & wellness) within our Havas Villages all over the world where teams share the same premises ensuring agility and a seamless experience for clients.

#ToBetterTogether

Further information about Havas Group is available on the company's website: www.havasgroup.com

About GIMC

Guangdong Advertising Group Co., LTD was founded in 1979 and is the first advertising company of China and currently is also the largest local marketing communications group in China. The company has more than 110 member companies and 4500 employees. It is headquartered in Guangzhou with a strong presence in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu and its service network covers the whole country. It has more than 300 well-known clients. In 2010, it was public listed on "Small and Medium Enterprise Board" in the Shenzhen stock exchange (stock code: 002400) and is called as "The First Shares of Chinese Advertising". The company has won over thousand Awards at home and abroad, including London International Advertising Awards, Mobius Awards, the World Printing & Design PIA Awards. In 2008, the company became the first "National Cultural Industry Base". In 2016, it ranked "China Top 500".

Contact :

Lorella Gessa

Chief Communications Officer, Havas Group

+33 (0)1 58 47 90 36

lorella.gessa@havas.com

@Lorella_Gessa

Aurelie Jolion

Director of Investor Relations, Havas Group

+33 (0)1 58 47 92 42

aurelie.jolion@havas.com





29-30 quai de Dion Bouton, 92817 Puteaux Cedex, France

Tel +33 (0) 1 58 47 80 00

SA au capital de 167 862 108  - 335 480 265 RCS Nanterre - APE 7311Z

www.havasgroup.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/HavasGroup/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HavasGroup

Google +: http://bit.ly/163Ii2y

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/Havas

Attachments:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/884b6c87-5bc3-4234-b1b3-cbaa187a5b0e
A Roanoke man accused of killing his girlfriend last year was arrested in Henry County on Tuesday.

James Kevin ODell, 39, who was indicted this week on a charge of second-degree murder, was being held at the Henry County Jail as of Wednesday morning.

Erin Nicole Marley, 34, died of blunt force trauma Dec. 5.

She was hospitalized Nov. 12 after police were called to a Airport Plaza motel room about a disorder. Marley was conscious at the scene and told police that ODell had wrestled her to the ground and punched her in the side of the face.

ODell initially was charged with malicious wounding and assault, but those charges were dropped in January when Roanoke Commonwealths Attorney Donald Caldwell said he intended to present the case to a grand jury as soon as the medical examiners report was complete.

On Nov. 30, while still charged with assault, ODell was granted $5,000 bond. A condition of his bond was that he was supposed to live with his aunt in Collinsville, just outside Martinsville. ODell does not appear to have had any violent felonies in recent years, according to online Virginia court records.
The search continues for whoever shot at two Giles County sheriffs deputies but Virginia State Police are calling the Tuesday episode  which triggered an hours-long, door-to-door search through a wooded neighborhood  an isolated incident.

There have been no additional incidents in the area since yesterday afternoon. There was only one shot fired, state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller wrote in an email Wednesday evening.

Two deputies reported being fired upon Tuesday afternoon after arriving at Lucky Lane, a short road that runs off U.S. 460 on the edge of the Newport community. The officers, who were working an investigation into an undisclosed matter, said they had exited their unmarked vehicles when they heard the shot and saw debris from the gravel driveway kicked up, according to a statement issued Tuesday.

Soon dozens of deputies, state troopers and officers from an array of law enforcement agencies had encircled the area and searched home and woods near Lucky Lane.

No shooter was found and the heavily armed tactical teams were sent home as evening fell.

But state police, who are leading the investigation of the shooting, continued visiting homes and searching until about midnight, Geller wrote.

At this time, there is still no suspect description or identification of the shooter, she wrote.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Giles County Sheriffs Office or Virginia State Police, Geller added.

Giles County Sheriff Morgan Millirons said Tuesday that residents told officers they also had heard the shot. As Tuesdays search wound down, the sheriff speculated that someone might have been shooting recreationally and it might have been accidental that a bullet struck near the deputies.

Geller wrote that some investigators are confident that a shot was fired in the direction of the deputies due to multiple witness statements and evidence collected at the scene.
I want to thank Governor Terry McAuliffe for vetoing a budget amendment that would have taken $1,500,000 from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority over a period of three years to supposedly recruit overseas investments for the coalfields of Southwest Virginia.

I say supposedly because the Lenowisco Planning District would have administered the funds. While Lee County, to a small extent, and Wise County have paid monies into VCEDA, Scott County has zero coal production. Yet Scott County, because of the Duffield Industrial Park, would probably be the greatest beneficiary of the coal funds had this amendment passed.

Buchanan County and Dickenson Counties, who contribute approximately 70 percent of the funds, would likely receive none of the benefits. The true coalfield counties are very difficult to market for industrial development because of mountainous terrain and lack of roads. That is why the coalfield expressway is so important to Buchanan, Dickenson and Wise Counties. I served on the VCEDA Board for eight years and as chairman for two years, so I have some knowledge of how hard the VCEDA Board of Directors and the Executive Director, Jonathan Belcher, work at fulfilling their duties Again, many thanks to Governor McAuliffe.
Business News Taiwan Stocks Up As Hon Hai S Shares Surge On Strong Q4 Profits | RobinsPost News & Noticias

The Taiwan Stock Exchange now rests just beneath the 12,950-point plateau and it's expected to open in the ... Corporation soared 3.40 percent, Hon Hai Precision shed 0.49 percent, Largan ... Read More The companys goal of capturing a 5 percent share of the global EV market by 2025 still holds, Liu said. Based on that goal, Hon Hai could generate NT$1 trillion (US$31.3 billion) in revenue from its ... Read More The Taiwan Stock Exchange now rests just above the 13,100-point plateau and it's predicted to see continued ... Corporation plunged 6.96 percent, Hon Hai Precision retreated 3.26 percent, Largan ... Read More The Taiwan Stock Exchange now rests just beneath the 12,970-point plateau although it's likely to bounce higher ... Taiwan Cement slumped 2.16 percent and Hon Hai Precision, Largan Precision ... Read More Other chip-related stocks like ASE Technology Holding Co Ltd ASX and MediaTek Inc. MDTKF, too, rose over 4% in Taiwan morning trade. Based on TSMCs current business ... ramp-up for our industry ... Read More Semiconductor stocks have taken a beating recently and Taiwan Semiconductor is no exception. However, the semiconductor maker still looks attractive, according to Wedbush analyst Matt Bryson. Read More Asia Stocks Mixed After Wall St Rises on Corporate Profits By JOE McDONALD, AP Business Writer ... solid financial result s but a narrowed forecast as it deals with a strong dollar cutting into ... Read More News Corp. shares ... business channels with his control of News Corp.'s properties, which include The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, the New York Post and HarperCollins. News Corp. has a market ... Read More Still, ended the day up more than 340 points, or 1.1%. Strong earnings ... that can boost profits. Shares of Salesforce (CRM) closed up 4.4%. The markets gains follow a big surge Monday ... Read More And OPEC's oil supply cuts won't help gas and fuel prices, which have been one of the few pieces of good inflation news in recent months. Stocks ... up double-digits annually. Delta (DAL) shares ... Read More One way companies can raise money to fund their business ... The words, stock, shares and equity all mean the same thing. They refer to a shareholders claim in a company ... Read More
NEWTOWN, Conn., April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a market analysis, Forecast International finds that crime and internal strife are the main drivers of military spending in Latin America.

In the study, author William Ostrove points out that "few Latin American countries face serious external security threats" other than sporadic border disputes. On the other hand, criminal activity and internal strife pose continuing problems for governments in the region.

Ostrove says that Central American countries are facing a period of internal instability. "Many former soldiers and guerrillas from the civil wars of the 1980s have turned to a life of crime," he explains. "Add to that the fact that the region is awash in cheap automatic weapons left over from those wars." The situation has forced governments to deploy the military to support police.

Drug trafficking is another major issue faced by Latin American governments, particularly Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru. Other countries like Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic have also increased military spending to counter the traffickers who use their territory to transport contraband between South America and the United States. Even successful counter-drug operations have had a negative side: As old transport routes are squeezed, traffickers seek to create new "pipelines," spreading into Argentina, Ecuador, and Brazil.

Continuing activity by guerilla groups has also been a problem in the region, especially in Colombia. According to Ostrove, despite ongoing peace negotiations, "the country still has a long way to go. Colombia now must deal with other guerilla groups, such as the ELN, who have stepped into FARCs place."

Despite the need to confront these threats, Latin American governments have not been able to provide their militaries with consistent funding. The study points out that "the primary obstacle to defense spending in most Latin American countries continues to be a cycle of economic advances and declines, making it hard for governments to provide a steady flow of funding for their militaries." Brazil's latest economic crisis illustrates that point.

Still, defense spending will continue in the region, with priorities based on the countries' internal situations. Given their insurgency and counter-narcotics concerns, many Latin American countries are interested in weaponry that can be employed in counterinsurgency, low-intensity conflict. Paramilitary equipment  small arms, helicopters, patrol boats, armored vehicles, trucks, and communications equipment  is of primary interest, rather than larger systems intended more for conventional conflict, such as fighter aircraft, tanks, or large naval vessels.

Forecast International expects defense spending in Latin America to increase at an annual rate of about 5.3 percent between 2017 and 2021. Total defense spending in the region will increase from $61.3 billion in 2017 to $79.5 billion in 2021. During this same five-year period, defense spending in the region will total $350.3 billion.

About Forecast International

Forecast International, Inc. is a leading provider of Market Intelligence and Analysis in the areas of aerospace, defense, power systems, and military electronics. The firm, which publishes eight International Military Market services, also maintains a high posture of situational awareness and geopolitical analysis. Based in Newtown, Conn., USA, Forecast International specializes in long-range industry forecasts and market assessments used by strategic planners, marketing professionals, military organizations, and governments worldwide. Forecast International's resources and extensive base of experience can also be readily adapted and efficiently focused to fulfill a broad spectrum of civil and military consulting and special research requirements.

FI on the Web: www.forecastinternational.com, www.fi-aeroweb.com, www.fi-powerweb.com

FI on Twitter: twitter.com/ForecastIntl

FI on Facebook: www.facebook.com/forecastintl

FI on Google+: plus.google.com/+Forecastinternational1

FI Blog: http://blog.forecastinternational.com/wordpress/

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2289e690-4678-4fdd-ad88-695c57648617
Business News Saudi Arabia Chooses Hybrid Structure For Debut Dlr Sukuk Prospectus | RobinsPost News & Noticias

Demand for the news bonds was likely ... green bonds in its debt markets debut earlier this month. Saudi Arabia raised $3.25 billion in bonds in November via sukuk and bonds, after issuing bonds ... Read More There is indeed a business case to be made for a higher ... The prince is sticking to a position that Saudi Arabia chooses its own friends through the lens of its interests At nearly all points ... Read More Saudi Arabia is pushing back against accusations that OPEC+s decision to cut oil production earlier this month was politically motivated against the United States. The Kingdoms Foreign ... Read More JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On the evening of October 5th, 2022, Saudi time, Dongfeng Brand Night and the launch of new vehicles of Dongfeng SHINE MAX and AX7 MACH were held in Jeddah ... Read More The United States should rethink arms sales to Saudi Arabia, following the kingdom ... the Saudis would choose us instead of Russia, Murphy said on ABCs This Week. ... Read More Yahoo Finance columnist Rick Newman details Saudi Arabia's upcoming 'Davos in the Desert,' where several U.S. business execs will attend. SEANA SMITH: US-Saudi relations on the brink. Rising tensions ... Read More King Khalid quickly agreed and for the next decade Saudi Arabia matched American support ... especially when these claims are made by commentators who choose to ignore the egregious human rights ... Read More Saudi residents can look forward to 17 days of public holidays in 2023, starting February 22  Founding Day. In March, residents can look forward to the March Equinox, which falls every year on the 21 ... Read More WASHINGTON  Biden administration officials are considering trying to discourage American companies from expanding business ties with Saudi Arabia as part of a U.S. response to a recent Saudi ... Read More Saudi Arabia's defense minister said ... Paul Best is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to Paul.Best@fox.com and on Twitter ... Read More Amna Nawaz: Well, relations between the White House and the Saudi Arabia's ruling royal family are at a low point and may be set to dive even lower. From President Biden's fighting words on the ... Read More
Business News The Latest 58 Syrians Being Treated In Turkey After Attack | RobinsPost News & Noticias

The treatment of migrants living in Turkey under temporary protection is a breach of international law, New York-based Human ... return to Syria. After being driven in handcuffs to the Syrian ... Read More Hundreds of Syrian men and boys were detained, beaten and forcibly returned to their country by Turkish authorities over a six-month period, a leading human rights group said ... Read More The treatment of migrants living in Turkey under temporary protection is a breach of international law, New York-based Human ... return to Syria. After being driven in handcuffs to the Syrian ... Read More The treatment of migrants living in Turkey under temporary protection is a breach of international law, New York-based Human ... voluntarily'' return to Syria. After being driven in handcuffs ... Read More
Business News Boeing Just Sold Iran Another 3 Billion Of Jets | RobinsPost News & Noticias

President Donald Trumps decision not to re-impose sanctions against Iran is good news for Boeing and its European rival, Airbus, which can continue doing business ... Max jets worth $3 billion ... Read More The company plans to deliver two more green BBJ Maxs this year, followed by another ... business jet. Approximately 75 percent of widebody business jets sold in the last 21 years have been Boeing ... Read More Boeing is liable for the cost of any overruns under a deal struck with the Trump Administration to produce the two jets. Read More Jet manufacturers dont typically offer planes in clearance sales. But Boeing could do just that with some 737 MAX jets originally bound for Chinese customers. Boeing (ticker: BA) built and ... Read More In September 2022, Arabian Business reported the airline would be named RIA and could use Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s. It's not clear whether the order reported by Bloomberg will be exclusive to ... Read More 8:40 PM on Oct 21, 2022 CDT  Updated at 9:32 PM on Oct 21, 2022 CDT A North Texas U.S. District judge Friday questioned Boeings $2.5 billion deferred ... of two 737 Max jets in 2018 and ... Read More Longtime readers will remember the erstwhile heyday of CatBo, when Boeing and Caterpillar ruled the Dow Jones Industrial Average Yet over the past five years, it is Caterpillar that has taken off ... Read More A Boeing representative declined to comment. Air India didnt immediately respond to a request for comment outside of regular business ... jets back on the market. The planemaker has about $5 ... Read More Boeing, which misled safety regulators who approved the Max, agreed to pay $2.5 billion including a $ ... killing 189, and another crashed five months later in Ethiopia, killing 157. All Max jets were ... Read More Boeing was dragged into the case for the first time as lawyers quarrelled over access to a preliminary contract for its 737 MAX jets - illustrating the domino effect on a $150 billion global ... Read More Boeing, which misled safety regulators who approved the Max, agreed to pay $2.5 billion ... and another crashed five months later in Ethiopia, killing 157. All Max jets were grounded worldwide ... Read More
Business News Details On Oregon Based Energy Company S 100 Plus Workers Needed For Nm Wind Farm | RobinsPost News & Noticias

The writer offers several reasons why offshore wind holds the greatest potential among all alternative energy sources. Read More An Oregon company ... U.S.-based manufacturer of wet process separators, preferred by electric vehicle battery producers, a U.S. Department of Energy fact sheet said. The DOE information ... Read More We do not take these decisions lightly, but we continuously assess our business ... Last weeks layoffs are the latest in a string of job cuts at Oregon companies, including Arcimoto ... Read More Plant-based health foods company Laird Superfood said Wednesday its closing its central Oregon production and fulfillment facilities and will be laying off dozens of workers as a result. Read More U.S.) is laying off workers at its onshore ... troubles at GEs onshore wind unit, which accounted for 15% of the companys industrial sales last year, are also affecting the performance of its ... Read More BREMERTON  One of the country's ... energy companies is partnering with a property owner west of Kitsap Lake to propose a power plant at a former rock quarry. Consultants for Tenaska ... Read More Kate Brown announced details ... The companies are part of Governor Browns delegation of public and private sector leaders, including representatives from Business Oregon, the Oregon Department ... Read More The North Carolina solar energy company ... York-based DarrowEverett LLP, a full-service business law firm, announced in September it is investigating product issues related to Generacs SnapRS ... Read More She says energy storage facilities like these will be increasingly vital as California starts to rely more on energy from wind and ... area gives details of Public Service Company's Cabin Creek ... Read More California-based tech giants dominate the list of companies where workers feel most satisfied with their pay, according to Comparably's sixth annual report based on employee reviews. Coming in at ... Read More Oct 14, 2022 Oct 14, 2022 Updated Oct 14, 2022 0 VocalBooth, a Redmond-based company that produces studio-grade recording booths, is joining an Oregon trade delegation to Japan and South Korea. Read More AMSTERDAM, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Energy company ... based UGI Corp (UGI.N), has stopped accepting new customers, it said on Wednesday, citing volatility on European energy markets following Russia's ... Read More
Economy News Is China Already Altering Its Economy For Trump | RobinsPost News & Noticias

A new U.S. defense strategy says China remains the greatest security challenge for the United States despite Russias ongoing war in Ukraine ... Read More Xi, who took power in 2012, was awarded a third five-year term as general secretary, discarding a custom under which his predecessor left after 10 years. Read More Theyre worried that Xis tightening grip on power will lead to the continuation of Beijings existing policies and further dent the economy ... prospect of China lifting its zero-Covid ... Read More Most Read from Bloomberg Weed Is Coming to Circle K Gas Stations in US Next Year Trump ... to Go China Summons Chip Firms for Emergency Talks After US Curbs Xis speech to the Communist Party congress ... Read More the governments unprecedented silence on key economic indicators is one of the clearest signs yet that the zero-Covid policy and politics trump all else in Xi Jinpings China. The government ... Read More "If you thought it was insane during his first term, you haven't seen anything yet," says one political strategist. Read More Former Trump economic adviser Stephen Moore lashed out at Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on "The Faulkner Focus" Monday for a "lie" he told about the economy. Moore, responding to ... Read More The economy expands with growth in the labor force and its productivity ... How did the Trump administration reduce legal immigration by 49% without changing U.S. immigration law? Read More Democrats began spending heavily on abortion messaging after the Supreme Court announced its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June, ending nationwide access to the procedure and returning its ... Read More China remains the greatest security challenge for the U.S. despite Russias war in Ukraine, and the threat from Beijing will determine how the U.S. military is equipped and shaped for the future, ... Read More
Outdoor News Killer Colombia Mudslide A Climate Change Wakeup Call | RobinsPost News & Noticias

For decades, climate change has been trivialized by many as ... many consequences are irreversible. A dry wake-up call for water-rich Switzerland This summer has clearly shown us how climate ... Read More It is a wake-up call for us to be really seriously ... was also not surprised by the Ruapehu news. Covid has compounded the climate change, she said. They weren't going to get out ... Read More WCVB WAS A PROUD MEDIA PARTNER. WELL DONE TO EVERYONE. SHOW US WHATS GOING ON IN YOUR COMMUNITY BY SENDING US YOUR WAKE UP CALL. DOING IT IS EASY, RECORD A VIDEO ON YOUR PHONE. THE MORE ... Read More THAT IS A GREAT PROGRAM. KAREN: SO MUCH FUN. WHAT A GREAT AND SUNNY DAY. ANTOINETTE Thursday's Wake Up Call comes from Girls in the Run. Thursday's Wake Up Call comes from Girls in the Run. Read More That piece was Eugene Lindens " Hurricane Ian and the coming climate crash, which focused on the economic disaster looming over South Florida in the wake of ... Id call a climate ... Read More Echoing concerns voiced by other activists, Human Rights Watch's environment director warned Friday that delegates to next month's United Nations Climate ... change." "What's happening to the ... Read More VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR DETAILS. GOOD MORNING WCVB ANTOINETTE: THAT IS IMPRESSIVE, THANK YOU SO MUCH EXXCEL GYMNASTICS IN NEWTON FOR THE WAKE UP CALL. SUPPORTING UKRAINIAN HUMANITARIAN AID ON SUNDAY ... Read More Democrats have set up several major climate change initiatives at the national level that Republicans would like to roll back. To do so, they will need a landslide victory  and even then ... Read More Most of the worlds population has been affected in some way by climate change  85% of the world, in fact. But the effects of climate change havent been equally felt by all. Some ... Read More Through analyzing film and television scripts over a five-year period, researchers found that only 0.6 percent of scripted TV and film mentioned the specific term climate change." By Evan ... Read More
Politics News Defence Deal Could Open The Door To Weapons Sales To Ukraine | RobinsPost News & Noticias

The U.S. and U.K. warned that Russia could use the allegations to justify an escalation of the war in Ukraine. Read More Follow all the days news. Tassal salmon shareholders back $1.1bn foreign takeover 03:43 Australias largest salmon producer Tassal is heading for foreign ownership after shareholders ... Read More Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia had suspended rather than terminated its participation in a crucial UN-brokered grain deal. Putin repeated an accusation made repeatedly by ... Read More Jeremy Hunt has been reappointed as UK chancellor, as Rishi Sunak begins forming his new government. Hunt was appointed to the Treasury this month by Liz Truss, with the task of unpicking her ... Read More
Elections News Editorial Elections Commission Should Suspend The Union Referendum Due To Lack Of Campaign Regulation | RobinsPost News & Noticias

Today is Election Day. Here are some answers to common questions about the elections, as well as some information on voting. Read More
Elections News Why Serbia S Elections Matter For Europe Assessing The Authoritarian Trend In Belgrade | RobinsPost News & Noticias

Serbias new government has been inaugurated after formally winning parliaments approval, some six months after an election that reaffirmed the domination of autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic and ... Read More Theres a tendency in ... that outcome be due to election fraud? Four in 10 Republicans (39%) and one in four Democrats (25%) said election fraud would likely be why. By comparison, 36% of ... Read More The right-wing media world, and in particular, far-right cable outlet One America News fueled Trumps false claims and election misinformation at nearly every step. The once-fringe network ... Read More Officials worry that fighting could result in a catastrophic nuclear accident at the plant, Europes largest ... of the 2020 presidential election that handed authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr ... Read More Of course, this trend may not repeat ... Surprisingly, the midterms may matter more than Presidential elections do for markets. Perhaps a reason for this is that U.S. midterm elections can often ... Read More To really understand an election ... of interviews in our CBS News polling over the year where people have expressed themselves and how they see politics. Here's what we learned from it all ... Read More What are the midterm elections? Midterm elections occur every four years, halfway through a presidents term in office ... according to the latest Fox News Power Rankings. Read More The Great Indian Election Season has begun ... and Telangana the next  represent not only around a quarter of Indias population but also, with the exception of one (Telangana), crucial ... Read More Editors note  This story ... Biden won the 2020 election. When asked if the election was free and fair, she said, I dont see any reason why it would be deemed unfair or unsecure. ... Read More Pennsylvania is unlikely to have results on election night this ... Pennsylvania's acting secretary of state, Leigh Chapman, speaks at a news conference in the state Capitol, in Harrisburg ... Read More The leaves are changing, the temps are dropping, the attack ads are rolling  its that time of year again. Even in the best of times, running an election is stressful for state and local ... Read More The News & Observers 2022 NC Voter Guide includes links to all our election coverage, including stories and candidate questionnaires for the U.S. Senate, state legislature and local races in ... Read More
Potus News North Korea Fires Missile Into Sea Ahead Of Trump Xi Summit | RobinsPost News & Noticias

South Koreas military says North Korea has fired four short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, adding to its barrage of weapons demonstrations this week that has raised tensions in the region ... Read More North Korea fired four short-range ballistic missiles into the western sea on Saturday, South Korea's military said, as Seoul and Washington ended a high-profile six-day military exercise. Read More North Korea fired a ballistic missile and hundreds of artillery shells toward the sea Friday and flew warplanes ... that is expected to give President Xi Jinping a third five-year term as party ... Read More SEOUL, South Korea >> North Korea added to its recent barrage of weapons demonstrations by launching four ballistic missiles into the sea on Saturday, as the United States sent two supersonic bombers ... Read More SEOUL: North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea on Sunday, the Souths military said, the latest in a blitz of launches amid tensions over US-led military exercises in the region ... Read More SEOUL, Oct 14 (Reuters) - North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile into the sea and hundreds of artillery ... countermeasures", over artillery fire by South Korea on Thursday. Read More North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into ... the Sea of Japan, seem to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, the Japanese government said, according to Kyodo news agency. Read More Seoul, Oct. 14 (Jiji Press)--North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan early Friday morning, its eighth round of ballistic missile launches since late September ... Read More North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into ... Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, seem to have fallen outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, the Japanese government said, according to Kyodo ... Read More South Korea says North Korea has fired a missile into the sea in the latest in string of weapons tests. Read More SEOUL, South Korea  North Korea fired a ballistic missile and 170 rounds of artillery shells early Friday toward the sea and flew warplanes ... to give President Xi Jinping a third five-year ... Read More SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea fired a ballistic missile and hundreds of artillery shells toward the sea Friday and flew warplanes near the tense border with South Korea, further raising ... Read More
English Finnish

Stock Exchange Release

Talvivaara Mining Company Plc

5 April 2017

Talvivaara has published the Board of Directors' Report, the Financial Statements and the Corporate Governance Statement for the financial period 2016

Talvivaara Mining Company Plc ("Talvivaara") has published the Board of Directors' Report, the Financial Statements and the Corporate Governance Statement for the financial period 2016. All the above mentioned documents are available on Talvivaara's website at www.talvivaara.com/financial-reports.

Enquiries

Talvivaara Mining Company Plc Tel +358 20 7129 800

Pekka Pera, CEO

Pekka Erkinheimo, Deputy CEO

Attachments:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/956a2de5-4763-46f7-8426-7f916f23c11c

Attachments:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1b18486a-0bae-4cc9-9425-13c5e739f5f9
Search RobinsPost News & Noticias



Potus News Why President Trump Could Never Go It Alone On North Korea | RobinsPost News & Noticias




Potus News Taiwan Announces Submarine Building Ahead Of Trump Xi Summit | RobinsPost News & Noticias

The Taiwan ... ahead of his visit to China. It would be even harder to imagine that Xi would want to risk seeing a huge arms sale package to Taiwan announced right after his summit with Trump ... Read More XI Jinping has refused to rule out force to take Taiwan and unify the island with ... into modernising its military, including now building a fleet of aircraft carriers to match the US Navy. Read More Anyone can read what you share. By Damien Cave and Amy Chang Chien TAIPEI, Taiwan  Xi Jinpings speech on Sunday broke little new ground on the question of Taiwan but struck a sharper tone ... Read More Chinese President Xi Jinping ... Tsai Ing-wen from Taiwans pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) came to power in 2016 and U.S. President Donald Trump took office a year later. Read More Chinese President Xi Jinping ( ... the CECC listed how well Taiwan was faring compared with other countries The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said it would not reverse its ... Read More and warned Taiwan that the wheels of history are turning towards Beijing taking control of the island democracy, as he opened a key Communist party summit. Xi also made a veiled attack on ... Read More Chinese President Xi Jinping would become a "sinner" of all Chinese people if he attacked Taiwan and would not win a war as he would face international sanctions and diplomatic isolation ... Read More REUTERS/Tingshu Wang TAIPEI, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping would become a "sinner" of all Chinese people if he attacked Taiwan and would not win a war as he would face ... Read More In a speech opening the ruling Communist Party's 20th party congress in Beijing, Xi said China always "respected, cared for and benefited" Taiwan's people and was committed to promoting economic ... Read More Chinese President Xi Jinping said China reserves the option of "taking all measures necessary" against "interference by outside forces" on the issue of Taiwan ... are due to be announced. Read More The park in Taiwans southwest has gathered a team of volunteers to watch over the crabs as mating season winds down, and its also shut down park roads so the crabs can cross. Like us on ... Read More In a speech opening the ruling Communist Party's 20th party congress in Beijing, Xi said China always "respected, cared for and benefited" Taiwan's people and was committed to promoting economic ... Read More
Potus News Trump Jordan Is A Valued Ally Of Us | RobinsPost News & Noticias

A trusted friend of Donald Trump whos facing federal foreign influence charges testified Thursday that dozens of people asked him for help in getting pardons from the former president. Tom Barrack ... Read More A California billionaire known as an ally of Donald Trump used his testimony at his federal trial on Monday to question Trump's leadership on foreign policy, saying the former president was clueless ... Read More
Potus News Trump Administration To China On North Korea The Clock Has Run Out | RobinsPost News & Noticias

U.S., South Korean and Japanese officials are bracing for what would be Pyongyang's first nuclear test in years, amid already heightened global tensions. Read More The U.S. and South Korea are jointly warning North Korea that use of any kind of nuclear weapon against Seoul or other regional allies would result in the end of ... Read More The United States and South Korea have decided to extend military exercises in response to a recent spate of missile launches from North Korea, offering stern warnings for North Korean leader Kim Jong ... Read More
White House Readout Of President Donald J Trump S Call With Chancellor Angela Merkel Of Germany | RobinsPost News & Noticias

Former President Donald Trump on Monday said he'll make a "very big announcement" on Nov. 15 from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The ex-president teased the announcement during a rally for ... Read More Top Republicans spent the day trying to talk Trump out of announcing a presidential run before the midterm elections for fear of mobilizing Democrats. Read More Donald Trumps former senior counselor Kellyanne Conway said she expects the ex-president to announce a widely anticipated comeback bid for the White House soon. ... Read More
Science News Russia Open To Extending International Space Station Partnership Agency Chief | RobinsPost News & Noticias

(NASA via AP, File) MOSCOW (AP)  The head of ... his agency's decision wasnt related to politics. There are no political aspects here, and I believe there shouldnt be any, he said. The ... Read More Kathy Lueders, NASA's space operations chief, said in an interview that Russian officials later on Tuesday told the U.S. space agency that Roscosmos would remain in the partnership as Russia works ... Read More The new crew arrived at the International Space Station last ... the United States and Russia. Before 2020, when NASA started using SpaceX to reach the ISS, the space agency had relied solely ... Read More US-Russia relations in space could end as early as 2024, according to a recent report by Russian news agency Interfax ... continue visiting the International Space Station through the next ... Read More Soon after the launch of a SpaceX Crew Dragon carrying a crew that included a Russian cosmonaut to the International Space Station (ISS ... to reporting from Space News. Krikalev said ... Read More MOSCOW--Russia will pull out of the International Space Station after 2024 and focus on building its own orbiting outpost, the country's new space chief said Tuesday amid high tensions between ... Read More The International Space Station fired its thrusters to maneuver out of the way of a piece of oncoming Russian space junk, NASA said late Monday. Read More On Monday, the International Space Station had to fire its thrusters for over five minutes to avoid space junk. Russia used a missile to blow up ... about three miles from the station, the space ... Read More A space station commander who returned to Earth three weeks ago was involved in a traffic accident, according to reports. International ... of science and spacewalks at the ISS. Related: Russian ... Read More Oct 14 (Reuters) - The fourth long-duration astronaut team launched by SpaceX to the International Space Station (ISS ... operated by a U.S.-Russian-led partnership that includes Canada, Japan ... Read More Chances are you just saw the International Space Station (ISS ... The European robotic arm extending from the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module (Credit: NASA) If youre an optimist, the ... Read More Liz Truss said on Thursday she would resign as British prime minister, brought down just six weeks into the job becoming the shortest-serving prime minister in... More than 3,000 Venezuelan ... Read More
Science News The Alma Array In Chile Joins Global Vlbi Arrays For Unprecedented Leap In Resolving Power | RobinsPost News & Noticias

And at this time last year, we were in the calm before the storm, so to speak, with delta-driven case counts slowly dipping before the omicron variant began its road to global domination at the ... Read More Nov. 3, 2022  A new method to treat sewage can efficiently convert leftover sludge to biogas, an advance that could help communities lower their waste treatment costs while helping the .. Read More "Our results demonstrate that plants in the modern era are experiencing unprecedented levels of insect damage, despite widespread insect declines," wrote the scientists, who suggest that the ... Read More We can help! Science News Explores and the Science News in High Schools Digital Library offer a variety of free, age-appropriate STEM resources for kids from fifth through 12th grades. Stay up to ... Read More A Division of NBCUniversal Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by ... Read More Quantum chromodynamics is an area of study that explores the strong interactions between quarks mediated by gluons. Quarks are elementary particles with an electric charge, which are building ... Read More The solar array and increasing the use of renewable power will significantly help move ... Cummins has completed 51 solar arrays installations at locations all around the world from Australia ... Read More But there's one corner of the global market that's bucking that trend: Chile. Chilean stocks this year are leapfrogging those in other countries, including the U.S. The iShares MSCI Chile exchange ... Read More He credited Traverse City Light & Power, the utility that built the turbine, for having the vision to do so. When you think about it, it led to this, he said, referring to the solar array. Read More 17 (UPI) --Six British academic institutions will join a U.S.-led search for ... depriving it of its chief power source. Science News // 4 days ago SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy rocket for Space ... Read More Digimax Global (OTCPK:DBKSF ... As part of this partnership, Oncue users who sign up to join Spetz's platform will get access to real-time leads from consumers looking for local moving services ... Read More
Us News Manhunt Intensifies After Texas Deputy County Constable Shot Dead Outside Courthouse | RobinsPost News & Noticias

The suspect taken into custody after ... Deputy Constable Warren Smith, 53, was trying to serve an eviction notice Wednesday morning alongside an unnamed property manager, 36. Police said Smith ... Read More Two teenagers were arrested after Texas deputies said they allegedly fired ... 1:30 a.m. Tuesday at a home in San Antonio. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said deputies were patrolling the ... Read More Milam County Deputy Sam Ferguson IV, who serves as the departments mental health deputy, was on a mental health-related call along with Central County Services when he was shot. Evers allegedly ... Read More Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman ... Harris County is the largest in Texas, and home to Houston, the nation's fourth-largest city. Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital breaking ... Read More A Texas sheriff's deputy was shot multiple ... Mike Clore told 25 News Central Texas that one of the first responders included Ferguson's son, who works for the Milam County Sheriff's Office. Read More Texas police have taken ... parents' double murder. Johnson County Deputies on Oct. 5 conducted a welfare check on Michael Scarlett, 66, and Kay Scarlett, 68, after receiving a phone call from ... Read More James Brennand confronted the 17 year old who was in a car that had evaded him a day earlier and began shooting when the car drove off A Texas police ... Brennand after he shot Erik Cantu, 17 ... Read More A man has been convicted of capital murder in the 2019 shooting death of a law enforcement officer who was the first Sikh deputy in his Texas ... was shot multiple times from behind after he ... Read More TEXAS COUNTY, Okla.  A 16-year-old female from Texhoma is dead after a car crash in Texas County, according to Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP). OHP said the crash took place Monday evening ... Read More ROCKDALE, Texas (KXAN)  A deputy with the Milam County Sheriffs Office is being treated after he ... Ferguson shot back and hit the person, who was pronounced dead on the scene. Read More Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman ... a last passed by the Texas legislature on Jan. 1, 2022, which prohibits the defunding and reallocation of law enforcement funds. READ ON THE FOX NEWS ... Read More
Us News Manhunt Intensifies For Gunman In Ambush Killing Of Texas Deputy Constable | RobinsPost News & Noticias

PHILADELPHIA (AP)  Authorities have announced charges against a second suspect in last month's ambush shooting outside a Philadelphia high school that killed a 14-year-old and wounded four ... Read More Deputies Shoot, Kill Arizona Man After Wife Warned of Ambush BLACK CANYON CITY ... Safety to investigate Friday night's officer-involved shooting of Thomas Henzler in Black Canyon City. Read More A man was convicted of capital murder on Monday in the 2019 shooting death of a law enforcement officer who was the first Sikh deputy in his Texas agency ... name in news delivered first thing ... Read More NEW ORLEANS  The suspect taken into custody after a double shooting that wounded a deputy constable and a property ... locked up following the massive manhunt and SWAT roll Wednesday that ... Read More Shooting in Bristol also leaves one officer injured, with one suspect dead and another hurt Two police officers who were shot dead in Connecticut were apparently drawn into an ambush by an ... Read More Authorities in Montgomery County are searching for a gunman shown on video killing a seemingly innocent bystander as he fired at a group during an apparent ambush. The Oct. 7 shooting in ... Read More Editors Note: This story was updated at 8:55 p.m. with news ... A gunman shot and killed two employees inside a Dallas area hospital near the labor and delivery unit, media outlets in Texas ... Read More to provide help whenever you need it, childhood friend BJ Josan said after the deputys death. There are more than 25 million Sikhs around the world and about 500,000 in the US, according to ... Read More Dallas police and Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to a shooting in the 1400 block of North Beckley Avenue, the hospital said in a news release. According to WFAA, law enforcement found two nurses ... Read More RALEIGH, N.C.  A gunman opened fire along a walking trail in North Carolinas capital city Thursday, killing five people before leading police on an hourslong manhunt that forced residents ... Read More Sergeant Noa Lazar, the Israeli soldier killed in a terrorist attack in east Jerusalem, was laid to rest Monday night in Kfar Yona, central Israel, as a manhunt continues for the suspected terrorist. Read More
Us News Massachusetts Governor Backs New Bill Upping Punishment When Police Are Attacked | RobinsPost News & Noticias

Come January, five of our six constitutional officers could be women. Were finally making progress, despite those who still want to hold us back. Read More Salem Mayor Kim Driscolls stealth campaign for Democratic lieutenant governor is another reminder that Massachusetts doesnt really need a second banana. Read More They are answering the call at a challenging time. One hundred new Boston Police recruits just graduated and are ready to hit the streets. Read More As Senator Lisa Murkowski fights for re-election, she and her Trump-backed challenger, Kelly Tshibaka, tangled over who would be the right fit for Alaska. Read More The 2022 midterm election is only weeks away, with control of Congress and key statehouses at stake. Our reporters are covering contests across the nation. Read More
OREM, Utah, April 5, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Complete Merchant Solutions (www.cmsonline.com), a leader in electronic payments solutions, announced the launch of their new Platform as a Service (PaaS) offering, Emvio. Emvio is an integrated payment solutions platform that allows domestic and international merchants to accept payments across the globe, while also reducing the risk of fraud.



"Emvio is a revolutionary product that will change how businesses conduct transactions. Emvio supports a wide variety of transaction types including EMV, PCI, ACH, and chip processing, while integrating everything into one centralized platform," said David Decker, President and CEO. "We're excited about the future of Emvio and CMS. We're continually researching and investing in new technologies to further enhance payment solutions and make our payment platform in a class of its own."



Emvio is an industry-leading merchant solution that streamlines the process of accepting electronic payments. Emvio ensures that merchants are able to capture any and all payment methods so they can continue to meet and exceed customers' expectations. The Emvio platform manages hundreds of countries and currencies, connects partnerships and acquiring banks, and offers the latest payment technologies.



Emvio handles security, compliance, and fraud control for payment platforms within a convenient dashboard. The new payment platform is designed to scale with any company's growth.



As payment technologies evolve, Emvio plans to be a leader on the forefront of innovation. Several additional features are planned to solve and change the way that payment solutions are perceived. Emvio's aggressive roadmap will continue to establish itself as a standard in the industry.



Key features of Emvio:

Simple reporting dashboard: Emvio has an easy-to-use reporting dashboard that aggregates data from any country's currency.

Available in 130 countries: Emvio enables processing in over 130 countries and settlement in 28 currencies.

Handles security, compliance, and fraud controls: Minimizes the number of required system connections and potential breaches. Emvio also manages and monitors platform security with state-of-the-art encryption and security protocols.

Built to scale with growth: The Emvio platform was envisioned, designed, and built to scale with your business. As your company continues to grow, Emvio grows with you and helps you manage payment solutions.

About CMS:

Complete Merchant Solutions is a full-service electronics payment solutions provider and was founded in 2008. CMS facilitates electronic payment processing for all major credit & debit cards, gift & loyalty cards, ACH, remote deposit capture as well as non-cash payment methods. CMS provides payment solutions to over 5,000 merchants and is available in over 140 countries around the world. CMS' innovative, customizable solutions include a wide variety of integrated point-of-sale software, terminals and machines, e-commerce and wireless payment processing solutions. CMS was recently announced as an Inc 500 company and a Utah Valley 50 company. CMS is headquartered in Orem, Utah.
World News Us Wants Proof Of Progress By Sudan S Government On Darfur | RobinsPost News & Noticias

According to El Khumus, the attackers forcefully want to let their camels graze ... camp for the displaced in Central Darfur out of hunger as Sudan's food crisis worsens. At the time, Head of ... Read More Photograph: Albert Gonzalez Farran/Unamid/AFP/Getty Images Two UN peacekeepers disappeared in Sudan's North Darfur ... at large and Darfur largely disappeared from the news pages as the region ... Read More "As individuals we don't have problems with them but we have problems with the government," he said. Sudan's ambassador, Jamal Malik, told the news conference ... region of Darfur have already ... Read More Sudan is the world's fifth most vulnerable ... is climate change." In Darfur, the war pitched ethnic African minority rebels against the Arab-dominated government of hardline president Bashir ... Read More Sudan's Civilian Coalition Presents Vision for Military Exit From Politics KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's main political coalition on Monday presented its vision for a fully civilian-led authority ... Read More CAIRO (AP)  On his return home from the U.N. General Assembly this year, Sudan's top general descended an airplane stairway in the country's capital to a flurry of cameras. Waiting to greet Gen. Read More Sudan is the world's ... admitting progress from previous climate summits she has attended has been "very small". "Though the small progress will not save us," she said, "it's still better than ... Read More While the fear of a civilian government brought Burhan and Hemedti together, there remain many divisions between them, said Amjad Farid, a Sudan ... against Darfurs African rebel ... Read More
World News May Isn T The First Female Leader To Bare Her Head In Saudi Arabia | RobinsPost News & Noticias

Thatll teach him: President Biden fist bumps Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, July 15, 2022. (Royal Court of Saudi Arabia ... around the world havent been enough ... Read More U.S. policymakers and analysts have responded to the Saudi decision by criticizing Riyadh for its surprising independenceand Biden for his inelegant attempt at dealmaking. During his campaign for ... Read More Construction Week is thrilled to present the Female Leader of the Year at the CW KSA ... and landmark developments that make the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia amongst the most exciting countries in the ... Read More If Biden doesnt respond forcefully, he may embolden ... more control over Saudi Arabia. And he continues to be wooed by foreign leaders and business titans, thanks to the worlds sustained ... Read More Get top headlines from the Union-Tribune in your inbox weekday mornings, including top news, local, sports, business, entertainment and opinion. Read More Italy has formally sworn in its first female leader ... head of the countrys most far-right coalition. At the ceremony, which took place on Saturday at Quirinal Palace in Rome, Meloni took her ... Read More A few hours before the new government's formation was announced, Giorgia Meloni, 45, a career politician, told reporters that she and her ... end of World War II and becoming the first woman ... Read More ROME  Giorgia Meloni smashed Italys highest glass ceiling when she was sworn in as the countrys first female prime minister on Saturday, but she isnt sharing her power with many ... This ... Read More ROME  Giorgia Meloni, whose political party has neo-fascist roots, was sworn in on Saturday as Italys first far-right premier since the end of World ... Italy's first female leader? Her ... Read More
World News Somalia Restaurant Car Bomb Kills Seven | RobinsPost News & Noticias

Nearly 300 people were wounded in Saturday's explosions, the country's president said. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group claimed responsibility, saying it targeted the education ministry. Read More A car bomb and shooting attack on a hotel in the Somali city of Kismayu killed nine people on Sunday before security forces ended the siege at the hotel and killed the attackers, a regional ... Read More The two car bombs that exploded at Somalias education ministry next to a busy market intersection killed at least 100 people and wounded 300, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said on Sunday, warning ... Read More The state-run Somali National Television said on Twitter that security forces were dealing with a "terrorist incident" at the hotel, which al Shabaab terrorist group has taken responsibility for. Read More Somalias president says at least 100 people were killed in Saturdays two car bombings at a busy junction in the capital and the toll could rise in the country's deadliest attack since a truck ... Read More The first of the explosions hit the education ministry near a busy junction in Mogadishu. The second occurred as ambulances arrived and people gathered to help the victims. Read More A car laden with explosives ... of innocent people. The news comes after a suicide attack by Al-Shabaab killed two people including a soldier in central Somalia on Wednesday. Read More Somalias president says at least 100 people were killed in Saturdays car bombings in the capital and toll could rise. Read More The first explosion occurred at the entrance of the city of Jalalaqsi by a car bomb run by a suicide bomber ... as a result of which one person was killed and two others were injured. Parts of the ... Read More At least 21 people were killed in two separate bombings in the central Hirshabelle state of Somalia, officials said. A powerful car bomb exploded in Jalalaqsi town when soldiers operating a ... Read More Attack over, assailants killed - regional security minister Al Shabaab takes responsibility for attack Group says it was targeting regional administrators MOGADISHU, Oct 23 (Reuters) - A car bomb ... Read More
World News South Africa S Anc Stands By Zuma Rejects Calls For President To Quit | RobinsPost News & Noticias

President Ramaphosas leadership is being scrutinised intensely by members of his own ANC as well as three former presidents of the party. Read More South Africa's former ... ANC conference where the latter is expected to seek re-election as party head. "Your president is corrupt. Your president has committed treason," Zuma told a news ... Read More SOUNDBITE The ex-leader of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, accuses the current president, Cyril Ramaphosa ... and the constitution itself". The Barron's news department was not involved in the creation ... Read More South Africa's scandal-embroiled ... of the ruling African National Congress party, where current President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is politically at odds with his predecessor, Zuma, is expected ... Read More In the run up to the November 1, 2021 election, reporters of SABC NEWS ... of the ANC despite President Piet Bothas programme of assassinating ANC leaders outside South Africa, Zuma held ... Read More The prison sentence of beleaguered ex-South African president ... Africa Last month, he announced he was ready to make a political comeback at the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party's ... Read More A judicial commission of inquiry was established to examine allegations of high-level graft during former President Jacob Zuma's nine years in power from 2009 to 2018. "The people of South Africa ... Read More JOHANNESBURG: South ... ANC party's year-end crunch conference where Ramaphosa is expected to seek a second term. "Your president is corrupt. Your president has committed treason," Zuma told a ... Read More
World News Years Of Warnings Preceded Deadly Flood In Southern Colombia | RobinsPost News & Noticias

One Bogota-based think-tank, Indepaz, doubts that wiping out such a brutal history with narcotics can realistically happen in four years. But hopes that the new ... world is at war but Colombia ... Read More Based on that fact that we havent been bone dry like we were last year this time, Im not quite as nervous when we have a Red Flag warning day," she said. What were seeing now is ... Read More DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  An American citizen has been arrested in Saudi Arabia, tortured and sentenced to 16 years in prison over tweets he sent while in the United States, his son ... Read More Australians Take Stock of Flood Damage Amid Warnings of More Rain SYDNEY (Reuters ... Large parts of Victoria state, southern New South Wales and the northern regions of the island state ... Read More There was no immediate word from the World Bank on the new estimate ... the damages caused by floods pointed to the urgent need for long-term help, lasting into next year. A government statement ... Read More new video loaded: Deadly Flooding in Nigeria Displaces Over a Million People The floods have destroyed vast areas of farmland, infrastructure and homes. For some states, more than a month of ... Read More Warnings, watches, minor, moderate, major, advice, watch and act, emergency warning, evacuate now. There are a plethora of warnings issued during a flood and ... The new system is the same across ... Read More BANGKOK, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Authorities in Thailand issued flash flood warnings for eight southern provinces on ... The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. World Train crosses North Korea border ... Read More CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Flood warnings were ... Police said a 63-year-old man was last seen on Tuesday on a rural property on the Lachlan River near the New South Wales town of Hillston ... Read More There were 122 flood warnings in place for New South Wales, Australia's most populous state. Inundations were forecast to be worst in the northeast near Moree, and on the southern border around ... Read More
World News Afghanistan Reacts Angrily To Pakistan S Fencing Of Border | RobinsPost News & Noticias

In case of abuse, Militants now hold sway in the tribal belt all along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, creating a security ... trouble for the region and the world as a whole. Read More Photos of Zarghoona Wadood sightseeing in Egypt with two other wheelchair-using women went viral last year in Pakistan ... s history, according to the World Health Organization. However ... Read More Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban government, left, and Talibans ... Afghanistan sought to realize its demand to renegotiate its border  the so-called Durand Line  with Pakistan. Read More Earlier, Mohammad Nabi hit an unbeaten 51 as Afghanistan overcame a top-order collapse to post a total of 154 for six against Pakistan in a T20 World Cup warm-up game.Shaheen Afridi had earlier ... Read More "terrorists from inside Afghanistan across the international border opened fire on a military post in Hassan Khel Sector, North Waziristan District." Pakistan's troops responded in a befitting manner. Read More Batsmen are the true gladiators of modern-day cricket, having to face the relentless bombs that bowlers hurl at them, in a bid to end their heroics and send them back to the pavilion. With several ... Read More In a speech on Thursday, Biden said Pakistan is "maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world" as ... about Pakistan's alleged support of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies ... Read More World governments piled on sanctions, halted bank transfers and froze billions more in Afghanistans currency reserves. Taliban-appointed government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghanistan ... Read More At a time when US President Joe Biden's words ... in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion." Pakistan's government, the Taliban, its various outfits in Pakistan and Afghanistan ... Read More The TTP is protected by the Afghan Taliban, sheltered mostly in border areas in Afghanistan and now regrouping in Pakistan's Swat and nearby tribal areas, reported Al Arabiya Post. The suspicion ... Read More World governments piled on sanctions, halted bank transfers and froze billions more in Afghanistans currency reserves. Taliban-appointed government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghanistan ... Read More 21 (UPI) --The Pakistan government has banned its ... far right wing leader Giorgia Meloni's immigration policy. World News // 1 hour ago 'Loss and damage' on agenda for U.N. climate summit ... Read More
World News Seeking More Bids Sierra Leone Delays Sale Of Huge Diamond | RobinsPost News & Noticias

MPs got elected based on the percentage of the popular vote their parties received nationwide - as long as they received at least more than 5%. In 2008, Sierra Leone introduced single-member ... Read More Braving rebel attacks on the capital, Freetown, and years of harsh military regimes, Roy-Macaulay sent the world ... news service. He also previously held government postings in Sierra Leone ... Read More Sierra Leone's central ... Inc. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest international multimedia news provider reaching more than one billion people ... Read More WARNING: This report contains descriptions some readers will find disturbing. During the bloody rebel war that raged in Sierra Leone for more than a decade, fake news and rumours abounded - without ... Read More defeated Sierra Leone by 11 runs to go top of Group B on Tuesday at the ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) U19 World Cup Africa Division Two Qualifiers in Abuja. Nigeria won the 'toss and ... Read More The secret to glossy, healthy, A-lister hair? All the celebrities who give you hair envy are probably using OUAI. Created by hairstylist Jen Atkin, whose clients include Hailey Bieber, Kendall ... Read More Hosts, Nigeria, defeated Sierra Leone by 11 runs to go top of Group B on Tuesday at the ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) U19 World Cup Africa ... both sides. The News Agency of Nigeria ... Read More
World News Eu Court Reprimands Bulgaria Over Air Pollution | RobinsPost News & Noticias

The European Commission proposed on Wednesday tougher legal limits on health-damaging dirty air and rules to make pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies pay to clean up wastewater polluted by their ... Read More Nine Belgian citizens are taking their regional authorities to court over air pollution, NGO ClientEarth announced Monday ... The European Commission is expected to unveil a revision of EU air quality ... Read More The European Commission will propose three laws targeting health and environment-damaging air and water pollution. Read More "Our proposals to further reduce water and air pollution are a crucial piece of that puzzle." The plan calls for a revision of EU legislation, the Ambient Air Quality Directives and the Urban ... Read More PARIS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - France's highest administrative court on Monday ordered the state to pay two new 10-million-euro ($9.75 million) fines for failing to improve air quality in major cities. Read More A vehicle passes the building of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 18, 2022. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) "The annual limit value for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) will be reduced by ... Read More Seven German citizens are taking their government to court over air pollution, NGOs ClientEarth and Deutsche Umwelthilfe announced Monday. By leaving national air pollution laws unchanged, Berlin ... Read More Spain will send up to eight warplanes to Bulgaria next month to help with the its air policing tasks amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said on Thursday. Read More Because Russia is a world leader in producing everything from crude oil to natural gas and grains, the backlash over ... World News // 6 hours ago Martin to aim at northwestern Europe as a large ... Read More France's highest administrative court on Monday ordered the state to pay two new 10m (R177m) fines for failing to improve air quality in major cities. The penalties came on top of another  ... Read More PARIS-Frances highest administrative court on Monday ordered the state to pay two new 10-million-euro ($9.75 million) fines for failing to improve air quality in major cities. The penalties ... Read More France is among several European Union members that the EU's top court has found in breach of the bloc's air quality ... the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest ... Read More
Letters 11-4-22 A Vote For Tom Sullivan Dear Editor: On Election Day, I will be proudly voting for Colonel Thomas P. Sullivan for State Assembly. A proven leader, and financial professional. A vote for Tom Sullivan is...

Letters 10-28-22 Thanks, Stacey Dear Editor: I would like to recognize Stacey Amato for the tireless work she has done in our community. She responded to every call I have ever made to her office with results....
FORM 8.3

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY

A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE

Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Full name of discloser: Jupiter Asset Management Ltd (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a):

The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient. For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries must be named. (c) Name of offeror /offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:

Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree WS Atkins PLC (d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree, state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree: (e) Date position held/ dealing undertaken :

For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 3rd April 2017 (f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the discloser making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?

If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" No

2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:



50p Ordinary



Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 1,177,116 1.17 (2) Cash-settled derivatives:



(3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:



TOTAL: 1,177,116 1.17

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: None Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages: None

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security Purchase/sale



Number of securities Price per unit None

(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. CFD Nature of dealing

e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit None

(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type

e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit None

(ii) Exercise

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit None





(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security Nature of dealing

e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable) None





4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the person making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:

Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"



None





(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the person making the disclosure and any other person relating to:

(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or

(ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:

If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"







None

(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO

Date of disclosure: 5th April 2017 Contact name: Nabeel Ashraf Telephone number: 0203 817 1407

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service and must also be emailed to the Takeover Panel at monitoring@disclosure.org.uk. The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.
Ocean View, Delaware, April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



The research report Europe Industrial Air Filtration Market Size By Application (Cement, Power, Food, Metals, Pharmaceuticals), By Product (Dust Collectors, HEPA Filters, Mist Collectors, Baghouse Filters, Cartridge Collectors & Filters), By Country (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Turkey, Sweden, Spain, Poland), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Growth Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2015  2022 by Global Market Insights, Inc. says Europe Industrial Air Filtration Market size is set to exceed USD 1.85 billion by 2022.

Driven by stringent safety and health regulations such as the Euro VI associated with the emission limits of the vehicle the Europe industrial air filtration market is anticipated to grow over the forecast timeline. The sectoral directive with IPPC (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control) has setup the emission limit standards for large combustion plants to reduce air pollution.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/350

The formulation of EN 779:2011, a standard for specific air filters which is expected to eliminate filter performance issues may provide attractive growth prospects. For instance, advanced air filters based on this standard may reduce the utilization of electrostatic synthetic filters that discharge quickly within few weeks of its procedures, and their capability to filter depreciates considerably over time. European government guidelines to curb the emission of greenhouse gases and minimize water and soil pollution and the development of manufacturing industries is anticipated to propel the Europe industrial air filtration market.

Industrial procedures comprise complex operations and use a large number of chemical compounds, which are highly toxic in nature. The usage of such hazardous substances results in particulates, gases, mists, and vapors at the workplace that hampers the health of the workforce. Such safety concerns have led to increasing adoption of the advanced solutions driving the Europe air filtration market size. This equipment supports energy management by minimizing the energy consumption levels. In addition, it removes different air-borne contaminants at multiple production levels coupled with its capability to eliminate oil vapor, odors, and dust particles which is projected to boost Europe industrial air filtration market size.

Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/350

Dust collectors are set to grow at a CAGR of over 7.5% from 2012 to 2022, owing to the benefits offered by them such as low-operating cost, minimal maintenance requirements and enhances worker health & safety. Mist collectors market growth can be accredited to its capability to eliminate coolant and oil mist, steam and fume from food & beverage manufacturing procedures. HEPA filter accounted for the highest industry share in 2015 and is expected to reach over USD 450 million by 2022 due to its extremely efficient collection volume of submicron particulate matter.

Food & beverage industry is forecast grow at a CAGR of over 8% over the next eight years. This growth is attributed to the rising concerns regarding the cross contamination, sanitary regulations, and food handling regulations. Italy is likely to reach over USD 320 million by 2022 due to the booming pharmaceutical industries in the region. Moreover, rising research and development activities in the region to provide long lasting and cost-effective products will propel the Europe market growth.

Germany held the highest share of the Europe industrial air filtration market in 2015 and it is estimated to exhibit substantial growth rate owing to the rising number of metal processing and food & beverages industry over the forecast timeline. Moreover, players operating in the country are focusing on cutting-down the manufacturing costs instigating the high demand across the region.

Browse key industry insights spread across 198 pages with 45 market data tables & 38 figures & charts from the report Europe Industrial Air Filtration Market in detail along with the table of contents:

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/europe-industrial-air-filtration-market-report

Europe industrial air filtration market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecast in terms of volume in tons & revenue in USD million from 2012 to 2022 , for the following segments:

Industrial Air Filtration Market in Europe By product

Dust collectors

Mist collectors

HEPA filters

CCF

Baghouse filters

Industrial Air Filtration Market in Europe By Application

Cement

Food

Metals

Power

Pharmaceuticals

Others

The above information is provided on a regional and country basis for the following :

Europe Italy Germany UK France Turkey Sweden Spain Poland



Browse Related Reports:

Industrial Air Filtration Market Size By Application (Cement, Power, Food, Metals, Pharmaceuticals), By Product (Dust Collectors, HEPA Filters, Mist Collectors, Baghouse Filters, Cartridge Collectors & Filters), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2015  2022

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/industrial-air-filtration-market

Middle East And Africa (MEA) Air Filtration Market Size, Industry Outlook, Regional Analysis, Application Development, Competitive Landscape & Forecast, 2016  2023

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/middle-east-and-africa-mea-air-filtration-market





About Global Market Insights

Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.

Contact Us:

Arun Hegde

Corporate Sales, USA

Global Market Insights, Inc.

Phone: 1-302-846-7766

Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688

Email: sales@gminsights.com

Web: https://www.gminsights.com

Blog: https://gminsights.wordpress.com

Connect with us: Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter
Finnish English Swedish

Mariehamn, 2017-04-05 13:06 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Viking Line Abp INSIDE INFORMATION 5.4.2017, 2.05 PM



Viking Line has signed a shipbuilding contract with Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry Co.

Today, April 5, Viking Line signed a conditional shipbuilding contract with the Chinese company Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry Co. concerning a new passenger cruise ship for the Turku (Finland)-Aland Islands-Stockholm (Sweden) route with planned delivery in 2020. A final agreement is subject to the approval of the Board of Directors of both the buyer and the seller as well as financial arrangements entered into. The total contract amount is about 194 million euros. The agreement also includes an option on another vessel.

The new vessel will be a collaborative project, and the plan is to engage a number of Finnish and other European suppliers. The energy-efficient vessel will be 218 metres in length and have a gross registered tonnage of about 63,000 tonnes. Passenger capacity will be 2,800 people, and the length of its cargo lanes will be 1,500 metres. Viking Line will hire Scandinavian architects for the interior design. The new vessel will provide a brand-new passenger experience for guests.



Viking Line Abp







Jan Hanses

President and CEO


ALROSA has held an auction of industrial grade and gem quality natural rough diamonds in the Eurasian Diamond Centre in the Russian Far East. Some 22 companies from China, South Korea, India, Europe, Russia and other countries participated in the auction.

The Company sold 461 000 carats worth USD 12.9 million, including 440 000 carats of industrial grade diamonds for USD 4.924 million, and 21 000 carats of gem quality diamonds for USD 7.98 million. Indian and Chinese companies were the main auction buyers.

The trading outpost of the Russian Gokhran was opened during the trading session at the Eurasian Diamond Centre. It incorporates a vault, a specialized carrier and a bank, and a specialized permanent excise customs post which ensures the full range of processes required for sales. Combining the functions of a trading platform, storage, logistics, registration and control in one complex located close to the airport allows speeding up the shipping of goods up to 2-3 days.

In 2017, the company is planning to sell 2 million carats of all types of diamonds worth USD 73 million through its Far East branch. Auctions of special size 10.8+ and industrial grade rough diamonds will be held in the next 3 months.




De Beers has realised $580 million from the third rough diamonds sales cycle compared with $666 million accrued, a year earlier.

Although the figure was provisional, the latest sales cycle was an improvement from $553 million recorded during the second sales cycle for the year.

"We saw the continuation of good rough diamond demand in Cycle 3 across the product range, said De Beers chief executive Bruce Cleaver.

This reflected positive sentiment from our customers following the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show in March.

De Beers opened the year with strength as it raked in $729 million during the first sales cycle for the year with the group having recorded good demand across the majority of its assortment, as the industry entered the period when rough diamond demand was traditionally strongest.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




In reaction to media reports regarding access to bank accounts, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) said it is "indisputable that Belgian banks discriminate against the entire Antwerp diamond industry", IDEX online reported.

"Banks often refer to the so-called risk factor involved to justify their refusal. Claiming the industry is not sufficiently aware of this problem makes no sense. First of all, the diamond trade in our country is controlled strictly by a series of legal obligations. By law, only officially registered diamond companies are allowed to engage in trade, and very stringent anti-money laundering (AML) legislation is applied. Moreover, all international financial transactions are closely monitored, and within the Diamond Office, all exports and imports are 100 percent verified", AWDC stated.

"The long-awaited new tax regime, known as the Carat Tax, creates a higher level of transparency in terms of capital account and bookkeeping. This heightened transparency significantly improves banks ability to perform compliance controls. Ironically, the systematic refusal to open bank accounts for those that are linked to the diamond industry is preventing companies interested in (re-) establishing their business in Antwerp from doing so. Without a bank account, you cannot trade nor establish a registered diamond company", statement said.

AWDC regrets that "despite all the efforts and the attempts to engage in a constructive dialogue, the Belgian banks are still systematically refusing banking services to people in our trade, before they even have the chance to submit their request dossiers."



Alex Shishlo, Editor of the Rough&Polished European Bureau in Brussels




The 59,60 carat, mixed cut diamond known as "The Pink Star" was sold Tuesday at an auction for $71.2 million to make it the worlds most expensive gemstone, according to The Telegraph.

The diamond was initially sold for $83 million to New York-based diamond cutter Isaac Wolf, who later defaulted.

Reports had suggested that the diamond could fetch a record $60 million.

Sothebys, which auctioned the stone in New York, had last week said the pink diamond was the largest internally flawless fancy vivid pink diamond ever graded by the Geological Institute of America (GIA), but was still small enough to fit onto a ring.

"The extraordinary size of this 59,60 ct diamond, paired with its richness of colour, surpasses any known pink diamond record in history," chairperson of Sotheby's Jewellery Division, David Bennett was quoted as saying by Reuters then.

De Beers tweeted a day before the auction: The rough diamond that would become the PinkStar was discovered by us in 1999.

The group also noted in the same tweet that in its original rough diamond state, The Pink Star weighed 132.50 carats.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




The Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) has announced that it has appointed a retired District Court judge to rule arbitration cases instead of a fellow bourse member.

Financial disputes between members totaling $400,000 and above, as well as appeals on smaller disputes, will be brought before the higher level of the arbitration unit that will now be headed by a judge, while disputes up to that amount will continue to be arbitrated at the lower level by longstanding IDE members.

The decision was passed at the General Meeting of the IDE, which took place last week.

"The Israel Diamond Exchange takes pride in its Arbitration Institution, which enables disputes between members to be settled swiftly and professionally, either through mediation or arbitration," the IDE said in a statement.

According to IDE, arbitrators are experienced and reputable bourse members who view this function as an important public service.

After having reached an historic agreement with the Israel Tax Authority, this is a further step in our efforts to strengthen the standing of the Israel Diamond Exchange vis-a-vis government authorities and the world diamond industry, said IDE President Yoram Dvash.




A final judgement in the Conflict Minerals Rule case was rendered on April 3, 2017 by Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, a District Court Judge in the District of Columbia, thus bringing the 1,627-day litigation to its end, says Ropes & Gray, a global law firm in an alert distributed on Tuesday.

The District Court ruled that (1) Section 1502 of Dodd-Frank, Rule 13p-1 thereunder and Form SD violate the First Amendment to the extent that the statute and the rule require companies to report to the SEC and state on their websites that any of their products have not been found to be DRC conflict free, (2) held unlawful and set aside the Rule to the extent that it requires companies to report to the SEC and state on their websites that any of their products have not been found to be DRC conflict free and (3) remands to the SEC, to take action in furtherance of the Courts decision.

One of the main provisions affecting the jewelry business in the Dodd-Frank Act is Section 1502 (b), entitled Conflict Minerals Law. This provision obliges public companies, whose shares are traded on American stock exchanges, to submit reports to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on whether they obtain any of four metals (including gold, tantalum, tin and tungsten) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as to disclose their tax, royalty and other payments on each project they operate.

The Conflict Minerals Law stated purpose was to prevent US dollars from funding human rights atrocities in Central Africa, namely the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the nine adjoining countries. The law mandated that publicly-traded companies assess their use of these four metals; conduct significant due diligence through their supply chain to identify the original ore country of origin; identify where materials originate from the DRC or nine adjoining countries; sponsor a third-party audit and report of the efforts; and make this information publicly available on the companys website, as well as to SEC.

However, despite the judgement entered by the District Court of Columbia, the uncertainty continues, according to Ropes & Gray, as much depends on a new Statement delineating the mandatory requirements to companies to be published by the SEC. It is expected that the much-debated auditing procedure contemplated by the Conflict Minerals Rule will not be reinstated, at least for the upcoming calendar 2016 filing. Still if the Rule survives, it is not impossible, opines Ropes & Gray.

Whether and when the SEC might modify the Rule in response to comments received and the lessons learned from four years of compliance by companies, remain open questions, it says. The same can be said about possible suspending the Conflict Minerals Rule. Meanwhile, the status quo is maintained, as the roller coaster ride continues, the law firm says.

On April 3, 2017, the European Council voted to approve the pending EU conflict minerals regulation. The regulation, which places mandatory obligations on importers of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold (3TG) but not product manufacturers and sellers, takes effect on January 1, 2021.

Theodor Lisovoy, Rough&Polished, Moscow




ALROSA gains direct access to trading at MOEX FX Market

05 april 2017 News

ALROSA has gained direct access to trading at Moscow Exchanges FX Market. The first trades were executed on April 4, 2017. The news came in a press release from the company received by Rough&Polished on Wednesday.

Since January 16, 2017, Russian legal entities that are not credit organizations or professional participants of the securities market have been permitted to enter the FX market directly on equal terms with banks and brokerage firms.

Among the key benefits of entering the foreign-exchange market is a high level of information awareness with a possibility to make deals at best prices, as well as the presence of a central counterparty, the National Clearing Centre Bank, which guarantees the discharge of liabilities to bona fide participants and relieves them from the necessity to assess risks and sets limits against each other.

Igor Kulichik, ALROSA Vice President  Chief Financial Officer, said: Access to the foreign exchange market will allow ALROSA to increase the efficiency of FX purchase and sale transactions minimizing their costs. The clearing and settlement services offered by the Moscow Exchange provide convenient and prompt settlements. I believe the possibility to enter the exchange trading floor will attract other corporations as well.

Igor Marich, Managing Director of Money and Derivatives Market, Moscow Exchange, said: Moscow Exchange is working to expand the range of products and bring in new clients. The emergence of a new category of participants responds to global tendencies and will allow further boosting stock-trading liquidity, so that corporations will be able to enhance the efficiency of FX transactions while minimizing the risks. We are working with a number of major corporations interested in the access to trading at the Moscow Exchanges FX Market.






Quaker Chemical Corp. (KWR) and Houghton International Inc. announced a definitive agreement to combine the companies. Houghton shareholders will receive $172.5 million of cash and 24.5 percent ownership of the combined company, representing approximately 4.3 million shares of newly issued Quaker Chemical stock. Quaker Chemical will assume Houghton International's debt and cash, with net debt of approximately $690 million at year-end 2016. The agreement has been approved by both Quaker Chemical's board and Houghton International's board with full support of the Hinduja Group, which will become Quaker Chemical's largest shareholder. Michael Barry will continue as Chairman and CEO of the new , The completion of the transaction is expected by the end of 2017 or early 2018.

Quaker Chemical anticipates achieving cost synergies of approximately $45 million, the majority of which will be realized within two years of closing. After the close of the transaction, shares of the combined company will continue to be listed on the NYSE. The combined company is expected to continue to maintain its dividend.

Houghton International is a global leader in delivering advanced metalworking fluids and services for the automotive, aerospace, metals, mining, machinery, offshore and beverage industries. Headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Houghton operates research, manufacturing and office locations in 33 countries around the world. Houghton International is a Hinduja Group Company, which has owned more than 95% of Houghton International since 2012. The Hinduja Group is one of India's premier divecombinationrsified and transnational conglomerate.

The completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and approval by Quaker Chemical shareholders.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Company announcement

No. 08/2017

Nets to acquire the merchant acquiring business from OP Financial Group in Finland

Nets has today signed an agreement to acquire OP's merchant acquiring business, which consists of approximately 15,000 merchant contracts with an underlying annual card turnover of around DKK 37 billion from Visa and MasterCard transactions in Finland. Already an established merchant acquirer in Finland, Nets will hereby further consolidate our position in the Merchant Services segment.

Strategic partnership

Nets and OP will, as part of the transaction, enter into a 10-year strategic partnership agreement, which includes a referral arrangement for merchant acquiring and point-of-sale services covering Finland and the Baltic region. The partnership will provide OP's customers with a wider range of merchant payment solutions, while Nets will benefit from OP's strong brand recognition and distribution to merchants in Finland. The services will be operated under the Nets brand.

Nets has provided merchant acquiring processing services to OP for many years and therefore the transfer of the business will be seamless and frictionless for the customers.

Bo Nilsson, CEO of Nets, said:

"This is an important acquisition for our Merchant Services business. We are excited to further build on the close co-operation between Nets and OP and we look forward to working together with OP to provide great payment services to their banking customers. The 10-year strategic partnership agreement shows a strong commitment from the parties, and we at Nets will continuously add innovations to this important area"

Jouko Polonen, Executive Vice President, Head of Banking at OP Financial Group, said:

"By selling the merchant acquiring business to Nets, we ensure that we can offer our banking customers a competitive product offering in the long term. Merchant acquiring is an increasing specialist area that requires scale and investment in order to stay ahead of the market. Nets is a leading merchant acquirer in the Nordic region with a strong presence in Finland, and we are confident that Nets will continue to be the right partner for OP and our customers"

Transaction overview and financial impact

Nets will acquire OP's merchant acquiring business through our subsidiary Nets Oy for an expected total consideration of DKK 224 million, which consists of an initial cash consideration of DKK 179 million and an expected deferred payment on a discounted basis of around DKK 45 million, dependent on how the acquired business develops over the contract period. The acquisition is structured as an asset deal primarily consisting of merchant contracts in Finland. The acquisition does not include any transfer of employees from OP.

There are no conditions for closing of the transaction, which is expected by the end of Q2 2017.

Nets' capital allocation principles prioritise investments in organic growth and bolt-on acquisitions. The acquisition will be funded by Nets' own cash and existing credit facilities. The information in this Company Announcement does not change the guidance for 2017.

About the acquired business

OP's merchant acquiring business consists of approximately 15,000 merchant contracts in Finland. The merchant contracts are distributed across large account and key account customers as well as small- and medium-sized businesses.

About OP Financial Group

OP Financial Group is Finland's largest financial services group, consisting of about 170 member cooperative banks, its central cooperative OP Cooperative and the latter's subsidiaries and affiliates. The Group has a staff of 12,000 and some 1.7 million owner-customers and 4.3 million customers.

For further information

For media enquiries:

Karsten Anker Petersen, Head of Communications, at +45 44 89 78 83 or kapet@nets.eu

For investor enquiries:

Lars Oestmoe, Head of M&A and IR, at +47 91 34 71 77 or lostm@nets.eu

Forward-looking statements

This report contains forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, as various factors, many of which are beyond the control of Nets A/S, may cause actual developments and results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in this report.

Information on Nets

Nets is a leading provider of digital payment services and related technology solutions across the Nordic region. Nets sits at the centre of the digital payments ecosystem and operates a deeply entrenched network, which connects merchants, corporate customers, financial institutions and consumers enabling them to make and receive payments as well as, increasingly, utilise value-added services to help them improve their respective activities.
A mass petition, calling for the First Lady to move to the White House or pay for her own security costs, continues to gain support with the number of signatures crossing half a million.

While President Donald Trump moved to the White House following his inauguration in January, his wife Melania Trump is staying back in New York, living in Trump Tower with their 10-year-old son Baron.

"Baron is going to finish up school because he's got just a couple of months to go. So, it's a little hard to take him out of school. And Melania will be back and forth for that first couple of months," Trump said at that time.

So far 516,873 people have signed a petition, "Make Melania Trump stay in the White House or pay for the expenses herself," to be sent to the US Senate, as well as Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

The U.S. taxpayer is paying an exorbitant amount of money to protect the First Lady in Trump Tower, located in New York City, says the petition launched by Chnage.Org. As to help relieve the national debt, this expense yields no positive results for the nation, and should be cut from being funded, it adds.



It costs between $127,000 and $146,000 a day of taxpayers' money to protect the First Lady and her son while they reside in Trump Tower, according to an NYPD letter sent to members of the New York delegation to Congress.

Monday, the White House released the official portrait of the First Lady.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
European lawmakers on Wednesday overwhelmingly backed a resolution that laid down the key guidelines for Brexit negotiations with the UK and called for a phased approach to discussions, in contrast to the British government's wish for parallel talks on exit and future relationship with the European Union.

In the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, 516 MEPs voted in favor, 133 against with 50 abstentions, to adopt the resolution that officially laid down the red lines for talks with the UK.

Any deal with the UK on conclusion of talks must win the approval of the European Parliament.

British Prime Minister Theresa May gave notice of her country's withdrawal from the EU on March 29.

Talks between the EU and the UK are set to take place over two years and expected to conclude in March 2019.

"Parliament's vote will be decisive for the final outcome of the conditions for the UK's withdrawal and for future EU-UK relations," European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said.

"The recent terrorist attacks make it clear that all European countries will need to continue working closely with each other."

There was broad support among MEPs to give top priority to protecting citizens' interests in Brexit talks. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU's Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier stressed on the need for the 27 member states to stay united during the talks.

"A disorderly exit is the most unfavorable case," Juncker said in the EU Parliament ahead of the vote. That would be a very disadvantageous situation for many families and people, for research, for security cooperation and for trade, he added.

"In short, no deal means no one wins, all will lose," Juncker said.

Juncker also said that the UK cannot enjoy the same benefits as a member state once it leaves the EU.

"A third country cannot have the same benefits as a Member State," he said. "This Parliament must and will ensure that this reality is fully upheld over the course of the next two years."

Meanwhile, Barnier called the British government's desire to hold parallel talks on the withdrawal and the future relationship "a very risk approach".

"To succeed, we need on the contrary to devote the first phase of negotiations exclusively to reaching an agreement on the principles of the exit," Barnier said.

"It is an essential condition to maximize our chances to reach an agreement within two years," he added.

That implies reducing uncertainties for people and businesses regarding their legal rights and the EU borders.

And success depends on three conditions, which according to Barnier are unity, lifting uncertainty and phasing of negotiations.

"If there is no agreement, the consequences will be heavy, for the United Kingdom especially, but also for the Union," Barnier warned.

"That is why the no deal scenario is not our scenario."

Barnier also noted that the devil will be in the detail of any deal and stressed on the importance of ensuring that the agreement effectively guarantees the rights of citizens.

The EU will never punish the UK or make it pay a single euro in excess of what it owes, the EU top official said. Unofficial estimates put the Brexit bill at around EUR 60 billion.

The second phase of Brexit talks will be devoted to scoping future relations and discussing necessary transitory arrangements, Barnier said.

"The sooner we agree on the principles of an orderly withdrawal, the sooner we can prepare our future relationship in trade, but also in security and defence," he said.

German MEP Manfred Weber reiterated that the UK will not be allowed to cherry-pick in negotiations as a state outside the EU cannot have the same or better conditions than one inside the union.

Italian MEP Gianni Pittella said the deal will not be approved if the conditions set out in the resolution are not met.

Many European leaders also pointed out that Brexit should be a catalyst for a rebirth of the EU and an opportunity to strengthen bonds among members.

Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt, who headed the team that drew up the red lines, described Brexit a "catfight" in the Conservative Party that got out of hand. He said this was a time to show the capacity to give rebirth to the European project.

Helga Stevens, also an MEP from Belgium, sought a new direction for Europe, with or without the UK.

British MEP and Brexit champion Nigel Farage said there was a bigger world out there than the European Union.

Elsewhere, British prime minister May said there would be an implementation phase once an exit deal is finalized as businesses and governments need time to adjust.

Brussels reportedly suggested that the transition period after March 2019 would be no more than three years. The U.K. is yet to confirm such reports.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to Lucca, Italy, April 9-11 to attend the G-7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting to discuss global political and security issues of mutual concern with his counterparts. Their discussions will set the stage for the G-7 Leaders' Summit which President Trump will attend in Taormina, Italy in May, State Department Acting Spokesperson Mark C. Toner said in a statement Wednesday. On the margins of the G-7 ministerial, Secretary Tillerson will also meet with several of his counterparts for bilateral discussions.

The Secretary will travel to Moscow on April 12, where he will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other Russian officials to discuss Ukraine, counterterrorism efforts, bilateral relations and other issues, including North Korea and Syria.

"This trip is part of our effort to maintain direct lines of communication with senior Russian officials and to ensure U.S. views are clearly conveyed, including on next steps in Minsk implementation," Toner said.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
PM discusses with Humanitarian Coordinator aspects of coordination with regard to humanitarian situation

SANA'A, April 05 (Saba) - Prime Minister Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Habtoor met on Wednesday in Sana'a with the humanitarian coordinator in Yemen Jimmie McGoldrick.



The meeting discussed aspects of cooperation and coordination between the National Salvation Government and the international and humanitarian organizations towards the dire humanitarian situation faced by the Yemeni people due to the continued aggression and siege against the Yemeni people for more than two years.



The meeting focused on the international conference on Yemen scheduled to be held in the Swiss city of Geneva and the need to coordinate efforts to highlight the humanitarian challenges and catastrophic effects caused by the aggression and its unjust siege during this conference, as well as the more painful effects that will result from any military action on Hodeida province or any attempt to close its ports by aggressors.



The Prime Minister hailed the growing humanitarian role of the United Nations towards the Yemeni people and its contribution to alleviating the repercussions of the aggression and siege on the Yemeni people.



He pointed out that the Yemeni people rely on the United Nations and its leadership as well as humanitarian organizations to convey clear messages to the world about the tragic humanitarian situation as a result of arrogance and the barbarism of aggression.



He pointed out the importance of concerted efforts to face the aggression, and to make clear to the world that this port is the only main and safer access to basic supplies and humanitarian aid to the majority of the people.



The UN official said that UNDP and other humanitarian organizations are aware of the great importance of the port of Hodeida in serving the majority of the Yemeni people.



He pointed out that the humanitarian aspect is the essence of what will be discussed by the Donors Conference on Yemen, stressing the commitment of all organizations working in the humanitarian field in conveying realistic images of the nature of the humanitarian situation suffered by Yemenis as a result of the current circumstances.



HA



Saba

Facebook Facebook

Twitter Twitter

Whatsapp Whatsapp

Telegram Telegram

Email Email

Print Print

[05/April/2017]
NEW YORK, April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



EVENT: Bideawee, one of greater New Yorks leading animal welfare organizations, will be celebrating the launch of their new Mobile Adoption Unit in Union Square. Adorable dogs and cats of all ages and sizes will be available for adoption and looking for their forever homes. All adoption fees will be waived at this special event. Arrive early for free Bideawee treats for people and special treats for pets donated by our friends at Hills pet nutrition!

WHEN: Saturday, April 8, 2017, 10am-2pm.

WHERE: Union Square West at 17th Street, Manhattan

ABOUT BIDEAWEE: Bideawee, which means "stay awhile," in Scottish, is one of the nations oldest and most respected animal welfare and pet adoption organizations. Founded in 1903, Bideawee's mission is to be Greater New York's leader in rescuing, caring for, and placing homeless cats and dogs with people who love them. Bideawee provides an array of high touch services including adoption centers, animal hospitals, pet therapy programs, and pet memorial parks that serve pets and pet lovers on their lifelong journey together. Bideawee is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 humane animal organization and 100% of Bideawee's funding comes from private sources. Bideawee operates in New York City, Wantagh, and Westhampton. For more information, visit: www.bideawee.org.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ae64d626-ba1d-4ae4-b610-42011930533f.
ADVA FSP 150 ProVMe (P2.4) Uses Pluggable Server for Simple and Cost-Effective Virtualization

Munich, Germany. April 5, 2017. ADVA Optical Networking today launched its new FSP 150 ProVMe (P2.4). The device has been specifically engineered to remove the risk of introducing virtualization and helps CSPs to easily and cost-effectively roll out NFV. The FSP 150 ProVMe (P2.4) achieves this with the inclusion of a hot-swappable, pluggable server that enables NFV rollout as and when needed. In combination with its hardware-assisted NFV infrastructure support functions, the newest member of the ADVA One Network Edge product family provides a simple and cost-effective way for CSPs to deploy virtual network functions (VNFs) in direct response to customer demand. The pluggable modular server also works with the ADVA Ensemble portfolio to support distributed NFV through embedded cloud functionality for greater security and scalability.

"What we've created here is a blueprint for pain-free NFV deployment. By embedding our FSP 150 ProVMe (P2.4) with a pluggable server, CSPs are assured of a simple and profitable way to transition to virtualization. This device makes the efficiency and flexibility of NFV available today," said Stephan Rettenberger, SVP, marketing and investor relations, ADVA Optical Networking. "By adding a pluggable server directly into our demarcation device, CSPs can choose exactly when they want to roll out VNFs to their customers. Every aspect of this technology has been engineered to align capital costs with actual revenue. That's why our pluggable server is easily upgradable. It means your network can grow at the same pace as your business and customers' demands."

The ADVA FSP 150 ProVMe (P2.4) is a multi-technology solution for multi-layer business service demarcation and VNF hosting. It combines virtual and physical network functions for low-latency forwarding and significantly enhanced performance. Hardware-assisted support functions, such as tunneling technologies and service assurance, free up compute resources for revenue-generating services, enabling CSPs to offer a wide range of demanding applications far more efficiently. Unique VNF monitoring functions are implemented in hardware for server-independent service assurance, providing essential information for managing and optimizing the NFV infrastructure. These features are a key differentiator for the ADVA FSP 150 ProVMe series and were recently confirmed in independent EANTC tests.

"What we bring to bear here is our real-world experience of helping CSPs to simply and efficiently virtualize service delivery. With our pluggable server, we've completed the virtualization business case. For so many customers, the latest addition to our One Network Edge family is the missing piece of the puzzle," said Ulrich Kohn, director, technical marketing, ADVA Optical Networking. "We've focused on VNF service assurance and implemented unique hardware-based support functions. With our integrated carrier-grade server, we're giving CSPs an NFV roadmap with no risks, no unknowns and no unnecessary costs. What's more, our new, pluggable FSP 150 ProVMe (P2.4) will help significantly with server lifecycle management. It makes the process of upgrading simple and efficient so new technology can be deployed as soon as it's developed."

Watch this product video for more information on the ADVA FSP 150 ProVMe (P2.4): http://adva.li/provmep24video.

Supporting slides with additional technical information are available here: http://adva.li/provmep24slides.

# # #

About ADVA Optical Networking

ADVA Optical Networking is a company founded on innovation and driven to help our customers succeed. For over two decades, our technology has empowered networks across the globe. We're continually developing breakthrough hardware and software that leads the networking industry and creates new business opportunities. It's these open connectivity solutions that enable our customers to deliver the cloud and mobile services that are vital to today's society and for imagining new tomorrows. Together, we're building a truly connected and sustainable future. For more information on how we can help you, please visit us at: www.advaoptical.com.

Published By:

ADVA Optical Networking SE, Munich, Germany

www.advaoptical.com

For Press:

Gareth Spence

t +44 1904 699 358

public-relations(at)advaoptical.com

For Investors:

Stephan Rettenberger

t +49 89 890 665 854

investor-relations(at)advaoptical.com
ROCKLEDGE, Fla., April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kona Gold Solutions, Inc. (OTC Pink:KGKG), a hemp lifestyle brand of exclusivity and status, is pleased to announce it has engaged the independent auditing firm DArelli Pruzansky, P.A. as its new Certified Public Accountants, effective immediately.



Upgrading to the OTCQB requires timely filings and full disclosures which provide a high level of transparency to all interested companies, institutional sized corporations and private investors, which the company believes will open the door to new financial avenues. Kona Gold has been in negotiations with large retailers and distributors that require financial transparency as a qualifying prerequisite to the application process of becoming a nationally recognized hemp-infused products manufacturer.

This is a huge step forward for our company to not only provide full transparency to our shareholders, but to help expedite our rapid growth into a hemp-infused products manufacturer conglomerate, said Robert Clark, CEO of Kona Gold Solutions, Inc. Its hard to believe how much we have accomplished in less than 2 years, and I couldnt be happier with all we have accomplished. I have said it before: this is just the beginning; 2017 is the year for gold  Kona Gold!

DArelli Pruzansky, P.A., is a full-service CPA firm, offering private and public company audit services, upscale tax compliance and consulting services, and general business and accounting consulting services. The firm is registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (Firm # 5729) and its partners are members of the American Institute of certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA). Presently, the firm has a diverse list of public and private company audit clients, and an expansive domestic and international tax clientele, including medium to high net worth individuals, trusts, estates, partnerships, S corporations, C corporations and consolidated groups.

The Company recently announced it has reduced its debt by forty-eight thousand ($48,000), reducing the Companys total liabilities to $100,468. Kona Golds management team negotiated with two debt holders to pay off its liabilities without issuing new shares. The Company is also in negotiations to reduce its total outstanding liabilities by an additional seventy thousand dollars ($70,000). Kona Golds Management team felt it was imperative to implement a new growth strategy by decreasing the amount of total outstanding liabilities to increase shareholder value and position the Company for rapid growth. The Company decided to use the proceeds from the sale of Elev8 Hemp LLC to Elev8 Brands, Inc. to reduce a majority of its outstanding liabilities. The Company is set to use the additional proceeds from the sale of its subsidiary to pay legal consul to draft and submit a form S-1 as well as to complete a full audit of the companys financial statements.

For more information regarding Kona Gold Solutions, please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/konagoldhemp

https://twitter.com/konagoldhemp

https://www.instagram.com/konagoldhemp/

http://www.konagoldhemp.com

Kona Gold Solutions, Inc.:

Kona Gold Solutions, Inc. has created Kona Gold LLC, a Delaware Corporation, which has developed a premium Hemp Infused Energy Drink line, Energy shots, and Apparel; please visit the Companys new website at www.konagoldhemp.com. The Company is located on the east coast of Florida in Rockledge, FL.

Safe Harbor Statement:

The information posted in this release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "project," "intend," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, delays in completing various engineering and manufacturing programs, changes in customer order patterns, changes in product mix, continued success in technological advances and delivering technological innovations, shortages in components, production delays due to performance quality issues with outsourced components, and various other factors beyond the Company's control.
By SA Commercial Prop News

Cornubia Development in KwaZulu-Natal has received a major boost after SANRAL agreed to fund the bulk of R830 million N2/M41 interchange improvements. Image gallery



South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) has agreed to facilitate funding of Cornubia interchange improvements at Mt Edgecombe in KwaZulu-Natal.

The inter-governmental, multibillion Rand Cornubia Development, situated north of Durban, is underway and has just received a major boost after SANRAL agreed to fund the bulk of R830 million N2/M41 interchange.

The development was initially a joint venture between the eThekwini Metro Municipality and Tongaat Hulett, but has since been adopted by Cabinet as a national priority project. All spheres of government, including the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government, are now official partners in the development.



Cornubia is a mixed use and mixed income development consisting of 1 200 hectares of the land. Of these, 80 hectares are earmarked for industrial development. The rest is for commercial, housing and other public amenities.



The development will see an additional 24 000 homes -- of which 15 000 are proposed for subsidised housing and the balance for a wide range of affordability levels -- being built.



The issue of the N2/M41 interchange had caused consternation among stakeholders, as organs of state could not agree on the funding formula.



SANRAL spokesperson Vusi Mona confirmed that the issue has been resolved.



We can confirm that we will fund the Cornubia interchange improvements at Mt Edgecombe. The cost of the interchange is in the order of R830 million. The contract was just awarded recently to the contractor CMC.



According to developers, the development will eventually create 370 000 temporary construction jobs and 36 000 new employment opportunities.



Cornubia Development also makes provision for social and public facilities (schools, creches, clinics etc). Other facilities and amenities such as multi-purpose halls, post office, police stations, hotels/motels and churches will also be provided at Cornubia.



Cornubia will also boast a BRT (bus rapid transport) system, hence a multi-nodal transport interchange for taxis and buses will be planned. The general approach is that all facilities will be accessible to pedestrians and not just vehicles.



The development is strategically located (some 15km south of the new King Shaka International Airport) between the historically advantaged Mt Edgecombe/Umhlanga area and disadvantaged areas north of Durban such as Inanda, Ntuzuma, KwaMashu, Phoenix, Ottawa and Waterloo.



In an interview with SAnews, Kwanele Ncalane, spokesperson forthe KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, confirmed that an agreement had been reached by all parties involved regarding the funding of the interchange.



The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport is going to contribute. However at this stage, we are not in a position to disclose the actual investment in the project, Ncalane said.



The developer is to move on site by August. All parties have agreed on a cost-sharing ratio, eThekwini Metro Municipality City Manager Sbu Sithole said.
A documentary that depicts the last queen of Awadh, Begum Hazrat Mahal's contributions to the First War of Independence and her resistance to the British, will be screened in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, where the "warrior queen" lived in exile for 20 years until her death 138 years ago.

"The family has been formally invited by the Indian Embassy in Nepal to pay tributes and also to screen the documentary on April 7 on the occasion of her 138th death anniversary," Manzilat Fatima, the great-great-granddaughter of Hazrat Mahal, told.

Fatima said the begum, one of the younger queens of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, was a freedom fighter who made major contributions to the 1857 War of Independence but is not celebrated in the same way as Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi.



The 26-minute Hindi documentary titled "Begum Hazrat Mahal: The Last Queen of Avadh (The first woman revolutionary of India's War of Independence)" and made by filmmaker Mohiuddin Mirza, has been produced by Films Division and Fatima was keen to screen it for awareness.



"The film was made a few years back and it was kept in cold storage. I realised some awareness must be created among the people and especially the youth... there are freedom fighters who are not remembered," Fatima said.



Hazrat Mahal took "active part in the defence" of Lucknow against the British, according to the book "Freedom Fighters of India" edited by M.G. Agrawal.



She took charge of the affairs of the state after the British annexed it in 1856, exiling the nawab, and leaving the kingdom without a leader, in a chaotic mess. She crowned her son, Birjis Qadr, as the royal heir of Awadh.



"Although she was queen and was used to a life of luxury, she appeared on the battlefield herself to encourage her troops," the book notes.



Simmi Jain in the "Encyclopedia of Indian Women Through The Ages (period of freedom struggle)" notes that Hazrat Mahal had challenged the British monarch, Queen Victoria, by issuing a counter-proclamation against her.



Jain writes in the book: "After the mutiny was quelled, the Queen of England issued a proclamation to appease the people. Begum issued a counter proclamation challenging the truth and sincerity of the promises made by the English queen. She also warned people not to believe these promises 'for it is the unvarying custom of the English never to forgive a fault, be it great or small'."



She held out against the British with all her strength as long as she could.



Ultimately, she escaped to Nepal with her son and a clutch of followers under adverse circumstances in 1859.



The book says the Nepalese authorities were initially reluctant to provide asylum to the rebels. She faced many difficulties in the country.



She maintained her opposition through 20 years of exile in Nepal, until her death in 1879.



"She was one of the first few leaders who took on the British in the mutiny of 1857. She was known for her military and administrative abilities. Mahal fought for her country. Many incentives were offered by the British... but she turned down everything because she didn't want to compromise. She chose to live miserably in Kathmandu -- in a foreign land," Fatima said.



A pearl-adorned and embroidered "chadar" will be placed on the begum's grave in Kathmandu by her descendants on April 7, Fatima added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday remembered independence activist Jagjivan Ram on his birth anniversary.

"Remembering Babu Jagjivan Ram on his birth anniversary. His service to India and struggles for the rights of the marginalised always inspire," the Prime Minsiter tweeted.



Remembering Babu Jagjivan Ram on his birth anniversary. His service to India & struggles for the rights of the marginalised always inspire.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 5  2017

Popularly known as Babuji, the Dalit leader from Bihar served as the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister under former Prime Minister Morarji Desai's government.


The Congress on Wednesday filed a privilege notice against Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for "misleading" the Lok Sabha on the appointment of Lokpal.

Congress leader K.C. Venugopal alleged that the Finance Minister misled the House by saying that the Lokpal amendment was pending with a parliamentary committee and therefore the government was not able to make the necessary changes to appoint a Lokpal.



As per the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act of 2013, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha will be part of the Lokpal selection panel. At present, there is no Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, which necessitates an amendment to appoint Lokpal.



When the issue was raised by Venugopal in the Lok Sabha on March 29, Jaitley had said: "There is an amendment pending before the standing committee, let the report of the standing committee come expeditiously, we will follow it."





On Wednesday, Venugopal said he had moved a privilege motion because the Minister "misled" the House.



"Finance Minister said the bill is in the standing committee, that is not true. The Minister misled the House, I am seeking a privilege motion," he said.



Congress Leader Mallikarjun Kharge slammed Jaitley for "lying" in the House.



"He is an eminent lawyer, and he speaks a lie in Parliament," Kharge said.



Speaker Sumitra Mahajan however refused to comment on the issue and said the privilege motion was under her consideration.



"The decision cannot be taken immediately. I will look at it when it comes to me," Mahajan said.




COLUMBUS, Ohio and ROCHESTER, Mich., April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SingleCare Services, LLC, the leading provider of prescription savings programs, has partnered with OptimizeRx Corp. (OTCQB:OPRX), the leading aggregator of sponsored services in the electronic health records (EHR) space. The exclusive partnership provides OptimizeRx clients the opportunity to connect their customers with the right drug, at the right time, at the right price, through SingleCares prescription savings program.



The integration of SingleCares pharmacy offering with OptimizeRxs platform will allow healthcare providers to offer guaranteed savings to their patients without any interruption in their e-prescribe workflow. Through the OptimizeRx platform, SingleCares prescription savings program can be electronically transmitted with an e-Prescription to the pharmacy.

SingleCare is always looking for opportunities to help improve patient outcomes, said Rick Bates, CEO and co-founder of SingleCare. In partnership with OptimizeRx, we will be able to deliver prescription savings to more than 500,000 healthcare professionals and their patients. Healthcare professionals spend more than three hours a day using their EHR; our ability to connect with them during their regular workflow improves their efficiency and creates significant value for their patients.

SingleCare negotiates the lowest possible pricing on all FDA-approved prescription medications and then passes the value through to consumers. SingleCare also offers industry leading pricing tools, where consumers can see the cost of their prescriptions at in-network pharmacies. SingleCare is accepted nationwide at over 35,000 retail pharmacies, including Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Target, Longs Drugs, Frys, Duane Reade and Harris Teeter.

The SingleCare prescription savings program will be an excellent addition for our extensive network of more than 350 EHR/eRx network partners, said William Febbo, CEO of OptimizeRx. In an expensive healthcare environment, patient empowerment is important and valued. The uniqueness of our SingleCare partnership provides prescription price transparency to consumers, which encourages patient compliance and reduction in prescription abandonment. That means better overall health outcomes, a core commitment of OptimizeRx.

About SingleCare

SingleCare, a 2016 Dig|Benefits Technology Innovator Award winner, is reshaping the way we think about healthcare by creating an online, price transparent marketplace for the purchase of routine health services. SingleCare offers pre-negotiated, affordable rates for routine care and publishes those rates so consumers can make more informed decisions about their healthcare and the subsequent costs. With an intuitive online platform and free membership, consumers can see a medical doctor online or search, view, and compare the cost of dental procedures, vision exams, and prescriptions; book an appointmentand then pay the pre-negotiated rate after their appointment. For healthcare providers, SingleCare guarantees full payment for services rendered so they can reduce financial risk, administrative burdens and cost. Founded in 2014, SingleCare is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Learn more at www.singlecare.com.

About OptimizeRx Corp

Based in Rochester, Michigan, OptimizeRx Corporation is a health technology software company that is revolutionizing the point of care experience through technology to improve clinical decisions and outcomes. OptimizeRxs unique consumer and physician platforms help patients better afford and comply with their medicines and healthcare products, while offering pharmaceutical and healthcare companies effective ways to expand awareness, access and adherence to their medications.

The OptimizeRx core product replaces drug samples with electronic trial vouchers and copay coupon savings that are electronically added to an e-Prescription and sent electronically to the pharmacy and is integrated within leading electronic health record (EHR) platforms in the country, including Allscripts, DrFirst, NewCrop, Quest Diagnostics, Practice Fusion and other EHRs to reach over 500,000 healthcare providers. In turn, OptimizeRx promotes patient savings and support from the worlds largest pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Lilly, Novartis, AstraZeneca, and many others. For more information, visit www.optimizerx.com.

Important Cautions Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the definition of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and such section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934, amended. These forward-looking statements should not be used to make an investment decision. The words 'estimate,' 'possible' and 'seeking' and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which speak only as to the date the statement was made. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted, or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties to which forward-looking statements are subject include, but are not limited to, the effect of government regulation, competition and other material risks.

SingleCares Media Contact:

Rich Shea

Shea Communications

Tel (212) 627-5766

rshea@sheacommunications.com

OptimizeRxs Investor Relations Contact:

Ron Both

CMA

Tel (949) 432-7557

oprx@cma.team
Under pressure from ruling ally Shiv Sena and the opposition clamouring for arm loans waiver,Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the Maharashtra government is studying the Uttar Pradesh model to help farmers.

Under pressure from ruling ally Shiv Sena and the opposition clamouring for farm loans waiver, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the Maharashtra government is studying the Uttar Pradesh model to help farmers.



"I have already instructed the state Finance Secretary to study the UP farm loan waiver model and see how it can be implemented here," Fadnavis informed the state legislature.



He said the government has already sought central assistance to write off the farm debts here, but in case that was not possible the state government would explore ways and means through its own resources.







"We are working hard to help our farmers since day one of our government," Fadnavis assured amidst loud demands for making farmers debt-free from the BJP ally Shiv Sena, Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and others.



Fadnavis' assurance came a day after the shocking incident of two graduate debt-ridden farmer-brothers ending their lives in Satara on Tuesday.



According to Satara Superintendent of Police Sandip Patil, the deceased were Jagannath Chavan and his brother Vijay Chavan, both science graduates, married and having two sons each.



They ran an agro-processing unit in MIDC, Karad and were being harassed by recovery agents for repaying a loan of around Rs five million, Patil said.



On Monday, Vijay consumed poison at the factory. After hearing the tragedy, his brother Jagannath also jumped before a train and ended his life.



Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray has lauded Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's announcement writing off all farm-debts upto Rs one lakh for the farmers of his state.



"It's a creditable achievement, he has kept his pre-poll promise... He has proved that election promises need not be mere 'jumlas', but can be implemented," Thackeray said in a statement in party mouthpiece Saamana Group.



"If the CM of the biggest state (UP) in the country can do it, then why should the CM of the largest agricultural state (Maharashtra) lag behind? We want a complete farm loans waiver... That is our demand and will always remain," Thackeray declared grimly.



The Maharashtra Congress-NCP and other parties who completed a weeklong 'Sangharsh Yatra' across the state on Tuesday for farm loans waiver, raised the same demand again vociferously.
India on Wednesday said the attack on Nigerian nationals in Greater Noida could not be called racial till a probe is completed, and termed the statement by African envoys in the matter as "unfortunate and surprising".

It also said the government is committed to ensuring the security and safety of foreign nationals in India.



"You can't say our steps are inadequate. We are committed to ensuring security of all foreigners, including African nationals in India," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in the Lok Sabha, making a statement on the issue.



Sushma Swaraj also questioned the allegation by African envoys describing the attacks late last month as xenophobic.



"The attack cannot be called racist before the probe is completed. I said this in context of attacks in the US too.



"It is wrong to term the incident as a racial attack since this was done by an angry mob. Indians have also died in African nations, but New Delhi did not allege racial attacks," she said.



The senior BJP leader also dubbed the statement by African envoys as "unfortunate".



"African envoys' statement on attacks on African students is unfortunate, painful and surprising," Sushma said.



African Heads of Missions posted in New Delhi have strongly condemned the March 27 attack on Nigerian nationals and said such attacks were "xenophobic and racial in nature".



They also kept open the possibility of taking the matter to international human rights bodies for an independent investigation if the Indian government failed to take legal action against the perpetrators.



The attack on four Nigerian students took place on March 27 night in Greater Noida, some 40 km from the Indian capital, following protests over the death of a Class 12 student of a residential colony there due to drug overdose.



Some people who were holding a candle-light vigil for the student attacked the Nigerians, suspecting them of drug-running.





Sushma Swaraj said her junior colleague V.K. Singh spoke to the Dean of African Heads of Mission on the issue and termed their remarks as sad.



The Minister said: "If they say India is a xenophobic country and they want to go to the Human Rights Council, I have informed them India has all human rights institutions, very active civil societies, a free press and judiciary."



"We have all the systems and you are talking about going to the Human Rights Council," she added.



The Minister said six people have been arrested in the case and strict action will be taken against the culprits.


External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday slammed Pakistan's move to declare Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth province and said the whole of Jammu and Kashmir, including areas under Pakistan's occupation, is an Indian territory.

The minister's response came in the Lok Sabha after the issue was raised by Biju Janata Dal member Bhartruhari Mahtab during Zero Hour.



Mahtab questioned the government response to Pakistan's move, and said both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha should pass a resolution to condemn the development.



"The Pakistan government has unilaterally decided to declare Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth province. At the time of Partition, a British political agent in charge of Gilgit and Baltistan allowed Pakistani soldiers to take over the area, even though Indian Constitution recognises Gilgit-Baltistan as an integral part of our country," Mahtab said.



He said the British Parliament had recently passed a resolution to condemn Islamabad's move, saying the region is part of Jammu and Kashmir, and illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947.



In response, Sushma Swaraj said India rejects Pakistan's move, and added that the government's stand on Jammu and Kashmir being an integral part of India should not be doubted.



"You saw Pakistan's move, but didn't see what we have done. Without losing time, we rejected it, and both the houses of Parliament have said that the entire Jammu and Kashmir, including Pakistan-occupied areas, is ours," the External Affairs Minister said.



"This government has always said that Kashmir, where (Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad) Mookerjee was martyred, is ours. There should be no doubt," she said.



In a separate written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on the issue, Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh said that any attempt to alter the status of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is completely unacceptable.





"The government has seen reports that a committee headed by Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan has recommended that the so-called 'Gilgit-Baltistan' area of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is under illegal occupation of Pakistan, be given 'provisional provincial status'," V.K. Singh stated.



"It is our consistent position that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Any action to alter the status of any part of the territory under the illegal and forcible occupation of Pakistan has no legal basis whatsoever and is completely unacceptable," he said.
China on Wednesday reacted angrily to the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh and said that by ignoring Beijing's concerns over the issue New Delhi has caused "serious damage" to bilateral ties. India reiterated that no political colour should be attributed to the Tibetan spiritual leader's visit to the northeastern state.



Diplomatic tensions escalated with Beijing summoning the Indian envoy Vijay Gokhale to lodge its protest, even as the 81-year-old Tibetan leader, who arrived in Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday, said in Bomdila that India has never used him against China.



In a prelude to China's belligerence, the Chinese state-run media warned that New Delhi's inviting the Tibetan spiritual leader to the "sensitive region" would "gravely damage" India-China relations. China considers large parts of Arunachal Pradesh as south Tibet, while India has said that Arunachal is an inseparable part of its territory.



Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, addressing a regular briefing, voiced Beijing's "firm opposition" to the Dalai Lama's visit and said her country would lodge "stern representations with the Indian side".



Hua said that India "in disregard" to China's concerns "obstinately" went ahead to arrange the Tibetan leader's visit, causing "serious damage" to China's interests and China-India relations.



She said that India should "immediately cease using the Dalai Lama's mistaken behaviour to damage China's interests" and not "hype up sensitive" bilateral issues.



The state-run Global Times accused the Indian government of "openly using" the Dalai Lama "as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage".



It said India was trying to play the Tibet card against China as "New Delhi is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance over its membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its request to name Masood Azhar, head of Pakistani militant group, to a UN Security Council blacklist".



Reacting to Beijing's objection against his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Nobel Peace Laureate said: "There are many in China who love India, but there are some narrow-minded politicians because of their certain views..they considered me as a demon."



Denying Chinese assertions that India was using him as a diplomatic leverage to challenge China, the Tibetan spiritual leader said: "I am India's longest standing guest. India has never used me against China."



On the Tibetan stand, he told journalists, ahead of proceeding to Tawang for a major Buddhist event: "We are not seeking independence. We are very much willing to remain with People's Republic of China. I always used to talk about the spirit of the European Union, individual nations, individual sovereignty but that is not so important, what is important is common interest."

"Tibet is materialistically backward but spiritually highly-developed. For material development, we need to remain with the People's Republic China as it is our interest. The government (of China) should feel ok for the mutual benefit," he added.



"China must give us meaningful self-rule, autonomy, and must take care of the environment in Tibet. China has the highest population of Tibetan Buddhists. Many Chinese intellectuals also fully support our cause," he said.



China had protested former US envoy Richard Verma's visit to Tawang last October and warned Washington against meddling in the border dispute between New Delhi and Beijing.



India on Wednesday reiterated that no political colour should be attributed to the Tibetan spiritual leader's trip and that the Dalai Lama has visited Arunachal earlier on half a dozen occasions.



"We also urged that no political colour be ascribed to his religious and spiritual activities and to his visits to states of India, and no artificial controversy created around his ongoing visit," External Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said.



On Tuesday, India asked China not to interfere in its matters. Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, said: "India has always been non-interfering in the neighbours' internal affairs in our approach. In the same manner, we expect the same from our neighbours."
The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday witnessed a heated debate on the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), with the Congress demanding a ban since "these machines are not tamper-proof".

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "Use of EVMs should be stopped right now. These EVMs should not be used in the April 23 civic polls in Delhi, coming assembly polls in Gujarat and other states."



The Rajya Sabha was even adjourned briefly over the issue after it was raised by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.



Later, Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati and other opposition leaders also joined Digvijaya Singh and raised doubts on the EVMs.



"It's a serious matter," said Yadav.



Mayawati said the government was not "trustworthy" and her party will take the matter to court.





In response, members of the treasury benches said they must approach the Election Commission on the matter.



"Don't waste the time of the house," Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.



Naqvi said EVMs were used in many elections in the past and different political parties had won, but questions were raised only after the Bharatiya Janata Party won the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in February-March.



"It's an insult to the people. It's also an insult to the Indian democracy," he said.



Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien asked the members to maintain peace but nobody paid heed, following which he adjourned the upper house for eight minutes.
A long-running family feud at the revered Ajmer sufi shrine culminated on Wednesday with the "sacking" of its spiritual head Syed Zainul Abedin, who was dubbed by his younger brother as an "apostate" for his "blasphemous" support to the ban on slaughter of bovines and selling beef in the country.

Abedin stood by his remarks opposing cow slaughter and said he was the "lifelong deewan" - the spiritual chief of the Chisti mausoleum in Ajmer ' title='Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti mausoleum in Ajmer '>Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti mausoleum in Ajmer -- one of the most famous Muslim shrines visited by millions of devotees from across the sub-continent every year.

But his brother, Syed Alaudin Alimi, claimed he had the support of the family in "sacking" Abedin and anointing himself as the new "deewan".

The post is hereditary and belongs to heirs of the 12th-13th century sufi priest. Deewan has no control over the management of the shrine but gets a monthly remuneration from the management committee, which is appointed by the government.

"I am the new deewan. I have the support of the entire (Chishti) clan," Alimi told , alleging that Abedin was an " apostate because he had spoken in violation of the Islamic law".

"I am not interested in (taking) salary. He (Abedin) can have the money. Buy I won't allow him to enter the shrine now. Whatever he has said is blasphemous. I have spoken to muftis (Islamic scholars who interpret sharia) and we will be issuing a fatwa (decree) against him. He is no longer a Muslim."

Abedin has been the deewan of the shrine since after the Supreme Court 1987 order, ruling him as the most direct and eldest descendant of the sufi priest.

He said his younger brother "had gone mad" and had no powers to anoint himself as the deewan.

"It's a religious post. Nobody can snatch it. Nobody has enough powers to change it. Nothing has changed," Abedin told , threatening "legal action" against his brother.

"I stand by my statements on beef," he said.

Abedin sparked a controversy on Monday by asking Muslims in India to stay away from slaughter of "bovine animals" and to stop consuming beef for communal harmony in the country.

He read his message during the 805th annual function at the shrine that was also attended by religious heads of various shrines from different parts of the country. He also announced that he and his family members "will never eat beef now".

The spiritual leader got support from the head of the government-appointed committee, M.A. Khan.

"This is a dispute between two brothers and the deewan cannot be sacked like a coup," Khan said.

One of the members of the committee, Syed Hameed Chishti, who is also a caretaker at the shrine, told that the two brothers have been fighting over the post since years and Wednesday's development was a culmination of the feud in the family.

"It is a fight for money. They claim they are descendants of the Khwaja (sufi saint) but their role is limited to conduct qawalis and mehfils (spiritual sittings) at the shrine," Chishti said, agreeing that Abedin can't be removed.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday denied any "overzealous" crackdown by authorities on abattoirs in the state and stated there would be no compromise on illegal slaughterhouses.

Health minister Siddharth Nath Singh, who briefed the media after a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, said that action will be taken against all illegal abattoirs in the state.



"It has been made clear in the past and is being reiterated again that action against slaughter houses which do not adhere to the guidelines prescribed by the National Green Tribunal in letter and spirit," he said.



The government also made it clear that no harassment will be done of people involved in the meat trade who are following guidelines and have valid licenses.



There has been a massive crackdown against slaughterhouses across the state ever since the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government came to power last month.



The BJP had promised to shut down all illegal slaughter houses in its state assembly elections manifesto. The action created a furore among meat eaters in Uttar Pradesh with the meat traders downing their shutters.
Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Shivpal Singh Yadav, who was sidelined in the party and government by nephew Akhilesh Yadav, met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday, fuelling speculation.

The meeting, which lasted 30 minutes, is being termed in political corridors as "something more that a mere courtesy call".



According to sources, Shivpal Yadav was mulling option beyond the Samajwadi Party, whose president he was till he was dislodged by his nephew before the state elections.



Shivpal Yadav is also reported to be trying to find a political future for his son Aditya Yadav as well, an insider said. This is the second meeting of a Yadav clan member with the BJP Chief Minister in the past few days.





On March 15 and on March 31, Mulayam's younger son Prateek and his wife Aparna Yadav had met Adityanath. Political observers here are speculating that there could be a major breach in the Yadav family with some people crossing over to the saffron camp.



Even after the rout in the 2017 state assembly elections, there has been no thaw in the relations between Mulayam Singh-Shivpal and Akhilesh.



In fact both Mulayam and Shivpal attacked Akhilesh recently and blamed his arrogance for the poll debacle. Aparna Yadav had also said that it was not the EVMs that were at fault but "our own" who had ensured her defeat from the Lucknow Cantt seat.


The Shia Personal Law Board on Tuesday called for an amicable settlement to the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute and sought a blanket ban on cow slaughter.

At the fifth meeting of its executive, members of the body raised the issue of cow slaughter and it was unanimously decided that in view of the tensions between two communities, it was in the interest of all that the government ban it.



In Quran, the members said, slaughtering of the cow was said to be against the tenets of Islam and should henceforth be banned.



A cleric from the Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Dargah in Ajmer, Syyed Jail Obaidin Ali Khan openly discussed the controversy surrounding cow slaughter and called for an end to it. "In the background of the rising tensions and the laid down sayings in Quran, we should ban slaughter of cows and sale of its meat," he said.



He also said that the custom of triple talaaq in modern day was not feasible, irrelevant and against the spirit of Quran.



Other speakers also agreed that when a marriage is solemnised with the consent of the bride and the groom, even a matter like divorce should have the consent of both.


Japanese spokesperson Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday said the firing of missile by North Korea is in clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions and strongly protested the act.

North Korea on Wednesday launched a ballistic missile, which flew for some 60 km before falling into the Sea of Japan, the South Korean military said.



Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga said the missile was launched at 6.42 a.m. from North Korea's east coast. He said it did not fall within Japan's exclusive economic zone, Xinhua news agency reported.

Suga also said that planes and ships in the area have not reported any damage as a result of the missile falling into the sea.
Las Vegas, Nevada, April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A mobile-cloud, IoT platform that will support video-verified, interactive security and healthcare solutions and can increase revenue potential for pro dealers will highlight MivaTeks presence at ISC West, April 5-7, 2017.

Powered by MivaTeks mobile-cloud, Interactive Worldwide Alarm (WWAlarm) provides an industry-leading, dealer-exclusive platform comparable in functionality to Alarm.com at a lower cost. This solution allows installers to generate new recurring revenue streams and enhance existing offerings. Dealers can maximize their earnings potential and provide highly customized solutions including home automation, energy, management, safety, video-verified monitoring, security, healthcare, and more. WWAlarm connects all smart devices under one intuitive mobile app, allowing users to verify, control, and respond to all events anytime, anywhere .

This platform will allow dealers to offer two separate packages to customers:



A Total Control Plan that features Home Automation; Remote Arm & Disarm; User Management; Fire/CO Notification; and Water Leak Notification.

that features Home Automation; Remote Arm & Disarm; User Management; Fire/CO Notification; and Water Leak Notification. A Total Care Plan , comprised of Panic Alert; Fall & Panic Alert; Medication Tracker; Geo-fence Tracker; Activity Tracker; Inactivity Tracker; and Automatic Medication Dispenser Tracker. This plan capitalizes on the aging-in-place trend  as well as recognizing a consumer need for simple, affordable offerings in this expanding market.

The MivaTek Mobile Cloud supports plug-n-play, video-verified collaborative-alarm and event-video reporting, which guarantees prioritized response, reduces casualty, property losses, and false alarm fines, as well as lowering consumer insurance premiums. With more and more law enforcement agencies requiring video verification to confirm an emergency event, this capability cannot be overstated.

Joe Liu, CEO of MivaTek, says that his companys offerings give pro dealers valuable tools to generate extra RMR, always a challenge in an industry plagued by short profit margins.

For the pro dealer, any opportunity to increase RMR (recurring monthly revenue) is a welcome addition to their sales arsenal, Liu said. Through Interactive Worldwide Alarm, we are providing them with solid RMR potential while offering their customers with high-quality systems to keep them safe and secure.





ABOUT MIVATEK

MivaTek offers a video-verified, connected-home and mobile-cloud platform for cellular/ISP carriers and service providers to increase their value-added recurring monthly revenue (RMR). The latest patent-pending IoT-Link cloud-app can turn a smartphone into an IoT-gateway, adding cellular-line sales and increasing cellular carriers average revenue per user (ARPU). The rack-hang, plug-n-play, collaborative security, safety, automation and care solutions require no professional install or call-center overhead, making it especially helpful to cellular/ISPs value-added service upsell.

MivaTeks video-verified direct-notification mobile-app generates prioritized emergency response, reduces casualty, property losses, and eliminates false alarm fines. The interactive video, automation, and care solutions are ideal for professional alarm dealers service upsell. MivaTeks scalable platform solution makes broadband IoT network systems simple and affordable for connected home and businesses, healthcare, smart transportation, and enterprise applications. MivaTek offers open-API and concurrent support to global partners. For more information please visit www.mivatek.com.




NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which was launched in 1997 and arrived at Saturn in 2004, is about to begin the final chapter of its remarkable story this month.

On April 26, the spacecraft will make the first in a series of dives through the 2,400-kilometre gap between Saturn and its rings as part of the mission's grand finale, NASA said.



"No spacecraft has ever gone through the unique region that we'll attempt to boldly cross 22 times," said Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.



"What we learn from Cassini's daring final orbits will further our understanding of how giant planets, and planetary systems everywhere, form and evolve. This is truly discovery in action to the very end," Zurbuchen added.



During its time at Saturn, Cassini has made numerous dramatic discoveries, including a global ocean that showed indications of hydrothermal activity within the icy moon Enceladus, and liquid methane seas on its moon Titan.





Now 20 years since launching from Earth, and after 13 years orbiting the ringed planet, Cassini is running low on fuel.



In 2010, NASA decided to end the mission with a purposeful plunge into Saturn in 2017.



Using expertise gained over the mission's many years, Cassini engineers designed a flight plan that will maximise the scientific value of sending the spacecraft toward its fateful plunge into the planet on September 15.



Cassini will transition to its grand finale orbits, with a last close flyby of Saturn's giant moon Titan, on April 22.



As it has many times over the course of the mission, Titan's gravity will bend Cassini's flight path.



Cassini's orbit then will shrink so that instead of making its closest approach to Saturn just outside the rings, it will begin passing between the planet and the inner edge of its rings.



When Cassini makes its final plunge into Saturn's atmosphere on September 15, it will send data from several instruments -- most notably, data on the atmosphere's composition -- until its signal is lost, NASA said.
An US court has rejected Facebook's challenge to quash the search warrants ordering it to hand over information of hundreds of accounts involved with a disability fraud case related to the 9/11 attacks.

According to a report in New York Times on Tuesday, the Court of Appeals here upheld a lower court ruling that said Facebook lacked standing to challenge search warrants in a criminal case on behalf of its clients.



The case dates back to 2013 when search warrants for information on 381 Facebook accounts were issued as part of an investigation into the fraud case.



"The information, which included photos and conversations, was used by the Manhattan District Attorney to obtain indictments for disability fraud against more than 130 people," the report said.



These included retired police officers and other former public employees accused of feigning illness after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre," it noted.



The new ruling is yet another challenge for social media networks who hope to enhance the privacy protections for its users.

Thus, Microsoft, Google and Twitter and other groups like New York Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have decided to stand by Facebook's appeal.



"We're disappointed by the court's ruling. But we are encouraged to see the thorough dissent that supports Facebook's position arguing for people's online privacy," the report quoted Jay Nancarrow, a spokesman for Facebook.



Nancarrow added that the company has not decided yet whether to take its case to the federal courts.



The case is seen as a fragment of the fight between the state and the tech companies over the law enforcement that request for the data under the Federal Stored Communications Act.


The Indian and Pakistani Army on Wednesday exchanged fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector of Jammu region.

"The Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars at 9.05 a.m. today (Wednesday) on the Indian Army posts," Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta told IANS in Jammu.



"The Indian Army is retaliating strongly and effectively."





The firing exchange still continues, he said.



The Pakistan Army has been targeting Indian positions along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu region during the last four days.
Six persons were killed and 22 injured in an attack on a convoy of census teams here in Pakistan on Wednesday.

Four security personnel and two civilians were among the dead, The News International quoted a government spokesperson as saying.



Punjab Law Minister said the security threat was imminent on census teams and the government has been very vigilant in this regard.

He said the process of census will not be stopped at any cost, and the government is determined to eliminate militancy from the country.



According to him, halting the census will be tantamount to succumbing to militants' pressure.



No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but terror outfit Jamat-ul Ahrar has been involved in similar attacks earlier.




French war-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron clashed over Europe as the presidential candidates went head-to-head in the second live TV debate.

Macron on Tuesday said Le Pen's nationalist proposals amounted to "economic warfare", BBC reported.



She was also accused by the right of not being tough enough on France's membership of the European Union. Francois Fillon said that France needed Europe when up against the US and China.



Le Pen, leader of the National Front (FN) party, promised to restore control of France's borders and scrap the euro, or else hold a referendum on EU membership.



Speaking alongside 10 other candidates as things got a little heated in the second of three televised French presidential election debates, Le Pen said her presidency would improve the lives of French citizens.



Macron, the frontrunner, accused Le Pen of lying, and said that "nationalism is war".



"You are saying the same lies that we've heard from your father for 40 years," he said.



Le Pen, who also came under attack from conservative candidate Fillon, retorted: "You shouldn't pretend to be something new when you are speaking like fossils that are at least 50 years old."



Meanwhile, nationalist right-wing outsider Francois Asselineau said he was "the only true candidate of Frexit", and promised to trigger Article 50 -- the process to start the country's divorce from the EU -- immediately if he were to win power.



The debate was extended to include the six minor candidates, so inevitably it is on them that water-cooler conversation is going to focus.

On Jean Lasalle -- "son of a shepherd, brother of a shepherd" -- with his impenetrable Pyrenean accent; on Francois Asselineau with his "Frexit" obsession; on the rival Trotskyites Philippe Poutou and Nathalie Arthaud with their rousing calls to punish the bosses.



According to the BBC, after a while there were really only two people -- Francois Fillon and Emmanuel Macron -- defending the way things are.



Everyone else -- from Marine Le Pen to the uber-Gaullist Nicolas Dupont Aignan to the firebrand of the left Jean-Luc Melenchon (as brilliant as ever on stage) -- wants the rules of Europe and the economy totally rewritten.



Turning the topic to security, Le Pen said that France had become a "university for jihadists", prompting angry interruptions from the left-wing candidates.



Most polls suggest that Le Pen and Macron will face each other in the two-candidate run-off for presidency on May 7.



However, Tuesday's debate gave Fillon, 63, an opportunity to close the gap on the leaders.



Fillon was the frontrunner in the campaign until he was hit by the "fake jobs" scandal and placed under formal investigation.



He is accused of paying hundreds of thousands of euros to his family for work they did not do.



He was trailing third in the first round, according to polls, a position which would eliminate him from the race.
At least 35 persons were killed and 28 injured in a series of attacks carried out by the Islamic State militant group in the Iraqi city of Tikrit, a security source said on Wednesday.

Most of the victims in the Tuesday night attacks in Salahudin province were civilians, EFE news quoted the source as saying.

The IS militants, disguised in military uniform, attacked security checkpoints and stormed several houses in Zuhour neighbourhood, Xinhua news agency reported.

The attackers broke into the houses and opened fire at families, a source said, adding that at least one of the attacked houses belonged to the family of a police officer.

Iraqi security forces surrounded the area to prevent them from moving to adjacent neighbourhoods, while fierce clashes with the attackers broke out in Zuhour, the source said.

At least five IS militants were killed, the source said.

Salahudin Governor imposed a curfew in the city on Wednesday morning.

The IS targets security forces, civilians and crowded markets such as cafes and mosques across Iraq.

The attacks came as the Iraqi security forces, backed by anti-IS international coalition, are carrying out a major offensive to drive out the IS from their major stronghold in the western side of Mosul.
The Islamic State (IS) terror group in a new audio released has used for US President Donald Trump an Arabic term that means "idiot" according to various translations, a media report said.

The Islamic State (IS) terror group in a new audio released has used for US President Donald Trump an Arabic term that means "idiot" according to various translations, a media report said.



The terror group also said that Trump does not know anything about Islam, NBC News reported on Tuesday.



It appears to be the first time that the terror group has referred to Trump since he took office in January. The IS controls parts of Iraq and Syria, and is currently being targeted by a US-led coalition.



The 36-minute audio was released by IS' spokesperson Abu Hasan al-Muhajir on Tuesday.







The previous spokesman and the group's second-in-command, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, was killed in an airstrike in Syria in 2016, the IS and the Pentagon have said.



The IS statement also called the US "bankrupt" and said: "The sign of your elimination are now clearer to everyone, as the most clear of signs is that you are now ruled by a stupid idiot who does not know what Sham and Iraq are, or what Islam is, who continues to express his hatred and war against."



Other translations of the statement replaced "stupid idiot" with "riff raff" or "harebrained", the NBC report said.



Al-sham is a term the group uses to describe a region that includes Syria.



One of the names used by IS is "the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham", although it also calls itself Islamic State. Some opponents call it Daesh, which is seen a derogatory term in Arabic.



Trump has pledged to "totally obliterate IS," which swept across parts of Iraq in 2014. It also controls part of Syria, and its headquarters are in Raqqa.



Trump's opponent in the election, Hillary Clinton, and other critics have called Trump's statements on Islam and his plans to temporarily restrict entry to the US from some predominantly Muslim nations as a gift to IS, which seeks to portray a battle between Islam and the West.



The IS statement does not appear to directly refer to Trump's stated immigration policy executive order covering some Muslim nations, which critics have called a "travel ban", the NBC report said.



But the propaganda did say Trump has expressed his "hatred and war" against Islam.




At least six Central Asian nationals were detained on Wednesday in St. Petersburg for recruiting individuals for terror related crimes in Russia, the Investigative Committee said on Wednesday.

There was no evidence of their ties with the perpetrator of Monday's subway terror attack that left 14 persons dead, TASS news quoted the Investigative Committee as saying.



The investigators have detained "six Central Asian Republics natives who came to Russia for earnings", the committee said.



They had been recruiting mostly natives of Central Asian Republics in St. Petersburg since November 2015 for terror related crimes involving Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State militant group.



"Russia's Investigative Committee will thoroughly check all the ties and the contacts of the persons detained but (right now) the investigation has no data on the detainees' link and acquaintance with the perpetrator of the St. Petersburg attack," it said.







The committee said the suspects were seeking to involve recruited citizens in the activity of other illegal armed formations, including on the territory of foreign states.



"Searches are being held at the suspects' living places, in the course of which investigators are seizing Islamist extremist literature, the items and documents important for investigating the criminal case," it said.



Investigators are currently deciding on arresting the detainees and bringing charges against them.



Measures are also under way to identify and bring the detainees' accomplices to criminal liability.



Meanwhile, the law enforcement agencies said Akbarzhon Jalilov, who is suspected of carrying out the attack, had a clean record.



"He had no criminal record and had never been on law enforcement's radar. His name was not among extremists in the intelligence database," the source said.



"Upon becoming a Russian citizen, there were no problems with him. Citizenship was granted to him based on legally established procedures," he added.


One of the worst chemical bombings in Syria that killed at least 20 innocent children and 50 other persons, sparked an international outrage on Wednesday and prompted the United Nations to call for a probe into the attack and to view it as a possible war crime.

The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria said in a statement the use of chemical weapons as well as any deliberate targeting of medical facilities "would amount to war crimes and serious violations of human rights law".



"It is imperative for perpetrators of such attacks to be identified and held accountable," said the independent panel led by Brazilian expert Paulo Pinheiro.





World leaders, including President Trump, blamed the Syrian government of President Bashar al- Assad for the attack and called on Russia and Iran to prevent a recurrence of what Trump termed a "heinous" act that "cannot be ignored by the civilised world".



Late on Tuesday, Britain, France and the US were pushing the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution that condemns the attack and orders the Syrian government to provide all flight logs, flight plans and names of commanders in charge of air operations, including those for Tuesday, to international investigators.



The draft resolution, negotiated among diplomats from the three countries, was later circulated to all 15 members of the UN Council. It could come up for a vote later.



Victims died -- some writhing, choking, gasping or foaming at the mouth -- after breathing in poison that possibly contained a nerve agent or other outlawed chemicals, according to witnesses, doctors and rescue workers.



They said the toxic substance spread after warplanes dropped bombs early on Tuesday. Some rescue workers became ill and collapsed from proximity to the dead.



The opposition-run Health Department in Idlib province, where the attack took place, said 69 people had died. It provided a list of their dead. The dead were still being identified, and some humanitarian groups said as many as 100 had died.



The Assad government, which renounced chemical weapons nearly four years ago after a large chemical attack that American intelligence agencies concluded was carried out by his forces, denied that his military had been responsible, as he has done every time such chemical attacks took place in the impoverished Arab country.



The attack would mark the deadliest chemical attack in Syria since sarin nerve gas killed some 1,300 civilians in Ghouta near Damascus in August 2013.



In the aftermath of the Ghouta massacre, a UN team supervised the surrender of Syria's sarin supplies, the removal of which was supposed to have been completed early in 2014. However, suspicions have remained that a portion of the stockpile was not declared to the UN inspectors.



Russia's Defence Ministry denied it was responsible, telling the state-run RIA news agency that it carried out no bombing runs in the area.



The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using such weapons in the past. On three previous occasions, though, United Nations investigations have found it guilty of using chemical weapons.



Britain-based monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, put the latest toll at 72, including 20 children. The monitoring group, which tracks the war through a network of contacts on the ground, was unable to confirm the nature of the substance used.



Tuesday's attack struck Khan Sheikhun area, where thousands of refugees from the nearby province of Hama live. The town is also on a crossroads between Hama and Idlib and is considered vital to any regime offensive towards the northern city of Idlib.



Idlib is reportedly one of the last bastions of the Islamic State in Syria, and has been subjected to a relentless campaign of aerial bombardment despite a supposed ceasefire brokered this year by Russia and Turkey that was aimed at paving the way for political negotiations.



The raid in Khan Sheikhun indicates Assad's growing confidence. He has wrested control of territory from the rebels, including the entire city of Aleppo, in recent months.



His regime has benefited from the unflinching support of Moscow and Shia militias backed by Iran, as well as waning support for the opposition by its allies in the region and the new US administration.




CALGARY, Alberta, April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Voyageur Minerals Ltd. (TSX-V:VM) (the Company or Voyageur) is pleased to announce that it has staked additional lithium-rich brine claims in Utah USA named the Lithium King Project.



Lithium King Project

Voyageur has recently staked 75 new placer claims 607 ha. (1500 acres) and in addition, has acquired an additional 21 existing placer claims 170 ha (420 acres) of lithium claims in the Bonneville Salt Flats area in Utah, USA.

This brings the total acreage in Utah under Voyageurs control to 777 ha (1920 acres) (95 claims). Based on published lithium values in numerous surrounding brine monitoring wells, the average lithium grades are 215 ppm with the highest grades recorded at 1,200 ppm lithium. These historical grades are taken from USGS Survey, and the Company has not made any attempt to verify them.

The lithium brine aquifer is found near surface and Voyageur has free flowing surface brine on these new claims. There seems to be several brine aquifers at depth and the Company believes higher grades may be found in these deeper aquifers. The historic lithium brine analysis come from shallow wells in the area with most of the wells measuring ~ 5 meters depth.

The basin fill which underlies the Lithium King project is estimated to be at least 500m thick. Though not fully understood at present, there are indications that the deeper brines are possibly geothermal flowing brines and fault controlled.

Voyageurs objectives to move the project forward are the following:

Sample surface brines and begin process testing.

Run geophysical study over the area.

Drill deeper targets to test lithium values at depth.

Build pilot plant for feasibility test.

Produce from multiple wells on multiple drill pads

We believe that based on the warm water brine flows to surface in this area that geologically there is a possibility of intersecting higher grade lithium values at depth.

About Voyageur Minerals

Voyageur is a Calgary based company which owns 100% interest in three Barium Sulfate ("Barite") deposits including two properties suitable in grade for the industrial barite market place, and interests in a high grade lithium brine project in Utah, USA.

Voyageur's business plan is to develop its barite deposit at Frances Creek, BC, Canada, for potential near term cash flow, while it continues exploration for critical and strategic minerals.

The Companys qualified person as defined by NI 43-101, Mr. Randy Henkle has reviewed this news release and approved it.

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

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the Qualifying Transaction, including statements regarding the acquisition of future assets, the discovery and commercialization of commercial quantities of industrial minerals, the successful commercialization of the Companys assets, expected operational activities, other statements that are not historical facts. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not occur, which may cause actual performance and results in future periods to differ materially from any estimates or projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, among other things: the risk that the assets do not provide commercial quantities or grades of marketable minerals, that even if they do contain commercial quantities of marketable minerals that the Company will not be able to economically produce such discoveries, the existence of commercial grades of commercial minerals, timing of obtaining required approvals, state of the economy in general and capital markets in particular, investor interest in the business and future prospects of the Company.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities law. Additionally, the Company undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or statements made, by third parties in respect of the matters discussed above.
Compiled by Ilia L. Likou

The Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of a pastor of the E.F.K.S Church who took the Churchs Elders Committee to Court over their decision to remove him from a senior position of leadership.

Reverend Kerita Reupena, who is represented by lawyer Leuluaialii Olinda Woodroffe, was unsuccessful in his initial lawsuit.

Hence the appeal which was heard last week by Justice Blanchard, Justice Panckhurst and Justice Tafaoimalo Leilani Tuala-Warren, of the Appeals Court.

In their ruling, the Court of Appeal said the Elders Committees decision to remove Rev. Reupena from the role in Queensland was unlawful.

We find that the Directors Committee did not conduct itself in accordance with the principles of natural justice, the ruling reads. It did not afford Rev. Reupena a fair hearing. At the crucial meeting on 11 March 2015 Rev. Reupena was not permitted to speak in his own defence before the decision to recommend his removal was made.

The decision in full is published below:

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF SAMOA HELD AT MULINUU BETWEEN: REV. ELDER KERITA REUPENA Appellants AND: REV. ELDER TAUTIAGA SENARA and OTHERS Respondents

Court: Honourable Justice Blanchard Honourable Justice Panckhurst Honourable Justice Tuala Warren

Hearing: 27 March 2017

Counsel: O Woodroffe for the appellants F M R Cooke QC, S Leung Wai and T Leavai for the respondents S J Ainuu and R. Masinalupe for Attorney General as amicus curiae 31 March 2017

JUDGMENT OF THE COURT [1] In a judgment delivered in the Supreme Court on 3 August 2016 (Reupena v Senara [2016] WSSC 140) Chief Justice Sapolu dismissed the Rev. Reupenas claim against the members of the Directors Sub-Committee of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa that he had been unlawfully dismissed from his position as Elder Minister of the Queensland District of the Church. The Chief Justice discharged an interim injunction that had until the trial prevented the Church from dividing that District and appointing new Elder Ministers for the separate areas. [2] Rev. Reupena has brought an appeal (CA1 1/16) challenging the Chief Justices conclusions that the dispute between the parties was not justiciable in the Samoan Courts and that, even if it were, the Constitution of the Church permitted the dismissal in the particular circumstances and a proper procedure, compliant with the principles of natural justice, had been followed. It is also alleged that the Chief Justice was motivated by actual bias in making his decision or that there was apparent bias.

[3] The appellant also applied to the Supreme Court for recall of the judgment again alleging actual or apparent bias on the part of the Chief Justice. However, at a callover, the Chief Justice declined to hear the recall application and peremptorily dismissed it. The appellant has brought a second appeal (CA 11B/16) against the dismissal of the recall application. The preferable course is for us to consider all issues of bias in the case in the main appeal. CA l 1B/16, being redundant, is formally dismissed.

Alleged bias

[4] The Chief Justice and his wife are members of the Church. The Chief Justice is also an office-holder. But it is accepted that the appellant knew this at the time of the trial and it is not put forward as a reason why the Chief Justice should not have sat on the case. The nub of the allegation of bias is the fact that Mrs. Sapolu was indebted to the Church. She owned a business that was a tenant of a Church property. The tenancy had come to an end some time prior to the trial, which took place in February 2016, but there was still an outstanding debt for SAT$30,000, which was the balance of rental arrears of SAT$7l,90l, the Church having decided in January 2016 to write off and forgive the rest of the debt.

[5] There may be some doubt about whether the appellant was aware that there had been any lease from the Church to Mrs. Sapolu but that is of no moment as it had come to an end before the trial. What is central to the appel1ants allegation of bias is the outstanding debt for the unpaid rent. If the Chief Justice knew about this, he certainly should have recused himself. The appellant supported his allegation by pointing to several procedural rulings made during the trial said to have been motivated by bias against him and to the manner in which the Chief Justice dealt with the recall application. The appellant says that the Chief Justice had reason to be biased and to prefer the case for the Church because his wife was indebted to it (actual bias).

[6] But, if that is not accepted, the appellant says there was apparent bias. The courts in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand have described what amounts to apparent bias in slightly difference language. The United Kingdom approach is to ask whether there is a real danger of bias: R v Gough [I993] AC 646. The Australian and New Zealand Courts have united in saying that, subject to considerations of waiver or necessity- neither or which is relevant in this case- a judge is disqualified if a fair-minded lay observer might reasonably apprehend that the judge might not bring an impartial mind to the resolution of the question the judge is required to decide; the question is one of possibility (real and not remote), not probability: Elmer v Official Trustee in Bankruptcy (2000) 205 CLR 33 (HCA) at 345 and Saxmere Co Ltd v Wool Board Disestablishment Co Ltd [2009] NZSC 72; [2010] l NZLR 35 at [3]. It has been said that the respective tests of apparent bias are essentially the same: Saxmere at [3].

[7] Importantly the court must examine the matter in two steps: (a) first, the identification of what it is said might lead a judge to decide a case other than on its legal and factual merits; and (b) secondly, there must be an articulation of the logical connection between the matter and the feared deviation from the course of deciding the case on its merits.

[8] Cooke P remarked in Stehlin v Police [I993] WSCA 5 that the doctrine of disqualification for alleged bias has to be applied somewhat robustly in a jurisdiction the size of Samoa. We have not needed to do so in this case.

[9] The Chief Justice has sworn an affidavit stating that his Wife never told him that she or her business had any debt with the Church or its Board of Trustees and that consequently he was never aware of it until the matter was raised by the appellant in his appeal against the judgment. (He refers to my judgment of 17 August 2016, but plainly is intending to refer to the judgment in this case of 3 August 2016.) He deposes on oath that therefore the debt did not affect or influence in any way the manner in which he heard and otherwise determined the proceedings.

[10] It is convenient to refer first to the issues raised about rulings made by the Chief Justice in the course of the trial. The appellant says that the Church was allowed to file five lengthy affidavits as late as the day prior to the hearing and that he was unable to speak with his counsel Mrs. Woodroffe about them before the trial commenced and he gave his evidence, in substance through cross-examination. He was given only 20 minutes to read the affidavits. Mr. Cooke has, however, pointed out that no order requiring an exchange of affidavits was ever made. The respondents witnesses could have elected to give their evidence-in-chief orally, in which case the appellant would have been unaware of what they intended to say until it was put to him in cross- examination. The decision was made late in the piece to have them swear affidavits so that he would not face that situation. The reference to the 20 minutes was misleading. In fact on the first day of the trial the appellant had questions put to him about pending defence evidence only in respect of one witness, who had sworn an affidavit of less than 4 pages in length and the appellant was given 20 minutes to read that.

The trial did not begin on the next day until the afternoon so that the appellant had overnight and the morning in which to read and consider the other affidavits.

[11] Mrs. Woodroffe objected at the time that because the appellant was in the middle of cross- examination he would not be able to confer with her but the Chief Justice said that he would meet with the appellant and both counsel in chambers in the morning so that the issues you wish to raise with your counsel could be mentioned, if there were any. It was, in our view, proper that in this way the discussion between the appellant and Mrs. Woodroffe could be limited to any particular issues arising from the affidavits.

The Chief Justice does not appear to have been saying that the discussion itself would not be in private between the witness and his counsel. Mrs. Woodroffe did not tell us of any prejudice arising from what the Chief Justice proposed. Greater embarrassment could potentially have been caused if no affidavits had been provided.

[12] Mrs. Woodroffe also complained that she was not permitted to make an opening statement in relation to her clients case, whilst Mr. Cooke was allowed to do so. She also said that the judge frequently interrupted her re-examination of Rev. Reupena. There is nothing in these complaints. Mr. Cookes opening before calling his first witness was brief and confined largely to outlining the issues that had arisen from the evidence for the plaintiff. The interruptions were to prevent Mrs. Woodroffe from putting a series of leading question to her client. The judge acted properly in both instances.

[13] None of the rulings of the Chief Justice during the trial have any appearance of bias against the appellant. His summary despatch of the recall application may have been produced by irritation at the allegation of bias being made against him but, equally, he may just have considered, correctly, that any such matter, having been included on the grounds of appeal in CA11/16, should be dealt with by this Court.

[14] We come back to the critical matter-the existence of Mrs. Sapolus debt to the Church. The Chief Justice denies knowing about it. We have no evidence on behalf of the appellant which raises any challenge to the Chief Justices denial. Mrs. Woodroffe suggested to us that the Chief Justice should simply not be believed; that it was unlikely that Mrs Sapolu would not have told her husband about what was a substantial debt. But whilst her not doing so would be surprising between husband and wife, and we note the absence of any affidavit from Mrs. Sapolu, we must accept the sworn word of the Chief Justice and proceed on the basis that he was unaware of the debt.

[15] It follows that there is nothing to which we have been referred that supports the claim of actual bias. We must accept that the Chief Justice did not know his wife was beholden to the Church. As to apparent bias, the fair-minded lay observer must also be taken to accept that the Chief Justice knew nothing of the debt and consequently would not reasonably apprehend that the Judge might decide the case other than on its merits. Nothing in the conduct of the trial indicates partiality. There would not be perceived to be a real danger of bias when the Chief Justice was unaware of the only matter that could have given rise to a concern about his impartiality. It has not been suggested that his membership of the Church or his office-holding in it could do so.

[16] The bias ground of appeal therefore fails. Factual Findings [17]. This case is about the removal of the appellant from his office as an Elder Minister of the Queensland District of the Church. It is not concerned, at least in any direct way, with his subsequently ceasing to be a Minister of the Church.

[18] With that in mind we turn to the Chief Justices factual findings. As these are lengthy and are to be found in detail in his judgment we will summarise them.

[19] There were three Sub-Districts of the Queensland District. In 2010 decisions were made in principle to purchase land for the District but it was not until August 2012 that the appellant announced that he had found the land to be purchased and specified amounts that each congregation in the District was expected to donate for that purpose. However, in December the congregations of the South Sub-District, of which Rev. Mataafa was Elder Minister, said they could not afford their expected contributions because of their other financial obligations. In February 2014 members of the three Sub-Districts therefore agreed to defer the purchase. But at a meeting of the Elder Ministers of the District the appellant said that the South Sub-District would no longer be involved.

[20] At a meeting of the Queensland District in Brisbane in April 2014 the appellant announced that he was exercising disciplinary powers. The South Sub-District would be abolished, all officers and members of it would be removed and a new Sub-District would be confirmed by the General Assembly of the Church, with a new Elder Minister to replace Rev. Elder Mataafa. The Chief Justice found that this decision by the appellant was not made conditional, as he had asserted in his evidence, on endorsement by the Elder Ministers Committee in Samoa, and that in fact the appellant did not seek approval of his decision by that Committee at its next meeting.

[21] Rev. Elder Mataafa sought help from Samoa seeking the establishment of a new Sub-District because it was not possible to work with the appellant any more. Rev. Mataafa was advised to consult with the Chairman of the Elders Committee, Rev Toailoa, who was Elder Minister of the Sydney District. A meeting was arranged in Brisbane to discuss reconciliation and all Ministers including the appellant were advised. But the appellant refused to meet Rev. Toailoa.

[22] The so-called Directors Committee, which was actually a sub-committee of the Elders Committee, met in Samoa on 12 May 2014 and resolved, apparently after the exclusion of the appellant, that the Queensland District should either reconcile its differences or be divided into separate Districts.

[23] Back in Brisbane the Queensland District met on 4-5 July 2014. The appellant made no attempt at reconciliation. He claimed instead that he had received a resignation letter from the South SubDistrict. ln fact, it was not a resignation but a list of matters to be discussed including a suggestion that if reconciliation were not possible, the establishment of a new District (by way of division) should be referred to the Directors Committee. The appellants reaction was to declare that all offices held by members of the South Sub-District were removed.

[24] On 31 July the appellant did, however, travel to Sydney to apologise to Rev. Toailoa for declining to meet him and that apology was accepted. But the appellant was told of the need to resolve the issues in the Queensland District. Nevertheless, the appellant purported to appoint replacements to Church committees, including a replacement for Rev. Mataafa on the Church Education Committee which met in Samoa. The chairman of that committee instead recognised Rev. Mataafa and not the purported replacement.

[25] The Directors Committee met on 8 January 2015. The appellant informed the meeting that reconciliation was not possible and that he had appointed new office-holders for the Queensland District. The response of the Directors Committee was to take what the Chief Justice said appeared to be its only remaining viable option. It resolved that the Queensland District would divide and that there would be a service in Queensland to bless the division. The Chief Justice found that the appellant was made aware of this decision. The service was held in Brisbane on l0 February 2015 and at it the appellant expressed his opposition. He was, said the Chief Justice, in open opposition to the other Elder Ministers who were members of the Directors Committee. [26] On 11-12 March the appellant was in Apia for a Directors Meeting. He had already instructed Mrs Woodroffe to act for him and she too was in Samoa. The appellant was excluded from the meeting. The evidence was that it was the usual practice for a member of the Elders committee to be excused from the meeting when an issue that affected him personally was to be dismissed. The usual procedure is: the Minister is asked to leave the meeting; the meeting deliberates; the Minister then comes back into the meeting; and he is then given the opportunity to say whatever he wants. The exclusion is intended to encourage free and unhindered discussion. (It is clear from the evidence, as the Chief Justice understood, that deliberation includes the making of a decision).

[27] The Directors Meeting resolved to recommend to the Elders Committee that the appellants roles as an Elder Minister and as a member of the Directors Committee should be removed. The Committee then sent for him to explain its decision to him but he had already left. At a meeting of the Elders Committee the next day the appellant attended. He asked why he was being removed but did not say anything in his defence. The Elders Committee affirmed the recommendation of the Directors Committee. On 19 May 2015 the Annual General Meeting endorsed the decision of the Elders Committee. lt was the evidence of the respondents that both before the Elders Committee and at the Annual General Meeting the appellant, who was again present, could have spoken and explained himself and apologised and that if he had done so he might have been forgiven. Even at the General Assembly, it was said, the position was not beyond reconciliation.

[28] The Chief Justice also dealt with the reason for the decision against the appellant, finding that it was not, as the appellant contended, to punish him because of some questions he had asked about financial matters and about an elder minister who had exceeded the retirement age. The real reason was the dispute in the Queensland District which the Chief Justice described as a schism within the church in the Queensland District. The failure to arrive at reconciliation was due mainly to the appellant. He had openly criticised the elders and opposed their decision to resolve the dispute by dividing the District. The Queensland dispute was the burning issue at the time. [29] The Chief Justice also concluded that on the occasion of the Directors Meeting in March 2015 the appellant and his lawyer, Mrs. Woodroffe, were not in a conciliatory or apologetic frame of mind.

The Constitution of the Church [30] The Church is unincorporated but has adopted a Constitution. The Constitution records, in Part 11 (2) of its Preamble, that in Samoa and overseas, there is a well-defined congregation of the Church in every village. There are two parts to the membership, communicant members and others able to participate in most acts of worship and give material assistance to the Church. Members accept and honour the rules and procedures of the Church: Preamble Part 111 (3). The Church is led in each village by an Ordained Minister. The exercise of a Ministers authority is dependent upon the views of those under his care Preamble Part III (1).

[31] An Elder Minister for each Sub-District is elected by ballot of Ordained Ministers and probation Ministers who have covenanted with the congregations of the Sub-District; they are appointed for terms of 5 years but are eligible for re-election: Elders Committee Part 1(1). (In a note to this provision it says that an Elder Minister retains his status as such when he reaches the retirement age of7O.)

[32] The Elder Ministers are the members of the Elders Committee whose duties include making decisions on matters referred from District Meetings. In cases of conduct and discipline of the Ministers, the decision of the Elder Committee is final: Elders Committee Part Ill (2).

[33] The Constitution provides in Elders Committee Part V for a Ministerial Sub-Committee for Matters Concerning the Ministries (in practice known as the Directors Committee). Its membership consists of the Chairman and Secretary of the Elders Committee, who are its officers, and one Elder Minister elected from each District for 5 years and confirmed by the Elders Committee: Part V (1)(a)(b). The duties of the Directors Committee include regulating in matters of the conduct and discipline of Ministers and their wives and administering punishment and dismissing from duty Elder Ministers and other Ministers who have not observed and obeyed the terms and conditions of the Constitution: Elders Committee Part V (2)(c). A note to this provision says that the Sub-Committee is to report all its findings to the Elders Committee and that the decision of the Elders Committee shall be final.

[34] Lastly it is necessary to mention the General Assembly, which is the Supreme Council of the Church responsible for making resolutions pertaining to the general business of the Church, whereas the implementation of the individual ordinary business of the Church is carried out by committees including the Elders Committee: General Assembly of the Church Part l (2)(a).

The General Assembly is the Supreme Council and its decisions are conclusive and binding on the whole Church: Part l (2)(b).

Justiciable Claim [35] The first issue addressed by the Chief Justice was whether the claim brought by the appellants was non-justiciable, i.e., unsuitable for determination by a court of law. He went through a number of authorities including those upon which we will concentrate: Mabon v Conference of the Methodist Church of New Zealand Inc. [1998] 3 NZLR 513 (CA), Ermogenous v Greek Orthodox & Community of South Australia Inc. [2002] HCA 8; (2002) 209 CLR 95 (HCA) and Shergill v Khaira [2014] UKSC 33; [2014] 3 All ER 243. He regarded Shergill as departing from what he called the traditional common law approach in presuming that the constitution or rules of an unincorporated religious institution are contractual, whereas, he said, the position in Mabon was that an intention to be contractually binding is not to be presumed but must be proved on the facts: at [54] of the Chief Justices judgment.

[36] The Chief Justice said that he had decided to follow the traditional common law approach adopted by the courts of New Zealand, Australia and Canada. The situation in the United Kingdom was quite different from that in Samoa where a minister of a village church [clearly meaning a CCCS church] is chosen and appointed by the congregation of that village and his remuneration is paid for by the congregation from voluntary donations by its members and depends on what the members of the congregation can afford and are willing to donate: The congregation can also terminate the service of the minister if they want to at any time without having to consult the Church or its governing body. 11 is unheard of that a minister can sue a village in Court if his service as minister is terminated for whatever reason by the village congregation and many ministers have been terminated over the years. The church building where religious services are held is also built by the village congregation and belongs to them and not to the Church. The land on which the church building is built also belongs to the village and not the Church. The residence of the minister is also built by the village congregation on village land and belongs to them. The use of the residence by the minister is rent free. A minister also occupies a special position within a village and is accorded special treatment and the highest respect in accordance with Samoan customs and the Christian beliefs of the Samoan people. He is the spiritual father of the village. In such circumstances, there can be no contract between a minister and the Church. The relationship is one between the minister and the village congregation and it is not contractual. An elder minister is elected by the village ministers of a subdisctrict (pulega). The election has to be approved by the district (matagaluega) and notice therefore should be given to the elders committee. The election will then be referred to the General Assembly of the Church for confirmation. In such circumstances, it is not possible to see any contractual relationship between the subdistrict and the Church, or between the individual village congregations of a subdistrict and the Church, or between an elder minister and the Church. The people involved in this election process do not speak in terms of a contract. [At 56-57]

[37] The Chief Justice referred also to the special position of the Church and of ministers of religions in Samoan society as reflected in the Preamble to the Samoan Constitution, which provides that Samoa is founded on God and on Christian principles and Samoan custom. All of this, he said, was consistent with the traditional common law approach of non-intervention in the internal affairs of a voluntary unincorporated religious institution. He therefore held that the appellants causes of action were non-justiciable and should be dismissed.

[38] But lest this Court should take a different view, the Chief Justice helpfully proceeded to deal with other issues raised by counsel. Before setting out our view on justiciability, we will briefly traverse this portion of the judgment under appeal as in our opinion it bears on the question of justiciability. The Chief Justice asked himself the question whether the Constitution of the Church involved a contract between the Church and its members or between the members themselves. He said that it appeared from Mabon and Ermogenous that there was no presumption that arrangements between a Church and a Minister involved an enforceable contract. What had to be ascertained was the actual intention of the parties. He referred particularly to evidence of some of the respondents that there was no contract between the Church and a Minister or its members. The appellant had himself admitted in his evidence when under cross-examination that he had never intended to enter into contractual relationships with anybody else in the Church, nor with the Church itself.

[39] The Chief Justice accordingly took the view that the relationship between the Church and an Elder Minister was not contractual. It was conditional on the Elder Minister sustaining the support of the Church and its members and it followed that, if he no longer had that support, then the Church administration could properly replace him, as had happened in this case: at [67] . The Chief Justice referred to various provisions of the Constitution which confirmed his opinion and continued: [73] Because an elder minister is elected by his subdistrict and his status is approved by the district followed by confirmation by the elders committee and General Assembly, I accept Mr Cookes submission that the loss of confidence of those bodies in an elder minister involves removal of the authority in that elder minister to fill the position of elder minister. So if an elder minister loses the support of the elders committee and the district and ultimately the General Assembly, then he can longer expect to remain the recognised representative under the Constitution... [74] So how can the plaintiff continue to remain as an elder minister when he has lost the confidence of the subdistrict that elected him, the district that approved his election, the elders committee, and the General Assembly that endorsed and confirmed his election because of the way he handled the Queensland district dispute and his opposition to the hierarchy of the Church for trying to resolve the dispute. It also does not make sense if in those circumstances the plaintiff is to remain the elder minister of the Queensland district when that district no longer exists because it has been divided.

Justiciability - our view [40] The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in Shergill has, we consider, appropriately developed the common law relating to religious bodies as explained in Australasia in Mabon and Ermogenous. In Mabon, which concerned an unincorporated body of persons (the Methodist Church of New Zealand), the constitution of the church stated very expressly that a minister was not an employee of the Church. Richardson P said that members of unincorporated associations ordinarily entered into a mutual or consensual compact. In cases where property or civil rights were involved the compact would in a practical sense be enforced but courts must be reluctant to determine what were at heart ecclesiastical disputes where matters of faith or doctrine were at issue. But the Courts would intervene where civil or property rights were involved and could be expected to analyse carefully any argument that conventional incidents of a recognized relationship such as work did not give rise to contractual rights. Rev. Mabons personal grievance claim under the Employment Contracts Act 1991 (NZ) in respect of his dismissal failed, in the end, because the laws and regulations of the church provided that a minister was not an employee.

[41] Ermogenous was similarly a monetary claim by a former archbishop, who had resigned, for amounts said to be due for annual leave and long service leave. He alleged an employment relationship had existed with the respondent, an incorporated body. The Full Court of the Supreme Court of South Australia, whose judgment was under appeal, had said that an intention to enter a contractual relationship about the remuneration, maintenance and support of a minister of religion was not to be presumed. The plurality judgment of the High Court of Australia cited the dictum of that Court in Australian Woollen Mills Ply Ltd v The Commonwealth (1954) 92 CLR 424 at [45] that it is of the essence of a contract, regarded as a class of obligations, that there is a voluntary assumption of a legally enforceable duty. The search for the intention to create contractual relations required an objective assessment of the state of affairs between the parties. The High Court doubted the utility of using the language of presumptions in this context. It was for the claimant to demonstrate there was a contract: at [26]. The judgment continued: More importantly, the use of the language of presumptions may lead, as it did in this case, to treating one proposition (that an intention to create legal relations is not to be presumed) as equivalent to another different proposition (that generally, or usually, or it is to be presumed that, an arrangement about remuneration of a minister of religion will not give rise to legally enforceable obligations). References to the usual non-contractual status of a priest or minister and factors which generally militate against a finding of intention to create legal relations illustrate the point. The latter proposition may then be understood as suggesting, in some way, that proof to the contrary is to be seen as particularly difficult and yet offer no guidance at all about how it may be done. Especially is that so when the chief factor said to justify the proposition that an intention to create legal relations must be proved (the essentially spiritual role of a minister of religion) is then put forward as the principal reason not to find that intention in a particular case, and any other matters suggesting that there may be an intention to create legal relations are treated as dealing only with collateral or peripheral aspects of the relationship between the parties. In practice, the latter proposition may rapidly ossify into a rule of law, that there cannot be a contract of employment of minister of religion, distorting the proper application of basic principles of the law of contract (At [27]).

[42] Later there appears the following: [37]That the relationship between a minister of religion and the relevant religious body or group in which, and to which, he or she ministers is, at its root, concerned with matters spiritual is self-evidently true. That the ministers conduct as minister will at least be informed, if not wholly governed, by consideration of matters spiritual is likewise self-evident. It by no mean follows, however, that it is impossible that the relationship between the minister and the body or group which seeks or receives that ministry will be governed by a contract...

[43] The High Court found that there was a contract between the archbishop and the respondent body. But it remitted the case to the Full Court for it to determine whether that contract was a contract of employment. That may be an important distinction where, as here, a minister of religion is not asserting a relationship of employment with the Church or any of its members.

[44] In a unanimous judgment in Shergill the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom was dealing with the terms of trusts under which temples were held for a Sikh sect. The Court of Appeal had held that the dispute was not justiciable because of its religious aspects, but the Supreme Court did not agree. The religious body in the case was an unincorporated body but it had a constitution. The Court made the following important statements of law:

[46] The law treats unincorporated religious communities as voluntary associations. It views the constitution of a voluntary religious association as a civil contract as it does the contract of association of a secular body: the contract by which members agree to be bound on joining an association sets out the rights and duties of both the members and its governing organs. The courts will not adjudicate on the decisions of an associations governing bodies unless there is a question of infringement of a civil right or interest. An obvious example of such a civil interest is the loss of remunerated office. But disputes about the doctrine or liturgy are non- justiciable they do not as a consequence engage civil rights or interests or reviewable questions of public law:... [47] The governing bodies of a religious voluntary association obtain their powers over its members by contract. They must act within the powers conferred by the associations contractual constitution.  [48] Similarly, members of religious association who are dismissed or otherwise subjected to disciplinary procedure may invoke the jurisdiction of the civil courts if the association acts ultra vires or breaches in a fundamental way the rules of fair procedure. The jurisdiction of the courts is not excluded because the cause of the disciplinary procedure is a dispute about theology or ecclesiology. The civil court does not resolve the religious dispute. Nor does it decide the merits of disciplinary action if that action is within the contractual powers of the relevant organ of the association: Dawkins v Antrobus (1881) 17 Ch D 615. Its role is more modest: it keeps the parties to their contract.

[45] The Court quoted with approval from the decision of Lord Justice - Clerk Aitchison in the Scottish case of McDonald v Burns 1940 SC 326 at 383-384: In what circumstances, then, will the Courts entertain actions arising out of judgments of ecclesiastical bodies: Speaking generally, in either of two situations - (first) where the religious association through its agencies has acted clearly and demonstrably beyond its own constitution, and in a manner calculated to affect the civil rights and patrimonial interests of any of its members, and (secondly) where, although acting within its constitution, the procedure of its judicial or quasi-judicial tribunals has been marked by gross irregularity, such fundamental irregularity as would, in the case of any ordinary civil tribunal, be sufficient to vitiate the proceedings. But a mere irregularity in procedure is not enough. In short, the irregularity alleged must not be simply a point of form, or a departure from prescribed regulation, but must go to the honesty and integrity of the proceedings complained of

[46] And later the Supreme Court said (at [52]) that the law looks to the fundamental principles and essential standards of the body rather than minor matters of administration and minor changes in doctrine and (at [58]) that where a challenge is brought to the contractual jurisdiction of a voluntary association, the Court has power to consider questions of ultra vires and allegations of breaches of natural justice.

[47] We distill from the foregoing authorities the following propositions relevant to the current dispute: (a) The constitution of an unincorporated religious body like the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa is a civil contract which sets out the rights and duties of both the members and its governing organs (in this case the General Assembly and, particularly, the various committees and sub-committees). The constitution could of course exclude right and duties (as the constitution in Mabon did in disclaiming the employment relationship). (b) The courts will not interfere in the conduct of the religious bodys affairs unless there is a question of the infringement of a civil right or interest. The holding of an office within the body (here the office of Elder Minister) gives the office- holder the rights relating to that office found in the constitution, as well as rendering the office-holder subject to duties found there. (c) The courts will not however interfere at the behest of the office-holder unless a governing organ of the religious body acts outside of its constitutional powers or there is a serious breach of the rules of fair procedure in the way in which that organ conducts itself, i.e., there is a breach of the rules of natural justice prejudicing the office-holder. The courts will not concern themselves with minor irregularities, nor will they became involved in the determination of an essentially religious or spiritual dispute unless a civil right or interest is affected.

[48] With respect to the Chief Justice, we consider that those are general common law principles that ought to, and do, apply in Samoa and to the Church. They involve no burdensome constraint on the operations of its General Assembly or other governing organs. In choosing to adopt a constitution it has chosen to apply to its members, office-holders and organs the rules and regulations found therein. They are sufficiently particularised to have binding force. Indeed there would be little point in saying, as the Constitution does in relation to the Elders Committee and the General Assembly, that their decisions are final and binding if they have no legal effect when validly reached (i.e., without fundamental procedural irregularity).

[49] Having carefully considered the provisions of the Constitution of the Church we are brought to the view that if must have been intended to have contractual force in the sense that members, office-holders and governing organs of the Church are bound in law to comply with its terms. We see nothing in those terms or in statements of religious principle in the Constitution that is inconsistent with the intention that the Constitution operates contractually. We also observe that the senior governing organs of the Church - the General Assembly and the Elders Committee  are given by the Constitution broad powers, including disciplinary powers, with which the courts will not lightly interfere. We stress the observation of the Supreme Court in Shergill (at [48]) that the civil court does not decide the merits of disciplinary action if that action is taken within the contractual powers of the relevant organ and, we add, it acts without breaching the rules of natural justice.

[50] Accordingly, we conclude that the present dispute is justiciable and that the Constitution constitutes a contract regulating the affairs of the Church. We are of course conscious of the evidence given for both patties that there was no intention to have a contract but it seems to us that those witnesses were directing their minds to the kind of individual contract that is part of everyday life, such as an agreement to purchase a motor-car. As lay people (in relation to the law) they could not be expected to know that there is another kind of contract, namely that which exists when a corporate or unincorporated body adopts a constitution.

[5l] We should emphasise that the appellant is not asserting a contract of employment, which would be difficult to establish for the reasons given by the Chief Justice: see paragraph [36] of this judgment. Instead the appellant is seeking to enforce what he claims to be a right to continue in an office of the Church, namely as an Elder Minister.

The Powers of the Elders Committee [52] We agree with Mr. Cooke that the authority of a Minister of the Church, which must include an Elder Minister, derives from the confidence placed in him by his congregation (or, in the case of an Elder Minister, the congregations in his District or Sub-District). The Constitution states at Preamble Par Ill (1) that the Servant of God receives his authority from our Lord but that his authority shall be dependent upon the views of those under his care. The integrity of the Servant of God must be clearly evident to the people. That authority will be lost if the congregation loses confidence and trust in the Minister. It can then be expected that steps will be taken to correct that situation and, if thought necessary, even to remove the Minister from his office-holding in the Church.

[53] Just as the appointment and approval of Elder Ministers by their Sub- District and District must be confirmed by the Elders Committee, the power of disciplining them is vested by the Constitution in the Elders Committee: Elders Committee Part III (2). That must be taken to include a power of removal where the confidence of the congregations of the District has been lost. On a matter of the merits of such removal in a particular case the courts will be slow to enter. It is a matter for the judgment, spiritual or otherwise, of the other senior Ministers who are the members of the Elders Committee and its delegate, the Directors Committee, which also has express disciplinary powers: Part V (2) (6)4

[54] In short, we consider that the Elders Committee had ample power to remove Rev. Reupena, on the recommendation of the Directors Committee, if the Directors Committee after a fair process had come to the conclusion that his District had lost confidence in him so that it was not accepting of his authority. We do not enter into the merits of that decision. Once that decision was made, the final confirmation by the General Assembly was conclusive and binding, again assuming a fair process by the Directors Committee.

Natural Justice [55] On the other hand, we find that the Directors Committee did not conduct itself in accordance with the principles of natural justice. It did not afford Rev. Reupena a fair hearing. At the crucial meeting on 11 March 2015 Rev. Reupena was not permitted to speak in his own defence before the decision to recommend his removal was made. It is true that the Committee followed its usual procedure but that procedure is quite unsatisfactory and creates an unfairness that is not, in our view, remedied by affording the person whose conduct is under consideration an opportunity of speaking only after the decision (to remove) has already been made. The Chief Justice recorded at [33] of his judgment: The [appellant] was not present at the time of the discussions and deliberations because he had been excused from the meeting. So he could not have been aware of what was actually discussed in the meeting and the reasons for the decisions.

[56] That, with all due respect to the Committee, was unfair. It may well be, as the Chief Justice found, that the appellant knew what was the burning issue but he would have had no idea about the particular allegations being raised at the meeting, which possibly he may have been able to answer. He was entitled to hear the case against him and to respond to it. Once he had been given that opportunity it was of course permissible for the appellant to be excluded while the actual decision-making discussion occurred. But it was quite wrong for the decision to be made before the appellant had the opportunity to be heard. There are obvious difficulties in persuading people in authority who have already made up their collective mind to change it after a decision is made.

Relief [56] Normally once a court has set aside a decision on such a ground it will order that the decision should be re-considered in a proper process. But Mrs. Woodroffe advised us that her client accepted that matters have moved on to such a degree that this is no longer a realistic course. Once the interim injunction was discharged the division of the Queensland District proceeded. New Elder Ministers have been elected and confirmed in office. Moreover, the courts are reluctant to order reinstatement to office in a situation where it is clear that there is a loss of trust and confidence in each side, as is evident here.

[57] The orders of the Court are as follows: (a) The appeal in CA 11/16 is allowed; (b) It is declared that the removal of the appellant from the District was unlawful because his right to observance of the principles of natural justice was not honoured by the Directors Committee; (c) Costs are reserved. The parties may file memoranda as to costs within 20 working days of delivery of this judgment. Honourable Justice Blanchard Honourable Justice Panckhurst Honourable Justice Tuala Warren
Danish English

Attached please find below text and the Chairmans report in full as PDF files.

________________________________________________________________________________

Announcement no. 3

5 April 2017

Annual general meeting in Dampskibsselskabet NORDEN A/S

Attached as separate PDF file, please find Chairman of the Board of Directors Klaus Nyborgs oral report in full from NORDEN's annual general meeting, which is held today 5 April 2017 at CET 3 pm.

The Chairman's report and the accompanying presentation (the presentation is only available in Danish) will also be made available at www.ds-norden.com from approximately CET 3 pm. Here, a webcast (only in Danish) from the annual general meeting will also be made available today after the general meeting has ended.

Kind regards,

Dampskibsselskabet NORDEN A/S

Board of Directors

For further information: Martin Badsted, CFO, tel. +45 3315 0451.

________________________________________________________________________________

DAMPSKIBSSELSKABET NORDEN A/S, 52, STRANDVEJEN, DK-2900 HELLERUP, CVR NO. 67758919
Its officially opened. On Monday night, the Minister of Tourism, Sala Fata Pinati, welcomed the participants of the 9th Annual Samoa Tourism Exchange (S.T.E).

The opening staged at Taumeasina Island Resort was attended by close to a hundred travel industry experts from Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa, North America, Europe and Asia.

Samoa welcomes an average of 135,000 tourists per year and has selected to have a clear focus on the development of Sustainable Tourism which will engage both visitors and our people in appreciation of soft adventure and holidays founded on a thriving culture and a pristine environment, said Sala.

Tourism is everyones business and those who have registered here today have shown interest to draw up beneficial relationships with you.

The Samoa Tourism Exchange (S.T.E) is an annual gathering of travel industry movers and shakers and was established in 2008.

A wide range of activities has been organized for the delegates during the three-day event. Local tourism industry members who will exhibit their products and services will also hold one on one appointment with the Buyers.

Here are some more photos from the event.
Sevia Fesoloai is a mother of 10 children from the village of Falesiu.

She spotted Village Voice yesterday where she shared that even though they have very little, they still are trying.

I have 10 children and six of them are in school, Sevia said.

My family lives off my eldest sons earnings and thats all we have.

Our plantation food is not for sale; it only provides us with food.

You see, my everyday duties are just your average chores. I just get my kids ready for school then I prepare the food for my small three kids at home before cleaning up the land.

Sevia is struggling to make ends meet with what her eldest son earns from mowing lawns while her husband is out working in his plantation.

The truth is, we are earning just enough to get by each day, but our family also has to deal with obligations.

We face too many things for the money we earn, she said.

Village obligations are twice a month, church obligations are contributed every fourth Sunday of a month, schools cost for children and basic needs for the family are every day. The money we make is just not enough.

Another hardship faced by the family is the fact the mother is always worried about the future of her kids.

I know we have enough to get by but Im still worried about the future of my kids.

Soon, my eldest son is going to have a family of his own and who will be providing for us financially?

I want to find a job but as I say Im the only one looking after them and I cant leave my small kids alone.

Therefore no matter how hard it gets, Sevia prioritizes the future of her children.

My children are all in school, and no matter how poor we are I prioritize my childrens schooling especially my second eldest who is attending N.U.S.

I want them all to grow up and have better life than we have now.

I want each and every one of them to have good jobs in the future.

They know how tough life is right now so they should choose a different path so they dont have to struggle.

According to this mother, her family and a lot of poor people are abandoned by the government.

You see the government isnt providing any assistance to families like us, she said.

Im not saying that they are responsible for us but at least pay more attention to families who really need help.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  An outbreak of typhoid fever among a church community in New Zealand has caused one death and left at least 14 other people hospitalized, health authorities said Tuesday.

A person who traveled to the Pacific Islands recently apparently contracted the disease there then spread it to others in New Zealand, Health Minister Jonathan Coleman said.

Most of the cases began emerging last week, and Coleman said authorities don't believe the disease has been spread through water contamination.

"So it's person-to-person contact," Coleman said. "It's a congregation sharing food together, being in close contact."

Health authorities said all those infected are members of the Samoan Assembly of God, a Pacific church in Auckland. The congregants live in several different suburbs across central and south Auckland.

The woman who died last week had other serious health issues and that typhoid fever was a complicating factor, Dr. Julia Peters, the clinical director of the Auckland Regional Public Health Service, said in a statement.

"We are working with the church to trace other people who may be infected and we are doing this while they are mourning the loss of one of their own," Peters said.

Coleman said authorities have screened 140 people for the disease and have another 60 to screen. He said he didn't believe the outbreak posed a wider risk to the public beyond those who had been in direct contact with the church congregation.

The disease can be contracted by eating food or drinking water handled by somebody who has the disease, or when contaminated sewage comes into contact with drinking water.

Symptoms include a high fever, headaches and muscle aches, and constipation or diarrhea. The disease can usually be treated with antibiotics.
ERIE, Pa. (AP)  A woman convicted in a bizarre bank robbery plot that left a pizza delivery driver dead when a bomb strapped to his neck exploded has died in prison.

The federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong died Tuesday at the Federal Medical Center in Carswell, Texas, according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Pittsburgh. The spokeswoman said she didn't know the cause of death.

Diehl-Armstrong, 68, was serving a life sentence plus 30 years for the suburban Erie bank robbery plot, which ended in the death of Brian Wells when a bomb locked to his neck exploded following the robbery. A federal appeals court last year rejected her bid for a new trial.

Wells, later identified as an unindicted co-conspirator although his family maintains he was a hostage, told state troopers he was forced to wear the collar at gunpoint shortly before robbing the bank in 2003. Wells was sitting down, handcuffed and waiting for a bomb squad to arrive, when the device exploded.

The case remained a mystery until Diehl-Armstrong and her fishing buddy Kenneth Barnes were indicted in 2007 on charges they concocted the plot along with her ex-boyfriend William Rothstein.

Barnes later pleaded guilty and testified against Diehl-Armstrong. Rothstein died of cancer before the grand jury indictment was returned.

Investigators said Rothstein made the time bomb collar using two egg timers provided by Diehl-Armstrong. They said he even ordered the pizzas that lured Wells to a dead-end road where Wells was forced to wear the device before he was given handwritten instructions about how to rob the bank and disarm the bomb.

Prosecutors said they believe Wells was in on the plot but was fooled into believing the collar bomb would be a decoy.

By the time Diehl-Armstrong was indicted, she was serving seven to 20 years in state prison in the death of another ex-boyfriend, William Roden, two weeks before Wells died. Prosecutors said she killed Roden with a shotgun to keep him from going to authorities about the bomb plot, but she insisted it was a crime of passion prompted by his abuse.

Prosecutors argued that Diehl-Armstrong instigated the plot to raise $250,000 to hire Barnes to kill her father in a dispute over her future inheritance. The defense called that outlandish, noting, among other things, that Wells took only $8,701 from the bank.
Seugamaalii Jammie Saena has been reappointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Samoa Water Authority (S.W.A) for the next three years.

She told the Samoa Observer she is grateful and excited for the opportunity to continue to serve the people of Samoa.

As for her plans for the Authority,Seugamaalii highlighted some of the key issues.

First of all coverage and accessibility, she said.

Extending our coverage area is a key focus for S.W.A.

Many of our people have moved inland due to climate change but unfortunately these areas are outside the coverage area S.W.A. supplies so we aim to extend our coverage to these areas.

Secondly its the improved community engagement.

The support and buy-in from the communities is very important in getting work moving.

A big part of the work S.W.A. does involve working with communities, they request work that needs to be done and we work with them to make it happen.

If we have good relations with these communities, work flows well.

She went on to say strengthening partnership with other relevant agencies and the improvement of service are other key factors of the Authority.

The work of S.W.A. is not possible on its own, she said.

We work with, and rely on, other government agencies to deliver this important resource.

Another area of focus is improving our service to our customers and instilling public confidence in S.W.A. as an efficient service provider.

We have in the last three years simplified the process of customer queries and how these issues/complaints are handled.

This comes from the shift in focus to the customer and their concerns and we still have some way to go, but I am confident that we will get there.

Asked about the challenges within S.W.A. that need to be resolved the C.E.O. said climate change and people not paying their water bills are the key challenges.

One of the key challenges is the impact climate change has on our water supply, she said.

S.W.A. has an obligation to impart education and awareness on the importance of conserving water and minimizing water wastage so this is also one of the reasons why we provide assistance to those customers with high water bills caused by leakages  we dont want them to waste water.

We also have vigilant leak detection and an aggressive metering programme which has been ongoing for some years now and that is one of the initiatives we set up to counter this water wastage and conservation issue.

Another challenge is the willingness of people to pay their water bills.

Samoa charges one of the lowest tariffs in the world so S.W.A. and the Government invest a lot of money in the infrastructure which brings water to a household or a business and we cannot maintain or rehabilitate that infrastructure if people dont pay their bills.

Put simply, the revenue from water bills goes to the operation and maintenance of the existing water infrastructure.

Lastly, Seugamaalii was asked for a comment on the issues faced by members of the public during Samoa Observers programmes Village Voice where many families are faced by the problem of limited access to water.

I have highlighted the various ways that these issues can be resolved, where they are relevant to the work of S.W.A, said Seugamaalii.

We recognize that these issues affect some more than others, but as I have tried to explain above, coverage and accessibility are key concerns of the work of S.W.A. that we continue to provide.
Local businesses have been told to learn a thing or two from Chinese businesses in order for them to grow.

The challenge came from the Minister of Commerce Industry and Labour, Lautafi Fio Purcell when he launched the Strategic Plan for the Businesses of Salafai Association at Salelologa.

The Minister said local business owners should not loathe the Chinese business owners but rather they should observe how they operate their businesses.

There are methods that these Chinese businesses are using that we should learn from, he said.

Have you ever wondered why they succeed with what they do? The challenge for us is that we should not look at them as a threat to us. Lets not look at them with a negative perspective.

Lets look at the brighter side of things and the positive work that they do in Samoa.

The big question that we need to ask is why is it that when a Chinese man sets up a business, it quickly grows after a few months.

Most of them start with small retail shops then it grows from there.

The Minister said Samoa can learn a lot from the Chinese.

Thats my challenge to all of you.

We need to look at things positively and not hate on our brothers and sisters. Not only Chinese business owners but also other foreigners who have moved to Samoa and started their own businesses.

Lautafi also revealed plans about developing Savaii.

I have been tasked with the role of developing the town here in Savaii. The government gave me their trust to develop and look into this project.

It is my hope that there will be a new look for our town in the next three to four years.

And I made a vow to pursue this plan and walk the talk so that we dont have to go to Upolu anymore. Weve heard the saying that whats good for Upolu is also good for Savaii, but still thats not whats happening.

So we want to make sure that we can be able to find all the things that are offered in Upolu here in Savaii.

Lautafi said he has the support of the Minister of Works, Transports and Infrastructure, Papalii Niko Lee Hang as well as other Cabinet Ministers.

The plan is that they will help set up electricity and water quickly for every new business that is confirmed to be established in our new town here at Salelologa.

But Lautafi urged he will need the help from businesses in Savaii, especially B.O.S.As membership.

We need your help. I challenge you all to work as a team and in unity. I also challenge you all to learn from one another.If we can all do that, walk together hand in hand, I believe we will do great things.
The new ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil to Samoa presented his credentials to His Highness the Head of State, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi.

Mr. Paulo de Camargo was welcomed in an ava ceremony yesterday morning at the Head of States residence at Tuaefu.

The distinction of being appointed by President Michel Temer to represent Brazil in the Independent State of Samoa entails great responsibility and for me, is a source of personal gratification, Mr. Camargo said.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2005, our exchanges have been characterized by mutual respect and friendship.

It is a privilege to serve one of the most vibrant countries of the Pacific Ocean and, at the same time, one that is the home of the Faa Samoa, the happy people of Polynesia, with their culture and traditions.

In welcoming Mr. Camargo, His Highness, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi reminded him about the special closeness between Samoa and Brazil.

While Samoa and Brazil are geographically distant from each other, we will endeavour to continue working side by side on issues of mutual interest to us, such as rule of law, international peace and security, he said.

As a small island developing state, Samoa knows only too well the effects of climate change on our environment, our temperature, sea level and resultant challenges to SIDS.

I am pleased to hear that Brazil prioritises these issues and that Samoa looks forward to working with Brazil on forging practical and workable ways to address the adverse effects of climate change.

We hope to continue our collaboration with your country in the promotion of those issues and others through intergovernmental processes and institutions, particularly through the United Nation and the W.T.O.

Ambassador Camargo commenced his foreign affairs career in 1979, where he was posted overseas to work as a Third Secretary and proceeded to take on the roles of Counsellor and Minister, Second Class and First Class.

He was then posted to New York in 1996 where he served as Deputy Consul General.

In 2011, he was posted at the Consulate General of Brazil in Chicago where he proceeded to his current position as the Ambassador of Brazil in Wellington, New Zealand.
Imagine a border wall made of solar panels or a booby trap of nuclear waste where the United States meets Mexico.

Those were some of the proposals submitted by up to 450 companies that made the deadline Tuesday for bids to build the 2,000-mile wall along the Mexican border, a cornerstone of President Donald Trumps campaign.

Roughly 20 companies will be chosen by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and be invited to build prototype designs in San Diego County.

Advertisement

The wall has yet to be funded as Congress is expected to debate the upcoming budget for much of April. Trump had originally said he would get Mexico for the wall but has since pushed for federal spending to begin the process.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it will select bidders around June 1 and companies will build prototypes in San Diego County on federal land that month. The prototypes will be built within 120 feet of the border but the exact location has not been selected, according to The Associated Press.

RELATED: See the proposals for the Trump border wall

The federal government has yet to confirm how many bidders submitted plans. More than 20 San Diego County companies had expressed interest in applying.

For James Carpenter, owner of Quantum Logistics in Mission, Texas, the Tuesday deadline was a welcome finish.

I feel like I can get some sleep, he said Tuesday afternoon, on the phone from Kabul, Afghanistan, where his company is installing perimeter security for a Department of Defense site.

Carpenter, an Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he started working on a wall design three months ago because he anticipated the federal government would be taking bids.

SEE ALSO: 13 barrier walls and fences that came before Trumps

He submitted designs for a concrete wall and a wall made of other materials, using strong materials to protect the barrier from a car bomb or suicide vest. His designs also use seismic sensors and drones to secure the wall.

Everybody else looks at this as a construction project, Carpenter said. I look at this from a security standpoint.

The Trump administration said winning bids must have a design that is 30 feet tall, cant be climbed and is constructed to prevent digging below the wall for at least 6 feet. The side facing the U.S. should be aesthetically pleasing in color, the instructions said.

Many of the companies came up with unique solutions for the wall that went beyond what the federal government requested.

Manatts, a Johnston, Iowa-based contractor, proposed using the wall as an opportunity for engraving  from memorials to family trees  to pay for the wall. It said its research showed a high demand from Americans to engrave the wall and suggested a public-private partnership to get it done.

National Consulting Service, of National City, proposed building a monorail on top of the wall that could help revitalize cities on both sides of the border.

Gleason Partners, based in Las Vegas, designed a wall with massive solar panels to cut down on the cost to pay for the wall and infrastructure needs for the border patrol.

Black Security Products, out of Austin, Texas, designed 4-inch spacing below the bottom of its system to allow animals to pass through, as well as a rip rap (loose stone system) so that water and some small species could traverse the wall.

Many of the larger companies bidding on the wall did not provide The San Diego Union-Tribune with copies of their designs because they are in competition with each other and do not want their efforts becoming public.

It is not clear if the government will release the designs to the public. The Union-Tribune has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for designs.

Speaking to an unnamed U.S. official with knowledge of the plans, the AP said the government would spend $200,000 to $500,000 on each prototype and the Border Patrol (and local police) would establish a buffer zone at the San Diego County site where they are constructed.

Submitting a bid, let alone winning, can bring risks. Several Latino business owners have reported death threats since it became public they were bidding on the wall, said The Washington Post.

One local company, R.E. Staite Engineering of Barrio Logan, was the subject of a small protest last week. One sign placed outside the business said, This company is selling its soul.

Bidder Concrete Contractors Interstate, in San Diego County for more than 30 years, has 55 employees and many who are Latino. Owner Russ Baumgartner decided to ask his workers before putting in a bid.

The overall response was, Our family comes first. If it keeps us busy, go for it, Baumgartner said.

Besides funding for the wall, other questions remain, such as how companies working on its construction will be protected and how small businesses will be included in its construction.

To read the article in Spanish, click here

Business

phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar

ALSO

Artificial intelligence for border wall? No thanks, Feds say

Trump administration pushes back deadline on border wall bids

Border wall: Final models to be displayed in San Diego

These are the San Diego companies interested in building the border wall
Fundraising for San Diego County start-ups got off to a slow start in the first quarter, with fewer young firms raising money than the same quarter a year ago.

San Diegos dip in deal making mirrors the national trend of a pullback in venture funding. The leveling off, which began in the middle of 2016, marks a more disciplined approach from venture capitalists when placing bets on start-ups, according to experts.

The deceleration of investment activity that we experienced at the end of 2016 continued in the first quarter, signifying that we are in fact returning to a more rational level of investment activity more in line with the annual growth rate of the industry over the last 10 years, said Bobby Franklin, chief executive of the National Venture Capital Association.

Advertisement

The PitchBook-National Venture Capital Association Venture Monitor report said 1,797 firms nationwide raised $16.5 billion in the first quarter.

Thats down 25 percent in the number of deals and 12 percent in dollars raised compared with the same quarter last year.

In San Diego, 37 start-ups raised $350 million in the first quarter, according to PitchBook. For the same quarter last year, 75 local start-ups raised $575 million.

As usual, San Diegos life science firms led the way in venture funding, with all of the top 10 local companies either in the biotech or medical/research device sectors. Six of the top 10 deals were early stage, Series A financings.

Nationwide, venture capitalists raised $7.9 billion across 58 funds in the first quarter, down 24 percent from the same period last year, according to PitchBook.

Still, venture capital firms corralled a lot of money from limited partners in 2016  their best year for attracting investors in a decade.

After seeing large pools of capital raised in recent quarters, venture investors will continue to have dry powder to deploy to the entrepreneurial ecosystem, albeit with a more disciplined approach, said Franklin of the NVCA.

In the first quarter, seven companies went public nationwide, including San Diegos AnaptysBio, which raised $75 million in its initial public stock offering.

The company is off to a good start. Its shares opened at $16 on Jan. 26. They closed Wednesday at $25.98.

Besides IPOs, acquisitions remain the most common exit for start-ups. In the first quarter, the top local buyout deal was pain management drug specialist Sentynl Therapeutics, which was sold for $171 million to Cadila Healthcare.

A lack of available late-stage venture funding -- coupled with good early returns for some IPOs such as Mulesoft and AnaptysBio -- could result in more venture-backed companies going public, according to PitchBook.

California was the top state for venture capital in the first quarter, with 560 companies receiving $8.3 billion, or roughly half of dollars invested.

San Diegos Top Venture Capital Deals

First quarter 2017: Source PitchBook/NVCA

Vividion Therapeutics: $50 million

F1 Oncology: $44 million

Biological Dynamics: $28.8 million

Dauntless Pharma: $25 million

Jecure Therapeutics: $20 million

Neurelis: $20 million

Business

mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com;

Twitter:@TechDiego

760-529-4973
To spur the growth of some local start-ups and mid-sized firms, highly accomplished but also controversial Ted N. Twig Branch will helm a program at the San Diego-based nonprofit group CyberTECH.

Branch previously served as the Navys vice admiral overseeing information warfare and naval intelligence.

In his new role, which Branch accepted for no pay, his duties will include supervising the launch, mentoring and development of the nonprofits Entrepreneur in Residence initiative. With nearly 100 small- and medium-sized technology firms enrolled in the program  and 25 more expected to enlist before years end  Branch aims to help them build strategic relationships with CyberTECHs stable of corporate, university, nonprofit and government leaders.

Advertisement

A highly decorated career aviator recognized repeatedly for combat valor over the skies of Grenada, Lebanon, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iraq, Branch was snagged in the 2013 federal bribery probe into Malaysian contractor Leonard Francis  known as Fat Leonard. That case is still playing out with investigations in Washington, D.C., and indictments logged in federal court in San Diego.

An additional nine Navy officers were indicted Tuesday on conspiracy, bribery, obstruction of justice and other charges in the ongoing Fat Leonard bribery scandal.

Leonard plied officials from the Navys Seventh Fleet with cash, prostitutes and other perks to score lucrative deals to refuel submarines and warships across the western Pacific Ocean.

In 2005, then-Capt. Branch commanded the San Diego-based supercarrier Nimitz in that region. Eight years later when the scandal broke, the Navy said Branch was being investigated for inappropriate conduct involving gifts  not bribes  from the contractor.

Branch was never charged with a crime, but his access to classified material was suspended for years and he retired on Oct. 1.

I am very pleased to chair CyberTechs Entrepreneur In Residence Program, which is a very collaborative, supportive environment for high technology start-up businesses and complements San Diegos push to be a high-technology hub and center of innovation, Branch wrote in a statement to The San Diego Union-Tribune. He declined to be interviewed.

My appointment to this position follows my very successful 37-year Navy career, in which I ended as deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare. My final billet provided me with a great deal of insight into the use, capability and deployment of various types of high technology. Although the Glenn Defense Marine Asia procurement scandal occurred during a time that I served as the captain of the USS Nimitz, I had no direct role in the procurement of services provided by (that company) .... This situation was investigated prior to my retirement. I look forward to my continued service in this new capacity, Branch also wrote.

In a separate statement to the Union-Tribune, CyberTECHs founding chairman, Darin Anderson, said the group is honored to have Branch come aboard.

All of us stand to benefit from his remarkable leadership in protecting our nations security, as well as his technical expertise in the fields of aviation, naval intelligence and cybersecurity, Anderson said.

In his final years in uniform leading the Navys intelligence and information warfare efforts, Branch also took a post directing the services cybersecurity operations. He spurred the Navy to adopt an electronic infrastructure more resilient to intruders while crafting a culture that better protects its data and systems from hackers.

CyberTECHs many projects include tackling cybersecurity, robots and the Internet of Things  the way electronic gadgets connect to computer networks to provide and receive data. These devices range from routers, smartphones and baby cams to smart televisions, digital toasters and refrigerators with WiFi capabilities.

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
Lithuanian English

Energijos Skirstymo Operatorius AB (hereinafter  the Company), identification code 304151376, registered office placed at Aguonu str. 24, Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania. The total number of registered ordinary shares issued by company is 894 630 333; ISIN code LT0000130023.

The Company informs that due to high prices it declined participants proposals in the public call, which was announced on 3rd February, 2017 on Procurement Information System (CVPIS), for tenders to install of the LNG regasification station in Druskininkai.

The Company is currently considering various alternatives in order to create the necessary infrastructure and to take necessary measures to ensure the continuous, reliable and safe natural gas supply before the next heating season in Druskininkai.

On 29th November, 2016 ESO acquired the natural gas distribution system of Druskininkai municipality, and since November 1, when the former gas supplier ceased operations, carries a guarantee gas supply activities.

Natural gas is supplied for 2.674 residential and 9 business clients in Druskininkai.
Naval instructor pilots are refusing to fly after a problem with their training jet, the T-45, hasnt been fixed.

Thats according to a report by Fox News, which said the Coronado-based commander of naval aviation has acknowledged the problem.

Right now, we dont have the smoking gun, Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker told Fox News.

Advertisement

Were doing a lot of things to assess the system -- the onboard oxygen-generating system -- as well as to try to understand what might be getting into the pilot breathing air.

Vice President Mike Pences son, a Marine Corps lieutenant, is reportedly one of the pilots in training now.

Welcome to The Intel, a blog examining the hot military news of the day

In a statement to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Coronado aviation command said roughly 40 percent of flights were cancelled on Friday in T-45 training commands in Meridian, Mississippi, Pensacola, Florida, and Kingsville, Texas.

The reason: operational risk management concerns voiced by the instructor pilots, said Cmdr. Jeannie Groeneveld, spokeswoman for the Naval Air Forces command.

We take the concerns of our aircrew seriously and have directed a two-day safety pause for the T-45 community to allow time for naval aviation leadership to engage with the pilots, hear their concerns and discuss the risk mitigations, as well as the efforts that are ongoing to correct this issue, Groeneveld said.

Groeneveld said the pause is being conducted today and tomorrow.

The issue is possible contamination of the cockpit oxygen supply, which can lead to a pilot being incapacitated.

Groeneveld called it a complex problem with multiple interrelated potential causal factors.

The root cause remains unidentified, she said, adding, but engineers are working diligently to find a solution without regard to manpower or cost constraints.

The T-45 is used to train future Navy and Marine Corps carrier and strike jet pilots.

The Boeing aircraft made its first flight in 1988 and was considered operational in 1991, according to its Navy profile. Each plane costs $17.2 million.

Military Videos  On Now D-Day paratrooper from Coronado jumps again in France  at age 96 On Now Remembering war's fallen, one name at a time On Now In Ramona, an airplane and an aviator provide living lessons on World War II 1:43 On Now Video: Navy's newest vessel sails into San Diego and a new future in surface warfare On Now Video: U.S. Navy files homicide charges over warship collisions On Now Stopping Marine hazing On Now Video: U.S. Navy Air Crew Grounded After Creating Vulgar Sky Drawing On Now Navy says Asia Pacific ship collisions were avoidable On Now Hundreds of recruits get sick at Marine boot camp On Now Cutler Dawson Talks Navy Federal

jen.steele@sduniontribune.com

Facebook: U-T Military

Twitter: @jensteeley
Marine Harry Campbell fought in the South Pacific at the Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II. The young man made it home from that bloody conflict, but his identification bracelet didnt.

Nearly 75 years later, a family in New Zealand found Campbells bracelet buried underneath six inches of sand on an Auckland beach.

The bracelet was returned to Campbells children at a Camp Pendleton ceremony last week, and the experience has reopened a chapter of their fathers life that was rarely glorified.

Advertisement

He was never boastful about it, his son, Jim Campbell, said in a telephone interview Tuesday. We learned more last Friday than Ive know before. It filled in some of the gaps.

The Turner family of New Zealand found the bracelet while combing a beach there with a metal detector.

They decided to find its rightful owner and return it.

Welcome to The Intel, a blog examining the hot military news of the day

The bracelet was typical of what some troops wore as a secondary ID. It bore Campbells name and his military serial number. On the back, someone inscribed the word Guadalcanal and the dates of the battle.

The Battle of Guadalcanal is considered a pivotal campaign of the Pacific war.

The Japanese held that portion of the Solomon Islands until the U.S. Marines launched a surprise attack in August 1942.

In the ensuing battles, both sides took big losses to their ship fleets. But the Japanese suffered greater casualties on the ground, forcing them to withdrawal from Guadalcanal in early 1943.

Campbell served with Camp Pendletons 1st Marine Division during that battle. Afterwards, before returning to the United States, the division was sent to Australia for rest and rehabilitation.

Thats likely when Campbell lost his bracelet.

From New Zealand, the Turners first reached out to the U.S. Marine sources in Hawaii. Someone there researched Guadalcanal and found Campbells name.

Then they researched his whereabouts and discovered the plot at Riverside National Cemetery where the elder Campbell was interred in 2014.

Next, the Campbells got a call from the Marines.

Jim Campbell said were surprised when that phone call led to a honors ceremony Friday at Camp Pendleton, where leaders of the 1st Marine Division made Jim Campbell and his sister, Patti, honorary members.

The Marine Corps band played Waltzing Mathilda, the divisions official song. The song is a nod to the post-Guadalcanal era when the division was taking time off in Australia.

Jim Campbell said his father always held his wartime service close to his heart. After discharge, Harry Campbell went on to serve on the police force in his native Kansas City, Missouri, and then moved to California to work in the oil industry.

The elder Campbell joined the Air Force Reserve, retiring as a master sergeant. But he always remembered his Marine Corps service.

He was very, very proud of it. Whenever he would meet another Marine, and theyd say, Where were you at? and hed say, 1st Marine Division and then hed say Guadalcanal. And just the admiration of the other people, Jim Campbell remembers.

Campbell said he only wishes the bracelet had been found sooner, so that his father could have seen accepted it in person.

It would have been wonderful to see the look on his face, and he could have filled in all the gaps that we are trying to do now, Campbell said.

But, he added, Hes probably looking down with a great, big smile on his face.

Military Videos  On Now D-Day paratrooper from Coronado jumps again in France  at age 96 On Now Remembering war's fallen, one name at a time On Now In Ramona, an airplane and an aviator provide living lessons on World War II 1:43 On Now Video: Navy's newest vessel sails into San Diego and a new future in surface warfare On Now Video: U.S. Navy files homicide charges over warship collisions On Now Stopping Marine hazing On Now Video: U.S. Navy Air Crew Grounded After Creating Vulgar Sky Drawing On Now Navy says Asia Pacific ship collisions were avoidable On Now Hundreds of recruits get sick at Marine boot camp On Now Cutler Dawson Talks Navy Federal

jen.steele@sduniontribune.com

Facebook: U-T Military

Twitter: @jensteeley
The Los Angeles City Council took a step Tuesday toward borrowing up to $60 million to pay for legal payouts and court judgments despite a warning by City Controller Ron Galperin that the borrowing proposal is costly and unnecessary.

The council voted 13 to 1 to proceed with the borrowing plan. A separate vote on the bond contract is expected later this year.

City budget officials sought the judgment obligation bond to help offset the cost of several recent legal settlements, including one for more than $200 million to resolve a lawsuit by disability-rights groups over the lack of accessible publicly funded housing.

Advertisement

The city normally budgets about $60 million annually for its legal liability fund. But budget officials say theyve already spent $135 million on legal settlements and court judgments this fiscal year, forcing the city to dip into its reserve fund, which pays for emergencies.

Borrowing the $60 million will cost the city $20 million in interest, budget officials said.

Councilman Mitch Englander, a persistent critic of the borrowing plan, voted against it Tuesday.

Councilman Paul Krekorian also voiced opposition, but said he supports the plan as an option to ensure the city doesnt have to dip further into its reserve fund.

The last time L.A. issued such a bond was 2010 after the city was forced to pay millions of dollars to settle lawsuits over excessive force by police at a May Day demonstration at MacArthur Park in 2007.

That 2010 bond also helped pay for other court cases.

Galperin warned city leaders against proceeding with the bond in a letter this month. His office maintains the citys finances will improve by the end of the fiscal year, when $38 million in unspent city money will be returned by departments.

I continue to believe that it is unwise for a city to use bonds as a way to bridge a budget gap, Galperin said in a statement after the vote.

With a final vote still pending on the bond contract, the City Council could still back out of the plan.

Putting together the bond proposal costs about $100,000, budget officials said.

dakota.smith@latimes.com

Twitter: @dakotacdsmith
Two educators at Ramona Elementary School are recipients of Leadership in Biliteracy awards and will be among those honored at the Biliteracy Symposium celebration in the Marriott La Jolla on May 11.

Ramona Elementary Principal Pixie Sulser and fourth-grade teacher Sandra Jimenez received their awards at the school on March 29. Sulser and Superintendent Anne Staffieri, Ed.D., presented Jimenez with her award, and Staffieri surprised Sulser with hers.

The San Diego County of Education Biliteracy Symposium reviews nominations from each district in the county and annually selects one or two employees from each district for the honor.

Advertisement

Sulser learned that her nomination was the result of her work as a teacher on assignment when she was the lead writer of Ramona Unified School Districts English Language Development Plan, organized professional training on the ELD standards, increased parent involvement in the districts English Language Advisory Committee, and helped bring the Seal of Biliteracy awards to graduating high school seniors. Sulser was a teacher on assignment at the district office before her appointment as Ramona Elementary principal this school year.

As principal, Sulser supported Ramona Elementary ELD coordinators Jimenez and kindergarten teacher Aida Martinez in their work with the schools second language learners and their families  32 second language students demonstrated proficiency in reading and writing English and were reclassified as fluent in English. They also organized the first California English Language Development Test (CELDT) Score Report Night, which 50 parents attended, and are working to increase parent involvement at the school.

Sandra is the co-ELD coordinator for our site, reads the nomination for Jimenez. She works tirelessly to guide teachers in the support of our second language learners. Sandra assists in organizing and holding our parent ELAC (English Learner Advisory Committee) meetings, oversees our reclassification process, and helps teachers monitor the progress of our R-FEP (Reclassified Fluent English Proficient) 1 and 2 students.

Jimenez never stops, the nomination continued, adding, If there were more hours in the day, she would fill them with activities/projects/events that benefit students. Sandra unselfishly gives of herself and has a true and undeterred desire to help students grow and achieve socially, emotionally, and academically.

Maureen Robertson<QR>
During the first three months of this year, 23 doctors in San Diego County faced some form of disciplinary action by the Medical Board of California, according to the agencys records.

They were among 231 physicians across the state who received punishment or scrutiny from the board  such as being put on probation, losing their medical license or getting a formal, public accusation of wrongdoing  during the same time period.

A full list of the disciplined doctors in California, categorized by year, is available at bit.ly/doctoractions.

Advertisement

In San Diego County, four doctors surrendered their licenses, one had his license suspended and two had their licenses revoked during the first quarter of 2017. (See the list below.)

The board also filed accusations against five other local doctors, and disciplinary decisions were announced for six of the regions physicians after accusations were filed against them and further investigations were conducted.

The punishments ranged from probation to suspension of one doctors medical license.

Meanwhile, two previously logged accusations were dismissed by the board during the January-March period.

Doctor discipline has become an increasingly high-profile issue over the years, with debates about aspects such as whether the board is beholden to physicians interests, whether the boards probation program is effective and whether doctors placed on probation should be forced to notify all of their patients about their disciplinary status.

In 2015, the nonprofit group Consumers Union, which runs the Consumer Reports website and publishes a magazine by the same name, released a list of doctors on probation in California. It used that list to argue in favor of the board requiring patient notification, but the agency has consistently rejected the proposal.

Patient notification also came up as part of the boards recertification process in the state Senate, which took place last month.

And Assembly Bill 505, which is pending in the Legislature and has support from the California Medical Association, seeks to strip away the option of probation for doctors who have harmed patients through alcohol abuse, sexual exploitation or other felony-level misconduct.

The board deals with a wide range of physician misconduct, from substance addictions that affect a doctors medical performance, to anger issues, to illegal prescribing of medications, to sexual assault on patients.

It has repeatedly emphasized that most doctors practice medicine honorably.

*

LOST THEIR LICENSES

The following doctors surrendered their medical license or had it revoked by the Medical Board of California during the first three months of 2017:

* Gregory Thomas Antkowiak, San Diego  surrendered license

* George R. Brolaski Jr., Encinitas  surrendered license

* Robert Wayne Foster, La Mesa  surrendered license

* Mary Charlene Murphy, San Diego  license revoked

* Naga Raja Thota, El Cajon  surrendered license

* Alfred D. Trotter Jr., Chula Vista  license revoked

Health Playlist On Now Video: Why aren't Americans getting flu shots? 0:37 On Now Video: Leaders urge public to help extinguish hepatitis outbreak On Now San Diego starts cleansing sidewalks, streets to combat hepatitis A On Now Video: Scripps to shutter its hospice service On Now Video: Scripps La Jolla hospitals nab top local spot in annual hospital rankings On Now Video: Does a parent's Alzheimer's doom their children? On Now Video: Vaccine can prevent human papillomavirus, which can cause cancer 0:31 On Now 23 local doctors have already faced state discipline in 2017 0:48 On Now EpiPen recall expands On Now Kids can add years to your life

paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1850

Twitter: @paulsisson
The number of people caught illegally crossing the Southwest border fell to a 17-year low in March, according to testimony the secretary of Homeland Security is expected to give in Congress on Wednesday.

An advance copy of Secretary John Kellys testimony, obtained by the Associated Press, pegged the March number of apprehensions at fewer than 12,500. Thats down from 18,762 in February and down from 33,316 in March 2016, according to Border Patrol data.

Its also well below the peak this century  220,063 in March 2000.

Advertisement

Kelly will tell the Senate, according to the AP, that the dip this year is no accident and that President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown is the reason for the decline.

Christopher Harris, secretary of San Diegos local chapter of the Border Patrol union, said that the anticipated testimony seems accurate based on what hes seen happening in San Diego. Word has spread back to people who were thinking of crossing that immigration officials enforce the laws more rigorously now, Harris said.

People are thinking twice before coming, Harris said by phone. We truly believe that it has to do with this administration, its rhetoric and its actions.

He said he recently gave a tour to Congressional staffers and brought them to his station to show them around.

That was the first time I can recall in almost 20 years that we had nobody in the (holding) cells, Harris said.

One of the concrete changes that hes seen is that officers are now encouraged to document things that they observe that might disprove an asylum seekers claim. The previous administration discouraged such documentation, Harris said.

While Trump has signed several immigration-related executive orders, much of what is expected at the Southwest border has yet to be implemented. His wall is still in early design stages. His thousands of new agents are still in the hiring process.

On the interior of the country, immigration courts have adjusted priorities, anticipating larger numbers of arrivals, and some immigration judges have moved their operations to detention facilities to speed up processing.

Immigration attorneys have seen increases in calls from newly detained clients or their families, pointing to higher levels of enforcement on those who are not authorized to be in the country.

The biggest change that they see, though, is fear within immigrant communities, where rumors circulate of raids and checkpoints that may not actually exist.

Everard Meade, director of the Trans Border Institute at the University of San Diego, said few of the new administrations operational changes have taken effect, and the decrease in border apprehensions is actually part of a larger trend of reduced migration from Mexico spanning more than 15 years.

Were at the end of a massive migration cycle, Meade said in an email.

The specific policies of Trump  and predecessors Barack Obama and George W. Bush  have had a negligible impact, Meade said, compared with macroeconomic factors like the Great Recession and job cuts in areas like construction that tend to attract immigrant workers. A stronger Mexican economy has also contributed to fewer migrants, he said.

People are going to Tijuana to be in Tijuana, not on their way to the U.S. or returning from the U.S., something that wasnt true for most of the last century, Meade said.

Apart from economic conditions, Meade said, smuggling has gone from family-run operations to drug cartels, another factor in decreased attempts to cross the border without permission.

Opportunity seekers are not going to take this risk, Meade said. Only people who are in very desperate straits are going to consider making this kind of journey.

Christian Ramirez, human rights director for Alliance San Diego, was also skeptical of Kellys statement. He called Kellys claim an exaggeration at best, and he questioned the datas accuracy based on his previous experiences with the department.

Its unfair to categorize this as a success, Ramirez said by phone. You cant govern through fear mongering. You cant govern through policies that have been questioned by the judicial branch time and time again.

He said actual policy hasnt changed from the Obama administration, as a number of Trump executive orders have yet to be implemented with additional resources such as new officers.

Initially, Trumps rhetoric caused fear among immigrant communities in the U.S. and even among those planning to cross the border for a quick shopping trip, Ramirez said, but he thinks things are returning to normal.

He said he has been concerned by the chaos and lack of clarity on what policies are currently in place for the administration.

I really hope Congress does its job, that they ask tough questions, he said.

Ramirez lamented that agency heads for several branches of the Homeland Security department have not yet been confirmed under the new administration, adding to what he saw as chaos.

Peter Nunez, a former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California who has supported Trump for his immigration policies, said he sees the decrease in apprehensions as proof of the effectiveness of Trumps immigration policies.

It restores my confidence in the government, that were actually doing what were supposed to be doing, Nunez said by phone. He said both Republican and Democrat presidents in the past have disappointed him on the issue of immigration enforcement.

Nunez said Trumps rhetoric has deterred people from coming, and that ramped-up enforcement on the interior of the country has contributed to the decreasing numbers as well.

We havent built a mile of fence, and we probably havent hired another Border Patrol agent, Nunez said, but the fact that hes said hes going to do it is sending a message.

Immigration Videos On Now New developments in family separation case 9:53 On Now A San Diego woman volunteered as a medic in Texas helping migrant families 2:35 On Now Immigration policy protests in Carlsbad nearly cancelled after permit issue 1:38 On Now When children are separated from their parents at the border, here is where they go next On Now Prospects of a deal for 'Dreamers' may hinge on separating Trump from hard-liners on his staff On Now What is DACA? On Now Border wall prototype contractors selected On Now Video: Ukrainian boxer wins asylum in U.S. On Now 30 apprehended after Border Patrol agents discover tunnel On Now Video: Kurdish diaspora prepare to vote on independence

kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate
After making its debut last week on a federal list of jurisdictions that limit cooperation with immigration authorities in jails, the San Diego County Sheriffs Department is curiously absent from the latest report, released Wednesday.

This is the third edition of the list, which calls out jurisdictions that dont honor detainers  requests by immigration authorities to hold a non-U.S. citizen inmate in jail for up to 48 hours past their release date so immigration officers can take the person into custody.

President Donald Trump asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to regularly advertise such practices as he seeks the cooperation of local law enforcement to help with his crackdown on illegal immigration.

Advertisement

The San Diego County Sheriffs Department, which runs the jails here, appeared on Section I of the list last week, among the top 10 jurisdictions that received the most detainers from ICE during the week of Feb. 4. The jurisdictions were described as having limited cooperation with ICE. The list did not say if the department actually declined those detainers, which numbered 44.

The department did not appear in the other two sections of the report, which listed jurisdictions that declined detainers  possibly allowing non-citizen inmates go free  and jurisdictions that have enacted policies that generally restrict cooperation with ICE in jails.

The Sheriffs Department has said it is legally prohibited from honoring detainers, as is every other sheriff in California, due to the Trust Act. The state law, passed in 2013, bars jailers from holding anyone beyond their release date except in rare circumstances. A federal court ruling out of Oregon also found it was unconstitutional to do so without a warrant signed by a judge.

Both last week and this week, which covers Feb. 11-17, the detainer report lists most major California counties  from Orange to Imperial to San Bernardino  and even points to the Trust Act. So why isnt San Diego on there?

The inconsistency begs the question: Even though San Diego is subject to the Trust Act, does the federal government view the Sheriffs Department as more cooperative with ICE than the others? Or is it a mere oversight?

The ICE reports authors decide which jurisdictions to include based on public information and public statements local authorities have made about their detainer policies, according to the report.

The Sheriffs Department has found ways to help ICE with its mission that dont violate the law or court order, the county has said.

The department allows ICE officers to use office space inside the county jails to determine which inmates might be green card holders or unauthorized immigrants and asks the department for notification on when certain inmates will be released. Once notified, ICE officers can take the inmates into custody before they are released to the street.

Sheriff Bill Gore was not available for comment Wednesday.

State Democrats are working on a new law that would even further restrict local law enforcements cooperation with ICE. The California Values Act would essentially create a sanctuary state and further widen the ideological chasm between California and the Trump administration when it comes to immigration.

In San Diego, that would kick ICE agents out of the jails and would mostly ban deputies from notifying ICE about the release dates of non-citizen inmates, unless the information is also available to the general public.

There is an exception allowing sheriffs to hand over to ICE an unauthorized immigrant inmate who has been previously removed and has a prior conviction for a violent felony, or to notify ICE when a non-citizen has a prior violent felony and is about to be released from jail upon serving a sentence for any misdemeanor or felony.

That exception doesnt go far enough, the California State Sheriffs Association wrote to the Senate. For instance, the law would preclude a local sheriff from notifying ICE about the release of a legal green card holder who is charged with a violent crime for the first time.

Sheriffs do not wish to act as immigration police, nor are they, and we protect EVERYONE in our communities regardless of immigration status, the association wrote. That said, we need to continue to cooperate with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who victimize our communities are not given unnecessary opportunities to do more harm.

The bills author, Sen. President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, said the law would ensure that state and local resources are not used to fuel mass deportations, separate families, and ultimately hurt Californias economy.

A relationship of trust between Californias immigrant residents and our state and local agencies, including police, schools, and hospitals, is essential to carrying out basic state and local functions. That trust is threatened when state and local agencies are involved in immigration enforcement, he wrote as part of the bills analysis.

The bill made it through the Senate Monday and is headed to the Assembly. If passed, it would then go to Gov. Jerry Brown.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
Omar Passons, an attorney who has worked in public health and community development, has announced that he is running for county supervisor next year.

In a Twitter post Tuesday night, Passons said hes running for the District 4 seat, an office currently held by Supervisor Ron Roberts, who will be forced out by term limits.

I felt like this is an opportunity to make a meaningful, sustained contribution to every child in the county, Passons said in an interview Wednesday.

Advertisement

County offices are officially nonpartisan, but party politics often is a factor in elections and, to some extent, shape policy development. Passons and other Democrats who may enter the race would start off with an advantage in the central San Diego district, where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans 2-to-1.

So far Passons is the only candidate to take formal steps to run for District 4, but other possible contenders include Democratic former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher and Republican San Diego City Councilwoman Lorie Zapf, and Republican District Attoreny Bonnie Dumanis, among others.

Passons grew up in San Diego, met his wife in elementary school, and they now live in North Park. He was raised by foster parents, who later adopted him.

Former foster child returns many favors 

He has a masters degree in public health from the University of Arizona, was a health policy analyst for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and served as an attorney in the California Department of Transportation. He later practiced land use and construction law, and until earlier this year was the vice president of community development and policy at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation. He currently serves on the board of the San Diego Workforce Partnership. Its his first time running for public office.

For me, this is not a stepping stone, he said. This is a specific place to make a difference. My whole career is how do budgets work, how does infrastructure work.

He said his job in health and human services focused on how to best use public resources.

He said he plans to focus on policies that help children, particularly the most vulnerable ones in the county, have more opportunities for success. Additionally, he wants the county to increase its stock of affordable housing.

Its possible to have progressive values and a business focus, he said.

While District 4 is located entirely within San Diego, and the county sets land use policies only for unincorporated areas, an increase in the affordable housing stock anywhere in the county will make housing costs more affordable within all 18 cities, Passons said.

Passons said he is still building his campaign team, and has not yet hired a campaign manager.

Besides Roberts, Supervisor Bill Horn in North County will also be forced out of office in 2018 by term limits. Oceanside Councilman Jerry Kern filed preliminary campaign documents for the District 5 in July, and San Marcos Mayor Jim Desmond formed a committee in late January.

Both Roberts and Horn have served on the Board of Supervisors for more than two decades.

With the June 5, 2018, primary still far off, and Novembers presidential election not even a half-year old, the campaigns are still in their pre-season.

The supervisor candidates would run in a non-presidential year when turnout is usually lower, but people may be interested in likely competitive races for governor and Congress  not to mention state and local measures  that also will be on the ballot.

Twitter: @jptstewart

joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1841
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canyon Copper Corp. (Canyon) (TSX-V:CNC) is pleased to announce that it has staked and recorded a significant expansion of key areas near the Samuels Lake Area option agreement with ProAm Exploration Corporation (ProAm).



Four additional blocks of claims have been staked which will increase the area under control by 6,958 acres (2,817 hectares) in addition to the original Samuels Lake property of 1,471 acres (595.6 hectares) for a total of 8,429 acres (3,413 hectares).

Samuels Lake is located in the Province of Ontario, about 56 kms West Southwest of Atikokan, a significant former iron mining center that is 200 kms West of the port of Thunder Bay.

The additional ground was acquired in order to open up further opportunity to expand on developing mineral resources similar to those located by two exploration campaigns, by ProAm (1998-2000) and Teck Cominco Ltd. (2008). The following key reasons lead to the decision stake this ground.

Both of the previous Samuels Lake exploration programs had identified mineralization of Copper, Nickel, and Cobalt. Minor Platinum Group element assemblages were associated with this mineralization;



The mineralization appears to correlate with rocks of high magnetic susceptibility due to an alteration of ultramafic rocks to a dominant wherlite phase that has a layered distribution of sulphide mineralization, in some sections drilled in both exploration programs;



Attractive thickness and combined grade for future development;



The Copper-Nickel mineralization is associated with Cobalt that ranges in grade from 0.030% to 0.080% which is a possible co-product in higher grade sections;



The consumption of Cobalt in the production of lithium ion batteries is reported to be in a range of 30-60% for electrode materials in some ion batteries now in production, compared to 20-30% lithium electrode material;



The price of cobalt has risen to more than $30,000/st ($60.00/lb) while lithium for electrode materials is between $8,500/st ($4.25/lb) and $12,000/st ($6.00/lb) in recent reports of sales;



The proximity of the project area to Atikokan makes possible the development of brown-fields sites for future plant and tailings facilities which could reduce the time and cost required for permitting new facilities;



The high magnetic susceptibility associated with the mineralization has helped identified several UTEM targets with down-hole probing during the earlier exploration programs. These will be reviewed after recovery and assaying of drill core from the 1999 drilling, which has been located and is well identified with tags and the written logs; and



The economic advantage of having accumulations of nickel and copper sulfides, with associated cobalt as a possible by-product has made this a very attractive exploration target for the Company.



Qualified Person

Benjamin Ainsworth, PEng (British Columbia), licence No. 8648, chief executive officer of Canyon, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Benjamin Ainsworth

CANYON COPPER CORP.

Benjamin Ainsworth, APEGBC

CEO, President

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information

This News Release may contain, in addition to historical information, forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phases such as believe, expect, plan, anticipate and similar expressions identifying forward-looking statements. Investors should not rely on forward-looking statements because they are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Canyon's expectations, and expressly does not undertake any duty to update forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to the following, Canyon's ability to implement its proposed drill programs on the Moonlight Property and the New York Canyon Project, Canyons ability to obtain additional financing, uncertainty of estimates of mineralized material and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Canyon to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors Regarding Estimates of Measured, Indicated and Inferred Resources

This News Release may use the terms measured, indicated and inferred resources. We advise U.S. investors that while these terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the SEC does not recognize them. Inferred resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of a feasibility study or prefeasibility studies, except in rare cases. The SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute reserves as in-place tonnage and grade, without reference to unit measures. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of a measured, indicated or inferred resource exists or is economically or legally mineable.

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.
A 19-year-old man was arrested near Pine Valley Sunday after Border Patrol agents found $160,000 worth of methamphetamine stashed in his SUVs engine compartment, officials said Tuesday.

The man, whose name was not released, drove up to the border patrol checkpoint on Interstate 8 near the Campo Indian Reservation about 9 p.m., Border Patrol officials said.

During a secondary inspection, a drug-sniffing dog reacted to the mans 2008 Nissan Armada. Agents checked the SUV and found a makeshift compartment in the engine compartment, officials said.

Advertisement

Inside were 46 bundles of meth, which weighed nearly 47 pounds and have a street value of roughly $160,000, officials said.

The man was arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling and turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration, along with the narcotics. The Border Patrol seized the Nissan.

Breaking News

Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com

Phone: (619) 293-1876

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
Fernando Martinez was on a lunch break at an El Cajon construction site when a concrete wall collapsed, crushing him to death Monday, officials said Tuesday.

The 51-year-old man lived in Escondido with his wife, the Medical Examiners Office said.

He also leaves behind three young children, according to a GoFundMe page set up to raise funds for his family.

Advertisement

The page described him as an amazing dad, husband, son, brother and dear co-worker to many that have worked for the company for 30 years.

Fernando was all smiles and always had a funny story to brighten your day, the page says.

He was one of five construction workers digging a foundation for a concrete wall at a car dealership being built on Wagner Road near North Marshall Avenue, authorities said.

When it was time for a lunch break, Martinez went into the trench to eat his food, the Medical Examiners Office said. Suddenly, a 6-foot-tall cinder block wall near the trench fell on Martinez, fire officials said.

Other workers called 911 about 12:30 p.m.

It took fire crews about an hour and a half to clear the debris and get to Martinez, who was found dead.

A second worker suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital.

The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident.

Breaking News

Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com

Phone: (619) 293-1876

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
In the hills of Baja, Michael Wall and Jim Berrian found a creature thats the stuff of nightmare for most people  a cave spider nearly the size of a tarantula.

For the two San Diego Natural History Museum researchers, it was an exciting windfall  an unknown arachnid as wide across as a softball.

This is the type of spider that a lot of people would shriek and run from  its big enough to fall in that category, said Wall, curator of entomology for the museum.

Advertisement

The brand new species has the stuff of horror films: eight beady eyes, thick fang-like structures, a hairy, inch-long body and legs stretching four inches wide. Berrian, however, describes it in more flattering terms.

I think its a really pretty spider, he said. The head and legs are kind of a chocolate brown. The abdomen is a dull yellow. And its kind of plain, but very striking.

After confirming the spider as a new species, they named it Califorctenus cacachilensis after the Sierra Cacachilas mountain range where they found it, and published the discovery in the journal Zootaxa last month.

There are 1.1 million species of insects and spiders that have been scientifically described, but an estimated four million species are yet to be identified and named, Wall said. So encountering a new type of spider isnt necessarily unusual.

The odds of discovering a new species are pretty high, Wall said. But that said, generally, (most) new species discovered are little itty-bitty things that people dont pay attention to, so given the size of this spider, that was surprising.

Berrian first saw shed exoskeletons of the species in a grotto in the Cacachilas during a 2013 expedition, and was on the lookout for the live thing. Soon he and Wall found one in a nearby cave, and another in an abandoned mine shaft. Local ranchers with broad knowledge of the areas wildlife hadnt seen it before, but the researchers kept searching. They spotted more of them in the cement pit of old outhouse and others in secluded crevices.

Once we knew that they were in these dark, reclusive places, we started targeting those and ended up finding more of them, Wall said.

They located about two dozen of them, Berrian said, and brought back about eight specimens. Convinced that the spider was unlike others in the area, but unsure what it was, they consulted Mexican entomologist Maria Jimenez to nail down its taxonomy. She concluded that the new species belongs to the family of wandering spiders, which includes the Brazilian wandering spider, known for its potent and sometimes lethal venom. Cacachilensis looks like it could wield an impressive bite as well.

Theyre pretty meaty, Wall said. They do have clearly visible fangs. You dont have to look very hard to find them.

Under rows of black eyes, the spider has thick, hairy pincers that can deliver a venomous sting. Thats how the wandering spiders, named for their habit of roaming for prey, hunt for food and defend themselves against other animals.

Its intimidating, and that can be enough for a lot of things to leave you alone, except loony-tune arachnologists, Berrian said, acknowledging that it wasnt enough to deter him from handling the spiders.

Unlike its Brazilian cousin, he discovered, cacachilensis doesnt seem to kill you.

I was bitten by one of these spiders down in Baja, he said, describing it as milder than a bee or wasp sting. It was like being poked by a cactus spine and a little mild pain, but it went away in a few hours.

The spiders discovery came during a series of expeditions by researchers at the San Diego Natural History Museum to explore and catalogue the flora and fauna of remote regions of Baja. They believe the species is unique  or endemic  to certain areas of the Baja Peninsula. So that makes it an important find in terms of research and conservation of the region.

This spider has a very small range, Berrian said. Along with other endemics  birds and reptiles  altogether, it tells a story of the uniqueness of that area. And we can use that to justify protection.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
The great thing about politics is that, at some point, theres always a day of reckoning. Votes are cast, and decisions are made. And this week is a big one for voting  from a local race for Congress to a major decision in Sacramento and ultimately the future of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Good morning. Im Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers, and were tracking the impact of big votes in several places this week. None, though, are as big as the showdown over the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the nations highest court.

GOING BIG FOR GORSUCH

Advertisement

The question in Washington is no longer if the Colorado judge will get his seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, but what kind of political fallout ensues when it happens.

Mondays party-line committee vote to send the Gorsuch nomination to the Senate floor was not a surprise. For hours, senators laid out their cases either for or against the nominee of President Trump.

Californias senior senator, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, made it clear that she will join her more liberal colleagues in voting no once the floor vote finally comes. Feinstein will also join the expected filibuster of the Gorsuch nomination.

And now, even as a group of senators work feverishly behind the scenes, there may not be much to do but wait until Senate Republicans squash the filibuster by changing the chambers rules. That could happen tomorrow. Lisa Mascaro takes a look at the history of the filibuster and how it may change once the so-called nuclear option is used.

SACRAMENTOS TRANSPORTATION HEAD COUNT

Things are much less certain for Gov. Jerry Brown in his quest to get enough legislators to vote this week for a $52-billion transportation funding plan. The governor and Democratic legislative leaders are scheduled to hold a news conference on the plan later this morning.

And make no mistake, this isnt a challenge based on party as much as it is on political philosophy. While Democrats hold enough seats in both the state Assembly and Senate to pass the transportation plans tax hikes on their own, theres a palpable uneasiness about the vote for some Democratic legislators. At least a handful from rural areas may be wary of opposition that developed on Monday from the agriculture industry.

Meanwhile, Brown continued his road trip for road repairs by heading to Riverside on Tuesday where his message was simple.

Dont blow it guys, the governor said in warning lawmakers not to hold out in supporting a series of road and highway fixes that he argued could be doubly expensive if not dealt with soon.

CONGRESSIONAL RUNOFF IN L.A. ON JUNE 6

In the weeks to come, political pundits will no doubt debate what effect the bumper crop of candidates in Tuesdays special congressional election in Los Angeles had in keeping anyone from winning the job outright on election night.

But as the sun rises in California, the unofficial vote tally finds that two Democrats -- state Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez and former L.A. city planning commissioner Robert Lee Ahn -- will move to a runoff on June 6 to fill the House seat left vacant by Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra.

The two men led a field of 24 candidates in what looks to be a low turnout election. And while many of the candidates argued the the race was a harbinger of change in the Democratic Party, it appears to have hinged on the more traditional politics of name identification and registering new voters.

ABOUT THAT TAX DEDUCTION, CALIFORNIA 

For California, its the $101-billion question: Will Congress eliminate a major tax break that benefits residents of the state more than anywhere else in the country?

A plan by House Republicans calls for axing the federal deduction for state and local taxes. The provision allowed Californians to reduce their taxable income in 2014 by an amount that was  get this ... one-fifth of the total value of the entire nationwide deduction, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation.

EPAS TOXIC WORK ENVIRONMENT?

These are tough times, it seems, to be an employee of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. For thousands of scientists and investigators, the siege mentality is taking its toll, reports Evan Halper.

Some are urging them to tough it out.

I try to tell people that staying and doing your job at this point in history is an act of resistance, that if they leave, we will wind up with gaps in the system, said Jared Blumenfeld, who formerly ran the EPA regional office encompassing many of the western states.

NUNES STILL TOPS IN TULARE

While weve seen some evidence that the late House Speaker Tip ONeills maxim that all politics is local no longer applies in all cases, it seems to be alive and well in the Central Valley city of Tulare.

And thats good news for Rep. Devin Nunes. Cathleen Decker spent some time with Nunes long-time friends and allies and finds a very different reaction to recent events in Washington that have thrust the hometown boy into the national spotlight.

Her profile offers a fascinating glimpse at whats driven Nunes from his time as a young boy, and how locals are sure hes still holding true to those beliefs.

SANCTUARY STATE CLEARS BIG HURDLE

The effort by Democrats in the state Capitol to expand so-called sanctuary provisions to communities across California is now in the lap of the Assembly.

The bill by Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) passed the upper house on Monday after a long and intense floor debate.

De Leon was later asked whether he thought the president would retaliate in some way against California.

We hope not, he said. He is the president of the greatest country in the world. It is not about retribution. It is about bringing the country together.

TRUMP AND THE UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PRESS

New polling by the Pew Research Center suggests that Americans dont like what theyre seeing, regardless of party affiliation, age, income or almost any other demographic marker.

A full 83% of American adults agreed that the relationship between Trump and the news media is generally unhealthy. Another large majority, 73%, said that tension is getting in the way of Americans access to important news.

TODAYS ESSENTIALS

-- Can Trump break the diplomatic ice in this weeks visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping? His advisors hope so.

-- Frustrated as they head home for spring break, Republican lawmakers have begun talking with the White House on possible new ways to repeal and replace Obamacare.

-- State legislators are working on a proposal that would keep the gas storage facility at Aliso Canyon closed until a study is completed on the leak that forced thousands to flee their homes.

-- Trump signed legislation Monday night that repeals the Federal Communications Commissions privacy protections for Internet users, rolling back a landmark policy from the Obama era.

-- Civil rights groups sounded the alarm Tuesday at the Justice Departments decision to review agreements with local police forces to address problems of racial profiling, discrimination and excessive use of force.

-- Californias Democratic candidates for governor on Tuesday called for public safety policies that make sense.

-- California members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus say theyre worried that Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly isnt taking their concerns about immigration enforcement seriously.

-- Actress Sharon Stone released a spoken-word video in support of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles).

LOGISTICS

You may have noticed weve shifted to a Monday, Wednesday and Friday schedule. Its the same newsletter, just not every day. You can keep up with breaking news on our politics page throughout the day. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics?

Miss Mondays newsletter? Here you go.

Please send thoughts, concerns and news tips to politics@latimes.com.

Did someone forward you this? Sign up here to get Essential Politics in your inbox.

john.myers@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter at @johnmyers and listen to the weekly California Politics Podcast
As California celebrates Admission Day  we joined the United States on Sept. 9, 1850  we should give ourselves an overdue present: A founding story of our statehood starring someone we can be proud of, both as Californians and Americans.

Like too much else in California, the narrative of our statehood is sprawling and complicated, involving the Mexican-American War, the Gold Rush and migration  and devoid of a hero who can tie the history together The closest thing we have had is U.S. Sen. John C. Fremont, whose main talents were for insubordination and bankruptcy.

Fortunately, more recent scholarship suggests that California could cut through its obscure history in a Shermanesque way. William Tecumseh Sherman  the Civil War general known for his decisive march through the South  offers Californians a compelling but overlooked protagonist in the tale of becoming a state.

Advertisement

Shermans military exploits have long overshadowed his earlier time in California  which was formative both for the state and for the man himself. A new biography from historian James Lee McDonough shows how Sherman served as a stabilizing figure for California during war, the Gold Rush and various crises.

Originally from Ohio, Sherman arrived in California as a soldier in 1847. Stationed in Monterey, he never saw action in the Mexican-American war, but met almost everyone of note, visiting missions, hunting grizzly bears, patronizing the arts and opening a store in Coloma (to supplement his Army wages). He was an early surveyor of the Sierra Nevada, traveled to L.A. by boat and horseback, and was a fixture of the gold country during the Gold Rush, even getting to know John Sutter.

In 1849, Sherman was the U.S. militarys representative at the California convention, which produced the states first constitution. In 1850, California entered the Union as a free state, part of a famous compromise in the long run-up to the Civil War. That same year, Sherman went east to marry. But by 1853, he had resigned the Army and was back in San Francisco to establish a bank, becoming a significant figure in the growth and travails of Californias first great city.

Shermans conservative management of his growing bank made him an outlier in the wildly unregulated and corrupt financial sector of 1850s San Francisco. McDonough recounts  with new details  how Shermans care forestalled banking panic; in 1855, even as Wells Fargo and other banks closed during a bank run, Shermans bank stayed open and calmed the city.

He did this all at personal cost. San Francisco was so expensive (some things dont change) that even a banker couldnt afford to live there; he went deeply into debt. His wife, not without reason, considered the city thoroughly wicked and begged him to leave. He suffered from terrible asthma that was aggravated by San Franciscos wet weather. And he was bitterly criticized by the press in 1856 when he opposed the Committee of Vigilance that had lawlessly seized control of the city, banished some enemies and hanged others.

After another financial panic, Sherman would have to shut down his bank in 1858  though he was scrupulous about it  selling his own property so that depositors could be made whole. Having invested eight years and most of his money in California, he left the state that summer, but often would confess a desire to return (even in letters written at the height of the Civil War).

If I had no family I would stay in California all my life, he wrote in one letter. Alas, he would come back only as a visitor.

Shermans view of California, formed in that founding period from 1847 to 1858, still resonates. He loved the natural beauty of the place and the adventurous culture of its people. But he was distressed by its volatility, its boom-and-bust economy, and he learned to distrust its democratic spirit, since that could curdle so quickly into mob rule.

Shermans lack of patience with democratic republican government ... emerged full blown during the Californian years, writes McDonough, adding: He beheld a society dramatically transformed, in an amazingly short period of time. It was not a pretty sight.

California, McDonough shows, helped convince Sherman that humans needed a strong hand  and that authorities should deal forcefully with those who might step out of line. It would of course be the South that would feel the full force of Shermans conclusion.

Sherman became Sherman here, just as California was becoming the state of California. After 166 years, isnt it time we adopted a founding narrative that is more Shermanesque?

Mathews writes for Zocalo Public Square, www.zocalopublicsquare.org.
The time is right to put the Balboa Park Plaza de Panama project to a public vote.

Since inception, this project has been controversial, yet it has never been on a city ballot. Last year, the City Council appropriated $39 million to fund it. Since that time, the budget outlook has changed to the extent that departments have been asked to make budget cuts in city services.

Balboa Park, as a public venue, is far more utilized than any ballot-worthy stadium or convention center. The time is right for a public advisory vote regarding the city Plaza de Panama project with funding defined in the ballot measure.

Advertisement

Bernadine King

San Carlos

Letters and commentary policy

The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below.

Want to see more letters that appear only online? Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook.
Monday, thanks to a fellow named Mike Cernovich and Bloomberg News, broke the story that Susan Rice had surveilled the Trump team well before the inauguration. For months, the media has been calling Trump a liar for bringing this to light.

This is a huge story yet the Union-Tribune chose to bury it on page four and then headlines the story, Trump renews Twitter attack on Clinton, Obama.

Advertisement

Letters and commentary policy

The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below.

Reporter Maggie Haberman of The New York Times reportedly knew about this two days before Bloomberg broke the story, yet the Times chose to sit on the story.

This country doesnt stand a chance when 90 percent of the mainstream media places partisan politics before the truth.

This is stuff that is bigger than Watergate and you at the U-T play it down and bury it on page four. Shape up, U-T.

C. Clemans

San Diego

Paper should focus on the Rice controversy

Received your paper and was unable to find your article about Obamas national security adviser, Susan E. Rice. Over the weekend, many radio and TV stations called into question Rices alleged role in unmasking of Trumps campaign aids. Also in question was that Rice ordered spy docs on Trump.

When a left-wing person is alleged to have done something illegal, the U-T wraps the fish up in yesterdays paper and throws it out with the garbage.

If Trump is alleged to have done something, it is in the headlines for the whole week. Try reporting without slanting your view. Just the facts, please.

Bill Ingram

Point Loma

Lets be honest about Trumps shortcomings

Regarding Will Trump flub tax reform after health care failure? (April 2): The U-T editorial on Sunday begins, Does President Trump have a learning curve? Do you people read your own paper? Or any other paper? The answer is clearly no, he does not.

Why are you writing as if there is a normal person occupying the White House? The same day, the Los Angeles Times published the bold editorial Our dishonest president. I see no reason to continue to pretend that Trump is not a man with a dangerously erratic temperament, a man with no background in foreign or domestic policy who is not even attempting to educate himself, a man who is using the position of president of the United States to funnel as much money as possible to his family businesses.

Stop trying to normalize him and waiting for him to become presidential. A pig with lipstick is still a pig, and a charlatan in the Oval Office is still a charlatan.

Carol Kissin

Oceanside

Why pay to gather the facts Trump ignores?

In the U-T Russian meddling under fire (April 3) article, Donald Trump refers to the fake news media as pushing the Russia meddling story.

Trumps knowledge and understanding of most issues are based upon his reliance of the true facts, as provided to him by Breitbart and Fox News.

Under those circumstances, I cant understand why we are paying all the various intelligence agencies to advise him.

Michael B. Witte

San Diego

Want to see more letters that appear only online? Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined a review of a controversial case seeking the removal of a comfort women memorial statue recognizing the 200,000 women forced into sexual slavery during Imperial Japans World War II occupation of countries including Korea, China, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The decision ends a tense three-year debate over a suit filed by Glendale residents Michiko Shiota Gingery and Koichi Mera, in conjunction with the Global Alliance for Historical Truth-US Corp., a nonprofit group whose stated goal is to defend the honor of Japan. Last month, the Japanese government even filed an amicus brief supporting the lawsuit.

The 1,100-pound bronze statue is located in Glendale and depicts a stoic Korean girl sitting next to an empty chair  a replica of the "peace monument in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, South Korea. The installation of comfort women statues in Australia and South Korea have tested Japanese foreign diplomacy.

The memorial was erected in Glendale Central Park in 2013, shortly after Osaka Mayor Toshio Hashimoto made the controversial argument that World War II-era comfort women were necessary to maintain discipline in the army." The memorial notes that the statue was erected to memorialize the thousands of women forced into sexual slavery by Imperial Japanese forces between the years 1932 and 1945. The statue was also a celebration of the passing of a House resolution adopted in 2007, which urged the Japanese government to accept historical responsibility for war-era crimes.

The Japanese government officially issued an apology in 2015, and offered an $8.3 million contribution to South Korea for a comfort women victims fund.

The lawsuit put forth by the plaintiffs argued that the memorial would cause irreparable injury from feelings of exclusion, discomfort, and anger to local Japanese-Americans by expressing disapproval of Japan and the Japanese people." The plaintiffs argued that the mere erection of the memorial exceeds the power of Glendale, infringes upon the federal government's power to exclusively conduct the foreign affairs of the United States and violates the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution.

The claims made by the plaintiffs echo the sentiments of those who protested the memorial statue in 2013 when it was originally erected  those who argued that the comfort women of World War II were prostitutes of free will. Around 100 protestors gathered at the Glendale City Council meeting in July 2013, accusing the comfort women of being liars.

Some Japanese Twitter users were outraged overseas.

No shame! If we installed a monument in America to memorialize the atomic bombs, the firebombing of Tokyo, the Vietnam war, the Muslim victims of the Iraq war, will you have any complaints about that?

Thats why Japan doesnt have an atomic bomb memorial installed in America. The victims of the atomic bombs are in the thousands, or even more, but thats all in the past and if we are going to continue to have relations with Korea, we have to look and think forward. But to say that there were over ten million comfort women? Probably only a fraction of that. Please don't make me laugh.

When the lawsuit was originally introduced in 2014, it ignited a firestorm in the legal community. Los Angeles criminal attorney Ken White wrote a scathing blog post, skewering the suit as vague, unprincipled and endlessly malleable. He asked, If a case like this succeeds, what will the courts say to a Holocaust denier who argues that a memorial is too harsh in condemning Germany, a nation with whom we have dicey relations?

Supporters of the statue didnt back down either. Organizations such as the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Citizens League, Japanese American Bar Association and the Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress supported the statue. Phyllis Kim, the executive director of the Korean American Forum of California, the organization that worked to erect the memorial, said earlier last month at a small rally in Glendale Central Park, this is a very important piece of history that a lot Westerners are not aware of. Other supporters at last months rally included former Rep. Mike Honda and former Monterey Park Mayor Betty Chu.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision officially puts the case to rest, allowing the memorial to continue to remind residents of Glendale about the horrors of war  but the pursuit for more recognition continues.

As Julie Tang, a retired judge of the Superior Court of San Francisco, told NBC News earlier this week, the Supreme Courts decision could be interpreted as a green light for 'comfort women' peace memorials to be built anywhere in the U.S.

A memorial is expected to be erected in San Francisco later this year, making the city the first major American city to install a comfort women statue.

Twitter: @anthonyberteaux
The death toll from whats now widely assumed to be a chemical attack in Syria is up to 75, and international outrage is pressuring world leaders to respond, especially in the U.S.

On Tuesday, the Trump administration blamed former President Barack Obama for weakness and irresolution and condemned the attack. Other world leaders went as far as to call for the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Advertisement

On Wednesday, some U.S. leaders had more to say. Heres how the response to the horrific events in Syria has played out stateside.

Trump

The president called the attack an affront to humanity in a press conference at the White House and also said it crossed many, many lines. But he wouldnt say what action the U.S. might take in response.

"When you kill innocent children. Innocent babies ... that crosses many, many lines," Pres. Trump on Syria attack https://t.co/sZSEGoyutV pic.twitter.com/OrDYWSfTvD  CBS News (@CBSNews) April 5, 2017

That attack on children yesterday had a big impact on me. Big impact, Trump said. My attitude towards Syria and Assad has changed very much.

What does that mean? In the past, Trump has tweeted repeatedly that he doesnt think the U.S. should attack Syria.

The only reason President Obama wants to attack Syria is to save face over his very dumb RED LINE statement. Do NOT attack Syria,fix U.S.A.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2013

In 2016, Trump maintained that point of view, telling MSNBC the U.S. has bigger problems than Assad and that the U.S. should instead focus on fighting the Islamic State.

However, on Wednesday, he called Assad out, saying, These heinous actions by the Assad regime cannot be tolerated.

He also said he now has a responsibility in Syria in following after the Obama administration and that he will carry it very proudly.

U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley

U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley offered even harsher words than Trump at an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting on Wednesday. As the Security Council considered a resolution to condemn the Assad regime, Haley implied that if members of the U.N. werent willing to deal with the crisis in Syria, the U.S. would.

When the United Nations consistently fails in its duty to act collectively, there are times in the life of states that we are compelled to take our own action, she said.

Today at the Security Council, @USUN Ambassador @NikkiHaley spoke about yesterday's chemical weapons attack in #Syria. pic.twitter.com/mKvcQjPKq2  Department of State (@StateDept) April 5, 2017

She also directed harsh words at Russia and Iran for their alliance with the Syrian government.

The truth is that Assad, Russia and Iran have no interest in peace, Haley said. If Russia has the influence in Syria that it claims to have, we need to see them use it. We need to see them put an end to these horrific acts. How many more children have to die before Russia cares?

Members of Congress

Several prominent members of Congress have spoken out since the attack, including Arizona Sen. John McCain and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, both Republicans. The senators targeted Trumps administration after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson basically indicated  ahead of the attack  that the Syrian people would have to deal with Assad themselves.

Another vicious chemical attack in #Syria - how do the Syrian people determine their own future while they are being slaughtered? pic.twitter.com/GfgVtklHxO  John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) April 4, 2017

Im sure they are encouraged to know the United States is withdrawing and seeking a new arrangement with the Russians, McCain said on Tuesday. It is another disgraceful chapter in American history and it was predictable.

Rubio on Wednesday said as long as Assad is in Syria, there will be radical elements in the country fighting him and spreading violent ideology in the region.

This is why #Assad must go. There needs to be outrage. This needs to be a priority. Otherwise, we have lost our compass as a nation. pic.twitter.com/fbE75oP2y3  Senator Rubio Press (@SenRubioPress) April 5, 2017

He added in a news conference that its not coincidental that the attack occurred just days after Tillersons statements.

Its my belief that if youre Bashar al-Assad and you read that it is no longer a priority of the United States to have you removed from power, I believe that that is an incentive to act with impunity, Rubio said.

Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @abbyhamblin
WACO, Texas, April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The successful reorganization of Life Partners Holdings Inc. (LPHI), which preserved the Life Partners $2.4 billion portfolio of life insurance policies, was honored as one of the Chapter 11 Restructuring of the Year transactions at the Ninth Annual Turnaround Atlas Awards held last night in New York.



The awards were presented by the Global M&A Network and recognized the best value-creating transactions in a number of categories. They validated excellence in professional work related to insolvency, distressed M&A and corporate turnarounds.

Our team is humbled and gratified by this recognition of the work we did to protect Life Partners investors, said H. Thomas Moran, II, the Chapter 11 Trustee for LPHI. Moran is the president and CEO of Asset Servicing Group, LLC, an Oklahoma City-based firm that manages life insurance portfolios.

In December 2014, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) secured judgments against Life Partners and its senior executives totaling more than $46.8 million for engaging in serious violations of the securities laws that deprived the investing public of the information it needed to make a fully informed decision about whether to invest in Life Partners. That judgment prompted the companys former management team to put the company in bankruptcy in the Northern District of Texas (Fort Worth Division, Case No. 15-40289-RFN-11).

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas appointed Moran, a highly regarded expert in the life insurance industry, as Trustee in March 2015. Moran was a pioneer in life settlement portfolio management and his firm, Asset Servicing Group, was the first independent third-party servicer of life insurance policies purchased on the secondary market.

This case raised a number of highly complex issues surrounding the maximization of the value of the Life Partners policy portfolio, as well as the restructuring of its business enterprise, said Moran. We project that LPI investors could receive up to 90 percent of their invested capital over time as a result of the plan we were able to put in place, and that investors who chose the pooled option in our plan could in fact receive close to 100 percent of their invested capital."

The Court-approved LPHI reorganization plan preserved the Life Partners $2.4 billion portfolio of life insurance policies, which includes approximately $1.4 billion of investor capital still at risk. The plan allowed investors to select among various options for the recovery of their capital, including options that enable them to avoid exposure to any future financial commitments or to tie their future returns to individual policies still active in the company portfolio.

Our plan was unique in that it created two new entities, explained Moran. The Position Holder Trust is now overseeing the liquidation of the policy portfolio and distribution of the net proceeds to investors, while the Creditors Trust will pursue litigation arising from the Life Partners pre-bankruptcy business activities for the benefit of Life Partners investors.

Moran accepted the award on behalf of the professionals and firms involved in the LPHI reorganization. In addition to David Bennett, Richard Roper and Katharine Clark of Thompson & Knight LLP, who represent Moran, he cited the important contributions of other members of his team including: Sheri Townsend of Asset Servicing Group; Kim Hinkle of Kim Hinkle Law; Dawn Ragan of Bridgepoint Consulting; William Schuerger and Randy Williams of Thompson Knight LLP; Vince Granieri of Predictive Resources; and Melvin McVay of Phillips Murrah.
Options on how to fund escalating costs and equipment for the Ramona Fire Department will be discussed during a presentation at the Ramona Municipal Water District Boards April 11 meeting, according to Thomas Ace, water board president.

Ace and Director Bryan Wadlington, who both retired from careers in fire service, are on the water boards ad hoc fire committee. Ace said the committee has been involved in information gathering and now its time to get the entire board involved.

The water district oversees the fire department and contracts annually with Cal Fire to staff the three stations in Ramona.

Among options, Ace said, is to have the fire department join the San Diego County Fire Authority, which would take fire service out of the water districts responsibility.

Were just looking at it in concept, said Ace.

San Diego County Fire and Cal Fire San Diego Unit Chief Chief Tony Mecham will be at the April 11 meeting, he said.

San Diego County Fire Authority administers and manages fire protection enhancement contracts with Cal Fire, fire protection districts, water districts, and volunteer agencies, according to its website. The fire authoritys agreement with Cal Fire allows the state agency to provide fire protection services on behalf of the county.

Among fire departments in the unincorporated county that are now with the county fire authority are Intermountain, San Pasqual, Julian/Cuyamaca, and Crest, said Ace.

Other options to be presented at the water board meeting are raising the fire EDU (equivalent dwelling unit) fee  a $188.52 charge paid annually by residents  or user fees, said Ace. The fire EDU pays for about $2.5 million of the fire department costs with property tax revenue filling in the gap. The 2016-17 fiscal year contract with Cal Fire was $5.8 million.

To raise the fire EDU would take a two-thirds majority vote of the people and would cost the district around $250,000 to prepare and put it on the ballot, said the board president.

Late last year the fire department replaced two ambulances that had exceeded their life expectancy. The ambulances, which went into service at the beginning of this year, cost the district $200,000 each.

In the past two years, the water board raised the ambulance and paramedic user fees twice to help pay for the new ambulances and cover expenses.

At its Feb. 14 meeting, the water board approved the purchase of a new fire engine for $550,000 because the departments reserve engine has exceeded its life expectancy by two years. The new engine will take 12 to 14 months to build.

Ace said one of his major objectives is to have three personnel, instead of two, on each fire engine with one being a paramedic to cover those times a medical call comes in and the departments two ambulances are already out on calls.

The question is how to fund that, said Ace.

In addition to that, the self-contained breathing apparatus that firefighters wear in a burning building have reached their life span and need to be replaced, he said. The department needs one for every firefighter, amounting to about 25 masks at approximately $10,000 each.

The fire department also needs new radios for the older engines so they are compatible with San Diego Countys new communications equipment, he added.

The water board is also scheduled to approve the Proposition 218 letter that will be sent to customers with not-to-exceed sewer fees for fiscal year 2017-18, which begins July 1.

The board meeting will start at 2 p.m. in Ramona Community Center, 434 Aqua Lane. While there will be no dialogue between the board and members of the public, those who want to address the board may fill out a speakers slip.
Newsprint maker AbitibiBowater Inc. on Thursday filed for bankruptcy court protection after deciding there was no other way it could deal with its debt of more than $6 billion.

AbitibiBowater, created in 2007 in a combination of U.S.-based Bowater and Canadas Abitibi-Consolidated, has faced collapsing demand for its newsprint as advertisers abandon newspapers for the Internet.

In addition, the recession has reduced the amount companies spend on newspaper ads, and rising newsprint prices have caused newspaper publishing companies to take such cost-savings measures as trimming the width of their pages. Further, declines in advertising and circulation have resulted in fewer pages printed overall, and in dozens of newspapers one or more of their print publication days have been eliminated.

Advertisement

Besides the global recession, the pulp and paper maker faced a subzero global credit environment plus the recent expropriation of a $300 million asset by a Canadian province.

By last month these challenges prompted AbitibiBowater to advise, in a U.S. regulatory filing, that its liquidity position is currently severely constrained.

Efforts to avoid bankruptcy included selling hundreds of millions in assets, laying off workers and attempting to refinance its massive debt.

However, earlier this month it terminated a $1.8 billion refinancing effort to exchange existing debt for new debt. The exchange offers deadline had been extended several times.

The company concluded that there are no viable alternatives to its previously announced proposed refinancing ... and as a result has determined that the best course of action is to pursue its overall restructuring under Court supervision in the United States and Canada, AbitibiBowater said in a statement Thursday.

Company operations will continue as normal during its restructuring, spokesman Seth Kursman said in a telephone interview, adding that overseas facilities are not affected by the bankruptcy filings.

No layoffs, closures or pay cuts were announced with the bankruptcy, Kursman added, though such moves may be forthcoming as the restructuring progresses.

AbitibiBowater also said it arranged with Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. and Avenue Management LLC for debtor-in-possession financing of about $200 million.

Early Thursday morning the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange, having been alerted by the company to its bankruptcy filings, halted trading in the stock, which closed Wednesday at 53 cents.

In the past 52 weeks, shares have ranged from 24 cents to $14.89. The companys current market capitalization is $30.5 million.

The bankruptcy filings by AbitibiBowater, a U.S.-based company with administrative headquarters in Montreal, could spur merger and acquisition activity, Frost & Sullivan Research Manager Vivek Tapuria said.

The precarious financial situation of AbitibiBowater, itself a merger of two forestry products companies, will certainly make for an attractive opportunity for M&A, he said. At issue is whether an acquirer wishes to take on AbitibiBowaters crushing $6 billion in debt.
NEW YORK, April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TAP Portugal has introduced a new branded fare structure aimed at offering customers more freedom of choice when purchasing tickets for intercontinental flights. Similar to the new branded fares that launched September for Europe and North Africa, customers can now select the products, throughout the entire TAP network, that best meet their travel needs, in a simple and transparent way, and pay only the price corresponding to the products they most value.

There are four fare brand options available for travel in Economy, and two in Business. These options correspond to fare brands varying in price and services. Customers who choose to travel with only carry-on baggage can purchase the new Discount fare, which offers the most competitive pricing. Customers who prefer to travel with one checked bag will be able to select the Basic fare, while those who travel with two checked bags and want to pre-assign their seat can select a Classic fare. Should a customer need to travel with additional baggage, comfort and flexibility, the Plus fare offers up to three bags, pre-assigned seating toward the front of the aircraft, priority check-in, and flexibility in making changes to reservations, among other advantages. Regardless of the fare selected, customers still have the option to purchase additional products and services at any time.

With this change in the fare structure, in effect as of today, a customer who chooses to purchase a Basic fare to travel as of September 1, 2017 Lisbon-JFK, may benefit from a 19% discount, when compared to the cost for the same itinerary, to travel in either May or October if the ticket had been purchased prior to the new fares implementation. If the customer opted to travel without a checked bag, the discount would be greater than 25%. When comparing still the same flights and dates but applying the Classic and Plus fares, which offer added benefits for the customer such as additional baggage and pre-assigned seats, the discounts can be as high as 40% to 50%.

In Business class, the Executive fare offers more attractive pricing, while still providing all the comforts and amenities of Business, such as lounge access and priority boarding. With the Top Executive fare, in addition to the comfort and amenities, there is complete flexibility in flight changes and cancellation without fees. Additionally, customers can check three pieces of baggage up to 32kg/70lb each, earn bonus miles, and take advantage of free Valet Parking in Lisbon and Porto airports.

From now on the Customer chooses the conditions and price of the trip. This change is within the scope of the measures that are defined in TAPs Strategic Plan, which includes, among others, the retrofit program of its long-haul and medium-haul fleet, improving the interiors of the aircraft cabins in order to offer greater comfort and an overall better flight experience for the Customer.

Bookings under the new fare structure, for travel as of September 1, 2017, can already be confirmed through TAPs website at www.flytap.com or through a Travel Agent. For more information on TAPs new branded fares please go to https://www.flytap.com/en-us/booking-information/tap-products.

About TAP Portugal

TAP is Portugals leading airline, and member of Star Alliance, the global airline alliance to offer customers worldwide reach, since 2005. In operation since 1945, TAP celebrated 70 years on March 14, 2015, and completed its privatization process in 2015, with the Atlantic Gateway Group now as new private shareholders of its share capital. TAP hub in Lisbon is a key European gateway at the crossroads of Africa, North, Central and South America, where TAP stands out as the international leading carrier in operation to Brazil. During the current IATA Summer period, the companys network will comprise 76 destinations in 29 countries worldwide. TAP currently operates about 2,500 weekly flights in average on a modern fleet of 61 Airbus aircraft and 17 aircraft operating in TAP Express livery, TAP regional branded product, adding up to a 78 aircraft fleet. As of June 2016, the company took delivery of two additional A330s, thus increasing its fleet to 80 aircraft in total. Within the vast restructure program currently going across the company as the outcome of its privatization process, TAP has announced its Network restructure, its medium and long haul fleet renewal program as of 2017 and the retrofit of the fleet currently in operation as well as the launch of the new branded product TAP Express, which replaces PGA and operates a new fleet of 8 ATR 72 and 9 Embraer 190. In the pursuit of its customer-focused policy, TAP continuously invests to deliver safe, reliable and upgraded products & services, tailored to meet customers expectations. Retaining the Portuguese character of the Companys brand and quality service as the basic concept has been the main driver of TAP strategy in most recent years. Recognized and awarded as the Europes Leading Airline to Africa as well as Europes Leading Airline to South America by the World Travel Awards in 2015 and 2014, the company was also awarded as the WTA Worlds Leading Airline to Africa in 2011 and 2012 and the WTA Worlds Leading Airline to South America in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Voted Best Airline in Europe in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and again in 2016 by the Global Traveler, USA, the company was also honored by UNESCO and by the International Union of Geological Sciences with the IYPE Planet Earth Award 2010, in the category of Most Innovative Sustainable Product. TAP was also voted Best Airline by Conde Nast Traveller Magazine in 2010, Best Portuguese Tourism Company by the specialized magazine Marketeer, in 2011 and also the airline with Best Reputation by the Reputation Institute in 2014, while its Inflight Magazine UP was voted Best European Inflight Magazine by the WTA awards in 2015.

For further information, please go to www.flytap.com.
Brands and Agencies can Search, Discover, Listen, Publish, Engage and Analyze across earned, owned and paid social media

RALEIGH, NC--(Marketwired - Apr 5, 2017) - Leading social marketing software company Sysomos today announced the industry's most comprehensive and flexible social marketing and analytics platform that not only unifies all social management functions and capabilities, but also gets smarter as it shares content and insights across all Sysomos applications. The Sysomos Platform provides more prescriptive insights for marketers by consolidating and cross-informing campaign initiatives.

Social media spending as a percentage of the overall marketing budget has tripled in recent years, paving the way for the social analytics market to grow to $5.4 billion by 2020, representing a 27.6 percent compound annual growth rate. However, the industry has struggled to unify social media marketing and analytics for building campaigns. Customers have wrestled with disparate data silos, service that doesn't meet their needs and high costs of licensing multiple tools.

By intelligently linking applications to Search, Discover, Listen, Publish, Engage and Analyze on social media, the Sysomos Platform now gives marketers access to all the paid, owned and earned data needed to create strategic campaigns, take action in real time and measure those actions in one upgraded user interface. Furthermore, with role-based customization, users can design their own workspaces to access the insights that matter most to them.

"Identifying insights, creating campaigns and measuring the effectiveness of those efforts -- all with increasingly strained resources -- have become challenging for marketers," said Peter Heffring, CEO of Sysomos. "We built the Sysomos Platform to meet these challenges head on, by providing a single technology platform that guides marketers to the exact insights needed to increase commercial opportunities for our customers."

The Sysomos Platform also is one of the first to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) that discovers and automates unseen insights, showing marketers how to instantly take intelligent action. The algorithms uncover correlations, anomalies and associations by using machine learning to process trillions of data points every second. With the Sysomos Platform now integrating and aggregating millions of digital data streams, the company plans to accelerate development of more advanced AI for the social analytics industry.

In addition to the Platform's ability to instinctively inform and share data insights across applications, Sysomos -- which counts brands like Mondelez, Coca-Cola, Marriott and Yamaha among its customers -- distinguishes itself from the competition with unique strengths, including:

Apply listening insights to paid, owned and earned content within a single workflow:

The Sysomos Platform integrates listening with publishing and engagement capabilities, allowing users to discover trends in real time and curate content that can be applied immediately to cross-channel campaigns. For instance, if a company discovers its brand virally trending on Instagram, it can engage with users and leverage their content all within the same platform.

Improve the effectiveness of paid media campaigns:

Sysomos can measure campaign efficiency as well as evaluate the earned media impact within the same platform. Using Sysomos' market-leading listening and search technologies, marketers can assess the effectiveness of their ad messaging based on the text and visual content their audiences share, and whether it had an impact on the overall conversation for the brand.

"Having access to all of the tools that Sysomos has to offer under this new integrated platform will deliver valuable insights for building accurate customer profiles," said Fabiola Romero of Yamaha Motor Corporation. "The platform succinctly marries data, allowing us to understand and act upon essential information when timing is of the essence."

While the complete Sysomos Platform encompasses all the Search, Discover, Listen, Publish, Engage and Analyze applications, companies that have one of the applications easily can activate the others. The Sysomos applications previously were named Map, Gaze (acquired in 2015), Heartbeat and Expion (acquired in 2015); now Map is part of Search, Gaze is part of Discover, Heartbeat is part of Listen, and Expion is part of Publish, Engage and Analyze.

About Sysomos

Sysomos is the global leader in social marketing and analytics empowering brands and agencies to turn data-driven insights into actionable customer engagement opportunities. Our unified, insights-driven social platform gives marketers the easiest way to Search, Discover, Listen, Publish, Engage and Analyze at scale across earned, owned and paid media. Sysomos serves more than 1,200 customers including 80% of the world's top agencies and global brands. The company has offices around the world including Toronto, Raleigh, New York, San Francisco, London, Singapore and China. For more information, visit sysomos.com or connect with us at @sysomos.

Alexandra Vaughn

avaughn@wcgworld.com

512-298-1166
VANCOUVER, B.C., April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cypress Development Corp. (TSX-V:CYP) (OTCBB:CYDVF) (Frankfurt:C1Z1) (Cypress or the Company) is pleased to announce the execution of an Option Agreement (the Agreement) with Silcom Systems Inc. (Silcom) which provides Silcom an earn-in option to acquire an initial 51% interest in Cypress 100% owned Gunman Zinc-Silver Property located in White Pine County, Nevada. Under the Agreement, Silcom will issue 1,500,000 listed common shares and make cash payments of $300,000 USD and incur exploration expenditure totaling $1,850,000 USD over the three year term of the first Agreement.



Cypress has granted Silcom a second Option to acquire an additional 29% interest in the Gunman Property by issuing 500,000 listed common shares and making a cash payment of $250,000 USD within 90 days of Silcom satisfying and exercising the first Option and incurring additional exploration expenditures totaling $1,100,000 USD within 12 months.

Upon completion by Silcom of the two Option Agreements and the issuance of all the shares and cash payments and completion of all work commitments set out above, Silcom shall have earned an 80% interest in the Gunman Property, subject to an underlying 2% net royalty interest.

The Agreement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance and the shares of Silcom obtaining a Canadian stock exchange listing.

About Cypress Development Corp.:

Cypress Development Corp. is a publicly traded lithium and zinc exploration company that continues to acquire and develop potentially viable mineral projects in the State of Nevada, U.S.A.

Cypress is very active in Clayton Valley, Nevada with its team committed to systematically exploring its properties for both a lithium-brine resource and expanding exploration relating to a lithium resource that exists within the large area of non-hectorite claystone discovered at surface that has seen recent high lithium assays recovered from these same claystone.

Cypress Development Corp. has approx. 34.9 million shares issued and outstanding.

To find out more about Cypress Development Corp. (TSX-V:CYP), visit our website at www.cypressdevelopmentcorp.com.

CYPRESS DEVELOPMENT CORP.

Don Huston



DONALD C. HUSTON

President

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that management of the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although management believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, include market prices, exploration and development successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Please see the public filings of the Company at www.sedar.com for further information.
The end came for the anti-communist John Birch Society not from foreign enemies but from its own founder.

Weekly Newsletter The best of The Saturday Evening Post in your inbox! Join

Barry Goldwater was widely known as a man with extreme views. He is still remembered as the man who said, Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. But even Goldwater thought Robert Welch went too far.

Welch founded the John Birch Society in 1958 to oppose what he saw as the growing communist influence in America. Through his publications, he attacked whomever he thought was furthering the interest of the Soviets. He also promoted the idea of impeaching Chief Justice Earl Warren and the withdrawing the U.S. from the United Nations.

He named the John Birch Society after an American military advisor in China who had been killed by communist forces. Welch thought Birch would be a suitable model for the anti-communist cause.

Subscribe and get unlimited access to our online magazine archive. Subscribe Today

When Welch started his society, the hunt for communist agents and sympathizers was still going strong. Many politicians and journalists were gaining notoriety for their declarations of enmity to communism everywhere. But none were more committed than Welch, who attacked anyone he suspected of colluding with Soviet Russia.

To many Americans, the society seemed extreme in its black-and-white thinking about patriots and traitors, loyalty and treason. But Welchs message appealed to others. By 1965, its membership had grown to 95,000. It might have continued growing, too, but Welch didnt know when to stop.

The zealotry of the John Birch Society alienated its potential allies. William F. Buckley, then a rising star in the new conservative movement, denounced Welch and the Society and urged the Republican Party to distance itself from the radical fringe group.

Senator Goldwater welcomed the Societys support, which proved instrumental in helping him win the Republican nomination. But Goldwater could not accept Welch. He wrote, I believe the best thing Mr. Welch could do to serve the cause of anti-Communism in the United States would be to resign.

Mutiny in the Birch Society, from the April 8, 1967, issue of the Post, portrays Welch, and his organization, in decline. Emboldened by success, he had leveled charges of communism against Chief Justice Earl Warren and the aggressively anti-communist Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, as well as accusing Defense Secretary Gen. George C. Marshall of being in league with the Soviets.

But when Welch accused President Eisenhower of either being a communist or being controlled by them, he went too far. He earned strong disapproval from a country that still liked Ike, and he began losing followers who doubted his judgment.

Welch, though, never regretted making the accusations. He worked hard to regain the Societys momentum, but he was alone. His uncompromising nature had prevented him from forming helpful alliances. Only fringe members of the radical right were willing to associate with him, and these characters were alienating conservatives even more quickly with claims of Jewish conspiracies and that President Kennedy was killed by his Soviet bosses.

Another factor contributed to the decline of the John Birch Society: Americans attitudes toward communism were changing when this article appeared. Thousands of Americans had died in Vietnam, and thousands more would follow. Many Americans, particularly those of draft age, were starting to wonder whether the great crusade to stop communist expansion was worth it.

Featured image: Robert Welch from the April 8, 1967, issue of the Post. Photo by Bill Bridges
Some folks cant resist dropping a line in the water. If youre one of them, our fishing covers remind you of where youd rather be!

Weekly Newsletter The best of The Saturday Evening Post in your inbox! Join

Harrison Fisher (1877 1934) was an American illustrator. Both his father and his grandfather were artists. As you might be able to tell from this cover, Fisher was considered a successor to Charles Dana Gibson, famous for his Gibson Girls.

Oliver Kemp (1887-1934) painted 11 covers for the Post. He made yearly trips to the Rocky Mountains and was fond of painting scenes of western America. His Post covers all depicted rugged men hunting, fishing, and canoeing, often with a pipe between their teeth.

Newell Convers Wyeth (1882 1945), was probably best known for his illustrations of Scribners classics, particularly Treasure Island. He spent part of his twenties out West, learning about cowboy and Native American culture. Wyeth painted his first cover for the Post when he was only 20; he was 25 when he completed Indian Fishing. N.C. Wyeth is the father of painter Andrew Wyeth.

J.C. Leyendecker was the most prolific cover illustrator for the Post, painting 323 covers. (Rockwell stopped at 322 out of respect for Leyendecker.) It was Leyendecker who popularized the images of a fat, jolly Santa and the New Years baby. While Leyendeckers depictions of men were usually handsome and strapping, many of his children appeared emaciated and sickly, and often had bodies that were disproportionately smaller than their heads.

[From the editors of the March 31, 1945 issue] Probably no Post cover has ever been more popular than Norman Rockwells first April Fool cover. In this weeks cover, Mr. Rockwell is trying to fool you again, and he probably will succeed. Watch out for the blue lobster. As a matter of fact, we dont think this one is quite fair, and were going to tell you that there is such a thing as a blue lobster. According to Charles Mohr, of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, the blue lobster is a rarity, but every once in a while one of them turns up in Maine waters, and it is completely blue. John Atherton, whose covers are well known to Post readers and who is a neighbor of Mr. Rockwells in Arlington, Vermont, once made a peculiar face while he was talking to Mr. Rockwell, and Norman remembered it and used Mr. Atherton with this particular expression as a model for this cover. There are at least fifty mistakes. See how many you can find and compare your findings with those listed on page 80.

[From the editors of the March 31, 1949 issue] On the long fishing pier at Santa Monica, California, tourists from all over the United States stand packed together like sardines while they try to catch fish. They are so grimly intent on their work or play or whatever it is that when a baited minnow smacks the water in all that silence, it makes quite a startling splash. Many of the fishermen go through their routine calmly and expertly; occasionally a greenhorn flies into a tizzy, yelps for the landing net and hauls in a dwarf flounder or something else depressing. The kids have a swell time fussing with starfish or reading a wet comic page which was wrapped around a wad of bait. Artist John Falter was non-committal about whether he caught anythingbesides a Post cover.

[From the editors of the May 19, 1951 issue] Those flies driving the man and the fish crazy are a variety known to fishermen as Green Drake. We dont know what the fish call them. Just before this picture was painted, the man was calmly trying to feed the trout another variety of fly and they were calmly ignoring his hospitality. Suddenly, a countless family of Green Drake nymphs, which previously had risen to the surface of the water to hatch, discovered that they had wings, and decided to zoom into the wild blue yonder. Mead Schaeffers angler is trying to affix an artificial Green Drake to his line before the trout are so full of real Drakes that they sink to the bottom for a nap. Fishermen who experience such crises say that the general confusion is hard to imagine.

[From the editors of the August 25, 1962 issue] Forty more minutes to go, broods Amos Sewells thwarted young angler, and then Dad will waste still more time washing up and eating and dawdling over his coffee. From the look of this somnolent scene, it is clear that no fish will be disturbed until at least seven oclock, and then, as any youngster knows, the fish will be settling for a siesta. Why, wonders the young sprat, cant fathers coordinate their sleeping habits with those of fish?
Norman Rockwells desire to aid the war effort led to some of his most famous works that perfectly captured the spirit of America.

Weekly Newsletter The best of The Saturday Evening Post in your inbox! Join

During World War II, two Saturday Evening Post illustrators, Norman Rockwell and Mead Schaeffer, wanted to aid their countrys war effort. They were too old to enlist, and neither one was physically suited to be a fighter, but they felt they might be able to help with their art.

The two artists decided to paint patriotic pictures and offer them free to the Department of Defense for fundraising and enlistment campaigns. They worked hard developing their preliminary drawings; Rockwell decided to illustrate Franklin Roosevelts Four Freedoms while Schaeffer chose a series of military themes. When they finished mapping out their ideas, the two took the long train ride from their studios in Vermont to the U.S. Office of War Information in Washington, D.C. The illustrators excitedly showed their proposals but met a frosty reception.

The Assistant Director of the Office was Archibald MacLeish, a famed poet, future Pulitzer Prizewinning playwright, and proud intellectual who didnt think much of illustration. Rockwell recalled being told, The last war you illustrators did the posters. This war were going to use fine arts men, real artists. MacLeish thought the military should use artists such as Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall, and Stuart Davis to inspire the American public.

The Pentagon was not totally unsympathetic to Rockwell and Schaeffer. According to Rockwells autobiography, it offered them a consolation prize: If you want to make a contribution to the war effort, you can dopen-and-ink drawings for the Marine Corps calisthenics manual.

Stung, the two illustrators took the long, depressing train ride home to Vermont. Schaeffers family recalls that when Schaeffers wife learned of the rejection, she spoke up: To heck with the Army, why dont you offer your pictures to the Post instead?

The illustrators turned around and took the train back down to the Posts offices in Philadelphia. There, editors reviewed the preliminary drawings and agreed to run Rockwells paintings as internal illustrations, followed by Schaeffers paintings in later issues.

Rockwells Four Freedoms quickly became a national phenomenon. The Post received 60,000 letters about them. As editor Ben Hibbs later wrote:

The results astonished us all.  Requests to reprint flooded in from other publications. Various government agencies and private organizations made millions of reprints and distributed them not only in this country but all over the world. [Rockwells] four pictures quickly became the best known and most appreciated paintings of that era. They appeared right at a time when the war was going against us on the battle fronts, and the American people needed the inspirational message which they conveyed so forcefully and so beautifully.

It began to occur to government officials that they might have made a mistake rejecting the paintings. Belatedly, they tried to jump on the bandwagon. With Rockwells permission, the Treasury Department took the Four Freedoms on a tour of the nation as the centerpiece of a Post art show to sell war bonds. The paintings were viewed by 1,222,000 people in 16 cities and were instrumental in selling $132,992,539 worth of bonds.

The illustrations proved far more effective than anything else the government had planned. The Pentagon even sent a film crew to Vermont to stage a documentary about the illustrations, implying (falsely) that Rockwell and Schaeffer had been working at the behest of the government all along.

As for MacLeish, he did not last long in his job. Rarely has a misguided act of cultural arrogance been so promptly, resoundingly, and satisfyingly refuted.
Cork, Ireland -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/05/2017 -- Darren Kelleher, a renowned Irish actor from Cork, Ireland has announced that he will be seeking public support on Kickstarter to crowdfund his new project, 'Empire of Dirt'. It is a remarkable feature film taking people back to the 18th century Ireland where a wild band of natives struggles to keep their delicate settlement from dissolving into anarchy. Darren is also the Founder of Actors Vision Ireland & Bolt Productions and has been working and training as an actor for over 24 years. For the past 15 years, Darren has been with AV3 Productions Ireland, working as production manager, editor, camera operator and director on projects ranging mainly in film and television. AV3 have a substantial track record of production with RTE. Darren has decided to involve the community in the making of this amazing feature film and will be seeking support on Kickstarter. The goal of this project is to raise 35,000 by Thursday April 27, 2017 and everyone is welcome to back it on Kickstarter.



"Empire of Dirt is a feature film project based on an original, fictional story set in 1719 Ireland." Said Darren Kelleher while introducing the film. "60 years before present day there was a major event that changed our characters' lives and landscape forever and at present day (1719), these inhabitants are still struggling to re-establish order and identity while living in the ashes of what used to be." He added while explaining the plot in an interview.



Empire of Dirt will be filmed on a RED (http://www.red.com) cinematic camera in 5K raw resolution format at 24fps, and 2.33:1 aspect ratio and feature will be shot in Ireland during summer 2017. All funds raised through this Kickstarter campaign will play a major role in the cast, crew, post production, equipment hire, costumes, locations and accommodations, etc. and everyone is welcome to back Darren on Kickstarter using this link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/actorsvision/empire-of-dirt-feature-film



About Empire of Dirt

Empire of Dirt is an upcoming Irish feature film that will take the viewers back to the 18th century Ireland. The plot of this film is as exciting as its storyline and filming locations. The makers are now seeking public support on Kickstarter and everyone is welcome to back this project and make it a success.



Contact:

Contact Person: Darren Kelleher

Company: BOLT Productions

Address: Cork City, Ireland

Phone: +353212340033

Email: contact@actorsvision.com

Website: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/actorsvision/empire-of-dirt-feature-film
London, England -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/05/2017 -- Souters, Business and Office Skills Training Specialists are pleased to announce that their exclusive and advanced Executive Assistant Training Courses are now available in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The format of this course is similar to the EA course that is currently offered by Souters in London. Now, with this training, Executive Assistants can gain recognition across Europe. The training courses are delivered in English with a special focus on Business English. The English focus allows the Executive Assistants to gain better confidence whilst working in different business environments but with the added advantage of having completed this course.



The training is CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Accredited. CPD Accreditation aims at enabling the professionals to engage, enhance and develop their abilities even further. CPD standards are also accepted by many professional organisations. Souters offers this training as a 2-day program. Both the days are packed with highly interactive sessions, role play, discussion, presentations, etc. The training aims to offer a practical approach through skill-based learning. The course is a blend of managerial soft skills as well as technical skills. This blend enables the delegates to explore their skills and pursue successful careers as Management or Executive Assistants.



Souters found many delegates from Netherlands attending this training course at their London centre, that is one reason for Souters decision to make the course available in Netherlands. Aspiring EAs can enroll and schedule their training sessions without having to make any major travel arrangements. EAs from Netherlands, Belgium and Germany can benefit from these training courses. Upon successful completion, all the EAs will be awarded with Certification from Souters as well as the CPD Institute. This is an excellent way to achieve professional development in the modern world, the training courses are totally customised as per the needs, requirements and their expectations from of respective EAs.



To learn more about the Executive Assistant Training Course visit http://www.souters.nl/



About http://www.souters.nl/

Souters Training, http://www.souters.nl/ based at London, United Kingdom was established in 1988 primarily as a specialist training provider. Souters are now well-known as specialists in Business and Office Skills Training. The training programs are ideally designed for PAs, Executive Secretaries, Executive Assistants and Office Managers.



Contact:

Name: Darryl Samuels

Address: Souters training Center, 32 Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7DR

Phone: +442072488987

Email: info@souters.org

Website: http://www.souters.nl/
Helena, MT -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/05/2017 -- Stephen Hopkins was from Hampshire, England. He married his first wife, Mary, and resided in the parish of Hursley, Hampshire. They had three (3) children: Elizabeth, Constance, and Giles; all baptized there. It has long been claimed that the Hopkins family was from Wortley, Gloucester, but this was disproven in 1998 with the discovery of his true origins in Hursley.



http://mayflowerhistory.com/hopkins-stephen/



Stephen Hopkins went with the ship Sea Venture on a voyage to Jamestown, Virginia in 1609 as a minister's clerk, but the ship wrecked in the "Isle of Devils" (Bermuda). Stranded on an island for ten months, the passengers and crew survived on turtles, birds, and wild pigs. Six months into the castaway, Stephen Hopkins and several others organized a mutiny against the current governor. The mutiny was discovered and Stephen was sentenced to death. However, he pleaded with sorrow and tears. "So penitent he was, and made so much moan, alleging the ruin of his wife and children in this his trespass, as it wrought in the hearts of all the better sorts of the company." He managed to get his sentence commuted. Eventually the castaways built a small ship and sailed themselves to Jamestown. How long Stephen remained in Jamestown is not known. However, while he was gone, his wife Mary died. She was buried in Hursley on 9 May 1613, and left behind a probate estate which mentions her children Elizabeth, Constance and Giles.



Stephen was back in England by 1617, when he married Elizabeth Fisher, but apparently had every intention of bringing his family back to Virginia. Their first child, Damaris, was born about 1618. In 1620, Stephen Hopkins brought his wife and children Constance, Giles, and Damaris on the Mayflower (child Elizabeth apparently had died). Stephen was a fairly active member of the Pilgrim group shortly after arrival, perhaps a result of his being one of the few individuals who had been to Virginia previously. He was a part of all the early exploring missions, and was used as an "expert" on Native Americans for the first few contacts. While out exploring, Stephen recognized and identified an Indian deer trap. And when Samoset walked into Plymouth and welcomed the English, he was housed in Stephen Hopkins' house for the night. Stephen was also sent on several of the ambassadorial missions to meet with the various Indian groups in the region.



Stephen was an assistant to the governor through 1636, and volunteered for the Pequot War of 1637 but was never called to serve. By the late 1630s, however, Stephen began to occasionally run afoul of the Plymouth authorities, as he apparently opened up a shop and served alcohol. In 1636 he got into a fight with John Tisdale and seriously wounded him. In 1637, he was fined for allowing drinking and shuffleboard playing on Sunday. Early the next year he was fined for allowing people to drink excessively in his house: guest William Reynolds was fined, but the others were acquitted. In 1638 he was twice fined for selling beer at twice the actual value, and in 1639 he was fined for selling a looking glass for twice what it would cost if bought in the Bay Colony. Also in 1638, Stephen Hopkins' maidservant got pregnant from Arthur Peach, who was subsequently executed for murdering an Indian. The Plymouth Court ruled he was financially responsible for her and her child for the next two years (the amount remaining on her term of service). Stephen, in contempt of court, threw Dorothy out of his household and refused to provide for her, so the court committed him to custody. John Holmes stepped in and purchased Dorothy's remaining two years of service from him: agreeing to support her and child.



Stephen died in 1644, and made out a will, asking to be buried near his wife, and naming his surviving children.



BAPTISM: 30 April 1581 at Upper Clatford, Hampshire, England, son of John and Elizabeth (Williams) Hopkins.

FIRST MARRIAGE: Mary, possibly the daughter of Robert and Joan (Machell) Kent of Hursley, co. Hampshire, prior to 1604.

SECOND MARRIAGE: Elizabeth Fisher on 19 February 1617/8 at St. Mary Matfellon, Whitechapel, co. Middlesex, England.

CHILDREN (by Mary): Elizabeth, Constance, and Giles.

CHILDREN (by Elizabeth): Damaris, Oceanus, Caleb, Deborah, Damaris, Ruth, and Elizabeth.

DNA HAPLOGROUP: R1b-M269



Contact Adam Green!

c: 801-809-7766

e: g3president@comcast.net



Helena Montana General Society of Mayflower Descendant, Adam Paul Green (Ancestor Stephen Hopkins / Gen.No. 86,723) Reveals New Geneology Asset Website for Local Enthusiasts http://www.AdamPaulGreen.com



The Mayflower was hired in London, and sailed from London to Southampton in July 1620 to begin loading food and supplies for the voyage--much of which was purchased at Southampton. The Pilgrims were mostly still living in the city of Leiden, in the Netherlands. They hired a ship called the Speedwell to take them from Delfshaven, the Netherlands, to Southampton, England, to meet up with the Mayflower. The two ships planned to sail together to Northern Virginia. The Speedwell departed Delfthaven on July 22, and arrived at Southampton, where they found the Mayflower waiting for them. The Speedwell had been leaking on her voyage from the Netherlands to England, though, so they spent the next week patching her up.



On August 5, the two ships finally set sail for America. But the Speedwell began leaking again, so they pulled into the town of Dartmouth for repairs, arriving there about August 12. The Speedwell was patched up again, and the two ships again set sail for America about August 21. After the two ships had sailed about 300 miles out to sea, the Speedwell again began to leak. Frustrated with the enormous amount of time lost, and their inability to fix the Speedwell so that it could be sea-worthy, they returned to Plymouth, England, and made the decision to leave the Speedwell behind. The Mayflower would go to America alone. The cargo on the Speedwell was transferred over to the Mayflower; some of the passengers were so tired and disappointed with all the problems that they quit and went home. Others crammed themselves onto the already very crowded Mayflower.



Finally, on September 6, the Mayflower departed from Plymouth, England, and headed for America. By the time the Pilgrims had left England, they had already been living onboard the ships for nearly a month and a half. The voyage itself across the Atlantic Ocean took 66 days, from their departure on September 6, until Cape Cod was sighted on 9 November 1620. The first half of the voyage went fairly smoothly, the only major problem was sea-sickness. But by October, they began encountering a number of Atlantic storms that made the voyage treacherous. Several times, the wind was so strong they had to just drift where the weather took them; it was not safe to use the ship's sails. The Pilgrims intended to land in Northern Virginia, which at the time included the region as far north as the Hudson River in the modern State of New York. The Hudson River, in fact, was their originally intended destination. They had received good reports on this region while in the Netherlands. All things considered, the Mayflower was almost right on target, missing the Hudson River by just a few degrees.



As the Mayflower approached land, the crew spotted Cape Cod just as the sun rose on November 9. The Pilgrims decided to head south, to the mouth of the Hudson River in New York, where they intended to make their plantation. However, as the Mayflower headed south, it encountered some very rough seas, and nearly shipwrecked. The Pilgrims then decided, rather than risk another attempt to go south they would just stay and explore Cape Cod. They turned back north, rounded the tip, and anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor. The Pilgrims would spend the next month and a half exploring Cape Cod, trying to decide where they would build their plantation. On December 25, 1620, they had finally decided upon Plymouth, and began construction of their first buildings.



Women of Early Plymouth: Governor William Bradford reported that the Pilgrims were worried that the "weak bodies of women" would not be able to withstand the rigors of a trans-Atlantic voyage and the construction of a colony. Prior to the Mayflower, very few English women had made the voyage across the ocean.



Sir Walter Raleigh's Roanoke colony arrived in Virginia in 1587, and amongst those 120 colonists there were 17 women: a baby girl, Virginia Dare, was born after arrival. When re-supply ships came from England, they could not relocate the people. The colony had mysteriously disappeared, and was never seen again. The Jamestown Colony was founded in 1607, but relatively few women had yet made the voyage and taken up residence there.



The Pilgrim husband, as head of the household, had an important and difficult decision to make. Building a colony would be hard on a woman's "weaker body." It might be safer and healthier to leave her behind, and have her come later once the houses were built, and the general safety and successfulness of the colony were better established. But that could be several years. Could he live several years without his wife? How strong was his wife anyway, could she really handle it? Was it right to put your wife's life in danger in this manner?



As the Mayflower left England for America, there were 18 adult women on-board. Three of them, Elizabeth Hopkins, Susanna White, and Mary Allerton, were actually in their last trimester of a pregnancy. All the adult women on the Mayflower were married; there were no single women--although there were a few teenage girls nearing marriageable age.



While no women would die during the Mayflower's voyage, life after arrival proved extremely difficult. In fact, 78% of the women would die the first winter, a far higher percentage than for men or children. Dorothy Bradford was the first woman to die, and the only woman who died in the month of December. While many of the men, including her husband, were out exploring on Cape Cod, she accidentally fell off the Mayflower into the bitter cold waters of Provincetown Harbor. Most of the women's death dates were not recorded, but we do know that Rose Standish died on January 29, Mary Allerton died on February 25, and Elizabeth Winslow died on March 24. Most of the women died in February and March.



The extremely high mortality rate among women is probably explainable by the fact the men were out in the fresh air, felling trees, building structures and drinking fresh New England water; while the women were confined to the damp, filthy and crowded quarters offered by the Mayflower, where disease would have spread much more quickly. The two-month voyage was long enough; the women, however, remained living on the ship for an additional four months while the men built storehouses and living quarters on shore. Many of the sick were no doubt cared for on-board the ship by the women, increasing their exposure to colds and pneumonias. William Mullins died on February 21, apparently on-board the Mayflower since his will was witnessed by the ship's captain and ship's surgeon. His wife Alice and son Joseph had not yet died, but it wasn't too long before they did, orphaning their teenage daughter Priscilla in the New World.



Only five women survived the first winter. One of the five survivors, Mrs. Katherine Carver, died in May of a "broken heart," her husband John having died of sunstroke a month earlier. Weak bodies or not, by the time of the famous "Thanksgiving," there were only four women left to care for the Colony's fifty surviving men and children. The four women were Eleanor Billington, Elizabeth Hopkins, Mary Brewster, and Susanna (White) Winslow.



http://mayflowerhistory.com/women



Adam Paul Green was born to a multi-talented beauty queen Mother and a Father who, in addition to being a US Army Spy and a Counter-Intelligence Special Agent, was also a highly accomplished entrepreneur. Adam was taught at a young age that, in both life and business, loyalty is a requirement for success. He's had the honor of working directly with his father in several of the family businesses. In fact, this is where he learned crucial entrepreneurial skills and honed his talents with international business strategies and venture capitalism. http://www.AdamPaulGreen.com , http://www.ImAdamGreen.com



Adam earned his Bachelors of Science Degree in International Business and Marketing from the University of Utah. He was hand-picked by the President of the University's renowned School of Business to compete with dozens of other ambitious nationwide-graduates for the opportunity to secure a lucrative job within a prestigious Fortune 100 company. http://www.Twitter.com/AdamPaulGreen



http://www.ImAdamGreen.com



Adam's hard work and creativity helped him land this job of a lifetime. He obtained incredible business experience there and spent years innovating, improving processes and setting sales records. Although this dream job in Traditional Corporate America was a fun challenge for him, and something he truly enjoyed mastering, Adam's natural entrepreneurial spirit kept nudging him to do something more significant with his time and talents. http://www.MyChocolatePod.com , http://www.Facebook.com/AdamPaulGreen



Since 2001, Adam has been involved in the Health and Wellness Industry as a successful Entrepreneur, Broker, Product Developer and Manufacturer of Cosmeceutical products. During his career, he has worked with some of the most recognizable Fortune 500 businesses along with many top international Network Marketing companies. Adam has consistently proven his unique ability to help his clients achieve their goals through creative Distribution-Channel Placement, innovative Product Development and custom Manufacturing. Adam currently owns three profitable businesses.



http://www.ImAdamGreen.com



Admittedly, Adam was not initially a fan of Network Marketing. He did not understand the business model because it was new to him. However, once he learned that the REAL focus of Direct Sales is to help average people get a taste of entrepreneurialism --- with minimal risk and at a low cost --- Adam was absolutely convinced of the potential with Multi-Level Marketing.



http://www.ImAdamGreen.com



About MayflowerHistory.com

MayflowerHistory.com, the Internet's most complete and accurate website dealing with the Mayflower passengers and the history of the Pilgrims and early Plymouth Colony. The website was first created back in 1994 (when the web was still mostly text!) as a simple, but complete, passenger list of the Mayflower. It has grown over the past twenty years as the author, historian Caleb Johnson, has researched and compiled material.



http://mayflowerhistory.com
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/05/2017 -- Global Small Scale LNG Terminals Market: Overview



The clean burning nature of natural is driving initiatives encouraging its increased usage across a number of industrial applications and across the transportation industry. The transportation industry, which largely relies on petrochemicals-based fuels with high emission levels to power engines, making it one of the most significant contributor to the rising levels of air pollution across the globe.



In a bid to lower down the levels of environment-degrading emissions and pollutants, government bodies are increasing their participation in initiatives aimed at the increased the usage of natural gas and are focusing on the development of LNG infrastructure at a rapid pace. These initiatives are expected to pace up the rate of deployment and development of LNG terminal infrastructures. Although large LNG terminals have been conventionally the more preferred type of LNG supply centers, the rising demand for LNG from remote-located consumers is rapidly making small-scale LNG terminals the norm for the supply of natural gas across small geographies.



Request a Brochure of the Report @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=1814



Global Small Scale LNG Terminals Market: Trends and Opportunities



Over the past few years, the global commoditization of LNG has led to a significant rise in the number of new applications and market of LNG. Technological solutions enabling small scale LNG terminals have become mature and modularization, standardization, and the rate of competitiveness have increased.



Relatively lower entry-level challenges as compared to large LNG projects have opened up vast stores of opportunity for the rapid development of creative and new technologies and have increased the number of new entrants in the market over the years. The increased adoption of LNG as a fuel in the automotive industry, especially for powering heavy-duty vehicles, is also a key factor to have increased the adoption of small-scale LNG terminals across several regional markets.



Request for TOC of the Report @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=1814



Global Small Scale LNG Terminals Market: Regional Overview



From a regional perspective, the small scale LNG terminals market is highly attractive across environment-conscious regions such as North America and Europe. Strict regulations in the marine sector have increased the scope of usage of LNG as a bunker fuel in Europe, stimulating the development of strategically located small scale terminals. In the next few years also, North America and Europe will continue to contribute significantly to the global small-scale LNG terminals market in terms of new installations and capacity expansions.



Asia Pacific is also a highly promising market owing to its mammoth transportation industry. In China, several efforts in place to educate masses about the need to switch to clean fuels to lower down the levels of air pollution in cities, easy availability of natural gas, and substantial price difference between diesel and natural gas are driving the increased deployment of small scale LNG terminals.



Global Small Scale LNG Terminals Market: Market Potential



The field of LNG bunkering is increasingly becoming one of the key end-use segments of the global small scale LNG terminals market and companies operating in the field are registering large-scale expansion of operations and capacities at a rapid pace. In a recent development, the privately-owned company LNG Gorskaya has received funding worth $20.04 mn, which the company will use to develop its LNG bunkering plants in Estonia. With further funding, the company is planning to finance its LNG bunkering centers in Finland, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, and Sweden, establishing a series of small-scale terminals to be able to provide LNG to ships at around 320 km from its LNG bunkering stations.



Read Complete Report @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/small-scale-lng-terminals-market



Global Small Scale LNG Terminals Market: Competitive Landscape



The highly competitive vendor landscape of the global small scale LNG terminals market is expected to witness the introduction of several new business models in the next few years. The market is expected to witness a rise in mergers and acquisitions as companies focus on leveraging their project management competence and technological expertise to stay ahead of competition.



Some of the leading companies operating in the global small scale LNG terminals market are Nippon Gas Co., Ltd., EcoElectrica Inc., Plum Energy, LLC, Linde AG, Santos Ltd, PT Donggi Senoro LNG, Prometheus Energy Company, Emirates Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) LLC, Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS), and Skangass AS.



About TMR Research

TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todayas supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clientsa conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.



Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/05/2017 -- A recent study by Transparency Market Research (TMR) observes that the global titanium dioxide market is concentrated with top five companies collectively accounting for 59% of the shares in 2014. These four companies are The Chemours Company, Huntsman International LLC, CRISTAL, Tronox Ltd., and KRONOS Worldwide, Inc. The Chemours Company is the most prominent manufacturer of titanium dioxide with a capacity of approximately 1.2 mn tons.



The company focuses on establishing major research, development, and production facilities across the world to consistently expand its product portfolio. In the recent past, Huntsman International LLC has emerged as the second most important vendor in the global titanium oxide market, actively acquiring regional players in order to expand its business both geographically and in capacity.



Obtain Report Details @ http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/titanium-dioxide-market.html



According to the TMR report, the global titanium dioxide market had an opportunity worth US$12.18 bn in 2014, and estimates it to reach a valuation of US$16.79 bn by the end of 2023, rising at a CAGR of 3.7% during the forecast period of 2015 to 2023.



Paints and Coatings Remains Primary Segment



By application, the report segments the global market for titanium dioxide into paints and coatings, plastic, paper, and others including inks and artificial fibers. In terms of volume, the segment of paints and coatings currently dominate the demand and is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period due to increasing requirement for paints and coatings across various end-user industries such as automotive, construction, electronics, personal care, and optical devices. The plastic titanium dioxide segment is likely to expand at a rapid pace too, particularly in Asia Pacific, although stringent regulations in North America and Europe is anticipated to obstruct this segment from attaining its full potential in these two regions.



Geographically, Asia Pacific is the most important region, which is expected to account for 46.1% of the global demand for titanium dioxide in 2023. Most of this requirement comes from the country-wide market of China, the primary manufacturer and consumer of titanium dioxide globally. North America another lucrative region for titanium dioxide market, and is expected to account for 24.5% of the market in 2023. By volume, the U.S. contributes most of the demand with paints and coatings segment as the primary application, closely followed by Canada.



For more information on this report, fill the form @ http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=2762



Construction Industry Driving Demand



Prosperity of the construction industry across the globe is the primary driver of the titanium dioxide market. Government-funded infrastructure plans, economic growth, rising population, and rapid urbanization are some of the factors favoring the construction industry, which is positively reflecting on the global market for titanium dioxide. Low scratch resistance of polycarbonates coupled with increasing demand for lightweight vehicles are two other prominent driving factors of this market. With escalating energy requirements and depleting natural resources, the need to increase vehicle fuel-efficiency is touching new peaks, which makes titanium dioxide highly useful for the automotive industry.



Conversely, strict environmental regulations is hindering the market's growth rate. Sulfate and chloride processes are chiefly employed in the production of titanium dioxide and wastes such as solid acid and acid wastes that are produced during the manufacturing process pose severe environmental and health hazards.



According to the author of the report, "Increase in the demand for high-efficiency photovoltaic installations is likely to offer high growth opportunities for titanium dioxide coatings. These coatings are applied on solar panels to improve its efficiency."



Key Segments of the Global Titanium Dioxide Market



-Titanium Dioxide Market - Application Analysis

Paints & coatings

Plastic

Paper

Others (Including artificial fibers, inks, etc.)



The information presented in this review is based on a Transparency Market Research report, titled, "Titanium Dioxide Market (Application - Paints & Coatings, Plastic, and Paper) - Global and China Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023."
Continuing on its path through the outer regions of our Solar System, New Horizons has now traveled half the distance from the dwarf planet Pluto to its next target, the Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69.

New Horizons is currently 486.19 million miles (782.45 million km) from 2014 MU69 and approximately 3.5 billion miles (5.7 billion km) from Earth.

Its fantastic to have completed half the journey to our next flyby, said New Horizons principal investigator Dr. Alan Stern, from the Southwest Research Institute.

That flyby will set the record for the most distant world ever explored in the history of civilization.

2014 MU69 was discovered on June 26, 2014 by astronomers using the NASA/ ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

Also known as 1110113Y, it orbits the Sun once every 293 years.

According to NASA scientists, 2014 MU69 is a relatively small Kuiper Belt object (KBO).

It is estimated to have a diameter of 30 miles (48 km)  thats more than 10 times larger and 1,000 times more massive than typical comets, but only about 0.5 to 1% of the size (and about 1/10,000th the mass) of Pluto.

The surface of this KBO is just as red as, if not redder than, Plutos surface.

New Horizons planned rendezvous with 2014 MU69 is January 1, 2019.

The January 2019 MU69 flyby is the next big event for us, but New Horizons is truly a mission to more broadly explore the Kuiper Belt, said New Horizons project scientist Dr. Hal Weaver, from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

In addition to 2014 MU69, we plan to study more than two-dozen other KBOs in the distance and measure the charged particle and dust environment all the way across the Kuiper Belt.
Money is power, the saying goes. Sure enough, the fraction of GDP invested into science and technology (S&T) is a telling sign of how much a country values its biotech sector.

Lucy Ogbadu knows this full well. As head of Nigerias National Biotechnology Development Agency, she has her eye on the myriad of needs that kind of money can meet, from facilities to PhD training.

But just after her keynote speech this week at the Africa Diaspora Biotech Summit in the UK, lamenting African countries' poor rankings on the global S&T investment table  all but one invest less than 1 per cent of GDP  the audiences attention seemed to be captured by a question about another kind of power.

Speaking from the floor, medical doctor Yemisi Bokinni asked how anyone can do serious genomics research in Nigeria without a steady electricity supply. You need to guarantee the low temperatures it takes to do that work, she said, or work in any sector.

Talking about energy at the summit this week focused the conversation on a tangible problem to solve. At the same time it touched on bigger themes around how to power Africas biotech sector. Anita Makri, SciDev.Net

The question seemed to cut through the somewhat paralytic effect of pondering high-level policy, with the slow pace of change it usually entails. And the conversations that followed return to it more than once, at one point earning Bokinni the label electricity lady to everyones amusement.

Energy hardly ever takes centre stage in debates about how to boost S&T capacity in Africa, and in developing countries more broadly. It may well deserve a seat higher up the table.

Talking about energy at the summit this week focused the conversation on a tangible problem to solve. At the same time it touched on bigger themes around how to power Africas biotech sector.

One came from Bokinni herself, who said the question of how to guarantee a reliable electricity supply shows the role that other sectors can play for biotech research  so S&T ministries need to seriously engage across departments, including energy. It's about getting the basic things right, and creating an enabling environment so researchers can focus on testing and developing ideas, she told me.

But what can individuals or institutions do in the meantime? Organised action and an active search for alternatives was a second theme that emerged. Optimists in the audience insisted that solutions can be found. Institutions often use their own generators, for example  a short-term measure, even if they run on diesel. Or one can look at solar technology that can concentrate the suns rays to generate electricity through heat.

Impossibility is a state of mind, we heard. The key is to engage the government but also find like-minded people, get together with them and find a way around the problem. How the telecommunications sector was transformed in just a few years is an example to follow.

As the day drew to a close, a few remarks by University of Oxford professor Kevin Marsh captured the dual energy of optimism and realism that reverberated through the day. We need to balance these forces against each other, he said. Solutions are possible, and several African countries are making serious policy moves towards a knowledge economy. But the paltry levels of national investment that Obgadu highlighted as she kicked off the day offer a dose of realism that cannot be ignored.

The summit, which took place at the University of Cambridge, was organised by the US-based non-profit JR Biotek Foundation.
French English





Press release

Procedures for obtaining preparatory documents for the shareholders' annual general meeting (ordinary and extraordinary) of 12 May 2017

Boulogne-Billancourt, 5 April 2017 - Vallourec's Ordinary and Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting will be held on Friday 12 May 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at the Maison de la Mutualite - 24, rue Saint-Victor - 75005 Paris.

The preliminary notice of meeting published in the Bulletin des Annonces Legales Obligatoires of 5 April 2017 and the notice of meeting brochure including the agenda, draft resolutions and reports of the Management Board and the Supervisory Board thereon as well as the procedures for participating in the Meeting and voting are available on Vallourec's website (www.vallourec.com: Group > Finance > General meetings > 2017).

The information referred to in Articles R.225-81 and R.225-83 of the French Code de commerce is included in the notice of meeting brochure, as well as in the 2016 Registration Document, each of which is available on Vallourec's website (www.vallourec.com : Group > Finance > General meetings > 2017).

The other documents and information about the Shareholders' Meeting will be available to shareholders, in accordance with the prevailing regulations, at Vallourec's registered office at 27, avenue du General Leclerc, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt.

About Vallourec

Vallourec is a world leader in premium tubular solutions for the energy markets and for demanding industrial applications such as oil & gas wells in harsh environments, new generation power plants, challenging architectural projects, and high-performance mechanical equipment. Vallourec's pioneering spirit and cutting-edge R&D open new technological frontiers. With close to 19,000 dedicated and passionate employees in more than 20 countries, Vallourec works hand-in-hand with its customers to offer more than just tubes: Vallourec delivers innovative, safe, competitive and smart tubular solutions, to make every project possible.

Listed on Euronext in Paris (ISIN code: FR0000120354, Ticker VK) and eligible for the Deferred Settlement System (SRD), Vallourec is included in the following indices: SBF 120 and Next 150.

In the United States, Vallourec has established a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program (ISIN code: US92023R2094, Ticker: VLOWY). Parity between ADR and a Vallourec ordinary share has been set at 5:1.

vallourec.com

Follow us on Twitter @Vallourec

For further information, please contact:
[NAIROBI] Stem cell science  study of cells that have the capacity to develop into other cells types  could solve Africas noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) burden, says a report.



A workshop report, published by African Academy of Sciences and the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study in February, states that investing time and money on stem cell research to address NCDs, which have huge economic burden on Africa, is essential to ensure socioeconomic development of the continent.

Factors that could foster the implementation of stem cell science in Africa include infrastructure, funding and collaborations with researchers. Marianne Mureithi, University of Nairobi

The report says that NCDs account for 23 per cent of the disease burden on the continent, contributing to a rise in medical costs and negative impact on human growth.



In addition to offering an effective strategy for fighting noncommunicable diseases, stem cells can provide alternative organs, says the report. Many patients especially in Africa die while

on waiting lists for organ transplants hence organ bio-engineering is necessary and inevitable. Essentially, stem cells would offer an alternative supply of organs as they can be grown in the laboratory.



The report calls for a need to build capacity of young researchers to undertake research in stem cell science.



Venant Tchokonte-Nana, a senior lecturer in medical anatomy at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, tells SciDev.Net that stem cell science could help in the treatment of NCDs including diabetes.





African countries are now producing babies in test tubes, which many years ago we thought [was] impossible. Building capacity in stem cell research is timely, explains Tchokonte-Nana.



Marianne Mureithi, a lecturer at the Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Nairobi, Kenya, says stem cell science research o requires government involvement and support from communities due to the ethical challenges.



Factors that could foster the implementation of stem cell science in Africa include infrastructure, funding and collaborations with researchers within and outside the continent, says Mureithi.

Michael Pepper, director, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the South Africa-based University of Pretoria, urges young researchers to explore stem cell research because it touches on many important areas of science and medicine.Pepper tells SciDev.Net that there is a need to have a policy that balances the protection of individuals and promoting innovation.Overly restrictive legislation will delay or prevent many promising therapies from reaching the market, Pepper adds.This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
Before and after photos of glaciers have become the proof of global warming impact on the planet, and it seems that ice is melting at a very alarming rate. In the span of a decade, scientists were able to document day-to-day ice melts in some of the world's over 5,000 glaciers -- and it is indeed pretty alarming.

The Geological Society of America's James Balog took majority of the photographs for the project called Extreme Ice Survey. It is with the project that started documenting the glaciers in 2006. Later on, in 2012, the work was featured in Chasing Ice, a documentary.

In the years 2006 to 2015, the photography project documented the retreating bodies of ice in Switzerland. Photos showed that the glaciers shrunk nearly three quarters of a mile. The Mendenhall glacier of Alaska shrunk over 1,800 feet, while the Solheimajokull glacier of Iceland shrunk 2,050 feet. The worst, however, was in Peru, where 3,740 feet was lost on the Qori Kalis glacier.

According to New York Post, the project was set on documenting the glaciers that received less press coverage than both Greenland and the Antarctic ice sheets. Scientists previously noted that if such ice sheets melted entirely, sea levels around the globe will raise more than 200 feet. While the numbers could look into future years, possibly decades away, communities built around these smaller mountain glaciers could experience the consequences immediately. Some of the changes could include flooding or fresh water shortage. These areas usually rely on the runoff from glaciers as water source.

As for the photos, Balog told The Washington Post that ground-level photographs of these glaciers could provide a sense of urgency usually missing from other scientific tools. Solheimajokull Glacier of Iceland, however, had the most impact on him. He said, "It's where I kind of first realized how quickly the ice is changing."

The short clip he compiled shows just how big the changes have been in the past several years.
Two astronomers, Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown, created quite a stir last year with their announcement on Jan. 20, 2016 that stated that the Solar System has an undiscovered planet. However, no one has actually been clearly able to pinpoint the exact location of the hypothetical world, referred to as Planet 9, Planet Nine or Planet X. Now, after going through millions of objects in the sky, astronomers are investigating four unknown objects that could be potential candidates for the elusive planet.

Following the announcement, a research team led by the Australian National University (ANU) started the Zooniverse project that called on astronomers and citizen scientists from around the globe to join the search for Planet 9. The project also asked for help from space enthusiasts to categorize millions of objects in the sky survey data. The project, which was launched by Professor Brian Cox during a BBC Stargazing Live broadcast, saw 60,000 people from all over the world classifying about 5 million objects in space in just three days.

According to a Yahoo report, as of now, citizen scientists have identified four unknown objects for a follow-up study in the hunt for the mysterious Planet 9. The four celestial bodies were detected in images of the southern sky that were recently captured by the SkyMapper telescope at Australias Siding Spring Observatory.

The next step will include the use of SkyMapper and telescopes located in other parts of the world to further study the four objects to understand if they are viable candidates for Planet Nine. The project team has also added that the entire experiment will not go in vain even if none of the four objects is Planet 9, because the search has yielded valuable information. "We have detected minor planets Chiron and Comacina, which demonstrates the approach we are taking could find Planet 9 if it is there," said Brad Tucker, lead researcher from the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics.
HARTSVILLE, S.C.  Dr. Orville Dyce and Black Creek Medical Consultants celebrated the opening of their new location at 149 E. Carolina Ave. in downtown Hartsville on March 27 with a ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration.

The new office is 7,000 square feet of custom-built medical space that now includes services such as surgical and procedure rooms, comfortable exam rooms, diagnostic tools and laboratory services.

For more than 12 years, Dyce has been treating patients in Darlington, Chesterfield and Kershaw counties with privileges at both Carolina Pines Hospital and McLeod Health Cheraw. He is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology in both otolaryngology and sleep medicine and also is a fellow with subspecialty certification in allergy from the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy.

Dyce attended Cornell University in New York, where he received a bachelor of arts from the School of Arts and Sciences in 1992. He received his medical doctorate in 1997 from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

Dyce performed his internship and residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennslyvania with the Department of Surgery and the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. He performed a fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, in the Department of Otolaryngology Division of Laryngology.

Dyce can diagnose and treat a wide range of sleep disorders, thyroid problems, voice and swallowing disorders, head and neck cancers and sinus and allergy difficulties. Dyce is board certified in otolaryngology, sleep medicine and allergy.

Dyce also announced the addition of Rachel Kuegler, who moved to Hartsville from Fort Meyers, Florida. She is a physician assistant with a master's of medical science from NOVA Southeastern University, where she graduated with honors and was a Pi Alpha Honors Society member.

Black Creek Medical Consultants is now accepting new patients and welcoming existing patients to the new location. Office hours are by appointment from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. ti 3 p.m. Friday.

For more information, see blackcreekmedicalconsultants.com or call 843-383-5312.
English Danish

Hedehusene, Denmark, 2017-04-05 18:41 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Release no. 4  2017

To Nasdaq Copenhagen

ROCKWOOL International A/S

Hovedgaden 584, Entrance C

DK2640 Hedehusene

Phone: +45 4656 0300

www.rockwool.com

Danish CVR no: 54879415



Page 1/1

5 April 2017



Annual General Meeting 2017 Minutes

The annual general meeting of ROCKWOOL International A/S was held on 5 April 2017 at 3:00 p.m. at Roskilde Kongrescenter, Denmark.

At the general meeting, the board of directors report for the financial year of 2016 was noted, the annual report for 2016 was approved and the management and the board of directors were discharged from liability.

The general meeting approved the remuneration of the board of directors, including the remuneration of members of the Audit Committee and the Remuneration Committee respectively, for the period from the annual general meeting in 2017 to the annual general meeting in 2018.

The general meeting approved the board of directors proposal for distribution of dividends of DKK 18.80 (EUR 2.53) per share of a nominal value of DKK 10, corresponding to a total of EUR 55.6 million.

Carsten Bjerg, Sren Kahler, Thomas Kahler and Andreas Ronken were re-elected as members of the board of directors. Henrik Brandt and Jrgen Tang-Jensen were elected as new members of the board of directors. At the same time Lars Frederiksen and Bjrn Hi Jensen retired from the board of directors.

PricewaterhouseCoopers Statsautoriseret Revisionspartnerselskab (PwC) was re-elected as auditor of the company.

The general meeting authorised the board of directors to allow the company to acquire its own shares, A shares as well as B shares, of a total nominal value of up to 10% of the companys share capital in the period until the next annual general meeting, provided that the price of the shares at the time of purchase does not deviate by more than 10% from the most recent listed price.

After the general meeting the board of directors constituted itself with Henrik Brandt as chairman, Carsten Bjerg as first deputy chairman and Sren Kahler as second deputy chairman.

The board of directors
JOHNSONVILLE, S.C.  During a three-week period, approximately 450 college students in 16 groups spent their spring break in Johnsonville to assist with rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Matthew and the 2015 flood.

Students from Jacksonville State University in Alabama served in Johnsonville the week of March 20. The students were part of the universitys Baptist Collegiate Ministry, and the mission project was organized through the North American Mission Board.

Gary Brittain, the campus minister of Jacksonville State University's Baptist Collegiate Ministries, said the organization provides opportunities for students to serve in mission work every year during spring break.

And this year, we chose to join with other schools and work on this project and help the people whove been displaced by disasters that theyve been through, Brittain said.

Jonathan Hollingsworth, a sophomore at Jacksonville State, said the students worked to repair roofs on houses during their time in Johnsonville.

My group, we finished three houses and started working on a fourth on the last day, Hollingsworth said. We finished projects that other groups had started.

Brittain said the students were a largely unskilled group. Crew chiefs worked with them and taught the team members how to properly do the jobs they were assigned.

Thats what helped us to be able to accomplish so much, Brittain said. It was the students energy and with having some folks who actually knew how to do the jobs we were asked to do. So we were very grateful to have those people along.

Shelton McIlwain, a sophomore at Jacksonville State, said all of the homeowners were grateful for her and other students to be there helping them. A group from Tennessee preceded the group from Jacksonville State, and McIlwain said homeowners told her of the fellowship they had with the group.

And so I think we were able to carry that on and just encourage him, McIlwain said. Some of them told us their stories, and some of them just told us thank you. But they were all real nice and appreciative.

McIlwain said it makes her happy to be able to help people.

I love to help people, so that was definitely a good thing that they were appreciative and that they really needed it, that we could meet their needs in that way, McIlwain said. I think it all made us feel very good.

The North American Mission Board aims to instill in students how easy it is to live their Christian life on a mission in their community or anywhere else on the globe, according to Steve Turner, senior director of Next Generation Mobilization, North American Mission Board.

So whether its the Jacksonville State group ministering to people right there in their area in Alabama or coming somewhere like Johnsonville or going to a big city like New York, even a place like where Im from, like Atlanta, wherever theyre at, they can be on mission helping people and sharing the gospel, Turner said.

The rebuilding in Johnsonville has been going on for months. At the end of each week, a new group picks up where the previous group left off. Last week, a church group of approximately 150 people was scheduled to be in Johnsonville to finish the project through the end of April.

Hollingsworth said he enjoyed how a group of college students could be a positive influence, help people and ask for nothing in return.

That was pretty special, Hollingsworth said.
First in a series

FLORENCE, S.C.  Sgt. Dionne Williams enlisted into the United States Army on Oct. 21, 2009. He completed basic training at Fort Knox in Kentucky and advanced to individual training at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

He started as an allied trade specialist, was stationed at Fort Bliss and was deployed to Bahrain in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He began as an Army recruiter in 2014.

Williams works at the Florence Recruiting Center. He is married with two children. He has received awards such as the Combat Life Savers Course, Army Commendation Medal and Global War Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. He is working on his bachelor's degree in applied science in criminal justice.

Q: Why is it important to recruit individuals into the Army?

A: We need to strengthen our Army. The more diverse our army is, it is easier to communicate globally, whether countries are our enemies or allies. Everybody is important, and it makes the Army behavior better.

Q: What is the hardest thing you endure when you are at a career fair or recruitment fair?

A: It is hard to get people to see that the military is not the last option. People believe, If this college or job thing doesnt work out after high school, I still have the Army. The Army is a challenge like a job and college. The Army is a professional job just like being a doctor or lawyer is a professional job.

Q: Are there any myths about Army recruitment or the Army you want to squash?

A: Oh, yes. I will only give a few. As an Army recruiter, we believe in education. Were not looking for physically fit people or people who love guns. We look for well-rounded people. Secondly, all recruiters do not lie. I know the nature of this job. Recruiters care about changing peoples lives, even if that person does not want to go into the military. We still help them find something that fits them. We know what the Army does. Research the Army first. Oftentimes relatives give them advice, and it is tales of what they went through in the past. Everybodys Army experience is different. Thirdly, there is a misconception that everyone that enlists in the Army is a troublemaker. That is not true.

Q: Please explain your Fort Knox experience.

A: As soon as I got there I asked, What did I get myself into? When I went, it was cold, but the climate was different because we were up in the mountains. It wasnt too crazy because for me. The military was always an option. I wanted to be in the Navy or the Air Force. The Air Force turned me away because of a tattoo I had. The Navy gave me the runaround on several documents of mine. I was discouraged. All I remember was being turned away one cold Monday. I left the Navy office discouraged; I walked to my car and said there are more options. I stopped and turned around and went to the Army office. So far the best thing Ive done in my life. The military environment is the same for all branches, we all have the same things  camouflage and boots, and serve our country.

Q: You are ranked as an allied trade specialist. What is that role?

A: It is a fancy phrase for metal worker. I have done welding, and I am a machinist. I became an allied trade specialist because it allowed me to use my talents, crafts and experience within the trade in a quick period of time. It allowed me to learn hands-on.

Q: What is leadership to you?

A: When a person is able to set the example and motivates others to be that example. Leadership should be what a person does for those around them. Thats great leadership. As a leader, I want to put men and women in the Army and see them a few years down the road being a leader.

Q: Why did you obtain an associate's degree in applied science in criminal justice?

A: I obtained that degree because I know the importance of furthering your degree. It is a start to my bachelors.

Q: Why do you work with the youth?

A: I want to work with youth offenders. Our prisons and crime rates are bad, because those adults were once youth offenders. That will affect how overpopulated our jails are. I also want to let the youth know, you think nobody else cares? It doesnt mean that I dont care. Everybody looks up to somebody and goes to different people. I want people to come to me about anything.

Q: What motivates you?

A: My faith and religion keep me going on. My wife and kids definitely motivate me. I want to influence others around me, even if it is a small percentage. It is the small things that count.
MINNEAPOLIS, April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clairmont Financial Group, LLC, a full service employee benefits firm headquartered in Minneapolis, was recently selected by Premier Pontoons as the Broker of Record for their employee benefits program. For over twenty-five years, Premier Pontoons has been a leader in the boating industry, reinventing the definition of what it means to be Premier. As a fully independent and family-owned operation, Premier Pontoons seeks excellence in all aspects of their business.



Clairmont Financial Group will be assisting Premier Pontoons on a variety of fronts, while simultaneously providing education to their employees regarding their benefits package. In addition, Clairmont Financial is implementing an online enrollment system on behalf of Premier Pontoons, which helped to reduce administrative overhead. Of the relationship, James Clairmont, Founder of Clairmont Financial Group, LLC, stated, We understand that the employee benefits space can be unwieldy to engage with, especially if you arent doing it all the time. Thats why weve made it our goal as an organization to educate employees at every level about what exactly they can expect from their benefits package.

When asked about the partnership, Lori Melbostad, President of Premier Pontoons, went on to say, Insurance needs have historically been a difficult benefit to manage, until we partnered with Clairmont Financial Group. Moving to Clairmont has proven to be exactly what we needed, a business partner looking to help with the on-going management of our insurance benefits.

The partnership began with the 2016 Open Enrollment Period.
LAFAYETTE, Ind., April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wabash National Corporation (NYSE:WNC) today announced it will conduct a conference call to review and discuss its first quarter results on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. EDT. Wabash National is scheduled to release its results on Monday, April 24, 2017, after the close of the financial markets.



The phone number to access the conference call is 800-708-4539, confirmation number 44704481. A live audio webcast of the call will be available through the companys website at www.wabashnational.com. For those unable to participate in the webcast, a recording of the call will be archived at www.wabashnational.com within three hours of its conclusion and will remain available through July 17, 2017.

About Wabash National Corporation

Headquartered in Lafayette, Indiana, Wabash National Corporation (NYSE:WNC) is a diversified industrial manufacturer and North Americas leading producer of semi-trailers and liquid transportation systems. Established in 1985, the company manufactures a diverse range of products including: dry freight and refrigerated trailers, platform trailers, bulk tank trailers, dry and refrigerated truck bodies, truck-mounted tanks, intermodal equipment, aircraft refueling equipment, structural composite panels and products, trailer aerodynamic solutions, and specialty food grade and pharmaceutical equipment. Its innovative products are sold under the following brand names: Wabash National, Beall, Benson, Brenner Tank, Bulk Tank International, DuraPlate, Extract Technology, Garsite, Progress Tank, Transcraft, Walker Engineered Products, and Walker Transport. Visit www.wabashnational.com to learn more.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Los Angeles Business Journal is proud to announce the 2017 CTO Awards where we will honor Chief Information and Technology Officers and, more broadly, those in the top information technology positions within their organizations. These important individuals and teams play vital roles in making Los Angeles a hub for innovation, and in making its businesses, institutions, and nonprofits successful.



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c5415baa-6e97-445c-8558-e5c4d0b91dc4

Network Solutions Provider California's leader in technology-enabled business solutions

We recognize that technology moves fast. At Network Solutions Provider, we focus on helping your business stay up to date with the latest IT solutions. We specialize in designing, implementing and managing technology, communication and security solutions for businesses of all sizes, healthcare providers and all branches of the U.S. government. Whether you need all of your IT managed or youre looking for a supplement to an understaffed IT department, our integrated team of consultants and network engineers can tailor a solution that delivers the most effective results for YOUR business.

I am incredibly honored to have won IT server partner of the year to have the opportunity to lead so many talented employees and partners is why we are so successful in the Los Angles market, said Phillip Walker, Customer advocate leader.

About the CTO Awards

This is our sixth year of celebrating the cream of the proverbial crop among Los Angeles finest IT leadership minds with an awards event for those who have their hands on the steering wheels of new technology. Our annual Los Angeles Business Journal CTO Awards, held Wednesday, March 22nd at Casa del Mar in Santa Monica, give us the opportunity to stop for a moment and applaud the IT inventiveness and technological achievements of the corporate spaces hi-tech men and women  the often unsung architects and enablers of our companies operational successes. Indeed, its the CTOs who are often charged with providing the operational tools required to match a CEOs vision for a company. So for all the great CTOs celebrated by our awards this year, we say thank you and congratulations! Your tireless contributions to the companies you serve and ultimately, our business community as a whole, are appreciated.

About Network Solutions Provider

We Make Your Business Better, (RE)envision more for your Business.

As Los Angeles Based Network Solutions Provider, it is important to us that our Southern California customers have all of the information necessary to thrive in their new environment. We optimize your solution with support and flexibility to handle any challenges, so you can work free from worry. Thats because our team delivers support based on our values of dedication and accountability. We help solve big, technically complex, mission-critical challenges by using technology to increase customer sales, increase customer profits, and increase customer productivity, thus creating unbeatable results for our clients.
LOS ANGELES, April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Monday and Tuesday this week, more than 5,000 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) account holders called a toll-free hotline after receiving formal notice of the landmark class action billing settlement.



The enthusiastic response is amazing, said consumer rights attorney Jack Landskroner of Landskroner Grieco Merriman, LLC. Class members are really motivated to take full advantage of what this settlement offers.

Kurtzman Carlson Consultants, the court-appointed claims administrator, has 60 customer service representatives devoted to answering questions about the settlement between the hours of 6:00 am and 6:00 pm (PDT) Monday through Friday. KCCs team includes trained staff fluent in multiple languages.

Customers can also go to the settlement website at http://www.ladwpbillingsettlement.com/ for additional information about the settlement, or call the toll-free number at 1-844-899-6219.

The best time to call is first thing in the morning, said Ryanne Cozzi of KCC. But the website is a good resource and probably the best way to get quick answers to your questions. You can even file your claim electronically on the website.

LADWP customers are entitled to recover 100% of what they were overcharged or damaged by the utilitys flawed billing system. A Court-appointed independent monitor has already verified $67,500,000 in overcharges. Landskroner negotiated the complex settlement which received preliminary approval from Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle at the end of last year. In the past week, 2.4 million information packets have been mailed to LADWP account holders explaining their rights.

Given the response, KCC could add even more customer service reps, added Landskroner. We expect call volume to increase over the next several days as consumers receive their packets. It will then likely slow down next week.

Many customers do not have to do anything to receive a refund. Those who believe they have additional damages beyond the pre-identified refund, however, can make a claim for those damages. They simply have to submit a claim form with supporting materials by June 5, 2017.

Landskroner Grieco Merriman, LLC. is a law firm whose practice areas includes consumer class action litigation and securities fraud. Jack Landskroner is a board-certified trial advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and has been counsel in class action cases litigated across the country. In 2012, Jack Landskroner was elected national President of the Public Justice Foundation; a 3,000-member organization's that undertakes nationwide efforts to secure court access for ordinary people and justice in civil rights and civil liberties, environmental protection, consumers' rights, food health and safety, and workers' rights cases with widespread impact. Landskroner has repeatedly been honored as a "Super Lawyer" and a "Top-Rated Lawyer" by his peers and has been recognized as a litigation Star by Benchmark Plaintiff publication. For more information, visit www.lgmlegal.com.
EL PASO, Texas, April 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Western Refining Logistics, LP (NYSE:WNRL) will announce earnings results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2017, on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, before the open of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The Company has scheduled a conference call for May 2, 2017, at 4:00 p.m. EDT to discuss these results.

The call will be webcast and can be accessed at the Investor Relations section of Western Refining Logistics website, www.wnrl.com. The call can also be heard by dialing (844) 831-3028 or (315) 625-6887, passcode: 3495314. The audio replay will be available two hours after the end of the call through May 16, 2017, by dialing (855) 859-2056 or (404) 537-3406, passcode: 3495314.

About Western Refining Logistics, LP

Western Refining Logistics, LP is principally a fee-based, growth-oriented master limited partnership formed by Western Refining, Inc. (NYSE:WNR) to own, operate, develop and acquire terminals, storage tanks, pipelines and other logistics assets related to the terminalling, transportation and storage of crude oil and refined products. Headquartered in El Paso, Texas, Western Refining Logistics, LP's assets include 705 miles of pipelines, approximately 12.4 million barrels of active storage capacity, distribution of wholesale petroleum products and crude oil and asphalt trucking.

More information about Western Refining Logistics, LP is available at www.wnrl.com.
VeloCloud to Showcase Cloud-Delivered SD-WAN

By Frank Griffin , Contributing Writer

Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) is simplifying branch office networking at a time when data traffic is getting more complicated than ever. By abstracting the network hardware and transport characteristics from the applications that use the network, SD-WAN delivers increased network agility and cost reduction. VeloCloud Networks is further simplifying the process by delivering SD-WAN in the cloud with automated deployment and improving performance over private, broadband Internet and LTE (News - Alert) links for globally distributed enterprises. The company just announced it is going to be demonstrating its technology in the second quarter of 2017 at industry events around the world.







Some of the more notable events are the WAN Summit NYC; Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations & Data Center Summit, Sydney; INTEROP Tokyo; and Cisco (News - Alert) Live!, Las Vegas. But these are just a handful of the many events VeloCloud will be showcasing its technology as the company receives new rounds of funding and acquires major customers.

In March of 2017, VeloCloud announced it closed a $35 million Series D round of funding, led by Hermes Growth Partners, in addition to existing investors New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Venrock, March Capital Partners, Cisco Investments and others. With this round, a total of $84 million has been raised by the company to date.

This type of investment highlights the technology the company has developed and the potential it has in the industry as more customer deploy its SD-WAN technology. The company has set new records for sales, with the number of SD-WAN sites growing to more than 50,000 and total customer wins exceeding 600. VeloCloud also announced it had the two largest SD-WAN wins in the world. Some of the global companies currently using VeloCloud include, AT&T (News - Alert), Sprint, Mitel, TelePacific, and Windstream, but it also has service provider partnerships with Vonage, MetTel, EarthLink, and NetOne so they can provide the benefits of VeloCloud Powered SD-WAN to their customers.

"We are experiencing significantly more growth than we even predicted as a stretch goal for VeloCloud Cloud-Delivered SD-WAN. VeloCloud has broken away from the field with the industrys largest number of customers, sites, and sales along with key strategic Service Provider partnerships. With this new round of funding we are able to stay well ahead of this new level of demand we are experiencing, said VeloCloud CEO and Co-founder Sanjay Uppal.

VeloCloud SD-WAN offers organizations to securely support application growth, network agility, and simplified branch end-point implementations with a choice of public, private or hybrid cloud network for enterprise-grade connection to cloud and enterprise applications; branch office enterprise appliances and optional data center appliances; software-defined control and automation; and virtual services delivery.

Edited by Maurice Nagle
The ceremony marked the official opening of the Pacific coast deep-water terminal with an annual throughput capacity of 1.2m teu. At full build-out the terminal will increase annual throughput capacity to more than 4m teu in 2030 with an investment of $900m.

Markets with strong trade alliances tend to outperform global growth and Mexico alone has signed more than 45 free trade agreements, making it one of the worlds most important economies. Maersk is committed to Mexico, and across our Transport and Logistics brands, we employ more than 800 people locally, said Sren Skou, ceo of AP Mller-Maersk.

The terminal, which is the second terminal for APM Terminals in Mexico after APM Terminals Yucatan, is currently performing 30% above expectations in terms of container turnaround times in March, and is expected to improve operational efficiencies per container by 20%.

The technology in this terminal will bring increased predictability and efficiency to our shipping line customers, while ensuring the highest levels of safety for our employees and supply chain partners, contributing to Mexicos trade and growth stories as well as long-term competitiveness, said md for APM Terminals in Mexico, Jose Rueda.

The terminal received its first official vessel call on 27 February 2017 with the arrival of the 9,600 teu-Maersk Salalah, on the Maersk AC2 Transpacific service from Asia.

With the first phase of the terminal complete, APM Terminals Lazaro Cardenas covers 49 hectares, with a 750 metre-quay and a depth of 16.5 m, deep enough to accommodate the latest generation of ultra-large containerships. The terminal is equipped with five intermodal rail tracks and offers automated gate services with five ship-to-shore cranes.

Lazaro Cardenas is the second busiest port in Mexico moving 1.1m teu in 2016 and 90% of Mexico Pacific coast trade passes through either Lazaro Cardenas or Manzanillo, 360 km north.

We are working hard to make this terminal as efficient as possible for customers, said APM Terminals Chief Commercial Officer Henrik Lundgaard Pedersen. Thanks to its semi-automated processes, APM Terminals Lazaro Cardenas will offer faster turnaround times per container as well as faster intermodal transportation via its superior on-dock rail connection. The terminals strong geographic position on the coast and its connection with our inland terminal at Cuautitlan Izcalli in the industrial zone of Mexico City ensures our customers have easy access to inland distribution centers and a consumer market of over 120m people.

Mexico handled 5.66m teu in 2016, behind only Brazil and Panama in Latin American port container traffic volume.
The companys management will be present at the informal meeting to carry out a dialogue session with the noteholders. Representatives from the Securities Investors Association (Singapore) have also been invited to the informal meeting as moderators for the dialogue session, Ezra said in a filing to the Singapore Exchange (SGX).

SGX mentioned earlier that it has taken steps to aid holders of the Ezra notes by requiring Ezra to convene a meeting with the noteholders.

Ezra said that noteholders who wish to attend the meeting are requested to first contact the company, thereafter the company will then provide these noteholders with the location of the meeting.

Subsea services firm Ezra filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 19 March in the hope of faciliating a financial restructuring.

Ezras 40% held joint venture firm EMAS Chiyoda Subsea (ECS) also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 28 February.
Singapore-listed Yangzijiang said the 13 newbuilding deals would ensure optimal use of yard facilities until 2019, as deliveries are scheduled until 2020.

The 13 shipbuilding contracts comprise of five 82,000 dwt bulk carriers, five 62,000 dwt woodchip carriers, two 1,800 teu container vessels and one 6,500 dwt con-ro vessel.

While the oversupply in global shipping and shipbuilding industries is still in a rebalancing process, we see signs of recovery in the secondhand vessel market and the bulk carrier market. We remain cautiously optimistic on these developments, said Ren Yuanlin, executive chairman of Yangzijiang.

Yangzijiang remains resilient and profitable, backed by a strong financial position, Ren added.

In 2016, Yangzijiang recorded a profit of RMB1.85bn ($269m), down 25% year-on-year.

Ren said earlier that the group will cut workforce by 10% over 2017 amid the severe industry slump, downsizing its workforce to around 18,000 by end of this year.